#like none of her other options are spencer or grant

[heavencasteel420]

Nancy in Fanon: Jonathan, I am so disappointed that you started smoking pot after I nobly taught you that poetry is just another way to rap! I must flee for the arms of Robin Steve?? Eddie???! a guy named Spencer or Grant and he has a watch and an office and a trashcan and a little basketball hoop on it and he plays as hard as he works. Because dammit, he deserves to blow off a little steam!

Nancy in Canon: Get in, loser, we’re going shopping to uncover a government conspiracy and drink vodka and have sex in a bunker! You won’t even know who Vonnegut is by the time I’m through with you!!!

[comfy-whumpee]

Spencer

[Part one, part two.]

Alone.

One mind, one voice and one thought, singular, isolated and small. Alone. She has always been the forest and the forest has been her. She has always thought with the knowledge of the ancients around her, spoken with their multifaceted voice. She has always dreamt their wisdom and known their truth. She has heard a thousand languages, seen deep into the knowledge of the small creatures and friendly plants that grow around them. The forest has been her body and her mind. Her spirit has been one with the dryad community.

No longer.

The forest was her. The forest was everything. Now, nothing. Her thoughts are so quiet and solitary, and meaningless without the knowledge underpinning it. She can’t even remember the language these humans speak, though she feels the wisdom lurking, waiting for her magic to grow.

She needs her tree to be replanted somewhere bigger. She cannot truly grow like this, not beyond paltry size and strength. Just sustaining a working body takes so much effort, and she cannot stray from the soil. Which is fine, because beyond her plot, her hideous little cage, there is glass and brick, machine and man.

She needs a voice, and she needs their language. It will take so long. She looks over them, enjoying the novel sensation of having vision. Normally she only cared for touch, wrapping herself as a layer of bark around the tree, thinking only in concordance with the forest. The forest was whole and the forest was her.

The glass shines like water in the sun. Behind it are hard, sharp shapes, defined unlike anything nature makes. Twisted metal and other materials are manipulated by humans, upright and fleshy, talking all the while. There are things in the earth around her, and there are more pointed at her across the open space.

Eyes are such strange things. Hers are false, of course, a simple mechanism for her to wield the magic that gives her form. She has made bodies before, in the decades before now. She is old enough to know how to make a form that functions. Aesthetics, while forming an important part of human lives, do not matter to her. She can move and express. She can push away their instruments.

She can look them in the eyes, search for empathy and meaning. She sees none, in those she assesses.

Until the night.

Spencer Drew was beyond disappointed to learn her new internship with a research company would involve tree-watching.

Five years of studying and saving and applying and working, all for the chance of learning more about developing genetic modification and the possibility of changing nature, up to the point of solving world hunger - or that was the dream, anyway - and she ended up here. Watching a tree.

It wasn’t a normal tree, granted. It was stolen. The scientists had been pretty quiet about that, but Spencer wasn’t all pretty looks. (She was barely pretty looks.) There was no way they had legally procured a tree like this. Enough research, and she’d found a few options for likely sources. The tree had been trafficked.

Spencer wasn’t a big stickler for the law, of course. It was just a plant. A weird plant, yes, but still just a plant. A very weird plant.

The tree grew faster and deeper than it should. It looked vaguely like a silver birch on the trunk, but its leaves were huge.  The roots spread almost to the edges of the underground soil enclosure within its first week, and the branches amassed thickly, spreading as a meadow tree would. It was only seven foot tall, not including the roots, but it had a fully-fledged canopy an armspan in diameter by the end of the first month.

From there, though, it was all a whole lot of nothing. Waiting, and waiting, and waiting, staring at the tree on the goddamn night shift. That was internships for you. At least she was getting paid.

The humanoid section formed after months of boredom. Little shivers of magic, not that she would call it that aloud, and there were eyes, and a crag of mouth on a vaguely humanlike face.

That was fucking weird.

The magic was being dubbed foreign energy, but really that was just splitting hairs. They couldn’t measure it or even quantify it. It was something. They didn’t have any idea, and at that point, you might as well call it magic and admit your ignorance, in Spencer’s opinion. This wasn’t her area anyway.

She enjoyed reading the experiment logs for the tree, particularly the slides from the microscope. It was so freaking interesting learning how the fake body had been formed of bark and leaf and those sticky liquid eyes of sap that glowed. They didn’t think the eyes had a purpose yet, but there wasn’t much way of knowing when it seemed to ignore stimulation in favour of simply moving around. They certainly didn’t function like human or animal eyes.

But who even knew? This was all completely different to anything anyone had studied before. And Spencer was just here to watch the tree overnight and make sure it didn’t die or whatever.

The bodylike structure kept developing, and Spencer was slightly more interested by that. It didn’t last, though. The internal stuff was weird as all hell and barely comprehensible, and nobody really took the time to explain it to the lowly intern. That made things boring again.

Then it stopped, of course. A simulacrum of a functioning body, all prepped and ready to go, and the plant didn’t do anything with it but look around and pretend to breathe oxygen it probably didn’t need. Or, as they figured out one day, breathe carbon dioxide.

So fucking weird.

As the weeks go on, the protrusion looks more and more human, and Spencer starts getting uncomfortable.

The thing keeps looking at her. Doesn’t seem to care about the rest of the staff, ignores them and their tools - but when it’s Spencer refilling the water tank or checking on the systems, those amber eyes fix on her and follow her around. They meet her gaze, when she looks over her shoulder at it, though there’s no response when she pulls faces and tells it to stop being creepy. Just that regular, artificial breathing, and the slow, shutter-like blinks.

“What?” she says eventually, stopping at the door to the courtyard.

The thing blinks.

“What do you keep looking at me for?”

No response.

Spencer approaches. She’s not scared of a fucking tree, magical or not, and like this she can prove to herself it’s not, definitely not intelligent. “You’re being creepy. What is it? You never look at the others.”

There’s a crackling sound, like a twig snapping. The mouth opens, a simple line in the bark with nothing inside but more wood. A voice emerges as a whisper, a breath of wind with shape. “You.”

Spencer is too weirded out to care that it’s the first time the thing has spoken. It’s just mimicry, just a plant. “Yeah, why me? Why now?”

The thing blinks slowly. Spencer has never been this close to it, and hears for the first time the faint sound of the fake eyelids meeting and parting.

“You looking at me,” it says after a long moment. It rolls a shoulder and Spencer remembers what its back looks like, a tree in minuature supporting its motions, branches reaching across shoulders and head, a trunk-like spine, roots down to its ankles, in a strange, earthly parody of the nervous system.

Because it’s just a plant. Just a weird, weird tree. “Of course I’m looking at you, everyone’s looking at you.”

The thing makes a noise that Spencer recognises as a voiceless parody of the lead scientist’s scoff. An imitation, mimicry because it’s just a tree, not alive, not a creature, just a plant.

“Others looking.” The dryad blinks, and to Spencer’s shock, a flower bud in its hair suddenly unfurls, blooming with round white petals. The airy voice sounds again. “You, looking at me.”

Spencer swallows. Those words are mimicked, yes, but rearranged. They make sense. They’re intelligible.

Not just a tree. A creature. Something, a thing, a -

A weird, weird plant.

Shaking her head, she goes back inside, and those yellow eyes follow her the whole way.

[literallyprentissstwin]

SURVIVAL TACTICS - Spencer Reid x Reader

this was requested by an anon <3 

Prompt: “I´m pregnant.”

Characters: Spencer Reid x Y/N Y/L/N, mention of the team, Lennart, the unsub, hostages

Warnings: hostage situation, mild to heavy angst, pew pew

A/N: okay this got wayy loonger than i wanted it to be and i could easily have split it into a two parter but no (: so there you go! also i could have done this in a fluffy way, but my angsty ass though “mhhh better not. go with the angst.” so i did :) thank you to @illegalcerebral and @veroinnumera for helping me and especially thank you to sarah for prereading it and being my human sounding board <3 also this will be then only update today :) tmrw you´ll get some writing and the reading list :) enjoy! and feedback is kind of appreciated, a lot tbh! :) 

To say Y/N was happy would be the understatement of the century. She just couldn´t believe it, she was over the moon and beyond. 

Y/N was pregnant. Well, she and Spencer actually never planned to have a child yet since they were dating for only 4 months now, but they had talked about it before and both of them always wanted to have kids of their own. Now, it would finally happen and Y/N couldn´t wait to tell him about it. To make sure the test wasn´t mistaken, she called her doctor and set up an appointment for the next day. If he would confirm it, she would talk to Spencer about it. 

Thoughts were running through her head. How would he react? Would he be as happy as she was? Suddenly, she started to imagine the worst case scenarios in her mind. What if he thought it all would have been a mistake? What if he suddenly doesn´t want a child or if he wasn´t ready yet? Would he reject her? Or the child? Tears started to gather inside Y/N´s eyes. Angrily, she wiped them away and took a deep breath. Why should he react like this? After all, he wanted to be a dad someday and he loved her, so everything would turn out just fine...right? 

Y/N was pregnant, 8 weeks already to be exact. The doctor confirmed it yesterday and Y/N had spend all day to plan how to approach the subject with her boyfriend. The couple agreed to go out for dinner after work today. This would be where Y/N wanted to break the news to him or how it was originally planned, if there hadn´t been a case which came up. 

The team was called in on a local hostage situation in a bank. A man was trying to roub out the bank. All the team knew was that there were 20 people inside, five of them were kids and the man had already shot the manager as well as his partner. He was loosing it; this was why the BAU has been called in. 

Within ten minutes, the team arrived at the scene, starting to coordinate their actions with the local police department. Just as they were about to form a plan, the unsub called and Rossi picked up the phone. 

“This is SSA David Rossi with the FBI. Who am I talking to?”

“It´s none of your business. If you want all those people alive, I want you to fulfill my demands.”, the man spoke. 

“Okay, what do you need?”, the agent asked. 

“Oh, first of all, I would prefer speaking to your pretty friend on your left. Give her the phone or else I have to kill someone.”

Hesitating a bit and realising, that he must be watching them, Rossi gave the phone to Y/N: 

“Hello, this is Agent Y/N Y/L/N. What´s your name?”

“It doesn´t matter, sunshine.”

“Oh, it does to me. I´d like to know the people I´m talking to by their name.”, Y/N replied. 

“You can call me Lennart, but the name isn´t one of your bigger problems, Agent Y/L/N.”

“Okay, Lennart. Nobody has to get hurt, okay? What about you tell me what you need and I´ll see what I can do.”, Y/N negotiated whil exchanging glances with her teammates. 

