#considered to be held hostage and sadly later it was found they had been killed on oct 7 inside israel

[sh0rtins0mniac]

Who are the hostages still held by Hamas?

On October 7, 2023, 253 Israelis and foreign nationals were kidnapped to Gaza by Hamas and gazan civilians. Since then, 105 were released in a prisioner exchange deal, 4 were released by Hamas and 3 were rescued.

However, 134 remain in captivity (4 of those were kidnapped prior to 2023). A recent investigation has concluded that more than a fifth of the hostages are dead and the fate of some other hostages remains unknown. This video explains how doctors determine which hostages are dead, based on the nature of their injury and by analyising footage and the victims' last phone calls. Additionally, during the operation in Gaza, the IDF has recovered the bodies of a few victims and returned to their families for burial.

Since I couldn't find this all in one place, I've compiled a list of: 1) hostages who are presumed alive; 2) hostaged whose death has been reported/confirmed; 3) hostages who were released or rescued. In the group of hostages presumed to be alive who haven't been released, the youngest is 1-year-old Kfir Bibas and the oldest hostage is Iraqi-born 85-year old Shlomo Mansour.

As we learn more information, I'll continue to update this post.

They need to come back home. I'm hoping for more successful rescue operations soon. Keep them in your thoughts.

Hostages still held by Hamas (presumed alive or fate unknown):

(1) (2) (3)

Abraham Eitan Mor (23)

Abraham Munder (79)

Agam Berger (19)

Alex Danzig (75)

Alexander (Sasha) Trupanob (28)

Alexander Lobanov (32)

Almog Meir Jan (21)

Almog Sarusi (26)

Alon Ohel (22)

Amit Buskila (28)

Amiram Cooper (85)

Andrey Kozlov (27)

Arbel Yehoud (28)

Ariel Bibas (4)

Ariel Cunio (26)

Avera Mengistu (37) – Has been held hostage since 2014

Avinathan Or (30)

Bar Kupershtein (22)

Bipin Joshi (23)

Carmel Gat (39)

Chaim Peri (79)

Chanan Yablonka (42)

Daniel Gilboa (19)

David Cunio (33)

Dolev Yehoud (35)

Doron Steinbrecher (30)

Dror Or (48)

Edan Alexander (20)

Eden Yerushalmi (24)

Eitan Horn (37)

Eli Sharabi (51)

Eliya Cohen (26)

Elkana Bohbot (34)

Elyakim Libman (24)

Evytar David (23)

Gadi Moses (79)

Gali Berman (26)

Guy Gilboa-Dalal (22)

Hamzah Al-Zayadni (22)

Hersh Goldberg Polin (23)

Hisham al-Sayed (35) - Has been held hostage since 2015

Yair Horn (45)

Idan Shivi (28)

Itzhak Gelenter (56)

Itzhk Elgarat (68)

Kaid Farhan Elkadi (53)

Karina Ariev (19)

Kfir Bibas (1)

Lior Rudaeff (61)

Liri Albag (18)

Matan Angrest (21)

Matan Zangauker (24)

Maxim Herkin (35)

Michel Nisenbaum (59)

Muhammed Alatrash (40)

Naama Levy (19)

Nadav Popplewell (51)

Nimrod Cohen (19)

Noa Argamani (26)

Oded Lifshitz (83)

Ofer Kalderon (53)

Ohad Ben Ami (55)

Ohad Yahalomi (49)

Omer Neutra (22)

Omer Shem Tov (21)

Omer Wenkert (22)

Omri Miran (46)

Or Levy (33)

Ori Danino (24)

Oryon Hernandez (30)

Rom Braslavski (19)

Romi Gonen (23)

Ron Benjamin (53)

Sagui Dekel-Chen (35)

Samuel Keith Siegel (64)

Segev Kalfon (25)

Shiri Bibas (32)

Shlomi Ziv (40)

Shlomo Mansour (85)

Tal Shoham (38)

Tamir Nimrod (19)

Tsachi Idan (51)

Yagev Buchshtab (34)

Yagev Kirsht (34)

Yarden Bibas (34)

Yoram Metzger (80)

Yosef Al-Zayadni (53)

Yosef Ohana (23)

Ziv Berman (26)

Hostages confirmed/reported dead:

(Note: I couldn't find a report with the full list, but if you google each individual name you can find sources.)

Alon Shamriz (26) – Mistakenly killed by the IDF

Arye Zalmanovich (85) - Death reported by Hamas. He was forced to appear in a propaganda video.

Asaf Hamami (41)

Aviv Atzili (49)

Daniel Oz (19) - Killed on Oct. 7. Status updated on 25/02/24

Daniel Perez (22) - Killed on Oct. 7. Status updated on 17/03/24

Dror Kaplun (68)

Eden Zecharya (28)

Eitan Levy (53)

Elad Katzir (47) - Murdered by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. His body was recovered in Khan Yunis. Status updated on 06/04/24.

Eliyahu Margalit (75)

Gad Haggai (73)

Guy Iluz (26)

Hadar Goldin (32) - Body held hostage since 2014

Ilan Weiss (56)

Inbar Haiman (27)

Itay Chen (19) - Killed on Oct. 7. Status updated on 12/03/24.

Itay Svirsky (35) – Killed by Hamas in captivity. His body was shown in a propaganda video

Joshua Loitu Mollel (21) – A released video shows how he was brutally murdered by a group of men on October 7

Judy Weinstein (70)

Kiril Brodski (19)

Maya Goren (56)

Mordechai Yonathan Samerano (21) - His body was taken to Gaza

Nik Beizer (19)

Noa Marciano (19) – Her body was found near the Al-Shifa hospital

Ofir Tzarfati (27)

Ofra Keider (70)

Oren Goldin (34)

Oron Shaul (30) – Body held hostage since 2014

Ran Gvlli (24)

Ravid Katz (41)

Ron Scherman (19)

Ronen Engel (54)

Sahar Baruch (24) – Killed by Hamas during a failed hostage rescue operation

Samer Talalka (22) – Mistakenly killed by the IDF

Shay Levinson (19)

Shani Louk (22) - Body taken to Gaza

Tal Chaim (42)

Tamir Adar (38)

Tomer Ahimas (20)

Uriel Baruch (35) - Status updated on 26/03/24

Yair Yaakov (59) – Sons and girlfriend were released; murdered on Oct. 7

Yehudit Weiss (65) – Her body was found near the Al-Shifa hospital

Yossi Sharabi (53) – His dead body was shown in a propaganda video

Yotam Haim – Mistakenly killed by the IDF

Ziv Dado (36)

Released/rescued hostages:

(1) (2)

Abigail Edan, 4, American citizen

Ada Sagi, 75

Adi Shoham, 38

Adina Moshe, 72

Agam Goldstein-Almog, 17

Aisha Ziyadne, 17

Alma Avraham, 84

Alma Or, 13

Amit Shani, 15

Amit Soussana, 40

Anucha Angkaew

Aviv Asher, 2, German citizen

Aviva Adrienne Siegel, 62

Bancha Kongmanee, Thai national

Bilal Ziyadne, 18

Boonthom Phankhong, Thai national

Buddee Saengboon, Thai national

Chalermchai Sangkaew

Channa Peri, 79

Chen Goldstein-Almog, 48

Clara Marman, 63, Argentine citizen

Daniel Aloni, 44

Dafna Elyakim, 15

Doron Katz Asher, 34, German citizen

Ditza Heiman, 84

Emilia Aloni, 5

Emily Toni Kornberg Hand, 8

Emma Cunio, 3, Argentine citizen

Erez Calderon, 12, French citizen

Eitan Yahalomi, 12, French citizen

Ela Elyakim, 8

Fernando Marman – Rescued by the IDF

Gabriela Leimberg, 59, Argentine citizen

Gal Goldstein-Almog, 11

Gal Tarshansky, 13

Gelienor (Jimmy) Pacheco, 37, Filipino national

Hagar Brodetz, 40

Hanna Katzir, 77

Hila Rotem Shoshani, 12

Ilana Gritzewsky Kimchi, 30

Irena Tati, 73, a Russian citizen, was included on the list but released separately from the exchange deal.

Itay Regev Jerbi, 18

Juckapan Sikena

Judith Raanan, 59 [Released 22/10/23]

Karina Engel-Bart, 51, Argentine citizen

Keren Munder, 54

Komkrit Chombua

Kong Saelao

Liam Or, 18

Liat Beinin Atzili, 49, American citizen

Luis Har – Rescued by the IDF

Manee Jirachart

Margalit Mozes, 78, German citizen

Maya Regev Jirbi, 21

Meirav Tal, 53

Mia Leimberg, 17, Argentine citizen

Mia Shem, 21, French citizen

Mika Engel, 18, Argentine citizen

Mongkhol Phajuabboon, Thai national

Moran Stela Yanai, 40

Natalie Raanan, 17 [Released 22/10/23]

Nattaporn Onkaew

Natthawaree Moonkan, Thai national

Naveh Shoham, 8

Nili Margalit, 41

Noam Avigdori, 12

Noga Weiss, 18

Noam Or, 17

Noralin Babadilla, 60, born in the Philippines

Nurit Cooper [Released 24/10/23]

Ofri Brodetz, 10

Ohad Munder, 9

Or Yaakov, 16, German citizen

Ori Megidish – Rescued by the IDF

Oriya Brodetz, 4

Owat Suriyasri, 40, father of two

Ofelia Adit Roitman, 77, born in Argentina

Ofir Engel, 17, Dutch citizen

Paiboon Rattanin

Pattanayut Tonsakree

Phonsawan Pinakalo

Ra’aya Rotem, 54

Raz Ben-Ami, 56, German citizen

Rimon Kirsht Buchshtav, 36

Raz Asher, 4, German citizen

Ron Krivoi, 25, an Israeli-Russian citizen, was included on the list, although he was released separately from the exchange deal.

