#but think about it Bernie was a bait

[randomnameless]

"It was only an oversight"

This is not as I planned, but there's nothing to be done. Burn the central hill!

"moron, she only says this when Bernie is already ded! If it triggers when she's still alive, it's a bug!"

Those fools who went up the hill will pay with their lives…in the crimson flames!

"See she wants to avenge Bernie!" Or Bernie was a bait??

Really, I'm just like Lonato. I, too, will be the sort of ruler who's willing to risk the lives of my citizens in service of a higher cause. It's not possible to change the world without sacrifice. Dying for the greater good is not a death in vain

"She'd never set one of her classmates as a sacrifice !"

[roosterforme]

Always Ever Only You Part 17 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: When you manage to keep your spirits high through a rough patch, Bradley is as supportive of your needs as ever. He's working hard to take care of you in every way, and when he comes home with some unexpected paperwork, it's your turn to be supportive of him.

Warnings: Angst, swearing, fluff, mentions of smut, pregnancy discussion

Length: 4300 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order. Always Ever Only You masterlist. Gorgeous banner by @mak-32

"It's funny to me that you think you're being coy right now," Bradley told Jake in the locker room. He was avoiding answering questions about his dates with Cat. Bradley knew for a fact that they went on at least two, because that's what you had told him. And he assumed that Jake or Cat had given you that information directly. 

"Some things are sacred, Bradshaw," he said as he applied his deodorant while Bradley dried his hair with his towel and started to get dressed. 

But you had also informed Bradley that the two of them had agreed to take it a little slow now, especially since Cat and Jeremiah were living with her Uncle Bernie. So as Bradley pulled on his underwear, he knew just what to say to bait Jake. "You fuck her yet?" he asked casually, barely able to keep a straight face. 

Jake rounded on him immediately, green eyes furious. "What the hell kind of question is that?" he hissed. "First of all, it's none of your business, but no. Second, you don't have to be so fucking crude about it, man. And third, I never asked you that when you were following Angel around the Hard Deck and all over base like a lost puppy."

Bradley erupted in laughter as he reached into his locker for his undershirt. "Chill, Hangman. I just wanted to see how serious you are. And furthermore, this is the first time you haven't been crude in your life. And further furthermore, you absolutely did ask me if I nailed my wife way back then, because you were mad she turned you down."

Jake stared off into space with his brow creased. "Huh. Well I am serious about Cat. And Jeremiah. But Hondo still gets a little riled up whenever he sees me. Been avoiding him on the tarmac like my life depends on it. And if I ever asked you for any sort of details about Angel, I deeply regret doing so now. Please, keep that shit to yourself."

"Happily," Bradley replied, thinking about your ass in your khaki pants and smiling. When he headed out to the parking garage, Jake walked with him. And when he got to his Bronco, he realized Jake had parked near him. And Cat was waiting for Jake, leaning against the passenger side door, looking at her phone. 

When she glanced up, she smiled and said, "Jake," with longing in her voice. And then she realized Bradley was there, too and straightened her posture like she was standing at attention. "Hi, Bradley."

Oh, they were both making it way too easy to fuck with them. Bradley grinned as he abandoned his Bronco for Jake's car instead. "How's it going? How's my little buddy, Jeremiah?"

She smiled a little cautiously. "He's great. Obsessed with dogs now from playing at your house."

"Yeah, well he's welcome any time," Bradley said, leaning against Jake's car. "Tramp loves licking crumbs off him. Actually Jake was just telling me all about your dates."

"Was he?" she asked quietly, and Bradley thought she looked pleased. Jake was glowering at him from the other side of the car, and Bradley caught sight of a car seat in the back.

"Oh yeah," Bradley said with a nod. "Jake only looks like an ass, but he's actually okay." Cat snorted, and Jake glowered harder. "Are you guys going to go pick Jeremiah up now?"

"Yeah," Jake said loudly. "Better get a move on."

But Cat just looked up at Bradley and said, "I'm trying to get him in the daycare program on base here, but I'm on a wait list. And the facility he's in now is across town, and it's really not that great. But it's affordable," she said with a bit of a shrug. 

Bradley nodded, giving up his original plan to mess with the two of them. He was pretty sure Jake would pay for a better daycare for her son if they were dating seriously. You'd told him a bit about Cat's ex husband and how she was in financial ruin. 

"Well, you have free babysitters," he told her softly. "Really good ones, too."

She laughed softly and leaned in a little closer. "Thanks. Yeah, top notch babysitters. Especially Tramp."

Bradley laughed, too, and then Jake cleared his throat loudly. "If the two of you are finished over there..."

"Later," Bradley told Cat with a grin. And when he walked around toward the Bronco, he winked at Jake and said, "Nice car seat, man."

Jake flipped him off rather discreetly, but he looked happy. When Bradley pulled his Bronco out of his parking spot, he noticed that Jake had walked around to the passenger side of his car. He and Cat were kissing, and Jake was once again holding his middle finger up behind his back for Bradley. 

When he got home, your car was already there. "Sweetheart," he called out as he walked inside. "I am on the cutting edge of the Jake gossip today." You were on the couch wrapped up in his undershirt and a blanket even though it was May, and you were eating a pack of cookies. "You okay?" he asked softly, but he already knew.

You nodded and met his eyes. "I got my period today." Your voice was bland and emotionless, but at least you weren't crying. You just looked exhausted and defeated. 

Bradley made a beeline to the couch and bent to kiss your forehead. "I love you," he promised as you looked up at him, the faintest smile on your lips. "I'll get your heating pad and some Advil? You want a glass of wine?"

"Yeah," you whispered. He didn't even take the time to remove his boots, and Tramp followed him from the bedroom to the bathroom to the kitchen in search of supplies. 

"I'll walk you in a bit. Relax," Bradley coaxed, tossing a treat that the dog caught in midair. "Mommy needs a cuddle first." And it was like the animal listened to him, because a minute later, you were snuggled up on Bradley's lap along with Tramp and the heating pad.

"How was your day?" you asked softly with your eyes closed. Bradley wasn't sure what he should or shouldn't mention right now. He wanted to make sure you were doing okay, but he didn't want to upset you over your period. He wasn't upset about it at all. 

"My day was fine. Do you... want to talk about anything?"

You sighed. "If you're referring to my period? No, not really. I'm okay, I promise. Just a little disappointed, but I think that's mainly because it came a day late, and I was getting just the tiniest bit hopeful, you know?"

Truthfully, Bradley hadn't been keeping up with your cycle, but now that he did the math, you were most likely ovulating right when he got home from deployment. "That makes sense," he whispered, kissing your hair. But he had been too happy since he returned home to let this ruin his day. "But you still got me."

You snuggled in a little closer and kissed his neck. "What's your hot Jake gossip?"

"Well...." It was his time to shine. He always found out everything late or after the fact, and you always liked to pick on him for it. "He and Cat went to pick Jeremiah up from daycare. Together."

You yawned and mumbled, "Yeah, they've been doing that for the past week or so."

"Oh," he said, slightly annoyed that this wasn't news to you. "Well, he also told me he hasn't even slept with her yet," he added.

"I know. I think he's secretly afraid of Hondo kicking his ass."

"Oh. Well, Jake has a car seat for Jeremiah now. But I'm assuming you already know that."

"Of course I do. But this was a really solid effort on your part, Roo. I'm so proud of you."

He just grunted and helped you readjust your heating pad. "I'm supposed to play golf in the morning, unless you'd rather I stay here and make you breakfast?"

"No, thank you. I feel bad enough already. But after you and Jake play golf, we're going out to dinner with him."

"We are? When did this happen? I just saw him."

You grinned up at him and said, "I was just texting Cat. Jake found a kid friendly restaurant that he thought would be great for Jeremiah. I said you'd probably really like it too. There is apparently a playground inside."

Bradley was quiet for a moment as you ran your fingers up along his neck. "Okay... that does sound really fun. Are there swings? I could push Jeremiah on the swings."

"I think there might be."

"I'm in."

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

You managed to get up and make Bradley breakfast even though you felt awful. But he spent Friday night cleaning the house after he got you in bed for the night with the heating pad, so you figured some scrambled eggs and a toasted bagel was the least you could do. 