“Well, it´s up to you if someone gets hurt, so you bette do what I say.”, Lennart replied and took a deep breath before he continued, “all I need is a private jet ready to fly me wherever I wanna go. If the jet is ready, I wanna leave the building without someone following me.”

“That´s it?”, Y/N asked. 

“Yes, I think that´s enough. You´ve got one hour.”

“Wooah, Lennart, we need more.”

“Honey, you won´t get more. I want the jet ready in an hour. If not, I´m gonna kill everyt single hostage in that building.”, and with that, Lennart ended the call. 

“It´s impossible. We can´t give him the jet.”, Derek said. 

“There needs to be something elese we can do.”, Spencer agreed. 

“There has to. We can´t let 20 people die in there.”, Y/N said and excused herself while she walked away from the group, Reid quickly following her. 

Y/N was leant against a FBI van, feeling a bit dizzy and overwhelmed and tried to gather her thoughts. She didn´t hear Reid coming up beside her. 

“Hey, you okay?”, he asked full of concern. 

“Yeah...I´m fine, it´s just...”, she began but was interrupted by Reid wrapping his arms around her. 

“I know...I hate it too. But we´ll get them out of there. I promise.”

“What do you mean he won´t get the jet? We just agreed there isn´t another choice.”, Y/N exclaimed ,”we don´t have any other plan either.”

“I know...but we can not let him escape.”, Hotch reasoned. 

“So we take in stake the death of 15 adults and five kids rather than letting him escap where we could track him at any time?”, Y/N practically screamed. 

“Hey, Y/N, calm down.”, Reid tried to reassure his angry girlfriend. 

“No, I´m not gonna calm down. I don´t know about you, but I don´t wanna be responsible for the deaths of these 20 people who rely on us.”, the young woman said. 

“We´ll get them out, Y/N. We just need to ask for more time or develop another plan.”, Emily replied. 

“Which he won´t grant us. These people are gonna be dead, guys. The second we tell him the jet won´t be here, he´ll panic and kill them.”, JJ answered., supporting Y/N. 

“There´s only one option left.”, Y/N said as she took off her cevlar vest and her gun and badge. 

“No way, Y/N.”, Reid reasoned as he got closer to her.

“It´s the only thing we have left. If I´ll go inside, I can at least try to get some hostages free and secure the scene, so you could get in.”

“This is stupid.”, Emily stated at which her co-workers agreed. 

“Well, we need to do something and I won´t keep standing her and watch how he kills everyone.”

“I go!”, Reid offered and looked at Hotch, who started to think. 

“I hat to say it, but Y/N´s right. Let her go inside, she already got his trust and he seems to be interested in her, so she would be the only one who could get him to surrender.”, the Unit Chief explained. 

“Fine...”, Y/N agreed and turned to walk towards the bank, hoping to get back alive. God, why was she doing this again? 

“Lennart? Hey, it´s me. Y/N, remember? We talked earlier this day!”, Y/N said calmly as she entered the building. The unsub, who got scared, grabbed a man and held him in front of himself like a shield. 

“Wooah, calm down. I´m only here to talk.”

“Where is my jet?”, Lennart wanted to know. 

“We still need time, Lennar. It´s on its way, but it doesn´t work that quick.”

“I gave you an hour. That´s long enough.”, he replied, voice shaky, as he placed the gun with equal shaky hands at the head of the man. 

“No, Lennart, look at me. Nobody has to get hurt in here. You´ll get your jet. As long as it hasn´t arrived, you´ve got me. So you can let at least the women and kids go. They have nothing to do with it.”

“Why should I do that?”, Lennart asked as he pushed the man aside. 

“Maybe as a sign of good will? Look at them, they are scared. They are not responsible for any of this here, please.” After starring eachother down for what felt like an eternity, he gave in. 

“Okay, go. GO!”, he yelled towards them and the hostages immediatley ran outside. 

“Great, thank you!”, Y/N sighed relieved. 

“What no, sweatheart? I´m still waiting.”

“Well, we could talk. Why this? What´s the reason for this?”

“No...don´t waste my time. Get that damn jet here.”

“Is it because you need the money? Or because of the fame and reputaion in the news? Or maybe it wasn´t your plan, huh? It was your partners plan, but since he already was killed or should I say killed himself, you´re stuck in this alone.”

“Shut up.”

“Is it that? You´re just a sidekick without a plan?”

“I told you to shut up or..”

“Or what, Lennart? You´re gonna shoot me? Nah, you couldn´t hurt a fly.”, Y/N replied provocatively. 

“You don´t know me.”, Lennart spit back as he started to pace back and forth. 

“Oh, I learned more about you in the past 10 minutes than you think. Do you wanna hear what I think is going on?”

Lennart kept quiet, he was trapped and didn´t know what to do. 

“Well, here´s my guess: You´re way too emotional and soft for this. You keep threatening to kill someone, but I think you don´t have the guts to do so. All this was your friends idea, but now that he is dead you´re the only one responsible for this which was his plan from the very beginning. You were just too naive to notice. Also, you´re married which I can see at your ring. You seem like a caring person who loves his wife. I saw it in the look you gave the other women and the kids. You didn´t want to hurt them, because you are a father and husband too and you could never ever hurt them. You wouldn´t volunteer to do such a thing. You were forced into doing it to secure their safety.”

Again, ther was silence. 

“How much of it was right?”, Y/N wanted to know. Lennart sighed. 

“The only way to get out of this safely is to go out there with me.”, Y/N suggested. 

“Not a chance! As soon as I am going out there, I´ll be dead.”, Lennart reasoned as he kept pacing. 

“Not when I´m with you. So...what are you doing?”

“DON´T SHOOT!”, Y/N screamed as she exited the bank together with Lennart. Immediatley, her team and the cops came closer, but lowered their guns. 

“He surrender, right? He came out here to stand up for what he did.”, Y/N told them, but Lennart didn´t seem to pay attention.

Suddenly, he noticed the snipers on the roofs.

“YOU BITCH!”, he yelled as he grabbed Y/N and held her close to him, gun pressing against her head, “you lied to me!”

“No, Lennart, no. I did not know about the snipers, really. Look, I´m the only thing right now between you and a bullet and since I´m pregnant, I woldn´t risk anything.”

Well, this wasn´t how she had planned on confessing it but oh well. she needed to get out of this, alive. 

Y/N heard gasps coming from her team and Reid looked like he was about to faint. IN that moment, she felt incredibly sorry. She was being reckless and putting not only herself but also her baby in danger.

“I´m sorry.”, she mouthed towards Spencer who has seemed to go into shock. 

“No...”, Lennart spoke up, “I´m not going into jail. No.”

“Lennart, listen, It´s over, okay? Let Y/N go and maybe we can talk about everything.”, Aaron tried to talk to the man, who only tightened the grip on Y/N. 

“Lennart...please...think about your family. They wouldn´t want you to do this.”, Y/N said, struggling with air. 

“They´ll understand...I´m sorry...”, and with that, Lennart pushed Y/N hardly towards the ground before he raised his gun to shoot at the cops; a battle he lost. 

“NO, STOP,STOP!”, Reid yelled as he tried to get closer to Y/N, who was laying on the ground. As the shots subsided, he quickly ran at her side. 

“Y/N...hey...”, he knelt down and quickly checked for injuries, letting out a breath as he didn´t see any, “thank god!”

“I´m okay...I just sprained my wrist.”, Y/N said as she leant in to hug Spencer. 

He held her tight, but suddenly pushed her back. 

“Yre you out of your mind? Going into such a dangerous situation in this condition? What were you thinking?”, he wanted to know as he looked at his girlfriend. 

“I thought about doing my job and saving those people, Spence.”; Y/N replied, trying to get up, her knees shaking, “I-I´m sorry for scaring you. Please don´t be mad.”

“Just promise you wont do it again” Y/N nodded but knew that this was a promise which she would break again to protect her loved ones. Reid smiled. 

“Y-You´re really pregnant?”

“Yeah..8 weeks along. I found out two days ago and actually planned on telling you tonight during dinner. I-I know it´s quite early yet since we´re together for only 4 months and I can totally understand if you aren´t ready to be a Dad yet, but..”, Y/N´s rambling was interrupted by Reid kissing her passionately. After they broke apart, he smiled at her. 

“I´m the happiest person. I´m so excited. We´re gonna have a baby.”, he laughed and hugged her before he wirled her around, causing everyone else to smile too.

“I love you so much!”; Spencer said as he let her down again and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“I love you too!”, Y/N replied, more than happy with the way Spence reacted. 

“Come on, let´s get you checked out and then head home!”, Reid said as they made there way over to the ambulance, smiling brightly and overly excited for what was about to come. 

@ultrarebelheart @illegalcerebral @dontshootmespence @obsessed5sosfreak @remember-me-forever-silent-angel @imagicana @marvelfanlife @liz-a-22 @sunreid @amaybedeadcat @mybabys-gunsandroses @littledizzyhurricane @shaelyn102 @shiningmish @michellelisa @iammostdefinitelyonfire26 @fl0werb0nes18 @ceciliawho @butsomeofusarelookingatthestars @anton-shudders @sayernita @rubenlosthischeeks @jessiedangerous @badwolf-at-bay @ssa-aaronhotchner @veroinnumera @acespence @captainreid @ssaunitchief @lesbian-asajj @alienlynz @massivelyproudmixer @tenaciousarcadeexpert @crimindsaspe @lookwhatyoumademequeue

[lilacmoon83]

Dreaming Out Loud

Ships: Snowing, Rumbelle, Swan Believer, eventual Swanfire, and a delightful Golden Mad Charming BroT3. :)

Dreaming Out Loud

Chapter 9: Injustice

David stirred early the next morning, just before dawn. No matter what the circumstances, he was always going to be an early riser. He looked down and smiled at the sight of Mary cuddled against him. He dropped a kiss on her raven haired head and she made the sweetest sound, the same sound she always made when he used to kiss her awake in the mornings. She stirred and lifted her head, smiling shyly at him.

“Good morning,” she said.

“Morning beautiful,” he replied, as they got up and gently untangled from each other.

“I guess we fell asleep,” she mentioned.

“Yeah...Emma must have covered us with a blanket,” he guessed.

“It’s early...I think I’ll make breakfast,” she said, as she kissed him quickly. He smiled and Wilby whined at the door.

“I’m going to take Wilby out and then I’ll be back,” he called. She smiled and watched him go with a dreamy smile on her face.

