#bernie being dismissive

[backjustforberena]

don’t you just love looking at a psycho’s diary and imagining what might have happened had he not been admitted because a helicopter crashed into the e.d whilst he was keeping tabs on Bernie?

#'S. Campbell - no signs as of yet!' #boy you were not paying attention #but seriously #imagine if it had developed into a fully fledged stalker storyline #bernie being dismissive #serena being wary

[phoenixyfriend]

Calls for Action, Call Your Reps: 2/13/24

This is USA-specific, as that is the place I live and know.

Find your elected officials.

Today, much of my information is coming from Democracy Now!, which I generally listen to as a podcast (functionally, it is a radio news broadcast, like NPR or BBC), and I am quoting from the text versions on their website.

The Senate passed a $95 billion military funding package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in the pre-dawn hours this morning. But the bill’s fate remains unclear after House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed the measure over its failure to include hard-line immigration restrictions. This comes after Johnson and other Republicans rejected an earlier version of the bill which did contain the border crackdown they had demanded. Johnson has told Republican congressmembers he will call a House vote on a stand-alone funding bill for Israel.

From the same page, we are hearing that President Biden is urging Israel to refrain from invading Rafah, where a million or so Palestinians are currently sheltering, but is not actually threatening any kind of repercussions for said invasion. Reports from both official sources (e.g. the Hamas-run health ministry) and less official (e.g. American doctors returning from relief services in Palestine) indicate that over half of the deaths in Palestine are children.

I am not going to pretend that I know what is going through Biden's head.

Both House and Senate:

Reinstate funding for UNRWA. While the claims made by Israel that employees of the relief agency were involved in Oct. 7th are troubling, THEY are not well supported, and western officials did not do their duty in investigating the claims before cutting funding. This arm of the UN is currently providing food, water, shelter, and medical care to the 2.3 million displaced peoples of Gaza. It is especially disturbing and concerning that the many children of Gaza, who are already suffering due to this conflict, are now having this support revoked. Many sources are also claiming that the evidence is flimsy at best.

Urge both Senate and House to refrain from funding Israel, or to at least put some strings on it. The IDF cannot be given funding without some regulations on what they can do with it. They have proven that they are unwilling to take steps to protect civilians.

FOR THE SENATE: Urge your senator to put their support behind Bernie Sanders and his motion to restrict funding to Israel until a humanitarian review of the IDF’s actions in Gaza has been completed. Cite it as Senate Resolution 504 if your Senator is right-wing enough to react negatively to the mention of Sanders by name. NOTE: This resolution was TABLED by the Senate on 1/16, but it is being brought back in as conditions continue to escalate.

FOR THE HOUSE: Urge your representative to put their support behind Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s petition for the US government to recognize the IDF’s actions in Gaza as ethnic cleansing and forced displacement, and put a stop to it. ALTERNATELY: recommend that they support House Resolution 786, introduced by Rep. Cori Bush, Calling for an immediate deescalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine.

On the House Floor this week, to call your rep about:

H.Res. 994: Married persons tax break. Vote nay. Loses billions in tax revenue and explicitly targets green energy.

H.R. 2766 and H.R. 4039: Condemnation of China's actions against the Uyghurs. Can't tell you which way to talk on this. Seems good on the surface, but given who's presenting it, I worry there's something worse tucked into the text. Hopefully someone can provide a better take.

H.R. 3016: IGO Anti-Boycott Act. Vote Nay. This appears to be intended to force US companies to do business with US allies instead of participating in boycotts. This appears, to me, to be an attack on movements like BDS. To Dem Reps, argue that this refuses the right of peaceful protest to US citizens. To Republican Reps, argue that this is a dangerous government overreach and that it is not the right of the government to force US citizens to purchase products and materials from specific foreign partners.

H.Res. 966: Condemnation of sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas against Israel on Oct. 7. Vote Nay. We know sexual violence is bad. Hamas has already been condemned for their actions. This is, at best, lip service. It is a waste of time. There are much bigger, more impactful things to work on, and this is going to waste time and resources in the Senate if it passes.

If you wish to support my political blogging, I am accepting donations on ko-fi.

#Phoenix Politics #current events #united states #are you guys interested in me continuing to do this? should I start including my ko-fi link? #Israel #Palestine #Gaza

[hangmansgbaby]

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince

MAATHP Masterlist

2 : Y O U N E E D T O C A L M D O W N

Getting called into the president’s office is never a good thing. Getting called into your father’s office is never a good thing. But when the president is your father and the PR manager AND Secret Service escort you to his office, you know that you royally fucked up this time, but Meri would never let her father know that she knew that.

“Hi daddy!” Meredith smiles innocently when she enters the Oval Office.

“Sit.” Meri drops into the couch immediately, waiting for her father to look up from his desk. He’s reading on Bernie’s iPad and Meri just has a feeling that he’s looking at the article published this morning about her. “Sweetheart, you know that I love you.”

“Well, I love you too.” Meri replies, smiling, hoping he’ll ignore the news of her outburst. 

“But what in God’s name were you thinking!” His volume makes her smile falter. “I have been on the phone all day with the King of England because you decided to scream at the heir to the throne! Have you lost your mind?”

“Well I can explain–”

“Oh you are going to explain. And you’ll explain until your face turns blue about how they took this… this…” Pete groans before he continues, “this disagreement, out of context and you two are actually great friends.”

“But…”

“No buts.” He glares, and Meri immediately stops talking. “You are going to be on the next flight to London. Today! And you better fix this.”

“Yes sir.” Meri sighs as he dismisses her. 

“Miss Mitchell, welcome back to Kensington Palace.” Bob Floyd greets Meri as she exits the car. 

“It's great to see you, Bob.” Meri smiles politely. “Where is the prince?” She questions, moving to help the driver unload her bags.

“Jake’s running a little behind today.”

“As usual.” She groaned, turning back to the prince’s best friend and courtier. “Then I will be going to my room and if the prince decides he wants to show up for his affairs then I will gladly make an appearance.”

“I expect nothing less from you, Meri.” Bob laughs, leading her to the guest wing. 

“Oh, Nat is going to be joining me next week.”

“Did I hear something about Natasha?”

“Meri, you remember Javy Machado?” Bob reintroduces him. 

“Yes, the self proclaimed best friend to the heir who has an unhealthy obsession with my best friend.” Meri replies sarcastically as she shake Javy’s hand. 

“Oh look is the little Miss Americana who can have any man and still acts like a hoe.” Javy laughs, unable to keep up in their usual game. 

“It's great to see you, Jav. And yes, Nat’s going to be here next week, maybe ask her out this time?” The American asks, dropping her bags to the couch in the room. 

Javy groans and drops to the bed. 

Natasha Trace and Javy Machado have bounced around the idea of being a couple for all of 3 years now. Meredith and Bradley have been telling Nat to just ask him out while Bob and even Jake have been trying to convince Javy to ask her. 

“How about you, Meri?” Bob perks up. “Any men catching your eye?”

“No,” She answers simply. “Now shoo. I need a relaxing bath before I deal with your best friend.” Meredith pushes both men out the door, shutting it behind them before making her way to the connected bathroom. 

“They’re so going to get married.” Javy laughs, he and Bob walking towards the study where Jake currently resides.

“I don’t know man, she seems pretty set in her feelings about him.”

“About who?” Jake perks up as his friends enter.

“Nothing.” Bob says. “Do you plan on making an appearance with your guest or should I send the reporters home?”

“Interviews are at 3, I have a few hours to enjoy myself.” Jake shrugs, closing the folders he was previously flipping through. 

“No, they’re at 1 and you have 45 minutes to change and meet Meri out front for pictures.” Bob corrects. “So please, do not piss her off anymore and just play nice, okay?”

Jake flashes a smirk at Bob’s request as he chuckles. “I’m always nice.”

Every interview that evening started with the same question, “So you two have been friends since her father’s Inauguration Ball?” 

