#the bidding war of 2024

[milesworld96]

YALL…..WE GOT NEWS☹️

[muppetjackrackham]

[i-am-the-devil-himself]

Laddies, Germs and all my other Gendered people,

The Bidding War of 2024 has Begun.

May the highest bidder win.

[defeatsthem]

@rvyalfamily said, 'i thought you left me' / FOR MAXWELL 🙏

There was a lot that Max had to be thankful for and Cody was definitely one of them. Without him, who's to say Max wouldn't just be scraping by on the indies still? The Long-Islander didn't think he'd still be in the indies but to humble himself, he went ahead with the thought anyway. "I could never truly leave you, buddy. Let's just say that you're stuck with me being a thorn in your side until we're both six feet under. Good thing you're a glutton for punishment, eh? Or have you gotten soft on me since we last shared a locker room?"

[alpha-mag-media]

Football Manager 2024 moves to Netflix in bidding war with Apple | In Trend Today

Football Manager 2024 moves to Netflix in bidding war with Apple Read Full Text or Full Article on MAG NEWS

[ur-mag]

Football Manager 2024 moves to Netflix in bidding war with Apple | In Trend Today

Football Manager 2024 moves to Netflix in bidding war with Apple Read Full Text or Full Article on MAG NEWS

[sebscore]

THE GRID'S DELIGHT | SERIES MASTERLIST

summary: the shenanigans of female gen z driver and the formula one grid.

author’s note: I started this series, because I'd like to imagine what it would be like to be part of the group of drivers and how it would be like to interact with them on a regular basis. It's all fun and games, and I don't know these people in real life. everything is fiction! the stories aren't written in chronological order, but I try to put them in the right order below! 

Requests are always welcome in my inbox! Opinions, thoughts and feedback are also greatly appreciated.

— ABOUT THE OC

HEADCANONS || MORE HEADCANONS

:: Things about being the only female driver on the ‘22 grid.

DRIVER X TGD HEADCANONS

:: The dynamics between driver!reader and the formula 1 drivers. in the link you can find the masterlist.

EXTRAS

:: this includes thoughts, opinions, etc about the series. it doesn’t include requests.

— 2018

WELCOME TO THE STRANGE WORLD 

:: Y/N makes her F1 debut at the 2018 Australian Grand Prix. 

THE PRIZE THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

:: Y/N accepts the 'Rookie of the Year' award and receives a suprise from a special someone on stage.

— 2020 

TWITCH WAR

:: lando insults Y/N’s gaming skills and the events that followed.

PLEASE RISE FOR THE NATIONAL ANTHEM

:: An error in the sound system causes for the wrong song to play instead of Y/N’s national anthem.

— 2021 

THE MORE YOU KNOW

:: Y/N teaches Sebastian and Fernando what ‘bop’ means.

NO ONE LIKES A MAD WOMAN

:: Y/N receives a complaint from the FIA during the driver's briefing and no one is happy about it.

BREAK UP WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND, I'M BORED 

:: Y/N flirts with a stranger not knowing she's the girlfriend of another F1 driver on the grid. 

THIS IS ALL I NEVER WANTED

:: Y/N goes through a rough patch and the drivers notice.

LET IT SPIRAL

:: Y/N gets into a crash and Seb & George come to the rescue.

SLOW DOWN, RED FLAG

:: The commentators are shocked by Y/N’s red flag habit.

BE YOUR WINGMAN

:: Y/N tries to get through an interview with Jenson, Daniel and Sebastian. 

GIDDY GOODBYES

:: Y/N and Kimi bid each other goodbye at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

— 2022

A MAN’S WORLD

:: Y/N is asked about Christian Horner’s sexist comments.

THE ORIGIN OF RUSSY BUSSY

:: the title is pretty self-explanatory.

WHAT HAPPENS IN MONACO, STAYS IN MONACO

:: Y/N goes on a blind date and returns with a hickey the next day.

THE HELMET BET

:: Y/N and Zhou decide who the second best dressed driver on the grid is through a bet that involves holding the other drivers hostage at the driver's briefing.

GOSSIP GRID

:: Charles and Pierre don't trust Y/N when it comes to rumors around Oscar Piastri's move to McLaren.

RUMOUR HAS IT

:: Y/N and her fellow younger drivers react to certain rumours that have been going around about her love life, and it might include two colleagues of hers.

MONZA MANICURE

:: Daniel makes it up to Y/N for breaking her nail during a race.

LITTLE MISS BLACK DRESS

:: f1 drivers and their reactions to Y/N looking gorgeous in a dress.

KEEPING UP WITH THE GRID

:: What happens when Y/N takes over Martin's grid walk? 

THE LAST SUPPER

:: The drivers celebrate the life and career of Sebastian Vettel at Abu Dhabi and Y/N has a great story to tell.

— 2023 

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 

:: Daniel, Lewis and Sebastian show their appreciation for Y/N on International Women's Day. 

GLASS HALF FULL KINDA GAL

:: Y/N goes on Instagram live to try out Daniel’s new wine, and the drivers react to it in the comments.

MONTE-CARLO MADNESS

:: Y/N meets her old mentor after months and experiences a chaotic qualifying in Monaco.

PUT IT INTO SPEED DRIVE

:: Y/N and the Twitch Quartet go on a small adventure in the streets of Monaco.

SNITCHES GET STITCHES

:: A collection of moments at the 2023 Austria Grand Prix.

LATE NIGHT TALKING

:: Pierre asks the question: “Out of all the drivers, who would you date?”

— 2024

EXCUSE ME

:: Y/N finds out about Lewis’ Ferrari move before the official announcement.

ARE WE STILL FRIENDS

:: Lando ends Y/N’s race, and they have different perspectives on how it transpired.

[frootloopscos]

Grim starts bidding war for Yuu’s hand in marriage ;3

Oh hohoho, I couldn’t help it and had to write this!

Grim steals your phone and starts a bidding war!

Yuu held Grim by his scruff as they yelled at him, “why in the name of the Seven would you do that?!” Grim whined, struggling in your grasp, “I wanted more tunaaaaa! And the dumb headmage doesn’t pay you anything!” He said crossing his arms, “now you have marriage proposals and money! What more could you want?” Grim asked Yuu as they stared at him with murderous intent.

