#as much as I hate the staffing agency

[monstersofsilence]

help. please and thank you (refined)

typing this up again because I do not like how cluttered the previous one was

straight to the point: I need money for food. we have been scraping by okay but there are days that we don't have certain things to make whatever

whatever amount you give is nothing more than plenty to me. maybe something enough to get a frozen pizza .w.

if you do give me money, I will gladly draw whatever cheracter of yours. fully drawn and colored! the least I can do and to make up the previous times I asked for money but not give anything in return

my paypal link here!

some rules:

- no nsfw

- no mecha (can't draw that .w.)

- no furry (can't draw that either .w.)

- drawing can't be used for nft or cryptocoin or whatever

you can DM me either on here, tumblr, or my discord, pyriteofsilence, the ref of your character. I will draw it!

again, pay however much you can. I do not mind whatsoever as long you all got money left for yourself. I know this is a broken record but I just feel bad if people give me a large amount than what I ask for. I don't ask for much .w.

[chibikinesis]

Things are really coming to a head at work and I think the dam is gonna break soon. Not just with me, either, but yesterday was almost the straw that broke the camel's back. Our regional auditor was on my ass about filling out production logs, and I was honest with her - I do what I can when we have time, but I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. If I'm not getting yelled at about the book and temps not being filled out, I'm getting yelled at for not doing enough production, and that we've been running ragged since goddamn covid. I know she didn't like that I wasn't receptive in the way she expected, but I'm not the first employee to tell her that. They've admitted, themselves, in an email that was printed and hung for us to read that not only do we have "staffing issues", but also that they've been putting on some "aggressive promotions", and they're not happy that our quality is starting to falter. What the fuck do you expect when you spread your staff so thin for literal years and refuse to hire adequate help??? Zero accountability.

But what really set me off is that after this exchange, my manager came back in and asked if I had a necklace on. I told her I did, and she told me that the auditor wrote her up for it. I was livid. "You mean my dead dad's fucking ashes?!" She didn't have the balls to say it to my face, she just got petty because she didn't like my tone and my honesty. I cried off and on for a couple of hours. I almost walked out, and honestly, I can't fathom why I haven't left that shit hole yet. I just hate big changes like that, even when I know something is toxic as hell, and not good for me.

That being said, one other local job that I've been considering off and on for a while popped up on my Facebook feed today - a cleaning agency, hiring for part time - afternoon and evening shifts. Weekends and major holidays off. And I'd start out making just ten fucking cents less per hour there as I do after more than a decade with my current employer. I just wish something would slap me in the face with a hint to go for it.

I want to start doing more art shows and cons and selling my art - and most of that happens on weekends. Weekends that are really hard to get off at my current place of employment. I feel like the job itself would be much less stressful, too. And there's a $500 sign on bonus (with stipulations of course lol).

I know I need to make a change soon, and I'm mostly just shouting into the void about all this, but just... I need to vent somewhere 😮‍💨

[artielu]

Listen up.

Another nightmare 6-3 decision.

This is as big a deal as losing Roe. This is achieving a major ultraconservative goal that is decades old.

Basically, for 40 years, Congress could pass vague laws like 'let's create the EPA Environmental Protection Agency and give it a mission and give it some money in the budget and have experts in that field (which we are not because we are Congress) make regulations about that mission.'. Congress can delegate some of its power to an agency instead of handling it directly through Congress, which is slow and not made of experts.

Congress has done this dozens of times.

See also:

the FDA, Food and Drug Administration, which regulates medication safety, which approved medication abortion as safe

The FTC Federal Trade Commission, which regulates fair competition

The SEC Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulates the stock market

The EEOC Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission, which regulates discrimination at work

The OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which regulates workplace safety

Etc

-> the vast majority of regulations come out of agencies. Conservatives hate it because they hate regulation.

For decades, the courts have given deference to agencies full of experts as knowing best how to figure out what needs to be done and then doing it, even if Congress didn't say 'do x, y, and z exactly like this.' Because Congress is busy, there's so much to regulate in this enormous complex country, and congress is slow.

Think of it like this: your parent says "I want you to clean your room. Go do that." and the kid doesn't do anything. Later, parent comes and says why is your room still messy??! Kid says 'you didn't tell me what to do exactly, so I did nothing.' you have to tell me specifically, and I'd like a list. Parent says "you know what I meant, I shouldn't have to spell it out for you, that's a waste of my time argh.'

The kid's response is legit for kids and anyone whose executive functioning is still developing or impaired.

But most neurotypical abled adults know damn well what cleaning a room means and can do it. You don't need to be told to put away your clean clothes, put dirty laundry in the hamper, put books back in bookshelf nicely, make bed, take out trash, put toys back in bins, etc., or exactly how to do any of those things. You look around and can see what needs to be done and you don't need your parent to tell you or how. And claiming that you need your parent to tell you exactly what to do and how is just a bullshit delay tactic.

And this ultraconservative Court just killed it. It's saying Congress has to specifically list out in legislation exactly what it wants the agency to do, or the agency can't do it. And whether Congress has been specific enough, and whether the agency's actions are appropriate (the agency staffed by EXPERTS) will be up to judges (who are NOT experts in all the things).

-----

"The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday undid decades of regulatory law, making it far more difficult for federal agencies to issue rules and regulations that carry out broad mandates enacted by Congress. Along ideological lines, the court reversed a 40-year-old precedent that has governed what agencies can and cannot do in interpreting federal statutes.

The decision overturned Chevron v. The Natural Resources Defense Council, a 1984 decision that was not particularly controversial when it was announced 40 years ago. Indeed, the vote was unanimous in declaring that when a statute is ambiguous, courts should defer to reasonable agency interpretations of what it means."

[ . . . ]

"In dissent, the liberal justices countered that abandoning Chevron deference will have a ripple effect throughout the government, making it difficult to respond to urgent new problems and limiting the ability of agencies to carry out Congressional mandates on everything from the environment to food and drug safety."

-----

This is what Trump's first election created, putting Kavanaugh and Gorsuch and Coney Barrett on the Court.

Do not give him a chance to put two more ultraconservative judges in their 40s/50s in the bench to replace conveniently retiring Thomas and Alito, and maybe another if Sotomayor's health continues to decline.

You need to vote for Biden. You need to elect a Democratic Congress to pass legislation to fix this. Because we're about to have a massive wave of deregulation and it's going to be awful.

[thebahwrites]

what's the main song that's inspiring killshot's next chapter?

besides, after bob's interlude, I got really curious about the external command center and the intelligence side of SOF. can you share something about it? (btw I hate Cain)

I love how apparently everyone sniffed that once I have posted all my other stuff I'm going head down into killshot again and I love y'all for this. <3

Chapter 8 inspo tracks: Echoes of You - Marianas Trench No Place Like Home - Todrick Hall Heathens - Twenty One Pilots Vigilante Shit - Taylor Swift

Yes!

There's a lot of little details that I probably won't delve much into (even if it features in there) so here's some bits and pieces of the worldbuilding because we all know I'll never miss the chance to blab about killshot stuff!

LOCCENT - Local Command Center Those change places with the hero teams missions, very much like every militaristic operation, these are the people backing the teams operations. Usually run by non-metas and sidekicks, they're set up for specific missions and then disassembled, staffed accordingly to the team on the field. Not every mission warrants one and not every team gets assigned one either, specially if they're smaller/less important teams.

ECCENT - External Command Center The non-moving operations bases, usually overseeing whatever hero teams exist within their area coverage. Bigger/more important teams have dedicated ones, smaller teams usually share with others.

SOFIA - (Special Operation Forces Intelligence Agency) They actually got a dedicated branch for intelligence affairs and yes, they do work with the FBI/CIA/NSA at times but usually they deal directly with meta-human threats and things only metas can do. The team Fanboy & Payback came from before the Daggers was one of theirs!

COMMAND The cut off age for direct field/combat heroes is usually somewhere around their 40s, depending on how well they're doing maybe early 50s but nowhere past 55 because of power and physical deterioration so most older heroes, if they don't retire, they go into becoming CC officers and team mentors!

Some become SOF teachers too but even the cutoff age for that is a bit flimsy because if becoming combat/field ops teachers, they'd have to physically handle trainees and power deterioration usually starts somewhere around the 40s for (non synthetic) meta-humans.

[anerdyfeminist]

Sigh. My coworkers and I had almost entirely ended ALL unpaid internships at the nonprofit org I work for over the past few years due to believing in such radical things as Basic Human Decency. From past agency generations, we had inherited a structure of deep dependency on unpaid internships with UT in our backyard (and how the whole fucking sector was prior to the late 2010s and how it still is in many many orgs and how social work is under valued, generally.)

We successfully found ways to shift to student worker paid positions. It has been awesome. But those positions are very very limited in number. So every year when they’re full and students still want internships (usually for credit they need and they come to us too late or off cycle) we sadly have to turn them away or see if a different more limited volunteer role will meet their credit needs and not need heavy oversight.

Well anyway right now we’re in a significant funding crisis not really of our making* (literally THANKS BILLIONARES for creating a made up “impending recession” that’s dried up all of our usual corporate sponsorship funds we raise this time of year) and it’s like baaaaad out there. So we have to cut stuff to ensure stability again. But my coworkers need help and we can’t hire. They see us turning away these very qualified students each semester so we decided to post a very few unpaid internship roles we just desperately need help with at this precarious time.

