#i was initially going to refuse to call him gary

[hiphopcherrrypop]

imagine you disappear bc ur busy dimension hopping trying to save ur own dimension or wtvr + then you get back to find ur two bffs who you've never introduced are now dating

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Gary Markstein, Creators Syndicate

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

November 9, 2023 (Thursday)

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

NOV 10, 2023

The Republican-dominated House of Representatives remains unable to agree even to a way forward toward funding the United States government. This is a five-alarm fire.

The continuing resolution for funding the government Congress passed in September when then–House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) couldn’t pass appropriations bills runs out on November 17. If something is not done, and done quickly, the U.S. will face a shutdown over Thanksgiving. This will not only affect family gatherings and the holiday, it will hit Black Friday—which, as the busiest shopping day of the year, is what keeps a number of businesses afloat. 

The problem with funding the government is the same problem that infects much else in the country today: far-right Republicans insist that their position is the only acceptable one. Even though the majority of the country opposes their view, they refuse to compromise. They want to gut the government that regulates business, provides a basic social safety net, promotes infrastructure, and protects civil rights. 

To impose their will on the majority, they don’t have to understand issues, build coalitions, or figure out compromises. All they have to do is steadfastly vote no. If they can prevent the government from accomplishing anything, they will have achieved their goal.

Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) perfectly illustrated how much easier it is to destroy than to build today as he objected to the promotion of military leaders, one at a time. Democrats tried to bring up each promotion of career military personnel, many of whom have served this country for decades, by introducing them by name; Tuberville had only to say “I object” to prevent the Senate from taking up those promotions. 

That refusal to budge from an extreme position weakens our military. It also weakens our democracy, as was apparent today in Michigan as Republican lawmakers joined an antiabortion group in suing to overturn a 2022 amendment to the state constitution protecting abortion rights. Voters approved that amendment with 57% of the vote in a process established by the state constitution, but the plaintiffs want to stop it from taking effect, claiming that by creating a new right, it disfranchises them and prevents the legislature from making laws. They could launch their own ballot initiative to replace the amendment they don’t like, but as that seems unlikely to pass, they are instead trying to block the measure the voters have said they want.

The decision of Ohio’s voters to protect abortion rights on Tuesday has prompted a similar disdain for democracy there. The vote for that state constitutional amendment was not close—56.6% to 43.4%—but Republican legislators immediately said they would work to find ways to stop the amendment from taking effect. 

North Dakota state representative Brandon Prichard was much more explicit. Opposed to the measure, he wrote, “Direct democracy should not exist…. It would be an act of courage to ignore the results of the election….” According to James Bickerton of Newsweek, Prichard has previously called for Republican-dominated states to “put into code that Jesus Christ is King and dedicate their state to Him.” 

Now that refusal to compromise threatens the U.S. government itself. It has been apparent that the Republicans were unable to agree on a funding plan even among themselves. On Tuesday, as Nicole Lafond of Talking Points Memo pointed out, House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Americans should just trust the Republicans. He told reporters: “I’m not going to tell you when we will bring [appropriations bills] to the floor, but it will be in time, how about that? Trust us: We’re working through the process in a way that I think that people will be proud of…. [M]any options…are on the table and we’ll be revealing what our plan is in short order.”

Today, although the House managed to vote on a series of extremist bills designed to signal to their base—lowering the salaries of government officials they dislike to $1 a year—the House Republicans had to pull the Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill after extremists loaded it with antiabortion language so they could not get the votes to pass it even through the Republican side of the aisle; earlier they had to pull the bill to fund Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies. 

“We’re still dealing with the same divisions we always have had,” a House Republican told Sahil Kapur, Scott Wong, and Julie Tsirkin of NBC News. “We’re ungovernable.”

And then, after pulling the bill, Speaker Johnson adjourned the House until Monday. As Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) put it this afternoon: “We are just 8 days away from a devastating government shutdown—and instead of working in a bipartisan way to keep the government open, Speaker Johnson sent Congress home early for the weekend. This is completely unacceptable.”

Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) wrote: “The training wheels fell off for [Republican] leadership this week. They tried to pass two appropriations bills. They failed twice. The government shuts down in 8 days and [the House Republican Party] HAS NO PLAN. Instead, we voted on stupid stuff today like reducing the salary of [the] W[hite] H[ouse] Press Secretary to $1.”

The problem remains what it has been since the Republican Party took control of the House in 2021: far-right extremists refuse to agree to any budget that doesn’t slash government funding of popular programs, while less extremist Republicans recognize that such cuts would gut the government and horrify all but the most extreme voters. In any case, measures loaded with extremist wish lists will not pass the Senate; this is why appropriations bills are traditionally kept clean.

Former House speaker Kevin McCarthy hammered out just such an agreement with the administration in May 2023 for funding, but the extremists refuse to honor it. For their part, Democrats are holding firm on that agreement. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) told NBC News correspondent Julie Tsirkin that “[a] clean continuing resolution at the fiscal year 2023 levels is the only way forward… We're asking for the status quo to keep the government open.” 

The government budget isn’t the only casualty of the Republican chaos. The farm bill, which funds agricultural programs and food programs, must be renewed every five years. The measure authorized in 2018 expires this year, but extremists are eager to slash funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known as food stamps, endangering the passage of a measure farmers strongly support. 

And today the Defense Department pleaded with Congress to pass the supplemental budget request President Biden made in August to fund Ukraine’s military needs in its war against Russian aggression. 

The Republican Party’s problem continues to be America’s problem, and it is getting bigger by the day.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[firestarter91]

Dead and Buried - episode four (finale)

Well this was a bust, as for the ending were the writers on crack? It's the second drama series Colin has recently which has been let down by poor writing, an unlikeable female lead character and a story that after an initially promising start unravelled into absurdity.

Nothing wrong with Colin’s acting, but despite his recent output of serialised psychological dramas they're just not of sufficient quality to make me want to revisit them. He needs to pick better scripts (if he can) or switch to something different which may offer better opportunities to show off his creative gifts of which he has many.

I could have done less with the Raymie side story, Cathy would have been better off as a single mum, it would have given more plausibility to her sudden going off the deep end if she was more isolated.

Michael remained the most likeable person in it, as for Cathy there was really nothing about her to like or empathise with, having her angry and tearful over a purported trauma (the origins of which we never really see or hear much about) does not a complex and nuanced character make. Biggest mistake was to fail to give the audience more background on what happened in the past which led to Michael going to jail. It made it even harder to sympathise with Cathy which was dumb given I presume that was the general idea.

Anyway, spoilery stuff on the finale below.

An upset Andrew finally returns home to a worried Lena and Michael, he rejects his dad’s drunken attempts at a hug, he says he’s been with his mates.

Raymie tells Cathy he’s going to be read the riot act at school over Andrew. Cathy then sees the news report about Sally being dead. Michael is having a shower, the police come for him. I do appreciate the naked wet chest shot.😋

Michael is in the interview room at the police station, the duty solicitor arrives not his own family one, he’s already spoken to Jack, he gets the message he’s on his own. I feel really sorry for him. We go to Cathy laying on the sofa being comforted by Raymie, I don’t feel much sympathy for her.

According to the CCTV, Michael did go to the hospital drunk to try and see Sally he won’t say anything. Jack calls Lena, who once again he’s meddling, he’s sure Michael is guilty. Lena is worried about Andrew she asks him to swear on the bible he wasn’t at Sally’s, he angrily refuses and walks out. Cathy tries to approach Gary (Sally’s husband) but understandably he’s not interested and shuts the door on her.

Jack's on the phone to Sergeant Cooper to read him the riot act, he knows Michael’s guilty! Cooper says ‘it’s not what you know’, I love it lol, it’s about time that bullying bastard was put back in his box for a bit. Find proof Jack demands and this coming from a pastor. What a shit. Michael has been released from jail, they’ve not got enough to keep him inside, tired and dejected he gets picked up by a disapproving Lena and sullen Andrew, poor guy, he’s been released from one confinement into another.

Lena tells Michael that daddy doesn’t want him at work until this has all died down. He wonders why she doesn’t believe him but the police do (that he didn’t do it given he’s been released). She asks about the hospital visit he tells her he was worried about their son and wanted to speak to Sally to see if she knew what happened, he’s convinced it was Andrew, and can’t she see there’s something wrong with him? Lena fervently says no and walks out.

Just as an aside, Colin is wearing dark jeans and blue tee combo, his character may be exhausted but if I ever look that good after being interrogated for murder I’d be grateful, with that stubble and shorter hair he’s looking particularly fine. Anyway focus!

Once again the only heart strings that are being pulled here is mine for Michael, Colin is so good at playing characters that invoke your sympathy even when they have a darker past.

Cathy is focusing on her son for once, after leaving him to run out to the cafe for a quick spot of vandalism (throwing a rock through the cafe door), Raymie been assigned to do a safeguarding course by the school which is overnight, he’s worried about leaving her alone. Raymie is not convinced despite her blithe assurances she’s okay. Can’t blame him, she’s a loose cannon, Raymie remind her she just ran out before leaving Sasha. Of course this being Cathy, instead of being mollified she attacks him, she’s defensive and pissed, she reminds him her best friend was just murdered! Yeah a friend that wouldn’t be dead if she hadn’t started openly stalking Michael. 😕

Michael already nipping at the booze goes to work. Jack is surprised to see him, yeah well tough he’s done nothing wrong Jack so he’s here, Jack suggests he skips the special family Brothers of Caleb cult meeting. He receives a text from ‘Molly’ fancy a drink? Cathy to no surprise is back at him you know this will not end well for him.

Raymie is off, he asks her is she taking her meds, she gives him a look and once again he apologises, that’s the problem with this relationship she’s off the rails and he just keeps apologising to her. Cathy then says sorry this has all been a right shit show (no argument there) but I don’t buy into her apology, I don’t buy into much contrition for her at all actually.

We then have various cuts to Michael at the bar with Cathy who is desperately trying to get information out of him but failing. Lena and Andrew are off to the meeting where poor Andrew is made to kneel on the floor for a laying on of hands whilst Jack gives him the liturgy, is this shit for real? Andrew is begging for forgiveness for all his sins, poor sod. No wonder the kid is messed up, you can see now why Michael was so keen earlier to get his son out of this environment

Michael and Cathy have now moved to the car, there’s time to kill, she’s got her phone on record.  Still no joy, no skeletons in his cupboard apparently, they start to kiss, a camera can be heard going off outside, someone is watching I think we can guess who that will be, I don’t blame Michael for not fessing up about his past, why should he? And also we still don’t know exactly what he did to Terry!

Jack arrives at the cafe with the evidence of Michael’s transgression like the agent of perpetual doom, Lena realises now who Molly is and asks Jack did Michael kill Sally? Who else could it have been Jack says, you sense she's thinking about Andrew.

Cathy is back at school, not sure how she has time to teach frankly given how busy she is trying to ruin Michael’s life. Michael messaged her, he loved what they did last night, he’d like to do it again (oh Michael!😕)

Jack asks Lena what do you want me to do about him? I’d have told my dad a long time ago to fuck off out of my marital business but this is Lena and she’s chained to her dad as securely as if she were still a child not a grown woman, he reminds her that he’s praying for her (great), she say PRAY FOR HIM. Uh oh.

Whilst Michael is outside his house texting Cathy about them meeting up, he sees bin sacks being hurled out the window. He gets out yelling, there’s a note on the door, he tries to get in saying he can explain she’s just a friend. Lena and Andrew sit inside the house as this is going on listening to his pleas to come in.

He decides to leave, taking the photos she’s taped to the door with him but then gets accosted by Cooper who is playing henchmen with Jack who has arrived to cause yet more trouble. Cooper punches him to the ground, Lena comes out suddenly and just when I think she’s going to at least protect her husband from getting attacked, Andrew rushes out yelling and pushing at Michael saying he doesn’t know who he is any more and Lena to cap it all then tells him they’re better off without him this is not your home and then they go in and shut the door, all the while her shit of a dad watches on clearly pleased with his holy handwork.

Michael is crying, Jack says if he bothers any of them again he’ll kill him, and this is a man of God! Michael through his tears finds this bitterly amusing as he’s the murderer apparently he yells at him as he gets into his car ‘the lord will punish you’ Jack warns. I know who I'd like to face judgement from God right now and it's not Michael. It seems to me Michael has been punished more than enough having to put up with this religious crap for decades. Jack tries to get into the house but for once she’s not doing what dad says and won’t let him in, at that point another officer with some colleagues come up to the house and Cooper says he will deal with it.

Michael has parked up outside the bar he met Molly obviously distressed, my heart goes out to him, yes he flirted with Molly and they kissed but he’s in such a fucked up situation at home and he’s been the victim of events really more than anything. He looks at the pictures and realises that Molly is Cathy and we see yet another flashback of the car incident again, I guess we are meant to presume he threw a firebomb at the car and it burned Terry to death? No idea really since once again it’s impossible to know who is who and they’re so brief and repetitive and one sided it really adds nothing to the telling of the story.

It’s about this point that everything goes to shit with this story. We find out that Cooper is the one that killed Sally, there’s footage of him at the hospital, he’s interviewed and but won’t say anything. Raymie knows Cathy was out last night what was she doing? Sucking Michael off she says sarcastically in a car park. Instead of being angry at her behaviour. Raymie says he loves her but says she needs to sort her shit out, oh she’s sorting stuff out alright but not in the way he would hope.

He goes upstairs for a shower, she then sees Michael staring at her outside, she grabs a Stanley knife and as he comes in they have a wrestling match with it, he asks her why did she do it, why did she ruin his life? She said you murdered my brother you had everything! He says (quite rightly) he paid for it, he gets the knife off her and backs away as she says again you murdered him. He says no I didn’t and shakes his head, you murdered Sally Cathy yells, no he says. Cathy rounds on him well if you didn’t who did?

