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jonnyparable · 2 years

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Cottage Hills : A Winter Tale, End of Book 6

A Town to Fight For

It's a calm snowy morning at Rosenberg Hall, the old venerable house that's been in the Rosenberg family for generations. A Rosenberg has always been mayor, going all the way back to one of the town's founders, Tobias Rosenberg. Today, the house is expecting a visitor.

It's the next day after the events at the square. An expensive looking car drives up to the house. Gourmand sits in the car quietly for a while. Looking up at the old house of his good friend, Thomas, thinking about what to say. He slowly gets out of the car. He finds Thomas sitting in the back garden, on his favourite stone bench behind the arbor.

Mayor Thomas :

"Good morning Gourmand. I've been expecting you."

Gourmand :

"Yes..... Well you know why I am here then. I trust you've seen the headlines. Here's a few of my favourites : 'Swindleton A Swindling Bully?', 'Town Rallies Against Unjust Landgrab!', 'Town's Youth Expose Swindleton's Swindle!', 'Divadonna Distances Herself From Swindleton', 'Mayorhood Returns to Rosenbergs'.

Gourmand sits down defeatedly next to Thomas and sighs deeply. He looks down at the snow at his feet. They sit in silence for a while before Thomas speaks.

Mayor Thomas :

"That's not what I think of you, Gourmand. We've been friends for so long... I hope you know none of those headlines mean anything to me."

Gourmand :

"Sigh... I'm sorry for what I did, Thomas. I really thought I was helping. I feel like such a fool. I saw you struggling with this town and I had all these ideas to make it better... I thought my ideas could save this town but I was wrong... I don't understand the community at all. Now everyone hates me."

Mayor Thomas :

"No one really hates you, Gourmand. I know you were just trying to help, you've always been there for me, but Gourmand, I see now that this is my town. And it's my responsibility. I'm mayor. I will need to see the town through it's difficulties. I was wrong to have relied on you as much as I did."

Gourmand :

"You're right, Thomas. I'm sorry, I guess I didn't help at all..."

Mayor Thomas:

"That's not true. You did help. I think you made the people of this town see that what we have here truly is precious, and worth fighting for. I think they realised what we have to lose now. You helped me to see that too."

Gourmand:

"Thomas, your town really is quite special... And it truly is precious. The world outside is changing fast. Too fast, and not for the better, if you ask me. I don't know how long your town can remain the way it is but perhaps the time to fight for your town will come sooner than you think."

Mayor Thomas:

"Well, we'll be ready, when that time comes."

At the Train Station...

On the edge of town, a train has pulled in at the town's train station, to whisk away a certain diva, who is preparing to make her exit. But not without her usual drama and flair, of course.

Contestina :

"Adora! Farewell my friends! It has been a pleasure! But alas, it is time for me to travel to Saqhaba! To begin my tour of visitation!"

Doug:

"Thank you for visiting our inn, Madam. It was an honour to have you. We hope you'll come back... Uh... Ahem... Soon!"

Cliff:

"Goodbye, Madam Divadonna! All the best on your tour!"

Contestina :

"Ahhh! Belisa my herrrro! My saviourrr! I will never forget you or this town! Don't worrrry ill definitely return! But for now, a Sheikh awaits! CIAO REVOIRASIMO DARLINGS! GOODBYE!"

As the diva boards the train, and everyone watches and waves. Ann, standing next to Cliff, turns to him with a fretful expression. One that she's worn for a few days now.

Ann:

"Hey Cliff.... Um... So you appeared in the papers didn't you? Um Echo Dela Mode? With Gourmand and Madam. Do.... Do you think someone from your past will see your picture and... You know, come get you?"

Cliff:

"Ann.... Is that what you've been worried about these few days?.... I can't say, Ann...maybe someone will?"

Ann:

"Heh heh worried? Me? Why would I? I mean that's good for you right? Maybe you'll be reunited with your family, those people in your old photograph...you can go home....where you truly belong."

Cliff:

"Maybe.... But maybe I belong here. In Cottage Hills. With.... With you, Ann."

In the Misty Woods...

Far outside town in the misty woods, Kano is lost, hopelessly lost. All around him, he's surrounded by mist, ice and forest. He's been lost for who knows how long now, and things are starting to look bleak.

