#America is supposed to be a people's country. but it's not. not anymore or really anytime soon. it's fucked up.

[bear-cubs-art-things]

I was talking with some friends on how the govt is pushing anti gay bills and how they overturned rode v wade and I realized that this country is fucked up on so many levels.

[sniigura-archive]

okay so i like just got back from my trip (i forgot to check tumblr and had 99+ notifs so i've been checking them today..) and i had this thought because i was leading at a camp!! so imagine adam is really highly regarded in his church and everyone knows he's sera and chuck's son and he's been apart of helping in the church for ages and he ends up going on like a camp away with his church where he's leading a bunch of kids and teaching them and they all look up to him and want to be him but then like late at night him and reader are hooking up behind the cabins or somewhere secluded where they wont be found and he just has such a moral dilemma because surely this one thing doesn't make him bad? right? i don't know if reader would be unphased or she would feel the same way.. like she could just be helping out for like experience or cause she's getting paid or she could also be leading like adam and they are both internally freaking out about getting caught and about how wrong this is like does this make them terrible people? how can these kids look up to them if they are contradicting themselves on the daily? i kind of just thought it was a weird concept because i love adam and him contradicting himself on his religion.. was thinking about writing it cause i have been so bored after getting home.. like i generally don't know what to do with myself anymore..

omg thag must have been so cool!! i’m supposed to do like an exchange semester in an english speaking country and i have been thinking of like doing summer camp in america but. i am deathly scared of the usa so it’s on the back burner

RELIGIOUS GUILT ADAMMNM 😭😭😭 i think it’d be very sexy if reader had like a seduction position in this. reader is doing this for the money + some extra credit she gets for working with children

so she’s very much teasing adam. bending down in front of him, her buttons pop open only when adam is around, her white shirt getting wet and see through, licking her popsicle Like That while looking into his eyes. nothing is better than teasing a repressed church boy. so what if they end up between the trees in the middle of the night?

adam is hissing at reader and calling her harlot and temptress. wants nothing more than to fuck some decency into her. when he wakes up the next day in his bed he’s having a crisis

WAITTT!! IMAGE THIS WITH VIRIGIN ADAM!!!

blushing virgin adam who loses his mind when he sees your bra strap. the camp counsellor go swimming and you’re a bit isolated from the group with adam. you flash him your tits to mess with him more and the poor guy can’t leave the water for the next 30 minutes. he insists on swimming some more rounds alone so he can sleep better later (yeah as if) and you stay back a bit to gather your things and then you bend over while you’re on the shore and adam in the water, you push your bathing suit panties to the side to give adam a nice view of your pussy. when you hear him choke and splutter on the lake water you cover yourself again while laughing at him

adam wants nothing more than to fuck you. it’s embarrassing how he has to pump his dick to the thought and memory of you every night. but he also holds himself back simply because he knows how wrong it is. you’re like the devil with the way you keep tempting him

[demonqueenart]

hi! first of all, i'm so sorry you're feeling the way that you are. you've helped open my eyes to things i admittedly didn't know (dan's comment at wad, for example) or didn't notice. i'm glad you're receiving at least some support from other phans! i don't know if this helps at all (and it's not me trying to excuse dan), but i wanted to add some context to his "third-world country" reference. as an american, i can tell you that we grew up learning "this"third world" as the proper term. most of my colleagues, friends, family members, etc. STILL use it casually to refer to developing nations/the global south - we were literally taught to use it in school. of course it has since become obsolete, as the wording is incredibly offensive. i know about this because of my time in academia, but this awareness hasn't at all spread to the general population (especially in dan's/my generation of millennials and older). as smart as i do think dan is, i wonder if that's also the case in england. he has the responsibility to educate and inform himself and he needs to acknowledge that he's hurt and alienated a large proportion of his fanbase, so i still hope he'll do that soon.

as for the tour, one of my my best friends is mexican (and lives in mexico) and she was really disappointed during ii when they had to cancel the announced mexico dates. they had assumed the dates would work out, but - if i remember correctly - were presented with a lot of visa/permissions issues. they tried to make it work but it didn't, and they waited much too long to tell anyone. my guess is that they wanted to avoid a similar disappointment this time and not give anyone false hope, nor accidentally say anything negative about those countries as they explain their reasoning (which, of course, just comes off worse - ignoring is never the issue).

other artists have had similar issues with asian and middle eastern countries as well, as there is increased censorship and visa requirements. i've spent four years of my life in asian countries (and a few months in south america) and know that there are phans there who'd love to see them, but it might not be feasible.

ultimately, however, dan and phil owe everyone transparency and need to acknowledge if they're having difficulties with bookings in other countries and why. they usually go back and add dates later, so fingers crossed that they're trying to work out some dates in latam and may yet still add them.

It’s the lack of transparency that is the issue here. How am I supposed to trust them when they won’t tell me anything in the first place? And if they expect me to assume for the best, I don’t think I can do that. Not with all the time they tried to bury their mistakes when people have been hurt as if it’s nothing. I’m sorry but if they’re choosing to look good in the public eye before choosing us, then I don’t think I can trust them anymore. And it’s not that they’ll look bad when they’re talking about this stuff, but the fact they have never once talked about it ever really makes it feel like they want to keep this shut. And that hurts a lot.

Thank you for your perspective tho. I think it helps seeing where they can possibly come from.

Auto-message: This ask’s purpose is to acknowledge dnp’s past/present exclusivity, not to cancel them! But to embrace mistakes that they’ve made so that 1. we won’t exclude people in need in this community, and 2. we can normalize bringing up exclusivity so that improvement can happen. Hopefully this will one day help dnp realize that this is a safe space for them to talk about their mistakes, so that this space can become safe for people of all kinds too <3

*If you don’t understand what is happening, scroll through my blog for context. And I’ll be taking time to answer my asks, so don’t think I’m ignoring youuu*

[caramel-ribbons]

It kinda hit me that North America, my country, tried to recreate the narrative they perpetuated throughout the Iraq War: that Middle Eastern people are meant to suffer. We don’t want it to happen, but it’s kinda inevitable isn’t it? They don’t have the resources. They don’t have the education. We need to save them from the wars we start and the devastation we profit from. They need us.

It worked during the Iraq War because, even though many Americans were against it, Bush successfully managed to insinuate that they were exceptions. He ensured your discomfort with the war wasn’t as simple as you disagreeing with the killing of innocent people, but instead a disapproval of your country. You didn’t respect America. You didn’t care about it. Suddenly, you also disrespected America’s principles. You hated justice. You hated freedom. You didn’t want to help the people of Iraq because if you really wanted to, you’d oppose terrorism, and you’d support this war.

I wasn’t alive in 2003, but from the way it’s been described, and from the music I’ve listened to and the recollections I’ve heard, the Iraq war didn’t represent the people of America. It wasn’t supposed to. Instead, it represented the values of America. It represented the things American politicians, corporations, and their supporters are willing to sacrifice and excuse for the sake of money, reputation, and power.

But it falls apart when you have to witness the tolls war has on people. When you have to hear their stories. When you have to learn their names. When you have to see emaciated bodies. When you have to see families screaming and crying; mourning on camera. When you have to see corpses belonging to the same people you’d seen smiling and laughing and dancing not even days ago.

And the narrative completely shatters after you experience the dissonance between Gaza and Israel. When you see Zionists dancing near the homes they destroyed. When you see them partying a few miles away from the remains of churches, universities, and homes. When you see them in uniforms, hear about their white phosphorus and their bombs, and read about all of the human rights they get to violate whilst still getting a seat at the table where they can decide how many more homes they can destroy and people they can kill.

