#campaigning for a happy aaron

[renamusing]

so after the cancer storyline comes to a close (chas recovers from her surgery, aaron goes to his appointment and agrees to start regular check-ups like his mom etc) what the hell are they gonna do with him?

it's so weird that he is going through something that affects him so much but he doesn't even share scenes with any of the people closest to him except his parents. he's also barely present at dingle gatherings?

i would love to see him get more involved with the lives of his friends like victoria (the jacob drama), vinny (caught amidst the tom/belle drama), matty's wedding drama (matty is literally the brother of his best mate??), mackenzie... god, i would even take a decent apology to ethan so they could hang out as friends and take the mick out of suni and nicky.

at this point i don't even mind if they don't give him his own storyline (though i would love to see him reconnect with seb) i just need less sad aaron always absorbed in his grief and his thoughts, always shouldering the weight of the world alone.

[supportgaza]

Traumatized in Ireland While my Family is Facing Death and Starvation in Gaza

Note: Vetted by:

1. @el-shab-hussein and @nabulsi # 151 on the spreadsheet of Vetted Gaza Fundraisers List]

2. @riding-with-the-wild-hunt Here .

I contemplate the happy faces of people around me here in Ireland and reminisce about the happy normal life my family and I had before the war. A life that turned into a distant memory for us and was replaced by an unending series of horrible nightmares.

Unlike my family in Gaza, people here have access to drinking water, all types of food, electricity, and a roof over their heads. Above all, they are safe, and I cannot help but wonder if they genuinely do appreciate these blessings in their lives enough.

People seem relaxed and laughing wholeheartedly around me in Ireland. I wish I could laugh too, but I am crushed way beyond recovery on the inside. I was evacuated by my Irish college after five months of living the horrors of war in Gaza. I hope you will never know what it feels like to live in constant fear and worry and be horrified by the most sickening and scary nightmares every single night while you are far away from your family in such circumstances.

When did my people in Gaza cease to be human beings worthy and deserving of a normal life? Has it become normal now for my family in Gaza to be starved and killed while the whole world is watching the genocide? If that is the case, then you will have to excuse me if I seek every avenue to bring them to Ireland and start a new normal life like all people here around me.

I was assured by the Irish Reugee Council (IRC) and lawyers in Ireland that there is hope I can reunite with my family in Ireland. In difficult times, it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. For me and my family, you are literally our light and hope for a better life.

SOS!

Please donate, reblog and share.

Tagging for reach <3

Please consider boosting my campaign.

@fancysmudges @brokenbackmountain  @mothblossoms

@aleciosun @fluoresensitive @khizuo @lesbiandardevil

@transmutationisms @schoolhater @timogsilangan @appsa

@buttercuparry @sayruq @malcriada @palestinegenocide

@sar-soor @akajustmerry @annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @feluka

@tortiefrancis @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides @visenyasdragon

@belleandsaintsebastian @ear-motif @kordeliiius @brutaliakhoa

@raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish @theropoda @tamarrud

@4ft10tvlandfangirl @queerstudiesnatural @northgazaupdates2

@skatezophrenic @awetistic-things @camgirlpanopticon @baby-girl-aaron-dessner

@nabulsi @sygol @junglejim4322  @chososhairbuns

@palistani @dlxxv-vetted-donations @illuminated-runas

@imjustheretotrytohelp @stil-lindigo @soon-palestine

@communistchilchuck @irhabiya  @sar-soor @ibtisams

@rebecca-levin-art @ana-bananya @vakarians-babe

@mangocheesecakes @rednines @elderling

@sour-soda @stiltonbasket @hello-kitty-milkshake @butchmartyr

@laurellament @saltyfinalboss @dirtangeldean @lesbianslasherfilm

@teethands @miwtual @beserkerjewel @el-shab-hussein

@thedragonagelesbian @the-eldritch-it-gay @mazzikah

@mahoushojoe @deepspaceboytoy  @rhubarbspring @pcktknife

@heritageposts @gazavetters @neechees @butchniqabi @khanger

@autisticmudkip @beserkerjewel @furiousfinnstan @xinakwans

@stopmotionguy @willgrahamscock @strangeauthor @bryoria

@shesnake @legallybrunettedotcom @lautakwah @sovietunion

@7bitter @toiletpotato @fromjannah @omegaversereloaded

[yousefhasan55]

🙏😔Stop, please 😔🙏

Don't ignore me, listen to our sad story💔🥹🍉

We have been displaced several times, and our tragedy has reached the point that we now live in a tent that is unfit for living. We desperately need your help, I have launched a donation campaign but I cannot get the funds so I can get €25000 to get through this current crisis.

I know that the world is full of people who want to help others, and you are one of them. Please be with us in this ordeal and share your donation to help us get out of these difficult situations🫂🥹🥹🙏🙏🍉

Donate, share and be the reason for our happiness 🙏❤️🫂🥹🍉😭🇵🇸💔😣

We need to get out of the danger zone I am in now, I want your support to never stop, I discovered Tumblr a few months ago and met good people who helped me a lot, we will never forget that, you are my lifeline, please support us now

I thank everyone who helped us during this difficult time. Recently, we have witnessed great massacres and non-stop bombing over our heads, and we are witnessing a famine more than before.

Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #196 )

Tagging for reach.

@timetravellingkitty @meaganfoster @briarhips @vakarians-babe @mahoushojoe

@rhubarbspring @schoolhater @pcktknife @transmutationisms @sawasawako

@ot3 @aces-and-angels @terroristiraqis @commissions4aid-international @wellwaterhysteria

@deepspaceboytoy @post-brahminism @junglejim4322 @kibumkim @neechees

@mangocheesecakes @kyra45 @marnota @7bitter @tortiefrancis

@appsa @toiletpotato @fromjannah

@omegaversereloaded @vague-humanoid @criptochecca @aristotels @komsomolka

@neptunerings @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @heritageposts @appsa @buttercuparry

@sayruq @malcriada @palestinegenocide @sar-soor

@akajustmerry @feluka @tortiefrancis @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides @riding-with-the-wild-hunt

@visenyasdragon @belleandsaintsebastian @ear-motif @kordeliiius @raelyn-dreams

@troythecatfish @theropoda @tamarrud @4ft10tvlandfangirl @queerstudiesnatural

@northgazaupdates2 @skatezophrenic @awetistic-things @baby-girl-aaron-dessner

@nabulsi @sygold @junglejim4322 @heritageposts @chososhairbuns

@palistani @dlxxv-vetted-donations @illuminated-runas @imjustheretotrytohelp @sayruq @90-ghost

@akajustmerry @rhubarbspring @the-bastard-king @thatdiabolicalfeminist @yelyahwilliams

@irhabiya @i-cant-sing @queerstudiesnatural @dlxxv-vetted-donations @labyrinthal

@craftykittyscientist @lunehowls @officialspec @naggingatlas

@pcktknife @lana-baumgartner @xxlunawarriorxx @solarpunkwitchcraft @zivazivc

@dearmouse @sotogalmo @85-rend @the-meme-monarch @peachdeluxe @classychassiss

@northern-passage @sillysymbol @dailyquests @tiredguyswag @transguyhawkeye @ender--slime

@miss-galaxy-turtle @see-arcane @spitblaze @ballwizard @prisonhannibal @beserkerjewel

@cultofthorns @davepeta @cuntylouis @wander-bunnies @sagescider @jinsouled @gotinterest

@longseasons @boffix @vaugarde @moonscape @bamsara @busket @fox-guardian

@cherryflavoredbutch @stardustfanfare @infernal-heart @vilethot @thundergrace @soymikki

@lytransthropy @certifiedsexed @skunkes @necronatural @pickled-flowers @cupiidzbow

@eldhuug @wellfine @thesituation @klugpuuo @tearosepedall @sporesgalaxy @they-bite

@ankle-beez @grox @blissocean @whalefill @ciderjacks @renmorris @shamemp3

@white-chalk-sapphomet @backfliips @solarpunkcast @endorphinmachine @pespillo

@2bu @log6 @redbuddi @boxheadpaint

@xrd @mintcrows @mirrorcage @zagz @wrightfamily

@linterteatime @rottencore @snakeoid @pinchan @tooies @extremelycursedimages

@sealbf @gabzilla-z @sabrsiren @souldagger @nbblacksheep @b-0-ngripper @catgirlcommie

@jonpertwee @block-swing-perry @sliceofdyke @necromancelena @butchfalin @karineverse

