#hi hello i had to make this a new thread because tracker LOVE YOU | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dairy-farmer · 2 years ago

Note

I'd like the idea of an AU in the time where jason die and tim becomes Robin. Bruce he vents his anger on the, and the treats badly, doesn't care. He decides to compromise with himself by pretending not to care while slowly installing cameras and bugs in tims househouse. And hacking and displaying feeds from places tim frequents and it gets so bad he bugs tims phone and even inserts a microchip tracker into tim one time when he was unconscious when tim got badly injured. Inevitably bruce It be

EDIT: hello, two people have let me know this prompt is apparently from someone named mantamobu's thread on twitter the original i've linked here and i would love it if many of checked them out!! i'd like to believe that the original anon meant no harm and was likely just enthusiastic about an idea they liked and wished to see more of but I also bear a bit of responsibility since I recently started following mantamobu and had actually seen those tweets before and thought I recognized the idea but then assumed i was wrong since no reference to it was made.

i really do appreciate every prompt send to me! but i do have a concession and if you want to send in prompts from a tweet or post made by someone i'd love to be able to link them and show them what I made with their idea.

but also in all fairness i never made that known before so I do think it was just honest mistake from someone!

still there's great news attatched to this edit!!! mantamobu added more to their original thread about 5 hours ago from the time I'm writing this!!! so you can see how they take their original idea further❤️❤️❤️.

------

I cannot stress how much i LOVE fics where tim gets the short end of the stick while training as robin!! because canonically he does get treated differently from dick or jason or damian from how they were trained and treated, it makes sense why bruce acts like that. jason's death is a fresh wound, still bleeding and pulsing pain and tim is, in many ways, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt sprayed onto it.

i think bruce tried to do his best but ultimately had to push tim's training onto others because he couldn't handle being tim's primary trainer but also because he wanted tim to get a varied education, because he blamed himself for jason's death, and he'd been the one responsible for teaching jason everything. so he'd failed and jason's death was on his hands because he hadn't taught him enough and he didn't want that for tim.

bruce is just SO CLOSE to tipping over the edge and i think if tim had gotten to him just a few months even a few weeks later he'd have developed into a very distrustful and aggressive person because you could see how he was rolling down that path when tim came into his life.

he doesn't like tim. doesn't appreciate his interference in his life and he most certainly doesn't trust him despite alfred and dick both insisting he five tim a chance.

he's short with tim. gives growled orders and he expects perfection on the first attempt. bruce knows he's being harsh on him, alfred hads tried pleading him to not be so callous, to have a gentler touch like he did with his other boys. timothy wants to help him. can't he see that?

or is he far too stubborn to acknowledge the sacrifices this boy is going to make for his sake?

alfred must tell dick his worries because dick calls him, spitting threats and saying he better not be treating tim badly because he'll come over there and kick his ass if that's the case.

bruce tries to ignore the hurt that bubbles in him when he realizes that his family thinks he's...he's hurting tim on purpose just for the sake of it.

tim doesn't hold it against him. his eyes are sympathetic and understanding even while cradling a heavily bruised limb because bruce threw him down on the mat too harshly.

he asks bruce how his day is going, if he's eaten anything and before bruce can even respond tim will be offering him packets of crackers, chips, or nuts. they're printed with his school logo and bruce knows tim must've gotten them from the vending machines in his cafeteria.

tim is sweet, in the way that boys raised to be gentle are. he's earnest and eager to please bruce. but he also pities bruce.

he sees the cracks in him and tries his best to help him along even if it means receiving a several minute long verbal lashing for a small mistake.

bruce knows he is harsh (he wishes he could be kinder). he knows he has a short temper (he wishes he could be more patient). he knows he's not doing right by tim (he wishes he could be better).

he cannot caress tim. cannot tell him when he impresses him or how much he's improved. alfred is disapproving of that, he makes that very clear.

bruce tries to ignore the feelings. this overwhelming irrational fear and worry over tim when he can't see him. bruce knows tim's schedule, tim surrendered it quite easily.

from five days a week, from seven-thirty to three he's at school.

on mondays and wednesdays he has gymnastics which he's been attending since he was in second grade.

tuesdays and thursdays from four to six he has tutoring with an older boy from his school to help him with a few classes he's fallen behind in.

fridays, saturday, and sunday tim signs himself out for the weekend and makes his way to the manor for training. three days a week is a severe limit but tim is working on convincing his parents to let him quit gymnastics despite the fact that he's won a handful of trophies from local competitions.

tim is also looking into maybe paying off his tutor to say they met and instead freeing up all five days for bruce.

the point is, bruce knows, roughly, where tim is at any given hour of the day.

but bruce can't ignore the creeping feeling. like nails digging under the skin of his scalp. he knows where tim is.

he knows that he knows where he is. but he keeps checking that small post-it note with tim's handwriting outlining his weekly schedule.

he smoothes the creases and reads each line before setting it down. two seconds later and he's picking it back up again and re-reading the lines, just making sure his brain isn't playing tricks on him and he didn't skip any line.

down. pick up again because what if he just imagined that he picked it up and read it the first two times?

bruce's compulsory behavior and natural paranoia stress him out the more he becomes interested in tim. in where he is, what he's doing. is he talking to anyone? is anyone giving him a hard time? what if one of bruce's enemies found out about tim (it hasn't even been 3 months, how could they possibly find out about him) and are hurting him right this second.

it's wasier to manage in the manor. just additional security cameras are added to the driveway and on the forested property line that stretch down the main road.

bruce has an exact ETA and visual on tim as he rides his bike up the road on friday afternoon.

he installs cameras and microphones into the guestroom that tim occupies every weekend. he does it while alfred is out running errands and keeps the feed on a device separate from the bat computer. just in case.

alfred would be fiercely disapproving about this blatent invasion of 'master tim's' privacy. he'd call dick and then his son would have another reason to hate him.

so bruce keeps it to himself. he only pulls it out when he's alone. late at night, when alfred has already retreated and tim is dead asleep after icing all his bruises.

he's a small little thing, curled up on his side as he sleeps. he's brought his own blanket that he cuddles up with on top of the sheets. it's cheetah patterned and bruce recognizes it from the flea markets in gotham's west side that he investigated as batman once.

there's a microphone in the headboard and bruce hears the soft breaths of tim as he sleeps. an occasional whistle sound also leaks through during an especially deep breath, likely the result of a slightly deviated septum.

tim drools, bruce can see it when he zooms in close to his face.

bruce is crossing a boundary. he's invading tim's privacy on a level he never did to jason or dick or even alfred.

he knows that anyone would be furious with him if they knew. they'd call him a 'bigger creep' than usual. but they wouldn't understand.

they wouldn't understand how bruce needed to do it. how close he'd been to calling clark and asking him to check up on what would essentially be, a random civilian.

