#and another group that didn't want to do that but instead provided supplies first aid shelter and great pr

[ms-hells-bells]

you guys know that pretty much every single political group in history has had the moderate reformists and the radical revolutionaries, right? and that even though they disagree about certain methods, their goal being the same means that they cooperate in order to achieve more attainable short term progress while actions are taken at the same time for long term progress? this is what liberal feminists used to be to radical feminists, the two groups did not hate each other, they just had different outlooks, but generally respected what the other group was trying to (and had some success to) achieve. we lost this dynamic and relationship with the post modern, genderist overtake of liberal feminism, and so it is clear to me that we are in dire need of that role again, with the same repeating schisms in approach that appear under the singular label of radical feminism.

at the very least, we need to establish a differentiation in reformist (i don't mean surface level equality feminism, but looking at practicality and realistic, incremental actions, and harm reduction for women while the other group is more about instant action towards the big picture of abolishment of the system, which won't occur tomorrow or any time soon considering most of the world is NOT radical feminists) and revolutionary radfems purely for the sake of having that instant understanding of how the other faction thinks, and not having these aggressive arguments over and over again when it is clear that it's not a misunderstanding or hypocrisy or bigotry (well, sometimes it is, but i mean the core issue), but a fundamental difference in worldview that is unlikely to heavily change with defensive and highly tense online debates that keep happening over and over.

this is all i'm going to say for this round of 'oh my god everything is imploding again'. this is also not saying anything specific about certain people or making judgement upon individual incidents on either side, i'm not getting into that. just a general thought after looking at repeating patterns of conflict.

[xtruss]

IRAN BACKS CHINA, CALLS TO INVESTIGATE U.S. 'CREATION AND SPREAD' OF CORONAVIRUS

WHO recommends that new infectious diseases not be associated with geographic locations; people's names, a species/class of animal or food; cultural, population, industry or occupational references or terms that incite undue fear.

— By Ton O'Connor | 3/18/20 | Newsweek

WHO recommends that new infectious diseases not be associated with geographic locations; people's names, a species/class of animal or food; cultural, population, industry or occupational references or terms that incite undue fear.

Iran has backed China's calls to investigate yet unfounded claims of the United States being the origin of the new coronavirus as an international blame game worsened over a pandemic that has infected more than 200,000 people across the globe.

Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani lashed out on Twitter Wednesday against what he called the "typical way" in which some U.S. officials have emphasized China and its central Hubei province city of Wuhan as the likely place where the COVID-19 disease began and have blamed both Beijing and Tehran's governments for failing to stop its spread. Shamkhani argued this was being done by U.S. officials done in order to "evade responsibility" themselves.

"Instead of leveling false accusations against China and Iran, U.S. officials should respond to international demands regarding its role in creating and spreading the coronavirus and the continuation of its crimes against the Iranian people by keeping in place the economic sanctions," the senior Iranian official wrote.

Shamkhani's rhetoric echoed that of Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, who alleged in a tweet Thursday that it "might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan."

The tweet accompanied a clip in which Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield acknowledged during a House Oversight Committee session that there was a possibility that people in the U.S. who died of diagnosed influenza may actually have been killed by COVID-19 prior to widespread knowledge of the disease. Neither the CDC nor the World Health Organization has reported any COVID-19 infections in the U.S. prior to the outbreak in Wuhan.

Chinese and Iranian officials pose for a picture published February 29 by Tehran's embassy in Beijing after the Red Cross Society of China donated COVID-19 testing kits and other medical supplies to the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

WHO recommends that new infectious diseases not be associated with geographic locations; people's names, a species/class of animal or food; cultural, population, industry or occupational references or terms that incite undue fear. Its 2015 guideline cites the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus as a good example of such naming practices and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus as a poor one.

Still, President Donald Trump has actively sought to portray the COVID-19 as a "foreign" disease and has recently adopted the term "Chinese Virus" in his social media messaging. He told reporters Tuesday that he instituted the latest term because he "didn't appreciate the fact that China was saying that our military gave it to them."

