#I know there’s a bunch in the u.s.

[dragonagepolls]

how long do we think it’ll take people to finish veilguard. a month? two months?

[princesssarcastia]

mostly i'm cool with the american focus on protecting individual rights and liberties, but fuck I wish the judicial branch would just say "hey, I know we normally like to give people more rights and longer trials, but actually the rights of over 300 million people to make an informed decision about their next president outweigh your single individual rights to a lengthy due process, mr. trump!"

[always-a-slut-4-ghouls]

Me when I notice a spider normally: awww, hi cutie

Me when there’s MOVEMENT RIGHT BESIDE MY HEAD ON MY PILLOW IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT: AAH! Jesus FUCKING Christ. When did you get there and why my pillow? *catching breath* *I gently shake them onto the floor* *i then have to pick up my laptop from where it slid off of my startled ass*

[dailymanners]

Bear with me because I am about to rant about something not blog related that's been grating on me ever since this blog gained more traction

USAmericans being Americancentric vs. Europeans every single time someone says something they don't like or don't agree with or is just coming from a place of different experiences than them assuming you MUST be a USAmerican coming from a place of Americancentrism: fight

For context, I do not live in the U.S., and do not base my posts off of experiences in the U.S., and as much as I find it annoying that sometimes USAmericans reply to my posts with assumptions that their experiences are universal, for example USAmericans replying to my post about closing the lid before you flush with "but public toilets don't have lids!" when they do in my country, I find it equally annoying if not even more annoying with how much Europeans assume that every time I post something they disagree with or is a different experience than them that I must be USAmerican and coming from a place of Americancentrism

For example when I made a post saying "use excuse me if you have to get into someone else's personal space" I had a bunch of British people replying to it something along the lines of "Are you Americans so uncivilized that you're not taught basic manners like this? Good thing us civilized Brits know to use excuse me!" when, again, I do not live in the U.S., the post was based on experiences I had here in my country and again, not in the U.S.

Or when I made a post just saying "don't be rude to people who got you a present you don't like" because I've had experiences here in my country of people sneering at and tossing aside presents they didn't live or even yelling at or scolding the gift giver just because it wasn't a color that they like, I did not say that you have to pretend to like it, just don't be rude and sneer at them or yell at the gift giver, but I still had a bunch of Germans replying something like "well you Americans may think you have to pretend to like gifts you don't actually like but us Germans believe in being honest!" (even though that's not even what I was saying) when again, I am not in the U.S., I have never said that I am in the U.S., this was based on experiences in my country which is not the U.S., but Europeans had to go and assume everyone who says something they don't fully like or agree with must be USAmerican.

And I know it's not just me, I've seen a lot of posts from people here on Tumblr in South American or Asia saying that Europeans are always assuming they're USAmerican and coming from a place of Americancentrism when they talk about their experiences in South American or Asia.

I saw a quote one time that was something like "USAmericans believe the entire world is the U.S. while Europeans believe the entire world is Europe + the U.S."

but the thing is that I DO live in Europe, my country is a small northern European country, but of course my experiences are going to be different than someone who is British or German or Swedish, but it's like people from those countries so often assume their experiences are universal to everyone in their country + the rest of Europe, so if a British person experiences being taught to use excuse me that MUST be universal to Europe, and that apparently nobody outside of Europe and the U.S. is on Tumblr, so if I experience being shoved by people who don't use excuse me (in my tiny northern European country) that MUST mean I live in the U.S. and MUST be USAmerican since their British experiences MUST be universal to everyone else on this website who isn't USAmerican

[rambling-at-midnight]

Pros and Cons of Midnight Snacks

Pairing: Jason Todd x Civilian!Reader. No pronouns so can be read as any gender!

Summary: Meet-ugly with the Red Hood due to a gas station robbery gone wrong.

Word count: ~2k

(I'm branching out to other fandoms, apparently. Let me know if you want a sequel. Enjoy!)

You weren't born in Gotham, so it sometimes still surprises you that you had adjusted so well to its particular brand of crazy.

You're from somewhere a little more south of New Jersey, although most places in the U.S. are a little south of Jersey unless you're a lobster farmer from Maine or a tree hugger from Vermont.

Both of those descriptions sound critical, but they weren't meant to be. Right about now you're seriously considering taking up lobster farming.

No one sane ever moves to Gotham. Everyone knows the stories, and even if most of the country didn't believe all of them, most people aren't stupid enough to disregard them. And you certainly weren't stupid. But rent was dirt cheap for a city, and so was tuition for GU's vet school. So you thought to yourself, "How bad could it really be," bought pepper spray and a taser, and accepted the admissions offer.

You'd always liked iced coffee more than green bean casserole and peach cobbler, anyway.

Reading news articles hadn't been enough to prepare you for the utter insanity of Gotham City, unfortunately. But you adapted. You always did. Upgraded your taser, memorized the bus schedule, learned the less sketchy areas of town, did your best not to get caught outside after dark. Kept your head down, ignored the crime lords and genetic experiments gone wrong and lunatics and vigilantes scurrying along the rooftops, and you'd survived for almost two years without many incidents.

But you'd gone to the library because you were critically unable to work in your apartment, gotten distracted by panicking about how little you really knew about next week's test content, and stared at the pages of your textbook for almost an hour as you fought back tears. So now you were running late and it was dark as you walked home because the buses were down. Of course they were. That lunatic that thought he was a crocodile had smashed a bunch last week and they hadn't been replaced yet.

Goosebumps prickle on the back of your neck, but you tell yourself it's nothing. Keep your head down. Criminals target the people that look most obviously paranoid first.

You're just burnt out. Severely. But the end of your sophomore year of veterinary school was looming, which meant you would have a relaxing three-month vacation before the next one started.

And no, you weren't thinking about next year's summer 'vacation' of clinicals. Because if this year was bad after a year of summer vacation, what will it do to you to have no break at all?

That's a future you problem, thankfully.

You're still feeling sorry for yourself when you reach the gas station right next to your apartment building. You walk right by it, remember what's in your fridge or pantry—thanks, grocery store self, thinking you don't need any snacking foods—then backtrack.

Since starting vet school, you've tried to be healthier with your eating habits. Brains lacking in nutrients absorb information less efficiently, after all. But you're still a sucker for Cheez-Its and energy drinks.

You won't drink it tonight, obviously.

Right as you put the items on the counter for the bored-looking cashier to scan the barcodes, something cold presses to your temple.

The cashier freezes, eyes blown wide with panic.

"Easy there," someone says to your left. A man, voice oily in a way that sets your teeth on edge immediately. "Do what I say, or I blow their brains out, then yours."

A gun.

A gun is pressed to your head.