bruce had to do it. he had to.

they wouldn't understand. but tim would.

if tim knew it brought him peace of mind, he'd let bruce do it.

maybe that's why bruce gets bolder. why he goes out one night while tim stays in and rather than go into gotham proper where he always starts his patrol, he instead makes a turn in teh direction of tim's boarding school where it was located just on the outskirts of the city.

bruce knows tim's dorm is empty. he knows his roommate returns home for the weekend as well.

so it's a matter of just going into the right building and tracking down the door with two star-shaped stickers wearing sunglasses that have the names 'T. Drake' and 'M. To' written on them.

bruce finds the bed with tim's possessions and presses bugs and cameras around his side of the room. he debates planting any in the bathroom but decides that infringing on the privacy of a random 13-year-old boy is just too far.

bruce gets back door access to all the hall way and campus cameras as he leaves.

when tim returns on monday bruce is able to watch him leave until he's out of range of the manor cameras and instead switches to a red, blinking dot on another monitor.

subdermal tracker. experimental. bruce told tim some lie about it being a vaccine for a potential exposure to ivy's pollen. bruce is still working on that and eventually tim will get the real vaccine.

trackers are placed outside of things because if ingested they'll eventually run out of battery and just be hunks of metal floating in someone's body.

tim's should last for a few years before it would have to have its battery replaced. but that's a decade away.

bruce watches as tim's bike rolls into the parking for students and he jogs up to the main office where bruce swtiches to yet another camera.

the quality of the camera is grainy but its good enough quality that bruce can identify it's tim who offers the secretary a friendly smile and quickly signs back in before darting out to make it to his first class of the day.

bruce spends the day alternating between working on his cases and pulling out his phone to check on tim in the security cameras.

bruce feels...better. less weighed down with the knowledge that he knows exactly where tim is and what he's doing.

bruce does realize he's behaving more neurotic than usual. he knows that maybe this should be his wakeup call for professional help but he doesn't get it.

he watches. he listens as tim settles back into his life on monday.

he listens as tim and his roommate complain about their homework and teachers they don't like. they ask about each other's weekend and mutual friends they share. they talk about what's being served for dinner. occasionally other boys from their floor will wander in wanting to chat, borrow or return cds, or to invite them for a movie on the main floor that bruce has also bugged.

bruce listens to tim laugh and nearly bust a gut at a raunchy joke made by one of the older boys. bruce tapes that laugh and keeps it on file.

he doesn't know why.

on tuesday things settle down more. on tuesday, tim's roomate has swim practice from four to seven and tim has tutoring.

bruce expects tim to make his way to the library, bruce already has his fingers ready to switch but instead he watches as tim greets a scruffy, broad-shouldered boy at the door.

tim's tutor. presumably.

sixteen, turning seventeen in three months. he's helping tim with algebra and pre-chemistry.

and apparently, also fucking him.

bruce doesn't tear his eyes away from the sight of the tutor's pants unbuckled and lowered to just below his ass as he roughly fucks tim on his bed. tim's hands are wrapped and scrambling for his sweater vest coated back.

bruce can hear through the microphone grunts and moans and whines. he hears the rocking of the bed and creaking of the springs.

he doesn't know why he doesn't look away.

tuedays and thursdays from four to six is when they meet. bruce checked the post-it.

was this what they did in that time?

yes.

for a full two hours, tim didn't study a lick of algebra or chemistry. instead, every bit of his thirteen-year-old self climbed onto the older boy's lap and rode him, throwing his head back as he moaned with delight of being filled.

bruce watches for the full two hours. he doesn't look away once.

once finished they both clean up and the boy departs with hardly another word spoken.

tim straightens his bed in time for his roomate to return and ask if tim had a productive session.

'oh, very' tim nodded seriously.

bruce checked tim's phone. he'd installed a secondary screen to be able to go through it but he hadn't had reason to until tim's little affair came to light.

they exchanged pictures with each other. they sent risque texts and flirted as much as two teenagers could.

there didn't seem to be much of an emotional connection between them. it wasn't serious. bruce couldn't explain why that filled him with so much relief.

on friday when tim arrived for training he was amazed at how much more calm bruce was. how was soothed with just a few words from tim. how he wasn't as harsh even though alfred's expression was no less disapproving when tim picked himself up from the mats.

bruce's grip wasn't as iron clenched, bruce knew tim could tell. bruce's brows were still furrowed but they didn't carry as much tension. bruce knew tim could tell.

bruce knew tim could feel bruce's eyes on him as they stopped for a water break.

but tim didn't flinch, didn't stumble or hesitate. he absorbed bruce's observation like he didn't feel it at all. he wasn't disturbed or unnerved by bruce's shift in behavior or his scrutiny.

he took it in stride.

and as bruce sat down beside tim, reaching for his own drink. he watched out of the corner of his eye as tim rubbed at his shoulder, right on the spot where bruce had injected the tracker.

bruce didn't know what to call the feeling that bubbled up in his chest. so instead, he swallowed it down alongside the water that filled his mouth.

#anonymous #asks #answered asks

33 notes · View notes

darklydescended · 7 years ago

Text

RULES

behind the mirror mask

Hi. my name is _____ but you may call me SIA . I have been writing for over eighteen years of my life and roleplaying on tumblr for over six now . I am currently twenty five, have eight tattoos, no piercings, and try to be as cool of a person as i can be. I don't write on skype//kik//aim//discord or any of those fancy cellular platforms anymore unless i really get to know a writer and we click. this is my first attempt at running a multi-muse blog on here but if you have any questions please never,ever be afraid to shoot me an IM or message on here. I promise that I am literally a sweet potato. i do,however, reserve the right to refuse to roleplay with anybody i wish. if you post racial,sexually abusive material such as rape and incest, or other things like that i will unfollow you. They aren't triggers but they are skeevy to me.

NO GOD MODING // MARY SUE // GARY STU

This goes without saying most days yet sadly i always find myself having to make this an actual rule. You control your character and i will control mine. Simple as that.

NO HATE

This is an ABSOLUTELY HATE FREE ZONE. I will not tolerate anon hate or gossipping among my blog viewers or people i roleplay with. I find it salty as hell and I hate seeing people degrade others. PLEASE if you see me WRITING with somebody that you find toxic or upsetting then simply blacklist their url, as i tag every one of my threads with the person i am writing with's url. DO NOT make every other post on your blog about hate or how you find other people toxic or just generally wish to complain or smear somebody into the ground. I will not warn you. I will unfollow you without explanation. Simple as that.

EXCLUSIVES

While i have been against this idea in the past i feel like this is something to bring up on here . If I TRULY feel like our characters click and you are open to it then I will definitely be cool with being exclusive with you. What does this mean? I still multi ship my characters but if you would like to have me as your exclusive pietro maximoff, barnabas collins, etc; and we click well writing then i'm totally cool with that!