We see him thinking about his son Andrew attacking Michael earlier, she starts to shove and goad him asking is he here to kill her/ It’s clear he’s not. No he says, he grabs her and starts sobbing saying no,. He still has the knife clasped in his hand but not to attack her with it, he’s clearly very upset and then says sorry to Cathy, she’s crying too now, they break away again.

How Raymie isn’t hearing all this commotion beggars belief. Cathy once again asks who killed Sally, again we get a flashback of Michael thinking of Andrew, then suddenly he admits he murdered her brother and murdered Sally. It’s all a bit rushed and doesn’t feel right, that Michael would suddenly confess like this even for his son, I thought even Colin found this a bit of a struggle to sell this abrupt change of heart frankly.

He says he must be punished and he cuts his neck and bleeds out on the floor, after the initial shock at what she’s just witnessed she give an exultant choked off laugh, she’s clearly happy. She tries to drag him across the kitchen floor (which is covered in his blood) but can’t go very far so dumps him back on the floor whilst she calmly sits and has a glass of wine. He’s barely conscious at this point and obviously in urgent need of medical aid but she’s got her back to him and is drinking like nothing is on her mind. He then makes a grab for her ankle, she really loses it then and goes off on one, grabbing a bag and putting it over his head and suffocating him with it, seriously I’m meant to feel sorry for this woman WTF!

Whilst she’s putting all her energy into finally ending him, a man who has paid for his crime already and has done nothing more untoward than seemingly kiss a woman who was not his wife, is now being suffocated by a woman who has committed various random criminal acts (stalking, vandalism) in the name of revenge and now adds murder to her list. Raymie walks in at the precise moment she’s on the floor busy suffocating Michael and I just wanted to laugh it’s all so ridiculous.

Meanwhile Cooper gets into the car with Jack, he admits he killed Sally, he wanted to warn her off but lost control, Jack looks for once a bit shocked, but she wasn’t even the one he was having the affair with he splutters, doesn’t matter Cooper she saw my face she had to go. He turns to Jack and says with venom, he wasn’t going to throw his life away for something you asked me to do, he’s made sure they have nothing on him, actually Cooper has more balls than I gave him credit for, he tells Jack see you around brother and gets out the car, leaving Jack for once quiet and looking a bit shell shocked and maybe even mollified. So yeah it wasn’t Michael and all his meddling has done is helped Cathy destroy his family.

Next morning Cathy has tidied up, it’s spotless except for the bloody wine glass which she quickly washes. Raymie goes into school, looking like a zombie, he spots Andrew late in and just tells him to sit. It’s laughable that he’s just gone to school after his wife murdered Andrew’s dad, so she’s persuaded him to not go to the police. He’s a mug.🤦

Andrew later that night is looking at Cathy’s facebook page, then we get the therapist in a voice over repeating what she had told Cathy at the very start of this series (imagine a shed at the bottom of the garden where she puts all those memories in a box and walk away and forget them) and suddenly you realise where this is going and I’m like ffs seriously?

We see Raymie and Cathy sitting at the dinner table at night silently eating and not talking, the camera then pans outside and the shed door opens magically of its own accord and I lost it at this point but I guess the writers thought they were being clever linking back to the therapist and her words of advice being taken quite literally 🙄 by Cathy as we go inside the shed we see poor Michael bag still over his head, frozen and clearly dead.

I sat there after the credits so frustrated, this is yet another disappointing serialised drama where he’s front and centre but alas he's wasted in it. May be this is the kind of thing Colin is being offered so he’s taking the work or he genuinely loves this kind of thing but he’d be better showcasing his talents on something lighter instead because the last two dramatic outings have been sorely disappointing.

The producers presumably thought they were creating a nuanced complex character in Cathy but the writing simply wasn’t good enough to support it. Instead she came over as selfish, cold, vindictive and psychotic. They tried to be too clever with red herrings and too many coincidences, meanwhile the flashbacks offered very little and failed to flesh out the overall narrative and give the much needed background we’re missing on what happened in the past and generate more sympathy for Cathy’s feelings.

I didn’t know what she rally wanted in the end, his ruination or his death? She got both but I don't think she learnt anything from it or was happier in the end and worse she then got her poor husband involved in her criminality and also managed to get her best friend killed in the process! I’ve heard some reviews say they’re going to set this up for a second series. I have NO idea why on earth this would rate another series given the most likeable person in it is now dead in the garden shed lol. If it happens, I for one won’t be watching it. Sorry Colin. 😔

You can find this entire series on bbc iplayer.

[2bstudioblog]

When Music Gets Stolen

They say good composers borrow, but great composers steal. Yet, the real theft occurs when a music producer steals someone else's work and claims it as their own. Here’s my story.

The Vault

Imagine a vault, not just a physical one, but a psychological stronghold meant to protect the music I created under a previous employer. In my mind, that work was lost when the company dissolved. I knew, ethically, that if I ever wanted to revisit that music, I’d have to start from scratch—new arrangements, new sounds, the whole nine yards.

But then there are the "splicers." These folks can’t create from thin air. They don’t even touch a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI). Instead, they cobble together sounds from platforms like Splice and pass it off as music. This particular splicer stole files from our “off limits” vault—with all of my performances, edits, and all. He had no right to access them.

The Implications

Recently, I discovered that an album with this stolen work was released on iTunes under my ex co-producer's name. Listening to it was like hearing a reflection of myself—90% of the music was mine. His only contribution? Downloading samples and having me edit them. I recognized every song, every 808-bass line. His effort boiled down to typing things into a search prompt.

Anger and Realization

Initially, I thought the stolen tracks were recent projects. However, as I listened further, I realized they were older songs, created while I was on salary under different management. That’s when it hit me: this man has no shame. His partner left him because stealing is wrong, and now I understood why. My first thought was, "Where's my name? Where's my credit?" But then, I realized something crucial—if my name were attached, I’d be a co-conspirator in this mess.

So, I made the ultimate move: I refused to engage. He played a terrible game of chess, and now he’s facing the consequences. I distanced myself, and I’m better for it.

The Future

From here on out, I’m making myself unavailable to him. I’m not a ghostwriter, and my work isn’t here to build someone else's reputation. He even recorded one of my songs in L.A. without my knowledge, pretending he did it all by himself. That was the final straw. My time and talent are too valuable to be exploited. He might try to use his connections as leverage, but I’m not biting. If I were in the same room in L.A., everyone would see through his façade. They’d realize they had the wrong guy in the studio.

The Natural Problem

Let’s think three-dimensional chess. His buddies in the States will listen to this album, be blown away, and ask him for favors to produce more AAA-artists. Since he’s in Japan, they’ll think he’s got some magic touch. And he’ll ask me to do the work—probably for a rate far below what it’s worth. If it’s a high-ranking artist, I’ll charge more. It’s that simple. I’m done being kicked around like an empty can down the street. I’m going to be the hardest thing his foot hits, stopping him in his tracks. This has gone too far already.

And if I say I can’t do it because of time constraints? Well, that’s on him and his poor time-management skills. Wasting my time and bandwidth, all while calling himself a music producer? Give me a break.

Copium

How do I cope with this? It’s a fun word, but the reality is, he’ll dangle the chance to work with top directors in L.A., like F. Gary Gray, as a carrot. But I know better. I had the chance to score a Super Bowl commercial Directed by F. Gary Gray, starring LeBron James, and the director loved the music—though I’m sure he wasn’t told I wrote it. I was kept in the shadows while the "hack" and his partner took credit.

If F. Gary Gray ever reads this, he should know the truth. The Super Bowl commercial went with a Chicago Bulls chant in the end, but the original score was mine. I still have the alpha footage, pre-CGI. It’s weird, but it’s fun. F. Gary Gray, if you’re out there, let’s talk.

Wrapping Up

On a positive note, Karma will have its day. I’ve been writing music for 35 years, and I’m not about to ghostwrite for anyone. I want to be a collaborative asset and earn my right to work with others. Unfortunately, some people only see dollar signs when they look at my talent. They don’t want me in control; they want me second-guessing myself. But here’s the thing—music theory is king, and I know it.

Finding out about this theft today has been eye-opening. I’m glad my name isn’t attached to this illegal project. Eventually, someone with a moral compass will speak up to the third party, and the real criminal will be revealed. It’s been an insightful day, even if it came during a typhoon. It gave me time to reflect.

Goodnight, everyone.

[getmemymicroscope]

As 2023 has become, personally, 'the year of the book' (12 books down; 2 in progress, including the weekly Frankenstein emails; 3 just checked out from the library), movies have sort of taken a backseat. There was also that spell of TV shows, but binging most of 1 season of Arrow and Flash (yeah, didn't even get a full season done!) threw in enough angsty drama that I almost threw my remote at the TV, so that's taken a backseat again.

I have turned on a couple of movies - that Kevin Costner/Gary Oldman/Tommy Lee Jones/Ryan Reynolds (in a guest appearance)/Gal Gadot (also in a guest appearance?) movie ... Criminal, I think it was called; Kuttey, the new Bollywood movie on Netflix - but didn't really make it too far into either one...

Actually, on that note, about Criminal - I get why they pick the person they did, based on the set-up of the story (much like why I get that that show Stitchers picked the main character that they did). But heavens, when you make our protagonist such a heartless/horrible person, it makes it very, very difficult to keep going. Maybe he'll become good over time, but seriously, when you start out and give us someone with zero redeeming qualities (and then, even worse, make the entire think start in present day and then tell the whole story in flashback), it's very hard to make it far enough to witness that progression.

But, anyhow, The Terminator. Obviously, now being almost 40 years out, the basic plot is pretty well known. That said, they do a good job at the beginning of introducing two characters (later named as Terminator and Reese) and not really telling us who we should be rooting for. I mean, sure, one of them sticks his hand into someone and pulls out the guy's heart (usually not the sign of a hero; aforementioned horribly written, unsympathetic protagonists aside), but then, the other guy steals a homeless man's pants and eventually a gun, so he's not exactly perfect either.

Of course, things eventually become more clear as we see more and more death, and eventually the story is relayed to us (and to our protagonist). And they go on the run, trying to survive (or, at least, keep her alive). She does a pretty good job initially of not listening to him (sure, I get that, it's not exactly the most believable story) and then, later, after just a few hours, being so in love with the guy that she refuses to listen when he says "run" - and almost gets herself killed in the process.

All those cops in the station, and it seemed like only one of them even hit The Terminator. I mean, sure, it wouldn't have done much of anything, but like, how bad does your aim have to be in a small hallways to miss over and over again. And I mean, clearly they've made his character semi-invincible, but I've been wondering that a lot while watching Doctor Who as well - all of these stories, it's like every single villain is completely unaffected by any sort of weapon, and like - how is that possible. And more importantly, why the fuck is that still everyone's go-to, is more usage of weapons. I mean, the old Doctor Who stories have plenty of issues with that, and with just how stupid every single human is that immediately discounts the Doctor simply because "I am clearly right" and they refuse to see otherwise until they're dead (no human, essentially, has any sort of moral compass or any desire to do great for humanity - which I guess is also very fitting for the current day-and-age).

Having never seen any of these movies up til this point (I know), I'm excited to see where the series goes from here.

[ukrfeminism]

Lucy* was 15 years old when she was groped on the Tube on the way home from school by one of her classmates. She went home in shock. That evening, the sexual harassment continued. The boy pestered her to send him photos of herself naked. She refused. The next day, she says, “He humiliated me in front of all of my friends and said that I’d asked him out and that he’d rejected me.”

When I empathise with Lucy over her ordeal, she says airily: “That was completely normal. That wasn’t anything in comparison to horror stories my friends have. At the time I thought, ‘This is really annoying, and I’m really upset by this, but it’s not a big deal.’ You get desensitised to the behaviour and then when you leave the school you realise, ‘Actually that wasn’t OK.’ ” She didn’t report the incident to the school. “It was just not something that would be taken seriously in my opinion.”

Lucy, who is now at university, was a student at Latymer Upper. The independent co-educational school in west London is one of a number of well-known schools, including St Paul’s and Eton, that featured prominently when the group Everyone’s Invited first began posting anonymous testimonies on its website from students of alleged peer-on-peer sexual abuse, which often took place at drunken parties or other social gatherings, but also spilt over into school life. The campaign to highlight what it calls “rape culture” has now elicited more than 50,000 submissions from students at thousands of schools and colleges — allegations range from sharing of explicit images and verbal bullying using derogatory and sexual language, to assault and rape.

The revelations in March 2021 — in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard — led to a huge amount of media coverage and alarm at schools, some of which consulted lawyers, commissioned independent reports and issued a variety of apologies to students and horrified parents. But what happened next?

A year on, it’s a mixed picture. Dulwich College, the leading London independent school, referred some cases involving its boys to police, but in March the Metropolitan Police said that after an assessment of the evidence available in two allegations of non-recent sexual assault no further action would be taken.

At Westminster School, a report by a QC delivered in March recommended a range of new policies to overhaul safeguarding, and the head master, Dr Gary Savage, apologised to the school community, saying that aspects of the school culture and structure had contributed to “unacceptable words and deeds”. The review also disclosed that the famous school, which has had girls in the sixth form since 1973, is considering becoming fully co-educational.

One of the surprises when Everyone’s Invited became big news was the prominence of allegations at co-educational schools with a reputation for being liberal and progressive, including Latymer and Highgate School in north London.

Initially the reaction, as Lucy, the former Latymer student, experienced it, was far from encouraging. She was shown WhatsApp messages between groups of boys at another west London independent school that highlighted the scale of the misogyny. “They wanted to rape the person who had started the site. They were angry that their behaviour was being questioned.”

Former students at Latymer, however, started a petition calling for change. “Pretty much everyone I know from Latymer wrote at least one of those testimonies,” Lucy says. “It was everything from assault at parties to boys thinking it’s OK to just go up to girls and grab them in places that they shouldn’t on school premises, and no one doing anything about it.

