#Family Packages Canada

[tejennnn]

Happy Halloween from 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇨🇦🇫🇷📮 family! 🎃

Inspired by irl mailbox Halloween costumes! France made their costumes and not cutting the armhole on Iggy’s on purpose lol

The reference:

Also drawing timelapse (wooo rare moments I made a clean doodle)

[quicktimeeventfull]

would you like to see my nice shiny new pen and ink. yes ofc you do.

i tried so hard to take a picture of the ink colour but it just was not happening. it’s the sailor studio series #653. it’s deep purple with a grey-green shimmer underneath. looks a bit like pigeon feathers! the pen is an opus 88 koloro with a fine nib & it writes nice and wet, i’m very fond of it.

[procrastinatingfeminist]

Honestly, even if your ancestry doesn't apply itself to gaining citizenship status or can't be proven satisfactorily, you should still look into the possibility of gaining a working visa. Especially if you have a college education or trade school education or something on a similar level to offer.

Pretty much all countries in Europe are hurting for skilled workers right now; Youtube has plenty of expats churning out vids about the local customs and culture shocks of living in whatever country, so you would at least have some idea what you are coming into, and with english you at least speak a language that a good chunk of people will be more or less fluent in. (Let me tell you, finding someone fluent in farsi in the spur of the moment or in bulgarian among my colleagues bc whoever i am dealing with doesn't speak the language of the land and no other easily available alternatives I am fluent in, is an exercise in frustration for everyone involved. Esp. when we finally land on a common language that neither the customer nor the translator is all that fluent in).

And in Germany you could probably qualify for a basic language course (not free, but at reduced cost) being made available to you. Learn at least the basics to communicate effectively, start with minimum wage jobs (which probably still pay enough to be able to survive without or only with minimal assistance), get your education records translated and approved and you will be able to find something better fast enough.

Laws regarding citizenship by descent in Europe

[gothhabiba]

You all know that I’ve been advocating for the Alwan family on here. Mohammed Abu Alwan estimates that the cost of food, water, medicine, clothing, and cleaning supplies for his family of four is $2,000 per month. Diapers are well over $100 per package; a single item of winter clothing is selling for $50. Vegetables and frozen meat are extremely expensive.

Food and warm clothing are absolutely essential in trying to stay healthy, especially in people who are already desperately sick. Mohammed's wife Samar is suffering from malnutrition and anemia while trying to breastfeed twin infants Qusay and Saba. All three of their children need medical attention.

Israel is fighting a war with bombs, chemical weapons, and soldiers (paid for by the US, Canada, and Europe; and many of those soldiers USAmerican), but its other tools of genocide are starvation and disease.

Mohammed says that he's not sure how much longer he can handle the stress of constantly advocating for his family while surrounded by the sounds of drone strikes and artillery.

We need to support them in a sustainable way that will help them to stay alive, and not just in fits and starts.

Give to the gfm:

($4,276 raised of $25,000 goal)

Or help me send a moneygram:

Venmo: gothhabiba | Paypal: paypal.me/Najia | Cashapp: $NajiaK (with note "🍓" or "strawberry")

Remember that proof of a $10 donation = an entry in the raffle for this original tatreez wall hanging, and $75 = a custom piece just for you 💘

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Denise Hearn and Vass Bednar’s “The Big Fix”

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/12/05/ted-rogers-is-a-dope/#galen-weston-is-even-worse

The Canadian national identity involves a lot of sneering at the US, but when it comes to oligarchy, Canada makes America look positively amateurish.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/12/05/ted-rogers-is-a-dope/#galen-weston-is-even-worse

Canada's monopolists may be big fish in a small pond, but holy moly are they big, compared to the size of that pond. In their new book, The Big Fix: How Companies Capture Markets and Harm Canadians, Denise Hearn and Vass Bednar lay bare the price-gouging, policy-corrupting ripoff machines that run the Great White North:

https://sutherlandhousebooks.com/product/the-big-fix/

From telecoms to groceries to pharmacies to the resource sector, Canada is a playground for a handful of supremely powerful men from dynastic families, who have bought their way to dominance, consuming small businesses by the hundreds and periodically merging with one another.

Hearn and Bednar tell this story and explain all the ways that Canadian firms use their market power to reduce quality, raise prices, abuse workers and starve suppliers, even as they capture the government and the regulators who are supposed to be overseeing them.

The odd thing is that Canada has been in the antitrust game for a long time: Canada passed its first antitrust law in 1889, a year before the USA got around to inaugurating its trustbusting era with the passage of the Sherman Act. But despite this early start, Canada's ultra-rich have successfully used the threat of American corporate juggernauts to defend the idea of Made-in-Canada monopolies, as homegrown King Kongs that will keep the nation safe from Yankee Godzillas.

Canada's Competition Bureau is underfunded and underpowered. In its entire history, the agency has never prevented a merger – not even once. This set the stage for Canada's dominant businesses to become many-tentacled conglomerates, like Canadian Tire, which owns Mark's Work Warehouse, Helly Hansen, SportChek, Nevada Bob's Golf, The Fitness Source, Party City, and, of course, a bank.

A surprising number of Canadian conglomerates end up turning into banks: Loblaw has a bank. So does Rogers. Why do these corrupt, price-gouging companies all go into "financial services?" As Hearn and Bednar explain, owning a bank is the key to financialization, with the company's finances disappearing into a black box that absorbs taxation attempts and liabilities like a black hole eating a solar system.

Of course, the neat packaging up of vast swathes of Canada's economy into these financialized and inscrutable mega-firms makes them awfully convenient acquisition targets for US and offshore private equity firms. When the Competition Bureau (inevitably) fails to block those acquisitions, whole chunks of the Canadian economy disappear into foreign hands.

This is a short book, but it's packed with a lot of easily digested detail about how these scams work: how monopolies use cross-subsidies (when one profitable business is used to prop up an unprofitable business in order to kill potential competitors) and market power to rip Canadians off and screw workers.

But the title of the book is The Big Fix, so it's not all doom and gloom. Hearn and Bednar note that Canadians and their elected reps are getting sick of this shit, and a bill to substantially beefed up Canadian competition law passed Parliament unanimously last year.

This is part of a wave of antitrust fever that's sweeping the world's governments, notably the US under Biden, where antitrust enforcers did more in the past four years than their predecessors accomplished over the previous 40 years.

Hearn and Bednar propose a follow-on agenda for Canadian lawmakers and bureaucrats: they call for a "whole of government" approach to dismantling Canada's monopolies, whereby each ministry would be charged with combing through its enabling legislation to find latent powers that could be mobilized against monopolies, and then using those powers.

The authors freely admit that this is an American import, modeled on Biden's July 2021 Executive Order on monopolies, which set out 72 action items for different parts of the administration, virtually all of which were accomplished:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/party-its-1979-og-antitrust-back-baby

What the authors don't mention is that this plan was actually cooked up by a Canadian: Columbia law professor Tim Wu, who served in the White House as Biden's tech antitrust czar, and who grew up in Toronto (we've known each other since elementary school!).

Wu's plan has been field tested. It worked. It was exciting and effective. There's something weirdly fitting about finding the answer to Canada's monopoly problems coming from America, but only because a Canadian had to go there to find a receptive audience for it.

The Big Fix is a fantastic primer on the uniquely Canadian monopoly problem, a fast read that transcends being a mere economics primer or history lesson. It's a book that will fire you up, make you angry, make you determined, and explain what comes next.

[puckpocketed]

5/08/2023 - Berkly Catton captains Team Canada to gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, leading the tournament with 8 goals and 2 assists in 10 games || 19/01/2024 Meet the Future - Berkly Catton named Team White's captain for the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game || 5/07/2024 - Berkly Catton signs his ELC with the Seattle Kraken

Introduction, quotes/transcripts/bits and pieces under the cut!