Jake laughs at the notion. The two had both met at a charity gala a few weeks after the election and hadn’t even spoken to each other. Then when the inauguration ball came around, Meredith Mitchell told him he could ‘suck his own royal dick’ and to leave her alone.The President did not like hearing her say that.

“We got off to a rocky start, that's for sure. Meri was still new to being center stage in everything and she only knew me as the playboy I’m depicted as online, but by the end of the night we quickly realized we weren’t much different. Plus our dad’s are actually old friends.” Jake answers.

Meri went to answer as well but the reporter quickly asked another question. 

“What was your first opinion of the President’s daughter?”

“I thought she was,” Jake paused, glancing over at her as she began to intently listen to what he was saying, “is.. I think she is absolutely beautiful.” He says, eyes never leaving hers. “She has the most amazing laugh, and her smile, well it’s infectious really.”

“Have you ever thought of being anything more with her, your highness?”

“Do you plan on asking me any questions while you're here?” Meri interrupts, turning away from Jake’s stare. 

“Excuse me, I was speaking to the prince.”

“No, you were just ignoring me. Do you have any questions for me in your little journal?” The reporter stutters as he flips through the pages. “We’re done here.” Meredith stands and walks to the door.

“But I still have questions!”

“Ask me one question about anything but my outfit, diet, or workout plan and I will actually take you seriously.” Meri glares at the reporter who sits stunned.  “Exactly, I’m leaving.”

“Hey Meri, wait up!” Jake follows after her. 

Meredith storms through Kensington Palace mumbling to herself. Jake silently follows behind her, patiently waiting for her to stop. 

Meri couldn’t believe the audacity the reporter had to ignore her and surely every other reporter took her comments and scrapped them as soon as they left. 

“No good, son of a bitch.”

“Hey Meri?”

“Shut up.” She growls, throwing open the door to her room.

“Meri…”

“I said shut up!” She screams, facing the prince. “You don’t get it do you?”

“He was just asking some questions. I don’t see the big deal.” He shrugs, leaning against the doorway.

“Big… I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”

“Well Meri? What do you want me to think? You yelled at the poor guy for asking a question.”

“To the world I’m nothing more than a girl on a pedestal. Who designed my dress, what makeup brands am I wearing, what kind of diet of rabbit food am I on! It's the same thing every time!” Meri explains to Jake. She’d gotten used to the misogyny over the years but it still irks her to the bone. “And then, that reporter asks if we’d be more than friends, I’m just some piece of arm candy aren't I?”

“No! Meri you are so much more than the bullshit questions people ask you.” Jake defends. “If anyone doesn’t see that then they’re an idiot.”

“Like you know shit about me.” She brushes off his comments. After all, in Meredith’s mind, Prince Jake doesn’t care about her, or any girl. Never has, never will. 

“People can change, Meri. Especially when people believe they can’t.”

Taglist : @mayhemmanaged @sarahsmi13s @kmc1989 @dempy @atarmychick007 @sarahjoestewy-blog @fangirlvibez @princess76179 @averyhotchner @multifandomgirl-us @lynnevanss @beautifulandvoid @djs8891 @imaginecrushes @els-marvelvsp @daisydaisygoose @missymisha @ems-alexandra @rogersbarnesxx @good-night-starlight

#gbaby miss Americana #top gun maverick #top gun #top gun x reader #jake seresin #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin fic #jake hangman seresin fic #jake seresin smut #jake seresin x oc #jake hangman seresin x Meredith Mitchell #jake seresin x presidents daughter! OC #jake seresin fanfiction #jake seresin fluff #jake hangman x presidents daughter!OC #jake hangman x Meredith Mitchell #jake hangman fic #jake hangman imagine #hangman imagine #hangman x Meredith Mitchell #top gun hangman #hangman #hangman x OC #hangman seresin #hangman fanfiction #hangman top gun

[burnitalldowndarling]

https://www.tumblr.com/burnitalldowndarling/744870483940524032/whats-been-particularly-vile-to-me-is-this-group

#alladis#the left started to die when the white people took over#obama derangement syndrome hit them just as hard#they've just displaced their bigotry in more convoluted ways Really? How so? /genuine

Short on time so not a lot of links or theory, but I think a major example of what I'm talking about is the white leftist dismissal of "identity politics." What they mean by idpol is marginalized people taking pride in their identities or talking about bigotry, which white leftists typically frame as a distraction from more important issues. Thing is, the "more important" issues tend to be those of primary importance to white men, such as UBI or copyleft -- but it's not idpol when they do it. Another example is the embrace of class-centered (also called "class first" and "class reductionist") leftism. Addressing class disparities and economic justice does help marginalized groups as well, but do remember that the people who stand to gain the most from class uplift are those who were already well-off -- as white cis people tend to be, in America, thanks to historical and systemic bigotry. The rising tide floats all boats, but those who already had speed boats in the water are still going to do better than the folks surviving on inflatable rafts.

Identity-centric politics such as anti-racism have always addressed class and economic justice issues, but had the added benefit of centering the most vulnerable groups. The idea was that if you address the needs of/reduce harm to those groups first, everyone still benefits, but you save more lives. In their rejection of idpol, the American left now often ignores harm reduction, denigrates incremental improvements that benefit marginalized groups, and weakens the whole coalition by permitting established power hierarchies and bigotries to run rampant. See the "dirtbag left". See also Bernie Sanders' own 2016 campaign staff revolting because he failed to address racism, racial and gendered pay disparities, and sexual assault. How's he going to build a progressive national coalition when he can't even get his own house in order, progressively?

And I blame white leftists, along with white conservatives, for Trump's election in 2016. These are the people who kept pushing third-party voting, "boycotting" voting, and accelerationist nonsense like the idea that letting Trump get elected would hasten The Glorious Revolution -- never mind if it killed a few poor or brown people along the way. These are people who attacked and dismissed marginalized people online (especially Black and queer women) whenever they pointed out the dangers of a Trump win. They were absolutely vile in their sexism toward Hillary Clinton and anyone who supported her. In a lot of cases these were "leftist" influencers and such who embraced Gamergate and other harassment campaigns, and used the techniques of same against their fellow leftists -- and surprise, surprise, several years later a whole lot of the most prominent ones have come out as fascists. They got right-wing radicalized during the 2000s and 2010s same as white conservatives, in other words; they're just as racist, just as gender essentialist, just as anti-semitic and classist and so on. They just like UBI too. And they're better at using therapy-speak or communist-speak to hide their bigotry.

Tl;dr, while there are plenty of white leftists who are doing the work and doing it right, the most prominent face of leftism for the last 10 years has been the dirtbags, the brocialists, the accelerationists, etc -- people who IMO make the left weaker, and who are frequently dangerous to the very same vulnerable groups that the left should be centering. And way too many of them have become very wealthy from doing so, at which point a lot of them stop being progressive. Almost as if they were only ever in it to advance themselves, in the first place.

#anon ask #ranting #my fucking country

[f0point5]

This is why I don’t fully believe the Bernie/Liberty media intervention news.

Why would Christian resign at this point? They don’t have enough will or evidence to suspend him, so a dismissal case is probably hanging by a thread.

The report is probably a wildly expensive PowerPoint by a consultant company that will say all executives should take sensitivity training, and they’re probably being given weeks to do it so that RBR can negotiate compensation/a departmental move for the whistleblower.

If Red Bull are letting it be known that he is still attending public events in his capacity as TP, I don’t see how they would not incur reputations damage by getting rid of him after allowing him to do so.

#f1 #formula 1 #max verstappen #red bull racing #sergio perez #christian horner

[itsallsternutation]

Hankies And Spice Make Everything Nice (2/?)

