#pentagonal bow

[389]

Late Medieval; 14th century Iron key: broached stem; pentagonal bow; large web.

[trivia-yandere]

Hello! I love the stories you guys write! Thank you for taking the time to write. I’m not sure if you’re still taking requests, but I was wondering if you could write king jungkook/jimin tying princess reader up to the bed and having his way with her and it’s her first time. She has to marry him now. Thank you again!

so i followed most of what you sent, with a little twist :) i hope what we came up with is enjoyable

word is bond

in order to save your kingdom from perishing, you agree to give your body to the demon king - jimin. @chimmy-licious @bangtans-momma @sweetempathprunetree @momnomnom @darkuni63

word count: 5.142

warning: unsolicited touching/groping/biting/grinding, blood, voyeurism, public humiliation/degradation, oral (f receiving), throat fucking, yandere tendencies, finger sucking, dark themes, sadism, compulsion, riding, creampie, violence, multiple character deaths, manipulation, mind break,

halloween masterlist | alternate universe masterlist

The castle walls are tall, towering hundreds of feet above you. The throne room is bright - pentagon shaped windows shining the early morning sun into the throne room. You saunter down the marble floor, the heels of your boots clicking against it. Your royal attire is made to attract attention - and to separate you from the townspeople, of course. The royal jacket is larger than you’d like, but plated in gold, fur lined around the collar of it. Your skirt drags along the floor as does the cape you wore.

You can feel the eyes of the townspeople, behind a mountain of guards, on you. You keep your eyes straight ahead on the throne, the large elevated seat that you once dreamed of sitting upon.

You made your way to the throne chair, a guard assisting you upon the elevated surface. You look back at the large crowd, so many people in such a closed off room - all of which are here for you. Your heart feels heavy with joy knowing that your people were here to witness you be crowned as Queen.

Your eyes caught with your brother - the former King. He’s seated at the far right of the large throne room, an emotionless look in his eyes. He doesn’t smile your way when your eyes meet, but you aren’t surprised. You cannot recall the last time your brother smiled at you, maybe back before he was crowned as King once the death of your parents; and that was many years ago.

The crowd begins to clap and cheer once they witness Haneul, an old soldier who once fought alongside your father and now stood as a mentor, lift the crown high above your head. The crown is gold, several circle ornaments displayed upon it with several different gemstones and diamonds upon it. A smile forms onto your lips when you feel the crown be placed upon your head. 

“All hail the Queen!” Haneul says, voice boisterous and loud so all of the crowd could hear.

You bow your head slightly to the crowd, eyes roaming to all faces of the people - your people. 

Once again, your eyes meet those of your brother. You aren’t upset that he doesn’t appear cheerful - after all, the throne was overthrown and now you took his spot as ruler. However, there's a tint in his eyes that you cannot understand.

Your elder brother had been King for years now, nearing a decade since the death of your father a year after your mother. He wasn’t married, and still hasn't found a wife to call Queen. He was always a busy man, becoming a soldier once he was of age, working his way up to lieutenant, sergeant and so on. 

The death of your father came sudden, and your brother was crowned King a week after. You saw the once youthful look turn to one full of stress and disdain. His expression turned emotionless overtime, appearing completely far gone.

Your brother was once loved as a Prince, but became hated as a King. He became tyrannical once he was in power, no longer valuing the townspeople's needs or wants. He was now responsible for the suffering of the same people, forcing working hours to increase, along with tax becoming nearly unreasonable. Anyone who rebelled against your brother was arrested, sended to an underground confinement - and likely to die.

What caused the rebellion against your brother had you at the forefront of it all. You had begged your brother to stop his madness, that it wasn’t like him to be such a cruel individual. You had stormed past guards and elite soldiers to get to your brother, in his hands a gun pointed straight at a man. Guards are attempting to hold back a forming mod, all protesting the life of the man who your brother held a gun at.

You’d never forget that day your brother had made you decide the fate of the man. Princes or Princesses never had the authority over a King or Queen’s decision. “I allow you to live a good life in the palace, sister.” your brother stated. “But since you are too stubborn to mind the business of a Princess, then I’ll allow you to make a decision of a Queen just this once.”

The life of the angry mod - nearly 100 - or the life of the man was in your power to decide. You had refused, shaking your head at the thought of it. The man didn’t deserve to die, he was just one of the first to go against your brother's harsh ruling, the mob following soon after in protest.

“You’d be a weak Queen, sister.” was your brother's final words to you after he killed the man and detained the angry mod in confinement. 

“Sister.”

It was now evening, the townspeople all guided out of the palace. It’s eerily silent inside the castle, even the guards don’t appear to speak much.

You sit inside of your study - the same that once belonged to your father and brother while they ruled. Your arms are crossed as you look upon your brother. He leans against a large bookshelf, dark eyes on you. 

“Brother.”

Haneul observed the pair of you with a sigh. He was such a close friend to your father, he was there when the two of you were born nearly a decade apart. He was seen as a mentor when you both needed him to be, or a friend if it was that. Witnessing your brother become a complete tyrant wasn’t something anyone expected, but neither was the fall of love the two shared as siblings.

“Congratulations on becoming Queen.” your brother steps away from the bookshelf, hands behind his back. “You’ve surprised me by holding a sword in front of you so threateningly.”

Your brother’s teasing. He had scoffed when you had come, stating that he had no business being the King if he couldn’t run it without causing such fear upon the people.

“I have given you the title as Queen willingly. To think my own flesh and blood would betray me in such a way.” your brother hisses with a shake of his head, dark hair flowing around him.

“You became a tyrant!” you hiss, slamming your hands onto the table. “You were never a leader or a King, brother. You became someone that not even I knew.”

“I’ve done whatever to assure your safety most importantly, sister.” your brother stalks towards you, a malice look in his eye. “I’ve done everything with good reason.”

“Good reason?” you scoff. “Murdering our own people is a good reason, brother? Forcing them to work such cruel hours and raising the prices of taxes and rent is a good reason?”

You shake your head. You had no need to listen further to your brother's ramblings. 

Haneul steps between the pair of you with raised hands. “Let’s attempt to remain calm.” he says with a warning tone. 

“No.” your brother hisses. “Since my dear sister believes that I am nothing but a tyrant, how about I tell you the truth.”

You knit your brows at your brother. 

“There’s a reason we do not get out of our Kingdom's walls and why they are so high, sister. You’ve been told countless folklore of the mountains that surround us and just how we are to not step foot from the gates - especially at night?”

You swallow the lump in your throat and nod your head slightly. There was never a need to question the elder people in your lives who told you how dangerous outside the walls were. The townspeople remained inside, living comfortably in their own homes. Schools, sanctuaries and factories remained inside the Kingdom grounds, surrounding the castle you resided in. There was enough food to be had between the townspeople and the royals - farmers growing the best vegetables and raising livestock and all.

“There’s a reason for this, sister.” your brother continues. “I had good reason to become the way I am. Haneul, you were one of several survivors that fought the darkness that are outside our Kingdom walls decades ago while our grandfather reigned. You understand the threat we face day by day.”

Haneul nods slowly, eyes glancing at you.

“What darkness?” you question, leaning closer to your desk.

“Women are not allowed in the army, sister, and thus you have no true reason to understand just what we are raised to fight outside the Kingdom walls. We have been able to slain such darkness for decades until a new threat came upon.”

You feel the hairs on the back of your neck rise at your brother's words. 

“I’ve come face to face to a new threat, a King such as myself, of this darkness.”

Haneul is the first to react, his eyes widening at your brother's words. “Impossible.”

“I tell no lies, Haneul.” your brother shrugs. “It seems as though us slaying the lower demons were just a distraction for the King to rise into power once more.”

Demon?

“W-What-”

“Your grandfather has slain the King back in his reign. I’ve watched-”

Haneul is interrupted by your brother once more. He waves the older man off with a huff. “He was never slain, Haneul. He killed all of my men that came with me years ago and left me as the sole survivor.”

You gasp at the words.

You recall the time your brother was brought in several wounded after returning, but you were not given a direct answer to what had happened. The sight of the blood stained floors had haunted you for weeks on end.

“What exactly are you saying, brother? What darkness is threatening us?” you try your best to not appear frightened, but it’s impossible.

Your brother - after all these years - wore an expression. That of sadness…fear.It’s as though you can finally let his guard down and tell you what he was feeling; allow everything in his mind to fall right into your lap.

“The demon King was never dead, Haneul. He was unable to seek his revenge for he was wounded, which is why he had his own army to do so. But in the last few years, he’s grown stronger by the day. He warned me that we would be coming to take over our Kingdom and get revenge on the very people he managed to defeat him temporarily.”

Your brother's eyes never leave yours.

“You and I, sister, are who he wants dead. He left me alive just to spread the word - that or this is all a game to him.” your brother’s voice cracks -  one that was once so deep and stern, now has a whimper to it. He can finally break the wall he has put up, but at what cause?

“I did what I had to do to raise an army to fight this darkness, sister. Haneul. I needed the townspeople working constantly on our weapons, armory and anything else we needed to fight them off. We needed the money to bring in outside sources from down the mountains if need be.”

“Brother…” Why didn’t he tell you?

“All the sacrifices I made, sister, was to not only protect the Kingdom, but to protect you.” your brother turns away from you. He was your elder brother and right before your father’s death, he had promised that you would always be out of harm's way. “You told me that you’d never forgive me for the tyrant I’ve become, sister. And that was the risk I was willing to take if it meant you’d remained alive.”

“What is a Queen willing to do in order to protect her Kingdom?” is what the demon had asked you.

“Anything.” is what you told him.

Your brother had told you that soon - maybe within the next five months - that darkness would take over your Kingdom and that was the reason he became completely tyrannical. You now understood why he became so harsh, why he needed such a large amount of money to supply weapons and armor; even if you didn’t completely agree with his reasoning. 

You were now Queen and the Kingdom and the townspeople needed you to be there for them. Against Haneul and your brothers wishes, you made your way out of the large Kingdom’s walls, assuring to close the gate behind you. You never been outside the Kingdom, walking down the dark path towards the forested area - you never had a reason to, either. The moon is high and shining bright and you’re thankful that it gives you enough light to see where you were going. 

Though you were never raised to fight in the imperial army, you were trained in combat and how to protect yourself if need be - you just hoped that what you were taught was enough if you came across whatever darkness was out there. 

You’re unsure how long you’ve walked the dirt path and yet, you’ve found nothing. Your plan was something you weren’t sure of yourself - find the darkness and what? Fight them off yourself?

Your head snaps to the left, instantly, you grab your dagger to defend yourself. Before you can do anything to defend yourself from any attacker, you feel your feet being lifted from the ground and the side of your body throbbing in pain.

You’re at a loss of breath, chest heaving while your heart is beating erratically. Your back is pressed firmly against a tree, your hand clenches along your ribcage.

“I’ve never seen a woman out this late.”