“How many times do I have to remind you that I’m not from this world, I have no documentation I belong here.” Yuu said before dropping the cat to the floor. Now I have to go clean your mess and explain to everyone that that bidding was fake!”

Or at least

That’s what they tried to do

But Crowley being the “kind” headmage he is decided that no! The bidding shall go on, and whoever puts in the highest bid gets to keep Yuu in their dorm (with the addition of bragging rights)!

So here Yuu was standing in front of ramshackle with everything packed up and hiding behind Professor Crewel who had tried to intervene to no avail and thus instead was there to protect the Prefect of Ramshackle incase anything were to go wrong. Crowley stood proudly next to the two with an envelope in hand, “and without further ado, the winner of the prefect is….”

—————

GUESS WHOS FUCKING BACK BITCHES!

This is gonna be a short mini Sires with the dorm leaders (as I write and post the results of each I’ll link them in here as well) to rid my writers block!

(Everyone say thank you to King and the anons who entered my ask box while I was on break!)

Posted: May 13th, 2024

Edited: N/A

Tag list: @naompspsps @bagofburntcreampuffs @lemon-koii @bluerosegardens @lost-woods-rabbit @friskybee @amebaby @transriddlerosehearts @imhere2dosomething @g0ul666 @stupidneko

Want to be added to the taglist?

[batbabydamian]

DC September 2024 Solicitations - Comics Featuring Damian! 🦇

THE BOY WONDER #5 of 5

9/4/24

Written by Juni Ba

Art and Cover by Juni Ba

Variant Cover: Lea Murawiec

The Robins have united to battle their way out of the stronghold of the Demon’s Head, but Damian cutting his family ties to Ra’s al Ghul isn’t just a matter of punching his way through ninjas. Could this fairy tale possibly have a happy ending? Or is the story of Damian Wayne an inescapable tragedy?

TRINITY SPECIAL: WORLD’S FINEST

9/4/24 

Written by Tom King

Art by Belen Ortega

Cover by Daniel Sampere

Variant covers: Belen Ortega, Chrissie Zullo (1:25), Saowee (1:50)

The world’s finest heroes of tomorrow are back for more! The daughter of Wonder Woman and the Super Sons return for more stories filled with laughs, action and awe-inspiring adventure. Can Lizzie survive Darkseid and his terrifying math? Will an innocent trip to the past for homework change the future? Are Damian and Jon’s barks worse than their bite? Find out in this collection of the latest back-up stories from the hit WONDER WOMAN series!

BATMAN AND ROBIN #13

9/11/24

Written by Joshua Williamson

Art by Juan Ferreyra

Cover by Simone Di Meo

Variant covers: Travis Mercer, Christian Ward (1:25)

Batman, Robin, and Bane must escape Dinosaur Island. But they are not alone! A dangerous presence has taken over and won’t let anyone leave the island alive! Can the father and son dynamic duo return to Gotham or will this be their last adventure together?!

DC VS. VAMPIRES: WORLD WAR V #2

9/11/24

Written by Matthew Rosenburg

Art and cover by Otto Schmidt

Variant Covers: Daniele Di Nicuolo (1:25), Caspar Wijngaard, Lucio Parrillo

The peace between vampires and heroes is wearing thin. Lois Lane will try and negotiate a way to maintain a truce, but with Damian’s relentless attacks on the vampire queen and her armies, the only thing that might be able to bring them together is a…Miracle.

*Bruno Redondo Variant Cover C appearance + chance of interior feature

NIGHTWING #118

9/18/24

Written by Tom Taylor

Art and cover by Bruno Redondo

Variant Covers: Bruno Redondo, Jamal Campbell, Tirso, Nicola Scott, Serg Acuna (1:25)

Embark on an exhilarating journey through the streets of Blüdhaven as we bid a heartfelt farewell to the dynamic duo of Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo in the epic conclusion to their award-winning run. With Nightwing’s fear of heights overcome, he returns to Blüdhaven for one final face-off with Heartless and Tony Zucco. It’s the battle you’ve all been waiting for! And if we’ve learned anything from Nightwing these last couple of years, we know he never has to do it alone. One thing’s for certain though: Blüdhaven will never be the same after this!

WONDER WOMAN #13

9/18/24

Written by Tom King

Art and Cover by Tony S. Daniel

Variant Covers: Gleb Melnikov (1:25), Stanley "Artgerm" Lau, Phil Jimenez, Nicola Scott

ABSOLUTE POWER TIE-IN! Gamorra found! Wonder Woman and Robin have finally located Amanda Waller’s super jail holding the powerless heroes they once fought alongside. Can the new dynamic duo break them out before they become trapped themselves? An undercover ally may hold the key to everything!

ROBIN: SON OF BATMAN BY PATRICK GLEASON: THE DELUXE EDITION

11/5/24

Written by Patrick Gleason and Ray Fawkes

Art by Patrick Gleason, Scott Mcdaniel, Mick Gray, and others

Cover by Patrick Gleason

Damian Wayne died. But like most members of the al Ghul family, he didn’t stay dead. Now that he’s back and done some soul-searching, Damian has decided he has a lot to make up for—but he won’t have to do it alone. With a young assassin named Nobody and a gargantuan dragon bat named Goliath in tow, Damian’s year of atonement will take him across the globe and reunite him with friends, foes, and his own complicated family as he seeks to prove to everyone—himself, especially—that he is a worthy member of the Bat-Family. This deluxe edition features a brand-new cover by writer/artist Patrick Gleason, development sketches, and tons more behind-the-scenes material! Collecting DC Sneak Peek: Robin: Son of Batman #1, and Robin: Son of Batman #1-13.

[palestinegenocide]

The exquisite choreography of hosting a war criminal at the White House

The grisly farce that is the Biden administration’s support for Israeli war crimes became even more grotesque this week.

