#someone whose position could potentially allow them to exploit the other

[wjforever]

Shatter me again. Chapter 76

I know I have to continue the conversation, distract Adam from the thought of touching and kissing, so I scrabble in my mind for possible topics. 

"How long has it been since you've seen your brother?"

"The last time was six months ago. Warner once again sent me on a mission, and this was my chance. This always was my only opportunity to see James."

I'm interested to know how Adam got into this situation in the first place, why he joined the army, but I don't dare to ask this question and therefore I ask a completely different one. 

"Adam. But why is James here? How did he get here?"

I see Adam's eyes glaze over. Memories from the past overtake him in a joyless wave.

"Well… it was my decision, of course. When The Reestablishment started moving everyone into settlements, it didn't seem so terrible. Cities were already dilapidated, the world shuddered from constant military conflicts, riots and environmental disasters. They promised to fix everything. But the realization of what was happening quickly made people come to their senses.

It became obvious that the new government would act solely from a position of strength. They would simply get rid of all the unwanted ones. All those who opposed the government were immediately executed. Useless and potentially dangerous, such as the sick, the elderly, and even orphans, whose deceased parents' commitment to The Reestablishment wasn't confirmed, they were all part of an unreliable circle. Although they could force the children to work, they were too afraid of the risks of sabotage, and they hadn't yet managed to provide a full-fledged security zone. So all this people were locked up in institutions like the one where they kept you, harassed, and someone was simply killed. Those who were able or who had someone to wait for help from, tried to run away.

At the very beginning, the authorities didn't have possibility to deploy such a security system as they have now. And a lot of people managed to escape. The most popular place was the old, abandoned areas. Periodically, they conduct raids to find those who have escaped, but they don't bother too much about it. Because they believe that it's almost impossible for the weak to survive for so long where there are no conditions for existence.

But, unfortunately, a common misfortune doesn't unite people, but turns them into enemies. There are quite a lot of runaways on these streets, there are other kids aw well. But no one can be trusted. If someone finds out that you have better conditions or food, they will immediately immediately deprived you of it. And maybe even of life. And especially when it comes to a child."

I'm scared to hear all this. Poison spreads in my stomach from the realization of the conditions in which this cute, smiling boy lives.

"But James, wouldn't it be safer for him to be in the settlements? He's not really an orphan, his brother is a soldier of The Reestablishment army. Wouldn't that be taken into account? What other proof of loyalty do they need?"

"Perhaps, but I would never do it. I hate them and everything connected with them. I don't believe a word they say. Giving James to them could mean losing him forever. You can be declared as an enemy for any little thing. Now such kids are mercilessly exploited, forced to do the hardest, terrible work, and if they can't physically, they are destroyed. Children from ordinary families are allowed not to work until the age of fourteen. But then they are obliged to serve for the benefit of The Reestablishment. There are the chosen ones. Children of the elite and those who, when tested, showed outstanding mental or physical abilities and absolute loyalty and devotion to the new ideology. Such kids are taken away, trained, and raised as new freaks. But everyone else, ordinary people, is just a mass that they use."

We fall silent for a couple of seconds before I dare to ask another question. I see how painful this topic is for Adam, and I perfectly understand why.

"It must have been very difficult to hide from The Reestablishment?"

"Yes, it was. Shortly before The Reestablishment took over, my father gone. I was still at school, as you understand. And I was terrified that they would take James away from me, so we fled to these places because no one here knew us. I worked occasionally where I could and earned some money. My father hadn't been officially declared dead at the time, so no one was looking for my brother. And I just couldn't give him to the guardianship authorities.

Everything was already getting out of control, many people saw what was happening and tried to leave to where the situation was better. Back then, everyone still believed that it was possible to escape from this somewhere. That this is not a worldwide epidemic. A lot of apartments were empty. So we managed to find a home. But when The Reestablishment seized power, they began to relocate everyone. We hid and when this area was cleared and it became a haven for the escaped, we moved here. I set up everything here for James and found Benny. I was hoping someone could take care of James if I couldn't. We should have run away already then. We should have hidden as far as possible, but we didn't. Because we didn't have any plan. I didn't know what to do."

I see that Adam barely restrains himself, is silent and I give him time to collect his thoughts. He looks up at me with his blue eyes, in which the lights of candles are burning. And despite all the pain in these lakes, this is the most cozy look in the world.

"And then you joined the army?"

"Yes. I joined the army. Already there I found out that now we are officially orphans. They must have had information about the father." I see Adam's eyes fill with hatred at the mention of this man. He clenches his jaw. "And they knew, of course, that I had a brother. I should to put him in an orphanage. But since I already claimed the role of a soldier, we visited the new, at that moment, settlements. It was part of our testing. There were too many orphans and it was an unbearable burden for The Reestablishment to keep them in human condition. Therefore, it was welcomed for families to take in children. And I managed to negotiate with one family. For money, of course. They confirmed that they took James for themselves. But of course James has never been there. This all just on paper."

"But didn't anyone check it?"

"Yes, they do, time to time. But not out of concern for children. It's because some families don't letting know about the fact that their kids died in order to receive extra food stamps."

I almost choke and barely contain the nausea. I don't even want to think about something like this.

"Is it possible?"

"Well, yes. Almost the entire regulated territory has long since almost turned into an endless child's cemetery. The old people were expelled, and all the others are registered at work. And only the loss of the kid won't be noticed immediately. So parents keep the death of their children a secret until they can, and bury them at night, trying not to catch the eye of the patrols." My saliva has become cold and viscous, and I can barely swallow, I can barely move, breathe. "And then, so that not to be executed for deception, they just say that the children are missing. This often happens these days."

There is a painful silence, but I steel myself because I want to know more. 

"But James was never there…"

"The army had too many other, much more important tasks than that. And this family managed to deceive the soldiers all the time. It's not that hard, actually."

I'm listening to Adam and suddenly a terrible thought pierces me.

"But won't Warner go to that family for your brother? They might get hurt."

"No. This family has been dead for a long time." My eyes are like two full moons, and I can't bring myself to close my mouth. "They died of disease, not as enemies of the people, so no one carried out a more thorough check and cleaning. James wasn't adopted by them, they were only his temporary guardians. They were not allocated extra resources for James, since I, as a soldier, was given rations for him. So no one tried to find him and attach him to a new place. Now there is such a mess in the documents. No one cares about children who don't threaten The Reestablishment. Officially, he's alive and attached to the family. But since he doesn't walk around the settlements attracting attention, no one tries to figure out where he is and what's happenning with him. No one has time to deal with such trifles until there is a suspicion that budget money is being spent in the wrong way."

"And Warner?"

"What about Warner?"

"He didn't try to be interested in your family? You were his personal soldier."

"No. He never asked me about my brother. This person is too fixated on himself to be interested in others."

I don't comment on it in any way. 

"Do you think it's better this way for James?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it. I know what conditions he is in, he has food and a roof over his head. Besides, I always hoped that it wouldn't be forever, that sooner or later we would be able to escape. So like this, it's much easier for me to pick him up unhindered. He's not completely alone. As long as Benny is with him, I can be more or less calm. Life in the settlements is no less dangerous and cruel. People are cruel."

"But Benny isn't like that, right?"

"She lost two daughters. They opposed The Reestablishment, and her eldest son… He wanted to get settled in life, you know."

"Did he turn them in?" I ask, startled.

"Yes. They were among the first thirty-five people whom The Reestablishment executed in the square, calling them enemies and adversaries of a better life. The crowd cheered…"

I feel almost physically sick from all this information. I thought my life was cruel, but this… The world is brutal even to those who don't kill by touching. But now I understand better why Adam trusts Benny.

"So Benny doesn't have anyone at all. Therefore, she tries to help children. Even trying to teach them. I asked her to look after James, and in return promised to help with provisions and other things. Money is not so relevant here. Most of the items are given only if you have personal stamps. There are also social stores where you can buy goods that aren't included in the list of essential ones. But they can't just get there and buy something, they'll be discovered immediately.

I had the opportunity to share rations with her, and I could additionally buy things and groceries. Of course, it's all tracked, so I couldn't afford to spend too much. So one of the ways to get what you need is to walk around the  former dwellings and look for everything that can be useful there."

"To loot…" I whisper, without a shadow of reproach.

"Yes, I suppose so. Although, all this stuff is no longer needed by anyone, and it's unlikely that it will ever be needed. I helped Benny and James before I joined the army. I had nothing but promises. And I'm very grateful to her that she waited a very long time before I had the opportunity to get to them unnoticed for the first time. Before that, for a couple of months, I gradually hid the supplies in a cache and hoped that they still had provisions and that they hadn't been found. Those were the scariest months of my life."

We're silent again, each immersed in our own thoughts.

Read my notes and more chapters here AO3

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[usuccc]

Please talk more about that au, villain Alfred is a guilty pleasure 🙏🏻

*sweats* You and me both! Oh man, where to begin. First of all, thanks for the interest! It means a lot. I can’t be concise, so I’m gonna put this under a huge ‘Keep Reading’ for whoever is interested. Like for real there is a whole ass essay below that cut. I left some stuff out cause it’s already a ridiculous length, but I got the gist of it.

Leave it to me to take a silly gag au and go completely off the rails with it. It’s honestly hilarious gg me.

This au takes place in some fake big city with dark synthwave-y aesthetics where the skies are constantly gray in the daytime from smog and pollution. Over the last ~20-30 years, Jones Enterprises has risen up as the most influential and powerful company in the United States, with their headquarters in (fake big city’s name). They have hands in many industries, spanning the manufacturing, retail, and technology spheres. Over the past 5 years, especially, they’ve seen massive, nearly unbelievable growth, and unfortunate events or sell-outs have conveniently fallen upon their competitors, allowing them to create monopolies in several industries. They also have the government in an iron grip and no one is willing to stand up to them for fear of the consequences. Most people mysteriously feel compelled not to confront them anyway, especially those who live closest to their headquarters.

Francis was an employee for Jones Enterprises’ main headquarters. He saw how overworked and underpaid his colleagues were. Bogged down by overwork in his first year, he eventually tried to get away with slacking as much as he could. After witnessing one of his close coworkers have a heart attack and almost die from the stress of working there, he changed gears and started speaking out on behalf of his colleagues. Some of his motivation came from feeling partially responsible for what happened, and he wanted to evoke positive change across the company instead. He tried time and time again to organize strikes after his attempts to organize a union were completely shattered. The turnout was very little in the beginning, and soon fizzled out to just him. He stubbornly pressed forward on his own anyway and was fired for it. Finding other work turned out to be impossible, his firing acting as an unemployment death sentence. It was not uncommon for employees fired from Jones Enterprises to be shunned from ever finding a decent job again, and Francis’s situation was even worse given the bad publicity he received from his strike attempts.

Ready to resort to desperate measures, Francis started seriously considering moving back in with his parents in France and figuring out a new plan. Jones Enterprises had gained significant influence in Europe too, so there wasn’t a guarantee he wouldn’t experience similar problems there.

Before he could buy a plane ticket, he was visited by Kiku Honda, a stranger with an unassuming appearance. Long story short, Kiku had come to the US with the alias as a simple tourist. His family was presently responsible for safekeeping a secret and powerful magical artifact with mysterious origins. 

The artifact was one of two powerful stones, both of which were in existence since the beginning of mankind. These stones were antitheses of each other, representing and contributing to major moral conflicts throughout history. They were both drawn to chosen human hosts who were destined to face each other. The pink stone, which Kiku was in possession of, gained and gave magical power through love, equality, and hope/healing. It formed a positive, nurturing, non-invasive connection with its host, and gave them the power to protect and inspire hope in others. The other (purple) stone gained and gave magical power through greed, subjugation, and fear. It gave great wrath and influence to its host, whose powers would grow exponentially over time as the two stayed connected. This stone would physically embed itself in its host’s heart, eating away at their mind slowly to bring out the absolute worst in them and shave away at their morals and inhibitions, until they were nothing but a heartless monster. Tendrils would spread out from the stone throughout the host’s body, growing in size and number the longer they were connected.

Kiku had long suspected that the unnatural growth of Jones Enterprises was connected to the purple stone. He had gradually implanted connections in Jones Enterprises and had been monitoring the situation for clues of a potential host. The senior leadership of the company was very hard to crack, however, and the CEO had significantly limited his public appearances in recent years, but Kiku would not let it rest. Any of the higher ups in the company could be a candidate for suspicion. While investigating, he heard of and even saw some of Francis’s brazen attempts to challenge the seemingly invincible company. He was impressed with Francis’s ability to stand up to an insurmountable foe, especially given the influence of the mysterious compelling force that kept most others in the city silent. He wanted to get information from Francis about his experience at Jones Enterprises and to offer him an opportunity to rebuild his life for his bravery. The stone, which Kiku always kept on his person, ended up choosing and bonding with Francis to both of their surprise, and boom Magical Strike was born.

-----

Now onto Alfred and Arthur. Alfred is the son of the founder and CEO of Jones Enterprises and his ex-wife. His parents divorced when he was still a baby, and his father did not remarry. Alfred’s mom remarried right away and had another son, Matthew. 

In his home life, Alfred often felt neglected and overlooked compared to Matthew, whom his mom and stepdad preferred and doted on. His birth father ignored him in favor of growing his company as well. This caused Alfred to act out at school and extracurricular activities, always overshadowing Matthew whenever possible and rubbing it in his face. He often got in trouble at home later for it. When Alfred got a little older, he frequently snuck out after these fights and went somewhere to be alone. One night, he walked down to the neighborhood park and saw another boy alone by the swings where he usually liked to go to mope. This boy was a few years older than him and muttering angrily to himself. Feeling a sort of weird camaraderie for this other pissed off dude, coupled with the fact he’d never seen him before and was curious, Alfred took the plunge and went over to talk to him. Alfred and Arthur’s first meeting was a little rocky, but the two quickly found themselves warming up to each other. Many coincidences found them meeting in the same park after a bad day, and the two eventually bonded and made a thing of it. Alfred found that with Arthur he could open up and be more authentic than he let himself be with his other friends.

By the time he hit high school, Alfred emotionally detached himself from his mom/stepdad, and tried to be a little nicer to Matthew, although their relationship was never close. He and Arthur still met often outside of school, and Alfred tried to reach out to him at school too, but Arthur limited those interactions due to his unfavorable status as an irritable loner. Alfred continued to seek out other people’s attention, forming a ton of superficial friendships with his classmates. He became obsessed with being number one at everything he did and getting everyone to like him to patch up his residual feelings of loneliness and inadequacy, and also to hopefully impress Arthur, whom he secretly had a crush on. Excelling in his sports clubs, and even skipping a grade in his academics, Alfred felt like things would be okay if they kept going the way they were.

Then Arthur abruptly confided halfway into Alfred’s freshman year that he was moving back to England that year after he graduated for family reasons. Alfred didn’t take the news well, and when the time came for Arthur to leave, it hit Alfred hard. They promised they’d keep in touch via phone and online, but that did little to comfort him and his other shallow friendships often made him feel worse. The feelings of loneliness and inadequacy returned tenfold. It was around this time that Alfred was contacted for the first time by his birth father in years, asking to meet and catch up. Alfred readily accepted, not taking a moment to think it through in his low emotional state.

Alfred’s dad was getting into some weird shit since the divorce. He’d been putting obsessive efforts into expanding his company, making strategic partnerships, attending all kinds of rich, bougie events for networking purposes, and exploiting his workers to maximize profits. Despite his efforts, his returns were decreasing and the existence of some key new competitors put him in a tough spot for future growth. When conventional methods didn’t appear to be making any progress, Alfred’s father started hanging around some wealthy, sketchy social circles. It’s through a series of events with these groups that he learned of and obtained the purple stone. After seeing it reject and devour an unfit host before his eyes, he decided he was in desperate need of its supposed power, but he couldn’t risk using it on himself in the case he was judged to be unfit. He had to use it on someone inconsequential if things went wrong, but at the same time malleable, so he could ensure they used the power to further his goals. 

Alfred’s dad put on an act when Alfred arrived, making it seem like he wanted to bring Alfred back into his life, raise him up like he should have been doing all those years. Alfred soaked it up like a sponge, and his dad appeared to follow through on his promises, engaging with him and frequently making secret visits so they could spend quality time together. After a whole year of building Alfred’s trust, his dad was able to convince him to put the stone to his heart, assuring him that only he could do it and he trusted Alfred to make their company and the lives of so many people who depended on it great. The stone embedded itself in Alfred’s chest, causing him to pass out from the pain. When he woke up, still in one piece, his dad was able to calm him down and convince him to keep it a secret, even from the people he was closest to.

-----

Some other tidbits of info:

Arthur and Alfred did keep up communication after he left for England, and he considers Alfred his closest friend. Life got in the way plenty of times, though, and they couldn’t always keep up the most consistent communication. Still, they did what they could and were able to meet in person a few times even. Arthur obtained a degree in England and worked his first job there. But after that, he moved back to the states and got a job at Jones Enterprises, thrilled to surprise Alfred about it. They have a heartwarming reunion. Alfred, himself, graduated high school early, got accepted into an Ivy League college on a scholarship, received his degree in finance and business management due to his piece of shit dad’s wishes, and was being directed by his dad to start using his powers of influence on their competitors. At first, he justified to himself that the outcome would be good and that the competitors he was going after were bad people—which some of them definitely were—but over time, he found himself doing things he never would have before (to unhappy employees for example), caring less and less about the people that were impacted.

-----

So yeah, the main events take place about 10 years after Alfred becomes the host for the purple stone, having plenty of time to grow his power and lose himself to the stone’s influence in secret. When Francis makes his debut as Magical Strike, Alfred starts infusing some of Jones Enterprise’s key weapons tech with his magic and sending people after Francis, who is still learning his abilities. Then, in the latter half of this arc, Arthur becomes the main antagonist against Francis, having just scratched the surface of what’s really going on with Alfred and thinking (in denial) this will somehow help him. At the beginning of the second arc, there would be growing tension between Alfred and Arthur when Arthur can’t explain or keep excusing Alfred’s actions anymore. Alfred would lose control and almost hurt Arthur, whom he had taken the most care to hide his darker side from, which would cause Arthur to join forces with Francis, desperate to find a way to get the purple stone out of Alfred and save him somehow. Alfred mcfuckin loses it when he finds out.

[bipabrena]

Beneath x the x Ice (AO3 HisoIllu fic) Chapter 9

A fic where there’s more to Illumi than meets the eye. Hisoka goes to great lengths to help him realise he deserves better than the Zoldycks and being a puppet to his parents.

Read the whole thing here.

X

Amane, Gotoh and three more butlers stood guard around the massive dining room while the Zoldycks sat to dine.

Zeno and Silva strictly discussed business, while Kalluto and Kikyo spoke.

As usual, Milluki was allowed to use his phone to watch anime while he ate.

No one noticed the lonely Illumi.

Everyone alternated between eating and speaking, but Illumi did not. Illumi never moved. He merely stared at his plate with an impassive expression, the same impassive expression he’d always had.

Those huge, large voids for eyes merely stared at the plate of food.

Mouthwatering and delicious, and his stomach ached for it, but his body did not respond to fulfil its wishes. It remained hungry, as it had been for the last week that Illumi had not been eating, and as it would remain for the rest of the day.

Eventually, Silva attracted everyone’s attention so he could explain the job of epic proportions they had next. The one Illumi would take in, the assassination for the Queen.

They all listened intently, but Illumi remained in his bubble of nothingness.

“You have no dignity or a will of your own.”

“You let others make decisions for you, and all you do is nod. How pathetic.”

“You’re not even worth fighting.”

It seemed this is all Illumi could hear inside his head. It had been for the last three weeks, ever since the event with Hisoka transpired.

The family’s attentions was directed to Illumi once Silva addressed him.

But Illumi said nothing.

He hadn’t heard a single word.

It was then they finally noticed his plate was full, his cutlery had been untouched, and the glass was dripping wet as the cold from the beverage condensed from being unheeded.

“Illumi!” Silva yelled. Surprisingly loud, surprisingly firm.

They were all taken aback.

But all Illumi did was slowly look up at him. Aloofly. With zero emotion, with such impassiveness that even put his own family at unease.

It felt different from usual.

“Yes, father?” asked Illumi with a hollow tone that surprised them further.

“I’m speaking to you, son. Did you not hear a word I said?”

“Forgive me,” he said. “I did not.”

“Is something the matter, dear?” Kikyo asked. “You haven’t touched your food.”

“You’re so strong, so absurdly strong, yet so pathetically weak.”

