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supermarvelgirl15 · 3 years

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Delicate Type of Beauty- Chapter 1: New Neighbor

Summary: You hated moving, but luckily you had a helping hand. Bucky just wants to go home.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes × f!oc-insert

Word Count: 1,440

Warnings: A few curses, mentions of death

A/N: I know, I know. Another series. Don't worry, I'm still working on Home! I just been in a Bucky craze lately hehe. There's gonna be oneshots with these two and when the TFATWS comes to an end, I'll write into those episodes. Anyways, enjoy! Tags are open for this series/oneshots!

Series Masterlist // Main Masterlist

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“James, did you hear me?”

Bucky’s eyes snap back from the window, landing back on the cold orbs of his therapist. For someone that was supposed to be welcoming, she tended to come off as unreceptive. Then again, she did have to put up with his bullshit.

Doctor Raynor crossed one leg over the other, her pen tapping the dreaded notebook. He knew it was just an inanimate object, but it was too passive aggressive for his liking. Or maybe it just reminded him of that red book with that grating star.

“Did you make any progress with your amends?” Raynor repeated her apparent earlier question, locking her eyes with his own.

He’s been looking into a couple of politicians that he had helped gain their positions, ones that still held their place in office even after Hydra collapsed. They were terrible people that needed to be stopped before they harmed anyone else. All he needed was some evidence that would be enough to convict them, since he had to follow “the three rules” set by his therapist.

“No.”

Raynor let out a small sigh at his dry response. It was hard to get more than three words out of him at times, but she had come to not expect anything else. If he wanted to open up some more, he would. Today just wasn’t one of those days.

She opened her mouth to comment but was interrupted by the timer going off, signalling the end of the day’s session. Bucky got up and started out the door before she had the opportunity to add anything else. He’s come to learn that if he doesn’t leave immediately, Raynor would definitely keep him there longer than an hour.

All Bucky wanted to do now was to grab a bite to eat and get back home. He’d usually meet up with Yuri afterwards, but the old man-- that was still younger than him-- already had plans for the afternoon.

Yuri Nakujima was also someone that he needed to make amends to, but he wasn’t going to let himself think about that right now. Right now, he just needed a damn burger.

You hated moving, you decided.

If someone ever heard those words leave your mouth though, they would have probably called you a hypocrite. You would have gladly informed them that moving across the world with a SEAL team was extremely different than moving across the state.

At least with a SEAL team, you were with people that you knew and loved as you bounced from an unfamiliar place to another, with the promise of returning home to see your family after the operation was over. Moving from Syracuse to Brooklyn alone wasn’t really ideal, but it was the only way.

You had been one of the half billion people that vanished during the Blip, waking up one day to find out that five years had apparently passed. You came back only to find out that the United States government had disbanded your squad. The only thing the government did for you was give their thanks and sent you into early retirement, made, no, threatened you to keep your mouth shut about the highly confidential operations that you and your squad worked throughout the years. But that wasn’t the worst part.

Before the Blip, the only family you had were your mother and your younger brother Colton. They still lived in your hometown while you were off working. Your mother and Colton were the only people that kept you grounded when you came home for a few weeks at a time, helping you hold yourself together when you thought you were going to fall to pieces.

When you came back, not only was the only job you’ve known stripped away from you, so was your family. Your mother had passed away a couple years after you vanished, and a couple years after her passing, Colton went missing, apparently without a trace. And no one looked for him. Everyone told you that they couldn’t look for someone that had been missing for over a year, that you needed to accept the possibility that he was no longer alive.

So, your taking matters into your own hands.

Brooklyn was the last place where Colton had been seen, why he was there, you hadn’t the slightest idea. You found his abandoned car at one of the docks with no indication of where he was heading. It was apparent that he had some kind of business in Brooklyn, so that’s where you were going to set up camp. He wasn’t the first person you had little to nothing to use to track him down.

You set a box down on the floor of your new apartment, cringing slightly at the emptiness of the room. Maybe a couch would make it feel more homey instead of a camp out. A sigh left your lips as you walked back out the room, jogging down the stairs to retrieve the last of your belongings.

Bucky had his gloved hands stuffed in his jacket’s pockets as he moseyed his way up the stairs of his apartment building. He didn’t exactly have any plans for the rest of the day, but he just wanted to spend it at home. Maybe he would get around to reading that book the waitress at that restaurant he and Yuri frequented recommended.

Upon reaching the door of his apartment, his hand reached into his back pocket to grab his keys, freezing when he noticed the door across the hall was open. Bucky looked down both ends of the hallway before inching closer to the opened door. He didn’t recall that room being vacant, so it was a bit strange.

Bucky double checked his surroundings once again before he proceeded to open the door some more. Peering inside, he saw almost the same layout of his own apartment with a few boxes littering the floor. Who exactly was moving in across from him?

His silent question was answered when he heard a string of curses coming from the flight of stairs. He watched as you came into his view, struggling to balance three boxes, one of them falling out of your grasp, which pulled another curse out of your mouth. He hadn’t heard anyone curse so much since he was on the battlefield during the war, let alone from a woman.

After a few moments of seeing you continuing to struggle to retrieve the fallen box, he made his way over to you, picking it up off the ground. “I got it,” he alerted you as he held it in front of him.

“Oh, thank you,” you thanked him, looking over the other two boxes to see your savior. Bucky noted how your eyes briefly glossed over with recognition and how your smile faltered for a second. You know him.

You moved around him to get to your apartment, kicking the door open more with your foot. “You can just set it in here,” you called back to him over your shoulder. Bucky nodded as he followed you into your apartment, setting the box down where you directed him to.

You wiped your hands on your pants after you set down your own boxes, turning back to face the man before you. “Thanks again. It was really a pain in my ass,” you offered him a small smile as you placed your hands in your back pockets.

Bucky offered you his own smile, his less warmly than yours had been. “No problem,” he replied shortly, stepping backwards out of your apartment, turning with a final nod to you before reaching for his keys once again.

You quickly stepped out after him, sticking your hand out towards him. “I’m Kris, by the way. I guess we’re neighbors,” you mentally face palmed at the awkward greeting that just left your mouth.

Bucky glanced down at your outstretched hand, hesitating a moment before shaking it. “I guess so. I’m…”

“James Barnes. I, uh, know,” you finished for him, closing your eyes tightly immediately afterwards. “I’m so sorry, it just came out. Now I made things weird,” you apologized, opening your eyes to look back at him.

Bucky chuckled dryly, unlocking his door behind him. “It’s fine. Hope you like it here,” he said with another tight lipped smile before slipping into his apartment.

You groaned internally as you walked back into your own apartment, locking the door behind you. After all the training you’ve been through, nothing would have prepared you for anything like this.

For being literal neighbors with the Winter Soldier. One of your squad’s old targets.

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Tags are open!