And of course, a couple of (probably who are our most values aligned) supporters are like “hey what the hell? Have some Basic Human Decency.”

And liiiiiiike of course they’re right. I wish I could tell them that part of what’s going on is LITERALLY funding losses because of stupid shit related to conservatives they probably hate as much as we do. The “impending recession” bullshit has already been named. There’s also the fact that we lost a 6 figure funder who was mad we spoke out against Roe being turned over and that we are fully, loudly trans affirming, inclusive, and supportive.

We’re going to have to ultimately figure out a way to message this to our benefit and tell this story because we need a whole fucking lotttt of average lefty friends to make up the loss of one moderate, Christian, mega wealth source who wields too much power here if those friends don’t show up. But telling the story in a way that effectively rallies more support without overly causing collateral damage in the process.

Like this is a feminist nonprofit in Texas in the year 2023. We have to take a fucking stance on shit and that’s increasingly actually very important and difficult to do. Yet, we also have to maintain some level of broad base of support or alllllllll the work we do in neighborhoods and schools supporting THOUSANDS of youth in this who like super super super need us there. This state’s leadership, carceral systems, abusers, and school systems disempower them and my coworkers are sometimes the only people some girls feel comfortable asking for help in their lives for scaryyyy shit.

It’s a terrible time. I’m so hopeful we can weather this, but it just sucks to be in this spot and to have to backpedal hard earned wins (in shifting one way white supremacist thinking and values were present in our staffing structure) and increasing equity. So so so so so so disappointing. I hate it.

*any (local) nonprofit doing actual good work (like leftier ones FOR SURE) in your community probably need your donations now if you have them.

[thewriterthatghostedyou]

Meant to Be Yours

Llyod Hansen x Doctor! Reader and Six x reader

Hi, I finally was inspired to write. And yes I may or may not have seen Gray Man and may or may not have gotten some inspiration from that and all of the science classes I'm taking. Sorry for the lack of updates, I just wasn’t motivated to write and didn't want to make myself hate writing these stories and driving myself to not enjoy writing them. I really do intend to write more but life seems to have other plans (one of the reasons for my new name lol). But this story idea slapped me in the face and hopefully gets me back in the swing of things.

(Will have two separate endings) Also, sorry in advance, this is a love triangle, but hopefully I keep it interesting.

Trigger Warnings: I mean it has Lloyd Hansen in it, torture, gore, noncon/ dubcon, cursing, stalking, power imbalance

‘I’m not getting paid enough for this shit.’ You thought to yourself. The dank hallway smelled of blood and there was an ominous dripping sound behind you somewhere. ‘When I get back I swear to god I’m chewing off Greenway’s ass.’ When you came into work today you hadn’t expected the CIA of all goddamn agencies to be short staffed. You were beyond pissed when your manager approached you that morning with a chintzy first aid kit.

“We need you on patch up duty today.” You recalled rolling your eyes. It wasn’t that you were too prideful to help others, it was just that you never actually did anything around the lab. And for someone hired straight out of graduate school it was disappointing to say the least. You had been ecstatic when the CIA itself approached you about your thesis on biochemical warfare, and stunned at the opportunity to join their research team. You didn’t come from money and worked your ass off to get through all of the necessary schooling and now you were playing Dr. MD.

“I’m not even that type of doctor.” You grumbled to yourself as you approached two armed guards in front of an old rusted door.

Clearing your throat, you felt nervous as the two of them looked at you. “Um- Someone requested a Dr. I’m Dr. Y/l/n. I think I’m in the right place.” Although you’d much rather be anywhere else, this place gave you horror movie vibes.

The guard on the right nodded curtly and opened the door without a word.

“Thanks.” You said slowly, walking into god knows what.

“About time you showed up.” A cocky voice echoed through the room. You raised your eyebrow at a man leaning against the wall in a crappy porn star stache, tight polo shirt, and white pants. He seemed out of place looking all put together next to the man tied to a chair and gagged. You eyed a few wicked looking medical instruments warily.

“Didn’t know they had docs that pretty.” The man continued. Not even trying to hide the way he looked you up and down.

“What is this?” You asked hesitantly as he rolled up his sleeves and walked over to you.

“Standard protocol.” He rolled his eyes at that. “Apparently Carmichael needs this guy alive and you…” He slapped a hand on your shoulder causing you to flinch. “… are gonna make sure he stays that way cupcake.”

“This is not what I’m trained for.” You let out an uneasy laugh and turned towards the door. “I’m sure there’s someone else who can-“

You froze as two strong hands gripped your arms and spun you around roughly. “You’re not going anywhere sweetheart. I’ve been waiting to start and you would want to leave poor Mr. Jackson here waiting any longer huh?” He shoved you forward and you stumbled towards a small wooden chair. “I think he’s a bit nervous.” The man whispered in your ear as he shoved you down. You tried not to let your hands shake as he strode over to the tied up man and dropped a car battery on the metal table next to him.

The man started sobbing as the table rattled next to him and the man started tapping two jumper cables together. You hated how he smiled at the sparks they produced.

“Now.” He paused with a smile. “Let’s get this party started huh?” He waved the clamps around with a wicked smile and ripping off the gag.

“Please I swear I don’t know what you want! I-I’ve got money! Ummm and- and cars, whatever you want, just please don’t do this!” The man tied to the chair begged.

“You see, I would, but I’m already getting shit load of cash and I have plenty of nice cars. Speaking of, you and I can go for a ride after I finish up here.” The man shot you a quick wink as he said that.

“So.” He continued slowly. ‘He seems to have a flair for the dramatic.’ You feel your hands grow clammy as he yanks the man’s chin closer and places the clamp on his cheek. “Let’s not draw this out longer than it needs to be. There’s a lady present.” He clamped the other cable to his other cheek and the man shook his head nervously.

“Where is it?” His joking expression dropped as he crouched down to be eye level with the man.

“I-I don’t know what you’re-“

You jumped in your seat as the man flipped a switch and sent an electric current through the victim. You felt your lungs start to heave as you watched him seize around uncontrollably. “Boring.” He heaved out a sigh. “You know what I’m talking about.” The man in the chair slumped down as he released the switch. “Where is it.”

“I swear it don’t-“ The man in the chair was cut off by a loud scream as the other man upped the voltage and flipped the switch.

“Maybe that’ll help jog your memory.” He smirked and then turned to you. “Italian or French?” He asked, toying with the switch, flipping it on and off.

“W-what?” You stuttered out as the man in the chair kept writhing in pain.

“Where do you wanna get dinner after we finish up here? I know this great new Italian place but it’s up to you.”

You blinked at him in shock. Was he actually flirting with you?

“I really think I should be heading back after all of… this.” You stared at the floor, trying not to listen to the man’s screams.

“No need.” The man scoffed. “I’ll let the boss man know and you’re off the hook. You know I’m thinking we should do Italian. I’ve got a craving for some lasagna.”

You scoffed at that and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You can’t be serious.”

He shot you a smile and flipped off the switch to pull out a phone. “Sure am. I can call now. Carmichael and I are close.”

“Wait, you don’t mean…”

“Hey Denny.” He paused as the voice on the line responded back. “No, he hasn’t cracked yet, but we’ll get there. Anyways I’ve got a favor to ask. Once I’m done here I need you to let Dr…” He strode over and yanked up your official badge, smiling as he read the name. “Y/n y/l/n off for the rest of the day.” You yanked the badge away from him and shoved it in your pocket. ‘The nerve of this asshole.’

He chuckled at something the other person in the line said before responding. “She sure is. Anyways, think you can swing it? Thanks man you’re the best.” He gave you a thumbs up as he paced in front of you still listening.

“Uh huh. Sure. He wants to talk to you.” He handed you the phone, which you took gingerly. He couldn’t actually be talking with THE Denny Carmichael, the man who had discovered you in your program and gave you your job offer.

“Hello?” You asked softly.

“Dr. Y/l/n.” A familiar voice answered. “Perfect, now I need you to listen very carefully.” Holy shit it actually was him. This psychopath had the Chief of the goddamn CIA in his contacts list as Denny.

“I- I can do that.” You looked up at the man still watching you with a predatory smile.

“Whatever my friend Lloyd wants you to do, do it.” He said bluntly.

“I’m sorry? I don’t understand.” Your forehead scrunched at that.

Carmichael sighed across the line. “Fine, let me put it this way, whenever he inevitably finishes up whatever shitty play he’s doing to get you in his bed, get in it.”

You paled at that. “You can’t expect me to-“

“I can and I do. Hansen is too important of an asset to lose because you’re a prude. You can choose not to, but you’ll have to have your desk cleared by Monday.”

“I-“

“Yeah you heard me right. Fuck him, or your fired.”

