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bastart13 · 3 years

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I’ve had a lot of fun recently coming with with female mercenary characters for TF2. I really liked where the concept art was going with making them all individual characters rather than simply “if the characters were women”

The design style is fantastic for distinct simplicity so I tried limiting myself to basic colours and shapes to make these

and I’m pretty confident they pass the silhouette test!

Character names/bios under the cut!

Heavy

Name: Marie Jarrett

Age: Mid 30s-40s

Height: 6’5

Nationality: American (Hawai’i)

Bio: Raised in Hawai’i, growing up she developed more and more drastic measures to fend off the tourists swarming her home. Land mines, electric gates, guard dogs, none could stop them for long until she picked up her trusty minigun to send her message. But even still, she hears the click of cameras in the night.

Eventually, she left her home to explore the world. Enthralled with the image of seeing different wonders across different countries, she’s always disappointed. She’s travelled every continent and still finds nothing that lives up to her expectations. No place, no person. She’s outgoing and open to new experiences, only she usually hates them.

Mercenary life is a great opportunity to earn money, see sights, meet new people and kill them after they don’t meet your expectations. She hates New Mexico and takes every opportunity to destroy the buildings and insult her employer’s tastes. She finds some people she tolerates within the mercenaries as she hasn’t yet visited where they live. However much she hides it, she has a deep, instinctual fear of the Engineer.

Soldier

Name: Linda Smith

Age: Early 40s

Height: 5’10

Nationality: Canadian

Bio: Canada’s perfect woman… or so she claims. The star of war propaganda posters and clearly decided for the role because of her great tactical assets. She’s there to motivate people into the fight. To spread the glory of Canada and inspire her allies. She believes she has higher orders than anyone else she’s working for (ignoring the fact she hasn’t heard from them for a good few years) and is determined to follow them to the letter. She may have lost the letter but she remembers it good enough.

She represents the ideals of Canada: polite, friendly, apologetic, and pacifistic. None of these are contradicted by how she throws around rockets. That’s not what Canada means. She’s superior to everyone around her and graciously educates them on how to improve through example. She loves her French and British allies and will kindly tell the Americans how to be better.

She’s motivating and actually fairly competent, it’s just that competency might be misdirected. She’s damn good at rocket jumping, shooting her shotgun, and supporting her team, it’s just that you really need to get it in her head when she’s meant to be doing it.

Scout

Name: Patricia “Pat” Herald

Age: 50s-60s

Height: 5’4

Nationality: English

Bio: In her years, Patricia has learnt fear… and she’s learnt to laugh in its face. She wakes up at the crack of dawn, ready to leave at the drop of a hat, boots polished and laced the night before. Her years have taught her that with a gun and Jeremy by her side, she can survive!

The postal route of Appleby-in-Westmorland.

She’s been chased by geese, dogs, cows, elderly ladies, and when her postal route had her delivering post during the war, she developed a taste for blood. Nothing will stop her from delivering her post on time. Every day before 6am, every postbox will have their letters and parcels. One chucked across barbed wire, another house jumped over a river, another house miles into the country with dogs on her heels, she WILL get there and she’ll get there FAST.

But after a couple of decades, she needs a change of scenery, and the Gravels wars are just the holiday she’s needed. With her trusty black and white cat by her side (ignoring the yowling and scratches) she reckons it’ll be great time to enjoy herself.

Quotes: “Oh, hello, Human Jeremy.”

“Bloody fucking Ethel! Building her house out in the country… surrounded by bloody hills and rivers!”

Pyro

Name: Nikephoros Papadopoulos

Age: Late 20s

Height: 5’11

Nationality: Greek

Bio: Survival of the fittest. Nature gives and nature taketh away. If you’re not prepared for that, well, Pyro is more than happy to teach you the lesson. They embody the old values of the Greek gods: f*ck or fire. She indulges her every whim and unfortunately for the people around her it often involves arson.

One year for the Olympic games, she was given the noble title of torchbearer. On complete coincidence, the Olympics shifted to primarily water sports. Underwater sprints became the hot new trend!

She’s merry and chatty, never missing the opportunity to talk to other people about herself and her world view. She can’t wait to spread her gospel to help other people improve themselves (though she always gets a laugh out of those who go out screaming in the flames). She can’t help it if she has a sadistic side.

Engineer

Name: Mikawo Kojima

Age: Early 20s

Height: 5’0

Nationality: Japanese

Bio: Japan’s early-rising industrial revolutions in technology are best exemplified in Mikawo, a young upstart determined to rise to the top, learning everything she can and building the best of the best. Unfortunately, she’s never been the most creative but when you happen upon other people’s blueprints and happen to construct them first, what does it matter who came up with the “concept”?

At first, she appears to be every bit the quiet and demure young woman people expect, only when silk hides steel, that steel is a massive automatic sentry gun. She’s motivated by a distinct contempt for the people who get in her way. Especially those who try to be better than her. She enjoys the flexibility of English, especially the cusses, and she has no reservations about swearing up a storm, even if she still refuses to give a straight rejection, preferring instead to give a small “I’ll think about it.”

Quotes: “This GUN is fair use on your head!”

