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usergreenpixel · 3 years

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Frev writing prompts, Part 5! Seriously, I have no idea how I keep coming up with these. 😅

36. The protagonist was born and raised by a troupe of traveling performers. For as long as they can remember, they have been traveling from place to place, never staying anywhere for a few days at most.

The protagonist’s father is the troupe’s flutist and singer while their mother is a puppeteer so the youth has always had a passion for the performing arts and dreams of traveling all over Europe with their big happy family.

Nicknamed “L’œillet rouge” (The Red Carnation) by the troupe as an homage to their father’s favorite flower, the protagonist enjoys playing the flute and singing with their father, as well as putting on puppet shows with their mother.

With a song in their heart, a smile on their face and their father’s precious flute in their hands, the protagonist travels all over the country with their family, entertaining the people of France but never settling down and they like it that way.

But one day, while the troupe is staying in Paris and putting on a rather satirical puppet show which mocks the current regime, the protagonist’s parents are suddenly arrested by the police. Apparently, the father is a dangerous rebel while the mother is guilty of having sheltered said rebel years ago.

The protagonist is convinced that there must be a mistake and decides to rescue their parents with the help of all the other troupe members, including the protagonist’s older maternal half-brother and their maternal grandparents, all of whom are eager to help.

The time is limited and the rescue will be far from easy, but the protagonist will be damned if they don’t at least try to succeed. So, with that in mind, the young flutist and their family start to concoct the rescue plan...

37. Rumors have it that people who have been murdered tend to become vengeful ghosts and haunt their killers to exact revenge.

This is certainly true for Robespierre and his supporters. Unable to find peace, their souls are brought back to the realm of the living, seeking revenge on the Thermidorians.

This particular circumstance is quite convenient for the protagonist, a spirit medium who summons these ghosts and intends to use them as tools in their plan to torment the Thermidorians and avenge their family that got massacred in Lyon, skillfully using the revolutionaries’ restlessness and anger to achieve their goal.

However, soon certain events make the protagonist question the morality of using these spirits. Perhaps the protagonist is no better than their enemies if they are not above manipulating others. Perhaps there’s another way… Nonsense! It’s not manipulation if the other people also want revenge and are dead anyway...right?

38. The heroine of the story, like many other girls of the noble class, grew up and got her education in a convent in her hometown of Caen, France.

As a result of this upbringing, the young woman is rather used to a sheltered life, her idealism is through the roof and she is rather nostalgic about her life in the convent and her friendship with another noble girl, Charlotte Corday, who is the heroine’s closest friend and confidant.

At first the noblewoman wants to stay out of the events of the revolution, dreaming of taking her vows as a nun and living a quiet life in the convent, but those plans are abruptly thwarted by Corday, whose influence slowly gets the naïve heroine deeper and deeper into the mess that is the French Revolution.

Being idealistic, easily trusting, quiet, pacifistic and devoutly Catholic, the heroine initially follows her best friend’s lead and trusts her judgement since Corday is the closest thing to a big sister that the young woman has.

However, when Corday tries to convince her to kill Jean-Paul Marat and end the revolution, the heroine starts having mixed feelings about her friend’s decisions, despite being angry with Marat for her own personal reasons. After all, her faith teaches to forgive, not to judge and take revenge, so now the heroine must make a choice.

Will she betray her best friend and ruin the plan or will she cast aside her morals to help Corday and, presumably, the rest of the country? Is Marat really the bloodthirsty monster that Corday says he is? Is there another way to deal with the situation at hand without any casualties? And what consequences will the main character face for the choice she makes?

39. The main character is an illegitimate son of a Russian noble and a serf (yes, serfs were still a thing in Russia) who got taken in by his father as a “ward” and sent to France to get a good education, as everything French was very fashionable in the Russian Empire at the time.

There, in Paris of 1789, the young man absorbs all the knowledge he can, learning languages, reading the prominent books written in the Enlightenment era and even befriends a man by the name of Maximilien de Robespierre, a lawyer from Arras and the representative of Artois.

Considering that Robespierre was almost born illegitimate, he is the first person in a long time who doesn’t judge the protagonist for the circumstances of his birth and accepts him for him. Excited to be accepted at long last, the young man begins to look up to Robespierre as a mentor and an older brother of sorts, quickly absorbing his ideas and supporting him.

So, naturally, when the revolution begins and the young man finds himself trapped in Paris, he joins the revolutionaries to fight alongside his mentor.

Thus begin his adventures.

40. The protagonist is a child of criminals forced to survive on the streets after losing their parents until they’re eventually taken in by a seemingly sympathetic Jacobin, given a new name, a home and a fresh start in life. The protagonist essentially becomes the revolutionary’s ward and their guardian even takes them to the Convention so the youth can observe the meetings.

All seems good for the protagonist...almost too good to be true. But eventually certain events force the protagonist to wonder if their new guardian truly cares about them.

Could it be that their Jacobin guardian has some sinister motives? And will the protagonist be able to move away from their “bad” heritage and live an honest life at last?

41. Barras is in love. Again.

Head over heels over a pretty servant he recently hired and she even seems to like her employer back. Even her suspiciously strong resemblance to a certain Jacobin who got executed in 1794 isn’t a dealbreaker for Barras and the smitten man writes said resemblance off as a coincidence.

The other Thermidorians, especially Fouché, are not that blind and they fear that a relative of that particular executed man is here to seek revenge. Fouché decides to investigate this seemingly ordinary and harmless young servant, suspecting that she has quite a few skeletons in her closet.

Are these suspicions going to be confirmed or is Fouché simply being paranoid?

42. Thermidor has just taken place. The Jacobins are imprisoned and it seems like the traitors are going to win. All hope is lost for the Jacobins and their enemies rejoice.

But little do the Thermidorians know that by betraying and imprisoning all the men who stand in their way, they have just acquired new enemies - women.

Revolutionary women.

Wives, daughters, sisters, nieces, goddaughters, lovers, wards, friends and sympathizers of the captured Jacobins who are not going to sit back and give up.

Seeing how bleak things are, these women, led by a mysterious woman who conceals her face behind a mask and calls herself “Citoyenne Liberté” (Citizen Liberty), decide to rescue their imprisoned loved ones from the clutches of the Thermidorians.

They’re running out of time, they’re outnumbered and not equipped with proper weapons, but that is hardly a problem they can’t solve and they’re willing to fight against the odds regardless of the obstacles.

After all, Heaven hath no fury like a woman scorned, which is what the Thermidorians are about to learn the hard way.

43. A singer and actress who used to perform in Venice flees to France after a scandal demolishes her reputation. Having only her voice and her acting to make ends meet, for a while she tries to find work in Paris but barely makes enough money for her and her son to survive.

Her only friend and confidant in this bleak situation is a future revolutionary who happens to admire the heroine’s singing and strongly believes that she deserves better. He even bonds with the actress’s toddler son and is willing to step up and become a proper father figure for the child.

Thanks to said revolutionary, the heroine’s life begins to change for the better and she decides to settle down in Paris. Even when she learns about the approaching revolution, she chooses to stay in the only place where she feels like she can belong.

What’s more, the actress finally finds her new purpose in life. She too can fight for the cause of her new partner and his friends, in her own way.

How is a woman whose main talents are acting and singing supposed to be able fight, you may ask? Why, by becoming a spy for the Jacobins and the singing voice of the revolution of course!

And she might just be able to prove that anyone can be a revolutionary and one doesn’t need to be a fighter nor an orator to help a noble cause.

44. A female servant working for Georges Danton has to practically flee the house of her employer after the latter crosses all the possible boundaries while drunk.

Fearing for her safety and profoundly traumatized by the event, the servant is found and taken in by a seemingly sympathetic man who sees Danton as a sworn enemy for his own reasons. Considering that both have a grudge against Danton and the man is a journalist, he and the servant team up to bring Danton down.

Will they succeed? Why does the journalist hate Danton? And is his desire to aid the heroine genuine?

45. Paris, France. The revolution is in full swing.

The Committee of Public Safety has to deal with multiple issues, the ongoing war is depleting France’s resources and the situation seems dire.

What’s more, a new newspaper, “La Voix de la Justice” (The Voice of Justice), began to circulate in the city. While this particular fact isn’t that surprising by itself, the thing that sets this newspaper apart from the rest is the fact that its author is anonymous.

Nobody knows who writes this newspaper but the articles are quite good and this mysterious person has already exposed several people who were using the Reign of Terror as an excuse for their atrocities.

Naturally, all these details catch the attention of Jean-Paul Marat and Camille Desmoulins, two of the most prominent journalists of that time. Intrigued by this new newspaper and its author, the two revolutionaries team up to track that person down, if only to find out who they are and thank them for helping their cause.

46. The protagonist grew up believing that Robespierre is single handedly responsible for the execution of their beloved aunt and uncle and, as a result, believes that the man deserved to be executed for that betrayal.

However, the protagonist is soon forced to question their judgment when their older cousin, Horace Desmoulins, reaches out to them in a letter, inviting them to Paris and claiming that he found evidence proving that in actuality Robespierre attempted to save Camille and Lucile Desmoulins, Horace’s parents.

Although the protagonist is skeptical at first, since Horace has always defended his godfather, they are still intrigued by their cousin’s invitation and leaves Guise to join Horace in his investigation.

Together, the two cousins are both determined to clear the names of Horace’s parents and figure out what role Robespierre actually played in the family tragedy.

47. The five protagonists are all members of a heavy metal band whose name and songs are an homage to the French Revolution.

Previously little more than a quintet of college misfits determined to rehabilitate this particular event and tell the real story through music, the band finally starts gaining popularity after a successful concert at a music festival in Marseille.

And then things take a turn for the unexpected when the band gets into an accident on their way home, only to wake up in Revolutionary France. Naturally, they now must survive and return home but this adventure might just become the inspiration they needed so much...

48. After the protagonist’s father leaves them and their blind mother behind to move to Paris, the protagonist is naturally upset. Year after year, they wait for their father to return but he never does.

In 1789, after losing their mother to an illness, the protagonist decides that enough is enough and travels to Paris to confront their father. To their disgust, they soon find out that their father is now remarried, with a new family and quite rich while the protagonist is basically a pauper. Moreover, the father seems to have joined the revolutionaries, which is something that the protagonist cannot approve of either.

Now the protagonist wants to make sure that their father faces the music for his betrayal so they contact a journalist who is about to expose said father in an article.

A story of one of his enemies leaving behind his first family will be a nice addition to the already existing accusations of corruption, but the protagonist and the journalist soon realize that they are not immune to the consequences of their actions either and this article might cause more damage than they think it will.

49. (A reimagining of Aladdin) After their flute is broken beyond repair, the protagonist goes to a pawn shop to find a replacement for their practice.

It is there that an old ivory flute catches their attention so the protagonist purchases it, has it professionally restored and decides to keep it, ignoring the warning of the shopkeeper that it’s cursed and the suspiciously low price.

The protagonist is a skeptic and never believed in magic, curses and other occult things.

That is until they play the flute for the first time and a man poofs into existence like a genie from a lamp. Introducing himself as Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, he informs the protagonist that he used to be the owner of the flute but is now trapped in it because of black magic.

Despite their skepticism, the protagonist cannot logically explain anything that’s going on but wants to help so they strike a deal with Saint-Just - he is going to help the protagonist win over their love interest in exchange for freedom.

As for how the spell is supposed to be broken, the protagonist is completely clueless but their mysterious neighbor with a knack for alchemy and the occult might be able to help…

50. Lyon, France.

The future Thermidorians mercilessly massacre innocent people and rule with an iron fist. Just today they massacred several prominent noble families of the city for defying them.

However, what the tyrants do not know is that they didn’t massacre everyone, for the daughters of the executed nobles are currently living at a convent to get education, as was common back then.

Upon receiving the tragic news and fearing that these young girls are going to end up on the death list, two nuns, the heroines of the story, come up with a plan to escort the girls out of the city and get them to a different location where they would be safe.

The plan is daring but the risk is too high to sit there and do nothing. Will the nuns be able to keep their students safe?

Let me know in the comments or DMs if any of my prompts interest you! I can help you with certain prompts if you want! 😊

#louis antoine de saint just #french revolution #writing #writing prompts #frev #paul barras #I still refuse to make a fouche tag #charlotte corday #jean paul marat #camille desmoulins #lucile desmoulins

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uncloseted · 3 years

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there's a part of me that still thinksa bortion is murder. i act like i support it to fit in but deep down i dont. please just listen. i think forcing someone to go through a pregnagncy they don't want is inhuman but it also feels inhuman to kill a baby and i dont like thsi idea that if youre 4 weeks pregnant and you want it its a baby but if youre 4 week pregnant and dont want it then its just a clump of cells thats just not how scence works. so theres this woman who was forced to get an .

Anonymous asked:

abortion and she was 6 months pregnant and apparently th baby waws born alive but it died shortly after from ashpyxia and i just dont know what to think. i know forcing smeone to get an abortion is just as bad as forcing them to give birth and that theres no such thing as a six month abortion and at least wher e i live abortions are only available until week 14 but like wwhat if someone is 15 or 16 weeks or 7 months, do they not have a choice anymore? please dont think im a bigot im not im so

Anonymous asked:

sorry i just dont want to be brainwashed by ANYONE, pro life or pro choice and im just so easily influenceable i just want to support whats right you know

No worries at all! I don't think you're a bigot and I'm glad that you want to engage with this issue critically. I'm happy to give you the facts as they stand and offer you my perspective on the issue. Apologies in advance that this is a bit long, but please try to stick with me until the end! All of this is important in understanding the different sides of this discussion.

There are a few main categories I want to talk about in this answer: legal, science, politics, and culture. For now, I'm going to avoid delving into any religious or metaphysical questions about what is and isn't considered "a person", since while those conversations are interesting, I don't think they're particularly useful in the context of discussions about abortion. As Harry Blackmun wrote in the court opinion for Roe v. Wade, "we need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, at this point in the development of man's knowledge, is not in a position to speculate."

Legality

Starting with legal issues, there are a few points I think it's important to make in order to get a sense of how we relate to abortion. Abortions are legal in 98% of countries. 34% of countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand most European countries, and China, allow abortions on the basis of a the pregnant person's request, without needing to prove that there is risk to life, risk to health, risk to the fetus, economic or social reasons that abortion is a necessity, or extenuating circumstances (such as the pregnancy being a product of rape or incest). The vast majority (93%) of countries with highly restrictive abortion laws, such as outlawing abortion except in cases where the pregnant person is endangered, are in developing regions. There are five countries that completely outlaw abortion. These are: Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Malta, Nicaragua, and the Vatican City, all countries where the Catholic church has significant influence.

Of the countries that do allow abortion, there is always a limit on how far into a pregnancy a person can be when they choose to terminate. Beyond that limit, the person doesn't have a choice anymore, and must carry the pregnancy to term (except in extenuating circumstances). The most common limit is 12 weeks (3 months), although some countries allow abortion up to the point of "viability", where the fetus can live outside the mother's womb with artificial aid. Typically, the point of viability is around 24 weeks (6 months). In the US, 87% of abortions are performed before 12 weeks, and 92.2% were performed at 13 weeks or fewer. For reference, pregnancies are typically around 40 weeks long.

Forced abortion is illegal in almost every country, including the US and the UK, and it is considered an act of violence against women. It is just as bad as forcing someone to give birth, which is why all countries do their best to prevent it from happening. While forced abortions can and do happen, particularly to victims of sex trafficking, I think the solution to this issue is to put policies into place that protect vulnerable women, instead of trying to ban abortion entirely.

Science

So, most countries allow abortions up to 12 weeks. What does that actually look like in terms of the fetus? Here's a timeline of fetal stages of growth:

Weeks 1-4: at this stage, the "baby" is actually an embryo. It starts out as just a fertilized egg. The amniotic sac forms around it, and the placenta develops. The eyes, mouth, lower jaw, and throat are in very early development. Blood cells are taking shape. By the end of week 4, the embryo is smaller than a grain of rice. It is very literally "just a clump of cells" at this point.

Weeks 5-9: the "baby" is still an embryo. Its facial features begin to develop, folds of skin that will eventually become ears grow, tiny buds that will eventually grow into arms and legs form, the neural tube, digestive tract, and sensory organs all begin to develop. Bone starts to replace cartilage. At about 6 weeks, a heart beat can be detected. After week 8, the baby is considered a fetus instead of an embryo, at which point the fetus is about one inch long.

Weeks 9-12: the fetus' arms, hands, fingers, feet, and toes are fully formed. It may be able to open and close its fists and mouth. Ears are formed, and its reproductive organs begin to develop. By the end of week 12, the fetus has all of their organs and limbs, and their circulatory and urinary systems are working, but everything needs to continue to develop in order to become functional. At the end of week 12, the fetus is about 4 inches long.

It is important to know that the miscarriage rate is highest in the first trimester (before week 12). Among women who know they're pregnant (typically further along than 6 or 7 weeks), 10-20% will miscarry. 30%-50% of all fertilized eggs miscarry.

Other important developmental markers include:

During month 4 (weeks 16-20), you can see the sex of the fetus.

During month 5 (weeks 20-24), the fetus starts moving around.

Between week 22 and week 24, brain waves appear in the cerebral cortex.

At week 24, the fetus may be able to survive if it is born prematurely, provided it has intensive care.

Somewhere between week 26 and week 30, the fetus may be able to feel pain, although we don't know that for sure.

A fetus is not capable of thinking, communicating, reasoning, self-motivation, feeling emotions, or consciousness. They don't have a concept of the self, and they don't know that they exist. They are essentially sedated for the entirety of the pregnancy. Since we use "brain death" as the primary criteria for death, it makes sense to me that we might consider "brain life" (the point where a fetus exhibits brain activity) as the point at which a fetus becomes a person.

While some people will refer to an embryo as a "baby" from the time they discover they're pregnant, scientifically, it is a clump of cells, whether that clump is allowed to continue to grow or not. It's not something we would recognize as a baby, or be able to interact with as if it were a baby. An embryo is a precursor to a baby, kind of like how a seed is a precursor to a plant.

Some other arguments

I want to quickly touch on some other arguments for abortion rights that people make. I'm not going to delve deeply into them, but it didn't feel right to leave them out entirely. These are arguments that don't depend on whether or not a fetus can be considered a person.

Bodily Rights

There are many situations in which we prioritize individual bodily rights over the right of someone else to live. For example, we don't force people to donate organs to people who are dying, even though a donated organ would save their life. Advocates for abortion rights argue that those same bodily rights should be extended to a pregnant person.

Deprivation

This argument usually looks something like, "but what if that fetus was going to cure cancer when it grew up!" Basically, it's saying that abortion is morally wrong because it deprives the fetus (and the world) of a valuable future. To me, this completely ignores the deprivation that already exists by forcing a person to carry and birth a baby they don't want, and potentially the deprivation that comes with raising that child. People who make this argument never seem to ask, "what if the pregnant person was going to cure cancer?"

Slippery Slope

Some people argue that normalizing and legalizing abortion may lead to people also accepting euthanasia. I am unconvinced by this for two reasons. 1. Slippery slope is a logical fallacy and 2. I absolutely do think we should legalize euthanasia for certain situations.

Religion

I don't want to dig too far into this one, but what I will say is that the US is a country that (at least nominally) has a separation of church and state, and the religious beliefs that other people hold should not infringe on a person's rights to make choices about their own life.

History and Politics

The practice of abortion itself is incredibly old. The Sanskrit epic Ramayana, which dates to the 7th century BCE, describes abortion being practiced by surgeons and barbers. In the Assyrian Code of Assura, circa 1075 BCE, a woman is allowed to procure an abortion except when it's against her husband's wishes. The first recorded evidence of induced abortion is from the Egyptian Ebers Papyrus in 1550 BCE. Japanese documents show records of induced abortion from as early as the 12th century, and it became more prevalent during the Edo period. It is considered to be unlikely that abortion was punished in Ancient Greece or ancient Rome. All major Jewish religious movements allow abortion in order to save the life or health of a pregnant woman, and often support abortion for other reasons as well. Christianity has a more complicated relationship to abortion, for reasons that I'll go into in a bit, but for now let's just note that there very much were ancient Christians who believed abortion was morally permissible at least some of the time. Before the 19th century CE, first-trimester abortion was widely practiced and was legal under common law throughout the English speaking world, including the US and UK.

The reason I bring all of this up is because the political debate over abortion isn't really that old, and the debate tends not to actually be about the morality of abortion as an act so much as it is a proxy for other issues. The first backlash against abortion in the English Speaking world was in the 19th century, and was a direct reaction to the women's rights movement, which was starting during that time. In the US, anti-abortion laws began to appear as early as the 1820s, but picked up in earnest by the late 1860s. These laws were introduced for many reasons, including the fact that abortions were being provided by untrained people who were not members of medical societies and concerns about the safety of abortifacients. By 1900, abortion was a felony in every US state, but they continued to become increasingly available. By the 1930s, licensed physicians performed an estimated 800,000 abortions a year.

Jumping forward a little bit, let's talk about the history of abortion in the US just before Roe v. Wade. It's estimated that in the 50s and 60s, between 200,000 to 1.2 million abortions were being performed per year, even though they were illegal. Throughout that same time, the second wave feminist movement was growing, and was increasingly advocating for birth control and liberalized abortion laws. As a reaction to second wave feminism, a number of anti-abortion organizations, primarily led by Catholic institutions, cropped up to mobilize against the legalization of abortion. It should be noted that, at the time, abortion was not an issue for evangelical Christian groups. In the 1960s, 17 states legalized abortion for a variety of different circumstances. Then in 1973, Roe v. Wade happens, ruling that a pregnant woman has the right to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. The ruling was 7-2 in favor of legalizing abortion. Even after Roe v. Wade, Christian Evangelicals were neutral to positive on the ruling. It's only after 1980 that Evangelical Christians started to organize around abortion as a political issue and joined the Catholics to form what we now think of as the Christian Right. There's a lot to say about that and why that switch happened, but for the sake of brevity, just know that the evangelical backlash against legalized abortion in the US started not as a moral crusade, but as a way of convincing people to vote for Ronald Regan instead of Jimmy Carter (who wanted to de-segregate schools). No political debate happens in a vacuum, and it's important to understand what other factors might have been at play when looking at where these debates come from and how the sides formed.

