#and Michael is his emotional support pet

[ingravinoveritas]

David Tennant leaning into Michael Sheen.

[nerdiellers]

If I Stay

feat: michael kaiser x f!reader

summary: after unexpectedly running into michael, he sees the one thing you didn’t want anyone to ever see: your bruises.

cw: aged!up, abusive relationship (not michael & reader), angst, physical and emotional abuse (not michael & reader), trauma, smut (mdni), please do not read if this will trigger you (for your own safety and mental well being 🫶🏻)

a/n: i am so sorry for the wait with the second chapter! i was completely broken after jjk 236 leaks and it just stopped all creativity in my brain . but i’ve worked through it as best as i could!!!

The both of you stare at each other, neither one expecting to see the other in this part of town. He was a professional football player for Bastard München and you worked 2 barely above minimum wage jobs to support your family. Needless to say the difference between your income was more than enough that you wouldn’t see each other for the next hundreds of kilometers.

Michael’s expression shifted from shock to his usual confident and snarky smile as he relaxed, realizing it was you. You forgot how much you hated that expression.

“Long time no see, babe.” He said, causing you to cringe at the pet word.

“What are you doing here?” You asked in a demanding tone. Did Alexis mention that you lived here and he wanted to annoy you?

Your brain brought up many different scenarios while you waited for his response. You could swear you could see the gears in his head working to come up with an excuse in order to hide his true intentions.

“I moved not too far from here today. I was just getting dinner.” He finally responded, holding up the convenience store food he was holding.

Glancing at the food, you realized how unlike him it was to eat something in this manner. He believed in eating healthy; no junk food, take out — nothing. And yet here he was buying convenience store food.

Noticing you eyeing the food, he chuckles.

“I don’t have food at home just yet and I’m too tired to shop for food after the move so I’m breaking a rule.” He said as if he could read your mind.

Looking back up at him, you raised a brow.

“Why did you move here? I thought you’d live near the higher end part of the city.” You said, waving your hand as you spoke.

Michael chuckled before answering. “Here I won’t run into paparazzi as often and I can just relax. Plus Ness said you lived nearby.”

You blinked as you stared at him. Why would your living nearby make any sense? Because he knew you? It’s not like the two of you were close. You were simply the little sister of Alexis.

“Since when did you not want to be in the spotlight?” You asked, rolling your eyes.

A finger pushed up against your forehead, giving your head a light push.

“Even I enjoy my quiet time, liebling. People change you know.” Michael said, the smile never leaving his face as he let his hand fall to his side.

Rubbing your forehead with your brows knit together, you exhaled through your nose.

“You never seemed like the type who could change.”

Michael chuckled once again before he ruffled your hair. “Everyone can change.”

You knew those words rang true more than anything after seeing how one man could change so much. Or was it a side that he hid from you all this time? Swiping his hand away, you tore your eyes away from him. As much as you didn’t want to go home, you needed to get back before your fiancée figured out you left.

What you didn’t realize was when you lifted your arm, your sleeve rolled down slightly to show a glimpse of the bruise on your wrist, which Michael did not miss.

Grabbing your hand, you looked at him with an alarmed reaction as you weren’t sure why he did that until you watched him roll down your sleeve to show the bruises that littered your arm. Your breath hitched when the expression on his face transformed from his usual nonchalance to pure, unadulterated rage.

Pulling your hand away, you covered your arm again and turned to leave. Michael’s hand reached back out and wrapped around you, pulling you into him.

“Who did this to you, liebling?” He asked, his voice reduced to a low growl and it made you shiver. You never knew he could be so angry. It was terrifying. You never want to be on the receiving end to such anger, which said more than enough of what your reality was.

Ignoring his question, you looked up at him, choosing to look into his anger-filled eyes.

“I need to go, Michael. I left my daughter at home and…and I need to get back to her.” You were hoping, praying that he’d just let you go.

Michael’s eyes immediately soften and he let you go.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized before a smile blessed his face once more. “If she’s anything like Ness, she’ll be worried sick that her mama’s missing.”

You rolled your eyes playfully before making your hasty exit. You didn’t dare to look over your shoulder as you picked up the pace.

Michael watched as you left the store. Once you were gone from sight, he pulled out his phone and dialed the one person he knew would pick up every time.

“Ness? It’s me. Have you gone to see your sister yet?”

You woke up the next day, thankful that when you had come home the night before, your fiancée was still asleep. Even your daughter was sleeping still when you checked on her. Not risking seeing you dressed, you changed into your pajamas and went back to sleep.

As you were picking your daughter up from preschool, you felt your phone vibrate. Taking it out of your pocket, you grinned as soon as you saw the caller ID.

“Alexi!” You greeted. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“(Y/N), my cutest sister!” Alexis squealed, making you giggle. Ever since he graduated and was signed on full time with Bastard München, you didn’t see your brother as much as you’d like since he was busy with practice and games. Of course you went to every game you could and watched the games you couldn’t go to on your phone.

Regardless of how you feel about Michael, the two of them were great together. You don’t know what happened when members of Blue Lock joined their team, but it changed the both of them for the better when it came to their plays. Despite being over the age of 20, they were still signed with the team per their coach’s request, but that would only last for the next couple of seasons.

“The season’s over for the year so have a break! I decided to come home so that I could spend time with you and our mom and dad.” Alexis continued. “I just landed last night and want to get dinner with you. How does that sound?”

You thought about it and what you were expected to do tonight. If you went, your fiancée would not be happy as he expected dinner at a specific time, and you didn’t want him to be alone with your daughter because as much as he loves her, he’ll be sure to cook for the both of them but as soon as you come home, you’ll be expected to receive hell.

Your best bet would be to take a rain check so you can plan better.

“Sorry Alexi, I have plans tonight. How does next week sound? I should be available by then!” You responded.

Alexis groaned before responding. He was looking forward to seeing you but you wanted to get rid of the bruises on your neck at the very least.

“Ok. Next week though! Be sure to bring my adorable niece. I have gifts to give!”

Your heart felt so full. You never expected your brother to love his niece as much as he does. You’re not even sure why you doubted it since he loves you as much as he does.

You guessed the nerves came from the possibility of finding out who the father was. He still didn’t know you were back together with him, not after the breakup in high school.

“Of course! Emma misses you! She’s watched all of your games and proudly talks about her uncle.”

Alexis let out a squeal of awe and it made you laugh.

“Let me know what day works best for you and we’ll plan it, ok?” Alexis asked.

You nodded as if he could see you.

“You got it Alexi. Love you! I’ll be sure to tell Emma when I pick her up. I’m just about there now.”

“Love you! Tell her I love her bunches!” Alexis said before hanging up the phone.

You chuckled as you shook your head. He was always so silly when it came to you and Emma, so when you first saw him play, you were surprised to learn he could be so serious. You knew he could get angry for you, but he never showed you that side of him, you just heard about it from others.

As you get to your daughter’s preschool, the children had just finished class so you were greeted with your daughter bouncing her way to you before jumping into your arms. You hid the pain from the bruises from her, the other kids, their parents, and the teachers as you spun her around, giving her a tight hug before you kissed all over her face. Emma giggled and shrieked.

“I missed you, my baby!” You said in between kisses.

Emma wrapped her arms around your neck, still giggling and returning the kisses over your face.

“I missed you too mommy!” She responded before sliding down, indicating she wanted down.

You set your daughter down and hold her hand to make sure she stayed safe as you walked her home. Keeping her on the side away from the road, you watched as a car passed by then stop, which immediately put you on high alert. Gently tugging Emma behind you, you kept an eye on the car, waiting for the driver to either get out or leave.

The car reversed and stopped once again in front of you and your daughter before rolling down the window.

“Liebling!” A familiar voice calls, causing you to relax. At least it was someone you knew.

“Hi Michael.” You called out once his face came into view.

You felt your daughter peer around your legs to look at him. Outside of Alexis and your family, she’s never met anyone else. You weren’t allowed to spend time with friends, much less leave the house except to purchase groceries.

Glancing down, Michael’s eyes met your daughter’s, whose eyes shone when he made eye contact with her. She reminded him of you. Taking after you perfectly with your brown, curly hair ending with magenta at the ends, and your matching magenta eyes. Even her eye shape took after your own. The sight of seeing your carbon copy made Michael smile.

As much as he teased you, he knew you were the perfect woman for him. You challenged him by expressing how much you didn’t like him. Every glare you made his way just made him more interested in you. He wouldn’t call it a crush or love, no. He simply knew that you would keep him on his toes.

First, he has to convince you that he’s changed and get closer to you. Maybe your daughter could help him.

“Would you like a ride home? I couldn’t let two pretty ladies walk in this weather.”

You glanced up; it was a perfect, sunny day. Looking back at Michael, you shook your head.

“Nein, thank you Michael. We like to get our exercise.” You responded.

That was a lie. You didn’t want him to know where you lived. If your fiancée found out you knew another man outside your brother and father, you’d be punished.

Michael tilted his head to the side a bit, his smile never fading.

“Liebling.” He whined, dragging the word out. “Allow me to do this for you. You’re my best friend’s little sister after all.”

You opened your mouth to respond before your daughter jumped out from behind you completely and ran to the car, opening the back door.

“Emma!” You called out.

You watched as your precious daughter shrieks and giggles, crawling onto the backseat. You really need to teach her more about stranger danger.

Chuckling, Michael watched as your daughter had the time of her life before his eyes went to you once again.

“Looks like the Scätzchen wants to ride in the car. Let me drive you Liebling.”

Michael and his nicknames. Rolling your eyes, you walked to the back door to shut it after making sure your daughter was safely buckled in. You felt nervous since she wasn’t sitting in a booster seat, but you felt bad breaking her heart. Sitting in the passenger side, you ignored Michael, who had his arms crossed on the steering wheel, leaning against them while he watched you.

It amused him to see you ignoring him as if the two of you weren’t right next to each other.

You continued to stare ahead, waiting for Michael to begin driving so that you can give him the directions to your home. After a minute of two of sitting in silence, you found yourself getting impatient. Looking at him, you see that his eyes were stuck on you, studying you. It caused you to feel nervous for some reason. A smile formed on his lips as he continued to stare. For some reason, the action caused you to blush.

Turning your head away to hide said blush, you cleared your throat.

“I would like to get home soon, Michael.” You stated.

Chuckling, Michael sat up straight and began to drive, listening to the instructions on how to get you home. When you weren’t speaking up to give directions, the ride was silent, save for the humming your daughter was doing in the backseat.

Glancing in the rear view mirror, you watched as your daughter swayed from side to side, humming and staring out the window. The mere sight of it brought a warm smile on your face. You loved your daughter more than anything and when she did things like this, you felt that it melted your worries, insecurities, and dread.

Michael looked at you when he stopped at a red stop light and his eyes widened a bit. He had never seen you smile like that before and the mere sight caused his heart to skip a beat.

Taking his eyes away from you once the light turns green, he begins to think that maybe you weren’t just perfect for him.

Maybe he was perfect for you.

Once you arrived home, you unbuckle and go to open the door before a hand gently wrapped around your wrist, causing you to pause and look at Michael.

“Let me give you my number.” He said.

Rolling your eyes, you wondered why he wanted your contact information.

“It’s ok Michael, thank you for the ride. Emma and I-“

“Please, Liebling.” He interrupted. The worry was adamant in his expression. You remembered that he had seen the bruise that was on your wrist.

“Just in case. I’m a call away and I will drop everything to be here for you.” He continued.

Your brows upturned and you glanced in the backseat to see that your daughter was sleeping soundly. Looking down, you avoided looking at Michael.

“I-I’m fine. I’ll be ok.”

“If you were fine you wouldn’t have bruises on you.” Michael responded.

You felt fingers gently lift your chin to meet his gaze, expressing a sadness behind his eyes for you.

Maybe he really had changed.

“I…” You sighed, giving in to his request. “Ok. Just in case.”

Raising your hand to his lips, he kissed your knuckles before letting go. Holding out his hand, he waited for you to put your phone in it so that he could enter his number.

After he gave you his number, you took your daughter out of the backseat being careful to not wake her. You leaned down to look at Michael, offering him a slight smile.

