#apologies to scott alexander

[gumnut-logic]

Along the Way (Part 4)

Sweetapple | Dear Mr Tracy | Along the way - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

I've been re-reading Alexander Sweetapple while feeling crappy over the last few days and am ever so grateful for all the support this series has received from everyone. Apologies for all the delays on this fic. And extra special thanks to both @womble1 and @idontknowreallywhy for adding their glorious talents to this universe as well.

I managed to dig up the next part and write a chunk of it tonight, so here we have more of this fic. It's getting there, I promise.

Many thanks to the wonderful @onereyofstarlight for feilding my call for a read through yet again. You are wonderful, m'dear.

I hope you enjoy it. I also hope to write some more asap.

-o-o-o-

He had managed to help the young woman get free of the pile of what felt like wood pinning her legs. They had little light, but with her permission, Alex investigated the source of the pain in…”I’m sorry, what is your name?”

Her voice was shaky. “Elizabeth.”

He sent her a smile but then realised she probably couldn’t see it. “Nice to meet you, Elizabeth.”

Her nervous laugh lightened the dark atmosphere just a little.

“I’m Alex.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” Her voice trailed off into a whisper and then a whimper as his fingers found the injury to her leg.

Damp and sticky.

Damn.

It was impossible to tell exactly how much damage had been done, but as far as he could tell she had a gash in her leg.

She was crying again.

“It’s okay, we’ll get this bound up and then start looking for a way out of here.”

He wrenched at his shirt, attempting to get the fabric to tear. A brief curse at the simplicity of movie medical situations and what was actually possible; and a fingernail split enough threads to tear a hole. Another few yanks and he decimated whatever the hell he was wearing, but managed to get a strip of fabric long enough to bind Elizabeth’s leg. It didn’t seem to be bleeding too badly.

Next problem.

There were still other people nearby, he could hear various whimpers and a man yelled for help. What Alex needed to do was determine where the hell ‘here’ was and find an exit.

God, he wished Virgil was here.

A blink.

Alex swallowed. Okay, they really needed to get out of here.

But again, he was drawn back to the problem of exactly where ‘here’ was.

His head was pounding and working far slower than he was used to. It was frustrating.

“Are you okay?”

“Huh?” The shape that was Elizabeth was turned towards him. “Yeah, I’m fine. Bit of a headache. Just thinking about how to get out of here.”

She drew in a shaky breath. “Yeah.”

He was in Gisborne.

The thought came to him suddenly and glaringly.

Gisborne. Why was he in Gisborne?

The throb in his head made thinking so hard. An image of Erica shooing him out of his lab.

He blinked dust out of his eyes. Erica was always shooing him out of his lab. She smotherhenned him within an inch of his life sometimes.

And he loved her for it.

His world was so different from what it had been before. He was so lucky. He was able to create what needed creating. He had the support of some of the most powerful people in the world.

Unassuming powerful people who offered him coffee and a smile.

So lucky.

“Alex? Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Huh?”

The darkness had him wanting to close his eyes.

But he couldn’t.

Because it was a symptom of a head injury.

Holographic Scott Tracy said so.

“Yeah, I’m good.” A deep breath, laden with dust and moisture. Water was still dripping somewhere. “We’re in Gisborne.”

“Yes, we are. In the Tairiwhiti Museum.” Elizabeth’s voice was steadier. “In the cafe.”

In the cafe?

Mum.

“I was here with my mother!” He desperately tried to draw information from his foggy memory. “She…” Where was she? His heart hurt to think of her lying somewhere in this darkness. He raised his voice. “Doctor Sweetapple?!” A struggled breath. “Mum?!”

Several voices answered, crying out for help.

None were his mother.

He swallowed. Walk it through.

He needed to find his mum.

He needed to help these people.

And they needed to get out of here.

As if reading his intentions, the floor he and Elizabeth were sitting on groaned, and something in the distance snapped like a gunshot.

And the whole building moved.

Alex yelled as the floor tipped, sliding downhill with a screaming screech. He grabbed Elizabeth and the nearest fixture in the dark and clung to both in the roar of snapping crumbling wood and brick.

Until it all slammed to a stop, wood raining down on them both.

The silence that followed was marred by the sound of rushing water.

The building was now on an angle, dust falling past them.

Elizabeth was crying in his arms while he desperately attempted to catch his breath and calm his racing heart.

At least he now had a direction. Up was likely out.

And they needed to get out now.

-o-o-o-

“Alex is here…in Gisborne?” The words drifted from Virgil’s throat as he stared at small holographic Scott standing on his wrist.

“Yes, he went there for lunch with his mother.”

Virgil looked at the devastated landscape around him. Alex was somewhere in this?

He straightened his shoulders. “Do we have any idea of his location?”

John appeared beside Scott. “His credit card was last used at the Farmer’s Market. Street camera footage has him and his mother walking across the Peel Street bridge half an hour before the quake hit.”

The fact that neither of those systems were able to be accessed by ‘unauthorised’ personnel was completely ignored.

The fact the Peel Street bridge was now in the river it was supposed to span was far from encouraging either.

Virgil was currently standing on the remains of one of the taller buildings in the city, so he could see across the devastation towards the river and the remains of the markets where Alex might be.

He swallowed his instinctive reaction down, his need to be there immediately, the need to find his…friend.

He swallowed again, pushing his heart into his boots and straightened. His brother’s news had come just as they pulled the last out of the building beneath his feet. “Thunderbird Five, where are we needed next?”

His holographic brothers didn’t respond immediately, John’s hands darting across controls Virgil could not see. Scott’s expression was one Virgil did not want to parse.

Not now.

But John understood. “Local services are requesting liquefaction assistance along the Portside riverbank. Thunderbird Two is needed along with some rescuee extraction.”

“FAB.” Virgil turned, his exosuit wheezing with every movement.

“Thunderbird One will attend Gisborne shortly. I just need to finish up here. ETA fifteen minutes.” The Commander’s voice hid everything.

Virgil nodded, thankful for holographic technology, his throat suddenly tight.

“We will find him, Virgil.”

Another nod.

“FAB.”

-o-o-o-

Next

[hero-israel]

Last week, in my Discord group of about 60 lifelong friends (and I mean really lifelong, danced-at-the-wedding, phone-call-for-the-divorce friends), one person posted a "from the river to the sea" meme they'd found on Twitter. I made clear that it was a huge problem, that person apologized and deleted it, everyone else seemed supportive and understanding.

And surprised.

Because none of them - not ONE of them - had ever heard the term before, nor knew what the river or the sea were, nor had any clue it could possibly be seen as threatening. That included the person who posted it in the first place. These are all college graduates, some of them with post-college degrees, all liberal Democrats who agree with everything John Oliver ever said.

The discussion went as well and as supportively as it possibly could have, but I am still floored by how.... remote the topic was from all of their lives. Including how remote it was for other Jewish members of the group (though I can't help but notice that those other Jewish members are unaffiliated and don't have kids).

I bring this up because it shows that social media really can exaggerate the scale of threats we perceive and experience. And if you had told me that more than a week ago, I would have cut you off and said "Of course, I know that, I'm not naive" - but it still would never have occurred to me that it could reach such a degree. How constantly reading updates on war and hate and protests and threats really can give a distorted and inaccurate picture of the world.

One time on Reddit, I noticed a pro-Palestine account that was positively obsessed with the "boogaloo boys," a purported sub-set of white supremacists. This person mentioned "boogaloo boys" probably 80 times a week, in the context of how their racial civil war was about to begin and would target Arab-Americans first. And it really began to look weird - a focus beyond their importance. I'm sure nobody would ever want to meet a "boogaloo boy," of course, but I also think this person made more posts about that group than the number of members there are in the actual group.

Has anyone outside age 18-23 and outside a college campus ever met a member of SJP? They're pretty horrible people, but they go tabling right next to all sorts of splintercranks who dissolve once you graduate.

There is a real perceptual, emotional downside to seeking out hatred and threats so one can announce "Aha! Look at all this hatred and threats!". It is not only privilege that allows people to avoid some problems and conflicts - it can also be demographic, political reality. It is important to know who hates and threatens us - and also to remain members of "the reality-based community." Internet discussions are not real life, college campuses are not real life, internet discussions among college students are the least real of all.

Scott Alexander touched on this - how certain political beliefs can be avoided even without conscious effort:

According to Gallup polls, about 46% of Americans are creationists. Not just in the sense of believing God helped guide evolution. I mean they think evolution is a vile atheist lie and God created humans exactly as they exist right now. That’s half the country.

And I don’t have a single one of those people in my social circle. It’s not because I’m deliberately avoiding them; I’m pretty live-and-let-live politically, I wouldn’t ostracize someone just for some weird beliefs. And yet, even though I probably know about a hundred fifty people, I am pretty confident that not one of them is creationist. Odds of this happening by chance? 1/2^150 = 1/10^45 = approximately the chance of picking a particular atom if you are randomly selecting among all the atoms on Earth.

