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plounce · 9 months ago

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researching stuff for a post about misinformation regarding girl scout cookies and man this article (10/28/23) about this palestinian-american girl scout nearly made me burst into tears

In her short 17 years on earth, Amira Ismail had never been called a baby killer.

That’s what happened one Friday this month, Amira said, on New York City’s Q58 bus, which runs through central Queens.

“This lady looked at me, and she was like: ‘You’re disgusting. You’re a baby killer. You’re an antisemite,’” Amira told me. When she talked about this incident, her signature spunk faded. “I just kept saying, ‘That’s not true,’” she said. “I was just on my way to school. I was just wearing my hijab.”

Amira was born in Queens in the years after the Sept. 11 attacks. She remembers participating as a child in demonstrations at City Hall as part of a successful movement to make Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha school holidays in New York City.

But since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, in which an estimated 1,400 Israelis were killed and some 200 others were kidnapped, Amira, who is Palestinian American, said she has experienced for the first time the full fury of Islamophobia and racism that her older relatives and friends have told stories about all her life. Throughout the city, in fact, there has been an increase in both anti-Muslim and antisemitic attacks.

In heavily Muslim parts of Queens, she said, police officers are suddenly everywhere, asking for identification and stopping and frisking Muslim men. (New York City has stepped up its police presence around both Muslim and Jewish neighborhoods and sites within the five boroughs.) Most painful though, she said, is the sense that she and her peers are getting that Palestinian lives do not matter, as they watch the United States staunchly back Israel as it heads into war.

“It can’t go unrecognized, the thousands of Palestinians that have been murdered in the past two weeks and even more the past 75 years,” Amira said. “There’s no way you can erase that.” That does not mean she is antisemitic, she said. “How can I denounce one system of oppression without denouncing another?” she asked me. The pain in her usually buoyant voice cut through me. I had no answer for her.

Many New York City kids have a worldliness about them, a certain telltale moxie. Amira, a joyful, sneaker-wearing, self-described “Queens kid,” can seem unstoppable.

When she was just 15, Amira helped topple a major mayoral campaign in America’s largest city, writing a letter accusing the ultraprogressive candidate Dianne Morales of having violated child labor laws while purporting to champion the working class in New York.

“My life and my extremely bright future as a 15-year-old activist will not be defined by the failures and harm enabled by Dianne Morales,” Amira wrote in the 2021 letter, which went viral and helped end Ms. Morales’s campaign. “I wrote my college essay about that,” Amira told me with a slightly mischievous smile.

In the past two years, Amira has become a veteran organizer. Last weekend, she joined an antiwar protest. First, though, she’ll have to work on earning her latest Girl Scout badge, this one for photography. That will mean satisfying her mother, Abier Rayan, who happens to be Troop 4179’s leader. “She’s tough,” Amira assured me.

At a meeting of the Muslim Girl Scouts of Astoria last week, a young woman bounded into the room, asking whether her fellow scouts had secured tickets to an Olivia Rodrigo concert. “She’s the Taylor Swift of our generation,” the scout turned to me to explain.

A group of younger girls recited the Girl Scout Law:

“I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place and be a sister to every Girl Scout.”

Amira’s mother carefully inspected the work of some of the younger scouts; she wore a blue Girl Scouts U.S.A. vest, filled with colorful badges, and a hot-pink hijab. “It’s no conflict at all,” Ms. Rayan told me of Islam and the Girl Scouts. “You want a strong Muslim American girl.”

At the Girl Scouts meeting, Amira and her friends discussed their plans to protest the war in Gaza. “Protests are where you let go of your anger,” Amira told me.

Amira’s mother was born in Egypt. In 1948, Ms. Rayan told me, her grandfather lost his home and land in Jaffa to the state of Israel. At the Girl Scout meeting, Ms. Rayan was still waiting for word that relatives in Gaza were safe.

“There’s been no communication,” she said. When I asked about Amira, Ms. Rayan’s eyes brightened. “I’m really proud of her,” she said. “You have to be strong. You don’t know where you’re going to be tomorrow.”

By Monday, word had reached Ms. Rayan that her relatives had been killed as Israel bombed Gaza City. When I asked whom she had lost, Ms. Rayan replied: “All of them. There’s no one left.” Thousands of Palestinians are estimated to have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza in recent weeks. ... Ms. Rayan said those killed in her family included six cousins and their children, who were as young as 2. Other relatives living abroad told her the cousins died beneath the rubble of their home.

As Ms. Rayan spoke, I saw Amira’s young face. I wondered how long this bright, spirited Queens kid could keep her fire for what I believe John Lewis would have called “good trouble” in a world that seems hellbent on snuffing it out. I worried about how she would finish her college applications.

“I have a lot of angry emotions at the ones in charge,” Amira told me days ago, speaking for so many human beings around the world in this dark time.

