#people would flock to her or cause a scene or record her the entire time

[idekwtf-is-happening]

Seeing people on Twitter trying to hate on Taylor swift is so funny like, she’s living in their heads rent free as they scramble for reasons to hate her

[saiqherrr]

.pairing satoru gojo x fem!reader

.setting college au

.content warning smut, nsfw, angst???, degradation kink, overstimulation, slapping kink, unprotected sex, cumming inside, cheating

.synopsis you swear that you're different - that you can "change" satoru gojo.

.a/n this is unfinished but i wanted this out my drafts. i have had zero motivation to write lately. this also has not been proofread. bleh. enjoy

NOT TRUE. NOT TRUE. you rubbed your hand on the side of your neck, absentmindedly looking down at your notebook that was filled with poorly written scrabbles of notes, words you could just barely imbibe from today’s lecture. you masked your irritation while two girls shamelessly whispered gossip about your boyfriend. why should it bother you if you knew it wasn’t true? because you knew that a good portion of what they were blabbering about was true.

you weren’t necessarily a shy girl, you knew a lot of people on campus from high school. for the most part you were quiet and minded your business, however, that changed after you notoriously flashed your busty bosoms at a frat party while your system was buzzed with alcohol. that was the night satoru gojo took you home. it was by luck that you committed such a sinful act on a night where satoru really couldn’t be bothered with desperate girls flocking on him. on any other night, he’d meander around the party, letting girls approach him and kiss up to him. he’d pick a spunky, sober girl from the flock and take her up to a room that didn’t belong to them, and fuck her - just for him to forget her name the next morning.

this night was different. he had a long day and he was surprised he had the energy to come to the party in the first place. he felt embarrassed for you when you got up on that table, slurring your words and waving your shirt in the air before you unclasped your bra, the frat house erupting with screams, chants, yelling and shouting. he couldn’t bear to see you like that and it bothered him that he even cared. he had no particular reason to. but his body moved on it’s own when he walked over to that anything-but-sturdy table and grabbed you, ending the show that everyone was rooting for. he slung you over his shoulder, taking up your shirt and bra before he found the nearest bathroom.

he took you back to his own apartment he was renting nearby, letting you sleep on the couch with a small blanket that just barely covered your feet and one small throw pillow was placed underneath your head. he left a mop bucket by the couch, anticipating that you’d be facing a mean hangover the next morning. he was glad he trusted his gut with that one because after he woke up the next morning to use the bathroom, he could hear you gagging and then regurgitating  everything you ingested the day before.

after he took care of you that day, you thanked him endlessly. you were eternally grateful that he took time out his day to even do such a generous thing. it was out of character for him to do something like that, too, but you didn’t know at the time.

you don’t know how you ended up where the two of you were now, but all you know is that you fully smitten by him during those first two weeks you guys had first met. the two of you went out on a couple of dates, spent the night at his place a couple of times and eventually...you guys were having sex. so much fucking sex. he whispered appraisal in your ear every time he got the chance to bury himself balls deep in your tight pussy. he was rough, yet his words came out as soft as ever to you, stirring up all kinds of mushy feelings and affection from him.

it only took one post on satoru’s instagram - that one picture of you in his apartment, smiling at yourself in the bathroom mirror as he stood behind you, kissing your cheek while he snapped the photo. it was posted in the early morning with the a simple, but meaningful caption: ain’t she special? one post confirmed something for, not only everyone else, but for you as well; he was in love with you.

it, of course, came as a shock to your peers on campus. satoru was infamous for being a player and a sex addict. even you, at one point, had make an ancient joke about how satoru couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. being held down by anyone wasn’t a common thing for him at all. the confirmation of your relationship with him only caused people to question if all of it was a facade.

you questioned it yourself sometimes. but then you’d oddly be ashamed in yourself for doing so. he told you he loved you out the blue, took you out for fancy dinners, wasn’t ashamed to mention you to his friends and almost annoyingly professed his love to you in public spaces and online. he loved you. you knew he loved you.

keeping his words in your mind was enough to protect your mind from getting hurt by reality. you were blind to the small love marks that weren’t given to him by you. you were deaf to the sound of satoru sweet-talking a girl on the phone, assuming you were asleep, when you were really wide-awake. you suddenly had anosmia whenever he’d come back to the apartment smelling like cheap perfume. you ignored it all subconsciously and it was starting to catch up to you.

you were clearly aware of satoru’s behavior before becoming official with him, but since he had treated you with so much tlc, you figured you would be the turning point in his life. you believed that he’d change now that he had such a smart, respectable, sexy, and compliant girl by his side. he didn’t need anyone else, right? wrong. you were not his turning point. you were simply another climax in his life, a feeling you gave him every time your pussy clamped down on his cock, except, he got to feel that from you more often than others. that’s how other people looked at it.

in two weeks it’d make a year since the two of you started dating. a full year of this? maybe he was in love in with you, but just because he was, it didn’t mean it got rid of his urges. so that’s why you were trying to ignore the chattering behind you right now. you know you couldn’t be mad. you knew satoru was a fucking sleeze.

“throw it back on me baby, you know i don’t like doing all the work.” satoru's vainglorious words sent blazes of warmth to run everywhere on your body. your hands held the sheets underneath you as you shook your body to and fro, shivering each time your skin connected with his. his throbbing cock kissed your cervix and massaged your pulsating walls. you were recovering from an orgasm that you had moments before, juice running down your legs, but satoru fucked you through, bringing you close to overstimulation.

you wanted to tell him it was too much, but he had your own, soaked panties in your mouth, causing you to be quite inaudible. so many reasons to be uncomfortable yet you adored and wanted the entire. the fully body mirror that was across from you reflected the pornographic scene and felt yourself getting aroused all over again from the sight. drool dribbled from your mouth, tears rolling down your cheeks, satoru’s strained face. it only motivated you to go faster, milking his cock with your cunt eagerly.

satoru reached beside him, getting his cell phone and lazily opened up the camera app. he happily recorded the way you ricocheted your full ass on him, holding it and smacking it multiple times. once he was happy with the footage he had, he threw it phone to the side and he reaches around and takes the lacy material from your mouth, causing you to hack uncontrollably and lick your dry lips. he proceeded to grab your hips, digging crescent shaped dents into your skin. he pulled you to him, fucking you like he had gone batshit crazy.

he had you blabbering nonsense now that your mouth wasn’t restrained, but he managed to hear you say “’s too much!” and you stammered while moaning his name.

“too fucking bad. hold out just a bit longer, you weak slut,” he growled. “fuck...” you were reaching your high again, legs shaking viciously before they gave out and you imploded on your stomach on the bed. it didn’t stop him from ramming into you over and over again. you were so compliant to him. the way he fucked you was intoxicating. he made you crave sex more than you ever did in your life. “cum again for me baby, i’ll come with you.”

with both of your eyes screwed shut, you clenched around his slobbered cock, stomach convulsing violently and came hard. you practically screamed his name like you had no fucking sense. it’s because you didn’t. your psyche had gone clear and your body was numb. you couldn’t even process that satoru had came as well, rubbing excess semen in between your ass cheeks, watching strings of your release and his own drip from your gaping hole. he turned you around so that you were on your back and brought his hand, slapping you hard against your cheek, bringing you back to your senses.

“don’t scream like that again. y’lost your fucking mind,” he threatens you in a low, aggressive tone before snickering. he grabbed your delicate bosoms tenderly, scouring your stiff, aching areolas. you gasped intensely while sweat moved down your face, eyes half-lidded. he sucked your nipples graciously, running wet circles around them with his tongue. his ivory locks of hair tickled your skin, you bring your hand to run your fingers through it. he brought his lips to the space in between your breasts, sucking feverishly on your soft flesh until he could see visible marks form, leaving his mark on you.

“did i...did i do good...?” you breathed out, closing your eyes.

you felt his warm lips leave your skin and he chuckled softly before kissing you tenderly. “yes, yes you did. you did so well.” he was proud of himself for taming you, making you so docile to him. you were strong-willed and independent outside of the bed so seeing you lie here so pathetic under his gaze, losing yourself because of his touch was a sight to see. he felt lucky to have you...

you were truly such a beautiful girl. as embarrassed as he was for you when he first saw you flashing to all those people at that frat party, he silently admitted to himself that you looked fucking hot. if you weren’t so drunk that night he probably would’ve fucked you. he got his wish...eventually.

if anyone ever asked satoru why he has stayed with you for so long, he wouldn't have the option to offer an unmistakable response. whenever he was asked, he gave them a straightforward, “i love her.” he couldn’t quite understand how or what you did, but you allure him in a way no other person can. you unknowingly had him wrapped around your finger. he didn’t mind being tied down by you. well, that’s because he wasn’t entirely “tied down.” it was no secret that he sneaked around with other girls on campus, but what other option did he have? he was an addict. he couldn’t go a fucking day without burying himself in someone’s cunt - or someone’s ass, or getting his dick sucked by some whore after class. he couldn’t fuck you everyday. he didn’t want to use you for that purpose. you surprisingly meant something to him. he hoped all the warm gestures he gave you was enough to prove he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

[myrandomfandomramblings]

The Beach - a The Rookie/Chenford Fanfic

“7-Adam-11, show us responding,” Jackson said over the radio as Lucy leaned back against her headrest defeatedly.

“I didn’t think I’d ever say this but I really don’t want to go to the beach.” “Like ever again,” she added even as she took the first turn towards their destination. 

LA was 4 days into a record heat wave and over that time Lucy had learnt a few important things 1) Unsurprisingly, extreme heat causes everyone to flock to the ocean. 2) It also makes people extremely irritable. 3) Lots of irritable people packed together in large groups leads to chaos and 4) wool uniforms are not ideal attire for patrolling beaches in temperatures around 100. 

So after 4 days she was over it. She had spent Monday with Jackson getting sworn at, honked at and nearly run over as they directed traffic at the busiest beaches in the city. She spent Tuesday with Tim breaking up beach brawls, confiscating contributing alcohol and watching bikini clad woman flirt with Tim. At least 8 different woman had asked him to rub sunscreen on them or suggested he take off his shirt to cool down. She had rolled her eyes so much she had given herself a headache. Although it may have been the sun. Yesterday, her and Nolan and responded to a report of a missing child who was feared drowned or kidnapped but turned out had followed the music of an ice cream truck four blocks and was found, about 30 minutes after the officers arrived, happily eating a fudgiscle. However, they were kept at the beach for the remainder of their shift by various citizens with complaints ranging from seagulls, wasps and possible sharks to thieves, streakers and possible melanoma. 

Now her and Jackson were headed back to a beach where the adjacent shrubbery was currently being consumed by a blazing bush fire, which was in all likelihood human caused and spreading fast. Therefore all hands were on deck as the LAPD worked with the LAFD to keep civilians safe, extinguish the fire and investigate its cause.

The rest of her shift passed in a blur as they interviewed witnesses, cordoned off the area, issued evacuation orders, ensured those who needed it got medical attention, joined a production line passing large buckets of water from the ocean to where the fire was burning and debriefed with their team which included Nolan and Tim, and Lopez and Harper. Luckily in the end, the fire was successfully extinguished, those living nearby were safe and happily back in their homes and the perpetrator, a cigarette butt flicker, was caught. But not until nearly 11pm by which time the entire team was exhausted, scorching and covered in soot and ash. With their job done the team of 6 headed away from the scene back along the beach to where they had parked their shops. They were right on the sand where they left them to create a barrier preventing people from wandering toward the fire and the beach around them was abandoned. Likely due to a combination of the late hour, the fire itself and the fact that the stretch of beach they were on was only accessible by walking about a mile from one of the main beaches on either side or by scrambling down the steep cliff behind them.

“Anybody want a cold one,” Nolan asked when they reached the vehicles, “well a hot one I guess” he amended as he pulled out a six pack he had confiscated earlier in the day from the trunk of his shop. Everybody made a face at the offer of hot beer but since the only light around came from the shops headlights shining in the opposite direction Nolan didn’t see them.

“Screw it, I’ll take one,” Angela said.

“Wesley and Patrice took the baby to meet the extended Evers clan so I have nowhere to be and now that I’m no longer breastfeeding I can have whatever I want. Even if that’s gross beer that’s been sitting in a hot car all day,” she explained.

“If we dig a hole near the water line it will fill with cold seawater and we can make a makeshift beer fridge,” Jackson suggested but Angela had already opened her can and was sipping away.

“I’ll help dig the hole,” Nyla offered. “I’d rather hangout here then go back to the station to do paperwork and Lila’s with her dad so I also have no where I have to be.”

“I’ll call Grey and tell him we’re clocking out and will do the paperwork in the morning,” Tim offered.

“Your staying?” Lucy asked a little too excitedly, “what about Kojo?” she quickly added.

“Tamara called several hours ago and offered to give him dinner, take him for a walk and put him to bed.”“She saw the fire on the news and rightly assumed we’d have our hands full,” he finished.

30 minutes later they all sat in the sand around their makeshift beer fridge. Shoes, socks and button up shirts discarded and pants pulled up to their knees. 3 flashlights were in the middle of the group, pointing skyward, their handles buried in the sand. They laughed as they went around and told stories.

“How is it still this hot?” Lucy asked a while later.  It was after midnight and the temperature had yet to even consider dropping below 90. 

She pulled her white t-shirt away from her skin fanning, herself. 

“I’m going swimming,” she declared ready to stand up.

“Your going swimming? Right Now? In that?” Tim asked gesturing to her cotton tee and woolen pants.

Lucy shook her head. “I was just going to go in my underwear but now that I think about it I don’t really want to have to drive back to the station in soaking wet underwear.”

Tim nodded as if this is what he expected but Lucy didn’t see him and continued.

“I guess I’ll just skinny dip,” she concluded.

Tim managed to both spit out and choke on the sip of beer he had just taken.

Everybody else’s faces were turned towards Tim and wearing amused expressions but they were saved his annoyance due to the limited light and the fact that his attention was still fully on Lucy.

“What?” She asked Tim, “It’s not a big deal. It’s dark. Plus everybody here has already seen me naked.” 

“Well except you,” she added, which earned another spit take from Tim.

Lucy rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a smile. She loved seeing Tim flustered, especially when it was her doing.

“What?” He finally managed to ask in a strained voice after a few harsh coughs to clear his throat.

“Everybody here’s seen Lucy naked but you,” Lopez offered, “although that was bound to change sometime soon,” she added.

Lucy and Tim both turned to look at her wide eyed. Nolan and Nyla were both hiding smirks and Jackson wore an expression of mainly panic as he spoke.

“She’s drunk. She has no idea what she’s saying,” Jackson offered before turning to look daggers at Angela and whisper something in her ear.

Lucy thought she heard the words bet, interference and disqualified but she couldn’t be sure.

When he finished Angela addressed them again. “Sorry, apparently my tolerance took a nose dive since pre-pregnancy. I didn’t mean anything by that I got you mixed up with Smitty and what’s her face,” she finished waving her hand disparagingly.

“Hmm,” Lucy said clearly not buying her lame excuse but Tim still had his mind on other things.

“Why has everybody else here seen you naked?” he asked, his tone almost suspicious.

Lucy laughed. “Are you jealous?”

He fixed her with his best TO look. “No.”

Lucy suppressed the urge to roll her eyes yet again and answered.

“Communal showers at work,” she began gesturing to Nyla and Angela. “Best friends and roommates” she added pointing to Jackson. “Life gets crazy. Sometimes closing doors or throwing on clothes just isn’t a priority,” she explained seeing Tim’s confused expression. “Also we had to help each other into and out of the bath after we were injured.” She didn’t have to specify her kidnapping or the beating Jackson took to take down Doug Stanton. This group knew. “It’s kind of ironic that when everything hurts all you want is a warm bath but when everything hurts it’s nearly impossible to get yourself into and out of a bathtub,” she finishes. “Oh and Nolan and I used to date.” She says it as almost an afterthought, super casual. But all the former TOs still look at her with shock.

“You and Nolan?” Nyla asks with a laugh. “Really?” “No offense,” she adds addressing Nolan.

“Ah, none taken?” Nolan replies, clearly confused by her reaction.

“When?” Lopez asks looking between the two P2s.

“For a couple months while we were in the academy. We called it off shortly after we started at Mid-Wilshire,” Nolan supplied.

“Wow, I just can’t picture it,” Angela continued shaking her head.

“Why would you want to picture it?” Tim spat. Then seemed to catch himself and schooled his scowl back into a blank expression.

“Why’d you call it off, anyway?” Angela asked. Half actually curious. Half just trying to do her friend a solid and take the attention off him.

“Bishop warned me that dating a fellow cop would brand me and could ruin my career,” Lucy answered and thought she saw Tim flinch. It was impossible to tell for sure with just the flashlights, nevertheless she added, “Somethings matter more-“ she was staring right at Tim now “-are worth the gossip, the assumptions, the risk.” As she said it she saw his expression change but she couldn’t read it. “But our relationship wasn’t one of those things. We’re better as friends, anyway,” she finished addressing the whole group but looking at Nolan specifically for confirmation.

“Agreed,” Nolan nodded holding up his beer.

“To friends,” Jackson said clicking his to Nolan’s.

“To friends,” everybody joined in clinking their cans together.

“So who’s coming skinny dipping with me?” Lucy asked as she started to make her way back to the vehicles where she could leave her clothes in a place where they’d stay sand free.

“I will,” said Angela, “pregnancy and caring for a baby really makes modesty go out the window. The two beers I’ve had don’t hurt either.” She began to follow Lucy to the cars.

“I’m in,” Jackson offered, “with you two practically glowing in the dark nobody will even notice me.” He teased as he got up to join them, earning a playful shove from Lucy.

“Nobody’s here to see anything anyway.” She retorted.

“Go ahead. I might join you later.” Nolan said and Nyla and Tim nodded in agreement.

10 minutes later. Lucy, Angela and Jackson’s clothes were inside Jackson and Lucy’s shop and they were out in the ocean. It dropped off quickly so they weren’t that far away from the beach even though the water came to just below Lucy’s shoulders. After four days of blazing heat and the fire on top today, the cool water felt like heaven to her. She dipped and dove through the water, relishing the cool and wiped at her face and hands to remove the soot that had coated them earlier. Beside her Angela was trying to show Jackson what her son does when they put him in the water. This led to reminiscing about childhood summers spent at the beach or in backyard and community pools. And before they knew it they were playing old games from those days. John and Nyla had joined them by this time. Claiming some combination of escaping the heat, joining the fun and more beer as the motivation. They were currently having breath holding contests.

“I win!” Jackson exclaimed as he came up for air to find everyone else already up.

“You cheated,” Lucy argued, “I saw you come up while I was still under. I had my eyes open.”

“I did not. Plus it’s pitch black under there you couldn’t possibly have seen anything.”

“Did Jackson come up?” Lucy yelled at Tim who was still sitting on the shore.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t watching,” he replied casually with a slight shrug.

“Yes you were,” Angela argued, “you haven’t taken your eyes off Lucy since she got in here,” then realizing what she said she quickly ducked back under the water. 

Everybody still above the surface froze.

Then after a beat. “So did he come up or not. I need to know if I won,” Nyla asked, all business.

