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gumnut-logic · 3 years

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Virgil Hugs

@tsarinatorment asked:

Hugs #33: ‘picking them up’ hugs with Virgil&Scott

Consequently, we have a sop fest of total fluff. There is so much fluff, there is fluff on the fluff. I ran out of time - it is now well past midnight on a work night, so this isn’t as long as I would have liked, but it is enough, I hope.

Gonna add this one to the Hugs series I think :D

Many thanks to @tsarinatorment and @janetm74 for the read throughs and support.

I hope you enjoy it :D

Send me a Touches Game Ask

-o-o-o-

Virgil hugs came in many flavours.

So, okay, Scott was the eldest and technically speaking, he was the least likely to need any hugs from his younger brother. In fact, Scott took pride in branding his own big brother hugs because, let’s face it, he was the eldest and nobody wanted to knock him off that throne. Virgil had been quite adamant about it on several occasions.

So only Scott could give the eldest brother hugs and they were very useful for distressed younger brothers, sad younger brothers and even on those occasions where the hug turned into something that could more be considered strangling younger brothers.

Scott wielded his hugs just like any other tool in his arsenal. Expertly and precisely. But it had long been declared that Virgil gave the best brother hugs and if he was honest, Scott was quite happy not to compete.

What exactly made Virgil hugs better than any other Tracy hugs had yet to be determined. The fact that Virgil was the biggest brother probably helped. Not the tallest. Scott and John were still discussing that title. No, his sheer mass enabled the biggest, warmest, softest, cosiest hugs of them all. Virgil was just buff and meaty.

Scott groaned. Meaty. That was a Gordonism, a subject that required a whole other essay to discuss. His fish brother had a way with words that sometimes curdled the stomach.

But hugs, yes, Virgil with his well worn ever so soft flannel and big meaty…Scott groaned again…arms gave the best hugs.

But, as stated previously, they came in many flavours.

The most common was the fond hug. An arm would snake around the victim brother and literally drag him into Virgil’s embrace. You could be standing alongside him, politely minding your own business and for some reason the engineer would just reach out and grab. Occasionally the arm wouldn’t make it all the way around and Virgil would clamp onto a body part and yank. Arms, chunks of uniform or clothing, a random ribcage. There was the time Virgil had actually pulled Gordon out of the pool by one leg. Possibly in revenge. But after Scott had suffered a cardiac arrest, Gordon had somehow ended up sprawled on top of Virgil on the grass. It had cumulated in laughter and a pile of noogie to Gordon’s hair, grins all round.

Yes, his brother had a hug zone around him and if you stepped into it at the wrong time, you were toast.

One of Scott’s favourites was the ones that defied gravity. Those big arms were strong and, on occasion, a little over enthusiastic. Ribcages creaked, hoarse voices begged to breathe, and feet left the ground.

Yes, even Scott had been tackle hugged and picked up off the ground and spun around. It had been after a particularly long deployment in the Airforce. He had been out of contact with his family for a long time. The day he finally got home, Virgil had barrelled into him in the farmhouse hallway, grabbing and lifting both him and his bags off the floor in an excited embrace that spun them around almost twice.

Scott had dropped his bags in surprise and squawked. His uniform bunched up against the ribbons on his chest and the world went around.

“Virg, my god!”

Dropped to his feet once more, he found himself wrapped in a brother who seemed much bigger than he had been when he left.

And he was clinging.

“Virgil?”

His brother cleared his throat, face buried in Scott’s jacket. “Missed you.”

Scott had returned the embrace wholeheartedly.

No words were possible after that as the two youngest realised their biggest brother was home and all hell broke loose as they and the rest of the family congregated.

But the genuine love in Virgil’s eyes as he stepped back to let the ratbags in on the party had stayed with Scott for a very long time.

Of course, there were other hugs that were much less joyous. Ones where everything was dark and hurting and Virgil would pick it up like he had radar or something. Could be linked to his legendary medic-sense. After all, mental health was exactly that. Just another form of health.

There was the time Alan vanished. Up and completely disappeared. This is a somewhat challenging thing to do on a rather singular rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Scott had been on the verge of calling John for a location, but a hand had landed on Scott’s tense shoulder and squeezed gently. They had been standing out on the balcony. Virgil gestured quietly and, looking up, Scott saw the tiny figure of his littlest brother curled up on the cliff just below the roundhouse.

There had followed a mad rush up the peak to make sure Alan was safe, find out what was wrong…because something was definitely wrong…and fix it.

Turned out some asshole online had been bullying Scott’s little brother, ruining the game contest he had been so excited about three days earlier.

Scott saw red and deployed John. The culprit had been found and eliminated.

Very eliminated.

John particularly hated online predators.

But after that conversation, Scott had turned around to find Alan curled up in Virgil’s arms sobbing.

Jammed up against the wall of the roundhouse, Virgil himself had wet eyes and was combing his fingers through Alan’s hair. As Scott sat down beside them on the floor, Virgil pulled Alan in a little tighter. The engineer buried his face in his little brother’s hair and closed his eyes.

In those moments it was like his brother was bleeding something of himself into the person he was hugging. His expression almost willing comfort into Alan.

Of course, Alan eventually dove in for a Scott hug as well, the thirteen-year-old dragging both of his brothers into a comforting pile that was able to push away the nasty experience and eventually bring back their confident little brother. But it was Virgil who performed the hugging first aid while Scott hunted down the person responsible – whether it be via John or other means.

It seemed to be their roles in the family.

And it wasn’t limited to family.

Out in the field it was more caring hands and reassuring touches and words, but it was Virgil’s way of comforting the injured. If he had time, he would talk with the rescuees. Warm and kind words asking gentle questions about their lives, distracting them from the bleeding, the screaming and the horror.

And ultimately holding those they couldn’t save, giving parts of himself to make those last minutes a little less terrifying.

It was after those rescues, those moments, when Scott would have to hunt Virgil down. Sometimes he would find him at the piano pounding emotion into the keys. Other times locked in his studio.

They had a running tally of how many times Virgil had had to replace the lock on that door. Scott rarely took ‘no’ for an answer when he knew a brother was in distress.

But the worst times often led Scott on a hunt across the Island to a remote beach, cliff or other lonely landform. Thunderbird Five’s scanners had been used several times. Times where Virgil was determined to be alone to suffer by himself.

Sure, Scott could respect that…if that was what Virgil needed.

It wasn’t.

Because the hug machine that was his brother needed hugs in return.

Sure, he had methods to refuel other ways, but honestly, these were the times Scott felt a direct transfer of energy was warranted.

Those were the days he would hunt his brother down, grab him and hold him until the trembling stopped. He would sit with Virgil staring out across the ocean either just being quietly beside him, or answering the raging questions of injustice.

Those were days he would drag him back to the couch and they would fall asleep together in front of a movie neither of them was watching. A hand or an arm continually in contact.

Those were the days where touch was needed to give back what was so freely offered at all other times.

Scott’s hugs may be tactical but they were no less full of love.

And love his brother, he did.

Ever so much.

-o-o-o-

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #Scott Tracy #Virgil Tracy

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samandmaxanotherway · 4 years

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ADDITIONAL INFO: SAM

this is a bit of a masterpost for additional information regarding sam! this will be updated from time to time & may contain info from other posts on this blog, but basically it’s a way to keep everything in one place without needing to dig through the tag to find everything. info under the cut!!

BACKGROUND INFO

Sam was named in dedication to Sameth, who passed away about a month before he was born.

Was a notably quiet baby. Even when he was two and beginning to learn how to speak, he didn’t say much or make much sound. This did cause a bit of concern for his parents.

He spent a lot of his time with Max, & pretty much refused to hang out with anyone else - mostly because many other kids picked on him growing up. Max was the only person who didn’t call him names.

Came up with the idea of Freelance Police in about the third grade or so.

Showed signs of being pretty intelligent for a kid his age & had some serious knowledge in regards to technology growing up. Given the time period, though, he was bullied relentlessly for it, & at some point when he was 13, he dropped it entirely, & adopted an attitude that was adverse to nerdy stuff.

He was 14 when his sister was born.

In his middle school years, Sam’s depression & anger issues became more apparent. There was a period of time where he had a much harder time getting out of bed & hated going to school, & he began lashing out at his parents, peers & teachers (though, thankfully, never Max). This all came to a peak when he got in a fight with a kid who’d been bullying him for a long time. After that, he was recommended by his guidance counselor to attend therapy.

(Due to the events that led to him first attending therapy, Sam has a very complicated relationship with it, & in his experience, has never found it particularly helpful for him)

(Oh also he found out he was gay during these years too, & it was during a health class while they were showing a diagram of the human muscles. yes this is the story im going with lmao)

At some point during high school, Sam grew fairly quickly & ended up pretty thin & lanky as a result. Around this time, his body dysmorphia began, & he would often wear hoodies & long-sleeved shirts to try & cover up as much of himself as he could. He often dreaded going to gym class specifically because he was forced to wear more exposing clothes.

He’d ended up developing an interest in literature & theatre during his time in high school.

In the summer prior to senior year, he’d been sent to a summer camp to try & help some of his self-confidence issues. As a result, he came back at the end of summer fat & buff, as well as with a newly discovered love for fishing.

