#the original poll made me feel like a baby cause I don’t know what a brick or slidey phone is | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pocketramblr · 3 years

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Poll Results

Alright, that’s it, i’m tired of trying to sort the answers so yall just get the big list of all the free response answers to that quiz about ofa. be aware some are less safe for work than others.

memorable ones: OfA Snickerdoodle, I’d Give It To A Cat, So You Know Vore Right?, I’m in Love With Nana, Slicey Blood Oath, and Homoerotic Sword Fight

(My answer above is how I think it did happen, not how I want it to happen.) I personally think something along the lines of a Bruce Banner Jennifer Walker blood transfusion where the OFA holder doesn’t realize they’ve passed it on until later.

a tender kiss. perhaps loving. perhaps they're dying, and i already knew that they loved me, either platonically or otherwise, and we always knew that i'd be next. perhaps they tried so hard to make sure it never happened, and perhaps that tender kiss as an apology as much as it is a gift. sure sucks to be gay i guess

Peacefully? By doing the do and making it a wonderful moment of lovemaking and passing on the future.. If we're in the middle of battle you bet your freaking butt I want them to kiss me dramatically, tell me they love me, and then yeet me away as they turn back to the fight. Ow but relationship goals.

If we're not romantic because I am obsessed with the Duo Holders ship currently, blood works fine. Ingest it or have them pressing a bloody palm into a wound of mine *shrugs* Gotta pass it along somehow

Personally, I'd rather drink blood instead of hair. It feels less gross. But I'd pass it on as hair just to fuck with my successor

Hair or blood eating, but no touchy-touchy or whatever thx.

Probably a vial of blood so it’s easy and over quick

kiss 👉👈

i would like it to be blood from an already opened wound just cause it would probably less weird, ..........but knowing my luck and because irl my sister has attempted to feed me her baby teeth by shoving it to my lips and saying "eat", thats actually how i would get ofa. ( >:/ i have almost eaten at least two teeth this way because i thought she was being nice and giving me candy )

Consider: doing one of those blood oath things where you swear to be BFFs for eternity except now you also get a quirk out of it. But lbr kissing is way more romantic and you’ve made First/Second my new OTP, so I’ll stick with that for them. <3 But also, maybe to make the kiss option more romantic First thought something more along the lines of wishing he could give ~everything he has/all of himself~ to Second which counted as including his quirk, rather than specifically about giving him the power to defeat his brother?

This is going to sound gross but all ways of transferring DNA is. Just work up a sweat and have the other party drink it. It would probably be the best tasting option which is kinda a weird thing to think about. Nvm sweat doesn't contain DNA looked it up but I don't want to delete all of this so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ maybe a scraping of skin cells

Honestly the hair is probably the way I'd want to go. That or blood. Like just swallowing it.

Look, i know realistically it was probably some desparate on-the-brink-of-death "please defeat my brother" thing and oo, magic he gets the quirk. But consider. First's last fight with afo. Second is holding his bleeding body, crying. First gently cups Second's cheek and pulls him into a bloody kiss before dying. Second pulls himself together just long enough to flip off afo, barely resisting the urge to absolutely slaughter him, knowing he would lose. He finds his successor and trains him to the best of his ability, determined to not lose another person he cared for

I mean like dead skin cells probably dont work right? Except hair works so thats not true. So like you totally could lick someone to get OFA. Like could you imagine the whole holding your hand over someones mouth to shut them up but they lick you and they somehow wind up with your quirk, like crazy. What must have been the trial and error with this stuff cause they must have kept passing it inbetween each other to figure out its dna right. How long did it take for them to realize. Like you’re eating breakfast and theres a hair in your food like ew and why am i stronger now. Overall, comedic timing for getting a quirk would be hilarious.

My apprentice lays broken and bloody beneath me as I cradle them in my arms, crying on to an open wound on their face praying the power will be enough to save them

little bit of skin like a hang nail just like put it in a sandwich and dont thing about it

Put it in my coffee.

If I received it from Nana then I would love to have received it via eating her out~ though for passing it on to others I think I would just either spit into their mouths or shove a bleeding finger down their throat until they swallow and then run and get myself killed by AfO while taunting him with "I DON'T HAVE YOUR BROTHER'S QUIRK ANYMORE! SUCK MY NON-EXISTENT DICK YOU LOSER!"

knock me out and just inject the blood. if i have to actively think abt ingesting someone elses dna im gonna yeet myself into the ocean. to pass it on i'll just spit in a cup (or in their mouth) bc im not gonna make someone eat my hair nor is anyone getting my blood

who in their right mind would trust me with a power like ofa 💀afo just looks at me funny the quirk is his. im not a mc for a reason

Sexy battle where I’m the villain, and randomly the hero thinks “I wish I could save you”. Boom I punch them with bloody knuckles and the quirk passes to me. Now the hero has to teach me how to be good again. Also we fall in love.

You know, I always assumed I would head canon it as something romantic until canon proved me wrong But these options are so varied - I had to choose the most Dramatic (tm) one As for my actual answer: a gentle kiss with full consent from both parties

I will bite a holder as a sign of affection. There's probably some dead skin cells in the arm I can swallow by accident. They are used to this and sometimes we switch the quirk around for funsies.

You know, I spent like 10 minutes trying to think of something original here, but knowing my shit luck some bastard would spit in my drink or something and cast upon me the Curse of Bone Breaking and/or.... y’know..... AFO...........

okay this is gonna sound weird but. consider this i marry a very lovely women. we are in much love. we get attacked by evil people because she is a good hero but plot twist. i am secretly her nemisis. the attackers are my minions. i wanted her to protect me because i am very smol but. my comrades were too mean. she is nearly dead. "take this" she says. she kisses me and i am one for all. fuck, i say internally, but i dont tell her. she dies in my arms. i run and become vigilante and take down my once comrades. all is not well. i die unsatisfied. i eventually pass it onto a cat in an alleyway because they are the only one who is with me when i get hit with a back alley sniper

Blood or just like. skin. You could use nail clippers to take a bit off from a really fleshy area, like just under the nail. It's that easy

Spit in my food like an underpaid fast food worker.

i have long hair so that would not be ideal, but blood seems kinda...unsanitary, but i guess it would be better if i was 100% positive i wouldn't pass on some sort of disease. so if that could be ascertained then like a few drops of blood in a glass of water or something and then down the hatch, bam ofa passed on. i know other folks are probably typing some nsfw stuff but just. no. keep it in your pants y'all.

Blood transfusion First, pick a hospital Second, steal all their blood Third, have the previous user donate their blood to that hospital Fourth, get into a major accident and need a blood transfusion near the hospital you robbed Fifth, hope either OfA will only pass onto you bc your the intended recipient, or that no one else needs a blood transfusion Sixth, get the transfusion Seventh, steal all of the previous users blood back Eigth, return all the other stolen blood Ninth, get new identities, this crime leaves DNA everywhere Tenth, die of a blood clot due to incompatible blood types (optional)

okay realistically bleeding into a cut or a drop of blood into water and drinking it would be easiest but like... what if somehow dna could be baked into like a muffin or cookie or something... like i know when cooking with wines and stuff the alcohol cooks away and evaporates out but is that process the same for like blood? like if you baked your blood into a cookie would traces of your dna still be there? basically i want an ofa cookie (snickerdoodle preferably)

no i like my bones

drink a drop of blood. it'd go down easier than hair

Something dramatic and desperate in the heat of battle like blood or something

First of all, I think First passed OfA as he was dying entirely on accident, because Second was badly (though not critically) injured and they'd been sort of dancing around each other's feelings and doubting their own worth, so First, knowing he was dying and that his brother was a petty bitch who would probably kill Second anyway because he knows that First cared about him, kisses Second with blood on his lips and his last thoughts before dying are about how he wants Second to have the strength to survive if his brother comes after him.

If I was given the option of getting OfA, I wouldn't take it. I'm a coward and being given something like that is a death sentence.

If it was forced, probably ingesting the previous users blood, because blood is a lot easier to choke down than hair.

If I already had it and had to pass it on, I would want it to be something suitably dramatic like collapsing on the doorstep of a trusted loved one and explaining with my dying breath who killed me and why and then raising my blood covered hand to their face like I was going to caress their cheek only for them to taste blood. They cry and try to get me take it back and when I finally die they swear vengeance over my slowly cooling corpse.

Pass it on in a non-life threatening scenario where I decide I actually don’t like the weird bone breaking power a random person gave me as they were dying and wish I could pass it to someone else and through a weird set of circumstances end up accidentally cooking some of my own hair into brownies I was making because I shed like a dog and passing it to my new neighbor I came to welcome to the neighborhood.

Either drinking a glass of milk with their saliva (no icky hair taste), or an epic sharing of blood while clasping hands like knights in a noble brotherhood!

not by eating all mights long ass hair thats for sure, why did he give midoriya one of the longest ones he had, he has shorter hair right there on the back of his head. not to mention the fact of like how i would prefer to recieve it or give it away which would be just, fucking sharing a pop or something and swaping it through the backwash??? less nasty than hair and not as weird as the other options for spit which is like straight up spitting in a drink or the other persons mouth outside of kissing. if someone told me i had to eat their hair i would straight up say no thanks, cheers for the fitness glow up tho homie

I want nana 2 kiss me, on.,, the m,,,.."#*(@÷out.h pretty lady.,

Q-tip to the inside of the cheek

Those blood pacts where you slice your hands open and do a little handshake thing. Not very creative, but idk it just appeals to me

Via consumption of blood, babey

I would want it to be with a maybe maybe not homoerotic sword fight in a Wendy's parking lot, preferably while we are both being impaled on each other's swords. The sweet pain of almost dying is a very intense moment to share isn't it?

Sweet love

Hair

If it's someone cute, a kiss. Otherwise I'd probably just swallow a hair with some water.

i'd just like. spit in their water bottle. if thats not enough dna i guess licking a paper cut it is. hair is bad idwa bc it doesn't digest and can get wrapped up in things. and like. im too aroace for kissing and such

Last option, cause first is sexy as hell

okay you know what vore is, right. and you know how blood and organ transfusions work? well...

Not at all, like?? I enjoy being alive and not having my body destroyed thank you. Literally everyone with OfA died young-ish or has suffered debilitating injuries bc of it. Like Midoriya's bones are powder, and we don't even need to go into All Might's medical history. Like thanks but no thanks no freaky dna ingestion 4 me

Had a open cut from a can lid and ofa holder had an open cut. While lamenting about fins a successor.

Blood

Assuming we can bypass the rules of canon, it would be funny as fuck is OFA was passed on by intentional physical contact. So yes, a smooch for First and Second (and Second and Third) but also. Bitchslap of destiny. Nana giving her protege one last hug. All Might ruffles Mido’s hair like a dad to pass it on. I’m sure you get it

Bleeding over an open wound

lil bit of spit in a milkshake.

I hold their hand Platonically but it's summer and we're both sweaty and they're a little loopy and having weird thoughts due to dehydration and heat lmao, literally hanging around anyone for any extended period of time guarantees you accidentally ingest SOME of their dna. Dead skin cells are floating through the air ~constantly~ and if you have a friend I promise you've inhaled their dead skin cells before. Have fun with that knowledge!!

ok so like deffo a kiss, but in canon people get weird biological urges for using their quirks, like bby Toga drinking bird blood. First has had a LOT of "spit in their drink" intrusive thoughts over the years. immediately post first-kiss he is mystified that his intrusive thoughts have disappeared entirely, but then BAM it seems that second has the stockpile now, and with it, a preoccupation with vampire lore

drink from the same water bottle?

“EAT THIS!”

Pass it on by making them lick my arm because that would make them rly uncomfortable, passed to me by spiting in my 20oz Red Bull and then chugging it

#aaaand done #this was going to be like. nicely organized in a couple different ways and i still might #but out of slots for that today so

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thelazyhermits · 4 years

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New Test Subjects

After seeing how many votes the Kirishima & Tetsutetsu pair got in the poll, I decided to write a drabble with the pair. I’m gonna tag @mandsand whose idea inspired me to write this. Thank you for your help! <3 Also, there are references here to another drabble which you can find here, but you don’t have to read it for this one to make sense.

I hope y’all enjoy it! ^-^

I think I just made a grave mistake.

In your defense, this wasn’t your idea. You even tried to avoid this outcome, but unfortunately, it was completely out of your hands.

It all started when Hatsume called you over to the support studio one day after school, requesting that you help her try out some of her babies. Naturally, you were reluctant considering your past experiences with trial runs of her inventions, but telling her no has always been a hard thing for you.

As a result, after making sure the 1-A students would look after Eri while you were gone, you soon found yourself heading to the support studio. On the way there, you passed Kirishima and Tetsutetsu who were having some kind of manliness training. Honestly, you had no idea what exactly that meant, but since they looked like they were enjoying themselves, you decided not to question it.

