#two police officers in the helicopter down

[thebad-lydrawn-sanses]

ARSON GETS TO WHAT?! NO!!

SEND IN ALL UNITS! GET THE CHOPPER! RELEASE THE K9s! ALL SQUADRONS, LOCATE THAT PERPETRATOR AT ONCE.

- 👮

Yes ma’am!

- 👮‍♂️👮‍♂️👮‍♂️👮‍♂️👮‍♂️👮‍♂️👮‍♂️👮‍♂️👮‍♂️🐶🐶🐶🐕🐕🐕🚁

German Shepherd Dog: (barking)

Civilian 1: what the dog doin?

Civilian 2: when you die and it's time to weigh your soul, the table it's on is going to shatter under the weight of your sins

[reasonsforhope]

"Pro-Palestinian protesters briefly blocked entrance roads to airports in New York and Los Angeles on Wednesday [December 27, 2023], snarling traffic as U.S. airlines contended with a rush of holiday travel.

The demonstrations stopped cars on the outskirts of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, where some travelers set off on foot to bypass the jammed roadway, as well as Los Angeles International Airport. A total of 62 people were arrested during the two protests, police said.

In New York, activists locked arms and held banners demanding an end to the Israel-Hamas war and expanded rights for Palestinians, bringing traffic to a standstill on the Van Wyck Expressway leading up to the airport for about 20 minutes.

Video posted to social media showed passengers, some carrying suitcases, leaving vehicles behind and stepping over barriers onto the highway median.

Twenty-six people in the protest were arrested for disorderly conduct and impeding vehicular traffic, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey dispatched two buses to help travelers caught in the backup reach the airport, agency spokesperson Steve Burns said.

Around the same time as the New York protest, a major thoroughfare leading to the Los Angeles airport was shut down by another group of pro-Palestinian protesters, who dragged traffic cones, trash bins, scooters and debris into the lanes, according to news helicopter footage.

In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Department accused protesters of throwing a police officer to the ground and “attacking uninvolved passerbys in their vehicles,” without providing further details about either incident.

The group appeared to flee when police arrived, though the Los Angeles Police Department said traffic around the airport remained impacted roughly two hours after the demonstration was declared unlawful.

A spokesperson for the LAPD said 35 people were arrested for rioting and one person was arrested for battery of a police officer. No officers were injured, according to the spokesperson. An estimated 215,000 passengers and 87,000 vehicles were expected to pass through the Los Angeles airport on Wednesday.

Since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, near nightly protests have broken out in cities across the United States. In New York, pro-Palestinian organizers have responded to the growing death toll in Gaza with escalating actions aimed at disrupting some of the city’s best-known events, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the annual tree-lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center."

-via AP, December 27, 2023

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

December 3, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Dec 04, 2024

For an astonishing six hours today, South Korea underwent an attempted self-coup by its unpopular president, Yoon Suk Yeol, only to see the South Korean people force him to back down as they reasserted the strength of their democracy.

In an emergency address at nearly 11:00 last night local time, Yoon announced that he was declaring martial law in South Korea for the first time since 1980, when special forces under a military dictatorship attacked pro-democracy activists in the city of Gwangju, leaving about 200 people dead or missing. South Koreans ended military rule in their country in 1987, writing a new constitution that made South Korea a republic.

Yoon claimed he had to declare martial law because his political opponents were sympathizing with communist North Korea. It was a thin pretext.

A member of the conservative People’s Party, Yoon was elected to a five-year presidential term in 2022 after a misogynistic campaign fueled by young men who saw equal rights for women— whose average monthly wage is 67.7% of that a man, according to the BBC’s Laura Bicker—as reverse discrimination that is taking away their own rights and opportunities.

Before his election, Yoon had no experience in the National Assembly, and once he was in office, his popularity slid to record lows. In legislative elections held last April, voters crushed Yoon’s party, giving opposition parties 192 of 300 seats in the National Assembly. The legislature fought with Yoon over his budget and launched a number of corruption investigations into Yoon’s allies as well as his wife.

And so, Yoon declared martial law, bringing the media under his control and banning political activities, “false propaganda,” “gatherings that incite social unrest,” and strikes. Police officers formed a blockade around the National Assembly, and helicopters landed on the roof to prevent lawmakers from getting inside to overturn Yoon’s declaration.

The South Korean people reacted immediately. Reporting from Seoul, John Yoon of the New York Times recounted the story of a real estate agent who watched President Yoon’s speech, got in his car, and drove for an hour to get to the National Assembly. The man told journalist Yoon, “I thought, ‘The end has come,’ so I came out. The president of a country has exerted his power by force, and its people have come out to protest that. We have to remove him from power from this point on. He’s in a position where he has to come down.”

Editor of The Verge Sarah Jeong, who works out of the U.S. and does not cover South Korean politics, happened to be working in Seoul this week and was on site after a night of drinking, giving an informed and honest account of what she was seeing. “[T]he crowd is a pretty even mix of young people and the older folks (mostly men) who would have been young during the dictatorship…. I heard tanks were here but I haven't seen one yet. [O]ld men swearing "how dare the military come here.”

Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Washington Post Tokyo/Seoul bureau chief, reported that the National Assembly managed to pull together a majority of its members—190 of 300—in about two and a half hours to participate in a unanimous vote to overturn Yoon’s emergency declaration of martial law. That vote included members of his own party.

Political commentator Adam Schwartz shared a video taken by the leader of South Korea's Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, as he climbed over the wall of the National Assembly to vote against Yoon’s martial law declaration. Other videos showed people in the streets boosting legislators over the walls for the vote.

Yet another video showed South Korean soldiers trying to get into the National Assembly during the voting thwarted by people wielding a fire extinguisher and flashes from cameras.

While the law said Yoon had to abide by the legislators’ vote, it was not clear whether Yoon would do as the law required. About six hours after he had declared martial law, Yoon bowed to the National Assembly and the popular will and lifted his declaration.

Yoon has been widely condemned, and South Koreans from all parties, including his own, are calling for his resignation or impeachment. Raphael Rashid of The Guardian reported today that on the morning after the attempted coup, South Koreans are bewildered and sad. “For the older generation who fought on the streets against military dictatorships, martial law equals dictatorship, not 21st century Korea. The younger generation is embarrassed that he has ruined their country’s reputation. People are baffled.”

For the rest of the world, though, South Koreans’ immediate and aggressive response to a man trying to take away their democratic rights is an inspiration. Among other things, it illustrates that for all the claims that autocracy can react to events more quickly than democracy can, in fact autocrats are brittle. It is democracy that is determined and resilient.

The events in Seoul also cemented the shift in social media from X to Bluesky, where news was breaking faster than anywhere else, in a way that echoed what Twitter used to be. Since Twitter was a key site of democratic organizing until Elon Musk bought it and renamed it X, that shift is significant.

And finally, the events in South Korea emphasize that for all people often look to larger-than-life figures to define our nations, our history is in fact made up of regular people doing the best they can. Journalist Sarah Jeong found herself entirely unexpectedly in the middle of a coup and, recognizing that she was in a historic moment, snapped to work to do all she could to keep the rest of us informed. “I’m f*cking blasted and hanging out in the weirdest scene because history happened at a deeply inconvenient hour,” she wrote on Bluesky. “[S]o it goes.”

When she finally went home, Jeong wrote: “I expensed my cab ride home. I’m tired so I put ‘korea coup’ down in the expense code field.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[justtwotired]

Whispers of the night - Lloyd Garmadon x F!reader

————————

Tag list: @beachcombers-boyfriend @cipheress-to-k-pop @whore-of-many-hot-men @bodieohbo @anyth1ngfor0urmoony @luvizuku

————————

Part 1 - previous- next

Before we start, I want to make something clear to my dear readers.

My story is mostly based of the series and there are small things from the movies in here. So, quick explanation. Lloyd did get aged by the aging tea, but not only his body, his brain also aged, so no, he isn’t a child trapped in a teens body.

In this story, you are meeting Lloyds mother, and I mean his good mother aka Koko, we don’t mention that other thing in my household.

Lloyd and you are 18 in this story, I don’t know how that works in your country, but in mine it means legal adult.

That was about it, now enjoy the story, loves<3

—————————

Christmas and new years was slowly nearing but that was not something I was really concerned about. Actually I think it’s somewhere on the bottom of the list at the moment.

