#god x carlson

[winchesterwild78]

Serenade

A Short Story

Characters: Jensen x Reader, Steve Carlson, Abby-Org Char

Warnings: None, just fluff

A/N: This is just a short story I came up with while listening to Radio Company today. The timeline for this story is before Jensen and Steve released their first Radio Company album. Inner dialogue in italics. This is a work of fiction, not a reflection of real life. Jensen is single in this story. No disrespect to anyone. 

This is my own work, please do not take it or copy it without my permission. I wrote it fast and edited it fast. Please overlook any errors. 

Minors DNI 16+

Here you were, your first day at Arlyn Studios in Austin Texas. You hadn’t been in Texas long, but you were excited to have found a job so quickly. Your cousin knows the owner and told you they were looking for someone to help out around the studio doing odd jobs like answering the phone, helping the talent, cleaning the studio, etc. 

You interviewed and a few hours later you got the call with the job offer. The hours varied, the pay was amazing, plus you got to be around music and musicians all day. So, here you were ready to start the day. You were shown around the studio, given your badge and key, introduced to the other staff and given your agenda for the day. 

Your day started with making sure the studio was ready for the next band coming in. This included making coffee, cleaning the equipment and being available for whatever was needed. You started the coffee and went about cleaning the equipment. Standing in the vocal booth you started cleaning the microphones and stands. You had your headphones in and were singing and dancing while you cleaned. 

You didn’t notice the two men standing in the control room watching you. Continuing cleaning, you belted out song after song, swaying your hips to the beat. You looked at the time, figuring the band would be there soon and you decided to leave the room. You looked up and saw the two men standing there and you jumped, pulling your headphones from your ears.

“Oh my God! I didn’t know anyone was standing there. I’m so sorry.” You blushed with embarrassment. The two men chuckled. The one closest to you, you could see clearly. He extended his hand, “Hello I’m Steve Carlson, and you are?” You cleared your throat, extended your hand, “Oh, I’m Y/N. I just started today. I am so sorry Mr. Carlson, I thought you wouldn’t be here for at least another 10 minutes. I’ll grab your coffee.” “Please, call me Steve, and you’re fine. You have a very beautiful voice, and some pretty sick dance moves.” He smiled at you and you hung your head blushing. 

“Well, Steve, thank you, but I should get out of your way.” You noticed the other man standing off to the side, but his back was to you. He didn’t speak to you, but there was something familiar about him. You walked out of the room and went to grab two coffees. Abby came up to you and had a huge smile on her face.

“Abby, what’s wrong with you? You look like the cat that just ate the canary.” She giggled “I saw you just leave the studio with Steve Carlson, do you know who’s in there with him?” “No, I didn’t get a good look at him. Who is it?” “Oh my god, Y/N, it’s Jensen Ackles! You know the actor.”

“What? No way, why is he here?” “Apparently he and Steve are good friends and they started a band. They are here to record some of their songs.” “Oh wow, that’s awesome. Well I better get this coffee in there. Bye, Abby, see you later.”

Is Abby right? Is that really THE Jensen Ackles in there? You walked back in the studio to give Steve and the mystery man their coffee. You handed Steve his and he thanked you. “Hey, Jens man, coffee is here.” The mystery man turned around and you came face to face with the gorgeous green eyed man. It was Jensen Ackles. You thought you would faint. He reached for the coffee and his fingers brushed against yours. Sending a jolt of electricity through your skin. “Thank you, darlin’. Y/N, was it?” “Um, yes. Um, hi, and you’re Jensen Ackles.”

He smiled and nodded, “Last time I checked I was. It’s nice to meet you, and Steve was right, you do have a beautiful voice. I hope I can hear it again soon.” Your cheeks filled with heat and you blushed. 

You nodded sheepishly. “Um, do y’all need anything else right now?” “Nope, we’re good. Why don’t you have a seat here in the control room in case we need anything else.” Jensen said. You smiled “Sure, I need to let Abby know I’ll be in here, but I’ll be back.” Jensen nodded and you left the room.

“Dude, what’s wrong with you? You’re acting like a teenager.” Steve laughed at Jensen. Jensen ran his hands through his hair and smiled. “Nothing man, what are you talking about?” “Oh I don’t know, maybe the way you’re fawning over Y/N.” “I’m just being nice, man. She seems sweet and she’s new. I wanted her to feel welcomed.” “Uh huh, sure, Jens. Whatever you say.” Steve chuckled. 

You walked back in the control room with snacks and set them down. “I brought some snacks for you guys in case you got hungry.” “That’s really sweet of you, thanks Y/N.” Steve said, smirking at Jensen. 

Jensen shook his head, laughing and walked into the vocal booth to get set up for the song he was about to sing. You sat down on the couch behind Steve and watched Jensen get ready to sing. “Okay, Jens, go ahead and sing “Drowning”. Take it from the top and we will do one run through.” Jensen nodded and a melody started playing. You weren’t prepared for his voice when he started singing. 

Your jaw fell and you gasped. Steve turned around, looking at you and smiled. “He sounds good, doesn’t he, Y/N?” You nodded yes. You watched Jensen intently as he sang each word. Chills ran through your body as each cord played and Jensen’s silky voice filled the air. You nervously shifted in your seat and bit your lip.

What was this man doing to you? His voice was like an angel and he was the most gorgeous man you’d ever seen. You’d been a fan for years, and lord knows what you’d do with and to him, given the chance. Lost in thought you didn’t realize the song had ended and Jensen was now in the control room. 

“So, Y/N, what did you think? Jensen asked as he sat beside you. Startled out of your thoughts you turned and looked at him. “Oh, um, yeah. That was incredible Jensen. I didn’t know you could sing like that.” A crimson hue rushed over your cheeks. He touched your hand “Thank you. That’s really nice of you.”

Steve cleared his throat, you and Jensen looked over at him and you smiled. “Well it’s my turn, Jensen I’m going to go sing my backup part for the song. Are you good?” Jensen nodded and sat at the control panel. Steve leaned over and whispered something in Jensen’s ear and looked over at you. 

It made you nervous but you tried to act like it didn’t. As Steve walked into the vocal booth, Jensen turned and looked at you. “Hey, Y/N, why don’t you come sit next to me and see how all this works.” He motioned to the control panel. You nodded enthusiastically. 

Taking a seat next to Jensen you looked in the vocal room and saw Steve. He smiled and waved. Jensen chuckled and you laughed. “He’s a big kid. We’ve been friends for years, and he is always so fun to be around.” “I can see that.” You smiled. You saw out of the corner of your eye Jensen was staring at you. You turned and looked at him, making eye contact and both of you turned and blushed. 

You smiled and could feel butterflies in your stomach. Suddenly you got very nervous and needed to leave the room. “Um, I’ll be right back.” You said as you stood up to leave. Jensen turned and looked at you, with concern filling his eyes. Did I freak her out by staring at her? Damnit, Jensen. She probably thinks you’re a creep. I need to focus on this album. I can’t let my mind wander, but there’s something about her. She’s got the most gorgeous smile, and her eyes are so beautiful. I bet she’s seeing someone. Ugh!

“Um, hello. Earth to Jensen. Did you hear me man?” Steve called from inside the booth. Jensen flipped the switch to talk to Steve. “Yeah, sorry man. What’s up?” “You okay Jensen? You seem distracted?” “Yeah, I’m okay.” Jensen ran his hand through his hair. Steve came back into the control room and sat in the chair beside Jensen. 

“Come on man, spill it. I’ve known you for years. I know when something is bothering you.” “I don’t know, Steve. Y/N was sitting beside me and I couldn’t help but stare at her. She got up and left. I think I creeped her out.” “Maybe you should go find her and explain to her why you were staring at her.” “The problem is, I’m not even sure why I was staring at her. I don’t blame her for being creeped out.” 

“Oh come on, Jens. You really don’t know why you were staring at her? A blind man could see why. You feel something, a spark, maybe.” “Dude, I just met her. I mean yeah she’s attractive, and has a beautiful voice, but what am I going to say to her? Hey, Y/N, I know we just met but I’d like to take you out sometime. Sorry for being creepy and staring.” “YES! Exactly that! Now go find her and talk to her.”

You were standing in the break room trying to steady your breath. You couldn’t help but feel attracted to him. I mean, who wouldn’t be attracted to him. You had followed his career and his life, and the last you heard he was dating someone. You thought they had gotten engaged, and you were not about to be the other woman. It wasn’t fair to her or you. Besides, he was just being his sweet self. He didn’t and wouldn’t want you. You took a deep breath, get yourself together girl. If you want to keep this job you have to push your starstruck thoughts to the side. You took another breath and slowly blew it out. Coming out of the breakroom, you were looking down and not paying attention and you ran into someone. “Oh my goodness I am so sorry.” You looked up and came face to face with Jensen. 

He smelled amazing and his body gave off so much heat. Your heart was pounding so fast you could hear it in your ears. “Hey, Y/N, it’s okay. It happens.” He flashed a killer smile. “Thanks Jensen, I was on my way back. Sorry I disappeared. Do you need anything?”

“Actually, yes. I was wondering if I could talk to you.” You swallowed hard, “yeah, um let’s go to this office.” You pointed to an unoccupied office. When you both walked in, Jensen closed the door. Your heart rate picked up. As you turned around to face him he was closer to you. You inhaled his cologne again and you felt dizzy. 

“So, what did you need to talk to me about?” You asked as you looked in his eyes. “I wanted to apologize to you. I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable by staring at you. I really wasn’t trying to be creepy.” You felt a surge of courage and you took his hand. “Jensen, you have nothing to apologize for. I wasn’t creeped out and you didn’t make me feel uncomfortable.” You smiled softly and let his hand go. 

“Well can I ask why you left so abruptly?” You sat down on the sofa in the office and took a deep breath. You patted the cushion beside you and Jensen sat down. He turned towards you. “I liked you staring at me. It made me feel something I haven’t in a long time. I left because I didn’t want to cross a line I knew I would if I stayed in there. I’m sorry, Jensen. I know you’re engaged and I don’t want to make this awkward. I can keep it professional, I promise. I’m sorry.” You finally took a breath.

Jensen took your hand and your breath hitched. “Y/N, I’m not engaged. I’m not with anyone. We broke up almost a year ago.” Your eyes went wide. “Oh, Jensen, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” You squeezed his hand. “It’s okay. We are better friends anyway. I am glad I didn’t make you uncomfortable. So would you like to come back in the room with me? I’d love to hear what you think about the songs for our first album.”

“I’d really like to go back there. I love hearing you sing.” You and Jensen looked in each other’s eyes and you both started to lean forward. As Jensen got close to your lips you could feel his hot breath mingle with yours. “Is this okay, Y/N?” You shook your head “yes” and Jensen’s lips landed on yours in a soft kiss. 

A surge of electricity and courage ran through your body. You moved your hands to his head and his hands went in your hair, pulling you closer. His tongue licked your lips asking for permission and you opened your mouth. He deepened the kiss and you moaned in his mouth. You felt excitement surge through your body. 

Just then the office door opened, you and Jensen pulled apart. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t realize anyone was in here.” You were blushing and looked down as Jensen told them it was okay. When the door closed Jensen lifted your face and smiled at you. “That was amazing, Y/N.” You smiled and nodded. “Come on, let's get back in the studio. I have some work to do.” Jensen took your hand. 

You hesitated and stopped. Jensen stopped and looked at you. “What’s wrong?” “Um, that kiss was amazing. I just think we shouldn’t hold hands right now. It’s my first day on the job and I don’t want anyone thinking I took this job to hook up with singers or celebrities.” You nervously shifted and bit your lip. Jensen stepped closer to you, using his thumb to pull your lip out of your teeth. He leaned in and kissed your lips softly “I understand, and that makes sense. We’ll keep this between us for now.” You smiled and nodded.

The two of you walked out and back to the control room. Steve looked at you two and smiled, then nodded. 

The rest of the day went pretty quickly. You and Jensen exchanged numbers and agreed to keep this, whatever it was, between the two of you for now. 

Over the next few weeks you found yourself getting to the studio early to make sure everything was ready for Jensen and his band. It also helped that Jensen got there early too, so he could help you. The real reason Jensen got there early was so he could steal a kiss here and there as you got things ready. He’d help, but he was really good at distracting you. After about two months of meeting early, Steve came in earlier than expected and caught you and Jensen making out on the couch. 

“It’s about damn time, Jensen.” Steve chuckled. You blushed and pulled your shirt down. Jensen laughed and helped you up. He kissed your forehead as you got up to leave the room. 

“So, Jensen, how long has this been going on? I mean I’m really happy for you, but dude, you kept this from me?” “Yeah, sorry. We decided to keep it between us for a while. We kissed that first day here. It was amazing. I’ll go public whenever she’s ready. Right now I’m happy with just us knowing.” “That’s great, man. I really am happy for you two. She seems really sweet.”

Jensen smiled and shook his head, “yeah, she’s great. I can really see a future with her.” You walked back in the control room with the coffee and snacks. Jensen was sitting on the couch and pulled you onto his lap. You squealed and laughed. “Jensen, what are you doing?” You smiled. “Just pulling my girlfriend on my lap.” You leaned back and looked at him “your girlfriend?” “Well, I mean if you want to be. I want to make it official. I’d really like it if you'd consider being my girlfriend.” You smiled, blushed and looked in his green eyes. “Jensen, I’d love nothing more than to be your girlfriend.” You kissed his lips softly. 

