#‘this man fought for your country in the war and is living on the street and you (a millionaire) won’t even give him a place to sleep’

[aceredshirt13]

P. G. Wodehouse: when Archie Moffam was eleven years old he carried a dog three miles to take care of its sore foot. a woman was holding him at gunpoint and trying to force him to go to jail and make it look like he was cheating on his wife, and rather than take an opportunity to run away from her he stopped to help her dog with rheumatism. a stranger once gave him a piece of sausage in the war and upon meeting him by chance in the street Archie repaid him by rescuing him from homelessness, getting him two different jobs, and indirectly fixing his amnesia and reuniting him with his wife. he risked his own already flimsy position with his father-in-law attempting to help a working-class Italian waiter who barely spoke English and owed him nothing get better pay and hours, and when it didn’t work he helped the waiter and his mother get both money and a modicum of revenge. he adores his wife and calls her the “queen of his soul” and in the scene where he’s being held at gunpoint says he would rather be shot dead than break her heart. all this despite being a clearly-traumatized veteran of the First World War who was an officer for five years and was noted for his courage despite his higher-ups’ hatred of him. despite his family kicking him out of England the moment he was demobilized. despite his father-in-law blaming him for things that aren’t his fault and refusing to accept him no matter how hard he tries. despite this, Archie Moffam is so fundamentally full of love.

some reviewer on Amazon: yeah I couldn’t get into Indiscretions of Archie because he had no likable qualities and his wife shouldn’t love him as much as she does

[albiclalepsza]

This is the most lukewarm take one can have but I absolutely despise Elon Musk. The man grinds my gears with every fucking thing he does and says, but the shit he pulled now is just so fucking atrocious.

This article does a pretty good job at summarizing it.

The fucking gall it takes to look at your social media platform, a breeeding ground for the alt-right and fascists, and say that it would stop the Holocaust. Holy shit.

And Margolin gifted him with a piece of Hamas rocket that hit Kibbutz Beeri. What a fucking joke. This shit is so performative. In the middle of a genocide that Israel is commiting, they parade the torment of their own people around. If they could get away with it they would probably carry the bodies of people killed on Oct. 7 around to aid their rhetoric. Not to add that if Palestinians wanted to do the same they could send rocket pieces to every single politician that remains complicit in this situation.

The rest of the article is here:

And like, all this happened after Musk visited Auschwitz. His platform is the main place to propagate antisemitism online, and he uses arguably the place where Jews suffered the most to pretend that that's not true. And of course when the topic of concentration camps comes up the narrative focuses on Jews, wich is obviously absolutely understandable - this was a genocide aimed at erasing them, and it destroyed so much Jewish culture. But like, 3 million Jews that died were from Poland. If you add the non-Jewish Poles to that number you get 6 million people dead over the course of the war, most of them killed by the very same Nazi death machine that perpetrated the Holocaust.

Holocaust is also a Polish national tragedy. It erased almost 20% of our population. We learn about it basically before we're conscious enough to understand it. The shadow of that hangs above the country, so much destruction, so many lives and so much culture erased.

A beautiful synagogue that stood in my hometown got demolished by the Nazis, along with the whole Jewish district of the town. Pretty much all Jews from my town were taken to camps or murdered on the streets. The atrocities were so common that there are memorials pretty much everywhere. And it all happened within living memory of course.

My grandmother and her sister almost got executed by the Nazis. They both managed to avoid that thankfully and are old, alive and well (my grandma's sister just celebrated her 99th birthday in good health). Pretty much everyone in Poland has had someone in their family killed by the Nazis or who fought the Nazis 2-4 generations ago. My great grandfathers all fought against them, one lost a leg during the war. The history of the Holocaust and Nazi terror is just so completely interwoven with the general history of Poland that the two are inseparable.

And it pisses me off so much that this weasel, this mistake of a man takes it and feigns an apology, making a farce out of our biggest national tragedy.

Even worse, Polish media is very polarized about the whole situation. Half of the articles ignore the atrocious things he said to suck that billionaire's dick and lick his boots. No mention of this asshole disrespecting our history, just saying how cool it is that the guy who won capitalism appeared in Poland. Fuck them.

Thankfully some newspapers retained a semblance of integrity and called him out. My two favorite ones are these:

Krytyka Polityczna made a headline that says:

Elon Musk in Auschwitz. Photobooth for the pro-Russian antisemite.

And I love the summarizing paragraph here.

"By claiming that if social media existed back then a genocide like the one in Auschwitz wouldn't have happened Elon Musk admits that he understands the Holocaust about as well as his own social media platform - X."

Great takes guys. No notes.

[skaruresonic]

I don't know about other countries but here in Italy our knowledge of Native Americans and their culture pretty much comes all from old Western movies. At school they're pretty much only mentioned in passing when talking about American history because you can't exactly skip the whole genocide part but that's about it.

The other day my father learned that reservations are still a thing in the US. As in he genuinely had no idea they still existed. He also had no idea that "Indians" is not the actual name of the various tribes, or that there actually are various tribes in the first place

Man you just reminded me, my grandma fucking hated John Wayne because he said "the only good Indian is a dead Indian" lol

The other day my father learned that reservations are still a thing in the US. As in he genuinely had no idea they still existed.

That's by design. Reservations, like everything else, were designed to keep us out of the public eye; they originated as prisoner-of-war camps. In fact, there used to be fucked-up laws stating that Indians couldn't leave without express permission from the government. Out in the wider world, Indians don't "act" Indian because doing so will reduce your chances for job opportunities. inb4 someone brings up the scholarship thing: it's complicated. So then colonial structures perpetuate this feedback loop of out of sight, out of mind. "Well, I don't see any Indians, therefore they must not exist."

Our multiracial high school sits right across the street from the reservation. There's a higher concentration of Skarù·ręʔ students there than anywhere else. Well, maybe aside from Six Nations in Canada. My point being, we're neighbors with the high school. And yet, despite that, the high school never offered language classes until about five years ago. In addition, my cousin fought to have a moment of silence every Sept. 30 for residential school survivors, and a teacher got in serious trouble for saying that residential school wasn't "important" enough to include in a history lesson... Even though, again, the actual high school sits like fifty feet from the rez. While I get that ignorance is sometimes the product of circumstance, geography doesn't really play a factor in this case so much as willful ignorance. Racism is the world's most stubborn game of "I don't know, I can't read suddenly." If they don't want to see you, they just... don't.

I'm also reminded of this video I watched once of a dude who travelled across America, staying with host families of different cultures. The fact that he said staying with the Native family gave him the most amount of "culture shock" despite the fact that, you know, we live here, disappointed me. But it's also nothing new because even your neighbors can know absolutely nothing about you.

[russeliarat]

Oo! Small history lesson with BB! This is the only part of American history that I like and it isn’t even really taught to us because it doesn’t suck the governments dick. (If I have to learn about the American revolution one more GOD DAM TIME-)

Prohibition came about when people, mostly women in suffrage, complained about how drinking was ruining family’s and husbands were either never around or were a drunk mess. These protestors were treated harshly and usually firefighters were called to hose down the oh so dangerous women.

I can’t remember exactly if there was a big trigger or because some famous and rich people got involved but a bill was passed that stopped drinking in America. Despite the point being to lower the numbers who drank, drinking actually increased due to the bill.

Moonshiners were common, they also non-conspicuously started selling grape products and were like “well technically it’s not illegally to buy these almost fermented grapes and leave them in the back of your cupboard for like a month.”

The speakeasies were a thrill, there would be snake ladies, a jazz band, and paid off police officers who would sometimes join the speakeasies. Some of these places were pretty loud however and may have gotten ratted out by neighbors who couldn’t sleep.

The main problem with prohibition were gangs. Gangs made huge money from smuggling in Canadian alcohol. And it wasn’t uncommon for there to see rival gangs shooting at each other in the streets. I believe there was one mafia boss in particular who was a straight up celebrity who would be interviewed in public often.

Eventually they had to take away prohibition due to all the problems it caused, even some of those famous and rich women I mentioned earlier turned around and said “yeah, we need this gone, this was a bad idea” it helped dissolve mafias and crime once it was taken away, and the only real problem was that it put a wrench in women’s rights plans.

That’s about all I can remember. Sorry, I just like talking about history and this is like the only American history that is worth anything outside of Harriet Tubman and the worlds wars. The other wars are talked about way too much and no one cares about them.

(I’m honestly mad we talk about the revolution like 3 separate times yet never bring up how we almost had a war with a South American country over bird poop, which was and I believe still is lucrative shit).

This gives me so much more context for Lackadaisy now, thanks! I mainly learn a lot of English history because of obvious reasons, so this was very insightful! We only really learn in high-school about the history of medicine, the worst part of Victorian England, and the world wars (but not even the individual battles or people who were incredibly important in winning those wars?? I had to search my local libraries historical records to even find out there was a man from my local area who fought in the war and was awarded a medal of honour I believe. That's a whole other can of worms on how I hate that the curriculum seems to want to distance people from the personal stories and lives of those who fought to make our history. I've had this obsession with learning others stories so they can live on in someone's memories).

And I'm sorry, America's bird shit war?? It's like the war against emus all over again

[fictionsbypandorakiin]

I Remember | Boycott Family Business Beer Company

Today, I remember.

I remember that my place in this world is to stand, body and soul, between the innocent and vulnerable and those would do or wish them harm. Those who would take away their freedoms and rights won with untold suffering and loss of human life. Not just our own soldiers currently serving and veterans.

The lives taken in the cause of Democracy were no less valuable than my own, or yours. Today we remember the tragedy of their loss, too. No decent human ever delights in taking the life of another.