I tried calling Lloyd for about the sixth time that hour and he finally picked up, making me let out a sigh of relief.

“Lloyd!” I said angrily. “What are you idiots doing? What happened?” I questioned him, and I heard him mumbling something on the other side of the phone. “Jezus Christ, I look at the news for ONCE in my life,” I groaned.

“Alright, love, I need you to calm down-” he tried and I interrupted him immediately.

“CALM DOWN- Lloyd you six are all over the news, you are currently one of the most wanted people in Ninjago- where are you? Are you safe?” I asked.

“You don’t believe the news then?” He asked and I let out a sarcastic laugh.

“You think I’m going to believe you broke into the museum and killed two security guards?” I asked and he let out a small chuckle.

“Yeah, it was a dumb question,” he admitted. “I’m fine, we are currently hiding on Borg’s rooftop, though I think they’re going to start using helicopters soon,” he said.

“I suppose with ‘they’ you mean the police?” I asked unamused and he let out a nervous chuckle again.

“Yeah,” he said. “Hey- Jay, don’t do that, you’ll die,” he sounded a bit further away when he said that. “Anyway, I am quite busy right now, love, so I think I’m hanging up,” he said.

“Indeed you are, and I am coming over there,” I said and stood up from my chair. “Borg’s tower you said, right?” I asked, grabbing my jacket.

“Y/n no, you are not coming here, absolutely not,” he sounded stern when he said it and I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, safety, bla bla, protection, bla bla, don’t be reckless, bla, bla, bla,” I closed the front door behind me. “I’ll be at Borg’s tower in ten- I suppose he knows you’re up there?” I asked.

“Uh, yes?” Lloyd said confused.

“Good, then I don’t have to climb all the way up there cause I had no idea how I was going to do that,” I announced. “Bye Lloyd,” I then hung up and ignored the two calls from him and later one from Cole.

When I arrived I walked into Borg’s tower and headed over to the front desk.

“Hello, is Cyrus Borg here?” I asked the lady, who gave me a confused look but nodded.

“Great, my name is Y/n L/n, I’ve been send by my father William L/n, he has an important message for Borg that I need to deliver,” I said and the lady looked surprised.

I had improvised, I was actually really surprised when I stood in Cyrus Borg’s office two minutes later.

“Y/n L/n, hm?” He smiled at me. “You look just like your father,” he said and I gave him a kind smile. “What is it you need to tell me, dear?” He asked and I nervously chuckled.

“Nothing, actually,” I said and he frowned. “I know that the ninja are on the roof and I need to talk to them,” I said and he gave me a bewildered look.

“Where did you hear that- that is nonsense,” he tried but I shook my head.

“I’m Lloyds girlfriend, he told me,” I said, it felt good saying I was Lloyd girlfriend, I liked it.

And just like that, I got access to the roof, leaving me alone there with six shocked ninja, all surprised I managed to get there.

“What happened?” I asked and they all exchanged looks.

“We’re keeping her, right?” Jay whispered to Cole who was next to him.

“She doesn’t have a choice at this point, she ain’t going anywhere,” Kai nodded and I groaned.

“Can anyone with sense- so Nya or Zane- explain to me what’s happening and how I can help?” I folded my arms and the other led out an offended noice.

“Yesterday night the museum was robbed, the camera footage showed people in gi like ours, and since the police can’t seem to think that maybe that could be other people, we are the main suspects,” Nya explained in a nutshell.

“That is not everything,” Zane continued. “The footage shows that multiple items have been stolen, all of which are items you use in battle, so we have reason to think that our clones are planning an attack, but we do not know when or where,” he filled in.

“Correct, and we know that they are dangerous, as two security guards passed in the robbery,” Lloyd started. “And we know that it wasn’t a robbery gone bad, as footage shows they took the guards out before they entered,”

I nodded along and thought for a moment. “Any ideas what or who they might be planning to attack?” I asked. “Some big events going on? Maybe a celebrity coming to the city?” I speculated.

“The only thing we could think off was an auction at the museum, but it just doesn’t make sense, seeing they just robbed the place,” Kai said and I shook my head.

“What- no that makes sense actually,” I said and they gave me weird looks. “The auction is tomorrow morning, meaning that today the dead sea necklace and the invictum sword arrive. Because of the break in and the severity of the situation, the auction won’t continue, meaning both the sword and the necklace will be in the museum for safe keeping,” I explained and they all just frowned at me making me sigh.

“Alright, let’s see it from another point of view,” I sighed. “We already established, the auction can’t continue, what did our thieves do? They stole weapons, Zane, were these weapons worth a lot?” I asked.

The nindroid nodded. “They stole three powerful, expensive weapons,” he said and I nodded.

“Alright, expensive, it means they can sell them, remember that,” I looked around the group. “At the auction, they will also show off the invictum sword,” I said and they nodded again.

“Now, tell me, looking at yesterday’s robbery, what do you think the thieves would steal at the auction tommorow?” I asked and the ninja exchanged looks.

“The invictum sword? It’s a sword that never loses after all… if you believe the tails,” Kai said, the others nodded along and I grinned.

“And that is exactly what the museum thinks aswel, so guess what, they focus on the sword, is it protected? How many guards are on duty? Do we trust everyone inside? All that kinds of stuff,” I waved my hand a bit.

“The only people watching the sword and other artifacts are either hired bodyguards, museum staff or museum guards, why? Because the police is to busy fussing over your location,” I pointed at them.

“While that happens, the Dead Sea necklace gets forgotten more and more,” I explained. “Meaning, that while the police is fussing over you guys and the museum is fussing over the sword, the thieves can almost take the necklace like it’s an all you can eat restaurant,” I said with a grin.

“The weapons they stole are worth a lot of money, but the invictum sword? Roughly 10.000 dollars, now that sounds like a lot, unless you compare it with the other weapons or the necklace, which is worth 25 million dollars, they aren’t interested in weapons, they just want you to think that, it’s really just money that they’re after,” I finally finished and took a deep breath.

“Also,” I started and they almost looked tired. “They used guns to take the guards out and the weapons they stole are for close combat, i think they aren’t even going to use those weapons,” I voiced and looked around the group.

“So we’re all clear on that? Sorry I’m not very good at explaining,” I said with a small chuckle.

“Definitely keeping her,” Cole said to Jay.

“Holy shit, you’re a genius!” Nya called out. “You’re right, they are after money, and if I think about it, I bet that they are the same criminals we’ve been after for a few months now, those same ones that pulled you off your skateboard and held you hostage!” She pointed at me.

“You two are right, both of them are after money, and looking at the way they handle things, we can almost be sure they are the same guys,” Lloyd said deep in thought.

“How did you even figure all that out?” Kai asked in disbelief. “We’ve been trying all afternoon,” he said with a pointed look at Zane.

“Oh, I’m interested in historical artifices,” I shrugged. “Plus my mom wanted to go to the auction tomorrow. And my true crime podcast binging might have some impact,” I grinned at the group.

“What do you think, Zane?” Lloyd looked at the nindroid who had the most sense out of all of them.

“Oh, I realised what Y/n meant after the first explanation, Pixal and I just searched around on street camera’s and I think I’ve found the place they are hiding out,” Zane said, making everyone start to grin.

“Guys, I think we can actually pull this off,” Jay said excitedly. “Now the only thing we need is a distraction!” He said before his smile dropped “Ehh, what will we use as distraction?”

“Decoy?” Kai asked and looked at me. “We can dress her up as one of us, distract the police while we head to- wherever their hideout is- Zane?” Kai turned to Zane.

“Closed warehouse on Bundystreet,” the nindroid answered.

“Yeah, absolutely not,” Lloyd jumped in. “First off, if they catch her, she can go to Jail or what, many things can happen if she gets caught, there are way to many risks for that, and also, there is no way the entire police force will follow one ninja,” he said.

“Oh! Oh! Can’t you just make one of your illusions?” Cole suggested and I shook my head.

“Not one big enough to distract the police,” I said a bit disappointed, while cracking my brains, suddenly, a grin appeared on my face. “I’ve got an idea,” I suddenly said.

“And that is?” Kai asked, everyone looking at me curiously.

“I can’t really explain, all I can say is that it will definitely work if I just throw in some illusions, hold on, I have to make a phone call,” I said and held up a finger.

“Before I call, the plan is, you go to the warehouse, surprise the criminals, arrest them, all those things, all I need to do is make sure the police isn’t on your heels?” I asked and they nodded.