Kano:

"Ohh why did I have to follow that man into these woods!? I'm lost! Its freezing, how am I going to get out of this one? Looks like this is it! This is how the great Kano Kandidi will finally meet his demise! Perished while searching for a mystery.... Perhaps in time people will begin writing about my disappearance too....I wonder if anyone will care to look for me... "

As he's mulling over these grim thoughts, he hears the loud, mournful howling of a strange creature. It sounds like it's sad, in pain. It also sounds like it's nearby. Very near. What is it? It doesn't fully sound like a wolf, but what else could it be? Perhaps the big black dog he was told about?

Kano can't help but feel he's being watched. As he looks around, he suddenly hears a twig snap behind him. He whips around and is horrified by what he sees. A low, gruff voice barks out at him.

Voice :

"Who are you!? What are you doing here in my woods!?"

Meanwhile...

Wally has been walking through the very same woods, following his guide, Bramble. He's leading him to his home in the forest, and to the fabled Tree of Life. Wally wonders if the tree is real, what it could look like or if maybe Bramble is referring to something else, maybe just a really old tree? Wally is so deep in thought that he doesn't notice how warm its gotten. There isn't even any snow on the ground. Suddenly, Bramble's jovial, booming voice breaks his train of thought.

Bramble:

"We're here, Master Wally! The Garden of the Sprites! And home of the Tree of Life!"

Wally looks up and is in awe of what he sees. The rest of the Sprites usher him in. And before him, in the dead of winter, stands a garden, warm, bright and sunny, growing in the midst of some ruins. And right in the middle, a massive, ancient tree with golden leaves, just like the one he saw in his dream.

Wally:

"Oh my.... Bramble.... Is that... Is that the Tree of Life? It really... It really exists!"

A Few Weeks Later...

In distant Saqhaba, in the shady recital pavilion of the Palm Palace, the city's most exquisite luxury hotel, Contestina has finished her private performance. The Skeikh and his son stand up to applaud her warmly. They congratulate her and thank her for her performance, and the usual round of shmoozing and pleasantries ensue. They're watched meanwhile by a man in a white linen suit, dark green shades, neat short hair and a well trimmed beard.

Contestina walks up to him and he greets her warmly but with cool restraint. He kisses her hand. His voice is rough and throaty. His words roll out in a cold, almost hypnotic drawl.

Contestina :

"I trrrust you enjoyed my performance. Thank you for inviting me to your beautiful establishment! Gala Adora! The Palm Palace truly is the pride of Saqhaba!"

Man:

"Divadonna. You are a welcome presence in my hotels always. The Palm Palace is the best of all my Palms Luxury Hotels. It is the pride of not just Saqhaba, but the world. Anywhere you go in the world, my hotels will be waiting to accommodate. So, Madame, tell me about your travels. I hear you and Swindleton are no longer.... Associates?"

Contestina :

"Yes... Gourrrrrrmando and me are.... Journeying in different directions for now."

Man:

"How sad. His fiasco in Cottage Hills is so very typical of him. He has money, no doubt, but what he lacks, Madame, is that... killer instinct. But alas, what more should we expect from a candy peddler? Now, why don't you tell me more about that town? It seems such an unusual little place to have attracted his interest."

Contestina :

"Cottage Hills? Ohh, t-there is much to tell, p-perhaps over lunch?"

Man:

"But of course. And Madame, you will tell me... Everything. "

#the sims 2 #ts2 pictures #ts2 screenshots #ts2 neighborhood #ts2 scenery #sims 2 #sims 2 simblr #cottage hills #harvest moon tree of life #Tree of Life #A Winter Tale

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hatchavvay · 4 years

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HC 001: Dearly Departed 🪓

Ambrose Harper (FC: Jimmi Simpson)

The naive but good-intentioned son of successful farmers (married in 1869)

Death by: Hatchet

Frank Banks (FC: Michael Shannon)

An eastern banker and community pillar (married in 1872)

Death by: Gunshot (apparent suicide)

The Marquis de Doome (FC: Ken Watanabe)

A foreign diplomat with a military past (married in 1874)

Death by: Throat slashed

Reginald Caine (FC: Vincent D’onofrio)

A celebrated railroad baron, gambler, and world renowned gourmand (married in 1875)

Death by: Poisoning

George Hightower (FC: Tobias Menzies)

A (possible) relative of the wealthy hotel owner/explorer Harrison Hightower III (married in 1877)

Death by: Hatchet

#🪓 || 𝓘𝓷 𝓢𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓘𝓷 𝓦𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓽𝓱 [ ʜᴇᴀᴅcᴀɴᴏɴ. ]#🪓 || 𝓣𝓻𝔂 𝓝𝓸𝓽 𝓣𝓸 𝓛𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓭 [ ᴛᴡ. ]#[ tw suicide mention ]#[ tw death mention ]

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ramajmedia · 5 years

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Netflix's Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Cast & Character Guide

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance sports an absolutely massive cast, employing a diverse group of actors and puppeteers to bring the many creatures of Thra to life. Netflix's Age of Resistance is a prequel to 1982's The Dark Crystal, a dark fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz that still impresses with its incredible puppetry and practical effects.