Demo

Name: Qingzhao Zeng

Age: Late 40s

Height: 5’3

Nationality: Chinese

Bio: The Zeng family has a long-standing family trade in demolitions and explosives, traced down the line all the way to the Song dynasty. Luckily, Qingzhao has sisters so, you know, it’s not all that important. She doesn’t even have to stop smoking and drinking. She hasn’t blown herself up (that much) so clearly, it’s working. Precision is for other people to worry about. She’s apathetic to a T, having seen everything. Measurements come from the heart. A pinch of gunpowder there, a splash of paint there.

Her family has a deep-seated rivalry with the DeGroots. Long ago in ancient China, a Zeng matriarch woke up in a cold sweat, a message from the stars to let them know of their Scottish rivals. Due to being a continent away from each other, the families have actually met each other only a handful of times, but the hatred needs to be kept up because, what if?

Turns out, Qingzhao has met Tavish even before finding employment under the Mann brothers. One drunken night, the two of them had a short, whirlwind friendship, sharing secrets and declaring each other to be their best friends. Luckily for them, they both forgot the night, merrily hating each other as tradition dictates. However, headaches and flashes of this terrible night haunt them both. Could they really get over centuries of hate and become friends?

Absolutely not.

Sniper

Name: Ansa Aaltonen

Age: 27

Height: 6’2

Nationality: Finnish

Bio: Snow. Sugar. Cocaine. Her life is run by many white powders. Ansa is a professional sniper, with a sharp eye and a steady hand… when she isn’t also high as a kite, lost in the snowy wilderness of Finland and screeching to the sky. When you’re up in the dark and cold, you need something to give you a little pep in your step. It just so happens Ansa liked having a bit more pep than most.

She’s there for a THRILL. There’s nothing better to get your heart pumping at 200 beats per second than a good headshot, embracing the chill, and a hit of sugar. She no longer feels the cold or heat or even pain, shrugging it off until she collapses. It just makes her feel alive. She’s efficient, fast, and determined to get her kicks.

She has an unusual taste, living off fermented fish and tree bark. To most people around the Finnish wilderness, she’s nothing more than an urban legend, but she’s very real and she’s looking for some excitement, happily found in employment in the Gravel wars.

Spy

Name: Yvonne Pleshette [Real name N/A]

Age: 30s

Height: 5’8

Nationality: American (California)

Bio: The silver screen calls to his woman and she’s happy to answer. She trains herself to act in every possible role she can, having a wide range of accents, body languages, and backstories. To truly test herself, she gave up her identity long ago. Lately she’s been going by the name “Yvonne.”

The world of Hollywood is cutthroat and full of backstabbers so she learnt to cut throats and stab backs. While some people tell her the terms are metaphorical, nothing else has given her more roles. Living the mercenary life is simply gathering research for her roles (and earning some much-needed money in the process).

She presents herself as a classic film star, despite being a minor name at best, mostly because she’s always changing it. She has high standards but a cheapskate personality. She’s a bit of a bitch, happily criticising others, especially if they’re working with her. What can she say? She’s a diva.

[Slutshames other spy]

Quotes: “Ugh, actors these days, they know nothing about getting into character. They still have names.”

“’AHHHHH—’ Wait, no. Once more from the top. Scream in agony.”

Medic

Name: Susan Monks

Age: 30-40s

Height: 5’7

Nationality: American (New Jersey)

Bio: The American Healthcare system. Is there a more glorious sight? The exploitation of pain. The money. The debt. The fear it strikes into the entire population it’s designed to help. To Susan, there’s nothing better. She squeezes every last drop from the people she helps, working on a purely transactional lifestyle. She’ll never help someone unless she has all of their insurance information and the payment secure in her bank, and god forbid she ever accept help. It’s not like she can afford her own prices.

She’s very self-aware of her own corruption and proud of it, though she refuses to be exploited in the same way, suspicious of anything “free” but also doing her best not to pay for anything.

That said, she doesn’t much care for how good a job she does. In her eyes, asking for surgery is one thing. Asking for successful surgery is another. She has a variety of skills in both cosmetic and military medicine. She just wishes the license board would stop sending her “malpractice” letters. Ugh, stick to your own business. “Disappearing” all their messengers is becoming a pain.

Quotes: “Why get someone else to do something for you when you can scrounge a way to do it yourself?”

#team fortress 2 #team fortress #tf2 #fem tf2 #tf2 heavy #tf2 spy #tf2 scout #tf2 medic #tf2 sniper #tf2 engineer #tf2 soldier #tf2 demoman #tf2 pyro #character design #art #i'm very happy with how these turned out

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ariannjs · 5 years

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HAPPY | A SasuSaku Short FanFic (1/4)

For Day 4 (City Lights) of SasuSaku Month 2019 - @sasuxsakumonth

This fic was inspired by the Filipino celebrity pair/loveteam called “AlDub” (based from their screen names: Alden & Yaya Dub) or “MaiChard” (their real names: Maine Mendoza & Richard Faulkerson, Jr.). The plot and content have nothing to do with the said actors, but I based the idea for this fic from the themes of Maine’s two most controversial blog posts.

Rating: K+

Summary: The truth was loud and clear, that the combination of pink and green wasn’t meant to be with black and blue – both professionally and realistically.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and AlDub.

