#I begged them to get vaccinated weeks ago

[moongreenlight]

I love your work about the 141 gossiping about Ghost, love the concept of him having a “secret wife”.

Please please please write more with “secret wife y/n”, I beg of you. 🙏🏻

ANYTHING FOR YOU, ANON. <3 Ghost and secretwife!reader are my sweet babies I love them so much.

Tw: blond Simon & smiling Simon. Read at your own risk.

If there’s one thing Gaz knows how to do, it’s shut the fuck up. And if there was ever a time to employ that skill, it was now. Now after he’d been frozen watching the two of you reunite after a close call. After he’d discovered your dirty little secret. Suddenly feeling like Icarus after flying too close to the sun. Hurtling back down to earth. He was certain that when he moved there would be a crater under his feet where his stomach dropped.

He’d gone so green that another nurse came up and gently tugged on his arm to see if he was alright. He snapped his jaw shut, nodding and mumbling something that didn’t sound anywhere near reassuring. But he forced himself to leave the medbay. Left the two of you behind the curtain, where in his final glance back he saw that your feet were still neatly on top of Ghost’s big boots. Pushed up on your toes to be able to wrap your arms around his shoulders.

He made some excuse not to meet with you that evening. Could barely look you in the eye when you caught him in the hall, looking significantly more cheery than you had been that morning. You pried, asking if he was alright, feeling his forehead with the back of your hand, but he claimed the stress of their mission had just hit him and he really needed to sleep.

It took him weeks to get over the initial shock. Couldn’t stand next to Ghost during conditioning. Made a point of sitting catty-corner to him during meetings and in transit so he had the least chances of accidentally catching his eye. Feeling like he’d deeply bastardized the idea of ‘Ghost.’ Blurred the lines between the man Gaz knew and the man he was in private.

He tried to reason with himself. Keep it fresh in his mind that he’d seen the signs, just hadn’t been able to fully connect the dots by himself. And it was an accident. He’d never intentionally pry into either of your personal lives like that. It wasn’t in his character. There was nothing innately wrong with the two of you hiding a marriage. Probably would have been an HR nightmare. Gotten both of you re-stationed. He was certain you both had a good reason to hide it. And there was no better person to find out than him. He’d actually be able to keep it a secret. Soap would immediately run his mouth. Get on the intercoms and scream the news as loud as he could. Price would pull the both of you aside and try to have some heart-to-heart. Not that it wouldn’t have been nice, it just would have felt too forced. Wouldn’t have served any real purpose.

So eventually he gets over it. Never pressed you about your marriage again, and you never seemed too keen on following up his request from months ago. The dust settles in his mind. He shelves the information like an old book. Life goes on.

And then the weather turns. Starts getting colder. The first few weeks of cold after summer where the wind stings a little more. Finds it’s way through jackets and uniforms a little more artfully. Soldiers are catching ill and passing it around like it’s a competition of who can infect the entire base. The medbay is busy, but a different kind of busy than summer when it’s an optimal time to see missions through.

The medics are tasked with rounding up all the soldiers on base and issuing flu vaccines to hopefully prevent further spread. You trudge to Price’s office in the early morning. He notices you look a little pale. The rims of your eyes and tip of your nose are blotchy. A gentle shade of pink that he assumes is from the weather or the cold you were bound to catch. You chat for a bit, catch up because you haven’t had the opportunity for a few weeks. Let him know that he and the boys need to make their way to the bay for their shots at some point.

You feel a little woozy. Pressing into his doorframe for support, white-knuckling it to keep yourself from swaying in your spot. He looks a little concerned. Asks if you need to take a few days away to recoup. You wave him off, tell him it’s nothing you can’t handle, but he insists on walking you back to medbay. And he’s glad he did because on the short walk back you find yourself having to duck into a dark meeting room so you can vomit into a trash can.

He keeps a steadying arm wrapped around your waist when you stumble back out into the hall. Shaking his head when you profusely apologize. Slowing his normally long strides so you were comfortable. Gently lets you down on your own cot and instructs you to stay where you are while he goes to find a few other doctors that can delegate your work for the day between them so you can have the day off.

He sends you home despite your protest. You’d already gotten your color back. Claimed you must’ve had something off to eat. He wasn’t having it. Said he wouldn’t have his best doctor spreading sick because she’s too stubborn to get off her feet for a few hours. He’s a bit more stern than usual because he knows you won’t listen otherwise, but he brings you a ginger ale and sits next to your bed until you’ve finished it.

Later that day, when he and the boys finally get around to the bay for vaccines, he notices the way Ghost’s eyes dart around like he was looking for something. His shoulders tensing when he sees your station empty, and moments after he’s taken his shot, Price sees that he’s slunk off to a corner to make a phone call.

He doesn’t think much of it. He’s been trying to give Ghost some space. So he just shrugs it off. Let’s him finish up whatever he’s doing before they get back to work.

The boys have gotten in the habit of taking a week off as the snow melts. Just before Spring brings rain and the soft buds of new leaves on the trees. Unofficial tradition proposed early on to have a few more days rest before things inevitably picked up again. Usually gave the boys time to kick off to visit family or get some well needed time away from base. Get in a well needed break because God knew they wouldn’t be able to for the foreseeable future.

Soap finds himself a little North of Manchester in his time off. Went out to see his godparents in Bolton for a couple days before getting back up to Iverness to see his parents. Meandering through a supermarket to pick up a bottle of wine for his godmother and a bottle of bourbon for himself. Could have sworn he saw Simon turning a corner at the end of the aisle. Chalked it up to a trick of the light. Seeing things after months of close quarters with his L.T.

But then he saw the man again. Stood in line at the butcher’s counter. No mask, but the same crooked nose and cropped blond hair. Same scar hooking his jaw. Swapped out his uniform and gear for a thick leather jacket, white shirt, and a pair of jeans. Would have been unrecognizable if Johnny didn’t know him so well.

He was about to head over to say hello. Make some wise crack about Ghost missing him too much, but he was stilled for a moment when a woman approached Simon. Pushed her cart up next to him and nudged his side with her hip. Prompted him to give her a small smile- the only smile Soap had ever seen Simon grace anyone with. No teeth, just a curve of his lips, but it changed his face completely.

Ghost said something to the woman. She reached up to fuss with the collar of his jacket. Johnny saw her shoulders shake slightly and heard the quiet tinkling sound of her laughter. Completely shell shocked. So imagine his surprise when the woman turned away from Ghost and it was you. Only you looked wildly different. He knew your face well enough, but after almost six months not going to the medbay on a weekly basis, something had changed.

Even wearing an oversized sweatshirt he could see the way it pulled taught against your swollen belly. Saw the way your arm was cradling it like second nature. He didn’t even realize that the bottle of wine had slipped from his fingers until he watched Simon’s head snap toward the sound. Ears perked. Tense like he’d suddenly flashed onto the battlefield. His eyes went wild for a moment as he scanned the busy aisle, calmed only a degree when he found you.

It’s like that Spider-Man meme where the three of them meet and point at each other. Johnny’s smiling sheepishly (for once), your jaw is dropped in surprise, and Simon is glaring daggers at Johnny like somehow it was his fault that you were all in the same place at once. You’re the first one to move. Rushing up to him as quickly as you could- now moving a bit awkwardly with the disproportionate weight of your pregnancy on your front. Asking if he was alright. Grabbing his hands to make sure the glass hadn’t cut him.

Simon tailed you like a hulking shadow. Glowering down at Soap something fucking ferocious. Didn’t even give him time to tell you he was fine. Pulling you back behind his arm by the wrists with a kind of gentleness Johnny had never known the L.T. to possess. You twisted your face in displeasure, batting his hands away and stepping back out from behind the wall that was your husband. Ignoring the wine and the soft crunch of glass under your shoes.

And to Soap’s absolute bafflement, Simon stood down. Didn’t try to yank you back, didn’t voice his protest, just drew his mouth into a hard line and let you push past him. He was speechless. For what well may have been the first time in his life, John MacTavish had no words. Couldn’t apologize for the mess. Couldn’t crack a joke. Couldn’t even say hello. He was pure dead at a loss.

Somehow, he allowed you to guide him away from the mess he’d made- staining the waxed tile a muted crimson even after the disgruntled looking employee came over to mop it up. Found his voice in your tugging him along after you and Simon to the checkout where you insisted you’d pay for the bottle of bourbon he’d managed not to send careening to the ground. Tried to tell you no, but you’d already sent it down the belt. And by the time you’d rooted through your purse in search of your card, Simon had already finished paying and was tucking his wallet into his back pocket.

Shuffled out with the two of you into the car park. Making a point of putting distance between himself and Simon who was pushing the cart with one hand and had the other planted firmly on the small of your back. Always walking on the side of oncoming traffic.

Johnny tried to keep up with your conversation. Asking him about his break. Where he was staying and for how long. How had he been. But it was tense. He could feel Ghost’s eyes on the back of his head. Burning through him. Making him feel like he had a target tacked to his skull.

He said a quick goodbye when Ghost helped you into the passenger seat of your car. You said you’d see him soon enough, said if he had any extra time before they went back he’d have to come by for dinner. Simon closed the door before you could say anything else. Looking monumentally irked.