They then try to tell you that disagreement with this war makes you a bigot. Makes you prejudiced. If you’re against Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and if you’ve been against the ongoing apartheid, then you’re anti-Semitic. Think about the Holocaust. Think about the influx of hate crimes happening to Jewish people in your country. And you do think about them. You’ve been thinking about them. That’s why it doesn’t work.

Because you know what anti-Semitism looks like. You also know what Islamophobia looks like. You also know what genocide looks like. It doesn’t have to be defined for you anymore. You’re seeing examples of it every day. You can never forget what it means. And so the narrative fails because you understand that no one should experience this. Even if they’re “supposed to” but were they? You thought you were crazy or naive, but no. It doesn’t have to be this way. It never should’ve been, and they were wrong for trying to convince you that it should. They were cruel. They were callous. They were evil.

So now, it doesn’t matter how many celebrities stay silent. It doesn’t matter how many politicians try to demonize you, and it doesn’t matter how many labels they try to assign you for opposing this war. Because you know it isn’t a war. It never has been. It’s a genocide, and contrary to their attempts to say otherwise, you should be against it. Because before you’re an American or a Palestinian or Jewish, you’re human, and if you still have any shred of humanity left, you can’t support this.

[justinsentertainmentcorner]

Aja Romero at Vox:

One of the things that made Macklemore’s Gaza protest rap “Hind’s Hall” so electrifying when it dropped on May 6 is how unexpected it was. It wasn’t just that Macklemore, who hasn’t really seemed culturally relevant since his notorious Grammy win over Kendrick Lamar a decade ago, was suddenly headline news. It was that no one, relevant or not, seemed to be making protest music anymore, least of all about the Israel-Hamas war. Macklemore’s blistering anthem takes aim at Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza, where more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, following the deadly October 7 Hamas attacks. The song comes at a time when student protests around the country are pushing the conflict and America’s role in it to the forefront of cultural debate. Though Macklemore doesn’t have the reputation for political activism that other artists have, it’s not for lack of trying: He’s been producing politically themed music ever since his debut album in 2005.

Macklemore also occupies a rare position: As he himself says in a “Hind’s Hall” verse, his status as an independent artist, as well as a white one, allows him to take a bold political stance. Most artists would risk career-ending repercussions for speaking out, especially about such a polarized subject as Gaza. The post-Trump era has been a fallow period for protest music, though the current revival of campus activism could usher in an adjacent revival for the genre. But if “Hind’s Hall” hints at a return, there are other complicating factors at play when we think about what protest music even means in contemporary America.

Macklemore, surprisingly political

“Hind’s Hall” doubles as a song of support for student protesters across America and as a form of protest against Israel’s Gaza offensive itself. The song title refers both to an informally renamed building at Columbia University, the nexus of student protests there, and to the hall’s namesake, Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian girl who was allegedly killed by Israeli troops in January, along with her family. The Israeli military also allegedly killed the ambulance crew dispatched to rescue her.

The first verse takes aim at US police and features footage of student demonstrations all across the country where law enforcement was summoned to disperse the mostly peaceful protests. Macklemore also implies that speech on social media has been suppressed: “You can pay off Meta, you can’t pay off me,” he sings, referring to Facebook’s reported censorship of pro-Palestinian views (Meta has denied that claim). The third verse takes aim at the Gaza conflict itself as well as President Joe Biden’s unwillingness to pressure Israel to change course. “Where does genocide land in your definition?” he asks. “Destroying every college in Gaza and every mosque? Pushing everyone into Rafah and dropping bombs?” — referring to Israel’s military offensive against the city of Rafah, which was supposed to be a safe zone for over a million civilians.

While protest songs experienced a resurgence in the wake of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, musical artists have largely stayed silent until now on the subject of Palestine. But while most people know Macklemore mainly from his 2013 hit “Thrift Shop,” a tongue-in-cheek rap glorifying swag finds from Goodwill, he’s not as unlikely a torch-bearer as you might think for this kind of performance. He’s maintained a surprisingly political catalog, starting with his debut album, 2005’s The Language of My World, which included a track called “White Privilege,” years before the concept of white privilege was well-known within the culture. The song addressed Macklemore’s conflicted feelings on the cultural appropriation of hip-hop by white culture, taking aim at everything from white audiences (“White kids with do-rags trying to practice their accents”) to “controlling” music industry corporations and white artists like himself.

Another track on the album, “Bush Song,” was even more overtly political, mocking then-President George W. Bush for everything from bigoted and sexist politics to the economy and war in Iraq. Macklemore’s most notable political move prior to “Hind’s Hall” came with 2012’s “Same Love,” a song that advocated LGBTQ equality and criticized homophobia within hip-hop culture. 2016 saw him return to the theme of racism with “White Privilege II,” a track he recorded with Jamila Woods. The track covers themes of racist police brutality and the 2014 Black Lives Matter protests over the killing of Michael Brown, protests Macklemore himself participated in.

Macklemore hasn’t escaped political controversy in the past, including an incident that complicates his decision to speak out on the Israel-Hamas war. In 2014, he wore the world’s most ill-judged costume during a performance, featuring a bulbous prosthetic nose, a black wig, and fake beard. Macklemore at first called the outfit “random” but eventually apologized for its antisemitism. Macklemore says on the track that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism, but it’s difficult to try to be the one to parse the difference when you’ve previously appeared in this kind of stereotypical getup in public. Still, missteps or not, Macklemore’s status as an independent artist — not to mention a white artist — puts him in a position to take bolder political stances than most artists. Though “Thrift Shop” catapulted him to huge fame, Macklemore primarily used, and still uses, YouTube and social media to reach his core audience. That worked well for “Hind’s Hall,” enabling the track to go viral on Instagram and Twitter before it even landed on streaming services.

[...]

Protest music isn’t what it used to be

We like to think that activism and music have always gone hand in hand, but despite a long legacy of protest music in the US, it’s been decades since we had sustained musical movements of political change and resistance. The ’90s saw plenty of riot grrrls, and the Iraq War generated its fair share of politicized music in response. These days, however, songs like Green Day’s 2004 “American Idiot” or socially conscious rap like Donald Glover’s “This Is America,” 2018’s anti-gun anthem, are rare.

The arguable death knell for protest in pop may have come in 1992, when Ice T’s heavy metal band Body Count released its eponymous debut album, featuring a still-controversial track called “Cop Killer.” The song, which protested racialized police brutality in the era of the police beating of Rodney King, prompted record stores around the country to remove the album from their shelves. It offended law enforcement organizations so much that they successfully pressured Ice T to remove the track and likely influenced Ice T’s label, Warner Bros., to part ways from the rapper at the arguable peak of his success. To this day, authorized versions of the song are difficult to find. “The early ’90s had a lot of really aggressive protest music, and that’s all gone now,” Patch explained in an interview. “And I think a lot of it has to do with the “Cop Killer” case.” He noted that in addition to Warner Bros. severing its contract with Ice T, several other artists lost their contracts in the wake of “Cop Killer” for similar politically incendiary reasons. The backlash created a chilling effect over the entire industry.

Vox takes a look at Macklemore’s anti-Israel apartheid and pro-Palestinian protest song Hind’s Hall and its place in the world of protest songs.

[kandisheek]

FIC REC WEEK 20 - 616

one day in New York by UltravioletLightwaves

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: E Words: 7,921 Tags: Flirting, Missions, Smut

Summary: Where else can you fight a giant insect in the afternoon, attend a fancy charity event in the early evening, and spend the rest of the night learning some surprising things about your coworkers?

Reasons why I love it: There is so much to love in this fic. The action is amazing, the team dynamics are super fun, and of course, the Stony flirting is fantastic. I adore Ultraviolet's writing style, it's so engaging and really makes the characters feel like real people. Plus, the smut is incredible. I love this fic so much, and I hope you'll go and check it out for yourself!