“The culture at the school was that you kind of sweep everything under the rug. Being called a slut or a slag was very normal.” It was regarded as “just banter” and girls felt they had to laugh along, just as they were supposed to find it funny when boys sent them “dick pics”. “We all talk about surviving it,” she says.

When the petition was launched, the girls faced a new outrage: boys who had been anonymously accused were signing it. The boy who had groped her asked her if it was OK for him to sign the petition. “He was apologetic, but I don’t know whether it’s because he had changed or whether it was because he was scared.”

When Everyone’s Invited released its testimonies David Goodhew, the head of Latymer Upper, wrote to students to say he was “deeply disturbed” by the accounts. He told students: “You will be believed and your disclosures will be acted upon.”

An investigation by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in December found that the school was “successful in meeting clear aims to prevent sexual harassment and abuse”.

“The welfare of our students is of paramount importance to us,” a spokesman says. “These are issues for all society, not just our school, and we are committed to playing our part in changing attitudes and behaviour. We are not at all complacent and remain determined and committed to tackling this issue.”

The school, which commissioned an independent review of its systems, policies and culture, and accepted recommendations that included training for staff on peer-on-peer abuse and improved relationships and sex education for students, says it cannot comment on anonymised allegations.

An education consultant and former head teacher of a London independent school says the Everyone’s Invited allegations were “quite a wake-up call” for the schools named, which suddenly faced “pretty horrific potential reputational damage”. There was a particular issue with some boys at some London private schools, he says. “These can be really wealthy, entitled young men and the schools have a very mixed history of confronting that and properly managing it. It’s not just about how those young men deal with young women, it’s their attitude to money, to drugs, to alcohol.” However, he adds that some schools had created healthy cultures that appeared to be reflected in fewer mentions on Everyone’s Invited.

In response to the revelations, Ofsted, the schools inspectorate, was asked by the government to conduct a rapid review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges. “It is concerning that for some children, incidents are so commonplace that they see no point in reporting them,” it concluded, after visits to 32 schools. “The issues are so widespread that they need addressing for all children and young people.”

Soma Sara, the founder of Everyone’s Invited, said that Ofsted’s validation had been encouraging. “At the time there was a lot of backlash: ‘the testimonies are fake’, or ‘girls are exaggerating’.”

Students and former students of Highgate School, which has been co-ed since 2004, wrote an open letter to the governors, including 250 testimonies they had gathered. Pupils also staged a walkout in protest. Adam Pettitt, the head teacher, said the testimonies were “devastating” and apologised to girls, saying that it was clear the school had not done enough to tackle peer-on-peer sexual violence and harassment.

The school commissioned an independent review by Dame Anne Rafferty, a retired Court of Appeal judge, which looked at the written reports of abuse at Highgate and took further written submissions from former pupils, but did not speak to anybody who had experienced it. The report, delivered in January, said that there had been sexual misconduct at and outside the school but contained only mild criticism of the school.

A separate report by Haringey, the local authority, concluded that while safeguarding arrangements may not have been totally effective, they “met the expected requirements”.

One of Rafferty’s main findings was that Highgate was committed to providing a safe school and “parents and pupils consider pupils are safe in school”. However, not everyone was satisfied.

“That’s just a lie. Even just the testimonies should surely prove that is a lie,” says Katie*, a former student who claims she was sexually assaulted by three of her Highgate male peers. “The common thing I have with any Highgate girl I speak to is just how unsafe we felt. It was a very toxic environment.”

Katie claims she “was severely bullied” and was sexually assaulted by her boyfriend. “He didn’t understand consent, basically. No one taught him.”

She claims that she told a member of staff she had been assaulted, but received no support — she alleges she was told she would be in trouble if she was lying. Katie decided not to go to the police.

Two other boys assaulted her on subsequent occasions, including once when she was drunk, she claims, but she did not report those to the school. “I have to see my sexual assaulters living life with no consequences.”

A spokesman for Highgate says that it cannot comment on individual cases. Rafferty said that there were reports on Everyone’s Invited of Highgate not acting on information that it had, but that this had been hard to confirm. The Highgate review noted that some girls who had made reports had felt the need to leave the school.

A new director of safeguarding recently started at the school and its peer-on-peer abuse policy will be updated in August. The school community, including students, has also worked together on an anti-sexism and sexual violence plan, the spokesman says.

Sandra Paul, partner in the criminal litigation team at the law firm Kingsley Napley, has handled more than 30 cases arising from Everyone’s Invited, representing predominantly private-school students who have been accused of a range of behaviour, including sexual assault. None of the cases has yet led to charges.

“Sometimes the complaint arises because there’s been a problem in a friendship group or relationship. And a cynical person looking at this might think, ‘Well, what’s the reason for this complaint now?’” Paul says. “Sometimes as you mature you think again about what happened in the past and with the additional information that you have now, think, ‘Actually, now at 16, 17 I don’t feel comfortable about what happened when I was 14.’ There is a discussion to be had about whether that change in perspective, where it is unrelated to consent, warrants disciplinary and or criminal investigation and consequences.”

She says that there is a problem in schools, but “our system propels it towards a police investigation, which is damaging for both sides”.

The mother of a boy who is at Highgate says that she found the testimonies “believable and horrific”, but that the school had gone “overboard” with surveys and education initiatives. “A 14-year-old boy suddenly feels like a sexual predator before he’s even had a first kiss.”

Some pupils I spoke to say there is a reluctance to report bad behaviour for fear of destroying a boy’s prospects over a drunken indiscretion. “It’s an age-old kind of societal indoctrination that values male promise over female promise,” Sara says. When worrying about ruining a boy’s life, she says, it’s important to consider that the female victim’s life may already be ruined.

Advice issued by the Department for Education last year said that it is for schools to develop their own policies and procedures on sexual violence and harassment between children in schools, but said these should be underpinned by a “zero-tolerance approach”. As an example of best practice, it included a case study involving a 15-year-old girl whose story was similar to Lucy’s, although this girl reported to the school that she was sexually touched by a boy on public transport. The school referred the case to children’s social care; the police became involved. Arrangements were made to keep the boy out of the girl’s classes. When another girl reported she’d been sexually assaulted by him, he received a caution and was moved to a new school.

The former head teacher I spoke to says that schools that don’t involve the police in such incidents “walk a fine line. At some schools the heads don’t want to upset the families because they pay the fees.”

Sara won’t talk about individual schools, but says many contacted Everyone’s Invited “getting really angry” and “basically only caring about their reputation rather than addressing this as a pervasive problem in the school”.

She believes that the issues at the root of sexual harassment by boys are “a societal problem”, and in the Westminster report, Fiona Scolding QC, who led the review, warned that policing sexual harassment in school “will achieve little if the culture pertains and the behaviour simply takes place out of school”. It is perhaps a sign of how uncomfortable their social spaces have become that it noted: “A number of pupils said that parties were more enjoyable and less hostile when parents adequately supervised.”

The government has asked Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner, to help to improve the teaching of relationships and sex education. However, the former head teacher I spoke to says that “they can’t fundamentally change children’s belief systems once they’re teenagers”.

He noticed that a minority of parents invested more heavily in their sons than their daughters and encouraged the boys to “be physically rough. You get some boys, particularly ones who got good at team sports and were lauded for that, who felt, as they got older, that this was a ticket to doing what they wanted.” A talk about consent will mean little to them. “They will think, ‘That’s not relevant to me because I can do what I want.’ ”

In her report, Scolding reflected on young men’s mental-health issues and observed that, “They have been brought up in a society which has undertaken a mass experiment in allowing young men to watch pornography without limits.”

Students who wrote testimonies for Everyone’s Invited are finding life is not necessarily better at university. One former Latymer student says her female friends never go out alone after dark, even on campus. A friend had her drink spiked and was then raped in another student’s house. She didn’t report the attack.

“The thing to remember is, it’s the same people doing this. They have transferred from school to university, where they have more freedom. So if anything, it just gets worse.”

*The names Lucy and Katie have been changed

[foodieforthoughts]

Sand and Stars - Chapter Three

Series Summary: After the water pump being blown up, the insurgents in Baqubah are taking a hold of the food supply to the village. Camp Warhorse is in dire need of reinforcements. It has been eight months of submitting countless requests when the High Command commissions Sergeant Olivia Ross to take her group of men and women and help Captain Syverson and his team to restore a semblance of normalcy. But with the war raging, does it get two hearts closer too?

Pairing: Captain Syverson x OFC x OMC

Word Count: 1834

Warnings: 18+, Mentions of war, military technicalities, smut in future chapters

A/N: Everyone who is sticking around for this story, I love you all. So finally there is a bit of story progression and I really am excited for your feedback. Also, thanks to @thelastsock for beta reading, this woman is a GEM! Like, comment and reblog if you liked it, we writers get a boost of confidence from it. Enjoy!

*gif by @demivampirew*

<Chapter Two

Title: Chapter Three

Olivia rubbed her hands together as the cold January winds washed over her face. Her four in the morning wake up had her relieving Schmidt from his patrol post. Despite wearing her t-shirt underneath her fatigues and the armored vest strapped on her torso, she shivered as a gush of wind swept over the silent desert.

The temperature in the Iraqi desert usually dropped down extensively, in contrast to the sweltering heat during the day. Olivia loved winter mornings but only when she was back home in New York, watching the sun rise through the fog with a steaming cup of coffee. Oh what would I do to get a cup of coffee right now.

She spotted Sloan behind a barricade made with sandbags along with BJ, or Sergeant Benjamin Jones, by her side. In a funny twist of events, two weeks of an unusually high amount of scheduled postings together was all it had taken for Margaret Sloan to stop complaining about his boisterous attitude and morph into fawning over the man. Olivia had an inkling that BJ was behind the coincidences of them spending time together so often.

Walking across the quiet compound, Olivia reached the gate where Schmidt stood with two more men from the Special Forces team, whom she recognized as Pepps and Pats. Schmidt smiled at her as she approached him which she returned with her own while pulling on her gloves. Adjusting her rifle properly around her shoulder, Olivia greeted the other two men who were in the process of pulling out cigarettes from a box.

“Morning, Sarge,” Schmidt greeted while accepting a cigarette from Pepps, “I can go to bed now.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m here for.” She pulled at the scarf on her neck, winding it snuggly to prevent the wind licking at her exposed skin. Pats offered a cigarette to her which she promptly refused.

“What? You stopped smoking?” Schmidt spoke with the cancer stick between his lips, staring incredulously at her.

“Like you don’t know.” She rolled her eyes.

Schmidt shrugged his shoulder, lighting the cigarette and handing the camouflage print lighter back to Pepps. He let out a thick puff of smoke in the air with the other two giving similar clouds as they walked away.. “I blame Alex for changing you.” Schmidt said while shaking his head. “He’s made you bland like our MREs.”

Olivia snorted. “I don’t change for men, Gary. And besides, smoking isn’t good for health.”

“Who are you and what have you done to our Sergeant Red?”

Olivia laughed while punching Schmidt in the shoulder. Schmidt laughed along, taking drags of his stick in between. The silence of the night with not even the sound of insects was apparent in the pitch-black darkness beyond the gates. The silence felt deafening to her combat attuned, city living ears. 

“Sloan doing alright with her new guy,” Schmidt chuckled, jutting his chin towards the barricades. “These guys were letting me on some juicy gossip about those two.”

“Care to share?” Olivia feigned interest by animatedly resting her chin on a hand. She had already heard Sloan gushing about her supposed crush on the bearded hunk of a man who was apparently a sweetheart.

“Sloan snuck in their quarters last night. BJ made everyone-” His sentence was cut short as he looked beyond her shoulders, forgetting his words while being fixated on whatever was behind her.

Olivia turned around instinctively, following his gaze and gripping her rifle just in case. Her heart skipped a beat as she spotted Captain Syverson making his way towards them with Aika following him. He was dressed in only a t-shirt and cargo pants like the cold did not even affect him. Or he was too hot to feel it. She mentally kicked herself for letting her thoughts flow towards the gutter.

In the past few weeks, Olivia had grown to like the captain. She had already accepted the fact that physically he was a sight for sore eyes. But she had also observed how he went about his day and concluded he wasn’t a creep like she had initially thought.

She had watched him talk to his teammates, the meticulous briefing that he carried out every morning. He commanded respect but was also easy-going. Just the other day, she had watched from afar as he was being teased by Pepps over being smitten and how he was turning into a hormonal teenager. Olivia had blushed beet red when Pepps had mentioned her name and had rushed to join her men while trying to conceal the subtle smile playing on her lips.

“Good mornin’, guys.” Syverson’s husky voice sounded like a pleasant hymn to her ears. She let go of her gun, letting it hang over her chest and resorted to nervously fixing her scarf.

“Morning, Captain.” Schmidt greeted, offering his cigarette to Sy.

“I don’t smoke.”

Olivia looked towards Schmidt coyly, already understanding the thoughts going through her adopted twin’s head. Schmidt was smirking at her, wiggling his eyebrows and puffing out smoke as he made his way to join Pepps and Pats. On several occasions he had called her out for staring at Sy like he was a ‘delicious plate of home cooked food’. She had hastily refused and showed him the finger while desperately trying to hide her blush.

“Pleasant morning,” Sy commented, looking around the compound with his hands on his hips. She let her gaze travel over the vastness of his chest and down to the gun holster on his thigh. Olivia would have never imagined herself to be jealous of a piece of nylon sitting snugly against a soldier’s thigh.

“Sergeant Ross, are you checkin’ me out?”

Olivia instantly veered her eyes away from his thick thighs and looked up at him. Sy's eyes danced with mischief, a shit-eating grin peeking out from his beard. In the past two weeks, Sy had also progressively flirted with her. He would sometimes compliment her on her pushups in the gym which she assumed was just an excuse for him to look at her ass. He had brought out a cup of coffee for her in the middle of the night when she was posted at the gate too. His men had teased him about being partial towards her for which he had flipped a finger at them.