Jensen deepened the kiss and Steve yelled “get a room” from the vocal booth. You hid your red face in Jensen’s chest and he laughed. “Oh, we plan on it later, don’t we sweetheart.” You turned a darker shade of red and bit your lip. 

Jensen kissed you again “You’re adorable when you blush, you know that.” “So are you, Jens.” “Now, how about I serenade my beautiful girlfriend with a song off the album.” You smiled and nodded “Yes, I’d love for my handsome boyfriend to serenade me.” He kissed you again, got up and started to sing.

Tags: @nescaveckdaily  @kr804573 @k-slla @jackles010378 @jawritter

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[ladylooch]

Bones - Part 7 - [Mack x David]

A/N: In the spirt of American Thanksgiving... and family... I give you David Carlson in Switzerland. I'm giggling. You'll know why when you get through this one 😁

Word Count: 6.0k

“Okay, so David, anyone who is anyone is going to be at this dinner. AND there is a quiz after.” Sophie Hischier teases her sister’s boyfriend. Tonight is their first family dinner since they arrived in Switzerland a couple days ago. The Meiers and Hischiers rented out a private room to celebrate everyone returning to their homeland. 

“Shit, I didn’t bring my flashcards.” 

Sophie giggles like its the funniest thing in the entire world, then looks over at her sister.

“He is so funny.” She hums in Swiss German. “I love him. We’re keeping him.”

“Soph, English.” Mack chuckles, rolling her eyes. Sophie looks back at David. 

“I said, you’re funny. I love you and we keep you.” She reiterates. She squeezes his waist in a quick hug, then floats up to where her parents are walking towards the restaurant. Sophie laces her arm through her dad’s and the three of them take the stairs together. Behind them, Lucie and Connor walk with their daughter. Stella skips with her mom to a beat only the two of them know. 

“Twirl!” Lucie exclaims, cheering when Stella’s gorgeous rainbow skirt flares out in a circle. “So beautiful, baby!” 

“Woo!!!” Mack hears a cheer from behind her. She turns around, seeing her aunt and uncle strutting across the parking lot looking as posh as ever. 

“Expensive.” David gapes at the fancy sports car Timo clicks the remote to lock.

“Oh you don’t even know.” Mack chuckles. “Actually, he probably didn’t even have to pay for that. He’s all sorts of famous in this country.”

“Your dad?”

“Uh huh. Him too. My first car was a Mercedes. Mom tried to talk him out of it. Dad said I was the only one responsible enough to get one. Lucie had to have a BMW.”

“Say that sentence back.” David teases.

“They’re not the same.” Mack holds her hands up. “Like Chevy and Ford.” David snorts.

“Also not the same. Your family is like.. royalty in one of the world’s most expensive countries.” Mack looks at him, contemplating. Then turns away without acknowledging that. What is she supposed to say? He isn’t wrong, but it’s weird to admit to.

Instead, she smiles at her aunt and uncle’s approach.

“This is my Auntie Em.” Mack introduces David to her aunt. 

“Oh! Hi! It’s so nice finally meeting Mackie’s boyfriend. You look better like this. You know, when you’re not hurting my kid.” David pauses, mouth dropped open preparing to greet her. He laughs sheepishly.

“It was an accident. I…” He laughs again nervously, looking over at Mack.

“Honey, I’m kidding.” Emma teases. Her lips tilt up in a sly smile, then she pats his chest. 

“Oh good.” David sighs in relief as she continues striding past him to greet Lucie and Connor. Timo continues on with his wife after giving David a firm handshake.

“Isn’t she something?” Mack smirks. Behind her parents, Liv Meier hustles forward with Luca Fiala on her arm.

“Yeah. We all want to be her when we grow up.” Liv chuckles as she comes up to the two of them, wrapping her arms around Mack. 

“Oh, Hi, Livia.” Mack drawls. “Look at you. You’re stunning. And sooooo blonde!? I love it!” 

“Thank you! I just got a touch up from Auntie.” She shakes the long, blonde waves that are cascading down her back. “I feel like we got the exact blonde I wanted.”

“It looks great. You look so much like Auntie Em. Wow.”

“The best compliment!” Liv giggles. “Hi David, it’s so good to finally see you!” She goes to hug him.

“Oh my god, I forgot you two haven’t actually met in person.” Mack and Liv have done plenty of FaceTimes that David has participated in. But the schedules of Liv being in New York and David or Mack too have not lined up at all.

“I feel like we have though.” David smiles, hugging Liv as Mack greets Luca.

“Hey, good to see you, man.” Luca extends his hand to David. “For the record, loved the hit.” 

“Shhhhhh.” David shushes Luca. “I do not wanna upset Mama Meier.”

“Lio should be thanking you for that hit. Fixed his whole damn life after that.” Mack insists. David places a hand on Mack’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. He loves when she stands up for him. 

“Shall we?” Luca asks, extending his hand forward. The four of them walk up into the restaurant, finding their large family chatting in a private room. Stella is in Nico’s arms, pointing at all the pictures on the wall, making up names for the Swiss Alps peaks together. Lexi and Emma are catching up. Lio and Timo drink whiskeys together, listening to Savannah tell an animated story. Lucie and Connor are whispering to each other, lost in their own word as per usual. The twins are out on the balcony with glasses of wine, checking out their options for the night, Mack is sure.

Liv and Luca head towards the bar with Mack and David. The boys grab beers while Liv and Mack decide on martinis. 

“So how are you doing?” Mack asks Liv as they wait for their drinks. Luca and David dove immediately into shop talk about the latest trade rumors and free agency rumblings. 

“Good. Ready to be done with Grad school and this book.”

“Our little overachiever.”

“You should talk. Ms. youngest ever to be nominated for Travel Writer of the Year.”

“I didn’t win.” Mack shrugs.

“Yeah, but you were in the conversation. That’s huge, Mackie.”

“Yuck, I don’t want to talk about me. What about your new book? When can I read it?”

“Oh! Speaking of, I was going to ask, will you be one of my reviewers?!” 

“Yes! Oh my god, yes!” Mack grabs Liv’s forearm, squeezing and grinning excitedly. 

“Okay, perfect! I thought, since I get to do whatever I want without a dumb team telling me what to do… it would be so fun to have you on the back cover with a review.”

“I am so excited. Yes. Absolutely.” 

“Okay but it is a romance. You have to like.. try to like it.”

“Stop.” Mack snorts. “I have a man now. I’m not jaded.” Mack strokes her hand down David’s chest. He looks at her, then smiles, running his hand along her lower back to hold her while him and Luca continue discussing.

“Careful… You look too happy.” Liv winks at her cousin. “I’m thrilled for you.” She whispers quietly. “Love looks good on you.” Mack sighs happily, dragging her cousin into a big hug.

“Learning from the best.” Mack bats her lashes dramatically. “Your parents.” Mack finishes, when she sees her aunt and uncle smooching like teenagers outside. “Look at them.”

“No, they are disgustingly in love. Just be like.. demure instead.”

“Big word!” Mack exclaims. “Okay, I am going to grab this drink and my man and take him outside so he can see the view while the sun is still kind of out.”

“Yes, go.” Liv grabs her drink too.

“Come with me?” Mack asks David, sliding her hand into his free one. They both step outside onto the terrace. Mack sighs immediately at how gorgeous the view is. The sunsets here are so unique and breathtaking. It’s like nothing else has been able to compare and she has seen sunsets all over the world. But this is still her favorite one. 

“Wow.” David whispers. He grabs her hips, pinning her between him and the railing so they can hold each other while taking it all in. The cold glass of David’s beer rests on her forearm. Mack’s eyes scan along the horizon, drinking in the jagged peaks of the Alps. Sometimes, its hard for her to believe this is real, that she got to live and grow up in such a magical place. “How did you leave this place?” He asks her. 

“Sometimes you have to leave to appreciate where you come from. I was at that point.” Mack murmurs back to him. She takes another sip of her drink. “As you’ve probably noticed, everyone in this town knows me.”

“Mhm.”

“I wanted to be anonymous for once in my life. What better place to do that than in New York.”

“Would you move back here?”

“I might. When I’m older and feel like I want a slower life. Would you come with me?”

“Hell yeah. I’d sell the farm and we could buy some land here. Figure out how to make stuff grow…” He trails off dreamily. 

“Always a farmer.”

“Yeah, honey. It’s how I grew up. How I made the farm work too. I knew enough to get by, but when my dad died, that responsibility pushed me to figure out how to make it all successful, not just get by.”

“You’ve done a great job.”

“I’m not fishing for compliments. Just saying.” He shrugs. He takes a long sip of his beer, then rests it back against her arm. “Figuring out alpine farming would be fun. Good retirement plan.” He smirks against her temple, then kisses her there.

Mack has no plans to move back to Switzerland, but knowing David would live here after only a two day taste has her feeling content.

When the lighting of the sunset dims, Mack and David walk back into the restaurant with linked fingers. The warm summer breeze swirls Mack’s hair around as she takes in her family. She loves them. They’re a loud, crazy, hilarious bunch, but they are hers. She loves how David already fits in like a missing piece of them that found it’s way back home. Dinner is served, wine is poured, and laughs are shared all around. The usual suspects are made fun of- Lio and the twins. Everyone swoons when Sophie talks and then grows quiet when Nico speaks.

The dynamics are there, even with Lucie and Connor who disappear during dinner for awhile. Lucie comes back looking way too put together, almost purposefully. Mack catches her eye and shakes her head. David squeezes her thigh under the table. Dessert is decadent chocolate mousse that has David’s eyes rolling back into his head.

“The best.” Mack tells him. He nods.

“Yeah. American chocolate sucks.”

The Swiss at the table cheer proudly. “Okay, he can stay in the family!” Sophie yells.

“Thanks, Soph.” David smiles at Mack when he says it. Mack threads her fingers over his hair then pulls him in for a kiss while everyone watches. David cups her cheek, moving his lips against hers as everyone cheers. 

“To family.” Nico raises his glass. “Proscht!”

The room fills with clinking glasses. Mack and David clinks theirs together too. 

Proscht, indeed.

- - - & - - -

Two weeks into being home with David and Mack is more relaxed than she has ever been in recent memory. There is nowhere to go, nowhere to run off to. Everyone she wants to see is here and everything else can wait. 

Beneath the mountain sun, she lays out in a chaise, quietly reading a book while the boys are bopping around in the lake. Stella is learning how to swim with her dad while Lio and David cheer her on from beside him.

“That’s it Stell!” Connor cheers as she rushes towards him. Mack glances up, seeing the flailing arms and legs of her niece. It looks less like swimming and more like drowning to her. But Connor’s arms wrap around the little girl’s body, pulling her up and out. Stella’s hair is slicked across her face, held over her cheeks by the pink, sparkly goggles she has on.

“Good job!” Lucie cheers from next to Mack. “I’m trying to let go of all my anxiousness, but it’s a little hard.” Lucie sighs to Mack. She scratches at her cheeks then takes another sip of the mocktail she made earlier in the day. 

“Connor has her.”

“I know. It’s just…” Lucie shakes her head. “Hard with my pre-birth anxiety.” 

“I can see that.” Mack acknowledges. Although she isn’t pregnant and doesn’t plan to be, she can certainly see how life-changing moments like pregnancy and birth can alter your brain chemistry and world outlook. Lucie waves at Connor and Stella in the lake.

“Mom! Did you see!?”

“I did, baby! Good job!” She yells down again. “Where is Soph?” Lucie asks Mack. “I thought she was supposed to be back by now?”

“I think they were boating to town for lunch, then she would be back.”

“Oh. She better not be on a boat with someone who is drinking and driving.”

“Really?” Mack purses her lips. “Like you never got into a boat with Lio after he had been drinking.”

“I was dumb. She is smarter than me.” Lucie insists.

“I don’t think anyone is smart at 19.” Mack reminds her. Lucie sighs. 

“I’m going inside. I need a break from life.”

“Okay.” Mack waves to her, then settles back into her book. 

Mack gets through several more chapters of her book before the group in the lake gets tired from swimming lessons. David comes to sit in Lucie’s vacated chair while Connor heads inside to grab Stella a well-earned snack. Lio and Savannah disappear down to the dock to join Liv and Luca there.

“That was super fun.” David sighs. “She really got the hang of it at the end.”

“She has the best coaches and hype boys down there.” Mack smiles, putting a book mark in her book then closing it. 

“Stella is such a firecracker. I love it. At one point, she sucked up some water and we were like ‘take a break!’. She refused. Just said ‘again’ and cruised right through that water to try again.” 

“She worked up an appetite too.” 

“Oh yeah. Needed a jelly sandwich.” David grabs one of Mack’s ankles, bringing her foot into his lap so he can massage it for her. “How is your book?”

“Good.” She smiles.

“Let me guess you’ve read it like 20 times?”

“Yeah and it get better every time.” She grins at him.

“My girl hates surprises.” He chuckles. 

“Yep.” She strokes her big toe down the center of his abs. She then lets it skirt over the ties of his board shorts before resting it back on his thigh. David licks his lips, slowly looking over at her. His green eyes sparkle, a slight smirk lifting a corner of his mouth up. It’s a warning. Mack purses her lips and looks away.

“I’m going to head inside.”

“Will you be back?” He asks. 

“Yeah I feel like I need a snack and a bathroom break.”

“Okay.” David releases her foot. Mack slides it from his lap then stands. She stretched her arms high into the sky, shaking her head at the way her boyfriends eyes are clearly on her boobs.

“Obvious.”

“Not trying to hide it, honey.” He says, leaning back in his chair.

Mack walks in through the sliding glass door, smiling as Stella has jelly smeared all over her face.