“Thank you Michael. It really was kind of you to offer a ride.” You truly meant it. While the two of you were used to the walk, it was much faster to use a car.

Michael froze seeing you smile at him. Him. You never smiled his way and even if it was a small smile, it was still a smile.

He stayed to make sure you went inside the house without any problems, which you went inside.

Something inside began to stir in Michael. You changed once you had a child; he remembered your vindictive actions, your harsh words, the glare you always had. But now you had softer expressions, warmer eyes, and for the first time since he’s known you all these years, you now smiled.

Letting out a self deprecating laugh, Michael realized his plans may not go the way he expected.

⤝ chapter 1 |masterlist | chapter 3 ⤠

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Blue Lock is created and owned by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura

Art is owned by Haru

©️nerdiel-has-no-braincells 2023 Please do not copy, translate, and post as your own. Reblogs, likes, and comments are ok with me!

[runawaymun]

if you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with kataang? i haven't watched avatar but i know the plot through osmosis, and wanted to hear your thoughts on that

Ah okay! Let me try to explain...

Caveat 1: this will probably be a bit rambly Caveat 2: it has been a long time since I watched either At:LA or TLoK, but I have watched it both as a kid (teenager, really) and as an adult multiple times.

My problems with kataang is kind of split into two categories: problems with the ship based off of who they are as characters from a writing/themes/narrative arc/messaging standpoint, and problems presented by how the creators of At:LA and TLoK - Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konieztko (not Aaron Ehasz you're doing amazing sweetie) treat the characters and seem to think about the characters, based off of choices that they made in the telling of the story, especially how the characters are treated in their endgame scenario in TLoK (which, notably, Aaron Ehasz didn't write for due to creative differences).

TLDR: IMO Kataang ruins the character arcs, they're bad for each other, and the writers did a disservice to Katara in favorite of their pet meow meow -- which hurt both character arcs and legacies, ultimately.

My chief issue is that Katara and Aang are bad for each other, romantically. They bring out the worst in each other. They're bad at holding healthy boundaries, bad at communicating, and the ship itself is very unbalanced. And I wouldn't have a problem with this if it was recognized by the narrative or the shippers, but the narrative treats them as a great love story when really it's anything but. I won't get into age differences -- because by the time they marry a two-year age difference is very negligible and I don't really think it's a good argument against the ship (even if I do think that shipping a 12 year old boy with a 14 year old girl is insane like what 14 year old girl WANTS to date a 12 year old boy. 12 year old boys are gross haha <3) -- but let's talk about it from a thematic and character growth standpoint.

Aang's arc is fundamentally about not running away from his problems, and learning to step into his role as the Avatar. He struggles with responsibility, struggles with emotional regulation, and struggles in the tension between being very much a 12-13yo kid, and being the Avatar, who has to save the world. His arc is beautiful. It's done SO WELL. And he manages to stay true to himself and I love that for him.

Katara's arc IMO is fundamentally about learning to fight for herself, and not just for others. Katara is very maternal. She has had to grow up extremely quickly in the face of losing both parents at a young age, and understanding that she has to live in constant fear of being murdered for her waterbending abilities. She constantly has to stand up for herself, and has a bad habit of suppressing difficult feelings in lieu of helping others work through theirs. This culminates in Katara taking several seasons (iirc) to actually properly talk to someone about her grief and the burden she is carrying, and to learn to set healthy boundaries -- to help her friends and to grow into a strong warrior and work on herself.

The problem here is that the narrative, over and over, forces Katara to emotionally regulate Aang, and this is never really addressed. They have really poor boundaries and she's always mothering him -- Aang is not a partner for her. He doesn't often reciprocate the same level of support that she gives to him -- mostly because he is twelve. Katara, narratively, acts like a crutch for Aang to lean on. Aang actively holds Katara back from setting healthy boundaries and growing into her own person.

They have an emotionally imbalanced relationship, and again -- Michael and Bryan really don't ever try to rectify this, and I think also they're just really bad at writing romance idk. Because over and over Aang makes passes at Katara, and Katara never really expresses interest. That could be down to Katara being bad at expressing her emotions, but it really doesn't feel like it. The last straw for me -- from a narrative standpoint, is the episode where Aang confesses his feelings to Katara, Katara literally says "I don't know how to feel. I'm confused." And Aang, without asking, decides that this is the perfect moment to kiss her.

Which, fine. They're kids. Kids make mistakes. They don't do things perfectly. I'm fine with characters making mistakes. But for a kids' show that's pretty intent on helping us all learn good life lessons -- this is never addressed. Katara is never given the chance to say "Hey, I didn't appreciate that." Aang never is made to apologize for crossing a boundary. It's treated as just a big stepping stone toward their incredibly forced romantic arc. And I hate hate hate when stories tell boys that the appropriate response to a girl asking for space to sort out her feelings/being unsure is to oh, just kiss her, to help her figure it out! instead of, I don't know, let her make up her own mind and give her space. "I don't know" is not fucking consent, and they shouldn't treat it like it is. Especially not in a kids' show.

Which-- yeah, that kind of leads well into my second problem with Kataang - which is how the creators of the show treat it. To them, Kataang is endgame, it is in the "DNA of the show" as one put it. Which is very weird to me because it is so, so poorly done, and the writers really seem to care so little for Katara. Why do I think this? Because of how they choose to treat Katara in TLoK.

Katara, in her 80s in TLoK, is relegated to a healer and teacher. She's insignificant to the story when characters like Zuko and Toph get much cooler entrances and scenes. She's stuck being a passive bystander to a war (Katara would never.) She's stuck being a healer (Which, sure, she is. But so much of At:LA she chafed at being put in that box! She's also a fighter, goddamnit!) -- and some people have tried to say "well what do you want an 80 year woman to do?" and I don't! fucking! buy it! Characters in At:LA were badass fighters well into their 80s, like Hama (the fearsome bloodbender), Pakku (the Waterbender), Iroh (y'know...), and most notably, Bumi, who is 112 fucking years old. Don't give me "80 year old Katara sits on her ass at home while the men go out and do things and Zuko, at the same age, is literally riding around the world on fucking dragonback." I won't have it. It's Katara slander, I tell you! Let that old woman be a badass!!!

And the writers even go so far as to erase her from her kids' lives! They never talk about her!!! It is always about Aang! Always Aang! And you just get the impression that Katara dropped absolutely everything to be "The Avatar's wife" and SHE DESERVED BETTER RAUDGAHSGH

She doesn't! even! get! an honorary statue! On the very island on which she should! be a war hero! Aang does! Toph does! Zuko does! EVEN SOKKA DOES. The ENTIRE Gaang gets a statue, except Katara. That is a deliberate art choice! WHY did they leave her out?

They absolutely destroyed her ENTIRE At:LA arc in TLoK, and I am honestly not even surprised because the writers have said outright that Aang is a self insert character, and that Kataang is "that childhood romance that we both wanted as kids". Katara, in their brains -- and idk maybe this is unjust-- but she seems to be just the amalgamation of those 14 year old girls that wouldn't give them the time of day when they were snotty twelve year olds, except they're writing the story so of course Aang gets the girl.

Anyway, this doesn't even go into how there are infinitely better choices for Katara, and how Aang's arc is worsened by having a romantic subplot, and etc. etc. I could go on forever about how much I dislike Kataang from a narrative standpoint.

Literally my first thought when I heard they left the Netflix show "due to creative differences" was: "Oh my god, is it because there's no kataang???" and now that there's confirmed to be no kataang and that they may be going a zutara route instead, I'm convinced that's why.

Because it's "in the DNA of the show, you see" they have broken with cocreators before over their pet self insert ship and the narrative treatment of Katara (Aaron Ehasz), and I don't see any reason why they'd change.

alkdasdlkgh anyway. God. Thanks for the ask! Sorry about the really long anti kataang rant aslkdgh. This got kind of aggressive but I do feel very strongly about the treatment of Katara. My girl deserved so much better.

[slasherspace]

Slashers with S/O who has a dog 🐶

gender neutral like all of my headcanons! If you have some cool ideas for headcanons, you can request them! :)

Thomas Hewitt

The Hewitt family doesn’t mind pets at all. Uncle Monty has a dog, so they couldn’t care less what you own as long as you take care of it and don’t make it a burden

However, I believe that it might happen that they would kill your pet if there’s no food available anymore (Let’s just pretended there’s enough food)

Tommy likes your dog!

For him your pet is almost like an emotional support animal

The way your dog comes up to him when he comes out of the basement or back from the slaughterhouse warms his heart

It makes him feel loved and special

Your pet reminds him of you tbh not only because of its behavior but also because of its looks lmao (hes fascinated by that)

Cute scenario: you come home and find your dog and Tommy cuddling together in your bed or on the couch

Overall, enjoys the presence of your dog

I imagine some late night walks with your dog and Tommy. The cool breeze as the heat slowly cools down, your dog, Tommy and you enjoying the clear sky with its stars and the moon

Michael Myers

….

Eats it.

Bubba Sawyer

PLS Bubba is a cutie! he loves your dog almost more than you!

I hope your dog loves being pet because Bubba pets it all the time

Plays with your dog and goes on walks with him as well

It’s his favorite thing to go for a walk with you and your dog

Bubba gives Golden retriever vibes so you basically have to dogs now (without sounding weird)

he might even get himself his own dog so your dogs can play with each other

My man loves pets

They are definitely nicer to him than humans

Would be all over your dog

You basically have your own little family

Thanks for reading! Leave a request if you like to

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

The 11 Beliefs You Should Know about Jehovah's Witnesses When They Knock at the Door

The divine name. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that God’s one true name—the name by which he must be identified—is Jehovah.

Biblically, however, God is identified by many names, including:

God (Hb. ‘elohim; Gen. 1:1), God Almighty (Hb. ‘El Shadday; Gen. 17:1), Lord (Hb. ‘Adonay; Ps. 8:1), and Lord of hosts (Hb. yhwh tseba’ot; 1 Sam. 1:3). In NT times, Jesus referred to God as “Father” (Gk. Patēr; Matt. 6:9), as did the apostles (1 Cor. 1:3).

The Trinity. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Trinity is unbiblical because the word is not in the Bible and because the Bible emphasizes that there is one God.

Biblically, while it is true that there is only one God (Isa. 44:6; 45:18; 46:9; John 5:44; 1 Cor. 8:4; James 2:19), it is also true that three persons are called God in Scripture:

the Father (1 Pet. 1:2), Jesus (John 20:28; Heb. 1:8), and the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4). Each of these three possesses the attributes of deity—including

omnipresence (Ps. 139:7; Jer. 23:23-24; Matt. 28:20), omniscience (Ps. 147:5; John 16:30; 1 Cor. 2:10-11), omnipotence (Jer. 32:17; John 2:1-11; Rom. 15:19), and eternality (Ps. 90:2; Heb. 9:14; Rev. 22:13). Still further, each of the three is involved in doing the works of deity—such as creating the universe:

the Father (Gen. 1:1; Ps. 102:25), the Son (John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2), and the Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:2; Job 33:4; Ps. 104:30). The Bible indicates that there is three-in-oneness in the godhead (Matt. 28:19; cf. 2 Cor. 13:14).

Thus doctrinal support for the Trinity is compellingly strong.

Jesus Christ. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus was created by Jehovah as the archangel Michael before the physical world existed, and is a lesser, though mighty, god.

Biblically, however, Jesus is eternally God (John 1:1; 8:58; cf. Ex. 3:14) and has the exact same divine nature as the Father (John 5:18; 10:30; Heb. 1:3).

Indeed, a comparison of the OT and NT equates Jesus with Jehovah (compare Isa. 43:11 with Titus 2:13; Isa. 44:24 with Col. 1:16; Isa. 6:1-5 with John 12:41).

Jesus himself created the angels (Col. 1:16; cf. John 1:3; Heb. 1:2, 10) and is worshiped by them (Heb. 1:6).

The incarnation. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that when Jesus was born on earth, he was a mere human and not God in human flesh.

This violates the biblical teaching that in the incarnate Jesus, “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9; cf. Phil. 2:6-7).

The word for “fullness” (Gk. plērōma) carries the idea of the sum total. “Deity” (Gk. theotēs) refers to the nature, being, and attributes of God.