Quiet Time by saraid

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: E Words: 3,943 Tags: PDA, Bad Ex Sharon, Relationship-Affirming Sex

Summary: They were just stealing a bit of quiet time.

Reasons why I love it: I actually like Sharon as a character in canon, but I'm also a big fan of her being a sort of evil ex of Steve's, so this fic is right up my alley. I love how Steve doesn't hesitate to stand by Tony and deals with the problem straight away. Definitely check this one out, it's great!

Ambigram by magicasen

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: T Words: 10,265 Tags: Time Travel, Action, De-Serumed Steve

Summary: Steve's lost the serum. Steve's not an Avenger anymore. Steve's supposed to be past these types of missions, even if he'll never say no to punching Hydra goons in the face. But if the Avengers need him, Steve will answer their call. But then an unexpected visitor from the past joins the fray. Steve's past self has lots of things to say: about the future, the team, and Steve's relationship with Tony.

Reasons why I love it: I'm always a fan of multiverse shenanigans, and this one is no exception. Steve kind of breaks my heart with his insecurities about his place on the team, but the ending is so hopeful that it makes up for all of it. I love this one, and I hope you go and check it out for yourself!

In the Morning, I'll Be New by WhenasInSilks

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: E Words: 5,055 Tags: Friends with Benefits, Light Dom/Sub, Hickmanvengers

Summary: “Please?” Tony��s voice is low and hoarse. It drags against Steve like the head of a match; a single puff of oxygen could turn that friction into flame. This is what it’s like, being with Tony. So many years spent wondering and here is the answer. It’s like being one breath away from burning.

Reasons why I love it: God, all the emotions packed into this are so good. The smut is incredible, and Steve's feelings for Tony are as beautiful as they are heartbreaking. Especially once you get to the end and that last sentence just punches you in the gut. I love this fic so much, and I bet you will too, so go and read it!

Everybody Got Naked and We Got Cap Back Day by Letterblade

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: T Words: 5,085 Tags: Fix-It, Skrulls, Angsty Schmoop

Summary: The aftermath of the Civil War. Captain America is dead and buried, his country and her heroes torn and staggering. Iron Man, his friends lost or fallen, has been handed the wreckage of SHIELD. And, as the world slowly recovers, the secret council known as the Illuminati meets one last time, called together by the corpse of a shapeshifting alien Skrull, only to find that one of their own, too, has been replaced. In fear of an invisible invasion, two of the remaining council go investigating, and find a few ships out by Jupiter that don't at all belong...

Reasons why I love it: I want the title to be a national holiday from now on. I love how this fic turns canon on its head and brings Steve back into the story in a way that allows him and Tony to have a big, emotional reunion (and more). It's fantastic, and you should definitely read it!

[my-castles-crumbling]

Hey, cas!

I think I need some advice. Apologies in advance if this sounds too urgent or something. I know one of your boundaries is to not feel pressured to answer immediately and I don’t want you to feel like that’s what I’m doing.

So school started again about three weeks ago but I was sick the entirety of last week, so I’ve only actually been to school for two. Where I live the school system is a bit different from America, but you could say that this is my first year of high school, only that I didn’t have to change schools.

Even though it’s only been two weeks, I’m already immensely stressed out. Now that I’ve been sick for a week, I’m scared I missed too much stuff, especially because the level of things we need to do has doubled since last year. I’ve always been pretty lazy and never really studied for anything except sometimes math. I never needed to because I got Bs and often As anyway. Now however I’m completely overwhelmed.

Last night I panicked so much about having to go back to school today, that I almost threw up. When I realized, I found myself thinking about forcing myself to throw up to prove to my mother that I was still sick so I wouldn’t have to go to school.

When I realized that that was what was going on I had another breakdown and didn’t do anything. I felt almost disgusted at myself for even thinking about that.

This morning I wanted to fake a headache, but ended up not because my mother kept insisting I go to school.

When I was on my way to school, my bike had issues, so I asked my mom to come help me. I had a breakdown before she even arrived. When she did, she tried to help me and understand what was going on, but I couldn’t really speak or listen to anything she told me. I think I may have had a panic attack of some sort.

When I’d calmed down enough to explain what was going on, she tried to reassure me that everything would be alright and that my grades didn’t matter to her. I knew all of that already, but it did calm me down a bit.

After we agreed that I can stay home today as long as I promise to go tomorrow, no matter what, she suggested that I go to therapy, which I was planning on asking for anyway.

All in all it doesn’t sound as bad anymore now that I’ve typed it all out like this. The only issue is that in my country Therapy waiting lists take an average of 6 months. I don’t know how I’m supposed to wait that long.

Do you have any advice on how to get my anxiety under control until then. Or how to feel less stressed about school in general. I can’t talk to my teacher because she’s very strict and her method of teaching people who don’t know stuff yet is to repeatedly call on them and throw them in ice water basically. I’m sure she means well, but it only increases my anxiety by a tenfold. What would you tell your students if they were having trouble with something?

I definitely struggled with this when I was younger, so I completely get it. I think one of the things about feeling overwhelmed like this is you feel like you have to get it all done in one day. So instead, could you maybe make a list of the things you need to get done, but then separate it into manageable chunks? Like Make up all your math work on Monday, science on Tuesday, etc? You could even show your teacher your plans to let her know you're working toward getting caught up.

Honestly, I would tell my student that you need to go easy on yourself. If you push yourself too much, you're going to end up learning less because you're too stressed! The people what expect you to be perfect aren't worth it. Take breaks, do a little at a time, and remind yourself that it's just as important to take care of yourself as it is to catch up <3

Sending love and naming you catch up anon!

[infjinthecity]

Hi Tumblr, What's Up?

Hello Tumblr! Can you believe I have existed in fandom spaces for this long and have never been on this platform? It seems that Tumblr is fandom’s MVP but I just never made the trek over this way – anyways, I’m here now. If you’re reading this, it’s probably because I told you about it on one of the other social media platforms and you probably at least know that I’ve very recently packed up my life and moved to China! I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to document my experiences here, and although we live in a visual era, I’m just not interested in being in front of a camera. I love to write and want to talk about my journey, so a blog seems like the best fit for me.

So, why China? Despite the fandom spaces that I occupy, my decision to move to China had absolutely nothing to do with Zhang Yixing or Wang Yibo. When people ask me why I made this change, I jokingly tell them it was an act of sheer desperation, but really, although I’ve always been joking when I’ve said that, it’s not too far from the truth. If you’re interested in learning why I moved to China and hearing about my experiences here, I hope you’ll stick around.  

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

If you don’t know, I’m Australian but I have spent the majority of the last 14 years living and teaching in the United States. I worked in Los Angeles for 11 years and then in New York City for another 2 before I packed myself and my cat up and went back to Australia. I left the United States for three main reasons – all of which were related to my job. In no particular order, because they were all as problematic for me as each other, I left because of low teacher pay, egregious student behaviour, and the insanely high workload. In short, I was b u r n e d o u t. A lot of Western countries are experiencing a teacher shortage right now, and America is definitely leading the charge. There is a reason why people are fleeing the profession, and most of them are rooted the same reasons that I left the country.

I went back to Australia naively thinking that work was going to be better there. I grew up there and went to school there, and I completed my teacher training in Australia.  When I went through my university degree and prac assignments in Victoria, the job was definitely not this. So I returned  home with rose-coloured glasses thinking that teaching would be far superior in Australia than the experiences I was having in the United States. Boy, was I ever wrong! While the kids in Australia don’t have guns like they do in the U.S., their attitudes towards education and teachers in general is very reminiscent of what is going on in the U.S, and schools are still places of violence and conflict. I can’t speak for the private system, but all my friends in the public system say the same thing. And honestly, teacher workload in Australia is not lesser than that of the U.S., so I found myself – again - completely stressed out all the time, despite making this huge change that was supposed to better my life. That coupled with the outrageous cost of living in Australia (my god things got really expensive while I was living abroad) prompted a pervasive idea that just would not stop taunting me. The voice inside me kept saying I can’t do this anymore.