“Not everyone is like you, Captain.” She turned back around, pursing her lips to mask her smile. She liked to playfully banter with him. She heard him snort and walk to stand next to her. His presence made a spark of electricity travel from her head to the tip of her toes.

“I disagree.” He chuckled. The vibrato of his laugh reverberating from his chest seemed to immediately brighten Olivia’s day. She glanced at him and felt her heart pick up the pace, meeting his eyes. “If we were back home, I would have already taken you out on a date.”

As the words registered in her mind, warmth rushed to Olivia's face, even the tips of her ears felt hot in the cold desert air. “Pretty bold of you to assume I would go on a date with you.”

“Oh, you would agree.” He smirked at her. “I can even describe the date if you want.”

Olivia rolled her eyes. She shrugged her shoulders and leaned against the wall of the gate post. “Only because I have nowhere to go.” She tried to act disinterested, but her curiosity was already rising. It had been ages since she had last gone out on a proper date with any guy. Only the whirling blades of the chopper and the dust of the desert came to mind when she tried to recall the last time.

Sy leaned against the wall sideways on his shoulder, crossing one ankle over the other. He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled at her affectionately. “First, I would buy you some flowers and drive up to your house. Then I’ll take you to this wonderful place where they have seating in a private area, so that we are not disturbed. Would get some wine to go with our food and ask you about your life.”

“Red or white wine?” She asked only out of curiosity.

Sy scratched his beard, frowning as he thought. “Not a wine guy. But I would drink it if you like.”

Olivia was flattered that the Captain was ready to make an exception for her. She felt her heart flutter but decided to shrug her shoulder nonchalantly. She gestured to him to go on because she wanted to hear what else he planned for this date.

“After dinner, I’ll take you…for a nice walk at the park. We would sit on a bench and talk, maybe get a little handsy.” He raised his eyebrow suggestively, his mouth curling at the corner.

“Phft!” Olivia huffed, rolling her eyes. But internally her mind was already filling up with images of running her hands down Sy’s chest or feeling his hands on her butt. She took a slow breath to calm her rapidly heating body.

“Okay, scratch that. We’ll maybe go for an ice-cream. And when I’ll drop you back at your place, we’ll stand outside on the porch with only the crickets keeping us company,” Sy stood up from the wall and took a step towards Olivia. His voice dropped an octave as he spoke, “And I’ll kiss you like no other man has ever done.”

Olivia’s breath hitched as she looked at Sy’s mesmerizing eyes. She looked at his tantalizing lips, darting her tongue out to wet her own. She gulped as her throat went dry and the cold vanished from around her. It felt the longest moment in her life where she debated whether to just lean in and get the kiss Sy seemed to be offering.

But like a jolt of lightning and an unpleasant déjà vu, Olivia was reminded of something similar happening between her and her other captain. It had been a momentary lapse of reasoning which had led her to get involved with Alex and enter a complicated relationship with him.

As soon as the thought appeared in her mind, Olivia pushed herself off the wall and took a step back. She couldn’t let herself get sucked into another man’s life while she already had unresolved issues with another. She noticed Sy’s eyebrows knit together in confusion before she turned to look the other way. She closed her eyes, sighing and thinking of a clever way to dissolve the moment. Luckily for her, Syverson was a clever man and he must have picked up on the hint for he called Pats to accompany him to the south gate.

Olivia watched as the Captain walked away without addressing her or glancing her way. She was certain she had wounded the man’s ego in one way or another. She let out a slow breath, felt her shoulders slump as Sy’s figure disappeared behind the building.

Chapter Four>

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[hopeshoodie]

Part 7 of my Pros and Cons of dating the different islanders (yes I’m finally coming back to this :P) 

Gary

Cons

He doesn’t have a whole lot of thoughts about things that he’s not actively excited or annoyed by, and he doesn’t really feign interest. If MC buys a new top, or is invested in a new show, or anything that Gary doesn’t really care about, he’ll really disinterestedly say “that’s cool babe,” and make her feel like it’s unimportant. He’s not patronizing/embarrassing her on purpose, he just doesn’t have a lot of tact. You would have to really talk to him and work with him to get him out of this habit, because he doesn’t see how it’s hurtful or care that much to change.

He gets really defensive. If you call him out on his behavior or point out how he’s really stubborn, he’ll argue with you without really considering if his behavior is bad. Arguments with Gary suck because it gets to a point where he’s not hearing you and will just say “whatever” and refuse to engage. The best way to change Gary’s behavior is some pavlovian shit- you need to offer positive reinforcement without him really noticing. When he communicates really well, shower him with affection. When he picks up after himself, tell him how much you appreciate it. 

He’s very willing to walk away from things that challenge him instead of trying to grow as a person. We saw that with him and Lottie- whenever she or MC offered valid criticism of his behavior he would just walk away. That applies to most areas of his life- if he tries a new hobby and isn’t good at it immediately he’ll drop it. He doesn’t really like trying new things or going to new places, and if something challenges his worldview he’s more likely to ignore it than engage.

I’ve said this already but he buys MC heart shaped jewelry and pandora charm bracelets...

Gary’s a lad. While he doesn’t intend to hurt anyone’s feelings, he never really engaged with social justice issues and he hasn’t done the work needed to be anti-racist. He’ll laugh along to sexist, racist, homophobic, and ableist jokes without really thinking about the implication. He’s loath to call anyone out. If MC points out ‘hey that thing you/your friend said is hurtful,” he’ll get defensive and say “why are you ruining a good time? It was just a joke” If MC sits down and explains to him how the things he says are actively hurting her, he’ll internalize that and not do it. But he’s really hesitant to say the same to other people- he doesn’t want to ‘ruin the mood’ and get made fun of for being ‘PC’. 

Gary’s super dense. He doesn’t really pick up hints very well, so MC needs to explicitly tell him “I need you to compliment this dress” or “we haven’t gone on a proper date in awhile and I’m feeling undesired, can we go out for dinner tomorrow?” I firmly believe that the reason Gary tolerated all of Lottie’s passive aggressiveness was because he didn’t pick up on it, so MC needs to be direct. 

He doesn’t appreciate all the effort it takes to get all dolled up, even though he loves it when MC goes all out. I know he SAYS he doesn’t like high maintenance women, but in canon when given the choice between Hannah (seemingly low maintenance) and Marisol (very outgoing and done up), he chooses the higher-maintenance option. Every woman he dated on the show was a glam kind of girl- MC, Lottie, Marisol. So while he loves when MC has a full face and outfit done, he complains about how long it takes her and how she always sneaks away for touch ups during the night. He’s one of those dudes who is like “wow you’re so pretty without makeup” but you’re literally wearing foundation, contour, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, blush- he thinks the difference between makeup and not wearing any makeup is red lipstick. This is super annoying because MC puts a lot of effort into her look only for him to downplay that effort but still enjoy the results. 

Building off of the above, Gary severely underestimates how much effort it takes to do “domestic work” like cooking, cleaning, and administrating for the household (I imagine pre-MC he forgets to do the basics like renew licenses, register to vote, schedule appointments, etc). So if MC points out how she spent the whole day cleaning, he’ll be like “that seems a bit much? You just cleaned the kitchen?” and doesn’t really get it until MC breaks down “I swept and washed the floor, I disinfected the dishwasher, I ran cleaners through the sink link, I cleaned out and organized the fridge, I dusted and sanitized the chandelier, I organized the spice drawer,  I wiped out the cabinets…” He’s not really motivated to learn how to clean or do laundry or cook.

He doesn’t communicate. This is canon- he doesn’t tell Lottie where his head is at in the game, he strings Lottie and Hannah along, and he doesn’t reassure MC when other girls are clearly cracking on with him. So most of the problems in a relationship with Gary come from MC not knowing what he wants and him never initiating emotionally vulnerable conversations. 

He’s not going to do well if MC needs to travel a lot for work, and he’s not going to move to live with her. Even after his nan dies, I don’t see him leaving Chatham. So if moving to a new place is important to you, this is a dealbreaker.

Pros

If something goes really wrong, he’ll never do the same thing twice. This applies to physical mistakes as well as emotional- if he forgets to wear eye protection and gets sawdust in his eyes, he’ll be religious about wearing glasses from them on. If he forgets a birthday or anniversary and makes MC cry, he will be SO diligent from then on about remembering dates. On that thought, he HATES seeing MC cry. He will move heavens and earth to stop whatever’s upsetting her or fix it. 

Hugs and cuddling from Gary? So comforting. He just has that vibe, like he’s a really good cuddler. Not to mention that he’s really good at the nasty in canon, so it would stand to reason………

All of that internalized masculinity has an upside- he wants to take care of his family. He’s on top of all the ‘masculine’ caretaking stuff like buying a home, maintaining the landscaping, fixing the tires on the vehicles, shoveling, fixing stuff up around the house, managing the cable/internet/tech. Which is nice because I hate doing those things, but also I’m absolutely teaching him how to do laundry and pick up after himself. 

Gary is SO calm in emergency situations. I have this headcanon for Rahim too, but the more panicked those around them get, the calmer they are. Especially in situations where they’ve prepared/considered before like tornadoes or floods. They’re not the kind of guys who take the lead normally, but in these super dire situations they find it in them to take over and calm everyone else down. I can see him having a lowkey stockpile of food, an emergency first aid kit, and a go-bag. 

I know people don’t like this headcanon, but too bad. Gary is catholic. That’s the law. Sorry I don’t make the rules. That’s not so much of a pro for me, an atheist nihilist lesbian, but I can recognize a religious man has a certain amount of charm. He has a close knit community, is super consistent about attending services, and has a certain level of taking morals really seriously. He definitely donates a fair bit to charity and is always the one saying “love thy neighbor” when people are being shitty. 

Gary’s spontaneous, but in a controlled way. He very much likes his routine and respects MC’s need for consistency. But periodically he’ll just be like “we have nothing planned for today- want to go rent a paddleboat?” or he’ll pick up flowers “just because”. If MC and he are going on a vacation, he much prefers to only plan 1 or 2 things to do a day and then once they’re in the place see interesting things and suggest ‘let’s do that’. He’ll do really thoughtful stuff like text MC if she has anything planned for dinner then randomly bring her favorite restaurant food home. Thursday nights are date nights!! Doing formal ‘dress up nice and go to a proper dinner date without the kids and movie’ is really important to him.

Gary’s a really good dad. Like yeah he has a lot to learn about not telling his son to ‘stop crying’ and not telling his daughter ‘no boys until you’re married’, but he genuinely wants the best for them. He’s really supportive of their hobbies/sports/interests, and will happily pay for summer camp/field trips/conventions. He might not ‘get it’ all the time, but he’ll smile and nod. 

He gets a lot of delight out of really little things. If his kid draws something for him, he’ll pin it to the fridge and smile at it every time he sees it without fail. If MC says she likes a certain shirt on him, he’ll triple the amount of times he wears it. He keeps the bird feeders outside their dining room window full, because he can happily sit with a cup of coffee and watch the birds for hours. It truly is the little things.

He’s really good at remembering MC’s favorite things, or even things she mentioned liking once. This is to the point where it’s a bit confusing. MC will compliment Gary’s nan on her christmas poinsettias one year, then two years later Gary buys a ton of poinsettias and is like “I thought you loved poinsettias” and not be able to remember why he thought that. So MC has to be careful with fake compliments, because Gary cannot tell the difference. But that’s still, like, super endearing and nice of him. 

There’s a few LIs that I feel like could get bored in a long-term relationship. I can see Lucas, Felix, and Rahim feeling like they’re ‘falling out of love’ when the intensity of a new relationship fades and they struggle to settle into domesticity. Gary is NOT one of them. He’s one of those “I fall in love with you more every single day” kind of guys. As MC gains weight/ages, he’ll insist “you age like a fine wine” and “I like you more with meat on your bones”. He’ll insist to their kids that “your mom is the most beautiful woman on earth”. Gary was built for long-term relationships.

[calacuspr]

This England team has shown us all what the power of sport really means

There have been a few times in recent years where the entire nation has appeared united and optimistic – and almost all of them have been connected to sport.

The World Cup in Italy in 1990, the EURO 96 in England and the London 2012 Olympic Games all come to mind as moments that will endure as epochs that transcend everything else going on in the world.

England has been particularly divided in recent years as the Leave and Remain factions argue; the challenges facing the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic; and the economic struggles that so many have encountered pretty much since the financial collapse a decade ago.

At Calacus, we work with organisations who see the value of sport to positively transform society and the England team has shown that throughout the build-up to EURO 2020 and beyond, they have brought the nation together in a way little else can.

Granted, it helped that England did so well, reaching the final of the tournament. It is hardly a new phenomenon that the squad is so multi-cultural, with players with family heritage from around the world.

While the aftermath of the defeat to Italy has shown the unpalatable side of society, the way in which the England manager and players have conducted themselves has been a masterclass in authentic communications.

STAY TRUE TO YOUR VALUES

Taking the knee has been part of football tradition in England for more than a year now, highlighting inequality and promoting diversity.

The England team have been criticised by many, with the Conservative MP for Ashfield, Lee Anderson, announcing that he would not watch “his beloved England team” while the players took the knee; Home Secretary Priti Patel suggesting that it was nothing more than “gesture politics.” and Prime Minister Boris Johnson refusing to criticise those who booed the team.

Given the racism that the likes of Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling and others have suffered, particularly from online trolls, it’s remarkable that politicians sought to condemn them and accuse the team of Marxist tendencies and BLM affiliation rather than a compassionate plea for solidarity and equality over division.

England defender Tyrone Mings said: “Everyone’s entitled to their opinions. The home secretary is one of many, many people who oppose us taking the knee or refuse to defend it . . . we [have tried] to educate and inform the minority who refuse to acknowledge why we take the knee and want to boo it.”