[adorable-deku]

the constraints of the mha game are really the thing that make it so funny. for an mha game to have that immersion and feel like a mha game, it has to have the characters we all know and love or hate or whatever. however, the character we play is managing their own agency

and that is where the problem is

so most of the recruitable characters are class 1A which ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ the child soldier ship sailed a long time ago, so not much to say about that

but then there are recruitable characters like all might and endeavor and?????? the implication??? that we headhunted them from their own agencies is absolutely hysterical to me. can u imagine all might or endeavor talking to their agency manager like 'yeah youve been a good employee but im gonna have to let u go, im joining a no name hero agency run by a nobody that is mostly staffed with literal high schoolers'. can u imagine

and then there are characters like stain and shigaraki, where the implications are equally hilarious in like. the opposite way. the idea that u can recruit these very famous villains into ur own hero agency?? how?? like. did we got meet stain in tartarus and offer him a fucking job? run into shigaraki in a gamestop and say 'hey, wanna be a hero?' i just. i know its just a game but its so fucking funny to me

[azucanela]

chapter iii

pairing: bakugou katsuki x fem!reader

warnings: cursing. mentions of violence. mild violence. 

word count: 2k

summary: the internet is enamored with the idea of y/n l/n and bakugou katsuki, two renowned pro heroes, dating. the first issue? the pair rarely interacts. the second issue? apparently, they hate each other, not that anyone knows about that bit. of course, after one night of many mistakes, the whole world knows.

series masterlist

MAYBE SHE WAS OVERCOMPENSATING, but at least overall productivity of the agency was up. If Y/N was honest, throwing herself into her work probably wasn’t her best idea, in fact one might consider it self destructive. But.. she was frustrated. And the pent of emotions of not only herself but those around her had to go somewhere. 

And what better place to put that energy than her work?

Of course, as she slams a villain into the wall of concrete before bringing their hands together and handcuffing them, all Y/N feels is boredom. Dissatisfied, unfulfilled. Although it had taken her a while to separate her own emotions from that of others when she was younger, it doesn’t take much effort to determine that those feelings are entirely her own. 

In a job like hers, boredom was something to be grateful for, something to welcome with open arms all things considered. And busy season would be coming up for heroes, so Y/N probably should be grateful for the lack of activity. And yet… The calm before the storm was always rather unnerving. 

Y/N can hear the sirens of the police, brows furrowing as she sighs. Dragging the man she had just apprehended along with her despite his grunts of protest. Y/N watches as a police car pulls around by the entrance of the alley she’d cornered him in.

He was just a petty thief, but Y/N had been trying to keep out of the spotlight for the time being, unless her assistance was warranted. And thus far, it hadn’t been.

Inhaling deeply, Y/N watches as an officer exits the car, a smile coming across their face as they see her. “Hey Empatha!” They wave, and Y/N can’t help but offer a small smile and wave of her own back as she hands the criminal over to them.

“Hi, everything alright at the precinct?” It’s meant to be a polite, simple question, but Y/N can practically— literally— feel the way the officer lights up at the question. As though they’d been meaning to bring it up. Y/N had interacted with most of the Police Department briefly, so they weren’t entirely unfamiliar but… that didn’t mean Y/N wanted to stick around for long.

They shrug, pushing the thief into the back of the car despite his protests and shutting the door on him. “We had some plumbing troubles earlier— or something like that I don’t know… but yeah. Everything has been good. Kinda.” 

Unsureness is bleeding into their tone, so Y/N raises a brow as she finds herself asking, “something on your mind?” 

The officer offers Y/N a sheepish smile, “we could really use your help on one of our cases, the Stain Copycat, I assume you’ve heard?” 

Nodding slowly, Y/N finds herself wanting to exit this conversation, and soon, “I can look into sending someone from the Agency but it’s Hawks’ choice.” She looks around with a frown, “I have a feeling the press will be here soon so I should get going, but I’ll be in contact.” She says with a smile, taking a step back before disappearing into the shadows.

Telen’s ability. Y/N borrowed it frequently, and from the soreness of her body, Y/N had a feeling that they’d had quite the day as well. He was capable of teleporting through shadows, light was a major inhibitor but it was an incredibly useful ability and had saved her life a countless number of times. Whether that was literally or from… conversations like that one. 

Y/N had been avoiding Endeavor’s agency since far too many of her old classmates were sidekicks there. As much as she wanted to help, her presence wasn’t necessary. And she had heard about the Stain Copycat case, the one who had yet to be caught, the exception. Hawks had mentioned it during one of their calls recently, so technically she wasn’t lying when she said someone would be sent over to help. 

Just not her. Anyone but her. 

With a sigh, Y/N finally appears in the locker room of the agency. Welcoming the smell of blood, sweat, and probably tears.

It had been a long day, and Y/N quickly decided there was no better way to amend that than with coffee. She’s changing into her civilian clothes— having ended her shift at the agency for the day— inside the locker room dedicated to such things. Patrol had been mostly quiet today, which she was grateful for, but that didn’t make her any less suspicious as to why things had been so quiet. 

Y/N makes her way out of the locker room once she’s changed, and through the agency, offering a smile to Telen as she finally steps out of the agency doors. “You alright today? I can feel the soreness.” She says, walking backwards as she speaks to him, while he holds the door open for the both of them. 

Telen offers her a smile, “yes. It appears I took quite the hit.” He brings a hand to the back of his neck, “not the best day.”

Y/N raises a brow, “wanna come with me? I’m gonna get a drink, maybe something to eat at the café a few blocks from here.” She’d always enjoyed Telen’s presence, he was calm, quiet, but good company nonetheless. Someone who listened, but could certainly maintain a conversation. They’d been working together for a few years now and Y/N had grown to like him. That and she would be returning later regardless seeing as Lorelai had requested a coffee herself. 

Telen shakes his head, “I still have one more patrol, but if I happen to come around there, I might stop by.”

She nods, raising her hand to wave to him as one final goodbye before turning on her heel, and almost instantly a rush of wind is hitting her, though she finds it refreshing as she stares to the sky, a grey color, clouds shielding the sun from view. 

It’s a nice day, she decides, looking to her left. Hawks had placed his agency rather strategically, and by strategically, that meant nearby a café she had been going to for longer than she could remember. Y/N was close friends with the owner now, and many of the employees there. So her presence wasn’t anything astonishing, though Y/N had offered time and time again to advertise their business, they’d always declined. The owner had insisted it was nice being a small business, rather than one swarming with customers. 

Y/N had made the shop her safe space, most of the time, those who recognized her seemed to understand her desire to be left alone. And it was relieving, to be normal for a moment. Not to say that she was special or anything, but life as a hero was… an overwhelming one. She’d been lucky to evade the press earlier.

It doesn’t take long to arrive, a short walk is all it takes before Y/N is opening the door to enter the small shop. Almost instantly, she’s greeted with a bag of chips to the face, having been thrown by a grinning Lily, one of the longtime employees that Y/N had known for years now. “Hey superstar.” 

In response Y/N groans, moving to cover her face in the scarf she’d worn and bury her face inside it, cheeks warming in embarrassment. “Shut up, Lily.” Her eyes drift around, “where’s everyone else?”

Lily shrugs, already moving to make Y/N’s usual as she replies, “we’re a bit short staffed today.” She looks to Y/N, “we haven’t seen you in a while. Been too busy for us, have you?” Her words are teasing, but Y/N finds herself feeling bad for not visiting more often. Her schedules become more busy as the time for announcing the top heroes draws near, more meetings, more events, more press conferences. And with her little scandal with Bakugou, she would likely have to give up even more of her time.

“Never.” Y/N finally replies, moving to stand at the counter and placing her bag of chips there. Y/N pulls out her wallet.

Lily waves her off, “on the house.” 

Y/N rolls her eyes, “I make a ridiculous amount of money, let me spend it.” She says, pulling out a few $20 bills, though Lily simply looks to her pointedly. This only encourages Y/N, causing her to keep eye contact with her as she drops all of the bills into the tip jar. “Split it with the rest of the staff.” 

It's true, Y/N’s salary was… more than enough. Hawks had never been frugal with his money, his employees were well off and she was grateful for it but at this point she had more money than she knew what to do with. She was no Number 2 Hero but her bank account spoke for itself. 

Despite this, Lily glares in response, before sliding a drink over to Y/N. “Regardless, how have you been, aside from getting black out drunk at a very important Gala and then proceeding to talk shit about—”

“I doubt she wants to talk about that Lily,” The bell by the door rings, signaling that someone has arrived, and of course, there stands Rosalyn, another one of the employees. Her hair is greying now, but she still bares the same smile and calming persona that she did when Y/N first met her. “Sorry I’m late, traffic was bad.” 

Y/N is grinning as she walks over to Rosalyn, throwing her arms around her as the pair hugs, “good to see you Ros.” Lily pretends to roll her eyes at the sigh of physical affection, though she smiles at the sight of the reunion, before heading through the door behind the counter.

When they pull away, Rosalyn pats Y/N’s head with a smile, “and you! It’s been a while, look how you’ve grown.”

Y/N’s brows furrow as a small laugh escapes her, “I doubt I’ve grown any.” If she’s honest, Rosalyn and Lily hadn’t changed at all. Y/N wondered if they viewed her the same as they used to after all these years as well. And maybe she was scared of the answer, and that’s why she never asked. She could see it, Y/N doesn’t necessarily know or remember when, but she can recall the first time she noticed that they looked at her differently. 

Things had changed at one point, and maybe Y/N’s visit to the coffee shop was just her attempt at holding onto the past. A past where she was happier, where things were simpler. 

Moving to remove her jacket, Rosalyn shrugs, “perhaps I’ve shrunk. Happens with old age I suppose.” The woman heads over to the small entrance that leads to behind the counter, which also happens to have a door to the backroom. “I’ll be back shortly,” she says. Offering Y/N a smile that she quickly returns before heading into the backroom. 