Set years before the events of the original film, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance sees three Gelfling uncover a horrible secret about their ruling lords, the Skeksis. The events of the Netflix series directly set up The Dark Crystal, and fans of that film will undoubtedly enjoy recognizing all that ways in which the movie is referenced. However, unlike the original Dark Crystal, Age of Resistance is a much longer and more thorough exploration of Thra, with a cast of over 30 characters brought to life with 20 principle puppets and an additional 90 supporting characters. Simply put, Age of Resistance is a massive production.

Related: Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance World, Creature & Terminology Guide

Building the world of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance by introducing so many characters at one time requires a truly stellar cast. Thankfully, Age of Resistance is employing some of the best in business. Here's the full cast of actors and puppeteers for Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

The Gelflings

Taron Egerton as Rian (puppeteer: Neil Sterenberg) - Taron Egerton is voicing Rian, a Gelfling of the Stonewood Clan who also serves as a castle guard. Egerton most recently starred as Elton John in Rocketman, and has previously held lead roles in Kingsman and Eddie the Eagle.

Nathalie Emmanuel as Deet (puppeteers: Beccy Henderson, Katherine Smee) - Fresh off her work on HBO's Game of Thrones as Missandei, Nathalie Emmanuel voices Deet, a Gelfling of the Grottan Clan who cares deeply for the animals of Thra. Emmanuel can next be seen in 2020's Fast & Furious 9. In addition to puppeteering, Beccy Henderson has also appeared as Aisling on Derry Girls, while Katherine Smee has also puppeteered for films like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Muppets Most Wanted.

Anya Taylor-Joy as Brea (puppeteer: Alice Dinnean) - Anya Taylor-Joy is voicing Brea, a Gelfling princess of the Vapra Clan and daughter of the All-Maudra. Joy rose to prominence with roles in The Witch, Split, and Glass and is slated to appear as Illyana Rasputin/Magik in The New Mutants.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Seladon (puppeteer: Helena Smee) - Gugu Mbatha-Raw voices Seladon, Brea's older sister and princess of the Vapra Clan. Mbatha-Raw's breakout role came as the lead in Belle. She's also appeared in Beauty and the Beast, Fast Color, and A Wrinkle in Time. Helena Smee is the sister of Katherine Smee and has previously worked for The Jim Henson Company on productions like Muppets Most Wanted and Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Caitriona Balfe as Tavra (puppeteer: Neil Sterenberg) - Caitriona Balfe is voicing Tavra, another of Brea's sisters and a warrior for the Vapra Clan. Most will recognize Balfe from her lead role as Claire on Outlander, but she has also appeared in films like Super 8 and Now You See Me.

Helena Bonham Carter as Maudra Mayrin/The All-Maudra (puppeteer: Louise Gold) - No stranger to dark fantasy, Helena Bonham Carter voices the All-Maudra, leader of the Vapra Clan and the head of all Gelfling clans. Known for playing Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and collaborations with Tim Burton, Bonham Carter most recently appeared in Ocean's 8 and she'll play Princess Margaret in the upcoming season of Netflix's The Crown.

Lena Headey as Maudra Fara/The Rock Singer (puppeteers: Alice Dinnean, Louise Gold) - Another Game of Thrones alum, Lena Heady (Cersei Lannister) trades one crown for another by voicing Maudra Fara, the leader of the Stonewood Clan. Headey will next appear in the action flick, Gunpowder Milkshake.

Harris Dickinson as Gurjin (puppeteer: Dave Chapman) - Harris Dickinson is voicing Gurjin, Rian's best friend and a Gelfling of the Drenchen Clan. He also serves as a castle guard. Dickinson is a relatively new talent, appearing next as Prince Phillip in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and as the lead in The King's Man. Dave Chapman, however, should be familiar to Star Wars fans as one of the two puppeteers responsible for bringing BB-8 to life.

Shazad Latif as Kylan (puppeteer: Victor Yerrid) - Shazad Latif voices Kylan, a Gelfling of the Spriton Clan and friend to Rian and Gurjin. Latif is best known for his role as Lieutenant Ash Tyler/Voq on Star Trek: Discovery.