Your original intention was to greet the boys before resuming your trek to the support studio. However, your plans quickly changed once the boys found out where you were heading.

After hearing that you were going to help Hatsume with her inventions, the two hero course students immediately volunteered to come along to help much to your surprise. Apparently, after hearing about Hatsume’s past trial runs, the boys thought it would be great training to help her test out her inventions.

Naturally, you were hesitant to go along with the idea since you knew they’d basically be volunteering themselves to be Hatsume’s test subjects. While it’s true they have the perfect Quirks to protect themselves from the usual explosions caused by her inventions, you still couldn’t help but worry about them.

Still, in the end, you allowed Kirishima and Tetsutetsu to tag along, knowing they’d eventually come see Hatsume anyway. You figured you might as well make sure you were there for the first meeting to make sure the pink haired girl didn’t get too crazy with her trial runs.

Unsurprisingly, Hatsume was absolutely ecstatic about having new test subjects. She immediately began pulling out more inventions to test since her original goal was just to get you to work with one invention.

Just as you feared, the support student didn’t hesitate to pull out the more combat-oriented inventions. It was obvious she wanted to test the fire power of her babies against the hero course students’ Quirks.

That’s why you’re currently on the sidelines watching the boys enthusiastically take on the attacks from all of Hatsume’s inventions head on. You make a mental reminder to question Power Loader later about the large amount of dangerous weapons the support student currently has at her disposal. You were understandably concerned when she said she made them for fun when you questioned her about them earlier.

At this point, considering how much the three students are enjoying themselves, the only thing you can really do is make sure things don’t go too far. That’s why you make sure they take breaks in between trial runs so the boys don’t needlessly wear themselves out.

It’s near the end of one of those breaks that Hatsume brings out a familiar-looking drone which immediately puts you on edge. Seeing your tense expression, the pink haired girl grins, “Don’t worry, Fortune Teller-san! What happened last time won’t happen again since it’s programmed to just attack you. I won’t be losing control of it, I promise!”

You give her a deadpan look. “If you think I’m going to relax after hearing that it’ll only target me, you’re wrong. I’d rather not have to deal with being chased by that thing again. It was not at all fun the first time.”

Kirishima hits his fist against his open palm. “I got an idea! Just leave everything to me and Tetsutetsu, Sensei! We’ll protect you!”

Tetsutetsu rams his fists together. “I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m with you, bro! Let’s do this!”

As the boys share a manly fist bump, you stare at them with obvious confusion. “Hold on. What are you-”

Before you can finish that sentence, Kirishima suddenly pulls you into a bridal carry, surprising you. Seeing your wide eyed expression, he grins, “Be sure to keep your head down, Sensei!”

After saying that, the redhead takes off into a sprint while a laughing Tetsutetsu runs after him. Hatsume grins as she quickly sends the drone after them.

As laser beams rain down on you and the boys, you immediately realize what your student’s plan is. Since the drone is programmed to chase you, you need to be on the move for it to be tested.

However, since you were reluctant to test out the device considering what happened last time, Kirishima thought it’d be good training to have him and Tetsutetsu use their Quirks to protect you from the drone’s laser beam attacks. Either the redhead will use his Quirk to shield you, or the grey haired boy will use his so he can intercept the attacks.

All in all, it’s a pretty solid training session for them since they have to constantly use their Quirks. Not only that, they get to practice using their Quirks to protect someone else which is always beneficial for a hero.

Of course, that doesn’t make this situation any less crazy. The fact that the boys keep grinning and laughing while releasing loud battle cries makes it even more ridiculous.

Well, at least, they’re having a good time, and thanks to them, you don’t have to worry about running for your life from the crazy drone which is another bonus. So, it’s hard for you to criticize your student’s idea since you definitely prefer this trial run over the one you had with Hatsume last time.

Just as you think that, Hatsume cheerfully shouts, “Phase One complete! Now, let’s head to Phase Two!”

You immediately get a bad feeling after hearing those words. “What is Phase Two?”

Your question is soon answered when several drones identical to the first one appear in the air, completely surrounding you and the hero course students. When you see them, your jaw drops. “Hatsume, what the hell?! Are you trying to kill us?!”

Tetsutetsu grins as he sizes up his new opponents. “Don’t worry, Sensei! We totally got this! Right, Kirishima?!”

Kirishima dons a similar grin. “Right! We won’t let any attacks hit you, Sensei!”

True to their word, the boys manage to continuously block all the attacks aimed your way despite how numerous they are. The redhead takes the job of shielding you with his body while the grey haired student starts punching as many laser beam attacks as he can in order to deflect them.

It’s honestly really impressive how well they’re doing. Even though you’re sure they must be exhausted, considering how long this trial run has been going on, they’re just as enthusiastic as ever. Their grins haven’t faltered one bit--a fact that you greatly admire since you’ve always thought that a hero’s smile was one of their most important features.

The one downside of this situation is that you’re not really contributing to this situation. It doesn’t seem right for you to allow your students to do all the work, so you decide to lend a hand and put an end to this crazy trial run.

Grinning, you activate your Quirk, allowing you to foresee the drones’ movements. Once you see how they’ll react, you pull out your water gun and fire at some of the drones during the brief moment they stop their attacks so they can recharge.

As you predicted, the drones are able to dodge like the original one. However, it looks like Hatsume hasn’t had the drones practice this feature while in a group since, when they attempt to move out of the way, the drones end up crashing into other drones, causing several of them to explode upon contact.

While Hatsume cries out in dismay, Tetsutetsu pumps his fist into the air. “That was so awesome! Nice shot, Sensei!”

Your grin grows as you repeat your earlier actions and successfully take out more of the drones. Meanwhile, Kirishima’s eyes sparkle with admiration. “So manly!”

After ruffling his hair, you pull out your sunglasses and put them on before deactivating your Quirk. Thankfully, the headache isn’t too bad since you weren’t using your Quirk for very long. “Couldn’t let you boys have all the fun. I left you guys some drones if you wanna take a crack at them.”

Both boys exchange a look before grinning. “Hell yeah!”

Since there are only a few drones left, protecting you becomes much less difficult for the hero course students. As a result, Kirishima is free to set you down, so he and Tetsutetsu can take turns playing offense and defense.

While they’re having fun with the remaining drones, you look over at Hatsume and see her pouting. “Sorry, Hatsume, but you brought this upon yourself. You were just asking for us to fight back.”

A few seconds later, the pink haired girl’s pout fades, replaced with a bright grin. “It’s fine! This just proves that my babies still have room for improvement! Thank you for pointing out what I still need to work on, Fortune Teller-san!”

As expected of Hatsume, she bounces back quickly. It’ll take a lot to keep her down. At least, the trial run was successful in showing her what she needed to work on.

The sounds of two loud battle cries have you returning your attention to the hero course students who are cheering after having taken out the last of the drones. You smile as you clap your hands. “Good job, boys. Very well done.”

Kirishima beams as he walks over to where you’re currently standing. “Thanks, Sensei! I’m really glad me and Tetsutetsu decided to come along today! This was great training! I hope you’ll take us along the next time Hatsume invites you over for more trial runs!”

Tetsutetsu nods as he grins, “I feel the same way as Kirishima! It’s been awhile since I last got this excited about after school training! My heart’s totally on fire right now!”

A grinning Hatsume gives them a thumbs-up. “Just come to the support studio whenever you want more training! I’ll be happy to put you to work for the sake of my babies!”

Shaking your head, you give the students an amused look. “Well, considering how today’s training went, I think things should be fine. Just be sure to not overdo it and don’t get too crazy, alright?”

Both boys quickly nod their heads while Hatsume excitedly rubs her hands together. “This is going to be great! Now, I have a good reason to start building the robots I recently finished blueprints for!”

While Kirishima and Tetsutetsu cheer at the news, obviously excited about their future opponents, your face pales.

Yeah, this was definitely a mistake.

#TABF #TABF post scene #my writing #kirishima eijirou #tetsutetsu tetsutetsu #hatsume mei #I really love the idea of kirishima and tetsutetsu #becoming hatsume's test subjects #they'd be perfect for the job #since they'd just see it as training #I think they'd really enjoy it haha #meanwhile fortune is worrying in the background #cause there's no telling what will happen with those three lol #this is just a recipe for disaster haha

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readingraebow · 5 years

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Boardwalk Empire Section Two

Chapters 7-Afterword

1. How were Taggart and Hap’s childhoods different? Who ended up succeeding Nucky and why? Taggart was born into an upper class family. His father was Atlantic City's chief surgeon 25 years and his mother came from old wealth. Taggart attended law school and opened his own law practice with his family's backing. But he immediately gravitated toward politics and began helping out on campaigns. However, he was never really "one of the boys". Taggart was a closeted homosexual. So basically he grew up with a ~fairly easy life except he could never openly be himself. Hap, on the other hand, was the last born of ten children. His family was super poor and constantly struggled to keep everyone fed and clothed. They lived on the Northside next to blacks and a red light district. As a child, Hap delivered newspapers and proofread for the local newspaper. However, Hap's father was secretary to the local fire department and ended up being a part of both the Kuehnle and Johnson machines. He used his friendships to help several of his sons obtain positions of note within the community. Hap, though, was smart and his sister convinced him to go to college. He, too, went to law school. And Hap is the one who ended up succeeding Nucky. Basically Hap made important friends and he helped all of his opponents obtain jobs that were better suited for their desires. And then Taggart basically put the nail in his own coffin when he started turning on the system and leading raids on gambling dens. Taggart was eventually removed from power and Hap took over as Nucky's successor.

2. How did Hap say he got his start in politics? What was the real cause? He said that, while in law school, he'd taken up the cause of his basketball team which had been locked out of the school gym. And while Hap did lead a movement for better facilities for young athletes, that wasn't really how he got his start in politics. His true influence was years of going nowhere in his law practice and struggling to survive while he watched his brothers, who were far less educated, rise through the ranks of Johnson's machine into well-paying, secure jobs. This was the true inspiration for Hap and he realized that to make it in Atlantic City, he'd have to follow the same path.

3. What were some of the contributions to Atlantic City’s decline in the 50s and 60s? Postwar modernization was one of the biggest reasons for Atlantic City's decline. Air conditioning and swimming pools meant that people didn't have to leave home to enjoy themselves. It also created more competition by Southern resorts. And with air travel becoming affordable, more were willing to save their money and travel long distances rather than take weekend trips to Atlantic City. And the invention that did the most damage to Atlantic City was the automobile. Atlantic City wasn't super easy to get to and relied mostly on the railroad. But with cars, people could just hop in and go wherever they wanted and weren't a slave to train schedules. To top it all off, because Atlantic City hadn't been doing well, the entire place was rundown. They didn't have any money for modernizations and most people wouldn't travel to such an antiquated place. Or, if they did visit, they wouldn't come back. Atlantic City was mostly a place for nostalgia and those who came back, wanting to see the place where they'd stayed as children, found that it wasn't the same as they remembered. And they didn't come back.

4. What did the bumper sticker say that summed up the town’s situation? It read, "Last one off the island, turn out the lights."

5. What did Weiner learn from his telephone polls regarding the casino issue? Through the telephone polls, Weiner learned that nearly eight out of ten voters believed that casinos had the potential to generate large amounts of revenue for the state government. They didn't know how much revenue gambling would produce but they felt strongly that it had to be a lot of money. They also believed that gambling would strongly impact them because it would lower their state tax rates and leave them with more money in their pockets.

6. Who was Matthew Micheals? He was the mayor of Atlantic City but he was basically only interested in the position because he wanted to be famous. And he behaved like there were no limits to his power. He basically just wanted to be the life of every party and, as a result, was a terrible mayor. And he believed in himself so highly that he was literally caught by having dinner with an undercover FBI agent who was wearing a wire and literally bragging about all of his misdeeds. He then accepted a $100,000 bribe in marked bills. So he wrote his own death warrant and was removed from his office in handcuffs.

7. What was Fred Trump’s early life like and how did he start his business? Fred Trump's dad began a real estate venture in New York City but he died when Fred was 11 and Fred's mother then struggled to provide for her three children. However, Fred went to work shortly after his father's death as a "horse helper" which meant during the winter months, when it was icy and the horses couldn't make it up steep hills with loads of lumber, Fred and other young, strong boys would carry the loads to construction sites instead of the horses. Then, as a teenager, Fred became a carpenter himself. He was self employed by 18 and, too young to sign checks or enter into contracts by himself, did business as "Elizabeth Trump and Son". He began building houses to sell and, eventually, built rental properties. Because he built them himself and didn't have any financial backers, he made all of the profits off of all of his properties. Fred Trump became the city's largest landlord.