#DToB #marvel #marvel imagines #bucky barnes × reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes #winter soldier #tfatws #the falcon and the winter soldier #sebastian stan #kay writes

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curiousconch · 3 years

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Fight or Flight

Chapter 13 of Ricochet (An Open Heart AU)

Catch up here: Series Masterlist

Chapter Synopsis: Bryce and Heather both need to make major decisions as they face the final revelation about what truly transpired during Heather's kidnapping.

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x MC (Dr. Heather Song) ft. PLATONIC Ethan Ramsey

Words: 3.5k+ | Genre: Crime, Suspense/Thriller, Romance

Rating/Warnings: Mature (16+) / language, hints of violence

Author's Notes: So this took too long to write, and frankly, I'm still reeling with it. I have long planned the conclusion of this series but I am still shocked with how I came up with this final twist. I do hope you forgive me for sitting on this for far too long. Life wasn't making it easier.

Also, disclaimer: Majority of the characters are owned by Pixelberry, except the main character Heather Song.

"You can't go back to the case, Lahela."

Bryce pounded his fists on his oak desk in frustration. He just came out of a meeting from Chief Tanaka, requesting for him to be assigned back on the Farrugia case.

Victim - prosecutor relations. Possible disbarrment. Termination. To sum it all up, his career will be in jeopardy.

These are the looming threats over Bryce's head if he didn't back off the case. Not that he had much choice. Now that his and Heather's faces were plastered across every Boston online article from the gala.

He couldn't help but to think that someone planned to stop his involvement in the case. Probably because that person knows he's doomed once Bryce works his way to untangle the web of conspiracies that transpired.

Resolved, the ADA swears to himself to get to the bottom of it before he lets this go. Sitting down, his mind ventures to Heather, wishing that her day back to Edenbrook was going much smoother than his was.

***

Unfortunately, before noon, Heather found herself in a supply closet.

It was proving more difficult to go back to normalcy after everything that has happened. Patients recognize her from the news coverage. Doctors, nurses, even half the staff was treating her like something fragile. Even the usually grumpy attending that was her boss wasn't trying to get on her toes today.

For Heather, it was incredibly disorienting.

But the probable reason behind how everyone was acting weird around her was that early morning incident.

While taking on an emergency case, she froze up. The last time she did was during her intern year. And that was for an entirely different reason. This time, her head blanked out because she thought she saw Ed Farrugia in that gurney. The slithering snake of a man he was. She couldn't move her fingers, nor speak because of the mixed emotions of her imagined vision.

Edenbrook was where it all began.

Luckily, Dr. Naveen was around to sub for her.

And thus began her slow downturn, reaching the tipping point in this condemned supply closet.

Eyes closed and breathing slowly, Heather struggled to free herself from the suffocation she was feeling. She loved Edenbrook, she loved working here. But now, why does she only feel dread the first day she again set foot on it?

Beep beep.

The sound of her pager momentarily freed her from her prodding mind. It was Ethan. He wanted to see her at Chief Banerji's office. Sighing deeply, she fixed herself and got out of the closet, wondering what this meeting might be about.

An elevator trip and a couple of minutes later, she knocked on Naveen's door and let herself in. Ethan Ramsey was already inside.

"You asked for me?" Heather said, closing the door behind her.

Her mentor and grand-mentor exchanged looks of concern before straightening up.

"Grand-protégé, have a seat," Chief Naveen gestured towards the comfortable chairs in front of her desk, where Ethan already took a seat on one.

She obliged, taking the seat opposite her boss. Dr. Ramsey didn't take long to speak right after.

"We know you've been through a lot recently Dr. Song and we-"

"Please don't put this delicately, Ethan. I can't get anymore fragile," Heather spoke up, demanding for both doctors to tell it to her straight.

"Of course, Heather." Ethan coughed, before sitting up in a more commanding posture.

"Johns Hopkins have offered a long-term position to the Cancer research partnership we have with them," Naveen said. "We both think it's in the best interest of you and Edenbrook to take the opportunity, given that it's your target specialization and -"

"It's not in Boston." Heather finished the sentence for him.

"Yes," Ethan nodded. "We don't want your career to be overshadowed by what has been going on. You have a lot of potential, and this would make you a forerunner in the advancement of cancer research."

"It's frankly what you can call it, hitting two birds with one stone," the eldest of the doctors added.

"How long will it be?" Heather asked, weighing it all in.

"A year, a year and a half, at least." Ethan replied.

"And what of my position in the diagnostics team?"

"You'll stay on to consult remotely, but your responsibilities will be diminished given that we want you to spend more time on the cancer research."

Heather swallowed hard. They're putting me into self-imposed exile.

Sensing her hesitation, Ethan reached out to her and patted her arm.

"We only want what we think is best for you Heather, so please at least give this some thought."

She met her mentors' gaze and nodded at them, before rising to stand up.

"I will think about it," she said, leaving the office.

***

Pulling all the strings he had left, Bryce Lahela stepped foot into the mansion of Massachusetts' prolific senator. Isolated by house arrest, thinking about Ed Farrugia made the young ADA's skin crawl.

As he walked the carpeted floors into a receiving room, he couldn't help but notice the select macabre portraits that showed war scenes hanging on the stuffy walls. Says alot about its owner, that's for sure.

The double doors he entered in opened, and a tall imposing figure in unflattering maroon satin robes came in. He looked a bit older, yet, somehow, more formidable.

"Ah, ADA Lahela. I see you are not backing down?"

Bryce almost snorted at his arrogance, immediately sensing the pretend machismo in his foe's tone.

"We'll see about that, Senator," the prosecutor replied politely. Didn't want to cross the point of no return before I had the answers I wanted.

"So, what does the young and promising prosecutor want from a disgraced politician today?" Ed sat down on one of the most pretentious armchairs Bryce has ever seen in his life.

"The truth," Bryce smiled cheekily, standing opposite the other man, matching his bravado.

The senator's response was to lean back on the too comfortable chair, crossing his legs.

"Well ADA Lahela, are you certain you are ready for the truth? It may get closer to home, more than you will ever think," Farrugia replied, a sinister grin masking his features which suddenly made Bryce feel queasy.

I don't like where this is going. He thought to himself, staying quiet.

"I thought so," Ed Farrugia nodded, watching the lawyer's stoic facade slowly crumble. "But to hell with it, it's just going to be fun to watch how you had a hand on all of what happened to your precious Doctor Song."

The former senator snapped, and in came a butler that carried a tray. In the tray was a white envelope, and a tumbler of what Bryce smelled as scotch. The politico grabbed the glass and sipped the rich liquid, neither offering Bryce any nor pouring him another glass. Instead, he reached for the white envelope and raised it to Bryce's level.

"Recognize the handwriting, young man?" Ed Farrugia was now sneering at him, expectant.

As Bryce's sight slowly trailed the cursive handwriting, he sensed the familiarity of the strokes. Ed Farrugia's name was written, but there was something about the way it was written.

When his eyes fell on the top left side, he recognized the insignia almost immediately, the hairs at the back of his neck standing up.

There it was, the name he tried to get away from since his adolescent life. Lahela. The logo of his parents' godforsaken company that duped so many families.

