#there used to be six but one of them left after their leader announced that they were all doomed and took his clan to where the future 4 of | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

triviallytrue · 1 year

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Were there Russian Chaos Agents on tumblr in 2016?

First things first:

Things I got wrong in earlier posts on this:

@ms-disinformation didn't identify these accounts ahead of time, this blog started posting in 2019 and is focused on accounts that are likely to be bot-run

Relatedly, the accounts accused of being Russian state actors were accused of being trolls, not bots - they were almost undoubtedly human-run

Tumblr didn't announce the mass ban of these accounts until several months after they did it - they banned the accounts in fall of 2017 and announced them in March 2018.

What actually happened?

The Internet Research Agency is a Russian company accused of creating fake social media accounts to attempt to influence the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump. On March 23, 2018, tumblr posted a list of accounts they claimed were linked to the IRA that they had terminated the previous fall. On November 16, 2018, they posted a second list of accounts given to them by law enforcement of other IRA-related accounts (unrelated to any election interference) that were also terminated.

How did tumblr identify these accounts?

tumblr has been extremely vague about the methodology used to find these accounts, but we do have another source: the Buzzfeed News journalist who wrote about the termination of these accounts back on February 6, 2018 (over a month before tumblr's post) identified them by cross-referencing tumblr accounts with twitter's list of IRA-affiliated accounts, finding similar or identical usernames and profile pictures.

Unfortunately, this only kicks the can further down the road - how did twitter identify these accounts? These sites don't want to reveal their methods, but this study offers some insights into the behavior of these accounts and possible tools used to identify them.

Why should we believe tumblr's narrative?

There are a lot of reasons I'm convinced that tumblr is being honest with us about this, the simplest of which is that they don't have a good reason to lie about this. tumblr nukes accounts all the time without disclosing its reasons - if they wanted to get rid of an arbitrary list of accounts they dislike, they could do that and none of us would know. They deleted these accounts months before posting any explanation at all, and the only backlash they received was in articles like the Buzzfeed News article above slamming them for not talking about the Russian troll problem, instead of accusing them of terminating activists.

It's also not like this is some tactic that tumblr has employed frequently - the list of IRA-affiliated accounts has been untouched since 2018. This was a once-off, not part of any organized strategy to suppress certain types of posters.

Moreover, tumblr users with similar post content were left untouched, including many that reblogged heavily from the IRA accounts - the Buzzfeed News article identifies one such blog (alwaysbewoke) who posted more or less the same type of antiracist, pro-Sanders activism (albeit without the eventual support for Trump) who wasn't deactivated.

It's also worth noting that the IRA is a real company and not a US boogeyman (even if some subsection of liberals use the phrase "Russian bot" as such) - recently, the leader of the Wagner group came forward and confirmed that he founded it and still finances and runs it, and he's relatively direct about the fact that it was used to interfere in US elections:

“Gentlemen, we interfered, we interfere and we will interfere,” Prigozhin said in November, one day before the US midterm elections.

Finally, and most convincingly in my opinion, no one behind any of the over a hundred accounts on the tumblr IRA list or the thousands on the twitter one have come forward in the past six years to claim that they were wrongfully associated with the IRA and banned as a result.

Isn't that fascinating? Can you imagine what a story it would be, if social media sites were not only terminating activists but lying about why they were doing it? Do you think that not a single one of these hundreds of alleged activists thought of calling a sympathetic journalist, showing them their US driver's license, and asking them to a run a story? What about messaging their old mutuals, or making a new account, or finding a federated platform that won't delete them on sight? I can't find a shred of evidence that any of this ever happened, and that's pretty telling.

The funny part is, there's no real evidence that these accounts ever achieved anything, and indeed, reasons to doubt that they did. They operated in preexisting echo chambers and circulated mostly true stories with a specific slant to them, with the occasional dash of outright lies. Certainly, it's hard to argue that they were less reliable or more biased than your average Fox News article. But arguing that they weren't Russian propaganda seems pretty difficult.

#long #have an effortpost

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frenchkisstheabyss · 9 months

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7 Psychopaths: Yeonjun

x Summary: You are X, a seasoned assassin, and your boss has just assigned you an unusual task. You have two weeks to gather six men for a top-secret mission that requires their unique brand of psychopathy. The trick is, you've got romantic history with all of them.

A detail that might make this a walk in the park or the fight of your life. Time to find out...

x Pairing: assassin!yeonjun x assassin!chubby!fem!reader

x Genre: angst/crime au/smut

x Word Count: 2.1k

x Warnings: violence, blood, knives, guns, general criminal activity, oral sex (f receiving), unprotected sex, strong language (naturally), a smidge of rough sex but nothing crazy, misogynists and xenophobes get their karma quite painfully

x A/N: This is #1 in a series of 6 stories featuring members of TXT/ATEEZ/Stray Kids. They all follow the same theme and can be read chronologically or you can jump around. I support the chaos.

| | Next Psychopath: Lee Know | |

This? This is bullshit.

You should be sitting first class on that bullet train to Kyoto right now, sipping tea as you watch the bustling streets of Tokyo fade into a blur of neon light. Instead, your ticket is ripped to shreds at the bottom of a gutter two countries over and you’re slumming it in the back alleys of Nowhere. With the exception of a few flickering streetlights ahead of you, it’s almost too dark to cast a shadow out here. “Too dark,” insists one of the drunken assholes trailing behind you, “For a pretty little thing like you to be out here all alone.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you count five of them. The ring leader, let’s call him Red Shirt, has enough liquid courage in him to lead the pack in announcing every filthy thing they’d do with you if you let them. You roll your eyes, pushing forward to your destination, dying to escape them and the unpleasant stench that the mugginess after tonight’s rainstorm has left lingering in the air. “She’s not listening to us,” teases Black Jacket, “Maybe she thinks she’s too good for you.”

The childhood trauma of rejection at the hands of an unloving mother flips a switch inside of Red Shirt that he’d know was there if he’d gone to therapy like his ex suggested and he’s charging towards you in seconds. Shoving your hands in the pockets of your long leather jacket, you take a deep breath, bracing yourself for a confrontation that you aren’t even kind of in the mood for. There are much bigger things to worry about tonight. Much more pressing issues than Red Shirt and his band of sexually insecure misfits.

You reach the edge of the alley, almost clear of the group, when a hand slams down on your shoulder squeezing tightly enough to leave a bruise. “I know you hear me talking to you! Do you know what we do to girls like you around here?” Red Shirt hisses, venom dripping from his words. Grasping the handles of the switchblades in your pockets, you whip around, unfolding them at the speed of light and burying them in his shoulders. The flesh squishes like raw meat on a butcher's slab. You love to hear it.

Red Shirt drops to his knees, deep burgundy blood soaking through his shirt and dripping down his shoulders. The scream of anguish he lets out is enough to split the earth in two. The other four stumble back, the shock of their leader groveling in pain for likely the first time ever enough to make them want to shit themselves. You stare down at him, your eyes cold and void of any sympathy, “You know what I do to guys like you?” Twisting the blades, one of them knicks bone, making him whine like a wounded animal.

“Do you want me to show you?” you ask, smiling warmly, “Or are you gonna gather your friends and get the fuck away from me before I make sure you never use these arms again?” There’s an attempt at speaking. A croak, drowned out by the waterfall of tears rushing down his cheeks. “What’s that? I can’t quite hear you.”

“Leave. We. Leave” he manages.

It’s not the groveling that you’re used to but it’ll have to do for now. The blades ease out of his shoulders smooth as butter. His body hits the concrete hard enough that he early splashes water---at least you hope it’s just water---on your high-heeled boots. You squat down, casually cleaning your blades on his shirt. “If it makes you feel any better” you sigh, “Red is your color.”

“Do I have to talk slower so that you understand me? I Don’t. Owe. You. Shit.”

The words of the cocky American cooking up dope in the basement of this hole in the wall laundromat echo in Yeonjun’s mind. They call him San Jose for the time he spent in California locked away in a supermax prison. You learn a lot when you’re shoved into a cage in a strange new place with people you don’t know. And, for Yeonjun, English was one of those things. This American didn’t need to speak slower. San Jose understood him the first time.

The insult was just overkill which is precisely why he feels no guilt popping coins into the max load dryer the American’s currently folded into. The window's smeared with blood from the bones that had to be broken to wedge him in there, to begin with. Messy but necessary. Beneath the stained floors, marbled with dirt, Yeonjun’s associates facilitate more bloodshed among the guards too loyal or too stupid to run before things got this bad.

“You don’t have to do this!” the American begs, suddenly confident in the lack of a language barrier, “Please! I’ll get you your money! I promise!” Yeonjun taps at the glass, watching the American squirm like a panicked fish swimming in poisoned water. “So sorry” Yeonjun apologizes, “I don’t speak English.” The press of a button sets off the buzzing noise that signals the start of a cycle.

Tiny green lights glow beside the options Yeonjun patiently selected. Cycle: Heavy. Heat: High. Door: Locked.

There’d been a point where this was all about the money. But now? If he handed it over Yeonjun would throw it into the dryer and let it burn right along with him. Hypnotized by the clanking of the American’s body as the drum makes its labored turns, Yeonjun almost doesn’t hear the front door creak open. You stop dead in your tracks when you’re greeted by the barrel of a 45 ACP pistol. I said he almost didn’t hear the door. Just almost.

You throw your hands up, more as a peace offering than a sign of surrender. “You aren’t gonna shoot me are you, Yeon---” “You don’t get to call me that anymore, X” he snaps, raking his fingers through his platinum blonde hair, “You’ve got 10 seconds to turn around before I pull this trigger.” “Yeon---” He turns to you, his left eye twitching, and cocks the pistol. “San Jose” you say in an alluring tone, taking baby steps toward him, “I just wanna talk. Five minutes. That’s it. Can you give me that?”

Yeonjun can hardly look at you but he can’t bring himself to turn away. Why are the flowers most likely to kill you always the prettiest to look at? He groans, his rage softened by the sight of your face after almost a year apart, “Five minutes.”

Bent over the wooden desk in the manager’s office, you dig your heels into the floor, desperate to keep your trembling legs from giving out. You could say that you’d forgotten what it was like to have Yeonjun’s tongue performing acrobatics inside of your tight pussy but that would be a lie. There’s simply no way to forget how talented this man is with his tongue. Your memory though, pales in comparison to the real thing, and experiencing it for the first time in a long time has juices dripping down your lush thighs.

From his position behind you, the second time you’ve had a man on his knees tonight, Yeonjun’s fingers press into the softness of your ass. It looks glorious beneath the teal overhead lighting. Flawless in every way. Just like everything else about you. The taste of you is addictive. Sweet enough to rot his teeth. He squeezes your ass harder, raising you up to create the perfect angle for him to swipe his tongue between the slickness of your folds. His tongue brushes over your clit, making you moan in ways he can’t help but grin at.

“Why me?” he asks between sloppy, eager laps at your slit, “What does your boss want me for?” Nails tapping on the desk, nearly scratching the cheap plywood, you arch your back at the tugging in your lower belly. “She has plans. Something big and I don’t---aah---question her. I just---fuck.” Your body collapses, a spark traveling through your veins like liquid fire. “I just know she wants you back with us.” Yeonjun rises to his feet, pushing your dress up further to reveal the small of your back. He kisses it with the gentle lips of a man born to be a lover and bred to be a killer.

“But do you want me back?” he asks in a rare moment of vulnerability. You groan, rolling over onto your back, hands covering your face. Spending time with him, talking to him, loving him, the entire experience of being with him had been one of the only things that made waking up in the morning worth it in a life like this. None of it was ever just about the sex, as amazing as it is. It was always about him. Do you want him back? Of course, you do.

The head of his cock nudges at your slit, smearing your juices through the delicate petals of your pussy. Yeonjun runs his hands along your curves, indulging himself in the nostalgia of nights like this. “Do you?” Taking him by the collar of his shirt, you drag him on top of you, kissing him passionately as you lower yourself onto him until every inch is buried within you. “I do” you whisper, the sincerity in your eyes swearing to him that you aren’t lying. You wouldn’t. You can’t.

The feeling of being wanted by you again, knowing that you’ve wanted him all this time, is a high unlike anything else. Your legs wrap around his waist, keeping him flush against you as he dips in and out of you. The ridges of your walls when you clench around him. The blood pumping through those gorgeous veins that travel up his shaft. It’s almost too much. You kiss his forehead, stroking the back of his neck, unsure if that thumping is your heart or the body in the dryer just beyond the door. “I missed you so much” he moans into your chest, licking beads of sweat from between your cleavage.

“Fuck me harder then. Prove it.” You pose a challenge that he takes on without hesitation. Pinning your arms over your head, one hand keeping your wrists locked together, he thrusts into you with a force that carries a certain finesse civilian men painfully lack. He doesn’t miss a single sweet spot, making every tiny movement count. Every sensation pushes you closer to the edge of oblivion---and the desk. You don’t even have to speak for Yeonjun to know you’re about to cum. Your body tells him. It always has.

That thumping? It was your heart after all, and it’s at maximum volume in your ears as you come undone beneath him. The death grip that your walls have on him, your moisture coating him, leaking out to make a mess of his pants, has him coming right along with you. The warmth in your belly as he fills you up has you silently begging him not to stop, your brain still too lost in ecstasy to formulate more than a few incoherent whimpers. If he had it in him never would but you’re milking him so well, draining him of everything, that all he can do is stumble backwards before you take his soul too.

“Fuck” he pants, his body propped up against the wall behind him, “You’re the devil.” Pushing yourself up, you use what little balance you have to get your clothes back together. You wink at him, throwing your coat back on, “But you love me.” Locking eyes with him, you help him fix his pants, teasing the rim of his tip before tucking it away, “I’ll see you in Berlin then?” “Wouldn’t miss it for the world” he answers, lips hovering dangerously close to yours. You kiss him once more and his arms come around you, desperate to keep you here forever.

A cutesy ringtone blares as your phone vibrates in your pocket. You know by the sound of it that it’s your boss. “Answer it” he insists, kissing you one last time before turning you loose. With the phone in your hand, anticipating an interrogation from your boss, you march out of the manager’s office, ignoring the half conscious man with salami for skin hanging out of the dryer. “You be a good boy now, San Jose!” you shout behind you.

Yeonjun follows you out of the office, shoving the body back into the dryer without taking his eyes off of you, “You can call me Yeonjun again!” You can only laugh to yourself, disappearing back out into the night. You like that name better anyway.

#yeonjun x reader #yeonjun x you #yeonjun x y/n #txt x reader #txt x you #txt x y/n #txt au #yeonjun angst #yeonjun smut #txt angst #txt smut #chubby reader #plus size reader #thick reader

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euphoniumpets · 1 year

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THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM | CHAPTER SEVEN

Prompt: ''As long as I can rememer, I've been protecting Alina, it's always Alina who I will protect,'' You told him, looking at Nikolai. ''But who will protect you?''

Warnings: Violence, blood and gore.

Please don’t plagiarize my work - I spend a lot of my time writing, copying and pasting destroys that.

Pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x Starkov! Reader

Taglist: @lyria-skyfall@khaleesihavilliard@shine101 @waddlingwanderer @clqudias @ducks118 @xceafh@peakyispunk @wilmasvensson @parbatai-winchester @priincehoseok@riot-in-my-soulsoul @feyredarling92 @vendy021 @ssprayberrythings @goldenpoison @shine101 @lili-of-the-dream @xushisuxi @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @jennylil @themermaidscales82

Tag list are closed!

A/N: we've come to a conclusion or a thought where I decide to write smut further in the chapters but i need y'all votes because i'm hesitant if you guys want smut further in the chapters lmao. and again, this is a long chapter because i got carried away.

old masterlist | navi | new masterlist

prologue - one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight - nine - ten - eleven - epilogue

You hated it.

Oh, so you desperately hated it.

You could feel every person in the room giving you looks and you didn’t know if it was a good one or a bad one. ‘’Why must you always play the diplomat, Nikolai?’’ You heard Vasily's question at the table. ‘’A shu and Grisha dining beside true Ravkan soldiers is a bit much for all our stomachs,’’ Vasily remarked.

