#you don't even know how fucked the situation is right here since the elections

[astraystayyh]

Israel doesn't want to repopulate Gaza, you loveable dummy

Seriously, find one Israeli on this site who'll say otherwise. And no, quoting Ben Gvir doesn't count (assuming you even know who that is) anymore than quoting, say, Rudy Giuliani would count for anything, even though he supposedly spoke for the president of the USA for a time.

Hamas has 136 hostages. Including women, and actual literal babies, assuming they're still alive, that is. This could all have ended weeks ago if they'd fucking returned them. Israeli society would physically march on Benjamin Netanyahu's home and remove him in a coup if the hostages were returned tonight. But as long as they have Israeli people, and are unwilling to negotiate their return, that's an ongoing war crime. Is Israel evil for being a bull in a China shop trying to get back a "mere" 136 innocent civilians? Maybe. But Hamas started this and they can end it, they just don't want to. Please, justify that.

Hello, since you asked for one Israeli, here, I'll give you multiple statements:

Hundreds of activists at an Ashdod gathering in late November called for the reestablishing of Jewish settlements. “Let it be known that you support the appeal to renew Jewish settlement throughout all of the Gaza Strip. The nation is waiting for you”— Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council.

Israel “should fully occupy the Gaza Strip”— Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party.

An Israeli real estate firm pushes to build settlements for Israelis in Gaza. “Wake up, a beach house is not a dream” reads the ad.

Israeli Knesset member Limor Son Har Melech posted a video of herself in a boat with other settlers off the coast of Gaza. “Settlement in every part of the Gaza Strip … A large, extensive settlement without fear, without hesitation, without humiliation. This land is the land that the creator of the world gave to us.”

Israeli Settler, Daniella Weiss says Palestinians who live in Gaza, have no right to stay in Gaza.

An Israeli soldier saying that Israelis should start “investing” in Khan Younis.

Also why would the words of Ben Gvir not count? He is an elected minister, his words hold weight and they expose Israel’s clear intent to make Gaza inhabitable for Palestinians so that Israelis could settle in there— by destroying the infrastructures, making the health system collapse entirely, bombing entire residential neighborhood, Israel is trying to ensure that Palestinians wouldn't be able to return back to their land, because there is nothing livable left there.

And I'm glad you bring up all of this ending if the hostages were returned— Hamas tried to strike up a deal for the return of ALL the hostages, in exchange of the release of all Palestinian prisoners. Israel refused. You know why? Because this has never been about hostages and their safety for Israel.

There is a reason why Israel shot its own hostages when it mistook them for Palestinian civilians, waving a white cloth. There is a reason why the IDF called to shoot indiscriminately on Oct. 7, knowing that it could kill some of the hostages too. Because Israel wants to kill Palestinians, to "thin out its population" (or maybe we shouldn't take into account the says and actions of Netanyahu too ://). This is why it targets schools and mosques and hospitals and ambulances and refugee camps. Israel knows that if it does get all its hostages back, then there would be nothing to “justify” its genocide in Gaza (although, as UN Secretary-General said : "Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is beyond words")

Israel is the only reason why the hostages aren't fred yet. THEY are unwilling to negotiate the return because they don't want to stop this genocide. What good is a five days ceasefire only for the bombings to return? Do you even realize how psychologically traumatizing it is to have a countdown of when your massacre would resume? The only acceptable deal is for Israel to establish a permanent ceasefire, something that it refuses to do. The only one to blame is Israel.

And you say Israelis would instigate a coup to oust Netanyahu, that's nice, then what? Will you return the land to its rightful people? Will you give back Palestinians their rights unequivocally? Will you call for the dismantlement of Israel that was built on massacres? The reason why Israelis are angry at Netanyahu is rooted in the unresolved hostage situation. Just because you don't support Netanyahu doesn't mean that you aren't a zionist who finds the murder of more than twenty thousands Palestinians justifiable. A young girl had her leg amputated with no anesthesia on the kitchen counter of her home and you talk about “Israel being a bull in a China shop”? You consider the targeted attacks on civilians as careless actions by Israel? It actually astonishes me how inhumane some of you can be.

And here is what Dr. Refaat, who was targeted and murdered by the IDF btw, had to say about this matter:

Whether it's Netanyahu or someone else, it does not matter because Israel as a whole is an occupation, one built on the bloodshed of palestinians.

And it is funny how you choose to distort history whichever way you like it, to regard October 7th as an isolated instance that happened out of the blue. Hamas didn't start anything, Hamas was created in response to the indiscriminate and careless shooting of palestinian civilians in the first Intifada, that was decades ago. October 7th was a resistance to an ongoing colonization, Israel started this when it displaced and murdered palestinians on 1948. None of this would've happened if Israel did not colonize Palestine. It has been 100 days of this ongoing genocide, wake up and stop deluding yourself into a reality where Israel is the victim.

[unforth]

We are one Iowa caucus into the absolute shitshow that is going to be the US 2024 elections, and I'm already sick of seeing takes downplaying the risk that Trump and his fascist followers represent.

Look. Around 1900, my mother's grandparents immigrated to the Lower East Side of New York City. They brought with them children born in Europe (Poland? Ukraine? which country they were in depends on what year we're talking about) - we're not 100% sure they were THEIR children, even, but there were three, and they were young, and they came. But my great-grandparents had siblings, parents, cousins, uncles, aunts, huge families. And while my understanding is that an attempt was made to convince those folks to move to the US, none of them ultimately opted to.

They all kept in touch as they were able, exchanging letters and pictures, but through World War 1, through the 20s, through the Great Depression, through the worsening situation in Europe in the 1930s, my entire extended family who chose not to immigrate...continued to stay.

I think we all know how this story ends.

I have an entire family photo album of people whose names I will never know, because after every single one of them died in the Holocaust, my great-grandparents and grandparents couldn't bear to even label them. And they were PEOPLE, poor, vibrant, eager to maintain connections with their loved ones abroad. One was a Klezmer musician, and we have photos of him with all the different instruments he played. They're so real on the page, and they all ended in ashes.

And you know how that started? Fascism started with every inch allowed, with every well-intentioned moderate who tried to maintain a middle position even as the whole ground shifted right beneath their feet and even "middle" became extreme, every "no that change isn't coming fast enough, I want instant full improvement NOW" liberal who felt that doing nothing was better than accepting a slower improvement in the (truly awful!) post-World War 1 living situation in Germany.

Most of the members of my extended family also downplayed the risks. They never imagined that the worst could happen to them. They never fathomed how bad things could become.

And now I have their example always before me to know and to scream:

I KNOW HOW BAD THINGS CAN BECOME. I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MY FAMILY THEN.

I WILL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN TO MY FAMILY NOW.

People look at me like I'm crazy when I say I've got our passports ready (and have had since before the 2020 election).

Look. I don't know what will happen if Trump is elected, but there's a very real possibility he will, and he's been extremely clear about saying what he'll do. He did a lot of the things he said he'd do last time. I expect he'll continue to do the things he says he'll do. And the things he say he'll do will lead to the deaths of more people than we can imagine - in the US, in Palestine, throughout the world.

Don't tell me there's a middle ground here. Don't tell me I'm over-reacting. Don't tell me the worst won't happen. Don't tell me the risk is mild. Don't tell me we're safe.

We. Are. Not. Safe.

The lives of dozens, hundreds, of members of family were lost in the 1940s amid the horrifying statistic "6,000,000 dead Jews."

I will not let my life (as a Jew), my wife's life (as a disabled woman), my son's life (as a biracial boy), my daughter's life (as a biracial trans girl), be part of the statistics that come from our a second Trump presidency.

If you won't vote like YOUR life depends on it, vote like someone ELSE'S life depends on it, because IT DOES.

And if you can't even do that much, at least shut the fuck up and stop spreading your poison around. You're wrong. The danger is real. Downplaying it now won't make your conscience feel any clearer when it actually happens, and comforting everyone else downplaying it will just make you that much more complicit.

[hero-israel]

Hi, if you don't mind answering, I have a question regarding Israel. I figured any Jewish person in Israel or not probably knows better than I could guess after occasionally reading Tumblr for a couple of months. What do you think is right/wrong about the Israel government, what should it be like and what should it do now? I would be thankful if you could answer.

Some context, if it makes any difference why I'm asking: I'm Ukrainian, and I was surprised first time I saw people comparing Israel with russia. It felt wrong to me from the start, cause it made more sense to compare terrorists with terrorists instead. Western leftists seem ignorant and delusional to argue with them, but I also saw this opinion from some Ukrainians on twitter, so I got interested to learn a bit more to get proper arguments against this comparison. Then I learned that quite a lot of Jewish people here are against current actions of the Israel government in Gaza, which at first looked strange to me cause it's a very different situation from what we have in Ukraine. I figured that Jewish people are the best source to learn "what's wrong with Israel government" without being flooded by conspiracy theories. I support Israel, but I don't want to support things that most of you guys actually disagree with. And another thing, personally I don't see how it's possible to get rid of hamas without harming civilians in Gaza, but I saw here Jewish people arguing that both Palestinian and Israeli civilians shouldn't be harmed. That's why I asked a few people on Tumblr what they think Israel should do to get some opinions, though perhaps my question among attacks was seen as an attack too. So this time I add this long clarification, sorry about that 😅

Thank you for the insight - I particularly appreciate hearing what this sounds like from Ukrainians as they face their own crisis.

I support actions that protect Jewish lives and Jewish rights, everywhere in the world, including in Israel. I want governments moral enough and strong enough to do that, everywhere, including in Israel. Sadly, Israel is really fucking it up for the last year.

No one should be happy with what is happening in Gaza. It is an appalling humanitarian disaster, exactly as Hamas planned it would be. Once they were able to stage their attack, Israel had no choice but to invade; to have done anything other than invade would have sent a message to all their enemies that they would just lie back and take it, and that is a message they cannot afford to send.

The current Israeli government is one of the most ultra-right-wing, revolting, criminal, and incompetent out of any democratic nation in the world. Their stupidity made the Hamas attack possible. Benjamin Netanyahu has been PM forever and kept winning elections because despite his ugly, crooked personality, he was good at the job, good from economic and diplomatic perspectives, and avoided major change with the Palestinians. As he stayed in office longer and got more crooked with age, his scandals and campaign crimes piled up until it really looked like he could face prison for it. For a cruelly, tantalizingly brief period, the more forward-thinking elements of Israeli society were able to oust the far-right parties, but eventually that fell apart for the dumbest and most aggravating reason ever and Netanyahu was able to come back. This time he boosted up fringe ultra-right-wing candidates who were too extreme to function in a "real" government but who promised to help him change laws so he wouldn't go to jail. The actual process of changing those laws - transparently to end the investigations of the MULTIPLE indicted or convicted criminals in this government - tore Israeli society apart. People were warning for MONTHS that military readiness was plummeting. The Hamas attack plan had been known since around 2015 and an even more detailed version surfaced last year. They were all just too busy working to legalize crime and settle old scores than on watching the border where the genocidal fascist militia lives.