Bryce can only freeze in place, as the horror of the realization that his parents somehow had a hand in all of the things that happened to Heather slowly dawned on him.

"Heather Song was the doctor that saved my ass, ADA Lahela, so of course I didn't have the motive to hurt her, you know. She prevented my assassination, and I'm not an ungrateful hypocrite," Ed Farrugia began to explain. "But Heather knows this... I am not to shy away from people who can give what I want, what I need, you understand of course? You're a smart young man."

"So in exchange of a generous donation to my campaign, I am to concoct a plan that will mutually be beneficial to me and my donors," Farrugia continued. "My donors wish to teach you a lesson, make sure that you do not forget where you came from, remind you that no matter where you go, once a Lahela, always a Lahela."

"That's why we went with a warning first, remember? Get out of Boston, or else," the senator shook his head. "Your parents didn't think she'd be a good influence to you. Frankly, an orphan with an absentee father? She'd set you up for failure. At least that was what your parents thought."

"And of course, I wanted to gain something more with it, might as well do the work right? I had my kidnapping staged, that dashcam footage you received? That's from me so that you can arrive at the scene before I get killed by that amateur wannabe Jordan. What's in it for me was public sympathy - as the survivor of a second assassination attempt. Public sympathy equals votes. As simple as that."

Ed stood then, and padded his way to the nearest open window, before looking back at Bryce.

"I used my own enemy, the Travis Brothers, to deflect suspicion, of course. I also a used a middle man, someone who already wants payback from Dr. Song, someone with motive... So Declan Nash worked for me, in exchange of leniency in his role on Panacea's medicare fraud." He smirked, satisfied with the grandiose of his plan. "My only mistake was that I underestimated that ungrateful piece of crap though. Who would have thought he had the brains to record me?" his fist connected on the windowsill, startling Bryce.

"So you see, young man, everything that happened, is on you. No one is to be blamed more than you. All because of your ambition to become something you are not. Something you will never be, be apart from your family name."

Stunned into silence, Bryce can only gape at the senator. The turmoil within though, was unparalleled.

The anger that was boiling in him in the revelation that all this time, his parents was the cause of so much misery. Bryce's heart was so quenched of the discovery that he hasn't completely escaped them, nor their relentless hunger for taking control of his life.

His fists clenched, wanting nothing but to smash every single thing in that wretched room. He didn't care anymore.

What right do they have after putting him in so much pain? What do they even want to achieve? Do they want to make him crawl back to them as if nothing happened? Do they want the same pretentious respect that so many others had just for their mercy?

How does he even begin to explain all of this to Heather? That everything that went downhill for her was because of the person she loved? How can she accept him now? How can she love him now?

And as if on queue, Bryce's phone began to ring. When he saw the caller ID, he almost dropped it.

It rang once again. And he knew he had to take it.

"Bryce? Can we meet?" The voice from the other line was firm, but fragile.

He tried to level his voice, not wanting to have her worried. At least not now.

"Sure, babe. Where do you want to go?" Bryce replied, walking out of the mansion that was sucking the life out of him.

"In that cafe, where I bought you coffee that first day we met. Do you remember where?"

Bryce sensed the urgency in Heather's voice. Has she found out? He hoped not.

"Okay, what time?"

"I was hoping now. If you're done working, that is."

He was done. No reason to delay the inevitable.

"Okay, I'll drive there now. I'll see you."

With a heart heavier than it has ever been in his entire life, he drove down to where it all began, praying so much that it wouldn't be a trip to full circle.

***

Heather nervously sat by the glass wall of the Cafe, in a quiet corner. She already ordered two caramel macchiatos, the same drinks she and Bryce had the first day they met.

She rehearsed what she was about to say in her head, hoping that repetition will make it less taunting. Once she sensed Bryce, she waved him to the table and stood up.

He instantly saw her, and the load he was bearing suddenly become a little lighter. But the guilt was still there. The guilt of being the person to have caused much misery in her life.

But years of practice of showing everyone else the facade of his unbreakable confidence helped him hide what he was truly feeling at the moment, and instead smiled at her.

Her beaming return smile proved to be almost too much.

He reached out to her and intertwined his fingers with hers, almost nudging the cup of coffee in front of him.

"Hey, you remembered," Bryce was touched.

"Of course, it's probably the only thing you ordered during those meetings." Heather chuckled, brushing his cheek with her knuckles.

Her chuckle was lackluster, not her usual one full of wit.

"What's going on, Heath? It can't be that you just missed me," Bryce asked, straight to the point, hoping to dodge her intuitive powers of observation.

She sensed the edge in his voice, making her eyebrow quirk. Heather discerned it was best to ask him first.

"No, Bryce. What's up?"

For the second time that day, Bryce was stunned into silence. Heather's sharp perception of him was unimaginably accurate. And he knew he'd explode if he didn't tell her.

So he did.

From the denial and threats of Chief Tanaka, to his prodding, which led him to the heavy weight of the truth of Senator Ed Farrugia's admission. He didn't spare any detail.

Heather listened intently, trying to comprehend exactly what he was saying. She saw the guilt in Bryce's eyes when he told her that his parents set the wheels in motion, apparently for some sick and twisted lesson he needed to learn, like he was still under their supervision, under their control.

The more she heard, the more overwhelmed she got. But she didn't let go of the grip she had on Bryce's hands, reassuring him that she's there to not judge, but only hear out what he learned of the unnerving truth. And to acknowledge the strength of Bryce's character to not hold out the truth to her.

That was what she loved about Bryce. He was never one to back down from the truth, when it mattered. At least that's the case with her.

She has spent half the day pondering about her own decision. She took Bryce's position into account but she didn't expect this other factor to come into play.

If she stayed in Boston, she'd stay with him. And he won't be able to help her case. She knew Bryce, and he'll be unnerved not to be able to personally oversee it. And with this new discovery, he'd want to all the more take this case. This was personal. And Bryce wasn't one to back down against it. She's going to hold her back.

If she left... Well, Bryce would be able to take on the case.

Either way, she'll lose him. And the mere thought of it pained Heather to the core.

Bryce noticed Heather's lack of reply, the contemplative look in her face made him sense something was about to go south.

"What if there's a way, Bryce?" Heather finally spoke. "What if there's a chance for you to fight all this? Would you take it?"

"Heath, I don't think I want to know where this is heading..." Bryce stared at her, confused.

"Answer me first, Lahela. If I give you an out where all those hurdles goes out of your way, will you go through with it?" The intensity with which her eyes bore into his was unparalleled, yet rendering him clueless.

It took him a few moments before answering. Everytime he asked himself the same question, the answer was never different.

"Yes, Heath. I'll fight this to make sure those bastards can do you no more harm." his answer was firm, but as to her way, he still had reservations.

She nodded, her heart screaming not to do this. But she had to do it, else, everything her and Bryce will have between them will be diminished to nothing but resentment and guilt. With him claiming responsibility for his own parents' actions, yet unable to do anything about it. And Heather resentment, because she can't guarantee that a day won't come that she'll blame him.

