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#i tried to get some lessor known ones in here as well

parsnipspages · 3 years

Note

Hey Alex! I have a headcanon request! How would be the brothers and dateables react to realizing they want to marry Mc after Mc protects Luke from a Lesser demon (*Cough* beats the hell out of the demon by them self! And didn't get a scratch lol *Cough*) Thank you, stay safe and get some sleep!

TW: A mention of blood and alluded violence. This is written assuming that you have been with a specific character for a time before this. Most likely after arc 2 somewhere. This is a LONG one folks! Just over 2k words in total. GN!MC as always, with literally everyone that isn't Luke!

~~~~~

The first thing he heard was Luke shouting, the next, You shouting. His first instinct was his only thought as he threw himself into a sprint. He had to help you. To protect you from any that would bring you harm. His worry it seems, was misplaced. Arriving at the scene he found you standing over a lesser demon with your hand still curled into a fist. The last echos of a spell hung in the air and sizzled at the lessor demons unconscious face as the blood evaporated from its heat. You glanced back then, looking over to Luke, thrilled as he was that you had managed this. Then your gaze hit him. He had never loved you more.

BROTHERS Lucifer He had been ready to more or less go to war for you, but he didn't seem to need to. Lucifer was quick to chastise you for being so rash but he was practically preening from your resounding success. His dear human had come so far since the start of the exchange. After his stern words and thorough examination of your condition, he did complement your victory. Such things should be rewarded, and a dinner out with him seemed to be more than enough. Perhaps he could finally have the conversation he had been hoping to find a place for. Surely you were ready for life in the Devildom at this point, especially one by his side. He was glad now that he had already thought out that moment a thousand times, then a thousand more. The perfect dinner, the perfect speech, the perfect ring. The perfect spouse. He would have it all. Mammon The fastest of his brothers, Mammon saw you land that blow on whatever poor sap tried to touch Luke. The demon giving a pained wheeze as they hit the grass of the mall. He could barely hear the little angel celebrating behind him as he rushed up to you and wrapped his arms around your waist and his wings around your shoulders. Going on and on about how he had taught you so well. You were okay. You were more than okay! You had won! The question fell from his lips before he could even think to stop it, having been on the tip of his tongue for months. Mammon froze as his flush raced down his back, waiting to play it off as a joke if you said no. Hoping beyond hope he wouldn't have to. He had the ring in his pocket anyway, he even saved up to get that stone you liked... Leviathan Leviathan had been at school that day, somehow, though that didn't matter now. He was out of his seat as soon as he heard your aggrieved voice ringing in the air in that same tone you used to command him and his brothers with your pacts. By the time he had made it to you you were busy fussing over Luke, holding his cherubic face in your hands and looking him over with worry painting your features. He felt jealous now, if only a little, as he caught his breath and walked up behind you, wrapping his tail around your middle and nuzzling his way into the crook of your neck, mumbling everything between praise and fretting over your well-being. He never wanted to let you go again, he couldn't wait forever. Plans brewed in his mind of taking you somewhere special, maybe that beach you had liked... or maybe one of the many quiet corners of the Devildom where you two would hide away and chat the hours away... so many options. He couldn't let himself mess this up. Not this. Satan His tail lashing as he ran, Wrath itself raced down the halls as Satan came to your aid. Abandoning his book-bag in the library nothing crossed his mind as he focused solely on whatever piece of garbage had threatened his love. All of his thoughts of violence and retribution came to a crashing halt as he saw you, standing over the unconscious demon now bleeding into the grass. Luke huffed indignantly as he rushed to your side, clawed hand carefully running over your waist as he stares into your eyes looking for any hint of fear or pain. He found none, and pulled you into a kiss before smiling. He should have known better than to worry about you. Stronger than steel with nerves to match. Maybe he had been wrong when he had thought that staying with him would be too risky for you. You were the most amazing things in his world, and he was willing to do so much to keep that. He had plans to make now, and they would be perfect, just like you. Asmodeus Asmodeus wasn't usually one to be found running, let alone sprinting, yet here he found himself. His wings aiding him as he hopped over railings and ledges focusing only on reaching your side. To save you from whatever ugly low life would dare touch his darling. He didn't stop until you were in his arms, his fingers worrying at every piece of you as he babbled. He hadn't even seen the damage you had dealt to the demon, more concerned with every little hair on your pretty little head. It took a

few minutes to calm Asmo enough for him to stop preening over you before he saw what you had done. He tisk-ed as he looked over your nails and knuckles, covered in the fine dust of a magical spell. He took you then, back to his room so he could fix what you did to your lovely nails and hands. As he ran the polish back over your nails and saw the way you were watching him with that little smile on your face, he came to a realization. His hands stilled as the thought hit him, he had never wanted this before. There was always room for something new though, and you were the most welcome of changes he could imagine. Beelzebub Beelzebub had promised. That night he made his pact with you he promised to protect you, and he had already failed once before. Never again. Thankfully for him and the school buildings he was never far from your side nowadays. His demon form boiled to the surface as he sprinted to you from across the mall. Your fist slamming into the lessor demon before he had even made it to you. Their body hitting the ground as he came to a stop in front of you and Luke. He gave the angel a glance as he rubbed his knuckles and stared down at you. Your face lit up when you saw him, fist still raised as that sparkle lit your eye. Maybe you could protect yourself now, just a little. Beel frowned a bit as that now familiar warmth spread into his chest and onto his cheeks. You were so strong, and so amazing. He ignored Luke as he carefully picked you up and set to taking you to one of his favorite spots to picnic with you. A lunch date was in order after all of that, you had to be hungry right? And he had a conversation to have that would be between just the two of you. Belphegor Normally impossible to wake, Belphegor was attuned to your emotions now. His magic flowing through your shared pact telling him your emotional state at all times. Your rage had brought him back to the land of the wakeful, jumping from his nap spot near a heat register to run to you. Though when he arrived he had to laugh as he saw that lesser demon sprawled out stupidly on the grass. He could smell your magic on the air, the delicate spice of it tickling his nose as he sauntered up to you and tapped you on the head with his bushy tail tip. Look at that. You made him run all the way over here and for what? Nothing. Now you owed him a nap session, no fighting it. His fingers laced into yours as he lead you away from Luke, ignoring the chihuahua as he yapped away. His yawn covering his smile as he looked at you. You were stronger now, he knew that. Maybe now you would be comfortable to stay with him. He had a question or two, and he desperately needed your reply. ~~NOW DATABLES~~ Diavolo Diavolos' thoughts were twofold as he ran to you. One, his mind desperately clinging to the hope that you were okay. Two, what student at his school was getting expelled for aggrieving that which was his. He almost ran into you as he came upon the mall, shocked for a moment to see your raised fist and the felled demon below you as Luke cheered for your victorious actions and quick thinking. Diavolo could feel the familiar hiss of your magic on the air and he carefully placed a hand onto your shoulder, asking quietly what had happened. He was shocked to find that you were defending Luke in much the same way as he had intended to defend you. His warm smile spread across his face as he grabbed your hand and kissed your knuckles. Another thing to add to his list of reasons for loving you. Another reason to propose the idea of letting the public know he had found someone he wanted to officially court. He could almost see the looks on the elders faces when they found out, and he couldn't wait to have your permission to announce that much to them. Barbatos You would have thought that Barbatos would have seen this coming with his powers long ago. Alas he had promised both himself and you that he would let you have the surprise and the enjoyment of your time together without the careful pruning of timelines. You had said that the little mistakes kept things

interesting. A fistfight on the mall was not a little mistake. Neither you or Luke were quite sure when he had arrived, nor how he got there. His gloved hands ran over your knuckles as he stood between you and the cretin who had dared threaten both you and Luke alike. Not only his love, but the angel boy he cared so much for. Before long the lesser demon was dragged away and you found yourself in the kitchen watching the two bake away. Barbatos letting Luke do much of the work as he thought on his feelings from the day. He couldn't bare to let anyone bring you harm or forbid lose you to another. Maybe a little dip into human tradition was in order. Simeon The angel had left you and Luke only momentarily to run back to a classroom and grab a couple of forgotten notes. Simeon was stressing already when he heard Luke yelling, that feeling boiling over into borderline panic as your voice joined his. Notes forgotten once again he ran back to the mall. His heels deafeningly loud on the stone as his mind raced. Coming around the corner he saw the demon on the ground bleeding. Your magic hanging languidly in the air. You with your hand on Luke's' back as you lead him away from the scene. The smaller angel babbling on about how you had showed that demon what was what. His hand fell over his chest as he let out a breath and jogged to the two of you. Simeons arm wrapping carefully around your shoulders as his other hand found your arm. He had thought he had the will to fight the urge to make you his. To save himself and luke the possible consequences. But seeing you defending the boy. Seeing you doing what you thought was right by your family. He knew that those consequences didn't matter, you were more than they would ever be. Solomon Solomon wasn't typically one for worrying. He knew that you had your pacts to keep you safe and beyond that you had the spells he had been teaching you. He couldn't help but worry though, as he heard your shouts and Luke's and the distinct crackle of a force spell being cast. A recent addition to your arsenal and you were already having to use it. He came to you as fast as he could, stopping the reaction he had been brewing safely before coming to you. The lessor demon was standing by that time, rubbing their jaw as they stood and wincing at the burns from your spell. Solomon found you sitting with Luke and Simeon at a bench as you regaled the tale to Simeon. He leaned against the wall beside you as you spoke and he waited. He waited for Simeon to meet his eye and take Luke away to Purgatory hall. He waited for the brothers to say their goodbyes for the evening. He had waited for over a month already, and tonight he would stop holding back. He was allowed to be happy, and so were you.

#Anonymous #obey me #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me simeon #obey me solomon #obey me luke #obey me MC #obey me HC #obey me Headcanons #parsnips printings #Headcanon heresy

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wellthatjusthappend · 4 years

Note

Hi! May I request a sequel to A Love So Soft? Dick has run out of ideas to break Slade and Jason up, so he recruits Alfred. Alfred's master plan is to invite the happy couple to diner at the manor. Thank you!

Cute! I switched around Dick recruites Alfred to Alfred recruits himself, but it still works. Enjoy!

Man, Tumblr has decided to stop alerting me to anything, I totally didn’t see this come in.

****

Dick had officially run out of ideas.

Or well, he’d run out of ideas that wouldn’t end in absolute disaster. Every time he told himself that Jason’s safety was the most important part of all of this, he would imagine how badly Jason would react to him interfering. How angry and hurt he would be. How much he would hate Dick, even if Dick was doing it out of love.

Worse, Jason would probably be more determined to stick with Salde just to spite him.

So he did the only thing he could at this point and stalked Slade.

Which ended up being stalking both Slade and Jason, far more often than not. There were no words for how angry that made him. They were so sweet and gentle with each other, and every time Dick thought about what a cruel lie it all was, he wanted to strangle Slade.

Dick learned Jason was easy to fluster, and quick to blush, especially over romantic gestures.

He wished he couldn’t have found that out first hand. He wished that those looks could be because of anyone but Slade bloody Wilson.

Slade himself was almost never alone, but one day he broke his routine and headed out to the richer side of town.

Heart beating quickly, Dick followed him discreetly as he could. He was sure that Slade was finally showing his true colors. He’d finally be able to catch Salde red handed with his employer and have proof that Jason would have to believe.

To his surprise, Slade pulled up to the back of the lessor known Wayne properties and walked inside like he owned the place. Dick quietly parked behind him and snuck quietly to the door.

Maybe Slade was really using Jason to get at his connections to the Waynes? Unfortunately, this residence had almost no bugs because it was a private property Bruce had gifted to-

“Master Dick, stop skulking at the door like a criminal and come inside.”

“...Alfred?” Dick said in disbelief.

“Indeed. Now that you’ve demonstrated your staggering deductive skills, come inside and sit down. Tea is almost ready,” Alfred said, not even letting Dick get a word in before he was ushered in the kitchen where Slade was already lounging at the table with another man.

It looked like a small feast was being prepared and it smelled wonderful.

“I do wish you had informed me that you were bringing Master Dick along tonight, and early at that,” Alfred said bussing himself once more, “I will have to make some adjustments to the menu.”

“Got tired of the kid acting like my shadow,” Slade said, sipping his tea cooly.

“You- you’re here for dinner?” Dick spluttered in disbelief.

“Of course he is,” Alfred said briskly, “He’s Master Jason’s first serious relationship in a while, and I demand at least a monthly dinner from such prospects. You know that, Master Dick.”

Dick tried not to gape at him. From the way that Slade was smirking, he didn’t think he did a good job.

“How can you be ok with this?” he finally demanded, “he’s clearly using Jason.”

“Like he’s not totally whipped for the kid,” grumbled the man Dick recognized as Slade’s associate Wintergreen.

Slade sent him a withering look.

“Don’t give me that, the boy is much too good for an old man like you,” Wintergreen said bluntly.

“And you’ll be first in line to give me hell if I do wrong by him, yes, yes,” Slade huffed.

“Perhaps not the first,” Alfred said blandly.

It was probably a coincidence that he was sharpening knives.