I thought about what I had seen over that weekend in Brooklyn, where thousands gathered in the Bay Ridge neighborhood, the home of many Arab Americans, to protest the war. In this part of the city, people of many backgrounds carried Palestinian flags through the street. Large groups of police officers gathered on every corner, watching them go by.

The crowd was large but quiet when Amira waded in, picked up her megaphone and called for Palestinian liberation. In an instant, thousands of New Yorkers repeated after her, filling the Brooklyn street with their voices. My prayer is that Amira’s generation of leaders will leave a better world than the one it has been given.

i believe she recently got her gold award (which, if youve never been in girl scouts, is really difficult - way more difficult than eagle scout awards), or is almost done with it. i hope she's doing okay.

this article (no paywall) about muslim and palestinian girl scout troops in socal also almost made me cry (it's like 2am). i really really hope all these kids are doing alright. god. they and their families all deserve so much better

#chirps

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reasonsforhope · 6 days ago

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"Justine Siegal, the first woman coach employed by a Major League Baseball team, is attempting to make more history -- this time by creating an American professional baseball league specifically for women. Siegal is one of the co-founders of the Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL), which aims to begin play during the summer of 2026.

Siegel and co-founder/lawyer Keith Stein have enlisted a few other notable names as special advisors... Those include World Series-winning manager Cito Gaston and Japanese pitcher Ayami Sato, a five-time Women's Baseball World Cup champion. (Sato is also part of Japan Women's Baseball League.)

The WPBL is hoping to land a national television deal ahead of its inaugural season. The league intends to have a full season, as well as playoffs and a championship round. At present, the goal is to field six teams at launch, with those clubs located "predominantly" in the Northeast region of the United States.

"The Women's Pro Baseball League is here for all the girls and women who dream of a place to showcase their talents and play the game they love," Siegal said as part of the WPBL's press release announcing its formation. "We have been waiting over 70 years for a professional baseball league we can call our own. Our time is now."

Stein, for his part, added: "We believe that the success of other women's professional leagues such as the WNBA and NWSL demonstrates the incredible interest and support for women's sport."

The United States has won two Women's Baseball World Cups, and most recently finished as the runners-up in the 2024 event (that was played in 2023). The U.S. team roster included, among others, pitcher/outfielder Kelsie Whitmore. Whitmore has been a trailblazer in her own right, appearing in games with various independent leagues, including the Atlantic League, Pacific Association, and, as of this year, the Pioneer League."

-via CBS Sports, October 30, 2024

#baseball #mlb #wpbl #women's sports #feminism #women's baseball #a league of our own #I know it's not about the movie but I'm tagging anyway #united states #good news #hope

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steveyockey · 1 year ago

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Measuring purely by confirmed kills, the worst mass murderer ever executed by the United States was the white supremacist terrorist Timothy McVeigh. On April 19, 1995, McVeigh detonated a massive bomb at the Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, including 19 children. The government killed McVeigh by lethal injection in June 2001. Whatever hesitation a state execution provokes, even over a man such as McVeigh — necessary questions about the legitimacy of killing even an unrepentant soldier of white supremacy — his death provided a measure of closure to the mother of one of his victims. “It’s a period at the end of a sentence,” said Kathleen Treanor, whose 4-year old McVeigh killed.

McVeigh, who in his own psychotic way thought he was saving America, never remotely killed on the scale of Kissinger, the most revered American grand strategist of the second half of the 20th century.

The Yale University historian Greg Grandin, author of the biography Kissinger’s Shadow, estimates that Kissinger’s actions from 1969 through 1976, a period of eight brief years when Kissinger made Richard Nixon’s and then Gerald Ford’s foreign policy as national security adviser and secretary of state, meant the end of between three and four million people. That includes “crimes of commission,” he explained, as in Cambodia and Chile, and omission, like greenlighting Indonesia’s bloodshed in East Timor; Pakistan’s bloodshed in Bangladesh; and the inauguration of an American tradition of using and then abandoning the Kurds.

No infamy will find Kissinger on a day like today. Instead, in a demonstration of why he was able to kill so many people and get away with it, the day of his passage will be a solemn one in Congress and — shamefully, since Kissinger had reporters like CBS’ Marvin Kalb and The New York Times’ Hendrick Smith wiretapped — newsrooms. Kissinger, a refugee from the Nazis who became a pedigreed member of the “Eastern Establishment” Nixon hated, was a practitioner of American greatness, and so the press lionized him as the cold-blooded genius who restored America’s prestige from the agony of Vietnam.

Not once in the half-century that followed Kissinger’s departure from power did the millions the United States killed matter for his reputation, except to confirm a ruthlessness that pundits occasionally find thrilling. America, like every empire, champions its state murderers. The only time I was ever in the same room as Henry Kissinger was at a 2015 national-security conference at West Point. He was surrounded by fawning Army officers and ex-officials basking in the presence of a statesman.

#THANK YOU ACKERMAN VERY COOL #worth reading the whole thing obviously

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princedevitt · 3 months ago

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And new United States Champion!!!

