#operation and takes away their list of victims and also have evidence to give to authorities. sometimes it means destroying their computer

[radioconstructed]

⌖ Think I’m GOOD ENOUGH with a COMPUTER to get into SOMEONE ELSE’S? FIND OUT ON MY ALT STATION!

[flickeringart]

Planets in the 8th House

Like all the watery houses, the 8th house is mysterious and potent, yet it’s difficult to fully get a grasp of. The area of life that this house represents are usually summarized by worn out key words; death, transformation, regeneration, rebirth, sex, shared finances, the occult, hidden complexes, power struggles, trauma, crisis and the list goes on… from these words one gathers that the 8th is not a light-hearted sphere of life – it signifies struggle and emotional intensity. Having planets in the 8th, strong Pluto or Scorpio influence usually revolves around the same themes – paranoia, the striving for control and a tendency to keep things private and buried in order to sustain power.

I’m not going to discuss the difference of having strong Scorpio-Pluto placements vs. having planets in the 8th house in this post, but since the sign, planet and house are linked and are symbolic of the same themes, there’s a lot of overlap that is to be expected.

A person with planet(s) in the 8th will not act out the planetary principles consciously. Usually, the energy is felt through their aura, quiet but evident, as if the planet makes its presence known without revealing itself. For example, someone with Venus in the 8th might not openly declare affection and love, except in the most intimate of settings, but it’s unquestionably there. Picture the goddess of love living within a person as a body of water. She is there, but she is slippery and unable to manifest through conscious expression in daily life. The reason for planets in the 8th house “hiding” usually has something to do with fear of losing control, of exposing something taboo and risky that could have dire consequences.  We see this phenomenon in movies all the time – a person isn’t conscious of the fact the he or she is in love with a person but it’s obvious to everyone else – this would be typical of Venus in the 8th. One doesn’t dare to express it because it would alter the way of things, it would violate the sense of self-control and expose one’s vulnerability. Pain accompanies planets in the 8th, however benefic, because they impose themselves on the person and puts everything on the line. It’s a little bit like opening Pandora’s box – one can never go back to how things were before one fell in love, yet one resists the power with which one is pulled into a relationship. Even Venus and Jupiter, the most “positive” planets are operating in a way that makes the person feel out of control. Sure, it’s probably more positive to be invaded by love and abundance than anything else, but it can still be shocking and fearful to a person that doesn’t want to acknowledge the autonomy of the planet and has put up rigid defenses against it, only to have them be shattered. In the case of Venus in the 8th, personal love and affection is very private and usually has some kind of trauma or complex tied up with it. Looking at astrotheme’s database of people with Venus in the 8th , Miley Cyrus pops up at the top of the page with this placement. In some of her more personal songs, lyrics hint to her being afraid of love and intimacy. Even in her famous song “Wrecking Ball” she sings about falling under love’s spell and slowly seeing a relationship turn to “ashes on the ground”. If this isn’t typical symbolism of transformation through love I don’t know what is.

With the Moon in the 8th house, the person doesn’t openly express emotion – the emotions erupt volcanically from time to time, and it’s very uncomfortable for the person because there’s a feeling of being exposed and threatened that accompanies this release. Because of the fear that is tied up with emotion, the person might show dislike and defensiveness when faced with other people’s emotional expressions and needs. Sigmund Freud had his Moon in the 8th, which is very telling. He was obviously interested in uncovering the complexes behind certain reactions, presumably because he didn’t feel himself to be in control of his own emotions and inner life. He was certainly motivated to transform and free himself and his clients of the tight grip of the unconscious patterns of the 8th house. He explored the underlying mechanisms of repression, formulated the Oedipus complex and postulated the existence of libido – sexual energy with which the mental processes are invested. The Moon’s placement in the 8th would point to deeply rooted emotional and possibly sexual ties with the mother. The Oedipus complex is after all a desire for sexual involvement with the opposite sex and the presence of repressed incestuous instincts. Freud noted that he had wanted to marry his mother as a child to rival with the father and understood that it must be a universal principle among all boys in all cultures. This has not been thoroughly empirically proven, but it’s certainly reveals something about Freud’s own psychology. In any case with Moon in the 8th, the emotional and instinctual nature is accompanied with a sense of it being taboo and shameful. The emotional nature is experienced to be powerful beyond personal control.

Mercury in the 8th is a another story. Mercury is the planet of communication, thinking and deductive reasoning. When looking up people with this placement, it seems to me that it is common among people who speak up about uncomfortable topics, that which would be considered “risky business” to talk about. Prince Harry has this placement and he has been very open recently about his mental health struggles. Emma Watson has this placement and she has been an advocate for feminism and equality – preaching and advocating strongly with emotional investment when giving the famous UN speech in 2014. Lana Del Rey has this placement and she writes lyrics based on her own personal experiences, not shying away from dark topics like death, heartbreak, destructive and passionate relationships. It seems as if Mercury in this house gives the person a propensity for talking and thinking about that which in uncomfortable, for revealing difficult power-imbalances and dynamics taking place within the psyche. There’s usually a feeling of being cautious of what one reveals, of sitting on information that holds emotional power and that involves other people. With any planet in this house there’s a strong impulse to be aware of other people, in case of Mercury it’s what other people know and don’t know, what they say and don’t say. Mercury in the 8th might be indicative of a person who is controlled by what other people say and feels at the mercy of other people’s opinions – positively and negatively. The narratives and stories of other people might merge with the person on a deep level and fuel one’s own opinions. One might be exposed to challenging, discriminative and harmful opinions, even indoctrinated in them. When speaking one’s mind, one might have to summon a lot of bravery because more than likely there’s a bit of a chokehold that is being felt and effort that is required to break free from deeply instilled thought patterns. This placement could be indicative of a person that likes to think and communicate about deep and taboo topics, reveal and keep secrets.

With Mars in the 8th, one simple interpretation would be “someone who is prone to experience physical violence in intimate relationships”. Either one is the victim of it or the perpetrator, perhaps even a bystander or a protector. The violence, albeit linked to physical action, might just manifest in the form of acting without another’s best interest in mind. There’s usually a sense of being at the mercy of other people’s actions with this placement, but also of having no conscious control over one’s own motivations for doing things, one’s own drive to make things happen. Princess Diana had this placement, conjunct Pluto-Uranus, and she was far from feeling in absolute control of her direction in life. With Pluto-Mars the drive is buried and tied up with the primal survival instinct and latent rage. Her relationship with Prince Charles was anything but smooth and she felt like a victim to greater forces (Pluto-Uranus) making her act in a way that was, most certainly, driven by emotional complexes and not out of conscious will. She also behaved in a way with her compulsive eating and independent streak that was not favorably looked upon. J.F. Kennedy also had this placement, he too had difficulties on the relationship front, mostly because he had a compulsive sexual drive and had a lot of extramarital affairs. This is typical of Mars in the 8th being tied up with emotional complexes – he couldn’t stick to his wife; he had to prove himself and his masculinity through conquering women (he has Jupiter conjunct his Mars and we all know how faithful Jupiter was in mythology). His sexual appetite caused moral problems among the Secret Service agents who were employed to smuggle women in and out of the White House. His behavior was altogether inappropriate but somehow he survived politically as it was kept in the shadows. Diana certainly had her own extramarital affairs as well, perhaps to revenge Charles for his strong tie with Camilla and subsequent declining interest in their marriage. Mars in the 8th is undoubtedly indicative of action taken out of the need to retain emotional integrity, sometimes with unfavorable consequences. Notably, both Diana and J.F. Kennedy died suddenly, Diana in a car accident and J.F. Kennedy through assassination by a bullet. The 8th house is the house of death, and Mars here usually indicates a violent and sudden strike of “fate”.

Last but not least, let’s take a look at the Sun in the 8th house. The same people who shows up when searching for Mercury, Mars and even Venus, also have the Sun in this house; J.F. Kennedy, Lana Del Rey, Emma Watson and Prince Harry, which is not surprising considering that the inner planets never stray too far from the Sun. The Sun represents the ego, the sense of self-knowledge and self-awareness. The Sun is representative of the conscious center of the personality. This suggests that the people with this placement are painfully aware of death and violation, of the destructive nature of reality. While the Moon in the 8th might indicate that emotional reactions or lack thereof stem from deep seated autonomous complexes rooted in survival, the Sun might indicate a sense of self and self-expression that stems from the difficulties and hardships one has gone through. This placement can be understood in the sentiment “who am I without my trauma?”. There’s the tendency to identify with the ordeals of one’s life and how one overcame them (or didn’t). This dynamic is evident in all the people listed at the top of this paragraph. Prince Harry being a very obvious one that people make fun of nowadays – he’s coming out as a survivor of past down ancestral trauma, attempting to work through and shine a light on his personal struggles growing up within the Royal Family, attempting to separate himself from the curses of unconscious programming. Lana Del Rey certainly enjoys identifying and expressing the darker side of herself, illuminating the theme of death and emotional hardship in her songs. Emma Watson also seems to identify with the hurt and injustice present in the world and is a spokesperson for collective movements (Sun in the 8th, Leo in the 11th). J.F. Kennedy has the same Sun –Leo house setup as Emma, channeling his experience of personal hardships into his career and public life. In a sense, people who want to appeal to the masses and make a change on a large scale must be personally invested enough to fuel the movement. In the case of the 8th house being involved with Kennedy and Watson, they might feel as if their sense of self is dictated by other people’s values or that they would have to fight to remain in control of their sense of self. As the Sun relates to the father, the father figure might’ve been quite controlling, demanding and dominant. If the Moon in the 8thsays something about a mother complex, the Sun in the 8thdefinitely says something about a father complex.

[magnetic-rose]

Why Spones is a top-tier ship

AKA “the inherent homoeroticism of annoying the shit out of your co-worker.”

Spock and McCoy have a complicated relationship. A lot of their bickering and ideological differences lead fans to believe that they hate each other, but that’s an over-simplification of the truth. The reality is that Spock and McCoy are extremely close friends who care about each other deeply. Though sometimes their bickering turns serious during stressful situations, for the most time they seem to enjoy the banter. A common mischaracterization of their relationship seems to put McCoy as the bully and Spock as the victim. In truth, there are many times where Spock will say something specifically to get a rise out of McCoy. They fight. That’s how they show affection, not disdain. In fact, one could argue that some of their bantering have a flirtatious tone to it.

Kirk: Mister Spock, regaining eyesight would be an emotional experience for most. You, I assume, felt nothing.

Spock: On the contrary Captain. I had a very strong reaction. My first sight was the face of Doctor McCoy bending over me.

McCoy: ‘Tis a pity brief blindness didn’t increase your appreciation for beauty, Spock. (Operation -- Annihilate!)

Spock is a half-Vulcan, half-Human who has mostly chosen to follow his Vulcan heritage. As such, he is a being of almost pure logic. The truth about Vulcans are that they are secretly beings who feel things very deeply and intensely, and they feel the need to keep a tight lid on their emotions as to not succumb to them. McCoy, on the other hand, is a regular human. He’s a deeply emotional man who cares about others. One could argue that McCoy is almost too empathetic, as he lets his emotions rule him. Spock and McCoy are polar opposites; the brain and the heart, the logic and the emotion, the super-ego and the id.

Despite these differences, the two men are similar in a lot of ways. They’re both men of science, men of peace, and they both care very deeply for their Captain. They’re both self-sacrificing morons, to the chagrin of the other. Spock will prioritize McCoy’s life even when both of them know it’s not the logical choice to do so. Likewise, McCoy will take a hit for Spock even when they both know the Vulcan is stronger and better equipped to deal with pain than the doctor.

Spock: (In the middle of a blizzard) In this severe cold, we cannot survive much longer.

McCoy: Leave me here, Spock.

Spock: We go together or not at all.

McCoy: Don’t be a fool. My hands and face are frostbitten. I can’t feel my feet. Alone, you have a chance. Now do what I say. Go try to find Jim.

Spock: We go together! (All of Yesterdays)

In the episode, “The Empath,” Kirk, Spock and McCoy have to choose someone to be offered as sacrifice to be tortured by a group of aliens. Kirk obviously volunteers, but gets put to sleep by McCoy with a tranquilizer. Spock then states that he’ll offer himself up, as he has the higher chance of surviving the torture. McCoy then proceeds to sedate Spock as well, and sacrifices himself to be tortured by the aliens.

Spock: While the captain is asleep, I am in command. When the Vians return, I shall go with them.

McCoy: You mean, if I hadn't given him that shot

Spock: Precisely. The choice would have been the captain's. Now it is mine.

(McCoy turns away. Spock sits to carry on working. Gem puts her hand on Spock's shoulder, and smiles. McCoy comes up behind him and gives him an injection.)

Spock: Your action is highly unethical. My decision stands. (Spock falls asleep next to Kirk.)

McCoy: Not this time, Spock.

Underneath all the fighting and disagreements, there is a deep caring between Spock and McCoy that manifests itself into protectiveness towards each other. In “All of Yesterdays,” Spock is constantly showing concern for McCoy after he almost died of hypothermia. In aftermath of McCoy’s torture in “The Empath,” Spock is seen hovering over his body and caressing his face, worry written into his features. On the other hand, while McCoy constantly makes fun of Spock for his lack of emotions, he’s also highly aware of the Vulcan’s mental state and protective of it when others threaten to shatter his resilience.

McCoy: He's a Vulcan. You can't force emotion out of him.

Philana: You must be joking, Doctor.

McCoy: You'll destroy him.

Parmen: We can't let him die laughing, can we?

McCoy: (Watching as Spock starts to cry) I beg you! (Plato’s Stepchildren)

The episode “Amok Time” also demonstrates McCoy’s perceptiveness of Spock and Spock’s true feelings of friendship towards McCoy. McCoy is in fact the first person to notice that something is wrong with Spock:

McCoy: Oh, captain. Got a minute? It's Spock. Have you noticed anything strange about him?

Kirk: No, nothing in particular. Why ?

McCoy: Well, it's nothing I can pinpoint without an examination, but he's become increasingly restive. If he were not a Vulcan, I'd almost say nervous. And for another thing, he's avoiding food. I checked and he hasn't eaten at all in three days.

Kirk: That just sounds like Mister Spock in one of his contemplative phases.

Kirk doesn’t notice anything wrong with Spock, and initially dismisses McCoy’s concern, but McCoy immediately picked up on Spock’s mental turmoil. Despite his cantankerousness, McCoy not only cares about Spock but goes out of his way to look out for his mental state. Part of it might be because he’s his doctor, but how many doctors go so far as to monitor someone’s eating habits because they notice that person’s suddenly being fidgety? On Spock’s end, when it comes time for him to beam down to Vulcan to complete his marriage ceremony, he specifically asks for McCoy to be there:

Spock: By tradition, the male is accompanied by his closest friends.

Kirk: Thank you, Mister Spock.

Spock: I also request McCoy accompany me.

McCoy: I shall be honoured, sir.

One episode I find extremely fascinating in terms of McCoy/Spock moments is “Mirror, Mirror.” In this famous episode, half of the Enterprise crew get transported into an alternate universe dubbed The Mirror Verse, in which evil versions of the characters exist and terrorize space as a fearsome military force. McCoy is part of the team that gets transported in the Mirror Verse, while Spock stays in their regular universe. Mirror Spock immediately realizes that half of the crew, including Kirk and McCoy, are acting strangely. When he corners Kirk to question him, he does so by threatening McCoy: “I shall not waste time with you. You’re too inflexible, too disciplined, once you’ve made up your mind. But Doctor McCoy has a plenitude of human weaknesses, sentimental, soft. You may not tell me what I want to know, but he will.” This Spock seems to have a intimate knowledge of McCoy’s mind.  When the party decides to attack Mirror Spock, he fights all of them except for Uhura and McCoy, who he simply pushes out of harm’s way.

When Mirror Spock gets hurt as the crew is trying to escape back to their own universe, McCoy is suddenly unable to leave his side. Kirk allows him to stay to nurse Spock back to health, and McCoy risks almost staying in the Mirror Verse forever for him. When Mirror Spock awakes, he backs McCoy into a wall and initiates a forced mind meld onto the doctor. The next scene has Mirror Spock holding a disoriented McCoy up and bringing him back to his crew; he now understands what is happening and he wants his regular crew back, and thus he allows Kirk and company to make the switch back to their own universe.

Other Star Trek properties have gone more in depth on how a forced mind meld can be extremely traumatizing on the person receiving it. Star Trek: Enterprise has an entire story arc dedicated to the Vulcan T’Pol trying to heal from a forced mind meld. Unfortunately, because the nature of TOS episodes were episodic, we never got the chance to explore the emotional fallout of McCoy’s forced mind meld and how that might have affected his relationship with Spock. The franchise also never went in depth on Mirror McCoy outside of what Mirror Spock speaks of him, since Mirror McCoy died of xenopolycythemia in 2269.

Closing the list of evidence of Spock and McCoy’s affections towards each other are the Star Trek movies “The Wrath of Khan” and “The Search for Spock.” Towards the end of Wrath of Khan, Spock sacrifices himself to save The Enterprise in one of the franchises most heart-wrenching scenes. Moments before his sacrifice, he knocks McCoy unconscious, touches his face and whispers “remember.” What happened in this scene was that Spock, knowing he was about to die, transferred his Katra to McCoy. The katra being the Vulcan equivalent of a soul. This speaks to the amount of trust that Spock has in McCoy. For someone who keeps most of his emotions under a tight lid, it’s a huge gesture to entrust another with the essence of their entire being. The next movie, The Search for Spock, is a journey as the Enterprise crew fight to return to Vulcan so they can reunite Spock with his body. When they finally arrive, the Vulcans warn McCoy that the process is extremely dangerous and could even result in his death. McCoy calmly replies that he “chooses the danger.” He cannot fathom living his life without Spock.

McCoy: (Speaking to Spock) I'm going to tell you something that I... I never thought I'd hear myself say...But it seems I've missed you. I don't know if I could stand to lose you again.

So in conclusion, Spock and McCoy have a rich and complex relationship that is much more than simply just “they dislike each other because they bicker a lot.” Their bickering is more akin to that of an old married couple. There are plenty of examples not even included in this post of how deeply they care for each other. Despite their ideological differences, they balance each other out quite nicely. McCoy is finely attuned to Spock’s emotions, arguably better than anyone else on the ship. Spock in turn is protective and gentle with McCoy. Once you stop looking at their interactions solely on the surface level, you’ll be able to see the tenderness and years of love and friendship between them. This is why I think Spock/McCoy is one of the most underrated and misunderstood relationships of TOS. Don’t let the constant arguing fool you into believing these two dummies don’t adore each other.

Shout-out to Tempest for their extremely lengthy ship manifesto on Spones called “Spiced Peaches,” which goes even more in depth on why Spones is a great couple. Using their manifesto as a reference was key to remembering Spock/McCoy moments. Also shout-out to the site chakoteya for having full transcripts of TOS episodes, so I could easily find quotes for this. If you’ve come this far, thanks for reading!

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Gavin’s R&S - Folded Time

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers from an R&S (折叠的时光) which has not been released in EN!🍒

This R&S accompanies the Ch 37 karma, but it doesn’t contain spoilers for future content as it depicts the events leading up to Gavin reuniting with MC in Ch 2 :>

[ Chapter One ]

When Gavin appears in the office of the Public Security Bureau of Loveland City, everyone’s eyes fall on him either curiously or cautiously -

His light-coloured denim jacket is left open in a casual manner. Brown hair is scattered in front of his forehead, revealing a pair of stubborn and intractable eyes. Even though he isn’t looking at anyone, there is a palpable tension.

No matter how one looks at him, his entire person, from top to bottom, is incompatible with this place.

A few days ago, Gavin appeared in the Public Security Bureau of Loveland City, and things happened so suddenly that there wasn’t even a suitable uniform provided for him. As such, he was the only person in the office wearing regular clothes, which further cemented the view that others had of him as a "child of an official”. Gavin didn't put a stop to it. To put it another way, such an understanding was even more beneficial to his original objective.

Gavin doesn’t seem to realise that he’s the centre of everyone’s attention as he walks to the seat temporarily assigned to him.

At this moment, a young man in the police station takes the opportunity to go over, placing a thick bag of files on his desk. As though there’s a show to watch, he speaks up. "Officer Gavin, the chief said that you’ll be taking over this case." Gavin takes the bag of documents and looks at it. Then, he nods, indicating that the other party could leave.

Not hearing the questions and requests for help as imagined, the young man is momentarily stunned. Gavin lifts his head and gives him a sweeping glance, his tone indifferent. “Anything else?”

"N-no." The young man who was planning to find fault with him shivers inexplicably, then walks away in embarrassment. The surrounding gazes also disappear, and Gavin turns back to the case in his hand.

A few days ago, a woman made a report at a sub-bureau that she had “teleported”. According to her, she was walking home as usual, but when she passed by a certain place, she suddenly arrived at an unfamiliar plaza ten kilometers away - as if the distance in between was folded.

After this case was investigated, it was shelved aside temporarily due to a lack of evidence and leads. But over the next few days, different victims made reports to various sub-bureaus in succession. Hence, this strange case was finally transferred to the general bureau, and it has now been handed into Gavin’s hands. 

It doesn’t take long for Gavin to come to a conclusion - this crime involves an Evolver. After flipping through the scattered case reports, he taps his fingers on the desk, then stands up abruptly, casually telling the person next to him, "I’m heading on a mission.”

The police officer next to him is given a fright. When he looks up, he sees a back profile retreating with a free and easy poise. He can’t help but mutter, “As expected, people with special connections get special treatment. Tsk tsk tsk, how easygoing.”

-

[ Chapter 2 ]

A week ago, in an abandoned building, the elevators that were still in operation descended at a constant speed into the ground.

The lights on top of the elevator flickered slightly due to unstable electrical currents. Before the signal disappeared completely, Gavin reported the current situation through the headset. The moment the elevator door opened, he drew the gun at his waist and was the first to step out.

Borrowing the faint light from the elevator, Gavin scanned the surroundings vigilantly. When a member of the STF turned on the power switch, the cold white light illuminated the entire area, making everything in the laboratory visible - perhaps there was a hasty retreat. The room was in a mess. Many documents were not taken away or destroyed in time, and debris was scattered around.

Gavin's gaze swept across the documents, walking straight to the host computer in the corner of the room. Someone had already cracked the password and was recovering the destroyed files.

"How’s the situation?" Gavin asked.

The STF team member quickly retrieved various data and materials, and answered him without even lifting his head. "Some core data has been completely destroyed, but some files can be recovered."

Gavin looked at the recovered files, and immediately determined that these were some experiment reports related to Evolvers. The date of the report spanned from more than ten years ago to the present day. He had no idea how many of such experiments were carried out when Black Swan was hiding in the dark.

"Wait." Gavin suddenly stopped his team member’s movements, and a sharp look flashed across his eyes. "Export this name list."

Not long after, this concealed name list appeared on the screen. Among the densely listed names, Gavin saw a name that was engraved deep in his memory - MC.

For a moment, he found this hard to believe. He suddenly clenched his fist, his eyes flashing fiercely. After taking a few breaths, he managed to calm down, and pointed at the name. “Open this person’s file.”