Warning: Get some tissues.

Enjoy reading!

...or not.

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[sakuraharunotes.com/official-blogs]

Hey, Blossoms! It’s been a while! I know I haven’t touched this blog since my open letter half a year ago, but I have important things to share with you – finally – as you read this.

First, I want to thank everyone who has been tweeting me or commenting on my posts to ask about how I am doing every now and then. I may not be able to reply but I’m really grateful to know that there are still some of you guys who care so much about me (despite the amount of fans-turned-to-bashers that came out since the last time I opened up through this blog).

To answer your queries – I’ve been very fine, really.

I’ve been a lot happier.

I’ve been a lot me.

It took some time, but when I posted that open letter about me feeling like I was losing myself within the whirlwind that is show business – because of all the overwhelming requests (demands) of our loveteam’s fandom – it helped me to be more genuine with myself.

For once, I’m living and working as I should, not as I’m told. And I’m doing things as Sakura, not as any other role.

So yes, I’ve been very fine even though you guys haven’t seen me much on social media. And I’ll always be grateful for all of you who have stayed, respecting me and caring for me as a person, and not just as a celebrity that you often see onscreen.

Second, I know there had been lots of speculations about this but I never answered yet because I know that there would be another uproar that could cause unnecessary hate to a special person in my life.

That’s what I want to avoid, honestly. I’ve already received tons of hate after I voiced out my thoughts through my open letter that eventually led to the needed separation of my former loveteam. And having a special person receiving hate as well – just because people prefer someone else as the one I should love – is something that I wouldn’t tolerate anymore.

But yes, I want the truth to come from me: I’m officially confirming that I’m happily dating Sasori Akasuna.

Since when? I’m not gonna tell.

How? I don’t think I’m required to divulge that.

Why? Wait a sec—are you kidding me? Cos my answer to that is: Why not?

Although I am deeply flattered with your love for me and my leading man for four years, I have already mentioned in my open letter that Sasuke and I are only friends and workmates in the industry. Up until now. And just because you’re supporting our loveteam, and you’re paying for our movies, or you’re managing fan accounts for us, doesn’t mean that you could dictate us about the matters of our hearts.

Even though we love you, we have our personal lives and individual decisions that need some respect too. After all, whatever you see onscreen doesn’t necessarily reflect our real lives.

So really, to ask me why I’m dating Sasori is as if you’re asking me why I’m making decisions for my own life.

To give you some sort of peace, Sasori makes me incredibly happy in ways I have never imagined. He cares for me even better than I care for myself. And my family adores him, probably even more than they adore me! Haha.

What I want to say is that (for my true supporters), you guys don’t have to worry if I have chosen the wrong guy. And (for my former supporters), I understand that there are things (or a person) that you think is the best for me but honestly, at the end of the day, the decision is still mine.

And now that the truth is out in the open, I truly can’t wait for everything else that is in store for us throughout this year. But what I can assure you all is this: I’m feeling a lot better than I’ve ever been since I’ve entered showbiz, and one of the reasons that contributed to this is my newly found freedom to finally be true to myself without being afraid of what people would say.

I hope all my fans would respect this.

So thank you, really. For sticking around. It really means a lot to me that you’re supporting not just the Sakura or other roles of me that you see onscreen, but also the real Sakura behind the scenes.

All the things that you’ve done for us as SasuSaku will always be a part of my sweetest memories. But I hope you would continue to support me, and Sasuke, despite going our separate endeavours as artists. I am pretty sure that he’s meant for greater things, even without me as his leading lady. And I can’t wait to see that from afar.

Til next time, Blossoms! Continue blooming where you’re planted!

— Sakura H.

He shut his macbook, albeit with a little more force, as his other hand pinched the bridge of his nose. He remembered reading another post from the same website months ago, and the way he felt after reading it wasn’t like this.

Back then, he felt proud of her. For standing up for herself in a world that tried to manipulate her just because she’s the best leading lady for Sasuke Uchiha, realizing that she has a life of her own and she wasn’t meant to please people even if the fans were basically the ones who made them the most sought-after loveteam of their generation. Amidst the sea of facade, she decided to choose to be real. That personality development that was vivid in her open letter posted six months prior was enough to make him so proud of her.

His head whipped around his bachelor pad, seeing black and blue here and there. His mind traced back to seeing a tinge of pink and green in this same place every once in a while, but as his gaze landed on his macbook once again, it hit him like a tsunami that seeing pink and green here will never happen again.

That’s why the feeling was different now.

The truth was loud and clear, that the combination of pink and green wasn’t meant to be with black and blue – both professionally and realistically.

A week after her open letter, they found themselves seated in front of their main manager, setting a new arrangement for the two of them so as to lessen the uproar of fans’ expectations on the world’s sensational loveteam SasuSaku – as their fans called them – with the projects that they were a part of.

The Music Show that they were hosting alongside another love team – NaruHina – had a drastic adjustment in terms of who would report on the field and in the studio. It wasn’t VJ Sasuke and VJ Sakura together in the studio or on the field anymore. But it was VJ Sasuke in the studio, and VJ Sakura on the field.