Y/N nods, taking the chips and her drink to one of many tables by the window and placing them down there to save her spot— though the shop is currently empty, she has no doubt that the busier hours will start soon. Regardless, Y/N comes to a stand to move to the display window filled with different pastries. Their new selection is certainly interesting, the sight makes her miss baking. Not that she has the time nowadays.

With a sigh, Y/N straightens her posture, when the bell rings, indicating that someone has entered. Turning Around. Y/N’s eyes widen as her mouth gapes open due to the sight of the one and only Bakugou Katsuki.

note: shorter chapter but i hope it was worth it hehehehehehe

[maddogofshimano]

Miss Tatsu Character Story

This one was voted on by the good people of Fats Clan, so here’s everyone’s favorite trainer!

Summary: Miss Tatsu is still doing the rounds on debt collection when Ichiban happens to see her in action. He tags along to help as she handles a few more cases and muses on who the worst people are.

We open with a goon harassing Miss Tatsu.

She tells them to get lost, she doesn’t have time for this, but they’re very persistent. Ichiban sees this happening and thinks that these assholes have way too much free time on their hands to harass women. (Since Ichiban is here, this must be in 2018)

Miss Tatsu just beats the guy over the head though, so it’s fine (I really hate the face the goon is making).

His lackey jumps in to defend his aniki, but he’s not sure if he should get rough... She says that that’s enough out of him, and beats him over the head too. 

Ichiban loves to see it. He comments that it looked like it hurt, and that lady really handed it to them. The now beaten goons run off. Miss Tatsu is glad that’s dealt with, and Ichiban approaches to tell her that was really cool how she kicked the hell out of those guys all on her own.

Miss Tatsu thinks Ichiban is also trying to hit on her, and tells him that he already saw what happens if he tries it. He says that he’s not trying to hit on her, he just didn’t know young ladies were so strong these days. 

Miss Tatsu says she is not young. In fact, she’s probably older than Ichiban. (She’s correct!) Ichiban is surprised, it didn’t seem like she was that old at all. The goons return, this time with another, larger goon.

Miss Tatsu’s a little miffed that no one recognizes her. It doesn’t matter, this guy bringing his crew saves her the time and effort of tracking them down. Turns out she was coming to collect on the big guy today.

Miss Tatsu: It’s obvious. If you have the money to go play around with, you have the money to pay your loan back. It’s my job to keep collecting until you’ve paid it off in full.  Goon: J-Just try it. This doesn’t concern you Miss Tatsu! Don’t think that I’m going to lose to a woman! Ichiban: Woah woah, this lady is really strong, but isn’t it cowardly to fight her two on one? Miss Tatsu: This doesn’t concern you. I can handle this on my own no problem. Ichiban: I don’t doubt it. I’m just all worked up for a fight. I’m cutting in to throw some fists. Miss Tatsu: Heh... You’re a rare kind of man these days. Sure, be my guest. I’ll borrow those fists.

<They fight the goons and obliterate them>

Miss Tatsu wants the money now, assuming he hasn’t blown it all already. He hands it over and begs for forgiveness. She complains, this is only half of what he owes. She’s going to come by later for the other half, so he better not try to run off. With that handled, she comments to Ichiban that it was a fun battle, yeah?

Ichiban is impressed with her level of violence. He finally introduces himself and asks if he should call her Miss Tatsu. She says yeah, that’s not a problem. He confirms that she’s a debt collector, based on what he just saw. She says yep, and she has been for a long time now.

He says he’s a little surprised about that, given her looks. She says that’s nice of him to say, but she’s been doing this job for decades now. Ichiban thinks “Decades...? Just how old is this lady?” Ichiban: Is the job dangerous? It seems like there could be a lot of assholes to deal with.  Miss Tatsu: That’s true. There’s a lot of trash out there that borrow money they can’t pay back. That bastard just now is a perfect example, he’d have more than enough money to pay everything back if he didn’t keep blowing it on gambling and women. Miss Tatsu: Even worse, he had a wife who was completely in the dark. That’s the kind of thing I hate most of all. Miss Tatsu: ...Say, you’ve got a pretty good punch, what do you say you work as my assistant for a bit and help me out? Ichiban: Well I gotta say I’m interested in that job, unfortunately I’m a little busy right now. Miss Tatsu: Aww, that’s too bad. Well, till we meet again then. See ya. <She leaves> Ichiban: (Miss Tatsu the debt collector, huh...)

<Part 2>

They happen to bump into each other again. Ichiban asks if she’s out collecting again.

She is, she was just about to head over right now. If he’s got time, maybe he’d want to tag along? Ichiban is glad to, he is still interested in seeing Miss Tatsu in action. They head off and find their target. It’s a homeless guy begging for food.

Ichiban: ...Hold on. There’s no way that guy could have any money, right? Miss Tatsu: Is that what you’re seeing? Well I guess you are still an amateur.  Ichiban: I guess she’s the pro here. ...Still, I don’t like this.  Homeless man: Oh... are you going to give me food- Ah! M-Miss Tatsu! Miss Tatsu: You might be acting like you’re broke, but I see right through that. Now pay your debt! Homeless man: Wh-... I really am broke! I haven’t had anything to eat today! Onlookers: Hold on... Is that lady heartless? Demanding loan payments from a homeless person... Onlookers: Debt collectors are really... the lowest of the low. Still collecting from a person like that.

Ichiban tries to intercede and stop Miss Tatsu. She says that she knows this guy has money, and rips the jacket off of him. He’s wearing a full suit underneath! Ichiban doesn’t understand.

Miss Tatsu explains that this guy had actually been homeless once, but he borrowed money and created a very successful business. He had a large income and a comfortable life, but his obsession with money kept growing. He was terrified of ever losing money, or even spending any that he had, so he started dressing like that to beg for money in the streets and reduce his spending as much as possible.

Also, he’s started referring the local homeless to an abusive temporary staffing agency just to collect the referral bonus. Ichiban says that he’s a real villain, and that he’d have a little more sympathy if the guy at least made all the money honestly.

The man snaps back, saying that neither of them know what they’re talking about! They don’t understand how scary it is to not have any money!

Miss Tatsu says that she’s not trying to take all of his fortune. If he doesn’t pay back the money he borrowed, it’s the lenders who will be in trouble. He tells her to shut up, he’s never going to give up any of his money! The goons from before show up. They want revenge on Miss Tatsu, and it turns out they’re the ones running that abusive temp agency that this guy has been referring people to! 

<They fight, and Miss Tatsu and Ichiban kick their asses>

Miss Tatsu once again demands the cash. He says that well, he doesn’t have anything on him right now... Miss Tatsu says that’s fine, for now he can just hand over everything he’s wearing. That’ll be enough to excuse today. 

He does so, stripping right in the middle of the street. Miss Tatsu says great, she’ll be back for the rest later. He better have actual money next time. He says he will, for sure, and runs off.

Miss Tatsu says that that got a little crazy, huh. Ichiban says that was fine, and even if it was, Miss Tatsu was really cool. 

“Cool? Why would you think that?”

Ichiban explains that it’s just what he feels. Being a debt collector is a job that gets a lot of people hating you. A long time ago he used to collect debts too, but he really hated doing it because of that. 

Miss Tatsu says that yeah, debt collecting has a real bad reputation. But, as long as people lend money in this town, there’s going to be people who abuse it. She can’t stand scumbags like that, so it’s satisfying to stop them. 

Ichiban says he thinks that’s what makes her cool, that she takes on a negative job like that but manages to find satisfaction in it. She says she can accept that compliment then. Since today’s job is over, she heads off. 

“(...She’s got some serious balls.)”

<Part 3>

They’ve run into each other again. Ichiban asks what’s up? She looks tense. 

She says he’s right. She’s going to collect from this guy who she can’t let get away from her. She’s psyching herself up for it. Ichiban offers to help, Miss Tatsu accepts gladly.

He asks what’s special about this target. She asks if he’s heard of people who carry multiple debts. He says yeah, those guys who borrow from a bunch of places, right? Exactly, Ichiban’s pretty knowledgeable on this stuff. This scumbag is a real piece of work, he made his younger brother sign as the guarantor and then ran off, leaving the younger brother to pay for it all.

Ichiban: That is dirty. Though, does that mean you should be collecting from the guy’s younger brother? Miss Tatsu: That’s not an option. The younger brother filed for bankruptcy.  Ichiban: ...Huh, that seems like it’s resolved.  Miss Tatsu: The younger brother is the victim here. Ichiban: A victim...? How do you mean? Miss Tatsu: He only signed because of his relationship with his brother... but his brother was a multiple debtor and had no way to afford paying the debt.   Miss Tatsu: Even more, some of the debt was delinquent enough that the courts were starting to notify him. Ichiban: Ah... Miss Tatsu: The younger brother couldn’t get in contact at all, his brother had already fled abroad. Miss Tatsu: Therefore the younger brother went bankrupt because of the debt left by his older brother, who had no intention of ever paying it.  Ichiban: Being betrayed by your family, huh... Miss Tatsu: Mhm. And with the guarantor bankrupt, there’s no choice but to collect from the debtor himself.  Miss Tatsu: Besides, I think the older brother should have to deal with the consequences of his actions. Miss Tatsu: So I’m going to go collect every penny this guy owes. Ichiban: But, does that mean you’re flying overseas for this? Miss Tatsu: About that... He’s returned home, to Kamurocho. Ichiban: So that’s what you meant about not letting him flee, because he’s finally returned to Japan? Miss Tatsu: Right, it seems like he’s here to visit his favorite hostess in all of Japan. Miss Tatsu: With that information, I’ll be able to grab him before he goes home while he’s off playing with that woman. Miss Tatsu: So you see why I can’t miss this opportunity? I’ll definitely collect on this guy, for sake of his younger brother.  Ichiban: Then I humbly offer my services. <They go to the club>

The target is there and ordering up Gold Champagne.