While Wilby did his business outside by the tree, David picked up a copy of the Storybrooke Mirror that rested on the stoop. Damon’s picture was on the front and it seemed Sidney Glass had wasted no time exploiting the story to make headlines. He clutched the paper, as he read the story. It mentioned Damon’s attack on Mary, but almost made it seem like Mary’s frequent rebuking had instigated it. The reporter didn’t come right out and say it, but he could read between the lines. The reporter was implying Mary was to blame for the whole thing, no doubt at Regina’s request. He didn’t want Mary reading this trash, but he knew if she didn’t see it now, she’d find out later that day and it might be worse. He rolled up the paper and followed Wilby back up the stairs to Mary’s apartment. By that time, Emma was up, nursing a cup of coffee and not looking awake yet. He allowed himself a small smile. Emma was not a morning person. Mary was making eggs and he quietly slipped the paper down next to his daughter.

“Let me guess, Glass wrote some biased crap,” Emma muttered.

“Yeah...any idea who he might be?” David whispered. Emma turned the paper over and pointed to his picture on the back. David examined the face and knew he looked familiar.

“Any idea?” she asked.

“He looks familiar...I’m just not sure I can place him,” he replied.

“I’ll ask Henry...he has most of this figured out,” she said. He smiled at the mention of his grandson. He couldn’t wait to get to know the boy more.

Mary set plates down at the table with eggs and bacon.

“Thanks Mare...smells great,” Emma said, as they sat down.

“Is that the morning paper?” she asked.

“Uh...yeah, but you know same old crap,” the blonde replied.

“Yeah, nothing interesting,” David added. She cocked her head to the side, looking between them both.

“I appreciate you both trying to protect me, but I’ve lived in this town a long time. Whatever story Sidney Glass spun is sure to put Damon in a better light than me,” she said, kind of enjoying their surprised looks.

It was curious, as their mouths both hung open and she found amusing that they both looked almost exactly alike in that moment. She smirked and sat down, as she took the paper and read the article. She started biting her lip about half way through it and then looked up at their expectant faces.

“It’s not as bad as I thought. Damon can get away with a lot. He may own a sleazy club, but he’s on the City Council and pours a lot of money into this town,” she reasoned.

“I don’t care who the hell he is. He’s not getting away with what he did to you,” Emma said.

“She’s right...he’s in jail and he’s not getting out,” David agreed. Mary smiled thinly. She loved them both, but she was preparing herself for the reality that Damon would probably be walking free by lunchtime.

~*~

After breakfast, David kissed Mary goodbye for the day, promising to see her after work. He returned to Jefferson’s, endured his ribbing about not coming home, while he fed Wilby, and then hurried upstairs for a quick shower.

“So last night…” Jefferson prompted, as David poured some coffee in the travel mug Jefferson had given him.

“It’s not what you think. I just fell asleep on her couch,” he said.

“Too bad…” Jefferson commented.

“She went through a lot last night. That bastard attacked her and she’s convinced he’ll be walking free soon,” David said angrily.

“I hate it, but she’s probably right. The District Attorney will probably decide to drop the case and Regina will back him,” Jefferson warned.

“District Attorney?” David asked.

“He’s a lawyer and decides what cases to charge and which ones not to. Now in a normal town, there’s no question. They’d take this seriously that a teacher was attacked in her own classroom. But this is Storybrooke and it’s run by Regina and her cronies,” Jefferson tried to explain.

“Is this District Attorney anyone I know?” he asked. Jefferson sighed.

“Here he goes by Albert Spencer,” he replied.

“And back in our land?” David asked impatiently. Jefferson stared at him wearily.

“Just tell me,” David pleaded.

“King George,” Jefferson revealed. David clenched his fists and his blue eyes turned to ice.

“Tell me you’re joking,” he said.

“Believe me...I wish I was. This is the reality of the curse. Villains have wealth and power here. And heroes...they’re miserable and have had what they love most taken away,” he said solemnly and David knew the other man was talking about his child.

“This happiness you’ve brought to Mary...the Queen won’t let it stand. She’ll make her pay,” he warned.

“Like hell...I’ll fight her. I don’t care about her power. Emma and I will fight her...and Emma, she’s the Savior. She’ll win,” David refuted.

“Believe me...I hope you’re right. It’s just hard to keep hope in a place like this. At least no one else remembers why they’re miserable. That’s almost better, I think,” he mentioned.

“Regina’s not going to win...Emma will,” he assured, as he stood at the door.

“I’ll see you later,” he said, as he headed off to the animal shelter with Wilby in tow. He just hoped Emma would keep him in the loop of what was going on at the station.

~*~

Persephone and Ariel arrived on the deserted shores of Storybrooke, Maine. She gazed at the town both with trepidation and anxiousness. To finally gaze upon her daughter in person, face to face, brought a myriad of emotions for the embattled Goddess. But more so, she wondered how Snow would react once her memories were returned and she learned the truth. She imagined it would take her daughter time to come around to her or perhaps she would understand, being that she herself was forced to give her daughter up. Emma might have reacted much to the same to Snow and Charming, but thankfully since she stepped in and had the dreamscape created for them, Emma was far more prepared to accept her destiny. She would embrace her parents with open arms when their memories were restored and she only hoped for much the same from Snow.

She recalled the days of watching her daughter from afar and her struggles to survive against the Queen’s wrath. She remembered practically begging Morpheus to help and the dreamscape had been the result. Being here now brought it all rushing back…

~*~

The years continued to pass and the hardship for Snow did not lessen. But her daughter grew from a typical royal into a fierce warrior, bandit princess of the likes which none had seen. She was extraordinary and Persephone marveled at all of it.

Persephone had the great pleasure and heartache of watching Snow find her true love in the shepherd, now turned prince. She watched them find each other and lose each other constantly in their war to stay alive against Queen Regina and the vengeful King George.

She rejoiced when her daughter’s true love awoke her from the sleeping curse and they were married before all. But that’s when her joy faded. Queen Regina’s declaration that she would cast the Dark Curse, the darkest piece of magic in all the lands, nearly sent Persephone into a panic.

If her daughter was sent to the Land Without Magic, Persephone would not be able to see her anymore or look after her. That’s when she implored her Mother to help protect Snow and her family. That had led them back to Morpheus’ Temple, just as Queen Regina crushed her own father’s heart.

Persephone watched her daughter cry out in pain, as she gave birth to her own daughter. Her own child that would be ripped from her as well.

“Please Morpheus...there must be something you can do!” Persephone pleaded.

“You know I cannot stop the Dark Curse. Not even Zeus can do that,” he chided.

“I know...but if they are in the Land Without Magic, my ability to see them will be even more limited! There must be something we can do! There must!” she pleaded. He sighed.

“There is the option of a dream world,” Demeter suggested. He looked at her incredulously.

“You want me to create a dreamscape for Snow White and her family? Do you know how many rules that breaks?” he hissed. Demeter rolled her eyes.

“I’ll never understand your preoccupation with duty and rules. Hell, Zeus himself has broken every single one of his own rules! You can do this! Emma can know her parents, if only in her dreams,” Demeter pleaded.

“This is highly unorthodox,” he lamented.

“Emma’s life will be hard. Being the Savior doesn’t mean she should have to endure all this on her own. If she has Snow and Charming to guide her, think about the positive effect it will have. The Dark Curse must be undone by her. Why not give her every weapon we can!” Demeter reasoned. Morpheus sighed.

“I will grant this, if for no other reason, than the Dark Curse is an abomination and I guess good could use a little extra help this time,” he said. Demeter smirked.

“And you like Snow,” the goddess mused, as she watched Morpheus’ dust sweep over Snow, Charming, and Emma, just before the chaos ensued.

Persephone could only watch, helpless, as Charming put his daughter in the wardrobe, only to be cut down seconds later. She feared for her daughter’s true love, but Mother ensured that his lifeline would not be cut on this night. It cut her deeply to watch Snow sob over her beloved, fearing that she had lost him forever and raged as the Evil Queen got what she wanted.

She sunk to her knees as the entire Kingdom disappeared, ripped away to a Land Without Magic to lives where she had no idea if they would be safe.

“It will be all right, darling. Emma is the Savior, she will break the curse. And when the final battle begins, you can finally reveal yourself to Snow,” Demeter said.

“How can you be sure?” Persephone asked.

“Athena has foreseen it. Emma may save her parents and her Kingdom. But Snow will save you from Hades’ trappings,” Demeter assured.

“There may be a complication,” Artemis said, as she appeared.

“What is it?” Persephone implored.

“Deimos...he was swept up in the curse,” she revealed. Demeter clenched her teeth.

“Hades…” she hissed.

“Oh Gods...then he knows. He’s found out who my daughter is! How did he find out?” Persephone cried, as Artemis put a hand on her shoulder.

“How...I do not know. He may have, but Hades cannot interfere anymore in this land than we can. In this place, all but Regina do not know who they are anymore. No doubt that Deimos is still a horrid being, but I have hope that without his memories, Snow will be safe,” Artemis assured.

“Safe? She’s cursed! She’s lost her daughter and her husband! My granddaughter is alone, because Cora was jealous of how beloved my Snow is and molded Regina into her image. If Cora had been able to manage it, she would have taken my daughter’s Throne for herself!” Persephone raged.

“If not for Eva telling her secret, she would have done just that,” Demeter commented.

Persephone snorted.

“I don’t blame Eva one bit. Cora is evil to her very core. I swear...when someone finally sends her to the Underworld, I will make sure it is not pleasant for her,” Persephone growled.

“Vengeance is not your way, darling,” Demeter soothed.

“Maybe not...but I will see that woman gets what she deserves. She has destroyed her own daughter’s life and has tried to destroy my daughter’s as well. It will not go unpunished,” Persephone stated. And Demeter couldn’t disagree. Persephone sighed.

Twenty eight years...that was usually a drop in the bucket for a God. But for Persephone, it would truly be an eternity…

~*~

And it had seemed like an eternity. Not being able to gaze upon her little snowdrop had been soul crushing, particularly during her allotted time in the Underworld. Seeing her daughter, even though her viewing pond, had been her only respite when in Hades clutches. Shortly before the curse, Hades had fallen for a wicked witch from the land of Oz. It had given hope that perhaps Hades would release her from her bindings to him. Unfortunately for her, the witch had ultimately rejected Hades and he had returned even more harsh and cold than before. His indifference changed to interest in her again, much to her chagrin. He had regained a firmer hand on her and demanded she perform her wifely duties. She refused every time, but that did not stop him. He forced her to do what he wanted and took from her what she had never given to him, much like he had in the beginning. To be free of him was liberating. She knew he would be furious, but with no access to the Land Without Magic, she was out of his reach for now.

“This is a strange land. Do you know where we should go?” Ariel asked.

“Fortunately, I have done my research on this land and had enough sense to conjure some useable currency. We’ll start by finding an inn and getting a couple of rooms,” Persephone said.

~*~

“I can’t believe this! You can’t let this happen!” Emma screamed, as she followed him into his office and slammed the door shut. Damon Tromera was no doubt smirking smugly in his cell, for he knew he would be free soon.