‘’We’re all Ravkan here,’’ You sneered and tried to be calm. ‘’Doesn’t need to be us versus them,’’ Nikolai replied and looked at his brother. ‘’Kirigian should’ve thought of that,’’ Vasily replied with his drink in hand. ‘’Before he tried to murder my father and stage a coup, that said: absent they're Darkling the Grisha are rather easy to manage,’’

‘’By manage do you mean execute: Moi tsarevich?’’ You asked boldly and turned your head to face him. ‘’That fate is reserved for traitors to the Crown, Miss Starkov,’’

‘’If the second Army requires a leader loyal to the Crown to assure their fealty, my sister will lead them,’’ You remarked. You looked at Vasily as he let out a laugh. ‘’Why should I believe you and your sister that you have any loyalty to my family?’’ He asked. You paused before your eyes trailed to Nikolai.

He met your gaze before standing up from his chair and raising a glass to get the people’s attention. ‘’Today marks the start of a new era of cooperation between Lantsov and Grisha, I’m delighted to announce my engagement to Y/N Starkov, the sister of the Sun Summoner,’’ Nikolai presented. ‘’And with her sister being the Sun Summoner, she will be the new leader of the Second Army, together we'll build a better future for Ravka,’’

You locked your gaze with Mal and Alina not from far away and saw their surprised gazes. They never thought that you would agree on the marriage but yet here you were. For Ravka.

‘’That was a bit much,’’ You responded after everybody had cheered and Nikolai had sat down.

‘’Understatement is overrated,’’ He replied as you took a sip from your drink.

Alina had left with Tamar and Nadia to go and do some training. They offered to come with but you declined and told them to do some studying of the Firebird. You hoped some of the history books had the answers since you knew that Alina had to kill you to get the third amplifier. You knew that she wasn’t going to do it, but if it was your only plan, you knew that you had to do it on your own.

You heard fast footsteps approaching you in the library. You turned around with a frown and saw Adrik approaching you. ‘’I know, not to be disturbed, but they need you in the war room,’’ Adrik informed and you nodded. You placed the books down and followed after him.

You stopped in your tracks when you noticed David standing with Tolya, Nikolai, Alina, Mal, Tamar, and Adrik when you recognized David. David flickered his eyes when he saw you and waved with the other hand and you noticed that his hands were tied. ‘’Oh, so you know him,’’ Nikolai replied when he noticed your gaze. ‘’He claims to have escaped from a very alive General Kirigian,’’ Nikolai revealed and approached you. You looked at Alina with a concerned gaze. ‘’He gave himself up without a struggle, we found this on him,’’ Nikolai said and handed you over the journal. ‘’He says it’s one of Morozova’s journals,’’ You grabbed the journal as Nikolai turned to face David.

‘’I, for one, am dying to know more, but he insisted to speak with you and Alina,’’ Nikolai said.

‘’Y/N…’’ David began to say and step forward before Tolya stopped him before he could go further. ‘’I know I wronged both of you, please I regret my role in that, I know you have a reason to distrust me, but I have no loyalty to General Kirigian,’’ David spoke.

‘’He survived the Volcra?’’ Alina questioned him. ‘’I’m afraid so,’’ David revealed. ‘’He also knows that you both are in East Ravka,’’ David informed and you could feel your heart growing faster. You didn’t know if he found out that you were the Firebird but if he did he could find you here, you didn’t know if you were safe. ‘’Tell us where he is,’’ You demanded David.

‘’No, no, no,’’ David replied and you narrowed your eyes. ‘’That would be a very bad idea-’’

‘’You can’t expect us to trust you unless you share information,’’ You snapped. ‘’Confronting him would be suicide,’’ David replied. ‘’Kirigian used Merzost to create something in the Fold, creatures that do his bidding the size of two men, formed of pure shadow,’’ He informed as your blood ran cold. ‘’They have no breath to take, no heart to stop, no blood to drain, yet, they live,’’ David explained.

‘’They live and they kill,’’

‘’They are nichevo’ya: nothing: bullets, blades, fire, all simply pass through and they walk freely in sunlight, I fear that merzost may be the only way to kill them,’’ You looked at David and could see that he was terrified. Nikolai glanced at you and he could see the fear you formed in your eyes. ‘’So, how did you manage to get away?’’ Mal questioned.

‘’Genya,’’ You snapped your thoughts away at the mention of Genya. ‘’We tried to escape together but the nichevo’ya,’’ David informed. ‘’She sacrificed herself to get me out,’’ A sadness washed over you for your friend. You knew how much Genya liked David back then at the Little Palace and you begged the saints that she was still alive.

‘’I don’t know if she survived,’’

‘’A smart spy will always play the victim,’’ Tolya spoke and narrowed his eyes. ‘’No, no,’’ David protested and shook his head. ‘’You make a valid point, Tolya,’’ Nikolai responded before he turned to Alina. ‘’As a leader of the second army, this is your call,’’ Nikolai said. Alina looked at Nadia and gestured to come closer next to her. ‘’You’ve known David the longest, what do you think?’’

‘’Kirigian always kept him close,’’ Nadia spoke. Alina looked at you before her eyes placed on David. ‘’Take him to the holding cell,’’ Alina said as Tolya walked away with David. ‘’We need a moment alone, please,’’ Mal said and looked at Nikolai.

Nikolai looked at the three of you as you nodded. ‘’Of course,’’ He replied before walking away, leaving the three of you alone. You let out a sigh. ‘’Do you trust him?’’ Mal asked the two of you.

‘’I don’t know,’’ You answered. ‘’Not entirely,’’ Alina added. ‘’The shadow monsters…’’ Mal trailed off as you thought for a moment. ‘’But why would he lie?’’ You asked them. ‘’Kirigian’s a force to be reckoned with, but if it’s true, I need to hunt the Firebird,’’ Mal responded making you look at him.

‘’Or I can do something right now, an alternative to boost my power,’’ Alina suggested and you looked at her. ‘’Alternative?’’ You asked. ‘’He created soldiers of shadow,’’ Alina said. ‘’Maybe, maybe I can tear down the Fold by creating soldiers of light,’’ Alina informed. ‘’With what? Merzost?’’ You inquired. ‘’The Darkling messed with it and we got the Fold for 400 years,’’

‘’And now he has monsters who walk with him,’’ Alina argued. ‘’Give me time to track down the Firebird,’’ Mal said which made you sigh. ‘’There’s always a cost to merzost, it’s not worth the risk,’’

‘’Hey, you’re coming with us to Ketterdam?’’ You heard Tolya ask you as you approached him, Tolya, and Mal. ‘’You know I can’t, Queen duties,’’ You replied and rolled your eyes. ‘’Not going to lie, we all were surprised that you accepted the proposal,’’ Tamar spoke. ‘’Believe me, we all were,’’ You told her.

‘’Too bad we can’t be here to see you in the dress that Nikolai had chosen,’’ Tamar replied.

‘’Perhaps another time,’’ You responded.

‘’You know it won’t be another time,’’ Tolya teased. ‘’Hey, now that she’s the Queen of Ravka, she’ll have to play dress up,’’ Tamar teased.

‘’And the Queen of Ravka can hear you,’’ You responded as you gave them a look before you looked at them with a grin.

‘’Be careful,’’ You told them before embracing him.

‘’Don’t worry, we will be back,’’ Tolya assured you and let go of you before walking away. ‘’And, don’t forget the snacks you’ll bring back from Shu Han!’’ You exclaimed. ‘’I can’t promise you anything,'' Tolya responded as you chuckled.

You , Mal, and Tamar said goodbye to each other as you walked back to your chambers to prepare for the ball. ‘’I hate this dress,’’ You murmured as you heard Alina chuckle. ‘’You look pretty, he has good taste,’’ Alina commented as you rolled your eyes and looked down at your dress. Nikolai had placed a dress in your room and it was uncomfortable for your liking.

You disliked wearing pretty dresses and it was unusual for Alina to see you in one. ‘’How’s that, moy milaya? better?’’ The maid asked as you reached your arms. However, you couldn’t reach it further. ‘’Still can’t move my arms,’’ You replied softly and looked at her with a smile. ‘’I’ll get another corset,’’ She told you as you nodded.

‘’Ugh, saints,’’ You whined.

‘’It’s not that bad,’’ Alina replied as you turned around and looked at her and gave her a look. ‘’I can’t even breathe,’’ You complained. ‘’Well, I think you look great in that dress, you certainly look a queen,’’ Alina replied with a chuckle. ‘’Help me?’’ You asked and gestured to your back as Alina approached you.

You heard the door open and you turned around to see Vasily. ‘’What do you want?’’ You asked. ‘’My my, Y/N, they never taught you manners did you?’’ Vasily remarked as Alina helped you undress behind the dressing room. You and Alina exchanged a look. You grabbed your coat as you stepped outside and looked at him.

‘’I would prefer you call me Vasily,’’ He responded. ‘’At least when we’re in private,’’ He remarked after he heard you speak in Ravkan. ‘’What can I do for you, Moi Tsarevich?’’ You questioned. ‘’You call my brother by his given name,’’

‘’We met under different circumstances,’’ You explained. ‘’Yes, I’ve heard some find his whole Corsair act rather claiming,’’ He responded with a smirk, and you narrowed your eyes. ‘’If you excuse us-’’

‘’He must realize, no matter his aims, he will always be a second son,’’ He replied, and you looked at him. You felt your anger rise. ‘’Only I can make you a queen,’’ He spoke. ‘’I can assure you I have such no ambition,’’

‘’Is that so?’’ He questioned with a smirk. ‘’You’ve made no secret of your opinion on Grisha, why propose an alliance with me?’’

‘’I stand by my previous statements, the Ravkan people are fed up with being held hostage by Grisha tyrants, odds are some Grisha are good people, you could help me sort that out,’’

‘’Where would you find the time? Rumor has it you find yourself quite preoccupied at Caraveya, between the horse races and the brothels,’’ You replied boldly as you watched him take a step toward you with his jaw clenching. ‘’How many true allies do you have, Miss Starkov?’’ He questioned ‘’Grisha scraps with your sister being the leader of the Second Army, I imagine the Commander of the First would be a good one to keep,’’ He responded and glanced at Alina before looking at you.

‘’You’re a smart girl, consider your options,’’ He replied smugly before grabbing your hand softly and kissing at the top of your palm. ‘’Until then,’’ He spoke before leaving the room. You and Alina exchanged a look before you wiped your hand with disgust written on your face.

You stared at your reflection and looked down at the dress before letting out a scoff. ‘’I take it down that you dislike the dress,’’ You heard Nikolai speak. You glanced up and saw him standing at the door frame with a smirk on his face. You rolled your eyes toward him. ‘’It’s hideous, I prefer wearing a kefta instead,’’ You spoke and turned around to face him. Nikolai chuckled and approached you.

‘’I figured out that you would say so,’’ Nikolai replied before gesturing to the kefta he brought him with. You looked at him before letting out a grin on your face. You accepted the kefta in his hands before walking to the dressing room. You tried to get the dress off but you couldn’t reach the laces and usually, Alina would help you but she was at the party. ‘’I could use some help to undress, usually, Alina would help me but consider that she isn’t here…’’ You trailed off nervously.

‘’Of course,’’ Nikolai replied and walked toward you. You looked in the mirror in front of you and saw him standing behind you. Your heart was beating fast when he was close to you and you could feel his fingers through the laces and you felt your cheeks warming up. You scolded yourself in your head when he was the one who made you flustered.

You felt the laces loosen up as Nikolai met your gaze in the mirror, giving you a small smile before walking out. ‘’Some of the Grisha were kind enough to help and put this together,’’ You heard him speak as you put on the kefta. You smiled and realized that the two of you were matching before walking out. You saw Nikolai look at you with adoration in his expression while you gave a little twirl.

‘’Well?’’ You asked. ‘’I would prefer to see you in one of the keftas instead of the pretty dresses,’’ Nikolai replied with a chuckle. ‘’I think I have just the flourish to complete the look,’’ He told you and approached you closer. ‘’Consider this as a gift,’’

You watched him grab something out of his pocket. You looked down and saw the Lantsov ring in his hand. ‘’The Lantsov Emerald,’’ You spoke and looked down. ‘’Understatement is overrated,’’ You quoted with a small smile. ‘’I love it when you quote me,’’ You just shook your head with a smile in response.

‘’Console yourself knowing that, should you ever punch me while wearing it, you’ll probably take my eye out, and I’d very much like you to,’’ You looked at him. ‘’Wear it, that’s it, not punch me,’’ He explained as the two of you chuckled. ‘’May I?’’ He asked and you nodded. You reached your hand out and felt him grab your hand softly before placing the ringer on. ‘’I must say, this is the longest conversation we have had instead of ripping each other head’s off,’’ You spoke as you heard him laugh softly.

‘’Indeed,’’ He spoke as the two of you walked out of the room. ‘’Your mother will not be pleased you gave this to a commoner,’’ You remarked as you stepped down the stairs. ‘’If my mother was as put off by commoners as she claims, I wouldn’t be here, now would I?’’ Nikolai retorted, making you stop. ‘’If you lead a country, you must get better at hiding what you’re thinking,’’ Nikolai spoke.

‘’I wasn’t sure,’’ You replied as you followed after him. ‘’I heard the whispers since I was a child,’’ He replied. ‘’I’ll deny it if you repeat it, but the truth is, I couldn’t care less if I have Lantsov blood, given all the royal inbreeding, I think the bastard is probably a point in my favor,’’

‘’It’s nice when you drop the act when you’re just yourself,’’ You remarked. ‘’Was that a compliment?’’ He asked with a smirk and you just rolled your eyes. ‘’Besides, I am a prince, Y/N,’’ He remarked. ‘’Being myself is a luxury I can’t often indulge in,’’ He answered.

‘’The throne is just a prize to Vasily, like some favorite toy,’’ You replied softly before turning to face him. ‘’You, however, care about Ravka,’’ You told him, making him smile. ‘’You’d make a good king,’’ You replied. ‘’Coming from you, it means a lot,’’ He murmured and you looked into his eyes. You could see the adoration in his eyes and it made you realize that you’d fallen for him. You weren’t supposed to fall in love with him considering the circumstances and you tried hard not to, knowing that your plan would involve sacrificing yourself for Alina. Nikolai met your eyes as he saw sadness flashing through your eyes before changing them.

You hesitantly reached for his hands and he noticed the hesitation on your face before accepting it. Your heart was beating harder when you felt his touch and it was soft-spoken. ‘’You’re going to be insufferable now, aren’t you?’’ You remarked. Nikolai let out a laugh at the comment you made.

The laugh, you thought for yourself. You stared at Nikolai with an unreadable expression on your face. It was the kind of laugh that you would bottle up and get drunk on the darkest nights. ‘’I’m already insufferable, love,’’ Nikolai retorted with a grin on his face. You chuckled as you felt him squeeze your hand before walking out to the room.

You heard the classical music playing in the background while the massive crowd around you was chatting and drinking. ‘’I was not expecting this,’’ Nikolai murmured with the same surprise on his face. You looked around and tried to see Alina and Mal. ‘’Where’s Mal and Alina?’’ You asked him with concern. ‘’I know my company doesn’t account for much, but at least pretend to enjoy yourself,’’ Nikolai spoke.

You gave him a look before scanning the room. ‘’I don’t see them,’’ You began to grow worried and Nikolai sensed it. ‘’Listen, I can assure you that the two of them are fine, maybe the two lovebirds are in a private room and doing saints know what,’’ You wrinkled your face in disgust before looking at him with a deadpanned expression. ‘’I did not want to hear that,’’ You muttered. ‘’After all, that gelatin deer gave its life for your entertainment,’’ Nikolai spoke and leaned to your ear. You turned your gaze and realized that he was so close to your lips and you yanked your head away from him.