The voice is sinister and you do not see who it belongs to at first. Your vision is blurred and you’re doing everything in your power to focus on your surroundings.

Footsteps, you hear them coming. Your eyes slowly become wider when they capture the thing in front of you - was this the demon your brother spoke of? Part of the darkness that was going to take over the Kingdom?

The demon is tall, you note. Its eyes are dark and appear to have no irises. It’s covered in hair and its spine is curved. You recall the tales you heard when you were younger from your brother of werewolves, but this cannot be that - right?

You raise your dagger, the light from the moon flashing the demon right into the eye. You gulp just as the demon lunges. 

You scream upon feeling something slash along your cheek, but you were determined to win this fight. Your dagger comes down onto the demon's shoulder as it gets closer to you, and your feet kicks it away from you, but to no avail. You feel your royal attire being ripped, your jacket going first. 

To think you survived this long without truly knowing the truth of the darkness that plagues the forest and mountains outside your kingdom - lived long enough to become Queen.

To now possibly die before finding a way to fight for your Kingdom long enough.

Your clothing is ruined, near shreds when you hear a high pitched scream come from the demon before you. It begins to burn before your eyes. Your hand immediately touches your cheek, the warm blood oozes onto your fingers.

“You…”

You cannot see anything surrounding you - or whoever the voice belongs to. There's a breeze in the air now and it causes you to shiver due to your shattered clothing.

There’s a force pulling you by your hair. Your hands reach out to try to get whatever it was off of you, but you’re shocked to feel your clothes being ripped, as well. You struggle against the unseen force, your thighs being pulled apart.

“I’ve yet to see a woman out of the Kingdom.” The voice speaks once more. “Until now. And not just any woman…” you’re shocked to feel a wet sensation upon your cheek. “...the Queen.”

Your clothes - though shattered - are completely off of your body. You’re left in nothing but undergarments and chest binding, and soon the bandage bindings are off of you, as well. You feel disgusted with the unseen’s force hands upon your skin, touching and groping.

You feel a pair of lips kiss down your bare skin, the wind blowing erratically around you. The unseen force places kisses upon your neck, down to your collarbone, breast to your stomach. There’s goosebumps littering your skin, the foreign sensation disgusting you - more so because you feel a pool of pleasure between your legs. 

“What is a Queen doing outside her kingdom?” the force asks.

“The King…” you trail off, just as you feel hands tug at your undergarments, the cotton clothed that is the only piece of dignity you had left. “I-I need to see him…”

You force stops and for a moment, you begin to think that you’ve hallucinated. You go to cover your breast, chest heaving as you breathe.

You close your eyes for a moment to capture your breath, and once you open them you’re startled. 

“You’ve come out of your Kingdom to see me, Queen?” the man's voice is the same as the unseen force - low and sultry, a hint of taunt in his voice.

The man appears human, tan and smooth skin with dark hair with matching dark eyes. His lips are plush, pink and full.

You feel as though you’re hallucinating once more. The man is right where the unseen force had been, now instead he’s pinning you down. You feel far too exposed for his eyes and unsolicited hands wandering. 

“Usually I kill whoever comes so deep into the mountains…” the man's nails are long as he trails them down your cheek. You feel the cut on your cheek begin to burn and you winch slightly. The cut disappears in a matter of seconds and you no longer feel the throbbing pain from your side. “...but you look far too appealing to get rid of, Queen.”

You swallow the lump in your throat.

“Why have you ventured out to see me, Queen?” the man doesn’t stop his touches, nor does he care about asking for any form of permission. His hands grip both of your naked breasts, tongue dipping down to capture a nipple into his mouth. 

“Please, stop.” you beg, shuddering beneath him at the foreign sensation. “I-I…you’re going to attack my kingdom.”

Your back arches when the demon continues to suckle onto your breast, eyes flickering up to you. “I am.” he says after popping your nipple from his mouth. “Such a whorish body for a virgin, Queen.”

The demon shoves your thighs apart, his eyes on your clothed center. He notices the wet spot on your underwear and hums. 

You feel hot with embarrassment, thighs quivering to close. 

“I sense that you’ve come out here to make a deal with me, Queen? You’re far too weak to kill me.” the demon laughs, as if the thought of you attempting to cause him any harm is just that comical. 

The demon rips off your underwear and dips his head between your legs. His tongue laps between your folds.

Once again, your back arches and your eyes clenched shut. You want to fight the demon, but there’s no use - he’s stronger than you, even if he appears human. He holds onto your legs tightly as he ravishes your clit hungrily.

Your moans don’t go unnoticed from either of you. You didn’t want this - he was a demon and presumably the King your brother spoke of. However, you cannot control how your body feels - and it feels far too amazing to not moan.

“What is a Queen willing to do in order to protect her Kingdom?” is what the demon had asked you, lifting his head from your throbbing clit, licking his lips.

“Anything.” is what you told him, fresh tears pooling down your cheeks with overstimulation.

“Sister…” the look on your brother's face breaks your heart. “...what have you done?”

The demon’s name is Jimin - or that’s what he called himself when he allowed you to leave, making sure your skin was littered with bite marks and bruises before he did so.

The last time you saw Jimin was months prior when you had strolled through the forest. He had allowed you to leave and told you in five months time, you would see him again. 

Jimin didn’t say that when he’d return, it would be without bloodshed. He allowed the darkness - as your brother called them - to wreak havoc upon the Kingdom. Innocent lives were lost and nearly half of your soldiers had gone with them.

Your brother’s eyes fall upon you, running towards the same demon King he had warned Haneul about months prior, a look of disbelief on his face. He holds the sword high in one hand, ready to attack Jimin if given the chance to - only you had stepped right in between the blade and the demon. The demon held a smug look upon his face, a smirk forming on his plush lips.

You were crying, your brother notes. Your hand grasps Jimin’s top, pushing him away with all your might - something he allowed you to do. You had fallen to your knees next, begging for the King to call off the darkness surrounding you - to stop the havoc upon innocent blood.

“I told you I’d do anything.” you cried to the smug King. 

“That you did.” Jimin quips.

The demon king raises his hands, flicking it slightly. It was as if it was a call to attention - the once demonic entities that savagely attacked the townspeople and guards - now surrounded you. 

“Sister…” your brother murmurs, eyes gazing along the different types of entities surrounding you all. 

“A Queen is willing to do anything to protect her Kingdom.” Jimin states to your brother.

Jimin snaps his fingers, and in a blink of an eye, the scenery changes. You are now inside the palace in the large throne room. Your brother, several guards and soldiers including the demonic entities occupy the room.

You swallow the lump in your throat, eyes roaming to the frozen crowd.

“They’re conscious. Just unable to move.” Jimin states from behind you, a hand gripping your shoulder. “I want them to watch their Queen crumble beneath my fingers. Especially that brother of yours.”

Jimin snaps again and now, you feel it once more - the unseen force. Your royal attire is being ripped from your body once more - falling to shreds at your feet. Jimin watches intently at the show before him, you flushed and hot and embarrassed.

Jimin raises a hand and points two fingers at you. He flicks it low and instantly, you fall to your knees. 

Jimin is slow to walk towards you, and when he does, he grips your cheeks harshly. He pries your mouth open and enters two fingers inside of it.

“Don’t choke.” Jimin commands, forcing his fingers deeper inside of your mouth.

You do, feeling the tips of his fingers reach closer to the back of your throat.

Jimin sighs with a shake of his head.

You gasp when your cheek stings. You fall to the side, barely managing to catch yourself. 

“Open your mouth for me, human.” Jimin commands, but it’s as though he does it himself. Your mouth opens wide as if on impact - having no true control of your actions.

Your eyes are wide as you watch Jimin release his trousers. It falls to his knees and before you is his cock - erect, veiny and large. 

“I can smell your fear, Queen. You being afraid will not stop me from taking you in front of your soldiers, guards and brother.”

Jimin places the tip of his cock on your tongue, rubbing it along the wet muscle for a moment before he fully enters your mouth.

Jimin is a true demon - your human tears do not affect him. With each thrust, he hits the back of your throat, but your mouth never falters - you’re compelled to keep your mouth open until he is finished. 

Jimin grunts, surprise how your throat takes him so well - he can see the outline of his cock on your throat as he fucks you, and it only makes him want to hurt you more. 

Your throat swells with a thick, salty substance and you find it difficult to breathe. You’re squirming beneath Jimin, wanting everything in your power to fight his compulsion and to get away from him.

“Swallow.” Jimin hisses - and you do. It’s difficult at first, so thick that it takes several tries. But when you do, you begin to cough at the new found oxygen you receive when Jimin takes his cock from your mouth.

Jimin cackles at your appearance - puffy lips and face, blurry eyes with tear stained cheeks. 

“Go ahead, Queen,” Jimin tilts his head. “tell me how you are going to save your kingdom.”

As if it wasn’t humiliating enough to have the eyes of people who respected you watching, Jimin wanted you to further be embarrassed. 

“B-By letting you use me.” your throat hurts, throbbing with such pain. 

“Hm…” Jimin shakes his head. “I want to hear you beg, Queen. You came to me, afterall.”

You’re shuddering, naked skin erupting in goosebumps. You bowed to Jimin, wishing that this was nothing but a cruel nightmare you’d wake up from. “Please u-use me…”

Jimin snorts, unamused. “If that’s what you call begging, then I’ll kill them now.”

One guard is unfrozen. He falls to his knees, engulfed in bright orange flames. His screams echo off the wall of the throne room, echoing deep within your mind. 

“Please use me and don’t hurt my people!” you scream, hot and fresh tears soring down your cheeks. You’re trembling in fear, Jimin’s true nature showing. “Hurt me as much as you’d like!”

Jimin’s interest peaks, a smirk forming onto his lips. “Oh?”

The unseen force slams your face against the marble floor and forces your legs apart. You feel Jimin behind you, sharp nails against your naked skin. His skin burns yours, so hot that it feels as if it’ll melt yours. 

“A Queen would do anything to save her kingdom.” Jimin cackles once more.

You scream out when you feel yourself being stretched out. Your eyes clenched shut, tears finding their way out of your eyes somehow. 

Jimin grinds deep inside of you, hissing at just how tight you were - a true virgin. Instantly, you’re bleeding, blood seeping down your thighs mixed with slick. But Jimin doesn’t care. He doesn’t slow his abusive thrusts.

“For years I’ve been bound into the forest until I was able to break free.” Jimin says, his abdomen slapping against your ass as he takes you. “Years my kind has been falling to the likes of filthy humans such as yourself.”

You’re going to die, the pain excruciating. With each thrust, you’re pounded against the marble floor roughly, hitting deeper and deeper inside of you that you’re positive you’d be split open. 

“And now, Queen, I will take out decades of frustration upon you with no remorse.”

Jimin’s promise rang true. He continues to pound into you at a brutal pace for who knows how long. You felt yourself being filled countless times - each time more than before.