Today, I remember that my grandfather's brother was gunned down in cold blood on a street in The Netherlands trying to escape from Nazis he fought. An entire branch of our family tree cut off at the roots because of facist dictator

Adolf Hitler. Hitler, whom commanded Generals the likes of which

@realDonaldTrump will appoint to serve him.

I remember that on D-Day and up until the end of the Battle of Normandy, over 18, 000 Canadians died paving the way for The Allied Forces into Europe. Over 200, 000 good, selfless men from countries around the world gave their lives for Democracy at Normandy alone.

If that many human lives disappeared from the world with the snap of a finger, my entire city, and one larger neighbouring city would be EMPTY of human life in an instant.

Today I remember the horrors of war, and solemnly vow to use my vote and my voice to oppose and stamp out facism and autocracy whenever and wherever I find it.

To NEVER allow the horrors of WW1 & 2 to be visited upon humanity again.

To NEVER allow facists to rule anywhere in the world ever again.

I ask you, join me in ensuring this man, and those like him, who voted for a facist, never sees another dime of any decent human being's money, ever again.

On the 11th Day, of the 11th Month, at the 11th Hour, we remember.

#LestWeForget#DemocraticStrongAndFreeForever

This man is terrible beyond words, and has for YEARS reaped untold amounts of money from the SPN Fandom. He has liked posts from Joe Rogan in the days since the election. His response to criticism was to try to weasel his way out of it. As seen here:

[hjellacott]

And now a pause for the USA Elections 2024

You know I'm European, but with the elections THIS close, I must pause and talk to you about them.

I know you're fed up. Perhaps you didn't like Biden. Perhaps you hate Democrats. Perhaps your entire family has always voted Republican. Or you're concerned with the erasure of women by the trans collective, or the far left, or the Woke movement, or you hate gays, or you're Catholic, or you hate the immigrants, or you're worried by the high amount of foreigners in your city, "taking your jobs".

Well I'm European, but I'm also a woman, and bisexual, and feminist, and I was raised Catholic, and I am an immigrant where I live. I understand all those bits, and I understand you and I will disagree in a billion things. But the thing is, you and I CAN disagree. You and Biden, you and Harris, you and the Democrats, CAN disagree.

You can go on industrial action with the Democrats. You can take them to court, you can cancel them, you can protest in the streets, you can strike, you can write articles bullshitting. Because Democrats will always protect your freedom, your Constitution, your right to be angry, to disagree, to protest, to complain, to seek a better life. If you think Republicans under Trump will, you need to take a look into European history. A proper one.

That is why I'm here talking to you. Listen, I don't like the USA. I never have. But I am here for you, talking to you, trying to be a friend to you, because I understand that, differences aside, my parents lived dictatorships. My grandparents lived dictatorships and fought civil wars. My entire continent suffered Nazi Germany, and fascist Italy, fascist Spain, and the rise of the far-right now. And I can tell you when we listen to Trump talking, when we watch his speeches, his conventions, see what he does... It's like he's copying Hitler word for word. Hitler was also democratically chosen. Hitler started by telling Germans "listen, your struggles are because the Jews are taking your jobs". Trump's propaganda techniques are TEXTBOOK Nazi Propaganda. In the beginning, like Trump, he wasn't too bad. He seemed inoffensive. Most Germans didn't even know about the holocaust until it'd been happening for years. He didn't start raiding homes and killing people left and right immediately, it took him a few years. So his party defended him, figured out he wouldn't so bad... By the time they realised just how bad he was, he had become so powerful it was too late and they could no longer vote him out. We, Europeans, know enough about our own history to see exactly how identical yours is getting to our past, and to be able to warn you. So please do listen.

We are not exaggerating or being dramatic. I'm not a Democrat, I don't favour Harris for any reason. I simply know my history pretty damn well. I know that when people like Trump "joke" about no longer having elections, about becoming a dictator, about kicking people out, about removing immigrants or POC... you can think he's joking, but I promise you he isn't. I've seen it before. Us in Europe learned the lesson in the worst, cruellest, most tragic of ways.

If you're a Republican, this is your opportunity to tell your party you will not align with the likes of Trump, who are a threat to the very essence of the United States of America, and who represents the worst of humankind, and everything the USA is supposed to stand against. Don't support Republicans until they change their leader. Don't give your vote to a man drunk on power dying to blow up women's health, freedom of marriage, to destroy your Congress, your Constitution, your freedom, your democracy. Doesn't matter what he says now, believe what he's DONE. Believe what he's been saying for years. Believe your eyes when you saw what he did to your Congress. He doesn't give a shit about you. You're below him. He only cares about himself. He doesn't even care about his wife and his children. And he will burn your country to the ground if that's what it takes for him to have more money and more power.

I can't tell you Harris will be a great president, I can't know that. I'm sure you'll find things to disagree about with her. But I can tell you she'll keep your freedom to do so. I can tell you voting Trump is voting to shoot your country. You might as well set bombs in the streets. Voting Trump is voting for a future with no more elections, no more freedom, no more peace, no more rights. He's no Jesus. I read the Bible. I know Jesus when I see it, and it's not Trump. He's more like Satan. He's the devil in sheepskin, and you've got to listen. With him in power, forget about striking, protesting, using justice and democracy to fight for those things you want. With him in power, there will only be his word, his voice, his way. Be warned.

[bookoformon]

Ether 15: 8-9. "The River Wide."

The Book of Mormon consists of a series of wars or arguments for the eradication of corruption and oppression in the world. America in particular. America began due to a vision of an oppression free existence, then it became a hotbed for some of the world's most notorious outbreaks of slavery, genocide, and abuses of power in history. It is still struggling to put a stop to it.

Every time the Nephits and Lamanite or a prophet in the Book of Mormon engage in a war the sum of the arguments grows. The pitching of tents, not uncommon in warfare as most housing developments get destroyed during them is the realization reality has to change and in between periods of "modification" one's way of life which seemed fixed oscilates and has to become firm again.

Election years are times we migrate out of houses, start warring with each other and live in tents instead. This election year in America is, like the others the most important in the world as we struggle once again to protect the planet from a decaying intelligentsia in our country. There are no nice ways to say it- this is bullshit. The Republicans and Donald Trump have broken so many laws, have murdered so many innocent lives due to their disregard for human life it is inconceivable to permit them to maintain their approach.

But nonethelss we are doing it. To pitch a tent and continue a vapid approach is called Ripliancum "your river bed" by the Book of Mormon:

8 And it came to pass that he came to the waters of Ripliancum, which, by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all; wherefore, when they came to these waters they pitched their tents; and Shiz also pitched his tents near unto them; and therefore on the morrow they did come to battle.

9 And it came to pass that they fought an exceedingly sore battle, in which Coriantumr was wounded again, and he fainted with the loss of blood.

To faint is to realize how far from good sense and the greater good one has seems to have departed. When the riverbed is so entrenched that one does not know how much one is either a Democrat or a Republican or Christian or Jew instead of a man or woman trying to be a little happier each day before we die, then this is called a faint to a loss of blood.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 8: They came to the waters. A large river that exceeds all is called the Sea. One cannot cross the Sea it is too vast. It is a moment of realization of the might and power of God and how terrible it is to realize one has defied Him and there is no going back.

The Number is 11955, יא‎טה‎ה‎, yata, "Go, get out."

ya= yes

ta= wander

America needs to tell the Republicans to get the fuck out. It's all come out now, it is time for the Department of Justice to get its ass moving and remove these people from our soil.

The situation began when the Trump Administration and its friends from the Party, the LDS, the Family Research Council, Heritage Foundation and Friends of Israel who were running an extortion ring using little kids as a weapon against the adult opponents of the Republican Party. In my case, this resulted in a "complex case" with sealed records. Even after my numerous reports to the police, FBI and Secret Service, thousands of additional cases of rape and assault involving sexy little kids took place.

Then the same persons who were involved in the Cock Ring collaborated with Hamas and Hezbollah to attack Israel on October 7, shortly after that, they played ping pong with the balls of the people of Ukraine when they came to us for help at Christmas time. That was nearly a year ago. So today would be a good day for the Republicans to die.

v. 9: And it came to pass and he fainted with the loss of blood.

The Number is 8576, חה‎‎ז‎ו‎, this is it.

The little kids that attacked me after I turned Donald Trump into the police for election fraud and having sex with minors came walking right into my hotel room, which is just down the street from the White House in the company of Trump, Mitt Romney and their little friends and family.

The kids were all wearing jock straps and leather gear, had crack pipes bigger than their heads, and many had those orange capped needle syringes tucked behind their little ears and they knew how to use them. They thought they were having the time of their lives while the adults egged them on. If they were even in the room.

The Marriotts, owners and hotel staff, who knew what was happening the entire time and were obviously allowing numerous guests and visitors into my room.

Fortunately one of the little ones belonging to Justice Barrett called it a day when they tried to make me have sex with my cat and started screaming like an opera star about it. I am not the only one to which this happened either before or after I told the FBI about it.

My first report, made just after qurantine in 2020, resulted in the Capitol Coup on January 6. Trump and Pence and the rest did not want to face the music after I told authorities they and every member of their cabinet were trafficking in explicit material featuring they and their colleagues engaged in sex with minors, some of whom were quite young. Yes, January 6 happened because of me. As one can see, the practice was fairly widespread and the Republicans were clearly determined to protect it at all costs.

After that, I was sexually assaulted hundreds of times, and left for dead in that hotel room, hanging from a wall fixture by three pairs of handcuffs. When I recovered consciousness, I screamed and yelled for around eight hours while hotel staff and guests came and went in the hallway. I could hear them laughing at me. Finally, someone from the front desk came into the room and cut me down using a pair of pipe cutters.

Fortunately, I survived and am determined to prevent what happened to me and to those people in Israel on October 7 from ever happening again.