And so, it became clear that I had a choice to make: either stop teaching altogether or find somewhere to teach that isn’t going to break me. I did not initially consider China but as I continued to research my options, all roads always lead right here – The People’s Republic of China.

And, to cut a very long story (which I will elaborate on in other posts) short, here I am!

Right Here, Right Now

I’ve been here for 38 days now and it’s been the mother of all whirlwinds, for sure. I had been to China twice before on holidays (one of those holidays was to scope out my city and my school) so it wasn’t like I was coming into the country blind, like so many other foreigners do, but even so, it’s been hard. Very hard. Maybe one of the hardest things I’ve ever done? Probably.

I don’t speak the language very well, despite all the lessons I’ve been taking. Man, nothing tests your skills like absolute immersion and being surrounded by people who don’t speak a lick of your native language. I’m an articulate, educated person and here I’m reduced to a blubbering mess who stumbles and fumbles over sentence fragments, and fragments of fragments! The language is going to take time. A lot of time.

I’ve had many low points, and there were a few days a couple of weeks ago when I was legitimately considering throwing in the towel and going home. But, I am still here, so obviously I didn’t do that. And I’m glad I didn’t because it’s getting easier and all the things I love about China are starting to overshadow all the hard things that make me feel like living here is impossible.

My cat is arriving from Australia on October 11 so we’re here for the longer haul after that. I can’t take him back to Australia from China (I’ll make a post about that later) so we either stay till he dies, or we exit and live in another country for a year before returning home. Don’t worry, I have an exit strategy planned if I need it, I just don’t want to need it, if you get me.

I’ll be blogging about teaching here, my fandom experiences (of which, I’ve already been lucky enough to have some of), travel, and general thoughts and insights on what it’s like to live in China as a foreigner.

I hope you stick around because this place is crazy and I’ve got so much to tell you all. If you’ve got questions, I’m happy to answer them. I'm new to this Tumblr thing so be kind and patient with me while I work it all out!

Till next time, peace.

[weirdestbooks]

British Michigan Oneshot

Anger At The Sight of You (Wattpad | Ao3)

America could feel nothing but anger. It burned through his body, hotter than the flames that had consumed his capital. It burned and consumed every part of him.

The anger was choking, and it was sorrowful. Under the haze of red that consumed his mind, it was hard to feel anything.

The anger was directed at many people and things, most of which America could do nothing about, not anymore. The war had ended, and America could no longer fight Britain or Canada, hurt them, and make them bleed and pay for what they did.

America couldn’t get his son back. Michigan was gone. 

It was hell.

And America was angry.

There was only one thing he could do to satisfy the anger, one thing he could do to get some sense of justice for his son.

And that was to execute William Hull for surrendering Michigan to their enemies without so much of a fight.

The others had been arguing about it for days since America gave the order. James thought it went too far, that they shouldn’t—couldn’t execute Hull for it. Rebecca, who rarely agreed with James on anything, thought the same: Hull didn’t deserve the punishment he earned. She believed that Michigan was better off in the hands of Britain, and America hated her for it.

If America could have her executed as well, he would have.

The territories were more divided and didn’t voice their opinions on it as much. They had become quieter since losing Michigan, especially Indiana and Illinois.

There were a few other voices offering opinions, voices America didn’t have names for. He ignored them, and he ignored anyone who said that executing Hull was a bad idea.

Because Hull’s death would bring justice, and for now, this was all America could do to get that.

America watched as the godforsaken man hung, hoping the retribution would do something to satisfy the anger clawing at his chest, allow him to feel something other than rage. But he just felt empty, like the anger had burned away every emotion he had, leaving him numb and hollow.

The target of all his anger was gone, and now he was empty. He stared blankly at the swinging body, a void in his chest.

“I told you it wasn’t going to help. Killing William Hull was never going to bring him back.” James muttered. America scowled.

“He deserved it.” He muttered back quietly, trying to muster the same anger he had been feeling for months. But he couldn’t summon much emotion in his voice, which was as hollow and empty as his chest. James scoffed and became quiet.

America swallowed thickly, a lump building in his throat. How could one feel so empty in a moment that was supposed to be so vindicating? How could he feel so numb? He should still be angry, still full of hate, of all those emotions that he would direct towards Britain in order to make him pay for what he had done.

How could he get justice when it was impossible to feel anything? America needed that anger. He needed it so he could get justice for Michigan.

“Michigan wouldn’t want you to kill people for him,” Illinois murmured. Shooting one last look at Hull, a confirmation that the man was really dead, America returned to his home.

“I’m not just killing him for Michigan, but for the safety of all my children. We’ve been over this. Hull was a threat to our safety because he had no sense of loyalty and was willing to sacrifice children because he cares more about personal safety than his country and the people under his protection,” America said, sitting down at his desk and taking off his glasses, rubbing at his eyes with two fingers.

“Hull…was far more complicated than that,” Rebecca said, “And we both know it.”

“What’s done is done. We can’t change it,” America said, tears welling up behind his eyes. “We can’t change anything. Now we have to move forward and hope…”

America cut himself off with a sob before breaking down into tears. Now that the anger was gone, and…and the numbness seemed to be fading, America was hit with an all-consuming choking sorrow.

“IT’S NOT FAIR!” America yelled, grabbing the inkwell of his desk and throwing it at the wall before slumping down to the ground, “It’s not fair. He was innocent. He…he doesn't…” 

America was cut off by another sob, louder and roughly, stealing away his break for a moment as the tears raced down his cheeks, coating his tongue with their salty taste.

“Britain’s never dealt in fairness. Only power. If he can take something, he will, and since he can’t get you back under his thumb…” James cut himself off, probably realizing that his words were not going down a helpful road.

“I know that James. I know…I just…I wish there were a way for it to have been me instead of him. A way for me to become Michigan, so I could make sure he stays with his family,” America said, wiping at his face.

“Then we wouldn’t have had you. Ideally, we’d all be here. In a perfect world, we would have gotten Michigan back,” America heard Ohio’s voice say. 

“But in a better one, you’d still have your brother either way,” America said.

“Just because Britain never saw you as anyone important doesn’t mean your children do,” James said kindly, his voice painfully understanding.

“Cut this out, America. You’re falling back into bad habits, and unless you want to be returned to our Father, you’ll do better. Father needs a colony that can function properly, not one that wants to kill himself because he doesn’t want to accept the order of things,” Rebecca snapped, jarring America back into reality as he sucked in a breath through his teeth.

“That’s enough!” James snapped, sending the two into a heated argument as America covered his ears, trying to block out their voices.

“There’s no winning with that either. I don’t want to lose either of you, Dad. Not Michigan. Not you.” Ohio said, another voice to the cacophony of noise he was experiencing. America let out a little whimper, headache growing as he fought back the urge to retreat inside of their mind.

It was all too much.

“Can you all please…please be quiet,” America whispered, eyes squeezed shut. The noise quieted, and America could feel Rebecca move back further into their head.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Ohio said, pulling America into a side hug, one that America leaned into, “But you’ve been…different since the war ended. No one can talk to you anymore. We all miss Michigan, and I know it’s harder for you 'cause he’s a part of you…but…you’re still here, and it still feels like we lost you too.”

America opened his eyes, staring up at Ohio’s blurry face.

“I’m sorry. I just…I don’t…everything feels wrong and messed up in here, and we’re all…not coping well. We’ve been fighting a lot. It makes it hard to think.” America said, unsure how to convey to Ohio how terrible things have been for them.