Netanyahu is coming to Washington in a few days. Democrats believe overwhelmingly that Netanyahu is carrying out a genocide– nearly 39,000 Palestinians deaths with thousands more under the rubble. So some Dems will boycott Netanyahu’s speech to the Congress, but the Democratic Party leadership is rolling out the welcome mat.

Netanyahu is to meet at the White House with the president who has provided Israel with endless munitions to carry out the war. And though many expect Biden to drop out of the presidential race,the New York Times says Biden won’t do so before he meets with Netanyahu, because Biden does not want to give the far-right-wing prime minister who has repeatedly bossed Democratic presidents the “satisfaction” of seeing Biden when he’s a lame duck.

Though if you think Kamala Harris will stand up for human rights and U.S. interests if she becomes president—think again, she is going to meet Netanyahu too, the White House assured the press.

Why meet with this war criminal at all? To answer that, consider who are the most important voters in the Biden debate right now: the donors who are the last shoe to drop on Biden’s reelection hopes, pulling their money to pressure the president to get out of the race.

Many of these donors now in rebellion are big Israel supporters. Michael Moritz the latest billionaire to put it to Biden has been in solidarity with Israel. Reid Hoffman who organized a concerned donors call with Kamala Harris calls Israeli forces a model.

While another group of 75 donors almost all of whom want Biden out is reported by CNBC to include as leaders Ari Emanuel and his brother Zeke. Ari Emanuel said that Israel’s war is “justified” in May 2024, and has said that he loves the country. Of course, there are Dem donors who don’t care about Israel. But the power map is clear.

It’s not like Trump is any different. The top Republican donor is thought to be Miriam Adelson, the Israeli doctor, and she is reportedly spending millions to stake Trump to a promise to allow Israeli annexation of the West Bank.

Just as Adelson’s late husband Sheldon, once the biggest Republican donor, asked Trump to move the embassy to Jerusalem and trash the Iran deal, and Trump followed through, in utter contempt for the Palestinian people and world leaders.

So our Middle East policy is up for bid by billionaire zealots. This is what a liberal democracy looks like.

In any just order, the U.S. would have nothing to do with Israel. The country is committing flagrant war crimes in Gaza, killing journalists and athletes and other civilians with complete impunity.

And the International Court of Justice last week issued (yet another) ruling saying that the settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank are violations of international law.

Back in December 2016 the Obama administration after 8 years of being walked over by Netanyahu allowed the U.N. Security Council to issue the same determination, in a resolution on which Obama abstained, that condemned the occupation. President-elect Trump called the Russians to try and stop the resolution but it went through. And of course nothing came of it. The Biden administration has never followed through on the landgrab, and the ethnic cleansing.

Al Jazeera graphic showing Israeli land seizures at a 25 year high in West Bank.

The Knesset passed a resolution this week saying there must never be a Palestinian state; that would be an “existential threat” to Israel.

Netanyahu repeated the claim of Jewish supremacy in his response to the International Court of Justice.

The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land, including in our eternal capital Jerusalem nor in Judea and Samaria, our historical homeland. No absurd opinion in the Hague can deny this historical truth or the legal right of Israelis to live in their own communities in our ancestoral home.

The Biden administration is incapable of condemning these racists. “It’s like pulling teeth to get you to say something on this,” a reporter complained in the State Department this week after the Knesset’s attack on a Palestinian state.

Antony Blinken was unable to say a critical word about Netanyahu during a fawning interview in Aspen (by NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly) in which he used a football metaphor to claim the U.S. was doing something to stop the genocide. “I believe we’re inside the 10-yard line and driving toward the goal line in getting an agreement that would produce a ceasefire, get the hostages home, and put us on a better track to trying to build lasting peace and stability.”

And keep the bombs flowing, as Israel bombs hospitals and refugee camps…

Netanyahu should be persona non grata in Washington. But he will be welcomed with open arms.

As a former Biden official Tariq Habash said on a webinar this week, our policy is “rooted in anti-Palestinian racism”– in the dehumanization and erasure of Palestinians.

Habash quit the Biden administration in January. Let’s hope that his courage and honesty are infectious.

[hoshinasblade]

☞ NAVIGATION : MASTERLIST 🗡️ WRITING IDEAS 🗡️ TAGLIST 🗡️ MAILBOX

hi, my name's lian and this is my writing side blog. links are above if you want to see any of my writings. although i write for other fandoms too, this space is specifically for my favorite third division vice-captain hoshina soshiro.

🗡️ work in progress

king of swords: prince!hoshina soshiro x f!reader genre: angst, comfort, fiancees to enemies to friends to lovers trope snippet: prince hoshina soshiro was never meant to inherit his father's throne, but he refuses to accept his fate of being wed to you, a woman who he has just met. you were not given the right to choose who to take as husband, yet you had decided long ago that you may forego love but never respect. trapped in a marriage where the currency is hatred, you and the prince would rather wage war against each other than wait for love to bloom. CHAPTER ONE: KING OF SWORDS CHAPTER TWO: FIVE OF WANDS CHAPTER THREE: THREE OF SWORDS CHAPTER FOUR: TWO OF CUPS CHAPTER FIVE: QUEEN OF SWORDS updates will begin on july 15th

🗡️ most recent

second best : hoshina soshiro x f!reader (COMPLETED) genre: slight angst, comfort, childhood friends to lovers snippet: hoshina soshiro always ranks second at everything in his life. god forbid he falls behind in the bid for your heart too. PART ONE | PART TWO | BONUS: PART THREE

🗡️ up next

another love : hoshina soshiro x f!reader (ON-HOLD) genre: angst snippet: in which hoshina soshiro finds out just how many times a heart can break. PART ONE | PART TWO posting will begin a week after king of swords has concluded

you can see my thoughts, ramblings, and answers to asks here!

last update: 06-30-2024

[i-am-the-devil-himself]

7 Days till the Bidding War of 2024

[genderqueerpositivity]

Separately, the DOJ accused two Russian employees of RT, the Russian state-owned media outlet, of a nearly $10 million scheme to create and distribute content to U.S. audiences while keeping the connection to Russia hidden.