Miss Tatsu: Seems like you’re well to do. Why don’t you get me a drink. Man: Hm? Lady, I don’t think I requested you? But, you’re pretty so it’s totally okay!

Man: Come, sit~. Why don’t you tell this old man what you want? (Tl note: I don’t want to translate it as daddy but that might be... more accurate) Miss Tatsu: Alright then... How about you paying all of the debts you’ve racked up. Man: Wh-what..? Miss Tatsu: You’re Takeshi, aren’t you? The piece of shit that pushed all his debts off onto his family. Miss Tatsu: I’m here to collect. Takeshi: Uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about! Miss Tatsu: Oh yeah, you got amnesia? Well then, how about I refresh your memory! Miss Tatsu: Here’s the loan book of all the money you borrowed. Are you saying you don’t know what this is? Takeshi: Uh... I-I don’t know what it is! You’re... trying to scam me! Miss Tatsu: You’re the one running a scam!!! You outta know when to give up!! Takeshi: Wahhh!? Ichiban: Oooh, she snapped that table in half. That’s scary. Takeshi: M-My younger brother, collect from him! I don’t have any money left to pay back! Miss Tatsu: You brother went bankrupt. This debt is all on you. Takeshi: Wh-... shit! Hey, you all! Tag in here!

Some new goons step in to help. They think this is an interesting sight.

Takeshi tells them to shut up and help him already. He’ll pay however much they want! Miss Tatsu wonders why he would hire bodyguards if he’s so broke, and says that dirty guys like him are all the same. Takeshi says he’s not returning the money, and tells his posse to do whatever they like to this woman. He’ll give them a bonus for it afterwards!

<They fight, Miss Tatsu remains undefeated>

Miss Tatsu has dragged the man out of the club. He bemoans that this is happening to him, and blames his brother, if he hadn’t filed for bankruptcy then...

Miss Tatsu yells that he’s the one causing troubles for his relatives! He’s so damn irresponsible! Takeshi says that if the person taking the loan can’t pay it, then the guarantor is supposed to pay it instead! 

Miss Tatsu: I’m not one to force stuff, but you listen to me. I know you don’t have any way to pay off this debt right now. Miss Tatsu: Since that’s the case, your only option is to go work on a tuna boat until it’s paid off. Takeshi: W-What! I can’t...!! Miss Tatsu: What kind of man are you? Take some responsibility! Man: Miss, it’s okay. Miss Tatsu: Who are you? ...Ah, you’re Yoshikazu, aren’t you. What’s wrong? Yoshikazu: I heard from a friend that my brother was hanging around the cabaret clubs here.  Ichiban: Oh, I get it... this is his younger brother. Yoshikazu: Here... It’s not a lot, but I think it should cover the interest.

Miss Tatsu: Yoshikazu... Why are you doing this?  Takeshi: What... Why do you have money, even after bankruptcy!? Yoshikazu: You’ve got it wrong, brother. This is money from our father. Takeshi: Our.. parents...? Miss Tatsu: Yoshikazu, even still, I can’t take this money from you. You’re no longer obligated to repay these debts. Yoshikazu: No, this is a family problem. Please, I want you to take it. Yoshikazu: My brother really is a decent person. I’m sure he’ll get all the money back to you. Yoshikazu: Unless you’d rather work on the tuna boat? Takeshi: N-No... I’ll work hard! I’ll work until I can return all the money! Ichiban: Hey, he could be lying. Is it alright to trust him? Miss Tatsu: ...Yoshikazu says so. It’s not my place to say otherwise.  Yoshikazu: Thank you, Miss.  Yoshikazu: I’m going to have a lot of meetings with him to work on how best to pay back everything he owes.  Yoshikazu: Miss Tatsu... You’re a debt collector of justice. Miss Tatsu: ...Justice is stretching it. Yoshikazu: Not at all, that’s what I really think. ...Well, let’s go, brother. Takeshi: Yeah... I’m, really sorry... <They leave> Ichiban: ...Well, do you think this case is settled? Miss Tatsu: We’ll see. Did Takeshi really turn over a new leaf... I’ll have to wait and see. Miss Tatsu: Well, if he pulls something, I won’t forgive him again.  Ichiban: Haha, that’s terrifying. But I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Miss Tatsu. Ichiban: That Yoshikazu guy sure looked relieved though.  Miss Tatsu: ...Yeah, he did. That’s a first when I’m working a case. Miss Tatsu: People are thankful for the moneylenders, but no one’s been thankful for the debt collectors.  Miss Tatsu: ...Heh. Maybe debt collectors aren’t as bad as people think. <END>

Bonus facts: Miss Tatsu usually uses アタシ (atashi) which is a very feminine personal pronoun. The one exception is when she’s asking why Ichiban thinks she’s cool and she uses 私 (watashi), which is a polite pronoun that leans slightly feminine. 

I wasn’t really able to find a clear explanation, but Miss Tatsu ended a few sentences with かい, and I’m not sure if that’s a dialect or slang or a character quirk. They usually write things phonetically including slang, for example Ichiban says カッコイイ as かっけー and お前 as おめえ to match the lazy slur of the words, so it can be tricky to translate. 

[monstersofsilence]

Hello... I’m fully back! | My mental health

hey

I’m uh

back?

;w;

fully back! I know I have been liking and reblogging stuff but mainly just reblog and like what I see. mainly just been in hiatus

but uh let me just go over as to why I just decided to take a break

it is regarding my mental health. I’m still a bit down in the dumps but I’m somewhat better now. at some point I just kept having negative thoughts of myself. thinking that everyone hates me and I’m just not a great person or friend. it kind of started (and not to blame the person. don’t get the wrong idea, please!) when someone I admired blocked me. I had no idea nor as to why and that has been eating away at me because I have been afraid that I might be doing something and perhaps I have done something to offend them in some way. and, again, I do not know what that is and that has been making me freak out, getting anxiety, and on top of all the other negative things about myself my mind creates

it also didn’t help that my job situation has been just frustrating. I am an employee through a staffing agency and if a job is available, they will put people like me to work that job. mainly all factory/warehouse places. though all of August there has been nothing available and it pissed me off and just made me upset. on top of all that, I have tried to apply to jobs around me and they don’t accept me no matter how many times I try

it just then spiraled to me going through depression and it is something I haven’t felt in a while. I just felt useless. hopeless. maybe feel like I might be a horrible person that people on here aren’t telling me. just many things. even worse when I can’t help pay bills and my mom and brother are covering for me and I can’t do anything to help because of my job situation

so many things that just made me decide to stop what I am doing. I am okay now. still in a bit of a rut but I can manage. I want to get back into roleplaying and drawing. I’ve missed it so much and I know that it would be the thing to make me happy. I just need something to uplift my mentality

that’s pretty much what has been going on. as for the job situation, gonna try again at the agency on Monday and see if there will be anything available. all of last month was the worst for me and I was baffled that nothing, NOTHING was available. whatever they have I’m just taking it

that’s it! this

made me a bit better. just venting it out

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Porky's (Clark, 1981)

If there's one thing I took away from Porky's, it's the importance of casting. This falls roughly into the wave of fratboy/horndog comedies from the late '70s to the early '80s, and compares unfavourably to some of the better known movies of that wave. You can look at the arguable progenitor of that movement, Animal House, and see how that movie's anarchic qualities were lent a certain charge by the animal impact of John Belushi and the low rent charms of Tim Matheson. You can also look at a movie much closer to this one's mold, Revenge of the Nerds, and note not just the dorky likability of Anthony Edwards and Robert Carradine as the lead nerds, but also the warmth brought by supporting players like Larry B. Scott and Brian Tochi even when they're saddled with blatant stereotypes. The main cast here is a bunch of nondescript young white dudes with only the most superficial characteristics to distinguish them (one is tall, one is Jewish, etc).

If you want distinct presences, you'll have to look to the periphery. As a Canadian production, this earns its Canuck credentials by casting Art Hindle as a cop who happens to be the older brother of one of the boys and is perhaps a bit too sympathetic to their exploits, and Doug McGrath as a gym coach. I remember McGrath as the cop who got gently pranked on by Margot Kidder in Black Christmas, and here he sort of pays it forward by not sufficiently cluing in younger coach Boyd Gaines into the unusual behaviour of female coach Kim Cattrall. (Yes, there are a lot of coaches in this movie. I mostly tuned out gym class but I'll concede that this school had a better staffed phys. ed. department than the one I went to.) Cattrall does her best to add some personality to her limited role, but like many of the female characters, she's essentially a throwaway gag, presented to us for a laugh and then scuttled off to the side before she develops any agency. Only Kaki Hunter, as one of the boys' girlfriends, seems to behave like a real person.