18+ // MATURE CONTENT AHEAD

if you have ANY idea who the majority of my characters are - which i really hope you do - then I will consider this my warning to you. THIS BLOG WILL CONTAIN MATURE AND NSFW MATERIAL. Sexual writing will only be conducted with those that are over the age of 18. no exceptions .This includes but is not limited to sex, cursing, blood, violence, assault, discrimation against mutants, and others of the like. I will tag ANYTHING you ask me to as "tw tag" so that way it WILL be picked up via a tag blocker for you. I am here to write freely but also wish for my viewers to feel comfortable when enjoying my blog.

MEMES

Memes are open to be sent in by anybody whether we are mutuals or not. all that i ask is that you please SPECIFY which muse you wish for me to reply to the meme as. The memes are always open to ALL of my characters for answers and i honestly LOVE receiving memes and questions for my characters no matter how prying they may be!! send.them.to.me.

ALTERNATE FACE CLAIMS / FACE CLAIMS IN GENERAL

some of my muses are extremely difficult to find pictures of . yes i could go through the movies / comics / shows / etc piece by piece and screenshot and i do at some points in time but for characters such as dylan piper, gregory sackville bagg, marnie piper, michael emerson, hadley dellahoussaye, and others you will often see a different face claim then what they had in the show or movie . i try to be faithful to my characters but please understand my choice in choosing the face claims that i do .

REPLY TIME

as a general rule of thumb i tend to be pretty slow with writing starters. i am much faster at replying to things i am tagged in as well as memes. i try to be fast at replying but if i have taken well over the amount of time you feel is reasonable in replying then please feel free to nudge me on the im with a reminder. Stuff does get lost on tumblr and while i will try to keep a thread tracker on this blog i do not claim to be perfect. This rule also goes to say if you ever wish to drop a thread with me i completely understand. No harsh feelings. Just let me know. Periodically if a thread has been unreplied to for over two months but your blog is still active i will remind you of our thread via an IM. If you wish to discontinue it i will completely understand.

WRITING / ICON FORMATTING STYLE

I enjoy writing at the very least para roleplays. This is not to say i won't post an ocassional one line opener. I enjoy writing threads with a little more meat to the bone instead of constantly writing 'she looked towards the man and smiled. "hello darling, how are you doing?" she asked coyly". that is very flat and boring to me. I am ALWAYS open to plotting out thread ideas and prefer to do so via IM or messages.

TRIMMING POSTS / LARGER ICONS & GIFS

I am sorry but to keep my dash clean if you write out replies to people and do not trim your posts then i will likely unfollow you. This also goes for if you use HUGE gifs via tumblr's gif option in replies. I would prefer size 100x100 icons or smaller as well as gifs but as long as you are not using the above mentioned methods then i am completely fine. If you are replying via mobile just understand i will trim our thread when i go to reply.

SHIPPING

Never ever ever assume our muses are in a relationship together even if they are in canon. I ship chemistry and highly dislike writing out romantic plots right off the bat without some bit of writing between our characters. please, if you ever wish to ship with one of my muses discuss it with me first. I will respect you and do the very same. Also never force ship my characters. just because you have gaga eyes for one of my playbys does not mean i am your personal sex toy. just no.

MULTIPLE THREADS

I whole heartedly welcome you to have threads with multiple characters I write.

CONTINUING THREADS FROM MEMES

Absolutely go for it! All I ask is that you start it in another post linking the original answer in the new post. If you cannot and you choose to reblog my ask reply, i understand. just understand i will create a new post so i can track the new thread much easier when i reply.

MEMES / M!A / ASKS

Memes are open to be sent in by absolutely anybody. Whether we are mutuals or not. I do not, however, accept M!A's that are sent in. My ask box outside of that is always open to everybody!

REAL LIFE BLOGS / NON RP BLOGS

Real life blogs PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not reblog any of my posts. I like a clean dash and it fucks up my thread trackers when everybody and their brother believes they can reblog my threads. Only my roleplay partners involved in that thread may do that.

#rules

1 note · View note

rainbowsunshine67 · 7 years ago

Text

Christmas Eve at the Murphy-Becks

Here is my story for @dearevanhansensecretsanta 2017 for @ifyougiveagirlapencil! This is probably one of the longest stories I’ve ever written and although I did struggle with bits of it sometimes, it’s been fun to write. I also made a thing in Photoshop referring to part of the story (I’m terrible at artwork). I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful Christmas!

Characters: Evan, Connor, Zoe, Alana and Jared

Original Characters: Lyra (Zoe and Alana’s daughter) - I don’t have a definite answer on who her dad is, but I was considered Evan as her dad at one point.

“Wake up, Uncle Connor!” an excited, high-pitched voice squeaked in a tall, long-haired boy’s ear.

“Yeah, wake up, Uncle Connor!” a bespectacled boy parroted the little girl.

“Shut up, Kleinman,” Connor retorted, rubbing his eyes to see his 3 year-old niece and his old college flatmate Jared Kleinman staring at him. “Where’s Evan?”

“He’s in the kitchen with Mama Zoe,” said Lyra. “We’ve been making gingerbread cookies for Santa.”

Connor stumbled into the kitchen where he found his little sister making cups of coffee for herself, Connor, Jared and Alana, as well as hot chocolates for Lyra and Evan – Zoe shuddered at the memory of once having to stay up trying to soothe Evan after he'd accidentally drunk too much coffee and was scared of throwing up the night before an exam in college – and his husband cleaning the dining table.

“Thank you,” Connor snatched one steaming mug of coffee from Zoe as he strolled past her and planted an affectionate kiss on Evan’s head. “Hello, beautiful.”

“Hey!” Zoe called after him, exasperated. “That was for Alana.”

“Well, it isn’t any more,” Connor turned and stuck his tongue out at Zoe.

“We’re going to be making cards for Santa in a minute if you want to join in?” Evan asked Connor, reaching up on tiptoes to kiss him back.

“Sure. I’ll get the supplies and ask Alana to come downstairs too.” Connor swept Lyra into his arms and carried her upstairs to choose some stencils and stickers and find her ‘Mommy Lala’.

“According to NORAD Santa Tracker, Santa will arrive at around 3:20am.” Jared called out from the spot on the living room couch that Connor had vacated.

“I’m hoping my 3 year-old will have been in bed for a long time by then,” Zoe replied, “AND that you will have gone home.”

“Nah, I’m staying right here,” Jared stuck his tongue out, “it’s not a family Christmas without Fun Uncle Jared. If I have anything to do with it, we’ll all still be sitting in here watching movies at 4am.”

Zoe sighed. She did NOT want to be awake at 4am when her daughter would come bouncing into her room to wake her to open presents as early as six.