“And you already have a plan on how you’ll enter the Warehouse?” I asked and they stopped for a second. “Yeah, do that while I make this call,” I suggested.

I entered my groupchat, also knows as ‘the abusement park’ and pressed call.

“What up?” Anthony was the first to join, and I saw his face next to Arthur’s.

“Excuse me? How dare you wake me up from my beauty sleep,” Flora also entered the call, an eye mask still on her forehead.

“Hun, aren’t you supposed to be working on your science project?” Luna who also joined the call asked her.

“We had a science project?” James joined the call aswel.

“You aren’t telling me I’m the only one that did that one, right?” Charlie asked, laying down on his bed.

“Guys, Guys,” I interrupted and they still bickered a bit. “I’m calling in a ‘don’t get me started,’ can I please say something?” It went immediately silent after that.

“I suppose you all still have the fireworks we got yesterday, right?” I asked, and they all nodded, not speaking.

“Is your plan clear?” I turned to the ninja after I finished my phone call.

“Yes, clear,” Lloyd said, making me grin slightly and look at my phone.

King Charles

I’m ready

Millie<3

Same here

Slowly the texts from everyone started to fill my screen, telling me they were ready.

“You guys get going, the distraction will start in a minute,” I grinned. Lloyd then pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead.

“Thank you, I’ll see you after, alright?” He asked and I nodded and then they quickly got going.

Lloyd POV:

We hadn’t even left the street yet and suddenly loud bangs came from Borg tower, making my heart sink, but when I turned around, they were… fireworks?

Then suddenly, fireworks came from all over the city, they where big and bright in the sky, coming from multiple different places and it didn’t take long for me to notice, they all reached away from Bundystreet.

She was confusing the police by letting all of her friends set off fireworks at the same time in different places, I realised.

The cops wouldn’t know what was happening and be confused, probably spreading to the spots to see what the hell was going on but by that time, the others would be gone and we where in the warehouse.

I had one smart ass girlfriend.

Your POV:

I met with the others at the video store and they all gave me unamused glances.

“Yeah, that was all our firework for the coming new year,” Anthony said, rather disappointed and I gave them a small pout.

“I’m sorry guys, but we still have my fireworks- and I can illusion some shit- I’ll buy some new things for you, I promise,” I begged and they all sighed and complied, sharing smiles here and there anyway.

“It really was awesome, though,” James said with a huge grin and I chuckled.

“See, that is a much better mindset,” I told him and he lightly shoved my shoulder.

“Alright, N/n,” Luna started and gave me a serious look. “I hope you realise we all want to know why we just had to do that,” she asked and I gave them all a wary look when they nodded along.

“What- no. I called in a don’t get me started,” I stated with a slight frown. “May I remind you that that means I can ask for a favour without having to explain why,” I said and they all groaned.

“Y/n, you literally just had us distract the cops to go looking all over the city while we used up all of our fireworks, come on,” Arthur whined. “Does it have something to do with the ninja robbing the museum?” He asked and I gave him an offended scowl.

“First off, that wasn’t them, you could literally see that it wasn’t them, on the footage their body language was wrong and everything, besides they would never rob the museum and definitely wouldn’t hurt an innocent person,” I started off.

“So this means that it does have something to do with them?” James asked and I let out a small sigh.

“They needed a distraction, alright, they couldn’t have the cops messing up their plan so I offered to help- after literally figuring out the whole thing by the way, I am taking those credits, but their fixing everything now and I think they’re almost done, it has certainly been a while,” I looked at the time on my phone.

It was already dark out and I had to text my parents to tell them I wasn’t eating at home, I hadn’t even ate at all yet.

“You are just casually close friends with the ninja now?” Charlie asked, an amused smirk dancing on his lips.

“Kind off, yeah?” I shrugged. “I mean, I hang out with them some time…” I revealed a bit awkwardly.

They all gave me rather surprised and shocked looks as I told them this.

“And you think you can just nonchalantly say that now as if it’s normal?” Millie asked, raising her eyebrows. She looked around the group who where giving off the same energy as her. “Wait- do you like- know their identities?” She asked.

I silently nodded and I was immediately bombarded with questions.

“Hey, if you expect me to tell you their identities, just know I will not,” I immediately made clear. “Really, I love all of you, but I can’t betray their trust like that, I promised them I wouldn’t tell anyone,” I said and James pouted at me.

“Not even me?” He asked, innocently batting his eyelashes and I chuckled, patting his cheek.

“Not even you, Jamie,” I said and he pouted, making me flick his cheek instead. He quickly flinched away from me and laid a hand on his cheek while giving me an offended look.

“Hey, trouble!” I turned around to see Kai- or well, the red ninja, approaching us. I smiled at him and waved him over.

“Red! How did it go?” I asked him immediately when he was within ten feet.

“It went fine, we got them, called the police and soon enough there was enough evidence to let us go, so we’re fine,” he winked and I smiled, quickly giving him a hug.

“That’s great to hear,” I said and pulled away. “How’s greenie?” I asked, a slight bit worried.

“He’s fine, currently with the team. He and Ice are fixing some things while the others are probably goofing around, almost killing themselves, you know, the normal stuff,” he said making me chuckle.

“Oh, by the way,” I took a step to the side. “These are my friends, guys, this is red,” I said and they all said hi, looking at the tall ninja with slight fascination.

“Great to meet you all,” he said quickly and he seemed to be listening to something before putting his wrist holding his communication device to his mouth. “I’ll be there in a moment- yes, Pixal I know,” he said a bit annoyed.

“Seems like I need to get going,” he said right after and I nodded.

“It’s fine, I’ll text you guys later and you can let me know how it went, then I’ll see you all- Tuesday, was it?” I asked and he chuckled.

“Tuesday yeah,” he assured. “You’ll see me then, but I think Greenie will probably stop by later, maybe earth will come with him? I don’t know, he said something about the book you recommended him,” he shrugged.

“Oh, yeah that’s fine, just tell them to text me,” I nodded.

“Alright then,” Kai said and checked the street for a moment. “Trouble,” he nodded at me. “Troubles friends,” he nodded at them to before disappearing.

On the way to our favourite chilling rooftop, I was interrogated by my friends about the ninja and how I met them.

Most of the thing slightly had to lie but other thing I told them honestly.

We where hanging out on the roof for about an hour when two figures appeared. We all quickly recognised them as greenie and earth, making me jump up in excitement.

“You’re here! Ka- I mean red mentioned you’d stop by, you got my text then? You never responded,” I looked at Greenie and he nodded.

“Yeah, I got it, I was a bit busy, didn’t have time to respond,” he said and looked behind me at the others. “Hi guys,” he said, making them all wave.

“Oh, earth, these are my friends, say hi guys,” I said and they all chuckled and said hello.

Cole was frozen for a moment looking, before he blinked and put up a hand. “Hi, nice to meet you,” he said, kindly.

“Alright- N/n, I read the book, and honest thoughts- it was amazing and the plot twist? I really didn’t see it coming!” He said and I jumped up and down.

“I knew you’d say that! I didn’t mention it so you wouldn’t crack it trough the story!” I said and he laughed as I pointed at him.

“No but really, I went trough it quickly again and when you know it’s going to happen, you can see it, honestly I think it’s a new favourite,” he admitted and I grinned widely.

“Hold on a second,” I put my finger up and turned around slightly. “Lu! Come here!” I called and she came over.

“What is it?” She asked, shooting a quick smile at the two ninja. “Am I going to be arrested again?” She asked with a chuckle.

“Not that I know of,” I answered, giving her a fake suspicious look, making her put a finger to her mouth with a grin. “Earth here just finished our favourite book,” I said and stars appeared in her eyes.

“Really? How was it? What do you think of the plot twist? Do you also think those flowers where the cause of the main characters sickness?” She shot questions at him and he chuckled.

Soon enough they where in a deep conversation and I smiled triumphantly at Lloyd, who shook his head at me.

“Thats one way to get my attention to yourself,” he teased and I scoffed.

“I actually did it so I could give all my attention to you!” I pointed at him and he laughed.

“I know, I know, I’m just teasing you, doll,” he said and I huffed, rolling my eyes at him. “Hey, don’t you act like that, or I might not invite you to join me and earth on our way to the monastery,” he said and stars twinkled in my eyes.

