#& then lied for a year up until it came out recently that he was fired & no longer has a job

[pa-pa-plasma]

does anyone know if introducing AI into middle school classrooms as a teacher in Canada is a fireable offence or is my cousin extra super lying

[ladyempty]

"From fire and blood we were born. United we will burn"

° | !English is not my first language! | ° | pairing: Yan!Rhaenyra x Targ!Reader ° | This is a yandere work and may contain triggering behavior. I'm not in favor of that in real life.

For Rhaenyra, being attached to you since birth was normal. You were born together, with Rhaenyra clinging tightly to your heel with no intention of breaking free or parting.

It was just his birthright above any title or throne. It was the other half of her soul, a life that had blossomed with her in her mother's womb and was destined to stay that way.

Together. united for an eternity that would extend beyond life and death.

This was how things should be, and she cared little about the laws of men or the condemnation of the seven. Dragon blood flowed through his veins. Proof of your rights.

In the early years, the princess' behavior was not seen with suspicious or malicious looks, she was just a sister wanting her company. What was wrong?

Even though it raised eyebrows every time the young princess became excessively irritated when you mentioned other ladies or had the opportunity to discuss matters deeper with them. Why did you need others? Rhaenyra was there, blood of her blood, with an infinite desire to listen to you.

King Viserys reassured the worried with soft, relaxed smiles and negligent behavior. He was blind to the situation unfolding in front of him.

Rhaenyra has always been obstinate and somewhat petty, her worst personality traits always came to the surface when the subject was related to you. Has another lady looked at you excessively? Rhaenyra would spare no bitter words or the cruelest lies her mind could come up with.

The princess also had no qualms or shame about skipping boring classes with the Septas or taking you out of your classes with the Miestres just to fly with you through the skies with her dragons or steal lemon cakes from the kitchen.

But when you want to teach her something or read some old book that has suddenly become very interesting, she never protests.

Sharing your attention, even with your parents, is out of the question. She's the only person you need to worry about.

And don't doubt your ability to be manipulative or play mind games. She will definitely cry and pout if you try to reprimand her behavior in any way.

How could you do this to your younger sister? She just cares so much about you!

Her behavior only gets worse as she enters adolescence • The hormones and feelings that arise, controlling your thoughts and actions.

She will certainly overhear and have conversations about courtship and knights in shining armor with other court ladies. Even though Rhaenyra found them all boring and annoyingly silly, the conversations about the other boys were interesting. • Every time one of the girls told, between laughs, something new she had done with a gentleman, Rhaenyra couldn't stop letting her thoughts wander. • What if it was her and you? • If it were her and you secretly exchanging kisses in the empty, forgotten corners of the fortress? • The feeling of tingling and restlessness in the belly. A heat that quickly rose through your body until your cheeks were red. • She knew these thoughts were not correct or appropriate. She knew of the Septas' countless boring monologues about purity, women's duty, etc.

The kind of thing she had never paid attention to before. But she found herself being terrorized and reflecting more and more in recent days.

The thoughts that haunted his dreams at dusk became more constant. With only the moon as a witness to his restlessness and confusion. • She just knew she needed you. She needed something that even she didn't know what it was. But it was running through his veins on instinct. • The girl suddenly became more demanding with your attention focused solely on her. She felt bitter and betrayed by any mere exchange of glances between you and any other woman or man. Lady or not. Lord or servant.

The Gods granted her such beautiful eyes for the sole purpose of looking at her alone. • She felt possessive and angry. With a growing pain, deadly and bitter, as fierce as if you were hers and had been unfaithful.

And when she heard whispers about the possibility of a marriage being arranged for you, She knew she couldn't keep her feelings quiet any longer.

No. She wouldn't sit by and watch you belong to someone less deserving.

I couldn't bear to see your other half give himself to someone other than her.

You were born to burn with her. And it was time for others to know this.

[unfriedough]

Hi super sorry if your request aren’t open.

I had this thought about Zuko x waterbending reader and maybe they could be related to Hama (like a grandma or something) and r basically it’s difficult to explain but Zuko and reader started dating after the war and he tries really hard to get Hamas approval because he’s from the fire nation and Hama ends up sorta accepting him but is still hella weary about him

‘Dinner’- Zuko x female!reader

An: HIYA! So as to not be annoying I’m leaving my lil disappearance explanation at the bottom, enjoy 🫶

(As usual, thank you for your request and patience it means a lot 💕)

Warnings: fighting/agression but it’s brief dw (this is also a very short piece)

You smiled as a candle flickered in your room, kicking your feet as you read a letter your boyfriend, Zuko, wrote to you. He detailed in it his most recent endeavours as a fire lord, as well as affirmed that he could in fact come for a visit. You had been planning to move to his palace soon, as per his request, but he was afraid your grandmother, Hama, a ruthless fire nation hating blood bender who might just hate Zuko, would not be on board. You decided the easiest way was to have them both over for food, and you’d prepared a huge feast of different delicacies of both nations. Zuko was meant to arrive in about an hour, and Hama was already down stairs washing up. She vaguely knew you were going to introduce her to someone, just not entirely aware of who. You shoved the scroll into another backpack you packed for your move, which was supposed to take place a week from now if all goes well.

You walked over to the window sill and sat on a cushion you placed on the protruding wooden part, sighing. You wandered in an endless maze of thoughts, until a face appeared in front of you. You squeaked, almost falling backwards but you caught yourself. Shaking your head, you unlocked the window and pulled zuko in.

“Dude?” You questioned, pulling him in for a hug.

He smelled like the sea, you noted, originally expecting the smell of a certain beast on him.

“Sorry- I got nervous,” you giggled, pinching his pouty cheeks.

He grinned, dipping you into a passionate kiss that screamed ‘I miss you’ in every language. His hand trailed to your back, and yours his hair. Just as things began to escalate, the door swung open.

“YN!”

Immediately, you pushed him away, and he stumbled backwards. Both your eyes landed on your grandma, who was as pale as a ghost.

“I can explain!”

“What kind of nonsense is this?”

Zuko was frozen, from the long list of things that could've gone wrong, this did not even make the top one hundred list.

“Grandma, this is Zuko,” you calmed down, “My boyfriend,”

He snapped out of his trance and extended an arm to shake with her. She walked out, leaving a small stone to prevent the door from closing again.

“Sorry about her,” you groaned, embarrassed that she left him hanging.

He retreated his arm, shoving it into his pocket, “She already thinks I suck. It’s over.”

“It’s okay she’s easy to win over,” you smiled sweetly, contrasting the lies that currently fled your lips.

Stiff, awkward, weird… all of the above.

You couldn’t relax for this dinner, things were so tense after what just happened. He didn’t even get to say hello before she saw his tongue down your throat and now she probably is a hair away from blood bending him into a ball. And he could tell she hated him- when he asked you to pass him a spoon she threw it at him. She missed…

“So, why don’t you tell her about yourself Zuko,” you broke the silence.

His eyes widened, suddenly being put on the spot, “Well I-uh-um-“ he coughed.

“He helped the avatar end a hundred year war,” you chimed in.

“Yeah so he can start a 200 year war all on his own,” she remarked, glaring at him. “All fire folks are the same,”

“Gram, give him a chance, he’s trying his best,” you held his hand over the table, rubbing your thumb in comforting circles.

Suddenly, a fork came hurling at you, and when you both dodged your hands away, you found it embedded in the table.

“Right…” you breathed out.

She stood up abruptly, folding her arms, “Yn, come outside, now,”

“Yes ma’am,” you replied, looking back at Zuko with a worried expression.

You shut the creaky wooden door behind you and adjusted your garments as you stood by here on the patio.

“A fire nation boy?”

“He’s different… he’s not what you think he is,”

“That’s what they all say Yn, he’s bad news.”

“What about him is bad news?”

“Everything. Especially the fact that he’s a ticking time bomb.”

“He’s a good man.”

“Are you forgetting his past? He attacked the avatar!” Your eyes widened, “That’s right, I did my research… I know every little thing he did and so help me if you dare leave this house with him I will make sure that’s the last time either of you see each other.”

“You can’t do that!”

“Who’s gonna stop me?”

Your eyes brimmed with tears- it was one thing to ban you from seeing him, but a completely other thing to treat you like a child. You were old enough to make these decisions on your own. You huffed, storming back inside and waltzing into your bedroom, slamming the door with a lot of force.

Hama sat back down at the table, smiling before she flipped it onto Zuko. He gasped, standing up quickly to avoid being crushed. She stomped around the table and got up in his face, grabbing the collar of his shirt. She was surprisingly strong for her ancient age.

“What do you want from her?”

“To be with her,”

“Why?”

“Because I love her,”

“WHY?”

“WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?”

She pushed him onto the ground, lifting her arm as if about to bloodbend him. He’d heard the tales of what she was capable of from his friends, and he felt his heart drop.

Zuko froze, waiting, shielding himself and closing his eyes.

“Aren’t you gonna firebend?” She asked, a bitter sounding tone.

“No.”

Just then, you exited your room, finally having collected your bearings. There, you found Zuko almost curled up on himself, and Hama glaring at him. He breathed heavily, and she looked as if a blood vessel was about to pop. You immediately rushed to his side, helping him up to his feet and checking him for wounds. He was fine of course.

Your hand brushed against his cheek and he closed his eyes, humming, “I’m fine,”

“What did you do?” You yelled, looking at the old lady.

“I tested him.”

You laughed sarcastically, “And did he pass,”

“With flying colours,” 2 out of 3 pairs of eyebrows flew upwards, you and Zuko exchanged glances. “For now,”

After a bit of cleaning up, you finished the night with Zuko in your bedroom, sitting at your desk.

“Is everything okay?” You asked, leaning against the table.

“If she doesn’t even want me near you, how on Earth are you going to move in with me?”

“That’s… that’s a great question.”

An: OKAY SO idek where to start I basically obv got back to school and I had exams and then even MORE EXAMS coming up (send help) BUUUT I mainly just lost my spark and interest in writing but it feels wrong to continue to ignore my inbox so I’m gonna try my best to clear it soon. If you have requested I’m genuinely so so sorry it’s taken this long I’m sure you’re mad at me but hopefully not too mad don’t hate me okay bye love you 🩷

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not informing my pet's previous owner that he died?

I adopted a gecko off of Kijiji around a year ago. She had a different name when I adopted her but I ended up renaming her Fingergun when I adopted her. It was clear that her original owner cared about her quite a lot and after talking to her, I realized she was only rehoming because she was moving into university and couldn't bring Fingergun with her.

After I picked Fingergun up, her owner messaged asking how she was settling in and I sent her some pictures and said she was doing well with some specifics on her behaviour. Over the next week, her owner messaged every day or two for updates. I was happy to provide them, especially since it was obvious that Fingergun was very loved and cared for. I rescue and rehabilite reptiles fairly frequently (Not as an official rescue, just over Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace, sometimes partnering with official rescues) so it's rare for me to see somebody in as good condition as Fingergun. It's important to note that I got Fingergun for myself, not as a rescue/rehab case (Which I usually rehome or pass on to some rescues I partner with when I can).