Trump dismissed reports that such terminology might offend Asian-Americans or put them at risk at another conference the following day, saying "they probably would agree with it 100 percent, it comes from China."

Other Republican lawmakers such as Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Senator Rick Scott of Florida have adopted similar, controversial terms to describe COVID-19. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo used the term "Wuhan virus" in countering what he called a "disinformation campaign" by the Iranian government regarding the origin of the disease.

"Instead of focusing on the needs of the Iranian people and accepting genuine offers of support, senior Iranian officials lied about the Wuhan virus outbreak for weeks," Pompeo said during a press conference Tuesday. "The Iranian leadership is trying to avoid responsibility for their grossly incompetent and deadly governance. Sadly, the Iranian people have been suffering these kinds of lies for 41 years."

"They know the truth: The Wuhan virus is a killer, and the Iranian regime is an accomplice," he added.

The Trump administration has also accused China of attempting to initially cover up the extent of the epidemic, which soon produced new outbreaks in South Korea and Iran. While Italy today has the most reported active cases and deaths outside of China, Iran still has still struggled to contain a coronavirus that managed to infect and kill even elite government officials.

Iran has appealed to the International Monetary Fund for $5 billion in emergency funding to help handle its crisis as the country contends with U.S.-imposed economic restrictions laid out since the U.S. left a 2015 multilateral nuclear deal. The agreement saw Tehran agree to curb its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Still, the Trump administration left in May 2018, arguing the accord did not go far enough to prevent Iran's support for foreign militias and its ballistic missile development in a move that deeply escalated tensions between the two foes.

"Unlawful US sanctions drained Iran's economic resources, impairing [the] ability to fight #COVID19," Iranian Foreign Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted Tuesday. "They literally kill innocents. It is immoral to observe them: doing so has never saved anyone from future US wrath. Join the growing global campaign to disregard US sanctions on Iran."

The following day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi criticized Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Morocco and the exiled government of Yemen for blocking a Non-Aligned Movement joint statement opposing the ongoing U.S. measures against Iran as it faced mounting COVID-19 infections. China, a party to the nuclear deal, has frequently criticized U.S. sanctions against Iran and has stepped up humanitarian assistance to the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"The Iranian government and people are at a crucial juncture in their fight against the epidemic," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a press briefing Monday. "Continued unilateral sanctions at this particular time will only make things worse, which apparently breach international law, basic norms governing international relations and humanitarianism."

"They also severely impact Iran's epidemic response and the delivery of humanitarian aid by the U.N. and other organizations," Geng added. "We urge the relevant country to immediately lift such sanctions on Iran, stop getting in the way of Iran's efforts against the epidemic, and avoid further harm to Iran's economy and people's livelihood."

Robert Destro, the State Department's assistant secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, said last week that the administration would "try to be useful and to provide assistance" to countries like Iran, North Korea and China. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has argued, however, that any country looking to support the Islamic Republic should first consider demanding the release of political prisoners.

"We made a commitment to do everything we can to provide them with all that America can deliver for Iran. I hope they'll accept that offer," Pompeo Tuesday's press conference. "That alone will contribute to Iran being able to manage this problem set for the Iranian people. I hope they'll take us up on these humanitarian efforts, not only us but countries all around the world who want to come help the Iranian people stay healthy and mitigate the risk that's there."

On Tuesday, however, the top U.S. diplomat announced new sanctions against those "who have engaged in activity that could enable the Iranian regime's violent behavior." The designations were listed Wednesday by the State Department and included nine entities and three individuals from Iran, China and South Africa.

The move also came as violence continues to rock Iraq, where a U.S.-led coalition formed to battle the hardline Sunni Islamic State militant group (ISIS) have increasingly faced off with Shiite Muslim militias, some of whom had close ties with Iran.

[spaztronautwriter]

Purge Night: Chapter 7

A/N: Annnnnd we’re finally almost at the end. One more chapter left (for real this time).

Read on AO3

Chapters: One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight

Warning: this story contains graphic violence.

###

Glass crunched beneath his feet as Oliver crouched low, peeking in through the hole in the convenience store’s security gate. Someone had pried the gate back, then busted the glass out of the window beside the door.