The screen flickered, and the first thing that popped out was a photo of a girl’s college identification card. In this short archive, the girl's academic experience, her family and friends, and the company she inherited... had all turned into cold words, completely exposed to Black Swan without privacy.

Gavin read the entire file line by line, his eyes growing darker and darker, and the memories he deliberately sealed in time seemed to be shaken.

Six years ago, he was forced to leave Loveland City because of the awakening of his Evol. It wasn't until two years ago that he tracked Black Swan’s operations and returned. In the past two years, Gavin deliberately stayed away from the world where she lived in order to prevent potential dangers around the girl to shatter her peaceful life.

However, these dangers had already existed in the girl's world from the very beginning.

-

[ Chapter 3 ]

Ever since the STF destroyed the secret laboratory, Black Swan’s operations in Loveland City have grown more frequent and radical, and Evolver crimes have also been emerging in an endless stream.

"Aren't you all Evolvers? Why do you want to sell your lives to ordinary people?!" The man who was knocked to the ground by the fierce wind current lifts his head and shouts angrily at the group of people in front of him.

Gavin doesn’t speak, lifting his foot and stepping on his back, pressing the man, who was struggling desperately, back to the ground.

At this moment, the electric current in his earphone buzzes twice, conveying an urgent message to him - "There’s an abnormality near the Central Boulevard”.

"Understood." Gavin hangs up, then hands this newly awakened Evolver to his subordinates before rushing to the spot where the energy wave was discovered.

At the crossroads, a bizarre car accident was prevented. The surrounding onlookers don't seem to have noticed the peculiar scene, and slowly scatter as the taxi which started the incident drives away, leaving behind a girl standing at the side of the road in a daze.

In the city sky where nobody notices, a figure suddenly appears.

Gavin hovers mid-air, countless raindrops falling beside him and dispersed by the wind. He observes what’s happening on the ground, his eyes extraordinarily calm, akin to tempering a sharp edge. His gaze sweeps across the scene quickly: an Evolver with an unknown motive had stopped a car accident, and... the victim.

Gavin's line of sight suddenly stills. Amid the flowing crowd, the girl who brushed past death bends down, picking up the snacks scattered on the ground, staring in a certain direction for an inexplicable reason.

From such a great distance, the figure on the ground seems to have turned into a small dot. But memory has already traced a copy of the girl's appearance for Gavin.

Meeting again catches him off guard. The wind, which is being controlled, seems to know that he isn’t at peace, and it rustles the hem of his windbreaker. From beginning to end, his gaze rests on that figure which has undergone many changes.

Six years pass by in a flash, and Gavin’s memories still linger on that lonely night in the library many years ago. But the details of that day seem to be covered in mist, and are blurry.

After a long time, Gavin presses the call button of the headset, and reports to the command centre in a serious voice. "Agent B-7, energy wave detected in Loveland City. Sending coordinates.”

Almost immediately, he receives instructions from the other end, and he replies, "Target locked. Taking action immediately.”

Gavin's eyes follow the girl as her figure slowly grows further and further, until she disappears at the corner of the street. He recalls the name list by Black Swan, and a shadow flits across his eyes.

Now that the girl’s Evol has begun to awaken, the peace around her may be shattered immediately. By then, the distance he had maintained for such a long time would no longer be enough to protect her.

-

[ Chapter 4 ]

The sky has not been fully lit, and a ray of light passes through a gap in the curtains, falling on the figure in bed.

Gavin catches his breath as he awakens from the dream, lifting his arm to cover his eyes. He recalls the chaotic and fragmented images in the dream: the room raging with flames, the familiar school roof, the ruins after the explosion, and the glaring fresh blood...

It seems he hasn’t been able to calm down ever since he saw the girl again.

After a long while, Gavin adjusts his emotions, gets up from bed and walks into the bathroom. The icy water rushes down the top of his head, dispelling the lingering sleepiness, and making him incredibly clear-headed. Even the words that the man once said to him clearly resound in his ears——

"Gavin, she’s special like you, and is destined not to have a peaceful life.”

"Do you really have the ability to protect her?"

Water patters to the ground, a little noisy in the quietness of the early morning. Gavin lifts his head, allowing the water to flow over his face, down the body covered with various old and new wounds, and finally flowing into the drain.

After a long time, he opens his eyes, an absolutely unshakable resoluteness in them. "I will protect her."

Gavin turns off the water, then grabs a towel and wipes his hair as he walks out of the bathroom. The notification light of his mobile phone on the desk flickers silently — it’s a message from an informant.

Reading the message rapidly, he taps open the address book and finds a number in it. After the call gets through, he speaks to the person on the other end and says, "I have a request related to the follow-up report mentioned earlier.”

If she is their target, it is only at his side that she’d be safest.

An hour later, Gavin follows the lead provided by the informant, arriving at a small lane beside Morrow Way.

It isn’t until the school gate appears before him that Gavin realises that this is where Loveland High is located. He glances at the school gate which seems to have undergone renovation work, but has no plans to "revisit an old haunt". He heads straight to the alley mentioned by the informant.

This is a relatively remote alley, and one end of the alley is connected to a bustling commercial street. The sub-bureau that received the report had already conducted investigations nearby but found no leads. But the surveillance camera in this alley happened to be spoilt that day - as if it was premeditated.

After understanding the situation, Gavin is prepared to leave. At this moment, somebody calls out to him. "Is that... Gavin?”

Gavin turns his head and sees a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties with a dark complexion and gaunt face. It takes Gavin some time to recall who the other party is, and he’s quite surprised. “Your shop’s still here?”

"Yeah. It's really you. I even thought my eyes were playing tricks on me earlier." The man whom Gavin remembers as taciturn reveals a small smile. "Is there a reason why you came to this area?”

Gavin doesn’t conceal the truth. "I’m here on a mission, and am investigating something.”

After being stunned for a second, the middle-aged man reacts. "You’re really working in the police station now?"

Gavin nods. The middle-aged man is a little surprised, but understands quickly. He hesitates for a moment, then says to Gavin, "It's already noon. Want to have a bowl of noodles?"

Gavin is about to shake his head to refuse. But for some unknown reason, he agrees.

As compared to the last time he visited a few years ago, Lynn’s Kitchen is much more spacious now. The wall facing the door is still densely packed with all kinds of small post-it notes as it was in the past. Gavin sweeps a brief glance at it, images of the past flashing in his mind.

He finds the seat where he often sat at in the past. After a few minutes, the boss gives him a bowl of hand-pulled noodles in chilli oil: the light yellow noodles are covered with bright red oil, garlic sprouts, coriander and slices of beef placed orderly along the sides of the bowl. The fragrance accompanying the steam that burrows into his nose is exactly the same as in his memories,  easily evoking the hunger in the Gavin’s belly.

“Give it a try and see if there’s any improvement.” The middle-aged man chuckles a little reservedly. "You haven't eaten it in a long time, right?"

“Smells pretty good." Gavin responds. He lifts up the noodles with chopsticks, bringing them into his mouth. The familiar taste involuntarily relaxes the tense corners of his mouth.

At this moment, along with the sound of the school bell from the nearby Loveland High, a group of students dismissed from school at noon swarm into the noodle shop, and Gavin's surroundings instantly become noisy. Judging from the familiar colour scheme of the school uniform and the logo on it, these are students from Loveland High. They stare at Gavin with curiosity as he appears incompatible with this small shop. Then, they return to laughing and joking with each other, as though they have no worries at all.

The corners of Gavin’s lips hook upwards slightly. He finishes the remaining noodles in the bowl in two or three slurps. After leaving money at the cash register, he leaves the shop.

“Okay, 1.30 in the afternoon at Flower Fair." He arranges a meeting time with a victim. As soon as he hangs up, another call comes in immediately.

"Chief Yuan?"

"This is Captain Gavin, right? Regarding the follow-up report you mentioned, the producer will look for you at the police station at one o’clock in the afternoon.”

"Okay, I’ve got it.”

After speaking concisely, Gavin hangs up the phone with a smile in his eyes.

-

[ Chapter 5 ]

On the main road of Loveland City at noon, the vehicles caught in a jam move forward slowly.

Suddenly, the shadow of a black car speeds past along with a wave of heat. The incoming wind lifts the hem of Gavin’s clothes, but seems to surround him and refuse to leave.

There’s quite a distance between Loveland High and the police station. It’s so far that on the way there, things from the past gradually surface in Gavin’s mind -

A figure hiding under the eaves on a rainy evening.

A dusty “Byron’s Poetry Collection” in the library.

A letter stained with blood.

A piano tune on an afternoon when ginkgo leaves danced in the sky.

A... girl who appeared in his life during his most hopeless years.

Gavin’s brows suddenly soften. The emotions which were suppressed for a very long time are released in this instant, surging and foreign.

Those images that were about to be forgotten over the course of six years become as clear as yesterday, reminiscent of dust on the surface being wiped off suddenly by a hand.

They were separated for such a long time. So long that he almost forgot that he once had such ardent feelings, akin to sunlight in the height of summer.

-

1pm, Loveland City Police Department.

Gavin holds a peaked hat and walks down the corridor at a moderate pace. From afar, he can hear the chatter of Officer Landsman, who has always disliked him, mixed with the responses of the confused girl.

"Word around the office is that he’s the son of one of the higher-ups. Just think, if he’s some big shot’s boy... We should just stay away!"

[Note] I’m using his canon dialogue in EN since we’re familiar with it. But what Officer Landsman actually says in CN is: “I heard that... he’s an ignorant and incompetent child of an official - a pampered son. Just think about it - how many higher-ups have the surname Bai? ...we can’t offend him!”

Gavin arches his brows, turns around the corner, and sees that familiar figure.

The girl’s back is facing him, her height pretty much the same as it was back then. Her hair isn’t tied into a ponytail, and it drapes smoothly over her shoulders. It’s as though Gavin is able to see her eyes widening after hearing the gossip - she’s still as lively.

Hearing Officer Landsman getting increasingly unreasonable as he speaks, Gavin interrupts directly. "Officer Landsman, just who were you saying is a ‘big shot’s boy’?”

Officer Landsman is given a fright, and the girl turns her head. The pair of clear eyes from his memories meets his once again.

As though crossing over the tilted time, the feelings of youth are brought from the past and into his world with ease.

The distance which had once gradually widened between them has finally been folded by time. All the memories and images have settled, slowly overlapping with the girl in front of him.

Gavin looks at the fear straying onto the girl's face, as well as the unfamiliarity in her eyes. He lifts the corners of his lips, and smiles -

"MC, do you remember me?"

[aesthbaby]

Her Secret

Summary: We’re all aware of Emily’s untold secrets that she took to the grave with her but what about Lauren? The one thing both woman have in common is you, and the memories they took with them in both of their deaths

Pairings: Emily Prentiss x Reader

Prompt/request: None, just an idea I’ve had in my head for a while.

Warnings: Cursing | Death

Wordcount: Almost 4k

Master List

AN: Time line might be a little spotty because the show did not give many details but I promise its still comprehensible.

Its beautiful for a sad event. The white flowers are such a stark contrast to her personality. The color reminds you of a time before, before they knew her and before all of this happened. One of your eyes feels kind of funny so you reach for it, pulling back to examine the small drop of water on your finger. You compose yourself and push the large, black, sunglasses up your nose. Maybe you shouldn’t be here. You were dressed in all black with a black umbrella. Despite it being a sad day, it was unnecessarily sunny.

You spot her team making their way down the walk way. Three men carrying the dark coffin with one Caned man in the front and the women in tow. You take a step back into the shadows as they near the podium. As the service progresses the amount of speeches and tears are--overwhelming. Images of Emily, once known to you as Lauren, flash across your mind as you hold back any and all emotions associated with this event. 

You knew she wasn't really "dead," she couldn’t be. Emily Prentiss is invincible and would never go like that. You saw the woman known as "JJ" glances your way but she says nothing about it. Probably assuming you were another one of Emily's secrets taken to the grave.

Emily’s not dead. Emily wouldn’t die like that. 

You kept repeating it in your head.

Italy - 2004

The violets surround the mansion like a protective field. Their peaceful existence mocking your volunteer imprisonment. You only took this job because you and this other agent were the only ones who spoke fluent Italian. She was supposed to take it and you were the understudy or whatever but then she got knocked up so here you are. Being mocked by fucking flowers. Your thoughts are interrupted by Doyle approaching you with his brunette arm dealer on his arm. You turn away from the balcony upon his approach.

“Lauren deve restare qui mentre scappo. Per favore, tienila d'occhio.” Lauren has to stay here while I run out. Please keep an eye on her.  He’s always been so bossy, and for what? To make himself seem more powerful than he actually is? We’re all aware of the danger working for him provides.

“Si signore.” Yes sir. You turn to acknowledge the woman in front of you but she speaks first.

“Perché? Non posso venire con te?” Why is that? Can't I come with you? She whines.

He gives her a look and she backs down. The Captain heads out with his guards behind him, leaving you alone with his lover.

You’re not sure what to do with her. Is this a form of  babysitting?

She clears her throat. “I know.”

Hearing her speak English was a surprise but it makes sense, there was always something different about her. You arch an eyebrow and reply, “Sai...che cosa?” You know....what?

She holds up a finger for you to give her a moment. She turns around and sticks her head out the door; then closes and locks it. “You’re not really from Tirana, are you?” Who is this woman? You maintain a neutral face while she continues. “The fact that you never eat with us was a dead give away. You’re always held up in this room.” She gestures to the large room filled with files, records, and books. “Like you’re trying to avoid something. I’d also like to point out how you rarely present any Albanian customs.” Where are you going with this Reynolds... “At first I thought, ‘Maybe they’re one of Doyle’s assassins that I’m not supposed to know about.’ But then I started paying attention and realized you’re nothing like that.” You let out a sharp breath. “Its okay.” She takes one of your hands. “I won’t tell Ian. There’s already enough death in his life and I wouldn’t want to see you be one of his next victims.”

You’re stuck in the moment and words are hard to form. All of your training is slipping through your fingers. For all you know she could be bluffing, trying to get you killed. You go with your safest option because you don’t know this woman at all. You pull your hand from her and take a step closer. Peering into her eyes for any sign of fear and when you find none, you proceed. Leaning in as close as possible to her. “Non farei acquisizioni così pericolose se fossi in te.” I wouldn't make such dangerous acquisitions if I were you. You whisper. You could never be sure if your suspicions were correct but this, this was all the confirmation you needed. What’s that old saying? Takes one to know one. “Agente.” Finishing off that last word you brush past her.

Virginia - present

 Being back in The States with Doyle still running around is unnecessarily risking. Emily’s defeat is the only reason you’ve come back. To watch her team grieve over the coffin is saddening but having to hide is the shadows is unfair. Am I not allowed to publicly grieve? Are my tears not worthy? The grip on your umbrella tightens. She’s not dead. Emily doesn’t loose. Emotions are running high and the speeches are getting long. Last time you talked, she claimed to be alone. No family and no fiends but clearly she was wrong. What you’d give to be laying under a plum tree on a wool woven blanket with her head in your lap. Eating pastries you raided from the kitchen and telling the Captain that you needed her to help analyze costs. What a fool.

You were so entranced with the memory that you didn’t notice when the pale, dark haired agent approached you. Aaron Hotchner, the unit chief if I’m not mistaken. “Agent.” He acknowledges.

“Sir?” You mumble.

“Your profession was easy enough to guess, though I’m not sure of your name.” Those knitted brown sweaters and golden, dainty necklaces. The short chestnut hair with soft curls that smelled of honey shampoo. The way she’d nudge your foot during dinner while casting discreet glances. Its all gone. “Agent?” He calls again. “Are you alright?”

Before you say anything you make sure your voice is clear. “Tell me Agent Hotchner, did she suffer?” That question didn’t need to be answered but you just had to know. A favor was called in on your behalf by Lieutenant Parks, he gave very few details about her death but you’ll take that over nothing at all. This was the one question you didn’t have an answer for. With nothing but silence from the man, you have your answer.

Reaching for your pocket there’s a small clear box; inside of the plastic is a handful of pressed violets. Without looking you hold the slim box out to him. “Please, make sure she gets them.” After he takes them you make one last note of the sight in front of you. All of her friends, family, and coworkers gathered in one place with Emily’s grave as the centerpiece. You turn to finally face the man, tilting your shades so he can see a bit of your eyes. “Dead or alive.” And then disappearing in to the back of the cemetary.

Italy - Spring of 04′

Two months ago you were staring off of Doyle’s Spanish-styled balcony thinking, “What would happen if I called it quits?” You had enough evidence and entail for him to never see freedom again. So what was stopping you?

Her. She was making you second guess.

After having her call you out for being a spy, you were very careful about what you did and said around her. Its not like she had any definitive proof but at the same time neither did you. What you said that day was a total bluff. Its a miracle you’re still alive. You were left with only two conclusions: one was that she herself is a spy, or two, she’s one of the smartest people Ian has ever brought home.

Then came a day where the boys went out to wherever and it was just you, her, and the maids. Most of them are Russian and speak poor Italian so they usually keep to themselves. You’re at the dining room table pretending to run numbers since that’s literally your job- well that and vetting backgrounds of sellers and buyers. Essentially a secretary with dangerous patrons. The position is mind numbingly boring but it does allow you to remain invisible while observing the operation. Think about it, who’s going to notice the secretary while discussing millions? They’re idiots. They allow you to sit in on every single meeting because you’re just the person who runs numbers. A debatable perk to this job is the amount of free time you posses. Usually its spent digging around the operation, sending information back to HQ, or actually enjoying small aspects of the city. That brings you to right now where you’re doodling random shapes on the bottom corner of the paper.

Lauren is on the couch wearing a button up satin dress, quite short for Ian’s taste so you’re surprised to see her wearing it. She’s read something you’ve never heard of, not that it matters. With no idea why she’s in here with you, you retreat back into your own mind.

“The maids have left.” You suddenly hear beside you, nearly jumping out of your skin.

“You scared me!” At the realization of your chosen language you gasp and watch as Lauren smiles widely. You shoot to your feet repeating no over and over. Actively trying to take back your words while she looks rather amused.

“I knew it!” She points at you all accusingly and shit. You keep shaking your head no and trying to get her to be quiet. “I was right about you!” And here’s the perfect time to have a maid to walk in. Lauren says something to her but you’re too wrapped up in your head to translate. All your years of training, expierence, undercover work has just been thrown away over your stupid mistake.

They’re going to kill me. They’re going to have my head on a stake in the middle of the garden for the world to see- or worse! I’ll be tortured for my crimes by one of Doyle’s men.

You’re pulled out of your thoughts by the brunette waving her hand in front of your face. “Don’t worry,” She say softly as you notice the house keeper is no longer with you. “I told her they could take a break...” At your confused face she continues. “So now we can talk.”

Virginia - present

To say you had no idea where you were going, was an understatement.

You hadn’t been to Virginia in years so everything felt unfamiliar. You took quick peaks at your surroundings as the rented porshe pushed through the traffic. Everything hurt, not the traditional pain you experience over a broken toe but the emotional kind that coursed through your entire body.

Is this what a broken heart feels like?

You kept telling yourself she wasn’t dead; couldn’t be. Not your Emily, the woman you know is a fighter. She’s fucking invincible and would never let herself die at the hand of that monster. If she was really dead, wouldn’t you feel it? Wouldn’t you feel your connection to her sever?

At the reorganization of the build ahead of you, you pull the car into the left lane.

Italy - Spring of 04′

She is so fucking clingy. Always starring at me when no one is watching and going on less missions with Doyle. Speaking of him, the man likes to take her everywhere; calls her “Ho il mio portafortuna” his good luck charm. She usual goes out with him whenever he’s traveling but lately she’s been making little excuses on why she wants to stay for the day. Instead of spending the day recuperating from a headache (like she’s told him) she’ll bother you.

That accent and the way she pronounces her R’s makes you wanna melt, but then she starts asking you a million and one questions. What’s your favorite food? When’s your birthday? Have you ever broken a bone? Do you enjoy reading? Its always something with her. I think she’s trying to annoy me. So far you’ve been answering her questions in Italian to insure that you don’t fuck up again.

Doyle is none the wiser, he still sees you as a secretary and her as arm candy.

But you must admit that Lauren is growing on you. She hasn’t said anything in English to you lately or exposed you to Doyle. You’re rarely ever alone but when you are, she gives you one of her finished books and sits in the room quietly. Its comforting. Today she’s given you Niccolo Ammaniti with a note scribbled in pencil on the 5th page, “Hang in there.” Smart woman, writing it in light pencil so I can easily erase it without leaving a trace...also paranoid woman but rightfully so.

Virginia - present

You adjust your shoe so as not to slip before going into the building and suck the shades into your pocket. The giant letters, I. O. D. S. stare back at you in Ariel font.

Maybe I shouldn’t be doing this. Just accept her death and move on.

Inside of Investigations of Death Services you nod to the secretary, an ex of yours, and continue on to your destination. While in the elevatored your vision feels blurry but now isn’t the time for tears. Arriving at your floor, you spot his office and walk in without so much as a knock or invitation.

“One second,” he speaks into the phone. “Can I help you?” His dark eyes look angry, like he doesn’t recognize you. You take a step forward, offering your closed palm to him. “What? What is this? A fucking magic trick?” You slowly open your palm towards him, revealing the silver clover pin. The suited man looks like he’s just seen a ghost. “Shane, I’ll have to call you back.” He hangs up the phone, then reaches from you hand. “Where did you get this?”

Snatching you hand back and putting the silver back in your pocket. “You really don’t remember me, do you?”

He narrows his eyes on you before answering. “Can’t say I do.”

“Back in 03′ you knocked up Carin and proposed I go on assignment. Granted I was the only person who was fluent in Italian--or so I thought. Come to find out there were five other agents who could’ve been assigned there. You chose me because I was up for your job.” Your anger is boiling over quickly. “You were a shitty employee and they were ready to fire you.” You take a daring step forward. “Until you proposed infiltrating Valhalla with one of the foreign operative agents. You told them there were only two fluent agents. Back then we had never met but I knew who you were, Hell, we all knew how much of a screw up you were. Guess you don’t recognize me anymore? I mean in your defense its been years and I’ve lost a few pounds due to the stress you caused me but that’s for another day. How about we go back to 2003.” For a man with toxic masculinity issues, he looks pretty scared. “You couldn’t just out right suggest me so you have to offer up someone else. Coincidently Carin got pregnant right around the time she was starting her training, by you I might add, and could no longer go.” A wide smile starts to grow on your face. “Bet you were counting on my death, huh?” Awe poor baby seems to be shaking. “No...you’re too much of a pussy for that. I bet you were hoping I’d go to Italy and screw things up for the whole operation.” Now you’re toe-to-toe with him. “Mess up so bad that they’d have pull me out and demote me. Or! Reveal myself and hope Doyle’s men killed me or I’d go sprinting home with my tail between my legs.” His silence is starting to irritate you. “So which is it, Mark? Hmm? Cat got your tongue?”

“I’m sorry!” He yells with a reddened face. Out of the corner of your eye you see his co-works looking through his glass walls but you couldn’t care less. “I’m sorry, y/n. What do you want from me? I’ll do anything!” Now we’re getting somewhere.