I don't know what the proper plan at this point is. After 3 months, I'm still very much emotionally stuck on "what you are supposed to do is PREVENT THIS, YOU IDIOTS, THAT IS YOUR JOB, AND NOT A HARD ONE." I don't think I will ever get past that, it was so obvious and I had been losing sleep all year fully expecting something like this to happen. Within the first few weeks after the attack, I saw a message from former PM Naftali Bennett about how it would be relatively quick and easy to flood all the Gaza tunnels with seawater and that would solve the problem; kill off Hamas troops, destroy their weapons, collapse their bases. Clearly they haven't done that yet. Does that mean it can't be done? If it can be done, then I lean towards thinking the current campaign should go on until it is done. If it can't be done, then I'd like to hear exactly what the goal of this incursion is and how long they expect it to last. Are they going to kill 30,000 people in the course of disarming and expelling Hamas? Or are they going to kill 30,000 people and Hamas will still be a recognizable threat anyway? If it's the latter, why kill all those people, why not stop now? When do they stop? Those are fair questions.

Basically all Jews "support Israel," insofar as they want it to keep existing as a Jewish state. Basically all Jews who support Israel also truly have no ill will toward Palestinians. They see Palestinians' problems as being less severe than the problems Jews have faced, historically and recently, and not worth the risks to Jews if an Israel did not exist. They believe in peace and want there to be a two-state solution, either because they really want a better life for Palestinians or because they want to stop feeling vaguely guilty about the occupation, or a mix of both.

I hope this was in any way helpful and regret that I couldn't be more precise about what the future plan should be.

[thatdogmagic]

There's a post going around about how Biden isn't holding abortion hostage, and I'm sorry, but that's gaslighting nonsense.

The Democratic party is absolutely holding human rights hostage, because it drives turnout.

How do I know? Because I've seen this my entire adult life. 'This time'll be different' isn't something I'm willing to bank on. However, I have no choice but to vote for the lesser of two evils, here, because the alternative is unfathomably worse for me on a 'continuing to live and breathe' level.

I don't think it's doom posting to say that I don't expect anything to change, either. Abortion has been useful as a bargaining chip and a cudgel for as long as I can remember. It's always on the chopping block because it's motivating to their base.

Now, obviously, vote for people who are not insisting elections are fake and who are not advocating for guns to have more rights than ppl who can give birth, because it is extremely important to do so. But

...do not let anyone - least of all someone whose well-meaning desperation is outpacing common sense - tell you that the Ds are doing anything but holding human rights hostage. It is quite literally in their best interests to do so, even if they might be forced to dripfeed us some rights here and there if the outcome of the Midterms are generally good.

Either way, there were a million chances to enshrine Roe since its inception. Biden has done all of fuck nothing except use the same language Obama did, except with more urgency. And maybe he'll do something this time-- but I have my doubts about that. There are many well-paid campaign strategists that are cynically looking to Roe as an enormous opportunity, and pols are more willing to listen to them than to their constituents.

tl;dr, Most people on this website know who they have to vote for-- but let's not pretend the people we have to vote for are our friends. Save for a few edge cases, they have only ever been allies when it's convenient for them/their campaign strategies, and holding rights hostage has always been a viable political strategy.

EDIT: I will not be engaging in bad-faith arguments from libs that don't take into account the holistic view of this situation.

[officialtayley]

Ash, I appreciate you and I love you blog, but your stance is right now too rigid and harsh. People are giving you their view and you’re just knocking it completely down with what you believe are facts. You’re speaking in absolutes when none of us personally know what the motives of “all” pro Palestine marches are, what is going on in Palestine, where Hamas is hiding, or anything else that’s happening. You’re also admittedly getting some if not most of your information from TikTok. There is a huge misinformation battle that want civilians to be divided and forced to pick one side over the other. Most of it is being stoked on TikTok.

What the other anons and myself are trying to say is how can you possibly take a stand when we don’t even know what’s real and what’s not? Other issues - save the environment, let LGBTQ people live and thrive, BML— these are easy issues to take a stand for. There is a clear good and bad. However, Israel/Palestine is too grey. Terror attacks, hostages, retaliation, eradication, civilian deaths—its all fucking bad. And there is no clear solution. There is not even a murky solution.

The main issues I keep thinking about are that Hamas was elected to power. Hamas’ fundamental view is that Israel should not exist. Hamas is also a terrorist organization. Hamas initiated a terror attack on Israel on a jewish holiday. What should Israel have done? What should they do now? How can you reconcile “free Palestine” with what Hamas has done? What does “free Palestine” even mean? Free them from the body they elected? Free them from their conservative Islamic views? This isn’t even me being argumentative, I truly just don’t even know what “free palestine” means. How can a country run by a terrorist organization actively attempting to eradicate Jews coexist with a country filled with Jews? How will this ever go away? It won’t and this will continue in perpetuity until religion is removed from people’s lives, which will never happen.

1) i do NOT use tiktok for my information thank you. i do not like tiktok due to the fact people on there, even with non serious things, will make shit up and spread it. but there are still people on there who aren't doing that, but no, i don't get anything from tiktok. as for the marches, the entire point of them is to call for a ceasefire and free palestine. plenty have happened in my city, london and jews have been there, even haredi jews, jews who were present have spoken about what the marches were like and everyone around the world has had to clarify what the marches have been like since many of you want to decide they are created with antisemitism in mind.

2) there are so many things wrong with what you have said and you want to call me rigid yet your own stance seems very rigid too.

3) arabs have been targeted too plenty of times, why do you think there was (pretty much still is) an arab-israeli conflict? which stems from how israel was created? of course it's not right there's anyone out there who wants people gone because of their religion, but it's not exactly just jews suffering is it? not when israel seemingly has more power.

4) as for them electing hamas, at least go actually read about it. the average age in gaza is 18, the election was in 2006 so that would mean many of the population were either not born or old enough to vote. lets also take into consideration fatah and how they were eventually seen as corrupt and incompetent and all palestinians wanted was someone to do something to help them. many in gaza would rather not be governed by hamas but they were never in a situation where there was a competent party that was going to win. but that doesn't mean i should sit here and judge them and act like they all believe in whatever it feels like you think they believe in.

5) if you do not seem to grasp what free palestine means then watch this: https://youtu.be/cqbquqkN8rI?si=vG7-Z5jCSwGEcbG5

[getouttamyway]

It seems the US administration has made a mess of things. We have China and Russia sailing near our coast lines like greedy sharks waiting for the first drop of blood to escalate a dire situation. It is not a good sign. We have a group of buffoons running this country. They have their heads up their asses and have no clue to what they are planning. These people do not care about America. They are too busy making illegal money off the Ukraine war. They are so distracted with their underhanded shenanigans involving Trump's indictments that they have neglected their duties and obligations to protect us and our country. They are so out of touch with the goings-on in society. They are so worried about staying in power and ruining this country further into the ground. Do they honestly think they will see another election with the way things are materializing? They better wake up because all the money they have made illegally will be useless when a nuke drops on their elderly asses. It will be God's way of saying that they have gone too far and become too corrupt to save. Play with the devil, and earn yourself a spot in Hell. Was it all worth it? Today . . . yes. In eternity . . . too late!

My advice is to have a plan to escape just in case Russia and China invade us. It is what they are planning. We will not win this war. The war that so-called President Biden and NATO started a year ago will only make matters worse. It is not about democracy. It is about money, power, and resources. Population control is their goal in the scheme of things. The people who govern our countries are the enemies we need to imprison. They do not care what happens to you and to your family. They sold us out to the highest bidder without thinking twice. They are so blind that they can't see the bio labs in their front yard. It is a sad situation. They intend to take your jobs, your food, your homes, and strip away your rights. Your right to be happy and to know freedom as it was intended. The agenda they follow is that of a deranged psycho named Klaus Schwab. The most evil person besides Satan to live among us. He is hell-bent on ruining lives and sending souls to their final resting place. Anyone who calls him genius is just as corrupt and demented as he is. They have it all, and it is not enough. It never is. The fewer of us there are, the easier it is for them to control us. I will tell you one thing. They will never follow the rules that they create for you and me. They are exempt from that. Why would they? We allow them to buy everything they desire and never question their motives for doing so. We let them control the food supply because only they know what is best for us. The biggest lie they fooled us into accepting is that only they know how to save us from ourselves. We need them to exist. Or else we will fail in our endeavors. Remember, they are no better than you or me. So that crazy fuck Klaus Schwab should be shot for the crimes he is committing. And to those who indulge his depraved ambitions, you should also be held accountable even if it is by death. There are a lot of privileged individuals out to destroy humanity here and now. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. They use climate change as a weapon to scare those who are lost into giving up their freedom. They are the foulest pieces of shit this world has seen since Hitler. But another is set to ascend above them all, and he will make Hitler look like the pope. And that is not an exaggeration. Evil is as evil does. God is in control of all things. Everything. There is only one God who matters. He is the master planner. He is aware of everything that transpires in secret. All the evil that runs rampant on Earth is Satan's doing. He is the ruler of this world. He is fucking this world without a drop of lube. Life as we know it is quickly coming to an end. You can laugh at me. You can call me crazy. But in a few years or less, the place we call home will be a forgotten memory. We will never know peace again. Get your house in order. Be right with God. The Covid pandemic was the birth pain to mark the beginning of the end. We are witnessing the demise of our once beautiful planet. The downfall of humanity is happening at a rapid pace. We can only blame one culprit. The father of lies. The nemisis of mankind is who ruined it for us. Satan was so jealous that God created us in His image. Satan wanted to be God. He will rule this world for seven years. So fasten your seatbelts because the speed demon is on a mission to claim as many souls before the clock runs out. The question at hand is, will you be one of them? He is the instrument who will bring chaos, trouble, death, and destruction. And, you can take that to a failing bank near you.

[tenrose]

I don't get why these criminals want to control people with uterus so much. Why having an uterus does make us less of a human? Why so many patriarchal societies all around the world decided this shit? Hell, having an uterus is already a pain in the ass for a lot of us without having to deal with being considered second class citizens.

I'm so sorry for every American who don't get to decide what to do with their body. I'm sorry for everyone around the world that haven't had the right to do what they want with THEIR bodies. This shit is frightening. People like to talk about about how women have no right in the Middle East but really they are just jealous it's not in the name of Christianity. And it's spreading all across the world. It has already widely spread inside the EU too and we did NOTHING. And women rights are far from being the only human rights being violated right now.

This is CRIMINAL. Every law, in every country all around the world, having for only purpose to control another human body is a HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE.

It's absolutely terrifying to see that everytime women, people of colour, queer people and basically every minority have been gaining a little bit of more human rights that they didn't have previously, the violence against them get even more intense. It's dreadful how they don't want us to live as free and as equal as them.

And you know how the incels, the white baby boys supremacists, the ultra religious fringes always scream "uh uh women want to emasculate us"? And how I speak before thinking sometimes and then I'm like "maybe I shouldn't be this harsh" and feel guilty about it. And how many women spend time trying to nicely educate them and saying to them that we just want equality despite them insulting them, and howw even I, am like while scrolling "I don't want to be this harsh sounding to men like some extreme feminist groups". And how all of this is in vain.

Well fuck this. I think we should give those assholes reason for once and come for their balls and throats. They want to take away our rights? Get ready to be bitten back fuckers.

[snelbz]

Tempting the Fates {Chapter 3}

Summary: It’s the final semester of Aelin Galathynius’ collegiate career and she is so beyond ready to be done. Her schedule is packed full of nursing classes and labs designed to test her knowledge and hone her skills for the real world and her “big girl” job. However, she needs one last elective to graduate, so she decides to study a subject she’s always been fascinated by: Mythology. Who would have thought that a class about gods and goddesses living complicated lives would end up complicating her own in such an unexpected way?