“It’s out of my hands, Emma,” Graham said regrettably.

“That’s bull! He attacked Mary Margaret! He’s stalking her! This is her life we’re talking about!” Emma yelled.

“You think I don’t know that?” he snapped back and she recoiled slightly. He took a deep breath.

“My hands are tied. The district attorney has dropped the charges and the Mayor has ordered his release,” he said.

“You know this is wrong. We have Mary Margaret’s statement! And David’s!” Emma replied.

“And since David stopped the attack before anything physical happened, it’s a case of he said she said,” he said regrettably.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Emma exploded.

“I’m sorry Emma, you know I am,” he pleaded.

“So...because Damon didn’t get the chance to hit her, there’s suddenly no case?” she exclaimed.

“Basically. And if I press to charge Damon on assaulting David, then I’ll have to arrest David for assault as well since they were both fighting,” Graham replied.

“This is crap! What happens if he gets Mary alone again? What if he beats her or God forbid rapes her?! What then? I suppose it will be her fault then too!” Emma screamed.

“Dammit Emma...you know I hate this as much as you do!” he retorted.

“Really? You hate it so much, but not when it comes to sleeping with the enemy, right?!” she blurted out.

“That’s not fair,” he growled. She glowered at him.

“No...what’s not fair is that my mo...best friend,” she said, catching herself.

“My best friend has to look over her shoulder every minute of her day, because this town’s leadership is so corrupt that they will protect a piece of trash like Damon Tromera over the sweetest person I’ve ever met!” Emma said, completely losing her temper.

“I’ve already drawn up a restraining order for Mary,” he tried to soothe, but Emma only snorted.

“Oh yeah...cause a restraining order is really going to stop a guy like that,” Emma said, as she grabbed her keys.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“To the source of all this,” she retorted. He sighed and followed her out.

“My, my deputy...such a fiery temper, though I’ll admit I find that attractive in a woman,” Damon goaded. Emma approached the bars, glaring murderously at him.

“I’m going to say this once, you piece of shit. You stay the hell away from Mary Margaret,” she growled. But he only smirked smugly, as she stormed out.

“Well Sheriff...I believe there is no need to keep me in here any longer,” Damon said. Graham glared at him.

“The papers haven’t arrived yet so you’ll stay in there until they do,” Graham refuted. But the smug bastard just smirked again. He would be walking free soon enough.

~*~

David went into Gold’s pawn shop through the back entrance with Wilby that afternoon. They thought it best for both him and Jefferson to use the concealed entrance, since it was clear that Regina might be watching all of them.

“Hello David,” Belle greeted, as she worked on cataloging some of the miscellaneous items they had in the back.

“Belle...it’s good to see you,” he said, as Wilby went right up to the woman, who grinned.

“Well hello to you too,” she said, as she knelt down to pet the dog.

“And Wilby says hello too,” David said.

“Oh he’s gorgeous. Mr. Gold mentioned you adopted a dog,” she said.

“Yeah...Wilby and I just clicked. I see you’re staying busy,” he mentioned.

“I am and I’ll soon be even busier. I haven’t told anyone yet, but Mr. Gold gave me the most wonderful gift this morning,” she gushed. He smiled.

“Well...don’t keep me in suspense,” he prompted.

“Well...as you know, I don’t really have any memories, but I do know that I love books. When I asked him a couple days ago if the town had a library, he said it had been closed for years,” he said sadly.

“I dropped the subject, figuring that maybe the high school would let me check out some books, but they had the sorriest book collection I’d ever seen! I mean, what kind of school doesn’t have decent books?” she rattled on. He smiled.

“Probably one where the students never move on and learn anything anyway,” he thought silently. He still couldn’t figure out how this town was Regina’s happy ending, other than her daily goal of making Mary Margaret’s life hell. How she could be happy making people miserable was beyond him.

“Well...I’m pretty new at all this stuff too. I have some memories of who I am, but we’re kind in the same boat in a way. I’m pretty clueless when it comes to how this world works, but Emma did tell me about this thing called the Internet. She said you can get anything from there. Maybe they have books,” he suggested. She smirked.

“Perhaps...but I might not need to, because Mr. Gold gave me these this morning,” she said.

“Keys?” he asked.

“To the library! He bought me the library! Can you believe it?” she exclaimed. He chuckled.

“That’s quite a gesture. Congratulations...I think you’ll make an excellent librarian,” he said.

“Thanks. I have a lot of work to do. The place is a dusty mess, but somehow Mr. Gold got Regina to give me a budget and everything, so I’ll have to try this Internet thing and order more books,” she replied.

“Well...let me know if there’s anything I can do to help,” he said.

“There might be something,” she replied.

“Name it,” he said.

“Well, the state of the high school library got me thinking. I bet the elementary school’s library is just as pitiful. I was wondering maybe if you’d talk to Mary Margaret. Reading is so important, especially at the age of her students. Do you think she’d be up for bringing them on a field trip to the library when it opens?” Belle asked. He grinned.

“I can’t speak for her, but I have a feeling she’ll love the idea. I’ll tell her about it,” he said.

“Thanks David. If you’re looking for Mr. Gold, he and Mr. Jefferson are in the front of the shop,” she said.

“Thanks. Good luck with the library,” he called, as he headed to the front of the shop.

~*~

Emma stormed into Regina’s office and slammed the door behind her.

“Miss Swan...I know you have no tact, but at least knock before you barge into my office,” Regina snapped. But Emma ignored her.

“Why the hell would you order Damon Tromera’s release after what he did?” Emma shouted. Regina gave her a cool stare.

“Because that whole altercation was a simple misunderstanding,” Regina replied.

“Misunderstanding? You can’t be serious! He attacked Mary Margaret!” Emma exclaimed.

“So she says,” Regina retorted.

“He would have done God knows what to her if David hadn’t gotten there when he did. And this then trashy article all but implies that Mary Margaret was asking for it!” Emma screamed, as she tossed the paper down on the desk.

“Maybe she was,” Regina leered.

“I don’t believe you! As a woman, how could you defend a would be rapist?! Does your hatred for Mary Margaret go so deep that you actually wish for something like that to happen to her? To the sweetest person I’ve ever met?” Emma demanded to know.

“Mary Margaret is anything but sweet and innocent. Don’t let her little act fool you. Anything bad that happens to her, I assure you, she deserves it,” Regina snapped. Emma looked at her in disbelief.

“How the hell did you get like this?” Emma asked, though she knew the story her parents had told her. Still...it was hard to believe this woman had ever been the kind, gentle woman that her mother described when she first met Regina.

“I’m very busy, Miss Swan, so kindly get out,” Regina snapped. Emma glared at her.

“I don’t know how yet, but if Damon Tromera comes near Mary Margaret again or David for that matter, I’ll find a way to make the charges stick,” Emma promised.

“Why do you care about those two idiots so much, Miss Swan?” Regina questioned suspiciously.

“They’re my friends,” Emma said automatically. But Regina wasn’t letting that pass as an answer this time. There was more here and she wanted to know what it was. Fortunately, Sidney was busy digging through Emma Swan’s past.

“If you ask me, Miss Blanchard has brought this on herself. For years, she rejected Mr. Tromera and then immediately jumps in bed with a coma patient. No one can blame him for feeling slighted,” Regina reasoned.

“I don’t care if he’s slighted or insulted! He better never try to put his hands on her again!” Emma shot back.

“If you’re quite done, Miss Swan. I have a lot of work to do. Get out and while you’re at it, stay away from my son. Don’t think I don’t know about your “secret meetings” at his castle,” she snapped. Emma snorted.

“Figures you’d have your lapdog reporter following me,” Emma commented.

“He is my son, Miss Swan,” Regina snapped.

“You know, the tighter your grip on him, the faster he’ll slip through your grasp,” Emma warned, as she left without another word. Regina slammed her pen down and picked up the phone.

“What did you find?” she demanded to know.

“I just finished going through everything I could find. I’m not a hacker though. I can’t get the sealed records from social services,” Sidney reported. Perhaps she needed to employ another avenue with this. She needed those records unsealed.

“Fine...I need to get rid of this woman and those two idiots,” she muttered, as she slammed the receiver down.

“I need to know all your secrets, Emma Swan,” she hissed, as she felt a shudder in the ground beneath her that seemed to reverberate through the whole town. Emma Swan’s secrets would have to wait.

“What the hell was that…” she uttered, as she picked up the phone.

“Sheriff…” Graham answered.

“Did you feel that shudder?” she asked, as another one rumbled through the ground.

“Yes...I’m heading out to check it out now,” Graham replied. Regina hung up the phone and gazed pensively out the window. She had lost control so quickly and it made her wonder if she had ever really had control at all. This was Rumpelstiltskin’s curse, after all. He had planned this. He had never intended to let her win and was content to let her be made a fool of. She angrily threw a glass and shattered the mirror on the wall.

“This won’t stand. I’ll make you pay too, Rumpelstiltskin,” she growled, as an idea formed in her mind and she smirked evilly. It would have to wait for now, but that would just make it that much sweeter when she enacted her revenge...

[black-wolf066]

Tag Game

Rules: Choose any three fandoms (in random order) and answer the questions, then tag 10 people you want to know better.

Ι was tagged by the lovely @theonceoverthinker Thank you my friend for the tag ^_^

My choices were tough to narrow down, but i’ve decided to go with Once Upon a Time, Psych, and Stranger Things

The first character you loved:

Once Upon a Time: Emma! I know it’s not really original, but I just loved her character from episode one. She was bad ass, but layered with strengths and weaknesses.

Psych: Shawn and Gus. I know this is cheating, but I absolutely love these two and their friendship. The girly screaming is also a plus too XD

Stranger Things: Lucas. Granted I like all of the characters (Steve i wasn’t all the crazy about at first, but i saw toward the end that he could be redeemed. Still upset that Tommy and Carol didn’t get served a whooping dish of karma, but poor Barb bit the dust instead. 

The character you never expected to love so much:

Once Upon a Time: This one is actually pretty tough, cause I have several that I didn’t think i was going to like. Again this is cheating, but i’m gonna say Killian (mostly because I didn’t think he’d ever be a series regular when i started watching the show. Not only that, but at the time i was heavily invested in Emma/August. However Killian grew on my the longer the show went on). The second person is Regina. I didn’t like her in the beginning. She was a villain that i pretty much loved to hate, but she also grew on me. By season 3 I began to like her more.

Psych:  This one is very hard mostly because i loved all the characters from the beginning, but I guess i’ll go with Henry Spencer. He’s a hard ass and i couldn’t really get into his character in the beginning, but eventually he grew on me too.