Jimin had flipped you onto your back, admiring how your breast bounced  furiously as he fucks you, his cock causing a bulge so large in your stomach. Your cries are nothing but music to his ears, pussy clenching him so tightly as it drips a large puddle around him.

Jimin hoists you up, fucking into you against one of the frozen guards, not caring about any of them or their lives - humiliating you was his true purpose. You’re unable to speak, only screaming and crying louder with each thrust.

Hours upon hours had gone by and you had no tears left to cry or any protest to give. You accepted your fate by now. Your insides hurt and you’re truly unsure just how many times you could be pleasured by such a demon - an insane amount of liquid had squirted out of you countless times.

“It’s your turn, Queen.” Jimin drops you onto the ground, amused by your twitching form. His cum oozes out of you rapidly, clit throbbing and red.

Your body suddenly feels hot and any exhaustion you once felt is now gone. This had to be the work of Jimin’s demonic powers.

You spring from your fetal position to wrap your legs around Jimin. He sits upon the cold marble floor, wrapping his arms around you.

What was going on? Why had you suddenly regained such strength and stamina?

You sit upon Jimin’s erect cock and moan out. Your hips rise and fall at an alarming pace - you’ve never done this before, however, you appear a pro at it. Your fingernails dig into his skin and you feel your eyes roll to the back of your head. 

Jimin chuckles at your new eagerness, allowing you to go wild against him. It may be his compulsion over you, but he cannot fake your orgasm or your slick - that was all you.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself, Queen. Does my cock do this to you?”

You nod your head erratically, your hips never buckling. You’re creaming his cock, stars forming in your compelled eyes. All you could think about his Jimin - his cock, his cum, and him overall.

“You’ll only cum when I allow you to, Queen. Is that what you want? To cum?”

“Please, please, please!” your mind is blank - you’ve forgotten what you initially agreed upon with the demon, all you can think about now is cumming all over his cock. “Please let me cum!”

“Cock hungry whore.” Jimin wraps a hand around your neck and squeezes. “These people would never respect you as their Queen even after you risked your life to save theirs.”

You’re cumming, a pool of slick shooting out of you, but even then you cannot stop your aggressive riding. You wanted more than to cum - you wanted Jimin’s cum deep inside of you once more - over and over again.

“What are you willing to do to have my cum, whore?” Jimin begins to thrust along with you, reaching deeper. “Would you watch your Kingdom burn for it?”

You’re too far gone now and you nod your head.

Humans were truly easy to fool.

“So be it.” Jimin snaps his fingers, the room erupting in a fit of fire.

Even with the sounds of screams, you want nothing more than for Jimin to use you - to breed you. It’s what whores truly desire, Jimin thinks, to be bred by whoever is willing. He’s positive once you come back to your senses, you’d be devastated to know that your brother, Haneul, the royal guards and soldiers are dead - however, he promised you that your Kingdom would remain; not the people occupying it.

[tip-top-cloud-surfer]

Family Man - Fanboy

Pairing: Fanboy / GN!Spouse!Reader

Word Count: 0.7k

This work, all of my works, and my entire blog is 18+ Only

Warnings: Messy Kids; Implied Stay-at-Home Reader; Second Person POV ("You"), No Y/N, No Mention of Gender or Appearance for Reader; Unnamed Garcia Kid OCs (not Referenced if they're Adopted/Biological)

Summary: After a long day at work, Fanboy returns home to complete his most important job: taking care of his family.

Master List

Mickey returned home from work to find the house just as he left it—a disaster.

But with a toddler and a baby at home, there was no such thing as clean. There was no time to clean. And anyone who expected a house with a toddler and a baby to be anywhere close to clean had clearly never interacted with a child before. But he knew that a messy house always stressed you out and made a mental note to try and clean some of it after dinner.

Setting his work bag by the door and toeing off his shoes, Mickey walked into the kitchen area to see you already sitting at the dinner table. Your son was sitting in his high chair, happily taking the little bits of baby food that you fed him. Your daughter was making a, though you tried to get her to cooperate enough to eat some vegetables.

“I’m home!” Fanboy called, causing your daughter to let out a squeal.

“Daddy!”

She hopped down from her seat and raced around the table to Fanboy. He happily scooped her up and pressed a kiss to her forehead as he settled her on his hip. Fixing the bow in her hair, Fanboy pressed another kiss to her cheek.

“Did you miss me, huh?”

“Yeah! You left!” your daughter complained, playing with the pins on Mickey’s uniform.

“I had to go to work, Princess.”

“Why?”

“Well, you like eating food, don’t you?” Fanboy joked, bouncing your daughter teasingly. “Are you being a good girl?”

“Yeah!”

“Mostly,” you joked as your husband walked around the table to greet you. Fanboy leaned down to press a greeting kiss to your lips, earning a disgusted screech of ‘ew’ from your daughter in return. “How was work, Papi?”

“Long. The contractors from the Pentagon were still hanging around,” Fanboy explained, turning to kiss your son on top of his head. “Lots of long meetings that I could have done without.”

“Dinner is up on the stove,” you told him, scooping out more baby food for your son.

Fanboy set your daughter down in her seat and noted the fact that you didn’t have a plate of food in front of you yet. You were more focused on feeding your children than yourself, like the good parent that you were. But you had a long day too and Fanboy was sure that you were hungry.

He walked over to the stove and grabbed a plate from a cabinet. Filling it with enough food for two people, Fanboy returned to the dinner table. Sitting down across from you and in between your children, Fanboy put two pieces of vegetables on his fork. He held it out to you so that you could take a bite. You glanced over at fork and shot your husband a small smile before eating the vegetables.

Fanboy fed himself and dabbed at your daughter’s chin with a napkin before grabbing some chicken with his fork. Holding it out to you again, this time while you were feeding your son, Fanboy waited patiently for you to reach out and eat the chicken. You sent him another thankful smile as you ate it off of his fork.

And from there, the cycle continued. You would feed your kids and Fanboy would try and keep them settled and clean. He would feed himself some food and then feed you from his plate.

When your kids were done eating, Fanboy moved to take them away to give you a moment alone. Holding your son in his arms while your daughter ran off to grab her toys, Fanboy placed the plate full of your favorite food that he picked out for you down in front of you despite your momentary protest. You shot him a look, though your lips curled into a small smile.

“Take your time,” Fanboy assured you, pressing a kiss to your lips. “They’re a lot of work.”

“Of course, they are. They’re your kids,” you shot back at your husband. Though before he stepped too far away, you grabbed him by the front of his uniform and pulled him in for a better kiss that he happily returned. Pulling away, you cupped his cheek with your hand. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” Fanboy told you, sneaking another quick kiss. “Now, eat.”

A.N. This was lowkey inspired by the photo of the TGM cast with Andrew Garfield where Danny was more focused on eating than anything else.

[reality-detective]

"World Patriots, Rejoice: The Deep State's Second Pandemic Plot Unravels!"

Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Patriots and Freedom Fighters, this is a moment to celebrate, for your unyielding spirit has once again triumphed against the shadowy deep state and their globalist agenda.

Your voices, your unshakable commitment to the truth, have played a pivotal role in exposing the hidden agenda, thereby thwarting the second planned pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. The globalist deep state has been forced to abandon their malevolent scheme thanks to the MASSIVE AWAKENING INFORMATION CAMPAIGN!

Across more than 100 nations, their sinister plan has crumbled, with fewer than 5% of Americans succumbing to their booster shot agenda. Across the globe, consensus has been reached that the world refuses to bow to new lockdowns, and most now see a sinister elite agenda lurking behind the pandemic, vaccines, and lockdowns. Moreover, nations are awakening to the stark corruption undermining their two-tier governments, suppressing human rights, and censoring freedom of speech!

"Secret Vaxx Warehouses - A Billion-Dollar Fiasco"

Behind closed doors, the colossal failure of vaccine storage and distribution unfolds. Warehouses across the globe are overflowing, and the blunders are costing BlackRock and others hundreds of billions as vaccines languish without proper storage and cooling. Quietly, these vaccines are being destroyed, making this revelation a powerful testament to our fight against the deep state cabal.

"The Power of the Great Awakening"

This moment signifies a monumental victory against the deep state cabal and underscores the potency of the Great Awakening, spreading like wildfire worldwide. Your voices are the antidote to the deep state's lies, overcoming mainstream media misinformation, social media censorship, government suppression, and globalist narratives.

"Deep State Panic and the WW3 Scheme"

As the globalist cabal panics, they endeavor to concoct a WW3 scenario to fuel their illicit money laundering operations, extracting trillions from the U.S., EU, Canada, Australia, Israel, and the puppet Ukrainian regime controlled by the CIA. But their war machinations have crumbled as Ukraine's regime, feeling betrayed and abandoned, admits defeat.

"Israeli Civil War Looms"

Behind the curtains in Israel, the military plans to remove Netanyahu, paving the way for tribunals. A civil war looms, scheduled for 2024, as over 80% of Israelis lose faith in their government. White hat military strategists are preparing intricate Game Theory Operations for a bloodless military coup.

"Revelations Await in 2024"

In 2024, brace for groundbreaking revelations as military white hats and courageous individuals in the medical, government, and the broader pharmaceutical industry unleash hidden data on vaccine tests, fatalities, damages, and the corrupt agendas of global investment giants such as BlackRock, who manipulated, bribed, blackmailed, and laundered money to push through COVID-19 vaccines.

"Global Riots and Protests"

A wave of worldwide unrest will sweep through the streets, targeting the establishment in the medical, big pharma, big tech, and industries entwined with governments, presidents, and regimes beholden to globalist agendas and control. The depopulation agenda will cease to be a conspiracy, as the U.S. Congress launches investigations, intersecting with the 2024 election interference and the previous 2020 election meddling.

"A Planned Military Coup?"

This looming storm will be masterfully framed by the white hats as a meticulously orchestrated military coup engineered by the globalists, in collusion with the likes of Obama, the CIA, Pentagon, and the DOJ, extending its reach to the European Union, Canada, Australia, and the rest of the world.

Remember, Patriots, everything converges towards Q.

"Trust the Plan, Military Is the Only Way"

Place your trust in the plan, for the military stands as the only bastion against the encroaching darkness.

The revolution is imminent

- David Wilcock 🤔

[stuckyfingers]

Idk what I'm even writing but here is a What If extension fic about Rogers Hood singing. The whole fic is there just for the song.

“Who are you?” Strange drawled, looking at the blue-green clad mercenary looking guy.

He had been stuck in Earth-1602, successfully evading capture by the Sherriff for only so long. T'Challa from Earth-527 was supposed to get him sometime soon, but the wait had stretched into days.

He was in the Sherriff's carriage being grandly arrested by the familiar looking official and his following army of guards, when a gang of tree swinging bandits had surrounded them, forcing them to dismount. A carriage up ahead with a man in a pentagonal hat standing outside, told them that the Bishop was also undergoing a robbery.

