#brendan target

[evacrstairs]

it happened one summer (brendanpiper) headers. like or reblog if you save or use. 🛟

[msclaritea]

[ask-idv-thrillseeker]

Damn you kissed someone that wasn't Brendan? Adultery moment.

"You guys are really fucking insistent on making me and Brendan a thing! News flash, it won’t happen. So I recommend getting that through your delusional heads already!"

[sophieseals]

Are we gonna talk about what happened with Brendan Fraser and his golden globe nom or sit in silence about it

[preseriesdean]

for @spnficrecfest day seven: outsider pov 🧡

JOHN POV

Like Arrows in the Hands of a Warrior by ADeedWithoutaName 10.3k words, rated M, published 2018, underage John Winchester loves his boys, and would take a bullet for either of them. He knows that he's doing it right, the way he's raising them, the things he's teaching them. Not every problem, however, has an easy answer. Like what to do after an incubus case in which their target got his pollen all over both of John's sons.

Flagstaff by Linden 7.3k words, rated T, published 2014 John tracked Sam down in Flagstaff, four days after he got home to find him gone.

Generosity by astolat 1.7k words, rated E, published 2007 John had traded the gun; he'd have traded away more, and he was still feeling the cold dread of the moment when the demon had cocked its head like a pistol and said, "You know, I'm feeling generous today," because if it hadn't taken more, that was only because it figured what was in store was going to be worse.

lost in yesterday by margaryes / @christsam 1k words, not rated, published 2023 John hasn’t seen his youngest son in 18 months.

half the man i used to be by dollylux 2.2k words, rated M, published 2016 John has a gradual, horrifying realization.

Mary's Angels by FrancesHouseman 3.1k words, rated G, published 2016 There's one more silver bullet in the chamber; one last shot at the sikutor, the ice siren that has Dean in thrall. John takes aim, and misses.

OTHERS POV

Buy You a Mockingbird by candle_beck (a.k.a. thee outsider pov fic of all time no contest) 10.3k words, rated M, published 2011, author chose not to warn A genuine horror story.

Multitude of Sins by Linden 4.4k words, rated T, published 2015 Every now and again, Jim Murphy would look up from his altar and find the Winchester boys at the back of his church.

All Heartless Spectres, Happiness 5.7k words, rated E, published 2021, soulless!sam Lisa Braeden receives an email with the subject line, "You Deserve to Know." It contains a single video file and nothing else.

I'll take my chance on a beautiful stranger by fleshflutter 3.9k words, rated M, published 2007 If Chase were a better friend, he might try to end the game now, before Brendan loses even more money. But if Brendan is a dick at Stanford, it’s nothing compared to how he is on break.

Other Brothers by homo_pink 7k words, rated M, published 2020, underage A callow boy can go from infancy to someone’s lover in the space of two wildflower summers.

Try asking by @goshen-applecrumbledore 7.4k words, rated T, published 2022 “Jerry says he saw them going at it in the back of that car of theirs outside Atlanta last year, I swear to God.” “Listen, man, I don’t like them either, but that’s a low blow. Jerry’s a fucking pervert.”

charmer & gentle by Askance 3.7k words, rated G, published 2015 The afternoon girl calls them Big and Tall, the strangers who come in late every now and then, buying this or that. The night girl doesn't think those names fit quite right.

Happy Wife, Happy Life by petrichorsam pre-slash, 7.1k words, rated T, published 2023 The hunters at Johnny's Roadhouse have heard enough tales about Dean Winchester's wife, Sam, to fill a book, and yet no one has ever seen her.

[florallylly]

seen a couple the mummy aus for steddie but i have THOUGHTS

instead of steve as rick and eddie as evelyn. ROBIN as evelyn. she already knows languages and i feel like it's not too much of a stretch to see her as a future academic.

her brother steve following her around, picking up bits of her knowledge, but ultimately pursuing his own thing. (he'd spend more time poring over the archives with her but he's blind as a bat and always keeps getting dragged away by the local kids)

robin hyperfixating on hamunaptra and finding out that people say one eddie munson has seen it in person. and this is just. Straight out of the show because they break eddie out of prison (kind of. steve bribes the guard).

eddie flirting with robin and robin being like "that's not gonna happen buddy" before returning to her notes. steve sitting behind her filing his nails "yeah, Buddy." eddie switches targets.

Also to note that i'm a huge mummy fan. i'm a brendan fraser rachel weisz truther. Since Birth. and i can picture the entire mummy franchise steddie-fied i SWEAR it looks so good in my head, and i'm always correct

[kp777]

By Jessica Corbett

Common Dreams

April 3, 2024

"This Republican budget is an attack on seniors, veterans, and the middle class," said the House Budget Committee's top Democrat.

U.S. House Budget Committee Democrats on Wednesday released a tool to help Americans understand how a newly unveiled Republican plan to cut Social Security "would hurt families across America."

The panel's Democrats targeted the Republican Study Committee (RSC), which includes around 80% of the chamber's GOP members and last month released a budget proposal for fiscal year 2025 that, according to Social Security Works president Nancy Altman, shows "the Republican Party is the party of cutting Social Security and Medicare, while giving tax handouts to billionaires."

Congressman Brendan Boyle, (D-Pa.), the House Budget Committee's ranking member, said at the time that Republicans had "now gone further than ever with their attacks" on the key programs, noting that their "extreme budget explicitly calls for cutting Social Security benefits for millions of Americans, ending Medicare as we know it, and making trillions in devastating cuts that would raise the cost of living for working families."

"Instead of saving Social Security and Medicare by making billionaires pay their fair share, House Republicans would rather break the sacred promise that every American should be able to retire with dignity. This Republican budget is an attack on seniors, veterans, and the middle class," he added.

Boyle also pledged that President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats "will fight to ensure it never becomes reality."