They can't be together. Not until this is all resolved, not until they can leave everything behind.

Laying it down the line, Heather had to choose. She had to choose for both of them, even if it will surely hurt them both.

"Do you trust me, Bryce? Do you trust us?" Heather was firmly holding his hands, determined.

He nodded, despite himself. He feared what she was about to say, so he held his breath.

"So be it, Bryce. I'll give you an out. I'll give you what I think you need now,"

Bryce was afraid to ask the next question in his mind, but he did anyway, fuelled by Heather’s fire.

"What's the cost, Heath?"

"I'm leaving for Baltimore, Bryce," she said quietly, biting her lower lip, clearly putting in an effort to hold back tears. "I hope two years is enough for you to fight everything alone, because you'll have to. We both have to fight this separately, it seems."

Bryce's blood ran cold. No, no, no, no fucking way.

Seeing the panic in his eyes, Heather soothed him by brushing her fingertips on the back of his hand, sadness beginning to creep into her expression.

"It's the only way, Bryce, it's the only way..." she repeated, as if to convince herself rather than him.

"No, Heather, I can't lose you, not this time, not ever." Bryce's voice was pleading with her, yet he knew, deep down, that she was right. That this seemed to be the only way to fight all the remaining battles of their lives.

"If we concede now, Bryce, it would only break us. If we avoid this now, it will eventually haunt us and we'll succumb to it. We'll just end up hurting each other." She struggled to reassure him, but she pressed on.

"This way, we're not bowing down. We stand more of a chance to overcome this if you'll fight this. If, we will fight this." She rose from her seat to take the chair beside him. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders, comforting him. "We're merely carving our own way around it. It's not going to be easy, but I know we'll overcome... Because you're one hell of a prosecutor, Lahela. You're the best and you know it."

"How come you're the one who's so brave about this?" Bryce stared back at her, tears brimming in the corner of his eyes, aware that this may be their end.

"Because I believe so much in you, Bryce. Because you can do so much for this world more than how your parents defined you. You are your own person, and nothing can ever take that away from you," she paused, brushing the hair away from the beautiful amber eyes that gazed down at her. "Most importantly, because I love you so, so much. And what I can give you now, the love I have now in me, is less than what you deserve. I want to heal, for myself Bryce. I want to be whole again, so that I can give my 100%. When all of this is over, I'll come find you, that's a promise."

Bryce couldn't help himself anymore and pressed his lips against hers with fervent passion, knowing that this will be the last time in a long time before he can find her in his arms like this. Agreeing to this course of action, they bid their goodbyes, never as uncertain as they were about the decision they just made.

In less than a week, Heather left for Johns Hopkins, bidding goodbye to everyone except Bryce. Hoping the moment she stepped inside the plane, life would give her this chance to start over, to completely heal, to become whole again. Because Bryce Lahela deserved more than the fraction of what she could give. He deserved everything of her, no inhibitions, no limits, no holding back.

Bryce watched her go from a distance. He watched her plane took off from the ground, all the while concocting a plan to defeat the shadows of his past lurking around so that he could be with her again. Freely, completely and irreversibly.

That day, two open hearts chose to fight. Fight for the things that hung over their head so that it was no more. But in their decision to fight, they lost the comfort of each other. They embarked on their separate paths with the promise of meeting again one day.

The path to the summit was often lonely. It is in their hopes however, that the moment they reach the end of this hard path they were in, they would no longer be alone anymore.

More than their willingness to overcome another hurdle in their way was their certainty to trust in each other, in the strength of their love for one another. In their endurance. In their hope.

For them, that was more than enough. It has to be enough.

Author's Notes 2: If you're reading this, I want to thank you so much for taking time to read this series. There's an epilogue in the final edits and I promise to tie the loose ends of this final chapter! Please do share your thoughts in the comments, I would really appreciate it!

Tags: @eleanorbloom @ejustlurkshere @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

#open heart #bryce lahela #open heart 2 #choices #choices fanfiction #open heart fanfiction #bryce lahela x mc #pixelberry #fics of the week #choices fic writers creations #play choices #open heart au

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eddiealfano · 3 years

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Why I Finally Got This Stupid Vaccine

I finally got this stupid vaccine. Didn’t want it. Probably didn’t need it. But I got the stupid thing. I didn’t, “burst into tears of joy” as some of my more dramatic friends emotionally posted on Social Media after their vaccination. I didn’t worry that Bill Gates was one step closer to his grand plan to reduce the population, as some of my other dramatic friends warned me. I only felt apathy.

I am 45-years-old. I lift weights. I run sprints. I eat a diet consisting of food that is intended for human consumption. I do literally hundreds of things to take care of my personal health and well-being. I am the guy my friends call when they have questions related to all things fitness. I don’t believe in, “Western Medicine Solutions” for problems that can be solved naturally. Needless to say, I wasn’t excited to get a vaccine for something like Covid.

My Pandemic experience was probably different than yours. While I watched friends, neighbors and loved ones react in fear and hysteria, I had zero concern about getting Covid. I didn’t buy hand sanitizer. I didn’t “social distance’’ from anyone. I traveled frequently. I kept hugging my 84-year-old parents. I only wore those silly masks in situations where businesses required me to do so.

Am I reckless? Do I simply not care about humanity? Nothing could be further from the truth. I’m someone who realized very early on what this virus actually is: A disease of the metabolically unhealthy. Unfortunately, the Archaic Science of 2021 cannot figure that out. Or perhaps the Politics of 2021 won’t allow the Archaic Science of 2021 to figure that out. But it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to look at data readily available at Google.com to see that this disease astronomically disproportionately affects the elderly and the unhealthy.

Before the, “But you can still get it even if you’re healthy!!” crowd blows a gasket, I’m sure someone who fits my health profile could theoretically get hospitalized or even die from Covid. Just like they could get hit by a coconut falling from a palm tree. I don’t live in fear of those odds. I know people who’ve been hospitalized with Covid. I know people who’ve died. Not a single one of them was what I would term “healthy.” I haven’t even anecdotally heard a story of someone having a difficult time with Covid who met my definition of “Actually Healthy.” But that’s probably because less than 5-percent of Americans would meet my definition of “Actually Healthy.” And that’s a real problem. It’d be great if “The Science” were doing something to help solve that problem.

On that note, what about The Almighty Science? Here’s the thing: Historically, it’s wrong a lot. Especially when it comes to human health. If I trusted The Science, I’d still be eating a “heart-healthy” high-carb, low-saturated-fat diet as described by the wonderful Food Pyramid. I’d be avoiding egg yolks while enjoying my fat-free muffins and canola oil. Heck, I’d even be sure to minimize my consumption of the most nutrient-dense food known to man. That’s red meat, in case you were still trusting The Science and not trusting millions of years of human history, Intuition and Common Sense. Fortunately, I stopped blindly trusting The Science when it comes to my own health and it has made me much healthier than any Scientist or Doctor I’ve ever met.