Notably, the boos faded as the EURO 2020 tournament progressed and the team got to the later stages and it speaks volumes that many of those politicians who criticised the team then tried to associate themselves with them through staged photography that fooled no one.

CELEBRATE INCLUSION

This England team are no strangers to speaking up for those who don’t have a voice.

Marcus Rashford has campaigned for an end to child hunger and has twice forced the government to make u-turns over free school meals.

Raheem Sterling, one of the stars of the tournament for England and who has been vilified himself by media and fans alike, has fought hard to call out bigotry in the fight against racism.

EURO 2020 started during Pride month and saw players wear rainbow laces and captains use rainbow armbands, despite some mixed messaging from UEFA.

When England played Germany in the round of 16, captain Harry Kane joined his counterpart Manuel Neuer in wearing a rainbow armband with England's official Twitter account saying: “@HKane will join @DFB_Team 's Manuel Neuer in wearing a rainbow captain’s armband for tomorrow’s game at @wembleystadium to mark the end of Pride month, as the #ThreeLions stand in allyship with LGBTQ+ communities around the world.”

Kane himself explained: “From our point of view, it is a show of solidarity with the German national team from all of us at the England national team to be united in trying to kick out all inequalities there are. We’re on a huge platform on a big stage so it is obviously a great opportunity to do so.”

Jordan Henderson has shown himself to be a captain on and off the field, supporting local charities during lockdown as well as leading his Liverpool team to success over recent years.

He is thought to be one of the main drivers behind the team planning to donate its EURO 2020 prize money to good causes.

Their donation – which could be in the millions – will be made to NHS charities now that the football tournament has concluded.

The team made a statement last May which said: “Following positive discussions with the FA, the England senior men's squad are pleased to confirm that a significant donation from their international match fees will be made to NHS Charities Together via the #PlayersTogether initiative.

“This contribution will be taken from a fund already set aside to support a variety of worthy causes using all match fees collated since September 2018.”

While England supporters still let themselves down by booing national anthems at times during the tournament, it shows the progress that this England team has prompted that Joe White, an England fan who co-chairs Gay Gooners, Arsenal’s LGBT+ supporters group, attended the England v Germany match at Wembley Stadium “in full makeup.”

They wore red lipstick, shimmery eyeshadow and mascara along with a rainbow flag and England flag painted on their face to complete the look.

They tweeted: “This is a really small and personal point but today was my first game at Wembley in full makeup and overtly queer (as opposed to just camp). Absolutely no issues from fans and some lovely chats.

“Despite being absolutely petrified pre game, really proud of our fans”

Henderson responded: “Hi Joe great to hear you enjoyed the game as you should. No one should be afraid to go and support their club or country because football is for everyone no matter what. Thanks for your support, enjoy the rest of the Euros.”

How refreshing that the LGBTQ+ community can now support the national team with no fear of abuse or intimidation and that the Three Lions Pride can display positive banners – understandably celebrating Henderson’s goal against Ukraine.

ENCOURAGE TEAMWORK

England manager Gareth Southgate arguably had one of the most talented England squads in recent memory.

The team’s headquarters at St George’s Park became a centre of fun with photocalls featuring the likes of Bukayo Saka jumping into a pool on a flying unicorn inflatable and Ed Sheeran playing a special concert for the team not to mention a preview showing of Top Gun Maverick and call with its star Tom Cruise.

While early on, there was uproar among fans over players who had been left out of the starting XI or even the squad, with flair giving way to pragmatism, Southgate showed how much the team ethic mattered to him.

After the 4-0 victory over Ukraine, Southgate paid tribute to the members of his squad who had not featured much during the tournament.

He said: “I am thinking about the players who I had to leave out of the 23 because they have been such a massive part of what we’re doing. It is so difficult to keep a group of this size feeling valued and yet those guys have been phenomenal about how they have sacrificed themselves for the group.

"I feel the responsibility keenly. But it is these challenges that make us."

Not once during the tournament did any stories leak of disgruntled players, while the players reflected the afore-mentioned values by resisting well-trodden paths of nationalism that previous encounters with the likes of Germany may have engendered.

In fact, this England team have shown dignity in the face of criticism and the very definition of what it means to be a team – there are no egos, no vested interests.

Where once supporting England meant violence and xenophobia, this England team has inspired a new identity with a commitment to diversity, inclusion and a more tolerant society, which is a credit to them all.

SHOW REAL LEADERSHIP

It was quite telling when, during the celebrations following England’s win over Denmark, former international Gary Neville said: “The standard of the leaders in the past couple of years in this country has been poor but look at that man there... he’s everything a leader should be: respectful, humble, tells the truth, genuine. He’s fantastic, Gareth Southgate.”

Southgate has been humble, engaging, honest and resolute that he knew what he wanted to do and would not waver, even when senior politicians criticised some of the decisions made by him and his management team.

Ahead of the tournament, in an essay on patriotism, titled Dear England, Southgate linked football and national identity and underlined why the game means so much more than just sporting excellence.

“I have a responsibility to the wider community to use my voice, and so do the players. It’s their duty to continue to interact with the public on matters such as equality, inclusivity and racial injustice, while using the power of their voices to help put debates on the table, raise awareness and educate.

“On this island, we have a desire to protect our values and traditions – as we should – but that shouldn’t come at the expense of introspection and progress.”

Southgate has been calm and assured throughout his tenure, ensuring that he and the team are consistent in their focus, messaging and conduct. There have been no scandals, no drama and every press conference or media opportunity has been assured and engaging.

FACE ADVERSITY HEAD-ON

Losing on penalties is part of football, but it’s also something that England have encountered at a number of major tournaments.

The backlash after England’s defeat was brutal, with the three players who missed penalties, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka all targets of racist abuse.

Some MPs also used the defeat as an opportunity to tell players to keep out of politics, such as Andrew Rosindell, who tweeted: “We are all proud of our England team, who have had the support of the whole country over recent weeks, but please focus of football, not politics. If you win for England, you win for everyone!”

Home Secretary Priti Patel expressed her outrage at the racism, prompting Mings to again address her double standards.

He said: “You don’t get to stoke the fire at the beginning of the tournament by labelling our anti-racism message as ‘Gesture Politics’ & then pretend to be disgusted when the very thing we’re campaigning against, happens.”

Soon after the game, the mural in tribute to Rashford was vandalised, prompting hundreds of positive messages and fans voicing their support for the Manchester United forward.

Rashford tweeted: ““I’ve grown into a sport where I expected to read things written about myself. Whether it be the colour of my skin, where I grew up, or, most recently, how I decide to spend my time off the pitch.

“I dreamt of days like this. The messages I’ve received today have been positively overwhelming and seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears. The communities that always wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up.

“I’m Marcus Rashford, 23-year-old black man from Withington and Wythenshawe, South Manchester. If I have nothing else I have that. For all the kind messages thank you. I’ll be back stronger. We’ll be back stronger.”

CONCLUSION

The England team have shown without doubt the power of sport to unify – and while EURO 2020 is now over, we have the Olympic Games coming up where athletes will come together in the spirit of competition and camaraderie.

As Southgate put it: “The reality is that the result is just a small part of it. When England play, there’s much more at stake than that.

“It’s about how we conduct ourselves on and off the pitch, how we bring people together, how we inspire and unite, how we create memories that last beyond the 90 minutes. That last beyond the summer. That last forever.”

While the positivity has proved to be a brief moment in time, the England squad showed society how to empathise, respect and engage in a way that has been in short supply for so long.

[pancakeke]

Here’s the last 24 hours of US news (10/6 to 10/7)

Trump walked back his threat to kill any COVID aid before the election only an hour or two after tweeting it.

Federal appeals court ruled Trump cannot block the NY state grand jury subpoena for his tax returns, dismissing his the lawsuit with prejudice.

After first denying migrant family separations were happening and then later calling them unintended consequence of policy, an IG report has found that taking children from their parents was in actuality a goal. “We need to take away children,” Mr. Sessions told the prosecutors, according to participants’ notes. One added in shorthand: “If care about kids, don’t bring them in. Won’t give amnesty to people with kids.”

The White House continues to ignore CDC guidelines despite its own COVID outbreak. Mark Meadows, Chief of Staff, spoke to reporters without a mask. White House staff members were photographed grouping together for lunch.

Trump has returned to the oval office against advice. While PPE is available for staff to use, the White House has yet to mandate a mask requirement for staff. Marines standing guard outside the Oval Office appear to wear masks at their own discretion. Along with this, the WH has a history of refusing to mask or social distance to protect reporters.

Marine Corps Assistant Commandant Gen. Gary Thomas tests positive for Covid-19 after coming into contact with Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Charles Ray, who tested positive on Monday.

Contrary to earlier reports, Chris Christie is not on a ventilator. Sorry :(

In Texas, cop (Shaun Lucas) who shot an unarmed black man (Jonathan Price) will go to a grand jury to determine whether or not he will be indicted. Lucas is currently being held on a $1 million bond.

Jacob Blake has left a Milwaukee hospital after repeatedly being shot by Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer Rusten Sheskey. He is now in a spinal injury rehabilitation center in Chicago, his lawyer said.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who killed George Floyd, has posted bond.

Trump is scaling back ads in the midwest which is strange considering Biden’s current (yet still questionable) 16 point lead over him. Biden urges people to ignore polls and vote.

Trump’s doctor says COVID antibodies were detected within Trump, though it is likely (and this is echoed by the manufacturer of Regeneron) that it is because... he was injected with antibodies, not because he is over his infection.

Meanwhile the White House continues to refuse to release when Trump’s last negative test was taken, obscuring his COVID timeline. This means no one knows for sure if Trump was positive when he debated Biden but chose not to disclose it. It’s also unclear how it’s possible Trump could naturally possess Covid antibodies. Per the CDC antibodies are present 1-3 weeks after initial infection. Unless his doctor is intentionally misleading the press and public, which he has already admitted to doing once.

The Department of Justice has weakened its long-standing prohibition against interfering in elections. The previous policy barred *announcing* investigations into voter fraud if the publicity of the investigation may influence the results of an election. Prosecutors have historically been warned not to allow themselves to be dragged into candidate disputes.

Facebook is banning all political ads indefinitely.... starting after the polls close on November 3rd.

Facebook also introduced a new policy against content that urges Americans to report to election sites as unauthorized poll watchers, if the content uses “militarized language” or if the intent is to intimidate voters.

Trump said regarding to his COVID infection: "So I think this was a blessing from God that I caught it. This was a blessing in disguise." 👀

[megashadowdragon]

 the hatred for mako from lok has always been irrational ( makos flaws and mistakes were always acknowledged by the narrative and treated as such  he wasnt treated as in the right for his mistakes ( like the love triangle nonsense ) the idea that unless mako is punished for it its somehow treating him as in the right is bs the claim he needed to be spcifically punished is bs  the idea that if a character isnt specifically punished for his mistakes and has something good happen to them afterwards its somehow being rewarded for them is bs 

I remember back in b1 finale some people were whining about mako ending in a relationship going he got what he wanted so its him being rewarded for the  mistake which is bs and to be frank ignoring that korra wanted mako as well she kissed him she pursued him she is just as responsible for love triangle mess mako didnt confront korra with the intent to get with her  he confronted her about bolin which led to korra kissing him ( mako didnt say anything that said yes kiss me  ) and in heat of moment he kissed back the only  mistake was not telling asami about it 

on the claim that him ending the show single was karma by that logic korra would have been single as well )  the idea that mako needed to be punished for his mistakes in b1 and b2 are bs ( the show already acknowledged his mistakes and he was called out on it the show way of handling it without punishment is fine ( by that logic that mako needed to be punished zuko should have died at the end of atla as punishment for his actions how he nearly killed gang  zukos  actions were far more severe then makos thus mako didnt need to suffer there is nothing wrong with mako making the mistakes he made and having something good happen to him afterwards he didnt need to have something bad happen to him over mishandling a love triangle him having fun or a good life in say b4 ( say changing prince wu to a kid with a personality where mako actually wants to look out for him

Biggest change to the initial setup?  No Prince Wu.  Instead of an obnoxious overgrown child of a Prince, our heir apparent is introverted, lacks the confidence to refuse just about anything, and is terrified of being in front of crowds.  He’s the (implied-to-be illegitimate) child of a distant relative of Hou-Ting and a Republic City citizen.  Oh, and he’s all of ten years old.  In other words, everything about him screams “Raiko chose this kid as a convenient puppet” (instead of offhandedly implying it once and forgetting about it as was done with Wu). All of the time Wu wastes on comic relief in After All These Years is used to explain the political situation: the prince is a figurehead meant to display the trappings of royalty and legitimize Raiko’s chosen advisors.  Kuvira’s supporters hate him not just because he’s royalty but also because they think he’s essentially giving the Earth Kingdom away to an imperialistic foreign power.  Mako’s there to protect him both because Raiko ordered him to and because he’s one of the few cops the prince is comfortable around; as such, Mako actually feels bad for the kid and wants to protect him. (This prince is legitimately terrified by the scary adults throwing pies at him and bursts into tears as soon as they’re out of harm’s way.  Mako comforts him and makes him feel a little better.)

