#tubbs fire

[detectiverickitubbs]

~Open to All~ 

    Gaze fixated upon the eternal horizon, Tubbs finds her thoughts consumed with images of the frightened, doleful-eyed two-year-old she had pulled out of a drug-house. He was so small, so helpless. Even though his grasp had long ago been unfurled from the sleeves of Ricki’s jacket, the impression he left remained behind.  

“I can’t stop thinking about him.” She murmurs on the wings of a hushed breath. 

[emilybahu]

Just a culmination of thoughts I had and moments I liked during 7x06:

This ended up being MUCH longer than an expected, I just kept adding things to it! So you totally don’t need read the whole thing just skim through if you want…

1. Maddie about a minute away from a panic attack, but still looking stunning✨

2. Hen looks like she’s gonna go all angry mom mode on Buck and Eddie, who are looking ROUGH… she gives them a look that should put the fear of god into anyone!

3. You know, I just wanted them to have one major milestone that didn’t involve one or both of them being in danger, but NOOOO! We don’t even know where Chimney is and Buck and Eddie are a complete hit mess! Evan “✨it’s complicated✨” Buckley.

4. Oh my god I love Buck and Eddie and their shared brain cell so much! Their bickering is hilarious! Buck slapping Eddie’s hand away from the sliders and later Eddie saying, “reach for them and you’ll be pulling back a bloody stump!” 🤣🤣🤣

5. RAVI WHAT ARE YOU DOING, DO YOU WANT TO DIE!? 🤣

6. “Wholesome 80s themed karaoke” and Eddie proposing that he and Buck go as Crockett and Tubbs.

7. I kinda figured Chimney wouldn’t show seeing as HE DIDN’T WANT A PARTY. Then everyone leaves and it’s JUST Buck and Eddie, because of course!

8. And back to Buck and Tommy again… Tommy has to go and put out a LITERAL fire and we get a second Buck/Tommy hug in the span of like 3 minutes! I’m getting FED they are so cute and soft, and Tommy really doesn’t want to leave but has no choice… the soft hug and “be safe” I’m sorry my heart is melting! 🫠❤️

9. Buck and Eddie are just having A TIME with all these random people, and of course being the touch starved boys they are, you get a little (a lot) of alcohol in em they obviously need to have physical contact at all times! 🤣

10. Drunk Buck being like “we don’t have a key🥺” and Drunk Eddie “you don’t need a key,” (hand on shoulder, thumb on pulse point) “we’re fire fighters👨‍🚒😈” continues to kick in the door!

11. CHAOS ENTERS THE BUILDING, I couldn’t stop laughing! Honestly I didn’t realize Buck and Eddie could party this hard! Buck wakes up on the floor, Eddie’s in the bath tub (a shirt? What’s that? Never heard of it) and Chimney is FUCKING NO WHERE TO BE FOUND! 😬

12. Cut to Maddie desperately trying to get ahold of Chimney and track him down, but he’s somewhere in his car dazed, confused and clearly UNWELL! And his car gets freaking stolen!

13. The dinner celebrating Kevin’s life 🥲

14. Gosh dang it, everyone in the room together worried about Chimney, god my heart! I hope they find him soon!

15. Maddie showing up at the dispatch center in her wedding dress! The woman means business! SHE GONNA FIND HER MAN!

16. Doug, DOUG!? What are you doing torturing Chimney in his subconscious!? No one wants you here!

17. Seeing Maddie’s reaction to Chimney in this state is heartbreaking! She just wants to make sure he’s ok, but he’s clearly not!😢

18. Bruh, we keep getting jump scared by Doug, I’m so DONE with that guy!

19. Time jump to two weeks earlier… “telling Buck ‘no’ is like telling a dog not to jump your leg” just more proof that Buck is a man with the soul of a golden retriever puppy…🤣

20. Bobby saying “well evidently our two love birds over there were enjoying some sexy time, when they heard some weeping” had me wheezing! 😂

21. When they figured out what was wrong with Chimney I got so scared, even though I knew he’d likely be fine. Never know what might happen though…

22. When Chimney’s paramedic skills kicked back in it gave me hope, then he saw Doug again… and still didn’t remember that he’s actually a paramedic.

23. He knows he needs to be somewhere and he hears Buck calling for him, Chimney knows they’re looking for him, then freaking Doug makes him almost give up fighting! 🥲

24. NO DOUG🙄 MADDIE DIDN’T FUCKING LIKE BEING ABUSED!

25. KEVIN🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 Kevin telling Chimney he NEEDS to get up and get help!

26. Maddie in the hospital with Chimney, thinking he doesn’t remember her then him saying “I’m sorry I missed our wedding” GOD MY HEART!

27. Jee running in yelling “daddy!” 🥹

28. “We always get back to each other somehow” please! My heart can’t handle this! They’re meant to be!!🥹😭

29. “I know Kevin is smiling right now” “yeah he is” I can’t breathe! I’m shocked I didn’t cry!

30. Just the whole ceremony, Bobby officiating! Everyone so happy for them together after this day they’ve had! I’m just gonna melt into a puddle of pure emotion! 🥹🥺

31. I love them. I love them! I LOVE THEM!!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

32. Buck looking down at his phone to see that Tommy told him he’s there 🤭🤭

33. I made a whole post about this kiss, ahhhhhh!! (My reaction remains the same every time I watch it, I lose control of my limbs, my voice gets all high and squeaky, and I lose the ability to form actual words) The damn 10 second scene still has me SHOOK! 😆🫨

34. Buck pulling Tommy into the room, Tommy apologizing for missing the ceremony and Chimney looking up at him and over to Buck and saying “Thanks tommy, looks like you were… busy” (I didn’t even think about how long Buck was gone before, but since they had time to cut and serve cake to everyone Buck had to be just in another world with Tommy for at least 20 minutes…)

35. Hen’s face when she realizes that Buck and Tommy totally were just making out! And Eddie being the supportive king of a bff that the is!

36. The Buckley parents faces… I’ll be ready to throw hands in a second if they say something homophobic later on!

37. Hen saying “well it’s about damn time” to Karen!! Ahhhhhh! Girlllll!!! Are telling me you could see Buck’s raging bisexuality THE WHOLE TIME!? 😆😆😆😆 She so CLOCKED HIM!

38. Chimney feels right at home anywhere if he and Maddie are together!! ❤️🫠🥹

39. Not them mentioning the cruise ship!! Too soon, too soon! 🫠 But I also laughed!😂

40. “So, were Buck and Tommy a thing before my amnesia?” “Um yeah, actually they were.” (Still trying to figure out how much time there was between the coffee date and the wedding… I have no clue. [Please can someone tell me!?])

41. “Why do they call me Chimney?” And cut to black…. Really, REALLY!? That was cruel, so rude. They’re never gonna tell us why they call him Chimney are they?

And that’s the end!

[regicidal-optimism]

a home, or a bread broken - a fic by @rebelpeas for @mcytblraufest

frame harirak / how to detect misery - thatsbelievable / salted galaxy / imagine a door - pervocracy / everything must go / red star - leila divine / sad-ist / do it scared - kriskoeh / the tubbs fire / a softer sea

[sortasirius]

"There Goes the Groom" and Buck's Queer Joy

Hey so...remember when I did post ep meta for two years? Anyway we're back like we've never left.

Best Hen <3

OBSESSED with micromanaging party planner Evan Buckley. The clipboard was there in spirit.

"You are late."

I'll take married for several years for $500, Alex.

"Ooo sliders."

"Ah ah. No."

"You didn't just do that." PLEASE

Tommy giving Eddie a bro-y high five and then a soft, sweet "hey" for Buck and a hug??? Fellas I might need to be sedated.

Also obsessed with the tinge of bitchiness in Eddie's tone. It's like jealousy without even realizing it's jealousy. And I think it's an interesting mix of "hey my best friend has a new friend" and something else that Eddie cannot label.

Ryan Guzman you must be studied for that little side eye lmfaoooo

I LOVEEEEE TOMMY HE'S SUCH A BITCH, he said I do not care for your party themes. Me for real.

Why were they all so obsessed with the sliders???? I love them all so much.