(It is important to note that during this whole time, Sam hadn’t even considered the idea that he might have feelings for Max, & he was either oblivious to or brushed off any flirting Max may have done towards him.)

About prom time, Sam had been asked out by somebody for prom, & had accepted seeing as no one else had asked him. Well, he ended up being stood up by that person, having apparently been asked as a prank. He’d been upset about it, but then Max found him & cheered him up. Max had even tracked down that person & made a complete mess of their car. It was in that moment that Sam realized he was in love with Max.

Shortly after graduation, on Max’s ‘’first’’ birthday (July 10th), Sam took Max out into the woods for a stroll & confessed his feelings to him there. It was then that they decided to first become a couple.

Sam knew he was going to end up living on the campus of his college at the end of summer, & mid-August he ended up getting stressed about it simply because he didn’t wish to leave Max since he genuinely loved him. He ended up waiting until the very last minute before he had to leave to ask Max if he wanted to come with him. Thankfully, Max said yes. so yeah sam basically snuck his boyfriend off to college lmao

Met Flint in college - they were dorm-mates throughout the entirety of their college days.

Shortly after graduating college, Sam & Max became official Freelance Police.

OTHER CASES

The only pre-”Another Way” case that isn’t already a canon case is the Brainwashing Mailmen case, which takes place post-S2 but pre-S3/AW. Basically, Max had been hypnotized into becoming a mailman after signing something for his delivery. Sam had to sneak in, dressed as a mailman, & save him by burning the contract with his signature. He’d ended up unveiling a whole conspiracy involving other people being brainwashed into mailmen, & to make a long story short, their mailman, “Guy”, had actually been Satan, who was seeking a new way of gathering souls since Hell had been frozen over.

SAM/MAX (’FREELANCE HUSBANDS’)-RELATED

At some point post-”Another Way” but pre-Hit The Road, a proposal happens. Basically, Max - who has the ring - tricked Sam into getting on one knee & holding it, & Sam decided to go with it & proposed. (this later leads to a lot of them arguing who technically proposed to who)

Since their dating anniversary is on July 10th, their wedding anniversary ends up being on August 28th.

Max’s nickname for him is ‘Firefly’.

Sam likes to lay his head on Max because he likes to hear his heartbeat.

Sam can sleep through a lot of Max’s racket. However, if Max says his name, he immediately wakes up, as if he was never asleep.

POST-”ANOTHER WAY”

Shortly after getting married, they end up inheriting Maximus & Sameth’s old house. Since then, they now live separate from their office.

Struggles quite a bit with PTSD & Survivor’s Guilt from the events of “Another Way”.

During the Glitch in Time verse, Sam is a noir detective who did know Max when he was younger but forgot about him over time. However, Max was the original motivation for him becoming a detective.

POLTERGEIST

Sam, at first, when he’s essentially a ghost inhabiting a copy of his body often has a hard time actually staying in his body & sometimes ends up floating off if he’s not paying attention.

During the ending of Dysfunction of the Gods, Zeus ends up fusing Sam’s ghost with his body, making him immortal & unlocking many of his current abilities such as Electricity Manipulation & Invisibility, as well as the ability to see & speak to the dead.

When Sam uses too much energy, he ends up ‘fritzing out’. He gets stuck in ‘Ghost Mode’ & his form physically distorts & gives off static. It’s a little painful & it takes a little bit to come down from it. Thankfully, Max usually is there to assist him.

If injured while in ‘Ghost Mode’, Sam bleeds blue. As well, if he’s in enough pain, he ends up going invisible as a defense mechanism.

He also involuntarily turns invisible if he’s incredibly depressed.

He blushes blue.

Sam’s chest & stomach glow blue with white veins when he is experiencing deep feelings of love, whether it be romantic or platonic. If one touches it, little lights go through the veins.

His body has this weird habit of contorting whenever he phases through walls, so any time he does it, all you can hear is his bones cracking.

In the Glitch in Time verse, Sam’s powers weren’t unlocked until he reunited with Max - in which they then are unstable due to his lack of knowing how to control them. It isn’t until he remembers the original timeline that he gets ahold of them again.

He trained with Maximus somewhat to try & keep control of his abilities.

Although he can turn invisible, it’s more that he is as if he’s made of glass than see through. This means that if he were to stand in front of an object, you would not see the object through him since he would be obscuring it.

Despite being able to see & speak with the dead, because he generally is not fond of other spirits that aren’t friends or family (or benevolent, on the odd occasion) being near him, his family or his home, it is rare that spirits actually approach him for any length of time.

MISC. INFO

Personal voiceclaim for him is Travis from Bradbury 13: A Sound of Thunder

Sam is 33 during the events of “Another Way”, placing it in about 2012

Insulting Sam in a very personal way (e.g. calling him stupid or useless) is a surefire way of upsetting him & risking him not wishing to speak with the person again.

Good at improv humour & especially good at not cracking a smile while doing it.

Sam is actually allergic to grapes.

Absolutely despises mailmen & doesn’t trust them. The case involving them didn’t help.

Has several scars on him including: Two bitemarks from when Maxthulu had bitten Sammy, a bullet scar at the top of his left shoulder, a bitemark on his right arm, & lightning scars that spread from his tailbone all the way to his right shoulder thanks to his electric-based abilities.

#another way au #sam #headcanon #ask to tag //#body horror //

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watchingninjago-archive · 5 years

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Season 3, Episode 1 - The Surge

Ah, good old S3. The one that I continually bring up as the first season Zane dies in, because a) the writers seem to love killing him, b) can the writers not do that that is incredibly rude

Well, that happens in the finale. I’ll let my dread build up for the occasion, then. Until then, we’ve got a good season to get through.

[22:10] oh what the hell!!! new intro!!!

[21:49] that fucking slaps

[21:39] The ultimate battle… where Lloyd got eaten by a dragon and then had the magical energy dragon he was riding explode the dragon he was eaten by.

[21:19] Huh. Looks like the “wait this is lego who gave them the right to be this dramatic” part of me finally kicked in. But man, that’s gotta suck for them to rebuild.

[21:09] Oh hi, dude in a wheelchair. That looks a bit… precarious.

[20:59] Wait, why New Ninjago City? That New ____ bit applies generally when it’s a seperate city or location, but named after an older city or location, like New York, New Mexico, New Zealand (Zeeland), etc. If you’re just rebuilding, it doesn’t make sense to add that, as it’s still the same city. Ninjago City was badly damaged by the earthquakes, but it wasn’t to the point of having to start completely over, right?

[20:57] Hovercar! --- wait. What’s the timespan for this?

[20:57] Huh. The ninja can move on with their lives for now, at least.

[20:42] Okay, we’re now watching Jay sneak up on somebody singing in the shower.

[20:39] Hi, Kai!

[20:35] Huh? What’s going on?

[20:33] Kai’s a teacher! Neat. And you can have hovercars, but god forbid we use a whiteboard.

[20:26] Zane and Cole are also teachers! And… and what do you mean on the friiiiiehwHY IS HE GLITCHING OUT

[20:18] Jeez! Not cool, kids!

...god i want to see a tacky poster explaining to the kids not to remote control the teachers please and thank you

[20:13] Ah. The wonders of education.

[20:03] I am going to fight a kid again.

[19:55] Oh! Sensei Wu took over Darkly’s!

[19:51] Jay’s a teacher too! I guess that just leaves Lloyd, Nya and Garmadon as characters who’d be majorly impacted by the end of the Age Of Ninja unaccounted for. I’m assuming Misako’s off doing research or something.

[19:57] your fave is problematic: cole steals his co-workers’ food from the fridge

[19:41] Oi. Where can I get that giant tea making machine?

But like… yeah. The ninja excl. Lloyd are like… adults. Maybe acting a bit like teens from time to time because kids show but… they’re adults with jobs and crap. That’s a very weird thought.

[19:33] Man, I love me them group dynamics

[19:22] Well, Lloyd’s doing a bit of award receiving, it seems.

[19:15] Nya’s a teacher too! So I guess that leaves Garmadon unaccounted for.

[19:06] Huh. That’s… not a good sign for Jaya this season. I’m a fan of Jaya so that’s, I dunno. Disappointing.

[19:00] Man, they’re either still in the Constant Threat mindset or are just really desperate to let loose on SOMETHING. Considering the kids they have to teach… it could be either.

[18:48] Aaaw! Jay’s geeking out about Borg Industries.

[18:45] Also the camera’s… really spinning. Really wants me to get that vertigo experience.

[18:42] Zane just snapped and kicked Jay in the leg. DJdfngjd

[18:34] Oh, look at you, Kai. Being all… cynical. I mean, you don’t really have a lot of past to go off of, y’know? The world was only made like… three generations ago. And also somehow a few thousand years ago…. What even is this timeline?

[18:30] Welp.

[18:24] Also, if you took the field trip on a dragon you do run into a lot of safety risks.

[18:20] god he’s desperately trying to be One Of The Kids… Cole this is the one time you’re not an eternal mood but I forgive you

[18:16] Also, Nya in the bg smiling at first but then just… dying inside

[18:15] oof

[18:07] But like… huh. I’m guessing it’s been a while since the events of S2. Logically in real life it’d be up to maybe a decade between seasons, but more likely it’d be a year or two at most, which is still a while.