"Jesus, Baby Girl," he moaned, as if you had made him a gourmet breakfast. "So fucking good." 

"Thanks for cleaning and doing the laundry," you said before you yawned. But Bradley collected you in his arms and held you. 

"Thanks for being the best person in the world," he replied, scooping you up and carrying you back to the bedroom while you giggled. "Now get back in bed and get some rest. We've got dinner and the Hard Deck later." 

Then he spun his cap backwards and climbed gently on top of you with a grin. "What are you doing?" you asked, but he cut off your words with his lips. 

"Loving my wife for a minute," he muttered, kissing you hard and parting your lips with his. You tasted his tongue as you moaned, and your fingers found their way to the short hair at the back of his neck. His mustache was really doing it for you, but as soon as you ran your tongue along it, Bradley was pulling away from you. 

"Roo," you whined as he rolled off of you and adjusted his pants. 

"I'll be back after lunchtime," he whispered, and just the sight of his hand on his cock through the fabric of his white golf pants had you pouting. "I love you."

You begrudgingly said, "I love you, too. Even though you're leaving me high and dry." Then you rolled over as he chuckled and left. And you thought about his hands gripping his golf club in those soft, sexy gloves until you were able to fall asleep again.

When you woke up hours later, you were starving and decided to eat a sandwich while you lounged on the back patio. You tossed pieces of crust to Tramp and then you wandered back inside, running your finger along the piano keys as you went. The house was too quiet, and it gave you that melancholy feeling that you got when Bradley was deployed. 

For the briefest moment, you imagined a baby in your arms. Someone to keep you company while he was away. A little one to grow up knowing what it felt like to miss their dad and then be reunited with him over and over again. Someone else for Bradley to dote on. You swallowed down the miserable feeling before it could take over. A baby was not more important than your marriage. A baby did not need to happen at this moment. A child would be welcomed at any time, not just right now. 

You drew a bath, and you were barely in there for more than five minutes when Tramp jumped up from the bath mat and ran for the front door. 

"Sweetheart?"

"In the bathroom," you called, and a second later Bradley was in the room with you. "How were the guys?"

"The usual," he grunted as he knelt on the mat and dipped his fingers in the water. "How was your morning?" he asked, keeping a totally innocent expression on his face as he stroked your breast just under the water's surface.

"Missed you. Got myself a little sad, because it felt like a day when you were deployed." 

Bradley tossed his cap on the floor and said, "I'm right here. I'm yours for the rest of the day. The rest of the weekend. Until we have to go to work on Monday."

"I know," you said, your voice sounding so small as you squeezed your eyes shut. "Will you go see Dr. Genevieve with me next week?"

He answered immediately as his hand found yours. "Of course. I haven't been to therapy in years. It'll be good."

You gaped at him. "You've seen a therapist before?"

"Yeah," he replied with his brow scrunched. "College was a very rough time for me without my mom. And Mav pulled my papers. And I didn't feel like I really belonged anywhere. I never told you that?"

You were just in awe of this man and his notebooks and his open honesty right now and the fact that you were always learning more about him. "No. But I'm really proud of you."

He smiled softly and blushed. "We can go see Dr. Genevieve together. We can do everything together. But you're not allowed to make fun of me if I have more fun at the restaurant tonight than the one year old."

You shook your head and said, "It would come as a surprise to literally nobody."

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

"I don't know why he's fussing so much. He's usually a good eater," Cat said, cutting up some food into tiny pieces while Jeremiah remained on the verge of tears in the high chair. Bradley noticed that Jake was looking a little stressed out, presumably because Jeremiah wasn't enjoying the restaurant as much as he had hoped. Jake had spent all morning at the golf course talking about how excited he was.

"Let me see here," Bradley murmured, picking up the rainbow colored fork and tickling Jeremiah with his fingers while he held out a bite of food. In an instant he was laughing, and then he had a mouthful of food. "You love it here, right kiddo? We played on the swings. We drew on the walls. Your mom let you eat dessert first, and Jake won you a porcupine in the claw machine. Now eat up."

"You're incredible," Cat whispered. "No wonder he likes going to your house so much."

"Nah," Bradley said as Jeremiah took hold of the fork for himself. "It's all her and the way she can read a board book like it was written by a Pulitzer Prize winner." He leaned in and kissed you as you beamed at him. Bradley had spent the better part of an hour after your bath rubbing your back while reading some of his notebook entries to you. It always really seemed to make an impact where sometimes his verbal skills escaped him. But when he wrote his feelings out on a piece of paper, it made all the difference in the world.

"Are you coming to the Hard Deck after this?" you asked, turning to look at Jeremiah as he ate. "Well, not you, little man."

"Nope," Jake said with a cocky grin on his face and his arm draped across the back of Cat's chair. "We're going to watch the newest Scooby Doo movie back at my place and enjoy some of the chocolate chip cookies that I definitely made myself and did not buy at the store."

Cat laughed, and Bradley watched as she leaned in to whisper something to Jake as she brushed his hair back from the scar on his forehead. "They look happy," you muttered, taking Bradley's hand in yours underneath the table. 

"Yeah," he agreed, carefully wiping Jeremiah's face as Cat kissed Jake like they were completely alone. "I'll roast him later for this. He always tells me we're disgusting."

"We are a little bit disgusting, Roo."

"Never said we weren't."

When you and he left the three of them a little while later and headed to the Hard Deck, Bradley was in an absolutely disgusting, soppy mood. You were singing along so badly to his favorite playlist while his hand rested on your thigh, and he was just so fucking proud of you for not letting your period take over your mood. Especially when all he wanted was to make you happy, and he knew it would have crushed him if you were being hard on yourself while he doted on you.

When he pulled into the parking lot and put the Bronco in park, he said, "I don't understand how you can sing so badly when you make the prettiest sounds I've ever heard in bed."

"Hey!" you complained with a laugh as you crawled across the seat and onto his lap. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"I only have the nicest things to say about you and your singing voice," he promised with an obnoxious smile as you pushed his head back against the headrest and started to gently nibble on his neck. Soon you were sucking a little harder as your hand trailed up and down his bicep. "Oh shit. That feels great. Let's go home."

You moaned softly and licked a trail up to his ear before whispering, "Nope. You tease me, I'm going to tease you right back." Then you rubbed yourself against his cock, and Bradley tried to get his arm around you, but you were already jumping down from his lap to the parking lot. 

"Hey!" he called out with a laugh as you ran ahead of him while he tried to lock the Bronco doors. When he jogged inside, you were already at the bar chatting with Penny. He made eye contact with you, and you smirked. 

Bradley strolled up behind you and pressed himself against your butt, kissing the back of your neck. "Whenever you decide you want to behave, I'll be at the pool table," he whispered. 

You just laughed and said, "You know that's not going to happen."

"Well, come say hi to Nat anyway," he added, laughing softly against your neck. Penny was looking at the two of you together with the softest expression, and Bradley figured that was how he usually looked at you, too.  "You know, I can remember the early days before the two of you were together," Penny said over the buzz of conversation. "All the longing glances and sneaking off together." Bradley set his hand on your hip and said, "Hey, we thought we were being pretty discreet." "Nice try," Penny said with a laugh as she slid two beer bottles across the bar.  "Were we not discreet?" Bradley whispered as you and he walked toward Nat. You beamed up at him. "I guess not." He watched you walk into his best friend's open arms for a hug. And now he was thinking about every way he could be less than discreet with you tonight. You kept touching him, just some fleeting brushes of your hand to his abs or arm while you chatted with the others, but you were relentless.  When the beers were empty, you took his bottle and said, "I'll take these back up to the bar, and then I'm running to the ladies' room." Bradley just grunted as you squeezed his bicep. As soon as you disappeared down the hallway, he dug his phone out of his pocket and sent you a quick text. Meet me outside at our special spot? He waited and waited but got no response. However, when you reemerged from the hallway, you caught his eye and then continued toward the exit. Bradley was in the middle of conversation with Javy about golfing when he suddenly said, "Hey, man, excuse me for a minute."