@telltaletypist @vampiricvenus @utopians @catgirlcommie @cold-open @bugs-r-neat

@cloudster-clown @loverboy-ish @starspilli @c-o-z-m-o @problemnyatic @breadclipp

@knightobreath @pseudophan @maeumsim @do-you-have-a-flag

@trans-lunarinjection @viovio @lemongogo @toriel-2 @rain-bound

@cagandante-communistoide @biomic @captain-lovelace @xenodile

@scavenger-toll @skippiefritz @cosmicgamerboy @whatcoloristhatcat @knightdykes

@pastel-cryptids @olliveen @applejupiter @khizuo @camo-thy @2deadkat

@songbird-orpheus @evilscientist3 @midnightcthulhu @tolbyccia @aishabellasbigblogofeverything

@pespillo @hollowslantern @melancholic @hurtz-whale @maxknightley

@ricecaqes @cccshutdown @honted @wolf-tail @beybuniki @jedi-valjean

@chuuyasoup @andfangs @cozy2000 @duncebento @3000s

@orphetoon @catgirl-kaiju @dykentery @ossifer @crusty @libelelle

@coastalhorrors @tiercel @borrelia @nvtxl @nonbinary-watanuki @verdiesque

@metamorphesque @eremes @waterloggedsoliloquy @fascinationstreetmp3 @stellarfalls

@queerpyracy @mlm-blues @lakesbian @u3pxx @crtvirus @d-druxy @femmesbians

@specialmouse @dadpilled @leechloach @c-rberus

@frigidwife @mak-to-the-future @belogna @catgirlcadaver @beteldyke

@helioxed @cannibaldaughter @leafys-reblogs @cetitan @worm-suggestion

@5weekdaysofwinter @sphinxgirlbaeddel @schmata @relelvance

[nesmamomen]

Maybe her last wish before death‼️

Not to arouse pity, something happened to me today and I wanted to tell you about it. Today my sister shared with me a simple but deep and touching dream... She dreamed that she was eating chocolate - a small pleasure but dear to her heart. In all innocence, she told me that she wished to die so that she could eat everything she loved in heaven. Cuz for 400 days in this war we have not tasted chocolate and many things due to famine. Maybe it was a simple dream, but her thinking made me see life in a different way, how many small pleasures we sometimes deprive ourselves of, and now we realize them in the midst of this war.

Donate the price of the chocolate you love🤍

My family and I may die in this war but your help gives us happiness and hope in our lives and if we die the money will go to save the poor and treat animals as well♥️

My campaign verified

@\nabulsi here @\el-shab-hussein here

@fancysmudges @brokenbackmountain @anyonghalimaw @zigcarnivorous @aleciosun @fluoresensitivearchived @khizuo @schoolhater @timogsilangan @appsa @buttercuparry @sayruq @malcriada @palestinegenocide @sar-soor @akajustmerry @annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @feluka-blog-blog @tortiefrancis @feluka @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @visenyasdragon @belleandsaintsebastian @ear-motif @kordeliiius @brutaliakent @raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish @theropoda @tamarrud @4ft10tvlandfangirl @queerstudiesnatural @northgazaupdates2 @skatezophrenic @awetistic-things @camgirlpanopticon @baby-girl-aaron-dessner @nabulsi @sygutka @junglejim4322 @heritageposts @chososhairbuns @palistani @dlxxv-vetted-donations @imjustheretotrytohelp @mnty-bubblegmyum

[sarah-abo-hwidi]

From Gaza to Europe: A Young Girl's Dream is Finally Coming True!

Vetted by association (Mahmoud khalaf) here.

Before the genocidal war on Gaza, I was immersed in university life and enjoyed studying English literature at the Islamic University in Gaza (IUG), which was utterly destroyed by Isr*ael. They destroyed the place that helped me find my passion: performing on stage in English.

My family and I have been displaced multiple times and we ended up now in a tent that does not protect us from any bullets, shrapnel, or the cold and rain of winter. I had never thought I would have to live in such hellish conditions at the age of 20, an age at which I was expecting to be studying at university and enjoying the company of my friends like any other girls my age around the world!!!

Below is my letter of acceptance from Mary Immaculate College (MIC) in Ireland, the place where I am reclaiming and achieving my dreams.

Amid the pain, horrors of war and many near death experiences, luckily, I was awarded a scholarship to do a BA in English Language and Literature at Mary Immaculate College in Ireland. A glimmer of hope shone in my sky, happiness rushed strongly through my veins, and a voice within me roared: "A unique destiny awaits you, Sarah. Seize this opportunity, honor your people abroad, and use your talent to tell the world about Palestine and touch their hearts."

Read more about the scholarship here.

I am literally at a crossroads at this stage in my life. I could keep running from a place to another with my family searching for safety and wasting years of my life without education. Or, you could help me evacuate with my family to Egypt and then go to study at Mary Immaculate College in Ireland.

Please do NOT decide to look away and send my only opportunity for a good education to go with the winds. Please boost my campaign by:

donating, reblogging and sharing.

@fivetrench @nogender-onlystars @thefrogmanmpp

@a-shade-of-blue @s1x-foot-deep @inolongerknowwhatimdoing

@kordeliiius @secondary-objective-active  @mavigator

@lun4rc0w  @selamat-linting  @dude-iloveu 

@jesncin @estrellasrojas @loveaankilaq @ddeck 

@time-was-over  @possum-with-a-banjo  @buttercuparry

@mar64ds @blossomdapple @mothfishing

@alexander-the-alright @sixty-silver-wishes

@newporters @punkitt-is-here @ethereal-night-fairy 

@rainintothesea @madocactus @queen-erika-the-songful 

@kathles

@fancysmudges @brokenbackmountain @mothblossoms

@aleciosun @fluoresensitive @khizuo @lesbiandardevil

@transmutationisms @schoolhater @timogsilangan @appsa

@buttercuparry @sayruq @sar-soor @akajustmerry

@annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @feluka @tortiefrancis

@flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides @riding-with-the-wild-hunt

@brutaliakhoa @raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish @theropoda

@tamarrud @4ft10tvlandfangirl @queerstudiesnatural

@northgazaupdates2 @baby-girl-aaron-dessner @nabulsi @sygol

@junglejim4322 @heritageposts @chososhairbuns @palistani

@imjustheretotrytohelp @ibtisams @vakarians-babe @90-ghost

@fairuzfan @humanvoicebox @plomegranate @queerstudiesnatural

@stil-lindigo @soon-palestine @communistchilchuck @ghost-and-a-half

@rebecca-levin-art @mangocheesecakes @transmutationisms

[mahmoudalmasrifund]

Story

I am Mahmoud Al-Masri, I'm 21 years old, living at the Gaza Strip, an academic student majoring in Graphic Design.

I am here to ask for your support to complete my university education, the Israeli occupation destroyed universities and colleges in the Gaza Strip and destroyed education facilities, youth support institutions and training spaces that aim to provide training for all disciplines and then provide job opportunities for young people, most of which were destroyed.

We used to have a beautiful life, despite the siege on Gaza and the wars on it. We used to have a house and now we live in a tent "displaced", we used to have dreams and we pursued them and still do, we used to go to the sea which is the only breathing space for the people of the Gaza Strip, we used to live peacefully despite all the siege. We here in Gaza have brilliant and innovative minds that learn medicine, technology, professional specialties, agriculture, industry, trade and all specialties, we just need someone to support us, appreciate what we do and motivate us to keep going.

Help me

October 7, 2023 is a date that I will never forget, we were displaced about 8 times and lived through terror and destruction and are still living it, we saw death with our own eyes and survived death several times, our features changed, we became young people instead of worrying about our future, we became tired of securing water and food for our family and carrying water from a distant place to the tent is very tiring, our bodies are tired of the weights we carry daily and the diseases that spread and we don't know what's next.

I decided to pay back my knowledge and the information I gained from study, search, and workshops by share it on social media. I will answer on everyone's questions, and make webinars as my teachers do with us.

These ideas will help educational community to grows.

My goal in launching my campaign is to raise funds to complete my university studies outside my city, to cover the costs of travel, housing, food, the costs of the university I will attend, and I am currently looking for a distinguished university in the field of graphic design. I asked my friends who attended universities in Europe to suggest some universities, and among my goals after studying is to provide a safe and stable place to live with my family.

I would be very grateful for your support for me and my educational journey.