Hannah John-Kamen as Naia (puppeteer: Beccy Henderson) - Hannah John-Kamen voices Naia, a Gelfling of the Drenchen Clan and Gurjin's twin sister. John-Kamen recently had roles in Ready Player One and Ant-Man and The Wasp, in which she played Ava Starr/Ghost.

Eddie Izzard as Cadia (puppeteer: Olly Taylor) - Eddie Izzard is voicing Cadia, a Gelfling soothsayer from the Sifa Clan. Izzard is a comedian and actor, starring in FX's The Riches and most recently appearing in Victoria & Abdul. Olly Taylor has puppeteered for Muppets Most Wanted and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, among other films.

Alicia Vikander as Mira (puppeteer: Helena Smee) - Alicia Vikander voices Mira, a Vapra Gelfling who is Rian's girlfiend as well as a castle guard. Vikander has starred in films like Ex Machina, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and most recently in Tomb Raider as Lara Croft.

Toby Jones as The Librarian (puppeteer: Kevin Clash) - Toby Jones lends his voice to the Vapra Clan's librarian. Jones had his breakthrough role playing Truman Capote in Infamous, and most recently appeared in Out of the Blue. Jones also portrays Armin Zola in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Kevin Clash is a veteran puppeteer best known for portraying Elmo on Sesame Street until 2012. He was also the subject of the documentary, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey.

Natalie Dormer as Onica (puppeteer: Louise Gold) - Yet another Game of Thrones cast member involved is Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell), who voices Onica, Tavra's girlfriend and a Gelfling of the Sifa Clan. Dormer is next appearing in the spinoff series Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.

Mark Strong as Ordon (puppeteer: Dave Chapman) - Continuing the connection with the Kingsman franchise, Mark Strong voices Ordon, Rian's father and a warrior from the Stonewood Clan. Strong played Merlin in both Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kingsman: The Golden Circle. He also played Dr. Thadeus Sivana in Shazam!

Theo James as Rek'yr (puppeteer: Olly Taylor) - Theo James is voicing Rek'yr, a Gelfling of the Dousan Clan. James is best known for his role as "Four" Tobias Eaton in the Divergent series.

Louise Gold as Maudra Argot/The Shadow Bender (puppeteer: Louise Gold) - Louise Gold is another veteran of The Jim Henson Company and the only puppeteer reprising their role (as skekAyuk The Gourmand) from the original Dark Crystal film. In Age of Resistance, she is also voicing and puppeteering Maudra Argot, the leader of Grottan Clan in addition to puppeteering the All-Maudra, Onica, and The Gourmand.

Kemi-Bo Jacobs as Maudra Seethi/The Skin Painter - Kemi-Bo Jacobs is voicing Maudra Seethi, leader of the Dousan Clan. Jacobs has appeared in London Has Fallen, McMafia, and Doctor Who.

The Skeksis

Jason Isaacs as skekSo/The Emperor (puppeteer: Dave Chapman) - Hollywood's go-to actor for baddies, Jason Isaacs' latest villainous role is that of the Skeksis emperor, skekSo, the ruler of Thra. Isaacs portrayed Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series and most recently Captain Gabriel Lorca on Star Trek: Discovery.

Simon Pegg as skekSil/The Chamberlain (puppeteer: Katherine Smee, Warrick Brownlow-Pike) - Simon Pegg has perhaps the most difficult task in voicing skekSil, The Chamberlain, seeing as Barry Dennen's portrayal in The Dark Crystal is downright iconic, but Pegg proves well-suited. Most viewers will be familiar with Pegg from his and Edgar Wright's Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy as well as his work in the Mission Impossible and Star Trek films. Warrick Brownlow-Pike regularly works on such Jim Henson Company productions as Sesame Street.

Awkwafina as skekLach/The Collector (puppeteer: Helena Smee) - Actress and rapper, Awkwafina voices skekLach, The Collector, a Skeksis who as their name suggests loves to collect things, particularly other creatures. Awkwafina gained prominence with parts in Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians.

Benedict Wong as skekUng/The General (puppeteers: Katherine Smee, Kevin Clash) - Benedict Wong is another MCU alum in the mix, here voicing skekUng, The General and commander of the Skeksis' army. Wong played Master of the Mystic Arts Wong in Doctor Strange and reprised the role for both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

Harvey Fierstein as skekAyuk/The Gourmand (puppeteer: Louise Gold) - Harvey Fierstein voices skekAyuk, The Gourmand, the Skeksis who prepares their many feasts. Fierstein is a prolific actor of the stage and is probably best known to moviegoers for his roles in Mrs. Doubtfire and Independence Day.