“He floated to the surface but didn’t lift his head up. He won,” Tim offered defeatedly.

“Told you!” Jackson bragged.

“Rematch. 3,2,1 go,” shouted Nyla as everybody ducked back under the water. Lucy a split second behind everybody else as her attention was still on Tim. 

She came up about 30 seconds later just as a wave was passing by her and managed to swallow a good serving of water. She coughed and sputtered but before she knew it Jackson and Nolan were beside her and she was assuring them she was Ok just needed a bit of time to catch her breath. As she swam towards the shore to rest in the shallows she noticed Tim was just sitting back down and his pants were wet to just above the knee. But she didn’t let herself focus on it.

She swam to just in front of where he sat laying on her stomach on the ocean floor, head just above the water.

“You OK?” He asked shifting his eyes to her for the first time since she swam up.

“Ya fine, just swallowed a little water,” she assured him.

“Looks like you guys are having fun out there,” he nodded indicating the group still farther out.

“Ya the water feels amazing. You can’t honestly tell me that you aren’t hot.” She had meant it literally. He was sitting in above 90 degree weather with wool pants on. But then she realized he had taken off his white shirt and his muscled chest and stomach were currently on full display and the word took on an entirely different meaning. She was thankful for the darkness as it hid her blush but even that couldn’t hide the fact that she was definitely staring. 

“The ladies on the beach the other day will be so disappointed they’re missing this,” she teased gesturing to his bare upper half, hoping to give a probable explanation for the staring.

He gave a short laugh. “Not as disappointed as the meat bags who were wolf whistling at you will be that they’re missing that.” As he gestured at her he finally let himself actually take her in. Her hair was still up in its low work bun leaving her entire back exposed. The upper half of which was completely taken up by a tattoo, he had never seen before, although the light was too limited for him to make out the design. The rest of her body was hidden in shadows except her face which was now free of soot and make-up making her look young and vulnerable. Freckles brought out by the last few days of blazing sun were speckled across the bridge of her nose. Her mouth was twisted in thought and her eyes sparkled in the light of the flashlights. She really was beautiful.

While those thoughts flew through Tim’s mind Lucy was thinking about his comment about the wolf whistlers. That had happened at the very start of their shift and lasted no more than two seconds. Lucy wasn’t even sure they had been whistling at her and she had completely forgotten about it until Tim brought it up just now. Funny that he would remember. 

 They were both pulled out of their thoughts by a sudden commotion further out in the water:

“DID YOU NOT THERE IS NO PIE!”

“DO NOT THERE IS NO DIE!”

“DO OR DO NOT THERE IS NO TRY!”

Were being yelled over each other.

“What are they doing?” Tim asked looking at the group out in the water.

They were in a circle. Jackson had just given Nolan a high five then they were under again.

“I think they are playing the guess what I said under the water game,” Lucy chuckled.

Tim was about to reply but he was cut off by “How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood” being shouted in unison followed by bickering about who said it first.

“I’m going back out to join them. You going to come?” Lucy asked turning her attention from the group back to Tim.

“I don’t need to be a part of that.”

“Come on Tim. You’re hot and dirty.” She still meant it literally. Really. He was covered in soot. Stupid double entendres.

He raised is eyebrows.

“Just get in the water,” Lucy said splashing water at him to vent her frustration with how flustered she was getting.

He wiped the water from his face and a small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. “Fine.”

Lucy beamed back at him as he stood up and walked back to the shop to discard his remaining clothes then turned her attention back to her friends.

“It’s not Angeles Direct, you’ve already guessed that three times,” Nyla was saying to Jackson

“That’s what it sounds like,” he argued “and it’s definitely closer to that than ‘embroidery period.’”

“That was my first guess. I heard wrong,” Nyla shot back.

“Oh ya cuz ‘and was dressed’ and ‘indoors divest’ were so much closer.”

Any further argument was cut-off by Nolan. “I’ve got it: Angela’s the best,” he said confidently.

“Yes and yes,” Angela confirmed.

“Your turn Nyla.” 

There was a brief silence as they all went back under the water followed by a flurry of screamed “this is stupid.”

“Happy now?” Came a quieter voice beside her and Lucy nearly jumped out of the water. She had been so wrapped up watching her friends she hadn’t even noticed that Tim had made his way back down the beach and was now sitting beside her in the water.

She smiled and nodded. “Aren’t you?”

He gave a non-committal shrug. “We’ll see after I get roped into whatever’s going on out there,” he offered but there was no bite to it. He was even smiling, although mostly with his eyes, as he looked at their friends.

“Well let’s go find out,” Lucy replied as she led the way into the deeper water.

As they approached the group they watched them go up and down and listened to their guesses.

“And further than game”

“Comforters at game”

“Temperatures endgame”

“Stanford is endgame”

“Checkers is a game.” “At least that’s a real sentence”

“Bradford has game?” “That can’t be right he most definitely doesn’t”

Then just as Tim and Lucy joined the group “Chenford is endgame!” Shouted by Angela who upon realizing Tim and Lucy had joined them turned to Jackson.

“This ones not on me it was your sentence.”

Jackson stood stunned for a second looking desperately between Tim, Lucy and Angela then swiftly closed his eyes and yelled “MARCO.”

There was a brief silence then Nolan yelled “POLO” and everyone was swimming away from Jackson at top speed. Everyone except Tim who was giving Lucy a look that said. “See what you got me into? I told you so.” 

But she was busy swimming off with the others, grateful for the distraction. So he rolled his eyes and joined the game. The water did feel amazing although he wasn’t about to admit that to her.

Calls of MARCO POLO and laughter filled the air as everybody took their turn being it: Jackson tagged Nolan who tagged Lucy who tagged Nyla who tagged Jackson who tagged Tim who tagged Nolan who tagged Angela who tagged Jackson who tagged Tim who tagged Lucy. Well he meant to tag Lucy. He reached his arm out and jumped towards her “POLO” but she was closer than he thought and instead of the tips of his finger tagging her shoulder he jumped right into her. He hit her hard and she responded to being knocked off her feet and down into the water instinctively by reaching for the nearest thing to prevent drowning, which happened to be him. So when he opened his eyes her arms were around his neck and her legs around his hips and her face was only about an inch from his own as she coughed up water for the second time that day.

“Are you ok?” He asked moving a piece of hair that had fallen into her face behind her ear.

She nodded but continued to cough as he absentmindedly stroked her back.

 “You caught me by surprise,” she breathed “I didn’t know we were playing full contact Marco Polo.”

He let out a relieved laugh, “I’m sorry.”

“A real Tim Bradford apology I never thought I’d see it in person,” Lucy teased earning an eye roll from Tim. This close Lucy could see all the different shades of blue in his eyes even in the dark. 

“It was an accident.”

“So it wasn’t some sort of Tim Test to see how I would handle a fight in the water?”

“No. You got your last Tim test a year ago when you stopped being my rookie.”

“I can’t believe it’s been a year already,” she said. “Then again we’ve been through enough for an entire career,” she added as her hand reflexively moved from his neck where it was playing with his hair to the tattoo on her her ribs.

That’s when it dawned on her just how close her and Tim were, pressed together without a shred of clothing between them. She had felt so comfortable and content she hadn’t realized the gravity of the situation and what it could lead to. She was about to put some space between them when his hand covered hers over the tattoo marking her supposed day of death. The day he saved her from being buried alive. Although he would say it marked the first day of the rest of her life. The day she saved herself. 

And the desire to move away died in an instant. 

“I kept it,” she said quietly, “because of what you said.” “Because it’s a reminder that I’m a survivor. And that my team will always have my back.”

Tim was looking at her with an expression more open than she’d ever seen. “I have one of those,” he replied softly lifting her hand up and moving it to rest on his lower left abdomen. She was confused at first but as she felt the skin beneath her finger tips she realized it was scarred. The scar from when he was shot on her second day and she pulled him out of the line of gunfire.

She smiled and looked directly into his eyes. 

“It’s a good thing we have each other in our lives,”

“Sure is,”

She was just about to lean in and close the distance between them when a voice interrupted.

“Hey you two. Keep it PG or get a room. This is a family outing.” It was Nyla.

Lucy laughed as she untangled her self from Tim and in that moment she realized two things. 1) this was most definitely her family and 2) she would very happily come back to the beach. Maybe next time she’d just bring Tim, maybe even as her boyfriend.

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Lineage

“In the world of dragons, All dragons are the offspring of the Dark King, directly or indirectly. The Dark King is the source of all dragon lineage, Yanling and Hybrids in the world. It is said that his wings can obliterate the sky and cover a mountain and the realm of his Yanling could cover half the planet.” 

Professor Guderian lectured his class “Dragon Lineages 101” in the largest hall in Cassell, able to seat up to 80 people, but this class was comparatively small, about 25, and composed entirely of Freshmen. It’s also the oldest hall. The original frescos still lined the top of the domed ceiling, with scenes of war, men bearing spears, bows bent back with arrows and fire breathing dragon opponents that dwarfed them.

These scenes and Guderian’s words convinced Tigre that he’d seen the actual Dark King in his vision - that voice that could shake the ground and shake his bones from the inside out, those wings that obscured the moon in the sky. When he stood on the throne, a great flock of dragons surged up and he was caught up in it.

This simple lesson was already taught to him, but in pictures.

He rested his cheek in his hand, looking up at the ceiling. On the first class of the first day of school, he had already convinced himself that he was right where he needed to be. He sighed, dreamily contented.

A sharp elbow interrupted his euphoria. Porsche brought his attention back to the lesson.

“Dragons are grouped by their generations.” Guderian switched on a slideshow of a chart. “Generally speaking, the closer a dragon’s lineage is to first or second generation, the smarter, stronger, and more capable it is, and the higher tier Yanling it has. The Dark King is Generation Zero, above the the first generation.” 

“The known first generation includes the Light King and the Four Lords that were directly created by the Dark King. The Four Lords control the four classical elements of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water, and the Light King controls the fifth element of Spirit. Each of the Four Lords are actually twins of dragons who can combine their bodies to attain their ultimate powers. The Light King may have been a set of twins as well but evolved to transmit her genes via parasite. Next slide.”

“The Second Generation is far more numerous, created by the Four Lords and are called ‘princes’. A very high class prince is called a ‘lord’, not to be confused with the Four Lords. All prince-level dragons are recorded by their names and there are a few dozen of them. Next slide.”

“The third generation and below are exponentially weaker. They’re still stronger than humans but it’s easy for humans and the modern Hybrids to deal with them with weapons and manpower.”

Outside the lecture hall, umbrellas bloomed like black flowers under the steady rain. The students without the foresight to bring umbrellas dashed through the rain with their backpacks over their heads.

“I wonder what lineage I am.” Tigre mused, walking alongside the sisters.

“Given your high level of ranking on the test? First Gen for sure. Only First Gen can reach S level. The lower generations don’t resonate as well because they don’t have as much access to those high level genes needed to rank that high. Cassell wants the strongest hybrids here. So they really want the high quality first generation genes to fight in the war. That’s why the 3E is important. If you want to kill the Dragon Kings, you need Dragon King level lineages for hybrids.” Ruby helpfully explained as she walked alongside her sisters.

“You’re rank A. So that means you’re first generation as well?” Tigre asked.

“That’s correct, though our family lineage dramatically improved in one generation. It’s quite interesting. We had a few A-ranks in our family, my mother is A-ranked, married to A-ranked in the hopes of getting one A-ranked child, but she got three. Some would say that the appearance of more high level hybrids from around the world at Cassell College, from areas where previously few or none existed, is a bad sign. A sign that the awakening of the Dark King will happen very soon.” Celeste said softly.

“I don’t really see the connection.” Tigre scratched his head.

“There was one S-ranked student before Lu Mingfei around twenty ago but now we have two within 3 years and the ratio of A-rankers has increased as well. The voice of the Dark King could span the world and suppress every dragon within it. It would makes sense that the stirring of the Dark King could cause a reaction in those who are already attuned. They call it “Blood Call Theory.” Of course, this is just a theory with no proof.”

Tigre went quiet. The only person who called him was Chu Zihang. Before seeing that man, he never felt a special kinship with anything. He didn’t understand the existence of dragons until he heard the words through the speaker at the 3E test. This ‘Blood Call’ theory didn’t seem to apply to him.

At the same time, when he heard the recording through the music, he recognized and responded immediately and without question. Something had been there all his life, but he had no point of reference. Even if he had been called, he couldn’t respond.

He couldn’t remember anything outside that basement. He wasn’t born there was he? People should have fathers and mothers be they dragons or humans. Everything he learned at Cassell, he associated it with his 3E vision. But he was an adult, alive for two decades. Beyond the 3E, there was only the hospital and the dark cave-like cage where he fought and ate and slept. No parents, no childhood.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Ruby asked. “You look upset about something.

Tigre lifted his head and looked at the three girls who stared at him in rapt attention. “Oh… I was just trying to understand.”

“Do you feel like something is calling you?” Celeste asked carefully.

“No. I was trying to remember if I heard something like a Blood Call. But I… I don’t remember anything.”

“Don’t remember anything? Do you have amnesia?” Porsche who had been texting contentedly as she walked suddenly caught up from where she’d fallen behind.

“Amnesia…”

“It’s when you lose your memories. Like you hit your head or something and you can’t remember your past. Tigre is a weird name. That’s probably not your real name.” 

“Porsche.” Ruby interrupted. “I think maybe we should change the subject.”

“Why?” She put her phone away, tilting her head to look up at him. “Tigre. Aren’t you interested in where you come from? You were saying that you wanted to know which Lineage you had. Who gave you the name Tigre?”

“I don’t know. That’s just what people called me…” The shadowy figures that opened the cage. They called him and woke him up and opened the cage and let out the monsters to feed him. They called ‘Tigre’ and told him to ‘come and get it’. That was the extent of his human contact that he could recall. He felt a pain in his heart, like it was being squeezed.

“What people?”

“Porsche stop! You’re upsetting him.”

Tigre wiped at his face and smiled. “It’s just the rain. Don’t worry.”

[allicekitty13]

Born To Run: Chapter 1

Mary-Alice Brandon has just returned to her hometown after an incident causing her to relocate just a year ago. Meanwhile, Jasper has become increasingly frustrated with his home life and decides to uncover just what exactly his brother had been hiding. In 1957 two people, with two drastically different personalities meet for the first time. Will their worlds clash or will they realize the only ones they can truly trust with their secrets are each other.

Read On Ao3

Read On FFN

Her eyes fluttered open at the prompting chime of her alarm clock currently ringing on the bedside table to her right. Mustering up as much energy as possible when one was just pulled promptly frum slumber, Alice rolled from the comfortable position on her side to lie flat on her back. Despite the powder blue clock still ringing throughout her bedroom, Alice couldn't help but to reflect on the wonderful dream she'd been having.

In the night vision, she'd been back in Paris shopping with her step-sister Kate. Being in France the past year had been like a dream come true, a much-needed break from the reality she'd been forced to return to. Kate was newly engaged and thus had decided to return home to Nevada with Alice and her fiance, Garrett, in tow. 

Alice's stomach grumbled loudly and painfully, pulling her from the reminiscing session. She snapped her eyes shut tightly, attempting to ignore the alarm's offending bell and the painful ache in her stomach.  Of course, it was no use; her vacation was over. It was time to come down from the clouds and return to reality. Needing to focus on one issue at a time and the alarm still prompting to her side currently being the most prominent, Alice took a deep breath accepting her fate. Summing the energy to flick the little tab on top of the clock to the off position effectively silenced the alarm blanketing the room in silence. 

Willing herself to sit up fully, Alice removed the pale pink sleeping mask covering her eyes, finally greeting the day. She pulled the plush comforter away from her small body and swung her left over the mattress, placing her feet in the house slippers kept neatly next to the bed. She pulled the think pink satin robe that hung from her bedpost over her thin shoulders as she crossed the room to the window overlooking the back garden. Pulling open the lace curtains, Alice gazed down at the flowers.

It was just before dawn, her favorite time of the day. Alice reveled in the way the dim twilight touched down on the beautiful flowers and the small white iron bench she had coerced her father into placing in the middle of the lovely space. The scene was peaceful; day had started, although night hadn't quite ended. Nature reflecting how nothing was black and white; there were gray areas in everything, in everyone. Nothing like the reality she would be walking into in only a few hours. 

Turning her attention back to the clock, the small teen accepted that she had been staring out the window, lost in thought for far too long. Something her step-father, whom she was meant to meet for breakfast shortly, was regularly scolding her for.

She didn't remember her biological father, and her mother rarely spoke of the man. The facts she had were that her parents had been wed young in an arranged marriage in 1938, Edgar Brandon had been drafted to join the war just two years after Alice was born. The man had gone missing in action, presumed dead. 

Shortly after Alice's fourth birthday, Lilian had met a charming man by the name of Eleazar Burke. Before the year was out, the happy couple were married. Eleazar was the only father Alice had ever known. The now seventeen-year-old adored her unusual family; Kate was more than she could have ever asked for in an older sibling they, of course, fought at times but very close. While they may not be biologically related, Alice couldn't imagine a kinder, more understanding father in Eleazar. He loved all three of his daughters, including Alice, equally never playing favorites. He didn't play favorites, distributing the wealth and opportunity attached to his name evenly between the three girls.

Once she'd gotten moving, preparing for the day came like second nature. She now stood in front of the mirror with her hair and makeup done. She was fully dressed in her favorite skirt and sweater set, complete with the new petticoat she had picked up shopping with Kate over the summer. She'd been saving it specifically for her first day at school back in her hometown since the incident. The way it flared out the red skirt was both fashionable and made her hips look just a bit thicker. The matching cardigan hung somewhat loose, also in line with the current trends while slightly masking the frailness of her frame. She smoothed down the skirt and straightened out her pan collar perfectly before pinning both sides down with the lucky pearl collar pins inherited from her maternal grandmother. Alice took one final look in the mirror with a deep breath and silent prayer. She plastered a smile on her face, ready to face the day.

Meanwhile, across town, Jasper Whitlock was in for a quite literal rude awakening. "Wake up, sleepyhead. We're gonna' be late for school." With a groan of annoyance, Jasper opened his eyes to the familiar face of his cousin Rosalie. The sassy blonde was simultaneously one of his favorite people yet also the curse of his existence. Jasper frequently shifted between feelings of gratefulness for having such a fun-loving relative living next door and wishing her family had never moved across the country to help out after his mother's passing.

With her presently standing next to his bed, hands on her hips, very likely fully prepared to throw something at him if he didn't get moving. He was currently feeling the latter. "Since when do you care about school?" He groaned, sitting up on the thin mattress lying on the floor. "More importantly, why are you here, and how did you get in my room?"

"The door, your dads passed out again and it was unlocked." Rosalie shrugged, crossing the room to take a seat at the only chair not covered in clothing, sheet music, or records as she examined her nails. "Anyway, I don't care about school, but I don't want to miss the fireworks, so we're at least going to morning classes. Now, get up and get dressed."

"What are you yammering on about?" Jasper responded as he threw the worn, tattered blankets to the side and grabbed a white t-shirt from its place, lazily shoved into an already open dresser drawer directly to the side of his mattress.

