#and then i found out. Normal people do not learn about globalism this way

[mummer]

as someone who could theoretically be called a “third culture kid” its so funny to me how fake and gay of a concept it is and how hard white expat communities go for it. aww boohoo u feel like u have no “real home” meanwhile u have three passports. going to international school and having a unit on Globalism and they were like Globalism is the ideology of the future… lets be globalists together…. imagine theres no countries its easy if u try. Lets learn about the WORLD BANK! And not about local history & politics whoooo cares.. btw You’re going to save the world by being white children who do not even speak the native language of the place u live in. Lets not dwell on that in terms of geopolitics though.. peace and love is all that matters.. and just remember YOU are a THIRD CULTURE KID so you are BASICALLY DIVERSE! GLOBAL CITIZEN!

#and then i found out. Normal people do not learn about globalism this way #in hindsight. Rly funny experience to have had. #* i dont have 3 passports. just an example #theres books about this phenomenon. and theyre all like AMY grew up in SINGAPORE but shes AMERICAN so she FEELS WEIRD ABOUT IT #Like ok

[myboyfriendjake]

1000 Years - Park Sunghoon

summary: you’ve loved sunghoon from the moment you laid eyes on him. a collection of memories over the thousand years you’ve had, and a commitment to thousands of years more.

pairing: vampire!sunghoon x vampire!reader

warnings: mentions of blood and death, violence

genre: one-shot, switching between past and present

word count: 1.39 k

~~

You never believed in love at first sight. You were 17 when you were turned, young and innocent. There was no way something as pure and fragile as love could sprout so easily in such a harsh world, you reasoned with yourself.

Being a newborn vampire, you had little (no) control over your thirst, and it was in 1023, 6 months after you’d been turned, that you met him.

Captured in the hunt, you ended up slaughtering a whole village in rural Korea, and once you snapped out of the bloodlust, you curled up on the ground in the center of the village, sobbing.

You felt so vile, gross, disturbed. How could you do this? It was so immoral, so wrong, but it was also instinct.

You heard footsteps approaching, but didn’t look up. You knew that whoever it was would put two and two together - between lifeless villagers and the blood coating your mouth and hands, covering your clothes - but you couldn’t find it in you to care. Anything would be better than this awful existence you’d been cursed with.

“It’s okay,” the voice was soft. “It takes time to learn control.”

You looked up, and there was something about him that drew you in. You instantly knew you wanted him in your life, even though you didn’t know him.

(You later learned that vampires, like werewolves, had predetermined mates. Sunghoon happened to be yours.)

He was tall, with dark hair combed neatly, exposing his pale forehead. His eyes were a warm brown, and made you feel like it would all be okay.

He took a step back, startled, when you made eye contact with him. He looked at the ground, before looking back at you.

“The universe works in interesting ways,” he said.

(In the moment, you were confused. Looking back, you realize that was when he realized you were his mate.)

“I can help you,” he said later. “Control it, I mean. You’re still a newborn, so it’s understandable and completely normal that this happened. Don’t let it affect you too much. Eventually, you’ll only need to drink every once in a while, and enjoy this life to the fullest. It’s a great existence.”

You found yourself believing him. How bad could it really be if you had Sunghoon with you?

~~

It’s July 2023, and you’re in New York City. Today is your 1000th anniversary with Sunghoon, and you’re having a small get-together with close friends.

“Babe, are you ready?” Sunghoon calls from the kitchen. The two of you are getting ready. The party isn’t till the evening (it’s currently just after lunch) but Yunjin is hosting at her home in suburban New York. You and your mate are leaving now to get there early to help set up and such.

“Yup, almost,” you respond, putting an earring in. 

~~

It was in 1200 that you and Sunghoon came to America for the first time. Back then, before Columbus had “found” the continent, the land was covered in trees and wilderness. It was populated by indigenous tribes, and because of the lack of global connection, it was easy to survive. 

You and your mate would prey on the eldest and sickest humans you came across, trying to avoid everyone who still had a lot of time. You’d learned to control yourself and your thirst, and was better at hunting only when you had to. 

You remember falling even more in love with Sunghoon out in the wild, where you’d set up a little shelter in the woods. Surrounded by the wild, you felt at peace - you had become wild ever since you’d been turned, and it felt nice to be in nature. There were people, the land was so vast that you didn’t find them unless you wanted to.

It was also in 1200 that you and Sunghoon met Yunjin. She had just been turned, a newborn vampire, and you and Sunghoon taught her how to live as a vampire, how to control your thirst. 

(Yunjin is incredibly fond of you and Sunghoon for that reason today - you two helped her adapt after a life-altering event.)

~~

You and Sunghoon are driving to Yunjin’s house, and you find yourself reflecting over the past 1000 years. Of knowing Sunghoon, of being a vampire.

“There are many things I hate about vampirism,” you find yourself saying, “but there’s one thing I love so much, that I’m grateful for.”

“What’s that, dear?” Sunghoon asks, glancing over at you.

“The time it’s given me. With you. I’ve never had to say goodbye to you, and hopefully I never will.”

~~

It was in 1500 that you and Sunghoon lived in your first vampire community. You’d lived in towns with fellow vampires before, but never towns of vampires. This was your first experience living in a community of vampires only, and it was fun.

It was a rural town in Australia, and it was where you met a lot of your closest friends, those who became family.

You met Jake, who quickly became Sunghoon’s closest friend, brother, even. He was the mayor of the town, and welcomed the two of you with open arms when you initially moved. He was an older vampire, turned in 500, and therefore incredibly knowledgeable (about vampirism and about everything else) and powerful.

You met Ni-Ki, who you and Sunghoon almost adopted. Jake’s younger brother, he was sweet and kind, playful and funny. Also incredibly brave, noble, and strong. 

You met Kazuha, who quickly became one of your closest friends. She was (and still is) incredibly good at passing for human. You had many good times sneaking around in human towns, pretending. 

(Though Jake gave the two of you a stern lecture afterwards about how dangerous that was to not only the two of you but the entire vampire community.)

Regardless, Australia was fun, kind, and became another home for the two of you. It was where you felt a real sense of belonging, and found not only a community but a family.

~~

“Happy anniversary!” Jake is the first person to arrive at the party, and he hands you and Sunghoon a bouquet of flowers. “Can’t believe you two have been together for 1000. We’ve known each other for 500. Mindblowing!”

“Thanks!” you say, and Sunghoon thanks the Aussie as well. “I know, it’s crazy how fast time passes. Especially when you’re immortal.”

“Yup. That’s the great thing about it though - we get to keep meeting people, making good memories, having fun. It never has to end.”

~~

It was in 1800 that you had your first existential crisis. 

It was a weird feeling of restlessness. You felt like you had to do something, but you didn’t know what. All you knew was that it all felt meaningless - what was the point of eternal life if all it demanded was bloodshed? You and Sunghoon constantly had to move - if you stayed in any one place for too long, locals would start to notice that the two of you never aged, never got sick. You always had to feed, and you had no real, meaningful way to pass your time. All you did was hunt, spend time with people, and do hobbies. You didn’t feel like you had a purpose.

Sunghoon quickly noticed that you weren’t feeling the best.

“I know that this life feels like a curse sometimes,” he said one day, looking you deep in your eyes, taking your hand in his. “But am I not your best blessing?”

One thing you loved about Sunghoon was how aware he was of his own value. He knew he was handsome, he knew he was intelligent and kind. 

You laughed, before raising an eyebrow, “I don’t know…”

“Hey!”

“Alright, alright,” you said. “You are.”

“No matter where we have to move, no matter what happens, we’ll be together, and that’s what matters.”

~~

“Happy 1000 years, Hoonie,” you say. It’s dinner time, and you’re sitting next to him, whispering back and forth.

“Happy 1000 years, Y/N,” he responds, a small smile on his face, a slight blush on his cheeks. “I’m so happy and grateful that I’ve had you in my life the past 1000 years.”

“Me too.” you say. “It’s been 1000 years of loving you. Today is a celebration of that, and a promise to 1000 years more.”

“For eternity.” he says.

You agree. “Forever.”

#1000 years - psh #enhypen #enhypen fic #sunghoon #park sunghoon #sunghoon x reader #enhypen x reader #sim jaeyun #huh yunjin #nishimura riki #nakamura kazuha #vampires

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

do you have anything about autism and memory? i feel like i have object permanence problems but with memory. like i can’t remember anything until something very specific triggers it and i can only then access it. but in general i feel very “no thoughts head empty”

Hi there,

I found this information from the American Psychological Association. The excerpt is a bit long, so I apologize in advance:

Researchers including neurologist Nancy Minshew, MD, studied 76 children from ages 8 to 16. Half were verbal individuals with autism, half were normal controls matched for age, IQ and gender. The diagnosis of autism reflected social and communication impairments of the autistic type along with restricted interests and patterns of behavior.

First, the children with autism, compared to the matched controls, had poorer memory for complex information (many individual elements or one complicated element) in both word and picture form. In essence, the children with autism found it hard to remember information if they needed a cognitive organizing strategy to aid recall or if they had to detect such an organizing element in the information itself.

The authors speculate that, "People with autism don't have the automatic cross talk between brain systems -- the reasoning and the memory systems -- that tells their brain what is most important to notice or how to organize it thematically."

Second, children with autism also had poor working memory for spatial information, or remembering over time where something was located once it was out of sight. Although working memory for verbal information was fine, a "Finger Windows" subtest of recall of a spatial sequence easily distinguished between children with and without autism. Spatial working memory depends on a specific region of the frontal cortex that is known to be dysfunctional in autism.

Despite these two impairments, the children with autism did not have global memory problems. They showed good associative learning ability, verbal working memory and recognition memory. Because their memories differed in only two specific ways, memory in autism appears to be organized differently than in normal individuals -- reflecting differences in the development of brain connections with the frontal cortex.

The link to the article will be down below if you want to read more.

Link to Article

Thank you for the inbox. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. ❤️

#inbox #inbox reply #inbox is open

[sublimecatgalaxy]

How about a Right Person/Wrong Time situation? Where Daryl and Reader were together before the apocalypse happen: for some reason it didn’t work out between them buuuut then they found each other again during the apocalypse and decided to give their relationship a second chance. Hihi. <33

I actually really like this because I am a first believer of right person/wrong time and Daryl has had SUCH character development throughout the show.

I don't think that Daryl and I ever expected to find one another ever again.

I wouldn't say we ended on bad terms- we never fought, we rarely had any toxic moments and there weren't any red flags to write home about- but we were just really different people. He had Merle and his horrible past relationships with the rest of the people closest to him. He was always very bad at communication and trust and he refused to even give a thought to anything that contradicted anything he was taught.

He didn't want to step on anyones toes and he didn't want to upset Merle in anyway.

So, whether I blame Merle or not for our downfall, I would just sum it up and say that we had learning and growing to do, even if we were well into adulthood and into our life when we called it quits.

We hadn't spoken to each other in months when the first National Emergency Broadcast System went out and rang out through our TV's and cellphones. It was horrible because my mind when to Daryl first. I thought of him and Merle and if they were safe. I knew they were both two very capable men and in the hands of a global pandemic and apocalypse, they were who I had my money on when it came to surviving.

At least I was right about one of them.

One thing I wasn't right about was how much he's changed.

When I arrived at Hilltop about a decade after leaving a group who resided in a subway in Washington DC, I was shocked to see the civilization that had formed. I learned about the other places; Oceanside, Alexandria, the Kingdom, and soon met a lot of the people who came with all of these lovely places.

It was the closest thing to normal civilization but, in my opinion, much better and much simpler. I immediately thought that Daryl would've loved how simple it was and how natural it was too. He was always about living off the land and hunting, camping- hell we'd go on so many 'camping dates' it's ridiculous.

The first time Daryl was mentioned, it was after Michonne told me about Rick and how he had died. She told me that one of her closest friends, Daryl, had been searching for Rick, even if it meant only finding a body and allowing him and her to get closure regarding his death.

She explained that he liked to be alone and he really preferred to just do his own thing and not have to answer to anyone. I remember thinking that her explanation of him really fit the Daryl that I had known but when talking about his protectiveness and care for the people of the different townships, I was a bit thrown.