During the incident(s) Donald Trump himself was present in person as were his entire legal team and many of the same politicians and SCOTUS Justices still being permitted to serve today.

Many of the others involved, who were working at the hotel in which I was staying have been seen in Gaza working alongside Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists. They frequently discussed attacking Israel in my presence, and then on October 7, they did. The event was clearly coordinated and financed by members of the very top tiers of the US Gov. Imagine my feelings when I saw that smug mother fucker Mike Johnson doing his best to prevent an aid package, vital to the people of Ukraine for their war effort against Russia from passing.

So when the Numbers say "this is it" they aren't whistling Dixie. We are indeed all gathered along a dividing line and we cannot go home until this has been dealt with. The very idea the US Gov might toy with the idea of a man like Donald Trump entering the White House again is astounding, and must not happen.

We are afraid to be just in this country and this is why no one respects us. We have no reason to be afraid of the evil housed in the Republican Party and we need the respect of other nations in order to perform our duties to this world and keep our promises. Someone in a position of power in the US Gov therefore needs to show the human race it is not afraid and put a stop to it. Otherwise, after the election, we are all going to be having raucous sex in Romper Room till Kingdom Come.

Obviously a cease fire between Israel and Hamas is out of the question until the Mormons, Republicans, and their friends in Hezbollah and Iran are all dead and gone.

[brexiiton]

Woman becomes Israeli folk hero for plying Hamas militants with snacks until rescue mission arrives

By Associated Press, 1:36pm Oct 19, 2023

When Hamas militants toting grenades appeared in her living room, Rachel Edri served them tea and Moroccan cookies until police stormed in and killed the attackers.

Edri's tale of quick-witted survival during the Israel-Hamas war has turned the 65-year old woman into an unlikely folk hero in Israel. For many, she has come to symbolise the ingenuity of everday Israelis left to fend for themselves as militants turned sleeping southern communities into bloodbaths on October 7.

After an early-morning air-raid siren, Edri returned from a bomb shelter in her hometown of Ofakim to find a band of Hamas militants in her living room.

Rachel Edri, centre, from Ofakim in southern Israel, has become an unlikely folk hero among Israelis for narrowly escaping death at the hands of Hamas militants by feed them tea and cookies. (AP)

As gunfire raged outside, Edri's home saw a 20-hour tete-a-tete between hospitality and brutality.

"One of the terrorists said to me: 'You remind me of my mother.'"

"I told him, 'I am really like your mother. I will help you, I will take care of you. What do you need?'" Edri told the Israeli online news outlet Ynet.

After one of the grenade-toting gunmen struck Edri across the face with the butt of his gun, Edri soothed him.

She served the militants canned pineapple, tea and her signature Moroccan cookies. She sang them Arabic songs, and they replied with Hebrew ones. She offered the men Coke Zero — when they said they preferred Coca Cola, she obliged.

"After they drank and ate, they became much calmer," Edri told Ynet.

Israeli soldiers take position at the southern Israeli town of Ofakim. (AP Photo/Ilan Assayag) (AP)

"I started having conversations, and at one point I even forgot for a moment that they were terrorists."

After 17 hours, a rescue team was able to rescue Edri and her husband with the help of their son, Eviatar.

A local policeman himself, Eviatar gave the team a sketch of the house, helping the rescuers surprise the militants and fatally shoot them. With the house heavily damaged, Edri has been relocated to a hotel in central Israel.

On Wednesday, she was one of several Israelis invited to meet with US President Joe Biden during his whirlwind visit to Israel. She beamed and hugged Biden, as he thanked her for defending the country.

For plying the militants with snacks Edri has been touted online and in national media as the consummate Jewish mother, a play on the stereotype of a women who overfeeds guests. Israelis have also compared Edri to the biblical character of Yael, who slays an evil general by offering him food before killing him in his sleep.

The militants from the Gaza Strip blew through Israel's highly fortified separation wall and entered Ofakim and more than 20 other border communities, killing at least 48 residents of Ofakim.

A group of civilians bearing pistols fought back Hamas militants armed with assault rifles.

"They fought like lions here," said Yoni Shalem, a man who lives down the street from Edri, describing the bravery of his neighbours.

"Not the policemen, not the army — they did nothing. The only reason we're alive is because of other citizens who came to protect us."

Edri's brother, Shimon Koram, said he was not surprised when he heard how Edri had managed to avoid near-certain death.

Before the war, Edri was known for her hospitality and generosity, Koram said, working at a nearby military base cooking meals for soldiers.

The two were raised in a working class family in Ofakim with 12 siblings, he said, a childhood that taught them how to be scrappy.

"We learned to survive and acquired the wisdom of life like street cats," Shimon said. "You can see that in how she acted. "

[unstablequeerbitch]

I live in east tn and after some laws was brought up (and now in effect), I had people ask me if I was going to move. “Why?” I asked. “This is my home. I have every right to be here. I am going to stay.“ they continue to push saying that somewhere else would be better that it would be safer.

But what the young trans kid down the street? What about the shy boy staring at his best friend in school? What about the girl sitting in Sunday school realizing she can never have everyone expects of her. What about the child struggling with puberty and not realizing that they are intersex and that’s okay? What about the regions around here who helped us? Thank you ETSU who helped us during the aids crisis and became a home for people who were struggling. Thank you to the “no hate on my holler” folks and “I care who you like, can you fix my brakes or not” guys. Ironically, I’ve always felt safer down here than in bigger cities up north.

I shouldn’t alienate myself to protect myself. And leaving isn’t going to help anyone. Im not anything new. Being a redneck is as much of my identity as being queer. I will not sacrifice one to make someone else comfortable.

Now cause it’s me, I’m going to dump some Intersting info below of timelines and articles of east tn queer history:

“ I had bought into the dominant narrative in LGBTQIA spaces that because I am queer I could never live back home. I was told—in not so many words—that I could not have my queerness and my mountains, too, that I would not be safe there, that I would not be able to survive, much less thrive. This is a common experience for those of us who have left the small towns and rural areas where we grew up”

Country Queers story here

“1864 - Albert D.J. Cashier, serving with the Union Army, fought in the Battle of Nashville. Scholars believe that Cashier, born Jennie Hodgers, was a transgender man, especially since he lived the rest of his life after the Civil War as a man.” (Here’s some more Nashville and middle TN queer history timelines)

TN decided that Reagan was taking too long to do something about AIDS and made there own groups to fundraise and help assist with living expenses and medical bills (link here)

Here’s a UT teacher making a class of gay history and a photo of her great great aunt kissing a girl from 1920s

Voices out loud project who collect east tn queer history

An article talking about how so much of our history may never be obvious. I love these paragraphs. “Less obvious are the dozens of prominent Knoxvillians who were eccentrics, who often remained single, and about whom an octogenarian lady might startle you with a whisper, “people say he was queer,” or “she wasn’t interested in men, you know.”

And that would be that. A good reporter pries. Often a friend doesn’t.

You hear things, observe things, so much that you become almost sure about your conclusions. It’s not necessarily the duty of the historian to out the dead. I’m pretty sure it’s not mine, anyway.”

I’m going to say it one more time: Being a redneck is as much of my identity as being queer. I will not sacrifice one to make someone else comfortable.

Gay people in the American South

[cloudninetonine]

This is kind of based on what an anon said and this ask may take a minute to get to the Player’s Aid portion.

It is apparent that the more comfortable and cozier our life styles get, the easier it is to be traumatized.

Let me explain: Records of the first man with signs of PTSD date back to a time before guns existed I believe, so a long time ago. He was a soldier who basically had a breakdown on the field as he watched his brothers in arms- along with the enemies- die around him.

This was the first recorded incident (I think, my info may be a little off), and as our lifestyles grew easier and more and more dangerous weapons were made, the more attention began to turn to this phenomenon as more and more people were starting to act weird after witnessing some stuff.

It definitely doesn’t help that people are very disconnected in this day in age. You go fight on the behalf of your country, your people, watch millions die, and then go back to find the people you fought for walking up and down the street without even a glance in your direction. There is simply too much distance between strangers now.

Your partner and or kids may comfort you, but they cannot give you what you’re looking for as there was no immediate threat to them in their eyes, nothing was coming to kill or attack them, they were perfectly safe, sitting around and worrying over you.

This comfort mixed with the distance can tear soldiers in particular apart and is why so many veterans have PTSD. The distance in general is also an issue without going to war or anything as PTSD comes from many different places.

But here’s an example where something normally bad was actually good for a community: sometime- not too terribly long ago I believe- there was a bad volcanic eruption in France. For a whole TWO YEARS there was not a SINGLE genocide (it was either in the area or the whole country, I don’t remember), that is a long time for such a big place! It’s because everyone there shared the trauma, everyone understood each others pain on a personal level. Neighbors linked hands with other neighbors they’ve never spoken with before, grown adults cried on strangers shoulders. This is in complete contrast to the soldier thing, where nothing changed when they got home, there was no acknowledgement, and even if there was it wouldn’t have satisfied them.

Now let’s take the Player’s situation- they come from the our world where everything is comfortable and sweet, yet where everyone is distant and unconcerned. Now they’re in a world where everyone is close and caring of strangers, yet they are fighting for there lives, dying of sickness, and dealing with the shitty medieval living conditions.

Now the player doesn’t really know the boys, but they do care about them, know of there pasts, and do feel strong emotions of sympathy and understanding for them.

They then have to watch as, man and child a like, throw themselves into heated, agonizingly long, hand to hand combat.

I wonder how that’ll affect player, if the different time periods are taken into darker consideration, idk, I just need to say something to finish the ask.

Btw not all of my information may be correct, I watched a video on this stuff a long time ago and the memories of it are kinda fuzzy, so forgive me if I got anything wrong or oversimplified it too much.

