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oncexinxmyxdreams · 8 months

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Encanto OC Event Week 1: Francisca Cordova

Moodboard for Francisca ♟️

(Major spoilers for Miracles Come in Pairs, but I can't hold them back anymore.😅 )

Full Name: Francisca Valencia Salazar Cordova.

DOB: May 24th, 1920.

POB: Villavicencio, Colombia.

Likes/Hobbies: Books, coffee, chess, organizing, piano and solving mind games.

Dislikes: Social interactions, overly emotional people, migraines, vomiting and concepts she can’t understand. Always annoyed when Alejandra’s mice get in her stuff. Also dislikes avocados due to a bad experience.

MBTI: INTJ

Height: 5'7"

Hair Color/Style: Black hair, shaggy pixie cut. Partially covers her ears. Has natural curls which are Type 3C. It used to be past her shoulders, but she cut it too short and it's growing out.

Eye color: Forest green with warm brown encircling the pupils. She has central heterochromia.

Sexual Orientation: Asexual/Aromantic.

Voice: Natalia Reyes.

Positive Traits: Intelligent, logical, confident, astute, faithful and caring.

Negative Traits: Insensitive, combative, judgmental and arrogant.

Habits: She's done her best to avoid smoking because she did it often as a teen. She only has a cigarette now and then if stressed.

Talents: Sharp memory, keen eye for detail and sketching. Can imitate voices well and skilled with piano. Linguist.

Pets: A brown cat named Litzy. Francisca rescued her from drowning and nursed her to health. Litzy was only a couple weeks old then. Francisca wanted to sell her since she didn't care for another pet. (Alejandra's got her mice and steeds.) However, when she had a bad migraine, Litzy snuggled against her and somehow made brought comfort. Litzy stayed ever since. Not necessarily a pet but also has a mule for travel named Vendaval. She trusts him more than Alejandra's horse and he's bigger than a common mule.

Favorite Food: She'd say coffee, but she likes Almojábana or Arepa Boyacanese.

Career: The town doctor's assistant.

Family: Fraternal twin to Alejandra. (Francisca's the firstborn by 15 minutes.) Only close to her mom Mercedes Reyes and never was with her dad Pablo Salazar. Had her maternal grandma, Perla, not died when she was little, she'd have another close family member. Honestly, don't bother asking her about her other family. She has no interest in them.

Backstory: Despite seeming a little slow with learning to crawl and walk, Francisca became an intelligent child. She learned to read on her own and play chess. She quickly learned piano and understood mathematics. It wasn't really appreciated. Francisca was (and still is) antisocial. She's never been good with interactions. She can be arrogant and even sardonic. Pablo tried to bond with her, but always found it difficult. Honestly, he tried doing things a normal child would like, not see what his daughter enjoyed. Most of her family thought she was too strange and unpleasant. That and she as she grew older, she wasn't afraid to call out...um, BS... when she saw it. This made her the black sheep. Family would say that despite being smart, she was heartless. Anyone who knew the family saw her that way. There was gossip. The only ones Francisca gets along with best is Mercedes and her own twin Alejandra. They never saw her as a problem.

Francisca started getting migraines at 5 years old. Her family figured it was genetic. Mercedes's father was reported to have these often. It included the symptoms of light sensitivity, nausea and vomiting. Even with the pain, Francisca's never been afraid of a hard day's work. She's never been intimidated by learning and built up so much knowledge which has helped her. Work smart and work hard.

After her parents' separation and living in Cali, near the rural parts, she was a farm hand tending big fields. She spent any free time at the libraries learning about languages and science. She researched every medical book she could find to cure Malaria while Mercedes was slowly dying. Only 15, Francisca was heartbroken losing her dear mother and concerned for the future. She couldn't let grief and worry overcome. They needed someone to lead and provide. She'd do it. Having to survive on their own and being fired over her behaviors, Francisca found herself desperate. She used her wits as a con artist. She could talk her way out of anything when she analyzed a person's weakness. She had developed no qualms of breaking up relationships, sowing distrust etc. You do what you have to do right?

She was noticed by a group of brothers who were impressed and offered to let her join their con artist team. It worked for a couple years, until things went awry, and they offered a deal Francisca despised. It was asking for Alejandra to spend a night with one of the brothers even if it meant by force. Francisca refused and threatened even when they threatened her. They wouldn't take no for an answer. Francisca managed to trick them into getting arrested. One of them was killed in a fight. Though she didn't kill him, Francisca was arrested. She reassured Alejandra she'd get out soon by convincing the courts. Her confidence got the best of her.

Francisca wasn't able to fool anyone, and she was angry her tactics failed. AOn top of it all, she became terribly ill in prison and grew frail. What ailed her, the prison didn't know and sent her off to another place. She was in a whirl of nonstop pain as her migraines grew worse: the worst pain of her life. Alejandra wasn't allowed to visit or even told the new location! It was a minister who stepped in and helped her slowly recover. He believed her story and encouraged her to find a new calling than tricking others. It took a long time, but they finally got Francisca free. She was overcome with joy to reunite with her twin. Those 6 months was the longest time they'd ever been apart.

Now to the movie's timeline. Some things haven't changed for Francisca now that she's 30. Migraines still persist, she can still be insensitive to others, but she still lives with Alejandra. Francisca continues working hard but found her new calling as the town doctor's assistant. Impressed by her medical knowledge, he offered the job, and she gained many experiences. She's helped save lives, deliver babies and fix broken bones. It doesn't change the town's opinion of her. She's been nicknamed, the Green-Eyed Viper, Heartless and Perra. They'll joke about her. "You know where Francisca Cordova will go when she dies? Nowhere. She's soulless!" "Ay Cordova, have you sold your soul? Oh wait. You couldn't have! You never had one!"

Francisca knows all of that but doesn't let it get to her. She won't let anything get to her. Not even a magical place with a sentient house and people with powers! Not even an old friend of her mom who just may understand her so well!

@encanto-extended-edition

#more to the plot!#Random fact Ripley from Aliens helped inspire #encanto #encanto oc event #encanto oc appreciation #francisca cordova #Miracles Come in Pairs

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beardedmrbean · 1 year

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IIRC you're from California, right? Do have any recommendations for cool and/or fun places to go besides the popular ones (eg the San Francisco bridge)? My aunt is planning to travel through the state and talked about wanting to see the less mainstream touristic stuff, and neither she nor I don't know any Californian personally to ask about that (we're not American, for bigger context) - so I'm asking you cause I remembered you said somewhere you lived in Cali

I'm in the central valley, pretty close to the geographic center of the state.

I'm gonna kinda stick with a similar geographical location if I can.

Less visited but still notable places we've got Hearst Castle that's a cool place to visit William Randolph Hearst one of those more money than God types from the gilded age, Citizen Kane was a thinly veiled dig at the man, beautiful place they do tours and such. His publishing empire still exists so still money coming in, great-granddaughter and I think at least heir is a model, but we don't talk about her mom Patty.

Hopefully I can ramble less now.

Winchester Mystery House is another cool one, widow of the Winchester of firearms fame, not supernatural. Oddly enough the mystery is because of the supernatural, weird thing she couldn't stop building it and it's supposed to be set up so ghosts and spirits get confused. Hallways and stairs to nowhere all kinds of weird stuff.

MC Escher inspired interior design

Here's their twitter

I always like going to the Jelly Belly factory

California Factory - Jelly Belly Fun little tour go see how they make the jelly beans get a little history and they give you a little bag of jelly beans at the end, free tour afaIk.

There's the Charles M. Schulz Museum if you like Snoopy.

@montereybayaquarium world class operation, great place to visit check out their tumblr here. I enjoy their page, also in Monterey is Cannery Row which if anyone is a John Steinbeck fan might be interesting thing, and the pier is always nice I suggest the Clam Chowder in a sourdough bread bowl anytime it's available anywhere.

They have em all over the place, yum soup and then eat the bowl.

Little further down the road is Santa Cruz, there's the boardwalk there touristy spot with fun rides and stuff, but that's a way off from the bay area Monterey might be a bit much.

There's still a bunch of Missions from when Spain was in the process of attempting to colonize the area, most are gone now since they used to have on every 20 miles, still some here and nice for a visit history and such.

There are oodles of different types of museums in San Francisco,

Exploratorium, has a description I like "mad scientists penny arcade" always loved going there as a kid, plenty of adult stuff too

The Walt Disney Family Museum, fairly new one neat place to go

Antique Vibrator Museum because why not add that one

Tons of interesting museums, just google san francisco museums stuff will pop up.

SF also has pier 39, and Ghiradelli Square basically the same place good bread and chocolate there.

Alcatraz does tours too.

Trying to keep it to a closeish geographical area, SF itself is just full of wild neighborhoods with their own history and things to see, their Chinatown is probably the only place I can say I've have fairly authentic Chinese food, very different stuff, tasty.

Just certain neighborhoods to avoid too.

I gotta log off and get wound down for the night, but if you feel like sending me a touch more info on what they like to do and any details about "general location" I could probably be more helpful.

But I hope this is a good start at least, I'm trying for off the beaten path but not wildly obscure, cept maybe the jelly belly place.

#anonymous

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dove-skulls · 1 year

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Dove I’m begging you to info dump about Juno, gimme the info

ABSOLUTELY I WILL INFO-DUMP ABT JUNO

Context for those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about:

The Shattered Earth’s premise is that the Skylands were actually created when the world (s) from Spyro exploded, forming the Skylands that float around the Core of the Skylands, a molten core similar to our own earth. The Fire Vipers live around this core, and only leave to hunt. Prey is most abundant on the surface layer of the Skylands, but the problem is they have to travel up through the Abyss to reach the surface. The surface is guarded by a group of Mabu clans that surround the hole into the abyss (they have a central ‘government’ called the collective). This is where Juno and Cali (who are siblings) are from originally. I’ll explain more later but for now-

Juno, for a villain, is actually incredibly calm. She enjoys listening to classic pop and classical music, especially while sitting outside

Juno owns a flying motorcycle, similar to the image below!! (She also has a motorcycle helmet)

Juno’s lip scar is actually from a training accident with Cali! It had been a lot worse at the time.

Juno used to use a spear, but lost it when she left the border territories and eventually replaced it with her signature halberd.

Back when Juno lived in her clan, she was told by her elders that her stripes had a meaning. There’s a belief in the collective that a Mabu’s stripe pattern can represent that Mabu’s personality and be used to predict their future. The ribcage/spine stripe pattern was predicted to represent bringing strength to the clan, and the eye-like patterns on her arms and shoulders were thought to represent her watchful, diligent nature.

Juno is fascinated by worms, and has been her whole life! She thinks they’re incredibly interesting creatures, and makes sure to move them to safety whenever she sees one! This habit eventually caught on with Cali, too.

Juno does occasionally hold grudges, though not usually over petty things. She tries to not let these feelings interfere with her work as best as she can, but it doesn’t usually work out that well lol.

Juno often pulls all-nighters as she generally has trouble sleeping at night, occasionally stargazing in an attempt to calm herself down enough to get some sleep.

Juno dislikes sticky foods, she says that the feeling of having to get them unstuck is really irritating to her. There may be some exceptions but none that I can think of at the moment-

Juno actually genuinely sucks at using phones and such, mostly because she doesn’t care to learn.

Juno loves rock climbing and tree climbing, but prefers rock climbing. She says that reaching the top of a cliff is a lot more rewarding than reaching the top of a tree.

Juno has a crossbow that she uses as well, but it’s her secondary weapon and she only uses it when she absolutely has to.

Juno’s favorite place in the Skylands are the Cloudbreak Islands. She enjoys the scenery, and would’ve liked to live there one day.

Juno actually cannot stand Kaos. She thinks he’s the most annoying Portalmaster who’s ever existed.