Therefore, the incarnate Jesus was the sum total of the nature, being, and attributes of God in bodily form.

Indeed, Jesus was Immanuel, or “God with us” (Matt. 1:23; cf. Isa. 7:14; John 1:1, 14, 18; 10:30; 14:9-10).

Resurrection. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus was resurrected spiritually from the dead, but not physically.

Biblically, however, the resurrected Jesus asserted that he was not merely a spirit but had a flesh-and-bone body (Luke 24:39; cf. John 2:19-21).

He ate food on several occasions, thereby proving that he had a genuine physical body after the resurrection (Luke 24:30, 42-43; John 21:12-13).

This was confirmed by his followers who physically touched him (Matt. 28:9; John 20:17).

The second coming. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the second coming was an invisible, spiritual event that occurred in the year 1914.

Biblically, however, the yet-future second coming will be physical, visible (Acts 1:9-11; cf. Titus 2:13), and will be accompanied by visible cosmic disturbances (Matt. 24:29-30). Every eye will see him (Rev. 1:7).

The Holy Spirit. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force of God and not a distinct person.

Biblically, however, the Holy Spirit has the three primary attributes of personality:

a mind (Rom. 8:27), emotions (Eph. 4:30), and will (1 Cor. 12:11). Moreover, personal pronouns are used of him (Acts 13:2). Also, he does things that only a person can do, including:

teaching (John 14:26), testifying (John 15:26), commissioning (Acts 13:4), issuing commands (Acts 8:29), and interceding (Rom. 8:26). The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity (Matt. 28:19).

Salvation. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that salvation requires faith in Christ, association with God’s organization (i.e., their religion), and obedience to its rules.

Biblically, however, viewing obedience to rules as a requirement for salvation nullifies the gospel (Gal. 2:16-21; Col. 2:20-23). Salvation is based wholly on God’s unmerited favor (grace), not on the believer’s performance.

Good works are the fruit or result, not the basis, of salvation (Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 3:4-8).

Two redeemed peoples. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe there are two peoples of God: (1) the Anointed Class (144,000) will live in heaven and rule with Christ; and (2) the “other sheep” (all other believers) will live forever on a paradise earth.

Biblically, however, a heavenly destiny awaits all who believe in Christ (John 14:1-3; 17:24; 2 Cor. 5:1; Phil. 3:20; Col. 1:5; 1 Thess. 4:17; Heb. 3:1), and these same people will also dwell on the new earth (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1-4).

No immaterial soul. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe that humans have an immaterial nature. The “soul” is simply the life-force within a person. At death, that life-force leaves the body.

Biblically, however, the word “soul” is multifaceted. One key meaning of the term is man’s immaterial self that consciously survives death (Gen. 35:18; Rev. 6:9-10). Unbelievers are in conscious woe (Matt. 13:42; 25:41, 46; Luke 16:22-24; Rev. 14:11) while believers are in conscious bliss in heaven (1 Cor. 2:9; 2 Cor. 5:6-8; Phil. 1:21-23; Rev. 7:17; 21:4).

Hell. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe hell is not a place of eternal suffering but is rather the common grave of humankind. The wicked are annihilated—snuffed out of conscious existence forever.

Biblically, however, hell is a real place of conscious, eternal suffering (Matt. 5:22; 25:41, 46; Jude 7; Rev. 14:11; 20:10, 14).

[dooksofearl]

SQUEAK SPEAK

Monthly newsletter for Dooks of Earl Ferret Sanctuary Inc

Happy April and Greetings to Everyone!

Much excitement at our little rescue this month and I can't wait to tell you.

Thanks to my income tax check coming in our fundraising goal for between now and May 1st is only $768.00

That will cover

The rescues regular bills like; utilities ($280 on average since our HVAC is still out, but we are hoping someone is coming to fix it soon), and pet foods ($488). I have managed to raise enough to cover the other bills and supplies from my income tax check. And of course, none of this is for me personally nor do I get paid for the work I do. It's not about me, it's about these animals and making their lives amazing for however long they have left.

Other needs that the rescue has not included in this list are:

As always, Pine pellets from Tractor Supply Company, we go through about 30 bags a month.

The blue dishes we got last time will be added back to our list because they are working so well for our sweet seniors and tiny ferrets in helping them eat in a more natural position.

We still have a short wishlist with links to these items on Amazon. The pine pellets I just listed tractor supply gift cards because they don't sell the pellets through Amazon for delivery.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/dl/invite/63ZMinE?ref_=wl_share

I also want to remind everyone that you can pick us as your Walmart.com round up charity and that you can send gifts from our Walmart registry and Chewy Registry if you'd like.

https://www.walmart.com/nonprofits/7a69297c-7cb2-4cb9-a70f-3eaedd738ef4/profile

https://www.chewy.com/g/dooks-of-earl-ferret-sanctuary-inc_b103217538

We still need fence panels for an outdoor dog kennel yard if anyone has any locally they'd like to drop off. And if you are throwing out any 13 gallon kitchen trash cans or plastic bins of any size we would be thrilled to have them.

We currently have 11 ferrets in amazing foster homes so our population here is becoming very manageable for me AND we have 4 new volunteers!!!!! We are so happy to welcome Michael, his wife, and his mom to our team. They will be coming soon to help me get things back to tip top shape and I greatly appreciate it.

And an amazing girl named Michal who came yesterday and spent the day helping me. The ferrets were crazy about her and you know Keiko was too. The bunnies warmed right up to her but they are very friendly girls. Mr Maru gave her the tour till his house was finished then he had to go see what I had done and grab snacks. Cal the sugar glider, slept through it all. But what delighted me most was Mr. Spooky. Our shy, bite first ask questions later guy, went right to her and cuddled her. WOW He is still having a hard time with Justin not being here. Ferrets grieve just like us and he was really close to his dad the Ferret King. He gave me kisses and now this. It makes me so excited and emotional for him.

There was a minor set back for me medically as I have a new allergy, possibly to Stevia. Of course I try to do something good for my health and now I look like I have rolled in bees. If you don't know, this is not a surprise. Lol But I got some medicine for the hives and hopefully will be feeling much better very soon. Until then if you see me dancing against the doorway like a bear, just walk away. 😂

I'm through infusion 3 of 8. YAY! And I have a surgery consultation coming up finally so I am hopeful that it goes well and we can get a date for surgery. 🤞

I have a potential part time job as a virtual assistant and I am truly excited about that. And we are looking at setting up the trailer for a rental so that I can generate a little income and start paying off old debt and getting back on my feet again.

The three month anniversary of losing Justin was really hard on me but I want to thank everyone for their abounding kindness and support. Some days you and these rescue babies are all that gets me through to the next day. I am so grateful to have you in my life.

I also want to mention if you don't get a thank you note and receipt for your donation or some sort of confirmation, please check with me to make sure we received it. I always send a thank you note if it lets me and if you use cashapp I send a heart.

You are awesome and amazing and greatly appreciated. I could not do what I do if you weren't here supporting us and cheering me on. I hope the blessing that you are comes back to you ten fold. Have an amazing month!

Shelly Breeden-Conner

Executive director

Dooks of Earl Ferret Sanctuary Inc

731-326-0690

Tax ID 88-0945277

Donations can be made in app at:

https://www.jotform.com/app/213234930973154

Zelle and PayPal

dooksofearlferretsafehaven@gmail.com

Venmo @DooksofEarl

Cashapp $dooksofearl

Checks or money orders can be mailed to:

Dooks of Earl Ferret Sanctuary Inc

4826 US HIGHWAY 70 E

BROWNSVILLE, TN 38012-8412

[farfromstrange]

Chaos Theory | Michael Kinsella x Reader

Chapter 6: My Reputation’s Never Been Worse

Masterlist ° Chapter List

Pairing: Michael Kinsella x Reader (she/her)

Summary: Michael heads home to pick up his documents to fill out the application form for his new job. Birdy visits and they have a heartfelt conversation about what’s best for him.

Warnings: Angst, mentions of violence and death, foreshadowing, Birdy being mom material

Word Count: 4k

A/n: Birdy redeems herself in this one. But also, Frank fucks shit up and Birdy Is So Done With Him™️

The paperwork his solicitor gave him lies neatly tucked away in Michael’s office. It’s not just his CV or application forms he has filled out before, it holds everything else that is somewhat important to get Anna back. 

He hasn’t gone to see her today. Maybe he should have, just to see if she’s still as happy as the day before. 

It’s a weird feeling to be occupied with something other than yearning. He’s learning how to walk again, your hand offering him support as he takes his first steps. Michael still felt somewhat stuck after getting out of prison and starting the whole legal process of regaining visitation rights for his daughter – and in time, custody. Now that you are offering him a brighter future though, he feels less stuck and more overwhelmed by the conflicted emotions that have bubbled up in his chest. Trying to leave a past like his behind is harder than he thought. 

He grabs the folder with his prison records and the remaining documents and heads downstairs again. He’s not sure when he will be back; all he knows is that he doesn’t want to be alone. 

Reaching the kitchen, a knock on the door stops him in his tracks. He can make out Birdy’s brown hair through the window, and he relaxes a little. With a heavy heart, he opens the front door. 

“Hey,” Michael murmurs. 

“Good mornin’, dear,” says Birdy, her eyes gentle with affection. She stares at him, waiting patiently for him to let her in. “How have ya been?”

Michael looks left, then right, checking if any more of his family members might be standing by. The coast seems clear. He steps aside silently to let her in and she follows. Still at the door, she cups his cheeks. 

“Ya look a little less tired than usual. Did you sleep well?”

He closes his eyes, leaning into her comforting touch. “Somethin’ like that,” he says. 

Birdy smiles at him. “Where have ya been off to, hm? When I came over last night, the lights were all out.”

“Does it matter?”

“I was just askin’. Considering the way things ended yesterday with you and Jimmy, I was worried. Life hasn’t been kind to ya, pet, has it?”

Michael chuckles sadly. Her hands drop from his face when he takes a step back and walks back into the kitchen where he left the folder before opening the door. 

“Your brother’s worried ‘bout ya,” Birdy says and follows him, her brown eyes roaming the house with precision. They fall on the documents in front of him. 

He slides his arms through the sleeves of his coat. It’s obvious that he only came to retrieve something and that he is about to leave again. 

“I’m not sayin’ you need ta come back, I’m just… I’m just sayin’ that Jimmy is your family and you should maybe talk to him. Yer important to us, Mikey, don’t forget tha’.”

He runs his hand over his beard. “If this were just ‘bout family, Birdy,” he says, emphasizing her name, “I wouldn’t hesitate. Ya know I wouldn’t. But to Jimmy, this isn’t just ‘bout family. This is about the business, too, and I told him and Frank that I’m done. They say they understand I want Anna back, but then they try to sabotage me, and that’s what makes me mad. I’m not a pawn. I just want my daughter back. They’re fathers too, they should get that, but they don’t.”

She takes another step forward. Birdy doesn’t have a threatening presence that would ever encourage Michael to shut down. Out of everyone, she is the most understanding, but he feels trapped, and listening to her trying to fix something he has no interest in fixing causes the blood in his veins to boil. He doesn’t want to get angry, but he feels misunderstood; it’s an awful feeling that he wishes he could turn off. 

“I get it, dear.” Birdy places a hand on his arm and he halts, dropping his own from the pile of papers on the dining table. “I get it, better than ya think. Losing a child is a pain that I would wish upon no one, and ya deserve to get Anna back,” she says. “The wee one is yours and she belongs here. I understand why ya don’t want t’ come back. Jimmy is a bit daft sometimes.”

The smallest hint of a smile plays on Michael’s lips. Then, his features harden again. “Frank is just thinkin’ ‘bout himself,” he says. 

“That’s true, but that’s how Frank is.”

“Well, I don’t appreciate it.”

“And ya don’t have to, pet.”

“Then why does it feel like everyone expects me t’do what they tell me t’do? Do they think I’ll just bend to their every wish or what?”

She sighs. “They’re complicated characters–”

“That’s no excuse,” he cuts her off. 

“Yer right, it’s not,” Birdy says, “but we’re your family and we do care about ya, even when some of them can’t show it.”