“Really?” I asked excitement lacing my voice, making him chuckle. “Really,” he said and I flung my arms around him.

“Wait- does that mean I am meeting your mother?” I asked and he paused for a second before nodding.

“Uh, yeah, is that a problem?” He asked and I contemplated before hesitantly shaking my head. He chuckled and put an arm around me.

“Don’t worry, Princess, she’ll love you,” he said and I let out a small breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“Yeah, alright, fine- I just need James to cover for me saying I’m at his house, I don’t know how my parents would react if I said I was at the monastery,” I said making Lloyd chuckle.

I quickly made my way over to the others and tapped James in the shoulder, he turned to me with a big smile.

“Jamie, can you cover for me and let me tell my parents I’m at your house for some part in the evening?” I asked and he nodded.

“Hm, you going to your boyfriends house or something? I’m doing it, of course, always for you,” he bumped into me slightly.

“Oh, no, I’m going with Earth and greenie,” I admitted and he slowly nodded.

“Alright, yeah sure, I’m just going to act like that’s completely normal, have fun at their secret hide out,” he joked and I rolled my eyes, but thanked him anyway.

“That’s all set,” I told Greenie and his eyes shined with happiness, making a chuckle escape my throat.

“What’s all set?” Earth asked, coming to stand besides Greenie again. Luna stood next to me, leaning her head on my shoulder.

“Oh, N/n’s coming with us to the monastery, are you done with your talk? Because then we can go,” he explained and Cole nodded.

“Yeah, all finished,” he answered. “Are we taking the dragons? He questioned, Greenie nodded and my eyes went wide.

“You want me to sit on the back of one of those dragons?” I asked and Lloyd gave me a look.

“Yes, and later in life we’ll teach you how to make one of those yourself, for now you’ll ride with me,” he said, making me swallow thickly but comply anyway.

“Lu, are you awake enough for me to walk away or do I need to personally carry you to the others?” I asked and she looked up at me, slowly blinking.

“What?” She asked making me shake my head with a small chuckle.

“Arty!” I called to the others and he looked up at me. “Come collect Lu, and please take her home she needs sleep,” I said and he got up.

He took over Luna for me, holding her and she fell asleep, right there, standing up, making him look at her in disbelief as he let out a sigh and the others laughed.

“Ready?” Lloyd asked me and I nodded, saying goodbye to the others. “Come on,” he took me to the side of the building and held my hand as we stood on the edge.

“Are we jumping?” I asked terrified and he grinned before grabbing me by my waist and jumping down the high building.

We were falling for a moment but then seemed to land on something. I held my eyes closed and still felt his arms around my waist.

“Open your eyes, we’re fine,” he chuckled and when I opened them, we where sitting on a green dragon who actually gave off green light.

“Holy shit!” I laughed, I looked down at the city beneath us, we where actually flying on a dragon! I was sat in the front, and Lloyd, who had just taken of his mask, sat behind me, holding the reins with his arms around my waist.

“Still scary?” He asked and I laughed and shook my head.

“I love it!” I said, looking around me, the city still rather busy for this time. I looked to my right to see Cole, also having his mask off now.

“Hey, Cole!” I called and he looked over. “What’d you think of Luna?” I asked and I saw his cheeks tint red before looking forward again.

“Yeah, she was uh- nice,” he said and Lloyd laughed at him while I just frowned slightly.

“What’s going on? What did I miss?” I asked and Lloyd just laughed in my ear before answering.

“Cole as a crush on Luna, we see her every now and then, never talk to her, but he admires from afar.” Lloyd reveals and I looked at Cole in disbelief.

“You like her?” I asked and he glared at Lloyd.

“Wow, thanks man!” He said and the both of us laughed while he just looked embarrassed.

“I can set you up with her if you want! She’ll like you, I think the two of you would be good together,” I said and I gave me a hopeful look.

“You think so?” He asked and I nodded with a small smile. The moment was over when Lloyd laughed again, making Cold glare at him and me chuckle.

“Don’t mind Lloyd, I really think you two could hit it off, but we’ll talk about that later when this moron isn’t around,” I said, elbowing Lloyd slightly.

Cole was about to say something but fell silent and seemed to listen to something.

“Don’t mind that, probably someone who’s talking over the coms,” Lloyd told me and I nodded.

“Yes, I’ll go now, but this better don’t take long, I am tired as hell,” I heard Cole say before looking at us.

“I need to head out, new mission, I’ll see you two later,” he waved at us before redirecting his dragon.

“Hmm, alone time,” Lloyd whispered in my ear before resting his head in my neck making me chuckle.

I sucked in a sharp breath when his lips suddenly attached to my neck, he trailed kissed down and up my neck, making goosebumps run up my skin.

“Lloyd, shouldn’t you be looking where we’re going?” I asked and he chuckled against my skin.

“What, you don’t like it?” He whispered in my ear, making my stomach turn upside down. God what was he doing to me.

“I didn’t say that,” I told him. “But I think you might want to do this later somewhere else and not on a dragon,” I said and he chuckled.

“I’ll remember that,” he said, making my cheeks turn hot.

[blu-writes]

By Primus’s Will pt.2

An Original Optimus Prime x AFAB!Reader by Blu<3

A/N: Thank you all so much for the support on the last Chapter!! It means so much to me that y’all enjoy what I’m writing!

You closed your eyes and fell asleep, only slightly annoyed by the sound of helicopter blades above your house.

When you woke up to banging on your front door you groaned and tried to ignore it. “This is the police! If you are home we’d like to ask you a few questions regarding some events that took place last night!”

You kicked off your sheets and pulled on a loose pair of shorts so you didn’t greet the officer in nothing but your tshirt. “I’m coming one second!! I needed to put on pants!”

“Good morning officer, how can I help you?” You said to the policeman standing on your porch. “Good morning, I was wondering if you had any idea what took place last night to cause that large crater, or if you’ve seen anything strange since then.”

You stared at the officer dumbfounded. “Uh no sir I haven’t. I figured it was just a piece of satellite or something that had fell after all the helicopters came by. Is something going on?”

The officer shook his head and handed you a business card. “Nope we just wanted to make sure it wasn’t some teens blowing stuff up for fun or anything. If you do see anything strange again just give us a call and we’ll come check it out for you!”

You nodded and wished the officer a good day, closing the door and looking out the window at the crater from last night.

‘What the hell was that? If it was a piece of satellite like I thought then the officer wouldn’t have came out because he would’ve known about it.’

You stared at it for a second before walking out the front door, slipping on some sandals you kept on the porch. You walked up to the hole in the ground and looked down into it, the ground looked burnt, and there were splatters of what looked like blue liquid on the ground. ‘What the fuck?’

You walked towards your father’s shed, going to see if there were any gloves or something he had so you could see what this liquid was. His shed was full of old cars, the shed was more of a barn with a cement floor. It reeked of old oil and must from how long some of the vehicles had sat in there. You felt like you were being watched as you pushed the door open all the way to let in some daylight and help the smell out of the building.

As you turned back to face inside the shed you saw a vehicle you didn’t recognize. Your father was a trucker, his old semi sat in the back of the shed, rusted and dusty. But next to it sat a new one that you swore hadn’t been there before. The truck also had some wear and tear to it, and looked like it had some damage to part of the body.

You brushed it off, walking towards the giant tool shelf your dad had and rummaging around for some gloves. You grabbed a pair and turned around, noticing some of the blue liquid from earlier underneath the mysterious semi.

Your father and you had never had the best relationship, he wasn’t mean to you but you two just kept some distance, especially after your mother had passed, so you weren’t sure if this truck was actually new or if he brought it home and you just never noticed.

“What the hell? I mean I’ll take a look real quick I guess.” Luckily your dad had taught you a few things about cars so if it was a simple leak you could probably fix it, but you wondered how the liquid had gotten outside.

You got down on the ground flashing a light on the underside of the semi, tilting your head in confusion when you were met with what looked like a robotic head. You knew some people modded their cars out with crazy designs, but your dad never showed you anything like this. And even he would've been excited enough to drag you out here to look at the cool design on the car. You reached out and rubbed your hand across the cheek of the face on the car, the cold metal already helping you cool down against the desert heat. What you didn't expect was for its eyes to open, a groan coming out from it's lips. You screamed and quickly got out from under the vehicle, running towards the tool box to grab a wrench and defend yourself. "Please human! I mean no harm."