RT worked with an online content creation company in Tennessee, which was directed to contract with U.S. social media influencers to distribute its content on social media platforms including, TikTok, X, Instagram and YouTube. Since November, the company posted more than 2,000 videos that received more than 16 million views on YouTube, according to the indictment.

United States intelligence and security officials have been warning for months about Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2024 election, specifically to undermine the Democratic presidential nominee, exploit social divisions, sow distrust in democratic institutions and to erode support for Ukraine.

The U.S. has provided arms to Ukraine to support its war following Russia's invasion in 2022.

“Russia remains the most active foreign threat to our elections,” Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told senators in May at a briefing about election risks.

This is not the first time the U.S. has taken action against those behind the Doppelganger influence campaign.

In March, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Social Design Agency and Structura, as well as their founders, for a network of fake accounts and phony news websites, saying they carried out the campaign "at the direction of the Russian Presidential Administration."

A report released on Tuesday by social network analysis company Graphika documents a cross-platform influence operation linked to the Chinese government with the aim of influencing online discourse ahead of the November 5 elections.

The operation has relied on "spamouflage" to spread misleading or false information, adopting faux American accounts to sow division through anti-government narratives and posts on divisive topics such as the Israel-Hamas conflict, gun control, and racial inequality.

Using ATLAS, its proprietary platform for real-time intelligence and data analysis, Graphika identified 15 such accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and one on TikTok. Mimicking both U.S. nationals and advocacy groups, these accounts have taken aim at both major political parties and called into question the legitimacy of the U.S. electoral process.

They exhibited certain patterns, including the use of U.S.-related hashtags like #American, and presented themselves as U.S. voters who "love America" but feel alienated by issues ranging from abortion to U.S. support for the war in Ukraine.

One X post from June 2023 stated: "Although I am an American, I am extremely opposed to NATO and the behavior of the U.S. government in war. I think soldiers should protect their own country's people and territory from being violated, and should not initiate wars on their own initiative." The post was accompanied by an image depicting NATO's expansion in Europe.

Not to say "I told you so" but I've been saying this for months. Social engineers are hard at work trying to influence the outcome of the election in November. It is very likely happening on a larger scale than we know of. Take everything you read online with a grain of salt between now and November.

[by-nina]

Second Glance

AO3 | FFN Royai Week 2024 | Day 1 – Curiosity Rating: K+ (mentions of drinking) Genre: Fluff Word Count: 1,480

A/N: Happy Royai Week, my darlings! Special thanks to @kangdae95draws for making this fic possible, from ideation to fine-tuning to keeping me on schedule with your beautiful art! 🫶🏻

Her eyes are the color of deep honey, almost incandescent in the warm light of the street lamp just next to him. Soft beneath her expression. So different from how he expected them to look up close that he doesn’t notice himself leaning in curiously to see them better.

“Your eyes... they're brown,” Roy whispers before he can stop himself.

Art by @kangdae95draws

———

It’s only ten o’clock in the evening—far too early for the laughter and conversations to die down, or for the music to turn slow, or for anyone to leave the Hugheses’ housewarming party—but by this time, Roy hasn’t had more than a glass of wine, and he has already bid good night to Maes and Gracia, apologized for being unable to stay as long as he’d wanted to, and made his way to the phone in their foyer to call for a cab that will take him home.

Roy is aware of a handful of stares that follow him as he takes his coat from a hook by the door, the same earnest stares that have tried to meet his all night before he decided that he would rather they didn’t. It isn’t as if he didn’t try his best. Madame Christmas had encouraged him to head out and socialize in his free time instead of keeping to himself. Maes had hoped—firmly suggested, really—that he might meet someone he could connect with. It certainly explains the presence of Maes’ attractive cousin and Gracia’s bubbly former classmate, who heavily hinted at being single several times throughout the night.

And Roy knows that Madame Christmas, Maes, and Gracia all mean well, and that the women he met tonight truly wanted to get to know him, besides being pleasing to the eye. He wishes he could have returned their interest, pushed down the discomfort and anxiety that keep him from feigning it as well as he knows he could have. He’s never not wanted to, and just as well, he’s never been able to—not since coming home from the war, not since throwing himself into his work and coming to believe that to think of anything else would be selfish and purposeless.

So he says goodbye to no one else, exits the Hugheses’ apartment quietly, and waits on a park bench just a few paces down the road. Here, he has no one for company, nothing except the flickering street lamps and the chirping of crickets. He exhales, and in his solitude, a tension he hadn’t noticed building in his chest throughout the party dissipates almost immediately, like his misty breath into the chilly night air.

“Colonel?”

Lieutenant Hawkeye has found him. The sounds from the party and the smell of liquor seem to have followed her from the party and out through the front door of the apartment building, but Roy is thankful that it’s she and not any of the other guests who came looking.

“It’s freezing out here, Hawkeye,” Roy says, rising from the bench. “You ought to go back inside.”

She descends the steps to the sidewalk and joins him at the bench. “I wouldn’t mind staying out for some fresh air until you’re ready to rejoin the party.”

“I don’t think I’ll be returning to the party. I’ve told Hughes I’m heading home. He and Gracia were kind about it.”

Lieutenant Hawkeye tilts her head slightly and blinks. “So soon, Sir?”

“Let’s just say I’m not currently at my most sociable, and I wouldn’t want to spoil their evening because of it.” Roy shrugs with a small smile. “I’m sure they won’t miss me too badly.”

“I see.” A pause. “Will you be fine on your own?”

“I will. There’s no need to worry. And I wouldn’t want you to miss the party just to keep me company out here.”

“I actually meant to offer you a ride home, Sir.”

Roy frowns slightly at Lieutenant Hawkeye, and it’s only then that he realizes she is seemingly standing at attention. Sternly, but with a small laugh, he says, “We’re not at work, Hawkeye. I don’t expect you to attend to me. I’ll escort you back inside before you catch a cold.”

“But if we’re not at work, then it’s not an order, is it?”

