#I hate living in a world where we send our kids to school with a bulletproof shield in their backpack

[im2tired4usernames]

You know if your church has an attitude that child education is a waste of time because God and revolutions is coming anytime and the world's just gonna end so the children don't need to waste time to know math and that you need to train them up right they just need to study the Bible and love God your church is lit just a dooms day cult and not even trying to hide it

[timeslipcamp]

thoughts on episode 17

i've got my coffee i'm at work i am LOCKED IN reading this. i am SO READY for this love island episode yall have no idea

liveblogging as i read it let's go!! 🌹

spoilers for episode 17

so last we left off, sinostra was declaring war on hyde for the maybe maybe not fake warding card, and romeo had just told us that we didn't hear anything before the screen faded to black. we're getting INTO IT now!!!

benkei dropping secrets immediately is so fucking funny. staff shortages and confused that elias is working. so he might not be a janitor, great! great!!

(also first thought about the anomaly involved is its gonna be a shapeshifter or doppelganger type deal, which would be SO funny. not only do we have to date these dudes but now we have to figure out which ones the real one. how funny would that BE)

the fox escaping???? oh my god so it IS smart!!

god if i don't finally get some more background info this chapter i'm gonna scream.

THE PRODUCERS PICKED THESE GHOULS???? okay that makes a little i guess, because no one in their right minds would have picked this group. i still cannot believe the fucking line up we have this is so funny. also the fact that they had to BRIBE THEM

also the way the chancellor said "can you imagine" when he was telling us how much information worldwide they could get? why haven't they already? why are you holding it over our heads? why do we have to prove ourselves to be saved? god i hate the institute.

love/hate relationship with whatever this implies. definitely doing a deep dive into that later unless someone beats me to it

this dude is killing me hahahaha LOVE these designs. i'm already having a fucking blast with this episode and i haven't even seen a single ghoul yet. this might be my new fav episode

the lil fireworks animation was actually so cute. my girl deserves an island vacation let her relax. also love the aphrodite shoutout, this game looooves their greek mythology huh

the bachelors being described as irresistible and the creme de la creme is sending me through the ROOF thinking about who the line up is. does this mean that these 6 are the hottest canonically? or just the hottest according to KP? i want jiro's reaction to being chosen SO BAD

THEY CHANGED HIS HAIR???????? oh im not surviving this chapter i cant read this at work

"No way I'm letting those other guys anywhere near her. I'm in this for real."

YEAH I BET YOU ARE RUI

jiro please 😭 "I'm a doctor by day, model by night," actually made me choke while leaving this voicemail im fucking dying I CANT DO THIS "she seemed fine" IM CRYING

HARU AS A SINGLE FATHER STOP HAHAHA

jin not saying anything and ren is such a DICK god this is the best episode i don't even care about the plot anymore this is the best episode ive ever read

BIG FAN OF ENEMIES TO LOVERS???? MC PLEASE HAHAHAHA

not the chancellor bribing them all to be here bro 😭 what did they bribe jin with 👀

ren with the ocean lovers name....a surfer....from shonan....its all coming together

dude who am i even kidding i'm gonna end up in love with rui. these antics on the show are so funny. i am OBSESSED with the interviews i think we need these on regular missions too. jiro continues to be the funniest ghoul at this school

also ed just like??? describing his current life as his ideal one?? "I suppose I'd want to build a small cottage in the woods and live there quietly with my spouse. It might be nice to have a big dog, too. A loyal and obedient one."

like ed that is quite literally where you are now

A WOMAN IN WHITE?? LA LLORONA??? oh PLEASE give me a good woman in white haunting those tales are ALWAYS heartbreaking. (for those unaware, a 'woman in white' legend are urban legends that pop up quite literally all over the world in a hundred different forms. typically they're a woman, either in a wedding dress, a white dress, or funeral dress. they're women who died of heartbreak, suicide, etc and come back because their pain keeps them here. a lot of ones involve a lover either leaving them or dying, killing their children, the themes go on, but the vibe that i'm getting based on the blood and the wedding dress from this one is that she found love on the island that turned out to be a lie and now only those who prove their love is true can leave)

it being the old producer is so fun i'm so locked in lets go

also love that ed called haru the tamer...an interesting moniker i like it

this is so interesting listening to this group talk. we've got what, four third years, a super intelligent second, and a first year? so it's a pretty seasoned group. kinda makes me think ren's gonna pull a cool move at the end and prove he can match with them. this is such a fun group i'm so excited

FINALLY a couple more bits of info about the clash!! jiro woke up right before, frostheim was sympathizers, obscuary was neutral, and mortkranken was dissidents. love jins silence after jiro mentioned yuri still hates frostheim. UGH i need the jinyuri backstory soooo bad im gonna lose my mind when it happens

haru fucking dodging around the screen is so funny. they really didnt have to have his sprite zip around from side to side but they DID and i LOVE IT paintball is so funny thank god taiga isnt here

HOW DARE YOU FUCKING INTERRUPT THAT PART

darkwick planting the kyklos??? or darkwick has a secret in on a liminal space??? HELLO ED WHERE ON EARTH oh im so mad we were interrupted

shoutout to whoever posted about kisaragi station last week that was a fun thing to notice right before this episode lol

i am actually suddenly very on board that jin is aware he is being used and that's part of why he hasn't done anything this year. that would also be a huge reason for tohma, a former vagastrom ghoul, to transfer and then start investigating. he can play the good sympathizer flipper and use his new connections to find out what darkwick is up to. did darkwick send the kyklos there? do they have a mole in kisaragi station? does haku's vaguely implied teleporting powers allow him to see into liminal spaces? ugh i need to know. cool that they're bringing up barrier stuff given that the kyklos transported us somewhere

okay what the fuck is the vessel shit. rui what do you mean this vessel isnt worth it. why does ed want you? what??? god these episode cuts are going to drive me INSANE. "saving my life force for you" ed please

ren expertly avoided being on the beach though lmao good for him

top ten moment with the crabs and dr jiro god i love him

THE BRACELET TO PROTECT HER FROM EVIL EXPLODING WHEN ED TOUCHES HER HAHAHAHA IM FUCKING LOSING IT

funniest panel yet this episode. ed in the cuck chair in hotel rooms confirmed

ooo ed lore! romania technically has a part that borders the sea, and that's where a lot of "classic" vampire tales stem from. would love if they really went the vlad the impaler route or something, but he lived in the 15th century, so slightly too long ago. or not! ed only said older than 400, so if he's off by 200 years 😂

i'm loving ren and jiro interacting dude. never in a million years would i have paired them together but now i need them hanging out 24/7

dude rui really doesn't think he's ever going to leave the school, does he? his talk with haru was brief and he didn't say much but it just felt kinda...defeated. i don't think he thinks he'll ever be cured. rui baby :(

rui listens to BALLADS he would oh my god emo boy. also jiro asking jin if he wants to play piano :((( jiro baby pleaseITS ZENJIS BIRTHDAY???? oh im gonna throw up whyyyy

its a woman scooooooorned WOMAN IN WHITE LEGEND LIVES thats fucked up though fuck that guy. you can do better maya

"rugged guys" ed is so funny dude i can't do this

dude why did they give everyone these glamor shots and then haru is over here sweating and fighting for his life--

nvm im into it

ANOTHER REN STIGMA MOMENT he can use it to boil water??? okay so we've got ink removal and boiling water....can he like alter liquids somehow? control them?

ED IS ALLERGIC TO GARLIC HAHAHAHA

wait why was rens confession so cute 😭 dude thats the first nice thing AW REN yes we can keep hanging out!!! ren stans stay winning this episode

these are all so sweet lmao i love this episode so much dude it's so good. "i guess it's over now" rui stop making me CRY! jin...i hate to say that worked. im so annoyed lmao

NOT JIN INTERRUPTING THE CHOICE HAHAHA thats soooo funny. he's so dramatic dude. he didnt want to hear who we were picking

YURI CALLING JIRO TO CHECK ON HIM and us THATS HIS MANS

ooooo okay having someone from the institute undercover on the island with us 👀 hate that actually. jin didn't seem too happy about that either. was he there to watch us or the anomaly? what did he hear?

BENKEI WAS THE OLD CLEMENTIA ADVISOR?????

oh my god okay let me get my thoughts in order

okay first of all, the protection charm from benkei and then he's from clementia is fascinating. makes sense why he and nicolas are friends now. nice that they were able to find him a job after but i STILL dont trust elias. at all lmao especially with what benny said earlier.

this anomaly got solved annoyingly quickly but i do love that jin let it drag out thats funny as hell. this was such a funny episode. got a few clash hints and a zenji mention and a small reveal at the end. lot super lore heavy but thats FINE i guess. mc still has two months, hopefully we make some headway with her next mission.

hotarubi and a festival! here we come!

[yonahsienna]

This Was Supposed to Be Fun

Or: WTF happened to the online Commons, and where do we go now?

Let me start by saying that I don't want to be a "content creator" or “online influencer”. I don't want to "optimize engagement" or “build an agile social strategy”. I don’t even particularly want to Start a Blog or Podcast. I just want to f#¢&!ng hang out with my friends and community online, and I feel like we should have The Technology to just do that by now.

Of course (infuriatingly) we did have that technology! I first connected to the World Wide Web in 2001 when I was ten years old. Back then, the whole family shared one computer, which I mostly used to play Age of Empires, Bugdom, and Oregon Trail. Connecting to the Internet meant that nobody could use the phone, so we would log on quickly (accompanied by a symphony of discordant whistles and beeps), check emails and/or MSN messages, and then pass the computer to the next person.

As our access to the Internet grew through my teens, so did the diversity of content we consumed, shared, and bonded over. eBaum’s World and Newgrounds hosted a plethora of simple, free webgames we'd play once we got bored with the handful my parents were willing to buy, as well as the first viral videos like Numa Numa and Star Wars Kid. We also connected in new ways with a growing “social web” — profiles on sites like Myspace and Livejournal and eventually the early Facebook were a way that anyone could have their own site on the web, a little virtual locker that you could decorate and fill up to your liking, and have your friends stuff with virtual notes.