The man in the green and blue clothes chuckled. “I’m known far and wide as a legendary outlaw, Strange Wizard!” He dropped his hood with flair, revealing his face. “I am Steven Rogers, or Rogers Hood as people have come to call me.”

“Rogers Hood?” Strange scoffed. “Not surprising though… you do tend to do illegal things in every universe.”

“’Tis the powerful that maketh legality immoral, my friend. To abide thy morals, thou must break the law.” Steve replied unfazed at the mention of universes. His gaze turned rather cold when he looked at the other people from the carriage. "Sherriff Thaddeus Ross. Pleasant morn it is, but for thy presence."

The Sheriff growled. “Thy speech of morals shield not thine acts of disgrace! Thou hast lain with men as thou would with a maiden: it is frowned upon, verily!"

The guy close beside Rogers Hood shed his own hood to raise a haughty eyebrow. The manicured beard was confusing, but it was undoubtedly Bucky Barnes.

Rogers Hood did not seem perturbed at being accused of sodomy but rather, leaned sideways to kiss Bucky on the cheek, smirking at the Sherriff. “So be it! ’Twould be thine own visage that is marred!”

“ 'Tis God’s visage that you mar!” The Bishop cried from a few yards away, rather bravely for someone being searched for coin.

“How little must thou think of Him, that a poor outlaw can change His divine skin!” Rogers cried louder, throwing his hands up like he was on Broadway. “A Bishop, indeed, thy Bishop clothes don’t hide the doubt within!”

“Uhm, Rogers Hood, could you-?” Strange started.

“Interrupt him not!” Another Merry Man with a bow- who looked like Clint Barton- who was Clint Barton, shushed him. Rogers really began singing like he was in a musical- even jumping onto a sunlit tree stump as the Sherriff watched in agony.

“How little must thou believe in thine own self to bring an army: When Merry Men are armed with naught but bows”

“But bows!” The Merry Men added.

“How little must thou find it in thy heart to be more charming: When Merry Men, we zest while in the throes!”

“The Throes!”

"Well, maidens go to Church no more, for we have larger bells!"

"AYE!"

"But we insisted they must trust the Lord!"

"The Lord!"

"And maidens who skipped Synagogues for the reasons much the same, we led them back to their fine carven doors!"

"Doors!"

The Merry Men began chanting as Rogers turned to Strange with a flourish.

"Now this fine old Wizard doth seek to know us well, what ways of ours shall we queintein him with?"

"We spend our days with parties gay under the sunny glades," Sang Bucky Barnes.

"We give the poor what we steal from the rich!" Sang the Leonardo da Vinci looking version of Sam Wilson.

"We hate the King of England and the Sheriff we hate more, the travelers of Egypt* are our kith!" sang Clint Barton.

The trees around them rang with song:

"And maidens go to Church no more, for we have larger bells- hey! But we insisted they must trust the Lord! And maidens who skipped Synagogues for the reasons much the same, we led them back to their fine carven doors!"

The Bishop grew increasingly purple with every reprise of the chorus, like he was going to explode. They actually repeated it three times before Rogers took the stage again-

"And now my sweet Bishop thou seemst burdened with thy gold-"

"Let us free thy shoulders of this weight!" Scott Lang joined in.

"For, O wretched Bishop sitting in thy Bishop clothes, you've become the very thing He hates!" Steve finished with a laugh.

The guards waited for some command from the Sherriff, but the Sherriff was far too occupied with being gagged. Dr. Strange alone was not subject to such treatment.

"Go, now!" Barnes boomed, waving a crossbow at the army. "You don't want to be caught here with us! Return to thy wives before you get arrows up thy arses!"

The guards scattered nervously casting glances at the Sherriff. They couldn't all be punished if they left together, could they?

Dr. Strange started again: "So, er- Rogers Wood, I mean, Hood uhm-"

Steve nodded at him while rounding up the valuables. "I have heard of ye, Strange Wizard... I doth not doubt we are in f'r a delightful conversation!"

"Neither do I." A voice came from across the road. The calm, regal consonance of-

"T'Challa!" Strange cried, half relieved, half really annoyed.

The space pirate revealed himself- not bothering to hide his bootstrap jet boosters from the medieval folk. He was dressed like a Golden Age pirate but with a punk metal twist that was probably lost on the people present there.

"Fie! Fie!" The Bishop wailed, "'Tis the devil! 'Tis the- ack!"

Clint Barton gagged the Clergyman for good and stared at the new arrival. "And who may that be! He flies with fire on his feet, like Hermes himself!"

"And yet his name is T'Challa." Rogers Hood mused, signaling his men to lower their arms. "I know of only one T'Challa- and he is the King of Wakanda. Art thou he?"

Star Lord T'Challa's eyes glimmered with mirth. "Oh well, I'm not him. I just share a name with him, Captain Hood. I'm from another universe, and I am here to collect Dr. Strange."

"Thou art free to take him, if he doth not wish for our protection against you." Rogers smiled.

"How about... we sit down for a drink with them?" Strange sighed. "I don't want your protection, but I do want to get back at this asshole."

"Oh Bast, what slander!" T'Challa gasped mockingly. "Weren't you trying to leave this place as fast as you could?"

"I'm not leaving now that I've found the best part?" Strange shrugged.

T'Challa hopped down merrily to the ground. "Well, one outlaw to another, I would love the company!"

"Outlaw!?" Roger Hood perked up.

"Outlaw." Strange groaned.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Michael De Adder

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

February 27, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

FEB 28, 2024

The House of Representatives will be back in session tomorrow after the February 19 Presidents Day holiday. It is facing a number of crucial issues, but the ongoing problem of the radicalism of the MAGA Republicans has ground—and, apparently, continues to grind—legislation to a halt.  

The farm bill, which establishes the main agricultural and food policies of the government—agricultural subsidies and food benefits, among other things—and which needs to be reauthorized every five years, expired in September 2023. While Congress extended the 2018 bill as a stopgap until September 2024, the new bill should be passed.

The farm bill has more breathing room than the appropriations bills to fund the government in fiscal year 2024 (which started on October 1, 2023). Four of the continuing resolutions Congress passed to keep the government running will expire on March 1; the other eight will expire on March 8. Operating on a continuing resolution that maintains 2023 levels of spending means the government cannot shift to the new priorities Congress agreed to in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, along with leaders from the Pentagon and the Senate, warns that the lack of appropriations measures is compromising national defense. 

On an even tighter timeline is the national security supplemental bill to aid Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. Ukraine is running out of ammunition, and its war effort is faltering. Every day that passes without the matériel only the U.S. can provide hurts the Ukrainians’ cause.

All of these measures are stalled because extremist MAGA Republicans in the House are insisting their demands be included in them. Negotiators have been trying to hash out the farm bill for months, and today Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said she would rather continue to extend the 2018 law than bow to the House Republicans’ demands for cuts to food assistance programs and funding for climate change. 

Appropriations bills are generally passed “clean,” that is, without the inclusion of unrelated controversial elements. But House Republicans are insisting the appropriations bills include their own demands for much deeper cuts than House leadership agreed to, as well as riders about abortion; gun policy; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives; LGBTQ+ rights; and so on. Those are nonstarters for Democrats.

As for the national security supplemental measure, lawmakers agree on a bipartisan basis that Ukraine’s successful defense against Russia’s invasion is crucial to U.S. national security. The Senate passed the bill on a strong bipartisan vote of 70 to 29, and if brought to the floor of the House, it would be expected to pass there, too. 

But House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) refuses to bring it to the floor. When President Joe Biden first asked for the aid in October, Republicans insisted they could not see their way to protecting our national security overseas without addressing it on the southern border. A bipartisan group of senators spent four months hashing out a border provision for the bill—House Republicans declined to participate—only to have House Republicans scuttle the measure when former president Trump told them to. The Senate promptly passed a bill that didn’t have the border component. Rather than take it up, the House recessed.

Today, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with congressional leaders and urged them to pass the appropriations bills and the national security supplemental. But Biden, Harris, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) all agree on the need to pass these measures immediately. The holdout is House speaker Johnson.

After the meeting, Schumer said the meeting on Ukraine was “one of the most intense” scenes he had ever seen in the Oval Office. "We said to the speaker, 'Get it done.' I told him this is one of the moments—I said I've been around here a long time. It's maybe four or five times that history is looking over your shoulder, and if you don't do the right thing, whatever the immediate politics are, you will regret it. I told him two years from now and every year after that, because really, it's in his hands." 

For his part, Johnson said that “the House is actively pursuing and investigating all the various options” on the supplemental bill, “but again, the first priority of the country is our border and making sure it’s secure.” 

Johnson appears to be working for Trump, who is strongly opposed to aid for Ukraine and likely intends to use immigration as a campaign issue. 

But Trump is a poor choice to give control over United States security. Yesterday, Special Counsel Jack Smith responded to Trump’s motion to dismiss the charges against him associated with his stealing and hiding classified documents on the grounds that he was being treated differently than President Biden, who had also had classified documents in his possession but was not criminally charged.

Smith noted that while there have been many government officials who have accidentally or willfully kept classified documents, and even some who briefly resisted attempts to recover them, Trump’s behavior was unique. “He intentionally took possession of a vast trove of some of the nation’s most sensitive documents…and stored them in unsecured locations at his heavily trafficked social club.” Then, when the government tried to recover the documents, Trump “delayed, obfuscated, and dissembled,” finally handing over only “a fraction” of those in his possession. No one, Smith wrote, “has engaged in a remotely similar suite of willful and deceitful criminal conduct and not been prosecuted.” 

Perhaps to distract from Smith’s filing, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability chair James Comer (R-KY) and House Committee on the Judiciary chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) today subpoenaed information from Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of documents. Hur’s report exonerated the president and showed such contrast between Trump's behavior and Biden's full cooperation with officials that Smith used material from it in his filing. 

Comer and Jordan are likely also eager to find new material against Biden after the man who provided the key evidence in their impeachment attempt turned out to be working with Russian intelligence agents and was recently indicted for lying and creating a false record.

Since this year is a leap year, Congress has three days to pass the first four of the appropriations measures or to find another workaround before March 1, when parts of the government shut down. As Schumer said, those measures, along with the national security supplemental bill, are now in Speaker Johnson’s hands.

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[ciphercalamitiez]

bored, cosplkay art thingymajug

uHhhhhHhhhhhhh…..SLAY…?

[ID: Lineless digital art showing an original, stylized Flatland character, and Bill Cipher, from the show Gravity falls, in front of a pale brown background with tan stars and swirls, both drawn as "object heads"; humanoid characters with floating objects in place of a human head or face. Both have a single large eye. The original character has a blue pentagon for a head, with bandages wrapped around the top, looking nervous. This character is wearing a red hoodie with a rainbow patch on one side, and "R" and "L" above the shoulders. They have white feathered wings, black pants with a vining flower wrapped around one leg, and simple white shoes. They are looking across at bill, saying, "…You're not supposed to wear the hat and bow…" Bill has a yellow triangle for a head, with a floating tophat on top. He has his eye closed and is gesturing in dismissal, saying, "Nuh uh.". he is wearing an open blue jacket with baggy sleeves that cover his other hand at his side, with a blue neck tie and a blue black, white, and red striped shirt over grey jeans with holes in the knees, and black shoes. A small signature reads, "Ciphercalamitiez". End ID.]