First, Roy is taken aback, then he suppresses his laughter with a snort. He can’t say that he didn’t expect this kind of response from her, but her sharper jibes are rare enough that he finds himself giving them a second thought when they come. Now he finds himself looking right at her, reading the thinly veiled look of amused self-satisfaction in the slight upward curl of her lips, the barely noticeable arch of her eyebrows, and her eyes—

Her eyes are the color of deep honey, almost incandescent in the warm light of the street lamp just next to him. Soft beneath her expression. So different from how he expected them to look up close that he doesn’t notice himself leaning in curiously to see them better.

“Your eyes... they're brown,” Roy whispers before he can stop himself.

The question that floats to the front of his mind is even stupider—Have her eyes always been this brown?—but it’s a dangerous one as well. All at once, Roy wonders why he hadn’t stopped and noticed it before, what he expected her eye color to be, and most crucially, why it even matters—why, when all this time, she had only ever been his right hand, a capable and dependable soldier, never just a woman.

Now, he’s fixated only on how beautiful her eyes are.

He’s close enough to see the subtlest change in her expression, the nervous twitch in her nose when she says, “Are you drunk, Sir?”

He’s close enough to hear the slight quiver in her voice that suggests apprehension as well as controlled bewilderment, all underneath genuine concern. Then, he notices the flush in her cheeks, the heat radiating from her body—her pale blue dress is lovely on her, and he thinks she should dress like this more often—and, for the quickest moment, her slight wobble when she steps back an inch from him.

Roy frowns. “Hawkeye, I think you’re drunk.”

“I’m perfectly fine,” she says a little too loudly. Roy jumps back slightly. She holds her shoulders rigidly and struggles to meet his gaze and now Roy can tell that what he took for shy self-consciousness is actually her attempt—no, her insistence to appear sober. At the back of his mind, he recognizes something he’s sure he’s always known about her. A self-sacrificing stubbornness that always keeps her from leaning on anyone else. He sighs.

“Lieutenant Hawkeye, I’m driving you home.”

“But I—”

“I can’t let you offer me a ride or stay here to look after yourself in this state. My conscience won’t let me.” Roy drops his voice to a gentle near whisper. “It’s all right. Let’s get your coat and keys.”

Maes is right by the door when Roy and Lieutenant Hawkeye briefly return to the party to gather her things. Roy explains the situation while ignoring the interested, almost knowing expression that slowly creeps into Maes’ face as he looks over Roy’s shoulder at Lieutenant Hawkeye. She says good night, apologizes profusely for having to leave early, then asks him to thank Gracia for her cooking. When they leave, Roy walks closer to Lieutenant Hawkeye than he often does, preparing to catch her in case she loses her footing.

It’s the first time that Roy is driving Lieutenant Hawkeye’s car. He’s more careful than usual, but it doesn’t keep his mind from wandering back to her. He notices her silence, coming from an iron will to appear put together. (He wishes she could relax for once.) He notices the faint scent of lemon and vanilla in the car, which he soon realizes is actually her perfume rather than the car freshener. Out of nowhere, he wonders if he can call her by her first name when they’re alone together like this.

The question never leaves his lips. It disappears into his chest and lodges itself in his steadily quickening heartbeat. Roy tries his best to ignore it, but it makes itself felt when he looks up through the windshield and wonders, were the stars over Central always this bright? Was the city this peaceful at night even during the war? Have any of the lovers still walking down the street at this hour known each other as long as he and Lieutenant Hawkeye have?

And when Riza—when Lieutenant Hawkeye wakes up in the morning, will she be all right? Will she have the same tea that she has always had since they were growing up together in her hometown? Will she read the paper; will she head to the market?

Roy catches a smile growing on his lips, the kind he’s sure Madame Christmas and Maes and Gracia have all been hoping to see on him since heaven knows when. But at this very moment, on the drive back to East City, he can’t afford to think of them or all the reasons they have been worrying about his solitude. Instead, he straightens his face to focus on the road. There are miles yet ahead of them.

[girlactionfigure]

the British

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

For many years, there has been a concerted effort to delegitimize the State of Israel as a British colonial project. These people decontextualize one single paragraph-long, non-binding statement -- the 1917 Balfour Declaration -- and ignore everything that happened before and since. 

The fact of the matter is that by the time the British actually occupied the territory that now encompasses the State of Israel and the Palestinian Territories, they actively worked with the Arabs against the establishment of a sovereign Jewish state. 

Anyone familiar with the complicated history of the conflict beyond the same tired propaganda talking points knows this. Our own grandparents know this, because it was they who suffered under British curfews, detention camps, unfair laws, and more.

THE BALFOUR DECLARATION: IN CONTEXT

In 1897, at the First Zionist Congress, the Zionist movement decided that “Zionism seeks to establish a home for the Jewish people in Eretz ­Israel [the Land of Israel] secured under public law.” In other words, the Zionist movement sought to accomplish its goals through legal means, rather than through violence. To do this, the Zionists tried lobbying a number of world powers, most significantly, the Ottomans, who then ruled over what is now Israel and the Palestinian Territories. They were unsuccessful. In fact, the Ottoman Empire tightened its anti-Jewish restrictions in the Land of Israel in response.

Meanwhile, as the Ottoman Empire weakened, a number of Indigenous religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East, as well as the Arabs, began vying for their own independence. This was especially true during World War I, after it was revealed that the British and the French had conspired to take over the spoils of the vast Ottoman Empire once the Ottomans were defeated. Other groups that made public -- though ultimately unsuccessful -- bids for sovereignty included the Assyrians and the Kurds. In other words, given the context of the period and the region, Zionism was not an anomaly, but rather, it fell in line with what other national groups were doing at the time.

In 1916, the British promised the Arabs a unified Arab state in Greater Syria, which included what is now Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Jordan, and parts of Turkey. A year later, in 1917, the British signed the Balfour Declaration, supporting the establishment of a “Jewish national home,” which, in the eyes of the Arabs, contradicted the promise the British had made just the previous year.

“His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”

WHAT WAS THE BALFOUR DECLARATION?

The Balfour Declaration was a statement issued in 1917 by the British government supporting the establishment of “a national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine. 