[17:49] Man. NNC looks pretty cool.

[17:31] Well, I’m sorry sir, we can’t all have hovercars!

[17:29] Wait! It’s the postie. Man, that guy’s seen some crap.

[17:20] Cole remains just… frighteningly buff. I’m scared that if I shook his hand it’d break mine.

[17:09] (Wu) “Besides, it’s not like we can’t find where we’re going.” YOU SURE? Because I’ve gotten lost sometimes trying to find certain entertainment slash casino slash hotel complexes that will remain unnamed and it takes up like half of the Yarra in the city

[17:07] Okay, nevermind. That’s definitely like a beacon among the hills.

[17:04] Like… it’s very tall.

[16:59] ouch

[16:54] PIXAL???? I’VE HEARD OF YOU AND I LOVE YOU ALREADY

[16:42] Oh my god her voice is so relaxing though??? Like robotic, certainly, but not at all like jarring? Is that a weird thing to say?

[16:36] (Pixal) “What does ‘Zane’ stand for?” That’s just his name, m’am

[16:33] I mean, I hear Pixane is a thing that happens here? And I can understand the relationship part being rushed (god that is gonna be painful huh) but if I see Zane having a crush on Pixal I don’t really care. I don’t like how crushes usually somehow mean We’re Gonna Hook Up Soon but to be honest I don’t even have any form of romantic attraction, am human, and am having a bit of a crush on Pixal right now. He can do whatever, man.

[16:25] Welp! But goddammit, if it sets off my romantic repulsion I’m going to fight my brain, it’s! in! his! rights! to! crush! on! Pixal! Goddammit brain let me have fun here

[16:20] wait wait wait I just… man only in Lego can Pixal get away with having half her chest exposed.

[16:12] Okay I realise what I just said about Zane having a crush on Pixal but c’mon this is getting creepy what she’s on about now. NNC is reading more and more like a dystopia by the second when you think about it. Everything is connected. It’s being fed to Borg Industries. If BI isn’t doing good then what the hell would this mean?

[16:05] I- I. I mean, what DOES power him?

[15:36] WaaaAIIIIT. THIS ISN’T GOOD.

[15:16] Wait. Is this licensed? Also fucking… video games…

[15:05] “They have a Perfect Match console!” nsddhgiufsjd like that one Choices game? Also I heard we’re having a love triangle somewhere but this soon? What the hell, writers?

[15:00] UHHHH WHAT THE HELL. GODDAMMIT WE ARE NOT DOING SOME SORT OF AUTOMATED SOULMATE CRAP GET THAT SHIT OUT OF HERE.

[14:54] THIS IS CREEPY AS HELL… IS THIS SUPPOSED TO ALL BE *GOOD?*

[14:53] No. No, we are NOT doing this.

[14:50] I am going… to go commit... murder. None of you can stop me.

I am going to die before I get through this episode, jesus christ, let’s continue,

[14:49] PLEASE. MAKE IT STOP.

[14:47] WHHHHHY!!!!!

Usually I avoid anything with any romance in it like the plague (which is 99% of YA fiction aka stuff in my demographic) let alone LOVE TRIANGLES and now I’m seeing why Terrible Writing Advice has it as a running gag! If you’re not familiar with the channel, it’s exactly as labelled. It’s an author giving you advice on what NOT TO DO as stuff to do (but blatantly the first category). A running gag is that The Love Triangle Is Awful Author JP Fixall, which indicates how much the real JP hates them.

[14:44] (everyone gasps almost horrified at the results) THAT’S HOW I’VE BEEN FEELING FOR THE PAST HALF AN HOUR YOU GOOF! THIS IS A TEN SECOND SEQUENCE.

[14:42] WeLPPP WE HAVE TO DO THIS SHIT THEN

[14:34] Hey, Mr. Borg! So about that matchmaking machine you have in the video game floor downstairs… can we talk about that?

[14:32] Oh my god, I can’t even enjoy the episode because of the stupid love triangle I’m dreading.

[14:22] djdjdjd he really had to call out his parents for naming him that

[14:20] Why are you all acting so shocked? That looks cool as shit.

[14:07] UMMMMMM????? I’M SORRY WHAT

[14:01] Holy shit, um… they just killed him. They killed Zane’s dad between seasons, jesus christ.

[13:38] Man, but like. Huh.

[13:27] (Cyrus) “I’m glad it’s just you four.” UHHH

[13:15] It’s… a statue?

[13:11] (Kai) “Oh wow. It’s a statue. Of yourself.” I’m telling you that!

[13:04] UHHHH CYRUS? CYRUS YOU’RE JUST GONNA WHISPER IN KAI’S EAR ABOUT HOW HE NEEDS TO PROTECT THE OTHER NINJA FOR NINJAGO’S SAKE AND JUST… LEAVE IT THERE

[13:01] Oh, well, “them”, but I assumed it was the ninja based on context. Whatever it is.

[12:53] What the fuck is going on?

[12:22] Wait, since when did Kai hate technology? Was that something else from the pilot episodes? And… whelp, it’s broken.

[12:15] Ooooh. This isn’t good.

[11:53] Whelp! Time to protect them blades!

[11:49] OUCH

[11:19] And this is why you don’t build over where the Overlord was defeated, presumably. It curses the damn place.

[11:01] Man… those are some angry machinery.

[10:57] JESUS CHRIST THEM TOO??? PIXAL??? GUYS YOU’VE GOT KIDS WITH YOU

[10:23] Christ, why were they even allowed in there? This is a massive WorkSafe violation.

[10:13] God, I love the new technology based aesthetics we’re getting here though. I will confess, I love me them tech. I don’t really have the brains for it, but I wouldn’t deny it being cool as shit.

[10:10] Well! Let’s do this!

[10:06] Also, as always, the soundtrack slaps.

[9:51] And the music’s been updated to fit the technology theme of the season! In the previous two seasons, we got a lot of the classic Cinematic Orchestra (probably not the name but still). Now we’re doing a more techno beat… kind of thing

[9:48] (Zane) “It’s not sharp! Why even call it a blAde?”

[9:37] And thus continues the long tradition of the ninja almost falling to their deaths.

[9:29] Ow.

[9:27] Man, you really should find a stop to your fall soon.

[9:23] Conveniently placed … what do you call em

[9:16] Well!!!

[9:05] The Overlord’s back.

[8:52] Oh. Oh no.

[8:43] (laughs nervously) what the fuck?

[8:31] Man, this is really just going downhill. I knew there was something severely off with NNC!

[8:26] thROw mE!

[8:17] HELL YEAH!!!

[8:10] Oh! Hell yeah! Vehicles!

[7:47] Welp!

[7:28] Pixal what the hell

[6:47] Hell yeah!!!! Also, goddammit I CALLED IT NNC WAS REALLY OFF

[6:26] Man! You’re really ready to go kick some ass, huh? I literally cannot blame you.

[5:25] Wow! This is actually really wild and I’m really into it.

[4:47] So! New vehicles! Mainly to sell merch but man is this a fun way of doing it!

[4:10] god i love this show!

[3:30] uhhh what just happened

[3:26] Lloyd! thank you!

[3:20] And now they’re group hugging him!

[3:16] Shiiit. That goddamn Overlord.

[2:42] Alright! Let’s see what happens now!

[1:43] Oh!!! I guess the technoblades are with the ninja! This was just a false flag.

[1:30] OOOOH. IT WASN’T.

[0:52] god like… to Lloyd, all of the other ninja are the Dad Friend like… stop collecting dads Lloyd. you’ve got too many. put a few back.

[0:49] Oh god. Cyrus.

[0:38] OH NO

[0:26] Kids show! Now with 80% more body horror and 70% more useless romantic subplots!

#ninjago #jaime sobs over ninjago season 3 #the surge

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i-write-about-anything · 6 years

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Little Beta(s) Part 51

Prompt: Liam get’s turned at an early age and he looks at you as his guardian/parent. Plus you’re dating Scott who’s always trying to look after him. (10 year gap between Liam and reader)

Pairing: Liam Dunbar x Reader (platonic) Scott McCall x Reader, Derek Hale (younger and platonic) x Reader

Chapters:1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20- 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 -25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 37 - 38 - 39 - 40 - 41 - 42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 46 - 47 - 48 - 49 - 50

(A/N: i wasn’t going to post this cause it’s absolute shit but i feel like i needed to update it to something where you guys won’t worry if i continue it or not lol this might be the ending of this, it might now, maybe they’ll be a spin-off but as of right now i don’t exactly have any more ideas for this fic.)

Scott sat there in the waiting room of the animal clinic, blood spattered all over his body, he had called (y/n) only to let her know he had gotten Liam back. Liam sat next to Scott, his eyes opened wide as he stared directly in front of him replaying the images of what had just happened over and over again. Blood dripped from Liam’s face, his eyes wide open as he continued to think about what had just happened. The door to the animal shelter opened abruptly, (y/n) coming into view but not even that could snap Liam out of the trance he had been in. She ran to Liam, kneeling in front of him before cupping his face in her hands. Liam looked at her, her mouth moving but nothing coming out of it, he had completely muted the world. It took Scott more than a minute to realize that (y/n) was there, in fact he hadn’t realized she was there until her hand grabbed his arm. “Scott.” Her voice was frantic, how could it not be? Two of the people she cares the most about were sitting there, blood all over their bodies. “Scott!” She repeated and this time Scott looked at her, his hand grabbing her arm gently. “Where’s Derek?” Scott continued to look at her with his blank stare. “Scott, where’s Derek?” (Y/N) repeated, her eyes searching for an answer but Scott didn’t say a word.