You push the pin into his face “Where is she, Mark?”

“Where is who?” He’s still fucking shaking.

“Asking me another stupid question and there will be hell to pay.” You’re not really going to hurt him but considering the circumstances, this is justified. The man put your life on the line over some stupid position, a bit of threatening wouldn’t hurt.

“Okay okay. All I know is that after you left she was taken by ALPHA and later faked her death. When Lauren Reynolds died, Emily Prentiss got to go home and Ian Doyle went to a North Korean prison.”

“And now...”

“Last I heard she was working for the Behavioral Analysis Unit at the FBI but was recently killed under suspicious circumstances.” At your expression, he continues. “We know she died during a scuffle with Doyle and there was a funeral but we are yet to have a death certificate on record. Sometimes it take anywhere from a week to a month for us to receive proper records on agent deaths. I thought that-”

“Stop, talking.” You cut him off through gritted teath.

Italy - Autumn 04′

“What is your problem, Lauren?” You’re out on the patio in front of the pool on a warm day. Lauren has a four course meal on the table, courtesy of the chefs.

“Nothing...” She shrugs with a mouthful of strawberry.

“You want me to leave.”

Another fucking shrug.  

“Be serious.” You’re trying to stop yourself from stomping your foot.

She puts down her food and clasps her hands together. “Yes I want you to leave.” You watch as she gets up and smooths her skirt; taking your hands in hers. “Your time is thinning and you’ve been her a lot longer than me.”

“And leave you here alone? No way, I know you’re invincible but even Superman had his down fall.”

“Superman?” She loops you in closer. “Why not superwoman? Awfully sexist of you.”

“Oh, shut up.” You nudge her back a bit. “But wouldn’t you miss me?”

She gives you one of her wide smiles. “Let me show how much I’d miss you.” She leans in for a light kiss against your lips.  You pull away quickly so as not to be seen. El, like the letter, picked out a blind spot that’s covered partially in shadows. “I have to leave in 15 minutes but until then...” She trails with a very telling expression.

“Where?” You laugh. “Not in the second floor bathroom again because that was...tight.”

Her perfectly plucked eyebrow arches upward,  “And you were loud!”

You hop past her to sneak a grape. “Hey! You do know that was mine, right?”

“What are you going to do about it, Superwoman?” You turn to grab another grape, while doing so you feel her presence behind you. “Don’t start something you can’t finish, L.”

“Oh why not?” She lightly trails down your backside. “It’ll be so much fun.”

You turn back to her. “Ten minutes?”

“In the library?” She smirks and you nod along.

Virginia - present

This four hundred dollar airplane ticket is going to serve its purpose but paying it back is going to suck. Your government salary was nice and all but $400 is still a lot.

Just two days before, you rushed around you place to pack all of the essentials for a quick flight to Paris; charger, hygiene, two outfits, and the pin all tucked into a stylish backpack.

That brings us here, standing in the streets of downtown Paris alongside the buzzing mopeds weaving through the streets. In front of you is the little café Elle would go on and on about, naturally this is the first place you could think to look.

You didn’t even know what you were looking for. The woman you fell for was a brunette with light curls and bangs.

You were looking for Emily. The woman Lauren introduced you to. The woman you grew to love in the same way you love Lauren, but Lauren is dead. Has been for awhile, now its time to find Emily. Your Emily.

You find nothing, no one who even slightly revels Emily on your first day there. So you find a hostel to lay your head in and continue on the next day. Again and again with the same routine for five days straight.

You wasted all of your time here for what? A memory? A dream? Two woman who no longer exist on the same astral plane as you?

That’s when you see it, a head of dark brown hair a few tables ahead of where you’re standing. With all hope lost you almost think its a mirage. 

You sit a few tables ahead of her, careful to keep your face hidden. When the waiter comes around to take your order you give him very specific instructions.

Emily’s POV

Being a dead woman is lonely and isolating...at least the coffee is good. The waiter who dropped off the hot beverage not too long ago has circled back with a cheese croissant in hand. That’s odd, I hate cheese croissants. “Cette personne là-bas m'a demandé de te livrer ça.” That person over there has asked me to deliver this to you. He points over his shoulder to a person who’s face I can’t quite make out. “Ils m'ont également demandé de vous donner ceci.” They also asked me to give this to you. He reaches from his front pocket and softly places a silver clover pin that I haven’t seen in years, and a pressed Violet. I can feel the air drain out of my lungs at the objects in front of me. “Merci beaucoup.” The only person who knows what these objects mean are Doyle and-

At the sense of being watched my head shoots up at the source. At first there’s nothing there but then I spot the familiar figure. Its been weeks since I’ve actually seen them, it can’t be. I must be seeing things. Closing my eyes and taking in a deep breathe, I open them to see that they’re gone.

“Boo.” I hear in my right ear; looking up to see y/n standing beside me with a bright smile.

“You scared me!” Realizing how loud I am, I take a breath.

“Miss me Elle?” I left you behind, twice. I died twice without letting you know. You’ve had to start over too many times and its not far.

“Y/n, how did you find me?”

“Really, Elle. Did you really think I’d fall for that party trick you pulled at the BAU? I’m not dull, and besides,” Y/n/n gently puts their hand over mine on the coffee mug. “You’re my Superwoman, you’ll never die.”

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･**･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*˚✧₊⁎ ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･ﾟ･*:.

@beyondprincess @confused-and-really-hungry @millipop18 @supercorp8388 @groovygoob  @emilyprentisswife@covetedcoven @justaghostmonument @rabid-wild-misfits @nomit16 @afuckingshituniverse @mys2425  @fanfictionfangirl04  @aaron-hotchner187 @lisztomaniacalice @thestrawberrygirl  @miidguardian-exe @criminalmindsmoodrn @ssacandice-ray @davidrossiismydad @garcias-batcave @ssaemxlyprentxss @andreaxxg13 @emilyprentissistoocute @mortallythoughtfulgurl @iamyouknow-yours @aesthbaby​

[insomniacowl]

Neon Genesis Evangelion analysis chapter 14: Ayanami Rei, Unit – 00 Part 1

Construction of Unit – 00

Evangelion Unit – 00 refers to the prototype and is the model that took the longest time to complete its construction. Yet it is also the model that is the most unstable and has gone berserk second-most times after Unit – 01. However, if Unit – 01 went berserk to protect its pilot Shinji, Unit – 00 going berserk has served only to hurt its pilot Rei and the people around it.

Since the act of going berserk is in the purview of the soul the resides inside the core of each Eva, it would be the intent of this soul to hurt those around it when it goes berserk. Therefore, let us focus on the question of the identity of the soul inside of Unit – 00.

Firstly, I would like to address one of the more prevalent views regarding the soul in Unit – 00 that is the argument that it does not have one. Such argument is supported using the text presented in the game Shin Eva 2 that says, ‘Creation of Core suitable for Rei was not simple as she did not have a mother’. Yet what this sentence tells us is the (of course very) important fact that Rei does not have a mother but does not stand as a piece of evidence on the absence of a soul in Unit – 00’s core.

The fact that Evas have a soul is the most fundamental understanding required from its viewers and this fact is recited often enough, most importantly through Ritsuko and Rei. The reason for this has been covered several times in the previous chapters thus I shall not go into it here. I will make my case clear here that I believe that Unit – 00 has a soul and I present my evidence to prove it in this chapter.

The first scene of importance to us is the sequence of it going berserk in episode 5

Operator: Unit – 00 is out of control!

Gendou: Cease the experiment, shut it down

Operator: Roger!

Operator: Unit – 00 has switched to its secondary battery

Operator: 35seconds to its complete shutdown!

Ritsuko: It's dangerous, please stand back!

Misato: So what was the cause of the accident that day?

Ritsuko: We don’t know yet, but its believed to be psychological instability from the pilot

Misato: Rei becoming psychologically unstable?

Ritsuko: Yes, I find it hard to believe coming from her

Misato: Just what could have happened to her?

Ritsuko: I’m not sure, perhaps….

Misato: Any ideas?

Ritsuko: No… that’s not possible

There are two important parts in this sequence is. First is the accuracy of which Unit – 00 can locate Gendou’s location among the amount of distress we see it to be in, and Ritsuko saying, ‘No… that’s not possible’ in her conversation with Misato.

Let’s look at the first part. As we have already covered, the action of Evangelion during its berserk state is the act of the soul in the core. It is definite that Rei had no negative feelings towards Gendou at this point, and Gendou’s ‘scalding’ sacrifice has made her fall in love with him. Yet it is also true that Unit – 00 was definitely targeting Gendou. Gendou, when this was happening, seemed as though he has expected it (Except for the fact that he was startled from the wall denting in) and keeps Unit – 00 perfectly in his sight.

Therefore, we can make a statement here that the soul inside of Unit – 00 truly despise Gendou, Gendou is aware of this fact, and he knows that this person’s soul is inside of Unit – 00. In this case, there are two possible candidates for the identity of the soul in question. First is Ritsuko’s mother, Akagi Naoko. Second is the soul of the First Rei.

If the identity id Naoko, she does have a legitimate reason to want to kill Gendou since she dies shortly after knowing of the terrible things, he has said about her behind her back. If it was the soul of the first Rei, she might have hated Gendou for sealing her inside of Unit – 00. But we do not have enough evidence yet to weight between the two hypotheses. So let us move onto the second part of the sequence. 

Ritsuko, when she is looking back at the failed experiment, seems to have thought of something when she says “No… that’s not possible”. The way she says it suggests that she does not have a definitive idea but a theory of what happened. In this case, we can suspect both possibilities of the soul but let's also consider that it was Misato’s question of “Just what could have happened to her(Rei)?” that triggered this realization.

If the identity of the soul was Naoko, Ritsuko would have had to go through the mental gymnastics of “Rei was psychologically unstable? What could she have seen in there? My mom who killed herself five years ago?”. Rather, my argument is that Ritsuko who knows the secret of the dummy system and of Rei would more likely agree with the First Rei’s soul hypothesis.

My next evidence is the following seen in the latter half of episode 14 when Shinji is riding Unit – 00 for ‘pilot interchangeability testing’. For this sequence, Rei did not have any problem when she was in Unit – 01 (This whole test likely being to test Rei’s brain system, as the dummy system, is compatible with Unit – 01), we see the problem when Shinji is on Unit – 00. In the synchronization phase, step A10: neural link application (When the soul in the core begins communication with the pilot), a myriad of images are forced into Shinji’s mind.

Ritsuko: Shinji, how does Unit – 00’s entry plug feel?

Shinji: It feels a bit weird

Shinji: Something is… it's forcing itself into my mind

Shinji: Ayanami… Ayanami Rei? Ayanami Rei’s feelings? Wait, no, this isn’t Ayanami

At first, we are shown Ayanami Rei that Shinji is familiar with, and the scenes we have seen in the previous episodes. Shinji too believes this to be Rei and begins thinking about her. But we quickly find irregularities in the images (Shinji is struck of a headache at this point likely due to the invasiveness of the images coming into his head) and at this point, we see a surreal image of Rei.

Right after this, we see Unit – 00 going berserk for the second time in the series. 

Misato: What’s happening?

Maya: Pilot’s mind is being corrupted! Losing control of Unit – 00

Ritsuko: Unit – 00 is denying Shinji?

Misato: Rei! Run!

The way Unit – 00 went berserk was different compared to the first. 

Unit – 00 did not aim for Gendou but aimed for Rei. Not only that, as though this was not enough, but it also begins to harm itself by repeatedly bashing its head against the wall.

What we need to take away from this sequence lies with Rei’s reaction to this Unlike Gendou who flinched, Rei stood still all the while being threatened by unit – 00. It is almost as if she is saying “Kill me if you want to”. We should also observe Ritsuko’s reaction to this being “unit – 00 absolutely tried to kill me[Ritsuko].”

Let us shine the spotlight on Unit – 00 going berserk. Through this sequence, we can add Rei and itself to the ‘unit – 00’s hate list’. Both of the hypothetical identities of the soul, however, can explain this sequence. Since Naoko has killed the first Rei and swiftly killed herself, it is highly likely that she would try to kill Rei again and try to destroy unit – 00 that is her current body. On the contrary, if the identity of the soul were the first Rei, she would definitely feel dissonance at the being that looked just like she did and harmed herself out of the feeling of being trapped in the Eva.

If so, how can we explain our Rei’s reaction or the lack thereof? It can be overlooked as we are made to think of this lack of emotion as Rei’s character identity, it goes against the other character identity we are made known of her, namely that unlike herself, she did not follow the orders given to her by Misato to run away from the attack. I believe this to have come from the mutual bond she shares with the unit – 00 and (coming from the seven months she spent trying to synchronize with) understand and emphasize this action.

This response from Rei is more explainable in the case where the soul is that of the first Rei rather then if the soul is Naoko’s. In the first case, Rei would be able to understand the action of Unit – 00 more compared to the case if the identity was that of Naoko who Rei has a reason to be afraid of and hate for she has been the victim of her assault. 

Ritsuko’s reaction to this is also interesting. She believes that Unit – 00 has aimed to kill her. If we flip the table and see from Ritsuko’s point of view for why she may think such a way, is that she is feeling guilty of something she did to the soul in Unit – 00. And as the lead scientist who was also in charge of preparing the core for Touji and Unit – 03, Ritsuko definitely knows the identity of the soul in unit – 00. 

If the soul is Naoko, What Ritsuko would be feeling guilty about is her having a relationship with Gendou who Naoko loved and was betrayed by.

If the soul is the First Rei, the guilt would come from the hatred she thinks the first Rei would have to her. The daughter of the woman that killed her, and the (likely) person that trapped the soul in Unit – 00. 

Suspect number 1: Akagi Naoko

If it looks as though I am pulling towards the idea of the soul being that of the First Rei, you would be right. But more then that, I am in complete disagreement with the often debated idea that Naoko’s soul is Unit – 00. 

This theory of Naoko’s soul being in Unit – 00 comes from Kitamura Masahiro’s “Complete Evangelion explained” that I have mentioned in chapter 12. Rather, he presents this theory less as a theory but as though it is canon. Gives no evidence, mentions this, and builds other arguments on top of this false canon. From here on, I will give pieces of evidence to refute his claims.

The most important thing to consider is that there is absolutely no reason for Gendou to put Naoko’s soul into Unit – 00. Rather I stand that it does complete disservice if the soul was that of Naoko. Barring what she has done to Rei, and that Rei and Unit – 00 were paired from the earlier days of planning, it would be insensible to put Naoko’s soul in the unit that Rei will come to pilot. 

Further, if we were to follow the Mother-child logic of soul – pilot, the pilot of the unit – 00 souls be Ritsuko, not Rei. When we see Gendou flinching in the fist berserk sequence, it shows that Unit – 00 going berserk was not expected to happen. Yet if it were Naoko’s soul inside, the Unit – 00 going berserk should have been something that was expected for Gendou, thus he would not have had the need to flinch, or not be where he was when it happened. 

Therefore, I state my case that the argument of Unit – 00 containing Naoko’s soul as something that ignores the logical flow of the setting and comes from the desire of turning Evangelion into Misery porn and make the characters suffer more than necessary. Therefore, I argue that ideas that stem from such mentality should never be given any weight in the debate of anything.

Suspect number 2: The first Rei?

Yet if you ask if my answer to the identity of the soul being that of the first Rei, I will be reluctant to say yes. What I have pointed out so far is that there is a great deal of contradiction to the idea of the soul being Akagi Naoko. 

The reluctance to say yes comes from the elephant in the room for the first Rei’s soul hypothesis, this being that since both the first and the second Rei contains Lilith’s soul. Thus, in this case, we come to a state that there are two souls of Lilith in co-existence, separate from each other physically. 

Let us take a break here. In the following chapter, let's discuss a little more about the hints that exist regarding Unit – 00’s core and attempt to conclude this discussion of the identity.

 TBC Ayanami Rei, Unit – 00 Part 2

[jasonnylaura]

How can I get my money back from a binary options scam?

A binary option is similar to a normal (“vanilla”) option, where you pay a premium for the option to buy or sell an instrument at a fixed price (the exercise price – see box below for a detailed explanation). Profits or losses on vanilla options can be small or large, depending on the difference between the “exercise” price and the price of the underlying asset.

Unlike normal options, however, binary options do not fluctuate in value. Either the option is “in the money” on expiry – in which case it pays out – or it isn’t, in which case it expires worthless. Because of this binary nature, many shysters see an opportunity in selling binary options that are highly unlikely to end up in the money. They get to collect the hefty premiums, but never have to pay out.

Don’t be suckered by wild success stories

The media is part of the problem. Journalists, particularly those working at online content mills, are so desperate for content that might “go viral” and garner lots of hits that they’re quite willing to run a story with a click-bait headline without doing much (if any) background research. Take the recent tale of a 16-year-old “self-taught currency trader”, who apparently turned £150 into £60,000 in less than a year. This dubious success story was widely shared on social media without many questions being asked. Yet if we take those returns and calculate them on an annual basis, this 16-year-old’s return for the year would be 39,900%. That would literally make him the best trader of all time. So how did a 16-year-old school kid learn how to outsmart the best minds and machines on the planet, just by watching YouTube videos? As nobody asked him, sadly we’ll never know.

There was also the very recent example of Giovani , a 20-year-old medical student in Plymouth who claimed to be making six figures a month from foreign exchange trading. One major newspaper reported this month that more than 1,000 investors were sucked in by Singh’s Instagram account, which showed him posing in designer clothes with expensive cars at plush holiday resorts. Those who signed up for his services found that their trading accounts were emptied on Christmas Eve and the FCA has added him to its warning list of unauthorised traders (after the fact, unfortunately). But what the paper doesn’t mention in this particular piece is that Singh’s “success” was first reported on its own website in breathless, no-questions-asked fashion, in November, just a month before it all went horribly wrong.

This aggravates me because, as a genuine trader, I work hard to make profits and I know what it takes. I also don’t like to see people being conned. So I want to unpack this story for you, so that you don’t end up falling for one of these scams or something similar.

How does the binary-options scam work?

There is a reason why so many gentlemen (it’s usually men) in their early 20s now apparently own private jets, luxury cars and slick watches. It just may not be because they’ve cracked the financial markets as they claim. As Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s business partner, puts it: “Show me the incentive and I will show you the outcome”. There are many reputable financial-trading firms and brokerages out there. However, many – ones that I would describe as “bucket shops” – are not so reputable. Spread-betting firms typically make their money on the spread (the gap between the buying price and the selling price) and the commission paid by their clients. So their business model does not benefit from losing traders.

However, many brokers know that a losing trader can be very profitable – for them. If you know that 90% of traders will lose all of their money within six months, what do you do? Simply take the other side of the trade. When Johnny Punter buys, the broker sells. And when Johnny Punter wishes to cover his losses, the broker buys and collects the profit.

Unprofitable traders are so profitable for many a bucket shop that they will pay handsome introduction fees for new traders. Therein lies the incentive. It doesn’t matter if you’re actually making any money from your trading – if you can get even a £20 incentive for every trader who signs up with the minimum deposit of a few hundred pounds, then you only need to sign up 1,000 people a month to make £20,000. And the reality is that these brokers aren’t offering just £20 for new clients – they’re offering hundreds. I know they do, because I’ve been offered it.

The Pied Pipers of foreign exchange

If you’re not a successful trader, the next best thing is to fake it. A quick Google search reveals that you can rent a Lamborghini Huracan for four days at a price of £2,500. This is fairly steep – but you can rent a Lamborghini Gallardo for two days for £1,590. Two days is more than enough for a wannabe forex guru to take hundreds of snaps in different outfits, parking in fancy residential estates that they don’t live in and overall giving the impression over several months that they really do own a six-figure supercar. And of course, there are plenty of places to hunt down a cheap, out-of-season stay at a luxurious five-star hotel, where they can do exactly the same. Then they just pop it all on social media and wait for eager punters to line up to sign up with their “exclusive broker”.

Many brokers offer demo accounts, in which case the “guru” can just repeatedly put on ten trades in a row, come out with winners, then screenshot it and post it on Instagram. If even that is too difficult a task, then it’s a simple matter to fake the picture instead using image manipulation software and post that. With “evidence” of their success sorted out, the trader then promotes their wares with promises of “signals” that have 90% success rates, alongside key phrases such as “no risk” and “guaranteed profit”. Most informed investors realize that if a magic money-making machine did exist it would be owned by a private hedge fund, never to see the light of day. So anyone who actually believes that a 20-year-old student could pull this off is ideal bait – inexperienced, naive and potentially desperate.

The scam also succeeds because of how victims feel when they finally realize they’ve been suckered. Most don’t tell anyone because they feel foolish and want to save face. But also, they know (or rapidly learn) that there is very little the police can do. The banning of the sale of binary options was a step in the right direction. But now the traders of Instagram simply give away their “signals” to trade these options for free. And many bucket-shop brokers are overseas – often they’re not even doing anything illegal in the country in which they operate (although equally often the traders in question will imply that the bucket shop is a reputable UK-based and regulated institution, or lie flat out).

There are even operators who will manipulate the punter’s account in order to make them believe they are winning and then call on them to deposit more money. Then, when the client finally wishes to withdraw, the company goes cold and refers them to the small print, in which it says that the client must trade through an impossible amount of money just to be allowed to withdraw. Other brokers allow the affiliate to widen the spread to maximize their own commission and increase losses for their clients. We look at ways to avoid being scammed in the box below, but in short, as always – if it looks too good to be true, it is.

Can I trust Binary option scam reviews?

Is there a scam behind "Forex Binary Options" trading?

How do I go about recovering money from a Forex scam?

What is the best way to get my money back from an internet scam?

How can I recover my funds on binary options?

How can I get back my lost money from a scammer?

Alienmanhackers.xyz assists individuals and corporates around the world. They are able to use tools which are available in both UK and foreign jurisdictions to secure the best outcome for clients. With the help of a friend was able to recover the sum of 42,000GBP which was stolen under the pretense of investment.

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Aylesford Electric Professionals Ltd.

Emergency Electricians & Electrical Mistake Searching For.

Content

Business Electric Pricing.

Relevant Jobs.

Occupation Course.

Exactly How Could The Work Searching Procedure Modification After Furlough? Suggestions From A Youth Ambassador.

Respond To 2nd Meeting Invitation E-mail Sample.

Domestic Electrician For Property Managers.

If you are looking for total comfort, you can also ask for that the electrician offer a duplicate of their City & Guilds 2391 electric screening as well as evaluation certification. This is evidence that they have been educated to the called for standards to perform the testing and checks. Fortunately, improved innovation and higher requirements for electricians have caused much better requirements for electric safety in residences. This is proven with a reduction in the quantity of electrical shock and electrical fire casualties annually.

Our offices are in Hove, but our electricians will certainly take a trip to jobs around 10 miles away. If you're based in Brighton, East Grinstead, Horsham, Worthing, Hayward's Heath, or anywhere in between, after that the chances are that we can get to you. Join to our newsletter as well as keep up to day on the current happenings in the Dublin electrical market. We'll send you our e-newsletter and also e-mails about electrical services and products which might be of interest to you. Electrical safety and security hooks are important for safely and properly obtaining a victim of electric shock or from an ARC flash event; the safety hook avoids back feed of electricity from harming the rescuer. jlkelectrical.ie electrical companies: full feature set need to be kept anywhere where there is any exposure to electric works and live cords.