I approached this Pandemic the same way I do Flu Season or any other time of year when, “something is going around.” I focused on taking care of my health and making myself a less desirable host for viruses. I didn’t turn other people into loaded weapons that could harm me. I didn’t cross the street when I saw a stranger walking my way. And I certainly didn't try to “kill the virus” with absurd solutions like hand sanitizer or Lysol spray.

So if I feel this strongly against the mainstream narrative regarding health and Covid, why did I get this stupid vaccine? Was it because of all the virtue signalling from Politicians and friends on Social Media telling me to, “do my part?” No, that just made me want it even less. I already “do my part” by keeping myself healthy and not falling victim to viruses in the first place. I don’t need someone eating a free Krispy Kreme Donut holding their vaccine card and telling me what I should do to keep America healthy. And I definitely don’t need someone who relies on Western Medicine for all their health concerns telling me how stupid the unvaccinated are.

So it must have been “The Highly Contagious Delta Variant” that finally made me get the vaccine, right? Do a shot every time you hear that phrase mentioned on the news and you’ll be passed-out drunk by 8:30 AM. And no, it wasn’t the highly contagious Delta variant. It’s clearly a weaker variant of Covid. I mean, trust The Science on that, right? I guess that’s the least interesting detail about the Delta Variant and why should we stop the media’s fear-mongering panic party just because of details?

So why did I end up getting this stupid vaccine?

Because I ultimately don’t think it’s that big of a deal. When I realized my future employers would more than likely be instituting vaccine mandates, I started researching how I could get a Religious exemption. I was ready to die on this hill of not letting people less healthy than me tell me how to take care of my body. But then I realized I was fighting a battle I didn’t even want to fight. Why was I suddenly so against getting a vaccine? I’d gotten every other mandated vaccine and never gave it much thought. Sure this one was rushed and it's for a disease I don’t fear, but that doesn’t change the fact that I do believe in vaccines and their importance to human history.

I’ve had lots of conversations with people in the “anti-vax” community. They range from some of the smartest, educated people in the Health & Fitness world to some of the craziest loons you will ever meet. There is a genuine conversation we should be having about vaccines, but it is getting hijacked by the wild conspiracy theories. Are there unknown side-effects to vaccines that the Archaic Science of 2021 does not understand? Of course there are. There’s no such thing as a “biological free ride.” You don’t get to use Western Medicine without consequences. This is true of antibiotics. It’s true of pain medications. It’s true of every aspect of Western Medicine, and that obviously includes vaccines.

But do I think vaccines will be the “smoking gun” that we find out about in the future and they wonder what in the hell those crazy folks back in 2021 were thinking? No. That will probably be cellphones. Or genetically modified foods. Or any number of the overly-prescribed prescription drugs half our population has no problem popping every day. I don’t know why we are singling out vaccines as “the thing.” We may eventually learn of new side-effects, but I don’t think they will be any worse than what we discover about all these other stupid things we currently have no problem doing.

I have good friends who don’t want to get this vaccine. A lot of people I love. And unfortunately, a lot of them are unhealthy. I mean, REALLY unhealthy. Some are cancer survivors. Some eat fast food every day. Some smoke cigarettes. Some take multiple prescription drugs. Whatever your thoughts on vaccines, for God’s sake, can we agree these people are better off with the unknown risks of the vaccine than the risk of getting Covid? I’ve been encouraging these friends to get the vaccine and it was making me feel like a hypocrite for not getting it myself. How can I recommend something, say it is mostly safe, but be unwilling to take it myself? And if the Conspiracy Theorists are right and Bill Gates IS out to get us… he’s going to get us. If not with the Covid vaccine, then with the next Windows update. Or he’ll poison our drinking water. We simply can’t win against an evil Bill Gates, folks.

So that’s why I got this stupid vaccine. I genuinely didn’t think it was worth all the energy I was putting into resisting it. I’m not one to back down from a battle, it’s just gotta be a battle I truly believe in.

I don’t care if you get vaccinated or not. I don’t need you to do so in order for me to feel safe. It should be your own personal decision. But have your reasons in line with the reality of the risks of vaccines and the risks of Covid itself. Or don’t. It’s ultimately your choice.

Stay healthy everyone.

#health fitness StayHealthy Meathead

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quakerjoe · 5 years

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"Why are people so hostile towards President Donald Trump?"

Chris O'Leary:

Before you pass my answer off as “Another Liberal Snowflake” consider that 1.) I'm an independent centrist who has voted Republican way more often in my life than Democrat, and 2.) If you want to call someone who spent the entire decade of his 20’s serving in the Marine Corps a snowflake, I’d be ready to answer the question what did you do with your 20’s?

Why Liberals (And not-so liberals) are against President Trump.

A.) He lies. A LOT. Politifact rates 69% of the words he speaks as “Mostly False or worse” Only 17% of the things he says get a “Mostly True” or better rating. That is an absolutely unbelievable number. How he doesn’t speak more truth by mistake is beyond me. To put it in context, Obama’s rating was 26% mostly false or worse, and I had a problem with that. Many of Trump’s former business associates report that he has always been a compulsive liar, but now he’s the President of the United States, and that’s a problem. And this is a man who expects you to believe him when he points at other people and says “They’re lying”

B.) He’s an authoritarian populist, not a conservative. He advances regressive social policy while proposing to expand federal spending and federalist authority over states, both of which conservatives are supposed to hate.

C.) He pretends at Christianity to court the Religious Right but fails to live anything resembling a Christ-Like Life.

D.) His nationalist “America First” message effectively alienates us and removes us from our place as leaders in the international community.

E.) His ideas on “Keeping us safe” are all thinly veiled ideas to remove our freedoms, he is, after all, an authoritarian first. They also are simply bad ideas.

F.) He couldn’t pass a 3rd-grade civics exam. He doesn't’ know what he’s doing. He doesn't understand how international relations work, he doesn’t understand how federal state or local governments work, and every time someone tries to “Run it like a business” it’s a spectacular failure. See Colorado Springs’ recent history as an example. The Short, Unhappy Life of a Libertarian Paradise And that was a businessman with a MUCH better business track record than Trump. We are talking about a man who lost money owning a freaking gambling casino.

G.) He behaves unethicaly and always has. As a businessman, he constantly left in his wake unpaid contractors and invoices, litigation, broken promises, whatever he could get away with.

H.) He is damaging our relationships with our best international friends while kissing up to nations that do not have our best interests in mind. To his question “Wouldn't’ it be great to have better relations with Russia?” The answer is Yes. But it is RUSSIA who needs to earn that, who must stop doing the things that are damaging to that relationship, or we are simply weaker for it.

I.) He has never seen a shortcut he didn't like, and you can’t take shortcuts in government. “Nuclear Option, Remove the Filibuster, I’ll change the Constitution by Executive Order…Don…what happens when you remove the filibuster and the other side retakes the majority in the Senate? Suddenly want that filibuster back? What happens if you manage to change the Constitution by Executive Order and an Anti-2A President wins the next election?