"Reach for them and you'll be pulling back a bloody stump." WITH THE RAISED EYEBROWS AND THE LITTLE HEAD TILT RYAN GUZMAN I AM KISSING YOU ON THE MOUTH.

"Wholesome, 80s-themed karaoke."

Buck was a party planner in another life and I stand by that.

"We should totally go as Crockett and Tubbs."

"Absolutely."

They are literally this meme:

The little shoulder rub that Buck gives Tommy <333333333333

The way Buck and Eddie are sitting during the party scene, Buck's arm absolutely SLUNG around his shoulder...yeah okay. Okay. I'm normal about this.

The whole party was two idiot best friends pointing at each other and saying "exactlyyyyyy." Yes, I would die for them.

I just want to say that every single thing about Chimney's journey this episode was heartbreaking and scary and I HATED that I didn't know what was going to happen to him the whole time. Ok thanks for your time.

From that guy stealing his car to every Doug jumpscare, I think they did a really good job freaking the audience (at least...me) the fuck out without actually revealing what had happened. Like..we know he's sick, we know something's wrong, but it was a well-paced episode, even if in my perfect world it would have been like two hours long lol.

And the fact that Maddie is always going to look for him, always going to find him, just like he would do for her...don't look at me I'm emo.

Chim essentially pushing the fact that he is actively dying from encephalitis to the side because being a paramedic and saving lives is so deeply ingrained in him it's something the can't forget? He's so important to me.

Then...Kevin. He's such a huge part of Chim's life, his arc, how he became a firefighter, and it essentially include him in the wedding (even though it was in a very scary way), I think it's a really great take on the idea that our loved ones who can't be there for milestones are there even when we can't see them, especially with his line "you invited me, remember?"

Doug was never there, but Kevin was, Kevin will be there even when Chim can't see him.

"I was trying to get back to you the whole time." THEY ARE EVERYTHING HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THEM. ALL THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH, ALL THEY'VE HAD TO DO, AND THEY STILL FOUGHT FOR AND CAME BACK TO EACH OTHER!!!!

Bobby officiating and saying "and the Los Angeles Fire Department" THEY ARE A FAMILY!!!!

And then...perhaps one of thee most important scenes ever aired on television ever:

"Sorry I'm late, that fire was a beast."

"So are you."

And STRAIGHT in for a SERIOUS kiss??????? 911 writers room you can have my life, take it, it's already yours.

Tommy's little huff of surprise and then hum of "yeah okay I'm down for this." PUT THEM IN THE DICTIONARY NEXT TO THE CUTEST COUPLE OF ALL TIME

And last...Buck coming in to the room where his family, both blood and chosen, is, with soot all over his face, and a smile so bright that it had to have lit up the entire west coast, not caring who saw him or who knew exactly what he had just been doing...yeah, that's what this shit is all about.

EDDIE'S beautiful smile when he realizes how happy Buck is they are best friends FIRST and that is all that matters to me!!!

Hen being like "it's about damn time." SO TRUE QUEEN OF COURSE SHE KNEW!!!!!

I haven't really been able to put this into words yet, but the way they are handling Buck's bisexuality and his first relationship with someone of the same gender as him is just...it's almost astounding. It's been handled with such care, from Oliver to Lou to the writers to the NETWORK, everyone is so clearly fully onboard with this and not afraid of it.

And there's no pain here, his coming out is not born out of trauma or being forced or caught or guilty. Tommy made him feel something that he had never been able to put a name to, and Tommy is helping him figure it out. He's letting Buck be overeager without taking advantage, he's letting him move at his own pace (which, of course, is at light speed) but is also confident enough in himself to pump the brakes when he feels like he needs to.

I just can't get enough of that smile, of how fucking happy Buck is. Happy in himself, happy with Tommy, happy to finally have a name for who he is, and not be afraid to share it with the people he loves. His parents' reactions don't matter, because he knows the people that matter to him most won't care who he's with, as long as he loves them and they treat him well.

It's such a huge step for Buck, who has so often fallen prey to what other people might think, it's so refreshing to see him get to explore this without fear of what others will say. Tommy is a steady constant, experienced and knows who he is. He teases Buck and calls him Evan and flirts with him shamelessly, and it flusters him in the best way.

To see a character like Buck, who was, essentially, billed as straight from the beginning of the show, be able to come in to himself and experience real queer joy...wow. For me, it just can't be overstated.

I can't wait to see where Buck's journey goes, and I am just so...grateful to be able to watch it.

[thecatfight2023]

The Bracket™ is here!

here are our competitors!

to space out the polls some, we have them divided in mini-brackets (each mini bracket will be posted a day as to not overwhelm everyone with all of the polls at once)

THIS WILL ALSO BE UPDATED TO HAVE THE LINKS TO THE POLLS!!

mini-bracket 1

Mewo (OMORI) V. Spider Cat (OMORI)

Domino (Amphibia) V. Ghost (The Owl House)

Thomas O’Malley (Aristocats) V. Marie (Aristocats)

Oliver (Oliver & Co.) V. Mochi (Big Hero 6)

Cat (Coraline) V. Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland)

Tasque (Deltarune) V. Tubbs (Neko Atsume)

Daffodil (Spiritfarer) V. Black Cat (The Witch’s House)

Neite (Runescape) V. Black Cat (Divinity Original Sin 2)

Alpine (Marvel) V. Goose (Marvel)

Isis (Batman: The Animated Series) V. Alfred the Cat (DC)

Mikeko (Ace Attorney) V. Shoe (Ace Attorney)

Cats (Jet Set Radio Future) V. Shadow (Super Lesbian Animal RPG)

Fat Louie (The Princess Diaries) V. Orion (Men in Black)

Milo (Milo & Otis) V. Miss Kitty Fantastico (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Cat God (Identity V) V. Yuumi (League of Legends)

Opalescence (MLP:FIM) V. Ice Cream Kitty (TMNT 2012)

mini-bracket 2

Ichigo Momomiya [cat form] (Tokyo Mew Mew) V. Alto (Tokyo Mew Mew)

Kyo Sohma [cat form] (Fruits Basket) V. Kuro (Blue Exorcist)

Sakamoto (Nichijou) V. Kuroneko (Trigun)

Prince (Genshin Impact) V. Neko (Genshin Impact)

Pusheen (Pusheen) V. Simon’s Cat (Simon’s Cat Animations)

Nyan Cat V. Minecraft cats

Video (Strong Hearts are Mandatory) V. Ginger (Brimstone and Roses)

Midnight (Castle in the Air) V. Jenny Linsky (Jenny Linsky books)

Schrodinger’s cat V. Tuna Sandwich (Kid Cosmic)

Pura (Crash Bandicoot) V. George (Spyro)

Tom F14 (Atom: The Beginning) V. Murr (The Case Study of Vanitas)

Mausfänger (Pentiment) V. Myau (Phantasy Star)

Cam (Squishmallow) V. Autumn (Squishmallow)

Serafina (Barbie Princess and the Pauper) V. Wolfie (Barbie Princess and the Pauper)

Melog (She-Ra 2018) V. Curious Cat (RWBY)

Judd + Lil Judd (Splatoon) V. Webkinz cats (all of them)

mini-bracket 3

Tama V. FDC Willard

Stray Cat J V. Pangur

Grumpy Cat V. Miette

Jinx V. Jorts

Gandalf V. Raymond 

Smudge V. The Cat Foretold

Forever’s Brood V. Norman (SolidarityGaming)

Jellie (GoodTimesWithScar) V. BB (Jacksepticeye)

Garfield (Garfield) V. Meowth (Pokémon)

Puss In Boots (Shrek Cinematic Universe) V. Kitty Softpaws (Puss in Boots)

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess cats V. The Garreg Mach Monastery cats (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Purrsula (Dragon Quest Treasures) V. Shiro/Blanche (House 1977)

Slugcat (RainWorld) V. Pussyfoot (Looney Tunes)

Li'l' Mittens (WordGirl) V. Mittens (Wander Over Yonder)

Greebo (Discworld) V. Maurice (Discworld)

You (Discworld) V. The Cat (Infinity Train)

mini-bracket 4

Cat (Ghost Trick) V. Cat (Stray)