Commercial Electric Rates.

https://jlkelectrical.ie/electrician_services/electrician-in-kilcoole/ at Prime Electrics comprehend the distinction in between 2 applications and that is why we have a specialized team for both. Fusion specialise in handling the supply as well as installation of electrical as well as energy changes for business and residential clients throughout the Dublin. Industrial electrical wiring usually uses three-phase power rather than single-phase power. In basic terms, this indicates cords have 4 or 5 wires as opposed to only 2. This includes 3 online cables, a neutral cable and also an earth cable television. This means a lot more current can be distributed to circuits providing adequate power to run equipment and also equipment in the factory or work environment that need it.

The viewpoints shared are the writer's alone and also have not been offered, approved, or otherwise supported by our companions. If, nonetheless, the power costs were registered in your name as well as you were re-charging your occupants, you may be in charge of any type of unpaid bills. Instead, you need to call the supplier, clarify what has actually happened, as well as supply updated meter analyses. When an occupant has actually moved out, it will certainly become your obligation to pay the energy costs. It deserves going round the facilities to make certain every little thing is turned off to reduce any kind of energy wastefulness. If, however, you have actually consisted of power in the lease, it depends on you to change distributor if you wish to.

Relevant Professions.

Many fatalities might be stopped if emergency treatment was given prior to emergency services show up. Vital personal items e.g. car tricks, purses, bags must be gathered up as well as carried on one's person in situation the evacuation is prolonged but not if it is to be at the cost of a fast as well as orderly departure. Where you share your office with an additional employer you need to think about whether your emergency plans and also procedures need to be co-ordinated. Aesthetic checks are not normally required for little, battery-powered items, or for tools that works from a mains-powered adaptor. Nonetheless, the mains-powered adaptor for such equipment must be aesthetically checked. You must make sure that your electrical installment and also equipment is safe. Don't reduce corners-- electric installments have to be installed by somebody who has the essential training, skills as well as experience to carry out the job safely.

In wet environments, unsuitable devices can come to be real-time and make its surroundings live as well. Fuses, circuit-breakers and also other devices have to be correctly ranked for the circuit they shield.

Job Path.

not return to the building up until the person in charge of the discharge has permitted. They will certainly have listened from the Cops or Fire Services as suitable. In situations where the duration of discharge is likely to be long, team may be suggested to return residence. Electricity can kill or severely wound individuals and also trigger damage to home.

What to look for when hiring an electrician - Washington Post

What to look for when hiring an electrician.

Posted: Wed, 13 May 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Call the emergency services as well as alert them that is an electrical crash. The majority of us take power for approved as an easy way to power our houses however we should additionally understand the threats. Electric shocks can create anything from a small discomfort, to extreme burns to cardiac arrest and also our safety section explains exactly how they can be finest prevented. Emergency work frequently involves repairing damages, as well as correcting defective installations. Occasionally, the problem is noticeable-- if smoke as well as stimulates are flying from the outlets, then it's time to grab the phone (and also switch off the power at the fuse-board). When collaborating with electrics as well as live cords, ARC flash clothes ought to always be worn.

Exactly How Could The Task Searching Procedure Change After Furlough? Pointers From A Youth Ambassador.

d) If routed to do so by the Emergency Coordinator-- recommend any type of handicapped individual on the situation and assist them to leave if this is considered to be essential. c) If routed to do so by the Emergency Planner-- examine the reason for the alarm system however take the precautions laid out in (4.4) listed below. i) Provide the green light to allow residents back in when the smoke alarm has been re-set. b) develop communication in between the scene of the case, potentially another structure, and the control point. v) At weekend breaks - during the day there is extensive use of the Libraries and computer collections by Birkbeck pupils as well as numerous rooms are allow to outside organisations. Possibly no more than 20 Birkbeck personnel will certainly remain in the Main Structure and only a very few of those e.g. assistants and librarians will be officially time-tabled as 'at work'. ii) It is plainly acknowledged that each emergency circumstance will have its own functions that can not be completely anticipated below.

What are the types of electrical maintenance?

4 types of maintenance strategy, which one to chose?Corrective maintenance. Preventive maintenance. Maintenance carried out at predetermined intervals or according to prescribed criteria, aimed at reducing the failure risk or performance degradation of the equipment. Risk-based maintenance. Condition-based maintenance.

Loss of electrical energy as well as power outages cause significant inconvenience and disruptions to both domestic as well as industrial residential properties, as well as might leave you in a dangerous or vulnerable circumstance. The generator perseverance up all the emergency loads such as illumination (20-30% of all system lights fixtures), power and etc . The NEC requirements states that, in instance of failing of utility supply, an emergency resource should begin operating in almost 10 seconds to give power for the entire emergency system.

[friendship-korea-japan]

9.6.2. The comfort women

Question 9: Korea's situation after Japan's withdrawal › 6. The comfort women and wartime laborers › 2. The comfort women

Click here for table of contents

9.6.2. The comfort women

  The allegation made by the present-day South Korea that “Japan forcibly transported South Korean women against their will to have them serve as sex slaves” is grounded on the repetitive reporting by a Japanese newspaper, The Asahi Shimbun.

  A man named Seiji Yoshida made numerous false statements in the 1980s that he had forcibly taken away young Korean women by order of the military to make them serve as comfort women. He later published a book based on his own testimonies. Although his testimonies were his own fabrication against the fact, several mass media, mainly The Asahi Shimbun, frequently reported the “Yoshida Testimony” as truth, and the report spread around the world. In 1995, Yoshida admitted that his testimonies and publication were fictitious and not the truth. In 2014, The Asahi Shimbun retracted all 18 articles published in the past and made an apology.

  The summary of the articles published in The Asahi Shimbun and later retracted as well as the published dates are shown below in accordance with the materials disclosed by The Asahi Shimbun.

  [ The Asahi Shimbun articles in relation to Seiji Yoshida that were subject to retraction］

Publication date Summary of the article Headline ● March 7, 1980 Morning paper (Kawasaki/East Yokohama edition) Based on the interview with Yoshida, it said in the article that “Yoshida had visited  the Korean Peninsula twice in the past to ‘kidnap’ Korean people”. The  article included the testimony that Yoshida joined the police force there to  recruit 100 young people and send them to Japan as laborers and that they  used violence against those who resisted. Series: South Korea/Koreans 2 (27) Loyal execution of orders, Wooden sword pointed at resisters September 2, 1982 Morning paper (Osaka Headquarters edition) The article was a summary of Yoshida’s speech in an assembly held in Osaka City.  Yoshida stated that there were about 6,000 Koreans forcibly transported  to Japan under his direct supervision, among which 950 were comfort women. A Korean woman testified; I was forcibly taken away with violence October 19, 1983 Evening paper In the  article, Yoshida was introduced as someone who used to be named “Demon for  impressment” for compulsorily recruiting 6,000 Koreans. It is explained in  the article that Yoshida even invaded rice fields, factories, and places for  weddings, urging young people at random. Sitting on a hill in South Korea is a Monument of apology built by “Demon for impressment” November 10, 1983 Morning paper The  article introduced his statements, such as, “The compulsory recruitment that  can only be described as kidnapping, performed by the state at best, is about  to be shrouded in darkness of history after a little over 30 years.” “HITO”: Mr. Seiji Yoshida December 24, 1983 Morning paper It  reported the unveiling ceremony of the Monument of Apology that Mr. Yoshida  built in South Korea. The article also introduced his statement, “I am  responsible for forcibly taking many of you before WWII.”   One-person apology - Unveiling ceremony in South Korea ● January 17, 1984 Evening paper (Osaka Headquarters edition) In the  beginning of the text, it stated that Mr. Yoshida was part of the operation  for forceful transportation of Koreans. The article introduced the unveiling  ceremony of the Monument of Apology that Mr. Yoshida built in Cheonan-si,  South Korea. Series: An aching scar – Aftermath of forceful take-away of Koreans (1) A bridegroom stolen for forced labor July 9, 1986 Morning paper In the article, Mr. Yoshida was referred to as being involved in taking control of the forceful transportation of Koreans including comfort women. Assemblies held in Thailand and Osaka on August 15 to commemorate the victims of wars in Asia June 19, 1990 Morning paper (Osaka Headquarters edition) Mr.  Yoshida’s statement was introduced in the article. He said, “I had taken away  a number of Korean women to make them serve as comfort women. I was proud to  be called ‘Demon for impressment’ at that time.” I burnt a name list by gubernatorial order to destroy evidence May 22, 1991 Morning paper (Osaka Headquarters edition) Some  statements Mr. Yoshida gave at the assemblies were introduced by citing from  a book that recorded his speech at the assemblies. One of his statements introduced  was, “One of the things that I feel most ashamed of and troubled about is  that I had forcibly transported 950 comfort women.” Women in the Pacific War –Forcibly mobilizing comfort women by pointing wooden sword October 10, 1991 Morning paper (Osaka Headquarters edition) The  article included an interview with Mr. Yoshida. He said he “twisted the arm  of a young mother, kicked and beat her up to put her in a wagon” when  forcibly taking away young mothers to make them serve as comfort women. Women in the Pacific War – Separating mothers from babies in their arms January 23, 1992 Evening paper The  article introduced Mr. Yoshida’s statement, “We transported comfort women to  battlefields, confined them there for a year or two, gang-raped them, and  abandoned them on the battlefield when the Japanese army retreated.” “MADO”: From the office of editorialists – Comfort women March 3, 1992 Evening paper While  mentioning that there were many letters received from readers regarding Mr.  Yoshida’s confession, the editor introduced opinions that denied the alleged  acts of brutality by the Japanese army. The editor concluded that although  there are things we don’t want to know or we don’t want to believe, we cannot  leave our mark in history without confronting that feeling of reluctance. “MADO”: From the office of editorialists – Recognition of history May 24, 1992 Morning paper It reported that Mr. Yoshida would leave for an apology tour to South Korea. It  also mentioned his statement, “I want to enter history books as a Japanese  who had been directly involved in acts of brutality and later came to  apologize.” “Now is the time to apologize myself”, a witness of kidnapping to visit South Korea in July August 13, 1992 Morning paper It  reported that Mr. Yoshida apologized to former comfort women in South Korea. Mr. Yoshida apologizes to former comfort women in Seoul January 25, 1994 Morning paper It  reported that the newspaper had received several tens of phone calls from  surprised readers in response to the testimony by a former leader of a  mobilization unit who confessed his involvement in forcible transportation of  comfort women in Korea. Mr. Yoshida was introduced in an anonymous manner. Investigative reporting steers the nation

  The two articles that have been retracted or  partially retracted this time (marked with ● before the publication date) as  well as 13 disclosable articles out of the 16 articles that were already  retracted in August are shown here.    We have postponed the disclosure of the  article dated May 22, 1991 (marked with ○ before the publication date)  because the article included numerous citations from a book. However, we  decided to disclose it taking into consideration the fact that a third-party  committee pointed out that the exclusion of the article from publication is  not appropriate.    We determined that it is appropriate  the 3 articles in the opinion columns including “KOE”, “RONDAN”, and “My  critique on newspaper articles” that are contributed by outsiders, should  remain undisclosed on newspaper.   All the articles cited above shall not  be deleted from the database (where readers can view previous articles of The  Asahi Shimbun), but instead, a note shall be included to inform readers  that the testimonies given by Seiji Yoshida were evaluated as false.

(December 23, 2014, p37 Morning paper, Tokyo Headquarters, The Asahi Shimbun)

 http://www.asahi.com/shimbun/3rd/2014122337.html 

  In-house News and Messages

This page contains announcements by The Asahi Shimbun and articles related to such matters as its coverage of the “comfort women” issue and the “Yoshida testimony,” some articles of which the Asahi has retracted.

  A report by a third-party committee on the Asahi’s past coverage on “comfort women”

Regarding Asahi’s coverage of Yoshida Testimony

PRC: Asahi lacked fair, accurate reporting on Yoshida testimony (11/12)

Summary of views of Press and Human Rights Committee (11/12)

Asahi to establish public editor system under action plan (1/5)

Regarding Asahi’s coverage of ‘comfort women’ issue

Asahi to reform its news gathering in response to examination of past 'comfort women' coverage (12/26)

Asahi Shimbun president: We will review reporting and checking system (12/22)

Asahi president responds to questions about panel's report on past 'comfort women' coverage (12/26)

Third-party panel gives 3 assessments on international influence of Asahi's coverage on comfort women issue (12/23)

Asahi president: Company will sincerely implement wide-ranging recommendations (12/27)

Third-party panel criticizes delay in retracting 'comfort women' articles over Yoshida testimony (12/23)

Asahi third-party panel says neglecting erroneous articles on 'comfort women' coverage 'betrayed readers' (12/22)

  For a period of 14 years from 1980 to 1994, The Asahi Shimbun has posted a total of 18 articles relating to the alleged forcible transportation of comfort women. The newspaper finally retracted all 18 articles on December 23, 2014, 34 years after the first publishment of the related article. There were many readers during the 34 years who had believed that the articles posted on The Asahi Shimbun were true, when in fact, they were not. The “former leader of a mobilization unit” referred to in the snippet of the Asahi Shimbun article dated September 2, 1982 was about a man, Seiji Yoshida, who told lie after lie.

  During the period of 34 years, the articles reporting that “the Japanese had forcibly taken away Korean women to have them serve as comfort women” were read and received as truth all around the world. Some UN-related organizations as well as state and city assemblies in the United States that took the articles as truth voted to condemn Japan. Then somewhere along the line, the number of comfort women being reported as “forcibly transported” swelled to as many as 200,000. As of 2020, even after the articles were retracted as being false, many unforgiving people still believe the false information that “the Japanese had forcibly taken away Korean women to have them serve as comfort women” and demand compensation and an apology from the Japanese government.

  Can everything be forgiven if The Asahi Shimbun retracted the articles as false only 34 years later and after putting Japan in this position? How will the immense shame brought to Japan and the Japanese people be remedied?

  The only way that The Asahi Shimbun can be excused for posting the false articles 18 times may be for them to at least post articles on the newspaper to announce the retraction of the same articles 18 times in the same way, with the same scale, in the same posting position, and in the same manner of posting as the original articles.

  Especially influential was a memorandum explaining the terms that was published in conjunction with an article headlined, “Comfort Stations: Documents Show Military Involvement” prior to then Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa’s visit to South Korea for the Japan-Korea summit. The description was as follows: “Comfort women: In the 1930s, there were many cases of rape by Japanese soldiers in China, so comfort stations were established to suppress anti-Japanese sentiment and prevent sexually transmitted diseases. According to the testimonies of ex-soldiers and military doctors, about 80% of the women who worked there were Koreans from the beginning of such facilities. When the Pacific War began, Korean women were forcibly taken in under the name of “volunteer corps”. The number is said to be between 80,000 and 200,000.” (Asahi Shimbun, January 11, 1992, morning edition, front page). This memo article contains errors and inaccuracies.

  It is true that the Asahi Shimbun was the most prolific in reporting on comfort women, including these errors and inaccuracies.

  However, the Asahi Shimbun has won several court cases regarding these reports. In one case, the court denied a request for the newspaper to publish an apology ad because it did not recognize the defamation of ordinary Japanese people who had sued the newspaper, claiming that the article targeted the former Japanese armed forces and government and not the plaintiffs. In another case, the high court ruled that the Asahi Shimbun's coverage of the comfort women was “not sufficient to find that it played a major role” in influencing the international community.

  Then, who spread false information about the comfort women to the world?

  Although the trial did not hold the Asahi Shimbun responsible for its false reporting, this does not eliminate South Korea's condemnation of Japan and its demand for an apology and reparations, nor does it erase its false record-keeping at the United Nations human rights body.

  Moreover, Kiyoshi Nishikawa, former section head of the Department of Interior in Gangwon Province, who was in charge of maintaining the peace of Gangwon Province, testified in Last testimony of official in the Government-General of Chosen that there is no way it was possible to forcibly take away young women. There were no incidents of kidnapping young women in Gangwon Province with a population of 1,571,502 (according to “Yearbook 1941 of Government-General of Chosen”). If such a serious incident had happened in his assigned area, it would have been highly unlikely not to have Mr. Nishikawa’s involvement. Thus, we believe as a fact that there was no single incident of kidnapping young women in the peaceful Gangwon Province.

  Similarly, if even a single young woman was taken away in other provinces, such “kidnapping” would have been a serious incident since the Korean Peninsula was calm and quiet with no bombing attack by U.S. forces or no demand of compulsory contribution of goods.

  For your reference, the female population ranging from infants to the elderly in Jeju Island as of 1944 is estimated to be about 150,000. Under such circumstances, who and how in the world can as many as 200,000 women be taken away, as some people are alleging, to have them serve as comfort women or sex slaves?

[trickstermiraculous]

Video Recording Exists

Author’s Note: Adrien knows Marinette is Ladybug and visa verse after an incident of them both accidentally transforming in the same place also Master Fu doesn't lose his memories after Miracle Queen.

I followed Marinette from the cafeteria after I noticed Lila following her. I will admit that it is creepy to follow the girls to the bathroom but all I really did was sit by the bathroom door casually scrolling on my phone as a side effect of the miraculous gave me better hearing, so could hear their conversation quite clearly.

No, to say that I was mad was an understatement, I just heard that lying witch threaten my lady, luckily when Lila left she didn’t bother looking in my direction and as soon as she was out of sight, I raced into the bathroom.

Looking around I couldn’t find Marinette but soon one of the stall doors opened, revealing Marinette with a grim look on her face but as soon as she spotted me, her face lit up and she ran to hug me. “Adrien” she whispered quietly as she held him, “I heard” I whispered back, “what do you plan to do?”.

“Reveal her lies like I was trying to do all-day” she replied, “How though, she be able to make her look like the victim this whole time?” I questioned if this were to backfire we could become outcasts for ‘bullying the new girl’ and if the press her that Gabriel Agreste’s son was bullying a classmate, father would pull me out of school because of the negative press, Marinette pulled away from me and pointed at Tiki holding her phone, “Tiki recorded the conversation so now we have physical proof of what we are saying is true,” she said smiling, “So you going to send that to the rest of the class?” I responded tilting my head to the side, “Not yet, I want to build a case of what she is doing along with the teachers respond to it and give it to the school board so this incident is covered up like Chloe” Marinette replied growling out the last part.

I love Chloe as my friend but her attitude and the teacher’s response of punishing victims was getting on my nerves. “So, we don’t call her out and gather proof behind the scenes,” I said, “yep but first I’m showing this and proof that her lies of false to Alya so she doesn’t ruin her chance of being a reporter for not fact-checking,” Marinette said as she fiddled with her phone, “And I’ll tell Nino so he doesn’t get hurt when Lila tries to ‘help’ him” I replied, “what are you doing?” “Becking the recording up, also I sent it to you as well since I’m getting a new phone later this week” she responded, the bell rang and we nodded as we headed back to class.

By Friday, both Alya and Nino were informed, each of them furious but agreeing to what Marinette had planned. Alya had given Lila the excuse that her blog was strictly to do with Ladybug and post that Lila was her best friend would put her and the class in danger which everyone in the class had agreed to.

The four of us had set up a sperate group chat from our normal as it was strictly to give each other copies of the evidence we had gathered. My lady only used the group chat on her new phone and used the old one in school so that if Lila stole it, she wouldn’t find the group chat or all the evidence.

It was only a two months later when Marinette was expelled on weak evidence, at that point Alya got Max and Kim on in the plan as she got him to use Markov, to hack the security cams and seeing Lila plant evidence and apparently Max had been with Kim at the time as well and Kim was ready to storm into the headmasters office to chew him out for not checking the security cams before expelling his childhood friend but Alya managed to calm him down explaining to the two about their plan which with a bit of grumbling, they agreed to so with two others on the team and Marinette back in school because of my deal. We were extremely prepared out Lila at any point but we waited until the school year had ended, so to not have to be in class after the fallout.

Although I wish we hadn’t waited that long since Marinette had basically become an outcast after all of Lila’s lies spread to the rest of the school but according to Marinette she was fine, she was used to being an outcast which had made us all spend a day hanging out together and us contacting her every day out of guilt for us pretending to hate her in school so the plan could work.

I made sure to help her as much as I could especially after she was made guardian when Master Fu had fallen ill after Miracle Queen so could no longer be able to teach her the techniques of a guardian because it took to much of his strength and he wanted to spend his last few years he had on earth with the one he loved. He had left his apartment to Marinette along with all the item for the miraculous so we set it up as a base of operations after Marinette explain the situation to her parents after we agree we needed some adults to help us which they were fine with as long as they could help us in battle which we agreed to. They also found out the plan which they were not happy with a first but agreed to help within the end as they had a few contacts that could help us.

We sent the school board the info on the last week of school which caused the school to be shut down for the last two days as the investigation started. During that time Alya had posted an article of our investigation online which got big news agencies contacting her the next day asking if they could use the evidence in a report of the events along with Nadja Chamack asking to interview everyone involved with gathering said evidence which we all agreed to.

The group chat had exploded in anger when the news broke, most we upset with Lila but some were made that we hadn’t told them but luckily Marinette had explained the reasons behind why we did what we did so most of them had chilled out by the new school year.

We were all in the same class even Lila but she was sat at the back trying to hide away from everyone’s glares. Mrs Mendeleiev had been made the new headmaster, Miss Bustier had been fired along with Mr Damocles for neglecting students and taking bribes and we got a new teacher called Mr Smith who could see bullshit from a mile away.

Wattpad

AO3

Mental Health Update: I've gotten much better as the voice telling me to do it, is just a dull voice now. I went to the health and wellbeing team in my college and they have given ways to help me which I'm trying since I want to sort this out slowly. As for the counsellor, the waiting this is like two months long and because of wanting to take this slow, I decided to not see the counsellor just yet so taken myself off the waiting list. Thank you for all the supportive comments and I hope to be writing more soon.

[what-is-your-plan-today]

CSI: Rogers and Barnes- The Serious Cereal Serial Killer

Ch4: Hit and Run Co written with @icanfeelastormbrewing

Episode Summary: There’s another body, and it’s another familiar face. Some bitching and arguing and an accident. SHOCK!!!

Episode Warnings: Bad Language words. Contains flash back which alludes to a sexual assault. Nothing graphic but avoid if this is a trigger.

Episode Pairings:  Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark (she still hates him…)

Song for Episode:  Demons At The Door by Sleeping Wolf

A/N: This entire series contains dark humour (CSI + Brooklyn 99=CSI Steeb) Avengers and Stark Spangled Banner Easter Eggs and jokes. You don’t need to have read the SSB series to understand or enjoy this, but we’ve used the Universe to spin this off from so somethings might puzzle a few of you if you ain’t, but feel free to ask.

Also, our knowledge of American Policing and Brooklyn is limited, so bear with us if we slip up, but at the end of the day this is a fiction so we’ll claim any mistakes as creative license!!

As always we live for re-blogs and comments  

CSI Rogers and Barnes Master List 

Main Masterlist 

"Of all the places in the world...." Steve groaned as they approached the murder scene.