[Plain text: "Uhh...slay?". End plain text.]

[boysplanetrecaps]

Build Up Ep 1, Part 1

Hello and welcome to my latest project -- recapping Build Up: Vocal Boy Survival from MNET. The show features some familiar faves from Boys Planet -- Jay, Wumuti, and Hwanhee -- as well as members of CIX, Just B, Up10tion, KNK, Newkidd, Ab6ix, Vanner, A.C.E. Fave1, BDC, IMFACT, M.O.N.T., WEi, and Pentagon. Don’t worry, it’s not Hui this time! I already wrote some posts in which I introduce you to the 40 participating contestants, divided up by their chosen category: Allround, Soul, Power, and Unique. Now, I’ll start actually recapping Episode One. Come join me, won’t you?  

It's tough to find a video link for the full show, and the one that seems most stable doesn't have English subtitles, so I'm going to try my best to write the recaps in such a way that even if you can't see the show yourself, or if the feed you have doesn't have subtitles, you'll be able to understand what's going on.

We begin with a woman playing with little glowing metal bricks. You know, as you do.

Also, those ombre nails kind of slap. 

The woman is our MC, Lee Dahee, who you might recognize (or might not) as one of the hosts of Road to Kingdom. I know her because she played the female second lead in one of my top five K-dramas of all time, I Can Hear Your Voice. (It’s not about singing -- it’s a courtroom drama/noona romance about telepathy and revenge. You guys, if you need a kdrama to watch, just watch this one, ok? Ok thanks.) She’s stunningly beautiful in that show. 

She looks… different now, I guess I’ll say. 

I wish that there wasn’t so much plastic surgery pushed in this business, because I genuinely wouldn’t recognize her, and I’ve watched that drama all the way through at least three times. Anyway. 

She begins to speak, and we hear snippets of various singers as she does. The snippets that we’re hearing are the 40 brief performances that were uploaded to Youtube to tease the show. 

She says, “There are various voices in this world.  Unique voice: A voice that is a genre itself. Soul voice: Voice that moves people with its unique sentiment. Power voice: A voice that solidifies its presence.  All ‘round voice: A voice that can harmonize with anything. When they come together and gain chemistry, a new harmony is created.”

I can’t help but think of Exo. Baekyhun has a unique voice; D.O. has a soulful voice; Chen has a powerful voice, and Suho has a sweet all ‘round voice. Hey, what do you know - the lady is right! It does create a new harmony! 

She explains that they’ve gathered together 40 vocalists for this show, looking for the best combination. It’s a bit of a Queendom Puzzle vibe, but vocal based. And out of the 40, we’ll be picking four. 

We hear from some of these 40 vocalists, speaking over each other, their faces hidden in shadow. We’re going to have to go with these MNET subtitles, that say things like “Catharsis is created when voices are stacked, especially when there are four.” I think it is supposed to mean, “A four part harmony can really bring out the emotions of a song.” 

It’s an MNET show, so it begins with some of the contestants walking in and commenting on how big and cool the set is. They think it looks like the Colosseum, which, meh, not so much but I mean, ok. 

We can’t know who they are yet. It’s dark in the studio and they can’t even see each other. They still bow and greet each other politely, chatting about how nervous and excited they are as they take their spots on their… I don’t know, transporter pads. Beam them up, Dahee!

They’re walking in in small groups, made up of members of the same “category”, and their name tags are color coded to their category: unique is green, soul is blue, power is purple, and allround is orange.

Left to right: Bain, Jay, Jung Soomin 

I love this Korean thing of just shouting at each other, “You’re good looking!” Even in the dark. 

Eagle eyed (and owl-eared) Boys Planet fans probably recognize this guy:

It’s Jay Chang, from Boys Planet! As I said in my other recaps, I love Jay's vocal color, which is clean and lovely, and though I think he could work on his technique, he's definitely a great singer. He also seems like basically a nice guy, though he gives off slight fuckboi vibes to me. Is it just me?

Hong Seongjun (former BDC), in the white jacket that makes him look like a waiter, recognizes his neighbor in the brown jacket as Seunghun from CIX. Hong Seongjun says, “excuse me… aren’t you from CIX?” Seunghun bows to acknowledge it, and Hong Seongjun says, “But you’re way too famous,” ie, to be on this show, and Seunghun says, “no, I’m not, I’m really not.” 

Another group enters, led by a mop of light colored hair that I think belongs to Geonu, also known as Lee Geonwoo from JustB, who you may have seen on I-land. 

Some more people come in, and one of the trainees -- this red haired fellow, my darling Bain -- says “oh my God! Sunbaenim!”

That hangul there says “oh my God” phonetically. 

My darling Bain, also member of Just B , has recognized Jeon Woong from Ab6ix. I don't have any data on where they would have met, but they probably have a lot of friends in common at the very least. I think a lot of idols know a lot of other idols since they all train together at different agencies and go on these reality shows together all the time.

People are surprised that Woong and Seunghun are on the show, but not as surprised as they are to see Yeo One from Pentagon, who enters to the strains of Pentagon’s biggest hit, Shine. One of the other guys says, “It was so dark, but he was so handsome that I could see his silhouette.” I think the translation is a little wonky here, but I love the idea that if someone is really handsome, you can see them better in the dark.

My darling Bain says to Jay, “I’m shocked to see such big players.” Jay replies, in English, “Big time players make big time plays,” and do you see what I mean about the fuckboi-ness? Even if you like him, you have to admit that’s a bit cringey. Sigh. Jay, honey, why'ya gotta say things like that?

Jung Soomin replies, in English, “I’m a small time player. I just started!” Soomin is American, specifically from Chicago, and I guess his head was cold that day. 

They’re all present now, each one standing on his own transporter pod bay. Oh, MNET. 

They all applaud in excitement for the beginning of the show, and my darling Bain interviews, “Welcome to Survival!”

The lights come up in the studio and now the boys can see each other. So now it’s time for them to react to how handsome and famous they all are.

Yoon Inhwan in his gray suit interviews, “When I looked around, I thought I was in trouble. Everyone was too handsome.” Look at all the handsome fellas, including Kim Minseo, in blue, and a bunch of idols, including Seokhwa from WEi, and two members of Just B: my red-haired darling Bain, and pink-mop-headed Geonu.

Just FYI: I’m going to keep calling Bain my darling, because I listened to his stunning cover of Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo and now you know I still love him, baby. I talk more about it in my episode zero recap.

Hilariously, our old friend Lee Hwanhee (from Boys Planet) says he’s intimidated by the other guys. Hwanhee is always a little insecure, isn’t he? I think he’s had a lot of setbacks as an idol, and it’s wearing on him. 

Neon, in green, tells his neighbor Hong Sungwon in the half gray, half white sweater that he feels defeated in terms of looks. Aww, you’re fine, Neon! I think you have a cute smile. 

Seokhwa from WEi voice-overs that he’ll dominate with music, not looks, and this fellow on the left…

… says, “this is about voices, right?” He is Park Jeup, from IMFACT, who is also a solo artist. I just have to say, omg, his bow. That is a full on pussy bow, you guys. That square, lantern jaw juxtaposed against that bow is a sight to see and I am here for it. (The guy on the right, wearing the red suit, is Hyukjin, from a nugu group called Fave1.)

Everyone’s excited to hear each other’s voices. 

Sunyoul (in the pink sweater) from Up10tion, same group as Hwanhee, is looking around the room and sizing up the other people, wondering if he can tell who is or isn’t a good singer based on their looks.

Then there’s a bit where a few people notice Jay. Kim Minseo, in blue, who sang Rolling in the Deep, kicks things off. He interviews that he was wondering if Jay would be there. Guess he watched Boys Planet too! Or Under 19, perhaps.

There’s this cute moment, where Hwanhee points Jay out to his neighbor, Seunghun from CIX. 

Hwanhee is like, “That guy over there with his hands in his pockets? He’s really good.” I bet that Hwanhee and Seunghun have met before, since they both have been in the game for several years.  Hwanhee is a year older than Seunghun and debuted around four years before him, so he's both hyung and sunbae to his nervous neighbor.

Then there’s a mini montage of them all recognizing each other -- Hyukjin noticing Jay, Hwanhee noticing Hyukjin, Bain noticing Hyukjin and pussy-bow Park Jeup. Hwanhee says that they’re “vocal monsters.” Hey, man, so are you! Where is your confidence, my friend?

But a lot of the contestants are intimidated by each other. 

Suddenly…the lights go down again! And to make it even scarier, the subtitles punk out for a few minutes! This happens at about 6 minutes into the episode. So, let me give my google translate a real workout until the subtitles come back. Here we go. 

A fanfare of glittering light heralds the entrance of MC Lee Dahee. The boys freak out. On screen, it says, “IS THIS TRUE?” as the trainees all stare open mouthed.

The camera does a full pan up her legs to her body, and on the Bilibili site -- now sadly denied to us all -- something in Chinese scrolls across the top, which my phone translated as “The English subtitle is so tiring.” I know that’s not quite what it meant, but I love it.

As Wumuti stares, open mouthed, it says “LIke a goddess!” 

Someone says, “Is this true? Isn’t this AI?”

“She’s a celebrity!" “Wow, she’s so pretty.”

As Hyukjin -- wearing that red leather suit jacket -- looks on, it says “Angel’s Descent.”

Hwang Inhyuk in his ombre pink sweater says “It’s a good thing you came out.”

Dahwee says, “Hello!” and they all say hello back. “I will go on this journey with all of you. I am the MC, Lee Dahwee.”  

On screen, as they all frantically bow, it says “Thank you very much <3 “

As our old friend Hwanhee gives the thumbs up, it says “Best MC-nim.”

I’ll give a sort of interpretation of the on-screen words’ translation since they don’t make a ton of sense. Basically, she’s telling them what’s going to happen next. There’s 40 of them and, through various musical missions, they’ll build a 4-member team. At the end, only one team will be selected to debut. This group will be an opportunity for the whole world to enjoy a kpop group with proven vocals.

Choi Suhwan in the black jacket over a white shirt and with parted bangs, says, “Ah… only 4…” 

This is Bitseon (from M.O.N.T.), on the left, and Taehwan (from Vanner) on the right. One of them is voice-overing, “I’m sure there will be a big fight over the song.” 

Lim Junhyeok, wearing a white hoodie that I guess he picked off the top of his laundry pile, voice overs, “there are many people who are good at singing.” Junhyeok was kicked out of Day6 after only being in it for six months -- I talk about it in my episode zero recap.