I wish you a life full of happiness and prosperity

@el-shab-hussein @ibtisams @nabulsi @90-ghost @tamamita @apollos-olives

@wayneradiotv @anyonghalimaw @zigcarnivorous @aleciosun @fluoresensitivearchived @khizuo @schoolhater @timogsilangan

@appsa @buttercuparry @sayruq @malcriad-o @palestinegenocide @sar-soor @akajustmerry @annoyingloudmicrowavecultist

@tortiefrancis @feluka @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @visenyasdragon @belleandsaintsebastian @ear-motif @kordeliiius @brutaliakent @raelyn-dreams

@troythecatfish @theropoda @tamarrud @northgazaupdates2 @queerstudiesnatural @4ft10tvlandfangirl @skatezophrenic

@awetistic-things @camgirlpanopticon @baby-girl-aaron-dessner @nabuo @sygutka @junglejim4322 @heritageposts

@chososhairbuns @palistani @dlxxv-vetted-donations @imjustheretotrytohelp @mnty-bubblegmyum

[savemohammedfamily199]

Dear                  

!! Please don't skip it🙏🍉                                    

Have a look🇵🇸🍉

I'm Mohammed from Gaza 🍉🇵🇸….. I need your help if you can

🍉🇵🇸, seeking to find safety and peace ☝️for my family if ten members. We have been ❤🇵🇸🍉passing through all forms of torture and pain for almost ten months because of the war on Gaza.                                                     

     Life is very miserable and tragic❤🇵🇸 as we are now deprived ❤🇵🇸🍉of all means  of living. Drink water, healthy food   🍉   

Please don't leave us alone in such dire times. Your kind contribution either through donating whatever you can or sharing my posts will be highly appreciated and valued.❤🇵🇸🍉care and medicine❤🇵🇸 have become things 🇵🇸🍉❤of the past. We are dying dear friends. That is why I am asking you to help us break through this tough situation.

.Life in hot tents is incredibly sad and miserable. We are now experiencing the worst circumstances  we have ever had in our life. The war has stolen happiness and life from us.

Here is my campaign link:

. If you can't donate, sharing our story will help us reach others

who may be able to help.

Any small donations can make difference

to my family lives 🍉

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for

your compassion and support 🙏❤.

Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #148 )

I ask you all to help my family and donate in the link please🍉

@fancysmudges @brokenbackmountain @mothblossoms @aleciosun @fluoresensitivearchived @khizuo @lesbiandardevil @transmutationisms @schoolhaterfoodlover-blog @timogsilangan @appsa @buttercuparry @sayruq @malcriada @malcriada @sar-soor @akajustmerry @annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @feluka @tortiefrancis @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @visenyasdragon @belleandsaintsebastian @ear-motif @kordeliiius @brutalitybaby @raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish @theropod @tamamita @4ft10tvlandfangirl @queerstudiesnatural @queerstudiesnatural @northgazaupdates2 @awetistic-things @camgirlpanopticon @baby-girl-aaron-dessner @nabulseye @sygutka @junglejim4233 @heritageposts @chososhairbuns @palistani123-blog @dlxxv-vetted-donations @chososhairbuns @illuminated-runas

[qqueenofhades]

I think the Aaron Sorkin fic people are writing about the convention to be extremely silly. It's going to be Biden. And if Biden's health takes a downturn and he feels the need to step down its going tk be Harris. This fantasy where we skip over her to whip up two random white guys(or like maaaybe Witmer) and somehow cruise to victory instead of fragmenting the party months before the election is simply not going to happen.

Look, I'm just saying, I got an email from the Biden campaign this morning where they seemed pretty darn happy with the actual (i.e. not-bloviating media) results of the debate: $38 million raised in 4 days ($30 million from individual small-dollar donors), 10K new volunteers in a week, 3x surge in campaign volunteers for battleground states, essentially no change or even a modest boost in the polls. So I think at this point, we can cautiously conclude the following things:

The debate looked bad for Biden, perhaps, but doesn't seem to have hurt him nearly as much the incredibly bad-faith BIDEN NEEDS TO STEP DOWN NOW takes being pumped out by the NYT and its other compatriots would suggest. Especially when these same media outlets have been gleefully sabotaging Biden at every turn for years already and whose fake-sanctimonious hand-wringing "for the good of the nation" pieces honestly should get them dropped into Superhell for Bad Journalists;

Biden went to Raleigh NC right after the debate and gave a fiery rally speech that was very well received. Now, I don't know why we didn't have that Biden at the debate, but it was the same night and there clearly was not any "cOgnItiVe dEcLinE" happening there (also Biden has a stutter and has for literally his entire life, and had a cold on debate night, so it was just an unfortunate confluence of factors)

There are very few actually undecided voters in this election (once again: HOW???) and those who tuned into the debate were largely already convinced of which candidate they were voting for and this didn't do much to change their minds. Just like, you know, pretty much every other debate in the history of presidential elections.

Ordinary voters, and not mainstream media outlets with BIDEN IZ BAD goggles clamped over their eyes, were able to see Trump's insane Gish gallops, lies, and full-blown dementia; this isn't going to get any better for him when he's already lost 20%-25% of GOP voters in every state primary and still is going to be sentenced in his criminal trial;

The D.C. political elite screaming about how Biden should step down (FOUR MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTION) and leave the Democrats to start from scratch with some Star Chamber-selected candidate with no money and no incumbency record and no organization apparatus and a divided party are either fucking weapons grade morons or working secretly for Trump, because that IS in fact the best way to lose the election;

Such speculation seems to fall chiefly on Gavin Newsom, who (to his credit) has shut down any and all suggestion that he should try to step in and take the place of an incumbent who has won every state primary with 90% or more, because he's remotely sane and understands that this year is too important to fuck around with;

I've somehow never seen any suggestion that Biden should step aside for the duly elected (brown, female) Vice President, because everyone seems to think some Young Miraculous White Guy is coming and/or should step in;

All this while SCOTUS is clearly so confident of Trump getting back in that it's willing to grant him Absolute God King status pre- and post-emptively;

Yes, Biden needs to up his game before the next debate (though that's on Fox News iirc, blargh), but I think it's far enough post-debate that we can say it was bad but did not sink him, and if anything, reinforced the fact to many ordinary, non-brainwormed voters that Biden is old (which has been the number one chief theme of news coverage for four years and is no surprise to anyone) but is a decent and principled man doing a good job, while Trump is an absolute gibbering insane orange shitmonger fascist. I don't think he did himself any favors in that regard.

....anyway. The point is, do not be fucking insane people, Biden is not going to step down and frankly shouldn't, don't read the NYT (as noted, they've openly admitted to sabotaging him for personal ego reasons so I don't know why the hell anyone would listen to what they have to say about him), this is still an eminently winnable election, and let's go get those motherfucking fascists. I want Trump in jail and all of SCOTUS and the MAGAGOP fucking crying over it because they fucking suck. Let's go.

[smusherina]

yard work - chapter 13 (regina george x reader)

fandom: Mean Girls (all media)

pairing: Regina George x OFC/Reader

summary: You'd been in the same class as Regina George since kindergarten. You'd lived on the same street even longer. Once upon a time, when life was sandbox disputes and who got the swing first arguments, you'd even been friends. Now, in junior year of high school, you doubted she even remembered you. The same couldn't be said about you. You definitely remembered her.

warning(s): derogatory slurs! several of them!

chapter 1 / chapter 2 / chapter 3 / chapter 4 / chapter 5 / chapter 6 / chapter 7 / chapter 8 / chapter 9 / chapter 10 / chapter 11 / chapter 12 / chapter 14

It was Friday. The last day of school, the night of the talent show, and just a few days before Christmas. They'd be passing out the candy cane-grams. There'd be some assembly, probably.

Your leg jittered restlessly while you tried to focus on your bio paper. What kind of sadistic fuck assigned an essay on the last day before break? The biology teacher, apparently. He had a superiority complex, you were sure. Allergic to happiness.

Your mind kept drifting back to the photo album. Surely, Regina had it. You'd put it in her locker on Wednesday, so she'd have found it first thing Thursday morning. You hadn't dared to take a peek in her locker, afraid Gretchen would sniff you out again.

Something had clearly gone down between them. Gretchen didn't sit with them at lunch, instead opting for her boyfriend's clique. She didn't seem to fit in too well and Jason didn't seem too pleased to have her there. Karen and Regina sat by themselves, conversing casually.

Cady had been banished somewhere. You'd heard talk Aaron had dumped her. You knew Janis and Damien weren't talking to her after she turned her back on them. Since the whole Kälteen bar shebang and the subsequent smear campaign Regina had doled out, she hadn't been exactly welcome at any table. From what you understood, Gretchen and Cady were on speaking terms, but Karen and Gretchen weren't, but Cady and Karen were. It was all terribly confusing.

You had a table for yourself. Some of your old friends crowded the ones nearby, quite pointedly not sitting with you. You were no longer cool, it seemed. Easier to focus on your paper, you told yourself. The cafeteria was serving chilli today. The slop was slightly too watery and the meat was a mystery, but it'd do. You'd run out of food at home. You'd wanted a goddamn Christmas dinner and a good slab of ham got pricy. Couldn't rely on Mrs George for a feast this time around.