Hugo is actually the one who helped Juno find the book that taught her how to use runes! They met at a library and Hugo didn’t know who Juno was at the time, he just wanted to help out. Juno still appreciates him for this.

Juno tends to not celebrate her birthday anymore, it doesn’t feel the same since she left the border territories.

Despite being frustrated with the way her mother put her family in second when she was alive, Juno is also frustrated with the fact that her mom was never given the chance to be a good mother, which is why she doesn’t like the Portalmasters or (to a lesser extent) the Skylanders.

Juno tends to keep her spaces tidy, she likes making sure everything has a designated place and that everything is in its designated place.

Juno’s never been good at small talk, it’s awkward and uncomfortable to her.

Juno’s secretly always wanted to live in a cabin deep in the wilderness, to have some peace in her life and stay out of the trouble of the world.

Since Juno doesn’t know how to use most modern technology very well, she prefers typewriters, landline phones and record players (or turntables).

Juno’s always wanted a watch but she’s never really gotten the chance to go out and actually get one.

Juno looks more like her mom than Cali does! (Although there are quite a few differences between the two)

Juno really genuinely enjoys churros but rarely gets the chance to have them unfortunately. When she does get to, she often takes a break that day to allow herself a small break from her work.

As much as Juno is annoyed by Dove and Nightshade’s antics, she does try to keep them out of harm’s way. She cares about their wellbeing, even if only a little bit.

Phew! Okay, that’s all I have for now!!

#ask doveskulls #doveskulls oc #Juno doveskulls

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bugsbenefit · 2 years

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i don’t know if anyone has pointed it out yet but it’s not leaving me alone.

so s5 is supposed to be a return to form of s1 meaning there will be some parallels, either plot wise, character arc wise, references, etc. (s4 also had a bunch of refs to s2, literal horseshoe narrative, bla bla we know we know)

right, so looking back, very big part of ST is the way the story is told through multiple povs, which makes sense since the show has an assembly cast. but just like any other season, s1 isn’t focused on all the characters equally it has clear main characters. (like how s4 focuses on characters like, El, Max, Dustin etc. while the whole Cali crew has Very little actual plot relevancy).

and right off the bat after Will goes missing, E1 makes clear which characters are going to Tell us the story: we have Mike, almost everything we see the kids do is from his perspective. then, after S1E2 El becomes the other primary kid pov (she stands out as only getting a pov from E2 onwards, since she only shows up in the woods at the end of E1), we see her past at the lab via flashbacks and her general perception of the world outside the lab. meanwhile the teens have their own plot and two primary povs as well, Jonathan and Nancy. first revolving separately around Will and Barb and later merging into the same goal they work on together. the same goes for the adults were we get Joyce and Hopper, at first investigating separately and then ending the season going into the UD together.

there’s three overall plot lines (kids, teens, adults) that end up merging in the end. (Will is his own party here in the UD who makes appearances for all groups occasionally but who’s pov we don’t get. however, he’s still THE central character that’s started the whole plot to begin with even without us seeing his perspective)

all other characters that are in the show by then get a different treatment to those main focus characters. we only see their povs when none of the other main narrating voices are present. (e.g. Dustin taking over as a focus only Once and it’s after Mike jumps off of a cliff and we aren’t supposed to know if he’s okay yet (this season does him dirty poor guy). Lucas going on his sick solo mission where he abandons both Mike and El which gives him a few minutes of screentime that’s centered around him and him only. or even Brenner, who’s pov we actually get 3 times this season when he’s alone and evilly stalking and scheming and we have no other way to see him be silly and evil than to hard cut to him)

(unrelated tangent but Steve is pretty funny actually because we get his pov multiple times but he’s COMPLETELY removed from the plot, he doesn’t even know something weird is going on. he’s just busy trying to save his relationship with Nancy the whole time and doesn’t even catch a Glimpse of the supernatural hell demon haunting the town. until it tries to eat him in the finale. which also only happens because he wanted to go see Nancy again and ran into the trap... this guy is on a completely separate mission the whole season. everyone is living sci-fie mystery and Steve still thinks he’s in a coming of age romance movie... the lad is going through it this season he’s so clueless)

so TLDR of all of this bc it’s really just a general observation of the way S1 is told which might be boring if you watched it recently:

season one stands out by having 6 main POVs: Mike, El, Nancy, Jonathan, Joyce, and Hopper

right

sooo. now why...

that’s literally just all our s1 povs. nicely lined up and even split into three way kids, teens, adults formula. the only difference being that Will is actually included here, standing with Mike, instead of being stranded somewhere in the hell dimension.

like... that feels INCREDIBLY intentional. they even went out of their way to drag Nancy (and Nancy only) away from the rest of the Hawkins crew who went to the school - just so she could stand on the hill with them here. it’s those 7 characters for a reason, the narrative goes out of it’s way to make sure all of them are here. and all of them just happen to be the exact same characters who Started narrating this whole story to us?

(also sorry but did they just abandon Argyle out in the woods picking mushrooms for this?? i get he isn’t part of the og gang but Damn, just because they want to go stand on a hill doesn’t mean they can just fuck off when the evil spores start raining from the sky. they literally switched Argyle out with Nancy for this)

if i were to make a guess, I’d say s5 is going to have them be the main pov’s just like in s1 to close the story off in a circle. (even the narration would be part of the horseshoe narrative then lmao)

and that would also make sense for the characters. literally half of them were trapped in the stoner van for the whole of s4. they’ve been excluded from the plot for a reason and it gave others like Max and Lucas the room to shine as the main characters. i think the next season will have the same 6 povs closing the show that started it, with the exception that Will is now part ALSO a part of these povs. (the main character, according to what the Duffers say, even)

I’ve seen people say this shot looks like group ups for s5. and i agree. the different plot strands we’re going to get will definitely be centered around these 3 groups (maybe 4? El standing on her own could mean a Lot here, she could potentially fill a role similar to Will for example, where he would occasionally pop in with all of the 3 parties and make appearances everywhere. so it could also be 3 groups but El swings around between them?).

but yeah anyways. i’m calling it now. those 7 are going to be the main povs of s5.

#literally rolling back into town just wanting to narrate and then seeing Hawkins like DAMN that's what i'm working with?#the town's FUCKED #but seriously it being these exact 7 characters is SO intentional especially since we're already being TOLD how s5 will parallel s1 #stranger things theory #st5 predictions #st analysis #st5 speculation #stranger things #mike wheeler #will byers #el hopper #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler #joyce byers #jim hopper

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causticsunshine · 11 months

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I saw in you tags you said you expect nothing less in Berkeley about it smelling like weed. Do you know a lot about Berkeley? I’m wanting to move there but have never been.

i'm originally from the bay area in california (technically further inland but still)! my parents also spent a good portion of their 20's living and working around the east bay (which includes berkeley; my mum also went to school there) so we hung out in that area quite a bit before we moved to the central valley when i got a bit older.

berkeley itself has a pretty interesting and rich history, but also ofc has its own share of issues with indigenous land encroachment, housing crises, lack of resources for the growing houseless population that flock there, etc. and i'm not going to get into it all just because there's a lot of information readily available online + it'd likely be more informative and impactful than my recollections of hanging out in specific neighborhoods/areas?

but besides that it's largely got a reputation of being a college town more than anything else imo so there's definitely a kind of lax hippie-esque culture in certain neighborhoods, especially considering it's part of the widely recognized 'chill' area of the bay—hence my comment. also, the weather's pretty nice most of the year but it's important to note as well that it's not all directly ON the water as people may believe, so just because it's part of the bay area doesn't mean you're ON the beach, or that you'll be getting stereotypical sunny cali weather. and because it helps make up the more metropolitan area of the east bay, despite some of the grassier areas and parks, it's still quite City in several areas and traffic can be a bitch and a half to endure, both within and traveling in/and of the city proper.

i would definitely check it out in person if you can before moving there if you can, though. i'd look into some of the more well known areas and then venture out into the more 'for locals' neighborhoods, shops, etc. and also see what resources are available whether or not you may necessarily need them, check out the overall political atmosphere, etc.

#my most profound memories are hanging out around the campus and checking out spots my mom used to frequent tbh #i love the bay area and i miss cali but also it is EXPENSIVE #and the traffic is godawful if you're in any highly populated / popular areas #definitely give it a scout and check the vibe before moving bc if even some place looks promising it's also v different to experience it #as a tourist versus to actively live there #speaking as someone who lives in portland: defo explore it as if you'd live there first versus hitting all the hot spots #anon #answered

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mainsstereo · 2 years

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Teo gutierrez

We’re only three rounds into the season, but all the same it’s a little bizarre to be looking at a league table and seeing Argentinos Juniors on top of it. And don’t forget you can subscribe to HOP on iTunes by clicking here. We also consider with incredulity the fact that Ricardo Caruso Lombardi’s Argentinos Juniors are still up near the top of the table, and have exclusive not-live coverage of the second half of Newell’s Old Boys v Gimnasia La Plata, which was being played as we were recording.Īs usual, Mystic Sam’s predictions for the coming weekend are below. So inevitably, this week’s Hand Of Pod, which features Sam and English Dan, focusses on the grandes and their varying states of disarray, with both Avellaneda clubs having fired their managers (since our recording, Omar De Felippe has been confirmed as new Independiente boss). It was an historic weekend in Argentina for the first time ever, all of the Big Five – River Plate, Boca Juniors, Racing, Independiente and San Lorenzo – lost in the same round of matches. Mystic Michael’s eleventh round predictions (last week Mystic Chris got 4/14) You can subscribe to us on iTunes or Stitcher, and follow us on Twitter. There’s also news about the television rights negotiations. Estudiantes still lead the league, and have found a replacement for injured goalkeeper Mariano Andújar at last, while the relegation situation is beginning to clarify a little even with twenty games still to go (we’re sticking our necks out now and saying Atlético de Rafaela will go down). Elsewhere, River Plate lost 1-0 away to Newell’s Old Boys, and there are rumours beginning that Marcelo Gallardo could leave the club if he fails to bring home the Copa Argentina (the semi-finals of which will be played next week). The Rosario Central forward was sent off for his goal celebration during a 1-1 draw in La Bombonera. He added that Candelo’s decision not to summon him to the match against Envigado “was correct” and he hopes that everything ends in a good way with the meeting they will have with Marco Caicedo, former president and current vice president of the club.The two hundred and forty-second episode of Hand Of Pod brings together Sam and Andrés to talk about a weekend in which the football was overshadowed in many press pages by Teo Gutiérrez once again being Teo Gutiérrez. The environments were already hot, it was an unfortunate situation, but we are among adults, they have already spoken and things are normal, “said Mena in El Alargue. When she looked at him it was in the afternoon. He did not see it (the message), his habit is to get to work, not to look at the cell phone. Teo went on a trip, he did not get to return the night he was supposed to arrive and as far as I have understood he wrote to Professor Mayer at about 10:30 at night, late hour, and the teacher is a person who is in the training camp at 5:30 in the morning, so he goes to bed very early. “There was just misinformation between them. Candelo had given the players a rest, Teo left Cali and “did not get to return the night he was supposed to arrive.” The next day, in morning training, the captain did not show up like his teammates did. The leader stated that everything originated from a communication problem between the two of them. The player did not show up for training at the beginning of the week, argued with the coach and was not called up for the match against Envigado, which he lost 0-3 in Palmaseca. Among the topics she touched on was the altercation between Teófilo Gutiérrez and Mayer Candelo. Luis Fernando Mena, new president of Deportivo Cali, spoke with El Alargue de Caracol Radio about his appointment and all the news from the first team.

#Teo gutierrez

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kedreeva · 4 years

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Hello do you have any tips for someone who would like to start raising hens for the first time in their life.

