#point A: the kids see a shelter
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
shardkeeperwip · 7 months ago
Text
I know where point A and point B are.
I just need to figure out point A-and-a-half.
2 notes · View notes
halorvic · 5 months ago
Text
The danger is clear and present: COVID isn’t merely a respiratory illness; it’s a multi-dimensional threat impacting brain function, attacking almost all of the body’s organs, producing elevated risks of all kinds, and weakening our ability to fight off other diseases. Reinfections are thought to produce cumulative risks, and Long COVID is on the rise. Unfortunately, Long COVID is now being considered a long-term chronic illness — something many people will never fully recover from. Dr. Phillip Alvelda, a former program manager in DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office that pioneered the synthetic biology industry and the development of mRNA vaccine technology, is the founder of Medio Labs, a COVID diagnostic testing company. He has stepped forward as a strong critic of government COVID management, accusing health agencies of inadequacy and even deception. Alvelda is pushing for accountability and immediate action to tackle Long COVID and fend off future pandemics with stronger public health strategies. Contrary to public belief, he warns, COVID is not like the flu. New variants evolve much faster, making annual shots inadequate. He believes that if things continue as they are, with new COVID variants emerging and reinfections happening rapidly, the majority of Americans may eventually grapple with some form of Long COVID. Let’s repeat that: At the current rate of infection, most Americans may get Long COVID.
[...]
LP: A recent JAMA study found that US adults with Long COVID are more prone to depression and anxiety – and they’re struggling to afford treatment. Given the virus’s impact on the brain, I guess the link to mental health issues isn’t surprising. PA: There are all kinds of weird things going on that could be related to COVID’s cognitive effects. I’ll give you an example. We’ve noticed since the start of the pandemic that accidents are increasing. A report published by TRIP, a transportation research nonprofit, found that traffic fatalities in California increased by 22% from 2019 to 2022. They also found the likelihood of being killed in a traffic crash increased by 28% over that period. Other data, like studies from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, came to similar conclusions, reporting that traffic fatalities hit a 16-year high across the country in 2021. The TRIP report also looked at traffic fatalities on a national level and found that traffic fatalities increased by 19%. LP: What role might COVID play? PA: Research points to the various ways COVID attacks the brain. Some people who have been infected have suffered motor control damage, and that could be a factor in car crashes. News is beginning to emerge about other ways COVID impacts driving. For example, in Ireland, a driver’s COVID-related brain fog was linked to a crash that killed an elderly couple. Damage from COVID could be affecting people who are flying our planes, too. We’ve had pilots that had to quit because they couldn’t control the airplanes anymore. We know that medical events among U.S. military pilots were shown to have risen over 1,700% from 2019 to 2022, which the Pentagon attributes to the virus.
[...]
LP: You’ve criticized the track record of the CDC and the WHO – particularly their stubborn denial that COVID is airborne. PA: They knew the dangers of airborne transmission but refused to admit it for too long. They were warned repeatedly by scientists who studied aerosols. They instituted protections for themselves and for their kids against airborne transmission, but they didn’t tell the rest of us to do that.
[...]
LP: How would you grade Biden on how he’s handled the pandemic? PA: I’d give him an F. In some ways, he fails worse than Trump because more people have actually died from COVID on his watch than on Trump’s, though blame has to be shared with Republican governors and legislators who picked ideological fights opposing things like responsible masking, testing, vaccination, and ventilation improvements for partisan reasons. Biden’s administration has continued to promote the false idea that the vaccine is all that is needed, perpetuating the notion that the pandemic is over and you don’t need to do anything about it. Biden stopped the funding for surveillance and he stopped the funding for renewing vaccine advancement research. Trump allowed 400,000 people to die unnecessarily. The Biden administration policies have allowed more than 800,000 to 900,000 and counting.
[...]
LP: The situation with bird flu is certainly getting more concerning with the CDC confirming that a third person in the U.S. has tested positive after being exposed to infected cows. PA: Unfortunately, we’re repeating many of the same mistakes because we now know that the bird flu has made the jump to several species. The most important one now, of course, is the dairy cows. The dairy farmers have been refusing to let the government come in and inspect and test the cows. A team from Ohio State tested milk from a supermarket and found that 50% of the milk they tested was positive for bird flu viral particles.
[...]
PA: There’s a serious risk now in allowing the virus to freely evolve within the cow population. Each cow acts as a breeding ground for countless genetic mutations, potentially leading to strains capable of jumping to other species. If any of those countless genetic experiments within each cow prove successful in developing a strain transmissible to humans, we could face another pandemic – only this one could have a 58% death rate. Did you see the movie “Contagion?” It was remarkably accurate in its apocalyptic nature. And that virus only had a 20% death rate. If the bird flu makes the jump to human-to-human transition with even half of its current lethality, that would be disastrous.