Donghun from A.C.E. is wondering what songs they’ll sing, I think. As I was writing these recaps, it was always so funny to me that Donghun is from ACE, because based on the way he’s dressed and his demeanor, he looks like he’s a detective in a noir movie who just got off shift and is about to order a whiskey at the bar. I hope you don't mind if I call him Detective Donghun in honor of that.

Dahee goes on that there are 40 participants, who chose what voice color represents them. 

And right around here the subtitles come back, bless ‘em!

Yoonseo in the red and black leather jacket says, “Allround voices go well with many genres,” and we see a few of the various Allrounders.

Next, we take a look at the Soul singers:

Then the Power singers:

And finally, Unique.

The weird LED stage they're standing on turns into a pie chart showing the breakdown of the categories, and that is delightful.

Then, Dahee announces that they’re going to dive into their first major mission: Voice Check. “You’ll listen to voice files,” Dahee says, referring to the teaser songs we already heard. “If you want to build up with that voice, press the button.” 

So this is a bit like the beginning of Queendom Puzzle, when the girls each performed for the others one at a time, and they all voted on whether each girl was good or not, essentially. Here, though, the boys are deciding who they want to work with in their teams of four. They’re choosing solely by the voice -- no looks, no sympathy.  

It’s worth noting that them wanting to work with someone isn’t necessarily equivalent to thinking someone is good singer. They’ll be looking for people who they think their voices would harmonize well with. Regardless, Dahee explains that “the outcome of the evaluation will impact your first mission greatly, so make careful choices.”

The boys are nervous -- what if someone gets zero votes?!? 

We see some staff members scurrying around giving them all some really uncomfortable looking plastic stools to perch on.

And as they’re settling in, Lim Junhyeok (former Day6) turns to his neighbor, Woong (AB6IX), and says, “Your name is Woong, right?” 

“That’s right,” says Woong.

“I knew you when you were at JYP,” Junhyeok says, putting his hand on Woong’s shoulder. 

Woong immediately gets really excited, jumping out of his chair. “Wait, you were at JYP?! When were you a trainee?” 

“Day6,” Junhyeok says, simply. 

“HYUNG!!!” Woong says, recognizing his old friend and giving him a hug. 

Filmed on MNET's very finest Idaho russet.

Aww! This is exactly the stuff I watch shows like this for. FRIENDSHIP IS THE BEST SHIP, you guys. 

They’re all asking each other what songs they sang, and from what we see, no one is telling anyone. Soomin, our friend from Chicago, asks Jay “Whad’ja’sing, whad’ja’sing?” They’ve got that English speaking connection. Jay, who is definitely feeling his oats, says “It’s part of the surprise.” 

Meanwhile, Hwanhee cannot take his eyes off the MC, Dahee. He’s like, this show is scary and I never do well on the 8 million survival shows I keep forcing myself to go on, but this gorgeous emcee is making it all worth it. I am going to use this as an opportunity to stare at her as much as possible before an actual bodyguard appears to drag me away. She’s 38 to his 25, but I believe in the power of love, don’t you?

They’re all nervous, especially CIX's Seunghun, who busies himself staring at the floor. Yeo One voiceovers, “How many of these people will like me just from hearing my voice?” Aww. As we'll see, that is Yeo One's major storyline -- he is used to being a good looking backup dancer in Pentagon, and wants people to actually like his singing voice.

Ma Jaekyung, in his too-big-for-him gray blazer, asks KNK's Inseong if he’s nervous. CIX’s Seunghun says his heart is beating like crazy. Taewoo wonders who the first one up will be.

The first song that plays -- at least, the first song we hear play -- is V02. Jaekyung and Inseong both recognize the song immediately and look at each other and say “Baby Baby!” in unison, almost like it was an improv exercise. 

Everyone recognizes the song -- we even see Dahee mouthing along -- and those of us who watched Boys Planet probably recognize the voice: Jay. 

The editors do this cute thing where they superimpose the image on the floor, but I really don’t think it was shown live.

I have to wonder if Wumuti at least recognized the voice? This is his third reality show in a row with Jay! But all we see is him saying, “well done.” 

Everyone seems to really like the performance. It is really good, naturally, though it wasn't completely perfect. (See my episode zero recaps for more info on what I thought of each performance. And please don’t get mad at me!) A lot of people are pressing the button to indicate that they’d like to perform with Jay. Can't blame them at all.

Hong Seongjun from BDC interviews, “He has a trendy singing style. He’d make up for what I lack.”

Everyone wants to know who the voice belongs to, but first, they’re going to reveal the votes, reveal the votes, reveal the votes, reveal the votes! The guys immediately realize that this will be their fate -- to have their vote talley revealed in front of everyone! Someone says, “oh no, this is like a public execution.”

The vote is revealed: 23 people voted that they’d like to work with V02 (Jay). Those who voted for him are surprised that only 23 voted for him out of 39, when to them, the voice seemed so good. Are people just way too strict? No. 

Kang Hayoon explains that he thought about voting for the voice, because it was amazing, but he didn’t think that it would harmonize with his. (Spoiler alert: I think he's right.) I think a few others had a similar thought. I’m pretty sure if the vote was “did you like this?” everyone would get 39 out of 39. Well... most people.

Of course, this voting criteria is a bit of a problem, because the show is using this voting system as a way to rank the contestants by quality, and yet the metric they're using isn't necessarily identical to the issue of quality. I guess it's better than voting whether the person is "better" or "worse" than you, like the girls had to do on Queendom Puzzle.

Dahee reveals that the voice belonged to Jay , and Hwanhee’s neighbor, Seunghun  from CIX, gestures as if to say, yep, you got that. Looks like Hwanhee at least recognized Jay’s voice!

Jay voiceovers that he was on an idol survival show (we see clips from Boys Planet) but didn’t get many chances to show his vocal skills. I mean, he did, but people just hated him for being foreign, mainly. Or for whatever random reason, IDK. Here at least people appreciate him -- his neighbors tell him he did a great job. 

Next up: V16, End of the Sea by Choi Baekho, as performed by musical actor Kim Seongjeong, the one in the tan jacket and striped tie. It’s a lovely performance, if not exactly to my personal taste, and everyone immediately reacts to his deep, rich tone. It’s a “real voice” that “fills the studio.” 

Seongjeong gets 25 votes, again, not an indictment one way or another on his quality. 

After that deep voice and sentimental performance, everyone is really surprised when he gets up and says he’s going to dance. He dances a bit while people clap, then unexpectedly just launches himself into the air with an amazing spinning leap. 

When he's done, he bows and says: “Dance, physique, and song. I’m the new actor, Kim Seongjeong.”

Dahee asks him if anyone has ever told him that he looks like well known actor Kim Woobin, and I guess I kind of see it. Seongjeong interviews, “Where do I look like him, exactly? What part of my face? My eyes? Is it because I look like a dinosaur?” and he offers us a huge grin that completely transforms his face. Aww!

What a cutey. 

Ok, in honor of his jump spin, and the fact that he said he looks like a dinosaur, I’m going to call him the “leaping lizard.” But I don’t mean that in a mean way. Like I said, I think he’s got a great smile! I like him. 😀 This is just to remember who I’m talking about. Cool? Cool.

Alright, I've used up my allotment of 30 pictures, so it's time to wrap up this segment of the recap.

And just as a note, the first 30-45 minutes of one of these shows are always really, really slow going for me as I get to know who is who. I have to do research, read Korean name tags, etc, etc, and it takes forever. I'm not going to promise to catch up to the show, but I hope to at least gain on it a little.

Thanks for following me on this ride! I'll see you in the next one!

[friendlies-af]

"Do Nuts" uniform

It turned out that I also have paper sketches! Welp, at the moment I'm working on an impressive comic, which is why my activity here will decrease a little. But I have something "delicious"~ 👀

"You like this uniform, I guess", "I really like it! It's so cute~".

Fritz and Vincent work night shifts, so warm jackets have been provided for them. "«Hacking the Pentagon» again instead of working?", "I'm just wondering if the cost of jackets has been deducted from our salary or not".

Scott is the manager of this donut shop, he wears a regular tie instead of a bow tie. "Yes, Kevin, you often worked part-time shifts with us. There will be no problem with full-fledged employment". .... (why does Scott here remind me so much of William from the FNAF movie??)

[minimultiestfandoms]

Pentagon reaction to you asking to tie a bow around it pt.2

requested: no

wanted to start doing fake texts as they are easier to do then writing full fledged fanfics and i’ve been busy with uni and work so please note fake texts are only open for now! i might open small headcanons later on when i get more used to my schedule!

— sunnie

——————————————————————————

Dawn

Shinwon

YeoOne

Yanan

——————————————————————————

taglist; @bigkpopstan, @baka-writings, @haechansfbuddy, @jeonronwoo, @jiminslostjam, @bluejaem, @jisungismymom, @hyuckography, @i-luvsang, @neocrush, @moonshineboyz, @chewryy, @sugarcherriess, @neochan, @jinkoh, @shinwolo, @hazyhae

[the-obi-demon]

DAKI

Daki was a tall, curvaceous, and slender woman with lime green eyes, long eyelashes and very pale skin. Her initially black hair was styled in a full, long ponytail with kanzashi hairpins (three on each side) holding up the ponytail. The daiji for "Upper Rank" (上じょう弦げん, Jōgen?) was engraved in Daki's left eye and the kanji for "Six" (陸ろく, Roku?) was engraved on the right. She had a pink flower-patterned obi wrapped around her waist, used as her Blood Demon Art. She sported 2 pink flower-like demon crests on her face, and wore a two-piece version of her kimono consisting of magenta pink panties tied by long, black bows on the sides and with two magenta pieces of cloth that cover her chest. She had magenta thigh-high stockings with black flower patterns and tall three-legged sanmaiba/koma-geta or mitsu-ashi shoes. After Daki's obi sashes return to her, black cracks appear on various parts of her body and her hair shifts from black to pale white with lime green tips, matching her original hair color when she was human. When her elder brother Gyutaro awakens, he implants his left eye into Daki's forehead upside-down, creating black ink-like markings (similar to the markings covering Gyutaro's body) around the eye as well.

WARABIHIME/YATAMAHIME

Under her disguise as an oiran, she appeared to abide to the characteristics of the oiran/tayū, her hair being the typical date-hyōgo style having numerous Ōgi bira kanzashi hairpins both decorating and supporting it as well as wearing traditional makeup. She also hid the flower-like crests on her face. Daki also possessed a multi-colored eye as a further disguise to her demonic nature, with the top half in a terracotta orange color and the bottom half in a lime green color with black thin pupils. She also wore a large white haori with black five-faced pentagonal shaped patterns near the cuffs and hem, with a dark magenta-colored Susohiki/Hikizuri (trailing skirt) kimono and a purple juban under all of it, keeping fragments of her Blood Demon Art as her obi.

UME

Before she turned into a demon, Daki was a young girl with long, disheveled white hair with messy bangs along with pale lipstick and lapis blue eyes with long lashes. She wore a torn, pale pink kimono with an irregular square patterns with a horizontal lines across it. She was described to be so pretty that her beauty can make adults falter.

