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dovand · 5 months

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P.G. Wodehouse characters on panel shows

Because I had A Thought in the jerver (Jeeves x Wooster server) and had to expand it to Many Thoughts, owing to my normalness about both Wodehouse and britcom :)

Long & incredibly niche post (x"D) under the cut!

Preface: Characters covered vary and I may not be entirely accurate as I have not consumed as much Wodehouse as I'd like. Polite discussion entirely welcome (and, in fact, desired)!

Jeeves would do well fact-wise but, owing to the fact that he does not watch the show and thus does not understand the format, would, on attempting to make a joke, be klaxoned to hell and back (possibly via goading by Alan). Unless he very carefully managed to dodge the goading he would not win and would be very bitter about it

The Elves would absolutely adore him btw. There'd be a behind the scenes photo of him looking puzzled/slightly scared while the Elves who are there on filming days all pose around him and grin at the camera

Would never forget to use his buzzer (regardless of how embarrassing it is) because he feels bad about interrupting. Would be very much unnerved by Stephen (obviously) and perhaps a little intimidated by how flamboyant he is. Aisling Bea would like him I think

Wooster would have no idea what was going on but would be endearing enough to make up for it entirely. Sort of like Johnny Vegas. He would have to be stopped forcibly from going on long rambling anecdotes a la Gyles Brandreth. If the host is Stephen he will not be paying any attention to anything being said the entire evening. Might win entirely by accident because he's saying nothing remotely relevant & thus is never klaxoned. (Though tbh he might have a heart attack before even starting the show on account of seeing a man who appears pretty much to be Jeeves wearing colour!)

Would get along well with Bill Bailey I think—agents of chaos the both of them. Alan would make fun of Wooster for being posh (a la the way the panel usually makes fun of Stephen). Would do very well on live demos. Stephry would adore him & he would not know what to do with it ("why is campier Jeeves so enamoured of me?"). Sandi would LOVE him. Might bring a blue whale plushie along for emotional support

Ukridge (and here my Wodehouse knowledge starts to thin) would very confidently be very incorrect but would be so charismatic about it that the Elves would forget to klaxon him until he was done speaking. Almost Rhod Gilbert-y levels of accidentally-on-purpose annoying (see: Rhod claiming that it gets totally dark at night in Denmark for like 5 minutes). Gyles Brandreth-levels of ability to talk at length. He starts spontaneously filibustering in the middle of the episode

8oo10cdc

(A.K.A. 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, but the full acronym is so much more fun)

Jeeves wins. Obviously. He would be guest team captain I think, and he would absolutely carry. Jon would be awkward the whole episode because he's being outperformed by this weird posh guy. The jokes about Jimmy being weird and non-expressive and android-like would be redirected at Jeeves and he would just kind of stare blankly at them

His mascot would be something very simple or something very strange/non-humorous (like. Not even a lucky fancy pen, just a fancy pen that writes well that he can use for the working-out). He'd get the conundrum immediately

If Joe Wilkinson was on to do A Bit you'd be able to see him looking confused in the background the entire time

Wooster is hopeless. Maybe if he's on a team with Jon or Jeeves he'd be able to scrape some points but, realistically, he's drawing on his paper the whole time. He takes to the mascot-ing with abject glee & does very well with that. Panel is not sure whether to make fun of Jimmy or Wooster for being posh. Russell Howard would like him

Would be delighted by a Joe cameo. Would be very polite when requesting his letters and/or numbers. Would delight Susie Dent

Ukridge is in Dictionary Corner fucking shit up. If he knows how to work PowerPoint then he's got a PowerPoint to back up his little bit of standup; if not he's got hand-drawn posters. Nobody is quite sure what he's talking about. There's something about ungulates in there. Possibly a mention of cellular respiration. He spends the whole episode asking Jimmy for money. He gets on with Joe.

Corky, for reasons* that go entirely unexplained sits quietly next to Ukridge in Dictionary Corner for the whole episode. He is not mentioned by name once. People in the YouTube comments are asking who the weird silent guy is & if anyone else can see him & if it's some avant-garde Bit that they're doing. Someone says they wish that they'd've tried this Bit out with Jimmy

(*He's emotional support)

Archie Moffam starts crying

Mock the Week

Wooster is entirely unfamiliar with current events. Lends a Milton Jones air to the whole panel. Dressed similarly to Ed Byrne; they are both made fun of for wearing waistcoats

Jeeves is not asked onto the show because he would start doing actual fully-fledged political commentary and being so good at it that nobody would feel comfortable interrupting him

Ukridge would have either Egg Scramble (i.e. Ed Gamble) or Milton Jones vibes for reasons I cannot explain. Would get distracted by the flies & start trying to catch them in his hands

Corky is too soft-spoken to get a word in edgewise

Would I Lie To You?

Jeeves has an excellent poker face & ability to distinguish truths from lies, rendering him excellent at parlour games. Unfortunately he does not understand what there is to be enjoyed in them & as such is only invited on for one episode. He does get into a good little argument with David about something horribly pedantic, though. Also Rob makes fun of him by doing his O.O face into camera and Jeeves entirely misses it

Wooster is great at telling stories but horrible at lying. Everyone loves having him on because he tells a captivating story but it's so so easy to tell when he's lying. Might team up with Lee to annoy David. Rob really likes him. Starts spinning on his chair when they're doing pick-ups, distracting everyone

Ukridge is pretty good at playing. His comedic rant abilities rival David's, except he's not actually really trying to be comedic. All his stories end up being about Schemes & he writes them down during the episode planning to try them. People think this is a bit. It is not.

Only Connect

Jeeves is far too literally-minded for the connecting board but he does remarkably well on the rest of it. Victoria pokes fun at him the entire episode for being posh. He does not notice

Wooster's mind works in such mysterious circuitous ways that he's actually rather good at the connecting board. Unfortunately he is bollocks at the rest of it

Big Fat Quiz

Jeeves does not do very well. Too much pop culture for him

Wooster also does not do very well. His mind is like a sieve except the sieve has very big holes. Or maybe even no holes tbh. So basically his mind is like a sieve if you took the mesh out and all you have left is the metal loop around the top. Essentially he remembers nothing about anything. He brings homemade* sandwiches for the snacking segment. He is goofy & delightful enough that he does quite well be he is not invited back on account of performing so terribly. He does wear a spiffing outfit for the occasion though

(*i.e. Jeeves-made)

Ukridge does surprisingly well. He does start talking about his schemes though. He tries to get Jimmy in on them. He does not succeed

Corky is apparently the only chap who reads the newspapers. He does quite well!

Reggie Pepper also reads the newspapers but he is too busy being inexplicably hot while phoning people from bed so he only gets the barebones of most stories

Taskmaster

(I don't know if this really counts as a panel show, but what the hell.)

Jeeves takes everything literally and is very polite to Alex during all of the tasks. His prize tasks are almost all underwhelming except for one that is accidentally genius. He is so single-mindedly focused during studio tasks that he looks like he is about to murder someone the entire time. Surprise tasks/extra rules that he didn't notice prompt him to stare blankly into the middle distance. Greg is baffled by and attracted to him in equal measure throughout the season. The fanbase is very starkly divided on him. He probably wins the series but not many episodes

Wooster is a sort of Mike Wozniak figure. Endearingly baffled the entire time. Moves in an odd but captivating manner. Committed to the bit. Starts telling anecdotes while he's meant to be doing tasks. Absolutely delights Greg. Is probably lifted up in a studio session at least once (a la Jacaster)

Archie Moffam continues crying

Ukridge wears his mackintosh to studio sessions. He is overly familiar with Alex, who looks despairingly into the camera every time he is manhandled or asked to help with a Scheme. Every prize task is either an opportunity to get Greg in on a Scheme, or to offload things he does not need from previous unsuccessful (i.e. all) Schemes. He gets second place and is pleased as punch about it

That's about all I have at the present moment. Perhaps I'll update with more characters once I've ventured further into the House of Wode. Tootle-pip for now!