8. What did you think of this book? So I don't exactly know how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I liked what this book was trying to do and I did learn a lot from it. But I honestly didn't like the way it tried to do it. Because this book was honestly kind of boring and I fell asleep quite a lot reading it. And that's disappointing because this book really did have a lot of information and I honestly feel like I know a lot about Atlantic City now. So I liked this book but I didn't like this book, if that makes sense? I liked the idea of this book, I just wish it had been executed a little bit better.

Section Two Reading Journal

Okay, so. Let’s first talk about this book in reference to the show. Because wow that’s a different world. And honestly that fascinated me a lot. So Nucky’s reign is only about two chapters in this book and it’s the entire basis of the show. And most of the show’s characters aren’t in this book (and most apparently also are not based on real people; except Arnold Rothstein which, why isn’t he in this book??? I’m upset). So I honestly found that really interesting. Nucky’s reign is, arguably, the most interesting part of this book since that seems to be the most “glamorous” era for Atlantic City.

That being said, I really did enjoy learning more about Atlantic City through this book. Because I honestly didn’t know anything about it except that it’s basically the East Coast Vegas. But it’s definitely interesting that there was such a long period between the glamour of the 20s and when gambling was finally legalized in 1978 and it finally started to restructure. I totally didn’t know any of that.

So I really do like what this book was trying to do and I did find it interesting. But it also took me three years to get back to this book and as soon as I was done, I was so glad I could finally cross it off my list. So even though I found it interesting, it wasn’t a book I actually enjoyed reading. And while that is pretty standard with most history books, it’s also disappointing. I guess I just wanted this to be a little less dry? Because Atlantic City is fascinating. I just wish this had been more fun to read.

But. Glad to finally have read it and, wow, that last chapter was, uh, fascinating. Especially since Trump was not even running for president yet (I don’t think?), when I originally started this book. So reading it now, after he’s been president for a while, was, uh, doubly fascinating. (I also groaned quite a bit when I saw the title of that chapter but here we are.) So I find it super interesting that one of the people who ended up saving Atlantic City was Donald Trump. That honestly just blows my mind for some reason.

So, I’m really interested in visiting Atlantic City at some point. I know a lot has changed since the eras in the contents of this book. It sounds like most of the buildings that were there during Nucky Johnson’s (so hard for me not to type Thompson, wow) time are gone or have been remodeled. And it sounds like most of the casinos that were built originally have also been gutted and remodeled (even the Taj Mahal is not the same anymore???? And that’s honestly the one I was really interested in visiting). So hopefully I get to visit Atlantic City some day. From a historical perspective, I’m definitely interested in seeing it and seeing how much it has changed from what I read in this book, haha.

I’m honestly also ready to go back and rewatch the show and, uh, actually finish it. (I still don’t think I made it much past season two. I think I made it just a little ways into season three. Because all of my babies die. Whhyyyyyy??) OH. Also. It seems like everyone dies far more dramatically in the show than they did in this book? Because Nucky died of old age. And it seems like most of the gang violence in the show wasn’t actually a thing. Or, at least, this book didn’t really cover that. So. Found that interesting as well.

Okay I’ll stop thinking of more things to add now, haha. I’m glad to have finally finished this book and I can’t wait to continue finishing other books that I should’ve read a long time ago. Yay!!!

#trcbooks #2015: boardwalk empire #2015 reading challenge

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disinvited-guest · 6 years

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4/17/18 Recap

It’s tradition that when a show is in the Cincinnati area, my sister and I have Cincinnati chili beforehand, so we grabbed Skyline on the way to the venue, arriving around 4:30. We met up with a lot of folks we’d seen before at one show or another. A few minutes into our wait, we heard This Microphone playing from inside the venue. Then, a minute or so later, Flans started a Vibe Report with his voice still blasting from the venue. A bunch of us in line simultaneously freaked out about the Vibe Reports being for Stale Vibes for a full minute before all realizing that it was the song that was a recording, not the video. When they did do soundcheck, much later, they practiced a bunch of their less-played Flood songs and I Like Fun.

When they opened doors, we made two lines. I ended up in the slow one, but my sister was smart enough to go in the opposite from me, so she went ahead to get us a spot. We ended up in front of Marty’s drum riser, which is where we’d discussed before the show. I was surprised by how tall the stage was, coming up nearly to my chin!

They came onstage early to the Last Wave video, which surprised me, and it wasn’t even quite 8 yet when they started into Damn Good Times. Danny saw me right away and I got a huge smile (I think he recognized my sister too, but when I mentioned it to her between sets she snorted and said “you two only have eyes for each other” so I’m not sure).

Linnell introduced them as They Might Be Giants and Flans explained how they would be playing two sets, and for the second set they would be playing Flood “in sequence.”

The crowd cheered, then Linnell told us “not the sequence they are on the album, just a sequence.” Which got a laugh. Flans finally cleared up how exactly it would go by telling us they would be playing it in reverse sequence from the album.

They played The Mesopotamians, then I Left My Body, then Linnell introduced Hey Mr DJ by saying “This song has a fade out.” They had obviously practiced doing it with a fade out since Louisville, it went really smoothly and they didn’t have to gather around the drum riser to make it work. Linnell was hilarious during the fade out because he kept mouthing the lyrics, not even whispering, all the way through to the end.

They introduced the next song as a cover of Destiny’s Child, then got into a debate as to whether their cover version was just like the original or not. Eventually Flans decided “different costumes, same sassy attitudes.” Linnell thought that Flans had the sassy attitude down, but wasn’t sure if he did. Flans then told us he was “portraying the sassy attitude of Kelly Rowland,” while Linnell was in the role of Beyonce Knowles.

Linnell told us he was a “mere understudy” for the role. Flans went back up to the mic stand to respond, then thought better of it “I was going to make a really obscene comment, then I realized that that was a bad idea.” They started into the song and Flans was especially dramatic. He started out singing directly to a member of the crowd, did his pivot turn, and walked along the edge of the drum riser twice. As they finished, Dan Miller left the stage and they started into Don’t Let’s Start. Perhaps because it was earlier into the show, Flans and Danny weren’t jumping and spinning around stage as much as they usually do for this song, although there was still a fair amount of hopping and dancing from both of them.

Dan and Curt both returned to stage for Spy. When it was Linnell’s turn for the ending, he had them playing opposite that sample of his from Here Comes Santa Claus. When he turned things over to Flans, he kept them all playing for a bit, then stopped Linnell and Marty until it was just Curt and Dan playing some goofy sounding high notes with Danny supporting. He then brought the crowd into it a bit with long, extended cheers, then ended things with no warning, saying “Spy” into the mic in a normal speaking voice. Curt left, and they played Number Three and then Wicked Little Critta. Dan said something to Danny during WLC that made both of them crack up.

Curt returned to the stage and Linnell went over to get the contra alto clarinet while Flans introduced it as “last seen at your high school concert band rehearsal. I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not that one.” Danny was singing the backing vocals to All Time What again, which is so incredibly adorable and wonderful. (He also sang a lot of the backing vocals for the Flood set and my sister pointed out that it’s probably because he and Dan practice together, which is even more wonderful.)

The Dans left stage but Dan Miller didn’t go far. The whole set, he’d been switching off malfunctioning guitars with a harried Mr. Burnette, who would fix them just in time for the next to have a problem. Dan stayed just offstage, working to fix the latest in the string of guitar issues.

Flans grabbed his acoustic then told us that they were doing this next song a little bit differently because the second set was a Flood set. There was some feedback and he said “Oh, I think that was me.” As the noise died a bit he said, “the noise is coming from my [name of the guitar I forget] made in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It has the power of Christ behind it.” This got a laugh, Flans clarified that when there was feedback, the guitar made people say “Jesus!” then tried the guitar again, saying he thought it was fixed.

This resulted in more feedback, and Linnell told him “It will never be fixed.”

They then started I Like Fun, and I thought it was kinda funny Flans was all nervous about doing it differently when poor Marty was the only one doing something different. The poor guy was incredibly tense, trying to play a part he was used to doing on electronic drums on his regular trap set. He got through it wonderfully though because he is a national treasure.

The Dans returned to the stage while the Johns plugged the new album. I believe it was here they asked people to hold up their vinyl copies of I Like Fun. There were some Flood vinyls to, and Flans told those people they could make a killing on ebay because “people don’t realize it’s still available.” Linnell played a note on his keyboards that told me they’d be playing Mrs. Bluebeard, but Flans wasn’t done. He made a few more comments about buying things at high prices and that was what made ebay so wonderful before they started into the song.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned before that when they play Mrs Bluebeard the lights onstage are all blue. It’s a bit on the nose, but I think it’s a nice touch. From there, they went into New York City. Flans sang King Kong rather than Dylan and at one point Danny stood behind Flans and randomly spun in a slow circle. They finished out the set with The Guitar (with a wild Future of Sound) and left, with Flans telling us they would be back in 15 minutes.

They didn’t quite make 15, but they were back onstage to Gypsy before the regular 20 minutes with Dan taking pictures of the crowd with his phone. Flans stopped to remind us they were playing all of Flood in reverse order, making it “a memory test for everybody,” before they started into Road Movie to Berlin. Flans included the King of Liars verse, which I was super excited about, and I whistled along at the appropriate points. They went straight into They Might Be Giants from there, it was incredibly goofy and high energy.

I believe it was here that Flans told us he could feel himself getting younger as they played the songs “like Benjamin Button.” Linnell offered another example that he thought was more fitting, and Flans said “Well, I’ve never seen Benjamin Button.”

“So that’s the one you prefer,” Linnell responded.

“It’s about the businessman who’s a baby, right?” Flans asked. Linnell said that was exactly what it was about. Then, in a old-timey New York businessman accent, Flans did his best Benjamin Button impression “I’m Benjamin Button, see?”

Linnell told us the next song was originally recorded by an orchestra but that they had given it their own unique spin. This lead into Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love. From there, they went straight into Women and Men, which I was most excited to hear out of all the Flood songs. It was as fantastic as I had hoped, although Linnell switched “shipwreck” and “beachhead” around. After the song, all the lights went down and I clapped and cheered especially loud, which I think Danny heard, because when I could see again he was looking at me and laughing.

I believe it was before Hot Cha when the band started discussing how tricky it was to promote this show “never since Tempe, Arizona” had a show cause such trouble, since it wasn’t in Cincinnati, it was in Covington. They discussed the many different places their shows were that were actually just Boston, and Flans told us “We have no idea where we are most of the time anyway.” They took a poll of the people from Covington versus Cincinnati, which wasn’t very successful. Most people cheered for both, and Linnell told us that it appeared one and two thirds of the crowd was here tonight. They played Hot Cha, then made a few more comments about the Covington/Cincinnati divide, saying they would be organizing chicken fights between us after the show. Linnell grabbed his accordion and they played Whistling in the Dark.

As they got set up for Letterbox, Flans commented on the fact they now had two acoustic guitars onstage. He told us that they were now “that kind of band,” and that “Next comes the stools and the cap’m’s hats. Letterbox was as impressively word-dense as always. When it was over, Mr. Burnett came out to give Dan his electric guitar and Flans commented on the exchange, causing him to present it to Dan with a bit of ceremony.

They played Minimum Wage and Flans sang a bit of the ending “bah bah bah bah” and then Hearing Aid before Flans stopped to warn us that we were getting “Perilously close to the beginning of side two.” They finished off side two by playing Someone Keeps Moving My Chair.

Flans told us we were now on side one, then pause and said “There’s no stage banter between songs on the album so I’m not sure what to say.” He asked Linnell how his day was, but Linnell hadn’t done much, and Flans hadn’t either. Flans then commented that he had finished the book he was reading, and started On Fascism “because I felt like I wasn't getting enough of current events.” This got a laugh from the crowd, and Flans remembered a story.

He told us about the Belly Up, the place they play in Solano Beach on the West Coast. He told us it was exactly the kind of place we would expect from the name and tried to do an impression of the guys who were there. Unfortunately he “didn't have the bangs for it.”

Apparently the cousin of the guy who owns the Belly Up owns a venue in Aspen, Colorado and wanted to book them. Flans said they were wary about it, but when they got there it was mostly the same type of people. “Ski-bums,” Linnell clarified.

Flans continued, describing the seats around the edges of the venue “and in one of those seats was Madeleine Albright. I still haven't processed it.”

Linnell called Madeleine Albright a ski-bum, and Flans said he thought she was more of a boogie boarder.

“No, that's not right,” he realized. “What do you call that thing you do on the board?” A bunch of people in the crowd gave him the answer and he said “Snowboarding!” Linnell told him that boogie boarding was in the water, then Flans reminded us “I consider myself an indoorsman. You kids do what you want.”

They really started pushing for the end at this point, with little banter other than a few basic song introductions. They played We Wanna Rock, Twisting, and Particle Man without pause. They had trouble getting the crowd to clap during the song, and people stopped completely after Linnell's Here You Come Again interlude. Curt came onstage for Particle Man just so he could clap, then left again for the sole purpose of making his grand entrance during Your Racist Friend.