I can't even begin to describe how jazzed I am that Berkly Catton got drafted to a team I already love. I wrote in my Sharks off-season roundup that I was hoping against hope Catton would drop to 14th overall (back before we had moved up to 11th) and the Sharks would snap him up, as unlikely as it was that they'd try to gather more firepower when we sorely needed defensive prospects. I'm so glad I got my wish one way or another <3

Krakenblr you will LOVE this dude. He's such a star. Such a character. Berkly Catton is so, SO fun to watch. You have no idea!!! I followed him in the months leading up to the draft because there was buzz that he might be available lower down because of the Height Issue (he is, tragically, 5'11 <- which makes him undraftable unfortch) + concerns with how his game will translate to the NHL level. He is an electrifying playmaker. He's so creative, throws in so many fakes, WILL break ankles, very good hands... ough <3 everything I personally love to see in a forward all rolled into one neat little package !!!

There's the suggestion that he's been "over-scouted," which really just means they've all been watching him so long they're probably overthinking things and looking for stuff to critique. I'm inclined to believe this take over the other one because I'm an optimist and he was one of my little guys going into the draft! I won't include more of that here, but there's plenty of material out there if you'd like to look for it.

Below are some of my favourite bits and pieces from media he's appeared in <3

“I don’t like to give it away (pause) but I look at guys before games,” Catton revealed. “What’s weird is going from midget to junior hockey is a big jump. Last year I was learning. This year I wanted to add stuff. My pregame stuff and to look at guys doing draws and seeing what works. That’s pre-scouting on my end. If a guy has a certain move, and you can trump it early, it gets in his head a little bit. That helped quite a bit.”

“I think I sometimes have a problem with passing the puck too much. I love seeing my teammates score and setting up for an open net. It’s one of my favourite things in hockey, if not my favourite,” Catton admitted. “That’s something I can work on. When I get a chance put it home kind of thing. I got better this year at it’s still something I’d like to improve. Honestly, I’m a pass first mentality guy I would say.”

- Berkly Catton’s video scouting has improved his overall game

You know, when I first read and saved this article I was like; this prospect who reviews VIDEO is gonna haunt me. That's my weakness btw, I'm freak4freak. If you tell me a hockey player is also deeply infatuated with the game to the point of reviewing tape in their free time that's IT for me. it's JOEVER. i have a type and i know it <3 also wowie a pass-first guy who gets really really happy when his teammates score??? crying. crying. Berkly Catton . tucking uou gently away <3 forever <3

From A Day in the Life: Berkly Catton & Conner Roulette

Fave movie is The Notebook (<- unrelated there's a . really funny comment on this video from a philly fan lamenting that Catton likes the Notebook - I assume because that's some uhhh how do the kids call it,, femme soyboy shit? lmao anyway stay LOSING toxic masculinity !!!)

The boys call him 'Berk' <3

He talks about Jack Hughes being a big influence on him (in other media, he gives Hughes as a player comp!) and going to hang out and work with the Hughes family in Michigan. I sense a thread of admiration here like it's such a sweet little crush LOL <3 I hope he notices you Berkly !!

he gives the player of the match hat to a coach/trainer (one of the two) it's lovely... ouhhh... good little fella so polite and so conscious of staff being the foundation of his success... mwah!!

From Berkly Catton Talks Hockey Sense, His Start In Hockey & More | Game Tape With Tony

His father and grandfather built him a rink in his backyard, very sweet.

1OA in the WHL draft!

Anime main character levels of training-arc... my guy shot thousands of pucks over the summer in his backyard and then came back suddenly able to score goals. <- this is where the DIY goalie made of wood and blocker pads comes in. lol. lmao. are u even real.

sorry. sorry. OLEN ZELLWEGER MENTION. <- one of my personal favourite little guys (undersized puck moving defensemen my BELOVED) "Kind of a funny story [...] I pretty much had a breakaway, when he just turned backwards and played it as a 1-on-1 somehow, and I was like 'wow, this guy's the real deal', so." I really liked how Catton easily recalled a specific person/moment when asked who challenged him the most in the WHL; I think it speaks to a thoughtfulness about the game - it would've been easy to just give a vague Oh Everyone Is Good answer here and I like that he didn't!

There's a section where he talks about how he got so good at stick lifting, such an interesting perspective I never considered - he played in situations and against people where he couldn't just throw his body around to win, so he had to learn to get the puck in other ways. KEVIN KORCHINSKI MENTION <- another one of my little guys <3

mentions his dad being a big influence on his 'patience'. parents are so funny to me. ur watching your sons juniors matches? and Ohhhhh Chris Catton was a hockey player too . it all makes sense. Berkly Catton product of jockdad like so many before him <3

I do love that throughout this interview, Catton defers to his linemates a lot. Always hyping them up and talking about how he owes his success to them. it could be construed as false humility, given Catton was the highest scoring draft-eligible in the league - but he really does go out of his way to emphasise how highly he regards them and how much of their on-ice success is owed to good chemistry built up over the entire season. It strikes me as genuine!! He's a good boy <3

Revealed he can solve a rubix cube at the end... wow... he just liek me fr...

PLEASE watch this on-ice interview where he's chatting after a game and then gets ABSOLUTELY WASTED by 5 water bottles and all the boys. he is clearly so so so beloved in that locker room waaaahhh <3

Anyway this isn't an exhaustive list but it IS a lot of the reasons why I really liked him pre-draft. welcome to the deep Berkly <3

[youjustwaitsunshine]

Seb helmets: the long awaited sequel

Mugello 2020:

Not on Seb's website, but still on ferraris instagram, Seb had this helmet to celebrate Ferraris 1000th gp. (in the same week, he announced his move to aston martin)

Turkish GP 2021

a beautiful sea creature design to remind us to save our oceans. i personally really love the turtles

Singapore GP 2022

gorgeous neon rainbow on super light absorbent black design. now it can be said with finality (as of yet): jens munser and sebastian vettel never missed when it was about helmets in singapore. i have a keychain of this helmet so I'm especially fond of it.

British GP 2022

ngl i cried a bit just from pulling those pictures up again. he is so loved. i love how even though we know barely anything about sebs family, this helmet shows so much personality from his kids and hanna. this is the most gorgeous helmet of them all. however, shoutout to the subtle nigel mansell design hed have driven with if his family hadn't made a secret birthday helmet for him.

Abu Dhabi 2022

I'm so so proud to be a fan of a driver who loves his fans. The few times I've met Seb, he's always taken his time - often more than allotted - to greet as many people as he could, pose for pictures sign things etc. He feels very genuine in showing his appreciation for his fans and so I think this helmet is a beautiful monument to the love people have for him. He is deeply beloved and in turn, he loves his fans and has shown this from his retirement message that was so much more personal than a press release, over the time between the announcement to his last race and beyond. This helmet is a testament to the way we love Seb and the way he loves us back.

USGP 2022

Peace and Love baby! this gorgeous woodstock inspired piece is incredibly gaudy and glittery and very unapologetically so. i love it deeply but opinions were very split on it

Japan 2022

a very cleverly done thank you to helmet provider arai. who doesn't love opening packages? especially one as beautiful as this one! it's a bit sad to not have the little ninja mascot on the helmet for sebs last f1 race in japan, however, with his 2022 helmet designs being so beautiful and elevated, he outgrew it a bit. important side note about japan 2022 here is sebs battle to the line with fernando alonso.

Hungary 2021

Let us remember this GP for the joy it brought and not the desperation that followed. Seb came, saw and served cunt in his rainbow sneakers, rainbow shirt, rainbow mask and rainbow helmet. He drove to the podium and nothing bad or terrible happened after.

Brazil 2022

the intertwined bars of the german and then, further up, the climate change flag (and the brazilian one on top) are reminiscent of the 2018 german gp helmet!

Austria 2022

The iconic bee helmet! I actually have a few pics of this one from the Austrian GP that i took myself. Even though that GP specifically sucked so hard it made Seb sway towards retiring, the helmet is beautiful and iconic.