“You have no mind or ambitions of your own.”

“You are pathetic, Illumi Zoldyck.”

“You’re not even worth fighting.”

He blinked impassively at them.

Pathetic… weak… not even worth fighting… he thought. A manipulated manipulator, a puppeteered puppeteer. That’s what he implied.  

“Do you really love your family, or is it only a robotic, forced loyalty?”

Illumi sighed so subtly it was almost imperceptible to those watching him.

… I can’t help but wonder, he told himself.

“Son, your mother is talking to you,” Silva said in a cautioning tone.

Kalluto frowned as concern overwhelmed him.

What was happening?

Illumi seemed absentminded lately during training, but now during dinner, too?

They all expectantly awaited his response.

“I’m fine,” is what he elected to say. “What were you saying, father?”

“The contract for the Royal Family of Kanem will be in forty five days, starting today. We already have everything prepared, it is only a matter of waiting. In the meantime, you will continue responding to other contracts we may get.”

“Yes, father.”

He and Silva exchanged a look. The others couldn’t help stiffening because of the sudden tension that overwhelmed the room. Silva seemed stern and belligerent, while Illumi remained utterly indifferent.

Not defiantly. Not because he didn’t respect Silva or care for his words.

Simply because he felt he had nothing to care about in general.

“You’re an irreplaceable commodity for our family.”

He recalled those words told to him by Silva the day he sat him in his office. The eyes, the tone.

Their relationship had always been so give-and-take.

Nothing more, nothing less.

He’d never experienced the warmth or familial love Killua had been deluged with by his parents and grandfather.

The closest thing to it was Milluki’s fear and respect, and Kalluto’s fondness.

But nothing from his parents or grandfather.

A commodity. A commodity is not even sentient. It’s just a thing, he thought nonchalantly. A thing that benefits you. That’s my role.

Yes, that’s who I am.

I can’t escape the position I was born into.

I’m a servant of my own family. I was born to work for them. To be their puppet. To not have ambitions or goals of my own. Just like I told Killua of himself that day.

Except that those rules do not apply to him.

Yes… a commodity. That’s all I am.

Suddenly, Illumi looked at the ceiling inquisitively. He seemed utterly indifferent to the tension in the room, to Silva’s stern expression on him.

He was simply so absentminded.

It was incredibly concerning to all of them.

“Would you like to eat in your room, dear?” Kikyo asked, and that surprised them.

“No, but if you do permit, I’d like to excuse myself. I have a meeting with a potential client in a few hours.”

“Granted,” is what Silva said immediately.

Illumi stood and left.

His stride was robotic. Lifeless.

Despite being indifferent and emotionless, Illumi always walked with an admirable grace. His body was strong and lithe, he stood tall amongst everyone around him, with pride and with his head held high. He always moved with an intrinsic gracefulness and firm aura that clearly denoted he was strong and could win any encounter.

But right now, he walked with indifference, without purpose, without meaning.

And then, even Silva found it in himself to worry.

X

Illumi stirred his hot chocolate. The shape that had been drawn on it by the skilful barista faded into a foamy spiral.

“Thank you for meeting with me, Illumi,” said Chrollo. “I understand you usually do business through calls, so this does mean a lot to me.”

“It’s no problem. What do you need?” Illumi asked curtly.

“I’m sure you’re aware of this already, but the underground auction will be held soon. I have my own plans for it, but I may need to use your services.”

Illumi’s unblinking, onyx eyes bore into him.

What a strange thing, Chrollo thought.

Illumi’s eyes had always been cold.

They penetrated anyone whose gaze met his. His stare was piercing enough that it’d make anyone feel exposed, and even the strongest man would shiver, however slightly.

He just looked through you.

Like he were navigating every trench of your soul, of your mind; finding weaknesses and creating schemes to exploit them. A penetrating gaze that exposed everything about those submitted to it, but nothing about the one who owned it.

It was a hair-raising thought that everyone who’d ever met Illumi had thought to themselves.

Chrollo himself had thought it when he first met him.

But right now…

Illumi did not carry that presence. He seemed so impassive, so indifferent, so dead. Like there was absolutely nothing inside him. Like he were a shell, a ghost that happened to have a host.

And, somehow, that was even more unsettling. More hair-raising.

“When the time is right, I would like you to kill the ten dons.”

“Okay.”

Chrollo blinked.

“Is there anything else?”

Well… no. But Chrollo didn’t invite Illumi for coffee and snacks only for business. He’d like to get to know him better.

Frankly, he’d love to make Illumi the fourteenth Phantom Troupe member. At the very least, he’d like for Illumi to be an honorary member.

The Troupe rarely got together, there simply weren’t that many heists in Padokea. But with the rising gangs all across the world, he wanted the Phantom Troupe to be at the top as it once was.

Having Illumi around would change everything.

He had the connections to find whatever he wanted. The Phantom Troupe was never about glory, but about a bunch of comrades who did whatever they wanted simply because they could.

But Chrollo would like for the Troupe to be together more often. A couple of heists would be a nice way to stay together.

And with Illumi, he could find anything.

More importantly, it’d be a great excuse to spend time with him. To get to know him better. Even if he didn’t end up joining the Troupe, at least there would be something more between them aside from provider and client.

Illumi stirred his hot chocolate as he watched Chrollo, and Chrollo thought he was cute.

Chrollo listed the facts in his head.

The mafia was a huge deal, but their protection was limited and borderline useless against Nen users. Ultimately, they’ll end up contracting someone who could truly challenge the Troupe once they strike.

Assassins. And the most proficient assassins in the world happened to be in a nearby region.

The Zoldycks.

By having the ten dons killed, it’d leave the Zoldycks with no real targets assigned by a client, and so the Troupe would be scot free.

From the thirteen members in the Troupe, Chrollo knew that only five would pose a threat to the eldest son sitting across him, and the two heads of the family.

Uvogin, Phinks, Feitan, Hisoka and himself.

They were the true threats. The rest wouldn’t stand a chance.

So, if they happened to hire the Zoldycks, eight members would be at great risk of dying. Even Chrollo’s own life could be in danger. However, if he contracted Illumi right here, right now, he’d become his client, and so Illumi wouldn’t be able to kill him.

That’d be at least one less threat.

Chrollo manipulated the truth a little. He explained to Illumi the reason he was hiring him, and what the Troupe’s job entailed.

Illumi nodded.

Then, he decided to bring something else up, something that would bring him closer to Illumi.

“I wanted to know what other services you offer.”

“Elaborate,” is what Illumi said.

“Do you only assassinate? I understand how it may be a futile question with an obvious answer considering your profession, but I was wondering whether you offer other services such as Intel gathering or reconnaissance.”

Illumi’s hollow, nearly hypnotising eyes blinked at him impassively.

“I’m listening,” said Illumi.

“I’m sure you’re already beyond familiar with what the Troupe does. We’re thieves. We like something, we take it. However, there aren’t many heists here in this continent, and the underground auction is all we’ve had in a very long time. If I asked you to gather Intel for me, to find a job for me, would you be able to do it? It goes without saying the pay would be hefty. You’re the one that will put the price, and I will pay whatever it takes, so long as it doesn’t leave me squeaky clean,” he smiled. “But even then, I may still consider it.”

“As it is not a decision I can make on my own, I cannot give you an answer right now. I would have to further discuss it, then get back to you. Is that acceptable?”

“Absolutely, Illumi.”

He could hear it. Illumi could hear it so clearly in his head.

Silva’s voice.

“The pay isn’t worth it. Don’t mess with the Phantom Troupe.”

Well, he wouldn’t be messing with them. He’d be doing a job for them.

“Then, if that will be all, I believe we’re done here. I will be contacting you as soon as possible.”

“Wait, Illumi!” Chrollo called when Illumi stood up after leaving the money for his drink on the table.

Illumi looked at him.

“Won’t you sit and finish your hot chocolate?”

“I wasn’t here for it, I was here to discuss business with you. I don’t need to finish it.”

“Is there anywhere you need to be right now?”

Illumi was silent, and Chrollo took this as dissent.

“If you don’t, why don’t you stay here a little longer? We can chat for a while.”

Illumi said nothing.

It was hard to get him to talk. But that was okay, Chrollo thought. He liked a challenge. And if that challenge happened to be quite pretty, he would be more than okay with accepting it.

“If it’s your job policy to not relax a moment and sit down to talk to someone, I completely understand. If it’s not, however, I don’t see the harm in sharing a hot beverage with a friendly neighbour.”

… Ah, shit.

This wasn’t good. This brought back memories.

This place… the hot beverage…

“You’ve helped me keep an eye on Killu by your own volition.” He leaned back. “There will be a lot of people in that warehouse, possible Nen users too, that you can kill. I wanted to return the favour.”

“So,” Hisoka licked his lips, “as a token of your gratitude, you want to take me out on a date? ♠” he pestered.

Illumi blinked. “It’s not a date.”

“Is it not? ♥” he chuckled, hoping to annoy the eldest Zoldyck. “Because it sounds like one. You and me together, at night…”

Illumi blinked impassively.

… Why am I remembering that right now?

Goddammit.

… Hisoka… he thought to himself with the slightest sense of mourning.

“I suppose it won’t kill me,” said Illumi as he sat back down.

Chrollo smiled. He wasn’t sure whether that was a joke, but in the off chance that it was, he chuckled gracefully.

He brought forth his charms, the charms he used whenever he wanted to steal someone’s ability, whenever he decided to gather information, whenever he wanted to manipulate someone or gradually bend them to his will without them ever noticing.

Except that, for this one time, today was different.

Truly, he wished not to get something out of Illumi.

In fact, the main reason he wanted that new heist was merely to have an excuse to work alongside him. He was willing to pay whatever price Illumi placed. The auction would be soon and the treasure would be hefty, so money was not an issue in the slightest.

He wasn’t sure why the eldest Zoldyck son drew his attention so much.

He just knew that he did.

Read the rest of the chapter here.

[capricornus-rex]

The Haunt of Redemption (5)

Sequel to: A Path I Can’t Follow

gif belongs to @endiness​

Chapter 5: The Past Has A New Face | Cal Kestis x Reader

Summary: It has been months since your last encounter with Cal, at that time he was a fledgling Inquisitor. In an ironic twist of fate, you cross paths and blades with him once again, and he’s keen on turning you into an Inquisitor as well—unless you bring him back to the light first.

Tags: Dark Side! Cal Kestis, Inquisitor! Cal Kestis, Redemption Arc! Cal Kestis

Also posted in AO3

Chapters: 1 - 2 - 3 | Previous: Chapter 4 | Next: Chapter 6 | Masterlist

5 of ?

A part of you wanted to calm down and subtly scan the area for enemies; the other wanted to just keep running until you find your way back to the ship.

The cacophony of animal sounds continued to sing through the woods. Your hearing hoped for rather than searching for any manmade sound—a twig snap, rustling of plants or leaves, anything. You moved on when there was nothing.

You attempted to reach Cere again, but there was nothing.

“Aw mother of fuc—!” you hissed, but were quickly cut off by the sound of the leaves crunching against the forest floor.

You sharply turned around, lightsaber ignited for nothing, but you continued to listen for it.

Come on, [y/n], forward. You coaxed yourself in your mind.

In the distance, the sound of an explosion echoed and reached the forest where you stand now. You haven’t exactly prepared your heart and mind for the worst yet. In truth, you never prepared yourself for something like this to happen so soon.

The first thought that came into your mind was the Yewa Docking Bay.

“Lora… Kaleen…” you gasped.

Eventually, you found the main path again and followed it.

Yes! You thought. You’re so close now.

The fragment of hope that you held came and went when one of the TIE Fighters fired a shot in the forest—its blast was coming to the general direction of your obstacle course, presumably trying to flush you out of the woods and into a clearing. The shot was somehow close to your current location, dust blanketed the path ahead as well as the path where you came from.

“We can’t be trapped here, BD, we gotta go!”

The ominous snarl of a lightsaber caught you frozen in your tracks. The source was unseen but you can feel it close to you. Taking cover from behind the rock, your thumb searched for your saber’s switch as you prepared for a surprise attack.

You stifled your coughs, careful to not give yourself away to any potential enemies, as you fanned out of the haze that enveloped you.

Stalking the forest floor with a great deal of caution, you held your lightsaber defensively in front of you—the way you held it made you look like a scared Padawan learner in a basic defense stance. Your heightened sense of space caused you to turn around and find a dark silhouette standing in the other side of the wall of dust. You stood your ground, gripping your lightsaber well and positioning yourself in a stance.

When the smoke finally cleared, the figure revealed itself but only for a short second—you didn’t even get to catch a glimpse of whoever it was. The figure disappeared with the haze. Confused, your eyes frantically searched for the figure among the trees.

You feel someone standing so close behind you, their lips could be felt within a mere inch from your ear.

“[y/n]…”

A twirled attack was easily deflected. As soon as your eyes registered the sight of the person in front of you, a whirlwind of emotions flooded you. Never have you ever felt so unsure what to feel that you wish it’s was just as easy as picking one emotion out as you please.

“Hello there, [y/n],”

You’re absolutely dumbfounded. Your breath shuddered as you attempted to suck in air, your eyes widened even with your sights narrowed at the person you thought you knew all this time. You were focused in examining his entire person—he was far beyond the Cal you last saw in Koboth, you barely recognize him with the dark gradient in his and his stubble.

Your heart skipped a beat.

On a tremendous level, you hate to admit that you find him appealing.

Well, fuck me sideways. The expression of your own voice in your head was a combination of frustrated, smitten, and growing hysteria.

Cal completely understood your predicament right now. He could sense your resolve fluctuate, the confusion and shock factored to it. He smirked at the discovery, there was a glint in his green eyes full of intent.

While in a convergence of blades, you afforded to take a good look at how much he’s changed before he pulls away for the next attack. You caught yourself before you fumbled to the floor, you cannot allow him to get the upper hand.

The last time you traded strikes was seven months ago, you wonder just how good he’s gotten all this time… and you were about to get a firsthand demonstration.

Based on his movements, he never strayed from the lightsaber form he’s been originally using ever since; there were hints of new attack patterns and techniques that you’ve never seen before. You wagered that they’re something that he picked up from his training.

“I see you’re still sharp. Impressive,” he purred.

You shifted your weight on your deflect and pushed him out so you could step away from him to regain your bearings. However, you’re not as sharp as he thought you were. The sudden reunion affected your emotions, then subsequently your movements in the duel; it was a struggle for you to conceal it from him, eluding him was a challenge in and of itself. If he managed to touch even a fiber of your clothes, his Psychometry will trigger and he’ll exploit whatever he’s harvested against you.

The shrubs, the trees, and the rocks became your allies all at once; aiding you in eluding this fearsome, youthful Inquisitor. There are some parts of the obstacle course that you may use to your advantage—such as the large, fallen logs whose bottom gaps are sizable enough for one to slide under, all the while concealing you as you make your escape or hideaway.

Cal followed suit, this was no different from the various environments he’s faced in his past campaigns. By the time he got to the other side of the log, you were nowhere to be found—little did he know that you were hiding among the tall grass, prowling closer as he stalked through the path.

“You didn’t really kill those people back in Magyon, you were manipulated!” your disembodied voice rang in the trees.

He looked around, searching for you while you continued to banter.

“Oh, is that what you tell yourself at night, when you go to sleep? Is it because you don’t want to face the reality now?”

Like a predator, you come springing out, lightsaber at the ready, but this is an Inquisitor you’re facing right now. You’ll have to up your game a bit more. A rush of energy flowed across every vein in your body, granting a burst of power and strength when trading strikes with Cal. You went with a flourishing attack until his deflection brought both of you leaning sideward to the ground; still improvising and maximizing the environment, you quickly pulled away and then skidded your boot hard against the earth—particles of the soil pricked Cal’s eyes and caused him to break from his form.

Just when you thought you had the chance to finally deal damage at him while he’s open, you stood corrected as he blocked you at the last minute while half-blind.

“Fighting dirty, aren’t we?” Cal hissed, you expected him to be vexed, but there was a mischievous purring in his voice.

“Just a style I peppered in!” you snapped back.

Cal patted off the dust that caught in his eyes. You afforded him the dignity of recomposing himself before you could attack again. You wonder if he felt that you couldn’t bring himself to strike him down—meaning, actually fatally wounding him with your saber.

He may not have vocally expressed that he was mad, but you saw it in the way his attack patterns shifted and evolved. The blows got heavier and the strikes were stronger; he even zoomed around the battlefield the same way Trilla and the Ninth Sister evaded your attacks back then! He refused to let the distance close between you. It was getting difficult to dodge him, but more so in getting close to him just to swing at him.

“Huh, I thought you’d see that coming,” he sniggered, expecting you to be able to catch up with him even though he’s zooming from point to point.

You were slowly getting nauseous as you spun in place, anticipating him and from where he’s going to attack you. Your defense was slowly breaking as he tires you out, but he saw that you’re refusing with all your willpower.

Stay still, goddamnit! You hissed in your mind, desperate but mostly annoyed with this new trick. Personally, you hated this when you faced either the Second or Ninth Sister.

“For how long will that endurance of yours last?” Cal jeered, his figure disappearing and then appearing here and there.

“As long as it takes until I knock you down!” you barked.

“You were always the achiever between the two of us,” he stopped his teleporting, he splits his saber and throws both of them to you.

That was a more extreme throw-attack compared to any of the Inquisitors you’ve faced. Luckily, one saber is enough to deflect both—credit is due to your dexterity. When one of the sabers returned to Cal’s hand, the second found its way to the connector and a quick twist sealed them together.

Your next move was your undoing. Coming at a running attack, he takes the chance while you’re still off guard—he extends his hand to you and suddenly you couldn’t move your entire body.

You are literally frozen—saber hand pulled back, seemingly ready for an overhead attack. You try to pull away but you just keep bouncing back into place.

WHAT?!

“How did you—?”

“You’re not the only one mastered the Force-Halt,” he snickered, quite proud of himself to break the news to you.

Short, panicked breaths escaped your lungs; you tried to move even just a finger but you could only do so much as twitch and that’s that. Cal approaches you while you remain as steady as a statue. A steely glower intently fixates on you. The closer he gets, the more out of control your heartbeat became.

Was it fear?

Were you actually stimulated by this?

Cal brings his hand to you. The first thing that came into your mind that he’s going to use one of his abilities on you. Your entire person shifted left and right, as if trying to scamper free from this hold, but to no avail. He ignored your helpless escape attempt.

He ran a gloved finger across your cheek. His touch was something you longed for, but this felt different—it was from someone you knew, but it still felt strange. He withdrew his finger, motioned his hand to turn and your entire body rotated in the same direction as his hand. You didn’t realize that you’ve already reached the first half of the course—where it’s close by the ship and in view of the town below.

“No…!” you sobbed when you saw towers of smoke waft from the settlement.

Standing behind you, Cal sweeps your hair to the back of your shoulder, exposing your neck, he brought his lips close to your ear; you could’ve sworn you felt the hairs of his stubble prickle on your cheek, the warmth of his breath blowing at the crook of your shoulder, hence the hairs on your nape stood.

“You know, I could make this all go away,”

He didn’t expect an answer and continued on.

“After they’re done with that quaint, little town, we’ll find the Mantis next and we’ll take the Holocron from Magyon.”

“You wouldn’t!”

In your mind, you still focused on breaking free, you pondered if his Force-Halt was exactly the same as yours that he simply copied or if he’s managed to improve it to overpower yours.

“You don’t believe me? They all follow under my directive. If you come with me, everyone—especially those in the Mantis—shall be spared for sure, and perhaps those who aren’t dead yet in the village,”

“And if I don’t?” you hissed and he smirked in reaction.

He slightly bends over so his face is level with yours, the gap between his lips and your face is just as thin as a thread when he turned his face to you as he spoke. His eyes trailed up and down, studying the contours of your face, the beads of sweat that riddled your temples, and the way your eyes struggle to avert from his gaze.

“You and I will watch the whole town burn and capture the crew, they’ll be charged with sedition by the time they’re caught. Either way, I’ll still get the Holocron one way or another,”

“Oh, so you’re making me choose who dies and who lives like how the Grand Inquisitor pitched it to you? How generous. Not exactly a win-win for either party, though,” you snapped.

He smirked at your rebuttal, he wasn’t—in the slightest bit—offended. In truth, he missed your sarcasm. Oftentimes, he imagined what life would be like if you were in the fortress at Koboth, either as an Inquisitor initiate or just a plain captive.

“I see your snark aged well,”

You scoffed a prideful chuckle, “You aged well.”