You heard the voice coming from you began to shake, your hands trembling in fear. "W-Who are you? What are you doing in my garage?" The semi began to transform, kneeling onto one knee and bending so he could fit inside the garage. "My name is Optimus Prime, I am the leader of a faction known as the Autobots. I have came to protect your planet from Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons."

You held the wrench firm in your hands, glaring at him and trying to keep your hands from trembling anymore. "What are you doing in my garage? Why are you here in my home?" He moved his hand from where it held his side, groaning again. "I'm sorry for intruding human.. I am hurt pretty badly, I was just here to seek refuge and possibly patch myself up. There are few others of my kind on this planet. One of them could fix me up." You lowered the wrench, taking a small step forward to look at his wound. "I-I could give it a shot, as long as you promise not to stir up any trouble in my home." He shook his head, placing his hand tight over his side again. "You know nothing of my anatomy. And I cannot promise your safety while I am here. But I'll keep you as safe as I can until Ratch-" Optimus coughed and some of the blue liquid from earlier fell from his mouth. "Optimus, sir, you're going to die if you don't let me try to help you. And if what you say is true then Megatron will not be able to be stopped by us."

He groaned and sat on the ground, leaning back against the wall. "Fine, but you should be wary Human. I've sent a distress signal to my medic Ratchet. He will be on his way. You can keep me patched up until then." You nodded and grabbed some tools you thought you may need, beginning to work on him. "Thank you human." You looked up at him, still nervous over the fact that an alien robot sat in your garage. "Y/N. You can call me Y/N" He nodded and closed his eyes, continuing to let you try and work on his side.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

‘Can’t live without it’: alarm at Musk’s Starlink dominance in Brazil’s Amazon

Satellite internet service’s antennas are everywhere, from illegal mining sites to isolated Indigenous villages

The helicopter swooped into one of the most inaccessible corners of the Amazon rainforest. Brazilian special forces commandos leaped from its metal skids into the caiman-inhabited waters below.

Their target, lurking in the woodland along Brazil’s Bóia River, was a hulking steelmining dredge, caught red-handed as it drilled into the riverbed, pulverising it in search of gold.

Onboard, troops from the national environmental agency, Ibama, and the federal highway police found tools typical of this illegal industry: three bottles of mercury, 10g of gold and an enormous drill bit used to pulp the riverbed below.

But a more modern contraption also caught their eye: a sleek white receiver made by Elon Musk’s satellite internet firm Starlink, which is at the centre of an intensifying showdown between Brazilian authorities and the US billionaire that last week resulted in his social network X being blocked in South America’s biggest country.

“It’s a satellite internet antenna that provides communications to this whole criminal network,” said a special forces combatant as he showed off the device his unit had seized – one of scores taken from such criminals this year.

“We find it everywhere now. Every mining dredge has at least one of them,” the police officer added of the antenna that was being used to connect the barge and its security cameras with an absentee owner in a city hundreds of miles away.

As recently as two years ago, few in the backlands of the Amazon – where high-speed internet has long been an unthinkable luxury – had heard of Starlink or SpaceX, the rocket company that is Starlink’s parent and has sent more than 6,000 low-orbit satellites into space to beam down signals to secluded spots such as this.

Today, Starlink’s antennas are everywhere: at illegal mining operations, but also in isolated Indigenous villages, jungle lodges and ranches, and even military bases scattered across a vast rainforest region larger than the EU.

Continue reading.

[ukrfeminism]

Witnesses have described a "horrific" scene after a mother and her two girls were doused in their car with a "corrosive substance" in south London.

The family, three responding police officers and two others who tried to help were taken to hospital after the attack in Clapham on Wednesday.

One witness told the BBC the mother cried: "I can't see, I can't see" as he tried to help. "It was quite horrific," he added.

Police are searching for the suspect. 

The Metropolitan Police said emergency services were called to Lessar Avenue, near Clapham Common, at 19:25 GMT on Wednesday evening after reports of an attack with a suspected "corrosive substance".

Tests were ongoing to determine the substance involved, the force added.

As the sun rose over Clapham Common, a white car was wrenched onto a van and removed from the street.

Earlier in the night, police forensic teams in protective gear examined the vehicle, which had stopped diagonally across the tree-lined street.

A couple who live on Lessar Avenue said they ran into the street after hearing a cry for help and then the sound of a car crashing. 

"We came outside and saw this guy and he took a girl out of the car and he slammed her to the ground twice," a man, who did not want to give his name, said.

"I chased him half way down the road, but I was in slippers so didn't get very far. 

"As I came back, that's when I saw the woman who had been attacked ... so I ran inside to get some water and just sprayed her down with water."

He described seeing what looked to be serious burns to her face. 

The witness's partner said she suffered burns to her face, arm and lips after caring for one of the children involved, and was taken to hospital but later discharged.

She was one of eight people taken to hospital - five to a major trauma centre, and three to a local hospital.

A ninth person was discharged at the scene, the London Ambulance Service said.

The Met said three officers suffered what are believed to be minor injuries. The extent of the victims' injuries have not been confirmed by police.

Labour MP for Streatham Bell Ribeiro-Addy told BBC Radio London the incident was "a huge shock to those living around the area".

"We are asking people to come forward if they have any information," she said.

As the search for the attacker began, residents said they heard the whir of helicopters through the night. 

The nature of the attack has left residents distressed. "How can people do this sort of thing?" one neighbour asked. 

London Fire Brigade confirmed two crews from Clapham and Battersea fire stations attended the scene to help provide emergency care to the mother and two children.

"Crews also used specialist equipment to detect a corrosive substance that is believed to have been used in the incident," it said.

[chaos-cousins]

[A video is embedded.

A very short, round, and evil looking old man is surrounded by two police officers, Nascour, Duking, Rui's grandpa, Silva, and a Pikachu.

"Blast you!" The evil old man cries. "Don't you forget what you've done, WES! It won't end this way next time! I will ruin you the next time, I promise you that!"

In the background, you can see a helicopter flying towards the group.

"No!" Rui shouts. "EVICE is trying to escape with that helicopter!"

Evice laughs. "Let us meet again! Our bid to take over the world using SHADOW POKéMON hasnt ended yet!"

Then, all of a sudden, a fireball hits the helicopter, sending it crashing down before Evice can even board it.

Rui gives an unimpressed look at the old man. "Your plan... I think it just ended."

Wes and Ren start laughing so hard they start crying.

"Man! All that fanfare for nothing? That's—that's so lame!" Wes says, wiping away a tear as he starts laughing again.

"What?!" Evice cries.

One of the police officers, Sherles, approaches the evil old man. "EVICE! You're under arrest!"

Ren stops laughing, and starts to get a distant look on his face.

Rui looks around frantically, before looking at the sky in shock. She points at a red bird in the sky. "Hey, look, REN! Wh—what is that?!"

Ren looks up at the sky. "IS THAT A FUCKING HO-OH?!"]

[odinsblog]

8-year-old boy, pregnant mom held at gunpoint by California police over “mistaken” identity

Sacramento police said they thought the third-grader was a suspect. The 8-year-old boy and his pregnant mother were pulled over at gunpoint by multiple Sacramento police officers on their way to football practice.

Shanice Stewart, who is nine months pregnant, and her son Brandon were stopped by police Oct. 17 on the highway, after the officers mistook Brandon for a juvenile with two felony warrants, including one for gun possession, according to Sacramento police.

“I noticed that they had guns drawn and they had instructions for me to then toss my keys out of the window,” Stewart told ABC News. “And open the door with my left hand, proceed to get out and put my hands in the air and then walk towards them. I immediately broke down because I didn't know or understand what was going on.”

Brandon got out of the vehicle afraid that his mother would be arrested or worse, according to Stewart. He screamed and pleaded for her to come back to the car. The 8-year-old, not realizing the officers thought he was the suspect, approached them frantically explaining that his mother was just taking him to football practice and hadn't done anything wrong. It was at that point that Stewart believes the officers realized that Brandon wasn't the suspect.

“I was scared of him getting shot,” Stewart said. “You don't know what to expect, especially when it's multiple officers with their guns drawn towards the car. You just you don't know. But I was definitely in fear of getting shot, me or my son. Just by one of them feeling like they were in danger or they did not feel comfortable.”

The officers released Stewart and Brandon shortly after, according to Stewart. Police told ABC News they first misidentified Brandon through helicopter surveillance, as he and his mother were leaving their home to go to football practice. Brandon matched the description of a suspect because of his hair style and clothing, according to police.