Daryl was always caring but not 'sacrificing himself for his best friends kid' type caring.

It took going out with Michonne to Daryl's cabin to realize that her Daryl was also my Daryl.

And, man, had my Daryl changed.

His hair was incredibly longer but somehow suited him better than any other haircut he'd ever had. He's way more built, muscular too, and he just looked stronger and healthier than the last time I had seen him. He aged well, better than I had for sure.

"Y/n?" Daryl mutters as the box of fruit drops from his hands, Michonne looking between the two of us with furrowed brows, her lips parting and I turn to her with wide eyes.

"You two know each other?" I stutter out a quiet yes as Daryl takes a step forward towards me but I take a step backwards, shocked and overstimulated by everything happening all at once. I expected him to survive, sure, but I never expected our paths to cross again- not with the size of the world.

"How are you here?" Daryl asks, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck, his cheeks blushed in a vibrant, deep red. I just pause, my jaw slacking as I struggle to get a breath in. "Fuck, I-" He cuts himself and turns to Michonne with a dumbfounded expression. "This is Y/n, Michonne, the same one." Michonne reaches out and places a hand on my upper arm and I watch as Daryl just shifts anxiously.

It doesn't take long before I'm ignoring all of my questions and intrusive thoughts, running full speed to Daryl and throwing myself into his arms, almost taking him off his feet completely. He cradles the back of my head without a second to spare, tucking his face in the crook of my neck desperately.

Michonne stayed to listen to our explanation, how we knew each other, some of the stories that we have of Merle and late night adventures. But eventually, it came time to make the decision to go back with Michonne or stay with Daryl.

I made the decision to stay with Daryl. And I only went back to the townships if I was going with Daryl, never leaving his side after that.

"Aye," I roll over in bed to see Daryl standing in the doorway, his eyes fondly looking over me as I grin, stretching across the empty side of his bed. "Don' look at me like that." He laughs, folding his arms over his chest as he attempts to reprimand the flirty looks I'm sending his way.

I can hear Dog barking at the front door of the cabin but Daryl ignores him, not daring to look away from me as I huff. "C'mon, you don't gotta go yet." I offer with a gentle pout and he rolls his eyes, taking a hesitant step into the room, his eyes sweeping low to the floor.

"Gotta go get us some food. Or else I'm gon' listen to you complain all day." He shrugs with a small smirk, ignoring the offended gasp that leaves me. I slip out from under the covers, crawling to the end of the bed that's closest to him, resting my hands on my knees.

"I won't complain if you get back in bed with me and I'll make sure to go hunting with you in a little bit." His eyebrows perk up at my offer, his lip tucking between his teeth as he ponders my offer. "Ya know, after I get what I want." Finally his eyes flutter up to meet mine, his hues now ten times darker as he takes another step towards me, reaching out to cup my cheeks gently in his hands, tilting my chin up to look at him through my lashes.

"And what's that?" He whispers but the question only makes my grin widen, answering his question without another word. "Fine, half an hour, then we get our asses up, got it?" Before he can say anything else, my fingers curl around the collar of his shirt, pulling him down so I can slip down on top of him. He looks up at me breathlessly, shaking his head teasingly at the sneaky grin on my lips.

"Yes sir."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- Taglist: @bubblebuttwade @rafelover2405 @leslienjazzy @sorceresss @grxnde-dwt @alex–awesome–22 @bunnietoof @niyamar1e @serialghost @plantlungs @geniusohn @akaliltimmytim @lilaalouuxx @xshariex @elliotsbeigeguitar @elle4404 @lelieja @srhxpci @joselyn001 @taysirene @spinkspanther @thedivineuphoria @peter-maximoffs @tsukishimawhore @poohkie90 @szlaco @distantsighs @nstyles4299 @wolflover384 @givemefoodandlovesstuff @vane2828 @yeswhatever33 @amirrahfranson @vvaalleennttiinna @f-mu @yaspillz @jeyramarie @skylievin@abbybarnes17 @jointherebellion215 @visiondaddy @steezysimfinds @its-ya-gay-boi-luigi

@crunchytoenailsyum@glizzymcguirex @beth123lg @melovesmut @rafecameronswhore @ariianelle @write-from-the-heart @vampviolets@haylee-e@popehaywardssecretgf @honee-chai-tea @lokiandbuckywife @smoke-and-fire @officiallyunofficialperson@heyaitsklaudia@rosepetalsparks @bluetreecloud20 @scenesofobx @double-shot-of-tequila @1dluver13xx @colbysbrocks @iamasimpingh0e @smoke-and-fire386 @loveshineslikethesky @id-3-kbro @diorsitgirl @errorfound101-allideasburnedout @neverwillknowme18 @ellyskey @taylors-folk @loversjoy @myaloveee @thyris-is @lagataprrr @aaaaslaaaan @minjix @luvrosee @storytellingwitht

#daryl #daryl x reader #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon #the walking dead #the walking dead fic

[eisforeidolon]

Curious about your thoughts on the lawsuit against Jensen and whether or not you think it will ruin his career and prospects for producing anything else. Of course both J's fans are once again arguing over who is better than the other and who is a more competent producer. To be honest I never fully immersed myself in the fandom and everyday I know why. Seeing Jensen fail seems to be the thing now and no matter how well either of them do people will continue to hate one or the other. Only the people ignoring the drama are having fun in the SPN fandom while others continue a cycle of my fave is doing better than yours. Hopefully Jensen and Danneel will take responsibility and settle this case amicably but ultimately human beings make mistakes and he is not immune from that. I like both Jared and Jensen and if they fail and make mistakes I will either let them go or try to be understanding and hope they grow and learn from those mistakes. No one does anything perfect 100% of the time. I understand some fans bitterness towards Jensen but sometimes I wonder what does that bitterness really get you. Even if Jensen retires tomorrow and is never heard from again I'm sure he would still be talked about due to his failure to thrive beyond Supernatural. The fandom experience should be fun but it doesn't feel fun when it comes to SPN. Anyway love your blog and your level headed opinions. Sorry for the long post.

NGL, some of this struck me really weird, but I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt and assume maybe you've just spent too much time listening to weird stan echo chambers.

The idea that people in general are going to be talking about Jensen's "failure to thrive" beyond Supernatural is just ... a take. Let's put aside that he's done several movies of voice work as animated Batman and pretend The Boys is totally a show no one ever talks about or talks about in terms of Jensen's performance on it. As well as that it's been only three years since SPN's finale filmed - not only do projects take time to develop often counted in years and more than occasionally get shit-canned when one of hundreds of factors falls through? Those three years have included the tail end of a global pandemic and now a writers' and actors' strike. Forget all that. It's still the case that normals don't sit around talking about what a huge disappointment the cast from, say, Friends are for not having super memorable roles afterwards - they're talking about Friends. Similarly, co-lead of a fifteen year show is a respectable acting career in and of itself. Only obsessed stans of one stripe or another desperate to make everything a competition talk like that about an actor, and again, nobody should take them seriously.

But let's move on to the case itself [X]. Immediate preface, I am not a lawyer, and definitely not a lawyer specializing in this area of law, so grain of salt and all that. However, the way our legal system typically works is that you can file a lawsuit for just about anything - whether or not you can prove your case in court (or the other side thinks you might be able to enough to settle) is the part that matters. Someone filing a case is not an inherent indication of meritoriousness to that case. I do not know the specifics of the laws regarding filming during weather - other than what has been in the articles about the case. I do not know the specifics of the weather on that day or what the production crew on the ground knew or should have known. Not all heavy rain is accompanied by thunder/lightning and bolt out of the blue is an expression for a reason. If the big players don't decide it's easier to just settle and the case is found to have merit, I do not know the generally relevant case law which might give me an idea of precedent in terms of which defendants might be held legally liable to what degree of culpability.

However, the idea that this will "ruin [Jensen's] career prospects" as a producer, let alone as an actor? That's just ... Even if the case is meritorious enough to reach a settlement or get a verdict in the plaintiff's favor? As you would expect if you know anything much about lawsuits, it names every defendant with any potential culpability. In this case, that includes Warner Bros, The CW, three additional production companies (not including CM), six individuals, and up to 100 additional as-yet-unnamed potential defendants (Does as in John Does 1-100 Inclusive). Jensen is just the one whose name gets pulled for the article text for obvious reasons. The idea it would be on him or Danneel to be making the call on whether or not to settle when it also involves WB and the CW let alone all the other parties ...

Which is not to say an executive producer doesn't hold responsibility for the conditions on set, that IS part of the gig - and why he, Danneel, and Robbie are included in the suit. But only a stan desperately trying to wish their fantasies into existence would look at this list of defendants and the circumstances where it doesn't seem to be alleged that Jensen was directly involved in the specific chain of events and be like HAHA JENSEN'S CAREER IS TOTALLY OVER, NOBODY WILL WANT TO WORK WITH HIM EVER AGAIN!!! IMO, I have doubts it'll even affect John Showalter's likelihood of working again, and he was allegedly the guy making the call on the ground.

I mean, personally, I think TW was a bizarre, ill-considered clusterfuck starting from conception, through prequelgate and the refusal to say it was an AU because ???, to current lawsuit about allegedly questionable set practices. The only way I could see it having any overarching effect on Jensen's career is if he himself decides to move away from producing, though.

#askboxery #anonymous #anti actor stans #lawsuit #minor anti prequel sentiment #long post

[scentedchildnacho]

Yea I like programming in waterfall with women in philosophy better for the quiet tea place for the children....well if you had to learn baby buggy with road dudes amplifying everything that trembles you might appreciate whole networks of witnesses deciding what your quiet place is

And the children could jury there could be guest apologists

If its scratch and children's foods....thats cloud based cad....and waterfall I like better....its this missing water flow in consciousness....

The Europeans about serial killers are so way ahead of the tremble car sound bombs

She wanted to know if they let us stay out there

So I said I don't know...I was in new Mexico last year which has largely become a very small population of criminal colonies....so I don't know who the criminal is but they just left them in jail and that must be what structure is they adapt to that and that's just what their release communities want to do.....so the conflict from criminals escalates and I rarely see government or The Law anymore

Basically....the police no longer view the outside as a welcome relief from their job watches in the jail and if people won't relieve them they vanish as not their union protocols

Anyway they post regulations not statutes so I don't think they have decided what they are going to govern yet....normal people don't assume problem but I suspect Paris agreement will win in the end and carbon neutral ideas will in the end finally be implemented

People do need their hood crime watched.......so I suspect in the end police unions have to stop a global researcher

The first Haitian president was a slave so that's what structure is then

Otherwise popular music I don't think the men out here are into camping out....it's his home time from the military and that's just how their community does it dr dre they don't want their party bothered and that's just how their community wants to go about it

I found it kind of annoying and scary at first but now that I've found more resiliency.....it's just okay whatever they have to go to school or jails and they all have serial killers always with them so it's hobbesian life is poverty and misery and people get on with it

They hate women their very open mysoginists here so if he wants whatever I have with men are the truly miserable sex then he goes to what I have and it kills him not me I told him if he wouldn't stop stalking and hating me that he could have my hatred in life and he goes to his cell and makes himself comfortable in my murder so

Well I don't want to die I want to study early childhood care so I make immoral decisions like sick some perps onto other perps of mine

I would of course pick them up and three meals a day of animated care as they prey the meat.

He asked me if there was good camping in pacific beach so I said no there is no good camping in pacific beach....it's a parisian nightmare with building after building after building piled against each other so compared to minimal land in Florida it's very very poorly managed and disturbingly greedy in comparison

Something very poor is always wanting rents to pay bail and let them quickly flee with the property left to storms and impoverished nations to pick up a restitution bill their allowance basically was

I explained if it was me I would be given a couple days to recuperate from a crowd of mass harassment but after it they would stalk me with The Law and try to mess with me.....there is something truly into gross here like truly believes humans are apes like truly a very nasty drug lord of the most notorious

The natives largely disappear if financialism has gone from white to americanism americanism as financial is the most rude and conscriptive they don't allow reforestation of the coast line and that's a horrible nightmare to see that large of a cliche refuse to ask people if they want to see body

I have classes in energy so there are much better jobs in looking into the army corps of engineers and removing some of the buildings with relocation settlements and allowing deconstruction for a large new York park to start some people afford real estate in

Its just a nightmare for my paranoia you can't walk anywhere without constant windows staring at you outside all the time....they hate women....