#sars cov 2#covid 19#h5n1#bird flu#articles#long covid is def a global issue not just for those in the us and most countries aren't doing much better#regardless of how much lower the mortality rate for h5n1 may or may not become if/when it becomes transmissible between humans#having bird flu infect a population the majority of whose immune system has been decimated by sars2#to the point where the average person seems to have a hard time fighting off the common cold etc...#(see the stats of whooping cough/pertussis and how they're off the CHARTS this yr in the uk and aus compared to previous yrs?#in qld average no of cases was 242 over prev 4 yrs - there have been /3783/ diagnosed as of june 9 this yr and that's just in one state.#there's a severe shortage of meds for kids in aus bc of the demand and some parents visit +10 pharmacies w/o any luck)#well.#let's just say that i miss the days when ph orgs etc adhered to the precautionary principle and were criticised for 'overreacting'#bc nothing overly terrible happened in the end (often thanks to their so-called 'overreaction')#now to simply acknowledge the reality of an obviously worsening situation is to be accused of 'fearmongering'#🤷‍♂️#also putting long covid and bird flu aside for a sec:#one of the wildest things that everyone seems to overlook that conor browne and others on twt have been saying for yrs#is that the effects of the covid pandemic extend far beyond the direct impacts of being infected by the virus itself#we know sars2 rips apart immune system+attacks organs. that in effect makes one more susceptible to other viruses/bacterial infections etc#that in turn creates increased demand for healthcare services for all kinds of carers and medications#modern medicine and technology allows us to provide often effective and necessary treatment for all kinds of ailments#but what if there's not enough to go around? what happens when the demand is so high that it can't be provided fast enough -- or at all?#(that's assuming you can even afford it)#what happens when doctors and nurses and other healthcare workers keep quitting due to burnout from increased patients and/or illness#because they themselves do not live in a separate reality and are not any more sheltered from the effects of constant infection/reinfection#of sars2 and increased susceptibility to other illnesses/diseases than the rest of the world?#this is the 'new normal' that's being cultivated (the effects of which are already blatantly obvious if you're paying attention)#and importantly: it. doesn't. have. to. be. this. way.
283 notes · View notes
sas-afras · 9 months ago
Text
i kinda don’t get people who characterize maccready as like… secretly generous, or having a heart of gold or anything. like don’t get me wrong i don’t think he’s downright malicious or anything, but the dude is absolutely a selfish jerk once you get past the charming facade. that’s the part that’s compelling!
like, he’s nice enough and open enough with the player once you get high enough affinity with him, but his reactions to player actions still point to him being a jerk overall. the sosu just happens to be in His Circle of people he can be vulnerable with. that includes you, his son, and maybe daisy. everyone else can kick rocks, the same way it was in little lamplight
he HAD to grow up with that kind of “us vs the world, every man for himself” mentality in the capitol wasteland. doing so otherwise gets you killed or taken advantage of, which is just protracted death anyways. having grown up in a place where slavers run rampant, people are all pushing each other further down just to boost themselves up and live one more day, and it’s literally impossible to make renewable food sources because the ground is so poisoned i genuinely don’t blame him for ending up a little tight fisted. the fact that he was the mayor of little lamplight just meant that he ended up being able to accept a few people as His To Protect instead of being a total lone wolf.
the way he reacts to the players open generosity isn’t just for show, he Actually Dislikes when you give stuff away without expecting anything in return. you might need that thing and now its just gone!! that person might see you as a sucker! you give an inch and they’ll take a mile! and it makes sense for his character to be like that considering everything. i don’t get why people want to change that into him just being kind of tsundere.
i understand that having your babygirl blorbo comfort character be a canonical asshole in ways that aren’t just kinda charming can be offputting, but like…. the way he treats the sosu is a very notable exception to the rest of his life & it’s a much more interesting dynamic imo. especially if you’re playing a goody two shoes martyr. but that’s just me
277 notes · View notes
yardsards · 1 year ago
Text
mostly joking toh theory: amity and emira are both trans girls, and the fact that they got to choose their names themselves is the only reason why neither of them ended up getting named "odalia jr."
#eliot posts#toh#the owl house#amity blight#emira blight#odalia just strikes me as the type of person to name a daughter after herself#i have a couple relatives who named their kids after themselves and it's always seemed so fucking weird to me???#like i cannot imagine being like. hi i'm eliot and this is my son eliot.#honestly thinking about it there's a good chance my dad would've tried to name me after himself if i were amab#my mother wanted to name me axl but i think my dad could've won her over#and either named me after himself#(either his legal name or his nickname‚ which was after an uncle of his bc he was apparently the spitting image of)#or named me after his own father. which would make me the third of my cousin group to bear that name#(though ironically only one of said cousins was named after our grandpa. the other was named after his dad who married in to the family)#also apparently even as an afab baby i was apparently the spitting image of one of those cousins#to the point where my mother told me her first thought upon seeing me after i was born was just ''oh god she looks just like [cousin]''#for an extra layer of Bullshit: vincent cat's name at the shelter was the same as my dad's nickname so i had to change it#bc having a cat with sorta the same name as my dad whom i have a Complicated and Bad relationship with would feel Weird#this is all irrelevant but i just need you to know how batshit the name situation on my dad's side of the family is#my mother's side is mostly uncomplicated except for the surname situation going on#like i have no clue who my mother's maiden name came from and at this point i'm too afraid to ask#but yea since i was afab my given first name was just a random name that my mother thought was pretty#my given middle name tho WAS after a family member#specifically my rich childless aunt on my dad's side#the original plan was just a second random name my mother liked but then i popped out prematurely on that aunt's birthday#so my dad's OTHER sister (who had barged in uninvited to the delivery room) told my mother#''hey it's [childless aunt's] birthday today. she's rich and has no kids. name your child after her and she might help pay for college''#but my chosen name and middle name are unrelated to anyone. just two names i really liked and thought fit me + my gender.