In this sense, the movie is probably true to the worldviews of the hormonally-overcharged sex obsessed protagonists, who are concerned almost entirely with getting laid and see women as a means to an end. And this isn't out of line with the genre, but this is another area where the movie compares unfavourably with Animal House. In that movie, there's something completely base about the protagonists, with the ugliness of their actions and thoughts operating almost entirely as transgression. Here, you're supposed to root for the heroes in their reliably foiled efforts to get laid. Porky's wants you to like its characters. Animal House doesn't care if you do.

There is also a fair bit of racist language thrown around in the movie, largely but not entirely tied to a subplot about a Jewish character standing up to his bigoted bully, and the bully standing up to his ex-con father. On one hand, this subplot ties up a bit too neatly, with the Jewish character becoming friends with his bully after the confrontation with the father without any real reconciliation between them. It's perhaps a transparent excuse for the movie to indulge in this language for easy shock without really confronting its ugliness. But as a brown kid who went to a primarily white school, I got a fair amount of racist "humour" thrown my way, and I became friends with some of the people who did the throwing. These were not people who had hate in their heart, but stupid kids who didn't know better, so perhaps it was easier to look past some of the things they said, but I do think there's something to the movie's handling of this relationship and the way friendship can develop in such situations without an overt reckoning. If anything, what frustrated me about my experiences was the tacit approval of the faculty, who laughed these things off a bit too easily when they should have known better. So if anything, the way Hindle seems as comfortable as he does with the heroes' mischief bothered me the most about this movie. Apologies if I'm getting too personal here.

Maybe the most intriguing read of the movie is the way it might mirror Bob Clark's own life. Despite being an honorary Canadian, he grew up in Florida, where this movie is set. (His first movie, She-Man: A Story of Fixation was shot there, and gains a little something from the sweltering atmosphere. I'll give that movie a recommendation, as it's more sympathetic to its queer and queer-adjacent characters than I expected given the exploitation angle.) And judging by the results, he must have really hated it there, given the way movie almost suffocates us with the toxic good ol' boy atmosphere of the titular bar, or suspends us in the frustrations of its heroes as they repeatedly fail to get any action. This has a certain brownish look I associate with Canadian productions, but there's little of the coziness that sometimes comes with it. Everything here feels dingy, miserable. The movie is sporadically amusing, as Clark is a capable comedy director and knows how to structure a gag, but by the end of the movie, I felt a little depressed. As for how intentional that is, the jury's still out.

[agentveemo]

I’m going to scream I hate staffing agencies so fucking much

[eretzyisrael]

What We Can Do About It

Last week I explained How They Did It, how the enemies of Israel – the Arabs, the Soviets, the international Left, and others – turned much of the West against us. What can we do about it?

I concentrated on the ‘softer’ aspects of cognitive warfare, such as the infiltration of higher education and international organizations like NGOs and UN agencies, corporations, the use of social media, the exploitation of minorities with grievances, and the support of public antisemites (e.g., Ilhan Omar). But we should keep in mind that more kinetic actions can also have primarily cognitive objectives. The PLO’s European terrorism during the 1970s paved the way for its conversion from a gang of despicable terrorists into a member of the UN, and for murderer and thief Yasser Arafat to become a “statesman.” The 9/11 attacks against the US changed the media portrayal of its Arab and Muslim citizens from “billionaires, bombers, and belly dancers” to hardworking citizens who are targets for islamophobic hatred (this is not the case with Jews, despite the fact that Jews are far more likely to be the victims of hate crimes today).

Terrorism works on various levels, but on the deepest, visceral one it creates paralyzing fear, which the mind – still subconsciously – tries to rationalize away by distancing itself from the victims and identifying with the terrorists. “Don’t kill me, I am on your side!” the terrorized mind shouts. “I’m one of the good ones!” (e.g, a “Jew for Palestine”).

The counterattack has to be planned, coordinated, and specifically targeted in all of the arenas, soft and hard, in which cognitive war is being waged against us. This is something the State of Israel has never come close to doing. Our efforts at public diplomacy have often been most charitably described as a bad joke, like the campaign to advertise Israel as a destination for gay tourism(“Come to Israel! We have nice beaches and we won’t hang you!”) At best we are reactive, responding to vicious accusations of war crimes, apartheid, and other depravities, usually long after the damage has been done. And we often ignore the cognitive implications of our actions, or the lack thereof.

It won’t be easy. Organized support for anti-Israel organizations (including those connected with terrorism) has been going on for decades, with millions of dollars annually flowing from sources like the George Soros organizationsand the European Union. Social media, especially, is constantly changing and new battlefields appear almost daily. Everywhere you look (e.g., Wikipedia) there is anti-Israel bias. And for every pro-Israel activist there are ten, or a hundred, attacking us.

An effective cognitive counterattack must have two parts: how we speak to the world, and – most important – how we act. Let me take the second part first.

There are basic human instincts that precede the ideas expressed in the UN charter by hundreds of thousands of years. Our actions must affect those instincts in a way that will cause others to respect us, and our enemies to fear us. I am not suggesting that we follow the example of the PLO and hijack planes in Europe, but our response to terrorism and threats from enemy countries (e.g., Iran) can be designed to have the appropriate effect. Humans are attracted to strength. They want to be on the side that’s stronger. They talk about the importance of moral and legal principles, but they bet on the winner. Our actions should radiate power and control, and even ruthlessness.

For example, no terrorist should survive his attack. Israeli security forces and the individuals involved have been sharply criticized, both by Israelis and others, for the “Bus 300 affair” in 1984, when two captured terrorists were executed in the field after interrogation. My contention is that this action sent exactly the right message, both to our enemies – “don’t try this or you will die” – and to the rest of the world – “Israel does not tolerate terrorism against her citizens.”

Our pusillanimous responses to Hamas, which has on numerous occasions killed Israelis and which today holds two Israeli citizens and the bodies of two soldiers hostage, is supposed to be justified for practical reasons, but is a total failure from the standpoint of cognitive warfare. When Israel bombs an unoccupied Hamas installation after arson balloons or even rockets from Gaza have burned crops or damaged buildings, the message that is sent is that we are too weak to protect ourselves. When our citizens are held captive while we supply electricity and water to the Gaza Strip, the message is that Hamas is in control, not Israel. I understand the limitations of our power, as viewed by the IDF, but I believe that they are not weighing the cognitive aspects of the question heavily enough.

Recently, the IDF demolished the home of a terrorist murderer, a citizen of the PA who was also an American citizen, despite a request from the US State Department to desist. This was the correct action from the cognitive point of view, sending the message that Israel is a sovereign state which controls Judea/Samaria, and which does not tolerate terrorism. On the other hand, the continued presence of the illegal Bedouin settlement of Khan al-Ahmar as a result of pressure from the EU and the UN tells the world that Israel does not control the land.

Our greatest enemy is Iran, whose regime has explicitly threatened to destroy us on numerous occasions and is developing nuclear weapons. There are obviously multiple considerations that play into choosing the best response, from a pre-emptive strike on her nuclear installations to a continuation of the campaign of sabotage that Israel has been waging for the last few years. Cognitively, the best approach is the one that publicly demonstrates that Israel has the power to destroy the installations, regardless of the distance or their fortification. This could be a massive aerial attack, or it could be covert action that is made public after the fact. The worst case is that we refrain from taking action because of pressure from the US.

In the soft realm, one priority is to put an end to Israel’s self-imposed cognitive failures. There is no reason that Israelis should be allowed to act as paid agents of the EU or the international Left, as is the case with B’Tselem and numerous other anti-state organizatons. There is a weakly enforced law that requires Israeli NGOs that receive half of their funding from foreign governments to report that, on penalty of a relatively small fine; and even that was opposed by the Left and the Arab parties in the Knesset. It is absurd that these groups should be allowed to operate in Israel. All foreign funding – private or governmental – for political NGOs should be forbidden, period. Representatives of foreign NGOs hostile to Israel should not be allowed into the country.

Speaking of Arab parties, there is a Basic Law that says that in order to run for election to the Knesset, a candidate or list must not “[negate] the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.” This law is interpreted loosely by the Supreme Court, so that Arabs who do precisely that can sit in the Knesset. That must end.

Israel has military censorship, which sometimes makes us look foolish when foreign publications are revealing details that Israelis are not allowed to read or hear from their own media, but at the same time, the Ha’aretz newspaper is allowed to attack the state, day in and day out, often using material from the foreign-funded NGOs. Foreign propaganda outlets make good use of it, saying “even Israelis admit…” This is unacceptable; it borders on treason, and it must stop.

There is a place for traditional hasbara, explanation, or presentation of the news from the viewpoint of the state. I am not sure why everyone is entitled to an opinion and a platform from which to broadcast it, while the state is not. Why not a government TV/radio/Internet news outlet, staffed with professionals who could respond immediately and accurately to false accusations? Doing this properly, so that it would be both authoritative and not boring, would be expensive and require high quality personnel that would not be easy to find; but it is worth doing.

Much of what I have suggested will be criticized because “it violates human rights” or it is “antidemocratic,” or similar things. I don’t disagree. But the idea that Israel has to be a paragon of human rights and democracy is wrong. It is an expression of the antisemitic idea that Jews must always be held to the highest of standards – indeed, to a standard that is continually raised so as to always be out of reach. Israel is not a Platonic ideal state; it is not even the United States. It is a tiny nation with no strategic depth that is surrounded by enemies who themselves violate every standard of civilized behavior. National survival is more important than human rights – especially when those defining the concept of human rights are indifferent (or worse) to our survival.