Honourable Mentions:

- Miami 2022: the snorkel helmet! first GP underwater, also premiering sebs GIGANTICALLY OVERSIZED climate change t shirt also found in his shoo

- Canada 2022: Canadas Climate Crimes/ stop mining tar sands. this one made a politician on twitter sooooo angry. it lost her rant a bit of credibility that she directly profited from the tar sand mining.

- LGBTQ+ CLEAN OUR OCEANS (Abu Dhabi 2021): the world's to do list. i mostly have to laugh at the unlucky placement of the lgbtq+ and the clean our oceans phrase. why are the cishets exempt from cleaning our oceans? questionable.

- Race4Women: Saudi Arabia 2021. a return of the beautiful day-glow paint.

almost all of sebs helmets are either on the sebsite or deep in jens munsers archives (difficult but not impossible to find)

Seb helmet masterpost

[peekofhistory]

You said about buying their own hanfu in one of the last asks. Is it really ok for non chinese people to buy it?

Where I live we are usually so preoccupied with cultural appropriation that I'm afraid to somehow cross the line.

Omg, thank you for asking this question, it's a really, really good one (I live in Canada and this is also an issue that pops up here).

In the daily life world, what I would recommend is do what feels safest for you. I know some people can take this sort of stuff to extremes, so protect yourself first. If you feel that wearing Hanfu as a non-Chinese person is going to get you attacked (in person, online, anywhere) then it might not be the best idea.

If you're just buying and not wearing out, buy away~!! No one knows what you have in your closet. Or you can always wear it around the house or in your backyard. You can also kind of..."take it apart". Like, wear a Hanfu top with some dress pants, or a Hanfu skirt with a regular blouse. You're less likely to attract attention that way.

In my own, personal opinion, though, I honestly have no issues at all with anyone wearing Hanfu on 2 conditions: It's not worn to mock or bash the culture. It's not worn with the intention to claim ownership of the garment.

I don't care if you wear it solely because it's pretty clothes, I don't care if you love Chinese history and culture and have a PhD in it and Hanfu is part of the package, I don't even care if you just happen to want to wear it for Halloween, as long as there's no malicious intent behind it I personally have no problems at all.

If you actually come to China and wear Hanfu, I can guarantee (yes, guarantee) that NO Chinese person will attack you for cultural appropriation. In fact, the opposite is MUCH more likely to happen in that Chinese people (in China) will LOVE that you are wearing Hanfu. That you show interest in our culture and history, that's very exciting!

I lived in Japan for several years for work and I wore kimonos once in a while there. My Japanese friends and colleagues had no issues with it, in fact they LOVED it (one of them even gave me a kimono from her family's collection). While traveling around I saw lots of non-Japanese people going to professional kimono studios to get done up and then visit tourist sites for photos, no one gave them any issues, no whispers, no side eyes, nothing but excitement to see visitors enjoying and participating in their culture.

I also used to like Lolita fashion, which is inspired by European historical clothing. No one in Canada had an issue with me wearing that sort of thing, even though my physical appearance is clearly not from Europe. If I ever go to Versailles, I plan on a full Marie Antoinette dress and hair and I'll stomp anyone who tries to tell me I can't.

It's fascinating to me that most people actually living IN the country of question don't see others enjoying their culture as a negative thing. In fact they generally are more than happy to share because it feels GOOD that others want to learn about your country. (And by "most people" I'm talking 99.999999%, I'm only leaving 0.0000001% possibility because China has a lot of people so maaaaaaaaybe you miiiiiiiiiight find one person who has an issue if you interview EVERYone)

I feel like the word "appropriation" needs to be better defined to those who are either: a) Trying to claim something not belonging to their culture is theirs b) Mocking or ridiculing another culture

I had a really sad experience once where one of my good friends and I were shopping in an Asian mall together. She's a brunette, Caucasian. She saw a qipao store (those Chinese form-fitting dresses) and admired how pretty the dresses in the display were so I said why don't we go in and try some on. She said she can't because she's afraid she'll get accused of cultural appropriation (much like yourself). I was SO incredibly sad when she said that, I honestly wanted to cry.

I WANT to share my culture with my friends and others around the world, I WANT people to come and participate in it. But I also understood that with the political atmosphere being what it is, she wasn't comfortable wearing it.

Sometimes it feels like there's a bunch of people who aren't actually interested in our culture, never been to China, never cracked open a book about China, never learned anything about China except maybe what's on the news, very gun-ho to gatekeep who gets to enjoy our culture FOR us (I won't speak for cultures I haven't explored, but I got a similar sense while living in Japan). They mean well, but...I do wish it could be more nuanced so that not everyone simply trying to learn and enjoy a culture outside of their DNA gets attacked.

Then there's my group who have "Chinese" DNA but were either born abroad or grew up abroad most of their life (technically there's no "Chinese" DNA, Chinese is not an ethnic group, but you get the idea). We've been exposed mainly to the political atmosphere outside, but our reaction to this issue splits.

Some are like me, we're happy to share, we're happy to see others enjoying Hanfu, buying it, wearing it, learning about it, etc.

Some will react to this issue similarly as those who attack anyone and everyone who tries to wear something not in their own culture. I find this group scarier because, to a completely non-Chinese person, this group seems to hold a lot of authority on the topic. They have a DNA connection to China, surely they get the final say in whether or not non-Chinese people should be "allowed" to wear Chinese traditional wear. But again, there's no nuance at all. I once saw someone from this group attack a Caucasian woman on Twitter for wearing chopsticks in their hair. Like...??????????????? Who...CARES???? Either they simply liked the look or just wanted the hair out of their face, who CARES. They weren't mocking China or Chinese culture, they weren't claiming sticks in hair was an idea they invented, like...seriously. Then anyone in the comments who said it wasn't a big deal this person would pull the "I'm Chinese" card, but when I checked her profile she left China before she was 4. Yes, she's technically "Chinese" but just how much authority should she hold telling others who gets to participate in Chinese culture?

And honestly, if we're being really, reeeeeeeeeally strict about who "gets" to enjoy Hanfu... "Han" is an ethnic group in China (95% of the population), "Hanfu" means the clothing of the Han ethnic group. I'm 1/8 Mongolian (on my mom's side someone married a Mongolian wife), does that mean I also can't wear Hanfu? Or I get to enjoy 7/8 of Hanfu?? Like...do we have to start doing DNA tests before enjoying cultures? xDD

Anyway, that's my giant, long take on the topic. Congrats if you read all of it ^^;;

You can always come to China (I'm here on a visit :D) and we can wear Hanfu together~ A non-Chinese person wearing Hanfu out would be a star at all the sites, you'll get random people asking you for photos (I get non-Chinese visitors asking me for photos when I wear Hanfu out in China, you'll get all the Chinese people asking you for photos xDD)

Look at these lovely visitors enjoying their trips to China wearing Hanfu :D

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for being paranoid about US Border Security?

🪤 <- for searching later

Background info: I live in Canada, (relatively) close to the US border. Because of this, when shopping online it can be cheaper to have orders shipped to the nearest American town and then drive down yourself to pick them up. I hadn't done this myself but it's pretty normal to do around here.

This happened at the end of this summer, so the situation is fully over but my (white) friends immediately adjacent to this situation have said that I was basically the only asshole here and I feel that I am, at least, only one of the assholes. I want people's genuine opinions however. I have since stopped talking to this entire group of people, who I'd previously been friends with for 4-5 years, over this issue and a couple others.

My friend (20s, white) had ordered a package to [nearest American town], and because they don't have a car, they were looking for someone who could do a day trip to the states so they could pick it up. I (20s, white-passing, but from a mixed South Asian Muslim family, & I have very recognizably Muslim family names) offered to drive them down with my car, they agreed. We were going to split gas money, the date was set, everything was ready to go.

A few days prior to when we were going to go, my south asian parent reminded me that because I have muslim names, I need to be very careful when crossing the border, because the US Customs is well known for profiling muslims/arabs and pulling them aside for intensive screening. My parent also pointed out that, because my friend smokes weed basically every single day (legal in Canada), I would need to make sure that they were not carrying any weed with them when we went.