Nikolai smirked at your reaction. ‘’It’s not just like them, you know,’’ You murmured. ‘’They would be here with me, and well, watching us while teasing,’’ You remarked. ‘’You can’t fault them for being a little late,’’ Nikolai responded and looked at you. ‘’You can’t be worried about Alina and Mal, they can take care of themselves, you know?’’ Nikolai said and you sighed. ‘’I know, I’m just worried,’’

‘’Perhaps your loyal Sun Summoner and tracker don’t share your enthusiasm for your festivities,’’ You heard Vasily’s voice speak from behind you as you and Nikolai exchanged a look. ‘’If you excuse me, Moi Tsarevich,’’ You spoke as Nikolai nodded at you before you walked away. You sighed with frustration and walked around in the crowd trying to find Alina. However, you spotted Tamar speaking with Nadia. ‘’I guess I owe you the money,’’ You heard Tamar speak when she saw you approaching them.

‘’What?’’ You questioned her.

‘’We were all betting if you would choose the dress,’’ Nadia explained. ‘’Well, I guess you were wrong then,’’ You spoke and looked at Tamar. ‘’Have you seen Alina and Mal?’’ You asked Tamar with concern as Nadia went back for more champagne. ‘’Well-’’

‘’Y/N, have you seen Mal?’’ Alina interrupted you as you turned around. ‘’Saints, Alina, I was looking for you and Mal,’’ You replied before embracing her tightly. ‘’He’s probably late, you know,’’ Tamar spoke as she tried to assure you. You could feel that something was wrong but you tried to ignore the feeling.

Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard Vasily speak. ‘’A toast!’’ You and Alina exchanged a look. ‘’I’d like to share some words about my brother, Nikolai,’’ Vasily spoke and pointed toward Nikolai. You narrowed your eyes. ‘’Yes, yes, we all know he’s pretentious,’’ He spoke and chuckled. ‘’Condescending, a man of the people…’’

You frowned when you felt a strange feeling. You could feel that something was wrong as you looked up at the ceiling glass with wonder. It was the same feeling that you felt when you and Aleksander had connected for the first time back at the Little Palace, but then you saw it.

The shadows. ‘’Alina…’’ You spoke, making her turn to face you with confusion, and then, everything happened so fast that you didn’t have the time to react. ‘’Run!’’ You shouted at Alina when the Nichevo'ya appeared. People were screaming, several gunshots were heard and you hid behind a pole.

You couldn’t think and you were terrified. Terrified of your own life, Nikolai, Mal, and Alina. You gasped when you saw the Nichevo'ya dragged Vasily in the air before tearing him apart. Alina used her magic as she tried to kill them but it was no use. ‘’Somebody, protect the Queen!’’ You heard one of them say. Nadia and Adrik used their powers against the Nichevo'ya and you tried to run toward Alina, however, the Nichevo'ya knocked them away.

‘’Alina!’’ You shouted with fear and you froze in place when the Nichevo'ya turned to you. You widened your eyes as you felt your blood run cold. ‘’Y/N!’’ Alina shouted and you could see her eyes with terror when she saw the Nichevo'ya was coming for you. You felt strong arms wrapping around your waist, dragging away from Alina as Tamar and the others tried to protect her too.

‘’Let me go! Alina!’’ You shouted. ‘’Y/N, we need to go, now!’’ Nikolai raised his voice as he tried to drag you away from there. ‘’Find Mal!’’ You tried to shout before you felt him drag you away from Alina.

please comment down below what you'd thought of this chapter and remember, reblogging always helps!

#shadow and bone #nikolai lantsov x reader #alina starkov #jesper fahey #six of crows #malyen oretsev #aleksander kirigan x reader #nina zenik #inej gafha

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laremsworld · 18 days

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Darkness - Chapter 1

„Why do we have to attend to this meeting again?", Enzo asks for the fifth time.

„Because", Draco lazily repeats himself, „the Dark Lord has asked us to join."

„You know what happened the last time he asked us to come, right?"

They know. Of course they know. Despite being Death Eaters for almost a decade now, the five friends Mattheo, Draco, Theo, Lorenzo and Blaise have been invited to these meetings only two times before today: The first one was two years ago, to announce the engagement between Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zabini. The second one was six months ago, when the boys found out that Draco was going to marry Astoria Greengrass.

„At least there are no more Greengrass sisters left for you to be punished with", Blaise mumbles bitterly. While Draco seems really content with his father's choice for a wife, Blaise never really stopped complaining about Daphne.

„I wonder which one of us it will be." Mattheo notices a little bit of excitement in Theo's voice. His Italian friend has always been very passionate. Mattheo suspects that Nott secretly craves a hot wife, who he will make happy and with whom Nott will found the family he never got as a child. Well, everyone is dealing with childhood traume differently, obviously, because the only thing that Mattheo has learned about families in his childhood is that Riddle men are lousy fathers and shouldn't have children.

But each to his own, of course.

„I can't believe that we have to go out and marry some random purebloods just because Harry Potter couldn't be defeated in the battle of Hogwarts seven years ago."

That was true. Mattheo was there when his father killed Harry Potter in the forbidden forest on May 2nd, 1998. He was also there to see Harry Potter standing up again and being more alive than ever. After that, Harry Potter disappeared. He was never seen again. The battle lasted days, but at the end, both sides had to accept that they couldn't win. At least for now. Since then, there had been this hybrid form of living together, tolerating each other on the outside, but plotting each other's death on the inside. Harry Potter has become kind of a legend, some people started to even doubt his existence. But there were whisperd on the street.. whispers saying that one day Harry would come back and end what he began.

In the meantime, the pureblood families decided to arrange marriages between themselves to form strong allies. The Greengrass sisters were high on the market, hence they were the only ones not married and not too young, so no matter what Blaise might be saying, he was lucky to ger Daphne. Mattheo nows he will be the last one to be married - his father didn't need him to win an ally. He just hopes that Theo or Enzo won't get engaged to a 14 years old baby in the sheer desperatiom of finding a pureblood girl.

Mattheo happens to be the last one to enter the room - which is ridculous, because he is going to take the seat left to his father anyway. He always does. In contrary to his friends Theo and Enzo, Mattheo is attending these gatherings more frequently. Draco and Blaise are asked to attend every single time, now that they're married men.

„It's always refreshing to see these young souls among us, isn't it?" His father starts his monologue. „And look, they seem to be thrilled to be here, too!" Which is a lie. None of them is happy to be here. „I would love to always have you guys around, but we have decided that to enter these holy rows, a boy should be old and wise enough to found his own family." Again, Mattheo thinks this is really pathetic, coming from a leader who never married, but who is he to judge? He is getting more and more nervous though. No matter how hard he tried, his father didn't tell him which one of his friend had been bethrothed.

„As you all might be already suspecting, we have all gathered here today, to celebrate the bond of two powerful, ancient, traditional pureblood families", he makes a dramatic pause, „but our possibilities are limited and they will stay limited if we focus on only our people. So, to make us even stronger, we decided to let you three marry some foreign purebloods, so that we can have some families all around the world." Well that is new. Mattheo smirks at his friends. When there was one word to describe Enzo's type of women, it's definitely „exotic."

„To ensure that everyone understands that this is my wish, I decided to let my son be the first to marry a foreigner."

„What?!" Mattheo bursts out, his smirk long forgotten. His father turns around to face him. Like always, Voldemort seems completely calm, a smile across his face. The Death Eaters might always have admired how patient the Lord has been with his son, but Mattheo knows his father better. He knows that spark in Tom Riddle's eyes very well. It's the face his father maked before torturing him with crucio until he can't even remember his own name.

„Don't let my son's impulsive reaction fool yourself, my friends. Of course he is more than happy for the opportunity to make us stronger and give us some pureblood heirs that will be inheriting our legacy. Am I right, Mattheo?"

Mattheo doesn't even hesitate. „Of course, father. I just didn't excpect to be the next one, that's all. You know, Theo, Enzo and I had a bet going on, about whose engagement it will be today and I just lost some galleons I'm afraid."

He chuckles and some Death Eaters laugh, too. His father awkwardly squeezes his thigh under the table, a gesture of approval. Draco, Enzo, Theo and Blaise definitely know that Mattheo's smile is just a facade, but there's nothing they could do for Mattheo right now. If the Lord wants him married, he's going to marry.

Voldemort suddenly stands up and gestures towards the heavy doors.

„Please welcome with me, the King and Princess of Turkey."

A Princess? Mattheo is wondering for a moment, but before he can even comprehend the meaning of this announcement, they're entering the room.

And suddenly nothing matters. There is no war, there are no Death Eaters watching, the arrangement and his disapproval of this arrangement are all forgotten. There's only her.

She has the biggest Doe-eyes he has ever seen. Her long, dark hair is casually falling in waves on her back. Her legs are long - and the little black dress she's wearing is emphasizing this detail more than Mattheo feels comfortable with - Draco and Blaise never seemed to have a problem with showing their wives off, but Mattheo already can tell that his wife is never going to wear a dress like this again.

The only thing about her that Mattheo dislikes is her facial expression. She seems to be nervous, which is normal, resgarding the circumstances, but there's also a hint of disapproval in her eyes. Like she didn't want to be here. Like she didn't want to marry him.

„Welcome, Selim", Voldemort happily says. This is when Mattheo realizes that there is a man entering the room next to this woman he shall marry. The King ignores that Voldemort refused to use his title and lets his biggest smile wander around the room.

„The pleasure is all mine, my friend. I can't wait to connect our families together. For that", he makes a dramatic pause turns around to the woman next to him, „I want to introduce you to my cousin, Leyla."

Leyla. What a perfect name for a perfect woman.

The King puts his hand to her back and slowly pushes her forward. Mattheo feels a panic building inside of him. It's not a good sign that he already feels jealous enough to break this man's hand for touching her, right?

Leyla (oh Lord, he loves thinking her name, he can't even imagine what it will do to him, when je finally gets to call her that) slowly proceeds towards his father. She seems uncomfortable when she finally is near enough to politely courtsy to his father.

„My Lord." Mattheo was smitten before, but hearing her voice is definitely what puts him over the edge. How can someone this Perfect even exist?

Voldemort smiles wildly at her, while awkwardly embracing her. „Welcome to the family, my precious daughter. Let me introduce you to my son, Mattheo."

It takes Mattheo a few seconds to comprehend that this is his clue to stand up and greet the guests. It takes him all his willpower to approach to the king first. „Your majesty", he says casually, trying to calm his racing heartbeat.

Then he slowly turns to face her. She gifts him a warm smile and then does the cute courtsy she had given his father too. Mattheo stretchs out his hand, a little invitation for her to put her hand in his, which she does. He places a little kiss on her hand. „Welcome in our world", he says, still holding her hand.

„The pleasure is all mine, my Lord", she answers. Her accent is adorable. Her voice is soft, her smile is wide enough to let her dimples appear, but to his own surprise Mattheo can see that the smile doesn't reach her eyes. She's playing her part of a willing sister/soon-to-be wife accurately, but that's what she's doing. Playing. She doesn't want to be here.

Of course she doesn't want to marry you, Mattheo reminds himself, you are Voldemort's son. He holds her hand a little longer than necessard, but not too long to cause any suspicion, then he turns to face the King.

„So... why are you willing to sent your sister to a foreign country?", he asks, while gesturing their guests to join everyone on the table. His father is not a fan of his question, he can sense that much, and the other Death Eaters seem to be uncomfortable, too, but the King is calm, while answering: „She's my cousin, not my sister. And in Turkey it's still tradition to secure a partnership via marriage, my Lord."

„Mr. Riddle", Mattheo corrects, while helping Leyla to take the seat opposite to him, „my father is the only Lord here."

Once again, Mattheo doesn't have to face his father to sense that this time the Dark Lord is more than pleased with his son's perfomance.

„Oh, my apologies, Mr. Riddle. I didn't mean to be rude."

„You wouldn't be still standing here, if your words had insulted me", Voldemort intervenes. It sounds like a joke, but Mattheo knows that his father is more than serious.

„How old is your cousin?", Mattheo continues to ask.

„She's 24 my L- Mr. Riddle."

24? Daphne and Astoria had both been 22 when they were married off. And even then the Lord had stressed out in many occasions that the women of the Ton should marry sooner and give us as many new pureblood members as possible. Why would his father choose someone who is only a year younger than Mattheo?

„How much are we giving you for her?"

Someone gasps loudly. It is no secret that both Zabini Sr. and Lucius Malfoy had given Greengrass a little fortune for his daughters, but it was never officially spoken out - especially not with Daphne or Astoria in the room. Mattheo can see that Leyla's face tenses at the mention of the money.

„I can assure you that we have already talked everything through with your father, Mr. Riddle."

„Exactly, my son. There's no need for you to ask these questions", his father warns.

Mattheo smiles wildly at him. „I'm just trying to get to know my future wife more, father. You know, I had named you some criteria and I just want to be sure that she checks all the boxes."

„I can guarantee you that she has all the points you wanted", Voldemort lifts a brow and smirks at his son, and Mattheo can see that his father is genuine. She is fulfilling everything he asked for.

„Well, in that case... I think we can schedule a wedding in two weeks from now, right?"

The King visibly relaxes. „Of course, my Lords. I can't wait to become a part of your family."

Leyla chuckles. For a moment Mattheo thinks that he might've imagined that, but from the look on Theo's face (who is standing on the wall right behind Leyla) he can see that this really happened. Everyone's gaze turns to her, but she is looking at her cousin.

„No offence, cousin, but you just sold your own blood for money. What do you know what family is?"

There‘s a change of mood in the room. Everyone is so tense, they don‘t even dare to breath. Mattheo shares a glance with his father and realizes that the Dark Lord seems to be content with his soon-to-be daughter-in-law‘s outburst. Voldemort wanted his son to marry this woman and he apparently knew about her behaviour. Which means that Mattheo has to accept it, too. Not that he was complaining.

„Leyla, sweetheart, that‘s not very nice of you. I think my father and I have raised you better.“

„Your father and you have not raised me“, she snaps, „my nannies did. The only thing I have learned from you personally, my dear cousin, is to lock my door with an unbreakable charm every night, to prevent you coming in and trying to rape me.“

SMASH.

He had slapped her. The force of his hands had made her fall on the ground. King Selim did stand up, too and - to everyone‘s surprise - so did Mattheo.

„I can‘t remember to give you the permission to touch my fiancee“, he says, his ton still casual, but with a dangerous fire in his eyes. He walks around the table to grab Leyla by her arm and lift her up to her feet. She winces a little bit. She obviosusly expected him to be more gentle.

„She‘s still under my guard“, the King protests.

„She is not. The second you brought her in this room, she was mine.“

Again, there‘s this killing silence. The king waits for Voldemort to reject, but that‘s not happening.

„I guess some changes of plan are necessary here father“, Mattheo declares, „The wedding shall take place in five days - three if we can organize everything - and I think it would be more fitting if my bethrothed stayed with one of our friends in England, during these days.“

„She can stay with us“, Theodore quickly intervenes.

Mattheo smiles at his friend. „Excellent. Now, I think the meeting can come to an end. Your majesty, let Mr. Malfoy guard you out of his house.“

„But… Mr. Riddle, My Lord - we didn‘t talk through everything yet and I am still waiting for my.. my..“

„For your payment? Is a new found alliance with us not payment enough for you, your Majesty?“

„Well, of course it is.. but…“

„No but. I won‘t pay money to someoke who treats a soon-to-be Riddle like this. Oh and Selim?“, he adds, dropping all formalities, „you‘re lucky that she said trying to rape me and not rape me, because if you‘d dared to touch what‘s mine, you wouldn‘t be standing here right now.

#slytherin boys x you #mattheoxreader #mattheo riddle imagine #mattheo riddle #mattheo riddle smut #slytherin boys #theodore nott #mattheo x leyla #darkness #hogwarts au #harry potter fanfic rec

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eretzyisrael · 7 months

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President Sisi, how can you say Jews were not persecuted in Egypt?

Once numbering 80 – 100,000, there are fewer than a handful of Jews left in Egypt. Yet ‘Jews were never persecuted in Egypt,’ President Sisi of Egypt declared to US secretary of state Anthony Blinken. Here is Edmond Haddad’s response in JNS News:

Carefree days on Abu Kir beach in Egypt in 1938 (History of Egyptian Jews Facebook page)

Let me tell you about oppression and persecution: In 1947, my uncle went to prison for 15 months for purchasing a train ticket to Tel Aviv. In 1948, my father broke his arm trying to prevent the burning of his factory. He was beaten in 1950 because of his religion.