“Duly noted,” Slade grumbled.

“We’re not doing this here,” Dick grumbled, grabbing Slade’s arm and towing him out of the room.

“And what, exactly are we ‘doing’, Grayson?” Slade drawled.

“You’re up to something,” Dick said, rounding on him.

“You’ve made it clear that you think so, yes,” Slade rolled his eye.

“Don’t forget I know you. I know you are with young people,” Dick snarled, jabbing his finger at his chest, “You’ll say all the nice things and string him along until you’ve gotten what you wanted and then you’ll screw him over. I’m not going to let that happen on my watch.”

Not again. Not to his- not to Jason.

“I can see why you’d come to that conclusion, but you’re dead wrong this time, kid,” Slade huffed, “believe it or not, I’m playing for keeps with this one.”

How dare he-

“Whatever your employer is paying, I’ll triple it,” Dick snapped.

“There is no job,” Slade growled, the slightest hint of real anger showing through.

“I don’t believe you,” Dick hissed.

“At least I care enough about him to actually be there for him when it matters. When’s the last time you bothered to check in on him for something not related to your so called ‘Mission’?” Slade said, using his height to loom over him fully.

“Don’t pretend you know a thing about us,” Dick snapped.

“Yeah? When’s the last time you asked him how he was? What are his hobbies? We’ve been together for almost a year and you’re just now figuring it out- and don’t even pretend you’re someone he could tell something like that when the first thing you did when found out was try and pay his partner into leaving him,” Slade said.

No one ever accused Slade of pulling his punches.

“You’re trying to use him to get at the family,” Dick accused.

“You know what I think? I think you’re jealous,” Slade said.

“You-”

“Jealous I get to have your sweet Little Wing while you get nothing but scraps,” Slade taunted, “Jealous that you were too much of a coward to risk making daddy Bats mad and I wasn’t. Jealous that you can’t make him happy like I can.”

“I- I’m not- you-”

“Or maybe you’re just jealous that you don’t get all my attention anymore,” he said thoughtfully.

Slade ran a thumb over Dick’s lower lip, and Dick was ashamed to say his thought process stuttered to a complete halt.

“You had your chance to be mine. That’s past, now. What hasn’t is your chance to be there for your dearest Little Wing. Are you going to fuck that up again?”

“Fuck you,” Dick choked.

“Tempting, but Jason has asked me to be exclusive. In the end, his opinion matters more to me than you.”

Ouch. Fuck- that really wasn’t something that should hurt like that. Dick knew it was all over his face, that Slade was seeing too much-

“Sorry I’m late, some fucker decided the I-90 would be a great place to-” Jason cut himself off, jacket hanging part way off his arms as he stared at Dick and Slade standing in the entryway, his face paling before turning closed and guarded.

Dick hated that.

“You haven’t missed anything,” Slade said abandoning his place next to Dick help take Jason’s jacket from him, “Those layabouts give you any trouble today?”

“Wh- no, they were- Slade.” Jason put a hand firmly on Slade’s chest as the older man tried to pull him close, sparring a quick alarmed look in Dick’s direction.

“He knows,” Slade said dismissively, not waiting any longer to draw Jason into a kiss.

Dick couldn’t watch that so he turned on his heel and left the room.

He couldn’t process any of it. He couldn’t. It was all a trick Slade had cooked up. Maybe to turn the family against each other. It had to be a trick.

He headed towards the back door where his bike was parked and was stopped by Alfred on the way out.

“Master Dick… I want you to think carefully about the bridge you are about to burn by leaving this way,” Alfred said quietly, “Even if he denies it, your opinion matters to Master Jason. If you reject him now, I fear you may never get another chance.”

“Alfred- I can’t,” Dick pleaded. He couldn’t pretend to be okay with any of this. Couldn’t watch the softest between the couple in the other room and just- just-

“Is that so?” Dick could hear the disappointment in alfred’s voice and that hurt in a whole different way, “Well then, I shall go finish preparing dinner for our guests.”

He left him there alone in the hallway, and Dick wanted to scream about how unfair this all was. He stared blankly at the doorway for another several moments.

So goddamned unfair.

Dick turned around and walked back to the dinning room. Alfred had already set out a place for him, probably knowing he would come back. Wintergreen was keeping his thoughts to himself. Slade raised an eyebrow, but thankfully didn’t comment because Dick didn’t know what nasty thing he would have said to him if he did.

Jason was looking at him with a deeply wary look that hurt somewhere deep in Dick’s chest. But there was also some horribly vulnerable hints of hope around his edges that made Dick know he had made the right decision by staying.

“If you ever hurt him-” Dick gritted out, glaring at Slade.

“Then you’ll help Jason maim me in some horribly creative way, yes. Overprotective threat duly noted,” Slade said boredly.

“Jesus fuck, you two are so-” Jason growled under his breath, but his ears were pink and Dick could tell he was gripping Slade’s hand under the table.

Dick sat down.

#requests #sequel requests #fic: a love so soft #my writing #sladejay #Anonymous

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sebthesnipe · 4 years

Text

The Dreamer by Whatwashernameagain an Analysis? Chapter 2! Part 4

All portions:

Chapter 1: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4

Chapter 2: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4

The Dreamer

@whatwashernameagain

As always, Spoilers under cut.

Warning: Mentions of abuse, kinks... other stuff... Idk I’m too tired.

Jumping right in where we left off. Eva writes about the Dreamer’s organization growing practically overnight and the amount of publicity he had to go through; she talks about interviews, photo shoots, calendars and merchandise. It pulls the attention back from the good vs. evil and the moral debate we discussed in the previous portion of this analysis and reminds us that while Logan and Roman are at opposite ends and fight for morality (whether misguided or not); the organization that was created for the Dreamer is not concerned with those things. No, they are they are there for profit and power; both of which is provided by the Dreamer. This is no doubt exactly what Roman’s father was hoping for when he mutilated and tortured his son into being the ‘symbol of hope’ that he is now.

Our attention is also brought back to the fact that despite his love for the spotlight, Roman is a man of action when it comes to protecting others. It is pointed out that Roman ‘found the publicity work hard to bear at first’ (Whatwashernameagain). After all the time he spent changing himself, putting himself though such agonizing pain, he is found, once again, waiting. The photos the interviews, they are excused by his team explaining that that was how you saved the world in such a media driven society…. Well…. Honestly this kind of pisses me off lol. Because, the reality of it is… That that is partially true. Granted, the cure for cancer isn’t going to be found through Facebook posts… But the publicity can cause enough financial support to fund the research that leads to its discovery. Take Myllena Braz da Silva and Gabriel Martins, two Brazilian students who despite being a part of a less than booming town discovered a way to make new drugs that cost less money and time which could save millions of lives that are loss due to Zika (and they were High School students at the time!) but because they didn’t present this information in an attractive way or to enough people their work has pretty much been overlooked (“Abstract Search.”). It just goes to show you how much this world relies on the media and dramatizations.

I suppose the thing that upsets me the most is the line: “Chastised, Roman had deferred to their expertise” (Whatwashernameagain). This line is perfect here. After feeding Roman the lines about the necessity of social media despite Roman knowing at this core that he needed to act rather than make money for someone else, he reminds himself that these people know more than he does, that he is lessor than they in some way. It reminds the reader that despite his strength and his morals, Roman is still, at his core, an insecure child.

We are also once again, presented with the contrast between he and Logan. Roman mention Instagram and Twitter; places that are used to display yourself but are not very good means of communicating between him and his fans/supporters. While the Utilitarianist is mentioned using Discord and Tumblr; two social media platforms that are highly influenced by the people who contribute to them. Discord allows direct conversations between individuals and Tumblr allows for messaging, asks, etc. It is a subtle difference but one I quite enjoy.

Roman also mentions the was Logan’s groups ‘doing his dirty work, popped up all over the web like toxic mushrooms’ (Whatwashernameagain). Eva always has a way with metaphors. I think that Logan would have both good and bad things to say about this, however. Firstly, I think he would understand that Roman meant this as an insult. Secondly, he would probably not hesitated to point out to the incompetent man that there are some species of toxic mushrooms that theoretically produce billions of compounds through 1 molecular assembly line and can precisely target cells inside the human body and thusly can offer potential medicinal purposes which can lead to new medicines (“Do Poisonous Mushrooms Have a Pharmaceutical Purpose?”). Afterall many cyclic peptides are already known to be important drugs against things such as tuberculosis Staphylococcus, and even cancer (“Do Poisonous Mushrooms Have a Pharmaceutical Purpose?”). So, once again, Logan maybe viewed as bad (just as this toxic mushroom metaphor is) but he might be the medicine this world truly needs (at least… according to him).

“Tirelessly, he tried to remind the world of what mattered, using bold words to paint a bright and colorful picture of the future he truly believed in. A future of unity. They mustn’t lose sight of what mattered – standing together, fighting the hate the Utilitarianist spread with his extremism that called to simple solutions. To violence. Being kind was harder, almost impossibly hard, but Roman would not lose himself in hate, and he knew his fellow Americans wouldn’t either. Breaking the law and turning to murder would not save the planet, it would turn them into monsters” (Whatwashernameagain).

I would like to say that I only want to touch on this para briefly… but let’s be honest, I am rarely brief about anything. Most of what I am about to say is opinion. I have no facts or quotes to back me up on this; everything is simply my experience. Roman brings to light something I tell people all the time, though I am usually ignored. Actually, the question I get most often when people find out that I use to be Law Enforcement is generally ‘You seem to nice/kind to have been a cop’. I usually counter with a ‘you don’t know enough cops’… But when you really get down to it, I think there is a number of reasons people believe that; though I’m not going to get into the political ones. No, the one I want to focus on is hatred. I’ve seen a lot of it. I’ve seen what a person can do to another in the name of hatred. I’ve witnessed it firsthand… been on the receiving end of it…. Watched co-workers, friends, family… be eaten away by it. Here is the truth: hatred is a virus that lays dormant in us all. It is already a part of us, whether we know it or not. Once it is activated but whatever means… it grows and if we let it, it consumes us… If that hatred is seen by or directed towards another it is possible that the hatred that lies dormant inside them is activated…. From there it spreads… like an epidemic… Only epidemics have a cure… Hatred never goes away permanently. It is apart of us. If it is ‘cured’ the virus is still there, it is merely reverted back to its dormant stage… waiting for another chance to be activated.

I’ve watched it spread and spread… even when I was very little and I told myself that ‘that won’t be me’ but… hatred exists in all of us. So, what’s the ‘cure’ that will revert hatred back to its dormant state? Choice. Roman is right… Kindness is so much harder because it is not engrained in us… it is taught… whether by someone else or self-taught. Kindness is a choice. Happiness is a choice… I mentioned the effect of our thoughts on the outer world during Chapter 1. We choose out thoughts, we choose the effect we want to have, we choose kindness. Don’t the person who treated you poorly, pity them… What kind of sad life must they have lived to feel that it is acceptable to treat someone like they do… Or what kind of emotional baggage do they carry that makes them crave the feeling of hatred over numbness… Pity them… They’ve obvious lived a horrible life. Reach out a hand… Who knows… Maybe you’ll save a life rather than ruining on. You don’t have to forgive them… Some times you can’t… but you can be kind without forgiveness.

This of course, is all more difficult than it sounds and it took me years to manage it but it is true and possible. Hatred can be combatted with kindness. Forgiveness comes in time. Help those that hate you; they are misguided. In the end, hatred harms yourself more than others.

Okay… I think I might need to move on…. Ready for some whiplash?

“Even as Roman got to shake the hand of the president, he felt he was not doing enough. He should be out there, fighting harder.

Even after chasing him for almost a year now, Roman felt those things as strongly as ever. He was right, gosh darn it! How could this irritating man not see the merit of a peaceful solution? Who didn’t want peace?!” (Whatwashernameagain)

Poor poor Roman. I love him so much. The poor baby is obviously still having trouble with patience… or rather not-acting. The first line is a reminder that Roman is never enough for himself. He always has to be better, has to do better. I… can understand that. Perhaps if he ever considers himself enough for his father than he might consider himself enough for himself… but he never will be, will he? Enough for his father I mean…

But that revolution I mentioned at the beginning of Chapter 2 analysis is starting to rear its beautiful head. We see Roman starting to get more antsy than ever. Despite the reminder that he considers his team ‘wiser’ when it comes to these things, it is obvious that those thoughts are starting to wear thin. We see Roman’s exasperation grow with the frustrated tones of the last few sentences.

Though his frustration isn’t just directed towards himself and his team but towards the Utilitarianist as well. Roman has proven (as I covered in the last section of the analysis) that he believes all people are inherently good. So, you can imagine his frustration at the fact that his actions towards Logan lead nowhere. The catch is, we know Logan is good at heart and that Roman is as well; they just don’t know that about the other… Though I think Logan has an inkling.