“I don’t see anyone,” he said, peering into the darkness of the store before turning back to her. “I’m gonna make sure it’s clear. Keep an eye out. If you see anyone, duck inside.”

Felicity nodded from her spot crouched beside the building and watched as he disappeared further into the store, before turning her gaze to the street in front of her. They were near an intersection, but far enough away that she wasn’t worried about anyone on the other streets spotting her. Most of the buildings surrounding them were boarded up, though she wasn’t sure if it was in a vain attempt at protection or if they’d been abandoned long before Purge night had rolled around. This wasn’t the best neighborhood on a good day and she knew families and businesses had been fleeing the area as the crime rates spiked and angry men and women took out their hatred for the rich and powerful during times not specifically designated for criminal behavior.

If she’d followed Malcolm’s raving monologue earlier, he’d put this whole plan of his into effect because his wife had been killed here in the Glades. Strangely enough, she could understand his anger. She could understand why he might choose to purge. But what she couldn’t, for the life of her, understand was why he’d decided to take his vengeance out on the Queen family. So Moira wanted to open public shelters for families that couldn’t afford the tens of thousands of dollars it cost to Purge proof their homes? There were still plenty of people willingly out on the street, as their little adventure tonight had proven.

“Psst.”

The sound jerked her out of her thoughts and she jumped before turning to see Oliver poking his head out of the store.

He waved her in and she ducked inside beside him, standing once she was clear of the window and the jagged edges of the remaining glass. The store was empty of people, but there was stuff everywhere. Food and drinks littered the floor; a magazine rack beside the door lay on its side, the glossy pages bent and ripped as if someone had trampled them.

Someone had ransacked this place. Possibly a lot of someones.

“Over here,” Oliver said, tugging on her hand until she was sitting, hidden from view, behind the counter; lottery tickets and packs of cigarettes strewn on the floor all around her.

She stretched her injured leg out before her, trying to get a good look at the wound. Despite being dark outside, the combination of moon and street lamps had allowed her to see reasonably well, but inside, with the windows barricaded and the lights off, it wasn’t an easy task.

“Stay here a second,” Oliver whispered, peeking his head above the counter quickly before taking off around it.

Felicity closed her eyes a moment, lifting a hand to her head. It still throbbed where she’d hit it when they were attacked earlier and when she pulled her hand away she was dismayed to find her fingers came away bloody. Could she still be bleeding? It felt like they’d been in the arena for hours, but really it could have only been forty-five minutes, tops. Though she had no idea how long she’d been knocked out before her captors delivered her and Oliver to the warehouse. She supposed she could ask Oliver. He’d been conscious the entire time and probably had a better grasp of the timeline. If it had been over an hour, the others might already be at Verdant by now. They’d been a lot closer before they’d been split from the group, but still a good journey from the club and any safety it provided. She leaned back against the counter, wondering how Thea and Diggle and the others were doing. If they were all alright.

Glass crunched again and then Oliver slipped back behind the counter. He crouched beside her, a small flashlight in one hand, giving off just enough light that they could see each other without giving themselves away to any passersby, and a white plastic box, the words first aid kit printed in red across the top, in the other. Two water bottles were tucked under his arm and he handed one to her, placing the other beside the rest of his loot. His eyes fell to her bloody fingers, still held out in front of her, before shooting up to her forehead. She could see the concern in his shadowed blue eyes.

“Head wounds bleed the worst,” he said, “but it’s not deep. You probably have a concussion, but you’ve been alright so far. I’m more concerned with your leg right now. Here.”

He reached into his pocket and handed her a candy bar before cracking open the first aid kit. She watched as he quickly found a roll of gauze inside, ripped a piece off and dumped a little water onto it before pressing it lightly to the bloody gash on her forehead. He wiped at it gently, making sure not to hurt her, before he turned his attention to her leg. Unwrapping the loosened bandage, he delicately peeled at the tear in her jeans to get a better look. His eyes met hers for a moment, gauging her reaction to his prying, and, even in the darkness of the vandalized store, his were intense in a way that threw her off balance. It was one thing to indulge in little daydreams of kissing someone like him, it was another to have Oliver Queen look at her like it pained him to see her in pain. So instead she glanced down at the candy he’d given her.