The next day a captain with the Sacramento police told Stewart the suspect they are looking for is a teenager, according to Stewart. Brandon, a third grader, is about 3’10”, 56 pounds.

(continue reading)

[karadin]

While you were sleeping ...

Two plane crashes in two days create the largest amount of fatalities in the US in more than twenty years

In DC a passenger plane collided with a US military helicopter, 67 people were killed.

Trump blamed Diversity and Inclusion polices under Democratic administrations for the accident, and refused to go to the site of the crash as it was 'just water'. However the current hiring practices for air traffic controllers were put in place when Trump was President.

A small private medical plane crashed in Philadelphia, killing all on board and injuring people on the ground.

Elon Musk forced the Head of the FAA out of office, as this individual was prosecuting Musk for accidents involving Musk's company SpaceX

Trump shut down the Aviation Security Advisory Committee last week as well as firing the Transportation Secretary, and put a freeze on all government hires when he was inaugurated, which left the DC tower with only one air traffic controller at the time of the accident instead of two.

Trump plans to put 25% tariffs on our allies Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on China (additional) as of Feb 1,

which is tanking the stock market and guaranteed to raise prices if trade wars begin

The a top Treasury official, having served in a non partisan fashion for 30 years is retiring in protest over Elon Musk seeking access to all federal monies through The Bureau of Fiscal Service

This secure system processes Social Security and Medicare benefits, federal salaries, payments to government contractors, grants, and tax refunds, among it's purview. Only a small number of career officials control Treasury’s payment systems. Experts do not know why Musk would need this level of access.

ELON MUSK LOCKS FEDERAL EMPLOYEES OUT OF THEIR ACCOUNTS

Workers at the Office of Personnel Management, have had their access to department data revoked. They lost access to the Enterprise Human Resources Integration database, which includes the dates of birth, Social Security numbers, appraisals, home addresses, pay grades, and length of service of government workers.

“We have no visibility into what they are doing with the computer and data systems, There is no oversight. It creates real cybersecurity and hacking implications.”

Trump changed the email system so that every single federal worker could be contacted with one email. all 13,000 employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, were flooded with explicit spam emails on Thursday.

The federal gov system email no longer has a basic form of security. Trump admin is now being sued for the lack of privacy for all federal employees

Trump has fired all prosecutors at the DOJ who were linked to investigations of Jan 6th insurrection, despite the fact they were only following the direction of their bosses. The prosecuters might file a class action lawsuit.

Trump fired the Head of the Consumer Protection Agency

which among it's numerous investigations held Wall Street accountable for cheating hard-working families and prevented the de-banking of Americans across the country

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ARE NOT TAKING TRUMP'S FALSE 'BUYOUT' which has led to a begging email from Trump, the President has no authority and no budget to pay employees for not working.

Trump is telling federal employees to remove any pronouns from their email signatures

Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois is blocking any January 6 rioters pardoned by Donald Trump from working for the state, other states may follow suit.

Trump has gutted the National Labor Relations Board and moves to invalidate labor agreements with federal workers

Thousands of agents with the FBI are facing reivews, possible loyalty tests and terminations

ELON MUSK has put his employees into the General Services Administration which controls public buildings, he's taking their proprietary public-paid tech and planning to sell off government real estate.

REMEMBER, THE OFFICE OF DOGE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE 'ADVISORY' NOT LET LOOSE TO CONTROL THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, ONLY CONGRESS CAN SET THE BUDGET AND DIRECT SPENDING, ALL OF THESE ACTIONS ARE ILLEGAL.

SEEYOU IN COURT

[ashleyy-brown]

The Four Daughters of Darkness

ASHLEY

The first thing Ashley notices is that she feels nothing. It all feels numb and she can’t think or feel. The helicopter is silent and she can’t help but notice there are only three people in it. All she does is stare at the ground, unable to move, unable to feel. 

She almost had hope that maybe some of the others had somehow made it out, but that fantasy was long gone now.

When they get to the police station, there are a few parents waiting anxiously. Ashley knows that they are waiting for people who are dead and who are never coming back home. Still, she feels nothing. 

She feels nothing when Mike’s dad comes in demanding to see his son, only for him to get taken into a private room.

She feels nothing when Jess is ushered into the station covered in so much blood and for the first time that night, Ashley watches as Emily Davis cries. 

She feels a pang of something when Mrs Hartley runs in and speaks to an officer, begging to see her son. Still, all she can do is stare when she turns to face her, horror written on the mother's face. 

And suddenly, watching Chris’ mum collapse onto the floor, unable to hold herself up as she cries, Ashley feels everything.

It’s all too real and she suddenly can’t stop crying. She barely registers that someone is hugging her tightly because she can’t see anything. Still, Sam’s arms hold her tightly.

On the way home, Ashley feels nothing and everything and it's all so confusing and she still can’t stop crying. Her mum says nothing, unable to look at her broken daughter, knowing that these scars will never fade. 

Sam comes over a lot, although most of the time they don’t talk. They just heal, together, slowly. 

The funerals are horrible - all closed casket of course. Some didn’t even have bodies to bring home. 

Everything that Ashley used to once love is ruined, scarred by the night she just wishes she could forget. 

She tries to read a novel she was halfway through before she left - some period piece. But then one of the characters gets decapitated and she throws up.

She doesn’t read for a long time after that.

Ashley may have survived - but her soul, her heart, was still on that mountain. And she has a horrible feeling it is never coming back. 

SAM 

To put it simply, Sam is angry. So fucking angry.

Angry at Josh, for causing this whole horrible, nightmarish weekend to happen.

Angry at Mike, for sacrificing his life to save hers.

Hell, she’s even pissed off at Ashley and Emily, because how come they are here when Hannah and Beth aren’t? 

But as soon as she looks at her only two surviving friends, and how broken they are, her anger at them immediately disappears. Because how could she be angry at two girls who look so lost, who have lost just as much as she has?

Because really, she isn’t angry at any of them. She’s only angry at herself. 

Because maybe if she had paid more attention to Josh when he needed it he would have come to her for help instead of inviting everyone here. 

And if she hadn’t moved, then Mike would still be here, in the helicopter with them. 

Sam gets so frustrated during her interview because of course, no one believes her. She is so sick of the pitiful glances and sad smiles they give her as Sam tries to explain what killed all her friends. 

“Poor girl.” she overhears them say. “She’s been through so much, of course she’s making things up. It’s a coping thing.” 

She wants to scream.

Sam’s breath catches in her throat as she watches Jessica enter the room, barely conscious, barely alive, almost not believing what she is seeing.  

And she holds Ashley so tight when she finally breaks down, as if she could protect her from everything that she’s seen

“It’s okay. We’re safe now.” 

The whole night, Sam has felt like the leader. It feels as though she's aged ten years in one night. 

But when Sam’s parents run in, looking for their daughter, Sam feels like a child again. And it’s Sam’s turn to cry because it’s really over and she can go home. 

Home.

And she stays at home for weeks after that, never wanting to leave again. 

But Sam tries to celebrate her small victories. Having a shower. Cooking herself a meal. Walking to the shop on the corner shop by herself. Going to the gym again. 

Little by little, she tries to go back to the closest thing to normal that she can. 

She starts to visit Ashley a lot, because at least she understands. They have both looked death in the eye, both watched the life drain from someone. They’ve both lost their best friend and the one they love now. 

All they have now is each other. 

JESSICA

Jessica is cold, and hurt, and so so confused. 

She has no idea what’s happening when a helicopter comes and picks her up from where she’s barely standing.

But she doesn't want to sit down because it's snowing and she's only in her underwear and she's so cold.

She doesn’t say anything the whole ride back, only one thing keeps repeating in her head.

Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike.

She still remembers his broken screams as he chased after her, how he chased after her without a second thought.

She’s so tired she doesn’t even notice that there are only three people at the police station instead of 8.

They ask her questions at the station, things she can’t understand.

“Where is he? Did he make it?”

The glances the police give each other tell her everything she needs to know.

And suddenly she can't breathe or see anything.

She feels herself getting dragged out of the room before she passes out completely.

When she wakes back up, she’s in a hospital, with drips coming out of her arms. 

And she sees at the end of her bed her dad holding her mom who is silently crying and… Emily?

She tries to speak but the only sound that comes out is a hoarse cough.