Finally, we see Roman go against orders to keep his mouth shut and the hero confronts his villain for the first time. The setting could no be more perfect, Eva always does have quite the way of picking the perfect atmosphere for these kinds of things. “The wind created by the rotor blades of the approaching helicopter whipping at their clothes on the roof-top almost carried away his words” (Whatwashernameagain). Chaos is created in the scene by the helicopter making it hard to hear each other. Its really fantastic symbolism for their current state in their relationship and perhaps in themselves as well.

Roman is born from chaos. His misguided aspiration for his father’s love. The work that defines him being nothing more than a payload for said father. His fight to follow his team while ignoring the growing need to physically act. The good he wants to do by basically doing things that might not be what we would consider good or for good (mostly because its pretty much all for profit, not that Roman knows that).

Logan may not be born from chaos but he /is/ chaos. Logan is a great example of doing bad things for good reasons… Which in and of itself is fairly chaotic. Not to mention with every act he sends the world through another wave of chaos as well. His entire goal is to turn the economic world on its head in the first place… talk about chaos.

I love that the first line Roman ever speaks to the villain is “Why must you be so impossible?” (Whatwashernameagain). Fairly simplistic words, not much to be impressed about? I would disagree. The words are spoken with such informality that it is almost as if they knew each other, and in a way, I suppose that they. They’ve been meeting for over a year; fighting for over a year. They may not have spoken but they knew each other enough by now… at least that is what it felt like. No doubt when your world revolves around someone else, whether good or bad you feel like you know then. Logan is probably the only person in the world that knew Roman or that Roman felt like he knew even if they hadn’t spoken. Logan, at this point, is the closest thing to a friend that Roman has.

In the same paragraph we also see Roman’s sass returning, lightening our lives once more as he claims that Logan would be the cause of his death; that “He’d kill him with exasperation” (Whatwashernameagain). The way Roman almost curses but catches himself is also so wholesome. A gentleman would never lower himself to such language, of course.

And Logan, usually so cool and collected is pulled into Roman’s frustration. We see Logan’s struggle to keep himself in check and yet he indulges in himself, in such a human reaction. I’ve mentioned it before, but I’d like to point it out once more; Roman is a symbol of Logan’s humanity. Logan does his best not to feel regular emotions, he prefers to think of himself as a computer rather than human; the only time we really see Logan’s composure break is when he is facing Roman. Roman brings out these emotions in him; brings out the human part of him. We see that again here when Logan is unable to keep from replying.

“You cannot be serious. How dare you refer to me as impossible, you simple fool?” (Whatwashernameagian)

Once again, the words are simplistic and familiar, though they are spoken by Logan this time. The familiarity is there just as it is with Roman, despite the fact that he is insulting him. Once again it is possible (probable actually) that Roman is the closest thing Logan has to a friend. He does, after all build an AI to keep him company (along with doing his calculations).

We also see Roman try and be Logan’s conscious as well, which might be needed; after all computers don’t have a conscious; lecturing him about kidnapping and setting things on fire and worst of all ‘drowning [Roman] in frying fat!’… Though I don’t think there would be very many people upset about seeing Roman all oiled up… I know I wouldn’t. The reader’s attention is pulled back to Roman’s team members as Eva mentions the ‘ever-polite voice in his earpiece’ that was trying to get him under control; once again showing the difference between the team and Roman, himself.

The two men continue to argue bringing up a few valid points. Logan points out Roman’s ‘selfish’ thinking, which though we know, as the reader, isn’t exactly accurate it is understandable to believe that that is where Roman is coming from. He also points out that Roman is nothing by a monkey for the press and won’t be the one to bring about the revolution the world needs. Logan’s POV is accurate: Roman is acting as a monkey for his team and that on his present course there will be no revolution if he continues to follow them… Foreshadowing anyone?

““You- you unbelievable, impossible, infuriating villain – how could you dare to- I am attempting to save the world! You are trying to destroy it!” He’d howled, flailing uselessly with frustrated energy.

His righteous claim seemed to rile up the terrorist even more. Taking a few steps towards him over the cement that was starting to heat with the flames beneath them, he jabbed his finger at him” (Whatwashernameagain).

First off, I find it absolutely adorable that Roman is stuttering with his insults. I’m sure his opinion of Logan being unbelievable, impossible, and infuriating will never change. In fact, I would bet on it. They already sound like a married couple. I love them so much!

Looking beyond that, I really love the imagery here. This interaction is going to be the foundation of their companionship (if there will be a companionship which I am certain there will be); like the cement that Logan is crossing. In fact, the imagery of the cement heating with the flames beneath them can be a nod to a number of things. First it could represent the world around them burning and neither of them able to pay attention to anything but the other (which I am just ruined for); or it could be the heat of their passion for good, both extremely intense, both dangerous, both destructive in their own way (Logan physically and Roman’s political/economically).

Their argument continues, each calling the other stupid. We see Roman’s view on good vs. evil once more (which I’ve already covered; not to say it repeated… no the inflection on it is simply to remind us that Roman is a three-dimensional character who cares deeply about the subject). We see Logan losing himself to the humanity Roman brings out in him. We also see (which is my favorite part of the argument) Logan’s accusation about ‘selling topless calendars’ and the ‘heeled boots’. Why is this important? Well, Logan is a busy man he wouldn’t pay too close attention to what Roman’s next public exploit would be… Yet he knows about the topless calendars? I would put my money on the idea that he examined them… ‘for research purposes’ of course. As for the heeled boots well… We already know Remy’s opinion of dat ass… Heels only improve it 😉.

“The villain’s rant was interrupted as a sneaker hit his head from above. His supporters were exasperatedly waving at him to climb into the helicopter they had been screaming over before the police managed to arrest them, just as Roman’s operator had frantically urged him to free his leg and catch the man standing mere feet from him” (Whatwashernameagain).

Once again, we see the stark contrast between the hero and villain here; or rather… the similarity. Logan’s followers are urging him to leave the hero and move on, as he should have done in the first place. Eva compares then to the person on the other end of Roman’s ear piece. Both of them are a sense of reality that these men should be focused on rather than one another and yet neither seems to be able to pull themselves away from the other without an outside influence. They are both utterly hopeless and I love them.

Also #savetheworldtopless and #justpathologicallyevil should totally be a thing! Only #savetheworldtopless should be pictures of all different shapes and sizes of people in superhero poses either topless or like sportsbras/binders etc. basically how they seem themselves or how they want themselves to be; and #justpathologicallyevil should be full of adorable pictures of like cats and things doing mischievous things… I love these!!!

As for Roman’s operator quitting… good riddance. If that’s all it took, then he def wasn’t cut out for that job. Besides, not letting my baby speak is a sin against all mankind.

I’m so excited for the next para!

“Roman felt guilty for getting into an argument and behaving unprofessionally, but somehow, he felt like it had also gotten him closer to understanding the other man. He wasn’t a faceless monster but a person one could talk to – if a truly irritating and rude one – and people could be changed. Roman was good at convincing others of his position. His bright, attractive smile, warm and sweet manners and his polite reasoning had brought plenty of people around. Despite the continued threat of an escalation between the Utilitarianist’s supporters and his opposition, most people still liked Roman” (Whatwashernameagain).

This chapter has spent a lot of time ‘villainizing’ Logan (with good reason) the point of view of the Dream and its team is meant to paint Logan in that light; and thus far Eva has done so very effectively. Here, however, we see Roman reconsidering these points. For the first time Roman is looking past the mask and at the man behind it. It is not that he does not see Logan as a villain but rather he sees him as a human as well. That’s Roman for you though, caring about every human even the ones he considers bad or ‘evil’. I suppose this is a first for Logan as well. People don’t tend to look beyond the Utilitarianist to see the man underneath… they’re not suppose to either but here Roman sits seeing a man that can be swayed, a man that struggles with the good and the bad as we all do. Once again, we see Roman focusing on the individual once more.

“He brought the idea up at a team meeting, believing he’d finally found a way to work more effectively. However, he was turned down gently. They gave him to understand that he had misjudges the villain and that his attempts to negotiate with terrorists could have disastrous consequences. Chastised and feeling like a child make a dumb suggestion at the dinner table, he gave up. Still, despite his best intentions, he wound up arguing with the other again and again” (Whatwashernameagain).

Once again, we see how Roman’s team mistreats him; though they do so, subtly. We see Roman’s attempt at a solution that actually has some merit and may work and yet he is treated like the child they see him as and cast aside as if he didn’t have any weight on the matter. His intelligence is constantly insulted (though not obviously enough for him to feel offended). His goals do not align with that of the teams and therefore are inconsequential. However, Eva points out that the unlike how it was before (Roman making a suggestion, the team shooting him down and he dropping it) the arguments seemed to continue… perhaps this is because Roman is getting more confident? Pushing his boundaries? Leading himself to revolution?

“Their rivalry came to a crescendo when one of their fights once again distracted both of them. He had no idea why this man managed to make his blood boil this much with his talk about superior logic and necessity. Necessity his ass. (Roman would of course never say such a thing out loud, but still.)” (Whatwashernameagain)

This says a lot about Roman. His attention on Logan is continuously growing. He is paying more and more attention to the man as a person and not just as a villain. I mentioned before that Roman probably sees the similarities between Logan and his father but there are a few things he addresses with Logan that he would never say/do with his father. Here is perhaps the only man he is able to interact with (though perhaps not under the best circumstances) that is not pushing his own agenda on the man or putting him down. Someone he can actually argue with without being chastised by the other for the act. He is treated as an equal even if they are name calling one another and that is a big step for the hero; most of the people he deals with always treats him as if he is some child that needs to be seen not heard but Logan… Logan will indulge his passions, argue his points, allow him to be the passionate man he is. To Roman, Logan is an outlet for his passions and allows him to express himself as he truly is, not as his teams wants to be. It is no doubt a refreshing change.

During one of their arguments a pipe bursts over Logan’s head and without pause or consideration Roman rushes to save him, injuring himself fairly badly in the process; to the point that he needed immediate medical attention. Of course, he could heal very quickly but Logan doesn’t know this. I bring this up for two reasons.

Firstly, imagine what this means for Roman. Roman is driven by passion. He cares deeply for every living soul and he views Logan as a misguided person whose heart can be changed. So, when that person’s life is on the line he doesn’t think twice before jumping in the way to save him. This of course is going to cause a lot of issues with his team and perhaps the public but to him a life is a life and Logan’s is perhaps the closest person to him at the moment.

Logan on the other hand doesn’t really consider the individual life too important. It isn’t to say that he doesn’t care for each life in and of itself but if a single life lost would save countless then he wouldn’t hesitate to pull that trigger. To him, it is only logical. He knows that he has endangered and killed a number of people and it would be logical for Roman to allow him to die to advance his own agenda. So, when Roman saves him it no doubt takes a few minutes to process it all. No doubt he had to recalculate all of their interactions. Up until this point he had viewed Roman as nothing but a puppet for political/economic gain and yet… he had saved Logan… For no other reason than to save a life… He perhaps sees Roman’s truly pure intentions for the first time (no doubt cementing his opinion that the guy is an idiot). Logan in return drags Roman from the building and delivers him to an ambulance and we get to see the wonderful gift that is protective Logan… One of my favorite flavors!

Of course, our progress must have some repercussions; which means right on cue Roman’s father appears. Two years has past since Roman became the Dreamer and we’ve barely heard mention of the man. He tends to show up only when Roman does something wrong or if it is advantageous to him; which only cements the image that he’s a no-good money sucker that Roman is better off without. In fact, apparently Roman hasn’t seen the guy in months, which brings out the hero’s denial: “Roman understood he was doing important work, though. It was alright. . Sadly, his father had not been as pleased as he had so desperately hoped.” (Whatwashernameagain).

Denial and rationalization all over again, though I’m going to avoid the Freudian jargon as best I can because this section is already going to be so very long. Eva always has a way of pulling at the reader’s heartstrings with such simplicity and it is truly beautiful. With her last line, mentioning Roman’s desperate hope, my heart breaks. He still wants his father’s approval so badly that it hurts him. He truly is a child at heart when it comes to his father… The poor baby.

The conversation that ensues reminds the reader of the trauma that Roman has gone through to be the man that he is… To be what he thought his father wanted him to be… What the world wants him to be. We see his father’s anger as he demands an explanation and Roman’s immediate instinct to draw his knees close to his chest, curling up on himself as if to protect him from his father’s wrath or the emotions he brings out of the young man. Now it is possible that Roman’s father never laid a hand on him (honestly, I would be surprised if he had. That would mean he actually cared enough to beat the boy and I doubt he ‘wasted his time’ with that.) and this is just an instinctive reaction most people have when faced with emotional distressing situation. Though there is no proof of physical abuse we are already aware of the emotional abuse the man has put his son through, which can be just as bad.

We also see Roman hiding his pain ‘like he’d learned.’ Learned where? Learned during the countless horrific experiments and alterations he endured to become what he thought his father wanted him to be; just to find out his father still viewed him as practically worthless? Or was it before hand? Before all this? Either way when Logan finds out that the sorry POS of a ‘father’ treated Roman so horribly… I hope he gets what is coming to him (though I realize Roman will probably keep that from happening)!