Ruth Munder, 78

Sahar Calderon, 16, French citizen

Santi Boonphrom, Thai national

Sapir Cohen, 29

Shani Goren, 29

Sharon Aloni-Cunio, 34, Argentine citizen

Sharon Hertzman Avigdori, 52

Shiri Weiss, 53

Shoshan Haran, 67

Surin Kesungnoen

Tal Goldstein-Almog, 8

Tamar Metzger, 78

Uthai Sangnuan, Thai national

Uthai Thunsri, Thai national

Wichai Kalapat, 28, Thai national

Wichian Temthon

Withoon Phumee, 33, Thai national

Yaffa Adar, 85

Yagil Yaakov, 12, German citizen

Yahel Shoham, 3

Yarden Roman-Gat, 35, German citizen

Yelena Trupanov, 50, a Russian citizen, was included on the list but released separately from the exchange deal.

Yocheved Lifshitz [Released 24/10/23]

Yuli Cunio, 3, Argentine citizen

Yuval Brodetz, 8

Yuval Engel, 12, Argentine citizen

#israel #october 7 #hamas hostages #hostages #bring them home now #jumblr #compiling all their names was a really emotional process. i did this the day before it was announced yair yaakov was murdered #and had trouble opening the file again #praying and hoping for the rest of the hostages' safe return #please let me know if i made any mistakes and/or forgot any names #as i've said in the post - a lot of info was scattered and i'm afraid i might have missed something #note: 253 was the total number i found in most reports. i don't know if it'll change at the end of the war - since some people were #considered to be held hostage and sadly later it was found they had been killed on oct 7 inside israel #like clemence felix mtenga

[miss-choco-chips]

Good influence, bad influence.

Tim is one of those, and he gets the other one. Guess which is which. Ft a murder kitten, two oblivious birds, a divorce-preventing baby and a murderous mother.

(Thanks to @the-quiet-carrotcake who helped me think this through on chat and gave me ideas (THANKS BABE), and tagging @animemangasoul because they understand my need to ALWAYS include Kon when writting about Tim.

This sat on my wips for so long now, so I’m not even proofreading it. Just take it away, please)

-----.-----

-Are you sure I can’t just stab her?

-Really sure.

-How much?

-Like, 100% sure.

-You told me once it’s impossible to ever/

-...be 100% sure of something, I know. Which is how you know I mean it now.

Damian puffed his cheeks. Tim was sure that, in his mind’s eye, he looked dignifiedly annoyed. In reality, it was adorable. But since Damian currently held his right hand hostage, and was probably holding onto his dagger inside his pocket with the other one, he didn’t want to risk pointing it out. He just tugged him away, swimming through the masses, as Damian had called them upon entering the ballroom.

-But why not? 

It was as close to a whine a sound as the kid could make, which upped his adorable factor another notch. 

-You’d get blood on your suit, for one. And then, my mom would kill you.

A little shudder at the mention of Janet Drake, though the kid composed himself quickly- I wouldn’t let a single drop fall on me, cousin. I’m not an amateur.

Since Damian would have used another, more offensive word not so long ago, Tim ignored the pointed look he got when he said ‘amateur’. Also, the use of modern slang was something he was painstakingly drilling into him, so he was quiet proud when it bore fruits.

-Also, you’d draw attention to ourselves. And that woman didn’t even do anything worthy of such a reaction.

-She dared touch me! Treated me like, like… like a kid!

Pointing out that he, in fact, was one wouldn’t go well, so Tim’s mind offered an alternative route. 

-You don’t know? -he blurted out, feigning surprise. Damian looked up at him, eyes squinting suspiciously, and there, very well hidden (but not enough he didn’t notice) a little hesitancy.

-Know what?

Tim let go of the little, calloused hand, and placed both of his on the slimmer shoulders, bending down a bit to be face to face with his charge for the night. The blond wig and round glasses weren’t enough to hide Damian’s almost aristocratic features, but they sure managed to misdirect someone about his bloodline. No one would be able to tell he was Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul’s son, which was kinda the idea.

It had been a chore, to put the disguise in the proud boy, but Tim had been the one to achieve it when he dressed it as a training exercise: they had to make it through the party without its host, Mr Wayne, recognizing him.

Easy peasy, or so he had told mother when he assured her she could go make business with aunt Nicole and leave them be. He hadn’t calculated… well, other people.

-About Mrs Stingdom’s homeland.

Damian was too dignified to look over his shoulder at the lady in question, but Tim could see he wanted to.

-She’s a gothamite -he pointed out, because as Tim had suggested, he did his homework about who was attending to the party. A bit, at least. The story of so many boring socialites was too much to bear.

-She married a gothamite -he explained, doing his best to look stern about Damian’s apparent misinformation-. She’s actually from another land, which is why she pinched your checks. In her culture, it’s a sign of utmost respect towards people under ten years old who are still considered to be superiors, despite their age.

It sounded far fetched, even to his own ears, but he was playing into Damian’s social incompetency and his arrogance at believing himself above all others, which is why the kid nodded slowly after a few seconds, eating the whole lie in one bite.

His bespectacled eyes bore into his, brows furrowed. His hands went to Tim’s, still on his shoulders, a little unsure.

-Should I expect more of this… cultural difference? So I won’t be underprepared, should anyone else wish to pay me their respects in a new manner?

Sensing a chance to prevent a future stabbing, Tim was quick to nod. Mom was going to be so proud!

----.----

A little later that night, a new issue arose. Since Tim was pretty busy handling the seven year old, he had to forgo his usual Wayne-party routine, which was basically to find one of the sons and hide with them for the rest of the night.

Of course, neurotic bastards like them wouldn’t take a change in routine go like that. Because Bruce has instilled paranoia and curiosity on them like Alfred did with manners, and sadly, the last one’s teachings rarely showed up.

-Timmy! Here you are. I was worried, since you never approached us. Aww, who’s this kid? You made a friend?

He groaned internally. Dick, and behind him he could spot Jason, eyebrow arched at the novelty of Tim not looking for them immediately. He wanted to, thrived in the chance to spend even a few minutes with his idols, but duty calls, and his mind didn’t like the possibles outcomes would Damian and the Waynes meet.

-Hey, Dick… Jay. Good evening -he smiled politely, hand clutching tighter Damian’s. Don’t notice, don’t notice, please don’t notice.

To his immense relief, none of them seemed to find anything noteworthy in Damian’s face, which… was also kinda disappointing, despite him wishing for it. Like, yeah, the wig and glasses were good misdirect, but really? He would have noticed the similarities with Bruce despite them, and those two were supposedly detectives…

-Stop being so formal, kid -grumbled Jason, big hand making a mess of Tim’s styled hair. He would have complained, but… Jason’s voice and hand, okay? He was a weak teenager. Don’t judge him- Know ya since y’were  half that heigh, and lighter than my jacket.

Tim’s hormones ignored the comment on him being small, and  focused on the mental image of the mentioned jacket, most likely leather and well worn. 

…This was so not the time for  fantasizing. 

A tiny, calloused hand slapped Jason’s away, which promptly changed the mood.

-Don’t touch my cousin, you/

But Tim had prepared for this outcome, so his own hand rose just as quickly to cover Damian’s mouth.

At the word ‘cousin’, both heroes looked very interested. Tim was under no delusions, well aware Bruce and each of his adopted children had made their own background checks on him and his entire family, so they would know Damian’s claim to familiarity to be a lie, but they also couldn't really call them out on it without making it obvious they investigated him.

His head was already hurting for all the social maneuvering he had to do to keep out of trouble, and now, adding two concerned birds and one murderous kitten, it was even worse.

This was going to be a very, very long night. But both mom and Nicole had asked him, so he wouldn’t try to get out of being a (as) good (as possible) role model.

---------------.----------

Tim winced, muscles locking in a poor attempt at not showing it. From the look Conner gave him, at the other side of the room where he was being chewed out by Lex, he failed miserably at hiding his pain; which, in turn, enraged his mom even more.

-What. Did. You. DO?!

The hand not currently held by his mother went to his ear, protecting it from the almost demonic screech. He could see Auntie Nicole doing the same, sitting with Damian on the couch, sharing tea and cookies as they watched the whole show. The nine year old showed a surprising amount of sympathy towards Tim’s injuries, for someone who had been harshly trained since birth and had recently begun a career as vigilante (not that Tim was supposed to know about it, though). Or was it pity because of mom’s rage?

-You told me no tights and spandex! Never said anything about a mask and a hoodie, and Conner and the guys really needed my help with strategizing -he defended himself, because even if he shouldn't know about the waynes being heroes, he had been Conner’s friend since he found and subsequently freed him from Lex’s secret lab, which in turn warranted mom’s rule against heroing that he had just broke-. And don’t yell at me, I can hear you perfectly fine.

-I’M NOT YELLING! -she lied, tightening the bandage, scowl growing in power-, AND MASKS WERE IMPLIED AS A NO! Also, what are those if not thighs?

-Skinny jeans!

-They are indecent, that’s what they are!

On the other side of the room, Kon seemed to be having a less exhausting time than Tim. Lucky bastard, Luthor had less experience in parenthood, hadn’t yet reached the Scolding Mastery level.

-Hey! Auntie Nicole dresses like that -he points to the woman, who raises an eyebrow- and you don’t tell her anything! Look at her cleavage, you can almost see her bellybutton! 

-Leave me out of this -asked the woman, taking the teapot to refill Damian’s cup; he, in turn, handed her the cookies platter.

Ignoring her best friend, Janet snapped again- NICOLE ISN’T MY STUPID FOURTEEN YEAR OLD SON, WHO IS NEVER SEEING THE LIGHT OF DAY AGAIN!

-What light of day? This is Gotham, we don’t have sunlight anyway. And I’m not stupid, my IQ is higher than everyone’s in this room.

-IT SURELY LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE FROM WHERE I’M STANDING, HERE, RE-BANDAGING YOUR ARM!

Tim sighed, locking eyes with Conner in solidarity; or he wanted to, but the smug bastard’s scolding was over and he and Luthor had joined the Al Ghuls in their tea party.

-Come on, mom. This’ but a scratch.

-YOU GOT SEVEN STITCHES!!!! I can’t believe this.