He and Dan left the stage and they played Dead, then Curt returned to do the intro to Istanbul. Dan started to take a picture of Curt, but saw Mr. Burnett was doing the same thing, so took a picture of him taking the picture instead. Curt and Dan switched off for one of the endings, which was fantastic as always.

They played Lucky Ball and Chain, which was exciting to hear live. Flans switched the lines about the railroad apartment to lines from a different verse on accident.

They all played Birdhouse In Your Soul, then Flans thanked everyone while Curt and Dan left, and I thought for a moment they were going to skip over Theme from Flood, but I was mistaken. It's a sort little thing, but I loved getting to hear it and it made an awesome way to cap off the set.

They returned with Fingertips, which is always amazing live. Flans did his Heart Attack bit. The audience cheered between Dan's whispered “fingertips” and he pointed at us all while we did. They left stage after just that song, with just the Johns coming back onstage for the second encore.

They grabbed accordion and acoustic guitar respectively, then introduced How Can I Sing Like A Girl. Flans told Linnell to wait, but he started the accordion part anyway. Flans called “John! John, stop.” Linnell did and Flans explained he had to check his guitar, since it wasn’t working the last time he checked. It worked fine this time around, and they started into the song.

I was worried they would end it there, but all the guys returned to the stage and Flans introduced them to us. When Dan was introduced “What’s this? Dan Miller on the keyboards!?” He played a bit on the keyboards, then apparently recorded and looped it somehow, because after a bit he threw his hands up in the air and the music he’d been “playing” kept going. They ended the show on Doctor Worm. As the song was ending, Danny moved over and played a note the keyboard, grinning over at Dan, who just told him what note to play instead to complete the chord. Danny obliged and all the guys held and held that last note before leaving the stage.

They were back on with stickers, Flans handing them out on the other side and Marty right in front of my sister and I. Danny didn’t come out for more than a minute after the others, and I was worried he wasn’t coming out at all, but eventually he did, flinging stickers left and right, far out into the crowd.

Marty handed a setlist out on our side while Danny handed out two on the other. While Marty moved back to get his drumsticks, Danny headed over to our side with another setlist and handed it to me. After Marty came back and gave out the drumsticks my sister and I managed to escape the crush. I wanted to stick around a bit longer, but my sister steered us back towards the car, telling me if I was going to cry, she didn’t want it to be in front of everybody. I’ll have you know I didn’t cry, but it was a near thing. I still can’t believe it’s over.

#tmbg #recap

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leonbastralle · 7 years

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Reply Post Work Of Ages - For Rosa

grumpysimmies replied to your photo “Final version of my summer palette sim! Holiday Guava Smoothie (or...”

She's so pretty ♥️

Thankies :3

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset

I'm so happy ;___;

GOOD CAUSE YOU DESERVE ALL THE HAPPINESS

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “B: *fangirling intensifies*”

Same Blaze same

so you’ve been there for their original selves? :o sometimes I feel like it’s been an actual lifetime! (no offense to their mum)

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “J: Why did they not let me bring my child…”

That's too bad :c

Well I snuck in a pic a while ago ;)

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Surprise guest! This lovely lady actually made her way into TS4 xDI...”

I KNEW IT (see I checked it out :p)

YOU DID tumblr only showed me a small bit of these but now my crazy activity line makes more sense xD

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Meet the last baby of gen 5 (and our heiress), Monarch! Thanks to...”

Here's another adorable child ;__; ♥️

that you’ve seen before :P

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Father and son ;_;”

THIS IS SO FREAKING ADORABLE MY HEART CAN'T TAKE IT

IKR THOSE DAMN PIXEL CATS

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Pointy grew ♥”

Too cute ♥️

she was highkey my fave for quite a while tbh

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Bryony found this pirate and his first mate at the library! Sadly, no...”

A bit disappointing but it makes sense they came there to read xD

*gasps* how dare

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset

BUT SERIOUSLY LOOK AT THAT FACE

TRUST ME I HAVE LOOKED MANY TIMES

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Glow had a bad day at school :/ he was stressed about an exam and then...”

Aww poor baby :c

I have a lot of feels for him ♥

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Telling an adventure story.”

Why are they all so cute ;____;

Idk man. The Miracles have always had a certain kind of magic about them...

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “A: *gasps* That good? F: *laughs* Quite. I think it’s good that you’re...”

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH

YES

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “F: Aureus? Could you come over here for a moment?”

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ALL MY LIFE

;________;

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “G: Please, save me.”

He grew up so fast ;___;

he actually did because I never have any patience xD longer life spans would mean 3 times as many pics as I have now, and I could not handle posting that.

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “GUESS WHO GOT AN A”

I love him ♥️

duuuude same

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “rly”

How can you actually reject this adorable tiger ;___;

Idk man, Shimmer had some serious issues as a tot...and I’m talking REAL serious.

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Now he’s shy.”

AWWWWW WHY IS HE ACTING SO CUTE ♥️_♥️

CAUSE HE IS THE SWEETEST

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “A: Oh man, that movie though! Shine please, I really need a hug. S:...”

This is too adorable ;___;

ikr ;_; I need to make a ‘fave Flame/Aur parenting moments’ poll XD

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “dun dun dunnnnnNNN”

Gotta love him ♥️

say it louder for the anti ts4 ppl in the back ;)

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset

They're seriously too cute ♥️

now I feel like I need to play them again and like a whole lot but I can’t

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “G: Wow, I can’t believe I once was in there, too!”

That's deep Glow xD

Glow’s a philosopher ;)

grumpysimmies replied to your photo

She's just perfect ♥️

Is it bad that I feel the same way even tho she’s my own sim

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “A little private celebration ;_;”

I love them ;_;

me too man they give me life...to think Aur noped out of the whole thing at first is like...what

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “G: Look daddy! I no throw food this time! Daddy proud? F: !!”

It's impossible to stay mad and not be proud ;___;

especially if you’re Flame, he’s the most chill dad

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset

An adorable dad ♥️

yES BUT ALSO HOW IS HE A DAD HE CAN’T BE A DAD SHOOT ME

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “F: Oh, you mean this? G: *giggles* Dad noooooo! F: Ah, I understand....”

akdjfkddfjirk my heart oh god ♥️

;_; trust me I died writing these

grumpysimmies replied to your photo “LANI LOOOOVES YA”

And I love her ;_; ♥️

good ;)

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “He was right. F: How exactly is this baby coming out now? Dear...”

This is a question no one wants to answer xD

seems that way, looking at the comments xD

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset

too precious ;_;

not exactly sure what this was about, but I’m assuming Flame, so yes

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Confident bump watch.”

I never knew I needed pregnant Flame in my life so much before this ;____; ♥️

I’M CRYING STOP THIS

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “F: G-greetings, uh, Berryverse…this is…no, this is not clickbait, I...”

As if Aur could leave you forever!

Flame believes that, but at the same time there’s always this really small voice in your head you know? I mean, four children later he’s quite sure xD

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “J: And that would be my clue to leave.”

Poor Jewel xD

nah, they’re cool about it xD like it was them and Bonsai who made Aureus rethink his priorities, so. I’m sure these two will have a fangirling moment once Jewel gets home and tells Bonsai about how cute they are.

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset

zkdjkkfrild look at him ;__; ♥️

;_;

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “But don’t worry, I’ve got a feeling nobody can dislike Aur for too...”

Is it even possible to dislike him :o

Idk man, he has quite some opponents in politics too xD

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “I could watch them play all day, honestly.”

Same ♥️

Good thing they do it professionally xD

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “F: Greetings, Berryverse! This is it, the moment you’ve all been...”

OMG I'M IMAGINING FLAME FANBOYING ON THE FLOOR AND AAAAAAH

IKR

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Introduction in some brighter light xD It was indeed four legs as you...”

afkdkdjfirk I know I've already seen them but they're so adorable ♥️

they are the preshest ;_;

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Solely for bump watch purposes.”

She looks so good while pregnant ;__; ♥️

DOESN’T SHE

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “A: The car…you fixed it. I-I like the colors. E: Let’s…not talk about...”

You freaking idiot x_x

he’s quite pathetic at times, it’s just part of his personality to use big phrases and to feel sorry for himself I guess xD

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “C: You know, with you…I think this whole immortality thing might not...”

My heart ;___; ♥️

I KNOW

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “A: Uuuuuuu… F: Girl. This better not be a scary time sickness, because...”

We all know what's going on

suuuuure but let me try at least xD

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “CALEB DON’T BE MEAN TO ADDIE ;_;”

Addie doesn't deserve this :c

well I mean she’s dating a chipmunk and still has impure thoughts about a moth so maybe she does

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Meanwhile back home…”

At least SOME PEOPLE GET TO BE HAPPY

YES SOME PEOPLE SOMETIMES

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “E: I’m sorry, Ally. I should’ve never kissed you, hell, I should’ve...”

why u gotta do this ;__;

cause I gotta

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “A: It’s getting late. When are we going to sort out that stuff that...”

Gosh I'm so glad the queue didn't end on me xD

ah dammit you ruined everything xD

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “E: I DIDNT KNOW YOU DANCED SO WELL!! A: NEITHER DID I! YOU SEEM TO...”

why are they so precious ;__;

cause I want them to be :P

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset

akjfkjskzkj she's too cute ;___;

ngl this pic is actually one of my faves (it was Ally sniffing the flower I checked)

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Your best friend is always more important than housework.”

Sometimes I feel like anything is more important than housework (plz don't think I never clean my house xD)

you’re right tho

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Is it just me, or is something going on here…?”

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL I LOVE IT

THANK YOU

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset

So beautiful ;____;

she’s a very pretty Caleb clone

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “E: I think now is the time to stop ignoring it, Ally. A:...”

akfjdkdjfkgkg HE HAS A WAY WITH WORDS I'm just dead

he does sometimes, when my brain cooperates

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “A: Please. Can we just cuddle and not think about anything that...”

akfkjdkdjfkfjdkf EUGENE OMG

he knows just how to woo the Allies

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Button needs some soul food to process all this.”

Plz protect this child ;_;

I’m sure she’s safely hidden under someone’s bed ;)

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “Fable, I think Victoria might have adopted you… V: SHE’S SO SQUISHY!!...”

Who wouldn't want to adopt Fable tho

Idk man I could use her pro skills

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “V: Oh my, what a huge mess. I didn’t expect such a thing to ever...”

Capri Sun you pure soul ;__;

Capri Sun is the best and it’s gonna get better (wait spoilers? shhh you didn’t see anything)

grumpysimmies replied to your photoset “F: Capri Sun, are you in? CS: Positive. Copying relevant data to your...”

I like Fable too ;____;

Idk why I thought she needed this part, but I’m glad I did because otherwise she would’t have gotten so big and I wouldn’t have had the idea for her story either!

#grumpysimmies #replies #non-sims #saviorhide

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franeridart · 7 years

Note

Can we also talk about how Bakugou went from "weird haired guy" to "Kirishima. Change of plans". Oh man I didn't realize how much I missed the anime *cries*

BOI CAN’T WE I just spent the whole morning crying over seeing the moment Bakugou recognizes Kirishima as an equal animated nbd at all r i p me - I think this might be the first time Bakugou calls anyone by their name, actually, and I just!!! that’s because Bakugou heard Kirishima’s words and recognized him as a good partner and a worthy hero and someone whom he could respect and I’m gonna be grateful for chapter 133 for the insight on this for the rest of my always I !!!!!! have feelings g a h

Anon said:ok ok ok ok but but listen what about BAKGOU AND OCHAKO they are the most popular couple and the most cutest , i think you should try to draw them once i would love love to see this !!! of course just if you want hehe thanx

Ahhh sorry anon but I really don’t ship that - I mean, it’s true that I ship Bakugou with a bunch of people aside from my main two, but if they’re part of Deku’s group you can fairly assume they’re not between my Bakugou ships? And I only romantically ship Uraraka with Deku, Tsuyu and Iida anyway so! You’re probably not gonna see any romantic baku/ocha from me, sorry o

Anon said:Since we know what Bakugou’s parents are like, what do you think Kirishima’s parents are like?