About forty percent of Americans want to ban gay marriage. I think if I really stretch it, maybe ten of my top hundred fifty friends might fall into this group. This is less astronomically unlikely; the odds are a mere one to one hundred quintillion against.

[antimatterpod]

Last April, Anika and Liz each bought a copy of the June 1999 issue of the official Star Trek magazine.

Then we had … some other things to podcast about.

But we’ve finally opened it, and we’re talking about…

Remember when we’d pay US$7.99 — or AU$15! — for a magazine that contained a couple of interviews, some facts we already knew about the Klingon Empire and a Bird-of-Prey pinup?

The Kate Mulgrew interview:

She does not talk about her relationship with Jeri Ryan (but we do)

None of the other captains of this era had to talk about how work took them away from their kids — and Scott Bakula had a toddler when Enterprise started!

(Hey, isn’t it cool that now Anson Mount can request and get paternity leave, and no one’s asking Sonequa Martin-Green how she balances motherhood with her career?)

Putting the Janeway/Chakotay relationship on the backburner (and where they could end up in Prodigy — that’s us speculating, not Kate in 1999…)

We try to picture Kate Mulgrew in the MCU and fail spectacularly

Let’s all take a moment to send bad vibes to Liz’s grade 10 drama teacher

Jason Alexander and the woke agenda

1999 NFTs

Anika wants you to know that D. C. Fontana shipped Spock/Christine

25 years later, Tim Russ deserves an apology for the interview which closes the magazine

[loving-n0t-heyting]

Oh my fucking hell scott Alexander is now doing apologism for eugenics—under that name—with like the barest flimsiest veil of “It’s just my author mouthpiece character saying it, not me!” plausible deniability possible. I’m not sure if this is a case of the mask having finally dropped or if he has in fact become noticeably more politically retrograde in his heart of hearts over time, but it is… disappointing, to say the least

[grolloman]

Verses On Five People Being Killed By A Falling Package Of Foreign Aid

By Scott Alexander

(inspired by Aid Airdrop Kills Five People In Gaza After Parachute Fails)

When God placed Man upon the earth

In days of God knows when

He said to love the Lord your God

And love your fellow men

It's safe enough to love the Lord

In worship or in song

The Lord your God is far away

And very, very strong

But he who loves his fellow man

Must careful be, and agile

For fellow men are very close

And very, very fragile

So Midgley, Marx, and Mao, and more

All had their tale to tell

They tried to help their fellow men

And pushed them into Hell

And Galton, Ehrlich, Robespierre

Corbusier and Kipling

All saw their actions ripple out

And worsen in the rippling

And every time you throw a coin

Into a beggar's jar

The coin could strike the beggar's face

And leave him with a scar

And every slice of bread you give

To a child starved and broke

Could lodge the wrong way in his throat

And cause the kid to choke

The best laid plans of mice and men

Are oft unwisely laid

And end with Palestinians

Struck dead by falling aid

When young, I learned philosophy

At many a scholar's door

And all the wisdom that I learned

Came down to options four:

To make your heart as hard as stone

Like the heart of a machine

And sit there supercilious

Because your hands are clean

To pet your dog and kiss your kid

And call your duty done

While far away, the Gazan girls

Are dropping one by one

To rush in bright and glorious

'Neath the golden flag of Good

Then apologize at leisure to

Men crushed by falling food

Or to creep in like accountants

Using gain and loss as anchors

As cunning as the serpents

And as cold as Wall Street bankers

When I was young, I fought among

The golden-flagged crusaders

But now I’m old, and now I stand

Beside the snakes and traders

So when my plans go all awry

And my name becomes a curse

I can say the other option was

Eleven utils worse

And if upon the Judgment Day

God comes to me in wrath

I'll have a PowerPoint prepared

To prove I did the math

And if, upon the Judgment Day

God says my math is wrong

I'll tell Him He is far away

And very, very strong

But man is very, very close

And very, very brittle

And we can only do our best

Or sit there, noncommital

And so we sighed, and multiplied

And after that, we prayed

For souls of Palestinians

Struck dead by falling aid.

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Murder Mystery: 6/13/23

Evidence: #1 | #2 | #3 |

Hello Fellow Detectives!

I apologize to upload this update late, we, at Tumblr Police Department, have been going crazy with all the new evidence coming in.

Here are the interviews; Henry Campbell, Eliza Hopkins, Alexander Scott, and Gracie Ann Kelly. (Apologies, our interpreter who was rewriting the interview was a bit rushed.)

Next, we did get the security footage from that morning, June 1st, 2023. The video was a bit grainy, and you can't see that actual murder happen, but you can clearly see a person; dressed in black, seemingly a hoodie, hood up, running from the scene. It is hard to tell whether or not the person is male or female, and it is hard to differentiate their height on camera/video.

Next, we did go back to the examiner, they did not find any samples of DNA under the nails of the victim, and there was not any evidence at the crime scene. Whoever did this has either done this before, or knows how to clean/dress in a way to leave no evidence. But, we will do some further testing on the clothes of the victim for any fabric floccules and what not.

Next, we are asking for a warrant for the victim's dorm. That'll come in either later today and we can search the area on thursday.

Outside of the interview, we found that Alexander was found on CCTV outside him home, getting the mail. But, Eliza wasn't found on CCTV and her boyfriend, Henry, told us that she stayed home when he went to campus. But, we can not push these two away from being suspects, Eliza and Henry both own a car.

After the interviews, we contacted Heidi Palmer, the victim's best friend. Here is her Suspect Description Form;

Lastly, I will be posting the evidence we receive from the current suspects phones, text messages and social media posts. That will be posted shortly.

For the time being, what should we do next, detectives?

-------

@micheleamidalajedi @eatmyshortsz666 @doctoriletyougotogalaxy @justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms @marinette-the-clarinet @howlermonkey69

[xprojectrpg]

This Day in X-Project - September 13

2015: Laurie texts Doug to tell him she likes seeing him dressed casually and ask how things are going with Hope A. Maya posts about wanting to make a collage of tumblr imagery with a possible subject of old time sci-fi and teens as a creative and destructive force. Felicia posts a picture of herself passed out in someone’s bed and comments on recovering from the Alexander Wang party at Fashion Week.

2016:

2017: Hope A. emails Doug to ask about one of his bot programs, and asks for help cleaning info about her off of the web. While helping out at the District X soup kitchen, Adrienne has an encounter with an unknown mutant and her powers go haywire, so Tandy and Garrison enlist Emma's help to try and help her. Emma gives both Tandy and Garrison some time with Adrienne on the astral plane before essentially shutting Adrienne's brain down. Tandy texts Topaz, Hope A., and Julian about Adrienne’s situation. Garrison makes am announcement about Adrienne being placed in an induced coma until she can get the help she needs. Jean texts Garrison to see if he needs anything. Psi War: Jean emails Charles looking for guidance regarding telepathy and symptoms of its manifestation in relation to her patient, Parker Matthews; Charles emails Emma and Haller about Jean’s encounter with Parker Matthews. Julian, Hope A. and Topaz try to comfort Tandy.

2018: Maya makes a journal entry to share an interesting image she found online. Professor X emails Scott about Alani and her coming to the mansion in short order. Phoebe emails Doug to set up a meeting. Morningstar: Warren texts Bobbi to apologize once again.

2019: Topaz asks Ty for a teleporting favour. Training Day: Kevin emails Amanda and Marie-Ange to let them know he’ll be taking Gabriel to Europe for training purposes. Doug is sarcastic about a scientific report warning about the dangers of eating zombie cicadas.

2020:

2021: Hope A. emails Jean, plus Sue and Topaz, to ask for help practising her ability to travel the astral plane and ‘ride-along’ in someone else’s mind. Terry lets Kyle know she’s made dinner and asks if he needs it delivered to the treehouse.

2022: Darcy reflects on the date and how much things can change in a year.

2023: Coming across Match and his odd eating habits, Sooraya offers some help.

[blackmagictrait]

it's looking like this is new info for some of y'all, so imma go ahead and link the full list of people who signed the petition, and I wanna put the hollywood celebrity signers below:

Woody Allen (big surprise, another sex offender)

Wes Anderson

Jean-Jacques Annaud

Asia Argento ** In 2018, Argento apologized and expressed regret for signing the petition.

Darren Aronofsky

Paul Auster

Monica Bellucci

Gael Garcia Bernal

Adrien Brody

Penelope Cruz

Alfonso Cuaron

Guillermo del Toro

Jonathan Demme

Alexandre Desplat

Xavier Dolan ** In 2018, Dolan apologized and expressed regret for signing the petition.

Stephen Frears

Harrison Ford (not only did he sign the petition, he personally flew to france to give polanski his oscar.)

Terry Gilliam

Taylor Hackford

Buck Henry

Alejandro G. Inarritu

Jeremy Irons

Neil Jordan

Harmony Korine

John Landis

David Lynch

Michael Mann

Sam Mendes

Mike Nichols

Alexander Payne

Natalie Portman ** In 2018, Portman apologized and expressed regret for signing the petition.