"Mary-Alice Brandon is coming back today."

"Yeah," The other teen rolled his eyes. "Well fuck Mary-Alice Brandon."

"Oh, come on, tell me you don't care about the inherent entertainment of watching everyone flock back to following her lead and leaving poor Charlotte in the dust."

"You're demented."

"You know how petty high school politics amuse me so." The tall blonde woman shrugged before she stood straightening out her leather jacket as she crossed the room. "At least come to support your best friend? Charlotte is either going to be elated or upset. If it's the latter, it's going to make Pete upset. Relationships are kind of like dominos that way. Now hurry up, Riley's waiting outside, and we need a ride, oh favorite cousin of mine."

With that, Rosalie confidently strutted out of her cousin's room, down that hallway. In the Whitlock's living room, her mother and uncle were engaged in the same decade-old argument they'd been having from the moment Ruth and Joseph Hale had packed up their family moving from New York to Nevada. Rosalie had only been one at the time, having no memory of what actually happened. The backlash, however, had caused a ripple effect through the lives of everyone in the family. Because of this, it was no secret that Irene Whitlock had passed away shortly after Jasper's birth. That uncle Thomas had fallen into deep despair losing his job and drinking the days away. 

It was concern for the boys, James and Jasper, that had prompted the move. Her mother so worried for her nephew's well being that they'd relocated their entire lives to be there and help take care of them. It was meant to be temporary until Thomas got back on his feet. Seventeen years later, the siblings were still arguing over it. Her mother pleading for the man to think of his children. 

Unwilling to witness the same fight yet again, Rosalie left the house and headed to the street where her twin brother stood leaning against Jasper's car. "Is he coming?" Riley asked, disinterestedly kicking absently at the pavement, scuffing up his shoes in the process. 

"Yeah, I had to guilt-trip him, but he's coming."

Just as the words had left Rosalie's mouth, the seventeen-year-old in question came shuffling out of the house. Once the door was carefully and quietly shut behind him, Jasper's demeanor shifted, and he confidently stalked down the sidewalk, climbing into his car without uttering a single word. No sooner had the twins piled into the vehicle behind him than Jasper had peeled out of the driveway headed in the direction of the local high school, barely giving Riley enough time to pull the door shut.

Outside the school, Peter, Jasper's best friend, a tall boy with dark hair, was standing in the parking lot talking to Charlotte. The pair had begun dating over the summer, much to Jasper's annoyance. Their relationship had started in the fall when the girl had entered the antique shop owned by Jasper's uncle that Peter worked in part-time. The two had hit it off as instant friends. Despite a plethora of drama involving Charlotte's now ex-boyfriend Demetri and her friend Jane, the pair had entered into a romantic relationship.

While Jasper didn't particularly care for the girl or her crowd, Peter was gone for her. So the teen put up with Charlotte, and more often than he'd like the teenage queens who followed her around like puppies. Over time, though he would die before admitting it to anyone, he'd even begun to almost like her.

So, when he exited his car, Jasper nodded in greeting to the new couple from across the parking lot before turning to his own social circle in the parking space next to his own. The teens were gathered around admiring Benjamin's new car that he'd won in a race just a few weeks prior. Maria, one of his oldest friends having grown up in the same neighborhood, was already stretched out across the hood leaning back against the windshield. A cigarette burned from its place tucked loosely between her fingers as she chatted with Lucy and Nettie about their plans for the afternoon once they'd ditched.

Jasper was well aware that most if any of the assembled teenagers would be ducking out before the end of the school day. Personally, he intended to be long gone as soon as Rosalie's attention was elsewhere. Which, judging by how engaged she seemed to be in her conversation with Benjamin and Randall on the mechanical details of the new car, wouldn't be long. However, he was already here, and it wouldn't hurt to at least stay for first period. So he elected to join in on Riley, Makenna, and Charles's conversation about the new Buddy Holly single.

Jasper had just made plans with the latter two to head to the local diner later and play the song on the jukebox when Peter, followed closely by Charlotte, headed over to collect his best friend for homeroom. Bidding his friends goodbye, Jasper followed the other boy, his girlfriends, and the group of students she associated with into the building where their lockers were located. As always, because lockers were assigned alphabetically by surname, Peter and Jasper's lockers were right next to each other. 

Not planning on being an active student, let alone showing up at school more often than necessary, Jasper hadn't brought alone anything to warrant keeping in a locker. So, he took a seat on a bench located under a window next to the set of lockers letting the other teens chat as they placed their belonging in the metal storage structures. 

"Is that Mary-Alice?" Eric Yorke, a rather talkative and, in Jasper's opinion, annoying boy gasped out capturing his and Charlotte's attention. The latter turned away from her conversation with Bella and Jane to look at the boy in confusion. 

Charlotte had known her best friend was back in town, but when they'd spoken earlier Alice, as she'd decided to begin going by dropping the first half of her name, had stated her parents would allow the tiny teen to skip the first week of classes. Being an exceptional student well on the way to becoming valedictorian, and taking the incident into consideration, the school had happily accommodated.

"I thought you said she wasn't coming back until next week Char?" Bella spoke quietly, her eyes now following the same trajectory of Eric's

"Looks like the reign of Charlotte is over." Mike snickered, also staring at the top of the stairwell. Following her friends' gaze, Charlotte's expression quickly morphed from one of confusion to that of utter delight. 

Jasper didn't care much for the particulars of high school politics. Prior to Peter's entanglement with Charlotte, the name Mary-Alice had been nothing more than a blip on his radar. The two ran in vastly different circles, he being a proud greaser surrounding himself with like-minded truants who cared more about races and the newest records than anything else. She, a spoiled overachiever. The goody-two-shoes type who headed every committee whose word the majority of student's hung on. Still, even he'd noticed when the girl had disappeared a year ago. So, he turned his attention to the sight that had captured everyone's attention, curious as to what the commotion was about.

 He was met with the sight of a girl who's smile was so pure she almost seemed to glow. Short despite her blatant attempt to make up the difference with the kitten heels she wore. Her slightly curly hair was a chocolate-colored brown rested just short of her chin. Based on the perfect angles of her collar and the way she kept nervously smoothing out her skirt, it was apparent that she'd taken great care to ensure every aspect of her appearance was perfect. His dislike for the teen was instant; he hardly tried to hide the scowl from his face as he watched her scan the hallway. Once her blue eyes landed upon the small group, she burst into a bright smile and a somehow graceful run down the stairwell.

"Charlotte!" Alice exclaimed in a melodic chirp as she reached the gathering. 

"Alice!" The taller girl responded with equal enthusiasm throwing her arms around her friend. "What are you doing at school?" She questioned the smile never leaving her face as she released her friend.

"Papa thought it might be best to just jump right in if I was up for it since I'm home already." Her smile faltered at the statement but returned quickly. "Who are our new friends?" She asked catching sight of Jasper and Peter eyeing the two with curiosity. The former of whom rolled his eyes at the assumption, he was not nor would her ever be her friend.

Jasper opened his mouth to inform this 'Mary-Alice' of as much, but Charlotte responded before he could get the words out. "Alice," She stated grabbing Peter's hand. "This is Peter, my boyfriend. And that's his best friend Jasper."

"Wow," Alice's eyes widened. "I have missed a lot. It's lovely to meet you both." She smiled once again as she took a seat on the bench next to Jasper, expertly tucking her skirt underneath her slim legs as she descended. "The four of us should go bowling after school; I'd love to get to know the both of you better."

Jasper's annoyance grew at the suggestion, unable to put up with anymore he stood in a haste. "That's never going to happen." He shot the small girl a glare and stormed down the hall out of the building. Forget Rosalie, he thought approaching his vehicle in the parking lot. Forget school, and most of all forget Mary-Alice Brandon.

[enygmass]

Title: Fragments

Author: Ames

Wordcount: 2355

Fandom: Not batman for once [whoa]

Synopsis: Brief glimpses of Nikolai’s life from birth (ish??) to the first scene of the game

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So I haven’t written one-shots in so long, but I discovered the game Monstrata Fracture like a hot min ago and haven’t been able to get it off my mind so like… if you wanna bag yourself a monster babe then you should jump over to @astralore [or their itchi.io] and check it out, i’m js... ^^

Anyway I may be botching this but I a) love Nikolai and b) love delving into characters pasts, so let's rock and roll, kids

Everything this is based on was snagged from the game play, mythology books, and lore that was answered on the blog 

____________________________

When the eggs were retrieved from the ocean, the fortune teller had announced that the speckling on the shell of the seventh egg looked “off.” The second fortune teller agreed, and the third one had not protested the former declaration.The three fortune tellers were sisters, renowned for the accuracy of their predictions, and for them to state such a thing with brutal bluntness brought immediate attention to this small, stunted, seventh egg. Albeit, a declaration that this seventh child would bring great things had come along with the unusual spotting, yes, but the unusual spotting was what stood most clear in the minds of all who were present. 

The young mothers did their best to pay it no heed. Alkonosts were superstitious by nature. Their ancestors had brought with them tales of dangers in the woods, of beasts in the snowdrifts, and of consequences for every action. Once, this declaration of unusual spotting may have brought dread to the ears of any parent, but the two mothers were of a more modern mentality. They thanked the sisters, inclining their heads with grace, before sweeping the eggs up into their arms and leaving. 

Seven eggs, seven children, and the seventh, to be a son. 

_____________________________

Nikolai could not recall the exact procedure that led him to become a he. 

What he could recall were colours. Colours of all kinds; reds, golds, blues, greens. It was a myriad of hues that swirled before his naive eyes. He remembered that he had tried to speak. He had wanted to say something to his mothers, perhaps ask them what the colours represented, but he was silenced by a talon coming down and pressing upon his chest like a weight. 

Then, with the colours, there had suddenly been pain. Magic always had a consequence. This was a concept that had been drilled into the minds of any species that lived in their realm. Any entity that used magic, was exposed to magic, or even so much as learned about magic, knew that it took as much as it gave.

It felt like he was being reborn. 

A part of him wondered why he had agreed to this, although the reward held greater merit. To be able to feel like he was truly himself made the process worthwhile. Not to mention that the sprawling records of their family lineage that his mothers’ kept locked away indicated that he was not the first one in their family line to go through with this procedure.  

The process overall lasted minutes, but to Nikolai, it felt like centuries. It was only when the colours faded away and the bombardment of sensations fell to a dull thrumming in his mind did he become aware of his mothers’ voices. 

“Take him back to his room. The recovery process…”

“The recovery process can be tedious.” Another voice, less familiar and more jarring, cut his mothers’ protests short. Nikolai struggled to see who the owner was as the world seemed to spin in front of his eyes. He could make out the form of another Alkonost woman, with brown feathers meticulously groomed, standing a few feet away. Her lips were pursed in a thin line and her golden eyes were fixated on someone behind Nikolai’s prone form. 

“But it has never failed. He’ll be fine within a few days.” Another shift, and Nikolai felt himself being lifted from his position on the floor. The Alkonost woman’s gaze moved to meet Nikolai’s and her lips, if possible, drew into an even tighter line. “Contact us if problems arise, although I think there won’t be. I highly doubt the one who is supposed to be destined for ‘great things’ will be going away any time soon.”

With that, she turned away as the world in front of Nikolai’s eyes faded to black. 

______________________________

“Nikolai.” The voice of his teacher snapped Nikolai out of his daze, forcing him to turn his gaze from the treeline outside to the front of the classroom. An Alkonost woman stood at the front, her grey feathers adorned with silver, and a small smile tugging at her lips. “You’re lost, again.” 

“Not lost,” Nikolai was quick to protest as he straightened his back. “Just thinking.” 

“And what were we thinking of today?” The amusement was not lost in her tone as she settled herself on the edge of her desk. Her name was Lada, and she had been teaching him and his sisters to sing since they were hatchlings. His mothers’ could have taught them, but they were too busy with their political careers. Hence why Lada was in their lives. 

Singing was, unsurprisingly, a major part of an Alkonosts life. Singing was involved in everything they did: celebrations, mourning, daily routines, even mundane tasks such as cleaning often led to a chorus of songs from the flock engaged. One of the most profound memories Nikolai held was singing at a chapel during a Christmas celebration. The way the chapel had been lit in a brilliant golden glow, with holly entwining its columns, and how the room had been filled with Alkonost of all colour and kind singing with their glorious voices, was burned into his mind. He held onto it with every ounce of strength he had, in fear that he would never experience it again. 

“The regulations.” He spoke what he thought because he knew that Lada would find out either way. The regulations were on his mind a lot lately. His mothers had taken him aside and explained that his family, in particular, were under government watch for the use of their voices. An average Alkonost could wipe an individual's memories for 12-24 hours with the right training. Nikolai’s family could wipe them for more than 48. In fact, an ancestor of his had been known to have a voice that could wipe memories for years, if she so chose. 

“Ah.” Lada’s smile slipped and she fixed him with a more stern look. “What about the regulations?”

The question was so simple, but enough to cause Nikolai’s shoulders to tense up. It was no secret that the regulations were greatly protested by many Alkonost, but there were a few in the mixes—Lada included—who believed they saw the benefits of the regulations. 

“They’re unethical, that’s what,” Nikolai was quick to snap with his response, his brow furrowing as he turned to face his tutor. “Why should we be restricted when our gift doesn’t even make it into the harmful category of magic? Vampires have no restrictions on their compulsion abilities, and I dare say that being able to persuade someone to do something like slaughter their family is much more dire than causing memory loss for a day. Not to mention the lack of restrictions on Banshees, Fae, or even Kelpies. God knows their abilities are worth a ban.” 

Lada’s expression betrayed no emotions as she folded her talons on her lap, allowing Nikolai his brief vent. It was only when there was a pause for breath between his rants did she speak. 

“You’re forgetting, Nikolai, that many of the individuals you’ve listed have their own struggles they deal with. Yes, they may not have restrictions, but they’re subjected to far worse.” Lada’s lips twisted to a grimace as she fixed him with a stern gaze. “Like the slave trade, for example. No Alkonost is subject to that, but I can tell you that many Kelpies are.” 

The slave trade. It was one of Lada’s main points to bring up whenever they got into this debate. Nikolai was young, yes, but he was well educated in what the slave trade incorporated. Many Alkonost and other higher-class species had a hand in its ongoing, and it wasn’t uncommon to hear it discussed at Alkonost events. Nikolai bit his tongue. It was better to not discuss those kinds of things with Lada; she usually found a way to make several fair points to counter any objection Nikolai voiced. He wasn’t a fan of the trade either, but his resentment didn’t run as deep as Lada’s did. 

“Why don’t we get back to the topic at hand?” Lada clapped her talons together and stood back up, gesturing for Nikolai to come closer. “We can practice a piece from принц огня, if you would like?” 

принц огня was an Alkonost tale from the old country about an Alkonost Prince with red, gold, and violet plumage who discovered he had the ability to control fire. Most people chalked it up that he was a phoenix mixed into the nest, but it was still one of Nikolai's favorite stories to listen to when he was a hatchling—only because he saw so much of himself in the Prince. Not to mention that both of them had received ill-fated prophecies about how they were destined for greatness, although the Prince's ended off on a much more tragic note. From what the text said, his magic cost him the life of his loved one, and although his powers brought great change for the Alkonosts, his grief over his partner's death drove him into utter despair. The story ended off with the Prince becoming nothing but a wandering hermit who sang a mournful ballad, much to many's chagrin. Alkonosts rarely felt, but when they did feel, they felt with their entire being, and the Prince's story showed how dire the consequences of this could be. 

Gathering himself, Nikolai frowned at Lada's abrupt change of topic, but nodded his head regardless. In the end, it was best to focus on lessons rather than politics. 

_______________________________

"You seem preoccupied." Rishika's voice all but purred in Nikolai's ear as she settled herself beside him, tucking her feathers in as she did so. The sunlight filtering between the tree leaves and into the courtyard caused Nikolai to squint a bit as he turned his head to address her. She was looking rather smug this morning. 

"What did you do now?" Rishika, for all she was worth, was quite notorious for inciting a bit of trouble wherever she went. Nikolai had found this out himself when they met in high school, which he so fondly called the 'Incident'. She became a close friend of his after the 'Incident' occurred. She also became a fast enemy of the two students; they ended up getting expelled, although Nikolai was more responsible for that outcome. Not that anyone would say that, of course.

Rishika had the audacity to look offended at his question for just a moment, before a wide grin split across her face. "I got the dog girl—Aileen, I think her name was?—to loan me some of her assignments for cheap. At least now I'll finally get what McCal is talking about in their statistics classes." 

"Did you blackmail her or something?" Another more disapproving tone interjected before Nikolai could get a word in. A flash of raven-black feathers indicated the arrival of Faust, who promptly settled himself into his usual position on Nikolai's right. Rishika shook her head vigorously.

"Hardly! I just needed to ask, and she was more than obliging." She tutted a bit before closing her eyes. "Sometimes simply asking is the best way."

"She was probably terrified." Nikolai's own lips twitched into a grin as he surveyed the courtyard. "You're a rather intimidating person, even when you aren't trying to be." 

The courtyard was less busy than usual, which was odd. The last gasps of the summer months often drew everyone to the outdoors in a bid to bask in the warmth before the long winter set in. Nikolai knew for a fact that he wasn't too eager to have to bundle up again, hence why he was out here. His body was naturally warm and to be wrapped in scarves and blankets was near-torture for him. This didn't seem to be the same case for others. Besides the flock of Alkonosts, there was a wyvern, a fae, a faun, and a few groups of various other species dispersed among the trees. 

"Well, I'm rather flattered by that declaration, Nikolai." Rishika rested a talon on her chest as she sent him a rueful smirk. "It's the closest thing to a compliment you've ever given." 

Now it was Faust's turn to give a scoff as he leaned back on the picnic bench, focusing his attention skywards. Nikolai followed his gaze to the windows of the North Courtyard. The university itself was impressive, but the architecture was truly a marvel. Given that the university was an old castle generously loaned by a few nobles, the mixture of gothic arches with Edwardian flair was breathtaking when first seen. After several classes and near breakdowns, though, Nikolai deduced that it lost a bit of its charm. 

He was about to prod Faust to see what was on his mind—presumably, something to do with James—but a flash of colours in one of the windows caught his attention first. The figure that the colour belonged to seemed to pause and look towards them, as though they knew they were being observed. Nikolai's smile grew broader as he leaned forward, taking in their still form. Alkonosts had wonderful sight-another perk of their natural predation- and Nikolai could see every detail of their observer's face. He leaned to his right and jabbed his elbow sharply into Faust's side, gesturing to the observer. 

"It seems like we have an audience." Faust focused his attention to where Nikolai had indicated, and arched an eyebrow in response. 

Nikolai, in return, leaned forward further and shot a rather exaggerated wink and kiss to where the observer stood, prompting Faust to let out a chuckle. The observer seemed to bristle at the attention and hurry off, leaving Nikolai to watch their form disappear past the remaining few windows. 

"Was that necessary?" Faust asked, closing his eyes again. 

"Well, I strive to make our audiences feel welcomed. Besides," Nikolai paused and looked between his two friends. "Do any of you recognize what that was?"