[vi-pie03]

Required Blog Post #1

Kawk Yexuc (Good day) ninch kélèku. My native name is kélèku which means, ‘Where Thunder Dropped Whale’ but you can call me by my English name, Violette (pronounced like the color violet). The pronouns I use are she/her. 

My favorite activities or hobbies I partake in are mostly culturally oriented. I love harvesting from the land, clam digging, basket weaving and going to any cultural event such as tribal journeys, potlucks/potlatches, ceremonies, etc. I am also a very big animal lover! I like to do a lot of dog walking and training, pet sitting and working with my tribe's animal clinic to go on animal rescue missions. Partly why I enjoy doing these things is because they give me purpose, drive and passion/companionship but mostly because animals (of all shapes and sizes) give me a sense of happiness knowing that I am helping improve lives. And as cliche as this may be, I really do believe it makes the world a better place when you are helping another being and uplifting them from whatever the situation may be. 

I’ve got a question for you.. Do you ever sit back and look at your cat and think- wow I have an actual animal in my house?! Or wow!! My cat is basically a wild animal! Do you get it? because tigers share 95.6% of their DNA with cats:-)  Or are you normal… 

Among many things, I also consider myself to be a bit of an environmentalist. I enjoy learning about the ways in which we can protect our natural resources. Hence why I have chosen to pursue my BA in Environmental Studies!

A little background story: 

As a young girl when I would visit my Tribe's beach, and upon my explorations I would always find myself ending up at the caves. As I gazed upon the massive cave walls, I was always so astonished to see all these star-like shaped creatures stuck to the rock walls of all the caves. There were so many of them in various colors, orange, blue, pink, and even purple. No one ever talks about the sea stars… I have found that people usually favor land animals such as tigers, monkeys, leopards, horses, bears or cats and dogs. So maybe you can understand now why these star shaped creatures (sea stars) seemed so out of this universe to me haha. 

Many years later I had returned to our beach in search of the sea stars, however there were no sea stars in sight anywhere I turned. Devastated by the emptiness of the caves, I took it upon myself to search for an explanation as to where all our sea stars could have gone. I later learned that there was a disease called the sea star wasting disease that was spreading oceanwide and it was the cause of the death of more than 5 billion sea stars. 

The biggest thing I took from this discovery was that, even if the root source wasn't climate change or global warming that caused this disease to erupt, it was a large turning point for me as it changed how I felt about the state of our world in the global crisis we now face to this day. 

From a very young age I have always been very conscientious of my surroundings as I am aware that we share this world with a multitude of creatures and organisms. But I feel my own individual choice won't make that much difference unless I educate myself so that I may return to my Tribal Nation. This would allow me to make a much larger impact by utilizing my knowledge and education of the matter to help change how we do things down on my reservation as well as help protect our natural resources. 

In school I never learned to write essays up until my sophomore year of highschool, but I will tell you that I have come a long way in my writing and reading ability. I am constantly eager to learn more and develop my writing skills. 

I really enjoy using Google Docs and sometimes Word because Word has super cool features that Google Docs doesn't have!

You may learn that my knowledge of the world is somewhat limited. I come from a small tribal reservation and because of this, it can lead to me being unaware of things. Some of my friends would also describe me as uncultured haha… I once also got made fun of because I didn't know what a ferry was if that tells you anything.

[jaycohboy]

Here goes nothing...

As Twitter is in flames, TikTok has become a waste land, Instagram is awkward, and new apps want my attention, I feel the need to pull back from it all. I no longer want to participate in [for time and tangents that we’ve heard a million times before] social media discourse and false intellectual conversations. Not to say I don't love a good trash talk, but the current state of things need new perspective. 

There is a new attack daily on the rights and lives of marginalized people. It feels as though we are just finding out that we are a year into a war that only one side knew was happening. It's hard trying to share the information and move past social media activism. Stories of articles unread, and captioned outrage do nothing when the phone is locked. Hell even to accounts that don't follow you, it does nothing. I am not above this either. I haven't found any local movements to join, outreach programs to partner with, nor mutual aids to fund. I’ve built a bad habit of complaining with my thumbs and not with my actions. 

What will make us angry enough to leave our comfort? What will horrify us enough to respond to the violence we’ve learned to endure. We need to get learned and quickly. We need to educate our people on the truth and unlearn the false histories written to erase and/or villainies us. 

Leaving social media will hopefully free my mind of unnecessary distractions, to strategize, learn, and create. I have made it a point to read more (especially books on black anti capitalism and black feminism) and learn more about my passions (fashion, art, music, community, black-ness, anti-capitalism) and more about things I don't know about (other cultures, infrastructures, idk cause idk). It's important to learn and read and study the things you want to be involved in. As I learn and develop understanding around topics, I want to strategize ways to enhance the lives of black people in my community and globally. 

Though my primary focus is on black people and indigenous people’s advancement, I understand that the only way to liberation is for us all to be liberated. And liberated we will be some day. I believe that. May grace find us when we need it. May love keep the fire burning. Normal people create the revolution, not great heroes, we must be our own heroes! Change is gradual, and will take place overtime, as long as we are willing to fight for it.

-J

Im not proof reading so.

[the-conscious]

I am not and will never be in the business of burning myself to ash for the hateful. If you enter a discussion by being viciously hateful and self-righteous to boot, I am not going to be kind to you, I am not going to gently hold my hand and compose the hostility out of my voice. I'm not going to be a fucking saint while you're a rampaging monster, because that's fucking abysmal for my sanity and you aren't worth it if you're hateful. You just aren't, and you never will be until you clean up your act. And even then, I have too many things to do to hold your hand. I'll give you my words ONCE and if you double-down, I'm blocking without reading it. I write my one message with consideration that the chances I'll be listened to at that point are low, but I also know that my words orbit people's minds like angry bees. So you can let your ego get ahead of you, you can trip over my advisory and punch yourself in the face about it all you want.

But I won't be hurting myself for you.

If I let myself be burnt by every self-righteous prick that was hellbent on killing me because it bothered them that much that I asked them to care about other people, I wouldn't be here. If I let myself be burnt by half of them, I wouldn't be here. A quarter, a fifth, a tenth, a twentieth--I still wouldn't be here.

Turns out it really pisses people off when someone cares, and especially when they're loud about it.

They decide that I'm personally accusing them specifically of a global, collective problem and decide to refuse to grow about it, because I delivered imperfectly. So I don't try to deliver perfectly anymore, and if you hurt people I'm not going to be so careful as to make sure I don't give you a headache.

Hateful arguements are rarely unique in any way shape or form. The amount of times I've had to explain to a bigot (and, just fyi, there's a staggering increase in "woke" biggotry, so it's become increasingly normal to see tons of leftist labels in the description of somebody that spews fascist propaganda on the regular, as if it's different because they changed who the them in us vs. them is) that no, this opinion isn't new, and yes, I know vaguely where you got it and no, I'm not going to listen to you regurgitate something I've heard a million times and no, I'm not rude and ignoring your own personal opinion. It's not your personal opinion. It was a designed opinion that you just as millions of others were tricked somehow in to believing you made as if there wasn't hundreds of different things angling at you, nudging you in to that exact belief--which is precisely why it's not remotely unique. If you make this a personal moral thing you'll get nowhere except Worse.

What you give is what you get, so if I'm snapping at you you should be paying attention. You don't know me, or not yet, but I don't fucking snap at people who don't deserve it, and I'm not disproportionate with it either. If anything, I've been told a lot that I'm far, far too kind. And I agree. But unfortunately that's the only way to make anyone grow up at all, because at the point that you're hurting people and refusing to listen you sure as shit aren't going to listen to a "please" despite how much some of you will throw around insults, and slurs, and vitriol, and wishes of violence. You beg for a perfect saviour and attack anyone for having the slightest bit of care for anyonelse; use their imperfection as a further reason to attack them.

So next time you wonder where all the nice people went, Try looking in the mirror, and asking yourself what needs to change.

Either you've been a massive prick, resulting in you being surrounded by massive pricks, or you found yourself stuck in a pattern that kept you surrounded by them, at which point it becomes inevitable that you become worse because why wouldn't you?

You have to survive, don't you?

Keep bad company, become bad company. Be bad company, make bad company.

Ignore reality, don't learn from it. Run away from reality, fail to fix problems.

If a problem won't go away it's because you don't have the complete solution, perhaps none of the "right" solution at all. If you're constantly miserable, and argueing, and don't know why nobody's hearing you?

You're not doing what you need to be doing.

Somebody with the right words will do what you're trying to do. And if they aren't, then it's just because it wasn't the thing to do. And that's fine. We all make mistakes. A lot of the time they're unavoidable mistakes that are unfair to claim are individual. But it's still our jobs to fix it, so if you keep sabotaging the movement to heal, to fix things, and then you bitch that you're being left out of the help...hm...

Consider that you're asking for something more expensive than you seem to think, and actively increasing the cost every time you're difficult, mean, violent, and we have to put our sanity on the line in order to teach you anything at all--unpaid, to boot. Unrecognised, to boot. And insufficiently supported, too.

#Sick of the lack of collectivism. #Sick of people's refusal to talk about it. #Sick of the increasing presensce of hatespeech on Tumblr. #Sick of the fact that you can scream and cry and wail in to the void but nobody will listen because they're too afraid of reblogging new #serious posts but will reblog propagandic incomplete news post number 21982108120948091280 #and wonder why the app's vibes are increasingly rotten and fascist. #This behaviour is killing me #I have activist work to do so much of it #so much better than anything i have been physically capable of outputting in this environment #and I can't because nobody puts forth the effort to help me #i can get like max 30 notes on a serious post rn #and have no hope of gaining the mental capacity to do better until something changes #because tumblr gave me actual brain damage from stress that almost killed me in january #rage seizures. not even my abusers usually did that to me #and I qualify as a childhood TORTURE victim

[ear-worthy]

Freakonomics Radio: Staff Picks For Best Episodes Of The Year

If you’re over 40 years old, this memory may be an unfamiliar one. Before smartphones and digital downloads, there were only two ways to watch movies. In the theater and renting a video from Blockbuster. Back then, picking a movie for weekend viewing was truly a family outing. Somehow, Mom, Dad, and the kids found common ground (hear that Congress) and chose movies that could agree on.

One of the most mystical experiences at Blockbuster were the “Staff Picks.” This was a shelf of videos chosen by the staff as being watchable, irresistible, and a “best kept secret.”

Not to be outdone, the staff of the Freakonomics Radio podcast network has picked their favorite 2022 episodes across all five shows. See below for some great episode that staff believes you may have missed!

(Or click here for an online version of this list)

Lyric Bowditch, Production Associate “ Why Do Doctors Have to Play Defense? ” from Freakonomics, M.D. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, my feeds were flooded with content about it. This episode cut through the noise by offering a really important (and distinctly Freakonomical) perspective on the issue that I hadn’t considered or encountered anywhere else. It was also the first time I heard of “defensive medicine” — so interesting!

Neal Carruth, Executive Vice President and General Manager “ Has Globalization Failed? ” from Freakonomics Radio Freakonomics Radio does not shy away from posing big, provocative questions. This episode starts with a question that might, at first blush, seem kind of boring or too abstract to be interesting. But through a charming conversation with a supremely knowledgeable guest, the law professor Anthea Roberts, you acquire the tools to answer for yourself the question of whether globalization has failed. This episode also does a good job of engaging with the back catalog of Freakonomics Radio since the show has covered this general topic in the past.

Jeremy Johnston, Audio Engineer “Names,” from Off Leash Since my dog doesn’t seem to recognize his own name half the time, I was excited to learn something from this episode of Off Leash. It ended up being a really great insight into how dogs respond to their nicknames, differentiate vowel sounds, and identify their owners’ voices in crowded places. This is such a happy episode full of animal lovers talking about how they arrived at a name for their furry friends, and also takes us on a fun tour of Isabella Rossellini’s farm.