Because of course it is. A shitty way to end a shitty day. You should have kept walking right past the gas station.

Before you moved to Gotham, you might have screamed and panicked, but you know better now. You know to stay calm.

You clench your fists to stop them from shaking so noticeably, but otherwise don't move. You've seen hostage situations before, because this is Gotham, but you've never been the hostage.

The gun feels heavy. And so cold, like it's sapping all the heat from your skin.

"Okay, dude," the cashier said soothingly. "You want the money in the register?"

The robber scoffs. "Obviously."

"All right." The cashier's voice is even and soft, unthreatening. You wonder if training for situations like these are required for cashiers in Gotham. It certainly hadn't been for your old job, although that hadn't been in New Jersey, and it hadn't been at a twenty-four seven gas station, either. "I need to get a key to unlock it, okay? So I'm reaching below the counter."

"Just get the key," the robber demands. The gun shifts against your temple. You fantasize for a half-second about acting like an action hero, disarming him and taking him down all on your own. But you're not a vigilante and you've never been in a real-life fight before. You don't think you're fast enough to get out of the barrel's way before he pulls the trigger. If you managed to shove it away, what if he fired and hit the cashier instead?

Then comes the sound of another gun clicking.

Great, you think half-hysterically. Just what we need. Even more deadly weapons.

"Lower the gun," growls a modulated voice, and everyone freezes.

The Red Hood is standing behind the robber, also pointing a gun to his head like the meme of people lined up in a church with guns aimed at the person in front of them.

The robber lets his gun dip a little bit. Distracted enough that it's not pressed directly to your temple anymore.

Not to brag, but you recover the quickest. It's probably the adrenaline.

Thank God you keep your keychain in hand while out at night. Your fingers shake, but you have your pepper spray up in a second, and the robber's turning to look at your sudden movement when you squeeze down on the nozzle.

The spray hits him directly in the eyes, and his howl of pain is immediate. But you don't stop spraying, even when the cashier starts to splutter and your own eyes water.

The gun goes off, once in the robber's hands, and a second time when it hits the ground because he's dropped it in favor of clutching his burning face.

You stop the stream of pepper spray, because now the air is spicy when you breathe, but can't force yourself to lower your hand. The Red Hood quickly handcuffs the would-be robber, which is only difficult because he's clawing at his eyes in pain, and executes a tricky-looking martial arts move to get him on the ground.

Despite everything, you're impressed.

The Red Hood is bigger than maybe anyone you've ever seen before. He could have punched the robber in half like paper, probably, but you appreciate the finesse a little bit more.

"Hey." A gentle voice, and gentle hands, take the pepper spray out of your grip. "Quick thinking there," you're complimented. By the fucking Red Hood, one of Gotham's most infamous crime lords. The first time you read about him in the papers, he was chopping off people's heads, and every story since has been similarly alarming. But he's not supposed to be here; the Red Hood stays in Park Row, which locals call Crime Alley, apparently, and you've always steered very clear from that part of town.

"Can you look at me?"

You do. Maybe he won't chop off your head if you listen well enough.

"Are you okay?"

You blink. That... does not compute.

The Red Hood doesn't save people. And he doesn't leave Crime Alley. So what's he doing outside of Crime Alley, saving people?

The robber is still screaming, eyes screwed up in pain. He's handcuffed on the ground.

"You should probably let him wash out his eyes, at least," you tell the cashier. "Pepper spray is pretty painful." You'd sprayed yourself once out of curiosity, realized how much it burned, then sprinted to the shower to rinse it off. Which, pro tip: not a good move, especially with warm water. Water reactivates it by opening your pores, or something, and when you're in the shower it just spreads all over your body.

Your eyes are watering. The Red Hood sees that, because he tells you, "Let's get some air," and tugs you out of the gas station.

He's right. The cool night air does feel good. You blink away the stinging in your eyes and he repeats, "Are you okay?" His voice is robotic from the mask, but kind of pleasant at the same time. You'd never guess just from listening to him that he's a killer.

"Yes," you say automatically. "Thanks," you add. You're lightheaded for some reason; you sway on your feet.

"You sure?" he asks critically. "You look... pale." Judging by the pause, 'pale' wasn't the word he really wanted to say. The red helmet tilts. "You weren't shot, were you?"

"I don't think so," you shrug. Then you look down at yourself and realize that there's a large bloodstain on your hip. "Never mind. I think I was."

"Jesus!" he yelps at the sight. It's kind of funny, actually, this grown man built like a brick shithouse yelping at the sight of blood. "Why didn't you say anything?"

You shrug and peel your sticky shirt away from the wound to inspect it. "I thought I just bumped something." Sure enough, it's just a graze. You weren't sure which shot had hit you, but you'd honestly been injured worse. Plus, supervising surgeries at the animal clinic you'd worked at for years has desensitized you to the sight of blood. Maybe it's also altered your perception on what 'serious injuries' count as; the amount of times you've been bitten by startled dogs...

"You need to go to the hospital."

"It's just a scratch," you argue. "I can't go to the hospital. I need to feed my cat."

"Your cat can wait. You're bleeding a lot."

"I'm already late, and if I miss dinner, he'll start pissing all over my apartment."

The Red Hood sighs. "Where do you live?"

Your mouth opens to answer on instinct. You snap it shut just in time and glare. "Why?"

"So I can feed your cat for you while you go to the hospital."

It's nice of him to offer, but... "No."

"No?"

Maybe it's not the best idea to refuse Gotham's most prominent crime lord, but it would also be pretty stupid to tell a strange man where you live. Especially when he happens to be said crime lord.

"Look," you sigh. "I'm a vet student. I have surgical tools at home to treat myself with, and I promise, under the blood, the bullet barely hit me. I've been hurt worse by Chihuahuas that hate the vet."

"There's no way I can convince you to change your mind?"

"It's been a long day," you sigh. "I really, really just want to go home." And he's blocking the path. Your apartment building is directly behind him, just calling your name.

"At least let me walk you to your building." He holds his hands up at your suspicious look and assures you, "I won't ask for the apartment number."

"I'm literally right there." You point.

He turns, sees how close you are to being home, and says, "Seriously?"

"Seriously. What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you were some kind of villain."

"I'm reformed," he grumbles.

"Well, good for you."

You make sure you have your keys and your wallet, then step around him and make it all the way to your building's door before he calls, "Wait!" The Red Hood's jogging to catch up to you, holding the box of Cheez-Its and energy drink you'd almost died for. "You forgot these," he says.

"Thanks," you say, taking them. It would have been a shame to waste four dollars.

"You're welcome," he says. There's something odd about his voice, but you attribute it to the mask, scan to be let into the building, and make sure it's fully closed before heading to the elevator.