160 notes · View notes
mad-hunts · 5 months ago
Text
thinking about barton doing baby talk to his kids, even though he was eighteen when marcy gave birth to both matilda + louis and thus was a COMPLETELY different person, is honestly both super surreal to me and also surprisingly... sort of makes sense. because barton can NOT bring himself to be mean around babies; i mean at all, and this man loved his kids so much, which 😭 well — let me just say that his behavior has greatly changed since then, to say the least. though barton still believes he loves them in his 'own way'
#OF MONSTERS AND MEN: musings.#ahhh yeah... i just. idk what this mood is that i'm in right now but i just pictured barton being one of those dads that their toddler-#kids seem to ADORE but like 😭 obviously he is no longer the same person because man's used to be able to comfort them relatively-#well and actually made more of an effort at emotionally supporting them. though i guess part of the reasoning for this could be that-#barton was trying to hold back his quote unquote 'blood-thirst' at this point and be like everyone else buttt now he doesn't care about-#fitting in with the rest of the population much at all. because his main job is literally to serve criminals (albeit medically) and he's a#freaking ORGAN tr*fficker for crying out loud. but the strange thing is is that this trait of his where he just can't be mean to babies-#has carried on throughout all these years with him + whenever barton's around one he mayyy or may not sometimes get baby fever 💀#so yeah. that's fun LOL but idk it just makes me a little sad thinking about how good barton used to be with them whenever they were small#and now with his mental health pretty much being on a steady decline + him seemingly turning more and more monstrous by-#the years it's always a gamble with the mathis kids as to whether they'll get to see a glimpse of this again or if they'll just get more of#the same father who provides for his kids physical needs such as food and shelter but not so much emotional needs + can be manipulative-#as HELL sometimes too#tw: mental illness.#tw: manipulation.#tw: mentions of organ trafficking.#tw: emotional neglect.
9 notes · View notes
the-casbah-way · 3 months ago
Text
FINALLY finished my outline for prodigal son it’s going to end up way longer than i planned </3
#there’s so much i’m trying to get across without making it ridiculously long#i’m like. trying to make it clear that malc isn’t the driving force here#because he’s a bit older than jamie and jamie’s only eighteen and pretty sheltered so it could seem dodgy#and don't get me wrong i'm not going to NOT write something just because it's objectively shady especially for ttoi#but it’s not like malcolm swoops in and initiates everything. that wouldn't fit the characters#jamie’s a determined wee shit and he’s fucking relentless when he wants to be#it’s more a case of malcolm caving and agreeing to let him into His World as it were#and jamie’s always had this anger and this rebellious streak that leaves him susceptible to doing shady shit#he’s not a kid he’s making his own decisions malc’s just here for the ride#and also like. jamie SEEMS like he’s losing his faith at points but it’s actually getting stronger#i don’t want it to seem like he’s given up god for the sake of following malcolm#he’s just making peace with the fact that his god and the christian god don’t align too well#it's kind of like. malcolm is partly helping him be more honest and brave and do some good in the world#but he's also partly (mostly unknowingly) being a genuinely bad influence too#but all the bad shit jamie's going to end up doing comes from himself. it was already there#because i see jamie and malc as huge enablers for each other. it's their whole thing#and i think it's interesting to show them in my fic being (for the time) very radical and rebellious#and it stems from a genuine desire to a) do good in the world and help people and b) break themselves out of the working class bubble#but by the time they reach canon that has manifested into something quite horrible#their rebellion and radicalism is now used to do bad things that don't even justify the end goal anymore#and now they've broken out the working class bubble they're just playing into the toxic westminster mindset#because that's the only way you survive in the game (or at least in malcolm's case. he ends up with no spine)#because he's willing to abandon his principles if it keeps him and the party in power#and at some point down the line the good intentions get lost to his own ego and need for control#anyway i'm normal#ttoi
4 notes · View notes
capaldiera · 7 months ago
Text
heard my sister reading my niece a bedtime story about "gods good gift of gender" and its kind of fucking depressing like at least at that age i just didn't know anyone thought any different
4 notes · View notes
sysig · 11 months ago
Text
Oh heck yeah
So y’know how how every Sim made as an adult starts out with the generic “Mystery Sim” as their teenage love?
Tumblr media
(Which I mean. Is fine. Personally I’d prefer nothing but it’s not bad as such lol)
Well I finally dug around in the SimPE memory tab to see what I could mess with without - hopefully - breaking anything this time, and well :3
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Hehe ♪
And as further proof that that wasn’t just him getting rejected after I put them on the lot (though “Very First Kiss” is only a teen option and I made them both as adults) -
Tumblr media
I modified his very first memory to be meeting Dex!