Over the next few months the requests for updates kept coming but less and less frequently until around three months ago before Fingergun died, when they stopped completely. I expected that her owner had moved on and I didn't want to send unsolicited updates in case I jeopardized the healing process or annoyed her or something.

Well, around three months ago I had a house fire due to entirely unpreventable causes. I wasn't home and was honestly devastated when I found out. I lost Fingergun and one of my cats (I was at the vet with two new rescues and had just dropped the other cat at the groomers when it happened).

Although I only had her for a year, I really loved Fingergun. I handled her every day and we were working on some minimal training.

The whole issue here came up only recently, about a week ago.

Because there hadn't been any more messages from Fingergun's original owner, I decided not to tell her what had happened. I didn't see any reason to upset her out of the blue, especially when I know it was mid-exams for her uni and I hadn't heard from her in months. I honestly thought the update requests had stopped until she messaged a week ago, asking how Fingergun was doing.

I was honest and told her what had happened. I also sent her a couple pictures of Fingergun from the day before. She was silent for a day or so before she responded and essentially asked why I kept it from her/didn't tell her sooner and insinuating that the fire didn't happen/I made it up to cover something up.

I haven't responded yet since I'm still busy dealing with the insurance and stuff from the fire and I'm honestly at a bit of a loss here. I'm not good with people, there's a reason I refer my critters, but am I the asshole here? Should I have told her when it happened or even just lied and told her everything was fine when she asked?

[damthosefandoms]

my life has changed in oh so many ways

(ao3 link)

Summary:

"You aren’t stupid. You just learn different than everybody else. You don’t have to do this.”

He stares at her. Maybe she is still kinda nice. But nice girls don’t date guys like Bob Sheldon who've picked on him for a decade now because sometimes he talks funny and because he can’t read or write or do anything like people his age are supposed to, on top of everything else that comes with being a greaser.

Guys like Bob Sheldon who do nothing but get drunk and beat on poor kids like Johnny Cade until they aren’t themselves anymore and never will be again.

"It just ain't fair you never got any help!"

“You told me you wanted to be a teacher here when you grow up, Sodapop. But if you want to be a teacher you have to work! What do you think would happen if I came to school everyday and did nothing?”

“I ‘unno.”

“I’d get fired! So if I were you, I’d pick up that pencil and start writing.”

Soda puts his head down on his desk and cries. His teacher just sighs and walks away. She’s giving up on him just like everyone else.

He’s a lost cause.

He just wanted help.

Soda slams the door to their dad’s old truck and tries to control his breathing. He waits for Darry to drive off, to drop Ponyboy at the middle school, where their genius little brother only has one month left of seventh grade. Soda has what feels like centuries left of tenth; but the piece of paper hidden in his sorry excuse for a backpack will change that.

Steve jogs up to him and goes, “You remember it today?”

“I shoved it under my pillow and couldn’t sleep all night ‘cause of it. Yeah, I remembered it.”

“They gonna take it covered in drool?”

Soda swings at him, but Steve just dodges and switches to walk on his other side. They pause in front of the doors, so Soda can get the withdrawal form out.

The main entrance to Will Rogers High School is intimidating, but not as intimidating as what lies beyond the doors. Most kids—greasers and socs alike—don’t give it a second thought as they walk in every morning, but Sodapop Curtis isn’t most kids, and the paper in his hand proves it.

He’s never even driven by this place without wanting to throw up.

“Seriously, man. You ain’t got nothin’ to worry about. I know Darry’ll kill you, but we talked about this, we all got your back and Two-Bit or me are gonna drive ya to school every day and you can just walk to the DX for work, say you’re working just part time every afternoon now, he’ll never—”

“It ain’t Darry I’m worried about. He’ll be mad as the day is long, I don’t give a damn. Dad gave the okay, it ain’t up to Darrel at all. Never was. But Pony’s gonna take it hard and I can’t stand that.”

Soda gives it three classes before he feels sick to his stomach. He’s got the form folded up in the pocket of his dad’s favorite flannel, the same one he’s worn practically every day since the accident. Darry’s always getting on him about giving it a rest and wearing something else—“Everyone knows we’re poor! No need to make them think we don’t wash our damn clothes!”—but to Soda it’s like a security blanket. It’s also one the few shirts he has that don’t make him want to rip his skin off while wearing it. And, you know, his dad always cut the tags off.

He doesn’t even ask his history teacher to let him use the bathroom, just gets up and leaves. He’s told to sit down but he doesn’t because he’s a greaser and nobody expects obedience from him, anyway. He doesn’t look back as he walks out, just reaches into his pocket and takes out the form. It’s the only piece of paper he’s ever put in there without crumpling. He absent-mindedly hums a little tune while he walks—“Help!” by the Beatles, which is one of his favorite songs. It’s a few years old but he heard it on the radio again recently and it’s catchy, not that he could ever admit that to any of his east side buddies—and he unfolds the form. He wants to read through it one more time before he hands it in.

He knows what it says in theory, but there’s so many words on there, and the font is so small that his eyes kind of glaze over, but he keeps his eyes glued to the page while he walks.

Until he collides with something and it flies out of his hands. He looks up and there’s a girl in front of him—ohgodit’sCherry—and he immediately goes to help her up. She looks at him for a second, eyes wide and he thinks maybe her cheeks might be as red as his are her hair, but she ignores his hand, so instead he goes to pick up her books for her.

“Sorry,” Soda mumbles, somehow briefly forgetting that he’s not supposed to be saying stuff like that to soc girls, he’s got a reputation to uphold, but glory, his Mama taught him manners and he’d be damned if he didn’t use them. And deep down he knows Cherry isn’t like the other soc girls because she was nice to him once in first grade and he’s never ever forgotten it.

He nearly shudders at the memory. The words “consonant digraph” are not ones he remembers anymore, all these years later, but way, way back when he was learning them he wanted to cry at the mention of it.

He’s brought back to first grade. It’s sometime in the beginning half of the year, and they’re doing some cut-and-glue activity with partners. He’s been paired with Sherri Valance because he’s always paired with her. They sit next to each other because their class sits in alphabetical order by first name, and they always do partner work with their neighbors.

There’s muffled yelling down the hall and another first-grade teacher pokes her head in and asks for backup, ‘cause one of her problem students is throwing chairs. Their teacher tells them she’ll be right back and heads out. Soda hears somebody who wasn’t in his class last year mutter to their friend, “Dallas, probably.” They see the principal speed-walking down the hall through the doorway, and then everyone loses interest and starts to get to work.

Sherri taps Soda on the shoulder.

“Can you write our names for me?” she says. “I’m going to go get scissors and stuff.”

She gets up and Soda looks at her nametag. He takes a whole minute to decode it. Sherri.

Goddamn digraphs. /sh/ and /ch/ are his worst enemies lately, and she’s got one of them in her name. He knows it’s real sad that he can barely tell which one. He feels butterflies in his stomach as he picks up his pencil. In the best possible handwriting he can muster up—writes her name. He is pretty sure he wrote it correctly, tries to read it aloud, and thinks he’s doing well until one of the kids at the desk pair behind him, Randy Adderson, laughs.

“What’d you just say?”

Soda is starting to understand now why Darry keeps telling him to stay away from the kids with the nice backpacks and brand-name shoes.

“You’re copying off her nametag and you still spelled it wrong?” Randy sneers, and his friend Bob Sheldon looks over too, and starts to grin. Soda’s butterflies turn into rocks.

“I just wrote her name. Sherri.”

But his mouth does that thing again where the word doesn’t sound quite right coming out of his mouth as it did in his head and he can feel his cheeks heating up. That always happens. Bob and Randy and their friends always make fun of him for it, too. He tries to make out the letters he wrote on the paper.

He did write a y instead of an i. And his S is kinda weird-looking, too.

Oh. He didn’t mean to do that. His pencil must’ve moved on its own again like it always does when his brain gets jumbled.

“Cherry, you said Cherry! Her name is Sherri! An’ I think you wrote it too, but who knows, I can’t read that at all!” Bob jeers at him loudly, and the whole class is starting to look over. Chet Baker, the kid who mentioned Dallas earlier, is laughing too, and he whispers something into the ear of his partner. Soon everyone is staring at him, and Soda feels like sinking into the floor. Bob revels in the glory of it all.

“Leave it to dumb ol’ Sodapop to mess it all up!”

The classroom explodes into laughter, like that was the greatest insult of all time and not some lame comment from little kid.

“I like it, actually,” a voice says suddenly and Soda thinks for a second it’s an angel come down to earth. But it’s just Sherri, and she’s handing Soda a glue stick.

“Cherry. I love that. It’s going to be my new nickname.”

She elbows him gently and smiles at him. Her eyes are so green. Soda thinks green eyes are his favorite; Cherry has green eyes, and so do both of his brothers and his dad. That’s almost all of his favorite people on Earth, except for his mom. Her eyes are brown, like his own.

“I really like it, Soda.”

He really likes it too. Soda wishes he could’ve stayed in first grade forever, sometimes, because back then Cherry always stood up for him and now…

Now they’re sixteen and when he goes to hand Cherry her books, she seems to come back to reality. Her face contorts into something angry, or maybe more defensive, as she snaps, “I don’t need your help, grease. Helping me pick up my books like some wannabe-gentleman… don’t you have a girl, anyway?”

He does. Sandy’s somewhere one floor up in English right now reading some Shakespearean tragedy about star-crossed lovers, and he hasn’t told her he’s dropping out yet, either. He loves—really loves—three people left in the world, two of them are his brothers and one, he thinks, is Sandy, and they’re the only ones of the people he really cares about that he hasn’t told about his plan.

Now that his parents are dead, they’re the only people left he’s truly terrified of disappointing. They’re the only people he ever talk to about his problems.

The only people he felt he could ever ask for help. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t anymore.

So why does it bother him so much when he has to ask Cherry Valance to move her foot because she's standing on a paper that might honestly be his lifeline?

He points it out to her and she goes, “Oh,” and picks it up for him. Even brushes the dust off. Soda watches her eyes scan the top of the paper before his face turns even more red and he has to rip it from her hand.

“You didn’t see shit, soc,” he snaps, and maybe it’s mean and out of character for the ever-so-charming Sodapop Curtis that is known to walk these halls, but he’s embarrassed. There’s a sinking feeling in his gut at the face Cherry’s making and his stomach somehow hurts even more.

Not hurts. He’s got butterflies.

He’s in love with Sandy though, and she loves him back, and who gives a damn if he’s been practically ignoring Cherry for a decade now. Who gives a damn if she was the only person from the entire west side of Tulsa to show up at his parents’ funeral. She’s always gone to their church and it was right after the regular Sunday morning service and it doesn’t mean shit. Even if he didn’t have a box under his bed he’s been filling with cash for a ring to marry Sandy one day, Cherry wouldn’t matter, because she’s a soc and he’s a greaser and he might not be in even the average level English class like Sandy is, but Soda asked his mom about it once back when Darry was in sophomore year and was reading it and so he knows how Romeo & Juliet ends.