In May of 1956, Jews employed by Egyptian public institutions were sent on vacation, then dismissed. When he announced the blockade of Akaba, then-Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser dared the “Jews” to come—not Zionists or Israelis, but Jews. On Nov. 23, 1956, Egypt’s Minister of Religious Affairs declared, “All Jews are Zionists and enemies of the state.” Imams read this statement in mosques across Egypt.

In 1962, I went to the bank with my mother to open a savings account. After the teller saw on my identification card that I was Jewish, he threw the money I gave him back at me and told me that Jews could not have savings accounts in Egypt. Muslim teachers in my school often told us that Jews were not wanted in Egypt, so we’d better not talk in class.

In 1967, all Jewish homes and property were confiscated. All male Jews were put in detention camps for anywhere from six months to three years. Just before Nasser died, all the prisoners were deported and their families expelled.

I summarize two eyewitness accounts from my cousin Gamliel and Ibrahim Farhi, who were both imprisoned in Egyptian detention centers: The police arrested all Jewish males over the age of 18. Their businesses, cars, furniture and possessions were confiscated or auctioned off. The prisoners were taken to Abu Zaabal prison. “No one was called by their name there,” I was told. There were no watches, no shoes and only women’s names for the prisoners. The prisoners were forced to undress and run around the yard while the guards beat them. Their heads were shaved. Most were raped. They were fed white cheese full of worms and bread full of bugs. For six months, their families didn’t know if their loved ones were dead or alive. This torture continued day and night. Nasser released them only in June 1970.

At the time, Egyptian Jews were of mixed education, wealth, religious observance and political beliefs. The wealthier members of the community founded banks, owned department stores and traveled freely abroad because they could afford the bribes required. Most Jews were stateless, because their applications for Egyptian citizenship were almost always denied.

Many Jews converted to Christianity or Islam and tried to assimilate. Jews spoke several languages, but not Hebrew. They were often ambivalent about the State of Israel. Some spoke against Israel even after they were expelled from Egypt. Most of the middle-class and wealthy Jews immigrated to the U.S., Brazil, Argentina and France. Most of the poor Jews immigrated to Israel.

In Egypt, Jews were continually harassed, insulted and mocked. The secret police would knock on their doors in the middle of the night and ask them when they were leaving Egypt. Had they bought their tickets? They had better leave within a week or else. Over 35,000 Jews left or were expelled after the 1956 war. By 1967, there were about 2,000 Jews left in Egypt. Today, there are only two Jews in the entire country.

President Sisi, although you and some of leaders of the Egyptian military have close relations with Israel, most Egyptians continue to hate Israel and Jews. In 2016, a member of the Egyptian group Tawfik Okasha was physically attacked and expelled because he invited an Israeli diplomat to his home for dinner. A 2023 survey of Arabs living in countries that have signed peace agreements with Israel found that 84% don’t support the agreements.

President Sisi, how can you honestly say that Jews were not targeted in Egypt or other Arab and Muslim countries? While living in Egypt, I was ashamed of being Jewish. I was a slave in Egypt and did not realize I was free after we left. I missed my home, school and “comfortable” life. It took years for me to realize that my life changed for the better because I could now live as a Jew and be proud of my heritage.

Read article in full

#Arab-Jewish relations/ Six-Day War #Jews of Egypt

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hamofjustice · 8 months

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very slight teal mask and indigo disc story spoilers (the kind that'll probably help decide if you want them or not instead of ruin it for you, probably?) and very long commentary about it. mostly about how they've chosen to advertise it

gonna hit you with my longest run-on sentence yet, here we go.

the fact that we had to datamine the teal mask, a DLC whose only returning character is jacq and does not add a line to or scene of anyone else (well, mentions of heath and clavell, i guess?) due to being available to do at any badge count, the fact that we had to dig and pry in unintended ways, just to finally prove that our implied greatest treasures nemona arven and penny would at least be available to hang out with in the indigo disc...

with no new images footage or mentions of the friend trio of in any of the six months since the DLCs were announced, and ten months after these kids opened their hearts and dorm rooms to us, saying we could hang out any time from now on, and turned out to be statues with one line of dialogue after we had already gone on an adventure with them following us around, helping us in battle, and getting to know each other as we walked, and our rival promised to keep up with our strength forever, then never got any stronger...

and now, in the narrative's timeline, we run off to another country to transfer away from our rival for life's school to one she would fit into perfectly the MOMENT she opens up to us about her problems and how she's so much happier now that we're the first person she can actually connect with and be herself around, and shows clear signs of worry that you're going to leave if she doesn't make you promise not to...

and also shortly after Arven became effectively a high school orphan, who's still treated as kind of a butt monkey dumbass for some reason, when he was putting everything he had into researching how to save his dog, his only dependable family, instead of going to class (i guess he's not telling anybody what he's going through, as usual with these kids)...

because TPC did not think these characters being present in the second DLC in any form and not actually having their newfound, hard-earned sense of belonging ruined by the basic premise of said transfer-student DLC was worth advertising at any point, and only showed off gym leaders Katy and Kofu... and that was only if you even bothered to look at the website to notice the feature at all, because hanging out with, battling, and trading with all of the past characters who aren't present in Paldea anymore is now actually a feature, but wasn't in the trailer...

is fucking mind boggling to me.

why is it a secret that they're in the DLC. why would they not just. tell people that as soon as they revealed the DLC. why is it still supposed to be a secret now, half a year later. why weren't they in the first half. why did they not think we'd be worried that they aren't in the second half.

silly me, why would you want to advertise giving people more of the story and main plot-driving characters, the main thing people defend the rushed game for, or that they might get some resolution, or reassure them that the vaguely happy ending to their sad stories isn't going to be ruined like they've implied it will be? that'd be silly. the only way anyone is going to find that out is through hacking

but at least we were finally able to pry that basic fucking information out of them against their will, the only thing I wanted to know about the DLC before I'd buy it, because they left in placeholder stubs for it by accident. oops. wouldn't want to tell people who were on the fence about getting the DLC this information on purpose or anything. need to keep it a secret

we were able to confirm through our own digging that nemona (and many others) are at least allowed to hang out with us, but the thing that would make both her as a character and me as a Pokemon player happier than we've ever been is if she actually got to enroll with us. why wouldn't she go, right? what do a school and society that don't respect her and an empty home where her parents should be have to offer, compared to living her dream with her favorite person, surrounded by people just like her? who can stop a champion from going wherever she wants? but for that to be the case, one of the "club rooms" we found references to would have to be hers. only us kieran and carmine clearly have what are marked as dorm room objects.

i'm glad we're getting what we're getting, but it's still no guarantee that nemona arven and penny will continue to be important to the story that they were the driving forces of, or get the true resolutions and healthier happy endings that they deserve, or that our "true equal" will ever be any stronger or more important to our character than our home ec teacher, or that they'll ever actually get to be a friend group on screen without life or death situations or harrowing grief being involved

oops! accidentally wrote decent character arcs and relationships in a pokemon game! they're going to spend time together in the postgame! abort abort abort quick shove them off into different countries before they hug

okay that's just me being cynical, they will almost certainly be important to the story, but... TPC has the power to make me not cynical and they keep choosing not to do that. but they do keep making really sappy recap videos using previous cutscene footage, like this attachment and uncertainty is something they're milking on purpose

maybe stringing people along with how much they miss the funny, cute, loving, strong characters, or are worried about these three lonely and isolated kids dealing with parental neglect, ptsd and self loathing, autism and motor impairments, identity issues, and more, whose problems are clearly not resolved yet if they can be at all, will... help sell more plushies and gacha pulls, and get people consuming more spinoffs, or something? idk, maybe

love to stop and helplessly gaze upon penny's depression pile every day before i go do tera raids / link battles with strangers (i don't actually do this but i might if poke portal worked indoors)

that all being said! it's pretty damn cool that hanging out with NPCs in a meaningful way and staging selfies with them and stuff is actually a game feature at all. that much is reassuring. it's a step in the right direction considering 90% of pokemon gameplay for a lot of people takes place after the credits roll and everyone normally despawns or becomes a one liner / repeating boss fight statue, or maybe if you're lucky a Multi Battle partner. it was just implied this game would be different, is all. i just don't know why they've chosen to string their audience along this way. wanting to have friends shouldn't throw up a $35 tollgate right as you go to talk to them that takes a year to open, and over six months to find out if it'll kill them when it opens.

i'd like to see pokemon postgame feel more like an animal crossing life sim type game in the future, personally, and this feature is a step toward that. i'd love if it one of your rewards for completing indigo disc was being able to take anyone you like as a follower as you go about your business and have them get on miraidon/koraidon with you as needed so your movement isn't impeded by it, even if there was no dialogue for it or anything. it's 2023, i shouldn't have to imagine something happening in a video game, or have to fill in my own fanfic to make a story satisfying, it should just be happening, on the screen. dammit. having a follower that goes with you everywhere even if you drive or have a following pokemon already was a feature in teal mask, so why not utilize it permanently?

(is the obvious player arven nemona penny 4v1 battle being saved for the final boss or something, is that why tera raids with them aren't a thing you can just do normally?)

Long story short: The basic transfer-student premise of The Indigo Disc implies that we ruin Nemona's happy ending and rub the one she really wants in her face to go enjoy it with Carmine instead for being more marketable, and I don't think they're even aware of why that would be a problem. Why have we not been reassured to the contrary in the last 6 months? I think a lot of us are waiting for this DLC anxiously instead of eagerly, especially after the first half.

#pokemon sv #pokemon #pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon scarvio #nemona #trainer nemona #arven #trainer arven #penny pokemon #trainer penny #nemonaposting #arvenposting #pennyposting #the teal mask #the indigo disk

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usafphantom2 · 8 months

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IMAGES: E-8 JSTARS flies on its last operational mission before retirement in November

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 10/05/2023 - 10:00am Military

A crew of aviators at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, carried out the last operational operation of the E-8C JSTARS aircraft on September 21, paving the way for the last plane in the fleet to be retired early next month.

Members of the 116ª Air Control Wing of the Georgia National Air Guard carried out the last of more than 14,000 JSTARS missions, which is used for direction, battle management and command and control.

U.S. Airmen with the 116th Air Control Wing, Georgia Air National Guard, sign an engine of an E-8C Joint STARS for its last mission at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, Sept. 21, 2023. The JSTARS have been in service since 2002. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Jeff Rice)

"It's bittersweet," said Colonel Christopher Dunlap, commander of the 116ª Air Control Wing, in a statement. "I have been flying on this mission on this aircraft since the spring of 2003. There have been many changes over the years."

A 116º ACW spokesman said that two JSTARS aircraft now remain at Robins Air Base, Georgia. The provisional plan is to send the last one to the "Boneyard" (aircraft cemetery) at Davis-Monthan Air Base, Arizona, in the first week of November.

Until then, “the aircraft can be used locally for crew proficiency training, as needed,” the spokesman added.

Still, the final operational missions mark one of the last phases of life for the E-8. Mainly used for the indication of moving targets on the ground, JSTARS also served as a battle management platform. Its most distinctive feature is the canoe-shaped radome of about 9 meters in length under the front fuselage that houses a phased antenna of 8 meters in length and lateral appearance.

The aircraft first supported combat operations during the Desert Storm and played a key role in the contributions of the U.S. Air Force during the Global War on Terror. More recently, the E-8 carried out missions over Eastern Europe in preparation and immediately after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022.

USAF has been planning to retire JSTARS for some time. In June 2021, service leaders announced their intention to cut Robins' aircraft, which has hosted them since 1996.

In its place, Robins is receiving a battle management control squad, an E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communication Node (BACN) squad, a Spectrum Warfare group and support units focused on the service's Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS).

The first E-8 left Robins in February 2022. A month later, the USAF announced its intention to divest 12 of the 16 aircraft in fiscal years 2023 and 2024, and Congress accelerated the change by repealing a previous law that required the U.S. Air Force to maintain at least six E-8s.

Last March, the USAF budget request revealed a plan to accelerate the divestment plan, with the entire fleet retiring by the end of the fiscal year 2024, which began on October 1º.

The leaders of the Armed Forces said that the U.S. Air Force needs to retire JSTARS because it would not survive in future combat with an advanced opponent like China. Instead, they want to invest in various information and guidance technologies, including space-based platforms.

In recent months, Robins has ended JSTARS operations, deactivating squads and conducting final flights. In June, the 461ª Air Control Wing in Active Service completed its last operational mission in Ramstein.

The 116º ACW spokesman said that before the final aircraft is officially retired, there will be “a private farewell celebration for the former students of the JSTARS program”.

Tags: Military AviationE-8C JSTARSUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Daytona Airshow and FIDAE. He has work published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work throughout the world of aviation.

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questforgalas · 1 year

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Best Sniper in the Galaxy (An Uncle!Batch AU)

Summary: Crosshair bonds with his niece the best way he knows how

Notes: I'm not someone who wants kids, but I love my nieces and nephews like they're my own, and I know there are lots of Dad!Batch HCs, so I wanted to give us some Uncle!Batch antics. Crosshair being a softy for his niece :) I kept Hunter's partner g/n and Nina's birth vague because families are created in many ways so I wanted this to be able to relate to many. Nina is named after CT-99 :')

WC: 2.5K

Tags: AU, Order 66 never happened. Sheevy dies via Melroun fruit. Uncle!Crosshair. Dad!Hunter. Just fluff and soft family vibes. Shooting lessons so guns mentioned

Tay's Masterlist

On AO3

“Again,” Crosshair drawled, flipping his toothpick to the left side of his mouth, softly biting down to keep it in place. His knee was starting to go numb from being bent at the same angle, and he’d lost the feeling in his forearm a long time ago, but he remained by the prone youngling beside him, offering support to the DC-17 hand blaster in their hands.

The shade of a thick, tall tree protected them from the harsh sun of Takodana, and the dense part of the forest he and Nina were currently occupying protected them from the gaze of Hunter and his partner. Not that Crosshair and little Nina were doing anything wrong – it was important for a youngling to know how to protect themselves – but Crosshair wasn’t in the mood for one of Hunter’s over-protective-dad moments. Besides, it’s not his fault his niece possessed the ability of persuasion better than any Jedi mind trick. She may have been six years-old, but she knew the power widening her eyes and pouting her lips had on her uncles, especially the silver haired one.

30 minutes ago, Hunter and his partner left for the port 5 klicks away to retrieve supplies. Echo and Tech were busy, knee deep in ship repairs and diagnostics, and Wrecker wandered off with Omega, keeping an eye on her while she explored the new-to-her planet, which left Crosshair with his favorite duty – babysitter duty.

Little Nina joined their family a little over 6 years ago. Her first year was spent on Coruscant with Hunter’s partner since the galaxy was still plagued by the war, and the batch were in their usual routine of being off-planet for multiple months at a time. Crosshair gave it to Hunter. Fighting a war you were kind of just told to go fight in while your partner took on the burden of raising your first, and probably only, child as a solo-parent wasn’t easy. But they and Hunter touched base whenever he had a minute on the Marauder or at camp, trying to keep him included the best way they could.

One thing that helped keep his dad-itch satisfied was the little clone scientist that joined them after one of their breaks on Kamino. Omega, a pure genetic copy of Jango Fett and assistant in the Kamino cloning labs, was starting to drive Nala Se to insanity with her rapid, curious mind. So, after a series of brief trainings and a clear understanding of when she was to join a mission versus when she’d stay on the Marauder, the clone girl joined Clone Force 99.

Near the end of Nina’s first year, a kernel of hope planted when the Batch reported for their mission on Kaller, providing reinforcements to General Billaba’s forces, and Tech announced that General Obi-Wan Kenobi had engaged General Grievous on Utapau. When the mission was over and the batch received word that Obi-Wan had indeed defeated the last remaining Separatist leader, the Spotchka was broken out. They thought the war being over was going to be the only thing they celebrated that day, but then the news that Chancellor Palpatine had perished when he slipped on a Malroun fruit core and fell out the window of his office hit their comms. Turns out, he was a Sith trying to take over the Republic and kill the Jedi, if you can believe it. So, galaxy and Republic saved meant a lot of Spotchka was opened that night.