Connor returned with a big box of craft supplies in his arms, closely followed by Alana and Lyra. Connor set the box down on the living room floor and picked six blank cards out of the packet. Heck, he thought, if we’re meant to be keeping up the charade that Santa is real, we’d better all be making our own Christmas cards to Santa like Lyra.

For the past few years after Lyra was born, Connor had made cards for Santa that depicted him and Evan using buttons from old shirts he’d grown out of, kissing under the mistletoe or doing other festive activities together. This year, he decided to make a card that showed them ice-skating, even though they have never been to the local ice rink together because Evan is terrified of falling on the ice and breaking his arm again like when he was 17. Jared tapped on his smartphone’s screen, choosing a song to blast through the speakers he’d brought with him mostly to annoy Connor.

“Not this again,” Zoe complained as Last Christmas by Wham started playing. “In the music video, the girl literally re-gifted a Christmas present from her ex-boyfriend to her new boyfriend. Everybody knows that.”

“Well, what do you want?” Jared retorted. “I’m fed up of your and Alana’s love of Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses. That’s all you two ever listened to over Christmas during the last year of college.”

“Ooh, I love that song!” Connor chimed in. Jared raised his eyebrows at him. “What? Zoe played it so many times that it grew on me, eventually.”

“How about In The Bleak Midwinter?” asked Evan.

“I don’t mind that, but I don’t think I have it in my library,” Jared replied, scrolling through his phone. “I could find it on YouTube and we could sing along, I suppose.”

“In the bleak mid-winter Frosty wind made moan; Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, Snow on snow, In the bleak mid-winter Long ago.”

As they continued singing along, Alana helped her daughter to choose some stencils (a reindeer and a sleigh) and drew around them for her, before Lyra scribbled all over them with pink, red and green crayons. Evan covered his card in black paper, then drew some trees with a silver pen and carefully glued on several tiny snowflake sequins that had been in the craft supply box since Connor and Zoe were little and had been making cards for Santa themselves.

“I found this paper chain kit in Target the other day,” Zoe announced, coming back into the living room with a packet full of different coloured paper-chain strips. “You can have a go at this when you’re done with your cards and then put them on the tree.”

“Ooh, I haven’t made one of those in years,” Evan exclaimed, taking the packet from Zoe’s hand and opening it. “Lyra, do you want to come and help me?” He took a strip out, licked the end and formed the first circle to show his niece how to do it. He took the next strip, threaded the end through the first circle, offered an end for Lyra to lick, and then stuck the two ends together to form a second circle.

“Are the cookies ready yet?” Jared asked, still scrolling through his phone.

“They’re on the cooling rack, but they haven’t been iced yet,” Zoe slumped onto the couch next to Alana. “And no, you can’t eat them yet.”

“They’re for Santa,” Lyra explained.

“But can I ice them?” Jared bargained.

“I don’t see why not,” Zoe gave in. “It’s about time that you made yourself useful. But you’re helping Lyra to ice them. And you’re still not allowed to eat them.”

Jared scowled, but put his phone down, held Lyra’s hand and took her into the kitchen.

“Is there anything you need from the supermarket?” Connor asked. “I couldn’t see any milk in the fridge or carrots for Rudolph in the cupboard. Evan and I can take the car to get anything else.”

“I forgot the cranberries for the sauce we’re making tomorrow,” Alana remembered, starting to list items on her fingers. “We can have pizza for dinner tonight, so two or three pizzas please. And some yoghurt dip and popcorn for later.”

“Got it,” Connor made a shopping list on his phone, before he and Evan put on their coats and boots and left the house.

***

“Where is Santa?” Lyra asked as Connor helped her to wash her hands after dinner.

“Santa won’t come until you’re fast asleep,” Connor reminded his niece. “Your mama said that Santa will just go round and round in the sky in his sleigh waiting until you’re asleep.”

“Please can you and Uncle Evan read me one more bedtime story?” Lyra pleaded. “Please.”

“Okay,” Connor sighed, drying both their hands and then carrying Lyra to her bedroom where Evan was waiting. “ONE more story and then Mama Zoe and Mommy Lala will come to tuck you in.”

Evan had picked a picture book edition of A Visit from St. Nicholas from the bookshelf in the corner of Lyra’s bedroom. It had been his favourite Christmas story when he was a little boy and he had gifted the book to Lyra for her first Christmas. Evan and Connor sat on each side of Lyra on her bed and began to read the story to her together while she looked at all the pictures.

“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas would soon be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap – ”

Connor suddenly felt something heavy on his arm. He looked down to find Lyra fast asleep with her head leaning against him. He smiled and whispered to Evan to tiptoe downstairs to find Zoe and Alana so their could kiss their daughter “Goodnight”, before gently removing his arm from behind Lyra’s head and gently resting it on her pillow, slipping the picture book back into its place on the shelf and leaving the room as Zoe and Alana came in.

“Connor, we’re gonna need to borrow your boots,” Zoe told her brother once she and Alana were back downstairs after tucking Lyra up in bed.

“Why?” asked Connor.

“Alana thought it would be a cool idea to make some flour footprints in the kitchen to make it look more like Santa has been, and you have bigger feet than Jared and Evan.”

“Thanks,” Connor replied sarcastically, but willingly walked through the plain white flour that Alana had scattered on the kitchen floor near the back door.

Zoe brought a bag of presents wrapped in pink Disney Princess wrapping paper from the cloak cupboard into the living room and started stuffing them into Lyra’s stocking by the fireplace and under the Christmas tree for each of the friends. Jared searched for the gifts with his name on the label and tried to guess what could be inside before Zoe scolded him and told him to wait until the morning. Evan peeled and cut the carrots that had been left on the table for Rudolph and brought a bowl of carrot sticks and yoghurt dip into the living room to share. Each of the five friends picked a cookie from the plate for Santa, leaving only a scattering of crumbs for Lyra to find in the morning, and Connor finished the milk.

“What movie are we watching?” Jared asked from his spot on the couch. “I vote The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

“Me too,” Connor agreed.

“I’d like to watch Miracle on 34th Street,” Evan chimed in.

“Zoe and I usually watch The Holiday together after putting Lyra to bed on Christmas Eve,” Alana added.

“I’m down for that,” Jared changed his vote.

“The Holiday, it is,” Zoe picked the DVD from the cabinet next to the 40-inch flat-screen television.

“Or we could watch Miracle on 34th Street, then you three can watch The Holiday after Evan and I have gone to bed?” Connor interrupted.

Zoe glanced at Alana and Jared for approval, knowing that they would be awake for much longer than Evan would be. Alana nodded and Jared shrugged his shoulders.

“Okay, just because we love Evan almost as much as you do,” Zoe replied, swapping the DVDs from the cabinet.