The two men stood in suffocating silence while Simon unloaded the groceries into the trunk. Johnny tried to ignore the glinting of the silver band on the L.T’s finger. Caught the light every time he set a new bag in the back. A little unsure if he was being dismissed or if Ghost was just waiting until he was certain you wouldn’t hear the lashing he was bound to receive.

But it all stayed relatively calm. Maybe the eye of the hurricane. Simon pushed the bottle of bourbon into his chest before swinging the trunk shut.

“Appreciate if you’d keep this between us.”

Ghost spoke first, the words sounding a bit sticky in his throat- like they didn’t want to come out.

“‘Course.”

Johnny’s voice wasn’t much better. Both of them shifted on their feet. Not use to this kind of conversation. Uncomfortable being pushed from their usual dynamic.

Simon just nodded, moving to push the cart back to the corral. Johnny followed.

“How long you been keepin’ this in?”

“Which bit.”

His response was flat.

“Dinnae, L.T. Seems yer a man o’ mystery these days.”

Soap prodded, unable to help himself. A smile crept into his voice.

“Don’t push it.”

Simon bit back.

“Bonnie thing for a brute like you.”

“Johnny.”

“Looks ready’ta pop.”

A harsh sigh from Ghost. He reached into his jacket pocket like he was going for a cigarette. Tightening his jaw when his hand showed back up empty. He hummed his agreement.

“Few months.”

They’d reached Johnny’s car by this point. Just a few rows over in the car park. Stood by his driver’s side door shuffling their feet once more.

“Ken it’ll turn out like you?”

He couldn’t help but ask. Never pictured Ghost the fatherly type, but the idea was growing on him now that it’d been planted in his mind.

“Hope not.”

Simon gruffed back. Johnny snorted.

“Boy o’ girl?”

This earned him a nasty look, but he figured he was in deep enough as it was. No harm in asking.

“Girls.”

#this had me giiiiiiiiiggling and kicking my feet anon thank you #self indulgent dad!simon fluff #picturing him with twin baby girls I’m tearing my hair out holy shit #cod mw2 #call of duty #cod x reader #141 headcanons #moongreenlight #moongreenlightwrites #ghost cod #simon ghost riley #simon riley #ghost mw2 #simon ghost riley x you #simon riley x you #simon ghost x reader #simon riley x reader #ghost x reader #secret wife

[ale-wosofan]

17 with cloé lacasse

puppy

Cloé Lacasse x R

R begs Cloé for a puppy but she refuses. R brings one home anyways.

warnings: none!

a/n: I think this story is the one I’ve enjoyed writing the most so far. Please, send more of this🥺 Hope everyone likes it as much as I do!

-----

You’ve screwed up, you’re very much aware of it. But you couldn’t help yourself. It was so simple, so easy to do.

And Cloé is going to break up with you when she finds out. Maybe breaking up with you is an exaggeration, but she will be mad, really mad. It’s not like it was completely your fault, you were persuaded into doing it, tricked by pleading eyes. You’ve also been feeling lonely lately, with your girlfriend constantly busy with all the games and training, so you kind of knew something like this would happen eventually.

It gets worse when she’s away for international break, an ocean from you, and you have no one to keep you company. So, really, this happening makes perfect sense.

“My girlfriend is going to kill me, did you know that?” you ask the golden retriever puppy sitting in the passenger seat “Maybe you and I should move to Alaska, that way she can’t find us.”

He looks at you and tilts his head, letting out a soft bark in response.

Shaking your head, you recall the conversation the two of you had a couple weeks ago.

-----

“Cloé...” you start.

“No. Whatever it is, no”

You huff in annoyance “I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“Yeah, honey, but I know that face and you’re about to ask for something that you know I won’t like.”

Climbing in her lap, you give your girlfriend a sheepish smile.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about”

“Sure,” she says rolling her eyes.

Taking Cloé’s hands and placing them on your waist, you tilt her head a little bit and start leaving kisses around her face.

“I’ve been thinking. You know how I used to have a dog when I was a kid?” your continue trailing kisses down her neck and hear your girlfriend hum when you hit a particularly sensitive spot “Well, I thought we could adopt a puppy.”

“What?” Cloé asks pushing you off herself “Absolutely not. Nope. Not happening.”

“But, love-” you whine.

“No buts.”

“Baby, please,” you try again, pouting “Just hear me out.”

“Oh, I have heard you loud and clear” she answers leaving a kiss on your forehead “And we’re not getting a dog.”

Cloé gets up from the couch and walk into the kitchen, you quick to follow after her with the intention of continuing your conversation.

“Why not?”

“A dog takes a lot of responsibility. You have to feed it, take it out on a walk a few times a day, you also need to train it. And don’t even get me started on vaccines and the vet,” she lists “It’s just a lot, and you know it.”

You frown “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of a dog.”

“You can barely take care of yourself” you open your mouth to protest –even though you know she’s right– but your girlfriend stops you “Honey, we’re not getting a dog and that’s it. And I don’t want to have this conversation again, so don’t even try.”

Cloé walks up to you and pecks your lips multiple times, trying to kiss your pout away. It works and, in just a few minutes, you’re smiling again.

-----

Opening the door to your apartment, you beg the universe that your girlfriend hasn’t arrived home just yet. However, never being a lucky one, you hear rustling and soft footsteps walking towards the entrance.

“Hi, baby,” Cloé greets you with a smile once she’s in front of you.

“Hi.”

Your girlfriend frowns a little bit when you make no move to kiss or hug her.

“What do you have there?” she asks pointing behind your back, where the puppy you have just adopted is starting to get restless in your arms.

“Okay, don’t get mad please,” you beg.

Cloé looks at you suspiciously “Honey, what did you do?”

“Promise me you won’t get mad.”

“I’m not promising you that,” your girlfriend scoffs “You look extremely guilty, so I don’t trust you right now, not a little bit.”

You open your mouth to answer, but you’re quickly interrupted by the sound of a bark behind your back, just where your hands are hidden.

Cloé’s jaw drops in shock “You did not!”

“Surprise?” you ask putting the puppy right in from of her face.

He squirms a little bit in your hands and licks you girlfriend right in the nose.

“Honey! We said no dogs!”

“No,” you resort placing the puppy in her arms and pointing at her “You said no dogs, I didn’t say anything. You didn’t even let me say anything!”

“Are you serious right now?” she asks frowning at you, but you see her beginning to pet the puppy.

Taking the dog from her, you place him in the floor in front of you.

“Come on, you can explore the house now. And you,” you say to your girlfriend “are going to listen to me before you say anything else. A co-worker of mine has a dog and she just had puppies. He needed to find people who would adopt them, and decided to show us some pictures to see if anyone would be interested. And I really wanted to say ‘no’ but, love, I work from home most days and I spend the mornings alone; whenever you leave for international break I stay here all by myself. It gets lonely, and I just wanted someone to keep me company. But if you really don’t want the puppy I’ll make sure to find him a home.”

Your girlfriend lets out a sigh.

“I love you, you know that?”

“I mean, considering you tell me all the time, I’d say I do.”

“Smartass” she mumbles “Well, I love you. I love that stupid big heart of yours and how you have a smile that could convince me to do basically anything.”

“Does that mean we can keep it?” you ask looking at her excitedly.

Cloé rolls her eyes “Yes. But, you have to promise to take good care of him and train him. I don’t want him causing any trouble.”

“Whatever you say, love.”

#woso x reader #woso fanfics #woso imagine #woso community #woso #woso blurbs #woso couples #woso fluff #cloe lacasse #cloe lacasse x reader #cloe lacasse fluff #arsenal women #arsenal women x reader #arsenal x reader

[ufoend]

∆ please help us

we can not afford any of our basic needs

i usually try to keep this as light as possible, but i have put this off for long enough that i have to post this. me and my partner desperately need help. we are just two gay people trying to make it alone here with absolutely no support system. *remaking because the first post died

who we are: im j (or jet), im 24 year old trans guy whose had this account since 2014. i married my partner in 2018, we even met on tumblr when we were younger, we've been together for years. my partner is disabled (diagnosed with autism and seizure disorder and others)

what we need: basic needs, help with vet care, dental emergency assistance and general support. our cat had an emergency surgery two years ago that means he needs to be on a prescription diet (hills urinary food) for his entire life. the vet suddenly said we need to bring him in again to get his prescription renewed and we cant order any more food for him until then, which he will not survive without, and he is not allowed to eat any alternative food without risking his life. we have less than half of a 8 lb bag of it which will not last him through the next month. with the vet, food, and ubers to get to the vet and to the only place they sell the food = 200

to try to summarize our situation, we were kicked out by family and made officially homeless for the first time last year. this is right after we moved across states (wa to az) to support my partners family upon their request, only to be subjected to abuse and kicked out directly due to homophobia in an unfamiliar state after a few months. this left both of us and all of our animals entirely homeless. we luckily have an apartment now but our situation isnt stable. we lost all of our belongings at this time, everything we had built, and have not been able to replace them as we have very fixed income. my partner is especially affected by this situation, as it was traumatizing, and they have just had to power through trauma after trauma because of poverty, more than i can say.