“I appreciate it, Birdy, I do, but…” Michael braces his hands on the tabletop and leans against it. “Ever since I got out, I’ve been questionin’ my place here, in this family, and after all this talk about how bein’ a Kinsella might as well take Anna from me permanently, I–” Once again, he runs a hand through the hairs of his beard. “It’s toxic, and I can’t lose this case, Birdy,” he says and looks at her with his sad, brown eyes. “I really can’t.”

She nods. She’s always been the one to breathe humanity into the family and take over where everyone else was too stubborn to fight in the emotional sense. She has empathy, and Michael appreciates it more than anything. When he tells her something, he knows it won’t meet deaf ears or turn into an argument. She reminds him of you, in a way, except that with Birdy, there are decades of experience with the Kinsellas and himself, and she knows him inside and out – except for the parts he refuses to show, but that is still something a Kinsella understand easier than someone who has never been subjected to this kind of life. 

Birdy is like a mother to him, someone who cares when the world feels like breaking apart, but she’s there for everyone in the family, and sometimes the sliver of understanding she shows isn’t enough because she’s trying to negotiate with everyone, not just him. Family is important to her; to Michael, family feels more like a prison now. 

She wraps her arms around him, and Michael can’t help but melt into the hug. He places his head on her shoulder, exhaling a shaky breath. She rubs his shoulders and his back, patting his hair before she pulls away after a minute or two. 

“Anna is the most important thing in your life,” she states because she already knows. “And ya should fight for her. She’s your daughter and I know Allison would want ya to have her.”

He shudders at the name of his wife. He’s not so sure if she would approve. If what happened to her had happened to anyone else, she would have kept Michael from seeing Anna either way. Some things can’t be forgiven. 

“Yeah,” he whispers, “I’m tryin’. I only want what’s best for her.”

“I know you do. Yer an amazing father, always have and always will be.”

He pulls away from her touch completely, wiping his dry cheeks. “Just feels like I’m failin’ lately, y’know?”

“We’ve all been there,” she says with a reassuring smile. “That’s part of bein’ a parent, dear. There’s not just the joys.”

“My situation is different.”

“So what? Yer fightin’ for her, aren’t ya?”

“Yeah.”

“Then she’s gonna appreciate tha’, and she’s gonna forgive ya. Trust me.”

Birdy’s words function as a soothing lullaby for his bubbling anxiety, and Michael takes a deep breath to calm his nerves. He looks at the documents, then thinks about you, and he thinks about what his life would look like with Anna back in his arms. He could be a good father, he would try. He owes it to her. He has to repeat it like a mantra or he will never find it in himself to believe it. 

“Thank ya, Birdy,” he says. “Appreciate it.”

“Of course, pet. Like I said, ‘m just worried ‘bout ya.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“And I want ya to be happy, too.”

He nods. 

Birdy looks at the folder again. “What’re ya plannin’ to do with all this?”

Michael opens his mouth to answer, but the ping of his phone interrupts him and cuts through the tension. He takes it out and looks down, seeing your name pop up on his screen. His heart races. He knows you’re at work, so you’re safe; you texted him once you parked your car and reached the café. But you talked to your boss before your shift, and your shift is about to start any second now, so you either texted to break his heart and tell him you failed, in which case he would only blame himself, not you, or you texted to tell him you succeeded, which seems like a fever dream that he’s not sure he can believe. 

He opens your message with a shaky thumb, ignoring Birdy’s prodding eyes. 

‘Wednesday, 8 o’clock. My boss will hear u out. We just need to work on ur documents xo’

When he breathes out, it sounds more like a surprised gasp than an exhale. And then he smiles, failing at biting back any kind of reaction. 

He didn’t doubt your power of persuasion for a second, he only doubted himself, but you exceeded his expectations and you succeeded. He might actually get a better job and have someone else take a chance on him, and it would make getting Anna back so much easier. 

“Michael,” Birdy’s voice reaches his ears. 

He lifts his head, remembering that he’s not alone. 

Birdy doesn’t look particularly suspicious. She has a soft smile on her lips, eyeing him cautiously. 

“I’m sorry, what?” he asks. 

“Are you happy?” she repeats her question. 

He stutters. His eyebrows furrow and he thinks about the question. He’s not sure if he’s happy, but he’s not as sad as he was before. “I dunno,” he says. 

“Did ya meet someone?”

“If ya heard me and Jimmy fightin’, you know–”

“I want t’ hear it from you,” she says. 

Michael shrugs, the blood rushing to his cheeks. He feels like a boy all over again just thinking about you and the things you do for him. He’s an adult and yet the thought of you brings a giddy smile to his face and he forgets all words in the English language that could possibly be used as an answer; he can’t describe what he feels or what you’re like because it’s unique, and suddenly, he’s not as sad anymore. 

Birdy nods knowingly. “Does she make ya happy?”

“I dunno ‘bout happy,” he admits, “but I like her.”

“Good.” She strokes a hand through his hair. “You deserve it.”

“You know Jimmy and Amanda aren’t happy ‘bout–”

“Fuck ‘em then!” She surprises him with her harsh tone. “Whoever this girl is, she just made ya smile, and I haven’t seen ya smile genuinely in a while. Who cares what your brother or his wife thinks? If ya feel like she’s good for ya, you should go get her.”

“I’ve been stayin’ with her. But she doesn’t know everythin’.” He should probably stop talking, but his secrets have never not been safe with Birdy. So he finds himself pouring his heart out in ways he would be too shy to admit to you in person. “I want t’ tell her,” he says. “But seems like she’s not… she’s always so happy, so nice, so innocent, y’know?”

“Yeah. And that’s a problem?”

“Ya know it is.”

“Well,” she begins, but she cuts herself off.

“She’s always been so happy, but now she isn’t and I feel like she isn’t tellin’ me everythin’,” Michael says, “and it’s… it’s hard. Life’s hard with secrets. But I can’t corrupt her. Whatever she’s hidin’, I know she’s doin’ it fer a reason and I can’t… I just can’t.”

Birdy nods as if trying to understand where he’s coming from. “Well, does she like ya?” she asks. 

“I dunno.”

“Michael.”

“Fine! She said she likes me. She promised tha’ she could never hate me, and she knows who we are, which I know is fuckin’ dangerous in itself, but–”

“Then why don’t ya just tell her the truth? Maybe she’ll open up to you, too.”

His eyes darken as he lowers his gaze to the table again. “Wha’ if… What if she runs?”

“She doesn’t sound like the kind of gal who would.”

“Ya don’t know that. And the things I’ve done… Bein’ with me puts her in grave danger,” he says. “I’m afraid of losin’ her.”

Birdy meets his eyes. “This reminds me of somethin’,” she says. 

“What?”

“The last time ya were so worried, you fell in love with Allison.”

He sneers and lowers his head. “She’s not Allison.”

“No one can be Allison, that’s not what I’m sayin’. I’m sayin’ yer fallin’ in love, Mikey, and that’s all the protection she needs. ‘Cause when you care about someone, I know ya’d do anything to keep them safe.”

Her words, as kind as they sound, leave a bitter taste in his mouth. “You forget that Allison died,” he reminds her, “because I couldn’t keep her safe.”

Birdy purses her lips. For a while, she stays silent. She doesn’t know what to say, it seems. Michael’s chest heaves, the words still lingering in the air. 

“It wasn’t your fault, dear,” she whispers. 

“Except it was.”

“No, Michael, it wasn’t. And I need ya to see that someone who makes ya smile like that text just did is not someone you let get away.”

Michael pushes the balls of his palms into his eyes. “Birdy–”

“I understand why yer worried, but ya deserve t’be happy,” she says. “Talk to her. Show her she can trust ya and I’m sure whatever the poor girl’s keepin’ from ya will come out soon enough.”

He chuckles, his voice choking up with unshed tears. “How is it,” he says, “that you always know what t’say?”

“I’ve been ‘round fer a while,” she smiles, “and you might not think so, but I do know ya.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Mhm.” Birdy pats his back again. “How long are ya gonna stay with her?”

Michael straightens his back and rolls his shoulders, the ache in his muscles a faint reminder of the weight he’s carrying. “I, uh, haven’t decided yet.”

“Okay, I’ll try keepin’ Jimmy, Frank, and the whole lot off your ass ‘til then.”

“You’d do that?”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t have ta thank me, pet. I just want ya to be the best version of yerself, and it seems like yer that with her.”

He stays quiet, not knowing what more to say to her observation. She says goodbye to him with a soft smile before he’s back alone again in his house. Making his way into the living room slowly, his hand ghosts over the bulletholes above the fireplace. 

He swears he can still feel the heat from the impact, the heat of blood on his hands and the residue stench of gunpowder, and death in the air.

His vision blurs, but it’s not a seizure this time. His vision blurs as tears start to sting in his eyes. Michael pinches the bridge of his nose, trying not to let it get to you, but it’s hard when all he can think about is Anna, Allison, and you. Remembering what happened has never been easy, but now it’s not just the past that scares him anymore, it’s a certain weariness of the future and his blood running cold at the possibility of the past repeating itself. 

He doesn’t feel human. The feeling is as familiar as it is alien because it evolves. It changes every time. He can’t escape the wheel of time, and he can’t escape the thoughts; they are a part of him now. 

Michael sighs heavily before tearing himself away from the living room. She shuts all of the windows and turns the lights off, stuffing the folder with the needed documents into the inner pocket of his coat, and then he grabs his keys to leave his house behind once more. 

In the house across the street, Birdy is standing in the doorway, watching Michael disappear down the street toward where she suspects he has called himself another taxi to take him away. She smiles, the words repeating in her head, I just want ya to be the best version of yerself, and it seems like yer that with her.

It is the first time she has seen him smile this brightly in a while, and his voice always gets a little higher when he talks about her. You. She has never met the mystery woman in his life, and she’s not sure if she ever will, but there is something about the way Michael talks about you that already offers her some insight – and she decides she already likes you. 

Walking inside, she locks the door behind her and makes her way into the living room. 

“Your coffee is disgusting,” Frank pipes up from the sofa and she almost gets a heart attack. 

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ, Frank!” Birdy exclaims and holds a hand over her heart. She shakes her head at how smug he looks just sitting there as if he owns the place. 

Frank puts his mug down with a smirk. “Sorry, didn’t mean ta scare ya,” he says. 

It’s a lie. He knows exactly what he’s doing. Birdy glares at him, taking the empty mug and carrying it into the kitchen. Expecting him to do his own dishes as Michael does would be a losing game. 

“You know, a few manners wouldn’t hurt ya,” she says. 

He gets up from his seat. When she turns around and sees the paper cup with the distinctive butterfly symbol on it, she frowns. Why would he complain about her coffee if he’s already been to the new café down the street? She has a lot of questions, but she’s sure Frank, loving the sound of his own voice, won’t hesitate to tell her. 

“Birdy,” – she turns at his tone of voice – “We need to talk.”

“About what?”

She thinks about Michael, and she hopes he won’t ask her directly about him or else she is going to have a hard time explaining it. 

“Michael,” he says. 

Birdy places the freshly cleaned mug aside. “What about him?” she asks. 

“Don’t play coy. Ya were just over to see him, weren’t ya? Is he back?”

“What do you want, Frank?”

“Remember Michael’s and Jimmy’s fight yesterday?”

“Vividly.”

“Remember how we overheard a certain name bein’ dropped?”

Birdy clenches her fist at her sides. She promised Michael she wouldn’t tell them, and she intends to keep that promise, but Frank isn’t a complete fool. She can’t help when he already knows something crucial, and he has ways of getting what he wants. All she can do now is damage control. 

She turns around, towel in hand. “How’s tha’ any of our business?” she questions. 

“How is it not? Whoever they were fightin’ ‘bout is clearly the reason why Michael quit his job at the dealership and decided to take a little… holiday,” says Frank. 

The look in his eyes is dark and she grows more defensive now that she hears the hint of a threat in his voice. 

“He just needs some time away. He’s been through hell,” she says. 

“Oh, I’m well aware, but we’ve all been there.”

“Prison, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“And losin’ your wife to a dumb mistake and losin’ custody of your daughter is something we’ve been through, too, aye?”