Your cat is unhappy about dinner being an hour late. He weaves between your feet, making his protests loudly and viscerally known. You wince. He's worse than the dogs that bark in this building sometimes.

Your poor neighbors.

You give him his wet food, then hop in the shower to clean off your hip. It bled a lot, but once the blood washes away, it's actually not as bad as you thought. You've stitched up animals before, but never yourself, and decide against trying tonight. If it heals a little unevenly, who cares? No one will see it, anyway.

You pad the wound with gauze, tape it over, and fall into bed. Staring at the ceiling, you're forced to admit to yourself that you may be looking up more in the future. Just to see if anyone in a red helmet is running on a rooftop nearby.

It was a long day. But, strangely, almost dying wasn't the worst part of it.

Actually... it may have been the best part.

~~

Forever tag list:

@lemirabitur @annymcervantes @queenmissfit @quiet-because-it-is-a-secret @iksey @thehyperactiveteen @luxmoonlight @andreasworlsboring101

[annacaffeina]

Where the hell did this idea of the West, and primarily the U.S. dismantling the country of Israel even come from?? It's so fuckin puzzling to me! How did so many people decide simultaneously that the U.S. can and should do this?? It's completely insane! It entirely ignores reality! It's bonkers to me that so many people look at the very serious, genuine humanitarian crisis and come to the conclusion "what if a big part of this problem simply wasn't real" and then act like that's a real policy plan. It's delusional. It's magical thinking. "Well, we'll just get the U.S. to make it not real." What kind of logic is that? If that were even possible would you want that to be how you encourage the US to behave? Just erasing countries? Like a magical wizard? Have you thought this through At All?? There are some actual facts that are simply just facts, and one of those facts is that there is a country called Israel. It just is! I feel insane! I feel like, for instance, I'm looking at Chicago and asking if we should do something about gun violence and everyone around me keeps saying "all I see is a weird metal bean and a half constructed condor rehab center" and no matter how many times I say "It's Chicago! It's right there! You can see it!" they just look at me like I'm the crazy one and keep talking about one bean, empty fields, and half a construction project. I'm a little envious tbh. It must be nice to have a solution so easily in front of you and not have to worry about reality. It's like someone going on CNN and saying with a straight face "Ukraine could defeat Russia in a week if Ukraine were allowed to put their giant dragons and their best orcs all along the border, but you know how the West feels about other countries having dragons" and then everyone just sadly shook their head about how Ukraine can't use their best dragons. It's whackanut. And yet all at once bunches and bunches of people, theoretically empathetic and logical people started talking about making a full country just disappear like david fuckin copperfield. Like there isn't a full on country Right There that can easily be seen. Like some kind of collective delusion. What the fuck happened?!?! How did we get here? Where is anyone's basic grasp of reality??? How did this bullshit delusion suddenly just sprout the fuck out??

[syngoniums]

James Wong is one of the most beleagured men on Twitter. Not only did he recently get fired from the Observer for publicly objecting to platforming a TERF, he has a bunch of idiots arguing that daffodils (toxic) bundled like spring onions and placed in the produce section next to other alliums isn't dangerous because people should "know better" somehow.

Marks and Spencer is a UK-based retailer with some stores in a few other countries as well. I haven't seen daffodils sold like this in the U.S., but this is your regular reminder that staff at any given store don't necessarily know how toxic the plant products they're selling are. If you see something like this, bring it to the store's attention and also notify their corporate office.

[kwyw]

ESPECIALLY a celebrity that was a teenager long before this ruling, in country music when she first started surrounded by a father who clearly saw her as a product that could make him money (go search for the emails that were submitted in a lawsuit against him. He’s unhinged and no adult grows out of that behavior) and a bunch of old men. See how she was pleading and crying to come out as a democrat in a social media post to these same people. God only knows what kind of filth has been hammered into her head over and over and over by these people in the name of protecting her career and her safety her whole life.

Especially a teenager who saw first hand what happened to Chely Wright (who she was friends with), who had lost her entire career because she came out as gay. A teenager who saw first hand the violent threats, cd burnings and career loss for the Dixie Chicks after they dared to speak out about the president at the time.

I’m older than Taylor by a few years. I’ve seen all of this in my lifetime and then some. I saw Ellen lose her career for coming out. I lived through “you’re so gay” regularly being used as an insult instead of “you’re so stupid” in middle school and high school.

Yes, Taylor can be frustrating with the stunts and not speaking out against her god awful homophobic asshole fanbase, but you absolutely can see she’s fighting back in so many ways, absolutely begging people to see what she’s screaming at us through her music, through tour visuals and music videos etc. etc.

And you can’t blame someone for being terrified to come out, especially when you have a new younger generation that has taken us backwards by demanding that we cannot speculate on anyone possibly being gay because it’s disgusting and disrespectful. Many of these people are gay themselves and this is their thought?! How are we supposed to find each other?

And worst of all, there’s politics in the U.S. going backwards. Republicans are attacking LGBTQ people daily, with words and with legislation. We have members on the highest court in the land that have flat out said this very same ruling in the screenshot needs to be looked at again.

It’s a very very frustrating and terrifying time in so many ways. I wish more people had compassion and would learn how to realize context matters. That everything is NOT so black and white. It’s not that simple. At all.

[axolotlbottle]

❝Like father, like son❞

Art done by my bestie @jester0jpeg !! We both made our own versions / lore of the postal dudes & postal series!!

Postal dude 1 with his son (little kid-postal dude 2! Who we call "the postal kid!").

We actually gave them names, too! (Sorry, they're not P names, but I could care less. Feel free to call them Postal dude and Postal kid if it bothers you that much).

PD1's name is Michael Toddhunter, and his son's (PD2) name is Aster Toddhunter (hehe get it? As in "disaster").

Preface: This takes place AFTER the first postal game. This is an AU of sorts, so just erase the ending of the game + a bunch of other things, and have Michael fuck off somewhere, nobody ever knowing his identity so he gets away with everything. That was a "TLDR" explanation of it. We could maybe explain this better on a different post in the future.

Anyways! Here's some lore we have about them:

Michael is the Command Sergeant Major for U.S army's RI Arsenal. Yes, he did serve in the army before going postal in the first game. Don't ask how he got up to that rank because god knows I don't know either.

He and Aster live in the Quad cities, Illinois, aka some fuck ass midwestern region of cities that only gets some attention from the John deere company that hogs the area. Fuck john deere.

Michael is a single dad. He somehow managed to win all custody over Aster. He doesn't talk about his ex-gf.

They live in a house that's next to a trailer park, so they're not exactly dirt fuckin' poor but they ain't buying branded food either. They're still trailer park trash without living directly in the trailer park though.