Soda’s in love with Sandy. She loves him back. He flips the collar of his flannel up because he’s a greaser and he’s gotta look tuff or tough or whatever and keeps walking.

“Sodapop!” Cherry calls, and he shouldn’t turn around but there’s classes going on right now and no one’s watching them.

“What?”

“I just—you aren’t stupid. You just learn different than everybody else. You don’t have to do this.”

He stares at her. Maybe she is still kinda nice. But nice girls don’t date guys like Bob Sheldon who’ve picked on him for a decade now because sometimes he talks funny and because he can’t read or write or do anything like people his age are supposed to, on top of everything else that comes with being a greaser.

Guys like Bob Sheldon who do nothing but get drunk and beat on poor kids like Johnny Cade until they aren’t themselves anymore and never will be again.

“School just ain’t going to be the same without you brightening up everyone’s day, Soda,” Cherry calls after him, but he pushes through the door to the stairwell and pretends her words aren’t eating him alive.

“It just ain’t fair you never got any help!”

He wanted to be a teacher once. So did his mom, once upon a time, that meant college, and she had no money and had a baby at eighteen, so she never even had a shot of working in a daycare. And Soda’s dumb and nobody wants a dumb teacher, so he’s never going to be able to make a difference in the lives of kids like him.

Cherry’s right, he never got any help. That’s why he wanted to be the one to help the next generation. But it’s not going to happen.

She stood up for him once. She used to check his work for him before he handed it in. She would whisper-read when they were supposed to be reading silently so he’d understand the passage. They just can’t talk about it anymore because they grew up.

There aren’t many things he’ll miss about Will Rogers High School, but Cherry Valance is admittedly going to be one of them.

Another thing he won’t miss—the grouchy secretary he’s got to hand in the form to. When he gets to the office she gives him a nasty look that just screams get back to class, hood! or maybe something more along the lines of what’s this idiot doing here? He blow in on the way to stupid town?

…Maybe it’s an oh great, another greasy little troublemaker sent to the office.

Clearly that’s the right one, because the first thing she says is “What’d you do? I ain’t gotten a call up or nothin’.”

“I have this withdrawal form to hand in. I talked to our case worker with social services, she says she confirmed with you guys here that my dad’s signature should still be good enough even though he…?”

She swipes the form out of his hands and glances over it. “I’ll have the principal look at it. Get back to class.”

Soda turns, fully intent on finding his backpack and then walking out a side door somewhere instead, and he’s still going to—but just as he’s walking out someone calls his name. He looks back over his shoulder and the principal has stepped out of his office.

“Mr. Curtis, can you do me a favor?” He asks, and Soda nods, just hoping it’s not to do with that form.

He’s handed an envelope, but it’s not for him.

To the Parent/Guardian of Ponyboy Michael Curtis, it says on the front. Soda’s confused.

“I don’t get it.”

“It’s an intake form for high school.”

“Pony’s in seventh grade. There’s a month left of school.”

“Yes, and his test scores are like nothing we’ve ever seen. He’s going to be coming here next year.”

“He’s in seventh grade. Sir, he never even hands in his homework on time! How’s he jumping ahead to ninth?”

“Mr. Curtis, please, just deliver that letter, would you? Saves me the trouble of having to mail it myself. Glory knows you of all people should understand not wanting to waste money on a stamp.”

The butterflies in Soda’s stomach from earlier turn to rocks and he feels like he’s being weighed down again. “I understand just fine, sir.”

He walks back to class, grabs his backpack and walks all the way home.

That night Darry talks about throwing a party for their little brother and Soda has to grin and bear it, because he’s honestly jealous as all hell. He’ll never admit it, though, because he’s as jealous as he is proud of Ponyboy.

But now he’s never going to be able to tell them he dropped out.

Not when Pony’s immediate reaction to the letter is “I get to go school with Soda next year?”

(He then adds, “and Johnny?” but Soda missed that part because he was too busy wallowing in his own guilt.)

Ponyboy’s going to hate this, he thinks the world and more of Soda and he’ll probably find a way to blame Darry for it. But it’s not Darry’s fault, it isn’t their parents’ fault or anybody’s except Soda’s brain for not working like it should. He thinks if his brothers fight tonight he’ll either lose it and kill them both or never stop crying, so he doesn’t tell them that night.

He doesn’t tell them for a month, not until it’s the last week of school and it’s pouring rain and Darry’s roofing job gets canceled for the day. He comes home early to find Soda sitting on the couch watching cartoons because it’s too early to head out to the DX. The clothes he left the house in that morning for school are drying on the radiator and Soda’s nose is red and Darry has to put the worry he’s going to get sick from walking home in the rain aside.

Ponyboy thinks Darry didn’t yell at Soda for dropping out. Well, he wasn’t home for the fallout.

For the “I know school is hard for you. If you really needed a day off, little buddy, you coulda told me instead of skipping. I’ll go call the school now and say you’re sick.”

And the “Sodapop Patrick, what the hell do they mean you ain’t been enrolled at Will Rogers for a month now?”

Or the horrible silence as Darry has to drive Soda to the DX for work in the pouring rain just so whatever cold he definitely caught that morning won’t get worse before it even starts.

No, Ponyboy won’t find out about any of it until he’s back to school shopping in August and jokingly asks Soda if he’s throwing in the towel this year because he’s not buying anything, and Soda casually tells him he’s not going back to school. That working full time at the DX over the summer wasn’t just a summer thing. It doesn’t go over well.

Darry carpools to work on the first day of Pony’s freshman year, because Soda practically begged him to let him have the truck to bring Pony to school alone that morning. Normally the kid would’ve walked, but Soda knows how big of a day this is, and their mom used to always make sure they didn’t have to walk on the first day, not even to the bus stop when they were in grammar school.

They pull up to the curb by the front doors and Soda can see Steve and Two-Bit and Johnny waiting for Ponyboy. He really appreciates Johnny for that. He never goes anywhere in the school that socs go unless there’s a teacher in the room, after he got jumped at the end of the last school year.

It figures he’d show up for Ponyboy, though. If Johnny isn’t with Dally—who’s not there because he got locked up after taking the blame for busting out a bunch of school windows last year even though Two-Bit did that—he’s with Ponyboy. They’re just close like that.

(Actually, Soda’s pretty sure Dally got himself arrested either because he’s simply self-destructive, or so he wouldn’t give himself a chance to kill anybody for what happened to Johnny, but that’s not really the point.)

Soda turns off the engine of the truck and turns to his brother.

“You ready?”

Ponyboy shrugs. He’s chewing on his thumbnail, a nervous habit the three brothers share. Soda gently pushes his arm down, getting Pony’s hand away from his mouth.

“You’re gonna do great, Pony. You might be young but you’re smarter than everybody in there. You’re the smartest guy I know.”

“You know Darry.”

“Darry’s Darry. He’s smart but he’s like—perfect, yknow? He don’t count. And he an’ I both reckon you’re smarter than he’ll ever be. You’re goin’ places, Pony. Really, truly going places. We both know it. You’re on your way up in the world, you’re gonna go so far.”

“People said that about Darry. Look at him now. He’s just a college dro—” Ponyboy cuts himself off and Soda knows why.

“Show ‘em what for, Pony,” he says. “Show ‘em what us Curtises are really made of, okay? Darry gave up his chance for us, but…if anybody’s gonna make it outta this place it’s gonna be you.”

Because Ponyboy was made great things, and Soda wasn’t, and he might still be jealous but his baby brother is going to kick ass in high school.

Soda hugs him and Pony gets out of the truck, and as he starts to walk away, Soda rolls the window down and he calls out:

“Hey, Pony, if you meet a girl named Cherry, tell her I said hi!”

Pony rolls his eyes and waves. Soda laughs to himself as he drives off.

Ponyboy Curtis, talking to a soc girl. Imagine that.

He’s too busy laughing at his own joke to notice Sandy on the sidewalk as he drives past, heading up the steps into the school practically hand-in-hand with a guy who isn’t him.

He does see a girl with auburn hair walking up to school, frowning, and Bob Sheldon’s got an arm around her.

“Great job, Soda! Mrs. Larkin, look how good Sodapop’s doing! He nearly finished the whole worksheet and didn’t give up once!”

“You aren’t stupid. You just learn different than everybody else.”

Soda turns the radio on. “All You Need Is Love” blasts through the speakers. The truck’s windows are down as he heads for the exit of the school’s parking lot.

One head turns.

But Sandy doesn’t like the Beatles.

[specterllaw]

F@cking the boss - Harvey Specter x Reader Part 1/2

Summary: After being interviewed for a job offer that was meant for your roommate you meet a fascinating boss who sees right through all of your lies

You sighed as you approached your apartment door, it was painted a dull faded orange that now looked like someone had been smoking in the halls for years, you sorted through the stack of mail you grabbed on your way into the building. All of it was bills or advertisements until you got to a thin envelope, it was addressed to your roommate but it came from a big law firm in Upstate Manhattan. Pearson and Hardman, you had seen their commercials way too many times. Curious you ripped opened the paper envelope, flipping open the folded paper inside seeing an invitation to interview as a new assistant for one of their senior associates. You smirked a bit walking inside as you shut your apartment door and plopped down on the couch, grabbing your bowl of weed from the table smoking it gone before going to your room to find clothes for the interview. See normally you’d never open your roommates mail, but recently she had taken it open herself to open her legs to your boyfriend and get you fired from your shared job, so you felt like you deserved this.

Monday morning

You gulped nervous pushing open the hotel door and walking farther into the conference rooms trying to figure out where the hell this meeting was being held, until you saw the giant sign, ‘PEARSON AND HARDMAN LAW FIRM INTERVIEW NEXT DOOR ON THE RIGHT’. You took a deep breath hoping for it to give you some confidence as you walked through the door looking at all of the other females who were waiting, they all matched the type of your roommate, blonde hair, big boobs, and mini skirts. You felt like you were dressed too professional as you walked up to the desk “excuse me?..is this the interviews for the law firm?” You asked politely to the woman sitting at the desk “yes, yes it is, go down that hallway to the left and you’ll meet with Mr. Specter” she said pointing down a short hallway. You felt like the ground was shaking under your feet as you made your way to the makeshift office that had a well dressed man sitting behind the desk looking at you with raised eyebrows. “Who are you?” He asked tilting his head up towards you like he was better than you in a sense. "My name is Y/n L/n, I'm here for the..assistant position?" You offered as you took a seat in front of him, he watched you closely "Everybody is, darling, what makes you so special?" He asked crossing his arms "I'm determined in my work, I have no boyfriend, no kids, and I'm looking for a good job to get my foot in the door to becoming the best lawyer in New York" You said stubbornly eyeing him in the same manner he was to you, you knew what he was doing, intimidation. "...okay" He said unsure "What do you have experience with?"