“Grape!” She exclaims, holding a half eaten portion out to her.

“Ooo, looks good.” Mack tickles here wet, ruffle covered belly then goes the the fridge to grab a sparkling water. She cracks the bottle open then glugs down a few sips.

“Okay, are we ready to go back out?” Connor asks his daughter. “Maybe do some back flutters this time?”

“I’ll come with babe!” Lucie calls from the living room.

Mack smiles, watching the Woods gather one another then head back out into the lake. The house is quiet, everyone out enjoying the hot summer sun. Mack leaves her water bottle on the counter, then heads upstairs to the guest bathroom. She quickly does her business, then washes her hands. After, she fixes her pony tail and double checks her sunscreen coverage still looks good on her face. She should probably grab a hat while she is inside.

The thought barely gets across her mind as she opens the door. Outside the bathroom, her boyfriend sits, bare-chested, board shorts swelling with a glint in his green eyes. Oh.

“What are you doing?” Mack asks as he steps forward. His hands on her hips push her back into the bathroom. He shuts the door, flipping the lock.

“I don’t trust Stella.” He explains. Mack closes her eyes, laughing and nodding her head. True.

“Bend over that counter.” He points to her. Mack scans his face, beginning to drip into her bikini bottoms with how damn possessed he looks. 

“That one?” She asks, jerking her hand over her shoulder. David turns her shoulders, then forces her to bend over the counter. Mack exhales in surprise. “Okay…” She laughs, then pulls her hair over one shoulder. She looks up in the mirror at him. “Now what?” David smirks at her.

“Your dad followed me into the house.” He tells her as he grabs the edges of her bottoms. Mack stills. She glances towards the door as the cloth falls to her ankles. “He thinks you’re the tamest daughter. The non-chaotic one who would never do something like beg her boyfriend to fuck her in the bathroom while he’s downstairs.”

His fingers glide over her puffy lips, gliding to her entrance to gather up her wetness then spread it across her sex. Mack swallows her moan, keeping her face neutral.

“I don’t know if I want it right now?” She tilts her head, challenging. David raises his eyebrows at her. He begins to undo the ties on his swim trunks, making Mack’s eyes lower with pleasure. 

“You don’t want this?” He asks, gathering his hard erection in his hand. He strokes her core with his swollen head. Mack sways from pleasure but shakes her head no. She breaks eye contact when she does this. David grabs her face, squeezing her cheeks for her to open her eyes. Her lashes flutter as she does, looking almost innocent in the mirror. “Say it again.” He eases just the tip of his cock into her. Mack tries to close her eyes and David squeezes her cheeks harder. “Baby. I asked you to do something for me.”

Mack sags into his body, causing her to swallow more of his shaft. David pulls out of her, letting the hardness slap against her outer lips as he waits for her answer. 

“I want it.” She moans as his fingers twirl her clit. 

“Yeah. Beg.”

“Please, I want your cock.” She whispers. She turns away from their reflection in the mirror to look at him. He leans down, kissing her lips, devouring her mouth like she is his lunch. 

Then he grips his shaft, rolling himself through her slit once, before plunging in. 

In her haze, Mack completely forgot about David’s statement.

Her dad came in with him. 

It isn’t until she is two minutes into getting fucked on the bathroom counter that it hits her. The handles of the cabinets bite into her thighs and knees. David brings her up on her tip toes to get better leverage. Then footsteps hit the stairs.

“Shit.” Mack whispers, reaching back to stop David’s thrusts into her. David looks at her in the mirror, then shakes his head. He leans more forward over her back and fucks deeper into her. The sounds fills the echoing bathroom and Mack shakes her head at him in the mirror. David stops, seeing her clear panic and discomfort.

“Trust me?” He asks her, slowly puling out then pushing back in. The elicit allure of pleasure blurs rational thought from her brain. Mack can only describe what happens next as pure insanity. She nods that he can continue. Then David puts his foot up on the toilet lid before pushes her down onto the counter again. He brings her hand to his balls to keep them from thrashing against her skin. Now his long, deep strokes hit into her without any crude clapping. Her ass nudges against his inner thigh and abdomen instead, allowing deep thrusts but eliminating the risk of being heard.

Mack clenches around him, shoving her mouth into her forearm. She bites down hard as her breasts sway into the cool marble from David’s hard fucks into her. He brings a hand to her neck, close to her shoulder, pulling her back onto his thick cock.

“Shhhh.” He mouths to her in the mirror when she looks up at him.

The closet door by the bathroom opens, they can hear rummaging around. Mack bites her lip, eyebrows squiggling together as she holds back a deep, primal moan.

“Good girl.” He mouths to her, barely audible.

The closet door shuts and the footsteps lead back towards the stairs, clomping down them. 

Once the coast is clear, David begins to fuck harder into her, long, strokes while his hands move to cup her breasts. He massages them, tweaking her nipples as he connects his chest with her back.

“Baby watch me make you cum in that mirror.” He demands. He grips her chin, forcing her gaze back in front of her.

Mack raises her brown eyes to him and watches. There, she sees every dip and curve of his hips as he fucks her pussy. She sighs, collapsing into his thrusts, letting his hands maneuver her body to get them both to their high. When she is close, he keeps that demanding pace, licking his lips, hips dipping down to get her at a better angle. His head rubs at her walls in a delicious tease that has Mack coming around him. He fucks her through her orgasm, keeping a tight grip on her hips as he takes what he needs.

He slams into her three more times, hard, unforgiving, then spills into her core. His hips smoosh her ass, forcing her stomach into the counter uncomfortably. The view of his face as he comes has Mack’s muscles fluttering around him again. She exhales a groan, holding his ass so he stays deeply buried inside of her. When he opens his soft green eyes to take her in, she clenches her walls around him again. David grins at her, then cups her ass, giving it a demanding squeeze. David presses his hips into her harder, then rolls her hips against him. Mack squeezes again, David bites his lip then hisses at the overstimulation.

“Fuck.”

David pulls out of Mack, bringing with him a glob of his cum. He grabs toilet paper, wiping it off, then goes to her used, puffy lips. He cleans her off as best he can, before pulling her bikini bottoms back into place. He tucks himself back into his shorts, then grabs Mack’s hips, holding on to her as he sighs.

“Better and better every time. I swear.”

“Yeah, cause you’re a freak in this house.” She chuckles. Her and David have had a great sex life since the beginning, but he has been almost insatiable since they’ve arrived in Switzerland. He shrugs.

“Something about you here has me hooked even more than usual.” Mack stands back up to her full height. David’s hands move to wrap around her stomach, holding her close. His big hands completely cover her abdomen, making Mack’s insides fill with butterflies. He stares at her in the mirror then turns to kiss her head. 

“I love you.” Mack tells him. “I don’t want to share you anymore. Let’s go take a nap.” Mack flips her hair back over her shoulder. “You can hold me and kiss me and love on me again when we wake up later.” David smiles.

“Sounds like Heaven.” 

Mack goes to the door, unflipping the lock then glancing both ways. When it’s clear, she pushes David out into the hallway. He laughs at how guilty she looks tiptoeing back to her room. She leans against the door, sighing in relief at not being caught.

“Now that I’m not dizzy from your dick, I will literally die if he heard us.”

“He didn’t hear anything.” David assures her. He has no idea, clearly, but Mack finds it adorable that he wants to ease her worries. “If he did, I’ll take the blame. Let him hate me so you can stay perfect in his eyes.”

“My dad definitely doesn’t think I’m perfect.” Mack crawls into bed next to him after changing into a pair of athletic shorts. David collects her to his chest immediately. 

“You’re perfect to me, honey.”

David rubs her hair.

Mack rubs his stomach.

Then they do the best thing you can on a summer vacation, fall asleep in a warm cocoon of love.

- - - & - - -

(David)

Exhausted from swimming in the lake all day, Mackenzie Hischier lays curled up into a perfect ball in her boyfriend’s lap. David strokes his hand along her back, careful to keep an even rhythm so she doesn’t wake up. She’s been fighting a nap all day after he kept her up most of the night. It wouldn’t be fair for him to wake up her again when she’s finally getting some good sleep. So slow, continuous strokes over her sweatshirt are what he does.

David has loved everything about Switzerland, but there is something sinfully sexy about fucking Mack in her childhood bedroom. He can’t get enough of it. He’s never been one to wake her up multiple nights in a row, for multiple rounds, but here he is, doing it for almost an entire month. He loves her soft moans, loves the way she bites onto the meat of his palm to stay quiet, loves knowing no one else has ever had her in that room before. Not even her dipshit college “boyfriend” who couldn’t find her clit.

What a fucking idiot. David finds himself quietly scoffing and shaking his head. He blinks away his thoughts, then adjusts Mack a bit on his thigh where her hip bone is digging into him. He tilts his head down to look at her face. Her lips are split apart and the left side of her nose squishes slightly up on his chest. He smiles down at her, loving how comfortable she is here with him. When he raises his gaze back to the room, he catches Nico Hischier studying them. David double checks his hands are in appropriate places on Nico’s daughter then gives him a nod. Nico nods back, a sign of acceptance, then turns back to the TV where a movie plays out.

David hopes to catch Nico and Lexi tonight without Mack hovering around the corner. He thinks she might finally be tired enough to go to bed first. David’s chest starts to pound a little harder in his chest at the thought of the conversation he needs to have with his girlfriend’s parents. He knows they like him, but hopes the last four weeks they’ve spent here has them completely comfortable with giving him permission to marry their daughter.

He can’t imagine life without Mack. She stormed into his life all hot and bothered, overstimulated and under appreciated. He’s gathered her up in the midst of all that and soothed those out of control parts of her by loving her so well. He knows her parents can see that, hell Nico is looking over at them again seeing it in real time. Mack finds David safe and comfortable. No one has ever been able to hold her free and kept at the same time. 

David vows to be the only one to do that. Ever.

After her parents give their blessing.

The movie ends and Sophie’s loud yawning makes Mack startle awake. She sighs, gripping David’s sweatshirt tighter. He kisses her head, then begins to work his grip around her back and under her knees.

“Ready?” He asks her. She nods. David stands with her in his arms, carrying her up the stairs to her room. He lays her on the queen sized bed, filled with a deep purple comforter adorned with ruffles. It’s so moody but girly, just like her. He can imagine her laying on this bed as a teenager, head phones in, book in front of her face as she ignored her dad’s second call for dinner.

“I’m gonna grab some water for us. I’ll be back.” He murmurs to her. Mack doesn’t even hear him. She’s already fallen back to sleep tucked into her sheets. 

David won’t wake her up tonight. It’s clear she needs the sleep.

Quietly, he tip toes out of the room. Lucie and Connor are saying their goodbyes with a sleeping Stella in her father’s arms. Nico smoothes the little girls curls down, then kisses her cheek gently.

“Goodbye, sweets. We will see you back home okay?” Nico assures the little girl. She nods sleepily in response, then yawns.

“Bye. See you for Fall break.” Sophie hugs the two adults, then skirts around everyone to go up to her room. David nods to Lucie and Connor.

“See you tomorrow at the airport.” He acknowledges them. They’re all heading back to New York on the same flight. Then Connor and Lucie will be heading to Massachusetts while Mack and David jet to Iowa.

Nico and Lexi walk the family out of the house to the car. David waits leaning against the wall in the entry way. He glances over his shoulder, listening for sounds of Mack, but hearing none. Even Sophie has gotten quiet upstairs. The two parents walk back into the big house holding hands. 

“Hey, I’m sorry to ah, pounce on you right at the end of the night, but I was hoping we could talk?”

“Sure.” Lexi nods, motioning with her hand back to the living room. David leads the way, sitting back in the chair him and Mack had been in earlier while her parents take the couch. He leans forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. 

“What’s up?” Nico asks, a slight smile on his face. David smiles back, breathing out heavily as he glances at the pictures on the wall. There are several of Mack when she was younger with varying faces. One in particular he loves because she’s sticking her tongue out while crossing her eyes. She’s carefree like children are and he brings that same looseness out in her as an adult.

“To start, I want to say thank you for letting me stay here with your family. I have really enjoyed my time here. You two have welcomed me here, and into the family, without any reservations. You knew me before as Connor’s teammate but my on-ice personality is a little different than who I am off the ice. I know with your career, you understand that.” Nico chuckles and nods. 

“Um, every time I try to get the words together to describe what Mack means to me, I fail miserably, but I’m gonna try to get this right for you two. Simply put, I love her. Unconditionally. With every fiber of who I am, I love your daughter. Every single thing about her, even the parts of herself that she desperately tries to change because she thinks they aren’t good enough for the world. She’s moody, inconsistent, always wanting to run around the world and be anywhere but home. And I love it.”

“Mack can certainly be a little complex.” Lexi acknowledges as the three of them chuckle at David’s description of her.

“I hear you, but not to me. I see her. I know her. I hear her. I heard her when she ran in January. And I heard her when she came back to me too. That doesn’t scare me. I know she needs to go sometimes. She needs to be free to feel and grow and come to terms with what she probably already knows.  I’m never gonna cage her in. She will always know freedom and space while also having a home with me.” Lexi rolls her lips together, pursing them as her eyes fill with tears.

Nico brings his clasped hands to his lips, pressing into them until they turn white from the pressure. David swallows hard. How is this going? Is it going good? He can’t fucking read them. 

“I hope that what you’ve seen of me in this last four weeks has you believing my words and intentions with her. I want Mack to be my wife. I want to come home, take care of her, love her and support her. I want to have dreams and goals with her that we make come true in our own way- a mix of my grit and her creativity. So…” He trials off, reaching into the inner pocket of his sweatpants where he zipped the ring earlier. He pulls it out between his thumb and pointer finger. “With your blessing, I would really like to marry your daughter.” 