J.) He behaves and has always behaved as an unabashed racist. Yes, I’ve seen your favorite meme that claims he was never accused of racism before the Democrats…Absolutely false. Donald Trump’s long history of racism, from the 1970s to 2019 See the Central Park 5, the lawsuits and fines resulting from his refusal to lease to black tenants, the 1992 lost appeal trying to overturn penalties for removing black dealers from tables, his remarks to the house native American affairs subcommittee in 1993. The man sees and treats racial groups of people as monoliths.

K.) He is systematically steamrolling regulations specifically designed to keep a disaster like the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis from happening again.

L.) He speaks and acts like a demagogue. He sees the Legislative and Judicial branches of government as inconveniences, blows up at criticism no matter how deserved and actively tries to countermand constitutional processes, not to mention attempts to blackmail and coerce people who are saying negative things about him

M.) His choices for top positions, with the exception of Gen. Mattis, who is a gem, have been horrendous. A secretary of Education without a resume that would get her hired as a small town grammar school principal, A secretary of Energy who didn't know the Department of Energy was responsible for nuclear reserves, an EPA head whose biggest accomplishments to date had been suing the EPA on multiple occasions, an FCC head who while working for Verizon actively lobbied to kill net neutrality, and an Attorney General who thinks pot is “nearly as bad as heroin” and asked Congress for permission to go after legal pot businesses in states where it is legal. (There goes that great Republican States rights rally cry again, right? *Crickets*) An Interim AG after Firing his First AG who’s appointment is probably unconstitutional.

N.) He denies scientific fact. Ever notice that the only people you hear denying climate change are politicians and lobbyists? 99% of actual scientists studying the issue agree that it’s real, man-made and caused by greenhouse gasses. Ever notice that every big disaster movie starts with a bunch of politicians in a room ignoring a scientist's warning?

0.) He does not have the temperament to lead this nation. He is Thin Skinned, childish, and a bully, never mind misogynistic, boorish, rude, and incapable of civil discourse.

P.) He still does not understand that the words he speaks, or tweets, are the official position of 1/3 of the US government, and so does not govern his words. He still thinks when he speaks it’s good ol’ Donald Trump. It’s not. It’s the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. You have probably spread a meme or two around talking about how no president’s every word has ever been dissected before…YES, THEY ALWAYS HAVE. It’s just that every other president in our lifetime has understood the importance of his words and took great care to govern his speech. Trump blurts out whatever comes to his mind then complains when people talk about what a dumb thing that was to say.

Q.) He’s unqualified. If you owned a small business and were looking for someone to manage it, and an unnamed resume came across your desk and you saw 6 bankruptcies, showing a man who had failed to make money running CASINOS, would you hire him? He is a very poor businessman. This is a man it has been estimated would have been worth $10 BILLION more if he’d just taken what his father had given him, invested it in Index Funds and left it alone.

R.) He is President. But he refuses to take a leadership position and understand that he is everyone’s President. Conservatives complain about liberals chanting “Not my President” while Trump himself behaves as if no one but his supporters matter.

S.) He’s a blatant hypocrite. He spent 8 years bitching Obama out for his family trips, or golfing, or any time he took for himself, and what does he do? He was already on his 20th golf outing in APRIL of his 1st year in office. He constantly rants about respect for the military, yet can’t be bothered to attend the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day because of a little rain. (And that excuse about Marine One not being able to fly in the rain is HILARIOUS.)

T.) He’s a misogynist. It's not really ok in this day and age to be a misogynist, but it’s not a huge deal if you’re a private citizen. It’s a pretty big deal if you hate half the people you’re elected to lead. The disdain for women seeps out of his …whatever…. and he just can’t hide it.

U.) Face it. In any other election “Grab Em’ By the Pussy” would have been the end of that candidate’s chances. Back in the 90’s I used to marvel about how Teflon Bill Clinton was. I no longer do. The fact that he managed to slip by on that is as much a statement about how much people hate Hillary Clinton as it is about what is wrong with politics in this country right now.

V.) He has one response to a differing opinion. Attack. A good leader listens to criticism, to different points of view, is capable of self-reflection, tries to guide people to his point of view, and when necessary stands his ground and defends his convictions. Any of that sound like Trump? His default is not to Lead, its’ to attack. Scorched Earth. The Jim Acosta reaction is a good example. There was no defense of his convictions when Acosta was asking him repeated questions about his rhetoric on the caravan. His response was to attack Acosta.

W.) He takes credit for everything positive while deflecting blame for everything negative. Look at him with the Stock Market. He’s been bragging about it since day one, and to give credit where credit is due, speculation on coming deregulation early in his presidency did fuel some rapid growth, but to pretend that it’s all him, that we’re not in the 9th year of the longest bull market in history and THEN, when the standard market volatility that deregulation inevitably brings about starts to show up? Yeah. Look at yesterday. Hey! Stock Markets losing because the Democrats won! Do I need to bring out the Stock market chart for the last 10 Years again?

X.) He emboldens the worst among us. Counter-protesters are slammed into by a car while countering actual Nazi rally, and the response is there’s fault on “Both Sides” The media is at fault for a nut job sending them and Donald’s favorite targets pipe bombs. The truth is not all Republicans, not all Trump Supporters are racist, fascist lunatics. Many are just taken in by the bombastic personality and are living in an information bubble made worse by the fact that they unfollow anyone and ignore any source of information that makes them feel uncomfortable. People on the left do that too. The Biggest problem the right has right now is that the worst of the Right is the loudest and the most in your face, and the actual right, especially the Freaking PRESIDENT needs to be standing up and saying No. Those are not our values.

Y.) He seems to think the Constitution of The United States, the document that IS who we are, the document he took an oath to support and defend is some sort of inconvenience. He demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of Constitution, from believing he can alter the 14th through executive order, to thinking The free exercise clause in the first amendment somehow supersedes the establishment clause (not that he really understands either) or that the free exercise clause only applies to Christians. Or his attacks on freedom of expression and the press. He repeatedly makes it clear that if he’s read them, he does not understand Articles 1–3, and that’s something he really should have before he took the job, because they’re not going away.

Z.) I’ll use Z for something I do blame him for, but the rest of us have to carry the blame too. Polarization. This country is more politically polarized than I can remember in my lifetime. Some of you who are a few years older than I may remember how it was in the late 60’s when construction workers in New York were being applauded for beating up hippies, I think it’s pretty close to that right now, but that was before my time. And he is the cause of much of the current level polarization, but also the result. It didn't’ start with Trump. We’ve been going down this road I think since the eruption of the Tea Party in the early years of the Obama Administration. I do hope the tide turns before it gets much worse because the thing that scares me more than anything is what if that keeps going the way it has been? "

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reading-writing-revolution · 4 years

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A person asked the question, "Why are people so hostile towards President Donald Trump?"

Chris O'Leary:

Why Liberals (And not-so liberals) are against President Trump.

C.) He pretends at Christianity to court the Religious Right but fails to live anything resembling a Christ-Like Life.