Tumblr media
I also gave him this very rare memory of being attracted to Dex for funsies hehe ♥
#WPTS2#WPVG#The Sims#The Sims 2#I love SimPE <3#Apparently that ''Attracted to'' memory can be flagged in the game but it's really hard to come by!#From the very cursory glance I took around it seems like it's initiated by seeing a Sim - not necessarily meeting them - with 2+ attraction#So at least two lightning bolts - and Sims tend only to notice other Sims when they use ''Scope Room''#The chances of seeing another Sim with enough for 2+ bolts is pretty low admittedly haha - it's cute tho! I like it :D#And I especially like the idea of Max meeting Dex and being like ''Oh. OH'' lol#Oh I just realized the ''Be Rejected'' memory is green oops - I'll have to go back in and see what setting I missed lol#I'm just pleased I was able to mess with them at all! :D Definitely planning to do this with the Vargases and the ''official'' Helix boys ♪#I've moved Max in! I found a custom house in my lots that had basically the exact driveway that I had envisioned so I had to use it ♥#The house itself could probably use some work - honestly I'd like to sit down and make a floorplan of how I see the Helix house sometime#But the point is!! I can make and modify memories!! Excellent!!#I dunno if it quite aligns with my Sap personality trait but I do feel some kind of way about being able to modify Max's memories like this#Like how he canonically tried to kiss Dexter as a teen and that is reflected here in the teen-specific memory I fjslafjd#Does make me wonder haha Max is based on ZEX and while he was broken up about it - could that have really been his first kiss?#Sheltered poor little rich kid hmmm ♪♫ How many people would he even have access to kiss haha#Helix#SCII
3 notes · View notes
mantisgodsdomain · 2 years ago
Note
i just wanna say that you're 100% right about Vi, i also wish people wouldn't just toss her aside like that, she's just as important to the team. like, she has depth dang it! she's more than just Funny Bee Who Likes Berries! also you're super right about people trying to squish Team Snakemouth into little nuclear family shaped holes. that's all, just wanted to give you a high five for complaining about stuff that also annoyed me
We've been chattering about it for... more than a year now, we think? Not necessarily via public venues, since this fandom's close-knit enough that stepping on toes is a major issue, but Team Snakemouth is a TRIO, not a duo, and trying to squish the relationship down to just "two dads and their baby kid" really just seems... reductive. Exhausting.
Vi's one of our favourite characters in the game, and it gets really tiring to see her treated as a third wheel. Even beyond the infantilization that's utterly rampant in this fandom, Vi, more than everyone else, gets things... sanded off, or just ignored. Either she's a bratty little kid who doesn't know better, or she's a background object, and that's just... taking a big chunk out of the team dynamic. She's got complexity! She's part of the team, not some random kid that Kabbu and Leif are dragging along on their adventures! She's a valuable part of the team, and she should be treated as such!
#full disclosure saying anything abt vi is like. the only thing thats gotten us hate here bc some people in here are weird abt it#we do think that a lot of the fandom issues here also track back to the refusal to acknowledge the incredible dysfunction of the hive#like. vi's Fucked Up and just because no one's dead doesn't mean that her trauma is any less valid#everything that caused her misery is still alive and kicking and she has to make nice with it as part of her job!#her ENTIRE first interaction with jaune reads as textbook emotional abuse! like. we could read symptoms off from a textbook for it#vi is in that specific Young Adult stage where shes striking off on her own and running up against the wall of not knowing how to do shit#and in that specific state where she was never taught to do her own shit because she was never expected to strike off outside of the family#shes reverse engineering being a functional person from peanuts and a handful of leftover abuse! of COURSE shes a bit fucked!#she ran away from home and sheltered with a bunch of criminals and shes incredibly written as an abuse survivor but it still seems to be#unintentional#shes a neat character. we still think abt the fact that the devs discounted her as “not having actual problems”.#we can elaborate on all of these points btw#at all times we are like 5 seconds away from pulling out several different articles on emotional and familial abuse and going full like#“do you understand? do you see the problem? do you understand whats happening here?”#we still think abt the fact that vi was working shifts at the honey factory before running away#we think abt the fact that that canonically involves things like days-long shifts. we think abt “theyre used to being there a while”#we think abt how jaune uses “child” as a blunt force weapon to discredit vi's thoughts and feelings as not really mattering#and how vi reacts to being called a kid in light of it#and how bianca leaps to claim her as Her Child once vi's accomplished something decent despite vi being visibly uncomfortable#we think about how a queen can claim any worker as Her Daughters but most workers cant call their queen their mother#we think about it a lot#...anyways this has derailed into vi trauma talk but uhh. yeah the current fandom attitude annoys us to hell and back#she isnt just Some Kid and tbh calling her a kid in general rubs us the wrong way if only because of how much baggage she has attached#obviously shes not gonna be normal or well-adjusted. have u SEEN her household? she ran away to an illegal bar over her house#but it could really help if people could treat her like a person rather than just a child accessory to her teammates adventures#she earned that damn self-sufficiency and by fuck we are gonna get some decent stuff out there even if we have to claw it from our own mind#bug fables#we speak#asks
2 notes · View notes
hexastitchimera · 6 months ago
Text
Genuine observation, no sass and no disrespect, but being someone who is chronically OFFline & an active volunteer/activist for over a decade, and seeing what people say is "crucial discourse" online is... Quite the trip, honestly.