“We’ve all been having a rough time. But…we’d have less of a rough time if we all got through it together,” Ohio said. America cracked a small grin.

“When did you get so wise?” he asked. Ohio shrugged, and through his blurry vision, America thought he saw a faint trace of a grin. 

“I picked up a few things here and there. Now, you wanna join the rest of us? Penny’s making pannhaas for dinner, and I don’t think I’ve seen you eat in a while,” Ohio said. America sighed, looking down at his hands, hating how useless he felt. But he nodded and stood up, grabbing his glasses and putting them back on.

“Okay. I’ll get something to eat, and then I’ll check on everyone else. Thank you, Ohio,” America said. Ohio gave a crooked grin before walking over to lean against America’s side. America threw an arm over his son’s shoulder, leaving his room.

America felt guilty about eating instead of spending every waking moment trying to get justice for Michigan, not trying to do something to ease his suffering. 

But Ohio was right.

America had other kids that needed him.

And he refused to fail the rest of his children.

[simcardiac-arrested]

Whats wrong with predator 2018?

it’s been like 10 days i’m tired but i CANNOT stay silent anymore The world deserves to know. you will not believe how awful this movie is

1. the moment the movie starts you just understand that it…is not going to be good. it was made in 2018 so of course it has that edgy self aware marvel humor of Uhmm he’s right behind me isn’t he ? (and then you check shane black’s other works and he directed iron man 3 and everything suddenly make sense) LIKE IM SERIOUS there’s just a scene in the first 10 minutes where this Woman In Stem character goes Lol why did we name this thing The Predator? it’s more like a Hunter or a Huntsman it’s more like a Bass Fisherman LIKE WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? WHAT AM I HEARING RN? it’s so fucking stupid and i hate this type of humor so much like CAN U BELIEVE WE’RE IN A MOVIE? ABOUT THE PREDATOR (DUMBASS NAME (LOL))????

2. i mention the Woman In Stem character specifically because she is. also not good. i’m not going to act like the predator movies have always been the best with female characters (even 1987 has its issues) but at least they were actually BEARABLE. The girl character in this movie is just like. this annoying 2010s smartass quirky girl archetype that we put in our movie because you wanted Women(tm) right? there she is we even made her quirky!!! we’re not going to give her a single likable quality though. we’re going to write her Bad . is this what u wanted ?

3. which is not trying to imply that the other characters are written Good . they’re all written Bad they all fucking suck. none of them have any charm or likable qualities and there’s nothing to get invested in. AND THEY DON’T HAVE ANY FUCKING DYNAMICS BETWEEN EACHOTHER!!!! it’s like they just exist in the same space and that’s It . they don’t get any interesting relationships or interactions . they’re all just so nothing

4. like halfway through the movie it just turns into unapologetic US army propaganda—which is fucking ironic if you know what the original predator was made for (commentary about american terrorism in central america in the 80s under reagan)—the main character’s wife just starts suddenly going off about how he’s so cool and doing so much for his country and he’s in the army waowww wowww We need to shoot everyone who’s worked on this movie and im serious.

5. i…..do not know who this movie was made for. like who is it supposed to cater to? one of its main things is autism and mental illness and yet it has the shittiest portrayal of both. But especially autism. like what if we made a movie about how autism is the next step in human evolution (?!) and autistic people are like superheroes basically (?!?!!!?) and the entire plot hinges on the fact that The Predator wants to become autistic by stealing the autistic character’s autism dna (?!?!?!?!?!?!?? WHAT? WHY ARE THERE EUGENICS IN MY PREDATOR MOVIE? IS ANYONE ELSE SEEING THIS?) (and then the autistic character in question like. actually has unironic superpowers. look he gets overwhelmed by sounds but he can instantly understand and translate predator’s alien language!!!!!!!!) And then the next minute one of the characters says Lol isn’t it crazy how we can’t say the r slur anymore? Fucked up world. LIKE SERIOUSLY WHO IS THIS MOVIE FOR? I FEEL LIKE THIS MOVIE WOULD PISS OFF BOTH THE “WOKE” AND THE “EDGY ALT RIGHT” AUDIENCES EQUALLY . shane black probably thinks autism speaks is a charity i dont even know

6. too much predator in this movie. When i say that they should make a predator movie where every scene has the predator in it YOU SHOULDNT FUCKING LISTEN TO ME IM JUST AUTISTIC. a predator movie is a THRILLER The Fucking Predator himself should appear like. a few times at least until the climax. but nooo this 2018 ass movie just has the predator running around in every scene (btw this predator moves really fucking weird in a human way. Like they usually at least make him move semi alien-like and uncannily, but this movie didnt even bother with that) (also their design is uglier than the original) (also it suffers from the same problem as the 2010 movie by adding a Bigger Cooler Buffer Awesomer Deadlier New Predator LIKE WHO ASKED FOR THIS. WAS MY OG WIFE NOT ENOUGH FOR U) Anyway yeah if you didnt get it yet: this movie doesnt understand what impact or subtlety is. at all

7. the worst thing is with the finale. you see every predator sequel loves to reference the original 1987 movie because well, it’s iconic! it has a lot of meaningful moments and lines! Specifically in the ending of the original movie, where the main character asks the predator “what the hell are you?” and the predator echoes it back at him. Supposed to symbolize us army = monsters who kill without meaning yadda yadda u get it. anyway so in the 2018 movie finale they start to reference this moment too. the main character asks And what the fuck are you (ooo f bomb we’re SOOOO edgy and 2018core) and when the predator starts asking it back the main character just goes SHUT THE FUCK UP😂 and shoots him. it’s like. my hatred for this movie was indescribable at that moment. I’ve never actually genuinely watched a marvel movie so i just took people at their word when they said it was a genre of movie that fucking hated movies. but after watching the predator (2018) which is basically a marvel version of predator? yeah i get it. What if they made a movie that hated its source material and had 0 respect for it. and also hated its audience. and hated being a movie

8. they made the dogs ugly

[victusinveritas]

Currently just seeing this story reported by Fox and I really hope it is just them spewing their usual shit...

But if not I won't be surprised. Harris might just decide that, yeah, large corporations and their lobbyist shills are more important than people who might actually vote her into office. Corporations have money and no problem buying politicians, that goes double for big pharma. It's more likely that Harris will run on a partial campaign of medicare for most (especially those with money and definitely none for the proles) and then if she gets elected...just kind of be distracted for four years while Walz hugs puppies and the Democrats keep just alienating folks because that is what they do best. Well, that and drone wars. But we're not supposed to talk about those anymore. Or Guantanamo. Or...the long list of Things the Democrats do that are Bad but not as Bad as the Republicans (who are actively worse).

Maybe (eh, 25% chance) Harris will push for and champion Medicare for All, Healthcare as a Human Right, and all of that jazz, and maybe, again another 25% chance, if the House and Senate magically go Democrat, that push for Medicare reforms will go somewhere. 6.25% chance some things might not suck as much, for medical stuff, to say nothing of stopping the terror bombing of folks from Palestine to the next place America decides to actively bomb after Yemen (smart money is on a Liberated Quebec but not for the reason you think).

The arc bends slowly towards progress and all that. But, fuck, as a country, America can do better, has to if we want to survive. Fuck being great, we just need to be human and maybe not dicks.

Anyhoo, rant over.