I live in south central Los angeles and am moving to a house with a back yard for the first time in my life and have been looking into getting a hen or two.

I know a bit from my research but I was wondering if you have any tips about mistakes first time hen care.

I really do appreciate any help you can give.

Many thanks!

I could give you a lot of tips, but my biggest one for that area is: before you do anything check in with the state dept. of agriculture and ask if Newcastle Disease is still ongoing there. Cali residents in huge swaths of land were forced to destroy their flocks very recently due to an outbreak and if that’s ongoing you will need to wait.

You should also check with your local zoning laws to make sure that you’re allowed to have chickens at all, and then one way or another determine how your neighbors might be regarding the noise chickens make. While hens don’t (usually) crow like roosters, they do sing a raucous egg song that can be annoying to some people (esp since you don’t get to pick what time of day they scream it at).

IF it is safe, and IF you think they’re not gonna cause major life drama with your neighbors, my best advice is to join some groups online (backyardchickens.com is a great resource for other chicken owners) and research housing, feed, treats, medications, etc, and make sure that you know if and where you can acquire vet care as needed. Actually call the vet and make sure they will see a chicken, as some avian vets will only see cage birds. When you buy, buy from a reputable breeder and DO NOT buy birds that have been vaccinated for Marek’s disease. The marek’s vaccine is a “leaky” vaccine, meaning that it prevents the birds from dying of the disease, but it does not prevent the birds from carrying it, so getting even 1 vaccinated bird means you can no longer EVER take in birds that have not been vaccinated (and they can only be vaccinated in the first 24-48 hours of life) and cannot EVER give your birds to a non-vaccinated home (and MOST people are not vaccinated for this very reason, so if you ever had to rehome quickly, you’d likely be screwed) or you risk killing their flock.

The biggest mistakes I see people make starting off are not giving the hens a big enough home (the min rec is like 4 feet per bird which is appalling), not knowing anything about potential diseases/injury care/a vet, and not feeding them appropriately. The layer feeds (particularly Dumor and Purina) are generally made for big production companies who are feeding this as a sole ration to birds that do not have to do anything but sit in their cage/pen and lay eggs, and it is meant to keep them alive and pumping out as many eggs as possible in the ~2 years they will serve here, for the cheapest price possible.

This is, obviously, not how your backyard chickens are living, so feeding them the same thing is, well. Generally speaking, pretty terrible. Backyard chickens can live over 10 years, but they need their kidneys, liver, and muscles to keep up. Bad layer feeds usually have too much calcium for heritage breeds (which can stress the kidneys), too little protein and fat (hard for the liver and muscles), and often have a lot of additives that aren’t necessary (and which some birds, like Artemis! can have bad reactions to).

So when someone feeds their hens a layer chow that is more meant for commercial production, it can damage their organs and muscles and even hearts. They also tend to give their ladies treats, further screwing up the nutrition because now the layer feed isn’t the sole ration even. Like feeding a human fast food constantly but giving them candy on the side.

Generally a quality 18-20% flock chow would be recommended instead. Nutrena makes an 18% chow that I liked. I also give scratch grain, BUT the thing about scratch grain is that it’s fine to start with a 20-50# bag of scratch (Dumor actually makes a 5 or 6 grain organic scratch mix that’s a good base), but you really should be adding things to it before giving it to the hens because base scratch is only 8-9% protein and is mostly corn (whole corn, cracked corn, wheat, and milo, usually, Dumor adds barley). If you don’t have roosters, you can toss their calcium into the scratch. other grains and seeds that are good additions are safflower, black oil sunflower, barley, whole oat, whole wheat, and uncooked rice (yes, it’s fine, any kind). I still wouldn’t have scratch make up more than a quarter of their diet, but it gives them something to do when it is scattered on the ground and gives them a variety of nutrient sources and roughage. I’d also look into getting a “fatty” treat to give minimally, especially in winter and during times of stress/moult (I prefer the Farmer’s Helper brand nugget treats).

#chickens #anon asks #asks #Anonymous

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night-filled-mountain · 3 years

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Captivity and Escape in Critical Role

So this post has been sitting in my drafts for about half a year. It’s about a persistent theme I noticed throughout campaign 2, which I’m sure others have noticed and written about before, but parallels and recurring themes have always been my Thing, and I couldn’t let it go. And with last week’s episode, and the campaign finale airing tonight, and the dominance of this theme being more glaringly obvious than ever, I thought I’d just give myself a treat and finish up a giant meta post. For old times’ sake.

So, just for the heck of it, here’s an exhaustive exploration of a single through-line of campaign 2 since the very beginning: captivity, and escaping or being freed from it.

Let’s start by taking a quick look at everyone’s backstories, the things that happened to them before the campaign even started, and how they were ultimately resolved.

FJORD: Entered unknowingly and unwillingly into a pact with Uk’otoa, which bound him to perform services he never agreed to in exchange for powers he never asked for. Fjord did not know how he got into this pact or how to get out of it. He makes his escape when he pitches his sword into a lava river and pledges himself to the Wildmother.

JESTER: Spent the majority of her life “locked in her room” (or at least hidden from sight) until the consequences of one of her pranks forcibly liberated her into the wider world. While Jester loves her mother dearly and thinks of her long “captivity” as being for her own protection, its negative effects on her--loneliness, insecurity, a lack of worldly experience and social awareness--were still apparent, and she spends much of the campaign working through them.

BEAU: Her parents had her kidnapped by monks. It could be argued that even before the kidnapping, she was a prisoner to her father’s “over-protective” tendencies and her parents’ expectations when it came to her career, behavior, gender role, etc. But most significantly, she was very much kidnapped by monks, and made her escape from the Cobalt Soul shortly before we met her.

CALEB: Where to start? First he suffered coercion and abuse at the hands of Trent (a form of captivity); then he was made to torture and execute prisoners; then he spent eleven years literally imprisoned in an asylum, and had to kill and steal in order to escape; and four and a half years later, he met Nott when they were both thrown in jail (and had to engineer their own escape once again). Caleb’s ordeals ultimately made him a prisoner of his own guilt and fear, and escaping that prison has been the heart of his storyline.

VETH/NOTT: Besides the aforementioned stint in jail, the catalyst for her entire adventuring career was being captured by goblins along with her family--and then, after engineering the escape of her husband and son, being imprisoned in the wrong body (and subsequently enslaved!). The desire to escape from this second imprisonment was her driving motivation through much of the campaign. With Caleb’s help (and Essek’s, and Jester’s), she ultimately succeeds.

MOLLY: His first memory was of clawing his way out of a grave, which is just about as extreme a form of captivity and escape as you can get. More subtly, he was also a prisoner to the expectations placed on his body--to the life that body once lived, which he could not remember and refused to claim. Arguably (and tragically), his escape from this particular prison is his own death...until Cree resurrects Lucien, Mollymauk fragment and all. Then he presumably becomes a prisoner much like Yasha was, subsumed body and soul by a mind and a will that are not his own. Until last week.

... (incoherent sobbing)

Until last week.

YASHA: She was a prisoner to her clan’s laws and expectations. Her brief attempt to escape this prison through a forbidden marriage ended tragically, and then she was forced to make a second, literal escape (fleeing into the desert)--only to be (presumably) possessed by Obann, imprisoned inside her own mind, and forced to do his bidding until the Storm Lord liberated her once again.

CADUCEUS: When the gang first meet him, he’s literally a prisoner of his own fear (and/or inertia)--though his whole family has left the Blooming Grove, he’s been too afraid or hesitant to brave the corruption of the Savalirwood without companionship, and spent years isolated in the family temple as a result. The Mighty Nein (or rather, Caleb, Nott, Beau, Keg, and Nila) initiate his escape.

***

And that’s just the backstories! Now let’s take a look at each of the places the Mighty Nein have visited since they came together, and the story arcs therein.

***

TROSTENWALD - CARNIVAL ARC: This arc’s entire goal is to free the (future) Mighty Nein and the other carnies from jail or house arrest. (Much later, the M9 come back to pay Gustav’s debt and liberate him as well.) And remember that Beau is especially sympathetic to Toya’s predicament because she, too, was once a young girl held somewhere against her will.

ALFIELD - GNOLL ARC: This arc’s entire goal is to free the citizens of Alfield who have been kidnapped by gnolls to feed to their manticore leader (and to kill off the gnolls and manticore to keep it from happening again).

ZADASH: The Mighty Nein’s first undertaking in Zadash is to kill off the giant spiders in the sewer. In the process, they free a halfling imprisoned in a spiderweb, which leads them to the Gentleman and all his future quests.

Aside from that, their biggest job in Zadash this time around is the High Richter heist--which, yes, is a mercenary/political job that goes terribly wrong, but why does it go terribly wrong? Because Ulog, the M9′s NPC ally at the time, is so furious over his wife being wrongfully imprisoned by the High Richter that he impulsively blows up both her and himself. And arguably the most poignant moment in the heist’s aftermath is Caleb speaking to the next High Richter, Dolan, and ensuring that Ulog’s wife will be freed.

Also, let’s not forget the drow the M9 meet in the sewer. The one they capture, interrogate, and ultimately...let go. Yes, he’s killed shortly afterward and his beacon falls into their hands, but I think it’s very important to remember that the decision they make, when holding a captive terrorist from an “enemy” nation, is to return his stolen artifact to him and let him walk away free.

LABENDA SWAMP/BERLEBEN: The most memorable events during this interlude are: (1.) The M9 literally freeing Kiri from the swamp, where she is stuck in the mud and at the mercy of crocodiles, and (2.) Bowlgate, a.k.a. Caleb and Beau’s tense confrontation over what to do with Calianna, which is once again fueled on Beau’s side by her sympathy for a young woman held against her will. (Caleb proposes that Cali spend the night with the M9, which she did not intend, so they can use spells to determine her truthfulness the next day.)

HUPPERDOOK: This one’s obvious: The M9 fight a deadly automaton to free two gnomes from prison and reunite them with their children (largely to prevent said children from being taken to an orphanage against their will).

GLORY RUN ROAD/SHADYCREEK RUN - IRON SHEPHERDS ARC: ...Even more obvious. The sole goal of the remaining M9 members (and Nila) throughout this arc is to free their friends from slavery. They end up slaughtering all the slavers and freeing several other captives as well.

LUSIDIAN OCEAN - PIRATE ARC: Here’s where things get really interesting. Because this whole arc is also about captivity and freedom, isn’t it?

It’s about whether or not to free a little old captive named Uk’otoa!

I haven’t given nearly enough thought to how this arc fits in with all the others thematically, considering its central lesson is that freeing this particular captive would be a very bad thing. I do think it’s significant that:

(1.) The beginning of this arc, which leaves the whole party feeling so bad and icky, involves them quite inadvertently taking a captive of their own--and one whom they don’t treat very well. (And still don’t, for that matter...poor Marius.)

(2.) Soon after that incident, the M9 are themselves effectively taken captive by Avantika and her crew. This situation doesn’t last nearly as long as many audience members (and quite possibly Matt, and quite possibly the players themselves!) thought it would, because they panic on Darktow, go all Wall of Fire, and free themselves in a huge, climactic, desperate battle. The Mighty Nein do not take well to captivity.

Anyhow, they follow all this up with...

FELDERWIN/XHORHAS - YEZA ARC: ...another very straightforward quest to free a captive. Not only is this arc all about rescuing Yeza from a Xhorhasian dungeon, but after Caleb returns the beacon, after the Bright Queen of Xhorhas offers the Mighty Nein anything they want...all they ask her for is to let them go.