“So, [y/n], what is it going to be, darling?”

The sound of the greater waterfall crashing nearly muted the explosions of the cannons’ impact to the buildings in the settlement and the thousands of voices screaming in pain until they vanished into silence. You focused on the waterfall—it was a crazy idea, but it was your only choice. You could feel his influence ebbing, you’re surprised to find that it was shorter than you expected; you took the opportunity right away—once you’ve broken free, you jabbed him on the abdomen with your elbow, catching him off-guard and then bolting it towards the edge. You looked back over your shoulder one last time.

“GET READY FOR A DROP, BD!!!” you howled as you dropped to the water.

Cal recomposed himself, ran to the edge and peered over at the river. The thick spray of mist fogged his view of the water itself, practically cloaking you as the craziest, improvised escape plan ever hatched has been executed. There was no visible sign of you in the water from Cal’s point of view. Stormtroopers come running through the forest eager to report.

“Sir, they’re gone!”

“What do you mean gone?”

“The Jedi’s ship! We lost it when it took off!”

Frustrated, he resorted to having the town garrisoned first. After that, Cal made it absolutely clear that he’ll find you no matter how far in the galaxy you’ve gotten. The Stormtroopers led him out of the forest and escorted him to the town where he prepared his business.

The impact was sharp, you let the wild current of the river carry you downstream, your head popped into the surface every once in a while to get some air—before the rapids knock your head back under the water. It wasn’t long until you’ve reached calmer waters. You swam up to the surface and finally got a chance to catch your breath.

“Cere? Come in, Cere!”

“[y/n]?! Where are you? Imps sieged the town and—!”

Relief washed over you—aside from the cold water—when you heard Cere’s voice loud and clear. You swam to a shoreline downstream to continue your conversation.

“Listen to me, it’s Cal! It was all Cal,”

“You don’t mean…?”

“I’ll explain everything in the ship. I’m in the river after the bigger waterfall, are you near?”

“Kid, wear anything darker and we might mistake you for a boulder in the water!” Greez cut in just to get his joke at you across.

Greez’s jokes always boosted the beacon of hope that Cere’s voice personifies. The engine hum of the Mantis became louder and louder, you could feel its thrusters blowing at the water and trees around, but you couldn’t see it.

“Merrin, of course!” You exclaimed, recalling that she can cloak the ship.

Emerald glitters flickered as the Mantis gradually materialized on sight. Merrin and Cere appeared on the end of the entry ramp and kicked down a ladder at the edge.

“Hurry, [y/n]! I’m not supposed to reveal ourselves!”

You swam close to the suspended ladder and climbed as the ship slowly maneuvered to face forward and then disappeared into thin air again thanks to Merrin’s magic. The invisible Mantis darted through the skies, heading off-planet before the enemy discovers that they’ve been eluded. Your knees felt wobbly from the altitude and so dragged yourself to the seat in the cockpit to really catch your breath.

“You mind telling us now what just happened back there?”

“I’ll explain in a sec,” you raised a weak hand at them, gasping for breath as the adrenaline was too much for you to handle.

Despite being physically exhausted, your fingers worked their magic whenever they touch the buttons on the dashboard; you were optimizing the speed thrusters for your getaway—and you perfectly knew that Greez doesn’t like it when you get closer to the middle part of the dashboard.

He slapped your hand going for the button that will activate the top speed of the Mantis’s throttle.

“Whoa, whoa, hey! What the heck are you doing, kid!?”

“What, you don’t plan on getting away? An Inquisitor’s fleet just terrorized the town!”

Greez, Cere, and Merrin exchanged glances as you prepped the Mantis for the trip. You punched it and the captain had no choice but to accelerate and get the hell out of the planet before the Imperials find their missing ship.

[bigskydreaming]

Part of the reason I lean so hard into the juvie origin for Dick in particular, as well as why his cop storyline pisses me off so much in light of that (given they were both the work of the same writer and wtf, why would a kid who got screwed so massively by the system ever grow up wanting to become PART of it? even to ‘fix it’ given that would require still working in service to it at least part of the time, in order to move up the ladder to positions of power within it in the first place? BUT I DIGRESS).

Where was I? Oh yeah. So part of the reason for that is because I view each of the Batkids as having their own specific metaphorical niche, based on their origins.

What I mean by that is like: the true villain of Jason’s origin and backstory is poverty as a whole. The impoverished status of his parents and his surrounding community are definitive stressors that lead directly into all the most critical elements of Jason’s origin: his father working as a henchman for various crime lords, which pretty directly loops back and into his alcoholism and abuse of his wife and son....his mother’s spiral into addiction after turning to drugs as a means of self-medicating for all the stress and shit in her own life which she needed an escape from....Jason’s own lack of options as a child seeking to support himself on the street and with petty crimes, as well as his unwillingness to put his faith in foster care or any adults in general, given how they as a whole tended to look at him, specifically due to his impoverished background and thus making assumptions about his intellect, potential, and overall ‘value’ to society.....

Jason is who he is as a character for a variety of reasons, but none moreso or more directly than the poverty that acts as a direct anthropomorphized antagonist for him....and thus, is the focal point of where Jason directs his attention and his own antagonism as an adult. When Jason seeks to take control of crime in Gotham, when he targets drug dealers, etc....its really the deliberately inflicted and perpetuated impoverished state of Gotham’s lower class that he’s combating. And that works perfectly for Jason as a metaphor and a character direction, and gives him a clearly defined niche in the Batfamily.

Then we have Tim, who I would argue has an origin and backstory defined by the apathy of the upper class as an antagonist, and thus, the perfect metaphor for him and his character direction. The self-centered tendencies of his parents, his history of neglect and the necessitated self-reliance and independence it instilled in him from a very early age - which could have very easily turned him into a copy of his parents, with that self-sufficiency turning into a mirror of their self-centeredness and repeating the cycle if he hadn’t actively broken the mold with his actions by seeking out Batman and picking him as someone, ANYONE to try and help, rather than focus entirely on himself and his own needs....and in near adulthood, Tim has become someone whose chosen focus tends to be on trying to repurpose his wealth and resources for the good of all of Gotham...essentially, the very people that for so long his parents and fellow upper class ignored and exploited.

Of course, Tim is still a product of his background as much as he’s aware of the flaws in it, much like Bruce himself, so similar to Bruce, Tim will always look at his wealth/resources in terms of the good he feels he can do with it, which he sees as more than any good that would come from just directly giving it away. In contrast to Jason and Dick, who come from entirely different backgrounds and have always prioritized their own more modest or otherwise-gained means of income or resources, even when investing in projects intended to help others - they look at things in terms of the good they feel they can do WITHOUT needing money, or as much money. Its the result of coming into resources from entirely different directions....which are sustained even as they then continue their trajectories in those opposite directions but now with added resources under their belts.

Cass and Damian are the two Batkids I would love to see explored more in juxtaposition and contrast to each other, because I feel they occupy very similar but opposite niches, the same as Jason and Tim represent the stresses of poverty vs the apathy of excess. Because Cass and Damian represent the two flip sides of parental expectations....BUT in their case, they start out on the same page. What I mean by that is the metaphorical antagonist of both of their origins and backstories IS the bogeyman of parental expectations taken to the absolute extreme. They both exist in at least one of their parents’ eyes to essentially be what their parent wants or expects them to be. An end result of carefully planned and executed molding of a next generation, with no real consideration for what that next generation wants for themselves.

They simply diverge in how they both break free of those expectations and the limitations built into them, and where they go from there. Damian finds his niche (or comes closest to it IMO, since I feel a lot of writers, at least lately, have regressed him from the considerable progress he made in this regard, and where and when he was his most fully...DAMIAN).....essentially, Damian is most fundamentally Damian, I feel, when he’s able to put aside what he thinks Talia and Bruce want or expect him to be...and instead simply prioritizes figuring out what HE wants to be and what that looks like, even if it ends up having no connection to the League or even Batman at all. Or at least not in the ways he always expected those connections to look like, as a result of the expectations that were drilled into him from an early age. Damian’s metaphor is pushing back against selfish parental expectations by saying I no longer care what your expectations are, they have nothing to do with me.

In contrast, Cassandra finds her niche in the fulfillment of not the expectations precisely, but the HOPES of a NEW parental figure, aka Bruce. Cassandra, out of all the Batkids, most fully CHOSE Bruce and everything he represented and offered, as much as Bruce chose her. She was the oldest of all the Batkids - except for perhaps Duke - when she met Bruce in the various continuities, and she had the maturity and life experiences to at least be able to recognize the different life path Bruce stood for and offered, as a contrast to the one David Cain had laid out for her and forced upon her from birth. So Cassandra differs from Damian in that while Damian grows the more he breaks away from the mold of Batman, Cassandra finds herself the closer she gets to what Bruce has always wanted Batman TO be, in the example he puts forth and holds up to show her that there’s more to life, to her, to what she can be, than simply what David told her existed.

Its no coincidence that she’s so often cited both in universe and out of it as one of the, if not the, ideal successor to the cowl.....not just because of how much she embodies the specific ideals and yes, expectations, that the cowl holds....but because she CHOSE that, with INTENT. Unlike even Dick, who Bruce has at times said is what he always wanted Batman to be....Cass is this as well, but Cass is this deliberately, because Bruce found her, and then he held up these ideals and convictions and said ‘this is what I prioritize, this is what I think is important’ and Cass looked at those and said yes, good, I like those, I like what they stand for, I want to BE those.....and she found fulfillment in fulfilling Bruce’s hopes for a next generation even without either of them FORCING that fulfillment on her, unlike what David did or tried to do. And that’s what makes all the difference in the world in Cassandra’s situation and in her and Bruce’s dynamic....and is a large part of the reason, IMO, that they have one of the strongest and healthiest dynamics of any that exist between Bruce and one of his kids.

Duke is a very unique niche as well. In short, the true villain of Duke’s origin is an ACTUAL supervillain....which coincides thematically with the direction of Duke’s character as a meta with superpowers himself, something that historically is pretty unprecedented within the Bat franchise, at least as far as Batman’s allies and direct family go. Bruce’s distrust of meta’s, or at least discomfort with them, is well established and longterm, so Duke represents an extreme break in tradition for Bruce, as well as having hallmarks to the sphere of thought that Batman and other vigilantes, by their very existence, bring about the existence of supervillains like the Joker and the Riddler. I’m still working out the kinks in this metaphor, tbh, in part because of how relatively new Duke is, he doesn’t have even the decade worth of content and story direction that Damian has by this point, to point to how some directions serve a character better than others....but overall, I see the most potential in Duke as a metaphor and niche in the Batfamily as like....as the Signal, he’s the embodiment of potential, once allowed to be REALIZED, rather than shied away from because of pre-existing beliefs or perspectives. Of course, the fact that Duke is black can’t be disconnected from this, which is part of things here as well....I’m not at all the best person to explore this particular metaphor to its fullest, so anyone who wants to take it and run with it more thoroughly if they see any validity in it at all, I’d very much like to see your thoughts if you ever write them out.

Which brings me back to Dick’s metaphor and niche in the Batfamily and franchise, and why the juvie origin works best for him IMO.....because the specter of Dick’s origin and backstory, the true villain even moreso than Tony Zucco himself, is the system as a whole. The way it is built and structured to exploit less advantaged members of society to the benefit of the upper class...such as the Court of Owls. Everything about Dick’s individual character direction falls pretty neatly into this chain of thinking, IMO....Tony Zucco murdered Dick’s parents, yes, but it was the system that took Dick away from his extended family, his planned life direction as an entertainer, everything he was familiar and comfortable with...and said it was for his own good, they knew best, he was better off this way. It was the system that ‘lost’ him in juvie when it was just more convenient than figuring out what to do with him, or just plain didn’t care, or due to the actions of a single racist case worker perhaps, or maybe even done at the behest of the Court of Owls in an attempt to wear away at the morality and resistance their future Talon might have to their plans for him. Bottom line is, everything about how Dick ended up where he was and on the course he ended up taking through life, is a direct result of the system’s manipulations of him in service not to HIM and what was best for him, as a member of society himself, but entirely at the whims or discretion of others.

Which is why Dick’s choice to become a cop both works and doesn’t work....I can see how at eighteen he might have briefly entertained the idea of trying to change the system from the inside...BUT it only works if the stories that result from that make no attempt to glorify or romanticize the work or character of any of his colleagues, and instead simply make him realize that he can’t change the system by becoming a cog in its flawed machinery, no matter his intentions...and that’s why he’s best served operating outside of it, as a vigilante. Bruce is a vigilante because he feels he exists to pick up the slack where the system fails, or is broken, because Bruce is someone who the system actually is meant to work FOR, and thus the times it doesn’t work that way, such as with the deaths of his parents....IS a result of a failure on the system’s part. In contrast, Dick, for all the superficial similarities in their origins, is someone who the system was never meant to work for, and IMO, Dick is best served as a character at the times and points when he’s allowed to RECOGNIZE this....and thus Dick is a vigilante for the sole reason that he’s someone who puts his faith in individuals rather than institutions. He’d much rather trust in the morality of singular people that he KNOWS and VALUES, rather than the morality of an uncaring system of bureaucracies and red tape.

And again, IMO Dick works best as both a metaphor and a character with a clearly defined niche and purpose when he targets the system directly with his actions. Whether its fighting their embodiment as the Court of Owls and their attempts to exploit him, or pouring his own time, energy and resources into trying to buy and renovate the former entertainment district of Gotham and turn it into a sanctuary for impoverished Gothamites to visit cheaply as a break from their stressors (I’ve talked a lot about how similar I view Jason and Dick being, at their core, so its no surprise that I see their metaphors and niches as being so closely linked, even if not entirely the same). And of course, even if you hate Dick as a cop as much as I do, his focus there still fits what I’m laying out here, for the same reasons, its just the actuality of it that doesn’t work as intended, for the reasons I already mentioned.

So yeah. That’s my post. That was a post. This post is concluded. Man I suck at denoument.

[thebiasrekkers]

Shadow’s Birthright | MYG

Chapter 02: World Change

Plot: Riding in on thunder and lightning, two princes are born. But a crown cannot be shared. It can only be worn by one and one alone. The hands of man have separated the brothers, allowing one to live in wealth and comfort inside the palace while the other grows up among commoners. But Fate cannot be destroyed by the hands of man. A shared destiny reunites the brothers; one to become a king who descends into madness and the other will rise as a dragon whose journey has only just begun in order to claim a crown he does not desire to have.

Rating: NC-17 // NSFW

Genre: series | historical!au | fantasy!au | angst | romance | drama | tragedy

Pairing: Min Yoongi (Lee Yoon) x Female OC (Kalina Shuri)

Warnings: Historical setting, caste system, magic/sorcery, graphic violence, disturbing graphic images, religious tones, angst, slow burn, eventual smut

Previous Chapters: Prologue 01

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 2,297

Tag List: @luxekook​, @pinkpjmin​, @btsaudge​, @flowerwrites06​, @stillcopingxx​, @taevkimchi​, @aroseforyoongi​, @vivpurple7​, @happilystrongthroughthedark​, @sw33tnight​, @nikkitane​,

AN: I hope everyone is enjoying the series so far. I know I’m getting these chapters out slowly, but I am also updating multiple fics at a time (as I’m sure you’re all aware). Please be patient with me. It will be worth the wait, I promise! If you would like to be added to the tag list, feel free to drop me a line!

P.S. Please bear in mind that while the historical accuracy will be mostly correct, I am setting this in a time period in Joseon history where there was no such thing as a king who had a twin brother. Obviously that’s where the fiction/creative freedom is going to come in. Everything else will be period accurate, trust and believe.

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi

Yoon glanced over his shoulder, giving both Namgil and Bidam a look for them to remain in the hall with the other servants. They bowed their heads low as two attendants slid open the door to the King’s study, allowing the Crown Prince to enter. Once he crossed the threshold, the door slid closed and his eyes quickly adjusted to the various beams of light that slipped into the room. His father was seated at his dark oak wood desk, multi-colored scrolls and other documents stacked off to one side. He was in deep discussion with a man kneeling at his side. They didn’t appear to notice Yoon - at least not outwardly. But from all his training, the Crown Prince could sense how alert the stranger was despite his relaxed posture.

His eyes narrowed sharply at the man. He looks like a mountain brigand, but clearly he isn’t. Yoon pursed his lips together into a thin line. There is not a single vulnerable opening circling his entire person.

“Seja,” cut his father’s voice through his thoughts. Looking up, he saw the serious expression vacant from the King’s face as he motioned for Yoon to come forward. “Come, Crown Prince. There is someone I want you to meet.”

Bowing his head, he approached his father’s desk. He swiped the front of his robes to the side so he could sit properly. The other man shifted his position so that he was now facing Yoon, though still kneeling on the ground. Yoon trained his eyes on the stranger, denoting the scars on his arms and one near the jaw by his left ear. 

“This is my former bodyguard, Min Dojin,” explained the King as he rounded the desk to stand before Yoon, “and also a dear friend of mine. Dojin-ah, this is my son, Crown Prince Injong.”

Raising his brows, Yoon took another look at the man and everything made sense as to why his demeanor seemingly held no weaknesses. He’d heard stories about Dojin from his parents and even the Queen Dowager. There were servants that lived in the palace halls before his birth that also knew his name. The reasons circling his departure from the palace were surrounded in mystery. Bidam whispered tales of Dojin’s accomplishments, swearing that he would become as strong and well-known as the warrior upon his installment to becoming Yoon’s bodyguard. 

There were dozens of questions that flooded the Crown Prince’s mind, but he abstained from giving them a voice. Instead, he waited for Dojin to bow his head low to him and, out of general respect, Yoon gave a half bow to the warrior.

“It is an honor, Crown Prince Injong. I was there on the night of your birth and I’m pleased to see how well you have grown up.” Dojin’s voice was deep, rich, and full of sincerity. 

Yoon was immediately suspicious. “And I have heard many stories of your heroic exploits, Sir Min.” He smiled. “You will have to take a moment to share them with me while you are in the Capital.”

Dojin’s head remained lowered. “Of course, Your Highness.”

“Abba Mama,” Yoon lifted his face up to peer into the King’s eyes, “you have never summoned me to your study. I can only surmise that the reason is urgent?”

The King chuckled, leaning down to place a hand on his shoulder. “Not so much urgent as it is personal.”

I guessed as much, Yoon thought, mentally restraining his smirk from forming into a sneer. He waited for his father to visually motion toward him before standing. “Is everything alright, Father?”

“Everything is fine, Seja. Fret not.” He unfurled one of the silk scrolls, his eyes roving the parchment, before handing it to Yoon. “It’s time for you to involve yourself with public relations. Are you alright with this, Crown Prince?”

Taking the scroll, he quickly read over the decree before lifting his gaze to meet his father’s eyes. ��But Father, this is--”

“Indeed, my Prince, it is.” There was something dancing behind the King’s eyes and Yoon was unsure of what that something was. “You are to depart as soon as a caravan has been formed. I assume you will only need a couple of days to prepare?”

Yoon’s eyes lingered on the scroll for a moment longer before he rolled it up and held it at his side. He bowed his head low. “That is more than enough time, Your Majesty.”

“I’m glad to hear it, Seja,” his father responded. When Yoon lifted his head again, he saw a warm smile decorating his father’s visage. “I am counting on you to do well with this.”

This time, Yoon bowed deeply at the waist, his arm pressed gently against his stomach. “Your Majesty’s grace is immeasurable.”

He waited to be dismissed before pivoting on his heels just as the servants slid the doors open to allow him to enter the hall. Casting a sidelong glance to both his attendant and bodyguard, they lowered their heads. “Let’s go. We have much to prepare.”

They strode through the halls, exiting the main palace and traveling the stone path toward his own palace. Yoon pulled out the scroll and looked over it again, shifting only slightly as he felt Namgil and Bidam pressing against him on both sides. He grunted, speeding up his pace so they didn’t overcrowd him. It took them less than five seconds to do it all over again. Yoon gave up eventually.

“What is your assignment, Crown Prince?” Bidam peered over his shoulder. “And when do we leave?”

“We leave in two days and start preparations immediately.” Yoon rolled the scroll closed and stuffed it back into the confines of his sleeve. “We will depart between the hours of the Tiger and the Rabbit.”

Namgil grimaced. “Heavens above, that early?!”

Yoon was already mentally preparing himself for the journey. “The sooner we begin our journey, the sooner we can handle any obstacles that may impede our path.”

Bidam clutched the sheath of his sword. “Do you anticipate trouble, my Prince?”