[dailyanarchistposts]

Desert like view of sunny Syria

Most likely all of us have heard or read about the war in Syria that started around 10 years ago. It has been the bloodiest war in recent times. UN said the body count to be over 350 000 and the amount of refugees because of this war is something like 12 million. The area is suffering from extreme drought, poverty and corruption. It sure sounds hopeless. Bit less know but still relatively well known is the stateless state, the autonomous administration that was born in the area in the middle of all those mentioned horrors. Revolution that carried the Kurdish name Rojava was set up in the midst of those drying lands. People trying to build an area with freedom of women, peaceful co-existence with all ethnicities, direct democracy and ecology. Who would ever oppose such things? Well surely there are many who do, but I mean that most of us people who believe in humanity and such, would not oppose stuff like that. It also got me interested and like many anarchists alike, I traveled to Rojava. To see it myself, to live through it. To learn and share, to be part of something that is changing history.

I guess learning good things always requires of learning bad things as well. And I assume that revolutions are never just smile and sunshine. Sunshine on the other hand is something that Rojava surely isn’t lacking. I came on early summer and was aware of that Middle East is hot. But I really didn’t think it to be that hot. Endless amount of sunbathing and exhausting heat. I’ve only lived in North America and and Northern Europe and this was something I couldn’t imagine beforehand. And it was not only me who couldn’t take the heat, most of people were not outside during the daytime. Temperature was over 40 for months. Nights were not much better. People said it is like this nowadays. That it gets worse every year. The lack of electricity was making it even worse. Some places had shortage of water for weeks at the time. Loud generators were spitting black smoke while trying to transform the dirty diesel into electricity. Motorbikes, cars, pickups, trucks, spitting also black smoke in the air. Clouds of pollution that are not really moving anywhere but was just standing still. Soil turned into dust and when there is wind that sand dust flies around and gets deep into your skin, inside your laptop, your clothes, your lungs. Black shoes were not black after walking just few steps outside. I felt being on some desert but this area was not suppose to be desert. Us humans just made it that way. The climate change didn’t wait until we got some agreement on the carbon cuts. That fact really slaps you in the face here.

The region is facing the worst drought in years. Some say in 25 years. Numbers don’t really matter anymore as the soil is just vanishing with the wind. Disappearing from an area that is suppose to be the breadbasket of the country. In worst case that will lead to famine. Last summer there was already a shortage on bread. And this is the Rojava. The place where people try to manage stuff so that there would not be famine. Unlike the neighboring country, Assad’s Syria, which is way worse. There is the same drought and besides that the corruption on all levels of society. Then there are neighboring countries like Iraq and Iran where people and students protest heavily against the corrupt leaders that cannot manage in any way the problems that climate change has brought. There is Turkey, a country that is putting more effort on sabotaging Rojava’s water supplies than putting down forest fires and disappearings of lakes inside their own region. This area is surely drying out faster than it should. Studies show that global warming happens in this part of the world faster than in other places of the world.

One big problem is oil. There exists a theory that where is oil production there will be destruction of the area, both environmentally and socially. Middle East is like the oil pump of the world. Endless lines of oil trucks on the highways that go through fields turned into desert was a horrifying sight. Trucks on the asphalt roads that the burning sun had softened. Looking at those trucks in lines and few times losing count after seeing 40 of them, it really made me think is this really worth it. How many places we still are going to turn into Mad Max style deserts before we start to think there is something fundamentally wrong in our lifestyles in the western world. Literally, we suck the life out of these places and burn them into ground. Sure this was not a new thing for me, but seeing it in front of my very own eyes, well, it just feels more raw. Feels more brutal and touches you deep. And then there is the war. Drones and jihadists make things really hard here but still people try.

The problems I’ve seen here were not so much about people, but it more about the states everywhere. The colonialist and imperialist states that still play around here their power games and resource wars. Other states continuing to destroy the climate and the biggest bill to pay is here where the climate has warmed so rapidly. States really prevents the best potential to come out of people here.

When Noam Chomsky was asked earlier this year in an interview what he sees as the greatest obstacle in solving the climate crisis, his answer was similar as my observation here: Two major obstacles. One is of course the fossil fuel companies. Second is the governments of the world, including Europe and the United States.

Çîrok Ecnebî,

During the Christmas time 2021 in Rojava.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Jon Haidt: As I said, if you sacralize your political ideology's heroes, you cannot think straight, and this is where we are in the sciences.

It's obvious that if you're a social conservative, Evangelical, young Earther creationist, you probably shouldn't be going into a PhD program in biology or geology, okay. It's just going to be really hard for you to deal with reality if you deny evolution and the age of the Earth, okay. You shouldn't go into American history if you say America is the greatest country on Earth and it simply cannot have committed war crimes. We just don't do that. I mean that's-- that should be a disqualification.

But what about on the left? Suppose you had students coming in who deny that IQ matters. Not anymore, but for decades it's just very uncomfortable, because there are race differences in IQ, the general view is IQ is a bad test, it doesn't measure, it doesn't matter, we can't allow that IQ matters. Because IQ is heritable, we can't allow that heritability matters. Environment has to be everything. The left has always believed that environment can overcome everything else so, can you do social science if you deny heritability, you think everything is environment when it isn't?

The left is full of sex difference deniers. Hormones are fine for other animals, hormones affect behavior in other animals, but how sexist of you to suggest that male and female differences could in any way be due to the fact that they exposed to different hormones prenatally? That just is ruled out of bounds. Now it's not that the left denies evolution. That's fine for other animals. But evolutionary psychology? Well, that's almost sexist and racist. No, evolution didn't shape human beings.

And last, the biggest area in my field is the study of stereotypes and prejudice. And we're trying-- it's an important social problem but we try to solve it while not allowing anybody to even mention the largest cause of stereotypes and prejudice. There is a small research literature showing that the reason why people hold stereotypes is because they're accurate. Most stereotypes do correspond to some measurable, observable fact about the environment. Now, there are often misinterpretations, the stereotype often lingers long after the reality changes, so I'm not saying the stereotypes are perfectly accurate. But I'm saying a big part of the story is that people are really good at detecting differences between groups. We're intuitive Baysians. We pick up frequencies. You can't stop the brain from doing this. So, suppose you had a whole group of people coming into social psychology who were the equivalent of young Earth creationists, who say, "I'm going to study stereotyping and prejudice, but I'm going to just rule in advance that there are no differences between groups. And now I'm going to study what's left." That's where we are.

So, my point is that all groups value the truth, okay. Every ideological group believes it values the truth. All groups hold something sacred. And if you hold something sacred then, as I've said, no trade-offs, no nuance. That means that your sacred values are going to conflict with the truth. And when that happens, all groups are the same. They throw truth under the bus and they go with their sacred values. And that's where we are.

So, I hope I've shown you that political homogeneity, now that we no longer have conservatives in some academic Fields, it's a problem. It's bad for our science, we need to clean up our act. We talk a lot about the value of diversity; intellectual diversity is the most important kind of diversity there could be.

--

Full lecture: 2013 Boyarsky Lecture by Jonathan Haidt, PhD

==

What he's describing is faith. Beliefs based on faith. If you think everything is "a social construct" - such as that it's fine for monkeys to choose sex-typical toys and engage in sex-typical activities, but "I aIn'T nO mOnKeY!!1!" - even if you're an atheist, you're dealing in faith.

[firecrackerhh]

Yknow maybe this is a hot take but I don’t think ‘illegal’ immigration on its own should be illegal, certainly not if the migrants aren’t actually fucking doing anything wrong and are actively contributing to the fucking economy in some way. If someone whose illegal does something bad then fine, whatever, send them back, but to just ASSUME that every immigrant is a fucking rapist or whatever is fucking retarded. Stopping ALL immigration and kicking out EVERY illegal is just gonna cause our economy to ROT.

Immigrants built this wretched fucking country and they get nothing out of it but dehumanization.

Maybe every immigrant SHOULD stay where they came from, clearly America doesn’t respect their sacrifices and as such we don’t fucking deserve them.