Bradley pushed his way through the crowd, and once he was back outside in the cool, dark night, he turned and ran toward the steps at the far end of the deck. As soon as his shoes hit the sand, you were reaching out for him. 

"Been a while since we did this," you told him, your voice filled with laughter as he backed you up against the deck post. 

"Too long," he agreed, letting his lips meet yours as you wrapped your arms around his neck. It was amazing how kissing you and just touching you made him feel so good inside. The feel of your kisses was a comfort that he knew by heart, and every curve of your body fit his hands perfectly. His fingers were inside your shirt, his thumbs gliding along your ribs and up to your bra.

You moaned into his mouth, pressing up on your toes and pulling him closer. When he broke the kiss to breathe, you whispered, "I have my period though."

"I know. Just wanted to make out with my fucking hot ass wife. Penny made me nostalgic."

His rough hands were on your lower back, and your head was tipped against the post. Bradley worked his lips along your neck, collar bones and cleavage as you said, "This feels just as good as the first time. Maybe better."

"Definitely better," he murmured. "You're in love with me now."

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

You had no shame. Your outfit was a wrinkled mess, and your lips were puffy when you returned to the pool table some thirty minutes later. Bradley's hair looked like he'd been outside during a natural disaster, and Penny smirked at him when he got two more beers. 

But it didn't matter, because you were so happy. So you let the guys pick on Bradley while you laughed into your beer bottle. And when you got home, you let him lure you into the shower to have sex at one in the morning where he made you cum so hard, your echoing voice scared Tramp. And maybe the sex was better when you weren't trying so hard to get pregnant. And maybe listening to him read his notebook to you every night was doing more than you originally thought.

When you got to work on Monday morning, Bickel was waiting for your help with his most time sensitive projects. "Your ideas are always so refreshing, Lieutenant Commander." 

And when you sat in the lab all afternoon, Cat came over at one point and simply said, "You were right about Jake."

And then Bradley met you for thirty minutes where he got to meet Dr. Genevieve. You told her that you were having a good day even though you got your period, and the three of you just chatted a little bit. 

But you should have known that by the end of the week, you'd be feeling a little different. You were at home on Friday, already lounging on the couch and looking at vacation destinations for your first anniversary in November when Bradley walked in holding two envelopes.

"We need to talk." 

You popped up on the couch and eyed him carefully. "About what?"

"Two things." He struggled out of his boots at the front door as he said, "Admiral Dean's court-martial has a date scheduled. And there's also an upcoming special detachment."

The court appearance for Dean and Slayer was something you figured would be happening soon. But a special detachment? You weren't sure if you were ready to hear about it. "Just tell me."

Bradley dropped down on the couch next to you and gave you a quick kiss. "June 9th," he said, handing you the first envelope. You scanned along, reading the dates and times, and sure enough, Bradley would have to appear in full dress uniform in court that day. 

"Okay," you murmured, "now tell me about the detachment."

He kissed you again and then again, and you realized he seemed a lot more antsy about this bit of information. "Here." He placed the second envelope in your hand, but the paperwork had almost no information on it. And you were surprised to see that it had a classification code above what you were currently privy to.

"This tells me nothing, Roo."

"I realize that," he replied, running his hands through his hair. "It's something top secret. I wouldn't get any of the details unless I'm selected." He turned to look at you with his elbows propped on his knees and his forehead cupped in one hand. "But, Baby Girl... I really want to do this. I think I kind of need to."

And you understood exactly what he meant without him elaborating further. He still thought he needed to prove himself after being named the spare by Admiral Dean, and this was probably the kind of mission that would get his head on straight again and bring back his confidence. But this was also the kind of mission that would leave you at home, alone and worried. Because if he wasn't one hundred percent in the right head space, it could spell disaster. 'Top secret' meant highly dangerous. But it also meant only the most skilled pilots and weapons systems officers would be chosen to participate.

You swallowed down your fear and nudged his bicep until he leaned back and welcomed you onto his lap. "If you want to do it, then I hope you get chosen." You hated that your voice shook and tears filled your eyes, because you wanted to be encouraging for him. 

"Come here," he whispered gently, and you sobbed quietly as he held you in his arms. "It'll be okay. I might not even get selected. But if I do, it'll still be okay."

"I know," you said, sucking in a deep breath. You hated that his confidence had been shaken in this way, but he was among the best, and you were already sure he'd be going. You could feel it in your bones. 

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

I'm hoping Dean and Slayer get what they deserve. And also up next, Roo and BG visit a new bar they've never been to before with an agenda they've never indulged in before. Thanks to @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 18

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[mightyflamethrower]

Former president Barack Obama, the man who salvaged Joe Biden from the ash heap of political history (an unfortunate move which in turn sadly revived Kamala Harris’ DOA career), continued with his unifying ways Thursday by shaming black men who don't think that Harris is a great choice for commander-in-chief.

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It reminded me of Joe’s infamous line, if you don’t vote for me, then “you ain’t black.” Obama:

And you're coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses, I've got a problem with that. Because part of it makes me think -- and I'm speaking to men directly -- part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren't feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you're coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that… That's not acceptable. 

He sounds like a mob boss.

Just disgusting, divisive rhetoric from the man who said in his first acceptance speech, “We have never been a collection of red states and blue states; we are, and always will be, the United States of America.”

Unless you disagree with him, of course.

Do it my way or hit the highway: 

Turns Out Those Obama Remarks Got Worse—He Even Insults Black Men Who Are on the Fence About Kamala Scott Jennings Cooks Obama for Chastising Men Over Harris, Reveals Big Issue for Democrats

I’ve always hated the left’s use of the word “community.” The “black community,” the “LGBTQ community.” As if, just because people have one thing in common, they all have the same viewpoints on everything. Is there a “white community?” A “heterosexual community?”

Sure enough, it turns out that plenty of blacks were capable of their own thoughts and found the former president’s remarks to be belittling and deeply obnoxious. Former football great and one-time Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker was less than impressed, calling it a step backward:

We need unity brother, not division!

Well said.

Meanwhile, as a RedState man, I’m obviously not a Bernie Sanders fan, but his former campaign co-chair and former Democratic Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner nevertheless had it right when she asked, "Why are Black men being belittled?"

She absolutely nukes Obama’s race-baiting narrative and stuns the CNN hosts in the process:

"Now, a lot of love for former President Obama, but for him to single out Black men is wrong, and some of the Black men that I have talked to have their reasons why they want to vote a different way, and even if some of us may not like that, we have to respect it," she said. Turner explained further, "So unless President Barack Obama is gonna go out and lecture every other group of men from other identity groups, my message for Democrats is don’t bring it here to Black men who, by and large, don’t vote much differently from Black women."

The reactions from the CNN crew are some of the most priceless I've ever seen. Truth is being spoken to them, and they absolutely cannot handle it.

These are just two examples, but there are plenty more out there of people who were deeply insulted by being told they had to vote a certain way just because of their skin color. (As of this writing, a search on the social media platform X for "Obama" turns up an untold number—but an unquestionably large number —of black people angrily teeing off on "hopey-changey" Barack's comments.)

Obama has been one of the smoothest politicians in the land since his meteoric rise from obscurity in the mid-2000s, but there was always a darker presence lurking underneath his big Hollywood grin.

He showed it loud and clear with this belittling speech, and he lost a lot of his luster in the process. Kamala Harris is 100 percent correct: we need “a new way forward,” but that way should not include race-baiting, the failures of Obama-style progressivism, or the constant attempts by leading Democrats to divide the nation.

[alianoralacanta]

Have you seen the article Bernie Collins wrote on how Carlos helped Ferrari choose the right strategy for Charles?

At this point the information is given to Leclerc that Sainz is targeting a one-stop strategy. Leclerc agrees that it is the best opportunity to win and immediately begins work on the tyre saving required to pull it off.

Weren't Charles' laptimes reflective of a one-stop even before he "agreed"? Plus it was confirmed that the one-stop was the pre-agreed strategy (by both Fred and Charles after the race) so his times make sense.

This line in particular... So although Leclerc then took the plaudits and the glory on the Monza podium in front of the adoring Tifosi, he couldn’t have pulled off such a famous victory without the help of his Ferrari team mate.