She barely got her son out of vigilantism by monitoring his Wayne-Interaction and threats of boarding school and then he went and befriended a group of teen heroes and threw all her hard work straight to the trash. No, he skipped that part, he went directly to the dumpster and burried her good intentions under a pile of shit.

But really, she couldn’t very well make him entirely responsible of this, not when he got carried away by Conner’s ��do the right thing’ speech. And Conner had came into their lives because of…

In blind rage, she finished her patch job on her son’s arm and turned in a flash to face Lex, whose face went quickly from amused to scared.

-WHY DID YOU THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE A KID WITH SUPERMAN?

Sensing she was done with him, Tim went to sit by Kon, who moved a bit on his individual couch so they could share it, though it was a very tight fit.

-Clone -he corrected helpfully, TTK bringing Tim his coffee cup closer.

-Did I stutter? And I wasn’t talking to you, was I?

Nicole seemed like she was having the time of her life right now- So hey, listen, between you and LITERAL SUPERMAN, who was the one on the receiving end when you pictured yourself having a kid with him? Like, who was getting it? Because, pal, odds aren’t in your favor, you know.

-Don’t be stupid, dear -huffed Janet, looking at her friend’s green eyes and calming don infinitesimally- If he was actually getting it, he wouldn't have resorted to having his kid to get his attention.

-IT’S A CLONE, AND I ABSOLUTELY DIDN’T MAKE HIM TO GET THAT ALIEN’S ATTENTION! He’s my enemy, not my lover, what is wrong with you people.

-Am I a divorce-preventing baby? -asked Kon to Tim, raising an eyebrow. The other kid just shrugged.

-Looks like it. Not like Uncle Lex had any other way to keep Superman from leaving him…

-I’m right here.

-I know, Uncle Lex. I love you, but you need to rethink your choices. If the man wants to go, let him go. Kon doesn’t need any brothers. I can’t deal with more of him, one is more than enough.

#Janet Drake au #janet drake is a good mom #Tim Drake #janet drake #Nicole Al Ghul (oc) #Damian Wayne #conner kent #lex luthor #dick grayson #Jason Todd #Janet is close to having a panic attack #or yknow #murdering lex for making this happen #lex just wanted a weapon against superman NOT a divorce-preventive baby #pre Janet/nicole #tim isn't a hero but he's friends with a few so sometiems he helps #THEY ARE STUPID MOM THEY'D DIE WITHOUT MY HELP I 'HAD' TO HELP THEM

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #277

“i think we could reach heaven if we go through hell”

What are you currently listening to? "Heaven" by Solence. Has your father met the boy you currently love? I don’t love a guy, just his memory. I don’t think it’s accurate to say “yeah I love him” when I haven’t spoken to/associated with him since one talk in 2017. Are you closer with your siblings or cousins? My sisters. I barely ever see/talk to my cousins at all. How many people have you really fallen for? Two. Next event you’ll wear a dress to: Probably not ‘til my sister’s wedding next year. Why did you last cry? Oh god it’s so cheesy but it was during the Unus Annus video where Mark, Ethan, and Amy were out in the desert watching Neowise and just talking about life and shit. I legit sat in silence just thinking for a while after I finished it. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? Shit, not even 10 minutes. Sometimes not even five. I don’t do anything special at all, just get dressed, brush teeth, and comb my hair. Would you ever take back someone after they cheated? Nnnnope. How many arguments have you had with the last person you dated? Well considering we jumped back and forth from hating each other to being friends like five times as kids,,,, lmao. But on a serious note, it’s rare now. I don’t exactly count arguments tho. Do you want to see somebody right now? I wanna hang with Sara so bad mayn. Do you get distracted easily? YEAH. Do you think that someone has feelings for you? Yeah. Do you still talk to the person that you last kissed? On the daily. Are you easy to get along with? I think so. I’m chill with such a variety of people that you know you can be free of judgment. The only thing you’d have to understand is how quiet I am and that it does not equate to me being disinterested in you or anything, as people have apparently thought. Have you ever had a pet goldfish? As a kid. Has anyone ever told you that you have pretty eyes? Yeah. Are you short? I’m of an average height for someone my gender, age, and nationality or whatever it’s called. Is there anything stressing you out currently? bruuuuuhhhhh I am ALWAYS stressed about something. What’s something that you cannot wait for? This fucking pandemic to end. Just wear your goddamn masks and stay in your fucking houses ‘n shit and maybe we’ll move forward. What was your favorite grade? So it’s super ironic: 7th. Which is when my depression manifested. I just have a lot of good memories with excellent teachers and friends. Are you afraid of shots? “Fear” is the wrong word for it, but there’s certainly a tense feeling before you get one. It’s not the needle that really hurts, it’s whatever medicine is being injected. Always stings. Were you an adorable baby? I was tbh, but I had nothing on my little sister. Nicole was so fucking cute. Are you happy with who you’re becoming? No. Do you want children? No. Do you change your phone background a lot? Not “a lot,” no. Would you rather take a relationship really slow or really fast? Definitely really slow. Really fast is nooot my style. I mean, neither is very slow, but I’d definitely prefer it and feel more secure in it. When applying eyeliner, which eye do you do first? Uhhh I think left? I do this so rarely that I don’t really know lol. How many exes have you talked to today? One. Are you tan? lol hell no. I never have been. Do you use any acne medication? I use a facial scrub to exfoliate and prevent acne, does that count? Is anybody in your family schizophrenic? If so, what is their life like? My half-sister I’ve never met. I know almost nothing about her so can’t answer the second question. Are you likely to crack under peer pressure? Not really, no. Are you emotional or very stoic? I’m emotional as hell. How many states have you lived in? North Carolina has kept me hostage my whole life. Do you have a good relationship with your parents? Yeah. Who did you last say “I love you” to? Me mum. How do you want to die? Eek, idk man. Part of me says fast as to avoid pain or a gradual, torturous decline in health, but at the same time I want my life to conclude after like… accepting it and not taking my last days for granted. I also don’t want the sudden surprise on my loved ones. Are you scared of spiders? Okay, so this is very situational. If a spider surprises me, I’m most likely going to gasp/scream/curse and try to get away. However, I find them very, very fascinating to watch and are beautiful and some even cute in their own right. I respect their existence and position in the ecosystem. I’ve held a tarantula before and even want two (… or ten) as a pet, so I can’t be THAT scared of them. Oh, and I’m much more likely to be spooked by ones with long legs and particularly small bodies. Idk, it’s weird. Do you have trust issues? fuck YES I do. Who/what was your last dream about? I know Jason was in it, but that’s no surprise. I remember someone randomly trying to kill me again lmao. Who was the last person you cried in front of? I’m sure it was Mom. Who was your last text from? Sara. Do you usually sleep with your closet door open or closed? The fuck is wrong with you if you sleep with it open?????????????? Have you ever "done it" in a hotel room? No. I don’t think we were ever in a hotel together, and besides, it’s p gross imho. I can’t say for sure I wouldn’t lmao but I hope I wouldn’t. Have you ever stolen a street sign before? No, that’s never made sense to me? My sister stole a traffic cone once tho lmao. She legit just wanted to do something sketchy. Highkey badass, amirite. Are you reading any books right now? I’m very slowly reading Wings of Fire: The Dark Secret by Tui T. Sutherland. I’m going through one of my junctures of little reading again, even though I’m enjoying the book as I do with the series. Who was the last person to send you a friend request on Facebook? Some dude I had no mutual friends with or anything. How recently did you wash your hands? Last time I went to the bathroom. Did the last person you kissed have facial hair? No. Who is the most intelligent person you know? Girt. Do you have younger siblings? If you do, are you protective of them? I have one sister younger by two years, and I’d kill for her even if we’re not all that close. What are the other members of your household doing at this moment? I’ve actually been home alone for around two weeks now and am MIRACULOUSLY doing totally fine. My mom had to take an urgent flight to NY because her mom is dying. Sadly much slower than they expected. She’s not in pain due to medicine, but nevertheless, it’s torture for her. She can't do anything. Do you have any neighbors that you don't get along with? Not really, but there is someone to our right that constantly has music playing outside, and sometimes it’s annoying. In the past week, have you slept past midday? No. I can’t remember the last time I did that. Name the last song that made you cry. “Lovely” by Billie Eilish, I think. It reminded me of Jason. Do you use Twitter? Not really, no. I only ever check it to look at Mark’s lmao what a shocker. The last time something scared you, what was it? One of my nightmares last night. A huge spider was hurrying towards my face from the wall and I actually scrambled out of bed irl, therefore nearly passing out bc I can't get up fast w/o getting extremely dizzy, oof. Who was your first best friend? Brianna. Are you still friends anymore? On Facebook, anyway. We haven’t talk-talked in many years. Who is your best friend right now? Sara. How old were you when you found out what sex was? I was in the 4th or 5th grade, whatever age you are then. I definitely learned later than most, it seems. Had no idea until sex ed in school. Name one quirk you have that drives people crazy? I pace badly, and I’ve been told by numerous people it makes them anxious. Who is your favorite Disney villain? Probably Scar. You gotta admit his scheme was pretty clever, and he had a BUMPIN song. Would you have children if a surrogate could carry it for you? No, I still wouldn’t. Do you have an account for any social platform that you rarely/never use? Yeah, like Twitter. What do you most frequently take photos of? Nature. Do you ever wear hats? What does your favorite hat look like? No. Have you tried any foods or drinks for the first time today? Which? No. Does anyone close to you smoke cigarettes? My dad. What was the last song you heard, that made you feel nostalgic? Motionless In White recently covered "Somebody Told Me" by The Killers. Is it awkward when you run into your ex? I don’t run into any of them. Do you prefer pasta, salad, or coleslaw? Oh, totally pasta. Coleslaw is fucking disgusting. Do you think any of your exes will eventually want to be with you again? I hope. Would you rather pierce your tongue or lip? I have a vertical labret and did have snake eyes, and I adore(d) both; however, I prefer my lip ring. It’s like, a part of my identity by now lmao. Last time you were attacked by an animal? I don’t think an animal has ever seriously hurt me, instead only through playing too rough. I get scratches from Roman every now and again from it. How many times have you been engaged (if any at all)? Never. Have you ever been called something and you didn’t know what it meant? So one of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever done is accidentally agree to being a martyr, because at the time, I thought it only meant like, you’d die for what you stand for, which in most serious cases, I would. I didn’t know that wasn’t the kind he meant; he meant I was trying to make shit all about me and throw a pity party about the breakup. I didn’t learn that was the “common day” definition until a long time after when I was no longer in contact with this person. Are your eyes sensitive to sunlight? VERY VERY VERY. Have you ever been busted for underage drinking? No. Do you have a picture of you and your lover kissing? I don’t have a “lover.” Have you witnessed a fight at school? So shortly after returning to class in the 10th grade, a girl deadass got stabbed in the neck during a fight nearby my classroom. I (nor my classmates) actually saw it, just heard. Safe to say the assailant was expelled, and the other girl was lucky to have her throat missed, though that was apparently what the other girl was aiming for. She went to the hospital of course, and that’s all I know. Who did you last get into a big argument with? Probably Mom. Do you drink lots of water? Sigh, no. What was the worst feeling you last felt? Before my last period I had a day of such bad cramping that I decided to go back on birth control. I originally started it for that but stopped to see how it would affect my mood, and now I absolutely need it back. Interested in anyone at the moment? Yeah. Do you know people with your last name that you aren't related to? Besides historical people, no. Are you guilty of texting while driving? ”I don’t drive, but I am so against doing that. Please don’t. It only takes a second of distraction for something to go wrong. Keep your eyes on the damn road.” <<<< This right fuckin here. Have you ever caused a lot of noise in a library? No. What was the last thing that completely took your breath away? I don’t know. When playing rock, paper, scissors which do you usually pick? Uhhh I think scissors? Have you ever tried to write a book? Yes, but they’re all projects I abandoned. Have you ever been hit by a chunk of hail? Not that I recall, no. Do you have high standards? Honestly yes when it comes to relationships (which is what I assume you’re talking about). Have you ever changed your clothes while in a vehicle? Yeah. Do you know how to snap your fingers? Uh, yeah. Do you plan your outfits for the next day or just randomly choose? I choose on the spot, usually. Are you a bossy person? Definitely not. Is it true that if you don’t love yourself, you can’t love another? I fucking hate that statement. It’s absolute bullshit.