Julie Kanfer, Senior Producer “ Why Is Everyone Moving to Dallas? ” from Freakonomics Radio I really enjoyed this two-part series and learned a lot about a place I’ve never been (Dallas) and a thing I didn’t know (that everyone is moving there). I found myself thinking about this episode/series a lot throughout the year, random bits of it popping into my brain when I least expected them to. It also really evoked a sense of place and of the people in that place; I felt like I was along for the ride (in that Uber in the pouring rain).

Ryan Kelley, Associate Producer “ What Is Sportswashing (and Does It Work)? ” from Freakonomics Radio Why you liked that episode: We don’t normally focus on current events on Freakonomics Radio (we like to give the economists time to play with the data and come up with something smart), but the new, Saudi-backed professional golf league was just too intriguing not to cover. When Phil Mickelson, Qatar, and Barbra Streisand all come up in the same conversation, it must be good.

Alina Kulman, Production Associate “ Can the Big Bad Wolf Save Your Life? ” from Freakonomics Radio I loved how interdisciplinary this episode was — it’s about wildlife conservation, politics, literature, and also (of course) economics. It also has some pretty staggering statistics, like the fact that deer collisions cost about $10 billion in damages annually.

Zack Lapinski, Senior Producer “ Why Did You Marry That Person? ” from Freakonomics Radio This episode has everything: sexual anthropology, Victorian era politics, divorce, Shakespeare, the dating app Raya, aristocratic romance, Bridgerton, and — of course — an economist.

Morgan Levey, Senior Producer “ A Rockstar Chemist and Her Cancer-Attacking ‘Lawn Mower’ ” from People I (Mostly) Admire Maybe it’s a little gauche to list your own show / an episode you produced, but I loved this episode with Carolyn Bertozzi. Rarely does someone so brilliant also have the ability to explain Nobel-prize winning science so clearly. She’s also cool as hell, and I’d really like to be friends with her.

Rebecca Lee Douglas, Senior Producer “ J***s C****t, Angela, Why Are You Such a F***ing Potty-Mouth? ” from No Stupid Questions I saw that Morgan listed an episode of PIMA, so now I feel empowered to share an episode of NSQ. This show was so much fun. It was packed with interesting research, personal anecdotes, and lots and lots of jokes — basically, the ingredients for an incredible episode of NSQ. We received more listener emails/voice memos to this show than any other episode we’ve produced.

Katherine Moncure, Associate Producer “ Are N.F.T.s All Scams? ” from Freakonomics Radio I loved that entire series (“What Can Blockchain Do For You?”) because it took a very complicated and opaque part of our economy — a part that’s highly polarized — and in classic Freakonomics fashion, broke it down into something that was actually understandable. N.F.T.s are especially mind boggling to me, but less so now. I would have to say though, my favorite part was not any of the clear, informative explanations, but rather when the Freakonomics crew and the artist Tom Sachs were chased out of Bryant Park for launching a rocket. Well worth the risk.

Greg Rippin, Technical Director The “ What Can Blockchain Do For You? ” series, from Freakonomics Radio I feel that we did a really good job of explaining the different applications of crypto without coming across like we were trying to get listeners to (literally) buy into it. Plus, I got to leave my studio for a bit and get some fresh air in the park.

Freakonomics Radio wishes you all Happy Holidays and a 2023 full of great podcast listening — of course with podcasts in their network!

#podcast #economics #psychology #daily life

[micugrowthspotlight]

My Favorite Grant Cardone Quote And Why It Should Be Yours Too

My favorite of all Grant Cardone’s quotes is, “No matter how it may seem, no one has control over your life but you.” The story of why this is my favorite quote also tells my journey from shy accountant to confident 10X Coach, Speaker, and Mentor. By telling my story and why this quote is so important to me, I hope you will see in your life the power of taking control and responsibility for everything you do.

It all began when like many of you, I was in college and searching for the major that would propel me to the perfect career and into real adulthood. As I began taking classes and looking for opportunities, I knew that business piqued my interest and that I had a knack for rules & regulations. So naturally, the tax side of accounting spoke to me as a mixture of business, rules & regulations, and tax law. Or, maybe I should enter a pre-law program and go for a JD. Torn at the time, I eventually settled on becoming a tax accountant, and I could always go back and become a tax attorney if I wanted.

Fast forward through courses, internships, and a master’s program, I was sitting for the CPA Exam. Anyone who has conquered this monster of a test knows it is proctored over four grueling parts. Fortunately, I was prepared for each and passed. In my mind, I was set. With my CPA exam results, I started as a full-time staff member with the large middle market firm I had interned at. Life was good.

Then came the most significant knockdown I had ever faced in my life. My mother’s medical condition was worsening dramatically, busy season tax preparation had me working into the late hours of each day, and I was rapidly burning out. I felt like riding on a spaceship, crashing back to earth after taking off so quickly and making significant progress. Yet, somehow, I needed to make it through the busy season to reset and re-assess. Then, a global pandemic set in. Now my life was seemingly in complete turmoil, and so was the rest of the world. I was in a panic and completely exhausted. So I did the only thing I could think of; I pushed through until April 15th and then resigned. Emotionally I was utterly devastated. This job had been my dream, with the perfect company, and I couldn’t hack it.

At the time, that is what I felt was true. I had failed. But life went on, my mom’s condition normalized, and with the immense pressure of tax season released, I began trying to make sense of what had occurred. My journey of personal growth had begun, though little did I know this was merely the beginning. As the pandemic progressed, I found work in the mortgage industry. Again rules and regulations drew me towards the highly regulated and often technical work of loan origination. But unlike being a staff accountant, loan originators (LOs) need to sell. Uh, Oh, I’d never done that before.

Like any good student, I set about trying to learn what I could. Along the way, I changed to a smaller & newer boutique brokerage in search of more training and a niche market. What I found was that I still craved more. All the people I worked with were excellent and knowledgeable, but there had to be a better way. The methods seem outdated and tedious. Why can’t the same tactics be refreshed to have a more significant effect?

Enter Grant Cardone. I had sought out knowledge from various online personalities and YouTube channels, even buying scripts from a California LO who had a training platform. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to click, and along the way, I was beginning to suspect that I enjoyed helping my team more than originating myself. Looking back, I think others saw this before I did. Not only was I lost but hurting my own business. You see, the spark of energy, the unmistakable sign of drive and determination you can gather just by looking at how confident professionals carry themselves, was missing. I even complained to my wife that I was always giving free advice and not focusing on my business. I was dead wrong and was on the brink of finding my true calling.

In training with Grant, I was exposed to selling at a level I never knew existed. The 10X Interactive Bootcamp kickstarted my experience. Three days of powerful information, practical solutions, and awe-inspiring stories of success by numerous speakers and attendees. I was so motivated that I entered the 10X Mentoring Program. The momentum was growing, the strategies and techniques I was learning were making an impact, and a community of big thinkers surrounded me. But as life tends to do, I had another challenge to face. I had to battle myself again. Even though mortgages were picking up and I had a clear path to success, the thought of being coach vs. originator kept tugging and pulling at me like a thorn in my side. Could I rip it out? I didn’t know, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was not doing what I was called to and living up to my full potential.

Then two tremendous opportunities in life collided to set me on my current path. Number one and the proudest moment I have ever felt is when my baby girl, Nicolina, was born in March. I had heard how life-changing becoming a father was, but I was not prepared. She amazes me every single day. Second, Grant Cardone’s team contacted me about their Licensee Program. The opportunity to join the 10X family, continue to train, and form a coaching & consulting business was before me. But I had just become a father, and that was no time to change careers again. Right?

In reflecting on my predicament while being overwhelmed with the new joy I felt as a father, I came to know one thing for certain. Like you, I knew I needed to take control of my own income. For me, that meant starting my own business. It had hit me, the quote I had made the screensaver on my laptop. In front of me all these months but missed. “No matter how it may seem, no one has control of your life but you.” It was my time to take control of my life and take a leap I never imagined having the courage to take.

Sixty days later, I had started my company, stepped away from originating loans, and partnered with Grant Cardone as a Licensee.

By September, I had become a fully Certified 10X Speaker, Coach, and Mentor and was on my path to 10X success. I had been prospecting and signing a few clients, but this opened new doors. Then came the big break. I signed a 12-month agreement with a large organization for coaching services. Now Micu Growth Consulting was projecting over 6-figures of revenue in the first year of business.

I stopped being a ship lost at sea and found my bearing. I clearly remember the feeling of uncertainty I had holding my baby girl, and I’m sure you remember a time of uncertainty. My mission now is to help others avoid that same uncertainty in business by being there to train, guide, and coach. This mission is my bearing, and my ship is entirely under my control.

If you need to retake control over your life, I highly recommend attending the 10X Interactive Bootcamp this weekend. At $97 a ticket, being 100% on zoom, and packed full of incredible 10X stories & material to help you on your journey, it’s the opportunity you’ve been missing. The link is included below, and I would ask you to please message me that you will attend. I’d love to see you on the webcast and connect with you during and afterward.

-Gary, Micu Jr.

President, Micu Growth Consulting

10X Certified Speaker, Coacher, and Mentor

Grant Cardone Licensee

#10x #10xmichigan #grantcardone #Youtube

[totally-tann]

COVID-19. WAS THIS A TRICK OR TREAT?  HOW AS COVID IMPACTED ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF PEOPLE & MY OWN REFLECTIONS ON RETURNING TO NORMAL

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/halloween-ideas/a33826132/halloween-trick-or-treating-health-safety/

In 2020, the entire world was hit with something that no one in our lifetime could have ever imagined to experience. Covid-19 created chaos across the globe with the start of a pandemic which was followed by strict lockdowns and social restrictions.

During these last 2 years, there has been a big uprise in mental health as a topic within our global population. Fear, stress, and worry are normal responses to any perceived threats, especially during times of the unknown. It is understandable that many people are/were experiencing fear in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, added to the already heighted feelings of the fear of contracting the virus, there were also significant changes to our daily life (creating an occupational imbalance) & our movements were restricted due to safety protocols. During this time, many people were working from home, many lost their jobs & students mode of learning had changed, with everyone having a lack of physical contact with our loved ones, which made everyday life a bit different.  https://www.who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/mental-health-and-covid-19

https://themindsjournal.com/what-mental-health-is-vs-what-mental-health-isnt/ 

These last 2 years specifically, has been a very vulnerable time for many people. There has been a significant rise in mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression & low self-esteem as well as experiencing occupational imbalance. “A KFF Health Tracking Poll from July 2020 also found that many adults are reporting specific negative impacts on their mental health and well-being, such as difficulty sleeping (36%) or eating (32%), increases in alcohol consumption or substance use (12%), and worsening chronic conditions (12%), due to worry and stress over the coronavirus. As the pandemic wears on, ongoing and necessary public health measures expose many people to experiencing situations linked to poor mental health outcomes, such as isolation and job loss.” https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/.

https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/

 “Information overload, rumors and misinformation can make your life feel out of control and make it unclear what to do” https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/mental-health-covid-19/art-20482731. I personally experienced a lot of anxiety and fear due to many social media posts and news reports that surfaced and sometimes it was inevitable to prevent from happening on a daily basis as you kind of feel as if you were constantly searching for answers to this unknown.

I definitely think that the whole world got to experience what many people with disabilities feel like their whole lives. Being socially isolated, restricted in their movements due to lack of access as well as stigmas associated to their diagnosis. https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Disability/COVID-19_and_The_Rights_of_Persons_with_Disabilities.pdf

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for all, in some way. The entire world came to a complete standstill and had to adapt to the “new” way of life.

Looking back, I was the person who was counting down the days to returning to some sort of normalcy!  Due to the nature of who I am as a person, social isolation & movement restrictions was not my best friend. Early in the pandemic, I had fallen into a dark hole as I could not create a satisfactory daily routine to keep me going. Sitting on social media seeing many posts about Covid being a hoax, as well as seeing many young adults posting about how they are keeping a healthy lifestyle during lockdown. This just completely demotivated me in doing anything. However, as my days became more productive due to the return of university online, I slowly but surely pulled myself out of this hole. The lack of social interaction with my friends & family, a change in the mode of education & a complete change in daily routine made daily life very lonely & occupationally imbalanced. As I was prioritizing my education as it was the only thing occurring and completely neglecting all my other occupations. 