Both Rishika and Faust shook their heads. None of the flock seemed able to assign what species their mysterious observer belonged to, leaving Nikolai feeling unsatisfied. Hopefully, he'd run into the observer at a closer proximity. 

They were interesting, and interesting things were something that Nikolai always strived to collect.

[alitaimagines]

Can you do a scenario where all might meets his girlfriend in high school, possibly like a POC girl like you did last time?? and they start dating but fast forward years later and their married. She sees all might fighting a villain and she they caught off the TV when she sees him getting extremely injured and when he comes home, he finds her sobbing while listening to the radio and watching videos of them when they were younger. I live for angst and then fluff.

Toshinori Yagi x Reader

Summary: “We’ve been together for years. I can’t lose you. Not now, not ever.” ( Listen to this song when you read the party scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUGFhVWPOFs )

You had been dating Toshinori since high school. Toshinori had been a bit of a wild card and everyone thought he was going to be a bachelor his entire life. The two of you had met at a party and while neither of you expected to still be together, you had been happily married for over a decade.

You were invited to a final send off party for all the 3rd years. You were all set to graduate within the next two days and you felt like for once in your life, you needed to let loose. 

The party was being hosted in the house of the a boy who you didn’t know. You were all encouraged to bring liquor as it was a high school party and no one was the age to buy it. You had brought a twelve pack of Mike’s Hard Lemonade. It was a starter drink for anyone who was a light weight. 

You sat around with the same cup of tequila as you mingled around. Students were already acting like they were drunk off their ass as they ushered themselves to different rooms in the house. To do what? You didn’t want to know.

“American girl! You should totally pick the next song!” A boy slurred into your ear as he gave you a napkin. “We need to shit to dance to since everyone in this party is acting lame!”

You laughed, “Sure. Just type this song in and you should be good to go!” 

You had written down “We be burning” by Sean Paul. It was a good song for everyone to dance to. Although it was totally out of the music element for Japan, you knew everyone would dance to it anyway. 

Just as you went for your second drink, you felt the first cup start to kick in. You had participated in a couple of rounds of beer pong as you continued to ask for you cup to be refilled. You friend had cautioned you to watch your drinking but did you really care? No, not really. 

“Hey, you’re really good at beer pong!” You heard a voice say from behind you. “You should really be my partner next time.”

You turned around to see Yagi Toshinori. He was in your class and although the two of you were classmates, you never spoke to each other. He was extremely popular amongst the girls and you had never been the type of flock the popular school crush. You were a bit more reserved and understood other people’s boundaries. 

“Thanks! Well, if they decide to have another round, I’ll call you over!” You said smiling as you slapped your hand on his shoulder. “I don’t think they are though.”

“Well, how about you dance the next song with me?” Toshinori asked as he held his hand out for you. It was the song you had suggested and all of the people flocked the living room floor. 

You grabbed his hand and put your arms around his neck. You started to grind on him slowly as you started to sing the words into his ears. (I really suggest you listen to the song or else it’s not going to make sense. It’s really just the beat of the song that you should listen too.)

“Everyday we be burnin’ not concernin’ what nobody wanna say. We be earnin’ dollars turning ‘cause we mind de pon we pay. More than gold and oils and diamonds– girls, we need dem everyday. Recognize it, we be pimpin as we ridin. ”

“I didn’t know you were this much of a great dancer,” Toshinori slurred as you continued to dance on him. “I would have asked you out to dance with me a long time ago. 

“I know your infatuation with American things so I should have mentioned that I am half American, the other half Mexican,” You giggled as you turned around to grind on him with your arse in his crotch area. 

Toshinori didn’t speak as he enjoyed the dance that was being given to him. He knew that if you weren’t as drunk as you were, he wouldn’t be getting the dance in the first place. If he wasn’t as drunk as he was, he wouldn’t have accepted it either. In the back of both your minds, the last bit of sober thoughts went away as you both accepted the last two shots of vodka. 

“How about we head back to my place? I need to lay down before I pass out,” Toshinori managed out as he grabbed your hand and led you outside of the house. 

“Maybe I can give you the dance I just gave you again. This time with less clothes on and you on a chair,” You whispered as he carried you bridal style. You slowly started to kiss him down to his collarbone and he just knew he had to get home. 

The next morning, you woke up in Toshinori’s bed. The birds chirping extremely loud and you felt like your head was about to explode. You felt a hand tighten against you as you finally started to regain your memory from last night. 

“Toshinori! Toshinori, get up!” You whispered as you shook him awake. 

He groaned and opened his eyes. Toshinori looking extremely rough as his hair was all over the place. You could say the same thing about you. Your hair standing up in different places and you breath reeked of alcohol. 

“Don’t tell me we did something last night,” Toshinori groaned as he finally got a good look at the two of you. “Please tell me we both consented to this.” 

You couldn���t help but laugh as you covered yourself with the blanket, “With the way we were last night, I don’t think either of us were sober enough to do anything.” 

You ran your hands through you hair as you tried to start gathering your things together. Before you could even step foot on the floor, Toshinori grabbed you and pulled you back on the bed. 

“What’s up?” You asked as he started to close his eyes. 

Toshinori shrugged, “You should stay a little longer. I know you live on campus so you have no one to come home too.” 

You thought for a second before giving in. You laid back down and Toshinori immediately cuddling you. His hand rubbing your sides as you laid your head on his chest. 

“I should really treat you to dinner soon. Have any plans later?” Toshinori asked. “You know, with you being my girlfriend and all.” 

You felt yourself blushing different shades of red. You knew he was bold but not that bold. 

“Sure,” You giggled as you ran your hand through his golden locks. 

You had been watching the TV intensely. There was a major attack in the downtown area. While everyone assumed that All Might was going to take care of it in a flash, the villain managed to strike him hard enough for him to go down in pain. 

“Toshinori, you need to come back home,” You whispered as you clutched your hand that held the beautiful promise ring. 

The two of you had already found out the consequences of his quirk recently. His body was about to start giving out if he didn’t stop fighting and while he was already training his next successor, you knew he would continue his pro hero work until he felt finished training Izuku. 

The camera of the news station panned into All Might as he was holding his left side. If his body gave out, the whole world would know his secret. His body showing the major consequences of his quirk and you begged him to start distancing himself from major city attacks but he never listened. 

“Fuck,” You whispered as you clutched your phone to your heart. “He’s going to be alright. He has to be alright.”

Suddenly, the TV cut out and the last thing you had seen was Toshinori being carried out on a stretcher. He wasn’t moving. Almost like he was dead. 

Your sobs continued as you felt your phone vibrate. It was a video message from your best friend. She had known the secret Toshinori and was probably texting you to check up on you. You looked at the video and you felt the sobs come even harder. 

It was the video of you and Toshinori at the stupid party that got the two of you together. It was blurry as hell as it had been recorded on one of those RCA Camcorders. You could see the two of you being completely wasted as you were dancing like an idiot on him. 

“Thought you would need to see this. I hope he’s alright.”

It soon turned into you watching videos of the two of you that you had on your phone. They were all different occasions but the genuine happiness made you cry even harder. 

You felt your sobs soon turn into you having an anxiety attack. You were gasping for air more than you actually cried. You heart was racing and you felt your mind being fogged. You had crashed up against the pillows as your anxiety attack put you to sleep. 

Toshinori walked into the house the next morning looking like he usually did. Small cuts on his face but after Recovery Girl worked around the clock to fix him, he walked out of the hospital with a sprained ankle as his major injury. He could see the videos of the two of you playing on the TV as he seen your tear stained face. The guilt immediately bubbling up. 

“Get up,” Toshinori whispered as he shook your leg. 

You jumped up and seen your husband looking down at you with a small smile. You tackled him into a hug as you sobbed into his shoulder. He knew you were worried out of your mind, as every wife had the right to be. 

“Don’t you do that ever again. What did I tell you? You need to slow down. I was worried sick but since you specifically told me never to call you while you were on duty, I didn’t try. Fuck Toshinori, remember what the doctors told you? Your body isn’t meant to handle those injuries anymore. You aren’t 25. You’re in your 40s! Sometimes, I feel like you don’t even listen to me anymore,” You lectured as your tears kept coming down. 

Toshinori slowly bent down on his knee as he took out a black box. Your back towards him as you didn’t feel like showing him your tears. 

“I’m sorry. You have every right to be mad at me. Just please, turn around,” He whispered as you turned around with an attitude. “I know I can’t fight like that anymore. After last night, Recovery Girl nearly killed me herself when she found out the status of my health. While I was covering from surgery, I had a dream of you. You were laying flowers on my grave next to Izuku. The two most important people in my life seeing me dead is not the life I want. This time I promise you, I will start to push myself to not fight every villain that attacks the city. I also want to ask you this question, will you marry me?” 

“It took your near death experience to finally realize that you can’t fight anymore? I swear I’m marrying an idiot. Yes, yes of course I’ll marry you!” You screamed as you hugged him. “It took you nearly two decades to ask!” 

Toshinori laughed quietly as he held you close. Having you in his life was all he needed now. Maybe nearly dying was his wake up call but seeing you in such a state of distress is something he never wanted to witness again.

-ALITA (requests open!!!)

[taaroko]

Post-IW MCU Rewatch: Thor: The Dark World

Yay more Thor! (Yes I know this is widely considered to be the worst of the MCU movies and I DO NOT CARE. *hugs entire population of Asgard possessively*)

This prologue is ridiculous. I don’t know if it’s Anthony Hopkins’s inflection or if it’s just a step too far in the high fantasy direction, but it does make me cringe a bit. More showing, less telling! The prologues in the LotR movies were way more interesting than this.

The Dark Elf language also makes me cringe. I am very aware that it’s preposterous to assume that people from different planets speak English, but what’s most important to me is that actors cannot deliver nuanced performances when they are speaking gibberish. At least when it’s real languages, someone can coach them on inflection and stuff, but they really hamstrung Christopher Eccleston by making him say these silly-sounding lines.

Malekith has no imagination if the only thing he could think to do with the Reality Stone was turn stuff into dark matter.

“Benevolent god” indeed. Sending the Chitauri to slaughter people doesn’t really fit that description, sweetie.

Seriously Anthony Hopkins’s delivery is really weird in some places.

Odin is now three for three on children who showed scary genocidal tendencies, so I think there’s a lot of bitterness and feelings of failure behind what he says to Loki. Also Loki’s not showing any remorse at all, even though now would be a great time to explain that he was tortured and manipulated by Thanos. They’re both getting defensive and lashing out instead of engaging in meaningful communication.

Hi Sif! Hi Volstagg! HI THOR! He has such good entrances. Hi Fandral and Hogun! (Even if this is Zachary Levi Fandral with his stupid wig.)

The weapons the raiders are using are really interesting.

Hey I wonder if this Kronan knows Korg.

I love Thor’s smile when all the raiders laugh at his “I accept your surrender.”

*dreamy sigh* Asgard.

HUGIN AND MUNIN! And one actually lands on Odin’s arm! That’s awesome.

Odin ships Thor/Sif. (Me too, Odin.)

Obligatory shirtless Thor scene!

Volstagg and his family! *wibble*

Oh Sif. Rejected. (But Thor’s pretty nice about it.)

Jane is really quite socially awkward, isn’t she? Why did she go on this date?

It says something about how bad of a driver Jane is (hitting Thor, nearly driving off the road) that she would trust Darcy to drive her around (I guess Darcy’s record is slightly better, having only hit Thor once, while they were in the middle of a dust cloud).

“Why’re you calling me?” “I didn’t want to shout.”

Portals! Whee! (Honstly the portal shenanigans are one of the big reasons I love this movie. This crap is so much fun.)

I love the way Darcy wiggles her hand when she says “Gimme your shoe.”

Okay so the Dark Elves are set to wake up if the Aether gets activated? Headcanon time. Judging from all the creepy red lights in their ships, I think they used the Aether to make most of their tech, much like Schmidt did with the Tesseract. So yeah, if the Aether gets activated, their tech would react. That works.

Heimdall’s new armor has an orange stone in the breastplate. I thought he was gonna turn out to be the one who had the Soul Stone, and that it was the source of his infinite sight. ...I’m pretty sure I still like that better than what we ended up with in canon. Also, I only noticed this the other day, but Heimdall’s helmet is shaped the same as Hofund’s hilt, and that’s awesome.

Heee, I love Thor and Heimdall’s chat. I definitely believe that Thor would describe Heimdall as his best friend.

Whoops! Continuity error. Jane should not be in her Asgardian outfit yet. I guess they decided to move this bit to this part of the movie instead of later, but didn’t reshoot it.

Did Thor make this storm or is that just London being London? He does make it stop, I guess.

Sorry guys, Thor already has that dark strand of stuff in his hair; it’s not a Loki memorial braid.

Thor and Darcy’s interactions are always gold.

You sliced off part of that car!

Oh, question answered from before. You CAN see space rushing past from inside the Bifrost. Sweet.

Hi Eir! The Soul Forge is so cool.

Jane takes Odin’s rudeness pretty well. But dang, Odin. I know you ship Thor/Sif, but being mean to the competition is an elementary mistake.

That book is freaking awesome. It’s like the Book of Kells, except the images move and it’s in runes.

Dangit I don’t want the bad guys to be the ones who touch foreheads to show affection!

I really don’t like this look for Frigga. That one-boob breastplate is really weird.

The emotion in Loki’s scene with Frigga’s projection is so great. He wants to sever ties with Odin (or he thinks he does) but he can’t do that without severing ties with Frigga too, and you can see how much it hurts him to say anything that would hurt her. Which he plainly instantly regrets. And it’s the last thing he ever says to her.

Yessss more romantic exposition from Thor.

Hahaha, Jane is so much more shy around Frigga than Odin.

Man the way the Kursed dude kills people is really messed up.

Loki you would not be smiling at this dude if you knew he was going to do much more than cause a bit of mischief.

Thor jumping and grabbing Mjolnir is such a cool shot.

“It’s only because I’ve worried over you that you have survived.” Based on how Odin behaves as soon as she’s dead, that is extremely accurate.

Heimdall is so awesome. Oh, and I love the way the Dark Elves’ ships look almost like they’re made of dragon hide or something. Dragon hide or lava rock. Fantastic design. Fantastic movements.

This movie has so much more of Asgard in it than the first one, which is awesome. Even if it’s mostly getting pummeled by Dark Elves.

Those black hole grenades are freaking terrifying.

Yeah...if Loki hadn’t given that tip about the stairs to the left, the Kursed dude wouldn’t have arrived in time to help Malekith before Frigga finished him off, or before Thor and Odin arrived. :/

Frigga’s funeral is beautiful. The music, however, has been somewhat retroactively ruined by that play in Ragnarok. (Which I adore.)

Even if Loki doesn’t know how much his actions specifically contributed to Frigga’s death, I think he regrets helping the Kursed dude.

Hi Stan!

Dang, Asgardian law is crazy strict if Thor and the Warriors Three are casually talking about being killed by Einherjar if they screw up this plan.

This is so sad, because Loki actually doesn’t betray Thor at any point during this mission. He makes up for it by being incessantly irritating (which is the best stuff in the movie), but he sticks to the plan the whole time. The only one he betrays in this whole movie is Odin.

Okay the dagger/handcuffs trick by Thor is funny and all, but it really doesn’t hold up if you think about it. You’d definitely notice the difference between being handed a dagger and having thick cuffs put on.

Sif is very good at not letting her jealousy show too clearly. And her sword is awesome. Her and Volstagg’s threats to Loki are pretty great.

Peak annoying little brother stuff right here, when they’re in the Dark Elf blade ship. My favorite is “Oh dear. Is she dead?”

So Thor has the “face squashed against glass motif,” and I think Loki has a falling motif. Into the abyss in the first one, out of the ship in this one, and through whatever dimension Doctor Strange trapped him in in Ragnarok.

The flying longboats are so cool.

I love how much Loki likes it whenever Thor gets the better of him with sneakiness. He’s so used to Thor just smashing his way through stuff, so any subtlety he uses (especially when it’s successful against him) is fantastic in his book.

“Ta-dah.”

“What I could do with the power that flows through those veins.” I would love to see what Loki could do with the Aether. He’s already a master of illusions, and the Reality Stone would multiply that by about a thousand. It’d be awesome. And yet he sent it off to Knowhere instead of keeping it (or giving it to Thanos). Just like he kept the Tesseract safe in Asgard’s vault the entire time he was pretending to be Odin. If Loki had really done everything he did in Avengers of his own free will while in his right mind, he would not have gone to such lengths to keep multiple Infinity Stones away from Thanos. Heck, he might even have been the one to commission Stormbreaker from Eitri. I suppose he didn’t use the Stones himself because he knows as well as Thor does how deadly they can be to the wielder, or maybe he knew they’d draw Thanos to him like a beacon.

Thor thinks Loki wants to hurt him because he’s talking about Jane’s mortality, but Loki thinks Thor only cares about Jane and not the fact that their mother just died. They’re so bad at understanding each other.

The bittersweet smiles they exchange after “She wouldn’t want us to fight.”/“Well, she wouldn’t exactly be shocked.” are so painful to watch. They both desperately miss the days before any of this happened, when they were simply brothers, and I think they realize that about each other in this moment. But it’s not enough to fix everything, which is why Thor says “I wish I could trust you” and Loki says “Trust my rage.”

Ian is such a dope.

If a flock of starlings burst up through the ground at my feet like that, I would be scarred for life.

Thor’s plan is awesome. I totally fell for it in the theater. I thought Loki had double-crossed him and chopped his hand off, but they were working together the whole time. I kinda don’t think they let Jane in on it, though. Is the lack of blood on Thor’s arm stump a mistake or a hint that it’s a trick? *rewinds and squints* Ooh, no, it’s because the dagger has a glowy energy field on it! Insta-cauterization! Anyway, this would’ve been the perfect time for Loki to betray Thor for real if he’d wanted to, but he plays along. In part, I think, because he was so impressed with the plan.

Hey guys, even when Loki’s pretending to be a traitor, he doesn’t call himself Laufeyson. STOP CALLING HIM LAUFEYSON IN YOUR TAGS. Also his knife-fighting is awesome.

The Kursed dude’s eyeballs getting sucked out of their sockets was NOT a necessary detail to include.

“You fool, you didn’t listen!” What does Thor mean? What did Loki not listen to? Did Thor tell him that he was only supposed to protect Jane, not him?

Okay so I’m really not sure what the deal is with Loki’s fake death here. I have a couple different theories.

Theory 1: Loki really did get stabbed and really did believe he was dying. After Thor and Jane left to seek shelter from Thor’s uncontrollable grief storm, Loki reverted to his true form (because, dying) and that actually saved his life because Kursed blood isn’t as deadly to the Jotnar as it is to the Aesir, or his vital organs aren’t in the same place anymore, or something. So he was able to heal himself and take advantage of the situation.

Theory 2: Loki never intended to betray Thor, but he always intended to fake his death, both as a way of escaping prison and of avoiding Thanos’s retribution. So as soon as he finished off those four Dark Elves, he turned one of their corpses into a copy of himself and puppeteered it over to stab the Kursed dude and get theatrically killed. It would explain why the Loki who gets stabbed only has a Dark Elf sword and a black hole grenade on him.