Frank meets her stern expression with an amused frown. “Michael has to learn how ta live with it. We’ll find a way t’ get Anna back, but we need him,” he says. 

“He said no. Doesn’t that count for somethin’?”

“In our current situation, no, it doesn’t. And now he’s dragged an outsider into this, Birdy–”

“Maybe, but ya don’t know the whole story,” Birdy retorts, “So maybe ya should keep your nose out of his business and focus on Eamon since you keep tellin’ us how much of a problem he is. It’s not the girl, that’s fer sure.”

“That’s why I need Michael and Jimmy. Together. Because of Eamon and everythin’ else that’s been goin’ down ‘round here lately. We’re losin’ men left and right.”

“Your son’s incompetence isn’t Michael’s or Jimmy’s problem, ya know?” Her smile is sour when she glances at him over the brim of her coffee. “Just sayin’, of course.”

He meets her with the same expression. “Funny,” he grumbles. 

“Thanks, dear.”

“Listen–”

“I told ya all I know,” she cuts him off. “Do with that as you will.”

“I went to visit the girl,” he says, ignoring her concealed warning. 

Birdy’s face pales. “You what?”

She promised Michael she would keep the rest of the family off his ass and Frank already got involved with you. If he finds out, things are not going to end well, she knows. After seeing how much he cares, Frank might as well sign his death certificate now. Michael is only sweet until he gets angry, and when it’s someone he loves who is even at the slightest risk of getting hurt, no one can stop him. 

“Sweet soul, that one,” Frank continues. “Really, really sweet. Bright, too.” 

“So what if she brings a little light into Michael’s life?” she says. “He needs it.”

“Light? We're in the dark business, Birdy. We can't afford distractions or complications.”

“Jesus fuck!” The mug slams down on the kitchen counter and fills the room with a loud thud. “Can’t ya just let the poor boy be?!”

“No,” his answer comes nonchalantly. “You don’t understand what’s at stake, it seems. Ya should know better at this point.” 

“Oh, I do–”

“No, ya don’t.”

“Mikey needs someone, and we don’t even know if it’s the one whose name we’ve heard. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I figured it out. It’s her,” he says. “Don’t ask me how I know, but I do.”

“Frank,” she warns. 

“What if we make it clear ta her that bein' involved with a Kinsella isn't the safest path to tread?”

At this point, Birdy is sure Frank has lost his mind. Her face falls and she is quick to interject, “Frank, you can't be serious. Michael would never forgive ya if anythin’ happened to that girl,” she says. 

Once he lashes out, Frank stands no chance against him. She has seen what Michael is capable of. There is a reason word on the street has it that crossing a Kinsella, especially Michael, is dangerous. Frank is walking on thin ice, and while Birdy would love nothing more than for Michael to give him a piece of his mind, she’s scared of what it might mean for you. 

Michael told her he’s afraid of losing you, and that Jimmy and Amanda's knowing is already dangerous enough, but Frank’s plan is nowhere near innocent. Birdy curses herself for telling him things will work out because they might not, after all. 

“It’s dangerous territory,” she adds, “just like Anna.”

He chuckles. “Birdy, my dear, I have no intention of causing her any real harm,” he assures her, but she can’t tell if he’s lying or not. “We just need her to feel a little discomfort, enough to question her involvement with us.”

Lies or not, either way, she hates the thought of whatever he has planned. 

She approaches him. “Frank, please reconsider. There must be another way–”

His tone is grave when he interrupts her once again. “No,” he says. “That is not somethin’ ya can change my mind on.  I can't have another person stirrin’ up trouble. It's a risk we can't afford. I’m gonna show her what she signed herself up for. She won’t make it a day in this family, Michael needs t’ see that. His wife’s death broke him; what do ya think will happen if he loses another one? Once she’s out of the picture, Michael will realize that pretty little love stories don’t have a place here and we can all move on. He can find a girl who’s already acquainted with the dangers, not some small-town British barista who looks like she can’t hurt a fuckin’ fly.”

“Frank–”

“Have a good day, Birdy,” he taps the counter, “And thank ya fer the coffee. Michael’s little girlfriend makes a mean Irish Coffee, but nothin’ outmatches your cheap brew.”

Birdy tries to stop him, but his determined strides carry him out of the door as if he didn’t just threaten to cause harm to someone Michael, his family, cares deeply about. 

She stands there, shocked and terrified. There are a few things she expected, but this was not on her list. And as she thinks back to Michael’s smile, she decides to find a way to keep you both safe without causing your lives to implode. 

Frank messed with the wrong Kinsella.

Tagging: @bellaxgiornata @shouldbestudying41 @your-not-invisible-to-me @glowstick-lesbian @ms-murdockswift @acharliecoxedfan @loveroftoomanyfandoms @mattmurdocksscars @roseallisonparker @1988-fiend @norestfortheshelbywicked

[charliedawn]

The sad bois (TM) are the main slashers and characters of this blog, because all of you are sad and all of you deserve pets

So here's my list sorry if it's a bit long

Freddy - Hairless Cat, they look like rotisserie chickens and are one of the most affectionate breeds (also sometimes they occasionally grow hair but in patches and I feel like that weirdness suits him)

Michael- Maine Coon they are fucking massive and they fit his vibe

Jason - Newfoundland, big aquatic and loyal, will save him if encounters water

Brahms - Border Collie Lab Mix, Loyalty of the Lab as well as the affection and clinginess of the border Collie, it will never leave him alone

Penny - Komodo Dragon I refuse to elaborate

Pennywise - Doberman, scary and defensive on the outside but cares about family and very docile if approached and trained correctly

The Horde - St Bernard, I feel like all of them would love it and they provide great emotional support

Bo - Bassett Hound, a good hunting dog and companion, when they lay down they look like they're melting

Vincent - Xolo dog, Also Hairless but excellent emotional support dogs, their skin retains warmth and they're very comforting to hug

Lester - Opossum, weird cat will never leave and sometimes bring trash

Hannibal Sr - Tarantula, I also refuse to elaborate

Hannibal Jr - Small Alligator, toothy and honestly a great gaurd dog

Morgan - Python or Venomous snake, He could teach it to attack on command and they'd make a great deadly duo

Kevin - He already has a pet but he is on the list because I feel bad excluding him

Peter - Sugar Glider, it fits him, it's cute and eats fruit, it's also incredibly soft and affectionate and will love him no matter what

And that ladies and gentlemen in the list of Sad Bois and possible pets

Freddy : "...What is that ? An ugly rat ? It looks deformed."

The cat *hisses at him*

Him : "Yeah. Back at ya, Garry." *he already named it**likes it but doesn't want to admit it*

Jason *staring at the cat*

The cat *staring back at him*

Michael *smiles**he likes it*

Jason *smiles* : "Thank you. But...I hope it won't eat my frogs."

Brahms *opens his arms wide and the dog literally tackles him to the ground*

Penny *stucks his tongue out and giggles when the komodo dragon does the same*: "I LIKE HIM !"

Pennywise : "Oh great...Another Penny. He's too active for me. I need my naps." *still wakes up every morning to take him on a walk*

Hedwig : "DOGGIE !" *hugs the St Bernard*

Jade : "WE'RE KEEPING IT !"

Patricia : "Now, wait a minute—!"

Jade : "IT WASN'T A QUESTION !"

Dennis *wearing a mask* : "THE GERMS !"

Bo : "...What am I supposed to do with that short-legged muppet exactly ? He is no huntin' dog. He couldn't catch sh*t." *still smiles when the dog starts sniffing his shoe* "...Cute though. Well, I guess I have no choice but to take ya home, huh buddy ?" *picks him up*

Vincent *stares at the dog and pets it*

(I'll do the Hannibals separately, If you don't mind sending your request again ?)

[beardedmrbean]

Do you have any info I can read about the man who was beaten in the park in your post about the TLC lady? I'd appreciate mourning his passing.

Nothing I could share without partially doxxing myself, which I'm not going to do. There's others though.

Michael Fife died on April 27th. It was four days after he suffered severe head trauma from being tackled to the ground.

“This was a single, forceful motion that appeared to knock Mr. Fife off his feet,” said Chief Gary Jensen of the Logan City Police Department.

Jensen says the aggressor was a 17-year-old who was led to believe his 16-year-old sister had been sexually assaulted by Fife.

Police said the sister said it happened while on a Cache Valley Transit District bus, but Chief Jensen said the surveillance footage they obtained doesn’t support her claim.

It's a disservice to him to not have his name front and center, so.

According to the Bristol Post, Bijan Ebrahimi, an Iranian man who lived in Bristol, England, was murdered in July after rumors began swirling in his community that he had been taking indecent photographs of children.

The Telegraph reports that Ebrahimi, who was an avid gardener, had indeed taken photos of local youths. However, it is now believed that these youths had been harassing Ebrahimi by damaging his flowers, and that he may have been collecting the photos as evidence to present to the police.

Ebrahimi's family says that he had been a victim of racism and harassment for years.

On July 11, Ebrahimi's neighbors reportedly contacted the authorities to complain about this photo taking. When the police arrived, Ebrahimi is said to have been arrested for "breaching the peace."

With emotions running high, a crowd of residents chanted "pedo, pedo" as Ebrahimi was led away for questioning, The Telegraph reports.

"There were about 20 people out there all having a say. They had him down as a 100 per cent pedophile," a witness of the incident told the Post.

Police say that upon investigation, Ebrahimi, who is said to have had a physical disability, was found innocent of all charges and was released.

"We can categorically state he had not taken any indecent images and that nothing of concern had been found on his computer," a police spokesman said, according to The Telegraph.

On July 14, Ebrahimi was reportedly beaten unconscious by a 24-year-old local resident named Lee James. The young man, with the help of Stephen Norley, also 24, then set Ebrahimi on fire after dousing him with alcohol.

Both James and Norley, described as vigilantes by the U.K. press, have reportedly admitted to the murder. James is believed to have threatened to "take the law into his own hands" in the days prior to the horrific crime.

Not pedophilia on this one, still an innocent man dead because a false accusation and people likely believing they were doing the right thing because the police weren't.

His plan worked, and within hours, 111,000 people had seen the post. Farhad said the massive backlash he received saw him sacked from his job, his house spraypainted, a brick thrown through his window, and attempts made to petrol bomb his home, adding people also threatened his girlfriend and his pet.

"My girlfriend was really scared, someone said they were going to throw acid in her face," he told the Sun. "They were saying 'let's kills his cat', they had pictures of my cat, saying 'let's rape his cat'. "I thought ‘you're talking about raping my cat on a site on people grooming children, you're talking like a rapist yourself'."

Farhad continued, "I had no work, no money, I was literally on skid row and my girlfriend was really upset as well. “It affected my work as a lot of people were saying 'we don't want to take you on'. My boss said: 'I'd rather not speak to you about this. I've got nothing to say to you. If anyone asks you never worked for us'." ___________

He didn't get killed, but did become a pariah

[swordandboardllc]

"Thunder Dog", A Review and Personal Anecdote

The Review

Thunder Dog is the dual story of Michael Hingson and his guide dog, Roselle, surviving the descent from the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. It is also the biography of Hingson living with a disability in the United States and the challenge of living blind in a world designed for the sighted. It is a moving biography worth reading in and of itself. But perhaps it has come back into greater relevance with today’s discussion of emotional support animals and service dogs in the news.

The book is titled Thunder Dog after Roselle. Roselle, like any service dog, is at her core still a dog. Michael Hingson’s highly trained service dog, off duty, is afraid of thunder. In the wee hours of September 11th, there was a thunderstorm and Hingson woke up to a frightened dog. He left the bed to comfort Roselle. Later that day, harness on, Roselle ignores the sound of explosions and scent of jet fuel to safely guide Hingson down 1400+ stairs and through the chaos that was Ground Zero. Hingson frankly writes about the challenges of being a service dog handler, from the idiosyncrasies of working with animals — often trained to be intelligently disobedient to prevent their handlers from hurting themselves — to the challenges of dealing with able-bodied people. While I cannot place where in the book the comment is from, Hingson states that to him the more interesting story isn’t how he and Roselle got down the stairs. The interesting story is how a blind man became a successful businessman and was on the 78th floor to begin with — a story told interspersed with the descent from the North Tower. I agree with Hingson. It is an incredible story.