"Hey," Someone called near you. You looked up, surprised somebody was talking to you. A boy, more specifically a jock judging by the varsity jacket. "You good?"

"What?" Your brows furrowed. "Yeah?"

He smiled smarmily. "Cool."

And he walked away. You kept looking as he went, staring after his back. His buddies were looking your way, the same kinds of grins on their faces. That was odd. Didn't bode well.

It didn't take long for you to find out why. The period following lunch was when Damien would be visiting classrooms as Santa Claus, handing out candy canes.

He walked right up to you with a grin hidden under the fake Santa beard, wiggling his eyebrows all the while.

"The whole bag..." He drawled. "Impressive."

Confused, you peered into the sack. A couple dozen candy canes filled it, apparently all for you. You picked one out, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in your stomach as well as the snickering of the boys in the back rows.

Dyke. The message was just one word. It was clearly assigned to you, your whole name displayed proudly. Your body went numb, hands holding the candy limply. There was no signature to show who they were from. People were staring at you. Damien had lingered awhile to see what'd been written to you. The grin behind his beard had turned into a shocked scowl.

"What... What do they say?" Cady, of all people, the nerve of her, asked. She was seated a few rows from you.

"Alright, Mr Leigh, thanks for-" Ms Norbury tried to intervene.

"Dyke." You read out loud. Then you pulled out another. "Lesbo." And another. "Carpet muncher." The boys had trouble holding in their laughs. Another. "Queer." There were others you didn't deign to read out loud. Freak. Pervert. Degenerate. Homo.

If not for a few people finding all this amusing, it would've been dead silent in the classroom.

"These were supposed to be checked before handing out." Ms Norbury strode up to you and promptly confiscated the candies. Her face was set, expression severe, as she regarded Damien sternly.

"I- that wasn't my job. I don't know how, how they would've..." You watched Damien try to put it together.

"Well, is it really offensive if it's true?" Dylan, if you remembered correctly, piped up. He was a sporty guy, decently popular but nothing special. Now, though, he might as well have been an A-lister with how utterly low you'd plummeted.

Murmurs spread out around you. Damien and Ms Norbury retreated to a corner of the classroom to figure out how in the hell this had happened. People were looking at you. Your skin was crawling. It couldn't be Janis who told. She was in the same boat as you and she didn't have the power to do something like this. To make the committee ignore hateful messages meant some strings had been pulled. The only other person that knew, that could realistically do this, was Regina.

You bit your lip, closed your eyes and took a deep breath. Okay. You got the message. The album had been too much. This was a sign to stay away, to forget all the sentimentalities you'd had.

"Hey, calm down now, we'll figure this out- hey!" You didn't pause to listen to Ms Norbury when you booked it out of the stifling classroom. You couldn't bear to be there any longer.

You hid in the bathroom. Both hands held against your mouth so you wouldn't make a noise, you cried long and hard. Your breathing was choppy and laboured, and in no time at all your nose was blocked off entirely. Your eyes stung and your vision blurred.

The bell rang and pretty soon people came into the bathroom. You refused to get out, pretending to take the longest shit ever. It didn't take very long for the people coming in to discuss what had gone down in one of the junior calc classes.

It spread like wildfire. You were pretty sure the boys had nicked some of the candy canes from Ms Norbury since you could hear people reading the notes out loud, the rustling of the plastic covering.

"Who even is that?"

"Who cares? A total freak is what she is. Oh my gosh, Steph, do you think..."

"What?"

"Do you think she used the girls' bathroom? She's probably spread her diseases all over the seats! We're all gonna have gonorrhoea!"

You wanted to sink into the ground and never see daylight again. By the time the bell rang again, signalling the start of the next period, the rumours had inflated and grown disproportionately in severity.

Apparently, you were riddled with sexually transmitted diseases, preyed on freshmen and sold them hard drugs, behaved creepily in locker rooms, and had had a stint with Cady Heron while she was still with Aaron Samuels. You guessed that last one had to do with the time you'd dragged her into the janitor's closet to yell at her about the Kälteen bars.

In short, you were fucked. Your life was fucked. You'd hoped, so hoped, that even if you wouldn't get everything you wanted, you'd get some. You wouldn't get a high school girlfriend, wouldn't have slumber parties, wouldn't be normal. You wouldn't be Regina's friend. Fine. At least you could've had a quiet life, gone to community college and worked at the shop, had some buddies, and maybe lost your virginity one day. Not even that now. Not even a little bit of that. Your future in this town was just no longer there. You had nothing. You were nothing.

You skulked out of the bathroom once you were sure there'd be nobody in the halls. You got into your car and drove home. Just as you'd slumped down onto the couch, the house phone rang. Groaning, you went to answer. If it was your dad, missing it would mean there'd be hell to pay.

"Hello?" Your voice was croaky. It hurt to talk.

"Hi, sweetie! You don't sound too good." Mrs George's chirp greeted you. "I assume you had to leave school 'cause of that. I just happened to see you drive by. Rick got called to work last minute and Kylie's got tutoring till late. Come keep me company?"

"I'm not feeling too well, I'm sorry..." You said, holding the phone to your ear while your other arm wrapped around your body. You tried to breathe deep and not burst out crying, again. Your eyes felt swollen shut.

"Oh, I'll come by with some soup, then," She sounded so genuinely concerned.

You bit your lip. Tummy rumbling in its emptiness, you decided now would be as good of a time as any to bite the bullet.

"Actually, uh, if it's not too much to ask, and um- I-" You took in a shuddering breath. "You don't have to say yes, it's totally okay and I'm sorry if this is, like, too much-"

"Sweetpea, just ask." She chuckled.

"I don't have any food. Or, like, I have ingredients for Christmas 'cause I wanted to make dinner for myself, but I guess I forgot I have to eat before then too?" You tried to laugh, but the sound was strained. "Um, could you take me to the soup kitchen downtown?"

You could've driven yourself. You could've, in that you were capable of driving yourself, but with how your vision was impaired, how your body ached with loneliness, and how you weren't sure you wouldn't just impulsively drive into oncoming traffic, you doubted you would've survived the trip.

"No." She said bluntly. You flinched, feeling the refusal like a knife to the gut. "No, absolutely not. We are going grocery shopping and getting you food to last the rest of the damn year. I'm picking you up."

"Mrs George, I don't have money-"

"You shouldn't be spending your hard-earned money like that. Doesn't your dad send you enough to cover utilities?"

"He sends me grocery money. I gotta pay for gas and stuff on my own."

Mrs George's resounding silence spoke volumes of her opinion on that. "I'm coming to get you. I'm buying you groceries and then we're gonna meal prep. Okay?"

"Okay."

When Mrs George saw you, her determined attitude shifted to that of maternal worry. You fought hard not to break down, though all you really wanted to do was curl into her and cry your little heart out.

She drove you to Whole Foods, a place way out of your budget. But she insisted, so there was little you could do. She took you from aisle to aisle, prattling on and on, chatting about this and that. You listened mostly silently, humming here and there.

She picked out a lot of canned stuff, like beans and tomato purée. All that stuff was made to last forever, so you wouldn't always have to buy fresh ingredients. She bought all your favourite snacks, which she somehow remembered. When you commented on that, she just pointed at her temple with a knowing grin. Mothers never forget, she'd said.

Once you were all done, the cart was quite literally overflowing. The total nearly made your stomach drop out of your ass. Mrs Geoge simply flashed her black card and, without even a wince, paid the price. The receipt was, like, three feet long.

Carrying it all to her car was a daunting task, but a worker did come to help you. A young man, probably home from college, was all too eager to carry the bags for Mrs George.

The way he was blushing all the way up to his ears, the way she was amused by him but not receptive, made you think about what Regina had said months ago. You'd been on your way to her nail appointment and she'd gone on a tangent about how women died at menopause.

Mrs George was thriving. She was above it all. Her worth, or mortality, wasn't determined by the men around her. She'd been cheated on, continuously neglected by her husband, and put down by her teenage daughter, and still, she was beautiful. She existed independently.

In short, you were right and Regina was wrong. You saw things how they really were. She saw things tilted to the left, through a warped lens. The confirming of this brought you no comfort, she'd already ruined you and there was no redeeming herself after this, at least not for you.

"Phew, what a trip, right?" She nudged you with her elbow as she buckled her seatbelt.

You nodded along, voice still weak. You buckled in as well.

"I'll pick you up for the talent show." She said as she turned away from the parking lot. "Oooh, we should have a night in. Order some pizzas and slob around the couch. How's that sound?"

"I don't think I should go to the talent show."

"Oh, why's that?"