Oh, wow, okay ow-

But it does make total sense. Being in an era where it's less likely to have to grow accustomed to harder environments (well, more being in a certain area) it would make sense people would become softer to the blow that is trauma.

All I know is, Player is gonna face some difficulties in this story, which includes having to deal with stuff like this- after all I want the reactions to be realistic as possible while still bordering around interesting to read territory.

[levicanpunchme]

I love your writing so much 😭😭😭 can I request ReaderxLevi they’re married after the war and treated Falco and Gabi as their owns? thank youuu

A/N: Thank you😭 I’m sorry this is a little late but I was procrastinating so much. I hope you like it ❤️

———————————————————————

Levi X Y/N

Genre: Romance/Fluff/Tiny Angst

Warning: Major Manga Spoilers ⚠️

Lucky To Be Alive

The kitchen was bathed in bright orange, soft strokes of wind travelling through the window, swaying against your frame. There was a distant sound of birds murmuring but it was overpowered by the bubbling of water. You were currently making tea for your husband, just the way he liked. He had taught you his intricate method of brewing tea, so specific that he strongly recommended boiling water on the stove and not a microwave. His tea tasting skills were so sharp, he could tell the difference in taste immediately. You knew because you had tried tricking him once.

You were pouring the steaming water into the cup when muscular arms wrapped around your waist, embracing you. You didn’t flinch because you recognised your husband’s scent immediately but froze in between your actions when you felt his body’s warmth against yours.

It was too warm-the kind where you assumed he had been sitting in the depths of hellfire for hours.

“Levi, why’re you so hot!” You screeched, dropping the strainer as you looked over your shoulder, horrified. You met his silver gaze looking at you in a daze. His lips then curled into a dizzying smile and he chuckled like he was drunk, catching you off guard.

“Why thank you for noticing-isn’t it a little too late for a confession. I’m already married to you,” his words abrasively slurred, his head lolling into your neck and his eyes glinting as if he was actually losing his marbles.

You quickly turned in his arms which were still fastened around your waist and gasped at the sight. The rim of Levi’s nose and his cheeks were stained red, his narrow eyes squinting more than usual. You anxiously placed your hands on his jaw, cupping his oval face. The touch burned your palms. You frowned, your heart palpitating. “Levi, you’re burning up,” you frantically muttered. “I think you’ve caught a fever.”

He stared at you silently for a moment and then his gaze flicked in realisation. He nodded. “Ah, I was wondering why my body feels like someone threw me into a cauldron to cook me up,” he rasped, lightheartedly.

You didn’t laugh. You pushed his arms away, earning a groan from him, which you ignored. You grabbed his hand, pulling him along with you. You noticed Levi didn’t fight your hold and your concern grew larger, realising, he probably didn’t have the strength to disobey. You headed to your bedroom and sat him down on the sheets.

“No, I’m tired of laying around,” he rasped. “Let’s go to the new amusement park you wanted to visit so badly,” he suggested and you looked at him like he had grown two heads.

“You don’t even like amusement parks,” you muttered, reminded of the time when he called them too loud and social.

“Yeah, but you like them.” Your heart fluttered at the softness in his tone. He always acted too tough but was unknowingly the most expressive man you knew.

“I’ll get you some tea. Lay down,” you urged, pushing at his toned chest. Unwillingly, he persisted your motion but when you glared daggers his way, he cowered like a young boy and laid down, his head resting against the headboard. You eyed him narrowly once again, silently warning him to stay in place and then hurried to the kitchen, hoping tea was still warm.

You touched the rim of the handle and flinched at the burning sensation it left on your fingers. Relieved, you placed the cup on a saucer and jogged back into the room. Levi was sat upright, his eyes shut and breathing heavy. You approached him in the blink of an eye, giving him the freshly brewed tea.

“It’s exactly the way you like it,” you whispered, a concerned smile uplifting your lips. He surveyed the cup and then brought it up to his pale lips to drink. You patiently waited for his reaction.

He was silent for a moment, but you could tell he liked it because he was already sipping some more and more. You still waited for his praise. Levi had praised you for everything but your tea making and at this point, it was an obstacle you had to conquer- to feel the taste of sweet victory as you finally marked this off your checklist.

“It’s darker than normal.”

You wanted to smack him so bad. Your fists clenched in annoyance as you rolled your eyes at him; no matter how great of a tea you made, he would always have something to add against it.

Levi, on the other hand, sat grinning as he sipped more of the simmering tea. His inner conscience was telling him to confess the truth, the truth being that the tea was fucking beautiful-just the way he liked, perfect colour, temperature and flavour but he wanted to tease you and watch the feisty glow inside your irises bloom.

You restrained from throwing a tantrum over his lies, all your attention driven towards another issue at the moment: Levi’s health.

“Levi, it doesn’t seem like you’ve caught a cold. Have your wounds been infected again?” You worriedly placed your hand on his free one, feeling the feverish heat radiating off his body.

It had been five years since the battle of heaven and earth, five years since Levi Ackerman lost fragments of his soul into the greatest turmoil of humanity. During the battle, your allies were brutally killed-murdered, yet the whole time, you prayed for his safety. He was in no position to fight but you knew he couldn’t back away. There were things only the greatest solider of this era could’ve achieved.

Levi‘s skin was a canvas of his pain; the wounds were deeply carved into his skin, telling the story of a solider who fought with all his might. His beautiful face was struck in the middle from a sharp blade, a large scar embedded in the right side of his face, elongating all the way to his eye. The mound around his ears was burned and tore off due to immense heat exposure. This was just the tip of the iceberg: Levi’s body was scarred thousand times over.

Levi didn’t answer immediately. He took his time, ingesting the last two sips. Then he placed the cup on the side table and stared into your eyes. “I’ve survived countless wars. A mere fever won’t kill me,” he said expressionless, making your guts twist in agony.

You feigned ignorance like his comment didn’t just dig at your heart. If that was his way of comforting you, then damn he sucked at it.

“I’ll make you some stew,” you told him and stood up to leave but he quickly grabbed your wrist, pulling you back.

“No, stay with me,” his eyes reminded you of the time when everything finally ended, when the rumbling stopped and the war was won. At that time, he didn’t look like he had won anything. Levi had battled against Titans all his life but when, the curse of the Eldians had faced its destruction, Levi’s grey orbs were faraway, in another land.

Your body tightened in concern and you sat back down on the bed, beside him. He held your hand, surveying you, and traced his thumbs along your knuckles.

The silence was suddenly interrupted when you heard heavy footsteps hit your porch. You looked at the main door in anticipation and then the sound of a bike’s ringing resounded. The door opened hurriedly and at first you caught sight of brown hair swaying and then in rushed Gabi. You smiled as she came rushing inside.

“Y/n!” She dashed inside, the aroma of freshly baked cookies diffusing into the room. The petite brown-haired devil was now an honourable soldier of the country.

Five years ago, if someone had told you that you’d be visited by a Marley warrior, you’d have called them crazy. However, after the war it was like living in a new world. Marley, despite their reluctance, were forced to forgive and forget. It was the only way out for the remaining 20% of humanity to not fall into extinction. Intermarriages between Marley and the Eldians grew rapidly after the revival of earth. It took years but things had finally begun to settle.

“Oi, how’d this brat get in?” Levi narrowly stared at Gabi, his eyebrow arched in scepticism. Gabi glared at him, her brown eyes glinting with annoyance. “The door was open,” she muttered.

“Weren’t you here like yesterday?” Levi again said nonchalantly and you stared at him wide eyed, giving him the ‘shut up’ look.

Gabi clenched her fist frustratedly. “I’m not here for you grouchy pants,” she yelled and then turned towards you, ecstatically. “Y/n, I’ve brought you cookies from the new bakery that opened on our street,” the wide eyed girl cheered, handing you the bag of goods.

“I love cookies! Thank you so much Gabi!” You graciously smiled, ruffling her hair.

“I told her you liked them.” You heard a silvery voice from behind and turned to see Falco, against the wooden door, holding his baseball cap in one hand as he smiled. The scared little boy who’s biggest dream was to marry Gabi was now an aspiring baseball player.

“Oi, who told you she likes cookies,” Levi’s threatening voice emerged and poor Falco shrunk against his cold gaze. You rolled your eyes at your husband.

“Well, I-uh-I saw her making some the other day and assumed that she liked them-I didn’t mean to-” the teen stuttered over his words, incredibly disturbed.

“Don’t mind him. Thank you Falco,” you chimed, standing to ruffle his hair.

“But I bought them for you in the heat of the morning-standing in that long queue!” Gabi scowled, her eyes narrowing at Falco who looked like he wanted to jump off the window, feeling the walls of the room were now suffocating.

You giggled softly and placed your hand on both of their heads, ruffling their hair lovingly. “I appreciate both of you so much,” you chimed. In return, Gabbie proudly puffed up her chest.

She then turned, surveying Levi who sat on the bed uninterested. “Captain, why does it look like an elephant trampled over you?” She sarcastically assumed and you almost laughed.

Levi narrowly stared at Gabi, about to clap back at her sarcastically but you quickly intervened. “He’s got a fever. I was just going to make him some stew,” you told the teens. Gabi’s smug smile wiped off as she stared at Levi silently; Falco also stepped closer to inspect the sick man.

Your heart melted as the two watched Levi, concern washing over their faces, making them pale. Gabi and Falco were deeply attached to Levi after the war. Despite acting like they hated him, they carried immense respect for the Captain and followed him around like little ducklings-inspired by his great strength and combativeness. Gabi was so intrigued knowing he alone had slaughtered 58+ titans without modern weaponry that she couldn’t stop questioning him about his experiences. He acted like she was a bother but secretly enjoyed the look of fascination in her eyes after every interrogation. They visited your home very often along with Jean and Connie.