They also didn’t have commercials or magazine shoots together anymore, let alone movie projects even after their worldwide blockbuster hit movie entitled “The First,” which was ironically their last.

Although he was discreetly uncomfortable with the idea, considering the fact that this was totally new to their four-year status quo, Sasuke complied and adapted to the changes.

At first, he thought it was just the adjustments that made it difficult. But it suddenly dawned on him when he was offered a project with a new redhead leading lady that it wasn’t just about missing his old routines anymore.

He missed her.

Damn. He totally missed her.

There’s no more continuous chatter from his passenger seat on their way home after shoots.

No more pink strands on his shoulder during long flights.

No more lazy good mornings and good night hugs in their offsite tents.

No more Sakura.

It was on times that Sasuke was very worn out after coming from the gym or a commercial shoot that the reality of this sank further in his mind. Parked in front of his condo one night, he unconsciously glanced at his passenger seat and blinked as a blurred pink suddenly clouded his vision, or so he thought.

He drove her to her place like the usual, but tonight, he wasn’t able to stop himself from staring at her after turning off the engine of his car.

Gladly, she stared back as if it was the most normal thing to do at a time like that, which only urged him to slowly lean in, pausing slightly as if to ask her permission, before capturing her lips with his.

It wasn’t their first kiss. But it was their first without a number of cameras recording every angle of the contact.

And Sasuke liked it. He liked how slow and achingly beautiful the moment was, until they both pulled away, breathless and flushed.

A part of him wished this was how his every night ends and how his every morning starts. But for now, he could only continue to stare at those green pools that never failed to draw him in, whether it’s filmed or not.

As he lifted a hand to tuck a few strands of her hair behind her ear, she then chuckled. “That was one heck of a good practice for our next scene, huh?”

And just like that, he was suddenly out of his daze as if a blue electric current coursed through his veins.

“Thanks for the ride. Goodnight...Zeke.”

The next thing he knew, she was already out the door of his car, leaving him blinking once, twice, as his brain slowly processed what had happened. His hand then collided with the steering wheel. “Damn it!”

What he didn’t realize was that their little moment was quite similar to the one on their recent script.

Groaning, his face fell on his hands. Did she really think he was still on work mode?! He wasn’t being Zeke! He was being Sasuke!

That night, he went home without touching the said script even though he had some lines that he needed to memorize for the next day.

Just thinking about it now, he wished he didn’t become complacent. Heck, when he entered the show business he was already aware of the fact that nothing is constant in it. He had seen how the ones before him and even those that started alongside him didn’t really have careers that remained skyrocketing.

He was only one of the fortunate ones and it all began when an undeniable chemistry was seen between him and Sakura on a TV series that aired five years ago.

While he was still paired up with her, he realized he should’ve made the most out of the time they had. He should’ve told her that his feelings weren’t that of Landon’s, nor Zeke’s, nor Marq’s anymore.

Instead, his feelings were – are – of Sasuke’s.

But like what people always say, regret comes in the end.

And indeed, it came. Like a wildfire.

---

(Happy - PART 2)

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This was done weeks ago but I posted it days late for Day 4 because a lot of things had happened lately, hahahuhu. Let me know what you guys think! This is my very first SS angst so I’d love to know your feedback on my writing! <3

Check out my other works here! It you like what I do, kindly consider supporting me on ko-fi or patreon. I’m also saving up for a special post-birthday trip this November so your support would mean a lot to me!♥️

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June 2019 | AriannJS

#SasuSaku #SSM19 #SSM19D4 #SasuSaku angst #Happy Part 1 #ariannjfics #SasuSaku Month 2019

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iwritekpopthings · 5 years

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Dystopia (Ch. 11)

Characters: You, B.A.P, others Genre/ Warnings: sci-fi/ supernatural, slow burn romance Word Count: 1917

Himchan led the way through the shadows as the four men made their way through the city. Every now and then they had to pause as a patrol squad passed by. The night was pleasantly clear and they didn't have any trouble making it to the warehouse.

Youngjae was the first to notice the orange flag tied discreetly on a nearby fence. Their supplier had already been there and delivered what they needed. They relaxed slightly but were still keeping an eye out for danger. Himchan motioned for the group to follow him in as he quickly entered through a back door.

The medical supplies were set in bags, stacked neatly near a wall. As Jongup picked one up, he frowned. “Do these feel a little light to you?”

Everyone came over and opened the bags only to find about half the supplies they needed. “What the hell?” Daehyun sighed but began to put the bags into his backpack. They would take what they could get.

“That's really weird…” Youngjae felt on edge, glancing around. Suddenly he spotted the vague outline of a patrol robot in the corner. His heart practically stopped. Immediately after being noticed, the robot stood up. Floodlights from its shoulders illuminated the group, who all turned around quickly.

Himchan swore before pushing the boys behind some industrial crates. “We were set up.” He pulled his gun out as they heard the main doors open. Suddenly the crate in front of them exploded, sending all of them flying.

Daehyun and Youngjae hit the wall hard and slid to the ground. Jongup crashed against some boxes but managed to land on his back. He got up and brought his gun out. Aiming quickly, he began firing at the squad that was entering the warehouse. Himchan was doing the same as the other two began to gather the supplies they came for. Otherwise this whole trip would have been a waste.