I can't believe this lol, I'm convinced this is to push a feel-good teammates narrative for Monza or something (I usually love Bernie by the way.)

I would love your thoughts on the article!

I'm glad I waited on this one. Turns out the full radio transcripts don't support Bernie's conclusion, and initially I thought they did (if for different reasons than Bernie). Leclerc was definitely aiming for a one-stop all along. Indeed, he was going faster as the hard tyre stint went on (on average), which is the opposite behaviour to that expected by someone suddenly changing to a more conservative strategy. That is not in doubt. However, I thought I'd heard Bozzi ask to go onto Plan C (which in context would have meant going to 2 stops rather than 1) partway through the race, shortly before Sainz suggested Plan B (the one-stop). This would have led to Sainz deserving credit for saving Ferrari from losing confidence in its convictions. The first paragraph you quoted would still be nonsense, but at least the second one you quoted would be justifiable. However, looking back through the Channel 4 highlights where I thought I'd heard it revealed that this was just an error on my part. Plans of any letter were never mentioned on that program.

One of my friends on Twitter tracks Leclerc's and Sainz's radios all the way through each race. I am not sure how she does this (I assume she has only one pair of ears) but she spotted that at no point did Leclerc agree to two-stop. There were a couple of comments that suggested that Leclerc and Bozzi were instead trying to bait McLaren into two-stopping. The one I think might have tripped Bernie and several other analysts, was a prompt to think about tyre wear, soon followed by mention of a lettered plan. Leclerc had done a very slow lap prior to this message. However, Ferrari's experience over the last few races is that Leclerc can have a few slow laps and then clear the tyre, quite reliably. Barring a request from Leclerc, it would be surprising to pit him after only one slow lap. Naturally, Leclerc sped up again the moment Piastri pitted (to do his in-lap). (The baiting was probably superfluous, since I don't think McLaren could have one-stopped even if it had tried. Tyre management is one of the McLaren's only technical weaknesses). In tricking McLaren, I think Ferrari managed to trick several analysts. I don't think this is about pushing a feel-good narrative, it is simply a mistaken analysis. That it feeds into a pro-Sainz attitude that would be appreciated by Sainz's sponsor that is about to take up a position as F1's sponsor, is purely coincidental and would not have entered Bernie's mind. It might, however, have been considered by the F1 site's editor, in an opportunistic sense.

[gascon-en-exil]

Wait what? Am I missing something with the new Bernadetta duo?

I thought it was another case of the comically extroverted character who drags around the comically introverted character who'd rather be anywhere else. Like the Sonya/Tharja duo. Which sure, they get sexualized like every single female character but nothing more.

Am I too innocent to see the blatant fetishization in play, or am I missing something else?

The only thing I can think of is that there's maybe some unsavory subtext with this kind of pairing. Like, Sonya/Goldmary is acting "rapey" towards Tharja/Bernie by constantly getting in her space. IDK it's probably not that.

It's not really about Goldmary; the contrast between them is comedic, but that's about it. Goldmary on her own though has been one of the Engage characters I've seen most asked for, apparently because of her massive breasts - the biggest in the game, if I'm not mistaken. I can honestly say that I don't get the hype. She's got some funny supports, but that's about it for me.

Summer Bernadetta has some standard fanservice bits like the exposed toes or the bikini visible through her top, but it's the obviously childlike elements that stick out to me: the bear hoodie, the crying and messy hair in the damaged art, her, er, undeveloped bust relative to Goldmary. It all ties into the hikikomori characterization that's easy fodder for straight male* fetish bait, as a socially awkward recluse who only opens up to you, the player, and thus remains pure and innocent unlike characters with obviously sexualized designs like Tharja, Camilla, etc. See also Bernadetta's wide-eyed, grasping S rank CG pose where she's clearly being viewed from above, or her even more childish hairstyle in Hopes. Now, the last time I pointed this out I had an anon come into tell me that hikikomori isn't a fetish but a serious social problem in Japan. My quippy response is that diapers aren't designed to be a fetish either - and yet that doesn't make them not a fetish.

In short, there's more to sexual fanservice than big boobs and skimpy outfits.

*I specify this here because the whole virgin/whore thing straight men have about women is unlike other particular sexual interests in that it doesn't really cross over as a fetish for people of other genders and sexualities as far as I'm aware. Stuff like age play and ABDL and so forth are absolutely kinks among queer men too...but those are roleplaying power dynamics, not the expectation of literal innocence/purity.

[m1ssunderstanding]

I honestly think most of you hate rich people because you're envious

omg you're right!! How have I never seen it this way before?!?! Yeah I am so envious. I wish I could buy politicians and laws and wars that will burn the planet and end innocent lives! Or at least let me sit on a yacht and watch people starve at my feet! That would be so cool. Ugh. It's so unfair.

No but seriously anon, how does it feel to be a COMEDIAN?????!!!!! I literally giggled and kicked my feet like I was down atrocious for you or something.

Okay but besides the obvious mass-murdering planet destroying enslaver billionaire thing, let me tell you why I hate rich people. First of all, different levels of hate for different levels of rich because here's the empirical truth. Studies have shown, over and over again, that the more wealth you accumulate -- and worse, the more wealth you were born with -- the lower your ability to empathize. And not just with poor people problems. Rich people taped up to a heart monitor didn't flinch or accelerate their heartbeats when someone talked about their dog dying or their cancer diagnoses. And the decrease in empathy correlated perfectly with the increase in net worth. Other studies have found similar correlations with wealth and a lack of altruism. So the richer you are the worse you are and the worse you are the more I hate you.

(((skip to the bolded if you don't want my boring bitter poor kid sob story)))

But yeah. You're not 100% incorrect about the envy thing. For me, at least, it did start with that. It started with jealousy that my fellow gymnasts took for granted what I worked so hard to afford. (Yeah I just didn't feel like coming to practice yesterday VS me a literal twelve year old hiring myself out illegally as a maid to the landlords of my neighborhood cleaning a meth house once the meth heads moved out and getting crazy sick and still working my ass off in the gym wishing I could rest at home and not worry about affording it) Then when I had to quit gymnastics for financial reasons in high school and work multiple jobs (coaching gymnastics, lifeguarding, and packing boxes of essential oils in a warehouse) and I was spending a large chunk of time with rich cheerleaders (think Missy from bring it on only she lives on the wrong side of town and Torrence hates her) my free time became consumed with reading. It started with Les Miserables and Rousseau, then drifted into Grapes of Wrath and Marx. I became interested in current events and politics and supported Bernie as a high school senior in 2016. I went to college and specialized in Marxist theory in my literature and writing classes. I expanded on my own petty experiences with the American class system to empathize with the much greater struggles of most of the world's population. Starvation. Geniuses who would never have the opportunities to fully use their minds. Modern slavery. Parents who couldn't truly raise and nurture their own children. Climate Destruction. On and on. And all caused by the same greed that had caused my own little pains. Capitalism is evil. Capitalists are evil. End of discussion.

Literally thank you so much for this anon. You can send me rage bait any time. It absolutely will work on me. This ask was so great on so many levels.

Much love!!

[monzamash]

You know, I’ve been up and down in regards to my feelings about Daniel, but seeing the comments that Crofty and Jacques Villeneuve made about him on Sky yesterday... yeah, they really just made me realize that I'm still a ride or die for Daniel after all. Like I'm always gonna hold him accountable for his mistakes, and I'm always gonna criticize him when he deserves criticism, and so should everyone

But when he's being attacked for like... literally having a personality and actually enjoying his time in F1, and people are making jokes about his weight (which he has been public about his struggles with), yeah... that pisses me the fuck off. I need Natalie Pinkham to get back on Sky for every race because I know she would not let this shit fly

are you inside my head rn? 😂

i agree with all of this. daniels always dealt with that kind of criticism, especially in australia where the second you show an ounce of confidence, you’re immediately villianised. i’m already seeing it with jack doohan. but daniel has to look inward now and rise above the bait like i wish he’d done with the earlier in the year. all these people want is a headline, it adds NOTHING to the analysis imo and honestly it’s kinda triggering as a former athlete hearing those kinds of comments about weight.

and this trend with former drivers absolutely shitting on current drivers and the sport in general is so fucking annoying, including the father of daniels girlfriend. the out of pocket commentary i could definitely do without and the amount of money these people get paid to yap is obnoxious. i always think about valterri and how he suffered silently with his ed and people like to assume athletes are untouchable when they’re literally human beings.

bring back nat and naomi and bernie and hell, even nico! i’m so over the north american coverage already.