There are two important things to keep in mind: (1) in 1917, Palestine was not yet under British rule; thus, the British had no actual power to assign it to anyone, and (2) by the time the British were given administrative powers over Palestine, they’d already changed their tune in favor of the Arab aspirations. It’s also important to note that the Balfour Declaration never specified the exact nature of this “national home for the Jewish people,”and, as such, the British felt that this promise did not actually contradict the earlier promise they had made to the Arabs in 1916 regarding a unified Arab state in Greater Syria. 

The causes for the Balfour Declaration are subject to speculation. Some historians believe the British wanted to reward Chaim Weizmann, one of the most active proponents for a Jewish state, for producing acetone, which was critical to the British war effort during World War I. Others believe the British were desperate for the Americans to enter World War I, and because they held the antisemitic view that Jews had a great deal of power over the American government, they thought that in rewarding the Jews, the Jews would reward them. Others claim Lord Balfour was a Christian Zionist -- not to be confused with a Christian who is a Zionist -- and he felt that the returning of the Jews to the Land of Israel would hasten the Second Coming of Jesus. Finally, others think the British “embraced” Zionism because they felt that it would justify their colonization of Palestine over the French colonization of Palestine, as the French were also vying for control of that strip of land.

BRITISH RESPONSE TO ARAB VIOLENCE

British rule over Palestine was characterized by appeasement to -- and oftentimes outright support for -- the Arabs, even when the Arabs carried out antisemitic massacres against the Jews. After the 1920 Nebi Musa pogrom in Jerusalem, for example, the Jews accused the British of complicity, as they had actively prevented the Jews in the Old City from getting help. In fact, it was this riot that led to the formation of the Haganah, the first Zionist paramilitary in Mandatory Palestine, as the Zionist movement realized that the British could not -- or were not willing to -- protect the Jewish population of Palestine.

In 1936, the Arab Higher Committee, the Arab leadership in Mandatory Palestine, called for a general strike and boycott of Jewish products. This quickly escalated into violence and terrorism, leading to the massacre of some 500 Jews and hundreds of British. Due to their inadequacy in protecting the Jewish population, once again, the British reluctantly agreed to arm the Haganah.

In 1937, the British issued the Peel Commission to investigate the causes of unrest in Palestine. The investigators decided that partitioning the land into one Jewish state and one Arab state was the best option -- putting partition on the table for the first time. The Jews agreed to the plan reluctantly -- the terms weren’t great, though Chaim Weizmann said the Zionist movement was prepared to accept a state “even if it’s the size of a tablecloth” -- but the Arabs rejected it vehemently. Wishing to appease the Arabs, the British immediately discarded the 1937 Peel Plan and instead rewarded the Arab perpetrators of the violence with the 1939 White Paper.

THE 1939 WHITE PAPER

Given the results of the 1937 Peel Commission, which found that it was the Arab leadership that had instigated the violence of the Arab Revolt (against Jewish immigration), the Jews in Palestine were absolutely dismayed when the British issued the 1939 White Paper.

The White Paper, in direct contradiction with the findings of the Peel Commission, called for the establishment of a singular Palestinian Arab state. The Jews felt that, in light of previous promises, hundreds of years of Arab subjugation of Jews, and Arab violence against the Jews in Palestine, a single, Arab-majority state would shatter any illusion of Jewish self-determination. 

Most damningly, the White Paper also almost entirely banned Jewish immigration, while Arab immigration continued to flow freely and without restriction into Palestine. The White Paper limited Jewish immigration to up to 75,000 people within a period of 5 years, and any further immigration would be subject to the approval of the Arabs. Keep in mind that this was on the brink of World War II, when millions of Jews were desperate to escape Europe.

Jews were also banned from purchasing any lands owned by Arabs, save for 5% of the Mandate territory. 

The Jewish Agency for Palestine issued a statement saying that the British were denying the Jews their rights in the “darkest hour of Jewish history.”

ALIYAH BET

Aliyah Bet is the code name for the wave of Jewish illegal immigration and illegal rescue missions to Mandatory Palestine between 1920-1948, and particularly after 1939, after the British passed the 1939 White Paper. Aliyah Bet happened in two phases: phase one (1934-1942/1944) and phase two (1945-1948).

The rescue missions were carried out by a network of Zionist organizations. Some 62 missions were carried out between 1937-1944, the majority of them unsuccessful and often ending with catastrophic results. 

Some 70,000 Jews, aboard 62 or 66 vessels (sources differ), attempted to reach Palestine via ship during World War II. Only ~15,000 made it safely, as most were unable to penetrate the British blockade. Five ships sunk, resulting in nearly 1,600 casualties.

After the war, the Haganah continued its illicit operations, now smuggling Holocaust survivors out of Europe. Overall, some 70,000 Jews arrived to Palestine in over 100 ships throughout the course of Aliyah Bet. This was a modest number considering the high number of Jews that attempted to travel to Palestine unsuccessfully. 

Aliyah Bet created a conundrum for the British. On the one hand, they were trying to appease the Arab Higher Committee, which decried Jewish immigration. On the other hand, the world saw the British as cruel, keeping Holocaust survivors trapped in detention camps and banning them from Palestine.

Had the British supported the Zionist movement, there would have been no need for Aliyah Bet, nor would 1600 Holocaust refugees have died at sea en route to Palestine.

DETENTION CAMPS IN CYPRUS

The 1939 British White Paper remained in effect until 1948, with the establishment of the State of Israel. After the end of the Holocaust, Aliyah Bet continued in full force. Most of the would-be immigrants -- Holocaust survivors -- were detained by the British and placed in prison and internment camps. The largest of the camps were located in Cyprus, which was a British colony at the time.

Between 1946 and 1949, some 53,510 Jews were held prisoner in these camps. The majority had arrived from the Balkans and Eastern Europe, though a small number of Moroccan Jews were imprisoned as well. 80% of the prisoners were between the ages of 13-35, and 6,000 of them were orphans. Some 2,000 Jewish children were born in the camps. After Israel’s independence, Israel evacuated the last 10,200 prisoners into Israel.