I was freaked out by this, and was not thinking super clearly in the moment because it was close to midnight and things my parent had mentioned about previous experiences going through Customs had scared me a lot.

I immediately texted my friend, saying that Customs would find weed on them if they swabbed them, and that it would be "a big problem." They replied that Customs doesn't swab for weed, and that they "failed to see any problem." I replied that Customs is allowed to go through your phone (people have been turned away at the border for admitting to having used cannabis before, but if you tell Customs that you've never smoked weed and they find evidence to the contrary they can ban you from entering the country for lying to border personnel.)

I linked them to an unofficial site that went into detail about what US Customs agents can do if you have weed on you or admit to having smoked previously. My vague intent at this point was for us to get everything in order so that none of the bags/jackets/etc we were taking could possibly have had any weed crumbs/dead old vapes/edible packaging in them , but I didn't get a chance to say this because they immediately replied that even if Customs tested them and found weed in their system, that they wouldn't care because it's legal in Canada. I said that Customs very much would care, and they said that I was insulting them and accusing them of having a criminal record. At this point they sent a further ~10 upset/angry texts in a row, which I didn't open or reply to because I was really upset at this point and needed a minute.

At this point (around midnight), they phoned me, I picked it up and they immediately(!) started yelling at me and saying I was a piece of shit etc etc. I told them they sounded dysregulated and should take a minute to compose themself (I phrased what I said in an aggravating therapy-speak way, bc I had been watching vids about cptsd immediately before they phoned me, but I was extremely freaked out, as I think most people would be when their friend is suddenly yelling at them, and it was the first thing that came to mind). This just made them yell louder, so I told them I refused to let people speak to me that way, said goodnight, they said goodnight, we hung up, and I blocked their calls and texts so they couldn't continue berating me.

After this, I realized that I'd completely neglected to mention that the reason I was particularly scared was because of US Customs' Islamophobic profiling, but I had gone into the interaction assuming (incorrectly) that they already knew implicitly that that was going to be an issue, because we'd known each other for 5 years and I've definitely talked (not recently) about how going thru US Customs is always a pain in the ass because my whole family gets profiled and taken for extra questioning, so right before I went to sleep I briefly unblocked them and sent a text saying that the reason I was so paranoid was because of the extra questioning I was already expecting to encounter at the border, but that it was now irrelevant anyway because I refused to be in a car with someone who was totally fine treating me this way.

I've since stopped talking to this person and, by association, my (white) friendgroup because they sided with them completely. It was a long time coming for other additional reasons I can't get into though.

TL;DR

Planning trip from Canada to US in my car with stoner friend, realized a few days before trip that US Customs can arbitrarily fuck your shit up if they find evidence of weed on you. Got scared and tried to tell stoner friend that it would be a big problem if they had weed on them, they flipped their shit and yelled at me over the phone about it, I blocked them (functionally cancelling the trip).

I believe I was accusatory in a bad way, and that I should have communicated better, but ultimately that my fear had a 100% legitimate basis and should not have been completely and totally dismissed by everyone around me, even though I was too extreme in my paranoia

(They were able to get another ride and pick the package up later)

What are these acronyms?

[preservationofnormalcy]

ITEM FILE #2213

ITEM: "Glycon's Grove"

ITEM HISTORY: Broadcast from 1987-1996, Glycon's Grove was a children's puppet show that debuted on public television stations accessible in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa. After three episodes, the anomalous properties of the show were confirmed, and access to public television wavelengths was restricted. An agreement with Glycon's Grove production team (Oddy See) and the Office was reached wherein Oddy See would receive funding and distribution through OPN-approved channels, while all scripts, dialogue, and visuals were sent to the Parafiction Department for approval and study. After a brief interruption, Glycon's Grove was then broadcast nationwide (and in Canada and Mexico through agreement with RCOE and SER) on thaumic wavelengths decryptable by "analog augury"-compatible television sets, cable TV packages catering to the extranormal community, and distributed via VHS consumer hardware.

Glycon's Grove centered around the adventures of the titular Glycon, referred to as a "snake" despite his crude sock-puppet appearance. Glycon, often the energetic but patient voice of reason, would counsel his friends during common children's show storylines of the time, teaching lessons such as manners, the importance of reading and creativity, and honesty. The idea of snakes as "important, friendly creatures" was a common recurring topic. The show took place in the Grove of Olympus, with the rest of the cast being more typically-constructed puppets of a minotaur, hydra, cyclops, aquatic creatures, and in later seasons, a large "Cerebus" requiring multiple puppeteers to operate. Every few episodes, one of "the gods" (played by one of the human puppeteers in costume) would enter the Grove and provide the cast with that episode's challenge or conundrum. "Dio" was portrayed by actor Kenneth Young as a "surfer dude" always holding a family-friendly can of grape soda. "Heff" (Baker) often cajoled the cast into trying his new inventions, while "Arty" (Brown) asked for help in locating her lost pets.

Numerous interviews and investigations conducted by the Office concluded that while each other puppet in the cast (a list in the image above) was credited to and clearly played and voiced by a human puppeteer, Glycon's puppeteer, if they existed, was never credited or seen at any point. When interviewed, other members of Oddy See insisted that Glycon was "just Glycon" and did not acknowledge any puppeteer. During studio tours, Glycon was observed to move around the studio in ways that would be challenging for a human-puppeted character, EG, in one room and suddenly another, manifesting on multiple parts of a sound stage in rapid succession, always behind a barrier that could have reasonably obscured a human puppeteer from any Office observer. Attempts to isolate all visual angles in a given room often failed, resulting in Glycon appearing from a loose ceiling panel or other improbable locations.

Glycon "himself" always agreed to interviews, providing they could be done on Oddy See studio property, citing his "bum leg" as an inability to leave the property. He was at once forthcoming and evasive, simply repeating that he was "a puppet" when asked about his state, and that he "needed a new gig" as one of the reasons he started Glycon's Grove. Interviewers commonly reported Glycon as "charming" or "funny".

Parafictional research into Glycon's Grove and similarities to a mytho-folkloric figure of the same name are ongoing to this day.

[baby-alien11]

Memories: First Public Apearance (Y/N Ulrich Universe)

taglist: @volturi-girl-imagines @dessxoxsworld @camiesully @ethanlandryluver @nowitsmissing @aliciacat20 @gabbylovesreading @nikfigueiredo @itsaaliyah2

Since the start of your relationship on end of august, you and Jack decided to keep it private except for close friends and family to have a few months of peace before having the scrutiny of the public on you, at the eyes of the world both of you were good friends who support each other, but behind close doors you were more than friends, you were lovers

And deciding that a hard launch at the last month of the year would be iconic, the Avatar: The Way of Water London premiere would be the perfect oportunity

So, while he and the rest of the cast were doing press, you and your team of stylist were organizing everything to travel to London, return to LA, and Canada

"Okay, the Club L London brown dress is already bought, we just need to try it when we arrive in London, we achieved to pull an Armani archive for LA, and the Norma Kamali will arrive the same day we do in Canada, we have all the shoes and accesories", Nora enlisted while the living room was a mess with clothes, shoes and accesories, "We got the inspiration moodboards for all the looks, and also the street looks for the three cities, we just need to organize everything"

"Do we need another suitcase?", you asked sitting on the floor in the middle of the mess, "I mean, three countries in two weeks, and I'm also staying with Jack and his mom in Virginia for the holidays"

"Just in case", Nora nodded, "We can use one for the premiere looks and another for the regular clothes"

Going to your room, you went to your closet to get another suitcase and bring it to the first floor to continue with the organization

"We'll do your nails the day before leaving to London, and we got the design ready, which is beautiful", Nora continued checking her tablet, "Make up will be provided by Charlotte Tilbury, Fenty Beauty, Rare Beauty and the Nyx Avatar Collection"

"That is a beautiful collection", Lysette, the make up artist, said, "I can't wait to play with it"

"Hey, sorry to interrumpt but there's a package for you, tornado", Skeet said entering the living room with a big box in his arms which was left in a free space in the middle of the chaos, "Biggest PR package so far"

"Holy shit", you murmured getting up to open it revealing a blue box with the title of the next Avatar movie

Smiling, you went to got your phone to send a text to the person you knew will answer your thoughts

My champ

Hey babe, I hope I'm not interrupting anything

But, can I call you?