It was easy to predict that Hunter was going to spend the next few years on Coruscant with his family while Nina grew, but it shouldn’t have been such a surprise to him that his 4 other brothers and little sister followed right behind him. They found an apartment not far away so they could pop in to help out with the youngling when they could, but by Nina’s fifth year, the retired soldiers were getting antsy. Even Omega was starting to find the metropolis planet boring. The final push came from Hunter’s partner when they declared that if they had to look at one more durasteel wall as their view, they were going to need more than the Jedi Halls of Healing to fix their mood. So, the uncles and aunt loaded up on the Marauder, and Hunter and his family on their private ship, and the squad was off exploring the galaxy once more.

Cut back to Takodana, a quick rest while they resupplied and ran maintenance on the ships. Hunter wasn’t even past the tree-line before Nina was tugging on Crosshair’s hand, and the sniper looked down at her with a knowing smirk and a quick wink.

“Patience short stuff. Your father isn’t out of his earshot yet,” Crosshair cautioned. As if to prove his point, Hunter paused in the forest, giving a quick look back at the ship. The sniper rested his hand on Nina’s shoulder, gently nudging her into his side – more like his thigh because she barely came up to his hip – and gave Hunter a casual wave. The female replica of the sergeant took her cue from her favorite uncle – according to Crosshair – and gave her own enthusiastic wave. A distrusting, narrowed look was still on Hunter’s face before his partner nudged him along, forcing him to turn away from the very obvious duo.

Another impatient tug on Crosshair’s left arm had him chuckling. Just to tease her a little more, he casually took a toothpick out from his belt, and slowly placed it in his mouth.

“Uncle Crossy. Uncle Crossy. Uncle Crossy,” Nina started with insistent tugs.

“Yes, little Nina? Would you like something?” Crosshair played along. He knew exactly what she wanted, but what kind of uncle would he be if he just let her have whatever she wanted whenever she asked?

“Can we pleeeeeeeease go practice?” Her pleading neared top levels. Relenting, Crosshair looked down at his jewel in the galaxy. He didn’t want children, never felt the call to fatherhood like Hunter always had, but he thrived as an uncle, and he’s loved Nina as fiercely as her father has ever since he first held her. His normally snarky eyes melted once his gaze met hers. Using his exceptional eyesight, he gave one more glance through the tree-line to ensure that Hunter was out of enhanced-hearing range.

“Alright short stuff. We’re in the clear. Let’s go find a good spot.”

That was twenty minutes ago. Thanks to the forest covered area Tech found for the ships, it wasn’t hard to find a good spot for target practice that was far enough away to not get spotted incase the supply party returned early.

This little tradition of theirs started a couple months back when Crosshair was looking after Nina and she was especially restless. Nothing he tried kept her attention for more than a minute, and she was bored with all of her usual activities. As he was wracking his brain for how to occupy her, he noticed she took to picking up pebbles and throwing them at the leaves in the trees. Excitement overtook Crosshair when an idea came to mind.

Was his next decision the wisest he’s ever made? Hunter would probably argue no, Echo not far behind him, but when the sniper set up a tiny target range and handed Nina his DC-17 – supervising her the whole time of course – he’d never seen the youngling sit still for so long. Naturally, this became their little past time, one that Nina pleaded for anytime she realized Crosshair would be the one looking after her.

“I can do it, Uncle Crossy. You don’t need to hold the blaster,” his niece currently tried to bargain with him. They had the same discussion every practice, the mini-Hunter looking for independence wherever she could. Crosshair supposed she got that from Tech. He didn’t need to look far to figure out where she got her stubbornness from.

“You can shoot the blaster on your own when you can beat Uncle Tech at dejarik,” Crosshair compromised not taking his eyes off the blaster in her hands. He kept it to himself that it was impossible to beat the genius at the strategy game.

A small huff passed Nina’s lips, but she kept her green eyes trained on the target resting on a stump a few feet in front of them. Eyes narrowed and tip of her tongue poking out, she hit the trigger. Each shot reminded him how small she actually is as the minor kickback of the blaster forced his other hand to gently brace her back, keeping her from toppling over. This time she was only slightly wide on the target, a vast improvement according to the scorch marks on the trunks nearby.

“I hit it! Look Uncle Crossy! I hit it!” Nina cheered. Crosshair swiftly took the blaster out of her hands before she threw her arms up in triumph, and when she turned to him with eyes bigger than the sun shining above, he didn’t bother fighting the grin that overtook his face.

“There you go, short stuff. Told you you could do it.” The sniper lifted his hand which she enthusiastically hit with her own. “Do you want to try again?” Crosshair asked.

Nina looked to the ground for a moment, seeming to think hard about her uncle’s question. Her nose scrunched – another trait of his he smirked at – she came to a conclusion.

“I don’t think so. My arms are tired.”

Crosshair softly hummed in understanding, “Makes sense. Shooting’s tiring work.” He gave a playful squeeze to her bicep. “We’ll build up these muscles. Get you holding my firepuncher soon enough.” The promise of holding her uncle’s prized rifle had Nina’s eyes shining like gemstones, and before Crosshair caved and gave her the rifle now, he looked at his comm to check the time. They’d been out there for 45 minutes, and it was a 5 minute walk back to the Marauder.

“Alright ad’ika, time to walk back. Looks like the sun’s going down,” the sniper observed.

“Oh, can we have nerf nuggets for dinner!” Nina jumped up at the thought.

“You had nerf nuggets last night,” Crosshair countered. He knew it was useless.

“Yessss, but I didn’t have nerf nuggets today.” How could he argue with such logic? Giving a non-committal hum, Crosshair flicked his toothpick to the side and slotted the blaster in his holster. With a hand on his niece’s back, he gently guided her back in the direction of the ship, and as they started walking, the little girl slotted a tiny hand in with his, holding onto him with a strong grip.

“Uncle Crossy,” Nina interrupted the silence.

“Yes, little Nina?” Crosshair drawled.

“Am I going to be able to shoot a rifle as good as you one day?” Big, green eyes looked up at him, not missing a step in her stride. Internally smirking, Crosshair made a mental note to make Hunter aware that his mini-me was showing more affinity towards the rifle than the knife, but that was for later.

“You have to keep practicing, but one day you might rival me,” He smirked down at her, laughing at her concentrated pout at his answer. She was as competitive as Wrecker.

After a few moments, her scrunched nose returned to its normal state, and a determined look took over.

“I’m going to be the best sniper in the galaxy and go on missions and save everyone!” Her statement was emphasized with an energetic jump, punching a victorious fist in the air.

“I’m sure you will, short stuff. Let’s not give your dad a heart attack just yet though,” the sniper playfully ruffled her hair, causing the little girl to giggle as she tried to swat him away. Soon enough, the Marauder came into view, and Nina went running towards Omega when she saw her aunt with a basket full of new treasures. Crosshair made his way to the ship intending to put the target away when Hunter walked down the gangplank.

“Where’ve you two been?” Hunter came to a stop at the bottom of the ramp, arms crossing his chest, standing with a lean.

“Forestry lesson,” Crosshair simply said, popping a toothpick in his mouth as he continued past his brother.

“Forestry lesson huh? Thought that was Tech’s thing?”

“Trying something different.”

“Oh really? And when did learning about nature involve blaster shots?” Crosshair felt Hunter’s gaze on his back, and he paused his stride to turn back towards his older brother. Guess the gig was up, but Crosshair never gave up that easily. Signature smirk gracing his lips, the sniper gave a nonchalant shrug while he met Hunter’s gaze.

“Hmm, couldn’t tell you. Couldn’t have been us. Nina was elbow deep in dirt.”

Hunter closed his eyes, took a deep inhale, and then let loose a giant sigh as he tilted his head up to the sky.

“Maker help me Crosshair,” Hunter gritted out. He took a beat before meeting Crosshair’s gaze again and pointed a finger at him. “Hand blasters only. She doesn’t go near a rifle ‘til she’s 13. Practice in view of the ship.”

Crosshair’s smirk was at full force. “Sir, yes sir.”

Hunter gave him one more pointed look before shaking his head and letting a hint of a smile take over.

“She already asking for the firepuncher?”

“Our first session. Says she’s going to be the best sniper in the galaxy,” Crosshair answered with pride lacing his voice. Hunter groaned.

“Of course, she is. Maybe I should rethink delaying her knife lessons,” he muttered to himself.

“Don’t take it too personally, Hunter. She’s smart for her age. Recognizes talent easily.” His older brother openly glared as Crosshair finished teasing him with a pat on the shoulder. The sniper chuckled at his brother’s obviously bruised ego at his daughter choosing a rifle over his preferred skill set, but there was time. Nina’s desires changed as frequently as the wind.

“Dada, come look what Aunty Omega found!”

Both brothers laughed at Nina’s enthusiastic interruption when they noticed her hopping up and down, pointing at a basket of foliage.

“Dada will be right there, cyar’ika,” Hunter called. He turned back to Crosshair and clasped his hand over the sniper’s arm that was still resting on his shoulder.

“Thank you, Crosshair. She couldn’t have asked for a better uncle to keep her safe. Or me a better brother.” With that, he gave Crosshair a nod and made his way over to the youngling now rattling a hundred questions a minute at Omega.

Crosshair took in the scene, contentment washing over him. During the war, he didn’t think of what life could be like when it was all said and done because he never knew if he’d actually get there. Now, looking at his family, he didn’t question how he’d become so lucky to know peace like this. Per his luck though, the peace didn’t last long as he heard Hunter’s partner’s voice raise above the group.

“Crosshair’s teaching her how to WHAT?!”

#tay writes #uncle!crosshair #crosshair #the bad batch crosshair #the bad batch #tbb #dad!hunter #the bad batch hunter #hunter #au #alternate universe #star wars alternate universe #star wars #order 66 didn't happen #tw guns #the bad batch alternate universe

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twoidiotwriters1 · 7 months

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Daughter of Olympus (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Anyone know how to stop feeling? I'm too old to be crushing on people I need that shit removed from my system -Danny Words: 2,852 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter / Next Chapter Listen to: 'Out of the Old' -by HSMTMTS

XXV: If You Need Me, I'll Be In a Bad Mood

Nyssa and Jake look at Ara and speak at the same time. "He's joking."

When she doesn't debunk Leo's announcement, the crowd goes wild.

"Heroes!" Chiron stomps the floor several times. "All the details are not clear yet, but Leo is correct. He will need your help to build the Argo II. It is perhaps the greatest project Cabin Nine has ever undertaken, even greater than the bronze dragon."

"It'll take a year at least," Nyssa shakes her head. "Do we have that much time?"

"You have six months at most. You should sail by summer solstice, when the gods' power is strongest. Besides, we evidently cannot trust the wind gods, and the summer winds are the least powerful and easiest to navigate. You dare not sail any later, or you may be too late to stop the giants. You must avoid ground travel, using only air and sea, so this vehicle is perfect. Jason being the son of the sky god..."

Ara gulps... air and sea. So that must be why Hera took Percy, because he's more useful than she is, in more ways than one.

"Well, one thing's for sure," Jake turns to Leo. "You are now senior counselor. This is the biggest honor the cabin has ever had. Anyone object?" The rest of the campers just smile as a response. "It's official, then, you're the man. Which means," Jake smirks at Ara. "Birdy's got to get acquainted with the new administration. Have fun, you two."

"Well," a tentative smile forms on Leo's face, his skin glows golden, though faintly. "If you guys elect me leader, you must be even crazier than I am. So let's build a spankin' hot war machine!"

Ara nods, greenlighting Leo's project, and that's enough to make everyone spring to action. The campers scatter around the bunker, Piper and Jason go to Leo, and Chiron approaches her. "We need to talk."

Ara raises a brow. "Gee, I wonder..."

"You're angry, and rightfully so," Chiron scowls. "But I'm not the only one who's keeping secrets."

Ara calls after her lion and together they leave the bunker. The creature bumps against her back, almost throwing her face-first on the grass. "Easy, boy!" She huffs. "Go chase dryads—but don't kill them!"

The lion runs out of sight. Chiron observes him as he goes away, sighing. "You've surpassed my expectations."

"Er... Thank you?" She replies unsure.

"The Fates chose you because you were special," he crosses his arms. "Taming the Nemean lion is only the latest of great deeds you've accomplished, as impressive as the time you impersonated Achilles—"

"What's your point?" Ara interrupts him. "My scolding senses are tingling, man."

"The night after you got chosen, you were given a prophecy," Chiron doesn't look angry, only disappointed, which is way worse. "Why did you hide it from me?"

Ara feels a heavy weight fall over her shoulders, she looks away grumpily. "I hid it from everyone."

"That wasn't the question."

"What was I supposed to do? I said I'd keep this camp safe, I couldn't get up the next day and go—'Sorry guys! I got a prophecy saying I'm gonna release a curse on the world! Guess I'm not here to protect you!'"

"Ara, a shunned prophecy is like a time bomb—"

"I thought I was done with it!" She exclaims. "Have you heard the whole thing?"

"Yes," he raises a brow. "Rachel recited it the moment you left for the quest. It was lucky she did it, too. Four months, Ara, you let that prophecy stir—"

"Chiron, I thought I was fulfilling it..." The girl insists.

He frowns. "How come?"

"Well, the first lines," Ara explains. "When the dove touches the smith—I figured it meant Piper and Leo."

"What about the rest? Almighty raises her myth—And the curse of—"

"I know," Ara interrupts him. "Almighty, my sword, got pieces of Heracles and Achilles's armors in it, by using it I add up to their myths. And the last two lines—"

"You know that's not how it works. The Prophecy will continue to go in circles unless you take it seriously."

"I'm taking it seriously."

"Bianca Di Angelo died after her leader meddled with a prophecy," the centaur scolds her. "The children of Olympus share an identical fatal flaw—don't let ambition blind you. Do not repeat the worst parts of history."

Chiron ends the conversation by simply walking away. Ara stands there, scowling at his back.

"Great talk," she mutters. "Encouraging..." She seizes her compass and tosses it away in frustration. Someone shouts a bad word in Greek and throws the compass back. "Ouch! Sorry, Lavender!"

Leo walks out of his hiding spot, whistling lowly. "That was intense..."

Ara's not even surprised to see him, she picks up her compass and sighs. "I've been electrocuted, got my dino bag slaughtered twice, and witnessed the death of my bronze dragon. Intense doesn't even come close..."

He stands beside her. "Where's your cat?"

"Somewhere having fun," Ara replies in a bad mood. "And still nameless."

"Call him Leo," the boy jokes. "He's a lion, and he likes you a lot. Leo fits him."

Ara looks at him wondering if he's saying what she thinks he is. Leo is smiling, he's looking way happier now that he showed his siblings the bunker, and more confident too.

"Hey," she starts carefully. "Did you listen to my whole conversation with Chiron?"

"Oh, no—just almost all of it."

Ara makes a face and avoids his eyes. "What he said about my fatal flaw..."

"Yeah," he tilts his head. "What's that?"

"It's supposed to be our Achilles heel," she shrugs. "To put it simply, it gets you killed. Mine's ambition, which is not ideal for an authority figure..."

"You wouldn't hurt this camp or yourself on purpose," Leo tries to cheer her up. "Daughter of Olympus or not, you're a good person."

Desperate for comfort, Ara hugs him. This time, the boy's quick to reciprocate.

"You're a good person too," she mumbles. "I'm glad that I met you, and that we're friends."

"What if I was sent to test your patience? Can't be long before I tire you out, you'll end up throwing me off this cliff or feeding me to your lion..."

Ara laughs, then plants an effusive kiss on his cheek. Already used to his reactions, she steps back to avoid getting burned. His soul light mixes with the flames dancing on his shoulders, and Ara's glowing too, but through Leo's eyes, she's probably just blushing a lot.

"I owed you that for fixing Festus. You said cash or a kiss. I've no cash."

"Right," Leo suffocates the flames, letting out a chuckle. "If I remember correctly, I asked for two kisses."

"You said a kiss or two."

"I meant one kiss if you were thankful, two kisses if you were super pleased with my performance by the end of our quest."

"I don't remember you saying that."

"It was in the fine print," he says, stepping closer. "A girl as smart as you should be able to spot it right away..."

