“
Live, and be prosperous: and farewell, good fellow. Juliet! ...O my love! my wife!
Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty: Thou art not conquered; beauty's ensign yet Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks, And death's pale flag is not advanced there. Tybalt, liest thou there in thy bloody sheet? O, what more favor can I do to thee, Than with that hand that cut thy youth in twain To sunder his that was thine enemy? Forgive me, cousin! Ah, dear Juliet, Why art thou yet so fair? shall I believe That unsubstantial death is amorous, And that the lean abhorred monster keeps Thee here in dark to be his paramour? For fear of that, I still will stay with thee; And never from this palace of dim night Depart again: here, here will I remain With worms that are thy chamber-maids...Eyes, look your last. Arms, take your last embrace. and, lips, O you The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss
A dateless bargain to engrossing death... Here's to my love!...Thus with a kiss I die.
”
”
William Shakespeare
“
So – I am n-nothing more than – than a bloody job?! On top of not knowing why you must look after me – you only jumped at the chance to help me because your – that V-Vampire thought you couldn’t?! What are you, some – some child?!”
“I am no child, human!”
“Oh I would not have thought so,” she breathed condescendingly sending his blood to boil despite the ring, “if it were not for the fact that only children react so wondrously juvenile when faced with such a choice! You bargain my life over a show of bravado! And where is your brother, Christian?! He has not been here to see your brilliant work as my watcher, has he?!
”
”
S.C. Parris (The Immortal's Guide (Dark World, #2))
“
The political forces arrayed on the side of capital have always wanted to treat labor as a commodity, driving down costs and demanding the freedom to move production to countries with the lowest wages. They have tried to prevent workers from forming unions and look for opportunities to break unions once they are formed. They have also tried to prevent governments from regulating working hours and conditions, imposing minimum wages or mandating family leave. On the other side, the workers have organized into unions, braving numerous bloody confrontations, in order to be able to bargain collectively for better wages and working conditions, and over the years have won a number of important concessions, such as laws that prohibit child labor and provide for a regulated work week, safer working conditions and so on. The heyday of this era was in the 1950s, when an assembly-line autoworker in Detroit was able to earn enough to afford a house and a car, raise a family and then retire comfortably. That era is now over.
”
”
Dmitry Orlov (The Five Stages of Collapse: Survivors' Toolkit)
“
DEFENDING A RAPIST What is the character of a person who becomes a sexual enabler? We get an early glimpse into this question from 1975, when Hillary Clinton defended a man, Thomas Alfred Taylor, who was accused of beating and raping a twelve-year-old girl. A virgin prior to the attack, she spent five days in a coma, several months recovering from her injuries, and years in therapy. Even people who are accused of heinous crimes deserve criminal representation. Hillary’s strategy in defending Taylor, however, was to blame the teenage victim. According to an affidavit filed by Hillary, children who come from “disorganized families such as the complainant” sometimes “exaggerate or romanticize sexual experiences.” Hillary suggested the girl was “emotionally unstable with a tendency to seek out older men and engage in fantasizing.” Here Hillary seems to be echoing what Bernie Sanders wrote in his rape fantasy essay. In this case, however, the girl certainly didn’t dream up the assault and rape. There was physical evidence that showed she had been violated, and she was beaten so badly she was in a coma. Prosecutors had in their possession a bloodied pair of Taylor’s underwear. But fortunately for Hillary and her client, the forensic lab mishandled the way that evidence was preserved. At the time of trial, the state merely had a pair of Taylor’s underwear with a hole cut in it. Hillary plea bargained on behalf of Taylor and got him released without having to do any additional time. A tape unearthed by the Washington Free Beacon has Hillary celebrating the outcome. “Got him off with time served in the county jail,” she says. Did Hillary believe that, in this case, justice was done? Certainly not. On the tape, Hillary admits she never trusted her client. “Course he claimed he didn’t, and all this stuff.” So she decided to verify his story. “I had him take a polygraph, which he passed—which forever destroyed my faith in polygraphs.” Clearly Hillary knows her client is guilty, and this fact doesn’t bother her. The most chilling aspect of Hillary’s voice is her indifference—even bemusement—at getting a man off after he raped a twelve-year-old. The episode is a revealing look into the soul of an enabler. In fact, it reminds me of Alinsky protesting to Frank Nitti about the wasted expense of importing an out-of-town-killer. Hillary, like Alinsky, seems to be a woman without a conscience.9
”
”
Dinesh D'Souza (Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party)
“
And when nothing but my scarlet, palpitating core remained, I saw, in the mirror, the living image of an etching by Rops from the collection he had shown me... the child with her sticklike limbs, naked but for her button boots, her gloves, shielding her face with her hand as though her face were the last repository of her modesty; and the old, monocled lecher who examined her, limb by limb. He in his London tailoring;
she, bare as a lamb chop. Most pornographic of all confrontations. And so my purchaser unwrapped his bargain.