"Just... Something happened at school. I don't wanna go."

Mrs George frowned and glanced at you. "Honey, you know you can tell me anything. I still think you should come."

"Everybody hates me." You faced the window and crossed your arms. Very mature.

"I'm sure that's not true." She sighed. "I'm not supposed to tell you, but Regina's got something prepared for you. I think you should go see her at least."

Your face twisted in anger. "Something prepared for me- like she prepared something for me today? I don't fucking think so."

"Language." She said and you grumbled. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing. It's nothing." You rubbed your hands down your jeans. "It's not gonna be good. She's gonna humiliate me."

"It's supposed to be a surprise, but I can guarantee that she's not going to humiliate you."

"What do you know?" You turned to her with narrowed eyes.

"I've been hearing her practice, is all." She responded, tone much too light.

You studied her face carefully. "Fine."

She smiled, seemingly relieved. Then, as if to cut the tension in the car, said:

"Oh, and by the way, I'm filing for divorce." With a giddy smile on her face, she blurted it out. You just stared for a while, almost suffering whiplash from the sudden change in topic.

"Uh... Finally." You laughed a little as you said that.

"Yeah!" She laughed with you. "It's been a long time coming. I just needed to sort some things out. Emotionally and financially. I had to get rid of some investments so I wouldn't have to pay alimony."

Your jaw dropped. The Georges were, like, filthy rich. Rich beyond reason, excess income to a ridiculous degree. You'd always assumed it was Mr George's money. How archaic of you.

"I... I kinda wished you'd done it sooner." You looked forward again. She was driving carefully since the snow made the roads prone to ice.

"Me too. The girls... They... I thought that having two parents would be the most stable, safe environment for them. I was wrong."

"Yeah." You swallowed. "Um. Since we're, like, just saying things. I'm, by the way, gay. Like, a lesbian."

"That's wonderful, honey!"

"Yeah." You couldn't say you agreed.

"Should we go get you a haircut?"

"I don't need to look any more butch than I do."

"I don't know, I think you'd look dashing." She feigned light-hearted. "Regina might like it."

"Mrs George!"

Notes: More drama! Yay! Do y'all think Regina did it?

Taglist posted separately. Please comment on the taglist post to be added on there :)

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 184 (Making Time For Friends)

Before the end of his first weekend back home, Ash was playing fetch in the yard with Gord when two of his classmates at Brindleton Bay School came to visit. Scotti Holiday and Arun Kalani arrived in the afternoon, greeting their friend with warm hugs.

"Our parents said you were home and we had to see it for ourselves," announced Scotti, the eldest daughter of Travis Scott and Summer Holiday. "You don't look more like a Landgraab after a year in the city."

"Uh thanks...I think?"

"Same old Ash Landgraab," she mused. "It's good to see you again, Ashy."

"My Aunt Hazel doesn't even call me Ashy anymore," he said.

"Speaking of name changes, did you hear this guy changed the spelling of his own name? Now he's A-r-u-n, but before you left he was A-r-r-o-n. Who does that?!"

Arun, the eldest son of Zoe Patel and Mitchell Kalani, scowled. "My mom said when I was born she felt like she needed to make the name on my birth certificate sound more Brindletonian, but she spelled Aaron wrong, too! My name is the one she wanted me to have in the first place, Scotti."

Scotti Holiday was still a mean girl, especially as she inched closer to teenhood, but Arun Kalani wasn't exactly a great influence, either. As soon as he walked inside to use the bathroom, Conrad caught the little klepto trying to steal some artwork off the family's wall.

"Arun Kalani, the precinct isn't going to need to keep an eye on you, will they?"

Arun grimaced, foiled in the thrill of the steal. "No, Captain Gordon. I'm sorry."

Lavender kept to herself while Ash hung out with his friends, doing yoga in the backyard until Gord interrupted her for a hug. (Backed up on laundry don't mind the mess!)

Gord knew Lavender disliked large groups, and even though the friendly dog loved scritches from any stranger willing to give them, some of his favourites came from the girl he'd loved and protected from the day she was born.

Lavender loved all the pets. Even Queen Cupcake, the most aloof of the bunch loved Lavender's attention, and she was often content to spend her time after homework and violin practice hanging out with her four-legged friends.

But she also made time for her closest human friend, Barrett Hecking, who came by to hang out after school sometimes. Even when it rained, Lavender convinced him to cloudgaze in the mud.

"The rain keeps hitting our faces," he complained, but he followed her lead as she told a story about the skies leaking water to keep all the strays happy.

"Do you think the water knows when it has to fall?" Barrett wondered.

Lavender thought about it, pursing her lips into a curious grin. "I think so," she agreed.

It was still raining when they went inside, and Barrett didn't want to put away his umbrella. "Is your roof leaking?"

"That's not the roof. My baby brother's room is upstairs."

"So then why is it raining?"

"It's not raining that hard in here. You probably don't need your umbrella."

"I just put the blue streaks in. They'll wash out!"

"It's cool your dads let you put dye in your hair. My parents say I'm too young."

"We're the same age."

Lavender shrugged from the kitchen table. "That's what they said."

And the kids weren't the only ones making time for friends; Heather was at home with Emi Kudo when her sister Hazel popped by unannounced.

"Sorry it's been too long since I've been around. The cafe's really busy and so is getting everything ready for Alex's mayoral campaign."

"Has anyone declared to run against him yet?"

Hazel nodded. "That's why I'm here. J Huntington, who runs Bay Landgraab Security, filed papers the other day. We need volunteers to canvas and door knock to make sure J and his heavies at the security company don't intimidate people who plan to vote for Alex Goth."

"I'll help however I can. J's guys can't intimidate the whole town, can they?"

"We hope they can't."

Hazel glanced at Emi, whom she'd never met before, and Heather remembered to introduce them. "Emi used to be a vet tech here in Brindleton Bay, but she moved to Evergreen Harbour before I bought the clinic. Her husband did the recent remodel! She's out for her dog's annual checkup and to thank me and Holly for suggesting her son audition for the San My Ballet Company."

Hazel offered a friendly smile as the women moved to the sofa. "Wow, that's amazing. Congratulations!"

Emi nodded proudly. "Thank you. He moves to the city in a few weeks and he'll be staying Uptown with a family who has two girls at the ballet school - Johnny and Eva Zest. We met them over a teleconference before I flew out, and both Charlie and his twin brother, Oliver, said they recognized him from a few comedy roasts on Simflix."

"We know Johnny and Eva," said Heather. "He's my son's great-uncle on his father's side. They're great people with great kids. Charlie will be in good hands in the city."

"Johnny's a funny guy," Hazel agreed warmly. "I wonder if Charlie will dance with Ash's friend Pearl."

Heather nodded. "I don't know anything about ballet, but I know Pearl has a pending offer of admission to the company when she turns thirteen. I know how headstrong her mother is, so I don't doubt Pearl in the slightest. What a small world it would be if Charlie and Pearl ended up dancing Swan Lake together someday."

"Layne and I don't want Charlie to feel any more pressure than the pressure he already puts on himself. But we know he's in the best place to build toward his dream, and we can't wait to see what he does with the opportunity."

Heather and her family made all the time in the world for each other, but made time to nurture their friendships, too. As spring slowly creeped toward summer, the Gordons' lives were blissfully full. ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 2.1 Summary

Gen 1 Start | Gen 1 Summary

NOTE: I was feeling like I had missed an opportunity to change the spelling of Arron Kalani's name to Arun when he was a baby because his his mother is Zoe Patel (and Arron always irritated me with the two r's, anyway, I know BS reason), but @matchalovertrait gave me the idea of him embracing his name's original spelling now that he's almost a teenager himself. I loved the idea so Arron is, from here on out, officially Arun Kalani!

[vettedfundraisergaza]

There are campaigns that attract a lot of attention and receive significant donations and I feel happy for them knowing they've reached or are close to reaching their goal

But unfortunately there are many forgotten campaigns that no matter how much they try to share their story don’t get enough attention and it’s our duty to support them because they truly need help

Islam started his campaign in July and until now he hasn’t even raised 4000 euros in total despite his father his cancer-stricken mother his younger sisters his brother and his grandfather with a physical disability caused by previous bombing all depend on this

He desperately needs our support right now to raise enough money for his mother’s treatment before cancer progresses any further

Please pay attention to Islam’s campaign and donate as sometimes he receives as little as 5 euros in an entire week

@politicalblade @fancysmudges @brokenbackmountain @just-browsing1222-deactivated20 @mothblossoms @aleciosun @fluoresensitive @khizuo @lesbiandardevil @transmutationisms @schoolhater @timogsilangan @appsa @buttercuparry @sayruq @malcriada @palestinegenocide @sar-soor @akajustmerry @annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @feluka @tortiefrancis @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @visenyasdragon @belleandsaintsebastian @ear-motif @kordeliiius @brutaliakhoa @raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish @theropoda @tamarrud @4ft10tvlandfangirl @queerstudiesnatural @northgazaupdates2 @skatezophrenic @awetistic-things @camgirlpanopticon @baby-girl-aaron-dessner @nabulsi @sygol @junglejim4322 @heritageposts @chososhairbuns @palistani @dlxxv-vetted-donations @illuminated-runas @imjustheretotrytohelp

[supportgaza]

A Merry Christmas in Ireland while my Family in Gaza is Escaping Death Daily: Help me Evacuate and Reunite with my Family

Vetted by:

1. @el-shab-hussein and @nabulsi # 151 on the spreadsheet of Vetted Gaza Fundraisers List]

2. @riding-with-the-wild-hunt Here .