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barnbridges · 6 months

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happy missing marion monday!

#to those that celebrate (me)#the mostly forgotten practice of Missing Marion Monday TM was started in 1980 at Hampden College #in Hampden Vermont #by one Edmund G. Corcoran student at the Classics department #archeologists argue it has to do with the nature of love and fertility - but women have been found to engage in the ritual as well -#the practice seems to have died unexplicably in he mid 1980s but resurfaced in the early to mid 2020s #it is theorized it might relate to missing mommy monday but the connection cannot be confirmed nor denied

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ccuniculusmolestus · 7 months

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Bunny Corcoran ;The Death Of Innocence

(I wouldve added images beside the first one from the book with highlights to provide evidence for a statement but like damn, tumblr wont let me for some reason. i'll try from a different device later)

I think Bunny was also supposed to be the picture of innocence.

I know what you're thinking: how can a loudmouth bigoted ass character 😒 be innocent? I'm with you. Surprisingly, Donna wrote extremely 3 dimensional characters. Sometimes, to really understand a certain character, you have to look at all their aspects, zoom out of the negatives (which Richard would have preferred to remain zoomed in on to justify his compliance in the murder of someone who considered him a friend) and look at them as a WHOLE.

Let's define the word innocence in this context with the help of my sturdy old friend, Google.

1. The obvious, Bunny committed no crime. He was innocent in the legal sense.

2. Without experience

We can say he was less experienced in the basics of life (was 24, didn't have a bank account, couldn't even drive i think? We never see Bunny drive. Didn't even have finances or know how to manage them-clearly. He might not even have understood the gravity of his over-spending nature)

3. Lacking

Clearly, when compared to his peers, he was lacking;

Financial help from his family (except when it came to comparing him to Richard). You could argue the twins were as poor as him- its mentioned in the book. But the case here is different. Bunny's parents were rich, yet he was not. The twins came from a middle class family, and they had their grandmother sending them money. Someone was taking care of them. Bunny had been thrown into boarding schools his whole life and learned to "fend" for himself by becoming a thief and a mooch. Two very different lifestyles.

He could also be considered to lack in academics. He struggled with dyslexia (and I think also ADHD), which is implied to have affected his studies/studious motivation

Bunny was also lacking in pretentiousness; and I'd wager that, though he probably was insecure, he wasn't insecure in a way that made him chase an aesthetic to such a fatal degree. Yes he was a man of illusions, yes he kept these illusions up to maintain a certain image of himself (in that regard, he was very similar to Richard, whose narration of Bunny is usually judgmental). But Bunny was not pretentious like Henry, Julian etc were. He wasn't walling himself in to be an elitist in a scholarly way, I think this fact is reflected in the fact that he had friends and connections outside of the class.

4. Not responsible for a crime but suffering it's consequences

Bunny isn't involved in the bacchanal, yet he suffers its consequence. He finds out about it, has multiple breakdowns to the point of getting drunk and writing an absolutely insane letter to a teacher with his feelings and suspicions bared, and he also opens up to Richard in his drunken carelessness. A mistake which cost him his life. He wasn't just killed because he was annoying, or that he knew too much-- Bunny had to die because he couldn't deal with the weight of knowing what had been done. Or perhaps, he couldn't deal with what the reality of his closest friend was.

5. Not corrupted

Easily, Bunny isn't corrupted with what I call " visions of grandeur" like everyone else in the class is. They all thought they were something. Henry and Julian especially. They were obsessed with ideals that, in a practical sense, ran the risk of polarizing their own selves. We could also speak on the fact he technically wasn't free from moral wrong. He was homophobic, rude, kind of hateful. But in a more fundamental way, he wasn't corrupted in the sense that he did anything that was major AND physically wrong.

I know verbal offences are valid too, and I'm not excusing his hatred/hate speech, I'm just saying.

Even him stealing that goddamn cake from the fridge or something, which Richard tried to conveniently paint as "he doesnt care for people (forget that he can't read)". YES, stealing other people's food is bad, but is it (done for survival?) as bad as:

incest (also pre-unhinged Charles, I dont know if what the twins did was consensual or if Charles used to force himself on Camilla or use an abusive dynamic to make her submit. I think that only came on after Bunny died, but idk)

poisoning someone's dogs

killing a baby chick or whatever weird shit richard did as a kid. and then as an adult the many questionable things he did

francis lowkey seemed like a sexual predator and i understand this might make people upset but i feel like he preyed on Charles' weakened mental / alcoholic state to sleep with him when charles (despite being bi) was not comfortable with the fact that he was attracted to men and wouldnt sleep with francis when he was sober.

Julian is just all wrong

6. Simple ; naive

So, without repeating anything- I genuinely feel like Bunny was so simple sometimes he was genuinely a dumbass. His death itself....how did he see the man he KNEW wanted to kill him (and I know this because in the letter to Julian, Bunny explicitly mentions "He" (Henry, not "THEY" the class) is going to kill him)

He sees them all there and still lets his guard down. He was so naive, that despite his very real paranoia of being stalked/killed, he still engaged with them like they were just a bunch of friends.

Another thing, child-like attributes are often related to naivety. (Him bouncing on everyone's beds that one morning, he was hyper, couldn't regulate his emotions, even his anger and aggression was very childish/immature in nature)

7. Not intended to cause harm

This is the only one I disagree with, because this was the only sense in which Bunny was NOT innocent. He very much had antagonistic qualities and intended to cause emotional harm to those he didn't like.

CONCLUSION

But yeah, overall, he practically fits the innocent role, which is why i think, after his death, things take such dark turns-- the reader loses their innocence too, in a sense, with the things that are revealed about the twins, about Charles, about Francis/Charles, about that one awful moment where Richard thinks the vilest shit about Camilla. The group starts falling apart and becomes disillusioned with each other- Richard starts seeing everyone for who they are, as well. His irritation towards Henry and the rest becomes palpable, and he also realizes his true friends could have been Judy etc (the normal students).

To lose one's innocence, we first have to encounter a scenario or go through something that gives us a greater awareness of the pain or the evil we are surrounded by. Here, losing Bunny was the catalyst in making Richard (and by extension, us) realize the characters and situations for what they really were.

#the secret history #tsh #bunny corcoran #henry winter #francis abernathy #charles macaulay #richard papen #camilla macaulay

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an-architect-of-words · 8 months

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Bunny Take: Why He’s the Most Unpopular

Honestly Bunny Corcoran is an example of “the crimes were fake, my annoyance was real” or jerks are worse than villains. Bunny is the least liked character among fans despite kind of overall doing the least wrong.

Readers are more detached from the concept of murder so being a murderer can be a cerebral character trait in fiction. But there’s a better understanding and closeness to someone attacking your race/identity/gender/religion that makes you less tolerant of fictional characters who do that.

I know this is perhaps a flawed look at this because, in context, the book is really complex. We do also see Bunny committing petty theft, extorting his friends for money, hiding a murder, and basically driving people to stress-induced illness. We can empathize with the rest of the class over that. But there’s also that Richard’s narration might be too nice on Henry/Camilla/Charles/Francis and too hard on Bunny (Richard brings this up himself). Richard wants to make Bunny’s murder more justified and his friends seem less psycho.

It’s tricky, but I do find it interesting how much more Bunny’s dialogue bothers readers than Henry killing 2 people then a dog then attempting to kill another person. And I do think it’s got to do with how we can feel personally insulted and annoyed through a text better than we can connect with the implications of murder.

#I say this as someone with multi traits Bunny is bigoted towards #I still think he’s tragic and fascinating #even though I sometimes hate him #he’s a fun character #the secret history #donna tartt #tsh #bunny corcoran

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historia-vitae-magistras · 11 months

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The Danegeld Axe

Part Four: Assets

First Installment: Here. Last Installment: Here. Current Installment: You are here! Next Installment: Here.