“I can’t eat this,” she said, holding out the Snickers bar.

“You should try,” he said, focusing on cleaning away some of the blood from around the wound. It stung, but she gritted her teeth, knowing it was necessary. “The sugar will help the shock.”

“No,” Felicity said, a strange little huff of laughter escaping her. “I mean, I can’t eat this. I’m allergic to peanuts.”

Oliver’s eyes snapped up to meet hers before he pulled away, snatching the candy bar from her hand like it might bite her. “Shit! Sorry. I didn't—”

Felicity laughed again. “It’s fine, Oliver. It can’t hurt me unless I eat it.” She paused, considering. “Or ingest it in any way. I had a boyfriend who ate a brownie with nuts in it once. He kissed me after and I nearly had to go to the hospital…”

Oliver blinked once, then tossed the Snickers over his shoulder like it had burned him. It bounced off the counter and landed on the blue tile floor with a thud. When Felicity looked back at him, Oliver was already peeking over the counter again.

“Let’s just avoid peanuts then. Um… soda. Soda’s good. Soda’s nut free. Let me just…” He leaned around the counter, then disappeared for a few moments. Felicity heard crunching and then the snick of a freezer door being opened. She turned, resting her weight on her good leg, and popped her head over the counter in time to see Oliver round one of the displays, two sodas and a bag of potato chips in hand.

“There are no nuts in chips, right?” he asked as he took his place next to Felicity, handing over one of the cans he’d grabbed.

“No, chips are fine,” she smiled, cracking the tab of the soda and taking a long pull. The carbonation burned going down, but she could already feel her nerves settling. Though that was probably just a placebo effect.

As she drank, Oliver finished cleaning her leg, doing his best to tape some gauze over the wound while fighting with her too-tight jeans. Once he was finished he washed his hands off with some water and hand sanitizer.

“That’ll have to do for now,” he said. “We have better medical supplies at Verdant, but…”

Felicity sighed, placing her soda down beside her. “But it will take us half the night to get there on foot. And that’s if we don’t get killed on the way.”

“Yeah,” Oliver said, reaching for the chips. In the stark blue light from the little flashlight, Felicity could see the blood soaking through his sleeve.

“Wait, it’s your turn,” she said, reaching for the first aid kit.

Oliver blinked, then glanced down at his arm. “It’s fine. Your leg was worse.”

“Still,” she insisted. “A bullet hit you in the arm.”

“Grazed my shoulder,” he said dismissively and she rolled her eyes.

“Let me at least clean it, tough guy.”

She waved him closer and he, reluctantly, listened. Then, following his lead, she gently peeled back the bandage and the tattered edges of his shirt sleeve to get a clear view of the wound. He was right, it wasn’t too bad. The bullet had skimmed the top of his shoulder, but there was still a lot of blood and a real bandage couldn’t hurt. Using the water and gauze she cleaned away the blood, then taped some gauze over the cut, like he had for her.

Once she was finished he pulled the bag of chips open—it was loud in the quiet of the store—and held it out to her. She grabbed a few, unceremoniously cramming them all into her mouth at once. She knew normally she’d be embarrassed about stuffing her face in front of a guy she sort of liked, but at the moment she needed the normalcy of junk food. Oliver was right behind her, grabbing a handful of chips before drinking half his soda in one gulp. She let the sugar and relative safety of the convenience store lull her into a false sense of security. She knew at any moment the world could come rushing back in again, but she needed a breather and she allowed herself to have one here with Oliver. After what had happened…

She her chest seized up again at the thought of Slade and what she had done. Closing her eyes, she tried to blink away the image of the knife sitting on concrete, crimson pooling beneath it.

“Felicity!”

She jumped, accidentally crinkling the bag of chips beside her. Wincing, she looked back at Oliver, her heart beating rapidly as she tried to focus on him.