In my late teens and early twenties, the Internet was mostly for research and keeping up with student government and clubs via long weekly emails stuffed with hyperlinks and attachments. It wasn't until I was well into my twenties that I got my first smartphone. At university, the only way to connect to the Internet “on the go” was to tweet my on-the-go thoughts by sending an SMS text message to Twitter at 21212. I also hardly used the social web anyways, other than for a quick dopamine distraction or break from long study sessions in the library. I had even deleted my Facebook account that I'd had since high school, since the campus coffee shop and bar served as more than enough of a hub for socializing, philosophical and political debates, and important announcements posted on cork boards or delivered by intercom.

I know I probably sound like a stereotypical Millennial, whining about the “good ole days”, but I wanted to spend this time on memory lane for a reason. I think that no matter when you grew up, this feeling is probably close to universal: from the early 2000s to early 2020s, the Internet and social web seemed to just work. There were a lot of things wrong with the world, but the Internet was where we went to complain about other problems, not a source of them. But of course, even back then we were living on borrowed money and time. The virtual Commons we had grown comfortable in never actually belonged to us, the users. From the moment they incorporated, the big sites belonged to venture capital, who sold them out to the oligarchs, who sold them out to the fascists. We were never the customer, always the product.

Flash forward to 2025. The “big four” North American social media outlets (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok) have all been captured by the Trump administration. Smaller sites, like Reddit, Telegram, and Substack have long been a hotbed for bigotry and hate speech. Searches on Apple, Google, Microsoft, and even Pinterest are serving up LLM “AI” slop before authentic and unique human creations. Ads, suggestions, sponsored posts, and cookie pop-ups take up far more space than the content I came for. And if I ever want my family, friends, and community to actually see my updates, I either need to send them to each person directly, or market my posts not to them, but to an algorithm optimized not for users or even businesses, but shareholder profit. On top of all of this, there is a pervasive sense of how uncomfortably public, permanent, and surveilled it all is. (In parallel to all this: efforts to gather in person are cut at the knees by a lack of coherent and safe public health policies, the dismantling of Third Spaces and affordable public transportation, and the militarization of the police.)

It is horrifying that exactly when the biggest thing we need for survival is to build and strengthen community, that the only accessible tools to do so, are hostile to our very existence.

Obviously this isn’t a coincidence. Every time we, the people, can talk to each other directly, we start getting dangerous ideas about the fact that the ultra-wealthy and hyper-elite are so few, and the rest of us are so many. Pamphlets facilitated the French and American revolutions, the telegraph and radio hastened the collapse of the Russian and German Empires, and Twitter fanned the flames of the Arab Spring. And here in America, The Powers That Be, Red and Blue alike, overwhelmingly want the American government in strict control over where and how we can communicate with each other.

And here I am, just hoping for a single F#¢&!NG site on the whole World Wide Web where I can just hang out with family, friends, and community that isn't owned and operated by literal fascists, kept behind a paywall, or too technical for our Elders to use. A comfy virtual coffee shop with announcement boards, conversations, the occasional performance, and a locker nearby for collecting memories and passing notes.

I don’t really know what the Takeaway/Call to Action is here. Yes, I’m already on Tumblr, Mastadon, and Bluesky, and would love it if we all continued to grow these kind of alternatives while divesting from profit-driven social "platforms". I’m still on Discord, Snapchat, and Signal and even have accounts on Loops, Pixelfed, and Xiaohongshu, in case the center of gravity ever moves over to those places. All of them still feel very "under construction" though, so I don't even know which (if any) I feel comfortable asking friends and family to "switch over" to. In the meantime, I'm just feeling lost, sad, lonely, and adrift; and wanted to share these musings with y’all. Just in case anyone has any advice you want to share, or are feeling the same way and want to commiserate.

xposted to Facebook, Tumblr, Medium, and WriteAs. God, I hate the Internet right now >:(

[macherstalker]

Growing up in the US and hearing people tell you your entire life that you live in the best country in the world and the only country with freedom, then becoming an adult and realizing your country’s government not only doesn’t give a flying FUCK about you OR your rights and freedoms, but they will look you in the eye as they take them away. Not only do they not give a FUCK if you can eat AND pay your electric bill this month, they will ACTIVELY fight against paying you a higher wage. Not only will they allow hundreds of children to get shot in schools and thousands of people die from gun violence, they will actually actively talk about how much they love guns and how much we, as Americans, deserve the right to have them and “guns don’t kill people, people kill people!” Not only do we not live in the greatest and most free country in the world, we can’t make decisions for our bodies and our free speech is being taken. Not only do they not give a fuck if you’re raped, They’ll put your rapist on the Supreme Court. Not only is our public education system FUCKED, but it’s also full of propaganda, and lies. I didn’t even know the real story of Thanksgiving and what happened to the native Americans until I was a senior in high school or later. They do not teach that. At least where I’m from. Not only is healthy food here EXPENSIVE and almost impossible for regular working class people to afford, they stuff the cheaper food full of chemicals and sugar and fucking microplastics and we all gain massive amounts of weight or get cancer from the chemicals, and watch the rest of the world make fun of us for being fat when we have no idea about nutrition. Not only will medical care cost more than most people can afford in a LIFETIME, insurance will be hard to get, expensive, and they decide what they cover. If a medical insurance company decides not to pay for life saving care and you can’t afford it, you die. They can decide that. Legally. Not only will they not let you learn about how other cultures operate and the history of violence towards POC in this country, they will actively work in the government to make sure that you think this is an evil thing to learn about, they will make sure you think that this is the “democrats trying to indoctrinate your children”. They will make sure you think gays are going to convert your kids and they are against God. Not only will cops shoot people in the street for not being white, or for being homeless, They will not be punished. In fact, the police will have the HIGHEST domestic violence rate of any profession. Isn’t that grand? The government will not be a separation of church and state. Religion will be mentioned often in government. 10 people will hold the majority of wealth in the country whilst people live on the street and can’t make ends meet. They will paint Palestinians out to be terrorists and say Israel has a right to kill them all and take their land, and they will use your tax dollars to build weapons to help them commit genocide. There will be blood on your hands. Veterans will become homeless and beg for money on the side of the road after losing limbs in combat. Because this country will send you to war, make you risk your life, and watch your friends die, but will not take care of you when you return. They will work to make sure that you never know the gruesome, vile and violent history of this country so the illusion remains. So you continue to think you live in the greatest country to ever exist. Going from a child seeing the illusion to an adult seeing the truth isn’t just sad, it’s INFURIATING, it’s terrifying.

Not only is the American Dream a fucking sick joke, it’s a trap. It’s a fraud. A scam. The American Dream does not exist. America is greed. America is hate. America is violent. America is control. America has failed its people. America has failed the world.

I’m scared. I’m terrified for these next four years. I fear it’s too late to do anything. We’re too far gone. To the women and POC in America, I’m so sorry for what’s to come. I can only hope that we can come back from this once it’s over.

[thelegendaryfluffypotato13]

Ya girl rants about her local catholic church for a bit

I’m a Catholic in the mid Atlantic South and I have to attend these… gatherings? Religious meetings? I’m not sure what to call them, but it’s a new thing where if your kid (my brother here) goes to Sunday school (my brother’s going so he can get Confirmed at the end (tldr for non Catholics, it’s basically you agreeing/deciding to be Catholic so you’re not just Catholic by baptism aka your parents’ decision)), the parent(s) has to attend this gathering (it has a name but for Anonymity’s sake, I won’t drop it here) to kinda relearn Catholicism/learn the teachings from the 2nd Vatican Council. The discussions in these meetings is usually lead by this one priest but occasionally a different speaker will lead if he is unable to.

So me and my parents go there before picking up my brother and heading to Mass. So I’ve been sitting through these things for almost a year now and I get to live witness the Church take 1 step forward and 2-5 steps back every Sunday for like an hour before Mass. To give you the shortened experience, pretend every bullet point is a discussion for that Sunday, each one a different week (note: some of these DO happen on the same day):

- Catholics are known to not read the Bible, this needs to change as there are many good teachings in there. We should take the time to know God through His words.

- Marriage is between one man and one woman ONLY

- The Church is not against science, please listen to doctors and scientists, many parts of the Bible have been scientifically proven anyway

- Abortion is murder

- While our Protestant brothers and sisters have separated from us, we are still united under Christ and can learn some things from them

- Insert historical reference that I KNOW is wrong

- You cannot force someone to believe in something they do not. If you have invited a non-Catholic into our Church, they may follow along but know they cannot say some of the words we say during Mass because they do not believe them and you should not make them

- Gay marriage isn’t real marriage (<- same sex marriage was fought for not to copy Christian tradition but to earn the legal rights that came with it PLEASE WE DO NOT LIVE IN A VACUUM)

- Insert historical reference that either overemphasizes the Catholic side or omits the Catholic side’s wrongdoings

- Contraceptives are intrinsically and totally evil

- Stop hating immigrants, the US was built by immigrants, everyone in this room descended from immigrants, Jesus Himself migrated to and between many different cities and regions

- That time when *checks notes* the priest oPENLY JUSTIFIED THE DEATH PENALTY??? <- still thinking about this because what the FRICK do you mean you can justify the death penalty in the same hour we mentioned abortion being evil WHAT??????? DO YOU KNOW HOW CRAZY I FELT JUST HAVING TO SIP MY TEA WITH A STRAIGHT FACE LISTENING TO THIS, I ALREADY DIDN’T LIKE THE GUY BUT I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS????