Michael has tried to give Aster some sense of normality (sorta) but Aster clearly is not cut out to be a normal child. He's very rowdy, violent, and bullies the neighborhood kids (if you get the reference, you're cool).

Michael calls Aster "My little wild thing" (reference to Aster's favorite book; where the wild things are).

When Aster was 5, for Christmas, Michael gifted him a black cat he bought for $10 at the pet store ( he didn't question it). Michael cruelly didn't think the cat would last long, but that cat might as well outlive him. Aster named the cat "Kostroma" and has shoved his dad's guns up it's ass and used it as a silencer to shoot at beer bottles in their backyard. Kostroma hasn't died (nor appears to be scarred or traumatized), no matter what Aster has put him through. He's like some weird immortal cat (who surprisedly loves Aster as much as Aster loves him). Michael and Aster don't question it.

Aster loves uncrustables. His addiction literaly is grape jelly uncrustables. He has to have one once a day or else he'll start wreaking havoc in the neighborhood.

Michael brings Aster to work sometimes (usually when Aster gets kicked out of school or is being too insufferable for the neighborhood). He can't help it, and it's not like anybody can give him shit for it.

That's all we'll share for now!! Hopefully we'll post more in the future!! Me and my bestie have been working on this since like late May, and we plan to continue to work on it >;). I'll leave ya'll with this doodle I did of Kostroma cat.

[mariacallous]

If you were waiting for the perfect time to make your first donation to my campaign for Senate, not only is today the perfect day but there's also a very good reason as well.

Betsy DeVos.

If you're already familiar with her significant support for my opponent and are ready to chip in, please use this link to give:

Otherwise, let me go a little deeper ... including a very recent revelation about her designs on a role in a second Trump administration.

As Michiganders know, for decades the DeVos family’s #1 issue has been weakening Michigan's, and the country's, public education system. Betsy DeVos used Michigan as her petri dish before becoming Trump’s Secretary of Education, and one of his longest serving cabinet secretaries.

Much like our Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, she condemned Donald Trump after January 6, 2021. In Betsy DeVos’ case, she “resigned in protest” as Education Secretary, blaming his rhetoric on the insurrection — just 13 days before the end of Trump’s term.

And like my current opponent who turned around and worked hard for Trump's endorsement, Betsy DeVos is now back — and willing to serve in a second Trump administration.

So what does that mean?

As if there weren't already a million reasons to defeat Donald Trump, there's now one more: keeping Betsy DeVos out of any role of prominence in Washington, D.C.

And there is no doing that without winning in Michigan.

The DeVos family has been some of the top supporters to opponents of mine in the past, and they've doubled down on this Senate race.

Mike Rogers' first FEC report in this race was filled with donations from a bunch of members of the DeVos family — contributions totaling $46,200 all made on one single day. And just last week, Betsy DeVos herself was campaigning with Mike Rogers at a roundtable just a day before the primary election.

They are certainly not done with their support of my opponent.

On a positive note, the response to emails about the DeVos donations has raised far more than the DeVos family has contributed. But we have to keep going, because their family's unlimited wealth can impact this race in many more ways.

So in light of this news about Betsy DeVos' potential return to Washington, D.C. and her role in campaigning for my opponent, I am asking:

Can you contribute $3 directly to my campaign for U.S. Senate in Michigan? I will put your donation made today in Betsy’s name right to work persuading the voters we need to win in Michigan this fall.

[leveloneandup]

Christen Press set to return to Angel City FC training for first time since 2022 ACL tear

The USWNT forward and two-time Women's World Cup winner looks to finally return to the pitch after a long recovery

Christen Press is starting a comeback.

After an arduous injury recovery, the Angel City FC forward will return to training, the team announced in a news release Monday. Press, a two-time World Cup winner with the U.S. women's national team, has not played since sustaining a season-ending ACL injury in June 2022.

Now, after two years — almost to the day — and significant rehabilitation, Press will join Angel City for practice on Tuesday.

Press' recovery has had many setbacks; in July 2023, Press revealed that she required a fourth surgery to repair her ACL. However, she is now ready to begin a slow return to the pitch.

Press will start slow this week, but told The Athletic on Monday that she will participate in group warm-ups and passing drills while reincorporating with the team.

"It will still be the first time I’ve done a legitimate passing pattern with a bunch of bodies on the field and checking angles, because it’s just been one-on-one training for two years," Press told The Athletic.

Initially, Press said that she wanted to keep her return low-key, but later switched course.

"I reversed, I changed my mind, because I was like, 'Shoot, who knows how many milestones I have left to celebrate? Who knows what’s going to happen after this first team training?'" Press said. "So if this is something we can all celebrate, let’s just go for it, because this journey has been really, really long."

Press joined Angel City in 2022, becoming the first player to sign with the expansion team for a three-season contract reportedly worth $700,000, making her one of the highest-paid NWSL players at the time. However, she only had eight appearances with the team before her injury.

The 35-year-old forward has been a consistent, strong offensive presence throughout her career, including on the USWNT. Press has racked up 155 international appearances and 64 goals with the U.S., but has not played for the USWNT since 2021, due to a combination of her injury and coaching decisions under former USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski.

In addition to her return to practice, Press also announced the return of "The RE—CAP Show," her soccer analysis and interview podcast with Tobin Heath. Heath and Press, who are former USWNT teammates, have been dating for several years. In the show, the two veterans weigh in and analyze the NWSL and international soccer.

[disasterarea-podcast]

So given the writer’s strike, some people are concerned about their shows and movies being postponed or canceled, and aside from the fact networks have already BEEN canceling shows for no reason for years (I still maintain a healthy anger about what Netflix did to Sense8), I thought I would suggest some books on disasters you might want to read if you’re into that sort of history. Which you are if you’re here, I imagine.

Note: I’m suggesting these books because most books on disasters don’t get a huge audience, and so I recommend them because this sort of writing can be hard on the writer and requires a bunch of research. We throw so much money at true crime, we can spare a few bucks for the stories of people who died in disasters.

Also, please check with these with your local small bookstore or library. Amazon can be great, but let’s lend a hand to those who need us more.

Recommended books:

“The Circus Fire,” by Stewart O’Nan - This is one my favorite books on a disaster, because the whole thing creates a very vivid image of the circus prior to the fire in Hartford in July of 1944. There’s one specific line in the book which always makes me pause because it’s so affecting, about how everyone who escaped being able to hear the sounds of the animals screaming as they died - except all of the animals were out of the tent by then.

“The Only Plane in the Sky,” by Garrett Graff - This, I highly recommend you get on audiobook. It’s an oral history of the events of 9/11 with a full cast, and it’s incredibly affecting to listen to.