“The rebuke hurt sharply. Swallowing, Roman tried to explain his reasoning he’d never thought he’d have to defend. The place was filled with people who were supposed to support him, yet he felt entirely alone” (Whatwashernameagain).

Roman’s father chastises him for letting Logan live and I think that Roman’s illusion of who is father is may be starting to crack a bit. At Roman’s core ever SINGLE life counts; it is one of the many reasons he became the Dreamer in the first place. But his father doesn’t give a damn about anyone else’s life but his own. As long as he’s making money that all he cares about. We also see Roman finally beginning to realize that despite the fact that he is surrounded by people that he has known for two years now, who are supposed to support him… he /is/ entirely alone.

“This would have been the perfect opportunity. You need to decide if you have what it takes or if you weren’t the right choice after all. Next time this chance presents itself, you let this god damn terrorist die instead of spreading his filth from a luxury prison.” His father had barked at him before leaving him alone to fear losing everything he’d bled for. Everything he’d become. Without the Dreamer, he had no idea who he was” (Whatwashernameagain).

The contrast between these two are as apparent as ever, here. His father is lecturing him to do exactly what Roman is whole heartedly against. He wants Roman to let someone die. He wants Roman to ignore the very core of his being… he wants him to be something Roman can never be and equivalently kill someone. The thing is, if Roman straight out refuses his father everything he has worked for, everything he fights for daily would be stripped from him. The fear of losing something you have worked so hard for is devastating. But it’s a bit more than that for Roman. He has changed everything about his life for this. His physical appearance, the way he lives, everything… I don’t think he realizes this because he would never think something so dark about his father but… If the Dreamer persona is stripped from him Roman would not get to roam free… His father has put in far too much work to create him, he knows to much, he is too much of a liability. No, Roman would either be locked up or killed if the Dreamer was ever taken away from him.

But that also begs the question, can the Dreamer be taken away from him? The Dreamer is a concept, an ideal of what Roman wished to be. Sure, they can pull him from the spot light, take away his team, hide him from the world but as long as Roman’s beliefs are the same and he has the will to keep going then the Dreamer is eternal. The problem is that Roman still lacks the self confidence to realize this. He believes that he is nothing but an over glorified child without his team. Once he realizes this is not the case… Well… Viva La Revolution!

We do see the beginning of these thoughts in the next para however. Roman is starting to question his team and his father. “Was this really what the Dreamer was? He’d tried too hard to keep the peace and catch the Utilitarianist when there were other things he could be doing. They’d told him to leave the crime fighting to the police. His image was the most powerful thing about him” (Whatwashernameagain). He is questioning everything which is good… Well, good in the long run; honestly for him, its no doubt terrifying.

But consider the fact that the one person that ignited the flame that pushed him to ask such question is the very person he is supposed to be rivaled with, the person he is supposed to allow to die. Logan. Roman is many things to the villain: his hope, his humanity, his source of emotion and irritation, his light. But Logan are certain things to the hero as well: his hope, his reality, his sense of questioning, his window into the social world… His proof that everything is no as black and white as he once believed, his chance at a relationship that isn’t riddled with abuse and deception. The irony behind this should not be overlooked. It is so beautiful.

Roman goes on to compare himself to Superman and Wonderwoman which I just adore! That is so very Roman! He points out that Superman couldn’t concern himself with petty thieves but Wonderwoman most certainly would. I love this for a number of reasons. Firstly, we already knew that Roman read comic books, but this really pulls the image of baby Roman sitting under the covers late at night with a flash light pouring over the pages of every type of comic (well at least DC comics). Secondly, despite the fact that Roman good up with such a heavy emphasis on society’s view of masculinity shoved down his throat one of the greatest heroes in his mind is Wonderwoman! I love it! I love it! I love it! The comicbook version of Wonderwoman is a fantastic role model for anyone! Much better than Superman in my opinion! I mean the writers themselves are fantastic! There is actually an entire scene in which Diane is seen nude during an issue and the writers never exploit this. Context: Diane sleeps in the nude. Someone wakes her and they talk while she takes her time dressing. That is it. It is not drawn in a way that sexualizes her or implies anything of the sort. It is simply written/drawn as nothing more than a person dressing and I really appreciate that… though I suppose I am getting off track.

We can also view the difference between implications of comparing himself between Superman and Wonderwoman and the Masculine and Feminine views both represent. Superman is no doubt the way his father would prefer him to aspire to be. Superman is perhaps the most masculine image one could manage to conjure. He is strong, indestructible, not concerned with trivial issues, uses his strength and power to win and always gets the girl. The image of a man. Wonderwoman however, is a bit different. She is strong and practically indestructible sure, but she goes about using her abilities a different way. Instead of fighting all the time or causing more destruction she tends to outsmart her opponents when she can and shows care and compassion to all creatures. Superman focuses on strength and durability; Wonderwoman focuses on skill, training, knowledge. She is not concerned with romance or power; she just wants good for the world; just as Roman does.

We also begin to see Roman work out some of the things we have mentioned, on his own. He begins to question why Logan would save him? Perhaps he questions if the man’s intentions may be better than he had originally given him credit for. He can’t seem to shake his concerns with his own work. The concerns lead him to question his team more and more:

“His doubts wouldn’t leave him alone until eventually, he chose to do what he was most afraid of. He went against the advice of his team.

He’d been sitting around for months, while the Utilitarianist had been busy attacking the Hong-Kong Stock market. Roman quietly wondered why he was never dispatched to other countries to help. His nemesis had stopped limiting himself to the States long ago” (Whatwashernameagain).

It is obvious that there are a few reasons why Roman’s team keeps him in America. Perhaps the most prominent reason is the fact that the people who control Roman are in America and make most of their money from his exploits there. There is no reason to help those over seas if there is no profit for it. Yet, Logan is not bound by these rules. Logan is attempting to save the world and to Roman his goal is to take down Logan. So, once again we see just how much Roman’s team is holding him back and the excuses they use to hide their real intentions (‘Perhaps his team was worried he’d upset someone by remarking that the conditions of those workers truly were less than glittery’ (Whatwashernameagain).).

A situation in Mexico is brought to our attention, Eva does a fantastic job (as usual) to describe the severity of the scene and a new character is introduced: Virgil!!! We see right away that Virgil is a little different than the rest of the team. As Roman’s new operator we he hacks into the bank’s database and gets Roman a floorplan (no doubt against the advisement of the rest of the team). This already sets him apart from the others. For the first time since Roman became the Dreamer we see someone finally working /with/ him rather than discarding his intentions and thoughts. Finally, we have someone to help our wonderful and beautiful boy! The best part is that might be the boost Roman needed! “This was the right thing to do, he felt it. He had to breathe new life into the idea of the Dreamer. He had to be a proper hero again” (Whatwashernameagain).

Of course, when he pitches the idea to his team he is immediately shot down, discarded like the child they saw him as. Only this time, things were handled a bit differently: “Instead of the usual, fatherly patience and kind amusement at his misplaced enthusiasm, he was told off curtly. Without results, Roman was losing their favor” (Whatwashernameagain). Roman has been acting more and more independently which implied that they were losing control of him as an asset and that no doubt caused some tension between his team and their higher ups which was no doubt taken out on Roman.

“Feeling unsteady, he shuffled onto the cold light of the corridor of their underground base. Despite his terror of losing the place he called home, the reporting about the children held hostage would not stop replaying in his head. He’d been told watching the news would only upset him and he should rather rely on the updates they cut together for him, but he was starting to think he would only have found out about the situation far too late when irritated reporters would have asked him where he was when the children were shot. He couldn’t let it come to that!” (Whatwashernameagain).

This para gives me life! This is a dawning of a new age! A new Dreamer! A new Roman! We start out with him defeated (not surprisingly); fearful on his thoughts because you know he’s thinking of going to Mexico anyways and that could cause him to lose his home. The catch is, this has never been his home; it has been the place he has been used and discarded but it is the only ‘home’ he’s ever really known. Sure, before he became the Dreamer he had a different ‘home’ but it is all the same thing. He was ignored unless useful there just as he is here. Still, if its all you’ve ever known, losing it would be terrifying…. Being alone in the world, with nothing to your name… it’s a horrible reality.

Still, he obviously is not letting this go. The news of the children being held hostage is something Roman can’t forget. This is not surprising at all. Roman is a sheltered person. He is not use to seeing such things on the news. In fact, the next sentence reminds us that the only information that he is aware of tends to be the information fed to him; to help control him. It is horrible. But it also causes him to be more sensitive to these kinds of things. I can’t remember if I brought this up before so I will do so again here. The majority of us that open ourselves up to television or social media become desensitized to it all.

For instance, the average 18-year old observes approximately 6,000 acts of violence on television and in movies in one year (Browne and Hamilton-Giachritsis 2005; Center for Research Excellence 2009). Desensitization has been studied primarily as a consequence of exposure to violent video games (e.g., Anderson et al. 2010; Carnagey et al. 2007), so less is known about desensitization to violence encountered in real life or on television and in movies. Despite the many commonalities between real-life and media violence and their effects on adjustment, these two types of exposure to violence rarely have been studied together. It has also been proven that the more desensitized to violence that we become the more violent we become in turn.

Of course, this is just a information about desensitization in regards to violence which includes things like the bank robbery, children being held hostage etc. Consider this: How many times have you scrolled through facebook or some other social media platform and saw a post about a missing person or a shooting or something similar? And how many times have you ignored it and continued to scroll? The truth is, the more you see it the more you ignore it. But what then? Well, then we’ve become part of the problem, haven’t we? By not helping we become the ignorance that is wrong with the world. So, next time you see one of those post… share, reblog… who knows maybe you’ll be that one person to get the word just far enough for them to be found/saved. Don’t let your desensitization get the better of you.

But once again I’m getting off track. My point was, for someone who is not expose to as much violence or horrific deeds as the typical American, something that we consider small (like a bank hold up) can be traumatizing; and poor sweet Roman has been sheltered from these things for some time. Sure, he has seen some really bad stuff but its all what they want him to see… all being fed to him… this… this is different.

Desensitization aside, this para is the stepping stone into Roman’s rebellion! We see him question his team, perhaps not for the first time but close to it: “he was starting to think he would only have found out about the situation far too late when irritated reporters would have asked him where he was when the children were shot” (Whatwashernameagain). Then we see him immediately rebuke them (at least mentally): “He couldn’t let it come to that!” (Whatwashernameagain). Roman is finally growing into his own. He is finally beginning to that that step and begin thinking for himself! This is character development!

Now, enter Virgil Stage Left! Virgil appears just when Roman needs a good kick in the but to get him moving, much like Remy did when Logan needed it as well. It is a good reminder that even when we are struggling whether with the outside world or with ourselves there come a point in time where we could do with a bit of companionship. Humans, after all, are social creatures.

The great thing about his appearance is that with his sense of sarcastic remarks Roman is immediately defensive, preparing to defend his ‘honor’ but we wee him pause as he notices Virgil’s disappointed posture. This is another small contrast between Roman and Logan that I love. Though we don’t actually see Logan reading people’s body language I get the feeling he would be very bad at it. He doesn’t exactly surround himself in situations in which it is required. Roman however, no doubt is trained to read other’s body languages. Yes, I mean formally trained though his emotional abuse has no doubt conditioned him to study it as well. A person who is used to being degraded or yelled out over analyzes every twitch, every smile, every shift of the eyes. Every movement is considered a countdown to the next time they will be abused, it is truly an anxious existence. This of course is just scratching the surface of the trauma Roman has been through but it is brought up in such a subtly beautiful way that really gives testament to Eva’s skill, as always.

The slump in Virgil’s shoulders no doubt screams at Roman just as most postures do. He is not a stranger to disappointment especially from his team. This time though he realizes its different. Virgil isn’t necessarily disappointed in what Roman has done but what he hasn’t done; which is quite heartwarming. Virgil is upset because Roman is not following through with his plan despite his team’s refusal. He /wants/ Roman to be who he is… Which may be the first time Roman has ever experienced such support. The first time someone has shown true untainted support for /him/ not what/who he is supposed to be for them. There comes a time during the cusp of every revolution that a straw breaks a back… A shot is fired…. War breaks out… Perhaps, Roman has finally found his straw in Virgil? Perhaps all he ever needed to begin his revolution was the support of a single person to be who he was.

““No. I’m not backing off. I’m taking a running start.” He’d promised, before striding down the corridor and grabbing a startled Virgil’s wrist on the way. He still needed that one.” (Whatwashernameagain). It seems like a beautiful partnership has begun. I have a feeling this dynamic duo is going to cause a lot of trouble for more than just Logan.

Eva also uses a comparison of Roman sneaking out of the facility to breaking out of prison; which I feel is a very good analogy. The facility is in fact a prison for Roman. He is not a free man in any sense of the word. Even his personality is held captive behind those walls. I also mentioned earlier that Roman’s father would never allow Roman to be free. Roman is too much of a liability. He knows to much. This is one of the many reasons why he is to be locked away until it is time for his media appearances. He is sheltered from the real world just like any prisoner, only allowed certain activities that limit his interaction with the public. He is monitored constantly. It is very fitting.