- Science is not “playing God,” God is knowledge and knowledge is a gift from Him, actively learning about the world He created is a way to get closer to God while turning away from and rejecting science is like rejecting God and His gifts

- Eugenics and unethical science is still bad though

- Trans people are mutilating their bodies which is against God <- completely incorrect understanding of trans people and their experience and, while they didn’t outright say it, I believe is based on the incorrect assumption of trans women cutting off their genitalia in order to transition

- Insert historical reference I don’t know enough about but have heard Enough from their previous mentions of historical references to immediately be doubtful

- Antisemitism is bad

- Men need to step it up and actually be good husbands, you can’t go hating your wife, the whole point of marriage is to send each other to heaven, men be claiming that they’re Christian and not going to Church meanwhile their wives are going with the kids while the husband chills at home doing nothing, men need to do better at actually being part of the family and part of the Church

- Actual acknowledgment of corruption in Church

- The Church is apolitical <- something something we do not live in a vacuum

- Physician Assisted Suicide is evil and a growing problem

- The secular world is out to persecute Catholics

- Technology is not evil in itself but it can distract us from our faith, putting other things before God and creating other idols

- Money is not evil in itself but the pursuit of it at the price of other people is

- Contraceptives have caused so much harm to the world and are incredibly evil

- The world is teaching us homosexuality is okay but it is not, another example of the secular world taking over Christian values

- No one is converted with just facts and corrections, if you want someone to actually, truly believe in your faith, the best way isn’t to prove why they’re wrong, but to show how it has been right for you, be a living testament to how faith has helped you and how it can help others

- Insert wrong historical reference

[canirove]

In The Name of Love | Chapter 31

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Masterlist

"Keys, wallet, water bottle, notebook, pens, tissues… I think I have it all."

"Are you sure?" Silvia says.

"I… Shit" I say when I see her holding my phone.

"I've never seen you this nervous on a first day before. Not even on your very first day."

"Yeah, well… Back then I wasn't dating someone famous and the whole world knew about it" I sigh. Because now everyone knows. 

A few days after the photos in Tenerife were published, someone started to share details about me, sending them to magazines and fan accounts. People now knew my full name, what I had studied and where, what I did for a living, some of my hobbies… And, of course, my age. That had made things escalate quickly, the word cougar being thrown right and left. Though the comments that were hurting me the most, were the ones saying that I should not be teaching kids when I am dating someone so young.

"You aren't doing anything wrong, Val" Silvia says, taking my hand on hers.

"I know, but… I already got some weird looks from other teachers the other day. And I know that the moment the parents see me, they'll start gossiping."

"Then let them. You've been dating Pedri for three years already while teaching their kids, and they all have loved you and said you are amazing. Now because they know who you sleep with you suddenly are a bad teacher? C'mon…"

"People are like that, Silvia…"

"Stupid, that's what they are."

"A bit, yeah" I chuckle. "Anyway, I better go."

"Good luck, Val" she smiles.

"Thank you" I reply, walking towards the door. "Holy mother of Jesus!" I yell when I open it.

"Morning, gorgeous" Pedri smiles.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm driving you to work."

"What?"

"I wanted to be there on your first day."

"Did you know about this?" I say, turning to look at Silvia.

"I… Maybe?" she replies. "It was supposed to be a surprise."

"Oh, you have definitely surprised me. And given me a heart attack too."

"You opened when I was about to ring. But will this make you feel better?" he says, showing me the bouquet of flowers he was hiding behind his back.

"It's a start…"

"I can do other things to make you feel better, but we don't want to be late" Pedri smirks.

"Idiot" I reply, rolling my eyes.

"Should we go, then?" he says.

"Yeah, let's go."

"And Val…" Silvia says. "Haters gonna hate."

"Did you just quote Taylor Swift?" I laugh.

"She's right, so" she shrugs. 

"Maybe we should listen to that song in the car" Pedri offers.

"No."

"Ok, ok. You are kinda scary when you use that tone" he laughs. "Bye, Silvia."

"Bye, guys!" 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"It's time" I sigh, picking up my bag and the flowers.

"Everything will be ok, Val."

"It will, yes" I say, trying to convince myself.

"Have I ever told you how proud I am of you?" Pedri says, caressing my cheek.

"I'm not sure…"

"Well, I am doing it now. I am so proud of you, Val. What you teachers do is amazing and people should show you more respect."

"Aww, Pepi."

"It's the truth" he shrugs. "Now go there and show those kids how good you are."

"That sounds like what Xavi tells you before a game" I chuckle.

"It does, doesn't it?" he laughs. "But, again, it is the truth. You are amazing, Val."

"And you are gonna make me cry" I say, hitting his arm.

"Sorry" he smiles. "I love you."

"I love you too."

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Val! Good morning!"

"Good morning, Beth" I smile.

"The flowers arrived earlier today, uh?" she says, nodding towards the bouquet in my hands.

"And that was him, wasn't it?" Luis says. "He has a really nice car."

"Did he drive you to work?"

"He did, yes. He wanted to be with me on my first day" I say with a shy smile.

"That is so cute."

"I always drive you to work" Luis says.

"Yeah, but because we live together" Beth replies, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, let's go. We can't be late on our first day, can we?"

"We cannot, no" Luis sighs.

As we walk towards the school, many parents turn to look at us. I can see them whispering, nodding, and even pointing towards me. The moment we walk past them they say good morning with their best smile, but then the whispers are back.

"He probably bought her those flowers."

"And she's brought them so we all can see them."

"Her bag looks new. And expensive. I'm sure he bought it for her."

"Watch her start dressing like the other wags. No more Zara for Miss Valeria."

"She should be ashamed of herself. Dating someone so young…"

"Val, hey. Valeria" Beth says, linking her arm with mine. "Ignore them. They are just bored and jealous."

"Exactly. We know you and support you" Luis says to my other side.

"Thank you" I reply, trying to smile and focus on them, on my friends. Though it won't be easy…

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

How did it go? 

Ok

Ok? What does it mean?

It means that it was ok

Val, what happened?

Nothing  The kids are great One of them was wearing your shirt and came to show me with the biggest smile And then he asked me if I could get him your autograph

Cheeky 😂

What did you tell him?

That I would depending on how well he behaved and his grades Same to everyone else

Great motivation 😅

But if it was ok, why are you… off?

I'm not off

Val, I can feel it and we are just texting while being kilometres away

What happened?

Nothing

Val… what did we promise each other?

No more secrets

Ok, fine It was the parents They kept whispering and gossiping as I walked past them It was very uncomfortable, they were making me feel as if I had done something bad

But you haven't

I know, but… It doesn't matter

Val…

It doesn't It was just the first day, the novelty In a few days they will have moved on into something else Like a parent having a fling with another or whatever

Val, are you sure you are ok?

Do you want to facetime?

I'm fine, Pedri I'm going to bed already, I'm shattered  And so should you, you have a game tomorrow

If I don't sleep well and play badly we'll probably lose.

Yes, but I don't want you to lose because you were shit I want you to lose because the others suck

Always so thoughtful 😂

😇😇

But Val…

What now 🙄

I love you 🤍

I love you too 🤍

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"I can't fucking believe it."

"What happened?" Silvia asks me.

"Isabel, I mean, “the mole”, just shared more photos" I sigh.

"What? How? I thought you had deactivated all your accounts."

"I did. But she must have download the photos or something."

"That is so fucked up, Val… Has the people Barça hired said something?"

"That whoever this person is, they are uploading and sending the photos using public WiFi signals and fake emails. That they know what they are doing."

"And do you really think Isabel is capable of doing all that?"

"She hates me, Silvia. She's capable of that and more." 

"Yeah, but… The teenagers are nuts" she says. "They could have hacked someone's account or something and be the ones doing this."

"It has been Isabel since the beginning. What has been shared about me are things only someone who actually knows me and has done it for years can know, and she had access to all my photos through Marc's accounts. It is her." 

"What are you going to do? Because this can't keep going on, and if they aren't able to catch her…"

"I don't know" I sigh. "And that must be my car" I say when my phone pings.

"Val, maybe you shouldn't go to today's game."

"I have to, Silvia. They are playing against Manchester United, Ferran is back, and he's gonna introduce us to his girlfriend. I can't miss it."

"But Val…"

"I have to go" I say, getting up from the sofa and leaving before she can keep talking, taking deep breaths on the lift to calm myself down. Which is what I've been doing the most these past couple of months. Take deep breaths, and cry.

At the school things have calmed down. After just a week, what I had told Pedri would happen became a reality and they moved on into a new piece of gossip, though I still get some disapproving looks. Online, it is a different story.

Most fans are ok with me dating Pedri or don't care. The only thing that matters to them is if he is happy or not, and they can see that he is. But there are others who don't share that sentiment and who are ruthless, constantly overanalyzing every photo of us or just me alone that they find, calling me the most awful and mean nicknames they can think of. 

A couple of weeks ago, someone started to send them photos of Pedri and I together or from when I was at uni and in high school, private photos I had on Instagram and Facebook and that only my friends and family were supposed to see. And, of course, the mean comments didn't slow down. They only got more and more disgusting.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Val, hi!" Ter Stegen's wife, Dani, says while waving at me.

"Hi" I smile.

"How are you? Ready for tonight's game?"

"Ready" I say, sitting down. 

Before the season started I promised Pedri that I would watch him play with the other girlfriends and wives, that there will be no more getting tickets all around the stadium. And so far, I had managed to do it, Dani helping me to not feel so out of place. Though with the comments she and the others would get every time they would post a photo where you could see me, the only thing that helped was ignoring or blocking. 

"It feels a bit weird to see Ferran on the other team, doesn't it?" Dani says.

"It does… ouch" I complain when something hits my head.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. I guess someone lost their bottle's lid" I say, looking up.

"At least it was just that and not water. Or worse, beer. I saw that happen in Germany to a friend of mine."

"Oh my God."

"Yep" she laughs.

"Cougar!" someone shouts behind us.

"What the fuck" Dani says, turning around. 

"Ignore them."

"What? They are insulting you, Val."

"They just want attention. The best we can do is ignore them."

"But…"

"Please, Dani. Let's focus on the game."

"Ok, fine. We'll do as you say."