Word Count: 2807

Chapters will be posted every Wednesday.

Tempting the Fates Masterlist

Shelby’s Masterlist

Tara’s Masterlist 

Poseidon

– God of the seas, earthquakes, horses and tidal waves

Aelin had moved past hurt.

Now, she was just pissed.

It was nearly ten o'clock after her second day of classes and she sat cross legged on the couch with Lysandra in her apartment.

Her roommate had been a worthy rant partner thus far. She’d kicked Aedion out and supplied Aelin with an endless supply of alcohol.

“It’s official. I’m sitting in your Thursday class.”

Aelin groaned, taking a long drink from her wine glass. “Don't remind me that I have to go back there, please. The thought of sitting through an entire semester with him as my teacher… Oh, gods.”

Lysandra refilled Aelin’s glass.

“You’ve done the hookup thing before,” Lysandra said, shrugging as she took a drink from her own glass. “Just pretend this is one of those situations and he meant absolutely nothing.”

“That’s impossible, for two reasons,” Aelin said, adjusting the pillow she had squished between her legs. She held up a finger. “One, it’s not like the regular hookup situation where I might see him across campus or in a bar and we can pretend we don’t know each other. This is my professor we’re talking about.” She took a very large drink of her wine and held up another finger. “Secondly, it was supposed to be a hookup, but then he turned out to be perfect and I just…” She let her head fall back against the cushions. “Do you think I just want him because I can’t have him?”

“Maybe,” Lysandra admitted, but she hadn’t ever been in a situation like this. She and Aedion had been inseparable since high school. “What does your gut say?”

“I don’t know, they’re still in knots from where he rearranged them with his huge dick,” Aelin replied, draining her wine glass.

Lysandra nearly sprayed her wine across the couch, but she knew Aelin was well and truly drunk if she was talking like that.

“So, he still means something to you, then?” Lysandra asked. “Even after you found out he’s your professor, and also a little bit of a dick, apparently.”

Aelin shot her a look. “No, I’m drunk off my ass because he means nothing to me. Have you not been listening?”

Lysandra rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’ve been listening. But, after two hours things just start to blur together and not make sense.”

Aelin hit her roommate with her pillow.

Lysandra only laughed. “Maybe sit and think on it for a few days, yeah? Maybe it’s new and exciting and he’s hot as hell, but all that will fade if it meant nothing.”

Aelin nodded, slowly, fiddling with the stem of her wine glass. “And if it doesn’t fade? If it actually meant something?”

“If it actually meant something, then he won’t be forgetting about you any time soon, either,” Lysandra said, sipping from her glass.

She was still on glass #1.

Aelin had lost count of how many glasses she had drained so far.

“Doesn’t make it any easier now,” Aelin said, that hurt creeping its way back in. “You should’ve seen him, Lys. This morning, at his apartment, it was just…perfect. Then when he saw me in class, he was a completely different person.”

“Have you tried to see this from his perspective, Ace?” Lysandra asked, standing and heading into the kitchen. She handed Aelin a cold water bottle when she returned, falling back onto the couch next to her.

“Of course,” she snapped, opening the lid. “And I get it, it’s a big deal, but it’s not like I’m underage. I’m twenty-one, not sixteen. It’s not like he broke the law.”

“No, but I’m sure there’s a bylaw somewhere in his contract that says Don’t fuck your students,” Lysandra drawled, tucking her legs between her.

Aelin mumbled, “I bet it doesn’t say exactly that.”

“No, I’m sure it’s more along the line of inappropriate misconduct, but if we’re getting specific, it wouldn’t be hard for me to find an example,” she replied, leveling Aelin with a stare.

“Calm your pre-law ass down, I get it,” Aelin sighed, drinking from the water bottle. “His aunt is the president of the university. I wouldn’t want him to get into any trouble with her.”

Lysandra’s eyes softened. “He probably just got scared. I hear he’s a new professor. This must be his first year here. Hell, if he’s as young as you say, this must be his first year anywhere.”

Luck. He’d gotten the job purely out of luck, out of his connections to the university, and here Aelin was, jeopardizing his career as soon as it began.

“I’m being a bitch, aren’t I?” She asked, quietly, before draining her glass.

“You have the right to be hurt,” Lysandra said. “I’m not saying you don’t have that right, because I’d be hurt, too. But, I definitely think that this is complicated as hell.”

Aelin nodded, and took a drink of water before pouring the last of the wine into her glass. “We’re going to need another bottle of this, Lys.”

“I would just take you to the bar,” Lysandra said, “but I wouldn’t want to risk you fucking any of the other faculty.”

Aelin’s eyes snapped to hers.

Lysandra sucked in her lips to stop her grin. “Too soon?”

Aelin nudged her best friend, unable to stop her sputtering laughter. “Bitch.”

Lysandra caught her before she leaned back across the couch and held onto her shoulders, hugging her tightly. “I know this sucks, Ace, and I know you liked him. But just give it time. Either you’ll move on, which I can always help with, or something will happen. It’s not like you won’t be seeing him every other day.”

She sighed, resting her head on Lysandra's shoulder. “I know… I know.”

Lysandra reached for the remote, turning the television on. “What would make you feel better? Sappy love story, trashy reality tv, or a horror flick?”

“Trashy tv,” she decided, if for no other reason than it would be easy for her to block out while she still wallowed in her own misery.

Lysandra did as she was told, refilling Aelin’s glass again, and she thanked her best friend.

All the while, Aelin wondered how pissed Rowan was, or if he was feeling the same way she was.

*

A knock on Rowan’s door around nine-thirty had him closing his laptop and throwing it open. He groaned when he found Lorcan on the other side, walking back inside and leaving his best friend to let himself in.

“Alright, fill me in on Little Miss Perfect you took out last night. She was all you could talk about this morning, and then boom.” He sat down on the couch next to Rowan, noticing the half empty bottle of bourbon and looked at him. “Radio silence for the rest of the day.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” he muttered. “Shouldn’t you be going home to your girlfriend?”

“She’s out with Manon,” Lorcan said, blowing off the question. “I’m bored, so talk.”

Rowan sighed, pushing himself up to go into his kitchen. He came back a moment later, two glasses in hand. He supposed he couldn’t continue to drink out of the bottle with company.

After handing Lorcan a half-filled glass, Rowan said, “It’s just not going to work.”

“You decided that quickly,” Lorcan muttered, his eyes remaining locked on Rowan. “Did you google her after she left? Find something cringeworthy?”

Rowan sipped from his glass. “She’s just not who I thought she was, that’s all.”

Lorcan scoffed. “You’re being vague.”

Rowan shrugged. That seemed to be the only answer he was going to give him.

“So what?” Lorcan asked, crossing an ankle over his knee and swirling the contents of his glass. “She lied and you caught her?”

“No, she didn’t lie,” Rowan said, dragging a hand down his face. “But it can’t happen. So it won’t.”

Lorcan raised one dark eyebrow. “First you say won’t, now you say can’t.”

Rowan emptied his glass. “What about it?”

“Well, which one is it?” He asked, leaning back. “Those two have very different meanings.”

“It can’t and it won’t,” he replied, giving Lorcan a pointed look.

Lorcan snorted, but took a drink from his own glass. “You act like she’s one of your students.”

Rowan didn’t say a word. He only stared at his closed laptop.

It took Lorcan a few seconds to understand Rowan’s silence. And a few more before he figured out how to make his mouth work.

And when he did, he started laughing.

“Are you kidding me, Whitethorn?” He asked, clutching his stomach. “You fucked your student?”

“Fuck off,” Rowan muttered, refilling his glass.

Lorcan was hardly able to breathe. “It was your first day at your first big boy job, and you already found yourself in bed-.” His words faded away as his laughter consumed him.

“It’s not like she’s some freshman,” Rowan snapped. “She’s about to graduate. Twenty-one. I just…” Rowan groaned as his face fell into his hands. “Someone had recommended the bar to me and told me the faculty hung out there a lot. I just assumed she was one of them, since she was the one to suggest the place.”

“Hate to break it to you,” Lorcan continued, still laughing. “But, people in their twenties don’t often land jobs at renowned universities. You’re the exception.”

Rowan continued to drink.

“Alright, alright,” Lorcan continued, taking a deep breath. “You’re five years older than her, so what? I’m four years older than Elide. Once you both hit twenty, age is just a number.”

Rowan shot him a look. “She’s a student, Lor. Maeve will fire me in a heartbeat over any sort of misconduct. This…” He just shook his head. “This position is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I probably shouldn’t even have. I can’t ruin it.”

Lorcan knew full well how harsh Rowan’s aunt could be. Before she’d become president of a prestigious university, she’d been the dean at the boarding school he and Rowan had spent their adolescence at. “So either move on or be careful and don’t let her find out.”

Rowan blinked at his friend. He was being so casual about this, when Rowan was freaking out both inside and out, which had required a two hour gym session earlier to calm his nerves.

Lorcan sighed and set his glass down. “Look, I really don’t see the issue here. She isn’t using you to pass the class, right?”

The thought hadn’t even occurred to Rowan, but he remembered the look of pure and utter shock on her face when they’d seen each other in the classroom. “No, it’s a basic gen ed. Plus I really don’t think she’d ever do that.”

Lorcan nodded. “Right. There are much tougher classes she could try and sleep her way through.” At Rowan’s simmering look at his choice of words, Lorcan held up his hands in placation. “I’m just saying, make sure she’s actually doing her homework and studying for her and don’t let Maeve find out.”

Rowan hesitated, but when his lips opened, nothing came out.

He liked Aelin. He really, really liked Aelin. And, yeah, it had been much more than a hookup. When he’d woken up that morning next to her in bed, he felt a sense of peace and satisfaction that he hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

Then again, the way he’d snapped at her that morning, knowing that she had only said what she had out of anger - even if she had been correct - would be difficult to come back from.

Rowan had completely shattered her. He saw it in her eyes before she left.

“I don’t know,” Rowan said, at last.

Lorcan groaned before pounding back his drink and pouring himself another. “You’re always going to be the one to stand in the way of your own happiness, Whitethorn.”

He refrained from saying anything. Lorcan had always been the one to hop from girl to girl, while he had always been the one in a committed relationship. After his last relationship had…ended, he hadn’t wanted anyone for a while.

Aelin was the first spark he’d felt since.

“You’re into her,” Lorcan said, staring up at the ceiling to avoid any sort of eye contact while he said something nice. “I can tell. And, if you don’t go for it, you’re going to regret it.”

Rowan knew he was right.

Of course, he was right.

And yet, this job was the first job he had been granted in his field since graduating three years prior with his degree in mythology. Yeah, he may have gotten it because of Maeve, but that didn’t make it any less important to him.

He had the chance to get students excited about something he loved, something he was passionate about.

“Go home to your woman or shut up and turn on the TV,” Rowan muttered, downing the contents in his glass.

Lorcan only snorted and grabbed the remote, fulfilling Rowan’s wishes.

*

Aelin awoke the next morning with a slight headache and the same dull ache in her chest.

Knowing she needed to move, workout the bad vibes, she tossed up her hair and put on her workout wear before jogging to the gym.

She was still regretting signing up for even one eight am classes, and was thankful her Friday’s were free. She was looking forward to some much needed sleep, which was a lost cause right now.