“The armed robbers were no match for the quiet, cat-like stride of the trained hero. He caught one after the other, knocking them out with ease. This was far simpler than fighting a man like the Utilitarianist” (Whatwashernameagain).

‘Cat-like’? You mean like a certain villain that purr-fers to wear the mask of a feline? Speaking of which, it seems that Roman can’t get the man off his mind even when he’s in the middle of another dangerous mission… and does that almost sound like… admiration?

The next scene shows Roman being as heroic as ever as he carries out a pregnant woman and other out of the building and I have to say Roman+children=my heart exploding. Its just so pure and wonderful and the way she just tugs at his costume just makes me weak.

“Roman barely managed to calm them. He hadn’t been greeted with such honest joy in so long, he was utterly baffled by their adoration. When he finally managed to speak, his voice was thick with emotion.

“Fellow citizens of the world, I have realized that the time for borders is behind us! In these frightening times we must understand that our differences are mere illusions, stand together and give each other hope. Our love and belief in each other shall prevail over evil!”” (Whatwashernameagain).

Roman just made a seriously hard move. Roman is faced with real genuine joy and appreciation; something he probably has never experienced. His team probably pulls him away from situation where he would get the chance to; of course, they would to simply avoid him saying something that wasn’t scripted. This is probably the moment that he realizes that though his team treats his opinions and intentions as bothersome the public sees them as he does: a chance to change the world.

We also get to see Roman take that final step over the edge of the cliff that he has been teetering on for some time now. We see him finally choose to step out into the nothingness where he expects to plummet to his doom; everything that he has worked for stripped away from him. But as he speaks to the world, as he watches their reaction, we don’t see him fall; we see him fly! And because of this, and the elated reaction of his new partner-in-crime we see him swell with pride.

“Finally, he was what he was supposed to be.” (Whatwashernameagain).

This line… This beautiful stunning line says everything that we knew but it also says more. It says that Roman has shed his father and team’s control on him. He has cast aside the image they are painting of him and breaking out into his own. Shots have been fired and there will no doubt be a fallout but for now… It is official, the revolution has begun!!!

“The atmosphere in the underground compound changed. Roman felt the shift, the tension around himself clearly and suffered it with disappointment. It was like being home again. A child whose childishness was barely tolerated. Quiet and shy and feeling unwanted” (Whatwashernameagain).

This reinforces the image Eva has been painting of Roman’s childhood. He compares the new temperament of the compound to his childhood home and the abuse he experienced there. It is the same disappointment, worthless undesirable feeling that his father had caused him to feel for so long. This no doubt would cause the man to be triggered. The only question that remains is, is he strong enough to move past it?

“Despite the repeated attempts to impress the importance of following his team’s directions, he planned and executed more mission with Virgil. He was his one saving grace. Since he was actually starting to make a difference, the two men felt more at ease with each other. Though they were mostly bickering with each other, Roman had found someone to rely on. His fluttering nerves around the moody man calmed, allowing him to fall back on the safety of the Dreamer’s personality less and less. They were a team of two now, instead of the pride of the Conglomerate. It was alright. He was one more person than Roman used to have” (Whatwashernameagain).

Roman is making leaps and bounds in his warpath (I use warpath as a metaphor, this is a revolution afterall). He has taught himself that a single man’s genuine acceptance and affection (not to mention affirmation) is far more valuable than the faux appreciation of a crowd of individuals and this is partially due to Virgil’s support. Now, the two of them argue and fuss but let’s face it between Virgil and Logan this is the only form of true affection Roman has ever experienced. It is only logical that Roman now associates the bickering and affection. The coldness his father shows him, the lack of attention at all has been pounded into him over the years making something as simple as the attention enough to argue with him far more heartwarming than it should be. In fact, the arguments and the moodiness of Virgil seems to calm Roman as he interprets it to be a platonic sense of caring that comes with the smaller man. This will no doubt reinforce his attraction to Logan later as well.

Logan was once considered cold just as Roman’s father, perhaps reminding the hero of the man he aspired to be loved by which no doubt drew him in in the first place. Yet, as they grew closer and Logan began to show the attention Roman longed for, though their arguments and even care when Logan returned the favor of saving his life. With Roman’s interpretations as they are now it is no wonder that he would turn to the man that has shown him more affection than anyone else in the world when he is finally broken and bruised.

Over the next few paragraphs we see Roman surprisingly taking the bait that the Utilitarianist had laid out for the world, working unintentionally, with Logan. We also see his team step up just about the time they are able to profit from it (surprise, surprise). Of course, poor innocent Roman misinterprets this as support, but it is not necessarily a bad thing; at least not yet.

Naturally, as soon as the team steps back in Roman reverts to his old habits; becoming discouraged, calling himself an idiot and generally being self-deprecating. He then resolves to listen to his team more carefully and follow their advice once more. Honestly though, I love the contrast between the team and Virgil. They are like two sides of Roman’s subconscious…. Almost like those angels and devils that pop up on each shoulder in the cartoons. On one hand, Roman’s team pulls him back to his father where his self-conscious and cautious. While, on the other hand, Virgil pulls him towards the light where he is proud and triumphant, confident and bright. The issue is, if he continues to stand in the middle being pulled in two different directions, he may be ripped in two… and if that happens it is possible, he wont be able to be put back together again.

Also: “Roman had sworn to himself to help him feel more accepted in the team. He’d never wanted anyone to feel as isolated as he had most of his life” (Whatwashernameagain). It is possible that Roman is so adamant about Virgil feeling accepted by the team because he knows exactly how it feels to be isolated and alone. He knows how it feels to be cast aside and be considered worthless or idiotic. He knows how horrible it can make you feel, and he wants to make sure that no one feels that way especially someone he cares so deeply for like Virgil.

The next para moves on to talk about the Utilitarianist and the LGBTQ+ community and honestly the imagery is lovely! Of course, Logan would be an icon for the gay community. The Utilitarianist is known for his radical beliefs that stir huge movements around the globe. It wasn’t that long again that the simple act of two men kiss was considered just that: radical. I won’t pretend to know a lot about the social movement; I don’t. I may be LGBTQ+ but I was never a big part of the community until recently. I grew up in small towns. I didn’t even meet someone like myself until high school… So, I’m still a bit lacking in a lot of information that could be gained through that social outlet (I’m serious, a friend of me had to explain a lot of terminology when I first moved into the city… I may not have had physical flash cards like Logan’s but I def had mental ones). Still, I know enough about Gender Studies in literature to help support my argument here.

So, for those of you that don’t know what Gender Studies is; it is a literary theory that is devoted to analyzing gender identity and representation (including but not limited to women, feminism, gender, politics, men’s studies, and queer studies; often combined with the study of sexuality (“Gender Studies”). Why do I consider Gender Studies as ‘radical’? Consider this: Doctoral programs for women’s studies has existed since 1990 (Joschik, Scott). The Women’s Rights movement earned them the right to vote in 1920 and they were considered radical and despite their achievements studying literature that was written by women or had strong independent female characters was not considered an acceptable enough form of study to take a doctoral program (not even a degree) in until 1990! That is radical! What is worse, is the first doctoral program for a ‘potential’ PhD in Gender Studies in the U.S. wasn’t approved until 2005 (Joschik, Scott)! And it wasn’t until 2015 that Kabul University in Afghanistan (Afghanistan!!! Not the U.S. which is full of idiotic bigotry!) was the first to offer a master’s degree course in gender and women’s studies (FaithWorld)! It almost makes me ashamed to live here. In a world where two women pushing a baby stroller in the background of a Disney movie is cause for outrage, I’d say the LGBTQ+ community is ‘radical’… at least in the eyes of America. So, it is no wonder that the Utilitarianist is an icon for them especially after his rescue.

(Sorry for the rant)

Moving on!

“Because Roman had saved him and because he’d now acted on his behalf, following his direct call for action, a lot of people had started imagining them to be more than they were. They were publicly ‘shipping’ them.

Roman had been beyond horrified and humiliated as his sympathetic team had put together a dossier of the things people on the internet thought he’d do” (Whatwashernameagain).

Okay, there are so many things wrong with this. Not Eva’s writing of course, she is always so talented! No, everything that I consider ‘wrong’ is meant to be so.

Firstly, though there are plenty of people that will disagree with me and I respect that, shipping (even if its real people) is fine: Forcing your ship or view point on another or insulting their tastes or hating on them for it etc etc. Is very very wrong and I try not to judge but I’m pretty judgy about this. Hate asks/messages/notes/WHATEVER is horrible and though you may not be a horrible person if you do these things, you’re pretty darn close in my opinion. Everyone has their tastes: Some people like apples, some people don’t. If we were all the same we would never advance as a species.

I am not claiming Eva is hating on anyone. How could she be? She is legit writing about her own subject matter lol I really like the irony of it actually… Its almost like breaking the fourth wall without breaking the fourth wall. But I’m getting off topic again.

Here we see Roman’s team taking an extreme to try and pull him back by the reigns. The know he doesn’t receive any other content than what they feed him and their going to use this to their advantage. So, the decide to use the most angsty, kinkiest parts of the fandom’s ships and expose them to the poor sheltered and innocent man. Imagine if we had never heard of tumblr and then were suddenly shoved into the deepest darkest pits… Sure exposure therapy is known to work but I’d be pretty repulsed by it too. Luckily most of us managed to dip our toes in first and move away from the shallows one step at a time here on tumblr so we didn’t have to go through what poor Ro-Ro is. Now, its common knowledge that we’re all a little demented. Lol XP

“He’d been unable to keep looking at the pictures and horrible, humiliating stories published for all to see. How could he allow this to happen? This was what people saw in him after he’d allowed himself to be experimented on, cut apart and be put back together and worked so hard to give them something to believe in?” (Whatwashernameagain).

Let’s pick this apart a bit, shall we? Why would Roman really be this horrified? Sure, he was sheltered and then suddenly exposed to it but it’s a bit more than that. Here is a man that is supposed to hold up ‘American Values’ and be the image of masculinity. That is what his father wants him to be, that is what he has suffered to become. He is supposed to be the strongest person out there and yet he is being depicted in such compromising positions… In positions of submission, of servitude. He has no idea that that kind of position can be a symbol of trust and freedom because he is not taught to believe this. He does not know what a healthy relationship is.

Then there is also the symbolism of it all. Roman is the hero; he is the light; he is the good. Logan is the villain, the shadows, the evil in the world. These images show the good bowing to the bad. They show Roman losing. Losing the one thing he has suffered and fought for, for so long. They show him the possible failure he is so terrified of. To Roman, these images hold one of his worst fears. /That/ is why Roman is so disturbed by them.

We can also view this another way. Roman is taught that the only way he will win against the evil in the world is through the public’s support. He relies of the world to boost him, to come together in unity. He believes that with their help he is invincible. Yet, the public is the one who created these stories and art. The public is the one the imagined his failure. Roman is fueled by hope and faith and yet these images could be taken as a loss of those things. These images represent the publics loss of faith and hope in Roman… At least, that is one possible view point of the man. Either way, it is devastating.

*******

I would like to add here that @mariniacipher has added some input here that explains this in more depth and is beautifully done. I asked permission to quote them here and they have consented:

“Honestly, I have just one thought like, about your analysis of the line "The Utilitarianist would see it and think-"

I think there's a bit more behind this, and that Roman's team had a deeper reason to show roman that art: Because roman is, to them- as far as we know- a naive boy-turned-tool, and he's already strayed from their commands twice. Once to save the kids in Mexico. This could be seen as him following Logan's agenda in some way. He's definitely seeing all people as equal, instead of following his team's "America First" mindset, which is already risky to them. And then, the second time he "deviates", he directly follows Logan's intel as well as his call to action. Add to that the Logince interactions you already pointed out, their respect to each other in those arguments, and they've got a genuine risk of roman completely leaving their range of influence, in their minds at least. Which brings us to them showing roman the unsavory pieces of art of himself and Logan. You already pointed out a lot here, but I think it also served to pervert the beginnings of the relationship between roman and Logan.

Before, they both just wanted to defeat one another, but also both wanted to help the world. Now, Roman's team is turning this dynamic in something altogether different, or trying to: it turns it sexual, and into a power play/fight. They present Logan not as a person who just wants to defeat roman, but beat him, humiliate and hurt him- because that way, they destroy even the thought of roman defecting, or escaping their influence, because there's no one to run to.In my opinion, they only want roman to have the team, and no one else- showing logan in the role of- to roman- a pervert and even a rapist serves to keep roman isolated and loyal.”

@mariniacipher makes some very valid points here, all of which I agree with. They also provide a great example of how Reader Response is suppose to work in the sense that every reader experiences a work differently and they see these things slightly different. This truly made my day.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

******

Once again, the devil on his shoulder has struck… But where is the angel in purple? Knocking on his door, just in time to save the day!

““Hey. Um, so I saw the dossier.”

Roman groaned, hiding his burning face. He’d never even looked at porn, so seeing himself pictured on his knees, the villain’s hand in his hair, about to- oh god. This was out there. The Utilitarianist would see it and think- irrational fear of things he hadn’t ever considered the other capable of mixed with the humiliation and made Roman tremble” (Whatwashernameagain).