Author's note: Inspired by the 1950s short story "The Man Who Came Early" by Poul Anderson. This installment of the Viking-time-travel au sees government employees being stupid, Matthew Williams being less stupid and Arthur Kirkland finally snapping.

21st Century Washington DC Diplomatic Security Service

"Does the name Kirkland mean anything to you?"

"Costco brand home goods?" He grinned and slid a cup of shitty coffee to his executive branch counterpart. “Yeah, some aquaintance of my primary asset.”

“He’s your asset’s father, as far as anyone can tell.”

“Is that how they’re related? Huh. Good to know. The name has come up here and there.”

“Didn’t they tell you?”

“They don’t tell me shit. Everyone knows this is a cushy post. Keep the genius on board and try to keep his tinkering budget below world-ending for a couple of years. Do that, get one of the prestige posts overseas. Boom, career made. Jones hasn’t done anything but cooperate since I got here. What else did I need to know?”

“Yeah, well, he’s a well-connected genius. The father is old world money. And I mean old. The kind of money that's been bulking up interest since the crusades.”

"Jesus. Why do you ask?"

"He got wind you were looking for his other kid before he went missing."

“Matthew Williams was old European money? You’re not serious. He did grass with homeless guys in Stanley Park and drove a 78 Chevy. Everyone knows Alfred has got the brains and business sense.”

"As best anyone can tell, Alfred was probably conceived in Kirkland's navy days.”

Corcoran snorted. “Half of Boston is a Fleet Week baby.”

“Not an English fleet week, baby. No one knows. Williams was probably from Halifax or Arctic Command, maybe. No one knows their mother, if she's even the same one. They don’t live like old money, but the Kirklands spend way too much time around Downing Street to be nobodies, though.“

"There are more than one?”

“Three brothers at least. Unconfirmed but suspected sister somewhere in the mix.”

"So?"

"So tread carefully is all I'm saying. You’ve just lost his other kid on the ISS. And he’s bound to find out eventually.”

“I did what?”

British Embassy Washington D.C.

“What did you find?” Arthur sprang to his feet as soon as Matthew passed through the door. He hadn’t even gotten the fucking key out of the door before his father sprung on him.

“Nothing. Not a fucking thing. His place is in its usual state when he’s up there.” Complete chaos. Matt pressed his fingers into his temple, and the executive office and the state department were completely normal. Everything is normal. Nothing looks wrong. No one said anything. Nothing on the computers, nothing in the records.”

"Is your access still that high?”

“Of course not,” Matt snorted. “As far as the US government knows, I’ve been dead for about a year. I just use Alfred’s third set of back-ups.”

“How on earth—”

“Last time I took a northwoods sabbatical.”

“You mean the last time you had a mental breakdown and spent three months in the woods eating possum liver?"

“I prefer racoons thank you, and…” Matthew rubbed the back of his neck, preparing for the backlash. “Well, that was the second to last time.”

“What?” His father’s face was instantly furious and even more worrying, his father was concerned. “Matthew!”

He wasn’t having it. Not today. “I’m fine. I’m not the one missing from this mortal fucking plane. Point is, as far as the US government is concerned, I don’t exist.”

His father’s brain was working, his worry between Matthew standing before him and his firstborn clearly in conflict. Not on his face, never on his face, but Matthew knew what the slight flex of one hand meant. Alfred won. He always won. “And there’s no chance of them noticing? All that you’ve been doing?”

“What do you think?” Matthew snapped as he collapsed in a chair, and as fast as his temper had flared, it was gone. He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled, feeling sick where there’d been a fire a moment ago. “Sorry.”

Arthur approached gently. “You didn’t sense anything?”

“Nothing.” He pressed his palms into his eyes. “Not a fucking thing. I woke up two nights ago feeling like this and it hasn’t changed.” The sick, cold feeling was back. It was like missing organs, or his skin, or half of himself. Maybe more than half of himself.

“You should sleep. You haven’t since I arrived.”

“I can’t sleep! I need answers.”

“We can’t get answers if you collapse on me. And we will get answers.” Matt hadn’t cried so far, but Arthur pushed his hair off his face and tapped him under the jaw in that affectionate ‘chin up, lad’ sort of way, and he couldn’t stop himself. His eyes itched, but he would not cry. Instead, he buried his face in his father’s shoulder, pressing his forehead hard enough to hurt. It was pathetic. He was grown. But he couldn't bring himself to care. Alfred was lost, and his entire body felt so wrong, with only his frosted fields and forests and none of the blast of noise and life that was his brother.

“You know what? Fuck this. I brought your good knife. Let's get answers.”

#the ask box || probis pateo #my writing || cacoethes scribendi #arthur || stone set in the silver sea #matthew || my country is winter #the dangeld axe to grind: the viking age time travel au

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projazznet · 4 months

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Kenny Garrett – Sounds from the Ancestors

“Sounds from the Ancestors is Kenny Garrett’s fifth album for Detroit’s Mack Avenue label. The connection is significant. The artist grew up in the Motor City and was mentored by some of its most iconic musicians, including the late trumpeter Marcus Belgrave. Garrett has often referenced the sounds of his hometown including Motown soul, gospel, and its ever-evolving jazz and blues scenes. But here for the first time, he meditates upon them simultaneously, examining their roots in the music of West Africa and its role in the musical development of France, Cuba, Guadeloupe, and of course, Nigeria. Garrett’s core band includes pianist Vernell Brown, Jr. bassist Corcoran Holt, drummer Ronald Bruner, Jr., and percussionist Rudy Bird. He also enlisted a guest cast that includes drummer Lenny White, pianist/organist Johnny Mercier, trumpeter Maurice Brown, conguero Pedrito Martinez, and batá percussionist Dreiser Durruthy, as well as a handful of singers. In addition to playing alto saxophone, Garrett plays electric piano.” – Thom Jurek/AllMusic.

#kennygarrett #altosax #afrocubanjazz #projazznet

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estherdedlock · 2 years

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Since writing that post about farmer McRee yesterday, all I’ve been thinking is that none of the Greek students are out of the woods...not even decades later. With such an audience for true crime, it would just take one intrepid podcaster to put them all at risk again. And it wouldn’t even be the first time a podcast has solved a crime.

Cutting for spoilers below:

I first thought of this when writing about Henry's suicide---why in the long run, it might turn out not to be the simple solution he thought it was. In fact, it could eventually open up a whole new line of inquiry.

Say you’re that intrepid podcaster, here in the year of our lord 2022. Researching subjects for your next series, you happen upon a 40-year-old unsolved murder in rural Vermont. The details are promising: Harry Ray McRee was beaten to death on his own property in the wee hours of a November night. His murder was unusually vicious, indicating that he was probably killed by someone who knew and hated him...and he was known to have a number of enemies, both in his business and the community. Most surprisingly, in a bucolic setting where violent crime was uncommon, his death essentially went uninvestigated. You’re thinking: small-town secrets, business deals gone wrong, old family rivalries, maybe even a potential New England version of Hatfield vs. McCoy.

But as you’re researching, this other thing pops up. Because the big news in that corner of Vermont in 198- wasn’t the murder of Harry McRee, it was the disappearance of a student at nearby Hampden College just a few months later. This “Bunny” Corcoran went missing for weeks before his body was found, triggering a massive manhunt that even involved the FBI. Bunny apparently died by tragic accident. There can’t possibly be any connection, although it is kind of weird to have two unusual deaths in such a quiet corner of the country.

Oddly enough, just a few weeks after the unfortunate Bunny’s body was found, there was even more trouble. Another Hampden student, Richard Papen, was shot during an argument at, of all places, a landmark inn near the Hampden campus. Even worse, the classmate who shot Richard then killed himself on site.

Just for curiosity you start pulling threads. The suicide was Henry Winter, son of a midwestern millionaire. Wait, where have you heard that name? Of course, it was in one of the many news articles about Bunny. Apparently, Henry was a close friend of his. They even went to Italy together, a few months before Bunny died. Could they have been lovers? Did grief drive Henry to suicide? You start looking into Henry Winter. What classes did he take? Who were his teachers? Where did he live? Who were his other friends?