Your raven haired husband noticed their worried frowns and grew embarrassed. You could tell by the sudden frantic look in his eyes. “Tch, I’m perfectly alright. Y/n likes to exaggerate,” he rasped, staring at you for help.

Levi was always so awkward when someone expressed genuine concern for him; he had warmed up to you eventually and loved your concerned nagging but with others, he still didn’t know the correct response.

“Guys, don’t worry. He’ll be better in no time.” You smiled warmly.

Suddenly Falco stood upright, eagerly putting on his cap. “I’ll get the fever-reducer and painkillers,” he announced like a solider on a mission and marched out the door to a pharmacist. “I’ll make stew and some honey tea, Reiner drinks it whenever he’s sick,” Gabi rushed to explain and hurried out to the kitchen.

You stared blankly. Your eyes warmed up. You looked towards Levi and noticed his eyes twinkling with something unknown. You could feel his overwhelming emotions and grabbed his thin hand, tracing your thumb against his skin comfortingly.

“Levi, aren’t we so lucky to be living in this world?” You softly whispered, afraid to break his trance.

His eyes which used to be dull, scared, tired were now brimming with happiness. You could feel it. He looked at you, nodding softly.

As you caressed his hand, his hold grew tighter.

“Do you think they remember?” He rasped, his voice so small you barely heard him. “Every time they see us, do they remember what happened to Colt... Udo... Zofia?” His voice cracked, overcome with the horrors of each war.

You edged close, caressing his jaw to meet his eyes. The eyes were so grey and sad.

“Levi, are you reminded of what happened to Sasha, Hange and so many of your comrades every time you see them?” You asked, making him ponder upon the question.

He instantly shook his head, disagreeing. “No, I don’t because... it’s not their fault.” He looked sullen. You nodded, staring into his eyes so he could understand the truth behind his words.

“Exactly. None of it is anyone’s fault. It was never our fault,” you reminded him.

Levi stared at you, his gaze softening.

Five year ago, he’d have swore he was nothing but a sacrificial lamb for the humankind’s sake. How did his empty existence manage to build himself a home? He had somehow lived. Struggle after struggle, he was finally free. Beyond the walls, there was a paradise, a paradise of freedom which he was sharing with none other than you.

Levi’s lips curled into a soft curve; he was never sure of the right answer. Was he thankful to have survived or did he wish to be rolled up into the destruction, ending his pain once in for all? He didn’t know. He only knew one thing deep in his heart: he wouldn’t trade his life for anything in the world right now.

He leaned in and kissed your mouth, tasting the sweetness of his life. You kissed back instinctively, his touch making your insides curl up.

“I’ve brought the medicine!”

You pushed him away, wide eyed while Levi groaned in annoyance. Rolling your eyes, you stood up, facing Falco who was red-faced, seeming like he had run his way back hurriedly to bring the medicine. You smiled at him.

“Give them to Levi. I’ll check up on Gabi,” you ruffled his hair again and walked away, leaving the tense duo together.

Falco edged closer to Levi, his anxiety topping the roof as he poured water into a cup. He silently gave Levi the cup of water and medicine. Levi silently observed Falco and then took the medicine, gulping it down in one go.

“Captain, do you need to see a doctor?” He hesitantly asked.

“I’m not a captain anymore, Falco,” Levi told him as a matter-of-fact.

All nerves disappeared from Falco’s frame as he heard the audible softness in Levi’s tone. He again stood upright and answered passionately. “You’ll always be a captain,” he responded. “No matter what.”

Levi smiled at the boy’s admonition. When Falco saw the smile, he couldn’t help smile huge too. It was rare to see Captain Levi break into any expression whatsoever; he’d only seen the captain smile bright with his wife.

“Have you still not got the balls to ask Gabi out?” Levi suddenly asked and Falco’s face reddened, his eyes widening in shock.

“Uh- I- no. I tried but she’s so busy all the time,” Falco winced as he tried to explain, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, embarrassedly. Levi threw his head back, a hearty laugh leaving his chest. The laugh made Falco want to crawl out of the room and hide away.

“Who’s busy all the time?” Gabi and you walked in, your hands carrying a bowl of stew which you kept on the side table.

“Nothing-No one!” Falco yelled like a deer caught in headlights, his voice cracking, straining to keep it together. You looked at Levi who seemed to be smug, his gaze flicking with humour.

“I have tickets to the amusement park,” Levi suddenly announced. You eyed him, confused. “I was going to take my wife if I wasn’t so sick but Falco and Gabi can go or it’ll be such a waste,” he said it like a command, and pulled the side drawer to reveal actual tickets.

You eyed him, shocked. You didn’t realise he had planned an entire trip to the amusement park for today. No wonder, he was going on about it. You smiled softly and nodded. “Yeah guys, it’s the new park. You’ll have lots of fun,” you told them. Falco and Gabi hesitantly stared at the tickets.

“Uh, it’s okay I don’t want to go-” Gabi said.

Levi arched an eyebrow at Falco, hinting at him to take action. The brown haired boy wanted to agree with Gabi, not wanting to discomfort her but Levi’s challenging expression made him abruptly move to grab the tickets.

“Yeah, we’ll go or it’ll be a waste...” he told her and Gabi’s face flushed, her eyes widening in embarrassment. She hesitantly looked around and then replied, “Fine!” She squealed and then the duo wandered out. Before Falco left he looked back at Levi, his eyes glinting with joy and the look in Levi’s eyes told you he was involved in setting up Falco and Gabi.

“You helped Falco out, didn’t you,” you muttered, eyeing him accusingly.

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose and then grabbed your arm, pulling you on top of him, his heat travelling through your body. You gasped as he attacked your lips again. “I needed them gone... to do this,” he whispered against your skin, expressing his ulterior motives and left his marks down your throat, causing goosebumps to rise on your flushed skin.

You were surely very lucky to have this man beside you- everyday-every night-this entire life.

•=•

[erin-hart]

From someone who teaches AP US History:

If you are confused as to why so many Americans are defending the confederate flag, monuments, and statues right now, I put together a quick Q&A, with questions from a hypothetical person with misconceptions and answers from my perspective as an AP US History Teacher:

Q: What did the Confederacy stand for?

A: Rather than interpreting, let's go directly to the words of the Confederacy's Vice President, Alexander Stephens. In his "Cornerstone Speech" on March 21, 1861, he stated, "The Constitution... rested upon the equality of races. This was an error. Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth."

Q: But people keep saying heritage, not hate! They think the purpose of the flags and monuments are to honor confederate soldiers, right?

A: The vast majority of confederate flags flying over government buildings in the south were first put up in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement. So, for the first hundred years after the Civil War ended, while relatives of those who fought in it were still alive, the confederate flag wasn't much of a symbol at all. But when Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis were marching on Washington to get the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965) passed, leaders in the south felt compelled to fly confederate flags and put up monuments to honor people who had no living family members and had fought in a war that ended a century ago. Their purpose in doing this was to exhibit their displeasure with black people fighting for basic human rights that were guaranteed to them in the 14th and 15th Amendments but being withheld by racist policies and practices.

Q: But if we take down confederate statues and monuments, how will we teach about and remember the past?

A: Monuments and statues pose little educational relevance, whereas museums, the rightful place for Confederate paraphernalia, can provide more educational opportunities for citizens to learn about our country's history. The Civil War is important to learn about and will always loom large in social studies curriculum. Removing monuments from public places and putting them in museums also allows us to avoid celebrating and honoring people who believed that tens of millions of black Americans should be legal property.

Q: But what if the Confederate flag symbol means something different to me?

A: Individuals aren't able to change the meaning of symbols that have been defined by history. When I hang a Bucs flag outside my house, to me, the Bucs might represent the best team in the NFL, but to the outside world, they represent an awful NFL team, since they haven't won a playoff game in 18 years. I can't change that meaning for everyone who drives by my house because it has been established for the whole world to see. If a Confederate flag stands for generic rebellion or southern pride to you, your personal interpretation forfeits any meaning once you display it publicly, as its meaning takes on the meaning it earned when a failed regime killed hundreds of thousands of Americans in an attempt to destroy America and keep black people enslaved forever.

Q: But my uncle posted a meme that said the Civil War/Confederacy was about states' rights and not slavery.

A: "A state's right to what?" – John Green

Q: Everyone is offended about everything these days. Should we take everything down that offends anyone?

A: The Confederacy literally existed to go against the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the idea that black people are human beings that deserve to live freely. If that doesn't upset or offend you, you are un-American.

Q: Taking these down goes against the First Amendment and freedom of speech, right?

A: No. Anyone can do whatever they want on their private property, on their social media, etc. Taking these down in public or having private corporations like NASCAR ban them on their properties, has literally nothing to do with the Bill of Rights.

Q: How can people claim to be patriotic while supporting a flag that stood for a group of insurgent failures who tried to permanently destroy America and killed 300,000 Americans in the process?

A: No clue.

Q: So, if I made a confederate flag my profile picture, or put a confederate bumper sticker on my car, what am I declaring to my friends, family, and the world?

A: That you support the Confederacy. To recap, the Confederacy stands for: slavery, white supremacy, treason, failure, and a desire to permanently employ selective history as it supports white supremacy.

It’s no accident that:

You learned about Helen Keller instead of W.E.B. DuBois.

You learned about the Watts and LA Riots, but not Tulsa or Wilmington.

You learned that George Washington’s dentures were made from wood, rather than the teeth of slaves.

You learned about black ghettos, but not about Black Wall Street.

You learned about the New Deal, but not “red lining.”