But the insults don't stop. The girls sitting a few rows behind us spend the first half of the game calling me names, making fun of me and throwing me popcorn.

"We should tell security, Val. This is not ok."

"And end up all over the internet like happened years ago? Hell no."

"But you would only be defending yourself from some bullies!"

"Dani, let it go."

"And if I go talk to them? Maybe they will listen to me."

"No, no, no. I don't want you getting involved."

"Val, you are my friend. I can't just sit and do nothing while two stupid teenagers keep insulting you."

"Dani, please" I beg her.

"Urgh, fine. You are looking at me the same way my kids do and I can't say no to that."

"Thank you" I say, trying to smile. And I say trying because a ball of paper just hit my head, the girls laughing like crazy.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Hello" Pedri smiles, walking towards me.

"Hi."

"Ready to meet Ferran and… Val, what happened?" he says, throwing his bag next to his car and cupping my face while giving me a concerned look. 

"Nothing" I shrug.

"Val, you've been crying."

"No."

"Valeria…" he sighs.

"It's nothing."

"If it has made you cry, it definitely is something. Talk to me."

"But what about Ferran? He probably is waiting for us, the team must be leaving soon and…"

"Don't worry about him now. Tell me what happened."

"It's… it's nothing, really."

"Please, Val. I hate seeing you like this" Pedri says, the way he is looking at me breaking my heart.

"There were a couple of girls sitting behind us, and they…"

"They what?"

"They spent the whole game insulting me and throwing me popcorn."

"And didn't security do anything?"

"Dani wanted to call them, but I didn't let her."

"You didn't? Why?"

"Because I didn't want to make another scene, and those girls only wanted attention."

"They were bullying you, Val. And they made you cry. Because they are the reason why you were crying, weren't they?"

"Yes" I nod. "When the game ended we walked past them and they… they…"

"They what?"

"They were basically calling me a whore" I say, starting to cry again.

"See why you should have told security about them?" Pedri says, raising his voice.

"That would have only made things worse and you know it."

"What I know is that this can't keep happening, Val. It can't! I'm gonna speak with my team, the club and whoever is necessary and put an end to this."

"Pedri…"

"No! I'm not gonna allow my so called fans to keep bullying the woman I love. Enough is enough!" he says. I think I had never seen him this angry before.

"Please don't say anything. Please" I cry.

"What? Are you out of our mind, Val?"

"If you say something it will only get worse. And I… I won't be able to deal with that. Please let it go, Pedri. Please."

"Val…"

"Please" I beg him, hugging him as tightly as I can while crying on his shoulder. "Please."

"I… fine" he sighs. "But if it happens again, you will let me do something. We are done looking the other way, ok?"

"Ok" I say, still not letting go of him, feeling like he is the only thing keeping me from truly breaking apart.

[hiveswap]

hey, what the fuck is happening over there [hungary]?????

oh, god hi fens it's a mess

europe is having eu parliament elections, which are kind of a big deal and every party here is campaigning to have their candidate sent so that they can influence eu policy or whatever.

At the same time, there's a new party called "Tisza" (both the name of a major river and an acronym for "purity and freedom") lead by a young former government politican called Magyar Péter. He's ridiculously popular rn. Dude knows how to move crowds and wants Hungary to catch up to eu standards which we are definietly not reaching under Fidesz (current govt. party) Obviously I don't trust him entirely but they've got a legit chance of making things better and that is GOOD.

Other parties exist as well, but they've got no relevance, no voter base, and nobody wants them: These include Mi hazánk (nazis) and Kétfarkú kutyapárt (two tailed dog party) who are there for the meme and nothing else, their candidate showed up in a leather jacket to a debate and made jokes the whole time. (iconic) There's also a bunch of others but no one likes them all that much

Still at the same time, Fidesz has been at power for 12 fucking years. (one thing Tisza wants to do is limit this to 8 years max for future elections) And they've got this fucking country in the middle of a mass hysteria episode.

Their talking points include:

George Soros/Soros György is sending (arab) immigrants here to rape women and do crime and he pays leftist politicans to do this for him. And this is good for them because...? (they are cartoon villians dont question it pls)

2. Bruxelles (eu parliament) bad because they do gender and immigration (because of George Soros)

This George Soros thing got to the point where the current eu rep. went to a debate and accused all other candidates there, to their faces, of being paid by him. like, to their faces live on public television.

3. THE WAR -> according to our prime minister Orbán Viktor, all other parties except them want to bring back the draft and send hungarian boys to Ukraine to fight (absolutely deranged idea, no party wants this, they keep saiyng they don't) and also he's saying that Europe is heading towards a third world war and they are going to change this if they get into the eu parliament (they are in, right now, too.)

This has gotten to the point where they've got posters and ads about how there is going to be war and only they can save us. Magyar Péter appeared on tv saying he's been approached by a teacher whose students, 9-10 years old, were afraid that a burning house across the lake from their summercamp meant we were being bombed by Russia. (He's a politican so take this anecdote with a grain of salt)

...Anyway the chatch is that the govt. has allegedly been sending hungarian soliders to Chad this whole time so theyve got 0 right to say anything about them potentially being sent to Ukraine maybe.

4. Child protection from i guess queer people..? This one was big until recently, they banned mentions of queer people from schools, (before florida did btw) removed self-identification for trans people, ect.

This child protection "GENDER IDEOLÓGIA" (no we don't use the word gender in hungarian, they just left it in english) campaign ended when our president pardonned a pedophile children's home headmaster a few months ago, sparked an outrage, and had to step down. They've yet to apologise to the kids, btw. (The president in question, Novák Katalin, what a fucking girlboss, belonged to that far right Mi Hazánk party i mentioned before btw) They haven't been talking about protecting the children since, strangely.

there's also going to be a battery factory in Debdrecen (2nd largest city) which everyone hates and nobody wants and it's polluting the farmlands and the groundwater around there.

SO. YEAH. yay for hungary this is barely scratching the surface

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Pleasure Is My Business: Part Two

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.3k

Summary: You’re brought back to your high school days with this case. You put that behind you when you graduated, but life has a funny way of bringing you closer to the person who made your life miserable back then.

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them. If you’ve seen the show, then it’s the same level of angst unless otherwise stated

x

Larry was reluctant to send everything over but he did it. So, when you walk into the police station the next morning, Hotch already has all the files on the desk. Spencer is in the break room getting some coffee and you join his side to get the day started with some caffeine.

"Tonight is the first night of the reunion," he says.

"Fine, I'll go for a couple of hours and say hi to everyone. I don't know why they deserve it since all of them treated me like shit. I'm pretty sure they still hate me."

"You're an FBI agent. It doesn't matter what they've done with their lives. You're helping so many people despite what they've done to you. Nothing else matters."

"You're absolutely right," you grin and kiss him.

You two grab coffees for everyone before heading over to the empty conference room. Hotch is already on the phone with Penelope as everyone shuffles into the room.

"This guy is richie-rich. Eighteen cars, six houses, and three boats. Can you even boat in Dallas?"

"When you're talking about that much money, ten grand for a call girl is like deciding where to go for dinner," Emily says.

"I have half a million over here for something called the bat cave, and here's a picture of him as fetish Batman. That is wrong," JJ shudders and shows the picture.

"Is there anything this guy didn't like to spend money on?"

"Yeah, his ex-wives. Fielding was married four times. He didn't have prenups in the first two, but he did everything he could to cut off his ex-wives."

"Are there children involved?" you ask.

"Yes, with three of the wives. Hoyt Ashford was married a few times, too, wasn't he?"

"You know, considering that when Kevin takes me to dinner and a movie, he defaults on his student loans," Penelope divulges. "This amount of money is sick."

"What did you find?"

"All three of our dearly departed rich guys were embroiled in bitter court battles over how much to pay in alimony and child support, and even when the court ruled in the wife's favor, these three charmers just decided not to pay."

"Garcia, can you generate a list of high-profile Dallas CEOs who are holding out on their ex-wives?" Hotch asks.

"One loaded losers list, Dallas edition, coming at ya. Penelope out."

"So, why would a prominent businessman who could easily pay child support refuse to?" you ask when Penelope hangs up.

"For this type of overachieving personality, paying money after the marriage ends probably offends him."

"They're spending tens of thousands on an escort, but they won't drop a dime on their wife and kids? That's cold," JJ shakes her head.

"Meanwhile, most prostitutes come from broken homes and she's listening to pillow talk. That could serve as some sort of trigger about how their ex-wives are cheating them out of money, and how their kids are nagging them. It's everything that these men take for granted that she never had."

"Should I assemble the police for a profile?" JJ asks.

"I don't think it's gonna help. She lives in a completely different world than they do. The same thing goes for the news-watching public. The CEOs who sleep with her won't admit to it."

"I couldn't even get past the team of lawyers protecting them," JJ says.

"What if we give the profile to the corporate lawyers? They've cleaned up after her even if they don't realize that they've seen this woman," Hotch suggests.

"Every time we've approached them, they've circled the wagons. What makes you think this is going to be any different?"

"She's putting them at risk, too."

"I'll gather the lawyers."

As soon as JJ gathers the corporate lawyers, your entire team stands in front of them to deliver the profile to them. There are about three dozen lawyers in the room of all different backgrounds. You scan the entire room only to stop at someone you recognize. This man used to go to the same high school as you in Dallas. He ran in the crowd that bullied you the most, though, he doesn't seem to recognize you.

"We're looking for a white woman between the ages of twenty-five and thirty. She's being paid between ten and fifteen thousand per session, and she's very well versed in the world of money and privilege."

"Even though she's a call girl, she doesn't look like one. She could pass as a businesswoman or a co-worker. You've probably written up her personal expenses as losses such as shoes, jewelry, and clothing. Your bosses pay her in cash, but they may also be paying her in other ways like taking care of her, getting her a new car, and even paying for her medical bills."

"She probably didn't grow up with a father figure, and she is now turning that rage toward clients who walk out on their families," Emily adds.