Next Monday

You were in complete shock, you were on your way to walk to the law firm when a car had stopped in front of your path, you stopped getting your pepper spray out and ready before the window rolled down revealing Harvey Specter sitting in the back "You think I would let my new secretary walk to work? No Princess, in the car" He demanded as you stuttered rushing to the other door sliding into the seat. "Listen. Today's gonna be alot, Y/n, You'll be meeting my former assistant and who's retiring after today, you'll meet Louis Litt, jackass on a stick, he threatens or tries to flirt you tell me got it?" You nodded "You'll meet Mike Ross, my hired associate, you'll also answer to him partially under my word and he'll answer to you." After Harvey got done briefing you, You were trained by a pregnant woman named Donna, had a meeting with Jessica Pearson, a meeting with Louis Litt, and Mike Ross. Now you were being motioned in by Harvey who was sitting at his desk, his suit jacket sitting on his chair as he watched you, he looked hot as hell, and you knew you were shamelessly checking him out, unknown to you he was doing the same thing.

You took a seat in front of him as he offered you a soft smile "Hey, How's your first day?" He asked raising an eyebrow "I-It's good..I'm enjoying it so far..Louis was very...stern though" You mumbled, he raised his eyebrows "Nothing over the line, right? You're alright?" He asked, "I'm fine, Mr. Specter, I'm a big girl" You stated nervously, you knew you had been lying to Harvey since the interview, you were not qualified to work for Pearson-Hardman and you weren't anything like his past receptionist. "Well, I'm heading out for the night, care for a drink?" He offered standing up, grabbing his jacket and files "U-Um actually, I've gotta get back home" Truth was, you had to meet your dealer to get your next bag of weed. "Great, We'll drink there" He said quickly, you could tell he wasn't going to let go of the topic and Donna did warn you, Harvey liked to get close with his receptionists, they were like brother and sister. You huffed going to grab your coat and bag as Harvey called for the elevator, You followed behind eyeing him up and down any chance you got.

As you entered your apartment you realized your dealer had already been there, there was a bag of pre-rolled's on your coffee table. You were quick to dive for the bag grabbing it as Harvey walked in, watching you in confusion "Hiding something?" He asked raising an eyebrow "N-No" You protested crossing your arms, hiding the bag of joints under your arm. He tilted his head walking closer, if he was anybody different you probably would've pepper sprayed his ass, but he was hot and a damn good lawyer. "You know, Y/n..Wanna know something funny about me?" He asked as he stalked closer to you, you looked him in the eyes as you slowly shuffled back towards the wall keeping the bag tightly tucked in-between your arm and chest. "Hmm?" You asked before bumping into the wall, watching as Harvey took slow, agonizing steps towards you until you felt his breath on your face "I know when people are lying...and I know you're lying about a lot of stuff" He said quietly, not breaking eye contact with you, narrowing your eyes you put a hand on his chest. "I don't know what you're talking about Mr. Specter" You offered raising your eyebrows. He slammed his hand against the wall by your head almost making your knees give out and you fall to the floor, Harvey was huffing and you were trying to even your breathing from how hot he was currently "What're you hiding, Y/n" He asked alot more sternly, your arms dropped in defeat, the bag falling to the floor in between your feet and Harvey's. He smirked kneeling down as he picked up the bag with two fingers dangling it infront of your face. "Nothing was it?" He asked again, his tone was antagonizing, like he was teasing you. "Nothing at all" You proposed as he raised his eyebrows leaning closer before pulling one of your joints out, putting it between his lips, lighting it, all before blowing the smoke into your face. "Seems like a pretty good something to me, you get this from Mike?" He asked, your mouth dropped in shocked "That is Mike!" You gasped as he watched you, placing the joint between your lips he smirked "Inhale" He whispered as you took a hit, you inhaled then exhaled before slowly moving to the couch, Harvey close behind.

Your joint bag was gone, you and Harvey had smoked the entire thing and were now stoned off your asses, laying naked in your bed recovering from the most mind-blowing sex you've ever had. "You just ate an entire bag of pretzels how do you not have cotton mouth?" You asked in disbelief, he just laughed rolling on his back, you could see his bare chest and stomach as the sheet started to fall down around his waist. "I'm Harvey Specter I don't get cotton mouff" He stated before laughing as he made eye contact with you "Mouff? Harvey Specter does too get cotton mouff!" You laughed as you handed him your water bottle looking at him as he took a huge gulp. This was a different side of Harvey, one that laughed, that hugged, that cared.

"Harvey?.." You asked after the two of you stopped laughing "Yes?.." He asked turning towards you, draping a hand over your bare waist "Do you sleep with all of your receptionists?" You asked quietly, you could feel his fingers brushing up and down your side as he looked at you "Do you lie and fuck all of your bosses?" He challenged, you raised your eyebrows slapping his chest "ow! I'm kidding!" He laughed "No...I don't..I'm stoned, but, I know you're a sweet woman, who is already amazing at a job she was never qualified for" He stated, you studied his face, watching his breathing. He was truly the most Handsome man you've ever seen.

"Am I fired?" You asked playing with his hair slowly "No...I like you too much to let you go, and it's hard to find a lady to boss me around while also following my orders" He stated kissing your forehead before you tucked your head against his chest dozing off.

[ukrainenews]

(This situation is very much a developing thing and there's a lot of conflicting and wrong information out there right now. I know I've been absent lately, but I'm keeping an eye on things.)

Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday his Wagner fighters had crossed the border into Russia from Ukraine and were prepared to go "all the way" against Moscow's military, hours after the Kremlin accused him of armed mutiny.

As a long-running standoff between Prigozhin and the military top brass appeared to come to a head, Russia's FSB security service opened a criminal case against him, TASS news agency said. It called on the Wagner private military company forces to ignore his orders and arrest him.

Wagner fighters had entered the southern Russian city of Rostov, Prigozhin said in an audio recording posted on Telegram. He said he and his men would destroy anyone who stood in their way.

Prigozhin earlier said, without providing evidence, that Russia's military leadership had killed a huge number of his troops in an air strike and vowed to punish them.

He said his actions were not a military coup. But in a frenzied series of audio messages, in which the sound of his voice sometimes varied and could not be independently verified, he appeared to suggest that his 25,000-strong militia was en route to oust the leadership of the defence ministry in Moscow.

Security was stepped up on Friday night at government buildings, transport facilities and other key locations in Moscow, TASS reported, citing a source at a security service.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was getting around-the-clock updates, TASS said, while the White House said it was monitoring the situation and would consult with allies.

Kyiv, meanwhile, said the major thrust in its counteroffensive against Moscow's invasion had yet to be launched. "The main blow is still to come," Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar told Ukrainian television.

A top Ukrainian general reported "tangible successes" in advances in the south - one of two main theatres of operations, along with eastern Ukraine.

'OBEY PRESIDENT,' GENERAL SAYS

The deputy commander of Russia's Ukraine campaign, General Sergei Surovikin, told Wagner fighters to obey Putin, accept Moscow's commanders and return to their bases. He said political deterioration would play into the hands of Russia's enemies.

"I urge you to stop," Surovikin said in a video posted on Telegram, his right hand resting on a rifle.

The standoff, many of the details of which remained unclear, looked like the biggest domestic crisis Putin has faced since he sent thousands of troops into Ukraine in February last year.

Prigozhin, a one-time Putin ally, in recent months has carried out an increasingly bitter feud with Moscow. Earlier on Friday, he appeared to cross a new line, saying the Kremlin's rationale for invading Ukraine, which it calls a "special military operation," was based on lies by the army's top brass.

Wagner led Russia's capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut last month, Russia's biggest victory in 10 months, and Prigozhin has used its battlefield success to criticise the leadership of the defense ministry with seeming impunity - until now.

For months, he has openly accused Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, of incompetence.

Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev issued a video appeal in which he asked Prigozhin to reconsider his actions. "Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to encroach on his authority," he said.

UKRAINE SAYS MAJOR THRUST AHEAD

On the ground in Ukraine, at least three people were killed in Russian attacks on Friday, including two who died after a trolleybus company came under fire in the city of Kherson, regional officials said.

Addressing the pace of the Ukrainian advances, several senior officials on Friday sent the clearest signal so far that the main part of the counteroffensive has not yet begun.

"I want to say that our main force has not been engaged in fighting yet, and we are now searching, probing for weak places in the enemy defences. Everything is still ahead," the Guardian quoted Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, as saying in an interview with the British newspaper.

General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukraine's "Tavria," or southern front, wrote on Telegram: "There have been tangible successes of the Defence Forces and in advances in the Tavria sector."

Tarnavskyi said Russian forces had lost hundreds of men and 51 military vehicles in the past 24 hours, including three tanks and 14 armoured personnel carriers.

Although the advances Ukraine has reported this month are its first substantial gains on the battlefield for seven months, Ukrainian forces have yet to push to the main defensive lines that Russia has had months to prepare.

[overthinkingtaleblr]

How do you think each Acachalla child came into the fam?

I was going to answer this yesterday but stopped trying after clicking away and losing progress twice, so this is my third try! I really wanted to put my VISION out into the world as much as possible. Because I have a vision. Because I am normal.

I wanted to go into detail about Gertrude and Papa’s relationship first since that’s the situation they’re getting kids in, but I’m doing Gertrude and Papa’s relationship as this week’s masterpost, so I’ll just say that they were barely dating when Sally and Billy came in, but were married before Sue joined. Additionally, everyone was taken in when it was noted that they were in need.

Cutoff since I expect this to be a bit lengthy!

Billy and Sally joined the family together and were the first out of the siblings. Papa was working late at the 7-11 when these two random kids stumbled in and after awhile of them wandering around (and the smaller one getting into the Eggos), Papa was incentivized to actually figure out what their deal was. It took about an hour to work out that they both had no memory where they came from, they had no idea how they got there, and no money on them. After an additional call to Gertrude, it was concluded that no one was looking for them either. If Papa was more into the paranormal, it would've been easy to conclude a pair of black-eyed children found out what contacts were.

Of course the family would never realize it, but Billy and Sally were placed there by Darth Calculus to infiltrate the family. Only Sally, who was not in on the plan, was supposed to be amnesiac, but she ended up being more crafty than expected and had Billy's mind wiped instead. Sally still had all her memories... she just had no idea what was going on. 24 hours ago, Sally was in a zombie apocalypse, one where she got her brain partially destroyed after getting infected. However, due to not being human, she didn't become a normal zombie. Neither of them had the language or understanding to express any of these ideas, leaving Papa confused as to what he was dealing with.

Normally, Papa would've been more ready to call in a social worker or something, but these crazy teens kind of pulled at his heartstrings. It had been years since he had any real connection with his living family or the people he grew up with, and these two had some... similarities. The girl shared a name with one of his close friends who he had a recent falling-out with, and the boy was a dead ringer for his cousin who died at about the same age. If his hesitation wasn't enough, Gertrude's insistence that the foster system was terrible (she had a bit of experience) and immediate attachment to the kids was something separate to blame.