As a formerly able-bodied person coming to terms with limitations, it’s poignant to see how Hingson handles the challenges placed in front of him from both the well meaning and the ignorant. It is a book that I believe would encourage a little more understanding from both sides of the able/disabled spectrum.

"Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA."  -- Americans with Disabilities Act, https://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

A Different Handler’s Story

“Are you training him for someone?”

“Yes, me.”

Chekov and I are not a normal team. He is a glorious rescue mutt. We think he’s a shepherd/husky/cattle dog mix. I am thin, young, and look perfectly healthy on the average day — if you don’t realize my shoulder dimples are in fact, shoulder subluxations. We’re working with an unconventional company to train him. Most of the time, people are quite pleasant when they speak to me about Chekov. Perhaps it’s the “resting bitch face”, or the decade training horses, that has given me a stronger no-nonsense vibe. Most skeptics seem to avoid confrontation with us, preferring to shoot dirty looks our way. But talk to anyone who has been a handler for long enough and you’ll find horror stories. I’m waiting for ours, because it will come.

Intelligent disobedience is the animal’s act of disobeying a command that will cause a handler harm. Chekov is a medical alert dog, trained to let me know when my body is about to throw me a curve ball. As a stubborn horsewoman, I rarely listen. Chekov knows it’s his job to make me stop and listen to him. He’s discovered the most effective way to do so: inform the world that he has husky vocal chords and husky lungs. Chekov will start with a light “tweety” sound before all out shrieking at me. He does this both at home, and in public. His last song was in the wine section of our grocery store — hardly the place I wanted to sit down on the floor!

"A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove his service animal from the premises unless: (1) the dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it or (2) the dog is not housebroken. "  -- Americans with Disabilities Act, https://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

A singing husky is not out of control, and we cannot be asked to leave due to Chekov performing a task. But I’m quite certain it is what will run us into access issues in the future. There are plenty of reasons why a service dog might bark or make noise. Most of the time, it means a handler could very well be in distress within a few minutes or few hours and needs the time to react. Please give handlers space if you hear their dog bark.

But how do i spot a fake?

You don’t!

There are no registries for service dogs in the United States (other countries have different regulations). No companies that a person must go through. Service dogs have bad days. They’re not robots, and sometimes they’re just tired/sore/woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Hassling a handler — who likely is having a bad day too — is simply cruel.

If you see a dog that is misbehaving and the handler is doing nothing to stop it, the best action to take is alerting the management in charge of the facility you’re in and let them handle it.

"When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task."  -- Americans with Disabilities Act, https://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

Lastly, please remember that these dogs are not robots. When someone brings a pet into a service dog only area, it is an unfair distraction to the service dog. Even if your dog is well behaved, it needs to stay at home. If your dog has health issues, then it should go to a dog day care with attached vet — not with you everywhere. Chekov has been charged several times by off leash or uncontrolled dogs. While we are working on desensitizing him to the sudden appearance of dogs in places they shouldn’t be, it is an unfair double standard to expect no reaction from a service dog if a pet is barking aggressively at them. There is an understandable higher expectation of training and behaviour of a service dog. But every pet owner should train their dog and expect excellence. Our dogs, after all, only know what we teach them.

— L.J & Chekov

[ingravinoveritas]

feuerkindjana replied to your post "More pictures of David at the press night for…"

He looks like he's missing his emotional support pet

@feuerkindjana He really does...

There is just something about that one red carpet pic in particular, with how smol and vulnerable David looks. I do think it would be lovely if he had Michael on his arm, having him there to handle the photographers and be assertive in the way that David sometimes finds difficult to do himself. Plus David does look a bit cold in the late January chill, so he would probably more than welcome having Michael there to keep him warm. They just seem like they would make the loveliest couple walking the red carpet together...

[ausetkmt]

A German Shepherd lies on a stretcher in a sterile exam room, tucked in a fleece blanket. The room's perimeter is lined with men in crisp khaki uniforms, handguns strapped to their sagging utility belts. A shrill beep sounds over a radio, and an impassive dispatcher's voice is heard over the men's gentle sniffling.

"TBP 743, Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office to all units, clear channel for last call. Standby on all radio traffic. Sheriff's Office to K-9 Argo… End of watch for K-9 Argo. On October 10th, 2015. Rest in peace, K-9 Argo. TBP 743. Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office. Clearing out at… 11:16."

Four more beeps. The dog lifts his head, and the uniformed men step forward. "Good boy," mutters one man between sniffles, ruffling the fur on its head. The dog's jaw plops open as he pants, and the titanium caps on his incisors catch the glint of the fluorescent exam lights. Another hand reaches forward to pull the blanket over the dog's shoulders as he nestles into the stretcher and closes his eyes.

On October 15, a police dog named Argo from Hidalgo County, Texas, was facing euthanasia after a battle with an aggressive strain of bone cancer. As a local hero of the South Texas law enforcement community, Argo was granted a last radio call—a traditional ceremony which suspends activity on the police scanner to put out a final "call" for a fallen officer.

A lieutenant's grainy cellphone video of the intimate service went viral. In the following week it was picked up by The Today Show, Fox News, MSNBC, Buzzfeed, and The Daily Mail. As the video spread, the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Department was inundated with outpourings from the strangers across the world, ranging from donations and emotive poems, to an open invitation for a free fishing trip from a charter boat company across the country.

Within a few days the video had been shared hundreds of thousands of times, a spectacle of public mourning.

Argo was one of thousands of dogs in America working for the state, referred to within the law enforcement community as K-9s. The mechanism of the modern K-9, with which many are unfamiliar, delineates it as more of a weapon than a pet. Engineered and imported from Europe by breed specialists, dogs on the force are now equipped with titanium teeth and thousands of dollars' worth of protective technology, from ballistic vests to custom canine body cams.

The majority of domestic K-9s are "dual purpose," meaning they're trained rigorously to both sniff out drugs and protect their handlers by any means necessary. Traditionally and presently, most dogs are trained from puppyhood primarily to relish in the activity of biting and tearing into human limbs, and to detect of drugs or IEDs.

Tales of K-9 heroism abound, which is one reason they're so beloved by their handlers—and the public. When a French bomb-sniffing dog named Diesel was killed in a police raid following the Paris terrorist attacks in November, tens of thousands of people tweeted in support. And for human police officers, the dogs' singular sense of mission inspires their own loyalty.

"They don't sleep in our houses, and they don't play with our families," Sergeant Michael Goosby, the chief K-9 trainer for the LAPD's Metropolitan Division, told the New York Times in November. "They exist for one reason: hunting bad guys."

But these dogs are dynamic systems. Their capacity for decision and error is both their biggest flaw and greatest strength. The dog, a learning machine, makes its own exceptions to situations based on an array of variables, including tells from their handler. Since these decisions ultimately lead to reception of a reward, then they are no longer innocent agents but cybernetic mercenaries, with decision making that is open to influence.

Given their inherently imperfect judgment and the dire consequences of their mistakes, why do dogs remain in the forefront of law enforcement?

Argo was imported to Central California from a Czech kennel in 2006 by bovine genetics giant Michael Osmundson. In 1998, Osmundson's artificial cattle insemination company Creative Genetics released the ProCross system, a trademarked cross-breeding technique that is internationally renowned in the dairy cow community. The success of his agricultural empire has allowed Osmundson to pursue his true passion in the meticulous import, breeding, and training of German Shepherds. This second business, Kreative Kennels, is carried out on a sprawling property in Oakdale. Osmundson plans each litter with careful precision, considering the genetic makeup of the pup's antecedents.

"It all comes down to knowing your animals—knowing each dog and its personality," he tells me over the phone. Although he works tirelessly to strike a perfect balance of "nervy" and "stable" dogs, he says that his breeding program is attuned more to health than personality traits, attempting to overcome the genetic hips and elbow problems that have plagued the breed since its inception.

With the help of his family, a six-man staff of experienced trainers, and a group of women focused on early socialization that he refers to as the "puppy gals", Osmundson is one of the most sought-after working dog breeders stateside. The dogs available to purchase from Kreative Kennels run the gamut, ranging from family pets, to personal guard dogs, to highly attuned soldiers for use by the police and military. According to Osmundson, "probably 90-95 percent turn out exactly the way we've planned," in no small part thanks to his careful eye toward the art and science of optimal genetics. Argo, however, was not bred under Osmundson's watchful eye.

"We got him from some close friends over there," he says. "They used to be very involved with government breeding programs. We have our own agent that we have test every dog before we buy 'em."

On the KK website, he states, "we started searching in Germany and the Czech Republic for people who we could trust so we could find dogs for our breeding program. Those people have done a great job in finding excellent dogs for our program. Our breeding goals are to breed many top police-type dogs per year… We want to breed dogs that are very dominant and serious with very high drives and active aggression." [emphasis theirs]

The significance of Argo's Czech origins are not lost on Osmundson. For the duration of the Cold War, the notoriously ruthless Czech Border patrol, known as the Pohranicni Straze, created a state-sponsored K-9 breeding program. The K-9s produced were exceptionally aggressive, intended to stop any Soviet defectors to Western Europe. Current-day breed aficionados boast that the P.S. dogs caught and killed 20-30 escapees per day on the borders between East Germany and Austria. The New York Times reported that dogs on sliding leashes were stationed along the un-walled sections throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

The ruthlessness of the Czech dogs are etched into the cultural memory of the Cold War, and the Platform of European Memory & Conscience, an anti-totalitarian research group, recently called for trial and punishment of P.S. dog handlers for war crimes, although the dog breeding program continued long after the fall of the Iron Curtain. According to one former P.S. veterinarian, the police kennels produced over 1,500 puppies between 1991 and 2005.

Going back three generations in his detailed family tree, one of Argo's ancestors carries the Czech surname "od Police," which translates to "from the police"; after four generations, many of his ancestors hold the surname "z Pohranični stráze" ("of the Border Patrol"). After the Cold War, dogs like Argo's predecessors were folded into Czech and German police departments.

There are, like Osmundson's colleagues abroad, former P.S. soldiers who raise and train the descendants of war dogs under military guidelines for private clients. A fully-trained adult dog sells for between $7,000 and $10,000. The dogs are purchased by middle class families seeking a highly aggressive personal protection dog, Western European and Israeli military forces, American law enforcement departments, and intermediaries like Osmundson who can fine-tune a dog like Argo before it hits the streets.

His prices are on the higher end. But purchasing a working breed dog from a meticulous professional like Osmundson does help some people sleep at night, knowing that the dogs he designates as "green" will be ideal family companions, and that dogs he deems suitable for police are destined for a lifetime of hard work.

But working dogs like Argo face a new threat.

The introduction of Boston Dynamics' canid military robot prototype, BigDog, triggered the dystopian visions that torment our collective subconscious. Several writers have considered the ethical and dystopian implications of this self-righting mechanical monster, and most have concluded that we should accept a menagerie of robotic animals as inevitable in our military future.

The unease with BigDog is in stark contrast to the veneration of the US military's working dogs, one of which was apparently deployed during the capture of Osama bin Laden. Military working dogs are media darlings. Their adventures, both real and imagined, have recently spawned several bestselling books and at least one film, Max, which grossed over $40 million in 16 weeks.

Working dogs are engineered as much as they are bred. Several universities, including the prestigious University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School, operate multi-million dollar programs to perfect the genetics of working dogs. Add to that an entire industry dedicated to technology enhancing the mettle of K-9s, spanning from elaborate vehicle cooling systems, dog-sized ballistic vests, and head-mounted cameras with accompanying recon units, to treadmills, obstacle courses, and nutritionally-enhanced raw carrion diets to keep them in top shape.

But advanced technology does little to improve the precision of weaponized K-9s. Despite a lifetime of training, dogs are inherently imperfect machines, and high-stakes errors do occur in the field. In the event of a broken leash or a misinterpreted signal, there is little that can be done to stop an attack once it starts. The dogs are unaware of the line between excessive and necessary force, lacking the situational awareness to decipher the grey area that is our American judicial system. As a result, the dogs, when they are "on" and ready to work, tend to latch onto anything that runs. They are unlikely to distinguish between good guys, bad guys, and the fleeing innocent. An accidental death or debilitating injury can therefore be blamed on enthusiasm, a hard-working dog simply doing what it was trained to do.