Stranger Things: Max. The introduction of all the new characters in season 2 kinda threw me off, but I ended up liking Max after a while, and I think her and Lucas are adorable together.

The character you relate to the most:

Once Upon a Time and Psych: I honestly don’t know who to pick or who I relate too for these shows. 

Stranger Things: Max (and i’ll leave it at that)

The character you’d slap:

Once Upon a Time: Rumple for seasons 1-6 and Gothel for season 7

Psych: As much as I really like Shawn, sometimes you just want to slap him too, haha.

Stranger Things: Brenner, and he’s not even a villain that i love to hate, i just freaking hate him.... among other’s.

Three favorite characters (in order of preference):

Once Upon a Time: Killian, Emma and Henry (Cheating again because for season 7 it’s Henry, Killian and Alice... and since i’m already cheating i’ll add Regina and Tiana.)

Psych: Shawn, Gus, Detective Lassiter

Stranger Things: Lucas, Dustin, Hopper (hate that i had to choose cause i’d be naming the whole gang)

A character you liked at first but don’t anymore:

Once Upon a Time: Don’t hate me for this but it’s a toss up between Robin Sr and Belle (I would add Meg in this list because i wasn’t happy with how her character turned out, cause i loved the sassy Megera the most, but she’s not a regular so i’ll stick with the two). I would have liked to have seen more with Robin and i’m not just saying that because of his death. I just feel like the creators could have done more with him but they didn’t. Belle’s character fell flat with me too. I wasn’t happy with how they treated her character or her story and though i’m happy-ish that Rumbelle got a happy ending, it mostly screamed abuse the entire time to me and that turned me off.

Psych: i can’t think of anyone so i’ll leave it at this.

Stranger Things: Eleven’s character in the second season kinda made me go ‘meh’ but i don’t hate her... so i guess i’ll leave this blank too cause i really do like all the characters. 

A character you did not like at first but now do:

Once Upon a Time: Jacinda. the more the show continues, the more i’m liking her, same with Drizella.

Psych: Henry Spencer (this is kinda answered in the earlier question)

Stranger Things: Max (same as above)

Three OTP’s:

Once Upon a Time: Captain Swan, Curious Archer, Hooked Queen

Psych: Shawn/Juliet, Shawn/OC, and Shawn/Lassiter

Stranger Things: Nancy/Jonathan, Hopper/Joyce, Lucas/Max

This was a lot harder then I thought to answer, haha, but fun none-the-less. Anyway this is completely optional, so don’t feel obligated to do it if you don’t want to. @killianmesmalls @superchocovian @the-girl-in-the-band-tshirt @therooksshiningknight @stark-park @fezfanatic 

[disndatlife]

99 Side Hustle Business Ideas You Can Start Today

  This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

One of the most common questions I hear is how to start a side hustle when you don’t have any good ideas. This is a little list of side hustle business ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

It’s by no means an exhaustive list, and I encourage you to add your own idea to the bottom if it’s not on here.

The beauty of these side hustle ideas is that many don’t require a huge initial investment or even necessarily a highly specialized skill-set. And certainly, not all qualify as “business ideas,” but each has the potential to earn you money in your spare time.

If you prefer to download a PDF version of this post to read later, click the button below:

Click here to download a free PDF version of this post

1. Affiliate Marketing. Refer website visitors to buy products online and earn a small commission on each sale. This is actually how I’ve made the bulk of my living over the last 10 years, so it definitely works!

Note: Please do me a favor and don’t buy into anyone’s sleazy affiliate marketing “program” or “system.” There are unfortunately a lot of slimy salespeople out there making their living taking advantage of newbies.

If you want to learn more about affiliate marketing, check out Shawn Collins’ Extra Money Answer. Shawn is one of the most trusted names in the business and this super-inexpensive guide is filled with practical and actionable advice. And yes, that is an affiliate link. See? That’s how it’s done!

The next step: Check out my chat with Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, who consistently earns over $50k a month as an affiliate — all while traveling full-time.

2. Airbnb. If you have extra room in your house, you can earn money renting it out to visitors on Airbnb.com. It’s a pretty cool way to make money and meet interesting people from around the world at the same time.

With a little bit of traction, you could even cover your entire rent or mortgage by hosting guests on Airbnb. Have you tried it?

My friend Jasper travels the world while renting out his Amsterdam apartment.

The next step: In addition to a small portfolio of her own short-term rental properties, Zeona McIntyre has built a side business in “co-hosting” other Airbnbs. She essentially acts as the property manager, coordinating guest check-ins, maintenance, and cleaning, in exchange for 20% of the rent — with none of the risk.

3. Alterations. Handy with a sewing machine? I believe the market for clothing alteration is ripe for disruption because of a lack of transparency in pricing. I’ve had some suits altered from a couple different places with dramatically different rates.

Free marketing tip: Post flyers at the gym or other places where people may have lost a lot of weight and need their clothes altered.

4. App Development. The mobile app market is hot, but one developer likened it to the gold rush — where the ones who made the most money were the ones selling the gear and the shovels. Similarly, an app developer gets paid whether or not the app goes on to become a hit.

To learn more about app development and some useful tips and strategies, check out my podcast interview with Benny Hsu, where he shares how he made $30,000 in 30 days on the app store, with no programming experience!

And more recently, uber successful app-preneur Carter Thomas broke down what he’d do if he had to start over.

5. Baking. Do people love your desserts? Maybe you could provide cake, cookies, or cupcakes to some corporate event in town.

Kathryn, my public coaching volunteer, was hustling hard to start a gluten-free bakery in Portland.

6. Becoming an Adjunct Professor. You may need a graduate degree for this one, but it can be a fun way to share your knowledge with the next generation of students and earn some good money on the side — especially if you can teach online or with pre-recorded lectures.

7. Being a TaskRabbit. Task Rabbit is an on-demand errand-running service that enlists regular people to help out. You can earn money in your spare time completing real-world tasks on their unique platform.

One user in Atlanta makes a full-time living assembling IKEA furniture!

The platform also allows for virtual work like online research and other tasks that can be done remotely.

8. Blogging. Blogging is difficult to monetize but can be a fun outlet to practice your writing or build an audience around a particular idea.

Jon Dykstra is the master of quickly building and monetizing blog sites from zero to six-figures, and my friend Rosemarie now earns $20k a month with her blog about frugal living.

Want to start a blog of your own? Check out my free 6-part video course on how to start your own site.

9. Bookkeeping / Accounting / Tax Preparation Service. Help other businesses with their accounting and finances. This can be a great option for people with an accounting background from school or from their day job.

10. Brand Ambassadorship. Big brands are always looking for assistance with their on-the-ground marketing efforts, and pay pretty well for the help.

Kenny Azama explained it’s a relatively easy (and fun) way to earn $1000 a month part-time, and could even turn into a full-time gig. When we spoke he was earning $2k a week on a cross-country RV road-trip as a brand ambassador!

11. Building an Authority Website. While niche sites (see below) get a lot of attention, an authority site has a better chance of withstanding the changes in Google’s algorithm and turning into a long-term asset.

You may not even need to be an authority when starting out. My friend Perrin got a new puppy and was disappointed with the information he found online, so he got to work and 20 months later HerePup.com was valued at $200,000.

12. Building Niche Websites. Building niche sites is a popular side hustle because after some initial research and time investment they can be a relatively hands-off income source. These types of sites generally cover a very specific topic and earn money through advertising, affiliate relationships, or digital products.

Spencer Haws of Niche Pursuits joined me on a podcast episode and shared his exact step-by-step process for creating and ranking a brand-new niche site.

Later, Kurt Elster told me about several fascinating one-page microsites that earn money with Google AdSense.

Want more? Here’s a step-by-step guide on the fastest cheapest way to build a website.

13. Car Flipping. If you’re a savvy negotiator and know your way around cars, you can buy low and sell high and turn a profit quickly with this side hustle.

14. Car Wash and Detailing. A mobile detailing service would be a super-low cost startup and you could get clients in bunches at office parks, shopping malls, schools, sporting events, and other places where cars like to gather.

15. Caregiving. This business continues to grow as the population ages, and popular sites like Care.comcan help match you with customers.

16. Carpet Cleaning. Carpet cleaning would be a relatively simple and low cost business to start. You could get clients on an annual or semi-annual recurring schedule like the dentist.

17. Catering. If you have a passion for cooking, a catering business has a lower barrier to entry and time commitment than say, opening a restaurant.

18. Child Care. Is it just me, or does “babysitting” sound amateur compared to “child care”? Register on sites like SitterCity to begin building a client base.

19. Cleaning Service. It may not be glamorous, but it’s something nearly every business spends money on and usually gets done in the after-work hours.

Cassandre Poblah actually earned $1000 a month doing this part time.

20. Computer Repair Service. There are more computers in this country (including tablets and smartphones) than there are people. The repair market is very fragmented which means there is opportunity for solo-operators to break in.

(image source)

John Rouda offers monthly IT support and maintenance contracts for local businesses, calling it one of his “for-profit hobbies.”

21. Computer Tutoring. Some of the computer skills we take for granted are still lacking for portions of the population. If you can find them and sell them on the necessity of technical skills for their careers, there might be a business opportunity here.

22. Consulting / Coaching. Consulting is an ambiguously broad field, but there are consultants for practically every area of expertise. What are you a relative expert in that others might pay for your advice?

With platforms like Clarity.fm, you can get started very quickly and earn $60/hour and up.

In this episode, my friend Kai Davis breaks down his step-by-step methods of building a consulting business in 20-hours. Later, Jonathan Stark shared his framework for getting a new consulting business from zero to $5k a month.

23. Cover Letter and Resume Service. Especially if you have experience in HR, there is a massive opportunity to help job seekers with their resumes and cover letters. Since the payoff of landing a job is so high, it can be worthwhile for applicants to seek some professional assistance on their documents.

It would be interesting to see this sold on a pay-for-performance model, where you only get paid if the applicant gets the interview.

24. Craigslist Arbitrage. Craigslist and other markets are still filled with inefficiencies that a trained eye can exploit for profit. There are some great stories of regular people doing just this.

For instance, Ryan Finlay of ReCraigslist.com, makes a full-time living buying and selling on Craigslist and stopped by the podcast to tell me about it.

25. Craigslist Gigs. There’s a little section in the bottom right corner of Craigslist (at least at press time) specifically for side hustlers. Check it out and see what kind of gigs you might be able to fnd nearby or online.

26. Customer Service. Some companies are now employing part-time customer service representatives to work from home and handle incoming phone or live chat service requests.