***

“Why don’t we take Lyra to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in a couple of years?” Alana suggested to her wife as the movie ended and she was changing the DVD to The Holiday as planned.

“That’s a good idea,” Connor agreed. “Maybe I can try to teach Evan to ice-skate again in Central Park.”

“N-n-n-n-no,” Evan stuttered, suddenly nervous. “You know what happened last time.”

“But you’ll have me to hold your hand,” Connor reminded him. “You’ll be safe.”

“Or if you DO fall over, Connor will fall over with you,” Jared joked.

“Shut up, Kleinman,” Connor, Evan and Zoe automatically replied in unison.

“I love you all,” Evan sighed happily, resting his head on Connor’s chest.

“We all love you too,” Connor giggled, gently kissing Evan on the forehead again as he started to drift off to sleep. Zoe and Alana kissed and snuggled closer together on the opposite couch.

As snow started to fall outside the living room window and The Holiday finally started, Jared watched his friends as he munched on the bag of popcorn Connor had bought at the supermarket.

“This is going to be the best family Christmas EVER!”

#Dear Evan Hansen Secret Santa #ifyougiveagirlapencil #dear evan hansen #dear evan hansen fanfic

8 notes · View notes

techmaestro · 7 years ago

Photo

Okay, so I almost left it at that. Almost. It was tempting, because really, I’m like that, and it was suitably exasperatingly unimpressive to do it like that that I would have at least gotten a giggle out of someone.

Instead, I’m gonna make this hella long, under a cut mind, so that you people actually have something interesting to read. By the way, this means that I’m going to type a fuckload because I don’t believe in @ pinging someone and then just not saying anything to them personally. Consider this a ‘follow these fools I like them a lot’ rec post if you like.

Not everyone will be Marvel, not everyone will be RP. I don’t care, because you’re all fabulous who follow me, and who I follow, whether you’re personally mentioned on here or not, and you’re all worth a thank you and a pat on the head or a hug or a handshake or whatever it is you like to get.

Handshakes are hella awkward though. Seriously, shook someone’s hand yesterday, found myself mildly perplexed and offended she didn’t kiss it instead.

MOVING ON. Rambling continued under the cut, just more personally directed.

SO IN ORDER OF THOSE I FOLLOW BACK FROM OLDEST TO NEWEST. Yeah, it’s gonna be like that, because what is alphabetical order, but I promise if someone has more than one muse (and I remember these different muses all belong to the one person) then I’ll stick them all on one line or something.

@simplyonehellofahokage Yeah, you are the longest standing follower I follow back sweetheart. People I’ve known longer may follow me and I follow back, but they’ve moved blogs, or had hella long hiatuses and stuff since then, so it’s you and me, at the top of this ridiculous list, and I don’t regret it. You’re lovely, and never forget it. I remember when you had a simple, unfancy as could be blog and I talked you through using a new theme, and now you’re awesome with fancy long ass tags for characters. I’m proud of you friend, and that I got to watch you grow as a tumblr RPer.

@stillfeeluncomfortable Now we don’t talk, or really RP, but I’ve never really considered unfollowing you. I like watching your blog, or reading around it from time to time, so salutations and well wishes for you.

@tj-dragonblade I DON’T CARE IF WE DON’T RP ANYMORE YOU’RE STILL FABULOUS. And if you ever, AND I DO MEAN EVER get back into RP or wanna tackle me with a Marvel muse of any stripe, I’m here bro. I’m here.

@xwebxslingerx PETEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYY. You’re amazing. I adore you. You’re my child who is older than me in reality but I don’t actually give two shits about that. -blows kisses- I love that I met you, and I’ll be happy forever that it happened. You’re awesome, and sure, you’re on a sideblog, but that just makes it easier to hoard you.

@starofhonor So we don’t much RP anymore, but I still salute you for helping me work out my incubus verse more, and being willing to take a run at things with me. Also, your non-RP posts remain fabulous.

@notacaptainanymore @thatiscolonelrhodestoyou @captain-james-b-barnes @whitekingmagneto @logicallyhalfvulcan @quimulti and just everyone you wander around with. This is the general frame of your awesome and how I found you. So there. You have one of the Steves my Tony wants to spend time with the most and I’ll always appreciate. I remember your terrible jokes in our first Bucky thread about how he’d forever be ‘knife flipping Bucky’ and RHODEY. I fucking love your Rhodey, okay and I doubt that I’ll ever want for another with you around. I adore you, I adore your baking, and I love how you fit under my arm when we’re wandering around someplace in person. xoxoxoxoxo

@classicrockcassettes Hello! We’ve never really talked much in person, I know, and our threads may be a meandering slow back and forth, but I want you to know I enjoy them a lot, and I’ve always been thankful you gave me a shot.

@imjustthemechanic @clonystark @tonystark-boygenius And if you have more I apologize for not knowing that they’re yours as well. You are down on yourself far too often, friend. I enjoy our threads, and never hesitate to come at you when something you post catches my eye. Don’t forget, okay? You’re always welcome in my askbox.

@ask-the-assistant-darcy My dear, you are still the Darcy that makes me smile most often. Yes, we do less, but Tony still loves his child, and I am forever happy you consented to the cluster of a mess that is RPing in a group verse with me.

@doctorbrycebanner I like you! We’ve had our disagreements, but you’ve always been fun to RP with, and I’m glad that we know one another. So thank you for that, and I hope that we continue to find things that interests us both.

@lovelornrocketscientist We don’t really play anymore, and that’s okay, but I’m still happy that we ever did. I like your Fitz. He’s cool, and his sense of humor pleases Tony.

@katesgotabow Kaaaaaaaaaate. You’re the Kate that made me care about this character. Before you I had no idea who the hell she was, and that is a sad thought, to think of never having gotten to know your muse. So thank you for that, and may they continue to get up to utterly redic fail.

@buckybarnesthewintersoldier @steverogers-soldier So you’ve half fallen off the planet these days, but I don’t care, because you’re awesome and our discourse was always interesting, even if it did get a bit heavy for me for a while there. I look forward to your return someday.

@fallcnandlost I LIKE YOU. I want you to know that, because it’s true. Your AU is well thought out, and regardless of what anyone else may say, I think it’s neatly, and originally, done. May our friendship carry on.

@tenthofalonewanderer I loooove you. You’re the reason I have a Master/Missy blog at all, and I want to be very very very sure you know that. You’re an awesome Ten, and I love playing off that muse of yours, regardless of who I’m flinging at him. Yes, the last few weeks we’ve been doing less, but never think it’s because I don’t enjoy you. xoxoxoxoxoxo

@protocol-fuckitfireeverything You’re my favorite 616 Tony. You’re the 616 Tony that made me interested in pretty much anything to DO with that Tony. You make me happy when you reply to our stuff, and sure, threads fall between the cracks, but say the word darling, and I’ll pick up anything that’s fallen to the wayside in a heartbeat for you.