BAZZOXAN & BEYOND - OBANN ARC: ...By now, you know where I’m going with this, right? The entire arc is about freeing Yasha from Obann, who has her imprisoned inside her own body, inside her own mind. There’s a reason That Moment in the cathedral hit so hard, right? “And as you close your eyes, you see yourself breaking the shackles. You see the influence no longer holding any sway over your soul. There's nothing but the storm, vengeance, and hope.”

(Bonus: In the middle of the above arc, we get the HAPPY FUN BALL - RESCUING YUSSA ARC, which, once again, is devoted to freeing a captive.)

KAMORDAH/CYRIOS MOUNTAINS - ISHARNAI ARC: Aimed entirely at freeing Nott from the body in which she was imprisoned. Beau also has a bit of a freedom arc here: confronting the parents who imprisoned her figuratively and literally, turning her back on them (possibly for good), and then confronting a major source of the expectations and superstitions they shackled her with: Isharnai, who is neutralized by Jester’s cupcake.

THE MENAGERIE - CLAY ARC: Aimed entirely at freeing Caduceus’s family, who are imprisoned in perhaps the most literal way possible, being turned to stone. (The M9 also manage to liberate the Stone family while they’re at it.)

RUMBLECUSP - TRAVELER CON: Two great liberations take place here. First, all the residents of the Village of Vo are freed from Vokodo’s influence, their memories restored, their blind devotion dispelled, able once again to choose the course of their own lives. Second, the followers of the Traveler are freed from the deception he’s imposed on them, the cult he’s roped them into. Thanks to the Moonweaver’s interference, they, too, are free to make informed decisions. And I think we can also safely say that Artagan is freed from them, from the false “god” role he managed to box himself into, and he’s happier for it.

EISELCROSS - SOMNOVEM ARC: ...And this is it, folks. This is why I decided to finish this post today. Because I was openly not feeling the Eiselcross arc as an endgame. The hard slog through the elements just wasn’t doing it for me, or the frequent combat, or the increasingly complex lore, or the traditionally heroic quest to save the world from being swallowed by a monstrous city.

...Until last week. Until Lucien’s defeat. And Molly’s oh-so-improbable resurrection.

When I heard all the voices of the Somnovem whispering “Thank you” as their individual souls were freed from the Lovecraftian hivemind...when I heard Jester sobbing that at least Molly’s soul wasn’t “trapped” inside a monstrous Lucien anymore...when Cad’s Divine Intervention succeeded, and Mollymauk Tealeaf opened his eyes--his two plain old natural eyes--unburdened by Lucien and his Somnovem eyes and all of his dark baggage for the first time--I was finally able to embrace this as the ending.

Because it’s not about saving the world. That’s just a bonus. It’s about saving a friend. Freeing a friend. Freeing captives, wherever they find them. Whether from Crown’s Guard, gnolls, and giant spiders, or from royal dungeons; whether from ruthless enemies or from their own families; whether from eldritch abominations or from the forces that chain their own minds.

In the end, the Mighty Nein--and the people whose lives they touch--belong to no one and nothing that they do not choose to belong to. They belong to themselves, to the people they most sincerely love, to the gods and causes they have chosen freely. And that has always, always been my favorite kind of story.

And I can’t wait for tonight.

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joshjacksons · 3 years

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Joshua Jackson interview with "Mr Porter" (2021)

Minutes before Mr Joshua Jackson joins me in a booth for a Friday afternoon drink at a vibey hotel bar in Santa Monica, he’s confronted by his past. Or rather, a woman in her early twenties who is binge-watching Dawson’s Creek, the teen show about a close-knit group of high-school friends coming of age in a sleepy American town, which made Jackson incredibly famous between 1998 and 2003. The series, which also made household names of Ms Michelle Williams and Ms Katie Holmes, went off air 18 years ago, but is now streaming on Netflix, to the bemusement of Jackson, who played lovable rogue Pacey Witter. “This girl was like, ‘Are you...?’ And I’m like, ‘Yes, I am. He got old. I’m sorry to break it to you,’” he says, before ordering an iced tea and a charcuterie board to tide him over until dinner time. “It always surprises me when young people say they’ve just got into Dawson’s Creek. I’m like, ‘Is it a costume drama to you? Do you feel like you’re watching a historical documentary?’”

The idea of a Friends-style reunion episode or a Sex And The City revival feels equally far-fetched to Canadian-born Jackson, now 43 and wearing it well in a pale green linen shirt and tailored linen trousers by Oliver Spencer that complement his fading brown hair and Cali-tanned skin.

“I don’t know why you’d want to [bring it back],” he says. “Nobody needs to know what those characters are doing in middle age. We left them in a nice place. Nobody needs to see that Pacey’s back hurts. I don’t think we need that update.”

And Jackson doesn’t need Dawson’s Creek. From Mr JJ Abrams’ sci-fi series Fringe (2008-2013) to the Golden Globe award-winning The Affair (2014-2019), from Ms Ava DuVernay’s ground-breaking true-crime drama When They See Us (2019) to the recent Ms Reese Witherspoon and Ms Kerry Washington-produced Little Fires Everywhere (2020), he has commanded the small screen – with a collection of dynamic and diverse work – ever since.

His latest role as Mr Christopher Duntsch, the Texas surgeon convicted of gross malpractice when 33 of his patients were left seriously injured after he operated on them and two of them died, in chilling Peacock crime drama Dr Death, is only stepping his career up another gear.

“I’ve never played anyone irredeemable before,” says Jackson, who is joined in the eight-part series (based on the 2018 Wondery podcast of the same name) by Messrs Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin. “He is charming, gregarious and has a high-level intellect, but he’s also a misogynist, probably a sociopath, certainly a narcissist and a complete incompetent who is incapable of seeing himself.”

If Duntsch is terrifying, then Jackson’s portrayal is even more so. The artist formerly known as Pacey is virtually unrecognisable (thanks to prosthetics) in the opening scene, but the real challenge for Jackson was allowing himself to view someone who is so “spectacularly evil” as a human being in order to walk in his shoes. “It’s a more damning portrayal of the man to make him into a human being, rather than just make him the bad guy,” he says. “He really believes he’s the hero, he’s the genius and that he’s the victim, so once I got past my own judgment, all the other things fell into place.”

Jackson might have his pick of stellar roles – and challenges – now, but it has not happened by accident. Take it from someone who has been in the business since landing his first job aged 14 in Disney’s live-action movie series The Mighty Ducks, opposite Brat Pack alumnus Mr Emilio Estevez.

“You try to make it look like it happens accidentally,” he says, “but there is no way to do this and not be ambitious. I’d say I’m extremely ambitious because I’ve been doing this cutthroat job for nearly 30 years. I’m in the pay-off phase of my career now. One of the benefits of surviving for as long as I have is you get to learn from your own mistakes.”

Such as? “I wouldn’t say, ‘I wish I hadn’t done that,’ because it all becomes bricks in a path, but [after Dawson’s Creek] I was not choosy enough about the things I was doing. You get stuck. You start trying to perform the performance you think people are hoping to see you do. I was so used to working all the time that I just worked all the time. There was definitely a conscious moment in my mid-twenties when I realised I wasn’t really enjoying the work that I was doing. My manager at the time just said, ‘Take a breath. You’re burnt out.’”

The turning point came in 2005, when Jackson was offered a role in the two-hander Mr David Mamet play A Life In The Theatre, opposite Sir Patrick Stewart. “God bless him, Patrick could have made my life miserable because I had no idea what I was doing, ” he says. “I hadn’t been on stage since I was a kid and now I was in the West End in over my head. But it reminded me that I actually enjoyed being an actor, that it’s not about the red carpet or travelling around the world. What I really enjoy is working on good material with good people.”

It’s no surprise Jackson’s time on Dawson’s Creek led to a career crisis. From the ages of 19 to 24, he lived with his fellow cast mates in Wilmington, North Carolina, filming day in, day out, in an arrangement he likens to college. “You get to the end and they’re like, ‘Here’s your degree. Go live now. You’re an adult. Go out into the world,’” he says.

But most graduates don’t have to deal with global fame. “It’s transitory. You’re only ever cool for a moment and then you become much less cool. I was always pretty dubious about flatterers,” he says, recalling a time he was stung in London in the mid-2000s. “I went on a date in Hyde Park with a woman whose name I will not use – she was socialite-famous – and she was acting completely bizarre, looking over her shoulder the whole time. I came to find out that she had hired a photographer to follow us through the park and gave a whole story to the tabloids about how I was going to meet her family.”

It was his growing fortune, rather than fame, that caused Jackson the most anxiety. “Suddenly, at 19 years old, I was making more in a week than most of my friends’ parents would make in a year,” he says. “It was lovely to have the money, but it was that feeling of nobody is worth that kind of money. You feel like a fraud and it took me a long time to forgive myself for not being the thing that I was perceived as.”

Born in Vancouver, but raised in Topanga, California, until he was eight (before moving back to Vancouver following his parents’ divorce), Jackson bought his childhood home in 2001 and lives in it today with his wife, British Queen & Slim actor Ms Jodie Turner-Smith, and their 15-month-old daughter.

“My father unfortunately was not a good father or a husband and exited the scene, but that house in Topanga was where everything felt simple, so it was a very healing thing for me to do,” he says. Fast-forward to 2021 and his baby daughter now sleeps in her father’s childhood bedroom. “There was a mural of a dragon on the wall in that room that I couldn’t believe was still there, years later. The owner [who sold him the house] said, ‘I knew it meant a lot to somebody and that they were going to come back for it some day.’”

Becoming a first-time parent during a pandemic sounds stressful, but it afforded Jackson months at home with his wife and child that his normal work schedule wouldn’t have allowed.

“I now recognise how perverse the way that we have set up our society is,” he says. “There is not a father I know who works a regular job who didn’t go back to the office a week later. It’s robbing that man of the opportunity to bond with his child and spend time with his partner.”

Despite his obvious career ambitions, fatherhood has changed Jackson’s priorities in “every possible way”, he says. “It’s 100 per cent changed how I approach my work and my life. That has been made so clear to me in this past year. For me to feel good about what I’m doing day to day, my family has to be the central focus.

“There are plenty of things left for me to do, but now the thing that gets me excited is experiencing the world through my daughter’s eyes. I can’t wait to take her scuba diving. I can’t wait to take her skiing. I can’t wait to read a great book with her. I’m not worried at all she’ll be a wallflower. She’s been a character from the word go.”

Jackson met Turner-Smith, 34, two days after his 40th birthday. He had been single since his 10-year relationship with German actress Ms Diane Kruger ended in 2016. “I was not looking to fall in love again or meet the mother of my child, but life has other plans for you,” he says.

The couple met at a party. Turner-Smith was wearing the same The Future Is Female Ejaculation T-shirt Ms Tessa Thompson’s character, Detroit, wears in the 2018 film Sorry To Bother You. “That’s what I used to break the ice. I shouted, ‘Detroit!’ across the room. Not the smoothest thing I’ve ever done, but it worked. We were pretty much inseparable from the word go. It was a whirlwind romance and I can tell my daughter I literally saw her mother across a room and thought, ‘I have to be next to this woman.’”

A self-confessed “useless” shopper, Jackson gives his wife full credit for his current wardrobe. He is jewellery-free, apart from a wedding band and a gold signet “JJ” ring on his little finger (a present from his wife), and discovered tailored sweatsuits (by Stampd and Reigning Champ) in the pandemic.

“Jodie has influence in the way that a wonderful wife encourages you, through love, to dress well. She was like, ‘We’re going to throw away all the sweatpants from your past and I’m going to get you some that actually make you look like an adult male and you will still feel comfortable around the house,’ and I’m like, ‘What an amazing idea!’ Who knew you could get sweatsuits that actually look good on your body?”