#vee vibrates#I understand that some things are more important to others than they are to me but.#I really need people to understand that sometimes you're better off volunteering at a shelter of ANY kind if you want to commit real change.#Online advocacy is crucial but man am I worried as hell for the kids that don't seem to understand that offline is even moreso.#And being disabled + queer myself I know that it can (and often is) a safety and accessibility issue but zoouniverse.org exists.#That website where you solve history and math quizzes to give rice to impovrished families is online.#Just. Anything that puts this aggressive “”advocacy“” to rest. Ego will be the death of us and we don't need anymore of it.#And if anybody reads this and finds themselves getting upset ask yourself this: Why does this upset me? Do I see myself in this?#Because you'd know that I am speaking out of genuine desperation when I say all of this.#I am not any better than any online activist just because I do a lot of work offline.#I am just so fucking tired of seeing people misdirect their rightful frustrations and fall further prey to the elites' divisive desires.#Is it so much to ask of you all to finally be angry at those who truly make our lives miserable? Or are we just going to keep playing cop?#At the end of the day it's your choice. I cannot force you. However you will grow old one day and look back. Remember that.#I for one don't want to have any regrets about any time I wasted on bigots and trolls and people who have already decided on their opinions.#I want to look back and be grateful for the opportunity to help so many people as many helped me in my direst times of need.#I think that's the difference here. A lot of online folk didn't go through the poverty & severe abuse & bigotry I faced since I was born.#I went through hell and came out kinder in the end because I was at the end of the proverbial whip myself at several points before 16.#But trauma doesn't make you compassionate. You choose to be. And I choose to never repeat the cycle.#The day I do is the day I've lost both my mind and my spirit. I will never repeat my family's & abusers' horrific mistakes.#I will be kinder to a world that needs kindness now more than ever. Even if I scream my throat out forever doing so.#I don't need a voice to be heard.#Anyways sorry. I woke up on the desparate side of the bed. Thank you to all who fight the good fight.#Despite everything I've said I have so much more faith and hope now more than ever. We will prevail.#And thank you if you read all of these tags?? Safety love and solidarity to you you're the MVP. ;_; 💜
0 notes
incorrectbatfam · 5 months ago
Note
The phone lines are down. What do they do
Bruce: Damn, the wind's really picking up. Oracle, what's everyone's status?
Barbara: I— *bzzt* —can't reach— *bzzt* —lines down.
Bruce: My kids are smart. They'll find a way to let me know.
*pigeon lands in front of him with a letter*
Bruce: Robin is laying low at the animal shelter.
Bruce: *sees smoke signals*
Bruce: Bluebird's back at her apartment.
Alfred, coming outside: Telegram for you, Batman.
Bruce, reading it: Red Robin's okay too.
Cass: *swings over and taps his shoulder*
Bruce: Four down, four to go.
Cass: *points to the distance*
*entire city's lights are blinking*
Bruce: Okay, Signal's accounted for.
Bruce: *spots a flare*
Bruce: There's Spoiler. Purple means she's alright.
*clicking sounds in the distance*
Bruce: And there's Nightwing. His echolocation is getting better. All that's left is Red Hood. Can you find him?
Cass: *pulls out a ouija board*
3K notes · View notes
novococain · 1 year ago
Text
👀
#ALSO many thoughts about my post-dance au where for ✨reasons✨ (the same reason every targ ever has done anything)#aegon iii actually like. puts his king pants on a little (granted like 21 years into his reign but we'll fucking take it)#and is like actually i am not afraid of fighting with my brother-bf (a lie)#and actually gets shit done. betrothals! demands! holds court! has more kids!#finds someone to marry gay ass daeron i bcs wdym you married your first daughter to your second son instead of your damned HEIR#bitch reigned for four years without a PEEP about marriage#meanwhile they were about to have jaehaerys walking down the isle before he was even considered old enough to rule ☠#i have so much work for this au it's STUPID.#really it's just me going [points at aegon iii] he's so traumatized fr. im gonna make it worse.#i also did it with my working show timeline which took me SO LONG PLEASE SOMEONE NEEDS TO SEE IT#anyway.#it's also really just me going wowwww rhaena truly was the only dragonrider left. she married a hightower. she felt rejected by her brother.#let's unpack that#rhaena and aegon iii post-dance have a “older sister who got away/younger sister who didn't” relationship in my head#except the dance is the abusive household. meanwhile baela understands how aegon iii feels deeply but will always choose rhaena.#and viserys ii doesn't get it as much as rhaena because he too was a lot more sheltered as to the direct horrors of the dance#though less than rhaena#but he will always choose aegon iii.#surviving actually sucks!! who'd have thought!!