27. Dating. The dating site WhatsYourPrice.com actually lets suitors pay women to go on dates with them.

28. Delivery Service. With services like UberEATS you can earn money on your own schedule delivering take-out orders in your town … and you don’t have to worry about keeping your car super clean for passengers.

29. Dividend Investing. This has been one of my favorite ways of “buying cash flow” lately, and is a simple way to get paid over and over again from work you do once.

30. Dog Walking. Yes, some people are too busy to walk their own dogs. Post flyers in your neighborhood or set up a profile on WagWalking.com.

31. Doula Service. Doulas can earn $500-$1000 per birth, if you’re into that sort of thing.

32. Driving. If you’re free nights and weekends, you can earn extra cash driving your fellow citizens around.

Sign up with Lyft (currently offering a $250 sign-up bonus) or Uber to get started.

One cool “hack” is both companies offer “Destination Mode”, which basically allows you to earn money on your regular morning and evening commute by telling the app which direction you’re headed and only accepting riders along your route.

33. Dropshipping. Dropshippers set up their own storefront and process sales, but never touch the actual product. Instead, the items are shipped directly to the customer from the manufacturer or wholesaler.

Next Step: I had the chance to sit down with Anton Kraly who runs Drop Ship Lifestyle and chat about how to get started.

34. Ecommerce. Sell products online through your own store or through Amazon or eBay. In this episode, Will Mitchell walked me through how to find a profitable import product.

35. English Teaching. Earn $14-22 teaching English to young students in China via video chat with VIPkid. A bachelor’s degree and a year of educational experience are the only prerequisites.

36. Estate Sale Service. Estate sales are often managed by a third-party company, who takes a percentage of the proceeds in exchange for handling the event. To learn more about this side hustle check out Robert Farrington’s post on Budgets are Sexy.

37. Event DJ-ing. I feel like DJ-ing is something of a lost art in the era of pre-made iTunes playlists, but there are still plenty of events that have a live DJ.

38. Focus-Grouping. I made $100 an hour at an in-person focus group. Here are some companies that facilitate them near you and online.

39. Freelancing. There are millions of people supplementing their income by freelancing in their spare time. You’ll find them on sites like FreeeUp or Fiverr.

On The Side Hustle Show, I really enjoyed hearing how both Gabe and Gina set their freelancing businesses up for recurring revenue.

40. Furniture Making. If you’re skilled in carpentry, maybe people would like to buy your hand-crafted furniture. OK, this one reminds me of Ron Swanson.

(image source)

41. Ghostwriting. With millions of websites all competing for attention, writing is a service that’s constantly in demand. Someone’s got to create all that content, right?

You can start out on your own, or find gigs through the popular aggregating service Contena.

Dayne Shuda even turned his ghostwriting side hustle into a full-blown agency!

42. Gigwalking. Gigwalk is a free smartphone app that pays you to complete small tasks in your neighborhood, like photographing the inside of a store.

You might also check out the similar EasyShift app.

43. Graphic Design Service. Quality graphic design is always in-demand, and never before have there been so many outlets on which to sell your skills. The most popular design-focused site is 99designs, but you can check out Crowdspring, DesignCrowd, or any of the freelance marketplaces as well.

One fun example of a side hustle graphic design business gone global is Design Pickle, where the founder told me, “I sucked at design.” So instead it became his job to match customers with contractors, and less than 3 years later, the little side project was doing $400k a month in revenue!

44. Handyman Service. This is certainly not a great option for my less-than-handy self, but I’m positive someone else with the right skills can make it work. You might try setting up a profile on TaskRabbit (where I connected with an on-demand handyman) or Thumbtack.

45. Home Inspection Service. Certification is required, but this is a viable side hustle because the inspections can be scheduled at your convenience and only take a few hours.

46. House Sitting. I’m more intrigued in house sitting as a way to get free accommodations while traveling, but I guess it can be a way to supplement your income at home as well.

47. Human Billboard. If you’re not afraid of embarrassing yourself on a street corner, there are always businesses looking to hire sign-spinners or people in costume to attract attention.

(image credit)

48. Hyper-Local Newspaper. Could you start a small newspaper for your neighborhood? Could you sell advertisements?

Kai Davis and I discuss this idea (among others) in Episode 4 of The Side Hustle Show.

49. Interior Decorating. With an eye for design, interior decorating could be a fun part-time business.

50. Investing in Websites. If you have some idle cash and want to put it to work, buying a pre-existing cash flow may be the fastest path to side hustle income.

51. Ironing / Mobile Laundry Service. Holy crap do I hate ironing! I’m certain a decent chunk of the population is with me on this one and would be willing to pay to make that problem go away.

52. Junk Hauling Service. This is an especially feasible side hustle business if you already have access to a large truck or van. Bonus points if you can re-sell some of the junk!

53. Kindle Publishing. Selling ebooks on Amazon is one of the income streams I’m cultivating. I love the idea of having my work for sale on the world’s largest store!

From my very first author royalty check in 2012, I keep learning more about self-publishing and am hopefully getting better every time I put pen to paper … or fingers to keyboard.

I generated 20,000 downloads with my first “serious” book launch in 2014, and my latest title earned nearly $18,000 in its first year.

54. Medical Transcription Service. Medical transcription, which involves typing out doctors’ recorded voice notes, is often a part-time work-from-home position.

55. MLM Sales. MLM (multi-level marketing) programs are frequently derided as pyramid schemes — and many of them are! — but some people manage to do quite well with them, often starting out part-time. Amway is probably the most well-known.

My friend Kellie is crushing it as a Beachbody coach, and shares some of her best network marketing tips here.

56. Mobile Oil Change Service. Save people time by bringing the shop and supplies to them. If you’re comfortable fixing cars, you might actually check out YourMechanic.com, which helps match you with customers in need of car repairs.

57. Modeling. Stock photographers are sometimes in need of subjects for their work. Strike a pose!

58. Movie / TV Extra. Your odds are better if you’re in LA or New York, but there can always be “on location” shoots nearby. Bonus points if you can get your Screen Actors Guild credentials!

59. Moving Service. Moving is never fun, but can be a good way to earn some extra cash on the weekend if you’re strong and don’t mind carrying other people’s stuff.

60. Mystery Shopping. Companies will pay you to verify their in-store or on-the-phone experience, or to spy on their competition. It’s possible to make over $10,000 a year being a mystery shopper.

We live near a place called the National Food Lab and occasionally get called in for taste tests. They pay cash and it’s really easy; just answer a few questions and you’re on your way.

61. Notary Public Service. Notary certification is granted by the state and the cost is generally less than $100.

Once you’re certified, you can charge your own fee to notarize documents, or become a loan signing agent like Mark did and make $75-200 for overseeing mortgage signings.

62. Online Surveys. This industry is rife with scams, so my only advice would be not to pay anything up front to join any company promising paid survey riches. CashCrate appears to be a legitimate operator, and you may find some opportunities on Mechanical Turk.

If you love this stuff, check out Swagbucks and InboxDollars for more.

63. Party Planning / Wedding Coordinator Service. Put your organization skills to good use.

64. Peer to Peer Lending. This is one of my favorite side hustles because it’s automated and passive. Yes, it takes some capital to get started, but I’ve been earning pretty solid returns for the last 6 years.

Related: 79 Alternative Investment Platforms to Earn Stronger Returns, Build Cash Flow, and Diversify Your Portfolio

65. Personal Chef Service. Could you picture yourself making meals in someone else’s kitchen? This could be a good way to break into the food services industry without the time commitment and overhead of starting your own restaurant.

66. Personal Training. People are always looking to get in shape and if you have a passion for fitness, this could be the perfect side hustle.

67. Pet Grooming. Just like their owners, pets require haircuts too. A mobile pet grooming service can be a low-cost part-time business.

68. Pet Sitting. When homeowners travel, it opens up an opportunity for pet sitting services to come by and take care of their animals.

To set up shop, try Rover.com. These three people are all making over $1000 a month watching other people’s pets!

69. Photography Service. This is my wife’s favorite side hustle. Turn your photog hobby into an income stream.

Side Hustle Show guest Vincent Pugliese shared how “freelanced his way to freedom” and went from earning $30k a year to $30k in a day.

70. Picking up Trash. Brian Winch has been doing this over 30 years and calls it “America’s simplest business.” He says you can earn $50,000-$100,000 a year for basically walking local parking lots and cleaning up the garbage.

71. Podcasting. With a unique angle to your podcast, you can attract a large following, which can translate into serious sponsorship dollars. It costs less than you think to start and has honestly been a life-changing project for me.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. My friend Steve Young turned his part-time podcast into a full-time business with multiple streams of income.

72. Pool Cleaning Service. If you live in a warm climate with a lot of pools, this could be a fun and interesting side hustle to enjoy the summer outdoors.

73. Private Labeling. In this side hustle, you identify hot-selling products and bring your own to market to compete with them. There’s an art and science to this, including negotiating with suppliers (often overseas), but Andy breaks it all down for us in this crash course on how to get started with private labeling.

Later, I sat down with Greg Mercer to chat his Amazon FBA product sourcing guidelines and tips.

74. Product Licensing. Who says ideas are worthless? With product licensing you can sell the rights to your idea to large companies, who will pay you royalties for every sale they make from that idea.

I had the chance to sit down with Nate Dallas, who earned $300,000 from Mattel in this way, after licensing an idea to them for a Pictionary spin-off.

Later, Stephen Key stopped by to drop his wisdom on product licensing and why there’s never been a better or easier time to get started.

75. Proofreading. Do you like to read? If you have an eye for detail you can set up shop on Upwork as a proofreader and bid on jobs large and small. I actually offered this service on Fiverr for a while and made some decent money.

76. Raw Land Flipping. This sounds a little crazy, but my guest Mark calls his raw land investing business the best passive income model because he doesn’t have to deal with “problem tenants, rodents, or repairs.”

77. Real Estate Wholesaling. In this side hustle, your job is to connect motivated sellers with real estate investors. You earn the difference between your negotiated contract price and the eventual sales price.

The best part? It doesn’t put your cash or credit at risk. On the podcast, J. Massey shared some more tips on how to find distressed properties.

78. Rec Sports Officiating. Recreational sports leagues are often in need of referees and umpires, and this can be a fun way to spend your evenings and earn a little extra cash.

79. RentaFriend. RentaFriend.com facilitates strictly platonic paid companionship. Friends report earning $20-50 an hour to hang out with strangers. Yeah, this sounds a little creepy and weird but I guess if you’re lonely and have got the money…

80. Renting Out Your Car. In select markets, you can rent out your car on a daily or hourly basis to earn extra cash through companies like Turo.

According to their site, the average car sits idle 22 hours a day, so their service is a unique opportunity to capitalize on those idle hours. The company handles all the insurance.