Part one can be found here: https://www.tumblr.com/itsallsternutation/733912856588959744/a-beautiful-blossom-1-original-work-fenby?source=share

Sorry this took a bit. It takes surprisingly long to convert the stuff I write from a doc into the plain text here lol : )

If you liked this, be sure to like, comment, reblog, and all that jazz, and if you really liked it (which I'm guessing at least a few of you do) go tell me about it here on SFF too https://www.sneezefetishforum.com/topic/84545-bernis-burny-nose/

Anyway, without further ado…

Berni's Burny Nose Part 2: Hankies and Spice Make Everything Nice

The rest of the lecture wasn’t particularly eventful. That is, apart from a few more of the sneezes, sniffles, and blows that came from Berni’s poor nose. However, Sam’s big handkerchief and little smile helped her feel just a little better about each.

Sam was really starting to like Berni. She seemed nice and there was just something about her that made them smile. Besides, she seemed like someone who needed a friend and maybe Sam did too. Secretly, Berni was also really starting to like Sam too. Sam didn't know it but they were the first person Berni met who didn’t make her feel terrible about her sneezing. When the professor concluded his lecture and dismissed the class, Sam and Berni left the lecture hall together. However, before they left, Sam made sure to covertly grab a few extra tissues from a nearby box (with where they planned to take Berni, they had a feeling both of them might need a few tissues).

As the two exited the lecture hall, Berni’s tickly nose remembered it was still terribly allergic to ragweed with an intense “eh…EhgTISHEW! HehtCHOO! heugh…ehg-heh…Heeh-HIEH-HetSHOO!” and a congested snort. “Ugh fugk, I’b so sorry,” she said with a groan before blowing her nose.

“For what?” Sam asked inquisitively.

“For…being all snotty and for…egh…igh…gehg..KISHIOU! And for sneezing everywhere,” she explained stuffily. 

“Bless you. Are your allergies somehow your fault?”

“Ndo,” Berni replied after a long pause, her stuffiness now reaching new heights due to fresh and extended exposure to the pollen outside.

“Then why apologize?”

“Because I feel bad aboud it…” she answered with another snort.

“You shouldn’t” Sam told her, “I bet all the stuffiness and itchiness make you feel bad enough.”

However, with this, Berni stopped dead in her tracks. When Sam realized she did, Sam stopped and turned around to wait for her. They initially thought Berni stopped because she needed to sneeze or blow her nose, but when they looked at her, they realized she was staring at them and looking freshly miserable. 

“Why are…why are you doig thdis?” she asked softly, just above a whisper.

“Doing what?” Sam asked somewhat rhetorically, but also legitimately wanting to know what she felt was wrong.

“Givig mbe your hadkerchief, checkig if I’b okay, takig me to ludnch, blessig mbe…” she listed through the congestion in her nose, “Why are you beig so ndice to mbe even though I’b so igcky?”

“Because we seem like we might have a lot in common and you seemed like you needed someone to be nice to you. I know what that feels like to need that.”

Somewhat shocked and hesitant, Berni began walking with Sam again in silence. There was a long pause between the two before Berni asked, “Where are you eved takig me?” as she wiped her nose with Sam’s hanky, “idt’s not lidke I’ll be able to tasdte anythig with my ndose this blodked and once I startd sneezig again they’re just godda…shidt…AGSHIEW!...godda…ETGSCHEW!...godda tdry tdo CHOO! Hat-TISGHEW! Hik-TCHEW! Ughhhh,” she said with an extra congested groan as her nose became just as snotty and wet on the outside as it was on the inside. “They’re judst goig to kidk me oudt for sneezig all over everythidg.”

“Wow, bless you five times!” Sam interjected somewhat playfully before handing Berni one of the tissues they brought, “have you been around here much?”

Berni blew her nose hard, giving another wet gurgle which transformed into a congested honk before answering, “Ndot really,” in a slightly less congested voice. “My parents brought me here odnce when I was a kid and I rebeber thigkig the cabpus was pretty, thadt’s idt. With all the polled I’b nod sure it's so preddy aymbore.” 

“Well, I’m not from around here, but both my parents went to college here and they told me a few stories and brought me on a few tours. I think I might know a place that can get you some of your consonants back.”

“If idt’s a pharmacy thed idt wod’t be mbuch help. I’b already godt some shidty over the coudter mbedicine that dosed’t work, so unless you cad getd me the prescribtion I’ve beed tryig to get forever thed you might as well just take me badk to my dorb.”

“Nope, though I don’t think getting you an appointment with an allergist would be that difficult. I’m just taking you to a place I think might be able to clear you up a little.”

“Where? HEGSHIEW!” Berni asked before sneezing so suddenly and so snottily she was left unable to cover and got just a little bit on Sam’s fall flannel shirt. “Oh mby god. I-I-I’b so so sorry. I-did’t mead to…to...HIGSHEW! HIT-TISHEW!” she stammered in apology. In that moment, she seemed like she was ready to burst into tears, but her tears were of course interrupted by a duplet of sneezes.

Fearing that Berni’s complete absorption in her allergic misery might cause her to fall, Sam quickly outstretched their arm and used it to support her. “It’s okay. I’m okay. It’s all okay,” they reassured her, “Are you okay?”

Berni stopped for a moment and looked up at Sam with a watery, pitiful look in her eyes. Then, she threw her arms around Sam, thrusted herself into their arms, and burst into tears with a weeping “Ndo!”

Taken aback by Berni’s embrace, there was little Sam could do but hug her back and try to comfort her: “What’s wrong Berni? You can tell me. I won’t judge you.” 

“I haven’t been healthy in forever! I can’t even remember what it feels like anymore!” Berni moaned, “I h…hehhhh…Eggghhh…Egh-TSHIEW! I hate all my shitty hayfever for making me so gross!” she lamented, carefully directing her sneeze away from Sam’s shirt, but not completely sparing it from her spray, “I hate all the ragweed for making me so allergic TCHEW! I hate all the pollen for making me so itchy ah-ASHEE! I hate all my snot for making everyone hate me HISCH! I hate all my friends for avoiding me because I sneeze all the time AKSHIEW! I hate Japan for making me so sensitive ASHOO! And I hate my parents for taking me there! And most of all, I ESHEW! HATE! KISHA! MY! Ehht-SHIEW! DISGUSTING KASHEW! SNEEZING!”

“I…I am so sorry. I am so sorry that you feel so miserable,” Sam said with tears in their eyes as they hugged Berni tighter. Berni tried to struggle and pull herself away to stop her snot from getting on Sam’s shirt, but they kept their hug strong. “I am so sorry that it has been so hard for you to feel good about anything, and I am so sorry that everyone hates you for something you can’t control.” Sam told Berni, sniffling from their tears as they wiped away Berni’s snot with their sleeve despite her protests.  “I would do anything in the world to make you feel better, and that’s why I’m bringing you out here,” Sam continued. “When my Dad went to college here, he would always go with my mom to this dumpling place where they served these spicy dumplings. When they brought me here, I was sick with a cold and so stuffy, but when I had the dumplings, all the spice cleared me up and I felt better, so here’s what we’re gonna do,” they explained. “We’re gonna go to that dumpling restaurant and you and you’re gonna feel a whole lot better. They’re gonna make both of us sneeze a lot, but they’ll do so much to clear you up. I don’t know how long the relief will last, but it’s the least I can do.”

There was a long silence between the two, and Sam was just about to ask Berni if she was okay again before she quietly asked, “Are they good?”

“They’re amazing,” Sam said, finally wiping tears from their own eyes.

Berni slowly broke away from the hug, but she looked like she felt a lot better. “Okay,” she said, her face slowly breaking into a little smile, “let’s go get some.” This was only Sam’s second time seeing Berni’s smile. Maybe if they had seen it in a vacuum, they wouldn’t have appreciated it that much, but they knew enough now to know it was the most beautiful thing in the world. It was a simple smile with a myriad of simple messages like “I feel better”, “I’m not hurting anymore”, and “thank you”.  It took Sam a moment to recollect himself after witnessing this thing of beauty, but not too long. After all, they weren’t finished helping her yet. “Okay,” they reassured her, “It should be just around the corner.”