Nationally, the committee's Democrats warn on the webpage that hosts their new tool, the RSC plan would force "Americans to work longer for less" and "cut Social Security benefits for 257 million people, or 3 in 4 Americans."

The tool enables Americans to see how Republicans' proposal would impact each congressional district. For example, raising the retirement age for Americans 59 and younger would cut Social Security benefits for 620,000, or 80% of people in Pennsylvania's 2nd Congressional District, which Boyle represents. Statewide, it would affect 9.6 million—or 74% of residents.

RSC Chair Kevin Hern represents Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District. The plan would impact 630,000, or 79% of people there, according to the tool. Across the state, 3.1 million—77%—would face cuts.

The tool says that in Louisiana's 4th Congressional District, represented by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, 590,000, or 76% of people, would see cuts. The state total would be 3.6 million—also 77%.

The RSC plan for the next fiscal year—which begins in October—followed the release of budget proposals from Biden and House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), who is leading the fight for a fiscal commission that critics call a "death panel" designed to force through Social Security and Medicare cuts.

Biden, who is seeking reelection this year and expected to face former Republican President Donald Trump, has vowed to "protect and strengthen" the programs. Social Security Works' Altman has praised the president's proposal and warned that "Social Security is on the ballot this November."

[charbon-et-eau]

I am still thinking about Hoenn boys, specifically mer!Wallace AU.

I feel like it's been a million years since I colored and finished a piece of art. It's also been forever since I used this softer coloring style. Feels good.

Here are some more AU sketches.

And for anyone that's interested, I'll ramble a bit more about the AU under the cut.

So this AU of course centers around my Steven/Wallace/Brendan OT3 because I love them. It starts off with Wallace saving Steven from drowning (it's cliché but I gotta do it) and, after some shenanigans, he ends up staying with Steven and Brendan.

Wallace is from the mysterious mermaid city, Sootopolis, which is inaccessible to humans (the mermaids and water pokemon guard the underwater entrance and a mysterious air current makes traveling there via the air impossible). For this AU, I'm giving the mermaids whatever attributes allow me to have the most fun. Their tail transforms into legs when they're on land so they can easily blend in with humans and they can lure in, captivate, and briefly control humans with their siren song.

Wallace finds humans entertaining and is down bad for Steven as soon as he lays eyes on him. Prior to meeting Steven and Brendan, Wallace had a history of luring in hot guys with his singing to have sex with them. He also participated in contests for a short time and would usually find his targets at the contest hall. Steven is immune to his singing (Wallace is not happy about this). Brendan is not immune (Steven is not happy about this).

Steven and Brendan pretty much have a similar dynamic to my normal headcanons. They have that mentor/mentee thing going, but Steven is especially protective of Brendan in this au. They both have romantic/sexual feelings for the other but Brendan is too shy/inexperienced to do anything about it and Steven is an idiot.

It's not everyday that Brendan meets a mermaid so he thinks Wallace is super cool and quickly develops a crush. Steven is intrigued by Wallace but doesn't completely trust him.

Wallace wants Steven and initially sees Brendan as an obstacle, but he eventually realizes that he won't get anywhere with Steven if he's not nice to Brendan, so he warms up to him. And then he eventually catches feelings for Brendan too which Steven is not too pleased about.

I'll stop there for now. Hopefully I can draw more stuff for this AU when I have the energy because it's fun to think about and Wallace is very pretty. <3

[beardedmrbean]

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protestors made their way through the streets of Philadelphia Sunday night as they demanded a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. What they did outside of a Jewish restaurant drew harsh criticism from local and federal leaders.

The White House on Monday joined Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in calling what happened in Center City "antisemitic" and "completely unjustifiable." Shapiro on Sunday night called it a "blatant act of antisemitism."

The pro-Palestinian protestors gathered in Rittenhouse Square and marched through the area and University City, including the University of Pennsylvania campus.

In a Facebook post, the Philadelphia Free Palestine Coalition had urged supporters to "flood the streets" Sunday night.

Video posted on social media showed demonstrators also made their way to Samson Street, where they gathered outside the Jewish restaurant Goldie, one of several restaurants in the city owned by Philadelphia-based Israeli chef Michael Solomonov.

The group of protestors is accused of shouting antisemitic remarks, and stickers with pro-Palestinian slogans were reportedly left on the doors, though when CBS Philadelphia checked back early Monday morning they had been removed.

Video of the crowd outside Goldie was posted on social media around 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Later that night, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) in response to the clip, writing, "Tonight in Philly, we saw a blatant act of antisemitism — not a peaceful protest. A restaurant was targeted and mobbed because its owner is Jewish and Israeli. This hate and bigotry is reminiscent of a dark time in history."

Shapiro said in another post that he reached out to Solomonov and the team at Goldie to share his support.

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement it's "completely unjustifiable to target restaurants that serve Israeli food over disagreements with Israeli policy."

Bates continued, "This behavior reveals the kind of cruel and senseless double standard that is a calling card of antisemitism. President Biden has fought against the evil of antisemitism his entire life, including by launching the first national strategy to counter this hate in American history. He will always stand up firmly against these kinds of undignified actions."

Congressmember Brendan Boyle also weighed in Sunday night, writing, "I can't believe I even have to say this, but targeting businesses simply because they're Jewish owned is despicable. Philadelphia stands against this story of harassment and hate."

Solomonov owns multiple restaurants in the city under the banner CookNSolo, including Zahav, Laser Wolf and K'Far Cafe. Following the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October, Solomonov announced he would donate 100% of all sales to Friends of United Hatzalah, a nonprofit emergency medical service.

CBS Philadelphia has reached out to the group that organized Sunday night's rally but has yet to hear back.