“Ada Blackjack: A True Story of Survival in the Arctic,” by Jennifer Niven - Ada Blackjack was a badass: flawed and weak at times, but hardy and steady when necessary. Half of her story is how she survived, but half is how she was exploited following her rescue. Both stories need to be known.

“Alive,” by Piers Paul Read - If you’re watching “Yellowjackets,” this should be required reading. If you’ve seen the movie adaptation from the 90s, there is WAY more you don’t know. The story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 is a tough read, but a worthy one.

“A Night to Remember,” by Walter Lord - This is to disaster nonfiction what “In Cold Blood” is to true crime. It’s not a long read, but it’s a great one. Lord had the advantage of writing the book while many of the Titanic survivors were still alive and could give a very good description of what they went through.

“Dying to Cross,” by Jorge Ramos - I recommend this not just because it is good, but because it is timely. Nineteen people died in an un-air-conditioned truck as they were attempting to make their way into the states from over the Mexican border. It’s a horrific story, and one that humanizes an issue for whom some people need to be faced with the humans involved and what they go through.

“Bath Massacre: America’s First School Bombing,” by Arnie Bernstein - Harold Schecter also wrote a very good book on the Bath school massacre called “Maniac,” but I have a preference for this version. It’s a good reminder that schools in the U.S. didn’t just become targets in the last twenty years or so.

“Into Thin Air,” by Jon Krakauer - I feel like this is a gimme, but it’s a fantastic book from someone who was actually on Mount Everest during the 1996 disaster and knew those involved very well. I happen to like Krakauer’s work anyway - I even like “Into the Wild” despite my feelings about McCandless and his legacy - but it’s understandably my favorite.

“And the Band Played On,” by Randy Shilts - The one thing I will say is that Shilts’ treatment of Gaetan Dugas is *rough* to say the least and outright wrong on some points, God knows. But it’s still an amazing book, and if you come out of it not wanting to dig up Reagan and punch him a bunch I’m impressed at your restraint.

“Triangle: The Fire That Changed America,” by David von Drehle - The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire is one of the disasters I am most interested in, and I would argue this is the definitive book on the subject. Also, if this book introduces you to both Clara Lemlich and Frances Perkins … I mean, talk about badass women.

“The Radium Girls,” by Kate Moore - Look, I’ll say this. If you know of the Radium Girls, this is a great book on their story. If you don’t know, go in blind and prepared to be horrified.

“Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine,” by Anne Applebaum - Ukraine has always been a target. During the Holodomor, they were victims of one of the worst genocides in history.

“Midnight in Chernobyl,” by Adam Higginbotham - Like the miniseries? This is a great source for more information for what happened at Chernobyl and all of the ass-covering involved.

"Boston Strong: A City's Triumph Over Tragedy," by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge - If you’re interested in the Boston marathon bombing, I really thought this book did a good job of connecting the stories of the victims, the authorities searching for the killers, and the killers themselves.

“Show Me the Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Tower,” by Peter Apps - As I understand it, Apps did a lot of covering the Grenfell Tower fire for the British press, and it shows. He provides a mountain of information, and you will come out of reading this book absolutely LIVID about what authorities allowed to happen in Grenfell and so many other council estates in the UK.

“Dark Tide: The Great Molasses Flood of 1919,” by Stephen Puleo - I feel as though the molasses flood gets treated like a joke a lot of the time, but y’all, twenty people died. That area of Boston was *wrecked*. The photos of the devastation are terrifying. Puleo treats all of this with the proper respect it deserves.

“In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex,” by Nathaniel Philbrick - Forget the movie. Read the book.

“The Great Influenza,” by John M. Barry - Want to read about the 1918 flu epidemic? Want to be mad that a hundred years later we didn’t learn a damn thing?

Now, that’s just a start. If anyone wants, I can always post photos of my disaster book collection on Kindle and next to my recording desk. Or if there’s a specific disaster you’re interested in, I may know of a good book about it you can read.

But just remember if SAG and the directors’ guild joins the strike too - there is so much out there to occupy your time until they come back. Entertainment work is work, and it deserves to be supported financially and fairly as such. Rock on, WGA. ✊

[upon-a-starry-night]

Christmas Tree Trouble (Spencer)

Spencer Reid x Gender Neutral Reader

Ficmas Masterlist Spencer Masterlist

Wordcount: 2.7k

Summary: You need a bit of help getting your Christmas tree into your apartment so you ask your neighbor for help