The whole front wall of the building was abruptly blown to pieces, knocking them all back again.

A whole army was on the other side of the dust. “Damn, you weren't who I was expecting.” All four of the men froze, as did the robots as one walked forward. This one's midsection had a screen. Tera was pictured there, coming in through a live video feed.

While they were distracted, enemies were sneaking behind them. Daehyun was the first to notice but just as he turned to fight, metal pipes came down on his head. Daehyun lay unconscious on the floor as the other boys became aware of the danger. Jongup moved in quickly, knocking back several attackers. He moved smoothly and Himchan joined him while Youngjae pulled Daehyun off to the side.

Suddenly there was an attack from behind. A metal bar slammed down onto Jongup’s collarbone. He dropped to one knee, biting his lip against the pain. His attacker grabbed him from behind and Jongup couldn’t even resist without feeling searing pain. Himchan was apprehended in a similar way, though with a bit more of a struggle.

Finally, their enemies turned them toward the front of the building. Tera was smiling down at them, amused at their struggles.

Himchan looked up at the dictator’s robot. “Just who the hell were you expecting?”

“I've been looking for an old friend.”

“Well I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

Jongup continued to struggle. He had heard bits of your thoughts whenever the dictator was mentioned. He had a pretty good idea of who Tera was after and it made him all the more anxious to escape. The more he struggled, the tighter the person held onto him. He swore under his breath before looking up at the robot in front of him.

“I suppose you’ll make good hostages, though.” Tera smiled, tilting her head to the side. “But I need at least one of you to scurry back and relay the news to my dear friend.” Two robots came and picked up Jongup and the unconscious Daehyun. “You might want to hurry. If they don’t meet me within 24 hours, I’ll have these two killed.” Her sickening cat-like smile made all of the men shiver.

Himchan looked at the two still held captive as he tried to come up with a solution. “We’ll be back for you.” With that, he and Youngjae turned and sprinted away.

“Wow, what a great leader. Just leaving his men behind like that.” Tera clicked her tongue, a smile still on her lips.

“Himchan doesn’t break his promises. He’ll be back for us.” Jongup leveled a glare at the dictator’s screen in front of him.

“Yeah, yeah, well in the meantime, I have a lovely little anti-Skill cell for you two to stay in.” With that, her robot turned away and started to walk back to her skyscraper castle. Jongup looked over at Daehyun in worry but otherwise decided to be silent as he was roughly dragged along.

******

You knelt on the floor, shaking as your head ran through all of the possibilities of what could be happening out there right now. Junhong was next to you, asking questions, but you couldn’t hear him over the loud thoughts in your head.

Suddenly the door burst open and Himchan and Youngjae ran inside. They slammed the door shut behind them, breathing heavily. As they turned to look at the others in the room, you were sure that your worst thoughts would be confirmed.

“It was a setup.” Himchan said, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

“No way…” Junhong stood up, his eyes wide.

Youngjae nodded, falling into a chair with his head in his hands. “Tera’s army showed up and practically blew the warehouse apart. She said she was looking for her ‘old friend’ but ended up taking Jongup and Daehyun hostage.” Tears pricked your eyes as you put all the pieces together.

Himchan was looking at you when he spoke next. “She said that if her ‘friend’ doesn’t show up within 24 hours, she’ll kill both of them.”

Your eyes widened and you stood up dizzily. “I have to go.”

“What does this have to do with you?” Yongguk asked, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned against the wall.

You balled your hands into fists. “I don’t have to tell you-”

Sae touched your shoulder. “It’s better if you just tell them. Then we can help you and ensure everyone’s safety.”

You sighed, but agreed, deciding that it would be best to at least give them the highlight of your story with Tera...

Mr. Kim lay on the ground, dragging himself backwards as you advanced on the President. You were shaking. The blood of the others was splattered across your body. You trembled as you leveled your gun at his head. You wanted to stop, to just get out of here and forget everything. You weren’t being you. She was controlling you again.

“Please, put the gun down. We can talk this out.” The man on the floor begged.

You used both shaking hands to try to get the gun down, but it wouldn’t budge. The stress of the day and the situation caught up with you and tears began to stream down your face. “Mr. Kim… I’m.. I’m so sorry.” You closed your eyes tightly and the gun fired.

***

You dragged your body up the stairs, taking care to not further injure yourself. You knew there were probably a few broken ribs and sprains. The cut into your shoulder was still steadily bleeding but there was nothing you could do at this point.

Finally, you made it to the main office where Tera was looking out the shattered windows behind the President’s desk. She didn’t seem injured at all besides a few scrapes. She wasn’t covered in the blood of her enemies like you were. She wasn’t in a state of shock like you were.

“Oh, you survived. Excellent.” Tera turned to look at you. She made no mention of your state; she didn’t even care. “We need to focus on our next step. There’s likely going to be some rebels that try to challenge my authority-”

“Your authority??” You leaned against the desk.

She raised her eyebrows. “Yes, my authority. Do you have a problem with that?”

“I have a few problems, yeah!” You realized that she had just used you as a weapon to get to the top; to keep herself clean. Once you had killed the President, her control over you was removed and you had slowly become even more aware of your situation.