A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. “I always anticipate a problem to arise, Bidam-ah.” 

While his bodyguard smirked with the idea of traveling and potential excitement being thrown their way, it was Namgil who issued a whine that caused Yoon to loft a brow. “What troubles you, Namgil-ah?”

“Nothing, Your Highness,” he murmured, rubbing at the back of his neck; his dark green robes fluttering as they walked, “I simply worry of what an arduous journey this will be. I have never traveled this far from home.”

“Well, we shall have our fortunes read before we depart,” Yoon replied, pressing a hand to his attendant’s shoulder, “she’s never steered us wrong before.”

“A foreign sorceress only breeds unrest, Your Highness.” The eunuch frowned. “I worry that she will one day take advantage of your trust and kindness.”

Scoffing, Bidam shrugged as he folded his arms across his chest. “It’s almost harrowing how accurate she is.” He looked to Yoon as they entered the archway of the Crown Prince’s palace. “Foresight aside, is she as powerful as the rumors say she is?”

“My father has always followed her guidance and has never been wrong. She’s been sincere with me and her affections are genuine.” Yoon paused, staring into the lake where the koi fish swam beneath the lotus blossoms. His eyes narrowed a fraction. “Kalina would never betray me.”

There was a distinct tension in the air that placed all of his entourage into silence. Some of the servants in the back were afraid to even breathe. After what felt like a handful of minutes, Yoon moved toward the entrance of his palace, stepping out of his shoes as two servant girls slid open the doors for him immediately. Crossing the room, he flung his robes back before falling into a seated position on the silk cushion situated behind his desk.

“Have a messenger fetch Kalina immediately.” Yoon rested his hands on his knees. “I believe she is due back from her travels any day now.”

“Yes, Crown Prince. Right away!” Namgil motioned to another young eunuch who immediately departed to do as he was told.

Yoon placed the scroll on his desk, unfurling it so that he could see the assignment given to him by his father. He would be traveling to Ming to speak with the Emperor himself. As he surmised, tensions between Ming and Japan were escalating. His duty was to play the liaison, creating a compromise that would benefit Joseon in the midst of an impending crisis.

A dark smirk played on his lips. He would give him no quarter.

Pulling out one of the drawers in his desk, he picked up the handcrafted pearl hairpin that he commissioned to have made from one of the palace’s royal artisans. The end was carved to look like a lotus blossom, the iridescent shine to the ornament granting it an otherworldly glow. 

Kalina, he thought, curling his fingers over the rod of the hairpin, how I long to have you in my arms again…

“I wish you would cease your squirming, Young Master. You are only making this ordeal take longer than it should.”

Yoongi frowned as he felt Kali’s slender fingers combing through his hair. He waited for her to finish taking measurements, then watched her remove a set of shears from her bag. He glared back at his reflection in the mirror as she began cutting his hair. 

“I have to be the only man in all of Joseon whose hair is this short.” He saw Kali toss him a pointed look into the mirror as he gazed into it. “You know it to be true.”

She sighed and shook her head, part of her raven hair falling about her shoulders in waves while the rest remained pinned up to the side. “I am simply doing what I have been told, Young Master. You are only delaying the inevitable.”

Groaning, he could only watch as his hair fell in small clumps around his knees. Before Kali entered their lives, his own father would cut his hair - ensuring that it was short, around his ears, and never long enough to be pulled into any kind of braid or top knot. As if the scar on Yoongi’s face wasn’t jarring enough, his own hairstyle stood out among the crowds in even their small village.

“I wish you would stop calling me that.” Kali paused her motions, her malachite eyes gazing back at Yoongi’s reflection. “I am no noble. There’s no need to call me Young Master, Kali-ssi.”

For a moment, all she did was stare at him through the mirror’s reflection. Her green eyes were a stark contrast to his own darker brown tones, but that wasn’t the only thing entrancing about her. Kali’s skin was brown, like fresh earth kissed by the rays of morning, and her heart-shaped face was perfectly symmetrical. Yoongi studied face reading for a time and he knew that everything from the arch of her brows to the cupid’s bow lips needled at perfection. Kali was a foreigner from the West, her homeland spanning deserts and forests and wild animals. Nestled beneath her exotic perfection was a wealth of power that Yoongi could never hope to begin to understand.

Kali was a foreigner. She was also a sorceress. 

Yoongi loved every single square inch of her and beyond.

The troubling part was how he never had the heart to voice his feelings aloud. To himself or to her. Because he was a nobody and while Kali rarely spoke of her own personal affairs, he knew that he was far beneath her.

Suddenly, he felt Kali’s cheek press against his temple, her nails gently gliding along the back of his head and down the column of his neck. His heart thundered in his chest immediately.

“K-Kali-ssi,” he stammered, her hands gliding through his cropped hair to rid it of loose tendrils, “what’s wrong?” She was only ever this hands on when she felt she had to tell him something.

“Sweet Yoongi,” she gently framed his face with her hands, “sometimes I think you are too good for this world.”

Yoongi blinked into her green eyes, entranced by them. “What do you mean?”

“When I think about the road you will travel, it hurts my heart so terribly.” Kali’s brows furrowed and a soft sheen appeared in her eyes. “You are the shadow that deserves the light. It is your destiny and I wish that I could take you far away from it.”

He felt confusion swirling inside of his chest. Kali often spoke like this from time to time. But in all the years he’d known her, he could not remember a time when it sounded so ominous. Yoongi learned, however, never to press her too hard in her cryptic words. The response was almost always damaging, both to her and the area around her.

Feeling his body moving, he gasped when his cheek was pressed against her chest. Kali’s arms wrapped themselves around him, as if protecting him from some unknown force. He felt her chin fall atop the crown of his head and all he could do was cradle her elbow as the sound of her heartbeat reverberated in his ears.

Something is troubling her greatly, he thought, his fingers pressing into the silk sleeves of her robe, and there is nothing I can do to ease her mind.

Her arms pulled him just a little bit closer to her and Yoongi reminded himself to breathe.

“The tiger walks proudly in the sunlight. His ambition and arrogance will harm those whom he is meant to protect. But his unquenchable thirst will place him on the path to madness.” Kali’s voice sounded so far away. “When the tiger loses itself to madness is when you will step out from the shadows.” 

Yoongi swallowed the lump in his throat. She was in that place she often went to. That place he didn’t understand. The Veil was what she called it. 

Her voice made his ears ring and he closed his eyes tightly. “Kali-ssi, I don’t understand what--”

“This tiger is you, but not you. You will face him and be forced to make a choice. Whichever choice you make will cause you great pain. You cannot avoid it.” She pulled back, once again framing his face in her palms and forcing him to look into her hypnotic eyes. “But you, Young Master, the one raised in the ditch, will soar from the earth as a grand dragon.”

His eyes widened as all moisture vacated his mouth. What she was insinuating was madness by itself. The tiger’s insanity was a minor thing compared to the heresy spilling from Kali’s lips. She may have been a foreigner and a sorceress, but if anyone else heard her utter such prophecies, she would be killed immediately.

“You mustn’t say such things,” desperation seeped from Yoongi’s throat. His hands trembled as he gripped onto her wrists. “Your words are outrageous and will get you beheaded!”

Kali’s eyes narrowed and she peered deep into his own umber tones. “I speak only the truth, Young Master. Those who fear the truth merely delude themselves into believing they can escape it. The paths of destiny were forged long before you or I were born into this world.”

Yoongi shook his head roughly back and forth. Tears leaked from his eyes as he all but threw himself into Kali’s arms. If what she spoke was, indeed, the truth, then he wanted to live a lie. He wanted to find a way to escape that truth and bask in the greatest lie that could ever be told. 

Again, the sorceress placed comforting arms around his shoulders, rubbing soothing circles on his back. She hummed softly, a tune he was unfamiliar with but one that calmed his rattling nerves. He felt like a child being comforted by a mother, but also like a man who was receiving a lover’s caress to chase the darkness away.

“Have no fear, my gentle Young Master.” Kali smiled and petted the back of his head. “You will not have to face this mad tiger. Not yet. When the people cry tears of blood, when they wail to the heavens for salvation? That will be the time when you must face this tiger.”

He was confused. He didn’t understand why it had to be him. He was nothing. He was nobody. All Yoongi could do was pray that Kali was seeing a possible future. One that would never come to pass. 

“I will protect you. I, Shuri Kalina, will protect you with everything that I am.” She pressed a kiss to his temple and he breathed in her scent of nutmeg and jasmines. “I promise you, sweet dragon.”

Yoongi sobbed. It was a sob that he could no longer suppress. Because he understood the weight of her words; the true meaning behind them. Kali, the woman who seemingly never aged in all the years he’d known her, was making a declaration to him. A bold one, at that. One that he could not even pray to have been a lie. There was so much truth in her words that it hurt to listen to them. But he had no choice but to hear her proclamation to him. 

Not as a woman to a man. But as a servant to their master.

AN: For those who are curious, a couple of things to note. Crown Princes have the name they are born with and a "rank/title" name. This is considered a "disciple" name that is acknowledged and referenced by others in historical records. In this case, Lee Yoon's Crown Prince "name" is Injong. Also, it was also common for "time" to be labeled using the Zodiac Calendar or the Chinese Calendar. So each zodiac animal is used for the twelve hour marks - 2 hours for every hour.

[robotslenderman]

SO HEY I’ve had more thoughts on the falling out Maddy and Strauss eventually had and how that led to Strauss being kicked out of LA’s princedom and LA fell to the Anarchs. GOOD FUCKING JOB STRAUSS.

Keep in mind that this is all headcanon and is in Maddy’s continuity. So I’m gonna say stuff as if it’s established fact -- it’s not, I made it all up, lmao.

This is very, VERY long.

In which the new Tremere Primogen gets mad at Strauss, plots and schemes, and sets up Strauss to almost kill Madeline and lose his Regency and the city of LA. The plan worked almost perfectly.

Strauss was never much of a politician and always preferred to be left alone to his studies. It’s how he managed to live so damn long without getting staked out in the sun in the course of someone’s Jyhad. So when Maddy came to him for help in October 2004 with a blood hunt on her head and his Lord wanted him to kick out LaCroix and take his place, he was... not happy. That would make him a target. He didn’t live this long by being a target.

But, well, a Tremere does what their superior tells them to. So he did it. He insisted on keeping the position of Regent because he knew the Princehood wouldn’t last forever (how right he ended up being) and the Regency mattered more to him, but that was his first mistake, because there were Tremere in the LA Chantry that wanted his job and resented he had two powerful positions.

Specifically: the new Tremere Primogen, whose name I don’t know yet. Given that Strauss was still the Regent and was also the Prince, the Primogen’s title was... basically in name only. He was just a figurehead. Strauss didn’t need a Tremere Primogen, he knew more about the LA Tremere than the Primogen did.

Well, fuck that, thought the Primogen, and decided right then and there he was going to get that Regency, and the best way to do it was to fuck up Strauss’s reputation in the Pyramid. That wouldn’t be hard, he reckoned -- because Strauss made his second crucial mistake, and that was to basically adopt a non-Tremere as his childe.

Madeline the Malkavian was running amok in the Chantry. Sure, she was restricted only to the public areas and was only allowed in Strauss’s quarters or office under supervision, but she was a non-Tremere intruding in Tremere domain and shouldn’t have been allowed to come and go as she was. 

Now, Strauss had a very specific reason for adopting Madeline -- she was a fifth-generation Malkavian and therefore a very valuable ally. He couldn’t risk her one day being turned against the Tremere because she had the potential, due to her low generation, to become stupidly powerful one day. He wanted to guide her progress and hone her into the Tremere’s personal weapon.

His third mistake was in not telling anyone in the LA Chantry this. His superiors at Austraia knew, but everyone other than Strauss himself who knew what Madeline was died in the Vienna Chantry bombing. Later on, when the new Pyramid was established, Strauss never told them about Maddy’s power because he wasn’t sure how well it would last, and they were too busy getting things up and running to take any interest in her and why he kept her around.

Strauss made his fourth mistake: he was so determined not to let Madeline learn any Tremere secrets that he sometimes withheld crucial information from her that Kindred from other clans would know, because he was erring on the side of caution. He knew, for example, that all Kindred knew that they could be blood bound to each other but he didn’t know to what extent this was common knowledge, so rather than take the risk of accidentally telling Maddy something that only Tremere should know, he opted not to tell her anything about this at all.

So to recap, Strauss made four specific blunders that would bite him in the ass:

He never gave up his position as Regent, making the new Tremere Primogen basically useless and resentful.

He adopted a childe who wasn’t Tremere.

He didn’t tell the Tremere Primogen why, specifically, he adopted this childe and how much of an asset she was to the Pyramid, and how important it was that she was groomed put the Pyramid’s interests first.

He never taught Madeline that blood bonds could be formed between Kindred, let alone that post-Pyramid Tremere were so sensitive to it.

The Tremere Primogen quickly decided that Madeline was Strauss’s weakness, and that the best way to bring down Strauss was to use her. She was a non-Tremere; if a relationship between Strauss and any Tremere went sour it wouldn’t cause problems, but if Strauss could be turned against Madeline it could be used as proof to the Pyramid that his judgement in keeping Madeline around in the first place had been poor, and therefore he didn’t have the judgement to be Regent.

(Really, the Primogen was amazed that the Pyramid allowed Madeline to remain in the Chantry at all. He did not put 2 and 2 together that they knew something he didn’t.)

The Primogen decided to sit back and wait for an opportunity.

And an opportunity did come -- the Pyramid got blown up. The LA Chantry was reeling and Strauss opted to just... wait for the dust to settle. Strauss had never been a control-seeker, he didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to establish a Pyramid of his own. He was just going to wait and see what happened and join whatever Pyramid rose from the ashes.

Another crucial mistake, because the Primogen spent that time gently fanning the fears of the LA Tremere and destabilising their faith in their Regent. People who’d known Strauss for ages weren’t worried and had faith in him, but the youngest ones and the oldest ones who were less familiar with him were deeply rattled, and the Primogen just... dilligently sowed those seeds of discontent and nurtured them.

He finally executed a plan a year later. The objective: have Madeline learn Thaumaturgy, and have Strauss framed as having taught her and executed as a traitor to the Tremere. He managed to get a hold of a few Tremere Anarchs who’d defected from the Pyramid and enticed them to teach her. The Primogen was quite sure that Madeline had been longing to be a Tremere all this time, and this would make her closer to becoming one in all but blood.

Unfortunately for him, Madeline was too smart to take the bait. Madeline knew that sooner or later, her knowledge of Thaumaturgy would come out -- and when it did, Strauss would be the first person every Tremere looked at. So whenever she had the opportunity to learn, she flat out refused. The most persistent Tremere Anarch ended up getting ratted out to Strauss and put down. Luckily, Madeline killed them before they could rat out the Primogen in turn, so the Primogen cut his losses and abandoned that plan.

He came up with another, more outrageous plan later on: get Strauss and Madeline isolated, and then get Strauss badly hurt.

By then, the Primogen had figured out that yeah, perhaps there was a reason Strauss kept her around after all -- she was definitely powerful and had an uncanny knack of surviving situations even a lot of elders shouldn’t. Of course, he had other reasons for wanting to get rid of Strauss so that wasn’t enough to make him back off. But it was enough to make him realise that if Strauss and Madeline had to face off something nasty with no back up, Strauss would almost certainly be the one left worse off. Strauss might be a 700YO Tremere, but he avoided conflict like the plague; Madeline was more than practiced enough to hold her own just fine.

I haven’t yet pegged the details of it, but the plan went something like this: Strauss was induced to let his guard down, and then lured into a trap. What did that trap have in it? I’m not sure yet -- either a werewolf or some very angry gargoyles. Something big and tough that would ultimately overpower him, but something he’d survive if Maddy was there with him. Something that Maddy would survive if she had help.

And things were set up so that Strauss would enter and spring the trap on his own, but that Madeline would come running to his aid. And she did, just in time -- Strauss had given it one hell of a fight (more than the Primogen actually thought him capable of) but wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. He’d weakened his enemy enough that Madeline only received minor injuries in the process, but by the time she killed the enemy Strauss was so badly injured he’d fallen into torpor and the sun was coming up.

Madeline didn’t have time or resources to do more than grab a board and block the window. All day long, fighting exhaustion and ignoring the voices in her head and fighting exhaustion-induced delusions, Madeline held the board up against the window. She kept hearing voices screaming at her that something was going to attack her, or she’d have paranoia something else was in the room with her and about to hurt her -- but she was determined to hold that board against the window at all costs, because she knew intellectually, even when the delusions were winning, that whatever might be in the room with her wouldn’t kill her as fast as the sun would. So she resolved to pin that board against the window.

And she did. All day long.

It was the hardest thing she’d ever did. Even harder than what came after.

What felt like an eternity later, when Madeline was sure the sun was down, she finally dropped the board and stumbled to Strauss’s side. Strauss wasn’t waking up.

If Madeline was older, or less injured, less exhausted, less hungry, less tired -- she might not have done what she did next. She might have had the presence of mind to hide him and then run to help.

But she was young, she was scared, and she was exhausted. And no matter how hard she shook him, Strauss wouldn’t wake up.

So she cut open her wrist and gave him her blood. And that sealed what was to follow.

Strauss woke up. Fed for a bit.

Eventually came to himself to realise what the fuck she was doing.

He flipped. 

The fuck. 

Out.

If he wasn’t Tremere, he might not have. He trusted Madeline not to exploit a bond with him -- but the Tremere have so many secrets and now he knew he was blood bound to her and that he would sing to her like a bird if he didn’t get rid of her right then and there. She was his childe. He wanted what was best for her, and it had always saddened him that she was an outsider in the Chantry. He knew that if he was around her in the state he was in, all those well-kept secrets would come pouring out.

He was exhausted. He was hungry.

And now he was fucking terrified.

And he frenzied.

He attacked her. She didn’t fight back, because it was Strauss, and she’d never hurt him. He almost fucking killed her. The only reason he didn’t was because the blood bond stopped him before he got that far.

At that point he calmed down enough to put the fear of god into her if he ever saw her face again, or if she ever told anyone what she’d done, and left. She was left very battered, dazed, still exhausted, and confused AF as to what the hell just happened because wtf, I just saved you?!

She listened, though. Strauss had scared the hell out of her with what just happened -- all she could think was how incapable she was of hurting him even when she was convinced he was going to kill her, even in her own defence, and yet he was perfectly capable of hurting her, and badly.

She didn’t dare go anywhere near the LA Chantry again. Closest she ever got to it was the Last Round, where she fretted for a few nights and spent a lot of time crying. The Anarchs were extremely confused as to how Madeline, of all people, managed to get in so awful a state she was basically limping into the place and freaking out all the kine, and she refused to say. She refused to go back to the Chantry or Elysium, just hinted that something had happened between her and Strauss. 

Given how badly injured she was when she turned up, Nines, Jack, Skelter and even Damsel were getting really fired up and were ready to feed Strauss his own entrails. She was Cammy, she’d never been their friend -- nobody’s friend except Nines -- but she’d helped them out plenty of times when Cammies normally wouldn’t and asked for nothing in return when Cammies normally would. So they were fucking furious.

Maddy was upset. Maddy was confused. Clearly she’d done something terribly wrong and the people in charge of the Anarchs were ready to go to fucking war over her, which was a responsibility she did not want and didn’t feel she deserved, since most of the Anarchs didn’t like her at all. And she didn’t want Strauss to get hurt.

She blurted out what happened.

Maybe if she told them they wouldn’t be so angry and wouldn’t cause trouble.

Damsel: “Holy. Fucking. Shit. You did WHAT?!”

Mostly the reaction was “What the FUCK.” Jack, of course, just about killed himself laughing once the shock wore off. And so did Damsel.

And that was when Nines told Maddy that humans weren’t the only ones susceptible to blood bonds -- that Kindred could be bound to other Kindred, and that the Tremere Anarchs had discovered since the fall of Vienna that blood bonds were so much more intense for them when they were on the end of it.

Maddy’s reaction was a very quiet, “Oh.”

Meanwhile, on the Tremere side, Strauss was brooding but paralysed. His inner Tremere was screaming at him to have her put down for being a huge fucking security risk, and the blood bond wouldn’t allow it. He refused to tell the other Tremere what happened, even his grandchilde Amy (who was the most distressed out of all of them other than Strauss), but the Primogen knew, and put pieces into place. Eventually the Tremere Anarchs reported to him what they’d heard Jack guffawing about. The Primogen responded by sending out a few of his enemies within the Tremere that he didn’t mind put down and aimed them at Madeline. 