Two people walk out of the bunker then, Ara glances over Leo's shoulder and spots Piper and Jason. "There you are!" Piper exclaims. "We thought you'd gotten lost inside that place, we were thinking of calling back your lion so he could sniff around and find you."

"Still haven't named him?" Jason asks.

An idea pops into her mind. "How 'bout Apollo?"

"Are you really in love with that guy?" Piper snorts. "Rachel told me you asked her to paint him so you could pin it on Cabin Ten's crush board."

Ara blushes. "She promised not to tell!"

"What about Pollo?" Leo offers.

"What?" They all ask.

"That's Spanish for chick," he shrugs. "He's golden and follows you around like a baby chicken—Poh-yo."

"You want me to call the Nemean lion 'Baby chicken'?" Ara laughs. "I think I'll stick to Apollo."

"I'll call him Pollo."

"I'm with Leo on this one," Piper muses.

"Yeah, me too," Jason grins. "Now, let's circle back to Ara having a crush on my godly half-brother..."

"Shut up!"

As the three of them make their way to camp, Leo's knuckles continuously brush against hers, as if inviting her to reach out... it's a strenuous task, not listening to her impulses.

When Annabeth and Rachel arrive, the first thing the blonde girl does when she sees Ara is examining the marks on her arm. They are peach now, most of the bruises and cuts have vanished from her skin.

"Is it true you tamed the Nemean lion?"

"I named him Apollo."

Annabeth hugs her so tightly she can barely breathe. "Percy will be boasting for days about this one..."

Everyone is already there by the time they enter the room. She's wearing her Tyrian cloak since this is a formal meeting, and Chiron moves so she can stand between him and Rachel. "Thank you for coming."

"Like we have a choice," Clarisse grumbles.

"Let's come to order. Lou Ellen, please give Miranda her nose back. Travis, if you'd kindly extinguish the flaming Ping-Pong ball, and Butch, I think twenty pencils is really too many for any human nostril. Thank you. Now, as you can see, Ara, Jason, Piper, and Leo have returned successfully... more or less. Some of you have heard parts of their story, but I will let them fill you in."

Jason, Piper, and Leo narrate the quest while Ara stands there in silence, she doesn't have much to say. Jason informs them Hera visited him just minutes before the meeting, and she can feel Annabeth's anger rising.

"So Hera was here," the girl says numbly. "Talking to you."

"Look, I'm not saying I trust her—"

"That's smart."

"—but she isn't making this up about another group of demigods. That's where I came from."

"Romans." Clarisse tosses Seymour the leopard a chunk of food before continuing. "You expect us to believe there's another camp with demigods, but they follow the Roman forms of the gods. And we've never even heard of them."

"The gods have kept the two groups apart, because every time they see each other, they try to kill each other," Piper explains.

"I can respect that. Still, why haven't we ever run across each other on quests?"

"Oh, yes, you have, many times," Chiron says. "It's always a tragedy, and always the gods do their best to wipe clean the memories of those involved. The rivalry goes all the way back to the Trojan War, Clarisse. The Greeks invaded Troy and burned it to the ground.

The Trojan hero Aeneas escaped, and eventually made his way to Italy, where he founded the race that would someday become Rome. The Romans grew more and more powerful, worshipping the same gods but under different names, and with slightly different personalities."

Ara doesn't know why, but every time someone mentions that event it makes her feel bad, as if she were the Greek who suggested to burn down the city. "What's the difference between their gods and ours?" Ara asks to distract herself.

"They're more warlike," Jason answers. "More united. More about expansion, conquest, and discipline."

"Yuck," Travis mutters.

Ara nods. "Yuck is right."

"And the Romans hated the Greeks," Annabeth continues. "They took revenge when they conquered the Greek isles, and made them part of the Roman Empire."

"Not exactly hated them. The Romans admired Greek culture, and were a little jealous. In return, the Greeks thought the Romans were barbarians, but they respected their military power. So during Roman times, demigods started to divide—either Greek or Roman."

"And it's been that way ever since," Annabeth looks at the centaur. "But this is crazy. Chiron, where were the Romans during the Titan War? Didn't they want to help?"

"They did help, Annabeth. While you and Percy were leading the battle to save Manhattan, who do you think conquered Mount Othrys, the Titans' base in California?"

"Hold on," Travis frowns. "You said Mount Othrys just crumbled when we beat Kronos."

"No. It didn't just fall. We destroyed their palace. I defeated the Titan Krios myself," Jason reveals.

"The Bay Area," Annabeth mentions. "We demigods were always told to stay away from it because Mount Othrys was there. But that wasn't the only reason, was it? The Roman camp—it's got to be somewhere near San Francisco. I bet it was put there to keep watch on the Titans' territory. Where is it?"

"I cannot say," Chiron makes a face. "Honestly, even I have never been trusted with that information. My counterpart, Lupa, is not exactly the sharing type. Jason's memory, too, has been burned away."

"The camp's heavily veiled with magic—And heavily guarded. We could search for years and never find it."

"But you'll try, won't you?" Rachel pipes in. "You'll build Leo's boat, the Argo II. And before you make for Greece, you'll sail for the Roman camp. You'll need their help to confront the giants."

"Bad plan," Clarisse scoffs. "If those Romans see a warship coming, they'll assume we're attacking."

"You're probably right," Jason nods. "But we have to try. I was sent here to learn about Camp Half-Blood, to try to convince you the two camps don't have to be enemies. A peace offering."

"Hmm," Rachel acts like she'd seen this coming, maybe she did. "Because Hera is convinced we need both camps to win the war with the giants. Seven heroes of Olympus—some Greek, some Roman."

"Your Great Prophecy," Annabeth looks at her. "What's the last line?"

"And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

"Gaea has opened the Doors of Death," Annabeth nods. "She's letting out the worst villains of the Underworld to fight us. Medea, Midas—there'll be more, I'm sure. Maybe the line means that the Roman and Greek demigods will unite, and find the doors, and close them."

"Or it could mean they fight each other at the doors of death," Clarisse suggests. "It doesn't say we'll cooperate."

"Love to have you around for these meetings, Clarisse," Ara grumbles.

"I'm going," Annabeth sentences. "Jason, when you get this ship built, let me go with you."

"I was hoping you'd offer," Jason replies. "You of all people—we'll need you."

"Wait—I mean that's cool with me and all. But why Annabeth of all people?" Leo asks.

"Hera said my coming here was an exchange of leaders, a way for the two camps to learn of each other's existence."

"Yeah. So?"

Ara's ready to admit that Percy was taken not because she wasn't good enough, but because she isn't perceived by the rest as their primary leader.

Hera needed someone who would destabilize the status quo. Taking Ara would've pissed off Percy, but the camp would've remained strong—their hero would've been around to ease their minds. Hera wanted them to get up and start working, their recess had ended.

"An exchange goes two ways. When I got here, my memory was wiped. I didn't know who I was or where I belonged. Fortunately, you guys took me in and I found a new home. I know you're not my enemy. The Roman camp—they're not so friendly. You prove your worth quickly, or you don't survive. They may not be so nice to him, and if they learn where he comes from, he's going to be in serious trouble."

"Him? Who are you talking about?" Leo demands.

"My boyfriend," Annabeth says. "Ara's brother. He disappeared around the same time Jason appeared. If Jason came to Camp Half-Blood—"

"Exactly. Percy Jackson is at the other camp, and he probably doesn't even remember who he is."

Ara opens her mouth, and the words come out quickly for the first time ever. "We have six months to get things ready. The ship is not the only thing we have to take care of."

The girl places both hands on the ping-pong table, maybe she isn't the right leader to place in an enemy site, but she'll be the one to keep this camp standing.

"Clarisse, you're in charge of the patrolling teams. Annabeth, cabin six will support Leo on whatever he needs while building the Argo II, construction-wise."

Her friend nods. "I trust Lily and Malcolm with this, they're good senior counselors in case I'm not around to make a decision."

Ara agrees right away. "Travis, you and Lou Ellen will set traps around the borders, we don't want any more intruders—no offense, Jason."

"None taken."

"Consider it done, Birdy," Travis salutes her.

"Butch, if your cabin detects abnormal messages going around via iris, report them back to me or Chiron. Miranda, work with the dryads and satyrs, any kind of suspicious activity going on around the forest, especially in areas of interest like Zeus's fist, or anything that could be Gaea related, let us know."

She turns to Piper but doesn't know what to say.

"Cabin Ten will be wherever you need us," Piper steps in. "We'll be your backup."

"For that, you need to get stronger," Ara replies. "Starting tomorrow, I'll train your cabin. That reminds me, Chiron, Leo has to learn how to control his fire. Do you—?"

"Yes," Chiron nods. "And if that doesn't work, I know you and Saggio will figure something out."

"Right. And..." she looks at Clovis and frowns. "Well, if this idiot wakes up before all of you leave, tell him his cabin has to keep an eye on any Gaea-related dreams, maybe we can find Percy through them."

She looks around the room, feeling comfortable in her skin for the first time in weeks, if not months. This isn't her yet, but it's something way better than who she was for sure.

"That's all for today," Ara locks eyes with Jason and smiles. His advice sounds like a great idea at the moment. "Let's get to work."

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @ash-the-hoarder @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris

#twoidiots writing #pjo fanfic #pjo hoo toa #pjo fandom #percy jackson and the olympians #leo valdez x oc #leo valdez fanfic #doo

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askbfdigta · 24 days

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The Secret Hero of Dreamlandia...

From a myth to a legend...

Only Four and Two knew about this legend... the legend about this legend because it was a myth of their lands (depends on personal interpretation, but for it, it's) Mathlandia! Mathlandia used to be the city where Algebraliens lived in: it was no peaceful plan, but it didn't resort to conquering others. This legend was often told by Seven as a myth and turned legend by Ten himself.

The myth started off fairly easy because Seven heard lots of stories and considered this to be a myth. It was all about a hero who would risk his life to stop the corruption of their city. The hero was never referred to as a she, but always a he there.

Six: Are you going to go another imagined story about that secret hero?

Seven: Six, it's real, and I can prove it! What do you think of our current leader? Does he have the qualifications for this?

Six: I don't give a shit about this! Just stop with the story!

Seven: That's what all non-believers say. This myth started many years ago with the Roman numbers. They are our ancestors and our blood. Their emperor was a ruthless person who enjoyed their torture. Every scream, every beg for mercy, everything! The emperor didn't care about his people, but nobody stopped him until an unknown Roman number did. He assassinated the cruel emperor and left. He was the secret hero of the Math Empire! If this didn't happen, then Mathlandia wouldn't be here!

Six: Still no proof.

Seven: You will be proven wrong!

And Seven couldn't be more right when Four noticed how the president planned to capture him and other powerful people. That's when Ten finally came to rescue them!

The Lucky Ten!

Ten saved people and told them to do well. That's how Ten became renowned as the secret hero. It was by fate that he was chosen, and it was by fate that he had to choose a descendant as the years would wear him out. Two wanted to become the chosen one, but Ten saw the evils within him. He refused, and that's how the great destruction of Mathlandia happened. Many Algebraliens dead, only a few alive. Four and X chose to wander Earth and create a society and a society he found and began to transform into the then peaceful city of Dreamlandia. Four and X formed the city as a way to escape this.

Four: I'm thankful for letting me look after your show, Announcer Speaker Box.

Announcer: I wouldn't trust you if it weren't for how exciting your show got. You aren't a bad president, after all. Take good care of your citizens, Four.

Four: Thank you for this gift...

[Weeks later]

Four: We did it, X! We created the society we lost, and we gave those people a peaceful life!

X: We really did it? We really freaking did it!

It was the happiest day for both of them... but not for long... until...

The Presence of a God

It wouldn't be a coincidence that Ten chose Taco as the secret hero of Dreamlandia. She was to defeat Two no matter what. She will lose precious people to her, but she will succeed with her friends' help... that's how Four knew that the legend was true... and that's how it's going to be...

To be continued...

There is still a lot Taco needs to learn about...

#bfb au #bfdi au #battle for dream islands: greed takes all #bfdi: greed takes all #greed takes all #bfb:gta #bfdi:gta #bfdi #bfb taco #bfdi taco #bfdi four #tpot four #bfb four #bfdi two #tpot two #bfb two

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dailykoreanpop · 1 year

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Breaking: iKON To Leave YG Entertainment

YG Entertainment has announced that all six members of iKON will be leaving the agency.

On December 30, YG Entertainment released the following statement announcing iKON’s departure:

Hello, this is YG Entertainment.

We are informing you that after a long discussion with the iKON members (Kim Jinhwan, Bobby, Song Yunhyeong, Goo Junhoe, Kim Donghyuk, and Jung Chanwoo) about their future activities, out of respect for each other’s opinions, we agreed to end our exclusive contract following the expiration of their contract period.

The six members of iKON will of course be continuing their activities as the group “iKON” in the future, and we are also letting you know that they will continue to communicate with iKONIC [iKON’s fans] through their official social media accounts, including their official fan community Weverse, just as they are now.

We sincerely thank iKON, who has been with us as one of our agency’s artists up until now. We are looking forward to their future activities in a wide variety of fields, and we will be cheering them on.

Additionally, we also thank the iKONIC who were together with us for iKON’s journey. We ask that you continue to give the members your unchanging interest and encouragement as they prepare for a new start.

iKON first debuted as a seven-member group under YG Entertainment in 2015. In 2019, the group’s then-leader B.I left both iKON and the agency.

Source (1) (2)

Credit: Soompi

#ikon #Jinhwan #kim jinhwan #jay #bobby #kim jiwon #chanwoo #chan #jung chanwoo #song yunhyeong #yunhyeong #song #koo junhoe #ju-ne #kim donghyuk #dk #YG Entertainment #soompi

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jcmarchi · 5 months

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Artistic Devotion – A Journey Through Horror And Success With Red Candle Games

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/artistic-devotion-a-journey-through-horror-and-success-with-red-candle-games/

Artistic Devotion – A Journey Through Horror And Success With Red Candle Games

Scaring players has helped put the small team at Red Candle Games on the map. Its first two titles, Detention and Devotion, impressed and terrified fans with frighteningly strong horror chops, but the team is leaving that behind to tackle something completely different in Nine Sols. This side-scrolling action platformer blends sci-fi with Chinese mythology and is Red Candle’s most ambitious project yet. This significant step forward affords an opportunity to look back on the studio’s young history, so we spoke with co-founder Vincent Yang to learn about how a small band of gamers in Taiwan formed one of the industry’s most promising – and, at one time, controversial – indie studios.

Red Candle Games began in 2014 when designer Coffee Yao was developing a prototype for Detention. The side-scrolling horror game features two students exploring a haunted high school in 1960s Taiwan, incorporating local cultural references rarely seen in games. These elements drew the attention of Henry and Light Wang during an indie developer meetup in Taipei. According to Yang, Detention impressed the Wangs enough for them to join the project. As the game grew in scope, the three recruited help from mutual friends – Doy Chiang, Hans Chen, and Yang himself – bumping the yet-to-be-named team to six members by late 2015. After working remotely on Detention for a period, the group decided a physical office was necessary, which led to the official formation of Red Candle Games.

Detention was released on Steam in January 2017 and was well-received by critics and players. The game has since been ported to multiple platforms and even adapted into a live-action film in 2019 (it premiered in the U.S. in 2021). Additionally, Netflix and Taiwan’s Public Television Service released a Detention TV show in 2020 – though with a different story from the movie.

Devotion

Red Candle followed this success with Devotion, an atmospheric first-person horror game set within a haunted apartment. Moving from 2D to 3D development is a big design shift, but Yang believes regularly changing gears like this is necessary to maintain fan interest.

“Because in this ever-changing and competitive gaming market, we often find it difficult to impress the players by applying the same techniques repeatedly, which pushes us to keep delivering new and innovative ideas,” Yang says. “This, in turn, changes the way we make games.”

After over two years of work, Devotion arrived on Steam in February 2019 to heaps of praise from the lucky players who managed to get their hands on it. But only two days after its launch, the game riled up controversy among Chinese players thanks to a piece of in-game art mocking China’s president, Xi Jinping, by calling him Winnie the Pooh, referencing an internet meme that unfavorably compares the leader’s appearance to the character. China and Taiwan have a tense relationship, so the resulting backlash from the country’s players and the government was severe enough to force Red Candle to pull Devotion from sale. The game’s Chinese publisher even lost its business license.