“(Y/N).” Deaton’s voice caught her attention, she stood up before turning towards Deaton. His hands covered in blood and she looked at them before pushing passed him into the surgery room Deaton had been in. That’s where he saw him, body lying in a pool of blood on the top of a steel table. Her knees hit the floor before she even felt Deaton’s hands on her shoulders. She couldn’t even hear the screams that were coming out of her own mouth. Liam’s head snapped to the room when he heard the screams, it had been the only thing he heard in the past two hours. He got up and made his way into the room, ignoring the lifeless body on the table. Liam kneeled down next to his mother, her screams loud as she cried.

“Mom.” Liam whispered too lowly for even he to hear. He wrapped his arms around her and she did the same, crying into his shoulder. Liam too shed a few tears. Scott couldn’t move, he was paralyzed with fear, with guilt. He grabbed his head in his hands before pulling his hair and yelling out in pain, something he hadn’t done in a long time. He got up from his seat, kicking the chair across the room continuing to yell in the process as he trashed the small office, tears streaming down his face. Deaton sighed before looking at Liam who nodded before Deaton walked out of the room, looking at his trashed office. He sighed once more and looked at Scott who was crying as he held onto his head.

“Scott.” Deaton’s voice was low, he didn’t want to upset Scott more than he already was.

“How could I have let this happen? How could I have done something like that?” Scott sobbed as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I could have stopped it, I could have saved him.” Scott’s knees buckled as he fell to the floor. “I should have tried harder, I should have-” Scott’s voice broke as more sobs came out, Melissa rushed into the office, Lilly being carried in the cars-eat. She heard Scott before she saw him, she rushed to him setting Lilly down next to them before her arms wrapped around him, Melissa had known about Derek, hell she was the one Deaton called when Scott walked into the animal clinic. Scott cried into her shoulder, Melissa rubbing his back as he continued to cry.

(Y/N) looked at Liam, her hands cupped his face. “Are you hurt?” Her voice cracked as she continued to cry. Liam shook his head and (y/n) got up, bringing Liam with her, she took another look at the lifeless body on the table before sobbing once more and walking out of the room, she saw Scott on the floor and almost immediately she walked to him and fell next to him, leaving Liam standing next to Deaton. Melissa got up and (y/n) wrapped her arms around Scott replacing Melissa’s spot. They both cried into their arms for a while before Liam too kneeled down on the floor, both Scott and (y/n) embracing him.

“I’m so sorry.” Scott spoke lightly. “I’m so sorry.” He repeated and his voice broke. (Y/N) shook her head hugging him a little tighter. The truth was, there was nothing Scott could have done. There wasn’t anyone that could have stopped it. Lilly’s cry got everyone’s attention and for a moment the room was silent.

“I got her.” Melissa spoke looking at her son, blood stained his clothes and his face. (Y/N) kissed Liam’s head, she had been so stupid before, to be mad at him for leaving, he was always better off without her and Scott, they couldn’t even protect Derek.

“I’m sorry.” (Y/N) whispered to Liam. “I should have never let you leave, we should have never come back.” She pulled him close but he didn’t say a word, he wanted the embrace, he needed it.

“(Y/N)?” A voice stopped all the noise in the room, making them all turn to the voice they found familiar. They all turned to look at the face they hadn’t seen in over a year. (Y/N) was the first one to get up from the floor and move towards him. She touched his face, scared that she might be imagining things, but she wasn’t.

“Derek?” She looked up at him, she knew it was him, hell she could recognize him anytime. He nodded and instantly she embraced his tall figure. “How did this happen? How-” (Y/N) looked at Deaton who studied Derek’s figure.

“I’m not sure.” Deaton circled Derek. “It seems like him dying broke the curse.” Deaton spoke and both Scott and Liam got up from the floor. Liam looked at Derek, his tall form something he hadn’t seen in years.

“I’m still me.” Derek spoke and Scott looked at him.

“You’re, you’re, you. Your old you.” Scott wiped his tears and looked at the scar on his throat that had caused him to lose his life. Derek looked down at his hands before touching his face, feeling the beard that he had. (Y/N) loosened her grip on Derek and looked at Liam who had been looking at Derek like he was some kind of extra-terrestrial.

“Come on man, it’s still me.” Derek chuckled and Liam embraced him. He let out a couple tears before letting him go.

“I thought we lost you.” Scott was the one to spoke. “I’m sorry, for everything.” Scott looked down and Derek sighed.

“I don’t blame you, for choosing Liam.” He spoke and Scott’s head shot up.

“I didn-” Scott began but Derek cut him off.

“Yeah, you did. And I get it, he’s your son, whether you admit it or not. And I have to thank you, for accepting me and taking me in when I needed you guys. I'm really going to miss being a part of your family.” Derek looked down to his feet, they were a lot larger than the last time he had seen them.

“You’re still going to be a part of our family, nothing’s going to change.” (Y/N) placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re always welcomed with us, you know this. We’re not going to kick you to the curb, not this easy.” (Y/N) hugged Derek once more, his tall frame was something she was already used to but he was a lot more buff than usual now. “God, I really thought you were gone.” (Y/N) whispered not letting go of Derek. He smiled and hugged her back, he still felt like his younger self, hell in his mind he was still his younger self. Lilly whimpered and it caught both Derek’s and (y/n)’s attention.

“Can I?” Derek looked at (y/n) and she nodded before Derek went to get Lilly from Melissa’s arms. (Y/N) moved towards Liam pulling him into a hug. She wiped the tears he didn’t realize he had been spilling.

“Hey, you okay?” She looked at him and he shook his head before shoving it in between her neck and shoulder. She ran her fingers through his hair and he sighed. She looked at Scott as he continued to look at Derek who was now rocking Lilly in his arms. “Let’s get you guys home, you all need to wash off.” (Y/N) looked at Scott who nodded. “Thank you, Deaton, for everything.” He gave her a smile and although he was still having a hard time comprehending what was going on, he decided to let it go. On the drive home Derek looked out the window, wondering what he was going to do, where he was going to go from here, he couldn’t stay with Scott and (y/n), not after returning to his real form. Once they arrived to Melissa’s home Liam was quick to rush to the bathroom, he needed to get the blood off, and he needed to do it now.

“Where are you going?” Scott spoke catching (Y/N)’s attention, she had been feeding Lilly on the couch. Derek looked back taking his hand off the door.

“Oh, I uh, I can find a place to stay.” Derek pointed his thumb to the door and Scott shook his head.

“Come on man, don’t make this awkward. Go get washed up.” Scott crossed his arms over his chest and Derek sighed walking up the stairs.

“That was awkward.” (Y/N) spoke causing Scott to chuckle, it was awkward. Derek was a full-grown man but his mindset was still as a teenager which threw everything off. Scott sighed before kissing (Y/N) on the cheek and going into the restroom to shower the blood away.

_____

tags; @leslieandjensen @hirafth @neptuneluek @lydiasbxtch @adellyhatter-blog @nxthing-lasts-fxrever@letmebecomeataboo @cloudchaserr @nerdyowlbookfreak @xcastawayherosx @k-baileyy@scotttstilinskii @therealmrshale @thesuperkpopfan @queen–glitch @my-body-is-not-a-temple@mutifandomgirl @moo0803 @hautedbybieber @thejulietfarciertlove @lovelyallen @thejulietfarciertlove

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thefortyeightlawsofpower-blog · 7 years

Text

LAW # 33 : DISCOVER EACH MAN’S THUMBSCREW

JUDGEMENT

Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is usually an insecurity, an uncontrollable emotion or need; it can also be a small secret pleasure. Either way, once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage.

FINDING THE THUMBSCREW: A Strategic Plan of Action

We all have resistances. We live with a perpetual armor around ourselves to defend against change and the intrusive actions of friends and rivals. We would like nothing more than to be left to do things our own way. Constantly butting up against these resistances will cost you a lot of energy. One of the most important things to realize about people, though, is that they all have a weakness, some part of their psychological armor that will not resist, that will bend to your will if you find it and push on it. Some people wear their weaknesses openly, others disguise them. Those who disguise them are often the ones most effectively undone through that one chink in their armor.