Culture

Lastly, let's talk a little bit about the cultural impacts of banning or legalizing abortion. The right to have or not have a child is necessary in order for women to achieve equality with men. Countries with high gender equality, such as Iceland, Finland, Norway, New Zealand, and Sweden, also have easily accessible abortion options. Criminalization of abortion disproportionately impacts poor women and women of color, and does nothing to address the systemic issues that may cause them to require abortions in the first place.

Researchers from the WHO and University of Massachusetts found that banning abortion is an inefficient way to reduce abortion rates; in countries where abortions were restricted, the number of unintended pregnancies actually increased, and the proportion of unintended pregnancies ending in abortion also increased. When abortion is banned, women aren't not having abortions; they're having illegal abortions that are done unsafely.

There is also some evidence to suggest that legalized abortion actually decreases crime rates. 20 years after the legalization of abortion in the US, there was an unprecedented nationwide decline of the crime rate (including murders, incidentally). The drop in crime is thought by some to be a result of the fact that individuals who had a higher statistical probability of committing crimes (people who grew up as unwanted children in poverty) were not being born.

Which brings me to my next point- the majority of people who are "pro-life" (at least in the US) aren't really pro-life. They're pro-birth. If they were truly pro-life, they would be interested in making sure that all of those babies had their needs met after they're born. They would be interested in making sure those babies can lead long, healthy, safe, and productive lives. They would be for universal healthcare, expanded social safety nets, parental leave from jobs, universal basic income, raising the minimum wage, mandated vacation time, increasing funding for public schools, decriminalizing drugs, abolishing prisons or at least reforming the police. They would be against the death penalty (ironically, some of them are actually for the death penalty for women who have had abortions), and for increased access to birth control, comprehensive sex-ed in schools, increased gun legislation, against war and nuclear weapons, for enforced mask wearing to prevent people from needlessly dying from a global pandemic... but those issues don't factor into their "pro-life" stance. They're for "the baby gets born and then has to pull itself up by its bootstraps like the rest of us."

Closing Thoughts

Look. I'm not super jazzed about abortions. I understand how they can feel like an ethical issue. I think we should do what we can to reduce the number of abortions that are performed- teaching comprehensive sex-ed in schools, making birth control and emergency contraceptive options widely accessible, letting men know that reversible vasectomies are an option. I think we should make abortion easier to access, so those who do need it can make the decision early in the pregnancy. But I also think that it's a very personal decision, one that's irreversibly life altering, and the person who's going to experience the life altering event should be the one who decides what happens. 65 year old conservative, Christian white men who will never be pregnant (and frequently don't really know how the female body works) shouldn't get to make that decision for them. As someone for whom pregnancy would be life threatening, I want to know that I have options should that situation present itself someday.

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canarygirl1017 · 4 years

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Ghosted Chapter 2

Pairing: Reader / Jungkook, Reader / Taehyung (past relationship, friends to lovers to friends)

Genre: College!au, fluff, angst, supernatural drama, smut, friends to lovers, emotional trauma, hurt/comfort

Length: 9, 806k words

Warnings: language, episodes of anxiety, panic attacks, sexual themes in later chapters.

Summary: Living in a world full of things only you have the ability to see, growing up with Jungkook has been your island amidst the chaos. But when your best friend makes an impossible request, your friendship is fractured, and your sudden decision to cut ties and move abroad changes everything. Three years later, Jungkook is thriving at university as he begins his junior year. He’s a star athlete, member of a popular fraternity, and every girl’s ideal boyfriend. He tells himself that he’s long forgotten you and the friendship he never had a chance to mend – that is, until you show up on campus as a transfer student with new friends in tow. It’s been three years, and everything has changed, but the biggest change is you. Your new found determination to use your abilities to help the ghosts you used to live in fear of, no matter how dangerous it might be, makes Jungkook fear he’ll lose you before he has a chance to fix what he broke. College AU.

Disclaimer: Just for funsies, I don’t believe in real-life shipping. But I like to write, and I like fandom, so here we are. Please do not duplicate this work or repost anywhere else without permission.

Read Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Gettis University, and the surrounding town, were as full of creepy feelings and shadows as you’d expected. The strong presence of the otherworld could be felt as soon as you got within a couple of miles of the city limits, and the hot spots you’d passed as you drove through town would likely test your abilities in ways they’d not been tested before.

You paused in the great room of the old house where you’d be living for the next two years. It was a Victorian style home and though light, bright and newly renovated, you’d already felt the presence of something that you’d need to run out before you all slept that night.

You turned when you heard Yeontan’s little nails tapping on the floor behind you. You scooped him up and buried your face in his soft, black and tan fur. “Hi baby. Did you have a good walk?”

“He did,” Taehyung said as he walked in. “It’s good that we have an enclosed garden out back, but he loves the park down the street, too.”

“This house is way too big for two people, Tae,” you said, your tone admonishing. “What are we even going to do with all this space?”

“Well, we need space to set up an office for Namjoon and Chloe, plus the paranormal group they’ve been in contact with here will probably be over. We need extra bedrooms for when my parents visit because now that we’re back in the country, they probably will. And it was the only house near campus that also has a guest house for Joon and Chloe to have their own space.”

“Well, I’ll leave it to you to figure out what you want to do with all these rooms,” you said, knowing he probably did have some kind of plan for them. He’d need an office for himself since he often worked late on photography and art projects, and he liked having a home gym. “I’m glad your mom arranged to have it furnished before we got here. We just need to move in our personal things.”

“Yeah, Joon is sorting boxes outside.” Taehyung closed his eyes and rolled his shoulders. “I’m kind of sensing something here. Dark spirit?”

“A weaker one, but yes,” you answered. “We’ll deal with it after we get Joon and Chloe set up, and then we’ll hang talismans.”

While Taehyung couldn’t see the things you saw, with the rare exception that a spirit was strong enough to break through the barrier of the otherworld, he was sensitive to their energy. It was something that had wreaked havoc in his life before he met you because he didn’t understand why he had such dark and negative feelings all the time. When he’d started getting into trouble and drinking too much, his parents had sent him to England to attend boarding school with his cousin.

You’d known as soon as you saw him that he could feel the spirits that hung around him even if he didn’t know what they were. And so, one day after classes, you gave him one of your talismans and told him that he’d sleep better if he put it next to his pillow. You could tell by his raised brows that he thought you were kind of crazy, but he’d fallen asleep looking at it that night and finally slept better than he had in years.

At first, it had been weird to talk to someone other than Jungkook and Mrs. Kim about your abilities. You kept expecting him to think you were nuts and exit stage left because even your own mother had never believed you. But Taehyung never thought you were crazy. Even when you started exploring your abilities, looking into the resources you’d gotten from Mrs. Kim, and making contact with others whose work lay in the paranormal realm, he’d never acted like you were a burden, and he’d never abandoned you. His support had given you the strength to keep going on an increasingly scary and dangerous path.

While your academic focus was English literature and linguistics, Taehyung was most interested in art, photography and art history. Taehyung’s parents had expected him to return to California and perhaps study art at Berkeley or apply to NYU’s fine arts program. Instead, he’d followed you to Oxford when you were both accepted.

You had the support of a team now as well. During your Oxford years, you’d met Namjoon, a grad student who had been doing research on paranormal abilities as an unsanctioned side project while also studying experimental psychology. His girlfriend, Chloe, had a background in engineering and computer science and a similar interest in recording paranormal activity.

With their help and that of Mrs. Kim, with whom you’d remained in touch, you’d gradually built a network of contacts – people who were able to see the otherworld as you did, sensitives like Taehyung, and those who sought to understand the paranormal world. One of Mrs. Kim’s contacts, an elderly Chinese man named Mr. Lu, also had the ability to use Taoist amulets to banish spirits.

And not just spirits – you’d been stunned to learn that demons also inhabited the otherworld. You finally had an explanation as to how the ghostly man in the library had hurt you that night. While the strongest of the ghosts in the otherworld could also harm you if they gathered enough energy, burning someone with a touch was the specialty of low-level demons.

You had worked hard for the past couple of years to hone your abilities. It was a surprise to find that many of the spirits who inhabited the otherworld were harmless. They neither sought out human contact nor attempted to cause harm; they merely drifted in the remnants of a world that felt familiar to them, or they sought comfort by occasionally observing loved ones who remained among the living.

Some were nuisance ghosts who enjoyed playing pranks, but they were quite easily dealt with and did little to cause lasting damage. A small percentage fell into the realm of dark spirits – vengeance ghosts who were still angry at their manner of passing were some of the strongest ghosts and could pose real danger to people. Similarly, places that had seen evil acts committed, or mass deaths, were often portals of darkness which attracted demons and dark spirits alike.

Aided by Mr. Lu, you discovered that you had untapped potential to help spirits cross over to the light, as well as the power to harness dark spirits and banish them from the otherworld. Demons were trickier, but you were getting better at dealing with them. It had taken you time to recognize the power you held, but as you got older and it grew stronger, and as you became less afraid, you could feel it inside yourself – a little ball of light that you could coax forward and wield at will.

Learning to wield that power had not come easily. The burn mark on your arm wasn’t the only scar you carried on your body now either; you glanced down and traced the long, jagged mark that ran the length of your left arm from your inner elbow to your wrist. Strong fingers suddenly clasped yours and you looked up to see Taehyung looking at you with worried eyes.

“You can still change your mind about this,” Taehyung said softly. “We both know that being here is dangerous for you. If your friend still cares about you, he wouldn’t want you doing this for him.”

“I’m not just doing this for him, Tae,” you said truthfully. “I’m doing this for me. Because I have regrets about how and why I left, and I can’t keep running away from my past. There’s Jungkook, yes, but also Jin, and Jimin, and Emmie and Robbie. My mom. I ran away from everyone, thinking I was better off alone, and they were better off without me. Now I have to consider how I can merge my old life with my new one, at least enough to repair those relationships.”

“And if you can’t?”

“Then at least I’ll know I tried,” you said with a smile. “I know I can’t go back to how things were, but maybe there’s a way forward.”

Taehyung suddenly pulled you close, wrapping his arms around both you and Yeontan. “You know I’ll help you any way I can.”

Leaning your head against his chest, you nodded. “I know. I just hope your parents don’t hate me for dragging you to yet another university where you never intended to enroll.” It was one of the best universities in the country, and it did have an excellent fine arts program, but it wasn’t even on Taehyung’s radar before you applied for transfer.

“Hey, my parents love you. They credit you for getting me on the straight and narrow path, and even though I told them we’re not dating anymore, I’m certain my mom is still planning our wedding.”

Taehyung’s parents were Hollywood A-listers. His mom had a long film career that had eventually transitioned to television, and she was the popular star of a long running cable drama. His father was an English filmmaker who’d won two Oscars and now spent most of his time on documentaries. Taehyung had no interest in acting or film, but with his fine boned features, dark wavy hair and almond shaped, deep brown eyes, he did a handful of modeling assignments every year that fueled his interest in photography and fashion.

You pulled back and kissed his cheek before lifting Yeontan to give him a lick, making him laugh. “Come on, we should go help Joon and Chloe sort boxes and get things set up. Then I need to have a chat with this little spirit lurking about the place.”

___________________

You woke the next morning feeling refreshed after a deep, dreamless sleep. You and Tae had helped Joon and Chloe set up their equipment in the room designated for their office. Then you’d made up the beds and begun the arduous task of unpacking and organizing personal items. By the time the sun set, you’d been ready to tackle the dark spirit haunting the house.

Like most weak spirits, its energy grew as night fell, and you’d caught it at just the right time before it gathered enough energy to put up a real fight. Still, using your Taoist amulet drained your energy too, and you were exhausted by the time your dinner order arrived. The last task had been to hang talismans at centrally located windows and main entrances, both in the main house and in the guest house, concealing some among the curtains and hiding others behind the artwork that Taehyung’s mother had selected for the house.

Though you still thought the house was too large for you and Taehyung, you couldn’t deny you were happy to have a tranquil bedroom overlooking the garden, and you owed Tae’s mom a phone call to thank her for having it decorated in your favorite colors. The walls were the palest of lavender with cream trim, and the cream, padded headboard of the queen-sized bed dominated the far wall. The light purple of the silk duvet was accented with splashes of cream and sage, and the bed held an array of pillows in similar colors.

Dramatic, arching windows were draped in swathes of delicate cream fabric tied back to let in the light. Comfortable sage armchairs created a cozy reading nook in the corner, and a large area rug in an irregular but complementing color pattern covered the hardwood floor. She’d thoughtfully selected artwork for the walls – an abstract floral design here, a water landscape there. Considering the negative energy that you felt so strongly in town, you knew this space would go a long way towards helping you feel calm, focused and centered.

You’d been too tired the night before to take note of the spa-like retreat that was the adjoining bathroom. Its marble floors and tiles had been warmed up with sage accent colors and a teak wood double vanity, while a claw foot tub sat in front of the large window that faced the far mountains. You eyed the tub longingly before opting for a quick shower, enjoying the rainfall effect.

After drying your hair and applying light makeup, you put on a lemon-yellow sundress, a gossamer thin white cardigan, and clasped your gold locket around your neck. Then you selected the gold watch and earrings Tae had given you for your birthday the week before.

You had one suitcase left to unpack and set it on the bed to sort through its contents – mostly fall and winter clothes that it was still too hot to wear. You paused when you got to the bottom and saw the black hoodie. You’d found two of Jungkook’s hoodies in your room before you left for England. You left one of them in the box that you’d told Emmie to take to him when he returned from camp. The other, you’d thrown into your suitcase a few minutes before you left.

You remembered the night he gave it to you. A few weeks before Christmas during your sophomore year, Jimin’s parents had gone away for the weekend and as he always did when they were away, he threw a party. You were sixteen, and Jungkook had decided it was time to try beer.

Hauling his drunk ass home later that night was quite the experience.

You snorted with laughter as Jungkook stopped beneath a streetlight and did part of a girl group dance that Jimin had dared him to do earlier. But he’d forgotten part of it and had been stopping every few minutes on the way home, trying to remember.

“Damn it,” he said, frustrated as he shook his hips, arms up, and then paused. “Are you sure you don’t remember it?”

“Even if I did, I wouldn’t do it in front of Jimin’s drunk friends or here on the street,” you replied. You tugged his arm. “Come on, if we miss curfew your mom is going to kill us.”

“Nah, as long as we’re together, she doesn’t really worry. She knows we’ll take care of each other.”

“It seems like I’m the one doing the work tonight,” you said with a grunt as he leaned into you. “Geez, you are heavy.” Once he hit his growth spurt, making him nearly a head taller than you, he’d also started putting on muscle.

“But you love meeee,” he sang, spinning you in a circle.

You couldn’t help laughing even as you stumbled sideways again. “I think we need to sit and let you sober up a little. We still have about thirty minutes.” Since you were staying at Jungkook’s tonight, and you were only going to Jimin’s house, his mom had extended the curfew until midnight.

You’d reached the halfway point, a large park that connected your neighborhood to Jimin’s, so it wouldn’t take more than ten minutes to get home. The park was well lit and safe as well, rarely home to any spirits. You guided Jungkook over to the swings and helped him sit before sitting in the one next to him.

“Remember when I fell out of this swing?” Jungkook asked as he started swinging.

“Of course. You just had to get as high as possible and then jump.” He still had the mark on his cheek where he’d hit the ground. “Even when we were kids, you were never afraid of anything.”

“I am scared, sometimes,” he said after a moment.

“Really? Of what?”

“Of things that can hurt you. It’s the only thing I’m really scared of.”

You looked over at him to see him staring up at the sky, a lot more sober than he’d been a few minutes ago. “You never told me you were scared before.”

He scuffed his boots against the ground and then pushed off again. “I have this dream sometimes, or a nightmare, I guess. You’re in the water and something comes for you, and I can’t get to you in time.”

You had that nightmare too, which is why you never went near the water after your encounter with the water ghost. “I’m sorry.” It was the first time you’d realized that he was carrying the weight of your personal horrors, and you felt the guilt creeping in.

“It’s not your fault. I just wish I could take it away, you know? Like, I wish I could be the one to see them and you could be safe.”

“I wouldn’t wish that on you, though.” You twisted your swing sideways, back and forth, and then leaned back to look at the sky. The moon was almost full and very bright, and it reminded you of the moon in the storybook you’d read to Emmie earlier that evening.

“I love you to the moon and back,” you murmured, leaning back further.

“I knew you loved me,” Jungkook said, laughing.

“Funny. The moon made me think of that book I read to Emmie earlier.”

“Well, I love you. To the moon and back, and to Saturn and Jupiter, and back to the moon…”

You rolled your eyes. “Okay, okay. I love you too, to the moon and back.” You shivered as you stood up, holding out your hand. “We should get going.”

Jungkook stood and unzipped his black hoodie. “Here, put this on. I’m getting kind of hot anyway.”

You pulled it on and zipped it up. He laughed at you when you had to roll up the sleeves, his nose crinkling in amusement.

As you started walking again, Jungkook said, “I love you to…. infinity and beyond!”

“Shhh, God you’re loud. Please please be quiet when we get to your house.”

You ran your fingers over the soft material as you thought about that night. You’d worn the hoodie home the next morning and you’d just never given it back. It had become a type of security blanket over the years.

You carefully tucked it in a drawer, slipped on your sandals, and went to look for Taehyung. He wasn’t in the great room or the kitchen. Next you checked the downstairs master suite he’d claimed, but he was already up. Grabbing a cup of coffee, you walked past the guest house and out into the back garden where you spotted him sitting, legs crossed in a meditation pose, on a bench near the far wall.

He opened his eyes and smiled at you as you approached him. “Good morning. Feeling better?”

“Much.” You sat next to him and watched Yeontan nosing around the bushes. “I think I’m going to drive to campus and look around, get a feel for any hot spots. Do you want to come with me?”

“I can’t. The guy is coming to finish the water features.” Since water often served to deter spirits, Taehyung had enlisted a gardening company to install a water feature that ran along the walls of the back garden. The work had begun before you arrived; natural rocks had been carefully placed in a design that would create waterfalls flowing into small pools on either side of the garden. “Once they finish up today and get the water going, I think those pools will be deep enough for koi fish.”

“That will be pretty.” It was a lovely garden. Several trees provided shade, the lawn was expertly manicured, and lush flowerbeds and carefully pruned flowering bushes presented a pop of color among the greenery. “The water will make it cooler back here too. We could add a table and some lanterns and hang out here in the evening.”

“Are you okay going by yourself?” he asked, pushing his wavy hair out of his eyes as he whistled for Yeontan. “You could take Tannie with you.”

“Probably a good idea since they’re coming to finish up back here.”

“Hey.” Taehyung reached for a lock of your hair and tugged it gently. “Don’t confront anything by yourself. If you want to wander around, get your bearings, then fine. Just please don’t follow anything or let anything follow you until the rest of us are with you. This place is… dangerous. We need to be really careful here.”

“I know, don’t worry.” You reached for his hand and threaded your fingers together. “Thank you for coming with me, even though I was afraid to ask you. This would be so much harder without you here.”

You collected Yeontan’s leash and other essentials and drove to the main university parking lot, which was central to the sprawling campus. Yeontan trotted happily next to you as you took note of buildings. The Gothic architecture was a sharp contrast to the bright, late summer sun beating down, and you imagined the campus took on an entirely different aesthetic at night.

There were also plenty of hot spots. Dropping pins as you walked, you wondered exactly what type of spirits you would encounter here. You expected the usual vengeance ghosts, but you occasionally got impressions of something much, much darker as you walked. You dropped yet another pin as you passed the building that housed the pool and athletic departments. Mindful of your promise to Taehyung, you didn’t explore further.

When Yeontan got tired, you picked him up and followed a group of students chattering away with each other about classes beginning soon, upcoming mixers and welcome back activities. Soon you found yourself at a park that abutted a large, sparkling lake. You didn’t need to get too close to sense something in those waters, and so you kept a healthy distance as you turned your attention to the group playing baseball in the field.

And then you saw him. Jungkook wore loose black shorts, a white t-shirt, and a backwards black baseball cap as he stood with a group waiting for their turn at bat. From the people talking around you, you learned that it was just a friendly game between rival fraternities, which explained the number of girls hanging around.

This was your chance to talk to him – to let him know you were here. To explain why you had left. Seeing him again brought a wave of longing, and with it the familiar anxiety you felt when you thought of him.

“Oh, such a cute dog!”

You turned to see a very pretty girl about your age wiggling her fingers at Yeontan. Her dimples flashed when she smiled, and her eyes were such a clear shade of blue that you wondered if they were contact lenses. Her auburn hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she held a sign supporting Pi Kappa Alpha.

“I’m Sera,” she introduced herself. “And who’s this?”

“Yeontan,” you replied. “And I’m y/n. You can pet him if you want. He’s very friendly.”

“Are you new here?” Sera asked, scratching Yeontan’s head. At your surprised look, she nodded at the brochures sticking out of your open bag. “I recognize the welcome package.”

“I’m a transfer student from Oxford,” you confirmed, shifting the wiggling Yeontan in your arms. “We just got here yesterday.”

“Are you off campus? I’m in the Alpha Omicron Pi house.”

“We have a house – the old Victorian on Elmhurst Street.”

“Oh, I noticed they were renovating that house this summer. I grew up here,” she explained. “My parents live three streets over from you. That’s a big house – did you move here with friends?”

“My… friend, Taehyung, came with me,” you said. You weren’t dating anymore, but your relationship with Tae had fallen into something between friend and boyfriend, a kind of ambiguous realm you both were still feeling your way through. “And two other friends, Namjoon and Chloe, are living in the guest house.”