First off, ‘He’d never even looked at porn’… Christ on a cracker, Roman you truly are sheltered you poor poor baby… Though that does beg the question if he is even too modest to…. You know what… Never mind. Lets move on… This is an analysis not a fanfic after all…

‘The Utilitarianist would see it and think-‘ OMG Roman I love you! Even when you’re horrified and shamed the only person you can concern yourself with is Logan?! This is fantastic! We see just where Logan stands now. Before, the person Roman would probably concern himself with is his father. That’s not the case now though. Logan has become more of a priority than dear old Dad and with good reason. In fact, Roman’s father hasn’t been mentioned in some time which gives us a sense of visual in Roman’s mental shift. Our baby is growing. -sniffle- I’m so proud.

Virgil of course, tries to explain to Roman that it is not what he thinks. Roman then states that he believes Virgil thinks him not smart enough to understand and my anxious son puts him in his place as he should! Virgil has no shits to give!

“You’re much smarter than they make you believe! They just want you to stop thinking for yourself!” A frustrated growl escaped Virgil. Pulling uselessly on the powerful man’s shoulder, he tried to get him to look up” (Whatwashernameagain).

He calls the team out on their shit! He explains that Roman is only seeing the kinky stuff and goes on to explain what shipping is really about… Which makes me wonder if the man ships them as well… I wouldn’t put it past him the little angel.

“”It’s about liking two people and rooting for them, despite any opposition. People just care about both of you, even if you’re on different sides. It just shows that most of them aren’t as black and white as they all say. They aren’t the perfect, traditional families on the cereal boxes and they aren’t the masked activists throwing Molotov cocktails either. They’re just people who like some of both of your positions and they like you and him and what they like most is the idea of you two burying this feud and stop fighting. They want what you want, when it comes down to it, dude. For the arguing to end and people to just get along. I’m not making this up, look!”” (Whatwashernameagain).

This is really beautiful, and I feel privileged to be able to read it. Eva gets it, she really does. There are a few sentences here that I really want to point out though. For example, ‘It just shows that most of them aren’t as black and white as they all say’. Virgil is referring to the fact that most people aren’t just good or evil. The majority of people have done good things and they had done bad things… That is human nature. Everyone has regrets. Roman lives in a state in which he is required to see things in black and white, but the world doesn’t work like that. Very few things are so cut and dry. Virgil see this and he sees that Roman doesn’t. At this point Virgil has moved from shoulder angel to practically Roman’s conscious. He truly is a wonderful friend.

Roman, no doubt, doesn’t really stop to consider people in their daily lives. To him its always the people in the most dire of situation that he focuses on. I doubt he’d know how to handle someone if they just past him on the street. Of course, he is trained to think like this… He knows that he is trying to protect people’s way of life but never stops to consider the way they live their life.

‘They’re just people who like some of both of your positions and they like you and him and what they like most is the idea of you two burying this feud and stop fighting’. This feels like more foreshadowing but I’m going to bypass that because we’ve already discussed it. But it is a fantastic representation of both Logan and Roman and a reminder that nothing is black and white just as I mentioned previously. Logan is a good man doing bad things for good reasons and Roman is a good man doing good things for bad reasons. The Dreamer is an apt name… Roman’s ideas of good and evil are so fantastic they deserve to be in a dream. Luckily, Virgil is there to help guide him back to reality (once again pulling on the comparison between Remy and Virgil).

The next few paras are filled with such wholesome and beautiful images and art work that you really need to go re-read it (if you haven’t already. Its just so warm hearted and I love it. Also, I can’t draw so if someone wants to work up some art on the image Roman describes about the glitter in his hair and the dipping Logan I will gladly share it EVERYWHERE!!!! (just link it to me K?)

Also, the argument with the wall of pictures and Roman’s wall of postcards and pinatas gives me life…. My chest aches with it. I can also really appreciate that Eva describes the works of the two arguing so often. Obviously, this would be understandable because the two are on opposite sides but also Roman’s association with affection /is/ arguments which no doubt only reinforces Virgil’s point that these are wholesome and good when Roman sees the two of them arguing. I just love it so much.

There are so many that Eva lists…. …. …. Honest opinion: At this point, she’s just indulging herself… I approve whole heartedly LOL XP.

It is also possible that these are real fan arts of Logan and Roman and though I don’t have the time to look them up at the moment you bet your sweet IQ that I will be after I get this posted!

In all of these images there is one striking similarity that I must point out: Roman and Logan are depicted as EQUALS. Why is this important? Roman had never been treated as an equal by anyone until he met Logan and Logan began to take the time to argue with him, treating him as if he were worth changing his mind. His father doesn’t even bother with that (yes, I know that I’ve already covered this). The point being, it is very important for Roman to feel valued and equaled, that is one of the reasons why the images provided by his team were so disturbing and that is also one of the reasons why these images are so inspirational to him.

““I don’t understand.” He muttered, glancing at his own tablet, filled with data carefully compiled for him.

Virgil’s gaze was worried.

“I guess there are things they’d rather you don’t see, for whatever reasons. Maybe you’ll let me double check the info they give you from now on, man. I get unrestricted internet.”

“Oh. I didn’t know the internet here was restricted.” Roman muttered softly. His head was buzzing. He huddled closer to Virgil, gazing at the images without really seeing them. He felt like everything he knew was shaken in its foundations” (Whatwashernameagain).

Virgil my sweet sweet baby boy, you’ve done it! You’ve finally gave Roman the realization that he needed! Finally, Roman’s eyes are open to just how manipulative his team is and how damaging that can be. Finally, he is seeing what is going on! Now all that’s left is to win the revolution and kick them to the curb!

This is not going to be easy of course. Everything Roman believes and everything he thinks he knows has been affected. His trust has been shaken. Whatever road Roman is about to walk down, it is not going to be easy for the poor man.

******

I apologize for Part 4 being so long, but I’ve limited myself to 4 parts per chapter and it has been quite difficult.

As always, I want to thank Eva for writing so beautifully and being so supportive of my ramblings.

I would also like to remind everyone that I don’t proof read these because I am surprisingly lazy when it comes to my own work.

I also LOVE hearing from you guys so plz plz plz drop me an ask or a message if you feel up for it. I promise I don’t bite unless you ask me to. <3 I also love questions and theories so hit me up with those too!

Be sure to leave Eva some love on AO3 and tumblr as well! She is incredibly nice and always fun to talk to! Also, if you haven’t already read her other work (like KHS) I highly recommend it.

For now, I will be waiting with bated breath with the rest of you for The Dreamer Chapter 3! ^.^ Until then, I hope to see you all around! <3

“Abstract Search.” Full Abstract, https://abstracts.societyforscience.org/Home/FullAbstract?AllAbstracts=True&Category=Any+Category&FairCountry=Any+Country&FairState=Any+State&ProjectId=4987.Pocket-lint.

Anderson CA, Shibuya A, Ihori N, Swing EL, Bushman BJ, Sakamoto A, Rothstein HR, Saleem M. Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in eastern and western countries: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin. 2010;136:151–173.

Browne KD, Hamilton-Giachritsis C. The influence of violent media on children and adolescents: A public-health approach. The Lancet. 2005;365:702–710.

Carnagey NL, Anderson CA, Bushman BJ. The effect of video game violence on physiological desensitization to real-life violence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2007;43:489–496.

Center for Research Excellence Video consumer mapping survey. 2009 Retrieved from Center for Research Excellence web site: http://www.researchexcellence.com/research/research.php.

FaithWorld (26 October 2015). "Kabul University unlikely host for first Afghan women's studies programme". Blogs.reuters.com. Retrieved 2 November 2015.

"Gender Studies". Whitman College. https://archive.is/20121212181127/http://www.whitman.edu/content/genderstudies

Jaschik, Scott (10 November 2005). "Indiana Creates First Gender Studies PhD". The last decade has seen the number of women's studies PhD programs grow to at least 10 – most of them relatively new. Last week, Indiana University's board approved the creation of a program that will be both similar and different from those 10: the first doctoral program in the United States exclusively in gender studies.

Pharmacy Times, https://www.pharmacytimes.com/news/do-poisonous-mushrooms-have-a-pharmaceutical-purpose.

Rivkin, Julie. Literary Theory: a Practical Introduction. Wiley-Blackwell, 2017.

Whatwashernameagain. “The Dreamer - Chapter 2.” Hello Guys Gals And Non Binary Friends, 8 Sept. 2019, https://whatwashernameagain.tumblr.com/post/189407228487/the-dreamer-chapter-2?is_related_post=1.

#the dreamer #villain!logan #hero!roman #sanders sides #sanderssides #sandersides #sander sides #logince #logan sanders #virgil sanders #roman sanders #logan/roman #roman/logan #analysis #reaction #fanfiction #whatwashernameagain

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pierrehardy · 4 years

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COVID-19 x Vicious Cycles

As I studied more and more about what kind of future COVID-19 made for us, honestly, the more depressing it got. The interconnectedness of the world made it easy for the virus to drag everything down with just a single pull. Read on to see how badly the economy and the people will be affected, the considerations that make reopening difficult, and a defense behind the logic of governments that tried to open schools first.

TL;DR

The effects of COVID-19 is a giant and convoluted feedback loop that splinters then reconnects. Read the whole blog for a bigger and clearer picture, but here’s a super simplified version as explained with arrows (->)

First loop: Uncertainty (of second wave) -> people going out and spending less even as economies reopen -> businesses get less income -> businesses struggle -> leads to multiple consequences

Bankruptcy

No money

No money consequence splits

No money + uncertainty -> can’t invest -> less innovation -> lamer economy

No money -> Need government help -> may set precedent for state support -> zombie firms

No money -> can’t pay suppliers/lessors -> no money for even more businesses

No money -> can’t pay staff -> unemployment -> inequality will rise (since those fired first are the low-wage earners, racial minorities, younger employees, women, and less-educated workers) ->

unemployed -> have no money to spend -> can’t spend on businesses, feeding back to the first loop.

Second loop, starting with those lucky enough not to lose their job, which immediately splits

As businesses continue to struggle -> employed people that are economically anxious -> being more thrifty/will save more -> meaning they spend less -> spend less on businesses, feeding back to the first loop.

Working from home -> can’t mingle with network -> less cooperation and innovation

Coming back to being employed but economically anxious + uncertainty because of the virus = can’t plan vacation -> tourism industry is fucked.

Working from home + schools closed -> kids at home -> working from home is less productive

Third loop -> schools closed -> delays in schooling, split

Kindergarten closed -> children miss crucial age to learn social and emotional skills in playground -> will affect future wellness

Delay in schooling -> learning decay and loss -> will have less earning prospects in the future

E-learning -> younger kids can’t learn well

E-learning -> more self-study -> some cultures do not have this autonomy in children

Third sub-loop: Poor students

Poor -> can’t afford laptop -> can’t elearn + siblings -> even worse.

Poor + free lunch in school + free vaccines in schools = equalizing rich and poor students - school = increase inequality.

Poor -> need to work -> kids too?

Heart of the vicious cycle: uncertainty

As I look at my notes, I despair about where to start. I will write my analysis in an “and-then” fashion using bullet points. Plenty of times, points will be repeated, which goes to show how interconnected everything is. Let’s start the path with the general uncertainty caused by the pandemic.

Figure 1 [1]

Start: Overall, we’re still pretty clueless about the virus. There are too many questions like, do you get immune once you survive it, when is the vaccine coming, when is the cure coming? This makes creating policies hard. One uncertainty to start with is how likely a second wave will happen once we re-open.

The fear of the second wave makes consumers wary of coming out even though the lockdown is lifted. It doesn’t matter if a country imposed a lockdown in the first place, the virus itself caused people’s consumption demand to go down (Figure 1). [1] This is a contributor to what the future has for us: a lame economy.

This weaker demand from people will make it worse for businesses, who already struggled due to shutting most of their operations because of the lockdowns. [2] Plenty have already filed for bankruptcy (like Aldo shoes, Gold’s Gym, Debenhams, and more). [3] Those that survive would be battered. This can have multiple effects.

Struggling businesses will have less money to invest. This is bad because investments are about 18% of America’s whole economy. [4][5] This is another contributor to a lame economy.

Businesses can also invest less just because everything is uncertain (connecting back to uncertainty). Who can plan investments when you can’t predict the future?

Struggling businesses that rely on the government through bail-outs to survive might set a precedent of government support. This will create zombie firms (alive but inefficient companies). [6]

Since supply chains and businesses are connected, struggling companies will infect others. For example, if a fast-food branch can’t pay rent, this will affect commercial real estate companies. [2]

The scariest consequence is that businesses struggle to pay their employees. This led to the lay-off of employees and a rise in unemployment.

And so, companies that struggle financially will lead to people struggling financially. The rising unemployment will have multiple effects too.

Unfortunately, those that were unemployed first are those that are most in need: low-wage earners, racial minorities, younger employees, women, and less-educated workers. [7] This will make future upward mobility harder for those who need it the most and increase inequality.