[xmorguekittyx]

Ever Unlocked

Part 4: An Uneventful Shift

Part 3: Coffee & Mints

pairing: Officer!Leon Kennedy x Coroner’s Assistant!Reader

warnings: sexual themes, thoughts of burglary and assault, thoughts of fingering and mentions of female and male anatomy (i am not use to doing these please correct me on any!)

A soft drip, the gurgle of the coffee machine, the patter of the rain still beating against the double paned windows. It was uneventful to say the least. Racoon City seemed to slow down on days like today... and yesterday. The hustle and bustle of the city always died down when the rainstorms blew through. Dark clouds creeping over the buildings, the streetlights fighting away the darkness that encroached upon the vibrant population. Officers sat back in their chairs, idly chatting about the newest football game. Leon could even hear the secretaries gossiping about some show they had caught the new episode of. What he couldn't see was her. Her office closed behind the dark oak door, maybe he took an unnecessary amount of bathroom breaks just to hear her voice through the door and maybe he took a few seconds longer to stretch in front of her office just to catch the end of a conversation between her and Rebecca. His lips pull back as he heard a little chuckle come from the voice, he became so familiar with after such a short amount of time.

"-no because that's exactly what Chris said. Why would Anna choose Brendan over Micheal? Micheal is so handsome, those big brown eyes. Those sharp cheek bones-", Rebecca had a love-struck look, her green eyes shining in the fluorescents. "I'm more into guys with blue eyes.", her words were soft, almost like a shy admittance. "Blue eyes, huh?", Rebecca's teasing tone caused a flush to come to the apples of her assistant's cheeks. "Blue eyes like a certain rookie has?", her body leaned closer to the flustered girl. "W-what?", her hand raised to try and cover her embarrassment. "I see the way he looks at you.", Rebecca leaned back in her desk chair, "Those heart eyes, practically bulging out of his head when you walk by.", she gave the younger girl a knowing look. "and to see you both come into work together this morning... are you hiding something from me?", Rebecca was all about work gossip. She knew everything and anything about any person in RPD. Her lips wrapping around the lip of her coffee cup. "He just took me home last night, it was raining and you know my car has bad breaks.", she huffed turning back to look at Rebecca. "Did you finish up that McGrath file, Officer Kennedy needed it.", she reached for the file under her boss's elbows. "Don't go changing the subject on me.", Rebecca's fingers slid the file further away from the woman.

 

Her eyes rolled at the childish behavior from her higher up. "I am not changing the subject, I'm trying to do my job.", she reached over, fingers barely brushing past the manila folder, barely missing her target as the older woman pushed it further. "Becca!", an exasperated look befell her face. "What?!", Rebecca mimicked her tone, "I want to know about your night with Leon Kennedy.", she wiggled her brows. "Did you guys fuck-?", "Rebecca Chambers!", her voice was strained, her eyes bugging out as she looked at the brunette. "That is not appropriate!", she was stunned, Rebecca was always so nosey and she couldn't even think about fucking Leon-

"It's just a question, he's cute. Definitely a little too shy for his own good, but cute.", Rebecca waved her hand dismissively. "Don't be a prude, i bet he's got a big-", Rebecca was cut off with a knock to the door. "Sorry to interrupt.", Leon's voice was clearly jittery, his cheeks tinted a delicate pink. She felt like hiding under the desk. How long had he been standing outside that damned door? She could see herself reaching and stabbing the pen in her eye or even just having the floor open up and swallow her whole. "Oh, hey, Leon.", Rebecca's tone was telling, her eyes narrowing in a mischievous glare. "We were just talking about you.", it felt like she was truly going to explode as Rebecca continued to flap her lips. "About me? Good things, I hope.", his fingers brushed at the short hair sprouting from the back of his head, head turning to face away from the two women. He'd definitely overhead them- her- Rebecca. "Only good things.", Rebecca shifted in her seat, chin resting upon her palm, supported by the desk. An awkward silence filled the air between the three, her hands gripped the desk tightly, her eyes staring out at the middle of the room, settling on the red and gold carpet. Rebecca held that smug smirk as she watched Leon, who was shifting his feet at the door.

  "I- I came for that file.", he turned his attention to the assistant, his eyes taking in her blush. He wanted to reach out and brush those rosy cheeks, he wondered if she'd blush while he had his hands down that pretty black skirt, if her full lips would part while her eyes fluttered closed. A harsh breath of air sucked through her teeth as his fingers brushed over her clothed cunt. Head tilted back into his shoulder as he brushed her hair from her face, wanting to get a better look at her, those soft strands of hair entangled around his fingers, catching in a tangled piece as he swirled his finger on the bundle of nerves. The fabric sticky and wet with arousal, his lips would find a home on her pulsating jugular, nipping her flesh with the mark of his love, his animalistic desire to have her. He was nearly drooling. He hadn't noticed her take the file from Rebecca with a pointed glare, her eyes narrowed as she flicked through it, checking over the inked words, she insured he had all the information he needed before she held it out to him.

  "Officer Kennedy?", she had a soft whine to her tone, her fingers soft against the stiff paper. "Are you okay?", her words broke his thoughts, the image fading from his mind as he looked down at the folder, "Oh, thank you.", his fingers brushed hers as he took a step closer, his boot thudding softly against the wooden flooring. "I know you said you'd text but...", he paused, fingers tightening around the folder, her hands were so soft. He bet the skin of her ass and breasts was just as soft and supple. He hadn't really had a solid reason to visit, besides the fact he just wanted to see her, walking past the closed door every 30 minutes and hearing her voice wasn't enough. It would never be enough until he had her in his grasp. To have her folded underneath his weight, her thighs pressed to her chest as he finally got to feel her around himself. He could feel his uniform pants tightening around his groin, a nearly inaudible grunt leaving his lips as he took a moment to step forwards once more. His thighs nearly bumping her desk. The manila folder laid across his crotch, holding it to hide the ever growing semi he gained from daydreaming.