Abu Yehuda

[night-time-writing]

Be Happy

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29807574

Summary: Kirishima and Tamaki are soulmates and Tamaki doesn’t know how to deal with this.

Word Count: 2,472

Tamaki found out who his soulmate was when he turned 18. Everyone found out who their soulmate was on their 18th birthday at their time of birth. Their soulmates’ name would show up on their skin somewhere. Some people would stay up all night until they could finally see that name, too excited to even sleep. Tamaki though, he forgot it was even his birthday. 

He woke up that morning and got ready like any other day. It wasn’t until he ran into Mirio that he was reminded of his soulmate. 

“Tamaki! Hey big day today, isn’t it? Have you found the name yet? Who are they?” Tamaki stared at him blankly. “Oh sorry, I almost forgot to wish you a happy birthday.”

Tamaki’s eyes widened. He had totally forgotten about his soulmate, and the fact that it was his birthday. “I haven’t checked yet.”

“What? Why not?”

“I forgot, I just know that I have patrol with Fatgum and Kirishima today.”

“Well, you’re going to check, come on.” Mirio then dragged Tamaki to the nearest bathroom.

“Mirio, is this really the time?” Tamaki complained.

“Just check Tamaki. I want my best friend to be happy, okay? I’m also very curious.”

Tamaki sighed and went to one of the stalls. He checked all the obvious places first. His wrists, arms, and his sides. He checked his legs and every other place he could see, which left his back. Tamaki fixed his shirt before exiting the stall.

“So?” Mirio asked expectedly.

“It must be on my back, because I couldn’t find it. Or I don’t have a soulmate.” Tamaki added. He wouldn’t be surprised if the universe decided they hated him.

“You have a soulmate.” Mirio said as if it was just a fact of the universe and not the most likely outcome. “Take off your shirt, I’ll check for you.”

Tamaki hesitated for a minute before he turned around and took off his shirt.

“There it is, I told you, you do have a soulmate.” Mirio said, tapping the space in between his shoulders.

Tamaki put his shirt back on and turned around to look at Mirio. “So who is it?”

“Ejiro Kirishima.” Mirio said it as if it was the easiest thing to say. As if this didn’t completely change everything.

Tamaki then started panicking. How was he supposed to go on patrol later now? He couldn’t look Kirishima in the eye after this. Kirishima was also younger than Tamaki, so he didn’t have a soulmate tattoo yet. There was a possibility that Kirishima would have someone else’s name on his skin. It was rare, but not impossible. Tamaki’s breath started to get more erratic as he started to spiral.

“Hey Tamaki, calm down. It’s okay.” Mirio said, grabbing Tamaki’s shoulders.

The touch of his best friend made Tamaki start to relax enough to not have a panic attack. But he still wasn’t happy. “What am I supposed to do? Kirishima doesn’t have a soulmate tattoo. He’s only sixteen.”

“Tell him then. He’s a cool person, and he will be so excited to learn his soulmate early. You’re lucky, Tamaki. You know your soulmate and you already like him. You don’t have to wait to meet them. At least try to talk to him, okay?”

Tamaki gave him a small nod, and then they left the bathroom and headed to class.

…

Tamaki had so much anxiety leading up to going on patrol, but it only got worse once he was finally there and had to actually see Kirishima. He could avoid the other while they were getting ready for patrol, but he couldn’t avoid him during patrol. But today Fatgum had Kirishima and Tamaki patrol just the two of them which only made everything worse for Tamaki.

“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you happy birthday. It’s your eighteenth, right? So you know who your soulmate is?”

“Yeah, I found out this morning. I haven’t figured out how to tell them yet.”

“So they are younger than you? Thats cool. Dont worry about it. Whoever they are, they are going to love you. You’re super great and your soulmates so it’s meant to be.”

“Is there anyone that you want to be your soulmate?” Tamaki decided to test the waters a bit before he jumped in.

“Well, I guess I would have to say Mina. after all, we are dating now.”

Tamaki then drew in on himself more. Of course he would have a girlfriend. Someone he really liked. Tamaki wasn’t going to ruin that. Kirishima didn’t need to be with him. They could be just friends. He just wanted Kirishima to be happy with someone he loved, even if that person wasn’t him. 

Tamaki didn’t talk for the rest of the patrol. He spent that time taking all his feelings for Kirishima and locking them in a box. All while Kirishima went on about his girlfriend, and how great she is.

…

As Kirishima’s birthday grew closer, Tamaki was distancing himself more from Kirishima. He didn’t mean to distance himself. He was just trying to mentally prepare himself for Kirishima to talk about how he and Ashido were soulmates and how great that was. He didn’t even realize it until Kirishima confronted him about it.

“Hey, Amajiki. I want to ask you something.”

“What is it, Kirishima?”

“I was wondering why it is you’ve been avoiding me.”

“I haven’t been avoiding you.”

“I keep asking you to hangout, and you keep finding reasons not to hangout. You have also been making sure we don’t work together anymore. We used to work together a bunch. You have been avoiding me and I don’t understand why.”

“Well, I’m usually just busy, I haven’t been trying to avoid you or anything. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, I just was worried you hated me or something now and I wasn’t sure what I did. I’m glad you aren’t avoiding it. So, are you going to come to my birthday party tomorrow?”

“Sure, when is it?” Tamaki started to get uncomfortable. He knew tomorrow was Kirishima’s birthday, but he still wasn’t ready to truly know the fact that he has an unrequited soulmate.

“We are all going to go out to dinner, so come by around 4?”

“Okay.” Tamaki responded. Kirishima then smiled at him, wished him a good day and walked off.

As Tamaki was getting ready the next morning, he got called into work. Fatgum was short staffed and needed Tamaki. Tamaki felt bad, but he had to send a message to Kirishima letting him know he would be unable to make it to his party. He was, however, kind of relieved that he didn’t have to go. Tamaki did not like parties, and he didn’t want to have to listen to Kirishima talk about his soulmate the entire time.

…

Ejiro woke up early that morning, so excited about the day. He was excited to hangout with his friends and find out who his soulmate was. 

After his friends wished him a happy birthday, Ejiro sat down to a birthday breakfast that Bakugo had made for him. As he took a big bite, his phone buzzed next to him, indicating that he got a text. 

He smiled as he picked it up, realizing that it was from Amajiki.

‘Hey Kirishima, Fat Gum called me into work today so I cannot make it to your party. I’m sorry, I hope you have a good birthday, nonetheless. Happy birthday.’

Ejiro frowned slightly at this before quickly covering it up so that his friends didn’t see. A couple years back after he and Mina had broken up, Ejiro realized that he really liked Amajiki. But, Amajiki had already turned eighteen, he found out who his soulmate was, and if it had been Ejiro, he would have said something. Now Amajiki was getting really distant, he didn’t talk to Ejiro as much anymore. Sure, Amajiki had a life now and perhaps hanging out with high schoolers wasn’t something he really wanted to do, or had the time for, but it still hurt.

Ejiro knew he couldn’t blame Amajiki for not being able to come. So, he finished his breakfast and set out to make the best of the day. 

When he finally got back to the dorm, he was in awe at everything his friends did. They decked the common room out. There was a snack table full of his favorite things, and he could see that Bakugo had all the ingredients for a nice big dinner. 

Ejiro was happy to see all the effort his friends put into his birthday. However, he was just so excited for 5:13 exactly because that was the time he was born, and when he would finally receive his soul mark. 

“Hey Kiri, you excited to find out who your soulmate is?” Kaminari asked.

“Very excited. I wonder if I know them. Wouldn’t that be interesting? If there is someone I interact with daily and had no clue was my soulmate?”

“I’m excited for you man, it will be good for you to have someone else to think about other than Amajiki.”

“Yeah. It would probably be easier to be around him when I know there is someone out there for me that will like me back.”

“Everything will be great, man. Now come one let’s go bug Bakugo.”

Ejiro chuckled and followed Kaminari to the kitchen where Bakugo was starting to lay out the food he was going to make.

Ejiro spent the next couple hours bouncing between talking with different friends, including bugging Bakugo every so often. He did this until dinner was finally done and they all sat down to eat. As usual, Bakugo’s food was amazing, and it distracted Ejiro to the point where he didn’t notice the time ticked past five and then started creeping towards six. 

Once Ejiro was done eating, he grabbed his dirty dishes to put them in the kitchen which is when he finally saw the time. It was 6:05, which shocked Ejiro. He placed his dishes in the sink and then rolled up his sleeves to start his search. The search didn’t last long. On his left wrist, his soul mark read “Tamaki Amajiki.”

Ejiro paused and stared at his wrist. How was it that the person he had a major crush on was his soulmate? No, the real question was why was it that he was just now finding out. Amajiki turned eighteen three years ago and yet didn’t tell him? 

Without even thinking, Ejiro walked out of the kitchen and went straight for the door. He ignored the calls of his friends as he pushed open the dorm door and started running toward the train station. He didn’t know how long Amajiki would be at the agency, assuming he was still there, but Ejiro needed answers. He couldn’t let Amajiki get out of this conversation. Ejiro needed to know why his soulmate hated him. Why he refused to ever tell Ejiro that they were soulmates for so many years. 