Tera’s eyes shifted to the red of Truth. Her defenses were going up. “We can address your issues later. Or will that be a problem, too?” You felt the familiar tingling going through your body as she used her powers against you.

“I thought we were friends.” You said, fighting against her Skill. You clenched your fists on the table.

“We are. And friends help each other.” Her menacing tone was setting you on edge. Her eyes changed to orange as she used both Truth and Trick on you. The tingling became sharper as you fought against it. She was going to control you again, you just knew it. Your heart rate accelerated and adrenaline coursed through you.

“You won’t control me anymore, Tera.” You could feel a change come over you as your whole vision turned purple. You Slipped out of her control, turned, and ran. Her livid expression terrified you and encouraged you to move that much faster, despite your injuries.

You heard her scream in frustration and bullets flew past you, hitting the door frame just as you ran through it.

You sighed. “So I helped. I didn’t want to. I thought I was safe because we were friends, but I was wrong; I was coerced by her Skills. She has both Truth and Trick, and when she uses them together she can make you do practically anything.” Your heart pounded, fearing the judgement that the group in front of you was likely thinking at the moment. You averted your eyes and kept going. “Anyway, That was when I learned how to Slip out of Skills. She tried to control me again, but I Slipped away. I ran away. I’ve been on the run ever since.”

It was silent for a few moments before Yongguk pushed away from the wall. “Well I guess we better go find her.” He gave you a nod and left to get ready. The air was heavy and you couldn’t bring yourself to look up at them.

Youngjae stood up and came over to you. He took your hand in one of his and shook it a little. “It wasn’t your fault-” You gave a shaky half-laugh, “I’m not done yet. It wasn’t your fault, but this is your chance to redeem yourself. Get back at her. She betrayed you. She wants you dead. The friend she used to be is long gone.”

You had tears in your eyes as you finally looked up and met his gaze. You nodded slowly. “You’re right…” He smiled at you, squeezing your hand in reassurance.

Junhong came up on your other side. “Do you know the capitol building’s layout, then?” He asked, holding your other hand.

You nodded again. “Yes. And with Youngjae’s help, we should be able to to get to the boys fairly quickly.” Youngjae nodded in agreement and the three of you took a deep breath. “Alright, let’s do this.”

★☆★☆★☆

#baplibrary #kpop fanfic #moon jongup x you #b.a.p #slow burn #romance is secondary to the plot #lol #'Dystopia' story tag #things are happening :o

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theliterateape · 4 years

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What A Ride

By J. L. Thurston

We are all just playing chess. On a roller coaster. In a hurricane. I don’t know what your plan is, but I want to enjoy as much of the ride as possible. Even if I lose a few pieces off the chess board, I guess it doesn’t matter as long as I can use my brain.

My roller coaster ride started with me believing I knew the direction I was headed. But with one sharp turn, I knew that I could do little more than see where this ride was taking me. It was a little scary, of course, what roller coaster isn’t?

I believed I was going to Hollywood. I believed I was going to act and write in the film industry. I probably could have, but maybe I lost a few chess pieces and it all fell through. I let myself get pulled away, and at first that was a huge bummer. But now, I see that was really okay. My roller coaster ride does not end with my name in the credits on the big screen. Instead, it took me somewhere I never thought I’d be. Somewhere I had wanted to actively avoid most of my life.

Healthcare (dun-dun-duuuun!).

Yep. I was your basic Midwestern girl, working as a CNA in a nursing home. I took care of the elderly. In return, I had nearly every bodily fluid flung upon me, I was bit and scratched, I abused my body to keep their frail and ancient ones safe, and I was rewarded with pennies. I wanted the ride to end, but it took a turn deeper into the medical field.

I like science. Science is something I’ve always enjoyed. I thought, if I was going to work in this damned pit known as healthcare I would at least do something that interested me. I moved a chess piece, earned a degree, and began my career as a Radiologic Technologist. It was something I could be proud of doing, and a good conversation starter.

I don’t know what happened, but I realized I wasn’t enjoying my roller coaster ride. What was I doing wrong? I was playing the game, I was feeling the hurricane, but what was I missing? What control did I have over this crazy ride?

I took the plunge. I gulped in a big breath, and I dove. I feel like I’m jumping out of this roller coaster and trying to land on a different one while it’s moving. I think I might lose more chess pieces than I can play with. I also hope that I might gain more in the fall.

I’m on the verge of earning another degree. This one is in teaching. Teaching science, of course. I’m a writer, right down to the core, but writing doesn’t pay the bills. I thought the roller coaster would dictate where I go in life, and it can if I let it, but if I’m going to write for fun I at least deserve to enjoy what I do for money.

When I began my X-ray career, the first thing a technologist said to me when I began my clinicals was, “Are you ready for hell?”

My first day in a classroom as an observing student teacher, my host teacher said to me, “This is the best job in the world.”

My roller coaster ride is a rocky one. I think it’s probably made of wood, so I have to expect the harsh bumps and jerks. But I’m not going to just ride it out and wait for it to end. I’m going to lift my hands up and fly.