When she was packing her gym bag, she decided to go straight to class after a quick shower, so she tossed it into a locker after she arrived, locked it up, and put her ear buds in.

The gym was still pretty empty this early, since it wasn’t even eight yet, and most people were too focused on their own workouts to pay attention to those surrounding them. Aelin was grateful for the distraction the gym would provide, and for the physical outlet, as well.

She was just finishing up a mile run on the treadmills when she felt eyes on her. She could tell she was being watched, but didn’t want to look around. Whether it was someone ogling her from across the room or someone from one of her classes, she wasn’t in the mood to make small talk and made her way over to the machines, starting on her legs first. She cranked her music up and kept an eye on the time on her watch.

When there was about forty-five minutes before her first class, she put the free weights she’d been using back in their home and turned to head to the locker room for a much needed shower.

And found who had been watching her during her workout.

Green eyes bored into her own and Aelin felt a blush rising in her cheeks that had nothing to do with the amount of energy she’d exerted this early in the morning.

Ignoring the voice inside of her head, Aelin stopped in front of Rowan, and nodded. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow. His t-shirt clung to him, and it was a fact that Aelin could not ignore.

“I was just going to get ready for class,” she said. “Excuse me.”

She swept past him, but his voice pulled her up short. “Aelin.”

She stilled, and slowly turned around to meet his gaze.

“About yesterday,” he began, rubbing the back of his neck. Aelin found the gesture somewhat charming, although she wouldn’t admit it. “I’m sorry. I…didn’t handle the situation right. It all took me by surprise and I reacted poorly. I’m sorry.”

“S’okay,” she said, looking away from him, down at her feet. “I said some things I didn’t mean. I’m…not proud of it.”

He shook his head. “Let’s just…pretend all of it didn’t happen, yeah?”

She swallowed roughly. “All of it?”

Rowan sighed. “Just because we apologized doesn’t change anything, Aelin. You’re still my student.”

She nodded, not looking at him. “Right. No. I get it. I have to get ready for class.”

Making to slip around him, she got two steps away before his hand wrapped around her wrist. “Aelin, I’m… I’m sorry. I wish it wasn’t— I wish it didn’t have to be this way.”

Daring to take a chance by looking back at him, it nearly destroyed what was left of her when she saw the sincerity in his eyes. “But wishing doesn’t change anything, does it?” Aelin pulled her wrist free. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

Rowan said nothing, but she saw that her shot landed in his eyes.

She shook it off, though, hurrying away, toward the showers.

Aelin knew one thing was for certain: no matter how much she cared for Rowan Whitethorn, there would never be anything between them.

Even if she wanted there to be.

[reinelefey]

OKAY, SO. I DID A THING. AND I TERRIFIED MY FUCKING SELF. I DID NOT WANT THIS TO WORK THIS WELL. OH MY GOD. So. I saw this on Reddit (I got curious what reddit actually was after the stock thing):

I found that.

NATURALLY... My brain IMMEDIATELY thought of the "What's a conspiracy you 100% believe" TikTok. Now. I don't believe this. I wrote it out as a... I don't know... Maybe a way to flex my writing muscles, and process the events of the last couple of years. And...well... Let me share it with you.

"Okay, so, like... On the one hand this guy is an idiot. On the other hand... This year HAS been really V for Vendetta already... So... I mean... The second sticker is unfortunately all too believable.

Sadly, the logic of it is almost sound.

You have a terrified populace, divided on racial lines, fighting the authority of the state. You start talking about how we need to make the country great, you read about Hitler, and you have an idea. You remember that during WWII, your country more or less unified to fight a common enemy, or so the history books say. You have a laboratory sample of a SARS COV virus that mutated after the last outbreak.

So do you break the Geneva Convention, and use it on another world superpower to destabilize them?

Do you use it to foster compliance from the people of your own country who sprint closer to rebellion every day?

"So," says your little mind, "So, I have a choice to make."

And in the back of your mind you think "Por Que no los dos?"

So, the virus is released in the rival superpower, and owner of most of your country's debt. If you get it into a remote area, away from the Capital, it'll have time to spread before it's detected as anything more than a bad cold.

Next, release the virus on your own population, this time, in the population centres. New York, California, Florida, and Texas are immediately overrun with cases. Those with weak immune systems are dying off, but stronger immune systems are recovering.

Begin blaming China once the news of the virus is worldwide. Call it the China flu on national television, and stir up the proletariat against a common enemy.

Continue to promote the idea that the "China Flu isn't worth wearing a mask for, because it infringes on your rights as Americans!"

Millions are dead. Housing prices are sky high, fuel prices rocket to heights not seen since the 2007 recession began. Unemployment is at an all time high, millions more are dying.

A child is killed.

Things have backfired. You underestimated how passionate people can be.

The country is more divided than ever, people like you are dying, a vaccine is created, and even though you tried to censor the FUCKING CDC, people are getting vaccinated. You catch the virus, and receive a treatment so expensive it is literally more inaccessible to normal people than Jeff Bezos' empathy.

You receive news. Not enough people are getting the vaccine. You're getting voted out of office. You're being impeached. You failed in what you set out to do with all this death. You can't release your power until you see it through. You remember a similar situation in a time you have tried so hard to emulate. You reflect on your reign of terror: putting a rapist into a lifelong position of power, where he gets to make decisions about legality, openly praising the "good people" of the FUCKING KKK, getting exposed for keeping a copy of your role model's speeches by your bed, your fucking concentration camps, and you think "Gee, WWHD?" And it comes to you.

You call a press conference. You speak passionately about people you call "the enemy," you tell your cult like followers to fight for their country. To ignore election results which showed your pathetic ass lost by a landslide. You realise that we HATED you so much, we flipped fucking red states blue. You speak, whipping them into a frenzy, waiting for the tension to break. You suggest they walk to Capitol Hill. That's the spark. That's the match to the tinder you needed. You watch, rapt, as your sheep file down the road to the Capitol building, doing their shepherd's will.

You see them come against resistance, and you wonder if the systemic racism that you've worked so hard to foster in the police will work in your favour.

It does.

The Capitol is under siege, and you are to blame.

You leave office gracelessly, hoping to stay relevant in the minds of your people. You hope they count you as a martyr to the "socialists" taking over the country. You know your history. You needed to take this step back, to take the next steps forward.

You have four years to plan. Four years to come up with the next "enemy." You have time. There's still one more group of people that can be used as scapegoats... You can bide your time.

(I hate that that came from my mind. And I especially hate that I 100% did not want that to fit as well as it did. But, uh... There's that.)"

There have been edits made to the text here on Tumblr, to fix typing errors I made in the original post.

I... Guys. Guys, I scared mySELF. Like. I know this PROBABLY not what happened, right. But. Like. ITS ANNOYINGLY FUCKING PLAUSIBLE FOR THAT SHIT STAIN TO HAVE DONE.

I swear to all the gods. If he fucking runs in 2024, I'm not even waiting. I'm getting me, and my family OUT.

[loveisblindfanfictionbka]

Love Is Blind: Chapter Two

A: You know it really just sounds like your sister really cares about you

C: She does but she’s making this such a bigger deal than it needs to be. I just want to be able to sort my feelings out without feeling like I’m obligated to do something with them immediately

A: I know that feeling so well. My friend asked me if I was still in love with my ex and I don’t know how to answer her

C: I mean your relationship was unfinished so I could understand the possibility. No closure makes it feel like things never ended. They just stopped

A: you put it in much better words than I ever could. 

C: Coming from an emotionally challenged man, sometimes the right thing doesn’t always feel right at the time. It hurts. Caring about anyone comes with that risk but sometimes you have to see it from their side before you can heal. People tend to enter situations expecting others to be like them and we hurt ourselves by doing that. Your ex may have loved you but he didn’t know how to love you anymore and felt it was better to let you go than ruin you. It couldn’t have been easy for you to watch him struggle

A: No but I felt like he never gave me a chance to help

C: People don’t always want to be fixed. Being damaged may have been too comfortable for him

A: I wish I could’ve known if it was. He never really talked to me. I think something happened that he couldn't deal with it and he shut me out because of it

C: thats always possible especially if he wasn’t like that before

A: You ever think about getting into another relationship?

C:Thought about it? Sure but I think I only got enough love in me to take care of my daughter. I haven’t quite rebounded back either.

A: Did you and your ex-wife have the child together?

C: No, I”m in the process of fostering and adopting. I got Anesa when she was one years old

A: That is so cool.

C: You ever consider having a child?

A: It was a part of the plan when I was married but we never quite made it that far

C: Same here but there’s always alternatives

A: I’ll think about it. I am getting up there in age

C: If from any indication of your photo, you’d have no problems. Many women are having babies at your age

A: Why thank you for the ego boost

C: You ever consider dating again?

A: No. I think I am way too damaged to not ruin somebody else

C: Ah, I know the feeling

A: You’re a good listener, Chris

C: Thanks. You too. So what’s your night looking like?

A: A movie and a glass of wine. You?

C: Grading papers

A: for a music class?

C: They still have to do research papers for me. Allows me to gage how they grasp concepts and detect their style

A: Hmm...that’s interesting

C: Part of my class is songwriting and music composition, at least a basic level teaching of both. I have separate sections that go into each more in depth but only a few students are selected to be invited to take those classes. This is my main selection pool outside of those who audition

A: that sounds extensive

C: it can be but I like it

A: Do you only teach major classes or can students take you as an elective?

C: They can take me as an elective but most end up dropping the class by the second week

A: Really? Why?

C: It’s more work than they intended to do in an elective especially if you’re like a business or science major. It’s not exactly contributing to anything but your credit requirement 

A: True. I can understand that

C: Anna?

A: Yes?

C: You ever think about us meeting one day?

A: I’ve considered but I don’t know if I wanna ruin the mystery of you, yet. You?

C: Same lol

A; Well I got some wine and a movie to get to and I’ll leave you to your papers. Have a good night

C: You too

Robyn logged off and pressed her head into her pillow. Was it weird for her to start to like this guy? Honestly, they’ve never met so she wouldn’t know him from a hole in the wall yet she feels close to him like they’ve been friends forever. The fact he didn’t turn away when she started talking about her ex and even tried to help her understand some things was really deep for her. Her friends and family had tried but so much of what they said just seemed so biased and sympathy-ridden for her ex. Like where’s her sympathy? Did nobody care about how he acted affected her? Somehow Chris understood her and it was the craziest thing.

Chris turned to the next paper for one of his students and after a few moments acknowledged his mind was with Anna and not on his work. He could sympathize with her struggle to move on and the fact that she was probably still in love with her ex. He didn’t hate his but he was too damaged to love her like she deserved. A part of him hates that he wasn’t man enough to tell her that when he left. She probably had a hole in her just like Anna or maybe she had moved on just fine. It’s not fair to project his life onto her.

“Daddy, are you going to sleep soon?”

Chris turned to see Anesa standing in the doorway of the kitchen with her teddy bear in her arms. He opened his arms and she climbed into his lap, “Hey Love Bug, what you doing up?”

“It’s raining.”

Chris glanced over at the window and nodded his agreement, “you got scared, huh?”

“Yea.”

“Well there’s nothing to worry about, Daddy’s right here.”

“Daddy, am I ever gonna get a mommy?”

“Well Sweetheart, that’s a very complicated question.”

“Is it?”

“Yea, see I don't’ know if I wanna share you with anybody else.”

Anesa giggled, “well if I can share you, you think you can share me?”