i also have severe and painful dental problems that are not covered by medicaid in az and i have no way to afford. this includes wisdom teeth, root canals, and many cavities that will turn into that crazy expensive treatment if i don't fix it. some may remember my post about this (+this) showing the work i need. i cant keep ignoring it, because they are worried about two of the cavities becoming root canals, and i want to prevent another infection, but thats at least 250 each i also lost a cap and need to replace it to save the tooth, but that's at least 600.

we are still not going to be able to afford rent in future months because our EBT was delayed last month and i had to spend money we don't have, and without student loan forgiveness, my partner will not have loans anymore so we are in serious jeopardy even affording rent, let alone bills. our pets (2 cats 1 small dog) also desperately need vaccinations, which is dangerous to keep going this overdue without with their health problems. our dog has also been limping for the past week and he needs to be seen when that is ever possible, at least 65 plus ubers.

any donations would go first to the vet appointment and cat food, then the other needs in order of priority. will keep updating this, i know its a lot and i really don't expect anything as i know it's well over 1000 for it all, i am begging for help with any of this.

we are both students, we are trying to work towards stability, while being stuck here. i do everything i can to bring in money to support us on my own. we make 200 less than rent is monthly. i am in school to become a caseworker so i am aware of a lot of resources in my area, and have applied for everything, but we can not do this alone which is why i have to ask for help. i am so sorry for having to do this but i appreciate any support that i do have because of this website. you guys literally save my life. helping out other poor people and getting helped out on here has been the most compassion ive ever been a part of. dollars, even pennies, worth of donations has kept my cat safe, has affected me in real ways. it actually matters to us, no matter the amount.

thank you anyone who reblogs, donates anything at all, or reaches out

*

p*ypal email (best): [email protected]

v*nmo: @tobler707

c*shapp: $tobler707

#signal boost #please boost #please reblog #reposting because this died out #im so sorry

[anyroads]

This collection of articles on Long Covid popped up in my browser this morning. Please read at least one of them.

I don't even know where to start putting all the frustration and anxiety caused by knowing how much vulnerable people and disability rights activists begged everyone not to forget them when Covid protections started getting rolled back. Everyone wanted to get back to normal and didn't care who got left behind. And now people are still getting left behind because most people don't want to observe basic safety measures that would take so little effort (masking in public places like supermarkets and public transit! vaccine availability! I'll pay! just let me have one every six months!). Which means people are still getting infected with Covid, and many of them are still developing Long Covid, except now so few people are even aware of it as a condition (some have actually forgotten about it even though they heard of it a year or two ago) that many aren't seeking help, and many who do simply don't have access.

Vulnerable people are worse off now than a year ago, because most countries have rolled back the safety measures that protected them, and they aren't receiving compensation for the fact that every day life is dangerous for them. This limits access to work opportunities, not to mention social lives.

So, in the interest of general safety, here's a brief primer on how Covid works that can inform your own safety steps:

Ventilation is your friend. Covid travels best in enclosed, unventilated spaces and is the most limited in its ability to infect outdoors. Outdoor events and gatherings are safest for your vulnerable friends, as long as they aren't too crowded. If you aren't infectious then it makes little sense for you to wear a mask outdoors unless you're in a crowded space. I still see people wearing masks on the street and then taking them off when they get on a bus. This is the opposite of what you should be doing.

Masks protect others from you more than they protect you. Which means that it's not enough for vulnerable people to wear a mask in enclosed spaces to protect themselves, others need to wear one too.

Viral load is a huge factor in infection severity. The less of the virus a person is exposed to, the more of a chance their immune system stands. This idea that "you're going to get covid anyway, so you might as well not worry" doesn't take into account that viral load matters. If an infectious person wearing a face mask breathes on someone, they'll shed much less virus than if they stick their tongue in that person's mouth or even just breathe on them without a mask. Basic safety measures can make the difference between a low-level infection and hospitalization for vulnerable people. It can also make the difference between low-level long covid symptoms and debilitating long covid.

Covid has a 48 hour incubation period. This means the virus takes 48 hours to settle in before you become infectious, once you've been infected with it yourself. If you think you've been exposed, start testing and masking after this period ends (this means if you went to a party where someone had covid, you start the 48 hour count from the beginning of the party, not from the time you left).

If you think you've been exposed, test and mask for 5 days once you start to do so. If you keep testing negative and don't have symptoms at the end of the 5 days, most research indicates you're safe and not infectious. This means it's been a full week since your potential exposure because 48 hrs + 5 days = 7 days.

If you test positive, even if you have no symptoms, test, mask, and try to stay away from others until you test negative. If you test negative but have symptoms, take a few days to keep testing, masking, and stay away from others. Covid can take a few days to show up on a test even if you have symptoms.

One vaccination isn't enough. The covid vaccines are effective for 4-6 months. After that, you need a booster. Please don't tell people you're vaccinated and safe if your last vax was more than six months ago, you're misleading them, even if unintentionally. Vaccination also doesn't mean you can't still pass on the virus if you get it, even if you have no symptoms (this is true for the flu as well).

Please keep protecting vulnerable and disabled people and advocating for them. Happy disability pride month.

[fagcrisis]

so medicine and healthcare in star wars

if youve ever had even a passing interest in medicine go on the wookieepedia page for bacta to make yourself incredibly angry

because all sci fi is fantasy but much greyer, and SFF writers would not be where they are in life (rock bottom) if they went to medical school, the way medicine is represented in star wars is the standard for the genre. just sort of a goo that fixes everything.

bacta is described as a slightly warm liquid that is a combination of 2 bacteria, and it has its uses in emergency and non emergency situations, so it can instantly heal a wound or fix your ingrown nail. it can fix broken bones, internal bleeding and hypothermia as well, which begs the question how the fuck does it get inside your body. i would love to see our brave boys get a spinal injection or something but thats too adult for the franchise that only canonised sex like a month ago

for the sake of my sanity im going to assume that the overuse of bacta is due to the fact that the main pieces of the star wars franchise take place during various armed conflicts where there is no time for more sophisticated medicine. bacta is probably very expensive and anakin can only treat it like a disposable toothbrush the way he does with clones because the republic loves throwing money at him to see what he does with it. if you as a regular citizen of fucking like, devaron, go to the hospital because you dislocated your shoulder they will relocate it for you and tell you to take it easy for a couple weeks instead of slapping bacta on it

dealing with illnesses is a similar situation with the major examples being that one really bad series of episodes in the clone wars (save for the really swag teenager they meet on that one planet and the fucking angel who shows up for One scene and then is never mentioned again. guys there are angels in star wars ask me about the angels) and the rakhghoul disease in kotor, both of which can be solved by a vaccine and/or the power of anakin skywalker being really horny. while i assume medicine is a lot more advanced i think they still havent found a cure for the common cold, just cause i think thats really funny. on a serious note i think probably the major problem they deal with are not bacteria and viruses but spores instead. fungi keep growing in people's lungs and they cant figure out why, ships need to be throughroughly infected before and after going to any planet outside of the expansion rim because those planets still have spores that can be deadly to certain species along with completely unidentified species of fungi and sarlacc spores (can we talk about the sarlacc again i would love to talk about the sarlacc again)

as for structural healthcare, the only hospital we see i think like, ever, is in the first season of the clone wars and its a hospital for the army so it doesn't really give much insight into the workings of healthcare in the new republic

i think on coruscant, while public healthcare exists its wildly horrible with wait times being months or even years in some cases and clinics and hospitals gradually lessening on the lower levels. private companies are preying on the people who are desperate enough to turn to them, and the emergency responders have long been combined with the branch of the sanitation department responsible for transporting corpses because oftentimes thats what they arrive for. i also think they fill the role of doctors and whatnot in many districts, because getting an appointment is nigh impossible but the ambulance is going to arrive at some point, so theyre the most well funded branch of public healthcare on the planet but its still not nearly enough to meet the impossibly high demand. a speeding ambulance shuffle on the airways is probably as common a sight as anakin skywalker jumping out of a window

there probably exist a couple of mega hospitals in each district, the size of several housing blocks, housing everything from emergency care to permanent homes for chronically ill people and so on, also probably placed close to the necropolis districts ive talked about. there are also clinics throughout the city specializing in specific species (bad sentence im not rewording it) the older ones of which have attracted enough permanent residents of that species living near them that thats just their area now. specialized athmosphere established in a districts of the 45th level? the first clinic to ever treat Kel Dor was established there 300 years ago and so many of them moved there since that oxygen is basically redundant.

#star wars meta

[wenevergotusedtoegypt]

I am livid.

For those who may not remember, my father’s precautions against covid are basically non-existent. He only reluctantly got the J&J vaccine (and never followed up after that first shot) because we weren’t going to let him visit us if he didn’t get vaccinated and he’d already been begging for months to visit before getting vaccinated was even an option. He only wears a mask when absolutely forced to and will take it off at every opportunity for as long as he can possibly get away with. He never really took any precautions regarding indoor gatherings and the like. (My mother is double-vaxxed and boosted and masks.) 