It was a late July evening and the cool breeze that blew at the Ice Rink at 8 p.m. wasn't a good match for his short sleeved navy blue polo shirt. He didn’t like ice, either. But that was a whole different story. He shrugged on his denim jacket as he walked, giving a slight shiver.

"Hey, it's me who has issues with winter sports, not you. You love ice, Capsicle." Bucky said laughing at his own lame pun.

"Jerk" was the only thing Steve bothered to say to his friend.

They waved at Thor who, as per usual, was directing the police operative. The man was more rushed this time as the new body had appeared in a more popular with tourists spot at a busier time of the evening too.

The area had been secured but people still lingered in the area, trying to get a glimpse of what was happening and, if they were lucky enough, of the bulk under the sheet before they put it in a body bag.

Steve saw a pair of journalists trying to bargain some information out of the police officers who were trying to keep the curious onlookers at bay. He had seen them around other crime scenes and at a few press conferences he had attended over the last couple of years. It was a matter of seconds when another two or three more turned up.

As they approached the scene, they saw that Sam had arrived and was discussing some sort of procedure with Bruce who was crouched down by the body. Katie was busy inspecting the surroundings oblivious to the two men behind her and gave a start when Steve and Bucky greeted her.

"Hey" she said catching her breath and placing a hand on her chest. "You startled me."

"Sorry" Steve smiled. "How are you holding?"

She didn’t return his smile, instead she just gave a shrug.

"Reinforcements are here" Bucky said puffing his chest.

"God bless America" Katie scoffed. "Well, pretty much same crime scene only this one is frostier."

"You can say that again." muttered Bucky. Katie glared at him and ignoring his jab regarding the tension between her and Steve and continued her report on the scene.

"No bullet wound, so no casings. This is a promenade so no vehicle tracks, I was inspecting the area for footprints but there are no wet marks so the attacker wasn't on the ice. We need to see what Sam says about the body, but I presume from the lack of evidence of a vehicle, plus the fact it would be pretty hard to drive here anyway at this time of day without being seen, that the victim was attacked where he's lying, by the bench that faces the ice rink."

"Have you talked to the boys that found it?" Steve asked Katie while looking around searching for the kids who had spotted the body.

“Him.” she replied, not looking up

"It's a male?" Bucky asked Katie.

"Yes, the boys reported the body of a man who seemed to be dead by one of the benches in front of the rink." Katie said. "Well, according to Thor their exact words were “There's a dude here, he got smoked.”  Yeah, quite the literary talent." she added when Bucky chuckled at the boys’ use of slang. "Anyway, a police officer is with them, we’re waiting for their parents to show up and then we can drive them to the station to take their statements."

"Ok. Let's see what Sam and Bruce got." Steve said as he began to walk towards the scene, followed by Bucky and Katie who was now grabbing a mint from the packet that Bucky was holding out for her.

"Do we know anything about the victim?" Steve asked turning her head to Katie and then turned again to greet Sam.

"Nope. Not yet. Sam only told me there was no bullet wound, only what seemed...." Steve frowned and turned to ask Katie why she had stopped talking when he saw she had paused in her tracks and stood there frozen looking down at the body.

"Katie?" Bucky who had also stopped walking asked a worried look on his face.

She didn’t reply, merely stood there her eyes wide, a look of utter shock on her face.

"She's shaken. She's not hearing you." Steve told Bucky as he moved towards Katie, recognising the signs instantly. He’d seen it often enough "Can you please take the reins, while I... umm..?"

"Sure, pal. I've got this." he said before Steve could finish the question and turned to Sam and Bruce whose worried looks were focused now on the three of them rather than on the dead body on the floor.

"Hey. Are you ok? Katie? Look at me." Steve said quietly holding Katie's face between his hands.

She seemingly reacted to the human contact and the soft voice speaking to her. Her eyes fell on the ones before her and Steve saw those green orbs staring at his, struggling to focus, and once she did  she flinched from his touch and composed herself.

Steve swallowed hard and tried to hide his wounded pride as much as possible.

"Come here." he said as he took her arm gently and guided her to the spot where their cars were parked.

"Need anything? Water?" Steve offered patiently giving her time to adjust to reality.

"No, I'm fine thanks." she said and fell silent again looking past him towards the bulk on the ground beside the bench.

"Are you gonna tell me what that was about?" Steve asked tentatively.

Katie stood now leaning back against the left door of her car as Steve waiting patiently for an answer which he honestly wasn't sure he was going to get given how things were between the two of them. His fists clenched inside the pockets of his denim jacket fighting the urge to reach for Katie to comfort her but he knew she wouldn’t appreciate it. Instead, he watched her carefully as she moved her eyes frantically between the crime scene and him, and closing them she whispered "I know him."

"You knew the victim?" he asked frowning.

She nodded and inhaled deeply before opening her eyes again and saying "Sitwell, Jasper Sitwell."

Steve looked at her intently trying to get more information from her, he couldn't recall where had he heard that name but it did sound familiar.

"Sitwell..." he repeated as if uttering that surname again would magically bring a memory back. "Katie, I don't..."

"Steve" she said her eyes on his "remember what happened with Rumlow?"

"Yes." he said the word nearly getting stuck in his throat. Now he was beginning to get worried.

"Sitwell was Rumlow's alibi when Peralta and I were digging into him. We had to drop the case because that bloodsucker stated they were together when it all happened." she rubbed her temples and laced a strand of hair behind her ear before continuing "Never believed him. We were forced to drop it. And then..." she choked on her words.

"Shhhh" Steve said gently reaching for her to calm her with a hug. But she raised her palms stopping him on the spot and he retreated hurt showing in his eyes as it was the second time in less than 5 minutes that she had rejected his touch.

"I'm fine." She said biting her lower lip and looking down to the ground "Or I will be... gotta get out of here Steve" she added before moving around the front part of her car.

"Are you sure you can drive?" Steve asked before she reached the driver's door. "Want me to take you?"

"No." she said too fast and sharp for Steve liking

"Let me call Tony... or Bucky could?" he tried again, worried she would be too upset to focus on the road.

"I'm fine, Steve. Just need a hot bath and to get some sleep." she said taking the car keys out of her jacket right pocket.

"Ok, well… be careful.” She nodded and went to open her door before Steve suddenly remembered something.

“Wait…” he said, and she turned to look at him "I've got something for you.”

He ran towards his car while Katie stood there by the open door of hers waiting for him with a frown.

"Here! My ma gave me this for you." he said handing her the slice of apple pie Mrs Rogers had sent with him.

"Does she know...?" she said taking the foil wrapped pie he was handing her, looking down at it as he handed it over.

"That you're back? Yes, told her earlier." Steve nodded pursing his lips at the memory of her mother's advice.

"Tell her thanks and I'll drop by when I can." she said smiling to him for the first time since she came back from DC.

Steve nodded and smiled back at her as she closed the door and started the car. He leant over the driver's window and said "Drive safe." before she pulled away. He sighed, hands on his hips, his never wavering gaze on the taillights of the blue Honda Civic as it drove away.

"What was that about?" Steve turned around to see a concerned Bucky.

"The victim was.... ummm.... Let's say he was an old acquaintance. Long story. Tell you about it later." Steve said and gestured to the crime scene before asking Bucky.

"Same scene?"

"Yeah, pretty much. This time there's apparently increased violence though. Two blows." Bucky answered.

"Cereal?"

"Yes. I would say it was Jump Start this time. God I hate that shitty generic brand stuff." Bucky scoffed while unlocking his phone.

Steve raised an eyebrow and was about to ask him what was the deal with him and cereals, but honestly he had too many things in his mind at the moment and Bucky's one of many quirks was the last thing in the list right now.

"Ok, get in the car. I sent Katie home, so it's you and me taking the statements of those kids tonight." Steve said walking to the car and opening the driver's door.

"You sent her home and she did as you told without putting up a fight? That's a first." Bucky grinned as he entered the car and sat on the passenger seat.

Steve only groaned and started the car and shook his head at the sight of Bucky devouring his slice of pie.

During the drive back to the station Steve filled Bucky in on everything. And by doing so he found himself catapulted back 5 years previously to one of the NYPD Charity Balls.

Steve could see Katie was excited for this one, it was her first formal event since moving from Uniform into the Detective branch little over 7 months previously after years of hard work on her part to get there. She was determined to make a name for herself, prove to people she wasn’t just Commander Howard Stark’s daughter. Of course Ward had let her down last minute, as per usual, but she wasn’t letting that dampen her spirits. He picked her up, and had to smile as she practically skipped down to his car, her deep red, knee length dress flared slightly out from her hips and she had a soft black shawl draped over her shoulders. She climbed into the passenger seat and gave his cheek a quick peck as he told her she looked stunning, as always. She beamed and then the car filled with her happy chatter, about how she was looking forward to letting her hair down, especially after the case that she had been working for weeks had collapsed.

Steve, as always, kept an eye on her all night, without being overbearing. If she wanted to get drunk to the point of puking then that was her prerogative, he’d simply be there to mop up just like he had done several times before. But then he was caught in a conversation with Thor, Terry Jefferson and Barton about the recent Super Bowl and as such he hadn’t seen her for a lost sight of her for a while. When he looked up to find her, as it was his round, he realised she was nowhere to be seen. After asking Natasha where she was, the red head had frowned saying she hadn’t seen her for a while either, so Steve had headed off to see if he could find out where she was.

And he found her.

“Katie…what the hell?” Steve looked at her as she was stood near the bathroom. She was pressed hard against the wall, almost like she was trying to sink into it. Her breathing was ragged and there were tears streaking her face and he noticed she was shaking from head to toe “Jesus Sweetheart what’s…” “I just...Stevie…I…” She was stumbling over her words as turned to him and practically threw herself into his arms. He frowned and pulled her close, rubbing her back softly as she trembled against him.

“You’re scaring me honey.” he said softly. He’d never seen her like this in the entire 5 years they had been friends. “What…”

“He…er…he was waiting and…”

“Ok, slow down…” he said gently, his hands sliding to her face. “Who?”

“Rumlow…”

Steve took a deep breath through his nose as he felt the nerve in his jaw twitch. “What did he do?”

“He….he was rambling on about the case and….”

“Katie…” he looked at her, his voice calm and commanding “Tell me, what did he do?”

“He said that if I told anyone no one would believe me anyway because of the rape case being dropped and…”

Steve felt cold all over as he looked at her. His thumbs gently skated over her cheek bones as she took a deep breath “Did he touch you? Because if he did I swear to God…”

“He put his hand up my skirt and…” “Mother fucker…” Steve said, one of his hands taking through his hair, the other slamming against the wall causing Katie to flinch “Where did he go?”

“I don’t know….”

With that he wheeled round, ignoring her calls and stormed towards the main door of the bar, yanking it open.

“Hey Rogers…” Peralta looked at him “You seen Katie? The boss is just about to…” “Where’s Rumlow?” Steve demanded, cutting him off.

Peralta’s face darkened “He just left…bastard had a nerve showing up anyway, I can’t believe…”

Steve didn’t wait to hear the rest, the red mist had descended and he had only one thing in mind. That fucking cunt should be banged up in a cell from what he had heard. Apparently he had a cast iron alibi from the rape, but both Katie and Peralta were 100% convinced he had done it. But the case had been dropped as the victim had decided not pursue and as such he was still wandering around the 99 free to do what he wanted.

And he’d just assaulted one of the most important people in Steve’s life.

He ran out of the bar and spotted Rumlow as he headed towards his car. Picking up a sprint, at the sound of his feet pounding on the tarmac, Rumlow turned round and Steve sent a punch straight into the bastards face, sending him sprawling over the bonnet of his car. Steve dragged him up off the bonnet with one hand fisting in the front of his shirt before delivering another punch again, feeling his nose crunch under his fist as the man dropped to the floor. He was just winding up to boot him hard in the ribs when someone grabbed him from behind.

“Cap…” He heard Barton speak, but Steve shrugged him off easily. He went to lead with his foot again, the only thing on his mind was beating the piece of shit until he couldn’t stand up, but when someone else grabbed him, the grip was much stronger, and he was dragged back by both arms.

“Rogers, leave it…come on man…” It was Terry Jefferson.

“Son of a bitch!” Steve yelled, attempting to work his way out of Terry’s grip but to no avail.

“Stevie…” another voice, this one quieter cut through the fog and he took a deep breath as Katie appeared in front of him, both hands on his chest “Stop…”

His chest heaving he took a deep breath and looked down at her as Rumlow gave a groan from the floor behind her. Clint bent down to see to him and Steve held his hands up in surrender. Terry let go and Steve looked at Katie, his hands once more holding her face, the knuckles of his right tender from the punches he had landed.

“You alright?” he asked softly and she nodded. Steve drew himself up and turned to Terry “He assaulted her…”

“What?” Terry frowned, and looked down to Rumlow. Upon hearing Steve’s words, Clint had turned to look up at them and Natasha moved forward, her hand falling to Katie’s shoulder. Katie gave a small nod, and took a deep breath as Natasha looked at her and Steve stepped away slightly, and noticing Katie was still shaking he shrugged off his jacket and dropped it lightly over her shoulders before he heard Terry barking instructions to Peralta to get a unit down to the bar.

Rumlow was now on his feet, and in a second Clint had his arm up his back, and had shoved him down on the bonnet of the car, Rumlow giving a yell.

“Move again and I’ll break it…” he snarled, giving it a harsh jerk.

“He attacked me…”

“Did he?” Peralta asked, his phone clutched to his ear as he looked around, “I didn’t see anything…”

“Me neither…” Terry spoke.

“Yeah, hi, this is Detective Jake Peralta, I need a unit…” Peralta spoke, walking a little way away from the group as Rumlow gave another yell as Clint yanked on his arm again

“Looks like you’re mistaken shit bag.”

“Doll…” Steve turned to Katie again, who was now leaning her head against Natasha’s shoulder clutching his leather jacket around her as the red head’s arm pulled her in. She looked up at him, her green eyes still sporting that petrified look. “You up to giving a statement?”

She glanced at him, then to Rumlow, and then drew herself tall “Yeah, he’s not getting away with it a second time.” “Only he did.” Steve spat out as he swung the car into the station parking lot “The Prosecution advised Katie that it would simply be her word against his. Rumlow was sticking to his story, saying Katie had led him outside on purpose and then got cold feet. And the previous accusation couldn’t be used as the previous victim had dropped all charges…” “What previous accusation?” Bucky asked.

“Rape.” Steve sighed “The victim saw Rumlow at the station and her reaction basically led Katie and Peralta to believe it was him. But before they could go any further, he had a cast iron alibi…and that was Sitwell, the guy we just saw with his head caved in and a mouth full of cereal”

“Fuck…” Bucky mumbled.

“Katie basically went through weeks of hell to in the end drop her case, which killed her. And her fucker of a boyfriend wasn’t much of a support either, simply telling her that she shouldn’t wear such “tight or revealing clothing” for fear of egging men on.” “Are you for real?” Bucky frowned.

“Yup. Trust me, it took everything I had not to kick the crap out of him for that.” Steve sighed, “Still, being Howard’s daughter had some perks. He went in all guns blazing when he learned about what happened and kicked up an absolute storm, threatening to go to the press and everything.  Pierce, in the end, instructed Rumlow to “resign”. Which is another thing that sticks in my throat. He should have been fired.”

“Instead he got to leave with the full benefits of a pension.” Bucky shook his head.

“Yeah, still, it meant he was away from Katie. Which was something she was thankful for.”

Bucky was silent for a moment as Steve cut the engine and ran his hand over his face. “You think his murder could be connected to the dropped rape case?”

Steve shrugged “I dunno. It could just be a coincidence but…” “I don’t believe in coincidences.” Bucky shook his head “Not when it comes to stuff like this.” “Me neither.” Steve said, undoing his belt. “Let’s get these statements taken.” “Aye, aye Captain.” Bucky said, saluting as he followed his friend out of the car.

*****

It was way past eleven the next morning when Bucky entered the kitchen of the station. He and Steve had been working late the previous night, taking statements and going over the case files again and again. The rest of the team had been working on other minor cases or doing paperwork waiting for them to arrive for briefing and were now taking a coffee break.

"Morning, Barnes." greeted Clint who was perched on the kitchen counter. "Fancy some coffee?"

"Yes, please. You really remind me of my ma's parakeet, always perched onto something." he said taking the coffee pot Clint was holding out for him as he opened one of the cupboards to get a mug.

"Tweet, tweet." Clint retorted and Natasha, who was filing her nails, scoffed.

Bucky spotted Katie engrossed on some files that were scattered over the kitchen table while sipping from her coffee mug and moved closer to her and leant over her.

"How you holding?" he whispered placing a kiss on her head.

She looked up at him and smiled softly for an only answer.

"Good." he whispered again and turned to the others to ask "Is there anything worth eating around here?"

"Here, have one." Wanda, who had been watching his interaction with Katie with a broad smile, offered him a box of doughnuts. But she slapped his hand when he was about to take a particular one.

"Not that one. Those are Steve's favourites!" she cried.

"Sorry." he said with a sarcastic tone as he raised an eyebrow at Clint and Natasha who were smiling at him knowingly. "God forgive me if I ate your Captain’s food." he continued while Wanda pulled a face.

It was at that moment that Katie sat up and gathered all her papers to head for her desk but she bumped into Thor at the kitchen's door.

"Greetings, little Stark" Thor said joyfully.

"Morning" she said flatly before heading out. Thor shrugged and moved to one of the cupboards.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked the others while rummaging inside the cupboard "Have we run out of pop tarts?" he groaned turning around.

"Take a doughnut, and watch your hand, picking one is like playing Russian roulette." Clint quipped and Wanda stuck her tongue out at him.

"She's been particularly snarky all morning." Natasha deadpanned looking intently at Bucky who sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Bitchy." Wanda added and Bucky shot a glare at her.

He was going to say something, not too compromising but enough to get them to leave her alone, when Steve appeared at the kitchen door and called "Everyone, briefing in five." before leaving again.

"Gotta go" Wanda said and before stepping outside the door she turned and added "Are we meeting for lunch?"

"Yes. Diner on the corner, just after briefing!" Natasha yelled for her to hear.

Steve was already sat in the briefing room checking his phone when Wanda came in and placed a coffee mug and a plate with two doughnuts with red, white and blue sprinkles on the table in front of him.

"Thanks" he said "Where is everyone? I told them five minutes."

"They're coming. Well, everyone bar Katie, I don't know where she is." she shrugged.

Steve raised her head to look at her and asked "What do you mean you don't know where she is?"

"She left the kitchen without bothering to look us in the face. Ask Barnes, they seem very close." and as she leant over his ear she whispered "I think they were having a moment back there."

Steve stiffened on his seat and gave an angry bite to one of the doughnuts avoiding saying something he could regret later on. He hadn't failed to notice how close the pair of detectives had become over the last week and it was something that was starting to piss him off. Would Bucky....? No, he wouldn't... He tried to shake those thoughts from his mind and was snapped back into reality by the voices of his team plus Bruce entering the briefing room.

"All right, let's start." Steve said when everyone had taken their seats, noticing Katie sliding in and taking up a seat further down the table. "Sam called. He's currently doing the second victim's autopsy and Tony is out of town working in another case, so Bruce here will do the honours." he said gesturing to the scientist.

Bruce cleared his throat and in a nervous tick he took off his glasses before speaking, "Well, regarding the first victim, we have concluded that the murder weapon could be a round, blunt hammer…"

"A chasing hammer." Thor nodded and everyone turned to look at him, questioningly. "What? I like hammers." he shrugged. "I was actually the hammer throwing champion in the school athletics team."

There was a pause everyone taking in what Thor had just revealed. Then Katie spoke turning to Bruce "But it wasn't a frenzied attack? A single blow?"

"Yeah, that is unlike the second victim, but we'll come to that later." Bruce confirmed.

Steve saw Katie shiver at the mention of the second victim and before he could even register what he was doing he asked her if she was ok to which she only nodded not taking her eyes from the table. He looked directly at Bruce, gesturing for him to continue, not able to deal with the glances he was sure Clint, Natasha and Wanda were sharing at his question to the sergeant.

"As you know we recovered some hairs from Ross trousers" Bruce resumed his report.

"Oh, well that's something." Bucky nodded. "A potential lead maybe?”

"Yeah, wouldn't bank on it." Bruce said "Initial tests show us it's not human."

"What do you mean it's not human?" Steve frowned.

"What do you mean, what do I mean?" Bruce stuttered looking at Steve "Exactly what I just said. That hair is not from a human being. And it's not from the more common domestic animals either like dogs, cats, rabbits, horses... So Peter's on with it now, as soon as we get something we'll let you know."

"Ok, thanks Bruce." Steve said while everyone was lost on their thoughts trying to decipher what kind of animal Ross had been around.

"As for the second victim, we have confirmed his identity." Bruce said chewing one of the arms of his glasses "His name is Jasper Sitwell."

And at the mention of that name Steve saw Katie close her eyes and couldn't help but ask her again.

"You sure you're ok, sweetheart?" he had blurted the words out before he could stop himself and her head shot up and she gave him a filthy look.

"Stop asking me if I'm ok for fuck sake, Steve!" she raised her voice angrily "And DON’T call me that! I'm not your sweetheart, never have been."

Steve clenched his jaw and for a second closed his eyes. If he could have smacked the back of his own head right there and then, he would have. That was on him. Still, he needed to react, despite the grudge Katie was holding against him, they were in a briefing meeting and he was the Captain, being talked to like that was out of order. He looked at Katie and opened his mouth to tell her off, when Bucky shot a quick glance at him and then turned to Katie grabbing her arm.

"Stark. You're off the line. We're not discussing personal matters here." Bucky told her before leaning and whispering to her "Even if he is an asshole."

Steve watched her soften a bit under Bucky's call and then saw a glimpse of a smile on her face when he had whispered something to her. But that smile had faded when she had spotted Wanda shaking her head gazing at Katie reproachfully. That's when he decided to step up, but was again cut off.

"What's your problem?" Katie glared at Wanda while Bucky sat back in his chair and raised his hands in a sign of surrender.

"Katie...stop it!" Natasha tried to intercede also shooting daggers at her.

"That's enough!" Steve spoke up, his voice loud as he cut across the briefing room. "Sergeant Stark, you have any problems with your superiors just issue a complaint form."

"I'll issue a form, I'll shove it up your fucking ass. Fuck this..." Katie yelled at him before she stood up and stormed out of the briefing room.

Bucky stood up fast as lightning and went for the door hurriedly after saying "I've got her, just continue with the briefing."

Steve stood there frozen deciding whether to call the meeting off or get it over with once and for all, when he heard Clint say to Natasha "You should have gone after her." and she shot him a deathly glare.

"What a ..." Wanda started to say.

"I said enough, Wanda." Steve raised his voice and heard Bruce groan and he couldn't blame him, after all the scientist didn't like people with anger management issues.

"Sorry Banner, you were saying..." he said pinching the bridge of his nose and gesturing for him to continue.

"Ummm yes..." Bruce said scanning his notes " that is, I was saying the victim is Jasper Sitwell. Preliminary visual inspection at the crime scene says it was two blows on the head this time. Cereal in mouth as well. So we'd say same MO but we'll give you more details after Sam has finished with him."