@correctionimswiss The one and only Arnim Zola everyone. I’m glad I found you, and I regret nothing about that. Side characters and villains like this one need more attention, and I think you do him justice.

@iamnarvi -blows kisses- You. Are. Adorable. You’re cute and nice and you are more than willing to wait around when I forget what the hell I’m doing and send our threads into a tailspin of ‘what’. Not that that happens often but... thank you all the same.

@sovietspookstory I like you. A lot. Forever and ever. You’re the only one that’s ever taken up the nibble with Bucky for god-Tony and run with it and for that I’ll always admire you stepping up. Also, you do a damn good job with him, just saying.

@noworldnomad So we’ve had a few threads, and dropped a few threads, yes, but any time, and I do mean any time, I see you answered a meme of mine, I’m excited. I just thought you should know that.

@dcviltongued Ahhh one of my two Matts and I regret nothing of having you around. You have an awesome approach to this character, and can I just say that I’ll probably love that til the end of always? Becuse I will.

@mechanicdragonheart @formerhydramedic And I forget your JARVIS account name just now but Twinny, you’re lovely, and we need to get back into the swing of playing together again. I love your characters, and I love how you play them, even if, yes, I’ll forever cry over how you use a couple words. No matter, you’re awesome and that’s the important bit.

@the-blackest-spider My most active beloved Natasha. Hi. You’re wonderful and I want you to know that I will ever think that. I like the chemistry our two have together, how they can read one another, and that you’re happy jumping my AU bandwagon and running with it. Remind me to introduce you to the terrible no good storyline sometime.

@merriweather-roses @almostmrsstark I remember when I started playing with you, and I admit for a long time after you turned your Tony into a personal I was really confused but once you came around with Pepper again, that all resolved. I never considered unfollowing you though, because I love the content on your blog, so, that’s really that.

@thatididknow Now, I may be wrong here, but I think we played together once, a long time ago, before you moved to the current blog/changed your layout to a site default? If that was, in fact, you, then I want to say thank you for being the first Pepper I ever RPed with, and making me even more enchanted with this pairing.

@simplypeterparker We may never have RPed, but I want you to know I’m watching. Watching, and waiting for a good time to strike. In a good way.

@pervyyzimniysoldat You and me, we’ve talked a huge game of plots and RP and I think you’re responsible for one of my AU posts even. We should totally revisit that.

@shotgunaxecombo I love your Mack. Him and Tony get along so well and it’s always a happy day when you roll back through my thread tracker, or hit a meme, or just anything like that.

@lokiodinsonblog You are a prince. No, really, I love your Loki, they’re just right for my needs and the snark is there, and the soft spots are there, and the might be a caged animal if given the right incentive is there. Thank you.

@trackstarsupergirl We may have only had the one thread, and I was sad when I finished it up thinking your blog was going to go away, but I would just like to say I’m really glad it didn’t. I like seeing you around.

@fixedxpoint We may not have done much, but I do rather hope that changes in the future. I like seeing you around.

@buckyismybrother @levelsevenarcher I THINK that’s your Clint. I think. If it’s not I'm gooing to be very embarrassed when the actual owner of this Clint corrects me. BUT ANYWAY. I’m happy I know you, and I’m happy that I decided to give your OC a chance. He was super rough around the edges, but we made it work, and that’s the best bit.

@cochetsharpshooter BIRTHDAY TWIN WITH ANOTHER YEAR AND FAMILY. I’m happy I know you and I love our threads. Okay. Never ever EVER doubt that. Ever. I mean it. With cherries on top.

@visixnaryx We may do absolutely nothing, but I do enjoy seeing you on my dash.

@withoutxfear AND MY OTHER MATT. I love the way Matt and Tony are bantering and bonding and just, in general, being awesome together. I hope we have a long and productive RP friendship.

@aslavicshadcw Your Natasha is adorable and I like our AU together. I’m curious to see where it goes.

@xusedtoberussianx We may have fallen out of negotiations back when we were discussing a thread, but don’t take that to mean I ever stopped being interested~!

@tasedagod This is one adorable Darcy. That is all.

@clumsyherbologist This Neville! They mark the first in a rash of Potter folk that I followed who didn’t promptly fall off the planet or annoy me into unfollowing. They’re lovely, and I look forward to doing more in our thread together in the following weeks.

@shieldsstrongest This! This multi has beautiful fem-muses. I love her fem-Steve especially, and her and Tony get along absolutely wonderfully, something which I will always appreciate.

@thedoctorsaysimwrong This Jack may wander off on the regular, but he gets along amazingly with both Missy and Tony so I have no regrets. I just hope you return soon so we can play again my friend.

@enduringcaptain We may not have gotten far in our threads, but I’m ready to give it another try when you are~!

@imjustanauthor I love watching how you play your fobbed Doctor, and sure, we may have only ever spoken the once, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t kept my eye on you since -grins.-

@spoiledendings You are my favorite River. Just thought you should know.

@ofdarcyiisms I love the soulmate thread we have going so I hope you come back from the void soon~! But that you’re int here for good reasons, of course. Fun ones I mean.

@stuckinwinter YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN NEAR THE TOP. BUT NO, NO YOU HAD TO GO AND MOVE JOURNALS. I mean. Um. So hi, I’m happy to have you and I adore you and our redic threads and how well they get along and how fabulous they are and you are and you are, also, nice and pretty and perfectly sarcastically quippy when the need arises. Thank you.

@technoheart We’ve never played, but I hope, very much, that one day we talk and actually figure out how to change that.

@starkwithsarcasm Hello friend. We don’t talk much these days, I know, and I’ve never been very good at reaching out to you, but I want you to know I’ve always enjoyed our inbos threads. Promise.

@iskuplennyyesoldatzimy You and I need to actually start a thread. We keep talking about them and then not doing it. I feel this needs to be remedied. SAY THE WORD AND I’LL THROW DOWN.

@vintagestark @starkinternational Thank you for existing. Thank you for being awesome. Thank you for playing with me and making me so so happy that someone who sees certain aspects of RP the same way I do without explaining exists. I hope you feel better soon beautiful, because I miss hoarding your attention like a greedy hoarder. -salutes-

@ladysifwarriorborn We haven’t spoken much but I like our small interactions so far. I look forward to leveling up.

@asgardianhammer We’ve never talked, or RPed, or anything like that, but I do hope we do someday. I like the look of you.

@illegitimatestark Oh my god darling you have jumped around accounts so many times. You should have been near the top of this list you know, you’re one of my older followers. BUT. I’m just glad we still RP, regardless of all that, so thank you. You’re awesome and I love our storylines.