#LA knight #wwe #my gifs #wrestling #summerslam #wweedit #wrestlingedit #laknightedit #LETS GOOOOOO LETS GOOOOOOOO #2024

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kemetic-dreams · 4 months ago

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Standing in solidarity with Ethiopia, African Americans responded to the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, mobilizing support, raising awareness, and championing the cause of freedom against colonial oppression. African Americans have enough battles of their own to fight everyday on American soil in the midst of the Great Depression and an enduring Jim Crow era but news has just come from Africa. The continent’s only remaining nation to avoid colonization in Europe’s Scramble for Africa, has just been invaded by Benito Mussolini. And more than seven thousand miles away, in a historic display of Pan-Africanism and Black Nationalism that took place across the United States, this was the Black American community drafting itself to defend the Empire of Ethiopia when no one else would.

——

#panafrikan #africanhistory #everydayafrica #africancreatives #representationmatters #Moyoafrika

#african #afrakan #kemetic dreams #africans #brownskin #brown skin #afrakans #african culture #Ethiopian #ethiopia #epic video

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meazalykov · 5 months ago

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nice to finally meet you

lena oberdorf x bayern!reader

summary: reader discovers that her long time rival will be her teammate-- and possibly more.

warnings: long chapter, not 100% proofread

you walk into the training headquarters at bayern, excited since this is the first training which will prepare for the pokal round of 16. since this will be your second time in this competition, you hope to win finally.

as you walked into the locker room, the familiar chatter of your teammates seemed subdued. it was still there, with sydney and sam with their inside jokes– but it was quieter. your mind can't shake the feeling that something is off.

sitting down on the bench in front of your locker, you change into the training kits then drink a bit of water, since there was still time before you had to head onto the pitch.

you look up and see klara give you a sympathetic smile, you smile back brightly. this made klara’s eyes widen– did you not know?

as you lace up your boots, you catch georgia, sam, giulia, sydney, and klara exchanging glances before looking back at you. this bothered you. these people are some of your closest friends on the team– are they hiding something?

"alright, what's going on?" you demand, your voice echoing off the walls of the locker room as you crossed your right leg over the left.

your shoulders flinched when you felt lea’s hand rest of your right shoulder. everyone knew about the news– except for you. lea hopes you will take the news well, for the sake of her best friend.

georgia hesitates, her eyes darting to sydney before she takes a deep breath. she moves to sit beside you.

"did you hear about who's coming to bayern?," she starts, her voice cautious.

you eyebrows knit together in confusion. usually, transfer news doesn’t occur this early before the summer– so you shake your head.

“no. who's coming?” you look over at lea, who looks down at your cleats without saying anything.

"lena. lena is transferring to bayern." sydney says.

they’re all happy for lena transferring to bayern, since they’re all close to her. they knew that you never had a good experience with lena– so they were nervous to see your reaction.

this news hits you like a punch to the gut. lena, your nemesis on the pitch, the wolfsburg midfielder who always seemed to have the hack for getting under your skin.

the first time you guys met was in the champions league final in 2020.

you weren't with bayern. lyon was the club of your life at the time. you were 18 years old during this final and weren’t wise enough to hold back your words.

being subbed into the final in the 70th minute, you wanted to contribute something.

when you had the ball at your feet in the midfield, you felt the spike of a cleat smack into your ankle. you squealed as you hit the ground in an awkward position, lucky that your ankle didn’t twist.

you looked up to see “5 oberdorf” standing up and walking away from you nonchalantly. the medics determined that you were okay, all you needed was a bandage since your ankle started bleeding, but you took her actions personally.

lena had the ball and before she could pass it to alex popp, you pushed her to the ground harshly before dribbling the ball away from her. you didn’t bother to pass up to sommer before shooting the ball– scoring the third goal in that champions league final. winning against the german club.

after finishing third in the 2022 ballon d’or ceremony, and lena getting fourth— just below the two spanish superstars bonmati and putellas– the media declared that there was a new rivalry among you and lena.

you remember the friendly between germany and the united states later in the year too, just after your transfer to bayern months before.

germany won the first game against the united states, but you were out sick with a fever.

the second game– you were back healthy. you took every opportunity to play aggressively against lena, even earning a yellow card for a particularly hard tackle after she tackled you moments before.

despite lea, sydney, and klara’s assurances that lena was a sweet person, you could never reconcile that with the competitor you faced. you were stubborn and knew that lena felt the same towards you.

you force a laugh, trying to mask the mixed emotions inside of you. "lena? lena oberdorf?"

“yeah, she wants to be closer with her friends and family.” lea says.