One's family is the soul of his/her soul. Is there a life without a soul?

I would never wish for my worst enemies to be in my situation (being far away in safety while every member of my family is dodging the bullets, missiles, and shrapnel daily. They live in fear and are deprived of all the necessities for a humane normal life.

I do NOT buy the manipulative misleading news about a ceasefire to be signed soon because we had heard such news countless times in the past year. Unfortunately, the genocide, chaos, loss, and killing will continue in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The atmosphere where I am in Ireland is filled with joy, gratefulness, Christmas songs and decorations, and the streets, cafes, and shops are filled with happy families. However, I look down into my heart and all I see is a broken heart filled with fear and agony. No words in the English language properly and aptly describes the fear that strikes my heart and spreads with blood through my body when my mother said: "The bombing never stops in our area and the quad copters fire their bullets at people walking in the street." Even the most gory and bloody horror movies can not reflect a portion of the terror and fear the has overtaken and consumed people.

When I hear the work Nusairat, the area in central Gaza where my family is, I get a panic attack and suddenly lose sense of my surrounding. I hear news everyday about entire families including women and children being targeted by Israeli missiles made in American and Europe, and I fear for my family. Would not you, too? Me and you are not so different after all. We are made of flesh, bones and blood. We have dreams, ambitions and aspirations. We care and fear for our families and loved ones. So, what made our blood in Gaza so cheap? When did we turn into less of human beings?

I can tell you without equivocation that we are damaged and broken beyond what you could possibly think. Entire cities in the Gaza Strip were flattened. My family's house in the north of Gaza was severely damaged and our city has turned into an unlivable ghost city.

From our family to all the families out there that care for Gaza and Gazans, please boost our campaign in whatever way you can and help us reach our final goal. Help my family evacuate and reunite in Ireland. While enjoying this Christmas break with your family and loved ones, please do not forget your brothers and sisters in Gaza who go through horrors you cannot begin to imagine.

My family is in a place where a missile can fall and tear them to pieces. We deserve to be together in a safe place away from the chaos, death, terror, and bullets. Please put your hand in mine as I strive to get them out of there. Please contribute to this noble cause in whatever way you can. Take whatever action; do something, please!

Please donate, reblog, and share.

We are at 64% of our final goal and getting closer to acheiving our final goal.

Tagging for reach <3 Please boost my family's campaign

@fancysmudges @brokenbackmountain  @mothblossoms

@aleciosun @fluoresensitive @khizuo @lesbiandardevil

@transmutationisms @timogsilangan @buttercuparry

@sayruq @malcriada @palestinegenocide @sar-soor

@akajustmerry @annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @feluka

@tortiefrancis @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides    @kordeliiius

@raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish @theropoda @tamarrud

@4ft10tvlandfangirl @queerstudiesnatural @northgazaupdates2

@skatezophrenic @awetistic-things @camgirlpanopticon

@baby-girl-aaron-dessner @sygol @junglejim4322   

@ibtisams  @90-ghost @fairuzfan   @fallahifag @humanvoicebox

@plomegranate @commissions4aid-international  

 @ghost-and-a-half   @ibtisams    @troythecatfish

@ghost-and-a-half  @irhabiya @captainsplat @vasira96

@suggestionsofkindness @catgirl-kaiju @melissa-titanium

@psalidodont @weirdplutoprince @xanfeursel @droodlebug

@tothepointofinsanity

@ankhisms @communist-ojou-sama @ghosthoodie

@rickybabyboy @etchif @fromjannah @catamaurrr-star @chronic-lesbian @wormzandgutz @postanagramgenerator

@toasty-self-shipping @butchfeygela @puppyizm @pulsingvoid @poetrylesbian @skunkes @danijaci @girl-biter @cupiidzbow

@junkirat @maybuds @beetlebongos @littlegermanboy

@dykentery @itwashotwestayedinthewater

@fishfingersandscarves @sunshinetomorrow @thetyrannosaur

@worm-suggestion @nyaskitten

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Mitchell Armentout at Chicago Sun-Times:

Vowing to shield Illinois from President Donald Trump “and his malignant clown car in Congress,” Gov. JB Pritzker announced his run for a third term as the state’s chief executive Thursday by trumpeting the progressive wins of his first seven years as a counterweight to “chaos and craziness” from Washington. The Democratic incumbent returned to the Grand Crossing Park Field House where he launched his first run for governor in 2017, this time with a speech that wouldn’t require much editing to work on a presidential campaign trail. Bemoaning a moment in which “everything is too damned expensive” and “fascist freak show fanatics” have ascended to power, Pritzker positioned himself as a “happy warrior on behalf of our state,” with “no greater fight than the one to protect the working families here.”

“It turns out that Illinoisans of all shapes, races, sizes, backgrounds, sports allegiances, professions and political persuasions were ready to be happy warriors, too. Sometime over the last seven years, I looked up and realized I was surrounded by an army,” Pritzker told a packed gym of supporters inside the sweltering field house, next to his wife, MK Pritzker. “There is power in saying out loud: The story of Illinois is not set in stone. And we should justifiably feel proud of who we are, where we come from and where we are trying to go. “I ran for governor in 2018 to change our story. I ran for governor in 2022 to keep telling our story. And I am running for governor in 2026 to protect our story,” Pritzker said. The 60-year-old billionaire’s South Side rally was the first of four crisscrossing the state on Thursday, with stops in Rockford, Peoria and Springfield, all touting legislative achievements from the legalization of marijuana and a ban on assault weapons to expanded abortion protections and nine credit rating upgrades for the state.

[...] Nor would the governor reveal who will join him at the top of the ticket for the March 2026 primary election. Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton will depart Pritzker’s administration as she runs for the U.S. Senate seat soon to be vacated by Sen. Dick Durbin. Pritzker said his running mate would be announced “shortly,” with Cook County Democratic Party slating set for next month and candidate petitions circulating later this summer. “They’ve got to live up to the standard that’s already been set by the best lieutenant governor our state’s ever had, Juliana Stratton. Second, they’ve got to be somebody who can do the job if something happens. … Just as importantly, [it has to be] somebody who really has a heart for the people of the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said.

[...] Republican candidates are still lining up for their latest bout with Pritzker, a Hyatt hotel heir who pumped some $350 million into his first two gubernatorial campaigns. Former DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick has thrown his hat in the ring, as have south suburban mechanic Phil Perez and former north suburban congressional candidate Joseph Severino. U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, Cook County GOP chair Aaron Del Mar and former Illinois National Republican Committeeman Richard Porter are mulling bids for governor.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) announces he is running for a 3rd term for his current post. Pritzker is highly likely to at least test the waters for a 2028 Presidential run.

With Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D) running for Senate, the 2nd-in-command job is going to be a interesting proposition that needs filled, and former State Sen. Andy Manar, Christian Mitchell, Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, and State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D) could vie for Pritzker’s ticketmate pick.

[nesmamomen]

I want to keep a simple memory of me with you if I die in this war. I may not be a professional artist, but I want to give you something that expresses my deep love for you. In many moments, sadness and despair filled my heart and I wished for death a lot, but your support and embrace of me was a beacon of hope for me. Israel killed a person I loved and adored and built my future with, but it compensated me with you (I am not exaggerating or flattering you), but you are a family to me. You may not consider me as such, but I consider you family and friends to me. If I die in this war, know that you have made me very happy with your support. Goodbye my friends. You are the most beautiful thing I have gotten in this war. This is the fundraiser I created to save my family. If you want to support me, donate to me and my family. I love you all.

Forgive me if I have saddened any of you.