"Thanks Banner" Steve said to Bruce who nodded shyly.

"Barton, Romanoff, I want you to investigate Jasper Sitwell. Use all your spy tricks, the guy must be someone relatively important, Sam said yesterday the tie he was wearing was expensive."

"What a pity" Natasha drawled.

"Well, he was a suit and tie kind of guy. We'll find something Cap." Clint said and Steve rolled his eyes at the detective's use of nickname.

"All right, I'll call Rhodes, same course of action with the press." Steve said now looking at Wanda who nodded.

"Wait, why was Little Stark so pissed?" Thor asked out of the blue and everyone turned to look at him astonished.

"What, were you napping?" Steve said and sighed “OK. You're dismissed, I can feel a headache brewing." and stood up to head for his office, but before that he heard Natasha say not as quietly as she intended "I can feel a storm brewing." and Wanda sniggered.

***** Bucky caught up with Katie as she stormed out of the main office and into the corridor.

“Doll face, just...” She wheeled round at him and he held his hands up “Ok, my bad…”

“Leave me alone…” she said, her voice quieter “I’ve had enough.”

“I can tell.” Bucky said “You made that perfectly clear.”

Katie sighed and folded her arms, her tongue poking into her cheek.

“I’m not defending him but maybe, just maybe, Steve’s a little concerned about you.”

“He’s no right to be.” “Maybe not, but you two were friends for a long time before it went sideways.” “Before he sent it sideways…” “Whatever, the point I’m trying to make is that was a slip of the tongue, that’s all.” “I am sick and tired of this.” She said, looking at him. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed the team being off with me.” “Well, you are kinda scary when you’re angry…and you always seem kinda angry so…” “And why do you think that is?” she asked “I didn’t ask for any of this Bucky… he was the one that pulled me back here I just…” “So, let’s just get the job done and then you can go back.” Bucky soothed. “Look, we’re going for lunch in a moment so this afternoon let’s just get our heads down and get our ideas up on the boards.” She frowned and then there was a look on her face as if she was understanding something. But what it was, he had no idea. Instead she shrugged and headed back into the office, ignoring everyone as she walked, in particular Wanda. Wanda followed her with her eyes, narrowing them slightly until she spotted Bucky watching. He gave her a look of his own and she scurried back to her desk.

“Right, lunch!” Thor clapped his hands. There were murmurs in the office and Bucky nodded, telling them to go ahead and he’d catch them up. He popped his head into Steve’s office.

“Punk, we’re going for lunch.” he said. Steve looked up “you coming?” “No I’m gonna go have half an hour in the gym.” Steve said. Bucky knew that was Steve’s way of working out some of his frustration so he didn’t argue.

“I’m assuming from the lack of a black eye you managed to calm Katie down.” Steve looked at him.

“In a fashion.” Bucky shrugged “I’ll feed her a double cheeseburger like you suggested, she’ll be fine. Just maybe stop with the pet names huh?”

Steve snorted “force of habit.” Bucky gave him a final nod and leaving his friend to it he headed after Natasha and caught the gang up as they walked the block or so down the road. They headed to a table in the corner and Bucky took a seat between Clint and Wanda, picking up the menu and giving it a glance. He looked up momentarily when Natasha spoke to the waitress who took their drinks order, saying she would come back and take the one for their food in a moment. They all began to discuss what they were having, Bucky deciding he would probably go for his usual, the Southern Fried Chicken sandwich. Putting the menu down he looked around the team, Natasha and Wanda leaning together pointing at something on the card before he realised they were one short.

“Hold up…” he frowned “Where’s Stark?”

At that Thor frowned and looked around, as if only just noticing she wasn’t there. Clint gave Natasha a look, one that clearly said ‘I told you so’ whilst Wanda looked down at her nails.

“Have you deliberately not invited her?” Bucky’s frown deepened as he began to realise what it was that Katie had understood before. She’d understood that she hadn’t been invited. 

Fuck.

“We’re just getting a little tired of her attitude.” Natasha sighed. “She was out of line at briefing before.”

“The way she speaks to Steve is disgusting. She’s being such a fucking bitch…” Wanda added. “Ok, that’s enough.” Bucky said sternly. “She’s got a lot going on. And Steve, well frankly, he isn’t innocent in all of this.”

“Oh please!” Wanda snorted “They fucked after a Christmas party and then she made a meal out of it, dramatically running away to DC…”

“That’s not…” Bucky sighed, shaking his head “You know what, it doesn’t matter. I’ll take mine to go. Not having her sitting alone in the office, it’s cruel and frankly I expect more from you.”

Natasha frowned “Do you know something we don’t Serge?” 

“Ask her…or Captain Goldenboy.” he sighed, standing up. He headed over to the counter, ignoring the hushed whispers that had struck up and ordered his own, and then after a pause added a few extra items. He sat by the counter, faffing about on his phone until about 20 minutes later it was ready. Grabbing the bags he headed back, still feeling slightly pissed at the behaviour of the unit.

He headed up the elevator and into the office, crossing towards his desk. Katie was sat at hers, pen between her teeth and he could see she had been crying.

“Hey…”

“Thought you had all gone for lunch…” she said looking up at him and he could tell she was trying to keep her tone casual.

“Decided on take out…” He waved the bag and spotting the logo she smiled, a genuine smile at him and it lit her pretty face up. “Cheeseburger, chilli fries and a vanilla shake?” he asked as he began to unpack the items.

“Thanks Bucky.” she said softly, taking her food from him. He smiled at her again before he took one of the subs he had bought through along with a bag of chips and a soda to Steve’s office, dropping it all on his desk. He was just leaving when Steve walked back into the room, almost bumping into him.

“Thought you were going for lunch?” Steve said, brushing his damp hair back with his right hand.

“I was…” Bucky said, before he gestured to the door. Steve shut it and turned back to his friend “Until I got there and found out they’d deliberately excluded Katie.”

“What?” Steve frowned “Why?” “Sick of her attitude…apparently” Bucky said and Steve sighed.

“So you bailed?” “Yeah, not having her sitting here alone.”

Steve took a deep breath and rubbed at his temple. He looked at Bucky, opened his mouth and then shut it again, shaking his head.

“Spit it out…” Bucky said, looking at him.

“I err, well, there’s nothing going on between you and her is there?” Steve asked, his eyes locking onto Bucky’s.

“What the fuck?” Bucky scowled, an angry flush spreading up his neck to his cheeks “Because I bailed on lunch as she wasn’t there? I did that because it’s fucking cruel…”

“It’s not just the lunch…” Steve cut him off, his eyes still focussed on his “Wanda said she thought you two were having a moment before and I’ve seen the pair of you…” “Man you really are as stupid as you look…” Bucky snorted. “She looked lost this morning, so yeah, I gave her a bit of a hug and a kiss on the head but fuck me Steve…even if I did like her that way do you really think I’d go there knowing your history? You’re by best friend, it’s an unwritten rule…”

There was a silence in the office and Steve sighed, hanging his head.

“Sorry man, I know. I just…”

“Just nothing, get your head out of your ass.” Bucky snorted. “You need to watch Wanda, Steve. She’s got a thing for you and I get the impression she instigated leaving Katie off of the lunch invite. She was being particularly nasty about her this morning too before briefing.”

Steve gave a groan and shook his head “That’s all I need…”

“And as you keep saying, Katie is vicious so you could end up with a full scale bitch fight on your hands.”

“Do you think I should talk to Wanda?”

“To be honest I’m not sure whether that will help.” Bucky shrugged “I’m just telling you to be aware. You say Katie is strong but…well, there’s only so much anyone can take. She’s been crying, I can tell.” He looked at Steve who bit his lip and glanced out through the blinds to where Katie was sat, eating her lunch.

“You brought her lunch back?” Steve looked at him.

“Yeah, is that ok or does it mean we’re fucking?”

“Alright, I said I was sorry…”

“Good, because I got you a Pastrami and rye, extra pickle. And there’s no way I want to be romantically involved with your punk ass so…”

Steve glanced at the bag and when he turned back to look at Bucky, the sergeant was surprised at the look on Steve’s face. Almost like he was about to burst into tears. “Thanks Buck.”

“It’s only a sandwich.”

“No I mean for looking after her.” Steve said, giving him a significant look.

“You’re welcome pal, what can I say? I like your girl.” Steve sighed “She’s not my girl…” “Yeah, yeah…” Bucky said, and with that he turned and left the office.

***** Steve looked up as there was a knock on his open door. Katie stepped in, file in her hand and she strode to his desk, dropping it down.

“Initial profile.” she said, nodding to it “It’s only a basic one at the moment but I’ll keep working on it. I’ve given a copy to Barnes as well and run him through my initial thoughts.”

“You wanna give me the basics?” Steve asked, leaning back in his chair, gesturing for her to take the one on the opposite side of the desk.

“Not really but you’re the boss.” she said, remaining stood up, arms folded “I think we’re looking for a male. The MO doesn’t fit with a female as you know and the victims have all been struck at the back of the head at an angle that would insinuate the height of the attacker in Ross’ case was similar, or in Sitwell’s case taller. Ross is 6ft and the blows took significant strength. Of course it could be a tall, bodybuilding female but I doubt it.”

Steve nodded and waited for her to continue.

“Also the hammer blows…it’s a typical cave man move. A bang on the back of the head, like with a club. Most Male serial killers are known to hunt their victims like that, throw-back to the hunter gatherer days. Women serial killers will normally use poison or suffocation…or if they’re in a frenzy a sharp knife.” He smiled, he had almost forgotten how good she was at this.

“I also believe that the victims were known to our guy, and that they know him too. First off there’s little to no physical resemblance, apart from them being male. Which leads me to believe he is targeting them deliberately. The lack of other marks on the body means they’re not being manhandled out to the place their killed either, so I believe it to be prearranged. Oh, and on that Barnes has had tech start to look at their phone records…see if either of them had calls or messages before hand.” Steve nodded “And the calling card?” “I’m stumped.” Katie said, shrugging. “Literally. I can only, again, go back to what I said in DC. Normally leaving things in mouths is either a sexual thing, which in this case we can rule out as there’s no signs of any sexual activity taking place, or a class statement, you know the whole silver spoon trope. I can only conclude this is his message about how dangerous either an everyday object can be, or how dangerous he can be with an everyday object. It could mean something to the killer, but…”

She paused and then looked at Steve “I want to dig into Sitwell more.” Steve watched her as she continued and bit back the smile at the fact she was telling him what she was going to do rather than asking for permission, like she always had.  “I’m going to call back to the 99, drag the Rumlow case files out…see if there’s anything that can tie Sitwell to Ross or vice versa. I know Rumlow is doing a stretch inside but…” “Sure. I’ll call Holt and let him know.”

With that she gave him a curt nod and went to leave. 

“Katie.” he said gently and she turned to look at him.

“Just be careful”

She didn’t reply, simply gave him a cold look and left. He watched her head to her desk where she said something to Bucky who nodded to her as she picked up her hoody, purse and then the mug in her usual end of day routine- she would NEVER leave an unwashed mug on her desk, no matter what time she was leaving.

A few moments later Bucky popped his head in, telling Steve he was heading off and had a couple of things to do on his way home so he would be later back. By couple of things, Steve assumed he meant a dame so he simply nodded and then once his friend was gone he glanced at the file Katie had left him. Before he started looking at it in detail he needed another coffee. He left his office, heading for the kitchen and as he made his way down the corridor he paused as Natasha’s raised voice hit his ears.

“You know as well as anyone round here, Stark, we’re a family. We look out for one another…and we’re just tired of the way you keep snapping at Steve. It’s not fair…”

“Wait you think... “Katie snorted and let her a bitter laugh "You think that I'm being unreasonable?” "You’re being a bitch!” Nat scoffed

Katie let out another derisive snort “Whatever…” she replied sarcastically and Steve knew from her tone she would be rolling her eyes.

“Look, you slept together. Yeah, we figured as much, and then you ran…” “I ran?” Katie laughed bitterly “Oh, that’s fucking priceless that is! Of course he hasn’t told any of you, wouldn’t want to ruin his God’s Righteous Man reputation would he?” “What are you talking about?” Nat asked.

“I didn’t run anywhere, Nat, he did!” Katie said, her voice loud “After we spent the night together I woke up to find him gone. And then he ghosted me for 3 days.”

"Shit." Nat said gently, "Katie…honestly I had no idea…I knew you'd both...you know but we all just assumed you'd decided it was a mistake and…"

“I wasn’t the one that decided it was a mistake. He did. Nat, I practically begged him to give me a reason to stay but he wouldn't.”

There was a pause and Katie spoke again, and Steve could hear the emotion in her voice. “You know, he told me that he cared, that he’d had feelings for me for years but…then he goes and does this and…”

She trailed off and Steve swallowed, he hated that he had hurt her so much, but more so that he couldn’t do anything to make it right. "I'm so, so sorry." Nat spoke again, her voice soft “I wouldn’t have…well, leaving you off the lunch invite was cruel, I should have said something to Wanda.”

Again nothing. And then Steve heard a sniffle “Shit, Katie come here..." There was the rustling of clothing as he assumed the two women embraced.

“Why didn’t you talk to me?” Nat asked.

“I don’t know I just...I suppose I thought by cutting myself off it would help but it didn’t. I’ve been so lonely…DC is great and the job is amazing but, well all my friends are here and…”

She was crying now and Steve’s heart sank even further. He’d done this to her.

“I’m sorry I ran out on you all like I did…and I should have talked to you I know. I missed you Nat.” “Yeah?” Steve heard the amusement in Nat’s voice.

“Of course I did.” Katie laughed a little “You were my best friend.” “No I wasn’t” Nat said softly.

“Well, my best girlfriend…” Katie replied.

"Have you told any of the 99 you're back in town?" Nat asked after a short pause. "No." "You should call Diaz. Us girls can go out, beers and a catch up."

"I'd like that. That is if Wanda hasn’t poisoned me before hand." Katie snorted. "Yeah well she’s sweet on Cap... you know that. " "She’s welcome to him. Let him give her the best fuck of her life and bail before the toast is ready." "The best fuck of your life?” Nat said, chuckling “That’s some claim.”

Katie gave a bitter laugh. "And don’t I wish it wasn't true."

“Well you know what they say…” Nat replied “The best way to get over a man is get under another one.” Steve didn’t want to hear anymore. He couldn’t. Frankly the thought of her with anyone else was enough to make him ill. He turned and strode back the way he had come and grabbed the files, shoving them into his laptop bag along with his tablet and his trusted leather bound notebook Katie had bought him the previous year. He’d do this at home, he didn’t want to be in the station anymore.

He was in a daze as he drove through the streets off Brooklyn, Katie’s voice ringing in his ears. "She’s welcome to him. Let him give her the best fuck of her life and bail before the toast is ready."  Her tone had been cold, callous, a far cry from the Katie he knew and loved.  A fuck. That’s all she believed she was, but it had never been about that, she meant far more to him. She always had. He couldn’t blame her for thinking that at all, but hearing her speak about him that way was tearing him in two, especially as he knew it was his fault.

Bucky was right, he should have left her well alone, got another profiler on the case. And it was for that reason he made a snap decision. He’d talk to her tomorrow, give her the opportunity to go back to DC.

He was that wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the car running the red light, as it hurtled towards him. The last thing he remembered was hearing the screeching of tyres and brakes, the sounding of a horn, and then the squealing and crunching of metal caused by a harsh impact to the driver’s side of his vehicle. He was thrown sideways, his car sent into a spin, his head snapping painfully to the side as it collided with the metal of his door column as it folded inwards.

And everything went black.  

@the-omni-princess  @momobaby227​ @geekofmanythings16 @angelofhell-666 @thewackywriter @marvelfansworld  @cobalt-gear  @asgardlover75 @jennmurawski13  @jtargaryen18 @saiyanprincessswanie​  @navispalace​ @patzammit​  @joannaliceevans-fanficblog​ @djeniiscorner​  @ayamenimthiriel​  @coldmuffinbanditshoe​  @disneylovingal​ @madzmilllz​  @sgtjaamesbaarnes​ @sweater-daddiesdumbdork​ @southerngracela​ @goldenfightergir​ @kellymat​ @official-and-unstable-satan​ @charmed-asylum​ @pagesoflauren​

[introvertguide]

The Wizard of Oz (1939); AFI #10

The next movie up for review from the AFI Top 100 is the most watched film of all time and likely the film I have seen all the way through the most times, The Wizard of Oz (1939). This film opens with what is rated as the very best song in film history. It continues with what is rated as the most well known moment in movie history. It moves forward with what is rated as one of the most well known plot lines in movie history. The movie ends with one of the most well known quotes in movie history. The shoes worn by the lead actress are one of the most popular exhibits in the Smithsonian Museum and listed as the most valuable and treasured film memorabilia in movie history. I am proud to say I know and love this film and am happy to discuss why it is so great. In case you have lived in a cave or been in a coma for 75 years, I will very briefly go over the story. For once I am not doing a spoiler warning. This breakdown is very non-specific and if you don’t know the story of the most watched film of all time that has been around for 80 years, that’s on you.

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Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) lives with her dog Toto on a Kansas farm belonging to her Aunt Em (Clara Blandick) and Uncle Henry (Charley Grapewin). Toto bites neighbor Miss Almira Gulch (Margaret Hamilton) on the leg, leading her to obtain a sheriff's order to have the dog killed. Miss Gulch takes Toto away, but he escapes and returns to Dorothy; she decides to run away to save her dog. Not far from the farm, Dorothy runs into Professor Marvel (Frank Morgan), a fortune-teller who uses his crystal ball to make the young girl believe that Aunt Em is heartbroken. Dorothy rushes home as a tornado approaches. Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, and the farmhands take shelter in the storm cellar and lock it behind them. Dorothy has to seek shelter in her bedroom, where the window is blown in and hits her on the head, knocking her unconscious. The house is sent spinning into the air, and she awakens to see various figures fly by, including Miss Gulch, who transforms into a witch on a broomstick.

The house lands with a sudden bump and Dorothy goes out to find that the land outside her house is a world of very bright color. She has landed in Munchkinland in the Land of Oz. The switch from sepia tone to color might be the most famous moment in cinema history. Glinda the Good Witch of the North and the Munchkins welcome her as a heroine, as the falling house has killed the Wicked Witch of the East. The Munchkins sing to her and offer her many gifts as the Wicked Witch had long terrorized the country. Suddenly, her sister, the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton again), arrives to claim her sister's ruby slippers, but Glinda transfers them onto Dorothy's feet. Enraged, the Wicked Witch swears revenge on Dorothy and vanishes. Glinda tells Dorothy to follow the Yellow Brick Road to Emerald City, where she can ask the Wizard of Oz to help her return home. On her journey, Dorothy meets the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), who wants a brain; the Tin Woodman (Jack Haley), who seeks a heart; and the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), who desires courage. She invites them to accompany her and ask the Wizard for what they lack. Despite the Witch's attempts to stop them with sleeping spells and other magic, they reach the city. The group is stopped at the door by a guard (Frank Morgan again), let in and driven on a color changing horse (by a character played by Frank Morgan), and then taken by a soldier (again played by Frank Morgan) to see the Wizard (once again, played by Frank Morgan), who appears as a giant ghostly head. He agrees to grant their requests if they bring him the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West.

As they make their way to the Witch's castle, the Witch captures Dorothy and plots to kill her, as she cannot remove the slippers otherwise. Toto escapes and leads her three friends to the castle. They ambush three guards, don their uniforms, and free Dorothy. The Witch and more guards pursue and surround them. The Witch sets fire to the Scarecrow, causing Dorothy to toss a bucket of water on him, inadvertently splashing the Witch, who melts until only her black witch outfit remains. The guards rejoice and give Dorothy her broomstick. Upon their return, the Wizard stalls in fulfilling his promises until Toto pulls back a curtain, exposing the "Wizard" as a fraud operating machinery. Admitting to being a humbug, he insists he is "a good man, but a bad wizard." He gives the Scarecrow a diploma, the Lion a medal, and the Tin Man a ticking heart-shaped clock, helping them see that they already possessed the qualities they wanted. He offers to take Dorothy and Toto home in his hot air balloon, revealing that he is also from Kansas, and was originally a carnival showman before his balloon escaped the Earth and brought him to the Emerald City.

As Dorothy and the Wizard prepare to depart, the Wizard places the Scarecrow in charge of Emerald City, with the Tin Man and the Lion as his aides. Toto leaps from Dorothy's arms. As Dorothy pursues Toto, the balloon departs with the Wizard. Glinda then appears and tells Dorothy that she has always had the power to return home using the ruby slippers. After Dorothy bids the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion goodbye, Glinda instructs her to tap her heels together three times and say, "There's no place like home." When Dorothy does, she wakes up in her bedroom, surrounded by her family and friends. Everyone dismisses her adventure as a dream, but Dorothy insists it was real. She says she will never run away again and declares, "There's no place like home!"

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Let me mention the one and only thing that bothered me about the story and that is the fate of Toto. The dog is not cleared of biting Gulch and would still be scheduled to die. Whether or not the victim is dead, the sheriff would still have his order to kill the dog. I would have liked a throw away line saying that the dog was pardoned. I imagine that the dog was given a reprieve, but there is no evidence of this and falls squarely to my own imagination.

Although not listed as the greatest American movie, the AFI has put this movie on more top lists than any other film. The Wicked Witch of the West was the #4 villain, “Over the Rainbow” was the #1 song, “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore” is the #4 quote, the movie is #43 in thrills and #26 in cheers, and it is the #3 musical and the #1 fantasy. In the last 30 years, the movie was in the inaugural 25 movies to go on the National Film Registry, listed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World, and placed as one of the top 100 movies by the BFI, Total Film, Sight and Sound, Entertainment Weekly, Bravo, Rolling Stone, and The Village Voice. There really is no question as to the value of this film and its iconic place in film history.

Like many other films, however, this film had a lot of problems in production. Famously so. Wicked Witch actress Margaret Hamilton was burned very badly with pyrotechnics during the fiery exit from Munchkinland. The Tin Man was supposed to be played by Buddy Ebsen, but the original paint used for the costume was toxic and Ebsen was rushed to the hospital and had to leave the project completely. The opening song was set to be cut for time, but the director fought for it. Speaking of directors, the film started out with Norman Taurog, who was replaced by Richard Thorpe, who was replaced by George Cukor briefly (who eventually became an advisor), who was finally replaced by Victor Fleming. The direction of the film that is now known and loved was mostly the idea of Cukor despite Fleming getting the credit. 

The actors also had a difficult time with the shoot because of the whole studio system of the 30s and 40s. The producers did not recognize the toxic effects of the makeup on the actors until one of them was hospitalized. Most of the main actors had dual roles (this includes the witch, the lion, the tin man, the scarecrow, and the man playing the wizard had 5 speaking roles) and were constantly exhausted. The little people that played the munchkins were famously mistreated and were payed less than the dog. Because of this, it is reported that many of the little people actors behaved poorly on set. 

The child actors who portrayed Munchkins that are still alive today (there are still a few) say that everything was hectic with a constant sense of urgency, but it was because everyone seemed to know they were making something great. What had originally seemed like a hokey fairy tale was truly becoming magical, and everyone on set wanted to be a part of it. I know that thinking everyone was treated well and were glad to be there in a Hollywood production from the 30s is very naïve, but the product is so perfect and beautiful that I have to believe.