“that's surprising, she said that she never wanted to come here. i guess things change.” you say, after tying your cleats quickly, you walk out of the locker room.

practice didn’t start for another twenty minutes, but the girls decided to leave you alone with the news.

the reality of the situation sinks in, and you are terrified.

you KNEW you had to be friends with her once she joined the club in july. there was no way you would sacrifice your professionalism over lena oberdorf.

but– how are you supposed to get along with lena after years of arguments, yellow cards, and on-pitch battles? the thought of sharing the same locker room, training together, her wearing the same colors as you working towards the same goals—it all feels overwhelming. it's a thought-process you don’t know if you’ll get used to.

the rest of the day passes in a blur. on the training ground, your mind isn't on the drills or the tactics; it's on lena.

what if she hasn't changed? what if the friction between you only gets worse? what if she tries to take your spot in the midfield? you knew that last question was ridiculous, since you’re an attacking midfielder and she's defensive.

and yet, a small, nagging voice in the back of your mind wonders if maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance to turn this rivalry into a duo that would terrify the future opponents.

a few days later, you saw a post made by lena. yes, you both followed each other on instagram. you didn’t know why, but it just happened.

she confirmed her transfer to bayern after receiving many hate comments about an old interview she did.

in your mind, you felt bad for her. It's not just about football anymore; it's about finding a way to exist together, to move on from the years of competition that have been created. she will be your teammate soon and you have to accept it.

over the next few months, you focus on your training. the reminder of your rival coming to bayern disappeared from your mind for a while.

until july 1st. you woke up that morning and you did everything that morning to delay your route to the training grounds.

however, you still arrive on time– walking into the locker room, you see all of your friends and greet them for the new season.

today was just performance diagnostics, which requires a lot of running, balancing, and strecthing– but that wasn’t the only thing on your mind.

sitting down in the locker room, you avoided your eyes from looking at her.

she sat in the locker right next to yours– with lea on her other side.

little did you know– the coaches and captains wanted it this way so you both could try and get along after years of only knowing each others competitive side.

you take a quick glance at her when you put on your adidas running sneakers. you say to yourself that she looks different in bayern's red and white.

standing up, her eyes meet yours.

“hey.” lena speaks.

for a moment, you pause. at first, you thought she might’ve said hey to someone walking in the locker room– but no.

she is looking right at you.

the expression on your face is unreadable, “hi.”

“we're teammates now." is all lena could say. she looks awkward just as much as you do. this is a hard watch for your teammates in the locker room.

you nod, trying to keep your emotions in check. "yep, we are."

neither of you knows what to say– so nothing else was said. the rest of the team still watches– knowing what will happen.

your teammates know that lena and you will get along and become friends. the two of you are very similar in terms of personality, passion, and hobbies.

obviously, years of hard feelings don’t go away in a day– but they hoped that you guys would accept that you’re teammates and it's okay to be friendly now.

the performance diagnostic goes well, everyone is happy. you forget about lena for a while when you, giulia, sydney, and klara are fooling around in one of the rooms. you’re happy to be back with your teammates for a new season.

as you’re running on the treadmill with a breathing tool over your mouth– sydney, klara, and georgia clap around you in encouragement. you want to smile– but you’re focused. you move your eyes to see that lena is staring right at you. this didn’t throw your running off– but you’re curious about what she is thinking.

as much as you hate to admit it, having her on the team might actually be good for everyone involved– including yourself. you hope that she feels the same about playing with you.

the next week, after receiving advice from lea and the coaches– lena approaches you.

"can we talk?" she asks, her tone earnest as you take off your boots from your tired feet after a day of training on the pitch.

you hesitate, looking at her, but eventually nod. "sure."

you find a quiet spot away from the rest of the team, knowing that they’re all eavesdroppers.

choosing a media room, where the tables are empty with no outside presence, the both of you sit down in chairs beside each other.

you chose to not speak first, since you weren’t the one that wanted to be here.

lena takes a deep breath, clearly gathering her thoughts. "i’m sorry if i have made you feel some type of way over the years," she begins, "i feel like we would both be great together in the midfield. you’re a very good player and i don’t like how we are avoiding each other. "

you study her, searching for any hint of insincerity, but find none. "yeah i agree," you admit. "i’ve built a bias about you and i need to push it away for the sake of bayern. i don’t want the team to be affected by what we went through.”

“i agree, i’m sorry again.” lena frowns.

“don’t apologize. i’m glad you finally chose the right team.” i smirk as lena rolls her eyes, playfully, at my remark.

“this isn’t going to be easy though.” i mumble as i cross my feet together.

lena nods. "i know. but I'm willing to try if you are."

“i will oberdorf, its nice to finally meet you.” i hold my hand out and smile.

“es ist auch schön, sie kennenzulernen.” lena smirks and shakes my hand.