81. Selling on Amazon. One of the most popular side hustles lately has been Amazon’s FBA program, in which you find bargain deals locally, and ship them off to sell on Amazon.

One Side Hustle Nation reader reports earning $500 per month doing this in his spare time, and a year later was up to $4k a month.

Another scaled this to 6-figures in less than a year, and I even made a bit of money when I tried it myself.

82. Selling on eBay. eBay can be a tough, low-margin, competitive environment, but that’s not to say there aren’t any opportunities left to earn extra cash on the world’s largest marketplace.

I met one side hustle ebay seller who sold $100,000 worth of stuff (mostly used electronics) on ebay in one year, and another who built a 6-figure business as the “Flea Market Flipper.”

83. Selling on Etsy. Etsy is the world’s largest marketplace for unique hand-crafted goods. What can you make?

My friend Kara started selling wine-themed wedding decor on Etsy as a side hustle and since turned it into a full-time business.

84. Selling on Fiverr. Fiverr is one of the greatest sites in the world. The basic premise is “what would you do for $5?” You’ll find everything from hilariously weird and useless gags to legitimate and genuinely helpful micro-business tasks.

Check out these fine Side Hustle Nation posts for more on how to make Fiverr work for you both as a buyer and a seller:

I’ve used Fiverr for graphic design, book covers, website optimization, article writing, and even the intro voiceover for The Side Hustle Show. Lately I’ve been experimenting as a seller on Fiverr, and have found it a pretty successful avenue for selling non-fiction ebooks.

Getting a little more adventurous with my gigs, I got featured on the homepage and was flooded with orders, ultimately earning $920 in 10 days. Later, I broke down my first year on Fiverr, where I earned an average of $500 a month.

85. Selling on Teespring. Teespring is a print-on-demand t-shirt platform, where you can custom-design your own shirts and sell them through the site.

I created an “Every Day I’m Hustling” shirt and sold enough for the campaign to ship, but didn’t earn much on the experiment because of some not-very-effective Facebook advertising. Still, some opportunity here and a friend of mine is doing REALLY well with this. If you can create awesome designs and reach the right people with good Facebook targeting, Teespring can be very profitable.

On the podcast, my friend Benny shared how he built a 6-figure business on Teespring in under a year — even after a pretty discouraging start!

86. Small Business Marketing Service. Many small companies don’t have the staff or know-how to do all their marketing themselves, especially when it comes to putting their best foot forward online and on social media. You can help them with that, much like Sean does in his business.

87. Software Mogul. Software is one of those “perfectly scalable” business models, in that you can theoretically create something once and sell it over and over again.

The cool thing is, you don’t even know how to write code. Christopher Gimmer built his SaaS business by getting outside help on the technical side.

88. Sperm Donor. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a business, but it’s probably more fun than donating blood.

89. Sports Coaching. School teams are sometimes in need of coaching help and this can be a fun and active side hustle.

90. Swagbucks / InboxDollars. Also not really a business, but you can earn gift cards, cash, and other rewards by answering surveys, watching videos, playing games, and shopping online with both Swagbucks and InboxDollars. At press time, both companies are offering a $5 bonus just for signing up!

91. T-Shirt Printing Service. Create silk-screened t-shirts for events and organizations. Bonus points for creating the designs yourself.

My wife and I have gotten into this ourselves lately, but we’ve been letting Amazon do the printing through their Merch by Amazon program.

92. Teaching Music. With a love for music, teaching, and working with kids, you could start a part-time music teaching business.

93. Teaching Online. Udemy is an impressive online education platform where students can connect with teachers from all around the world in any subject. You can create your own course around a topic you’re an expert in and set your own tuition rate.

To learn more about this cool new side hustle, check out my interview with top-performing Udemy instructor, Scott Britton. He shares how he created a passive income stream on a topic he wasn’t an expert in, in just 18 hours!

Later, Rob and Phil shared their success stories as well.

Related: The 134 Best Udemy Courses for Entrepreneurs, Freelancers, and Side Hustlers

If you have an existing subscriber base to sell to, you might be able to sell the course directly and not have to worry about losing margin to Udemy. One resource with some great information on creating your own online course for “passive” income is my podcast with Ankur Nagpal.

94. Teaching Yoga. A certain level of expertise and certification may be required, but becoming a yoga instructor could be a fun and healthy part-time business.

(image credit)

95. Tour Guide Service. Do you want to show off your city to visitors? You can create your own unique tour experience with the help of websites like Vayable.com, ToursByLocals.com, and LocalGuiding.com.

For example, Alex Kenin leads urban hikers through the hills of San Francisco at $50 a pop.

96. Translation / Interpretation Service. A translation service could be an excellent way to put your bilingual skills to good use. There are always translation jobs on Upwork, as a place to start.

97. Travel Agent Service. Are you a seasoned traveler? Do you always know where to get the best deals and the best experiences? It might be surprising that despite widespread access to travel information there is still a healthy demand both for insider travel knowledge and the hands-off experience of letting an expert handle the booking.

Plus, you can put your travel-hacking skills to the test and earn money at the same time with services like FlightFox.

98. Tutoring. Put that education to use by helping students learn in a comfortable one-on-one setting. WyzAnt is one of the largest operators in the online tutoring world.

In this post, Matt Fuentes shares how he built his tutoring business up to $1000 a week.

If you already have experience teaching or tutoring, you might consider VIPkid, where you can teach English online to students in China.

99. Vehicle Advertising. According to Wrapify, you can earn up to $500 a month by putting an advertising “wrap” on your car.

Has anyone tried this yet? Let me know!

(photo credit)

100. Vending Machines. Matt Miller’s passive income vending machine empire started with just $36 and a bag of gumballs. He’d been flipping used books, but found it took too much time. Looking for something a little more automated, he settled on bulk vending.

101. Virtual Assistant Service. Virtual assistants provide administrative support to clients from their home office. If that sounds like a fun side hustle you can set up shop on your own or jump on board with an established VA company like BELAY or Fancy Hands.

To learn more about starting your own virtual assistant company, check out this interview I did with Lee Drozak, a professional VA who began her firm in her spare time.

102. Voiceover Acting. Companies are always on the look for professional voiceover talent. Once you start listening for it, you’ll hear voiceover work everywhere.

One Side Hustle Show guest reported turning her voiceover side hustle into a full-time gig in just 4 months, earning up to $3000 an hour in the process.

103. Web Design Service. There’s no shortage of crappy looking websites out there. Pitch the benefits of good design and help them out.

Even though I’m not super-technical, I was able to build out a pretty nice looking site in a few hours using this rapid-launch method.

104. Window Cleaning Service. Window cleaning can be a nice little weekend side hustle, and requires minimal startup capital; you may already have a ladder, a bucket, and a squeegee.

105. Working on Mechanical Turk. Mechanical Turk is a service provided by Amazon to help companies complete micro-jobs that sometimes only pay pennies for each one.

The good news is they are relatively simple and fast to finish so you may be able to earn a modest side hustle income in your spare time from home. One reader reported earning $21,000 in his spare time over the last couple years.

I’m not sure the hourly wage will be anything amazing here but I wanted to include it as an option in case you wanted to check it out.

106. Yard Work Service. Much like the cleaning service above, it’s not the most glamorous side hustle in the world but the fact is nearly every yard in the country requires some sort of maintenance. That means there’s a big business opportunity.

107. YouTube Channel Host. Google (which owns YouTube) pays channel-owners to host their ads on their videos, meaning if you generate a lot of YouTube views, you can earn a lot of money with their revenue sharing program.

Several YouTube users report earning more than $100,000 a year, and I recently sat down with Gabby Wallace, who turned her YouTube English teaching channel into a full-time business.

108. Reader’s Choice! Help me out by adding your part-time business idea in the comments below!

from DISNDAT.LIFE https://disndat.life/99-side-hustle-business-ideas-you-can-start-today/

[viralhottopics]

Syria’s Assad Is Still Attracting Support From Some Leftists And ‘Alt-Right’ Nationalists

WASHINGTON Richard Spencer, a top figure in the white nationalist alt-right movement, was upset with President Donald Trumps military strike on the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad on Thursday night. Spencer, a big fan of both leaders, says he wants them to get along. So, he hinted that Trumps military attack would turn him away from the president in the next election to someone who seems like a startling alternative a Democrat and prominent booster of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) recently traveled to Syria to visit Assad. That was a few weeks after she discussed foreign policy with Trump, then pro-Assad.

Gabbard has long criticized the official American view that the Syrian regime is not legitimate, and has questioned intelligence from the U.S. and allied nations that suggests Assad has committed war crimes and used banned chemical weapons. A chemical bombing Tuesday that the U.S. blames on Assad is what prompted Trumps strike.

Since that brutal attack,Gabbard has indicated that her views havent shifted.On the day reports of the chemical bombing emerged, she said she wanted whoever carried it out to be held accountable a statement suggesting she didnt believe the intelligence pointing to Assad.On CNN Friday night, she said she was still skeptical.

Gabbard has denounced Spencer before, and she hasdistanced herself from former KKK leader David Duke, a Spencer ally and Assad fan who has praised Gabbards position on Syria.

But the rhetoric from Gabbard and her and allies on the left who say Washington should embrace Assad including former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and a bevy of prominent activists continues to mirror arguments from Spencer, Duke and other fringe figures on the right who have became ascendant in the Trump era.

Trump now appears to have turned on Assad. Reports suggest this is because of his reaction to the chemical attack, not some radical shift in his worldview. But the unorthodox vision of foreign policy he articulated prior to the election which allowed the alignment of views held by such strange bedfellows as Gabbard and Spencer remains a new but important thread in U.S. global behavior.

The striking and ongoing fascination with Assad in far corners of the right and the left is the best evidence of this.

The factions agree on two main points when it comes to the Syrian strongman. (They also share views on other broad matters, like the need to replace what they see as an aggressively capitalist, pro-war status quo.)

Calling Assadsecular is a favorite tactic, one Gabbard employs frequently. Its useful in her effort to discourage U.S. involvement in Syria because it helps connect the crisis to Americans memories of oustingsecular dictators, like Saddam Hussein or Muammar Qaddafi, only to leave space for horrific groups like the so-called Islamic State.

Defenders of Assads rule use the secular label to argue that he is better than any alternative in Syria, despite well-organized homegrown resistance to the dictator and differences between the situation in Syria and those in Iraq and Libya.Kucinich, a two-time Democratic presidential candidate who has met with Assad twice, frequently ties the removal of the regime to the end of any hope for Syrias religious minorities. That view echoes the dictators own rhetoric and ignores the fact that Assad is one of many Middle East authoritarians who created dynamics that make minority communities terrified of their countries majorities.