0 notes
fairuzfan · 8 months ago
Text
But the other images I had was like a mass refugee camp. So basically at that point in time, two months ago, about 20,000 people had sought refuge both in the hospital and outside the hospital. And these weren’t tents. They’re still not tents. They’re makeshift shelters with bed sheets or plastic bag sheets. The ones outside sleep on the floor. They’re lucky [if] they get a carpet or a mat. There was one bathroom at the time for about 200 people that they have to share. And inside, the hallways of the hospital were also made into shelters. There was hardly any room to walk, and there’s children running around everywhere. It’s important to remember all these people were not homeless. They all had homes that were destroyed. They’re all displaced people that took shelter in the hospital.
So that’s the kind of mass chaos that I encountered initially, and then I was told that every time there’s a bomb, give it about 15 minutes and the mass casualties come. That was the other thing that at the time shocked me: What we’d been seeing livestreamed on Instagram, on social media or whatever, I actually saw myself and it was worse than I can imagine. I saw scenes that were horrific that I’d never witnessed before and I never want to see again. You have a mother walking in holding her 8, 9-year-old, skinny — because they’re all starving — boy who’s dead, he’s cold and dead and [the mother is] screaming, asking for someone to check his pulse and everybody’s busy in the mass chaos. So that was kind of my initial welcoming scene when I entered Khan Younis the first time.
{...}
What I saw — I’m an eye surgeon, an eye plastic surgeon, and so I saw the classic, what I penned “the Gaza shrapnel face,” because in an explosive scenario, you don’t know what’s coming. When there’s an explosion, you don’t go like this [cover your face], you kind of actually, in fact, open your eyes. And so shrapnel’s everywhere. It’s a well-known fact that the Israeli forces are experimenting [with] weapons in Gaza to boost their weapon manufacturing industry. Because if a weapon is battle-tested, it’s more valuable, isn’t it? It’s got a higher value. So basically they’re using these weapons, these missiles that purposely, intently create these large shrapnel fragments that go everywhere. And they cause amputations that are unusual.
Most amputations occur at the weak points, the elbow or the knee, and so they’re better tolerated. But these [shrapnel fragments] are causing mid-thigh, mid-arm amputations that are more difficult, more challenging, and also the rehabilitation afterward is also more challenging. Also these shrapnels [are] unlike a bullet wound. A bullet wound goes in and out; there’s an entry and exit point. Shrapnel stays there. So you gotta take it out. So the injuries I saw were — I mean, I saw people with their eyes blown apart. And when I was there, and this is my experience, I treated all children when I was there the first time. It was kids that [were aged] 2, 6, 9, 10, 13, 15, and 16, and 17 were the ones that I treated. And their eyes unfortunately had to be removed. They had shrapnel in their eye sockets that I had to remove and, of course, remove the eye. There’s many patients, many children who had shrapnel in both their eyes. And you can only do so much because right now, because of the aid blockade and because of the destruction of most of Gaza, there’s no equipment available to take shrapnel that’s in the eye out. And so we just leave them alone and they eventually go blind.
{...}
I was on the ground, I toured the refugee camps, I went around Rafah, I saw, and if there’s an Israeli invasion, I can’t emphasize enough how catastrophic it’s going to be. It’ll be mass killing, mass destruction, because all these figures come in, 50 dead, 100 wounded. But what people don’t realize is, being wounded is a death sentence. Being wounded in this environment with no health care system, completely collapsed, is a death sentence. And the wounded often will lose everybody, like all family members, so they have no supports, especially children, have nobody left to take care of them, not even aunts and uncles. It will be catastrophic. I don’t know what to say to the world to stop an impending invasion. You’ve got to rein this prime minister of Israel in. You got to do something to stop this stupid invasion that he still wants to do, because it’ll be catastrophic.
{...}
I had one young man, about 25 years old, he lost one eye that I took out myself. He spent about five, six, or seven years, basically spent thousands and thousands of dollars in IVF treatment because he got married young and they wanted to have a child and they couldn’t have one. So he spent years on IVF treatment and finally had a baby that was 3 months old. And there was a missile attack by Israel at his home. He lost his entire family, including his baby and his wife and his parents and family. He’s by himself, single guy. I took his one eye out, and he has nobody in this world. He just kind of walks around the tent structures, just kind of walking around with no home and trying to sleep wherever he can.