#Roller coaster #Life #Chess #Hurricane #Non-fiction #J. L. Thurston

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heatherrdavis1 · 4 years

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Bitcoin #1 Asset of 2020 But There is ONE HUGE PROBLEM

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Today in crypto, bitcoin is the number one performing asset of 2020, but it has a huge problem that it needs to overcome. There are massive forces at work right now on the global economy that could spell big, big trouble for Bitcoin. The crypto lark. This is where you subscribe for all of the hottest and all of the latest happenings out here in the wild, wildlands of crypto. Also, if you are new to crypto and you still need help figuring out all of the basics, then I have got you covered. I made a course to walk you through all of the basics, like how to spend, how to mine, how to store, how to buy bitcoin. All of that stuff with confidence as well as top tips and resources for you to succeed in your investing journey. There is a link down below where you can learn more. So before we look at the charts, just a quick reality check for you about the global economy right now, the economic effects of this current crisis. They are severe and they are growing rapidly worse. More than 30 million people are now unemployed in the United States, which is nearly 20 percent of the U.S. workforce. There are estimates that up to 47 million people could be unemployed by the time the dust settles, giving a thirty-two percent unemployment rate. That’s just the United States as a quick reminder to the Great Depression. That was a 25 percent unemployment rate. Gives you some perspective on the current crisis. And, of course, it goes far beyond the USA. The United Nations now estimates that up to half the world’s workforce could be affected by this crisis. So of the total global working population of three-point three billion people, about two billion people work in the informal economy. Often those are short term contract jobs or simply people who are self-employed, selling things in the street or whatever it might be. These people, on average, have suffered a 60 percent collapse in their wages in just the first month of the crisis. For millions of workers, no income. It means no food, no security. No future. The World Food Program is predicting that an additional hundred and thirty million people around the world could be pushed to the brink of starvation by the end of 2020. And they also say that the world is on the brink of a hunger pandemic. It’s the real pandemic, guys. And look, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. But. I think it sets the tone for the conversation about the damage that is being done right now to the global economy. You see, while this global economic meltdown continues, there is this little orange coin called bitcoin that has once again claimed the title of the best asset of the year. Now, let’s take a quick look at some key markets here just to understand what I mean when I’m talking about this. The Dow Jones is down by 20 percent so far this year. The S&P 500 is down 15 percent. This is trillions of dollars. The value here we’re talking the price of oil is down fifty-eight percent. And some individual companies, they have seen drops of like 80 percent. It’s wild gold, however, is up nearly 12 percent. And then there is Bitcoin. Oh, Bitcoin. Not only has it recovered from the masses massive losses of March, but it’s actually up a nice, cool 25 percent since the start of this year. You see, this tells us a few very, very interesting things. One is that, yes, of course, the equity markets are getting hammered beyond belief. And in spite of the bounce that we have seen in those markets, I strongly doubt that the pain is over for the equity markets. I mean, seriously, just thought about this for a second. Do you honestly think that hundreds of millions of people to billions of people being unemployed globally? Are a billion and a half people losing just everything, potentially complete supply chain meltdown and a hundred and thirty million people potentially being in starvation this year? Do you think that’s completely priced into the market yet? I don’t think things will get way worse for the equity markets and the other thing that we can learn from looking at these charts is that during these times of uncertainty, investors want a way out. They want to wait to protect their wealth. They want gold. They want bitcoin. They want cash. Gold is gold. It’s not Sopoaga. There’s video cash. That’s a tricky one. See, short term cash is okay. A long term. Oh, what a frickin mess. Fiat is just bar. The only thing that has kept the equity markets from an even bigger collapse, though, has been this unlimited fountain of money promised by central bank spending so far is around 20 trillion dollars. It’s hard to keep track. What they keep adding another trillion here. A hundred billion. They’re 200 billion. They’re it’s wild. This is a combination of factors that they’re doing here. So it’s new money printing. It’s providing insane amounts of liquidity to Wall Street. It’s taking on new debt. It’s buying up junk bonds, infinite bailouts for every industry under the sun. But there remains a very, very real risk that all of that will not stop the equity markets from dropping even much further. Like Great Depression levels of bad economic drops. And if so? Well, what about Bitcoin? What happened to Bitcoin? A situation you see right now, the equity markets. They are our big problem because historically, Bitcoin is actually showing a very low level of correlation to the S&P 500. But this chart that I have here on the screen right now. Now, this chart, by the way, assumes that a score of one is a perfect correlation to the S&P 500. You can see for most of Bitcoin’s history, it has had a very low-level correlation to the S&P 500. However, this recent crash has seen that correlation spike up to zero point six, which is dangerously close to being fully correlated with the stock markets, which is a very big problem for Bitcoin right now. So just why has Bitcoin, Ben, so closely correlated to the markets over the last six weeks? Well, Bitcoin is still considered to be a risk asset, meaning that in a liquidity crunch kind of situation like we have been seeing, where big investors, they start getting margin calls and everyone is in big need of cash. Bitcoin will be one of the first things that dropped by these guys. Those same institutional investors and the Wall Street guys in the family