THE LION. THE CHAMOIS. AND THE FOX

A lion was chasing a chamois along a valley. He had all but caught it, and with longing eyes was anticipating a certain and a satisfying repast. It seemed as if it were utterly impossible for the victim to escape; for a deep ravine appeared to bar the way for both the hunter and the hunted. But the nimble chamois, gathering together all its strength, shot like an arrow from a bow across the chasm, and stood still on the rocky cliff on the other side. Our lion pulled up short. But at that moment a friend of his happened to be near at hand. That friend was the fox. “What!” said he, “with your strength and agility, is it possible that you will yield to a feeble chamois? You have only to will, and you will be able to work wonders. Though the abyss be deep, yet, if you are only in earnest, I am certain you will clear it. Surely you can confide in my disinterested friendship. I would not expose your life to danger if I were not so well aware of your strength and dexterity. ” The lion’s blood waxed hot, and began to boil in his veins. He flung himself with all his might into space. But he could not clear the chasm; so down he tumbled headlong, and was killed by the fall. Then what did his dear friend do? He cautiously made his way down to the bottom of the ravine. and there, out in the open space and the free air, seeing that the lion wanted neither flattery nor obedience now, he set to work to pay the last sad rites to his dead friend, and in a month picked his bones clean.

FABLES, IVAN KRILOFF, 1768-1844

In planning your assault, keep these principles in mind:

Pay Attention to Gestures and Unconscious Signals. As Sigmund Freud remarked, “No mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, he chatters with his fingertips; betrayal oozes out of him at every pore.” This is a critical concept in the search for a person’s weakness—it is revealed by seemingly unimportant gestures and passing words.

The key is not only what you look for but where and how you look. Everyday conversation supplies the richest mine of weaknesses, so train yourself to listen. Start by always seeming interested—the appearance of a sympathetic ear will spur anyone to talk. A clever trick, often used by the nineteenth-century French statesman Talleyrand, is to appear to open up to the other person, to share a secret with them. It can be completely made up, or it can be real but of no great importance to you—the important thing is that it should seem to come from the heart. This will usually elicit a response that is not only as frank as yours but more genuine—a response that reveals a weakness.

If you suspect that someone has a particular soft spot, probe for it indirectly. If, for instance, you sense that a man has a need to be loved, openly flatter him. If he laps up your compliments, no matter how obvious, you are on the right track. Train your eye for details—how someone tips a waiter, what delights a person, the hidden messages in clothes. Find people’s idols, the things they worship and will do anything to get—perhaps you can be the supplier of their fantasies. Remember: Since we all try to hide our weaknesses, there is little to be learned from our conscious behavior. What oozes out in the little things outside our conscious control is what you want to know.

Find the Helpless Child. Most weaknesses begin in childhood, before the self builds up compensatory defenses. Perhaps the child was pampered or indulged in a particular area, or perhaps a certain emotional need went unfulfilled; as he or she grows older, the indulgence or the deficiency may be buried but never disappears. Knowing about a childhood need gives you a powerful key to a person’s weakness.

One sign of this weakness is that when you touch on it the person will often act like a child. Be on the lookout, then, for any behavior that should have been outgrown. If your victims or rivals went without something important, such as parental support, when they were children, supply it, or its facsimile. If they reveal a secret taste, a hidden indulgence, indulge it. In either case they will be unable to resist you.

Look for Contrasts. An overt trait often conceals its opposite. People who thump their chests are often big cowards; a prudish exterior may hide a lascivious soul; the uptight are often screaming for adventure; the shy are dying for attention. By probing beyond appearances, you will often find people’s weaknesses in the opposite of the qualities they reveal to you.

Find the Weak Link. Sometimes in your search for weaknesses it is not what but who that matters. In today’s versions of the court, there is often someone behind the scenes who has a great deal of power, a tremendous influence over the person superficially on top. These behind-the-scenes powerbrokers are the group’s weak link: Win their favor and you indirectly influence the king. Alternatively, even in a group of people acting with the appearance of one will—as when a group under attack closes ranks to resist an outsider—there is always a weak link in the chain. Find the one person who will bend under pressure.

Fill the Void. The two main emotional voids to fill are insecurity and unhappiness. The insecure are suckers for any kind of social validation; as for the chronically unhappy, look for the roots of their unhappiness. The insecure and the unhappy are the people least able to disguise their weaknesses. The ability to fill their emotional voids is a great source of power, and an indefinitely prolongable one.

Feed on Uncontrollable Emotions. The uncontrollable emotion can be a paranoid fear—a fear disproportionate to the situation—or any base motive such as lust, greed, vanity, or hatred. People in the grip of these emotions often cannot control themselves, and you can do the controlling for them.

IRVING LAZAR

[Hollywood super-agent] Irving Paul Lazar was once anxious to sell [studio mogul] Jack L. Warner a play. “I had a long meeting with him today,” Lazar explained [to screenwriter Garson Kanin], “but I didn’t mention it, I didn’t even bring it up.” “Why not?” I asked. “Because I’m going to wait until the weekend after next, when I go to Palm Springs.” “I don’t understand.” “You don’t? I go to Palm Springs every weekend, but Warner isn’t going this weekend. He’s got a preview or something. So he’s not coming down till the next weekend, so that’s when I’m going to bring it up. ” “Irving, I’m more and more confused.” “Look,” said Irving impatiently, ”I know what I’m doing. I know how to sell Warner. This is a type of material that he’s uneasy with, so I have to hit him with it hard and suddenly to get an okay.” ”But why Palm Springs?” ”Because in Palm Springs, every day he goes to the baths at The Spa. And that’s where I’m going to be when he’s there. Now there’s a thing about Jack: He’s eighty and he’s very vain, and he doesn’t like people to see him naked. So when I walk up to him naked at The Spa—I mean he’s naked—well, I’m naked too, but I don’t care who sees me. He does. And I walk up to him naked, and I start to talk to him about this thing, he’ll be very embarrassed.And he’ll want to get away from me, and the easiest way is to say ‘Yes,’ because he knows if he says ‘No,’ then I’m going to stick with him, and stay right on it, and not give up. So to get rid of me, he’ll probably say, ‘Yes.’” Two weeks later, I read of the acquisition of this particular property by Warner Brothers. I phoned Lazar and asked how it had been accomplished. ”How do you think?” he asked. ”In the buff, that’s how... just the way I told you it was going to work.”

HOLLYWOOD, GARSON KANIN, 1974

OBSERVANCES OF THE LAW

Observance I

In 1615 the thirty-year-old bishop of Luçon, later known as Cardinal Richelieu, gave a speech before representatives of the three estates of France—clergy, nobility, and commoners. Richelieu had been chosen to serve as the mouthpiece for the clergy—an immense responsibility for a man still young and not particularly well known. On all of the important issues of the day, the speech followed the Church line. But near the end of it Richelieu did something that had nothing to do with the Church and everything to do with his career. He turned to the throne of the fifteen-year-old King Louis XIII, and to the Queen Mother Marie de’ Médicis, who sat beside Louis, as the regent ruling France until her son reached his majority. Everyone expected Richelieu to say the usual kind words to the young king. Instead, however, he looked directly at and only at the queen mother. Indeed his speech ended in long and fulsome praise of her, praise so glowing that it actually offended some in the Church. But the smile on the queen’s face as she lapped up Richelieu’s compliments was unforgettable.

A year later the queen mother appointed Richelieu secretary of state for foreign affairs, an incredible coup for the young bishop. He had now entered the inner circle of power, and he studied the workings of the court as if it were the machinery of a watch. An Italian, Concino Concini, was the queen mother’s favorite, or rather her lover, a role that made him perhaps the most powerful man in France. Concini was vain and foppish, and Richelieu played him perfectly—attending to him as if he were the king. Within months Richelieu had become one of Concini’s favorites. But something happened in 1617 that turned everything upside down: the young king, who up until then had shown every sign of being an idiot, had Concini murdered and his most important associates imprisoned. In so doing Louis took command of the country with one blow, sweeping the queen mother aside.

Had Richelieu played it wrong? He had been close to both Concini and Marie de Médicis, whose advisers and ministers were now all out of favor, some even arrested. The queen mother herself was shut up in the Louvre, a virtual prisoner. Richelieu wasted no time. If everyone was deserting Marie de Médicis, he would stand by her. He knew Louis could not get rid of her, for the king was still very young, and had in any case always been inordinately attached to her. As Marie’s only remaining powerful friend, Richelieu filled the valuable function of liaison between the king and his mother. In return he received her protection, and was able to survive the palace coup, even to thrive. Over the next few years the queen mother grew still more dependent on him, and in 1622 she repaid him for his loyalty: Through the intercession of her allies in Rome, Richelieu was elevated to the powerful rank of cardinal.

By 1623 King Louis was in trouble. He had no one he could trust to advise him, and although he was now a young man instead of a boy, he remained childish in spirit, and affairs of state came hard to him. Now that he had taken the throne, Marie was no longer the regent and theoretically had no power, but she still had her son’s ear, and she kept telling him that Richelieu was his only possible savior. At first Louis would have none of it—he hated the cardinal with a passion, only tolerating him out of love for Marie. In the end, however, isolated in the court and crippled by his own indecisiveness, he yielded to his mother and made Richelieu first his chief councilor and later prime minister.

Now Richelieu no longer needed Marie de Médicis. He stopped visiting and courting her, stopped listening to her opinions, even argued with her and opposed her wishes. Instead he concentrated on the king, making himself indispensable to his new master. All the previous premiers, understanding the king’s childishness, had tried to keep him out of trouble; the shrewd Richelieu played him differently, deliberately pushing him into one ambitious project after another, such as a crusade against the Huguenots and finally an extended war with Spain. The immensity of these projects only made the king more dependent on his powerful premier, the only man able to keep order in the realm. And so, for the next eighteen years, Richelieu, exploiting the king’s weaknesses, governed and molded France according to his own vision, unifying the country and making it a strong European power for centuries to come.