  "Lieutenant Branagh wanted me to go ahead and start on this case since we're having a slow day.", he hadn't let his eyes leave hers, her chin tilted up to look at him. The desire to walk closer, to take a step around her desk and into her aura was nearly too strong for him to ignore. "It is pretty slow today, but considering the alternative, I'd say that's a good thing.", she offered him that shy smile she would shoot him from time to time as he caught her eye over the weeks. "You're definitely right.", he wouldn't deny the truth in her words, he just wished he had more time with her. More time to sit and bask in her presence. She felt like a goddess to him, something looming in his brain, something causing him to tick in ways he hasn't before. His dick twitched at the sight of her, his mind fogging over with positions he dreamed of putting her in, he was so fucking shy it was embarrassing. How could he think such disgusting things while being nearly idiotic in front of her?

  Rebecca took another sip as she watched the two from her side of the office. She'd noticed the hard on Leon rocked and the doe eyed look her assistant was giving the rookie cop. It wasn't hard to see how they reacted to each other. As if the two had been struck by Cupid's arrow. "Well, i think it's time for me to get back to work.", she stood up, coffee still in hand as she turned to go down the hallway to the cold storage. "Just make sure the file gets typed up once he's done with it.", she called over her shoulder, giving them both the alone time they needed, she was silently rooting for them. Leon Kennedy, the socially awkward pretty boy and her very pretty, equally as awkward assistant. Rebecca was definitely going to tell Chris about this later.

"I'm sorry-", she blurted out as soon as Rebecca had walked away, her blush reappearing as if a magic trick. "i- we- she-", she grimaced, "that wasn't appropriate for us to talk about.", she felt bad for Leon having to overhear Rebecca's inappropriate comments about his body. "I did not try to strike up that kind of conversation-", she was rambling, her hands rubbing at that black skirt he so badly wanted to rip off of her, wiping the sweat from her palms. "It's no problem, really.", he leaned down slightly to grab her attention. "In my few months here, I've kinda picked up on her personality. She's very...", Leon had a hard time as he thought of a work safe word to describe the short haired brunette who seemed to love knowing everyone's business. "nosey?", she offered, her head leaning back, an annoyed sigh leaving her nostrils. "That woman knows things that i wish i never had to hear about.", her chair squeaked as she stretched out her back, leaning back over the keyboard in front of her. "She does seem like she could get a bit overwhelming.", his utility belt bumped into the arm of the upholstered chair as he took a seat in front of her desk, the same one he fell asleep in yesterday.

  "Overwhelming perfectly explains Rebecca.", she let out a slight laugh, an amused half smirk on her lips as her fingers typed at the half finished Gonzales file, a man, stabbed to death in his apartment over a robbery gone wrong. It was near her apartment too. "Which, with the slow day, she's more talkative than ever. I'm surprised she didn't explode while she was at home alone yesterday. You'd think all that silence would have her at her wits end.", Leon couldn't help but laugh at the words coming from her. "Yeah, you'd be lonely if she exploded, though.", the laugh from her lips, caused by him, had Leon beaming. He loved when she reacted to the things he said... did. He couldn't help the dark thoughts that came over his mind, if he tried now, reached for those perky breasts that peeked from her white blouse, would she push him away? Would she allow him to touch her in such a intimate way? It disturbed him slightly to think about her that way. He hadn't had thoughts like these before, doing things like checking her trash and mentally noting everything about her. He hadn't acted this way with his ex girlfriend. It was her, she made him act and think in ways he hadn't before. Making him worry about her while she slept away in those purple sheets, did she sleep naked? Could he sneak into that open window and find out? The dull aching in his cock has him closing his eyes. He'd have to take care of that soon, he could barely hear her, her words melting together in a blurb as his needs took over his mind. Fuck- he needed her, soon. He was trying his damndest to be slow with her, move at a pace she was comfortable with but for him it was becoming a personal hell.

  His mind was so clouded with her, these new found urges, it was wrong to plan how to sneak into her home. It was her fault for telling him that she didn't lock her damn doors. She shouldn't be so much of a brainless woman, it angered him. She was tempting him, she- she had to want this, right? That's the only reason she would tell him that. That's it- she wanted him to know about her ever unlocked door, her unlocked and open window in her bedroom, god, she really must want him, but it was wrong to want to want to watch her while she was in the safety of her own home. That's the thing- she wasn't safe. Her damn need to act as careless and as stupid as she did. Did she want someone to break in and take advantage of her, have someone break in and steal, torture her- he didn't like the thought of that. He had to teach her better, but part of him liked how naive she was. She could come to him... she could find safety in him. So what if someone broke into her home, stole a few things and left it blatantly obvious that they wanted to return? Would she come to him in fear, searching for a sense of protection? Could he be her savior, her protector? Could he be the one that got to shelter her from the dirty world? He could. He would.

[undeath1245]

How I'd imagine episode eight would start off...

Uzi is now seemingly floating in orbit looking at Copper-9 and its core collapse.

Uzi: "Wh- What is this?"

Nori: (floating next to Uzi) "It's our planet, Copper-9, more specifically during the time of the core collapse. Hmm, it seems like we're in some sort of weird mindscape, considering how we could both hear each other in outer space, and not to mention those weird things over there."

Uzi then glances over to the weird things floating in the mindscape, like pieces of the mansion, the labs, dead trees, and lamp posts.

Nori: (sighs) "I guess this means that our bodies are being digested as we speak."

A long pause occurs between them.

Nori: "Well, I guess we could find a way to escape this hellish place and-"

Uzi: "MOM! MOM! FREAKIN' MOM!"

Nori: "Oh, dammit."

Uzi: "MOM! Mom! You're mom! You're my dead mom! Oh, my God!"

Each of their dialogue starts overlapping with each other.