Since they still thought these kids were from the area, they didn't actually adopt them at first. Just took them in for food and shelter while keeping an eye out for missing posters or something. Gertrude gave up the loft she was staying in for the kids to share and slept on the couch until it started hurting her back. It took a bit of placement shifting before she and Papa agreed to share his bed. Around that time their new family system became normal and the kids started being considered Acachallas as well.

Spencer is unique in that he followed specifically Gertrude home. She had a harder time keeping a job, moving from place to place frequently, being fired and quitting in equal amounts. When the sloppy younger teen walked in critiquing her for her lack of knowledge in the things she was selling, she kicked him out for being a know-it-all jerk, not really considering if he had family close by. When she went to leave for the day, she saw he was still loitering outside and, mostly out of concern that he was going to try to break in after she left, offered to call his family for him. After awhile of talking in circles and a few harder-to-believe lies, including some mumbles about being a god that Gertrude laughed off, Spencer claimed to be a runaway. He stole the basement without asking.

We know Spencer is a god slowly recovering from the well-known illness of 'literally being dead', but who's going to believe him when he says it? He intentionally tried to get into the Acachalla house hoping that being under the watch of the Acachallas would keep him guarded from things that might interrupt his regeneration of power. Additionally, he knew that somewhere in the house was a portal that could access almost any known dimension, and he hoped to take advantage of it when he had his power back, staying in the basement because he assumed the shadow monster he found down there, Jeremy Acachalla, was related to the device in question.

What "The Mighty Spence" was Not expecting was being SACRIFICED by who was supposed to be his OLDER BROTHER. A consequence that Spencer could have predicted if he saw it coming: a large chunk of Spencer's (gestures vaguely) godly power/energy/self whatever-- it went into the revived ghost, Maxwell. It also partially revived the host body "The Mighty Spence" was using, making Spencer less of a temporary arrangement and something that his consciousness was actually tied to. Almost mortal. If he forgot to eat, he hungered, if he forgot to sleep, he stumbled... things like that. After awhile he complained about his conditions to the Acachalla adults, and (to his bafflement) they started making an effort to actually care for him as well.

Having not even fully recovered his memories from before his initial resurrection, Spencer kind of began to forget he was immortal, seeing himself as the only normal in a house full of crazies. His high horse came less from superiority, and more from confusion as to what drove the insanity of the others. He started becoming more social outside of the house, he felt more comfortable having opinions that were not explicitly objective fact, and he started considering his future. He's still a dick about it, but he called Gertrude "Mama" and almost made her cry for it, so that was nice. He allows himself to be officially adopted into the family soon after that, getting the papers himself. They hold a party over it.

If the power of the Mighty Spence inside of Maxwell managed to reconnect with Spencer's body, it will restart the god's resurrection and cause problems and headaches. Might even kill Spencer Acachalla as a person.

Sue entered the family last and the most calmly, no ulterior motives or anything. She arrived at the house with an assigned goal: stop Prince Fang from reaching the portal in the Acachalla house… and didn’t need to do anything, Gertrude alone handled the situation using a weakness Sue had no way of knowing how to exploit. Even if Sue was there, she probably wouldn’t have been able to do anything and might have just gotten in the way. Stressed and tired from a bunch of other things happening in her life at the time, Sue wound up in tears when she realized all of this. While comforting her, Gertrude recognized that she was basically working as a child soldier at the time, and that she didn’t have any family or any way out of this situation, much less any idea on how this world worked. One pair of puppy-dog eyes later, and the Acachallas were adopting a new daughter.

I don’t know all the details of Sue’s backstory. One day she was in a nuclear wasteland, living in a bunker with a father who didn’t respect her, living with a ski mask sewn to her face for most of her childhood because everyone she lived around vaguely sucked. The next, she was somewhere else entirely having wandered through a portal. She didn’t walk right from the wasteland to the Acachalla house though, there was an organization in the middle. Not sure who or what yet, maybe the American Military, but Sue beign a Smigglebug was very exciting for them and they employed her without asking for her input. They didn’t even put in the effort to get the mask off her face, or help her choose a new name. Before being sent to the Acachalla house, Sue was subjected to a series of people telling her in no uncertain terms that she was a disappointment.

When going through the process of adopting her, the family got stuck on the name question, since Sue didn’t want her future deadname on the paper. Papa offered the name Susan, saying he thought it suited her, and she took it and the nickname Sue with glee (Gertrude offered the middle name Annie, which Sue was also very excited for). The process was a joyful one, but was also incredibly exhausting. Billy and Maddie-Friend helped her cut the mask away, a process that wound up being surgical due to it being there for several years. She kind of shut herself away during the weeks of recovery in her own room (originally built for Spencer, but it turns out he liked the basement), but had constant visits from her new family, who always wanted to make sure she was healthy and knew they cared. She may not be the best at everything, but she was happy to be apart of the chaos when she was healthy enough to join in.

Sue’s favorite part of being an Acachalla is caring for the animals Papa adopted, most of them she had never even heard of before coming to this dimension. She’s also a big fan of experimenting with self expression, with playing dress-up with Sally, with studying new things with Spencer, with learning to cook with Billy, with being watched by Maddie when the family is out… She’s a bit of a glass cannon when in a fight, but before and after she’s happy to just be a normal girl with a family who loves her. It’s everything she wanted when she was growing up, so now she loves every second of her life. Even the pain. She’s okay with the pain.

I like to assign her Papa Acachalla’s favorite child, mostly because she never has any intention to hurt him, but also because trans solidarity. He gave Sue the deadname of someone from his past so that Susan Acachalla would be remembered as someone who actually identified with the name. Plus, maybe some sentimentality. Not like he could’ve kind-of named any of the others after his dad, they all came pre-named.

And that’s the main four siblings! Lmk if there’s any other member you want to know about!

[desidarling123]

If you haven't read this expose already, please do, because it's NUTS.

TLDR; Hasan Minhaj admitted to fully just. Lying. About things that, until recently, he posited as things that actually happened to him.

Some of the craziest excerpts from this article (imo)

But was his invention of a traumatic experience with his child or with law-enforcement entrapment distasteful, given the moral heft of those things, and the fact that other people have actually experienced them? “It’s grounded in truth,” Minhaj said. “But it didn’t happen to you,” I replied.

Dude. DUDE. What the fuck?!?!

There’s a palpable discomfort among comedians when they are asked to comment on another person’s art—a sort of code of omertà. But a number of writers and performers who spoke with me bristled at Minhaj’s moralizing posture. “He tonally presents himself as a person who was always taking down the despots and dictators of the world and always speaking truth to power,” one former “Patriot Act” employee said. “That’s grating.”

Yeah, this always drove me crazy about his style, but now coupled with the truth that he's been making half his shit up? Fucking insidious.

“If he’s lying about real people and real events, that’s a problem,” the writer said. “So much of the appeal of those stories is ‘This really happened.’ ”

Exactly. Hasan's whole claim to fame is being a "truth-teller" so discovering how much of his stories are lies... yikes!

Many stories on the cancellation also mentioned a series of tweets from former female employees of color alluding to their poor work experience behind the scenes. A document reviewed by The New Yorker revealed that three women had hired an attorney and threatened litigation against Netflix and “Patriot Act” ’s production company, alleging gender discrimination, sex-based harassment, and retaliation.

I remember when these came out. My IRL acquaintances did not really believe it, but I definitely felt odd about it. No smoke without fire...

Oh, and this ending fucking FLOORED ME.

When we spoke, I asked, were he to get “The Daily Show” hosting job, if his fabrications could put him in a compromised position when commenting on someone such as George Santos. Minhaj brushed the question off. “I think, when George Santos says he’s on the volleyball team, it’s a pointless story,” he responded. Minhaj’s “fiction” was always in service to a bigger point, putting him in a different moral category than Santos. He appeared unwilling to engage with the idea that his position in the comedic landscape is unique, or that the host of a comedy news show might be held to more stringent standards of accuracy across his body of work. When it came to his stage shows, he told me, “the emotional truth is first. The factual truth is secondary.” ♦

What a bunch of word scramble to justify.... not telling the truth? "Emotional truth", what a load of garbage. It's fucking identical to the same concept "Alternative Facts" the Far-Right was pushing so hard on us just years ago.

As a POC I find this especially rankling because we fight so hard for our stories to be heard... only for some fucking rando to not just co-opt those experiences and traumas, but fully... make them up? And claim them as his own? For clout?!?!?

What a mess. Unlikely to hurt his career (unfortunately) but goddamn.

[tewwor-moving]

* & NEW MUSE LIST .

soothsayer 'saraj cai' .

Part of The Marked ( lore here ). Mother of this local sect, does dote on pretty much all of The Marked but in her own semi-strict way, has prosthetic eyes, it’s ok to accidentally make a pun or two around her — she does it too ( no, the irony of of her saying ‘i see’ or being titled as an overseer isn’t lost on her ), prefers to use a cane, has her way on keeping tabs on everyone

ricochet 'ryaan iyer' .

All he knows is to fight, break, defeat. Never give up. Never back down. Sink his teeth in and never let go. Return the pain and rage threefold even if it tears him apart in the process. Part of The Marked ( lore here ) and certified trainer and hard ass. Doesn't allow himself time to chill out until he remembers his past fully. Reliable to get any job done ( or he'll die trying ), but keeps everyone at an arm's length.

hal murray .

The half that lies in a buddy detective duo. Aka the recently divorced single parent but not a good (conventional) role model and channels that angst / anger into his job detective. Certified hot mess that tries so desperately to come across as put together ( he rarely does ). Kid's name is Jenathan.

yoo serim .