They actually managed to get quite a few hits in -- Madeline didn’t want to hurt her old friends in the Tremere and refused to fight them, so the Anarchs flew to her defence and killed them for her. A few of them went down with the Tremere.

The Anarchs got even madder. The Primogen had told the Tremere Anarchs that Strauss had ordered it. They parroted this faithfully to Nines and Madeline. Maddy was devastated. (Later, she’d realise that if Strauss wanted her dead, he’d have done it when he frenzied. She’d be confused about this for years before she found out the truth.)

Nines helped get Madeline out of the city. She chose San Francisco, because she lived there before she was Embraced.

Back in LA, the Primogen was able to get enough evidence for what happened thanks to the Tremere Anarchs to present to the Pyramid. Strauss was stripped of his title as Regent and the Primogen was promoted in his place, and thanks to his work over the last few years, the LA Tremere were only disgruntled about this instead of rioting. The Camarilla found out what happened, but thought it was a dumb Tremere thing, so they let him keep his Princedom. 

Didn’t matter -- the Anarchs came for Strauss anyway.

It was only when the Anarchs accused him of starting a war that the penny finally dropped and he realised what the Primogen had done.

Strauss took the failure on the chin. Rather than go down grasping at power, he abdicated. Ironically, the Primogen had accidentally saved his life -- Strauss told the Anarchs that he was no threat to them if he stood down because the Primogen was now Regent of LA Tremere, and requested that he and the Tremere be allowed to remain in the city under the Primogen’s command. The Anarchs ended up accepting this, only because Strauss hadn’t given them any grief until that point.

(And also because he could probably take down quite a significant number of them when he was cornered, and Nines wanted no more deaths.)

So much to the Primogen’s annoyance, Strauss actually survived and was stuck in his Chantry, forever to be a thorn in the Primogen’s side. Strauss wasn’t the Regent any more and made as few power plays as he had before -- meaning, none -- but a lot of the other Tremere still treated Strauss as if he was the Regent. Strauss flatly refused to leave, and his position was stable enough among the other Tremere that the Primogen wasn’t able to get rid of him. Strauss’s reputation was absolutely in tatters but he’d raised so many neonates that the Primogen knew Strauss would give him a substantial amount of grief if he pushed harder than he already had.

Still, once the blood bond wore off enough for Strauss to think clearly, once he realised he and Madeline had been manipulated he resolved to stab the fucker in the back in turn. He just had to bide his time and wait for his chance. Just as the Primogen did.

Vannevar Thomas showed up not long after and stomped some Anarch heads in and put himself in charge. The Primogen became Primogen again, but Strauss was made Keeper of Elysium.

To this day, Strauss regrets what happened and feels he let Madeline down, and blames himself for making the mistakes that led to the whole incident in the first place. He was dearly fond of her, and that fondness didn’t leave afterwards. Ofc he’s upset and rattled by everything else but he’s kicking himself about what happened and how easily he was isolated from his most loyal friend and his most powerful ally.

As of VTMB2, Madeline has made a name for herself in San Francisco under Prince Sara Anne Winder. Prince Winder, much like Strauss and LaCroix, quickly realised Madeline was too powerful to control or alienate, but that she could be enticed and encouraged to follow most orders. Still, after the news of the mass embrace at Seattle, Madeline left Prince Winder and went to Seattle to ask Prince Cross permission to stay, and then see if she could help the Thinbloods there.

Madeline remains blissfully unaware of her low generation, although at that point Prince Winder has figured it out and Prince Cross probably soon will too. A few people have caught on that she’s a very potent weapon, but Madeline has yet to do so herself.

[chicagocityofclans]

Maxine Vanes → Lupita Nyong'o → Rat Animal Shifter 

→ Basic Information 

Age: 62

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Straight 

Born or Made: Made

Birthday: December 28th

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn 

Religion: Deism

→ Her Personality Max has always been secretive and closed off. She has strong opinions and will not let them fall silent nor back away from what she knows is the right thing. That’s normal for most rats but what sets her apart is her elegant stance and gracefulness. Despite being loyal to the Rat Clan of Chicago and having their best interests in mind always, Max disapproved of their secretive ways.  Seeing it as obstacles holding them back from making the world a better place, and uniting the supernatural world as it once was before humans became the dominant population. She sees every person for their actions and beliefs rather than assigning them a label based on their species or family reputation. Even with her duties as the Pack Fixer and Cyber Exploitation Officer, she consistently gets involved in conflicts for the good of other species, adamant to use her abilities to help those in need. Thanks to her position she is often able to negotiate nearly every social situation to her advantage. Her stance and headstrong attitude often have her coming to idealistic clashes with Jo, despite both having clear respect for each other and a strong friendship.

→ Her Personal Facts

Occupation: BOND - Pack Fixer and Cyber Exploitation Officer

Scars: None 

Tattoos: None

Two Likes: Fashion and Bright Colors

Two Dislikes: Red Meat and Airports

Two Fears: Being Caught and Unknown/Poisonous Frogs

Two Hobbies: Programming/Scripting and Shopping

Three Positive Traits: Elegant, Sincere, Immutable

Three Negative Traits: Secretive, Unabashed, Opinionated

→ Her Connections

Parent Names:

Jamie Vanes (Father): Max does not remember a lot about Jamie, Trudy or Egypt. She tries to keep the tragedy of their deaths and her life as a human tucked away.

Trudy Vanes (Mother): Max does not remember a lot about her mother. She tries to keep the tragedy of their deaths and her life as a human tucked away.

Sibling Names:

Egypt Vanes (Sister): Max does not remember a lot about Jamie, Trudy or Egypt. She tries to keep the tragedy of their deaths and her life as a human tucked away.

Children Names:

None

Romantic Connections:

Henry Dean (Ex-Boyfriend): Henry and Max had known of each other for years before actually speaking with each other about 5 years ago. There was some fluke with BOND and the two were pulled in to deal with the situation. Had Max known that they would hit it off like they did, she would have sought him out earlier. Henry asked her out for dinner at the end of their case and they dated for 3 years until Henry proposed to Max. Max was still unsure if Henry was the final answer and said no. Henry broke things off soon after instead of giving Max more time. Max and Henry’s relationship was private, Max is thankful no one has ever found out about the two of them or Max refusal of Henry’s proposal. 

James ‘Jim’ Montgomery (Something): When Max could not return home because she had no family to return home to, she found solace in Ray and Jim. They were the only ones Max would allow near her as she and Nick continuously bumped heads. Jim is usually the one Max talks to first when she is unsure on a subject before bringing anything to Nick or Mills. Jim and Max had grown a part throughout the years, but she still found comfort in him when she needed it. However, since the RED massacre, Max and Jim’s friendship have taken a turn towards something more. Jim kissed Max during a heated argument 6 months ago which led to them having passionate sex at the SKIN headquarters. They went about their day afterwards and Max gave Jim a few days to approach her but he never did. When Max finally approached Jim 3 days later for clarification they agreed to take things slow. Max has recently started spending the weekend at Jim’s place.  

Platonic Connections:

Josephine ‘Jo’ Floyd (Best Friend): Max met Jo only four years after Max was mistakenly changed when Jo was brought in from a rival pack that was abusing their woman. Their pack has always been diverse but for a while Max was one of the few changed African American females; especially one who was outspoken. Jo was a sweet relief, someone else that looked like 16-year-old Max, whose company was mainly Ray, Jim or Ben. While Max was already in training, Jo had just joined and had to start from the beginning. Max took to Jo like a moth to a flame. They were inseparable and still are. 

Conrad Kale (Best Friend): Max and Conrad have been friends for years, but their relationship had become a lot closer since Conrad second of RED and started attending meetings. They would sit together and talk after joking about whatever happened in their respective groups. Max was there for Conrad when RED was massacred and when Conrad was promoted to third. Just like Ray in the past, Max thought she was developing feelings for Conrad and wanted to act on them, but Henry asked her out the day before Max thought about making her move. 

Ray Hamelin (Old Friend): When Max could not return home because she had no family to return home to, she found solace in Ray and Jim. They were the only ones Max would allow near her as she and Nick continuously bumped heads. Ray became Max's family although she was not blind that Nick is Ray's only family. There was one point where Max was confused on whether or not she was romantically in love with Ray or if she loved the protector he had become of her. Ray and Max work side by side as liaison for their Clan and BOND.

Nick Hamelin (Unknown): Nick has always been hard on Max and in turn Max has given him Hell. Max had forgiven Nick a long time ago for the bite that changed her into a rat, but it has been clear to Max that Nick has yet to forgive himself. Instead of becoming the father and protector Max needed at the time Nick her enemy. Nick had threatened to kill her on numerous occasions. Nick had gone out of his way to embarrass her and degrade her worth. Max had survived his attacks and returned them tenfold. Everyone had ensured her that Nick saw potential in her and was only doing it for her own good, but she knew better. Nick either hated her or was intimidated by her. It took years of going back and forth but they have worked out somewhat of an understanding and friendship over the years. Max knows that Nick still believes that she has not forgiven him and tries to guilt him but Max knows it is Nick’s own way of self-pity and blame. Max cannot define their relationship but she does not hate Nick. She does not care for him either, at least, not in the way she cares for and loves Ray and Jim.

Mary Lang (Friend): Max and Jo took Mary out on the town a few days after Mary’s mom had passed. They helped Mary get dressed up, did her hair, and overall helped Mary become herself again. The three of them are incredibly close but Max enjoys her one on one time with Mary too.

Maya Morris (Friend): Max is not blind, she can tell that Maya looks up to her and sees Max as a role model. Max is flattered and tries her best to live up to Maya expectations. Max thinks Maya becoming friends with Mary and Conrad was a big step in the direction of personal growth for them all. 

Achilles Idris (Good Friend): Max was surprised when she found out that Achilles was Jaxson's older brother. Achilles is a sweetheart and Max enjoys his company. They have settled into an easy friendship. There is something off about Achilles but Max had put it off as Achilles settling in and trying to separate himself from Jaxson. Max has her theories but has kept them to herself and imply that she is always there if Achilles needs someone to talk to about anything.

Vincent Kane (Liaison): Max has only recently reached out to Vincent after hearing about the increased hostility between Clan Rat and the human shifters. Max knows getting on the human shifters ‘shit list’ would not be beneficial but no one seems to be listening to her. Vincent and Max have met a few times and Max is hoping she can talk some sense into Jim and Ray for results.  

Shannon Harris (Liaison): Max was happy when Ray told her that Shannon will be training as liaison. Max has been going easy on Shannon, helping her with the learning process and giving her suggestions whenever Shannon gets flustered or overwhelmed. They have been meeting outside of pack business for lunch.

Clara Fields (Contact): Max still does not know how Clara got her number, probably was Sam Thompson but everytime someone crosses the line at the Fields Hotel, Max gets a phone call instead of Mary or Nick. Max always helps out without much fuss and gets to the bottom of which rat is messing up. 

Churchill Darling (Contact): Max befriended Church by mistake but has yet to end whatever it is that they have going on. Jim has warned her against using Church as a contact but Max is hoping opening another line of communication with the human shifters may be somewhat beneficial. 

Lillian Pickford (Contact): Max has exchanged information with Lillian on multiple cases regarding the local supernaturals. Max would not call Lillian a friend but they are business friendly and professional with each other.

Milton Rod Jackman (Contact): Max is Milton’s contact when he is investigating supernatural events. Besides hashing out details or coming up with journalist coverup suggestions, Max and Milton barely talk and keep it strictly business.

Hostile Connections:

Jaxson Idris (Unsure): Jaxson and Max have never gotten along. Max does not know what it is about Jaxson but she couldn’t care less about anyone more than Jaxson. She has seen a change in him lately for the better. She isn’t putting her money in his pot and keeping her distance. 

Keith ‘West’ Freeman (Annoyance): Keith is a liability that Max does not understand. If anyone else would have pulled the stunts that Keith had, Nick would have had them by the balls. Keith gets zero sympathy from Max. 

Pets:

None

[robert-c]

The Pandemic

So far I’ve tried to focus on more fundamental issues that, while currently relevant, are less topical. Today I need to speak about the COVID-19 pandemic.

It should be clear to anyone who is following the real facts, that our response could have and should have been better and sooner, as there were ample early warnings. A global pandemic is a disaster scenario the last several presidents have been briefed about, because all of the experts knew it was a matter of when, not if, one would strike.

It should also go without saying that the primary opinions that matter in crafting a response are those of the medical professionals. Certainly not the “gut” of a “think they know it all”. And certainly not the concerns of multi-millionaires (especially politicians) who are afraid their stock portfolios will lose too much money. It may be possible to cloud the issue of just what could/should have been done sooner, but nothing changes the fact that this president (who deserves no more name recognition) eliminated our CDC liaison position in China six months before the outbreak in Wuhan, and has repeatedly tried to cut funding to the CDC and other critical scientific agencies.

This president’s divisive and ignorant rhetoric came at time when we needed a real leader to help us come together and coordinate a response. Instead, what we’ve been getting are potentially self-serving cure all myths (the malaria drugs which actually had more coronavirus patients die than those not given the drug), definitely dangerous suggestions (that we should look into how we could use disinfectants internally to knock out the virus), strong indications of vindictive allocations of needed supplies (away from blue states and areas in favor of red ones), and attempts to showboat as a leader while doing nothing but claiming credit for whatever good news there actually is (and making it up when there isn’t any.)

Look at what relief this president’s party has provided. A paltry sum for the average citizen (but making sure his name is on the checks), forgivable loans to small businesses with loopholes large enough to allow major corporations to benefit, as well as outright set asides for major corporations in major industries. All while making sure that unemployment funds are not supplemented for the states. While the president has refrained from some of the most heinous suggestions (e.g. that seniors and others at higher risk should just be willing to die to avoid tanking the economy), he certainly hasn’t disavowed those sentiments.

Even so, it is a ridiculous idea even if you are willing to put a dollar and cent value on lives. What sort of disastrous economic impact do you think having 500,000 to 1,000,000 deaths in the US will do to the economy versus perhaps ultimately 100,000 to 200,000 by sticking to our safety measures?

Until now, this president’s buffoonery was something to shake your head at and hope that we could quickly reverse when he is voted out of office. While there would be damage, it seemed like most of it could be repaired. But this pandemic is something we cannot undo. There will be many more dead than needed to be, and many more changes in our society than might have been necessary. Worst of all, more divisiveness, more “us versus them”; because stoking an angry emotional response is the best way to get people to NOT listen to their own reason and rationality. And that is exactly what this president needs to stay in power – people who won’t think things through, who will accept his (ever changing) version of the facts, because it satisfies fears of theirs.

I know the cowardly Republican lap dogs of the Senate won’t ever hold him accountable, but this president has done more to besmirch the office and circumvent the checks and balances of power than any president since Nixon. The lack of principle and courage to even investigate these actions should make virtually every Republican member of the Senate ashamed and rightfully removed from office by the citizens of both the left and the right.

The endless blame games, scapegoating and conspiracy theorizing of this president stand in stark contrast to the sort of leadership President Bush exhibited following the 9/11 attacks. His address to the first responders at “the pile” in NYC was even better than his speech to Congress. It was unifying and connected with people instead of tooting his own horn, or blaming others for our current problems in responding.

An ignorant distrust of science and experts characterizes this president and his hardest core supporters. When their fanciful beliefs were confined to political slander and “junk science” (like vaccines cause autism, windmills cause cancer, or denying climate change) they could largely be ignored as the rantings of the willfully uninformed. But when it comes to a worldwide pandemic that is infecting millions and killing hundreds of thousands, and is not over yet, then it rises to the level that can only be described as “criminal stupidity”.

There are real problems for the small businesses and sole practitioners who are closed completely because they are not “essential” and I sympathize as a former small businessman (actually a sole practitioner consultant). But those wanting to rush the opening of the economy don’t really care about these people, or they would have done a better job of ensuring that the aid reached these folks instead of large businesses with deep pockets for campaign donations. This rush to reopen the economy is a self-serving political stunt and panders to the least informed of the electorate.

The bungling of early warning, adequate supplies and testing put America at special risk because we are a nation of “individualists”. Often that individualism is a good thing, but sometimes, like now, it exacerbates a problem. This is when there needs to be trust in the experts and a unifying leadership to encourage all of us “rugged individualists” to think (just a little for a time) about the good of others as well as ourselves. We are not a compliant populace, so the need for leadership by example is all the more important.

We do not have a long history of being ruled by absolute authorities, like the Chinese. After a short initial period of trying to deny the outbreak for image reasons, when the Chinese government accepted the reality of the situation they moved swiftly to impose controls, and they largely didn’t have to worry about public backlash. The Swedes have avoided full lockdowns, and while there is still uncertainty about this policy it seems to be working because the Swedes trust their government and scientific agencies and their people are taking sensible precautions individually because it isn’t an “all about me” culture.

The US has neither of these situations. The first is our political legacy and the second is mostly an issue of leadership. We have shown in the past that we can come together as a nation and solve problems for our common good. But in every case, we had a leader who showed us the way, who encouraged us to listen to our better angels. We have never endured a crisis with someone who got to his position through the exploitation of fear, anger and divisiveness.

It is my fervent hope that this is not the model for how we go forward, because if it is, we are all doomed; either to die from some natural catastrophe that could have been avoided or minimized, or to fall victim to a dictatorship of self-congratulatory smiley faces – like a Kim Jong Un, whom our president likes so much.

In the absence of scientifically based leadership, I’m calling on all the people still willing to use their brains instead of their emotions to follow the directions and advice of the medical professionals in the field of infectious disease, and ignore the advice of political leaders, looking to score a win with those want a rapid return to business as usual.

For those whose income has not been affected by the closures I encourage you to give significantly to individuals you know have been hurt by the closures. These are the people whose services you used, but cannot at this time. Perhaps the personal generosity of good people can offset somewhat the inadequate and self-serving response that was all our mostly Republican Senate would allow.

[nerdsideofthemedia]

Continuing the Conversation about the Portrayal of Racism in RWBY

I’ve read the criticisms done to Faunus and the White Fang: The Portrayal of Racism and I think it’s time to address them.

Again, I am white and do not claim to speak for POC or that my knowledge of racism is amazing (it isn't). I am also not continuing this conversation to criticize RWBY for the sake of it. I just really don't like the idea that the people talking about this are edgelords whose stance of racism nowadays is "it doesn't exist and POC are just whiny".

 I’m going to address the end of my post: Trump. I claimed that the election of Trump proved racism is alive and well and some took it as “people voted for Trump because of racism”. I see how one could interpret it that way, but that’s not what I meant. I meant that all the xenophobic and racist rhetoric didn’t stop Trump from being elected – it wasn’t a deal-breaker. And no, the other options, either Bernie or Clinton weren’t worse or even as bad.

 RWBY doesn’t show racism as something done by individuals but as systemic because... Atlas

For the most part, it doesn’t show it as systemic. I claimed Atlas was the exception in my original post and even extended Mistral with the sign prohibiting Faunus, which reveals there are no anti-discrimination laws there. However, I maintain that’s not enough, especially considering there are 6 volumes.

It seems that Atlas will explore the systemic racism more, considering the first 3 episodes (especially the third) and that's good, but shouldn’t we have had something more before? What about all the other kingdoms? From the conversation of Ozpin and Blake, it seemed like racism is supposed to be a widespread thing, but it’s not if Atlas is the only offender or even if Mistral also is. I think we should have had more of an exploration of the subject in Mistral, considering its history and its lack of anti-discrimination laws.

Even Vale should have been shown more. We had an anti-racist group willing to destroy the city (and die in the process) - there should be a justification for that besides "there are some racists here". It's one thing for a few members to become extreme, quite another for an entire not-so-small group to do so. Not only the WF seems to be a large organization, it also seems to be the most relevant. Yet they decided to attack Vale, the city where racism only exists in a few specific individuals (who tend to be jerks), because... 

OK, to be fair, the individual racists are allowed to be with no consequences. For example, Cardin's bullying of others and specifically of Faunus as he attacked Velvet via her Faunus trait, did not face any consequences for his actions. This shows that more than a few people are very much willing to let others attack minorities, so they're complicit. This been said, I wish we had been shown a lot more. As it is, it just feels hard to believe so many would be OK with both killing and dying for their cause.  

Qrow wasn’t justifying racism, he was just explaining it

He still frames it as understandable and rational in some way with “it’s not too hard to sympathize with that”. To me, it's still "yikes".

 Blake’s speech was wrong, but it’s just meant to be a call to action

A call to action that claims that if they don’t risk their lives to save people who will gladly exploit or injure them, then they will prove the bigots right. Sorry, but that speech is completely indefensible.