Andy Samberg as The Heretic (puppeteer: Damian Farrell) - Andy Samberg is voicing a Skeksis known simply as The Heretic, having been exiled by his fellow Skeksis. Samberg is a member of The Lonely Island and currently stars in the NBC (originally FOX) sitcom, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Damian Farrell frequently works as a creature and droid puppeteer in the Star Wars films.

Ralph Ineson as skekMal/The Hunter (puppeteer: Kevin Clash) - The final Game of Thrones actor involved in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is Ralph Ineson (Dagmar Cleftjaw) and he is voicing skekMal, The Hunter, the most viscious of all the Skeksis. Ineson has also appeared in the Harry Potter series and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Alice Dinnean as skekEkt/The Ornamentalist (puppeteer: Alice Dinnean) - Alice Dinnean is a veteran puppeteer for The Jim Henson Company and here she is both puppeteering and voicing skekEkt, The Ornamentalist, the Skeksis who designs their flamboyant outfits. Dinnean has also puppeteered roles for The Muppets, Sesame Street, and even that one Community episode where the characters become puppets.

Keegan-Michael Key as skekZok/The Ritual-Master (puppeteer: Victor Yerrid) - Keegan-Michael Key voices skekZok, The Ritual-Master, who is responsible for rituals like the Ceremony of the Sun. Key is best known for being one half of Key & Peele with Jordan Peele, also starring with Peele in Keanu, and most recently voicing characters in Toy Story 4 and The Lion King (2019).

Mark Hamill as skekTek/The Scientist (puppeteer: Olly Taylor) - No stranger at all to voice work, Mark Hamill is voicing skekTek, The Scientist, the Skeksis who begins experimenting on the Dark Crystal. Hamill is, obviously, best known for portraying Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films and voicing The Joker in several DC Comics animated projects.

Neil Sterenberg as skekOk/The Scroll-Keeper (puppeteer: Neil Sterenberg) - Neil Sterenberg is another veteran puppeteer who here is both puppeteering and voicing, skekOk, The Scroll-Keeper, who serves as the castle's historian. Sterenberg is also puppeteering the Gelfling Rian and Tavra.

Aughra, The Mystics & More

Donna Kimball as Aughra (puppeteers: Katherine Smee, Kevin Clash) - Donna Kimball is voicing Aughra, a character who is the embodiment of the planet Thra. Kimball is also a puppeteer for The Jim Henson Company, previously working on such projects as The Happytime Murders.

Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as urVa/The Archer (puppeteer: Olly Taylor) - Ólafur Darri Ólafsson voices one of only two urRu to appear in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, urVa, The Archer, who as their name suggests is a skilled archer among the Mystics. Ólafsson has appeared in the surreal Netflix comedy, Lady Dynamite, and is currently in AMC's NOS4A2.

Bill Hader as urGoh/The Wanderer (puppeteer: Olly Taylor) - Bill Hader is voicing the other urRu, The Wanderer, a Mystic who, well, wanders. Hader is an actor and comedian currently starring in HBO's Barry as well as the impending horror film, It Chapter Two.

Victor Yerrid as Hup (puppeteer: Victor Yerrid, Katherine Smee) - Victor Yerrid provides the voice of Hup, a Podling who befriends Deet on her journey, in addition to puppeteering the character with Katherine Smee. Yerrid is also puppeteering for Kylan and skekZok. He's previously worked on such shows as Greg the Bunny, Crank Yankers, and more.

Sigourney Weaver as The Myth Speaker - As one of only two characters that isn't a puppet, Sigourney Weaver lends her voice to the narrator for the series, here called The Myth Speaker. She begins The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance by retelling a brief history of Thra. Weaver is an accomplished actress best know for Alien and will next appear in the still untitled Avatar 2 and Avatar 3.

Dave Goelz as Baffi - Dave Goelz is responsible for the vocal work (and presumably the puppeteering though that's unconfirmed) of Baffi, Maudra Fara's eyepatch-wearing Fizzgig. Goelz is veteran puppeteer for The Jim Henson Company, originating the role of Gonzo.

Theo Ogundipe as Vliste-Staba/The Sanctuary Tree - Another non-puppet character, Theo Ogundipe voices The Sanctuary Tree, Vliste-Staba, a wise tree that grows on the mountains above Grot. Ogundipe is largely a stage actor, appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company, but he has also worked on Eastenders and Doctors.