A/n: The beginning is the same but differs per character

~~~

You weren’t expecting much when you knocked on your neighbor's door for help with your 8ft Christmas tree. Honestly, you weren’t even sure if they would help. You knew they were home. You’d heard the door across the hall open and shut enough times throughout the week to know they went on a lot of odd grocery runs at 1 am.

But you’d never really spoken much, a few times at community functions and when you’d see each other in the hall but neither of you made an effort to talk to each other. However, that was mainly because you were intimidated by how attractive they were.

Still, they had seemed more on the reserved side. Never bringing anyone home or throwing parties at their place. They were a perfect neighbor on paper, but their loneliness often made you sad. 

Initially, you had wanted to invite them over at some point during the holidays just to make a new friend and help them be less lonely but it became more of a need than a want when you tried to lug your 8ft tree into your apartment by yourself. 

So you knocked on their door across the hall and prayed that they would be willing to help you out.

You rocked back and forth on your heels as you waited for a response, just as you were about to give up and turn to ask another neighbor the sound of locks clicking alerted you of their presence.

When the door opened you observed their tired-looking figure, they were dressed in casual gray sweats and a loose T-shirt.

They stared at you curiously as you stood there before their eyes drifted behind you to the large tree lying on the floor in front of your apartment door. They raised their eyebrows in surprise.

“Hi!” you waved awkwardly “Listen I know this is random and you’re probably busy so you can say no but I kind of underestimated how hard it would be to get this tree in my apartment and I already had to carry this from my car to here and I scared a bunch of people out of the elevator because this thing took up the whole elevator and-” You stopped rambling when you saw a hint of a smile on their face, you think this is the first time you’ve ever seen them smile.

 It’s cute.

“Sorry, what I’m saying is, can you help me?” You anxiously bit your lip as you waited for a response. 

His hair's a little disheveled and you can’t help but watch as he runs a hand through it.

You silently observe as his gaze flickers to your tree and then back towards you a few times

 “Did you know there are approximately 25-30 million Real Christmas Trees sold in the U.S. every year?”

The fact throws you off guard and you find yourself blinking owlishly before finally processing his words

“Really?” you genuinely had no idea they sold that many. Guess the Christmas tree farms in Hallmark movies must be making bank every year. “This is my first year ever having a real tree so…”

You underestimated just how tall and heavy this tree was going to be. It was so much easier to order one online and assemble it yourself piece by piece. 

But you told yourself you were getting a real one in true Christmas fashion…only now you were starting to regret not taking up the farm owner's offer to send his son with you to help. Y’know stranger danger and all that.

However, asking your neighbor you’ve never really met could also be classified as stranger danger.

Your brain wasn’t currently thinking logically though so here you are in front of his apartment sizing him up as you realize he might not even be able to help you either.

Sure he was tall and handsome and you knew he had some kind of job that had him rushing out of the house at odd hours but looking at him now you wondered if you could carry more weight than him…

He seemed to come to that exact conclusion at the same time as you as he cringed a little bit and seemed to almost droop.

He reminded you of a sad flower or a wounded puppy. It made you want to hug him.

“I don’t know if I’m the best person for that- I have this friend I could probably call him to come and help-”

You would have to look up if you had Alien Hand Syndrome when you got the chance because involuntarily you reach out and grip his arm as he turns to go back into his apartment. The action seems to startle the both of you and you quickly retreat your hand.

“I’m sorry! I just- I don’t need your friend. Between you and me I think we could make this work”

In any other context, that sentence feels like it belongs in a romance movie and you subconsciously check the hallways for a camera crew and boom mic.

Green-ish-brown eyes bore into yours and you get the feeling he’s searching for something. For what you have no idea but he seems to have liked whatever he found because a brief smile slips onto his face as he observes your nervous stature.

“Let me change real quick and then we’ll see if we can ‘make this work’” You want to cringe at his blatant tease over your cheesy choice of words but you don’t get the chance to because he’s already turning and shutting the door behind him. 

You swear you saw a little bit of a smirk when he teased you but it could have been a trick of the light.

Your landlord really needed to change that flickering bulb

In the meantime, you manage to stand the tree up all by itself and lean it against the wall and you’re quite proud of yourself until it moves an inch. 

Again it could be a trick of the light, at least you hope it is because if this thing fell you were definitely getting crushed like a Christmas movie villain.

Much to your dismay the tree begins to slide again and you shut your eyes and prepare for the worst as the fluffy green mass begins to fall in your direction.

When the feeling of being crushed never comes you open your eyes and watch as the tree hits the floor with a final ‘thump’

Only now do you notice the feeling of something warm against your back. You thought maybe that was just what the hallway carpet felt like.

Looking down you notice two arms wrapped around your middle, and you’re currently standing two feet away from where you were when you closed your eyes.

You hadn’t even felt yourself move?

Looking up you’re met again with those enchanting eyes as they meet yours with concern.

“You changed your hair” You can’t help but frown at his hairs now-styled state. You kinda liked the disheveled sleepy look he was sporting.

Your neighbor lets out a laugh and you feel it against your back, you blush as you remember how close you two are. As embarrassing as it is to have to be saved from a falling Christmas tree you don’t feel like leaving his arms quite yet.

Unfortunately, that decision gets made for you as your handsome neighbor removes his arms and yet again runs a hand through his hair. 

A nervous tick perhaps.

Either way, it was cute and you smiled when it messed up his perfectly tailored mane.

“That’s the first thing you think of after I saved you from getting crushed by a tree?”

His goofy smile makes you want to melt and you’re mentally snapping a million pictures.

Normally when you see him he’s either rushing to leave his apartment with heavy eye bags or leaning his head against his apartment door with heavy eye bags.

You’re not used to seeing him look so happy and it’s doing things to your insides.

“Right I guess thanks are in order since you saved my life and all”

A contemplative look takes over his face and you watch his adams apple bob in hesitation. It’s only now that you realize he changed out of his T-shirt and sweats and into a pair of comfortable slacks and a Christmas sweater. It’s green red and white and the tiny reindeer on it make you giggle a little. You briefly wonder if he got it as a gift from a partner and the thought quickly wipes all the joy from your face.

“Technically you wouldn’t have died. I mean a tree this height and weight could possibly do some damage, especially to someone of a smaller stature but it would likely only result in some external bruising. Internal if it landed the wrong way and possible head trauma depending on how you landed when you hit the ground.”

Your eyes go wide as he explains the different injuries you could have acquired. You’re not sure how he knows all of this but you’d probably let him talk about anything for however long he wanted just to hear his voice.

“Well then I guess I really should thank you, Lord knows how insufferable I’d be if I got any bruising or head trauma”

The two of you smile at each other and you nearly get lost in the moment until the light flickers and it pulls you out of your daze. Your attention turns back to the tree and you rub your hands together to try and get them ready for another attempt at lifting the tree.

“Well then- shall we get to it?”

You turn back to your neighbor and he nods his head and joins you next to the tree. As the two of you are lifting it you’re surprised at how light the tree becomes with his help. Once the tree is leaning against the wall again you turn to him with a satisfied smile and raise an eyebrow in question

“What did you say your name was again?”

He turns to look at you and his head tilts slightly to the right. Again- puppy dog.

“Spencer, or Reid if you want. What’s yours?”

You give him your name and he mutters it like he’s testing the way it sounds on his tongue. Both of you seem to conclude that you like the way it sounds.

Twenty minutes and a lot of twisting and pivoting and sweating later the blasted tree is finally inside of your apartment. Somehow amidst all the commotion, you ended up on the ground in a heap of exhaustion, staring up at the ceiling and cursing the tree Gods.

“Well, it seems we ‘made it work’ after all” That sentence sounds a lot like the beginning of a goodbye and you’re not quite ready to say goodbye to your new friend Spencer so you swiftly hop to your feet and begin making your way to your kitchen.

“Well I think I owe you some hot chocolate after all that”

You don’t have to turn around to feel how hesitant Spencer is as he stands in your living room.

“You really don’t have to-”

You turn to him appalled, giving him your best ‘Are you kidding me?’ look

“Spencer, you saved my life out there! The least I could do is give you some hot chocolate”

His lips twitch up into a smile and you try not to fist pump as you realize he’s not saying no

.

While you make the hot chocolate Spencer peruses around your apartment observing every little detail like it’s the most interesting thing in the world. You hope to all Gods that you didn't leave out anything embarrassing.

As you make the finishing touches (whipped cream and candy canes are a must) you become curious at the sound of shuffling behind you, and when you turn around you nearly melt at the sight of Spencer setting up your Christmas tree in the corner. 

God, why hadn’t you talked with your cute neighbor sooner?

“Oh! Spencer you didn’t have to do that”

He shrugs as you approach him and thanks you as you hand him his mug of hot chocolate. He takes a sip and hums approvingly. You try not to let it go to your ego.

The two of you stand there sipping on your drinks and admiring your hard work when you turn to one of the many open boxes in your living room full to the brim with decorations.

“So green and white or red and white?” You question as you stare at the colorful ornaments inquisitively.

You swivel around and are met with Spencer's smirking face once again 

“Why not all three?” 