The conditions at the camps were atrocious and inhumane.Jews had to face obstacles such as poor sanitation, overcrowding, lack of privacy, and a shortage of drinkable water. The American Joint Distribution Committee, which provided medical aid, extra food rations, and more, stated that the British treated Jewish refugees in Cyprus worse than they treated Nazi prisoners of war in adjacent camps. 

Tents and barracks were overcrowded. There was a severe clothing and shoe shortage. The food was bad quality. Undoubtedly the biggest issue was lack of water, particularly during the summer, which resulted in poor sanitary conditions and the spread of disease. The British officers responsible for the refugees were unwilling and indifferent. The barbed wire and watchtowers reminded the Jewish refugees of their time in Nazi concentration camps, which was retraumatizing. Additionally, the camps had been built by Nazi POWs, which understandably upset the Jewish detainees.

Some 400 Jews died in the internment camps in Cyprus.

Jewish children in a British detainment camp in Cyprus after the Holocaust. Some 400 Jews died in these camps, due to lack of sanitation, malnutrition, subpar medical care, ill-treatment, and other poor conditions.

ATLIT

Atlit was a British concentration camp near Haifa used to hold Arabs and Jews under administrative detention (i.e. without a trial) during the period of the British Mandate. It was built in the 1930s and was primarily used to imprison Jewish refugees who arrived in Palestine. Some 10,000 Jewish refugees were held there. 

Men and women were separated upon arrival and sent to showers to be deloused with dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. Since many of the prisoners were Nazi concentration camp survivors, the showers were especially frightening and traumatic. Barbed wire formed a barrier between the men and women in the camp and the perimeter was surrounded by watchtowers eerily reminiscent of the Nazi camps. Children were separated from their parents. 

A nurse at Atlit described the conditions in 1947: “"...when the Jewish Agency asked me to come here, I felt maybe at last I could do something for the survivors. Then I saw the things that you're seeing now. The results of the Nazi dehumanization. People with no belief in the future, apathetic, quarrelsome, no morals...”

JEWISH INSURGENCY AGAINST THE BRITISH

Had the British been “on the side of the Zionists,�� then there would have been no need for the Zionists to launch an insurgency against the British.

Zionist non-violent and violent (including terrorism) resistance to the British began after the 1939 White Paper. It was temporarily put on hold with the outbreak of the Holocaust, when the head of the Jewish Agency and future first prime minister of Israel, David Ben Gurion, announced, “We must assist the British in the war as if there were no White Paper and we must resist the White Paper as if there were no war.”

Towards the end of the Holocaust, however, the Irgun resumed its anti-British operations, when its leader and future prime minister Menachem Begin announced in February of 1944: “There can no longer be an armistice between the Jewish Nation and its youth and a British administration in the Land of Israel which has been delivering our brethren to Hitler…Our nation is at war with this regime and it is a fight to the finish.” 

The Haganah, which was under the jurisdiction of the officially recognized Jewish leadership in Palestine, remained mostly cooperative with the British, while putting pressure on them to open up Jewish refugee restrictions.

 Perhaps most infamous of all Irgun operations was the bombing of the King David Hotel in 1946, where the British held administrative quarters. Begin had warned the British of the bombing in advance, giving them ample time to evacuate their staff and hotel guests, but they didn’t listen. In the end, 91 people were killed in the bombing.

Following the bombing, the Irgun and Lehi continued attacking British police and military targets. In retaliation, the British imposed a number of restrictions on the Jewish population of Palestine,such as martial law, military curfews, random searches, and mass arrests. Tensions grew between the Haganah — which condemned the bombings — and the Irgun and Lehi.

BRITISH ANTISEMITISM

The unrest in Palestine reignited widespread British antisemitic sentiment, both within the Mandate and in Great Britain. 

For example, after the Irgun kidnapped and hung two British sergeants, British soldiers went on a rampage in Tel Aviv, indiscriminately attacking the Jewish community and killing five Jews. In Great Britain, the outraged population rioted against the Jewish community, a riot which devolved into a pogrom, with many carrying signs with messages such as “Hitler was right.”

Jews were consistently put under curfews and subjected to ill-treatment.

Winston Churchill himself wrote that the British soldiers in Palestine were strongly pro-Arab. The Jewish Agency issued frequent complaints that the soldiers made antisemitic remarks, such as “bloody Jew,” “pigs,” or even vowing to finish the job that Hitler had started. 

It was the British officers in Palestine that first engaged in Holocaust inversion; that is, the depiction of Jews as Nazis. In March of 1945 — about two months before the Nazis even surrendered — the High Commissioner of Palestine, Lord Gort, told the Colonial Secretary in London that “the establishment of any Jewish State in Palestine…will almost inevitably mean the rebirth of National Socialism [i.e. Nazism] in some guise.”

Sir John Bagot Glubb, who later became the British Commander of the Jordanian Arab Legion during the 1948 war, called Jews “unlikeable, aggressive, stiff-necked, vengeful, and imbued with the idea of [being] a superior race.”

1948

The British abstained from voting in the 1948 United Nations Partition Vote. Some British officials, most notably British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin, openly opposed any partition or establishment of a Jewish state.

The British fought in both official and unofficial capacities alongside the Arabs in the 1948 war. In other words, they fought against the establishment of a Jewish state and in favor of an Arab state. Most importantly, British officer John Bagot Glubb commanded the Jordanian Arab Legion in 1948.

After the British withdrew from Mandatory Palestine on the eve of Israel’s independence, they handed their arms over to the Arabs, not the Jews. In fact, it was British intelligence that convinced the Arabs to invade in 1948.

At one point in 1949, the British even considered invading the State of Israel to protect their own interests in Egypt.

In conclusion:

Before the British even set foot in Palestine, they had made contradictory promises of sovereignty to Jews, Arabs, and other Middle Eastern minorities.

However, by the time that the British actually were in Palestine, they actively did everything they possibly could to appease the Arabs, thus working to prevent the establishment of a Jewish state.

Had a Jewish state not become a reality in spite of the British, the Balfour Declaration would have long been forgotten, just like the unfulfilled promises the British made to the Assyrians and Kurds.