I have a similar ask somewhere asking about Kaminari’s parents as well, so I guess I’ll answer both here?? As a general rule I don’t really like making headcanons over stuff I’m sure the manga will give me in the future, so I can’t say I’ve thought about this too much - there are a few things I work under the assumption of while drawing, like for example I’m taking for granted they both have at least functional families, considering Aizawa personally visited their homes to ask their guardians about allowing them back to school, and if anything had been weird he would have noticed

I like to think Kaminari got his quirk straight from one of his two parents with no mixing happening, and got the Kaminari surname from them as well, but that’s all I ever allowed myself to settle on as far as Kami’s family goes, everything else changes based on what I need for the current scenario I’m thinking about… I do often end back on him being an only child, though - in the same way depending on how angst or lighthearted I want it to be my ideas for Kirishima’s family change a lot, but generally I think I mostly fall back on the idea of him having a big family? In a scenario like that his parents are kind and love him a lot, but having many children and needing to split their attention on all of them might cause them to overlook him a little (it would explain his obsession with being flashy, for me) then again, who knows? I don’t know how canon you can consider the infos SMASH gives, but in one of the strips Kiri mentions working part-time, and the fact that he doesn’t seem to have problems with money kinda makes me believe he might be independent from his family like that (unless he’s a rich kid, also very entertaining as a possiblity)

I’ve seen a lot of headcanons floating around about both of these guys’ families and possibly being related to villains, that would be cool too, though I’m not sure how much I believe it

I’m sorry this ended up being little to no useful at all lol as I said, I just shift between scenarios a lot - imagine settling on one and growing attached and then having to let it go once Hori proves it wrong, that’d be terrible for me

Anon said:Oh my god…we had a black cat called nitro !! He was super affectionate and high strung. Thanks for reminding me of him. great art as always !!!

You’re!!! the second person telling me they have/had a cat called that!!!! °O° is it a popular name for cats? I just called her that for Baku’s quirk tbh hahaha

Anon said:I would L.O.V.E to do a BNHA art collab with you my lord!

BOI THAT’S FLATTERING!!!!!! I’ve never done collabs before though, so I dunno if I’m comfortable with this? I’ll !!! have to think about it!

Anon said:Not only is your art adorable but how much you babble on in the tags is absolutely precious, you’re like a sunshine who always brightens up the day just by being yourself!

Way to make me blush anon oh my g o d!!!!!! I’m??? glad I can make you smile with my incoherent blabbering??? It’s super nice to know because tbh I just have way too much to say about everything hahaha (read: I dunno how to shut up. ever. rip)

Anon said:I just wanted to say your asks posts and doodles and literally just your whole blog in general brightens up my day so much no matter how sucky it’s been. I had a rough day today but the first thing I saw when I got on tumblr was one of your bakugou drawings and it made me smile when nothing else that day did and I just wanted you to know that. Also you seem like one of the most honest and heartwarming people ever. I hope you have a good weekend. ❤️

gODS what’s up with you guys trying so hard to make me a smiling and blushing mess here aaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!! thank?? you???? I’m really, really, really happy I could make you smile!!! That’s the reason why I post my stuff to begin with, knowing I could help you even just a little bit means a lot!!!

Anon said:I’m really sorry if I reposted anything!!!!! Its truly out of habit….😌 But really, I’m sorry. (By the way, your art is amazing!!)

Thank you!! And as long as you took down whatever you reposted, your apology is more than accepted! Thank you for being understanding! But that kind of habit is something you should really grow out of, anon - for most artists, if they wanted their art on other websites they would post it themselves, and as long as it’s about sharing it here on tumblr a reblog is more than good enough! It’s nice of you to want to share my things, and I’m happy you like my stuff enough to want more people to see it, but since I don’t have accounts anywhere else on the internet I don’t really want my stuff there either - a link back to the original post would suffice if all you want is share, wouldn’t it?

About this, thank you so much to all the super nice people telling me they’re sorry about my stuff being reposted! There’s a lot of you and posting all the asks here would make this post insanely long, but know that I read all of them and I appreciate every word! To those mentioning they do tell people to take my stuff down when they notice it being reposted, thank you so so so so much, and to those worrying I might stop posting, for now that’s still not going to happen - I might reduce the amount of stuff I post for specific fandoms or ships, but I love it all too much and I love sharing my love for them too much to just stop. And thank you for all the nice words and compliments too, you’re all so kind to me !!!!

Anon said:I don’t know if you’re familiar with Dave and Buster’s (it’s a big arcade/restaurant for mainly adults) but I went the other day and all I could think about was “holy shit, Kuroo, Bokuto, and Terushima would have the time of their lives here” anyway, just thought I’d share that with you since I know you ship them as well cx

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we don’t have those in Italy so I can’t say I am, but this sounds interesting and if it’s bo kuro and teru I’m always up for hearing more! What kind of place is it? How does it work?? *O*

Anon said:Not a question or anything but I just found your blog and it is so nice??? Like all your art is amazing and you’ve made bakushimanari my ot3 and you bakusquad doodles are just perfect too. Just thank you for existing and your art and ideas just give me life. That’s all

THANK YOU OH MY GODS!!!!!!!!!! I’m so so so happy you like my squad stuff?? Lately they’re the most entertaining thing to draw tbh, I’m glad there’s actually people who like all the silliness hahaha I wish you the best weekend, anon, I know this ask just made mine, tbh!!

Anon said:LMAO when did Allen strip I don’t remember that

It’s in an extra! God I can’t remember what they were talking about so I can’t find it, I’ve been trying to since I got this ask (if??? anyone knows??? that’d be much appreciated???) but anyway they were hosting something? It might have been a character poll or something similar but I’m not sure, and Allen was The Host™ and at some point he started stripping and talking about added prices for it and if I remember right Reever and/or Johnny might have started crying for his forever lost and now non-existent innocence (was that a pun? possibly)

Anon said:OMG!!! I get so excited every time I see you posted something and now you just !!! uploaded !!!! all !!!! these !!!! BAKUGOU !!!! BIRTHDAY !!!!! COMICS !!!! AND !!!! I !!!!! AM !!!!! SO !!!! HAPPY !!!!!! (and they are all so adorable!!)

I’M GLAD YOU LIKED THEM HOLY SMOKES!!!!!!! Every time I post so much all together I always worry it’s too much haha I’m sorry for clogging all your dashboards now and again rip

Anon said:I was so excited this chapter of bnha because I thought we’d finally learn Kirishima, my babies, backstory but then we didn’t and now I’m sad (im still holding out for him having met/seen Bakugou in middle school for some reason and being inspired or something).

That’s tbh a good headcanon I’ve seen around now and again, and until Horikoshi will finally stop holding back all the Kiri infos you!!! keep on doing your thing!!!! he for sure already knew of him because everyone did thanks to the sludge incident, so why the heck not

(I can’t say I share the hc though, since until they fought together during the USJ attack Kirishima did think of Bakugou’s quirk as Everything He Ever Wanted™, but he didn’t seem to be much into Bakugou himself? I dunno I dunno Kiri’s very gay and got around to sticking to Bakugou like glue in something like fifteen chapters I can’t say we saw much of how he used to think of him before deciding he wanted to marry him lmao)

Anon said:I love Kirishima so much it’s genuinely confusing, like this boy is literally sunshine and I want him to be happy with his explody bf. The latest chapters gave me life because he is shining and I want the world to love him like I love him. Your art of him is beautiful and the best thing ever.

BOY THANK YOU!!!! I’m glad I can do him justice in your opinion? He’s SO MUCH and SO BRIGHT !!!!!!!!!! It’s kind of hard, making him just as good as he is in canon, but that’s cause he’s perfect how is he that perfect how does he even do that I 100% share all of your confusion anon when did I even fall this hard for that child

Anon said:I’m most into the voltron fandom tonight so if I followed every blog that was suggested I would be burried in more discourse than I can handle lmao so I will just try to dig through tags to find weeks

……that’s really one messy fandom you decided to stick with, anon, I admire your strength - but!!! as far as ship weeks go, since the voltron fandom is pretty huge maybe there might be a blog dedicated specifically to letting you know when fandom events are supposed to happen! You should try digging around for that!!!

#fran answers #i gtg gtg gtg #i'm so lateeee #any mistakes in this depend on the fact that it's WAY TOO LONG and i'm l a t e #ripppp #anonymous

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xvannityx · 7 years

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[b]Roleplayer|Disclaimer[/b] Welcome to my profile if I want to say first. That I'm not the real Vivian Whitwell. I invented that name, and I have the information written here by myself. So I would like you to write out your own information, stay original. Because I'm sure you have a lot of fantasy to come up with something for your character. That's what I wanted to say goodbye.

[center][photo]http://data.whicdn.com/images/281724588/large.jpg[/photo][/center]

[b]Passport:[/b] Republic Indonesia.

[b]Name given by birth:[/b] Vivian Whitwell.

[b]Meaning of the names:[/b]

[b]Vivian:[/b] From the Latin name Vivianus which was derived from Latin vivus "alive". Saint Vivian was a French bishop who provided protection during the Visigoth invasion of the 5th century. It has been occasionally used as an English (masculine) name since the Middle Ages. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name, in which case it is either an Anglicized form of BÉBINN or a variant of VIVIEN

[b]Whitwell:[/b] This interesting name is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational surname deriving from any of the places called 'Whitwell' in Derbyshire, Dorset, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Rutland, Cumbria and Yorkshire. The places are variously recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Witeuuelle', 'Witewella' and 'Witeuella', and all share the same meaning and derivation, which is 'the white spring or stream', derived from the Old English pre 7th Century 'hwit', white, with 'well(a)', spring or stream. The modern surname can be found as 'Whitwell', 'Whitell', 'Whittell' and 'Whittle'. The 'Records of Wills at Chester' for 1608 records the will of one Miles Whitwell, of Kendall, while on the 27th July 1599, Ann Whitwell married Robert Grynkin at St. Bride's, Fleet Street, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Eborard de Wytewelte, which was dated 1273, The Cambridgeshire Hundred Rolls, during the reign of King Edward I, 'The Hammer of the Scots', 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

[b]Personality l Characteristics:[/b] You can describe Vivian as a spontaneous and friendly girl who sometimes trust people too quickly. This can cause problems if she trust people too fast, but she is stubborn and never listens to what other people say. She only listen to herself. But she knows what she wants and never want to give up, even though she often tired. If she has an injury. Ideally, she would resolve herself without asking for help, she do not want to be a burden to anyone. But she's too stubborn to believe that there are people who want to help her, she just does not see that. Her friends know that she will never give up in what situation she is, she want and will never say I give up. Because that's not how she is. She always does her best and she cries often, because of the pressure she puts on herself. She sometimes has her days when she ignores everyone and thinks only of herself without thinking at the consequences. Even though she has her sweet side, she also has a side that no one expects of her, because she does not show that side. But if someone hurts her friends or family then her look changes and you see the hatred in her eyes. That means that you should stay away from her, because through all the rage in her. She can also hurt you a lot. But she does not mean it, because she gets there afterwards regret that she has hurt someone.

[b]Childhood l Past:[/b] She was born in the beautiful country of Indonesia and the place called Surabaya. Like any other family in her neighborhood, she is growing up in a poor family. Yet she has been lovingly reared her parents and her brother and sister. Vivian is the youngest of the family, her brother and sister are in fact already older than her and have already finished school. But they still live with their parents and their little sister. As a little girl Vivian was a spontaneous and cheerful girl who always wanted the best for other people. She liked to help people who were struggling, so she always went to make food for the whole neighborhood. So they don't have to suffer and just could eat normally. Also Vivian went to play with small children who have no friends. She was named as the near hero because she was always caring for people and always wanted to help. She was ready for anyone who needs help or who live in a complicated situation. Vivian also went with a good feeling to school, she was never bullied and was always cheerful. If someone was bullied, she went to help the person who was bullied and made sure no one was bullied and could go to with a good feeling to school. As she grows older, she wants to have a good job. To give money to poor families who need help. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[b]Birth date and time:[/b] It was on 16 April in 1996. She was born at 4 am in the night.

[b]Place of birth:[/b] Surabaya, (Indonesia.) At the Siloam Hospital.

[b]Nationality:[/b] Indonesian.

[b]Living situation:[/b] As a 7 year old girl, she was moving to another country. Because the children there can build a future. Vivian's parents decided to move to America and start a new beginning and a new life.

[b]Native languages:[/b] Maleisisch English.

[b]Acquired languages:[/b] English.

[b]Education:[/b] Student

[b]Occupation:[/b] Currently she works in a clothing store in America. Because she needs money for her studies.

[b]Biological parents:[/b]

- Biological mother | Kamilla Whitwell, Alive, 53Y/O.

- Biological father | Daniel Whitwell, Alive, 52Y/O.

[b]Biological siblings:[/b]

- Biological sister | Cecilia Whitwell, Alive, 19Y/O.

- Biological brother| Devon Whitwell, Alive, 22Y/O.

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[b]Sexual orientation:[/b] Bisexual, prefer boys.

[b]Material status:[/b] Unattached.

[b]Previous relationships:[/b]

[b]Bastian Carter 08x11x14:[/b] It was her first love and her first boyfriend. She loved dearly. Their relationship lasted two years and then Vivian found out that he cheated on her with her bestfriend. Since then they broke the contact with each other.