“That’s cool that you all came here together. I guess this will be a big change from Oxford. Hey, so tomorrow there’s a big welcome back picnic happening here around noon. My sorority is co-hosting. Why don’t you and your friends come? I can introduce you around.”

Your eyes drifted back to the field to see Jungkook up at bat. As expected, he hit the ball with a loud crack and took off running around the bases, making it to home before the outfielder had even retrieved the ball. He high fived a guy on his team who you recognized as Jimin when you saw his profile. Someone shouted Jungkook’s name and he suddenly looked in your direction.

Slipping your sunglasses back on, you let your hair fall to cover your profile. “I have to get going, but I’ll ask my friends about it when I get home.” With a wave at Sera, you turned and began walking back to your car as quickly as you could without drawing too much attention to yourself.

“Hope to see you tomorrow!” Sera called after you.

______________________________

Jungkook ran the bases with ease and did a shimmy on home base before high fiving Jimin.

“Such a showoff,” Jimin said with a laugh.

Jungkook grinned and glanced over at the crowd watching when he heard his name called, waving at Jimin’s girlfriend, Ayeong, and her friend Erin, who was waving her Pi Kappa sign enthusiastically. Then a girl in yellow caught his attention. He froze as the girl turned her face away before he could see her clearly. She was holding a small dog as she talked to Sera from the A O Pi sorority. Then she was hurrying away.

Jungkook didn’t realize he’d started walking in her direction until Jimin caught his arm. “Where are you going? You’re pitching.” Jimin followed his gaze, a troubled expression on his face. “I know that girl kind of looks like…”

Jungkook cut him off. “Let’s get back to the game.”

He tried to concentrate on the rest of the game, but he was agitated now, and pissed off. He’d promised himself two years ago that he’d stop looking for you in crowds and chasing the shadows of girls who looked even vaguely like you. That girl might have the same hair, and she might’ve been wearing one of those dumb, useless little sweaters you always liked, but she wasn’t you.

The problem was that now his head was full of you, and he did his best to push you back out like he always did when something reminded him of you. His team won, but he didn’t enjoy the victory, and he was silent in the car as Jimin drove back to the house they’d just moved into with Jin, who was enrolled in the theater program as a grad student.

“I’m glad you finally got permission from your coach to move off campus,” Jimin said. “I guess it helps that you’ll be living with family, so he trusts you not to get too wild or slack off on training.”

Jungkook leaned forward and turned up the radio, a signal that he didn’t want to talk.

Jimin sighed but fell silent. When they pulled up to the house, he jumped out and headed inside to find Jin had started painting the living room. He went straight through to the kitchen, ignoring his brother’s greeting.

“Hey, the least you could do is pick up a brush and help!” he heard Jin yell after him.

Jungkook got a bottle of water from the fridge and took a long drink. He could hear Jimin talking to Jin now.

“There was a girl at the game who looked kind of like y/n,” Jimin said in a low voice. “Plus it’s that time of year – you know how he gets.”

“Her birthday was last week, and his is coming up soon,” Jin said. “Not that he’s ever in the mood to celebrate it anymore anyway.”

Jungkook ignored them as he walked back into the living room and picked up a brush. “Let’s get this finished. Remember we have to go early to pick up the coolers and ice for the picnic.” He and Jimin belonged to the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, and they were co-hosting the welcome back picnic with the A O Pi sorority.

He let Jimin and Jin talk and concentrated on painting. He wasn’t going to think of you anymore and that was that. You hadn’t been back to the U.S. in three years – the last he’d heard from his mom, you opted to attend Oxford University. You’d cut everyone out of your life, and he wasn’t going to waste any more of his time thinking about the past.

That night he dreamed of you.

He stood at the edge of the lake, wading in when he saw you drifting further out in front of him. It always happened the same way; you would smile and stretch out a hand to him, and then you disappeared beneath the surface. And no matter how many times he dove under the water looking for you, you were just gone.

Jungkook woke in a cold sweat, gasping, heart pounding. He switched on his bedside lamp and sat up, glancing at the clock to see it was nearly four in the morning. Running his hands through his hair, he breathed deeply and willed his heart rate to slow.

He hated that fucking nightmare. He could tell himself all day long he wasn’t going to think of you, but then this would happen. He told himself that you were fine, wherever you were. If something terrible had happened to you, he would have heard about it from your mom or his mom. Your life wasn’t his business anymore.

Jungkook was sleep deprived and cranky the next day as he helped set up for the picnic. Students were arriving on campus now, and there were a lot of mixers and activities planned for the next week, many of which he was expected to help with because Jimin was a social butterfly who kept volunteering you both.

Ayeong and Erin were there as well, and he did his best to avoid Erin, whose crush on him was starting to make him uncomfortable. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but he didn’t want a girlfriend and she definitely wanted a boyfriend. The last person he had seriously liked was Grace, and they’d broken up before senior year started. Since then, he’d kept his relationships casual – maintaining his grades and baseball took up most of his time anyway.

An hour into the picnic, he was sitting in a shaded area with Jimin and Ayeong when a little dog ran up and panted at his feet. He smiled as he leaned over to pet the little ball of black and tan fluff. “Hey, little guy, who do you belong to?”

“That would be me – sorry.” A tall man with dark wavy hair approached holding a leash. He leaned down to clip it on the dog’s collar. “He doesn’t usually run away like that, but I think he’s excited about all the new people.”

“Cute,” Jungkook said with a grin as he scratched the little dog behind the ears. “What’s his name?”

“Yeontan,” the man replied with a smile. He held out his hand. “And I’m Taehyung.”

Jungkook shook his hand. “I’m Jungkook. This is Jimin, and that’s Ayeong.”

Taehyung’s smile faded. “I should get back to my friends.”

He was leaning down to pick up the little dog when Sera joined them. “Hey, it’s Yeontan!” She stroked the dog’s head and looked over at the man holding him. “Let me guess – you must be Taehyung?”

“Have we met?”

“No, but I met Yeontan at the game yesterday when I met your girlfriend.”

“Ah, you must be Sera.”

“So where is y/n? I haven’t seen her yet.”

Jungkook’s head shot up at the name. “Y/n?”

“Oh, there she is!” Sera waved at a girl who walked over to join Taehyung.

Since your eyes were on the dog, you didn’t notice him at first. “Oh, thank God. Bad Tannie!” You reached for the small dog and dropped a kiss on his nose. Behind you were two more people – a tall man with silver blond hair, and a woman with long, brown hair threaded with blue streaks.

It was a surreal moment seeing you again. You were wearing a dark blue, silky sundress and what looked like the same thin white sweater he’d seen you wearing the day before. Your wavy hair was held back from your face with little clips, and your gold locket hung around your neck just as it always had. The little dog yapped and licked your cheek, making you giggle, and you smiled up at Taehyung, who placed an arm around your waist.

“Oh, shit,” he heard Jimin mutter next to him.

That got your attention and when you glanced over to see him, you froze. Your eyes held his for several moments. Then you took a deep breath and said, “Hi, Jungkook.”

Sera was looking between you, her expression curious. “Do you know each other?”

When Jungkook didn’t answer, Jimin said, “We all went to school together until y/n left for boarding school senior year.” He stood up and walked over to give you a hug. “It’s nice to see you again.”

You smiled at him gratefully. “I’m happy to see you, too. I was going to call or something, but we’ve only been here for two days.”

Jungkook felt his jaw clench. He said nothing as Jimin introduced Ayeong, who seemed uncharacteristically shy as she greeted you and Taehyung.

“This is Namjoon,” you said, gesturing to the blond man. “And his girlfriend, Chloe.”

“I heard you guys moved into that big old Victorian house,” Sera said to Taehyung. “I was telling my mom about it when I talked to her last night. She’s an interior designer, so she was interested in how it had been updated.”

“You should come by some time,” Taehyung told her.

The way Taehyung kept looking between you and him told Jungkook that he knew who he was. That meant that you’d known he was here before you came. You’d probably seen him at the game yesterday and you’d still scurried off rather than talk to him.

He watched Sera lead you and Taehyung away, introducing you to other friends. You looked over your shoulder at him, but he averted his eyes rather than meet your gaze.

Jimin cleared his throat and looked at Namjoon and Chloe. “Are you students here too?”

Namjoon shook his head. “I met Tae and y/n at Oxford – I was in a psych grad program there. Chloe and I are researching paranormal activity, so we tagged along when we heard they were coming here.”

Jungkook felt Jimin looking at him again.

“Huh. Well, that’s interesting. It’s supposedly the most haunted campus in the country, so good luck with that,” Jimin said.

Namjoon and Chloe wandered over to join the group of people you were talking to.

“Are you alright?” Jimin asked quietly.

Jungkook tried to swallow down the hot anger he could feel building. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Do you guys know who that is?” Ayeong asked incredulously. “That’s Taehyung Kim. As in, son of actress Jinah Park and Oscar winning director John Kim. He models for big designers a few times a year – he has a verified Instagram account, too.” She tapped on her phone for a minute and held it out to Jimin.

Jimin scrolled silently for a few seconds. “He’s also a photographer?”

“Yeah. I think he’s had at least one showing in New York under the name Vante. It was a photo of your friend that got me interested in photography – about two years ago?” She took the phone back and scrolled for a minute before handing it back to Jimin. “That one. He called it The Sighting, and it still gives me the chills when I look at it.”

Jimin looked at it and then handed the phone to Jungkook. He took it and looked at the photo, a landscape shot of you next to a river. You were in profile, but the angle showed a haunting, pensive expression on your face as you stared across the water, arms folded across your midsection, your hair lifted by a breeze.

The Sighting was a good name for the photo, and he wondered what you had seen that day. After a moment of hesitation, Jungkook went to the thumbnail view of Taehyung’s Instagram page. It was full of you.

Some of the photos were more artistic and some were just little snapshots of happy moments. It was obvious that you had spent most of your time with Taehyung over the past three years, and that anger he’d felt earlier came rushing back. You couldn’t be bothered to let him know you were alive, but you could take cooking classes and adopt a puppy with the perfect Taehyung.

He carefully passed the phone back to Ayeong before he did something crazy like hurl it into the lake.

When Ayeong was distracted by a friend she was talking to, Jimin scooted his chair closer. “Seriously, the level of anger you’re repressing right now can’t be healthy. Can you please just talk to her? Maybe she had a good reason for not coming back until now.”

“I’m not interested,” Jungkook replied.

“You are so full of shit right now,” Jimin said evenly. “You told me that it was your fault she left to begin with. You were going to fix it, you said. Well, here’s your chance.”

“She’s not my fucking problem anymore, and I don’t care,” Jungkook snapped back. “So drop it.”

A quiet gasp made them both look up to see you and Taehyung standing a few feet away. You stared at him, a flush creeping up your neck betraying your emotions. There was something in your eyes that made him feel small in that moment because he knew he’d hurt you.

Without a word, you turned and walked away towards the lake. Taehyung shot a furious look in his direction before following you.

Jungkook spent the remainder of the afternoon battling conflicting emotions. He was mad at you, but he was also mad at himself for still getting angry about something he’d spent two years telling himself was over and done with. He was hurt that you’d just shown up like this with no warning and with new friends, evidence of how you’d replaced him.

He was also confused about why you’d come to this university when you had to know how dangerous it was for you. Jungkook couldn’t see or feel what you saw and felt, but here at Gettis, he occasionally got an uneasy feeling. It was enough that he’d hung a talisman at the window of his dorm, and he’d put up more at the house he shared with Jimin and Jin.

And now you were down by the lake like one of his nightmares come to life. As mad as he was, he was also fighting the urge to physically drag you away from the water. You’d been down there for an hour with Taehyung, Namjoon and Chloe. Thinking about what Namjoon had said – that he and Chloe were interested in paranormal activity – he had to wonder if you’d deliberately chosen to come here because you were looking, too.

He reminded himself again and again that it wasn’t his business, and what you did shouldn’t concern him now. He dredged up his anger to dispel the fear that curled in his stomach when he watched you walk to the end of the pier and lean down to touch the water before looking back at Chloe, who was looking at something on a tablet.

Jungkook guessed he had an answer – you were definitely here looking for something, and you displayed none of the fear that he’d expect, either. And somehow that scared him.

He was still sitting and watching you when Jin arrived.

“I guess Jimin called you,” Jungkook said.

“Where is she?” Jin asked.

He nodded down to the lake.

_____________________________________

“The readings here are insane,” Chloe said. “Look at this, Joon.”

“I see it.”

You closed your eyes and pushed out with your mind, searching. You heard the water ripple a few feet away – it could be mistaken for a fish, but you knew it wasn’t. Taehyung knew it too and crouched behind you to wrap one arm around your waist.

“Even after everything I’ve seen you do, these water ghosts are still the scariest,” he admitted as he anchored you.

They used to be the most terrifying to you as well, but you didn’t feel the same fear you used to feel when standing near the water. You were still scared, at least a little, and very alert to the danger. However, if it hadn’t broken you the night you went down to the lake alone three years ago, you supposed it wouldn’t now.

You could feel that Jungkook was still watching you, too. You didn’t need to look at him to know he must be wondering what you were doing down here. After all, the same fears that haunted you used to haunt him as well.

You’d been so nervous to see him, but once you were standing in front of him, you couldn’t deny the burst of happiness you felt. He looked the same in some ways, but there were little changes you committed to memory; he’d grown a bit taller, and he’d filled out even more. He’d lost the remaining roundness in his face, replaced by defined cheekbones and a sharp jawline. His hair no longer swept across his forehead, hiding his eyes, now replaced by an off-center part that exposed his strong brow.

You’d both grown up during these three years, though it was clear that he’d nursed a deep anger toward you. Maybe you deserved it, but it still hurt to hear him refer to you as a problem – one that he didn’t want to be a part of anymore.

“Y/n?”

You looked over to see Jin standing on the pier next to the lake edge. Taehyung released you as you stood and took a few tentative steps in Jin’s direction, wondering if he was angry, too.

Then he held his arms open, and you felt tears rush into your eyes. You closed the distance and wrapped your arms tightly around him. He just held you for a couple of minutes, petting the back of your head like he used to when he knew you’d had a bad day. His tall, solid presence instantly calmed you.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered.

“I’m maybe a little mad, but I missed you too much to show it right now,” he said. “I’m glad you’re back.”

You finally pulled back and wiped your fingers under your eyes before looking up at him. “I thought you were still in L.A.”

“I was there for a couple of years. I did a couple of commercials, had a few walk-on roles. Mostly I just saved money so I could apply to the theater program here. I finally got in.”

“I’m so glad you’re here,” you said, squeezing his hand.

“What are you doing down here?” Jin asked. He looked concerned as he glanced at the people behind you. “This lake can be dangerous from what I’ve heard.”

You quickly introduced him to Taehyung, Namjoon and Chloe. Jin raised his brows when you mentioned that you were living with Tae, but he didn’t comment.

“Tae and I both transferred from Oxford,” you explained. You debated how much to say, but then added, “Namjoon and Chloe are working on a research project related to paranormal activity. There’s no better place for that than here, so they decided to come with us.”

“I see.” He looked out at the water for a moment and then held out his hand. “Come walk with me.”

As you walked around the perimeter of the lake, you noted that Jin put himself between you and the water.

“Can you really see ghosts?” he finally asked.

You stopped and stared up at him. “Did Jungkook tell you?”

“No,” he said. “You forget how many times over the years you slept over. I can’t even count how many blanket forts I built for you two on the living room floor once you were too old to share a bedroom, and if you remember, I usually slept on the couch. I heard you two talking more than once.”

“And you believed it?” you asked doubtfully.

“No, not at first. I thought you two had overactive imaginations because of what happened to you at the lake that time which, I admit, was hard to explain. But then I saw how you were after the library fire, and after that night we found you at the lake, I guess I wondered.”

You sighed and looked out over the water. “Even my mother doesn’t believe me, Jin. The only people I could talk to were Jungkook and Mrs. Kim.”

“So, it’s true.”

You nodded and met his gaze. “The otherworld is real, though not many people are aware of it. Some people are sensitive to that negative energy – Taehyung, for example. He can’t see them, but he can often feel their presence. And then there are people like me, who can see and interact with them.”

“Then why would you come here?” he asked. “This place even gives me the creeps sometimes. You used to jump at every shadow that crossed your path, and now you’re strolling near the lake looking for what? Water ghosts?”

“More than one,” you replied. “I was trying to feel them out and see how many are out there.”

He looked at you incredulously. “For what purpose? I remember hearing you and Jungkook talk once about how they sometimes followed you. Isn’t this dangerous for you?”

“They recognize me as part of the otherworld, so yes, they often follow me,” you replied. “But I haven’t wasted these last three years, Jin. I’m still learning, but I’m able to use my power in ways now that I couldn’t even comprehend before. And with all the hot spots here, I think this will be a good place for me to test my abilities.”

“So what you’re telling me is that you and your team of ghostbusters over there are here to look for dangerous ghosts,” he said. His laugh turned into a groan, and he wiped a hand down his face. “You and Jungkook are going to give me gray hair before I’m thirty.”

“Please don’t say anything to your mom,” you told him. “I don’t need her or my mom thinking I need a psych admittance.”

“That’s debatable,” Jin muttered. “Jungkook is too mad and stubborn to admit it right now, but he missed you too.”

You looked back over at the water. “He made it clear I’m not his problem anymore, and he’s right. He was kind of trapped in that world with me for ten years. I don’t blame him for opting out.”

“Is that why you left?”

You shrugged but didn’t answer.

“Stubborn, the both of you,” he said with a sigh. “He waited for you to come home that first year and then he tried to forget you. Do you know he hasn’t celebrated his birthday since you left? Like clockwork, August rolls around and Jungkook is a walking wound for a few weeks, snapping at everybody. He can push you out of his head, but he’s never been able to push you out of his heart, y/n, even if he thinks he did.”

Tears blurred your eyes as you stared at the water, and you forced them back. “I can’t force him to listen to what I have to say, Jin. Maybe he’s right and it doesn’t matter anymore.”

________________________________

Jin spent the afternoon trying to reason through everything you’d told him before abandoning reason. That evening he called his mom and asked if she had Mrs. Kim’s contact information. If his mother was curious as to why he needed it, she didn’t say anything. She simply told him that she’d look for it and send it to him later.

When he got off the phone, he saw that Jimin and Jungkook had walked in with the pizzas they’d picked up.

Jimin looked at him curiously. “Why do you want to talk to Mrs. Kim? I don’t think I’ve seen her since before your grandmother’s funeral.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because y/n is here hunting ghosts. From talking to her this afternoon, I think she probably still talks to Mrs. Kim, and I’d like to know exactly how worried I should be.”

Jimin gaped at him. “Wait, what? She really sees ghosts? I thought Hanna and Lily were full of it when they started that rumor back in elementary school.”

Jin looked at Jungkook and then back at Jimin. “You didn’t know?”

“No.” He shot an accusing look at Jungkook. “Did you know?”

Jungkook was staring at Jin. “What do you mean she’s here hunting ghosts?”

“I mean exactly that. There are multiple water ghosts in that lake, by the way, so I’d advise you both to stay out of it.”

Jimin still looked stunned. “Water ghosts.” He visibly started. “Wait, is that what happened to her at the birthday party? And why she wouldn’t go near the lake again?”

“Apparently.” Jin grabbed a plate and loaded three slices of pizza on it.

“But then why would she be down at this lake if she thinks it’s full of water ghosts?”

“See, she seems to think that she can fight them now or something. She said she’s still learning, but it sounds like she’s here to test her learning curve by hunting ghosts in one of the most haunted places in America. And I can’t believe I just said that out loud.”

Jin watched his brother while eating. Jungkook stared at the pizza on his plate, brow creased. He might try to hide it, but Jin could see he was worried.

Jimin was still trying to put all the pieces in place. “That fire at the library was always weird. Was that a ghost? Because it would explain why she stayed locked up in her bedroom if it was. And those lucky talismans? I noticed you hung a few up here, Jungkook. I thought they were just things you got from your grandmother.”

“They’re not lucky talismans,” Jungkook muttered. “They keep away spirits. Things feel weird here sometimes, so I hung them up just in case.”

“I can’t believe you guys didn’t tell me about this,” Jimin said with a reproachful look. “I wouldn’t have told anyone, you know.”

“Can we please talk about something else?” Jungkook pushed his plate away and stood up.

“Hey.” When Jungkook looked at him, Jin said, “I don’t know what happened between you and y/n three years ago, and I get that you’re still mad, but I’m going to need you to pull your head out of your ass and help me out here. Because she’s still family even if you’re mad at her, Jungkook. I need you to help me make sure she doesn’t get hurt or worse doing whatever it is she’s planning on doing here.”

_________________________

Jungkook tried not to think about you, but after Jin’s revelations, your new ghost hunting hobby was damn near all he could think about. Telling himself it wasn’t his problem anymore was one thing when he thought you had the sense to steer clear of the otherworld, but it was harder to convince himself when he was worried you were actively seeking out trouble.

Jin had mentioned that your boyfriend was a sensitive – someone who could feel but not see the spirits. He supposed that explained how you ended up together, and he obviously supported your newfound insanity. He still couldn’t believe you’d gone down to that lake and touched the water, knowing that it was full of water ghosts. As long as he lived, he’d never forget the force with which that ghost had yanked you into the water all those years ago, and that was only one ghost. Even though Taehyung had been anchoring you, he knew that would be useless if multiple ghosts came after you at once.

Jin had called Mrs. Kim and left her a long voicemail, but he hadn’t heard back from her yet. It had been two days since he’d seen you at the picnic; Jin had gone to visit you at your new house, but Jungkook had refused to go. He still felt confused, his emotions too raw to deal with you.

Jungkook wasn’t in the mood to go out, but Jimin dragged him down to the pool in the athletic building that afternoon.

“You need to work off some aggression,” Jimin said. “I’m tired of you snapping at everyone, and so is Jin.”

They hit the locker room first to change and then walked to the pool room. Once classes started, it would be in use more, but it was peaceful at the moment. Jungkook set his bag down on a chair, noting one other bag there, though no one was around. Then he saw your gold locket.