"What's going to happen once this woman is caught?" one of the lawyers asks.

"She'll be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

"What about the other men she's sleeping with, the ones she doesn't kill? Will they be prosecuted?"

"Right now we're concentrating on stopping her from killing again."

"That's all well and good, but our employers are going to ask us about the risks involved In cooperating with an FBI investigation," another lawyer asks.

"Tell your employers that the risk is not only a physical one. She's compromising privileged information as well. After she sleeps with these men, they talk to her. It's part of the release they get in seeing her. All that dirty laundry you've worked so hard to cover up, she knows it. As long as she's out there, it's not just your clients that are vulnerable. Your firms are, too," you warn.

"Excuse me," a young woman speaks up from the back. "I'm Allison Barnes. I'm a lawyer at Webster Industries where Joseph Fielding worked."

"This is really not the time," Larry tries to stop her.

"We'd like to hear what she has to say. Go ahead, Ms. Barnes."

"A while back, I looked at some paperwork that Mr. Fielding filed about a penthouse downtown. I asked him what he'd be using it for, and he just kind of chuckled and said it was for a friend. Is that the kind of information you're looking for?"

"Do you have an address?" JJ asks and walks over to her.

"Please heed our warning. We're doing our best to get to her before she strikes again. Thank you."

Before the man you recognize can leave the meeting, you walk up to him with a friendly smile on your face.

"Jason? Jason Gavins?"

"Yeah? Don't tell me I'm in trouble," he jokes.

"No, nothing like that. I'm Y/N. We went to North Dallas High School together. Do you remember me or am I just coming off as creepy?" you chuckle.

"No, I remember you. I'm just shocked that you're here. Wow, it's been a long time."

"How have you been?"

"Good. I can tell by your badge that you've been good, too. Wow, the big FBI, huh? I always knew you'd do something special like that."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on. I'm assuming abilities like yours don't go away over time."

"You're right," you chuckle. "This might be a stretch, but did you happen to get a reunion invitation?"

"Yeah. I think it'll be fun to go for a night. Are you going?"

"Maybe for a few hours."

"I hope to see you there," he flirts.

He leaves just as Spencer joins your side.

"What was that about?"

"He and I went to high school together here in Dallas. He ran with the crowd who bullied me, but I don't think he remembers it."

The penthouse that Allison gave JJ is definitely home to the unsub. She must be staying here in between kills. You enter the penthouse knowing you're going to see the same blue energy, but it's driving you crazy not remembering who it belongs to. This place is too clean to have someone live here, which means she might have a different place to live. An initial sweep doesn't come up with anything out of the ordinary, but after spending some time in the bedroom, a few things pop out at you.

"Do you have anything?" Derek asks.

"No, and she seems too smart to leave a receipt lying around."

"Check this out," you say. You open a jewelry box that houses expensive rings and bracelets. "She's got a lot of high-end designer jewelry here, and then this." You pick up a small ring that's not like the others. "It's way too small to be an adult's. She probably kept it from her childhood."

"It's a purity ring. By wearing it, you promise to save yourself for marriage," Emily explains.

"She broke that promise a long time ago." Derek opens her closet doors only to find a leather suit used for sex. "Hey, Y/N, got a whip?"

"Nah, I'm not into that," you laugh.

"There are antique first editions on the bookshelves," you hear Hotch say from the living room.

"There's nothing identifiable. No pictures or sense of personality. Her lifestyle is completely disposable."

"Well, these aren't just for show." Hotch points to the books. "The spines are cracked. Somebody's been reading these. You know, we profiled that she learned to fake privilege. What if she's not faking it?"

"You're saying maybe she came from money the whole time?"

"Maybe."

The living room phone rings, and for some reason, you know that the call is meant for the FBI. It's like someone knows the FBI is in this room right now.

"Y/N or Prentiss should answer. If it's a customer, she'll get more information out of them," Spencer suggests.

"Unless she's calling in for her messages."

Derek takes out his phone and gets Penelope on the line.

"Yeah, Garcia, we're getting a call to this line. Can you work some magic?"

"I don't have a trap-and-trace in place yet. Give me a few."

"Prentiss, get ready to vamp. She's gonna work it."

The machine picks up the call, patching in whoever is calling.

Hi, it's me. You know what to do.

"Aaron. I know you're up there," the unsub says. "Pick up. Aaron Hotchner."

How the hell does she know who Hotch is? He must have run into her without knowing she was the unsub. Hotch looks at everyone before answering the phone. The machine is still on, so you're able to hear her side of the conversation, too.

The thing is, you've heard this voice before. You know this person. At some point in your life, you've either run into this woman or knew her, but where?

"Hello? I'm at a disadvantage. You seem to know my name, but I don't know yours. Can we start there?"

"I thought I could trust you, Aaron."

"Who says you can't?"

"I want to. I even looked you up online. Is that strange?"

"No. It's flattering to be noticed by a woman like you."

"I thought you were so upstanding. I watched the presentation you gave on school shootings. I found it posted on YouTube. For a moment, I actually thought there were still good people in the world."

"I've disappointed you, haven't I? Just like all the other men in your life who've walked out on their families, who deserve to be punished."

"Did you walk out on your family?"

"No, my wife left me."

"Do you have kids?"

"I have a son."

"How often do you see him?"

"I try to see him every week."

"Do you see him every week?"

"No, I don't get there as often as I want," Hotch sighs.

"I believe you, but don't compare yourself to the men I see. You are nothing like them. You're just another whore."

"How am I a whore? You come when called. You do their bidding. In hotels, you take the side elevator to avoid crowds while the men who pay your salary walk across the ivory marble foyer into their cars, but I'm just frustrating you, aren't I?"

"Garcia, anything?" Derek whispers into his phone.

"I'm on the landline, triangulating the cell. Give me sixty seconds."

"What do you mean?" the woman asks.

"You want to show the world all these bad me, and my investigation's just getting in your way."

"No, Aaron. You're not doing your job!" she yells. Your eyes widen in recognition at the exact moment you figure out who this woman is. You cover your mouth to keep your gasp from getting out. "You don't want to arrest me and don't want me in custody because you're in their pocket. You just want me to disappear, just like they do."

"Truthfully, I'm only interested in finding you. You've been betrayed so many times. You don't know who to trust, and that's why that first murder felt so good. However, each one since has been less and less satisfying. You know that's going to continue. Am I right?"

"Yeah," she whispers.

"Come to me and turn yourself in. I will make sure that you get the help you need. I won't let you disappear.

"If we met under different circumstances, I could believe that. I won't let you cover this up."

A gunshot goes off on the other line before she clicks off. She's killed another man, another victim in her pocket.

"Garcia, talk to me," Derek says.

Penelope got the location of the phone call, but as you suspected, the man, Trent Rabner, was already dead inside his car. The only thing to go off of is the phone call she had with Hotch, and it's only until everyone is back at the station do you reveal where you know her from.

"I know who our unsub is."

"You do? How?" Hotch asks.

"The first time I saw her energy at the office firm in the elevator, I recognized it immediately. I came across this woman at some point in my life. The next crime scene only made me realize not only did I come across her, I actually knew her. Then, I heard her speak over the phone and when she got so angry, it clicked in my head.

"Her name is Megan Kane, and I went to high school with her here in Dallas. I caught her and a teacher having sex which resulting him getting fired. She became the laughingstock immediately. Everyone was talking about it. She got so pissed at me, but our unsub is her. My high school is having a reunion, and I'll put all my money on her being there tonight. One of the lawyers we talked to will also be there. He might have seen her or talked to her. He was one of her best friend's boyfriends in high school."

"Have Garcia get us everything she can on Megan Kane," Hotch says. "Morgan and Prentiss, go talk to the lawyer and see if he knows anything."

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[monzabee]

One of the strangest things I’ve seen in this fandom is how some people find it odd that we hold others accountable for liking racist content. It doesn’t matter if you’re 16 or 61—if you liked or tweeted something racist, you’re racist.

I have never liked or posted anything racist, even when I was young, so don’t use the excuse, “Oh, but they were young.” So what? Have they ever apologized for it? No.

you see, i got a very long and hateful ask about me holding a certain wag accountable for those likes, and the main message was the fact that i was morally corrupt and she was only 16 at the time... and they did send me a death threat which was nice🫠

with that being said, when i was 13 i was pepper gassed because me, and a bunch of my friends and our families, were out there protesting our rights. when i was 16 i was part of a student group which helped syrian children who were refugees in turkey adapt to our country and voluntarily helped with their education until i graduated. when i was 20, i was protesting for the war in ukraine. when i was 21, 22 and 23, i was protesting for all the lives lost in gaza.

so no, being 16 doesn't changed the fact that she liked those posts. age has nothing to do with anything anymore, because we live in a time where information is at our fingertips, and even elementary school kids know what's going on with the world. so please don't defend someone like that to me saying she was young, she didn't apologise, instead she blocked people holding her accountable, and some of them were even her own 'fans'. though i don't even know what she did to have fans, not at all.

[aconflagrationofmyown]

Will we be seeing more of sweet Rosalee’s connection to her father? As an ultimate Daddy’s girl, I hope so. I showered with my Dad until I was in third grade and when they told me I had to start showering alone I refused to shower for like two weeks, I’d scream like if they were murdering me when they tried but my mom’s the tougher one and she was like “Nope she’s going to learn to shower alone!” So she waited me out haha. But even afterwards like in high school I’d have movie nights still with him and I’d lay on top of him on the couch and cuddle. My dad was honestly just the best. He was my best friend. When I had my first kid he went in the hospital room and checked on me first. It’s sad that some people would probably read this and think it’s weird that I was so close to my Dad but to me, it’s more sad that we live in a society where a Dad and daughter can’t be affectionate with each other after a certain age because of the world we live in. My cousins all hated me when I was young because my Dad was the fun uncle but I wouldn’t let him play with other kids! I asked him one time if I bugged him by always being with him but he told me that he was just always scared to fail me which blows my mind because I just always wanted to be near him that’s all I needed. Even after I had my own kid I’d go visit him and lay in the bed with him and bug him and my mom. When he would vacation without me, he would check in with me three times a day and yes, I have siblings but I was the only one who gravitated towards my Dad like that my sister and brother were all about my mom and I’d ask them why if Dad was better and my mom would get upset with me lol! Don’t get me wrong I love LOVE my mom and she knows I do it’s just a different connection. Hope you don’t mind me sharing my memories, Rosalee just wanting to shower with her Daddy and getting a kiss attack on her face until she smiled brought back happy times and I would love to see so much more of that especially because I’m sure Elvis was an amazing father to Lisa Marie too.