It only took a few more steps before the restaurant came into view. The smell of spices and cooking lingered in the air outside. The restaurant was fairly small, and it was surrounded by a bunch of other restaurants, including a pizza place, a hibachi grill, a poke place, and a coffee shop. There was also a pharmacy at the other side of the block, but Berni said herself that there wasn’t much they could do for her there without a prescription. None of them seemed busy, as these places normally got most of their traction during dinner and on weekends. On top of the restaurant before them, there was a large sign reading “Hot Dumplings!”

“Sign seems a little on the n…neh-neh-NehSHOO!” Berni said before being interrupted by a particularly wet sneeze, “Sorry, I guess the spice is getting to me already.”

“Bless you,” Sam said with a sniff, the spice starting to get to them too, “Why do you feel like you need to apologize whenever you…hih..Hishew! Sneeze?”

“Because I always feel bad about it,” Berni justified before taking out Sam’s hanky to blow her newly leaking nose.

“You shouldn’t,” Sam told her as they reached for the handkerchief Berni had given them. “It’s normal. No one’s a perfect little doll that never does anything gross,” they reasoned as they blew their nose in the cute blue hanky.

“I bet you’re never gross,” Berni remarked as the two walked into the restaurant.

“Hah, believe me, you wouldn’t be saying that if you’ve ever seen me sick. You should see me at the peak of flu season.”

Not wanting to alarm anyone with their sneezes, handkerchiefs, and their discussion of colds and flu, the two decided to drop the subject as they entered the restaurant.

They were the only ones inside, apart from a man behind the register and a cook lurking in the back. “Three dumplings of each kind, water, and a side of white rice please.” Sam ordered.

“I’ll have the same thing he’s…he’s…HEHSHIEW! Heh-ESHIEW! AhtSHIEW!” Berni attempted to order before letting out three extra productive sneezes into Sam’s soiled handkerchief and looking absolutely mortified.

“Uh…please forgive her. It’s allergy season for her and she’s not quite used to the pollen around here yet –ah-Ah-ACHOO!” Sam lied before sneezing into Berni’s handkerchief.

The cashier did not look particularly pleased, but he seemed more eager to get things over with. “Okay. I’m assuming both of you will be having your food to go. Will that be together and will you be paying cash or card?” he asked flatly.

Berni seemed embarrassed, but Sam quickly took control of the situation with a, “Card please,” and quickly removed a debit card from their wallet.  It took Berni a moment to realize Sam was about to pay for her meal, but when she did, she quickly rummaged through her bag looking for her own wallet and tried to tell Sam, “Don’t worry. I-I-I can pay for my own food.”

“It’s okay,” Sam reassured, “It’s my treat, remember?”

The cashier only groaned, clearly annoyed both by Sam and Berni’s saccharine display and by what he perceived as their potential to contaminate the restaurant. “Just swipe your card right here, wait way over there, and we’ll get you your food as fast as humanly possible.”

Ignoring this remark, Sam swiped their card, left a particularly large tip to make up for stoking fears of contamination, and gave a warm “thank you.”

“Whatever,” the cashier muttered in response before passing the order sheet back to the employee in the kitchen.”

Sam and Berni both waited at the other side of the restaurant, breathing in the smells of spices in the air and occasionally sneezing, dripping, and blowing into their handkerchiefs. It didn’t take long for their order to come out, and when it did, they quickly took their meals to a picnic table just outside the restaurant. “Wow this is working really well,” Berni told Z through her newly runny nose, “Everything smells so good and I feel so clear. And we haven’t even…Het-TISHOO! We haven’t even eaten anything.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet. Hih-Ishoo!” Sam said with a particularly runny sneeze.

The two sat down, opened their to-go containers, and began to dig in. The dumplings were just as wonderful as Sam remembered and Berni seemed to love them, but it wasn’t long before the sneezing started. Fortunately, both had their handkerchiefs and some tissues ready to nurse their noses. 

The two were about halfway between their meals, both sneezing up a storm and blowing their noses before Berni tried to say something: “These are so…heh..these are so good AGSHOO! HIESHOO! ESHOO! ATCHEW! They’re really good at clearing up my nose too. Thank you so much.” 

“No pro..pro…Choo! Hachew! Hishoo! Achew Hi-CHEW!” Sam replied.

“Don’t worry, you don’t need to finish that. Bless you sweetie. And, I guess bless you for the couple thousand times before that,” Berni replied with a giggle and a “HEESHOO!”

“Whooh, excuse me.” Sam said as they wiped their nose with Berni’s blue hanky. “Hey, not only do you not sound congested anymore, but you didn’t apologize for being sneezy!”

Berni immediately blushed with embarrassment on top of her allergies, and covered her face in her hands, but Sam tried to reassure her: “No no no, that’s good. It means you’re not feeling as self conscious as you were before. Etchoo!” they explained, “you even blessed me and joked about my sneezing.”

Berni slowly brought her hands down from her still-flushed face before quietly saying “I didn’t mean to…”

“No no, Ashew!” Sam interrupted, “it means you’re not feeling as nervous and self-conscious about it. That’s good.”

Berni seemed too shocked to know how to respond, so she did so with a simple “umm…bless you,” before turning back to her food. Both Sam and Berni then focused most of their attention on finishing their meals, each letting out a few drippy, wet sneezes every few bites, before Berni broke the silence again towards the end of her meal:

“What do you even like about my sneezes? Yours are so much quieter and cuter. Mine are always so icky and loud and snotty HIEH-TSHIEW! Wow, that was a strong one.”

“I like them for the same reason I like snowflakes” Sam explained, “Even though each one is less than a second, each is its own unique little work of art. Besides, I like how strong and forceful they are. Each one shows how sensitive, passionate, and unique you are.”

“By ‘passionate’ and 'sensitive', do you mean ‘allergic’? AKSHOO!” Berni asked. “You must want to be an English major or something.”

“That I do. My main plan is to get my degree, become a travel writer after college so that I can travel the world and get some writing experience at the same time, then either write the great American novel or get picked up by some big studio or publisher or something.” Sam recounted 

“That’s cool. I don’t really like traveling that much because it messes with my allergies, but it’s good you can make it part of your job,” Berni told Sam, “My parents both wanted me to go here so I can go to medical school, but I’ve always been really good at programming, I even won some prizes for it back when I was in high school. If I can get my allergies under control and get a coding job that I can work remotely for, then maybe I’ll try to give traveling another chance.”

By this point, the two had finished their dumplings and their sneezing was starting to die down, so Sam decided to start cleaning up: “Well Berni, it was wonderful to meet you and I had a really nice time, but I think both of us should start heading back to the dorms and preparing for our next classes, especially before your nose starts getting stuffed up again.”

“Okay, but can you walk me back to my dorm before we say goodbye?” Berni asked, showing Sam her cute little smile. Unable to refuse Berni, Sam obliged. The two cleaned up, threw away their trash, and began their walk back to Berni’s dorm. As they began their walk, both Berni and Sam sneezed often, still recovering from the spice, but by the end of their walk, their sneezing had been replaced by animated conversation. 

“...So you’ve lived here in the South your whole life?” Sam asked.

“Yep. In a smaller town about an hour southeast of here,” Berni replied.

“Have you ever visited Japan?”

“I...I don’t really want to talk about Japan. Um…where are you from? I don’t think I ever asked you.”

“Oh, I’m one of “day-um yankees” that burned this place down a hundred and fifty years ago?”

“Ooh, what part of the north are you from? Are you from New York?”

“What, you think every Jewish guy is from New York?”

“What?...n-n-no I-”

“Relax, I’m just messing with you. My family’s from Boston.” 

“Oh, cool. I played Fallout 4 a bunch, so I know a little bit about what Boston looks like,” Berni explained, “Why aren’t you going to learn writing at an Ivy League or something? If you got into here you could definitely get into them, and I bet they have way better departments.”