Interpretation

Richelieu saw everything as a military campaign, and no strategic move was more important to him than discovering his enemy’s weaknesses and applying pressure to them. As early as his speech in 1615, he was looking for the weak link in the chain of power, and he saw that it was the queen mother. Not that Marie was obviously weak—she governed both France and her son; but Richelieu saw that she was really an insecure woman who needed constant masculine attention. He showered her with affection and respect, even toadying up to her favorite, Concini. He knew the day would come when the king would take over, but he also recognized that Louis loved his mother dearly and would always remain a child in relation to her. The way to control Louis, then, was not by gaining his favor, which could change overnight, but by gaining sway over his mother, for whom his affection would never change.

Once Richelieu had the position he desired—prime minister—he discarded the queen mother, moving on to the next weak link in the chain: the king’s own character. There was a part of him that would always be a helpless child in need of higher authority. It was on the foundation of the king’s weakness that Richelieu established his own power and fame.

Remember: When entering the court, find the weak link. The person in control is often not the king or queen; it is someone behind the scenes—the favorite, the husband or wife, even the court fool. This person may have more weaknesses than the king himself, because his power depends on all kinds of capricious factors outside his control.

Finally, when dealing with helpless children who cannot make decisions, play on their weakness and push them into bold ventures. They will have to depend on you even more, for you will become the adult figure whom they rely on to get them out of scrapes and to safety.

THE THINGS ON

As time went on I came to look for the little weaknesses.... It’s the little things that count. On one occasion, I worked on the president of a large bank in Omaha. The [phony] deal involved the purchase of the street railway system of Omaha, including a bridge across the Mississippi River. My principals were supposedly German and I had to negotiate with Berlin. While awaiting word from them I introduced my fake mining-stock proposition. Since this man was rich, I decided to play for high stakes.... Meanwhile, I played golf with the banker, visited his home, and went to the theater with him and his wife. Though he showed some interest in my stock deal, he still wasn’t convinced. I had built it up to the point that an investment of $1,250,000 was required. Of this I was to put up $900,000, the banker $350,000. But still he hesitated. One evening when I was at his home for dinner I wore some perfume-Coty’s “April Violets.” It was not then considered effeminate for a man to use a dash of perfume. The banker’s wife thought it very lovely. “Where did you get it?” “It is a rare blend,” I told her, “especially made for me by a French perfumer. Do you like it?” ”l love it,” she replied. The following day I went through my effects and found two empty bottles. Both had come from France, but were empty. I went to a downtown department store and purchased ten ounces of Coty’s ”April Violets.” I poured this into the two French bottles, carefully sealed them, wrapped them in tissue paper. That evening I dropped by the banker’s home and presented the two bottles to his wife. ”They were especially put up for me in Cologne,” I told her. The next day the banker called at my hotel. His wife was enraptured by the perfume. She considered it the most wonderful, the most exotic fragrance she had ever used. I did not tell the banker he could get all he wanted right in Omaha. ”She said,” the banker added, ”that I was fortunate to be associated with a man like you.” From then on his attitude was changed, for he had complete faith in his wife’s judgment .... He parted with $350,000. This, incidentally was my biggest [con] score.

“YELLOW KID” WEIL, 1875-1976

Observance II

In December of 1925, guests at the swankiest hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, watched with interest as a mysterious man arrived in a Rolls-Royce driven by a Japanese chauffeur. Over the next few days they studied this handsome man, who walked with an elegant cane, received telegrams at all hours, and only engaged in the briefest of conversations. He was a count, they heard, Count Victor Lustig, and he came from one of the wealthiest families in Europe—but this was all they could find out.

Imagine their amazement, then, when Lustig one day walked up to one of the least distinguished guests in the hotel, a Mr. Herman Loller, head of an engineering company, and entered into conversation with him. Loller had made his fortune only recently, and forging social connections was very important to him. He felt honored and somewhat intimidated by this sophisticated man, who spoke perfect English with a hint of a foreign accent. Over the days to come, the two became friends.

Loller of course did most of the talking, and one night he confessed that his business was doing poorly, with more troubles ahead. In return, Lustig confided in his new friend that he too had serious money problems—Communists had seized his family estate and all its assets. He was too old to learn a trade and go to work. Luckily he had found an answer—“ a money-making machine.” “You counterfeit?” Loller whispered in half-shock. No, Lustig replied, explaining that through a secret chemical process, his machine could duplicate any paper currency with complete accuracy. Put in a dollar bill and six hours later you had two, both perfect. He proceeded to explain how the machine had been smuggled out of Europe, how the Germans had developed it to undermine the British, how it had supported the count for several years, and on and on. When Loller insisted on a demonstration, the two men went to Lustig’s room, where the count produced a magnificent mahogany box fitted with slots, cranks, and dials. Loller watched as Lustig inserted a dollar bill in the box. Sure enough, early the following morning Lustig pulled out two bills, still wet from the chemicals.

Lustig gave the notes to Loller, who immediately took the bills to a local bank—which accepted them as genuine. Now the businessman feverishly begged Lustig to sell him a machine. The count explained that there was only one in existence, so Loller made him a high offer: $25,000, then a considerable amount (more than $400,000 in today’s terms). Even so, Lustig seemed reluctant: He did not feel right about making his friend pay so much. Yet finally he agreed to the sale. After all, he said, “I suppose it matters little what you pay me. You are, after all, going to recover the amount within a few days by duplicating your own bills.” Making Loller swear never to reveal the machine’s existence to other people, Lustig accepted the money. Later the same day he checked out of the hotel. A year later, after many futile attempts at duplicating bills, Loller finally went to the police with the story of how Count Lustig had conned him with a pair of dollar bills, some chemicals, and a worthless mahogany box. Interpretation

Count Lustig had an eagle eye for other people’s weaknesses. He saw them in the smallest gesture. Loller, for instance, overtipped waiters, seemed nervous in conversation with the concierge, talked loudly about his business. His weakness, Lustig knew, was his need for social validation and for the respect that he thought his wealth had earned him. He was also chronically insecure. Lustig had come to the hotel to hunt for prey. In Loller he homed in on the perfect sucker—a man hungering for someone to fill his psychic voids.

In offering Loller his friendship, then, Lustig knew he was offering him the immediate respect of the other guests. As a count, Lustig was also offering the newly rich businessman access to the glittering world of old wealth. And for the coup de grace, he apparently owned a machine that would rescue Loller from his worries. It would even put him on a par with Lustig himself, who had also used the machine to maintain his status. No wonder Loller took the bait.

Remember: When searching for suckers, always look for the dissatisfied, the unhappy, the insecure. Such people are riddled with weaknesses and have needs that you can fill. Their neediness is the groove in which you place your thumbnail and turn them at will.

Observance III

In the year 1559, the French king Henri II died in a jousting exhibition. His son assumed the throne, becoming Francis II, but in the background stood Henri’s wife and queen, Catherine de’ Médicis, a woman who had long ago proven her skill in affairs of state. When Francis died the next year, Catherine took control of the country as regent to her next son in line of succession, the future Charles IX, a mere ten years old at the time.

The main threats to the queen’s power were Antoine de Bourbon, king of Navarre, and his brother, Louis, the powerful prince of Condé, both of whom could claim the right to serve as regent instead of Catherine, who, after all, was Italian—a foreigner. Catherine quickly appointed Antoine lieutenant general of the kingdom, a title that seemed to satisfy his ambition. It also meant that he had to remain in court, where Catherine could keep an eye on him. Her next move proved smarter still: Antoine had a notorious weakness for young women, so she assigned one of her most attractive maids of honor, Louise de Rouet, to seduce him. Now Antoine’s intimate, Louise reported all of his actions to Catherine. The move worked so brilliantly that Catherine assigned another of her maids to Prince Condé, and thus was formed her escadron volant—“flying squadron”—of young girls whom she used to keep the unsuspecting males in the court under her control.

In 1572 Catherine married off her daughter, Marguerite de Valois, to Henri, the son of Antoine and the new king of Navarre. To put a family that had always struggled against her so close to power was a dangerous move, so to make sure of Henri’s loyalty she unleashed on him the loveliest member of her “flying squadron,” Charlotte de Beaune Semblançay, baroness of Sauves. Catherine did this even though Henri was married to her daughter. Within weeks, Marguerite de Valois wrote in her memoirs, “Mme. de Sauves so completely ensnared my husband that we no longer slept together, nor even conversed.”

And while I am on the subject, there is another fact that deserves mention. It is this. A man shows his character just in the way in which he deals with trifles-for then he is off his guard. This will often afford a good opportunity of observing the boundless egoism of a man’s nature, and his total lack of consideration for others; and if these defects show themselves in small things, or merely in his general demeanour, you will find that they also underlie his action in matters of importance, although he may disguise the fact. This is an opportunity which should not be missed. If in the little affairs of every day—the trifles of life...—a man is inconsiderate and seeks only what is advantageous or convenient to himself, to the prejudice of others’ rights; if he appropriates to himself that which belongs to all alike, you may be sure there is no justice in his heart, and that he would be a scoundrel on a wholesale scale, only that law and compulsion bind his hands.

ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER, 1788-1860

The baroness was an excellent spy and helped to keep Henri under Catherine’s thumb. When the queen’s youngest son, the Duke of Alençon, grew so close to Henri that she feared the two might plot against her, she assigned the baroness to him as well. This most infamous member of the flying squadron quickly seduced Alençon, and soon the two young men fought over her and their friendship quickly ended, along with any danger of a conspiracy.

Interpretation

Catherine had seen very early on the sway that a mistress has over a man of power: Her own husband, Henri II, had kept one of the most infamous mistresses of them all, Diane de Poitiers. What Catherine learned from the experience was that a man like her husband wanted to feel he could win a woman over without having to rely on his status, which he had inherited rather than earned. And such a need contained a huge blind spot: As long as the woman began the affair by acting as if she had been conquered, the man would fail to notice that as time passed the mistress had come to hold power over him, as Diane de Poitiers did over Henri. It was Catherine’s strategy to turn this weakness to her advantage, using it as a way to conquer and control men. All she had to do was unleash the loveliest women in the court, her “flying squadron,” on men whom she knew shared her husband’s vulnerability.

Remember: Always look for passions and obsessions that cannot be controlled. The stronger the passion, the more vulnerable the person. This may seem surprising, for passionate people look strong. In fact, however, they are simply filling the stage with their theatricality, distracting people from how weak and helpless they really are. A man’s need to conquer women actually reveals a tremendous helplessness that has made suckers out of them for thousands of years. Look at the part of a person that is most visible—their greed, their lust, their intense fear. These are the emotions they cannot conceal, and over which they have the least control. And what people cannot control, you can control for them.

THE BATTLE AT PHARSALIA

When the two armies [Julius Caesar’s and Pompey‘s] were come into Pharsalia, and both encamped there, Pompey’s thoughts ran the same way as they had done before, against fighting.... But those who were about him were greatly confident of success ... as if they had already conquered.... The cavalry especially were obstinate for fighting, being splendidly armed and bravely mounted, and valuing themselves upon the fine horses they kept, and upon their own handsome persons; as also upon the advantage of their numbers, for they were five thousand against one thousand of Caesar’s. Nor were the numbers of the infantry less disproportionate, there being forty-five thousand of Pompey’s against twenty-two thousand of the enemy. [The next day] whilst the infantry was thus sharply engaged in the main battle, on the flank Pompey’s horse rode up confidently, and opened [his cavalry’s] ranks very wide, that they might surround the right wing of Caesar. But before they engaged, Caesar’s cohorts rushed out and attacked them, and did not dart their javelins at a distance, nor strike at the thighs and legs, as they usually did in close battle, but aimed at their faces. For thus Caesar had instructed them, in hopes that young gentlemen, who had nol known much of battles and wounds, but came wearing their hair long, in the flower of their age and height of their beauty, would be more apprehensive of such blows, and not care for hazarding both a danger at present and a blemish for the future.

And so it proved, for they were so far from bearing the stroke of the javelins, that they could not stand the sight of them, but turned about, and covered their faces to secure them. Once in disorder, presently they turned about to fly; and so most shamefully ruined all. For those who had beat them back at once outflanked the infantry, and falling on their rear, cut them to pieces. Pompey, who commanded the other wing of the army, when he saw his cavalry thus broken and flying, was no longer himself, nor did he now remember that he was Pompey the Great, but, like one whom some god had deprived of his senses, retired to his tent without speaking a word, and there sat to expect the event, till the whole army was routed.

THE LIFE OF JULIUS CAESAR. PLUIARCH, c. A.D. 46-120

Observance IV

Arabella Huntington, wife of the great late-nineteenth-century railroad magnate Collis P. Huntington, came from humble origins and always struggled for social recognition among her wealthy peers. When she gave a party in her San Francisco mansion, few of the social elite would show up; most of them took her for a gold digger, not their kind. Because of her husband’s fabulous wealth, art dealers courted her, but with such condescension they obviously saw her as an upstart. Only one man of consequence treated her differently: the dealer Joseph Duveen.

For the first few years of Duveen’s relationship with Arabella, he made no effort to sell expensive art to her. Instead he accompanied her to fine stores, chatted endlessly about queens and princesses he knew, on and on. At last, she thought, a man who treated her as an equal, even a superior, in high society. Meanwhile, if Duveen did not try to sell art to her, he did subtly educate her in his aesthetic ideas—namely, that the best art was the most expensive art. And after Arabella had soaked up his way of seeing things, Duveen would act as if she always had exquisite taste, even though before she met him her aesthetics had been abysmal.

When Collis Huntington died, in 1900, Arabella came into a fortune. She suddenly started to buy expensive paintings, by Rembrandt and Velázquez, for example—and only from Duveen. Years later Duveen sold her Gainsborough’s Blue Boy for the highest price ever paid for a work of art at the time, an astounding purchase for a family that previously had shown little interest in collecting.

Interpretation

Joseph Duveen instantly understood Arabella Huntington and what made her tick: She wanted to feel important, at home in society. Intensely insecure about her lower-class background, she needed confirmation of her new social status. Duveen waited. Instead of rushing into trying to persuade her to collect art, he subtly went to work on her weaknesses. He made her feel that she deserved his attention not because she was the wife of one of the wealthiest men in the world but because of her own special character—and this completely melted her. Duveen never condescended to Arabella; rather than lecturing to her, he instilled his ideas in her indirectly. The result was one of his best and most devoted clients, and also the sale of The Blue Boy.

People’s need for validation and recognition, their need to feel important, is the best kind of weakness to exploit. First, it is almost universal; second, exploiting it is so very easy. All you have to do is find ways to make people feel better about their taste, their social standing, their intelligence. Once the fish are hooked, you can reel them in again and again, for years—you are filling a positive role, giving them what they cannot get on their own. They may never suspect that you are turning them like a thumbscrew, and if they do they may not care, because you are making them feel better about themselves, and that is worth any price.

Observance V

In 1862 King William of Prussia named Otto von Bismarck premier and minister for foreign affairs. Bismarck was known for his boldness, his ambition—and his interest in strengthening the military. Since William was surrounded by liberals in his government and cabinet, politicians who already wanted to limit his powers, it was quite dangerous for him to put Bismarck in this sensitive position. His wife, Queen Augusta, had tried to dissuade him, but although she usually got her way with him, this time William stuck to his guns.

Only a week after becoming prime minister, Bismarck made an impromptu speech to a few dozen ministers to convince them of the need to enlarge the army. He ended by saying, “The great questions of the time will be decided, not by speeches and resolutions of majorities, but by iron and blood.” His speech was immediately disseminated throughout Germany. The queen screamed at her husband that Bismarck was a barbaric militarist who was out to usurp control of Prussia, and that William had to fire him. The liberals in the government agreed with her. The outcry was so vehement that William began to be afraid he would end up on a scaffold, like Louis XVI of France, if he kept Bismarck on as prime minister.

Bismarck knew he had to get to the king before it was too late. He also knew he had blundered, and should have tempered his fiery words. Yet as he contemplated his strategy, he decided not to apologize but to do the exact opposite. Bismarck knew the king well.

When the two men met, William, predictably, had been worked into a tizzy by the queen. He reiterated his fear of being guillotined. But Bismarck only replied, “Yes, then we shall be dead! We must die sooner or later, and could there be a more respectable way of dying? I should die fighting for the cause of my king and master. Your Majesty would die sealing with your own blood your royal rights granted by God’s grace. Whether upon the scaffold or upon the battlefield makes no difference to the glorious staking of body and life on behalf of rights granted by God’s grace!” On he went, appealing to William’s sense of honor and the majesty of his position as head of the army. How could the king allow people to push him around? Wasn’t the honor of Germany more important than quibbling over words? Not only did the prime minister convince the king to stand up to both his wife and his parliament, he persuaded him to build up the army—Bismarck’s goal all along.

Interpretation

Bismarck knew the king felt bullied by those around him. He knew that William had a military background and a deep sense of honor, and that he felt ashamed at his cravenness before his wife and his government. William secretly yearned to be a great and mighty king, but he dared not express this ambition because he was afraid of ending up like Louis XVI. Where a show of courage often conceals a man’s timidity, William’s timidity concealed his need to show courage and thump his chest.

Bismarck sensed the longing for glory beneath William’s pacifist front, so he played to the king’s insecurity about his manhood, finally pushing him into three wars and the creation of a German empire. Timidity is a potent weakness to exploit. Timid souls often yearn to be their opposite—to be Napoleons. Yet they lack the inner strength. You, in essence, can become their Napoleon, pushing them into bold actions that serve your needs while also making them dependent on you. Remember: Look to the opposites and never take appearances at face value.

Image: The Thumbscrew. Your enemy has secrets that he guards, thinks thoughts he will not reveal. But they come out in ways he cannot help. It is there somewhere, a groove of weakness on his head, at his heart, over his belly. Once you find the groove, put your thumb in it and turn him at will.