By some literal genuine miracle above and beyond the rules of nature, he’d never gotten covid. Even though my double-vaxxed husband (boosters weren’t available at the time) and my double-vaxxed and boosted MIL and my double-vaxxed and I think maybe even double-boosted at that point FIL, who all wear masks, each got breakthrough infections at different points.

You probably see where this is headed.

My parents got into town Tuesday afternoon. Monday morning they came over as I was about to leave for work because they were going to take my son to daycare. My father said, “I’m not going to hug you because I woke up with a cold this morning.” When I told him he needed to stay away from my son as well in that case, he asked, “How am I supposed to do that?” as if he genuinely thought that it was just totally impossible for him to stay away from his grandson, but if my toddler gets sick I would be able to do so as the mother?? Literally why even bother not hugging me if you think you can’t take any measures to avoid infecting the child who will be all up in my face all day if he gets sick. WTH. Anyway, my mom said she would keep an eye on their interactions and try to keep my dad from getting too up close and personal.

This morning my mom and my sister (who came last night after work and is staying with my parents during their visit) come over to take my son to daycare but say my dad is in bed resting at the Airbnb because he’s not feeling well. I give my mom a rapid test to take back to him.

Positive. Shocker.

So now he’s sick in bed, my sister headed right back out the door to her place to avoid any further exposure so we won’t get to spend time with her, and my mom, husband, son, and I get to sit around and wait to see if he got us sick. 🙃 My mom is making him stay in a separate bedroom and use a separate bathroom (thankfully the Airbnb is 2 beds 2 baths), but if he became symptomatic yesterday, she’s already been thoroughly exposed before now. I am 33w4d pregnant and already 6 months out from my booster. If I get covid the best case scenario is that it’s a mild case with no lingering impact on me, my baby, or the placenta, which would still likely result in my gestational diabetic self having absolutely out of control blood sugar numbers for several days based on the evidence I’ve seen in my GD Facebook group. My son is only a few days out from his first dose of the vaccine and only several weeks out from the full resolution of the impacts of his last case of covid, 8.5 months ago. My husband is in the middle of an extremely intense class that he already failed once last year and will get kicked out of his program if he doesn’t pass it this time. He did fantastic on his first exam yesterday, but he cannot afford to get sick right now and still be able to keep up with the work.

If my dad was properly vaccinated and cautious with his mask in public spaces and somehow still got covid like my in-laws did, fine. Fine. Of course the risk with them visiting would not be non-existent, I’m not under any illusions about that. But he didn’t even freaking try. He couldn’t be bothered. He was too pigheaded and selfish and brainwashed to do the most basic things to protect himself and others, even knowing that his daughter is pregnant and that his grandson’s previous recovery from covid took months and his grandson still isn’t as protected as he could be from another round. I’m so angry. I don’t even know what to say to him at this point.

#babyjournal 2.0

[jay-lea]

actually fuck it i need to list my old coworkers because it’s insane there were so insane ones

coworker who called out almost every monday from hangovers or went home early while still drunk from the night before bc she was going clubbing during the height of the pandemic for her entire weekends. She actually started her first week during the height of infections by taking off her mask so she could use her phone while telling me about the huge halloween parties she’d done the night before even tho a few of her friends had been exposed to covid. Talked a lot about massaging her lymph node so she could be healthy and begged people not to get vaccinated when our work offered us the vax early for frontline work. Repeatedly told people she had gotten heart conditions from the J&J shot but only after she had just chugged large coffees. wouldn’t wear gloves while touching carcinogens and later we found out she had done all her tests wrong for a solid year too

coworker who had failed out of gen chem 2 times and was failing it a third time when she got hired despite the 4 YEAR SCIENCE DEGREE REQUIREMENT. She poured acid down the sinks and had no idea how a ton of lab stuff worked but everyone said she was nice enough that I shouldn’t be so hard on someone who was still learning. I prev got scrutinized for my degree not being a real science before there. She also liked to come up w rumors about coworkers like that they failed their drug test or were alcoholics and would ask people to take Mormon trivia quizzes w her so they could join her faith. The first time we talked I asked her a generic question about whether she lived w family or pets and she immediately told me graphically about how she killed two turtles by starvation and stopped going to work and school a few months ago bc she didn’t feel like it and not to be shocked, I shouldn’t discriminate about her mental health. She called out a lot, took hours for lunch, and regularly came in an hour late and left hours early while whining that I didn’t stop her from going home so now she would be broke. 

Coworker who immediately told me I was doing stuff wrong the first day she started despite me being there 2 yrs and her being there 1 hour. Routinely tried to quiz people on element names, science, and math to prove she was the smartest person in the room. Called me homophobic for going to pride bc despite the rainbow and trans flags on my locker she couldn’t tell I was gay, then made a joke about me being a top. Took three two-week vacations and then a two week sick leave so she barely existed, then did zero work when she was there but every time I did the actual work of emailing people or writing new lab stuff, she would get mad and rewrite it and personally message our manager asking if I was actually right bc she didn’t think i was right. Got to the point where I was getting migraines every monday and panic attacks on sundays bc she was so goddamn mean to me every week while thinking we were friends bc friends can roast each other. She would talk over me at every meeting and my stutter got so bad I would lose the ability to talk or start forgetting basic words (which she loved bc then she sounded smarter than me). 

the manager who made me publically out myself on department wide meeting awkwardly bc I asked for people to stop making homophobic and transphobic jokes about me. He gave almost every person weeks off or let them get away w leaving early and doing no work bc he said I would handle it and ig is doing the same thing to my replacement rn too

Honorable mentions:

the guy who talked about how he always open carries and implied he was at the moment

the manager that would laugh at me when I did intros w new ppl bc he thought my hobbies were weird and ig was not afraid to let me know it each time

the supervisor obsessed w elon musk who tried to work 80 weeks bc he genuinely believed billionares work 100+ hr weeks and was so tired he made zero sense and didn’t remember how to do anything

the coworker i replaced who would tell two areas she was busy with the other area but then go to a meeting room and nap for the day. she now does mlms full time. 

#no idea what to tag this #but got it feels good to finally see that ppl were insane there

[kecharacosplay]

Currently Feeling Like The Worst Person Alive

Rant post ahead, skip if you don't like sad/angry pouting.

This is my beautiful princess, Tonks. She's about 7 years old and is the most pampered baby I've ever had. She's also my first long-term cat, as before I'd only fostered a few.

She's always been a bit delicate, specifically regarding her health(little colds all the time, possibly allergies), but never anything serious...at least until the last year or so. A few months ago, she got a hematoma(swelling of the ear) that required a cannula(drain tube/surgery), and these past few weeks we've been dealing with a combination UTI/ear mites situation.

Luckily at her checkup, the ear mites seems to be taken care of, although the UTI came back after getting back from the appointment(was worried she had a blockage this time, but the pee -did- come out eventually, just took her a few tries).

So you may be wondering why I feel like a horrible person because of this? Well, it's because she also has shitty teeth and needs a deep cleaning/possible extraction...but of course it's going to cost over $700 dollars. Those who know me, and maybe those who don't can probably guess that I don't have that kind of money. I had to beg help from my parents just to cover the antibiotics/checkup(about $200 including vet fees for current issues, nearly $400 last year for the cannula).

I feel horrible because they've told me a few times over the years that her teeth weren't great and she'd probably need to have them cleaned. And because of the cost, I just keep putting it off, hoping that someday things would turn around financially and I'd be able to get her the help that she needs.

This has not happened yet...but I'm still hoping. She hasn't really been eating much the last few weeks, possibly because of the stress of medicine/appointments/uti pain...but her shitty teeth probably cause her pain every day too.

So here are my options:

1: Commissions: My primary source of income, and preferred method if I'm being honest. Cosplay costumes, dresses, purses, hell I've even done a few plushies now. If it's sewn, I can probably make it, and I use Paypal mostly(invoicing system allows for payment plans), but I also accept CashApp, Stripe, and a few others I can't remember. You can contact me about this in any form you wish. Tumblr message, IG, FB, email, anything except phone call(I don't have a 'business line', just a personal phone).

2: Patreon- I don't post newd stuff, but I do occasionally do tease things, but only for the higher tiers. I have a whole bunch of stuff planned to add to this if it ever actually gains traction, but for now I just post a set of pics(cosplay/casual/sometimes boudoir) once a week.

3: Donations- My least favorite, but possibly has the highest potential? I don't use GFM because they are greedy bastards that abuse the shit out of desperate people, so instead I use Ko-Fi(and CashApp too I guess?) If you don't wanna pay monthly, and don't have the funding for fancy-custom-made garments, but still want to help, this is the way to go. I also have a handful of digital patterns here as well, which I guess is a way to donate while still getting something back.

Sorry this griping ended up so long. I like to type when I'm extra frustrated and depressed, and I know Tumblr isn't the best place for money-raising, but I honestly just don't have the energy to attempt building a following anywhere else. I've been on IG for 8-10 years and still haven't hit 500 followers, so I just don't think I'm one of those people that flourishes in the spotlight.

Still, for the sake of my sweet little princess(I also have a dog with recently-developed seizures, and the other cat Cirilla is fine on health but just recently added to the bills with vaccine updates), I will keep trying until my dying breath.