I lean more towards theory 1 because I don’t really like the idea that Loki would trick Thor into thinking he was dead the day after their mother died, and also because when they filmed it, they actually meant for this to be Loki’s real death scene, and they only changed it later because test audiences didn’t believe Loki was dead. However, if I put aside my emotions, I have to admit that theory 2 makes more logical sense.

Would Malekith have found the Aether sooner if it hadn’t gotten into Jane? The movie implies pretty strongly that Malekith woke up because the Aether was out of its hiding place.

Mjolnir on the coat hook is such a great gag.

The elevator in Malekith’s ship looks like a spinal column, which is some fantastic design.

Thor’s battle trash talk is always delightful.

PORTAL SHENANIGANS. YESSSSSS.

Poor Mjolnir. It’s trying so hard to get back to Thor. I like to think that when it shatters the glass of that building on its way back up, it’s doing so in frustration.

Hi Jotunheim!

So apparently this isn’t remotely how you get to Greenwich from Charing Cross. Whoops. Maybe that girl was just really flustered at being addressed by Thor and gave him crap directions?

Jane really likes trying to throw herself between an unconscious Thor and a thing that she thinks might kill him.

POETRY. Malekith tried to destroy the Asgardian army by dropping his fleet on them. Now he gets killed by his own ship falling on him.

How’d Loki know about Thor’s line to Odin “There will never be a wiser king than you”?

“I can assure you, it will be absolutely safe here in my collection.” LIAR.

It’s so cool that Chris’s wife is the one who played Jane in the end credits scene. I’m not sure how they failed to do this kiss scene with Natalie in the first place, but whatever.

Every time Thor’s about to show up somewhere in this movie, there’s thunder. :D

Okay so the biggest problems with Thor: The Dark World are that Malekith is the dullest villain in the entire MCU and that Thor kinda doesn’t have a character arc. In a movie where half of his family dies (as far as he knows). How is that even possible? Despite the beautiful funeral, Frigga’s death was really kind of glossed over, and then Loki seemingly dies too, but even though those are very powerful scenes while we’re in them, they don’t leave much of an impact on the rest of the movie. You don’t really feel those losses in the way Thor fights Malekith. Thor should’ve been struggling to stick to the plan instead of just whaling on Malekith blindly with Mjolnir. He should’ve had some breakdown with Jane there to witness it and comfort him. Instead he’s the one comforting Jane when she blames herself for all the loss he’s suffered? No no no. He should’ve either been very emotional, very bent on revenge, or smiling and joking through the pain like he does in Ragnarok and Infinity War. This stoicism is not effective, and it probably contributes to so many people’s (mistaken) belief that, prior to Ragnarok, Thor was a boring character. And Malekith’s side of the battle would’ve been better if it had been personal for him too. He could’ve been more upset at the death of his buddy Algrim, or maybe he had family members who were killed by Bor, which is why he’s so keen on killing members of Asgard’s royal family now. It would’ve been so easy to make this an emotionally intense fight. Instead, it’s merely fun because portal shenanigans. *shrug*

Despite not having much of an arc, Thor is still wonderful. He’s funny, he’s more thoughtful and wise than he’s ever been, he’s gallant, he’s romantic, and he’s getting better and better at working as part of a team and finding solutions besides smashing stuff. Also he makes the best entrances, has awesome armor, and is mesmerizing to watch in battle. I adore him.

Other stuff this movie has going for it. So much more Asgard screentime, even if they cut a few scenes I wish they’d left in. The music is still great. Everything looks gorgeous, and the Dark Elves at least have interesting technology and costumes. No Dutch angles. Plenty of screentime for Heimdall. Every single second of Thor and Loki’s scenes together, being obnoxious bros to each other but still working as a very effective team (heralding all the excellent contentious Brodinson stuff to come in Ragnarok).

[newstfionline]

Thursday, August 12, 2021

So much for ‘post-pandemic’ travel (Washington Post) The summer started on a hopeful note. Coronavirus cases were falling, and inoculation rates were rising on both sides of the Atlantic. The European Union moved to lift its restrictions on travel from the United States, and newly vaccinated tourists eagerly embarked on their first “post-pandemic” trips. But now three months later, the United States still hasn’t lifted the Trump-era rules banning most European travelers, the State Department is telling citizens to avoid 10 of the continent’s countries, and the European Union is considering shutting its doors once again to Americans, as U.S. cases soar. On Monday, after rumors circulated that the European Union would reimpose restrictions on U.S. travelers, the bloc decided against it, for now, allowing Americans to continue flocking to European cities and beaches, which have been desperate to revive tourism-starved economies. But the 27-member club also signaled that policy could soon change. The Council of the European Union, the body through which member states coordinate policy, said it would continue monitoring the countries, including the United States, where “the covid situation has deteriorated,” an official told The Post.

Hospitals run low on nurses as they get swamped with COVID (AP) The rapidly escalating surge in COVID-19 infections across the U.S. has caused a shortage of nurses and other front-line staff in virus hot spots that can no longer keep up with the flood of unvaccinated patients and are losing workers to burnout. Florida, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oregon all have more people hospitalized with COVID-19 than at any other point in the pandemic, and nursing staffs are badly strained. Michelle Thomas, a registered nurse and a manager of the emergency department at a Tucson, Arizona, hospital, resigned three weeks ago after hitting a wall. “There was never a time that we could just kind of take a breath,” Thomas said Tuesday. “I hit that point … I can’t do this anymore. I’m so just tapped out.” She helped other nurses cope with being alone in rooms with dying patients and holding mobile phones so family members could say their final goodbyes. “It’s like incredibly taxing and traumatizing,” said Thomas, who is unsure if she will ever return to nursing.

Pacific Northwest braces for another multiday heat wave (AP) People in the Pacific Northwest braced for another major, multiday heat wave starting Wednesday, just over a month after record-shattering hot weather killed hundreds of the region’s most vulnerable when temperatures soared to 116 degrees Fahrenheit (47 Celsius). In a “worst-case scenario,” the temperature could reach as high as 111 F (44 C) in some parts of western Oregon by Friday before a weekend cooldown, the National Weather Service in Portland, Oregon, warned this week. It’s more likely temperatures will rise above 100 F (38 C) for three consecutive days, peaking around 105 F (40.5 C) on Thursday. Seattle will be cooler than Portland, with temperatures in the mid-90s, but it still has a chance to break records, and many people there, like in Oregon, don’t have air conditioning.

A man claiming to be a Mexican cartel leader threatened to kill a TV anchor. She returned to her nightly broadcast. (Washington Post/BBC) Hours after receiving a death threat from a man claiming to be one of Mexico’s most dangerous criminals, the news anchor took to the air again. At 9:59 p.m. Monday, Milenio Television anchor Azucena Uresti posted a photo of herself smiling, sitting on a desk in an airy dress and impeccable makeup on Twitter and said she would be on her news show as usual. A minute later, the broadcast began. “This morning, an alleged criminal group issued threats against several media outlets and against myself for the journalistic work we do in Michoacán,” she said, delivering the news as if she wasn’t now at the center of country’s biggest story. Early Monday morning, a video began circulating on social media in which a man claiming to be Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the head of Mexico’s notorious Jalisco New Generation cartel, promised to murder her. He was surrounded by seven masked men armed with assault rifles. Even in a country ranked among the world’s most dangerous for journalists, the scene was striking: One of the Western Hemisphere’s most powerful criminal organizations threatening a national television news anchor over “biased media coverage.” One hundred and twenty-four reporters and media workers have been killed in Mexico since 2000. Groups representing journalists have supported her and demanded the government offer her protection. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that Uresti “was not alone,” and that she “could count on us” without providing any details of what the government would do to protect her.

Afghan officials: 3 more provincial capitals fall to Taliban (AP/Washington Post) The Taliban seized three more provincial capitals in Afghanistan and a local army headquarters in a blitz across the country’s northeast, officials said Wednesday, with the insurgents now controlling some two-thirds of the nation as the U.S. and NATO finalize their withdrawal after its decades-long war there. While Kabul itself has not been directly threatened in the advance, its stunning speed raises questions of how long the Afghan government can maintain control of its countryside. The multiple fronts of the battle have stretched the government’s special operations forces—while regular troops have often fled the battlefield—and the violence has pushed thousands of civilians to seek safety in the capital. The U.S. military, which plans to complete its withdrawal by the end of the month, has conducted some airstrikes but largely has avoided involving itself in the ground campaign. Hundreds of Afghan forces surrendered to the Taliban in northern Afghanistan on Wednesday. After holding out for days at a military base on the edge of Kunduz, an entire Afghan army corps surrendered to Taliban fighters Wednesday morning, handing over valuable equipment—much of it American.

Chinese court sentences Canadian Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison (Washington Post) A Chinese court on Wednesday sentenced Canadian businessman Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison, in a case widely seen as retribution against Canada’s arrest of a senior Huawei executive wanted by the United States. The Intermediate People’s Court of Dandong City said that Spavor was sentenced to the prison time for espionage and transferring state secrets overseas. The trial was held in March, but the judgment was not released until now, as the extradition hearing of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou enters a crucial stretch in Canada. Spavor will be able to appeal the judgment to a higher-level court in China, and it may be years before a final decision. Spavor and former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig were detained in China at the end of 2018, days after Meng was arrested in Canada at the behest of the United States on fraud charges linked to Huawei’s business in Iran. The cases of the “Two Michaels”—as they are called in Canada—and Meng have significantly strained relations between Ottawa and Beijing.

North Korea tensions (Foreign Policy) South Korean officials say a recently reopened phone hotline with North Korea has now gone quiet, soon after Pyongyang expressed displeasure at plans for joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises next week. The usually twice-daily phone calls have not been answered for the past two days, Yonhap reports, as senior North Korean official King Yong Chol warned that its southern neighbor would “realize by the minute what a dangerous choice they made and what a serious security crisis they will face because of their wrong choice.” U.S. State Department Spokesman Ned Price has attempted to assuage North Korean concerns about the drills, saying the United States “harbors no hostile intent towards” the country, and that exercises are “purely defensive.”

Wildfires in Algeria leave 32 dead, including 25 soldiers (AP) At least 25 Algerian soldiers were killed saving residents from wildfires ravaging mountain forests and villages east of the capital, the president announced Tuesday night as the civilian death toll from the blazes rose to at least 17. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune tweeted that the soldiers saved 100 people from the fires in two areas of Kabyle, the region that is home to the North African nation’s Berber population. Eleven other soldiers were burned fighting the fires, four of them seriously, the Defense Ministry said. The Kabyle region, 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Algeria’s capital of Algiers, is dotted with difficult-to-access villages and with temperatures rising has had limited water. Some villagers were fleeing, while others tried to hold back the flames themselves, using buckets, branches and rudimentary tools. The region has no water-dumping planes.

Ethiopia’s prime minister calls for mass enlistment amid battlefield losses to Tigray rebels (Washington Post) Amid a string of battlefield losses that have allowed rebels from Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region to move into neighboring areas and down a key highway leading to the capital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s prime minister called Tuesday for a national war effort, including mass enlistment. “Now is the right time for all capable Ethiopians who are of age to join the Defence Forces, Special Forces and militias and show your patriotism,” Abiy Ahmed’s office said in a lengthy statement. He alleged that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a political party that controlled Ethiopia for three decades and has been fighting the government for the past nine months, is being aided by “foreign hands.” In recent weeks, the war in Tigray has spread into the Amhara and Afar regions as the TPLF’s militia has pursued its stated aim of debilitating the military capabilities of Ethiopia’s government and defeating aligned forces from neighboring Eritrea and ethnic militias that support the government. The increased fighting has deepened an already dire humanitarian catastrophe. Millions of people in Tigray are relying on aid to survive, but obstructionism that each warring side blames on the other has severely hampered aid deliveries. Now, hundreds of thousands more civilians in Amhara and Afar have been affected.

[chaplainamerica316us]

                            Yeshua The Lamb of God

                                                By Chaplain Paul 193  Dec 27 2020

 Luke 2:1-20

New International Version

The Birth of Yeshua

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,     and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of this universe, Adonai Elohim, Yah, The Great I Am is a God of order and He does things in perfect order especially where the birth of His Son is concerned so let's break it down just a tad.

The Passover lambs were born in only one place in Israel and that place is Bethlehem. The cool thing about the Bible is that a lot of its information is part of the historical record meaning one could look at the history and the customs of Israel to see when and how certain things were done. The Passover lamb was to be one year old and unblemished the Passover lambs were born in the Spring we read that the shepherds we're in the fields at night tending their flocks, December is too cold for this to be happening and December is not the lambing season in Israel, there is only one time of the year where the shepherds are in the fields at night tending their flocks and that is during the Spring when the lambs are born. The shepherds were charged with protecting the newborn lambs from predators.

We read that the shepherds were the first to be told about the birth of Christ as the Angel proclaimed the Good News to the shepherds and then instructed them to go to where Christ the Lord was born. God is a God of perfect order the shepherds were the first to be told because they were charged with protecting the newborn lamb.

 The shepherds didn’t go to an inn like we may think of what an inn looks like and they did not go to a manger like what we see in pictures and paintings of the Nativity scene, these are of European thought and European imagery and not of Hebraic historical fact or truth. If one looks into the historical record of Israel you will find that there were lodging places with feeding trofts. A lodging place was shaped like a fort with a gate, it was a square structure with a courtyard in the middle, the lodging rooms were in the sides of the structure and the courtyard was where the traveler’s animals would stay and be safe for the night so they wouldn’t wander away or be stolen by thieves or be attacked by predators. Within the courtyard were feeding trofts filled with hay and food and there were watering trofts for the animals this is where Christ was born, Joseph and Mary were told that there was no room in the lodging place, the fact is when there's no rooms available travelers are given the option to camp out in the courtyard with the animals. Christ Yeshua was most likely born under the stars in the open-air laying in the hay of a feeding troft.

Our God is a God of perfect order, Christ is our Passover Lamb therefore He would have been born with all the other Passover lambs In Bethlehem during the Spring under the protection of the shepherds.

So why was December 25th chosen as the day of Christ’s birth? Because the Catholic Church wanted to shed light on one of the most darkest days of the year and that’s a whole other story entirely.

John 3:16 For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life…Amen John 14:27  

[sonoflayton]

Timeline

Mystery Room Inspector 29 CURRENT INSPECTOR Alfendi Layton, inspector of New Scotland Yard's "Mystery Room", at your service.

Growing up too Fast 6-8 CHILDHOOD STUDENT Little Alfendi Layton is a young child who's been exposed to the harshness of the world far too early. With a neglectful, abusive mother, Al and Fendi have no choice but to fend for themselves.

Every Rose has its Thorns 8 CHILDHOOD STUDENT A deadly pandemic has swept the city of Portland, Maine. Alfendi has lost their mother to the Rosalia virus, and they're now fighting the same virus in Resurgam hospital. Now that their mother has passed, Alfendi is now in a state of limbo; once they recover from Rosalia, they will surely be picked up by CPS and taken into foster care.

It Takes A Village 8-12 CHILDHOOD STUDENT Young Alfendi is a lot like older Alfendi, but a lot… more so. Fendi is very, very eager to please people and be quiet, kind, friendly, and helpful, while Al is violent, isn’t very good with his anger management, gets into trouble often, and has a tendancy to drive people away. These two are a handful, but they’re doing their best after everything they’ve been through. They live now with their adoptive father, Hershel Layton, and their sisters, Katrielle Layton and Flora Reinhold-Layton.

A Teenager with Teenage Problems 13-17 TEENAGEHOOD STUDENT Alfendi's life hasn't been easy so far, but now, he's finally in a good place, with a loving, supportive family. Al is still violent and destructive at times, lashing out at people, but with support from his school, family, and therapy, he's getting better. Fendi struggles with socializing and making friends, and Al's reputation isn't helpful, but he's making progress, too.

Too Soon the World Came Crashing Down 18-22 College years Student It’s an young adult Alfendi, aged 18 - 22. Al and Fendi are struggling with the disappearance of their father, the juggling of college, a minimum wage job, the care of a child, and house work. They’re very tired and very stressed, but they’re doing their best to stay afloat despite the hardship.

A Foreboding Fate 23-24 Pre-Forbodium Inspector Alfendi Layton: renowned homicide inspector within Scotland Yard. He's currently on a task force working to catch the Jigsaw Killer, and when off the clock, looking into the case of his missing father. He's just moved into his father's old flat, but he's still a primary caregiver for his little sister.

AU

The Path Less Travelled 29 CURRENT INSPECTOR

This verse is an imagining of what might've happened if Lisa hadn't died, and thus, things turned out slightly differently. Instead of adopting Alfendi after his mother's death, Hershel Layton bonds with Fendi, meets Al, and uncovers the truth behind his and Lisa's relationship. With some strings pulled, Hershel was able to foster Alfendi.

Nowadays, Alfendi Cunningham is the sole inspector of the Scotland Yard's Mystery Room. Al is a well-liked character at the Yard, acting much like a big brother to those he's familiar with. He teases, but it's all in good fun. Fendi, in juxtaposition to Al, is reclusive, standoffish, and quiet, and tends to be the character that others avoid, which is perfectly fine by him. He'd rather do his work quietly and go home than socialize.

Since the hospital, Alfendi has had a few interactions with his mother: Her trial, where he stood as a witness at the age of nine, and a meeting with her at her prision at the age of sixteen, which didn't go well. Since then, Alfendi has been no-contact with his mother.

Ten Thousand Little Voices 29 CURRENT INSPECTOR AND UNWILLING SPIRIT MEDIUM

Alfendi Layton has a secret: he can hear, and sometimes see, the dead. While this is an amazing power, if someone asked him about it, he would say that he'd rather live without it. While it can be helpful at times, if he happens to overhear the voice of his case's victim declaring the name of their murderer and such, most of the time it causes him more harm than good. If he helps one spirit with their unresolved business, the rest will come flocking to him, asking for help, and as one man with two identities, he simply can't help every single ghost. He is forced to ignore the spirits, pretending he can't hear or see them, and this tears him apart inside.

Because of his ability and the fact that he can't shut it off, Alfendi suffers from frequent migranes, fatigue, and irritability late in the day.

Nobody Suspects A Thing 6 PRE-ROSALIA NONE

One day, little Alfendi finds an octopus man on the shores of Portland, Maine. What he didn't expect was that this octopus man would rescue him from his terrible home life and take him in as his own.

Since then, they've become a tight-knit trio, bonding over the fact that they're hiding a 16-foot-tall octopus man in Alfendi's house without his mother knowing. This lasts two years, before the Rosalia Virus pandemic strikes the city, and Lisa leaves Alfendi at home while she rushes to the hospital after developing symptoms. A few days later, Alfendi begins developing symptoms of his own, and in an act of brute strength and willpower, Kraken manages to singlehandedly carry Alfendi across the city to the hospital. There, they meet one Hershel Layton, and their lives were changed forever.