Not even a minute after you sent those texts, your phone light up with a videocall from Jack which you were quick to answer

"Hello gorgeous", Jack greeted when he saw your face

"Hi babe", you smiled, "How's everything?"

"Good, we're having a break between interviews", Jack responded moving the phone to show his outfit

"Uh, I love the outfit", you signaled, "By the way, guess what just arrived?"

"An advent calendar? Your Casetify order? A new baking book?"

"No, no and no", you responded before moving the camera to show the big blue box, "Straight out of Pandora, it seems"

"I'm glad it arrived before the trip here", Jack smiled, "And it's more of hand picked gifts, than the regular PR box they are sending to the rest"

"In that case I can't wait to open it, any clues on what I can expect inside?"

"I just going to say that you'll love everything is inside"

"Is that Y/N?", you heard Trinity's voice off-screen, "I want to talk to her"

Seeing a bit of tussle between Jack and what seemed to be Trinity, Bailry and Jamie for a few minutes during what you went to the patio to sit in a sofa, it ended when their faces were in the screen and trying to prevent Jack from taking his phone

"Hi, guys", you smiled, "It's nice to see you"

"I miss you", Trinity said, "When are you coming?"

"My flight is in two days", you responded, "We're still organizing the luggage"

"Did you get what I sent you?", Bailey asked

"I did!", you nodded lifting your hand, "I'm already wearing the Baby Vamp Ring and the Donna bundle, and I love the blue in your hair"

"Do you want to know the end of the movie?", Jamie asked

"No, thank you", you responded

"Guys, give me my phone", Jack exclaimed while trying to grab his phone, "I want to talk to my girlfriend"

"You talk to her daily, we don't", Trinity pointed

"Guys, guys", you claimed their attention, "I promise that the moment I arrive we can talk about everything, I promise"

"Ghostface princess promise?", Bailey asked

"Ghostface princess promise", you nodded

Satisfied with that response, they gave Jack his phone back

"Hi again"

"Hi", you laughed, "I can't wait to go there"

"And I can't wait for you to be here", just as Jack was about to speak again, he was called to continue with the interviews, "I guess duty calls"

"I understand", you nodded, "Go there and be the charming boy that you are"

"I love you gorgeous"

"I love you babe"

Ending the call, you returned to the living room where things were still being organized to move the box to another part of the house with good lighting and position the phone with the light ring in a way that the box and you were visible, before starting an instagram live

"Hello dearest friends behind the screen, Y/N here, I hope you are doing well from wherever you are watching this", you greeted looking at the camera, "So, this package arrived a few minutes ago, and you know I love doing unboxings, so lets start, but first I would like to thank the Avatar: The Way of Water team for sending this"

Opening the top of the box, you were welcomed with a hand written card, which you read out loud

"Dear Y/N, in honor of Avatar: The Way of Water releasing soon we would like to sent you some gifts inspired by the incredible world of Pandora, I hope you like everything that is inside the box and make your experience of watching the movie even better, sincerely, your friends from Avatar", you finished reading to look at the camera again, "Aw, thank you guys, I really apreciate it, okay, lets see what's inside"

Leaving the card in the table next to you, you removed the blue and teal paper to start getting the things

"First we have these blind boxes, we have four of them, after the live I'll open them and upload to stories what I got, then whe have these two atokirinas which you can hang in any space you want, I love the atokirinas, they're so cute, next we have a hat, three shirts and a hoodie, we have also a Loungefly Toruk Makto wallet, plushies of an ikran, a pa'li, a palulukan and an ilu, we also got a scented candle, I love scented candles and this one smells amazing, we have a water bottle which I'm going to use for the gym, we also got an...are you serious? It's an action figure of an ikran, it's so beautiful, I love the purple and green combination and the details, and lastly we have...a LEGO of the Tree of Souls! Guys, you're spoiling me a lot! Fun fact: this is my second favorite tree, the first is the Tree of Voices, but it was destroyed, someone has a video of me crying while watching that scene, well, I would like to thank the team of Avatar for these wonderful gifts, I love them so much, I'm so grateful for them and I'm going to enjoy them so much, also for everyone seeing this, don't forget to watch the movie on cinemas on december 16, I'm sure we are going to love it, love you guys, until next time"

Finishing the live, you put everything in the box again to return to the living room and continue with the packing, this time adding the hoodie in everyone of your airport outfits

When the day of the flight came, and after a ten and a half hours flight, you along with the team of stylists and yours and dad's publicist arrived at London during the afternoon, getting on the van that was sent to go to the hotel were everyone was staying

Arriving at the hotel and getting all the luggage out of the van, your group entered t go to the lobby and get the rooms

"Anna", you exclaimed when she entered the lobby to hug her

"Hi angel", she smiled hugging you back, "I'm so glad you arrived in time"

"I'm also glad to be here", you nodded once the hug ended, "How's everything and everyone?"

"Good, they in the middle of the last interviews of the day", Anna responded while both you returned to the reception, "Tomorrow is the last day and then the next day is the premiere"

Returning to the reception, you filled a form of registration because you'll be staying in the same suite as them, so after they gave the extra key and the rest of your team got theirs, all of you went to the elevators to go to the floors where everyone was staying

While the team stayed in a floor below with the rest of the other teams, you went to the floor were all the cast and part of the crew with their families were staying to walk thought the hall until you and Anna reached the correct door that she opened it helping you with one of your suitcases, even thought if you insisted on carry the two suitcases and the tote bag

"Here's our room", Anna said closing the door, "My room is the one on the left, and Jack and yours is on the right, I think Butters is still eating"

Entering the suite, you saw Butters eating in the dinning room table who at the moment you aproach to scratch him, left his food to greet you because he hasn't see you in a few weeks

"Hi, baby", you said in a small voice scratching him between the ears, "Are you being a good boy? Yes, you are"

"He's enjoying having the room by himself almost all the day", Anna commented, "We often return and he's sleeping in different parts of the whole place"

"Mr Butters is living his best life", you joked

"Angel, do you mind if I leave you for a little while?", Anna asked helping you to carry your things to your room, "They only have two interviews left for the day and I usually am there"

"No, it's okay, don't worry", you assured, "I'm just going to organize my things"

After Anna left making sure you were going to be okay, you started to put some of your things in the bathroom and some of your shoes on the closet, including the sneakers you were wearing, without taking too much space

Once you finished organizing your things, you went to the small kitchen, followed by Butters walking behind you, to drink some water

"So, Butters", you talked to the sphynx cat who jumped into the counter next to you while petting him, "How's fame treating you?"

Just as Butters let a few meows and purrs, the principal door opened inmediatly followed by Jack, still in his interview outfit of the day

"Gorgeous!"

"My love!"

Running to each other, both of you met in the middle to collide into a hug, during which Jack lift you up the ground at what you circled his waist with your legs

For a few minutes, both of you stayed in the same position with your arms around his neck and legs arund his waist, while he rounded your waist with his arms, and his head on top of yours, all while Anna stayed in the entrace filming the entire thing

"I missed you", you said

"I missed you too", Jack responded now looking you in the eyes, "I was literally jumping in my seat during all the interviews just thinking about you arriving today"

"I was also hoping that the plane would go faster", you said, "But I rewatched the movie to have it fresh in my mind, and read the three volumes of 'The High Ground' on my iPad, and then I fell asleep for the rest of the flight"

"Hey, what if I go change because they'll kill me if I wrinkle the clothes and then we can talk and have some dinner?"