You learned about Tommie Smith’s fist in the air at the 1968 Olympics, but not that he was sent home the next day and stripped of his medals.

You learned about “black crime,” but white criminals were never lumped together and discussed in terms of their race.

You learned about “states' rights” as the cause of the Civil War, but not that slavery was mentioned 80 times in the articles of secession.

Privilege is having history rewritten so that you don’t have to acknowledge uncomfortable facts.

Racism is perpetuated by people who refuse to learn or acknowledge this reality.

You have a choice. – Jim Golden

[posterboy4duality]

A message to Trump supporters from someone who teaches AP US History:

“If you are confused as to why so many Americans are defending the confederate flag, monuments, and statues right now, I put together a quick Q&A, with questions from a hypothetical person with misconceptions and answers from my perspective as an AP U.S. History Teacher:

Q: What did the Confederacy stand for?

A: Rather than interpreting, let's go directly to the words of the Confederacy's Vice President, Alexander Stephens. In his "Cornerstone Speech" on March 21, 1861, he stated "The Constitution... rested upon the equality of races. This was an error. Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth."

Q: But people keep saying heritage, not hate! They think the purpose of the flags and monuments are to honor confederate soldiers, right?

A: The vast majority of confederate flags flying over government buildings in the south were first put up in the 1960's during the Civil Rights Movement. So for the first hundred years after the Civil War ended, while relatives of those who fought in it were still alive, the confederate flag wasn't much of a symbol at all. But when Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis were marching on Washington to get the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965) passed, leaders in the south felt compelled to fly confederate flags and put up monuments to honor people who had no living family members and had fought in a war that ended a century ago. Their purpose in doing this was to exhibit their displeasure with black people fighting for basic human rights that were guaranteed to them in the 14th and 15th Amendments but being withheld by racist policies and practices.

Q: But if we take down confederate statues and monuments, how will we teach about and remember the past?

A: Monuments and statues pose little educational relevance, whereas museums, the rightful place for Confederate paraphernalia, can provide more educational opportunities for citizens to learn about our country's history. The Civil War is important to learn about, and will always loom large in social studies curriculum. Removing monuments from public places and putting them in museums also allows us to avoid celebrating and honoring people who believed that tens of millions of black Americans should be legal property.

Q: But what if the Confederate flag symbol means something different to me?

A: Individuals aren't able to change the meaning of symbols that have been defined by history. When I hang a Bucs flag outside my house, to me, the Bucs might represent the best team in the NFL, but to the outside world, they represent an awful NFL team, since they haven't won a playoff game in 18 years. I can't change that meaning for everyone who drives by my house because it has been established for the whole world to see. If a Confederate flag stands for generic rebellion or southern pride to you, your personal interpretation forfeits any meaning once you display it publicly, as its meaning takes on the meaning it earned when a failed regime killed hundreds of thousands of Americans in an attempt to destroy America and keep black people enslaved forever.

Q: But my uncle posted a meme that said the Civil War/Confederacy was about state's rights and not slavery?

A: "A state's right to what?" - John Green

Q: Everyone is offended about everything these days. Should we take everything down that offends anyone?

A: The Confederacy literally existed to go against the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the idea that black people are human beings that deserve to live freely. If that doesn't upset or offend you, you are un-American.

Q: Taking these down goes against the First Amendment and freedom of speech, right?

A: No. Anyone can do whatever they want on their private property, on their social media, etc. Taking these down in public, or having private corporations like NASCAR ban them on their properties, has literally nothing to do with the Bill of Rights.

Q: How can people claim to be patriotic while supporting a flag that stood for a group of insurgent failures who tried to permanently destroy America and killed 300,000 Americans in the process?

A: No clue.

Q: So if I made a confederate flag my profile picture, or put a confederate bumper sticker on my car, what am I declaring to my friends, family, and the world?

A: That you support the Confederacy. To recap, the Confederacy stands for: slavery, white supremacy, treason, failure, and a desire to permanently destroy Selective history as it supports white supremacy.

It’s no accident that:

You learned about Helen Keller instead of W.E.B, DuBois

You learned about the Watts and L.A. Riots, but not Tulsa or Wilmington.

You learned that George Washington’s dentures were made from wood, rather than the teeth from slaves.

You learned about black ghettos, but not about Black Wall Street.

You learned about the New Deal, but not “red lining.”

You learned about Tommie Smith’s fist in the air at the 1968 Olympics, but not that he was sent home the next day and stripped of his medals.

You learned about “black crime,” but white criminals were never lumped together and discussed in terms of their race.

You learned about “states rights” as the cause of the Civil War, but not that slavery was mentioned 80 times in the articles of secession.

Privilege is having history rewritten so that you don’t have to acknowledge uncomfortable facts.

Racism is perpetuated by people who refuse to learn or acknowledge this reality.

You have a choice.”

- Jim Golden”

[elizabethsharmon]

So. Poland has chosen its "president" yesterday - if we can even talk about real choice here when he won by approximately 422k votes. When he won in 6 out of 16 regions, all of them with significantly lower number of eligible voters. When there are huge discrepancies between the results displayed in each polling district and the ones published on the website of the National Electoral Commission. When there were recurring instances of some voting cards not having the necessary stamps which automatically classified the vote as invalid. When some people went to vote and it turned out they're not registered in their designated district because of system error. When people abroad didn't get their voting cards on time. When his party sent over 150 buses to villages in Eastern Poland to take older, conservative people to voting stations. When this is how the results map looks like - and somehow the blue wins with orange.

In the last five years, Du*a and his party PiS (literally lAw AnD jUsTiCe but believe me, they're none of these things) have completely ruined the country and regressed it to Middle Ages.The democracy practically doesn't exist anymore, not since they have the majority to rule (the opposition won the senate back in the parliamentary elections so it's a small win but it's still not enough). They started with the judicial system, appointing conservative judges who are always ruling in their favour. The courts are not independent anymore. The Constitution is being broken over and over and over again. People have been marching and protesting for years now but to no avail. 

The national television, TVP, is practically owned by the ruling party. The propaganda, fake news, hatred on the opposition and minorities is getting stronger each day. What you need to know is that this is literally the first channel on every TV set in the country. No matter where you live, no matter if you have cable or satellite, you turn on TV and TVP is what you get. Their reach is so much higher than other TV stations from the big four (TVP1&TVP2, TVN, Polsat). Poland has fallen to 62nd out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index compiled annually by Reporters Without Borders. Before PiS took over in 2015 we were 18th. For du*a's presidential campaign now they gave TVP 2 billion PLN in order to strengthen the propaganda. There was a project to give those money to hospital oncology wards but PiS said no. TVP has only been showing him during the campaign. The other candidates have either been showed in a bad light or haven't been showed at all. Voters for whom TVP is the only source of information haven't seen other candidates nor their campaigns.

During the second round of the campaign, when another tv station, TVN, with two major Polish online media, Onet and WP, invited him and his opponent, Rafał Trzaskowski, for a debate. Du*a declined because he said he won't participate in a debate which isn't available for everyone and he asked them to reach an agreement with TVP to host the debate together. In the end there were two debates. Du*a on his own in TVP, answering predetermined questions from journalists reporting to his party and people in the studio that were paid to be there. Trzaskowski on his own in TVN and live on his Facebook channel, answering questions from the journalists from 16 independent offline and online media teams.

At the beginning of his and PiS first term of destroying the country, they started their crusade against women, because as we all know middle aged men are the most eligible people to make choices for women and their bodies. Abortion is Poland is (was? honestly who knows now) only allowed in three cases: if the woman's life was in danger, if the prenatal testing indicates severe damage of the fetus, if the pregnancy was the outcome of rape. With their pro life and anti women initiative, PiS was determined to ban abortion completely and punish it by prison. The bill was so flimsy that in some cases even miscarriage could be turned against woman. Even if the baby would've been born sick or severely disabled, even if the pregnancy could be fatal for the mother, even if it was caused by rape. We went on the streets. All dressed in black, with umbrellas in hand. Hundreds of thousands of women and allies marching and protesting together against the government. And they got scared. The bill proposal was dropped but the fight wasn't over and it still isn't. They tried to bring it back now during the pandemic just because they knew we wouldn't go out protesting. But we did, we blocked the streets with our cars.

The day after pill can only be bought on prescription. But if you end up going to the conservative ob/gyn they can invoke conscientious objection to abortion and they won't prescribe it for you. They want to ban sex ed from schools. In their opinion sex ed “demoralizes children and teaches them masturbation.” They want young people to be uneducated and have sex and get pregnant and give birth. They want to make kids have kids just so they would depend on the government and social wage programme 500+ which gives 500PLN (approximately 125€) each month to families with 2 or more children for each of their children. Right now you can be a woman raising your three or four kids and you will get the equivalent of minimum wage just for that. This program made people vote for them in 2015. First Du*a used it in his presidential campaign, then PiS was blackmailing the voters saying the program will only happen if both president and the government will be on board aka they have to get in so Du*a will sign the bill and people will get the money. People still believe only they can ensure the stability of the program even though almost all the other candidates said it will not go away.

In the last couple of weeks of presidential campaign, it became more clear than ever how Du*a is planning to win the elections - by trying to reach to the mindsets of elderly and conservative voters by attacking the LGBT community. He called us “ideological hurricane”. He said we are worse than communists. His party members have been saying we're not humans. He was saying over and over again how he doesn't care what people do in bed as long as they're not obnoxious on street and in real life about it. How sexuality is a private thing and we shouldn't be proud of it. How there's no place in Poland for “LGBT propaganda that wants to demoralize our children”. How there's no space here for unions for same-sex couples, not even mentioning marriage or adoption. How he'll do everything in his power to protect the “traditional Polish values and family model” (whatever that means). The most conservative parts of the eastern Poland has claimed their towns and villages as “anti-LGBT zone”. It's been going on since last year. After Dua's words now the hate crime is stronger than it ever was. When LGBT activists asked him to apologize for his spiteful words, showed him proofs that suicide rate among LGBT teenagers is higher than it was since his party is ruling, showed him the photographs and shared the stories of the people we lost because of the bashing they encourage and support, he said he won't apologize because he stands by his words and there's a freedom of speech in the country. Not for everyone I guess.