“Is that someone in the water?” Jimin suddenly asked.

Adrenaline rushed through him as he scanned the water and finally saw the dark shape at the bottom of the pool. “No.”

Jungkook hit the water and dove deep, fear giving him the extra push he needed to reach you within seconds. He jerked you into his arms and swam up. When he surfaced and started pulling you to the side, he was relieved to hear you coughing.

You clung to the side and coughed again before wiping your face.

Jungkook was livid as he climbed out and then lifted you out of the pool. “Are you out of your mind?”

You pushed your hair back and looked at him. “I wasn’t drowning – at least, not until you surprised me, and I inhaled water coming up.”

Jungkook barely controlled the urge to shake you. “You were at the bottom of the fucking pool, y/n! Are you fucking crazy?”

“Don’t curse at me,” you suddenly shouted back at him. “I can swim just fine now. I didn’t need you to jump in and play hero.”

“Whoa, okay you two need to calm down,” Jimin suddenly cut in. “If you weren’t drowning then what the hell were you doing at the bottom of the pool? Because the last time we saw you, you were scared to death of water.”

You walked over to your bag and pulled out a towel, wrapping it around yourself as you faced them. “I learned to swim more than two years ago. Sitting at the bottom of the pool is something I do to practice holding my breath. I like to see how long I can stay down there.”

“What if something was down there?” Jungkook asked, jaw clenched.

“I’m not stupid,” you shot back. “There was a water ghost here, but I got rid of it yesterday. It’s perfectly safe to swim here now.”

His attention was suddenly caught by the long, jagged scar on your left arm. He didn’t even have to ask to know you had gotten hurt doing something dangerous. Something like you were trying to do here. Jungkook thought his head was going to explode. “Are you listening to yourself? Are you trying to die on this campus?”

“What’s going on?”

He turned to see Taehyung coming from the direction of the bathrooms. He didn’t look happy to see Jungkook there, and in his current mood, the feeling was mutual.

“Nothing,” you said. “I want to go home.” You slid your shorts on and pulled a t-shirt over your head before fastening your locket around your neck.

Jungkook held out an arm to stop you from walking by him. “I thought Jin had to be wrong when he told me you were here hunting ghosts. Because that’s just crazy any way you want to look at it, and there’s no way you’d be stupid enough to go looking for that kind of trouble. Right?”

You stared up at him, and the stubborn tilt of your chin made his heart sink. “I think I’m not your fucking problem anymore, Jungkook. So whatever I am or am not doing, you don’t need to worry about it.”

Watching you walk out with Taehyung, he wanted to hit something. He settled for kicking his bag off the chair and then sat, raking his hands through his wet hair. “Fuck.”

Jimin sighed and sat next to him. “Maybe yelling at her isn’t the way to go, Jungkook. She’s not a child, and we have no idea what she’s experienced the last few years. It’s obvious that she’s not the same girl we knew who was afraid of everything, and maybe she has reasons for that.”

Elbows propped on his knees, he clasped his hands behind his head and tried to calm down. “You have no idea what kind of danger she’s putting herself in, Jimin, because you found out about this a couple of days ago. I lived with it for ten years. What she’s doing? She could die.”

Jimin stayed quiet for a minute. “I can’t pretend like I understand because I know I don’t. You two have ten years of secrets – that’s a lot. But it doesn’t change the fact that she has her own secrets now. Three years of secrets, to be exact, and the only way you’ll be able to understand who she is now is if she’ll talk to you about them. I’m just saying yelling won’t accomplish anything.”

Jungkook stayed by the pool when Jimin left, thinking over his friend’s words. Talking to you without getting angry seemed an impossible task at the moment. It would require him to dig at the wounds you’d left him with, to forgive you and ask for forgiveness in return. You had years of hurt and issues to hash out, and frankly, he didn’t know if he was ready for that.

His other option was just to stay away from you, but now that you were back, he didn’t know if he could do that either. And beneath it all, there was his deepest concern – how to keep you safe while he was figuring it out.

A/N – Hope you liked the update! I also updated the Ghosted playlist if you want to check that out. I put a link in my Master Fic List. My asks are open if you have any questions about the story, and I’ll work on getting Chapter 3 up as soon as I can. Yoongi and Hobi will be introduced in the next part as the U.S. liaison to y/n’s ghostbusting team, Hobi rather reluctantly lol.

Tag List: @ggukkieland @jikooksgirl19 @waves-and-woods

#college au #jungkook x you #jungkook x reader #jungkook fanfic #bts imagines #jungkook smut #jungkook fluff #jungkook angst #ghosted

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plannedparenthood · 5 years

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Medicaid vs. Medicare

Disclaimer: Planned Parenthood believes in using gender-inclusive language. However, when we’re referencing government data and statistics, we have to use the data points they chose, which often don’t reflect the full range of gender identities. We hope that in the future, all research will better reflect and respect the diversity of gender.

It’s easy to mix up Medicaid and Medicare. They sound super similar and they’re both well-known government programs that help people get health care across the country. But it’s important to know the difference so you and the people you care about can benefit.

The Difference Between Medicaid and Medicare

Although Medicaid and Medicare are complex, here’s the main difference:

Medicaid is insurance that aids people of all ages who have low incomes. Medicaid covers 21% of the U.S. population.

Medicare is insurance that primarily cares for people ages 65 years and up (with any income). Medicare covers 14% of the U.S. population.

Here’s where this gets tricky: Medicare also covers people of all ages who have disabilities or who are on dialysis — including people who need reproductive health care, such as birth control and pregnancy services. What’s more, people can be on both Medicaid and Medicare at the same time. (For these “dual eligible” beneficiaries, Medicare pays their claims first and Medicaid pays second.)

What Medicaid and Medicare Have in Common

Overall, Medicaid and Medicare provide health care for almost 108 million Americans. These federal programs also provide health care to a greater number of women than any other single source in America.

Together, their coverage includes several reproductive and sexual health care services — like wellness exams, STD tests and treatment, cancer screenings and treatment, prenatal and postnatal care, and labor and delivery.

Medicaid: America’s #1 Source for Reproductive Health Care

When you think of Medicaid, think of it as THE reproductive health care program in the United States. Here’s why:

Women and girls are the majority of Medicaid’s 75 million enrollees.

Medicaid covers more women’s health care than any other payer.

Nationwide, Medicaid covers one in five (21%) of all women and girls of reproductive age. That’s 13.2 million people ages 15 to 44 years old.

Medicaid covers nearly half of all births and 75% of family planning services.

Medicaid Serves People of Color

Due to racism and other systemic barriers that have contributed to income inequality, women of color disproportionately comprise the Medicaid population, or roughly 57% of women in the program overall. And they are also over-represented given their share of the general population. For example, 30% of African-American women and 24% of Hispanic women are enrolled in Medicaid, compared to only 14% of white women.

Why is that important to know? Because any limits on Medicaid hurt women of color in particular.

One example of a limit on Medicaid that hurts women of color: states refusing to adopt Medicaid expansion. As a result of the Affordable Care Act, adults who don’t have children and have incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level are entitled to Medicaid coverage if their states choose to expand Medicaid. To date, 37 states (including D.C.) have adopted the Medicaid expansion, and 14 states haven’t adopted the expansion. States that haven’t adopted Medicaid expansion lag behind in covering people with low incomes and vulnerable populations.

Medicare: Meeting Your Health Care Needs Later in Life

Similar to Medicaid, the majority (56%) of Medicare’s older enrollees are women. That’s 24 million women, ages 65 and up.

Medicare covers some of the same sexual and reproductive health services as Medicaid, but not all. Whereas Medicaid always covers birth control, only some Medicare plans do. That’s because Medicare focuses on the needs of older adults. To that end, Medicare covers special services for older women — like bone density screenings and medication for post-menopausal osteoporosis.

Because of the gender pay gap throughout their lives, older women are more likely to live in poverty and qualify for Medicaid than older men. Of the 50 million Medicare users age 65 and up, more than half (56%) are women. The gender disparity grows larger as people age: Two of every three Medicaid beneficiaries age 85 and up are women.

Who Pays for Medicaid & Medicare?

Medicaid is a jointly-run federal and state health insurance program. This means both state and federal tax dollars pay for Medicaid.

Medicare isn’t a joint federal-state program. Instead, Medicare is a federal insurance program. So, your federal tax dollars mostly pay for Medicare.

Do Planned Parenthood Health Centers Take Medicaid and Medicare?

Most Planned Parenthood health centers accept Medicaid, and some providers at Planned Parenthood health centers accept Medicare. Find a Planned Parenthood health center near you to learn what insurance plans they accept. You can also call 1-800-230-PLAN to speak with a Planned Parenthood staff member who can help you figure out coverage and costs.

Whether you have Medicaid, Medicare, any other insurance, or no insurance at all, you can always visit your local Planned Parenthood health center for the care you need, when you need it.

Can Medicaid and Medicare Cover Abortion?

No, in most cases, you can’t use Medicaid, Medicare, or any other federal health insurance program for abortion.

An unfair policy called the Hyde Amendment blocks federal funding for abortion with three narrow exceptions: when the pregnancy could kill the patient, or when the pregnancy results from rape or incest. Federal health programs cannot cover abortion even when a patient’s health is at risk and their health care provider recommends they get an abortion.

Still, 16 states with pro-reproductive health leaders have taken the bold step to cover safe, legal abortion with state funds for people who use Medicaid. That includes 15 states already covering it and Maine, whose coverage law will go into effect March 2020.

Failed Efforts to “Defund” Planned Parenthood Have Targeted Medicaid Beneficiaries

Anti-abortion politicians in the Trump-Pence administration, Congress, and certain statehouses across the country are trying to put safe, legal abortion out of reach. One of their key tactics is attempting to shut down Planned Parenthood through legislation they misleadingly named “defunding.” They made up that misnomer to confuse people about how funding works at Planned Parenthood.

“Defunding” policies block patients who use public health care programs — like Medicaid and Medicare — from accessing preventive health care at Planned Parenthood health centers. Preventive health care includes birth control, STD testing and treatment, and cancer screenings.

The politicians behind “defunding” don’t care that their policies make Planned Parenthood patients lose access to lifesaving preventive care. “Defunding” has one goal: to shut down Planned Parenthood and make safe, legal abortion harder to access (along with a lot of other sexual and reproductive health services).

Getting Political

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) oversees the two programs. How you get your health care in the United States depends on what HHS prioritizes. And changes politicians make to Medicaid, Medicare and CHIP mean the difference between millions of people getting reproductive and sexual health care — or not.

Right now, CMS is overseen by Seema Verma, a former corporate health care consultant who thinks maternity coverage should be optional and made millions of dollars dismantling Medicaid in Indiana. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has forced Planned Parenthood out of the Title X program through a dangerous gag rule.

If you care about health care access in America, stay up-to-date on the politics behind Medicaid and Medicare. Visit PlannedParenthoodAction.org to learn more and get involved.

Open Enrollment

You may qualify for low-cost or free health insurance through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), depending on your income and what state you live in. If you qualify for either program, you can enroll anytime without waiting for the enrollment period. To find out if you’re eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, visit your state’s Medicaid agency.

-Miriam at Planned Parenthood

#Medicaid #medicare #insurance #health insurance #CHIP

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solalunar-eclipse · 4 years

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Scars You Can’t See - Chapter 6

Chapter title: Tip of the iceberg

Word count: about 4300 words

WARNING: This chapter contains descriptions of blood and violence.

Author’s Note: I must admit, while I said a couple of chapters ago that this was inspired by Mission:Impossible, that’s by no means the only inspiration for this fic.

First | Previous | Next

...

It was the next day after the heist, and the whole team was exhausted. Still, they had to remain on the run, and they all knew that there was still work left to do.

The three had decided to head into the sprawling city of Westopolis. It was a thriving seaside metropolitan area with a big name for tourism- a good place to hide out among the crowds.

They ended up renting a small, lower-level room in a towering hotel made almost entirely out of glass and steel. The receptionist was very reluctant to hand over the keys, clearly expecting Rouge in particular to trash the room and break all the furniture.

“Miss...Ruby, was it?” he asked, arching an eyebrow condescendingly. “I suppose you may stay here, though you must pay for any...damages incurred.”

“Absolutely.” she replied, without the slightest hesitation. Turning on her heel, she walked off with Shadow and Omega in tow, leaving one immensely surprised employee in her wake.

Their room was decently clean and nicely furnished, albeit a little plain and without the excellent views those on the higher floors would receive. Rouge left shortly afterwards to go find a VHS player, leaving the other two alone in the room. Omega remained standing and attempted to curb his impulse to break something simply to spite the receptionist. They didn’t have an unlimited supply of money, after all.

Meanwhile, Shadow simply slumped onto the bed and glowered at the wall. The E-series robot, after a minute of studying him, decided that he was likely tired from the mission yesterday, as well as highly apprehensive about what he would have to do soon.

Omega did not normally give a second thought to the emotional state of most organic life-forms. The large majority of people, to him, were mostly irritating but otherwise of little concern or importance. He remained indifferent to- if slightly perplexed by- their hormonal imbalances and the ‘feelings’ that they produced. It was simply foolish to be ruled by something as fickle as your emotions. (He was aware that he had acted in a manner deemed irrational in the past, but this was due to his programmed goals, not a spur-of-the-moment sensation.)

Shadow was an exception to this rule. Omega viewed him as a person who had fought by his side many a time with impressive skill. Now, the awareness that the hybrid was reduced to a weakened mess simply by the constraints of his organic body was...strange. Omega found that he disliked seeing a talented fighter being laid so low by something as fickle as a few chemically induced sensations.

While the robot would never admit it out loud, Rouge and Shadow were people whom he would defend from any danger or displeasure, no matter what. Although most organics could handle the world just fine on their own, he had decided, these two in particular were talented enough (and their company was enjoyable enough) that he would punch anyone and anything who dared to harm them. And then fire a few missiles at the offending thing for good measure.

This thought process, he decided, explained why he sat down on the bed and proceeded to pick up the dejected hedgehog as though he weighed next to nothing.

“Hey- Omega! Put me down!” Shadow shouted, flailing in surprise and embarrassment as he was lifted into the robot’s arms. He made several grumbling noises upon realizing he was trapped, but ceased the majority of his movements.

“You are still not acting like...you.” Omega said, looking at Shadow thoughtfully. “We are currently attempting to remedy the issue, but it appears that this is more of a long-term solution. What would be an acceptable short-term solution?”

The hybrid rolled his eyes. “There is no ‘short term solution’, Omega. Running from the most dangerous law enforcement in the country tends to make people a little tired. There’s no need to search for a solution, anyway. I am perfectly capable of dealing with this on my own.”

Omega considered how best to proceed. Despite Shadow’s protests, he clearly required aid. And he hadn’t missed the hybrid’s refusal to admit to the effects of his past on his current state. He was never very good at dealing with emotions or stubbornness- that was more Rouge’s strong suit- but Rouge wasn’t here. And he was.

He had been told before that physical contact was often pleasant for organics, when initiated with people that they trusted. And Shadow trusted him, correct?

Thinking for a moment longer, Omega chose to touch the hybrid’s quills in a calming manner. He did so cautiously, ensuring that his sharp fingers would not cause any unwanted harm. Shadow was too caught off guard to protest, his eyes closing within moments as he resigned himself to being pet. As the mechanical creation continued in his repetitive motions, he noticed a quiet noise emanating from somewhere in the room.

Further examination revealed that Shadow was the source of the noise, and that he was purring.

It wasn’t much, just a little rumble in his chest, but something about the indescribable noise made Omega tighten his grip slightly on the small (oh so very small) hedgehog. Despite Shadow’s incredible prowess in battle, he was still reminded in this moment of just how fragile and vulnerable even the most powerful organics were.

Embarrassingly enough, this was when Rouge decided to fling open the door. Shadow snapped out of the daze Omega’s attention had put him in and squirmed as he tried to escape the steel trap that the robot’s arms had created. His effort was too little, too late, however, as Rouge squealed upon seeing the two ‘bonding’. “Awww! You guys! This is so sweet! I swear, I’m getting cavities just by being in the same room as you two.”

Omega glowered at her. “This is not ‘sweet’. I am attempting to…” He trailed off as he realized that what he had been doing did, unfortunately, fall into the category of cute things. “...fine. I was merely aiding Shadow in his moment of emotional distress. There is no need to make such loud shrieking sounds.”

“I’m fine.” the hybrid grumbled sulkily. “Stop worrying about me.”

Rouge shook her head. “Hon, we’re never going to stop worrying about you. That’s pretty much what being friends is about. We care about how you’re feeling.” She tried to wrap her arms around both Shadow and Omega, but resigned herself to the fact that she didn’t by any means have long enough arms for that. Instead, she worked her way into Omega’s hold, smiling warmly at the two of them. “Hugs are good for everyone.” she declared. “That’s just a fact.”

Shadow allowed himself to smile, just a little. “I...appreciate you both doing this for me.” he said quietly.

The E-series robot watched this interaction with a certain amount of...he wasn’t sure what this was called, actually. He was...pleased? Yes, he was pleased to see his two favorite people getting along.

He decided to hold them a little longer as a result.

Rouge sighed after a minute, though, resigned to what came next. “I guess we’ll have to get to the difficult part eventually.” She looked over at the VHS player, before pulling the box of tapes out. “Which day was it again?”

Shadow pointed at a cassette. “That one.” he muttered, staring down at the bedspread.

“Can you not remain in an adjacent room or go somewhere else for the duration of this video?” Omega asked him.

The hedgehog shook his head. “No. No, if we’re putting this out there, I want to know what it looks like.”

“You don’t have to prove anything to us, hon…” Rouge reminded him.

“I need to prove it to myself.” he declared, an air of finality to his words.

Omega stood and plugged the player into the TV set, before putting the tape in. He began to set up the screen, and it seemed to take an eternity before everything was ready to go. Rouge grabbed Shadow’s hand and squeezed it tightly. The robot, on returning to the bed, took his other hand. He took a deep breath.

“Do it.”

Omega pressed play.

...

The tape shows a grid of all the security cameras throughout Space Colony ARK. The footage is slightly grainy, but the three can make out vaguely distinguishing features on all of the people.

Omega fast-forwards the video until the moment that the first G.U.N. soldier appears. Shadow holds both their hands tighter.

They watch as the soldiers begin to move through the space station. At first, they don’t cause much alarm- the space colony was funded by G.U.N., after all. Their leader and a couple of others enter the main laboratory and speak to the scientists. After a minute, an alarm goes off.

One of the soldiers fires on the scientist who triggered it, and he sinks to the floor, red pooling around him. All of the other researchers freeze.

Several screens away, a small hedgehog and his sister begin to run.

The space station itself is against them. They were sitting and stargazing on the exact opposite side of the structure from the escape pods. The two have to rush through an endless maze of corridors, avoiding the soldiers throughout it all.

The soldiers are now firing indiscriminately on civilians and government scientists alike, as they are blocking the halls and the soldiers are desperate and violent. The people are only unintentionally in the way, of course- they’re simply fleeing the destruction. None of the researchers knows where Project:Shadow is right now, and the soldiers are frustrated. Every second that slips by is one where they don’t have what they came for.

Clearly, they didn’t come into this situation looking for a peaceful outcome.

Meanwhile, the blond-haired human pauses to catch her breath. She is very sick, after all, and has not run much in her lifetime. The hedgehog looks worried, but remains by her side. He is partly fearful due to her health, after all- and he would never leave her side in such a dangerous situation.

He startles at the first sound of gunshots and begs her to keep moving.Thankfully, she gains a second wind from the adrenaline and they continue to run. Despite the fact that the hedgehog is skating, pulling her along, they are not moving very fast. Not fast enough.

Behind them, the carnage continues.

On the bed, Shadow is crying silently. Rewatching the destruction of his childhood home breaks his heart, and both of his friends can see it. He looks at the desperate hope in the eyes of the hedgehog on the screen (who isn’t that much younger but at the same time so different) and knows what comes next.

He spots an elderly scientist with an instantly recognizable moustache, handcuffed to a railing. The man is one of the few survivors of the massacre. He begs the soldiers to spare his daughter’s life, to bring her back safely. Shadow is startled to hear, among the words, a plea to please remove Project:Shadow alive. To not kill him.

The scientist looks desperate and tells the soldiers that he loves his children. He tells them that he needs to see them again.

His children. Plural.

The sound of crying rings out across the hotel room.

The human girl convinces the hedgehog to get in the escape pod first. He can’t work the controls because he’s a little too short- ‘fun-sized’, she calls it. Besides, it’ll make her feel better. He could never argue with that.

The soldiers arrive. The girl looks back and forth between the pod and the controls. Shadow pinpoints the exact moment, this time, when her expression changes from fearful to resigned. He wishes he hadn’t eaten this morning- his breakfast won’t sit still.

Shadow screams “No!!” as she lunges for the control panel, the word ripping raw from his throat as though he can somehow save her if he just shouts loud enough. He chokes as he hears the gunshots, as he sees her fall. He sees himself clawing at the glass, screaming and crying unintelligible words as Maria speaks her dying wish.

He barely even sees the pod eject, his eyes blurred with tears. Omega pauses the video.

...

Rouge pulls Shadow into her arms. He’s shaking and barely seems to be aware of what’s going on, silent tears trickling down his face as he sits limply in her embrace. She feels him gasping for breath- he can’t quite seem to get the air he needs.

“Breathe, Shadow.” she murmured. “I’m here, I’ve got you. It’s going to be okay, I promise, but all you have to do is breathe.”

He reached out and held her back tightly, clinging to her with enough force to drive some of the air out of her own lungs.

“I’m here for you, Shadow.” Rouge whispered. “Just let me know what you need when you can.”

“I will not go anywhere either.” Omega said, turning his volume down. “You will be safe here with us.”

Shadow gasped for breath one last time before whispering quietly, “You promise?”