Nodding, Jack left you put your feet on the ground to go to his room and change to something more comfortable, while you and Anna started to order some room service for dinner

While having dinner, the three of you talked about everything that happened while being in different countries before going to sleep because of the tiring day all of you had

The next day, while Jack was being styled for the last day of press, you dressed up in a black body, a Burberry skirt, black tights and black high boots, with your hair tied with a hairclip to spend the day with your mom

After being ready and taking your stuff, the three of you went to the first floor to get breakfast at the hotel restaurant were some of the cast were eating, and noticing the table where Trinity and Bailey were, you gave your jacket and purse to Jack before walking silently to them before covering their eyes with your hands

"What's your favorite scary movie?", you said in your best impression of the ghostface voice

"The one you're going to be in", Trinity responded taking you hand that was covering her eyes, "You're here!"

Almost screaming, both girls stood from their seats to share hugs before Jamie, Britain, Filip and Duane joined when seeing the commotion, greeting you when they saw you there

"When did you arrive?", Bailey asked when all of you sat in the table

"Last night", you answered after ordering a coffee, "While you were having the last interviews of the day"

"And we decided to wait until today because all of us were tired", Jack explained with his arm around the back of your chair

"Smart choice", Britain nodded

"So, Y/N, the movie ends with-"

"Goodbye, I'm going to get breakfast", you interrupted Jamie standing from your chair

"I already told you she hates spoilers", Jack said to him before following you to the buffet

"You seriously wanted to tell Y/N Ulrich, the daughter of the first ghostface, the end of the movie?", Duane asked

"It was a joke", Jamie justified, "Besides I told a hundred people the ending"

"Yeah, but she is the ghostface princess, she's horror royalty", Bailey insisted, "And she's a baddie too"

"I heard that", you exclaimed from the buffet, "You're also a baddie and part of horror royalty, Bai"

"By the way, we got renewed for a second season", Bailey said

"I'll be seated", you responded finally returning with a plate of fruit with yogurt and another of regular breakfast food, "So, how's everyone doing?"

"Us we're good, just chilling until we have to go to the premiere tomorrow", Filip said refering to him, Duane and Britain, "Today we're just going watch some movies and going out for lunch, want to join us?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I made plans with my mom to have lunch and spend the day together", you declined, "And I also need to pick up my dress for tomorrow"

"Do you have pictures?", Trinity asked at what you nodded and gave her your phone with the picture of the dress, "It's beautiful, it's giving Evermore"

"And you haven't seen the shoes", you added, "They look like the Tree of Souls"

"Hey, kids", a member of the Avatar media team said getting close to the table, "Sorry for interrupt, but the interviews start in twenty minutes, we need to go"

Eating the most they could of their breakfast, Jack, Trinity, Bailey and Jamie stood from their seats to follow the media person and their families

"See you later, gorgeous", Jack said while sharing a hug, "Enjoy the day and say 'hi' to your mom from me"

"I will", you nodded, "Have fun and go charm everyone, spider boy"

"I love you", Jack smiled with a small kiss

"I love you", you returned the smile

"Where's our kiss?", Duane joked

"Are any of you my girlfriend?", Jack joked, now only circling your waist with an arm to watch the three of them

"No, but we spent four years together", Britain simplified, "We peed in the tank, that was a bonding experience"

"Ew", Bailey groaned, "It's more gross everytime I heard it"

"We all peed in the tank", Jamie exclaimed, "You can't denied it"

"Guys, James is saying that he personally is going to come if you aren't there in five minutes", the media person said reading the message James sent

"Big boss is calling", Trinity commented

Saying the last goodbyes, they left to continue with the last day of interviews, while the four of you returned to eat

"Do you want to see pictures of Jack during filming?", Filip asked

"Absolutely", you exclaimed, "Show me everything"

During the rest of the breakfast, they showed you photos of everyone during the filming of the movies while being careful to not spoil something, and even adding you to the groupchat "Pandora kids"

A bit after finishing breakfast and talking a bit more, you along with Nora and Rachel took a cab to go to the store to get the dress for the next day; arriving at the front of the store, you noticed your moms car parked outside the store and she reclined against it

"Mom", you exclaimed running to her

"Hi baby", Georgina smiled hugging you tightly, "I'm happy to see you here, you look beautiful, I love the outfit"

"Thank you", you smiled twirling a little

Entering the store, they lead the four of you to a private area where the dress was hanging on the wall, with a few couches, small tables, a changing area and a big mirror

"It's even more beautiful in person", you squealed aproaching to saw it better, "I can't wait to try it"

Going to the changing room with the consultant, you changed from your clothes to the dress before stepping out and stand in front of the mirror

"You look stunning", Georgina smiled taking pictures with her phone

"How does it feel?", Nora asked helping you with the heels

"It's comfortable", you responded looking at yourself in the mirror, "I love the fabric, the shape, the color, the slit"

"Can we close the slit?", Georgina joked

"Mom!", you laughed

"And the best part, is that no one has worn it to any red carpet, premiere or event", Rachel, your publicist, said, "And the shoes and the nails are the perfect contrast against the brown"

"With all the complete styling tomorrow it will be perfect", Nora pointed, "I can already picture it"

After returning to your regurlar clothes and while they were packing the dress, you decided to check some things they had in there which end up in buying some things

While leaving the store and waiting for a cab, Nora and Rachel took the dress and the things you bought to take them back to the hotel, while you and Georgina drove to another part where there were stores and coffee shops to walk around

"So, are you excited for tomorrow?", Georgina asked with her arm around your shoulders, "The premiere and making the relationship public"

"Yeah, I can't wait to not hide anymore", you smiled, "Also excited because I know the movie is going to be incredible, by the way, Jack says 'hi'"

"I'm so happy that you found someone who loves you a lot, he's a good guy, and respect of the movie, I literally see giant posters of the characters in every street"

Laughing, both of you continue to walk until she stopped in front of a Hérmes boutique confusing you a bit

"Quit that face, you got three premieres to attend", Georgina joked, "I wanted to give you an early christmas present, and I know you dream of having a Birkin bag some day and that you have to have a sales history, so I decided to get you the first item"

"Thank you so much, mom", you almost sobbed hugging her, "It really means a lot"

"Anything for you, little one"

Entering the boutique, a sales associate aproached with a kind smile

"Miss Cates, welcome", the sales associate greeted, "I'm Irene, I will be your sales associate for the appointment"

"Thank you so much, the appointment is for my daughter, I want her to choose something she likes"

"Hi, I'm Y/N, nice to meet you", you said shaking her hand

Walking around the boutique and seeing the things they offered, until you decided to try some sandals for tomorrow in case you wanted to change shoes for the after party, and also because they were stunning

During the rest of the day, both of you walked around some of the streets and having lunch at a nice restaurant (in which you decided to bought pastries for everyone), before continue with the walk and some shopping in between, until it was time for you to return to the hotel to be in time for the dinner that was organized before the premiere tomorrow

"I wish I could be here tomorrow with you", Georgina sighed while hugging you

"I share the feeling, mom", you said, "But I understand that you have a very important photoshoot"

"But I promise I would have all my twitter and instagram notifications on to see you on the carpet"

After saying goodbye again and making sure that you were inside the hotel, Georgina left while you walked towards the elevator to leave your shopping spree in the room and retouch your make up

"Hello baby Butters", you exclaimed closing the door and leaving the bags in the kitchen table to see the cat waking up from his nap in the back of the couch, "I bought you something to be elegant and cute"

Going through one of the bags, you pulled out a red collar and a pair of glasses for cats and getting them closer so he can sniff them, and having his seal of approval, you put the items on him carefully before taking photos of him and then carrying him in front of the mirror and putting your glasses and taking a few photos of both of you

"We look amazing", you declared sending the photos to Jack and Anna before putting the cat in your lap

Fortunately, the retouch only consisted in removing your jacket, re-aplying your lipstick and releasing your hair from the hairclip and brushing it, so when Jack and Anna returned from the last day of interviews, the three of you went to the first floor where the dinner will be held in a conference room

Arriving there, Anna went to talk to some of the parents while you and Jack walked around the room to find a table, until he saw someone

"Come, I want you to meet someone", Jack smiled walking you towards a small group, "Sig!"