“Easy, easy,” he said, placing a warm palm on her shoulder. “Relax. You with me?”

She sniffled and blinked back tears. “I’ve just… I never thought I’d kill anyone, you know?”

Oliver’s blue eyes turned sympathetic before his focus shifted inward. He leaned back against the counter, letting his hand drop to his lap.

“Me neither,” he whispered. “I thought I was prepared to, but… I guess I hadn’t thought through exactly what it would feel like. I don’t know which of us killed Slade. You stabbed him, but I shot him so… It feels like my first kill. And then all those guards…”

He trailed off, hanging his head and Felicity bit her lip.

“Can I… Can I ask how you learned to do all that?” She gestured vaguely with her one hand. “I mean, I know you said you took archery lessons as a kid, but that… that wasn’t just archery lessons, that was something else.”

Oliver closed his eyes and dragged in a deep breath. “I’ve been training,” he said, without opening his eyes. “With John. He was special forces and I wanted… I thought I could help. I thought I could make a difference.”

“During the Purge?” she asked, her heart rate increasing for reasons she didn’t understand.

“My friend, Sara—Laurel’s sister—she died,” he said, looking back at her.

“Thea said.” Felicity nodded.

“She died because of me.”

She gasped, despite herself, and Oliver looked away, ashamed.

“Laurel and I had been dating,” he began, “but she’d just broken up with me and I wanted to go out, do something fun. A friend told me about this party in the city…”

He leaned back, taking a deep breath to compose himself and Felicity was suddenly terrified for whatever he was about to tell her.

“Sara called at around six thirty, I think. I was already at the party, but she said Laurel was being a bitch and asked if she could come hang out with me instead. I said, ‘why not?’ because I sympathized and wasn’t really thinking. I didn’t realize she wouldn’t have enough time to get there.”

Felicity laid a hand on top of his in his lap and Oliver sniffed, still avoiding her gaze, but he turned his hand upside down and let her thread her fingers through his in silent support as his jaw ticked at the memory.

“But then she didn’t show up,” he continued, voice thick with unshed tears, “and I figured she just changed her mind. Why wouldn’t she? Going out with her sister’s very recently ex-boyfriend on Purge night was a dumb idea. I thought she just changed her mind. Then Laurel called, crying, asking if I’d heard from Sara so…” He took another deep breath and finally turned to face her, his eyes glassy in the dim light. “I went out to find her, I swear I did, but I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t know where she could be. I tried to call her, but nothing. It was a mess out there. I didn’t realize the Purge was like that… like this. I had no idea. I was such an idiot, I’m surprised I didn’t get myself killed. The next day when they… when the clean up crew found her body, I… I swore I wouldn’t just stand by and let anyone else die like that.”

“So you built a bunker,” she said. “And trained to fight so that you could save people.”

Oliver shook his head in protest, wiping at his eyes with the palms of his hands before blinking a few times.

“It wasn’t so heroic as that. I don’t know what happened to Sara.” Oliver gulped. “But if she had had somewhere to go, someone to help her, maybe… There are so many people caught up in this barbaric game year after year. If I could help even one person…”

“You did help one person,” she said quietly and he glanced up, meeting her eyes. “If Dig hadn’t been in the Glades tonight, if he hadn’t driven by at the exact right time… I wouldn’t be here right now.”

“John saved you,” he argued. “That had nothing to do with me.”

“He wouldn’t have even been out there if you hadn’t wanted to build a bunker in the first place.”

Oliver’s expression softened at that and he nodded once. Felicity held his gaze for a long moment, trying to convey just how much she respected his attempt to help people, even if it hadn’t gone the way he’d planned.

Pride, she finally realized. That was the feeling kickstarting her heart. Pride and admiration for this man who had decided to risk everything in order to help people who hadn’t been dealt as good a hand as he had. No matter what his reasons, it was admirable, what he wanted to do.

Feeling brave, she cupped his stubbled cheek in her palm and leaned in to press her lips against his. It wasn’t so much out of desire as it was to just show him she appreciated all he’d done for her tonight, all he’d tried to do for the people of this city. To be honest, she hadn’t really thought the decision through and she certainly hadn’t considered his reaction, which was how she found herself lip locked with Oliver Queen as he sat, stiff as a board, beside her.