“I’d have to think about it really hard. Is that something you’re nervous about?”

“I just don’t want you to be all alone.”

“I know, Love Bug but I’ll be just fine.”

“Auntie Jessica said you were married before.”

“I was.”

“What happened to her? Did she die?”

“No. Things just didn’t work out. I wasn’t exactly the right guy for her.”

“Oh. So she left?”

“No, I did but I really thought it was the best thing to do at the time.”

“Do you miss her?”

Chris sighed as he leaned his chin on the top of her head, “sometimes I do. Sometimes I do.”

“Does it make you sad?”

“It can but I’ve learned to deal with it.”

“Do you think you’d ever go back to her?”

“I don’t think that would be the right thing to do either.”

“Oh.”

“You sound so sad, Honey.”

“I’m sad for you, Daddy.”

“Why? I’m happy. I’m exactly where I want to be. Here with my Love Bug and my work. Daddy’s just fine.”

Anesa turned and hugged him as Chris blew out a breath over her shoulder.

                                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Robyn washed her hands then sat down in her office. She had steady appointments all day, luckily mostly check ups but she was still tired. Being the head vet and the owner and shelter organizer always took a toll on her body. She twisted her neck from side to side to relieve some tension just as her office door opened, “Hi Beverly.”

Beverly, her trusty assistant, was always ready to rain on her parade, “Ms. Fenty, we just received a really huge invitation in the mail.”

“We?”

“Well you but you know what I mean.”

“What is it for?”

“The New York Society Charity Awards Gala. They want to recognize the shelter for its success.”

“That’s nice. Tell Ashley to go in my place.”

“Wait. What?”

“I don’t feel like rubbing elbows with the rich, that’s Ashley’s forte, let her do it.”

“Fenty, this is a huge opportunity for donations and connections. You cannot send your shelter manager in your place.”

“Why can’t I? She’s dealt with these people before. She even knows most of them. She has an Ivy League Degree, why can’t she go in my place?”

“The award is for you.”

“So?”

“Robyn, you can’t be serious.”

“I am in no condition to be bothered with anyone.”

“The gala isn’t for another month, you can’t muster up some give a fuck in a month.”

Robyn glared at Beverly, who simply folded her arms across her chest in response, “I’m not doing this.”

“You are doing this. I will schedule your appointment with your stylists for fittings and hair tryouts. We’ll see about getting you an escort and get a speech written for you.”

“I’m not going, Beverly.”

“You will go even if I have to get your entire family from Barbados to make you. This is a perfect opportunity and you will not squander it being anti-social.”

“Get out of my office, Beverly.”

“I will add the appropriate appointments to your calendar. Your 2:30 appointment canceled so you’re free until 4.”

Beverly promptly walked out of her office and Robyn tossed her head down on her desk. She couldn’t do this. She hadn’t been to an event like this since she was married to Chris. He’s a well-known architect and had a hand in a lot of buildings in the city. The circles aren’t that large in this tax bracket so she’s sure to run into people she knew back in California. She wasn’t ready for the questions and the stares if she showed up and especially if she showed up with someone else. They had kept their divorce quiet for several reasons mainly because she didn’t want to be embarrassed. Robyn Fenty, veterinarian extraordinaire, can’t even keep her marriage together. Some of those people would be colleagues, alumnus of her alma mater, people who whispered that once Chris got a taste of the good life, he wouldn’t stay with his middle school girlfriend long. Sadly, they were right. They barely made it three years before he walked out. She wasn’t going to this gala.

C: I really think you should attend. It’s for business.

A: It’s business that I don’t want anything to do with. I have associates specifically for things like this

C: Why is it so bad for you to go?

A: These parties always have people I knew back when I was married. Many of them don't know I’m divorced

C: Well people get divorced all the time

A: Yea but they normally don't have to be around the same people who said it wouldn’t last

C: Anna, you can’t be embarrassed about something so common.Things happens

A: That’s easy to say

C: Besides I would love to see a photo of you in your gown

A: Lol, is that the real reason you want me to go?

C: Well considering we aren’t meeting anytime soon, it’d be nice to see

A: it wouldn’t be a face shot.

C: Not changing anything for me

A: I mean I could just get dressed, post the picture and you’d be none the wiser

C: You could but I sense you’re a little too honest for that

A: Lol, I’ll take that as a compliment

C: Good, because I meant it as one

A: lol

C: are you writing lol because you’re actually laughing or because you’re smiling?

A: both

C: they do make emojis

A: Yea but I feel silly using them

C: Ah, I guess

A:You know what, I will go to the gala if you agree to go on a virtual outing with me

C: Like VR

A: More like a video meet up but no cameras

C: Just voices?

A: automated voices

C: you really wanna hold onto this mystery thing, huh?

A: I feel so comfortable with you, probably because I don’t know you but I feel like once you remove the mystery, shit gets too real

C: That’s a good rationale. How about this, my job has some assistance programs that can do text to speech. I can send you a few options, you choose one, we pick a date and we have our little blind date so to speak

A: you would do that for me?

C: Absolutely. I really like you, Anna

A: I like you too, Chris

“So you really like him but you won’t go on a real date with him?” Melissa asked.

“Mel, if I do that then this becomes way more than what it is.”

“Which is?”

“Two people just getting to know each other.”

“Without having to really know each other. You haven’t told this man your real name.”

“Because it doesn’t matter. That’s what I like most. The little things don’t matter.”

“So if he was using a fake name too, it wouldn’t bother you.”

“No. He’s not obligated to give me anything he doesn’t want to.”

“You are petrified of commitment.”

“I’ve been hurt enough, I don’t want to go through that again.”

“And you think by withholding basic information yet spending time with this man will prevent that.”

“The longer he remains a stranger, the easier it will be to walk away. I’m not looking for love or to move on. Just a new friend,” Robyn replied as she held a dress up to her body, “what do you think?”

“It’s nice. You really want to go long sleeves for this?”

“Either that or get a nice jacket. It gets cold at these things.”

“That’s true. So who’s your escort?”

“Nobody. I told Beverly that I’d go but I am not taking anybody with me.”

“Not even me?”

“Do you want to go? I can send in for a plus one.”

“Not really but it was nice you offered.”

“You sure Sis?”

“Very sure. I got a boyfriend to do things with on the weekends so I’ll be busy.”

“Oh rub it in. How is Juan anyway?”

“He is good. We were thinking about doing a friendcation next month. Go back to PR to see his family.”

“Oh that’s nice. I’m sure Lele and you will have a great time.”

“You wouldn’t come?”

“No. Hard pass.”

“I’m really tired of you ducking us, it’s not like we’re gonna fix you up on a blind date or something.”

“I know but I also don’t want to be the fifth wheel. No thank you.”

Melissa sighed, “I guess. Maybe if you’d get your life right with this new Chris, you could bring him.”

“I don’t want to meet him, Mel”

“I really don’t understand why not, y’all seem to have great chemistry.”

“Yea but I really just wanna leave it at that. I’m too fragile for anything more.”

“Have you ever thought to talk to your ex-husband?”

“Why? So he can make me feel even worse?”

“Or maybe so you can heal. Robyn, y’all had a really abrupt situation. You both were in a bad space. Maybe you just need to talk things out so you can move on.”

“Why do y’all coddle him so much? Why is it nobody’s mad at him but me?”

“Because we love both of you. Clearly, neither of you were in your right minds. Nobody thought you should've gotten divorced but neither of you were happy.”

“I did not want one. He wanted out and nobody seems to be lying that at his doorstep. It’s almost like you know something that I don’t.”

“Robs, that is most definitely not the case. We just don’t think being mad at anyone is gonna solve anything. Chris was hurting, from what we don’t know, but we all knew something wasn’t right with him. You were hurting, we all knew that too. Neither of you needed the extra weight of anyone else’s judgment.”

“It doesn’t feel very neutral.”

“Because you don’t want neutral, you want us to pick sides and that’s not gonna get any of us anywhere.”

“Well have you spoken to him?”

“We texted a few months ago but that was it.”

“Oh.”

“Do you wanna see him?”

“No because I’m still angry. Seven years later and I’m still fucking pissed. Seeing him would do me no good.”

“Robs, I think it might.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I’m thinking the navy blue, what about you?’

Melissa sighed, “I love it.”

“Great.”

Robyn grabbed the dress and headed to the cash register.

[katiemcgrath]

thank you for speak out! im a Taiwanese, and it's so frustrating almost no one here talking about how China treats HK, Uyghur, Tibetan and also Taiwan. Mostly i only saw ppl in the west defending China just bc they are anti-America (like they don't know how to separate these two sometimes) China recently even decided to build dam on upstream of Mekong river, threatening the livelihoods of citizens in Southeast, but hardly any western media even cover the issue, which is sad and unbelievable

To be fair, it's easier for me since I'm not a fan of either. I'm sorry for the shit going on there, I know the situation with Taiwan is awful too and doesn't feel like anybody is helping. The issue is obviously money, the governments in the West ignore the situation or minimise it so the media doesn't report on it and it just goes around in circles. If the media reported fully on the horrors going on over there and got it out to the people there would most likely be more pressure on the government's to act but that's not happening and right now with corona on everyone's mind China has the perfect distraction. It should be said it is difficult for the media to get access to controversial stories in China, I remember that video of that BBC reporter who tried to interview an independent candidate in an election and he was chased away by a mob.

The UK has a responsibility to Hong Kong and the strongly worded letters aren't enough but at the same time we're about to enter a recession and tensions between China is not something the UK can afford right now. This here is the issue with everything in the end, this is why concentration camps are being allowed to happen, because governments are worried about the economic repercussions of taking a stand. It's fucked and awful that countries have been allowed to have so much power.

[vettelcore]

i read your post about opinions on drivers and the tags on that post. i'm shook i don't know anything about spanish politic but i speak spanish so spill the tea on sainz sis, i'm curious 🍵🍵

(I had a bible written here about the political situation in spain because I felt chatty but OF COURSE my laptop had to freeze and I lost everything I had written lol)

Anyways, gonna give a kick summary of spanish politics

- Up until 2015, spanish only had two main political parties: PP (right wingers) and PSOE (started as socialists, now they’re centrists)

- Before the 2015 elections, two other big parties showed up: Ciudadanos/C’s (like I said on the other post, self identified liberals and centrists, actually fascism with a touch of progresism masked up as a cool thing for younger people) and Podemos (sociodemocrats)

- Ciudadanos is lead by Albert Rivera. They were nobodies in Catalonia until the independence thing, and they started to get popular because they defended the unity of Spain, opposed to independentism and anything that isn’t ESPAÑÑÑÑÑOL enough for them, and want to impose the spanish language and culture over all the other cultures and different languages and traditions we have all over the country (which btw there are A LOT bc Spain is super diverse, we have 4 official recognised languages and many more non-recognised ones).