)  seriously they bent over backwards to demonize mako twisting his words or making him out to be something he isnt like the bs claim about him being a manipulative womanizer ( mako only had 2 girlfriends both of whom pursued him ) mako cheated on asami once due to korra kissing him and kissing back   they abused the terms gary stu or creators pet to throw on  mako because they dont like mako having something good happen to him and claim it somehow makes him those thing like whining about mako doing well as a police officer when katara became a waterbending master in a short time ( and trying to apply modern day policing standards on a fictional city based on 1920s

( its why if there is a lok remake where the show ends with makorra getting back together ( which is what the narrative of original legend of korra was building towards before they forced korrasami in at the last 2 minutes breaking the narrative and causing korra to be ooc  as a publicity stunt ( korra and asami were barely friends and their personalities are incompatible for a romantic relationship)   the show should keep the love triangle and makos mistakes in b1 and b2 as is   and handle it the same as bryke did  as a stateemt that the claim mako deserved to be single or needed to be punished is bs  ( making asami an equalist spy ending in b1 as a villain would get accusations of demonizing a character to get her out of the way  and getting rid of love triangle would get mako haters claiming well this mako is different from original lok so its alright to end show with him happy no I want to make a statement with mako making the same mistakes in b1 and 2 his personality being the same and him getting back together with korra at the end of b4 or a hint that they will get back together eventually )  ( by b4 they overcame all the issues that caused the breakup in b2 neither of them were ready for a relationship) saying this mako who they would see as same as original mako gets a happy ending he deserved while asami ends show single   

[echo-three-one]

Chapter 24

I should really put effort on summaries, right? Anyways... Enjoy! ❤️

Table of Contents

Going Dark - Part 3

Gary "Roach" Sanderson

MacTavish Residence, Glasgow, Scotland

Roach never would have guessed that MacTavish was a big time. Their 'old' house was already a mansion, complete with guest rooms, extravagant furniture and even an outdoor pool. Roach could stay here forever.

He was laying on a queen sized bed relaxing after a tiring chase earlier when Ghost knocked on his door and let himself in.

"What's wrong mate?" he asked, lifting only his head. Ghost leaned by the door and crossed his arms.

"You know how I got into a little argument with France back in Brazil right? Well, I still regret it ever happening…" he frowned, as shown by the way the fabric of his mask twitched.

"You regret which part? The fighting or the telling her what you feel?" Gary asked, cornering the ever vague Simon. He always does that when it comes to asking for advice.

Ghost ran a hand across his face and groaned.

"Bloody Hell, mate. Why do you have to ask those kinds of things?" he complained.

"So I could be clear as to which one I should recommend you to do." He replied quickly. He was very willing to help, but if Simon refuses to cooperate, then maybe he could handle it on his own.

"There's still one thing… I've been meeting with Alexandra not just for intel… " the tone of his voice was hesitant but he took a sharp inhale and continued.

"... we've also been sleeping together. No strings attached. For her it eases her tension from all the work while I try to forget about my feelings for Francine."

Gary didn't know what to say. Simon wasn't the kind of person to give up easily, and he fully understood the reasons for his latest actions.

"Well, it looks like Francine already made her choice, right?" Gary asked, trying to confirm from Simon that he already lost the battle.

"I'm not quite sure. Everytime I see her, she's physically distancing herself from Soap but later that night, they actually slept beside each other. She's making me confused and it still makes my heart beat for her…" Ghost admitted. As tough as he is on the battlefield, so was his admiration toward Francine. Gary pondered on how to help out his friend in this love triangle situation he caught himself in, but every direction he thought of would result in Ghost actually ending up sad.

The discussion was interrupted when a plane was heard from the distance, as it approached the nearby open area. It looked like the girls made it home.

"Looks like they're here." Roach sounded excited while Ghost looked worried.

~

It was impressive how they managed to bring most of their stuff from Brazil here in Scotland. It wasn't that much but the idea of packing things for six people in a hurry made Roach impressed.

"How did you bring most of this stuff?" Roach curiously asked Maxine as he helped her carry her stuff.

"Well, Samantha asked for help from his Dad and they immediately flew to Brazil." Maxine replied cheerfully, Roach loved how she managed to see the bright side of everything amidst the panic.

"So will Samantha-"

"No. They had a long talk with his Dad and she felt much safer back here with us. Her Dad wanted to offer help now that the New York Attack was over, but Samantha insisted, especially now that they're out hiding."

"Doesn't he have the power to like, pardon us for being wanted? That would make life much more easier for us."

"I thought of that too… but they're seeing Shepherd differently now. He's gone mad. And they want to corner him. Any action involving him may result in a global cripple. And I just heard all this on the plane ride here." Maxine frowned.

"Then that makes our job of locating him all worth it." Roach smiled giving hope to Maxine.

Maxine just nodded, her face was full of fear and doubt. She just wished all of this was over.

With Soap probably asleep, Roach had the liberty of touring the girls around the house, it was huge and spacious that each of them could occupy a room with about two more rooms to spare.

"Man, I could stay here forever." Roach mused as they walked the halls of the second floor. These four rooms are already occupied, most of the empty rooms are over there…" Gary pointed to the other end of the hall. Maxine looked at France and nodded as they both agreed to stay in one room.

"What about you, Miss Samantha?" Gary asked with sophistication, imitating a butler. Samantha giggled and blushed.

"I'll actually be sleeping with Alex, thanks Mr. Sanderson." she replied, playing along with Roach's role play. For a short moment, Roach felt relaxed. He hasn't felt like this for a while and it was too overwhelming. But while the enemies hid in the shadows, he was sure the team would be up for a tough fight anytime soon.

Despite being tired, Roach couldn't sleep. He felt that there was something or someone else he needed to consult. So, he decided to get up and get himself a glass of water down the kitchen. While he could hear himself gulping down a glass of water, he could also hear faint thumping from the basement. With high alert, he began descending down the stairs to investigate the source of the sound.

It was Simon. He was still up and doing sparring rounds with a red punching bag, each of his punches sent the bag swinging violently.

"You okay?" Gary finally asked, alerting Simon of his presence.

"Can't sleep." he said nonchalantly, giving the punching bag another mighty punch. Roach took a minute to admire the huge gym Soap had, each piece of equipment probably spent a fortune. He slowly paced to the small area filled with equipment and grabbed himself some boxing mitts and a protective helmet.

"So, why don't we resume our little talk?" Gary called as he presented himself to Simon on full boxing coach gear. Simon immediately positioned himself and Gary did the same as they began training with the intention of talking it out.

Simon's punches were heavy, Roach could feel a little emotion on each hit he made and it was starting to make him unstable.

"So, anything you'd want to discuss?" Roach initiated, his hands carefully met his punches as they circled around the area.

"I've been trying to ignore her, Gary. You see me try right? But the more I don't think of her, the more excited I get when I accidentally see her. It's frustrating." He explained in between his punches. There it was, the thing bothering him the most.

"What did she say back in Brazil? She probably said something that kept you from moving on. I can't think of anything else that might cause you to feel this way, unless you're lying." Roach tilted his head so he could see Simon's reaction. His punches stopped coming and he just stood there, his hands dropped to his sides.

"She… she didn't say anything… but she distances herself to John while I'm around."

"John MacTavish or John Price?" Gary interrupted, in an attempt to brighten up the mood, but instead all he got was Simon's 'are-you-kidding-me-right-now?' look.

"But when I'm not around, she finds time to see him…" Simon continued. Gary took off his gloves and tapped his shoulder.

"She… she was being considerate." Simon concluded. It looked like Gary did his job. He could feel Simon's shoulders relax upon realizing what was actually going on.

"Despite all that… she sacrificed a little just to not hurt you." Gary added, he had no intention of making Simon guilty but now that he realized it, he was making an impact toward the relationship that was blooming between Soap and France.

"Thanks, Gary. For being a great friend…" Ghost took off his gloves and walked out of the gym.

"... and the worst therapist." He joked with a grin as he walked up the stairs and left Gary in the gym.

"I hope you find your peace, Simon." Gary muttered.

The following morning, the team was already busy walking around the house. Soap was on the phone with a long list of things the girls ordered for their restock. It was planned that for the time being, the team was to stay in the MacTavish residence while Nero and Shepherd were off the grid.

Price and Jack started their own little command center inside Soap's father's office just by the living room. They began creating connections to their closest contacts to track activity from their enemies. Ghost seemed to be not around at the moment and Gary guessed he's still asleep.

Soap nodded a greeting to Roach as he walked by him on his way to the kitchen. Maxine and France were out opening drawers and anything in the pantry to clear up space for supplies. From the kitchen window, Gary spotted Samantha, Alex and Nikolai in front of a truck. Gary overheard that Nikolai wanted to go back home and he guessed today was the day he'd do so.

"I didn't know what kind of sugar you needed so I kinda ordered a bunch of em." Soap announced to the sisters and they laughed.

"The clerk kept asking me of brown, white, confectioners and some other and honestly I don't know which." he shrugged and scratched his head.

"Hey man, I was just wondering… why did you choose the risky life? When you had everything you ever needed here?" Gary asked the question that has been bothering him since he got here.

"I dunno Roach. It's just that I knew it was calling out to me… You also sound like my Mum when I told her I'm joining the force." he chuckled. Gary just nodded but still didn't understand his logic. But he dismissed the thought as soon as Maxine and France asked for his help reaching something by the cabinets.

The rest of the day was busy. Once supplies arrived, everyone else was preoccupied. Lifting boxes, arranging items, looking for intel. It was like they made their own 141 base inside the house.

By the time they're almost free, Roach and Maxine were already in the kitchen preparing for dinner.

"So, any new dreams lately?" Roach initiated as he sliced through the vegetables they're cooking.

"Piece by piece. Last night I remembered having gum stuck on my hair on picture day. I cried a lot." she giggled. Roach smiled, he was glad she's getting her memories back which made him remember of Samantha's case.

"Ow!" Gary winced as he accidentally cut a short scrape on his thumb. He was so busy staring at Maxine that he forgot he was chopping.

"Don't worry. It's just a small wound." Gary assured as Maxine pulled his thumb close to her mouth and blew air through it, just like when you're a kid and you do that to ease the pain.

Gary couldn't help but smile at her immediate action. She also looked concerned and worried about his welfare.

"Hey Max." he whispered, making the girl turn to him, her face was so beautiful in Gary's eyes.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing… It's just that…"

"What is it? You're making me worried"

"I really really like you, Maxine Winters."

Maxine looked at him in the eye, the eye contact they were doing was starting to make the world fade behind them.

"Guys! I have bad news." Soap interrupted, causing everyone to form a small circle by the living room.

"Ghost left. With a note saying he'll try to gather more information on Shadow Company with Alexandra's help. He says thanks and that he'll see us all soon." Soap summarized the note. The room fell silent.

Next Chapter : Off the Grid

Notification Squad my Beloved

@samatedeansbroccoli @enderio @smokeywhalee @whimsywispsblog @beemybee @ricinbach

[dis--parity]

the message.

Summary: Meanwhile, in a hospital in the south of Sweden, a person reduced to a thoughtless shell is filled with new life. Trigger warnings: None. Author’s note: A little bonus chapter that I was excited to get out! It pertains to the final interview file and, well... it’s a pretty big piece of someone’s story.

It’s such a strange, horrible sensation, being trapped in your own body. Motionless, breathless, not even able to blink, not even able to see what little I hear. Days have passed. Or at least, I think they have; all my vision’s a blackout, and I’m quickly losing track of all time. When your eyes aren’t open, when your brain isn’t working right but your ears hear everything around you, it all just seems to melt together. The conversations of the doctors and nurses around me change at the flip of a switch.

I can’t even bring myself to try and count the hours, the days, the months I’ve been out cold. The last sensation stuck in my mind is the impact of a hammer against my arm, my chest, my head. Then, numbness, darkness, oblivion. Absolutely nothing crosses my mind after that. And I can’t even remember how long it’s been this way. 

It’s funny. For as long as I can remember, I’ve romanticised the idea of shutting off from the world; to be alone with the imagination without having to concern yourself with the real world. What a dream that must be, I thought. What a unique, astonishing bliss that must provide. Though, now that I lay here, unaware of how long it’s been, where the hell I am, and without even the will to decide whether I should be thankful for, or horrified by this comatose oblivion, something occurs to me.

The lucky ones, I’ve come to realise, are the ones whose mind and body die at the same time.

Will I ever wake up? Or will this mind finally give in and follow suit to my failing faculties? When I think about it enough, it crosses my mind that it probably doesn’t even matter which way that goes; my mind’s been like scrambled eggs for as long as my eyes have been closed, for as long as this ventilator’s been stuck on my mouth and this IV has been in my arm. I can only think of one person right now that would miss me if I slipped quietly past the veil - and they aren’t even here.

 I hear a jingle from what I think is right in front of me; there’s a TV in the room. I hear the news come and go from time to time, when my brain decides to tune back into the world around it. I’m guessing it’s in the corner of the room, seeing as I’m in a hospital bed right now. I can at least guess that much. If I ever wake up, maybe I’ll get a nice window view. 

Who knows, though? My thoughts and musings about the ray of sunlight I’ll probably never get to see quickly fade away as I’m forced to listen to the the only thing that’s really present in the room. Well, it’s not like I can get up and change the channel anyway, and apparently, I’ve got all the time in the world to absorb whatever this is. Whether I’ll actually retain any of the passing news about politics, science, celebrity gossip and the like, that’s another thing. But this… it seems different to what I’ve heard before. I hear a man delivering a more serious, monotone preamble, but-...

“... as announced earlier, the entirety of the contents of these ‘Haemolife Files’ will now be played on this channel for the purpose of transparency towards the public…”     Haemolife.

My body would have jolted, if only it could. Who knows how long it had been since I heard that name? That name of which a single utterance was enough to snap me back into focus. Up ‘til that point, I could feel my grasp on awareness starting to drift... 

No.

I snatch my awareness back. I have to. For the first time in God knows how long, I had something to pay attention to. Something I had to try and listen to. The voice of an unfamiliar man talks about his discoveries in a crackly audio recording, and asks a question to someone else he’s apparently with. I don’t catch all of it, I know, and I wasn’t about to get my hopes up, but there was only one person I could think of at that moment.

    Gale. Gale. Gale.     Please.     Please, tell me someone remembered you.

“... why do this? Haemolife was more or less off the radar until that weapons shipment came in.”

“... think that was the point they factored Gale in… had the willpower to defy… didn’t have the same fear Iris did. They knew… they knew she’d blab eventually. Desperate times, maybe.”