#survey #quiz #questions #questionnaire

[tonystarktogo]

An Unwise Murder (An Inconvenient Survival)

Summary: “Someone within SHIELD sold out an Avenger. That was their first mistake.” When Avenger Steve Rogers is declared killed in action, everyone expects his best friend and fellow agent Bucky Barnes to go on a rampage. It’s the quirky mechanic with a sharp tongue and a secret talent for less-than-legal hacking that throws the whole agency for a loop. Featuring: A dead Steve (but when is Steve ever dead), a very pissed off, fucked-up secret agent Bucky (so basically your usual Bucky), and a very civilian Tony (who is exactly as harmless as you’d expect Tony Stark to be).

Read on AO3

Here is, as promised, the first part of the Double-0-Bucky/Hacker-Tony fic! To most of you, this part will probably be familiar already, but we have to start at the beginning *shrugs* and don’t worry, the next part will follow soon. Enjoy!

Part I 

Funerals aren’t meant to be a pleasant event, so Bucky doesn’t bother to put on a show.

His face could be carved in stone for all the emotion it conveys, and his muscles are tense, coiled, trembling faintly with the desire to grab his gun and pull the damn trigger.

Bucky isn’t sure if he’d stop shooting once he starts though. Not with how many tempting targets currently surround him. Not with how it would finally shut Pierce the fuck up. People tend to talk a lot less after you’ve emptied a magazine or two into them  — and Bucky has always been a man who appreciates silence.

Fuck, Bucky doesn’t even know what he’s here for. He doesn’t attend mandatory events. It simply isn’t done. The few weeks of the year that Bucky spends in his own country, he wastes drinking and sleeping around, often both at the same time. What’s to stop him from walking straight out of this impersonally sterile room filled with people he doesn’t trust, and go back to his favourite rundown bar to knock back vodka until he can’t feel the cold on his skin anymore?

Oh right. His best friend just got himself killed in action. The lucky bastard.

On a fucking nightmare of a mission in France of all places. If it had been Russia or Iran or North Korea or even just Sokovia (and really, it takes skill to be wanted by all four sides of the conflict), Bucky could have dealt with it.

But France? Bucky takes that as a personal offence.

Avengers don’t get killed in France. Avengers get killed the way they kill: brutal and messy, with no one left behind who’d bother to avenge them. Because justice is a fairy tale, and every act of peace is built on the actions of someone smart enough to wash the blood off their hands before they step in front of a camera.

At least the acknowledgements are short and free of false sentimentality. A whole lot of bullshit, sure, but it’s not like there is another choice. Not when the truth amounts to Steve Rogers died on a mission we weren’t authorised to give, in a country he wasn’t supposed to be in, over intel that we won’t admit exist.

Bucky doesn’t laugh. Barely huffs a a breath, but the people on both sides of him twitch tellingly.

Like all Avengers, Bucky has sought out the back of the room, where he can keep his back to the wall at all times, has a clear view on all available exists and a good excuse to keep an eye on the crowd of mourners.

The thought that one of them — multiple ones, possibly — are faking their sorrow makes Bucky clench his fingers against the urge to start an interrogation right now, Avenger style.

“Don’t kill anyone you might need to sign you off on field work again,” Barton mutters to his left, the words barely audible.

Bucky forces the tense muscles in his shoulders to relax, adopts an at-ease position that won’t fool the other Avengers, but at least won’t traumatise the attending techies and lawyers. The psych department always makes such a fuss when you break their precious, civilian employees.

There’s no point in fooling his colleagues though — if the Avengers can even be called that. It’s not like he meets them for brunch or goes out drinking with them in his downtime. They’re the elite of a internationally operating spy organisation for a reason, and it’s certainly not their ability to play well with others.

Just hours after having one of their own killed in a SHIELD-issued safehouse, all the Avengers are on edge. More so than usual. That the entire op smells like foul play all the way across the Atlantic does about as much to deescalate the situation as throwing a hand grenade into a room filled with weaponized uranium.

Someone inside SHIELD sold out an Avenger.

That was their first mistake. Their second was taking Steve out without killing Bucky as well.

There’s a shift in Bucky’s peripheral vision. Natasha Romanoff, codenamed Black Widow, looks as affected of recent events as she always does: not at all.

Is she the traitor? Bucky wonders as he tilts his head ever so slightly in acknowledgement. The rivalry between Black Widow and Steve is no secret. It isn’t a friendly one either, not that any of the Avengers are the sort of person one might associate the word “friendly” with. She betrayed the Red Room at eighteen. What offer would it take for her to turn on a fellow agent? An Avenger at that? Is she tense because she expects me to do this country a favour by killing Pierce or is she afraid to be found out?

The service lasts barely twenty minutes — unsurprising, considering how much isn’t said, can’t be said, because living within the specter of the highest security clearance makes for a shoddy eulogy — but to Bucky it feels like forever.

It doesn’t help that half the people around him are waiting for him to fly off the handle in either grief or blind rage. Blind rage admittedly being the more likely outcome.

It doesn’t help that the other half undoubtedly suspects him to be the traitor — who better to kill Steve Rogers than his best friend, after all? Especially when Avengers so clearly don’t have best friends — though Bucky can’t fault them for the sensible assumption.

He’d suspect himself too. The black hole that is four years of being held as a POW on his résumé hasn’t left him with what one might call a solid standing within the agency. Or a stable life in general.

Bucky has simply been lucky that Avengers don’t have much use for stability as it is. (Also, Steve was planning a revolt, should they stop attempting to recover Bucky. Not that anyone likes to acknowledge that. Pierce’s secretary still pales every time she catches sight of one of them.)

He’s been lucky that he’s too useful to be killed.

That might change now — Steve Rogers’ death changes a lot of things — but if it comes to that, Bucky will make damn sure to take the traitor with him. Another outcome isn’t acceptable.

And Bucky is very, very good at getting what he wants.

But first, he needs to find someone clean — meaning unaffiliated with SHIELD in any way — who can take a look at the USB flash drive he’s found in one of his dead drops two days after Pierce declared Steve KIA.

Fuck, but the first thing Bucky is gonna do when he sees Steve again is punch him in the fucking face.

*

Tony has always had an interesting way of making friends.

For example, Tony meets his best friend Pepper during a hostage situation when he’s sixteen. He’s never before seen a girl throw high heels at a guy’s head with such a deadly accuracy. Suffice to say Tony likes her immediately — and promises to buy her all the shoes she needs to knock stupid people down, naturally.

They keep in touch afterwards, and it’s the start of something great.

He meets his brother in all but blood much the same way, only Tony barely remembers that one because those kidnappers were smart enough to drug him before trying anything funny. Luckily, Tony has Rhodey for the straight thinking part — or at least he does after that episode.

On another, memorable occasion, Tony befriended one of his kidnappers.

In his defence: they were some pretty alright people, for being criminals holding him for ransom. No unnecessary threats or bodily harm, and they actually gave him drug-free food too. Also, you have no idea how mind-numbingly boring being kidnapped is. Well, not the getting kidnapped part but the staying-kidnapped-whilst-your-kidnappers-fail-to-get-their-money part.

Sadly, some people still believe that Stark Industries will pay for the disowned heir Tony Stark’s safe return. And usually they don’t react too well to being proven wrong. That time being one of those rare exceptions. In no small part thanks to a certain member of the crew whose identity Tony will protect until the day he dies. Or something.

Never mind.

The point is, Tony is used to meeting cool people under very hazardous, extraordinary circumstances.

Which is why — as he will later explain to a very exasperated Rhodey and an even more distrustful Pepper — when Tony locks up his garage at 7.40 pm after a long day of changing oils and busted tires, only to suddenly find himself face to face with a hooded stranger — after he’s already locked the doors, though he won’t share that part with his friends — he doesn’t panic.