Salem (Sabrina the Teenage Witch 1996) V. Binx (Hocus Pocus)

Firestar (Warrior Cats) V. Scourge (Warrior Cats)

Mothwing (Warrior Cats) V. Leafpool (Warrior Cats)

Sprigatito (Pokémon) V. Litten (Pokémon)

Meowstic (Pokémon) V. Shinx (Pokémon)

Jiji (Kiki’s Delivery Service) V. Luna (Sailor Moon)

Artemis (Sailor Moon) V. Diana (Sailor Moon)

Morgana (Persona 5) V. Ravage (Transformers)

Fukumaru (A Man and His Cat) V. Nyanko-Sensei (Natsume Yuujinchou)

The Judge (OFF) V. Mr. Midnight (Fran Bow)

Khoshekh (WTNV) V. Catbus (My Neighbor Totoro)

Grudge (Star Trek: Discovery) V. Spot (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Lumi (Cats are Liquid) V. 808 (Hi-Fi Rush)

Ser Pounce-A-Lot (Dragon Age) V. Warmseeker (Elder Scrolls Online)

Frumpkin (Critical Role) V. The Admiral (TMA)

polls for mini-bracket 1 will be scheduled to post around 2 pm EST tomorrow! also reminder they will be open for 1 day each!

propaganda is encouraged!! go wild! we will do our best to reblog as much as we can and it will be tagged with "purr-opaganda" (for those who want to filter the tag). we also recommend making propaganda for your cat blorbos sooner rather than later so there's a chance for them to win!!

-mod orange

[mariacallous]

Rescue crews are still searching Lahaina, Hawaii, for survivors of the catastrophic wildfire that obliterated the town last week on the island of Maui. It’s the deadliest blaze in modern American history, with 99 people confirmed dead, surpassing the 85 that perished in 2018’s Camp Fire in Paradise, California. Crews have only searched a quarter of Lahaina, so the death toll is expected to rise higher still. At least 2,200 structures have been destroyed.

During the 19th century, it made a kind of terrible sense that blazes like the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 could burn swaths of a city almost totally unchecked. Fire and building codes were lacking. So were firefighting forces and robust water infrastructure. By the early 20th century, those things had been upgraded. Cities and towns were safer—for a while. But now expansive urban fires have returned, and they are burning with startling frequency and intensity.

“We thought urban fires had gone away, that San Francisco in 1906 was the last. And now they’ve come back,” says fire historian Stephen Pyne. “It’s like watching polio come back. We fixed this. But you have to maintain the hygiene—you have to keep up the vaccinations.”

And the Lahaina fire shows that they can burn in places where nobody expects a catastrophic wildfire: a modern town on a tropical island in the middle of the Pacific, whose ecosystems only rarely saw wildfire in prehistory.

It’s not the only recent example of fires ravaging surprising places. In 2021, a freak wildfire ignited in late December—way outside of typical fire season—in Boulder, Colorado, burning more than 1,000 buildings. In 2017, the Tubbs Fire ripped through Santa Rosa, California, and its surrounding communities, destroying 5,600 structures and killing 22 people. “Those aren’t fire areas—they’re just the burbs,” says Thomas Cova, who studies wildfire evacuations at the University of Utah. “They’re modern streets, modern sidewalks, manicured lawns. It’s really become, in this changing climate, much more difficult to map where fires are going to occur and what time of year and how bad they might burn.” 

On Maui, as with wildfires all over the world, there isn’t just one factor contributing to the blaze. Overall, climate change is making wildfires worse: A warmer atmosphere can absorb more moisture from the landscape. Climate change is also making droughts more frequent, longer, and more severe, so there’s less moisture to wet the landscape in the first place. 

Add high winds—gusts of up to 80 miles per hour drove the flames a mile a minute across Lahaina—and all it takes is a single spark to ignite a fast-moving blaze. “There’s no firefighting capabilities for structure-to-structure urban fire in winds like that,” says Cova. “Once one structure catches on fire, if the wind’s blowing like that, it becomes like a blowtorch against the neighboring home.”

These winds across Maui were dry as well, helping to suck the remaining moisture out of vegetation to turn it into fuel. That fuel seems to have been invasive grasses that European colonizers brought when they established plantations. When rains are plentiful, these plants grow like mad, then easily dry out once the rain stops. 

“Those fire-prone invasive species fill in any gaps anywhere else—roadsides, in between communities, in between people’s homes, all over the place,” Elizabeth Pickett, co-executive director of the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, told WIRED last week. “At this point, 26 percent of our state is covered in these fire-prone grasses.” 

Not only has much of Maui been in a drought, but it’s also at the height of its dry season, so these plants have turned to tinder. “Feral landscapes fuel fires,” says Pyne. “Hot, dry, and windy, with lots of fuel, is the formula for big fires. And that’s what you’ve got here.”

In Hawaii, as in places along the West Coast, more and more people have been moving into the danger zone: the wildland-urban interface, or WUI. This is where nature butts up against human settlements or even intermingles with them. That’s why Paradise burned so quickly and thoroughly, destroying 19,000 structures, as the fire sped through pine needles and other dry leaves piled up around town. In Maui, the invasive grass acts as an accelerant. “Virtually every community in Hawaii is on a wildland-urban interface,” Pickett continued. “So we’re just like a WUI state, because we have developments that are all adjacent to wildland areas or surrounded by wildland areas.”

We don’t have to discover the vaccine against wildfires in such an interface—it’s already known. Massive urban fires waned in the 20th century because of better building codes, and infrastructure is still important today. When high winds kick up, they jostle power lines and can spark fires. Electrical equipment malfunctions were the confirmed causes of the Camp and Tubbs fires, among other recent blazes. While officials are still investigating what ignited the wildfire that consumed Lahaina, there’s speculation that it was also electrical wires. While it’s expensive to bury power lines, such an investment could go a long way toward saving structures and human lives.

And in the modern day, another big factor is managing potential fuels: In places like California, that means clearing dead brush. In Hawaii, it’s those invasive grasses. Because humans are such an unpredictable X factor in sparking fires—with a wayward firework or cigarette—it’s paramount that when people make mistakes, there’s less fuel to burn.

Protecting cities from supercharged wildfires also requires fundamental social shifts. If a tropical town like Lahaina can burn, which other cities are also at risk—and totally unready for it? “Normally we think of preparing for events that are within an envelope of historical, prior events,” says Cova. “This is unprecedented for Lahaina. And so how do you even begin to talk about preparing for things that no one's ever seen, including the people that manage fires?” 

One of the greatest risks of urban wildfires is that residents can get caught between fast-moving fires and the limitations of city infrastructure, like narrow, winding roads or a lack of evacuation routes. People died in their cars trying to get out of Paradise, and it appears the same happened in Lahaina. “We’ve known for a long time—even in hurricanes where you have way-advance warning—that evacuating cars sometimes is essential, but it’s really problematic, because you get congestion right away,” says Ann Bostrom, a risk communication researcher at the University of Washington. “Any city where you have a wildland-urban interface, and then you have any kind of complicated transportation, where you don’t have free egress, that’s problematic.”

Protecting other cities from Lahaina’s fate will require fighting a battle on multiple fronts: managing fuels to re-tame the feral landscape, minimizing ignitions with better electrical infrastructure, and rigorously communicating evacuation plans. “This is the kind of society we’ve created,” says Pyne. “And these are the kinds of fires that society will have to deal with.”

[jesus-in-the-womb]

Fat reader x Eddie helping her w insecurity

hmm... I myself struggle with weight, so..... this one will def be hitting home when it comes to the insecurity being voiced #sendhelp... (also, ik billy is dead by the end of season 3, but j pretend he's still alive n kickin it for this one time.. fanks:)(also no hate to billy or Dacre, I just see this being a realistic convo from billy)

"Listen, Tubbs," the words sounded from behind you, a hand firmly pressing to your shoulder blade to grab your attention as if the words hadn't sent you into a panic enough, "I don't know who the hell let you in here, but you need to cover that mess up." Your arm subconsciously wrapped around your stomach, turning your head to the side to stare up at a very menacingly Billy Hargrove. He stood next to you, one hand on your shoulder, the other on his hip. His lips smacked disgustingly against each other as he chomped on a piece of pink bubblegum.