“Of course you are.” Rouge rubbed circles on his back comfortingly. “We’ll always watch out for you.”

“Absolutely.” Omega added.

After another few minutes, Shadow began to relax a little, but he made no move to pull back from the bat. “Sorry…” he muttered.

“No, don’t apologize.” Rouge said, her voice strong and warm. “None of this is your fault. None of it. I promise.”

“I shouldn’t be reacting like this.” he growled.

Omega placed a hand on his back. “It is completely normal to react in such a way to traumatic experiences, as a matter of fact- and that is the truth.”

“You’ve seen it now, hon. We’re going to watch the rest of the video, but you just turn your back and lie down, okay?” Rouge offered.

“Okay…” Shadow sighed, too exhausted to fight- and he didn’t really want to, anyway. Both of his friends kept their hands on him as he turned around, and his face relaxed more as he closed his eyes, exhausted from his panic.

“I will mute the sound.” Omega informed him.

…

Mostly, the rest of the video was just filming the cleanup and shutdown of Space Colony ARK. Eventually, once the crews started getting to the lower levels, the cameras were shut down. It seemed that G.U.N. didn’t want anybody to know what happened next.

But there were still five full minutes left of film…

Omega and Rouge shared a look. The bat turned to Shadow and told him that the tape was going to run longer than expected. They’d watch it all the way to the end, even if it was just a black screen.

It turned out that it wasn’t blank at all.

When the camera opened with a new security camera view, Rouge grew tense.

The date says it’s about ten years ago. It’s dark out. The footage shows G.U.N. soldiers standing in the shadows, watching a gathering of people. It looks like someone’s speaking to them from a stage. One of the soldiers gives a signal to the others.

They charge into the crowd without warning. People begin to shout and run as the soldiers move through the crowd, stunning people with batons and taking prisoners left and right.

Amidst the chaos, the speaker begins to film the event. She is grabbed from behind by two soldiers while a third points a gun at her. She appears to talk to them, panic evident in her eyes. The third soldier snatches her phone with one hand and steps on it before shooting it twice. The speaker doesn’t look to be above twenty.

She looks scared. She doesn’t look like a criminal. She looks like an ordinary person.

The tape ends there.

Nobody speaks.

…

“What happened?” Shadow asks, turning over just as Omega switches off the TV. “What is it?”

“I’d have to watch it with the sound on to be sure-” Rouge swallows thickly at the idea- “but it looks like G.U.N. attacked a bunch of innocent citizens.”

Shadow looks shocked. “I thought that was-!”

“Illegal.” Omega says flatly. “That is illegal...and it goes against everything G.U.N. is supposed to stand for.”

“I...I’m going to watch it again.” Rouge said. “I have to know. Shadow, go for a walk, okay?”

He leaves without question.

They watch it again.

Once they’re done, Omega watches as Rouge sits for a minute to process the film, before she rewinds the tape. Squinting at the screen for a moment, she sags slightly when she finds what she was looking for.

The bat walks into the hallway and sees Shadow standing at the end of it, looking out the window. The sunlight frames his strong stance and alert ears. Anyone else would say he looks powerful.

Rouge thinks he looks apprehensive.

“Shadow?” she calls, walking over to him. A twitch of his ear signals his acknowledgement. “There’s more.”

“What is it.” he responds, his voice monotone.

“This took place in Empire City. On United Federation soil. With ordinary people talking about nothing but their ideals. I suspected it the last time, but I had to rewatch it- there’s a couple of background clues in there.” Rouge’s voice shakes.

Shadow shakes his head.

“She was just a girl, Shadow.”

Suddenly, his back straightens. “She?”

Rouge realizes she hadn’t told him this before. “There was a girl, speaking to the crowd. She was a teenager, it looks like.”

Shadow drags her back into the room. He stands there for a solid minute, trying to control his breathing, but has to give up and grabs a pillow, digging his gloved hands into it. He looks like he’s on the verge of tears again. “Is she alive? Did they kill another granddaughter? Another sister, did they-”

“I don’t think she’s dead. There would’ve been a lot of protest if that happened, and the film’s recent enough for me to have heard of it.” the bat said.

“We don’t know that for sure. Rouge, we can’t stop here. Not now. Not when there’s more.”

She exhaled heavily. “I agree. Completely.”

“As do I.” Omega said.

Rouge groaned. “People get away with something awful once and they think they’re invincible. Ugh.”

“Not anymore.” Shadow hissed.

The hybrid realized something, his eyes widening slightly. “Omega. Go call Sonic or Tails. Now.”

Omega came to the same conclusion as him immediately. Without comment, he left the room and descended the stairs to the ground floor. If G.U.N. had visited the two...with that kind of reputation…

He managed to find a public phone in a store a couple of blocks away and dialed Tails’s number.

“Hi! This is Tails speaking!”

“This is E-123 Omega.”

“Omega!?” Tails gasped. The next sentence sounded muffled, as though the microphone was being covered. “Sonic! Omega’s on the phone!”

The robot heard a faint shriek of “What?!” before Tails came back on the line.

“Has G.U.N. visited you at all?” Omega asked, keeping his voice absolutely level. No need to frighten the fox if nothing had happened.

“Actually...yeah.” Tails said, sounding a little tentative. “They didn’t hurt us, but I did have to rescue Sonic.” He proceeded to recount the entire event, from the agents’ arrival to their (reluctant) departure. He also updated Omega on the latest news stories, which were predictable, but still irritating.

The robot did not like Tails’s story though. Not the news, not the agents, and especially not the part with the Taser. However, as much as he would like to fire lots of explosives at all of G.U.N., he decided that it would be best to update the two on his news. “We have found the security files from Space Colony ARK. They prove beyond all doubt that G.U.N. killed many of the inhabitants of said space colony in cold blood, including one Maria Robotnik.”

“That’s great!” Tails exclaimed, before realizing what he’d said. “Uh...relatively speaking.”

“However, one of these files contained excess information. We do not know whether this was on purpose or by accident, but either way, they show soldiers of G.U.N. taking multiple people into custody without giving any reason for their actions. When asked why they were doing this, they gave no reply. Further investigation is necessary, but it seems that they treated ordinary people like enemies of the state. And this was done while the current commander was in charge, according to the date on the security camera files.”

Omega heard Sonic start shouting unintelligibly in the background. Tails responded to him once or twice with a “Yeah” or “Mm-hm”, but suddenly called, “Sonic! Be careful, you’ll break something if you keep up like that!”

The fox turned his attention back to his slightly confused audience. “Sorry, he’s angry and just like roundhouse kicking the air and stuff. Though I think he’d rather be smacking around G.U.N. robots- no offense, by the way.”

“None taken. I am fully aware of my superior status regarding those mindless drones.” Omega scoffed.

“Yo Omega!” he heard Sonic shout from the background. “How’s Shadow doing? Is he there?”

Tails sighed in a rush of static. “Sorry, he’s...kind of rushing around right now so he’s forgetting his manners and isn’t coming to the phone himself, but that’s okay, I guess.”

Omega would have smirked, had he been built with the necessary components to do so. As it was, he simply answered, “Shadow is not here. He has been...struggling with the combined knowledge that G.U.N. is even worse than we realized and rewatching his sister’s death. In respect to his privacy, I will not say more.”

Tails relayed this information over to Sonic, who sounded sad. “Oh...aw, man. Hey, can you tell Omega to let him know I miss him?”

The fox seemed upset by this news at first, but then he giggled. “Did you hear that, Omega? Sonic really misses Shadow and he wants him to know, isn’t that cute?”

“Absolutely.” the robot agreed, fully aware of what Tails was trying to do.

About two milliseconds later, Sonic roared, “I meant RACING him, Tails! Stop ASSUMING THINGS!!”

Tails laughed again, the wickedness of it obvious this time. Suddenly, Omega heard a loud clatter, and then the crackle of someone picking up the phone. “Sorry, Omega,” Sonic hissed into the speaker, “It’s been nice talking but I have a fox to launch into the sun. Gottagobye!”

Omega walked back to the hotel, pleased that Tails and Sonic seemed to be doing alright. (He wasn’t as worried about Knuckles, he was basically unreachable by anyone. The echidna would be fine.)

When the robot neared his hotel room, he heard loud voices. It seemed that Rouge and Shadow were participating in something he remembered was called ‘venting’, in which they were able to express their feelings without producing any significant action plans. He believed that its purpose was to release emotional tension, and it was sometimes good for them. It was also a very fun activity when he was the one allowed to rant.

“I know, right?! I mean- who do they even- oh, hi Omega!” Rouge exclaimed when he returned, smoothing down her hair from its slightly messy state.

“Greetings. I have learned Tails and Sonic are both alive, healthy, and generally safe. Shadow, Sonic wished for me to inform you that he misses you and would like to race you again at some point in the future.”

Shadow smiled faintly. “That’s nice to hear.”

“I know, right?” Rouge sighed. “Finally, some good news.”

“Although.” Omega added.

Rouge covered Shadow’s ears and then proceeded to say a series of very rude words that Omega could never repeat around Tails. The hybrid waved his hand at her once she was done, muttering something unhappily about not being a little kid.

“G.U.N. did visit them.” the robot said.

“And?” Rouge asked.

“And Sonic was very close to being on the wrong end of a Taser.”

A hint of gold flickered behind Shadow’s brown contacts. “They. Did. Not.”

“They did. But Tails rescued him, so do not destroy the room.” Omega informed him.

Chaos energy still sparked slightly between the hybrid’s fingers. “Who did it.”

Omega decided after a moment of thought that Shadow was unlikely to blow up the room or cause other serious damage and spoke. “A barn owl by the name of Agent Toya.”

“I knew her...she was always pretty quiet. And intense.” Rouge said. “I’d like to get you a meeting with her sometime.”

Shadow smirked darkly, before sighing and falling back onto the bed. “Ugh. I’m too tired to spear her right now.”

Rouge walked over to the window for a minute and looked out, before spinning back around, her eyes bright. “What we need-” she declared, pulling Shadow off the bed and grabbing Omega’s arm with her other hand- “is to go out to a park or something, grab some food, and make fun of all the rich people with their expensive condos and million-dollar handbags. We can listen in on all the hot gossip too. How’s that for an idea?”

Omega was pleased with this idea. “I will taunt all of the people who think they have nice cars. Ours are far superior to their puny vehicles.”

Shadow smirked. “Only if I get to have a lemon iced tea.”

“You could get literally anything and you choose lemon iced tea, but fine. I’ll grab lunch and get you your ye olde drinke while I’m at it, mister 50s.” Rouge rolled her eyes, but she was only joking and he knew it.

“Shut up.” he huffed, swatting at her as they walked out of the hotel.

Rouge cackled so hard she had to sit on Omega’s shoulder for a while to catch her breath. Once she was finished, she grinned down at him. “Feeling better?”

Shadow’s expression briefly darkened, and Rouge regretted saying anything. But then, he seemed to seriously consider her question. “Yeah.” he said quietly, allowing his mouth to twitch up into the faintest hint of a real smile. “Yeah, I am.”

#scars you can't see #sycs #team dark #shadow the hedgehog #rouge the bat #e 123 omega #i feel like this fic is 50% serious issues and 50% nice team dark interactions #does that come off as weird or ok? just curious #omega is very protective of his friends #on another note #when i started writing the first flashback i actually got a little apprehensive myself #it was...interesting.#sol’s fanfiction

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sweetsweetnathan · 3 years

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The Imperial Dialogues #4: A Report on the Witch of Doma

"To my friend Varis, Emperor of Garlemald,

I find it extremely unlikely that this letter will ever reach you. I write to you from the improbable location of another world called 'the First'. It is a place much like our own planet, but with a history even more deadly and tumultuous, if you can believe that.

The details of my arrival here are not important. I will tell you of my time in the First soon enough, but before that comes my reason for writing. I have been haunted by a memory for more than a year, and I would have it exorcised unto your judgment. Whether that be the judgment of an Emperor or the judgment of a man, that is not my choice to make. I have only to confess my sins.

You are likely familiar with the viceroy of Doma during the Garlean occupation of the same country: Yotsuyu goe Brutus. She was killed near the end of the occupation, after a Garlean diplomatic mission to Doma went seriously off the rails.

My intelligence tells me that Garlemald knows little of the circumstances behind the viceroy's death, except that she was killed by her brother Asahi. I write to tell you that is untrue. It is not a lie, simply a falsehood pieced together my misunderstanding the circumstances at hand. You see, no living Garlean was in the room at the time Yotsuyu was killed, and as such they can only guess as to what happened to her. But I can tell you exactly what happened.

The truth is, I killed Yotsuyu. And I would submit to you my full report on the matter of her death.

While I expect you know of Yotsuyu's position in your military, I do not expect you to know of her personhood. Did you know that she was a woman? Did you know that she hated her homeland, and took pleasure in seeing her people subjugated? And before you smirk and congratulate yourself for the profound cleverness it takes to expect such things: Did you know that she was sold into sexual slavery by her own family? Did you know that in the last day of her life, the only respite she found from her past a citizen of Doma was when she killed her parents and her brother?

And perhaps, Varis, you find yourself scoffing again. You, after all, have fought blood feuds with family members your whole life. And yet it is for that reason that Yotsuyu's story is remarkable to me. You see, blood feuds between siblings is generally a problem that only afflicts the ruling class of a nation. Whether it be by the divine right of royal inheritance, or the economic right to one's father's estate, only someone born into power need concern themselves with such consuming legacies as would have them kill their own brother.

That is all to say that Yotsuyu is one of the few people on this planet who can claim to stand in your mighty company, Varis, as brother killers.

But when vengeance ran its course through her body, it was not a royal inheritance or paternal estate that brought her low. It was me.

While the exact details of the situation are not terribly important, one thing you must know is that Yotsuyu had been turned into a Primal at the time I was forced to fight her. This is a detail that Garlean intelligence is unlikely to report, as very few who were privy to Yotsuyu's transformation lived to tell of it.

As you might imagine, I had help in dispatching her at this point. Capable though I may be, it was the Warrior of Light who shouldered a majority of the fight's burden. I have fought alongside the Warrior of Light before, even aiding her in dealing with other, lesser Primals. As trying as those battles are, spirits are always higher after them than before them. But not this time.

Something you should know about Primals is that they come into existence to fulfill a certain need. This can be the needs of nature, as with the elemental Primals of Titan and Ifrit. It can be a more complex idea, such as Lakshmi, a Primal of rebirth. In this case, Yotsuyu was a Primal that was meant to act as a bomb. Had she detonated, she would have taken all of Othard with her. She was Tsukuyomi, Primal of self-destruction.

There is something that only those in possession of the echo will be able to see, and even then they will only be able to see it in the presence of a wrathful Primal. In the vicinity of a Primal, reality is the Primal's plaything. All of what we perceive is essentially made of Aether, and Primals are beings borne of Aether. Within their domain they can deconstruct and reconstruct Aether at will. As such, the space a Primal occupies will become warped into an expression of that Primal's will. The Primal as a being and the Primal as the location it occupies will become one in the same. I call this effect an 'Aetheric Interference Field'. Understanding it is critical to understanding what happened to Yotsuyu.

I want to tell you what I saw when Yotsuyu, as the Primal Tsukuyomi, made with this power. I must tell you. I fear that if I carry the burden of this memory inside me for another day without sharing it, my heart may give out from the strain.

In the days leading up to her death, Yostuyu was taken care of and protected by an old samurai named Gosetsu. He was not a man I would expect one of your station to familiarize yourself with, Varis; he was a footsoldier. The kind of person that dies by the million when your army does so much as reposition itself. And very few people know it, but he is the reason why Doma is anything more than a smoking crater.

There was a moment during the fight where the power of the Primal Yotsuyu hosted seemed to leave her. She fell to the ground, an ordinary woman. But while Yotsuyu appeared as a normal person, the Aetheric Interference Field around us remained intact. The Warrior of Light and I found ourselves in the eye of a whirlwind. And from this whirlwind came shadows of Yotsuyu's past.

Her parents, recently murdered, emerged first. They were vengeful shades of their Yotsuyu's memories of them, driven by a hateful desire to punish Yotsuyu for the crime of existing. I expected them to attack me or the Warrior of Light. But instead, they attacked Yotsuyu.

How deeply rooted was this woman's hatred? Hatred for her family, hatred for her country, hatred for herself. When you contract an illness, you can feel where the illness afflicts your body. You can tell yourself 'I know whence the illness ends and my body begins'. In the eye of that hurricane, I think Yotsuyu lost her ability to separate her own hate out from that of the rest of the world. As such, the entire world became one blinding torrent of hate, out of which stepped vile monsters.

The Warrior of Light was the first to move, and I the second. We intercepted the shades and protected the Witch of Doma, for we knew not what else to do. But that was not the end of it. Next came a memory Asahi, more powerful than the ghosts of Yotsuyu's parents. In fact, he was more powerful than the real Asahi could possibly be. That is what indicated to me that these were not reanimated corpses or empowered mortals, but memories reconstructed in Aether.

As such, my heart sunk when I saw the last shade emerge from the storm: Zenos yae Galvus. A man I had fought many times before. Yet it was not a man who stood before me, but a shade of Yotsuyu's fear of that man, granted power by her perception of Zenos as an unstoppable force. Not even the combined might of the Warrior of Light and myself could affect this foe.

I thought it was over. I thought this shade of Zenos would strike down Yotsuyu, and in the process release the destructive power of Tsukuyomi, destroying Doma in the process. But I underestimated the strength of Yotsuyu.

From the very storm that borne Zenos' ghost unto our battle, a memory of Gosetsu leapt forth to protect Yotsuyu. I could not believe it. Was it the real Gosetsu? No, Gosetsu could never cross swords with Zenos and live. He was a memory, like the others, but not a hateful one. He was proof that there was kindness, patience, and forgiveness a world that had otherwise only shown Yotsuyu bitterness.

The Aetheric Interference Field brought us into Yotsuyu's heart, and there we witnessed the death throes of an oft-repeated battle: That between the absolution of hate, and the improbability of love.

Gosetsu and Zenos dueled until both lied dead. And with that, Tsukuyomi's power was expended.

I approached Yotsuyu after the battle ended. I had no illusions about saving Yotsuyu. She was far beyond anyone's healing magics. No, I wanted instead to bear witness to this woman's final moments.

She looked up at me and spoke her last words: 'What's the matter? The Witch of Doma will soon be dead."

More than a year has passed since that day, and still those words haunt me. You and I are soldiers, Varis. We know well that there is a line that you cross, and when you cross it you can't go back. It is a line between life and death. Between love and hate. Between damnation and salvation in one's own heart. It is crossed in the moment of accepting your death, and having death taken from you. It is crossed when one leans too heavily on a comrade who is not long for this world. Once you cross that line, you are no longer the person you were before. You lose faith in the meaning of your own struggles, and as such become cold to the warm feelings of this world. There is no cradle soft enough, nor embrace warm enough, to bring a person back from that despair.

But whatever lines you and I have crossed, we are in possession of a privilege that eludes most soldiers: We can still go home.

Yotsuyu has no such privilege. She was cruel, and evil, and hateful. But it did not have to be so. She was just a girl, not a soldier, yet still she crossed the line many years before she died. I can only hope that wherever she finds herself in the hereafter is a kinder place than where she was born. I hope it feels like home.

Thus concludes my report on the death of Yotsuyu goe Brutus.

-Captain Robyn Sawyer, Alliance Expeditionary Force"

[Hope you don't mind me invoking you again, @whitherliliesbloom]

#robyn sawyer #ffxiv #yotsuyu #illya skawi #varis zos galvus

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bitchapalooza · 4 years

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A quick story written at 2 AM. Just England and France having civil conversation before a meeting. Can't add the read more thing on mobile, sorry ^^

"Oh," England scanned the room until his eyes landed on a certain annoyance. The pompous blonde who gets a high off of snails and cheese stood at the conference door. Great. There goes his morning already. "Looks like I'm early for once. Not even Germany is here."

"Yeah," England shifted through papers. He pretended not to care when really he does. He surprised himself when he beat the morning traffic for once. France is as lucky as he is today it seems. "Unfortunately.You being here that is." He stated stiffly. France paid no mind for once. Just happy to have avoided the hell that is elevator traffic.

France scanned each seat for his name plate; looks like Switzerland was at the very front this time. Germany will no doubt ask to switch seats, claiming it to be because he wants to keep the order before it even gets out of control. But really he doesn't want to sit next to whomever he's sitting next to today. A valid reason when it's Romania he's sitting by; he sleeps during meetings, most times falling asleep on his neighbor and drooling on them worse than Veneziano or Greece ever could. Perhaps if England wasn't here, France could generously switch their name plates. But England is here. And he's most likely the one to have planned this arrangement out in the first place, what with him being the host and all. Whatever, France supposes. A problem to deal with when the time comes.

France found his seat parallel to England's. The chair cried under new weight. England shuffled his papers. France quickly accepted the fact he was going to be the only arrival for another ten, maybe twenty minutes tops. He fished his phone out, opening the Best Friends app to pass the time with some puzzles. The fun music began, filling the quiet conference hall.

"Do you ever wish to be human?"

France paused. He was about to begin a new level but the sudden inquiry caught his attention. As it would with anyone. He looked up. Sure enough, it was still only England as the other occupant in the room. Only now he was looking up, the papers loosely held with little interest. France looked over his shoulder. Left. Right. No one else was there for sure. Finally he pointed to himself.

England repeated his earlier question.

France was speechless. Speechless except for the simple question, "What?" England went back to the papers.

"Do you ever wish to be something more than an immortal being with an abnormal existence?" He asked again. His voice was so calm. So steady. He carried his voice across the room. There was confidence, sureness, in his quiry.

France shrugged. He sat back in the chair, it wailing as he did so. Lapping his leg over the other and folding his hands, resting them on his knee. What a peculiar question. "I suppose I have thought of it." He answered honestly. "Why do you ask exactly? ….is everything okay? Should I call one of your brothers to take your place today?"

England waved him off. "No need. I assure you I'm fine."