And the sudden feeling of Emily Davis actually giving her a hug is the first time that Jess allows herself to feel safe.

The first thing Jess does when she gets home is cry. Just full, guttural sobs that hurt so much because so much of her is broken.

Because she’s only just looked at herself in the mirror and all she can see is scars

And suddenly her future, her dreams are crumbling in front of her.

It takes her almost a year to uncover her mirrors again.

Jess never fully learns to love, or hell, even like her body again, but in the end she feels a sense of pride surrounding it.

It shows her that she survived, and if she can survive that, then she is fairly sure she could survive anything.

EMILY

Emily refuses to believe what she has just witnessed.

She refuses to believe that Ashley really saw Chris die, because how could that stupid, sweet oaf die right in front of her? 

She refuses to believe that Mike, who pointed a gun right at her head only hours before, was left in that pile of ash that was once that haunted lodge.

How dare he die before she got to slap his stupid, perfect little face for trying to kill her? 

She, stupidly, had hope that if anyone would have gotten out, it would be Matt.

Matt, who died somewhere in those horrifying caves, died trying to save her.

Stupid, brave Matt. A debt that she will never be able to repay. 

Jessica being alive, however, was something she had not even let herself consider. 

Mike was so certain that she was dead and Emily hadn’t even given herself a chance to mourn her best friend before she saw being dragged into the station, barely moving. 

Watching her in the hospital, with so many tubes coming out of her body, Emily isn’t even sure why she was so mad at Jess to begin with.

How could she have let something as stupid as boys get in between their friendship?

Emily knew more than ever before that life was too short and cruel to hold a grudge. Not with Jess. 

The first thing Emily does when she gets home is burn her suitcase. She wants no reminders of the hell she went through. 

The clothes she was once so proud to own and flaunt are a pile of ash in her backyard. She can’t bring herself to give a single fuck. 

She kicks some dirt in the disintegrated pile before she thinks of Mike, who faced a similar fate. 

She’s not sure if she wants to kick it even more or somehow put it all back together. 

She blocks Ashley on almost everything she can think of. She is quite happy if she never has to see her face ever again.

It takes Sam gently explaining how Ashley is healing before Emily lets herself forgive her. She was just a girl as well, after all.

No time for grudges. Not with the ones who suddenly understand her more than anyone. 

No one expects Emily to be the one to reach out to all of them at the same time, least of all her. 

They were in this together, whether they liked it or not. The four daughters of darkness. 

[thatstormygeek]

Every single Olympic Games since 1960 has gone over budget. The estimated budget for the L.A. Olympics has already increased at least twice. There is no enforcement against the International Olympic Committee [IOC] going over budget, and the public is on the hook every single time. And spending will continue to increase as the environment gets worse, as civil unrest continues in the U.S. and across the world. Every major metropolis has intractable issues that won’t be solved with the coming of an Olympics. And host cities have the same playbook of hosting this party for the global elite: gentrify, clean out space for the Olympic Village, spectators, and events, and worry about everything after. Citations and increased jailing of unhoused people are part and parcel of the project. In Atlanta in 1996 and in L.A. in 1984, cops had blank citations of "African-American” and “homeless" to lock up people just to get them off the street. In Brazil, homes in the favelas were completely razed. In London, rents doubled.  More people go to jail, and police are militarized in order to secure that. These are called “national special security events,” which means police departments get direct aid and cooperate with national agencies like ICE, the U.S. military, border patrol, and the DEA. ... We can trace a lot of L.A.’s problems back to the 1984 Olympics. There’s a direct line between Rodney King and the 1992 uprisings and the 1984 Games. Police chief Daryl Gates proudly said [the Games] would be the event to make the LAPD what we know it as today – the helicopters, the size and scope and spending, the militarization. They will clean up, at any expense, for weeks of this party to look as nice as possible, no matter how many years the aftershock is felt. ... Black, brown, and poor communities are relying on the economies created by tourism here. But every host city’s tourism has gone down because these cities are not equipped to handle these events. 

We want to cancel the games. This Olympics was approved by 15 city council people, most of whom are no longer in office. Multiple of them have been federally indicted for pay-to-play bribery. The mayor who ushered in the bid, Eric Garcetti, is already gone. And by 2028, zero of them will be in office. The 1984 Olympics are largely considered a triumph because they were famously the games that turned a profit. But that profit created something called the LA84 Foundation, which today is increasing the displacement, privatization, and destruction of public space. The LA84 Foundation is heavily invested in Blackstone, the largest landlord in the country. Their forward facing mission is getting kids into youth sports, but an audit showed that about 3 percent of that money was spent on youth sports.  ... Our primary job is to show people that this is an effort of the global investing class; to familiarize people with the means, mechanisms, people, and modes of power that they accomplish this by; and to then bring this fight to people. Our job is to show people that this thing seemingly written in stone by the word of Zeus is actually very flimsy and fake. ... There are so many ways to honor and appreciate these sports. But it would start with removing the authority of these institutions which are historically abusive and obsessed with profit. And I refuse to believe that the only way to allow these sports to flourish is to displace people every two, four years. ... If the Olympics was truly this magical thing that goes from city to city creating all these benefits and making the world a more joyous place, why don’t cities want this? There was a referendum as early as Denver in 1972 and as recently as in Calgary in 2018. When this actually gets up to people, they don't really want it.

[beardedmrbean]

Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Bangladesh's embattled prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, resigned Monday and fled the country after protesters stormed her official residence in the capital amid a growing revolt that began over quotas for government jobs in which hundreds of mostly protesters have died.

The announcement from the head of the army, Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman, came after security forces were overwhelmed by thousands of people incensed by a violent government crackdown descending on the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area of Dhaka, setting cars and offices ablaze.

Footage circulating online shows protesters celebrating inside Hasina's residence, removing furniture and elsewhere in the city trying to tear down a statue of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, former prime minister and leader of the country's independence movement, who was assassinated in 1975.

Promising the formation of an interim government, Zaman pleaded with demonstrators to call off their protests.

"Whatever demands you have, we will fulfil and bring back peace to the nation, please help us in this, stay away from violence," said Zaman who promised the military would also back off.

"The military will not fire at anyone, the police will not fire at anyone, I have given orders."

Hasina arrived by helicopter in India at a military airbase 17 miles east of Delhi on Monday evening with the BBC reporting that she may be en route to London, citing unconfirmed reports.

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday that he wanted to see urgent action to "ensure democracy" won out -- but made no mention of Hasina coming to Britain or any discussions regarding where she might go into exile.

"The right to peaceful protest must be protected and never subjected to violence, and we call on the authorities to release all peaceful protesters and ensure due process is followed for those charged and prosecuted," he added.

"I hope that swift action is taken to ensure that democracy prevails and accelerate the process towards peace and security to people in Bangladesh."

Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, said she had been considering resigning for the past 24 hours and had left the country for her own safety at the insistence of her family.

He rejected the accusations leveled at the 76-year-old of outstaying her welcome after four terms totaling more than two decades during which she gradually morphed from the democratic icon catapulted into office in a people power uprising into an authoritarian leader amid crackdowns on dissent and allegations of graft.

"She has turned Bangladesh around. When she took over power it was considered a failing state. It was a poor country. Until today it was considered one of the rising tigers of Asia. She's very disappointed."

In Dhaka, demonstrators ignored an evening curfew as unrest and looting continued into the night with demonstrators breaching the gates and damaging the residence of Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan in the Dhanmondi area of the capital where smoke was seen coming from the building.

Protesters torched the city's Mujibur museum.

Northeast of Dhaka, 150 miles away in Sylhet, the offices of the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police and the homes of several councilors were attacked.

Hasina's resignation came a day after more than 90 people were killed Sunday during clashes between anti-government protesters and police -- 13 of whom were among those killed after thousands of people attacked a police station in the northwestern district of Sirajganj.

Sunday's casualties brought the death toll to 280 since early July when student protests over the partial reinstatement by the courts of civil service recruitment quotas -- where sought-after government jobs were reserved for supporters of Hasina's ruling Awami League -- erupted into wider, and violent, anti-government unrest.

Government crackdown efforts escalated from tear gas and rubber bullets to live fire, curfews and Internet blackouts bringing hundreds of thousands more people onto the streets demanding change and ultimately Hasina's resignation.

Student organizers had called Sunday for a national non-cooperation government boycott under which people would refuse to pay taxes and utility bills.