Nori: "Uzi. Uzi. Uzi. Uzi. Uzi. Hey. Hey. Uzi. Uzi. Uzi. Uzi. Hey, Uzi. Uzi. Uzi. Uzi! Uzi!"

Uzi: "I can't believe it, you're mom! You were dead! Dad told me you were dead, when I was about five or something! I- I spent my whole life trying to get back at the murder drones for killing you. But then, I started to look at a bigger picture and began plotting my revenge against JCJenson. But then, I decided that revenge against a corporation was pretty boring. So, I went to a different target, and began plotting my unneeded revenge against humanity and stuff! I then began to conceptualize weapons to use against the meat people, but first, I wanted to free my people and stuff, so I began to conceptualize weapons to use against the murder drones, like my super sick-as-hell railgun. My dumb classmate, Brendan, says that it was more like a super laser gun than an actual railgun. But then, I said, 'Well, I hope you get your head sliced off, Brendan!'"

Eventually, Nori has had enough.

Nori: "UZI!!!"

Uzi: "Uh, mom?"

Nori: "Ugh, yes, I'm your mother, the one person you presumed was dead for about 15 years. To be honest, I thought I was dead myself."

Uzi: "So, what happened?"

Nori: "I guess I could try to abridge this explanation."

That's all I could write for now. I was thinking of writing a flashback scene, but I got stuck.

[eretzyisrael]

by Brendan O'Neill

So let me get this right. If Israel bombs Hamas targets in Gaza, it is recklessly endangering civilian life. But if it gives civilians fair warning to move away from certain areas, it is engaging in ethnic cleansing. If it drops bombs in built-up suburbs, it is committing a war crime. But if it advises civilians to leave those built-up suburbs before the bombs come, it is also committing a war crime. If it attacks northern Gaza, that’s genocide. Yet when it tells the civilians of northern Gaza to leave first, that’s ‘forced transfer’, which is to say: genocide.

Everything Israel does is a war crime. Everything. Killing civilians – war crime. Trying not to kill civilians – war crime. Bombing populated areas – war crime. Giving a population time to leave before dropping bombs – war crime. The surrealism of these screams of ‘genocide!’ every time an Israeli soldier so much as picks up his gun was brought home by two headlines in the Independent last week, published just 10 hours apart. Israel is engaged in ‘collective punishment in Gaza’, claimed the first. ‘Israel accused of “trying to ethnically cleanse Gaza Strip” as one million ordered to evacuate’, said the second.

Got that, Israel? ‘Punish’ Palestinians and you’re a criminal. Do everything in your power to avoid ‘punishing’ Palestinians and you’re still a criminal. I’m starting to wish the Israel-haters would just say what they mean with their entire chest: ‘Let yourselves be killed, Jews. Don’t fight back. Don’t do anything at all.’

The twists in the public discussion of Israel’s military response to Hamas’s recent act of unspeakable barbarism have been extraordinary. It was predictable, given the Israelophobic myopia of the West’s cultural elites, that Israel would be damned the minute it took action against the neo-fascists who had just executed the worst act of anti-Semitic savagery since the Holocaust. All the usual accusations were made. Israel’s missile strikes add up to ‘collective punishment’. Israel is using ‘genocidal language’. It is committing ‘war crimes’. It is ‘breaking international law’. Etc etc. One is forced to wonder what kind of messed-up law prevents the victims of racist slaughter from pursuing their killers.

This time, what’s been most striking is that even Israel’s efforts not to hit civilians, not to ‘collectively punish’ Gazans, have been rebranded as war crimes. 

[dr-futbol-blog]

Hot Zone, Pt. 4

McKay's final thoughts are about Atlantis and keeping the people there safe. He's desperate to share with them everything that might help them.

McKay: I've got some theories on looping the power on the Gate to charge a dummy ZPM. It probably won't work, but you should have someone look at it 'cause it might lead somewhere else. Zelenka: We'll look at it together. McKay: Look, you seriously have to stop interrupting my last thoughts! I mean, this is important stuff you need to hear. Now -- if you're here for more than a year, I've left some notes on how to roll blackouts to effectively maintain your power requirements.

It is in their final moments that people reveal their true character. Many aspects of McKay's personality are defense mechanisms but when the chips are coming down, we get to see his heart of hearts. We get to see how much he cares both for and about Atlantis and its people.

But, of course he doesn't die.

The Ancient gene protected him from the virus as it had either not been designed to target the Ancients, or had been designed specifically not to target them. His ATA gene is artificial and weaker than the real thing but it's still the thing that saved him (and let us remember again that he volunteered for the gene therapy because he wanted to be more like Sheppard).

This ties in with the city possibly allowing Sheppard to break quarantine because of his Ancient gene and not the hazmat suit, as theorized by Grodin. This pathogen was not a danger to the Ancients, and it was never a danger to Sheppard, albeit they had no possible way of knowing that.

McKay seems real relieved and happy not to have died. While he says that he doesn't care how he survived, he does actually start working on figuring it out right away. He started by worrying about members of his science team, and his own impending death had but distracted him from this. With that out of the way, he's able to dedicate his entire brain capacity on finding a solution and fixing the problem. And he arrives at it in very short order: it's a nanovirus. We later learn that it is a mechanical virus created by the replicators to eradicate the wraith food supply by killing humans and the fact that it was in the Ancient viral lab and that the city shut itself down to quarantine the humans therein while knowing that it wasn't dangerous to the native citizens just goes to show that they were trying to protect the humans of the galaxy.

Sheppard and Teyla are still making their way in the hallways that show no indication of even trying to stop them from advancing (and as an aside, we never see Teyla try to move through the city on her own here). Teyla and Weir decide that the best thing they can be doing is to go to the Mess Hall to do some crown control. Sheppard goes along with this but once they actually are in the Mess Hall, that's not what he's doing, at all. Where Teyla is trying to calm the people down, tell them it's going to be okay, Sheppard is by the dead body of Dr. Peterson. He killed this man who was not just a civilian but really an innocent one at that. He's lost in his own thoughts with nary a concern for the infected people around them.