A Promise to Gabriel 8 AND ONWARD ROSALIA N/A

Alfendi Cunningham, age 8, has come down with the Rosalia Virus. Fortunately for him, he's under the care of a top doctor, one Dr. Karsten Lorimer. As it turns out, years before, Karsten had been a good friend of his father, Gabriel, and promised to him that if anything happened to him, Karsten would take care of Alfendi. Shortly after, Gabriel and Alfendi were involved in a bus accident, one that killed Gabriel and injured Alfendi. Karsten operated on Alfendi's legs. Five years later, Alfendi and his mother contracted the Rosalia virus, and Karsten, who had been flown in from overseas to help lighten the load of the hospitals, began tending to Alfendi, who is among many who are bedridden.

This is a spin-off of Nobody Suspects a Thing.

A Found Family 8 AND ONWARD ROSALIA N/A

Karsten Lorimer, after having adopted Alfendi Lorimer, meets Claira Davers, a charming, funny woman who works as a forensic pathologist. Over time, the two fall in love, and Claira starts to integrate into the family.

This is a spin-off of A Promise to Gabriel.

We Are Rosalia 8 AND ONWARD ROSALIA N/A

The world is infected with the Rosalia virus, A virus that has become sentient, and those infected become part of the hivemind. A man with a target on his head by the virus and a small boy, sick with Rosalia, is humanity’s last hope. He promised gabriel to protect this boy, Alfendi, and he will.

Follow their story as Karsten Lorimer races against time and races through America, curing Rosalia... and hopefully, Not becoming one of them.

This is a spin-off of A Promise to Gabriel.

The Last Survivor 8 AND ONWARD ROSALIA N/A

The world is infected with the Rosalia virus, A virus that has become sentient, and those infected become part of the hivemind. The entire world, and every living thing within it, has been infected, and now planet Earth is nothing but an incubator for one hivemind organism... Except for one creature, Kraken, a octoman who cannot be infected.

Knowing that Kraken is the key to creating a Rosalia cure and vaccine, Rosalia has developed a relationship with the Kraken, creating a bond of trust with which Rosalia can monitor him easily.

This is a spin-off of Nobody Suspects a Thing and We Are Rosalia.

Other Worldly CHILD 8 AND ONWARD N/A

TBA.

CROSSOVER

Multiverse: Parallel Worlds Theory 29 CURRENT INSPECTOR

A catch-all crossover verse. In this verse, Alfendi is aware of the multiverse, and things that happen and interactions that take place in this verse are remembered, and regarded as canon to this verse. (Ex: If Alfendi interacts with a Flora, then interacts later with a different Flora, he's aware that these two Floras are different people and still remembers the prior interaction with the first Flora.)

The Truth Lies in the Evidence 29 CURRENT DETECTIVE

After the events of Forbodium, Alfendi Layton moved to Los Angeles, California for a change of scenery and people to help move on from the past. It seems that the legends of Professor Layton have travelled all the way to America, as Alfendi is hired by the LAPD as a homicide detective despite his besmirched record. Alfendi now works closely with the prosecutor's office to find and punish criminals, but it can be difficult with all this false evidence being thrown around, not to mention these damn defense attornies thinking they can just wander on the scene and take whatever evidence they please. The legal system here needs work.

A Ghost of the Person I Used to Be 29 CURRENT DECEASED

The events at Forbodium four years later took a different turn. When Justin arrived at the scene, Diane already had her gun pressed against Alfendi's head. Diane, knowing she was about to die but determined to exact her revenge on the man she believed to have killed her father, shot first, killing Alfendi before she took a bullet from Justin's gun, and Justin Lawson changed the scene of the crime to set Lucy up to take the fall for the murder of Diane Makepeace with the motive of revenge killing. Under typical circumstances, this is where the story of Alfendi Layton would have ended.

These circumstances, however, are far from typical. It so happens that on the night he died, Keelan Makepeace had been wearing a very special locket, one with a shard of a very special meteorite kept in it.This meteorite, the Temsik Meteorite, grants special powers known as 'ghost tricks' to the spirits of those who die in its presence. This necklace was given to Diane Makepeace among the rest of her father's belongings, and having recognized it as her father's favorite necklace, she wore it non-stop for four straight years. In the tower, that day Alfendi and Diane died, she had been wearing it, just like every other day.

Alfendi and Diane found themselves in the strange predicament of being dead but not as dead as they imagined they would be, wielding paranormal powers. The two of them hitched a ride out of Forbodium on the belongings of the crime scene investigators. Diane, having exacted her revenge on Alfendi and realizing that her father may still be roaming the earth, parts ways with Alfendi after reaching the city, and Alfendi lets her go, seeing as she no longer has any murderous intent and that he no longer has any sort of way to punish her. Now, Alfendi mostly spends his days silently watching over his sisters, lurking at crime scenes and using ghost tricks to bring attention to evidence, and wandering aimlessly across London.

Officer Jenny is a Stereotype 29 CURRENT INSPECTOR

In the Pokémon universe, Alfendi Layton is an inspector with the police in Windon, Galar. With his two trusty Lycanrocs, a midday form called Sola and a midnight form named Fang, Alfendi works hard to catch criminals.

Alfendi was raised in Unova with his father, a doctor at a Castelia city Pokémon center, but a terrible accident took his life, forcing Alfendi to live his his abusive mother. A few years later, an outbreak of a deadly disease killed her, and Hershel Layton, a Pokémon professor from Galar who had been helping to find a cure for the disease, took in Alfendi as his own.

While Hershel was studying different forms of Pokémon, he caught three Rockruff puppies and raised them in his home. Al and Fendi bonded with the puppies, and when Alfendi started his own Pokémon journey, Hershel gifted two of the pups to him as his starters (the third, the dusk form, was still being studied).

Alfendi gathered six badges, but his journey was cut short. He needed to return home suddenly to take care of his little sister, Katrielle, because Hershel suddenly vanished. Instead of continuing his gym challenge, he took up a job working as an officer to help support his family, and over time, rose the ranks to Inspector.

Not Such A Lone Wolf 29 CURRENT INSPECTOR

Alfendi is a wolf who's decided to get away from boring everyday life by signing up for Tom Nook's not-so-deserted island getaway package. Now he lives there, going about his new life, making friends, catching fish and insects to sell for bells, and collecting and crafting furniture. Oh, and he also works at the island's police station as an inspector, where he mainly watches over the lost and found, helps to settle disputes amongst fellow villagers, and works to catch that scamming scoundrel, Redd the con artist. What a quiet life he leads, now.

OTHER

A Case That Isn't so Strange 29 CURRENT INSPECTOR It’s Fendi and Al, in their natural habitat! This verse abides by similar lore as the Professor Layton franchise and is used when my RP partner and my’s canons contradict one another and we have decided to abide by my partner’s canon. There will be differences from canon and my partner’s canon as we see fit.

Undefined UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN The verse in which the universe breaks as we know it. Or not. We'll just have to find out together, won't we?

[ejsponge61]

Atlanta and the Rise of African American English

           In the months leading up to its premiere on September 6th of 2016, buzz for the television show, Atlanta, had been growing. The city has been in the spotlight in the last few years. Over a decade ago, Tyler Perry used the city as a filming location for his first Madea movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, and ever since, Hollywood has flocked to the area due to its lower relative cost when compared to other locations in America. Movie franchises such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Fast and the Furious have filmed in the city. At the same time, hip hop had blossomed in the Metro Atlanta area, and artists from the region, such as Ludacris and 2 Chainz, were gaining national recognition. This lead to Atlanta becoming a national center for hip hop culture for over the last decade. People looked forward to the show’s depiction of black culture in such a distinctive place, and the show also seemed to be the culmination of years of attention the city has been getting. So, because of this, the show was greeted by widespread success.

           The pilot episode, “The Big Bang”, set a record for most viewers for most viewers of a basic cable comedy premiere, with 1.8 million tuning in. With an average of 888,000 viewers for each of the ten episodes, the entire first season of Atlanta was a financial success. However, the show was also critically acclaimed. The show has won 2 Golden Globes, for best Musical or Comedy Television Series and for Donald Glover as Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical Series. The show has also taken home an AFI award, two Critic’s Choice Television awards, two Writer’s Guild of America awards, and is also nominated for four Primetime Emmys later this year. For the Stone Mountain raised writer, lead actor, and creator of Atlanta, Donald Glover, all this success and acclaim is surely much appreciated. However, some might be surprised by the mainstem success of the show.

           Because the show is set in modern day Atlanta, Georgia, and is written by someone who was raised in the area for most of his youth, it features heavy use of an African American English, specifically of the Southern variety. There are many scenes that would show this, but the best example comes from the second episode of the series, “Streets on Lock”. The protagonist, Earn, was involved in a shooting in the prior episode and is now awaiting bail within a holding area in the local jail. One of those waiting in the room turn to him and express their frustration.  The scene can be viewed here and a transcript can be seen below.

Man: Ridiculous, man. Man, what'd you do to get in here?

Earn: Um Damn, man.

Man: [stammers] I should've just went home, boy. Shit, instead I'm in here, locked up, 'cause this fool I ain't seen in about 11 years, man. Boy, I was at Five Points, 'bout to catch a bus, feel me? And this nigga I ain't seen led me and come on talking about, “Man, listen, hey, I ain't seen you in about 11 years, boy. Let's hang out. You know, get a beer.” So, I followed him to the goddamn gas station. We get two beers, ain't get but two of 'em, but they were the big ones, though; they were the big ones. Anyway, so he like, “Man, come on, let's go up to the house and drink 'em. “So, we get to the house, he like, man, my old lady [murmurs] So we gon' drink 'em on the porch, feel me? I'm like, “Boy, APD be rolling through here, boy.” And he done talked me into it, so, sure enough, APD done roll up and seen the goddamn two cans out there. Locked me up for public intoxication. You know man I'm in here, man, ‘cause this nigga, man, I ain't seen in 11 years, man. I'm gonna be in here till Tuesday 'cause I ain't cash my check.

Earn: That's messed up.

Man: Damn, man, I should've went home! Shit!

Grady: Hey, man, I said I was sorry. I just ain't seen you in, like, 12 years.

Man: Man, fuck you, Grady! Shut up!

           This section displays a lot of aspects of African American English. He uses both boy and nigga as a term of address, and he pronounces boy as bwa. He removes unstressed syllables in some words, such as leb’m years instead of eleven years. He uses filler phrases, but they are sped up to the point where words change, such as him saying “Know what I’m talmbout?” rather than “Do you know what I’m talking about?” He removes consonant clusters at the end or beginning of some terms, such as ‘cause instead of because and gon’ instead of going. Also, the southern aspect of the dialect pops up in the vowel sounds he uses, such as jest instead of just. This might be the heaviest use of African American English in the show so far, but it is still fairly representative of its use throughout the show. However, the use of African American English to this extent has historically been uncommon in hugely successful shows such as Atlanta.

            Ever since the 1950’s television has been dominated by shows that have predominately white staff members, and those shows have commonly been the ones that are most consumed. Early television was dominated by variety shows, like Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, game shows, like The $64,000 Question, and news programs, like 60 Minutes, but sitcoms were and have also been immensely popular. Much like any other genre, the most watched sitcoms were still largely white. In fact, about thirty years after I Love Lucy, nearly twenty years after The Andy Griffith Show, and a decade after All in the Family, a show with a predominantly African American cast was the most watched television series in America.

            From 1986 to 1989, The Cosby Show was the most watched television show in America and it also won multiple Emmys and Golden Globes during its run. Despite the recently discovered controversies and atrocities committed by its star, The Cosby Show was one of the earliest examples of a mainstream, but also positive, depiction of African American life in America. Bill Cosby himself played a doctor, his fictional wife, played by Phylicia Rashad, was an attorney and their family was upper middle class. These aspects made the show more accessible to Caucasian viewers, and the cast resonated with African American viewers, so the show succeeded. However, these very same aspects that made the show easier to watch included the deemphasis of African American English, and honestly, race wasn’t focused on much in the series. Other sitcoms of the time, such as The Jeffersons and Diff'rent Strokes, heavily embraced African American English. In addition, The Jeffersons would often make jokes relating to race, using terms such as “nigger” and “honkey”, while Diff'rent Strokes was infamous for its uncharacteristically serious episodes that would tackle issues such as race. Mentions of race in The Cosby Show were often relegated to discussions of the Civil Rights Movement and black musicians such as James Brown and Lena Horne, and African American English wasn’t really spoken by any of the main characters.

            So, why is Atlanta, thirty years later, able to be so successful both commercially and critically while other black sitcoms have been either wildly successful without the use of African American English or have not reached such highs while using the dialect. Well, to understand the answer to that, other aspects of pop culture must be analyzed, as television, music, and film are all related to one another.

            Atlanta is far from the only media property to feature African American English. Even before the aforementioned The Jeffersons and Diff'rent Strokes, black characters in film had been using the dialect. One of the earliest examples of the dialect in film is the 1934 film Imitation of Life. In it, Louise Beavers played Delilah Johnson, the maid of the main character, Beatrice “Bea” Pullman. Beavers, who had grown up in the North and in California, had to study hard and long to nail the “southern negro dialect”. Her portrayal was relatively well received, as her role was one of the first times in American cinematic history that a black woman’s problems were given major emotional weight in a major Hollywood motion picture. However, she was given even more criticism for the role, as it continued the portrayal of black women by her, and by other blacks in Hollywood, in roles that were subservient to whites. In fact, almost every role that Beavers took before or since Imitation of Life was either a slave, servant, or maid, as those were the only roles available to blacks at the time. Still, while this use of African American English seemed to have mixed reception, countless films and shows have used African American English since. Some of the most authentic of these come from African Americans who have created and casted (or stared in) their own works.

            These works didn’t appear until the late 1970s and 1980s, and Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, is a great example of one of these later works. The film takes place entirely on Stuyvesant Avenue, between Quincy Street and Lexington Avenue, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn and tells the tale of heated racial tensions between a black neighborhood and an Italian family that owns a local pizzeria. The film has a mostly African American cast, Including Samuel L. Jackson and Martin Laurence, and is written by Spike Lee, whom is also black. So, this film contains heavy use of African American English, from the protagonists to the more ancillary characters. The film was a critical success, is considered one of the most impactful movies of the 80s, and is still considered to be Spike Lee’s most compelling work by most. Similar to Atlanta, the uses of the African American English dialect didn’t prohibit viewers from understanding the dialog or off put them from the deeper messages of the film. However, while Do the Right Thing was a considered a commercial success at the box office, it would take a couple more decades before films with African American English would begin to lead the box office.

            In 2015, the N.W.A. biopic, Straight Outta Compton was released to critical and commercial success. The film told the ups and downs of Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, MC Ren, and Eazy-E, otherwise known as the hip hop group, N.W.A., and the controversies that came with their massive success.  The film heavily used African American English in line with how it was used in the late 80s and early 90s. It made $ 157 million domestically at the box office, over three times it’s $50 million budget, and made over $200 million worldwide. It is not only the highest grossing film by a black director, F. Gary Gray, in the United States, but also the highest grossing music biopic of all time, beating Walk the Line. So, with Do the Right Thing, African American English was proven to not be a hindrance to critical acclaim, and with Straight Outta Compton, African American English was proven to not be a hindrance to financial success and mainstem appeal.

            Now, if you’ve notice, there is a trend with the last two features mentioned. Both Do the Right Thing and Straight Outta Compton are heavily tied into the culture of hip hop music. In Spike Lee’s film, one of the most important characters, Radio Raheem, carries a radio that blares loud hip hop music with him in most scenes. In addition, aspects of hip hop culture, such as radio DJs and stylized brass knuckles, are found in the film. In Compton, the very subject matter of the movie is based around hip hop. N.W.A. is one of, if not the, most influential hip hop group of all time, and their influence can be seen not just in their genre of music, but throughout all of pop culture. Even if one is not a fan of rap music, the names Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and maybe even Eazy-E are familiar to any consumer of popular culture. In fact, the show Atlanta also has a lot of influence from hip hop culture. The main character acts as an agent for his relative, Paper Boi, who is an up-incoming rap artist. All of these have heavy influence from the musical genre of hip hop, and it is the rise of hip hop over the last few decades that may be responsible for the widespread adoption and acceptance of African American English in mainstream pop culture.

            African American English has historically been much more common in music rather than in other non-literary art forms. Some of the earliest examples of African American English in music can be found in blues, R&B, jazz, and spirituals near the beginning of the 20th century, like with W.C. Handy’s 1914 song, “Saint Louis Blues”. In the song, Handy writes “Cause my baby, he done left this town,”, which uses “done” to indicate the recent past. Another great example would be Nina Simone in 1967’s “It Be’s That Way Sometime”, which uses the habitual be and drops constants like s at the end of adverbs. But going back specifically to hip hop, the uses of African American English are rampant.

            In 1979, The Sugarhill Gang released the first commercially successful hip hop song, “Rapper’s Delight”, and it is considered to be the song that introduced the genre to the United States as a whole. In the song, one of the members says “At the age of seven I was rocking in heaven dontcha know I went off.” This phrase contains a combination of don’t and ya, similar to how the scene from Atlanta contained a combination of talking and about. Also, later in 1983, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five released the song, “New York, New York”, which is considered one of the first rap songs to use “nigga” as a term of address. This trend would be a staple of rap and hip hop for the rest of its existence, especially once N.W.A, or Niggaz Wit Attitudes, rose in popularity later that decade. In addition to these grammatical qualities, hip hop has also created and spread lexical items that are now specific to African American English. For example, in the Kanye West and Jay-Z song, “Otis”, Jay raps “the big face rollie, I got two of those”, where the term rollie is a slang term for a Rolex watch. In the Kendrick Lamar song, “Mamma”, he writes “Tossin' footballs with his ashy black ankles,” where ashy here means dry skin. Also, law enforcement has been given many nicknames in hip hop, such as 5-0, po-po, and twelve.

            Now, as rap music has continued to change and popularize African American English, it has also grown into the current largest musical genre. According to Neilson Music, R&B/hip hop is now responsible for 25.1% of all music consumption, beating out rock for the first time since Nelson began measuring music. And hip hop didn’t get this big by itself, as many of hip hop’s most prominent artists have collaborated with those outside of the genre. In 1985, Run DMC released a cover of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way”, with Steven Tyler and joe Perry as guest vocals. Jay-Z worked with Linkin Park on their 2004 joint album, Collision Course, including their hit song, “Numb/Encore”. Kendrick Lamar worked with Taylor Swift for her hit song “Bad Blood” in 2015, and earlier this year, Katy Perry featured the popular Atlanta rap group, Migos, in her song “Bon Appétit.” This has led to everyone in America being a fan of at least one song from the genre, with even our former president, Barak Obama, showing his love for rap artists like Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper.

            All of this evidence shows that hip hop is quickly consuming all of popular culture, and with the rise of hip hop comes the rise of the culture that the genre was born from. That leads to dances made popular in rap songs, like the Dab, being done by even Ellen DeGeneres. This has led to rappers being popular enough to cast in multi-million-dollar motion pictures, such as Ludacris being cast in the Fast and Furious movies and Donald Glover being cast in Spider-Man Homecoming and Star Wars. And this has also lead to African American English being exposed to more Americans than ever before. While everyone in the country might not speak African American English, everyone now either has a friend who speaks it, or consumes media in which its use is very common. African American English is no longer commonly used to paint characters as a negative stereotype. African American English is now being used by black storytellers and artists to more accurately portray their experiences and to bring viewers and listeners in their own perspectives.