Red Candle Games’ founders, (left to right): Doy Chiang, Hans Chen, Coffee Yao, Vincent Yang, Henry Wang, and Light Wang

To the dismay of horror enthusiasts, Devotion remained delisted for over two years. Inklings of hope would occasionally arise, such as PC storefront GOG announcing plans to re-sell the game before it immediately back-peddled due to vaguely defined player complaints. Fortunately, Red Candle finally began re-selling Devotion directly through its website in March 2021, bringing its tumultuous journey to an end. Red Candle could move forward. “As a team, we felt relieved, as if a heavy weight was lifted from our shoulders,” says Yang.

Moving forward meant stepping away from horror to do something different. Enter Nine Sols, which Red Candle started working on a few months before Devotion’s original launch. Yang says the game originates from a concept he envisioned years prior based on the story of Hou Yi. In Chinese mythology, Hou Yi is a legendary archer who used his bow to rescue the country from plagues and saved the moon during an eclipse, among other supernatural feats. Yang proposed reworking this story into a science fiction tale, an idea that intrigued his teammates.

Nine Sols unfolds in the realm of New Kunlun, a sanctuary for humans created by nine god-like rulers. However, the population is unaware of New Kunlun’s sinister true purpose. That changes when a child awakens Yi, a cat-like hero that history has forgotten. Yi embarks on a quest to slay the nine rulers and free New Kunlun. The adventure sports a manga-inspired hand-drawn art direction blending cyberpunk/sci-fi with Chinese fantasy and Taoism. Gameplaywise, Nine Sols is a fast-paced 2D Metroidvania with Souls-like combat, as players hack apart enemies using Yi’s sword and parry attacks in a manner directly influenced by Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

The project is a gamble, as the team leaves its comfort zone to make its first action platformer. Yang says with its art assets, gameplay mechanics, levels, animations, and 12-15 hour length, Nine Sols is the studio’s biggest title yet. But the team needed to do something different to avoid feeling burned out on horror while also taking advantage of the flexibility its team size affords.

Red Candle Games’ upcoming Nine Sols pays homage to the Chinese myth of Hou Yi, and features a manga-inspired art style

“Being an indie developer, in a way, makes us more versatile and gives us more room to be creative, meaning we have the privilege to experiment on different topics and gameplay,” Yang says. “It’s then reasonable that we want to leverage that versatility and explore other possibilities wherever we have the chance.”

Nine Sols is Red Candle’s first action game, but it’s leveraging its narrative chops to craft what Yang hopes will be a compelling story filled with rich lore to create what he describes as “a new kind of action platformer” – one with equal emphasis on engaging gameplay and storytelling.

Detention

Nine Sols also marks the team’s most serious attempt at penetrating the Western market. Detention and Devotion, despite their success, still appeal to relatively niche audiences. On the other hand, Nine Sols combines two very popular subgenres, and Yang hopes that results in the game making the biggest splash possible overseas and putting the studio on more people’s radars.

Nine Sols is currently slated to launch in Q1 2024, but curious players can play a free Steam demo. Depending on its success, the title could be a launch pad for other experiences that don’t focus exclusively on frightening players.

“If given the opportunity, I think we’d love to explore other genres in the future,” says Yang. “Deep down, we are simply a group of game creators who love all kinds of games. So as long as we ensure the product we produce will have guaranteed quality and doesn’t disappoint our current and future supporters, I find no reasons for us to be locked into the horror genre.”

As for Red Candle’s future, Yang believes maintaining its small size has its benefits. Since Devotion’s launch, only three new employees have joined, while one has left, meaning the studio has grown from 11 to 13 full-time staff members. While he’s happy with the advantages of running a small team – smoother communication and more room to experiment – he’s not opposed to expanding the studio’s size if needed. “I envision us as a resilient team that can embrace and adapts to any possible changes regardless of our size,” Yang says.

Nine Sols is the biggest test yet for the studio, eschewing almost everything that brought it success in an attempt to broaden its appeal by tackling a competitive genre. But Red Candle Games has proven its ability, resiliency, and versatility over its relatively young existence. We’re excited to see how it continues to delight – or terrify – its fans going forward.

This article originally appeared in Issue 356 of Game Informer

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eyelessfog · 1 year

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House Moon

Summary: House Moon is a manor on the edge of a village. They're small, but they're hardy, and they don't trust very easily. In this story, we see just how difficult it is to be trusted in House Moon. From the Head, to her husband, to the traitor of Fairy Forest - the Leaders of House Moon aren't always liked by their subjects.

———

House Moon was established a long, long time ago.

The mansion has been renovated many times over the years, always keeping it modern and grand. It was once in the center of a fort, but the walls came down a couple hundred years ago, around the time the Shadow Queen first took the throne.

Nowadays, the mansion is protected more by those that live around it than by the walls that surround the village. The walls have been under threat of canons for years now.

When it comes to the inhabitants of House Moon, it’s always been left to the eldest of the House to take over as the head. The first resident of the House was a man who’s name was lost by history. Known as leader to a large pack of wolves, he was a single father to the girl he adopted as his daughter.

From then on, it was decided that the eldest child would inherit the house, whether they were the eldest child by blood or by paper.

Years and generations pass before the beginning of this story - we start with the current head of House Moon: Pearl Moon.

Pearl Moon took over the house at only twenty, after her parents died. An assassination, it was understood as. Most likely (and later confirmed as) being in hopes of convincing the younger and less experienced new head of the House to give up the land surrounding House Moon to the Southlands.

Unfortunately for them, Pearl Moon refused, and later explained that she also knew who they used to kill her parents. If the Southlands didn’t want to suffer the same fate as the very ones they got assassinated, they would cease their attempts at trying to get the land of House Moon.

At twenty four, only a year after the negotiations with the Southlands ended, Pearl Moon got married to a pen pal of hers from another continent. The backstory was suspect, as House Moon is entirely land locked, and they had very few messengers that would be able to get a message to another continent, but House Moon trusts its heads.

The husband was Scott S. Major-Moon. Eight months after the marriage, he was convinced to remove the Major from his name, and House Moon accepted him, finally, as one of their own.

Gaining the trust of a place like House Moon is difficult. When any new person could be a spy for some other kingdom that’s attempting to take over the property, newcomers are generally treated with distaste. When Scott Moon didn’t replace his birth last name, most of the property took it as a sign of distrust for them, distrust that they would return to him.

While trust came easier to them after the full name change, many still stayed on the edge about him, scrutinizing everything he did.

In this time, Scott had helped Pearl set up a mutual agreement with the assassins that killed her parents - a group called Team Best. The agreement made it so that they would not kill anyone from House Moon, but they were more than free to take other jobs against House Moon. Such as theft. The agreement held, and House Moon was reasonably well protected.

When Pearl was twenty six, and Scott twenty seven, they sent out an announcement that they were married for convenience and for the sake of sharing the household. They are not, and will never be, lovers, though this does not change the fact that they are stronger together, and are happy with the state of their partnership.

In simpler words: Pearl and Scott Moon may be married, but they are not in love. They are still friends though - close friends - and the announcement is not to signal a divorce, but a deeper look into their existing relationship.

When Pearl Moon is twenty nine, she dies.

She is found by Scott Moon and Grand Knight Ren, in the arms of the Shadow Queen, blood dripping from her neck and shoulder, where the Queen bit her and ripped her open.

She dies, and a terrified and lonely Scott Moon goes home, with bitter news on his lips.

All of House Moon goes into mourning.

The white, green, blue that House Moon is known for turns into grey, blue, black. The walls of the fortress are turned thicker. Any sign of the Fairy Forest is reacted to with full hostility. House Moon closes off.

House Moon protects itself.

Scott Moon becomes Head of the House by default, and is begrudgingly accepted by the citizens of House Moon. He has never been as beloved as those raised in the House.

Many still don’t trust him.

Many believe that this distrust is rightful, when he takes in someone from Fairy Forest.

Meet Lady Cleo, the ex-advisor of the Shadow Queen, and new partner to Scott Moon.

———

Being new to House Moon is decidedly very difficult. That’s one of the first things Cleo learns during her stay in the manor.

She knows how to take care of herself. She prefers to do as much as she can on her own. But servants have never given her quite the same looks as they do here. The servants have never avoided her the way these ones do.

Cleo has always been the type to thank servants for their work - she remembers being one of them and she remembers the anger under her skin at how little they cared for the way she worked her ass off. In Fairy Forest, they always became flustered after her thanks, unused to it, but happy nonetheless. Here, thanks is regarded with suspicion and narrowed eyes.

She doesn’t get it.

So Cleo does what she thinks is right, and she goes to the door of the man she’s pretty sure can explain it all.

Scott Moon has the largest bedroom in the manor, with tall doors and intricate designs carved into them. Candlelight flickers under the doors, and Cleo decides that she feels no guilt in disturbing him. He’s awake anyway.

She knocks on the door.

“Who is it?” Scott calls, voice muffled.

“It’s Cleo.”

“Come on in then,” Scott says, and Cleo opens the door.

Scott clearly wasn’t about to go to sleep soon, as he’s sitting in the large chair by the window, a book on the armrest. He leans on the other armrest, looking almost bored.

“Hello Cleo.”

“Scott,” Cleo greets, closing the door behind her. “I have a couple questions.”

Scott lights up. “I do like questions.”

“Don’t say it like that. I’m not looking for a game.” Scott deflates a bit. “I was just wondering about the servants.”

Scott looks her over, eyes narrowed in consideration. After a minute: “Why don’t you move away from the door? Let’s sit at the table.” He gestures to the small coffee table and the couches around it.

Cleo sits, watching as Scott slowly grabs a bookmark and marks his page, then folds the blankets that he had over his lap neatly.

“Are you stalling?” Cleo asks.

“Just a bit.”

Cleo quiets again.

Scott sits, finally, crossing his legs and resting his hands against one of his knees. “Alright,” he begins. “Questions.”

Cleo leans back, almost bored. “I was wondering, mostly, what you gain out of getting the servants to spy on me.”

Scott blinks at her. “Oh, they aren’t spying on you.”

“I’m sure you can understand why I don’t believe that.”

Scott laughs. “I do understand why, yes! They’re all quite suspicious of you, I assume. All avoidance and glares, I’m sure.”

Cleo frowns, furrowing her brows. “Yeah. Exactly.”

Scott gives her a sad smile. “It’s because you’re not a Moon.”

He says it like it explains everything, but Cleo just stares. “I’m… Not. This is true.”

“Those who live under House Moon - and this includes those in the village surrounding the property - are generally very suspicious of newcomers. We’ve had a fair share of people trying to wiggle their way into weaknesses in the walls and in the people. It takes a lot of time to make people trust you, here.” He gestures to the entirety of her. “You’ve only been around for a couple months.”

“But you welcomed me here,” Cleo says. “I’m a guest of the Head. They can’t-“

“Sure they can,” Scott interrupts. “It was eight months after my introduction to House Moon - which is to say: my marriage - that the population began to trust me. Pearl trusted me enough to marry me, but until I changed my last name entirely to become Moon, it didn’t matter. I wasn’t enough of a Head to have the trust of the people.”

Cleo scratches uncomfortably at her jaw.

“I need your trust, though. If we’re going to get through the plan-“

“Cleo. You have my trust. And I’m afraid neither of us are going to have the population’s. As the Head, I have the power to make the preparations. And we’ll both get our revenge. We can get through it. Together.”

Cleo recognizes the phrasing as a threat - she won’t be able to do anything without him, but he will be equally unable to do anything without her. Still- while they’re in the walls of House Moon, he’s more powerful than her.

“I get it,” Cleo says. “I think that’s all.” She pauses halfway through standing, and sits herself back down. “Actually… What do you mean by neither of us having their trust? You’re the Head now.”

“And I let Pearl die. They’ll listen to me, and they trust that I know what I’m doing, but they don’t like me.” Scott places a hand over his mouth, looking very much like he'd just noticed something. “Ah. With me as the sole Head, I suppose I’ll have to start looking into an heir…”

Cleo stands, no hesitance this time. “Alright. You can get on that. Thank you, Scott. I’ll be back soon.”

Scott smiles at her, seeming very suddenly exhausted. “I look forward to it.”

Cleo leaves, making sure to shut the door as quietly as possible.

Fuck.

Having the trust of so few people is exhausting. Cleo hopes she can get through it.

(She presses a hand against her chest, where her heart is. The blood doesn’t pump.)

She has to. She has to push through if she wants to kill the Shadow Queen and BigB.

#[written in stone]#shadow life au #last life smp #mm.#scott smajor #zombiecleo #n thats really it. pearl doesn't really get her own scene. characters who shape the story w their absence ect ect

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christina-stark-skarlet-stileto · 1 year

Text

Loss of Control Day 28

Christina POV

They had found a galaxy of new planets that looked strangely similar to the Star Wars universe. We were going to check it out. I already knew I had the Force, so it wasn't that strange. I was excited to finally meet the other Jedi. I had already met Anakin and Obi-Wan, they crashed here six years ago, and have been in contact ever since. They gave us our Star Wars nicknames, and Anakin has taken to calling Damian “Mini Me” as well. I walked out of the room to call them.

"Hey Anakin, the others have discovered your neck of the galaxy, and I'm not sure what to do." I said panicking.

"It's alright Chrissy, can you get Mini Me on the call with you?" He said, calming me enough to think.

"Dami, can you come here?" I said across our bond. He walked in a few seconds later.

"As you guys already know, my evil clone and his evil master are ruling our galaxy at the moment. What you didn't know, and neither did we, is that he doesn't know about the Milky Way. If you guys take your own ship you will be spotted, and I just can't have that, so I'm coming to you. Chrissy, you, Mini Me, Mini Master, and Big Leia are going to have to meet the Council. They might not be too happy that Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, and I have been training you, so be prepared. I love you all, my little siblings." Anakin said.

"We love you, big brother. When are you getting here?" I asked him.

"I can be there in time for the next Gala. We were planning on attending anyway. The twins are only three, so they can hang with Morgan while we do big kid stuff. Does that sound good to you?" He answered.

"Yeah, see you Thursday. We can't wear our Jedi robes, you're going to need a suit, sorry." I said and laughed when he frowned.

"Really, you're killin' me, smalls." He said. We hung up and walked back into the briefing room.

"Guys, this is a problem. We can't go there until Anakin gets here, so hold off on planning this until after the Gala." I said, stepping into the leader position. They agreed, and the meeting was called to a close. We went upstairs to the Penthouse for breakfast. After that, I had a meeting with the PR department, and we discussed the massive media storm that would occur if Damian and I went public with our Soulmate bond. At this point, Damian and I didn't care, and we were going public anyway. We set up a press conference for tomorrow, which was Saturday. Then I left to go do paperwork and work in the lab with Leia. Then we went upstairs for lunch and Damian joined us multiple times during the day. Damian and I sparred and trained after lunch with our elemental and force powers. The rest of the day flew by and we all went on patrol. I went to bed when we got back, and soon enough, it was Saturday. I got up at six and started getting ready for the press conference, which was at eight. I put on an emerald green, knee-length dress with quarter-inch sleeves, a black blazer, and a necklace that Damian gave me. I didn't cover the soulmark on the inside of my wrist because I didn't need to anymore. I was ready at seven except for make-up. Damian and I ate, and then went to the conference room.