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/04/06/the-history-of-loneliness

Returning to fieldwork & a few contact sessions, proved to be a challenge as I was so used to interacting with others online. My ‘people skills’/social interaction skills were rusty & needed a lot of practice, it almost felt as if I had developed some sort of social anxiety. 

http://iam-indeed.com/socially-awkward-meme/

OTs definitely have a crucial role in assisting the population with returning to normal:

Assist by combating mood disruptions (fear, stress, anxiety & loneliness) that came about due to social isolation , by teaching coping mechanisms

Addressing occupational imbalance due to occupational deprivation by establishing useful habits, roles & daily routines that ensure the incorporation of meaningful daily occupations

COVID-19 is something that we are going to have to learn to live with & as a population it is really important to be able to adapt our lives & ensure that we make our mental and physical health our main priorities. I found a website that gives some really simple tricks to help reduce anxiety and depression that may be brought about from the COVID-19 pandemic: Have a look under the self-care strategies. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/mental-health-covid-19/art-20482731

https://positivelypresent.com/2016/01/feeling-sad.html

A reminder:

https://pictaphoto.com/mental-health-quotes

If you ever need someone to talk to/don’t know where to get help, please use the following resource to get the necessary help:

https://blog.opencounseling.com/hotlines-za/

[halcyondaysforyou]

The labor crunch is helping to feed the rise of the robots

How ‘I quit' is leading to 'I, Robot'

Last week, two separate but related labor market themes caught my attention.

After Thursday’s news that employees walking off the job hit yet another record in September, a report from Reuters showed that North American companies added a record number of robots this year to bolster assembly lines, in a bid to alleviate the well-chronicled labor crunch (a hat tip on this article goes to economic commentator James Pethokoukis, who runs one of my favorite reads on the global economy).

Citing data from the Association for Advancing Automation, Reuters pointed out that industrial firms rang up nearly $1.5 billion worth of robots (29,000 to be exact) — a whopping 37% more than the comparable period in 2020. Separately, Google Cloud research in June showed that two-thirds of manufacturers using artificial intelligence (AI) are relying more heavily on it.

The Morning Brief has ruminated about the impact of the labor shortage and its close blood relative, the Great Resignation. Connecting the seemingly disparate threads, it poses a burning question: Are workers reluctant to fill open jobs — or stay put in them, for that matter — sowing the seeds of humanity’s eventual demise in the labor force?

However irrational, the theme that human workers should fear the dawn of our robot overlords is hardly a novel one. Yet like everything else in the pandemic-era, the fallout from COVID-19 has poured accelerant on an already raging fire. With conditions worsening, we cannot help but wonder if workers are hastening the rise of automation in a way that displaces human labor — but in a more permanent way?

Earlier this year, Yahoo Finance’s Dani Romero reported how stressed out restaurants, which have raised pay to little avail, are leaning on technology to meet heavy demand, and fill the gaps left by a shortage of employees.

By all indications, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that the worker shortage is hastening the rise of robotics and advanced technology to address demand that has mostly defied a slowing economy and the dramatic supply crunch.

In an appearance on Yahoo Finance Live last week, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop founder Stratis Morfogen waxed eloquent about his establishment’s use of self-ordering kiosks, powered by a smartphone app that lets the consumer grab and go in a creation he calls the “Automat.”

The centerpiece of the Automat is a contraption Morfogen described to The New Yorker as “The Monster.” The founder likened it to the conveyor belt that once bedeviled Lucille Ball in a classic episode of “I Love Lucy.”

For those who haven’t read, The Monster is a machine that can crank out tens of thousands of gourmet dumplings... in an HOUR. Chances are the machine won’t demand time off, ask for a raise — or be reluctant about getting vaccinated.

In fact, Morfogen is expanding the format to drive thrus, where tricked-out order technology will allow clients to “come in and out of our drive-thru [while] having zero communication with our staff. It’ll all be remote control, phone operated and with QR codes,” Morfogen told Yahoo Finance.

“COVID exposed a lot of [the restaurant industry]... we didn’t even have an online platform for ordering, we didn’t even have a social media presence, and I think hospitality learned their lesson, we have to embrace technology to make a model here,” the entrepreneur said.

“If we can get our payroll down to 15-20% instead of the industry normal of 32%, we’re not just saving one restaurant... we’re really changing the game on the industry for making it a more efficient model,” Morfogen added.

Along with previously stagnant wages, the idea that robots are coming for all of our jobs has been a major labor market theme for at least a decade — and is at least one reason behind why people found that viral video of a Boston Dynamics robot so frightening.

None of this obviates the need to pay workers fair wages, or treat them better. And there’s only so much a robot can do, given that there’s simply no equivalent for uniquely human qualities like empathy and situational judgment.

However, the longer workers quit, hold out, or put upward pressure on wages in ways that aren’t sustainable, the more we can expect employer desperation to grow in the face of resilient demand. And the more we can expect to see unsettling headlines about how the robot revolution — think Amazon’s recently-announced Alexa-powered automaton, Astro — is upon us.

Credits to:     Javier David

Date: November 16, 2021

Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-labor-crunch-is-helping-to-feed-the-rise-of-the-robots-morning-brief-100924355.html

#AreteAutomation #Automation #ForYou

[mallgothed]

I’ve seen a lot of posts by other asexual people about how they grew up thinking there was something horribly wrong with them, that they had some weird condition that no one else had ever experienced, and then one day they found out about asexuality and breathed a huge sigh of relief. And that’s definitely a story worth telling, but I want to make a post about the opposite experience–that is, assuming you’re “normal” and then having your world knocked off its orbit by the revelation that you’re lowkey probably on the ace spectrum. 

See, I love the idea of romance. It was always my favorite part of every book and movie when I was a kid. I daydreamed constantly, and I liked looking at boys, but the desire ended there. When I got older, I thought I wanted sex, because it seemed like the natural extension of the things I liked to daydream about, but I spent very little time actually having sexual thoughts or desires. I “wanted” sex in a vague, distant, hyper-idealized kind of way, and I always just sort of assumed that everyone else felt the same way I did. And for a long time, that idea went unchallenged. When I was in high school, sex was still sort of a taboo, whisper-and-giggle subject for most of my peers, and since no one ever told me exactly what sexual desire was supposed to feel like, I assumed we were feeling the same thing.

But then, when I got to college, all the social barriers against sex were gone. I was surrounded by horny 18-year-olds who had been dropped in the middle of a huge campus where no one cared what they did, where they could do whatever they wanted, and they wanted to fuck. For the first time, I was surrounded by people who were being very straightforward about their sexual desires. I learned that for them, sexual desire was a direct, immediate, physical thing, rather than a vague idea that they thought about sometimes but never felt the need to act on. That was when I first began to suspect that I wasn’t feeling the same things everyone else was feeling. And then, as I started to interrogate that idea further, I realized that I’d never really wanted sex that badly at all–I just thought that sex was necessary to obtain the things I did want (namely, closeness, validation, and acceptance from men).

Realizing that I was on the ace spectrum was not a happy revelation. As dramatic as it sounds, I kind of felt like my life was a lie. I spent my whole life thinking I was “normal,” only to found out I was actually part of a group that comprises about 1% of the global population. My feelings, which I had assumed were universal, were actually borderline incomprehensible to a decent chunk of people--to the point where I have to write a novel-length tumblr post to adequately explain my point of view. It felt like having a rug pulled out from under me. 

I’m not really sure where I’m going with this. Finding out that I’m a-spec was a fairly recent development, and I’m still kind of deciding how I feel about it. But if anyone else reads this and relates to it, I hope it made you feel a little better.

Much love, and happy (belated) ace day. 

💜

#asexual #asexuality #ace #aromantic #aro #ace spectrum #aspec #asexual awareness #personal

[gaemkyuu]

Bring Me Back

Mafia!AU Jungkook x Original Character Established relationship! Summary: Hana was born into Bangtan and met the love of her life through it. However, it isn’t always sunshine and rainbows and sometimes it’s up to Hana to wind Jungkook down after stressful nights.

Warnings: Small Smut section, slight misogynistic villain, biref violence, mentions of death/dead character. MINORS DO NOT INTERACT! THERE IS SMUT.

A/N: Part one of a 5 part mini-series, in which each section focuses on a particular season in their lives. Disclaimer: This is a FICITONAL writing piece! In no way do I claim characters in this piece act this way in real life.

‘Ding! Ding! Ding!’

‘I guess it’s better here than taking it out on someone who messed up’ she sighed watching her husband move to the corner of the ring to grab a drink of water. He joyfully bumped fists with his opponent, grateful for the sparring session, and moved back to get his gloves off. This boxing and fitness gym was exclusive and members only. Not anyone could be a member as they needed a special connection to get in. On the outside it looked like an exclusive place to be, but no one needed to know more about this place other than that. She was sure he hadn’t seen her yet, otherwise he would’ve dropped everything to approach her on the bench, but that was a testament of his focus and work ethic. They had made a fuss when she entered, asking her if they could get her anything, offering her a space in a nice smelling office, insisting that she shouldn’t have to mingle on the floor with the sweat and body odor. 

She never got used to the attention she always garnered whenever she was out and about. It actually got worse for a period of time after getting married, her husband dearest insisting there be a bodyguard for safety reasons all the time. These people simply didn’t want to make her husband or any of his friends upset and the best way to avoid this was to make sure she got what she wanted, when she wanted. She was after all a Kim, one of the most influential and wealthy families in South Korea, who’s wealth and success were attributed to the most powerful Mafia, Bangtan. Her father ran the top financial branch in the country, all the while handling deals within the mafia. Her parents kept her out of the harsher side, leaving that to her brother, and she was tasked with other duties. She was to be the pretty and intelligent face of the family, learning at an early age how to be graceful and poised, but driven and knowledgeable on global and economic affairs. Her way of contributing to her family was presenting herself as a proud Kim at gatherings. She was always meant to help her father and one day her brother Jonghyun when he took over the company. That was until Jonghyung suddenly passed away, leaving her as the only heir in her family and the responsibility of her brother falling on her shoulders.

Losing his only son broke her father and caused him to retire from his company early, but Hana did not shy away. She took the transition in stride and relied heavily on her cousins Seokjin, Namjoon and Taehyung. Her uncle and their father helped run the company as well as making sure that Bangtan remained in power. However, when Jonghyun had passed, Seokjin had just begun taking over for his father who had retired to take care of his ill mother. Naturally, Namjoon gained more responsibility and Taehyung found more on his to-do list than normal. However, they always made time for her and ran the company as a team, rather than the traditional method of their fathers. They split the work equally between them, but gave Hana the final say in the decision making, something she never abused as she valued their input. Hana was the head of the company as her father was and the Kim brother’s were the three musketeers supporting her every decision and endeavor.

What did change after her brother’s passing was her involvement in Bangtan. That was a firm decision from her father and something they all respected. She was only to handle the company and its responsibilities. She would have no involvement with Bangtan any further than that. Her family would still come to the events, but she would assume her role of the graceful and poised princess at the head of a financial empire. It never affected the dynamics of their relationships between each other, but they knew it bothered Hana that the women were treated differently from the men in Bangtan. She was as stubborn as her father, wanting to do whatever she could and never backing down in the face of adversity. She heard her phone ring in her purse and her watch vibrated to indicate the incoming call. 

“What, building’s on fire? I left 30 minutes ago” she laughed into the receiver, smirking at the scoff she got.

“We may be the same age, but I’ll have you know I was born a whole day before you, so you really ought to think about respecting your elders” she shook her head amused at Taehyung’s reply.

“My apologies oh great Kim Taehyung. To what do I owe this pleasantry on this fine afternoon?” she rolled her eyes imagining the grin her praise put on his face.

“I forgot to remind you that the Taiwan investors pushed their meeting up tomorrow. It’s gonna be an early day” she sighed, knowing she wasn’t a morning person but that they were in no position to try to move it, especially for a trivial reason. “Don’t worry Princess, Joonie promised continental breakfast will be served and even offered to pick you up with coffee in hand tomorrow.”

“Ugh, he is my favorite” she smiled at her cousin’s kindness. “Is Jinnie sitting in on the meeting as well?”