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (October 1-7, 2023)

Godzilla: Rulers of Earth has evidently been a huge hit for Japanese publisher Phase Six, kicking off a lengthy run of translated and original kaiju comics. They'll be releasing the first 12 issues in a ReMonstered Edition hardcover on Halloween. It's ReMonstered because Matt Frank made some tweaks to his art, although he promises he "didn't, like, replace guns with walkie talkies." The real prize, however, is a new six-page story called "Thinking On Our Feet", starring Lucy Casprell, Kristina Sumres, and Varan! Longtime readers know that I am Not Normal about the Rulers of Earth lesbians and will probably have to import this reprint of comics I already own, as an English release for the six-pager is just a dream right now.

EDIT: @starestream points out that IDW is reprinting all of its Godzilla comics in giant Library Editions, and they haven't done Rulers of Earth yet. (Volume 1, which came out a couple days ago, gathers Gangsters & Goliaths, Legends, and The Half-Century War.)

Legendary Comics launched a Kickstarter for hardcover editions of two Monsterverse graphic novels: Godzilla x Kong: The Hunter and Monsterverse Declassified. They've already vaulted over their goal, unsurprisingly. If you're content with paperbacks, the main news here is a little more information about the comics. Oh, and a glimpse of a new Titan on the cover of Monsterverse Declassified that the campaign studiously avoided naming. (Supposedly it's Abaddon.)

Synopsis for Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted:

A twisted Skull Island trophy hunter baits his trap and sets his sights on the biggest game of all deep within the Hollow Earth in the official prequel graphic novel to the upcoming film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

Synopsis for Monsterverse Declassified:

Discover the legends of four fan-favorite Titans - Doug, Behemoth, and Tiamat, plus one to-be-revealed Titan! Join Bernie Hayes as he takes readers down the rabbit hole to reveal classified Monarch secrets and ancient monster myths in the first-ever Monsterverse anthology!  

Godzilla: Here There Be Giants #4 has the series poised to end on a high note, bringing in the Giant Octopus in its final pages. (It's called Oodako here, which is a name I never expected to see in official media, seeing as it just means "giant octopus" in Japanese.) Amazingly, this is its first time fighting Godzilla, despite debuting in a Godzilla movie all the way back in 1962.

If you live in the States and were hoping to see Godzilla Minus One in IMAX, bad news: Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé is now opening on December 1 as well, and IMAX preorders for it have already started. Godzilla's taken on a Queen B before, but concert films are suddenly box office gold (Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is poised to open with $125 million domestic, higher than any 2023 superhero movie). The subtitled period piece doesn't seem to stand much of a chance, Godzilla or not. Still, keep an eye out.

A black-and-white version of Shin Godzilla called SHIN GODZILLA:ORTHOchromatic will play in a handful of Japanese theaters on the last weekend of October. I'm guessing the film has been regraded (the announcement mentions that Shinji Higuchi and AD Katsuro Onoue supervised the project), so changing the settings on your TV won't perfectly replicate it. But it's a hell of a lot cheaper than a plane ticket.

[solarbird]

First: Kamala Harris is doing an interview on Fox News today. That’s important. Every Republican not deep, deep, deep into the cult has given other Republicans permission to vote for her. Watch for how it goes. Early votes are skewing real hard Democratic; we can only hope this starts an avalanche.

Now, back to the shitgibbon:

This wtfery happened a few days ago. Repeatedly. They’re all here. Watch his markov chain generator malfunction.

This 39-minute-long what-is-even-happening happened Monday. He stopped his town hall and decided just to hang out on stage and listen to music for half an hour. (More video.) Most of the time he just stood there, then occasionally he’d dance a little.

Even the Russian propagandists made fun of it. They normally puff him up as serious and important and this was too much even for them. It felt very much like a “look at this clown we’ve put into power. Look at him. Isn’t it hilarious?” victory lap.

He didn’t do much better yesterday, cancelling an interview with CNBC before keeping his appointment with Bloomberg News and the Economic Club of Chicago, where amidst his many lies he also said everyone in the world ever is and has been totally wrong about tariffs being bad for the economy (Smoot-Hartley turning the Panic of ’29 into the Great Depression be damned) and also that children could do the jobs of auto workers.

Get out on the assembly line, kids. Build some more gas cars. Maybe we’ll buy you an ice cream before the ocean floods the coastline some more.

Where, oh where, are the New York Times’s “too old” people now? Where is the drilldown? Where is the baited breath, watching for the stutterer to stutter a little again and declare him senile, broken down, and infirm? Ah, but they want him in office – so why would they do that?

People on TikTok were mostly “he is so high.” I think they might’ve messed up his dosage.

The argument that the real plan is to get him into office and then immediately trigger the 25th Amendment in favour of Couchfuker Vance still doesn’t quite hold up to me – they’ll Weekend-at-Bernie’s this motherfucker until he literally falls over dead, since he’s the God Emperor, and also since that gets Vance a de facto third term without changing or ignoring the Constitution. And he’s not continually breaking down, he’s okay enough a lot of the time. Not all of it, maybe. But enough.

But I have to admit, the Vance idea sounds less unreasonable every day.

The problem of course is that when he’s not having a McConnell-esque stall-out, he’s promising to us the armed forces against his political enemies and making it illegal to say things he doesn’t like, all while his fascist friend Mike Flynn keeps rhapsodising about executing anyone who opposes him.

That’s the hard, ugly reality. They don’t even need him to do that, or really, any of the work of Project 2025. He’s never given a single fuck about policy, just about power and hurting people, and they’ll deliver that for him in spades, all while they end secular government in the United States.

That is Vance’s agenda, after all. And that of his backers. All they need from Trump is the occasional scribbled signature.

He’s signed a lot of autographs. It’s all muscle memory at this point. He’ll do that just fine.

And that’s absolutely all they need.

So. I’ve already given you all the arguments I have to reach anyone who might be reachable. People on the fringes of the cult, people who “don’t like politics” and “think politics is boring” so refuse to pay attention. Trump here himself is destroying the idea that he’s the “vote for my wallet,” given what tariffs will do to prices and the economy, but here’s a bit from Rachael Maddow with more thoughts on that whole nonsense. Maybe you’ll find some good arguments in there.

We’re very much in the home stretch, team. Don’t hold anything back, because as I keep saying, this one is for all of the marbles. Bring everything you’ve got and leave it all out there on the field…

…’cause we’re gonna need it.

20 days remain.

[honeysider]

https://www.tumblr.com/honeysider/739803375060811776/youre-pathetic-in-every-respect?source=share I'm actually interested in what you think the answer is. I'm not saying this to antagonize or bait you, I really want to know. As someone who has seen third parties fail and fail again when trying to breach into bipartisan leadership (don't get me wrong, I don't like either party) it's hard to see how leaving things to the masses (who will most likely vote for Trump) or up to a third party that probably won't win; I'm quite literally at a loss of what to do.

Here's how I see things, personally. You can't fix things in one or even two elections, and you certainly can't fix things by voting for the same party over and over again. This might get rambly.

Like, I wont even get into the viability of elections as a means of engineering political change because I'm assuming you dgaf about that (not a dig, most people consider all the other political stuff like on-the-ground work to be too much for them). I'll explain it in a way that made sense to me when I decided to not waste my time voting in presidential elections.

I do not believe in The Democratic Party or Biden's specific policies as vehicles to advance either my self interest or the interests of others in the country. The lesser of two evils argument doesn't even cut it anymore. Biden is enforcing Trump's old immigration policies even going so far as to continue building the goddamn wall. He doesn't support universal healthcare. He crumbles against any kind of pressure that isn't only rhetoric, basically threw up his hands and gave up when student loan forgiveness was attacked by the courts, and supports the genocide against Palestinians financially. He is mostly indistinguishable from a Republican, save for the theocratic aspects.