- C’s is basically a fearmongering party, whose main voters are

- All in all, they’re just ultranationalists, closer to fascism than centrism and that have just started using feminism and LGTB as a way to look more “progressive” when literally every body single person knows that they hate women and sexual minorities just as much as any other right wing party

if you have any more questions about spanish politics ask away lol elections are only a few days away so there’s a lot of stuff happening lately

Anyways, about Carlos now:

The only politicians that he follows on Twitter are:

- Albert Rivera and Inés Arrimadas (members of Ciudadanos). He also has liked some tweets from Rivera talking shit about catalonia lol

- Donald Trump. I’ve had people tell me that this doesn’t mean anything, because “he might only want to laugh at him guysssseeee” like… lmao yeah, sure, that’s probably why :)

He also follows some “troll” twitter accounts run by homophobic, mysoginist and racists men

And this might not even make sense since you’re not from spain and familiar with its politics, but even before I decided to check his follow list, he always gave me this “frat boy” type of vibes. Like, for example, how much he uses the spanish flag EVERYWHERE. Using the spanish flag here has always been a taboo thing (except during international football matches lol). If you come to Spain, and see someone with a spanish flag bracelet, or has the spanish flag anywhere on their bodies/cars/wtv, run away from them because they’re fascists. And Carlos even makes his dog wear a spanish flag collar lol

I also just found this trying to find a pic of his dog, that’s someone asking him if he got that dog because he hunts, or only because he liked the breed, and he answered “both!” (big big big big big big yikes from me dawg)

he also has a huge spanish flag hanged on his room (like who the fuck does that lmaooo) and during the Catalunya GP (two? years ago) when the independence thing was wayy more relevant and things in spain were very rocky politically because of it (and many other things), he posed with the spanish flag, and when people gave him shit about it, he came out saying that “theres nothing wrong with being proud of your country and showing our flag”, months after hundreds of catalans were beaten up by the police, a group of gang rapists got freed from jail, while another group of Vasque people are still on jail after being accused of terrorism for a bar fight. Totally reasons to be proud of this country!! Wow Viva España you guys

this is the post I originally made some months ago, I probably mentioned more shit here that I forgot about so you can give it a read if you feel like it after this wall of text i just wrote hahah

after all, he comes from a rich family. He’s just another posh kid who has never had to face any inconveniences on his entire life, just another privilaged frat tier boy who thinks that leftists = bad because they want to steal my tootbrush and has never set a foot outside of his rich boy bubble and likes murdering animals as a sport. Nothing to be surprised about, but also nothing I want to support

Maybe “fascists” is a word too big for him. In spanish we have the wonderful word “facha”, which is like a pejorative name for right wingers and conservatives but that are not full on “Arriba España, viva Franco, muerte a todos los inmigrantes, moros y sudacas y viva el hombre español” like supporters of parties like VOX. But these fachas are still pretty fucking shitty people who put Spain over everything else and support actual fascists

[janiedean]

i don't get why Jon is considered a threat to Dany's throne when they could just get married? obvs they like each other, and they have targ blood to excuse the close relation

... it’s not that he’s considered, it’s that he is just by existing and that is set up to be the main conflict in the ‘good guys’ side - how it’s resolved is another issue, but like... it’s not that they like each other or not, it’s a question of plot elements and setting.

meaning (guys I wanna be objective here, don’t take this as me hating on d/any or anything because I’m not this is just how I feel they shaped up the narrative):

all of dany’s storyline relies heavily on a few key elements both in book and show, as in: a) she’s the last surviving targaryen and no other, b) she feels that the iron throne is her birth legacy as the rebellion wasn’t legitimate/the targs were the legitimate rulers, c) her entire claim on the iron throne relies on recognizing the targs as legit rulers and on the fact that *she* is the last targaryen left;

and as she put it herself in S7, she has bled and suffered for it - now, dany’s character development in S7 (development) was realizing that she actually cared about fighting the white walkers and helping her allies more than her throne for now at least, which is why jon kneeled when she didn’t ask for it (and I’d like to put forward that I actually get that and I don’t think he did something abysmally stupid from his POV) and that was when they tried to sell us the romance angle (which imvho is very badly written and had endless pacing issues but never mind, I’m not going to question jon/erys’s status - it happened, I’m accepting it);

now, as goddamned fucking stupid was the whole ‘JON’S REAL TARG NAME IS AEGON’ writing decision - because that was fucking stupid, even if the show cut off the aegon+joncon storyline aegon still existed within canon, he’s just dead, so rhaegar naming both his male heirs with the same name is dumb as fuck and makes no sense but never mind that -, it should give you red flags that they mean for jon to take on some of the original aegon vi’s storyline in the book because ofc they couldn’t have two possible targaryens alive but nvm;

now: aegon vi book-wise is a legitimate threat to dany’s claim unless he marries her, since he’s rhaegar’s trueborn male heir which immediately makes his claim better than dany’s and when he realized he didn’t want to wait around for her he went to take westeros for himself or tried to - and okay, dany’s about unaware of that rn because she has more pressing concerns, but the existence of a male targaryen heir who is legitimate automatically puts a dent in *her* claim to the throne;

now, do I have to believe that they renamed jon aegon for nothing and gone through the pains of making us know for sure that rhaegar married lyanna and that he’s *trueborn* (ngl I think it’s also book canon except that I don’t think rhaegar disinherited elia’s children, he prob. just married lyanna without divorcing elia) for it to end up in nothing especially when they already set it up in s5 with that speech to theon about being both stark and greyjoy which was obviously foreshadowing for his future conflict about being both stark and targaryen?

I don’t think so.

now, what I want to get at with my theorizing is (VAGUE SPOILERS THAT I KNOW OF ARE MENTIONED BUT IT’S VAGUE AND I DIDN’T VERIFY):

this season they have six episodes - long ones, but still six. given that the last one is gonna be mostly epic battle/finale stuff and from the five spoilers I know there’s another one towards the middle. This means there’s roughly four episodes of Other Stuff Left and honestly, there has to be a conflict somewhere or the narrative doesn’t go on;

last season tied up the house stark stuff in the sense that as badly written as it was, LF is out of the way, sansa/arya/bran are on the same side again (regardless of how shitty bran’s written but nvm) and pretty much signed off cersei’s political suicide because she has tied her survival to euron bringing her the golden company but theon is obviously offing euron to get back his sister and taking that from her and that’s gonna happen early on, so like.... she’s basically dragging dead narrative weight while going around king’s landing and I seriously doubt she’s surviving midseason, and on top of that there’s no conflict to be had in KL with the fact that she’s the only valuable main player still there, everyone else has left;

we of course have the question of WHAT WILL JAIME DO but that spoiler pic pretty much solved it - he’s going around wearing robb’s old armor or an armor that looks like robb’s, everything points to a confrontation with bran + resolution of issues that brings to him pledging with the starks - the starks, not dany;

at that point there’s literally no other major - major - conflict left to explore that doesn’t touch the question of Who Is Getting That Throne And How It Fits With The Current Situation;

now: taking for granted that jon/erys like each other and they’re most likely in honeymoon phase when they get to WF, the point is that a) they don’t know they’re related, b) he thinks she’s a trueborn queen and he’s only there because people elected him and she thinks he’s an illegitimate son with good skills and good morals. now, while she probably wouldn’t give two fucks about bedding a relative if she thought she’d marry viserys growing up and IT’S TARGARYENS, he might find it a tad more objectionable since he was not brought up with the idea that marrying your relatives was acceptable outside of targaryens (guys incest is a taboo in westeros too) and telling him he’s r’s son won’t magically change his attitude in that sense, so that is one conflict in itself...

guys: jon’s mere existence is a threat to dany’s claim. even if he doesn’t do anything about it and he assures her he can’t care less, he’s still her brother’s trueborn legitimate MALE offspring who not only has targ blood on one side, but has *stark* blood on the other side, and given that the north has tried to secede for the entire series and that he has both stark and targ heritage (guys...... again, a song of ice and fire = a song of jon snow), even if he doesn’t care, other people could see him as a better option than daenerys because he’s from westeros, he knows the customs, he has good military experience that doesn’t rely on dragons to win battles and they’d trust him way more than an outsider who has never been to westeros and comes back reclaiming it because it’s her birthright and who doesn’t abide by westerosi customs - and mind that the tarlys being burned alive when they could have gone to the wall was exactly to make that point. like, it’s the same issue catelyn had with him - regardless of whether he would have wanted to usurp his siblings (we know he wouldn’t have, she didn’t), ned having a supposed *male* son who looked like him and was robb’s age while all her male children looked like her and not like ned was in itself a threat to her children and their inheritance, which is 60% of the reasons why cat hated jon (the other 40% being that she thought ned betrayed her not even a year after they married);

like, that’s an issue that would only get solved if they marry and have children and she chooses to trust him to not make a coup, but even with that... a jon/erys marriage as things are now (with jon being kitn and ned’s bastard son as far as people know) would make her the most important part of it and he’d be more of a consort than king, but with jon being rhaegar’s, either he has the title or they share it equally;

now: dany has to have character development. everyone has to or shit doesn’t happen. jon’s main issue is gonna be reconciling stark and targ heritage (and tbqh I don’t see jon embracing the targ part so readily - guys he’s wanted to be a stark all his life and he grew up with them, let’s be real). dany is obviously going to revolve around the following points at least imvho:a) how is she going to react finding out that she’s not the last targaryen left?b) how is she going to react finding out that the other targaryen around has a better claim than her/has her same birthright?c) can she get used to westeros’s culture/customs and learn them if she has to be queen?d) can she bend her own principles and compromise enough to realize that she can’t rule just through dragons because you might *conquer* with them but you can’t *rule* with them as we’ve seen with the tarlys?now, all of that is obv. up in the air and I have no issues whether it goes left or right - honestly it’s so far in my scale of ‘stuff I care for in this show’ that as long as I see jaime in robb’s armor all the time I’ll be fine, but...

tldr: if the answer to those questions is, in order, ‘she’ll take it well, she’ll vouch for sharing power and it won’t impact on their relationship, yes and yes’ then congrats, we have positive character development and most likely canon targ restoration with jon/erys as endgame. if the answer is ‘she’ll take it badly, she’ll see jon as a potential threat regardless and demand that he renounce it or smth, no and no’, then congratulations, we have negative character development and the conflict turns from dany + starks allied against the white walkers and cersei to a dynasty conflict during which people will have to take sides and in that context tyrion would be caught in the middle because he’s dany’s advisor but on the other side there’s people he genuinely likes/he’s friendly with, the whole question of his marriage to sansa and his damned brother, so he’d have to pick sides in that sense; 

now, it could also be that the answer is no but then she changes her mind and we still have positive character development after the negative - possibly, she’s a main so she’ll get screentime same as jon - but like, that is imo the most obvious and glaring plot conflict that has to come out of what they wrote until now regardless of whether it’s good or bad writing. and fine, it’s been bad lately, but nvm that, the outcome has to be one regardless of how they get there.

like: I don’t doubt that there can be a positive resolution, but there has to be conflict or nothing happens this season if the jon parentage reveal ends in ‘ah well we can just get married in episode two’, and given dany’s in-text character faults that she has same as everyone else (more or less, given how the show’s written), this one plot point is going to have weight and it’s going to create conflict for her because it basically dismantles the entirety of her claim on the throne that she’s brought on since the end of S1 and it’s too narratively important to dismiss it on account of ‘they like each other and they can just get married’. they can, but at the end, not at the beginning, and she has to fully confront it and come out stronger for it if you want a positive development and not further stagnation.

thanks for coming to my speculation ted talk *shrug* XD

[onisionisacanceronthisearth]

Greg vs Alleged Classmate Part 6: Abuse

So this is the final part of the video starts with a secret child of Greg but mostly involved Greg talking about his relationship with Lainey. This was a tough one to get through and I’m sorry if it isn’t my most coherent one. I didn’t edit this one that much and Greg rambled a lot but I couldn’t go back and re-read most of my work. I’m sorry

It’s not creepy to mention kids Greg, holy shit

Ok, so this needs to be said. If I say my aunt has 5 kids, that isn’t talking about the kids, it’s talking about the aunt. If I say my aunt’s kids are all in school, that’s talking about the kids but it’s vague and just mildly descriptive. If I say “my aunt’s eldest female child whose name is Sansa Stark married Tyrion Lannister at age 14″, THAT is getting creepy in terms of how much I’m talking about the child who probably should remain more anonymous than that. We got that? Good, Greg still doesn’t so he wastes my time talking about how creepy it is to say he has a secret kid for the kid’s sake despite nothing actually being told about the kid and then skips the video. He misses a lot, and hilariously, it wasn’t even about the kid still

What Greg missed in the full minute he skips

It’s second-hand information again but M trusts the source

Lainey doesn’t know

He’s gone from small annoyances which have now blown up into very large, unmanaged problems since high school. These issues now define him as a person

“I don’t have any chemistry with Lainey???”