            Atlanta is able to be as successful as it is because the environment in which it was release has changed dramatically. No longer does a black sitcom have to deemphasize race to reach massive critical and commercial success. No longer does the use of grammar and lexical terms from African American English have to mean a show won’t reach the widest audience or win any major critical awards. Thanks primarily to the rise of hip hop in mainstream culture, shows like Atlanta are allowed to thrive, and it is to that genre that most of these shows are in debt.

            However, with the use of African American English being more widespread than ever, this has led to some non-whites using the dialect. In hip hop, it is commonly done to show “street cred” or to fit in with other rappers. But in some cases, specifically with the use of nigga as a term of address, much criticism has been given to those who attempt to use the dialect without being black themselves. However, if hip hop continues to grow in popularity, then everyone will have to deal with some big changes either way. We’ll all either change to align ourselves within the previously set rules of African American English, or we will simply change those rules according to how the dialect is used in the future. And only time will tell if we’ll still be using the same dialect we are discussing today.

[comebeforegod]

Catholic Testimony: Rejoicing at Jesus’ Coming

By Amy, USA

Welcoming the Lord is the greatest wish for all who long for His return. By the grace of God, I welcomed His return. My heart is full of gratitude toward Him, scenes of the past appearing in my mind.

The Desolation of the Church

After graduation, I came to work in America. There I was baptized into the faith of the Lord and became a Catholic. In the first several years after that, no matter how tired I was, every Sunday I would go to the church for Mass and focus my attention to listening to the priest’s preaching and feel the Lord’s love with my heart. The church friends were warm-hearted to each other, just like family members coming together.

But later, I gradually found that apart from espousing letters and doctrines and knowledge of history from the Bible, the priest had nothing new to preach. Although I listened to it carefully, I couldn’t get the supply of life or feel the work of the Holy Spirit at all. Moreover, when I had some questions, I dared not to ask the priest, because he always positioned himself high above, only noticing and speaking to those who contributed the most money or had position. As for the common believers like me, he had no regard, much less answered my questions. The thing that disappointed me most was this. He actually argued with an old church friend who helped preach in the catechumen class. He even cursed the old church friend before many church members, so that the old church friend didn’t come to our church since then. I saw that outwardly the priest dressed himself elegantly and was well-mannered, but actually he was as hypocritical as the world’s government officials. Therefore, my enthusiastic heart became cold gradually as if it had been doused by a bucket of cold water. What was more, I found that the church was the same as the world: Relationships between church friends were based on nothing but mutual interest. They became very kind only when they exploited connections to sell products or do business. Other times they came and went in haste and guarded against each other and were indifferent like people in the world. There I couldn’t feel the love between each other.

During those years, in the church I learnt nothing except some religious rules and rituals. During the sermons, many believers dozed off and later I also became drowsy, somehow. And I didn’t want to go to church gradually, even to the extent of going there once every several months. Because I felt empty and had no support, I became unknowingly addicted to TV series. In order to fill the emptiness within my heart, I was obsessed with them every day and had a decadent life. Even after I got married and had kids, I was still given to the soap operas at my leisure and even though I went to the church for Mass sometimes, I was sleepy. I felt very confused about this. Until one day in December 2017, I met one of my old classmates in the park. She also believed in the Lord. Thanks to this encounter, my confusion was resolved and meanwhile I welcomed the Lord.

My Confusion Was Resolved

The weather in December was cold, yet it was a sunny day. With the sun shining on us, we were full of warmth. My classmate and I were invited to her friend’s to listen to the preaching. The preacher was a brother, who was proficient in the Bible. He integrated some characters recorded in the Bible such as Abraham, Job, Peter, the woman of Samaria, and so on, and fellowshiped their experiences of knowing God. I enjoyed very much listening to it. When we had some questions, he was very patient in giving us an answer, and he wouldn’t stop until we understood. Moreover, what he fellowshiped was enlightening, making me feel very brightened. I liked such get-together very much for there was no distinction of class. Instead, everyone sat together face-to-face fellowshiping. I felt very free and released with no restraint.

Later, my classmate told my confusion to the brother and asked, “Why is the church the same as the world? In church, we doze off during the sermons and can’t feel the Lord’s love and the work of the Holy Spirit at all. Could you tell us your views ?”

The brother said, “Thank God! The question you’ve asked is an important one. We all know that we live in the late period of the last days. The Lord Jesus once prophesied: ‘And because iniquity hath abounded, the charity of many shall grow cold.’ (Matthew 24:12). Lawlessness in the world of religion is growing. Religious leaders don’t abide by the Lord’s commandments, but only follow religious ceremonies and ancient traditions, turning churches into places of religious ritual and treating their responsibilities and duties as access to status and income. They appear godly outside but substantively are hypocritical. They don’t at all exalt God or bear witness to God, God’s words, and God’s requirements of man when preaching biblical knowledge, but only show off and bear witness to themselves. This leads to them deviating from the Lord’s way and bringing believers before themselves. They’ve been loathed and rejected by God. Another reason is that the Lord will perform a new stage of work in the last days and personally come to earth and express the truth to save mankind corrupted by Satan. The Bible predicted, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I myself come upon the shepherds, I will require my flock at their hand, and I will cause them to cease from feeding the flock any more, neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more: and I will deliver my flock from their mouth, and it shall no more be meat for them. For thus saith the Lord God: Behold I myself will seek my sheep, and will visit them’ (Ezekiel 34:10-11). From these verses, we can see the Lord will personally come to search for, shepherd, and lead His sheep.” Hearing those words “come to earth, express the truth, personally search for and shepherd His sheep,” and his fellowship, I felt the love and care from the Lord and my heart was deeply touched. Unknowingly tears blurred my eyes. A sister was considerate and handed me some tissues with a smile. I took them with a shy smile. Then I listened to his fellowship carefully lest I lose one word.

Reunion With the Lord

The brother went on fellowshiping, “The Lord Jesus once said, ‘I have yet many things to say to you: but you cannot bear them now. But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will teach you all truth. For he shall not speak of himself; but what things soever he shall hear, he shall speak; and the things that are to come, he shall shew you’ (John 16:12-13). From these verses we can see when the Lord returns, He will express the truth and tell us the things we do not know. Now the Lord has returned to the flesh, expressed all the truths man requires to be saved and begun the work of judgment beginning with the house of God to purify all who accept His work of the last days. And the work of the Holy Spirit turns to God’s work of the last days. Those who accept God’s work of judgment in the last days will receive the work of the Holy Spirit, and receive the watering and provision of the living water of life, while those who stop in religious place and refuse to accept God’s work of the last days are left in dark desolation. This proves a prophecy in the Bible: ‘I also have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon: and the piece whereupon I rained not, withered. And two and three cities went to one city to drink water, and were not filled: yet you returned not to me, saith the Lord’ (Amos 4:7-8). Just as the Old Testament recorded that at the end of the Age of Law, the temple that originally shined with the glory of the Lord fell into desolation—it became a place of trade, a den of thieves. This was because the Lord came and performed a new stage of work. Those who accepted the work of the Lord Jesus were accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit, while those who rejected His work were eliminated by the work of the Holy Spirit.”

I said, “Now the situation of the churches is almost the same as that of the temple at the end of the Age of Law. They also become a place of trade.” Others all said, “That’s right. It is indeed the same.” The brother nodded and said, “In order to gain the work of the Holy Spirit and watering of the living water of life, we must escape the deception and shackles of pastors and priests in the churches to seek and study the work of God in the last days. Only in this way can we follow the footprints of the Holy Spirit and come out of the spiritual darkness.” Then the brother turned on the computer and read two passages of God’s words, “God will accomplish this fact: He will make all people throughout the universe come before Him, and worship the God on earth, and His work in other places will cease, and people will be forced to seek the true way. It will be like Joseph: Everyone came to him for food, and bowed down to him, for he had things to eat. In order to avoid famine people will be forced to seek the true way. The entire religious community is suffering severe famine, and only the God of today is the wellspring of living water, possessed of the ever-flowing wellspring provided for the enjoyment of man, and people will come and depend on Him.” “All of God’s work in the entire universe has focused on this group of people. He has devoted all His efforts to you and sacrificed all for you; He has reclaimed and given to you all the work of the Spirit throughout the universe. That is why I say, you are the fortunate. Moreover, He has shifted His glory from Israel, His chosen people, to you, in order to make the purpose of His plan fully manifest through you group of people. Therefore, you are those who will receive the inheritance of God, and even more the heirs of God’s glory.”

The brother went on fellowshiping, “God has reclaimed all the work of the Holy Spirit throughout the universe and worked on those who follow His work of the last days, in order that they can hear God’s voice and be raptured before His throne to accept the judgment, purification and perfection of His words. After God makes this group of people into the overcomers, He will send down great disasters to reward good and punish evil. At that time, all those who don’t accept God’s work of judgment in the last days or achieve purification and change will fall into disasters and be punished.” Hearing this, I was very surprised: Is this the truth? The Lord Jesus has truly returned? If we don’t follow God’s work the outcome will be so severe? It’s so sudden. With lots of doubts and confusions, I listened attentively.

Afterward, the brother fellowshiped with us about the truths of the origin of the Bible, the mystery of incarnation, the inside story of three stages of work, the meaning of God’s names, and other aspects. His fellowship was well-grounded and very clear. I thought: The Lord must have returned. Otherwise, how could the brother know so many mysteries? Thank God! By His grace, I welcomed the Lord.

Satan’s Disturbance

One day, I came over to my sister’s with my child and then I asked her whether she knew Eastern Lightning. She stared at me keenly, saying, “I’m telling you. Don’t believe in Eastern Lightning.” And then she said much negative information about it. I said in a tone of anger, “Sister, you should find out about everything before speaking. Don’t follow the herd. You haven’t investigated The Church of Almighty God but blindly judge it. Is it right? We Christians should have a heart that reveres God.” She replied angrily, “I’m reminding you for your good, lest you take the wrong path. You can see for yourself on the Internet.” Her words aroused my curiosity. I thought: Is it really like what she said? I will check it out. And then I searched on the internet and saw many rumors. In particular I saw the May 28 Murder Case in a McDonald’s in Zhaoyuan, Shandong. After seeing it, I was very frightened and became a little wavering. I thought to myself: Are these real? Is the way true or not? What if it is wrong? However, when I recalled the small details of gatherings with the brothers and sisters—everybody was kind and I gained a lot in each meeting—I didn’t want to give up this way. At that moment, there was a fierce battle in my heart. I was afraid of being deceived and took the wrong way, yet I was also afraid of missing the opportunity to welcome the Lord. Therefore, I called my classmate and told her this matter, wanting to find the brother and figure it out.

The Truth Came Out

During the meeting, the brother played for us two videos: “Jia Chunwang Ordered Siege on The Church of Almighty God. Project 807 Caused the Purported McDonald’s Murder” presented by MingjingLive, and “The Truth Exposed Behind the May 28 Zhaoyuan Case,” which allowed me to have some discernment of the rumors online. Then the brother fellowshiped, “The defendants of the Zhaoyuan case of Shandong clearly stated in court that what the state had been cracking down on was not the ‘Almighty God’ that they believed in and that they never had contact with The Church of Almighty God. They themselves didn’t admit they belonged to The Church of Almighty God, but the CCP judges openly contradicted the fact and ruled that these suspects were the followers of The Church of Almighty God. They brazenly framed and blamed The Church of Almighty God for this case. Wasn’t it twisting fact and framing, defaming The Church of Almighty God on purpose?” “Yes, it was.” We replied in chorus. The brother went on saying, “Then why did the CCP do this? What was its purpose? As we all know, the CCP is an atheist party. Since it gained power, it has been frantically suppressing and banning Christianity, Catholicism and other forms of religion. It has labelled Christianity and Catholicism the evil cult and the Holy Bible as the work of an evil cult, confiscating and destroying innumerable copies of the Bible and arresting countless Christians. Now, Almighty God has become flesh and delivered utterances of millions of words. People in all denominations and sects who love the truth and yearn for light, after reading the words of Almighty God, all confirm God’s word is the truth and that Almighty God is the appearance of the Christ of the Last Days, so they have one after another accepted the work of Almighty God in the last days. In recent years, the gospel of the kingdom of Almighty God has spread to many foreign countries and regions. The word of Almighty God is being spread and witnessed by more and more people. The rapid development of The Church of Almighty God has caused the CCP to panic. It fears that after people read God’s word and understand the truth, they will see through its demonic essence and reject it from heart. Therefore, in order to protect its dictatorial regime and turn China into an atheist state, it framed and blamed The Church of Almighty God for Shandong Zhaoyuan Case and wanted to build up public opinion for it to ban The Church of Almighty God. From this we can see the CCP is the devil Satan, the enemy of God.”

One sister said, “That’s right. Concealment and deception are impermanent, and dark clouds cannot block the sunlight. Lies are always lies and they will never turn into the truth.” My classmate also said, “Yes. For so many years, the CCP has become increasingly notorious for its deceits and frauds. The cases adjudicated by the CCP’s courts are not to be trusted.” After seeing clearly the true facts, I felt very indignant. The CCP is too evil, too detestable, and it is capable of any low-down tricks. Meanwhile, I realized that I was so foolish and ignorant, and had no discernment that I almost fell into Satan’s scheme. The brother said, “Sister, this isn’t a bad thing. Through these rumors, we can understand some truths and have some discernment of the CCP. This is a harvest. Thanks be to God.”

Rejoicing at the Lord’s Coming

After experiencing the disturbances of the rumors, I had some knowledge of the nature and essence of the CCP resisting and hating God and saw through the CCP’s sinister intentions of creating rumors. I was not deceived by rumors any longer and returned to God again. From then on, as long as I had time, I would read God’s words and have meetings and fellowship the truth with my brothers and sisters. I was completely sure that Almighty God is the second coming of the Lord Jesus. I no longer felt empty and lonely or lived in the degenerate, decadent life of watching soap operas. I, a lost sheep, finally welcomed the Lord and returned to God’s family. Afterward, I spread the gospel to my husband, and he also returned to God’s family. Now, we have meetings, fellowship God’s words, and fulfill the duty of spreading the gospel together. I enjoy an earnestness and peace and joy in my heart I have never felt before. Thanks be to God!

[mrlnsfrt]

Thy Will Be Done? Challenges in Submitting to God's will.

The audio recording of this message can be found here

As important as it is to be aware of God’s will for our lives it is equally important to know how to apply that knowledge. How should what I know about God and His will shape my life, my decisions, and my actions? In this study of Genesis 27, we will witness Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Esau wrestle with God’s will, their personal preferences and the consequences of their actions. Genesis 27 is an incredibly messy story, as messy as our lives often are, but I hope that this study will help you avoid some of the mistakes made by these great heroes of faith.

A Shift

We covered Genesis 26 on my previous post entitled Faithful Still. The shift in the story, however, takes place on the last couple of verses of chapter 26.

When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah. Genesis 26:34-35 NKJV

Esau takes a wife at the same age his father Issac was when he married Rebecca (Genesis 25:20). However, unlike his father, Esau did not consult his parents regarding his choice of companion and chooses from among the women of the land which caused grief of mind to his parents or literally “bitterness of spirit.” This shift takes place with the reappearance of Esau, who we had last seen despising his birthright in Genesis 25:34. Esau is introduced back into the narrative with an account of another poor choice. Esau’s choice of wife shows no concern for the spiritual upbringing of his child. Surely he must have heard the story of how God had brought his parents Isaac and Rebekah together (more on this on my post Good Company) and the importance of having a godly wife. the reader is given a picture of Esau as being consistently uninterested in the moral and spiritual responsibilities that accompany the birthright. Esau’s choice of wife breaks the heart of his parents who understand the implications of Esau’s choice. When Esau chose wives who worship idols he put his descendants in jeopardy, and if the faith of his descendants is threatened, and if he gets the birthright, that would mean God’s plans to bless and make him a blessing would also be threatened.

Isaac is old

Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.”

And he answered him, “Here I am.”

Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.  And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” Genesis 27:1-4 NKJV

The story now transitions to a new section, but it continues the same line of thought. Dr. Doukhan points out that there are several thematic similarities between the blessing of Jacob by Isaac and the story of Esau and Jacob around the meal of lentils (Genesis 25:27-34 blog post How Much for That). (Doukhan, Jacques. Genesis. Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2016. p325)

The themes include:

Age (Genesis 25:27 cf. 27:1-2)

Esau as a hunter (Genesis 25:27 cf 27:3)

Love, desire to eat a meal, game (Genesis 25:28 cf 27:3-4)

the prospect of death (Genesis 25:32 cf 27:2)

The parallels between these two stories suggest that the deal between Esau and Jacob around the pot of stew and the blessing story are related.

A bit of history

Just as a quick refresher.

Before the twins, Esau and Isaac, were born God told Rebekah

And the Lord said to her:

“Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.” Genesis 25:23 NKJV

From this revelation from God, we see that the plan is for the younger to receive the blessing and the supremacy. (more on that on this blog post Everything will be okay.)

It is also important to remember, as I mentioned above, that Esau sold his birthright to Jacob (Genesis 25). (more on my blog post How much for that?)

It would be in accordance with the trajectory of the story so far to expect Jacob to receive the blessing. After all, it is God’s plan no?

It’s complicated

You could argue that Jacob took advantage of his brother in a moment of weakness and that his behavior is not commendable. Also, the argument can be made that Esau did not seem to care much for his birthright and he cared more about satiating his hunger.

Another complication is that “And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” (Genesis 25:28 NKJV)

Sure, God had spoken to Rebekah and told her that the older would serve the younger, but tradition said that the older should get the birthright and the special blessing. Also, Isaac liked Esau, not because of his character but because of the game Esau brought and prepared. Esau sold his birthright because of food, and Isaac prefers Esau because of food. Love of food and eating is something Isaac and Esau share. Both allow their appetite to distract them from spiritual things.

What do do?

As we read Genesis 27 we might begin to worry. Isaac had just asked Esau to go hunt and make him a nice meal and he will bless him. Isn’t it interesting that Isaac seems to be suggesting that Esau purchase the blessing with a meal? I know its not a real purchase, I’m just saying this situation is familiar at least.

Rebekah was listening. At the end of Genesis 26, Isaac and Rebekah are united they were grieved by Eau’s choice of wife. However, Isaac seems to be disregarding that, as well as the prophecy regarding the older serving the younger. Isaac seems to be following tradition and allowing his personal preferences to take precedence over the will of God. Also, is nobody going to bring up the fact that Esau had sold his birthright?

The birthright didn’t seem that important, at least not until Isaac is about to die, now it is very much important.

Who is wrong?

Was Jacob wrong for buying Esau’s birthright? Was Esau wrong for selling it? Was Esau being deceitful by not mentioning to his father that he had sold the birthright to Jacob? Was Isaac wrong for disregarding what God had said before his sons were born? Was Isaac wrong for wanting to bless his favorite son? Was Isaac wrong for wanting to bless the son who made the food he loved? Was Esau wrong for taking Hittite wives? Was Isaac wrong for disregarding the fact that Esau’s wives put the entire plan of salvation in jeopardy?