[b]Sexual status:[/b] She lost her virginity when she was 16 years old. It was her first boyfriend whom she loved dearly. It was the best moment of her life. Untill she found out that all this time he has cheated on her and since then she stopped to express herself to a boy.

[b]Love interest:[/b] Single and not looking.

[b]Children:[/b] Since she was a little girl she already had a wish to have later a child. She always used to play with baby dolls and liked to take care of them. She got a few years later, a serious illness. Which fertilizes her and she got affected by her illness. She has become infertile because of her illness.

[b]Piercings | Tattoos:[/b] She has nothing against tattoos or piercings, she likes it that others have a tattoo or piercing. Because doesn't fit her, but Vivian think it is a sin for your body and she do not want to ruin her skin with all that mess and do not want an infection in her skin, she prefers a healthy glowing skin. Then have a skin that ruined completely engulfed by a tattoo or a piercing.

[b]disturbance:[/b] Fear of friendships or relationships: You're afraid to tie you to a person. Because you point them out if you want confirmation instructions in certain situations. You find it difficult to make contact with a person, you feel unhappy. You're very fond of yourself and you are insecure about yourself.

Bipolar disorder: You have some mood swings. The one time you're happy and other times you are very angry. It is very varied. It may be that you get into a depression. Especially if you have a partner. Is there a time when you temporarily do not love that person.

[b]Alcohol | Drugs | Nicotine | Sex:[/b] Yes, Yes, No, Yes. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [b]Love life.[/b] At this moment Vivian is single and not looking for a relationship. She doesn't have good luck with boys. They always end up hurting her feelings and betray her. So she doesn't trust any boy at this moment. She is happy with the life she got right know and someday the right person comes to her and love her for who she is.

✓ She will do anything to protect her friends and family. ✘ She find it hard to make friends.

• [b]I've learned-[/b]

That you cannot make someone love you, all you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.

• [b]I've learned-[/b]

That it's taking me a long time to become the person that I want to be. That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

• [b]I've learned-[/b]

That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you. That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

[center]Recent tweets:[/center] [b]VivianWhitwell:[/b] Always remember that no matter how useless you feel, you are someones reason to smile. [b]VivianWhitwell:[/b] Memories are what you have, whenn you've lost everything else. Dreams are what you have, when you forget the memories. [b]VivianWhitwell:[/b] When you have feelings for someone and they don’t feel the same, you try so hard to impress them, but instead get replaced.

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mysticdaddies · 7 years

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V/ Jihyun Kim Wedding Dance: One Shot

Hello everyone c: there was originally suppose to be only two winners for the wedding dance one shot: Saeran Choi & Jumin Han but I made a open debate for either Seven or V :) Reading the arguments I decided to side with V :) Its been amazing writing this little series and I hope I can do future polls :) Now lets enjoy the ending of this series. The song of the wedding dance is: Like I’m Going To Lose You, by Meghan Trainor ft John Legend

“The one word in the English language, fuck it, in any language, is the word almost. That one small six-letter word has the power to change your mood drastically. It has the power to make you feel happiness and yet it can be the reason for the death of the old you. Almost is one hell of a word” - Mod Saeran

I don’t believe people know the real meaning of almost. The power that “almost” has is very terrifying because I almost died because of Rika. I almost sacrificed my life for her simply because I was in love with her. I looked into the mirror and all I could see was was blur, the eye surgery I had months ago was a success but they did say it would be slow process. How pathetic am I for being a baggage for (y/n). I could see some things but the rest of my life was one huge blur. I left the bathroom and I saw Jumin, my best man, and the rest of the RFA who are my groomsmen. I walked closer to them and fell on my knees letting the demons take over “ I DON’T FUCKING DESERVE HER! SHES BEEN IN LOVE WITH ME FROM THE BEGINNING AND ONLY RECENTLY I LOVED HER BACK” I cried out shaking from reality. Jumin kneeled on the floor with me and pulled me into a hug “Jihyun I known you for a long time, you are practically my brother, please don’t be hard on yourself. I am truly sorry you have to go through this but just know we are your family and we will be here for you” he hugged me even tighter and I opened my eyes and I saw my family. They all helped me freshen up because they were afraid something might happen to me. Damn, I’m a baggage to everyone in the whole RFA. I blinked quickly a few times and I noticed I looked quite decent. I smiled and was ready to meet my bride.

TIME SKIP: WEDDING DANCE

I grabbed her hand and brought her closer to me. The whiff of her perfume brought me to so many memories that it made it seem like I was watching a movie in my head. I brought her closer to me and then reality hit me, Im actually married. However, she isn’t the one I want. I don’t love her…. my heart belongs to someone else. I grabbed her face and made her look into my hazy eyes “ Im sorry, I only married you because of the baby but, my heart belongs to someone else, enjoy the party” I kissed her forehead and went to look for Jumin. I accidentally bumped into Saeran and he knew what my crazy ass was thinking. He gathered the whole RFA and they knew where I needed to go, where I needed to be.

TIME SKIP:

I kneeled down and looked into your eyes. My god, I am thankful that my vision gives me enough strength to stare at your angelic face. “My precious (y/n) how thankful I am that we were born in the same century because I was graced with your angelic beauty. You showed me the reality of love, the cold hard truth of it. That love isn’t about the good but also the bad. I’m sorry that I didn’t return your love till later, but please understand I only married Rika because she is carrying my child. You are my true love and I just wish I realized what love really is before it was to late” I grabbed my phone and played the song that I am going to dedicate to you.

I found myself dreaming In silver and gold Like a scene from a movie That every broken heart knows we were walking on moonlight And you pulled me close Split second and you disappeared and then I was all alone

I gave a heavy sigh and looked into your soul “You came into my life out of nowhere. Whenever I chatted with you briefly in the RFA messenger, my heart skipped a beat and I always looked forward to talking to you, even if it was once in a blue moon. When I noticed you weren’t active in the messenger as you use to be, I visited the apartment and noticed you were ill. It was an honor taking care of you because you could of simply refused but you didn’t. You didn’t even ask me about my sunglasses but I told you either way. When you got better, I still visited because you were a bright light that kept pulling me towards you. I always thought to myself, ‘Why does (y/n) have a strong hold on me if I haven’t even looked into her eyes’ because looking into a persons eyes you can tell what kind of soul they had. That night that we saw each others soul, we made love that night. Neither of us didn’t plan it but the moment we looked into each others eyes, our souls gave that little ‘hah I finally found you’ type of feeling” I was opening my heart to you and I wasn't afraid because you needed to know….

In the blink of an eye, Just a whisper of smoke, You could lose everything The truth is you never know, So I’ll kiss you longer baby, Any chance that I get I’ll make the most of the minutes and love with no regrets

I wiped my tears away gently trying not to worsen my vision because I needed to look into your eyes while confessing my truth to you “The few months that we spent together was honestly the best time of my life. Who cares how cliche it sounds but its my reality. You were my personal oasis and I will be forever grateful that you provided a heaven for me while I was stuck in hell. I didn’t tell you the truth of my situation because I knew Rika will kill you off in a instant and that was the last thing I wanted to happen. I told you one night that I couldn’t come back and visit because I needed to take care of business and all you did was kiss me and we made the most passionate love that night. It was our souls and bodies melting together into one. You made me breakfast and you kissed me with so much tenderness and you looked at me with those eyes and simply said ‘ We will find our way back to each other don’t worry baby. We will always find our way back cause our souls loved each other for so long that nothing will tear us apart’ and I kissed you not knowing what life would bring us. Oh how I wish you were wrong my love”

I’m gonna love you, Like I’m gonna lose you, I’m gonna hold you, Like I’m saying goodbye wherever we’re standing, I won’t take you for granted ‘cause we’ll never know when, When we’ll run out of time so I’m gonna love you, Like I’m gonna lose you ,I’m gonna love you like I’m gonna lose you

“ You walked in that night and I saw you, Saeyoung, and Saeran caught in the trap of my ex lovers web. Emotions were high because everyone was finding out the cold hard truth of my ex lover. That she was the reason for everyones pain and suffering but it was worse because I knew what was going on. I notice Saeran pointing his gun at Rika and old habits die hard that I was getting ready to take the hit. What I didn’t know that you were going to jump in front of me and take the bullet yourself.” I wiped the tears from my eyes and finally had a clear picture of your face that was on your tombstone. Your tombstone. It still hurts to admit it. You died for me. You risked your own life for me while I was risking my life for another. Your last words to me was the one that dragged my heart and soul with you to the after life. I closed my eyes and remembered your final moments: “Thank you for giving me forever in just a short span of a couple of months. Please do not feel guilty because its an honor dying in your arms Jihyun Kim.” I remember you coughing out blood while my hand was firmly placed on your wound hoping the bleeding stopped. You looked at me and your soul was leaving your body “We will always find our way back to each other, I love you Jihyun, Ill see you in our next life” You eyes were slowly closing but I kept screaming for someone to do something. Three minutes later you died in my arms. I witnessed your final breathe and from that moment, I died as well.

I got up and digged a little hole next to your tombstone and buried the ring that was wrapped with a red ribbon with the wedding vowels I had attached to it.

I breathed in while placing the dirt to cover the rings “Here are my vows to you. I promise when we meet again, I will cherish you and love you till the end of my life time. With this ring that I am placing next to you, I promise to always walk by your side till the end of time. You are the owner of my heart, body, mind and soul and it doesn’t matter if we couldn’t spend this life together because I know our next one will be beautiful. You don’t understand how much I miss you when I wake up and you aren’t next to me. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve such a precious soul like yours but I thank God every moment that we were together for blessing me with you. I vow to found you in our next life and I vow to make sure that our forever will be longer”

I did a small prayer for you and looked at your picture again and sighed “ I love you (f/n) (l/n) and I cant wait to spend forever with you again in our next life. Thank you for teaching me what love really is and I hope in our next life we can have a family of our own. I love you. Im glad we almost had our happy ending.” and I walked toward Jumins limo where the rest of the members were waiting. Jumin gave me a reassured hug and the other members were giving me warm smiles, while Saeran looked into my eyes and I saw his soul was taken from him as well. Before I lost sight of your tombstone I breathed in heavily and exhaled “ Goodbye (y/n) see you soon” and closed my eyes.

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wendyimmiller · 5 years

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Spiders and snakes and coyotes, oh my!

Facebook has its negatives, but does offer insights. Without running a formal poll complete with statistical analysis, you get a feel for the general population’s reactions to certain things. Some posts go ignored while other posts garner dozens, even hundreds of excited comments, and no, I’m not talking about politics. I’m talking about reactions to unpopular creatures in the natural world. Photos of snakes generate enormous response, and unless you are on a page that is slanted toward wildlife conservation, you get a whole lotta haters. Many comments are assertions of how fast that snake would be chopped into little pieces, or riddled with bullets. Others are panicky statements of pure horror at the very site of the vile creature. Spiders get the same kind of love (not)! Granted, gardeners are usually the exceptions and I do like to think we are more cognizant of the workings of the natural world, but truly, I’m confused by the reactions of so many. Could it be possible that the majority never learned the simple concept of predator/prey balance in nature? Was my education something truly exceptional? Remember I’m from Mississippi, so that’s unlikely. (Don’t send me hate mail! I love my home state but once again, we are ranked very near the bottom.) The concept is simple. When a prey population gets plentiful, the predator population that feeds on them prospers. Once numbers are reduced, the predator population ebbs and the prey population surges again. This system of checks and balances worked pretty well until man got in there and started playing favorites. Predators were not favorites.

This was likely justified in pioneer settings when a hawk eating your chickens might mean your family went hungry, and I would still feel entitled to use lethal means if necessary to combat any creature preying on my pets or livestock, but indiscriminately killing those predators minding their own business is just dumb. Gardeners accept the roles of beneficial predator insects, but even some of them seem to have a harder time extending that appreciation to spiders and snakes. These valuable allies help keep in check the populations of plant damaging insects and rodents.

I was lucky and had a mother that loved spiders. She told us that spiders eat lots and lots of flies and mosquitoes that were worse enemies by far. What is the saying? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Yet a common reaction is to knock the spider to the ground for a quick stomp or make a run for the spray can, but not my mama.

Years ago, as I was working on a piece about spiders, she told me a story that happened before I was born. A big yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia) had taken up residence on the porch and she taught her two little boys (my older brothers) to catch grasshoppers and throw them into the web for the spider to eat. She said they spent many happy hours catching bugs to feed their spider friend. One day a man knocked on the door to deliver the cleaning, and told her cheerfully that he “killed that big spider for you, ma’am.” She didn’t have the heart to tell him he had done her no favor. The moving thing to me was that I could still hear the sorrow in her voice for a spider killed half a century ago.