“Wow.” Lexi practically hiccups. She looks over at Nico who nods with his eyes closed. “Yeah.” Lexi brings her hands up to her eyes. She wipes her fingers under them then reaches for the ring. “Can I?” 

“Of course.” David hands it over to her. Lexi holds it delicately in her fingers, turning it every which way as the light collects in the diamonds.

“I don’t think… we ever really saw this for Mack.” Lexi acknowledges. 

“Yeah.” Nico clears his throat. “Mack just… never wanted to be in love. I think she was that way when you first met her too.” David nods. 

“Spicy when she doesn’t like how things make her feel.”

“Mhm.” Nico nods. He scratches at his forehead, then continues. “As a parent, all you want is for your kids to be happy. We were happy if Mack was happy. When Mack came home this winter, she was not happy. She was miserable. And even in those tough moments in the cabin with her, she loved you. She loved you enough to try to decide for you that you deserved better.” David shakes his head, smiling as he does it.

“Crazy.” 

“Yeah, well you’re the one signing up for a lifetime left of that.” 

“Can’t wait.” David beams. Nico chuckles.

“I believe that. Lex and I were talking the other night how good you are at loving her. It’s been a long time since we have seen Mack so comfortable in who she is and her roller coaster. She fights it a lot. She doesn’t like the parts of her that are out of control. But those parts aren’t so scary for her when she’s with you. She embraces them, lets them show and then pass because she’s safe with you. We can’t thank you enough for that. For loving her so completely that she doesn’t want to run anymore.” Lexi hands the ring over to Nico. He looks it over for a moment, then holds it in the air towards David. “She’s going to love that.”

“Yeah, she is.” David agrees.

“I know we don’t know your parents and truthfully, Lexi and I are sad about that as I’m sure you are too. But they would be very proud of the man you have become.” David stills, feeling tightness grip his throat. “They raised a strong, caring, empathetic person who works his ass off for the people he loves. Mack is lucky to be one of those people.” 

“Thanks.” David clears his throat. “That means a lot coming from you.” 

“You’re our kid now.” Lexi nods her head along with Nico. “And we love you.” 

“Big time.” Nico acknowledges. 

The three of them stand. Hugs are shared all around, then David dismisses himself to join Mack for bed. They have an early morning tomorrow. As David climbs back up the stairs, he sneaks a look over his shoulder at Nico and Lexi hugging each other. He grins as he walks down the hall.

David is finally going to get his family after all.

Read more Mack and David here.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Billboard project

* * * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 6, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Sep 07, 2024

One of the things that came to light on Wednesday, in the paperwork the Justice Department unveiled to explain its seizure of 32 internet domains being used by Russian agents in foreign malign influence campaigns, was that the six right-wing U.S. influencers mentioned in the indictments of the Russian operatives are only the tip of the iceberg. 

Since at least 2022, three Russian companies working with the Kremlin have been trying to change foreign politics in a campaign they called “Doppelganger,” covertly spreading Russian government propaganda. “[F]irst and foremost,” notes from a meeting with Russian officials about targeting Germany read, “we need to discredit the USA, Great Britain, and NATO.” Through fake social media profiles, their operatives posed as Americans or other non-Russians, seeding public conversations with Russian propaganda.

In August 2023 they launched the “Good Old USA Project” to target swing-state residents, online gamers, American Jews, and “US citizens of Hispanic descent” to reelect Donald Trump. ​​"They are afraid of losing the American way of life and the ‘American dream,’” one of the propagandists wrote. “It is these sentiments that should be exploited in the course of an information campaign in/for the United States.” Using targeted ads on Facebook, they could see how their material was landing and use bots and trolls to push their narrative in comment sections. 

“In order for this work to be effective, you need to use a minimum of fake news and a maximum of realistic information,” the propagandists told their staff. “At the same time, you should continuously repeat that this is what is really happening, but the official media will never tell you about it or show it to you.”

According to the documents, one of the three companies, Social Design Agency (SDA), monitors and collects information about media organizations and social media influencers. It collected a list of 1,900 “anti-influencers,” whose accounts posted material SDA workers thought operated against Russian interests. About 26% of those accounts were based in the U.S. 

SDA also identified as pro-Russian influencers more than 2,800 people in 81 countries operating on various social media platforms like X, Facebook, and Telegram. Those influencers included “television and radio hosts, politicians, bloggers, journalists, businessmen, professors, think-tank analysts, veterans, professors, and comedians.” About 21% of those influencers were in the U.S. 

YouTube took down the Tenet Media Channels associated with the Justice Department’s indictments, and last night, Tenet Media abruptly shut down. In The Bulwark, Jonathan V. Last noted that the Tenet influencers maintain they were dupes, although they must have been aware that their paychecks were crazy high for the numbers of viewers they had. He asks if, knowing now that their gains are ill-gotten, they are going to give them to charity. 

Earlier this week, former Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson hosted Holocaust denier Darryl Cooper on his X show, where Cooper not only suggested that the death of more than six million Jews was an accidental result of poor planning, but also argued that British prime minister Winston Churchill, who stood firm against the expansion of fascist Germany in World War II, was the true villain of the war.

Cooper’s argument puts him squarely on the side of Russian president Vladimir Putin and Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, who insist that democracy undermines society. During the recent summer Olympics, Cooper posted on social media an image of Hitler in Paris alongside another of drag queens representing Greek gods at the Olympic opening ceremonies, an image some on the right thought made fun of the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples. “This may be putting it too crudely for some,” Cooper wrote, “but the picture [of Hitler in Paris] was infinitely preferable in virtually every way than the one on the right.” 

The idea that Churchill, not Hitler, is the villain of World War II means denying the fact of the Holocaust and defending the Nazis. It lands Carlson and Cooper in the same camp as those autocrats journalist Anne Applebaum notes are “making common cause with MAGA Republicans to discredit liberalism and freedom around the world.” Elon Musk promoted the interview, saying it was “very interesting,” and “worth watching,” before the backlash made him delete his post. The video has been viewed nearly 30 million times. 

Carlson told Lauren Irwin of The Hill that the Biden administration is made up of “warmonger freaks” who have “used the Churchill myth to bring our country closer to nuclear war than at any moment in history.” Carlson is on a 16-day speaking tour, on which he will interview Trump allies, including Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance and Donald Trump Jr. 

Trump today continued his effort to undermine the democratic American legal system in a “news conference” of more than 45 minutes, in which he took no questions. Although Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the election interference case in which a jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts, decided today to delay sentencing until November 26 to avoid any appearance that the court was trying to affect the 2024 election, Trump nonetheless launched an attack on the U.S. legal system and suggested the lawsuits against him were election interference. 

He spoke after he and his legal team were in court today to try to overturn a jury’s conclusion that he had sexually assaulted writer E. Jean Carroll, a decision that brought his judgments in the two cases she brought to around $90 million. He began with an attack on what he said was a new “Russia, Russia, Russia” hoax, and promised he had not “spoken to anybody from Russia in years.”

Aaron Rupar of Public Notice recorded what amounted to close to an hour of attacks on the American Justice Department and the laws of the country, and also on American women (he not only attacked Carroll, he brought up others of the roughly two dozen women who have accused him of sexual assault). He attempted to retry the Carroll case in the media, refuting the evidence the jury considered and suggesting that the photo of him and Carroll together was generated by AI, although it was published in 2019.

Attacking women was an interesting decision in light of the fact that he will need the votes of suburban women if he is to make up the ground he has lost to Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and vice presidential nominee Tim Walz.

For her part, former representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) appears to see this moment for what it is. Although a staunch Republican herself, she is urging conservative women to admit they’ve had enough. Referring to both Trump and Vance in a conversation sponsored by the Texas Tribune, she said: “This is my diplomatic way of saying it: They’re misogynistic pigs.” She assured listeners, quite accurately, that Trump “is not a conservative.” “Women around this country…we’ve had enough.” “These are not people that we can entrust with power again.” 

Her father, former vice president Dick Cheney, agreed that Trump “can never be trusted with power again” and announced today that he will be voting for Harris. “As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution. That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris,” he said. Eighty-eight business leaders also endorsed Harris today, including James Murdoch, an heir to the Murdoch family media empire. Citing Harris’s “policies that support the rule of law, stability, and a sound business environment,” they said in a public letter, “the best way to support the continued strength, security, and reliability of our democracy and economy” is by electing Harris president.​​

Meanwhile, at his event with Sean Hannity of the Fox News Channel yesterday, Trump embraced the key element of Project 2025 that calls for a dictatorial leader to take over the U.S. That document maintains that “personnel is policy” and that the way to achieve all that the Christian nationalists want is to fire the nonpartisan civil servants currently in place and put their own people into office. Trump has tried hard to distance himself from Project 2025, but last night he said the way to run the government is to “get the right people. You put the right person and the right group of people at the heads of these massive agencies, you’re going to have tremendous success, and I know now the people, and I know them better than anybody would know them.”       

One of those people appears to be X owner Elon Musk, whom Trump has promised to put at the head of an “efficiency” commission to audit the U.S. government. 

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln, then a candidate for the Senate, warned that the arguments against democracy and in favor of a few people dominating the rest were always the same. In his era, it was enslavers saying some people were better than others. But, he said, those were the same arguments “that kings have made for enslaving the people in all ages of the world…. Turn in whatever way you will—whether it come from the mouth of a King, an excuse for enslaving the people of his country, or from the mouth of men of one race as a reason for enslaving the men of another race, it is all the same old serpent.” 

In our era, Indiana Jones said it best in The Last Crusade: “Nazis. I hate these guys.” 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Nellie Bowles

→ Hard right goes White Genocide: The right-wing brand of antisemitism is people saying something to the effect of: Jews hate white people. And we’re seeing that a lot right now, all of a sudden, in very mainstream places. 

Let’s start with The Daily Wire: Candace Owens, a charismatic black conservative, has been harshly critical of Israel. Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro, an observant Jew, was recorded at a private event saying her rhetoric was “absolutely disgraceful.” Candace Owens then posted: “You cannot serve both God and money. Christ is King.” Okay. Random time to bring that up, but okay? 

Then Candace went on former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson’s new online show. And there, things got weirder. Here’s Tucker Carlson admonishing the Jewish philanthropists who are now refusing to donate to Ivy League schools. Those donors are put off by the woke antisemitism, but Carlson is mad they supported the modern Ivy League to begin with.

“I get why donors are mad. I have no problem with that at all. However, then I thought, well, wait a second, if the biggest donors at, say, Harvard, have decided well, we’re gonna shut it down now, where were you the last ten years when they were calling for white genocide? You were allowing this. And then I found myself really hating those people, actually. You’re okay with that? On what grounds were you okay with that? You were paying for it, actually. As you were calling my children immoral for their skin color. You paid for that. So why shouldn’t I be mad at you? I don’t understand.”

Candace Owens replies: “And obviously, you have a ton of white people that are asking that question, and they’re being called antisemitic, and I think that’s wrong. I think these are meaningful questions that deserve to be answered.” 

Adding to the chorus now is Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter/X. First, a random Twitter user responded to a prompt about what Hitler got right (I wish I was kidding) and wrote the following: “Jewish communities have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them. I’m deeply disinterested in giving the tiniest shit now about western Jewish populations coming to the disturbing realization that those hordes of minorities that support flooding their country don’t exactly like them too much.” Then Elon Musk himself responded to that random user, writing simply: “You have said the actual truth.” 

And then here’s Charlie Kirk, founder of conservative youth group Turning Point USA, defending Musk: “It is true that some of the largest financiers of left-wing antiwhite causes have been Jewish Americans.” It’s not news that American Jews tend to be liberal. What’s being implied now (and in some cases said quite out loud) is something different, a deep and old conspiracy. And everyone toying with it knows that.

America: we’ve got it all. We’ve got Soviet antisemitism against Israel and Jewish particularity; we’ve got right-wing antisemitism around the question of do Jews want to kill white people and also are they white or what? The gang’s back together. And Jews are screwed.

→ Recess jihad: A Brooklyn parent group has been organizing students to protest the war. The teachers are on board. And so we have scenes out of Brooklyn this week of 700 students from some 100 schools marching, yelling pro-peace slogans like “Fuck the Jews.” Or there’s this great call and response the kids were doing as they marched. Call: Takbir! Response: Allahu Akbar! The kids stopped by some Jewish-owned businesses and did their chants. It was organized by the official parent advisory board, which is funded by taxpayers. I used to think “children are the future” was a hopeful phrase. . . anyway. Takbir! 

→ This man was almost the UK’s prime minister: This week, longtime Labor Party star Jeremy Corbyn refused to call Hamas a terror group, even as a very assertive Piers Morgan pushed him. It’s fun TV to watch because Morgan asked and asked (14 times!) and Corbyn refused, got mad, and eventually just crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. 

But we already know the answer. Here’s Jeremy Corbyn in 2009: “Tomorrow evening it will be my pleasure and my honor to host an event in Parliament where our friends from Hezbollah will be speaking. I’ve also invited friends from Hamas to come and speak as well. . . . the idea that an organization that is dedicated towards the good of the Palestinian people and bringing about long-term peace and social justice and political justice in the whole region should be labeled as a terrorist organization by the British government is really a big, big historical mistake.” 

Kumbahezbollah. 