~~~~

Decorating the tree with Spencer is both fun and frustrating. Apparently, he doesn’t get why you keep moving some of the ornaments he’s placing. You keep trying to explain to him that he’s putting them too close together.

“There’s a system with Christmas tree’s you know”

You tried to explain it but Spencer was a hopeless case when it came to decorating it seemed.

You’d left him to his own devices for three seconds and came back to three red ornaments in the same vicinity. You nearly had a heart attack. Spencer needed a Christmas miracle.

“Look Spence, You’ve got to place it…”

You came up behind him as he was placing another ornament too close to the other. Wrapping your arms around his in a similar way to what he did in the hallway you began guiding his arms to a better spot for the shiny ball.

“Riiiiiight here”

Even after the ornament was placed the two of you stayed in the same position, arms still reaching out towards the tree. If you looked close enough you would see his ears were turning red.

You quickly cleared your throat and removed your arms, Pivoting and heading for the kitchen. Unable to look him in the eyes.

“So- refills anyone?” You attempted a joke but were met with silence, and a glance back at Spencer showed him staring at the tree in a trance. You furrowed your brows.

Slowly you approached him and tapped him on the shoulder, the hitch of his breath the only indication that he acknowledged your presence. 

“Look Spencer, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable…”

His gaze snapped to yours, his body finally regaining its functions.

“No, it’s not that it’s just-” He nervously fiddles with his hands “Normally I’m not a physical touch person”

Guilt flooded your system and you unconsciously took a step away from him “Oh.. I’m sorry I-”

Warm hands reached out and latched onto you “No!” He flinched at how loud that came out “No- what I was saying was, normally I’m not but with you, it doesn’t feel so bad. You’re very…warm” 

You had a feeling he meant it in more than just a physical way.

A shy smile slipped onto your face at the confession and you found yourself blushing once again.

“You’re warm too Spencer”

His smile mirrored yours.

“Hey, I was wondering- You can say no but there’s this Christmas movie festival at the park next weekend. I know we only just met but I’d really like to hang out with you more.” His hesitancy was cute, you could tell he didn’t have a lot of practice at asking women out but it was still charming and adorable nonetheless.

“I’d love to go Spencer”

He beamed.

“Great. That’s- that’s great”

You looked over your beautifully decorated tree. Admiring the way the greens reds and whites complimented each other. The way the lights reflected on them and made the room light up in colorful circles.

The way Spencer looked as the soft Christmas lights accentuated his soft features.

Thank God you decided to buy a real tree instead of piecing together a fake one.

Who knows if you would have gotten to know Spencer otherwise.

The thought made you upset so instead, you grabbed Spencer's hand and led him toward the kitchen

“C’mon, we’ve got popcorn garlands to make. The decorating is far from over”

His hand grasps yours tighter and he nods. Bright smiles never leaving either of your faces.

A/n: First Spencer one shot!!! how do we like it?~ Starry

[girlactionfigure]

🚨 G7 WARNED OF IMMINENT IRANIAN ATTACK ON ISRAEL WITHIN 24 HOURS 🚨

‼️The G7 countries have informed that Iran could mount a full-scale attack on Israel within 24 hours.

‼️General Michael Kurilla, Commander of U.S. Central Command, is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday to review plans and coordinate forces in the Middle East.

‼️U.S. President Joe Biden will convene his national security team in the situation room on Monday at 2:15 PM ET (9:15 PM Israel time) to discuss developments in the region.

‼️In a special report by Army Radio, Efi Triger noted that the IDF has recently deployed several units from the Home Front Command and the Jordan Lions Battalion to reinforce the defense of the Seam Line communities in the Sharon area. This action follows an urgent warning after recent targeted killings, indicating plans to carry out infiltration attacks on these communities, orchestrated by Iran and Hamas.

The Shin Bet received intelligence that terrorists from the Tulkarm area intended to infiltrate settlements in the Sharon Seam Line area. Consequently, soldiers have been stationed within these settlements to provide an immediate response to any incidents, given the proximity to Palestinian territories.

These units are tasked with serving as the last line of defense within the settlements, should all other security measures fail, learning from the events of October 7th. It became evident on the night between Friday and Saturday that there were genuine threats, as a terrorist cell from Tulkarm, eliminated on Saturday morning, was planning an infiltration attack in Israel.

Security officials told Army Radio that Iran and Hamas are attempting to divert Israeli attention to Judea and Samaria to provoke an intifada, hoping this will prevent an Israeli attack in Lebanon. Judea and Samaria risk becoming the main theater of war once again.

🔅EMERGENCY PREP - THE BASICS

via ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting the World to Israel in Realtime

Things are scary, “well what am I supposed to do?”

Basic preparation IN ISRAEL:

.. Drinking water.  Buy some bottled water, 9 liters per adult (less for children).

.. Washing / flushing water.  Have a few buckets or fill a bunch of used water bottles, to wash or flush with - fill buckets when emergency starts, BUT not if you have small children who can drown in an open bucket.

.. Medicine.  If you take chronic medicine (every day), get the 3 month supply from your Kupah.

.. Money.  Have cash on hand in case ATM’s and credit cards aren’t working.

.. Food.  Canned, dry, etc, supplies on hand for a week per person.  Baby food? Formula? Special nutrition? Pet food?

.. Light.  Flash lights, candles. 

.. Communications.  Have a power-bank or two for your cell phone.  And maybe a radio (buy at hardware stores).

.. Shelter.  Make sure it is ready.

More here -> Supplies and Equipment for Emergencies.  https://www.oref.org.il/12490-15903-en/pakar.aspx

❗️EMERGENCY PLANNING

Links work in Israel.

.. Preparing your home for an emergency.  https://www.oref.org.il/12490-15902-en/Pakar.aspx

.. Help Prep your Neighborhood and Family Elderly.  https://www.oref.org.il/12550-20999-en/pakar.aspx

.. Know the Emergency numbers:

Police 100 emergency, 110 non-urgent situation

Ambulance 101

Medics 1221

Fire 102

Electric Company 103

Home Front Command 104

City Hotline 106

Senior Citizen Hotline *8840

Social Services Hotline 118

Cyber (hack) Hotline 119

🔸 MENTAL HEALTH HOTLINES, in case you are freaking out:

.. in English : Tikva Helpline by KeepOlim, call if you are struggling!  074-775-1433.

.. in Hebrew : Eran Emotional Support Line - 1201 or chat via eran.org.il

...