It isn’t the only reason I am truly fond of spiders. Driving leisurely down a deserted country lane years ago, I saw something the size of a small mouse trucking slowly, but purposefully across the road. I stopped the car and walked up to see it was a large wolf spider, carrying dozens of tiny babies on her back. As I bent over her, she reared toward me brandishing her front legs and her babies fled down her back legs and into the grass. How could I not feel a rush of appreciation for this small creature that so bravely threatened me as her children raced to safety? I bowed in respect as I stepped back, and she settled back onto her eight legs. I was astonished to see the baby spiders run back to climb her legs and resume their positions on her back, and on they went. I was mystified on how she was able to summon them back once she felt it was safe to continue, but I know what I saw., so was certain she had. A little research confirms that spiders can and do communicate with one another using smell, touch, sight and sound. Do a search for acoustic signaling in wolf spiders and be amazed! Besides their touching familial relationships, I return to their usefulness. I wonder what the ratio might be of mosquito bites to spider bites? Sure, a venomous spider bite can be painful, and even occasionally serious, but should one investigate the deadliest creature in the world, mosquitoes rank No. 1. By far. Humans rank second, by the way. If you break it down by country rather than globally, in the United States the biggest category of deadly animal is listed as “farm animals”. Yes, cows and horses, yet you don’t see people virtually shouting on Facebook that “the only good cow is a dead cow!” I’ll give you that it isn’t easy for a cow to be lurking under your potted plants on the deck. Spiders can do that.

Snakes can do that too, but the odds of being bitten by a venomous snake in your lifetime are one in 37,500. Being struck by lightning is one in 15,300. Actually dying from a venomous snakebite is extremely rare. In the United States, only one person in every 50 million will die, according to figures from the US Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. That works out to be about 6 people per year. In that year, more than 37,000 people will die in car and motorcycle wrecks. Car wrecks are sometimes caused by deer, which leads me to defending another predator, the coyote. Wolves, bears and cougars suffered a bad rap first. The virtual eradication of these large predators in the eastern US contributed to deer populations erupting into such huge numbers that they are now costly and devastating pests in many suburbs. Coyotes moved in as they were decimated and are filling a needed predatory role, yet many hunters happily brag on their efforts and successes killing coyotes, feeling justified because of their mostly negligible impact on deer populations. Guess what, coyote-hating deer hunters? We need more predators and fewer deer – lots fewer deer. In the gardening world, we know that the topic of marauding deer dominates many forums, but beyond that world, the negative impacts should not be ignored. In a typical year, deer are struck by motor vehicles more than a million times, killing more than 100 people. That is more than the combined total of deaths caused by sharks, alligators, bears and rattlesnakes. Vehicle damage totals more than a billion dollars, and you can add on another billion for the damage done to farm, forest and landscape. Yet cute pictures of little fawns in the yard don’t seem to inspire comments on how fast it would be chopped up into tiny pieces. Folks might offer to shoot it when it gets past the cute fawn stage, and certainly more deer hunting would be helpful, but hunting isn’t as effective as it could be when the focus is on taking out the trophy bucks. Shooting more does would help. Hunting laws do encourage that practice these days, but the trophy buck mentality still wins out. By the way, I’m from hunting stock and whole-heartedly condone hunting when done legally and ethically. As a carnivore, I feel better about that free-range locally harvested meat on my plate than I do about the store-bought meat that lived caged until killed for my consumption. I realize this offends those that are vegetarian or vegan and some will lambaste me for my carnivorous ways. If you choose to do so, it is my choice to respond this one time with a thought gleaned from reading Joseph Campbell’s writings. I am paraphrasing here but it went something like…”don’t kid yourself. Life is a process of killing and eating other living things, whether animal or vegetable. It is whether we do it with respect and gratitude.” Period. I also know that there are people who have lost loved pets to coyote and cannot bring themselves to see any good in the killer. I can only ask you to refrain from condemning the entire coyote clan for that personal tragedy. Darn right I would I kill a coyote that threatened my dear four legged family members, but I would never consider that a reason to shoot a member of the pack that keeps their distance in my valley. So far, my dogs and cats have managed to peacefully co-exist. The only strife has been the howling rivalry at dusk or during moonlit nights. Look, I get that something in our genes makes us jump when startled by a spider in the tub or a snake suddenly writhing underfoot. I’ve been known to levitate out of a john boat when I discovered a snake under the seat. I’ll admit to the lurch in my adrenalin when I make a turn on a woodland trail and get a glimpse of a coyote’s yellow gaze, but here is what I don’t get. Why is that most people don’t go on to the next logical thought – that these creatures have valuable roles and for the most part, are harmless. Why are so many people that frightfully unenlightened? Do they ignore data because they enjoy killing harmless creatures? If they are of religious persuasion, do they think the Creator made some terrible mistakes along the way? Maybe I’m the one skewed, but it seems to me the more dangerous animals are the human beings that continue to choose ignorance.

Spiders and snakes and coyotes, oh my! originally appeared on GardenRant on September 4, 2019.

from Gardening https://www.gardenrant.com/2019/09/spiders-and-snakes-and-coyotes-oh-my.html via http://www.rssmix.com/

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turfandlawncare · 5 years

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Spiders and snakes and coyotes, oh my!

Spiders and snakes and coyotes, oh my! originally appeared on GardenRant on September 4, 2019.

from GardenRant https://ift.tt/2LlVFGr

#GardenRant

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nebris · 5 years

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US is a Classic Empire and Is Becoming a Repressive Police State at Home

July 4, 2019 by Dave LIndorff

As I set out to fly home from the UK on Monday following a short film project in Cambridge, I found my boarding pass, which I had been blocked from obtaining online the night before, carrying a bold-faced SSSS stamp in the lower right corner. Asking about it I was told by the British employee at the United check-in counter, “That is because you are on a US Department of Homeland Security list, sir.”

Later, after my son and I got the boarding gate, my name was called and I was ushered through a door in the wall behind the gate desk where two British security agents pawed through my bag and ran a cloth over computer, phone and all the zippers on my suitcase and computer bag looking for traces of explosives. After that I was politely told that I and my son (whose luggage was left uninspected) could board the plane. When I asked why I, a journalist with no criminal record, was being treated like a suspected terrorist, they laughed and said I would have to inquire of the DHS.

It’s not the first time this has happened to me. The same thing happened when my wife and I flew to Vienna in March where she was playing a concert on Vienna State Radio. That time at a checkpoint between Heathrow’s Terminal 5 and Terminal 2, my boarding pass was rejected, and when I got it reprinted a red stamp saying “ICE Security” was added. As on Monday, I was subjected to a special search in a separate location near the gate by an apologetic British security officer.

Today is July 4, and many American citizens will be bringing blankets and lawn chairs to local fireworks displays to celebrate American independence. Of course, those fireworks really hark back to the “rockets’ red glare” referred to in Francis Scott Key’s racist national anthem, which was largely a condemnation of the freed black slaves that the British employed in their effort to conquer Baltimore harbor during the War of 1812.

What, really, have we got to celebrate?

The US today is a global empire. Our country’s military, ballooning to some 2.1 million in uniform at a time that there is really no significant war underway. US military spending, greater in constant dollars than at any time since WWII, represents 34% of all global military spending, and the US military budget, depending on how one counts it, is larger than the next largest eight-to-ten countries’ military budgets combined. To show how ridiculously huge the US military is, consider that at $220 billion for fiscal year 2020, the US budget for Veterans Affairs alone (that’s the agency that provides assistance of all kinds, including medical, to those who served in the military, not counting career soldiers who receive a pension that is counted separately) this one military budget line item is larger than the entire military budget of China, and is more than three times as large as the entire military budget of Russia, considered by many to be our primary “adversary”!

And remember — US empire and militarism is and has always been supported by both political parties.

Here at home, our police are increasingly militarized to the point that most people now view the police as a potential threat, cowering politely in any interaction with cops, and fearing to assert their rights when they disagree with a stop for fear they will be cuffed, brutalized and arrested for speaking up. Our militarized, power-tripping law-enforcement officers insist on “respect,” are quick to make up reasons to take us down and take us in (like “resisting arrest” or “causing a disturbance”) if we don’t show it, and are quick to fire a taser or a gun if they “feel threatened,” knowing that prosecutors and the courts will almost always give them the benefit of the doubt even if video evidence shows them to have been in the wrong.

I’m 70, and the decline in freedom in this country has been a long but quite visible process back at least to when I was a young adult resisting the draft and the Vietnam War. Being on a “watch list” is nothing new for me. I learned from the FBI file I obtained back in the late ‘70s when the Freedom of Information Act was still actually working as originally intended, that I was on a list back during the war years and in fact was scheduled to be arrested by the US Attorney in Hartford, CT for draft resistance until the order, all unknown to me, was rescinded at the last minute. The FBI visited a colleague of my father’s at the UConn Engineering School in 1971 looking into an effort I and my wife made at the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa, Canada to obtain permission to visit China.

Is the US a police state? Yes, certainly it is for some people. It is certainly a police state for immigrants, legal and undocumented alike, for black people wherever they reside, for hispanics and Native Americans, and for those like myself who oppose the political policies and foreign policy of this country. And I guess that answers the question. One doesn’t define a police state as a place that represses everyone, since by definition those who keep their heads down, support the political status quo and those in power, are doing what the state wants them to do. There is no need to show the iron fist or the jackboot to them. A police state is a place that applies force and the tools of repression to those who challenge it. So even before we consider the concentration camps for immigrants along the border, the outrageous separation and imprisonment of babies, toddlers and children by Border Patrol thugs, and our latest president’s desire for military parades to honor himself on this day, the real answer is: Yes! the US must be considered, today, to be a police state.

So what’s to celebrate?

I read that a recent Gallup Organization poll shows a significant drop in the percentage of US Americans who are “extremely proud” of their country. True, 45% still say they are “proud” of America, but normally that is how many say they are “extremely proud” to be Americans. That’s a significant fall-off. Even among normally super-patriotic Republicans the percentage of those saying they are “extremely proud” this July 4 of this country was down to 76%, a 10% drop from 2003, and close to the 68% low point reached at one point during the Obama administration.

The main cause of the loss of patriotic ardor appears to be dismay or disgust with the US political system. According to the poll, only 32% of Americans say they are “proud” (forget “extremely proud”!) of America’s vaunted political system. In a close second for popular disgust, only 37% said they are “proud” of the US health care system.

So I guess I’m in pretty good company. I won’t be oohing and aaahing at the local fireworks display this year. It’s basically a glorification of US war-making anyhow, and there’s nothing at all to be proud of in that regard, particularly with the US in the midst of a $1.5-trillion upgrade of its nuclear arsenal, threatening war with Iran, pulling out of a Reagan-era treaty banning intermediate-range nuclear missiles, and embarking in a new arms race both in space and in virtually unstoppable hypersonic cruise missiles.

In my view, my country has become the world’s leading “rogue” nation, dismissive of all international laws and codes of conduct, actively attacking many countries on its own authority, without the support of UN Security Council resolutions, exonerating war crimes committed by its soldiers, and committed to the first use of nuclear weapons, both as a first strike against major power rivals like Russia and China, and against non-nuclear nations like Iran, and equally dismissive of all efforts, large and small, to respond to the crisis of catastrophic global heating. At home, the US legal system has become a supine supporter of virtually unlimited executive power, of unchecked police power, and of repressive actions against the supposedly constitutionally protected free press.

It’s tempting to hope that the decline noted by Gallup in the percent of Americans expressing “extreme pride” and even of “pride” in the US, but support for the US among the country’s citizens still remains shamefully high in the face of all these negatives.

Anyhow, count me among those who won’t be celebrating today’s July 4 national holiday.

https://thiscantbehappening.net/us-is-a-classic-empire-and-is-becoming-a-repressive-police-state-at-home/

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memorytile0-blog · 5 years

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Rassismus ist real. #metwo

Dear readers, we have to talk. This time it’s not about me though, I’d like to talk about our society. About a society I am increasingly worried about.

Mesut Özil’s resignation from the German national football team, purportedly due to racism, has sparked a debate which in my opinion was long overdue. Mesut Özil, a German citizen, born in Gelsenkirchen, found himself confronted with racism. I think we don’t need to establish that comments like “Turkish pig” and “goat-fucker” (the latter term was actually hurled at Özil by an SPD politician) are plain racist. In other words, whoever claims that Özil is just too thin-skinned has clearly not looked into the matter deeply enough. Bild, the big German boulevard newspaper, has joined the ranks of agitators against the athlete. First the paper attempted to undermine his “German-ness” with the headline “He goes on a pilgrimage to Mecca and loves a Miss Turkey!”, and eventually expatriated him altogether after the World Cup. This quote from a Bild article serves as a case in point: “…good that you took off the jersey with the German eagle, we no longer go together.” Both (SPD politician) Holzhauer and (Bild chef) Reichelt faced substantial criticism of their comments, but that did not really change much. The sad truth remains: Germany is racist.. As soon as Özil was stripped from his protective coat of being a successful athlete, even he, a highly awarded national player who won the World Cup with Germany, who was born and raised here and has paid millions of Euros in taxes is ostracized and suddenly fair game. Please don’t misunderstand me: personally, I also think it was a mistake that Özil posed for a picture with Erdogan and never distanced himself from Turkish politics. After all, the athlete is a role model for scores of youngsters, and for that reason alone clear words would have been called for in my opinion. But no mistake justifies discrimination on racist grounds. NONE. Racism, in all its many more or less obvious forms, is part of our social reality – to the point that even one of our country’s most successful athletes is not exempt from it.