And this week Corbyn’s brother, former politician Piers Corbyn, called October 7 a “false flag” operation. “The whole thing, whatever happened, was done with the connivance of the government of Israel or they used what happened as a pretext, it was a prepared thing. . . . It was a false flag operation. . . . A bit like Pearl Harbor.” Just like Pearl Harbor. Looks like brother Corbyn has been watching a little too much TikTok. 

In America, presidential candidate and professor Cornel West said this week that the Hamas terrorists were love warriors: “We dish out love warriors and freedom fighters every generation, which means that we stand in solidarity with anybody who’s occupied.” 

[calciumdeficientt]

oh my god please make some headcanons on nerds.. Thad Carlson..

Ohohoho I’ve been waiting for this one. Sat in my hovel rubbing my greasy little hands together waiting for a nerds request. Uuuuuuugh neeerds i love you nerds.

THAD CARLSON HCS

Holds the little bit of height that he has over Dan up as much has humanly possible. It’s all he has since his brother abandoned him to go warm the benches for the actually decent football players. Yeah he may be stereotypically cool now but who’s above average in both IQ and height DAN? That’s right. Its Thad.

Started the yardstick craze amongst the nerds, it began when he would slap one on the desks after the people he was tutoring inevitably fell asleep out of pure boredom -his teaching style is very much just shut up and listen while I recount the entire lesson verbatim. Then eventually he found that the sticks were pretty sturdy and good to use when fending off bullies or playing Star Wars outside of the library after all their lightsabers were confiscated due to the events of … the Bucky incident.

Thad is the nerd that’s least bothered about G&G. It’s not that he doesn’t care for it at all, he’s just less interested in high fantasy than the others. If he had it his way, their campaign would be on a shuttle fighting interdimensional space lizards and not picking mushrooms and befriending gnomes in the woods. He’s a total sci-fi freak, he’ll take literally anything he can get. Star Trek, Star Wars, the twilight zone, the x-files… so on and so forth. If he was a bit tougher i could see him really vibing with Tom about the grittier, more horror centric sci -fi classics like Alien and the thing. But alas, Thad and Tom are just acquaintances, in the sense that Thad is acquaintances with Tom’s knuckles and his firm grip on the waistband of his underpants before he gets wedgied so hard he sees the dark souls death screen.

He’s always had the lisp, it just got worse when he got his braces. For the first two years of bullworth he had headgear, which made him more of a target than any other nerd, he was glad to get it off but it was all for nothing. He still gets called metalhead, even though the metal is just on the inside of his mouth now. Thad had many many sessions of speech therapy as a kid to try and curb the lisping habit but it just didn’t work. He’s doomed to always say “thizzle thizzle thizzle”

Thad is very nearsighted, the lenses in his glasses are like the bottoms of milk bottles, if he was in a pinch they could definitely be used as a pretty stellar weapon. They don’t crack very easy which is good considering the amount of abuse they’re subjected to every day. He is usually able to buff out the scratches and still be able to see pretty well, but he has a few spare pairs in case of swirlies and other more unsanitary uses for his frames. He soaks the affected pair in disinfectant and wears a spare pair for the duration of the day. Once he’s out of pairs he just sort of shuffles around the school all squinty like Jimmy. This makes him all the more susceptible to bullies, so if he can help it he’ll cower in the library until classes are over, he’s always three lessons ahead anyway.

Has the most bomb music taste ever ( he mentions Elvis Costello in a voice line and real recognises real.). Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, The Smashing Pumpkins, Oingo Boingo. He’s got them all on tape, CD and on vinyl too. (Just you wait little buddy they’re gonna be back in fashion soon) one halloween he dressed up as Adam Ant from the Prince Charming album cover. That was until he was chased back into the dorm by the Jocks. Don’t fret babygirl they just weren’t ready for you yet.

[eretzyisrael]

by Isaac Schorr

Much of the overtly antisemitic rhetoric and action across the West has been situated on the left, and conservatives have rightly pointed out as much, chalking up the deluge of hatred and wickedness on display to fallacious progressive theory.

But there is a cohort on the right complicit in this great reawakening of an ancient evil.

And that brings us back to Owens and Carlson.

The past few weeks have seen Owens repeat a series of blood libels.

In one breath, she’s implied the Israeli government is committing a genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In the next, she’s submitted that Jerusalem’s historic Muslim Quarter (population: 22,000) is a ghetto where the city’s Muslims (population: 350,000) are forced to live.

After being called out on her ignorant smears by her Daily Wire colleague Ben Shapiro, Owens responded on X.

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake,” wrote Owens, quoting the Book of Matthew’s fifth chapter.

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other,” she added.

“You cannot serve both God and money. Christ is King.”

And just like that, the mask clinging to her face by a thread fell off.

Shapiro, she argued without evidence and hardly any plausible deniability, had forsaken righteousness for wealth; is there a more textbook example of an antisemitic charge?

When Shapiro responded by reminding Owens she’s welcome to stop taking a paycheck from their company if it’s threatening her soul, Owens hid behind her Bible verse.

“You are utterly out of line for suggesting that I cannot quote biblical scripture,” she cried, affixing another performative “Christ is King” to her digital flop. 

Then on Wednesday night, Carlson released a fawning interview of Owens in which both professed not to know why Shapiro had criticized her in the first place. 

Carlson brought up the feud by playing the video of Shapiro “attacking” Owens stripped of all context.

When he asked Owens what might have inspired it, she insisted that “there isn’t much of a background” to it.

Later, Carlson said that while he was “horrified” by Hamas’ attack, he thought that “the emotional response” to it from “some commentators” was “disproportionate.”

[x-manson-annotated]

X-Manson Annotated Chapter 5 - Part Three: THE RAID.

This section has more worldbuilding and we get to be formally introduced to everyone's favorite guy:

*Thor and Wonder Man. Shame the poor bastard gets to see the fucked up cult his AU boyfriend is in. @brw sorry, champion. Thor, literal god exists in the cult au too.

**Looking at this, i'm going to take a stab at what he means by this:

Captain America, he's mentioned later.

Iron Man, also mentioned.

Vance Astro, directly recalls being there.

Firestar, also mentions being there.

Thor.

Wonder Man.

All and all, decent lineup. There's probably more, but i'm basing this purely on who's mentioned later. It's possible Black Widow or Spider-Woman are also there. I choose to think that Sersi and Crystal are also there because then they get to see horrors.

*Xavier's cult loves Independence Day?

**Damn, i wish i had updated things faster, it would have been slick to drop this on July 5th.

*Branding moment.

**That makes sense. The other psychics plus Cable probably made the math difficult on how many were present. Dani's absence makes me think that maybe she didn't count as one of the Psi's that kidnapped Betsy Braddock.

*That's so goddamn weird, what's the utility of that? Is it heating? It can't be.

*They found a bunch of fucking body parts in the school itself.

*I think that the Throne is the equivalent to Cerebro. Weird, culty, low budget cerebro.

**The Two kids are this Au's version of Nate Grey and Rachel Summers. Aint life grand?

**This only happened in 2021, but reading it now, I'm reminded of Amy Carlson or "Mother God" of the Love Has Won cult. She was also mummified and kept by her worshippers.

Hulk walk by @librabear . Link to the original post:

https://www.tumblr.com/librabear/121096092553/old-hulk-walk-cycle-i-did-about-3-years-ago-tried?source=share

**Hulk taking the "If it fits it works" approach to the situation.

*I'm not fully sure that tracks, but okay.

*Twelve Unknown Children.

*Eight Adults.

Jean Grey

Betsy Braddock

Unknown Arab Woman? (someone on the cerebro discord suggested this could be Monet St Croix. I don't buy it.)

Unknown Man 1.

Unkown Man 2.

Unkown Woman 1

Unkown Woman 2

Unkown Woman 3

Why is it the the only unknown woman singled out is the arab woman? The other three women are just hit with the blank "unknown woman" but not her? Who is she meant to be?

*God DAMN

*So horrifying it moves a literal god to tears.

**Vance is such a fucking cop, Scott was helpless and blinded and he hit him.

*Cop

*Then it's not solid Gold, Angie. You idiot.

**Vance Astrovik just hates autistic people, i think.

That's weird, I feel like the money probably came from Warren's companies. New Salem Investments and from people drawn to the cult by anti-mutant hysteria. Real cult shit.

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

House on Fire: Part Two

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.3k

Summary: Fire burns everything including energy, but when an unsub uses fire to murder dozens, you feel each and every one of those deaths.

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

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

x

The bar down the street was the target this time, and the fire department is putting the fire out when you arrive.

"This doesn't make sense. He should have been at the memorial. He shouldn't have been able to resist seeing the damage he'd done," Hotch sighs,

"Captain. Can I get a word?" Derek asks.

The captain excuses himself to explain what happened to your team.

"It started in the kitchen. It looks like he came around to the back and tossed a cocktail through the window."

"That's a different delivery system. That's a big deviance from his MO, but perfect for this location."

"I don't know. With a space this small, he shouldn't have been able to pour gasoline without being noticed. Nobody saw anything?" you ask.

"Witnesses say they heard an explosion."

"I guarantee he stuck around to watch."

This fire only claimed the lives of five victims, but because it's so fresh, their spirits still linger behind. Their sadness and anguish weigh heavily on your shoulders, but you try not to let it affect you. It's not real. I'm okay. I'm not really feeling this, myself. I'm going to be okay.

"The bar matches his previous locations. It's another local hot spot, but there were only five victims this time. Why lower the body count?"

You walk around to the back entrance and see there is a bolt and chain around the door so that people can't get out even if they tried. There is another bolt and chain on the front entrance, not allowing anyone to escape.

"This is something different. There are bolts and chains on both the front and back entrance. He really wanted to make sure nobody got out this time."

"Why bother? No one made it out of the other ones."

"Maybe he knew the fire department would show up sooner."

"Yeah, we're faster now," the fire captain says. "Practice makes perfect. What the hell difference does it make? What good are you guys doing for us? You see chains and figure he didn't want anyone to get out. I could have told you that."

"We're not criticizing anyone. Our job is to look at the same things you do but to try to see them from a different perspective," Rossi says.

"Sure," he scoffs.

"With all due respect, captain, you look at that chain and say the killer wanted to make sure nobody got out, right? We look at that chain and see a little bit more. This fire is different from the first one because he really didn't want anyone escaping, which means whoever was in this bar meant something to him. This fire matters more than the first, and this fire is going to help us catch the guy. If you're going to disrespect us, then you're not really needed here," you sass.

Hotch, Emily, and Chief Carlson make their way over to where you are as they talk.

"My father was chief here for over thirty years. In the last two weeks, I lost more folks than he did in his whole career."

"Chief, what do we know?"

"Only four of the victims have died. The bartender, Nancy, is still hanging on."

"How bad is she?"

"Pretty bad. She was unconscious when they took her."

"If we get a chance, we need to talk to her."

There is some commotion coming from the road, and you see Tina trying to make her way through the crowd. She isn't in her EMT uniform, so she must not have been on duty. The sheer panic on her face would not be there if she didn't have someone she loved in that fire.

"I was off duty. I heard it on the radio!"

"God, I'm sorry, Tina," the captain sighs.

"I just talked to him on the phone. He said he was coming home," she cries.

"Tina's fiance, Jason, owned the bar. He was inside when it all happened. When is it gonna stop?"

"Did you get anything?" Hotch asks you.

"Not spiritually, no. Though, it's a completely different MO than before. Assuming it's not a copycat, we know why the unsub wasn't at the funeral. Someone in that bar was more important to him than anything else."

"Morgan, call Garcia. Tell her we need to know absolutely everything there is to know about these five victims, and we need to know it now. I'll go tell Chief Carlson we want to talk to his officers."

Hotch walks away and Derek gets Penelope on speakerphone so you can hear their conversation.

"Hello?" Penelope sighs.

"Hey, how's Miss Smart and Sexy doing today?"

"Fair warning, cupcake. As much as I love you and our witty banter, I am all out of witty and banter and am struggling with love."

"What's wrong?" you ask.

"I am standing at the crossroads of thirty-one lives, and what I see is a train wreck. Do you want a little tour? This is what I mean. Flip Phillips beat his wife. It went on for years. Although you wouldn't know it if you looked at the police reports because that's one of the perks of being the Mayor. David Alexander sued his boss for five million dollars over something totally lame, and what makes it even more erotic is that he was sleeping with the Boss' daughter. Then there's this town councilwoman who had a terminally ill husband and three boyfriends under the age of twenty. I want to believe that the world is just teeming with awesome people, but all of this is giving me a great pause. I want to go back to cyberspace."

"I don't think it was fair for Hotch to ask that of you," you say. "We have someone who reads incredibly fast, and you could have sent over the files for me and Spencer to read."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Derek sighs, "but I got a few more names for you."

"Okay. Please tell me they're still alive."

"I wish I could do that, Garcia."

"Send over the names. I'll call back when I have something."

Since you know what kind of unsub you're dealing with, you're ready to give the profile out. This kind of unsub is a textbook arsonist, so it's not hard to put together a profile on him. Chief Carlson gathers his men and women to hear the profile.

"All of the first four fires--the convenience store, the restaurant, the rec center, and the movie theater--are indicative of a revenge arsonist. That's someone who's seeking retaliation for an injustice whether real or imagined."

"Revenge arsonists often target group headquarters such as churches or government buildings. This unsub has chosen local gathering places with large numbers of potential victims inside. It's clear to us that he's chosen to target this community as a whole. That tells us that the unsub is a local, someone who lives or grew up in Royal."

"But he feels like an outsider," Derek adds to what you said, "as if this community has wronged him in some type of way. These fires are just his way of striking back and trying to draw attention to himself."