“First of all, rude. I thought I was your favorite. Second, no Jinnie is leaving for Australia first thing tomorrow to take care of branch settlement and investors over there” she pouted a bit knowing that the oldest of the trio wouldn’t be sitting in, but the three of them would handle it just fine. “Anyways I gotta go. We’re looking into that security breach from this morning”

“Still?” she frowned. She had been told that it was a minor breach and nothing for them to worry about. It had been the reason why they canceled their meetings this afternoon, so that the boys could investigate, leaving Hana with an empty schedule.

“Yeah, don’t worry. Everything’s fine. I’ll see you tomorrow Hana Banana” she scoffed at the mocking tone he placed behind her childhood nickname, hanging up immediately to get her message of displeasure across.

“Hana?” His voice immediately shifted her mood and she smiled at the man approaching her. Jungkook was extremely attractive and she was honestly lucky to call him her husband. “What are you doing here, baby?” He gave her a peck on the lips before plopping down beside her and waving off her body guard.

“I was done early today and thought I’d go home with you.” She wrinkled her nose at the smell of him, brushing his sweaty bangs out of his eyes. She gave him a quick peck on the lips as he leaned down to steal one from her himself. “We cleared the meetings in the afternoon after the guys detected a security breach this morning” he raised his eyebrow at her, using the towel around his neck to wipe off more sweat on his forehead. “Tae said everything’s fine and made no plans to cancel our meetings tomorrow. Nothing happened. It didn’t even get remotely close to me and I was never in any danger” her words didn’t comfort him and she knew he felt personally responsible for her safety.

While the Kim’s were economical moguls in South Korea, the Jeon’s were moguls in the security industry. They sold the highest quality brands of home and building security products, along with having deep ties within the Police and Military force of the country. Jungkook’s older brother served within the Military and was high up in the rankings. That left Jungkook to take care of the business aspect and maintain their connections within the police. Bangtan was powerful due to the families that stood behind it and the Jeon’s were arguably the most important family.

“Hey, stop that.” She flicked his forehead, knowing very well what he was thinking. “Remember, you have things on your plate to deal with. I can’t be filling it all the time” she squeezed his wrapped hand in affirmation that it was really nothing of his concern, but before he could ask her further questions, a ruckus could be heard from the entrance. Everyone in the room stood defensively, ready for what was coming. They both stood up, but Jungkook moved Hana behind him, his arm reaching behind him holding your waist.

Hana watched from over his shoulder, something she had to go onto her toes for and clutched his muscle shirt to reassure him that she wasn’t going anywhere. They watched as a man around their age was dragged in and pushed to the floor, a busted lip and an inevitable black eye. “State your business” a voice boomed in the room and everyone turned their head to the source, seeing Yoongi saunter down the stairs with Hoseok behind him. While this may have been a boxing and fitness gym, they were in their business attire, with their shirts slightly unbuttoned and ties gone. To the outsider, they looked intimidating but Hana knew that look and knew that they meant business.

The Min’s and Park’s ran arguably the largest crime syndicate in the southern part of the country, with dealings and experience in drug trafficking, arms dealing and personal favors. They had cold exteriors to everyone around them, but Hana knew that wasn’t who Yoongi was. He was an intelligent introvert who always proposed thought provoking ideas and theories. He was more involved with actual ground work within Bangtan along with Hoseok and Jimin, so while she didn’t see them on the regular, they always made time as friends to gather once a week to catch up. He was a kind man who’s quiet nature was often mistaken for annoyance or anger, but he was always light -hearted and sarcastic with her. Often teasing her about the little things, Yoongi made her feel welcomed and defended her when someone doubted her capability. 

Hoseok wasn’t a Min or a Park, but had been friends with Namjoon for a long time. He was an orphan that attended the preparatory school they all attended as children and was naturally integrated into their circle of friends. Hoseok found out about Namjoon early on in their friendship, managing to hack into the Kim family’s company at the tender age of 10. Rather than seeing him as an enemy, they saw him as an asset and welcomed him into Bangtan. Since then, Hoseok was incharge of all technical aspects of Bantan. Surveillance, transactions, communications, you name it. He made sure that no information left Bangtan and that any information that was leaked was quickly dealt with.

“I said, SPEAK.” Yoongi boomed, approaching the now stuttering man on the floor. Hoseok caught Hana’s eye, sending her a wink and smile. Somehow his positive facial expressions matched the hostile energy of Yoongi’s grimace and glare. “Think you can waltz in unannounced, insult the people here and walk away without someone batting an eye?” Hana watched as he bent down to be eye level with the man. When the man didn’t answer, Hoseok placed his hand on Yoongi’s shoulder, motioning him to switch places. Hoseok smiled and extended a hand to the man on the floor, seemingly offering his hand to help him up. The man hesitatingly took it and was confused when Hoseok indeed helped him up and dusted off his shoulders. 

“Now, what brings you to this place? A gym membership?” he smiled. 

“A message of warning.” They all listened carefully, slightly tense. “Tell your bitch of a CEO that she should be careful with making any further negotiations or else she’ll regret it”. Hana blinked in confusion at the man, not truly believing that he was speaking to her.

“Now, that wasn’t very nice was it?” Hoseok’s voice sent chills down their spine. His facial expressions didn’t change, but there was something in his voice that felt uneasy. He stuck his hand out motioning for the man to shake it, patiently waiting until the other took it. Big mistake. Hoseok firmly held the man’s hand and squeezed it tightly, causing the man to look at him in shock. “Thank you for visiting our gym” he smiled and shook his hand, the man trying to break free from his grip. 

“However, the next time you want to be rude” 

Crunch. 

“Or threaten one of us” 

Scream.

“You might not make it back to give Youngmin his message”

Snap.

Hana flinched and hid behind Jungkook as the man screamed out in pain. She knew this was a part of what they did on a daily basis, truthfully knowing that they have done much worse, but that never made it easy to watch. She kept quiet, moving to place her hand in Jungkook’s. The man groaned in pain when Hoseok let go of his hand and he fell to the floor on his knees. 

“Now, run along” scoffed Yoongi, watching the other men drag his body out and throw him on the street. The gym didn’t return to its normal swing as people started to clean up and move on. Jungkook sighed and turned around as Hana let go of his shirt. He gave her a look that she knew all too well. His apologetic features tried to hide his anger and concern, but she knew this meant they weren’t going home together.

“Hana Banana!” came a cheerful voice and she turned around to see Yoongi and Hoseok, who was now joined by Jimin, approaching her. Had Jimin been here this entire time? “Aigoo, you get prettier and prettier every time that I see you”

“I’m sorry you’ll be going home with Jimin. Pizza and wings when I get home?” Jungkook apologized, holding her chin in his hand and locking eyes with her. She nodded and gave him a quick peck, hugging him tightly afterwards. As he held her, he took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma of her perfume and hair, relishing in the warmth of her body. 

“Promise?” She looked at him with hopeful eyes but he could see the worry in them. He held out his pinky finger in response and she took it gladly with her own. This act was something special to them. A gesture of love that only made sense to them. With another kiss and a quick hug, she watched him walk towards the locker room with Yoongi and Hoseok, speaking in a low voice between the three of them. He turned back to look at her one last time and she gave him a small wave with a smile of reassurance before walking towards Jimin’s car. She didn’t see Jungkook mouth Jimin a ‘thank you’

Jimin drove her back to their penthouse and stayed over a bit, catching up about what was new and mostly Jimin’s dating life. Jimin was what they called the runner and Yoongi was the fist. While Yoongi would take care of the deals that went awry or prevented them from going bad. Jimin would either be following Yoongi around as support or running various errands or meetings to lighten Yoongi’s load.

Jimin wasn’t always the easiest to schedule things out with, given the nature of his role, but he always did his best to make time for her and Taehyung. Jimin often came to Hana for girl advice and she didn’t mind chatting about it. However, like Taehyung, Jimin didn’t really have a TMI filter, so she often knew the intimate details of his time with women. 

“I’m telling you, this one is different, Jimin!” she encouraged, taking a sip from her water bottle. Jimin had taken off his suit jacket, unbuttoned a bit of his shirt and rolled up his sleeves, while she had changed into sweat pants and Jungkook’s t-shirt. They were both curled up on the couch beside each other, the TV show in the background long forgotten. “She isn't in it for the sex or your personality. She’s in it for both! How did you say you met her?”

“She’s a nurse that I met at a coffee shop. Remember the one who’s drink I took by accident? '' his head lolled back, slightly tired of talking about his love life. “I don’t want to scare her off knowing my line of employment” he groaned, scratching his head.

“You’ve been seeing each other for how long, six months?” he nodded his head, still not opening his eyes. “Then she’s in it for the long game! She told you she is looking for something serious and sticking around past six months is serious. Plus, you’re not gonna dump her in a vat of cold water, you got to ease her into it!” he sighed, knowing she had a point and was most likely right. “Plus, when have I been wrong Minnie?”

The doorbell signaled that their pizza and wings had come, and Jimin got off the couch to go get it. Hana couldn’t help but chuckle at the childlike tantrum Jimin was having over this woman, which really meant one thing to her. He really liked her. He really really liked her. He returned to her living room and placed the food on her coffee table, running his hand through his hair again. 

“I just don’t want to mess anything up,” he sighed, standing beside the coffee table. Hana frowned at this and got up to hug him, which he gladly reciprocated. 

“You’re not going to mess anything up Min” she assured him, giving him a tight squeeze. 

“I’ve got to go and help Taehyung, are you good?” she nodded confidently knowing that Jimin wouldn’t leave unless he had to. Jungkook normally came home around 7pm anyways, so she’d only have to wait about 45 minutes until his arrival. He did after all promise her pizza and wings.

Jimin smiled and patted her on the head, a gesture they had with her since they were kids. It usually annoyed her now unless Jungkook did it as it made her feel like a child again. Swatting his hand away, she poked at his ticklish spots and chased him to the door. “I’ll text her tonight, see what she says” he smiled gratefully at her, knowing she was right and thankful that she knocked some sense into him.

After Jimin left, Hana sat on the couch and decided to answer some work emails, which she was sure would fill up the 45 minutes she had to wait. However, she was lost in her work and the enchanting blue light that when she stood up to go to the bathroom, her phone had said 8pm. Realizing her husband wasn’t home at his usual time, she began to worry as he would always text her if he was coming home late. ‘Calm down, he’s fine. You’re just super emotional because you’re hungry’ she reasoned with herself, opening up the takeout and digging in. Jungkook was human and a busy one at that, it wasn’t like this was the first time he forgot to text her.To distract herself, she placed a movie on in the background and started to filter through more reports from work.

She remembers the nights when her mother would force her to go to sleep when her brother and father didn’t come home in time for dinner. They would often enjoy each other’s company, distracting themselves but eventually Hana would be ushered to bed so she could get up for school the next day. She doubted that her mother knew all the nights Hana actually stayed up late, leaning against her bedroom door with a book and flashlight, waiting to hear the front door open. She remembers moving from the door to her bed the night she lost her brother, her butt numb from sitting on the floor waiting. She didn’t remember dozing off, but she vividly remembers waking up to the sound of her mother’s cries.

‘He’s late, not dead. Calm down’ she sighed, trying to stray away from where her thoughts were drifting. To ease her mind, she quickly sent Jungkook a text message letting him know that their food had gone cold and checking in on him. She knew not to expect a message right away, especially if he was busy, but she couldn’t help but feel anxious with every passing minute he didn’t reply. The clock had read 10pm and she couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling in her stomach. She tried to call her cousins but the line would ring two or three times and then go to voicemail.

To: Jin, RM, V

Everything good? Jimin left around 6ish to help you. I’m assuming the security breach?

V: You’re still up? Remember the important meeting tomorrow? Aigoo~ no one is going to want to talk to you if you look like an angry ogre.

To: Jin, RM, V

Rude! FYI I’m being a good wife and waiting for my husband. Do you know where he is?

She frowned as the minutes went by and Taehyung stopped responding. ‘He probably got caught up again. It’s fine’ she assured herself, squashing the feeling that was rising in her throat. She put her phone facedown and tried to focus on some more reports, but about fifteen minutes later, she found herself waiting for a notification more than what she was watching.