France locked his phone. The low volume of the game is now gone. "Then what is it?"

England was silent for a minute. It felt like hours. "Don't you ever wish to have had a normal childhood? Age like a normal being? Why— we are eligible for a senior discount by now!" England laughed hysterically. Then just as briefly, his face fell again. Serious. Straight. "...yet here we are in our early twenties. Have been for decades now."

Where was he going with this exactly?

"A life. A real life. I truly do wonder what it must feel like. To have a blood mother and father. Grow up. Have real consequences instead of the exceptions our governments give to us. Go to school. Get a degree. A career. Date. Have a spouse perhaps. ..Children. Then finally death." He shut his eyes as he rose his chin up to the ceiling in thought. "It must be such a weird sense of…. Nothing. To be dead permanently. No. More than nothing. Nonexistence. That is it. That is what they must feel after life. I'm sure of it."

"I don't know." France studied the island nation across from him. He was weirdly relaxed as he sat there talking about mortality of all things. "I think I may be the only one fit for this job."

England snorted. He turned his gaze back to his longtime companion and rival. "A bit narcissistic are we?"

France shook it off as he explained. "Even as a child I bore no lingering feelings of regret or empathy for what has transpired. For people and animals, empathy was always there. But I did not care about anything else. My choices. Their outcomes. Good or bad, all trivial to me. Call me what you may; a psychopath if the justifications are right. A jerk, sure. But I call that luck."

England rose a brow. "How is that lucky?"

"Because an immortal being with a fully functioning moral compass is eternal suffering. They forever linger on the past. But defines their past? A decade ago? A century? The beginning of their existence? They think— at any given point in time they think; 'should I have done this? Or that? Or nothing at all?' Morally gray. That is how I think of myself as. Despite the burning passion in my heart reserved only for my people. I would do absolutely nothing but good for my citizens."

"Am I morally gray?"

France shook his head immediately. No thought necessary. "Unlike me, you dwell on the past. Specifically your mistakes. You truly do try to mend what you have broken. You have a clear moral. No matter how misguided you are. You believe your choices have impact and therefore, these days, you think before you act. I, however, don't care about my choices. I 'go the flow', as they say. I don't much care."

"You don't?"

France shook his head again.

"Why not?"

"I am but one man. A man with the weight of a whole nation on my shoulders but even then my choices don't matter. I have a boss who makes my choices for me. Whatever I pick they tend not to listen."

"As a man, not the man of a whole country. Just. A man. My choices are insignificant. I buy a coffee and only drink half and waste the rest; what impact does that have on the universe?"

A minute of silence went by when England realized he was asking him the question. "I'm not sure—"

"Exactly." He said with a snap of his fingers. "If you aren't sure then how can I be sure?"

"The waste could impact the planet though. We live within the universe. We can't touch it. But our home is Earth. That we can. What if your choices cause harm to your home? Have you ever thought of that?" England proposed.

France thought. Then ultimately decided, "No."

"No what?"

"I haven't thought of that to be honest. I've been here so long, sometimes I forget Mother Earth is just as alive as the rest of us are."

Thick silence stretched between the two blondes. England busied his hands with the prepared flash drive and laptop. France merely sat there, staring blankly past England's head. Out the window into the vast gray sky….

"Hey guys!" America shouted, making his presence known as usual. He began rambling on and on about how bad London weather was, clearly eliciting a fight with his former charge for shits and giggles. Laughter and insults would soon fill the room. Going back to the usual, as France would think. And just as always, he would leave this conversation in the past. No longer to speak about it unless he deems it truly important enough. For now, he'll aid America in coming up with creative ways to describe the Brit's brows— Oh! The Browdy Bunch is a good one, Amérique!

#hetalia #hetalia fanfiction #writing #hetalia england #hetalia france

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things2mustdo · 4 years

Link

In a previous article I discussed the possibilities of increasing your safety online by using measures such as encryption, VPN and Tor. Nonetheless I did not cover all possibilities and most importantly it was a practical discussion rather than a theoretical one. This article will be a theoretical dissection of online anonymity tools and their weaknesses.

Why do people get caught despite using Tor? Can anyone be truly anonymous online ?

This article will be a summary of the work of Tom Ritter, presented at DEFCON 21, the annual hacker conference. His video presentation can be viewed here and the printed version of his article here.

While doing a great Job, Tom’s work is heavy on tech jargon and might confuse laymen. So I will summarize his work and explain the strengths and weaknesses of modern anonymity tools. His work was published in 2013, but remains relevant today as well.

In his work Tom talks about 4 anonymity technologies : SSL, Tor, Remailers and Shared Mailboxes. Let’s discuss them one by one.

SSL

SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer and is a common online security standard used by the likes of Facebook and other major websites. The way SSL works is that it creates an encrypted tunnel of communication between 2 parties so that third parties cannot read the messages they are sending to each other. Despite being secure on paper, it can be circumvented rather easily. To understand how, first we must talk about metadata.

Metadata

Metadata is data that describes other data. For example, library cards which hold the name of the book, its publishing date and its location in the library is a form of metadata. Metadata is also used in IT.

An example of metadata is the EXIF file in photos. When you take a photo with a camera you not only register the photo, but usually your device also adds extra info such as the date the photo was taken, the GPS location, phone brand, etc. and stores it in the photo file.

Other form of metadata is not registered but can be inferred. For example, someone created a program that can discover which parts of Google maps you are looking at based on the size of map tiles you are downloading.

When you are using SSL you are unwillingly lending third parties metadata which can lead to your discovery, particularly the time the message was sent and the size of your messages.

This allows for attackers to do something called a correlation attack.

Correlation attacks are primarily of 2 types : Time-based attacks and Size-based attacks

Time-based attack

In order to perform a time-based attack a party sends a message in an encrypted stream, then it looks at who receives the message. Since SSL communication is instantaneous, you can easily infer who is behind the SSL stream. The third party sends a message at 15:59 and whoever happens to get the message right afterwards must be the person they are looking for.

This type of attack was used against the person who dumped Stratfor mailpools. The way it worked is that government analyzed the time he was logging in on the internet and noticed it coincided with the time the person they suspected logged on to a secret chat through Tor. Not only that, rumor has it the government cut electricity to his house at a certain hour and noticed that the user of the secret chat logged out at the same time. The coincidences were too much, so he got caught.

Size-based attack

In order to perform a size-based attack, the third party sends a file of an unusual size, and then whoever receives the file must be the person they are looking for. Since most people on Facebook send small messages to each other, one only needs to send a very large message and see who happens to receive a message of that size afterwards.

As you can see correlation attacks render you vulnerable if you use SSL as your only line of defense. The reason is because the Third Party can not see WHAT you are sending, but they know that you ARE sending something, WHEN you do it and HOW BIG is the file.

Ideally they should not even know you are communicating with anything at all. So, let’s see what other technologies have to offer.

Tor

Tor is a custom browser based on Firefox with extensions that works on the principle of connecting to a few nodes so that when you look at a website the only thing the website can see is the last node you traveled through and on the opposite side your ISP (Internet Service Provider ) can only see your first node, not the whole route.

This is already getting better. However it does not add that much anonymity since now third parties do not know WHO is communicating, but they can still see that it DOES happen, WHEN it happens and HOW BIG the size of messages are.

Not only that, but there are known vulnerabilities, particularly of 3 types.

You are viewing a website in the country you are in.

This allows advanced opponents calculate that it was YOU who was using Tor. It is difficult, but not impossible. This is bad news since a lot of people from US view websites stored in US. And so do dissidents from China or Iran.

Every single node you pass through is compromised

In my previous article I mentioned that the government can set up Tor nodes that they monitor. But to successfully pull an attack they would have to monitor EVERY node you go through.

This requires NWO level trickery, but again, we already have examples of this happening already with VPN agreements. Countries in the Anglosphere have an agreement to give away information regarding VPN usage by suspects from respective countries. This agreements is called Five Eyes. I wouldn’t be surprised if a similar thing is organized regarding Tor nodes.

Passive traffic analysis

Although not mentioned by Ritter in his presentation, it is common knowledge that an opponent with a lot of resources, mostly governments, could analyze the whole network and correlate patterns to discover who is viewing a certain website or communicating with someone.

To give an analogy, it would be like the police heavily patrolling every single street in a city and every single car , so that even if your car had fake plates they could notice patterns and discover its owner.

The problem is, this approach can create false positives, with a 10% chance of error, which is why these analyses are not accepted in court as proof. But you can rest sure if such an analysis points to you, you will be put under further investigation and it only gets worse from there.

So what can be used to further aid us ?

Remailers

Remailers are an interesting concept. The way they work is that people pool their mail messages on a server, after which some time passes and all mails are sent simultaneously at the same time.

This is supposed to protect from Time and Size based correlation attacks.

The problem here is that it still allows third parties to see that you ARE sending a message, WHEN you sent it and HOW BIG it was. But they can’t see the other end. For the receiver, he has the same problem. Third parties can’t know WHO he got the message from, but they can still see WHEN he receives it from the remailer and HOW BIG it is.

On top of that, for Remailers to work lots of people have to use them at the same time. Otherwise if there are few users, an enemy can still use size-based correlation attacks.

It’s hard to use size-based attacks when thousands of people are sending messages of various sizes, but if only three people at one time are using a Remailer, then it is very easy to do a size-based attack.

Shared mailbox

Shared mailboxes are the most out-of-the-box anonymous solution.

The way a shared mailbox works is that users share a mailbox. They cannot delete messages from it, but can only add encrypted messages to it. And when they want to check if they received a message they download all messages and use their key and try to decrypt the header of all of them and see if any of the messages belong to him.

It is a resource-tedious process, but it offers a great payoff. For the receiver this is great because when he downloads the whole mailbox third parties can’t know if he received a message, maybe he did, or maybe he didn’t. For the sender however, the equation stays the same as before.

This is for the moment the most powerful anonymity solution out there. However it has a few issues. In order to use alt.anonymous.message (the shared inbox) you need to have some degree of technical skill, and user inexperience leads to issues.

In order to be easier to use alt.anonymous.message allows the use of nymservers. Nymservers act as regular mail addresses, which when sent to, automatically post them to alt.anonymous.message .

There are however issues with AAM and Nymservers.

1. Poor network diversity

The number one issue is there are currently two main node operators: Zax and Dizzum, which are responsible for the trafficking of messages to alt.anonymous.message. If both were to retire or be arrested it would the death of alt.anonymous.message. As you can see, network diversity is horrible.

2. Poor encryption used on messages

Another issue is the type of encryption used. Some messages used the outdated MD5 encryption standard which is easy to crack.

Also, the title of messages are encrypted less strongly in order to be able to determine quickly which belong to you and which don’t. Subjects can be encrypted using either hsubs or esubs. Esubs is an older and stronger standard, but hsubs have grown in popularity in recent years.

3. Pattern analysis due to use of same subject line and same remailers

A lot of messages use the same subject over and over, people tend to reply to a particular subject. On top of that most people also usually use the same remailer over and over, you can start noticing communication patterns :

4. Custom Remailer command errors

There are different type of remailers. The old school one was called Type 1 and lives on in the protocol of Mixmaster. It allows a lot of customizing options for the header. The users often screwed up the name of the command, which ended in the title of a message.

For example if you write “X-No-Archive Hello Friend” it would turn into “Hello Friend” and the X-No-archive would be interpreted as a command to not archive. But if you wrote “no-archive-x Hello Friend” you messed up so the title would become “no-archive-x Hello Friend”. If you do this multiple times, you would be identified as a unique user since your titles would all contain “no-archive-x” or uncapitalized “x-no-archive” or whatever other combination of mispelled commands you use.

Since most people used the same commands over and over and did the same mistakes they became quickly identifiable as unique users.

5. Imperfect Remailers

There are different types of remailers. Currently there are two types of remailers in use, MixMaster and MixMinion. MixMinion has certain advantages over MixMaster. But both suffer from certain problems.

6. Nymservers which do not protect from size-based correlation attacks

Nymservers themselves have problems. Zax’s Nymserver is instantaneous which allows for size-based correlation attacks. However even Type 1 Nymservers (older ones) which are not always instantaneous still allow for size-based correlation attacks given a bit of perspicacity.

Therefore we identified main issues with AAM (alt.anonymous.message):

1) Giving users options allows for segregation and profiling 2) Some encryption is weak 3) It can be complicated to use and allows for beginner mistakes 4) Weak network diversity

Nonetheless, Ritter identified the most secure way of using AAM :

1) Use a strong passphrase and hsub 2) Use Type 3 PGP packet (Key Stretching) 3) Use Remailers 4) Do not use extra headers or options

The issue here is that if you do it properly you will still be part of a small community of people doing so (around 500 – 1500 people), which will make you looks suspicious and will cause the government to look closer into you and maybe add you to a database.

Solutions of the future

Pynchon gate

Pynchon Gate is a project meant to replace shared mailboxes. It uses Private Information Retrieval. It exposes less meta-data, scales better and resists flooding and size-based attacks. However it is currently work in progress

Improved Remailers

MixMinion is currently the best remailer protocol and as such should be used as a basis for future improvement. Planned improvements include things such as improving TLS settings and moving to a new packet format.

What is currently lacking

As of right now, what is lacking is some tech that could be used to anonymously share large files. AAM and such are low bandwidth, which means it can only be used to share small files like text messages.

A new service needs to be created to cover this niche. In the words of Tom Ritter :

But what I keep coming back to is the fact that we have no anonymity network that is high bandwidth, high latency. We have no anonymity network that would have let someone securely share the Collateral Murder video, without Wikileaks being their proxy. You can’t take a video of corruption or police brutality, and post it anonymously.

Now I hear you arguing with me in your heads: Use Tor and upload it to Youtube. No, youtube will take it down. Use Tor and upload it to MEGA, or some site that will fight fradulent takedown notices. Okay, but now you’re relying on the good graces of some third party. A third party that is known to host the video, and can be sued. Wikileaks was the last organization that was willing to take on that legal fight, and now they are no longer in the business of hosting content for normal people.

And you can say Hidden Service and I’ll point to size-based traffic analysis and confirmation attacks that come with a low-latency network, never mind Ralf-Phillip Weinmen’s amazing work the other month that really killed Hidden Services. We can go on and on like this, but I hope you’ll at least concede the point that what you are coming up with are work-arounds for a problem that we lack a good solution to.

Conclusions

As we can see true anonymity online is non-existent. At the very least, third parties can collect meta-data on you and use correlation attacks, when ideally they shouldn’t even know you are communicating at all. Moreover, even strong anonymity tools like Tor have shown to have known vulnerabilities.

However, what matters is not whether something is vulnerable in theory, but rather does it keep you safe in practice? And so far, the tools we have at our disposal are pretty powerful.

As I have mentioned in my previous article, using TailsOS off a flash stick in a public wi-fi area with no cameras + VPN/Tor seems to be the best solution for now.

The testament to the power of anonymity tools is that pedophile rings and drug dealers have managed to escape persecution by multiple world governments to this day using them.

And that’s what I will talk about in my next article. We will analyze the electronic operational security of pedophile rings and how one infamous one managed to escape unscathed after years of being searched. Stay tuned.

Read More: 12 Ways To Increase Your Anonymity And Security Online

#tor

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thirdmagic · 4 years

Text

i was going through some files and stuff and found a profile and my room lines for an older david alt i wrote up around two years ago, and i read it over and decided that i still like it so i’m going to dump this here and run away

My Room Lines

1 There is only one, in this world or any other, who I truly serve. Oh, but don't take this to mean you don't have my full cooperation. Rather, it would be more suitable for you to treat me as I were a general in your army, or a military advisor, more than a Servant. I would be more useful to you this way, rather than a single individual solider.'

2 For you, the leader of your army, to be staying in your room, bored, while your troops go off to work and make war... Master, such situations never lead to anything good, you know? It's a terrible waste of valuable time. Come, now, let's be off. There is a great deal to be done.

3 This is quite the role reversal for me, actually. You're like me in life; the head of a great and powerful army, and me, a soldier in the midst of the battlefield that you survey. It seems I've taken the role of your Joab, in fact... perhaps in the end I'm really meant to serve much more than to lead.

4 I will serve you, of course, to the best of my abilities. But I have no intent to stay silent, or go along with it blindly, if you act incorrectly. ... Of course, I do not expect you to act flawlessly at all times, either-- in your position, one often has to make difficult choices. Just keep it in mind.

5 (Archer David) Yes, yes, I know that other me is here. Please, don't remind me. Honestly... what's he doing, that stupid old man? Running around in the body of our younger self... does he miss our youth so much he's trying to recreate it? Delusional old pervert, that's what he is... don't trust him, Master. That he is a useless, frivolous slacker makes him seem harmless, but he's much worse! He's cunning and duplicitous and-- why are you laughing?

6 (Sheba) Ah, this woman-- I know of her. As a fellow monarch like her, and her rival, I respect her. As Solomon's father, I am wary of her, and hope she did not lead his heart astray. There will be some time before I can accept her into the family. Though, that said, if this is any indication of his taste in women-- well, now! Not bad at all.

7 (Avicebron) A great poet and philosopher, and a wise man. But one whose soul was deeply troubled, and who struggles with actions that have soiled his hands. But I won't disrespect him with my pity. All I can say is that I understand. True wisdom, after all, brings the heart a great deal of trouble.

(Bonus: I wrote this profile way before Atlantis/Olympus happened so I guess these don’t really work now but)

8 (Solomon) ... Master. For both our sakes. Please, do not urge me any more to talk to the boy. I realize you mean well, but nothing good will come of it. More than for myself, I've no doubt he'd rather I keep my distance. There is no room for me to interfere in his new life. -- And that's all I have to say on this topic.

9 (Goetia) So this is the... ah, creature? Who possessed my son's body and went around doing all sorts of undignified things in it to ruin his reputation... Hm? Why am I not angry over the attempted incineration of humanity? Well, I'm a little cross over that, but as long as he understands and takes responsibility for these actions, it's fine. It's not for me to judge him. But the other thing is just disrespectful and irresponsible! To mar Solomon's good name with actions he didn't even commit!

Likes Good food, good drink, and a warm, comfortable bed. Even though I am a spirit now who has no need of them, it's such simple, physical needs that are all I need to be satisfied. ... Oh, what other physical needs I enjoy? Haha! Now, that's something I'll tell you about when you're older.

Dislikes There once was a certain man who served me. A skilled and strong warrior whose resourcefulness and cunning I relied upon, and he, giving in to his bloodlust and self-interest, had betrayed me. You do not need to know the details, but I cannot and will never forgive him, and so, swear you one thing: that I will never act towards you as he did towards me.

Holy Grail I have no single wish, but I do have things I desire. None of these are things I would ever ask of the Grail, however. Many of these things are... just daydreams, and the rest are meaningless if I don't achieve them on my own.

Event I've heard that you've landed upon a rare opportunity; don't waste it. We must go see to it at once, Master.

Summon Ruler-Class Servant, David. I have answered your summons. Now, then, we have no time to waste. You have an important task ahead of you, and my intent is to ensure it comes to completion.

Bond

1 Hm. You're a fair bit more young than what I'd expected of the last remaining Master tasked with the world's salvation... I mean, in this era, it's unusual for people your age to take upon such heavily responsibilities, isn't it? Yes, you clearly require all the assistance I can provide.

2 You know, even if I was a king in life, you needn't treat me now as if that were still the case. After all, I have no country to rule over. Before I am a king and before I am a heroic spirit, I am a mere instrument of the Lord's will. And now, I fulfill my duty in this world by aiding in your cause.

3 You're like me, aren't you, Master? A young person, perfectly average, perfectly humble, thrust into the hands of destiny and put into an overwhelming role of massive responsibility. I said you're young, but truth is... I misjudged you. Whatever child you were once is gone. When I look at you, I see the eyes of a soldier, one worthy of being called a true warrior. How do you feel about it, I wonder? Are you angry? Sad? Frustrated? Does it pain you? I see you keep fighting, but is it with reluctance, or do you humbly accept that responsibility and put personal feelings aside, whatever they may be?

4 I apologize for my callous remarks earlier, Master. Oh, don't misunderstand me. I meant what I said. But I should not have been so callous and spoken so freely, and-- well, maybe I was really thinking of myself more than you. But what I said of you as a soldier and a warrior was the truth. You should take pride in your journey and all you've done to this point. As a Master, you have nothing but my respect and loyalty.

5 Master, do you know what makes a Ruler, in this system? Not simply a saint. An impartial, just person who can cast true judgment and perform their duty with no personal desires to get in the way. Don't you find it strange? To cast in this role a hedonistic king such as I, I who have fallen to my personal desires at the expense of my duty? And yet the generations after me, the world itself, all depict me as a righteous and pure man, an impartial judge. That is the man is who they all know me as. It's ironic. It's so ironic I don't know if to laugh or cry. But you know, I should like to do my best to be this sort of person, if I am to honor my descendants as they have honored me.

Profile

Default King David prefers to be summoned in the form of the young shepherd he was when he defeated Goliath, but here he's been summoned from the prime of his life the King of Israel. A great and powerful king who has brought about peace and prosperity through years of conquest and war, he has accomplished much within his reign.

Bond 1 Height & Weight: idk, taller than archer david, less twinky though, higher weight too Series: FGO original Source: The Bible Region: Israel Alignment: Lawful Neutral Gender: Male The skill 'Harp Of Healing' has been lost permanently in this form.

Bond 2

A brutal warrior and an eloquent poet. A just idealist, and a ruthless, coldblooded pragmatist. A dutiful king, devoted to God above all else, and yet a hedonist weak to material comforts and attractive women. A shrewd and cunning businessman who's always attentive to all goings-on around him, and an unfocused slacker who would happily spend all day up to afternoon lazing off in bed. Such is the sort King that the shepherd boy David became; a man full of many such contradictory traits coexisting within him. The earnest shepherd boy who defeated Goliath has since matured and wizened into an experienced warrior and become a true king, and with it, it seems as if his heart has hardened. His personality is aloof and distant, and rarely does he show anything of the carefree, friendly shepherd he prefers to be summoned as.