"These fires not only killed innocent people, they also gave the unsub a sense of power over the community. Somehow those fires were lacking, though. They didn't exact the correct measure of punishment, attract enough attention, or attract the attention of the right person."

"So, with the bar fire, he didn't increase the number of victims. He reduced them. That's why the third fire is key. He's not striking out at the community as a whole anymore. He's now striking out at one or more individuals."

"You're sure it's the same guy?" Dan asks.

"The odds of another arsonist in a town this small are almost negligible," Spencer explains. "That's why we need to concentrate on these victims. These five will hold the key."

"So, all we gotta do is just figure out who would have wanted to hurt them," Chief Carlson says.

"It may not be that simple. This type of rage tends to stem from things that people keep buried, things they just don't talk about. Which is why we're gonna have to dig deeply."

"Understood."

Nancy, the bartender who survived the bar fire, is well enough for a few questions, and Hotch wants you and Rossi to go with him. If anyone will get anything out of her, it's you. She might not remember she knows something, which is where you come in. However, as soon as you see her through the window, tears start to well in your eyes. She is covered head to toe in what looks to be fourth-degree burns. She looks like she's in so much pain, and that breaks your heart.

"How is she?" Hotch asks the doctor.

"We couldn't even send her to the burn unit in Gary. It wouldn't have mattered."

"We'll be brief." You take one step closer to her room and let the tears fall freely. "You need to keep it together."

"I know," you sniffle and wipe your cheeks.

"Nancy? It's me. The FBI is here," the doctor says gently.

"Nancy, can you tell us what happened?"

"There was a crash, then everything exploded."

"What happened before that? Was there anything unusual or out of the ordinary? Did anyone come in or leave?"

"Just Jason. He came for the money like always. He's dead, isn't he?"

"Nancy, what about the customers?" you ask, keeping her on track. "Was there anyone there who seemed anxious or upset? He would have kept to himself and taken a seat away from the other customers. Maybe he was checking his watch or his cell phone."

"There was one guy. He seemed angry. He kept changing seats."

When she thinks about what happened, she starts panicking thinking that he's going to come after her. She starts freaking out and breathing heavily, and this is when the doctor steps in.

"Okay, we have to stop."

"Who was that, Nancy? Do you know his name?"

You don't have to be touching Nancy to connect to her trauma. Images flash by quickly--too quickly for you to process what they are. There are only two things you're getting from these images. The initials T.W. and a white man with blonde hair.

"Now," the doctor glares.

You and Hotch have no choice but to leave, so you leave Nancy to live the rest of her short life in peace.

"What did you see?"

"The initials T.W. and a white man with blonde hair. That's it."

Maybe the rest of your team is having a better time narrowing down the suspect list based on what they know about the victims of the bar fire. Hotch decides to stay back with Rossi while you head back to the police station.

"So, tell us about the bar victims," Emily says to Penelope just as you walk in.

"Alright, the first two were Hilda and Roger Drake. She was a teacher and he sold insurance. Neither of them had any enemies. Their biggest problem was finding baby names because Hilda was pregnant."

"Are you sure? The ME hasn't even started yet."

"Yes, ma'am, I'm sure. There was a belly watch on Hilda, and people in Royal take out ads. It's very hard to keep secrets in this town."

"That's just wrong."

"That's small-town life for you," JJ chuckles. "Your business is everybody's business."

"What about Eric Gall?" Spencer asks about another victim.

"He was a boozer. He spent most of his time at his dad's house. He's got a few drunk and disorderlies but he seems harmless. Given the number of rounds he bought, It's safe to say the whole town loves him."

"I just talked to Nancy. She says there was a guy there before the fire. He didn't talk to anybody and kept switching seats. She didn't seem to recognize him, which makes me think he's not from Royal."

"That's not necessarily true. What if she knew him and she just didn't realize it?" Spencer says.

"Like a disguise?"

"The fire captain said the unsub knew the layout of the movie theater. He used that knowledge to light the fire, but at the bar, the unsub kept changing his seats. He was studying the layout of the bar and got better views of the entrances and exits because maybe he wasn't familiar with the area."

"What if he grew up in Royal and he moved away? The only thing I got from Nancy was a white man with blonde hair and the initials T.W. Penelope, what year was that bar built?"

"Six years ago."

"What about the movie theater?"

"The forties. Back then, it was a single screen, and the rec center was built in the late seventies. I'm digging into the bar as we speak, and it looks like Jason opened the bar six years ago when he moved to Royal from Indianapolis."

"Does he have friends and family here?"

"None that I can find."

"What about the bar? Did Jason buy it from someone and take over their business?"

"No, Jason started the bar himself. He named it after his father, who was his sole beneficiary."

"That makes sense. He was single," Emily states.

"Was single, sugar. Until a couple of days ago, he married Tina Wheeler."

"Tina Wheeler's initials are T.W.," you say.

"You think Tina set the fires?" Spencer asks you.

"I didn't say that. I'm merely stating facts. I did see a white man, so I don't think Tina did it."

"I checked her out originally as one of the first responders, but her work records looked squeaky clean. I let it go until I realized she'd married Jason. Then, I did some more aggressive digging, which I should remind you that you asked me to do, and it turns out that Tina's parents died in a fire when she was five. After they died, she and her brother, Tommy, were sent to live with their grandparents in Royal."

"Tommy's initials are T.W.," you say. "Send us everything you have on them."

"That's just it, I have plenty on Tina, but I can't find anything on her brother. Tina lives in Royal, went to a community college a few towns over, got a degree, took a job, worked hard, and married Jason. Tommy just disappeared."

"There isn't anything you can do? Tommy should be somewhere."

"I'll keep digging."

"T.W. makes so much more sense. I bet Tommy is a white man with blonde hair, too," you say when Penelope hangs up. "If that's true, then Jason might have been the target all along. He seems to visit every place frequently."

x

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

[misfitwashere]

September 6, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Sep 07, 2024

One of the things that came to light on Wednesday, in the paperwork the Justice Department unveiled to explain its seizure of 32 internet domains being used by Russian agents in foreign malign influence campaigns, was that the six right-wing U.S. influencers mentioned in the indictments of the Russian operatives are only the tip of the iceberg. 

Since at least 2022, three Russian companies working with the Kremlin have been trying to change foreign politics in a campaign they called “Doppelganger,” covertly spreading Russian government propaganda. “[F]irst and foremost,” notes from a meeting with Russian officials about targeting Germany read, “we need to discredit the USA, Great Britain, and NATO.” Through fake social media profiles, their operatives posed as Americans or other non-Russians, seeding public conversations with Russian propaganda.

In August 2023 they launched the “Good Old USA Project” to target swing-state residents, online gamers, American Jews, and “US citizens of Hispanic descent” to reelect Donald Trump. ​​"They are afraid of losing the American way of life and the ‘American dream,’” one of the propagandists wrote. “It is these sentiments that should be exploited in the course of an information campaign in/for the United States.” Using targeted ads on Facebook, they could see how their material was landing and use bots and trolls to push their narrative in comment sections. 

“In order for this work to be effective, you need to use a minimum of fake news and a maximum of realistic information,” the propagandists told their staff. “At the same time, you should continuously repeat that this is what is really happening, but the official media will never tell you about it or show it to you.”

According to the documents, one of the three companies, Social Design Agency (SDA), monitors and collects information about media organizations and social media influencers. It collected a list of 1,900 “anti-influencers,” whose accounts posted material SDA workers thought operated against Russian interests. About 26% of those accounts were based in the U.S. 

SDA also identified as pro-Russian influencers more than 2,800 people in 81 countries operating on various social media platforms like X, Facebook, and Telegram. Those influencers included “television and radio hosts, politicians, bloggers, journalists, businessmen, professors, think-tank analysts, veterans, professors, and comedians.” About 21% of those influencers were in the U.S. 

YouTube took down the Tenet Media Channels associated with the Justice Department’s indictments, and last night, Tenet Media abruptly shut down. In The Bulwark, Jonathan V. Last noted that the Tenet influencers maintain they were dupes, although they must have been aware that their paychecks were crazy high for the numbers of viewers they had. He asks if, knowing now that their gains are ill-gotten, they are going to give them to charity. 

Earlier this week, former Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson hosted Holocaust denier Darryl Cooper on his X show, where Cooper not only suggested that the death of more than six million Jews was an accidental result of poor planning, but also argued that British prime minister Winston Churchill, who stood firm against the expansion of fascist Germany in World War II, was the true villain of the war.

Cooper’s argument puts him squarely on the side of Russian president Vladimir Putin and Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, who insist that democracy undermines society. During the recent summer Olympics, Cooper posted on social media an image of Hitler in Paris alongside another of drag queens representing Greek gods at the Olympic opening ceremonies, an image some on the right thought made fun of the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples. “This may be putting it too crudely for some,” Cooper wrote, “but the picture [of Hitler in Paris] was infinitely preferable in virtually every way than the one on the right.” 

The idea that Churchill, not Hitler, is the villain of World War II means denying the fact of the Holocaust and defending the Nazis. It lands Carlson and Cooper in the same camp as those autocrats journalist Anne Applebaum notes are “making common cause with MAGA Republicans to discredit liberalism and freedom around the world.” Elon Musk promoted the interview, saying it was “very interesting,” and “worth watching,” before the backlash made him delete his post. The video has been viewed nearly 30 million times. 

Carlson told Lauren Irwin of The Hill that the Biden administration is made up of “warmonger freaks” who have “used the Churchill myth to bring our country closer to nuclear war than at any moment in history.” Carlson is on a 16-day speaking tour, on which he will interview Trump allies, including Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance and Donald Trump Jr. 

Trump today continued his effort to undermine the democratic American legal system in a “news conference” of more than 45 minutes, in which he took no questions. Although Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the election interference case in which a jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts, decided today to delay sentencing until November 26 to avoid any appearance that the court was trying to affect the 2024 election, Trump nonetheless launched an attack on the U.S. legal system and suggested the lawsuits against him were election interference. 

He spoke after he and his legal team were in court today to try to overturn a jury’s conclusion that he had sexually assaulted writer E. Jean Carroll, a decision that brought his judgments in the two cases she brought to around $90 million. He began with an attack on what he said was a new “Russia, Russia, Russia” hoax, and promised he had not “spoken to anybody from Russia in years.”

Aaron Rupar of Public Notice recorded what amounted to close to an hour of attacks on the American Justice Department and the laws of the country, and also on American women (he not only attacked Carroll, he brought up others of the roughly two dozen women who have accused him of sexual assault). He attempted to retry the Carroll case in the media, refuting the evidence the jury considered and suggesting that the photo of him and Carroll together was generated by AI, although it was published in 2019.

Attacking women was an interesting decision in light of the fact that he will need the votes of suburban women if he is to make up the ground he has lost to Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and vice presidential nominee Tim Walz.

For her part, former representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) appears to see this moment for what it is. Although a staunch Republican herself, she is urging conservative women to admit they’ve had enough. Referring to both Trump and Vance in a conversation sponsored by the Texas Tribune, she said: “This is my diplomatic way of saying it: They’re misogynistic pigs.” She assured listeners, quite accurately, that Trump “is not a conservative.” “Women around this country…we’ve had enough.” “These are not people that we can entrust with power again.” 

Her father, former vice president Dick Cheney, agreed that Trump “can never be trusted with power again” and announced today that he will be voting for Harris. “As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution. That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris,” he said. Eighty-eight business leaders also endorsed Harris today, including James Murdoch, an heir to the Murdoch family media empire. Citing Harris’s “policies that support the rule of law, stability, and a sound business environment,” they said in a public letter, “the best way to support the continued strength, security, and reliability of our democracy and economy” is by electing Harris president.​​

Meanwhile, at his event with Sean Hannity of the Fox News Channel yesterday, Trump embraced the key element of Project 2025 that calls for a dictatorial leader to take over the U.S. That document maintains that “personnel is policy” and that the way to achieve all that the Christian nationalists want is to fire the nonpartisan civil servants currently in place and put their own people into office. Trump has tried hard to distance himself from Project 2025, but last night he said the way to run the government is to “get the right people. You put the right person and the right group of people at the heads of these massive agencies, you’re going to have tremendous success, and I know now the people, and I know them better than anybody would know them.”       

One of those people appears to be X owner Elon Musk, whom Trump has promised to put at the head of an “efficiency” commission to audit the U.S. government. 

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln, then a candidate for the Senate, warned that the arguments against democracy and in favor of a few people dominating the rest were always the same. In his era, it was enslavers saying some people were better than others. But, he said, those were the same arguments “that kings have made for enslaving the people in all ages of the world…. Turn in whatever way you will—whether it come from the mouth of a King, an excuse for enslaving the people of his country, or from the mouth of men of one race as a reason for enslaving the men of another race, it is all the same old serpent.” 

In our era, Indiana Jones said it best in The Last Crusade: “Nazis. I hate these guys.” 

—

[mariacallous]

Lansing — Democratic lawmakers are condemning a social media post from Republican state Rep. Josh Schriver of Oxford that promoted "the great replacement" theory, a racist ideological belief that there's a coordinated global effort to diminish the influence of White people.

On Tuesday, Schriver shared a post of a graphic that depicted black figurines covering most of a map of the world, with white figures occupying smaller sections of Australia, Canada, northern Europe and the northern United States. The bottom of the graphic read "The great replacement!"

The graphic, initially posted by right-wing pundit Jack Posobiec, was reposted by Schriver with an emoji of a chart showing a downward trend on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

In a statement Wednesday to The Detroit News, Schriver said he loved "all of God's offspring" and believed "everyone's immense value is rooted in the price Christ paid on the Cross when he died for our sins.