Why would I vote for someone I don't believe in?I might go vote for Cornel West because simply put I believe in more of his policies than Biden's, if I vote at all.

And that's the main thing that bothers me about the vote blue no matter who philosophy. You're never supposed to vote for who you believe in. In the primaries you are expected to unite around the Most Likely Candidate To Win The Election, not the candidate who you agree with. I remember when people screamed at Bernie voters because they were voting for the democratic socialist, not any of the mainstream moderate front runners and he started winning states. Pundits and analysts and party activists had a meltdown until the Democrats managed to wrangle everything around Biden.

So point 1, I will only vote for people I believe in. If the Republicans win as a result of enough people doing the same thing, the Democrats should have pushed a better candidate.

And that leads to point 2, Blue No Matter Who doesn't perpetuate a regrettable-but-tolerable lesser of two evils situation. It enables democrats to be as evil as their opponents, just no further than their opponents. The Democratic Party Platform used to include Universal Healthcare, and now it's literally been erased from the platform. Democrats have had three terms between Bush and now and we have only now pulled out of Afghanistan, and we still have troops in Iraq? What? Guantanamo Bay is still active? "Enhanced interrogation" is still being used? The Patriot act is renewed every time it comes up without a yell or a peep? Power is being increasingly centralized in the executive branch? All the big controversies from my childhood are still mostly unsolved today due mostly to Democratic inaction and ineptitude with a dash of Republican malevolence.

My only tool is abstaining from the process. The only thing Democrats believe in are election victories. If you just give them votes no matter who they run they won't care about seriously pursuing real beneficial policy. Let them lose elections until they get the picture.

And look. I know its hard and its scary to imagine Trump in the white house again. But Biden's doing like 99% of his policy anyways, so really all you're voting for now is a facade of political professionalism, not for what you actually believe.

So don't vote, withhold it until Democrats get a clue and get more involved or at least more knowledgeable about state and local politics.

If you want to hear about the Revolution and stuff there are better people to talk to than me tho lol

[fantasyinvader]

I was thinking about the events of the prologue again. We know that Edelgard hired Kostas with orders to "kill as many noble brats as possible," but I think the game does give us a clue as to why. And no, it's not teacher theory. An NPC says afterwards that if any of the students had died, it would have hurt the image of the Academy, Knights of Seiros and the Church as a whole. Now, remembering that Edelgard is someone who uses propaganda, I mean, information campaigns this would be a perfect opportunity for her. If a bunch of students, "noble brats," die it breeds animosity towards the Church. Animosity that can be used to seek allies, after all the month after Kostas is dealt with we have to deal with Lonato raising an uprising against Rhea over the death of his son. We know that the son and Lonato were manipulated by the Western Church into doing this, pawns of TWSITD for Edelgard's benefit.

And when Claude fled, Edelgard followechasing her d him and was even trying to point them to Remire. Why? We know that Claude's fleeing is meant to be an Almyran trait, that his people believe it's better to flee and survive rather than fight to the bitter end. The game also wants us to believe Edelgard and Claude aren't too dissimilar before Claude's character growth begins, ergo Edelgard fled to save her own life. She does the same thing at Gronder, throwing wave after wave of troops at her enemies while she stays in the back and eventually flees while Dimitri is overwhelmed and dies.

Actually, there's a bit of character growth for Claude there. Notice at the Battle of the Eagle and the Lion he does the exact same thing she does, while at Gronder he charges with his troops like Dimitri does. Even if we don't pick the Deer House, Claude still grows somewhat because of White Clouds, possibly why he tries to stay neutral rather than join Edelgard to take out the Church because he hates her methods and the lengths she's willing to go to (though will still hand the Alliance to her if he loses in Flower if he's allowed to flee).

Anyway, back on topic. This also means that not only did Edelgard put a hit on her classmates, she did so when Hubert got caught up into it. Considering she laughs as his confession, or how he always dies away from her, this is foreshadowing. Like about her using Bernie as bait, then setting the hill she's on on fire, or how Hopes revealed that Edelgard knew the real Monica who was very loyal to her, knew where Monica was held but did nothing to save her because the opportunity never presented itself. It shows how little Edelgard actually values him or the lives of those around her in pursuit of her goals.

On the other hand, any students that manage to survive would also have proven their strength. It's a quick and dirty way for Edelgard to discover who the strong actually are, and who to potentially sway to her side. Considering how Byleth or Shez take Kostas out, she instead focuses on them. Maybe that's why she wrote Monica off, because Monica couldn't save herself. An early hint to her real ideology perhaps?

[bcolfanfic]

🧃

oh i have too much personal lore lmfao my friend told me once "mollie every time you open your mouth i have no idea what's coming next". hmmm. i think ive already talked about meeting jon stewart when he was doing his vets lobbying stuff in dc on here, but there's that. and like 20 minutes before that i met bernie sanders lol, busy day!

should we just make this politicians mollie has interacted with. i met kamala harris in 2018 and i know ppl have (mostly correct) opinions about her being too moderate, but she was very genuinely kind. my friends and i showed up to her office like on the verge of passing out from heat exhaustion after a protest and she was 20 minutes late to another meeting to get us all shuffled in/send her aides around to feed us/get us gatorade and talk to us.

chris murphy is nice but i got a bad taste in my mouth from how good-press focused his team was. they told journalists we were coming w/o really giving us a heads up and we literally had to like, run away after to avoid them bc it wasn't planned press that we could prepare for. (this was like 2 weeks after the uvalde shooting and i was with a school shooting survivors and allies lobbying group)

didn't personally meet mitch mconnell but his staffers are assholes and ive been yelled at by them. by contrast ted cruz's staffers were the nicest republican staffers i ever interacted with. we were doing a sit in his office (this was 2018) and the capitol police were like- trying to bait his staffers into having us arrested. to which his staffers said (in more professional terms) bug off they're literally just sitting on the floor its fine.

i know the gen z congressman from florida bc he's an alum of a non profit i've done a lot of activism work with and i can't speak highly enough of him. i heard him speak for the first time in someone's living room in early 2020 before a quite risky protest action we were both a part of and vividly remember thinking "this kid is going to be president someday". i stand by it 1000%. he's a good kid and very smart.

bernie is super nice and has a good sense of humor. marco rubio cancelled a meeting with a group i was with once bc he was concerned that a certain school shooting survivor activist that was going to be there would "traumatize him" LMFAO.

everytown as a larger org sucks pls don't donate to them for the ending gun violence cause. shannon watts is an asshole and had me blocked for a long while, only to unblock me when i was part of something (the thing with max mentioned above) that made national news and she unblocked me to interact with viral tweets i was in. i recommend ppl donate to change the ref instead. i know the parkland parents that founded it and consider them saints amongst mere mortals.