[quanticowrites]

This is a fine mess we're in Pt. 2 (Henry Standing Bear x Reader)

•• I hope there's at least one person out there enjoying this story! Find Part one here! Thanks! ••

He turned off all the lights in the bar, except for a rotating Rainier Beer sign, leaving the place just lit enough for the three of you to see. If you tried looking in through the windows though…you’d have no luck. Henry installed Rain Glass windows to keep the atmosphere of the bar quiet. Especially if a brawl broke out outside. That way it wasn’t his problem. When the sun hit the windows just right it made such a beautiful pattern across the dining area.

“Justin, come out with your hands up.” Walt’s voice boomed. The Absaroka County Sheriff didn’t get to use that MegaPhone of his much. You supposed that was a good thing. “If you come out right now I can talk with the DA about taking the death penalty off the table.” The phone started to ring. “That’s me. Pick it up and we’ll talk.”

“Sheriff Longmire,” Justin put the receiver to his ear. “A pleasure. Let me tell you how this is going to work.” He pulled up a bar stool and made himself comfortable. “First, you’re gonna get me an ambulance to the hospital. No replacing EMTs with any police officers. After that, you get me a helicopter to fly out of there, and maybe I won’t kill these two.” He chuckled. “Unlike that security guard at the bank. You know he got a round-off on me?” He took a deep breath. “Hurts like you wouldn’t believe.” Walt could believe it. He’d been shot before, more than once. “You go ahead and work on that then.” He put the phone down. “Let’s see if he makes me kill you two or not.”

Justin smirked before looking over. His eyes met yours and you felt a pit in your stomach. You found yourself leaning into Henry’s side more. “How about we have a little fun, sweetheart? I won’t be as rough as usual.” He rounded the bar and Henry jumped up, stepping forward and putting himself between you and Justin.

“You touch her, you will die where you stand.” Justin blinked, surprised by Henry’s outburst. Then he smiled again.

“Ah, she must be your honey, huh? Well, you’ll find it, Mister, that I do what I want.” He went to brush past Henry, but Henry wasn’t going to let that happen. He gave him a sucker punch right to his bullet wound. The noise that came from him didn’t sound human as he stepped back but managed to stay on his feet. The gun dropped from his hand. Henry went for another punch and was able to force him back against a table, sending chairs you’d put up earlier to the ground at their feet. Justin tripped backward on a chair and landed hard on his shoulder. Your eyes went for the gun and back to Justin. He started to try and stand while you found yourself rising to your feet and heading for the gun. He saw what you were doing and dove for the gun too, both your hands wrapping around either end of it. You didn’t know what to do as you and he started to fight for it, hands going over hands, not paying attention to where it was pointed, or if anyone’s finger was on the trigger-

BAM!

It was like lightning had struck your hand as you screamed, dropping the gun and pulling your hand back from where it had been around the barrel. You hissed at the pain before reeling back.

“(Y/n)!” Henry sounded like he was almost a mile away with how fast your blood was roaring through your ears. “(Y/n)!” You jump as you get turned around. Henry looked you up and down. “Were you shot? Does it hurt anywhere?” You tried to take a deep breath so you could answer him, but your lungs wouldn’t cooperate. They felt heavy and it was as if they’d sunk deeper into your chest. You brought up your hand and he sighed, leaning back on his knees. He looked behind you and you went to turn before he grabbed your wrist and kept your gaze forward. “He is dead. You do not need to see that.”

“I’ve got some burn cream back at the station if you and (Y/n) are up for a ride.” You jumped again. When had Walt gotten in here? Was it when you were fighting for the gun? Henry looked back at you.

“Are you up for that?” You flexed your hand and hissed before attempting another deep breath. This time, your body cooperated.

“Yeah.” You stated, and you could see Henry’s shoulders physically relax.

He stood up and offered you his hand. He smiled and you felt the blush return to your face.

“This is a fine mess we are in.” There was no doubt about that.

Tag list:

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@stanathanxoox , @nikkiwierden , @malindacath , @havlindzk , @countrygal17a , @memyselfandmaddox , @octobersmog , @mizzezm , @diaryofafan17 , @emmitheacefangirl , @a-sad-excuse-of-everything , @marennnx

[actualadvocacybruh]

The Ukrainians continue to be funny in the midst of a war ….

During their special military operation into the Kursk Oblast they are using local stores and gas stations for topping up on supplies and then leaving ONLINE REVIEWS

So you got some Ukrainian tankers buying gas, food and then leaving a positive review on yelp for your shop

We are also seeing them maintain discipline and not abusing civilians or targeting civilian structures so contrary to Russian and Israeli belief you can actually fight a war without doing a genocide against local populations (who knew that was an option)

Plenty of third party footage of relief supplies being sent out to locals in need

Thousands of conscripts have been captured abandoned by their officers with orders to “fight to the last man” allegedly … proving that the fascists don’t even care about their own soldiers enough to evac them with the officers and police forces

We have confirmed capture of at least TWO T90 tanks as well as shoot downs of even more helicopters

Haven’t seen this level of incompetence since the first days of the war

[warningsine]

After 15 years in power, Bangladesh’s prime minister has suddenly resigned and fled the country. Sheikh Hasina’s departure came after weeks of student-led protests were met with deadly force, and has been greeted with jubilation on the streets of the capital, Dhaka.

What led to this?

Students protested for fairer access to government jobs and were met with violence, including the killing of nearly 300 people, sparking a broader movement for justice that has forced Hasina to step down.

The students had originally demanded the removal of a quota system that reserved 30% of government jobs for the families of people who fought for independence from Pakistan in 1971. But the government’s harsh response to the protests since mid-July meant they continued even after the supreme court largely met their demands on quotas two weeks ago.

The internet was entirely cut off during the worst of the violence but images that emerged showed police and members of the ruling Awami League party’s student wing attacking protesters with live fire and machetes and running them over with vehicles. People in Dhaka have described nonstop night-time raids, which have led to 11,000 people being arrested.

The raids continued overnight before a mass protest that had been called for Monday – but then came the surprise announcement that Hasina had fled the country by helicopter.

Who is Sheikh Hasina?

The 76-year-old was the longest-serving female prime minister in the world, having been in power since 2009 and before that from 1996 to 2001.

She led the party founded by her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, widely considered Bangladesh’s founding father, closely tying the party’s legitimacy to his legacy. In 1975 Hasina survived the assassination of her father and their whole family in a coup by army officers only because she and her sister were in Europe at the time. Shortly afterwards she became the party’s leader.

Her most recent term delivered strides forward in development and economic growth, especially in the garment sector, but many have felt the benefits are mostly concentrated on Dhaka and an extremely rich elite.

Her rule has also been characterised by growing levels of authoritarianism. Much of the opposition, especially the Bangladeshi Nationalist party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, have been attacked and arrested. Extrajudicial killings have been widespread and journalists have said they feared doing the most basic reporting in case it was deemed to reflect badly on the government.

Elections under Hasina have had claims of election fraud and the most recent, in January, was boycotted by the opposition.

How is Bangladesh’s independence still relevant to politics today?

Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan was won in 1971 after a bitter nine-month war during which Bangladesh claims 3 million people were killed and hundreds of thousands of women raped.

The country’s violent birth still plays a divisive role in Bangladesh’s politics, and Hasina and the Awami League have projected themselves as the protectors of the independence legacy.

There has long been a bitter and often violent divide between the Awami League and the main opposition BNP, whose leader, Khaleda Zia, was married to Ziaur Rahman, the party’s founder and the president after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated in 1975. Ziaur Rahman’s supporters have argued that it was in fact him, then an army officer who revolted against the Pakistani forces, who first declared independence and not Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Hasina has also often used the collaboration of some groups with the Pakistani military to denounce her opponents. During the current protests she angered the students by saying those on the streets were razakars – a term referring to a Bengali militia that supported the Pakistani army.

What happens next?

The military has announced it has taken control and will be forming an interim government until elections can be held. Many are hoping the country will not fall into the same patterns as before. The Awami League and BNP have tussled for power since the 1990s, when democracy was restored after a period of military rule, but the role of students in the recent protests has raised hopes of an alternative to break the cycle.

The military chief, Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman, has called on protesters to return to their homes and promised an investigation into the killings.

A helicopter reportedly took Hasina from Dhaka to India and she is expected to seek asylum abroad.