You were overweight, and you knew it. The one-piece swimsuit your mother had bought you from the 'GAP' ages ago barely fit your slightly larger body, tugging against your skin and allowing bits of you to spill out of the edges. It was boiling hot in Hawkins, the public pool your last resort to cool off after raiding your freezer at home for ice and popsicles. You'd hoped Billy wouldn't be working today, silently praying that he'd still be recovering from immense wounds he received from the mall 'fire'. You'd think after almost dying, you'd act a little nicer, but noooo. Billy Hargrove was still a massive dick.

"W-What?" he scoffed at your words, pausing his chew to tug his sunglasses down to the bridge of his nose, making it obvious that he was eyeing your body up and down.

"Petting zoo is that way, Piggy." he pointed in the direction of the exit with a nod of his head, waiting for you to spin around and leave. You didn't. You stood there with a red face, staring at the wall behind his head, tripping over your feet as he shoved you in the direction of the exit. You walked as quickly as you could, not wishing to give the boy more reasons to tease if you ran, envisioning your body if you had with a tearful expression.

Your feet carried you to the door of your car, entering with a huff before quickly starting it and leaving with a screech of your tires. You'd been on the premises maybe 30 seconds before the Hargrove boy came to humiliate you, although you silently thanked god no one heard. This was a constant occurrence, finally caving and dressing slightly out of your comfort zone; which consisted of baggy sweatshirts, sweatpants, and leggings, only to be ridiculed by the community of Hawkins. It didn't matter if you were friends with the 'King Steve', hell they teased him for even being your friend, you'd always be an outcast, simply because your size was double the cheer captain's.

The second you'd gotten home, you'd changed into something a bit more comfortable, but still revealing, opting for a cute tank top and shorts to stay cool in. You didn't stay long, leaving your house once again without an explanation as you hopped into your still running car to get away. The only place you could think of was this stupid spot in the middle of the woods behind the high school football field. You'd found the area in your freshman year, the wooden picnic table quickly becoming your lunch table; up until you'd met Steve and the gang, the table long forgotten.

But, here you were, climbing onto the rickety boards and sitting down with an emotionally exhausted huff. Your feet swung in the open space, kicking at the air and gaining you slight relief as the cool burst of air hit your exposed legs.

The snapping of twigs and crunching of leaves beneath someone's foot caused you to tense up, eyes flickering to your left to catch a glimpse of a young man stumbling through the forest. His feet got caught on a root, sending him flying through the air and towards the forest floor, he caught himself in a push-up position, awkwardly glancing at your tightlipped smile. He threw a few haphazard pushes into the mix, pretending as if his entire plan was to do a workout in the middle of the woods on the ground, with you as his witness.

"Wooh!" he called out as he bounced back up to his feet, fist pumping in the air with an elated grin, "feelin' the burn." he walked over to the picnic table, standing in front of you with a bright smile. Your skin crawled, staring up at the handsome man. His eyes were making you uncomfortable, assuming that his trailing gaze was judgmental, even though he was clearly checking you out.

"Can I help you?" you didn't mean to sound so rude, quickly apologizing and opting for a nicer version of the question. He sent a nod your way, kicking at the pebbles beneath his feet as he gestured to the table, hoping you'd let him sit. You agreed with a curt shake of your head, carefully edging off the top of the wood to sit on the seating portion, hoping as to not break it, breaking something from sitting on it in front of someone being a huge but realistic fear of yours. When you made it to your spot without a creak or crack, you awkwardly smiled at him, waiting for him to start the conversation.

He stared at you for a moment, taking in the shape of your shoulders, bleeding into your neck, and trailing his eyes up to gawk at your facial features. He thought you were gorgeous, spending his (long and never-ending at this point) high school years crushing over you and your voluptuous body.

"What'cha doing out here all on your own?" he asked tilting his head as if he were a curious puppy. His curiosity was soon masked by immediate fear, after noticing the look of surprise and slight disgust on your face, "No, I didn't mean it like- shit. That came off creepy as fuck didn't it?" he asked with his lips pulled tight to his teeth making the most robotic face of oh my god I'm an idiot you've ever seen.

"Yea, just a bit." you tried to bury a smile of amusement deep inside of you, its metaphorical fingers scratching and clawing it's way to the surface to flaunt itself in front of the metalhead.

"Sorry, Y/N, right?" he asked, knowing damn well that he knew your name. He's known it since it was his sophomore year and your freshman year.

"Yeah, and you're Eddie Munson." you couldn't help but laugh a little as his jaw dropped, warmth spreading across his cheeks and down his neck at the fact that you even knew his name.

"I'm going to ignore the fact that you know who a freak like me is, and instead ask you a question," you nodded along, waiting patiently for him to speak, glancing down as his fingers picked around each other in a nervous manner, "why are you out here, you okay?" your body language shifted immediately, your person shutting down almost as fast you glanced at the tips of your shoes.

"Had to get away from someone is all, kept saying some mean things." to the normal eye and ear, your words could be heard as you reiterated your encounter with the Hargrove boy, but you knew better. You were attempting to run from yourself, the doubt and self-deprecating thoughts beating your brain to a pulp without remorse. Eddie wasn't one to pick up on the 'someone' being yourself, face pulling in confusion and concern.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, but, do you wanna talk about it?" he asked, placing his head into his fists as they squished his cheeks upward. This pulled a giggle from your lips before a defeated sigh left your lips. It's no secret that your body was hideously large, might as well talk about it. No shame in your game right? Wrong. Major amounts of shame.

"Billy Hargrove was saying some shit, just being an asshat. That's all," you spoke dejectedly, deciding not to openly speak about your body, hoping that it would somehow magically shrink the fat from your body so you could look more like your good friend Nancy. He asked you to explain, respectfully of course, not willing to push your limits and test your boundaries for fear of you closing up again. You grew nervous, fearful of him teasing you about your weight as well, clearly not knowing the Munson boy well.

"He.... He was making fun of my body, kicked me out of the pool, and basically called me a pig." your eyes looked anywhere but at Eddie, cheeks on fire with embarrassment and shame. If you had looked at Eddie, you would've seen the way his features twisted in disgust and anger, his once inquisitive and concerned mood turned furious. He was incredulously asking himself how someone could be so cruel to someone as beautiful inside and out as you.

"You're fucking kidding me right?" he snapped, pushing from the table to stand in front of you, his hair flung about wildly as he shook his head from side to side in disbelief, "he can't be serious, can he? That's not right, man. Not cool." he began to pace, arm crossed and face twisted in thought.

"It's okay, not like it's a secret or anything." he stopped abruptly, turning slowly towards you as if you'd just admitted to something criminal. He stalked towards your seated form, almost like a predator would when advancing towards their prey.

"Okay? It's okay?" he stops once his shins smack against the thining wood, palms slapping down onto the pricily top with a slight crack, "Bill Hargrove is an idiotic bully, who can't see how truly beautiful you are. Your body is perfect, flawless even, in its own way."

You began to blush like an imbecile. Throat running dry at his admission. You'd never been called beautiful by a man, let alone one you didn't know. For him to unknowingly sweep you off your feet with a singular compliment, was the definition of criminal. Eddie Munson should be sentenced to prison for the way he was eyeing you hungrily. Your legs crossing subconsciously under his piercing gaze. This only made it worse, his fierce stare fixing on the plush of your thighs, watching the skin push against the tight material of your jean shorts. He licked his lips, walking around the table to sit at your side, straddling the bench, legs moving to cage you in between them.

"Every little thing about your body drives me insane. I don't think you fully comprehend how breathtakingly gorgeous you are." he placed a hand on your knee, eyes not daring to leave your face in case they showed a sign of nonconsent. You were overly consensual, following his lead and twisting to meet his legs with your own, placing your thighs atop his with your cores inches apart. His large hands gripped the undersides of your knees now, massaging them softly with a hint of comfort laced in between his sensual movements.