•My campaign has been verified✓✓

@\nabulsi here @\el-shab-hussein here

@fancysmudges @brokenbackmountain @aleciosun @fluoresensitivearchived @khizuo @lesbiandardevil @transmutationisms @schoolhater @timogsilangan @appsa @buttercuparry @sayruq @malcriada @palestinegenocide @sar-soor @akajustmerry @annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @feluka @tortiefrancis @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @visenyasdragon @belleandsaintsebastian @ear-motif @kordeliiius @brutaliakhoa @raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish @theropoda @tamarrud @4ft10tvlandfangirl @queerstudiesnatural @northgazaupdates2 @skatezophrenic @awetistic-things @camgirlpanopticon @baby-girl-aaron-dessner @nabulsi @sygutka @junglejim4322 @heritageposts @chososhairbuns @palistani @dlxxv-vetted-donations @illuminated-runas @imjustheretotrytohelp

[miss-vanta-likes-to-write]

Loyalties chapter 7

Loyalties Masterlist

CW: check the main master list for warnings

Bambi sat at her desk, staring at the encrypted email. Her eye twitches just a bit as she rereads it over and over again. In her mind, she knew that this peace wouldn't last. In their world where demons make shit shake, peace never lasts. It comes in fleeting moments once you're made aware, and the moments you get, you have to make the most of it.

 

Miss Bambi,

I hope this message finds you well. We know that we can not contact your father directly anymore and that you're all laying low, but we need direction. One of our associates is in danger of being flipped. They were caught up in the raid at the estate in South America. One of our guys on the inside wants to know if they should act preemptively and dispose of them or get them out.

We also need funds to bribe a few gangs to turn a blind eye for a few things here in L.A. and to set up a new supply route. I know that Madame Carrie wanted to keep you far away from that particular mess of jobs, but her chosen replacement to look after it was just killed in a shootout and we need you or Master Malik to pick another one. I have attached a short list for you to vet through.

Lastly, I wish Miss Sophia and Miss Ananiah a happy seventh birthday on behalf of the Castello South Western Branch Pack. May God keep them.

-L

The email was the first in a laundry list of things to do. She was starting to regret not following her mother's ridiculous method of doing things. There was money to move around, branch packs and affiliate packs to pay, government bribes to keep track of and black mail to keep in order. On top of that, she had to help Aaron run a PR campaign for some fat cat that wanted to break into politics, and said cat was probably doing it for notoriety rather than making things better. Either way it was about to be a never ending goddamn list of things to do. 

And that was before she had to start coordinating their public lives and appearances.

She got to work looking through the list of captured people from the raid. Most of the people were factory workers, putting together whatever illegal weapons that were being secretly ordered by less powerful governments. Her eyes scanned the list looking for the project managers of the group. On a separate screen she had a list of dead that was accounted for from the raid. Protocol for all project managers dictates that should they be endangered of being apprehended, they are to kill themselves. Out of the twenty project managers, only two were alive and one of them was reassigned two days before the raid. The other, a poor soul named Marcus, was the one caught.

Bambi remembered Marcus, he was a sweet and doting beta that followed her mother around like a lost puppy. When he wasn't doting on her mother, or overseeing numerous projects that were top secret, he could be found doting on Bambi. He was her favorite worker, always bringing her new snacks from the places he visited when he traveled. He had kind eyes, a kind smile, and was absolutely ruthless in hand to hand combat. She had seen him take down men who were double his size.

‘Is it even possible to save him?’ She thought. ‘Or would it be better to kill him and keep everyone near him safe. Fuck what about the inside guy? Would he be caught if he was going to kill him? Shit now I gotta figure out if I'm about to put out an order to kill the inside guy too. Fucking fuck.’

Her phone chimes and lights up. It's her boot camp group chat.

Johnny: Bonnie 💖

Johnny: Bonnie lookit ur phone 😀

Kyle: 😒 it is 7am, she's probably sleep 

Johnny: I need her to look so she can see the good morning text

Kyle: 🙄

Kyle: As opposed to just sending her good morning?

Bambi: can't you 2 argue in person? You all stay in the same apartment. 🤨🤨🤨

Johnny: GOOD MORNING BONNIE LASS 🥰

Bambi: morning Johnny

Johnny: wha do I gotsta do te get ye ta call me Lovie on tha regular?

Kyle: maybe she has to be cock drunk for that to happen?

Bambi: 🤨🙄😒

Kyle: idk Dove, personally I'm a bit peeved that I don't have a cute nickname yet.

Bambi: he earned his by being a munch.

Simon: I'm gonna hate asking. But what is a munch?

Bambi: hold up✋🏾, Kyle and Simon I didn't get a good morning before you both started speaking to me. 

Kyle: sorry Dove. Good morning 🌄

Simon: …

Bambi: and so I blocked 🚫 Simon 🚫 again. Another hour of no talking to me. 

Simon: …

Johnny: 😂 

Kyle: you got plans today, Dove?

Bambi: yes. Contrary to what you all may think, I do have a job to do. 😩

Bambi: I'm not always out bar crawling or spending my time looking sexy. 😏

Simon: quit your job.

Kyle: Simon!

Bambi: I'm sorry what now

Simon: I said quit your job and pick up a hobby.

Johnny: Bonnie he's joking, I promise 😬

Bambi: whomst the fuck are you to even suggest I do that? 

Simon: one of your soon to be alphas.

Kyle: Simon now would be a good time to backtrack and renege

Simon: why would we want our omega working when we can just provide for you? 

Bambi: alright bet beloved 🙃

Johnny: wait, that donnae sound too good. 

Bambi sat her phone down and ignored the messages from the group chat. She went back to her conundrum about Marcus and that whole situation. She estimated she had maybe twenty four more hours remaining since he had already been in custody for a while. After about twenty minutes of her phone being silent, she got another message, but it was private from John.

John: Sweetheart, I already spoke to Simon. What time are you done with work so that he can properly apologize?

Bambi: what do you mean?

John: I mean that he offended you, and he is going to apologize. 

Bambi: are you making him?

John: No I am not. It's not an excuse, but Simon can be a bit rough on the edges. Mate has a habit of just being blunt and refusing social tact and just being bullheaded when it comes to his goals.

Bambi: and he can't say this to me?

John: He won't say it out right. He's stubborn that way. That stubbornness gets in the way. 

Bambi: sounds like a him issue John.

Bambi: what did you say to him?

John: That he needed to have patience with you and that there's no rush to claim you right out. 

John: He is worried.

Bambi: about?

John: We'll explain everything once we get the clearance to do so Sweetheart. I promise. 

Bambi: I'm done with work at 2.

John: Perfect. Also, because I forgot. Good Morning Sweetheart. 

Bambi: Good Morning to you too John. 💖

The promise of an apology didn't quell her anger at what Simon said, but it took the underlying sting from it. Seeing those words made her think of him. Made her think of a similar if not outright same argument she had surrounding her ninth month of courtship. She had been so angry then, being reminded of her fate to belong to another alpha, to be fucking stuck with no way out. College had opened her eyes and broadened her mind to what a normal life could be. She wasn't going to give that up so easily, that freedom that was on a ticking time bomb, that couldn't be defused. That bomb was strapped to her the day she was born from her mother. The timer was set the day her father had a finalized paternity test on him being her biological father.

The timer reached zero the moment she stepped out the door and left her mother to her fate. The same fate that would be waiting for her, waiting for any omega foolish enough to be born of her blood. A new bomb built and then carefully wired to her future omega son or daughter. Set to go off whenever it was convenient. Castello omegas were the only ones that could birth another blooded Castello, and she was the only one. 

How great and how tragic to be this chalice that would pour out more people to suffer.

“BamBam!” Aaron stuck his head into her office, “Huh, it smells like agitation in here.” his nose twitched. “You good?”

“No, just working through the back end and backlog of family stuff.” 

“Yeah, you do hate that don't you?” He plopped himself down on the couch across from her desk. Splayed out he looked like some old dainty woman suffering from heat. “Gosh, I feel like a wilting flower.”

“What do you want?” She laughed.

He waited for a moment, “Xavier wants to know if he's allowed back in the house.”

“I don't know, is he?”

“Bambi,” He sighed, “It's been two days since he acted out like that in front of your beau.”

“Okay and? I'm tired of him acting like he runs shit. Everything that happens here goes through me and is approved by Malik. Why can't he accept that?” Her eye twitched so bad, it felt like it could jump right out of her face. She stopped typing on her keyboard and turned to face Aaron completely. “Does he not respect me?” Her voice cracked a bit.

Aaron frowned as he sat up. He didn't like seeing his sister be this way. So much was already expected of her, had always been expected of her. He felt bad that she was groomed to take care of everyone else, and told that her needs were always going to be last in the grand scheme of things. 