#personal #begging #cat #commissions #help needed #desperate #I also have other crap happening #but the health of my kitty is the only thing I really care about right now

[gauravp01]

#69

Sun, 14 Aug 2022; 9:21 am

Good morning. It's Sunday but not a holiday I guess. Have to attempt a test, do some revision, and the will go for the vaccination. Ya, the ©OVID booster dose.

It's the independence day tomorrow and the "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav" is ongoing alongwith the "Har Ghar Tiranga" Campaign. Freedom has different means for everyone. People pray to get freedom from poverty and all the social odds present in society. I also want freedom from some bad habits or thoughts that have evolved in the last few days, or weeks. Procrastination is one of them, but blaming others for everything is a major problem. And finally, over-attachment with the things or people is another one. Shri Krishna says, "do not keep any attachments with anyone or anything", the same is reiterated in the "Karmyoga" by Swami Vivekananda. Attachments bind you with emotions and expectations that hurt later.

Blaming others for your own failure is a big blunder people do and I don't want to repeat. Accept your failure and no one is responsible for that except your own.

Untill a few days ago, I used to think that the people, I think, are mine, everything associated with them could be mine (not in the literal sense). But then I realised that even the close or blood relatives do not think the same. Asking someone for help these days feels like a favor (ehsaan). Now I am trying to be self respected and slowly feeling the need and value of self respect. But there is a sharp line between self respect and ego, that needs to be understood.

A self-respected person does not need to beg for anything. Now I am fed up with these things I used to think are normal. But slowly I feel this as a damage to the inner self. You need to be self made and this must glimpse in every action of yours.

I am not saying that you must be alienated by everyone around you. We are a social animal and socialization is the key to our existence. But the thing is, like Shiv Khera says in his book "You Win", that, jo kaam hm khud se kr skte h, uske lie kisi aur k aage jaakr haath failana is not socialization aur Jo kaam koi khud kr skta h, us kaam ko aap jakr kr do, that is not help. That's it.

So, that is it for today. Will see you in the next blog, maybe on Independence day, tomorrow.

Till then, bye..

...Take care.

[misadventuresofthatoregongirl]

Getting a job in Oregon

Getting a job here is a giant groveling fest its more like ok who do I have to know, or fuck, to get this job. Everyone says they're hiring but they want 100% open availability, take it or leave it do you want to hire me then fire me in a week when you schedule me when I don't have a babysitter? If the job is above minimum wage (which I could afford a house when minimum wage was $8 an hour 10 years ago now that they have raised it to $13 I cant afford anything no one can, the state just takes more taxes out of everyone's paycheck too, win win for them they look good for “raising the minimum wage” along with prices on everything and pocket more money) be prepared to beg and beg and beg and answer some of the most ridiculous questions. “What do your old coworkers think of you?” I don’t fucking know I don’t go to work worrying about what others thing call them and ask I go to do my job, I assure you this has nothing with my ability to stack boxes, do taxes, fill out forms or count money. “Well with that attitude its no wonder” friends and family will say, yeah I just walk into every job interview like that (sarcasm). I walk in smiling phony and fake and they ask me the same question reworded differently 5 fucking times. I also have a mill, for a receptionist position, hand me a misfeed count paper and ask me “What would you do if the misfeed count is off?” Now these sheets, I have seen many of my relatives fill out. There is literally nothing anyone can do it has to do with how many pieces of wood goes through the machine and how many are doubled up or miscounted etc. The receptionist has NOTHING to do with it. I said turn it into the supervisor “give me a different answer” what do you want from me lady? The job is processing payroll, not bitching at field employees about their feed count. The people I know who worked at that same mill, when I told them they said why are they even asking you that we turn that into the supervisor at the end of our shift if the count is off we cant change it. Yeah, duh. Why should I have to constantly beg so much when they are the ones needing people and I will see the same places post the same job over and over so obviously whoever they're hiring is not working out. I can’t get a bank teller job, I can’t get a receptionist job, even with 8 years of accounting, customer service, cash handling and a year of business and law classes I still can not get a job here. Half of these companies too have recruiters from out of state call you ask redundant questions already on your resume, and then say “Ok I will forward this to the local office” can’t the local office look at resumes anyways? Why do we live in such a stupid fucking society? All jobs should have WORKING INTERVIEWS like let me work a day for free, then I will show you I can do the job. I am not trying to be a speaker of the house ok. Oh, and as soon as I get a job I lose health coverage for my child so first ER trip, fucked. I will get into healthcare in another post. Another reason, they are still gung ho on the masks and vaccine mandates in this state. Every single healthcare worker even pharmacy workers are required to wear a mask. To be a receptionist at the VA you have to agree to get covid boosters every 6 months and flu shots once a year. A, fucking, receptionist. I don’t know a single person, who gets all these shots that is healthier than me. Those shots are not even proven to prevent it “may lessen symptoms” is not “immunity”. Natural immunity is completely disregarded. As a result everywhere is short staffed like pharmacies I know I'm not the only one sick of this shit. They’re moving to other states, wit better pay because despite the high minimum wage here everything barely pays minimum wage, that don’t force tyrannical mandates on them. I am still waiting for an explanation as to why all the states who had no mandates the entire time, have no higher fatality rates the way these people act, you’d think every person who didn't wear a mask and get 5 shots was dead. Lol. I am just so incredibly over this shithole I have watched this state be ran into the ground I cant even take my kid to the park because there are massive homeless camps everywhere and I don't even live in a big city! I live in rural southern Oregon! The entire I5 corridor, besides the places that are not near a city for example the area between Grants Pass and Roseburg, then again from Roseburg to Eugene, looks like a giant homeless camp. Be careful in the bushes and public bathrooms might find a used needle (not joking I don’t use public restrooms ever here anymore). People really do not realize what a nightmare the entire west coast has become. 

#oregonsucks

[leo-gold-hotchner]

Before Puppy

Long time no writing! I hope everyone’s well and stay healthy. Although I have a surgery planned next week so I’m not sure when I’ll upload another. Besides, I’ve been watching reading Harry Potter all again XD 

It’s a short piece but I hope you all enjoy.

Natural-gen Reader X Aaron Hotchner with Jack

Words: 1000-ish

“No.” 

A short grunt and a sip of coffee. He swore inwardly, slightly blaming you for showing ‘101 Dalmatians’ to Jack who had been wanting a dog. And Jack’s been begging him for a puppy more than ever. You probably showed the movie deliberately, not that he would ask you about it. 

You watched a sullen faced son and an adamant faced father. The looks on their faces were different, but at the same it was much alike. With that sullen face, Jack looked very much like Aaron. 

“Why?” Even though sulking, Jack wanted to know why Aaron wasn’t convinced about having a puppy of their own. 

“A puppy is not a toy. It’s a responsibility. It means you must take care of life. I’m not going to ask your Aunt to look after a puppy too!” Aaron exhaled deeply as he watched his son pouting over breakfast. “Think about what a puppy needs and what you have to do for them. A puppy needs constant care like a baby. F/N and I go to work, you go to school, and a puppy can’t be at home alone. They need to be fed, exercised and cleaned, as well as vaccinated.” Which is very expensive, Aaron swallowed. 

As Aaron started to explain shortly about having a dog in a household, you wondered how your husband knew so much about having a dog. You knew Jack understood why his father kept saying ‘no’, but being a child Jack still wanted to raise a puppy just like any other child. 

“Besides, you can always visit grandparents’ to play with dogs.” 

You raised your brows as Aaron mentioned your parents and their dogs. It was still strange to hear Jack calling your parents ‘grandpa’ and ‘grandma’ despite you were all now family. 

“But having a dog and visiting grandpa and grandma is different!” Jack tried to argue even though he knew his father wouldn’t budge a bit. 

“No. No means no, Jack.” Aaron narrowed his eyes and checked his watch. “Go brush your teeth, we’ll be leaving soon.” 

You silently watched Jack dragging his feet to his room to prepare for his school. You let out a little chuckle which drew a frown from Aaron. 

“I just remembered how my Dad hated the idea of having a dog.” 

“Did he?” Aaron gave you a surprised look, thinking of dog lover father-in-law. Never once Aaron saw his father-in-law without a dog next him. “I thought he loved dogs?” 

“Oh yeah, he hated dogs before,” you replied drily. “But alas, Mum and I brought a pup without discussing him. And next we knew was that the pup had Dad wrapped around its paw.” You snorted as you remembered the time, especially when your Dad started to take a nap with the puppy. “Anyway, since then, you know,” you gestured with your hand, “it became a dog farm.” 

Aaron let out an amusement laughter remembering so many lively dogs at your parents’. 

“So, despite how you said about ‘no means no’,” you tried to imitate your husband’s deep voice, which failed terribly which caused your husband laughing, “having a second thought about getting Jack a pup?” Aaron just shrugged, hiding his face behind his coffee mug. “I know it’s hard to resist Jack’s puppy dog eyes.” You looked at Aaron as you heard some grumble from him. “Hmm?” 

“I’m actually scared.” 

“Wait, you’re scared of puppies?” You asked incredulously. You vaguely remembered Aaron chasing a dog a few times from his work, and muttering about dogs that traumatised JJ a few years ago. 