offices, those people, they have been surely and slowly creeping into Bitcoin over the last two years. And guess who are the first ones to drop it? Those same players, because they have lots of exposure to different markets and that exposure creeps over into Bitcoin and they drop it in times of trouble. Those people are back. In fact, some of them already are buying back in or have already bought back in the increased Wall Street ization of Bitcoin. It has made it a victim of these wider market moves. Bitcoin needs to be in the hands of regular people, not in the hands of hedge fund managers, man. But what leads me to think that we will actually see Bitcoin move back to those lower levels of correlation and to increasingly act as a systemic hedge. Is that Fiat is slowly but surely falling apart. The scam is unfolding and people are waking up to this reality. What I found to be incredibly curt, encouraging with this recent rally is that immediately after the big crash in Bitcoin, we saw a big wave of new retail buyers showing up. New registrations on exchanges went up and lots of people were getting Bitcoin taken off the exchanges, as evidenced by new addresses as well. Now, sir, some of us, because the having hype, but I think a lot more of it is because people are realizing what Bitcoin is, that it is and has always been a hedge against the insanity of Fiat. Sure, Bitcoin doesn’t have the multi thousand-year history of gold backing it up, but more and more people are waking up to the absolute depravities of the central banking system. Trust in that system is eroding quickly. That goes to 2008. They’ve come back to haunt us once again. And looking at the current situation, if you look at all this and think, wow, this is all cool and normal, you’re crazy, you’re crazy. Trillions of new money, everything too big to fail. Biggest corporate bailouts in history. Mad Men are in charge of the economy and it won’t end well. They won’t end well for any of these fiat currencies. I mean, seriously, how many times do we need to see people standing in lines waiting for a little scrap from their bank to realize that no fiat currency? It’s safe. It’s happened in Zimbabwe. It’s happened in Lebanon has happened in Argentina. It’s happened places all over the world. Your Fiat is not safe. This crisis should be a wakeup call to people. Fiat is one giant gosh darn scam. Infinite money will be printed to save corporate profits, to save the stock markets, to bail out banks. Consequences are damned. And there are consequences. Of course, very little of that money actually goes to help regular people. The more the banks print, the less your dollars are worth until you find herself one day with a garbage bag stuffed full of paper trying to buy a loaf of bread. It has happened before the nice, well-meaning people all over the world, and it will happen again. But is not intended to be a doom and gloom video. So please don’t understand it like that. This is a video about hope. My friends, because things are changing slowly but surely. Every time the central banks print money, bitcoin becomes just a little bit stronger. But to really complete this changeover of getting Bitcoin to break away from its correlation with the stock markets, not just for a few days, but I’m talking over a period of months and years leading forward, we need to see Bitcoin in the hands of people. If you only focus on the day to day, then it’s really easy to get distracted by all the noise out there in crypto land. And look, Bitcoin will do this breakaway moment. It’s just a matter of time. A short term trend will not dictate the long term future of Bitcoin. Look where Bitcoin is going. Bitcoin is a unique asset with fundamental properties that make it just the tip of the spear of a whole new digital economy that is being created without these disgusting middlemen. Well, gold was the hard money of the physical economy. Bitcoin is the gold of the digital economy. The fact that Bitcoin is up 25 percent since the start of the year with all the equity markets are down. Shows you. A lot. Sure, those markets are getting crushed, but Bitcoin just soaring above all of it, even if the correlation does remain high. Look, even a few percent of your portfolio put in Bitcoin. It can be game-changing for you. The real risk is not having any Bitcoin. Not many understand this yet, but you do anyway. Just my two sido. She’s your question for today. Do you think that Bitcoin will break away from its high level of cooperation with the equity markets anytime soon and really finally start acting? Is that systemic hedge of promise or do you think that a wider economic downturn will take Bitcoin right down with it? Maybe it’s just too early for Bitcoin to be the big hedge against Fiat and all that stuff. Or perhaps you are more optimistic about the overall recovery of the global economy. And all this is just the bump on the way to the moon. The equity markets, we find Bitcoin, we find to the moon, baby to the moon. Let me know down below in the comments section. Thank you so much for watching today’s video. As always, you are frickin awesome. Thank you so much tune in and watching today’s video. And of course, if you did appreciate this content, whack that thumbs up. But Mazzilli appreciates. Make sure to subscribe to the channel. If you’re a new round here. Long live the blockchain bend. He’s out. So next time.

Via https://www.cryptosharks.net/bitcoin-asset-one-huge-problem/

source https://cryptosharks.weebly.com/blog/bitcoin-1-asset-of-2020-but-there-is-one-huge-problem

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scottmapess · 4 years

Text

Bitcoin #1 Asset of 2020 – But There is ONE HUGE PROBLEM

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

source https://www.cryptosharks.net/bitcoin-asset-one-huge-problem/ source https://cryptosharks1.blogspot.com/2020/05/bitcoin-1-asset-of-2020-but-there-is.html

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jeffrmayhugh · 4 years

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Bitcoin #1 Asset of 2020 – But There is ONE HUGE PROBLEM

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

source https://www.cryptosharks.net/bitcoin-asset-one-huge-problem/ source https://cryptosharks1.tumblr.com/post/617462971682226176

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cryptosharks1 · 4 years

Text

Bitcoin #1 Asset of 2020 – But There is ONE HUGE PROBLEM

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

source https://www.cryptosharks.net/bitcoin-asset-one-huge-problem/

0 notes