“…so why don’t people accept that I’m German?” Mesut Özil

It is shocking how racism still – or once again – forms part of the daily reality of many people. It has become the norm again. “It’s just the way it is.” Many accept the subliminal mobbing, the little stabs at work, or even laugh along at inappropriate jokes. We all have a desire to belong, after all, to fit in, not to stick out. It wasn’t so bad, was it? Well, and then suddenly Özil quit the team. The focus fell on a grand stage when the racism festering in the German national team, the nation’s pride and also its sore spot, became visible. WE were world champions, after all. But Özil’s quitting the team caused more than a public outcry – it started a veritable protest movement. People everywhere started sharing their own experiences with racism using the hashtag #metwo. And all of us should really, really listen. Racism is indeed a virus that has infected our society – and it is spreading. Let us look at the facts: Die Zeit (a renowned, traditionally liberal weekly newspaper) is openly asking the question whether it would be better to let refugee boats sink in the mediterranean. The openly racist AfD party holds at 12% (a current poll showed as much as 16% for the party – i.e. the support is still growing). Horst Seehofer celebrates 69 deportations on his 69th birthday, and, well, Mesut Özil faces open racism. Is anyone really going to tell me racism is not a big problem in Germany today? The simple truth is that it is – and if you read through some tweets with the hashtag #metwo there cannot be much doubt. The stories I read affect me. What’s worst for me is to realise at how young an age many people are confronted with racism in their lives. For many children it starts in school, where they often find themselves helpless targets of racist comments. I would go as far as accusing some teachers of emotional abuse. How incompetent some of the supposed educators in charge can be is beyond me. It is bad enough that children are often so brutal among each other – but how must it feel as a kid when the teacher chips in as well? How are you going to build trust in society when you’re excluded from the earliest developmental stages onwards? The following tweets are just a few examples of a widely shared experience:

“My German teacher made fun of my for my incorrect usage of German articles and my pronunciation of the letter “r”. I am fluent in 5 languages, and he has not managed to pronounce my four letter name correctly one single time.” @seratonin “When we were talking about job applications in school, and I told my teacher that I want to study, he told me ‘you’ll be long married by the time'” @navasgeht “Here in Germany we use our real names and not pseudonyms! Maybe you didn’t know that.” “That’s my real name.” – I was talking to the dean of a uni in Leipzig. @WhoIsYade

“Child in the daycare facility tells my daughter tells her she knows why my daughter has such brown skin. Her father had explained to her that particularly stupid babies are marked out by stewing them in a barrel of coals for a while.” @SoSumbu I am preparing the seminar room. Student: “Are you almost done with cleaning? We’re about to start a class here.” @SelvetaB “My brother was the best pupil in class, straight A’s. He gets a B on a test, compares his score with that of another pupil and discovers that he received a worse mark than the other pupil despite having a higher score. The teacher then tells him: ‘If I give you an A, what am I supposed to give the German pupils?” @Livenitup_DE

“My father works as capitain on a cargo ship. Court ruling in the eighties to deport us from Germany states the following reason: ‘the home of a sailor is the sea’ 8no kidding, I still have the document.” @HasnainKazim “When neo-nazis threaten your mother and the state prosecutor tells her: ‘well, maybe your son should not be so outspoken in public.'” @ShahakShapira “The emergency physician who refused to treat a family member before having them show him their passport despite acute respiratory distress syndrome.” @julyarabinowich

But not only schools, also the state and the judiciary system seem to fail many Germans instead of protecting them. Reading these comments (there are so many) I was overtaken by shame and anger. What really gets to me is the comment sections under those tweets. People share there experiences, but instead of simply listening, others feel personally offended, insult the posters and deny that there is any racism involved. Instead of offering support or at least an ounce of understanding, they add more humiliation and degradation to the pile. You really start asking yourself: What the hell is wrong with people? I’d like to say at this point that I think it’s generally wrong to dispute someone’s personal perception of being marginalized. People in Germany that are not affected by racism have no right to define for others what is and what is not racism. Those unaffected are observers. And nope, “Almans” or “potatoes” is not an example for reverse racism here. Those not affected are privileged to be able to say that aspects like their skin-color play no part in how they are perceived. For those targeted by racism, skin-color, religion and other superficial characteristics play an absolutely crucial part in how they are perceived in every-day life. They are rejected more often when applying for flats, are invited less often to job interviews, and are under much more general and constant pressure to justify themselves. A lot of discrimination happens subliminally, remains unquestioned between the lines. There also seems to be widespread differentiation among Germans with immigration backgrounds: Asians are better Germans than Africans or Turks. And as far as Swedes and Americans are concerned, well those are not real immigrants after all. Even someone like me, who was not even born in Germany and grew up bi-lingually, but looks European and has a European name, has no problems. Meanwhile Merve, a third-generation German, born and raised in this country, faces discrimination on a daily basis. It begs the question: What makes a German German? The skin-tone? The ancestry? The mentality? The place of birth? The nationality? The language? Where does German-ness begin, and where does it end? Divisions and arbitrary demarcation lines wherever we look. There is only one solution: we need to erase these lines. It is not enough to wait and hope for the best. In order to break these invisible boundaries we have to step out of our roles as passive observers and become active. Just like our democracy should not be taken for granted, we also need to fight for a tolerant society. It requires courage, energy and spine, and challenges all of us to keep our eyes wide open, to not look away. The first step is to be reflective of ones own behaviors and patterns. The second is to stand up for someone else, to be active instead of passive. We should all openly ask ourselves where and when we may have acted out some form of racism ourselves. Many people feel hurt and ostracized even when they are asked where they are from “originally”. If someone answers your question with “I’m from Hamburg”, accept it at face value. In a similar vein, not everyone will be open to talk about their experience of feeling excluded. We all need to develop our sensitivity, to look closely at our own behavior as well as that of our friends and families. This can be difficult, and certainly requires courage, but it is a step in the right direction. One of the central issues in this debate is that few people consider themselves racist – but many are without even being fully aware of it. Many do not consider their off-hand remarks to be racist, or withdraw to defending their own “opinions” (which, often enough are emotions rather than arguments). To reflect for yourself whether such a pattern may apply to yourself, try asking yourself the following: how would I act and what would I say if skin-color, religion and name would not make any difference, if Murat sounded as German to me as Mark, if I’d register the differences in skin tone like I register the differences in eye color (no one is less German because their irises are brown), if I accepted Islam as a religion just as I accept Christianity? If I wipe out these dividing lines in my head – what am I left with? You’re suddenly confronting a human being. Not a label or a category. I read some highly interesting thoughts HERE, and if you made it to this point in this text I recommend you take the time to check out the following article: Now, after all that criticism, I also would like to acknowledge how long a way we have already come, how much more tolerant our generation is than the one before us was. It also helps to be aware how many of us are fighting for equal human rights. We are legion. While it often may not seem so in all the bullshit, a sense of courage, altruism and standing up for the other is found in many places and at many points in time. If we manage to bundle these energies, if we manage to work together towards a common goal, I see hope – for us Germans, Europeans, and for us as members of a global society. Or, to say it with German band Die Ärzte:

“It’s not your fault that the world is as it is. But it’s your fault if it stays that way.”

A postscript: All my friends advised me against publishing this post. For understandable reasons. The main argument runs along the lines that I should not write about racism as someone who is not affected. They are right in that respect. But does it really help a society if its members always keep quiet for fear of rubbing someone up the wrong way? I am aware that some readers may disagree with me on the points outlined above, others may reject my perspective altogether. Maybe some readers will agree with many of my friends and believe I have no right to criticize an aspect of society I perceive only as observer. But I do believe, from the bottom of my heart, that this is a crucial issue, and feel a responsibility to express my opinion about it on this platform.

This post is also available in German Russian

Source: https://www.masha-sedgwick.com/rassismus-ist-real-metwo/

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newstfionline · 6 years

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Here’s How (And Why) I Give 10% Of My Income To Charity

Allison Kade, LearnVest Mar. 16, 2012

I give away 10% of my income every year. This year, I gave a little more.

Giving thousands of dollars to charity and various causes is, for me, an I’ll-meet-you-halfway token to the universe. I wish the world were a certain way--respectful of the environment, for example, and free from poverty--and it only seems fair that I put my money where my values are.

The 10% number is biblical in origin (an “overheard in synagogue,” if you will), but I don’t give this money away for religious reasons. In fact, I was surprised when, in a recent conversation, a friend termed this “radical giving” on my part.

I don’t think my 10% is terribly groundbreaking, but I do think the “I’ll wait ‘til I have more money” excuse doesn’t hold water. Most people should be able to manage it. I’ll show you how I did it, at least.

Ever since I was a kid, giving 10% was a goal, but it always felt far in the future. My parents made it clear that they gave to charitable causes, and they had me and my sister start at a young age.

At home, we had a “charity box,” and we had to drop any loose change or money we found on the street into that box. I have memories of proudly donating $15 in pennies and nickels to our local community center when I was six years old. By middle school, I consistently gave away a portion of my allowance money. It was only after graduating college that I was faced with how much to give on my own, as an adult.

My first year after graduating, I was making a low entry-level salary. 10% remained a goal at that point, but I figured it would take many years to reach it. I compromised and gave 10% of my disposable income (what I had left over after my necessary living expenses). I’ll give a whole 10% later, I thought.

I took informal polls of my friends and colleagues to see what they gave. Usually the answer was somewhere around 1% to 3%. But I felt guilty. And, if we’re being honest, judgey. They might use the “I’ll give when I’m rich enough” excuse, but that wasn’t me. Except that it was.

Fast forward a few years. I’m dating a great guy. I ask my informal poll. His answer? 10%. No matter what. To me, that felt steep, especially when viewed at a glance (“Thousands of dollars!”). But if he did it, why shouldn’t I?

So I did.

When deciding where to give, I let myself be guided by what matters to me intuitively. Ever since I was little, I’ve cared/worried about the environment. Don’t laugh … but as an elementary schooler, I used to cry at night because of global warming. I grew up in Florida, and imagined my house sinking underwater. In high school, my allowance money went to the Nature Conservancy. In more recent years, I’ve chosen to give to the NRDC Action Fund.

Living in NYC, I also see homeless people on a daily basis (one day I counted, and I literally saw 13 on my commute to and from work). It makes me feel terrible to blithely walk by, but, frankly, I don’t like the idea of giving out money to strangers. I’ve taken to buying Nutrigrain bars I can give out on the street, but that’s because I think pretending not to see someone is unhealthy for both them and me--but Nutrigrains won’t fix anything for real. So I give more significant sums to organizations I know will manage it wisely. I give the biggest percentage of my money to organizations that help the homeless or help prevent the cycle of poverty before it starts, like City Harvest and Modest Needs.

This year, I also gave a significant amount to Partners in Health, particularly because of the totally insane cholera epidemic that has afflicted Haiti in the past year or two. I visited Haiti two and a half years ago when my friend was living and working in a clinic there, and I felt horrible standing idly by. But, yes: There are other crises in the world that I am not helping out with. It makes me feel a little powerless.

I’ll start by recounting my blessings: I don’t have a mountain of debt to pay off. I have a steady job. I have low health care costs. I am single and have no kids, so my financial obligations are limited.

That said, I’m no trust fund baby. I have no enormous bounty. I simply don’t spend a ton.

I felt the pinch when I went from giving 10% of my disposable income to 10% of all my income, but, frankly, it wasn’t a big deal. As I slowly graduated from an entry-level salary, I didn’t change anything about my standard of living. Even though I could theoretically afford more, I live with a roommate (in Brooklyn, not Manhattan), bring my lunch to work most days and choose my luxury expenses very carefully. Upping my giving didn’t require major sacrifices because my disposable income grew while my expenses stayed the same.

My first year out of college, I gave 10% of my disposable income, because I simply didn’t have as much to go around. In the future, if I become very wealthy, I’d like to give more than 10%.

I acknowledge that, when it comes to giving, one size doesn’t fit all. All I can speak to is what giving has given back to me: an outlet for my concerns about the state of the world, and the usual warm mushy feelings when I think about the people eating the food I was able to fund, or receiving cholera vaccines that I provided.

As I see it, none of us has the right to complain about the way things are unless we become active agents of change.

#giving #giving 10%#tithing

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