“No, I’m not scared of dogs,” he rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly. “I had a dog once. It’s just, sad, you know,” he whispered in the last part. 

You knew what he was talking about. Having a dog means adding another family member, and it creates a massive unfillable hole in your heart when they leave. It was understandable. Perfectly. But you narrowed your eyes at him. 

“You’re scared of getting attached.” You stated simply. “But you have already overcome that fear, haven’t you?” You frowned and he raised his brows at you. You silently pointed to yourself as you raised an inquisitive brow. 

“I don’t want Jack to hurt again.” Knowing what you meant he said seriously. 

You sighed. You knew it took a long time to overcome the sorrow of losing Haley for both Aaron and Jack. Even after going through hell, they still had enough room to love you and accept you as family. You knew the hole in their heart will never be healed but it still saddened you to see them being haunted by what that sadistic man did to this fantastic man and boy. You pulled your husband’s head gently and put his forehead on yours. 

“You’re strong enough to love me. Jack is the strongest boy I’ve seen. Besides, if we care well, puppy’s can live longer than 20 years.” 

At the mention of ’20 years’, Aaron pulled a face. “20 years after means Jack will be in his 30’s.” The father groaned as he imagined little Jack becoming an independent man with his own life. 

“Yeah, and we’ll be old,” you chuckled. You grabbed his hands with yours. “Old and still together.” You’d do anything for Aaron and won’t ever leave Aaron alone. 

You pulled away and softly pecked on his lips as you heard Jack’s loud footsteps coming down the stairs. 

 Aaron smiled at you gently, his eyes caressing your features. “I’m gonna miss you today.” 

“Let’s hope you don’t have a serial killer today. You and the community need a break from those bastards.” You huffed and you gently pushed your husband. “I do hope I see you tonight.” 

It wasn’t until you returned from your work when you realised that Aaron agreed to get a puppy for Jack. Jack jumped and hugged you tightly, babbling happily about you convinced his dad. You weren’t sure if you convinced your husband however, after all Aaron seemed to have a second thought about a puppy for Jack. You grinned to yourself. When you see Aaron you should give him a big happy surprise.

#aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner x reader #gender neutral reader #Agent Hotchner #criminal minds fanfic #jack hotchner

[ufoend]

∆ please help us

we can not afford any of our basic needs

i usually try to keep this as light as possible, but i have put this off for long enough that i have to post this. me and my partner desperately need help. we are just two gay people trying to make it alone here with absolutely no support system.

who we are: im j (or jet), im 24 year old trans guy whose had this account since 2014. i married my partner in 2018, we even met on tumblr when we were younger, we've been together for years. my partner is disabled (diagnosed with autism and seizure disorder and others)

what we need: our cat had an emergency surgery two years ago that means he needs to be on a prescription diet (hills urinary food) for his entire life. the vet suddenly said we need to bring him in again to get his prescription renewed and we cant order any more food for him until then, which he will not survive without, and he is not allowed to eat any alternative food without risking his life. we have less than half of a 8 lb bag of it which will not last him through the next month. with the vet, food, and ubers to get to the vet and to the only place they sell the food = 200

to try to summarize our situation, we were kicked out by family and made officially homeless for the first time last year. this is right after we moved across states (wa to az) to support my partners family upon their request, only to be subjected to abuse and kicked out directly due to homophobia in an unfamiliar state after a few months. this left both of us and all of our animals entirely homeless. we luckily have an apartment now but our situation is still not okay. we lost all of our belongings at this time, everything, and have not been able to replace them as we have fixed income. my partner is especially affected by this situation, as it was traumatizing, and they have just had to power through trauma after trauma because of poverty, more than i can say.

i also have severe dental problems that are not covered by medicaid in az and i have no way to afford. this includes wisdom teeth, root canals, and many cavities that will turn into that crazy expensive treatment if i don't fix it. some may remember this (+this). i was only able to have a little bit of work done before we were homeless and one root canal failed. i cant keep ignoring it, because they are worried about two of the cavities becoming root canals, and i want to prevent another infection, but thats at least 250 each.

we are still not going to be able to afford rent in future months because our EBT was delayed last month and i had to spend money we don't have to afford anything, and now we are in serious jeopardy even affording rent, let alone bills. our pets (2 cats 1 small dog) also desperately need vaccinations, which is dangerous to keep going this overdue without with their health problems. our dog has also been limping for the past week and he needs to be seen when that is ever possible.

any donations would go first to the vet appointment and cat food, then the other needs in order of priority. will keep updating this, i know its a lot and i really don't expect anything, i am begging for help with any of this

we are both students, we are trying to work towards stability, while being stuck here. i do everything i can to bring in money to support us on my own. we make 200 less than rent is monthly. i am in school to become a caseworker so i am aware of a lot of resources in my area, and have applied for everything, but we can not do this alone which is why i have to ask for help. i am so sorry for having to do this but i appreciate any support that i do have because of this website. you guys literally save my life. helping out other poor people and getting helped out on here has been the most compassion ive ever been a part of. dollars, even pennies, worth of donations has kept my cat safe, has affected me in real ways. it actually matters to us, no matter the amount.

thank you anyone who reblogs, donates anything, or reaches out.

*

p*ypal email (best): [email protected]

v*nmo: @tobler707

c*shapp: $tobler707

#date: 11/3/22 #signal boost #please reblog #please help #please read #please boost #i may have to make a tldr of this and just link to it since there is no way i can explain all of this in any shorter way #so hard to make this shit #i hate having to beg for my life forever #so sorry to my mutuals #thank you if you always boost me #cats #dogs #vet care #vet costs

[route22ny]

Survivor stories: Death, loss and selflessness during the pandemic

By Jacqueline Cutler / New York Daily News

Those days when the word corona made you think beer or crown feel like long-gone innocence.

So much happened during these 18 months that how we’re reacting to different phases of the pandemic and how survivors are coping are worth documenting.

“Voices from the Pandemic: Americans Tell Their Stories of Crisis, Courage and Resilience” is a powerful reflection on the last year and a half. Pulitzer-winning journalist Eli Saslow has managed the near-impossible: He makes you want to read more about the pandemic.

This doesn’t bother with maps of where the virus is spiking or death tolls. It can’t be of the moment. Instead, it’s the story of all of us — those who have taken every precaution and those who refused to acknowledge COVID’s deadly path.

Done in the style of the late great Studs Terkel, these are oral histories as the history is happening. Each section has people sharing their stories in their words.

Sure, it’s edited for clarity, but there’s no spin. It’s unfailingly fair: When a tenant recounts her eviction, the next entry is from a landlord who exhausted her savings trying to not evict people.

Even though we think we know the stories of the pandemic, we can’t – at least not all of them. And we never may. Saslow carefully selected a cross-section of people; some who have since died, some who recovered, some who never may.

Saslow reminds us of the first whisperings. On Jan. 4, 2020, there was news about what was considered a pneumonia outbreak in China. Five weeks later, it had a name, COVID-19.

A month later, life as we knew it stopped.

“She’s dead, and I’m quarantined,” Tony Sizemore, of Indianapolis, says of his love, Birdie Shelton, in the first entry from March 2020. “That’s how the story ends. I keep going back over it in loops, trying to find a way to sweeten it, but nothing changes the facts. I wasn’t there with her at the end. I didn’t get to say goodbye. I don’t even know where her body is right now, or if the only thing that’s left is her ashes.”

With that gut-wrenching opening, we’re off. We meet dozens of people we’ve never heard of, which is precisely the point. Everyone knew when Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were among the first celebrities to get COVID.

But this book introduces Bruce MacGillis, a man in an Ohio nursing home. He refused to let temp workers who couldn’t wear masks correctly get near him and isolated himself until he was vaccinated.

“I’m a hard-ass about this stuff, and I’m not even a little bit sorry,” he told Saslow. “I can’t afford to take chances.”

Some who tell their stories are the superheroes of the pandemic.

A shift leader of a nursing team in Detroit, Sal Hadwan, recounts insane shifts. While we celebrate and honor health care workers – now more than ever – the dire conditions they were working under were horrifying. Remember garbage bags serving as protective gear? Some had one mask per shift.

In April 2020, Hadwan said: “We’re basically handling the most severe cases in the ER, which is not our training. These nurses don’t have a second to relax. You’ve got one patient’s oxygen running out and another whose heart rate is going wild. All you can do is try your best to hear the alarms and then sprint as fast as you can from one emergency to the next. You hope you make it in time. Sometimes you don’t.”

Naturally, it’s bleak. But there are also stories of humanity at its best.

Burnell Cotlon of New Orleans (pictured above) turned his grocery store in the Lower Ninth Ward into a food pantry. He couldn’t afford to, but some of his neighbors couldn’t afford to eat.

As he said in April 2020, “Last week, I caught a lady in the back of the store stuffing things into her purse. We don’t really have shoplifters here.” He knows the customers in his two-aisle market. The woman swiped a carton of eggs, hot dogs, and candy bars.

“She started crying,” Cotlon told Saslow. “She said she had three kids, and her man had lost his job, and they had nothing to eat and no place to go. Maybe it was a lie. I don’t know. But who’s making up stories for seven or eight dollars of groceries? She was telling me, ‘Please, please, I’m begging you. How are we supposed to eat?’ I stood there for a minute and thought about it, and what am I going to do?”