The fact of the matter is that virtually every border in the Middle East was carved up by the British and French, yet only the Jewish state is delegitimized on that basis. In fact, some countries were invented by the British entirely. For example, the British aided in the creation of Saudi Arabia by funding and supporting the Al Saud family, which, with their help, came to dominate a large chunk of the Arabian Peninsula. The British quite literally invented Iraq when they created the Mandate of Iraq in 1921 in part of what had long been known as other regions, including Assyria, Mesopotamia, and Babylonia. And, of course, the British created Jordan when they handed an enormous piece of the Mandate of Palestine over to the Hashemites in 1922. The Hashemites are from Arabia, not Transjordan.

For a full bibliography of my sources, please head over to my Instagram

rootsmetals

EDIT - 1948 slide - partition vote was in 1947! Sorry typo 😅

the British put Jewish children (Holocaust survivors!!!!) in concentration camps to appease the Palestinian Arab leaders, but the BaLfOuR dEcLaRaTiOn, right? 🙄 Crazy how certain people think it’s totally fine to whitewash this horrid history when this whitewashing comes at the expense of Jews and Jewish trauma. Genuinely wondering if you’d treat another minority’s history like this.

[pjohoo-reclists]

hey, i was wondering if you had any fics where percy joins luke?

Hi Anon!! You're in luck, I've got a few.

Percy Jackson Joins Luke Castellan Rec List

A list of fics where Percy Jackson joins Luke Castellan and Kronos's side during Titan War. Ships vary. Enjoy!

love is the salvation of the world by crazymateinnit

T | 1.2k | Complete

Percy Jackson/Luke Castellan

The gods are bad parents, Luke Castellan centric, Good Kronos

In another world, Percy Jackson was the Champion of the Gods. But in this world, Percy was born three years earlier. He found the love of his life in a bitter blonde boy who hated his father but still offered Percy all the love in the world. In this world, Percy took a place in the General’s army. In this world, Percy fought against the gods. OR: Percy falls in love with Luke Castellan and joins him in Kronos’s Army.

i was the good kid (and it got me nothing) by phoenix_flying

T | 2.1k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Luke Castellan, Percy Jackson & Alabaster Torrington, Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase

Good Luke Castellan, Self-indulgent, Percy joins Kronos

“You should’ve died in Tartarus. But you’re just a kid. Younger then me when I got to camp. I have an offer.” “An offer…?” "You could join us.” OR luke and percys chat goes a lil different

Soulmates on Opposing Sides by Takara_Phoenix

T | 2.1k | Complete

Percy Jackson/Luke Castellan/Octavian

Polyamory, Soulmates, Percy joins the rebel army

[Prompts: triads + soulmates] Luke had a plan. A solid plan. Until his soulmate comes stumbling into Camp Half-Blood. Suddenly, his plans need some adjustment. Or: Percy's flaw is his loyalty, what if he has a soulmate with whom that loyalty now lays...?

you shall be deceived by one who calls you a friend by phoenix_flying

G | 2.3k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Luke Castellan, Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase, Alabaster Torrington & Annabeth Chase

Good Luke Castellan, Percy Jackson joins Kronos, Post The Lightning Thief

Percy leaned his head on the window, letting his eyes close. His mind drifted to a car ride with his mom, the radio playing some random station they both enjoyed and a comfortable silence as they drove. He missed her. OR percy meets some of his allies

Stripped by robindrake93

M | 2.4k+ | Last Updated Feb 20, 2024

Percy Jackson/Luke Castellan

Homelessness, Runaway Percy Jackson, Action/Adventure

When Luke asks Percy to run away with him, Percy says yes.

A Heroes Fault by EMMESCRISIS

G | 2.7k+ | Last Updated April 27, 2024

Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase

Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Percy Jackson Needs a Hug, Dark Percy Jackson

Percy joins Luke on his quest to bring back Kronos.

If I Could Kill You, I Would by TheGayGhostKing

T | 3.0k | Complete

Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson & Luke Castellan, Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood

Dark Percy Jackson, Songfic, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse

Percy joins Luke at the end of TLO Wolf In Sheep's Clothing Songfic

Dark Side of the Sea by Takara_Phoenix

T | 4.0k | Complete

Percy Jackson/Jason Grace, Side Pairings

AU - Canon Divergence, Dark Percy, Fluff

When Percy joins camp, he joins Luke's side of the war, because instead of straight-up trying to murder Percy, Luke actually tries to sway him. Later down the road, Percy is sent to sway some Romans... and Jason Grace finds it impossible not to be swayed by the son of Poseidon.

A New Age by Lukes_pet_scorpion

T | 10k+ | Last Updated March 15 2024

Percy Jackson & Luke Castellan, Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase

Manipulative Kronos, Luke Castellan Lives, Dark Percy Jackson

Percy is fed up with how the gods are ruling. The way they could care less if their own children die or not. They send half-bloods on hard quests just to do their bidding. Well, Percy's had enough. That's when Luke Castellan offers Percy another chance to join him. (This is set during The Sea of Monsters-The Last Olympian)

Not Only is it Thicker (Blood is Stickier Than Water) by Simmshine

T | 10k+ | Last Updated March 26, 2024

Percy Jackson & Luke Castellan, Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase, Luke Castellan & Annabeth Chase

Brotherly Angst, Cain instinct, Percy Jackson needs a hug

Luke had framed him for his theft, Luke was ready to be a catalyst for a war. Luke was serving Kronos, the very root of Percy's torment, his nightmares. The son of Hermes studies his gaze for a moment, before he turns back to the stone to slash what feels like the final indent into the ruin. The clearing is bathed in crimson, but the sounds of the fireworks are distant now as Percy's hands shake. The older half-blood, the one Percy had oh so idolized, raises his sword. Percy knows he is at a crossroads, two decisions offering themselves to him. He can do nothing, let Luke rip through the barrier and escape the camp with him. Or he can do what he's done for weeks now, the one thing that had gotten his father's attention. He can fight. He looks at Luke and part of him cries brother while the other raises Riptide. TLDR; Percy and Luke's encounter goes differently, and Percy finds himself as a harbinger of war. (Meanwhile, Annabeth just wants a her family back.)