P.S I still refer to him as my ‘Daddy’ even now and as I’m from Los Angeles (I think it may be more normal to do so in the South?) so many people tell me that’s weird I hate what people have done to the word Daddy.

Oh my darling anon, this touched my heart so much. We are indeed the lucky ones to have our own connection and memories to draw on, makes me sad for others who would view it through the lens of our unfortunate and broken world. Not everyone’s so fortunate but it’s a beautiful thing and ought to be normalized as much as it can be, the bad always gets more publicity -and while it should always be called out- my goodness, we gotta have representation for the good dads and their devoted little girls.

All of Lisa’s anecdotes suggest such a connection with Elvis, and even the way she respected and honored the man who was her daddy (even though she called him Elvis, haha) more than the legend she could have, touches me. I love it and have tried to bring that to Sarge and give a various connections to each kid but Rosalee is that one special baby who relies fully on him, and that’s quite the weight for him as Elaine is so capable he’s used to the kids finding her sufficient, but not this child, she needs him at all times and I think he’d love that and take it seriously.

All that to say, YES WE WILL GET SO MUCH MORE OF THEM including when she’s an adult and a child. If you ever have any prompts you’d particularly like to see, from memory or otherwise, please send them in!! This is another reason I chose Riley as her faceclaim, I wanted his Rosalee to be his real relative and Riley’s got his bright grin, in my opinion.

Can’t thank you enough for this sweet note, you’ve made my night.

Much love, Marina 💋🎀💋

[inneedofsupervision]

Masterlist (2)

Masterlist for all non-tickle fanfics I have written under the cut.

Marvel

An Enemy? A Friend? No, just your friendly neighborhood Spiderman.

Chapter: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Summary:

"Come on, Parker, say something. But don't make it embarrassing," thinks Peter. "Those are your childhood heroes, and they want something from you. Just say hi like a normal person." "Good evening, Mr. Barton, Sir. Mr. Wilson, Sir." "How do you know our names," asks Clint, sounding genuinely curious. "You have a Wikipedia page!" blurts Peter out before wincing inwardly. There goes his plan for a non-embarrassing first impression. "You've read our Wikipedia pages?" asks Sam slowly, as if saying the words slowly would let them make more sense. "Twice, actually." ________________________________ Are the Avengers a Team? Yes. Are they on good terms? Not necessarily. Has the public caught up on that? Maybe a little. When Fury sends the team on the mission to investigate the identity of New York's favorite vigilante, they have to learn to work as a team and not damage their already battered image. Or, the story of how the Avengers have to earn the public's trust back with the help of a certain crime fighting Spider.

(Read on Ao3)

I didn't ask, did I?

Chapter: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Summary:

Happy begrudgingly steps aside and walks after Tony into the diner. The billionaire skillfully ignores the gasps of surprise and the poor attempt to take pictures of him secretly as he strides straight up to the counter. "Two cheeseburgers and a large fry. To go." "Please get in line and wait for your turn, Sir." "Excuse me?" Tony slowly pulls his sunglasses down and glances at the skinny teen behind the register. "Bad hearing comes with age, huh?" mutters the teen under his breath. Happy makes a choking sound behind him. ___________________ Or, how Tony Stark gets sassed by some high schooler working part-time and makes it his mission to figure out what he did to make this kid he'd never seen hate him. If that means annoying the hell out of said high schooler, that's not his problem.

Read on Ao3

Seventeen (Kpop)

Intoxicated

One Shot

Summary:

There Jihoon goes, throwing over his rules for the year, to go with Soonyoung's whim and go drinking only to get a hangover. But worse than the hangover were these weird dreams he had that night. Who would believe that he met that guy out of a math lecture on his way home, inviting him over to "eat ramen" at his place, only for the dude to turn out to be a vampire and get his blood sucked?

Read on Ao3

Starstruck

Summary:

Waking up in a stranger's bed after one hell of a party was not how Chan had expected his morning to go. With only scrappy memories of last night, Chan tries to make sense of what had happened, unaware of the attention his actions of last night have gained him. (The GyuChanCheol fanfic nobody asked for but everyone wants)

Seventeen Fanfic - Pairing: Choi Seungcheol (S.Coups) / Kim Mingyu / Lee Chan (Dino)

College Life AU

Chapter: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Read on Ao3

In a World full of Color, We only see Black and White

Summary:

Being homeschooled until now, Chan stands two days after turning sixteen in front of an actual school for the first time in his life. Chan's plan; keep low and get this done without causing himself trouble. But that's easier said than done when you only pretend to be human. In a society where people split into those who can use magic and those who are not, demons have nearly hit extinction. They are beasts accepted but still frowned upon by society and thus live with their true nature hidden. To this day, demons almost started becoming a myth. Chan is one of them.

Seventeen fanfic; High School AU, Fantasy AU, Demons and Humans AU

Spotify-Playlist for this fanfic

Chapter: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

Read on Ao3

Attacca

Summary:

Minghao would do everything for his brothers. He doesn't care if they aren't related by blood. Jun, Soonyoung, and Chan are his family and he would fight to keep it this way. Meanwhile, Hansol lives after the motto me, myself, and I. Others see a young man walking aimlessly, but Hansol sees himself enjoying his life in the best company. Himself. Two different worlds clash, when Chew Hansol gets involved in the business of Attacca, one of Seoul's most dangerous mafia gangs, led by his dead father's friend, Choi Seungcheol. Having no other choice but to get on a mission for Attacca, the young man stumbles right into the world of Seoul's inner circle of criminals, only to get missing.

Seventeen Mafia AU

Chapter: Prologue, 1,

Read on Ao3

[rainwaterapothecary]

"Unsettled" pt. 6

Serennedy Golden Compass AU [Lore][Pt. 1][Pt. 2][Pt.3][Pt.4][Pt.5]

[TW this chapter: Dictators, implied transphobia, gas chamber mentioned. This is a fun au and I don't want anyone blind-sided.]

Luis' Mind, The Past

Panza had Settled shortly after the boat touched down in Portugal. Abuelo had tried to keep his grandson’s spirits up, but after the Depression had taken Abuelo’s job and killed Luis’ search for higher education and left them with nothing but two suitcases and two daemons… well, Panza lost his color but never his spirit.

“African Gray Parrots are very smart creatures, you know? There’s mi joya.” Luis smiled with his eyes as Panza leaned into his Bonded’s fingers for scritches. Leon raised an eyebrow.

“Makes sense. Don’t think I’ve ever seen one- Ah.”

Luis snickered with his daemon as it swapped forms but Leon just smirked and rolled his eyes. Showoffs. At least some things never change.

Even then, when things were bleak and Luis had left everything he held dear (that couldn’t fit in his suitcase… so the things that mattered like Leon and his Nonna), his soul still found a way to have a shock of color. Panza strutted across the table as Luis bragged about his ‘little jewel’, the red plume in his tailfeathers catching the light like he was dancing.

Can’t keep a good man down.

“Things were…hard, amigo. There’s no other way to put it. He thought that once we made it back to Valdelobos, to familia, things would look up somehow. I…don’t know what his plan was.” Panza had begun dancing at Fiorire where she sat looking up at the table, rocking side to side and flaring his wings. Luis sighed.

“We lived in the village for a little while, Tío was still there, and the farm.”

Leon wrinkled his nose in sympathy, even so many years later he remembered how much Luis hated farm work. Always the daydreamer, never the manure shoveler.

“But he got me books! And after…” The two men let the weight of Abuelo Serra’s life settle over the conversation, having already said everything that needed to be said about the end of a quiet, strong man and his levelheaded Cuca hen.

Luis whistled a tune quietly, giving his daemon accompaniment in his tango of feathers and cheek before continuing. Fiofire sent Leon a look that both rolled her eyes and betrayed her amusement.

‘Leave it to Luis to try to cheer you up while he tells you heavy shit’, her look said. Leon rolled his eyes and smiled at her in reply.

“Panza and I made our way to Madrid for school, that was around 1932? 1933?”

“I was working at a grocery store in 1932, ol’ McAlister’s place.”

“Oh? Good for you!”

“Mm, continue.”

“Well…then things got …ugly.” Luis shook his head and his daemon paused to send his Bonded a look. Luis shook himself out of it. “The regime that came along… didn’t like, well, me, to put it kindly. Very Catholic.” Leon winced for him.

A smirk that heralded mischief that looked so good on Luis’ features lit him from within and the scientist winked.

“So we went underground. Found our own way, taught others, learned things.” His normally-beautiful eyes were dancing like all the Dust in his body had decided now was its time to shine.

“We stormed the records office and put together a few things that wouldn’t be missed…with quite a few things that would, and then we got out of there. My cómplice, my herd of students and academics bent on changing the world, Leon. It started with Spain and El Caudillo, but it was going to be so much more. Imagine it, Leon: Great minds like mine bent on making things better…”

The ex-soldier rested his cheek on one fist and just took in his friend. How different their lives had become since they were parted.

Luis had fought a war in secret for his people, his classmates and teammates. Leon had been dragged into fighting for a country that didn’t want to admit that it was made up of kids like him.

They both loved their countries, don’t get him wrong, it’s just that the fighting had taken very different tolls.

Luis shook his head to clear it.