He greets the guy — there’s a twenty percent chance Tony knows him, okay, hiding their faces as they track him down isn’t exactly a rarity — like a civilised person instead.

“Hi there,” Tony says with his best customer smile. “How may I help you?”

The guy — who definitely has more upper body strength than Tony, not that he notices or anything — doesn’t so much as twitch. He just stands there, body turned towards Tony, face shadowed by his hood. Tony really should have switched out the broken light bulb ages ago, maybe then he wouldn’t have to squint at his visitor like a sceptical squirrel, trying to make out the guy’s features.

“Anthony Stark?” the guy asks after a moment, voice low and rumbling, like gathering clouds on the far end of the horizon, as a violent storm approaches.

It’s that specific, unfairly nice sound that decides it: Tony definitely doesn’t know this guy. There’s no way he would have forgotten a voice like that.

Tony lets his smile brighten a little because if he’s about to be kidnapped — is it that time of the month already? Tony wouldn’t know, his last calendar sorta had a small accident involving a fire and DUM-E using up all the fire extinguisher on Tony rather than the actual fire. It was a pretty sweet, protective gesture, actually. Tony may or may not have teared up, just a little, but that didn’t change that half his equipment had to be replaced — then he’d like to start their working relationship on a good note. The kidnapping attempts tend to have less violent endings that way.

Additionally, Tony really doesn’t want to start a fight in his garage. This is his work place — which is basically holy, ask anyone. His cars are in here. They are not acceptable collateral damage, no matter what Pepper says.

“Do you know a Steve Rogers?” is mystery guy’s next question.

Which is a damn shame because it takes all of Tony’s not inconsiderable self-control to not tense at that particular inquiry. Steve Rogers.

God fucking damn it.

Tony forces the memories, the reflexive questions — a bloodied, broken body, screams of pain, narrowed, blue eyes glaring at him even as strong hands push him out of the line of fire — down immediately, takes care to keep his expression calm and clueless instead. He’s got lots of practice doing that. It’s just like being confronted with an obnoxious reporter who won’t stop bothering him with stupid questions about why he denies his father’s legacy. Bloodthirsty reporters, bloodthirsty assassins, it’s really just more of the same.

Tony has been handling shit like this since he was nine. If mystery guy expects him to trip up and give up even a single piece of information the easy way, he’s got another thing coming. Tony Stark doesn’t do easy.

Especially not when it concerns people he almost considers tolerable. Those gems are hard enough to find as it is — well, among the boring, totally legal working crowd at least — Tony will protect them with all he has. Not that he wouldn’t do the same for people he doesn’t like, he just wouldn’t be as happy about it.

Mystery guy is in for a surprise.

“Rogers?” Tony furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “That doesn’t ring a bell.” Close enough to the truth to count.

Then, the grin slides completely off Tony’s face and his eyes narrow in open suspicion. “Not that it matters. I don’t make a habit of handing out contact information to strangers who can’t be bothered to introduce themselves. Client privileges, I’m sure you understand.”

And yeah, some sarcasm may slip into those words, but can you blame Tony? He’s been working for almost ten hours in that special place reserved in hell for customer service, and, frankly, Tony is done with the world for the day. That he’s most likely dealing with what’s either a very diligent mercenary or a very strange kidnapper does little to lighten his mood.

Both options are far less appealing than mystery guy’s sexy voice initially indicated. Tony feels a little cheated.

“Oh, I understand,” mystery guy murmurs ominously.

When Tony squints, he can literally see the shadows behind the guy blacken. On an unrelated note, he really needs to stop binge-watching those horror flicks. Clearly it’s messing with his mind.

Not that this keeps Tony from bristling at Mystery Guy’s threatening tone — if anything, it has Tony reflexively square his shoulders because he does not fold.

Mystery guy snorts, and Tony has the fleeting impression that the stranger has the gall to be amused by him. He kind of wants to deck the guy just for that.

“I can see why he liked you.”

Something in those words freezes Tony into place long before his brain has puzzled through their meaning. By the time his mind catches up to the past tense that refers to a person it should absolutely not refer to, mystery guy has already taken a few steps towards the only functioning light bulb in Tony’s garage and slips his hoodie back.

The bleak light reveals a pale, handsome face with a strong jaw and icy, blue eyes. Absently, Tony approves of the way the hoodie has messed up Mystery Guy’s wild hair into something untameable and unfairly attractive, but it’s kind of hard to melt into a puddle of appreciative goo when you’ve just learned of the death of a friend.

Or well, acquaintance maybe. Rhodey always reminds Tony that he can’t just go around, adopting friends left and right just because he wants to. And with Steve it’s hard to say. The guy is almost impossible to read.

Still, it’s Steve they’re talking about. And whatever mess he’s gotten himself involved in, Tony doesn’t doubt for a moment that Steve thought he was doing it for the right reasons. He’s annoyingly self-righteous like that. It sucks even more when you listen to him rant and realize he’s got a point, not that Tony will ever admit such a thing to his face.

Which will be hard to do if Steve is actually—

Tony presses his lips together and defiantly stares up at Mystery Guy. Who is, in fact, taller than him. There really is no justice in the world.

“Who the fuck are you and what the fuck do you want?” is what Tony settles on to summarize the maelstrom of confusing emotions wrecking chaos inside him.

The man takes a threatening step closer. Of course, it’s not that hard to come across as threatening when you’re half a head taller and made of muscles and steel. Still. The guy could at least try to keep his looming on the downlow.

Not that Tony does him the courtesy of giving up an inch. This is his garage, damn it. No one makes Tony feel afraid in his own home.

Mystery Guy growls and there is a lethal coldness in his eyes that Tony doesn’t think a human should be able to portray.

“I was Steve’s best friend. And you’re going to find the people who killed him so that I can return the favor.”

Thoughts? 

#ReRe writes #An Unwise Murder Verse #Tony Stark #Bucky Barnes #WinterIron #Double-0-agent Bucky #Hacker Tony #Mechanic Tony #Tony has a peculiar way of making friends #Bucky's social skills leave something to be desired #to be fair he's had a rough day #betrayal #AU #fic

[anon-sloot]

HERO- Bakugo/OC

This is an oc/Bakugo (somewhat) slow burn fanfic. I hope y’all like it but I haven’t written on here yet so I’m a little nervous on how this’ll turn out😬 I hope y’all like it as much as I do tho💜

Also the word count is like 2,000+ish

Warning (s): cursing, slight mentions of underage breaking small laws, angst, possible blood, fluff, and smut(not till the later chapters though)

~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 1

I tugged down at the stupidly short green uniform skirt I’m forced to wear while I attend this dreadful school. Okay the school wasn’t entirely that bad, but it just wasn’t home. Looking down at the rest of the ensemble, I internally groan. Along with the hideous green skirt, I also had a white long sleeve button up with a grey blazer that had green stripes around the wrist, and a red tie that I was seriously considering on tightening to put me out of my misery. Giving up on the idea, I sighed, and slowly just made my way to my assigned class.

“1-C, 1-B, ah! Finally!” I whispered to myself under my breath as I finally stood in front of a large brown door that read ‘1-A’ on it, printed in large red block letters.

‘Lets just get this over with Korrie.’ I encouraged to myself, but it failed miserably. I don’t care about U.A., I don’t care about being in a new hero course, again, I just want to go back home to the states. Back to what I am used to, back to my friends and family. But I know that will never happen, not until the threat was eliminated. 

See, I am originally from the United States, and I’m from a powerful Pro-Hero family. My mother and father were tied for second place powerful. Their hero names are ‘Void Step’ (my father’s hero name, quirk- Teleportation) and ‘Sweet Speaker’ (mothers hero name, quirk- Persuasion). Thankfully Japan wasn’t one of those countries that kept up with most of U.S drama. That’s why I was sent here, apparently four of the biggest villain groups banned together with the ideals of wiping out all heroes, everywhere, who’s called ‘The Order of Fury’, and they are insanely dangerous. So dangerous that my parents had to send me here. They didn’t want me getting caught in the crossfire and possibly getting killed. I wasn’t skilled enough to help out so I’m continuing my schooling here until I get my certification of becoming a hero and then I’m taking the next plane out of this country and go help my parents. Well, they didn’t know of the last part. They think that I’m here to complete the three years at U.A. high, but I plan to book it back home after I get my license.

The door was suddenly opened, and there was a man, dressed in all black except for his scarf…ribbons? Well, whatever it was, it was wrapped around his neck, black hair coming down a little past his shoulders, and partially covering his face, but from what I could see, he had a scar underneath his right eye, speaking of, they looked very, very tired.

Standing my ground, not showing how much he scared me just now, I left my face blank before remembering the proper greetings in Japan. Bowing at the waist I greeted my teacher in a respectful manner after I came in the room.

“Sensei Aizawa. My name is Korrie, just Korrie. I am your new transfer student from the United States.” Straightening my back up, I eyed the teacher, completely ignoring the students. I wasn’t here to make friends. Like I said before, I was here to get my hero license. I needed to go back home. My parents needed me.

“No last name?” I shook my head in response, I mean of course I had a last name, it was Carter, but it wasn’t information for the class. The only people who knew my true identity were Principal Nezu and Recovery Girl. They are the only ones my parents trusted enough to tell. All I need is someone in Japan finding out who I really am and then come after me. So that means I have to lay low for a while.

“Well then class, welcome your new classmate. Since she has already introduced herself there’s no need for me to repeat it. You all have ears.” My eyes slightly widened at his laid back, almost tired behavior. When I was researching the schools in Japan, they were so formal and seemed so strict, but this wasn’t the case at all. I mean I have been to Japan numerous times just because I loved the culture so I knew a bit of Japanese and popular dishes, but I’ve never spent so much time here at once before.

When I finally turned to face the class I saw that there were suddenly twenty pairs of eyes on me. Well, I believe there were twenty. There was an invisible girl in the front of the class and so she could have been looking anywhere. But if we were going to be honest she was probably looking at me like all of the other students.

First, it was silent, then BOOM! Questions were being fired at me left and right.

“What kind of quirk do you have?” A green haired boy with curious filled green eyes with a notebook out and ready asked while his hand was still in the air, as if I were the teacher and I was going to call on him.