You start looking people up online, making some calls. Harry McRee is still interesting, but there’s something here, too. You find out that a renowned teacher at the college abruptly left his job that spring, not long before Henry killed himself. Then you find out that both Henry and Bunny were taking a lot of classes with that teacher. So was Richard Papen. And yet another student, Francis Abernathy.

Now this is intriguing, because you’ve seen that name too. When you were researching McRee’s murder and you were studying maps and property records for Battenkill County, you saw the name “Abernathy” attached to some sort of estate just a few miles from where McRee’s body was found. You didn’t think anything of it at the time but now...isn’t it a weird coincidence? That there should be so many unusual deaths, occurring so close together, in such a small area, with all the same names cropping up over and over? McRee, Abernathy, Winter, Corcoran. Three of them dead. One by murder. One by accident. One by suicide. But Francis is still alive. And you’re suddenly very interested in talking to him.

You manage to get hold of Francis Abernathy’s email address. His name turns up on some philanthropic events here and there. He’s one of these old-school millionaires, aging in quiet opulence on Park Avenue. Must be close to sixty by now---older than your dad! You tell him who you are and that you’d like to know if he’d be open to talking about his memories of Hampden College. About Henry Winter. And Bunny Corcoran. And his house in the country.

He never responds to your email. Now you’re really interested. If Francis won’t talk to you, maybe Richard Papen will. Or the one girl who was there in that inn, what was her name? McCarthy, Macallan...Macaulay, that was it. Camilla Macaulay.

That’s really all it would take, you know. One intrepid podcaster.

#the secret history #donna tartt #francis abernathy #henry winter #bunny corcoran #richard papen #camilla macaulay #dark academia

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zvaigzdelasas · 2 years

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Radio of Free Asia, sometimes called Radio Free Asia, was an anti-Communist radio station created by the Korean Cultural and Freedom Foundation which broadcast from Seoul into North Korea, China, and Vietnam.[1][2][3] In a congressional hearing, General Coulter, then President of the Korean Cultural and Freedom Foundation, declared Radio of Free Asia the principal project of the foundation.[4] It operated from 1966 to early 1970s.

The Korean Cultural and Freedom Foundation (KFF) was first organized in Washington, D.C. in 1964 with the goal of "containing communism" in Asia.[1] The Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) put pressure on the KFF to support a project to broadcast anti-communist propaganda into nearby Asian communist states. The intention was to raise money for the project from the US. [5]

Radio of Free Asia (ROFA), as the radio station became known, began broadcasting from Seoul on 15 August 1966.[1][5] The first broadcast featured a taped message from Soong Mei-ling [wife of Chiang Kai-Shek].[3]

ROFA formally had an American chief but it's two directors of operations were KCIA operatives who worked under Kim Jong-Pil. The station was given free access to South Korean government facilities with broadcasts monitored by the KCIA's psychological warfare unit.[5] The US Justice Department later suggested the station was “acting under the direction of and control of the Korean Government”.[6]

Although mainly funded through private donations, it had the financial support of several elected officials before and after broadcasts began, including Senator Bob Dole and Presidents Truman and Eisenhower.[7] South Korean President Park Chung-Hee sent letters to 60,000 prominent Americans asking for contributions to the project.[6] Millions of dollars were raised for Radio of Free Asia through direct mail requests to American citizens, soliciting funds both by claiming they would finance the broadcasts and that they would aid starving children in Asia.[7]

In 1971, US government agencies, including the Justice Department, began investigating the station for alleged violation of the Foreign Agent Registration Act.[8][6] The broadcaster's status as a foreign private foundation was called into question due to the free air time provided by the South Korean government on its national network. Bo Hi Pak secured the services of former CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence Robert Amory Jr. for legal assistance to defend against these charges. At the time Amory was employed by the Thomas Corcoran law firm and was a legal counsellor to the CIA. The investigation was terminated in 1972 and soon after the station stopped broadcasting from Seoul.[6][8]

A newly disclosed Justice Department investigatior into organizations and persons connecter with the controversial Rev, Shn Myung Moon has raised the possibility that American citizens are illegally working on behalf of the South Korean Government.[...]

The Federal officials familiar with the inquiry were careful to assert that Mr. Moon himself and his Unification Church were not being investigated, because Constitutional questions of freedom of religion might be raised. Instead, the inquiry is focusing on organizations associated with the church.[...]

The Federal sources indicated that among the organizations under scrutiny were the Korean Cultural and Freedom Foundation, the Freedom Leadership Foundation, headed by Neil A. Salonen, the International Federation for Victory Over Communism, and the Little Angels of Korea, a children's singing group that tours overseas.[...]

This investigation is one element in broad inquiry that includes allegations that Park Tong Sun, a Korean businessman, and others bribed Congressmen and tried illegally to influence American policy. it also includes an investigation of whether officers of the K.C.1.A. coerced and violated the civil rights of Koreans living in America and Korean‐American citizens.

The South Korean Government, according to both Korean and American officials, has long been eager to improve the image of President Park Chung Hee and his administration. South Korea's economic development, and therefore some of its political stability, depends heavily on trade and financial help from the United States.[...]

Among the earliest missions with that objective was that of the Korean Cultural and Freedom Foundation, founded in 1964. Its head, Pak Bo Hi, joined it in early 1965, shortly after he resigned from the South Korean Arm”.[...]

Korean intelligence sources said that Mr. Pak is the K.C.1.A.'s channel to Mr. Moon, A Korean with access to K.C.I.A. reports said that “Pak Bo Hi is a very important man because he made Sun Myung Moon famous. It's all his idea.”

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artphotocollector · 1 year

Photo

“New York - I'm connected. This is my core. I feel like if I'm not connected to New York, then I don't even know what to do with myself.”--Jay-Z

This is the 100th year of the Museum of the City of New York. Tucked away in East Harlem next to El Museo del Barrio, the museum has always housed an impressive collection of photography. For New Yorkers, especially, the museum has held a treasure-trove of our history and culture. Not always given the wider attention it deserves, the MCNY has always been a powerhouse.

Marking its inaugural photography triennial, “New York Now: Home,” the curatorial team solicited images from over a 1000 artists, and found its way down to 33 individuals whom they chose to represent “home” in all of its fluid manifestations. Some of the artists are established and known, while others are emerging. The curators Sean Corcoran and Thea Quiray Tagle have presented us with an array of representation, as diverse and innovative as the city itself.

Featuring the work of established artists such as Anders Jones, Linda Troeller, Maureen Drennan and Jamel Shabazz , New York: Home also shows younger artists like Cheryl Mukherji and Diana Guerra both of whom were new discoveries. The exhibition takes us on a wide-ranging experience through New York. We see it afresh through new eyes. While “home” has infinite meanings that transcend language and location, the representations we see in this inaugural triennial of our great city are as diverse and wonderful as the people who live here. In New York: Home we feel connected. --Lane Nevares

#photography #Museum of the City of New York #exhibitions #new york #linda troeller #jamel shabazz #nyc #east harlem #newyorknow

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thecorcoranconnection · 9 months

Video

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Home For Sale In Harmony Florida At 7102 Indiangrass Road Harmony FL 34773 | 407-922-3308

#The Corcoran Connection

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tsenvs3000w24 · 3 months

Text

4: Art and Nature

I think that art has been inspired by nature for such a long time, and it's no wonder why. Nature is beautiful, in so many different ways, that it's easy to draw inspiration from the world around you. Now me personally, I'm not really an artist, but I love looking at art, and I love nature, so art inspired by nature always make me feel good. So many artists are so talented at not just drawing landscapes, but showing their appreciation for nature through their art. I find that my favourite artists are able to connect with the intricacy of nature, such as ecosystem balances, and the connections within nature. My favourite paintings make me feel something, which I think is the key to successful interpretation through art.