"You. Are. Beautiful." between each word was a pause, the gap filled with Eddie tucking your hair behind your ears and placing his forehead against yours. One of his hands moved to cup your cheek, loving the way you leaned into his touch, moving his remaining hand further up your leg to rest right below your hip, fingers spreading in a feeble attempt to grasp the entirety of the flesh.

He looked into your eyes one last time, nothing but adoration swimming in them, he used his thumb to trace your bottom lip, watching the flesh fold around his digit as he applied a small amount of pressure against it, "Can I kiss you?" he asked, sending sparks throughout your body. It was as if it was new years eve inside of you, the clock striking 12 and the cells inside you began to happily scream. You nodded quickly, praying that he wasn't messing with you, your heart wouldn't be able to recover.

Eddie wasn't a stranger, he was a handsome face and beautiful soul your eyes followed around the school like a lost puppy. His gorgeous smile is always the highlight of your day. The hilarious insults he'd toss at tables (somehow always avoiding your table, now you knew why) would constantly bring giggles to you. Unbeknownst to you, that was Eddie's favorite part of his day. Watching your head tip back with a giggle pulled solely from a joke of his, reveling in the pride he felt from making you laugh.

The metalhead wasted no time, pressing his lips softly against yours. It wasn't how you'd thought it was going to be. There weren't any fireworks, no butterflies, no nothing. Nothing but the feeling of home. Kissing Eddie Munson felt so right that it felt normal, familiar even.

Ladies and gentlemen..... I've done it again (*insert sick-ass dance move that I fail miserably at performing). Lmk how this was!! also @anon, I hope this is what you had envisioned when asking this. Or, at least I hope it meets your standards and you enjoy it!! It was a lil frisky and super fluffy, but I really enjoyed writing this one!! as always, I hope you enjoyed whores!!! <333333

[aturnoftheearth]

lord huron the incredibly successful band that I desperately need to gatekeep but also i need to explain the strange trails lore to everyone i meet

no no you absolutely get it … like i need everyone to know the love like ghosts/meet me in the woods/the night we met of it all and buck and lee and frankie lou and tubbs tarbell and everything about long lost but at the same time if i ever have to pay $300 just to be able to see the band behind every tall person ever i WILL have to start setting fires !

[scotianostra]

November 13th 1850 saw the birth of Robert Louis Stevenson in Edinburgh.

As the author of such classics as Treasure Island, Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Stevenson is known the world over, instead of reeling off the usual facts about the life of the man I thought I would dig up some facts that are not so well known.

When Stevenson first wrote Treasure Island, he submitted his stories under nom-de-plume of Captain George North to a children's periodical called Young Folks.

He may have invented the sleeping bag; according to the Stevenson House website: "R.L.S. has a good claim to be the inventor of the Sleeping Bag, taking a large fleece-lined sack with him to sleep in on the journey through France described in his book Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes." For the record, his six-foot square sleeping sack was made of "green waterproof cart-cloth without and blue sheep's fur within".

Stevenson collected corselets (a sort of protective girdle) and was particularly proud of his ones from the Gilbert Island, which were designed to offer effective protection against sharks’ teeth weapons, throwing spears and European knives and bayonets. They were made of coconut fibre and decorated with human hair. They were given to him by King Tembinoka, the Tyrant of the Island of Apemama.

He had wooden teeth, when he was living in America in 1878 and pursuing the unhappily married Fanny Vandegrift Osbourne - a woman 11 years his senior - Stevenson lived in San Francisco's Chinatown. He was lonely and in poor health and while in Tubbs Hotel he had trouble with a bleeding mouth and rotten teeth. A local dentist removed all his teeth and fitted him with false wooden replacements. He married Fanny shortly afterwards.

As well as a writer, he was also a keen musician and composer, Stevenson played the piano and flageolet and wrote more than 100 original musical compositions and arrangements, including solos, duets, trios and quartet. His works include ten songs written to his own poetry.

He burnt the first draft of Jekyll & Hyde, the story was promoted by a dream he had while in Bournemouth of a "fine bogey tale", was written around the same time as Kidnapped and was partly based on Deacon Brodie, the 18th-century Edinburgh cabinetmaker. His wife Fanny complained that he had not made the allegory strong enough and he tossed the 30,000 word manuscript into the fire. Then in "a white heat", using a quill pen and ink pot, he stayed in bed for three days and wrote a new version. He would later claim that it was the worst thing he ever wrote but The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sold 40,000 copies in its first six months on sale in 1886.

Long John Silver stayed at the Royal Infirmary. Treasure Island character Long John Silver was based on poet WE Henley, who RLS frequently visited at the Royal Infirmary. Henley suffered from tuberculosis of the bone and acquired a wooden leg after having his left leg amputated in 1868.

He left a number of books unfinished before his untimely death in Samoa on December 3rd 1894. Reports at the time said he had died of "apoplexy" due to the heat. It was also described as a stroke and a cerebral haemorrhage brought on by straining to opening a jar of mayonnaise. Or a bottle of wine. No one is sure. He was only 44.

Stevenson was buried in a grand ceremony on Mount Vaea, Upolu and his tomb is inscribed with the words: “Home is the sailor, home from the sea,/And the hunter home from the hill.” On the day he died he had been dictating words for his unfinished novel The Chief Justice's Clerk. He also left behind an uncompleted novel called St Ives (the story of a French prisoner who made his escape from Edinburgh Castle), The Young Chevalier, Heathercat and Weir of Hermiston.

Stevenson wrote his own inscription on his grave, the full verse reads...

Under the wide and starry sky,

Dig the grave and let me lie.

Glad did I live and gladly die

,And I laid me down with a will.

This be the verse you grave for me:

Here he lies where he longed to be;

Home is the sailor, home from sea,

And the hunter home from the hill.

[notbeingnoticed]

Here's an article that illustrates how I get skeptical and don't know how to react to climate change crises promoted in the media.

So... the images are beautiful and striking. There are six of them.

One is fires in California, used to illustrate how climate change is destroying the world through wildfires.

Except that California wildfires are caused by man doing things like sparking power lines or throwing cigarettes out of a car or arson, and the phenomena has been shown not to be related to climate change. (The Tubbs fire, from the images, was caused by faulty electrical equipment). Some will argue that climate change is making the fires worse, but there is far more evidence that poor forest and brush management combined with increased human activity in general (driving around, smoking, using electricity) is responsible for the increased damage and frequency of fires. It also doesn't show the amazing way nature reclaims burned areas. I live in one such place, where the visible remains of a brush fire have basically disappeared over the course of 8 years.

Another is the Aral Sea disappearing. Very visible. Except the article itself admits the sea is disappearing not because of climate change, but because of bad Russian water management and the building of dams to divert the water. Why did they present it as an example of climate change then?

Then we have the iceberg breaking off. OK, this one I don't know about. I do know it is perfectly normal for icebergs to break off, that's how we get them floating around in the ocean. This is a normal process.

But is this one breaking more rapidly or in an unusual manner? Uh... dunno. The article admits that two other ice calving events in the same area were caused by natural forces (i.e. not global warming). So... is this different? I am confused.

Then there's the receding Barnes ice cap on Baffin island. OK, this I can visually see some change and there is some evidence it might be because of global warming. I think. But given the disingenuous items elsewhere in the article my skepticism is kicking in.

Then there's the arctic sea shore receding. They had to look pretty hard for this one, because there doesn't appear to be much overwhelming evidence that the sea has claimed land in other areas of the world, or even other areas of the arctic. In spite of repeated dire and panicked warnings predicting the contrary, the Maldives are fine, Barrow is fine. The article even states this land is eroding due to storms, not being flooded by sea level rise, though the implication and subtle suggestion is that sea level rise is the thing we need to worry about.

So again, I see the earth is changing, but the reasons for it seem to be muddled. The changes are blamed on global warming, except if you look into it in more detail, it turns out... not really? Or only in some cases?

Then there's the image of solar panels being built in the desert. What they don't mention is how many solar power generation plants have failed to produce the desired amount of energy. That happened to a large solar plant in the California desert, where the contracting electric company has cut off their agreement because they aren't getting the promised level of electricity from the solar plant.