If in the previous episode, having to watch Brendan take his own life right before his eyes had profoundly affected Rodney and his belief that he is unlovable, the same seems to happen here with Sheppard. Not only did he fail to keep this man safe, he had to take his life with his own hands. Oh, he manages to bury the feeling of guilt by the end of the episode like he always does, but it very much reinforces his belief that loving him would be a potentially deadly mistake.

It is when Sheppard is knee-deep in these thoughts that we get the first interaction between Sheppard and McKay in this episode. McKay contacts him via the intercom:

McKay: Major Sheppard, this is McKay. Sheppard: What is it? McKay: I could use your help at my lab.

Short. Professional. But notice how Sheppard picks it up as though they're just continuing an on-going conversation. Like he doesn't have to acknowledge that it is Rodney but just naturally jumps back into a conversation that had never ended but was merely on pause.

Here, McKay doesn't tell him what to do but indicates that he needs his help. This is in contrast to earlier, when Weir had relayed McKay's need to get something done to Sheppard and the result of executing what he had treated as a command was there, right in front of him. Sheppard looks lost for a moment, like he doesn't know what to do or is unsure whether he should do what was implied. As a soldier, it's much easier for him to execute commands (>'I need you to go to my lab') than to have to discern for himself how necessary a request is. Obviously, he wants to do what Rodney tells him to do. But his track record for making judgement calls was not stellar just then, as evidenced by the deceased scientist before him. He looks to Teyla for confirmation, as she seems to have a pretty good grasp of right and wrong.

Teyla gives him the go-ahead but he still pauses for a moment to get another look at Dr. Peterson's dead body. This dead scientist symbolizes both of their need to make things right. Again, though they come from different places, they have arrived at the same place emotionally.

I find the next bit interesting.

The people gathered at the Ancient viral lab are discussing what to do with Weir on the intercom. They have the following exchange:

Weir: So we give everyone the gene therapy. McKay: No -- it's not gonna do it. Zelenka: I've already been given the gene weeks ago -- it didn't take. McKay: I know. I'm already on it. --- Ford: There's gotta be another way! McKay: I have already told you -- I am working on it.

McKay tells them that he is already working on it. He is working on it as they speak. Only, we cut to Sheppard in his lab. McKay is working on it but Sheppard is the one executing his plan. They are literally working as one here. Sheppard is an extension of McKay. He's working as McKay's hands. McKay's mind is directing Sheppard's body.

He has such faith in John Sheppard that he, without giving it any conscious thought, confidently tells them that he is working on it. It is being worked on right now. By him. Whose only direction for Sheppard was "I could use you in my lab." He doesn't need to assume that Sheppard is getting there or will do what he needs to get done, he just knows it. We have not seen them physically at the same space at all during this episode, and yet here they are, one mind and one body.

Continued in Pt. 5

[bullet-prooflove]

StolenMoments!Series - Part One: First Date - Vostanik Sabatino x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989 @novamariestark @words-and-seeds

You try not to like Sabatino, you really do. He's a spook, a CIA Officer, a master of manipulation but there's just something about him that captures you. You know that the outcome of that last mission weighs on him, you can see the regret in his eyes when he talks about Brendan Broake’s death.

Murder is what you’d thought when you’d first encountered him under his alias.

Accident is what he had told you in the aftermath.

You believe him, despite yourself.

When he’s not wearing a persona, he’s captivating. He talks with his hands, the left side of his mouth quirks up into a smile, his accent is sharper, more defined. It’s a far cry from the alias he was using when you first met him, an insurance adjuster called Roger who simply spat out the word lawyer.

“I heard you had to cancel a date tonight for this?” He says as he sits beside you in an unmarked car, watching the building across the street.

You’ve been here for a couple of hours, keeping an eye on your target. He hasn’t done anything more interesting than pass by the window a couple of times with a glass of top shelf whisky in his hand. In comparison the two of you are now eating Chinese from white take-out boxes with chopsticks.

“Sam and Michelle are trying to set me up with a teacher friend of theirs.” You tell him, your eyes fixed on Sidorov’s window.

“I’m guessing you weren’t looking forward to it.” He says, digging through the noodles in his box in search of the chicken.

“Trust me I much prefer being here with you tonight.” You utter, grimacing as Sidorov lingers in front of the glass with his robe open. “I never know what to say when they ask what I do for work…”

“Because if you say law enforcement, they either lose interest or they get a little too interested.” He summarises, nodding knowingly.

He’s been there, he was DEA before he became an operative for the CIA, he’s met his fair share of badge bunnies. They’re good for a night but anything more than that and they start to get a little crazy.

“I had a guy take me home to show me his murder wall once.” You reveal and suddenly his interest is piqued. He tilts his head towards you.

“O.J, JonBenét Ramsey or Jonathan Luna?” He asks because he’s been on the receiving end of the first two before and the third is more of a personal favourite, he’s listened to it recently on a true crime podcast.

“Technically two of those are already solved.” You remind him and he almost spits out his food because there’s not a person in his very small circle who knows who Jonathan Luna is, despite how weird the case is. The fact you do…

It makes him like you just that little bit more.

“Jonathan Luna’s not solved.” He protests, pointing the chopsticks at you. “There’s not a chance in hell that was a suicide. You can’t convince me otherwise.”

The edges of your mouth twitch up into a smile and his gaze meets yours. A blush creeps up his cheeks because he’s just betrayed a part of himself, shown you something that he’s passionate about. You want to explore that a little, hear his thoughts, his theories. You want to hear all about those true crime podcasts you know he listens to.