Some of my favourite nature paintings: Top: Ivan Aivazovksi's The Ninth Wave (personal favourite, I have a print of it!). Bottom left: Claude Monets' Cliff at Varengreville. Bottom right: Albert Bierstadts' Mount Corcoran.

The most important part of art and nature is the translation of sentiment from artist to audience (Beck et al., 2018). As I said above, I find that my favourite pieces make me feel anything. The ones I added to this post make me feel small, in a good way. Nature is everywhere, and it's boundless, so I appreciate each of these paintings for the way that they can capture that feeling, at least to me.

My kind of nature interpretation through art would probably be the art of flower pressing. My dad and I used to do it when I was young, and I remember pressing the first flowers that would bloom in our backyard in the springtime. I find pressing flowers creates a memory, and as someone who loves preserving things and being able to remember them later, pressing flowers was the way to do that. I also like that I was able to do it with my dad, and that he taught me the way to do it, so I can do it with someone else in the future.

In conclusion, the relationship between art and nature is quite the dramatic interplay, shaped the most by the interpretations of both the artists and the viewers.

References:

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. SAGAMORE Publishing.

#envs3000

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nghi-ve-my-thuat · 3 months

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Rubell Museum - DC - Jan 13 2024

A trip to the Rubell Museum was something to look forward to despite my new Doc Martens slicing up my ankles during my 10-minute walk from the Waterfront Metro station. Opened on Oct 29th, 2022, the DC location at 65 I St. SW brought Mera and Don Rubell's collection of post-1980 art from Miami to the DC's Southwest neighborhood. This would be my second time visiting with my first experience viewing the inaugural exhibition What's Going On?. The collection showcased many artists I was not familiar with. It was a treat discovering new and exciting art. For me, artists that I wanted to learn more about from my last visit were Chase Hall, Hernan Bas and Christina Quarles.

Christina Quarles

Detail: Fell to Earth (Felt to Pieces), 2018

Acrylic on Canvas

Taking advantage of the gorgeous and expansive space past the entrance, the museum mounted works by Alexandre Diop - a Franco-Senegalese artist who, according to the website, "uses discarded objects to create work that raises questions pertaining to sociopolitical, cultural and gender issues. Drawing inspiration from his European and African roots, he explores the legacies of colonialism and diaspora while tackling universal themes of ancestry, suffering, and historical violence". The open space with its large cathedral-esque windows floods the space with natural light, showcasing all the wonderful varied textures and highlighting all the materials that Diop uses in his work.

Once you exit this room, you will enter a three-level building that was once part of Randall Junior High School, a historically Black public school that ceased operations in 1978. The Rubells purchased this historic site from the Corcoran College of Art and Design in 2010 for $6.5 million. The building was the site for the inaugural What's Going On? when the museum opened in 2022.

Although quite disorienting to navigate at first, each level essentially follows a radial floor plan. There will be an exhibit in the middle of the level when you first come, and then out in all directions are hallways that will lead to individual rooms with their own exhibits relating to the overall current exhibition - Singular Views: 25 Artists.

One of the biggest flaws in the architecture of the building or more importantly, how the architecture is utilized, is the decision to install art in the narrow hallways. These hallways doubtfully will pass the modern fire and safety code. Large enough to fit one individual through, there would often be two-dimensional works hanging on both sides of the wall. The proximity between the visitors and the works would make any conservator nervous. There is a serious bottleneck where a visitor must wait for another to pass through before entering these spaces. Needless to say, when there is a person waiting, one cannot help but exit in a hurried manner. This takes away any chance for close looking or truly connecting and appreciating the work.

Overall, the exhibition was something you would come to expect of the Rubell Museum (so far that I have seen in DC): colorful, vibrant, electric and featuring young artists, some in their early or mid careers. The standouts this time for me were Amoako Boafo, Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe and Rozeal, whom I will be covering in separate posts so they each have their own spotlights.

#art #museum #modern art #contemporary art #rubell museum #dc museums

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 1 year

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Did former President Donald J. Trump consume detailed information about foreign countries while in office? How extensively did he seek information about whether voting machines had been tampered with? Did he indicate he knew he was leaving when his term ended?

Those are among the questions that Justice Department investigators have been directing at witnesses as the special counsel, Jack Smith, takes control of the federal investigations into Mr. Trump’s efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss and his handling of classified documents found in his possession after he left office.

Through witness interviews, subpoenas and other steps, Mr. Smith has been moving aggressively since being named to take over the inquiries nearly three months ago, seeking to make good on his goal of resolving as quickly as possible whether Mr. Trump, still a leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, should face charges.

Last week, he issued a subpoena to former Vice President Mike Pence, a potentially vital witness to Mr. Trump’s actions and state of mind in the days before the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.

His prosecutors have brought a member of Mr. Trump’s legal team, M. Evan Corcoran, before a federal grand jury investigating why Mr. Trump did not return classified information kept at his Mar-a-Lago residence and private club in Florida. Justice Department officials have interviewed at least one other Trump lawyer in connection with the documents case.

Since returning to Washington from The Hague, where he had been a war crimes prosecutor, Mr. Smith has set up shop across town from the Justice Department’s headquarters, and has built out a team. His operation’s structure seems to closely resemble the organization he oversaw when he ran the Justice Department’s public integrity unit from 2010 to 2015.

Three of his first hires — J.P. Cooney, Raymond Hulser and David Harbach — were trusted colleagues during Mr. Smith’s earlier stints in the department. Thomas P. Windom, a former federal prosecutor in Maryland who had been tapped in late 2021 by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s aides to oversee major elements of the Jan. 6 inquiry, remains part of the leadership team, according to several people familiar with the situation.

In addition to the documents and Jan. 6 investigations, Mr. Smith appears to be pursuing an offshoot of the Jan. 6 case, examining Save America, a pro-Trump political action committee, through which Mr. Trump raised millions of dollars with his false claims of election fraud. That investigation includes looking into how and why the committee’s vendors were paid.

Interviews with current and former officials, lawyers and other people who have insight into Mr. Smith’s actions and thinking provide an early portrait of how he is managing investigations that are as sprawling as they are politically explosive, with much at stake for Mr. Trump and the Justice Department.

Current and former officials say Mr. Smith appears to see the various strands of his investigations as being of a single piece, with interconnected elements, players and themes — even if they produce divergent outcomes.

Mr. Smith has kept a low profile, making no public appearances and sticking to a long pattern of empowering subordinates rather than interposing himself directly in investigations. It is a chain-of-command style honed during stints as a war crimes prosecutor in The Hague, a federal prosecutor in Tennessee and, most of all, during his tenure running the Justice Department’s public integrity unit, which investigates elected officials.

A spokesman for Mr. Smith had no comment.

But various developments that have surfaced publicly in recent days show his team taking steps on multiple fronts, illustrating how he is wrestling with multiple and sometimes conflicting imperatives of conducting an exhaustive investigation on a strictly circumscribed timetable.

The intensified pace of activity speaks to his goal of finishing up before the 2024 campaign gets going in earnest, probably by summer. At the same time, the sheer scale and complexity and the topics he is focused on — and the potential for the legal process to drag on, for example in a likely battle over whether any testimony by Mr. Pence would be subject to executive privilege — suggest that coming to firm conclusions within a matter of months could be a stretch.

“The impulse to thoroughly investigate Trump’s possibly illegal actions and the impulse to complete the investigation as soon as possible, because of presidential election season, are at war with one another,” said Jack Goldsmith, a former assistant attorney general and current Harvard Law professor. “One impulse will likely have to yield to the other.”

In looking into Mr. Trump’s efforts to hold onto power after his election loss and how they led to the Jan. 6 riot, Mr. Smith is overseeing a number of investigative strands. The subpoena to Mr. Pence indicates that he is seeking testimony that would go straight to the question of Mr. Trump’s role in trying to prevent certification of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory in the election and the steps Mr. Trump took in drawing a crowd of supporters to Washington and inciting them.