[hwanchaesong]

Hi!!! I’ve been reading your songs prompt requests💕 I might be a little bit late but if you’re still taking request I will choose San, however the song I would like is Pretty pretty by Pentagon if that’s ok 😔 pure fluff and the plot can be similar to the MV

You’re doing great btw 💕💕💕

a/n: hey~ it's okay even if it's a song that isn't in the list, i followed the storyline of the mv btw thank you so much!! @nevieatiny 💚💚

👤: ATEEZ Choi San

📼: Pretty Pretty - PENTAGON

genre & warnings: fluff, pining, cursing, asshole wooyoung, university au

word count: 1.1k

for anyone who wants to, don't be shy and send me asks based on Prompts Request Song Version. Thank you so much!

'Shit!'

San inwardly cursed, running towards the school gate like a madman, he's late again and he knows that he'll have to do the damn punishment that he dreads so much.

When he entered the campus, he faced the strict PE teacher, bowing and apologizing before joining the other tardy students that were lined up at the side.

He heaved a sigh, lifting his bag above his head, he can't wait for this to end, s-

Everything slowed down when he craned his neck to the side, seeing a princess walking on the isle.

Okay, that was only his imagination but come on, the girl is the prettiest goddess he has ever seen, aka you.

He can't take his eyes off of you, and he felt his heart burst a little bit when the (note: this is San's opinion) love of his life made eye contact with him.

You on the other hand find him weird yet adorable, tall and handsome, his round glasses making him look like an innocent kid. Too bad you couldn't care less, the only thing that you want is to go to your class.

What the fuck did you do to him?

Not that he's complaining that you're circling on his mind the whole day, distracting him from classes, even his walking staggers whenever he thinks of you.

His friends think that he's possessed, but he would like to correct them that he's just in a daydream.

The sound of squeaking shoes caught his attention, peeking inside a room where the noise came from, he really now believes how blessed he is to witness a once in a blue moon scene.

There you were dancing gracefully, steps light and movements smooth, and he couldn't admire you more.

You suddenly turned around, him hiding in panic, scared that you might think he's stalking you, which is definitely not the case.

He tried to calm his erratic heart, glancing inside once again but a sign caught his eye, 'ATEEZ.'

Oh? Is this the name of the club?

His contemplation was cut short when he heard a male's voice. He discreetly looked in the area, the green monster enveloping his rationality when he saw a man talk and laugh with you.

He wanted that to be him, and amidst that, he found himself entering the room when you and the unknown man left, approaching your previous position.

He noticed a phone placed on top of a table, more specifically, your phone.

San immediately picked it up, putting the earphones connected to it in his ear, listening to the music that you danced to.

He wanted to know more about you, learn and understand you better. He would do anything to do that, just one chance.

"What on earth are you doing, creep."

The items he was holding unto were rudely snatched away from him by the same guy he saw with you earlier.

"Get out of here."

"Wooyoung, stop it."

You speak up, not liking the shorter man's attitude.

"No, no," San interjected, "I'm sorry. I'll leave."

He turned away on his heels so fast, dejectedly walking on the hallways of their school. His gloomy aura was washed away by curiosity when he saw his friends in front of a bulletin board.

He dashed his way there, reading the posted announcement that the infamous dance group ATEEZ is recruiting new members.

Whatever it is, he decided to audition. Anxiousness pooling in his stomach as he stood outside the club room.

"May I help you?"

That familiar soft voice, San scrambled away, making a fuss as he stuttered his words out, explaining that he wanted to join the club.

Just then, the door opened, revealing the ill-mannered midget from earlier.

"The fuck are you doing here?" he asked San, raising an eyebrow and an arrogant air surrounding him.

San gulped, showing the poster that he pulled on the board.

"What makes you think that we'll-"

"Wooyoung," your tone dangerously low, directing a glare towards the man in question, "will you please be polite?"

You turned to face the shy boy, face forming into a gentle expression, "Come on in, you're welcome in here."

Your words are enough encouragement for San to start busting his moves that had the other members cheering for him, and that includes you.

Choi San, fascinating is the word that you'd use to describe him. A small smile morphed on your face, trying your hardest not to laugh when he did a funny pose.

Wooyoung did not like the fact that the nerd is able to catch your attention, and being the leader of the club, it's safe to say that he did not accept San's application.

The next day, a groaning man planted his face on his table and is currently being consoled by his friends.

"It's okay, we all fail at one point!" a tall guy, Mingi, patted San's back, a poor attempt in brightening his day up.

His bestfriend, Yunho, slapped the back of his head.

"I'm sorry about that, Mingi doesn't know what he says sometimes."

San gave him a weak smile, "Yeah, he's got a point. Besides, I suck at dancing."

A gasp garnered their attention, "What if," Jongho, the youngest among them excitedly voiced out his idea, "we all practice, and we'll all go and audition with you."

That is actually a great plan.

A large smile broke out of everyone's faces, Yunho putting his hand in the middle, ushering everyone to join the rally, "Aight, let's all do this!"

San felt like crying, he really did get lucky with the friends that he got for this year.

He stood up and put his hand atop of Yunho's, the other guys following his action afterwards.

"Let's show them what we've got!"

And so hell week ensued. Day by day they all practiced dancing, learning new steps, choreographies and dance styles. Their legs almost giving out and sweat drying on their skin and clothes.

Was this all worth it?

They'll never know the answer, but one thing is for sure, confidence is now flowing in his veins.

He's tired of hiding from you in shame. He's tired of seeing you walk around the university with that bastard. He's tired of being the geek, a transformation is needed in order to prove himself.

Trudging inside the chamber of the jerk, his friends behind him, he's now fearless.

You were surprised when you saw San walk in without his glasses, wearing cool clothes and freshly cut and styled hair.

He's gorgeous.

Even more so when he started to move, outperforming Wooyoung (who embarrassingly fell on his ass while doing a turn.)

If you're going to be honest, you really are hoping that he'll come back. You weren't satisfied by what happened in the past, thus, you wanted him to redeem his self, and he did exactly that.

You hopped off from your seat, striding and beaming towards him, you extended a hand that signifies a blooming relationship, "Welcome, Choi San."

He reciprocated your smile and accepted your handshake, "Thank you, L/N Y/N."

[imthediamondintherough]

Irisviel Falling Mud Rain

A silk dark indigo, halter like dress with multiple string like thin ribbons around the neck tying into a a flower with the strings making eight petals and extending down to the cleavage and criss crossing to the part of the neckline of the part mimicking a demi-bra. The edge has double red lines next to the trim of looping arches that tie into a thin bow in the center. Under the breast is a pentagon cutout with thin strings criss crossing through it. Under it, seperated by a strip of fabric is a irregular pentagon that dips to make a v shape at the waist. The skirt has a waterfall back, giving the illusion of multiple layers, which cascades to the floor and it stops just past the knee in the front.

The detached poet sleeves are translucent and has a wide pleated trim that flare out a bit. At the top the sleeve starts just under the shoulder with thornlike strings tangled together and the actual sleeve has a short layer of petal like ruffles with red lining.

[ambiguouspuzuma]

Flat earth

For years, science fiction had warned of inter-dimensional war. Tentacled monstrosities from darker skies, flickering horrors from unfathomable depths, reflections from the broken mirror's farthest edge. With the planet secured, the solar system probed and the galaxy surveilled, they turned their watch to threats from other dimensions.

They never thought that they would come from the second.

The flat-earthers had been infiltrating longer than even fiction had predicted. At first, they had only collected materials. Crop circles, for bio-fuel and sustenance. The Bermuda triangle, compressing ships and aircraft into plate metal. Enough to forge their own war-planes. They tested the borders with three-dimensional space, an axis of evil that crept slowly across the face of the Earth.

Then, once they were ready, they attacked. They hit the Pentagon first - perhaps strategically, perhaps out of confusion - and didn't slow down after that. Their troops amassed in vast columns, line upon line of cross-bows and kite-shields, angles of death, and one particularly vicious circle. Their armies rolled across the globe, the oblate spheroid known as Earth, and flattened all resistance in their path.

But then the resistance caught up. Those early losses had come when they were taken by surprise: an undeclared attack from a place that wasn't shown on their maps, and which had henceforth not existed out of them. It took them a while to rally, but once they were firing on all cylinders, cubes and tetrahedrons, they began to push the invaders back. They had air superiority, after all. Strength in depth.

It was a difficult fight, but they won out in the end. The third dimension's armies pushed back the tide, encircling their rivals and ensphering them. By then, the war was done. Most of the invaders were driven back from whence they'd come, and the few remaining stragglers were confined in maximum security prisms.

[usafphantom2]

"Warthog" celebrates 50 years

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 05/15/22 - 12:20 PM in History, Military

The first prototype of the A-10 Thunderbolt II, with the nickname "Warthog", flew for the first time 50 years ago. Designed to destroy tanks from the air, the aircraft still has features that no other type of aircraft has. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) is seriously considering operating the A-10 by 2040.

YA-10.

The Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II is today the only aircraft in the U.S. Air Force arsenal that was designed for approximate air support from the beginning. 50 years ago, on May 10, 1972, the YA-10 prototype first flew from the Farmingdale airfield in the U.S. state of New York, with test pilot Howard "Sam" Nelson at the controls.

In addition to two prototypes, a total of 714 aircraft in the series were built by Fairchild Republic from 1976. Although the A-10 has suffered a lot of criticism in the past, this unique aircraft is not only still in active service today, but there are even efforts to keep the A-10 in service until 2040 due to its special capabilities. This would make the A-10 the oldest fighter model in the United States Air Force (USAF), after the B-52 Stratofortress.

When the last of the more than 700 A-10 was built in 1984, the crews and maintainers who worked on this heavy plane thought it was so ugly that they called it "Warthog". Today, after decades of wear and tear, blood and toil, this nickname carries with it a nickname of affection and respect, even if there are still Warthog haters who can't wait for him to retire.

The A-10 can be equipped with a variety of different weapons. A 30mm gatling rotary cannon of type GAU-8/A Avenger on board, with seven pipes and a supply of 1,350 shot ammunition is permanently installed on the bow. It fires at a frequency of 3,900 shots/minute and is one of the most powerful cannons ever installed on an airplane.

The GAU-8 Avenger measures more than 3 meters in length and fires 30 mm perforating projectiles housed in a 2-meter diameter drum. It represents about 16% of the aircraft's weight. When the cannon is removed for maintenance, the tail of the A-10 should be supported to prevent the nose from tipping over.

Designed as an anti-tank aircraft

A-1 Skyraider and A-10 Thunderbolt.

The history of Thunderbolt II begins with the United States experience in Vietnam. The United States had a fleet of expensive and multifunctional jets, such as the F-105 Thunderchief and the F-4 Phantom. But in the jungles of that conflict, these more sophisticated warplanes ceded much of the approximate air support mission to simple, propeller-powered aircraft, such as the Korean War-era A-1 Skyraider, and Army helicopters. These aircraft could maneuver more easily at low altitudes and had range and duration in flight to provide air support for infantry operations.