I would also like to add that Ghira’s stance of “no violence no matter what” is absurd and it does send a message to the minorities, whether CRWBY intended it or not: don’t fight back ever, not even when someone is threatening you. A stance that CRWBY seems to be changing with Weiss defending Blake at the beginning of V7, but was there until then. Also, what does it say for Weiss, someone who is not a Faunus and actually benefitted a lot from the exploitation of said group, is the one who is allowed to use violence to defend Faunus, while Faunus themselves can’t? That puts Faunus very dependent on "white saviors". I get this is part of her arc and showing she's not the same as she was in V1, still... just saying it risks doing that, even if I hope for the best (which I do).

 Racists are people too

“I think the writers were going for “racists are people too”, which is a troublesome stance to take when you frame the ones fighting racism as flat out evil.”

I can see how this can be interpreted as me having a problem with the portrayal of racists as anything but monsters, so I’ll make it clearer: I do not think that “racists are people too” is problematic in itself, quite the opposite: I think when dealing with racism, we could benefit from showing people who are altogether nice, yet still willing to hold on to their privilege (like say... by voting for a racist candidate). I think it would be great to show racism in a way that is not completely blatant and that would challenge the audience to question their own behaviors. However, I do think that “racists are people too” is an awful stance when you show anti-racists to be completely irredeemable terrorists. The problem here is the extension of sympathy to the racists while showing none to the ones fighting it.

 White Fang is a cautionary tale for what can happen to social justice groups/movements

It can, but it's not often. Either it's a relatively small group of radicals or it's radical members in a very large group in which the majority is not radical. Sometimes, these are made to appear to be worse than they are because the media focuses on their violent actions while ignoring everything else. Sometimes, the media misleads us by ignoring who really started said altercations (though the responses often can be disproportionate).

The problem is that the anti-racists are way less sympathetic than most racists.

 “Remnant can’t be racist, because…”

Last time, I counter-argued some points I have seen around defending that Remnant can' be racist. Someone countered mine when it comes to Leo and the townspeople.

Leo

“in V3 we are shown that headmasters (Ozpin included) are under the council. So while Oz might have chosen Leo, Mistral's council could have booted him instantly”

OK, but how do we know the people in the council aren’t progressive? I mean Mistral still allows for discrimination, but for all we know, the council is deeply conflicted and Leo might have had just enough support to not get booted. Also, not all racism is overt. For someone to actively refuse someone on the basis of race, they don't have to be just racist, they have to be racist, proud of it and not even slightly interested in pretending they're not. Most racists aren’t like that. I don't think putting a Faunus as Haven's headmaster was the best idea, but the argument "a kingdom can't be racist because it has one Faunus in an important position" is just flat-out wrong. Again, the USA had a black president. The Republican Party has black politicians.

 Townspeople

"i really hate how people think this is defending racism. Please, remember the context of what happens. The white fang in Adams short are with an uniform and MASKS, masks that ONLY appear AFTER the first terrorist act commited by ADAM who starts the entire concept. The soldiers having masks already marks them as a terrorist organization by that point, because despite Ghiras leadership, we can see Adam under him, commiting criminal acts. I think that they really dropped the ball on that short with the visuals they employed."

And I really hate how people think blocking someone's path and shouting is worse than trying to shoot people1.

No, you cannot start shooting people just because you find them suspicious, not even when the reason why you think they’re suspicious is that they are wearing masks! I can’t believe I have to repeat this.

Masks=terrorism is one hell of an assumption, even if they were started to be used after Adam’s first act of terrorism. For all we know, WF members thought the whole "we are monsters, so we'll wear masks" was a good idea, so they adhered to it even if they disagreed with Adam’s methods. They were with Ghira and not fighting back at all, despite having weapons. They could have dropped their weapons, sure, but they were still not using them and they would have been completely justified in doing so – it would have been self-defense. It is particularly strange that the person who defended the townspeople action for attacking masked WF members also threw a tantrum over Antifa because some members harassed elderly people for thinking they were racists. Which one is it: is it wrong to attack someone because of what we think they are or not? Why is blocking a path and screaming awful, yet SHOOTING isn't? Weird...

 1 This should not be seen as an endorsement of that Antifa’s actions in that situation.

 More RWBY posts:

Faunus and the White Fang: The Portrayal of Racism

Filmmaking and Bumbleby

Bumblebee was Always the Plan

Bumblebee was Always the Plan part 2

BB & Renora

Weird Post on Weiss’s Clothes

Foils: Adam and Yang (this one is in wordpress; it was my first one and I didn’t have Tumblr then)

Let’s talk about Adam Taurus (I didn’t post this one on Tumblr because the title and tags could lead Adam fans thinking this was about “his wasted potential” when really it defends the decision of killing him off and explains why it happened)

 The original.

[medic275]

*The Silent Virus*

CornaVirus or (COVID-19) is a Globally fast spreading Virus from just close contact can be transfers onto clothing even footwear i.e brush pasted someone else that could of been potentially touch anyone or lent against an item or door way e.g. (you get the idea) or touching “Anything” that could be contaminate from other Users,  any type of surface, 

you can Not see it, you can Not feel it, you can Not smell it, 

you can only believe what is being Told by National Health services. 

So let me take back to January 2020 before any of this began - just after Christmas we celebrated the New Year 2020 as we always do see it in make revolutions i.e save money - buy a new car - buy/rent own property - getting married - travelings - fitness goals - Etc. As we go through this month things are relatively the same as the year before nothing has offically change still going to work shopping taking the children to school running meeting friends for coffee and the general day to day things, Now the world can only change a day a time and live by the 24hour rule you can not see or predict the future as much as we liked to, and win the Lottery with the Winning Numbers. Untold to the world public no one really knew that there was a virus brewing but why? Simple Answer - Because we had No knowledge of it which start back in 2019  In china.

Back in December 2019 was when this first “Out Broke” in Wuhan China is Started to Spread Through out China with this Onset and spread people withing china were quickly being affect without knowing they were to begin with - eventually this lead to Lock down cancellation of planes trains automobiles and ships/ferries, Sine 31-01-2020 UK saw its first two cases but unaware of an actual virus Silently Spreading with other countries going into lock down and cases increasing the UK followed with cases and health warning however by end of February saw a PANDEMIC OUTBREAK within the UK and the general public feared for the worst and no one had an idea of what is to come, everyone rushed out and started to panic buy but why? there was no hard evidences but social exploited this and showed other counties stock piling and for unknown reason - “Toilet Paper was more important than anything”people actually fought for it in-store. - further explanation in post.

COVID-19 has two types of name.

CornaVirus  2019 (COVID-19) Is an Infectious Disease that is a family of viruses that cause disease in animals. Seven, including the new virus, have made the jump to humans (How did it make this Jump?) Now is currently suspected made the jump from Snakes but this is unclear with a lack of information and unclear whether or not this type of animal can be infected by this type of disease? 

how other type such as rats and bats are the main point of view in this current disease it is believed to have come from bats in general however

“In rare cases, coronaviruses in animals can evolve to infect people and then spread between people. This was the case”

In the new study, published today (Jan. 22) in the Journal of Medical Virology, the authors found that 2019-nCoV appears to be a mix, or recombination, of two coronaviruses — one that is known to infect bats and another coronavirus of unknown origin.

CornaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) -  is the strain of virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). It is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus which infects the epithelial cells within the lungs. The virus enters the host cell by binding to the ACE2 receptor.  -  A bat-borne virus is any virus whose primary reservoir is any species of bat. The viruses include coronaviruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. 

So what is “Covid-19″ - its an Acute Respiratory Syndrome - Anyone can & more than likely with contract Covid-19 Symptoms first persisted as Flu Like Symptoms and knowning the difference between The Flu and Covid-19 was difficult at first, but with that said 3 Main Symptoms are:

 **Cough      TEMP 37.8   Shortness Of Breath**

But this is still hard to know whether or not its Covid-19 Related as these symptoms range over 100′s other of Medical Problems.  Now that said with all 3 of these Main Symptoms together all “Risk” Factors will be taken into consideration at Onset Time i.e Acute New Persistant cough with Temp increase and Shortness of breath Acute ( RED FLAGS)  Now anyone Can and more than likely will contract covid-19 with the chance of being a carry BUT not having any symptoms.

However - It is more serve in people with have had an organ transplantare having certain types of cancer treatment have blood or bone marrow cancer, such as leukaemiahave a severe lung condition, such as cystic fibrosis or severe asthmahave a condition that makes you much more likely to get infectionsare taking medicine that weakens your immune systemare pregnant and have a serious heart condition. anyone over 65. 

So Now we are in March - So Stores and local corner shops are being fully Raided and shelves are being bleed dry of products that everyday normal shopping went from casual of what you needed and top ups to full on Fallout War type shelf stripping and selfishness with the world public, it got so serious that stores are having to limit people to shopping and amount of products you buy can of e.g x2 toilet roll or x3 of each product, but a lot of people saw this as an advantage and ROCKETED prices of a simple 4 pack of toilet paper from a casual 2.49 to 6.99 and so on, people started buy as much hand sanitize also and hand soap essential items and try to make a quick buck even market traders so an opening and at the current time people where actually BUYING THIS from Rough traders/people working in corner shops.

as fast as Stores were being replenished they where being stripped, now we have RESTRICTION in place to help the public and stores, there is enough for everyone even though its not much better now the POPULATION DEMAND increased so rapidly stores can not get products quick enough to the stores replenish it fully with out it being stripped bare with in hours of restocking.

Public Places - food restaurants most shops has closed until further notice to help tackle covid-19 as well as reduce groupings government have put in policy's and laws as well as being in lock-down it had a massive knock on effect not just for the general public but traders stores Etc. 

We have seen this virus “Exploded” through out March Hospital has become Stressed and Capacity has been Maxed out - not with just Covid-19 but general public requiring hospital admission Now Hospital are having to bulild/make Temporary Hospitals to deal with demand of Covid-19 Isolation Zone made up Quarantine areas made up as well as keeping a Flowing A&E department for the NoN related COVID19 patients, Cases are rocketing as well as deaths, Nurses Drs HCA Receptionist Ambulance Crews are all feeling the FULL force of this everyone is look at the NHS to save them ambulance crews running around providing Essential care to Everyone with limited PPE available to them this is also including Hospital and other Medical Support Service i.e Red Cross, (Before you slate about other emergency services “Read On” ) 

The rest of the world are doing what they can for their own countries also, China has been Disinfecting the whole city other places are there all in cleaning streets public places building etc but its still “NOT” over for them yet Italy has one of the Highest Death Tolls on the Planet.

So what does the UK have in place to protect the Public well, 

Being Told to Wash our Hands for 20seconds use Hand Sanitiser Not touch to our faces keep well cleaned and take protective measure where necessary i.e people wearing gloves and mask (far point) but go touching door ways or windows or smoking you are just contaminating yourself  and leaving this protentional virus to become in contact with outer gloves and then your touching your clothing's car wallet money face etc leading on this removal of the gloves and washing your hands Unknown to yourself you actually Contaminated

20seconds HANDWASHING Keep your selfs to your self Dont Spread 

REMOVE - REDUCE - REMOVE - REDUCE - REMOVE - REDUCE - REMOVE

Social 2meters (6feet) Dont let this Catch you out.

When are people allowed to leave their homes?

Shopping for "basic necessities", as infrequently as possible. People should use delivery services, where they can

Medical reasons, to provide care, or to help a vulnerable person

Travelling to and from work, but only if it is "absolutely necessary"

People should not meet friends or family members who do not live with them.

What other new measures are there?

Shops selling "non-essential goods" including clothes and electronics stores will be closed immediately

Libraries, playgrounds, outdoor gyms and places of worship will also close

Gatherings of more than two people (excluding people who live together) will be banned

There will be no weddings or baptisms but funerals will be allowed

Parks will remain open but people are only to go out to exercise once a day

But yet Some of the general public are still struggling with this and Social distancing, they not doing to annoy you or just for fun and games, the start of this was so to speak oh it just Advance flu be alright - To - well you cant see you friends or family because you have to self isolate cant hug your children or partners or family member Medical Professions are having to make heart breaking choice to not be able to see their family or children breaking promises and hearts because the World Public need their help!! and yet some people our having 20+ gatherings and parties bbq’s well let me reflect some SERIOUS point of view.

We are Now Entering April and we haven't even Reached the Peak of the Virus Problem we have only just started to understand its “DNA & Structure” of  how it works and what we need in place and how we can help treat this but yet there is NO Cure or Vaccine at this current moment in time is still 12-18 Months away if not Longer - For all the “Covid-Idiots” out there that don’t understand the complete Hidden Danger this **Silent but Violent Virus** will get you and it could Potentially Kill you or your loved ones, Harsher Words are now need - but its not your Sheer Lack of Intelligence or Sheer Lack of Respect that your Putting More pressure on a health system that already under “EXTREME” pressure but putting Health Profession live at risk once again - But your Sheer Lack of Thinking and Commonsense to this approach if you said to be it does exist and you don’t care its just a conspiracy .. my Question to you is - You want your family or friends to die? Everyone has mothers or father they adore dont care how Tough you think you are NO one is a big Man want to out live your children, do you want to have to watch you children loved ones be take away and you can not go with them to hospital you can be with them because is the virus they will be in Isolation all by them self’s scared upset worried fearing the out most Worst thoughts!!.

Think about it do you want this to affect your family?  Let just go back to about people having gathering or family outings you are putting other emergency services at risk the police are having to deal with theses gathering or your Lack of common sense to Social Distancing as well as Isolation or STAYING AT HOME / Police are having to responde to more Unexpected deaths also due to Covid-19 Etc, The fire service are also doing there part with in assisting in medical emergencies where possible i.e patient extraction, or medical help as closest first responder if safe to do so as well as dealing with there own Action protocols.

Let me tell you a story about what happens with these type of symptoms - lets say you have asthma or someone in the family does,  If they potentially contract this in anyways, it will Seriously Affect Their repository system, and the following will or can happen 

*Pre Hospital Assessment - Pre Hospital Care - Pre Hospital Alert - 

Rapid Blue light Transfer - Immediate Isolation - Providentially Intubated and Transferred To An ICU unit -

 even with Isolation they will be alone 100′s of people around lots going on its a very scary place to be especially for a grown adult Nobody want to DIE!! Even if your not intubated you will still be placed into Isolation area and no one is allowed in to see you with hospitals restricting the amount of people allowed in or to be with family members is going to be Hell on people ripping their hair out not knowing what is really happening until the hospital calls - Reality is kicking in here and its KICKING Hard - so all you Covid-Idiots out there start listening up and listen Good & Hard!!

Going around liking poles products toilet seats public space “Clap Clap Clap” You name is being currently reserved for ICU or Mr Reapers Scythe *Stop being Morons* you are affecting the general public and people already with A)Health Conditions & B) Mental heath or anxiety conditions - Its quite funny really saw a few young lads the other day joking laughing about Covid-19 & giving small Abuse to medical service Simple question to them Would you be laughing if your friends or yourself contracted this virus and could potentially die? Safe to say they quickly apologised and thought about their actions!! Now back to all you NON common senseless Idiotic people - do you want the said above?^^^ 

Dont put yourself or others at risk listen to the Government these rules and restriction are to protect you and everyone else. 

Stay at Home Social Distancing Self Isolation Isolation what is so hard to under stand about this? People moan and moan i rather be at home rather spend time with the family or in the garden so on and NOW you can you all moaning AGAIN there is NO winning with the world or population, The Silent Virus is only beginning and we have only seen a True full on Month of this and its not going to settle so let me take you other to the next phase of the up coming months!

**The Perfect Storm**

Covid-19 is only just Starting in the United Kingdom the Case are rising Fast the Death Toll is increasing Daily Recover Rate will hopefully rise but we haven't even Scratched the tip of the surface with this Virus if you thin March was a Rough month you best Buckle up place that overhead buckle be we are still climbing this roller-coaster and once we the United Kingdom reach the top of this Virus its going the Rougher Than HELL it self! 

So the Perfect Storm 

Before a full on storm with always get a little taste of what is coming - its Calm Beautiful before we see the eye of the storm and that when the day turns to Night and Night becomes Deathly scary Take Note of this - 

This Virus is at its calm Measures of spreading and still spreading its been calm and now we are entering the eye of this Virus - its starting to show what is capable off and what it does do once you contract it and how alot of people will not survive when we hit the Peak of this 

** The Perfect Virus Storm is going to Hit us all & Wipe every of their feet **

Cases ^^^^^ Death Rate ^^^^^^^^^^^ Recovery ^^< 

Remember we still have a long way to go before a Vaccine is Found please do you part by staying in Isolating only going when needed or necessary 

This Isnt fun & games peoples lives Matter and are at risk!! 

Think bout it!! Protect yourself and others!! 

From my own Thoughts & POV This is starting to become a lot more realer and everyone is Scared Anxious Worried Nobody wants to die we all have something to live for and want from life! Life is a very Precious thing Once its gone its Gone and it can be taken away in a Blink of an eye Timing is more Precious & Cherish-able. 

Dont want Medical Intervention want to try steering clear of all this Covid-19 concern listen to the government!! Because this is about to get more Real than anyone can imagine .

Don’t Regret or have the words of *IF ONLY* 

This will be last thing you will ever think & say.....

- Live - Breath - Love -

This is my Words No One Else - “Green Uniformed”

[enneagramspam]

VERONICA SAWYER

6w7

“I wish you'd come with me-“

In response to a question asked over on r/enneafiction.

Veronica’s Six core is exploited at every turn throughout Heathers, the Musical and the clashing of her loyalty to her ideals with the desire to feel safe and secure ultimately results in an abrupt and extreme disintegration over the course of the show. 

Basic Fear:  Of being without support and guidance / Basic Desire: To have security and support

“I wanted someone strong who could protect me…”

Veronica wants, more than anything else, for someone to have her back in a world she perceives as dangerous and frightening. This is made abundantly clear in Fight For Me, the song where she falls in love with JD after seeing him defend himself. The repeated lyric; “I would fight for you // If you would fight for me,” is the most obvious example- the world itself might remain unsafe, but the potential security to be found in another person is a huge draw for her (“Could you carry me through no man's land?”).

This isn’t the first instance of Veronica’s safety seeking behaviour, however- it’s present as early as Beautiful, when she asks the Heathers; “Um. Let me sit at your table, at lunch. Just once. No talking necessary. If people think that you guys tolerate me, then they'll leave me alone…” Veronica isn’t interested in spending time with the Heathers for the sake of popularity or self-affirmation- it’s as a shield. Beautiful also sees her scrambling out of the way of anyone who might pose a threat (“Oh, sorry!” // “Aah, nothing!”), except, notably, when Martha is the one being threatened, where the first glimpse of a counterphobic Veronica emerges; “Pick that up right now … I wanna know what gives you the right to pick on my friend.” Sixes are loyal to their friends, but also to their beliefs- Veronica has a strong sense of justice and a conviction that things can become better again;

“But I know, I know...

Life can be beautiful

I pray, I pray

For a better way

We were kind before;

We can be kind once more

We can be beautiful..,”

Ultimately, it’s her loyalty to this ideal, and her ability to function counterphobically to defend and preserve it, that saves her and the school as a whole, allowing her to confront JD with the conviction that “his solution is a lie,” despite his repeated attempts to exploit her loyalty; “Please don’t leave me alone, // You were all I could trust.”

Everything comes to a head at the end of Act One. After the events of Blue leave Veronica feeling particularly defenseless, she does what a disintegrated Six is wont to, and latches onto her only source of security; JD. “You’re not alone,” he tells her, an offer of the security she is seeking, but can’t seem to find anywhere else. Veronica finds herself drawing strength from the relationship; “We’re what killed the dinosaurs, // We’re the asteroid that’s overdue,” and ultimately venerates it to religious significance, following JD’s lead; “Our love is God.” But the fantascism of these statements, and the undercurrent of violence present from the beginning of the song, betray her disintegration, and the brutality that is about to ensue. Veronica reacts with horror when she discovers that JD has in fact, murdered Kurt and Ram instead of just knocking them out as he promised, (“What the fuck have you done?”) but he remains her only source of safety, even in a world that he has just made a lot more dangerous- he is still completely loyal to her; “...I worship you // I'd trade my life for yours.” Veronica finds herself, more afraid than ever, but with no other source of potential safety, she continues to answer JD, “Our love is God,” despite the fear plain on her face, and doesn’t try to leave his embrace- letting go would mean facing her basic fear, and being without support and guidance.