It also doesn't mention the huge land space required by these solar power installations, how inefficient they are, and the disruption to the environment that takes place for these space hungry solar electric plants that don't produce nearly enough electricity. (Conservationists in California scream about the impact of the solar power plants).

So from this article I have several takeaways.

First, there is some evidence that some ice caps have been shrinking, and maybe there is some ice shelf breakup due to global warming. There's some Alaskan coastline receding though it's unclear how much of this is due to global warming.

Second, that it is necessary to lie and say that fires and lakes drying up are due to climate change in order to make your point... uh... because there isn't enough evidence otherwise?

And lastly, they want to illustrate what a great thing solar is but in doing so they sort of forget to mention that it chews up huge amounts of space, costs a lot more, harms the environment, and the example used is in the #1 carbon polluting country in the world.

I read articles like this all the time and there is such a mix of truth along with falsehood and disingenuous reporting it makes me question the stuff that looks real and probably is real. If they lie about wildfires, are they lying about the ice caps? If they lie about lakes drying up, are they lying about the reasons why the Larsen C ice shelf broke?

Sure. Climate change is real, the climate has always changed and continues to change. But how much of it is due to man-made global warming and more importantly, what the actual impacts are going to be? I simply don't trust the media. They are hell-bent on presenting an agenda and will cherry-pick facts to support the agenda, not giving a complete and clear picture.

I am certain that some of the things that are reported are accurate and that global warming is happening. But what exactly is going on? I can't tell because I literally can't trust the news any more.

All this produces what I am. Skeptical. Not a denier, not an advocate, just... skeptical.

[alverrann]

Happy Miami Vice Day, folks! It's 2:15am where I'm at and so we're gonna start off strong with some good old-fashioned h/c.

I hope y'all enjoy it, cuz this is only the beginning, lol

---

“Tubbs!” Sonny’s shout alerted him only seconds before he felt the sting. It was a burning punch to the gut, and on pure instinct he shoved Harley away, stumbling backwards as the man came at him again. He tripped and fell, hitting his head on the way down and hurting his wrists as he caught himself.

There was a gunshot, and Harley fell, a scream echoing in the background with more gunfire. Years of experience had Tubbs dragging himself behind the garbage bin - likely where he'd hit his head - ducking down and hissing at the pain in his abdomen. He put a hand on it, and it came away bloody - he’d been stabbed.

The sounds of shooting had ended at some point, and Tubbs looked up when he realized that Sonny was calling his name. "Put your hand over it, Tubbs." Sonny's face was a pale ghost, flickering like a candle flame, and Tubbs looked down at the blood covering his hands. "C'mon, pal. Put your hand over it; put pressure on it." Pressure? Tubbs put his hand back over the sting, pressing down hesitantly. He hissed when the pain became worse, but Sonny spoke before he could do anything more. "That's it, just like that. Don't take your hand off."

The sting and the pain had both been so sudden, and it almost felt like he was seeing double; his vision was tunneling as a voice from farther down the alley called Harley's name. Some part of Tubbs was very annoyed, because this was one of his favorite shirts and suits, and here he was lying in a trash-strewn alleyway, bleeding all over it. A hysterical part of his mind was happy to remember that Sonny wasn’t wearing white today, at least …

Where was Sonny?

The report of a gun had Tubbs jerking back, huddling into the side of the dumpster that he was using for cover as he looked towards the source. It was his partner, of course, tucked neatly into a small alcove with his gun in hand.

Oh right. They were under attack. Harley was lying in the alleyway between them, blood pooling under his unmoving form, knife still in hand. Sonny must have shot him after he'd stabbed Tubbs, and the thought had him refocusing on his partner.

Sonny’s eyes – when he wasn’t peeking around his corner – were on Tubbs, and belatedly Rico realized that his gun was on the ground a few feet to his right. His mind felt like molasses, but he knew that if he could get it and give his partner covering fire, then they could get Ricket as well. Ricket, who had stopped yelling and shooting, for the moment.

Tubbs moved slowly, his right hand lifting from the sting in his abdomen to stretch towards his gun, grunting at the pain it caused. “Rico, keep your hand on it, buddy. Don’t worry about anything else – just keep the pressure on it.” Sonny's rough voice was pleading, and Tubbs reluctantly replaced his hand, instantly relieving the strain.

“You come out, cop, an’ I’ll blow you away!” Ricket began to shout again as Rico pushed down on the stinging pain. Sonny needed his help. But he was cold, and the sting was starting to throb.

“Your friend is dead, Ricket! It’s just you and us, and we ain’t lettin’ you go anywhere, man!” Sonny’s voice cracked a little as he shouted, and Tubbs stared down at his stomach. His right hand was over the top of the wound, but if he switched and put pressure with his left hand, then he could pick up his gun with the other one. With slow and deliberate movements, he began to do just that. “Tubbs, quit movin’!” Sonny’s hissed words were all but drowned out by Ricket's furious and desperate response.

“I know Harley got one of you pigs! You wanna go help ‘im, then let me go!”

Tubbs pushed down with his left hand, noticing that the blood seemed warmer, and the pain was getting worse. He slowly picked up his gun with his right hand, and Sonny yelled back,

“If my partner dies then you’ll be in a lot more trouble, pal!” He looked furious, his face still swimming in Tubbs' view. Tubbs kept his left hand on his abdomen as he slowly pushed his legs underneath him, forcing himself into a crouch despite the burst of pain that ensued. It brought him slightly out of his stupor, and he met Crockett’s glare with one of his own. Sonny’s mouth was opening, no doubt to tell him how stupid he was being, but Tubbs refused to hear it. He popped up from his crouch in a blaze of agony, shooting towards the other end of the alley blindly for a moment before going back down just as quickly. Ricket was spraying bullets in Tubbs' direction, and Sonny took the opportunity to peek out and take a couple of shots.

The alley fell silent.

Tubbs collapsed back down against the garbage can, almost choking as he struggled to breathe through the agony that seemed to envelop his stomach. A pattering of feet, and Sonny was there, his hand covering Tubbs’ and pushing down much, much harder than Tubbs had been. Tubbs gasped at the pain, and Sonny pulled him away from the garbage, leaning Tubbs back against his chest while removing his jacket. “You’re an idiot, you know that?” His harsh voice and words belied the gentleness with which he tucked the thin fabric around Tubbs, whose chuckle became a dry cough.

“Didn’t … see the knife.”

“Just hang tight, Rico. Ambulance is already on the way.” Sonny’s voice softened a little, and Tubbs realized that he was extremely tired.

“R- Ricket?”

“Dead.” Sonny didn’t sound nearly as apologetic as he might have, and for some reason it was funny to Tubbs. As soon as he laughed, however, he stopped with a groan.

“Harley too?”

“Yeah.” There was a long moment of silence, and then Sonny said, “You’re not fallin’ asleep on me now, are ya?”

“Shouldn’t’ve … made me so comfortable.” He breathed out, and Sonny was the one to laugh as sirens sounded in the distance, a short sound.

“Next time I’ll just leave ya lyin’ there, then.”

“Thanks.” Rico meant it.

“Anytime, pal.”

[yodeleyewho]

Excerpt from the PMT chapter of “The Making of Miami Vice

In late 1984 his agent, Kaye Porter, sent him the script for Miami Vice, then entitled Gold Coast. He loved the script but was rejected after his first audition. “I told my agent they were nuts. I said, “No one can do this but me.” Several weeks later he was called back to read with Johnson. The chemistry that flared between the two men is legendary. “We read and the magic was happening. It was like fire and air.” Through some curious combination of experience and timing, the roles seem perfectly tailored for just these two. Their camaraderie is part of what makes the show work on both an emotional and a visual level, and even now, and they move into position for another take on a scene from Sons and Lovers, the chemistry between them is unmistakable.

As Thomas has said, “We’re like two halves of a circle that came back to make a whole. We have an animal magnetism, a realistic quality that stems from the personal lives we’ve lived.” His coppery skin and smoldering green eyes distinguish his appearance. His looks once confused modeling agencies wanting to fit him into a particular racial category, but Philip refused to be categorized. “I’m American gumbo, part American black, part American Indian, part Irish and part German.” Tubbs and Crockett never mention race. They’re not avoiding it. It’s simply irrelevant. Michael Mann feels Thomas represents a new kind of black man on television. “He’s an extremely sophisticated, urbane black man who’s proud of and draws from black culture… without making it into his identity.”