“Are you deaf? Why don’t you talk?” A kid with blond hair with a little black lightning strike going through it, asked me dumbly.

“Kaminari, she wouldn’t be able to talk if she was deaf you dumbass.” A deep voice caught my attention, the boy with said voice had blond spiky hair, red eyes, and a scowl that looks permanently etched onto his lips.

“What’s it like in the United States?” A sweet voice called out, taking my attention off the scowling boy, when I found the owner of the voice, she had short brown hair and big brown eyes that sparkled in awe. After about a minute more of this went on, and once they realized that I wasn’t going to talk, they started to simmer down, but apparently it wasn’t quick enough for Mr. Aizawa.

“Quiet!” He warned through clenched teeth. “You are all already giving me a migraine. Korrie, if you want to answer their questions you can, if not then there’s an open seat in the back for you, which means no more pestering her in class.” Mr. Aizawa meant that last part for the rest of the class. Nodding at him, I kept my head high as I walked to the back of the class, ignoring the classes stares. Mostly ignoring those intense red eyes as I passed his desk and sat directly behind him.

Like I said, I wasn’t here to make friends. And with that final thought, I listened for the rest of the lesson, and before I knew it, the bell rang signaling for lunch.

 ***************************************************************************

For lunch, instead of eating in the cafeteria, I grabbed my food and headed back outside and found a large sturdy tree to eat underneath.

“Finally, some piece and quiet.” I moaned out. Ignoring the food, I pulled out my pack of cigarettes and my lighter. Yea, I know, it’s not smart to be smoking on campus, but I started this nasty habit in middle school, and sadly it turned into a necessity.

Sticking the cancer stick between my lips, my eyes flicked around to make sure no one can see me, and when I decided the coast was clear, my thumb flicked down on the lighter producing a small flame. Dragging harshly on the butt of the cigarette, I pocketed the lighter, and left out a sigh as smoke left my lips. No shame, I can’t help it.

“You know you’re not supposed to have those things on campus. Or even off campus. Those are illegal to minors, dumbass.” An angry voice came out of nowhere, but I ignored them. They’ll go away eventually. They all do. So, I continued to lazily supply myself with some much deserved nicotine.

“HEY! I’m talking to you idiot!” Just then the blonde kid with the red eyes from my homeroom class was in front of me, his arms crossed and eyes narrowed, looking extremely pissed off.

“I. Don’t. Care.” I said, staring directly into his eyes as I go to take another hit. But before the little stub could reach my lips, he slapped it to the ground.

“I said, you’re not supposed to be smoking on fucking campus, America.” He was talking to me but all I could do was look at the burnt-out cig on the ground, and anger surged through my body. How dare he bother me, how dare he? We don’t even fucking know each other.

Slowly, I looked up from the ground, to the angry blonde-haired boy in front of me.

“Listen here, Japan, it look’s like we started off on the wrong foot,” standing up, while he stood his ground, still not saying a word, I held my hand out, facing his body, “my name is Korrie, and you are to never come near me again.” And with that, for the first time since I landed in Japan, I used my quirk. Feeling electricity shoot through my body, I imagined it as if it was part of me, and grabbing on to the boy in front of me, and slowly lifting him up.

“HEY! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? LET GO OF ME OR I’LL KILL YOU!” He screamed at me. Snorting in defiance, I pressed him up against the tree, an invisible force holding him hostage.

“It’s called ‘Telekinesis’, I basically and move/control things with my mind.” I said dully. He continued to scream profanities at me as I walked closer to him, but when I was standing right in front of him, he quieted down, seeing what I was doing. With my hand still out, as if I was the one holding him there, I got so close I could smell caramel and his minty breath as it wafted over my face, and looked at him straight in the eyes.

“I am not here to make friends, enemies, or anything in between. I am here to finish my schooling and get my heroes license. After that I’ll be out of here so fast it’ll make your head spin, so you stay away from me, I’ll stay away from you and we both will be happy. Good? Good.” I stated. Releasing my hold on him, I heard him drop to the ground. I grabbed by bag and started to walk away, completely forgetting to grab my lunch as well.

All of a sudden, my back heated up to an uncomfortable temperature.

“Fuck!” I cursed out in English. An explosion hit my back, but only enough power to knock me off my feet, not enough to actually cause me any harm.

Feeling my power kick in I was on sensory overload, my hearing, sight and smell all increased with the amount of adrenaline pumping through my body. On my hands and knees from the force, I took a deep breath to steady my breathing when I felt a presence behind me.

The smell of burning caramel assaulted my nose as I grabbed the hand that was coming for me with my mind, and twisted it behind the assailants back. Hearing the small grunt of discomfort, I knew I got the kid where I wanted them.

Standing up I turned around to be face to face with familiar vermillion eyes, and a deep frown on the boys lips.

“LISTEN HERE YOU FRIZZ BALL, YOU ARE GOING TO REGRET MESSING WITH ME YA HEAR!?” He shouted at me, little explosions going off at the palm of his hands. He looked like he could get out of my hold if he really wanted to by sending another blast my way and weakening my hold on him, but seeing how he doesn’t know the full extent of my power, he was smart enough to hold back.

“Or what? Are you going to tickle me again with those cute blasts of yours? Before you attack me, remember why you’re here; to be a hero. So start acting like one, stop yelling all the time and don’t attack- a poor girl.” I mocked the last part. “Oh, and another thing, the names Korrie, not ‘Frizz Ball’, don’t forget it. Okay blondie?” I warned. Releasing my him from my hold, I started to turn and walk away, thinking about how much training I needed to do so I can finally get out of here.

“You’re talking all this crap about why I’m here or whatever, but what about you huh? You come in here thinking that you own the damn fucking place, and if something doesn’t go your way you get pissed. I don’t know what type of damn hero you think you’re going to be but it’s not going to be a fucking good one if you keep going down this path.” I stopped dead in my tracks, barely moving a muscle, hardly breathing.

Striking me right in the heart, pain webbed its way through my body, and my throat felt like it was going to close up. My knee’s grew weak thinking about how my parents looked at me when I was boarding the plane to go to Japan. I didn’t want to go and neither did they, but they wanted to best for me and I knew in order for them to do their jobs correctly, I had to leave. I had to be safe. Because in order for them to not get hurt, I had to go because I was a liability in the end. I couldn’t help anyone. At least not in this situation. And that’s what hurt me the most.

“You don’t know anything.” I walked away with that vague statement still lingering in the air, not even turning around to look at the mystery boy who’s name I have yet to find out. I didn’t want him to see the shame in my eyes and the pain I was feeling right then.

#bnha #mha #boku no academia #my hero academia #oc x character #katsukibakugou #bakuou #aizawa shouta #izuku mydoria #principal nezu #bakugou fanfiction

[mirkwoodshewolf]

A Magical Christmas; Peter Parker x reader

Okay this was my first Peter Parker oneshot that I had thought back several months ago and yeah it’s another Christmas theme. Now this is Tom Holland’s spiderman and I’m sorry if you’d wanted this to be Garfield’s or Maguire’s spiderman. Anyways this is now a romantic oneshot so now child comforts for now except mentioned because well.............spoilers! I’ll just let you read on okay :) Again I do not OWN the Marvel characters, they belong to their respected owners and any other references belong to their respected owners/companies. Enjoy :)

________________________________________________________

“But I thought you said you’d be able to take a day off” I said through the phone.

‘I know but you know my new job’. I chuckled softly then continued solemnly.

“I just can’t believe I’ll be spending Christmas without you”.

‘I know sweetie, I hate it to, if I could I would reverse time and make Wong give me the day off’.

“I know you would, but he’d probably bust you even more and force you to work for all holidays”.

‘Probably. I’ve got to go now sweetheart. I love you, you know that right sweetheart?’

“I do god-papa. Bye”

‘Bye’. I hung up the phone and leaned up against my locker sighing sadly.  I can’t believe that my Godfather has to work on Christmas keeping the world safe. Christmas should be a time celebrating with family and friends, considering that God-papa Stephen is all I have of a family.

Wait I’m getting ahead of myself, my name is (y/n) Strange. Yeah you heard right, Stephen Strange the once known great neurosurgeon now self-titled hero Doctor Strange is my father, well god-father actually.  You see when he was still in medical school, he and my father met each other and were constantly being set up as partners for the professor’s display exams and with that the rest was history and they soon became the best of friends.

Even after graduating they still remained in touch and Stephen was even there for my dad’s wedding to my mom and my birth where he was named my Godfather.  But when I was only 7 years old, the hospital where my parents worked was soon taken hostage by some gunner and unfortunately my parents were caught in the crossfire and died instantly.

After that day, God-papa Stephen took full custody of me as it said in my parents’ will and I’ve been living with him for the last 9 years.  I was there for him when he had his accident and took on extra shifts at my café plus another job washing cars to help give him more money to invest in a cure and give him the flight to Nepal where he was trained with the Ancient One.

I flew with him to Nepal just to make sure he would be okay then just before I could schedule a flight back home, Mordor said that the Ancient one was actually wanting to speak to both of us so long story short I was involved in the fight with Kaecilius and trained minorly in the mystic arts but after God-papa Stephen won his battle with Kaecilius and Dormammu, I decided that I wanted to head back to the normal life of school but once I graduated I will help God-papa Stephen with protecting the universe from mystical threats.

So now here I am at Midtown High School as a junior living in an apartment of my own that’s not too far in fact from my—

“Guess who?” Hands covered my eyes and a voice whispered in my ear.  I giggled and removed his hands from my face and turned towards my best friend now boyfriend Peter Parker.

“Hey Pet”. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he said.

“What’s wrong babe? You look like Santa left you a lump of coal in your stocking”.

“Ha-ha very funny Spider-boy” I teased at him. He shushed me by placing his hand over my mouth and he said to me in a hushed “stern” voice.

“Why must you call me that?” He removed his hand from my mouth and I said.

“Because I can and I know how much it gets to you”. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and rocked me back and forth.

“But in all seriousness, what’s wrong?”