Jackson’s style has evolved, he says, “from slovenly teen to it’s-nice-when-your-clothes-actually-fit-you”. The penny dropped after he auditioned for his former co-star Estevez, who was directing the 2006 Mr Robert Kennedy biopic Bobby. He said to me, ‘You only got this job because I know you. You came in here to play a very well-put together 1960s political operative and you’re wearing jeans and a hoodie.’

“I had to grow up a little bit. We are very much raised in Canada to never, ever show off, so it took me a while to recognise it’s OK to look good when you go out.”

Still, when you’ve grown up in front of the camera, “every pimple literally documented”, and lived (very successfully) to tell the tale, you can probably be forgiven for the odd fashion faux pas.

“I wore a silk Ascot to an event once in Paris and I still have nightmares about it,” he says. “I looked like Fred from Scooby Doo, but you live and learn.”

#joshua jackson #interviews #jodie turner smith #dawson's creek #dr death #fringe #emilio estevez #mr porter #patrick stewart #michelle williams #katie holmes

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disgruntledspacedad · 3 years

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Better Love Notes

If you’re confused about location, timing, or characters in my Narcos AU series Better Love, this is the post for you.

Better Love is an AU reader insert series that begins midway through Narcos season two. Because it is AU, and because Narcos is complicated af anyway, I wanted to take some time to clarify what things in Better Love will be different than what you're used to seeing in the show.

Hannah “Ears” Aarons

First, I think it’s important to clarify that Ears is more of an OC written in second person than she is a generic reader insert. I might refer to her as “you,” but Ears has a name, a face claim, a backstory, and a huge personality. If that bothers you loads, I totally understand and you’re free to duck out at any point, but don’t come at me. If you have specific questions regarding Ears’ background, personality, physical appearance, family history, or whatever else, get with me privately. I would love to introduce you to my chaotic sunshine child.

Official Job Title: Ears is officially an employee of the CIA, but she is not an agent (read: spy). She was brought to Colombia to be a liaison between Centra Spike, the DEA, and the CIA. She introduces herself to Search Bloc by saying, "I'll be your ears," but in reality, she was put in place to be Bill Strechner’s ears. More on that later. She has a background with the US Army that's basically useless (desk job), a ton of training and zero practical experience with flyover recon and radiofrequency tracking, and she's itching to do something real with her life.

Timing

Ears arrives in Bogotá around August of 1992 and falls in bed with Peña pretty much immediately. Horacio Carillo did die recently, but Javi did not start working with Los Pepes and Don Berna until November of 1992. Assume all of the drama with Martinez Jr. and Los Pepes took place around the time that he and Ears were on the outs - that's just another factor that led Javi to make the emotional, rash decision to work with the cartels that he winds up regretting.

There is actually a one year span of time between season two, episode six and the end of the show. Pretty much the entirety of Better Love (for now) takes place during this year, so if it seems like I’m really stretching things out, that’s actually because the show mushed it all together. I promise, guys, I have done my research here.

Locations

The majority of scenes in Better Love will take place in Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia. It’s important to keep Bogotá separate from Medellín, which is where the nit and grit of the hunt for Escobar takes place.

Getting to Medellín from Bogotá requires a one hour flight or an eight hour drive (Colombia is roughly twice the size of Texas, fyi). For a gringo, driving around the cities was dangerous, but driving outside the cities was suicide. Javi and Steve might take planes, or they might take an armored chopper, depends on my mood when I'm writing. Assume there's a landing strip nearby the embassy, because I'm lazy like that.

The U.S. Embass(ies): Centra Spike, Search Bloc, and the DEA office are all housed in the old embassy building that's basically right across from the new one (the super upscale nice one that actually functions as an embassy).

There's a lot of confusion and shuffling around in the show, so I wanted to clarify what goes where (also, the real Murphy and Peña had offices in the old, unused embassy, so this is sort of legit). For simplicity's sake, I am assuming that CNP (Colombian National Police) headquarters are also in or nearby this building. Ears might refer to "headquarters," "the office," or "the embassy," and it's all the same place. Basically, everything is centrally located in Bogotá, and when I refer to “the DEA office,” or “Javi’s office,” picture it from season one - two desks that are not shoved on top of each other, with glass windows and real filing cabinets. The CIA is also located here, as is Strechner's office and the fabled White Room.

These buildings are in Bogotá, nearby Peña’s and Murphy's apartments. I will differentiate between the New, Swanky, Functional U.S. Embassy by capitalizing it and giving it its full title. If I say “embassy,” assume I’m talking about the older one where Javi and Ears are based.

The Carlos Holguin School: This is the base of Search Bloc operations in Medellín, and the primary location that we see in season two of the show. Think of it almost as a military base - training grounds, barracks, bare-bones, no a/c, shitty food. Javi and Steve often stay at "the school" overnight while conducting operations in Medellín. They might also refer to this as “camping” or “the camp,” or “base.” It sucks balls. This is where Javi and Steve have their messy, shoved on top of each other desks that we tend to associate with the show. Javi and Steve still work from here just as often as we see in canon, there just won’t be as many scenes in this location because Ears is never there.

Javi’s apartment: Javi and Steve primarily live in Bogotá. This is the same apartment building that you see in season one, with the big steps in front of the building and then an even larger set of stairs inside. There is also a big set of stairs on the back end of the building that leads to an underground parking garage (we see this in the season one finale, where Steve gets snatched by Navegante). This building is a five minute walk to the U.S. Embassy, but Javi and Steve mostly chose to drive for safety and convenience. It’s in a pretty decent part of Bogotá. There is one small canon deviation in regards to the apartments: in Better Love, Javi lives upstairs, across from Steve’s front door instead of below him like we see in the show. They share a large front landing. I just really liked the idea of Javi having a view of the city from his bedroom window.

Ears’ apartment: Ears lives in a tiny little flat on top of a drug store, a place that she found on her own through the friend of a work friend. It’s also in a decent part of Bogotá, but not quite as safe or upscale as Javi’s. It’s about a ten minute hike from the embassy and fifteen minutes from Javi’s place.

Miscellaneous

CIA/DEA Collaboration: The relationship between the CIA and the DEA in Colombia was not pretty. The show makes it look like a personal conflict between Strechner and Peña, but in reality, it was so much deeper than that. These two organizations have opposing goals, and communication and sharing of information was a real problem. Basically, they squabble more than they collaborate, and there was a lot of backstabbing, underhanded fuckery, and generally getting in each other's way. Naturally, this is going to create tension between Ears and Javi.

Bill Stechner: The show makes it clear that Bill doesn’t give a shit about Escobar or the cartels except in regards to the power dynamics they create, but let me reiterate here - his primary goal in Colombia is to keep it from becoming a communist state. That’s all he wants.

OC Sicarios: Don't get Velasco (canon sicario) mixed up with Verdugo (my OC sicario). They are different characters. Verdugo is the guy who features in The Rules of Engagement.

Feo is another sicario who is an OC. More updates on him later.

Canon Deviations in Better Love

Series spoilers from this point on. I’m going to take it fic by fic, so if you haven’t read something and don’t want to be spoiled, stop at the bold print. Again, Better Love is super fucking plotty, so I thought it was only fair to give you guys a reference sheet. Lord knows I need one, too.

The Rules of Engagement: Introduces Ears. Horacio Carillo did die recently, but Javi’s role in his death is undetermined/not mentioned. Javi does start working with Los Pepes during Rules, but only after he and Ears have their fallout. All of the bullshit with Martinez Jr. and the Castaño brothers takes place during the time that Javi and Ears aren’t speaking.

Aftershocks: Establishes with certainty that Javi is working with the cartels. His primary contact with Los Pepes is Don Berna. This is going to be critical later. Also establishes that Don Berna has more connection to the Cali cartel than he does in canon.

Yours: Establishes that Connie Murphy is a badass biker bitch with a heart of gold, because I think the show did her dirty. She loves Steve and Steve loves her. Ears and Stechner get to know each other a little better, and Javi doesn’t like this one bit. Ears starts thinking about a leak in Search Bloc, and how dangerous that might be for Javi.

Bang: Javier Peña gives Ears a shady ass, probably trafficked gun for her protection. We don’t know details of where he got it. Solidifies the bro/sis relationship between Steve and Ears. Implies heavily that Javi is doing some shady things with some shady folks. A light introduction to the theme of weapons trafficking in Colombia, which was a massive problem that is barely even mentioned in the show. It will feature heavily in Better Love.

The Shoebox: Introduces the character of Arturo, Ana Delgado’s shady older brother. Ears starts wondering if Ana knows more than she should. Confirms that the Fernando Duque arc does take place in Better Love, and that Javi is genuinely torn up by it like he is in canon. This leads Ears to start thinking more deeply about that leak in Search Bloc, and she begins to actively collect evidence with the intention of sniffing out the rat and keeping Javi safe. Mentions sex trafficking, a major problem in Colombia at the time, and also a minor theme later on in Better Love.

Shit Hits the Fan: Establishes that Arturo Delgado is actually a hitman working with Los Pepes, and that he and Javi have gone on some raids together. Javi is desperate to keep this a secret from Ears, who is friends with Ana, both for her protection and because he’s kind of ashamed of how deep he’s in with Los Pepes. Establishes that in the wake of the Ferando Duque debacle, the Castaño brothers did not reach out to Stechner for help, but instead decided to put a hit out on Javi to either kill or scare him off. Javi is no longer working with Los Pepes, but he never did find out that Stechner was the one who set him up in the first place.

The White Room: Bill Stechner reveals to Ears that her purpose in Colombia is to be his own personal spy on the DEA. He is investigating a mysterious sicario named Feo in relation to a massive russian weapons ring. Bill wants Ears to report everything that the DEA learns about Feo because he suspects that Feo might have connections with FARC, a communist guerrilla group that is Stechner’s public enemy number one. Ears realizes that she’s in deep shit, and also realizes the depth of the resentment between the DEA and the CIA, and how much their goals in Colombia actually oppose. Stechner is revealed to be a real bag of dicks here.

Closing notes

Whew, okay. I will update this post periodically if more information becomes necessary or if you guys have questions, and I’ll reblog it if I do. I’m going to go ahead and tag my taglist folks in this, just because it’s a huge information dump. Of course, you probably don't need to know these things to get the gist of what’s going on in Better Love, but if you’re a chronic overanalyzer like me, it might be helpful.

Also, let me know if you guys want a list of the characters who are major players in the series. I know I had to make one for myself but I wasn’t sure if posting it would be overkill (this is probably already overkill, tbh).

Tags: @jedi-mando, @aerolanya, @pikemoreno, @bitchin-beskar, @mostly-megan, @huliabitch, @starsandmando, @starlight-starwrites, @thirstworldproblemss, @knittingqueen13, @yespolkadotkitty

Javier Peña tags: @magpie-to-the-morning, @tiffdawg, @danniburgh, @1800-fight-me

Mad love to you guys if you’ve stuck around for this long.

#Javier Peña #Javier Peña x reader #Narcos #pedro pascal #Narcos fanfiction #Javier Peña x you #Javier Peña fanfiction #Better Love #the rules of engagement #better love notes

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newstfionline · 3 years

Text

Monday, May 3, 2021

Global coronavirus cases are surging, driven by India and South America (NYT) The number of new daily cases has exceeded 800,000 for more than a week. The spike is largely driven by the outbreak in India, which now accounts for more than 40 percent of the world’s new cases. The U.S. plans to halt travel for non-U.S. citizens from India starting Tuesday. Vaccines in India are running short, hospitals are swamped and cremation grounds are burning thousands of bodies every day. Health experts and political analysts say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s overconfidence and domineering leadership style bear a huge share of the responsibility for the crisis. Meanwhile, Indians living abroad are frantically seeking to help sick relatives. Much of South America is also faring poorly. Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Colombia all rank among the 20 nations with the highest number of Covid deaths per capita.