To: Jimin, J-Hope, Suga

Do you guys know where JK is?

This time, she left her phone face up on the coffee table, ready to read whatever popped up on the screen. Knowing that she was distracted, Hana shut her laptop and directed her focus on the movie playing in front of her, noticing the forgotten take out. She began to fidget, going over scenarios in her mind until she couldn’t stand it. She paused the movie and got up to start cleaning, moving about the house and tidying up. However, she kept her phone nearby in the event someone texted her back. The cleaning only lasted so long before she gave in and decided to try calling every single guy, meeting their voicemail on the first ring. She did what she knew best, grab a book and read until he came home. She picked a book that had really captivated her attention and forced herself to get lost in the book, diverting her attention away from her missing husband.

Hana didn’t realize that at some point, she drifted off asleep on the couch, but hearing the front door click open and close, she was wide awake. Staring at the clock, it was past midnight and the light from the entrance way casted a tall shadow that slowly approached the couch. It was Jungkook to her relief, but something felt off. His eyes were distant and tired, the rest of his face void of emotion. His hair was messy and his shirt wrinkled, like he had had an awful day. This wasn’t the man she remembered meeting at the gym this afternoon and it wasn’t until she fully came to her senses that she noticed the bloodstains on his left side. She quickly bolted upright to check him over, a stream of rapidfire questions leaving her mouth but Jungkook had made no attempt to answer it. When she finally noticed his lack of presence in her interrogation, she really saw how distant he truly was. She guided his head to rest softly on her shoulder as she pulled him in to rub his shoulders and back, whispering soothing words of safety to him. As she brushed down his side, she noticed just how damp his shirt was and knew she had to take a look at his wound. “Let’s go take a bath” he nodded at her suggestion and she gently led him to their ensuite bathroom.

‘Your father always has to be strong and can only be vulnerable when he’s with me... You’ll be this person for your husband someday’ her mother’s voice echoed in her mind as she guided her husband to the bathroom. She remembers when her mother explained it to her the morning after her father came home late. While she missed them dearly, she understood their choice to leave the country and work on foreign business instead, entrusting the major aspects to her.

Since her brother’s passing and her father’s retirement, her parents moved to the US to take care of the international side of things, wanting to retire somewhere hot and with a beach. Truly, it was because everywhere they went here reminded them of the son they had lost and that moving countries would give them a chance to grieve and move on. Hana didn’t mind them being so far away, after all she could always just call them. She wanted to give them a chance to figure out their feelings and what life looked like now that things had changed. Plus, it really gave her the chance to grow personally and become her own person. It was nice to not have her parents around constantly asking about her marriage like she knew they would.

Entering the ensuite in the master suite, she sat Jungkook down on the toilet while she prepared everything. Hana began to prepare a bath in their large jacuzzi tub, scenting it lightly with peppermint and eucalyptus, something easy on Jungkook’s sensitive nose. As the bath filled, she grabbed the first aid kit from underneath the sink, setting up a sterile area to help him with his wound. Being the only girl in their group meant that she often would play nurse. Seokjin was always able to patch them up, but being one of the oldest, he wouldn’t be around as much as Hana was. It wasn’t uncommon for the boys to show up or call her over when they had hurt themselves and didn’t want to go to the family medic.

Jungkook also knew this routine and moved from his toilet seat to sit on the bathroom counter beside the sterile area. As she unbuttoned his shirt, she heaved a heavy annoyed sigh at the bandage job. ‘He probably did this himself’ she thought, knowing very well that he never wanted anyone to worry about him, even if it meant that he hid his injuries at a later time. Hana knew this time was not appropriate to scold him for his choice, she had to focus on nursing him back to his usual self. He winced from time to time as she cleaned his wound, eyes still distant but seemingly returning as the time passed. Rather than focusing on how he got the stab wound, she focused on cleaning and stitching up the wound,  occasionally smiling at him lovingly when he would shift his gaze to her face. She applied the adhesive film last as gently as she could and passed him a small cup of water with painkillers, something he gladly took. Kissing his wound, she hoped it would take some pain away even though she knew it wouldn’t, but the small smile he gave her was enough. “Let’s get you cleaned up, okay?” he nodded his head slightly, lethargic in his movements, that Hana couldn’t help but intervene and help him undress. She guided him over to the bathtub, testing the water and helping him in and letting him settle, after he had taken off his boxers. However, he quickly grabbed her wrist as she turned away from the tub.

“I’m not going anywhere. Just let me clean up and I’ll come join you” she kissed his forehead and he let go of her wrist. Hana quickly cleaned up the first aid kit and threw both of their clothes into the hamper by the ensuite door, removing her undergarments as well. She quickly tossed her hair in a bun as she walked over to their tub, Jungkook’s daze off and far away. With a soft touch to his shoulder, she motioned him to scoot his body forward so that she could settle down behind him. As she settled in the tub, resting her chin on his shoulder, she began to give him tiny kisses and massaging his shoulders to relieve some tension. She smiled when his hand reached for hers on his shoulder, intertwining their fingers as he finally gave a deep sigh and melted into her, completely resting himself on her. She began to dip her hands into the water and gently massage the liquid into his hair, knowing that he loved it when she played with his hair. They sat like this for a while, the steam of the bath water floating around them and the silence bringing them comfort and time to reflect.

“Does it hurt?” she whispered, afraid to ask about what transpired this evening, pausing in her scalp massage

“You should’ve seen the other guy” he scoffed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Hana knew he was back to his regular self due to his response, but she could hear the heaviness in his voice. “That threat Namjoon and Tae had told you about was more serious than they thought” she felt his shoulders tense again and she let go of his hands to wrap both of her arms around him, giving him a kiss to the temple. The water swished around gently as they slightly moved positions.

“Does it hurt?” she asked again, louder than the first time. 

“Not as much as you think. The painkillers are helping and I’m more sore than anything” she was thankful for his honesty and she was sure that he could still hear the worry in her voice. She held him tighter again, giving him a big squeeze with her arms. He tapped her arm, moving so that he could switch places with her, but she was hesitant to fully rest her weight on his chest, knowing he was injured. “Baby, it’s fine. You need to relax too, I know you’ve been worried” wrapping his arms around her torso and scooting her back. He kissed her temple in reassurance that he was fine and that she didn’t need to worry as much as she was.

“Not fair. I’m supposed to be taking care of you” she whined, giggling as he moved to give her kisses on her neck. The mood lightens in their home as they shed their day’s hardships in the water.

“You did. You do. I couldn’t ask for a better wife to bring me back to earth” he simply says, kissing her cheek and resting his chin on her shoulder again. “I’m sorry. I promised you pizza and wings with a night of cuddles, but I stood you up” the silence between them became uncomfortable, knowing where their minds were drifting. 

“It’s okay. I’m just scared I’m going to have to relive that nightmare over again” she confessed, a sadness settling over her. It had truly been a nightmare. Waking up to her mother’s wails in the living room and sprinting out of bed to see the commotion, only to see her on her knees in her father’s arms. She had never seen him cry before, but he cried equally as hard as her mother that night. Seokjin and Namjoon were there with their dads as well, sad and sullen. It was only when she noticed the missing presence of her brother that she put two and two together. Jonghyun wasn’t coming back. Not tonight, not ever.

Her chest began to feel tight, remembering how awful and traumatizing that night was and desperately needed to shake off the feeling. She turned in between his legs to partially face him, softly brushing her hands over his eyebrow and lip piercing, memorizing every feature of his face. Hana knew that their life brought uncertainty and that they never knew what would happen next, but in these moments, she wishes she could just stop time and stay there. Being at the top of the company, she knew anyone could decide at any moment to be rid of her. The man at the gym reminded her of that but she didn’t fear death as much as she feared a life without her beloved and her family.

Sensing her sadness and fear, Jungkook started making funny faces and tried to bite her fingers, a clear indication that he had let go of the burdens of the day and was present in the moment with her. Smirking, Hana flicked a bit of water in his face, kissing him while he was distracted. He hummed into the kiss, deepening it and pulling her close again. She felt electricity run through her body at the slight lick of his tongue but welcomed it fully quickly after. His groan quickly brought her back to reality, gasping that she may have put pressure on his wound and slightly panicking that she hurt him.

“I’m sorry!” She quickly apologized but was confused that his face was flushed and not in pain. Cocking her head to the side, he ran a wet hand through his hair letting out a deep breath but slightly panting after it. “Are you okay?” she asked carefully, not understanding what just happened. Jungkook’s eyes flickered down and Hana followed his gaze, face flushing red immediately noticing his arousal in the water. “JK!” she exclaimed, slapping his shoulder and turning her body so that her back faced him while he let out a big laugh.

“What did you expect?! You’re naked and we’re making out! Of course I’d get hard!” her face was a deep red, embarrassed at the situation, but he smiled cockily at her. “What? It’s not like we haven’t done this before” he teased and pulled her close again, moving her legs to straddle him and rest her weight on his thighs. His soft kisses to her neck helped to divert her attention from the casual and embarrassing conversation of their sex life to the current intimate moment they were having. Just as she was starting to let go of her thoughts and indulge in the moment, he held her chin to face him so he could kiss her lips. As the kiss began to deepen, Jungkook pulled away, stopping them. “I’ll only do it if you want to”

Hana kissed him hard, hoping to convey her answer to him and confirming it soon after as his hands gripped her hips and his mouth met hers with the same vigor. It didn’t take long for him to lift her hips a bit so that he could insert himself inside her, both of them sighing at the contact and comfort it brought. Jungkook began a steady rhythm of rocking into her while encouraging her to bounce on his cock. The water began to splash around them as he picked up the pace, turning them over so that he was now thrusting into her as her back rested against the jacuzzi tub’s walls. Their moans echoed throughout the bathroom and Hana gasped when Jungkook reached hand between them, stroking her clit as he continued to relentlessly thrust into her. For a brief moment, Hana almost protested that they should stop as he still had a fresh stab wound she stitched up, but her sudden orgasm knocked the thought out of her head as her hips met his and she trembled under him, announcing her orgasm breathlessly. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, clinging to him desperately as he continued to thrust into her, pace slowing.

Jungkook took pride in his physique and had multiple reasons that he maintained a very active lifestyle. It gave him the stamina he needed in many aspects of his life and using it when they were having sex was one of those reasons. It turned him on knowing that he could cause her to fall off the edge multiple times before he reached his own peak and tonight, he fully intended to remind Hana that he had this power. He wanted to take away every bad thought she had and replace it with nothing but pleasure and his love for her. However, he knew Hana didn’t have the same stamina as he did, so he held her close and gave her gentle kisses as she came down from her first high. He maneuvered them back to their original position, Hana seemingly a bit more limp than before, coming down from her euphoria.

“Look at me” he cooed, holding her chin and giving her a moment to focus on him. Her eyes weren’t glossed over, something that would happen when she was done, and that was all he needed in order to start the steady rhythm all over again. This time, Hana wasn’t bouncing, still to limp to do it, but Jungkook made sure she still felt pleasure and set about doing most of the work. She rested her forehead on his shoulder, her chest pressing against him as he whispered things into her ear he knew would increase her arousal. He gradually increased his rhythm and Hana sunk deeper into arousal, feeling her core tighten once again.

Jungkook felt her tighten around him, knowing she was close and that she was completely oblivious to the cocky smirk on his face. He thrusted into a particular part of her that caused a shiver to run down her back and suddenly launch her into her release. As her second orgasm washed over her wave after wave, Jungkook continued to thrust into her, this time not slowing down.

“JK... I” the pleasure removed her capability of speaking coherently. At this point, she was jelly in his hands and moved at his control. She gasped as his hand found her core once more.

“Come on baby, you can give me one more” his husky whisper comforted her and turned her on. She didn’t think she could do it again as she never descended the last high of her most recent orgasm. She felt like she was on pins and needles, never dropping from that state of euphoria. She did her best to protest but it was no use. When Jungkook set his mind on something, he wouldn’t back down until he reached his goal. His pace was faltering, meaning that he was close and the stimulation she received both internally and externally, combined with her current heightened state, rapidly induced another orgasm.