“Eh, my parents tried to sell me on the fancy New England schools, but they just weren’t for me. They were all too stuck up and pretentious. I like it here better. Everyone’s smart here, but no one’s an ass about it. Besides, this is one of the “Ivy Leagues of the South”, so maybe I am at an Ivy League,” Sam mused.

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Berni said, “How many times did you rehearse that?”

“Eh, I had to give a similar spiel to all my Uncles and Aunts about why I didn’t want to go where they went. I’m glad you liked it, because they sure didn’t…” Sam and Berni had become fast friends like it was nothing. Pretty soon, the two had arrived at Berni’s dorm, which Sam noted just so happened to be a few floors up from theirs. They were ready to leave and say goodbye, but just before they did, they realized there was still one last thing they needed to do: “Oh, I almost forgot, here’s your hanky back. Sorry I used a little bit. You’ll have to tell me where you got it sometime because I swear this thing is so damn cute. I’m gonna order like five of them for myself,” they said as they offered Berni the handkerchief she had given them.

“Oh no, you can keep it. I’ve got plenty,” Berni told them. “Do you mind if I keep yours though? It’s got all my snot on it, but I love how big it is. It’s perfect for my big sneezes and blows.”

“Of course,” Sam said, “maybe we can swap more hankies some time.”

“You know what, before you go, I’ve got plenty of time left before my next class. Do you wanna see my hanky collection in my dorm room?” Berni asked.

“Of course,” Sam replied.

Berni removed the key to her dorm from her pocket as she dabbed her nose with her new (albeit now quite grubby) hanky. Unfortunately, she then opened the dorm to reveal it was not as empty as either assumed. Inside was a tall, lanky, redheaded girl rummaging through a dresser whom Sam immediately recognized as Lottie.

Berni was visibly startled by Lottie’s unexpected presence in the room. She immediately moved to try to hide her handkerchief, but Lottie turned around before she could hide it. However, when Lottie turned around, it was not Berni she addressed, but Sam, “Oh, hi Sam, it’s good to see you again,” she said flirtatiously, “I see you’ve already met my roommate…”

“Hi Lottie. Turns out that me and Berni sit next to each other in Latin. I thought the lecture was honestly really boring, but I sat next to Berni and she helped keep me awake through it, so we went to go get some lunch together,” Sam explained as Berni began to frantically wipe her dripping nose with her handkerchief.

“Oh, great,” Lottie said with positivity quickly fading from her voice. “Ew, gross. Where did you get that thing? It looks like a napkin you took out of a restaurant and contaminated with all your wet goop.”  Clearly deeply shaken by Lottie’s insults to Sam’s handkerchief, Berni tried to step back behind Sam to hide, but her hiding place was given away by a pair of hastily muffled

“Hrppshh! Hmpffshh!”’s 

“Oh, great, now you’re sneezing everywhere. Way to kill a girl’s appetite before lunch Miss Snot Factory.”

“Hey, she has allergies. Allergies suck. She can’t just not be allergic.” Sam told Lottie.

“Yeah, but the least she can do is try to hold it in or take it somewhere else?”

“Hold it in? She can’t hold it in! And where else would she take it? This is her dorm room.”

“What’s a cute boy like you doing with her,” Lottie said, changing the subject as she moved uncomfortably close to Sam.

“Lottie, they’re non-binary,” Berni said through her handkerchief.

“No, it’s okay. I’m okay with boy,” Sam reassured, “But to you Lottie, I’d prefer to just be Sam.”

There was a long uncomfortable silence before Lottie picked up her backpack, slung it over her shoulder, exited the dorm room with a nonchalant, “Okay,” and slammed the door. 

“I…I’m sorry for that,” Berni told Sam.

“For what?”

“She’s just been like that to me since I got here. Never to anyone else. Just…to me,” Berni explained dejectedly.

There was a long pause before Sam told her “You’ve dealt with enough for today. How about you show me your hanky collection.”

“Okay,” Berni said, becoming noticeably happier and giving Sam another momentary glimpse of her wonderful smile.

#snz things #snz fet #snz kink #sneeze #sneezeblr #snzblr #sneeze kink #sneezing #snez #snz #sneeze fic #snzfucker #snz ocs #snzario #snzfic #sneezefucker #snz blog #sneezefic #allergy sneezes #messy sneezes #sneeze oc #sneeze scenario #sneeze blog #itsallsternutation's fics

[abfa-fics]

Explosions (bring back memories)

It’s 8:30 am in the morning, and she’s standing outside his door, awkwardly clutching two coffees as if they excuse her unannounced appearance. 

She had woken up that morning to several texts.

Melinda, who had messaged her to say how she had been visited by a certain Elliot Stabler. How he had given her a hug, apologized for not contacting her after Kathy’s death - and did Olivia know if he was doing alright? Sent at 11:56 pm.

Ayanna, who had been kind enough to explain to her that she and Elliot had been almost caught in an explosion. That they were just fine, but that she felt Olivia ought to hear directly from one of them before the NYPD gossip mill spread the news. Sent at 3:37 am.

Elliot, who had messaged her to check in and see how she was doing. How he hoped she was sleeping better recently, and that Noah had done well in his last ballet exam. Sent at 4:04 am.

Needless to say, she’s worried, her mind churning over thoughts of him almost being killed by an explosion. Part of her is concerned for his peace of mind. Everything she hears about this OC case makes her wonder if he’s experiencing PTSD or flashbacks; there are too many similarities with what happened with Kathy.

The other part of her feels nauseous, that she could have lost him last night.

She just needs to see him, reassure herself that he’s actually alright.

There’s silence from within, so she knocks firmly again, her knuckle making a sharp tapping noise against the surface.

Her mouth opens to try and justify her appearance as soon as the door starts to swing open, but her voice catches in her throat when she comes face-to-face with a man she doesn’t recognize.

‘Can I help you?’ he demands, one eyebrow raised. His gaze turns from dismissive to interested over the course of a few seconds, as he looks her over. Her first instinct is to cross her arms, but she’s still balancing the coffees, so she ignores him, eyes peering over his shoulder and into the house.

‘Is Elliot home?’ she asks, not even bothering to ask who the man may be. He grunts in response.

‘He didn’t mention he was dating again,’ he says, without moving away from the entrance. ‘And you are?’

‘I’m not his…’ Olivia begins, then trails away as Bernie shuffles into view.

‘Olivia!’ Bernie announces loudly, a bright smile spreading across her face as she comes closer, nudging the man to one side. ‘Why are you standing outside? Randall, let her in. I think Elliot’s in the shower dear, he’ll be along soon.’

Randall Stabler, Elliot’s older brother. 25 years and she’s finally meeting one of the mythical siblings.

There’s a flicker of recognition in Randall’s eyes too, as she steps inside.

‘Olivia, the partner?’ he asks, with a knowing tone in his voice. Olivia shoots him a warning look.

‘The partner,’ she agrees simply. 

‘Elliot never said you were so…’ Randall waves his hand vaguely in her direction.

‘So what?’ a voice interrupts them, Elliot inserting himself into the conversation with determination. Olivia takes a deep breath, feeling slightly cornered as three Stablers crowd around her in the entranceway.

She allows herself to look at Elliot, really look at him. There are dark rings under his eyes, and an emerging bruise on his temple, but his gaze is warm rather than haunted.

‘One of those for me?’ he asks, nodding at the coffees. She thrusts one towards his chest, her shoulders relaxing for the first time that morning as their fingers brush together, physical proof that he’s fine, that he’s standing right there.

‘Need me to drive you into work?’ she asks instead. ‘I hear you had rather a late night last night.’

‘NYPD is full of gossips,’ he grumbles, giving Bernie a quick kiss on the cheek and grabbing his coat. They both ignore Randall as they walk out of the flat.

‘Ayanna texted me, actually,’ she says. ‘Glad she did.’

Elliot smiles.

‘I’m glad she did too,’ he agrees, as he follows her, hand on her back where it belongs.