The half that tells the truth in a buddy detective duo. Aka the comedic relief that's found a way to work smarter and no harder. Constantly eating something different in every interaction. Hal's kid thinks he's cooler / asks for advice from him instead. Has a habit to gently neg people when he's super bored.

min hyeonwoo .

self made angel ( unknowingly a parasitic divine being ) — religious trauma meets desperation solely to survive. they broke the wings clean, tore the halo free knowing there’s no turning back. ever. the transformation consumed them. melted just about everything before it all snapped back. but wrong. they came back wrong, but holy. sort of.

a ring of sacred light collars the throat, brandishing forever reddened skin. what juts from the back is just as mangled as whom they robbed. nothing but twisted bone, sinew, and ruined feathers. it hurts to be alive, but that’s okay. there’s power at their fingertips now, burning and raw. just enough for them to press on borrowed time before the inevitable happens and they’re found by the celestials akin to whom they consumed.

except it’s beginning to dawn on them that perhaps they’ve got it all wrong. that maybe the being previously absorbed wasn’t of the same divine ilk, because there sits a hunger foreign to them. only felt towards those pure and holy. do they feast to obtain their power or to become them?

burning both sides of a cigarette. are they the devil or angel on your shoulder?

liáng wěi .

investigator / informant for hire. can and will handle himself in tight situations by being extremely resourceful, but isn’t for killing. the aftermath’s too much of a hassle and he’s not made of money. cleaners are expensive as shit. passionate about cooking / ceramics but isn’t…… that great at them. makes the ugliest and most wrangled looking cups ever, but still fires them and uses them in his dinky office.

jaime bashar-suarez .

bodyguard for hire / close (one-sided) friends with jie. usually gets tips on anyone in need of continuous protection from jie's vigilante stunts. takes after the phrased ‘borrowed time’. as in, he has time manipulation but can only apply stolen time to the present to prolong the near future. can’t go back in time to alter things. can’t go back in time or in the future period. just stays in the present and select a timeframe he wants to extend for whatever reason. extremely taxing on the body so he can’t even enjoy the extension without wanting to keel over. and the people he ‘borrows’ time from? yeah, they get kind of minorly fucked over because of it. gaps in their memory, changes in their body and mind — all depending on how much time is taken.

kubo jiro .

in the wrong place at the wrong time and was accused for killing a peer in his teenage years. case fell through thanks to his father’s influence, but he also got disowned immediately. enlisted in the military after graduation, bffs with a dude in the same unit, got medically discharged after being shot in the gut a few times. tried to get back into society but can't, got himself roped into some crime syndicate because there’s order that he’s familiar with. genuinely cares for people and tries to help even if he needs to do the same 4 himself. plagued with ptsd still 🙁

seo yujin .

growing up at home had always been suffocating for yujin and her sister, so they split once they were able. both were strong, fiery spirits in different ways (fire vs. ice) and things were good for a while. unfortunately, her sister passed away in her late twenties. while everyone within the family was struck with grief, her father coped with it differently. the thing about her father is that he's a scientist hired to take on the concept of androids becoming reality. definitely the mad scientist sort. so her sister was remade as a replicant to fit his image of her. less rebellious, more sweet, lacking that spark that truly made her sister so unique. while horrified by her father's actions, it's undeniable that some of that grief ached less. it's like she's still here, but not.. exactly. So while yujin tried to sort out how she truly felt about it, she threw herself into knowing everything about repairing androids as a whole. except it's starting to wear on her in more recent days. 

[duck-in-a-spaceship]

say it back - Chapter 2

In which House humiliates Wilson. All in good fun, of course!

Summary: What if when House tells Wilson he loves him, Wilson says it back?

Well, naturally they turn to humor until “I love you”, “I love you too” becomes the most convoluted, gayest inside joke ever. And then of course they realize they mean it.

Word Count: 1408

Warnings: None

<<Previous - Next>>

+++

Chapter 2: dat ass

Wilson is hiding from Cuddy.

Well, officially he’s hiding from Cuddy. That’s his grand cover story, at least, that Cuddy has been trying to hunt him down to talk about a patient that died, and he doesn’t want to talk about the patient that died and… honestly it didn’t matter too much. House heard that he was inconveniencing Cuddy, and that was about all that mattered.

What Wilson is actually doing is babysitting.

He’s claimed the tiny desk at the front of the room, tossing a handful of files on its top so he can at least look busy, in between stealing glances at House and getting lost in his own thoughts. The collection of the candidates in the room, a species growing increasingly endangered as House picks them off one-by-one, is occasionally stealing glances at him, as well, but Wilson pretends not to notice. It had been awkward enough when he decided to barge into the room unannounced and gave his half-assed excuse to House. All eyes had been on him, as he scraped one of the dingy, yellowed chairs (Wilson’s not entirely convinced they came in that color, that it’s not just evidence of too many years of too many med students) across the wooden floors to place it behind the desk.

Now, Wilson’s decided he’s content with ignoring them all, and hoping they’ll return the favor. Not a single one of them is, so he settles on ignoring them all and just pretending to do work.

There’s a file in Wilson’s lap that he’s somewhat examining, paperwork that he’s occasionally writing things down on, but really his attention is focused on House. His best friend. The one who recently tried to kill himself.

Sorry, tried to nearly kill himself, as House had so kindly pointed out. Wilson’s not sure he understands how that’s not much better. He certainly struggled to see how it made much of a difference when he got the call that his friend had stuck a knife in a socket. The distinction didn't make a dent in his worry as he interrogated Amber, panicky and frantic, desperate to understand what happened. Wilson could only take so many frustrated ‘I don’t know’s’ before he waved her away, resigning himself to watching, waiting, staring at the burn on House’s palm and the tubes trailing along his skin. Wondering if-

A cane thuds against the top of Wilson’s head. “Ow! What the hell-?”

“You were staring.” House has perched himself on the side of the desk Wilson has claimed, looking at Wilson over his shoulder.

“Well you’re giving a lesson, it would be rude of me not to pay attention.” The cane has been abandoned on the desk, its purpose fulfilled, so Wilson picks it up, using it to gesture to the ever-shrinking crowd. “Why don’t you accuse them of staring?”

“Because they’re supposed to be staring at me. I recruited them all here just so they could stare at me.”

Someone- Kutner, Wilson thinks- raises his hand. “I thought we were here to learn medicine.”

“Oh, no.” House briefly turns back to his students, grinning like a kid on Christmas. “That’s just a fun little lie I made up for Cuddy so she would stop pestering me about all the people I fired.”

That earns House a couple of eye rolls, and Wilson silently decides that those are the people he should hire, on the spot. Kutner slowly lowers his hand.

“Just like you-” House continues, turning back to Wilson. “-are lying to me about Cuddy.”

Goddamnit, he knew he should have come up with a better cover story. Not like it would have mattered, not to House, the man who sniffed out lies like a bloodhound. The man who could’ve made it rich if they just invented a Wilson-themed Jeopardy. “What? Why would I be lying to you? You- you hide from Cuddy all the time,” Wilson splutters out half the lie, but he still sits back with an air of self-satisfaction when he’s done, crossing his arms.

“Sure, I do. But for once, this isn’t about me.” House sticks out his arm, making a big show of shifting up his sleeve and checking his watch. “ You , on the other hand, have been in here for thirty whole minutes, which is more than enough time for Cuddy to think to check where I am to find you.” The cane, which Wilson still has loosely gripped in his hand, is suddenly snatched away. “Which means you’re a big, fat liar.” House swipes at Wilson again, and he has to throw up his hands in defense, swatting the assault away. It only half-works, which seems to be the theme for the day, doing everything in halves. They each end up with half the cane in hand, right before Wilson relents and lets go.

“You’re a child . Cuddy probably just… has better things to do than chase after me.” An outstretched file points towards the candidates, who are all in various stages of listening from secretly eavesdropping to gawking at Wilson and House like they’re an exhibit in the zoo. “Do your job, House.”

“Fine, fine.” House pushes away from the desk, taking a couple steps back towards the students and their slow differential. Wilson sighs, bracing his thumb against his temple while he rubs his fingers against his forehead.

He’s been sufficiently called out, which means House’s mind is surely running with possibilities, investigating every corner of the puzzle that is Wilson’s true purpose for hanging in on his differential. Later, Wilson imagines he’ll be cornered in his own office, confronted with whatever theory House has landed on.

It’ll probably be worryingly close to the truth, but just missing the mark. He’s not sure House will remember to factor in the idea that Wilson, as his friend, actually cares about him.

House turns around, not even two full steps away. Goddamnit. “Oh but first, admit that I was right about Cuddy.”

Wilson throws his hands into the air in defeat. “You’re ridiculous.” He shuffles his stack of half-finished work into a pile, collecting it in the center of the desk as he stands. “I’m leaving. Have fun with ghost girl or whatever your case is.” Wilson addresses the group of candidates more than House himself, waving to them all as he heads for the door.

He makes it three and a half steps. Hardly around the desk, in fact.

“I love you!”

That dick.

Steps, echoing throughout the suddenly dead silent room, come to an awkward stop, cut half a stride short. Wilson half turns to look at House, who has, to his credit, stopped him at the perfect time. Their shoes nearly touch, mere inches away. Just behind House’s head, he can see the faces of each member of his audience, ranging from amused to shocked to mildly horrified. It’s like they’re all watching the circus, and the performance has gone horribly wrong.

That fucking dick .

Wilson forces a smile, because what the hell else is he going to do? Let House win? Give him the satisfaction of surrender?

“I love you too.”

The stunned silence turns to the hiss of exchanged whispers. House narrows his eyes slightly, and Wilson can see it, can pinpoint the exact moment he’s walked into the ring and agreed to play the game. At the very least, he’s pretty sure he’s just won his first point.

One more step, before House smacks him on the ass.

His steps, echoing in the vacuum of silence left by the sudden loss of whispering gossip, falter. Shoes squeak against the dingy floors, pausing before Wilson can make himself start walking again. The doors are ten feet away, he just needs to make it that far, before anyone can notice the abhorrent shade of red infringing on his face. The urge to throw one of the files haphazardly stacked in his arms in front of his face is strong , but the stream of ‘Don’t back down, don’t back down’ churning through his head still manages to drown it out.

Wilson practically crashes into the metal bar to push the doors open, turning around to preserve the files in his arms.

It gives him a perfect view of the finger-heart being held into the air, pointed right towards him. Wilson sighs in time with the air whooshing out of the way as the door slams shut right in his face.

…point to House.

[thecanadianarchives]

Thanks to the recent Spider-man movie, I went digging in my archives and was looking for my spidersona oc but instead found my symbiote oc. --- Name: Cassandra Fisher

Age: 19

Height: 6'0"

Sexuality: Homosexual

Identity: Public

Citizenship: Canada

Affiliation: Solo

Alias: Curse

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Likes: Pizza, Chocolate, Natasha Romanoff, Felicia Hardy, most meat products, and rainy days

Dislikes: Nightmares, Carnage, anyone tried to remove Curse from her, loud sound, and fire Curse’s Personality: Like Carnage, Curse is submissive and fiercely loyal to Cass. Though Curse has argued with Cass from time to time about what to do but nothing that make Curse leave Cass. Curse finds Cass to be the perfect host for them and loves all pizza and chocolate feeds Curse.

Cassandra’s Personality: Cassandra may lack intelligence compared to people around her but she picks up with having street smarts, which has helped her keep her alive. She is also very stoic, stubborn and spiteful of those who would betray her trust, to the point she made a shit list of traitors.

Powers: Curse's power reflects their father's power, Carnage. Even with all sharing powers of Carnage, they have three powers that either are unique or more powerful to Carnage's version of the power.

Tracking Evasion: Curse has power to prevent all kinds of tracking, and even cameras can’t record her. The only way to track Curse is using a magical tracking spell or physically seeing her.

Invisibility: Other Symbiotes have some form of camouflage but Curse can go completely invisible. This power isn't perfect as the moment they attack they return being visible.

Neurotoxic Venom: Curse produce a neurotoxic venom and often coat their claws or weapons in it. When Cass is in control the venom is weak and won't kill but when Curse is in the driver seat the venom becomes extremely deadly.

Bio: Cassandra’s story starts a bit before her birth and involves an unethical doctor, who wished to do a study of nurture vs nature. Dr. Robert Roth used his connections to get a sperm sample of the famous killer, Cletus Kasady, before he became Carnage. Dr. Roth paid ten Canadian families, who were desperate for a child, and they were lied to about who the sperm donor was.