...what?

No. There’s no way. There’s no fucking way. 

    Every part of me was looking out for that name -  a mention of her would have craved that phantom hunger my near-lifeless body felt right now. But, oh, did I hear so much more than my failing mind could have expected. She was dead. For the longest time, I thought she was dead. And now, as I’m hearing her voice, saying her name, talking about what she went through… I found my thoughts paralyzed again. It’s too much, this is far too much–

But, no! No! I can’t lose this moment! This might be the only chance I get to know that she’s alive, I can’t let my mind slip again now! My body doesn’t move, but I can practically feel my stomach turn as I try to regain my focus, try to recoil from the shock I heard from that name alone and listen, for God’s sake, listen to what she has to say.

“And the way Rosenfeld took ‘desperate measures’ was to initiate a terrorist attack before you could expose the truth?”

“No - not to take everyone else out. To destroy everyone in the know - myself included. Maybe something changed along the way, maybe they realised your CIA was onto them. Either way… it was the end for all of us.”

“Even the ones cross country… shit. They were prepared for this. Shit… I mean… you told me about your parents. I guess you didn’t leave anyone behind, at least.”

There’s silence for a moment. I wonder if I’m losing awareness again before I hear that familiar sigh through crackling audio. Finally, I heard her speak up again, her voice more shaken than it was before. I don’t know what led to me hearing this, what led to all this being exposed when it had been so long, but it was no less painful for me to listen to her, to be reminded of all that had happened to her, to us. I was starting to wonder if she even remembered who I was, when my answer came to me without me having to ask.

“… we did. Fuck. I did. We… couldn’t even say goodbye. We knew what was happening, and-... we pushed him away. We didn’t want to drag him into this, too.”

“Who?”

“… his name was Alex.“

Me? Me? She remembered, after all this time? I ask the brief silence that’s allowed between me registering my own name and her next sentence how this could even be possible. There’s no reply but the gentle static of the television as she continues speaking.

“He was there for us. If it wasn’t for him, we might not be Garis now.” ‘Garis’? What kind of name is that? Don’t tell me… no. Save that thought for another time.

“He showed us the best of times, and stuck with us in the worst of times. He knew… he knew about what we truly went through, we told him. And he helped us anyway. Loved us anyway. He…” ...what’s that silence for? “They, told me about how their dad used to isolate them socially, stick them to one place, and how they grew jealous of all the other kids who had parents who loved them, parents who took them places instead of keeping them cooped up in their rooms, parents that… didn’t have any agreement between each other to do what they wanted to their children. Together, we figured out ways to fight back against our abusers. I was able to defy the God in the Numbers because of them. Because of their... humanity, that nobody else showed us. Fuck… all that time, we thought we were saving them. But, now we’re together, we realise… they were saving us. If they became a target…”

I hear her sniffle. I feel as if I could cry, but my stupid, stupid body just won’t let me. It won’t let me get up, it won’t let me reach out, call to her, speak to her and tell her that I’m okay, that I’m happy that she’s okay! I wanted her to know, more than anything in the world, that I was thankful for her!

… tell me something,” I hear the other man say. “If there’s something you could say to them right now, if they’re alive, if they could listen... what would it be?” I didn’t want to stop listening to her voice now. If it were me, I know I’d refuse to answer and be out of there, and that’s precisely what I expected from her. We were the same, so I thought. And, hey, they never were the type to wear their heart on their sleeve. But that’s when I heard her again.

“… I’m sorry.”

I’m sorry I couldn’t explain to you what was happening, Alex. But… you saved my life. I wish I knew where you were, and I promise one day we’ll find a way to talk to each other again, someway, somehow, and I’ll tell you, once and for all…

Thank you.”

When I heard those words echoing in my mind, I thought I would break. Shatter like glass on this bed. That I would black out just from hearing her say that, and mean it. It was then that I realised something; for as comatose, unable to act or speak as I was, I was alive.

I’d finally stood up to my dad. It got me where I am now, but it was worth it. When I finally put that bastard in his place, when I made it damn clear that I wasn’t ever going to be a puppet again… I thought of her. I thought of all we’d been through, all she’d taught me. We were just kids, seeking shelter in each other’s misery, but we’d both saved each others’ lives through that. What goes around comes around, I guess.

I want to smile. I want to laugh. I want to scream, I want to cry. I can already feel my mind drifting, her final words echoing in my brain as I slip back into my lack of awareness, the only proof I’ll ever have that the person I once loved and leaned on was alive. Who knows if I’d ever find her again? One thing’s for sure, though, I thought to myself as I drifted through that dark space once more, time losing all meaning in the face of one single, burning objective, my determination already scorching like the sun in my eyes, still forced shut. For as long as it would take for me to get out of here, get back into the world, I carried just one thought; I will wake up from this void, this nightmare. I will live. I will thrive. I’ll be free from the chains that held me down for all those years he stole from me. I will work for myself, and maybe, just maybe… I’ll love again.

I’ll manifest the one thing my dad was right about; I was born for greatness.

And now there’s a world waiting for me that’s worth waking up to. A world with you in it.

Please, for the love of God, wait for me.

However long it takes.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

June 8, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

After Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced this weekend that he would not support either the For the People voting act or an attempt to break the filibuster for a voting measure, but would work to get bipartisan agreement on the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, today Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell pulled the rug out from under him.

McConnell said today that restoring the provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that protect minority voting would give too much power to the federal government and that such protection was unnecessary anyway. “The Supreme Court concluded that conditions that existed in 1965 no longer existed,” McConnell said. “So there’s no threat to the voting rights law. It’s against the law to discriminate in voting on the basis of race already. And so I think it’s unnecessary.”

To say there is no threat to the voting rights law is delusional. The reality is that In 2013, within 24 hours of the Supreme Court’s Shelby County v. Holder decision ending the Justice Department’s oversight of certain states’ voting requirements, Texas enacted a strict voter ID law. Other states quickly followed suit. And now, in the wake of the 2020 election, Republican-dominated state legislatures across the country are drastically curtailing voting access.

Today, more than 300 “advocacy, civic, faith and labor groups representing nearly 2.5 million Americans from 43 states and the District of Columbia” asked the president and vice president to fight for the For the People Act. “[F]air representation and voter access in America are under direct attack,” the letter read. “We are extremely worried about the very survival of our democracy.  We ask that you place the urgent passage of this bill at the top of your administration's agenda.”

This afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that the Senate will still vote on the For the People Act, as scheduled, in late June. He says he is open to changes to the measure if they will help get Manchin on board. But he is going to force senators to go on record for or against voting rights.

Gone are the days when McConnell could protect his caucus from unpopular votes simply by refusing to bring anything to a vote. Republicans have had to vote on the bipartisan, independent January 6 commission, which was popular, and voted to go before the country as a party protecting insurrection. Now they will have to take a stand on other popular measures like voting rights and, if the Senate breaks up the bill, getting big money out of politics, which is even more popular, and so on.

Today, Republicans filibustered a measure designed to prohibit discrimination in pay based on sex. The bill would have limited pay differentials to things like education, training, and experience, and would have prohibited employers from retaliating against workers who compared their salaries. Blaming the Democrats for advancing what he calls “partisan” bills, McConnell pointed to the equal pay act as a sign that the "era of bipartisanship is over.”

In fact, we had an illustration of what “bipartisanship” means in today’s Senate when the Senate Rules and Administration and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees that investigated the January 6 insurrection today produced a bipartisan report on the events of that day. Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee chair Gary Peters (D-MI) told reporters: “There were significant, widespread and unacceptable breakdowns in the intelligence gathering. . . . The failure to adequately assess the threat of violence on that day contributed significantly to the breach of the Capitol… The attack was, quite frankly, planned in plain sight.”

To gain bipartisan support, the report focused on communications failures. It did not explore the roles of government officials, including former president Trump, in the January 6 crisis, and it did not use the word “insurrection” apart from quotations of witness testimony. The result was a curiously sanitized rendition of the events of January. Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) commented: "January 6th didn't happen because there were security failures, it happened because there was a violent mob that attacked the Capitol, and we need to know why that happened."

McConnell’s comment about the end of bipartisanship was a sweeping declaration that he would lead Republicans in opposing the Democratic program, and that includes the American Jobs Act, the extensive infrastructure bill that President Biden initially pegged at $2.3 trillion. Biden has been negotiating with Republicans, led by Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, on the measure, but today called it quits after they refused to raise their offer more than $150 billion despite his offer to cut more than $1 trillion off his initial ask. Republicans blamed Biden for ending the talks.

Biden has not, in fact, ended the talks, though: he has handed them to a different group of lawmakers who have shown a willingness to work across the aisle. That group includes Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema (D-AZ), who might be persuaded to be more reliable Democratic votes if they have a bigger hand in the infrastructure bill. If this group does manage to hammer out a bipartisan infrastructure package, a vote on it could undercut McConnell’s ability to hold his caucus in opposition to the Democrats.

The biggest sticking point in negotiations is that Democrats want to fund much of the American Jobs Act by increasing corporate taxes from the lows of the 2017 tax cuts (although not to the level they were before those cuts), while Republicans are adamant they will not sign on to any such increases.

The Republican position took a hit this morning, when ProPublica published an investigation based on leaked tax documents. It revealed that America’s 25 richest people—some with more than $100 billion in wealth—pay remarkably little in federal income taxes…sometimes nothing. They can avoid taxes through various accounting methods, while ordinary Americans pay full fare.

Also this morning, Biden tweeted: “I’m working hard to find common ground with Republicans when it comes to the American Jobs Plan, but I refuse to raise taxes on Americans making under $400,000 a year to pay for it. It’s long past time for the wealthy and corporations to pay their fair share.”

—-

Notes:

https://www.propublica.org/article/the-secret-irs-files-trove-of-never-before-seen-records-reveal-how-the-wealthiest-avoid-income-tax

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/08/ultra-rich-taxes-prob-hikes-democrats-492133

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/08/politics/us-capitol-riot-senate-report/index.html

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/policy-solutions/effects-shelby-county-v-holder

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mQKvy0Wc6mV-hPoGEhxu_vYwiJOEJ67lcvOr9dUIkJ0/edit

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/08/politics/us-capitol-riot-senate-report/index.html

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/08/for-the-people-act-vote-492159

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/07/us/politics/democrats-filibuster.html

https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2021/06/07/joe-manchin-voting-rights-bill-492072

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/557457-senate-gop-blocks-bill-to-combat-gender-pay-gap

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/08/us/biden-capito-infrastructure.html

https://www.vox.com/2021/5/3/22406391/hr1-poll-for-the-people-act

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[bbq-hawks-wings]

Really long ask - Part 1: Hi, sorry for this long rant, but I just wanted to vent since I saw this latest story posted on AO3 and I am restraining myself on commenting on their story so I'm just letting my anger out here about it and other issues regarding fan-depiction of Hawks. It's vaguely related to your post on how DabiHawks or Dabi+Hawks stories make it all about Dabi and always made Hawks out to be the one who starts the problems in their relationship or is the one trying to get Dabi's

Content warning: passing mention of r*pe in a fanfiction.

LOOOONG post under the cut.

(Cont.)

Dabi's attentions when it's canon that it's the complete opposite. This latest story that came up in my feed was about Hawks "harassing" Dabi (who apparently has a backstory of r*pe) and Twice helps Dabi works out his feelings. Among the hoards of tags condemning Hawks, they decided to use "Hawks is very uncool in this fic heads up" so that's another one to add to my filters. I think I also have to block the "Dabi Needs a Hug" tags too bc he's always woobified like heck. 

I really want to read stories where Hawks interacts with Twice since they have a bond/drama with each other, but people have been adding Dabi and either making it seem like Hawks has been gaslighting Dabi in their "relationship" or with Twice. I can acknowledge stories where Hawks feels guilty for what he had to do or Twice being anger/betrayed over Hawks' actions since that is actually what happened; but I will not stand for Dabi claiming Hawks took advantage of Twice or Twice and Dabi having feelings for each other with Hawks in the way bc Dabi is a) the one who let Hawks in b) knew Twice is gullible and c) used Twice as bait. Even in the stories that are cute/causal+funny, Hawks is always the one who gets threatened with fire, harsh insults, or guilted into compliance but the seriousness of the first 2 are always brushed off and the third kinda makes me want it that Hawks doesn't have friends bc most people write him as a bad friend who only cares about his own problems (especially the ones that write Hawks like a celebrity/night club person). 

On writing Dabi, his issues always take priority over everything else, his family loves him, and the lov is always chill with him. He's usually written as the fun asshole/caretaker (bc of his big brother status or ablity to cook). Those factors aren't bad by itself, but it's extremely irritating when the writers/artists can give that level of care to Dabi, but just reduce Hawks to a meme who is a workaholic for the government/scared of punishment & not bc he really cares about the people he saves/helps. It's not like I hate the DabiHawks pairing, but the majority of the content (esp the recent ones), are frustrating to read & Hawks' character is usually written in bad out of character extremes. I am really mystified that I'm praying for canon content rather than fanmade most of the time.

Phew! After the back and forth it looks like we got to the end of that! (Or did we?! *Dun dun DUUUUN*) If not, though, feel free to keep the asks rolling. Lol Foxy and I are usually pretty happy to receive as many asks as people want to send even if it takes us a while, individually, to get to it. Now to finally address what you sent.

I find myself in a weird place when it comes to OOC fanfic because on the one hand people can write whatever they want, and I don’t really have a place to criticize them; but also when they blatantly and willingly misinterpret a character so they have grounds to bash on them it also leaves me acutely uncomfortable. I don’t think I’d call it “problematic” as much as a squick? Like, if they’re willing to blow past all the obvious proof to the contrary about their claims of a fictional character just because they hate them, then are they willing to do the same thing to a real person? Usually, those kinds of thoughts are pointlessly extreme, but we know those who unironically and/or unapologeticly call fans of the heroes “bootlickers” so... It’s like, ooc vent fics are also fine; and if you want to rewrite a character to fit the narrative scheme you’ve set up that’s cool as long as its tagged (“ooc [character]” or something) and/or just mention in the a/n that they knowingly and willingly mischaracterized them for the sake of the fic. Just. Don’t. Claim. It’s. Canon.