I can only speak for myself, but god, I would rather be fucking shot and die quickly by some drug lord than be forced to go through hell just to try and make a home in a country that looks at me like I’m nothing less than VERMIN.

Maybe America is the real vermin, maybe it’s fucking Trump supporters who are fucking vermin, maybe they should go back to fucking Europe if they refuse to stand for real American values.

History will not look fondly on any of us. And we deserve it. We deserve to feel nothing but guilt and shame for what Trump is gonna do, even if he can’t do everything, he’s still gonna have time to do plenty bad.

Of course, I guess my mother and everyone else whose so very apathetic to the world around them will only start to care when Trump’s bullshit affects them. So fucking selfish. So wretchedly fucking selfish.

Excuse me for having some empathy for my fellow fucking man, I’m so sorry that I don’t think cruelty fucking solves anything in the long run. I’m sorry that unlike some cunts I’m not a piece of fucking shit who looks at suffering and thinks “eh, whatever, I don’t care!” Fucking disgusting.

Maybe we’ll all be lucky and another fucking virus takes over and mercifully kills fucking all of us. I can’t take this shit man. This world is too disgustingly cruel to the point I wonder if being human fucking means anything, aren’t we SUPPOSED to be more intelligent than beasts? Trump supporters barely count as human to me anymore, how am I expected to respect someone’s humanity if they refuse to accept others? I’m sorry I don’t do that turn the other cheek shit. They frankly don’t deserve the gift of life if they’re to spend it so cruelly.

I know the rapture as a thing isn’t really in the Bible but fuck it, I honestly hope it’s real just so I don’t have to put up with these wretched bleeders anymore. I have to hear any more rancid takes from these wretched vermin I’m gonna lose my shit.

I think these people should burn in the deepest pits of hell for the rest of their wretchedly miserable fucking afterlives cuz I refuse to believe any allegedly all-loving deity would look at behavior like this and think it’s worthy of fucking heaven, you people aren’t even worth spitting on. You deserve eternal misery if you insist on spreading it.

[notarandomlygeneratedblogname]

Seeing politics lately really just makes me miss Obama. I'm really glad to see his energy and personality again while he's making speeches. I can't believe America really went from such a historic victory as a country to what it's become now, full of divide and hate. Sometimes I really wish, now that I'm older, that I could go back in time and re-experience Obama's time in office.

I remember being in school and classes were put on hold so we could all sit in class and watch Obama be officially elected. 2008 was the only year in my entire school life that ever happened. That school itself was put on hold to let us all witness Obama's victory. I'd never cared about politics at the time, but it felt special. Classes being put on hold didn't distract the students and it wasn't a "free period". Everyone was honed in on the bulky TVs that would get rolled in on their metal carts. Everyone was focused on what we were watching. Normally when the TV rolls out, people get excited because no work, and for some, a free period to sleep. Nobody wanted to do that that day. Everyone was watching.

I never liked school, but that was definitely something from my school days that I'll never forget. It makes me sad to see how America has so quickly lost that. How we lasted one president in his two terms, and Trump has since spread such hate and fear fueled by unhinged lies. I would consider myself an Independent. I vote for what I think will be best for the country.

I don't hate Republicans. I do hate Trump and everything he stands and does not stand for. I hate that he stands for dividing this country and trying to unravel all the progress we've made as a country. He wants things to go back to being the way he knew growing up, and that's not how things are supposed to be anymore.

America truly felt accepting and free when we had Obama in office. I know we'll never have him back in office, but god I wish he would be back in office.

[femmmie]

THE ISLAND

Read the entire fic on AO3

Chapter 8: The betrayal

Ian can't believe Amanda would write a hit piece on him. And yet, here we are. Meanwhile, Angela asks Amanda to come with her on an expedition of sorts...

Chapter word count: 2.266

Rating: general

“The fall of president Hecox

By Amanda Lehan-Canto

Once America’s golden boy, mister Hecox ran a brilliant but deceiving campaign, running on decency and respect. His platform was unifying and appealing to the general electorate.

Once elected, though, things quickly took a turn. As soon as he was sworn in, it was like a Russian sleeper-cell was activated. He grabbed power, misusing the declaration of a state of emergency. He’s been governing like a tyrant ever since.

Big business is not happy with these developments. A CEO of one of the Fortune 500 companies bemoaned anonymously: “We fear for our lives, actually. If the heat doesn’t get us, these draconian constraints on the free market will surely choke us to death!”

In fact, because Hecox has shown to be a liar and completely turned from being a normal and nice guy to being a self-imposed Steward of the country, he has thrown capitalism and democracy out of the window. A far cry from the all-American image he so carefully crafted of himself.

What will he do next? Will he usurp even more power? Will he dissolve congress? Who is to say, nobody knows ‘this’ Ian Hecox. We live in uncertain times and will remain so for the foreseeable future. One thing is clear, however: something has to be done about it.”

Ian couldn’t believe it. He and Amanda’d had a lovely interview once again just yesterday! How could she have done him dirty like this?

“Can you believe this crap?!” Ian showed the People.com article to Shayne and Courtney on his phone. They stood inside the oval office.

“It really doesn’t sound much like her. I thought she was cool,” Courtney said.

Shayne shook his head slowly. “Yeah, me too. What the heck? She was the only journalist still willing to write honestly about you. But I guess she finally folded to the pressure.”

Ian was genuinely hurt. He could usually judge people really well. And he’d only gotten good vibes from Amanda. They had… they had a ‘thing’. He didn’t even know if it was flirting, or just goofing off. But every time they would be close, something was in the air between them.

“And they even chose my ugliest picture!”

“Yeah, that doesn’t look good, my guy,” Shayne one-armed Ian’s head. Ian pushed him off playfully.

“Well, then. It’s going to be interesting to see which companies will still do business with us after this. We had the green energy ones planned this week.”

“Yeah, about that…” Shayne mumbled sheepishly.

“Just give it to me straight?”

“They cancelled.”

Ian threw his hands in the air in frustration. “Then why did I become president?”

~

“What the hell?!” Amanda called, and she never called otherwise, with her boss at People.com. “I didn’t write this? Why are you posting it under my name?”

“You interviewed him last, that little WANKER,” her boss squeaked. “And it was high time someone told the BLOODY TRUTH about him.”

“What are you even saying? This is unacceptable! Retract the article or I quit!”

“Well, I got news for you, babe: YOU’RE FIRED!”

Her boss hung up, but he apparently hadn’t pushed the button correctly. So, she overheard him say:

“Now, where’s my BOOZE!”

After the incident, Amanda called Trevor.

“Hey Trev. I have some bad news…”

~

It was the middle of the night, but infuriatingly hot as you were supposed to only use the AC during the day. Amanda paced back and forth through her apartment in her underwear. What would she do now? Somehow, she didn’t feel like pursuing journalism anymore after all this.

But as Fate would have it, her phone rang. It was Angela. Amanda sat down and relaxed into her couch.

“Angela! Am I glad to hear your voice.”

“Hey Amanda, sorry for calling so late. So, uh, this might be a weird question, …”

Amanda’s heart swelled. Angela’s voice was raspy as always and full of cheer. She just made Amanda smile.

They had talked on and off the last couple of months. Only on the phone, though.

“But I remember us talking that time at the dog park about how you love nature and would like to make a change.”

“Yeah.”

“And I’m going on an expedition to basically get some people together and brainstorm ideas on how we can make that change. To battle the heat, use nature to help out people and animals and stuff. I know you’re a busy woman, but…”

“You had me at ‘weird question’.” Amanda smiled and pushed her phone against her ear.

“Great! We sail out tomorrow at 9 o’ clock.”

“Wait. Tomorrow? Wait. Sail?”