”
”
Angela Carter (The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories)
“
And when nothing but my scarlet, palpitating core remained, I saw, in the mirror, the living image of an etching by Rops from the collection he had shown me... the child with her sticklike limbs, naked but for her button boots, her gloves, shielding her face with her hand as though her face were the last repository of her modesty; and the old, monocled lecher who examined her, limb by limb. He in his London tailoring; she, bare as a lamb chop. Most pornographic of all confrontations. And so my purchaser unwrapped his bargain.
”
”
Angela Carter (The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories)
“
From the start, the Left was handicapped by the great ideological differences between its constituent parts. Widest of all was the gap between the parliamentary socialist movement and the anti-parliamentary anarcho-syndicalist CNT. These differences were not a matter of voluntarism or sheer bloody-mindedness, as the standard historical narrative so often implies. Rather, their irreducibility was a result of the vastly different political, economic, and cultural experiences of the Left’s social constituencies in what was a highly unevenly developed country. For example, the direct political action favoured by many anarcho-syndicalists instantly recommended itself to the unskilled and the landless poor, whose lack of bargaining power and social defencelessness made socialist promises of gradual change through the ballot box seem immensely improbable, if not downright incredible.
”
”
Helen Graham (The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction)
“
As the daughter of an earl, she would keep her title, even after she became your wife. Lady Helen Winterborne.”
Devon was wily enough to understand how the sound of that would affect him. Lady Helen Winterborne…yes, Rhys bloody-fucking-well loved that. He had never dreamed of marrying a respectable woman, much less a daughter of the peerage.
But he wasn’t fit for her. He was a Welshman with a rough accent and a foul mouth, and vulgar origins. A merchant. No matter how he dressed or improved his manners, his nature would always be coarse and competitive. People would whisper, seeing the two of them together…They would agree that marrying him had debased her. Helen would be the object of pity and perhaps contempt.
She would secretly hate him for it.
Rhys didn’t give a damn.
He had no illusions of course, that Devon was offering him Lady Helen’s hand without conditions. There would be a hefty price: The Ravenels’ need for money was dire. But Helen was worth whatever he would have to pay. His fortune was even vaster than people suspected; he could have purchased a small country if he so desired.
“Have you discussed it with Lady Helen yet?” Rhys asked. “Is that why she played Florence Nightingale while I had fever? To soften me in preparation for bargaining?”
“Hardly,” Devon said with a snort. “Helen is above that sort of manipulation. She helped you because she’s naturally compassionate. No, she has no inkling that I’ve considered arranging a match for her.”
Rhys decided to be blunt. “What makes you think she would be willing to marry the likes of me?”
Devon answered frankly. “She has few options at present.
”
”
Lisa Kleypas (Cold-Hearted Rake (The Ravenels, #1))
“
I do not pity you,” Raphael repeated. “Little viper, I find you irresistible.
”
”
Vasilisa Drake (A Bargain So Bloody (Kingdom of Dark Magic, #1))
“
Samara, there is nowhere in this world I would not go if you wished me to.
”
”
Vasilisa Drake (A Bargain So Bloody (Kingdom of Dark Magic, #1))
“
No one deserves to be forgotten. If it’s any reassurance, Samara, I intend to live a very long life. And I will not forget you for any of it.
”
”
Vasilisa Drake (A Bargain So Bloody (Kingdom of Dark Magic, #1))
“
Because you remind me of a little bird, between the rapid flutter of your heart and clear desire to spread your wings.
”
”
Vasilisa Drake (A Bargain So Bloody (Kingdom of Dark Magic, #1))
“
Listen to me, Samara. You can tell yourself I killed him because I’m an evil vampire. Or because I found his voice irritating and the wine he gave you smelled suspicious, or simply because I didn’t care for the way he looked for any excuse to put his hands on you. It matters not. He’s dead, and you still have to travel with me. As long as you’re in my care, you’re mine. No one else’s.
”
”
Vasilisa Drake (A Bargain So Bloody (Kingdom of Dark Magic, #1))
“
Oh, you’re much more than that. You’re the first human Raphael’s ever claimed as his Chosen.
”
”
Vasilisa Drake (A Bargain So Bloody (Kingdom of Dark Magic, #1))
“
As long as you’re here with me, dove, you’re mine. And I protect what’s mine. Ruthlessly.
”
”
Vasilisa Drake (A Bargain So Bloody (Kingdom of Dark Magic, #1))
“
Of course. I said I would watch over you, Samara. What would keep you safer than sleeping at my side?
”
”
Vasilisa Drake (A Bargain So Bloody (Kingdom of Dark Magic, #1))
“
You haunt my thoughts constantly, yet I fear I am not in yours with anything but contempt. Tell me, Samara. If I took you now, would you hate me? Regret me? Or would you crave me as ruthlessly as I crave you?
”
”
Vasilisa Drake (A Bargain So Bloody (Kingdom of Dark Magic, #1))
“
Now, we both know you’re not capable of having less than ten thoughts in a second, Samara.
”
”
Vasilisa Drake (A Bargain So Bloody (Kingdom of Dark Magic, #1))
“
You… you can smell when someone is telling the truth?
”
”
Vasilisa Drake (A Bargain So Bloody (Kingdom of Dark Magic, #1))