Elderly statesman? (NYT) Arnold Schwarzenegger left the California governor’s mansion 10 years ago. He is a more popular political figure today than when he was elected. Over the past year, the former Republican governor, now 73, has been in demand, embracing an unlikely role that he describes as “elderly statesman.” He’s made public service announcements on hand washing, raised millions of dollars for protective health gear and is now being sought out for guidance on the Republican-led effort to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom, the same mechanism that led to Schwarzenegger’s election in 2003. “When you leave office, you realize—well, I realized—that I just couldn’t cut it off like that,” he said in a three-hour interview.

Looming showdown as Michigan governor orders Canadian pipeline shut down (Washington Post) For Michigan’s governor, the 645-mile pipeline jeopardizes the Great Lakes. For Canada’s natural resources minister, its continued operation is “nonnegotiable.” The clash over Calgary-based Enbridge’s Line 5, which carries up to 540,000 barrels of crude oil and natural gas liquids across Michigan and under the Great Lakes each day, is placing stress on U.S.-Canada ties. In a move applauded by environmentalists and Indigenous groups on both sides of the border, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) in November ordered the firm to shut down the nearly 70-year-old lines by May 12. Canadian officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have appealed to their American counterparts, including President Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm for help. Joe Comartin, Canada’s consul general in Detroit, said a shutdown would have “significant” impacts on both sides of the border. He predicted effects ranging from months-long propane shortages to higher costs for consumers to fuels being carried by rail, truck or boat—methods that he said are less emissions-friendly and more dangerous than a pipeline. One “irritant,” he said, is “the claim from the state that they are doing this to protect the Great Lakes, that they’re more interested in protecting the Great Lakes than we in Canada are. Basically, we reject that completely.”

NYC Eyes Reopening (Bloomberg) New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said yesterday the city would aim to fully reopen July 1, lifting restrictions on restaurants, gyms, and all other businesses. A return to normal would mark a symbolic moment for both New Yorkers and the country—America's most populous city was a global epicenter early in the pandemic, registering an average of 800 deaths per day last April. The city is averaging roughly 1,700 new cases per day, down 70% since January, reporting about 30 deaths per day.

Kissinger warns of ‘colossal’ dangers in US-China tensions (AFP) Acclaimed diplomat Henry Kissinger said Friday that US-China tensions threaten to engulf the entire world and could lead to an Armageddon-like clash between the two military and technology giants. The 97-year-old former US secretary of state, who as an advisor to president Richard Nixon crafted the 1971 unfreezing of relations between Washington and Beijing, said the mix of economic, military and technological strengths of the two superpowers carried more risks than the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Strains with China are “the biggest problem for America, the biggest problem for the world,” Kissinger told the McCain Institute’s Sedona Forum on global issues. “Because if we can’t solve that, then the risk is that all over the world a kind of cold war will develop between China and the United States.” While nuclear weapons were already large enough to damage the entire globe during the Cold War, he said advances in nuclear technology and artificial intelligence—where China and the United States are both leaders—have multiplied the doomsday threat. “For the first time in human history, humanity has the capacity to extinguish itself in a finite period of time,” Kissinger said.

Thousands march in Colombia in fourth day of protests against tax plan (Reuters) Thousands of Colombians took to the streets on Saturday for International Workers’ Day marches and protests against a government tax reform proposal, in a fourth day of demonstrations that have resulted in at least four deaths. Unions and other groups kicked off marches on Wednesday to demand the government of President Ivan Duque withdraw the reform proposal, which originally leveled sales tax on public services and some food. Cali, the country’s third-largest city, has seen the most vociferous marches, some looting and at least three deaths connected to the demonstrations.

Europe’s economy shrinks amid slow vaccine rollouts and lockdowns (Washington Post) With swaths of Europe still under lockdown restrictions and facing a stuttering vaccination rollout, the region’s economy slid into a double-dip recession in the first quarter of the year, in contrast to a rosy outlook in the United States. The European economy shrank by 0.6 percent in the first quarter of the year, according to data released Friday. The U.S. economy grew by 1.6 percent over the same period, amid massive federal stimulus spending and a speedy vaccination rollout. Export-dependent Germany, which had already been heading toward recession before the pandemic as manufacturing dropped off, saw its economy shrink by 1.7 percent, the most in Europe. The economies of Spain, Italy and Portugal also contracted. Much of Europe is battling a third wave of coronavirus infections. Germany has a nighttime curfew in place in 15 of its 16 states, and shopping requires booking appointments and getting a negative test.

Dozens of German police injured in May Day riots (AP) At least 93 police officers were injured and 354 protesters were detained after traditional May Day rallies in Berlin turned violent, Berlin’s top security official said Sunday. More than 20 different rallies took place in the German capital on Saturday and the vast majority of them were peaceful. However, a leftist march of 8,000 people through the city’s Neukoelln and Kreuzberg neighborhood, which has often seen clashes in past decades, turned violent. Protesters threw bottles and rocks at officers, and burned garbage containers and wooden pallets in the streets. There’s a nightly curfew in most parts of Germany currently because of the high number of coronavirus infections. But political protests and religious gatherings are exempt from the curfew.

Big Myanmar protests aim to ‘shake the world’; seven killed (Reuters) Myanmar security forces opened fire on some of the biggest protests against military rule in days, killing at least seven people on Sunday, media reported, three months after a coup plunged the country into crisis. The protests, after a spell of dwindling crowds and what appeared to be more restraint by the security forces, were coordinated with demonstrations in Myanmar communities around the world to mark what organisers called “the global Myanmar spring revolution”. Streams of demonstrators, some led by Buddhist monks, made their way through cities and towns including the commercial hub of Yangon. The protests are only one of the problems the generals have brought on with their Feb. 1 ouster of the elected government. Wars with ethnic minority insurgents in remote frontier regions in the north and east have intensified significantly over the past three months, displacing tens of thousands of civilians, according to U.N. estimates. In some places, civilians with crude weapons have battled security forces while in central areas military and government facilities that have been secure for generations have been hit by rocket attacks and a wave of small, unexplained blasts.

Vaccinated faithful throng Jerusalem church for Holy Fire (AP) Hundreds of Christian worshippers made use of Israel’s easing of coronavirus restrictions Saturday, packing a Jerusalem church revered as the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection for an ancient fire ceremony a day before Orthodox Easter. The faithful gathered at The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, waiting for clergymen to emerge with the Holy Fire from the Edicule, a chamber built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was buried and rose from the dead after being crucified. As bells rang and the top clerics from different Orthodox denominations appeared, the worshippers scrambled to light their candles and pass the fire on. Within a minute, the imposing walls of the old church glowed.

Israel asks whether autonomy of the ultra-Orthodox contributed to the deadly stampede (Washington Post) Israel’s ultra-Orthodox residents exist in a world within the world, citizens of Israel but pledging their allegiance, attention and obedience instead to their rabbis and God. In isolated enclaves, they are exempt from the military draft, outside the national school system and—in apartments usually without Internet or television—largely oblivious to the surrounding culture. Now, this shocked country is asking whether that self-segregation—and the secular politicians who have enabled it for decades—is responsible for the worst civilian catastrophe in Israel’s history, the trampling death of 45 ultra-Orthodox men and boys at a massively overcrowded religious festival in the early hours of the morning Friday. The ultra-Orthodox, or Haredim as they are known in Israel, follow some of the most conservative tenets in Judaism and have a lifestyle based on the Jewish culture that evolved hundreds of years ago in the communities of Eastern Europe. Since Israel’s founding, state leaders have sought preserve this culture after much of it was devastated during World War II. When more than 100,000 members of the Haredim convened for a boisterous annual festival at an ancient rabbi’s tomb on Mount Meron, they overflowed a narrow, sloped compound known to both government and religious leaders as a potentially dangerous setting. Sunday, as the final victims were being buried and flags around the country flew at half-mast in a national day of mourning, multiple investigations were getting underway that will target police planning, local regulators, site managers and national ministries with responsibility for oversight. Already, journalists and whistleblowers have unearthed a shocking paper trail of warnings ignored, recommendations overruled and absent supervision. Officials have been called to account for meetings in recent weeks in which specific recommendations from health and safety authorities were overruled at the behest of Haredi groups.

#headlines #news

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fanfics4all · 4 years

Text

All Of My Life

Request: Yes / No Callie Adams foster x male!reader where R and callie used to date but they broke up after they went to college and he knows the fosters. He is also part of team flash and a speedster and has hellfire magic that are not based on the meta human gene. Takes place after season 2 of good trouble and callie got a job at central city and she move to R's apartment. Callie found out and tells her to not tell anyone. Even Mariana becuase she can't keep a secret. They also have a friends with benefits with a happy ending @furiousbouquetdonutsstuff

Please only send Harry Potter requests at the moment! <3 Have a nice day/night

Callie Adams-Foster x Male!Reader

Word count: 917

Warnings: Nothing I think

Y/N: Your Name

Y/N/N: Your NickName

PLEASE DO NOT STEAL MY WORK, I WORK HARD ON MY FICS AND IT’S NOT COOL TO STEAL SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK!

If you want to be on the tag list for anything (My series fics, specific character fics, or just all of them) All you have to do is send me an ask and I will add you!

Masterlist

(Not my photo, credit to whoever made it!)

I was working with my team to try and catch the latest Meta-human villain. Flash was out scouting while we were all in S.T.A.R. Labs working on a weapon and a way to trap this guy. I was working with Iris when my phone rang. I looked at it and saw it was my ex girlfriend. I looked at it confused, but excused myself to answer it.

“Callie? What’s up?” I asked confused.

“Y/N! Hey, I was wondering if I could maybe move in with you?” She asked.

“Getting right to the point, huh? No how have you been?” I asked with a laugh.

“Sorry, but I got a new job in Central City and I don’t have a place to live…” She said with a sigh.

“Wait really? Congratulations!” I said with a smile.

“Thanks, but can I stay with you?” She asked again.

“Um, yeah sure. When are you coming?” I asked.

“In a week, I’m sorry it’s so last minute, but I just found out I got the job and I can’t afford a place on my own right now.” She said.

“It’s not a problem Cal. I’ll send you my address.” I said.

“You’re a lifesaver Y/N/N, thank you so much!” She said and hung up. I quickly sent her my address and then went back to the team.

“What was that about?” Iris asked.

“Nothing, my ex called me.” I said and they all looked at me.

“What?” Caitlin asked.

“What for?” Cisco asked.

“She just got a job in town and needs a place to live.” I shrugged.

“So you’re going to live together?” Iris asked shocked.

“Yeah, what’s the big deal?” I asked confused.

“Well, didn’t you guys break up for a reason?” Caitlin asked.

“We broke up because we went to different colleges, but we’ve stayed friends.” I answered and they all smirked at me.

“So do you still have feelings towards her?” Cisco asked.

“I mean of course she’s amazing.” I answered and they smiled.

“Do we get to meet her?” Iris asked.

“Well, she doesn’t really know about my powers so maybe not right away.” I said.

“You never told her?” Caitlin asked.

“No, I hid it all my life, until I met you guys.” I answered.

“If she’s gonna live with you then you should tell her.” Iris said and I shrugged.

“Probably.” I said and we went back to work.

A week later Callie was moving into my place, thank God I had an extra bedroom. I helped Calie move her stuff in and then we relaxed in the living room, catching up. The night ended with us in bed, like we were back in high school. That was the start of our friends with benefits.

It’s been a month now and I still haven’t told Callie about my powers. She didn’t know the full story of my job. She hadn’t met my team yet and they were getting really annoying about wanting to meet her. So I decided to tell her tonight before we meet the team for drinks.

“Hey, I’m home. Just let me freshen up and then we can go.” She said with a smile.

“Actually, there’s something I need to tell you first.” I said and she sat next to me.