His team is sifting through mountains of testimony provided by the House Jan. 6 committee, including focusing on the so-called fake electors scheme in which some of Mr. Trump’s advisers and some campaign officials assembled alternate slates of Trump electors from contested states that he had lost.

More recently his team has been asking witnesses about research the Trump campaign commissioned by an outside vendor shortly after the election that was intended to come up with evidence of election fraud. The existence of that research was reported earlier by The Washington Post.

The apparently related investigation into the activities of Mr. Trump’s main fund-raising arm, the Save America PAC in Florida, was emerging even before Mr. Smith arrived in Washington around Christmas from The Hague.

A vast array of Trump vendors have been subpoenaed. Investigators have been posing questions related to how money was paid to other vendors, indicating that they are interested in whether some entities were used to mask who was being paid or if the payments were for genuine services rendered.

In the investigation into Mr. Trump’s handling of classified information, and whether he obstructed justice when the government sought the return of material he had taken from the White House, investigators are casting a wide net. They appear to be seeking to recreate not only what took place once Mr. Trump had departed the White House with hundreds of sensitive documents, but also how he approached classified material and presidential records long before that, according to multiple people briefed on the matter.

Mr. Smith’s team is seeking interviews with a number of people who worked in the Trump White House and who had familiarity with either how he consumed classified information, or how he dealt with paper that he routinely carted with him in cardboard boxes, during much of the span of his presidency.

Such interviews could help Mr. Smith establish patterns of behavior by Mr. Trump over time, such as how he handled secret information he was provided about foreign countries and how he treated presidential documents generally.

Mr. Trump was known to rip up pieces of paper, and to bring documents up to the White House residence. Notes taken by aides in 2018 show that Mr. Trump’s advisers appeared to be contending with tracking documents he had brought with him to his club in Bedminster, N.J., where he stayed over weekends during the warmer months of the year.

In some cases, Mr. Trump tore up documents and threw them in toilets in the White House. Aides would periodically retrieve what was not flushed down and let it dry, then tape it back together and pass the documents on to the staff secretary, whose office managed presidential paper flow, according to two people familiar with what took place.

In the documents investigation, Mr. Smith has the challenge of interviewing several unreliable narrators who may have an interest in protecting Mr. Trump.

Several of Mr. Trump’s advisers have been interviewed by the Justice Department. Some have gone before the grand jury, including Mr. Corcoran, who has represented Mr. Trump in the case related to his handling of classified material for many months and had a central role in dealing with the government’s efforts to retrieve the documents, according to two people briefed on his appearance.

Another aide to Mr. Trump, Christina Bobb, served as the custodian of the records the Justice Department was interested in. She signed an attestation in June claiming that a “diligent search” had been conducted of Mar-a-Lago in response to a grand jury subpoena. She asserted that the remaining documents turned over in June were all that remained.

Ms. Bobb has appeared twice before the Justice Department and has told people that Mr. Corcoran drafted the statement she signed; The Wall Street Journal reported that one visit was before the grand jury. She has also said she was connected with Mr. Corcoran by Boris Epshteyn, another Trump lawyer and adviser who brought Mr. Corcoran into Mr. Trump’s circle and, empowered by Mr. Trump, for months played a lead role coordinating lawyers in some of the investigations.

The Justice Department contacted another of Mr. Trump’s lawyers, Alina Habba, late last year about an appearance. Ms. Habba does not represent Mr. Trump in the documents case, but she spoke about it on television. She also signed an affidavit in another case saying she had searched Mr. Trump’s office and residence in May, meaning investigators may be interested in whether she saw government documents there.

The Justice Department is also seeking to question a former Trump lawyer, Alex Cannon, who people briefed on the matter said repeatedly urged Mr. Trump to turn over the boxes of material that the National Archives was seeking.

Mr. Trump’s disclosure of newly located documents has been ongoing. Lawyers for the former president notified prosecutors recently about a potential witness they might want to speak with: a relatively junior former staff member to Mr. Trump who had uploaded classified material onto a laptop and discovered it only after the fact, according to a different person familiar with the incident.

The discovery occurred when the staff member was placing a large trove of Mr. Trump’s daily White House schedules on the computer and realized that a small amount of classified material had been included in the schedules, the person said.

In an interview with CNN on Sunday, one of Mr. Trump’s lawyers, Tim Parlatore, said the Justice Department had issued a subpoena for a manila folder marked “Classified Evening Summary” after Mr. Trump’s aides provided the department with reports on materials they had found after their own searches. He said it was not actually a classified marking, contained nothing and was being used by Mr. Trump to dim a blue light on his bedside phone at Mar-a-Lago that “keeps him up at night.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Chuck Rosenberg, a former federal prosecutor and former F.B.I. official, said of the cascade of Trump aides and lawyers becoming drawn into investigations. “It’s just a whirling dust cloud, and everyone who gets near it gets covered in grime.”

While Mr. Smith did not ask Mr. Garland’s permission to subpoena Mr. Pence, one of the most extraordinary developments of his short time as special counsel, he almost certainly consulted him about it: Under the regulations, special counsels are expected to report major developments to the attorney general.

But many legal observers see the current situation — with two likely 2024 presidential rivals, Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden, facing separate special counsel investigations — as evidence that the special counsel mechanism is being used far beyond its intended, limited purpose.

“The special counsel regulations were an effort to give the attorney general some independence in a conflict-of-interest situation,” Mr. Goldsmith added, “but it was never intended to carry the burdens that are being imposed on it now. It is a problem, these political investigations, that our constitutional system is not equipped to handle.”

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catscratching · 1 year

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[In an effort to kick some mental health bluhs and get back into the swing of things, I started mashing the button on @nuclearstorms' OC Questions generator – I’ll be doing more prompts and random snippets as I’m able. ]

Q: How does your OC handle rejection?

A: Seda handles professional rejection with grace and aplomb – she knows her value and her worth, and if someone cannot see that, well. That’s their problem, not hers. Personal rejection, on the other hand…

Seda crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, watching the tall, handsome Highlander pull on a loose white shirt and pick through the loose tangle of rings, necklets and other finery piled on the top of the cabinet where he kept his clothing.

Her chest was tight, as though all of the oxygen had been pulled out of the room, and a heavy, sick ball had settled into her stomach. “I thought you were staying with me, tonight.”

She hated the way her voice cracked at the end of the sentence. She sounded like a mewling child, not a woman grown of twenty. Lifting her chin, she strove for indifference, even though her eyes had begun to burn with the emotions roiling within.

“What?” Rucio looked up, distracted as he selected an earring from the mess and began to put it on with ease. One she had given him for his name-day. Bastard. “Nah, you know I need to spend more time with Celia.” Oblivious to her thoughts, his lips turned upward in a wolfish smile. “That’s a fierce woman.”

Celia was the latest; his excuse had been that she had connections that he needed to cultivate for the growing business. The business Seda had spent the last three turns helping him build.

“Of course,” She said, her fingers digging into her upper arms. Fierce. Fierce. He wanted fierce.

“Oh, and I need you to have the ledgers ready for the first bell,” He gave himself a cursory glance in the looking glass, and seemingly satisfied, wrapped a bright crimson sash around his waist. He moved to the door, pausing to chuck her under the chin with a careless gesture.

“Have a good night, Pet. Maybe move some of your things back to the Monoceros, eh? It would be better if I saw you there, from here on out.”

And then he was gone – and Seda was alone. She entertained thoughts of revenge – burning all his belongings held a certain appeal, as did cutting little holes in all his favourite shirts. But she did none of these things. When the young miqo’te ignored the advice of her more experienced friends and allowed herself to become entangled with an ambitious, up-and-coming smuggler, she had had no idea just how deep and dangerous the waters would be. If it were known that she no longer had Corcoran’s protection…

The days that followed were a bit of a blur. She made it to the packet boat and got on board before the tears began to fall, humiliation and anger on their heels. The ledgers were presented as requested, and she vacillated between crushing disappointment and relief that Rucio did not seek her out.