D.) His nationalist “America First” message effectively alienates us and removes us from our place as leaders in the international community.

E.) His ideas on “Keeping us safe” are all thinly veiled ideas to remove our freedoms, he is, after all, an authoritarian first. They also are simply bad ideas.

G.) He behaves unethicaly and always has. As a businessman, he constantly left in his wake unpaid contractors and invoices, litigation, broken promises, whatever he could get away with.

K.) He is systematically steamrolling regulations specifically designed to keep a disaster like the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis from happening again.

0.) He does not have the temperament to lead this nation. He is Thin Skinned, childish, and a bully, never mind misogynistic, boorish, rude, and incapable of civil discourse.

//Meanwhile, I’m not a Liberal either, and I’m a veteran of 20 years with 13 deployments to combat zones.//

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jaywrites101 · 4 years

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Why You Should be Voting Democrat: The Republicans are Hypocrites Against God.

This is an essay I now have to give to a person living in this house with me. Some context, they pinned a piece of Republican propaganda they received in the mail to the community posterboard with the words “why I vote Republican” written on it. I have interpreted this as an invitation to challenge their beliefs. And my response is in the essay below.

Sincerely, By Everyone in This House

Pro-life vs Pro-Choice

This argument is a messy one to argue, this is something our country is literally divided over this and each argument is so twisted it's hard for either side to understand one another. For this to be the hill you've chosen to fight on I'm going to have to assume two things—1: you believe abortions are murder, and 2: You believe abortions are a common occurrence made by lazy people who want to get rid of the consequences of their bad actions.

Both of these are common arguments made by the Republican party to defund Planned Parenthood. So it may surprise you that not a single person on the Left is trying to disprove your fighting points.

That's because this isn't about abortions at all. It's about women's rights. Abortions only play into this because it was the item that forced the issue before the courts and the public.

In 1973, Roe v. Wade was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protects a pregnant woman's liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. This decision effectively guaranteed that a woman had the right to treat her body as her own property, meaning she could choose what she eats, who she has sex with, and, yes, whether or not to carry a pregnancy to term.

The decision ruled that the US Government has no right to decide the moral outcome of a single person's choices. Nor do they have the right to force a person to live in what they currently believe to be an ethical lifestyle.

This is the one and ONLY law in our country that explicitly gives women the same rights to life, responsibility, and authority that a man has. It also the only law that ensures a woman has the ultimate right to refuse to have sex with a man.

Republicans want to overturn Roe v. Wade and defund Planned Parenthood (not end abortions). They often cite the evils of abortions as the reasons why they want to overturn it. However, this is not their real motivation. Planned Parenthood has a multitude of other services for women and men besides abortions. They help people conceive children, provide safe-sex alternatives to reckless teens, provide both erectile stimulants and contraception, and even hormone therapy for trans people transitioning genders. They also provide pregnancy care for women just like any other hospital.

And as we've discussed Roe v. Wade is about a woman's rights to her body.

Republicans are trying to keep women from having equal rights. This much has been stated by Republicans in the 1970s and that mentality continues to today. It's blatant hypocrisy from a group of people who've only read the Bible enough to make real Christians like yourself believe they're doing God's work. And they are not shy about signaling how religious they are. God even has a Bible verse for them specifically:

“Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” Matthew 6:2. (NKJV)

Government Spending

This one's actually a very easy argument to refute. Republicans are always talking about making tax cuts and spending less money. In truth, all the money they save goes straight into the military budget which increases by BILLIONS of dollars each year. We're currently spending $934 billion a year on our military budget. According to the last Discretionary Spending Audit under Obama, more than half of that goes back into the politicians in both the House and the Senat across both sides of the aisles. That's also why this issue is one many Democrats actively support; the military is giving them a kickback.

The tax cuts you experience is not the government saving an extra twenty cents by cutting out beef from their cafeteria and passing the savings to you. It's the Republican party throwing the US into more debt to artificially give you a tax break so you'll continue to vote for them, and force the Democrats to be the ones to have to put that back to normal so they look like the bad guys.

Long story short, if you want the government to save money, vote Democrat, pay higher taxes and demand a drastic decrease in military spending.

Fun Fact: If we succeed in cutting the military budget by one-hundredth of a percent, the excess funds would pay to empower EVERY SOCIAL SERVICE the democrats suggest (from healthcare all the way to free electricity.) for the next ten years.

Education (Really? This one's so backward you should know better without me explaining.)

Republicans have been so far on the wrong side of this debate I'm surprised I have to tell it to you. For decades they've cut school budget both in the public and private sectors. They happily cut millions of dollars a year from the federal grants that are supposed to help kids afford college, while also artificially inflating the price of school, school supplies, and class prices.

This is not some secret thing you'll have to search hard for. They brag about it on tv every other episode of Fox News.

The document you gave me lists education but provides no real proposals or examples of problems they hope to change, it is preying on your ignorance in this situation to make themselves look good. (What follows was not any part of the document they left, but are bullet points I thought they should be thinking about when they go to vote.)

Gay Rights

People who are gay, or otherwise not cishet WASPS should have the right to live a life of their own choosing without persecution or judgment from us. Jesus says everyone has that right amongst man. We're supposed to leave all that to God, so leave it for God.

Racism

I direct you to the current protests as proof that Racism is a thing that still exists, and has only gotten more unmanageable as time has moved on. Also, every Black Lives Matter protest since Martin Luther King Jr.

Socialism

Roads, parks, schools, and social security are all social programs funded by the government for the people. We on the Left wish to expand these capacities to healthcare, electricity, internet, higher education, and phone services, while also insisting that the government provide the minimum funding needed for people to live. (This in a time when the cost of living keeps rising higher due to unchecked capitalism.) We demand the government provide for the homeless, and regulate the supply chain of food. (because over 70% of all food in the garbage across this country is thrown away while it's still fresh.)

We have the ability to end starvation, and homelessness in this country. We argue this means we have the responsibility to do so as well.

Gun Reform

Democrats believe no civilian needs access to weapons of war. It's too easy to exploit these weapons and it results in mass killings of innocents. There are far better and more effective ways to defend yourself and your family than buying a bunch of guns and shooting anything that makes a noise in the night.

Police Reform

This is the current agenda. Police have gone unpunished for their crimes against civilians, (especially civilians of color,) and our current system 1: Encourages police to kill first, ask questions never, 2: Forces cops to take on roles they are untrained for, and 3: Gives them too much power without any reliable method of accountability. We demand all three of these things be addressed and changed in a meaningful way.

All of this without even mentioning Trump, the man actively trying to be a dictator.

#politics #trump #vote #fuck trump #against trump #this person is driving me insane with their political views

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avellanas-nutty-empire · 4 years

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Take everything everyone says with a grain of salt always

So recently coworker A of mine has told me to take what coworker B says with a grain of salt. I however, was confused. Shouldent you always be doing that with everyone? The term 'take it with a grain of salt' is designed to allow us to absorb what someone is saying, while also being ready to accept what is being said as not completely true.