“What’s up?” She asked, confused.

“I’ve kept a secret from you for the longest time…” I started and she looked even more confused. I took a deep breath and looked down at my hands.

“I was born with the power to control fire.” I admitted.

“What? Is this some kind of joke?” She asked with a laugh.

“Want me to prove it?” I asked and she nodded with her arms crossed. I opened the palm of my hand and let a small flame come out. Her eyes widened and I let the flame disappear.

“So you have magic?” She asked and I nodded.

“Yeah, it was just something I was born with.” I answered.

“Also the people we’re meeting are who I work with. Some are Meta-humans and some are just smart.” I said with a laugh.

“They’re not… evil, are they?” She asked and I smiled.

“No Cal, I work with The Flash.” I said and her eyes widened.

“Wait, really?” She asked.

“Yep, I’m the Man of Fire.” I said and she nodded.

“Right, am I all caught up now?” She asked and I nodded.

“Great, then I’ll go get ready.” She said

“Wait, you can’t tell anybody, especially Mariana.” I said and she nodded.

“I promise.” She said and walked off to her room. When she was finished we went to the bar. Everyone was already there when we arrived.

“Y/N! Over here!” Barry called and I smiled. We walked over to the table and sat down.

“Guys, this is Callie. Callie, this is Barry, Iris, Caitlin, Cisco, and Dr. Wells.” I said introducing everyone.

“Finally we get to meet you, Y/N has told us so much about you.” Cisco said.

“Oh really?” Callie smirked at me.

“How much did you tell them?” She asked.

“Well they know you’re my ex if that’s what you’re asking.” I laughed.

“So they know a lot.” She laughed and I nodded.

“Pretty much.” I answered.

“Well, tell me about you guys, it’s only fair.” She smiled. The night went really well. Everyone was getting along and I was really happy that I could finally share this part of my life with her.

Tag list: @les-bio-lie @tashy-bear @ashwarren32 @hollie-blogs @schisbro87 @lover-of-books-and-teas @nerdygaloresposts @teenwolfbitches2 @genius2050 @drw0301bieber @softgamerking @lady-of-lies @ravenmoore14 @ravenempress101 @cillianchamp @rowanthomasknapp @therealchoni

#good trouble #good trouble imagine #The Flash #the flash imagine #callie adams foster #callie x reader #callie adams foster x reader #callie x male!reader #callie adams foster x male!reader #fanfic #request

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kchuarts · 4 years

Text

Flowers in Blood

A/N: TWO IN A ROW!! I didn’t post chapter 17 when I finished it because I was tired and again, ya gurl lazy. So you guys get doubles today! Enjoy~

Summary: Justice is finally served... For now.

Warnings: Violence and brief sexual assault

Taglist: @lucywrites02, @shiningloki

Chapter 18: Bloodroot p. iii

Katie lay naked on the tatami floor; bruises, bites, dried blood and semen temporarily staining her flesh. Travis and three of his men had left her like this in the dark, damp room after violently raping her last night. She was curled in a ball to keep herself warm as she refused to get up. Not like she could anyways as her body ached from the brutal assault she endured. Her throat was raw from screaming and because of that, she was reduced to whimpering. Sleep did not come to her as she was too frightened at the things Travis could possibly do while she slept. Her mind went to thoughts of Jonathan- was he alright? Was he not hurt badly? Where was he? Was he dead?

"Rise and shine, whore." Travis slammed the sliding door open and stomped in, grabbing Katie by her hair and yanking her up. He chuckled at her yelp of pain and forced her to stand up. The Bloodroot leader scrunched his nose as he saw blood drip between Katie's legs. Using much force, he throws her to the ground and kicks her legs open. "Disgusting. You gotta be on your time of the month now?" He spat.

"I-I'm sorry." She whispered hoarsely, trying to shut her legs. Katie yelped again as Travis kicked her legs open again. She could feel him staring at her bloody genitals and felt so ashamed. "Please stop looking at me." She tried to raise her voice but grabbed her own throat, rubbing it as if it would soothe her somewhat. For once, Travis listened to her and walked out, huffing.

"She is to get food and water but no pain meds or clothes." Travis ordered his bodyguards.

At least she would be getting something to nourish herself with. Thankfully she had access to the bathroom in her dark room. Carefully, Katie stood up and winced from pain shooting down her legs. She hissed from her painful cramps and limped over to the bathroom. Travis wouldn't be giving her anything to help the pain, but Katie always had the bath and hot water to work with. She flicked the light on and looked at the vast bathroom, slightly happy to see the bathtub was a comfortable size. “Oooh..” She moaned softly from pain, her hand pressing against her abdomen. Katie made haste and filled the tub up with hot water and sank into it with no hesitation. Relief came shortly after and she let out a silent sigh, hoping that the heat of the water would last for at least an hour. It didn’t help much, but it did soothe some of the aches in her lower half. She sat in silence, staring at the floor of the bathroom as her top half leaned out of the tub. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as her mind wandered to Jonathan. She covered her mouth to stifle her sobs, not wanting to draw attention. This was all of her fault, she thought. If she only fought against Jonathan’s idea, she knew that it would end up bad but didn’t anticipate this predicament. What would Angela do now? Katie rested her head at the edge of the tub, shoulders shaking as she wept silently. Maybe she should have listened to Jonathan in the first place, and taken the first flight back to a place that was no longer a home.

---------------

Pine grunted from pain as Travis struck him across the face. Here he was, bound to a chair and unable to fight back at all. “I should fucking castrate you first before I kill you.” Jonathan spit blood into Travis’s face.

“That’s if you can. I don’t see any ways of you doing such a thing considering the circumstances." Travis punched Jonathan across the face again and grabbed him by his hair. He studied his prisoner for a moment and nodded. "I actually think I'll tell you where my base is since there isn't a chance in hell you'll walk out of here alive. I can say the same for little Katie too." A sick smirk cracked across his face. Travis chuckled as he saw anger flash in Pine's eyes. "Ooh I hit a nerve didn't I? Damn it's nauseating how much you actually care about her." He shoved Pine back and snapped his fingers. Two bodyguards cut the restraints on the chairs and left Jonathan still bound by his wrists on the floor. "Downtown New York in an abandoned subway station not too far from central. I've got a little surprise planned for the good ol' US of A." Travis pulled out an older cell phone. "I'm sure you know what this is." He wiggled it between two fingers.

"Of course I fucking do. You realize that the military is going to come after you once you blow up New York- UGH!" Pine was cut off by a swift kick in the gut.

Travis clicked his tongue and pulled out two more older cell phones. "Well it's a good thing I've got followers all over. I've got some in D.C. and I've got some in Cali. Oh wait-wait!" Travis put the devices away and pulled out a third. "I almost forgot Detroit! My old stomping grounds. Of course I had to pay sweet homage to the place that made me who I am today!" The deranged man began to laugh maniacally.

"You're more dense than I originally thought. It's not going to last long whatever you plan to do-" Pine's mouth was then stuffed with a pair of Katie's panties and duct tape slapped over his lips.

"I'll let you have one more taste of her before I decide how to kill you. Oh those are her panties she had on before I raped her." Travis waved his hand, dismissing his bodyguards before kneeling down to look Jonathan straight in the eyes. "The best part is that once all this that I create gets big enough, I'll be noticed and people will fear me. I will be unstoppable with all the grade A military weapons, stolen arms, and illegal arsenal I have. I can have whatever I want." the sick grin on his face remained plastered and unchanged.

Jonathan shook his head, his stomach churning from how nauseous he felt. His breathing became heavier and sweat dripped down his face. Pine didn’t care about the fact his beloved’s undergarments were in his mouth at the moment, he cared about the thousands of innocent people Travis intended to maim. There was no redemption for a man- a monster, such as he.

-------------

Once the water had cooled, Katie lifted herself out of the tub and sighed. Her legs still wobbled slightly as she stood, grabbing a towel. She could at least use the rough textured fabric as a pad of sorts as there were no feminine care products around. Carefully, she wiped the fresh blood running down her legs and walked out into the dark room where she was being held captive. Placing the towel in a thick, folded structure, Katie sat down on it and wrapped her arms around herself. She felt so non-human and more like a caged animal to toy and prod at. “Jonathan, please be ok.” She whispered to herself hoarsely and felt an oncoming slew of fresh tears burn her eyes again. Her arms dropped to her sides as they became tired after a bit and her hand came in contact with an envelope. “What?” She muttered and grabbed the strange parcel, getting up and going to the bathroom for light. With shaky hands, she turned the envelope over and saw that it was addressed to her. Katie looked both ways and all around before cautiously opening it. The first thing that fell out were 3 Plan B’s, which had Katie slap a hand over her mouth as she muffled a sob of relief. Almost immediately, she got up and turned the sink on to get herself some water to swallow the contraceptive down. She wouldn’t have to worry about becoming pregnant for a bit now, depending on how long she and Jonathan were doomed to stay there for.

The next item she pulled out was a letter written in slightly messy but elegant handwriting-

My dear Katelyn,

I hope that you have found this parcel I have left behind for you. I knew that you were going to be sent here at some point. I would firstly like to apologize for all the pain I have caused you and Jonathan both as I was the one to reveal your location. I am sure you understand I must do what I have to do in order to save my child. However, if you manage to make it out alive… Please, if I do not reach my son first, please save him and kill my brother. Like Travis, he is not worth redemption and deserves worse than to burn in the fiery pits of hell. I have left you three contraceptive pills to prevent Travis from impregnating you or any of his goons. Use them wisely and do not continue to sit around. If you are reading this and you are still alive, act now and do not waste anymore time. I am saying this out of concern for you and Jonathan, I have seen what this man can do and he is just as wicked as my brother. Please, take care of yourself and I hope that perhaps in another life we can be friends and meet on better terms… Farewell

Yours,

Abbadon

Katie’s hands shook as she read the auburn haired woman’s letter, tears streaming down her face from how sincere this woman was. Abbadon did not deserve the life she lived in and deserved to live out the rest of her days in the lavender fields of France with her son. It was her dream to run away from the hell she was forced to live in and start anew. She hoped that Abbadon was not dead herself as she would do her best to not only save Nikolai, but Abbadon as well. “I have to be strong. For them.” She whispered to herself and shut her eyes, brain wracking ideas as to what she could do. There was one idea that came to mind, but it would force Katie to live through the trauma she had gone through all over again. However, if it meant she and Jonathan escaping with their lives, then she would swallow her fear. She had to be strong; three people were depending on her.

Inhaling deeply, she left the bathroom and resumed her seat in the dark room. If she could distract Travis enough, then this could possibly give her the chance for true recovery. She would kill him. There was no questioning when she thought about ending the life of a monster who stole two years away from her. With her resolution set in stone, Katie entered a state of meditation and braced herself for tomorrow. She would have her vengeance.

---------

The sun rose high the next morning and Katie had walked over to the screen door, opening it and seeing two bodyguards immediately shove their guns in her face. “I’m not trying to escape you bastards. I want to speak with Travis.” she held her head high, knocking the muzzle of one of the guns out of her face.

“You’ve got some nerve, girl.” One of the bodyguards huffed and stormed off to retrieve Travis while the other stayed behind and backed Katie into her room.

It took a minute for the bodyguard to grab him, but he shortly returned with Travis in tow. The Bloodroot leader looked rather irritated at the moment. He slammed the sliding door open and glared down at Katie, but noticed that her face remained expressionless. This puzzled him and made him raise his brow, irritation fading and now intrigued. “What do you want?”

“Let me come outside. I miss the sun… You can walk with me as you don’t trust me. I am still on my period so it would be appreciated if I could have some form of feminine product.” She spoke, voice still hoarse.