•───────────────────⋅☾ ☽⋅────────────────────•

Some can see that their partner is unwilling or unable to put the emotional investment and time into a relationship that they need and walk away. Seda… was not one of these. Rucio eventually came back, and she let hope bloom once more, only to have her heart break when he left again. This cycle continued for another six years before she walked away from him – and he’s never forgiven her for it.

Things may have been different, if she’d grown up with her mother’s people – or somewhere other than the Shroud. The other Keepers living in the area regarded Silana with suspicion; she appeared out of nowhere, pregnant and aloof. All overtures were rejected. It was not a good time for elezen/miqo’te relations, and once it became clear that Silana’s child was mixed blood, the frostiness increased. The local matriarchs wondered if Silana thought herself too good to contribute to the tribes, and the Wailers were convinced she was responsible for every incident of ‘angry spirits’ in the region. (That she ‘sullied’ a former Wailer and convinced them to live with her only reinforced this for both sides. No one cared that Bocquet loved her – and Seda – for their own sakes.)

Incidents during her childhood and young adulthood made strong impressions – and it was a pivotal encounter with some young Wildwood Wailers in training that made Seda leave abruptly after Silana’s death.

After Rucio, she steadfastly refused to get emotionally entangled with anyone. Any time a casual bed-partner indicated interest in exclusivity or a deeper connection, she found reasons to end the relationship – and in one case, completely ceased all contact.

She resisted falling in love with Fakhri as hard as she could – he was special, he was a friend she couldn’t bear to lose. Caught up in the moment, she kissed him; a brush of lips to seal an agreement – and nearly dropped everything to run away when the ghosts of that past rejection roused. Thankfully, Fakhri is an incredibly patient man, and gave her the space she needed to come to grips with her feelings – and decide what she wanted to do about them. (Although I think it would have been devastating to both of them if she had chosen to walk away.)

Will she react poorly to rejection in the future? Unlikely, unless Fakhri experiences some massive personality changes. Time cures many wounds, and having a relationship of equals cured many more. She’s much more comfortable in her own skin, and even more secure in the knowledge that if she needs to talk about or work through something, he’ll have her back while she figures it out. And if she's asking for something he doesn't want to give - whether it's a 'not right now' or a 'not ever', she's got a much more steady foundation to stand on while she manages the emotional fallout.

@gray-morality

#Seda Ballard #Fakhri Man'tik #Q&A #character development #(I still want to think of an easily taggable name for them; everything I've thought of fits colouring but not personalities)#For now I will just use 'lovebirds' I guess :)

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talia-rumlow · 2 years

Text

Forbidden Fruit (Jonathan Pine X Reader) Chapter Two - No way Out!

Since I was totally exhausted this Friday. I actually spent the whole weekend sleeping. I really needed that. I´m still tired, but I managed to actually get out of bed this morning. Anyway. I hope you enjoy Chapter Two of "Forbidden Fruit"

When you can’t see Samira and Jonathan any longer, you clenche your suitcase, and try your best not to cry. Just get to the airport fast. Just get me home. You think, forcing your tears back. Stay strong, YN. Samira would have wanted that. She always told you how strong you were. Overcoming everything life had thrown at you. Your parents death, the loneliness, the anger and the guilt you felt. Samira always got you back up again. Always. She’ll do that this time too, YN. Relax, she’ll be home in a couple of days. And then all of this will be over.

You try to relax, and lean back against the seat. Look out the window. A sign saying airport, and what exit to take. Finally. Soon, you’ll be on an airplane, safe, on your way back to the States.

– Do you know when my plane will take off?

You ask the driver. But he doesn’t answer. Doesn’t even move. If he knows Samira he should be able to talk to you, shouldn’t he? Or is it some kind of code, that prohibits them from talking to the people they drive? You’ve never learned how to act like a wealthy person. Although the last ten years or so, you have been. Living of off Hamids money, providing for both Samira and yourself. Guess that’s over now. Probably for the best. You don’t want to be provided by dirty money anyway. And based on those papers you read. Hamids money was most definitely dirty. Infact the dirtiest. You feel nauseous only by thinking about how many people who’s been suffering for you to have that life. How much blood is actually on your hands? How many lifes could have been spared if you knew?

The car gets off the highway and you can see the airport. But instead of dropping you off at the parking lot, the car drives on to the tarmac, and stops by a small plane. You look at it. Looks nice. But how did Samira manage this? Hamid is her only connection. At least you think so. She would have told you if she knew someone else, wouldn’t she?

The driver opens your door.

– Step out Miss!

You feel nervous. But what else can you do, but step out of the car? Dragging your suitcase with you. Again you look at the plane. How did Samira manage this?

– Miss YLN I presume?

A deep, almost scary voice from behind you. You slowly turn around. A slightly older man stands before you. Taller than you, even though you have your heels on. He has sunken eyes that stare into your soul, brownish grey hair, and he’s a bit rough around the edges. You swallow. Who is this guy? He looks at you, almost angry. His lips firm and his facial expression almost dead. He extends his hand to you. You take it. If this is the guy Samira trusted to get you out of the country, then he’s probably safe to be around. Although you don’t care one bit for his appearance.

– Richard Roper!

You stop breathing for a second. Richard Roper? The worst man in the world? This is the man Samira trusted to get you home safe?

– I know what you’re thinking, YN! Samira had nothing to do with this!

You try to drag your hand back. But he holds it tight. Suddenly he drags you into him. The jolt hurts, and you’re scared out of your mind. You can’t even move. Smelling his aftershave mixed with what you think is some kind of sigar, makes you nauseous.

– Your sister didn’t know how to keep her nose out of my business. But you won’t be that stupid. Am I right?

You don’t manage to talk. Are you being kidnapped? And what for? What could he possibly need you for? Leverage? To get Samira to stop what she’s doing?

– Get our new associate settled in, will you Corcoran?

Hands on your suitcase, before Richard drags you with him over to the car. Opens the trunk.

– This is what happens to your sister if you don’t do exactly as I tell you!

Before you know it your head is pushed down in the trunk. A guy lies there. And you can only assume he was the one supposed to drive you. Looks like he was beaten to death. If it’s possible to be more nauseous without throwing up, you are. Richard gets you up again. Signals for the person who drove you to close the trunk.

– On the other hand. If you do as I tell you to. I can provide you a very luxurious lifestyle.

Richard turns to the driver again.

– Dump him somewhere, will ya!

You really don’t want to get on the plane. But you’re so scared you can’t move. So when Richard gestures for you to walk up the stairs, you do. If you try to run. He’ll probably kill you right there.

You sit down on the seat Richard tells you to sit in. And he hands you a glass of champagne. Your hands shaking, but you manage to take it. Richard raises his glass.

– Cheers, Miss YLN, I think this will be a fruitful partnership. Don’t you?

You don’t answer. You don’t drink either. You want to scream to him. Throw your champagne in his face. But instead you do nothing.

When the plane takes off, a tear escapes your eye. There’s no way out now. Now way back. Unless you try to bring the plane down. And you probably wouldn’t have much luck with that. You can see 6 guards just from where you’re sitting. Everyone is packing pretty heavily. And if only half of what you’ve learned about Richard Roper over the past 24 hours is true. Your guess is that he has at least one sleeper on board as well.

– Miss YLN!

You turn towards Richard. He holds up a phone to you. Again you just look at him.

– Call her! Tell her where you are!

You don’t move. How can you possible call Samira? You’re so scared, you can’t even talk. Richard takes up a gun and points it defiantly at your head.

– CALL HER!

With shaking hands you take the phone he gives you. Punch in Samiras number, and lift the phone to your ear.

– I’ll have the papers for you right away Mr. Roper. I can deliver them to the usual place!

Samiras voice, and she thinks it’s Richard calling.

– Samsam?

You say carefully. Silence on the other end.

– Y….. YN? What are you doing with Richard’s phone?