Bond 3

Among David's many actions as king, one of the most famous would be the incident of his adultery with Bathsheba, wife of Uriah of Hittite.

In order to cover up their affair and Bathsheba's resulting pregnancy, David attempted to persuade Uriah to lay with her again after returning from war. Upon failing, he would order his men to leave Uriah behind to be killed in the battlefield.

For this crime, David's family would have a divine curse placed upon it. Much of his later life would be marked by tragedy.

The child Bathsheba conceived from their affair died after only a few days, and his son Amnon would sexually assault his half-sister Tamar. In revenge, Tamar's full brother Absalom would conspire with his fellows to kill Amnon, and this act would have him be exiled by David in his grief.

He would return only to lead a rebellion and attempt to usurp the crown, which drove his father out with his armies for three years, and in the final battle to retake the throne, he was killed by Joab, the commander of David's army and his right hand man, against David's explicit orders to spare him.

Bond 4

The Lord's Anointed A

A form of Charisma that applies the skill of Divine Protection towards the leader's army and allies. The skill of Divine Protection has been lost to this David when he had a divine curse placed upon him, but in exchange the protection can be applied to all allies outside of his blood family.

Curse On The House Of David EX

A crystallization of the curse placed upon David's family line directly by God. An embodiment of the path of bloodshed that has led to much success and victory as a ruler, yet a great deal of personal loss. The Servant container allows him to re-purpose this curse into a lethal weapon; the amount of power it grants him correlates to the damage it also automatically inflicts upon him, though the limit is that it cannot exceed what he himself cannot survive and it will ensure to keep him alive.

David himself, for his part, does not consider the self-inflicted damage neither penance nor some form of terrible suffering; rather, he stoically accepts it as a natural, unavoidable consequence.

Bond 5

Sacrifice NP description, too lazy to copypaste

Interlude

It's impossible to get any true answers about his feelings on the best of times. He finds is as difficult to understand his own heart as he does the hearts of others, and any moment he allows himself to be truly open only ever comes on his own choice and his own terms, often with great reluctance even then. Any question of his feelings that he does not want to speak of will be met with a distant, emotionless non-answer through which only a little bit of the truth slips through the cracks.

But it perhaps speaks of a certain immaturity still remaining that he is quick to express his emotions very openly and loudly the moment he does choose to open up. In spite of how he looks, he's actually very earnest and sensitive, and cries easily when upset. He'll talk about his feelings very beautifully and poetically in the heat of the moment, and afterwards go right back to closing himself off completely again and pretend nothing happened.

This all makes him sound terribly troublesome, but he's a loyal, dedicated Servant to any Master he finds worthy. It's not difficult to win his appreciation and respect so long as the Master is genuine and does their best to be righteous-- it's his full trust that's another matter entirely.

#fgo tag #the sword shall not swerve #thinky thoughts

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madamichaicha · 4 years

Text

A Lesson In Restraint - Chapter 2 (KakaSaku)

It had been ten months. Ten long, angst-filled months of tension since they had returned from their mission in Amegakure. Tsunade had needed a kunoichi to pose as a sex slave in an underground fetish trade show. Apparently a wealthy landowner from Grass Country had started forcing his residents to pay ridiculous taxes to sponsor his weekly trips and expensive taste in exotic and submissive women.

If his tenants refused to pay, he would kill them on the spot. After receiving pleas of help from escaping villagers, Tsunade informed Sakura, whose looks were bound to catch his eye, of her new mission. She would exploit his weakness, luring him in with her womanly ways, distracting him long enough for Kakashi to make his move.

Sakura remembered Tsunade's only concern was whether she could actually pull off looking and acting the part of a slave, clearly doubting the word “submissive” even existed in her vocabulary. But they both knew a certain someone who had a taste for the peculiar and perverted, and was perfect for training such a newbie. That was how their mission between them began, once again as teacher and student.

Only this time, it was different. They were both consenting adults... and the dynamics between them had drastically changed. This entire mission had changed Sakura, leaving her wanting more. But she was stuck. They swore on their way home they would never speak of this mission again, and at the time she agreed with her older teammate, knowing it was probably for the best. But over the next ten months, she couldn't get passed the road block their vow of silence had created. She needed to talk with Kakashi, but he made himself scarce and unavailable, and thus the frustrating cycle continued.

As the loud voices of the bar pulled her back into the here and now, Sakura shook her head, clearing her thoughts and memories as she eyed her silent teammate beside her, noting his nonchalant demeanor.

"I'm sorry" Sakura sighed, finishing off her drink and ordering another one, loving the liquid courage coursing through her veins allowing her to speak honestly.

"Sorry for what?" Kakashi questioned hesitantly, raising his eyebrow in suspicion.

"Sorry for whatever I did to piss you off…that's why you're avoiding me, right?"

"I'm not avoiding you, I've just been… busy."

"Busy avoiding me. Please don't act like everything's fine between us, not after-"

"Sakura…we both agreed that when the mission was over, we wouldn't let anything change. You know as well as I do that what happened between us was just a natural side effect of the training I was putting you through…nothing more" Kakashi stated flatly.

"Is that the truth?" Sakura questioned quietly, looking at him under a curious brow, "Is there really nothing more?"

Kakashi averted his exposed eye, clearing his throat as he shifted in his seat once again. He wasn't sure which aspect made him more uncomfortable, the fact that drunk Sakura was being overly honest, or the fact that her honesty was making him recall thoughts he should not be entertaining…in public…with the object of his lustful desires currently rubbing her hand on his thigh.

Standing up, his panicked mind kicked into overdrive as he grabbed her by the wrist that was atop his leg, and drug her out of the bar, threading through the throngs of people effortlessly as they slipped out the entrance and into the adjacent alley.

Pushing her against the wall, and into the shadows, they stood awkwardly close, hiding from the moonlight and nosy passers-by. Before she could speak, Kakashi threw his hand up, in an attempt to silence her outburst as his other hand pinched at the bridge of his nose in frustration.

While he stood thinking of the best way to phrase his next statement, Kakashi felt Sakura grab his raised hand, her soft hands pulling his fingers up to her face. As he looked up at her, timid eyes of green stared back at him as she tenderly placed her lips upon the bandaged finger kissing it lightly, letting her healing glow of chakra flow from her pursed lips into his skin.

The cool buzz from their chakra connection sent the sharpest of shivers down the silver-haired jonin's back, causing him to stand up a little straighter at the sudden contact. Exhaling deeply, Kakashi let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as he pulled his hand from her grasp. Remaining unfazed, Sakura slowly stepped towards him, her eyes never leaving his, pleading him to accept her. But as she made her way to him, he backed away, shaking his head in disapproval. Sighing as his eye found hers momentarily, his shoulders slumped as he felt his resolve begin to crumble.

"Don't follow me" Kakashi stated flatly and firmly before vanishing in a whirlwind of leaves.

Sighing aloud, Sakura leaned back against the brick wall behind her, swallowing the words that never left her mouth. Feeling defeated and disappointed, she lowered her head, squeezing her eyes shut tight as if to fight away the tears, but the tears didn't fall for him, they fell for her. She had long since been acquainted with the feeling of never being good enough. Even in the beginning, she knew she would never be as great of a shinobi as the others in Team 7, but the constant rejection from her ex-sensei was starting to take its toll on her.

Was she still not good enough for him?

After their mission together, things had changed between them, there was no denying that. Try as they might, every time they touched, the electricity between them was still just as powerful, even when it came to routine first-aid after each of Kakashi's missions. The only difference was that Sakura was the only one who acknowledged the fact, and was willing to act on it. And each time she did, Kakashi pushed her further away.

"Why?…why does he still push me away?" she mumbled under her breath, her hands coming up to bury her face as she silently cried.

"What the fuck was that all about?" a dark voice beckoned from the corner of the alleyway.

Snapping her head up, Sakura paled as she saw Sasuke step into the light. As he made his way towards her, she quickly wiped away the tears that pooled in the corners of her eyes, hoping he hadn't heard her embarrassing rejection from their former sensei. Standing in front of her now, Sakura could tell he was seething, the anger emanating from his disapproving stare. As she stood there speechless and silently trying to avoid the upcoming conversation, she shrugged, feigning ignorance as she pushed off the wall and stood on her own.

"Oh…you know me, I get overly emotional when I drink too mu-"

"Cut the bullshit, Sakura. I saw him drag you out here. It offends me that you didn't even notice your own boyfriend inside the same bar as you. Seriously, what do you take me for?!" Sasuke blurted out through a tight lipped snarl.

Caught off guard by his abrupt anger, Sakura stared at him, scared and confused. As she digested what he had just said, her eyes roamed about his face, giving her mind time to form the words to explain their behavior.

"B-boyfriend? But…we aren't even dating!" she stammered before fighting the urge to burst into wild laughter.

"Of course we are!" Sasuke confirmed loudly as he slammed both hands on the wall behind her, trapping her between his arms.

His outburst was the last straw, she could no longer hold it in. Sakura threw her head back, laughing uproariously, the ridiculousness of the situation setting in. Slapping her knee as she continued to chuckle, she could hear the Uchiha growling as he watched her drunken giggle fit.

"What exactly are you laughing at? Do I amuse you?" Sasuke questioned tersely, his patience growing thin with the pink haired kunoichi.

"Pfft…Y-yes! Yes, you certainly do! 'Boyfriend' HA! Sasuke…we only had lunch together, and now you think we're dating?! If that's not funny, I don't know what is!"

"Don't play games with me, Sakura…I know you've been in love with me for years…I know you want me!"

Without warning, Sasuke crashed his lips down against hers roughly, pressing himself against her body, trapping her between him and the wall. As she immediately pushed against his shoulders, trying to stop the kiss, he grabbed her arms and forced them back against the bricks with a painful thud. Yelping in surprise as her wrists stung from the force of hitting the wall, Sasuke stole the opportunity to deepen the kiss, forcing his tongue inside her mouth with sloppy, urgent fervor.

Refusing to let Sasuke continue to tongue rape her, Sakura fought through the discomfort and summoned enough chakra to her hands as she pushed the uncouth Uchiha off her, sending him flying into the opposite wall of the alleyway. As Sasuke hit the wall behind him and slumped down into the street, she crouched before him, a look of disgust written on her face as she eyed him with disdain.

"I may have been in love with you, but that was a long time ago…I'm afraid you missed your chance, little man. Actually, I'm not even sure you stood a chance. As if I would ever love someone who hated and ignored me" Sakura chimed victoriously over his crumpled form.

"Oh really?" Sasuke coughed, "So based on your logic, I suppose it's safe to say that you wouldn't love that old man, either… seemed like he left you high and dry."

With his words, her face twisted in anger, her leg winding back before it connected with his body, effectively kicking him square in the balls.

"Listen up you Uchiha-BAKA! He may have left me…but I certainly wasn't dry."

Shaking out her hair, and calming herself after her less than lady-like outburst, Sakura shook away her nerves as she turned on her heel, cracking her knuckles as she began to walk away. Satisfied with the sounds of his gasps and grunts through random expletives, Sakura marched away proudly, smile in tow.

Good riddance.

"Face it, Sakura…he's not into you. That man-whore will fuck anyone, hell, he's got quite the record I hear, yet he wants nothing to do with you. If he won't fuck you, I'm not sure you'll find anyone who will. Well, besides me, but I'm pretty sure you just burned that bridge, baby. After all these years, you're still the same annoying bitch."

The moment she heard him speak, she had stopped dead in her tracks. She told herself that listening to Sasuke would be like drinking poison, the words eating away at her and driving her mad, but she had to hear him out. And as the tears threatened to roll down her face, she knew he was right. She wasn't angry with him anymore, because he had only said aloud what she had been saying to herself all along.

She had heard the rumors about Kakashi's extensive track record. It was common gossip around the village that Hatake Kakashi was not only a man of a thousand jutsu's, but also a man of a thousand broken hearts. It was silly of her to think that things between them might be different. If it was sex he was after, he could have had her in every way possible, at least twice…but he hadn't. Throughout their entire mission, not once had he penetrated her, made love to her, or fucked her in the various ways she had imagined he could.

She had bared it all on that mission in Ame, she had done things she never thought she would do. Kakashi had opened her eyes to a slew of new feelings and experiences she was more than eager to explore, but upon their arrival back in Konoha, he had made it abundantly clear that he wanted nothing to do with her. Business was just that, business.

Needless to say, she was disappointed in herself and the way she had let their acting manifest real emotions within her, so much so that she could no longer tell what was real from what was fake. Her gut was telling her that their chemistry was undeniable, that the way he looked at her so hungrily was real, but her head was filling her mind with harsh truths about the ninja way and how much of a silly girl with a crush she was being.

Standing there, her head throbbing, her eyes bloodshot, and her heart broken, Sakura gathered the courage and strength to run. She wanted more than anything to run straight home and bury herself under the covers and sleep for days, but as she was about to take off, a familiar voice called out to her.

"Stop right there."

She knew that voice, she'd know that voice anywhere, for it was the one that haunted her day and night. It was his voice.

Kakashi's voice.

Turning slowly around to face the voice that called out to her, she swallowed as she saw Kakashi holding Sasuke by his throat up against the wall, his toes barely able to touch the ground.

"Apologize!" he ordered, only receiving a smug smile in return.

"APOLOGIZE TO HER. NOW."

"Make me, old man" Sasuke sputtered as he freed himself from Kakashi's hold administering a swift kick to his chest, pulling out a kunai to defend himself.

“Don't even think about it, Sasuke” Kakashi warned “You're on thin ice as it is being back in this village after what you've done. You so much as lift a finger to strike me, I'll have you thrown in jail for the rest of your life.”

Growling, Sasuke, tucked his weapon away. He hated losing to this bastard, but he damn sure didn't want to go to jail over someone like Sakura.

"Apologize for what you said, and then just admit you're using her!"

"What are you, her father?" Sasuke grumbled.

“Just do it, and you won't go to jail, smart-ass.”

“Whatever, fine. Sorry.”

“And...?”

"And I was using you, Sakura… just not in the way you might think."

Satisfied with his apology for the moment, Kakashi took his place beside the silent kunoichi.

Looking at her now, Kakashi knew it was all worth it, her tear stained cheeks had already begun to dry.

"Wait. What does that mean?" Sakura questioned, confused by Sasuke's phrasing.

"Well, not that it's any of your business, I was just using you to find out a few things about myself. It's been weird ever since I returned to the village, and being with Naruto all the time has started making me doubt…certain things. So I figured I would try dating, and I knew you liked me, so it made sense at the time" Sasuke explained as he steadied himself on his feet.

"What? What are you even talking ab- Oh! Oooooooh my god…don't tell me" Sakura beamed with sudden realization.

"DON'T say it!" Sasuke cut in heatedly. "I was only experimenting…to be sure!" "And…?" Sakura prodded as she waited impatiently for his answer.

"…"

"You totally love Naru-"

"Shut it!" Sasuke exclaimed as he began to blush.

Sensing it was time to go, Sasuke made both of them swear to uphold his secret so he could tell the dobe himself. And as he jumped up to the rooftops, vanishing quickly, Sakura was made aware of the tense atmosphere between her and Kakashi in his absence. Wishing to fill the silence, Sakura looked upon Kakashi with a lifted and curious brow as she stepped towards him.

"Thank you for standing up for me…but why did you come back?" she questioned, cracking a slight smile.

"No thanks needed, he was way out of line, that brat. And I….uh…"

"Yeah?"

"I came back…for you" Kakashi confessed tentatively.

"When I had made it home, I realized something. I have been on edge and irritable these last few months. For a while I thought it was just me being cranky and overworked, but that's when I realized I haven't exactly been with anyone in a while."

"Oh, great! So you just came back because you were horny? Honestly, you could hav-"

Before Sakura could finish her sentence, Kakashi had slid his mask down and grabbed her behind the neck, pulling her into him as he kissed her heatedly with want and all the built up tension they had stored between them. Melting into his body, Sakura returned the kiss with equal fervor, gasping as she felt the light flick of his tongue as it glided across her bottom lip. Opening up for him, Sakura allowed him entry, welcoming his warm muscle as it danced with hers.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him against her as she hummed in appreciation, feeling his hands caress the sides of her neck, his thumb grazing along her jawline. Breaking the kiss for air, they looked each other over with an added sense of understanding as their desire still lingered in the air between them. Sakura openly gawking at the sight of his face for the first time, her eyes fixed on his perfect skin and debonair smile. She knew he had to be good looking, she just wasn't prepared for downright handsome. Chuckling at her blatant staring, a warm smile spread across his face, a smile that made her knees weak.

"I came back because I was tired of denying myself the only thing I have wanted for the last year. What can I say? You drive a hard bargain. It was damn near impossible for me to say no to you one more time" Kakashi admitted as his fingers caressed her cheek lovingly.

"Ever since that first lesson, I have thought of you…and only you. Trust me, I have tried to get you out of my head, but I'm afraid you left a far bigger impression on me than I intended…and I just had to be sure that what you felt was genuine, and not a side effect of the mission."

Giving him the answer he was looking for, Sakura kissed him again, her hands fisting in his hair as if to pull him closer against her. His own hands smoothing down her sides and around to the the small of her back, where they made the signs for his teleportation jutsu. As she broke the kiss, Sakura looked around, noting the newly changed surroundings as they stumbled into the dark foyer of Kakashi's apartment.

Without warning, Kakashi yanked her tiny black skirt down, allowing him to lift the unsuspecting kunoichi up, wrapping her legs around his waist. Pushing her up against the wall, they were once again a flurry of tongues and teeth as they all but consumed each other, hungry for more. After slipping his headband off, Sakura hurriedly unzipped his flak jacket before pulling it down over his shoulders as he shirked it off, throwing it somewhere into the dark room. As he kissed down her neck, Kakashi grabbed the zipper of her black crop top between his teeth as he freed her breasts from their confines. Taking in the sight of her, his mouth was upon her once again, leaving a wet trail of kisses down the valley between her perky breasts. Taking a pink bud between his lips, his tongue flicked over the nipple teasingly before closing around it completely, sucking gently at her flesh.

He groaned against her chest, loving the soft mewls and moans that filled his ear. A hand coming up to pinch the neglected nipple between his fingers, Kakashi worked Sakura into a frenzy as she squirmed against his body, gasping as she felt his arousal rub against her bundle of nerves through the thin layer of cloth her panties offered. Caught in a landslide of sensations, Sakura found herself rocking her hips against his, her body once again responding on its own.

Lost was she, as she cooed and whimpered, Kakashi's tongue working her over, his teeth scraping across her skin as he nibbled on her breasts, feeding her flames.

"God Sakura, I want you so bad” Kakashi whispered against her ear, his head nuzzling into the crook of her neck, “You have no idea how difficult it was for me on that mission… not being able to give you what I think we both wanted the entire time"

"Difficult for you?" Sakura chuckled, her arms wrapping around his neck, "I'm the one who was actually being tortured."

"Yes, but I couldn't stand doing that to you now… I can't wait any longer" Kakashi growled, pushing off the wall and walking back into the bedroom.

Yelping as they fell backwards onto the bed, Sakura pulled Kakashi's face down, kissing him again as her hands hurriedly removed her shirt and began ripping at the buttons on his. Sloughing off his shirt, Kakashi sat up and took in the view. Sakura was sprawled out beneath him, that same look on her face he recognized from the mirror that day. Lips parted, eyes hazy... oh how many times that reflection haunted him over the months since their return.

Slowly, he bent down, his fingers hooking the waistline of her panties, peeling them off of her. In her shyness, Sakura found herself needlessly trying to hide her most intimate of areas, Kakashi gripping onto her knees, parting them as he settled between her legs.

"Oh no you don't. There is no need to be coy now…" the silver-haired jonin remarked lewdly, as his head dipped down, kissing her inner thighs lightly.

"I've already seen you, and now… I want to taste you."

Inhaling sharply as she felt his feather light kisses along the inside of her legs, Sakura twitched, her mind reeling as she felt his heat between her thighs, his warm breath fanning over her sex. As soon as she felt his tongue slick over her lips, her legs widened willingly, her hips rolling as she urged him to continue. His fingers opening her up, Kakashi's tongue circled around her sensitive nerve bundle slowly before sucking on the bud, teasing her beyond her limits.

"K-Ka-ka-shi…"

With out responding, the Hatake released her clit as he lapped at her core, tongue slipping inside her hot cavern which had already flooded, coating his mouth and chin with her liquid arousal. She had tasted better than he had imagined, her scent filling his nose with delight as he delved his tongue deeper inside her, his face nuzzling against her now as he pleasured her senselessly.

"Ka…kasha…I…I can't-"

Knowing she was close to release, Kakashi's hand came up, pressing down on her pelvis as he held her squirming body firmly down to the bed, keeping her still as he continued licking at her core. Then, he slid a single finger inside, his mouth now closed over her nerve bundle, his tongue tapping at it over and over. Feeling her inner muscles constricting, sucking his finger deeper within, Kakashi added another finger as he pumped them into her at a deep, and steady pace. While her body twitched, he began to rotate his hand, his fingers now digging deeper into her, groaning out as he felt the muscles clamp down on his fingers as they contracted around the intruders.

"That's it Sakura, come for me. I want to hear you."

At his words, Sakura gripped onto his unruly head of hair, pulling at the roots as her thighs closed around his face, her eyes shut tight as she threw her head back and came hard and fast. The burning heat had driven her into a frenzy, and falling over the edge with the copy nin's face buried between her legs wracked her body as her orgasm washed over her in violent waves.

"AHH…Oh, f-fuuuuck! Ka-kashi!" Sakura screamed as every muscle in her body went taught, her toes curling as Kakashi ripped her orgasm from her.

Feeling her body grow limp, Sakura melted back into the sheets, a satisfied calmness resumed in her as she opened her eyes. Swallowing harshly as her breath began to dry her mouth, she could feel her heart beating harshly against her chest, the heady sensations making her vision blur. Even through her haze, she could see Kakashi wiping his glistening mouth, now sitting up on his knees, smiling down at her.