The performance of Margaret Hamilton was so over the top and perfect. Her ability to do an evil laugh is what nailed the part, and she used this to terrify viewers into believing her to be murderous. She never kills anyone, but she sure likes to play with fire around the scarecrow. Hamilton worried that she would be typecast as an evil character and scare children (which she was and did). It did not stop her from getting into the part and she did it so well that children ran away from her in real life. I found her face in the crystal ball to be especially terrifying.

It is very difficult to separate the beauty of the film and the beauty of the music. Most of the songs are quite whimsical and used to introduce the characters. The sound is like an extra character as it reveals mood changes and gives away character traits. The witch’s theme gives the feel of something hunting you down. The wizard is wonderous and awesome. Dorothy is melancholy but at the same time hopeful. The traveling music, called “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” might be the most descriptive sound for feeling and speed ever put to film. The score keeps the film constantly moving and tells the story when the characters aren’t able. And of course there is the opening. My mom used to sing this to me at bedtime and I thought she sounded just like Judy Garland. This comparison is likely not objectively true, but I love my mom and I loved hearing her sing so it was subjectively even better. 

One last thing that I am noting as the movie plays as I type: the sets are amazing. The entire movie was shot on gigantic sound stages and the back drops are hundreds of giant murals. Some of the sets must have been massive because the characters go in so deep towards the background. Even the shots of Kansas with the plains in the background are giant sets. It is fun to try and figure out where the stage stops and the backdrop begins. It is hard to tell in some cases which trees are on the set and which trees are painted. 

The question that I always answer at the end of my AFI film reviews do not even really need to be asked on this occasion, but I will do it for consistency and posterity. Does this film deserve to be on the AFI list? Of course. There is no movie that currently exists that deserves it more. It is an allegory for the American dream and a simple tale of the American state of mind at the turn of the 20th century. This film will always have a place on this list. Would I recommend it? Simply yes. There is no film that I would recommend more. It does not matter the age or background of the person asking, I would 100% freely recommend this film. Please watch it if you haven’t. If you have, watch it again. 

I try and stay away from topical notes while making these reviews, but we are almost a year into the pandemic and it is likely going to be a terrible winter of loss. There are few things that make me happier when stuck inside than a great movie and there is no better movie for a time like this than The Wizard of Oz. It is the kind of thing that keeps us hopeful in the most simple and beautiful way. Due to travel bans and health issues, I am missing a Christmas with my mom for the first time that I can remember (I think in my life) and I felt a little better after watching the film. For a feeling of joy and love for that home you love most, watch the movie and feel good, even if just for a little bit. 

[truecrimesposts]

ANDREI ROMANOV CHIKATILO

The Butcher Of Rostov

Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo, or The Butcher Of Rostov, as he would come to be known, was a Soviet serial killer who murdered at least 50 people between 1978 and 1990. I've chosen to discuss this case mostly due to the political side of the case, as the countries communist views actively got in the way of the case. In the Soviet Union at this time their ideology asserted that serial murder was impossible in a communist society, making it even harder for the police to protect the people of Rostov.

Chikatilo was born on the 16th of October 1936 is Yablochnoye, Ukraine. Growing up in Ukraine at this time was extremely difficult, since the country was still dealing with the aftermath of an extreme famine which led to millions of deaths, and people resorting to cannibalism in order to survive. In fact, during his childhood Chikatilo would be told frequently by his mother that he had actually had an older brother, but he had been kidnapped and actually eaten by the townsfolk during the worst of the famine. While this story could never be officially verified it is believed that this story is actually what motivated Chikatilo to cannibalise some of his victims. He was an avid reader, and his favourite books to read would become heavily inspired by his own life. During the second World War, Chikatilos father was conscripted to fight in the war against Germany, at which time he was actually kept prisoner. His father was vilified when he eventually returned home, which would in turn affect Chikatilo. He was brutally bullied by his schoolmates because of his father's perceived cowardice. After his father's return Chikatilo began to develop an interest in stories about how German soldiers had been tortured by their Soviet captors during WWII.

However his surroundings would not be Chikatilos only issue. It is believed that Chikatilo was born with hydrocephalus (water on the brain) at birth, which would cause several issues for Chikatilo. One of the most noticeable problems caused was his genital - urinary issues, which would cause bedwetting quite late into his life. It is believed that Chikatilo wet the bed until at least his late adolescence if not his wary adulthood. These genital - urinary issues would also cause Chikatilo to be unable to sustain an eretion later in life.

At 15 years old, Chikatilo experienced what would be his only sexual experience during his adolescence. Chikatilo attempted to overpower a young girl, and he acyally ejaculated almost immediately during the short struggle. Instead of taking this seriously, getting him help or telling anyone what had happened, his schoolmates instead just began to bully him even more aggressively than before. It is believed by psychologists that this event is what triggered Chikatilo to conflate violence and sex, a trait which would stick with him forever.

After failing his entrance exam to the Moscow State University, and completing a brief spell of military service, Chikatilo moved to a town near Rostiv-na-Donu with his younger sister where he got a job as a telephone engineer and married a local girl called Fayima whom his sister had actually introduced him to. Finally, in 1971 he managed to get himself a degree from Rostov Liberal Arts University and managed to get himself a pretty good job as a teacher. However Chikatilo was forced to move from school to school doolowed by complaint after complaint of sexual assault from his young students and their parents. However nothing official was done about this and he ended up settling at a mining school in Rostov.

Chikatilos first documented murder victim was 9 year old Lena Zakotnova. Lena was lured into a shed by Chikatilo, where he then attempted to rape the young girl, during the attack Chikatilo slashed at the young girl with his knife, ejaculating as he did so, confirming his psychological connection between violence and sex, which would go on to become a component in all of his attacks.

There's was actually a witness during this investigation, who claimed to have seen Chikatilo with Lena not long before she disappeared, however despite police taking this seriously and investigating it, they would get nowhere. Fayima provided him with a strong alibi which enabled the killer to avoid any further suspicion in regards to this crime. Desperate to make an arrest in this case, the police arrested a 25 year old man who had a previous rape conviction, Alexsandr Kravchenko. After a brutal and extended interrogation by desperate police, Alexsandr actually confessed under duress for this crime that he didn't commit. He was tries for the murder and in 1984, he was actually executed, and Chikatilo got away with his heinous first murder.

However the close brush with the law clearly got to Chikatilo, and as far as we know today, Chikatilo didn't kill anyone else for 3 years. Tragically though, he hadn't stopped committing crimes. Accusations of sexual assault and abuse kept popping up and finally in 1981 he lost his job at the mining school he had been working at and was unable to find another teaching positions because of this long list of previous accusations. Instead, Chikatilo began working as a clerk for a raw materials factory in Rostov. This should have been a good thing right? Since his access to children had been taken away? Tragically this was not the case. Chikatilos new job involved huge amounts of travel which would give him pretty much unlimited access to a multitude of young victims over the next 9 years.

Larisa Tkachenko, 17, would be Chikatilos next victim. On the 3rd of September 1981 Chikatilo gagged the young girl with dirt and leaves to prevent her from screaming before strangling and stabbing the young girl. The brutal force used is what gave Chikatilo the satisfaction he longed for and the murderer had started to form his own twisted MO.

Chikatilo would find young runaways, usually at train stations or bus stops, before luring the girls and boys into forests and woodlands nearby before beginning his attack. Chikatilo would attempt to rape his victims but due to his inability to sustain an eretion, he began to instead use a substitution, a knife. In a nber of cases, Chikatilo would actually eat the sexual organs of his victims, or remove other body parts like the tip of the tongue or the nose. However, in his earlier cases somothing which was almost always present, was the fact that Chikatilo would target his victims eyes. Slashing and even removing the eyeballs of his victims. Chikatilo would later claim that he did this because he believed the eyes of his victims held an imprint of his face, even on death.

Serial killers were not a very well known phenomenon in the Soviet Union at this time. This was down to a combination of cultural differences and most noticeably the suppression of information at the time, especially information about murder or child abuse cases, in an attempt to maintain public order.

However the Soviet authorities couldn't Bury their heads in the sand when it came to Chikatilos crimes. The similarities in all the attacks, especially the eye mutilation during earlier attacks, was to to much to deny or ignore, and the authorities were forced to face the fact that there was a serial killer operation in Rostov, and a particularly brutal one as that. The media coverage was minimal, but that didn't stop the speculation of the people in Rostov, and rumours of foreign plots and incredibly, werewolves, began to circulate the area, and fears really began to grow.

Major Mikhail Fetisov was transferred to Rostov in 1983 in order to take control of the investigation. Having no doubt in his mind that there was a serial killer on the loose, Mikhail Brought in specialist forensic analyst Victor Burakov to head the investigation in Shakhty. The investigation centered on convicted sex offenders and the 'mentally ill' but the interrogation methods used by investigators at this timeed to a large number of confessions that Burakov was hesitant to believe since they were likely made under duress like Alexsandrs had been. At this stage in the investigation, police had no idea how many murders had actually taken place since not all of the bodies had been discovered, but they did know one thing, with each new body came more and more forensic evidence. The police were operating under the believe that the murderer was blood typed AB due to the semen samples thst were discovered at several crime scenes. Chikatilos blood typed was actuallt type A, but he happened to be a part of a minority group called 'non secretors' which meant that his blood type could not be found out from anything other than a blood sample. The police also had hair samples, since multiple identical grey hairs had been found at several of the crime scenes also.

There were 15 more victims during the course of 1984 and the police efforts intensified drastit, mounting massive surveillance operations canvassing most of the bus stops and train stations in the area. Incredibly this actually did lead to Chikatilos arrest after he was seen behaving very suspiciously at one of the bus stations that were under surveillance. He was imprisoned for just 3 months for a number of minor offenses, but since his blood type didn't match their suspect, (due to his non secretor status) he evaded suspicion for his crimes once again. If this crime had taken place in present day, this would likely have been it, this would probably have led to Chikatilo being discovered as murderer due to the advances in forensics.

After being released from his 3 month sentence he found work in Novocherkassk as a travelling buyer for a train company, and as far as I could find he didn't commit another killing, or any crimes for that matter until 1985, when he murdered two women in two separate incidents.

Burakov was growing frustrated with the case, and another specialist was brought in in an attempt to further assist the investigation. This time it was psychiatrist Alexandr Bukhanovskys turn to help investigators by refining the profile of the murderer. Bukhanovskys defined the killer as a 'necro-sadist' and placed the mans age as between 40-50 years of age, which was a fair bit older than the police had believed him to be previously. Burakov was so desperate to bring this sick killer to justice, and he actually made the decision to visit and interview serial killer Anatoly Slivko shortly before he was executed, in an attempt to get inside of the mind of someone who was capable of committing such heinous crimes.

Around the time of this interview, the attacks seemed to stop. As usually happens when serial killers have breaks in their crimes, the police theorised that one of three things had happened, either he had stopped killing, been arrested for unrelated crimes, or that he had died. However, in 1988, he was back, with a slightly altered MO. This time he was keeping his attacks outside of Rostov and he was no longer finding his victims at bus stops and train stations like he used to. Chikatilo killed a documented 19 people over the next two years, and he seemed to be killing much more irrationally than he used to, and taking bigger risks than he had previously. He was now focusing primarily on young boys. And his crimes would often take place in locations thst were pretty public, and at a higher risk of discovery.

Massive pressure was now being put on the police in the area, and police were patrolling the streets almost constantly which did little more than make people feel a bit safer at first. Burakov then brought in ununiformed officers to patrol likely areas. Chikatilo had actually evaded capture on several occasions, but his luck would soon run out. On the 6th of November, shortly after killing his final victim Sveta Korostik, he was noticed by patrolling police station due t oh his suspicious behaviour. His information was taken and when he was linked to his arrest back in 198r, Chikatilo was put under surveillance.

Chikatilo was finally arrested on the 20th November 1990 due to even more suspicious behavior but he refused to speak. This was when Burakov had an idea, he allowed Bukhanovski to interview Chikatilo, claiming that he wanted Chikatilos help to try and understand the mind of a seru killer from a scientific perspective. This 'flattery' was all it took for Chikatilo to open up to the psychiatrist. He gave Bukhanovski very detailed descriptions of his crimes, and even led the police to previously undiscovers bodies. He claimed to have taken the lives of 56 victims but only 53 could officially be verified. The police had no clue that there were so many victims, they had only linked 36 murders before this.

Chikatilo was deemed fit to stand trial and on the 14th of April 11992 he was taken to court. The killer was kept in an iron cage for the duration of the trial to keep him away from the families of his victims and to be be honest, to keep him away from everyone in the room. He was referred to as 'The Maniac' by the media due to his behaviour in court. His behaviour ranged from bored to manic, singing,talking gibberish and pulling his trousers down in the middle of court. The judge residing over the wasn't exactly impartial, he often overruled Chikatilos lawyer and it was very clear that he'd already decided that Chikatilo was guilty. However despite this, there would not be a verdict on the case for another two months. On the 15th of October 1992, Chikatilo was found guilty of 52 murders, and sentenced to death 52 times.

Chikatilo appealed his conviction, claiming that his psychological evaluation was biased and that he was never fit to stand trial to begin with, but his appeal was denied, and 16 months later, on the 14th of February 1994, he was executed by a shot to the back of his head.

A positive not to end, Alexandr Bukhanovsky, the psychiatrist who was viral during the investigation, actually went on to become a celebrated expert on sexual disorders and serial killers.

[karliesbuzzcut]

When art really speaks to you, pt. 2: probably just a coincidence but idk

Disclaimer: all these theories are rabbit holes on their own, so trying to explain them in a couple of paragraphs is, automatically, doing them a disservice. Especially since I’m only going to be primarily addressing the part of the theory that focuses on the artist communicating with their public through their work.

Since I’ve already dedicated paragraphs to the introduction in part 1, let��s just jump into it.

Leonardo Da Vinci’s fuckton of theories.

Let’s start with the daddy of all conspiracies. After all, not many can gloat about their reachings becoming a movie starring Tom Hanks.

The thing with Da Vinci’s conspiracies is that there are so many of them, and they range from “maybe this is also a painting made by Da Vinci but he wasn’t credited because of reasons” to ALIENS. Which, I think, shows how different our interpretations of art can be, and how much it depends on an already established worldview.

But the most interesting part isn’t the conclusions, but how people look for clues. For example, just like people say Taylor Swift is obsessed with numbers or oranges (depending who you ask, I guess), Da Vinci was supposedly a big fan of reflections. So, if you want to decode his paintings you must mirror them... and then move then a little bit... there you go, you’ve just found yourself an alien...! Or a daemon...! Or someone wearing a funny hat! And that’s totally what he wanted us to find, right? Why else would he had shown any sort of interest in reflections if he didn’t want us to reflect everything!!

Shakespeare is an illusion... kinda, but yeah.

Personally, I think Kaylors would love to dig into this one. Sure, it doesn’t have many lesbians playing political spies. But it does involve a lot of literature analysis. Just like Kaylors don’t think a heterosexual woman could’ve written Taylor’s songs; some people (referred as anti-Stratfordians, thank you very much) don’t think someone from a lower class could’ve written Shakespeare’s plays. 

Here’s the tea... the very cold tea: because Shakespeare was the son of a glover, anti-Stratfordians say he couldn’t have had the knowledge to write his plays. They, instead, come up with a list of “more suitable” writers that could’ve worked together. But they decided to keep their identities a secret because being a play writer, at that time, wasn’t respectable. Here, we will start noticing a trend with Conspiracy Theories: society, as a whole, can’t handle the truth, only a selected few. That’s where Francis Bacon comes in.

Francis Bacon was a very smart dude. He, also, worked for the state - giving him the credentials to be worthy of writing Shakespeare calibre plays. And also, also, he developed a method to conceal messages in the presentation of a text. To be able to do this, you would need to use two typefaces. Guess what has more than one typeface? Shakespeare’s plays.

I have to say - while I don’t believe either theory we have seen, they are somewhat understandable. We barely know anything about Shakespeare and Da Vinci beyond their work, so it’s normal that people are trying to figure out who they were; what did they believed in; where did they get all of their knowledge. We like theorising about the answers to these questions, knowing we’ll never get a confirmed truth. Not so the case with our next conspiracy...

Lewis Carroll was Jack the Ripper - someone had to be, right?

Now, allow me to fangirl all over this one. It combines my interests for conspiracy theories, true crime and pop-culture.

I’m assuming everyone here knows about Jack the Ripper: a serial killer who murdered at least 5 people (mainly prostitutes) in London, between the years 1888 and 1891. Well, someone looked at this and thought “you know what this murder-mystery is missing? Famous people”. Well, this theory says that the author of Alice in Wonderland did it He was the only celebrity living nearby at the time of the killings, so... 🤷‍♀️

This becomes a case of “I have already made up my mind about this issue, so I’m going to go ahead and search for proof that confirms it”. Authors and, now, internet sleuths went through his books, selected this random-ass excerpt from the nursery version of Alice and decided it was an anagram. And a crappy one at that. Supposedly, if you arrange the letters you get a detailed and gruesome confession. You, however, have to take away some letter and add others. Listen, I’m not an English major, but I’ve heard that’s cheating.

This theory also has that characteristic we mentioned: the “I don’t want to admit it out loud, so I’m going to come up with convoluted ways for my audience to figure it out” - which almost borders on psychotic behaviour. But at least it, somewhat, works with the serial killer narrative, you know? Not very much with Taylor, a woman who simply wants to chill with her girlfriend.

The moon landing was fake and directed by Stanley Kubrick.

I’m not going to dig into the moon landing conspiracy, this post is going to be long enough already. Just know that, when the USA government was planning to fake the whole thing, they had just watched ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and they were all like “that’s so cool! That’s how we want our fake moon landing to look!” So they contacted its director, Kubrick.

According to the theory, Kubrick felt really guilty afterwards but he couldn’t say anything about it because he signed an NDA? it would be dangerous, I guess. So he did the same thing Taylor would do decades later: he “spelled it out” for us on his work, under the excuse of “I didn’t explicitly said it, did I? My most intelligent and attractive fans just happened to figure it out for themselves”. 

The movie ‘The Shinning’ has been analysed to shreds. Think ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ music video, but 2 hours and 26 minutes instead. There are many theories about its underlying theme, but we’re only focusing on the moon landing one. The biggest piece of evidence, according to believers, comes from that famous scene in the hallway. Basically, the kid, Danny, is on the floor playing and wearing an Apollo 11 sweater. He stands up = the rocket launches. He walks to Room N.237. Which is almost an anagram for MOON - but actually, a perfect anagram for MORON - I didn’t come up with that joke, I’m just sharing it. Anyway. In the book, the room number is 217 but Kubrick changed it to 237 because there are 237,000 miles between the Earth and the Moon... except that’s not exactly true, but this is their Kissgate, you see? 

“Paul is Dead” aka “the granddaddy of Kaylor is Real”

Now, this is THE conspiracy theory. Kaylors would love to have the amount of evidence this theory has. Give them 50 years, they’ll get there. 

Our story starts in 1966, Paul McCartney dies in a car accident. The British Government panics, “this will drive our teenagers into a massive suicide!” So they cover it up. They find this guy who looks like Paul and hire him to replace the original. 

You might’ve only heard about those stores where pop-stars get their beards. But there’s also a branch that focuses on celebrity look-a-likes.

The rest of The Beatles went along with it (because that’s how these artists seem to operate, they’re always the victims of their circumstances) but they did not like it. So - you guessed it - they used their music, artwork, photo-shoots, etc. to communicate the truth. Faux-Paul might’ve felt a bit awkward about it, but he’s a nice chap and let the other guys work through their grief. 

Kaylors might have agreed on blue being the colour of breaks up and yellow is for Karlie-Sunshine; but the Paul-truthers concluded white is the colour of heaven, jeans are for gravediggers and black for morticians... oh! And not wearing shoes means you’re dead. Taylor being near a door symbolises her leaving the closet; Paul being near an open trunk symbolises him being in a coffin. Is the letter K, for Karlie, surrounding Taylor? Well, there’s a 28IF in the plaques of a car, for Paul being 28 IF he hadn’t died. People hear a phantasmagorical “she” in ‘Call It What You Want’; just like people heard “I buried Paul” in ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’.

If you have never looked up this theory, I seriously recommend it. There are so many parallels with Kaylor. Here’s a 30 minute video, if you’re interested. It summarises the theory neatly while discussing the effects that these, seemingly innocent, conspiracies have on the way we absorb information.

Paul might be dead but 2pac is very much alive.

If I haven’t made it clear by now, I think it’s very deceptive to use a musician’s lyrics to back up your alternate version of events. As confessional as these verses can be, they’re still a form of art. Which, in terms of music lyrics, they need to follow certain parameters, as well as a desired sound. And, as many other forms of art, they might focus a bit more on transmitting a feeling, rather than an accurate portrayal of reality.

Why am I stopping to say all of this now? Well, because this specific theory relies a lot on Tupac’s lyrics.

A bit of context: In 1996, Tupac Shakur was shot 4 times while at a stoplight. He died from his injuries days later. While there are theories, to this day, no one knows who killed him. Unless you believe one of those theories, which claims no one did.

The believers of this theory cite Tupac’s lyrics to argue that he was explicitly telling his fans that he was going to fake his own death. Here are two examples:

I’ve been shot and murdered, can’t tell you how it happened word for word but best believe that n*****’ gonna get what they deserve. - Richie Rich’s N***** Done Change

I heard rumours that I died murdered in cold blood, traumatised pictures of me in my final states — you know mama cried. But that was fiction, some coward got the story twisted - Aint’ Hard 2 Find

Just like anti-Kaylors don’t necessarily oppose the idea of Taylor being gay; I bet the “antis” of this theory aren’t happy Tupac died and weren’t against his existence on the first place. It’s more of an argument about confusing your feelings with facts, just because they can be more comforting or exciting.

“Avril Lavigne is dead”... or “every artist you think is alive is, actually, dead and, the ones you think are dead, aren’t” I guess.

After everything we have seen, this one isn’t that interesting. The real Avril died in 2003, right after her first album. Her record label bought a new one. Proof? She says ‘dead’ in ‘My Happy Ending’, blah, blah. A poor man’s “Paul is Dead”.

I added it, mainly for the lulz, after the last entry, I needed them. But also because it all started with a blog. What’s hilarious is that the guy who created it admitted he only did it to show how gullible people are but, at that point, he had already convinced people about. The conspirators didn’t need him anymore. So they discarded him but not the Theory... which just reminds me a little too much of how TCG, HBH, Jennyboom &co. have been excommunicated from the Church of Kaylor.

Beyonce and Jay Z are members of the sexy sexy Illuminati.

I did not save the best for last. But maybe I’m just biased because the Illuminati theory bores me to death. However, if you allow me a bit of social criticism... remember how the Shakespeare Conspiracy started because a bunch of classicist people didn’t believe a lower class citizen could write such good plays? I think this one has a bit of that. I’d bet my life that this one started when a bunch of white dudes got super uncomfortable by black people being so talented and earning their successful.