Seventeen is her attempt to make their relationship into a true source of sanctuary for the pair of them, appealing to JD’s own strength of loyalty (“Can’t we be seventeen? // That’s all I want to do.”). As a Six, she is unable to make a convincing statement without acknowledging all their past pain; “Fine we’re damaged,” and the truth of more in their future, “People hurt us … And you’re right, that really blows.” The song exemplifies her Seven wing- she suggests shallow distractions from the pain, chilli fries, prom night, shopping for summer clothes- but ultimately what she is offering JD is her presence by his side; “Don’t stop looking in my eyes.” The song is filled with offers and promises of and appeals to both their senses of loyalty; “I wanna be with you,” “Your love’s too good to lose,” “Hold me tighter,” etc. Ultimately, the conclusion; “I’ll stay if I’m what you choose // If I am what you choose // ‘Cause you’re the one I choose.” sums up Veronica’s tendency towards loyalty, but also need for it, perfectly.

Disintegration to 3:

“Dreams are coming true // When people laugh but not at you!”

What drives many Sixes to disintegrate is a belief that they are not equipped to protect themselves. Veronica’s initial disintegration occurs when she joins the Heathers as a direct result of this belief- by Candy Store, she has become image-conscious enough to sabotage Martha’s popularity in order to maintain her own (and thus her own safety.) Big Fun makes it clear that this strategy, though unhealthy, is working for her, (“I'm not alone! I'm not afraid!”) and she spirals further into it.

When disintegrated, Sixes lash out- they divide the world into “them and us,” and can be driven to sabotage the “them,” in order to protect themselves. As she disintegrates further, Veronica briefly embodies an unhealthy Three’s arrogance- taken in by JD’s sweeping promises in Our Love is God- “We can start and finish wars…” and enthusiastic to play judge and jury to Kurt and Ram- but critically, not executioner. The murder is a shock to her system, and ironically, allows her to see the flaws in their previous arrogance; “We’re not “special”, we’re not “different” // We don’t choose who lives or dies.”

Integration to 9:

“Listen up folks, // War is over.”

There isn’t much opportunity for Veronica to integrate, but Seventeen (Reprise) offers us a glimpse- while as a Six, Veronica can’t put her fears aside completely; “We're all damaged, we're all frightened // We're all freaks but that's alright,” this song has a far more optimistic tone from Veronica than anything else in the whole show; “We’ll endure it, we’ll survive it.” Like a healthy Nine, she shows a willingness to let go of unproductive conflicts (“We are done with acting evil // We will lay our weapons down”,) and relationships alike,  (“If no one loves me now // Someday somebody will.”) Enneagram institute describes Nines at their best as; “indomitable and all-embracing, they are able to bring people together and heal conflicts,” and that’s a perfect description of what this song is all about; “Brand new sheriff’s come to town.”

Childhood Wound: They lost faith they would be protected.

““But the sky's gonna hurt when it falls, // So you better start building some walls…”

There’s an underlying pattern in Heathers, like in many teen dramas, of adults who are essentially untrustworthy- either helpless or unwilling to lend a hand to the kids they should be responsible for. This is arguably such a pervasive theme because it lends the teenagers more agency in the plot and gives their struggles more credibility, but in Heathers, this trope is in fact a depiction of a lack of empathy from adults who truly don’t take teenagers seriously, or are in fact outright abusive or neglectful.

In Beautiful, teachers objectify Veronica, or only recognise her once she is important enough to be seen with the Heathers. Outside of her, Kurt and Ram’s fathers’ are demonstrably abusive, and their sons perpetuate that cycle of abuse by taking it out on their schoolmates. They only repent only in My Dead Gay Son- too late. Ms Fleming is apathetic towards the students whose mental health she is supposed to prioritise from her first appearance- trying to impose a detention on Heather Duke even as she vomits from her eating disorder right in front of her. In Shine A Light, her advice to the students is facile, and her motivation is more about performing for the cameras than actually making a positive impact. Altogether, Veronica lives in a world where adults simply can’t be depended upon for help or sanctuary. Her verse in Dead Girl Walking (Reprise), directed at JD, encompasses all this;

“I wish your mom had been a little stronger

I wish she stayed around a little longer

I wish your dad were good!

I wish grown-ups understood!

I wish we’d met before

They convinced you life is war!”

From Yo Girl, we know the situation applies not just to Veronica’s schoolmates, but her, too. The intertwining of her parent’s empty reassurances; “Your problems seem like life and death! // I promise, they’re not!” with the chorus’ building, ominous reminder of the very real threat of JD drawing closer and closer, “Guess who’s climbing the stairs? // Guess who’s picking the lock?” shows that her parents aren’t equipped to protect her. Childhood wounds only have to be felt- a Six can perceive themselves as vulnerable when this isn’t the truth of the situation. It’s notable that despite the present danger, she simply answers, “You wouldn’t understand,” and works to protect herself (“Veronica’s trying to keep him out, now,”) and again, doesn’t ask anyone for help during Dead Girl Walking (Reprise). All of Veronica’s experiences have clearly built her into a Six who feels she has no-one left to trust.

w7:

“Let's be normal, see bad movies // Sneak a beer and watch tv,”

Veronica often deals with her issues by retreating, shutting her eyes to the unpleasant realities of what’s going on around her, with varying success; “Dream of ivy-covered walls and smoky French cafés // Fight the urge to strike a match and set this dump ablaze!” Her conflation of her own ideals of kindness and inner beauty with the physical beauty she achieves as a result of the Heathers’ makeover is arguably made easier by her Seven wing- “When you’re beautiful // It’s a beautiful frickin’ day!”- when she fakes Heather Chandler’s suicide note, she as much confesses this; “Believe it or not, I knew about fear ... I hid behind smiles and crazy hot clothes,” although she doesn’t admit this is partly confessional. This isn’t the only instance of Veronica’s unwillingness to confront unpleasant truths in favour of happier distractions- trying to undo what’s happened with JD with chilli fries and dancing seems another example, as does her behaviour in Dead Girl Walking, wherein she opts to distract herself from her anxieties not just by returning to her source of security, (“In here it’s beautiful,”) but with seeking baser pleasure to drown out any pain; “Make this whole town disappear!”

[96thdayofrage]

The release of Judas and the Black Messiah has once again put the spotlight on the Chicago police and the FBI’s culpability in the murder of Fred Hampton, a rising leader in the Black Panther Party (BPP) in the pivotal year of 1969. In our previous Jacobin article, we documented the bureau’s efforts specifically aimed at Hampton and stressed the need for more information to better understand the circumstances surrounding his murder.

Since then, we have obtained 433 pages of the FBI’s official “COINTELPRO” files on the Chicago Black Panther Party (BPP). Along with this, the FBI, pursuant to a Freedom of Information request by Aaron Leonard, released another 490 pages on their employee, and handler of FBI informant and Black Panther William O’Neal, Special Agent Roy Martin Mitchell.

With this new information, two things come more clearly into focus. First, the FBI counterintelligence operations against the Chicago BPP were particularly focused on sabotaging the group’s ability to join and work with other organizations. Second, bureau informant William O’Neal, who had garnered a leading position in the Chicago chapter, was a far more vital resource — beyond complicity in the murder of Fred Hampton — than has been understood.

These discoveries, while adding to the historical record, also give a clearer picture of the thinking behind the FBI’s measures in their efforts to destroy the Left. A fuller understanding of this thinking and methodology matters for a new left aiming to avoid the bureau’s efforts at disruption in the twenty-first century.

Students for a Democratic Society

In 1969, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the largest radical student organization of the sixties, broke apart, a result both of the group’s own internal divisions and efforts by the FBI to head off the group from evolving beyond its “big tent” inclusiveness into a more disciplined, radical organization. Given that, it is not surprising the bureau would also expend serious effort to sabotage relations between SDS, whose national office was then in Chicago, and the Chicago Black Panther Party.

To that end, there were two COINTELPROs – official disruptive operations that were proposed, approved, and executed in the FBI hierarchy — leveled at SDS documented in the files. The first scheme aimed to disrespect the BPP in relation to SDS. As the head of the Chicago FBI wrote to the FBI director, “Through BPP informants and other Black Nationalist informants plant the idea that SDS is exploiting the BPP by trying to use them as ‘cannon fodder’ for a white revolution.”

The idea was to use the racial and class differences of the two groups against each other.

The idea was to use the racial and class differences of the two groups against each other. This comes through in the ”COINTELPRO-NEW LEFT” memo of May 1, 1969: “The concept of white students studying in universities while Black Panthers are going to jail or being killed in the ghetto would be encouraged.” The FBI was optimistic about the success of this undertaking, writing, “It is felt that BPP will be receptive to charges of white exploitation, and may react strongly to it, thus weakening or dissolving the alliance with SDS” (see page 2).

Hedging their bets, the bureau wrote that if that plan did not work, they could also undermine SDS by amplifying the student radicals’ already considerable defensiveness in regard to the Panthers.

If the BPP accepts the above, but does not break with SDS they can be encouraged to “exploit” SDS by making further demands on them to “prove their loyalty.” Increased demand for funds and free printing of BPP literature could place pressure on the strained finances of SDS (see page 2).

This COINTELPRO was approved, with the FBI cannily instructing that “sources should be given different arguments so that this does not look like a plan.” (see page 5) As they explained:

Under present circumstances, SDS is giving complete, almost slavish support to the BPP, which would jeopardize the standing of any SDS informant who criticized BPP. If there is any wavering of the SDS support of BPP, informants would be used to aggravate any developing split. (see page 2)

The FBI was wading into a complex situation in 1969, where SDS was riven by acrimonious debate between one faction who supported the BPP unilaterally, and another embodied in the Progressive Labor Party’s “Worker-Student Alliance” faction, which sided against the BPP, putting forward the slogan that “all nationalism is reactionary.”

In that context, what is striking about this scheme is how closely it corresponded to one event that played out. Jeremy Varon in his book Bringing the War Home documenting the rise and fall of the Weather Underground, a splinter of SDS that ended up undertaking political violence, Varon recounts an incident where the BPP needed logistical support from SDS in the aftermath of the killing of Panther associate Jake Winters:

In [Weatherman Russell] Neufeld’s recollection, the Panthers had wanted Weatherman to print their memorial poster for him; but Weatherman, lacking money for the materials, was unable to provide that help. So the Panthers, led by Hampton, stormed the Weatherman office and beat members with two-by-fours, while muttering lines from Stalin. The Weathermen were stunned by the Panthers’ eruption, attributing it to the immense pressure the Panthers were under. Neufeld was clubbed by Hampton and bears the scar on his head to this day.

While we cannot say with certainty that the FBI’s scheming had an impact on the Panthers’ actions, it is notable how it tracks with the bureau’s aims outlined in their COINTELPRO proposal. In this they were seizing on actual existing divisions between both groups.

The Weathermen in particular were consumed with the idea of their middle-class “white skin privilege” and were loath to alienate the Panthers. For their part the Panthers had FBI “sources” whispering to them that SDS was disrespecting them.

Nation of Islam

Chicago was also the headquarters of the Nation of Islam (NOI), whose leader Elijah Muhammad was named in the bureau’s March 1968 COINTELPRO memo, which outlined a program to undermine and destroy Black nationalist organizations. In that memo, Muhammad is singled out as a potential “messiah” who could “electrify the militant black nationalist movement.” His mention in the FBI memos in regard to the Chicago BPP, however, has more to do with another stated aim of the “Black Hate” COINTELPRO: “Prevent the coalition of militant black nationalist groups.”

Specifically,  in a June 1969 memo, the FBI suggested placing a cartoon in the NOI’s newspaper “Muhammad Speaks.” The aim was to “appeal to the vanity of ELIJAH MUHAMMAD, in the sense that the BPP would be depicted as yet another black group which has either sold out to or is dominated by whites.” While the cartoons are not included in the released file, a memo detailing the scheme, suggests an image of “a white radical mounted on a black panther.”

In preparing this proposal, the bureau gave permission to the Chicago office “to delicately explore with CG 6896-R, [an informant code where CG means Chicago, 6896 is their unique number and R means Racial Informant] associated with the Nation of Islam (NOI) publication ‘Muhammad Speaks’ the possibility of attempting to have these cartoons, or a cartoon, utilized by this publication to obtain a widespread dissemination.”

The FBI abandoned the scheme, not out of distaste for the idea, but in order to keep their informant’s identity secret. As they wrote in July 1969 (see page 4):

Chicago definitely feels that this source, who occupies a very delicate and sensitive position with the NOI [though not a member], should not in any way be pressured or persuaded to take or initiate any action which in any way would compromise him…

This is a particularly intriguing entry, suggesting the FBI had contact with someone with high-level access to the Nation of Islam, a highly insular group, which the predominately white FBI had minimal ability to approach without immediately being identified. Who that person was, however, must for now remain a mystery.

By July 1970, the bureau assessed that given the existing acrimony between the BPP and NOI — one group inclining to revolutionary socialism, the other firmly advocating black separatism — the best course of action would be to do nothing. As they wrote, “the BPP and the NOI are already at odds” (see pages 1-2) and “this trend should be allowed to continue unmolested….” Not only was doing nothing easier, in the bureau’s view, “if it ever became public knowledge that the Bureau was a participant in creating a dispute between black groups” it could prove “most embarrassing.”

BPP’s Publications

It has long been known that the FBI created a coloring book, purported to be published by the Black Panthers, with the aim of making the group appear bloodthirsty and violent, thereby alienating broader public support. Mostly flying under the radar, however, was a plan by the FBI to use the Panthers’ own material against them. The bureau anonymously mailed the BPP’s holiday greeting cards to “newspaper editors, public officials, responsible businessmen, and clergy.” The aim was to make the recipients “aware of the vicious nature of the BPP.”

Mostly flying under the radar, however, was a plan by the FBI to use the Panthers’ own material against them.

It is unclear what effect this had, if any. But the notion of using a group’s own materials against it — by sending it to forces who would perceive it as hostile — was a consistent method of the FBI in the period of the long sixties.

A May 1970 proposal put a twist on this method, suggesting to insert a page in the Black Panther newspaper as if it were a legitimate part of that issue, that “could contain material which would be critical of local BPP policy and personnel, including threats to expell [sic] local members and call for realignment of the local chapter.” To carry this out, they made a “preliminary inquiry” at Chicago’s O’Hare airport — suggesting they had a cooperative source there — and determined “it is possible to access to shipments of the Panther paper under secure conditions.”

The outcome of this project is unknown. Pulling it off would have been a major logistical feat, to say nothing of being vulnerable to exposure via a simple call to the Oakland office. Still, the objective of splitting apart the group through use of its own press — intercepted at the airport — is striking in its boldness.

The Informant

The above proposals and actions were part of official COINTELPRO operations, meaning they had specific criteria to meet and procedures to follow before they could be implemented by the FBI. In carrying such plans out, however, one element in the bureau’s work involved something more basic, the use of informants who gained a position of trust in the groups they were targeting. These informants could not only supply intelligence but advance the FBI’s objectives by operating internally within the target group. In the case of the Chicago BPP, no informer was more key to these efforts than William O’Neal.

Today, O’Neal is best known for being the “Judas” character played by LaKeith Stanfield in Judas and the Black Messiah. O’Neal, however, was not fictional, but rather the person who supplied a floor plan for the police raid that would result in the murders of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark. Notably, however, O’Neal, who was recruited by FBI Special Agent Roy Martin Mitchell, joined the Chicago Panthers before Hampton’s rise to the position of branch chairman and continued in the organization a year after Hampton’s and Clark’s murders. So it is worth examining his activity as a member of the Illinois BPP more broadly.

As the Chicago BPP sought to expand in February 1969, the FBI reported that the chapter had been approached by a faction of the West Side Chicago gang, the Vice Lords, headed by Edward “Pepilo” Perry. Perry “offered to join the BPP, giving up their former identities as Vicelords [sic].” The bureau, however, was keen to prevent the growth of the BPP, particularly its merging with other groups. In order to sabotage this possibility they instructed their informant to raise suspicions about the Vicelords:

The BPP is well aware that the Chicago Police Department Gang Intelligence Unit, headed by Captain WILLIAM BUCKNEY, has many sources in such gangs, possibly even young black police officers. The source (CG 7251-R PROB) [O’Neal] has been instructed to play upon this fear of youth gangs, in that in recruiting gang members the BPP may well be recruiting police spies. On this particular occasion the source was in personal conversation with HAMPTON, during the course of the meeting with Perry, and reminded him of this danger.

O’Neal’s work appeared to have been successful, with the FBI later writing, “It is believed this caution to HAMPTON played a considerable role in the reluctance of the BPP to accept PERRY, as might normally have been expected.” In other words, William O’Neal, the FBI informant, who would play a critical role in the killing of the very man he was advising, is telling Hampton he needs to be wary of informants.

O’Neal was not just sabotaging unity — he was also helping get Panthers arrested. As early as April 1969, the bureau was reporting on how instrumental he was in the arrest of multiple Panthers:

[A] number of arrests locally for BPP members have been effected, primarily through information provided by Chicago BPP source, CG 7251-R (PROB) [O’Neal]. The information has been made available to the Bureau previously, under the BPP caption; however, in brief relates to the arrest on March 28, 1969, of five BPP members, returning to Chicago from an appearance the previous evening in Racine, Wisconsin, a description of the automobile being used for this travel, together with the indication several of these BPP members would be armed was given [to] the Chicago Police Department (PD).

At the same time he was undermining the group, O’Neal was moving up its ranks. By July 1969, he was no longer head of security for Chicago, having ascended to chief of staff for the statewide organization. O’Neal had been offered the position of “Chief of Security” but turned it down “saying the Party is full of informants and he wants no part of this job” — a savvy move given how high the level of suspicion and paranoia was about informants at the time — a paranoia O’Neal himself was working to create.

Roy Mitchell

O’Neal’s handler, Roy Mitchell, continued to receive internal praise in the aftermath of the killing of Fred Hampton, though it is less clear what he was being praised for. This praise comes through, in a memo to Chicago SAC Marlin W. Johnson, from J. Edgar Hoover, dated March 18, 1970, where certain unnamed agents in the Chicago office are commended. As Hoover writes, “Through you [Johnson], I want to commend those agents in the Chicago Office who participated so competently in a matter of substantial interest to the Bureau in the security field.”

A number of things stand out about this memo, published here for the first time. First is the obliqueness of its content, written in a way that the uninformed reader has no idea what the “matter of substantial interest” is. Second is the fact that Roy Mitchell’s name is handwritten at the top, rather than being typed into the memo itself. And finally there is a stamp at the bottom of the missive, “REMOVED FROM FIELD PERSONNEL FILE 67 – NOT RECORDED.” All of which suggests that, unlike an earlier commendation to Mitchell immediately after the Hampton killing, the director is being very careful to minimize the paper trail to Mitchell, who was garnering unwanted attention for his role in the Hampton killing.

The actual nature of the “matter of substantial interest” referenced in this memo must for now remain a mystery. Perhaps once material like William O’Neal’s informant file is made public, things will become clearer.

The obliqueness in that memo is less present in another commendation directed to Mitchell’s files — though again, Mitchell’s name is handwritten at the top and a “REMOVED FROM FIELD PERSONNEL FILE stamp appears at the bottom — for agents in Chicago who worked on apprehending Angela Davis: “I want to commend, through you, those agents of the Chicago Office who performed so effectively relative to the investigation of Top Ten Fugitive Angela Yvonne Davis, the subject of an Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution case.”

What comes through in this new material is how successful the FBI was in seizing on the Chicago chapter’s weaknesses.

While there are no specifics, what comes through is that the bureau’s work in Chicago — including Mitchell, whose informant work provided information that would be ultimately be used by the Chicago police to murder Fred Hampton and Mark Clark — had become incredibly effective, to the point that FBI leadership commended that work for aiding the FBI’s national objectives.

Don’t Get Fooled Again

What comes through in this new material is how successful the FBI was in seizing on the Chicago chapter’s weaknesses — not only the heightened vulnerability that came with the dynamic of police attacks and armed self-defense, but also with rumor and innuendo.

While the contending, and often confused, politics within the organization were ultimately decisive in all this — the BPP itself would split in March 1971 between two equally bad positions, Huey P. Newton’s reformist “survival pending revolution” philosophy and Eldridge Cleaver’s inclination toward political violence — the measures by law enforcement played no small role in these developments.