#olivia benson #elliot stabler #eo #bensler #law and order svu #law and order oc #elliot x olivia

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Donald Trump is facing criticism over alleged antisemitic propaganda in recent campaign materials—following a long history of incidents in which he has been accused of emulating or, in some cases, replicating imagery deployed by Nazis in the 1930s and '40s.

In a fundraising email sent to supporters Wednesday, the Trump campaign depicted President Joe Biden as being controlled by a puppet master portrayed as Democratic megadonor George Soros, a Jewish philanthropist and a frequent bogeyman of the right for his support of liberal causes and candidates. In addition, he has regularly been the subject of political opponents' conspiracy theories.

While Soros has long been criticized by conservatives for his policy positions, portrayals of him in conservative media and by politicians who oppose him have often evoked images of a sort of string puller behind the scenes who is orchestrating a liberal takeover of American society.

Those depictions also evoke conspiracy theories on the right that blame a Jewish cabal for orchestrating machinations in the political, financial and media sectors. Such tropes date back to antisemitic literature published in the early 20th century and proved influential in the rise of Germany's Nazi regime.

Some on social media said the Trump campaign's email closely resembled Nazi propaganda distributed throughout Europe, from its imagery to its caption saying that Soros was "a secret shadow president behind the curtain pulling the strings."

"Criticising Soros isn't antisemitic, but this is because he is represented in antisemitic terms," Alex Hearn, a writer for several Jewish publications, tweeted in response to the imagery. "It is the fantasy of the evil Jew secretly running the world by undermining countries. That is why it looks so similar to Nazi propaganda."

"Same Nazi symbolism, different time," Elad Nehorai, another writer, wrote on Twitter.

Newsweek has reached out to the Trump campaign via email for comment.

The recent fundraising email is not the first example of a Trump political campaign being accused of using antisemitic or Nazi tropes. In 2020, Facebook removed a targeted advertisement from the Trump campaign that included a red triangle once used to designate political prisoners in concentration camps. That same year, the Trump campaign used the "puppet master" trope in an advertisement featuring Senator Bernie Sanders, who is Jewish, controlling Joe Biden.

And in July that year, Trump's campaign drew widespread controversy over a T-shirt, which was available on his website, that closely resembled Nazi iconography—a comparison a campaign official at the time dismissed as "moronic."

More recently, the Trump campaign gained national attention after a group purporting to be representatives of the antisemitic National Justice Party distributed flyers at a recent Trump campaign rally in South Carolina. The flyers called for a "2% ceiling on Jewish representation." (Newsweek could not independently verify the authenticity of the flyers.)

Wednesday's incident, critics said, was just another example of the Trump campaign perpetuating another harmful stereotype. It is the same iconography, the critics said, that helped fuel a surge in the number of reported antisemitic incidents in the later years of the Trump administration.

"We continue to see fundraising emails from the Trump campaign that feature language & imagery of George Soros controlling puppet strings and secret globalist cabals," the Anti-Defamation League told Newsweek in a statement on Thursday.

"This isn't just disturbing, it's indisputably dangerous and reprehensible," the statement continued. "Let's be clear, these are antisemitic tropes about Jewish power and are a gateway into hardcore antisemitic conspiracy theories."

#us politics #news #twitter #tweet #donald trump #republicans #conservatives #bigotry #antisemtism #president joe biden #biden administration #george soros #nazis #racists #conspiracy theories #Alex Hearn #Elad Nehorai #South Carolina #newsweek #National Justice Party #Anti-Defamation League #2023 #campaign emails

[unitedfrontvarietyhour]

It has taken me a while to put these thoughts to paper, so to speak, and by now, many, many other leftists have made the same comparison, but I'm going to give my personal perspective anyway.

I'm an American. I was 11 years old when the 9/11 attacks happened. I still vividly remember Mr. Port rushing into Mrs. Addison's room during our reading period, and telling her simply to "turn on your TV, NOW." I remember spending the rest of the day watching the news coverage. Listening to a chorus of students alternate between youthful, careless indifference and bubbling fear. Listening to my older cousin Kenny repeating over and over after school, "I can't believe the World Trade Center is GONE." I remember the wrap-around-the-block lines of cars for every gas station that evening.

I remember feeling incredibly scared and helpless. Like the end of the world was coming. The anthrax attacks & general climate of another impending terror attack kept that feeling ingrained in little me for years. 2003 came around, and the War in Iraq began. I believed in it. I believed the govt line completely; that we were stopping another terrorist bent on world destruction. I, and most of the other children in my school, truly believed America was fighting a just war, a good war. A war to end terrorism, violence, and suffering. We waved the flags like good boys and girls. We denounced any politician that called for ending hostilities. "The other side won't stop," was our rallying cry. We cracked every "Muslim =terrorist" joke that we heard. Never mind that, years later, I learned that two of my classmates were Muslim, and hid this from everyone at school because they feared ridicule and reprisal, even as late as 2007.

Even after I graduated & went to college, where my political beliefs morphed into a form of progressive liberalism, I still never questioned the War on Terror. This was an absolute. This was just. This was right. Every argument I encountered that was critical was beaten down with every ad hominem, false dichotomy, and straw man I and others could muster. "What, do you want the terrorists to win?! They murdered thousands of people on 9/11!"

And then I left college, and continued on in the workforce. Years turned into a decade, and my liberalism turned into budding leftism as I discovered the writings of Debs, Chomsky, and Marx, and the policies of Bernie Sanders. And with that new period of reading, new perspectives, not just on the economic and social realities of my own country, but of others.

I'd never considered the material realities of the Middle East. Never considered or even knew of the 1953 CIA coup of Iran, of the 1948 Palestinian Nakba, of the true aims of Qaddafi's govt in Libya, or even the countless atrocities my own country committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We lost just over 3,000 innocent lives in 9/11, and descended into the closest reaches of open fascism I can personally recall in the United States. Iraq lost 200,000 in the Iraq War alone.

How would we, as children, have even lived in such a hell? How would we have reacted to constant bombing of the 2-million-cramped open air prison we were living in, had we been Palestinians in the Gaza strip? How would we react to our homes being stolen by settlers from another country, supported by a govt that keeps us in a perpetual second-class existence, whenever we flee from bombings, pogroms, and police brutality? We watched people die on TV and happily cheered on the deaths of 100× that many. How many deaths would we bray for had we been on the receiving end of that disproportionate violence?

All of this is not to say that violence against innocent civilians is acceptable. Of course, it is ugly, shameful, and wrong. This is to make those of us living in the developed First World ponder our own words and actions in the aftermath of the Israel attacks, because even now, I'm seeing the cycle of open fascism begin anew. The rallying around a genocidal flag. The dismissal of the lives of countless more innocent civilians (and yes, many of them are--not everyone in Gaza & the West Bank is a card-carrying member of Hamas & wants the death of all Jewz) because one side lost innocent civilians. The insistence that our enemy is a vile hellhound bent on destruction, not a whipped and beaten dog that is lashing out violently at the violence it has endured. The cycle of violence continuing, on and on and on...

What am I saying with all of this? I'm speaking to every Western liberal, every American conservative, every First World citizen who either supports Israel or is simply calling for the violence to stop: there's only one way that happens now, and that is to starve the war machine that has perpetuated this cycle of violence to this point. The only way forward is to treat Israel the same way South Africa was treated in the final days of apartheid: to end the material support of their occupation of the West Bank and blockade of Gaza, and material support to their govt entirely until Palestinians are either granted their own country, or are made equal citizens to the Israelis. If you live in the First World, and these are not your goals, you're only fostering the fascism, terrorism, and violence that I shamefully fostered as a stupid child, all those years ago.

9/11 happened again. Let's not start another War on Terror, shall we?

#united front #free palestine #palestine #israel #imperialism #history

[beardedmrbean]

Every conservative justice on the Supreme Court bowed out of deciding a case stemming out of Texas.