“It was The Golden State Killer.” You respond to his earlier question “Before they caught him.”

Boring, he thinks. Every man and his dog had a theory on that one before Paul Holes had managed to track down the killer. He is curious though…

“Was he close?” Sabatino asks, picking up his soda from the cupholder and sipping through the paper straw.

“Not even a little.” You laugh and he shares a smile with you because he gets it entirely. He’s lost count of the number of parties he’d attended before he turned CIA, where people would literally assault him with their theories. It’s a hazard when you’re law enforcement.

“I can’t even keep a plant alive let alone a relationship.” He confides in you, before gesturing between the two of you. “This is probably the best date I’ve had in years.”

“It’s in my top three.” You say with a humorous lilt. “Stuck together in a car, eating Chinese food while we wait for Sidorov to finish fucking his mistress. It’s dinner and entertainment.”

He laughs then, it’s a rich, warm sound that resonated through his body. It catches him off guard because for the first time in a while it’s genuine. He’s used to pandering to other people, making them feel comfortable, it’s part of his job. However, sitting here with you tonight, it’s the most real he’s been with another person in a long time.

“I guess the second date will have to make up for it.” He says, setting the takeout container on the dashboard before he wipes at his mouth with a napkin.

“Oh, you think there’s going to be a second date, do you?” You tease before setting your own little white box onto the panel so you can hunt down the carrier bag. He pulls it out with a flourish before holding it open for you. A clean stakeout space is a happy stakeout space. He waits for you to deposit the trash before he fastens the bag, and he tosses it in the back seat before he turns his attention back to you.

You’re an attractive woman, he thought that the first time he met you but it’s more than that. There’s a connection between the two of you, an undertone of something. He finds himself slipping back to the person he used to be, the man beneath all the identities. He hasn’t been that person in a very long time.

“I’m kind of liking the vibe we have, aren’t you?” He says dipping his head so that he can meet your eyes. “And I can promise you that I don’t have a murder board at home, that’s strictly for office use only.”

“You’re serious?” You ask him and he smiles.

It’s his real smile, the one that no one else gets to see. You can tell because his eyes crinkle at the edges.

“Yea.” He says quietly as he leans in a little, his gaze lowering to your lips. “There’s an Italian place not far from the Boatshed. A little dinner, a little wine, we can get to know each other better.”

“You can tell me about your true crime podcasts.” You murmur as he reaches out, his thumb ghosting over the apple of your cheek. The scent of his aftershave floods your senses, something woody with a citrus undertone. His nose trails along the length of yours and you tilt your chin up so that your mouth brush over his.

You’re surprised by how soft his lips are, how tender he is with his kiss. His thumb chases along the line of your jaw and already you know you’re falling for him. And that’s ok, because he’s falling for you too.

“Sidorov’s on the move.” Sam’s voice comes across the radio. “Back exit.”

The two of you break apart reluctantly before pulling on your seatbelts.

“Tomorrow night.” He promises, his gaze focusing on the road ahead as he starts the engine of the car. “We’ll do it tomorrow night.”

***

The second date never happens.

Instead, the two of you end up sharing a cigarette outside of the Boatshed. He lost a friend today; a partner and you can see how much it devastates him. It’s in the way he pinches his brow when he strides outside to get some air, his hunched shoulders. He’s barely keeping his shit together.

“I have to go to Washington tonight.” He tells you wearily and you nod your understanding. You’d heard they were setting up a taskforce to bring down Sidorov, you know he has to be there. That even if it was a choice he’d still go. You didn’t like Synder, but he deserved better than being shot to death on a basketball court.

“Nik.” You say his name and his head inclines towards you.

Your fingertips brush over his cheek and he raises his hand, clasping your palm to his face. He closes his eyes for the briefest of moments, savouring your touch because he knows it’s the last time he’s going to feel it.

“I’m sorry we missed our moment.” He says, his lips brushing over the hollow of your wrist.

“Yea.” You whisper with a sad smile. “I am too.”

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Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Molly Olmstead at Slate:

Donald Trump announced his vice presidential pick, J.D. Vance, this week. That means the vice presidential race is finally underway, adding more fuel to the sense of Republican stability amid Democrats’ existential confusion over Joe Biden’s campaign status. The Trump campaign, and many right-wing actors and pundits, has been trying to ride this momentum even further—by beginning to beef up its attacks on Kamala Harris.

“Kamala Harris is incompetent,” a spokeswoman for the Trump campaign told the New York Times. “She’s proven to be the weakest, worst vice president in history, and she has 100 percent supported Joe Biden in every single disastrous policy that he has implemented over the last four years.” Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump official, called her a “DEI hire.” The Federalist asserted that Harris “intentionally concealed” problems with the president’s “mental fitness.” (One of the Trump campaign’s Twitter accounts also alleged, “No person is more central to the coverup.”) And Trump himself tossed out a crass reference to a relationship Harris had decades ago, trading on sexist and false accusations that she rose to power by having an affair with a married man. Still, media and misinformation experts say that the right hasn’t yet landed on a centralized narrative to discredit Harris—and that we can expect many more lines of narrative attack to crystalize in the coming months. Because while Harris, a Black woman, has generally faced more animosity than Biden ever did when he was vice president, she has still been treated as an afterthought; disinformation trackers Slate reached out to don’t even register Harris as a major topic of misinformation in the current news cycle. Biden, four years into his presidency, has taken his place in the pantheon of right-wing villains as a corrupt and vindictive member of the elite, both foolish and evil. Kamala’s caricature, on the other hand, still has room to harden.

In the meantime, right-wing media has been throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. Brendan Nyhan, a political scientist at Dartmouth College who studies conspiracy theories, political communication, and the media, said that Harris has faced all kinds of attacks recently, some explicitly experimental. Some right-wing actors have portrayed her as “part of some kind of grand liberal conspiracy,” Nyhan said. Others claim she is too incompetent to do anything. Those narratives are somewhat in contradiction with each other, but “sometimes, with political figures who are less well defined, there’s a flooding of the zone,” Nyhan said.