Weaponized dogs have been used as tools of war and control for thousands of years, tracing as far back as Ancient Greece. Yet throughout the latter half of the 20th century, human rights groups have questioned the necessity of dogs who bite to maim, most visibly during the Civil Rights movement and again in the wake of Abu Ghraib.

In 2013, Martin Lee Hoogveldt of West Jordan, Utah, was attacked by a K-9 after he put his hands up to surrender to police, which was caught on graphic body cam footage. Earlier this year the West Jordan Police Department settled with Hoogveldt for $125,000, but said its officers acted appropriately.

In August of 2009, Argo arrived in South Texas via airmail. He was the newest addition to an armada of dual-purpose law enforcement dogs working in Hidalgo County, a small community in the southernmost tip of Texas, abutting the Mexican border.

Dr. Justin Cerelli, Argo's veterinarian, told me in a phone call that he's under contract for dozens of K-9s throughout the region, including two police departments, the Border Patrol, US Customs, the Constable's Office, and the county school district. (K-9s accompany school resource officers in this district at the behest of the FBI.)

With a per capita income of $14,222, Hidalgo County is one of the poorest counties in the United States. The Hidalgo County Sheriff's Department Facebook page is a throwback to the Wild West, continuously updated by staff with the 2015 equivalent of wanted posters fluttering in the sun-drenched Texas sky. Features such as "Wanted Wednesday" are posted to track down small town crooks like The Bubble Gum Bandit, whose total haul ultimately was worth $750.

The Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office has a long and well-documented history of corruption, with a track record of officers implicated in the drug and arms trafficking that flourishes near the Mexican border. The department has faced internal strife in recent months. On December 10, Sheriff J.E. Guerrera announced the suspension of a deputy for a DWI, the third alcohol-related offense by a deputy in the span of a few weeks.

Law enforcement in Hidalgo County doesn't balk when it comes to outfitting their K-9s with the latest equipment and care. The cottage industry of police dog technology is a booming, with popular retailers of highly specified technical gear like Argo's custom "SHERIFF" vest moving half a million dollars' worth of product per year. One of the most popular vendors is Kentucky-based Elite K-9, owned and operated by a former police officer.

Agencies like the Hidalgo County Sheriff spare no expense when it comes to veterinary enhancement. When I spoke with Argo's veterinarian, he declined to go into detail about dentistry, which is pertinent to K-9 veterinary practice. One of the only hazards, in fact, of long-range track and bite is that the bite is so hard (with a force that has been likened to getting run over by a small car) and so prolonged (it takes several minutes for officers to catch up to a dog "holding" a suspect) that the dog's incisors often break. As a solution, veterinarians across the country replace broken teeth with sharp titanium points.

Dr. Erich Rachwitz, a veterinarian in Bellevue, Nebraska, described the procedure as "blinging out" the dog. At a cost of $600 to $2,000 per tooth, the colorful expression feels appropriate.

The bling has also been heralded as an intimidation tool, presumably to warn victims in the half-second gap between the flash of metal teeth and the moment they sink into flesh.

"The four big canines are what you first see when a dog opens its mouth or bares its teeth," Jim Watson, the secretary of the North American Police Work Dogs Association, said in an interview with The Telegraph. "So having metallic canines will draw a person's attention and scare them more. If the dog is barking and someone sees the sunlight sparkling on his metal teeth, it may encourage the person to back down."

There is no escape once the jaws are set and tearing; thanks to training exercises intended to desensitize dogs to self-defense tools, the dogs bite harder when struck with sticks. Harming a working dog is considered felony officer assault. In 2013, a 19-year-old who attempted to cross the border through Hidalgo County stabbed a Border Patrol K-9 when it bit down on his leg, which he argued in court to be an attempt at self-defense. He served a six-month term in federal prison, and was faced with a $100,000 fine.

Working dogs used by military handlers are trained in IED scent detection as well as biting. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the training and work ethic of a bomb-sniffing dog can mean the difference between life and death. Although bomb-disarming bots deployed under the US military's Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (now Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Agency) have saved tons of lives, the capability of a dog's bomb-scenting abilities are beyond replication. After spending $19 billion since 2004 on attempts to create bomb-detection robots, the JIEDDO program failed to create any device that out-sniffed a dog. At $50,000 or less, a kitted-out K-9 is much cheaper.

However, the sniffing itself is not so much a problem as the fact that they bring potential bias and error to police and military encounters. In a recent study, scent detection dogs have been determined to be up to 80 percent inaccurate. A handler can also easily manipulate a dog to falsely detect drugs, a loophole that has resulted in K-9 scent detection being ruled as barely more accurate than a coin flip in a recent federal appeals court decision. Sometimes the dogs are determined to signal only in reaction to tells or small shifts in body language by their handler.

The same goes for dual-purpose dogs like Argo. As a result of years of targeted training and breeding, Argo and K-9s like him are ultimately making life or death decisions. This thought process can be seen in a video by the Durham, UK Police, which recently outfitted their K-9s with $22,000 custom canine body cams designed by Tactical Electronics. In the video, a K-9 is sent to chase someone posing as a decoy down on a field, then the back of a car, and finally running into a mockup apartment during a simulation of a no-knock raid, excitedly searching for a suspect among decoy mannequins:

Video: Tactical Electronics/YouTube

It's not just the military and police, either. As detailed in a 2006 report from Human Rights Watch, work dogs are also being used by prisons. Mike Knolls, a member of the Special Operations Unit of the Utah Department of Corrections, describes the effectiveness of using K-9s to drag noncompliant inmates out of their cells: "Obviously a dog is more of a deterrent [than a Taser gun]. You get more damage from a dog bite. I think it's right up there with impact weapons."

A Connecticut inmate describes his long-term injury from a cell extraction dog, which bit his left hand as he reflexively tried to block the dog's bite: "[I]t sank its teeth completely through my hand… I lost a lot of feeling in my middle and ring fingers and I have a 'pin and needles' feeling in my index finger and thumb. This is due to multiple nerves being severed from the dog bite."

***

And yet, K-9s remain esteemed by the general public. Dogs are the fuzzy, beloved law enforcement mascots of which PR dreams are made. Their popularity has helped police and military soften their image, as the dogs themselves are divorced from danger and menace. Many departments even use dogs as community outreach tools, orchestrating community events and school visits to put a furry face on men in uniform (this sometimes backfires).

After several decades of lionizing weaponized dogs, people like Argo's tens of thousands of mourners trust that K-9s are normal dogs with petlike motivations. Many smaller police departments are even able to use third-party nonprofits or donations from outreach events to pay for their K-9 programs.

Conservative pundits are calling for armed drones at the border, but dogs like Argo are already on the ground, without widespread pushback. Weaponized detection dogs working on behalf of the state are likely to continue to beat out replicants like BigDog for the foreseeable future, because they remove accountability from the handler for committing acts of violence and conducting unwarranted searches. And dogs, even with all the technological trappings, are a bargain.

For now, at least, they are keeping their robotic competitors at bay.

When I ask Osmundson if he remembers Argo, he sighs and recalls him fondly. I can hear the smile break through in his voice. "Argo was a great dog. A big dog, he was the ideal shepherd dog, he was very loyal, very loving, very sweet, but also very protective of his handler and very willing to go get the bad guy. He was a super super dog."

[painless-innit-colourful]

oooo ok:

🙂, 👼, 🧨, 💏, and also the question about staged finale, the emoji wasn't showing up for me.

Thanks for the ask!

🙂 - Should Dream get a redemption arc?

NO! :) I want to see that motherf'cker absolutely go to town on the big bad evil front. I'm talking the return of the S2 dominance and control, perhaps flavoured with some of the string-pulling puppet master of S1 - hiding in the walls, hiding in the walls. I really liked the Sam Prison streams because it brought that back: the lying, the manipulation, the brutality. I want that b'stard to stand at the top of the world and laugh, and then I want him to have his throne pulled out from under him, and I want to watch him fall and die surrounded by the people he once called friends. So yeah, I don't want a c!Dream redemption arc. I want him to be worse, and then I want him to be killed by Sapnap or Tubbo or Tommy. I don't think there's a satisfying ending to the DSMP where Dream is redeemed.

👼 - Should Friend/Shroud/Michael/Fran be off limits for greifing?

My answer here is going to be pretty similar to someone else's I've seen, but it is as follows: Friend no, Shroud, Michael and Fran yes. Friend has died so many times now it basically doesn't matter: Ghostbur's in limbo, so the main emotional crux is gone, and besides, Friend has infinite canon lives :') Shroud doesn't really matter lore-wise, nor do we know if cc!Tommy is attached to him (he seems to be, but he's perpetually semi-in-character on the DSMP), but we inniters here on tumblr have become so attached I will personally go to war for that spider. Michael, to quote Technoblade, is a BABY. Killing him would be so depressing. I liked the kidnapping plot because we got to see Tubbo go off but thank goodness he's home safe. And finally, Fran deserves pensioner's protection. She's been around so long, the server's oldest pet deserves to retire from this bs and chill.

🧨 - Who is most at fault for November 16th?

Okay, here we go. A lot of people share blame for the undue... everything that happened on Nov 16th. Wilbur, Schlatt, Philza, Bad and Antfrost, Eret (from previous events); I could go on about all of them for a while. But if I had to narrow it down, it would absolutely be Dream and Technoblade. I firmly believe the point of no return was crossed when Techno fired at Tubbo. In that moment, the peace shattered. Wilbur heard it from the button room, and I bet in his mind it was the last piece of confirmation he needed to be convinced the old, peaceful, wonderful L'Manberg was dead and buried. In fact, it was in the moments before Techno shot that Dream dropped in that there in fact was a traitor! Maybe, just maybe, someone would've worked out where Wilbur was if Techno hadn't started monologing...

But on the level above Techno, supreme sh't himself, Dream. He egged Techno into attacking on Nov 16th while Tubbo was making his speech. He pushed Wilbur down his dark path from the shadows and provided him with the TNT. He supported Schlatt after obtaining the revive book, let him die in the camarvan, then laughed when L'Manberg exploded. He orchestrated everyone's downfalls. Right before he died, Wilbur said "Manberg didn't win, Pogtopia didn't win. I won." Really, I think the winner in this war was Dream.

💏 - Is TNTduo /r?

YES. OH MY GOD. Okay, romantic? Maybe not (as the aromantic in the room, I'm contractually obligated to say that), but! They absolutely did it during Manberg/Pogtopia. Sorry Wilbur Soot. I refuse to believe there was not an affair, in which two stressed out, tired idiots with too much sexual tension ran into each other in the wrong place at the right time and decided, "f'ck it." Enhances the Las Nevadas viewing experience immensely. That's just how it is when you both know something about each other no one else in the room does.

🥸 - Did Staged Finale negatively impact Punz/Tommy's character arc?

Okay, you should have not have enabled me to talk about the Staged Finale thing, because I have had this rant simmering since November. I don't think it really negatively affects Tommy's arc - Punz and him didn't interact much during S3. However! My second biggest issue with it is that it means Punz's character doesn't really make any sense in hindsight. And my biggest issue with it is that it really messes with the theme of the season being attachment.

Firstly, Punz. Before Staged Finale, I quite liked Punz. A mercenary whom Dream was far too trusting of, originally keeping tabs on the L'Manbergians (who remembers the S P Y tweet from the eve of Doomsday?) who either receives a bigger payout from Tommy, or takes pity on the kid, and leads the greater population of the SMP to Dream's evil lair just in time to save them. I personally like the latter interpretation: it later lined up even better when, after Punz was told Tommy was killed in the prison, he said "But I saved him..." despite being very under the Egg's influence. And his Egg involvement was cool!

And then Staged Finale happened, and he was just... on Dream's side the whole time? What, he got monumentally distracted by the Egg? Dream didn't seem to trust him to get him out in the first place, considering how he left the blueprints specifically in a place Techno would recognise. And the bit that really annoys me is that Tommy death line. There's no need for that line. Punz is in with the Eggpire, and Puffy's already p'ssed at them. He doesn't need to prove anything to anyone. Why say it if you genuinely didn't care about the kid? And then, when Dream gets out, they're all buddy buddy again. It doesn't line up to me.