She tried to contain herself as she watched Kakashi unfasten his buckle and pants, kicking them off to the side as he crawled back up to her, settling between her legs again. As he kissed his way up to her neck, he nibbled on her earlobe, his breath hitching as he nudged against her with his throbbing need, as if asking permission.

“I want you” was all Sakura could muster, she wanted him badly. Wanted to feel him, feel him inside of her in hopes they would be complete together. He made her ache for it.

Aligning himself with her scorching entrance, he exhaled slowly, slipping through her lips and into the warm depths that quickly enveloped his entire length. Groaning, he thrust his hips, diving deeper into her still.

"That's it baby, you can take it…" the Hatake growled against her as he tried to catch his breath, the delicious tightness of her body was distracting him from breathing.

As Kakashi made deep, rhythmic thrusts, his pace was slow as he kissed the kunoichi deeply. Her lips returning his enthusiasm easily as she moaned and whimpered with each thrust, the feeling of him filling her repeatedly quickly driving her closer to the edge once again. With each kiss, her face began to blush as she could only taste the remains of her last orgasm on his tongue and lips. It was a tangy, yet sweet taste, and she had to admit it, the thought of tasting herself was turning her on even more.

This man was very torturous, indeed.

As Kakashi tried to break the kiss, Sakura bit down on his bottom lip, sucking on it lightly before letting go, smiling at him deviously as he sat up, gripping onto her legs throwing them over his shoulders. Driving into her vigorously now, Kakashi's head fell back as he groaned, his hips thrusting deeper into her than before as he felt the familiar warmth pooling in his lower abdomen.

"Oh shit! Fuck, I'm close..." Kakashi gasped as he found release deep inside her, coating her inner walls with his arousal.

Collapsing into a tangled heap on the bed, their panting breath filled the empty apartment air as they rode out the wave of ecstasy together. They remained in each other's arms, neither of them wanting to move for what felt like hours, both enjoying the bodily comfort the other provided. They didn't need words in this moment. They could feel how much they meant to each other, there was no denying it now.

Laying silently in the moonlight, they enjoyed the cool summer breeze wafting over their dewy skin from the cracked window beside the bed, the chorus of distant tree frogs quickly lulling them to sleep.

****

As the early morning sun began to trickle in, Sakura became strangely aware of the warmth beneath her. Glancing up through sleepy eyes, she saw the handsome face of the man she loved, clear as day. Still sprawled out upon his taught chest, she stared at his exposed face, counting herself lucky to be one of the few that had ever been gifted the opportunity to witness it in all its glory. She would never tire of this view. Last night had seemed like another one of her dreams, the memories all flooding back at once, but all Sakura could do was smile as she felt such a relief that it was reality. It had been a long time coming, but it had finally happened.

Kissing the chest beneath her gently, Sakura slipped out of bed and made her way towards the bathroom. After relieving herself and cleaning up a bit, she splashed some cold water on her face and helped herself to some toothpaste, not wanting to scare Kakashi off with her morning breath.

Tip-toeing down the hall back to the bedroom, she spotted two lone picture frames along the wall by the door. The first she spotted was their old Team 7 photo, she was fond of that photo as well, and was happy he had kept it all these years. The second photo was from the day Tsunade promoted her to head medic at the hospital, Kakashi giving her bunny ears in the background. She hadn't remembered taking that photo, but it brought her great pleasure knowing that he cared enough to frame it and hang it in his home.

Perhaps she was closer to Kakashi than she had known, after all.

Leaning against the doorway to the bedroom, she watch his soundly sleeping form, the pooled sheets barely leaving anything to the imagination. He was stunning. She couldn't keep from staring, it was just an amazing sight to behold.

“Alright you creeper, stop staring at me and come back to bed” he mumbled groggily with a smile, patting the empty space beside him.

More than happy to obey, Sakura joined him under the sheets, only now, a mischievous smirk graced her features as she thought of a little payback. Grabbing his abandoned forehead protector, she tied it around his eyes, blindfolding him as she rolled over, straddling him.

"I do believe it's my turn to torture you now…"

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copperbadge · 5 years

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you work in fundraising, so i was wondering if youve been following or have any thoughts on the mit media lab and jeffrey epstein fundraising mess? mostly curious about your perspective on ethics in fundraising

The whole thing went down at a moment when I was having some Real Life Transitional Action going on, so it’s taken me a while to catch up, and I still can’t say I know it as inside-out as some – I’m not following the Epstein thing in general but the MIT Media Lab aspect of it in specific is something I’ve done some reading on.

I’m going to put this behind a cut because it’s long and also I talk about Epstein’s sex crimes, which may be traumatic for some people.

The thing is, it’s not actually that unusual for nonprofits to help a donor conceal how much they’ve really given. The New Yorker article about it talks about a lot of practices that are actually considered standard for most nonprofits as if they were super duper shady. Things nonprofits do all the time:

1. Accept donations from individuals who are “disqualified” in their database. Disqualified just means they don’t have a dedicated gift officer and nobody is interested in asking them for money. It doesn’t mean offers of money are categorically refused. And nonprofits are so reluctant to reject money that there is frequently no classification for “we will not take money from this person ever.”

2. Accept “anonymous” donations where they actually know the source. This just means that the individual doesn’t want credit publicly. Usually they are still credited in the system. There’s nothing particularly shady about this; a donor has a right to choose how they are identified.

3. Consult a donor about use of funds. Like, why wouldn’t we? There are certain legal and ethical boundaries – donors should not be allowed to choose who is hired, fired, etc, and usually that’s in the agreement they sign when they give. But the donor can direct funds. This is why a new emphasis is rising on “unrestricted” gifts -- where the donor gives to an unrestricted fund and then has no more control over it. It lets the institution funnel that money into an area of the most need, rather than vanity projects and endless construction just so they’ll have a building to name after someone.

4. Make use of a wealthy, connected donor to solicit other donors. This is extremely common and there’s no real issue with it. It’s like asking your buddy to ask his bowling league to help sponsor your walkathon. It doesn’t reflect super well on some of the people Epstein brought into MIT Media Lab, but it’s not an ethical issue institutionally speaking.

Here’s the only problems, realistically, but they are doozies:

1. The development staff knew Jeffrey Epstein was a convicted sex offender and that his offenses involved children and they still took his money. This is morally indefensible, to my mind, but...it’s not illegal.

2. They clearly tried, or considered trying, to hide the source of the money from MIT’s larger administrative body, which means they knew what they were doing was morally indefensible. However, the letters we’ve seen indicate that they didn’t want to commit any illegal acts in their attempts to do so.

3. They actively solicited him while listing him as disqualified. This is a breach of best practices, but it is something that happens, and morally not even an issue if you’re soliciting someone who isn’t a monstrous human being. Again, nothing they did was illegal.

And that’s...troubling. Not because I think it should be illegal for criminals to give to nonprofits, but because there is no body, governmentally or otherwise, that said “this is wrong and there will be consistent consequences.”

I think we can admit what happened is pretty fucked up. But it also highlights that there is no standard code of ethics for soliciting or accepting gifts from morally depraved individuals or ethically dubious companies, especially if they wish to remain anonymous and therefore aren’t associating themselves publicly with the institution. Having any kind of business dealings with Epstein should have been off the table absolutely, because there’s no way he wasn’t using MIT Media Lab to his benefit, and benefits are not something we want to offer to people who rape children.

But there is no written guideline that all charitable organizations have signed, no membership organization that can oust someone who violates their code, that says “Here’s where we draw the line.” That policy is set individually by the nonprofit’s administration, which is almost always white male executives over the age of fifty. And often it isn’t “set” at all -- just handled on a case by case basis. Nowhere have all the universities of the country come together and said “We will agree on this ethical guideline for who we will and will not accept money from.”

So public censure is all we have, and public censure can be very uneven in its targeting. And that’s becoming more and more untenable.

And....well, it’s sort of my job to be the band aid. Which is really untenable.

One part of my job, a part I’ve rarely had to exercise but a part that is really troubling, is preventing my organization from fucking up the way MIT Media Lab fucked up. It’s discovering a prospective donor is a war criminal or a sex offender or a con man and convincing my bosses not to ask them for money.

And it doesn’t always work. Because they are my bosses and I can’t order them not to accept money from monsters.

There’s a really telling moment in the New Yorker article:

Ethan Zuckerman, an associate professor, had voiced concerns about the relationship with Epstein for years. In 2013, Zuckerman said, he pulled Ito aside after a faculty meeting to express concern about meetings on Ito’s calendar marked “J.E.” Zuckerman recalled saying, “I heard you’re meeting with Epstein. I don’t think that’s a good idea,” and Ito responding, “You know, he’s really fascinating. Would you like to meet him?”

That is the attitude fundraisers sometimes take, and in some sense can be forced by the situation to take, about morally dubious individuals. They know the person; they avoid knowing the reputation, because that means not only that someone they consider a colleague is a monster, but they’re going to have to grapple with either taking money from a monster or leaving it on the table for someone else to take. Someone was going to take that money if they didn’t, and FOMO is a powerful motivator when you have fundraising quotas to fill.

So…MIT Media Lab’s fundraising team fucked up. But also a lot of the talk of how they fucked up seems focused on very common fundraising practices, rather than on the fact that a group of people looked at a convicted child rapist and made the decision to take his money. I think both fundraising ethics and fundraising best practices should be routinely and thoroughly examined, but I think there’s also a question surrounding wealth and desperation that’s going largely unexplored.

And it comes back around to the idea that nobody should be this rich, and that if the rampant greed of the wealthiest people in the world had been contained at some point, nonprofits wouldn’t need to decide between turning down money and climbing into the pockets of child rapists to get it. And I don’t know how to fix that, I just know that it’s there and it’s a big problem.

MIT Media Lab taking Jeffrey Epstein’s money was wrong, but it was also a symptom of a larger issue that is much, much worse.

#Anonymous

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technology-advisor · 4 years

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6Technological Advancements in Medical fields that will Revolutionize the Future

Our modern life is more comfortable because of technology. f we want our daily life to be more comfortable, then technological advancements are most important. In recent years, technological advancements in the medical field give us hope to live without anxiety. Today we will discuss five technological advancements in medical fields that will revolutionize the future.

GENETIC EDITING

Treatments for genetically based diseases

When Chinese scientist He Jianku announced in November that he had manipulated twins’ DNA to not develop AIDS, all alarms went off. The situation imagined by many science fiction authors had materialized. Technology always advances at more speed than social debate and legislation. The use in human embryos of the genetic editing technique used by He, known as CRISPR/Cas9 or simply CRISPR, is heavily regulated. It allows DNA fragments to be cut and pasted at will and has been available since 2012. Besides, as it is cheap and straightforward, it is used in any laboratory that needs it, representing a breakthrough.

CRISPR technology’s main limitation is the lack of control over process errors, leading to unwanted genetic variations. According to Lluís Montoliu, a researcher at the CSIC’s National Centre for Biotechnology, “cutting can be controlled very well in the DNA sequence, but the same cannot yet be done with the repair.”

Drug development

Despite these limitations, this technique has already revolutionized biomedical research. It will continue to do so in the future, particularly in drug development and the treatment of diseases caused by genetic alterations. It is estimated that a single mutation causes about 10,000 diseases, so the technique’s potential is enormous. “All genetically based diseases are likely to be treated with CRISPR -says Montoliu-, although there are cases in which it can be easier or more difficult.”

Genetic editing allows, for example, to enhance a research technique known as knockout screening. By altering a gene, you can check what effects it causes, which can be used to identify targets for new drugs. Another thing that can be done is to solve resistance problems with certain medications. Gene silence allows us to see what genetic conditions cells are most sensitive to treatment so that compounds can be designed that act on the proteins produced thanks to the genes involved in resistance. This could improve, for example, chemotherapy in cases of pancreatic cancer. Another application of genetic editing is the possibility of introducing in mice the mutations that cause disease in a specific patient. Thus, treatments and ways to relieve symptoms can be tested accurately and personally.

But perhaps the area in which CRISPR technology is most promising is gene therapy. One way to implement this therapy is to extract the patient’s cells, edit them, select those that have not suffered any unwanted alteration, and re-inject them to the patient with the security that will not cause any unforeseen effect. This is already being used to treat blood diseases such as sickle cell anaemia and beta-thalassemia and boost immunotherapy in cancer cases. And it is expected that in the future this range of conditions will be expanded.

Clinical trials are also being carried out today to treat genetic diseases that affect sight. In this case, genetic editing tools are introduced directly into the eye. In this sense, explains Montoliu, “the eye is an accessible organ, which is isolated from the rest of the body and in which these therapies have already been tested, so doing so is relatively safe.”

ASSISTED REPRODUCTION

Three-person DNA embryos to treat infertility

Some arising from delayed maternity problems are forcing innovation in assisted reproduction treatments, increasing the effectiveness of treatments, and reducing their side effects. One of the main lines of research involves optimizing results. The success rate of embryo implantation is 30%, which can grow to 60% with a genetic diagnosis. “The personalization of reproductive medicine – with genetic diagnosis to determine which are the best embryos or with a genetic profile of the uterus to know what is the best time to transfer them – allows to increase the implantation rates,” explains Xavier Santamaria, Igenomix researcher and deputy scientific director of IVI, who augurs that in ten years it will be possible to reach “implementation rates of 90%”.

Other research lines have to do with tissue regeneration, big data, or ovarian rejuvenation. The most revolutionary is the nuclear transfer technique or maternal spindle transfer, which is popularly referred to as the embryo of three genetic parents. It uses the DNA of three people. It is about extracting the nucleus from the mother’s egg and introducing it into the donor’s egg, from which the original nucleus has previously been extracted. The result is an egg with the cytoplasm free of defective mitochondria and a nucleus with the mother’s inheritance. It is then fertilized in vitro with the father’s sperm and implanted in the mother’s uterus. This technique, however, has only been used within the framework of clinical trials. The United Kingdom was the first country to give the green light to prevent the transmission of mitochondrial diseases. The world’s first baby conceived like this was born in 2016 in Mexico. The novelty is that it has now been used not to prevent disease but to solve infertility problems: on April 9, the first child was born in Athens thanks to the collaboration of the Institute of Life assisted reproduction centre in Athens and Embryotools, the company based at the Barcelona Science Park that has developed the technique. “It has an important application because many couples with fertility problems now have no solution unless it is with conventional oocyte donation. It works very well, but genetically these babies are not related to the mother, which causes couples difficulty accepting it,” says Nuno Costa-Borges, scientific director of Embryotools. The child resulting from this assisted reproduction technique is related to the biological father and mother by more than 99% since the donor only provides mitochondrial DNA, which accounts for less than 1% of the cell. That is why Costa-Borges refuses to talk about “children of three parents” because it “leads to confusion.”

Ethical debate

However, the technique is still in the experimental period – the pilot trial is being conducted in Greece – and it would take the endorsement of the National Commission for Assisted Human Reproduction to apply it in Spain. It is a technique not without controversy since many of these fertility problems could be solved with donated eggs without the need to modify them to introduce the mother’s nuclear DNA. Besides, some voices warn that the baby’s consequences are unknown, although Costa-Borges assures that the former has been born healthy. “Science is advancing faster than laws, and it is important that Spain, a leading country in egg donation, can allow it in a regulated area,” he says. In any case, it cannot be incorporated into clinical practice overnight, as special technology and training are needed.

TISSUE BIOPRINTING

Custom fabrics thanks to bioprinting

At present, the only known cases of organs printed in the laboratory and successfully implanted in people are those of five Chinese children affected by microtia, a deformation of the ear of genetic origin. A team of Chinese scientists explained a year ago that they had managed to combine 3D printing with cultivation techniques to generate ears that they successfully implanted in five cases.

Although we are still far from creating organs such as kidneys in the laboratory and transplanting them into a person, current tissue printing technology opens up a set of new applications. First, it is now possible to recreate patients’ laboratory tissues from images of the real tissue. This allows complicated testing surgeries in the laboratory so that when the patient intervenes, the procedure is safer. It is being done thanks to the new bioengineering departments in hospitals such as Sant Joan de Déu or Clínic de Barcelona and is expected to increase.

This technology also creates low-vascularized body parts, such as heart valves, skin, tendons, and cartilage. These objects are printed with an ink that mimics the protein structure of real tissue. In the case of heart valves and tendons, they are already being tested in mice. “We can do it thanks to all the basic research on these tissues that have been developed over the last few years,” explains Núria Montserrat, a researcher at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC).

Thanks to this knowledge, in the future personalized tissues, can be printed from real images of the tissue to be regenerated so that the fit between the implant and the receiving organism improves considerably. In this sense, Montserrat and her team also work to obtain materials with which fabrics that do not generate rejection can be printed when they are implanted.

Bioprinting also opens a new pathway in drug testing. There are already companies that print tissues such as the liver, in which the toxicity of certain drugs can be studied so that, in the future, the process of creation and pharmacological trial can be shortened.

MICROBIOTA AND IMMUNE SYSTEM

Modulation of the body’s defence system

In recent years, the set of microorganisms that live in the guts, especially bacteria, has a significant impact on health. Known as microbiota, they help develop the guts’ anatomy, stimulate the immune system of babies, participate in food digestion and vitamin production, and play an essential role in assimilating drugs. The study of the relationship between the microbiota and the immune system is an incipient field of research that can improve vaccine efficiency, cancer treatments, allergies, and autoimmune diseases.

“We are starting to see a relationship between the immune system response and the nature of the microbiota,” explains Roger Paredes, a researcher at the IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute. For example, in mice, it has already been observed that there are eleven species of bacteria that stimulate an immune response capable of fighting HIV and some cancers. According to the researcher, “moving from mice to humans is complicated, but this knowledge is promising.”

Scientists’ idea is to modulate the immune system response depending on the disease by administrationing the good bacteria. In this way, this response could be intensified in cases of infections and cancer and attenuate it in allergies and autoimmune diseases. “We’re talking about bacteria that still can’t be bought in pharmacies,” Paredes clarifies. The research carried out so far in the laboratories opens up new and exciting perspectives.

CELL THERAPY LULAR FOR CANCER

CAR-T, a promising strategy to treat leukaemias

Car-T cell therapy (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cells) has been a “step forward” in curing certain haematological cancers but has not yet developed its full potential. “We have not removed all the juice,” acknowledges Josep Maria Ribera, head of haematology at the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) Badalona and expert in cell therapy. CAR-T cell therapy consists of genetically modifying the cells of the same patient’s immune system to make them recognize and attack tumour cells. A specific type of cells are selected, T lymphocytes – immune system cells extracted from the patient’s blood and treated to introduce genes made into the laboratory, which act as a kind of “weapon” to specifically identify tumour cells attack them more aggressively. “We modify them to destroy tumour cells,” explains Ribera. These modified cells are siphoned to the patient intravenously.

When all options failed

This therapeutic strategy brings together one of the three most cutting-edge lines in the approach to cancer: immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and genetic editing. And it has become one of the most promising therapeutic approaches for haematological cancers -basically lymphoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and myeloma-. The challenge is that it can be transferred to solid tumours. CAR-T therapy is reserved for cases where the rest of the treatments have failed because, as Ribera acknowledges, it has “lights and shadows.” On the one hand, it has proven very useful in the short term, but it plays against its toxicity, and that there is still a lack of data to determine its long-term effectiveness. “We are seeing patients relapsing, and that makes us think it is not the ultimate weapon. It is effective and has a great future, it will be an advantage for many patients, but from here to cure cancer, there is still a long way”.

Ribera calls the advance “substantial” – especially since it is a hope for patients who could only be offered palliative care – but says it will have to be time to say if it is a revolution. “The possibility of development is immense, but I trust more in the CAR-T of the future than in those of the present. The story of the CAR-T is yet to be written; we have only begun it,” he concludes.

‘BIG DATA’ AND VIRTUAL REALITY

Artificial intelligence to help the doctor decide

“There is no other sector in which data generation is as high and goes at as much speed as medicine,” says Carolina García Vidal, a specialist in the infectious diseases service at Hospital Clínic. And now, this data can already be used for the benefit of the patient. “Artificial intelligence is present, and the creation of automated algorithms helps us to make clinical decisions,” explains García Vidal, who highlights that it is an “innovative” approach. “We are able to use large volumes of data from electronic clinical histories to create algorithms for predicting what will happen to our patients,” he adds. An example is the algorithm they have created to predict with a reliability of 98% which cancer patients will develop infections by multiresistant microorganisms and which will not, which allows to adjust the initial treatments to the real need and minimize side effects. It is estimated that one in four of these patients with multiresistant infection receives incorrect treatment. This figure is reduced to 2% with the algorithm, resulting in reduced antibiotic consumption, less toxicity, and lower economic costs.

Artificial intelligence also has applications in imaging techniques. There are experiences to diagnose skin, breast, and lung tumours and eye diseases or interpret scanners or resonances. For García Vidal, this is the beginning of a story that will “revolutionize medicine,” since now the prediction of the patient’s evolution is based on experience and what the medical literature says. At the same time, “in the future-present, we will have a lot of data processed by artificial intelligence that will make accurate predictions and personalized treatments.” They will not replace; however, the doctors: “They will complement the doctor’s mind; they will make our lives easier.”

Virtual reality to reduce pain Another example of technology applied to medicine is virtual reality to reduce patients’ pain and distress when faced with medical procedures such as surgical intervention. The Hospital Mútua de Terrassa has done a pilot test to reduce cancer patients’ pain when they leave the operating room, and the SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital uses it for children who undergo magnetic resonances. Immersive technology has a promising potential as a painkiller effect and is also a useful tool for treating phobias, as they do at the Quirón Dexeus University

#'BIG DATA' AND VIRTUAL REALITYASSISTED REPRODUCTIONCELL THERAPY LULAR FOR CANCERDRUG DEVELOPMENTGENETIC EDITINGMEDICAL TECHNOLOGY.MICROBIOTA

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