The journalists have been interviewing many people in different parts of Poland after it. What stuck with me were the words of some old man from the countryside who has said that “LGBT should be exterminated in Majdanek”. It's one of the places where the death camp was during World War 2. I don't think I have to tell anyone what words like this mean, how much they hurt, and how much worse it is when they’re said in the country that’s lost so so many lives during WW2. In a country that fought so hard for so many years to reclaim its freedom from the nazis and then from the soviets. In the meantime of this bashing, Du*a has pardoned a pedophile so he could return to his family (and the victim he abused). So that would be it for protecting family values.

The exit polls results yesterday were so close that they gave us so much hope that we would wake up in a new reality today but the hope died quickly. Now we're stuck again with a man who said in the middle of the global pandemic that he's anti-vaccination and he doesn't think vaccine for covid-19 should be obligatory. With a man who thinks climate change and global warming isn't real. With a man whose actions are constantly destabilitizing economy because he only acts like there is today and doesn’t look forward in the future and doesn’t know the way he and his party ruin the country will have terrible consequences in a few years. With a man who is homophobic, racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, and many, many, many other things. With a man who is a "president” of Polish people but only if you're a straight catholic man voting for his party.

Now our fear is that with him being “elected” as the “president” again, his party will try to meddle with the Constitution and try to change it so they could either extend his term for more years or extend the number of terms a president can have. And even if the change can’t happen so easily, what’s sure is that they will try to take away basic human rights from women and LGBT community. They made it perfectly clear in the last five years and during the campaign now.

So if you’re asking yourself now what can you do about it the answer is simple: spread the word. Read about it. Educate yourself. Make a buzz in the social media. We need as much help as we can get. We need foreign media to pick up the topic, we need them to talk about it and to make the noise. We need the foreign governments to know about it. European Union has already declared that if the bashing on LGBT continues, they will take away the development aid from the self-proclaimed “anti-LGBT zones”. Our country has suffered so much and somehow we’re still standing but I don’t know for how much long we will last. So please. Don’t leave us alone.

[just-dreaming-marvel]

Out Of Time ~ 126

MASTERLIST

< previous chapter

Word Count: 2,525ish

Summary: Y/N sees her men after saying goodbye to Coulson and the team. Infinity War starts.

Tony’s apartment was dark and quiet, which was extremely unusual for any of Tony’s places of living. 

“Tony?” Y/N called, her body was exhausted. She was trying to hold herself together from also saying goodbye to part of her family. “Tony?”

“The Boss is currently away on a business trip, Agent Rogers,” FRIDAY responded. “I will inform him that you are here.”

“Thanks… Uh, FRIDAY?”

“Yes?”

“I’m… I…”

“If I could step in, it seems like your body is exhausted, running on its last amounts of fuel. May I suggest that you rest? I will order food and work with Mr. Stark to get him here as fast as possible.”

“Okay… I’ll be in Tony’s room.”

~~~

“Y/N?” Tony called. 

When FRIDAY had told him that Y/N was back, Tony quickly ended the meeting he was in and flew home. He had been kept up to date on the SHIELD issues, since they were being broadcast everywhere. The man hunt was on Y/N like nothing it had before. He was concerned and so very worried, Tony was barely making it through the meeting.

“Y/N? Are you there?” He tried again, exiting his suit and searching his apartment.

“Boss,” FRIDAY responded. “She is resting in your room. She came back with extreme exhaustion. I’ve sent her to be and ordered food.”

“Thanks, FRI,” Tony sighed, relieved. 

He quickly, but quietly, made his way up to his room. Opening the door, the light from the hallway illuminated a very asleep Y/N, buried in the covers. He walked over, tucking her into the covers more before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Tony?” She rasped, eyes half opening.

“Go back to sleep,” he urged, brushing his fingers over her cheek. “I’ll let you know when the food’s here.”

She nodded, quickly falling back to sleep. Tony watched her lovingly before changing into something comfier. He was in the living room, waiting for the food, when the elevator dinged. Quickly on guard, Tony stood up defensively. He relaxed slightly when he noticed Peter waltzing in, bags of food.

“Hey, Mr. Stark!” Peter greeted excitedly.

“Hey, kid,” Tony responded. “What ya got there?”

“Oh, FRIDAY told me that you needed me to run and get some food. Even told me where to go and what to go.”

“FRIDAY, huh?” He looked up at the ceiling with a little shake of his head. “We’re going to have a conversation later.”

“Am I intruding on something?”

“No, kid,” Tony sighed. “It’s about time I let you in on a little secret.”

“A secret? What secret?”

“How about you go and get everything set up for three in the kitchen and I’ll be right back?”

“For three? Okay, Mr. Stark!” 

The kid rushed away to the kitchen. Tony headed back to the bed room. He had the urge to leave Y/N sleeping, as she very well needed it, obviously. But she needed to eat as well. He walked over and gently sat next to her.

“Y/N,” he called softly. “Time to wake up.”

“Hmm?” She hummed, stirring from her slumber. 

“Food’s here. And, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

“Meet?” Y/N was more awake now. “Tony, you know I can’t—“

“They won’t say anything to anyone. I promise.” He grabbed one of her hands and brought it up to his lips for a kiss. “Please?”

“Okay, Tony,” she nodded. Her stomach growled as she threw the covers off of her.

Tony chuckled. “You hungry?”

“A little.” She put her hands out. “A little help.”

Tony smiled and nodded before grabbing her hands. He carefully guided Y/N so that she was standing. Keeping hold of one of Y/N’s hands, Tony began to lead them out of the bedroom. Suddenly, Y/N tripped over her own tired feet.

“Woah, there, honey,” Tony said, steadying her. “When was the last time you ate?”

“Uh… honestly, I don’t remember,” Y/N responded. “It was… I thought happened.”

“And you better plan on telling me all about it after dinner.”

“Yes, Tones.”

Tony wrapped an arm around Y/N’s waist to keep her more steady as they made their way to the kitchen. When they arrived, Y/N saw a teenager, one from the pictures on the wall. He was setting up dinner.

“Mr. Parker,” Tony called, the boy’s head snapped to look at his mentor. The boy was clearly surprised to see who was standing beside Tony. “I’d like you to meet Y/N. Y/N, this is Peter Parker. Or, Spider-Man.”

“Hello, Mr. Parker,” Y/N greeted holding her hand out for the young hero to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Peter nervously shook Y/N’s hand. “You’re…” He swallowed. “Y-you’re Lady America. I… I fought your brother in Germany.”

“You did, huh?” Y/N gave Tony a look. Tony looked away, not willing to meet her eye. 

“Yeah! I even stole his shield from him.”

“Well, that sounds like an interesting story. I’d love to hear it sometime.”

“Okay!” / “Let’s not.”

“Miss Rogers, I promise I won’t tell anyone about seeing you,” Peter continued as they sat at the table. 

“Thank you, Peter,” Y/N replied. “It means a lot.”

“How was school today, kid?” Tony asked, taking Y/N’s plate and dishing food onto it. “And patrol? Save any cats?”

“School was school. I spent most of science reworking my webbing. And I didn’t save any cats today, Mr. Stark. Just some old ladies crossing the street.”

Y/N honestly enjoyed the dinner with Tony and Peter. It was a sense of normalcy that had disappeared from her life what seemed like ages ago. After dinner was done, Peter needed to go home to get Aunt May. He awkwardly said goodbye before disappearing into the elevator. Y/N leaned back into Tony once Peter was gone. Tony pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

“Coulson’s dying,” Y/N whispered.

“What?” Tony quickly moved so that he was facing Y/N. “How?”

“I don’t know. But, I said goodbye to him and the team. Only final time.”

Tony pulled her in for a hug. “I’m sorry you had to do that,” he said softly. “I know how much they meant to you.”

“He was there when I woke up… he was my first friend.”

“Do the others know? Does Daisy know?”

“No. And I wasn’t meant to find out.”

Tony looked down at Y/N. “What do you need me to do?”

“Hold me.”

So that’s what he did, all night long.

~~~

To say Bucky was anxious would be an understatement. Y/N had been gone for about a week, without a word from her. Shuri had tried to cheer him up, but it was only met with grumpiness. He was beginning to worry that something had happened to her. After that worry crept it, Bucky noticed that T’Challa and the others were keeping something from him.

“What do you know?” Bucky asked, marching into the throne room where T’Challa and his counselors were.

“Leave us,” T’Challa requested, and the others quickly left. “This is about Y/N.”

“What do you know?”

“I will show you.”

T’Challa showed Bucky the news footage of Talbot’s press conference and him getting shot in the head by Daisy, only for Y/N to appear moments later.

“The government will stop at nothing to throw her in Raft,” T’Challa stated. “I have—“

“They won’t waste their time with Raft,” Y/N’s voice came from behind. The men spun around to see her standing there. “They’ve already made it clear that they will kill me on sight.”

After spending time with Tony, Y/N knew she needed to go back to Wakanda to see Bucky. She willingly let Tony make her breakfast before fighting him to let her leave. Luckily, she won.

“But I’m fine,” Y/N continued. “Healed it myself.” Bucky began marching towards her, clearly angry. “What? I’m okay, I pro—“

She was quickly cut off by his lips smashing onto hers. With his only arm, he pulled her into him, keeping her tightly against his chest. Y/N could feel all the worry and frustration that was being poured into the kiss.