Nope, you didn’t then and you don’t now

Apparently, he defines chemistry with kissing on camera. His proof of chemistry is that with Skye they never kissed on camera but with Lainey he does. Also he again forgets this interview is old because he says how they both kiss in her videos. Also is claiming M said him and Skye were passionate which isn’t the case, just that Greg flip-flopped a lot and abused her then left her out to dry.

Yay, another gay joke. Even dressed as a boy, kissing Lainey, if anything, proves how little you love them because you show no passion in the kiss, push her away, belittle her in your videos, shit on her, scare her, etc. Your videos prove you don’t love her. It is heartbreaking even if you don’t like Lainey.

Also, years don’t count when it’s abusive, it just shows how long you’ve groomed and manipulated her Greg. Also, THIS INTERVIEW IS 3 YEARS OLD

And now I’d say Lainey does know you, she’s just so stuck on you. I don’t need to know the victim to hate the abuser, I don’t have to know the victim to feel sympathy for them. I don’t need to know Skye, I don’t need to know Shiloh, I don’t need to know Adrienne, I don’t need to know Billie, I don’t need to know Lainey, I don’t need to know Sarah, I don’t need to know Maya, I don’t need to know Madison. They’re all women you’ve used and abused. The last three you did so through Lainey

Billie blame

If we want to see Lainey be abused by someone we should watch “My Side of the Story” by Lainey. But the main shitty person there isn’t Greg apparently, it’s Billie for how she responded to what they did to her and putting all the blame on her when at most it was half. With Greg pulling all the strings

And Greg is claiming she basically told Lainey to kill herself using vague imagery using a hateful and direct way because he needs to make sure we can’t turn around and showcase the many times Greg has told someone to kill themselves.

So Billie is the horrible, violent, abusive person while Greg stood by his spouse, If by “stand by” he means standing in front of his pregnant spouse and signing his two kids to her because he’s leaving her for Billie then yes, he did “stand by” her. The only reason he’s “still here” is because Billie didn’t take him back

Holy manipulation of a situation Batman!

Also, this interview is pre-Billie so this argument makes even less sense

ALSO, he very specifically describes abuse as violent. I want him to try and refute his actual abuse which is much quieter than that. Especially abuse they’re talking about which is pre-Billie, but I’m glad to know anytime he thinks of a time he was shitty, he at least thinks of the time he cheated on Lainey and told her to deal with it then told her he was leaving and didn’t give to shits about her, their son, and their unborn child while also thinking he wasn’t that bad

I don’t want to listen to this: skips the good stuff and makes out like M is creepy for thinking of Greg’s child-filled audience

He skips:

M predicting what Greg was going to do if he ever responded (pretend it’s all a lie)

His millions of audience members will believe him. Thankfully, no. This video has 20k views and only 300 good comments (with some bad ones he hasn’t deleted yet). Likes/dislikes turned off

“You know this is just a grand version of what he would do back in high school. As opposed to saying “I have problems, I did some messed up things” ; he’ll say “I don't have problems, I don’t do messed up things. None of this is true“ --> sounds about right

“Watching him so easily be all right with making himself a role model to hundreds of thousands of children out there, teenagers are frankly still children“ ----> Greg skips here and hears “thousands of children” before going “yuck” and skipping, building a retoric that M is a creepy pedo as per usual

“Some of these kids, my son and my daughter, are going to be the same age as these kids that watch him right now one day.. and it breaks my heart that a lot of these kids are gonna sit there and think ‘that is how I should be in life. I should be someone that judges other people, whom I don’t know, for things that aren’t any of my business.’“ ---> I wish Greg had responded to this

“How could I have changed since high school?” also “Cycle of abuse? What’s that?”

Greg states he’s confused because in high school he had to rely on his mom and now he controls others

People change, though you still act as if the government is going to act like your mom and not ever punish you for doing things wrong

People who experience abuse tend to inflict it on other. You admit your mom was abusive Greg, these two stages in your life link together quite well

My spouse is a psych major, how can she be abused?

Simple:

“good thing Greg doesn’t hit me”

“Oh, it’s different when he does it”

“but he wouldn’t be nice if he hated me”

“we have kids”

“he kisses me on camera” (Like Jaclyn)

“he came back to me after he left”

Also, not all psych degrees cover abuse and Lainey only has her bachelor's degree. Or at least as in-depth as Greg seems to think. It’s possible to miss things in your own life. That’s why therapists have their own therapists, that’s why doctors can’t prescribe things for themselves or family. Not to mention you’d already sunk your claws into your obsessed fan before she ever read a psych book. When you’re gaslit and abused, something as simple as logic or googling “am I in an abusive relationship” does not register to you as a red flag. The latter happened to me, I googled it at least once every six months, ticked all the red flags, then said no, doesn’t apply here. But it did, and it does the moment you had to google that phrase. Lainey went through the motions in a video, she came up with the same bullshit I did and elected to ignore the questions even she couldn’t pretend didn’t apply as many do. People who are abused don’t tend to know they’re abused until it’s too late. If we knew we’d have left long before being raped or beaten by our “loving” partners. As I’ve said before, fuck you Greg

“I paid for their school”

Irrelevant, but glad to know you hold it over her head. Also glad you decided to put in how much money it was in your statement.

Also, her father was paying her tuition and board, as well as giving her an allowance. All while she was secretly married to you. You simply wasted your own and his money. Yeah, her father had every right to threaten to pull her college fund, she wasn’t owed it, and it was a desperate attempt to get his essentially kidnapped daughter to come home from the adult man who had preyed on her and took her away as his own.

His argument here is, “deflection to her dad without context”, “look, I saved her”, and finally “I gave her her college education of 50k, this isn’t abuse because I gave her this massive gift that saved her life”. Wow, if that isn’t a nice abuse tactic...

“You guys aren’t psych majors, she is”

See the point of her being a psych major above plus the fact that experience helps identify it, almost all your former partners calling you abusive (“we get it, Greg, you like hurting young girls”), you filling all the checkboxes for abuse, outsider perspective, former friends calling you abusive, Social Fucking Repose identifying your abuse (I’d say he’s an expert in that field), and anyone who is a decent person can identify shit when they smell it

Also Lainey doesn’t have more psychology experience than all of us combined, she got a bachelor’s in psych degree online many years ago, never worked in the field or as a co-op student as far as I’m aware, never got her master’s, and her intention was to be a children’s social worker. She’s as qualified to talk about abuse as Kati Fuckface Morton is to talk about diagnosing and treating personality disorders as a marriage counsellor. Lainey should work for BetterHelp, at least she does have one degree

Concluding statements on abuse by Greg

And so we end with Greg attempting to gaslight the audience by calling us the crazy ones who are actually abusing Lainey by invalidating her feelings and the misunderstanding the cycle of abuse. Things Greg is gaslighting us as doing:

We’re acting like Lainey is stupid

That Lainey can’t think for herself

We’re belittling Lainey

We’re acting superior to Lainey

We’re attacking her intelligence and calling her nothing like a blob of goo on the pavement, essentially a vegetable

(See Lainey’s “Hater Listens to 21 Pilots” and see if this checks any of Greg’s behaviours on screen)

Greg now describes the cycle of abuse as the victim replicating their abusive dynamic. Sometimes it results in people running from one abusive relationship to another, other times it results in the victim never wanting to be a victim again and wanting power so they then become the next abuser. Greg himself calls himself the dom of his relationship, the “father figure” or “guider”. Also notes he pays for the bills in most relationships which is a typical sign of a power imbalance. We see two iterations with this with Greg, Greg being abused by his mom. She tried kicking him out before becoming an adult, yelled at him when he cried, beat him with a fire extinguisher, etc. Now Greg is the abuser, laughing at Lainey when she cries, makes her cry, talks down to her, uses her mercilessly, etc. And now Lainey uses children like Sarah the same way Greg uses and hurts her. Lainey also defends herself with these girls as her shield against Greg.

You kept your finances separate because you didn’t want a Skye situation, Lainey has a degree she cannot use to get a job, Lainey’s youtube was dependent on you and still mostly is. Lainey requires you for all emotional issues she has but yet you will wake up a guest in your house so she can deal with it instead of you.

Food for thought Greg, your mom abused you all your life, yet you always returned to her and tried keeping her happy until now. It’s almost as if you let your abuser get away with things

The video ends before the end of the interview, Greg never addresses the alleged death of two of his dogs

[ageofgeek]

Cap already apologized to tony? I don't understand the hate cap got from civil war he did what he thought was right just as tony did 👀not to mention his motivation for half the movie was to stop a bunch of super soldiers getting set free that pretty legit Like I get the parent thing is messed up but tony did try to murder his best friend which is also pretty messed up so tony isn't innocent in this scenario and then cap was the bigger man and reached out to tony and gave him a phone so

Ohhhh boy, alright, here we go.

First of all, his “apology” was bullshit.  You know when somebody hurts you, and they say “sorry you got hurt” but not “I’m sorry I hurt you”? THAT is Cap’s letter to Tony, in a nutshell.  Let’s go through the whole text:

I’m glad you’re back at the compound, I don’t like the idea of you rattling around a mansion by yourself. We all need family. The Avengers are yours, maybe more so than mine. [The Avengers are clearly not “Tony’s”, since most of them sided with Cap]. I’ve been on my own since I was 18. I never really fit in anywhere – even in the Army. [Talking about himself and his own problems to try to get sympathy in a letter that should be an APOLOGY] My faith is in people, I guess. Individuals. [But not the democratically elected governments of those individuals?  What about Charlie Spencer, who was killed in Sokovia and whose mother, Miriam, wanted someone to be held accountable?  What about the thousands and thousands of civil servants and gov’t officials who worked on the Accords over the span of 2 years and the 150+ countries who approved them?] And I’m happy to say for the most part, they haven’t let me down. Which is why I can’t let them down either. [He refused to even consider the Accords which, again, were wanted by most people] Locks can be replaced, but – maybe they shouldn’t. [This doesn’t even make sense in this context.  Steve’s actions didn’t break any locks. The Accords still got passed, just without his approval, which means nothing in a legal context] I know I hurt you Tony. I guess I thought – by not telling you about your parents I was sparing you, but… I can see now I was really sparing myself. I’m sorry. [This is the one good point in this letter, but then it is followed by…] Hopefully one day you can understand. [One day you can understand???? Understand WHAT? That Steve selfishly and hypocritically kept the BIGGEST SECRET of Tony’s life from him? For more than a year??] I wish we agreed on the Accords, I really do. I know you were only doing what you believe in [this makes it seem like this is all Tony’s fault. Steve was only doing what he believed in too - that doesn’t make him right], and that’s all any of us can do, it’s all any of us should.  [No, because sometimes, there’s this thing called compromise, and obviously, Steve has never heard of it].So no matter what, I promise if you — if you need us. If you need me, I’ll be there.