Cassandra was born to one of those families, her mother was Native American and father was white man. Everything was fine for the first five years of her life but then her father lost his job and started drinking. He started to abuse his wife and her wife slowly mentally broke down in a year's time. Her mother finally snapped then killed her husband and went to kill Cassandra but slipped and killed herself. Her final words Cassandra remembers was called Cassandra a curse on their family.

Cassandra was found by police after the neighbors called them and she was put into foster care. Her stay wasn’t long luckily and adopted by the Fisher family, which gave her lots of love. For ten years she lived a peaceful life until Cletus Kasady got the Carnage symbiote and found out about the program.

Cletus went after seven of the families first to see if they were like him but was disappointed in seeing none of them were like him. His next target was Cassandra’s family and she was in the basement when he killed her adopted family. She came up to see Carnage over her mother and without a second thought she turned on the home system. The sound on the tv caused Carnage pain and Cassandra could escape Carnage but not unharmed as Carnage slashed her back.

Cassandra got outside of the house and jump started the car to drive off in a panic. For three days Cassandra ran from Carnage with just her wit and luck until the fourth day in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, Carnage had cornered Cassandra. Cassandra didn’t know how to get out of the corner until she felt something crawling out of her skin and a voice telling her to punch. Cassandra punched and sent Carnage through a building wall and Curse covered her body.

Curse told her to run and not even second thought she did that while Curse turned them invisible. Cassandra used this to go over the border to New York and once deep in the city and alleyway she asked who Curse was. Thanks to the genetic memory power all Symbiotes have and that is when Cassandra found out she was the biological daughter of Cletus.

For three years Cassandra is bound to Curse and running from Carnage. On the way Cassandra made few friends in heroes and few enemies in both villains and heroes. She has kept quiet about her being Cletus’ child and everyone thinks she’s being hunted because she escaped his claws.

Top 5 Shit List:

Cletus Kasady - Tried to kill her before she got Curse and still is hunting her.

Reed Rickards - Tried to remove Curse to experiment on it.

Maria Hill - Tried to remove Curse as she thought a child shouldn’t have that kind of power.

Scott Summers - Attacked Cassandra thinking she was Carnage and when this cleared up misinformation he still tried to remove Curse from her.

Norman Osborn - He tried to take Curse away to use it as a new bio-weapon.

Top 5 Trust List:

Natasha Romanoff - Natasha was the first hero to find Cassandra and like trying to gain a feral cat Natasha would use food to gain little trust. She would never lie to Cassandra and let her crash at her apartment. Natasha saved Cassandra and vice versa to the point Cassandra is very close to telling Natasha her deepest secret. Cassandra sees Natasha as a third mother figure.

Felicia Hardy - Taught her how to live on the streets and other skills to survive. Cassandra sees her as a big sister.

Steve Rogers - Steve’s leadership just sucked her in and he never lied or betrayed her, also he taught her how to fix a car. Cassandra sees him as a cool uncle.

Flash Thompson - He saved her from Norman and just like Natasha slowly built a bound, though it’s more of a sibling relationship.

Ororo Munroe - Ororo stopped Scott and used her powers to allow Cassandra to sneak off. Afterwards Ororo would buy Cassandra a pizza a few times and slowly build trust with Cassandra.

[treesap-blogs]

Happy Saturday, everyone! Review of “The Lost Dreamer” by Lizz Hurta!

Hello, Tumblrians! My apologies for the sheer number of reviews last week, I was trying to clear all of my reading queue before I read The Wicked Bargain :). (Review won’t be in a while though, I didn’t wanna have a reading void and as a result restocked my reading queue for the next two weeks oops.) (Eh, it’s fine, it’s mostly fun!!) I’ll be changing up my format a bit, too! Although this is purely for fun, I’m not a fan of how I don’t sound qualified or put-together a lot of the time.

(No epic Story Discovery Backstory for this review! I just stumbled across it during a trip to the library closest to my house.)

Published in 2022(most of my reads are very recent), The Lost Dreamer is a YA fantasy novel taking place in ancient mesoamerica, following two perspectives, Indir and Saya. We don’t really know how the two perspectives are connected, besides them being in the same world and both characters being Dreamers at some point, until the last quarter of the book. (Dreaming being a practice where people essentially connect themselves to the spirit realm, almost always to prophesize, it’s rare for a Dreamer to actually interact with a spirit inside. It’s mainly done to observe the fates of their home/land and anyone they know.) Indir’s a Dreamer who works for the Fire Temple, and lost her ability to Dream after Dreaming for the former king before he died, while Saya’s a Dreamer who goes around village to village with her mom while she tries to pass her abilities off as her own. I was intrigued by the premise of this, it seemed very unique and I appreciated the added bonus of the dual perspectives! (That was something I liked in Hunted By The Sky, I was looking forward to it here too once I put that together.)

It took me a while to get through this book, though, literally due to the fact that its pacing was very slow. I saw complaints about that in the reviews, but I thought “it’s only 380 pages or so! How bad can it be?” and ugh I definitely underestimated that. Now, while I get that not all stories have to be fast-paced(Our Wives Under The Sea is a different genre/demographic but fits that pacing), and authors have different ways of fleshing out their worlds and introducing their lore(see: Dune), this book seemed to just be a standalone? A standalone that ends on a cliffhanger, granted, but a one-and-done thing nonetheless. Needless to say, I found that frustrating and it made this a tedious read.

Also! This is nitpicky, sorry, but I thought the perspectives were also confusing in the context of trying to connect them together. I was unsure if Indir’s events were affecting Saya(or vice-versa??? I thought from the Lost Dreamer talk Indir would find her on her journey initially), if they were unintentionally following each other, that kind of thing. It was explained by the end, though, which I thought was..strange, but explained the timeline of the perspectives, so.

SPOILER SECTION’S BACK, BABEY!!! (end of it will be listed ^^) seriously tho huge spoilers

So it turns out, Indir and Saya’s stories are not happening at the same time. Indir’s is years behind Saya’s and, essentially, history to her. Indir is revealed to be Saya’s actual mother; the one that paraded around Saya until she ran off to go on her journey was one of Indir’s former friends until she kidnapped an infant Saya. Indir figured out somehow that her daughter was going to be the Lost Dreamer, and was trying to find her all this time.

What the fuck????

Not to say that the twist came totally out of nowhere because there’s bits and pieces where you might be like “Celay might not be her real mom because she’s been relentlessly cruel this whole time and lies about everything!”, “when the spirits mentioned Saya’s mom making sure she was safe, it could be a different person because Saya doesn’t really address Celay as her mother anymore”, and I thought the second thing actually, but I was thinking it would be like a..chosen family thing? Not that route.

 I don’t know what else to rant about in the spoiler section, sorry y’all 😭literally just wanted an excuse to be like “the ending was weird what was that”.

And then we get some kind of tease that they’ll go back for the first time since The ChaosTM that left a scar in Indir’s childhood, but the story ends. It’s like sequel bait but with no sequel???!!

 ��  Raugh.

END OF SPOILER SECTION!! I did not have a lot to ramble on about, actually. I am running out of ammo. I am drained as I write this.

Basically, for those who didn’t read the spoiler section, I just said the ending was weird and I didn’t like it lol.

Do I think this is a bad book? No. I do not think so. It just wasn’t my cup of tea, although I can see why other people may enjoy it because it has an interesting plot and background to it. It felt like it was mediocrely executed for something that had a lot of potential, and I’m pretty bummed about that. I’m worried I might be too harsh on it, though, as this is just Lizz Huerta’s debut book, so I’ll allow her some space to hone her craft before judging her as an author. 

Book Rating: ⭐️⭐️½ or ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. 

-Paz, signing off!

(Book trigger/content warnings: Childbirth scene, verbal and some physical abuse from a parent, mentions of kidnapping, animal cruelty, violence.)

[riverdamien]

Words Matter!

"Sloughing Towards  Galilee!

"Bi-Sexual--B+ Month"

September 17, 2024

Words Matter!

Its spice, its ire, its hot desire

Will lure the listeners in

To stoke the blaze of Hade's fire-

This weasel's out to win.

Its schmooze tempts snoopers ripe for fun

With tantalizing bait.

Its spill of juice will thrill and stun

It's tales that devastate.

(Susan Jarvis Bryant, from her poem, "Gossip"

"Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. .  .And now these three remain: faith, hope, and lovc. But the greatest of these is love ( I Corinthians 13: 4-7; 13-Net Version).

================================`

        One afternoon Sean called, crying, scared, saying he had been beaten up for saying he was "Bi+", "Bi-Sexual" sitting on a curve in the Castro! His mouth was cut open, with a black eye. Who would think that a young man could be beaten up in the Castro, for simply saying to another, "I am Bi+"! Sean was happy to be Bi+ and sharing in this Bi-Sexual Month! He thought of all places he would be safe.

    Recently one of the Presidential candidates was using the town of Springfield, Ohio, as an example of how illegal immigration was ruining our country, Haitians came in, overflowing, the city and there was violence, and decline!

    Pure fabrication! Pure lies! The city has been struggling the last few years with the decline in population and manufacturing. There were empty houses and empty storefronts. As a result of Haitian immigrants being brought in several years ago after military oppression in their own country, the town prospered, and there was a sense of community among the people. Many were active in the various churches, and Springfield's main street no longer had empty spaces!

    Until  Neo-Christians moved in with rumors and lies, using social media as a main tool for spreading gossip and fear,  which has led to violence, suspicion, and division in Springfield, Words matter!

Words matter!  What we say to another matter! We hear the old rhyme "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is an outright lie, for words used harshly, spoken in hate, prejudice, and threatening, can kill!

    Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 18, at 12:15 p.m. I will stand in front of City Hall with a sign saying "Homeless People are Made In God's Image, bearing witness to the reality of the inhumane cruelty of our local and state politicians talking about the possessions of our homeless brothers and sisters and discarding them, seeking to move them out of the City, and State, out of sight! This is inhumane!

    Words Matter! Words that put down other human beings, words that dehumanize and continue to tell people that only the housed and middle-class matter and any other group are not valuable! Say it over and over again, and it becomes truth! A truth that is destructive not only to the ones spoken of but destructive to those saying the words. Words Matter!

    Listen to Words that do Matter, and let each of us remember that Wisdom is crying out on the streets:

Proverbs 1:22-33 (NET)

22 “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?

23 Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings.

24 But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,

25 since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke,

26 I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you—

27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me,

29 since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD.

30 Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,

31 they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Come Join Me, at Polk side City Hall at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Deo Gratias! Thanks be to God!

=========================

May the work of

“figuring people out”

Never replace the work of knowing people

And loving people

And giving them room

To confound

And inspire

And surprise me

---------------------------------------------------------

30th Anniversary Celebration

Victor’s Pizza

6 p.m.