@hirasenshi I still wanna play with Rankaaaaaa~! I mean. I love your Rin, and I’m happy to have her. I’m glad that you decided to jump on Tony, because they’re adorable together. He loves his ninja-daughter.

@arrowsandradiation @sicarixs I love your muses. Sure, we don’t talk much, and I’m sure things have been rough for you, but I’ve always been happy to know you friend.

@createdamurderbot @manicmechanic @marvelcusmuses I LOVE YOUR MUSES. Your Bruce remains my persistent favorite, okay, and probably always will. I like your Tony, and yes I haven’t poked at him again yet but I will someday, just warning you -winks- Even if I’m taking my sweet time about it.

@chipconnoisseur You are everything I could hope for in a Bill Potts, and it’s fun watching you on my dash, alright? Keep being fabulous.

@kncwseverything SO YOU. YOU. I know we mostly keep up on IMs, but here is as good of a name as any to blow you kisses and tell you you’re still awesome.

@grcwingstrcng You’re the first Pepper Tony ever got attached to, and I want you to know I still love how deep you make her. Even if I never play with that muse of yours again, I just wanted to say thank you.

@fcrgedstrength I LOVE YOUR ANA JARVIS. I’m so happy that we met okay, and we’ve had a lot of really cute RPs and maybe a couple horrifyingly tragic ones too, but I like that.

@ironpipsqueak Tony’s adorable trans son. I’m always happy to hear from you and do RP with you, even if our threads never seem to get very far. I hope you’re doing well!

@titanium-alloy-automaton I really really like what we’re doing. Tony rarely gets to interact with AIs of any stripe he didn’t build so this is novel and precious okay.

@dxctordisco We’ve never interacted, but I just want you to know you make me smile when I see you on my dash.

@punchyourwayout We don’t talk or RP or anything, but I love the things you reblog, and I know usually when I see you on my dash that it’s going to be interesting, regardless of what it is.

@t-starkasm We’ve never spoken, but I’ve reblogged a hell of a lot from you, and you from me, and that works from me. I’m honored that you decided my blog was worth watching even though you’re not a RPer, and I wanted to say that made me really happy when I got your follow and saw your content.

@cannibalisticwhistler We haven’t spoken, but just seeing you on my dash makes me happy and that is awesome in the best way, okay? Keep being rad.

@artificiallyimplantedmemories REALLY YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST ON THIS LIST. And it’s my fault you’re not. I unfollowed you for a while because I was sad about your long hiatus, but really you’re my longest standing follower and the reason I even MADE my Tony blog. I felt like a creeper following your Steve on a non-marvel blog okay. So like, it’s all down to you, you amazing person you, and I’m glad that you had that influence on me.

@daisynow @icedsoldierbucky I love all your muses okay. I’ve been following you for a looong time now and I don’t see that changing. So, here’s with hope for more threads in the future my friend.

@untxmable You, I’ve followed you off and on for ages now, not going to lie, and I’m really happy you exist, even if we’ve never played together, so thank you.

@ladylancelot We’ve never spoken, we’ve never RPed, and that’s okay. I’m just happy that you and I are mutuals, because I love your character, how you play her, and what you reblog. Thank you.

@exosevenfalcon We’ve threaded together off and on since we met, and I’m always down for new ones, just so you know. I like your Sam, and there’s not nearly enough of you out there.

@yourbestfriendmissy SO WE JUST MET AND ALL But I love reblogging things from you. You have great taste.

@hischair You’re adorable and I’m keeping you. Just thought you should know kbye. We need to RP by the way. For realsies.

@callmcmj You are totally the reason this post exists, so I’m giving you a shout out and hope sincerely we can RP someday. Have a great night.

AND THAT’S EVERYONE. If you’re not on here, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy you. That just means I may not follow you or am unsure what to say to you if I do. You’re all fabulous regardless.

THANKS FOR READING ALL.

#promo hup

56 notes · View notes

stephenmccull · 5 years ago

Text

Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes

The Friday Breeze

Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes, who reads everything on health care to compile our daily Morning Briefing, offers the best and most provocative stories for the weekend.

Hello! We have once again reached Friday, and I’ll do my best to give you a snapshot of the biggest health news from the week. But, first, I must dispel some bad advice that I’ve seen: Everyone wants to see your pet on those video conferences! Don’t hide them away in this time of need! Show us the doggos, the cats, and the … whatever this is. (A porcupine, I think?) Also make sure you’re following DogsOfKFF on Twitter for some of the best content on that social media platform.

All right, onto the news.

As predicted, the United States has surpassed China in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, with nearly 93,000 to China’s nearly 82,000, as of 1 p.m. ET Friday. According to Johns Hopkins’ tracker, we also have surpassed 1,300 recorded deaths. (Worldwide, we’re at more than 566,000 and over 25,000 deaths.) Meanwhile, all that data comes with an asterisk in that most experts believe there are far more cases going unrecorded either because of testing flaws or overwhelmed state health departments that can’t keep up. Either way, not exactly something we want to be first in.

Meanwhile, the House came back to Washington to approve the $2.2 trillion stimulus package the Senate managed to send through this week (more on that in a second), despite concerns over lawmakers’ safety. There had been (dim but existent) hope earlier in the week that the House might be able to pass the legislation by unanimous consent. But that seemed too easy to be true, and it was. Concerns that a voice vote would be derailed by objections from a libertarian Kentucky lawmaker went unrealized, and the House passed the legislation Friday afternoon. The bill now goes to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it.

So what exactly is in that legislation?

— Direct payments of $1,200 to millions of Americans, including those earning up to $75,000, and an additional $500 per child

— $100 billion for grants to hospitals, public and nonprofit health organizations and Medicare and Medicaid suppliers, including a 20% bump in Medicare payments for treating patients with the virus

— $221 billion in a variety of tax benefits for businesses, including allowing businesses to defer payroll taxes, which finance Medicare and Social Security, for the rest of the year

— More than $25 billion in new money for food assistance programs, like SNAP

— Expanded jobless aid, providing an additional 13 weeks and a four-month enhancement of benefits, and extending the payments for the first time to freelancers and gig workers

— $377 billion in federally guaranteed loans to small businesses and the establishment of a $500 billion government lending program for distressed companies

— Millions in aid for states to begin offering early voting or voting by mail

— A rule that blocks foreclosures and evictions during the crisis on properties where the federal government backs the mortgage

— The suspension of federal student loan payments for six months and waives the interest

Predictably, some sectors (like cruise ships) were unhappy with being left out, but for once some people were pleased — for example, the hospital industry, which got the $100 billion it asked for.

For those of you, like me, who love a good tick-tock, here are a few inside looks at how Senate leaders and White House advisers struck a quick, expansive deal in a Washington that typically seems incapable of compromise.