Theres significant evidence that Assad is not secular, particularly in his regimes dependence on Syrian and foreign forces that say they are driven by explicit religious commitments to holy Shiite sites. Their brutality is arguably religiously motivated in a way similar to that of ISIS.

That Gabbard and her allies believe being secular is enough to grant Assad legitimacy is even more important. The unspoken argument here is that alleged war crimes, mass torture and decades of repressive one-family rule are acceptable, so long as they dont have a pesky Muslim tinge. The message is precisely what controversial Trump White House advisers like Sebastian Gorka believe: People in the Muslim-majority world do not become radical militants keen to target the West because of repression or deprivation. The problem lies in how Muslim they are or how secular. Activist Iyad el-Baghdadi calls Gabbards position a clear case of Islamophobia.

Spencer and Duke are more explicit in acknowledging what this argument means. After Trumps airstrike, Spencer tweeteda picture of Assad, with his wife beside him in a sleeveless dress. A few weeks earlier, Duke tweeted a different photograph of the couple, as well as one that appears to show a Syrian woman wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt in a car emblazoned with Assads face.

In the alt-rights telling, Assad is a defender standing between the masses of hyper-conservative Muslims and the rest of the world. To them, imagery suggesting that Assad is modern is essential its a way to contrast him with other Muslims, like the millions of the Syrians the Assad regime has targeted, who they argue want to force white women into headscarves and impose Islamic law.

Given his enemy, then, Assad is justified in whatever he does. He is, after all, a secular man, with no beard and no wife in hijab.

Radu Sigheti / Reuters

The second favored talking point is related to the first. For those who like the idea of Assad as a secular option, the alternative must look irredeemably religious violently so, and driven to that violence by religious dogma.

Gabbard for years has argued that the armed opposition to Assad is dominated by extremists. While U.S. and regime policies have arguably made the extremists more powerful, this has never been fully true, according to experts. A coterie of left-wing writers and activists, notably journalist Rania Khalek, have joined Gabbard in making this case. The movement cloaks itself in anti-imperialism and dares its critics to defend American overreach.

The idea has gained significant traction on the right. Prior to his inauguration, Trump himself doubted whether the U.S. knew who the anti-Assad rebels were. And after his strike, some conservative commentators have accused Trump of providing American support to radical groups.

In their rush to demonize the opposition, some on the left and right have veered into conspiracy theories. Some writers argue that the internationally renowned volunteer medical organization known as the White Helmets is a terror front. Gabbard cites Stephen Kinzer, a fellow at Brown University who believes the American media is engaged in a government-led conspiracy to discredit Assad.

After the Syrian chemical attack this week, far-right blogger Mike Cernovichbegan telling his following of Trump supporters that anti-Assad rebels were responsible. Right-wing favorites InfoWars and WikiLeaks soon joined him. Before long, so did Moscow. The Russian government has long tried to exploit disinformation to favor Assad, and knows it has a ready audience in the U.S. because of skittishness following decades of unhappy American interventions in the Middle East.

On Friday, the internet was treated to the piece de resistance: Conservative media personality Ann Coulter tweeteda screenshot from the lefty site Alternet.

Like many new aspects of U.S. politics, this alignment has been clear for years in Europe. The cause of defending Assad has brought together the left-wing group Stop the War in the U.K., and far-right presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen in France. A Spanish leftist figure invited an Assad representative into the European Parliament just this week. Conservative British provocateur Katie Hopkins joined previously pro-Trump media and Brexit architect Nigel Farage in blasting the presidents airstrike on Friday:

None of this is to say that the far-left and far-right are equally troubling on Assad. Gabbard does not repeat conspiracy theories from Duke and Spencer about American intervention in Syria being a Zionist plot, and she has after a controversial anti-refugee vote last year become a critic of Trumps harsh approach to refugees fleeing the conflict.

But the alignment shows a flourishing mood in the U.S. that is capable of fueling latent Islamophobia and Syrian suffering for years to come.

Read more: http://huff.to/2nsvP9c

from Syria’s Assad Is Still Attracting Support From Some Leftists And ‘Alt-Right’ Nationalists

[mavwrekmarketing]

WASHINGTON Richard Spencer, a top figure in the white nationalist alt-right movement, was upset with President Donald Trumps military strike on the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad on Thursday night. Spencer, a big fan of both leaders, says he wants them to get along. So, he hinted that Trumps military attack would turn him away from the president in the next election to someone who seems like a startling alternative a Democrat and prominent booster of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) recently traveled to Syria to visit Assad. That was a few weeks after she discussed foreign policy with Trump, then pro-Assad.

Gabbard has long criticized the official American view that the Syrian regime is not legitimate, and has questioned intelligence from the U.S. and allied nations that suggests Assad has committed war crimes and used banned chemical weapons. A chemical bombing Tuesday that the U.S. blames on Assad is what prompted Trumps strike.

Since that brutal attack,Gabbard has indicated that her views havent shifted.On the day reports of the chemical bombing emerged, she said she wanted whoever carried it out to be held accountable a statement suggesting she didnt believe the intelligence pointing to Assad.On CNN Friday night, she said she was still skeptical.

Gabbard has denounced Spencer before, and she hasdistanced herself from former KKK leader David Duke, a Spencer ally and Assad fan who has praised Gabbards position on Syria.

But the rhetoric from Gabbard and her and allies on the left who say Washington should embrace Assad including former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and a bevy of prominent activists continues to mirror arguments from Spencer, Duke and other fringe figures on the right who have became ascendant in the Trump era.

Trump now appears to have turned on Assad. Reports suggest this is because of his reaction to the chemical attack, not some radical shift in his worldview. But the unorthodox vision of foreign policy he articulated prior to the election which allowed the alignment of views held by such strange bedfellows as Gabbard and Spencer remains a new but important thread in U.S. global behavior.

The striking and ongoing fascination with Assad in far corners of the right and the left is the best evidence of this.

The factions agree on two main points when it comes to the Syrian strongman. (They also share views on other broad matters, like the need to replace what they see as an aggressively capitalist, pro-war status quo.)

Calling Assadsecular is a favorite tactic, one Gabbard employs frequently. Its useful in her effort to discourage U.S. involvement in Syria because it helps connect the crisis to Americans memories of oustingsecular dictators, like Saddam Hussein or Muammar Qaddafi, only to leave space for horrific groups like the so-called Islamic State.

Defenders of Assads rule use the secular label to argue that he is better than any alternative in Syria, despite well-organized homegrown resistance to the dictator and differences between the situation in Syria and those in Iraq and Libya.Kucinich, a two-time Democratic presidential candidate who has met with Assad twice, frequently ties the removal of the regime to the end of any hope for Syrias religious minorities. That view echoes the dictators own rhetoric and ignores the fact that Assad is one of many Middle East authoritarians who created dynamics that make minority communities terrified of their countries majorities.

Theres significant evidence that Assad is not secular, particularly in his regimes dependence on Syrian and foreign forces that say they are driven by explicit religious commitments to holy Shiite sites. Their brutality is arguably religiously motivated in a way similar to that of ISIS.

That Gabbard and her allies believe being secular is enough to grant Assad legitimacy is even more important. The unspoken argument here is that alleged war crimes, mass torture and decades of repressive one-family rule are acceptable, so long as they dont have a pesky Muslim tinge. The message is precisely what controversial Trump White House advisers like Sebastian Gorka believe: People in the Muslim-majority world do not become radical militants keen to target the West because of repression or deprivation. The problem lies in how Muslim they are or how secular. Activist Iyad el-Baghdadi calls Gabbards position a clear case of Islamophobia.

Spencer and Duke are more explicit in acknowledging what this argument means. After Trumps airstrike, Spencer tweeteda picture of Assad, with his wife beside him in a sleeveless dress. A few weeks earlier, Duke tweeted a different photograph of the couple, as well as one that appears to show a Syrian woman wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt in a car emblazoned with Assads face.

In the alt-rights telling, Assad is a defender standing between the masses of hyper-conservative Muslims and the rest of the world. To them, imagery suggesting that Assad is modern is essential its a way to contrast him with other Muslims, like the millions of the Syrians the Assad regime has targeted, who they argue want to force white women into headscarves and impose Islamic law.

Given his enemy, then, Assad is justified in whatever he does. He is, after all, a secular man, with no beard and no wife in hijab.

Radu Sigheti / Reuters

The second favored talking point is related to the first. For those who like the idea of Assad as a secular option, the alternative must look irredeemably religious violently so, and driven to that violence by religious dogma.

Gabbard for years has argued that the armed opposition to Assad is dominated by extremists. While U.S. and regime policies have arguably made the extremists more powerful, this has never been fully true, according to experts. A coterie of left-wing writers and activists, notably journalist Rania Khalek, have joined Gabbard in making this case. The movement cloaks itself in anti-imperialism and dares its critics to defend American overreach.

The idea has gained significant traction on the right. Prior to his inauguration, Trump himself doubted whether the U.S. knew who the anti-Assad rebels were. And after his strike, some conservative commentators have accused Trump of providing American support to radical groups.

In their rush to demonize the opposition, some on the left and right have veered into conspiracy theories. Some writers argue that the internationally renowned volunteer medical organization known as the White Helmets is a terror front. Gabbard cites Stephen Kinzer, a fellow at Brown University who believes the American media is engaged in a government-led conspiracy to discredit Assad.

After the Syrian chemical attack this week, far-right blogger Mike Cernovichbegan telling his following of Trump supporters that anti-Assad rebels were responsible. Right-wing favorites InfoWars and WikiLeaks soon joined him. Before long, so did Moscow. The Russian government has long tried to exploit disinformation to favor Assad, and knows it has a ready audience in the U.S. because of skittishness following decades of unhappy American interventions in the Middle East.

On Friday, the internet was treated to the piece de resistance: Conservative media personality Ann Coulter tweeteda screenshot from the lefty site Alternet.

Like many new aspects of U.S. politics, this alignment has been clear for years in Europe. The cause of defending Assad has brought together the left-wing group Stop the War in the U.K., and far-right presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen in France. A Spanish leftist figure invited an Assad representative into the European Parliament just this week. Conservative British provocateur Katie Hopkins joined previously pro-Trump media and Brexit architect Nigel Farage in blasting the presidents airstrike on Friday:

None of this is to say that the far-left and far-right are equally troubling on Assad. Gabbard does not repeat conspiracy theories from Duke and Spencer about American intervention in Syria being a Zionist plot, and she has after a controversial anti-refugee vote last year become a critic of Trumps harsh approach to refugees fleeing the conflict.

But the alignment shows a flourishing mood in the U.S. that is capable of fueling latent Islamophobia and Syrian suffering for years to come.

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