And speaking of canon, as much as I’m sure Horikoshi knew Hawks and Dabi were going to end up shipped I think it’s obvious that he never was going to canonically write them ending up together, yet here comes the “canon must validate my headcanon” crowd calling him a bad writer because the author had some bigger narrative goal in mind than having two pretty anime boys kissing.

And the worst part to me is, I feel there’s a distinct slice of the DabiHawks crowd missing out on some of the possibilities of this ship by intentionally mischaracterizing them. Like, the aesthetic equal/opposite draw of the ship is phenomenal as it is and I don’t even ship them, but I can see a wide range of possible fics based solely on the principle that they are canonically incompatible!

At the end of the day, Dabi is a dime-a-dozen edgelord - that pain in the butt OC that so many newbie D&D players make that they think is so deep and dark and mature, but is about as cookie-cutter as they come. It’s not that this kind of character is unsalvageable or a hopeless Gary Stu character, just that they don’t often come across as compelling in and of themselves or that they need more than just selfish hatred to carry them through a series. Two kinds of edgelords that can be done well are the “Out of the Ashes” edgelord and “I’ll Pull You Into Hell With Me” edgelord. The first kind recognizes there’s more to life than their sad backstory and getting even and thus choose to aspire to more noble causes - think Joel from The Last of Us. The second recognizes they’re actively doing wrong and come to embrace it - being more concerned with getting what they want than taking the moral high ground - think Frank Castle, aka the Punisher - and even these darker, “unsaveable” kinds of edgelord antiheroes can have redeeming qualities such as meeting and helping a young hopeful and telling them, “I know I’m on the road to hell, so if you want to save yourself you’d better not follow me.”

Dabi actually has what he needs to become the second type right now (assuming he’s Touya) and could even evolve into the first not unlike Kratos from God of War, but that potential can’t be fully recognized until you admit that he’s fundamentally self-centered and a bad person as-is. He may have the tragic backstory complete with justifiable hate at his genuinely abusive father, but rather than using that as fuel to see that never happen to anyone else like it did him - he just wants to get even. He burns people alive, knowing well he’s participating in the same destruction that his father committed to make him what he is now. He doesn’t recognize any of the merits of hero society and is only concerned with burning it to ash. He could use what happened to his family to incite compassion in his heart and take others under his wing, but instead he uses people as a mean to his own ends. He isn’t even proper grimdark - he’s just your run of the mill egotistical megalomaniac with a punk aesthetic.

And that’s still a good character in the grand scheme of things, maybe just not alone! Moreso, it’s a good villain and EVEN BETTER when you put him next to Hawks who is at his core:

Fundamentally Hopepunk!

Hopepunk is about being good and kind as an act of rebellion against a cruel and unfair world no matter how bleak it gets or how badly you’re beaten down. Despite his own cruel past, Hawks still has a heart to help others for no other reason than to help them, he constantly changes the odds to save as many people as he can when he’d be given a pass for letting the cards fall where they will, and not only is his aim to “help others” but to make sure that there’ll never be need for heroes again. He’s an active rebel against the system fighting with kindness and goodness, fervently looking and listening for the next opportunity to do good.

In agreement with you, Hawks and Twice are interesting to explore because while Twice is an optimist looking to make the world a better place, he’s still a step or two removed from Hawks’ worldview because Twice refuses to let go of the “family” he found for himself while Hawks is willing to sacrifice himself for others. That dynamic is so interesting, and it’s what made them so initially compatible and subsequently heartbreaking in canon.

And it’s such a disappointment to see this unwaveringly earnest character reduced to “shitty fratboy” so often. For a lot of people newer to his character I can understand the confusion, but there really isn’t an excuse if you’ve been reading the series, and the possibilities for fics with this canon personality are just so much more interesting to explore, especially with Dabi as his sort-of opposite.

For DabiHawks to work well, you have to recognize that something has to give in either of them. Some of the juiciest, most angsty content is when you have two characters grow close together over commonalities only to be reminded that despite everything else they share, that One Thing will always keep them from truly being able to see eye-to-eye. Either Dabi has to grow past his hatred and relearn compassion and empathy, or Hawks has to lose grip of that hopeful vision he has and fall into despair. Both options are good to explore, but both require the acknowledgement that Dabi’s view of the world is fundamentally bleak and selfish, especially compared to Hawks’. For a supposed revolutionary out to change the world for the better whose a diamond in the rough with a heart of gold, that’s not exactly on-brand; and at the end of the day the issue is that some are unwilling to admit that what they wanted Dabi to be is likely not going to happen and they love that fake version Dabi more than they love what Hawks actually stands for which is why Hawks always gets the shaft in the end.

I still personally hold a bit of a grudge against the DaiHawks ship as a whole purely because, as you said, Dabi always seems to take priority over Hawks instead of letting the two build a dynamic together. Hawks is always the one who has to give, and the torture porn some have made him go through to “make the ship work” is downright disturbing to me. Even at its height DabiHawks content completely flooded the Hawks character tags on Tumblr with some of the same problems that have persisted to this day such as emphasizing their aesthetic as opposed to their dynamic and rampant mischaracterization.

Anyway, that’s my long-winded response. What do you think, @autumn-foxfire?

[mellometal]

Hey, everyone.

If you saw the post from earlier, I had to delete it. There were things I forgot to discuss and things that didn't get saved into my drafts. Sorry if you have to see this again.

I've been WAITING to talk about Glee. Not in the good way either. There's so much wrong with the show, and it's sickening. Yes, I've watched the show last year. Against my will, but that's because of other people refusing to put on anything else besides Glee. I can say that I hate Glee with my entire being. (My initial reason for hating it was because they covered "SING" by My Chemical Romance and turned it into a slow, patriotic song when it's a song about rebellion. NOTHING about "SING" is patriotic. I hated the show since I first heard about it...for that very reason. I was like thirteen or so at the time when I first heard about Glee? Despite it being out since 2009.

Though it's been over for several years now, it's a show that many people have mixed feelings about. From what I've seen, you either love Glee or you absolutely hate it. There's no in-between that I've seen. (If you can't already tell, I hate the show.)

The show is a literal dumpster fire, the characters are all fucking awful people and all of them are poorly written, the script pisses me off, it literally makes me feel disgusting, and don't even get me started on the covers. Most of the covers aren't that good. A lot of them sound like nails on a chalkboard to me. The pacing of the show makes NO sense in certain areas (like when Blaine was initially made to be a grade above Kurt, but was then changed to be like the same grade as him so he'd stay). It just feels like everyone in the show is either a Mary Sue, a Gary Stu, their whole personality is just that they're from a minority group or they're EDGY AND HARDCORE DELINQUENTS BLEEEEHHHHH, creepy as fuck, bigoted as all hell, or they're just background characters who occasionally have the spotlight.

TW: The following post and any other posts that I'll make about this show contains subject matter that may be triggering for some audiences. It will go into subjects like racism, homophobia, ableism, outing of a person in the LGBT community, bigotry in general, statutory r@pe (between teachers and students), teachers being creepy towards students, mentioned past child m0l3stati0n and invalidation of the victim's trauma, making fun of su1c1d3, making fun of overdose, making fun of drug addiction....a lot of fucked up things.

If anything mentioned above is triggering for you, please feel free to scroll and consume safe media instead. I'd rather have you be safe than to be triggered by anything I'm gonna talk about.

Let's start off easy. The characters. It's easy to tear them apart. At least the most problematic ones.

Rachel, the Main Character™️, is textbook definition of a Mary Sue. Instead of calling her Rachel, I'm gonna call her Mary Sue for the whole post. She's almost completely perfect (like too perfect), her flaws are minor if anything, she gets all the special treatment....you get the picture. When Mary Sue does anything fucked up or she says anything fucked up, it either goes unnoticed, people make up excuses for her being a shitty person, or it gets twisted so it looks like Mary Sue is the hero! (I hate her. So much. I cannot stand her.)

Aaawwww, Mary Sue didn't want some OTHER GIRL (Sunshine) to steal HER spotlight, so she SENT THIS GIRL TO A CRACK HOUSE. A FUCKING CRACK HOUSE, OF ALL PLACES. A PLACE WHERE THIS GIRL COULD HAVE BEEN PUT IN SERIOUS DANGER. THIS GIRL COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED AT BEST AND KILLED AT WORST. Yes, I'm aware not all drug houses are the same, but still. It doesn't matter what this girl did. What Sunshine did is irrelevant. It's not okay to send people to strange places where they don't know anyone, and are put in danger, even to the point of either getting injured or killed. But it's okay, because at least it's not an "active" crack house you sent Sunshine to, RIGHT, Mary Sue? You still sent some poor girl to a place where she could have been put in serious danger, even to possibly get injured or killed, all because you didn't want her to steal YOUR spotlight. You fucking disgusting, entitled, bratty cunt. You don't need the spotlight all the time anyway. THAT'S HOW THEATRE WORKS. YOU DON'T ALWAYS GET THE LEAD ROLE. YOU DON'T ALWAYS GET THE ROLE YOU WANT. AND THAT'S OKAY. YOU WORK WITH WHAT YOU GOT. Sincerely, a theatre kid.

There are other fucked up things Mary Sue has done, but this is the one thing I could find anyone talking about. If I remember correctly, she hurt her Gay Best Friend™️ Kurt in some way. All I remember is that Kurt was mad at Mary Sue about something. Mary Sue is annoying as fuck. What else can I say about her?

Next, we have Finn, who's textbook definition of a Gary Stu. I'll call him Gary Stu throughout this post. I hate this fucker too. He's the Main Character's Boyfriend™️, the Hot Quarterback™️, and The Good Guy™️. Yet....he's not a good person. He's treated like he's a good person, but he's really not. His flaws are fairly minor and excused (and any major flaws aren't even talked about much), he's almost completely perfect, and every fucked up thing he does is ignored or is justified in some way. Like how he outed Santana as lesbian in the hallway WITHIN EARSHOT OF EVERYONE. HE DIDN'T EVEN APOLOGIZE FOR THIS.

As a woman who has struggled with her sexuality growing up, this really brought back shit I went through. I "dated" boys when I was younger to cover up the fact that I'm only attracted to other women. I wasn't happy with these guys at all. I acted like I did so nobody would suspect anything. I felt nothing for them, except for in a platonic way. I've been outed twice. Once when I thought I was bisexual with a strong preference for other women (by my dad's girlfriend at the time), and when I came out as lesbian (by my brother). It sucks to be outed. The people who outed me in real life could have put me in danger. They could have made it so I had no place to go back to. They could have had me get hurt. It's a scary feeling. Like, it doesn't matter if you're supportive or if you're in the LGBT community. You don't fucking out people without their explicit permission. You especially don't out people to their abusers or to people they don't trust, let alone out them publicly. That's what happened to me. I don't wish this on anyone.

***By the way, for anyone who's closeted, you're valid, I love you, and I know how it feels to be stuck in the closet. You don't have to come out right now. Come out whenever you're ready to. Whenever it's safe for you to do so.***

Or how about the fact that Gary Stu made fun of Kurt's voice because he's gay? Gary Stu apparently has ✨anger issues✨ and that's pretty much the excuse they use to justify him doing fucked up shit to people.

They treat the characters who are from minority groups (i.e., BIPOC, AAPI, LGBT community, disabled people) like absolute garbage, put them through all this horrific shit, or they put them on a pedestal simply for being in a minority group. The teachers and other school staff are either written to be total bigots (Sue), or they're total pr3dators (Mr. Schue, the school nurse, and another teacher who I can't remember her name off the top of my head).

Sue pretty much only exists to be a poorly written villain who's a bigoted bitch just to be a bigoted bitch. Yes, there were some things she WAS right about (like how "Blurred Lines" wasn't an appropriate song choice for the Glee Club™️, but Mr. Schue The Pr3dator™️ downplayed it). Other than that...that's all I can think of. Because everything else that came out of her mouth was bigoted bullshit. Like these right here, for example:

Or how she drugged the principal, date r@ped him, and blackmailed him?

How about them making a tasteless joke about Sue committing su1c1d3 and having her "overdose" on multivitamin gummies?

DO I NEED TO EXPLAIN HOW FUCKED UP ALL OF THIS IS? I do? Well, first of all, she called people racist, homophobic, ableist, and otherwise disgusting names. She boiled them down to their race, sexual orientation, their disability, and their appearance in general. Second, SHE DRUGGED, BLACKMAILED, AND DATE R@PED SOMEBODY. I don't think I need to explain how that's bad. The evidence is right there. Third, she said she was committing "sue-icide" by overdosing on multivitamin gummies. (Yes, you actually can OD on vitamins in supplement form, and it can cause serious symptoms and even death. Specifically with vitamins A, D, E, and K, and Iron. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble. They're a lot harder to remove from the body. The B vitamins and vitamin C aren't as severe if you do OD on them because they're water-soluble, but still be careful. You can't OD on vitamins and minerals you find in food. If you take supplements, vitamins, etc., only take what's on the bottle.) As someone who has su1c1d@l thoughts on and off, this is extremely insulting. Yes, I do use humor and I joke about my own experiences to cope, but this? Nah. Nothing about this is funny or cute in the slightest. Enough said.

Do I need to explain how fucking terrible it is to make light of a serious topic like this? It was never funny to see Britney Spears' mental health be at that low of a point in 2007. It was never funny to see the abuse the paparazzi inflicted on her. How the fuck was this ever okay? You can dislike Britney Spears all you want, but this was never it.

This is all I have for now. I'll probably make a part two because there are way too many things to talk about.