Brett Ratner

Walter Salles

Jerry Schatzberg

Julian Schnabel

Martin Scorsese

Steven Soderbergh

Tilda Swinton

Kristin Scott Thomas

Tom Tykwer

Emma Thompson ** Thompson claims to have signed the petition, but later asked for her name to be removed.

Harvey Weinstein (another big surprise, ANOTHER sex offender)

Wim Wenders

this isn't gonna win me any friends but I won't pay a dime to see movies made by/starring people who signed the petition to free convicted child rapist roman polanski, and that includes guillermo del toro and wes anderson. you can love their movies all you want but paying to see them puts money in the pocket of people who publicly support rapists going free. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[aghhtdraws]

Some old Champions doodles circa 2018-2019? i forgot to post them because I felt bad about how unfinished these are but now i feel bad about not posting them haha ^^;

I wanted to practice how I drew them and used a lot of different refs from the issues I was reading at the moment. So this is what my process looks like when I'm in the "research" phase of getting to know new characters - very chaotic lol

That little Robbie in the lower right corner there is just cuz I think he should also be an honorary champion :D

[gumnut-logic]

Along the Way (Part 7 and The End)

Sweetapple | Dear Mr Tracy | Along the way - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

It's finished! ::runs around the room like a loon:: Though I have to say that I doubt this will be the last we see of Mr Sweetapple as there are several threads that need a good neat tie up :D

All the wonderful thanks to @onereyofstarlight for staying up extra late and answering my poke across the Tasman Sea for a last minute read. I hope Alex gives you some nice sleep ::hugs tight::

Also, special thanks to all of you for supporting my geeky fanboy Alex :D There will be more as someone sent me some OC asks about Alex and I've realised that the only way I can answer them is by writing fic. (some other OCs of mine might pop up in fic at some point,too, for that exact same reason) ::so many hugs to all of you for being so kind to me::

But anyway, I will stop my excited rambling and present you with the last chapter of this fic....which has taken so long to write - so many apologies. Though I am excited that I'm writing again :D

I hope you enjoy this :D

-o-o-o-

Alexander Sweetapple’s head was spinning.

Not so much from the concussion he had no doubt he had, thank you, Mr Holographic Scott Tracy, but more from the fact that Virgil had just kissed him.

Not Mr Virgil Tracy, Head of Research and Development at Tracy Industries, no….more ‘ohmigod, I finally found you and you’re alive, I want to hug and kiss your brains out’ Virgil Tracy.

The man was covered in concrete dust and grime, there was more grey than blue on his uniform bar the scratched patches where his now discarded exosuit had sat.

Alex had proof Virgil had hugged him via all the dusty patches on his damp clothes, on his arms, and in his hair.

Virgil Tracy had hugged and kissed him.

For real.

Alex stood beside his mum while Virgil assessed the condition of her ankle and she went about embarrassing her son every way possible.

To be honest, it had been such a day that she was welcome to show Virgil Alex’s naked baby pictures for all he cared. She was safe and that was all important.

A glance over at the remains of the museum building prompted his heart to add a few extra beats per minute to its routine.

Alex let his jaw drop as he watched the roof float away.

Oh god.

“Alex?”

Virgil’s voice was so rich and deep.

“Alex?” And then Virgil grabbed him. Was he trying to hug him again. That would be nice. “Whoa! I think you need to sit down.”

Okay.

He folded himself smoothly down onto the pavement beside his mum.

“Hey, honey, look at me.” Her fingers were suddenly in his hair. “Allie, how the hell did you do all that with a head injury?” She peered closely at him. “Virgil, what do your scanners say?”

And yes, Virgil was waving a yellow light over Alex. “Concussion, bruising…” He frowned. “You’re both wet. You’ve been in the river?”

“Nearly drowned. My foot got stuck and Allie pulled me out. Some water, possibly sewage, may have been inhaled. My recommendation is to watch for symptoms of infection. In both of us.” Dr Sweetapple was in the house.

He turned to Virgil only to find his friend’s eyebrows fully deployed.

They were very nice eyebrows.

Virgil caught his stare. “Thunderbird One, I need to leave the danger zone. Ten minutes there and back for patient transport.”

“FAB, Thunderbird Two. Make it quick, we need your help in the industrial sector.” A pause. “How’s Alex?”

“Concussion, but well enough…and safe.” Virgil still had his eyes.

“Good to hear. Thunderbird One out.”

“What are you doing, Virgil?” The words slipped out without thought.

Virgil looked down at his wrist control poking it. “You both need medical supervision. I’m providing it for you.”

A good hundred metres away, Thunderbird Two rose up on her struts and her module door slid smoothly open. Two hoverstretchers darted out across the road, gliding around obstacles until they reached Virgil’s side. He pulled out a control surface and reconfigured them into hoverchairs. “Sorry to rush this, but time is short. Alex, stay put while I help your mother.” He held up a gloved hand and Alex was forced to settle back and obey.

Besides, the world was spinning again, and after all, Virgil was technically his boss.

He let his head fall into his hand and closed his eyes, suddenly ever so tired.

So this was what an adrenalin drop felt like.

Ugh.

“Alex?” Virgil’s voice was soft and his gloved hand gentle on his arm. That was really nice. “Alex? You with me?”

He blinked. Oh. “Yeah.”

“Let’s get you up.” Virgil nudged him, both hands holding his arms to steady him.

The world wobbled, but a few steps and Virgil had him snug and safe, strapped into the hover stretcher…chair…whatever the hell it was.

Virgil was running, Alex and his mother beside him, until they were all swallowed by the green of Thunderbird Two.

At some point, Virgil must has triggered the chair back into a bed because Alex was lying down and Virgil hovering over him, once again with a scanner flickering yellow light. “You can go to sleep, Alex. You’re okay and you’re safe.” A gloved hand gently brushed away the hair from Alex’s forehead. He knew this should mean something, but he was so tired.

Thunderbird green danced as his eyelids drifted closed.

Somewhere something was roaring just like a Thunderbird launching, but he had no energy to care.

-o-o-o-

Jeff stepped into the elevator only to almost collide with his mother. “Mom?”

“I’m meeting Thunderbird Two.”

“Why?” Was Virgil hurt? Why hadn’t John told him?

A hand on his arm quelled the sudden panic. “Virgil is fine. We have visitors.”

“Who?” Did he have to draw the information out bit by bit?

“Do you remember Alexander Sweetapple?”

“Of course, I do. Gordon thinks Virgil might be…interested.”

“He is.” She held up a finger so close to Jeff’s face, his eyes crossed. “And you are not going to say a thing. Yes, he’s breaking protocol, but he has good reason.” She looked away and let her finger drop. “The poor boy has been terrified all day. Thank god, they finally found Alex. And I don’t blame him for not wanting to let him out of his sight.” His mother stared up at Jeff with all the fire he knew she possessed. “Your son is bringing home his first romantic interest ever and you are not going to spout security blather all over him. This is our house and we can have guests. Especially important guests.”

Jeff took a step back. “I wasn’t going to say anything!” Virgil was bringing home Alex? As a love interest? “What the hell happened?” He really needed to speak to John about keeping him updated. He knew his orbiting son was selective, but this was ridiculous.

The elevator doors opened and his mother glared at him. “Something good. Don’t ruin it.” She stomped off into Two’s hangar, detouring into the medical supply cupboard on the way, just as the hangar doors started their opening sequence.

Jeff stepped cautiously out of the elevator. He had no idea what warranted his mother’s ire. Okay, maybe he had had some words with his eldest at one point, but that was nearly a decade ago.

His priorities were a little different these days.

Two roared in, a little faster than the norm. Virgil was obviously in a hurry. She spun on her turntable and the moment she settled, her forward hatch was lowered, Virgil standing between two hoverchairs.

Jeff hurried after his mother, cursing his cane, as Virgil strode with the two chairs towards them.

“Grandma, this is Doctor Lolly Sweetapple. Doctor Sweetapple, this is my grandmother, Doctor Sally Tracy, she and my father will be taking over your care.”

The two doctors exchanged greetings and slipped into medical babble two seconds later.

“Dad?” Virgil gestured him over. “You remember Alex?” Why was there so much hesitation in his son’s voice?

“Certainly, the creator of Siliwrap.” The man was obviously asleep. “How is he?”

“Concussion, bruising, he and his mother need monitoring for possible lung infection. They were caught in contaminated water.” His son swallowed; his expression hesitant. “I wanted them here, Dad. Grandma has the skills and the tools.” He looked away. “I just couldn’t leave them to the system.” His eyes fell on Alex and Jeff’s heart clenched.

“We will look after them.” He dropped a consoling hand to his son’s shoulder.

Vulnerable eyes looked up at him. “Thanks, Dad.” His hand was squeezed and Virgil was again moving. This time running back to his ‘bird.