Next: Netflix: The Best TV Shows & Movies This Weekend

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance season 1 is now available on Netflix.

source https://screenrant.com/dark-crystal-age-resistance-cast-character-guide/

#screenrant

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reseau-actu · 5 years

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Le recours excessif à des conseillers extérieurs fait l’objet d’une commission d’enquête parlementaire.

La décision était attendue, mais elle tombe à un fort mauvais moment pour la ministre allemande de la défense, Ursula von der Leyen (CDU). Vingt-quatre heures après la publication d’un rapport accablant sur l’état de la Bundeswehr, l’armée nationale, la commission de la défense du Bundestag a décidé de se doter de pouvoirs d’enquête, mercredi 30 janvier. Le but : faire la lumière sur les conditions dans lesquelles le ministère de Mme von der Leyen a eu recours à des consultants extérieurs grassement rémunérés.

Son ministère n’est certes pas le seul, en Allemagne, à recourir à cette pratique. Mais il est particulièrement gourmand en la matière. Rien que pour 2015 et 2016, la Cour des comptes a calculé qu’il avait versé plus de 200 millions d’euros à des conseillers venus du privé. Soit plus d’un quart de ce qu’ont coûté l’ensemble des consultants extérieurs ayant travaillé pour le gouvernement fédéral entre 2014 et 2018.

Ce sont surtout les conditions dans lesquelles ces recrutements ont été effectués qui posent question. A l’automne 2018, plusieurs médias allemands ont ainsi révélé que, sur cinquante-six contrats scellés entre le ministère de la défense et des consultants extérieurs, la Cour des comptes estimait à moins de la moitié le nombre de ceux établis dans le respect des procédures habituelles en matière d’appels d’offres.

« Armée de consultants »

La défense a-t-elle péché par négligence ou a-t-elle délibérément fait appel à une « armée de consultants échappant à tout contrôle », comme l’a titré le quotidien Tagesspiegel ? Pour les trois partis d’opposition à l’origine de la commission d’enquête parlementaire – les Verts, les libéraux (FDP) et Die Linke (gauche radicale) –, la réponse ne fait guère de doute : la façon dont ces recrutements ont eu lieu suggère l’existence d’un « réseau de copinage », pour reprendre l’expression du député écologiste Tobias Lindner.

Katrin Suder, une ancienne cadre dirigeante du cabinet de conseil McKinsey est directement visée. Nommée en 2014 secrétaire d’Etat chargée des questions d’armement auprès de Mme von der Leyen, elle est soupçonnée d’avoir puisé dans son carnet d’adresses pour faire appel à des consultants extérieurs, jusqu’à son départ du ministère de la défense, en avril 2018.

Pour Mme von der Leyen, une proche de la chancelière Angela Merkel qui l’a nommée à ce poste en 2013, la création de cette commission d’enquête tombe d’autant plus mal qu’elle intervient seulement vingt-quatre heures après la publication d’un rapport brossant un tableau particulièrement sombre de l’état de l’armée allemande.

Au niveau des équipements, d’abord : dans l’armée de l’air, moins de la moitié des Eurofighter, des Tornado et des avions de transport militaire A400M sont en état de voler. Sur terre, ce n’est pas mieux : la plupart des chars de combat Léopard 2 ne sont pas prêts à l’emploi, et les nouveaux chars Puma ne seront pas utilisables avant 2025. La marine, elle aussi, est dans un état « critique » : « Des équipages entiers sont, pour ainsi dire, restés au sec », déplore l’auteur du rapport, le commissaire parlementaire aux forces armées, Hans-Peter Bartels, membre du Parti social-démocrate (SPD), qui s’inquiète notamment du fait qu’aucun des six sous-marins allemands ne soit « véritablement en état de marche ».

Comme les précédents, ce rapport annuel sur l’état de la Bundeswehr a rappelé à quel point les soldats allemands manquent parfois des équipements les plus sommaires, qu’il s’agisse de casques, de gilets pare-balles ou de lunettes de vision nocturne. Comme chaque année, le commissaire parlementaire aux forces armées a souligné l’excès de bureaucratie, le principal facteur, selon lui, expliquant pourquoi le quotidien des militaires allemands consiste, le plus souvent, à « gérer le manque ». « La Bundeswehr souffre de sous-équipement et de surorganisation », résume le député.