What this Conspiracy shows, too, is the amplifying effect the internet has had on the proliferation of such theories. Most of the conspiracies I’ve mentioned were huge... but how were you supposed to communicate your ideas and add to the old ones, before the internet? You could publish a book. Talk about it at parties. And, at some point, there were internet forums but, still, you can’t compare that to how widespread Social Media is nowadays. 

Today, we can watch someone ramble for 2 hours on YouTube about how Beyonce looks like a robot if you watch Single Ladies in reverse; read someone’s dissertation of ‘Apeshit’; or spend all night looking at those pictures where someone has drawn a red circle around anything that resembles a triangle. 

It might look like a lot of evidence but that’s only because there are a lot of people very attached to this theory. Wanting - for whatever reason - for it to be true (perhaps because it would confirm that their fears about the world were well founded). And all those dozens or hundredths of people were working together to form as many patterns as possible.

Unfortunately we are going to keep talking about the Illuminati in Part 3 but also about Taylor, so that should be nice. Because - to the surprise of absolutely no one - there’s a bunch of people who also think they understand Taylor better than the rest. That they have figured out her secret codes and her ultimate message. Only, not all of those theories involve lesbian supermodels, so they aren’t as popular on Tumblr.

[white-collar-lawmen-and-conmen]

The Execution

Summary: You execute your revenge plan and seize an unexpected opportunity. (Sequel to The Salted Coffee Hit List.)

Word Count: 2,769

           Ryan went down fast once he had erroneously decided he could trust you, and after two more face-to-face operations plus a lot of in-character communications over the phone, he gave you some damning evidence which you relayed to Peter to build your case. While you couldn’t enter the broker’s office without thinking of the time you’d had Neal and Peter both interrupting every few minutes, you hadn’t had the time to get back at them for it because the case had to come first.

           By the time you were back in your routine, that had been nine days ago and you weren’t even sure Peter would remember what had happened without some prompting. Hell, he could barely even remember to get his own clothes from the dry cleaner’s without a reminder. You caught yourself wondering if it was even worth it anymore.

           Then you realized that you had the element of surprise over them both. After plotting – um, pondering on it for a while over a TV dinner, you decided you couldn’t let them get away with it. It would set a bad precedent.

           Despite what most cop shows might have led you to expect, being a senior agent didn’t give Peter the excuse – or the guts – to order his agents to always bring him coffee. All members of his team alternated with who got all the coffees, and you bided your time until it was your turn.

           “Y/N,” the barista called loudly, barely looking up from the coffee cups as he put several down in a cluster.

           You grabbed a couple of white salt packets off of the utensils counter as well as two thin red stirrers, then started checking the names on the coffees as you were putting them into a cardboard drink carrier. You left yours, Diana’s, and Clinton’s free of tampering. Neal’s, with added cream, and Peter’s, straight, were left out of the carrier for just a moment. Trying not to look suspicious to the baristas or any other customers, you quickly but calmly opened both men’s drinks, dumped a salt packet in each, and stirred the salt into dissolving faster before trashing the stirrers and putting the tops back on.

           No one suspected anything when you carried all the drinks back up to the twenty-first floor, across the bullpen, up the mezzanine, and into the preferred conference room. Keeping a straight face was a bit of a challenge, but you had been under higher stakes than this before, and you were not about to let your amusement ruin this for you.

           “About time,” Neal commented, his dull eyes lighting up as soon as he realized there was coffee in the room. Peter looked like he had been halfway through chastising his informant when you came in, which probably explained said informant’s boredom.

           You put the carrier down on the table while keeping your own cup in hand. Jones looked at his watch briefly before standing up to reach for his coffee. “I thought it would take longer. Lunch rush.”

           “They’re starting to learn our order by heart,” you remarked, grimacing slightly. How much money did that branch make from tired FBI agents? Probably as astronomical amount.

           Peter let everyone else get their drinks before he got his, but he was also the first to try drinking it while the steam was still rising from the slot in the lid. Sitting down normally, you kept an eye on him as he took a sip, made a face, forced himself to swallow, and then stuck his tongue out at either the heat, the saltiness, or both.

           “Something wrong?” You asked, keeping your face even and tilting your head.

           “I think I just tasted my tongue burning off,” your boss said, disgruntled. You were silently delighted. It was so hot that he couldn’t even pick up on the salt. He was going to drink the salted coffee again.

           “The steam was supposed to clue you in,” Diana quipped.

           “What have we got since I left?” At your question, the team got back on track. Diana and Peter filled you in with a quick review.

           The five of you continued looking at your case for several minutes before the steam had quit venting out of the coffee lids. Neal took a taste of his while listening to Jones report on accounting figures and the face of disgust he made was worth every second of anticipation. As soon as he knew his coffee was tampered with, his eyes shot up to you.

           “That was low,” he said, interrupting Jones.

           “What did I do?” You asked earnestly, blinking. Neal didn’t buy it for a second. Diana looked at you suspiciously and drank some of her own coffee. Since she hadn’t been deserving of sabotaged beverages, she didn’t find anything wrong with hers and shrugged at Jones.

           “It was almost two weeks ago.” Neal frowned.

           “Congratulations, you can count.” You smiled sweetly at him.

           Peter rolled his eyes and looked up to the ceiling. To brace himself for dealing with conflict, he drank some more coffee. It had cooled down enough by now for him to realize that the taste was god-awful and he turned around so quickly his tie flew, like he was going to spit it out in the trash can. He didn’t end up doing that, which disappointed you a little. It would’ve been more interesting if he had since you really hadn’t put in that much salt.

           “For God’s sake,” he grumbled, turning back around after forcing it down. “What the hell was that for?”

           “Huh,” you said thoughtfully, locking eyes. “I guess I must have accidentally mixed up the salt and sugar.” You kept up a polite smile.

           Peter looked at Neal as if to say it was his fault. Neal made an innocent face at him and gestured to his own, almost untouched, coffee to emphasize that he was a victim, too. Peter just strengthened his glare and continued to blame Neal.

           “I haven’t touched yours,” he objected, “I barely even touched mine!”

           “Because there’s so much salt in it you could melt the ice off the road!”

           Diana snorted and leaned back in her chair. “There’s free coffee in the kitchenette.”

           Neal gave her an apprehensive look. “That’s not real coffee.”

           “Ick.” Peter picked his cup up for a third time, but this time he dropped it into the trash bin. Neal pushed his along the table so that when the boss turned back around, he repeated the process with Neal’s cup.

           “How long were you planning that?” The thief asked you, crossing his arms.

           “I’ve had the idea since you wouldn’t shut up in the van.”

           “It took you two weeks to do that?” He shook his head. “Wow, Y/N. Wow.”

           So what if it was unsophisticated? It was unpleasant for them, and that was all you had wanted. “You weren’t expecting it and I ruined your afternoon because now you don’t have coffee.” Although you wanted to stick your tongue out at him, you decided against it. Instead, you sipped on your perfectly tasty latte with smug pride.

~~~ The Execution ~~~

           Although you couldn’t accept coffee from Neal or Peter for a couple of weeks, the salted coffee hit list had been successfully carried out and was absolutely worth the inconvenience of having to get your own drinks for a while. The boys appeared to have taken it with some salt (pun intended), but there were no reprisals – they must have realized that they had it coming. Both of them had worked undercover before, and both knew how freaking aggravating it was when the utility of the earpiece was abused.

           Work carried on as uneventfully as it ever did when your colleagues included a contemporarily-renowned con artist. When you joined the bureau, you had thought it would be exciting. It was, but you had confused the movies for real life. When you all caught wind of a case which involved a stolen identity, a missing persons profile, and long-term embezzlement, you all jumped to seize the investigative leads.

           You almost forgot how boring it could be to sit in the van while someone else was doing the tough work. For a moment, you understood why Neal had been so insufferable. You worried about him, too, of course you did. This sympathy only lasted for a few minutes as Neal charmed it up with the receptionist inside while he waited for his appointment with the in-house accountant. If he could so freely wing it and expect you to stay quiet, then he should have been able to keep his mouth shut when you were watching your words and policing your body language.

           “How did you do that?” The soprano voice asked with laughter. You rolled your eyes at the flirting while listening with a headset over your ears. Neal responded with the French word for sleight of hand, trying to appear cultured and suave.

           “If this goes on for much longer, my lunch is going to make a reprise,” Peter shared, looking at you and pretending to have to settle his stomach.

           You picked up your phone to check the time. “I thought the appointment was at one?”

           “It’s supposed to be,” the senior agent grumbled. “This should be time theft.”

           If Neal could hear you now, he would be offended. Your eyes darted to the recording equipment, just to see. The light was off on the equipment – the line was only open one-way. But that could change…

           Peter wouldn’t go along with it because work was serious and had to be prioritized. You were glad he knew that, but Neal apparently didn’t, and sometimes that man only learned lessons when they were beaten into his skull. Though you’d been content with your petty revenge, this teaching opportunity was too good to pass on.

           “Hey, boss, he’s just going to be hitting on that poor girl for a while,” you said craftily, giving a yawn into the crook of your elbow. “There was a Starbucks just a couple streets back, I’d love a pick-me-up.”

           Peter yawned after you and blinked, apparently just then realizing how tired he actually was. “Me, too. I could use a stretch.” He got up and patted his pockets to check he had his wallet, phone, and badge. “Your usual?”

           “Yes, please.”

           You waited for him to shrug on his coat, jump out, and close the back of the van before you pressed the two-way communication button on the recorder. The light turned green and you smirked.

           Neal kept flirting with the receptionist, and you kept yourself quiet. Though it was tempting to suddenly start chatting in his ear and distract him from the pretty woman’s attention, your point would have a lot more heft behind it if you waited until he was mentally invested in the task. He enjoyed flirting, but he himself said that it was more of a game than a serious endeavor.

           Almost ten minutes after Peter left the van, the sound changed and someone faintly called Neal’s name on the other end. He quit talking with the receptionist and a few seconds later, he was introducing himself as Nick Halden and the other man’s voice was much closer than it had been before. The accountant introduced himself by his nickname, Walt, and Neal very subtly snuck in a comment on how the accountant’s office looked so that you and Peter would know where to go if things went sideways.

           A couple of minutes into the meeting, a thumping on the doors had you stand up and open them for Peter with your headset still on. You took both coffees from your boss and let him climb back in and close the doors. He had graciously gotten your favorite latte. You smelled it first, and then took a tiny, slow sip.

           “Don’t worry,” Peter said dryly as he sat down. “I thought about it, but exercised some self-control.”

           “Ouch,” you remarked back at a normal volume, knowing Neal was hearing every word while he was also trying to concentrate. “That stings.”

           “So does too much salt.”

           Neal didn’t let on that he was hearing voices. You knew he wouldn’t or you wouldn’t have risked it. You had always admired his composure. Before long, he had become, for the most part, a behavioral mirror of Walt. Neal did it so skillfully that if you didn’t know exactly what he was doing, you wouldn’t have known he was manipulating his behavior at all.

           A few minutes passed by, and Neal’s careful questions and inconspicuous prods started to show a little more about what the bad guy was thinking. It was time to interrupt again, you noted, and had a legitimate reason to do so. “What do you think?” You asked Peter, swiveling in your chair. “Is he the one pulling the strings?”

           “I have a hard time believing someone else is doing it,” Peter said thoughtfully. “Accounting is very precise, and it’s not all about crunching numbers and filing taxes.”

           “I know what this kind of job’s like,” Neal was saying, sounding earnest and a little… patronizing, maybe? It wasn’t a straightforward inflection – you would have had to see his expression to know for sure. “You spend all your time up here, crunching numbers, filing taxes, and no one even knows your name. Guys like us deserve a thank you once in a while, is that so much to ask?”

           You thought quickly and acted to catch Peter’s attention before he realized that the uncanny repetition was Neal hinting that he could hear you. “He could just be the brains behind someone else’s greed,” you pointed out.

           “He could, but I don’t think so. Not enough money’s gone missing to make up two cuts.”

           “Maybe not yet,” you countered. “But if he thought this could go on long enough, they could rake in plenty for two people, or even three.”

           Peter leaned forward, thinking about it carefully. You couldn’t wait for him to reply. Although Neal’s tone wasn’t cluing you in to any irritation or stress, you knew it had to be there. And in the meantime, the accountant was agreeing vehemently, getting braver because of Neal’s expressed sympathy.

           “I suppose,” he said slowly, “But the way they’re talking, there’s not room for another person.”

           “Let’s hope he’s the only one, then. Less paperwork.”

           Neal kept continuing in the direction that his conversational partner was leading. It was becoming excessively clear that Walt felt the company owed him more than he was being given. There wasn’t anything concrete enough to use as evidence, but it was obvious that if you were persistent enough, you could get something out of him.

           “I gotta spend my whole life cleaning up their messes and making their lives easier. And what do I get? Barely 80K.”

           You rolled your eyes as the suspect whined at Neal. “Oh, is that all?” You sarcastically asked, then snapped, “Jackass.”

           Peter was shaking his head. “The city’s not a cheap place to live, but that’s a lot more than most people get. I think he’s doing fine.”

           “Greed like that should be illegal,” you commented. Thinking that a perfectly respectable salary was too low and feeling entitled to embezzle as a result was just inexcusable. No one was entitled to rip off other people. No one.

           “In his case, it already is.” Peter mumbled, his low tone letting you know he was having similar thoughts.

           The appointment continued on, but didn’t last very long. Most of that time you were respectfully quiet, not wanting to push too hard and actually jeopardize the case. Every few minutes, you would pipe up with something that sparked a short exchange between yourself and your boss. You had counted up to six interruptions before Neal was politely but firmly dismissed, and “Nick” gracefully made an exit while persuasively cajoling Walt to keep in touch.

           There were a couple minutes of silence, and then the sounds of an elevator door closing and beeping with every floor as it descended. Presumably isolated, Neal let himself sound annoyed as he spoke again. “Seriously, Y/N?”

           Peter was confused for a second before it dawned on him to check the equipment. The light on the box was still green. Peter slapped the button to turn it back into a one-way receiver and then turned an accusatory look on you. Now you understood how Neal felt right before one of those famed Burke lectures.

           Putting your hand up quickly for a chance to speak first, you managed to hold him off long enough to say plainly, “Worth it.”

~~~

~~~

A/N: Woohoo! Thanks to @whizzer-fashion for my first commissioned story! Also, yay for my first posted series!

My requests are closed, but if you’d like to get around that little issue, please drop me a line or ask about my commission options or go straight to my Ko-Fi page. A oneshot of this length is $4 (pricing formula: cost = $1/500 words, + 500 words free). Imagines are $1 each, and you can also get a 2-for-$1 would include package.

[garethandjude]

Sam’s Eulogy

Sam’s funeral was 1 year ago today. Writing Sam’s Eulogy was emotionally the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Reading it in the service was beyond me. Jude and I are ever indebted and thankful to Marc for doing this so well on the day.  It read as follows:

I stand before you today, a representative of a family that feel truly blessed to have such amazing support not just through the numbers here but throughout Sam’s journey. Family, friends, the Russell school, social clubs, the medical teams, work colleagues, the whole Chorleywood community and beyond, we are all united in our love, and desire to pay our respects to our wonderful warrior Sam.

Samuel George Hanson, was born in St George’s hospital on St George’s day, the most precious present on his Dad’s birthday. He was instantly welcomed and loved by his brother Rhys and his family. Whether from his brother’s tickles, or the delight of smearing food all over his face, it wasn’t long before he was smiling and chuckling in his unique way, filling our lives with Sammy sized fun.

As a baby and toddler Sam was seldom without a muslin blanket for comfort – Mum and Dad wouldn’t dare leave the house without one. This set a theme for the rest of his short life. The muslin was eventually superseded, by George bear, Sven, Camo. He loved his teddies and each had a name. Over the past few years there was one teddy that Sam would never be without - Rabbity. Rabbity was so precious to Sam that the internet was scoured for an identical backup to be used when Rabbity was washed. Shipped in from the US, Rabitto was always on standby. Rabbity went everywhere with Sam. Every night he cuddled him, during all his stays in hospital, every operation Rabbity was in the theatre with Sam. Up until the very end, right now, and forever – Rabbity will be with Sam to comfort him.

As Sam grew up, some other Sammy traits soon appeared. With his white blond hair, and golden skin he was a beautiful toddler, with a propensity to wear nothing on his feet. Was he destined to be a surfer dude? He had the look. If he could, he would always be barefoot. At a push he would be in crocks, as a last resort trainers. If he went out, shoes and socks were always the last things on and the first things off. When home, he was easy to find as his shoes and socks would leave a Sammy trail from the door to wherever he was going.

As all children should be, Sam was full of life, a little mischievous and very inquisitive. He loved finding crystals in rocks and bringing pretty stones or fossils home. If it sparkled, it got his attention. Was he a budding geologist or was it a palaeontologist? He was encouraged to do it all. Only a few weeks ago he was busy foraging on the beach intently studying what the tide was washing in. Crab shells, dismembered crab claws, pretty shells, he was intrigued by them all and they all went into our bucket to bring home. Maybe he was destined to be an ecologist?

In hospital Sam would relax by watching his favourite movies. Whether they were Disney animations, classics like Oliver or epic compilations like the Lord of the rings, Star wars, DC and Marvel, he enjoyed them all. He also loved dressing up. Inspired by the heroes and villains in all the movies, when he dressed up, his imagination would whisk him away and he became that character. Woody or Buzz, the Gruffalo, a Dinosaur, a Rabbit, Captain Phasma or America, Kylo Ren or Thor. He would boisterously tear around the house in character, wielding his weapon of choice. Rhys was usually the victim and would laugh out loud as Sam battered him with a foam sword or hammer (most of the time!)

There was one costume, more than any other that Sam just loved – his reindeer onesie. He would wear it around the house, camping trips, on visits to the hospital, he even wore it to school. His size 3-4 years was worn until the legs looked like ¾ lengths and the body was skin tight. He didn’t care, he’d say it was snuggly, and it tickled us to see him in it. Sam loved being snuggly and snuggling up to his teddies or under blankets. But if there was some snuggling to be done, top of the list was always snuggling with his Mummy.

Even when Sam was poorly one of the activities he’d still find the strength to do was Nerf battles. If it rained, the battle would be indoors, if it was dry it would be outside with bullet guns or water pistols. When Sam was less mobile, whole house or garden battles were reworked so that Sam could take up a static sniper position, and take pot shots at his victims, family or friends. Rhys has a fond memory of when he and a friend were speaking and playing with some girls in a neighbouring garden. The talk soon became squeals and laughter as Samster the Gangster popped around the edge of the shed, naked, brandishing a water pistol and soaked them all.

When Sam was young he had always been a healthy child. When the family had colds he seemed to be unscathed, but in the autumn of 2015 Sam became pale, he was low on energy, and he had a rash. At first the GP thought it may be viral, but after a couple of weeks nothing had improved and his tummy was starting to swell. By this point the family were fearing this could be something bad but the odds said they should be wrong. A blood test was done on the 1st of December 2015, a day the family will never forget. Sam was diagnosed with Leukaemia and their Sky fell in.

Sam’s journey since then has been a tough one. His beads of courage are a lasting memory to the 100’s of procedures he endured over the 3 and a half years of treatment. He amassed 1,850 beads in all and the family give thanks to the medical staff here today, representing everyone that has worked at every hour of the day to care for Sam during his battle with Leukaemia. He was inspired so much by your commitment and professionalism that he’d said he wanted to grow up to be a nurse. Would that have been his future? Sadly we will never know.

If there is one thing that blossomed in hospital, and epitomises Sam it would be his love for Lego. Over the years we had various activities to fill the time. Card games, dart guns and dart boards, Qixels and crafts. He would enjoy them all but the favourite was definitely LEGO. What started with a small Lego set to help while away the time, grew into a ritual fuelled by both Sam’s and his Dad’s enjoyment of it. If Sam was spending any length of time in hospital he’d be doing Lego. The anticipation and the walk to collect a new set from the Amazon lockers in GOSH were all part of the excitement. The real magic was watching him build; so focussed and determined, his tongue out during the tricky bits. When he completed something, the sense of achievement was always evident on his face - in the big beaming smile. From timid beginnings, he fumbled through his first few sets but soon became a master builder completing multi bag sets intended to last days in just a few hours. If there is one thing that demonstrates how much time Sam spent in hospital, and particularly the months in isolation it would be the size of his Lego collection. On display in his room he was always proud to show it to people.

The last 9 months were particularly tough. The disease and treatment taking its toll. Sam was a third heavier, had lost his hair again, and then grew dark hair back almost everywhere. His hearing was impaired and his legs were weak. He would be unrecognisable to those that had not witnessed the change. But to those that had it was still Sam and he was a fighter, he would get through this. His attitude to all the pokes, prods and procedures was inspirational “let’s just get it over with” he would say. He hated general anaesthetics, but to overcome the fear he developed his own routine of yoga breaths and a snuggle with Mummy or Daddy while he had his sleeping milk and just got it over with. His animated moral – “Never give up” that we are so blessed that he made, will live with us forever. Sam you’re a trooper - thank you for being so brave.

Despite everything he’d been through he was still the cheeky, inquisitive boy we all loved. He always had a willingness to learn and would look forward to his lessons in hospital, at home or in school. Even on days post BMT when his mouth was too sore to speak he still had his lessons, writing or using the iPad to communicate. It would be the highlight of his days only missed if he was asleep.

Sam was doing so well in his treatment, he was winning his battle with leukaemia. He was in remission, his transplant was a success and his diseased white blood cells had been replaced 100% by his brother’s donor cells. His recovery was not without issues, that would, and did make him feel lousy, but the bigger picture was always good and in a few more months he was going to get through this. One day, he was going to ring the bell in Hospital that signified the end of his treatment.

On the 21st March Sam was taken by his parents to Watford because of his rapid breathing. This was thought to be a visit like many other. On the 22nd of March suddenly and unexpectedly Sam’s condition deteriorated and after many hours he was stabilised in Watford and transferred to intensive care in GOSH. Sadly, despite battling his biggest battle and supported by an overwhelming number of people and well-wishers, Sam was never to leave. He passed away peacefully in his parents’ arms on the 4th of April 2019. Sam never got to ring the bell.

Sam didn’t quite make the 8th Birthday that he was so excited about, but during his short time with us has achieved more than many may achieve in a lifetime. In his name, 10’s of thousands of pounds have been raised for charities that have benefited him or his family; CLIC Sargent, Be child cancer aware, Children with Cancer and Spread a Smile. The Radio 5 Live broadcast for the ‘No Isolation’ robot has over a million views and touched thousands of people. The hope is that these contributions may bring unforgettable memories, or lead to new treatments that help save the lives of other children in a similar situation and maybe one day ensure nobody has to endure the loss of a child from Leukaemia. Sam, you should be proud.

Everyone gathered here today has been touched in some way by Sam’s life. It may take a long time for friends and family to adjust, but after the grief and mourning, we will be left with the memories and sparkle that Sam brought to our lives. We will reflect on a life full of amazing adventure, love and bravery. Sam’s courageous battle and attitude should and will inspire us to never give up. We will all miss you Sam but may your star forever shine bright. ⭐

02.05.20