---

weeks turn into months and the season is in full-swing.

the oberdorf, stanway, and y/s/n midfield is an extreme combination. no opponent can walk into the midfield with you three.

for the first goal of the season– it was scored by you against essen. something unexpected happened.

lena had the ball and dribbled it around a few defenders from essen. she looked forward and saw that you were free from a marked opponent, so she passed the ball up to you. your feet dribbled around the last defender before you launched the ball past the goalkeeper.��goal!

processing the golozo you scored, you ran to the corner and did a knee slide. lea jumped on your back which made you both fall onto the ground– but you were happy to provide the first goal for bayern this season.

standing up after receiving hugs from your teammates, you saw oberdorf standing with a smile on her face.

lena wasn’t sure if she could hug you– yes you’re her teammate now, but that doesn’t mean that you’re friends.

however, you were high off of the joy from the goal. knowing that lena assisted your goal, you launched your body onto her– giving her a hug that was unexpected from her and your teammates.

“what an assist oberdorf!” you yelled as you released your body from her arms and ran back into position.

she didn’t know what to say– but lena did want to hug you again and she didn’t know why.

a few weeks later, bayern had to play a game which determined if they'll be in the champions league group stages.

remembering mistakes from last year, you didn't want another repeat of that.

during the match, bayern was up 2-0. thanks to a goal from giulia and madga.

in extra time, you had the ball and looked around to see if anybody was free to accept a pass. before you looked back to pass the ball to stanway-- a midfielder from the other team pulled your shirt before throwing you onto the ground.

the opponent wasn't going for the ball, so it was a yellow. many of your teammates argued that it should've been a red.

you didn't have a chance to argue for yourself. you hit your head off of the grass and pain struck throughout your upper body.

you couldn't move, as the quickness of it all had you overwhelmed.

"y/n, y/n! are you okay?" you opened up your eyes slowly to see lena kneeling beside you. you closed your eyes again and held her hand that was on your head.

"I think?" you mumble.

"the medic is coming. can you breathe?" lena asks, just to keep you talking.

"I can yes. my head hurts though." you mumble again.

gently, lena moves her hands to the back of your head- laying it there as a block between the hard grass and your head.

you didn't think too much about the gesture at the moment-- but it hits you later in your living room hours later.

over the months-- you started to see glimpses of the person your teammates always insisted lena was: kind, dedicated, and sweet.

lena's actions from earlier replayed from your mind and your heart started to flutter as your stomach felt tingly.

"lena, I just want to say thank you for helping me last week before the end of the game. i didn't forget about it." you sat down beside lea, who was talking to lena across from her in the lounge room at the training center.

lena smiles slightly, "it's no problem-- the opponents were playing dirty and that wasn't right."

"I agree, usually I'm fast but I didn't see her coming." you say as you giggle at the memory.

you had to skip out on a few training practices and most of the next game-- since the head slam on the grass could've gave you a concussion, but you felt fine after two days.

lena and you talked more, which caught the interest of a quiet lea. she sat back and let you guys talk while she observed.

the blonde saw a look on lena's face that she hasn't seen since she was with her ex. a look of happiness and desire.

as she turned to look at you, she saw the same look in your eyes. this made her eyebrows knit together-- she knew she had to tell the other girls. there was no way that this could be ignored.

the next morning in the gym rooms-- lea tells the girls about her observation before you or lena arrived.

"wait I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed their behavior towards each other!" georgia yells. klara covers her mouth and looks towards the doors, uncovering it when she realizes that lena and you aren't nearby yet.

"yeah, they're giving each other the same googley eyes that sydney gave sam last season." giulia comments.

"hey?" sydney says, pretending to be offended.

"at least they're getting along-- well, a little too well. I knew they were gonna be friends once they pushed their old rivalry aside but a potential relationship? I didn't see that coming." ana joins into the conversations.

"you didn't see what coming?" you say, walking into the door seeing your teammates surprised at something you were unaware about.

some of the girls exited the conversation and pretended like they were doing their workouts the entire time-- others look to find an excuse to your question.

"we were talking about the champions league group stages that come out this morning. we are grouped with paris fc, real madrid, and ajax." sydney says.

pernille rolls her eyes,

"lets not lie-- yes those are the group stages that came out but we were talking about you." pernille says. your heart drops at her words, what were they saying?

"about me?" you question as you sat down on a workout mat.

"you have a crush on lena and its starting to become obvious." ana says.

your heart skips a beat as you shake your head in denial, "no way! I don't have a crush on her. you guys aren't used to seeing me getting along with her that's it!"

"we are, and you're getting along with her just a tad more than with us. we see the blush on your face and the twinkle in your eyes with you see her, love." georgia squeezes your cheeks as goes she sits beside you.

"I don't know what to say."

"you can say that you have a crush on her-- but its fine since she might have a crush on you too." Sydney says.

"no she doesn't."

"well you didn't deny that you have a crush on her!" sydney smiles.

you playfully roll your eyes.

"it hasn't been that long you guys-- I need to wait a bit." you say.

"and you can-- but you can't hold it in forever." sydney replies.

another week goes by when lena and you are sitting outside a cafe in amsterdam. the first group stage match between bayern and ajax occurs later that night and everyone is excited.

originally, everyone was going to go to the cafe.

little did you and lena know, everyone was going to back out of the cafe plans. just leaving lena and you to go by yourselves.

neither of you minded that nobody else was going. in the middle of the hangout while you were talking-- lena slips up.