– He… He got me Samsam..

You start to cry. Hearing Samiras voice, how scared she is. That pushes you over the edge.

– But I’ll be allright. We’ll be allright. I promise.

– Put him on!

Samiras voice hard and determined. You present the phone to Richard.

– She want’s you!

Richard puts the phone on speaker, and places it on the table between you.

– What was it that you wanted, pumpkin!

– You let her go, you hear me! I’ll do what you asked me to do. Just let her go!

Richard slams his fist down on the table, even Corcoran sitting on the other side of the aisle jumps.

– NO, You won’t Samira. You already fucked up once. Now I’ll see if your sister can finish the deal. And if she doesn’t, you’re both dead.

– You won’t hurt her!

– Are you absolutely sure about that?

He leans his face all the way down to the phone.

– Samsam!

– Let her go, or ….

– Or what, Sophie… That is your real name right? I’m untouchable.

– We’re going to Majorca!

You scream out. Before Richard hangs up the phone, and once again points his gun at you. Presses it into your forehead.

– Don’t ever test my patience again!

He holds his gun there for a while, kinda like he’s letting you know that he can pull the trigger and end your life at any moment. Then he sits down again, like nothing happened.

– Drink your champagne, YN! Celebrate with me. You are going to make me a lot of money!

———————————–

For three days, you say nothing. The Majorca residence is beautiful. Like an old castle, with a big yard, a swimming pool, and beautiful clear blue ocean outside, as far as the eye can see. You don’t find it beautiful. It feels like a prison. You’re free to go wherever you want inside the house and in the yard. But you know you can’t leave. Even if you wanted to. There are guards everywhere. Probably mostly to keep people out. But also for keeping people like you in. And you wonder where Samira is. Is she looking for you? Will you ever get out of here?

On the forth day, Richard takes you with him into Town. He’s not telling you anything, just that he has some business to take care of. And that you need to tag along.

For the whole one hour drive, you say nothing. You want him to know how much you hate him despise him. If you had the chance, you’d kill him.

The car comes to a stop outside an office building. Richard looks at you, then he gives you a contract of some kind. Grabs your wrist as you take the papers.

– You’re gonna get Raymond Stephens to sign this contract. Signing off 70% of Crimson Limited to me. Whatever it takes.

He puts his hand on your thigh.

– You have the power of persuasion YN, every female does. Whatever it takes.

– You’re despicable!

You spit the words in his face. He answers your move with yanking you close to him, grabbing your neck.

– If you come out of that building without that signature. Your precious Samsam is dead!

You don’t answer. But you look at him with a face that screams hatred. Then you exit the car.

You take a deep breath when you enter the building. You check the list to find out what floor that house the offices for Crimson Limited. You find the right floor, and press the button for the elevator. It feels like it takes forever to arrive. You have to make this. You have to. Whatever it takes. What does that even mean? You’re supposed to threaten him?

Thankfully you’re alone in the elevator. Ok, plan, YN. You need a plan. Ask someone for help. Anything. You search your pockets. A receipt. Perfect, you can use that. You take the pen attached to the contract Roper gave you. And quickly write something on the back of the receipt.

When the elevator stops. You quickly find Raymond Stephens’ office. Knock on the door. A lady opens.

– Do you have an appointment Miss?

– Ehh.. Yes. I’m here on behalf of Richard Roper. I have a contract for Raymond to sign.

The lady doesn’t say anything. She just shuts the door. You stand there, don’t understand a thing. They don’t even want to talk to you? You’re about to knock once more, when the door opens again.

– Mr Stephens will see you now Miss?

– Ehh YLN!

You follow the lady through two more doors.

– So how long have you known Mr. Roper?

– I’ve worked for him for 4 years now.

Man, did you just say that without hesitation? Can you really deliver a lie that easy? You didn’t even think.

– I’ve heard some great things about him. Sadly I’ve never met him. But he’s a big contributor to Mr. Stephens projects.

Her voice is calm and sweet. Maybe she can help you. She continues to talk about how amazing she thinks Roper is, all the way into Mr. Stephens office.

– Oh, Liza stop rambling about. And get our lovely guest something to drink.

Then he turns around. He looks like a business man. Dark hair, pale skin Tailored suit, a little extra over the hips and belly, surely from sitting at a desk all day.

– Miss. How lovely to make your acquaintance.

He is beeing really nice. Almost overly so. Is he scared of Roper? If he’s not, he definitely should be.

– I.. I have a contract from Mr. Roper. And I need for you to sign it.

– Please Miss. Sit down, have a cup of coffee.

– I’m sorry Mr. Stephens, but I am kinda on a tight schedule. I’d love for us to get this business over with.

He nervously rubs his hands together, before walking over to you.

– Do you know what kind of a man, Roper really is? He is the worst man in the world. Killing or bankrupting everything and everyone that gets in his way!

Do you know? Yes, you do. You know better than anyone how he really is. But you have no choice. You HAVE to get him to sign this contract. Put on a mask, YN. Pretend to be Roper. Pretend you’re talking to Roper. Whatever it takes, to get him to sign this contract.

– Listen Raymond.

Your voice surprisingly calm. You put the contract down on his desk.

– If you sign this contract, Mr. Roper can make your life very pleasant and comfortable. But if you don’t….

He sits down by his desk, swallowing. You can see in his eyes that he’s scared. Scared of you? Does he think you’re as bad as Roper?

– If you don’t Mr. Stephens. Mr. Roper will make sure that the word suffering takes on a whole new meaning for you!

You should know. You’re there already. He almost doesn’t even look at you. He just grabs the contract, and signs it where you tell him to. When he’s done, you take the contract and leave.

On your way out of the office, you bump into the sweet secretary lady again. You walk into her on purpose, and quickly put the receipt in her pocket. She says something to you, but you just continue out of the office.

—————————————–

Richard was happy with your work. Over dinner the only thing he talked about was your accomplishment. But you feel dirty. Like a bad person. A heartless person. You just threatened a guy. What have become of you?

When it’s time for bed, Corkoran knocks on your door.

– Mr. Roper want’s a word!

You don’t answer him. You just follow. He follows you into Richards bedroom. Is he going to rape you now? Inside the bedroom Corcoran takes a hold of you, and Richard walks up to you.

– I think I’ll be having you on a tighter leash, young lady!

You don’t understand. You did what he asked.

– Remember what I told you would happen if you didn’t get him to sign?

You nod. Images of Samira rushing through your head. Did he hurt her? Richard takes up his phone. Finds something on it, and then presents it to you. It’s a picture. A picture of Samira, lying on the floor. Dead. A caption saying «Job’s done!»

– NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

You scream. Desperately trying to get out of Corkorans grip.

– YOU’RE INSANE! I HATE YOU. I’LL NEVER DO ANYTHING FOR YOU EVER AGAIN! I HATE YOU!

Richard is unaffected by your screams and your words.

– Oh you will, YN. If not I’ll continue down my list of people you care about.

You falter. Falling together like a sack of potatoes inside Corkorans grip.

– I have no one left… You took everything I had.

– I wouldn’t be so sure, YN. How about…

He starts to read names for you. He’s naming all of your friends, even some of your old teachers. How does he know this? Some of these names goes back 20 years. People you knew when you were a kid.

– Why are you doing this?

Richard comes up to you, and Corcoran let’s you go. You can’t fight back now anyway. Your body frozen in place.

– I can’t stand to be doubel-Crossed, YN! No one fools me! Now clean up, and go to bed. I’ll be back here in 20 minutes, and then I want you in bed!

What? Will you be sleeping in his bed now? Is that what he ment by tighter leash. The thought of sleeping with him makes you nauseous again.

Before he leaves, he drops something in front of you. A receipt. You pick it up, and turn it around. On the back of it a handwritten word. Your handwriting. Only 4 letters, but the message is pretty clear «HELP»!

@nekoannie-chan @here4thefanfics @late-to-the-party-81 @mostlybuckystuff

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