3K notes · View notes
rubberbandballqueen · 1 year ago
Text
yesterday i hooked my phone up to a radio w/this new aux able i bought to play music for the kids at work, and i was kind of surprised how i could basically just play everything i had downloaded on my phone for the kids (bc i've been too lazy to build playlists on it) until later, i was sitting at the front desk, typing stuff up, and then i heard a green day song start playing, and i fucking sprinted back inside bc even tho i think punk would be good for the kids, most of them are single-digit ages, and i am NOT gonna be the adult who lets them hear the word "fuck"
#i don't think the kids would have even noticed tbh; and the song was 'basket case' so it's like. there's not much objectionable in there#like i was like. thirteen when i first heard that song n granted i grew up sheltered. but i was like 'what's a hoar'#(bc i didn't know that it was spelled 'whore' until i was like. sixteen or something lol)#and just moved on with my day lmao#the worm speaks#at one point i popped back into the room (bc due to Shenanigans i was checking on this one girl in another room) n cazzo by ?te was playing#and i was like 'ohhhh my god' n skipped it bc even tho those kids most certainly do not get what the song is about. it did not sit right#and then i skipped this one song bc it said 'bitch' in it exactly once <3 but that's about all actually#the utena op played at one point n i was like 'should i-- NAHHHH they've never seen utena and it's in jp it'll be Fine'#also i was granted a whistle yesterday n the first time i used it i used it the way i would outside (as like a drum major)#(we were indoors) and HOOOOOO BOY THE SILENCE THAT FELL OVER THE ROOM.#i said 'as you can see i have been granted a whistle now and i have a lot of lung to use it so i'd appreciate it if we could listen'#at one point yesterday i put the whistle in my mouth n looked over the kids n they just H U S H E D#i will have to learn how to reign in a whistle sound but i think in general whistles shouldn't be used indoors. like as a rule.#the reason i received a whistle is bc we were playing this new game i made up called 'court of law'#it was inspired by the fact that during winter camp some kids had an argument over a pokemon card that was given away#and so i gathered all the relevant children around and wrote down everyone's testimonies n stuff to sort it out like it was a courtroom#but what ended up happening yesterday is that the kids n i just larped courtroom dramas or something idk but it was fun <3#ALSO YESTERDAY this one kid (the clever one) came up to me when i let kids play with the whiteboard n he was like#'mys. [hua] they're not listening to me with the whiteboard :('#n i looked him straight in the eye n said 'damn [caleb] that sucks wonder how that must feel.'#(he's a good kid; probably my favorite; and he does listen!! he knows how to put on good behavior and ham it up)#(and he has Child Charisma that obviously works on the other kids very well. he has Leaderly Qualities that i have no idea how to nurture.)#(but also he has problems with interrupting staff and trying to worm his way out of Situations(tm).)#we were so short-staffed yesterday. oh my god. i was like the only one watching like 25 kids for like an hour#which would've probably gone better had i known i'd be the only one for that long n was able to plan ahead a bit more
0 notes
wonderjanga · 1 month ago
Text
Billy’s Homelessness
Being a homeless kid has its perks, Billy supposes. He’s picked up tips and tricks from other kids and even adults during his time. It’s practically second nature to him at this point. Only thing is, the fact that it’s second nature in the first place is what can come back to bite him in the future.
Like lock picking. He’s good at it, and it’s not something he’s particularly proud of, but it’s helped him when he’s needed it most. He’s gotten shelter from blizzards, sleet, and rain with this skill. That’s why when Billy, Flash, GL, and Supes got locked in an all yellow room with red sun lamps and a locked door.
Supes, GL, and Flash: *all discussing how to get out* Marvel: *leans down in front of the keyhole of the door*
Supes: “Alright Flash, vibrate through the door-”
Marvel: “Done!” *opens door*
*silence*
GL: “How’d you do that?”
Marvel: “I picked the lock.” *walks out and immediately gets shot in the face by one of the guards*
Then there’s pickpocketing. He’s also unfortunately good at this. Freddy says he’s better though. Billy isn’t about to make a contest out of it. Batman found out about this particular talent when both him and Billy went undercover for a mission to uncover the scheme of some foreign politician.
Batman: *as Bruce Wayne* “That’s the man.” *subtly gestures to him*
Marvel: “Him? Okay… What do you wanna do?”
Batman: “First, we need to properly identify-”
Marvel: “Oh, okay.” *walks over to the man, passes him, then comes back to Bruce* “Here.” *places the man’s wallet in Bruce’s hand*
Batman: “…that he was involved in the crimes.”
Marvel: “Oh.”
*silence*
Batman: *opens the wallet anyways and starts looking through it*
Marvel: “Do you want me to put it back?”
Batman: *puts one finger up to Marvel’s face while he continues looking through the wallet*
Marvel: *deflates slightly* “Oh, okay.”
Batman: *pulls out a clue from the wallet* “Put this back, chum.”
Marvel: *scurries off to put the wallet back*
Bruce then heavily lamented how Marvel knew how to pickpocket so well. Cause the thing is, Marvel’s like six feet tall. (Had to make him a little shorter guys. My bad.) A man like that had no business doing that so well in a bright red sweater and yellow hat.
Then, there’s the avoiding cops. He rarely sticks around for them. He does not mess with them. He’s had too many bad experiences as Billy for it to translate well to Marvel. Whenever one tries to talk to him, he’ll say the bare minimum as politely as he can and fly off. Sometimes, if he knows it’s a cop who’s harsher on the homeless than most, he’ll act polite(passive aggressive) and then give them a nice, firm(crushing) handshake. One such incident was when a cop asked for a photo:
Cop A and Marvel: *posing for a photo by shaking hands*
Marvel: *smiling at the camera, his grip tightening on the hand*
Cop A: *awkward laugh* “That’s a tight grip you got there, Captain.”