"this a nice date, i mean when-" lena cuts herself off when she processes her words. you smile at her as she goes to rub her eyes in frustration at herself.

"a date?" you tease.

"i'm sorry it just slipped out." lena mumbles as she takes a sip of her coffee.

"don't apologize. I can see this as a date with you obi." you smirk. lena's eyes widened, in shock, before she smiles back at you.

after winning against ajax 3-0, thanks to a brace from you and a goal from franz, lena and you switched jerseys.

"well, hello #8 ms. oberdorf?" an ajax player and your friend from the national team, lily, walks up to you as your back was faced towards her.

you wore the number 16, and oberdorf isn't your last name (yet haha), so the swapped jersey confused her at first.

"omg lily!" you turn around and embrace the younger girl in a hug when you notice her. she holds you with confusion on her face as you pull away.

"I was going to ask if we could swap jerseys but I see you already have someone." lily smirks. you playfully roll your eyes, knowing what your fellow american friend is hinting at.

"oh be quiet! I'll give you my jersey when you play us in munich next time ok?" you smile.

"is oberdorf the girl you were talking about back at camp?" lily says.

back in the united states, you might've told the girls on the national team that you had a crush on someone from your club team. all of them begged for you to tell them who, but you refused.

"maybe..." you say.

lena and you grew extremely close throughout most of the season, and all of the fans were starting to notice.

all of your teammates did too-- and they were sick of lena and you cutting corners and not confessing your feelings to each other.

in march 2025, sometime before the start of the pokal games, lena and you sat in a media room, trapped thanks to pernille, ana, giulia, sydney, and georgia.

neither of you were allowed to come out of the room until you both confessed your feelings to each other.

three minutes of silence in the room passed by before lena had enough.

"I love you, y/n" she spoke up.

your heart flutters and your dimples appear on your face as she stares at you. she's sitting right beside you and you could see that she was nervous.

"gosh-- the dimples on your face are so cute. you've been my number one since I've arrived at bayern and if I told myself a year ago that I'd be falling in love with you or that I'd be here right now-- I'd laugh at myself. your laugh replays in my mind all of the time and the way we connect on and off of the pitch mad me realize how much I miss you when you're away for international camp. y/n If you don't feel the same--"

you knew what she was going to do. she was going to invalidate herself and start the whole "if you don't like me back" part of her confession.

she didn't have to though. you pulled your body on top of hers and kissed her. as if this happened a million times before, lena held onto the outside of your thighs and pulled yourself on top of her lap.

still kissing, five minutes ago by before you pull away.

"lena, i love you. i feel the same way about you. please be mine and let me be yours." you whisper against her lips.

you didn't give her a chance to respond before you made out with her lips again. she kissed you back and slipped her tongue into your mouth after you moaned slightly. the tension building up over the months was a lot.

"I'm yours." lena says as she forces herself to pull away from you. forgetting that the two of you are still at bayern training grounds.

"and I am yours." you repeat, starting a new relationship with your once old rival.

#lena oberdorf #woso fanfics #woso community #woso x reader #gerwnt #bayern frauen #bayern munich #paris olympics #lea schüller #sydney lohmann #georgia stanway #lily yohannes

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bozers · 2 months ago

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Random Mk character headcanons Pt.1 THE MENFOLK

Raiden

Sweaty. Sweats like a mf even when he isn't working. Has to wear undershirts to combat the waterfall coming off him.

Never struggled with anger issues until becoming a champion and getting the amulet.

Secretly a bit freaky. Is down for pretty much anything eye emoji

Reiko

Has a mild ED. Was worse when he was younger, but he's getting better about it. Used to hoard food. Struggles with body dysmorphia due to unrealistic expectations, comparing himself to Shao ( a completely different species...)

Allergic to cats.

Loves the ocean. Dreams of one day owning his own boat to take out sailing whenever he wants.

Kung Lao

Weirdly enough? Introvert. Raiden is one of very few people who doesn't deplete his social battery.

Struggles with bouts of depression. Self medicates with Marijuana.

He is incredibly secure in himself and none of his confidence is an act. That doesn't mean he can't get discouraged sometimes, but he won't try and hide disappointment behind false smiles.

MOAR BELOW vvvvv

Johnny Cage

Struggled with contamination OCD tendencies all his life and coped using substances. His lifestyle is in direct conflict with his illness and it acts like immersion therapy in a way.

Cancer runs in his family so he is vigilant about getting screened once a year.

Life in Hollywood almost crushed him into an apathetic cynic, but somehow, he has managed to stay hopeful if not a bit delusional at times. His hunger for recognition rivaled only by his boundless curiosity.

Smoke

He had a tongue ring for many years and wants to eventually get a tattoo but can't settle on a design.

Can "Slav Squat" and isn't shy about showing off to friends.

Struggles with unhealthy attachment styles.