Colton started running tabs – for the first time. He went from having zero customers on credit to 62 within a month. He kept giving to neighbors until he fell three months behind on his mortgage.

In a postscript, Saslow adds that when Colton’s generosity became known, online fundraisers brought in $500,000. Naturally, he put it to great use: forgiving his customers’ debt and beginning construction on a subsidized apartment building. “He also gave out free school supplies and turned his store into a free vaccination site for the community.”

Every page in this is sobering. Every story chilling, relatable, and absolutely forthright.

For those who lost their jobs and who were living paycheck-to-paycheck, rent became impossible to pay. To lose your job, your health, your relatives and now your home is unbearable. Granted, the news often focuses on the tenants, while many of us assume landlords only take time out from counting their money to harass tenants.

It’s a lot easier to feel for the tenants, who are doing all they can.

Saslow interviewed Tusdae Barr, evicted during the pandemic. Although money was tight before COVID, Barr was making rent with everyone in her family chipping in — until work dried up. Barr eventually found herself ousted, then in cheap motels, and finally with relatives.

If you never thought you could sympathize with a landlord, meet Jayne Rocco of Deland, Fla. She became a landlord 25 years ago when broke, reeling from a divorce. Rocco found a lender, bought and fixed up a cheap house, then flipped it and bought two houses. She continued doing this until she had 10 properties, none fancy. Rocco’s profit was about $40,000 a year pre-pandemic.

Trying to help her tenants and pay her bills, Rocco exhausted her savings. She’s still trying, and still has troubles. With some of the people featured, their troubles are financial. For some, such as a newlywed, former athlete Kaitlin Denis, of Chicago, the effects of long-term COVID, are medical. She’s drained and can barely get out of bed.

And some trying to help, such as Amber Elliot, county health director in Farmington, Mo., found herself threatened with anti-vaxxers posting photos of her kids online.

The book ends with a leading voice of science. Stanley Plotkin, 88, a virologist, “developed the rubella vaccine that’s now in standard use throughout the world.” He’s worked on other life-saving vaccines and consults for the World Health Organization.

“Parents can expect their children to grow up, and that’s a relatively new thing,” Plotkin told Saslow in January. “It shouldn’t be taken for granted.”

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that nothing can.

(source)

#life during covid #NYDN #eli saslow #voices from the pandemic #get vaxxed

[pixiedoodlein]

10 days until school and I’m no more decided than I was a week ago. I flip flop ten times day about what might be best. A is sick of hearing me talk about it. He doesn’t disagree with my risk assessment but he is sick of talking about it.

It caused an issue with his friend, a friend who is his best friend and is unvaccinated and works in a jail. Months ago we told friend he could only visit (this place is their boyhood dream) once he’s vaccinated. Friend typically believes in science and is very health conscious but his gf is a moron Trump lover and her family the same and that’s who he’s been spending all his time with since this all started. When I asked friend why he’s not vaccinated he said he’s young & healthy, didn’t trust the vaccines, would do it when they got full fda approval. Plenty of young healthy people are dead of this. Anyway then I asked ok so what if you give it to someone who isn’t and dies, people incarcerated in the jail he works in and don’t have the luxury of social distancing, and he was like eh whatever. So yes friend is an asshole, but his best friend for decades, friend has always been kind of an asshole but has many redeeming qualities too. So we said no visit. But then in July when there was no covid here and no covid where he lives and we were blissfully living our covid free lives we loosened up and said he could visit with two negative tests. But then covid got bad again and when asshole friend contacted A the other day to say he took time off in late Sept to visit, A said sorry, it’s fully fda approved now you have no excuses not to vaccinate, we’re worried about our unvaccinated kids, and as of now you can’t visit but hey maybe if you get vaccinated and the numbers look better we can reassess in a month and you can come. Friend was a total dick about it, didn’t understand our point of view at all, stressed A about it, who was in a bad mood about it for days afterward.

Then there’s the neighbors. I had a chat with the kids and a chat with the mom. I framed it as we love them so much and I know they’re careful but I think we should all be more careful while the numbers are so rising (aka only outdoor hangouts) and we are careful but I’ve heard terrifying stories from doctor friends about kids and babies getting very sick, and they have a baby who I don’t want us to make sick, and she said she agreed. The kids have been pretty good about making the adjustment from constant sleepovers to playing outside but M keeps asking me “the kids need to pee are they allowed to use the bathroom, the kids are hungry are they allowed to come inside even for one minute for a snack,” and I feel like the villain (I’ve been saying yes to pee, snacks I’ll bring out). Everyone’s been understanding but nobody is getting what I mean when I say only outdoor socializing. All the kids keep asking me when I’ll take them to town again for ice cream, “but it’s outside” (um yeah but the car’s not), asking their mom to ask me for sleepovers even though they know what the answer will be. The other day they were playing in our yard then it started raining and they were like “we can’t walk home in the rain”- I don’t want them to walk home in the rain, but again the car is indoors!- so I drove them home (but made M stay at our house). They’re not my kids so I can’t make them wear masks and it feels like now I am in the position of being the mean parent who’s psycho about covid, which in a way I am, but it would help me to stick to my guns and feel okay about sticking to them if the government policies matched the severity of the situation, ie mask mandates in public places (instead of stores posting polite recommendations), vaccine mandates, virtual learning options, etc.

Which brings me to school. After selling M hard on real school, then I sold her hard on home school. She already “did” 3rd grade last year (as much as me teaching her in my pajamas counts as doing), but this district has an earlier cut off than the city, so she’s in 3rd grade again here. Which is fine by me- her birthday is the same day as the very late nyc cut off (12/31) and I hated that she was the absolute youngest. I used to beg the school to hold her back and they’d say “but why she’s doing so well!” not understanding that I was thinking ahead to the teen years. But anyway, despite her haphazard pj’d professor, she seemed to learn a lot last year so homeschool this year could basically be unschool. She’d traipse around the forest identifying birds and trees with A and her brother, reading for pleasure, and I’d spend an hour here and there reviewing some worksheets with her so she’d be on track when she starts real school after she gets vaccinated. She was into the idea, until she found out she and one of the neighbor kids are in the same class. Now she absolutely wants to go to real school, AND ride the school bus. The school bus part makes me very nervous. While there is now a school mask mandate (but will it be enforced? what are their lunch procedures, what % of teachers are vaccinated, what % of the older kids in the same building as the little kids are vaccinated, did they actually really update their ventilation system?) and a bus mask rule, it’s a long rural route (15 min drive or 45 min bus) and I have no faith that bus windows will be open and all riders will be masked the whole time.

So just tell her she can go to school but has to be driven by a parent, right? Not so simple. I was offered a job at a (somewhat, commuting distance) nearby nonprofit- an easy low stress job in a bastion of liberalism with very very nice smart coworkers, excellent work life balance, a writing job that sounds made for me, like the job description is exactly what I would put together if I were putting together my dream job (except the pay, which is half what I was making at a fancy DC nonprofit, but high for this area, and our housing cost is half so it should be fine if A can get away from little guy long enough to bring in some money too). It’s mostly remote but approx one day a week in the office and some days there will be things I need to attend out in the community (not necessarily our community, they serve the whole region). It won’t always be the same day in the office and the office is an hour away- so on those days A would have no car to get her to and from school, since I’d need to leave before school starts and get home after it’s done. So I guess we need to buy a new car? Aside from this issue we really don’t need a second car now, were planning to get one eventually, but not until A’s business has enough projects to justify the cost.

Despite its many demands/challenges/ stressors, home school is sounding easier to me at this point (especially because she already did this grade), except she WANTS to go to school. Someone talk me out of putting some lipstick and a pantsuit on her and taking her to get vaccinated. I know, I know: the 5-11 dosage is 1/3 of the 12-adult dosage. The doctors I’ve spoken to are split on this hypothetical kamikaze mission. The doctors I’ve spoken to are also split on me and A going to a pharmacy now for booster. It’s been almost 6 months since our 2nd dose. We do not have compromised immune systems. This county has way more doses than demand and I would feel better sending M to school (bus or not) if we had our boosters and she had a first dose- moral and scientific quandaries aside- because there is A LOT of covid here now, a lot of covid everywhere now, and I feel like we are returning to regular life at the time when we should be most hunkered down.

Which brings me to the data. Per capita there are as many known cases here as in nyc, except nyc has a 50% higher vax rate, much more mask usage, better medical system. People are not getting enough tests here, there is a higher positivity rate, and so I think the actual number of cases is much higher than the reported number of cases. It seems like, friends here and in the city and in the suburbs (I just broke up with a friend in the suburbs because she professes to be a good democrat but is hosting a bonafide super spreader event and vacationing in a place with 39% positivity and a collapsed health care system), are thinking of covid as something you catch from strangers- they wear masks in stores- but aren’t careful at all around close friends and family (so many extended family gatherings, so many, cousins and grandparents and half-siblings and aunts and uncles and whoever), when this is a disease that kills via the people you love most, the ones who’d never intentionally hurt you.

[gisellelx]

Since tomorrow is Father’s Day (and also Edward’a birthday I think?) can you share some sappy headcannon moments about Carlisle and Edward?