"We have called you all here today to announce that, when Damian and I were fourteen, we discovered our soul bond. That means we are romantic soulmates. We are planning on getting married at nineteen and twenty respectively. We will not be taking questions at this time, have a good day." I said, and we left. Sure enough, the internet went crazy. Mom took Leia, Kari, who everyone else calls MJ; and I to the store to find our dresses. I found one that I loved. It had one long sleeve, it was dark emerald this time, and it matched my ring. I went home after that, and started planning for Anakin's arrival. We went to church Sunday morning, and then we had a lazy day at home. I called Anakin and we talked for a while. The Star Wars movies are inaccurate to the real galaxy of Star Wars. Anakin as you know never turned and he is twenty-two. Palpatine cloned Anakin, and his evil clone is Darth Vader. The clone wars only lasted a year. Ashoka is My age. Padmé is the same age as Anakin, and Obi-Wan married Satine. Palpatine never activated order sixty six because it doesn't actually exist. After I talked to Anakin we had supper and went to bed. Also apparently I own a ship now. It's a Nabooian cruiser, and it's called the 'Cerulean Shadow' Anakin named it after mine and Damian's superhero aliases. Monday went by slowly. First I had a meeting with the Department Heads again. They always seem to want to irritate me. Damian, Peter, and I sat through a lecture on public decorum and not being so blunt. Honestly I think being blunt can be a good thing when used correctly. Then I had to do paperwork, and set up a meeting with Shield. Because, apparently Nicholas Fury decided he wanted to speak with me. It's ironic how much he looks like Mace Windu. Anyways it was slow. I went on Patrol and swung through the city. Stopped a few muggers and robbers. Then I had to stop Doc Oc again because somehow he escaped. The rest of the week was normal, if you call being a CEO at eighteen normal. Thursday has finally arrived. I woke up, had breakfast with my family, and then did work stuff till twelve. Then mom had me, Kari, and Leia ushered off to hair and makeup with her team. We got done with hair and makeup around two. Then we were told not to mess it up by the makeup artist. We then waited for the final adjustments to be made to the dresses. After they were done we got dressed. I went out to Damian at five, and then we went to the door of the room the Gala was in. The door opened and the announcer said.

"Miss. Christina Stark and her soulmate Mr. Damian Obadia." We continued walking into the room and found Anakin and Padmé. They were standing with Obi-Wan and Satine. They were announced as Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman. The world doesn't know the difference.

"Oh look, the mini Skywalker's are here." Obi-Wan joked.

"Yeah we are, how are you guys? We announced that we are soulmates, and people are going crazy over it." I said.

"We're pretty good except for you know. We got the Rebellion to understand what is going on." Obi-Wan replied.

"So Anakin, how are the twins? I know they're with Morgan right now." Damian asked

"They're pretty good. You two do realize that you just practically announced that you're engaged right." Anakin said,

"We are though we've been engaged for a year now" Damian replied.

"That's not what I meant, you are so much like me sometimes. I mean to the other people on your planet. They know now, you basically told them. Also I'm pretty sure you're already married legally, as you so eloquently put it." Anakin said. How did he know? 'sis it's the force remember.' Anakin said through our bond.

"Ok well we will see you in a little while but first. Christina, may I have this dance?" Damian asked.

"Of course you may Damian." I replied. We danced and talked for a while, and then we went back up to the penthouse. It was fine, but I couldn't help feeling out of control.

#angstpril2023 #day 28 #loss of control #star wars #spiderman

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yourkimjaejin · 2 years

Text

Queendom Episode 1 & 2

(I’ll be covering everything that was not seen in episode 0! Happy reading!)

Legend: English = Bold, Fan Comments = This, Interview = Italics

During the grand opening, Moxy was the representative for AG. This is what she said

“The road has never been easy for us, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. We’ll show everyone exactly who we are. We are NCT AG!”

All the girls are dressed in military/swat gear. Kindof tactical with a feminine edge. Their are two patches on each girls uniform, one for the group they are in and one for NCT AG. All the girls have military hats one with chains and gemstone embroidered on

AG’s grand opening performance started with the girls on a platform with control panels in front of each member. Moxy is the member facing front with her eyes closed. In front of her a huge green button that says emergency in Korean flashes. Moxy’s eyes spring open

“Emergency! This is a warning to everyone here, watch your back.” The camera closes in on her face and Moxy smirks, “You’ve been warned.” Moxy slams her fist on the emergency button and all the girls come to life and move to the front of the stage. They dance and sing to a remix of Emergency (AG’s single from the last NCT 2021 album)

The difference between AG and the other girls performances is visible. The members of AG don’t dance like a female idol would. They’ve been taught to attack like a guy would and that doesn’t change in this performance.

I’ve never watched an AG performance before and after that, I’m ashamed of myself

I’ve been a fan since the SM rookie program and even I was surprised

NCT AG came to make a statement

(We pick up where we left off in Episode 0, the picking of the rivals)

As all the groups are choosing their rivals we get to Loona pick and the arrow points to NCT AG. While Hannah and Aurora look shocked, Juno and Moxy keep their cool.

“We’ve always just missed each other when it comes to promoting so we picked them to see what they can do in person!” Both groups looked pleased with the choice

“Alright AG, let’s find out who you chose as your rival.” Close up on AG’s logo. A single arrow shoots straight across the screen to Loona’s logo. Both group nod at each other some members oooing and ahing at the choice.

“More than anything we want to challenge ourselves to be better and show the world who we are. The side that we haven’t shown yet. What better way to do that they challenging a group that triple our size!” All the groups laugh at Juno’s explanation.

Next it is announced that the performance theme is signature songs

All the groups were able to choose what number the wanted on the cue sheet. It’s revealed that AG was able to get the sixth spot. Much to the disappointment of Loona

(Flashback to AG’s practice room where they picked their number.)

“There’s a pressure and feeling of freedom in the sixth position. You’ll be the last performance on peoples minds but you have to sit thru every other performance before you get to set foot on the stage.” Hannah explained to the group

Ultimately the girls played Rock Paper Scissors in order to choose their number and Hannah’s pick of number six won out

The Queen Manager reveals that both Hyolyn and Loona also chose the sixth position, shocking the entire room.

The Heejin, Moxy and Hyolyn are brought to the front to discuss between themselves as n who will get the number six position

“Do y’all want six?” Moxy asks Heejin. The Loona leader nods. “Ok then I’ll just do this.” The video slows as Moxy walks to the board and places AG’s tag on the fifth position. Hyolyn gracefully let’s Loona take the sixth position while she occupies the second position under Viviz

(We get a glimpse at the girls practices)

In a meeting with SM staffs, the members of AG are sitting down at a long table.

"The first competition theme is signature songs. We've talked to other staffs in the building and we asked 'What song comes to mind when you think NCT AG?'"

Several cameras filmed various employees around the SM entertainment building. Idols from SM legacy in kpop all answered the question

"Thinking about a song that comes to mind when asked about AG, my mind focuses on one. Breakout." Taeyeon

"Easy. Something Like A Party. Its the song I reach for the most when I listen to AG." Yeri from Red Velvet

"AG has a long list of killer song but the first one that comes to mind is Emergency." Jaemin

Back at the meeting, The previous staff continues.

"The song with the most votes Is Breakout. We already have some ideas unless you all have an objection." The members of AG look at each other waiting for someone to speak. Moxy moves forward in her seat.

“The girls and I actually discussed last night and we came to the same conclusion. We have to save our heavy hitters for later in the competition.” Moxy

“But we’ve never performed this song with choreography.” Aurora points out.

(The meeting is cut off and we skip ahead to performance day.)

In the car on the way to the filming. the girls are fully dressed in sweats so they done spoil their costumes.

When AG pulls up, so does Brave Girls. the two groups walk in together, talking about their upcoming performance with spoilers

All the groups arrive at their dressing room to see Loona won’t be performing that day. All the groups are disappointed but cheering the girls speedy recovery

Outside fans are lining up to cheer on their favorite groups and soloists

The camera catch some NCTzens with their NCT lights sticks and banners hand made for the four members of AG

“NCTzens will alway cheer for you, AG!!”

As the show starts and Taeyeon walks out Juno can't stop herself for stating, “She's just effortlessly gorgeous.”

When the pre recorded cheer were played, AG cheered for their fan base as well

(The performances start properly after this.)

Hannah and Moxy were wiped away tears after Viviz’s performance

The members of AG couldn’t help but dance along with Hyolyn’s performance of Touch My Body

“What kpop fan doesn’t know the dance to that song?” Aurora

As Kepler walk out, the girls are speculating what their song or concept is

“It kind of looks like their doing a racing theme.” Moxy mentions

“They have to perform Wa Da Da this round right? It’s their biggest hit.” Aurora gestures to the tv as Kepler starts their pre-performance interview

When Kepler says this is their first time performance for fans Juno says, “Don’t be nervous!”

“If this is truly their first time singing live, they’re doing so well!” Hannah comments during Keplers performance

Next up, Brave Girls

“Wow! Their doing Nanta!!” Moxy shouts as soon as the performance starts

“Waa Minyeong noona!!” Aurora stunned by the older females voice

Brave Girls ended their performance with Rollin’, all the members stood up and danced along

“We’ve arrived at our last performance of the night. Since we’ve waited, we looking forward to this even more. They’ve made a name for themselves twice in this industry. Are you ready to meet them? Run the World, NCT AG!”

“Everyone has chosen songs that the fans know of. And then there’s us!!” All the girls laugh at Moxy’s words

(As the girls get into places, we learn about AG journey to get here)

We start in a conference room where AG is sat with a litany of managers and staff.

“We think you should perform Something Like A Party or Breakout unless the four of you have another suggestion.” One staff members said. Laying out their plans for the first theme which is representative song

“We actually discussed this already. We don’t wanna perform any of our title tracks yet. AG doesn’t have a deep list of songs like the others have. And we definitely don’t want to start performing any songs from our other groups. Hannah had a good idea of what our representative song should be. I like it but it’s comes with complications.” The people on the room turned their attention to Hannah as she spoke

“I though a good choice for this week would be Give It Up. It’s the only song that existed before AG became real. It’s the only song we rerecorded for all four members and if the company adds another member to our ranks we’ll probably re-record again.” Hannah explained

“But I pointed out that we’d be taking a major risk because Give It Up doesn’t have choreography. It’s purely vocals. Can we do the song justice while performing in the way our fans expect us to.” Aurora cuts in, send the room into pensive silence as they considered the maknaes words

“But but we won’t know unless we try. I agree with Aurora that Give It Up would be a risk but at the same time. We want to enter this competition with a bang. With a performance no one is expecting. Performing a vocal track with a dance that no one’s seen is a way to make a splash.” Juno gives her input

“Let’s put it to a vote then.” AG’s lead manager guides the group in a vote where Give It Up wins 9 to 6.

Cut to the girls in the practice room, The members are in a line facing their choreographer as they learn the dance for their Give It Up performance. The girls are focused as the choreographer teachers them.

"Its a risk to perform a new dance on the first night of competition, but it's a risk we're willing to make." Juno

Cut to AG in gym with tape blocking the stage out for the girls. Shots of the girls performing different moves in the Give It Up choreography. The girls monitoring their practice.

“Being in NCT gives us an advantage. While some groups haven’t done big stages like this. We’ve been doing it for years so stepping onto the Queendom doesn’t rattle us!” Juno

"Juno has a special part in this performance. She's hitting a note she's been preparing diligently for. Be ready Queendom." Hannah finishes with a smile.

Moxy asks everyone to run thru the performance again just so Juno can get a feel for how tried she'll be before her special note for this performance.

The behind-the-scenes ends with the girls cheering in their ending positions. We cut back to the girls huddled together on the Queendom stage. The four member do this chant on the stage and their fans join them, startling Moxy and Hannah.

“We came on this show to prove something. That were not just the girls from NCT. No! We’re NCT AG and after this no one should ever forget it.” Aurora

Cut back to the Queendom stage where the lights have dimmed signaling the beginning of AG's performance.

“I hope they make a great ending.” Hoylyn

“What song are they performing.” Minyoung

“They have to be performing Breakout.” Hikaru

The stage is littered with bar tables. Patrons sits sipping their drinks and conversing between each other. A hush falls over the crowd as lights illuminate four rectangles covered by white sheets. The four members of AG take their places and the bar-goers clap for them.

The performance starts with the girls acapella signing their beginning lines. Then the drums kick in and once the first chorus hits, the girls burst thru the white sheets and strut onto the stage.

“Omo! It’s Give It Up!” Yeso shouts, excited for the unexpected.

The rest of the performance is filled with the girls flirting with their dancers, being twirled and dipped all while blowing the crowd away with their live vocals

“I don’t think I’ve seen anyone group else dance like that.” SinB

“Noona’s are so cool!” Bahiyyih

The song reaches its tipping point when the three girls harmonize together on the bridge while Juno hits a whistle note that Wendy would be proud of.

The other groups spend their performance dancing in their seats but when Juno's note hits, jaws drop.

The girls make it back to their beginning positions and finish the song with the four girls voices blending perfectly in a fabulous run. As the girls sing the final note, confetti fires off. The ending fairy was given to Aurora and Hannah

The performance was influenced by the Lady Marmalade song sung by Christina Aguilera, Mya, Lil Kim and Pink. The costumes were inspired by the costumes in the music video for Lady Marmalade but appropriate for the girls age. All the members costumes were blinged out in sparkles, lace and gemstones. The costumes were in the girls signature colors

After AG’s stunning performance full of show quality, it’s time for the live audience voting

Moxy and Juno had their eyes closed while the fans and young idols were voting

After the voting has finished, all the contestants make their way to the seating area to hear the results. AG walks in arms chained together

The first results are the self assessment picks

Clips of the voting process for the groups is shown

“I don’t think the theme was even in the performance besides the screens.” Moxy

“The song was great. The performance was moving but can you say that represented them.” Hannah

Mnet edited in AG making their pick for the performance that was a cut below them quick. But cut out the girls agreeing on the same group

Moving back to the result, all the girls are shocked learning that Hyolyn performed with a broken heel

Moxy’s leg bounces up and down as Taeyong breaks down the scoring and begin revealing the self assessment

AG’s self assessment was revealed first. For a cut above they chose no one. For a cut below, they chose Viviz

“It was a great performance if we were competing against Gfriend. We’re not competing against Gfriend, we’re competing against Viviz.” Juno

After everyone’s choices are revealed, the self assessment ranking is show and AG is tied with Brave Girls for second place

For the global votes, AG got second place being beat out by Hyolyn

As the final winner is announced, the members of AG all grab hands. When Hyolyn’s name is called the girls are disappointed but polite

AG’s final score for the first round was 8,724 putting them in second place

“We took a chance on a song with no choreography. But we trusting in our own ability and it paid off.” Hannah response to being asked how they felt

When asked of Loona should be allowed to perform, the the groups unanimously agreed to let them.

Moving on, the choices for next weeks cover performance round are announced. Here are the pairs

Hyolyn - Loona

AG - Kepler

Brave Girls - Viviz

“We’ll there goes our fans hopes and dreams.” Moxy after Hyolyn chooses Loona to switch with.

When it’s AG’s turn to pick everyone starts appealing to them

“If we can’t have Loona out second choice is AG.” Viviz

“I have the Welcome To The Jungle rap memorized already!” Hikaru from Viviz

“Doing one of their songs would be a challenge that we’re willing to take on.” Brave girls

Moxy represented AG. She strolled slowly past Viviz and almost came to a stop at Brave Girls. The girls of Kepler looks disappointed until Moxy kept walking and held her arms out for a hug. The members of Kepler rejoiced at the chance to perform AG’s songs

“When all the groups were announced, our fans were unanimous about us choosing Loona for our cover but We knew they were gonna be a popular choice so we made a list and Kepler was second.” Juno

The cue sheet for the second round will be revealed next week. See you then

Fan comments

Of course Mnet would make AG look like the bad guys for picking Viviz as second best. It’s not like they said anything that wasn’t true

I honestly thought the girls would choose Breakout but I glad they didn’t

Now I want a cover of Rollin’ by AG

I was not expecting a moulin rouge concept from AG……..but as always they KILLED IT

Don’t worry AG we Elfzens got your back!!!

I know none of the girls chose AG as better but I can name three performances that AG outdid

I would like everyone to take a moment and apologize to AG for not recognizing the VOCAL QUEENS that they are

Did you all see the video of 127 watching the show live!! We stan supportive brothers

I wonder which Kep1er song AG is going with. I hope it's MVSK!

#NCT AG #NCT AG.Variety #NCT AG.Writing #nct female unit #nct female addition #nct female member #kpop!fakegroup #kpop!au #kpop!oc #kpop!addition #kpop addition #kpop fake group #kpop female member #nct female subunit #queendom 2 #mnet queendom

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