Those unemployed, due to the lame economy, may stay unemployed for a long time. This will not only make living more challenging, but their employability may suffer too as their skills degrade. The probability of the hoped rebound is not so shiny.

Those who managed to keep their job are probably working at home. Working from home, as managers realize the cost savings, is a trend that will stay. But working alone will degrade professional networks and make innovation slower. Less physical cooperation + less investment spending = less innovation which contributes to the lame economy.

Another contributor to the slump in innovation is the fact that people are moving out of cities. [8] There are many reasons why people leave, but one thing is sure: those who do are those who can and those who can usually are high earning and educated. [9] This will leave cities, the breeding ground of innovation, to be less smart.

If you add the uncertainty of planning with less willingness to spend, you get a lethal combination to the tourism industry. You can’t arrange a holiday if the virus is on your way.

The feedback loop so far is that as firms struggle, they fire staff. As people lose their source of income, they will be unable to spend in businesses, making companies struggle even more. This causes anxiety for those still employed. The risk of being fired is still alive in this loop, which makes them save more, spend less, and feed into the loop again, further contributing to the lame economy.

Lastly, I wish to bring back the part of the cycle regarding working from home. Working from home is not productive for everyone, especially those with children. This decrease in productivity will, once again, undoubtedly contribute to the lame economy. And speaking of children:

Someone think about the children

Recently, many governments were criticized as they attempted to open schools again, only to close them back up as new cases spiked. [10][11][12] Those who criticized them for the move were right, but I wish to defend the policymakers who tried to reopen schools. The argument behind it is reliable, and the consequences of missing education are more significant than you’d think. Let’s start with the lockdown’s consequences on children.

First, a list of established academic studies.

A Belgian study showed evidence that delays in the education of children hurt their future prospects (Figure 2). [13]

A review of papers shows that long delays in school, in the form of long summer breaks, leads to learning loss and decay (Figure 3). [14]

Learning social and emotional skills while young is vital for future wellness and social competence (Figure 4). [15]

One year of schooling leads to a 10% increase in lifetime income. And vice versa (Figure 5). [16]

Children are missing out on playground time to develop the much needed social and emotional skills. Children in kindergarten have a limited and crucial window for when to learn these skills, so delaying their education too much would be detrimental to their inner growth.

E-learning is probably worse for children than real learning with a teacher.

Different cultures have different levels of autonomy for self-learning. For example, Spain and France are known to have low self-study levels in contrast to Japan or to where I study (in the Netherlands). From experience, I once had a Belgian exchange student (and friend) that struggled with the amount of self-studying needed. At the same time, an American exchange student (also a friend) found it to be no different compared to where he’s from.

And perhaps the worst consequence: poor children are at a disadvantage. This will widen inequality and hinder upward social mobility (connecting back to an earlier point). Here’s how:

Online learning for children with less money for working gadgets and wifi will get worse education.

Poor families with siblings will struggle to share limited resources (like internet bandwidth or laptops for learning).

The school has been the greatest equalizer between rich and poor students. Thanks to free school lunches and vaccines, the rich and the poor are roughly equal at school. With schools closed, they lose this equalizer.

Also, more impoverished children, due to the lame economy (connecting back to financial hardships), may be forced by their parents to stop schooling and go to work.

Figure 2 [13]

Figure 3 [14]

Figure 4 [15]

Figure 5 [16]

So it’s clear: closing schools hurts children and their future. Next, I will list the two main arguments that supported the reopening of schools.

Children have a chance of dying so low I can’t even see it in the graph (Figure 6).

The second argument is the miscalculation. Since the old were the most vulnerable to the virus and not the young, the concern of reopening school is on whether children will be superspreaders. Earlier studies found no evidence of children-to-adult transmission [18] (now we do [19]). The mistake was interpreting the lack of evidence as the conclusion. More likely, what happened was that the closing of schools early caused this lack of evidence.

Figure 6 [17]

So, should we still try to reopen schools then? Honestly, I don’t know. We know that we need to, but now we also learned that it caused spikes in new cases. More cost-benefit analysis is required, but if the benefits of reopening outweighed the costs, here are some guidelines/suggestions.

Open in stages, and start with the youngest first.

This is because their brains are thirstier and are at that crucial age to learn social and emotional skills.

Older children have more discipline in self-studying and e-learning and understanding why specific rules are put in place.

Young children are the most hassle for working parents.

Have classes in shifts to have fewer students in the classroom. This makes social distancing easier.

Provide teachers some support so they can protect themselves better. They’re at a higher risk than children, after all.

Do not punish parents for not letting their children go back to school. You can’t fault them, but if you show that it’s safe (which you must), they will follow.

Support initiatives to fill in the educational gap the virus caused.

Maybe longer school days.

Shorter summer breaks.

Government supported summer school.

A huge caveat to this: we now know that children can infect grandma, which may not be feasible to all cultures. In Western cultures, perhaps. But in cultures like Hispanic or Asian (like mine), having extended family under one roof is more common. This may pose a severe risk to the elderly living with the children.

Bright side?

As a tradition, I try my best to finish on an uplifting note. But honestly, the picture is very bleak. We’re a bit lucky that this disaster happened today when the economy can somewhat be propped up by IT and working from home. If it happened a decade or two earlier, this would be much worse.

References

[1] Andersen, A. L., Hansen, E. T., Johannesen, N., & Sheridan, A. (2020). Pandemic, shutdown and consumer spending: Lessons from Scandinavian policy responses to COVID-19. arXiv preprint arXiv:2005.04630.

[2]https://qz.com/1856171/malls-eager-to-reopen-as-tenants-miss-up-to-90-percent-of-rent-payments/

[3]https://www.forbes.com/sites/hanktucker/2020/05/03/coronavirus-bankruptcy-tracker-these-major-companies-are-failing-amid-the-shutdown/

[4]https://fredblog.stlouisfed.org/2014/11/graphing-gdp-components-with-our-new-release-view/

[5]https://www.statista.com/chart/18550/gdp-components/

[6]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie_company

[7]https://news.iu.edu/stories/2020/05/iub/releases/14-data-behind-job-losses-labor-markets-unemployment-coronavirus-pandemic.html

[8]https://finance.yahoo.com/news/san-francisco-residents-leaving-unprecedented-163000346.html

[9]https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/15/upshot/who-left-new-york-coronavirus.html

[10]https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52845015

[11]https://www.wsj.com/articles/israel-shuts-some-schools-as-coronavirus-cases-jump-after-reopening-11591203323?mod=hp_listb_pos1

[12]https://www.voanews.com/student-union/some-french-schools-close-again-due-covid-19

[13] Belot, M., & Webbink, D. (2010). Do teacher strikes harm educational attainment of students?. Labour, 24(4), 391-406.

[14] Cooper, H., Nye, B., Charlton, K., Lindsay, J., & Greathouse, S. (1996). The effects of summer vacation on achievement test scores: A narrative and meta-analytic review. Review of educational research, 66(3), 227-268.

[15] Jones, D. E., Greenberg, M., & Crowley, M. (2015). Early social-emotional functioning and public health: The relationship between kindergarten social competence and future wellness. American journal of public health, 105(11), 2283-2290.

[16] Psacharopoulos, G., & Patrinos, H. A. (2018). Returns to investment in education: a decennial review of the global literature. The World Bank.

[17]https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51674743

[18] JESPERS, V. (2020). COVID-19 TRANSMISSION AND CHILDREN.

[19] Dong, Y., Mo, X., Hu, Y., Qi, X., Jiang, F., Jiang, Z., & Tong, S. (2020). Epidemiology of COVID-19 among children in China. Pediatrics, 145(6).

#Corona #coronavirus #COVID19 #covid #COVID-19 #schools #reopen #economy #current events #Current Affairs #virus #feedback loop

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banded-warrior · 6 years

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ATTEMPTED RESCUE PT II

Parry:

Payne kicked the door open and we stepped over everything in the way. Our eyes scanned the little room within 30 seconds we join Lyric in her little corner, helped her stand then wrapped her in my arms and told Lyric that all will be okay and we have her now and she would be home soon.

Lynic leaned forward trying to push me aways from her, striking at my chest and arms with her fists as she screamed abuse inches of my face. No sooner had the words come out of her mouth when i heard a ruckus from the room and Payne’s voice.

“You ungrateful bitch” I glared back at Payne, knowing full well what was about to happen next. Her right hook landed squarely on Lyric’s jaw knocking her out cold. My eyes widened for a moment, threw Lynric over my shoulder ready to escort her to safety.

“About time” I heard someone mumble and when I turned around my breath caught as i stared into Zsadist’s pools of evil black as night eyes. “Come on we need to get her out of here..keep moving!” It all happened so fast, Adrenaline pumping through my veins,. “Fuck!” I tried raising my right arm to let loose some rounds at the lessor down the hall. Z and Payne jumped out of the way. My shoulder hurt like hell. I saw the glint of a pistol barrel in the dimly light two more rounds fired directly into my chest and knocking the breath out of me, my knees buckled under Lyric’s weight.

Zsadist:

As we stepped into the room, my eyes scoured for any signs of life. I was gonna be right pissed if this had all been a setup, and Lyric wasn’t really here. Those thoughts were immediately put to rest the second I saw her… yet, something in her eyes wasn’t right. Parry threw her arms around in her in sheer delight of finally finding her, after all these years but, Lyric wasn’t the damsel in distress we’d expected. Fists flew as she fought off Parry like if her life depended on it. Emotions were pretty high, as evidenced by Payne’s reaction to the whole sitch.

I barked out orders for us all to get the fuck out of there when more lessers appeared down the hall and started shooting. It took me a second to realize Parry had been hit. “Fuck. Us!” I spat. Where the fuck was Peyton?! I had only told him to move the bodies out of the way. He should have been back a long fucking time ago. “Peyton?!” I hollered down the corridor. I’m going to fucking kill that kid when he finally shows back up!

The only saving grace, at this point, had been that Lyric landed on top of Parry and we knew the lessers wouldn’t aim for the two of them, on the off chance they might hit Lyric. So, it was up to Payne and I, as we began to blaze a trail down the hall.

That’s when I realized, as I passed by one of the rooms, Peyton was leaning over a body, hands closed in on a wound, blood everywhere. Shit! I couldn’t tell from the angle I was at, who the body on the floor was. But this meant, either John Matthew or Blay was still alive. This night couldn’t have gotten any more fucked than it already was.

Parry:

As I tried to move Lyric off me I smelt the iron smell of blood I could now taste it. The place was reeking of it and it wasn’t from Lyric. It was my blood. The realisation that I had been hit consumed me. I had failed just like I had the day that Craeg had died. I was too slow to react and he lay dead in my arms. If this was me going to the fade at least I knew that I would be welcomed by my Hellren. At least I would have died trying to bring Lyric home. I used to fear the fade like a thief in the night but now I welcomed it. In truth I hoped it would make me feel again. I heard in the distance Z move away from me, he obviously knew I was safe for now. The darkness began to envelope me as I gave in the sound of my Hellrens voice along with my fathers.

“Parry, you need to fight this, you promised me you would keep living” Craeg’s voice echoed, “Remember the first training session when you told me you would fight for what you wanted, my shellan it is not your time yet I will welcome you into the fade when it is I will be here waiting for you, just keep breathing My Paradise”

“Paradise, Parry” I heard someone calling me, “For fuck sake Parry Breathe” my eyes flew open as I gasped for air the trainee looking down at me with concern. I could have screamed at him if I had the energy to. I wanted to go back I needed to see Craeg again. He had known the fucker that someone would save me, he bloody knew. I would be returning to him soon. I would make sure of that.

Zsadist:

As Payne and I were doing our thing, the slow dribble of lessers was continuing to siphon into the hallway from the door at the other end. Suddenly, V burst through that door with a few of the newer recruits. We began to attack from both sides and I noticed that V had locked us in. As the lesser’s numbers dwindled, I heard the sound of Rhage’s dragon on the other side of the door and quickly understood why V had locked the door. That also meant, at least V and Rhage had survived. Hopefully, V’s group had better luck than we had.

Once the lessers were all killed and sent back to their maker, we began checking the wounded. It was JM that Peyton had been huddled over. He was still alive, but barely. It was a total crapshoot as to whether or not he would make it back to the manse. If he did, we would have Peyton to thank. Blaylock, on the other hand, had not made it. Another casualty of this horrific war. Parry, was in and out but, V assured me, things looked promising for her.

It wasn’t long before we heard the beast collapse and Xhex call out for our help. As we emerged from the building, the air was thick with gloom. In total, we lost six, including Blaylock, Novo, Rehv, and a few newer recruits, eight were in need of immediate medical attention. Manny and Ehlena, who had been waiting for word only a few blocks away, arrived swiftly. They took JM in the back of the ambulance, along with Lyric. The rest, we piled into SUVs and took back to the manse.