That the bureau had placed an informant in a position of rising power, where he could keep the FBI apprised of who was in leadership, the status of membership, who might have had weapons or be otherwise legally vulnerable, to say nothing of a sense of the internal disputes, both political and personal, appear as no small reason for their successes.

The murder of Fred Hampton and the destructive efforts against the Black Panthers in Chicago by the FBI cannot be undone. But they can be understood — and in ways far better than was possible fifty-one years ago. Armed with such knowledge, a new cohort of leftist activists — knowing the perils of incendiary rumors, damaging sectarianism, and the efforts of those who would encourage individuals and organizations, whether informants or simply misguided radicals, to perilously step over legal limits — can be made less vulnerable to efforts that were far too successful in the past.

[advocate4civillibs-blog]

Excuse me, do you have any hope you can spare?

I often wonder if there will ever be a time in the near future (or my lifetime for that matter) where our country will be united rather than divided. If the rights of citizens will ever be fully restored and not exploited, like certain provisions of the Patriot Act that infringe the rights of all Americans. If certain practices used by intelligence agencies on American citizens, that many believe are unconstitutional, will ever be abolished.

Is there ever going to be a President that will truly care for the rights of citizens? Will there be a President that actually fulfills their campaign promises 100 percent of the time they are in office, no matter the push back they receive from corporations or other branches of government? In my opinion, it seems like money and corruption is too intertwined in our current and established government, which personally makes it hard for me to find hope for the future of this country.

I have more faith and hope in the humanity of American citizens themselves, but that doesn't seem to translate into politics or be enough to affect change for the better.

Why are many of us so satisfied being divided, digging our heels in, not willing give an inch in the opposite direction to those whose views may differ from our own? Failing to remember that we are all human, the strongest common bond we all share.

If you saw someone who was homeless starving and begging for food on the street, would you stop before helping them and ask yourself, "I wonder what their thoughts are on the 2nd Amendment, or women's reproductive rights, or global warming, or what their preferred economic system is, etc?" I don't believe that these questions would go through many of our minds at all.

Lately, I have made a conscious effort to try and avoid starting conversations about politics with those that I encounter and maybe have just met. Not because I don't enjoy discussion, hearing a different point of view, or because of a lack of interest on the subject.

It is due to flaw that I have noticed within my self to judge to quickly and a failure to recognize and appreciate what me and someone else might have in common, that I value and feel is just as important as politics.

Personally, I am what some might consider very liberal. I wouldn't consider myself what some people call a "bleeding heart liberal" (not that I would use that term either). But on the other hand I am a gun advocate (recreationally and for personal protection), love the outdoors, hunting and fishing etc. All of these things have value to me.

Through my experience these also are things that are commonly valued amongst more conservative people than I. Yet why is it that if when having a conversation with someone whose values are more conservative than my own, these things often aren't important enough to keep either parties in a conversation from judging one another and bringing both of us to a point where we stop listening to each other completely? Reaching a point where either party no longer cares about what the other has to say or think.

Perhaps just being polite enough to allow the other person to speak. Meanwhile, the entire time the one respectfully being silent (myself included at times) is not really listening and just thinking about their response that they will give.

Is this a collective flaw in our thinking, where a lot of us exclude the possibility that our own thoughts and views may not be absolutely, entirely, 100 percent correct all the time?

If I try to examine how I have come to my own conclusions about any particular thing maybe my influences are not that much different from yours.

For me they would include, the thoughts and opinions of my family and close friends, life experience, the information in and about the world that is made available to us so that we hopefully are able to form to most informed and reasonable opinions, views, and conclusions. Even though I am not a mind reader and have never claimed to be, I would imagine this is the case for everyone.

Why is this process of getting to a particular viewpoint that I believe we all share not the thing thing to be valued, appreciated, and bond us together. Rather than the difference in views and result of our own thought processes being the thing to divide us.

If you asked a group of people if they thought they were perfect or have lived perfect lives with out making any mistakes, I doubt any sane person would seriously say "yes, I am". Yet a lot of us feel so strongly at times, so right, so justified in our views (myself included at times), that we deny our selves the opportunity to possibly be wrong in our thinking.

Consequently, denying ourselves a potential opportunity to learn from one another.

I have hope for this country, it's people, our government, and the world. But at times it seems that my own hope is a flickering candle on a patio table. The wind begins to blow and the sky threatens to rain. The rain soon follows and I attempt to desperately shield the tiny flame with my hands. The weather seems to get worse and I worry that the candle will soon be extinguished. With no means to change the candles situation or location in order to keep the flame alive, I begin to wish that there were more hands around me to protect the flame.

Maybe there would be if things were not so divisive. Maybe if I had listened to those I didn't agree with, or chose to value what we had in common rather than focus on what made us different there be more hands to help. Maybe then we could all enjoy the candles light just a little bit longer under our metaphoric patio umbrella. Maybe if we remembered our strongest collective bond we all share is that we are all human, we are all imperfect, we all love someone, we all have the ability to forgive, be kind, and do great things that bring new and positive things to the world. We all have the power make change for the better in ourselves, in one another, in this country, and in the world.

But just like moving a sofa, it is much easier and a more effective way to spend our time if we did it together, rather than on our own.

I'm sure these thoughts are nothing new to the world and there is plenty of parallel thinking amongst other people in regards to what you have just read. The purpose of this to me was more of a therapeutic process with the hope that it could be a positive reminder to those that read it if anyone.

Thanks.

[oversought]

i think there's an appeal for certain people in writing 'problematic' (read: racist, homophobic, transphobic, etc.) characters & plot lines because it gives people an easy excuse to void themselves of responsibility for how writing those subjects poorly and in certain ways can hurt people. it gives them an easy shield to hide behind. it gives them an excuse not to reflect on their own beliefs and how they may be harmful. it gives them an excuse to be racist or homophobic or whatever else & say 'im not racist, my character is!' regardless of whether or not they themselves have done/said [insert harmful thing here]. 

it makes it really easy to detach themselves and excuse themselves from the table that is, say, racism for example when-- as im sure many will tell you-- you’re not. you’re not excused from the table just because you’ve proclaimed yourself “not a racist” and that sort of detachment is exactly the kind of mindset that allows people to let themselves get away with saying/doing racist things. it’s like when someone brings up how something someone has done is racist and they immediately say “im not racist”... writing problematic characters who are racist and saying “im not racist, my character is” makes it really hard for poc to approach you to say “hey this is racist” because ?? you’ve already established you don’t think you’re racist and you think yourself absolved of ever doing anything racist which isn’t how it works. this applies to all other issues here too regarding homophobia, transphobia, etc.

im sure this isn't the case for everyone, but it’s frequent enough that it has made a lot of us extremely cautious of writing with characters in the ‘problematic’ vein with regards to complex social issues like racism and homophobia. 

in my personal opinion, the rpc very much overuses 'ic =/= ooc' to the point it is less of a way of protecting the mun from people who might exploit them for their character and more of a way for the writer to excuse things they’ve written that are harmful. ic =/= ooc is for clarifying your views aren’t the same as your character’s, not for giving yourself a free pass to say and do harmful things or write things in inappropriate, oppressive ways. ic =/= ooc is not meant to be used to void yourself of responsibility for writing something harmful. you still wrote it, it still has impact... if someone is bringing attention to the harm it does then it's very well a possibility (and very likely) that it's because (even in a fictional setting from a fictional character) you've written something irresponsibly in ways that have genuine repercussions and are harmful. 

this is all not to mention how incredibly uninspired it is for the only 'problematic' things characters can be in the rpc is racist or homophobic or whatever else, it just lends itself to a lack of creativity and willingness to expand outside of writing things that in living memory are still actively hurting people and contributing to the still alive & well oppression of marginalized groups.

to be frank all of this goes especially to the people who are white/cis/straight writing racist/transphobic/homophobic characters !!! 

to expand more on that if you’re straight and writing a homophobic muse...  1) the chances of you harboring homophobic beliefs (conscious, unconscious or otherwise) are extremely high (straight people, and even us non-straight people, have been conditioned from day one to hate non-straight people, it is a facet of how our society raises us) and this is harmful when writing a muse who is actively homophobic because it detaches you from your own potentially homophobic beliefs and gives you a free pass to say “i’m not homophobic” even if you are  2) you’re absolutely guaranteed at some point to be playing against both muns and characters (the writer being most important here) who are not straight, in doing so you open up the potential to write harmful things in ways that are triggering for them or-- most frequently-- contributing to that marginalization in some way. this is especially true when by extension you refuse to recognize how you yourself could be homophobic, re: detachment.

so when you-- a straight person writing a homophobic muse-- have someone point out that “hey, this is really harmful to me as a gay person and you’ve written things in ways that contribute negatively”, and you jump to say “oh well, ic =/= ooc, it’s my character not me!” you have immediately dismissed the lived experiences of an actually gay person. it’s a covert form of tone policing. it’s a way of saying “well, you can’t distinguish ic from ooc so your concerns and criticisms aren’t valid.” and that’s the bottom line. 

this is exactly why im so personally hesitant to rp with characters written these ways. there are so many things you can add to a character to make them 'problematic'. i just feel like if your default with problematic muses is something to that ilk regarding racist, transphobic, etc. characters then i-- as someone who is impacted by many of those things personally-- have every right to be cautious & have criticisms of that. 

as i’ve already stated: it's very easy to use a 'problematic' character to excuse one's own problematic practices, beliefs, actions, etc. it's also very easy in an rp setting to sympathize with and excuse the actions of 'problematic' characters in ways that potentially are detrimental. 

i know for me that seeing people sympathize & excuse the actions of their heinously racist characters leaves a bad taste in my mouth. it sends a message to me that if you can forgive and excuse the awful actions of a fictional character, who's to say you won't jump to excuse the actions of a real life, flesh and blood racist whose actions have more clout? especially when people are already and actively doing that in the rpc... and i say this knowing full well ic isn't the same as ooc, but once again --- it's so easy to excuse your own harmful behaviors by hiding behind a 'problematic' muse that for a lot of people-- re: marginalized groups-- it becomes an issue of "is it safe for me to rp with this person?" or "are they willing to take responsibility if they write something inappropriate that hurts me?" or “do they really believe these things that actively harm me in my day to day life offline?” 

it’s really easy for people who aren’t impacted by those issues to detach themselves from their hand in those things when writing problematic muses of that variety. it’s easy to detach and say “i’m not racist, my character is” so when something comes up and you say something actually racist, you feel you’re void of that notion and that responsibility. it also contributes to this culture that the accusation of doing something harmful is worse than the harmful thing itself, when... no. it isn’t. 

also, just to clarify when i say 'hurt' and ‘harmful’ im 1000% not just referring to hurt feelings or discomforts, what i mean is: contributes invariably to concepts that marginalize and perpetuate oppressive ideologies in ways that genuinely [insert ist/phobic] people can easily latch onto to excuse their own thoughts and actions that are [insert ist/phobic here]. 

listen, i get the appeal of screaming "ic doesn't equal ooc!!", it gives you a free pass the levy the responsibility onto someone else (even fictional) and it gives you a free pass to pretend like you can never contribute to those things. i get it. it has appeal. but when marginalized groups especially are telling you you're writing things that hurt us and that is your immediate response it just displays  1) a lack of responsibility and accountability for things that you have written and things that you have done  2) a lack of understanding or care of how these complex issues even in regards to something as simple as rp can cause genuine harm and contribute to the lack of safety of certain peoples. 

it’s really not hard --- just take responsibility for what you've written when it hurts people on the level of ists/phobics & more importantly, respect that a lot of us aren't comfortable writing with your racist/homophobic/transphobic/etc. muses because many of us have seen first hand how people hide behind that in harmful ways. it's not rocket science.

the 'fiction isn't reality' narrative is false and harmful as well as creates this shield from anyone harmed by what you're writing in ways that prevent them from speaking out. it posits that those hurt by what you’ve said/done/written/believe/etc. are unreasonable and delusional somehow which just so happens to be the exact narrative violent racists, homophobes, etc. use to tarnish the seriousness with which marginalized groups are taken. 

more importantly however, i want to see people respect others who are made uncomfortable by these things --- and rightfully so. 

the people writing those topics are the first to jump to lament on about how people should respect their right to use violent racial slurs in their writing and write a violently racist character and to respect their right to do that, but god forbid people have valid criticisms and don’t want to associate with those things! let us be upset about these things, let us express our criticisms and concerns about these things, let us not associate with these things if we want. no matter what anyone says even if they’re actively trying to educate you can stop you from writing your shitty, uninspired racist muse, we can’t stop you. we know we can’t stop you. 

however, shutting down our voices when we speak up about something harmful is not ok. allowing us to have our criticisms without positing us as unreasonable or even delusional would just go a long way as far as progress goes. respect that those subjects might be things people don’t want to fuck with and let them be angry when things hurt them. cry typing a 12 paragraph long post about how ridiculous it is people don’t want to write with your violently racist character because they’re ‘problematic’ is a facet of tone policing and another part of why some of us don’t want to write with your violently racist character; we know how writers will use violently racist characters as an excuse for how they’re not racist even when they’re actively doing/saying racist things.

i’m not white, i’m not straight or cis, i’ve been through a lot of things related to those two aspects of myself. just as well, a lot of writers in this space are not white, cis, or straight... it’s heinously disrespectful and i’d say flat out abusive to assume that non-white, non-cis, non-straight writers are fine with writing against a character that is actively saying racist, transphobic, homophobic things when we are literally dealing with that offline already. 

please --- accept and respect that a lot of us have criticisms, valid criticisms at that, and a lot of us feel unsafe with regards to ‘problematic’ muses in the vein of racism, transphobia, homophobia, etc. and we especially feel unsafe and uncomfortable with the writers who refuse to take responsibility with these things & seek to void themselves of any hand in them. it happens so so much with writers of ‘problematic’ characters that i just can’t imagine our fears and discomforts and worries being in any way unreasonable. 

degrading us for that just completely foregoes any understanding of how racism works and you can claim to be so progressive and #Woke writing a racist character and understanding that he’s racist, but degrading writers of color for not wanting to write with your racist character is... well, what do you know, neither progressive nor respectful and is actually racist. 

my point is, there’s a lot of unpack regarding these types of characters and the people who tend to write them and more often than not it can contribute to a lack of safety for marginalized groups and facilitate harmful ideologies in the rpc.

just food for thought.

[nm4238normanlee-blog]

W6 Readings

Rip, Burn Copy (Berry, 2008) Software was originally related to hardware technology manufacturing in the late 1950s, partially developed by the academic institutions in the US with funding mainly from the US Department of Defense, who were the largest buyer of computer technology in the world at the time due to the technological needs of the military and government. Coders initially identified themselves as craftsman who regarding their role to be very much one of artisanship rather than pure engineering. However, as the industry grew, division of labour and management hierarchies were slowly installed to routinise the processes of software production. With the freedom of software programmers stifled, it resulted in anti-corporate and anti-managerial sentiments that led to the open source movement discourse. This led Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson to develop Unix, a system which devised a clever way of sharing the computer processing time amongst multiple users, setting the foundations of open source coding by indoctrinating early programmers with the principle of sharing resources amongst themselves.

Come 1970s, Richard M. Stallman was triggered when a fellow programmer refused to share the source code to a laser printer ‘driver’ that had fault which could be easily rectified, as he had signed a non-disclosure agreement with the printer manufacturer that prevented him from distributing the source code. To Stallman, it was “anathema” to programming ethics to hide or refuse to share source code, especially one that could potentially help another person fix a problem. Furthermore, his workplace (MIT) began implementing technical and management processes in the name of “improving productivity”, but which hindered the freedom of software programming. This led him to resign and start the free software movement, creating the GNU platform in a collaborative effort with other programmers with the aim to give the operating system away for free to everyone who can use it. In the 1980s, with proprietary companies closing in on the project and attempting to capitalise it, Stallman’s Free Software Foundation (FSF) created the General Public License (GPL), which gives the user the rights to have copies of the source code and the functional binaries, ensuring that all future derivatives of the work are released under the terms of the licence, forming a “copyleft”.

With the introduction of software copyright in 1992, it created a contradiction between the social activities of programmers who shared knowledge and methods amongst each other, and corporations who use the law to exploit copyrighted works for their own gains. While the rise of digital computers digital computers made bypassing copyright laws incredibly easy for competitors, companies countered that by using contracts, particularly non-disclosure agreements, to prevent employees from transferring knowledge skills to other companies. Firms also used end-user licensing agreements (EULA) to prevent unauthorised copying, disassembling or distribution of their copy of the software. Question: In today’s torrenting culture, does it actually help or harm FOSS programmers and users?  

All Bugs Are Shallow: Digital Biopower, Hacker Resistance, and Technological Error in Open Source Software (Kelly, 2012) FOSS operates upon the idea that “every computer user should have open access to source code”, the basic code that powers any computer, and should be able to modify it without having to negotiate software developers' security restrictions. Kelly argues that there is a misconception that FOSS operates on anti­capitalist principles that rebel against the oppressive restrictions of conglomerate corporations, when the genealogy of FOSS is actually symptomatic of late­ capitalism's embedding of life within economic networks. While it has encouraged neoliberalism in a sense that it helped strengthen the connection between individual conceptions of identity and economic practices, it does not reject the late­ capitalist system from which it emerged.

Biological FOSS is biological in a sense that it resonates with the underlying synthesis of lived experiences of individual programmers in context of larger economic networks of production and exchange, and warrants a relationship that has the capacity to begin shaping business relations and software development on an international level

Biopolitics Drawing from Foucault, biopolitics transform the body of a human labourer from something that merely operates machines of production to a means of production itself. In relation to FOSS, programmers identify themselves not merely through their contributions, but by their very existence as programmers, and thus when AT&T pushed towards privatization, programmers felt that it an assault on their very identities. The creation of the GPL was also a means to protect their existence as programmers which created a community that was founded upon "strong elements of shared identity and belief systems”. This synthesis of production, identity, and belief systems in the FOSS movement exhibits what Michel Foucault describes as biopolitics.

Resistance Drawing from Foucault once again, he posits that Foucault argues, “where there is power, there is resistance, and yet, or rather consequently, this resistance is never in a position of exteriority in relation to power”. Meaning, resistance is not an attempt to escape from the influence of power, but is internal to power, because power is productive only when there is resistance to accompany it.

In context of FOSS, hackers are normally the users who are willing to take risks and use experimental code and beta versions released by developers, and through refining bug­-ridden code, hackers stabilize the technological life of a program which can then be redistributed into the FOSS community and back to the original developers. Thus, through this constant feedback loop between hackers and developers, error becomes the central, not peripheral, element in the programming process. Thus the resistance here is not the resistance against error per se, but the resistance to treating error as something that de­limits the potential of a pre­determined, consistent genealogy of a program.

Bio-Technology A characteristic of FOSS is the intermediation between life and technology, which allows one to argue that it is a particular form of bio­ technology. Question: Thinking back to Renyi Hong’s paper where he talks about modders using modding as a means of getting into the industry. Do FOSS programmers have the same aims? Is that an example of Foucault’s “where there is power, there is resistance” claims where resistance works internally to power?

The Telecommunist Manifesto (Kleiner, 2009) Commons Commons are not located in a single space, but rather spans the planet. It offers our society hope for a way out from the class stratification of capitalism by undermining its logic of control and extraction. Most importantly, it should be offered for independent use by whoever who so desires to. An example of commons are peer networks (i.e. the internet), all the material and immaterial inputs that keep them running. Free software, whose production and distribution frequently depends on peer networks, is produced by diverse and distributed producers who contribute to it because they gain greater value in using the software in their own production, than the value of their individual contributions to the software. While commons presents an ideal where the methods of software production are decentralised away from the control of large corporations and their exploitative capitalistic aims, Kleiner posits that so long as commons-based peer production are applied narrowly to only an information commons, owners of material property will continue to capture the marginal wealth from the productivity of the information common as the capitalist mode of production still dominates the production of material wealth. Venture Communism Thus, Kleiner argues that what is needed for peer production is to be able to incorporate material goods into the common stock via a system which allocates material assets among the independent peers, which he refers to as venture communism. The creation of copyleft is an example of this, which is a type of license that allows for the re-use of the software it covers, so long as the derived works are also licensed under compatible terms. By releasing software under such licenses, the work becomes a collective stock that crosses into material form and is free for all free software developers. Venture communes are not intended to replace labor unions and political parties, or other potential vehicles of class conflict, but to compliment them and to tilt the economic balance of power in favour of the interest of the working class. Question: Could this be too idealistic an ideal? Surely someone in the venture commune would rise up and want to take control of the material assets, especially if it grows to a large scale.