His mother immediately took over and bustled them all into the elevator before they could acquire new coiffures a’la rocket engine.

As the doors closed, Thunderbird Two accelerated out on to her runway and the elevator shaft roared as she took to the sky.

-o-o-o-

Alex rolled over in bed and sighed into his pillow. He was extremely comfortable. Temperature was perfect. Pillow was soft. “Mmmmm….”

“About time you woke up, Allie. You were starting to worry me.” His mother’s voice was always reassuring.

“He’s fine, Lolly. Concussion is healing and there is no sign of any lung infection. See, look at the scans.”

Alex frowned. That was a female voice he didn’t recognise. Also, why was his mum in his bedroom?

“You’re giving me equipment envy, Sally. My god, the science behind this is amazing.”

“Virgil has them in development, don’t you worry. A good percentage of our breakthroughs do get filtered down into the market. Unfortunately, there is a difference between the ability to make a device for International Rescue and making devices in efficient, ecological and economic mass production. Our teams do their best.” A snort. “And your boy is part of that team. His devotion to Siliwrap is all to his credit. Alex is saving lives as much, if not more, as any at Tracy industries. You should be proud.”

“Oh, that’s a given. He’s always been a little obsessive, especially regarding the Thunderbirds.”

Wha-?

Alex flung his eyes open to find his mother lying on a bed beside him, smiling. She had her ankle wrapped and raised and was obviously talking to the owner of the other voice, an older lady dressed in a purple jumpsuit.

Both were smiling at him.

“Where am I?”

Yes, that’s the first question out of any alien abductee’s mouth, no doubt about it.

“You’re on Tracy Island, Alex. You and your mother are safe and our guests.” When Alex didn’t respond as his brain automatically overloaded. “I’m Mrs Tracy, Virgil’s grandmother.”

“Watch it, Sally, he may combust on the spot.”

Thanks, mum.

His mother was grinning at him. “I swear he’s been looking for the location of this island since he discovered his first Thunderbird.”

“Mum!”

“Shhh! You’ll wake him up.” His mum was pointing behind him.

“Lolly, don’t worry, Virgil sleeps like the dead. Especially after a rescue like that.”

Virgil? What?

He twisted around and found a third bed behind him. Virgil lay sprawled face down on it, snoring softly into his pillow.

“Don’t worry, honey. He’s just tired. Our boys exhaust themselves and then wonder why their bodies shut down.”

It was only then all the events leading up to his current situation fully loaded into his brain.

Virgil.

Virgil had kissed him. His chocolate eyes held such relief and joy…

The scene played back in his head over and over, declaring that it had happened. That something Alex may have dreamed about but never really considered actually possible, had happened.

He stared at Virgil.

Gone was the uniform and in its place a simple black t-shirt outlining a lax bicep hanging off the edge of the bed. Alex’s eyes tracked down the length of Virgil’s arm to his hand.

Such strong hands.

The emergency responder had a blanket draped over him, obviously placed there after the advent of slumber, likely by his purple grandmother.

“Why is he here?”

Mrs Tracy walked around Alex’s bed so she could face him. “Now, don’t you start worrying your head off, young man. He is fine. He’s in the bed because otherwise he’d be asleep in a chair and that is not acceptable self-care. He wanted to stay here with you and it was the bed or out. Exhaustion did the rest.”

He stared at her a moment, his thoughts spinning.

“How are you feeling, Allie?”

Huh? He turned back to his mother. “Mum, your ankle…”

She waved him off. “Hon, I’ve done worse tripping over kids in the waiting room. Nothing to worry about.” She frowned at him. “How’s your head?”

How was his head? How was he in general?

There were aches, yes, now that attention had been drawn to them, but generally, considering that he’d just been through a major disaster, he felt okay. “I’m okay.”

His eyes drifted back to Virgil.

“Don’t you think of getting out of bed just so you can sit at his bedside, Alex. I know how you boys think, so don’t think you can pull one over on me.” Virgil’s grandmother was proving to be as bad as Alex’s mother.

“Don’t worry, Sally, he’s been very well trained from birth.”

“How did you manage that? I’ve been trying for nearly thirty years with the grandkids. Their father is just as bad.”

Alex’s eyes widened. Their father? Jeff Tracy. The Jeff Tracy who gave his name to Tracy Island. That Tracy Island that was ever so secret and Alex was currently resting his butt on. Well, the bed his was resting his butt on was on the Island. It was simple transference of molecular ownership.

Perhaps this was not the best moment to realise that he was wearing a black t-shirt very similar to Virgil’s and that it was not one he owned, nor was it one he was wearing the last time he was aware and conscious.

He pulled up the blanket and found black shorts. “Where are my clothes?” Perhaps the step up in octave was a little ridiculous on his part, but it had been a very stressful day.

“Your clothes were ruined, Allie. Jeff and Mrs Tracy were kind enough to supply and dress you in some replacements.” His mother was ever so matter-of-fact, as usual.

“Jeff Tracy saw me naked?!”

Okay, he had to admit, that was supposed to be inner voice and not shouted at the top of his lungs. In any case, it proved that it was possible to wake up Virgil Tracy, no matter what his grandmother said.

“Alex? What?”

He turned to find Virgil pushing himself up off the bed, hair sticking in all directions, obviously still half asleep.

“Honey, the man brought up five boys. One more is nothing new.” Mrs Tracy was as matter-of-fact as his mother.

Great. A team up.

“Virgil, go back to sleep.” Mrs Tracy bustled over to her grandson and attempted to get him to lie down.

But Virgil had caught sight of Alex. “Alex! You’re awake!”

Mrs Tracy actually rolled her eyes as Virgil threw off his covers and climbed out of bed. He closed the distance between them on bare feet. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

Alex couldn’t help it. “You look adorable.” Because he did. Big tough rescue operative with puffy eyes and hair sticking up all over the place, not to mention the black t-shirt and shorts that hid absolutely zero anatomical detail. And above all, he was smiling, as if ever so happy to see Alex…which was some kind of miracle and honestly how hard had he hit is head?

“You’re not bad yourself.” That smile turned to one of appreciation.

What?

His mother did mention a concussion…

“Okay, it’s obvious Virgil is not going to listen to his doctor’s advice, so Lolly and I will leave you two boys alone.” Mrs Tracy poked at his mum’s bed and it detached from the wall, hovering quite happily and easily nudged out of the room.

“Allie, take it easy, love. You are recovering from a concussion, after all.”

Yeah, yeah, mum, whatever. Virgil’s eyes were such a beautiful shade of brown.

Both women muttered to each other as they left the room, closing the door behind them.

Virgil was poking Alex’s bed controls with his fingers. “Good. You’ve rested.” His eyes were tracking over medical readouts. Alex’s medical readouts.

“I’m okay, Virgil.”

The man looked up at him again. “Good.”

Alex frowned as Virgil lifted a hand up and gently brushed Alex’s hair clear of his left temple and the abrasion there. “Grandma’s treated you well.”

Alex wanted to fall into that gentle touch. His eyes may have at least partially closed.

“Are we okay?”

Alex’s eyes snapped open.

“I mean…” Those eyes looked down and away. No, come back! “…we haven’t talked about-“

Alex was suddenly kissing Virgil. There had been space between them, but now it was gone, Alex had his arms around those truly magnificent biceps, and startled lips were pressed up against his, ever so warm, and god, Virgil was kissing him back…

There was a brain whiteout for a moment as Virgil’s arms returned Alex’s eager embrace…and then Virgil’s tongue was in his mouth and…

“Whoa! My bad.”

Alex pulled back.

“No! No, you two just keep doin’ what you were doin’ and I’ll just put this coffee down and-“

“Gordon, what do you want?” Virgil hadn’t let go of Alex, but his head did turn towards his brother.

Alex was busy dying on the spot. Why did he do that? Kiss Virgil? Him?

“I brought you coffee! You know, life blood and all that.” Coffee? “Uh, you might want to get back to that tonsil hockey you were playing. Alex looks like he’s might dump you for the coffee.”

“Go away, Gordon.”

“Going away, leaving, like a tree. Happy for both of you. ‘Bout time, Virg.”

“Gordon!”

“I’m gone!” And he was, the door sliding shut behind him.

Virgil turned back to Alex. “Sorry about that.” A slight shrug. “I have brothers.”

Alex blinked. “I have sisters.”

Virgil’s smile was a sight to behold. “So, we’re okay?”

Alex had had a very hard day, his head was a bit of a mess and there were several truths he was ignoring to keep his sanity. But right now?

He tugged Virgil closer. “More than okay.”

“You want some coffee?”

But Virgil’s lips were brushing his and… “No, I’m good.”

The coffee went cold.

-o-o-o-

FIN

[cuntycassandra]

i'm kinda blind and very interested in history, could you list the authors and titles of the books on the post "Calling out to the AmRev fandom. I need your help." thanks

Hey there, anon! I’d be more then happy to do that for you!