Comme elle le fait à chaque fois, Mme von der Leyen a admis qu’elle « préférerai[t] que les choses aillent plus vite », mais que « vingt-cinq ans de coupes budgétaires ne peuvent pas être rattrapés en quelques années », tandis que plusieurs responsables de la CDU se sont empressés de faire observer que le budget de la défense devait augmenter d’environ 5 milliards d’euros, en 2019, pour s’établir à 43,2 milliards d’euros. Un rappel destiné autant à l’opinion publique allemande qu’aux Etats-Unis, qui accusent régulièrement l’Allemagne de ne pas tenir son engagement, en tant que membre de l’OTAN, de consacrer 2 % de son budget à la défense (elle en est aujourd’hui à environ 1,2 %).

A côté des pénuries d’équipement, le rapport évoque enfin le manque d’attractivité de la Bundeswehr, rappelant que seulement 20 000 soldats ont été recrutés en 2018, soit 3 000 de moins qu’en 2017. « Un nombre historiquement bas », note M. Bartels, alors que l’armée s’est donné comme objectif de compter 203 000 soldats en 2025, soit 22 000 de plus qu’aujourd’hui. Dans ce contexte, « l’affaire des consultants », comme la presse allemande l’a baptisée, tombe évidemment au plus mal pour une institution sur laquelle pèse dorénavant le soupçon d’avoir investi plus généreusement dans le recrutement de conseillers extérieurs que dans sa propre modernisation.

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bezierballad · 2 months

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please talk about your ocs! (i totally didn't run to your ask box after I saw the reblog)

Will do! I've also talked about these guys and discussed a lot of their story with my buddies @eemoo1o-animoo & @sebastian-ciel-mutual-bullying (Thanks so much you two, ya'll are awesome ^^)

(Bear with me folks this is still a WIP work)

The OCs in question are a trio of demon OCs—Tobias Gourmand, Napoleon Salver, and Maria DeVarre—who all serve the owner of an inn. (Adam Sinclair is his name. And his wife is named Evangeline. "Evie" or "Eve" for short. 😉)

The Sinclair Servants are basically meant to be foils of some sort to the Phantomhive servants (Finny, Mey-Rin, and Baldroy) but they're also basically the triplet demon servants from Black Butler II if they each had their own separate personality (also if one of them was a girl lmao)

Tobias is quite chatty with whoever decided to visit the inn, but is also considered to be the one with the least "tact" out of the three. Compared to his two companions, he's quite a bit more childish and less-levelheaded, and isn't usually seen without a mug of liquor in hand. That being said, he's a tad bit more of a flirt compared to the others, very smug and savvy.

Despite my personal preference to say his name second in order, Napoleon is actually the "ringleader" of the trio. He's the one that does most of the talking when other characters (such as Ciel, Sebastian, and/or Adam) are speaking to the trio as a whole. Napoleon is especially the one who has the most interaction with Sebastian in the story (in fact part of me feels like he's at least 45% gay for Sebastian but I digress). He's also considered the most manipulative of the three, but he's usually the one letting Tobias and Maria do most of the messier work.

Maria is without a doubt the most stoic of the three (in fact most of the time she rarely says anything), and since she's a kitchen maid she's usually barely seen ever interacting with the inn guests. Despite physically appearing to be the youngest of the three (looking no older than Ciel himself) Maria is actually far more mature and level-headed than one may think (second only to Napoleon but moreso than Tobias). She's also quite skilled with knives (more specifically the bigger and heavier butcher's cleavers to contrast with Sebastian's fancy dinner cutlery), in fact if anyone were to try and act creepy with this girl, she would no doubt threaten to stab that person.

Some may interpret these three as a "weird little demon family" and they're not wrong. Me personally I interpret their relationship with each other as "roomates/siblings who are usually on the same page, have the same thoughts and mindsets, and do a lot of the same things but occasionally get on each other's nerves". Sometimes I even think of them as a silly little "clique" of demons. Above all else, however, they're partners in crime.

Now, here's how they would play into the rest of the Kuroshitsuji world (specifically how Ciel, Sebastian, & the rest of the gang would come into play).

It basically goes out like this; Ciel and Sebastian are sent by the queen to investigate this inn. The reasoning is rather to-the-point; many people who have visited this inn are usually never seen walking back out.

There's a lot of your typical Kuro arc shenanigans, but there's also a lot of interaction with Sebastian and the Sinclair servants. A lot of "demon-to-demon" interactions.

Their relationship with Sebastian is... rather complicated. I'm still unsure whether or not these three would be able to tell if Sebastian is a demon or if Seb himself even knows that they're demons yet. If so, then chances are these three see Sebastian as, well, weird.