#AttemptedRescuePtII #ISBDB

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licencedtoretire · 6 years

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I wonder how many times I have driven to Kerikeri and beyond along State Highway 10 or north to Kaitaia on State Highway 1 and driven past the signs that point to the Waimate Mission just a few kms up the road. Thinking to myself that one day I must go there but in reality being so focused on my destination that I would probably never have got there had it not been for the media manager at Landmarks Whenua Tohunga who contacted me through my blog asking me to write a series of articles on some of the sites they help promote in Northland.

Landmarks Whenua Tohunga connect a number of historic places on behalf of Heritage New Zealand, DOC, local councils and private owners. They are charged with promoting these mostly lessor known sites to encourage both Kiwi’s and tourists to take the time to come visit. As I have said in the previous blogs the places we are visiting in Northland all have an important part to play in the history of New Zealand but all are tucked away off the main road.

This blog is about making that side trip, off the main road, and getting to visit some of these places. Having already visited Clendon House and the Mangungu Mission both located in the Hokianga. As well as the Rangihoua Heritage Park this visit to Te Waimate was probably also the most accessible of all the places we intended to visit.

First though we had to leave our wonderful stopover for the night at the Wairere Boulders. If you haven’t already done so you really need to read the blog I wrote about this place and our time there. It’s one of the nicest places we have found on our travels around New Zealand and we have certainly stayed in a few places!

The road to the Mission house takes us through Kaikohe which is the half way point if you are riding the new cycle trail from Mangungu to Opua. There are a number of places around here that you could stay with the trusted and well thumbed Travel Directory showing 5 options with a few kms of the town. As however we where meeting a friend in Kerikeri we chose not to stay anywhere here.

The view from the road

Te Waimate Mission

Arriving from the west the first thing you notice is the historic church sitting on the small hill. There are a number of old churches in the Hokianga some of which have fallen to wrack and ruin. This one however is much more imposing and well preserved. More about the church a bit later.

The old school house

Entrance sign

The day we arrived there was plenty of parking in the huge driveway with only a couple of other people there. The first thing to notice where the magnolia trees in bloom with a riot of pink flowers really very pretty.

Straight ahead at the end of the drive is the old Sunday school house that dates to around the late 19th century. It has been through a number of uses during the time the site has been occupied and is not currently open to the public.

The tree lined walkway

This site was the first inland settlement established in the Bay of Islands and was established to teach the local Maori people European farming practices as well as forming the fourth mission station in New Zealand. With all of the missioners coming from England the place was developed along the lines of a small English village with a church, school, mill, blacksmith and houses. Today the place still retains that English feel especially as you walk through the gardens towards the mission house.

Talking about gardens a lot of people probably wouldn’t be aware that the famous botanist Charles Darwin spent some time here compiling his notes as part of the ground breaking voyage around the world on the Beagle.

Alex Bell

We were met at Te Waimate by Alex Bell who was busy repairing one of the old farm gates. A man of many talents Alex is actually the man in charge here and also has the oversite of the two missions in the Hokianga. Unlike the two Hokianga sites this place is open Saturday to Monday during winter and Friday to Tuesday during summer so it wouldn’t take so much planning to get there on a day that it’s open.

As you can see from the smile on his face Alex loves his job and that enthusiasm rubs off when he starts telling you about the mission and it’s history. A really informative guide.

The Treaty of Waitangi

Celebrating 100 years

Walking through the second oldest standing house in New Zealand history abounds and it was here on the 9th February 1840 that the second signing of the Treaty of Waitangi took place although this was a fairly small signing compared to the 70 chiefs who signed at the Mangungu Mission it nevertheless was important in cementing the relationship between the church and local Maori.

Alex told us that the main living area was used as a school room and there are places in the room where the soft kauri paneling has been indented by people writing on top of it. There is also a glass covering over an area that shows ancient “graffiti” from one of the pupils. I tried to photo this but the light just wasn’t right. It is however a really interesting thing to see. Also proving that graffiti has been around for a lot longer than you might think.

Contained within the house and in various different rooms are leftovers from the days when it was a working farm with the lathe and various tools on free display. Although if you are tempted to “borrow” something there are security cameras in abundance. Wondering what the nail bed was I asked Alex who told me that it was used for separating the flax fibers that could then be turned into rope and with the abundance of flax in the area it would have had a lot of use.

Taking the chance to wander what was once the working farm it was interesting to read the information board about just how hard life was here and that eventually the missioners gave up both on the mission and the working farm. Today there was a small flock of Pitt Island Sheep a rare breed of black sheep that they are breeding here. As it was lambing season when we visited we didn’t want to get to close with one pair of lambs born the prior night.

In the background of the sheep photo you can see what was the first Oak tree planted in New Zealand and shortly after we left Te Waimate I read that the tree had died and fallen over. They have however saved cuttings from the tree and hope to plant one of these in it’s place soon.

During the mid 1840’s the house was used as the command post for the British Army during the land wars with a number of soldiers stationed here camping in the grounds. Just inside the entrance way into the church are two of the wooden gravestones that mark the passing of some of the soldiers during the battles, although one was accidentally shot by his own side, rather sad really.

The church and it’s grounds are a must for a wander around whilst you are here and although this is the 3rd church that has been erected on this site it’s still has a very historic feel to it. The cemetery is still in use by the locals today with a few fresh graves evident.

All in all I am disappointed with myself that it’s taken me so long to come and visit here and when I consider that in the late 1970’s I lived not to far from here there really is no excuse. So I write this blog to absolve my sins and suggest that you come and visit yourselves it’s a really interesting place.

That night I wanted to stay somewhere that had good quality cellphone signal so I could upload some photos and continue writing a blog I was working on. Since we had one more place to visit south of Kawakawa I said to Sarah that we should spend the night at the Whangaruru Beachfront Campground. This campground is directly across the water from my favourite DOC Camp, Puriri Bay.

On the day we visited the camp managers were still concerned about how dry the grounds where and given the size of our van they wanted us to park on the driveway, this created the rather embarrassing situation that in an empty campground we had to park right next to someone else. They however were really good about it and we still had 3 metres between us.

At $30 for the night with power using the NZMCA discount it was great value for such a great view right on the water. Unlike Puriri Bay across the water which has great signal however the cell tower here is hidden by the hills so there is almost no signal, there is thankfully free WIFI so I was able to get my work completed.

[supsystic-gallery id=’5′]

The following morning we wandered along the beach which also serves as a road when the tide is a little lower to the settlement of Ohawini. It’s here that when we have stayed on the other side that we have watched the car headlights at night working there way along the coastline or watched the fabulous sunset in the hills behind. Put this place on your must visit list.

From here it’s onto our final destination on the tour the Ruapekapeka Pa one of the largest and best preserved Maori Pa sites in New Zealand.

To view the places we have visited click here to see them on Google maps. You can click the links to read the blog about that area. [cardoza_facebook_like_box] To view the Ratings we have done for other camps click here [jetpack_subscription_form]

Te Waimate to Whangaruru I wonder how many times I have driven to Kerikeri and beyond along State Highway 10 or north to Kaitaia on State Highway 1 and driven past the signs that point to the Waimate Mission just a few kms up the road.

#campervan holiday New Zealand #Doc camps #Heritage New Zealand #Landmarks Whenua Tohunga #Museum visit #Northland

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paradise-1st-amongequals-blog · 6 years

Text

#AttemptedRescuePt2 #ISBDB

Parry:

Lynic leaned forward trying to push me away from her, striking at my chest and arms with her fists as she screamed abuse inches of my face. No sooner had the words come out of her mouth when I heard a ruckus from the room and Payne’s voice.

“You ungrateful bitch” I glared back at Payne, knowing full well what was about to happen next. Her right hook landed squarely on Lyric’s jaw knocking her out cold. My eyes widened for a moment, threw Lyric over my shoulder ready to escort her to safety.

“About time” I heard someone mumble and when I turned around my breath caught as I stared into Zsadist’s pools of evil black as night eyes. “Come on we need to get her out of here..keep moving!” It all happened so fast, Adrenaline pumping through my veins,. “Fuck!” I tried raising my right arm to let loose some rounds at the lessor down the hall. Z and Payne jumped out of the way. My shoulder hurt like hell. I saw the glint of a pistol barrel in the dimly light two more rounds fired directly into my chest and knocking the breath out of me, my knees buckled under Lyric’s weight. @Banded_Warrior

Zsadist:

Parry:

As I tried to move Lyric off me I smelt the iron smell of blood I could now taste it. The place was reeking of it and it wasn’t from Lyric. It was my blood. The realization that I had been hit consumed me. I had failed just like I had the day that Craeg had died. I was too slow to react and he lay dead in my arms. If this was me going to the fade at least I knew that I would be welcomed by my Hellren. At least I would have died trying to bring Lyric home. I used to fear the fade like a thief in the night but now I welcomed it. In truth, I hoped it would make me feel again. I heard in the distance Z move away from me, he obviously knew I was safe for now. The darkness began to envelop me as I gave in the sound of my Hellrens voice along with my fathers.

Zsadist:

#AttemptedRescuePtII #ISBDB

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myself-earthman-creative-ar-blog · 7 years

Text

Well Here We Go Again

First the despicable kind stole all my work tools, not caring if I should

die a most heartless death. Then the would be insulters tried to kill my

unborn child, that rested in its mother’s womb. And now they proclaimed

that the faith & trust which belongs to only---God Almighty the Father of

us all---could be / will + is attained by any foul mouthed imposer that

might locate our whereabouts, the idiot. That was enough for the sign of

signs, which is even printed & embedded in the U.S. Treasury as well as

upon an U.S. dollar bill, also. Was there throughout my life---was caused

to depart from its mooring on the wall where anyone & everyone could

see it & did see it, clearly---every letter of it. So, tell me, you so-called

“high class” professionals, how are we going to reconcile this incidence of

forced divisioning of the societies persona? By the parting of the ways per-

haps? Of course, what else would be conclusive according to such beings

whom have irksome & disabled taste buds? The senseless epidemics

caused by the ill gotten mentalities of those wasted people are so harmful

it’s no wonder why the war of “desert storm” has lasted so long until there

are threats of world war. Imagine this: I just narrowly missed world war two

and now I can’t be the “one” who is justifiably enjoying the love I gathered

& work hard on in the younger years of my life. Well, considering the turn

of events which were as they were perhaps, just perhaps, there wasn’t as

much sharing of thee known social equalities as my blind travels led me to

consider there were.

Like the song goes, “Mama told me there’ll be days like this.”

Although, the strangeness of it all is like that---an unknown situation. But,

I’ve the priminitions that my hands are still on the controlling throttle, some-

how. Besides, thus far, there’s existence left to be lived, be it enjoyably safe

or not. I mightn’t straighten this mess out but I’m still the individual to whom

the end results belongs too. And [(7)+(positive & negative)] when it is all

over I’ll pick up the pieces and will not return them to any of the man-made

devil kind, be they dead or alive.

Such is the statements that expresses the fact that knowledge came before

the wisdom (one before two). Which is the proper identity of---at a glance

such,mathematical prowess is proof of good reasoning abilities---the good of

consciousness + the alerted attention of thee creator shall not be lost forever

by myself because this I know for sure [+4th*].

From deep inside the anger is transformed into peaceful patience (B.B.T.).

So, i.e., we forge once again in the battle to suppress the illness of de-

praved thoughts & deeds.____Onwards we go

“But, brings hail, rain, snow & earthquakes”---is an end result caused by

The Son of Man in regards to those---”who worship that they know not

what.” These who are easily led into the wrong decision / direction(s)

have habitual occasions where it is seen that they could cause Us.A. to

be included in their acts of rebellion, in as much as, to bring to our “holy”

horizons turmoil that equal theirs. Theirs were less wealthy by the fold

of the profit measure and per cent and possessed flame ridden evidences

of felony charges as well. Our’s were not---the knots of life.

M.S.L.= Remember this one thing : of lessor provocative reference &

insightful pronunciation as to wit, is the thought---”we also repel the unalike

cranial responses / thought patterns because they’re of a dangerous

intent.” So as to be easily led in the right direction + to remain logical we

pray daily---so help us God!!! {wisdom born}

And, so are the moments of concentration regarding the disruption of the

unity formed by six thousand years of forced tricknollegy which bored the

trace of trickgnosis unto the people. That was injected into the mainstream

of reality by the way of the thought to exist---poisonous worms in swine.

Those whose stinging actions are suspected of having consumed of the

positivity of humanity. We vow to cause such dysfunctional antidotes to them

and retain the prosperity that is given & received by the “keeping of the faith,

baby.” We all are watched over & kept in the light---which is in the mind of God

Almighty (only them that stray away on their own happen to get lost)---of the

verses on the resurrective possibilities the trinity possesses thru righteousness

& the powers of the “Holy Cross.”_______

A-Men, A-Men and A-Men____[eat to live]

Earth man creative artist of 1986---S.S.Coachman [Jr.111 13x Bender]