These are the majority of my amrev books, sparing a few tucked away under my bed, and maybe a couple I just missed off the shelf, the majority of them are amrev bios, with a few historical fictions and stories thrown in for good measure.

I’ve tried to priorities them all into certain categories of person/event/time, and they are listed left-to-right below each photo! Hope this helps!

General events:

Founding Fathers (by Captivating History)

The Founding Fortunes (by Tom Shachtman)

The Glorious Cause (by Robert Middlekauff)

Valiant Ambition (by Nathaniel Philbrick)

Redcoats and Rebels (by Christopher Hibbert)

General Events:

(From left to right)

The British are coming (by Rick Atkinson)

Rebels & Redcoats (by Hugh Bicheno)

1776 (by David McCullough)

Scars of independence (by Holger Hoock)

General events/key figures:

American Revolutions - a continental history 1750 - 1804 (By Alan Taylor)

The Drillmaster of Valley Forge - The Baron de Steuben and the making of the American army (by Paul Lockhart)

Revolutionary Characters (by Gordon S. Wood)

George Washington’s secret six - the spy ring that saved the American revolution (by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger)

Key figures (Laurens, Arnold and Hale.):

Duty and Inclination (by Rebecca Dupont)

John Laurens and the American revolution (Gregory D. Massey)

Benedict Arnold (by Robert Zubrin)

The Martyr and the Traitor (by Virginia DeJohn Anderson)

Alexander Hamilton centric:

Alexander Hamilton (by Ron Chernow)

Alexander Hamilton - Adultery and Apology (forwarded by Robert P Watson)

Hamilton and Peggy - a revolutionary friendship (by L.M Elliott)

Hamilton’s choice (by Jack Casey)

George Washington centric:

Washington - A life (by Ron Chernow)

Washington’s Crossing (by David Hackett Fischer)

Adopted Son - Washington, Lafayette and the friendship that saved the revolution (by David A. Clary)

Martha Washington - An American life (by Patricia Brady)

Eliza Schuyler Hamilton Centric:

(The second and third book on this list are supposed to be historical fiction, but just take the accuracies with a grain of salt, if you will)

The Founding Mothers (by Thomas Jacobs)

I, Eliza Hamilton (by Susan Holloway Scott)

My Dear Hamilton (by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie)

Marquis De Lafayette Centric:

Hero of Two Worlds (by Mike Duncan)

Lafayette (by Harlow Giles Unger)

Lafayette comes to America (by Louis R. Gottschalk (this book was a bitch to find in Europe, I tell ya.))

The Marquis - Lafayette reconsidered (by Laura Auriccho)

Political texts:

Common Sense, Rights of Man and other essential writings (by Thomas Paine)

The federalist papers (by John Jay, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton)

The penguin guide to the American constitution (by Richard Beeman)

The Declaration of Independence - with short biographies of its signers. (No designated author.)

Key figures (Hamilton, Adams and Jefferson.):

The Patriots (by Winston Groom)

Hamilton (by Tony Williams)

Thomas Jefferson - the art of power (by John Meacham)

John Adams (by David McCullough)

Aaaand that’s all I have on hand for now, Anon! I sure hope this helped you out! (I’m also blind as hell so I struggle to see authors and titles on photos alone also! So I get you completely!)

[offender42085]

Post 0321

James M Alexander, Ohio inmate A758801, born 1995, incarceration intake at age 23, scheduled for release 11/17/2027

Felony Assault, Judicial Sanction

Sentenced to nine years in prison for his role in a December drive-by shooting that nearly killed a woman.

The Assistant Licking County Prosecutor  said police responded to a call where 61-year-old Jewel Scott had been shot in the neck. According to DePew, detectives determined Scott was shot in the neck by a passing vehicle, identified as a 2012 blue Kia Sorento.

The following day, the vehicle's owner, Brieahna Rhinehart, came to the police station and spoke with detectives.  Rhinehart claimed a man identified as Alexander and her cousin, Devin Rhinehart, were the men who shot at the home on Riverview Drive.

"Brieahna Rhinehart informed detectives she was driving and passing the residence at 83 Riverview Road and James and Devin began shooting out the rear driver’s side window, approximately three rounds were fired."

Detectives and local SWAT team arrested Alexander, where he was taken to the police station and interviewed by detectives.  Alexander claimed Devin Rhinehart began shooting out the rear driver's side window of the vehicle. The prosecutor said Alexander allegedly admitted to firing a single shot out the same window.

The Defense attorney said she'd like it noted that Brieahna Rhinehart was "beefing" with her boyfriend at the time, which led to the incident. Brieahna Rhinehart took Alexander and her cousin to where she thought he would be and when she thought she saw her boyfriend, Devin Rhinehart began shooting and Alexander fired at least one shot.

"The one shot, the evidence showed, ricocheted from the ground and went into the residence and the other shot that went into the residence was in the siding … near the ground," the defence attorney said.

The attorney added Brieahna Rhinehart, who she said truly instigated the incident, was never charged, and that Devin Rhinehart was charged similarly to Alexander.

Mentioning previous similar court cases, the defence asked the court to impose a similar sentence as those cases.

Alexander appeared to become emotional as he apologized to the victim, saying he didn't mean for her to get hurt.

"I want to let her know I hope she has the best life she can and I truly apologize," Alexander said.

According to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections website, Alexander was released from prison from a 2015 aggravated robbery conviction on post-release control at the time.

Because the shooting was in violation of post-release control conditions, the judge ordered Alexander to serve a portion of his sentence based on that.

Post 508

2y

[moquall]

Dissidia Opera Omnia : Force Weapon partner connection (PART 5/?)

PART 5 compiled the FRs released in March 2022. The one with bold purple is FR user and the black one is the partner.

Just click on "fr partner" tags if you want to read full list.

---------------------------------------

Minwu - Kurasame (Life Connect) : Masked men. 😷 Sacrificed their life force for something greater and believes the younger generation will lead the world to brighter future.

Minwu used all of his power, cost his own life to open the seal in Tower of Mysidia to help Firion obtain Ultima's Tome. Minwu stated that the fate of the world rests on Firion's party in the end of Soul of Rebirth together with Ricard, Scott and Josef, believes the future of their world are now in good hands.

Kurasame offered his life force to help Caetuna summon the Verboten Eidolon, Alexander during Battle at Big Bridge which lead to Rubrum's victory. Near his last moment, Kurasame stated that Class Zero are strong and believes they will be able to keep walking toward the future.

Ironically, Kurasame also sacrificed himself in the prequel novel to became a L'cie to summon Knights of Rounds.

Vaan - Machina (Rapid Chase) : Protective to their childhood friend who are also their love interest. Their older brother died and blame their death to others.

Vaan and Reks were taken in by Penelo's family and is protective to her. They started dating at the end of Revenant Wings. Reks died from the wounds he got during the battle in Nalbina Fortress and when he met Basch, Vaan blamed him for Reks's death but has let go his hatred and realize Reks's death is a part of Vayne's schemes.

Machina is protective to Rem since she suffered from illness and both are survivor from their village. They are married some time later after the war is over and Orience is free from the crystals. His brother, Izana died during Milites's invasion to Akademeia and after he learned "the truth", started to blame Class Zero for Izana's death. Unfortunately, Machina was too late to apologize…

Hope - Eald'narche (God's Vessel) : Interaction in Arc 3 Chapter 3. APTX4869 Adult trapped in younger body.

Hope was used by Bhunivelze as his vessel and spent 169 years molding him into a perfect "pure and innocent" host by regressing him in age to meet his standard.

Eald'narche's aging stopped the moment he came in contact with Mothercrystal thus acts as "the younger brother" to hide his true motives.

to refresh your memory and a spoiler : Eald'narche desires to restore the balance of the world by strengthen the power of darkness. He returned Hope and Caius's slit in Chapter 3 and planned to use Hope due to power inside his slit but his plan ultimately failed in Chapter 10 caused 'Hope' did the opposite.

Celes - Basch (Change the Air) : High-ranking military officer who were branded as traitor and imprisoned. Fills the "tank" role in Opera Omnia.

Celes betrayed Gesthalian Empire after she learned Gesthalian Empire is evil, imprisoned in South Figaro and scheduled to be executed but freed by Locke who was infiltrating the town.

Basch was framed as the traitor of Dalmasca and the king-slayer though the fact Gabranth impersonate him. He was announced executed but remains imprisoned in Nalbina dungeons and freed by Balthier, Fran and Vaan on their way to escape the prison.

Aranea - Fang (Speerstoßwelle) : Female "dragoon" with independent and straightforward personality. Both are the leader of their own group.

Aranea worked as mercenary and hired by Niflheim Empire as the Commodore of Airbone Unit but resigned after Diamond Weapon attacked Gralea to help the refugees and reformed her mercenary group.

in Lightning returns, Fang is the leader of group of thieves based in Dead Dunes called Monoculus with the goal to find the holy clavis.