(I am not going to talk at length about how little sense Staged Finale makes overall because I need to eat at some point tonight, but just know I think it makes no sense. Why the hell would you intentionally get yourself trapped in a maximum security prison. Why would you want the whole server to see you about to kill someone they generally like. None of it makes a lick of sense and I like to ignore it at every opportunity.)

And finally, my theme rant. Themes in media and literature mean a lot to me. The theme of S2 is Attachment, and it's the easiest one to determine. The whole season is laced with it: the pursuit of the discs, the compasses representing Tommy and Tubbo's attachment to the other, the Butcher Army threatening Carl, New L'Manberg and Ghostbur and Friend and Doomsday, and the goddam hall of attachments in the finale. Dream even tells Tommy he's important because he brought countries and caring for items and pets and attachment to the server. Attachment is the key.

Tommy's interactions with this theme are always that it's worth it, even when it hurts. He has to keep pursuing the discs. He fights for L'Manberg because it's what he has left of Wilbur. Even after Dream's 'I cut all my attachments and it made me stronger' speech, he responds simply "How do you not hurt?", unable to imagine an existence where he doesn't care deeply. And in the end, attachment saves him. When Punz tells people what he told them, they go because they care about these two kids enough to come to their aid.

And Dream? He cuts all his attachments off, refusing to care about items, cutting off Sapnap and George as early as the start of S2 so they can never be used against him. And then Sapnap comes to put himself between Dream and the Clingy Duo when it matters. Because he cut all his attachments (except to Tommy), he has no one left to defend him, and so is thrown in the prison to rot for a year and be tortured until Techno breaks him out to repay the favour. Staged Finale throws a massive spanner in that because it undermines the simple message of the S2 finale: attachment saved Tommy and Tubbo, and cutting his brought down Dream. If Dream has Punz, his status as the lone wolf who thought he could control the server by being above it all is undercut by the fact it's all a ploy. This is the part that annoys me most about it, because the theme and resolution previously worked so well.

At the end of the day, I mostly choose to forget Staged Finale happened, and I will probably continue to ignore it unless they make something cool out of this weird twist. And it's not hard to please me with this kind of stuff, so we'll see. I may be a convert yet.

[rye-views]

Itaewon Class. 이태원 클라쓰. 7.6/10

I would not recommend this drama to my friends. I would not rewatch this drama.

Interesting themes of existentialism, family problems, receiving help or not, giving the baton to the other person since you've made your opinions or feelings clear, and choosing the right choice. It's interesting how many characters are like now it's up to you, you hold the cards. Saeroyi has an impact on people throughout time, and his actions stay memorable to people enough to change them. I cannot fathom that impact considering how I could do the same but those actions would just be forgotten. I do think it can oftentimes be about the person and not the action. Or at least the perception of the person. I get a lot of similar sentiments to Prison Playbook. Even Saeroyi's weird hair. His morals and this community building are like Prison Playbook.

Once Saeyori started reciprocating feelings for Yi Seo, I thought they were soo cute. I feel warm despite comments I've heard that they don't have chemistry. I don't relate. I so understand Saeroyi when like feelings are involved so it's more difficult to have skinship like petting Yi Seo's hair. Geun Soo recognizing that the person he likes is bad to him..those moments are sad to me bc I get it. Geun Soo is literally MIchael Corleone.

Seong Kwon was hot when fighting Hee Hoon. I'm here for Saeroyi in nice clothes by the end. Park Bogum being a handsome chef is the randomest thing but thanks for popping up. Saeroyi's money-building plans are so hot. Saeroyi's awkwardness and physical motions are so adorable, especially when trying to befriend Soo Ah.

Is escaping a kidnapping really the place for a love confession? I really thought the Best Pub show was gonna be rigged. People are so extreme with their feelings, especially Geun Soo. The name Saeyori is so saerowuh.

I like that Yi Seo draws. I love Hong Suk Chun being a likeable minor character. I love seeing Yi Seo fall for Saeroyi, especially when she asks for help in the restroom. Wow Saeroyi put his hand on Yi Seo's head. I would fall too. It's actually impressive how Yi Seo sold herself to become manager. I love Yi Seo explaining clubbing to Seung Kwon. I love how Yi Seo cockblocks Soo Ah's first kiss with Saeroyi, Idk what I would've done in that situation. I love the plants in Yi Seo's office.

Everyone's morals are so stubborn, but individual. I actually love it because I relate to it a lot. My moral gray gets it. The toxicity of people who choose bad when they also don't want to. I've seen it so much. I can't with Soo Ah in the beginning disliking receiving help and people asking for help yet she becomes a sub for Jang Dae Hee.

The emotions on Saeroyi's face, amazing. Son Hyun Joo plays such a pivotal character. Why is he so ideally optimistic and casual and supportive and the dad of all dads? He also has a cute personality. Saeroyi and his dad's dynamic, unbelievable. Especially, when an orphanage is a relevant concept. Yi Seo and her mom also have an interesting relationship.

Can you believe this cast? My babies, Ahn Bo Hyun & Park Bo Gum. Kim Hye Eun, a queen as always. Son Hyun Joo, the man I've known forever. I easily recognized Kang Hyoung Suk from Hometown Cha Cha Cha. Yoo Jae Myung playing this kind of character when he's literally like Son Hyun Joo's character in Vincenzo. & then Yi Seo's mom is literally the villain in Vincenzo. Interesting to see Lee Joo Young as a transgender character.

Memorable Quotes: "청춘의 완성." "지금껏 힘든 날도 슬픈 날도 많았지만, 살다 보면 가끔 그렇게 재밌는 일들이 벌어지고 해." "보통의 하루."

[f1-disaster-bi]

When they were children Dando had a dog and Lando adored him. But he was old and they lost him when Lando was still young but old enough to have a bond with the dog. Lando never got over it and always wanted another dog but with his schedule he never felt like it would be fair for the dog. Dan knows and mentions it to Michael one day, just in passing, but Michael goes to surprise Lando with a little puppy, saying he’ll be at the races anyway and is going to bring him along so he won’t be alone

The family dog having passed when Lando was about five years old and it just devastated him because he lost his best friend who he'd never had to live without. They never got another doh because they were busy with Daniel and Lando racing and Lando never wanted another pet because he didn't want to replace his dog

Daniel knows Lando wants another dog but wouldn't with how much they travel and casually mentions it to Michael. Maybe it's at a time where Landos anxiety is through the roof and maybe someone has suggested an emotional support animal

So Michael looks around and finds a gorgeous little dog that's under a year old and very calm that is accredited from a therapy service and gets it cleared with the FIA for Lando to be able to bring the dog to the track with him with the help of the team

And Lando is just floored when Michael wakes him up with this adorable Australian Shepard with a little a little bandana and a white patch around one eye that Lando instantly falls for. It makes Lando cry when Michael shows him everything saying they can bring him to races with them

[ruthofrhythm]

Last chapter out now!

The crystal clear sky perfectly complemented the beautiful scenery in front of him. Steve had never seen such a beautiful wedding. Actually, now that he was thinking about it, Steve had never actually gone to a wedding. It was a good one to be his first.

Jonathan had done a great job dressing up the backyard behind the new Hopper-Byers’ house to make it fit for a wedding. There were artfully placed streamers connecting the trees that El had joyously put up and an array of flower petals outlining the aisle Joyce would walk down. It wasn’t super fancy — but they wouldn’t have enjoyed that kind of thing.

Steve knew Joyce was previously resistant to the idea of getting re-married; he didn’t know the details of her first marriage, but it didn’t take a genius to realise it wasn’t great. But after she rescued Hopper (after they realised Hopper was alive all along, which was still insane to Steve), they started dating for real and it quickly became serious enough for them to decide on marriage. Originally, they’d decided on doing a small civil ceremony at civic hall. But El had gotten so excited at the premise of a wedding — something she’d seen featured extensively in her soaps — that the whole thing had slowly escalated into a whole wedding.

Eddie nudged him, handing him a glass. “Fruit punch for my fruit punch.”

“That’s not even a pet name. You’re ridiculous,” Steve said, gratefully drinking the cold drink. He pulled at the collar of his shirt as the stifling heat was getting to him and the clothes didn’t help. It was worse for Hopper who was standing in his suit, slowly sweltering, as he paced at the altar waiting for the ceremony to begin. Jonathan and Will were waiting far more patiently with him, talking him down from his nerves. He had nothing to be worried about; he’d gotten so much advice about his vows that they were sure to be perfect — or maybe a mess, if he’d taken any of the kids seriously. Either way, Joyce was so in love with him that no matter what went wrong, it wouldn’t matter.

“Anything is a pet name if you try hard enough, Steven,” Eddie said.

“Alright, Edward,” Steve said, rolling his eyes. His name wasn’t even a shortened form of Steven, not that it stopped Eddie from calling him that. He’d quickly learned that while he could call Mike ‘Michael’ and Will ‘William’ without too much fuss, calling Max ‘Maxime’ was off-limits if he wanted to retain control of all his limbs.

“Next up is Jonathan and Nancy’s wedding, huh,” Murray joked, leaning back, pointing at the two in question in the row behind him. Steve felt a pang of emotion at the sentiment. Nancy glared in response, about to erupt, when the wedding march started playing from the speakers hidden in the bushes. Saved by the music, as they all turned to watch Joyce walk down the aisle.

She was splendid in her cream dress and brilliant smile that was only rivalled by Hopper’s own. She walked down the aisle a little too fast, as if she was so excited she couldn’t wait the extra 10 seconds to match the pace of the music. It was endearing.

The priest started talking, welcoming them for coming to the event. He started reciting from the Bible and it didn’t even bore Steve the way Mass normally did.

Steve’s eyes welled up as he looked on at Joyce and Hopper’s clasped hands as they started their vows. The wedding was beautiful — it wasn’t overdone or ornate, but true to their relationship. Every vow was personalised and from the heart. They loved each other so much, it was insane to witness.

“Gonna be honest. I thought I’d be the one crying at this,” Eddie whispered.

Steve forced a smile. “So did I.”

Steve tried to get ahold of himself. It was ridiculous to be jealous right now. This was a happy day and Steve was ruining it.

It was just — Steve wanted this, too. He wanted the dream wedding with all his family there to support him. He wanted the wedding with the priest and the legally binding paperwork. But most importantly, he wanted the dream wedding with Eddie. And he knew that’s not how it worked. You could either get the wedding with the family, the priest, the legalities or you could get the boy. It wasn’t a choice to Steve. He wouldn’t give Eddie up for anything.

But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt to see it. He just wished it was possible to have it all. He wished he could get married to Eddie. It was impossible for him to watch Joyce and Hopper without getting hit by this intense wave of jealousy.

“You okay, Steve? You seem kinda upset.” Eddie whispered, careful not to distract from the ceremony.

“I just want to marry you,” Steve blurted out. He clasped his hand over his mouth. He did not just say that to Eddie. They hadn’t even been dating for 6 months yet.

“It’s kinda frowned upon to propose during someone else’s wedding, babe,” Eddie said.

“I’m not proposing,” Steve squeaked out. If he was, he’d do a much better job of it. There’d be champagne involved. And rose petals. He’d plan a speech and everything.

“Well, it kinda sounds like you’re proposing.”

“No. I just meant that one day, in the future, I’d maybe like to marry you,” Steve clarified, though that didn’t sound that much better. Steve always came too strong, and it had ruined one relationship already, but he just couldn’t stop himself.

“One day, in the future, I’d like to maybe marry you, too. But why did that make you all upset?”

Steve stared blankly at him. He filled away the first part of Eddie’s statement because if he thought too closely on Eddie’s words, he might explode. “Eddie, we can’t get married.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not legal…” Steve said, trailing off. There was no way Eddie didn’t know that, right?

“So what? Nothing stopping us from inviting our friends and family and vowing ourselves to each other. Plus, who knows, one day, maybe in the future, it could be legal,” Eddie said.

Steve smiled. Though he couldn’t ever imagine such a thing, it was nice to imagine. “Alright, Eddie. One day.”

Steve took Eddie’s hand in his as he focused back on the declaration of love in front of him.