Rain

Is actually an extrovert. He may think himself above others, but he still requires validation and gets sad if he doesn't get to talk to those close to him.

Iron deficient

If he had never been appointed as High Mage, he would have gone on to teach magic theory at the academy.

Geras

He may be immortal, but that doesn't mean he just sits in a room all day. Geras is endlessly curious, as this is a core part of his very being. Observing and learning new things is both his primary function and an endless font of joy.

He knows how lonely Liu Kang is. Knows that even he can't fill the void left in his masters heart. Time for him is just a function, whereas for Liu Kang, it is and endless road of isolation

Will search up humans in funny situations on the hourglass to watch. It's like his version of FAILARMY.

Liu Kang

Is and has been incredibly lonely for eons. He really thought he would fill the void after reuniting with his old friends, but the feeling isn't the same. They don't know him. Not really.

Once he found a way to connect to his Titan friends, he visits them often. Being able to talk with Lord Raiden again alleviated the strain on his heart tenfold. Reuniting with Kung Lao, (his boy, his bro!!) has also helped give him hope for the next few eons. Same goes for Kitana. (She was the one to find him again after the dust settled.)

His brother is alive in his timeline. Of course they have no relationship, Liu choosing not to intervene due to fears of drawing danger to him. Instead of becoming a shaolin monk, Chan lives happily in the united states as an Ice Road Trucker.

Shang Stung

Has BPD and narcissistic personality disorder. This severely impacted his ability to live peacefully in society and pushed him to grifting. Taking advantage of others was less exhausting than pretending to be a friendly employee to some shopkeeper.

He is half human. Shang's mother traveled to outworld during the last tournament 100 years ago. She was a servant to Liu Kang's champions but ended up running away with a disgraced Edenian.

Doesn't identify as a specific gender, especially after learning shapeshifting. Will often times swap between whatever he feels like that day.

Syzoth

Double jointed and hyper flexible. Shang Stung had to find a way to control him other than shackles, cuz he could always slip out no matter how tight they were.

He is very at ease around children, and falls back into dad mode immediately. Is also a purveyor of terrible dad jokes.

Has Gilberts Syndrome. His species use of bile/acid attacks puts a lot of strain on his liver. Due to his rough living, he didn't get adequate nutrition and now his body struggles to keep balanced out humors.

Only needs to eat once a week, but will happily snack if something tasty comes across his path.

Shao

Has no biological children. Despite his family's standing and pressure to continue the prestigious line, Shao has never taken a wife. Multiple concubines and bastards, but no wife or suitable heirs.

He doesn't view any of the young men and women he mentors as children, just tools. Even though he saw himself in young Reiko, his affection is entirely dependent on his loyalty. Reiko is more of an extension of himself, a way to overcompensate for what he lacks.

Has IBS.

Kuai Liang

He left the Lin Kuei a few years after Tomas was adopted. At odds with his father at the time, he left to go live with their allied clan: the Syrai Ryu. He was born a cryomancer like Bi Han, but chose to pursue pyromancy to distance himself from his lineage. Though able to wield fire, he is still weak to it. When he finally returned home, his father welcomes him back like the prodigal son he was. Bi han deeply, deeply resented this.

Got his tattoo in Hong Kong while he was totally plastered (not a reputable place. They even got the tattoo wrong lol)

Unreadable poker face. DO NOT play cards against this man.

Kenshi

Was forced to drop out of high school to support his family when his older brother was killed, and subsequently got wrapped up in yakuza shit. Has since taken his high school equivalency test (GED) and passed with flying colors

Is addicted to caffeine.

LOVES holidays! Especially Christmas. He may not get all his friends gifts, but the ones he does give are very well thought out and personal.

Bi Han

Doesn't take care of himself or maintain his appearance very well. But he basically won the genetic lottery so it's not that noticeable.

Has a type A personality and is a perfectionist. But he is actually a very gracious person at heart, and will silently shoulder the brunt of responsibility to spare his brothers.

Was happy to mentor Tomas when he first arrived, even though Kuai and Tomas had the stronger friendship. His attitude changed, however, when Tomas choose to stay after Kuai ran off. Instead of seeing the loyalty of Tomas's decision, he saw it as a shallow way to win his fathers favor.

(he couldn't see it was actually jealously. That Kuai could have a choice to leave but he didn't. Tomas had an actual valid reason to want to leave, but he is the one remaining? Bi Han has big feelings and does not process them well )

Quan Chi

Once he started losing his hair, he decided to go bald.

Much prefers to spend his time in the Netherrealm. His dominion there is near absolute, and he would much rather be in the company of those subservient to him. He doesn't see anything wrong with this dynamic, believing this the superior to mutual friendship. (this is laughably hypocritical given his relationship to Shang mf Tsung)

Indulges in all kinds of delicious foods. Sweets, fine drink, rare cuts of meat- the works. Even if he dislikes it, he will eat it anyway just for the sake of it. He made himself ill by eating an entire box of chocolate once.