Marvel: *lightens his grip, looking down to Cop A’s name tag: Richard* (This isn’t Nightwing guys) “My bad, dick.”
Cop A: “Excuse me?”
Marvel: “Oh no no no, not like “dick,” Dick.” *grip tightens again* “Not like some spineless, lowlife piece of shit from the bottom of my boot that gets scraped off onto a bigger pile of shit, kind of dick.” *smiles the whole time as he speaks* “No, like your name, officer, Dick.”
Cop A: “I prefer Richard.”
Cop B: *takes photo*
Also, anybody who gets that reference gets a kiss. Man or woman. It doesn’t matter. I don’t make the rules. By the way, someone definitely recorded that entire interaction and #passiveaggressivecap ended up trending on twitter.
Then, there’s the time Supes came over to Fawcett to hang out. They were chilling on a rooftop talking when down below they both saw a teenager steal food from a seller.
Supes: *doesn’t see Marvel move* “Aren’t you gonna stop that kid?”
Marvel: “Uh… no. He’s homeless. He clearly needs it more than we do.”
Supes: *blinks rapidly but then remembers he’s not in Metropolis and can’t really tell Marvel how to run his city* “Okay then.”
807 notes · View notes
eph3merall · 1 month ago
Text
dealer!chris x innocent!bff!reader hcs 🦌
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
dealer!chris . . . who always has a part of his mind thinking about you. what are you up to? classes? work? friends? hangouts? he'll text you and pretend to not care much, but deep down he just doesn't want to admit how much he worries over this girl who is just his friend.
innocent!bff!reader . . . loves and adores all things autumn. her clothes are fall staples that include lots of denim and earthy tones. so whenever she's hanging out with chris and sees something to add to her closet or keep as a trinket or decoration, she'll look up to chris with pretty lil' eyes and how could he deny her? sometimes he'll purposefully look away and shove her away from the store because she keeps burning a hole through his pocket.
dealer!chris . . . despises situations where innocent!bff!reader roped into his 'job'. there are shady people buying some strong shit from him, and he knows matt would also screw him over if innocent!bff!reader got harmed because of him. matt sees you as a best friend, someone he needs to protect because his brother is a little fucking stupid sometimes. dealer!chris always tries avoiding problems when it seems as if you're gonna get involved with any of his deals.
innocent!bff!reader . . . who's had a boyfriend or two before. she's just never had sex, and once she told chris he was laughing at her and giggling with his eyes all red. 'fuckin'... you're jokin', right kid?' and when she tells chris she's dated less than five people he's laughing harder. gosh, what an asshole.
dealer!chris . . . always carries a lighter with a printed cat photo on it that innocent!bff!reader glued/taped onto it. keeps a picture of her in his wallet as well—a polaroid of her awhile back in the winter, running into the horizon as snow fell around her frame. he could hear the giggles she made just by looking at the photo.
innocent!bff!reader . . . who has severe nosebleeds once every few months or so. it'll get so bad to the point she's crying because she thinks she's gonna die—with chris grumbling all annoyed with his hand fisting her hair so it doesnt get caked in blood. sometimes hes high and just stares at times while she yells at him to get her a hairtie or to grab ahold of most of her hair.
dealer!chris . . . who's, again, literally just an asshole to everyone. you're barely an exception. one second he'll be laughing with you and once he's with a buyer or some of his friends, he'll act like you're some dirt on his shoe. plus he's just plain ol' mean. wont take bullshit from anyone, not even his brothers. matt pisses him off more than nick does. but of course, they're his brothers. so he isnt.. that mean.
innocent!bff!reader . . . who grew up sheltered from everything in life. her parents are overprotective and she's their only child—only serving to make them more anxious when she's out. met chris through nick since the two were in a class together. something clicked and they've been hanging out ever since, usually in groups. chris and his friends are nott a good influence on her. but her mother doesn't have to know, does she?
dealer!chris . . . lovess cute coupley things. he just won't ever admit it to anyone he knows, not even his brothers if they ask or jab at him. secretly, he loves it when innocent!bff!reader hugs him tight or brushes her fingers across his skin. but he'll always stick to his go-to response—a scoff and he's pushing her away, muttering some shit like 'god, fuckin'.. annoying as hell always touchin' me.'
innocent!bff!reader . . . tries getting herself off with her fingers for the first time in awhilee since meeting chris because he just makes her feel so weird. all hot and bothered and it's gotten so overwhelming that humping her pillow alone in her dorm room isn't enough, so she's sliding her fingers inside her cunt slowly and mewling all softly in the privacy of her dorm room. she doesn't even realize that she secretly wants chris to see her like this.
dealer!chris . . . fucks with girls left and right. a new chick at each party that he sells some drugs to, and, if they're pretty enough.. he'll let them suck his dick or something. hey, he got to cum down some pretty brunette's throat and got a fat stack of cash? win-win. but when he met innocent!bff! reader... she went to house parties with him sometimes. which resulted in him not getting to fuck a girl's throat-which also resulted in dealer!chris fucking his own fist at night with the thought of you in his head.
©eph3merall 2024
798 notes · View notes