“My God-papa just called me and said he wouldn’t be able to make it for Christmas”.

“What? Aww man that’s too bad, I’m sorry babe”.

“It’s not your fault. But I wish his work wouldn’t interfere with Christmas. He’s all I got left and it’ll be awkward spending it with his girlfriend even though I love her to death”.

“Hey, I got an idea. Why don’t you celebrate Christmas with me and Aunt May?”

“What? No Peter I can’t do that, I—I couldn’t impose”.

“Nonsense, Aunt May loves you, and after it’s with family AND Friends that you spend Christmas with. I’m not gonna let my girl spend Christmas Home Alone”.

“Oh speaking of which, you wanna come over for a Home Alone marathon at my place?”

“Sure, I love that movie”.

“Who doesn’t?” I asked. I packed away my books into my backpack and the two of us left for my place.

One train ride and about 10 block walk later we reached my apartment and made it up to my room. Peter and I set my books down and Peter got the movie ready while I got the junk food and the hot chocolate.  Once everything was ready we sat on my loveseat cuddled close together and watched the first Home Alone.

When the part came on when Kevin put the tarantula on Marv’s face, I squirmed and cringed and said.

“God I always hated this part, even though it’s hilarious as hell it still is horrible”.

“Ehh, I used to be freaked out but now everytime I see a spider I say, ‘hey man, that’s my buddy’”.

“Yeah only you would say that Spiderman”. I shook out my shivers from my shoulders to my feet and cuddled into Peter when I suddenly felt something crawl along my neck.  I squirmed then lashed out my hand only to catch Peter’s hand in mine.  He laughed and I shoved him hard onto the arm of the loveseat exclaiming.

“That’s not funny!”

“It kinda was” he laughed out. I playfully pounded on him before now pinning his hands to his side and looking down at him.  “You forgive me?”

“Only because you’re the most adorable little puppy dog I’ve ever seen”. I leaned forward and kissed him before lying on top of him the two of us snuggling together as the movie finished up.

After finishing the second Home Alone movie it was starting to get dark and Peter had to get home before Aunt May freaked out on him.

“So I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 1?”

“Might as well, don’t have a choice do I?”

“No you don’t. I’d rather have you be with me than spend the holiday by yourself”.

“I know, and thanks Pete, you sure I won’t intrude on you and Aunt May?”

“Baby you’re practically family, in fact Aunt May sometimes has been pestering me that I better tell her that the girl I marry is you, if it’s someone else she’ll kill me”. I giggled and said.

“Yeah I am pretty cool”. Peter rolled his eyes then he leaned in and captured my lips with his.

“Don’t forget beautiful”.

“Okay Romeo, you better get home before Aunt May changes her opinion on me”. He kissed me one last time before firing a web to the next building and took off.  I shook my head smiling as I watched Peter disappear into the night.  I closed my window and locked it tight with bolts and magic and got ready for bed.

The next day, I prepared an overnight bag since Peter was going to make me stay until after Christmas which was still two days away.  Once I got packed, I heard a knock at my window and saw Peter but dressed in his Spiderman attire.  I unlocked my window and he said.

“Did someone order Handsome Hero airline?” I rolled my eyes and slowly moved Peter’s mask up to his nose and kissed him passionately.  I moaned softly and separated from him but kept my lips lingering on his and whispered seductively.

“Well handsome hero, mind removing the mask so I can see the man behind the Spider?” Peter then removed the mask and looked at me with those deep chocolate eyes of his.

“I swear you’re an enchantress. You’ve got me under your spell Elphaba” I chuckled at the nickname and said.

“Enchantress? Not quite, wicked? Sometimes”. I pecked his lips and he put the mask back on and said.

“You ready?” I nodded and we both now stood on my fire-escape with my bag and he said, “alright, hold on”.  He then fired his web shooters and we took off swinging towards his apartment.

When we reached his apartment and he got changed from his Spider-man suit into normal clothes then he came back out and we went inside his apartment the normal way through the door and Peter said as he unlocked his door.

“Aunt May, I brought (y/n)!”

“Hello (y/n)! Peter told me your godfather wasn’t able to come home for the holidays. I’m so sorry to hear that, but just know that you are welcome here anytime, especially on Christmas”.

“Thanks Aunt May”.

“Once you get settled in, how about helping me with the gingerbread house?”

“Oh yes!” I exclaimed as Peter took me to the guest room to get me set up and comfortable. “Oh Pet, guess what I just found out?”

“What?”

“The Public Library is having a Harry-Potter themed Yule Ball Christmas Eve at 9pm. You think we can go together?”

“Harry Potter? Uhh hell yeah! Do you know anything else about it?”

“I may have to double check but I think the attire was semi-formal and you have to make sure you have something representing what house you’re in on you like a scarf, necklace, bracelet, etc.”

“Awesome I can wear my Gryffindor patch”.

“Uhh hate to break it to you Peter but you’re a Hufflepuff”.

“What? No I’m Gryffindor 100%”

“You’re a Hufflepuff and you know it”. Peter then tackled me into the bed and began tickling me.

“Say it! Say that I’m a Gryffindor or the tickling continues!”

“Cahahahn’t say whahahaht isn’t truohohohohe!”

“Okay but you asked for it!” He then tickled me harder and more determined making me laugh louder which then made Aunt May cry out.

“Peter! (Y/n)! You two better not be rough-housing too much in there!” Peter stopped tickling me and he collapsed right next to me allowing me to catch my breath. He then held me close and kissed my forehead and said.

“Yeah let’s do it. I’ll ask Aunt May if it’s alright for us to go that night, you know how she is when it comes to Christmas”.

“That I do, oh I better go help her with the gingerbread house”. As I got up I was suddenly pulled back down and kissed. I giggled and said, “Thanks Peter, now really let go otherwise we’re gonna have cock-block May come in and think we were doing something naughty”.

“Yeah you’re right”. I pecked his cheek then left the room and headed into the kitchen to help Aunt May.

For the next couple of days, I was helping with final preparations for the Parker Christmas party with cooking the food, wrapping the presents, etc.  We had talked with Aunt May about the Yule ball on Christmas Even night and she said we could go but we had to be back by midnight (why is it always midnight?) then finally it was Christmas Eve.

The three of us had a small family sized Christmas dinner, we exchanged presents and sung a few Christmas carols (well mainly me while Aunt May played the piano and Peter just watched me with adoring eyes).  Once we were done, Peter and I got ready for the Yule Ball, I was wearing a (h/c) dress to symbolize my (HP/h) and after much, much, much, much, much, MUCH convincing, I got Peter to wear a Hufflepuff scarf just like Newt Scamander’s scarf and we managed to get a cab to drive us to the library.

Once we got there, we entered inside the library and were greeted by the same Christmas decorations they had in the movies when the Yule Ball was shown.

“Whoa” Peter and I stated in awe.  The beauty of the library all decorated and lit up just like an actual Yule Ball. Peter then got in front of me and held out his hand and said, “milady, would you allow me to take your coat and escort you to the dancefloor?”

“Why of course you may, such a gentleman Mr. Parker”. I take my coat off and Peter takes them to the closet and he comes back still with the Hufflepuff scarf around his neck and escorts me towards the dance floor.  He then comes in front of me and takes my left hand in his right hand, his other arm wrapped around my waist, my other hand wrapped around him and my head resting on his shoulder as the two of us began to slow dance.

“So glad you thought of this (y/n)”.

“Well thank you Peter, I thought we could use a fun time together just the two of us. And thanks again for allowing me to spend Christmas Eve with you and your Aunt”.

“Like I said (n/n) you’re practically family already, it was no problem or hassle what’s so ever”. We kissed each other before leaning against one another once again continuing our dance.

Suddenly I could swear from the second level of the library I saw the Cloak of Levitation. It waved at me like it wanted me to follow it before disappearing.

“(Y/n)?” Peter said as he stopped dancing.

“Pet I—I gotta go see something really quick”. I quickly ran out of the ballroom and headed to an empty portion of the library and used my magic to transport me up to the second level of the library.

I raced down the corridor to see the Cloak again waving and flying towards me.  It wrapped itself around me almost like it was hugging me and I smiled.

“Hey there Cloakie, what are you doing here?” It then unwrapped itself from me and gestured me to follow him. I chased after it until I reached an open part of the library and was greeted with a shocking surprise.

“If you think I’d let Wong keep me from spending Christmas with you, then you must not know me very well. I can’t tell whether you’re excited or shocked or—” I cried out as I embraced God-papa Stephen as tightly as I could.

“Oh my god….I can’t but how did—how did you convince Wong to let you go?”

“Let’s just say I promised him Beyoncé tickets to her next concert”. I chuckled and nuzzled into his chest and he wrapped his arms around me rocking me back and forth.

“I still can’t believe you’re here”.

“Sweetheart, it’s Christmas Eve, I couldn’t just leave you behind, the threats of the world can wait for one day, especially when that day is Christmas Eve”. He kissed my forehead and I leaned up against him smiling softly with tears of joy rolling down my face.

“Hey (y/n) you were gone for a while so I thought I would—” Peter soon came up and saw me and my god-papa together.  “Whoa, what? I—I-I—hey I’m—I’m—I’m Peter”.

“Ahh the young Spiderman am I right?” My god-papa said.

“Y-yeah. I—I gotta say it’s—it’s an honor to meet you Mr. Strange”.

“Doctor Strange Mr. Parker”.

“Oh boy” I muttered quietly as I face palmed softly.  After much awkwardness (mainly on Peter’s part) God-papa Stephen allowed Peter and I to head back to the party and then he would take us home after the party was over.

As Peter and I danced together, God-papa Stephen kept his eyes on me and now knowing that I was really growing up, he couldn’t help but allow a few tears fall from his eyes just to have the cloak of levitation wipe them away with the collar.  He thrashed his head trying to stop the cloak from Mothering him before finally snapping at it.

“Stop!”