[bllsbailey]

The Thrill Is Gone: Barack Obama's Scolding of Black Men Torched by Prominent African Americans

Former president Barack Obama, the man who salvaged Joe Biden from the ash heap of political history (an unfortunate move which in turn sadly revived Kamala Harris’ DOA career), continued with his unifying ways Thursday by shaming black men who don't think that Harris is a great choice for commander-in-chief. It reminded me of Joe’s infamous line, if you don’t vote for me, then “you ain’t black.” Obama:And you're coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses, I've got a problem with that.Because part of it makes me think -- and I'm speaking to men directly -- part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren't feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you're coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that…That's not acceptable. He sounds like a mob boss.Just disgusting, divisive rhetoric from the man who said in his first acceptance speech, “We have never been a collection of red states and blue states; we are, and always will be, the United States of America.”Unless you disagree with him, of course.Do it my way or hit the highway: Turns Out Those Obama Remarks Got Worse—He Even Insults Black Men Who Are on the Fence About KamalaScott Jennings Cooks Obama for Chastising Men Over Harris, Reveals Big Issue for DemocratsI’ve always hated the left’s use of the word “community.” The “black community,” the “LGBTQ community.” As if, just because people have one thing in common, they all have the same viewpoints on everything. Is there a “white community?” A “heterosexual community?”Sure enough, it turns out that plenty of blacks were capable of their own thoughts and found the former president’s remarks to be belittling and deeply obnoxious. Former football great and one-time Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker was less than impressed, calling it a step backward: We need unity brother, not division!Well said.Meanwhile, as a RedState man, I’m obviously not a Bernie Sanders fan, but his former campaign co-chair and former Democratic Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner nevertheless had it right when she asked, "Why are Black men being belittled?"She absolutely nukes Obama’s race-baiting narrative and stuns the CNN hosts in the process:"Now, a lot of love for former President Obama, but for him to single out Black men is wrong, and some of the Black men that I have talked to have their reasons why they want to vote a different way, and even if some of us may not like that, we have to respect it," she said.Turner explained further, "So unless President Barack Obama is gonna go out and lecture every other group of men from other identity groups, my message for Democrats is don’t bring it here to Black men who, by and large, don’t vote much differently from Black women." The reactions from the CNN crew are some of the most priceless I've ever seen. Truth is being spoken to them, and they absolutely cannot handle it.These are just two examples, but there are plenty more out there of people who were deeply insulted by being told they had to vote a certain way just because of their skin color. (As of this writing, a search on the social media platform X for "Obama" turns up an untold number—but an unquestionably large number —of black people angrily teeing off on "hopey-changey" Barack's comments.)Obama has been one of the smoothest politicians in the land since his meteoric rise from obscurity in the mid-2000s, but there was always a darker presence lurking underneath his big Hollywood grin.He showed it loud and clear with this belittling speech, and he lost a lot of his luster in the process. Kamala Harris is 100 percent correct: we need “a new way forward,” but that way should not include race-baiting, the failures of Obama-style progressivism, or the constant attempts by leading Democrats to divide the nation.

[littleharpethcrossfit]

Saturday, 6 July, 2024.

We enjoyed good Summer weather on this early morning.

Warmup

EMOM X 5

20 Light KBS

Strength

Bench Press.....5 / 5 / 5 / 5 / 5..........(70 to 80%)

Armando=225 Bernie=205 Robert=190 Nathan=145 Coach/Tom/Dana=135 Rodney=125 Warren A=105 LSU/Cheri=85 Shannon=65 Linda/Angel/Alicia/Abby/Bella and possibly others=did it but didn't post results

WOD

400m Wreck Bag Carry.....(50/25)

Then 10 Rounds

5 Dead-hang Pull-ups

7 Kettle-Bell Sumo Deadlift High Pulls.....(70/53/35)

9 Push-Ups

And Finally

400m Wreck Bag Carry .....(50/25)

Robert=15:58 Dana**=16:05 Nathan=18:45 Warren A=18:47 Cheri=18:48 Rodney=19:19 Bernie=19:32 Shannon=20:15 Linda=21:38 Armando=21:50 LSU=24:15 Coach=26:10 Tom=26:12 Angel/Alicia/Bella/Abby and maybe others, no posting.

Notes

Several of you 09:30 people saw a couple of Brentwoods' "Men In Blue" parked in our driveway as you arrived. I called them to euthanize a badly injured Deer that was in our field. It appeared to have a broken leg presumably caused by getting hit by a car. It couldn't walk and could only thrash around on the ground. At first we couldn't find it in the thick brush near the river, but finally found it, dead, in the water. The Cops decided to leave it there and "Let nature take its course." If the deer had been alive, they would have shot it, drug it out to BRD where the Brentwood Works Department would come and pick it up on MONDAY. I think the river was the best place for it, but I'll tell the Grand-Kids not to play in the river for a few days. The cops said this was the 3rd dead deer call today.

Now you know what to do if a deer dies in your yard.

Abby B brought a friend again today. Abby apparently has lots of friends who come here once but don't come back. Bella was another such friend. She is a Grand-Daughter of Old Joe The Bird Man, although she doesn't know him by that name. In all the excitement I neglected to give her a T-shirt.

Instagram wasn't here today. Naturally she has been checking in via social media / Instagram. The pictures she has posted are evidence that she has crossed state lines in search of a man. We can hope that he is over 18 YOA or else she may be violating The Mann Act. Several of us (NOT ME) were curious about his Groucho Marx mustache resembling a hairy black Caterpillar that they thought came from a disguise kit. We are all aware that Instagram does not tolerate any type of bugs. The sweet wiener dog he was carrying (in a sling like storks use) was very likely a type of attraction bait. Somehow he knows Instagram loves dogs. We pray for her safe and speedy return.

The anonymous person(s) mentioned in the above paragraph are protected by the use of mythical pseudonyms.

Sunday at 0730 and at 1 PM.

[pairadots]

20 Things I Hate About You

More specifcally, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

I hadn't watched the last movie because I was annoyed by the Suddenly Palpatine of Rey. It was a blatant bait and switch that I found insulting and had no plans to watch it. After my recent trip to Disneyland I changed my mind. Here are my thoughts as it progressed.

1. Palpatine is alive? He was thrown, sparking, into a nuclear reactor. There is nothing left to rebuild. They do not have the technology. I call bullshit.

2. The pacing is a bit manic for my taste. Can we slow it down a snooch? You're giving me anxiety.

3. Why does a random stranger kid care about Rey's family name?

4. C-3PO went from lovably annoying to a complete narcissistic twat. Was it the red arm?

5. "I never told you Rey". He still didn't.

6. Suddenly Rey can heal when it's never been done before? I call bullshit.

7. Sudenly Rey and Kylo are strong enough to "force" transport ships around, also, when it's never been done before. More bullshit.

8. Hux was the spy? The pile of bullshit is really starting to reek. A life-long military man who worked his way up to general doesn't suddenly switch sides cause he hates someone he sees as beneath him.

9. Leia dies because she's sad? This is that same Padme bullshit all over again. The strongest women in the galaxy don't just die because they're sad. Misogynist garbage.

10. The force suddenly hands out light sabers? I'm getting really tired of all these rabbits out of the hat.

11. They land on a star destroyer they are trying to take down, kamikaze style. There aren't enough resistance fighters. Let's do the most reckless thing possible, shall we?

12. FUCKEN HORSES!?!?

13. Marionette Palpatine?! Fucken weekend at Bernie's much?

14. Come on Palpatine. "Here, come watch your friends die." Cause that worked so well with Luke.

15. More rabbits. How big is this hat? Palpatine can suddenly take their powers. I'm ready to start throwing my remote across the room.

16. All the random resistance fighters all show up at once. "You guys get a group rate or something?"

17. The cannon has a fucken extension cord!!! How stupid do you think we are?!

18. The suggestion that all the first order defectors did so because they're force sensitive. Having the force doesn't give you morals. There would be no sith.

19. I want out of this rabbit hole. Now suddenly Kylo can bring people back from the dead. No one's ever done that before either.

20. Rey is not a Skywalker. You purposely tried to trick us into believing she was. Dick move all around. Stop sticking to it.

Now I'm seeing the trailer for the next one. Lord's saints preserve us. I don't know if I can take much more of this.

May the force be with us all.

[madam-wakefield]

Open when...Chapter 4

AO3 Link FF Link

Summary:

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 When a few years into their relationship Bernie is asked to go back to the army and deploy Serena isn't sure how she's going to get through the nine months without her girlfriend. What she doesn't expect is for it to be her girlfriend who has the perfect set of surprises to get her through both the best and the worst days. Canon divergent - Elinor lives (well actually the accident never happens), Raf lives, and Cameron isn't a total ass! The staff of AAU also probably didn't all work on there at the same time in canon but do in this! The fic is already fully written with the first few chapters having already been Beta'd. 27 chapters including the epilogue. Hoping to post every Monday and Friday! Chapter 3 and 4 will both post today as Chapter 3 is very short.

Chapter 4

Open when you need some reassurance…

Serena knows the run in with Cameron is going to come on the first day he’s back on the ward. He’s been away for a month working on a short residency at St. James Hospital, and Serena still isn’t sure if he purposely planned it to fall in line with his mother’s deployment or whether she’s just being cynical. 