“Then that God-damned war.” Luis drew in a shaky breath at the memories, drawing a hand down his face. Leon had a good enough grasp on the Spanish language to understand the names and circumstances Luis was implying, giving an identity to those he had lost while Leon sat at that table with his Nonna and a pencil.

“’Neutrality’, my ass.”

Luis’ hand dropped to the table, startling the other three before he waved it all off.

“So we came back to the states, ey Panza?” Better than being a smart ‘homosexual’ in a country that shook hands with the gas chambers. Leon didn’t blame him. Luis stopped picking at his rings when Leon settled a hand atop his.

“Even then they tried to get me to fight, you know?” Luis smirked at his bird, now a green parrot of some kind. “Took one look at my chart and sent me to the government. I didn’t even have to sit through a physical!” Leon chuckled and shook his head.

“Of course.”

Luis chuckled and bounced one shoulder to call his daemon up it. A massive skunk with an even bigger, more luxurious tail skittered up to sit on his shoulder.

“But they were interested in my Dust research. Had gotten copies of the papers I had published before the Academy kicked me out for what was beneath my clothes.” Luis shrugged easily at this, like it was just trivia he knew. Leon’s heart ached for his friend: so smart but so many barriers.

Luis stood up and walked over to his bookshelf, trailing a finger over bound books of different sizes and quality. On his shoulder, Panza trailed his tail over Luis’ cheek and rested it across his human’s shoulders.

“When I saw Galatea pass, it was the first time I had seen Dust in so pure a form. It made me wonder, later, when I got the chance to be intellectual about it: What makes this substance so special? Surely there was some connection between body, soul, and Dust but what?"

Leon’s lips began to grin without his knowledge as his friend walked him through the particles that hold the world together.

Watching Luis Serra Nevarro talk about science and adventure is like watching a poet or a play: He moved.

He became the topic he was thinking about and he got so excited he had to move about the room. Panza flitting around him on flickering firefly wings or snapping his jaws on the man’s heels, ringed fingers catching the light as he danced his way through papers he’d researched and experiments he’d run with names that aligned with people he’d lost.

“But the possibilities were too vast!” Luis spun on his heel, hair billowing around cheeks dusted with the glittering fractals of stubble. “So I turned to Panza! Panza?”

An unsettlingly large iguana scrambled up his back, long claws gripping soft fabric like fingers. Leon tried not to think too hard about that. Fiorire’s glance told him she caught it all the same.

“Panza! ¡Sí, bueno! I said ‘daemons are Dust incarnate, to some extent, so let’s turn the research on its head!’.” Both halves of Luis Serra suddenly looked at Leon with bright eyes and in that instant Luis was not the only man breathless.

“So what did you do?” Leon asked, pinned to the spot by their eyes.

Luis smirked at the lizard on his shoulder before flipping his wrist around to pinch his fingers together like a teardrop.

The scientist, thrumming with energy, closed his eyes...

Panza exploded in a silent display of light and glittering particulates. Gold spun around like a whirlwind with its eyes on Luis and Luis alone, frantic particles of Dust in a storm that toyed with the ends of Luis’ curly hair and enveloped the tall, lean man in a vision of gold and white light. Faster and faster the powders wove and danced, gray eyes snapping open to glow the gold of his soul in Panza’s stead.   

Luis opened his hand in a snap of motion and the chaos froze, millions of tiny stars stopping their spirals like a toy tornado of blown glass.

The light, blinding in its coagulation, molded a puddle of corium into his waiting palm, cosmic discord contained in shape once more.

When the scientist tilted his hand towards Leon, resting on his palm sat a blue morpho butterfly delicately waving its wings. The wild storm was contained in a Panza-shaped-box, tucked safely inside of the scientist’s very soul once more.

Leon sat stunned. Fiorire forgot to breathe.

Then Panza slipped through Luis’ fingers to bounce into an overweight pug who play-bowed to her. She sniffed him in frantic concern.

Luis shook out his hands and tilted his head, that manic light banking back into his normal, warm smile. Panza had helped himself to the golden glow, Leon noted, leaving only the calming sea-gray in his friend’s deep irises.

“Sancho?”

Leon’s hands were on him in a moment.

Everywhere he could reach, anything he could touch to reassure himself that this foolish, genius man was still alive and whole.

“You- Lu- You’re so-“

“Never do that again, capice?! Never, do you fucking hear me?” The panic in her voice brought the other two Bonded up short.

A gentle hand touched the back of the shaking one Leon had on Luis’ cheek. The scientist leaned into the hand cupping his face and looked into Leon’s pinprick pupils.

Acres of understanding were held in the soft look the man with the zoetrope heart gifted to his oldest and dearest friend.

“I’m fine, my friend. We’re just fine. I spent a long time researching how to pull off that little trick, and-“

“It’s not some parlor trick, Luis!” Leon snapped, shaking his head so hard his forelock bounced off of his cheek. “Fucking around with them- with the daemons is a death sentence, did you not hear me when I talked about the training and the way scientists were ripping the hearts out of kids?!”

He hadn’t meant to yell, especially not while holding Luis’ face between his hands with his daemon almost pinning Panza to the floor.

With effort and a sudden cut in volume, Leon took a shuddering breath and dropped his head forward to think. Luis’ free hand crept up to hold Leon’s other hand where it sat shaking alone on his cheek.

A susurration of scales against the scrubbed wood floor was all the warning Fiorire got before Panza was out of her grasp and mirroring their human’s hold on her face. White fur quivered as the wolf panted, meeting her friend’s golden eyes over the monkey’s proboscis nose.

Leon somehow dredged up the strength to raise his head.

Luis’ soul held his, the warmth of Panza’s small hands spreading like honey through Leon’s torso.

Sharp, pointed blue eyes met accepting gray.

Luis smiled, a gentle and supportive thing.

Leon kissed him.

It wasn’t quite angry, and it was definitely desperate, not the kind of first kiss Leon would have picked for them had he had the choice, but even as their lips got caught between clicking teeth, Luis’ hands softly moved to Leon’s sides, lengthening each press of lips and teeth and tongue until it was just a soft mouth giving, giving, giving while frantic, erratic breaths took, took, took.

At least Leon’s teeth weren’t making his partner’s lip bleed anymore.

With a long sigh into the other man’s mouth, Leon gave up.

Before, when Leon had been putting all his weight onto his friend in the snow he hadn’t been focusing on the fact that Luis was taking his whole weight.

Now, as he collapsed into the taller man’s chest Luis stood firm.

Then again, hadn’t he always?

Leon was the violent one - the hairpin trigger, the flash-bang, the cut lip and bloodied nose.

Luis wasn’t.

He was reading books aloud under trees when Leon’s head hurt from when the words moved around the page too much. He was making a noise to distract the bullies or the adults Leon had gotten on the wrong side of so they could get away. He was the one who always knew where to pinch a nose to stop its bleeding and how cold air should be when you blow on a cut.

So this time, just once more, he leaned on Luis.

And Luis held him together.

---

A/N

I had so much FUCKING fun writing the scene where Luis completely disassembles his daemon. Like. Oh my god that man.

Also! As of writing (2024) African Grey Parrots are the smartest animal we've studied in-depth! It's said that they have the intelligence of a human 3-year-old, but I think they're probably smarter in ways that couldn't be tested at the time. Look up Alex the African Grey for more info! It's really interesting.

...And what does that say about Panza's Bonded, I wonder. ;)

Memes and silly thoughts are on my blog under the tag #serennedy daemon au and we have fun here.

[Pt.7]

[catboycumgutters]

text below. now. i don't do celebrities. and the only thing i know about this guy is that thrift shop is a fuckin bop. but @macklemore has good words to share here, so, (the "two words" were "fuck america" btw)

there are nine images in one post from instagram user macklemore. in order,

1/ My thoughts and feelings are not always expressed perfectly or politely. Sometimes I slip up and get caught in the moment. Saturday night was one of those times.

I strive to always lead with love in an effort to bring people together and never to create more division. The "Palestine Will Live Forever" festival I performed at was rooted in peace, love, and solidarity. Unfortunately, the historic event in my hometown that brought thousands of people together to raise awareness and money for the people of Palestine has become overshadowed by two words.

2/ I wish I had been in a better place with my grief and anger. But the truth is I'm not ok. I haven't been.

The last 11.5 months of watching a genocide unfold in front of us has been excruciating on a spiritual, emotional and human level. I have been in utter disbelief with how our government is showing up at this moment in history. I don't think I'm alone.

I see dismembered kids in Gaza being pulled out of rubble, murder by U.S manufactured bombs. I see my own children in their lifeless bodies. I don't think I'm alone.

3/ I listen to their parents scream and hear the deepest cries of pain and helplessness imaginable. I cry with them. I don't think I'm alone.

I have been disillusioned and disheartened as our government has continued to unequivocally fund and support Israel's on-going violence against the people of Palestine. I don't think I'm not alone.

My pain and emotion at times has felt uncontrollable. It boils over throughout the day as I try to pretend I'm ok. I'm not ok. I don't think I'm alone.

4/ I am outraged by the fact that we lack money for healthcare, affordable housing and education in America yet we send billions to Israel to commit internationally recognized war crimes. I don't think I'm alone.

I watch democrats sign bills to ban semi-automatic assault rifles after another horrific school shooting takes place, then turn around and use the same ink to send those same weapons off to Israel to kill the children of Palestine. I feel insane. I don't think I'm alone.

Some days I don't know how to love something that is hurting others so much. I don't think I'm alone.

5/ Yet, I have been mobilized by the millions of people around the world taking to the streets to protest on behalf of all those that have been murdered by Netanyahu's regime. I have been in awe and inspired by those in the Jewish community that have courageously shown up in solidarity, marching with protesters at protests stating "not in our name" and "never again means never again for everyone." I don't think I'm alone.

I have found hope in our young people, who have been willing to risk their degrees by participating in college encampments to demand a ceasefire. I have been revitalized by their hearts guiding them towards justice and peace, risking their future diplomas. I don't think I'm alone.