#peter parker x reader #peter parker fanfiction #tom holland #doctor strange #christmas #stephen strange

[douglasacogan]

"Attorney General Sessions Delivers Remarks Calling for a Legislative Fix to the Armed Career Criminal Act"

The title of this post is the headline of this press release from the US Department of Justice today, and here are some of the comments that follow that focus on ACCA:

[B]ecause of a 2015 Supreme Court decision holding that the definition of violent felony was too vague — we are missing one of the most important law enforcement tools we had. The Johnson case is quite significant.

Regardless of the merits of the Court’s decision, the consequences have been devastating for Americans across the country.

This court decision led to the release of a man from right here in Little Rock. Eight months after he was released from prison, he was arrested for aggravated assault and domestic battery. A year after that he was arrested for kidnapping, rape, aggravated assault, battery, and terroristic threats. He is accused of raping a 62-year old woman and an autistic homeless man.

This court ruling also led to the release of a man who allegedly punched a pregnant woman at a nightclub in Forrest City. When police intervened, he allegedly assaulted three of them, cutting one of them on the forehead.

A man from Pine Bluff got his 15 year sentence cut in half. A year later, he got into an argument with a co-worker. According to the allegations against him, the co-worker turned around to walk away when the defendant sucker-punched him, broke his nose and eye sockets, chipped a tooth and busted his lip.

Two of these criminals I’ve talked about are now back in prison. They were let out of prison, reoffended, and now they’re back in prison.

But the consequences are not limited to Arkansas. This is a nationwide problem and it’s a cause for deep concern. In Utah, a career criminal released by this decision tortured and murdered two teenagers and then threw their bodies down a mineshaft. A released career criminal in California allegedly murdered his father, carjacked a vehicle and killed the driver. In Oregon, a released career criminal held a Subway sandwich shop hostage and then shot a police officer just 18 days after he was released.

Sadly, I could go on and on. So why did this happen? The Supreme Court struck down part of a law called the Armed Career Criminal Act. It had been on the books for 30 years and applied thousands of times.

This is the law that requires a minimum 15- year sentence for felons caught with a firearm after their third violent felony or serious drug trafficking conviction.

These are not the mythical “low-level, nonviolent drug offenders,” who we are always told are being excessively imprisoned. These are criminals who have already committed multiple serious offenses and then were caught with a gun.

This is no little matter. In 2016, the U.S. Sentencing Commission found that nearly seven out of ten career criminals reoffended after being released. Federal firearms offenders were found to be the most likely to be rearrested of any category. These criminals are both. They are career criminals and firearms offenders. I was a United States Attorney before the Armed Career Criminal Act — and I was United States Attorney afterward. I’ve seen its importance firsthand as we worked to reduce crime in America.

Nationwide, the Supreme Court’s decision has resulted in more than 1,400 violent career criminals back onto our streets — including 18 here in Arkansas. Nine of these Arkansas criminals have already been arrested again.

Six-hundred of those 1,400 criminals have been arrested again. It’s only been three years since the Court decision, but 42 percent have already reoffended.

On average, these 600 criminals have been arrested or reoffended three times in the last three years. A majority of those who have been out of prison for just two years have been arrested again. Releasing repeat offenders has consequences. Every crime committed by a recidivist released by this court case would not have happened. Every one of their victims would not have been victimized.

We must fix the law so violent career criminals are not let out of jail early. Their recidivism rate is staggering indeed, but let’s remember: this is still likely an underrepresentation of their illegal activity. Any law officer in this room will tell you that criminals rarely get caught on their first offense. We can only imagine how many crimes they have really committed and how many innocent people they have victimized.

Releasing hardened criminals into our communities before they serve their minimum term is not fair to crime victims. And it is not fair to law enforcement. You shouldn’t have to go into danger time and again to arrest the same people.

Congress and our legislatures need to help us and consider legislation that protects the public. We need Congress to fix the law so that we can keep violent career criminals off of our streets. That shouldn’t be controversial.

Fortunately, some Members of Congress are helping. My good friend Senator Cotton understands this issue. He is working on legislation that is intended to fix this problem for good — and I want to thank him for his outstanding leadership on criminal justice issues.

We should look for effective and proven ways to reduce recidivism, but we must also recognize that simply reducing sentences without reducing recidivism unfairly creates more victims.

I agree with Attorney General Sessions that we need a Johnson fix and more.  Reform to the Armed Career Criminal Act is long overdue (Justices Scalia and Alito have bemoaning ACCA problems and urged Congress to act for many, many years before Johnson).  Beyond just the vagueness problem Johnson addressed, there are deeper problems with the entire structure of the Armed Career Criminal Act, particularly its reliance on a severe mandatory minimum prison term (of 15 years) for the mere act of possessing a firearm or ammunition. Consequently, I do not think a mere Johnson fix to ACCA will be a fully sound or effective response to the genuine concerns flagged by AG Sessions.

In a future post, I hope to be able to discuss the specifics of Senator Tom Cotton's approach to fixing ACCA.  For now, I will just suggest it will be interesting to see if anyone in Congress will be willing to try to roll an ACCA fix into existing criminal justice reform proposals that are now seemingly languishing on the Hill.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8247011 http://sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/2018/08/attorney-general-sessions-delivers-remarks-calling-for-a-legislative-fix-to-the-armed-career-crimina.html via http://www.rssmix.com/

[benrleeusa]

"Attorney General Sessions Delivers Remarks Calling for a Legislative Fix to the Armed Career Criminal Act"

The title of this post is the headline of this press release from the US Department of Justice today, and here are some of the comments that follow that focus on ACCA:

[B]ecause of a 2015 Supreme Court decision holding that the definition of violent felony was too vague — we are missing one of the most important law enforcement tools we had. The Johnson case is quite significant.

Regardless of the merits of the Court’s decision, the consequences have been devastating for Americans across the country.

This court decision led to the release of a man from right here in Little Rock. Eight months after he was released from prison, he was arrested for aggravated assault and domestic battery. A year after that he was arrested for kidnapping, rape, aggravated assault, battery, and terroristic threats. He is accused of raping a 62-year old woman and an autistic homeless man.

This court ruling also led to the release of a man who allegedly punched a pregnant woman at a nightclub in Forrest City. When police intervened, he allegedly assaulted three of them, cutting one of them on the forehead.

A man from Pine Bluff got his 15 year sentence cut in half. A year later, he got into an argument with a co-worker. According to the allegations against him, the co-worker turned around to walk away when the defendant sucker-punched him, broke his nose and eye sockets, chipped a tooth and busted his lip.

Two of these criminals I’ve talked about are now back in prison. They were let out of prison, reoffended, and now they’re back in prison.

But the consequences are not limited to Arkansas. This is a nationwide problem and it’s a cause for deep concern. In Utah, a career criminal released by this decision tortured and murdered two teenagers and then threw their bodies down a mineshaft. A released career criminal in California allegedly murdered his father, carjacked a vehicle and killed the driver. In Oregon, a released career criminal held a Subway sandwich shop hostage and then shot a police officer just 18 days after he was released.

Sadly, I could go on and on. So why did this happen? The Supreme Court struck down part of a law called the Armed Career Criminal Act. It had been on the books for 30 years and applied thousands of times.

This is the law that requires a minimum 15- year sentence for felons caught with a firearm after their third violent felony or serious drug trafficking conviction.

These are not the mythical “low-level, nonviolent drug offenders,” who we are always told are being excessively imprisoned. These are criminals who have already committed multiple serious offenses and then were caught with a gun.

This is no little matter. In 2016, the U.S. Sentencing Commission found that nearly seven out of ten career criminals reoffended after being released. Federal firearms offenders were found to be the most likely to be rearrested of any category. These criminals are both. They are career criminals and firearms offenders. I was a United States Attorney before the Armed Career Criminal Act — and I was United States Attorney afterward. I’ve seen its importance firsthand as we worked to reduce crime in America.

Nationwide, the Supreme Court’s decision has resulted in more than 1,400 violent career criminals back onto our streets — including 18 here in Arkansas. Nine of these Arkansas criminals have already been arrested again.

Six-hundred of those 1,400 criminals have been arrested again. It’s only been three years since the Court decision, but 42 percent have already reoffended.

On average, these 600 criminals have been arrested or reoffended three times in the last three years. A majority of those who have been out of prison for just two years have been arrested again. Releasing repeat offenders has consequences. Every crime committed by a recidivist released by this court case would not have happened. Every one of their victims would not have been victimized.

We must fix the law so violent career criminals are not let out of jail early. Their recidivism rate is staggering indeed, but let’s remember: this is still likely an underrepresentation of their illegal activity. Any law officer in this room will tell you that criminals rarely get caught on their first offense. We can only imagine how many crimes they have really committed and how many innocent people they have victimized.

Releasing hardened criminals into our communities before they serve their minimum term is not fair to crime victims. And it is not fair to law enforcement. You shouldn’t have to go into danger time and again to arrest the same people.

Congress and our legislatures need to help us and consider legislation that protects the public. We need Congress to fix the law so that we can keep violent career criminals off of our streets. That shouldn’t be controversial.

Fortunately, some Members of Congress are helping. My good friend Senator Cotton understands this issue. He is working on legislation that is intended to fix this problem for good — and I want to thank him for his outstanding leadership on criminal justice issues.

We should look for effective and proven ways to reduce recidivism, but we must also recognize that simply reducing sentences without reducing recidivism unfairly creates more victims.

I agree with Attorney General Sessions that we need a Johnson fix and more.  Reform to the Armed Career Criminal Act is long overdue (Justices Scalia and Alito have bemoaning ACCA problems and urged Congress to act for many, many years before Johnson ).  Beyond just the vagueness problem Johnson addressed, there are deeper problems with the entire structure of the Armed Career Criminal Act, particularly its reliance on a severe mandatory minimum prison term (of 15 years) for the mere act of possessing a firearm or ammunition. Consequently, I do not think a mere Johnson fix to ACCA will be a fully sound or effective response to the genuine concerns flagged by AG Sessions.

In a future post, I hope to be able to discuss the specifics of Senator Tom Cotton's approach to fixing ACCA.  For now, I will just suggest it will be interesting to see if anyone in Congress will be willing to try to roll an ACCA fix into existing criminal justice reform proposals that are now seemingly languishing on the Hill.