Authority: Find out each man’s thumbscrew. ’Tis the art of setting their wills in action. It needs more skill than resolution. You must know where to get at anyone. Every volition has a special motive which varies according to taste. All men are idolaters, some of fame, others of self-interest, most of pleasure. Skill consists in knowing these idols in order to bring them into play. Knowing any man’s mainspring of motive you have as it were the key to his will. (Baltasar Gracián, 1601-1658)

REVERSAL

Playing on people’s weakness has one significant danger: You may stir up an action you cannot control.

In your games of power you always look several steps ahead and plan accordingly. And you exploit the fact that other people are more emotional and incapable of such foresight. But when you play on their vulnerabilities, the areas over which they have least control, you can unleash emotions that will upset your plans. Push timid people into bold action and they may go too far; answer their need for attention or recognition and they may need more than you want to give them. The helpless, childish element you are playing on can turn against you.

The more emotional the weakness, the greater the potential danger. Know the limits to this game, then, and never get carried away by your control over your victims. You are after power, not the thrill of control.

#books #history #war #power #advice

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the-noodle-king · 7 years

Photo

All of Panacea’s non-legendary skins (to date) as well as his ability icons.

And under the cut, a very detailed character bio, featuring backstory, ability summaries and some stat numbers I worked out because I really wanted this character to feel balanced and fleshed out.

Real Name: Cole Moniker

Alias: Panacea

Age: 33 as of Overwatch’s Recall (D.O.B. 29th of April 2042)

Occupation: Field Medic

Base of Operations: Thompson, Manitoba, Canada

Affiliation: Talon

Backstory: The most adept field-medic currently working with the terrorist group Talon, Panacea maintains the organisations mercenaries in exchange for watching a world which wronged him burn.

As a young man, Cole Moniker enrolled in the Canadian military much to his decorated mother’s elation, and after 9 years of exemplary service he saw himself frequently serving both as a front line soldier and front line medic.

Set to marry his childhood crush and boyfriend of 10 years, Cole was ecstatic to near the end of his final front line excursion before the wedding, until he heard news of the omnic uprising in his home city, sparked by the similar incident in London only a week earlier. He returned not home, but to a new war zone, covered in blood and fire.

After he found his parents burnt remains in the ruins of his childhood home, he clawed his way through the rubble of his own apartment building desperate for some sign of his fiancé, and when he found no such sign, he vanished, never to report back to a military commander again. Some believe Cole died in the city, fighting omnic rebels or crushed by debris, and Panacea would likely agree that he did.

Driven by grief and anger, Cole spent some time gunning down omnic settlements until he was eventually found by Talon, who had taken a keen interest in his military record and particular medical skills. The group found him especially easy to win over, taking little to convince him of joining beyond a promise of ammunition and targets to shoot at.

Personality: Though still infrequently plagued by the horrors of his recent past, 7 years has seen his old self reemerge somewhat; beneath a well preserved layer of cold detachment and professional efficiency, he enjoys humour once more, often making light of serious situations with jokes and hearty laughter.

His humour is often flirty, though anyone flirting back will quickly shut him down and he will devolve into stuttering and apologies; when dealing with omnics his mood can still sour, even though he claims to have moved past his hatred, this is mostly seen through the dark-natured “jokes” he sends their ways.

Role: Support

Playstyle: Aggressive / Offensive

Hit Points: 200 total, 175 Health / 25 Armour

Primary Weapon: Custom Medic’s Rifle: A heavily modified version of a standard issue rifle from Cole’s service in the Canadian military.

Primary Attack: Fires a steady stream of bullets with a reasonably small, but consistent spread, which while not an issue against large or slow moving targets, can make hitting smaller or particularly quick ones more challenging.

Ammo: 50

Shots Per-Second: 12

Damage Per-Bullet: 9 at 0-20 meters, decreasing to 4 at 40 meters

Reload Time: 1.2 seconds

Able to Headshot: Yes

Ability 1: Burst Heal: Rapidly heal yourself and allies in the immediate vicinity for a small amount.

Healing (Self): 75 Hit Points

Healing (Allies): 50 Hit Points

Area of Effect: 3 meters (Area around Panacea)

Casting Time / Duration: 0.5 second animation which interrupts shooting and slows movement by 50%, healing occurs over 0.5 seconds and continues even if interrupted by a stun

Cooldown: 6 seconds from moment of use

Animation: Panacea strikes his chest harness with his left fist, then pale yellow gas is quickly vented from Panacea’s right arm and boots (Appearing red to enemies)

Voice Line (Self): “It’s good to *Laughs* vent sometimes”, “Needed to get that off my chest *Laughs*” Or “*Laughs* that tickled”

Voice Line (Healed Allies): “Something to tide you over”, “A quick top-up”, “Deep breaths”, “Breath deep now”, “Keep on keeping” Or “Take care, eh?”

Voice Line (Talon Allies): “I’ll patch you up”, “One more mission eh?”, “Keep on Reaping” (Reaper specific), “prends soin de toi, araignée (Take care, Spider)” (Widowmaker specific) Or “Los Muertos recuerdan (Los Muertos remembers / the dead remember)” (Sombra specific, only while wearing Neon Infiltrator)

Voice Line (Omnic Allies): “A quick fix”, “Deep breaths... or whatever”, “No loose wires”, “I’ve got your back... for now”

Ability 2: Enhanced Focus: Panacea draws on his military training to steady his hand and aim for his enemies’ weak points, increasing damage output and reducing bullet spread.

Damage Increase: 50% (Not applied to headshot damage)

Casting Time / Duration: 0.8 seconds animation, after which the damage buff lasts 5 seconds

Cooldown: 15 seconds from the end of the casting animation; the cooldown doesn’t begin if the ability is interrupted before it is cast

Animation: Rifle being adjusted and steadied before settling in a straighter line in front of Panacea’s view, after which the standard firing animation is less shaky until the ability wears off

Voice Line (If he gets a kill with Enhanced Focus): “It’s not personal” Or “A soldier is as a soldier does”

Voice Line (If killing an Enemy Omnic with Enhanced Focus): “Oeil pour oeil, eh?”, “*Soft laughter* Still love it...” Or “*Quietly* For Riley...”

Ability 3 / Secondary fire: Healing Charge: Fire a Healing Charge at an ally to quickly heal them for a significant amount, consuming an equal amount of Stored Healing Charge in the process.

Healing: 100 per use

Ammo Usage: 100 Stored Healing Charge per use

Aiming: Targeted Hitscan

Casting Time / Projectile Travel Time / Duration: 0.8 seconds to fire and then reach the target, healing occurs rapidly over 0.4 seconds

Can be Deflected: No

Stopped by Hack: No

Headshot: No

Cooldown: N/A

Animation: Similar to normal firing animation, but with a stronger upwards kick and a 0.3 second delay after use before normal firing resumes, each successive healing charge used adds 0.1 second to the delay

Additional Visual Effects: For every 100 points of Healing Charge Stored a light on the inner side of the rifle will light up (The parallel light on the outer side will also light up, indicating to allies that a charge is available)

Voice Line (Self and Allies upon firing): “Healing Incoming” Or if the recipient recently requested healing “Help is on the way”; after using more than 3 Charges on one hero, “Stop getting shot!” Or “I can’t keep up with this!”

Voice Line (Talon Allies): “Don’t die, eh?”, “Trying to make me look bad?”, “Try dodging the bullets next time”, “I’ve got your back”, “How’s my french now?” (Widowmaker specific), “Bienvenu!” (Widowmaker specific), “Any time, boss man” (Either Reaper or Doomfist)

Voice Line (If insufficient Charge): “Need more Charge”, “No Charges stored” Or “Almost ready!” (At 85-99% Charge)

Ultimate Ability: Military Efficiency: By overclocking his rifles capabilities Panacea can temporarily store an additional 6 healing charge uses, as well as accumulate Healing charge at a far greater rate.

Charge Gain Rate (Per Second): 15

Charge Gain Rate (Per Point of Damage Dealt): 5

Total Healing Charge Storage Capacity: 1000 Max Charge / 10 Uses of Healing Charge

Casting Time / Duration: 0.8 second starting animation, followed by 16 seconds of active ultimate time, ending with a 0.4 second animation before Ultimate charge resumes

Required Ultimate Charge: 1425

Animation: Starting animation is Panacea cocking the rifle back causing a pair of panels to open at either side of the rifles shoulder stock which each have 3 lights on them, filling respectively for Healing Charges 5 through 10, the ending animation is the rifle again being cocked back and the panels closing, though this is quicker

Voice Line (Self and Enemies): “Here comes the War-Medic!”

Voice Line (Allies): “Healing overclocked!”

Voice Line (Ultimate Charging / Almost Ready / Ultimate Ready): “Military Efficiency charging!”, “The War Medic is almost ready!”, “Prepared to Overclock” or “Military Efficiency is ready!”

Passive Ability: War-Medic: Cole’s rifle turns the power of shooting into healing charge, building more up as he does more damage.

Charge Gain Rate (Per Second): 3

Charge Gain Rate (Per Point of Damage Dealt): 1

Total Healing Charge Storage Capacity: 400 Max Charge / 4 Uses of Healing Charge

#overwatch oc #Panacea #Cole Moniker #character bio #overwatch abilities #Talon oc

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