The New York Times: As Coronavirus Spread, Largest Stimulus in History United a Polarized Senate

Politico: Inside the 10 Days to Rescue the Economy

The Washington Post: The Dealmaker’s Dealmaker: Mnuchin Steps In as Trump’s Negotiator, but President’s Doubts Linger With Economy in Crisis

The urgency of the legislation was underscored by an astronomical jump in jobless claims this week. Nearly 3.3. million Americans applied for benefits, up from 200,000 during pre-outbreak days. The “widespread carnage,” as one economist put it, is expected to get worse. While the stimulus package is expected to help mitigate some of the devastation, many have said it should be looked at as just the beginning.

It seemed strangely appropriate this week that the health law turned 10 amid a pandemic — the legislation’s journey to here has been anything but smooth, why should this anniversary be? But one ripple effect of the pandemic and economic fallout might actually be a boost to the health law, which is likely to serve as a crucial safety net for many Americans who possibly lost their employer-sponsored coverage in the past few weeks. States have already started reopening their marketplaces, and the federal government is being urged to follow suit.

The Friday Breeze

Want a roundup of the must-read stories this week chosen by KHN Newsletter Editor Brianna Labuskes? Sign up for The Friday Breeze today.

Please confirm your email address below:

Trump chafed this week at the drastic measures states are putting in place to try to curb the outbreak, raising eyebrows when he said he’d like to see church pews full by Easter. Public health experts have warned that lifting the social-distancing measures would result in a surge of cases that slam an already stretched-thin hospital system. But for Trump, who has tied his reputation to the well-being of the stock market, the economic toll seems too much. (The rhetoric also started a truly bizarre push from conservatives for older Americans to sacrifice themselves for the good of the country.)

The president’s most recent proposal to kick-start parts of the country is identifying places by risk level and applying strategies to match. But experts, like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warn that even “cool spots” that aren’t seeing many cases might be in for a surge coming down the pike.

Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said that New York’s experience presages America’s future. But some say that’s not necessarily accurate. Leading specialists say that while it is likely that devastation similar to New York’s will emerge in other places, there’s hope that in lower-density areas, where there are fewer factors like mass transit to exacerbate the spread, the outcome might be different.

Realistically, though, Americans will need to eventually think about returning to normalcy. Are there exit strategies from this complete lockdown that would work effectively? Here’s the problem: All the experts say success relies on extreme, aggressive and widespread testing to isolate the sick before they can give it to anyone. This has not exactly been America’s strong suit in recent weeks.

There are two storylines that have taken hold to demonstrate how much this pandemic will strain the hospital system, the first being the lack of ventilators available. States and hospitals have been pleading with the federal government to invoke war powers to jump-start the manufacturing process on the equipment. This comes as doctors are being forced to split ventilators between patients (a risky practice), planning to make the tough ethical decisions to ration care, creating policies to not resuscitate, searching for alternative treatments despite the dangers they might pose, and being warned that morgues are reaching capacity.

But Trump, who had been set to announce a partnership with GM to produce up to 80,000 ventilators, balked this week at the $1 billion price tag that came with it. “I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators,” he said, in a reference to New York, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo has appealed for federal help in obtaining them. “You go into major hospitals sometimes, and they’ll have two ventilators. And now all of a sudden they’re saying, ‘Can we order 30,000 ventilators?’”

The second notable thread throughout the country is a lack of personal protective equipment for health care workers on the front lines of the epidemic. There might be a long medical tradition of accepting elevated risk in the middle of a crisis, but many health care workers are frustrated that they’re being put in that position. Some are resorting to using hand-sewn masks, which do little to protect them and trash bags for surgical gowns. But others are drawing a line in the sand.

Meanwhile, something that might get missed with everyone’s attention directed at the coasts: Atlanta’s mayor is warning that its hospitals are at capacity.

Gilead, whose antiviral drug is getting a lot of buzz, was granted orphan drug status for the treatment because there are fewer than 200,000 cases of COVID-19 in the States right now. The designation would have granted Gilead lucrative perks, like the ability to keep generic competitors from the marketplace. But the news was meant with rage-filled incredulity from, uh, pretty much everyone, and so the company rescinded the request. As one expert said: “I think it’s embarrassing to take something that’s potentially the most widespread disease in the history of the pharmaceutical industry and claim it’s a rare disease.”

Meanwhile, an antimalarial drug is getting tons of attention after Trump touted it as a possible game changer. But a new, more carefully constructed study that finds it did little to help patients in China shows why people shouldn’t be looking for a quick, miracle cure. Researchers say this doesn’t disprove that the drug works but is a good check on expectations, especially when people are trying to self-medicate with the drug — resulting in shortages for those who need it for other illnesses and fatal consequences for others.

On the good-news front (there is some!), Moderna said there could be a vaccine ready for the fall for health care workers under emergency use authorization, ahead of the wider release that’s not expected to come for about a year.

And another treatment that some scientists are hopeful about is the practice of injecting recovered patients’ blood into new patients. The strategy is at least a century old but has scattershot results. “It’s not exactly a shot in the dark, but it’s not tried and true,” says one scientist. Still, in this era, people are willing to try what they can.

And here are some other interesting stories to get you through the weekend.

Federal Response:

Politico: Trump Team Failed to Follow NSC’s Pandemic Playbook

Politico: Those Who Intentionally Spread Coronavirus Could Be Charged As Terrorists

The New York Times: As Coronavirus Surveillance Escalates, Personal Privacy Plummets

2020 Elections:

The New York Times: Joe Biden, Struggling for Visibility, Faults Trump’s Response to Coronavirus

The New York Times: Is All of 2020 Postponed?

From The States:

Stateline: One Governor’s Actions Highlight the Strengths — and Shortcomings — of State-Led Interventions

The New York Times: Governors Tell Outsiders From ‘Hot Zone’ to Stay Away as Virus Divides States

NBC News: Entire Senior Home in New Jersey, 94 People, Presumed to Have Coronavirus

Science And Innovation:

The New York Times: The Virus Can Be Stopped, But Only With Harsh Steps, Experts Say

The New York Times: Warmer Weather May Slow, But Not Halt Coronavirus

The Washington Post: What Research on Coronavirus Structure Can Tell Us About How to Kill It

The Washington Post: The Science of Why Coronavirus Is So Hard to Stop

Reuters: Smokers Likely to Be More at Risk From Coronavirus: EU Agency

Public Health:

ProPublica: Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Will Rise During Quarantines. So Will Neglect of At-Risk People, Social Workers Say.

NBC News: Anti-Abortion Groups Seek Halt to Abortions During Coronavirus Pandemic

Politico: New York’s Health Care Workforce Braces for Influx of Retirees, Inexperienced Staffers

That’s it from me! Have a safe and healthy weekend!

Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.weebly.com/

0 notes

gordonwilliamsweb · 5 years ago