When he talks about Tubbs, Thomas sees reflections of himself: “Tubbs is many things. He’s a gypsy, a serious dealer. There’s a secret, secret part of him I’m not interested in revealing to anyone yet. I want you to always expect the unexpected,” he remarked in a Genesis magazine interview. And part of the unexpected are the quirks that Thomas himself instills in the character. The Jamaican accent, for example, or the depth of emotion that comes across during Crockett’s soul wrenching confession in Evan. Or the the sensuality Thomas portrayed in the love scene with Phanie Napoli, who played Angelina in Calderone’s Demise.

[hailtotheskull]

Do u have any opinion on Ernest Tubb

i hadn't heard of him before so i looked him up & i listened to "thanks a lot" this is kind of fire. this dude is cooking something fierce

[simonstuck823]

tubbs:

uses 'shots fired'

doesn't regognize 'buzzin'

what liminal year is this man living in??

[mariacallous]

Towering nearly 6,000 feet, the West Maui Mountains are a dramatic, defining feature of the Hawaiian island—verdant peaks surrounded by sparkling blue waters. But on August 8, they became deadly, helping to unleash hell on the town of Lahaina. Wind poured down the mountains like an avalanche, accelerating to 60-mile-per-hour gusts that got drier and drier as they descended. The winds sucked away the remaining moisture in already parched vegetation, turning the landscape into tinder. Then all it took was a spark.

“When you get 60-mile-an-hour winds, the fact is you're not going to stop any fire, period,” says Jack Minassian, the Fire Science program coordinator at Hawaii Community College. “The only thing that stopped that fire was when it reached the ocean and ran out of fuel. The only thing you do when you have 60-mile-an-hour winds is just get people out of the way.”

Many people couldn’t: The death toll stands at 115, with 850 still reported missing. The worst-case fire scenario that’s played out across the continental United States over recent years—the Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise, killing 85, and the Tubbs Fire that tore through Santa Rosa, killing 22—is now tropical Hawaii’s problem as well. While there is no single reason why wildfires have gotten so bad, a common denominator is wind. And of all the drivers of wildfires, it’s the thing we can’t do anything about. 

Long before the winds gusted on August 8, invasive grasses had primed Maui’s landscape to burn. European colonizers brought these with them, when they established plantations on the Hawaiian islands. Those grasses have since spread out of control, covering a quarter of the state—growing across abandoned plantations, along roadsides, between houses. They grow rapidly during the rainy season, and wither quickly during the dry season, which is ongoing right now on Maui. The island is also deep in a drought.

Climate change is helping supercharge these sorts of wind-driven fires. Generally speaking, the hotter the atmosphere gets, the more moisture it can hold, and the more moisture it can remove from vegetation that acts as a fire’s fuel. Scientists are still working to figure out exactly how much climate change contributed to the blaze that destroyed Lahaina, but it’s clear that it is a factor: On a warmer planet, droughts become more common and more intense. Between the years 1920 and 2012, over 90 percent of Hawaii saw a drying trend. 

So the grass around Lahaina was ready to burn, and in a matter of hours, those dry winds evaporated what little moisture remained. Think of it like letting your hair air-dry for a while, then blasting it with a hair dryer. The same dynamic is also at play in California’s increasingly catastrophic wildfires: An already-dry landscape can be scoured by winds racing down the Sierra Nevada mountains. 

While the source of the ignition for the Lahaina wildfire is still under investigation, electrical infrastructure is the prime suspect. When winds kick up, they jostle wires and can shower dry fuels with sparks. That’s what caused both the Camp and Tubbs fires, among many others in recent years. 

Winds blowing at 60 miles an hour not only push the flames along, they also help start new fires. Wildland firefighters on the US mainland regularly struggle with embers blowing miles ahead of the main blaze, starting new ones downwind. The same likely happened across the town of Lahaina, making it impossible to stamp out all the new fires. “That's probably how most of the fires started, from embers accumulating,” says Minassian. “You can see it in some of the pictures there—they show embers all over the place.”

It is exceedingly difficult to predict where winds might drive a fire, because wind is an exceedingly complex phenomenon. It interacts with the landscape in granular ways: It moves differently over grasslands than it does through wooded areas, where it flows between trees. “How is the wind channelized in the gap between two trees? Believe it or not, that actually matters a lot,” says UC Irvine atmospheric scientist Tirtha Banerjee, who studies how wind influences wildfire. “That has an impact on how the fire burns.” And once those winds reached the town of Lahaina, they poured between buildings in complicated ways, further confounding predictions for where the fire might spread.

Climate change is clearly worsening wildfires due to hotter temperatures and gnarlier droughts, and scientists are now trying to work out how it might tweak the way winds flow. “There's a lot more uncertainty because wind is so local, and the small-scale variations on the land surface can really change the patterns,” says Banerjee. “Mountainous terrain can create this little local recirculation that can actually make your fires more unpredictable.”

Indeed, fire behavior—the dynamics of how wildfire spreads across the landscape—is getting increasingly chaotic due to the combination of climate change, accumulated fuels, and wind. That’s making wildfires increasingly difficult to fight. “We've been seeing a lot of really strong, erratic winds that can just make these fires go from something manageable to something that completely levels a town,” says Kaitlyn Trudeau, a senior research associate of climate science at Climate Central, who studies wildfires. “It's been really deadly for a lot of firefighters, who have actually gotten encircled by fire because the winds are just blowing in a way that causes a fire to burn around them into a circle.”

Part of the problem is that as supercharged wildfires get bigger and more intense, they start to create their own wind. Fire produces columns of hot air that rise into the atmosphere—sometimes so much of it that smoke thunderclouds form, creating lightning that sparks more fires. As that hot air ascends, air from surrounding areas rushes in to fill the void, creating additional wind. “It's not like the fire is only responding to the winds, but the fire itself—because of the heat—actually changes the winds,” says climate scientist Ruby Leung, of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. “All of this can be very complicated if you want to predict where the winds are blowing.”

There’s simply no controlling the wind—but there are ways to tackle the other drivers of wildfires. In the big picture, humanity needs to dramatically reduce carbon emissions to slow climate change. And in the near term, people need to get better at managing overgrown and dead vegetation, like with controlled burns, so wildfires won’t have the fuel they need to burn out of control. You might have 60-mile-per-hour winds, and you might get a spark from downed electrical lines, but there won't be enough tinder for a fire to turn into a city-obliterating conflagration.

“We're seeing fire seasons getting longer, and we're seeing fire behavior getting more extreme,” says Minassian. “That makes it more difficult to try to suppress. And we need to start thinking about evacuation plans, defensible space, things that communities and homeowners can do to minimize the threat of wildland fire.”

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Doubt: Part Two

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2k

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there is any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them. If you’ve seen the show, then it’s the same level of angst unless otherwise stated

"What is it?" Gideon wonders.

"These markings could have easily come from a taser."

"Here is the employment list or campus security. How we gonna narrow this down?" Jim asks, handing over the mile-long list.

"This unsub chose a closed community on purpose. He'd want to inject himself into the investigation. Can you check the records, find out if any of these security guards responded to every crime scene?"

"You got it."

"In the meantime, call Garcia. Have her check the list against criminal records."

"Okay," you nod and call Penelope right away.

"Talk to me, girlfriend."

"I need to give you a list of security guards."

You give her the list of names, but nothing promising comes of it.

"I got nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nada.Security guards are all clean and squeaky. No criminal records."

"What about a recent rejection? Something set him off. Have any of these guys got fired recently, or did their wife leave?"

"I'm sorry, Y/N. That's far too general, even with my powers of snooping."

"Okay, let me change tracks. You're a security guard," you begin to roleplay.

"I don't like where this is going."

"You probably had higher ambitions. Could you cross-check these guys against police and military records? See if any of them got kicked out or rejected?"

"I got one, but it's not recent," she says, clacking away at her keyboard.