November 9, 2024

WE ARE BEGGARS! WE REALLY NEED MONEY--Really Badly At the moment!

FOR FOOD, SOCKS, HARM REDUCTION AND OTHER SERVICES!

P.O. Box 642656

415-305-2124

temenos@gmail.com

pay pal

www.temenos.org

(Temenos and Dr. River seek to remain accessible to everyone. We do not endorse particular causes, political parties, or candidates, or take part in public controversies, whether religious, political or social--Our pastoral ministry is to everyone!

Temenos Catholic Worker

P.O. Box 642656

San Francisco, CA 94164

Dr. River Sims, D.Min, D.S.T.

e

...

.

.

[dollycas]

Cozy Wednesday featuring The Grim Steeper (A Witches' Brew Mystery) by Gretchen Rue #Review #HardcoverGiveaway @crookedlanebks @sierradeanauthor

Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!  I am happy to feature The Grim Steeper by Gretchen Rue. The Grim Steeper (A Witches' Brew Mystery) Paranormal Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series Setting - Washington State Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books (September 10, 2024) Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639108653 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639108657 Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CPXT4R1D Audiobook ASIN B0D7WCYHN9 Audio CD ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DBWJLGPY Bookstore owner Phoebe Winchester is putting on her first major author event when a body is discovered and the plot goes off the rails in this cozy mystery, perfect for fans of Cleo Coyle and Jenn McKinlay. Amateur witch Phoebe Winchester is excited to host her first big author event at the Earl’s Study, her book and tea store. The author, Sebastian Marlow, is a famous birder excited to put Raven Creek on the map for his rediscovery of a presumed-extinct bird. When Sebastian is found dead before his planned bird hike, where he expected to prove the existence of the bird to fellow birding enthusiasts, it’s obvious someone wanted him to be extinct, too. Sebastian had a few unfriendly encounters with his staff—including his recently fired manager, who was seen arguing with him at the author event. Phoebe is determined to figure out who killed Sebastian, worried that it will negatively affect her store’s image that her biggest guest author got killed. With the clock ticking, she enlists the help of Rich Lofting, the handsome local private investigator, to help her look into the murder. Dollycas's Thoughts Author Sebastian Marlow is coming to Phoebe Winchester's book and tea store Earl’s Study for a talk and a book signing. The famous birder has also agreed to a hike with his fans as he looks to put Raven Creek on the map if he is right about finding a Pacific tanager that is believed to have been extinct for over 50 years. The signing goes well but before the hike, Sebastian is found dead in his suite at a local B&B. Phoebe has noticed tension between the author and the members of his entourage. He had also recently fired his business manager who came to Raven Creek to try to get his job back. Worried that the murder will reflect badly on her store, Phoebe knows the killer has to be apprehended quickly. She is going to need help so she asks her friend, tenant, and handsome private investigator Rich Lofting to aid her in her quest to find the killer. _____ Our protagonist Phoebe Winchester is struggling to control her witchy abilities and is worried that her secret will be out because of it. She is also learning how to make all the special tea blends her aunt previously made as well as adding some new blends of her own. There's a lawyer in town trying to buy up properties for a big corporation as well, upsetting Leo and her other friends. Add to that a signing with a famous birder followed by his murder means her hands are more than full. There is definitely romantic tension between her and Rich. Her best friend Amy owns the Sugarplum Fairy bakery next to Earl’s Study. She not only bakes delicious treats, but she is a great sounding board for Phoebe ready to give her a shove in the right direction especially considering her love life. Phoebe also has Imogen and Daphne who were friends and employees of her aunt to lean on. All the characters are cleverly crafted with great dialogue. All are very enjoyable. The mystery is full of a spider web of clues, secrets, lies, twists, and turns. Ms. Rue plotted the whole thing out so well that I thought many different people were guilty as I tried to do my armchair sleuthing. As Phoebe works to make sense of the death investigation she even states the plot was "so thick Agatha Christie would have needed a few whiteboards to unravel it all." So I am not ashamed to say I was kept guessing until everything was spelled out for me. I liked that Phoebe shared her and Rich's findings with Detective Patsy Martin and she appreciated it for the most part. But Phoebe's involvement did put her in danger. I loved the showdown and the enlightenment Phoebe received from the good detective. A book and tea store is a splendid setting for a cozy mystery series especially when you add cats. Phoebe's cat Bob is such a cool cat, smart and perceptive. He is also the store cat so he goes to work with her almost every day. Phoebe will do anything to protect him and he would do the same for her. In The Grim Steeper, Phoebe is finally able to open Bob's Place, a small section of the store where she will host adoptable kitties. Bob's reactions were humorous and heartwarming. The Grim Steeper is the perfect mix of mystery and magic. Well written with great detail, Ms. Rue's words pull you into the story to enjoy her wonderful characters and all their triumphs and tribulations with a delightful dose of humor in all the right places. I am very excited for this series to continue. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent About the Author Gretchen Rue lives in the Canadian prairies, which affords her ample time to read during six months of winter. She plays cat mom to four mostly indifferent fur children, and plant mom to roughly 100 very demanding flora. When she isn't sipping tea and working on her next novel, she enjoys swimming, hiking, and watching baseball. Author Links Website    Facebook   Twitter/X    Instagram This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Escape With Dollycas. Thanks to the publisher I have 1 hardcover copy to give away! The contest is open to anyone over 18 years old with a US or Canadian mailing address. Duplicate entries will be deleted. Void where prohibited. You do not have to be a follower to enter but I hope you will find something you like here and become a follower. Followers Will Receive 2 Bonus Entries For Each Way They Follow. Plus 2 Bonus Entries For Following My Facebook Fan Page. Add this book to your WANT TO READ shelf on GoodReads for 3 Bonus Entries. Follow Crooked Lane Books on Facebook for 3 Bonus Entries  Follow Crooked Lane Books on Instagram for 3 Bonus Entries  Pin this giveaway to Pinterest for 3 Bonus Entries. If you share the giveaway on Threads, X, or Facebook or anywhere you will receive 5 Bonus Entries For Each Link. The  Contest Will End September 25, 2024, at 11:59 PM CST The Winner Will Be Chosen Using Random.org The Winner Will Be Notified By Email and Will Be Posted Here In The Sidebar. Click Here For Entry Form  Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.” Read the full article

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Ward D | Freida McFadden | Published 2023 | *SPOILERS*

Medical student Amy Brenner is spending the night on a locked psychiatric ward.

Amy has been dreading her evening working on Ward D, the hospital's inpatient mental health unit. There are very specific reasons why she never wanted to do this required overnight rotation. Reasons nobody can ever find out.

And as the hours tick by, Amy grows increasingly convinced something terrible is happening within these tightly secured walls. When patients and staff start to vanish without a trace, it becomes clear that everyone on the unit is in grave danger.

Amy's worst nightmare was spending the night on Ward D.

And now she might never escape.

Jade and Amy used to be best friends, until a bipolar disorder diagnosis has left Jade in and out of psyciatric facilities for the majority of her teen and adult years, and Amy has gone one through college and is now entering into her third year of medical school.

Amy, during high school, felt she was being riddled with schizophrenia, having every so often witnessed a young blonde girl that would speak to her and then suddenly disappear. But, after Jade's diagnosis after an unfortunate incident involving their high school math teacher where Jade tied him up and threatened to kill him, Amy hasn't seen her at all.

Now, Amy is going to be spending the night on Ward D during her psychiatric rotation in school. Along with her ex-boyfriend, Cameron, they meet Dr. Beck who insists on meeting some of the patients staying on Ward D to get an idea of what they're going through. Dr. Beck also explains that they have a very dangerous patient inside of one of two seclusion rooms and under no circusmtances are they to open the door to let him out.

The night begins relatively well, albeit a bit boring. Slowly, the patients begin going to sleep. But Amy is reunited with her former best friend, who has recently joined the others on Ward D. She refuses to read Jade's patient chart, though, and only one nurse is available on the floor overnight, who spends the majority of her time reading at the nurses station.

Amy and Cameron spend the night speaking with various patients, including one 29 year old man who seems relatively normal despite receiving a diagnosis of paranoid schizodphrenia after hearing voices. Will has stated that he doesn't hear the voices anymore, and basically keeps to himself. Though Jade later admits that she and Will are dating, and the two of them were admitted to the hopsital at the same time.

When a power outage results in the doors malfunctioning, Amy begins to wonder if the door to Seclusion One has also malfunctioned and the now dangerous patient, Damon Sawyer, has been let loose into the Ward. Strange things begin to happen to further her concerns, and Will admits that he has stopped taking his medications as he doesn't need them. In fact, his diagnosis was wrong and that he lied to get himself onto the Ward. He's a reporter working for a local newspaper, and he is writing a piece after a former patient on the Ward came forward about the conditions the patients are treated.

However, Jade has explained to both Ramona and to Amy that Will is lying, and that she and Will ahve been dating for the last three years, and that she is truly concerned that something more sinister is going on. Amy realizes that she can trust no one, and finally goes to Dr. Beck to explain that they are unable to get off the ward.

When Dr. Beck investigates, he agrees that something needs to happen as they have no means of escaping in case of a fire. It finally occurs to Amy that when the door to the Ward is opened, an alarming bell sounds to inform everyone else that someone is entering or leaving the floor. She realizes that despite being told that Cameron left due to a family emergency, she never heard that alarm sound.

Using water to create another surge in the power, Amy is attempting to leave but instead the curiosity gets the better of her and she checks inside Seclusion One, especially after receiving a message from her roommate and current best friend that Dr. Beck isn't a young sexy doctor like Amy believes, instead being an older man with a white beard. The very man that is dead inside of the seclusion room, along with another patient named Mary, an unnamed woman, and Cameron.

Amy is approached by Dr. Beck, who reveals himself to actually be Damon Sawyer, and he and Jade have come up with this elaborate plan in order to get back at her for leaving Jade high and dry during her initial diagnosis. Jade is threatened by Amy, who has the life she always wanted for herself, and Damon has a history of arson, and plans to set the Ward on fire, allowing the two of them to move forward in their lives.

However, another patient by the name of Spider-Dan comes to Amy's rescue, having earlier claimed to not let anything bad happen to her; and Amy gets her opportunity to take down Jade, which she does. But Jade quickly overpowers her. But Amy has a knitting needle inside her scrub pocket given to her by the now deceased patient named Mary for protection. Using this, she is able to release herself from Jade's grasp until help arrives.

Will is rushed to the ICU, where he recovers, and Jade and Damon are going to spend the rest of their lives in a ward for the criminally insane. Will and Amy begin dating about 8 months after the events, and Will is writing a book on the events of that night. Despite being told by Jade that her hallucinations were caused by drugs put into her favorite drink (the reason she claims she stopped seeing the girl is because she stopped drinking them), Amy admits that she never really stopped seeing the little blonde girl, as she likely has become a part of her conscious. If it wasn't for her, she wouldn't have survived that night that she now has nightmares about. However, Amy claims that she isn't insane, and would never do some of the things the little girl urges her to do, including to harm someone else.