[verosikastrikerstellaexcuser]

I think what makes striker a supremacist is that he wants all goetia dead, and you know, you shouldn't kill a whole race/species of people

But also, we aren't really ever told this. Sure, he says he wants to kill overlords and goetia, but he never says he wants every single one of them dead

Like that could've easily been fixed by him telling Blitz, "and with you and me, we can take down and kill every goetia/overlord" during the harvest moon, cause then it'd actually show a supremacist side; like yeah, most goetia are dicks but o down think their all bad, Octavia doesn't show any signs if looking down on hellhounds/imps, considering how she and loona interact in s2 ep2

Not to mention him taking orders from a goetia, which makes it look more like he's just 'doing his job'

So I feel like they WANTED him to be a supremacist, and you can kind of see it, but, like with a lot of plot points, they failed to actually show it

Yea this is a really valid point. They could have set it up better with him wanting the entire goetia extinct and even killing lets say, a newborn goetia if they wanted him to be that kind of antagonist. But instead they just show him working for one to kill another to make ends meat. And they make him say stuff thats straight up true "all you royals ever do is try to talk over us" (note he says royals not goetia/birds/etc he specifically mentions their status). He wasn't wrong with that line, look at how the fucking butlers are treated in this show. If either of them killed Stella or St*las in their sleep as much as I love Stella to make up for the shows poor writing of her. I'd completely understand I have to be real 😭 they're borderline toys that can physically be thrown around at will.

Also though, beyond the show not setting up Strikers supremacy thing properly... I do question the motivation. Okay, you want a supremacist antagonist, that is specifically supremacist towards rich people/royalty that exploits the lower classes... hmmm, that feels a bit weird. Are you going to make him a kind of "resistance is valid when theres no other options, but don't go too far to the point you'll kill babies, after all a child didn't ask to be born royal" kind of portrayal? While still showing that the upper classes are bad for upholding an inherently oppressive system? And that even the nicer or more well meaning ones still benefit from it? Is he portrayed in a gray way? Is he intended to show theres different sides to resistance movements and often disagreements within them etc? No. No he is not for any of that. Instead, they make him a totally wrong meanie baddie while consistently making many sins and goetia innocent good guys who never hurt a soul!!!!! Its not their fault their rich!!!! Look how sad and gay they are!!!!! Like. Ok... but... they still benefit. From. You know, the oppression of hell hounds, imps, etc...

Striker exists for Stolitz drama, despite being a character that brings up the serious classism in the world he occupies. He exists to stand in the way and get beat up lately, instead of the writing exploring the world's classism properly. Its such a joke. The classism in general is only used when its convenient for drama that the show wants to focus on and not any of the drama it doesn't like how being upperclass was how St*las was able to sexually exploit Blitz, it feels very shallow.

And when you add in how this show prioritizes cis queer male identities over queer female identities and trans ones. Even though those groups tend to be the most impoverished out of all the LGBT, and given how race also interacts with LGBT and poverty status. U.S data:

Yea it starts feeling really fucking sketchy. I'm sorry but I just have to question it, why is this show so desperate to have a bunch of one of the good ones sweet wooby rich characters? St*las is straight up a protagonist next to Blitz at this point more than the rest of IMP. Why is it so desperate to make him a main character and to make him a poor misunderstood baby? While the poors are all just assholes who need to learn to be better? Something about it doesn't sit right to me. Its this sweet sanitized version of classism and class struggle where the problem isn't a complex system but rather its just that a few of the sins and goetia are a bit too mean >.<. I hate it. I find it very distasteful to try this sort of almost "equal blame" approach. There isn't equal blame, the upper classes are exploiting the lower classes and that needs to fucking stop. Being so eager to portray poor people as just needing to accept their station in life without any physical resistance to change it, like how Blitz was forced to for his businesses sake (and the sexual exploitation that happened as a result), yeah thats sketchy. The problem is that St*las shouldn't have servants in the first place, its not that poor people need to not be bigoted towards rich people. Classism kills. The lower class shouldn't have to miserably accept a system that harms and kills their very bodies via deprivation of resources etc.

The rich are not wooby babies that need sympathetic portrayals, making a show which portrays them in an elevated way as if their endless advantages in life don't exist and as if they're owed kindness from those their existence exploits is plain weird and sketchy.

[whiskeynwriting]

The Boys on Thanksgiving

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

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Word Count: ~500

Warnings: Not really any. This is kinda cute lol

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A/N: this involves Price, Soap, Ghost, Gaz, and Vargas, but it’ll be stowed away under my Simon “Ghost” Riley Masterlist (:

Happy Thanksgiving to those in the U.S.!

(I know my boys are British, but they’re celebrating because they came to see me, okay?)

◆

Simon “Ghost” Riley Masterlist

Join My Taglist!

◆

John Price

Is the most polite out of the entire bunch. Will wash his hands and face before eating, and helps clean up when he’s done. He loves the turkey, but the mashed potatoes are his favorite. Probably gave the host his mom’s recipe beforehand. Drinks coffee with his pie, but only eats cranberry. Makes sure the boys all say thank you when they’re done.

John “Soap” McTavish

Is 100% there for the macaroni and cheese and especially the deviled eggs. He’ll eat them all. Has to be reminded to close his mouth while eating because he gets too carried away. Gives little dance moves while he eats because he’s just so happy to have real food. Chocolate pie is his favorite dessert in general, not just during the holidays. So when he sees it here? He loses his mind. But he’ll always share it with Gaz, too.

Simon “Ghost” Riley

Will absolutely smash an entire turkey. Light meat, dark meat, who cares? He definitely doesn’t. Also loves corn but not on the cob, for some reason. It gets on my mask. But he’ll probably spill food/drink on his mask anyways because he’s so excited to eat that he forgets it’s even there. Doesn’t like coffee, he prefers tea. Black tea is his favorite, and he loves a good pumpkin pie. Barely speaks throughout the entire thing, he’s too busy filling 3+ plates. If asked how he likes the meal, he’ll answer with happy grunts, small grins and nods.

Kyle “Gaz” Garrick

Sneaks most of the cranberry sauce into his belly. He feels like a kid but he loves the sugar. Laughs at Johnny’s chomping. Dances along with him when they eat pie together. They sit next to each other for this exact reason. Will drink coffee when he’s done, especially to keep himself up. Because after he’s finished with his plate, he’s definitely dancing to the music Vargas puts on.

Alejandro Vargas

Is also polite, and is the most talkative while he eats. He feels like it’s rude if he doesn’t comment on the food, and thanks the host when he’s done. Makes fun of Ghost for not liking corn on the cob while he devours his own. Has too many drinks, but is the most jovial drunk you’ve ever met. Insists that there needs to be some kind of music when everyone is done eating. It makes everyone more lively! But Ghost and Soap are already napping on the couch together by the time it comes on.