In a rare move, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett all sat out deciding whether to hear MacTruong v. Abbott, a case arguing that the Texas Heartbeat Act (THA) is constitutional and that the state law violates federal law. The six justices were named as defendants in the case. They did not give a detailed justification as to why they chose not to weigh in, and are not required to do so.

Monday's order list from the Supreme Court states that the six conservatives on the bench "took no part in the consideration or decision of this petition." Because there were not enough justices for a quorum—the court needs at least six and only Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson remained—the court affirmed the judgment of a lower court to dismiss the lawsuit.

The case was brought by MacTruong, a U.S. citizen who resides in New Jersey, against the six conservative justices, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Dade Phelan and former President Donald Trump. MacTruong alleges the defendants were involved in either passing, enacting or upholding the THA because he believes the Dobbs decision was incorrectly decided and thus, Roe v. Wade is still law.

In June 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, ending federal access to abortion.

Judicial politics expert Alex Badas told Newsweek that the justices may be ineligible to partake in the decision because of the court's recent statement on its ethics. "A Justice should disqualify himself or herself in a proceeding in which the Justice's impartiality might reasonably be questioned, that is, where an unbiased and reasonable person who is aware of all relevant circumstances would doubt that the Justice could fairly discharge his or her duties," the statement said.

"I believe being named in the suit falls into this category of disqualification," Badas said.

Affirming the decision from the Fifth Circuit, which ruled against MacTruong and decided that he did not have standing to sue, the Supreme Court effectively tossed the suit altogether.

"The Fifth Circuit was unanimous against MacTruong," Badas said. "It is worth noting that two of the three judges who heard the case were appointed by Democratic presidents. These judges may be sympathetic to his claim that Dobbs was incorrectly decided but it shows that his legal case for standing is very weak that they vote against him."

Badas noted that MacTruong has other pending cases involving the same issue, but it is likely that they will end like this case, "with him losing and the courts issuing decisions arguing that he lacks standing."

Other plaintiffs named in the suit include the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker and Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, President Joe Biden, California Governor Gavin Newsom, actors George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Tesla Founder Elon Musk, singer Britney Spears and media expert Norah O'Donnell.

#nunyas news

[fleshing-out-fodlan]

It’s honestly annoying how often people try to dismiss the FE3H female characters as just “waifu bait.” I’m sure everyone can think of the biggest characters to get this accusation (ex. Edelgard, Bernie...) and for those ones I can at least see where the argument comes from even if I disagree and have a strong dislike for that term, but I’ve also been seeing it for just like any female character people like? Like I recently saw someone claiming Lysithea was waifu bait and I just do not get how that could be. Like she has a distinct character, interesting backstory, traits/scenes that make her unlikeable, all three of her designs are very unsexualized, and there’s no more player pandering for her than any other characters. The only argument I could think of is that she’s drawn to be pretty but so is almost every character (there is an argument to be made that male characters in this game are allowed to be unconventially attractive in a way female characters aren’t but I’ve never seen that point made in these conversations). I’ve also seen people call Marianne “waifu bait” because her depression is player pandering (every character has some degree of player pandering, male or female, but if how her depression is handled makes her waifu bait then Dimitri’s mental health issues should make him husbando bait imo, which is not how I view either character to be clear). Then there are claims I just don’t even know how to respond to. Ingrid and Leonie are waifu bait because they’re tomboys, Annette is waifu bait because her three hopes design is a sexual milk maid fantasy or something. There’s a way to criticize the designs/writing of female characters that doesn’t involve misogynistically reducing them to essentially sex objects and there are plenty of reasons people enjoy the female characters of FE3H that have nothing to do with being attracted to them.

#fe3h #fe3h discourse #fe3h lysithea #fe3h marianne #fe3h female characters

[ken-f-cker]

more Drive stuff from the book...

Doc is in the hospital and asks driver to call his daughter for him, but she doesn't answer

driver found out doc was in the hospital because he went over and let his cat, Miss Dickinson, in the house

driver also fed her for him

driver shoved pizza ads for everywhere in the area that delivers with their 'free delivery' advertisements all circled under Bernie's door

Bernie begrudgingly admits to himself that it was pretty funny

driver had a recurring dream about a bear as a kid that goes as follows:

He’d be up on the side of the house with his toes on the molding, where the first floor was eight feet or so off the ground since the house was built into a hill, and there’d be a bear under him. The bear would go reaching for him, he’d pull up on a window casing, and after a while, frustrated, the bear would pick a tulip or iris from the bed of them at the base of the house and eat it. Then he’d go back to scrambling for Driver. Finally the bear would pick another tulip, look thoughtful, and offer it to Driver. Driver was always reaching for the tulip when he awoke.

this happened when he was in foster care with the Smith family so between ages 14 and 16 I believe

at that age he made one of his only friends, another kid named Herb Danziger who worked on cars and raced them, and let Driver try it too, and that's how he started finding out he could Drive™

he also broke a bully's thumb for saying he 'shouldn't hang out with Jews' regarding Herb

his 'only other' friend was a guy named Jorge

Driver was astonished at someone like Jorge, who seemed so effortlessly good at everything. Played guitar and accordion in a local conjunto and wrote his own songs, drove competitively, was an honor student, sang solos in the church choir, worked with troubled juveniles at a shelter.

if ever driver had a crush on someone. I'm just saying. Anyway

he hangs around with Jorge and his family a lot and that's part of why he loves Mexican food so much now is from spending so much time being fed by Jorge's family

he also learned about guns spending time with the men in Jorge's family, learning to respect them, disassemble and clean them, etc, and also picked up some fighting skills with them too before he learned more from other stuntmen on sets later

driver kills Nino when he goes to get his morning paper; he shoots him between the eyes after exchanging a few words about how people should keep promises and Nino is dismissive of him

he leaves a large pepperoni and extra cheese pizza on his chest

okay sike he never gave the money back so idfk what that line earlier was about? Anyway

he brings Miss Dickinson in a cat carrier and leaves her and the bag of money at his foster parents', the Smiths, door, with a note:

Her name is Miss Dickinson. I can’t say she belonged to a friend of mine who just died, since cats don’t belong to anyone, but the two of them walked the same hard path, side by side, for a long time. She deserves to spend the last years of her life in some security. So do you. Please take care of Miss Dickinson, just as you did me, and please accept this money in the spirit it’s offered. I always felt bad about taking your car when I left. Never doubt that I appreciate what you did for me.

in a chapter thinking back on his mother, he thinks about how she was never 'quite right' and did things like weird food combos, she was really forgetful, would catch flies for the spider that lived in the bathroom, 'For a time she’d been obsessed by insects. Whenever she found one crawling, she’d cover it with a water glass and leave it to die.'

he thinks again about how she killed his father in front of him but this time remembers her apologizing, which he hasn't remembered before? and them briefly talking about 'what will happen to you?' 'nothing that hasn't already'

he doesn't understand why she killed him, and doesn't think he ever will

Bernie calls him. confirms Nino is dead but that driver didn't kill his family, and says they should meet for drinks and dinner after. they arrange to meet at a polish place at 7

in the meantime he calls his scriptwriting friend (Manny Gilden, if I haven't named him already) and they walk by the sea for a while chatting and talking about how when driver first came to LA he'd been anxious but woke up one morning completely at peace

“Back when we first met,” Driver said, “and I was just a kid—” “Looked in a mirror lately? You’re still just a fuckin’ kid.”

driver should be like. 21 max so yeah

Manny says he'd told driver about a script where he wrote about Don Quixote and Borges, and Borges is writing about 'that great sense of adventure', about the Don Quixotes of the world, and driver says he finally understands that he's Borges

I have frankly no clue what that means if anyone has any insight. Anyway.

they walk back to mannys car

“You’ve got a Porsche?” Driver said. Christ, he didn’t even think Manny drove. Way he lived, way he dressed. Asking if Driver could take him to New York.

earlier driver mentioned that Manny has 'tried' to go to New York and he wonders if he made it or chickened out like the last dozen times and I'm wondering if this is just yet another man that wants driver carnally. ANYWAY

#driveblogging #drive 2011 #not ken #I think one more will wrap up the book! I'm almost finished with it #antisemitism /

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

How would you pitch the upcoming Captain America: New World Order movie?