Knowing who he was calling by the nickname, you almost froze in your place if it wasn't for Jack's arm around your waist guiding you towards her, who stopped her conversation to turn to look at both of you with a smile on her face

"Queen Sigourney", you murmured still in shock

"Sig, this is my girlfriend, Y/N", Jack presented both of you

"I've heard so much about you", Sigourney speaked hugging you while you were still in shock, "I'm so happy to meet you"

Separating from the hug, you were still in shock but you gained the hability to speak again

"I'm a great fan of you, it's an honor to meet you", you said not noticing how Jack slipped away, "I'm sorry if I sound like a fangirl, it's just that I admire you a lot, and Alien was the first horror movie that I saw, and I'm sorry if I started rambling"

"That's okay, don't worry", Sigourney laughed, "I also act like that when I met someone that I admire"

"Okay, now I feel a bit calm", you joked, "And I would also like to tell you, that in high school I wrote an essay about you"

"I think that is the best compliment I recieved, what was the name of the essay?"

"'How Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley influenced on the future final girls', and I got an A+ and I was published in the school newspaper along with the other perfect grades"

"If you don't mind I would love to read it"

"Of course! I'll send it to you"

After exchanging numbers, you sending her the essay, talking for a bit more and taking a few photos together, you went to the table where Jack was sitting talking with Duane

"I think I just died and came back to life", you said sitting in the chair next to Jack who was quick to put his arm around your shoulders at what you put your head on his shoulder

"How was the conversation?", Duane asked

"It was like talking to an angel, I swear I was going to fade at any moment, especially because she asked to read my essay about her, and now I have her number on my phone"

"How did you save her?", Jack asked this time

"The only correct answer is 'Queen Sigourney'", you smiled, "And then she saved me as 'The cutest Ulrich', this is one of the best days of my life"

Noticing how James Cameron and Jon Landau were stepping into the small stage with mics on his hands, everyone went to sit at their tables, which include Duane going to the table where his family was, and Anna sitting with you two

"Here's my boy", Stephen Lang said clapping Jack on his back before sitting on his other side, "How's everything going?"

"Good, good, everything's good", Jack nodded, "I wanted to introduce you to someone, this is Y/N, my girlfriend"

"It's nice to finally meet you, Jack has told me a lot about you", Stephen said shaking your hand

"It's nice to meet you too", you smiled, "I'm such a great fan of your work, especially 'Don't Breathe', it's one of my favorites"

"Big fan of horror, I see", Stephen pointed

"I guess it's in my blood", you joked causing everyone to laugh

Interrupting the small conversations, James and Jon gave a speech thanking everyone for being part of the project and things like that, and anouncing a small karaoke between the boys and the girls

"Y/N, you're with us!", Bailey exclaimed from her table

"Of course I am!", you exclaimed back

Running to the stage, the boys choose 'I Want It That Way' and 'Everybody' from The Backstreet Boys (Britain wanted to die from embarrasment during the whole thing) while the three of you choose 'Bad Blood' and 'Look What You Made Me Do' from Taylor Swift, while the adults were having fun watching the small battle

The next day, which was the premiere, all of you took the oportunity to woke up a bit late until the glam teams arrive to start the prepearing for the afternoon, and it seemed like the rest had the same idea because while having a little brunch thanks to the room service, all of the younger cast came to the room to grab from the box of pastries you bought the day before

When the glam teams arrived and while they started to prepare the things and the outfits, each of you took a shower before sitting to get ready, except for Jack who at the moment was wearing face masks sitting on the couch while playing with Butters

During the process of the hairstyle, your phone started to ring with a groupal videocall from your dad and siblings, which you were quick to accept inmediatly seeing their faces

"Hi everyone", you greeted

"There's the fashion icon of the family", Jakob exclaimed with Megan by his side from their house, "What time is it there?"

"Three twenty-two", you responded

"Here is seven twenty-two", Skeet said taking a sip of her coffee, "How's London?"

"Fortunately, not as cold as I thought, by the way, say 'hi'"

Moving your phone, you pointed at everyone in the room who were happy to greet your family at the screen

"Everyone looks beautiful", Naiia exclaimed, "What time is the premiere?"

"Starts at six, and we have to arrive before nine", Jack said at what you turned the camera to his face again, "We're going to run on caffeine and energy drinks"

"With responsability", Anna pointed at what you moved the phone to her direction, "Only a coffee and an energy drink per premiere"

"Anna, you're a saint only for dealing with those two", Jakob joked causing everyone to laugh

"Especially after tons of caffeine", Skeet continued

After talking for bit more the call ended to let all of you to continue to get ready, when Anna was ready, it was Jacks turn to get ready, while they finished your make up, they started to prepare everything to dress you

"Y/N, it's time", Nora said with tape and scissors

"I thought we were going to use the strapless bra", you frowned

"We don't want to take the risk of the bra falling off mid-premiere so the tape is better", Nora explained

Sighing, you got up from your chair to follow her along with Lysette and Tessa to your room

"Wish me luck", you said before closing the door

"Good luck!", the rest exclaimed

Getting into the tape and dress took twenty minutes, during which you talked with them about random topics, after putting the dress, the four of you got out to see Jack in his suit ready for the premiere while you were still putting on the accesories, shoes and prepearing your purse and the emergency sandals

Once your look was ready, they took a few profesional photos for social media, before getting to the lobby and into the van to go to the premiere

Arriving there, all of you got out of the van and walk a bit hearing people going crazy by seeing the two of you holding hands, before stopping to wait to your turn for the press photos

When it was your turn, both of you walked to the first part of the carpet to let them take photos of you side-hugging, which some of them ended up in both of you looking at each other laughing and smiling, even sharing small kisses on the cheeks and lips, and then some of them were individually

Letting him take photos with the rest of the cast, you followed Rachel to the press area where a reporter from 'People' was waiting to interview you

"Y/N Ulrich! Look at you!", the reporter exclaimed making you laugh, "You never disapoint with your looks, can we talk about this one, if you don't mind?"

"Of course", you smiled, "This whole look is inspired by Jacks character, Spider, this Club L London brown dress represents his costume, the blue accesories the painted blue stripes, the hair is also an interpretation of his hairstyle, the nails are also na'vi themed, and the shoes, I don't know if you can see them, but I bought them because they reminded me of the Tree of Souls"

"I absolutely have no words for your creativity"

"Thank you so much, and it was a team effort with my styling team, they are my fairy godmothers"

"That's a beautiful way to refer to them, now, speaking of the movie, the first one came in 2009 and now in 2022, we're finally seeing the second one and also we have three more movies in the way, how does it feels to be able to see the franchise expand?"

"It's amazing, and I'm not going to lie, I saw the first movie for the first time early this year during one of Jack and I's dates, and I ended up mesmerized by the amazing world that James and Jon created along with the cast and crew, and knowing the effort everyone put during this years of production it adds more value"

"What do you expect to see in the movie?"

"First of all, I don't want to see Neytiri suffering, my girl deserves a break and a nice vacation after everything that happened in the first one, and also I can't wait to see the new part of Pandora, which is Awa'atlu and the metakyinas"

"Well, thank you so much for this interview, it was a pleasure to talk with you, you look incredible, and also congratulations on your relationship with Jack"

"Thank you so much, you look beatiful as well, enjoy the night"

After doing two more interviews, you saw that the cast was doing their interviews, so you went with Anna to keep her company

"How's it going?", you gretted them intervining your arm with hers

"It feels gratifying to see everything became real, I feel proud of him", Anna said a bit emotional

"You have every right to be, you have been with Jack since the beggining, it's a full circle moment", you responded putting your head on her shoulder

After Jack finished his interviews (in which you joined him for two), everyone entered the teather to finally watch the movie

"Y/N, last chance for me to tell you the ending", Jamie joked while all of you walked into the teather

"Not going to happen", you denied, "We're litearlly about to see the movie and I won't let anyone, speacially you, tell me the ending"

"That was hot", Jack murmured in your ear while hugging you from behind

"Thank you", you smiled

Entering the teather, you grabed a bag of butter popcorn and a package of red twists to go sit with Anna, while the cast went to the front to share a few words before the movie

In the end, the movie completely broke you (it was luck that your make up was waterproof) so much that even James Cameron aproached to see if you were okay and to invite you to the set when filming starts again

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

Another one that I start with news of a terrorist attack. -_- This morning, a terrorist started shooting at several vehicles driving down the Jordan Valley, one of which was a school bus. The driver of this bus confirmed that the terrorist was wearing what looked like an IDF uniform. According to Magen David Adom (Red Star of David) there are at least 3 people injured, one is a 13 years old kid, another is in serious condition. The terrorist has not yet been neutralized.