Fang's Limit Break in XIII and EX Skill in dffoo shared the name with Aranea's surname.

Dorgann - Auron (Future-weaving Sword) : The previous generation of heroes that "stopped" the main threat and stayed in different world as the observer.

Dorgann is the member of Dawn Warriors who fought and sealed Exdeath thirty years before the event of FFV. He stayed in different world (Bartz's world) to protect the Wind Crystal and watch over the world.

Auron serves as guardian during Braska's pilgrimage to fought Sin ten years before the event of FFX. To fulfill his promise to Jecht, Auron stayed in Dream Zanarkand to watch over Tidus.

[thejusticewarrior]

The Book Club - Non-Fiction

The Non-Fiction Book Club TBR list:

100 Nasty Women of History by Hannah Jewell

101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think by Brianna Wiest

13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do by Amy Morin

21 Lessons For The 21st Century by Yuval Noah Haran

A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Y. Davis

Atlantis: The Antediluvian World by Ignatius L. Donnelly

Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza

Between The World And Me by Ta-Neisi Coates

Beyond The Pill by Jolene Brighten

Boundaries In Dating by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend

Calm The F**k Down by Sarah Knight

Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski

Confessions Of A Political Hitman by Stephen Marks

Confessions Of A Sex Kitten by Eartha Kitt

Declutter Your Mind by S.J. Scott & Barrie Davenport

Decoded by Jay-Z

Devil In The Grove by Gilbert King

Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh

Feminists Don't Wear Pink And Other Lies by Scarlett Curtis

first, we make the beast beautiful by Sarah Wilson

Girl, was your face by Rachel Hollis

Heal Thyself For Health And Longevity by Queen Afua

Homo Deus: A Brief History Of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Haran

Hormonal by Martie Haselton

Hormonal by Eleanor Morgan

How The Pill Changes Everything by Sarah E. Hill

How To Be Single And Happy by Jennifer L. Taitz

How To Love by Thich Nhat Hanh

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen

Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Maybe It's You by Lauren Handel Zander

Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray

Milk And Honey by Rupi Kaur

Misjustice: How British Law Is Failing Women by Helena Kennedy

Moody: A 21st Century Hormone Guide by Amy Thomson

Natives: Race And Class In The Ruins Of Empire by Akala

Nile Valley Contributions To Civilization by Anthony T. Browder

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown

Red Notice by Bill Browder

Sacred Woman by Queen Afua

Sapiens: A Brief History Of Humankind by Yuval Noah Haran

Stolen Legacy by George G. M. James

Sweetening The Pill by Holly Grigg-Spall

The 48 Laws Of Power by Robert Greene

The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Art Of Happiness by The Dalai Llama

The Art Of Living by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Autobiography Of Malcolm X by Malcolm X

The Body Is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor

The Chimp Paradox by Prof. Steve Peters

The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz

The Gifts Of Imperfection by Brené Brown

The Little Book Of Hygge by Meik Wiking

The Many-Headed Hydra by Peter Linebaugh & Marcus Rediker

The Miracle Of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle

The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan

The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert

The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton

The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler

The Warmth Of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

Thinking, Fast And Slow by Daniel Kahneman

This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay

Vilnius: City Of Strangers by Laimonas Briedis

When We Ruled by Robin Walker

White Tears/Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad

Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Womancode by Alisa Vitti

Women Who Love Too Much by Robin Norwood

Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Women, Race And Class by Angela Y. Davis

A Massacre In Mexico by Anabel Hernandez

Putin's People by Catherine Belton

The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan

Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

The Good Immigrant by Nikesh Shukla et al.

When They Call You A Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullon & Asha Bandele

It's Not About The Burqa by Mariam Khan

Afropean: Notes From Black Europe by Johny Pitts

Blueprint For Revolution by Srdja Popovic

Freedom Is A Constant Struggle by Angela Y. Davis

White Fragility by Robin Diangelo

The Health Gap by Michael Marmot

Fake Law: The Truth Abiut Justice In An Age Of Lies by The Secret Barrister

The Secret Barrister by The Secret Barrister

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

No One Is Too Small To Make A Difference by Greta Thunberg

Our Final Warning: Six Degrees Of Climate Emergency by Mark Lynas

Underground by Haruki Murakami

The Jigsaw Man by Paul Britton

This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein

Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue by Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre

Pharma by Gerald Posner

The Truth About The Drug Companies by Marcia Angell, M.D.

Selling Sickness by Ray Moynihan & Alan Cassels

Blood Feud by Kathleen Sharp

The Future We Choose by Christiana Gigueres & Tom Rivett Carnac

There Is No Planet B by Mike Berners-Lee

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez

Society Must Be Defended by Michel Foucault

Discipline And Punish by Michel Foucault

Chernobyl Prayer by Svetlana Alexievich

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Anne Frank: The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank

If They Come In The Morning by Angela Y. Davis

Tiny, Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

The House of Government by Yuri Slezkine

The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson

Will I Ever Be Good Enough?: Healing The Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers by Karyl McBride

[aaronburrdaily]

January 1, 1809

Edinburgh. Got my best parlour in order, expecting Lord Justice Clerk¹. At 12 Arbuthnot came in, and afterward Colonel Smith. At 2 went out. Met in the street and was introduced to Alexander M'Kenzie², author of “Man of Feeling,” being on the way to his house. Called on Jeffrey³ and handed him a letter. Called on Walter Scott ; on Lord Provost (Mayor). While Arbuthnot and Smith were sitting with me this morning, Lord Justice Clerk called, and was refused by the stupidity of a servant. Wrote Lord Justice Clerk, apologizing, accepting his invitation and enclosing Colonel J.'s letter. At 5 went to dine with Mr. Jardine, an advocate. Delayed a whole hour, not being able to find the house. The coachman more ignorant than myself. Met there Erskine, brother of the Lord Chancellor and of the Earl of Buchan, and heir apparent to the title ; Colonel Alexander Munro ; Madame Munro ; the Colonel has been fifteen years in India, and very lately returned ; the Rev. Mr. Morehead ; Mr. Forbes, son of Sir ⁠——— Forbes ; Madame Bruce, femme de ——— Bruce, son of the traveler. He was confined with the rheumatism, and did not appear. Henry M’Kenzie, advocate, son of the author of the “Man of Feeling.”

1  Charles Hope, Lord Granton (1763-1851), was educated at Edinburgh, admitted an advocate in 1784, and in 1801 was appointed Lord Advocate. In 1804 he was appointed an ordinary Lord of Session and Lord Justice Clerk in the place of Sir David Rae, and assuming the title of Lord Granton, took his seat on the bench on December 6, 1804. On November 12, 1811, he succeeded Robert Blair of Avontoun as Lord President of the Court of Sessions. In December, 1836, he became Lord Justice General. In 1793 Hope married his cousin, Lady Charlotte Hope, second daughter of John, second Earl of Hopetoun, by his third wife, Lady Elizabeth Leslie. Burr's letter of introduction to Lord Justice Clerk was written by A. Cochrane Johnstone, of London, who said : “Permit me to introduce to your Lordship the bearer of this, the celebrated Colonel Burr, with whom our worthy friend, Charles Williamson, was very intimate. His talents, abilities, and amiable qualities will, I am confident, ensure him a place in your esteem. He proposes making a stay of only a few days in Scotland, during which time I have to request that you will render him any attention in your power. He is anxious to have an opportunity of making the acquaintance of the most learned of our profession, and to whom can I apply so well as to you to bring this about?” 2  But it was Henry M’Kenzie, not Alexander, who wrote the novel of this name. He was also the author of “The Man of the World” (1773), “Julia de Roubigné” (1777), etc. Under date of February 12, 1809, Burr wrote to his daughter : “Among the literary men of England 1 have met M’Kenzie, author of the ‘Man of Feeling,’ and Scott, author of the ‘Minstrel.’ I met both frequently, and from both received civilities and hospitality. M’Kenzie has twelve children—six daughters, all very interesting and handsome. He is remarkably sprightly in company, amiable, witty—might pass for 42, though certainly much older. Scott, with less softness than M’Kenzie, has still more animation; talks much, and very agreeably." At this time M’Kenzie was 64 and Scott 38. 3  Lord Francis Jeffrey (1773-1850), founder, and for twenty-six years editor of The Edinburgh Review.

[zackcollins]

love you like there’s no tomorrow || mitch marner

masterlist

Author’s Note: Hi! I know it’s been a while and I apologize for that. I’ve just been in a rough spot mentally so I’ve been having a difficult time focusing on writing. The words haven’t really been flowing, ya know? I’ve been having a better time focusing on playing video games because that numbs my mind more and makes me have to think less and less about what’s going on around me. Anyways... I hope that didn’t feel too real for anyone or depress them too much. sorry if it did. I didn’t mean to upset you. GIF credit to naivelystan!

Warnings: I don’t think there’s anything. But feel free to let me know if you disagree. As always, I’ll happily add a warning for something if you feel something needs to be warned about!