This is a direct follow-up to my Thunderbolts write-up (link to the post)

MAIN PLOT:

It's the 2024 U.S. Presidential elections and the current president has chosen not to run for re-election, leading to competitive primaries for both the Democratic and Republican parties. Since Sam Wilson is the new Captain America, candidates from both parties are reaching out to him in hopes of getting his endorsement.

Sam, dismayed by the persisting dysfunction in politics and not wanting to add to further polarization in the country, refuses to get involved and adopts a neutral (moderate/centrist) position as Captain America. This leads to discontent from all sides, with many deeming him as a spineless coward who stands for nothing.

One of Sam's biggest critics is Luke Cage, who has since become a community activist working out of Harlem. Due to Luke's hard-hitting criticisms of his actions, Sam is forced to reflect on his role as Captain America. He wants to be a unifier, but he has no idea how since the country is so torn apart by political divisions. Sam reaches out to Luke for help and, despite Luke's criticisms, the two form an unlikely friendship.

One night, while attending one of Luke's community meetings, Sam is contacted by Rikki Ashcroft, a White House employee-turned-whistleblower. Rikki says that the 2024 election is rigged since the leading candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties are both part of the same, secret organization. Before Sam can dismiss Rikki's warning, the two are attacked by mercenaries.

The rest of the movie is centered on Sam, Rikki, and Luke trying to figure out what the hell is going on in the 2024 election. Definitely "Captain America - The Winter Soldier" vibes is the intention here.

The big reveal is that the leading candidates are part of the National Force, a far-right extremist group that formed from the remnants of HYDRA. In contrast to HYDRA's connection to the Nazis, National Force is solely focused on American exceptionalism aka they want to "make American great again".

The movie ends with Sam giving his endorsement to William Burnside, a leftist/progressive candidate who was seen as the most morally righteous of the candidates (he's basically a younger Bernie Sanders/Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez). But, PLOT TWIST! In the post-credits scene, it's revealed that Burnside is also a member of the National Force. His image as a progressive candidate was just a ruse to get people to vote for him.

Movie ends with Burnside being elected as president, leading into "Thunderbolts".

CAST:

Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America

Mike Colter as Luke Cage

Lauren Cohan as Rikki Ashcroft (based on Rikki Barnes, Bucky Barnes' granddaughter / Rikki being revealed as Bucky's granddaughter is supposed to be a twist in the second half of the movie)

Joel Kinnaman as William Burnside

Adam Driver as Josh Glenn/The Hate-Monger, leader of the National Force and the main antagonist of the movie

Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes (only a minor appearance near the end when he meets his granddaughter for the first time)

#MCU #marvel #thunderbolts #captain america new world order #sam wilson #samcap #captain america #falcon and the winter soldier #fatws #tfatws #luke cage #rikki barnes #bucky barnes #william burnside #the avengers #avengers #the winter soldier #falcon #NMCU #anthony mackie #mcu phase five #mcu phase 5

[mariacallous]

I spent a lot of time between 2016 and early 2020 on a on-line space for talking politics and for whatever reason trans women were over represented in our demographic. And to a woman they were all tankies or Bernie bros who you know were walking toward Tankie-dom, it started in 2016 with them being aggressively dismissive of anything Hillary had done for LGBT rights because "she was against gay marriage once!" and it was so interesting to tell them about how Hillary had changed passport rules to allow trans people to change their sex marker more easily and have them all go "wow thats huge! wow!" for one day, and then the next day saying shit about Bernie being the most "pro-trans candidate ever"

the break point for me was how gun-ho a number of them were for Tulsi, even after her old "gay marriage is like sex with dogs" TV ad came out they took her "apology" and were all like "well it was a long time ago, people evolve, Obama and Hillary were against gay marriage at the time too" this paired with the relentless pushing of "Kamala Harris hates trans people and trolls the streets at night to beat homeless trans women of color with her cop nightstick!" was the end for me

I'm tempted to duck my head in and see how many are talking about Ukraine as a Jewish conspiracy or whatever. I just always found it so strange that all the hard tankies and leftists dickheads were also trans women, I assumed it was a something weird about us till I got on twitter and found a lot of trans flag tankies, no idea what its about

I think it's a combination of things involving an overcompensation in rejecting capitalism and liberalism and their cisheterocorporatistic standards, a complete distortion and misunderstanding of communist and socialist practice and history, the inherent edgelordism involved with all of that, a sense of the radical and militant elements of lgbtq history, and the inevitable sucking into that pipeline. Along with maybe a few false flags.

I'm just glad I'm not like that and stand counter to it.

[berniecranes]

I'm so so sick and tired of the way people bend over backwards to explain how Bernie is bad rep or only dismisses his character as a joke. People don't do this about other characters, in fact, they actually go out of their way to explain why other characters are actually GOOD rep!!

And it's REALLY annoying to me. Because YES, obviously Bernie was created to be stereotypical. (Though these are straight writers and that is the issue yes,,, i always want to mention there is nothing wrong if some real gay man has these attributes. Humans cannot be stereotypes, we are people.) That is known, that can and should be talked about. But why is that where it stops? Why can you not even think about him anymore?

People act like Bernie doesn't have a story, but for a character with only 4 missions and no hangouts? He's doing pretty alright story wise. It's almost like....people just don't like the type of gay man Bernie is, and still find him as an """undesirable""" gay person. And so therefore they ignore it. And I'm going to say it bluntly.... it's a lot of homophobia.

Because also this; Why when people do think about him he ends up being very sanitized? Suddenly his big thing is self care and working out. When Bernie through and through is a clubber? And is many of those things that are centered around an idea of a club gay. It's almost like these traits are still demonized by other gay folks or allies or whatever, and that's why people complain about him so much. And I think if you don't understand these, don't try to pretend you do....but also do not just remove these from him???? Because they're crucial to his character!!

Just it's so upsetting seeing everytime Bernie is brought up to be a canon gay character in the game, which is undeniable, people always have to point out HIM and say "I don't like him, he's not good" like you all suck! And yes this is very incoherent because I am upset!

And if you're a gay man, I understand why the way Rockstar wrote him makes you uncomfortable. You don't have to like him. But on the flip side....... I hope it's not because Bernie as a character makes you uncomfortable, if that makes sense. Because gay men like Bernie do exist, and are perfectly fine and valid. So, let's not demonize that.

#just max ramblin' #bernie — 👑💝 #my beloved........... i need to draw him today i sm upset and need something positive lol #also if you call bernie by his birth name i hate you!!! he corrects people how many times??? #if you still call him his old name; you are going out of your way to do so and you dont care abt l/gbt ppl

[rahleeyah]

I was just reading your thoughts about the Stablers knowing about Lewis and I was curious if you felt like Bernie saying she missed Olivia's funeral last year might have been a hint that she knew? If so do you think there's other stuff she might have said about it that they all dismissed as Bernie being confused?

my knee jerk reaction is to say no. i wanted to say "bernie doesn't seem like the type who really pays attention to the news" but that's not true is it? bc bernie's got her bernie ornament. with the mittens. i think bernie knows what's up. i think it's possible she did see the news. from like a character standpoint i think that's possible. but from a "how do we explain elliot not knowing" standpoint i still don't think bernie can know; kathy might not mention olivia bc she's afraid to raise that woman's ghost in her marriage, but bernie would have no reason not to mention her, would probably berate elliot for not being with olivia. it's much harder to imagine bernie keeping that to herself than kathy keeping quiet. so maybe bc bernie was living in jersey the news didn't filter out to her? i don't think the "olivia's funeral" line was intended to be anything other than what it was, a moment of bernie's confusion that tugs at our eo heartstrings.

#anonymous #e.o asks #s.vu