Havik

Was born in secret to slave parents. They hid him from the government for as long as they could, and so he was able to live a relatively carefree childhood. Other's his age, and of unsanctioned birth, would be seized by the state and put to work as soon as possible.

Fierce passion aside, Havik is very introspective. When not fighting, he often sits in silent contemplation for hours at a time. Before his mind begins to degrade from the blood magic use, he would sit and scrutinize every action he took.

Unlike Quan Chi, Havik cannot bring himself to indulge in luxuries. He feels tremendous guilt given how many of his people are still unable to enjoy even the barest bit of comfort.

He leaves his dick and balls at home for safe keeping.

#mk1 #mortal kombat #mk headcanons #rain mk1 #reiko mk1 #johnny cage #smoke #tomas #bi han #kuai liang #shao khan #liu kang #kung lao #syzoth

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chamerionwrites · 5 months ago

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President Biden issued an executive order on Tuesday that prevents migrants from seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border when crossings surge, a dramatic election-year move to ease pressure on the immigration system and address a major concern among voters.

The measure is the most restrictive border policy instituted by Mr. Biden, or any other modern Democrat, and echoes an effort in 2018 by President Donald J. Trump to cut off migration that was blocked in federal court.

In remarks at the White House, Mr. Biden said he was forced to take executive action because Republicans had blocked bipartisan legislation that had some of the most significant border security restrictions Congress had considered in years.

“We must face a simple truth,” said the president, who was joined by a group of lawmakers and mayors from border communities. “To protect America as a land that welcomes immigrants, we must first secure the border and secure it now.”

Aware that the policy raised uncomfortable comparisons, Mr. Biden took pains to distinguish his actions from those of Mr. Trump. “We continue to work closely with our Mexican neighbors instead of attacking them,” Mr. Biden said. He said he would never refer to immigrants as “poisoning the blood” of the country, as Mr. Trump has done.

Still, the move shows how drastically the politics of immigration have shifted to the right in the United States. Polls suggest there is support in both parties for border measures once denounced by Democrats and championed by Mr. Trump as the number of people crossing into the country has reached record levels in recent years.

The restrictions kick in once the seven-day average for illegal crossings hits 2,500 per day. Daily totals already exceed that number, which means that Mr. Biden’s executive order could go into effect right away — allowing border officers to return migrants across the border into Mexico or to their home countries within hours or days.

Typically, migrants who cross illegally and claim asylum are released into the United States to wait for court appearances, where they can plead their cases. But a huge backlog means those cases can take years to come up.

The new system is designed to deter those illegal crossings.

The border would reopen to asylum seekers only when the number of crossings falls significantly. The figure would have to stay below a daily average of 1,500 for seven days in a row. The border would reopen to migrants two weeks after that.

The American Civil Liberties Union said it planned to challenge the executive action in court.

“The administration has left us little choice but to sue,” said Lee Gelernt, a lawyer at the A.C.L.U, which led the charge against the Trump administration’s attempt to block asylum in 2018 and resulted in the policy being stopped by federal courts. “It was unlawful under Trump and is no less illegal now.”

There would be limited exceptions to the restrictions announced Tuesday, including for minors who cross the border alone, victims of human trafficking and those who use a Customs and Border Protection app to schedule an appointment with a border officer to request asylum.

But for the most part, the order suspends longtime guarantees that give anyone who steps onto U.S. soil the right to seek a safe haven.

The executive action mirrors the legislation that Republicans blocked in February, saying it was not strong enough. Many of them, egged on by Mr. Trump, were loath to give Mr. Biden a legislative victory in an election year.

“Donald Trump begged them to vote ‘no’ because he was worried that more border enforcement would hurt him politically,” Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, said in a statement on Tuesday. He added: “The American people want bipartisan solutions to border security — not cynical politics.”

Immigration advocates and some progressive Democrats have expressed concern that Mr. Biden was abandoning his promise to rebuild the asylum system.

“By reviving Trump’s asylum ban, President Biden has undermined American values and abandoned our nation’s obligations to provide people fleeing persecution, violence, and authoritarianism with an opportunity to seek refuge in the U.S.,” said Senator Alex Padilla, Democrat of California.

Tuesday’s decision is a stark turnaround for Mr. Biden, who came into office attacking Mr. Trump for his efforts to restrict asylum. During a 2019 debate, Mr. Biden, then a candidate running against Mr. Trump for the first time, excoriated his rival’s policies.

“This is the first president in the history of the United States of America that anybody seeking asylum has to do it in another country,” Mr. Biden said at the time.

#this admin has sucked so badly and so consistently on immigration. just trying to out-trump trump at every turn #‘oh the previous admin absolutely hollowed out the asylum system? you know the one that (with all its many failures) was built post wwii?#with jewish refugees who were deported to the holocaust in mind? cool let’s build on that.’#not precisely surprising but still utterly fucking spineless #immigration #lines on a map #my posts

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