“Let go for me love” he goaded and she lost complete control, her body stiffening and loosening simultaneously. Somewhere in her mind, she thought of how ridiculous she might’ve looked, like a fish flopping out of water. However, the third orgasm hit her harder than any of the previous ones. Thankfully, Jungkook held her hips tightly and pulled her down hard for one last thrust, his own release reaching him. She melted in his arms as she came down from her high and he held her close as if she would disappear.

Hana couldn’t tell if she drifted off or not. She couldn’t honestly recall all the events of their intimate moment in the tub that evening. Between the extreme pleasure Jungkook was giving her, she tried her best not to black out, forgetting about the details. She let her husband lift her off his lap and turn her around so that she sat with her back to him. He smiled at the small whimper she made when he pulled out, kissing her forehead all the same and began to wash their bodies. He noticed that Hana was starting to shiver, realizing that the water was now lukewarm and that he would have to get both of them out of the tub and ready for bed. It was a good thing that he was strong enough to lift her and wrap a towel around her, sitting her on the bathroom counter before drying himself. She sat in a post orgasm state on the counter, trying her best not to fall asleep until Jungkook could help her over to the bed. She watched in a daze as he dried himself off and walked over to their bedroom, returning with his underwear on and somethings for her. He carefully dried her hair and brushed it to the best of his ability, imagining what it would be like to do this to their own children someday. She, on the other hand, relaxed into his touch and left him to take control of her body, including getting her dressed in his oversized t-shirt and her underwear. 

Their bed was warm thanks to Jungkook who turned on the heated mattress when he came to grab underwear. As he pulled the covers back on their California king bed, Hana felt her conscious state of mind returning, feeling confident that she could now have a straight train of coherent thought and start a conversation. As he laid down beside her, she quickly pulled herself close to rest her head on his shoulder, fighting off the exhaustion she knew would take over. “So what really happened?” she mumbled, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. He chuckled softly, knowing she asked out of concern for him and not concern for her.

“The security breach from this morning was linked to the guy who insulted you at the gym”  he sighed, wrapping his arms around you. “They weren’t happy with a financial decision you guys had made regarding their shares and profits. Tae had said the guy had spoken on behalf of the Taiwanese investors, but you weren’t scheduled to see them until tomorrow right?” she nodded her head softly, still not understanding how this lead to a stab wound. She kissed his chest and played with his hair, occupying herself to try and stay awake. “Out of nowhere, another one of his lackeys appeared and nicked me on the side, but he was taken care of soon after” she frowned knowing what he truly meant.

“Was anyone else hurt?” Thankfully Jungkook shook his head no and gave her a squeeze. “I’m sorry” Hana whispered, somehow feeling responsible for the bandage on his abdomen. While injuries and enemies were a part of the lifestyle, she couldn’t help but feel responsible for the whole incident as she was the catalyst. She had made a decision in their best interest which resulted in a tiny ambush.

“Never apologize for something that isn’t your fault” he whispered, kissing her lips. “You can’t take the responsibility for someone else’s actions” he kissed her forehead before tilting his head down to make them touch. Their silence in that moment brought them comfort and signaled the end of that topic. “Now, get some sleep. With the whole incident you aren’t meeting with the Taiwan investors, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be letting you sleep in too much” he smiled, pulling his head away and kissing her temple once again.

“Ugh, I can’t sleep in at all, even if we aren’t having that morning meeting. I have a lot of reports to get to before the year end fiscal Gala” she groaned, turning over so that Jungkook could be Big Spoon.

“You aren’t going to work tomorrow, I already called to let them know you’re taking a day off” his voice was playful and she could hear that twinkle in his eye, the beginnings of a plan. “I broke our promise, so it’s only fair that I make it up to you” he smiled, snuggling her shoulder and burying his face in her hair. “Plus, Tae owes me. He can do your reports” he scoffed, kissing her shoulder.

“I love you Hana” letting the sleep wash over him, yawning and feeling his eyes droop.

“I love you more Jungkook,” she muttered, finally letting herself close her eyes.

“I love you most” he whispered, kissing her shoulder as they both drifted off to sleep.

#bts #bangtan #bts imagines #bts fanfic #original character #jeon jungkook #jungkook x oc #mafia!au #mafia!bangtan #mafia!bts #jungkook

[palestinianliberator]

To be Palestinian is exhausting

You will not find a single Palestinian who hasn’t had to endure all of the following and more:

Constantly having to prove our existence

[This is going to be a tremendously long post, but I implore you to read through what you can]

Constantly having to educate everyone around us on our history and people while we continue to be slaughtered

Constantly having to combat Israeli propaganda and dehumanization campaigns against us

Constantly having to combat liberal propaganda from those who simply cannot understand the pain and damage they are doing

Constantly having to defend ourselves from the overwhelming forces that stand in our way, from the Israeli forces to the global institutions that help support it to the structures in the US that mean that any Palestinian who dares speak out risk both their lives and livelihood

Constantly in fear of whether or not you’ll end up on another “list” as a result of daring to speak out

Constantly having to do it all again as soon as we’re back on the news

Constantly having to answer for all other Palestinians in a way that nobody else is expected to

Constantly being seen as the “crazy one” when trying to share your narrative, having to defend against an endless barrage of accusations of antisemitism

Constantly being put into situations by bad-faith actors who attempt to engage in “debate” or “discussion” or “dialogue” with talking points that demean and duhamanize you, all while being expected to maintain a smile and cool composure while someone literally debates to your face your own existence or how “actually it’s YOUR people’s fault you’re being slaughtered! Israel isn’t the bad guy here!”

Constantly being forced to choose between engaging in bad-faith debates framed in a way to make you look like the unreasonable bad guy while the person implicitly defending your ethnic cleansing is made to look like the “rational good guy” or looking after your own mental health, knowing that even refusing these “invitations” is itself a mark against you and your people

Constantly being told that you’re too “biased”, too “close”, too “emotional” about the literal slaughter of your people to be seen as a valid source, while Israelis and complete outsiders are given all the space they want to speak for us endlessly

Constantly seeing people being actively mislead and wondering if you have the capacity to reach out to them and attempt to share your narrative with them, knowing that if you don’t, they’re going to go on to propagate the same lies justifying your ethnic cleansing

Constantly having to combat GENUINE censorship throughout the media, social media, and society itself. It’s a fact proven by former Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube employees that Palestinian voices have their reach censored in a way no one else does, which is why it’s so important to amplify and actively share Palestinian voices rather than just liking or indicating support

Constantly being told you don’t know your own history by people who’ve educated themselves on Youtube and Wikipedia despite having lived the reality yourself and dedicating your entire life to studying every single aspect of it

Constantly seeing those who have the courage to stand alongside you being shut down with accusations of antisemitism and seeing them lose their courage to stand by you out of fear of their own image and livelihood and having to rush to their defense as well

Constantly having to see photos of your people, sometimes even people you know, maimed, injured, murdered, or burned to ash by Israeli aggression but knowing you have a duty to share what’s happening and must stomach the images to show the world the true extent of the suffering we endure

Constantly having to worry not just for your own safety, but the safety of your family and loved ones who can be punished or targeted because of things you yourself say

Constantly wondering who you can actually trust, from new friends and acquaintances to professors to even other Palestinians because we’ve been so heavily infiltrated by Israeli intelligence looking to blackmail Palestinians using anything from their sexual orientation or even made up “evidence” meant to ruin their lives

Constantly having your heart sink every notification you get wondering if it’s news that a loved one has been killed

Constantly seeing the corpses of loved ones shared on social media and reliving the trauma all over again, yet again knowing that you WANT the world to see what’s happening

Constantly seeing the effects this has on your own family and feeling helpless to do anything

Constantly on alert for the FBI at your door as they often “visit” Palestinians who dare speak out, myself included on numerous occasions 

Constantly wondering if your advocacy for your people is going to result in the loss of your job, scholarship, license

Constantly being asked to “humanize” and “feel for” those who live their lives day in day out completely unfazed by your suffering despite living in a society that couldn’t even FUNCTION without our subjugation

Constantly being told “don’t blame regular Israelis, blame the government!!” as if the state itself wasn’t founded on our ethnic cleansing, as if it isn’t “normal Israelis” who make up the entirety of the Israeli Military and have actively brutalized you and your people

Seeing allies you fought for suddenly SILENT when it’s their time to speak up

Studying on a US campus where those SAME SOLDIERS WHO ENGAGED IN YOUR PERSECUTION AND ACTIVELY SERVED AS THE ENFORCERS OF YOUR OCCUPATION then re-enact the trauma against you and you’re meant to simply ignore the fact that THEY ARE THE SAME PEOPLE WHO MURDERED YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY, and not being allowed to even be ANGRY at that

Trying to navigate this half-life in the diaspora where it’s a struggle to connect with other Palestinians given the distance between us and yet not being able to connect with anyone around because, again, they simply can’t understand

Constantly being expected to simply give up your time to those who demand you answer them and debate your existence and narrative with them, who them take you blocking them for your own mental health as a “victory” to be lorded over you when you simply can’t take it anymore

Constantly having to EXPLAIN all of this because nobody but other Palestinians can truly understand just how pervasive, overwhelming, and incapacitating this unique form of exhaustion is

Constantly seeing your erasure and ethnic cleansing defended all over the media, all over social media, throughout your academic career, while those ENGAGED in your ethnic cleansing have the audacity to claim that the media is biased against THEM

Constantly on guard with everything you say and write, knowing that unlike those promoting our ethnic cleansing, we don’t have the luxury of making mistakes or getting lazy in our writing and advocacy. One mistaken source, mistaken information, being imperfect is enough to discredit your voice entirely

The crippling obligation you have to share the narrative of your people, knowing that so many people will view you as the spokesperson of your entire people, knowing how unfair it is, but also knowing that if you DON’T speak out, nobody will on your behalf, and even the most well-intentioned, involved allies can simply never understand how it all truly feels

Seeing the entire world stand by and do absolutely nothing while your people are slaughtered time and time again

Seeing your history misconstrued by people implicitly defending your ethnic cleansing and settler-colonialism

Knowing that our parents have been through this and more, seeing them have to go through this yet again while still being forced to go about their daily lives and given no time to mourn or recover

Not being able to even share our culture without being attacked for it

Knowing that so many of your friends and family won’t ever be able to return to their homeland while foreigners from around the globe are flown into Israel free because it’s their “birthright”

A “birthright” denied to even my own parents, born in Jerusalem yet unable to enter it

Having even self-proclaimed “allies” question Palestinian resistance, policing our tone, never /really/ understanding our pain and anger and how they themselves contribute to it

Screaming from the moment you can about what’s happening to us, desperately trying to get people to CARE, and having it often fall on deaf ears

Knowing that if you’re not the source of information for those genuinely seeking to learn, they may find themselves mislead by sources that claim to be fair and balanced while imprinting subtle lies about Palestine and Palestinians on those they engage with

Not even being able to find the energy and ability to respond to genuine messages of love and support, which are greatly appreciated, and feeling bad about it because you don’t want to seem like you’re not genuinely happy to hear it

Feeling a sense of overwhelming exhaustion in times like this while at the same time being unable to sleep

Seeing the effect all of this has had on your people, knowing your people have among the highest rates of depression on the planet and yet we’re all suffering together with no way to ease the pain

Being constantly exposed to the ways in which your people are erased and questioning if you have the energy or sanity left to deconstruct such aggression to help outsiders understand the severity of it all

Seeing allies suddenly call for “peace” when Palestinians are finally fed up enough to rise up and fight back against an overwhelming military force

I could go on, but in case you it’s not already clear, I’m tired and exhausted

Always wondering if any of this is even worth it when the world has ignored your slaughter and ethnic cleansing for nearly 8 decades, knowing that nobody is about to step in to help now.

Constantly wondering if any of this is even worth it, and then feeling inspired by fellow Palestinians, our resilience, the fact that despite ALL of this and more, we continue to fight.

Despite all of this, I would never even consider or entertain the thought of being born as anything other than Palestinian

#Palestine #Israel #Gaza #I could go on for literal hours or days #There is SO much to our pain and suffering #SO much #But I know that even trying to explain EVERY aspect of it is #itself likely to lead to a diminished audience and serve to perpetuate the very things I mentioned