Northrop A-9A.

In the 1970s, the Pentagon had learned its lesson. The A-X program, which was looking for a new attack aircraft, asked for something that could complete this type of mission, but it was much more difficult to shoot down and could survive anti-armor weapons. The Fairchild A-10 faced the Northrop YA-9A, which also employed a twin-engine straight wing configuration, but its wing root-mounted and single-tail engines were considered more vulnerable. In 1972, the Air Force chose Warthog.

Although the A-10 was originally developed to combat Soviet tank columns, it was only used abruptly in the 1991 Gulf War. There, the "warthog" received a lot of praise, not only for its high success rate in action, but above all because it brought its pilots back to the base, despite the serious damage caused by ground shots.

The armor and redundancy allowed the pilots to return safely with great battle damage, as in 2003, when Captain Kim Campbell successfully brought her Warthog back from an air support mission near Baghdad. Its A-10 of the 75th Fighter Squadron was hit by ground fire, suffering great damage to the starboard vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer, rear fuselage and engine. By sustaining the blow, the plane became uncontrollable - rolling to the left, with its nose down. After trying several ways to regain control, she triggered the backup mechanical flight control system. The jet responded and, with some help from her partner, she landed back at her advanced base.

Captain Kim Campbell and his A-10 damaged in combat.

The USAF A-10 was responsible for the destruction of 900 Iraqi tanks, 2,000 armored vehicles and trucks, as well as more than 1,200 artillery cannons in the Iraq war. In more than 8,000 operations, only four A-10s were lost by Iraqi surface-to-air missiles. An A-10 also obtained the first standard air-to-air victory in this conflict when pilot Captain Robert Swain shot down an Iraqi helicopter. Then, the A-10 was used in the Balkans: 1994, 1995 and again in 1999, before being transferred to Afghanistan in 2002 and then resumed in Operation Iraqi Freedom operations.

From 2006 to the end of 2013, the A-10 carried out 19% of nearby air operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is more than the F-15E Strike Eagle or B-1B Lancer. Only the F-16 flew more. By early 2015, Warthogs had flown 11% of USAF incursions against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

Adaptability

Two-seater A-10B version.

The A-10A single-seat variant was the only version of the series, although a pre-series copy was converted into a two-seater prototype YA-10B to test an all-weather night combat version. The double seat version A-10 Night Adverse Weather (N/AW) was created by converting an A-10A. It had a second seat for a weapons system officer responsible for electronic countermeasures (ECM), navigation and target acquisition. The two-seater trainer version was commissioned by the Air Force in 1981, but funding was canceled by the U.S. Congress and the jet was not built. The only two-seater built A-10 is now in the museum of the flight test center at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

The A-10 has undergone numerous improvements since its entry service. In 2005, a program was launched to update the remaining A-10A to the A-10C configuration. The entire fleet of 356 A-10 aircraft has received Precision Engagement updates, including an improved weapons control system (FCS), advanced electronic countermeasures (ECM) and an intelligent aiming device for the bombs. The aircraft also received an all-weather combat capability with a new flight computer, two new 5.5-inch (140 mm) color monitors with moving map function, an integrated digital ammunition storage system and a practical throttle and throttle configuration, in which the F-16 joystick was combined with the F-15's accelerator lever.

Here's the other good thing about a relatively simple aircraft: it is adaptable. As the A-10 was designed for austere bases with limited facilities, many of the aircraft's parts are interchangeable, including the engines, the main landing gear and vertical stabilizers. A wide range of weapons has been adapted to the A-10, which carries conventional ammunition at 11 wing stations, including general purpose bombs, cluster bomb units, laser-guided bombs, joint direct attack ammunition (JDAM), wind-corrected ammunition dispenser (WCMD), AGM-65 Maverick and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, 2.75-inch rockets and lighting signalers.

The F-35B should replace the A-10

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II was supposed to replace the A-10 in the USAF fleet and take over its tasks for nearby air support tasks. However, given the high operating costs of the F-35 and the performance of the A-10, this replacement has already been postponed several times. In 2012, the USAF examined the F-35B as a replacement for the A-10, but it was considered in evaluations that the Lightning II could perform few operations per day compared to the A-10 to replace it.

In January 2016, the USAF froze its plans to gradually eliminate the A-10 for at least several years indefinitely. In addition to the resistance of Congress, the use in anti-ISIS operations and the reassessment of the F-35 numbers required its retention. In October 2016, the Air Force Materials Command brought the warehouse maintenance line back to full capacity to prepare for fleet conversion. In June 2017, it was finally announced that the aircraft will remain in the USAF portfolio for the next few years until further notice.

As usual, Warthog is not popular until it is necessary.

Tags: A-10 Thunderbolt IIMilitary AviationHistoryUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air Force

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in a specialized aviation magazine in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

[mcx7demonbros]

The Fall of America Pt. 1

Ft. Klein, Lucifer, Leviathan

This story and characters appearing in it are fictitious. Certain long-standing institutions, agencies, and public offices are mentioned, but the characters involved are wholly imaginary.

Inspired a tiny bit by Designated Survivor.

Summary: the U.S plans to destroy all evils, with the help of the Heroes. So Klein decides to destroy them first.

Note: The Sailor event (current event at the time I write this) doesn’t give Levi what he’s deserved as the Grand Admiral of Hell’s Navy. So I’m gonna write some of his admiral moment, according to my imagination.

February 13, 20XX

Today, President Harris, the 50th President of the United States of America, will give his State of the Union Address, which is actually his first since he took office last year in June, after the assassination of his much beloved predecessor, President Smith, the 49th President of the United States of America, by the villainous secret society Blue Rose.

Today, the President intends to address to the Congress about the Villains, intending to employ the help of the Heroes to wipe out all villains in the U.S, starting with the Blue Rose.

Unbeknown to the President, however, that this’s going to be his very last day in office and this world. The day that marks the downfall of the U.S.

On the East Coast of the U.S, to the east of the states Maryland and Delaware, a large warship appears, far enough from the land to not be seen by normal people.

The strange thing is that the U.S Navy do nothing about the ship. They don’t even know there’s this warship within U.S’s sea territory.

Inside the war ship,

“The Führer is entering.” A soldier in black uniform announces. All soldiers inside the room stand up. There are two kinds of soldiers here. One, the cyborg soldiers under Klein, they dress in all black, covering even their faces, the soldier who just announced Klein’s arrival is one of them. The others are Grand Admiral Leviathan’s sailors, belonging to the Hell’s Navy.

Klein enters the room, followed by Lucifer and Leviathan, both in their demon forms and donning their military uniforms, with all the decorations attached on their left breast. Klein is the odd one of the three, he doesn’t wear a uniform, he never has to since he doesn’t belong to any military force or order. The Evil Overlord’s most distinguished attire is his long white hoodie, which he uses to cover half of his face. He always wanted to be and now is a mysterious big bad.

There’s a table with three chairs in the middle of the room, making it look like a conference room. Klein sits on the chair in the middle, Lucifer takes the one on his right, Grand Admiral Leviathan takes the one on his left.

After all the “Big Three” have sat down, a demon sailor goes up, bows to Klein, Lucifer and the Grand Admiral. He then uses magic to create a projection, showing a map, which, in turn, shows the location of the ship and Washington D.C with Capitol Hill, along with other cities and lands.

“We are currently right here, 10 nautical miles from the U.S’s baseline, within the country’s territorial sea.” The demon points at the map.

“Our ship is equipped with magic-powered demon missiles. We will use two of them to attack the Capitol Hill.”

“Can we use four?” Klein asks. “I want to make sure they can’t fight back too soon.”

“Then we will send two missiles to the Pentagon.” Leviathan stands up, gets to the map and begins to explain the routes of the missiles.

“We will also have Lucifer put Blind Curse on the missiles, which will make them undetected, until they are right at their doors.” Leviathan continues to explain.

“Alright, I leave everything in your capable hands, Admiral. The fate of villainous factions in U.S, including my Black Cross Army U.S Branch, depends on the success of this operation.”

“You will not be disappointed, my Führer.” Leviathan bows.

“The Address has begun.” A cyborg soldier salutes Klein and reports.

A magical screen is created, which allows them to watch LIVE the address of President Harris.

“I’m sure than everyone still remembers the day our much beloved President Smith, was killed by the Villains, just last June. My predecessor spent his whole life to fight for freedom, for justice, for everything that’s right, for The United States of America and everything She stands for. The Villains assassinated him because they are against American values, they made America their enemy. But I tell you, they have chosen the wrong side, we will fight back and we will win. We will employ men and women with good morals, gifted with newly-discovered special abilities,…”

Leviathan turns to look at Klein, his eyes telling his Master that he’s very tired of the speech already and he just wants to fire the damn missiles to blow up the government.

“Not yet.” Klein says.

“AMERICA WILL WIN.” President Harris says solemnly on the screen. Everyone in the room begins to stand up and claps for him.

“Alright, fire!”

“Fire the missiles!” Leviathan’s voice is loud, clear, but cold.

At the Pentagon, people are watching the LIVE Address of President Harris, but everyone is alert, prepared for an attack.

“Huh, there’s something on the radar.”

“What?”

“It’s four missiles. Two heading towards us.”

“Wh…”

“It’s too late, they’re already in front of our door.”

“Hitting the targets in 3, 2, 1…”

Levi doesn’t even sit, he stands so he could act faster if there’s complication. Not until 0 can he be assured and sit down.

“0…”

KA-BOOM BOOM

“What’s that sound?”

“Why is my TV no longer working?…”

“That…that…Capitol Hill is…is…”

Seeing the Capitol getting blown up, many Americans can’t even stand anymore. They knelt to the ground in defeat.

“God, what’s happening?”

“This shall be the signal for the end of American democracy. Muahahaha.” Klein laughs, raising his Demonus glass up. Lucifer did the same, equally amused.

“Forgive me, Führer. But we need to make sure the enemy’s remaining forces are also defeated.”

“You’re right, Admiral. You have my approval.”

Levi bows and turns to his soldiers.

“SAILORS!” Levi uses a voice spell so all could hear him.

“All of American Navy and Coast Guard bases, annihilation!”

Suddenly got an inspiration and wrote this.

The Black Cross Army under Klein has nothing to do with Christianity or satanism or the like. It takes after the name of the main villain group in Himitsu Sentai Gorenger series. Same with Klein’s title as Führer, nothing about Fascism or Hitler.

There will be a part 2.

Yeah, Lucifer was just there without saying or doing anything much. The eldest will play a bigger role in part 2. He loves Klein so much that he’s there just to protect his fav evil overlord.

Please consider reblog if you read till the end.

Levi appeared in the game’s screen right after I finished this part. He appreciated my work (*≧∀≦*)