"I'm opposed to racists, race baiters, and victim politics," Schriver said in the statement. "What I find strange is the agenda to demoralize and reduce the white portion of our population. That's not inclusive and Christ is inclusive! I'm glad Tucker Carlson and Jack Posobiec are sharing links so I can continue my research on these issues."

The "great replacement" conspiracy theory asserts there is a coordinated effort to dilute the influence of White people through immigration and through low birth rates among White individuals, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The theory has been linked to anti-Semitism, with some versions alleging it is Jews coordinating the so-called replacement.

The shooter in a 2022 Buffalo, New York supermarket shooting that killed 10, most of whom were Black, raised the theory in a manifesto as a motive for the killings, the Associated Press reported. The killer in the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburg blamed Jews for bringing non-white immigrants to the U.S.; a 2019 Poway, California synagogue shooter claimed Jews were responsible for the killing of White Europeans; and a shooter who killed 23 people at an El Paso Walmart in 2019 talked about a "Hispanic invasion" in his manifesto, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

At least a half-dozen Republican U.S. Senate candidates promoted the "great replacement" conspiracy theory in the 2022 elections, the AP reported.

House Speaker Joe Tate, a Detroit Democrat and Michigan's first Black speaker, said Schriver's "blatantly racist social media post" and later statement on the issue do not align with the chamber's values and are "deeply and personally" offensive.

Schriver's insistence that the issue was worthy of consideration "puts his ignorance on full display," Tate said in a statement, but is not an excuse for "proliferating obvious hate."

“Perhaps most disturbing is that his post uplifts a dangerous and tortured narrative that fosters violence and instability," Tate said. "His callous and reckless act is not within the spirit of what Michigan is, and it contributes to a hostile environment."

Rep. Jason Hoskins, a Black Democratic lawmaker from Southfield, also criticized the post Wednesday night.

"Michigan House Republican celebrates Black History Month by promoting racist and dangerous conspiracies that there are too many people of color," Hoskins wrote on X.

House Republican Leader Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, did not respond to a request Wednesday night for comment about Schriver's post.

Rep. Kelly Breen, D-Novi, condemned the post as "blatantly racist" and "dangerous rhetoric" that has no place in society or in the state Legislature.

"It saddens & infuriates me that a colleague shared this," Breen wrote on X. "For someone who claims to love God - Rep. Schriver is blind to the fact this would make Him weep."

Elected in 2022, Schriver represents the 66th District in the Michigan House of Representatives, which includes Addison, Brandon, Oxford townships and most of Oakland Township in Oakland County and Bruce and Washington townships in Macomb County. The Warren native is a graduate of De La Salle Collegiate High School.

Schriver serves on the House Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Committee.

Condemnation of Schriver's post extended beyond Michigan political circles.

The Northern Guard Supporters, a fan group supporting the Detroit City Football Club, also condemned the post and said the first term lawmaker was not welcome among the fan group. Schriver's wife plays for the Detroit City Football Club women's team, which plays in the Premier Arena Soccer League.

Nick Finn, who helps run communications for the group, said fans "won't tolerate that in our stands." On X, Northern Guard Supporters noted that the league included "players from all ethnic backgrounds in a high minority population city."

"It’s very upsetting to see something like that, one, from any representative in Michigan, let alone one directly connected to a member our team,” Finn told The News on Wednesday.

[ultraericthered]

Rating KH Character Vocal Performances (English Dub)

(This list only uses KH original characters, Final Fantasy guest stars, and the Disney characters who are main characters involved in the KH original storyline)

GOD TIER: Billy Zane as Ansem/Terra-Xehanort (KH1)

Derek Stephen Prince as Vexen/Even (All Appearances)

Christopher Lee as DiZ/Ansem the Wise (KH2 and Days)

Paul St. Peter as Xemnas (All Appearances)

Mark Hamill as Master Eraqus (BBS and KH3)

Leonard Nimoy as Master Xehanort (BBS and 3D)

Christopher Lloyd as Master Xehanort (KH3 DLC & MoM)

Kathryn Beaumont as Kairi’s Grandmother (BBS)

Susanne Blakeslee as Maleficent (All Appearances)

Jim Cummings as Pete (All Appearances)

Wayne Alwine as King Mickey (KH1 and KH2)

TOP TIER: Hayley Joel Osment as Sora (KH1, Re:CoM, KH2 and KH3)

Hayden Panettiere as Kairi (KH1, KH2, and BBS)

David Gallaghar as Riku (KH1, Re:CoM, KH2, BBS, 3D, and MoM)

Richard Epcar as Ansem/Terra-Xehanort (3D, 0.2 BBS, and KH3)

Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck (All Appearances)

Bill Farmer as Goofy (All Appearances)

Bret Iwan as King Mickey (BBS)

Eddie Caroll as Jiminy Cricket (KH1, Re:CoM, and KH2)

Joe Ochman as Jiminy Cricket (Re:Coded and KH3)

Jesse McCartney as Roxas (All Appearances)

Meaghan Martin as Namine (Re:CoM and Days)

Brittany Snow as Namine (KH2)

David Boreanaz as Leon (KH1)

Doug Erholtz as Leon (KH3 DLC)

Christy Carlson Romano as Yuffie (KH1)

Mae Whitman as Yuffie (KH2)

Chris Edgerly as Cid (KH3 DLC)

Steve Burton as Cloud (KH1 and Re:Coded)

Quinton Flynn as Axel (Re:CoM, KH2, and Days)

Shanelle Grey as Larxene (Re:CoM and KH3)

Dave Boat as Lexaeus/Aeleus (Re:CoM and BBS)

Corey Burton as DiZ/Ansem the Wise (Re:CoM)

Alyson Stoner as Xion (Days and KH3)

Kirk Thornton as Saix (All Appearances)

James Patrick Stuart as Braig/Xigbar/Luxu (All Appearances)

Ryan O’Donohue as Demyx (All Appearances)

Robin Atkin-Downes as Luxord (All Appearances)

Will Friedle as Seifer (KH2)

Justin Crowden as Hayner (KH2)

Sean Marquette as Pence (KH2)

Jessica DiCicco as Olette (KH2)

Corey Burton as Yen Sid (KH2, BBS, and KH3)

Jeff Bennett as Merlin (All Appearances)

Rachel Leigh Cook as Tifa (KH2)

Matt McKenzie as Auron (KH2)

Hedy Burress as Yuna (KH2)

Tara Strong as Rikku (KH2)

Gwendoline Yeo as Paine (KH2)

Luke Marinquez as Little Sora (BBS)

Ariel Winter as Little Kairi (BBS)

Kirk Thornton as Isa (BBS)

Quinton Flynn as Lea (BBS)

Jason Dohring as Terra (0.2 BBS and KH3)

Jesse McCartney as Ventus (BBS and KH3)

Hayley Joel Osment as Vanitas (BBS and KH3)

Ben Diskin as Young Xehanort (Re:Coded, 3D, and KH3)

Lara Jill Miller as Chirithy (X Backcover, KH3, and MoM)

Ray Chase as the Master of Masters (X Backcover)

MID TIER:

Alyson Stoner as Kairi (Re:CoM)

Richard Epcar as Ansem/Terra-Xehanort (Re:CoM and BBS)

Shaun Flemming as Tidus (KH1)

Molly Keck as Selphie (KH1 and KH2)

Doug Erholtz as Leon (KH2)

Mae Whitman as Yuffie (KH3 DLC)

Andrea Bowen as Aerith (KH3 DLC)

Keith Ferguson as Marluxia (Re:CoM and KH3)

David Dayan Fisher as Xaldin/Dilan (KH2/FM and BBS)

Meaghan Martin as Namine (BBS, Re:Coded, KH2 FM, and KH3)

Hayden Panettiere as Xion (3D)

Brandon Adams as Rai (KH2)

Jillian Bowen as Fuu (KH2)

Melissa Disney as Vivi (KH2)

Crispin Freeman as Setzer (KH2)

Corey Burton as Yen Sid (Re:Coded, 3D, 0.2 BBS, and MoM)

Willa Holland as Aqua (BBS, 3D, and 0.2 BBS)

Rick Gomez as Zack (BBS)

Ty Panitz as Little Riku (BBS)

David Gallaghar as Young Xehanort (BBS)

Matthew Mercer as Ira (X Backcover and KH3)

Travis Willingham as Aced (X Backcover and KH3)

Kevin Quinn as Gula (X Backcover and KH3)

Karissa Lee Staples as Invi (X Backcover and KH3)

Isabela Moner as Ava (X Backcover)

Matthew Mittleman as Luxu (X Backcover)

Michael Johnson as Ephemer (X Backcover and KH3)

Madison Davenport as Nameless Star (KH3 and MoM)

Vince Corazza as Ienzo (3D, KH3, and MoM)

Zachary Gordon as Hayner (KH3)

Tristan Chase as Pence (KH3)

Ashley Boettcher as Olette (KH3)

Drake Bell as Young Eraqus (KH3)

Dylan Sprouse as Yozora (KH3 DLC)

LOW TIER: Hayley Joel Osment as Sora (Re:Coded, 3D, and 0.2 BBS)

Alyson Stoner as Kairi (Days, 0.2 BBS, KH3, and MoM)

David Gallaghar as Riku (Days, Re:Coded, and KH3)

Richard Epcar as Ansem/Terra-Xehanort (KH2)

Wayne Alwine as King Mickey (Re:CoM)

Phil Snyder as Jiminy Cricket (Re:Coded and 3D)

Dee Bradley Baker as Wakka (KH1)

Mandy Moore as Aerith (KH1)

Steve Burton as Cloud (KH2)

George Newbern as Sephiroth (KH2)

Chris Edgerly as Cid (KH2)

Vince Corrazza as Zexion (Re:CoM, KH2 FM, and Days)

Corey Burton as Ansem the Wise (3D and KH3)

Quinton Flynn as Axel/Lea (Days Movie, 3D, and KH3)

Jason Dohring as Terra (BBS)

Willa Holland as Anti-Aqua (KH3)

Rutger Hauer as Master Xehanort (KH3)

Bret Iwan as King Mickey (all post-BBS appearances)

SHIT TIER: Lance Bass as Sephiroth (KH1)

Mena Suvari as Aerith (KH2)

Willa Holland as Aqua (KH3)

Corey Burton as DiZ/Ansem the Wise (BBS, Days Movie, and MoM)

[thislovintime]

Peter Tork with the Fairfax Street Choir (in their bass vocal section); pictured in photo 1 with Ralph Pennuneri, Hosanna Bauer, and Bill Craig. Via the Fairfax Street Choir Facebook page, except for photo 4 (courtesy of Mark Kleiner).

Photo 2: “Peter Tork has his banjo but never played it with the choir that I remember but He was a really good musician and I remember him playing at the Lady. [...] I've heard some of his live stuff on tape that he did at the Sleeping Lady and was blown away by how great he really was as a musician.” - Marla Hunt Hanson, Facebook, January 3, 2021

“Peter showed me some banjo picking patterns... he was a nice guy fun to play music with.” - David Carlson, Facebook, January 2021

“To us, he wasn’t famous, he was just Peter. [...] He was just a sweet, dear man that, you know, everybody loved... He was just a good guy. You know, ‘Sleep on the couch, have a good one. You know, we love you. Come on in.’ [...] His destiny in this lifetime was with The Monkees. We were like his backup friends, or his backup band, whatever you want to call it.He came to us wounded, like a wounded bird, really. […] He never really got to escape from being one of The Monkees. It was very hard, you know, it was hard for him. I wish we could have given him more. [...] I said to him, ‘Well, why are you going back when they treated you so badly, and blah blah blah?’ And he said, they offered him something he couldn’t turn down, something like that, so it had to do with money of course, because… so, yeah, he went back, poor thing. God bless him. [...] [W]hen you’re a Monkee, the fans will come out of, you know, somehow they’ll seep in through the furnace floor or a little crack in the window. You’re always on display, you’re always having someone looking at you or tagging at you or pulling at you or saying, ‘God, I remember that episode…’You know, and you’re always having to be on the stage or on— in gear, or answering with a smile to your fan group, whatever that is. You’re trained to do that through the industry itself. You know, anyway, I don’t want to go that far. In this group consciousness that he was a part of for a short period of time, he didn’t have to do that. He just didn’t have to do that. And that’s why I think that was — he’ll never forget that group or the Sleeping Lady however many lifetimes he lives. And I’ll tell you this, he was happy in a very strange way for as long as he was there with us. He was happy in a different way, not in the way that you are when you’re famous. In the way you are when you’re happy. [...] Someone like Peter Tork, who shines a light out onto this world, can only shine as brightly as we allow them to. […] When you see a flame, move back and let it shine, don’t go in there and try to get it, because the reason that it’s alive is because it’s got oxygen, air, and there’s not a lot of moths hanging out around it trying to, you know, take its life. I think a lot of that is true about Peter. That’s how — what I think.” - Marla Hunt Hanson, interview with the Nesmith Tork Goffin & King podcast, February 2020

"Back in Marin. Peter Tork began to hang out at the Sleeping Lady. (He works there as a waiter now). One night The Fairfax Street Choir was there. He was amazed, saw a home, and joined. He grins as he adds: ‘In some ways I was a cold, lonely hitchhiker being picked up by a warm school bus.’ [...] He’s happy. Content. And hopeful. For the Choir. And himself." - San Diego Reader, December 6, 1973 (originally published in the Chicago Reader; interview conducted by Chuck Stepner) (read more here)

“What a group! 35 voices strong; some harmonies! It was something, very encouraging, very comforting.” - Peter Tork, Goldmine, May 1982 (x)

Peter Tork: "As soon as The Monkees was over, I went to Marin County to try to recapture some of my Greenwich-Village-days happiness, and I did. I was very, I was very lucky, there was a lovely scene in Fairfax, Marin County, and I had a great time up there for a couple of years, worked as a waiter in a cooperative restaurant and it was great, it was actually great. The thing about The Monkees, it was so difficult, was to be yanked out of — off the street, flung to the pinnacle and then, you know, and then dropped.” Q: “Yeah.” PT: “So, so I went back to the street, where I’d, you know, gotten my roots together. It was great.” - GOLD 104.5, 1999 (x)

[life-of-an-asexual]

tagged by @aroshitbcitstheshit

username song game / rules: but a song for every letter of your username

L - Lionhearted by Porter Robinson (ft. Urban Cone)

I - I am not a woman, I'm a god by Halsey

F - The Foundations of Decay by My Chemical Romance

E - Elevate by DJ Khalil ( ft. Denzel Curry, YBN Cordae, SwaVay, Trevor Rich)

O - The Old Witch Sleep and the Good Man Grace by the Amazing Devil

F - Flesh by Simon Curtis

A - Angeles by Jensen Ackles and Steven Carlson

N - New Blood by Zayde Wolf

A - Arsonist's Lullaby by Hozier

S - So Much (For) Stardust by Fall Out Boy

E - Enemy by Imagine Dragons x J.I.D.