Growing up knowing that her leash would go from Antony directly to some preselected alpha that would have won the right to her. Their impeccable constitution was preferred rather than how much they loved her or would cherish her. It was just the luck of Aaron's silver tongue that he was able to cajole their father into even letting Bambi within ten feet of a college. Even then there had been heavy stipulations regarding her freedoms. Every club and activity had to be vetted, every friend thoroughly searched to the point where it felt perverted, her major was picked based on what would be beneficial to the pack at large. The small allowance of life that wasn't controlled was her little Instagram pages that documented her ups and downs, ins and outs. 

Behind a screen name called Deerest Girl, Bambi Castello was allowed to be whatever her heart desired. She was a dancer, a poet, a model, a travel blogger, whatever her very soul wanted to be. All of it, perfectly edited, all faces cropped out and any damning information hidden, on display for her 3.5 thousand cult like followers. Her secret page, Princess_BamBam held her much more sordid thoughts. A messily curated collection and tomb to her reality. An ode to her steady death march towards the inevitable, but it served as a behind the scenes look at her. Good entertainment for her wider and more privy audience that were in the know of who she was.

A shame that her hobby of documenting herself was cut short for the sake of duty.

Aaron felt like he had a front row seat, a direct line of sight to her soul right now. What a great privilege it is to know Bambi and all of her different facets, public and private. All of them lovely no matter how bleak and dull some of them are, compared to the brilliance that she showed once she stepped foot out of her cage.

He took in a breath and thought carefully about his next sentence. He always had a way with shifting people's emotions in the direction he wanted them to go. Right now though, he knew that Bambi needed something he couldn't give her. He would settle on what he could give her though and hope it would be enough. 

“Xavier cares for you. He cares for your safety, your future, and wants what's best for you.”

Bambi sniffled as she stared at her brother. “He doesn't respect me.” Why were her words landing on deaf ears? “I'm the pack’s dominant omega, I now have to keep tabs on the ten other families associated with us and every bit of information that gets filtered to our brother and Malik has given me orders to do what needs to be done. I don't have to run every little thing by Xavier, ever unless it deals directly with him.” She huffed trying to get the words out, "Least of all who I decide to entertain."

“It's more than that, Bambi. Until our father is in a box Malik will not be lead alpha to him and he will see everything you do as going outside of father’s wishes.” Aaron got up and knelt in front of her. He wiped away the few tears that escaped her.

“So I'm supposed to just work and follow the ideas of a man who isn't here, and do nothing else?” Bambi felt like the world was suddenly closing in on her. The omega inside of her was howling in pity at their plight. Her chest hurt.

“No, we just want you to rest when you can and be happy when you feel like it.” He offered a small smile.

Bambi looked away from Aaron. She grabs a tissue, blows her nose and sighs. “I gotta get back to work Aaron.”

“Okay BamBam, holler if you need me.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaving. 

They both knew his silver tongue didn't work this time. 

Xoxo

It had been a while since John gave Simon a good dressing down and boy did Simon actually feel like a scolded child. He didn't understand why the older man wasn't itching to bite and claim their omega. On base, most packs would have found their omega or beta or a successfully bitched alpha and marked them before two weeks were up. Who the fuck even heard of a year long courtship? They were soldiers, when out in the field, not even thirty seconds of the future was promised, let alone the prospect of an entire year continuously. 

“If you want her to like you, you have to put in the work Riley, you can't just order her around like that.” John used his last name and only did that when he was beyond disappointed. He then looked at Kyle and Johnny, “Same goes for you two too. Good sex and mutual attraction does not make a strong bond. It helps but it will not carry the bulk of the work to make this dynamic happen naturally.”

They all said yes sir and then Simon was dismissed to go figure out on his own how to make things right. He couldn't even get help from Johnny who was more charismatic with women, or Kyle who just somehow always understood emotions better. He knew he wasn't built for this. He wasn't built for anything other than killing and living for the mission and serving his country. Deep down though, his alpha grumbled at the thought of their omega being angry at him. An angry omega meant he wasn't doing his job right. 

He was never good at accepting failure for any job he set out to do. 

He took out his phone and read the time, it was a bit past eleven. Maybe enough time had gone by to where she would at least leave him on read if not answering him directly. 

Simon: Can we talk?

Bambi: …

He smiled at the dots. It wasn't her outright ignoring him, but a small way to mirror him and his habit of acknowledgement. He took note of the lack of emojis that she was so fond of. He really was in the dog house. 

Simon: Am I allowed to come to your home?Bambi: what for?

Simon: To pick you up and take you to your apology. 

Bambi: …

Bambi: What's the dress code?

Simon: Wear something comfortable.

Bambi: okay. Here's my address. I'll let Liza know to let you in.

Simon: I'll be there at 3.

Bambi: okay Si. 

Hopefully after this evening, they will have a better understanding of each other. Simon's phone dinged once more. 

Bambi: Just because I'm going with you, doesn't mean I'm going to forgive you right away. 😤 now let me get back to work. 

Simon: …

Bambi: don't get blocked 🚫

Simon smiled slightly at the little red block sign. That was most certainly next to his name in her phone. Looking at it, it kinda made him want to laugh. 

Simon: Sure thing Princess 

Bambi: 💖

[otdiaftg]

The Raven King - Chapter Seven

Day: Thursday, October 5th Time: 11:00 AM EST

"Andrew hates her, you know. Andrew's not really big on the idea of Aaron's happiness, see? So if Aaron likes Katelyn, Andrew doesn't want him to have her. Andrew might smile awful bright but he is a master of childish spite." "That doesn't make sense," Neil said. "It's complicated," Nicky said, rubbing the back of his neck as he leaned back in his chair. "I didn't really get into the gritty details last time because those aren't really Dan and Matt's business, but you're family, so I can tell you." He looked over his shoulder again. "I told you Aunt Tilda gave Andrew up, right? That's only half of it. Truth is she put both of them in the system at first. One week later she changed her mind."

"They know she gave them both up?" Neil asked. "When Andrew's foster mother called to set up that meet-and-greet, she asked Aunt Tilda how only one of them ended up in the system. Aunt Tilda told her, and Aaron heard it on the upstairs line." Nicky gestured up as if indicating Tilda's bedroom. "I don't know why the hell Andrew's foster family told him, but yeah, he knows. I'm thinking that's why he wouldn't talk to Aaron when Aaron wrote to him. He was—justifiably, I think—pissed off." "But it's not Aaron's fault," Neil said. "It was their mother's decision." "That's Andrew for you: making sense since never." Nicky spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "Finding Andrew again was a turning point for Aaron in all the worst ways. Aunt Tilda moved them cross-country, started drinking more than ever, and got heavy-handed with Aaron. Aaron got into all kinds of trouble in some sort of traumatized rebellion. He took her drugs and got into fights at school and in general grew up to be a bit of an asshole. Mom wrote me about it when I was in Germany because she was worried about him. The only good thing Aaron did in South Carolina was play Exy, and he only picked that up so games would get him out of Aunt Tilda's house. Then Dad found out about Andrew and began this years-long campaign to bring Andrew home. Told you last time, right? He wore Aunt Tilda down until she agreed to take Andrew in, then talked to the courts and Children's Services and Andrew's last foster family. He met Andrew, who apparently wasn't at all interested in a triumphant return with his mother, and introduced Aaron to Andrew. That's when things started moving. Andrew suddenly got motivated. He started behaving and toeing the line and got released on early parole about a year later." "Andrew decided he wanted a brother after all," Neil said. "So what went wrong?" "Aunt Tilda died, and Aaron blames Andrew." "Did Andrew do it?" "The night Aunt Tilda died, she and Aaron got in a fight. That's how Mom and Dad finally found out Aunt Tilda was beating on Aaron. He showed up at their place with fresh bruises and cuts. Dad called Aunt Tilda over to sort things out, but she didn't stick around long. She took Aaron and left. They didn't make it home. She went over the median into oncoming traffic and wasn't wearing her seatbelt.... It wasn't Aaron in the car. Aaron was standing in for Andrew at a study session. That was before Andrew was on his drugs, so it was a pretty easy act for Aaron to pull off. He didn't know why Andrew asked him to do it until the police called. I still don't know what happened, if Aunt Tilda panicked when she realized which son was with her or if they were fighting or if it was intentional, but... It's not like Aaron liked her, but she was his mother, you know? And Aaron never got to fix things with her, never got to understand why she was so messed up or why she messed them up so bad. Aaron can't accept that she's gone. He misses her. He can't forgive Andrew, and Andrew doesn't understand or care about how much it hurt Aaron. Stalemate."

He spoke slowly, giving himself time to think and to bleach the grief from his voice. "Andrew did care. That's what went wrong."

Art used with permission by Aymmidumps. Thank you @aymmidumps!