6/ But some days the darkness outshines the light, and it's hard to see the path ahead to justice. I get lost in what our world has become.

Some days the genocide displayed on my screen is too much for my spirit to stare at in such clarity.

And some days I wake up, see another couple billion dollars given to Israel, or another refugee encampment destroyed, or a father holding a limb from his martyred child, or another speech from a politician justifying the right of Israel to "defend itself" while denying Palestinians the right to exist, and I say to myself... . "Fuck America." I don't think I'm alone.

7/ But do not misconstrue the word "fuck" for the word "hate." It's different to be angry than to disown. My "fuck" - my anger - is rooted not in disdain for where I was born but in anguish for how we can collectively allow this to continue. It is not directed at the people that make up our country, but towards our government who refuse to listen to us. It is directed at the politicians who have put profit over people, who put lobbyist money over their moral compass. I think, "How are these people representing us as a country?" I don't think I'm alone.

8/ But I care. My care is rooted in the legacy of protests and resistance of past generations, who stood at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement, the movement against he Vietnam War, and the great solidarity movement that defeated apartheid in South Africa. This moment is calling us as Americans to rise and recognize our collective power rather than succumb to our own apathy. It is beckoning us to gain a shared analysis around the systems of oppression that are currently running our country so we can evolve, ensuring that ALL of our children can live in a more equitable world, and not only a few.

9/ I've slipped in front of the world before. I'm sure I'll do it again. But they will not silence my voice, and they will not close my heart. I've lost endorsements, I've lost shows, I've lost business ties. I am still here, unwavering in my support for a Free Palestine. I care about humanity and this earth too much to turn back now. My intent always comes back to the pursuit of peace, love, equality and liberation for all. And that isn't radical, it's human. I don't think I"m alone.

/end

[fangerine]

i'm not jewish. i think, maybe a great great grandparent was but that's neither here nor there. but even though i'm not jewish, i was always made aware from a young age how rampant anti-semitism is in not just the united states where i live but globally. when i was 12, my mom encouraged (made me) read "the diary of anne frank". i believe it was only then that i began to truly recognize just how horrible the holocaust was. i don't think my public education did a very good job of teaching people how evil it really was. there seemed to be some sort of assumption that kids "just know". we didn't see the horrors of it actually displayed in books. i know that a world history class can't spend the entire time on one event but a few pages can't ever grasp the ruthless slaughter of six million innocent people. memorizing numbers and dates for some test worth five points will never get the message across to kids that something as horrible as that happened much less than a hundred years ago.

i grew up christian. i'm not anymore but i will never EVER in the good ol' united states of america be afraid of being attacked for my religion. christians can fuckin' whine and complain all they want about being "persecuted" but the fact is that in 2021, the FBI reported that over 50% of religion-related hate crimes were anti-jewish.

over fifty fucking percent.

we always say "never forget" and "never again" but you can find countless surveys where an alarming amount of people either don't know or fervently deny that SIX MILLION PEOPLE WERE SLAUGHTERED FOR BEING JEWISH.

i know the persecution of jews goes much further back than the holocaust but hopefully, my point is clear.

in the past few weeks, i saw a burned apartment door of an elderly jewish couple in paris. they would have been toddlers when germany occupied france in 1940. i saw jewish families in germany with the star of david spray painted on their doors. i've seen people in protests proudly waving nazi flags in new york city. samantha woll, a synagogue leader was just murdered outside of her home in detroit. i can go on but i think you see the picture.

i'm not jewish but i don't need to be for these disgusting acts to horrify me. what i've come to realize (and maybe this is wrong) is that the hatred of jews has become so frequent in our society, that it's not really looked at anymore. it's not "newsworthy" and therefore, many people just don't care.

i'm not sure what i can do except speak up. i fear for the safety of jews all around the world. there are so many ignorant and hateful people out there making it so dangerous. jewish families aren't sending their children out of fear that something could happen at their schools. jewish people are scared so please, don't be ignorant. know the history. for non-jews like myself, we have a duty to educate ourselves and listen to a group of people who have been targeted and violently persecuted for centuries.

for jews who see this post. i'm sorry this increase in hatred towards your community is happening. i can't possibly begin to know how you must be feeling but know that you aren't being ignored by everyone. your cries for justice are NOT unheard.

if there is anything that i can do to help, please reach out. if there's anything wrong with this post, please say something. i am trying my best to be educated but know i don't and will most likely never have the full picture. i would love to add links, resources, and whatever else that is useful and important.

[foster-the-world]

Aw, man

Last night the district wide school board meeting turned into a debate about Israel. With some claiming the DOE is not doing "enough." Apparently enough means they haven't yet written a email condemning the kidnappings in Israel? With claims they would have already sent a letter if it was black people. I guess the district is waiting on a legal team to approve language. So it should go out today or tmrw. Not good enough for these people. I don't get it. The DOE did send a letter condemning racism and it doesn't do shit to protect my kids. We are still in the most segregated school system in the nation. I am 100% confident the man claiming they "would have already done it if it was black people." made sure his children were in the majority white schools. The anti-racism letter didn't change his desire to segregate his children so why would a anti-semitism letter help jewish students? Writing a letter condemning the kidnappings in Israel is not going to protect my kids one bit nor help the children who were kidnapped. Our district has migrant children pouring in every single week. Let's talk about how we can support them. Letter or no letter I do not care.

I left that meeting to go to our schools PTA meeting. We did spend a good amount of time talking about how we can help the new migrant children who started at our school last week. Apparently 1000 more children entered the district on Friday - set to start next week. My 2nd graders class got three more students last week. Rebel's 1st grade class got two more students. We've been working on our Spanish at home and making sure the girls include them. I'm so glad we are at a school where we teach the kids to welcome their new friends. I have no doubt the uniform, clothing, coat drive will be fully funded - even though we have a school full of low income parents who aren't exactly rolling in the dough.

This morning I'm talking to the Principal about the clothing/Halloween costume drive when she gets a text message and looks horrified. Apparently a lower grade kid told their teacher they can't be around them because they are Jewish and their Mom told them Jewish people are dangerous. So fucked up. Poor baby being taught that hate and poor teacher having to hear it from a student she pours her hard work into.

I'm not really worried about my girls hearing shitty things. As mentioned they are tough and can handle themselves. The toughness does mean they can be jerks but also means they wouldn't hesitate to fight back if someone says shit like that to them. People have said other shitty things to them and they returned with the 6yo version of "go fuck yourself" and were indignant more then hurt. *Obviously they didn't use the f word. They have a solid group of friends in their class who would know to defend them. Although we are going to have a talk about what to say if someone talks negatively about Juduism or if they hear someone say anything racist/prejudice/etc to themselves or any of their friends. We've had the general talk before but probably need to be more specific on the Jewish side of things. Every year my husband and I bring Hanukkah celebration stuff to their class. Everyone is always very receptive. Last year Bee's teacher was Jewish. They've generally had at least one jewish family in their class - although that dwindles in the older grades. We live two doors down from the JCC - so they go to classes there so do get to spend time around Jewish children regardless. This semester they are taking an art class there and we go to the shabbat dinners sometime.

Bee has a Ukrainian girl in her class - well her grandparents are from Ukraine. So Bee came home last year talking about how people are murdering babies "as soon as they come out" in the Ukrainian war. Now this year her little friend is from Israel - so she comes home with more horror stories he hears from home and interprets into six year old language. The world we are giving our children is not okay.

[hero-deserves-to-be-happy]

for the oc asks 2 and 12 for kyle?

Thank you so much for playing the OC interview game we reblogged! We'd be delighted to answer some Kyle questions (or...er..."have Kyle answer them" lol 😂). Take care!! 💙

KYLE Answers:

2. Who is your best friend?  Tell us about them!

Oh definitely Zuzu (Zoey), but Mama (Hero) is a close second! 😁

Zoey has been my best friend since high school. She was a lot different back then (don't tell her, but I like her a lot better now 😂), but she was still really cool. She was the smartest kid in our class (except Gabe but he's mean), and when I had to miss school for all those knee surgeries, she would come over to my house and tutor me so I wouldn't fall behind and have to repeat a grade! We kind of knew each other before that because St. Al's (our private high school) was pretty small, but we didn't really hang out or anything until she started tutoring me. That's when we became friends, and we've been friends ever since!

I try to make sure she remembers to have fun, but that doesn't always work, especially since she hates parties. She thinks that I'm too irresponsible and I don't know when to stop or shut up sometimes and she'll always call me out on that, but I know she'll always be there for me. And that's a real friend, I think.

Hero is like that too. He's just a nice guy and takes care of people without wanting anything from them. He has a lot more patience for me and will actually go along with my ideas or what Zuzu would call my "shenanigans" sometimes. He also laughs at a lot more of my jokes! I wish he got out there a little bit more and had a little more fun instead of spending his Friday nights studying and organizing his sock drawer, but we're working on it!

12. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? (on vacation or permanently!)

I've travelled a lot and always have a lot of fun visiting new places, especially meeting new people and collecting postcards to send to my friends back home!

But if you want to know where I'd like to travel...my brother, Ken, lives in Beijing right now, and I'd really like to visit him, but I think he's too busy with work and probably doesn't have time to see me. 😅 Zuzu really wants to go to Seville to see this really cool bridge there. She's always been a little disappointed that it was built after her family had moved away from Spain so she never got to see it, so maybe I'd take her there if I could even though I honestly don't know anything about bridges. I've seen pictures of this one though. It's pretty cool, I guess, for a bridge...

But...if I got to pick, I think I'd have to go with a ski trip to Vermont with my friends! My family has a ski lodge there, and I think it would be super fun to travel there together, maybe for spring break or something! I'll have to see if I can get them on board (I doubt I'd be able to convince Brandi to travel anywhere with me, but I'll try 😁)

I'm not sure where I'd like to live permanently. I'm honestly pretty happy in the city, and I liked Seaport (where I grew up) too!