X - Shelter by The xx

U - Underground by Adam Lambert

A - Angel With a Shotgun by The Cab

L - Loveless by X Ambassadors

open to anyone who wants to play :D

-Mod Q

[identity-library]

Mental Health (TV Shows)

A:

Alladin (1994)

Mechanicles (Low Vision)

B:

Big City Greens (2018)

Alice Green (Phobia - Snakes)

C:

Chicago Med (2015)

Jason Wheeler (Addiction - Alcohol/Drugs, Suicidal Ideation)

D:

Dead End: Paranormal Park (2022)

Barney Guttman (Abuse)

Norma Khan (Anxiety)

Dirty God (2019)

Jade (Abuse)

Doom Patrol (2019)

Kay Challis/Crazy Jane (Abuse, DID)

E:

Empire (2015)

Andre Lyon (Bipolar Disorder)

ER (1994)

John Carter (Addiction - Drugs)

Euphoria (2019)

Jules Vaughn (Depression)

F:

G:

Get Ed (2005)

Loogie (Dissociative Identity Disorder)

Glee (2009)

Emma Pillsbury (OCD)

Grey's Anatomy (2005)

Amelia Shepherd (Addiction - Drugs)

Andrew DeLuca (Bipolar Disorder)

Charlotte King (Addiction - Drugs)

Jo Wilson (Depression, PTSD)

Miranda Bailey (OCD)

Owen Hunt (PTSD)

Richard Webber (Addiction - Alcohol)

H:

Hazbin Hotel (2024)

Angel Dust (Addiction - Drugs)

House (2004)

Gregory House (Addiction - Drugs)

I:

Inside Job (2021)

Andre Lee (Addiction, Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

Reagan Ridley (Trauma)

J:

Jessica Jones (2015)

Jessica Jones (Addiction - Alcohol, PTSD)

K:

L:

Lilo & Stitch: The Series (2003)

Clyde (Kleptomania)

M:

M*A*S*H (1972)

Benjamin-Frankling "Hawkeye" Pierce (Claustrophobia)

Mom (2013)

Bonnie Plunkett (Addiction - Alcohol/Drugs)

Christy Plunkett (Addiction - Alcohol/Gambling)

Marjorie Armstrong (Addiction - Alcohol)

Ray Stabler (Addiction - Drugs)

Regina Tompkins (Addiction - Drugs)

Moon Knight (2022)

Marc Spector/Moon Knight (Autistic, Dissociative Identity Disorder)

N:

NCIS: Los Angeles (2009)

Alex Kilbride (Addiction - Substances, Depression)

NCIS: New Orleans (2014)

Patton Plame (Addiction - Gambling)

New Amsterdam (2018)

Lauren Bloom (Addiction - Drugs)

New Girl (2011)

Ernie "Coach" Tagliaboo (Phobia - Boats)

Jessica Day (Claustrophobia, Phobia - Tight Spaces)

Winston Bishop (Panic Attacks)

O:

P:

Person of Interest (2011)

Harold Finch (Anxiety, PTSD)

Private Practice (2007)

Violet Turner (PTSD)

Q:

R:

Roswell, New Mexico (2019)

Alex Manes (Abuse, PTSD)

S:

Station 19 (2018)

Jack Gibson (PTSD)

Robert Sullivan (Addiction - Drugs)

Sean Beckett (Addiction - Alcohol)

Stumptown (2019)

Dex Parios (PTSD)

T:

The Healing Powers of Dude (2020)

Noah Ferris (Anxiety Disorder)

The Infinity Train (2019)

Simon Laurent (Abuse, NPD, PTSD)

The Lion Guard (2016)

Ono (Phobia - Bats)

The Magicians (2015)

Eliot Waugh (Abuse, Addiction - Alcohol)

The Prodigal Son (2019)

Malcolm Bright (Night Terrors, PTSD)

The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy (2024)

Dr. Klak (Anxiety)

The Simpsons (1989)

Abe Simpson || (Dementia, PTSD)

Artie Ziff (Narcissism)

Bart Simpson (PTSD)

Carl Carlson (Schizophrenia)

Clancy Bouvier (PTSD)

Gary Chalmers (Aerophobia, Anxiety, Borderline Personality Disorder, Intermittent Explosive Disorder)

Gloria Prince (Kleptomania)

Homer Simpson (Kleptomania, PTSD)

Lisa Simpson (Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD)

Marge Simpson (OCD)

Ned Flanders (OCD)

Nigel (Anxiety)

Richard "Rich" Texan (OCD)

Seymour Skinner (PTSD)

Shauna Chalmers (Intermittent Explosive Disorder, ODD)

Snake Jailbird (Kleptomania)

Willie (Intermittent Explosive Disorder)

Total Drama (Franchise)

David "Dave" (Anxiety

Jay (Anxiety, Phobias)

Mickey (Anxiety, Phobias)

Mike (Dissociative Identity Disorder)

Sam (Addiction)

Shawn (Anxiety)

U:

V:

W:

X:

Y:

Z:

#:

9-1-1 (2018)

Robert "Bobby" Nash (Addiction - Alcohol)

Edmundo "Eddie" Diaz (Anxiety, PTSD)

Evan "Buck" Buckley (PTSD)

Christopher "Chris" Diaz (PTSD)

Maddie Buckley (Postpartum Depression, PTSD)

9-1-1: Lone Star (2020)

Judson "Judd" Ryder (Grief, PTSD)

Tyler Kennedy "TK" Strand (Addiction - Alcohol)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Tesnim Zekeria:

Last month, Bernie Moreno won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Ohio. Moreno benefited from an early endorsement from Turning Point Action, the far-right activist group founded by Charlie Kirk. On May 10, 2023, Kirk posted on X that he was "proud to support Bernie," and Moreno had Turning Point Action's "full endorsement."  In response, Moreno wrote that he was "honored to be endorsed by Charlie Kirk and Turning Point Action." Moreno said that "[f]ew have done more to fight back against the radical left than they have," and he looks "forward to working with them to defend for our America First conservative values in the US Senate." 

In 2023, Kirk repeatedly featured Moreno as a guest on his popular podcast and consistently promoted Moreno's candidacy to his 2.9 million followers on X. At the end of 2023, Kirk donated the maximum legal amount of $5,000 to Moreno's campaign through the Turning Point PAC.  At the same time, Kirk, known for his embrace of fringe views and conspiracy theories, launched a sustained attack on Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy. At a December 2023 convention hosted by Turning Point USA, Kirk said that King "was awful" and "not a good person." Kirk's critique extended not just to King himself but to the civil rights movement itself. "We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s," Kirk declared, trashing the legislation that outlawed segregation in public places and many businesses. 

In his convention speech, Kirk blasted the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as an effort to “re-found the county” and “get rid of the First Amendment.” He criticized courts for enforcing the law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. "Federal courts just yield to the Civil Rights Act as if it's the actual American Constitution," Kirk complained.  A spokesperson for Turning Point USA, Andrew Kolvet, defended Kirk's attacks, saying respect for King's legacy was based on "fake history." 

Kirk announced he was "gonna tell the truth about MLK Jr" on MLK Day in January 2024. According to Kirk, a podcast episode attacking King and the civil rights movement was being put together by his producer, Blake Neff. In 2020, Neff was forced to resign from Tucker Carlson's show on Fox News after it was revealed Neff was posting racist comments online under a pseudonym. The episode, titled “The Myth of MLK,” kicks off with Vince Everett Ellison – a right-wing activist who claims that voting for a Democrat will send you to Hell. Ellison describes King as “despicable,” “immoral,” and “perverted.” Kirk repeatedly suggests that King’s legacy has harmed “Black America.” He asks Ellison if the lives of Black Americans have improved “the more that we have worshipped MLK.” Kirk also invites Ellison to talk about how “MLK's narrative and political activism led to the modern welfare state.” Ellison responds by accusing the civil rights community of keeping Black people poor, adding that the devil “rest[s] his head at the DNC” and that the DNC “use[d] MLK and all of those perverts with him.”

“I could say declaratively this guy is not worthy of a national holiday. He is not worthy of god-like status. In fact, I think it's really harmful,” Kirk says after the conversation with Ellison ends. Then Kirk, alongside Neff, spends roughly 30 minutes attempting to demonize the Civil Rights Act. According to Neff, the Civil Rights Act is “directly against this colorblind world that conservatives think MLK brought.” Kirk tells listeners that “in reality the language and the application of the Civil Rights Act…is a color preference act, not a color blindness.” Kirk adds that the Civil Rights Act “is making it harder for us to pursue Excellence as a society” because, as Neff puts it, “you have to discriminate against men, against white people.” On X, Kirk wrote that the "deification of MLK and his proto-DEI ideology marks the exact moment that the progress of black America goes sideways." Kirk suggested that MLK was responsible for the "disintegration" of "their cities," the "collapse" of "their families." Because of MLK, Kirk claims, "they" are "enormously dependent on government support." 

[...]

Moreno suggested white people should get reparations

Moreno himself has also had controversies involving racial issues. When he launched his campaign for Senate, Moreno floated the idea of reparations for white descendants of Union soldiers that were killed during the Civil War. “They talk about reparations. Where are the reparations for the people, for the North, who died to save the lives of Black people?” Moreno said. “I know it’s not politically correct to say that, but you know what, we’ve got to stop being politically correct.” 

GOP #OHSen nominee Bernie Moreno’s campaign is being bankrolled in part by White Nationalist-friendly organization Turning Point USA’s political advocacy arm Turning Point Action led by Charlie Kirk.

[heir-less]

"The granddaughter of Nelson Mandela has criticised the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for using the former South African president’s name to pull in Netflix audiences in their latest documentary, saying: “It’s deeply upsetting and tedious.”" Thoughts?

OH MY GOD, I GOT THIS ANON YESTERDAY, SAW THE STORY FROM TOMINEY, ANSWERED/QUEUED IT THIS DAMN MORNING AND I WAS RIGHT ABOUT THESE QUOTES BEING OFF

Fox News Digital can confirm that Ndileka hasn't criticized Markle or Harry for the use of her grandfather in the opening to the show. [. . . ]

"I’ve watched the first two episodes of this ‘Live to Lead,’" Ndileka told Fox News Digital. "I honestly don’t find anything wrong with them using that opening thing inspirational with a quote of granddad.

"I just think that people are making a … mountain out of a mole hill, and they’re wanting to persecute Meghan and Harry for no reason, honestly," she added. "I mean, Meghan has always been an activist, and this is in her activism work which my grandfather was, he was, a social justice activist through and through." [x]

When FUCKING FOX NEWS has more credibility than the lying scumbag Camilla Tominey, there is something wrong. When Fox News, home to Laura Ingram and Tucker Carlson has more journalistic integrity than The Telegraph, The Times, Forbes, The Independent, etc. something is very, very wrong. I should have known something was up when I couldn't find the original alleged interview from The Australian. Tominey has always been terrible, but straight-up faking quotes is a new low.

My original answer under the cut:

She can feel how she wants, she doesn't hate Harry or Meghan and said she admired them, but I think her criticism is actually very cynical and it feels as if she was misled.

It read as if she's under the impression that they're using Mandela to talk about themselves for money, when it's literally just a documentary talking about leaders they find inspiring. I don't see how it's exploitative to talk about how Mandela inspires you or highlights his work. Comparing Live to Lead to people stealing Mandela's voice for money when she knows the Nelson Mandela Foundation supports the documentary is so strange. Dismissing someone highlighting Mandela's work by saying "it's not relevant" to them is also bonkers because one of the greatest civil rights struggles of the 20th century will always be relevant to everyone, regardless of whether you met Mandela or not. It doesn't sound like something the granddaughter of Mandela would say.

I wouldn't be surprised if she was misled about the context of Live to Lead by The Australian which is, shocker, a right-wing tabloid. Because her statements don't reflect reality. It seemed as if Ndileka Mandela thought the documentary in question was similar to Harry & Meghan where quotes from Nelson Mandela were used to compare the couple to his likeness or something.