She tries not to judge Cameron, or Charlotte, the latter who she has never met, because she doesn’t get what it was like for them to spend so much of their childhood without their mother. But at the same time Bernie is her partner and even from the time she’s spent helping Bernie get ready for this deployment, she can see what the army means to her, see what a big part of her life it is so she does find it hard that Cameron and Charlotte don’t support that. 

What she doesn’t expect is for Cameron to barge into her office at 7am on a Saturday morning slamming the door before starting to yell at her. 

“How the hell can you be so calm about this!” His back is up, and she knows—at least to start with—this is all going to be her fault. No matter how he is feeling personally, though, they are still in a hospital and she is still his superior. 

“Dr. Dunn, I suggest you lower your voice.” Serena says, trying to get him to calm down without actually pulling the I’m Your Boss card. She moves away from the filing cabinet, closing the door quietly. 

“She’s in a war zone! How can you be so calm?? How could you let her do this!?!” He’s pacing the office as he speaks, and Serena can only watch. 

“Dr. Dunn, sit down.” She points rather uselessly to Bernie’s empty chair. 

“It’s like you don’t even care about her!” making her calm break temporarily. 

“Cameron, sit down now!” she commands. Serena is not going to rise to his bait and yell about this, but she will get through to him. He stares at her for a minute, breathing hard before sitting in his mum’s chair. 

“For a start, I love your mother in a way I’ve never loved anyone else, and I care about her so deeply it hurts. So don’t you ever dare tell me that I don’t care about her!” she says, looking directly at him, because she will not have anyone, not even Bernie’s own son, tell her she doesn’t love Bernie. 

“I’m sorry,” Cameron says sheepishly. “But I just don’t get it! How can you be so happy with someone you love being so far away in a war zone?”

Serena sits down in her own chair opposite Cameron, needing him to understand for Bernie’s sake, if not for her own. 

“I don’t like your mum, my partner, the woman I love, being in that war zone any more than you do. I worry about her the same way you do. I constantly think, what if today’s the day I get the visit telling me she’s been killed, or a call telling me she’s on her way to Holby, victim of another IED?” 

She pauses for a second trying to work out how to word this, using the time to glance down at the photo of her and Bernie on her desk, smiling at the memory it gives her. “The difference between us is that as a partnership with your mum I understand she needs to do this. The army was her life, she didn’t do it because she doesn’t love you and Charlotte. She was already signed up before you two were even part of the equation and it became part of her life. She has countless men and women that depend on her. It’s part of who she is. While she’s over in Afghanistan she doesn’t suddenly love me less just like she doesn’t love you or Charlotte any less. She misses all of us more than anyone else could imagine, but it’s who she is. I don’t want to speak ill against your father, but he gave her no real choice but to leave the army. Your and your sister’s relationship with her was already strained and he gave her an ultimatum and she tried for you. But it wasn’t how she planned on leaving, she never got closure, never got to say goodbye to something that was part of her life for over twenty years.”

“But wasn’t she happy here? With you? Trauma lead, co-lead of AAU?” And Serena gets the question, because yes Bernie was happy—IS happy—with that. 

“She was and she is, which is why when her nine months are up, that’s it and she’s coming back for good.” She watches the puzzled look cross Cameron’s face as if he doesn’t understand. 

“But then why does she need closure, if she’s got all this?” he gestures around with his arms. “She doesn’t need closure!”

“Right. Imagine you’ve been a doctor for over twenty-five years; you’d probably be a consultant, if not higher. Now imagine overnight having that taken away from you, being lifted and placed in another job where you were just as happy, but you weren’t a doctor. No time to say goodbye, no time to adjust, no time to get used to the different way of life. Do you think you’d accept that easily? That despite being happy, your heart wouldn’t yearn to pick up a scalpel once more. You took a year out and were desperate to get back into medicine. Well, that’s your mum. She didn’t get a choice or a warning she was just taken away, so, yes, she needs this closure. That’s why I support it, Cameron. She isn’t out there having the time of her life, she’s in a war zone, she’s watching her friends and colleagues die before her eyes, trying in vain to save some of them. She doesn’t do it because she enjoys it, she does it because it’s part of who she is.”

Cameron shakes his head a little at her, and she just wants him to understand. 

“So, what you are saying is this is definitely it? After this she’s coming back for good. Staying for good?” And Serena hears the tone in his voice, the longing for his mother. It’s some of the same reasons she and Elinor don’t always see eye to eye, the times she felt Serena—her own mother—was putting work before her. 

“Your mother is the bravest woman I know, Cameron. She isn’t a renowned front line trauma surgeon for nothing, she’s saved lives others wouldn’t have been able to. She’s put herself in situations most wouldn’t, because she’s fiery and fearless and I’ll say it again, brave. But, yes, before this she didn’t even plan on going back. They needed someone special, they needed your mum to go and ensure that the current medics actually stand a chance at doing their job. Your mum is the best woman for that and if she can help others while getting her own closure, then I won’t let anyone tell me I am wrong in supporting that, in supporting her, in loving her just as much while she’s away as I did every day before she went and will every day when she gets back.” 

“She’s certainly brave. Through all the years she’s never let on to Charlotte and me what she’s seen on her tours, even as an adult who hears stuff in the news. I’m sure I still only have a fraction of an idea of what it’s really like.” Cameron has softened now, and Serena can’t help but think she’s getting through to him.

“She asks about you, you know. Every conversation we’ve had and every bluey she’s written, she asks about you.” 

“What?? Checking I’ve not given up on being a doctor?” And the hard tone is back. 

“No, Cameron, being your mother and just wanting to know that you are okay! She always mentions Charlotte too, how she hopes she’s doing okay and to please let her know if I hear anything about her from you. I know you don’t think she’s been the best mum ever, but she loves you, both of you more than you’ll ever know and her being on deployment doesn’t stop that. She blames herself for your strained relationship, and wishes she had a better one with both of you. As much as you may hold it against her, no one does more so than she does. No one regrets what you don’t have together more than she does.” 

“Really?” And the tone of disbelief is a true one, not something Cameron could fake. He really doesn’t get how much Bernie regrets not having a stronger relationship with her children. 

“Yes, you know she won’t say anything. You know over the years she’s schooled herself into hiding any kind of emotion, but she really does regret that you don’t have a mother-son and mother-daughter relationship.” 

“I never knew. I just always thought that as long as she had other things it would be enough.” 

“Have you written to her? As an adult while she’s been deployed?” And Serena really does wonder then, knows that this time Bernie has so many people in line to write blueys to her, but can’t help but think that maybe it wasn’t like that in the past. 

Cameron shakes his head before speaking. “No, over her last couple of tours I was either too busy getting drunk like most twenty-four-year-old lads or avoiding her because I’d dropped out of med school.” 

“She understands why you did that, you know. You could drop out again tomorrow and she’d still love you just as much, Cameron. Maybe you should write to her? Maybe it’ll be good for the both of you?” Serena knows it’ll be good for Bernie, to know at least one of her children has taken the time to write while she’s so far away risking her life.

“Maybe I will,” Cameron says, standing. “Thank you, Ms. Campbell, and sorry.” And Serena smiles as he leaves the office hoping that she’s at least made a little bit of headway with Cameron.

It’s not until later that she starts to panic about her suggestion, it had felt good at the time telling Cameron to write to Bernie, but she just hopes she wasn’t mistaken. She knows life for Bernie is tough enough where she is and she doesn’t want Cameron to write anything that may make it harder. She takes a deep breath and decides that this is the time for one of Bernie’s special letters.

She flicks through the box, finally finding the perfect one “Serena - Open when you need some reassurance…”

She locks the office door and sits down in Bernie’s chair. It’s not as comfortable as her own, but, well, it’s Bernie’s and it’s where she wants to be to do this. 

My Dearest Serena,

If you have opened this letter, you need some reassurance. There is only one thing to say about that, trust your judgement, your instincts are very rarely wrong! Stop second guessing yourself and just see how things pan out! 

All My Love, Bernie,

Your Big Macho Army Medic x 

It’s the shortest letter yet, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t exactly what she needs right now!