“Don’t ever do that again,” Bucky growled against her lips. 

“I’m sorry,” she replied softly. “I really had no choice.”

T’Challa cleared his throat, reminding the two that they were not alone. “I’m glad that you are alright, Y/N,” T’Challa said with a slight smile. “I’m afraid Barnes here was about to burn the whole country down to search for you.”

“The whole country, huh?” She looked at Bucky, teasingly. “Wow.”

“The whole country, no,” Bucky defended. “The whole world, that’s probably about right.”

“Cause that would solve the problem.”

“Anything to get me to you, doll.” He gave you a softer kiss. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. And I’m safe.”

~~~

The next year went by in this weird, fast-slow sort of way. Both Tony and Bucky were as understanding as they could be with the situation Y/N was putting them in. But as time went on, the more frustrated and jealous both men became. Valentine’s Day was honestly the least problematic of any of the holidays. And that was saying something.

Alone, Y/N worked to gain more control and confidence with her abilities. She needed to be ready for whatever was coming. At the start of 2018, the Stones slowly began haunting her dreams, concerning both men greatly. Sleeping was becoming a luxury. The Stones showed to her their powers and the vision Wanda showed her three years previous. They kept telling her to prepare, but not exactly what to prepare for. 

The mounting stress of choosing between the men she loved and the oncoming battle that laid ahead, was enough to make anyone go crazy. But Y/N tried her best to keep an even killed head on her shoulders. Both her men could see that this was all weighing on her, but they did their best (somedays) to take a weight off of her.

Y/N also began to grow more angry at Steve. Though she missed him greatly. She was so mad at him. Mad at him for not reaching out or appearing to not care. She was mad at him for not telling her about Howard’s death and for not being willing to see outside his stubborn ass. For that being there when she lost AJ. But Y/N also missed him terribly. Steve was her twin after all. She would always love him.

It was now currently April and Y/N was up late after having visions of the Reality and Power Stones. And a purple giant. She was alone in her Wakandan bedroom, staring at her hands nervously. She had woken up deciding that she couldn’t wait any longer to choose. A choice needed to be made before what ever was haunting her came. In all honesty, Y/N had known for months, who’d she choose. She was just lying to herself.

With a deep breath, Y/N looked over at her side table. There were two clocks on the table, one with New York’s time and one with Bucky’s. It was almost time for her morning run with Tony. 

“I guess it’s time to make the choice official,” she whispered to herself. “Someone help me.”

~~~

Tony was already waiting at the Compound for Y/N. He had bought the property on the other side of the lake months back so that their dates could be outside more. He put in a dirt path so that they could run in the mornings too. Tony was leaning against a tree, waiting for Y/N, with his fingers running over his knew (detachable) arc reactor. Ever since Y/N began to struggle to sleep at night, he knew he needed to do something to protect them. To protect her. The new arc reactor didn’t get placed without a fight. But Y/N eventually gave in.

“You ready to lose again, tin man?” Y/N teased, appearing through a portal beside him.

“I never mind losing,” Tony smirked. “The view’s great.”

“Perv!” 

Y/N playfully swatted him. Tony grabbed her hands and pulled her into him for a kiss. Something was off about it.

“You okay?” He asked, pulling away.

“Yeah,” she responded, unconvincing. “Just ready for a run.”

She pecked his lips once more before sprinting off. He quickly followed. They ran in silence for a while before Tony started talking, but it wasn’t all making sense to Y/N.

“Slow down, slow down,” Tony requested. “I’m totally not kidding.”

“You’re totally rambling,” Y/N laughed, slowing down to a walking speed.

“No, I’m not.”

“Lost me.”

“Look, you know how you're having a dream, and in the dream you gotta pee?”

“Yeah,” Y/N nodded.

“Okay, and then you're like, 'Oh my god, there's no bathroom, what am I gonna do?', 'Oh! Someone's watching,' ''m gonna go in my pants.’”

“Right. And then you wake up, and in real life you actually have to pee.”

“Yes.”

“Yeah. Everybody has that.”

“Right! That's the point I'm trying to make. Apropos of that, last night, I dreamt, we had a kid.” Y/N stopped turning to face Tony. “So real. We named him after an eccentric uncle. Uh, what was his name?”

“Right… Tony, I think—“

“Morgan! Morgan.” He snapped his fingers.

“So you woke up, and thought that we were…”

“Expecting.”

“Really?”

“Yes?”

“No,” Y/N shook her head. “We haven’t even had sex in a year. How could that me possible?”

“I had a dream about it. It was so real.”

“I’m sure it was, Tony. But I haven’t even—“

“I know, I know. You haven’t chosen yet. But just think about it, will ya? My dream can’t be far off.”

Y/N sighed and untied the jacket sleeves around Tony’s neck. “Also, if you wanted to have a kid, you wouldn’t have done that.” She tapped the new reactor.

“I'm glad you brought this up, 'cause it's nothing. It's just a housing unit for nano particles.”

“It's not helping your case, OK?”

“No, no, it's an attachment, it's not a—“

“You don’t need that.”

“I know. I had the surgery. I'm just trying to protect us. The future uses, and that's it. Just in case there's a monster in the closet, instead of, you know…”

“Shirts?"

“You know me so well. You finish all my sentences.”

“You should have shirts in your closet.”

“I should have more of your shirts in my closet.”

“Tony—“

“I know, getting ahead of myself again. You know what there should be no more surprises. Let’s have a nice dinner tonight and we should have no more surprises. I should promise you.”

“Actually, Tony, I really need to talk to you about something. I made—“

“Tony Stark,” a man with a red cloak appeared a few feet away. There was an orange portal behind him. “Y/N Rogers, I’m Doctor Stephen Strange. And I need you both to come with me.”

next chapter >

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS AND SUCH!!! FEEL FREE TO SEND IN AN ASK OR DM, OR YOU CAN REBLOG OR COMMENT. THANKS FOR READING!

NOTES: from now on the taglist when be added by a reblog. I will reblog it using my second account, @just-dreaming-marvel-2​​. Just so that my main page doesn’t get too cluttered.

If you want to be added to the tag list, please dm me or send in an ask.

[mhadumpsterfire]

Vegas Lights [P.1]

~~~~Katuski Bakugou~~~~~

Big, celebrity partygoer Katsuki Bakugou opens a new casino in Y/N's hometown where they run the family bar. Once this new casino opens down the road, the L/N family business loses customers and a whole lot of profit. What happens when Y/N goes down their to tell the big man himself off for her family's sake?

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

Warnings: Fluff, mentions of family trauma/hardships, mentions of usage of drugs and alcohol, mentions of sexual activities, mentions of murder.

Reader is AFAB!

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

Everything was great. Business was booming more in the summer than ever before! The money was practically rolling in for your family. Maybe you could help buy your parents a new home soon.

"I am so proud of you, Y/N! I mean look around!" He wrapped his arm around your shoulder before continuing "Our bar is selling out like hotcakes! And this is all because of you and your amazing advertisement idea!". You smiled and sighed to yourself. "Oh, dad. It wasn't just me, it was all of us. You and everyone here all know this bar wouldn't be what it is now without you and mom." You stated confidently, wrapping your arm around his shoulder as well.

He chuckled at you feverously "Thank you, flower. Y'know it was a great idea to invite you to help at the family bar. We really don't deserve quite a special little girl like you." You grunted at the nickname "Dad, I'm 18. I'm not your little girl anymore. I'm a woman now." "You'll always be our little girl, my dear" Your mother said approaching you and your father, her classic high heels being heard from down the hall. "Monica! Lovely of you to join us this evening" Your father stated happily. "Well....I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I think we should have a family meeting in the other room. Away from..the bar." She said nervously. She gave the attitude as if she was afraid of the news she had...whatever it was.

It can't be that bad, right?....at least that's what you thought to yourself to comfort the anxiety rushing through you like bullets. Your mother led you and your father to the living area before sitting everyone down.

"So......Emmett...Y/N....I was informed by our business manager that...a new casino is in the works to open this week down the street on 43rd and...she said it might be disastrous for our business...." She started.

Holy...shit. What? Before you could even let out a breathe of acknowledgement, your father spoke up "What?! Monica, what are you saying?" Your mother sighed to herself before speaking once more "I-I mean think about it. A new banging casino in this boring ol' town? Multi-level bars with all the newest and most expensive alcohol in the country? Yeah...I'm afraid our group a' 3 old pinball machines and bottom shelf bottles won't make the cut for the cool kids club in town."

A weird and indescribable feeling washed over you....it was a mixture of anger, regret, confusion, hopelessness and doubt. You and your lineage of family had been running this bar for the past 60 years in this old, boring ass town. And now a stupid ass rich bag of garbage is gonna build their giant tobacco hut in the middle of your hometown?

"We must figure a way through this. Our great great grandparents fought their place at this bar years ago during the great depression. If meemaw and peepaw L/N can do that, then we can put up a competition too, right Monica?" He said, courageously "Yeah, you are completely right. We will fight for what out bloodline built....Y/N? My dear?" She said, you were snapped out of your thoughts "Y-yes mom, we will fight this battle." You replied reluctantly.....but you couldn't help but think to yourself...."But...will we win the war?"

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

A/N- I know this is a short random one but I got a spark of inspiration tonight so I wanted to just write to my heart's content. Let me know if this is a cool series idea or not :-). I also wanted to set in stone my upload schedule should be at least once every other day, or I'll make sure I have new stuff out every other day.

Also, thank you all for all the notes, reblogs and followers I've received these past few days, it's of course not a lot but its' pretty swag people like my stuff. :-)

and...fyi...this was not proofread >:)