Once Ejiro was outside of Fat Gums agency, he lost all of his confidence. Now he was just scared. For a minute he considered tuning back. After all, why did he want to go through a true rejection. However, in the end he decided he had to go in. He had to know why Amajiki didn’t tell him, why he would let him get excited when he knew that Ejiro’s soulmate didn’t love him. 

Ejiro walked into the building and over to where Amajiki was normally if he wasn’t on patrol. Sure enough, as Ejiro rounded the corner, he spotted Amajiki sitting and working on some paperwork.

“Hey Amajiki.”

“Oh, hi Kirishima, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be hanging out with your friends and enjoying your birthday?”

“I was at my party. It was a lot of fun, but I wanted to ask you something.” Ejiro was fidgeting with his shirt. He wasn’t sure that he could ask without breaking down. He was feeling so many emotions right now. He was angry that Amajiki never told him the truth, but he was mostly just sad that this all just meant that Amajiki didn’t feel that way about him. 

“Okay? I don’t know why you would leave your party to ask me a question, but go for it.”

“Well. I know that you don’t like me and that’s why you are always avoiding me. I know you don’t want an actual romantic relationship. But why is it you never told me we were soulmates?” Just as Ejiro worried, tears started to stream down his face. “Why didn’t you tell me years ago? Then you could have saved me from the heartbreak of falling in love with you.”

Ejiro tried to stop his tears, wiping them away. He then looked towards Amajiki, who just looked shocked and confused.

“Please give me an answer. Please don’t run away. I need to know.”

“I don’t understand. Don’t you have a girlfriend? Isn’t she your soulmate?”

“Mina? We broke up forever ago. Is that why you didn’t tell me? Or are we not mutual soulmates?”

Amajiki was fidgeting with the cuff of his shirt before he pushed his chair and got up. He then walked off, trying to leave the room. Ejiro reached out and grabbed his wrist to stop him.

“Amajiki, is your soul mark my name?”

“Yes.”

Amajiki was looking down at the floor. Ejiro let go of Amajiki’s wrist and stepped around him. He rolled up his sleeves and showed his soul mark to Amajiki.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was going to, but then you started talking about how you had a girlfriend and you hoped that when you got your soul mark, it would be her. I assumed it was an unrequited soulmate. I wanted you to be happy, happy without the guilt of knowing you don’t feel the same way I do.”

“Are you saying that you like me? As in more than friends kinda like me?”

“Yes.”

Ejiro smiled widely and threw himself at Amajiki, crushing him in a hug. He was so relieved and happy that Amajiki liked him back, that’s all he had wanted. Amajiki tentatively wrapped his arms around Ejiro and hugged him back.

“I have liked you for years. Does this make us boyfriends?”

“If that’s what you want?”

“Of course that’s what I want.” Ejiro pushed back, smiling brightly at Amajiki. Amajiki looked at Ejiro and gave him a small shy smile back. That’s when Ejiro realized just how close their faces were, and he leaned forward. He wanted to kiss Amajiki, but he wanted to give him the time and space to tell him no. When he didn’t do anything, Ejiro closed the distance and finally kissed his soulmate.

[whoneedssexed]

Hello, I need advice. I'm 23 and feel like im having a mini life crisis? My planned job fell through bc of covid, I can't find a job in the field I graduated in (Graphic Design) I'm not sure about going back to school bc of online class are not my strong suit. I'm not sure what to do at this point. I'm first generation and I feel like a failure. I want to move out but have no money. I got a job at a call center and I hate it bc its noting that I went to school with. I just feel lost and my parents can only tell me so much, my friends arnt any help bc they arnt dealing with the same situation and my boyfriend is trying to help but he majored in business and has gotten a great opportunity now so he doesn't really know how to help. I know I'm not supposed to have it all figured out at 23 but I truly don't know what to do. I feel out of place and don't want to go back to school to waste money in aomthing im not sure in. My family judges alot so that doesn't help either.

Unfortunately, for most degrees, and even for those like your boyfriend's at times, you aren't going to get a job in your field for a long time.

Arts degrees are especially tough, even something as "marketable" as graphic design.

This is the sad reality, but, it also means it is not your fault by any means. The majority of graduates do not get a job in their field, around 53%, for 3-6 months, if not much longer.

This even includes business and STEM majors. For example, even doctors, nurses, and veterinarians struggle, even engineers struggle, even programmers struggle. But, it seems like arts-related degrees get it the worst, likely because of how undervalued the arts are. So don't feel bad. It's not your fault, it's a fault with our system.

This means a lot of people get unsavoury jobs at the start, or for a while. It's difficult to find work you can do that isn't call centers, factory labour, cashiering and retail, or fast food. And we've made a world where those jobs just... suck. A lot.

So, that being said, keep job hunting for something that's less painful, on top of hunting for your field.

Some suggested places to utilize:

Indeed.com

Facebook Jobs

Linkedin

Monster

Google also now offers services

And there are more listed here. This one also has some of those, but ranks them by best in a specific category.

You might also look into staffing / temp agencies. They suck, but they're better than nothing sometimes.

And look into resources for good resume, interview, and application skills that will make you look more appealing. We have a careers tag that has some helpful tips.

Also, try practicing some self love. You didn't do anything wrong and you're not a failure.

- mod BP

[tripleaxeldiaz]

a year ago today, i got fired from a job that i hated, and was feeling a lot of things, so i wrote it all down and set a reminder for myself to read it in a year

a lot of other really bad shit happened between then and now, but i’m also a lot happier and in a lot better mental place than i was when i wrote this. i have a new job that i really like, i’m moving in with my best friend in a few months, and i don’t feel so goddamn tired and sad all the time like i did 365 days ago

so i’m posting it here, mostly for my own sake, but also in case anyone else is Going Though It and feels like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. i promise you, it’s there. it might be far away, and the path might be a little wonky, but you’ll get to it

It’s Tuesday and it’s raining and I just got fired.

They pulled me into a conference room I had scheduled for hundreds of interviews - secluded, away from the bustle of the company, private.

Corinna told me, essentially, that I had improved in the areas they were looking at, but not enough for it to matter.

She left me with Cari, one of my favorites, who went over my separation agreement and how I would get paid for the next few weeks. Her eyes looked a little wet, but that may have just been my own.

She told me this would be a blip - plenty of people had gone through the same thing and they barely remember it.

I’m sure she’s right, but I want to remember it.

I held myself together when they told me the news. When Corinna left, Cari asked me how I was doing. I told her, honestly, “It is what it is. What else could I even do at this point?” 

I cried a little then. Not necessarily because I was sad - mostly because I was overwhelmed.

When I left, I called Caitlin - she’s a 15 minute walk, and I didn’t want to take the train all the way back to Brooklyn.

I was ashamed mostly - like who even gets fired? Isn’t that for slackers who are bad at their job and can’t do anything right?

To be fair, that’s how I felt most of the time here. And I just had an inkling, for the past few weeks really, that something like this was looming. People were acting different. Maybe they thought I didn’t notice. I did.

Caitlin didn’t answer so I called my parents. They were in Florida visiting Papa and thought I butt-dialed them. That’s when I really started crying - again from the shame, not from being sad. How embarrassing was it to tell your parents, who think the world of you, that you screwed up and lost your job? That all that money they funneled toward college apparently didn’t mean anything?

If you couldn’t tell, I may have been spiraling a bit.

The spiral made me forget how much my parents love me and support me for a minute. They quickly reminded me. Everything they said was true - I hated this job, I had money saved in the bank, this was probably a relief more than anything.

It was. A huge relief. So huge I didn’t even realize the tension I’d been holding in my entire body for the past 6 (or maybe 18) months had finally lifted. I felt like I could breathe again/

The thing about a depressive episode is that you sometimes don’t even know you’re in it until you’re out.

They told me to take the day - relax, regroup, refocus - and tomorrow I can get to work on finding something else. I had a call with a staffing agency the day before and another call tonight. Things were being put in motion.

I hung up and Megan snapped me. I called her too since she was awake.

“How are you?” she asked

“Well I just got fired, so I’ve been better,” I said.

The shame was gone apparently. Sarcasm to cope was back.

I talked to her, I talked to Caitlin, I talked to Elaine, who funnily enough had also just lost her job.

Shahana and Ellen too.

They all said the same thing: this could be the best thing that ever happened to you.

And the spooky part? Literally the night before, Jane and I were talking about our jobs we don’t like but need to keep to dig our way out of debt, how we can’t afford to quit even though we’re unbelievably unhappy.

It’s almost like the universe heard us and was like, “Oh you want to quit that badly? Well I’ll just go ahead and do it for you.”

A blessing in disguise if ever there was one.

Now I’m home, in the middle of the day (also why do it on a Tuesday? And in the morning after my hour commute to the office?) and I’m writing it all down - I want to remember, a year from now, or 5 or 10 or 20, that this was a pretty hard low to hit.

That I felt ashamed and mad and a little sad.

That, despite the fact that I had been told repeatedly that people at this job supported me and wanted me to succeed, only 2 people out of the 10 on my team (plus sweet Sayde) have texted me to check in on how I’m doing.

But even with all that, I’m feeling good. A little excited. A lot fired up.

Today I will sit on my couch and wallow a little bit and do nothing.

Tomorrow I will try again.