Like, "you're telling me that guy over there fawning over a litter of kittens is a member of our species? As if." They even make a few occasional mocking jabs at his expense (much to Seb's annoyance)

Anyway, there's a planned B plot with the reapers (specifically Grell, Ron, & Will) where they see that many souls have been strangely going missing. And they are, in fact, rather pissed. Will especially is rather triggered and believes Sebastian is the one at fault here (which Sebastian himself knows is absolute bullshit because he's been dieting fasting for what? Three years straight?)

Gee I wonder if the demons who are working at the inn know about this.

I could keep going on and on, but I think it's best that I stop there for now. This story has a looooooot going on, and that's far from even the tip of the iceberg.

Either way, thank you so much for the ask! And for those who were patient enough to get to the end of my bad storytelling and infodumping, thank you for reading 👋

#kuroshitsuji #black butler #sebastian michaelis #ciel phantomhive #kuroshitsuji oc #black butler oc #grell sutcliff #ronald knox #william t spears #tobias gourmand #napoleon salver #maria devarre #kuroshitsuji ocs #black butler ocs #original character

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bezierballad · 1 month

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So I’ve talked a bit about my Black Butler OCs, the Sinclair Inn Servants in the past, but I thought maybe I’d go a bit deeper into them.

Like Sebastian, Napoleon is the usual typical soul-eating contract-making demon we’ve seen in the Black Butler world. Unlike Sebastian, he couldn’t really give any less of a damn about this “fasting” nonsense. A demon’s gotta eat after all, otherwise they’ll basically go absolutely mad.

As for Tobias and Maria? They’re demons too, of course. But they’re wired a bit differently. A “subspecies”of demon, if you will.

Let me explain.

First and foremost, they don’t survive on human souls, but on human flesh and blood. I don’t exactly have a name for these kinds of demons, but for the sake of this post we’ll call them “flesh-eaters”. (And for soul-consuming demons like Sebastian, Hannah, Claude, etc. we’ll refer to them as “soul-eaters”.)

In Hell’s hierarchy (if that even exists in Black Butler) flesh-eaters are ranked lower than the soul-eaters, which leads to my next point.

When a soul-eater makes a contract with a human, the demon is considered a “servant”, obeying the human’s orders until the contract is complete, devouring the human’s soul as a reward.

These flesh-eating demons are considered “servants” to soul-eating ones. (Think like the demon triplets from Kuroshitsuji II, who were Hannah’s subordinates. In fact, I actually headcanon that they’re flesh-eaters.)

The flesh-eater(s) accompanies the soul-eater demon (who “hires” them as subordinates) and often assist them in completing whatever contract the soul-eater makes with a human. They obey the soul-eater’s orders and are required to be at his or her side at almost all times.

As for their reward? Soul-eaters eat the human contractor’s souls (obviously) while flesh-eaters feed on the soulless bodies left over. So at the end of each completed contract, they both get a nice meal. (If they’re ordered to kill someone, they feast off the corpse of that too.)

Another difference between soul-eaters and flesh-eaters is that soul-eaters move onto another human to form a contract with.

Flesh-eaters are required to always serve a soul-eater even after a contract is completed. (They get a lot more food this way.) The only way they can actually move onto someone else is if the soul-eater is killed by a reaper.

Also, quick thing about their physical appearances. Or rather, their “true demon” forms:

Soul-eaters are this constantly shifting black mist (we see this with Sebastian in the Blue Memory arc.)

Flesh-eaters are… well, more “human” but also kind of not?

Imagine something like the Rake; humanoid hairless creature with long appendages, extremely long sharp claws and teeth, and white eyes void of any pupils or irises. Their limbs and torso are also extremely thin and lanky. And they’re extremely tall. Like, at least a good few inches taller than the average adult human being.

Those are the true demon forms of flesh-eaters.

Of course, like soul-eaters, these guys can shapeshift into pretty much whatever form, and they can choose to take on a much more settling human form. (Sometimes their eyes or their teeth might slip out though. Sometimes.)

Honestly I can go on and on about this, but I think I’ve gone on long enough lmao. Hopefully that made sense.

If you guys have any questions about my OCs or their lore, feel free to send an ask! ^^

#kuroshitsuji #black butler #sebastian michaelis #hannah annafellows #demon triplets #kuroshitsuji oc #black butler oc #napoleon salver #tobias gourmand #maria devarre #kuroshitsuji headcanons #headcanons #demonology

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