Word Count: 3.6k+

Title: Nobody by Dylan Scott

Additional: Even though the reader is portrayed as being a goaltender for the Leafs, they are gender-neutral! This is my fic and I do what I want. I hope you guys are okay with that. Enjoy this and let me know if you have any ideas for future fics. My ask box is always open for requests!

It was a television timeout nearing the end of the third period. You had skated over to the bench to see if the goalie coach had any advice for you. When he shook his head at your asking, you nodded in approval and turned to your teammates. 

 Mitch, who was sitting right in front of you, immediately pointed behind his goaltender. You lifted your mask and turned to see what was there. You saw a couple of the in-arena employees looking at you, both of whom quickly turned away when they noticed that you were looking at them. You weren't certain but you thought you saw a blush rise on one of their cheeks.

 You raised an eyebrow as you turned back to Mitch.

 “What was that about?” You asked. You took your bottle out of your glove and squirted it over your face, shaking off the excess liquid. 

 “What do you mean ‘what was that about?’” Mitch asked, looking at you quizzically. “The in-arena staff look at you all the time.”

 “I mean, yeah? I do play on this team.”

 Hutch reached over and swatted you with his glove. You looked over at the other goaltender and frowned. “What was that for, Hutch?”

 “They look at you because you’re attractive, you idiot,” Hutch said, rolling his eyes. “That girl Mitch pointed out was talking to her friend about asking you out for drinks after the game.”

 You felt your face heat up as you skated back to the crease. You glanced over to where the girls had been. When you met their gaze, one of them winked at you and the other waved and smiled toothily. You did your best to smile in return but you were fairly certain it came across as awkward or goofy. You certainly knew that your stomach felt awkward or goofy from that exchange, though you couldn’t exactly pinpoint if it was from excitement or from the strange look you could see on Mitch’s face as he lined up for the faceoff to your left. Sighing, you pushed those feelings aside and focused on tracking the puck after Edmonton won the draw.

 The puck cycled along the boards for a few minutes, leaving your teammates hemmed in their zone for a long shift. You heard T.J. say something about how he had been out there for close to two minutes and that everyone else was in a similar boat. You took a deep breath and leaned around Leon, Alexander, and Joe to try to see the puck where Tyson had it at the point. Alexander tapped your left pad, which was the telltale sign that the shot was coming to that side. You mumbled a quick thanks as you readied yourself in the crease. 

 When the shot came, it hit Joe’s ankle and shifted to the right. You stretched your pad and goal stick in that direction hoping that either would make contact with the puck. You looked over after a moment and noticed that the play had continued on to the corner boards. You blinked as you assumed proper positioning to watch the play progress.

 ice save.” You glanced over your shoulder and noticed the referee, Graham Skilliter, standing behind the net. “That’ll make some highlight reels for the next month or so.”

 “Oh,” You said, shifting to the other side of the net to follow the play. “Thanks, bud. It must’ve hit my stick because I didn’t realize I saved it.”

 Edmonton turned the puck over to Hyman who tried to exit the zone but got Tyler Ennis’ stick directly to the skates. He fell and the puck instead skittered over to Mitch who passed it back to Justin, who was standing only about five or six feet in front of your goal crease.

 “I’m sure there'll be a replay on the Jumbotron in about two seconds. Furlatt is calling Ennis for a trip as soon as Edmonton touches the puck again.”

 You nodded and not two seconds later Eric Furlatt blew his whistle because Ethan Bear had touched the puck. You turned to grab his bottle, taking a quick squirt through the cage on your mask. When you turned back around, you glanced up at the Jumbotron. The save was replayed from three different angles, all of which made it look more impressive than the last. You felt a small sense of pride wash over you as you shifted your attention from the video to the score clock. It told you that there were barely over three minutes left in the game. You took a deep breath and readied yourself, even though the faceoff was in Edmonton's end of the ice.

 As soon as the puck dropped, Wayne cycled it around to Jason who passed it back to T.J. T.J. toed the blueline for a moment before he found a lane to shoot. The red light behind Mike Smith lit up and the powerplay unit swarmed T.J. at the sideboards. You banged your stick against the ice a few times as you watched everyone skate down the bench for their fist bumps. T.J. skated over to you, tapping both of your pads with his stick.

 "Figured you needed a goal to win the game," T.J. said, chuckling. "Can't finish a game nill, nill. This isn't soccer."

 You tapped the seat of T.J.'s pants with your goal stick, smiling and chuckling. "Thanks there, bud. I'll do my best to make it count."

 T.J. smiled, leaning in to press his helmet against yours. "That's all any of us ask, bud. For you to try your best. We love you regardless. Mitch especially. I hope you know that."

 A large knot had formed in your throat so all you could do was nod and smile weakly; you hoped that T.J. found that sufficient enough thanks. When T.J. smiled and squeezed your shoulder, you got your answer.

 "What's…" you coughed, clearing your throat. "What's taking them so long to drop the puck?"

 "Smith tweaked something in his knee and needed the training staff to go attend to him."

 "T.J.! (Y/N)! We're ready!" Bogosian called from somewhere behind them.

 "Remember, we're proud of you." T.J. tapped his helmet against yours one last time before skating back to the bench.

 As you readied yourself in the net, you swallowed every emotion that had surfaced during that conversation with T.J. You didn't need to have a breakdown about this right now. Not while you were trying to preserve a 1-0 lead with two minutes fifty-eight seconds left in the game. You could have a breakdown about this when you were in the comfort of your bed at home.

 The last two fifty-eight went by in a blur. You couldn't even tell anyone anything that happened, save for the fact that Edmonton didn't score. How they didn't score, you didn't know. You were almost on autopilot because of how unsuccessful you had been at trying to push your emotions aside. They had crept back in and they were all you were thinking about, no matter how much you should've been focusing on the game. But you were only human. And humans aren't always going to be one hundred percent invested in their job, no matter how much they love it.

 When the team swarmed you at the end of the game, you felt overcome with emotions. It had been an incredibly long time since hockey had made you have such positive overwhelming feelings. Being with Toronto was more than you could've ever hoped for. They loved you more than you could've ever hoped for; you loved them more than you could've ever hoped for. You and the Toronto Maple Leafs were a match made in Heaven.

 "(Y/N), hey," Mitch said, placing his hands on your shoulders. "Why're you crying, bud?"

 "Hmm?" You mumbled, only half tuned into your surroundings. "What was that, Mitchy?"

 "Crying. Why're you doing it?"

 "I'm no--" you stopped when you realized that your eyes were watering and leaking. "Oh. I guess I am, aren't I?"

 "Is everything okay? You're, like, the most brave dude ever. Seeing you crying makes me want to cry." Mitch frowned, grabbing your glove as you both skated off the ice.

 Once you both were down the tunnel, Mitch led you into the empty trainer's room, closing the door behind you. You sat in one of the office chairs and Mitch knelt in front of you, sliding his gloves off and placing them at your feet. Mitch hovered his hands over your pad straps and glanced up at you; you removed your helmet before nodding your approval.

 As Mitch unlaced the straps, you slid your hands out of your glove and blocker. You placed them in your lap, running a hand through your hair and shaking it loose of sweat when it came out.

 Mitch moved your pad off, placing it on the ground to his left. He moved his hand down to your skate, carefully working on unlacing the boot.

 "I asked you a question, ya know," Mitch said without looking up.

 "You did?" You replied, genuinely confused. "I must've zoned out between getting off the ice and now because I don't remember what it was."

 Mitch patted your knee before he slid your skate off. He placed the skate sideways on top of the pad before moving his attention to the straps of your other pad.

 "I'm not mad at you. You did look really out of it." Mitch fumbled with one of the straps, cursing sharply as he tried to unlace it. When it finally came unlaced, Mitch flipped it off and stuck his tongue out at it. "Fuck you, you stupid strap."

 You scoffed and kicked Mitch with your socked foot. Mitch looked up and stuck his tongue out at you.

 "This is why I never became a goalie," Mitch mumbled as he went back to unlacing the straps. 

 A few moments passed, filled only by Mitch cursing obscenely at your pad straps. Once the last strap was unlaced and the pad was off and to Mitch's side, Mitch puffed his chest before reaching down to start unlacing your other skate.

 "Anyways. I asked you before if everything was alright. You were crying and you never cry."

 You swallowed thickly, running a hand through his hair.

 "Ye… Yeah. I'm grand, bud," you said, though you knew even a dead man could hear that you were lying.

 Mitch looked up, pursed his lips, and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

 "Ye… no. No, I'm not sure." You slouched in the chair, dropping your head into your hands. "A few things that happened in the period confounded me at the end there."

 Mitch placed your skate sideways on your other pad before he stood from his kneeling position. He motioned his hands up a couple of times. You got the hint, raising your arms above your head. Mitch grabbed your helmet, glove, and blocker and placed them on one of the pads. When he turned back to you, he lifted your jersey over your head, draping it over the back of the chair. Mitch then unhooked your chest protector and dropped it atop your goalie pads. Once all of your equipment was out of the way (save for your pants), Mitch sat in your lap and wrapped his arms around your neck. You swallowed a nervous breath as you wrapped your arms around Mitch's midsection.