After Amit Soussana's testimony about being raped by Hamas, we also have a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist admitting during an interrogation that he had raped a woman in her home in an Israeli kibbutz. It's not the first such testimony, but these are important enough that when they're published, they ALL must be heard.

The prosecution against the terrorists responsible for the massacre of October 7 has been expanded to include clauses which could end with the death penalty (I found a link to a journalistic source online, then I accidentally closed that tab, and can't find it again, but it's been reported on TV. The following tweet recounts the indictments, though the headline is misleading. A death sentence has not been approved, it's just now approved that it's a possible outcome of the trials, once they take place).

For those unfamiliar with the Eurovision Song Contest, it's an event that has been run since 1956, with the intent to help heal a post-war Europe, by allowing countries to have a friendly competition (instead of a bloody conflict), and also have a chance to get to know each other better through music. It's meant to be a unifying, and therefore also a-political fun music fest. This contest has since been expanded to include all countries that are members of the European Broadcasting Union, which means Israel also gets to compete since 1973, and has even won 4 times. I wrote this post about our entry this year, if anyone's curious. In recent years, the ESC has been used for annual anti-Israel propaganda, way before the war in Gaza. This year, a senior official in Israel's National Security Office had to issue a warning for any Israelis going to the competition in Sweden, to be careful and hide their identity as much as possible. I am passing along the warning, because wherever Israelis are in danger, so are Jews in general.

After Canada, Sweden, Australia and Finland, now France is also declaring that it will fund UNRWA again, proving that no amount of complicity in anti-Jewish terrorism will stop some European countries from passing along money to those who have raped, maimed, tortured and murdered us. But no worries! France promises it will ensure that their money won't go to terrorism. I will just remind everyone that France brokered a "deal" to pass along medications to Israeli hostages with chronic illnesses in Gaza, in exchange for an additional 1,000 packages of meds for Gazans. It then said they got reassurance that the meds got to those hostages (meaning, France quoted Qatar, which quoted Hamas, so this is the international diplomacy version of, "Trust me, bro. I'm a highly reliable antisemitic terrorist"). When Israeli soldiers got to a hospital in Gaza, they found some of the med packages for the Israeli hostages in its pharmacy, unopened and clearly not delivered to the rightful address. So... IDK about you, but I'm pretty sure even the French know their assurances about the UNRWA funding are just empty words.

This is 40 years old Mohammad Alatrash.

He's an Israeli Bedouin Muslim Arab, and father of 13, including a one month old baby. He was kidnapped on Oct 7, and has been held captive in Gaza since. Mohammad's uncle said the whole family's life has not been normal since he was taken hostage. Despite that, today several families of hostages had a tour of the attacked communities in the south, with Israel's and Belgium's Foreign Ministers, his brother Salem said that they're okay with Mohammad being released later, as long as Hamas frees the female hostages. "It's hell what they're made to go through there." Just a reminder that Mohammad is one of the Israeli Muslim hostages that Hamas could have and chose not to release even during the month holy to all muslims, Ramadan.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[scotianostra]

8th December 1987: The Scottish Land Court ordered the English owner of the Hebridean Island of Soay to sell more than half the island to a crofter who had lived there for more than 41 years.

Born in 1919, Joseph "Tex" Geddes - typically, he claimed he was given his nickname by a Red Indian fellow commando.

By his own account, he was born in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, and taken to Canada by his father when he was two, following a trivial altercation with the police. Others maintain he was raised by an aunt, the youngest of three fighting brothers, in Easter Ross, and never went to Canada in his life. His neighbours in nearby Skye believed that he hailed from Australia.

In the book Hebridean Sharker Tex Geddes describes his exploits during the 1950s as a hunter of basking sharks in the waters of the Minch, between the Inner and Outer Hebrides. Using an adapted whaling harpoon, he and his crew stalked these huge fish often in perilous conditions, the liver of which is a valuable source of oil.

Always a maverick, before World War Two Geddes had been a boxer and a rumrunner to Newfoundland. During the war he established a reputation as an expert knife-thrower and bayonet fencer and served in the Special Forces with fellow hebridean Gavin Maxwell (author of Ring of Bright Water), and was a central character in Maxwell's Harpoon at a Venture

He combined the hazardous pursuit of sharks with crewing the local lifeboat, ring-net fishing, lobstering, deer-stalking and salmon poaching.

Thesubject of previous posts, historian of Gaelic culture Margaret Fay Shaw said of him: "Tex was a great storyteller and important as such. He was also immensely kind, and had that hunger for life and fun that is essential if you are to make a go of living in these islands. The Hebrides needs more people like Tex Geddes. So does the world

He went on to purchase the tiny island of Soay, where he lived with his wife Jeanne, Geddes continued fishing basking sharks, selling unprocessed livers rather than processed oil to Glasgow.While much of the remaining population of the island evacuated to Mull in 1953, Geddes and his family remained. Geddes protested at the lack of emergency telephone services and with the threat of loss of postal service to the remaining inhabitants of the island, he asked people to send him registered letters and packages. As a result the service was kept with post arriving once a month.

Today the island has a population of three, and the post arrives once a month. The population peaked at 158 in 1851, following eviction of crofters from Skye in the Clearances.

Tex Geddes, died on 11th April 1998 while returning from a bagpiping competition in the Outer Hebrides

[dodgerevansce]

RED ONE

Budget$200–250 million Box office $83.2 million

Box office

As of November 17, 2024, Red One has grossed $32.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $51.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $83.2 million.[6][5]

In the United States and Canada, Red One was projected to gross $30–35 million from 4,032 theaters, with some independent sources predicting a debut as low as $25 million or as high as $40 million.[3][31] The film made $10.9 million on its first day, including $3.7 million from Sunday and Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $32.1 million, topping the box office.[2] Speaking on its opening, Variety concluded that "it'll take a Christmas miracle for Red One to become a profitable hit at the box office," but noted that streamers like Amazon, Apple, and Netflix don't necessarily need their films to be successful in theaters to be considered a success, citing 2023's Killers of the Flower Moon, which debuted to $23 million against a $200 million budget but later became a hit on Apple TV+.[32][33]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 33% of 132 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Wrapped in slick packaging but wholly lacking in holiday magic, Red One is a ho-ho-hum action-adventure."[34] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 34 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[35] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 78% overall positive score, with 57% saying they would definitely recommend it.[2]

Peter Bradshaw, writing for The Guardian, gave the film one star out of five, describing it as "profoundly depressing and blandly sentimental" and concluding "this commercial and formulaic slice of content is a toy destined to be forgotten, not by Boxing Day, but mid-November."[36]

Glenn Garner of Deadline Hollywood said the film "blends genres for some family-friendly holiday fun with a generous dose of self-aware absurdity" and wrote: "Yes, it's cheesy, but this movie is best when it leans heavily into the cheese. If that makes your eyes roll, keep in mind this is a Christmas movie ultimately intended for kids who've made it all the way through the MCU on Disney+ twice and their parents now need a reprieve. There are still some jokes aimed at the cold-hearted adult who will inevitably be dragged along on the family cinema outing.