It seems like everyone is wrong and several different levels. So what do you do when so many things have gone wrong? What do you do when it seems like God’s plan will be ruined by humans making poor decisions?

Rebekah is very concerned. She also has a favorite son, Jacob. She remembers the prophecy, she wants to do what is right. Perhaps it is okay for her to have a favorite because its God’s will for Jacob to receive the blessing, right? Maybe it is up to her to make sure God’s will is accomplished, whatever the cost!

Time for action!

We know that Rebekah was concerned because she was listening to Isaac’s conversation with Esau.

Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it. So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, ‘Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’  Genesis 27:5-7 NKJV (bold mine)

Rebekah calls Jacob and tells him what his father intends to do. It is interesting that the storyteller even identifies Jacob as Rebekah’s son and Esau as Isaac’s son, even though both are the sons of Rebekah and Isaac.

Now that we have set up the scene, it is time fo things to become even more complicated. Rebecca tells Jacob:

Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you.  Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves.  Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.” Genesis 27:8-10 NKJV (bold mine)

Let’s take a closer look at the text above. Perhaps Rebekah decides to act because she notices her husband is going against God’s will. Ironically, her course of action involves deception which is also against God’s will. Notice also that Rebekah requests two choice kids of the goats. How many families is she feeding? I highly doubt Isaac would be able to eat so much in you sitting. Turns out I am not the only one. Some commentators believe the extra goat might have been for a sin offering. There is still debate over this but I find it interesting that she recognized the problems of her actions, and that she would need forgiveness, but continued with the plan anyway. Do we ever sin already planning to repent afterward?

Potential problem

Well, there are many potential problems. But we will mention the ones Jacob brings up.

 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.” Genesis 27:11-12 NKJV

Remember the birth story and the meaning of Esau’s name?

And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Genesis 25:25 NKJV

The word “esau” literally means “hairy!” This is a problem, one among many. But Rebekah is not easily deterred

aaaand action!

But his mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. Genesis 27:13-17 NKJV

Rebekah wants her son, Jacob, to receive the blessing. She is convinced this is the right thing to do. So she assures him by claiming she would take the curse if there is one. Once again Rebekah tells Jacob to obey her voice! The way Rebekah speaks is similar to the way God speaks or His prophets speak when they speak His behalf telling others to obey or go (Genesis 2:16; Exodus 12:28, 50; Deuteronomy 4:2; 11:13, 22, 27-28).

Now notice carefully who is doing everything. Isaac gets the two choice kids of the goats. Rebekah makes the food, takes the choice clothes of Esau, she dresses Jacob in Esau’s clothes, she puts the skins of the goats on Jacob’s hands and neck (apparently Esau’s must have been hairy as a kid goat) then she gives the savory food and the bread in the hands of her son Jacob. Rebekah is the one doing all the work. Jacob simply passively goes along with his mother’s plan. He does want the blessing after all, but he doesn’t seem too eager to go about it in this way.

Lies

So he went to his father and said, “My father.”

And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”

 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” Genesis 27:18-19 NKJV

Jacob comes into his father’s presence. He tries to keep the conversation to a minimum saying simply “my father.” But Isaac sense’s that something is off, and questions Jacob regarding his identity. Isaac knows it is his son, but he is unsure which sone it is. Jacob then begins to lie claiming to be Esau and claiming to have obeyed his father’s command, and requesting a blessing. I wonder if Jacob or Rebekah noticed the irony of doing something that goes against God’s will (deceiving [Proverbs 28:18-19; 12:22; 6:16-19; Leviticus 19:11] ) to gain God’s blessing? Do we ever do the same? Try to cut corners, cheat and lie to get what we believe God wants us to have? Do we lie/deceive and then expect a blessing?

Isaac is not convinced and continues to question his son.

But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?”

And he said, “Because the Lord your God brought it to me.” - Genesis 27:20 NKJV

Now Jacob had to bring God into his lie in an attempt to make his claims believable. One lie draws another. Jacob who was so passive up to this point is now forced to actively participate in deceiving his father in an attempt to gain a blessing from God. But Isaac is not yet convinced.

Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. - Genesis 27:21-23 NKJV

Isaac now wants to feel his son, in an attempt to know for sure which son he is talking to. Isaac notices that the voice belongs to Jacob, but Esau was so hairy that, apparently, a blind man petting a goat would struggle to know the difference. But it seemed like the goatskin over the hands finally did the trick. It seems like Isaac is finally convinced that he is dealing with Esau.

Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?”

He said, “I am.” - Genesis 27:24 NKJV

Except Isaac was still unsure and he repeatedly gives his son an opportunity to come clean and tell the truth. Jacob is given an opportunity to tell the truth and reason with his father, but he has lied up to now and decides to stick to the lie. The truth is that Jacob is not Esau, Jacob is not the firstborn, even if he was born only a few moments after his twin Esau.

[ongames]

'A Normal Man Would Not Want Me': A Heartbreaking Look At Leprosy In 2017

This article is part of HuffPost’s Project Zero campaign, a yearlong series on neglected tropical diseases and efforts to fight them.

YANGON, Myanmar ― Su Myant Sandar was 17 when she first noticed a red patch on her cheek. At the time, she was working with her girlfriends at a garment factory on the poor outskirts of this city. She covered the spot with a thick layer of thanaka, a traditional plant-based makeup, and continued going to work as normal.

But it was not an ordinary spot. It was the first visible sign of leprosy, a largely forgotten bacterial infection that affects tens of thousands of people every year, mostly in southeast Asia and most of them extremely poor. An ancient disease, leprosy causes skin lesions and nerve damage and can lead to severe disfigurement and disability. 

Though curable and not highly contagious, the disease has long carried an intense social stigma, one that used to relegate people with leprosy to the fringes of Myanmar society. Modern treatment has erased some of this stigma, but even those who are cured shoulder a heavy emotional burden.

By the time the lesions spread across her body, Su Myant Sandar was out of a job and isolated from her friends. Already an orphan, she ate by herself every day, with her own fork and glass. Her brother quarreled constantly with his wife about her staying with them. She’d started receiving treatment at a local hospital, but it made her so lonely and exhausted that she stopped going before she was fully healed.

Su Myant Sandar’s relapse, months later, was severe. The disease reappeared in new patches on her skin, while weakness and numbness crept into her hands. She caught tuberculosis around the same time.

Her family decided to send her to the Myitta leprosy asylum, two hours away from Yangon. She’s still there today.

Now 20 years old, Su Myant Sandar is on the 11th month of a yearlong treatment at Myitta. She will be completely cured soon, but her limbs are covered with deep scars and have grown as thin as a child’s. Still, she says she feels “very lucky.” Unlike many other patients at the center, some of whom are in wheelchairs, leprosy didn’t mar her face or paralyze her fingers permanently.

Contrary to popular belief, the disease doesn’t cause body parts to fall off. But in extreme cases, it damages nerves so much that patients won’t feel injuries and might not treat wounds properly, which in turn can lead to infection and amputation. Facial paralysis and blindness may occur, and fingers and toes may curl and shorten. The disease can also destroy nasal cartilage, causing the nose to collapse entirely. 

Even though Su Myant Sandar escaped some of leprosy’s most devastating physical complications, she has no dream of a boyfriend or a family in her future.

“A normal man would not want me,” she said in a resigned monotone.

“I don’t want to leave this place ever again,” she added. “I don’t want to go back home ever again. I have an ‘auntie,’ a ‘sister’ and friends here. They are like me. They don’t reject me.”

Su Myant Sandar has plenty in common with the other 130 patients at the Myitta center. They share a background of poverty, malnourishment and fear of an “outside” world that has inflicted on them the deep wounds of abandonment and rejection.

Centers such as Myitta give shelter and food to people who are often unable to provide for themselves due to disability. In the past, people with leprosy often lived around hospitals, either producing alcoholic drinks or begging, or ended up in rundown colonies where people died of malaria in great numbers. But in the bright, Spartan wards of this modern structure, patients can receive visits and move in wheelchairs around the tranquil courtyard.

Scientists believe leprosy is spread when a person carrying the bacteria coughs or sneezes and a healthy person inhales the droplets. Transmission requires prolonged, close exposure, but the odds of contagion are higher among people with compromised immune systems or who live in houses with no ventilation.

“The majority of the population ― even doctors and nurses exposed to leprosy patients ― would not get it,” said Dr. Zaw Moe Aung, country director of the Leprosy Mission Myanmar, which provides medical assistance to centers such as the Myitta facility.  

Malnourishment and poverty affect vast segments of Myanmar’s population of 51 million. Newly recorded leprosy cases average about 3,000 per year here.

“Fifteen percent of the new cases are still identified too late, when preventable symptoms such as loss of sensitivity or claw hands mean nerve functions are compromised,” Zaw Moe Aung said.

In the 1980s, a multidrug therapy arrived on the scene. It proved effective in fighting leprosy around the world and is still the main form of treatment. If patients get this treatment at a point in the disease where their nerves are still repairable, they can avoid permanent disability. But many are cured only after the disease has rendered them unable to walk, write or see.

This treatment, which the World Health Organization began offering for free in 1995, worked wonders in Myanmar ― for a while, anyway. Thanks in part to a global effort, spearheaded by the WHO, to stamp out leprosy, Myanmar was able to significantly reduce the prevalence of the disease. In 2000, the WHO declared that leprosy had been eliminated as a health threat across much of the world. Myanmar, only slightly behind the curve, achieved elimination in 2003.

But “elimination” does not mean a disease is gone completely ― only that it’s been reduced to a manageable level. Even after things reached that point in Myanmar, there was still much work to be done. And unfortunately, worldwide efforts to fight leprosy have stalled.

As in the rest of Southeast Asia, where 74 percent of the world’s leprosy cases occur, the number of new cases in Myanmar is declining very slowly.

“Announcing that it had been ‘eliminated’ sent the wrong signal to the world,” Zaw Moe Aung said. “Donors halted funding and even health workers lost interest ― there was no inspiration for new generations to go and work with leprosy patients.”

“They would flock to HIV, TB, and get doctorates studying these illnesses, while nobody cared about leprosy,” he went on. “But you still need treatment, support for disabled patients and prevention education for the wider community. It might otherwise spread or be detected when it’s too late.”

In Myanmar, public information campaigns featuring writers and celebrities also helped to bring down the number of new cases, and to reduce the stigma that once saw people forcing patients off buses, burning their homes and sending them to live in separate villages ― even after their illness had been treated. But the judgment is still there.

“Self-stigma is also a real problem,” Zaw Moe Aung said.

U Aye Ko, an 80-year-old former magician and a patient at Myitta, says he felt like he needed to cut himself off from the world.

“I did not want my family to become a disgrace,” he said.

U Aye Ko used to perform in theaters all over the country. When he was 50, a red patch that had been on his hip for years started spreading. Leprosy symptoms can take up to 20 years to develop, so when new lesions appeared and his hands eventually lost sensitivity, he decided to leave his home.

“I felt inferior. I preferred to go,” he said. But even though leprosy has deformed his hands, he added, he can still perform the tricks his grandfather taught him, like conjuring flowers from his mouth.

His days of public performances may be over, but his desire to reunite with his family has grown stronger.

“I will try to make contact with them,” U Aye Ko said. “I know that my nephews live in Singapore. I would like to know how they are.”

This series is supported, in part, by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. All content is editorially independent, with no influence or input from the foundation.

If you’d like to contribute a post to the series, send an email to ProjectZero@huffingtonpost.com. And follow the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #ProjectZero.

More stories like this:

He Treated The Very First Ebola Cases 40 Years Ago. Then He Watched The World Forget.

Rabies Kills 189 People Every Day. Here’s Why You Never Hear About It.

When Bullets Fly, These Medics Grab Their Packs And Treat Patients On The Run

This Man Went Abroad And Brought Back A Disease Doctors Had Never Seen

A Parasite Attacked This Dad’s Brain And Destroyed His Family

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

'A Normal Man Would Not Want Me': A Heartbreaking Look At Leprosy In 2017 published first on http://ift.tt/2lnpciY

[yes-dal456]

'A Normal Man Would Not Want Me': A Heartbreaking Look At Leprosy In 2017

This article is part of HuffPost’s Project Zero campaign, a yearlong series on neglected tropical diseases and efforts to fight them.

YANGON, Myanmar ― Su Myant Sandar was 17 when she first noticed a red patch on her cheek. At the time, she was working with her girlfriends at a garment factory on the poor outskirts of this city. She covered the spot with a thick layer of thanaka, a traditional plant-based makeup, and continued going to work as normal.

But it was not an ordinary spot. It was the first visible sign of leprosy, a largely forgotten bacterial infection that affects tens of thousands of people every year, mostly in southeast Asia and most of them extremely poor. An ancient disease, leprosy causes skin lesions and nerve damage and can lead to severe disfigurement and disability. 

Though curable and not highly contagious, the disease has long carried an intense social stigma, one that used to relegate people with leprosy to the fringes of Myanmar society. Modern treatment has erased some of this stigma, but even those who are cured shoulder a heavy emotional burden.

By the time the lesions spread across her body, Su Myant Sandar was out of a job and isolated from her friends. Already an orphan, she ate by herself every day, with her own fork and glass. Her brother quarreled constantly with his wife about her staying with them. She’d started receiving treatment at a local hospital, but it made her so lonely and exhausted that she stopped going before she was fully healed.

Su Myant Sandar’s relapse, months later, was severe. The disease reappeared in new patches on her skin, while weakness and numbness crept into her hands. She caught tuberculosis around the same time.

Her family decided to send her to the Myitta leprosy asylum, two hours away from Yangon. She’s still there today.

Now 20 years old, Su Myant Sandar is on the 11th month of a yearlong treatment at Myitta. She will be completely cured soon, but her limbs are covered with deep scars and have grown as thin as a child’s. Still, she says she feels “very lucky.” Unlike many other patients at the center, some of whom are in wheelchairs, leprosy didn’t mar her face or paralyze her fingers permanently.

Contrary to popular belief, the disease doesn’t cause body parts to fall off. But in extreme cases, it damages nerves so much that patients won’t feel injuries and might not treat wounds properly, which in turn can lead to infection and amputation. Facial paralysis and blindness may occur, and fingers and toes may curl and shorten. The disease can also destroy nasal cartilage, causing the nose to collapse entirely. 

Even though Su Myant Sandar escaped some of leprosy’s most devastating physical complications, she has no dream of a boyfriend or a family in her future.

“A normal man would not want me,” she said in a resigned monotone.

“I don’t want to leave this place ever again,” she added. “I don’t want to go back home ever again. I have an ‘auntie,’ a ‘sister’ and friends here. They are like me. They don’t reject me.”

Su Myant Sandar has plenty in common with the other 130 patients at the Myitta center. They share a background of poverty, malnourishment and fear of an “outside” world that has inflicted on them the deep wounds of abandonment and rejection.

Centers such as Myitta give shelter and food to people who are often unable to provide for themselves due to disability. In the past, people with leprosy often lived around hospitals, either producing alcoholic drinks or begging, or ended up in rundown colonies where people died of malaria in great numbers. But in the bright, Spartan wards of this modern structure, patients can receive visits and move in wheelchairs around the tranquil courtyard.

Scientists believe leprosy is spread when a person carrying the bacteria coughs or sneezes and a healthy person inhales the droplets. Transmission requires prolonged, close exposure, but the odds of contagion are higher among people with compromised immune systems or who live in houses with no ventilation.

“The majority of the population ― even doctors and nurses exposed to leprosy patients ― would not get it,” said Dr. Zaw Moe Aung, country director of the Leprosy Mission Myanmar, which provides medical assistance to centers such as the Myitta facility.  

Malnourishment and poverty affect vast segments of Myanmar’s population of 51 million. Newly recorded leprosy cases average about 3,000 per year here.

“Fifteen percent of the new cases are still identified too late, when preventable symptoms such as loss of sensitivity or claw hands mean nerve functions are compromised,” Zaw Moe Aung said.

In the 1980s, a multidrug therapy arrived on the scene. It proved effective in fighting leprosy around the world and is still the main form of treatment. If patients get this treatment at a point in the disease where their nerves are still repairable, they can avoid permanent disability. But many are cured only after the disease has rendered them unable to walk, write or see.

This treatment, which the World Health Organization began offering for free in 1995, worked wonders in Myanmar ― for a while, anyway. Thanks in part to a global effort, spearheaded by the WHO, to stamp out leprosy, Myanmar was able to significantly reduce the prevalence of the disease. In 2000, the WHO declared that leprosy had been eliminated as a health threat across much of the world. Myanmar, only slightly behind the curve, achieved elimination in 2003.

But “elimination” does not mean a disease is gone completely ― only that it’s been reduced to a manageable level. Even after things reached that point in Myanmar, there was still much work to be done. And unfortunately, worldwide efforts to fight leprosy have stalled.

As in the rest of Southeast Asia, where 74 percent of the world’s leprosy cases occur, the number of new cases in Myanmar is declining very slowly.

“Announcing that it had been ‘eliminated’ sent the wrong signal to the world,” Zaw Moe Aung said. “Donors halted funding and even health workers lost interest ― there was no inspiration for new generations to go and work with leprosy patients.”

“They would flock to HIV, TB, and get doctorates studying these illnesses, while nobody cared about leprosy,” he went on. “But you still need treatment, support for disabled patients and prevention education for the wider community. It might otherwise spread or be detected when it’s too late.”

In Myanmar, public information campaigns featuring writers and celebrities also helped to bring down the number of new cases, and to reduce the stigma that once saw people forcing patients off buses, burning their homes and sending them to live in separate villages ― even after their illness had been treated. But the judgment is still there.

“Self-stigma is also a real problem,” Zaw Moe Aung said.

U Aye Ko, an 80-year-old former magician and a patient at Myitta, says he felt like he needed to cut himself off from the world.

“I did not want my family to become a disgrace,” he said.

U Aye Ko used to perform in theaters all over the country. When he was 50, a red patch that had been on his hip for years started spreading. Leprosy symptoms can take up to 20 years to develop, so when new lesions appeared and his hands eventually lost sensitivity, he decided to leave his home.

“I felt inferior. I preferred to go,” he said. But even though leprosy has deformed his hands, he added, he can still perform the tricks his grandfather taught him, like conjuring flowers from his mouth.

His days of public performances may be over, but his desire to reunite with his family has grown stronger.

“I will try to make contact with them,” U Aye Ko said. “I know that my nephews live in Singapore. I would like to know how they are.”

This series is supported, in part, by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. All content is editorially independent, with no influence or input from the foundation.

If you’d like to contribute a post to the series, send an email to ProjectZero@huffingtonpost.com. And follow the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #ProjectZero.

More stories like this:

He Treated The Very First Ebola Cases 40 Years Ago. Then He Watched The World Forget.

Rabies Kills 189 People Every Day. Here’s Why You Never Hear About It.

When Bullets Fly, These Medics Grab Their Packs And Treat Patients On The Run

This Man Went Abroad And Brought Back A Disease Doctors Had Never Seen

A Parasite Attacked This Dad’s Brain And Destroyed His Family

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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