In 2020, when Biden chose Harris as his running mate, the main right-wing attack narratives about her were that she was radical, weak, “nasty,” and “angry”; that she was a bigot who was also not Black enough and possibly not a U.S. citizen; and that she wanted to make the U.S. more like California. Outlandish and false conspiracy theories also circulated about Harris, including that she was involved in the baseless child-trafficking conspiracy known as Pizzagate and that she had somehow known in advance that the actor Jussie Smollett was going to stage an attack on himself. Now the general thrust is basically that Harris is deeply unlikable and was a vapid, affirmative action–style hire who lucked her way into power but has done nothing with it. Some of this characterization is built off valid critiques of her time in office and her sometimes-odd speeches.

[...] The racial elements of the Harris attacks are even more blatant. Right-wing stories repeatedly depict her as a woman who failed upward, reaching the White House simply by being a Black woman. The New York Post on July 6 warned that “America may soon be subjected to the country’s first DEI president.” “Yes, maybe the most irrepressibly fatuous politician in America may become the leader of the free world because the Democratic Party is unable to break its DEI stranglehold,” the author wrote. With that line of attack comes the argument that identity politics is all she knows. Elements of some misleading headlines have included “ ‘Black Trees Matter’—VP Kamala Harris Asks NASA if It Can Track Trees by Race” and “Harris Pitches Race-Based Hurricane Relief.” This Harris, who engages with politics only at the most shallow level, still poses a risk to the country, silly or not, by risking the welfare of white people and stoking racial strife.

But if there’s any question about the racism Harris faces, it should be settled by one undeniable development: Some on the right have previously attempted a birtherism-style assault on her legitimacy as a candidate. That includes a former president and one of the biggest promoters of Obama birtherism. In 2020, before the presidential election, Donald Trump suggested that Harris was not eligible for the office because her parents were immigrants. [...] One thing is for sure: With Biden’s standing in question, and given how unlikely it appears to some voters that the president will be able to finish a full second term, there is little doubt that Harris will be a more prominent target of GOP attacks. And Republicans will be stepping up their attacks in anticipation of a potential vice presidential debate, slated to happen next month.

With VP Kamala Harris being the likely replacement nominee should President Joe Biden (D) step down, the right-wing has ramped up their racist and sexist attacks against Harris.

[coachbeards]

no but the way that the show treated beard's repeated drug use as another "oh he's just so wild and quirky 🤪" joke instead of the self-medication and self-harm it actually was....

beard being high during a match because he accidentally consumed drugs he wasn't aware were out..............that's not funny. being a drug addict, getting high without being aware you consumed drugs in the first place must've been genuinely terrifying. while high on shrooms, the best thing you can be is calm and relaxed...beard had to go to work. he had to pretend to be okay. he couldn't let anyone see, since his literal career would be at stake if it was discovered. dealing with the anxiety of an unexpected high (one you can kind of see beard blame himself for. "i drank tea from the wrong pot." instead of framing it like jane left it out and he didn't know. he framed it like it was his fault. and "it won't happen again." again, like it's his own fault) that's not funny. that's not a little haha beard you're so wild <3 especially since two episodes prior, ted was having a panic attack during a match, and all the characters treated that with way more sensitivity than beard's situation. even ted, the one who is aware that beard's life was almost ruined my drugs, just made a joke about it.

making jokes that implies beard routinely gets high with their bus driver.... that's not good, y'all! smoking toad venom with the bus driver??? and ted brushing it off too and the show treating it like a joke? the bus driver also being revealed to be beard's drug dealer being framed as nothing more than just a quirky beard thing. can i just say i hate how much they refused to delve into beard under the excuse that he's just enigmatic and quirky? yeah.

in sunflowers, beard refers to shrooms as his medicine. and yes, meth + shrooms aren't exactly in the same ballpark. but if i heard my best friend, whose life was ruined by drugs to the point where i had to rescue him and nurse him back to health, said that he took shrooms as a self-medication tactic, i'd be a touch concerned. but since they never framed it as an issue, despite beard's backstory (and brendan had headcanoned drug addict beard from the beginning, so it's not like it just was put into the plot for the sake of mom city,) ted didn't make a big deal out of it. he was seemingly fine with beard's drug use, and even agreed to do drugs with him.

but also........................a man devoted to not only ted, but to the team........i just don't think he'd be soooo casual about taking several illicit substances and he wouldn't do it all willy nilly.

especially considering nate leaking ted's panic attacks to the press (which......not that beard was ever nate's target, but he could've easily leaked beard being high, too. which...again. would've tanked his career), beard wouldn't be doing drugs with the bus driver or traveling with illegal substances on a team related event. he'd be aware that his actions have consequences, clearly given his prison record, and i just don't think he'd be so......open and uncaring. beard was guilted by being high during a match to the point where he had to come clean, as it was something eating him alive.

if beard's drug addiction was revealed, especially the port vale match or using the bus driver as a drug dealer or carrying illegal substances on team trips..........it wouldn't just be his reputation and job at stake. it could ruin ted's career, having been aware of his criminal record and his repeated drug use and didn't do anything about it. it could create damage for rebecca, for employing a man without carefully combing through his records (drugs are..............obviously very frowned up in society in general, but within the sports world? yikes.). the team would face struggles as well. beard wouldn't risk any of that. but not only would he not risk it, he wouldn't do it so openly and freely in the first place.

i do not care that brendan waved it away with the excuse that meth and shrooms aren't the same thing. a recovering drug addict using drugs to canonically self-medicate isn't exactly a good thing. beard has substance use disorder, and i wish it was treated better within the show, by the other characters, and by the writers.