Ohhhhh anon. Thank you for this. My heart, here it all is spilled out on paper. I am making NO APOLOGIES for the length of this post. You knew what you were getting into, here. And have I got a treat for you about my headcanon and this particular date: First, you must understand that because of the ole' sideblog, I have a very detailed headcanon about where Carlisle is at any given time so that there aren't continuity errors. This is actually one of the fun things about fanfic vs. profic--in profic, at least in contemporary YA, my genre, you are trying to minimize references to actual events and time lest your work not be timeless. But I have a really detailed outline of when all my characters exist; I find I can't write any other way. This is why SM is so baffling to me--it's so clear she just has like, blank gray clouds for any time any given character isn't on screen. Nah. I have backstories for days on even my minor characters. I always know where all of them are. In fic, I get to fully indulge that because no one has to figure out if the fic will still sell five or ten years from now if it makes a dated reference to the new iPhone. So I can set the characters precisely in time, and imagine how exact dates and events affect their lives right then. Carlisle and Esme have been in Wisconsin; the children are all living as individual couples in southern France. You can thank Foi Pur for the headcanon that the Cullens own a home in Toulouse. They were stationed there while Carlisle was practicing in Bergamo early in the pandemic, and the children stayed there while Carlisle followed the outbreaks and Esme refused to leave his side (even though he begged her to). They came to the U.S. last summer; they haven't lived here since they left Forks 8 years ago. The borders have been closed; they haven't seen the rest of the family since then. On June 9, 2021, France opened the borders to vaccinated Americans. As case counts have receded, Carlisle has shifted to being a more standard hospitalist, with the usual 7 days on, 7 off schedule instead of taking off to say, Mumbai, because he bought Esme their old house and she's busy with it. He's working that schedule at two hospitals though, so basically is never off-duty. As soon as France announced their change, he went to both CMOs and said he was taking time off to see his family. He had to finish working that week, and then had to work his next "on" week at the other hospital, which meant that June 19 was the earliest he could possibly travel. In other words, the actual world, and the very real constraints of the kind of work I envision Carlisle to be doing, have converged on the fact that Carlisle and Esme touched down in their private jet at Castres airport early this morning Central European Time. On Father's Day. And Edward's 120th birthday. Everybody met them. There were lots of non-liquid tears. Edward hopped on Sotheby's the moment the news dropped on June 4 and rented an estate in Saint-Tropez that is costing them a quarter of a million dollars a week but it's private and they can all be outside. They got there this morning and are throwing Edward an extravagant party this evening, and Carlisle hasn't been more than six feet from Edward for the last twelve hours. Edward's patience with this is going to tire by midday tomorrow, but for now, he's enjoying Carlisle's attention. (It's 7:30 PM in Saint-Tropez as I write this; they're in the thick of gift-giving.) In other words, these boys could not possibly be happier this particular Father's Day.

So that's the big, fun, sappy, timely hc. Here's some others:

Edward is an only child. There, I said it. Carlisle and Esme talk about having six children and will never in a million years admit, even to themselves, that they actually only have one child. But they treat Edward like he is their only child, and Carlisle thinks of him as separate from the rest. He certainly loves him more.

Edward gets very pouty if anyone but him celebrates Father's Day. Most of the others are very "whatever" about it but Carlisle and Rosalie do have a very father/daughter relationship and so she also likes to honor him on Father's Day. Because Edward is Edward, he assumes she's doing this just to annoy him and it's one more hash mark on the "Rosalie is a bitch" bingo card.

They are best friends as well as father and son. Their relationship is always both/and. It often turns on a dime--they're having a raucous, bawdy time one moment and then something triggers Edward and they are in full-on father/son comfort mode the next. Everything in their relationship happened very offhandedly. The first time Carlisle told Edward he loved him, it was by accident: he thought it while they were playing in the woods a few months after Edward's turning. Edward came to a stop so fast Carlisle almost crashed into him. Carlisle then said the words aloud for the first time.

Edward didn't return those words for nearly a year. Again, it was almost an afterthought: he was thanking Carlisle for a new phonograph and the words "I love you" just slid out. Carlisle almost spontaneously combusted.

The first time Edward called Carlisle his father, they were still living as a man and his brother-in-law. He came home excitedly, having bought tickets to the new moving picture house in town. He was telling Carlisle the story, excited that he felt confident enough to sit in a closed room with a crowd of humans, and mentioned he had bought two tickets because as he'd told the ticket seller, he thought his father would like to come. He was surprised when Carlisle started crying. Edward and Carlisle almost never fight. When they do, it is vicious. Edward is the only family to have ever seriously injured Carlisle; Carlisle has a long gash across his left collarbone and down his left scapula from the most serious attack in 1927. Edward hates it when Carlisle thinks about them. Carlisle has never broken Edward's skin, but there've been a handful of times they've had very tense conversations while Carlisle had him in a half nelson.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, can wound Carlisle more than Edward having a teenaged fit and screaming, "You're not my father!" Edward knows this, but sometimes his brain short circuits and he does it anyway. This has happened only a handful of times and each time it's taken years to repair.

Carlisle was touch-starved for so long that he is very touchy-feely with Edward. Edward is perpetually seventeen and does not like to be cuddled, hugged, or kissed. They met in a place that is nowhere near the middle where Carlisle occasionally puts his arm around Edward. Like, once or twice a year.

This changed a little bit when Renesmee became a teenager and started rebuffing Edward's physical affection. He came to Carlisle and complained about how she never wanted to be hugged anymore and Carlisle laughed so hard he choked. Edward has gotten a little better about being hugged since then. Renesmee has been very good for their relationship in lots of ways, not the least of which has been that it has helped them both view Edward as more of an adult. Anyway. I could go on for days. These details are always lurking, and they're sprinkled throughout any fic I write. Love these boys so much. They are such a fantastic duo to write. Happy Birthday, E.

Happy Father's Day, C.

#headcanons #carlisle cullen #edward cullen #father/son #long post #sorry not sorry #anon #ask #i honestly don't remember where the movie headcanon came from #i have absorbed it as canon so completely it feels like mine but i think i stole it

[bouncyirwin]

Oh noes bouncy r u ok? :(((((

Trying to be!

I’ll do a quick catch up I guess, though this is all quite personal. I’m on ‘vacation’ visiting family I haven’t seen in four years. Two weeks go by, things are okay for the most part—aside from grieving my grandpa who passed last November, and finding out my uncle tried to commit suicide via overdose because his wife was abusing him. Yay, family drama.

But obviously that wasn’t bad enough as is, because last week my mom got super sick. At first we thought she just had a bad flu, but two days ago she fainted in the middle of the night, and hurt her neck pretty badly. So we discover two things: 1) she has covid, of course, because unlike the rest of us she refused to get vaccinated and 2) she has sever back/neck problems including a spinal curvature.

I’m quite stressed because it seems I’m the only one who’s willing to care for her and it’s left me drained, anxious and on edge. I’m not feeling a 100% myself, I’m sick too.

I’ve mentioned this before, though it makes me uncomfortable to admit, that I grew up in an abusive family. And while what that meant changed and evolved as I aged, it makes itself quite striking in moments like this. For all intents and purposes, the siblings my mother dotes on, indulges, leaves to their own devices, excuses everything for and treats with an obvious advantage, aren’t returning the favour. One chose to get a nose job during this very difficult and uncertain time and unabashedly beseeches sympathy and attention from my sick mom. The other one is being more apathetic than usual, and has retreated to my grandma’s.

This just makes me feel … well, angry actually, and really hurt. Because this woman, my mother, whom I still love despite everything, is really fucking ungrateful. Even when I care for her while she’s bedridden she finds it within her to blame me for anything, to be mean. And finds it within her to have sympathy for my sisters who for all intents and purposes, abandoned her.

So am I okay? Physically, yes for the most part. Mentally? I’m way, way down there at the bottom of the barrel scraping for a reason to hold myself together because this was supposed to be my break.

To be within a family that loves me. I abandoned my first important project since graduation to make it here because I thought I might actually die it I didn’t escape the stress of my daily life. But, alas.

Now I’m bitter and depressed and I don’t like feeling either of these, and I hate this side of me that wallows and turns into this caricature of a person. And I can’t even show it. Because imagine what that’d make me look like to everyone else.

I really don’t see my family often due to a lot of things, none of them fixable. In the past decade I’ve only managed to visit three times, in total amounting to a little less than two months in duration. I have a cousin I met this year for the first time ever. I have cousins that were babies the last time I saw them that are now intelligent enough to hold conversation, and break my heart simultaneously when they beg me not to leave even though they’ve just met me for the first time. In so many ways every day I spend here is a heaven and a torment.

I didn’t want to waste a single second.

I’ve had to waste ten days just playing caretaker and bottling up so much shit it’s starting to make me physically ill.

So.

That’s what’s up.

I’m ashamed to divulge all this but also grateful to you anon for giving me an outlet. I feel better having rambled to someone, even a faceless person on the other side of the world, because you deigned me more sympathy than the people living under the same roof as me.

So thank you. Hope you’re well and healthy.

❤️

#long post #personal #very personal