But moving on.  Steve’s position about the Accords in CACW is so problematic, but, since you didn’t really mention the Accords, I assume you understand that.  But I’ll talk about it a little more (because it infuriates me).

Steve does not understand modern-day politics.  That is through no fault of his own - there’s a whole lot of nuance, and he did sleep through 70 years of it.  5 years is not enough to catch up on almost a century of developments in regulation, globalization, and international diplomacy.  Tony, on the other hand, DOES understand modern-day politics.  He has juggled the American government and the military in every single Iron Man movie (Iron Man 2 especially), and he clearly understood and read the Accords in CACW.  Tony may not trust the American government or Ross (just like Steve), but he DOES trust the international community and the UN (which, for some reason, Steve does not?).

Steve thinks that the Avengers - a predominantly American based, PRIVATE militant organization - should be able to go into any foreign country they want to, to do anything they want, because the Avengers judge it to be right.  That is an extremely imperialist point of view, and it is downright disrespectful to other nations.  So 150+ nations agreed that they wanted the Avengers to work for them, to serve the WORLD, not just America, and Steve just…doesn’t agree with that.  And, I’m sorry, but Steve’s whole excuse about “people have agendas”? Yeah. Of course people have agendas. But, call me an optimist, usually people who work at the UN have agendas which benefit their own people.  If 150+ countries agreed on the Accords at the UN, you can bet that their agenda was PROTECTING THEIR OWN PEOPLE.

But anyway. I’m digressing.

The biggest problem with Steve’s defense of Bucky in CACW is that it is completely flawed.

He finds Bucky in Bucharest - where he has just been living his life - and forces him into the spotlight.  I don’t know if Bucky would have come quietly if Steve hadn’t been there and escalated the situation, but it’s certainly possible.  Then, even though Steve says that a kill-order was put out against Bucky, the soldiers take him in WITHOUT KILLING HIM.  Sure, the conditions he’s held in aren’t great, but, at the time, he was a suspected terrorist.  By the time Bucky and Steve arrive at the airport with the rest of Team Cap, THEY BOTH KNOW about the other winter soldier threats.  Tony comes and TALKS TO THEM, gives them a chance to come in.  And here’s the part that really matters.

Steve does not - and has never - trusted Tony.

If this threat was really as dire as Steve believed, then why didn’t he tell Tony?  Why didn’t he TRUST Tony enough to ask him for help?  Clearly Steve thought that Tony was in cahoots with Ross or something, which shows how little Steve knows about Tony’s character.  As evidenced by Tony’s later actions in the movie, he was completely willing to fuck Ross and come to Cap’s aid in the face of such a threat.  Why didn’t Steve know this?  Because he does not trust Tony.  Not since Ultron (which was not solely Tony’s fault.  For some reason, Steve doesn’t blame Wanda (who put the thoughts into Tony’s head), or Bruce (who had just as much to do with Ultron as Tony) for that incident).

This is also why Steve did not trust Tony enough to tell him about his parents.  Tony is a reasonable man.  Imagine if Steve had set Tony aside one day - FAR AWAY FROM BUCKY, AND THE VIDEO TAPE - and told him gently, as a friend, what had happened to Howard and Maria.  Tony would have been upset - he would have been sad, and angry, and maybe even violent - but his friend would have been there to calm him down and get him help and support.  Bucky would have been safe, Tony would have the help he needed, and Steve would have acted like a good friend to both of them.

Instead, Tony was given this information at the worst possible time.  He not only had to find out that his parents were murdered - he had to WATCH.  With the killer (mind control or not) less than 5 feet away.  Do you know how traumatizing that must have been?  Of COURSE Tony lashed out.  He’s a man with severe PTSD, a guilt complex, and anxiety and depression.  OF COURSE he fucking attacked Bucky.  Who would be thinking in their right mind in that moment??? But instead of just trying to defend Bucky and calm Tony down, Steve ACTIVELY tried to harm Tony - culminating in him slamming his shield down on Tony’s arc reactor, his MOST VULNERABLE PLACE (which undoubtedly caused even more trauma) and then LEFT HIM ALONE IN SIBERIA.

I’m not saying that Tony was perfect in CACW.  He should have actively distanced himself from Ross as much as possible, especially in front of hte other Avengers.  He should have communicated with the Avengers more, and he shouldn’t have brought Peter to Germany.

But Steve’s entire reasoning in that movie was objectively wrong and harmful.  And the fact that he still does not understand that (as evidenced by his “apology letter”) is very concerning.

[shawnjacksonsbs]

Don't let your growth as a person be stunted, when you control the height of the bar you set.       5-19-19

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it." - Kay from Men in Black played by Tommy Lee Jones You absolutely can, and when necessary you should, outgrow and pass right by people you used to strive to be like. Moral growth from generation to generation is based largely in part to the fact that society can find the flaws of the predecessors and try to correct them and to build on their positives to move forward. Just read a book, unless of course those a conspiracy too, (I have argued points with those who absolutely believe school lessons were fabricated to side with one side or the other, usually within our U.S. education, which is already lacking, some people believe its part of that "liberal agenda" lol). Its no wonder we lag so far behind so many other countries in this arena. It has been proven repeatedly throughout history with great strides progressing forward with equality as the end goal, that we were, in fact, moving forward at one, or rather, several points throughout time. Why are we slipping back??? " . . .there are some things you should know, and one of them is that there is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we’re the greatest country in the world. We’re seventh in literacy, twenty-seventh in math, twenty-second in science, forty-ninth in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, third in median household income, number four in labor force, and number four in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next twenty-six countries combined, twenty-five of whom are allies… . . We sure used to be. We stood up for what was right! We fought for moral reasons, we passed and struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were, and we never beat our chest. We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and cultivated the world’s greatest artists and the world’s greatest economy. We reached for the stars, and we acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn’t belittle it; it didn’t make us feel inferior. We didn’t identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election, and we didn’t scare so easy. And we were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed. By great men, men who were revered. The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one—America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.” - Will McAvoy There was once a man from Nantucket, who just decided "Fuck it". I'm not from Nantucket though.  I'm actually from right here in the great midwest, where the hate and ignorance go hand in hand and is spreading like wildfire in great part because of older people that should God damn know better by now. I'm torn between they have to know better and they just don't care, but either way, I'm done reading their nonsense, and I'll be damned if I'll ever hear them talk in real life they way post to social media.   For the last time, IT IS NOT JUST A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION EITHER. I mean, in part, I suppose hating on a whole group of people is considered an opinion, but that's not all it is.   And all the positive steps forward we've made toward equality is slowly and sickeningly, being unraveled and undone, right in front of us. The fact that it doesn't bother more people hurts my heart to the point of actual pain. It's gross and ugly the way we treat other people, the way we treat each other, whether its directly or indirectly, especially when we have such potential for greater works for all, through caring, empathy, compassion, and of course kindness. The same kindness that I am still convinced will eventually rule the day and save the world. Needless to say, that after favoring some rational thought, I had a couple of interesting things happen that swayed my hows and whys of social media. Having limited means to connect with people and conversate with people who have opposing views is getting increasingly harder for me to handle, because of how they act or react, and especially since I don't need it in my life at all. Keep your hate, I already lived that, so I'm good now. Except for a once a week check-in, at which time I'll post my entry, I am done with Facebook for a while, I imagine quite a while. I've got so much real and direct life things going on right now, I don't need the extra unwanted ridiculousness. I mean I could unfriend, unfollow, and block some of them, but they are people super close to my heart and that makes it even harder to not say something when they spread exaggerated falsehoods that promote more hate and turmoil. The fact that I sincerely feel most of them know it's wrong and still continue with it, only plays a part in how urgent the feeling is that I tell them, which rarely dissuades them from what I understand always ends up making them look bad, dumb, or ignorant or whatever. For what it's worth, they do that part all on their own. What I actually try to do is get them to understand this. It's wrong, why it's wrong etc. It usually falls on deaf ears anyways. People like that are living in a blissful kind of fear and hate because ignorance truly is bliss because they don't see a direct negative effect for their action. These are the same people who used to get on me constantly about grouping all cops together for the actions of a few bad ones, for which I learned to stop spreading the exaggerations as facts for all. It was absurd that I did this at all. I have grown, even if only slightly, in these areas. Its why I feel they know better, because in hindsight, in my heart, I knew it was wrong, but my hate for the few outweighed what was right for the good ones.   I'm going to keep living my life as best I can. Making right decisions every chance I get. Living with integrity, honesty, goodness, and gratitude will continue to be the goals I aspire to, hopefully forever. I knew better then, and I damn sure know better now, and if they are over age 30, I got money on the fact they, too, fucking know better. WWFRD? Rest assured it wouldn't be any of that. Since I wasn't going to change that much of the world through Facebook posts anyways, I know in my heart that I'm cool with the decision to leave it alone. Its a great form of misleading the masses anyways. lol If it ever turns that part off, I'll come back regularly, but I don't see that happening anyways. Keep living in your "bliss", I'm out. I imagine it's going to be like when I quit smoking. I know its better for my health, but what do I do to fill in that time? lolol In real life, I'm building a life with my family and friends and making memories that memes will never outweigh, ever. I, unlike some people, will continue to live my best life the same way out here, as I say I do in here. Lol If you know me in real life, then you know I'm 100% the same as the words you read on these pages. It's such an easier, more peaceful, less stressful way to live anyways. I've helped serve food at missions. I've been to protests as well. I've had some real-life applications to my mission for kindness that I will keep working on here as well. I am still setting routine with the family, but the "free to help others" days are coming eventually. And, for the first time, I plan to actually vote when it comes time, because the state of our current situation isn't one that I am ok with, with the back peddling like we are, especially for my kids and grandkids to have to live in. Pathetic. I still, with my whole heart,  know we can do better, be better as a people. Its usually when we are a collective that we become the ugliest versions that we can be as a people, but what if we can turn our collective into a positive and make good, sound, reasonable and rational changes to our future instead? Wouldn't that be awesome? I suppose I am finished with this one. The best part of emptying my thoughts and my heart in here every week, is the relief. I don't have to live weighted down, struggling to breathe on the inside. It works every time, even if no one was to read it. We all know what we carry in our hearts, but until we can all push that out into the real world, like all the time, we will all suffer a little. Good luck with holding any hate in your heart and then trying to relieve the stress it puts on your heart. Do better, be better, and it's not on just one of us. It's on all of us. Whether you adhere to it or not, its a shared responsibility for all of mankind. Some people just lack more than others. It's also nice living a life, so blessed that some of my biggest stressors are how others treat each other. lol That's a great feeling. Stop being ugly to each other, maybe start there, then. . . Share the love and the laughter you have with the world around you, and please, please be civil, as you push your way toward living in kindness. It should absolutely be a way of life, not just an event manifestation. Until next week; "Be inspired by those worthy of inspiration as you aspire to be inspirational." - Elizabeth A. Donley