Travis scoffed, shaking his head “No. You’re going to stay in here until you’re done bleeding without clothes. I know what you’re trying to do, little Katie and it’s not gonna work.”

“Is that so? Maybe I realized how stupid I truly am for leaving you the way I did…” She stood up, grabbing a clean towel and placing it over her lower half as she walked forth. “Maybe I miss the pain. The way you fucked me and not those other pigs.” She referred to his friends. Katie stopped right in front of Travis, raising her eyebrows. “I’ve got nothing to hide. I am empty handed except for this towel. I am asking you to take me back seeing as you are not satisfied with other women. I don’t ever remember there being another woman who sucked your fat cock as good as I did. Who let you fuck every hole on her body without abandon and who let you do as you wished, within reason of course.” She screamed at herself inside, knowing that she had to do this in order to save Pine. Katie stood on her toes, placing a quick kiss to Travis’s lips before pulling away and walking back into the room.

The Bloodroot leader snatched Katie’s arm, pulling her out and smashing his lips on hers, forcing her to make out with him.

Katie wanted to throw up then and there as the taste of his tongue had gotten more rank and disgusting. She wasn’t sure how long she would last, but it seemed to be working.

“You’re absolutely right. Actually, I’m gonna have you suck my cock now in my room. I’ll listen to what you have to say. I want your word, Katelyn.” He narrowed his eyes.

“And you have my word, baby.” She batted her eyes and gave a sweet smile, placing her hand on his chest for added convincing. She gasped suddenly as Travis scooped her up and forced herself to giggle as he carried her off to his room. Hook, line, and sinker. Travis was rather easy to convince and with a bit of pushing and prodding, she’d have him six feet under ground.

--------------

Jonathan groaned, waking up from a night of beatings. He tried to move, but his body was too sore to do such a thing, even shifting his legs-

Wait, his legs were not bound. With this new found energy, Pine hoisted himself up then best he could and stood up. Blood rushed into his limbs after two days of being unable to stand and his feet tingled. These men were more stupid than he initially thought; truly, they were. Pine walked over to a tool kit foolishly left behind and turned his back to it. His hands grabbed a pair of scissors and using his long fingers, managed to position them under the rope. Sweat rolled down his face as he began to frantically cut at the fibers, hearing heavy footsteps above.

“Man I wish I had a girl like the boss’s.” One goon spoke, coming down the stairs.

Jonathan froze for a moment but kicked back into action, almost done with cutting the restraints. His heart beat hard as the footsteps grew louder.

“Yeah, well I don’t trust her one bit. You heard her the way she screamed when we raped her- HEY!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” The other goon pointed at Jonathan, causing both of them to rush toward him.

It was now or never and Jonathan took his chance, rushing back and holding his arms back to give the illusion that he was still bound. Once he got close enough, he kicked one of the goons out of his way and stabbed the blade of the scissors into the other’s neck and effectively slit his throat. Pine turned around quickly, grabbing the other assailants wrist and stabbing the blades over and over into the goons stomach. Once he was certain he was dead, Jonathan reached up and ripped the duct tape off. He spat out the pair of panties, tossing them aside seeing as Katie probably wouldn’t want those back. “Fools.” He panted, keeping the scissors on him but grabbing their guns and ammo. Pine thought for a moment and dragged the bodies out of the way before stripping one of them and dressing in the attire of Travis’s henchmen. Next, he headed over to a convenient can of paint and smeared some of the black goop over his closed eyes. Quickly, he made his way over to the small window and shattered it. He grabbed the clothed corpse and shoved him in the small hole. The other one he shoved into the closet. He knew this would buy him some time, but not much. Pine traveled up the stairs and saw a “fellow comrade” walking by. Using an American accent, Jonathan greeted the other man “Hey.” He tilted his head upwards and waited until the goon had his back turned. That’s when Jonathan struck, covering the man’s mouth with his hand and pulling him back into the basement where he slit his throat. “That makes three.” He mumbled in his normal voice, heading back up and seeking out more henchmen to take out.

----------

Finally, Katie had a pair of panties on and comfortably sat at a Kotatsu with one of Travis’s button down shirts on. She had even managed to convince him to let her have some pain meds and give her a pad of sorts. Luckily for her, Abbadon had left some feminine care products of her own behind. Thunder roared loudly above them, causing Katie to jump a little and grab onto Travis for faux comfort.

“You’re still a little wimp, huh?” He did not reciprocate her gesture but instead slid his hand toward her backside. “That blowjob was nice, but I think I’d like to get a piece of ass…” Travis smirk, sticking his hand down her panties and slipping a finger into her back entrance.

Katie seized up as her hole was still very much sore from the abuse two nights ago. She never liked doing anal and found it gross. “T-Travis wait- Don’t you want me t-to feed you first?” She didn’t make any move to stop him as that would cause suspicion. She couldn’t do anything no matter how badly it hurt. The feeling of his finger going inside of her was mortifying and she whimpered as he tried to push a second finger in.

“SIR!! PINE HAS ESCAPED!!” One of the henchmen burst in, panting hard.

Travis removed his finger and stood up, nostrils flaring. “What the fuck do you mean he’s escaped!?” His gaze immediately turned to Katie who shrunk beneath his gaze.

Her fear was starting to get the better of her as she remembered this exact look he would give right before a beating. “N-No! It wasn’t me! I was in my room th-the entire time.” She gulped, her heart racing and hoping Pine would get there soon.

For once, Travis took her word and stormed out to investigate the scene.

Katie quickly looked around the room and saw a pair of wooden chopsticks and Travis’s pocket knife. She quietly got up, going over to them and beginning to sharpen the chopsticks as fast as she could. Her teeth ground together as her anger fueled her, fear discapating away. Once she heard Travis’s angry footsteps coming back, she walked over to the Kotatsu, putting her weapon by her seat. To make herself look inconspicuous, she began to clean all the garbage up around the area where the chopsticks were.

“The fuck you think you’re doing?” Travis growled but then stopped short as he saw her turn around with his garbage in her arms. A smirk travelled across his face and he went back to his seat, sitting down. “Being a good little slave are we? How kind of you.” He chuckled, dropping his guard.

“I just don’t think staying in such a dirty environment would be good for you, ya know?” she threw the trash away, praying he wouldn’t see the chopsticks by her seat. “I kinda feel bad that you put Pine downstairs with all that dust and gross stuff. But, I don’t care about him anymore! Truly, I don’t. I’m stupid.” She stuck her tongue out playfully, hurting herself from her own words.

“As you shouldn’t. Yeah you are really fucking stupid, but you’re fucking hot. Come here you dumb whore and sit on my lap.” He patted his legs, grinning.

The last of the henchmen that Pine was aware of dropped to the floor, gurgling on his own blood and dying slowly. He quickly made his way through the large manor, looking for Katie and Travis. Jonathan feared that he wouldn’t make it in time and she would be dead before he got there. Not having the threat of goons around, Jonathan began to run through the oncoming storm.

Sounds of lips smacking together from Katie kissing Travis filled the room. One of Katie’s arms reached back as she felt around for her weapon. She had found it by the sharp prick to her finger and snatched it up. Her arm came back up and she stabbed Travis right in the leg, being shoved off in that instant.

“YOU BITCH!!” Travis screamed, seeing Katie swing at him with another chopstick she had sharpened and grabbed her wrist. “I knew you were playing!! You’re still afraid of me!”

“NO!! I’M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!!” She kicked him quickly, holding her hand up and grabbing his wrist with her free hand. She twisted her hips and had twisted Travis’s grip off of her, scooping her other weapon back into her hand. Making a bold move, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward, stabbing the chopstick into his eye and kicking off of him. Now that he was distracted, Katie shoved a cabinet over and blocked the entrance. She hopped over it, feet landing on wet wood and slamming the screen door shut. Wind whipped in her face and rain pelted down hard. “JONATHAN!? JONATHAN!?” She cried out, starting to run for it. This place was massive .

Jonathan stopped in his tracks as he heard Katie calling for him. “HOLD ON!! I’M COMING!” He replied back, taking off and following her voice. Unfortunately, her voice stopped calling his name and instead was replaced by a scream. Pine ran faster, slamming doors open in search of her.

Lightning flashed, showing a deranged Travis with an eye missing chasing after Katie. “COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE BITCH!!” He screamed, maneuvering through the hard rain as best as he could.

Katie once again pushed furniture down, shoving the doors shut until she reached a dead end. Her feet hit rocks and she found herself staring out at the sea. “No, no, no, no!!” She began to panic as Travis pummeled through all of that and charged toward her. The familiar feeling of his hands wrapping around her slender neck returned after two and a half years. Her back hit the rocky ground as Travis was on top of her and was strangling her to kill. She knew that he knew she was vulnerable to this as this was one of his tactics to scare her.

“You took my eye-” He growled, squeezing his hands harder “I take your life!” He began to laugh, watching Katie’s eyes roll.

Air rushed back into her lungs as Travis was yanked off of her and Katie sat up, panting hard and seeing Pine throw a punch across Travis’s face. Her eyes darted toward a shining object on the ground as lightning flashed again and she made a run for it, grabbing the large knife she saw.

Travis let Jonathan have the upper hand for a moment before he retaliated, slamming his hard head into his. “COME ON OLD MAN!!” He grinned, quickly removing the gun he held on him and knocking him back wards, punching him across the face. Travis then grabbed Jonathan by the collar of his shirt, walking over to the edge of the cliff and panting hard. “You will never win. No matter what you do, she will always be mine.” He took a step closer to the crumbling edge. “Hope you ain’t scared of sharks-” Travis’s dark eyes widened as he felt a warmth in his front. He threw Jonathan aside and looked down, blood seeping through his abdomen. Slowly, he turned around and saw Katie ripping the blade out from him and stabbing him in the front again and again and again, hatred burning in her eyes.

“Go to hell.” she growled, shoving him off the cliff with the knife embedded into his chest. As she watched Travis fall into the depths, screaming out his final breaths, she felt… Calm. A weight had been lifted from her; she was finally free. Katie turned around, seeing Jonathan picking himself up and limping over to her.

When the two met, Katie’s arms wrapped tightly around Jonathan and she began to scream and cry into his chest. “It’s over, he’s gone now. He’s gone.” Pine held her just as tightly, pressing kisses into her hair while shedding tears of his own. “He will never hurt you again, Kate.”

“P-Please let’s just get the fuck away from here.” She sobbed.

Jonathan nodded, scooping her soaked form into his arms. “Hold onto me, sweetheart.” He echoed his words back from the gala and carried her away to Travis’s expensive car. “I’m going to grab a couple things so wait here and lay low.” He set her down but not before grabbing her face and kissing her lips- oh how he missed her lips against his. He would have time for that later as he pulled away, running into the manor.

True to his word, Jonathan came back with a plethora of items. Katie shucked off Travis’s shirt in favor of wearing Pine’s as she wanted to rid herself of anything remotely related to the now dead leader of Bloodroot. She hustled into the back seat of the car, watching Jonathan slam the trunk shut and getting inside.

Not looking back, Pine turned the key and kicked the car into gear. His foot slammed on the gas as he sped off into the night and finally free from that house of horrors.

A shadowy figure walked out of the brush shortly after Pine and Katie made their escape. The figure made its way over to the cliffside and looked down into the water. “He deserved worse than that.” Roper scoffed, adjusting his umbrella before flinching a little at the sound of something inside the manor exploding. He turned around and raised his eyebrows at the now billowing smoke and raging fire eating the house. “Pity. It was a nice house.” He muttered to himself and pulled his phone out, dialing a number.

“Yeah. He’s dead now

#the night manager #the night manager canon divergence #jonathan pine x ofc #jonathan pine #fanfic #tw: violence #tw: assault #tom hiddleston #my writing #writing #flowers in blood #spies in love

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