"Give it to me anyway."

"Nathan Tubbs, rejected from the police academy, 2003. Failed his psych eval."

"I got a list of responders. Only four guards were at every scene," Jim says, walking into the room."

"You got a Nathan Tubbs on here?" When Jim nods, you turn the conversation back to Penelope. "Anything else you can give me?"

"I got a court appearance six days ago. Looks like the judge gave his wife full custody of their daughter. No visitation rights."

"How much do you want to bet his ex-wife is a brunette? You are the best."

"Word," she hangs up.

"It's Nathan. It's a possible."

You and your team break into Nathan's apartment, but he isn't home. Hotch and Derek take the two rooms by the front door while the others take the rest of the apartment. You head into his bedroom and stop when you see what's on his wall. There are newspaper clippings everywhere as well as ripped photos of the young girls who have died. This sick bastard is keeping these photos as mementos since he can't visit the bodies after he kills them.

"Gideon. Check this out," you say.

Gideon and Derek meet you in the back room while the rest of the team searches the place for any kind of evidence on where he might be.

"I've got his work schedule here. He's not on duty," Emily says.

"Where is he?"

You look around his apartment and look for things that might be missing like his car keys and his taser.

"He's out on campus. He may not be on duty, but the girls don't know that. His car keys and taser are missing," you state, holding up the holster his taser was in.

"Prentiss, Morgan, and Y/N, you're with me. The rest of you stay here and see if you can find evidence we can use to nail this guy," Gideon orders.

You four leave the apartment and head back to the campus, looking out for the security car you know he checked out. Since this campus is big, and all the girls are already freaking out, it's hard to pinpoint his exact location. His anxiety and crumbling facade isn't enough over the hundreds of women who feel fear, anxiety, and concern. This campus is filled with energies, so you can't use this either to follow. You just have to wander the campus until you get close enough to know where he is.

Luckily, you don't have to look too far.

It only took five minutes of wandering around when you spotted the security car that he checked out to use. Within seconds, half your team is rushing out to stop his car. He is scared, but he is the type of unsub to run this to the ground before he confesses.

"Nathan Tubbs! Hands where I can see them! Hands where I can see them! Get out of the car!" Derek yells.

"What's going on?" he asks, doing as he says.

You go to the passenger side of the car and open the door, addressing the terrified young woman.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" you ask gently.

"No," she shakes her head.

"Come on. You're safe now."

You help her out as Derek shoves Nathan to the car and handcuffs him in front of everyone.

"Don't move. Don't move!"

"I was protecting her!" Nathan tries, but no one is listening.

"What's this?" Gideon asks, pulling a knife from the floor of the car.

"This is over, Tubbs."

Nathan is brought to the police station to be interrogated while the local PD makes sure everyone is calm back at the campus. It may have been late at night, but if even one girl hears about this, they all do. Gideon wanted to be the only person inside the interrogation room with Nathan, but you're standing outside of it, listening to the entire conversation. You have to get a read on him to see how many murders he got away with.

He committed these acts, you just have to make him crack before he decides to lawyer up.

"Am I under arrest?" Nathan asks.

"I just want to visit for a while," Gideon says calmly.

"I didn't murder anyone."

That's a lie. His lies don't roll off him as smoothly as he thinks it does.

"You weren't supposed to be working tonight."

"They asked us to pick up extra shifts. There's a killer out there."

"Oh, I know. You were at every crime scene."

"It's my job."

"You seem to be doing it better than any of your coworkers."

"People should be thanking me," Nathan says a bit angrily, unlocking a piece of his energy for you to analyze.

"Thank you," Gideon whispers.

You think just because I'm a security guard, I don't understand sarcasm?"

"Are you angry?"

"Get him angrier, Gideon," you say into your mic so that only he can hear it. "Whatever you're doing, it's working."

"I--I know how interrogation works."

"Do you lose your temper easily?"

"Is this fun for you?"

"No," Gideon whispers.

Hotch approaches you from the side, his face stoic as ever.

"He's lying, Hotch," you say and turn to him. "He killed them all. He'll run this thing to the ground before he confesses, so let's hope Gideon gets a response out of him that will trigger this urge."

"Yeah, let's hope."

"Was this too easy?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I feel like there is more to this."

"Like what?"

"Another unsub."

Hotch leaves your side to talk to Emily who appears in the doorway while you focus on Tubbs and Gideon. Your team found a means of subduing the victim (the taser), a potential weapon (the knife), a source of displaced rage (his ex-wife), the stressor (the court document stating his wife gets full custody), evidence of a self-destructive spiral (his alcohol flasks and bottles), and trophies of his kills (the newspaper clippings). Everything points to him being the killer, but there is not a shred of evidence that can hold him here.

It's up to Gideon to get a confession out of him or else someone else might get killed.

"That looks like it hurts," Gideon says.

Nathan takes his nails out of his mouth nervously. He's bitten them down to the stubs.

"I've been under a lot of stress."

"The murders? Your job?"

"A lot of things."

"You keep clips of the murders on your wall," Gideon says, trying a different tactic.

"I'm working the case."

You take this opportunity to grab the case photos and walk into the interrogation room, catching Nathan's eyes. There is a look in his eyes that you can online assume he saves for the girls he wants to murder. You're not going to break in front of him, so he can try all he wants, but you're not going to show him that you're weak.

You set the crime scene photos on the desk all while holding eye contact with Nathan. Once you're done, you take your time in leaving the room, making sure he knows that you have him cornered. When you're gone, Gideon takes the photos and lays them out for him to see.

"You had a knife on you."

"We're not allowed guns."

"Are you allowed knives?" Nathan doesn't answer it, so Gideon shows the picture of the girl that he attempted to murder tonight. "She's pretty, isn't she? The girl you picked up tonight was a brunette."

"Oh, was she?"

"You're telling me you didn't notice? Do you like brunettes?"

"Used to. Not so much anymore. Why don't you charge me?"

Shit, he knows Gideon doesn't have any actual evidence or else he would have charged him by now. Nathan is playing this smart, and as long as he knows Gideon doesn't have a dime on his name, then he might walk out of here.

"Are you guilty?"

"Well, you seem to have already made up your mind that I am."

"I told you, you and I are just visiting."

"Right," Nathan scoffs.

"Do you really want to know what I think? I think you chew your cuticles to punish yourself over what your hands have been doing. I think you hate your ex-wife. I think you want to kill her, but you can't because she's the mother of your daughter, so you find girls who remind you of her and you kill them instead. You stab them over and over, because they deserve it. If not now, they will sooner or later. You're just saving someone else the nightmare later on. Then, you remember your daughter and how you're actually supposed to be looking after these girls. So, you feel bad, and you cross their arms over their chests to try to give them back some of their dignity."

You can see on Nathan's face that Gideon is 100% right. If Nathan doesn't confess now, then you know he won't ever.

"My job is protecting these girls."

"Like you can't protect your daughter?"

"I am a good father."

"Really? Why won't the judge let you see her?"

"I'm not gonna talk about that."

Nathan is getting more uncomfortable. This can go either one of two ways. He gets too uncomfortable that he confesses, or he plays this smart and lawyers up before he says something he regrets later.

"Why did you fail your police psychological evaluation?"

"I want a lawyer."

Looks like he chose door number two. All Gideon does is pack up the crime scene photos and leave the room, letting him stew in his own guilty thoughts and feelings. Well, there is no point in hanging around now because you have to wait until the lawyer gets here to decide what the police are going to do about Nathan.

"You know, I wouldn't mind some actual physical evidence," Derek says when you join him in the main room with Gideon.

"Do we have anything?" JJ asks since she didn't go with you to his apartment.

"The knife Tubbs had on him is inconclusive. The taser didn't have any prints on it, which I guarantee means we're not gonna get a DNA match either."

"I'll stop by the security offices. If Tubbs kept any trophies linking himself to the crimes, he might have kept them in his locker," Spencer says.

"I'll go with you," you say.

"No, let Reid do it. Go to the hotel. Check in. They're not gonna hold our rooms forever. We'll go in shifts," Derek says.

"Yeah, if we can even sleep," you sigh and grab your jacket.

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