For one split second she froze, horrified at herself—What the hell had she been thinking? Oliver Queen wasn’t her’s to kiss and he certainly didn’t want her just—but then his hand came up to tangle in her hair, his fingers gently urging her back to him, and her doubts evaporated. Or ,maybe it was just thinking in general that became difficult, because when his lips descended on hers it was with an urgency she wasn’t prepared for. She moaned as his tongue slipped into her mouth and his other hand shot to her waist to pull her closer.

Despite all the times she’d thought of kissing him tonight, the reality of it was indescribable. His lips were soft, but firm, demanding. She threaded her fingers through his hair, tugging until he hissed at the sting.

“Felicity,” he sighed against her lips and she smiled, pushing closer, practically climbing onto his lap, despite the dull ache in her injured leg. She wrapped her arms around his neck, squirming to find a comfortable spot that would take pressure off of her wound. Finally, Oliver took pity, leaning her down onto the floor and hovering over her as he trailed a line of kisses down her jaw, nipping and sucking as he went. She couldn’t help the soft sounds that escaped her when he found a spot right below her ear.

Just as one of his hands started to make its way under her sweatshirt, the sound of glass crunching pulled them back to reality. And it really was a sign of how on edge she was that even mid-makeout with Oliver Queen she still managed to be alert enough to hear it. Oliver lowered himself on top of her, covering her body with his, and motioned for her to stay quiet—like she needed to be told—as he reached to flick off the tiny flashlight beside them, plunging them back into complete darkness.

“Hey, look!” a male voice shouted, then more footsteps and the sound of the metal security gate being pulled back as someone crawled inside. Then more someones followed.

“Free snacks!” a woman laughed as they entered the convenience store and began padding around.

“You think there’s any money in the register?” someone asked and Felicity froze, her eyes locking onto Oliver’s. There were at least three of them, and god only knew what sort of weapons they had. Even with Oliver’s bow and Felicity’s gun, she still didn’t want to go against an assault rifle or any other heavy weaponry in such close quarters. Even a handgun could do real damage if they weren’t careful. If these people found them behind the counter…

“No way,” the woman said. “The register’s all smashed up. Besides, no one’s stupid enough to leave cash in a place like this on Purge night.” She laughed again before stomping around some more. “But there’s plenty of Twinkies over here if you want to stock up.”

The man clearly didn’t appreciate her teasing because there was a loud, “Shut up!” followed shortly after by a thud.

“What the hell are you two doing?” the first guy asked, sounding exasperated.

Felicity was distracted from the rest by Oliver levering himself off of her and helping her into a crouching position. He peeked over the counter, eyes shooting around the store quickly, before handing her the gun then grabbing his bow and quiver and gesturing for her to follow him towards the security gate. After a brief look outside to make sure these people didn’t have lookouts, he gestured for her to go first and she tried her best not to make any noise despite all of the glass. Luckily, whoever these people were, they didn’t seem to be listening, too busy taunting each other and looking for snacks.

Once they were both outside, Felicity grabbed Oliver’s hand, pulling him around the side of the building. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but his hand in hers kept her grounded.

He looked around quickly, then motioned for her to follow him down the alley. “Come on, before they come back out.”

“So what’s the plan?” she asked, trailing after him, gun at the ready.

Oliver looked back over his shoulder, smile on his face despite the situation. “Get through this night alive so we can continue where we left off.”

The laugh that escaped her was inappropriate for so many reasons, but it felt good. Her hand in his felt good. Kissing him had felt really good.

Tonight had been the kind of night where nothing good happened. If Oliver turned out to be the one exception to that… well, she’d still rather they’d bumped into each other at Queen Consolidated or something, but she’d take whatever silver lining she could find in this living nightmare of a situation.

###

Tagging: @pottercastleminds @relativelyobsessedfangirl @falonmarie82 @adiwriting @hope-for-olicity (if anyone would like to be tagged or untagged let me know ;)