 "Care to share what those things were?" Mitch asked, burying his head in the crook of your neck. "I'm willing to listen to whatever the problem is."

 You nodded, clearing your throat. "After Hutch said that girl wanted to ask me for drinks, I made eye contact with her and her friend on my way back to the crease." You felt Mitch's heartbeat falter a little. To compensate for that, you ran your hands slowly along Mitch's ribcage. "Something weird fluttered in my stomach. I'm just not sure if it was from her winking and her friend waving or from you looking like you wanted to murder someone after seeing what they did."

 "Mmm," Mitch mumbled, his heartbeat faltering a little more. "I know what I want the answer to be."

 You ignored Mitch and continued with your explanation. "Then, at the end of the period, I was overcome by the fact that there's no place I'd rather be than in Toronto." Mitch's heartbeat began to even out a little after you said that. You hummed as you reached up and unlatched Mitch's helmet, sliding it off and dropping it at Mitch's feet. You pressed a soft kiss on Mitch's forehead; Mitch's heartbeat suddenly spiked again. You brought your hands down and ran them softly along Mitch's ribcage. "You guys all love me more than I could've ever hoped for; I love you guys more than I could've ever hoped for."

 "Some more than others." Mitch's voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke. His heartbeat had taken to a sporadic beat, almost as if he was nervous or scared of something.

 "What is that--" you started.

 "What did T.J. tell you?" Mitch cut you off, lifting his head to look at his goaltender.

 "Oh, uh…" you mumbled. "All anyone could ask of me was that I tried my best. And that everyone loves me. You especially. But what does--"

 Mitch's only response was to grab your face and pull you in for a kiss. You startled but made no move to push Mitch away. The kiss only lasted a few moments before Mitch pulled back and swatted the back of your head.

 "That. That's what it has to do with anything."

 You felt your entire face and the tips of your ears burn red-hot as you sat there and looked at Mitch. Mitch rolled his eyes and patted your cheek

 "(Y/N), Christ," Mitch said, dropping his head back into the crook of your neck. "I've been flirting with you for months. How have you not noticed yet?"

 "Flirting with me for months…?" You replied, scratching your chin. "Since when?"

 Mitch giggled, vibrating against you. "Every morning when I bring you your coffee."

 "But you--"

 "No, I really don't," Mitch mumbled. "I only bring everyone else coffee after they've asked me to. I bring you your coffee when I buy mine on the way to the arena because I know your order by heart."

 "T-"

 "Two sugar, oat milk, caramel and hazelnut shots. Yeah., bud, I know."

 You ran a hand through Mitch's hair, stopping briefly to soothe his scalp. Mitch hummed, nuzzling closer to you.

 "I know that you like your post-game shower to be exactly seventy degrees and not a degree warmer or colder."

 "Mitchy, I--"

 "Not done yet."

 You promptly shut your mouth and returned to soothingly running your hands along Mitch's ribcage.

 "I know basically nothing makes you angry. Save for people that don't know how to use their signals properly when they're driving."

 "Pisses me off to no end."

 "I know, bud. I know," Mitch mumbled, pressing a kiss to your neck. "You also laugh like a moron at those stupid cat videos on YouTube. And just stupid things cats do in general."

 You chuckled, running a hand through Mitch's hair. "Cat people see cats doing stupid things and we have to laugh. It's the law. Sue me if you don't like it."

 "I never said I didn't like it, you goober."

 "Yeah, yeah Mitchy."

 Mitch hummed, squeezing you tightly. You smiled and squeezed back. Mitch wiggled around a little and hummed some more. He huffed a breath after a moment and curled in on himself. He mumbled something that you didn't hear, prompting you to card your fingers through Mitch's hair.

 "What was that, baby?" You asked, pressing a kiss to Mitch's temple.

 "Said I was gonna love you until the good Lord comes to collect us."

 You froze, staring down at Mitch. "You… you don't even believe all that strongly in God, Mitch."

 "You're right, but I believe that you believe. And that's good enough for me."

 "Mitch, I--"

 "I said I loved you, by the way. Or did you miss that?"

 "Wha…? Oh! Yeah! Sorry," you said, distantly. "It's been a while since I've been someone. Sorry if I'm rusty."

 Mitch chuckled, his breath tickling your neck. "It's fine, (Y/N). I knew it had been a while. That's why I didn't come right out and tell you how I felt. I wanted you to figure it out on your own so you could have enough time to decide if you were ready to date again."

 "Mitch…" you trailed off after your words caught in your throat. You took a moment to gather yourself before continuing. "Of course I'm ready to date again. Nobody is ever gonna love me as you do, baby. You already love me more than my last few partners."

 Mitch sniffled, wiggling around in your lap. You ran your hands along Mitch's ribcage and pressed a kiss to his temple. "It's okay, baby. You're safe with me."

 "I'm gonna love you the only way I know how, (Y/N)," Mitch mumbled, his voice strained at wet. "And that's by doing actionable things. Like bringing you your coffee every morning. Or remembering what temperature you like your post-game shower."

 "Whatever you need to do, I'm okay with. If it makes you happy, it makes me happy."

 Mitch let out a sigh that was soon followed by soft, even breaths that sounded like snoring. You ran your hands along Mitch's hipbone and whispered sweet nothings into his temple. Mitch huffed but didn't awaken. You smiled and pressed a soft kiss where you had been whispering. Mitch mumbled nonsense and smiled in his sleep. A small smile washed across your face as you continued to run your hands along Mitch's hipbone.

 Mitch had been asleep in your lap for ten or fifteen minutes when the door of the trainers' room swung open. Justin was standing on the other side, a relieved look on his face.

 "There you tw--" Justin started.

 Mitch huffed, shifting in your lap. You looked up at Justin and gave him a death glare.

 "Quiet. He's sleeping," you said, voice hushed but stern.

 Justin chuckled, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms over his chest. "Does that mean you finally got your head out of your ass and noticed that Mitch is in love with you?"

 You groaned, pinching the bridge of your nose. "How many of you knew?"

 "Literally everyone. Except you. Even T-Bear knew. And he's an Oiler now."

 You shook your head and chuckled weakly. "For a goalie, I have a hard time seeing what's right in front of me."

 T.J. appeared beside Justin and smiled triumphantly. "There you are! Keefe is going crazy looking for you and--" T.J. paused and blinked when he noticed what was really in front of him. "Keefe told me Mitch would be with you. But did I believe him? No. Idiot, I am."

 "Yeah, yeah," you mumbled. "I finally got my head outta my ass so Mitch and I are dating now."

 "We… we are…?" Mitch chimed in, his voice groggy from sleep.

 You looked down at Mitch and kissed his forehead. "Yes, baby. We are. I'm gonna love you like there's no tomorrow."

 Mitch lit up as he reached up and grabbed your face to pull you in for a kiss. You smiled into the kiss, holding onto Mitch's jersey for traction. When you both pulled apart, Justin and T.J. were smiling softly at you from the doorway.

 "We'll tell Keefe we found you," T.J. said, turning around. "But we'll also tell him that our starting goalie and Mitch finally unstuck their heads from the holes in their asses so they need some private time."

 "Th… thanks, Teej," you said, your face and the tips of your ears burning red-hot.

 T.J. turned back long enough to smile before walking away. Justin watched him walk away before he turned back to you and Mitch. He smiled fondly at you both as he pushed off of the door frame.

 "I should get back too," Justin said, motioning over his shoulder. "I don't need Keefe mad at me next." He smiled as he took two steps down the hallway.  "Just know everyone--myself included--is proud of you for tonight's game, (Y/N). You did amazing." Justin walked away but stopped just before the end of the hallway and turned around. "Congratulations on the relationship as well. Everyone is gonna be so stoked for you two.."

 "Thanks, Hollsy," you and Mitch mumbled at the same time as you both watched Justin walk away.

 Once Justin was out of sight, Mitch looked up at you and smiled fondly. You looked down at Mitch and returned the fond smile. You both stared into each other's eyes for a few moments just gazing at the fondness and pure emotion you could each see staring back at the other. When you both looked away, you brought one of your hands up and cupped Mitch's chin, tilting it up and bringing your lips together with Mitch's.

 While they kissed, you felt your entire world coming together. You were happy in Toronto because you loved everyone here more than you could've possibly imagined. Because you loved Mitch more than you could've possibly imagined. You were happy here because everyone loved you more than you could've possibly imagined. Because Mitch loved you more than you could've possibly imagined.

 Everything about Toronto was perfect because everything about Toronto involved Mitch. Mitch was everything to you. You were willing to admit that. Even if it had taken you a while to realize that in the first place. 

 Mitch was everything to you and you were going to love him like there was no tomorrow.