“Yeah, I know it’s kinda short notice! But you know how it goes, I talked to a couple of folks and they have commissioned an artwork on an island. I told them I’d do it for free if they would let us chill there for a while so we can focus and come up with the best ideas.”

“Angela, my dad would love you. you’re so strange.”

“Gee, Amanda, thanks. You know actually, that’s the biggest compliment you could give me. Plus, you’re weird yourself, loser.”

“Ugh, I AM a loser though. Ang, I just lost my job…”

“WHAT? Oh no, baby! I’m sorry to hear that. But that means you have all the time to help me out!”

“I guess I do! But wait, what do I even bring on a boat?”

“Uh.. I don’t know actually. I guess a toothbrush?”

“Sounds good. Wow, I’m actually doing this? We’re going sailing? What if there’s another hurricane though?”

“There won’t be.”

“If you say so, babe. Oh, ew, my old boss called me babe. Can you believe it? He also used to call me ‘bird’, it was weird.”

“Ew ew ew! What the hell? Can’t you sue him or something?”

“Nah, I’m not putting all my energy into that. I’m just glad I’m out of there!”

“Yeah, me too! Nobody treats my friends badly without suffering the consequences! Which are, that I glare in their general direction, disapprovingly.”

Amanda laughed, and felt extremely grateful to have someone like Angela in her life. She’d never connected with anyone that well before.

Amanda felt safe talking to Angela. Raving to her about the latest Bridgerton episode, trying to get her to come to a true crime village, which was probably or definitely a tourist trap, but wanting to go anyway. And Angela was always enthusiastic, always up for ‘the bit’ and indulging Amanda to a degree nobody else ever had.

Even though they had only met once before, Angela felt like home.

~

“Hi, oh my god!”

Amanda hadn’t slept. She had thrown some clothes and her toothbrush into a suitcase, downloaded her favorite true crime series onto her phone and mindlessly brushed her hair until her alarm rang.

And now she stood on the quayside, looking up at Angela who was already on board.

“AYE AYE, SAILOR!” Angela saluted.

“I hope this isn’t my White Star Line!”

“HEY! NO JINXING IT!”

“Sorry, cap’n!” Amanda tipped an imaginary hat to Angela.

“Whew, okay, I guess I’ll get on board!”

~

The trawler, an old fishing boat, was quite large. Even so, there were a lot of people on board and everyone was crowding around in the salon. Amanda, being as tall as she was, had to bend her head down a little. It gave her cramps.

“So, you remember Chanse?”

“Of course, hi!”

Chanse waved.

“And these are Damien, Arasha, Noah, Keith, Nicole and Olivia. They are all experts at strengthening the environment against climate.”

“Look at you! It’s so nice to meet you all!”

Everyone politely waved or shook Amanda’s hand.

“So, are we all set?” Angela asked.

“Not quite, I have a plus one, if you don’t mind.” Amanda looked out of the window. A tall guy wearing a bandana quickly approached.

“Hi! Is this the right one?” He called.

Amanda ran on deck and waved at him.

“There you are, Jack!”

“Oh, my dear Rose!” Trevor joked back.

“TREVOR!” Angela, who’d followed Amanda outside, called down.

“Wow, your voice is so loud from up close, haha.” Amanda winked at her.

“You know me, my Italian roots run deep.”

“I love that!” Amanda fixed her hair behind her ear.

Trevor climbed up the boat as well. He hugged Amanda warmly and shook hands with Angela. Amanda had filled him in just this morning, and he’d volunteered to come with immediately. Amanda was really lucky to have a friend like him.

“So, where are we going?”

~

Everyone was either sat at or stood around the salon table, eating breakfast. Amanda sat next to Trevor and Angela. She was in high spirits despite the few hours of sleep she got last night.

“Thanks again everyone,” Angela began, “for joining me on such short notice. You know, things may seem bad and may be bad. But everywhere there are people trying to do something about it. And we can make a bit of an impact too. I really believe that. And, you know, if it’s all in vain, at least we died trying!”

The crew was silent. Amanda decided to laugh loudly to break the awkwardness.

“Yeah, we sure will Angela, haha! Anyway, I would actually love to know what everyone here does. What is your specialty? Because, well, I don’t have any, to be honest. But I am a journalist so I could at least try to get your ideas out there.”

“And I can spice up her stories with some good shots,” Trevor added. Amanda smiled at him. He was so cute.

“Shall we do a little roundtable?”

“Yeah, awesome,” Damien seemed eager to talk about his passion. He had a warm face and dyed silver hair. “Yeah, so I specialize in weather control. It’s not even my personal preference, because, ehh, it’s never without consequences. But things like great green walls, meaning giant forests surrounding cities to protect them from sandstorms and desertification for example. Those are cool. But if there really is no other way, you can use chemicals to make it rain.”

“Wow, that’s so impressive!” Angela was sketching in a little booklet.

“My work is also pretty impressive,” Keith said so deadpan that everyone was scared for a second but then laughed. “I put polluters in jail! I’m an environmental prosecutor and basically try to get big companies to pay for their sins. Let’s not kid ourselves though, haha. They will not stop polluting. But that cash goes a long way to help small businesses that do follow the rules.”

Arasha nodded. She was a beautiful girl with sharp features and long, black hair, falling in tresses around her shoulders. “I can’t believe these big corporations, don’t they know they’ve already killed off half the planet? The CEOs should be in jail!” She sighed. “I work at a smaller scale but try to optimize the outcome. The thing I do is plant tiny forests in big cities. They grow like crazy and provide a little shelter for the local animals and people alike.”

Amanda’s eyes lit up. “Aww, tiny forests? That sounds so cute! I’m imagining these tiny trees looking all cute and stuff…”

“They are pretty cute, you’re right.”

“You’re cute, cutie!”

“Aw, gee, thanks, Amanda.”

Trevor rolled his eyes.

“I work to supply companies that try to improve the climate with the data that they need,” Noah said a bit shyly. His hair was dyed green, and he had big green eyes. “It’s not as cool as you guys’ projects but it’s nice to be able to work data driven. It helps people higher up in these companies have the necessary arguments for their decisions.”

“Yeah, we use a data driven approach as well,” Olivia, a beautiful petite woman with a mischievous demeanor, continued the roundtable. I’m coordinating rewilding projects all over North America: wherever we can release animals that thrive in the changing climate, and have a positive impact on the environment, we do it. But we need lots of data to determine where exactly the right places are to do it. This way, nature does a big part of the job itself.”

“I love that,” Nicole said. “Our company Pressalike does carbon hypercapture. Nicole was a gorgeous woman in fashionable clothing, outclassing everyone else, except for her pink Grindr hat. “We could supercharge your tiny forests, Arasha.”

“That would be amazing!” Arasha smiled.

Angela sat up and stopped drawing for a moment. “See! We’re already making progress! Yeah, so I am more in Amanda and Trevor’s lane: I attract attention to the good cause with my artwork.”

“And you’re a masterful organizer,” Chanse added. “Oh, hii again everyone. Yes! So, well, I am your captain! That’s my job.”

Everyone laughed and cheered him on.

“Go Chanse! We won’t get anywhere without you!”

“So yeah, let’s leave shore and head to the island!” Chanse got up and went to the control room.

“I hope we see some whales or orcas or something,” Olivia said hopefully, looking out.

“I heard you can attract them by throwing meat into the water,” Keith suggested.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Noah challenged him.

“Don’t throw meat into the water!” Angela hastily interrupted. “I don’t even know if we have meat,” she added, pondering and losing track of her thoughts.

Olivia and Keith disappeared.

“They’re going to check if there’s meat on board this boat,” Amanda and Trevor whispered to each other.

“They better not find any!” Arasha shuddered. “I’m terrified of sea creatures! Any of them!”