No one is ever 100% correct all the time, so why arent we always taking things with a grain of salt? To not take something with a grain of salt implies that we are absorbing something with believing and accepting it 100% but that is literaly so stupid to me.

Half the info I absorb from others is opinions, and those vary in so many ways. Not everyone agrees with everyone. People are entitled to their own beliefs and opinions, but when we spread that stuff around with the intention of it being fact, when it is instead opinion or beliefe, is the worst thing you could ever do. Even facts should be taken with a grain of salt, as facts can change over time when new info is obtained.

Take Pluto for example. After NASA discovered sever other smaller planets, they decided to make a new category called dwarf planet. And Pluto fit the new category better than the old one.

In my college english class this year we actualy had an online discussion about facts, opinions, and beliefs. I brought up the Pluto thing in it, stating that facts change only because of other facts, while opinions and beliefs change by both fact, opinion, AND belief. In this discussion someone sugested that facts, such as Pluto being a dwarf planet, might just be a belief/opinion that the 'top dog' has stated, and thus is widely believed as a fact.

So while I am using the Pluto example, the point is that both facts, opinion, and beliefs can change. If we were to take everything we absorb with a grain of salt, we would be opening our minds and preparing for the possibility of change. This would make it easier to accept change such as Plutos status, or respecting that slurs, which used to be widely used, should no longer be used because of their negative effects.

If the world opened its heart to the idea of change, we wouldent have to constantly be battling the ableist's who want to 'fix' and mask disabled peoples symptoms. Or fighting for equal rights for everyone. Black people used to be viewed as property instead of people, and many people in the word are struggling with the change even to this day.

When we believe something to be 100% true, we fight against those who oppose it as anything less than 100. Think of how much more peaceful and less hate and war ridden the world might be if we just took EVERYTHING with a grain of salt. The world is subject to change, and the fact that we arent always actively preparing to accept that change is what stops good progress from happening.

The founding fathers of america did their best to set this country up for change, but instead here most american politicians are arguing over what it was they meant the country to be a VERY long time ago. As far as I know, SEVERAL other countries rewrite their constitutions on a regular. (I think France is actualy due for a new one soon but idk, that's just what I remember about my France research a year ago I could totaly be wrong or it already happened or smth)

The phrase to take something with a grain of salt might go a bit further past being open for change than what I have stated here, but the point still stands. Nothing is 100% Nothing is black and white either. Go explore about the thousands upon thousands of shades of grey! Educate yourself a little bit on things! Keep an open mind and explore things that dont fit into a set category, and dont feel like you need to contain it to a category either. Some things just are, and that's ok. You are not a hypocrite for changing your opinions and beliefs.

So I implore you today, tomorrow, and always to take everything you absorb with a little grain of salt. Including this post

#avellanahablando #salt #grain of salt #founding fathers #constitution #france #fact #facts #opinion #opinions #belief #beliefs #i am fairly certin at least the france thing i said might be wrongbut if i said anything else wrong misleading or offensive please tell me #but if i said anything else misleading #wrong or offesive pleade call me out on ot so i can change it #its not my intent to spread misinformation or lies or hate

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safflowerseason · 4 years

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veep rewatch 3.01

Some New Beginnings

aka - The One With the Book Tour

Richard! I love Richard. I love what he brought to the Veep ensemble and I love that the dumbest, purest person in the ensemble ended up as the sidekick to the other dumbest and most vile person in the ensemble. I didn’t mind that he suddenly had a doctorate in American constitutional law or whatever (it’s not like being an academic means you are a functional adult with practical life skills), and even though his rise to the presidency in S7 is patently stupid, I just love his bumbling, relentlessly positive, and super literal approach to life. Sam Richardson is great.

“I call it Some New Beginnings because it’s plural!”

Now begins the reign of Kathleen Felix Hager, who immediately injects more life into Selina and Amy’s business wardrobes. We won’t really see the change until the next few episodes—Selina always wears a red dress in the premiere, and Amy’s at a wedding where she can’t wear a monochrome skirt-suit or a shirt-dress—but still, it’s very exciting!! And KFH does manage a slight departure with Amy’s formalwear, which has previously tended to dark colors and conservative necklines. This turquoise dress is the brightest and lightest color we’ve seen on Amy so far, and she looks stunning.

As discussed previously, I appreciate that the costume team did not feel the need to vacuum-pack a clearly post-baby Anna Chlumsky into some Spanx underneath her dress, or choose a looser dress for her to wear. The dress is very well-tailored and they’re not trying to hide anything—every newfound curve is on display. Meanwhile, Dan looks very good in his totally-not-intentional matching suit and not at all like Amy’s boyfriend. It’s not like he’s standing next to her in pictures and sharing the cost of a wedding present and making jokes about the fact that they’re basically married. What a ridiculous notion.

Mike: See what everyone's gifting us? Some New Beginnings, Our Next American Journey. Dan: Really well written…by me. (He’s offscreen for this line, but I love this little aside…one day I’m going to write a one-shot where Dan writes Selina’s book. Ugh, Writer!Dan...so hot.)

Amy: Selina’s never been away without us this long before. Dan: I guess this is what it’s gonna to be like when our kids go to college too, huh, sweetie? Amy: Yeah, dream the fuck on, Dan. Dan: You know I'm only being nice to you because I know that Selina's gonna make me the campaign manager. Dan’s version of being nice to Amy is teasing her about their future children. I cannot. This whole exchange is just too much for my heart now. (Also, what a ballsy thing to say while Amy is ostensibly dating another man. Dan must be feeling very confident in his relationship with Amy at this moment.)

His unhinged impatience with Hughes not announcing is some neat foreshadowing that he’s going to be a terrible campaign manager.

I enjoy Mike and Wendy’s relationship…Kathy Najimy is lovely and funny, and she and Matt Walsh have a fun chemistry. She has a kind of smooth composure to her manner that’s a good contrast with the more frenetic energy of Selina’s staff.

I like to think part of the reason Dan snarks at Amy for not having a second phone is that he really just wants to be scheming with her at all times.

Selina: So, these rumors, right? I'm getting Maddox. What are you getting? Richard: I…I’m not getting a huge amount, if I'm being honest. Selina: Hey, Richard, no offense— Richard: None taken. Selina:—you’re a catastrophe.

In general, Iannucci Veep is better at marking time than Mandel Veep, but seriously…when is this wedding happening? We know it’s been two months since the S2 finale, in which both Selina and Amy appeared to be wearing clothes appropriate for mid-late D.C. spring (long sleeved dresses on both of them). So if it’s two months later, does that mean we’re in May-June? The end of June can be hot in D.C., but everyone is walking around outside dressed like it’s a pleasant spring day. Furthermore, the timeline is complicated by Episode 2, when it seems like we’re suddenly in early autumn…but also, Mike is on his honeymoon and Jonah has clearly just been fired! So WHEN is this wedding?! (Some of this confusion is obviously influenced by the uncontrollable dimensions of filming on location, such as weather…)

Love how Ben goes straight to the minibar in Selina’s suite.

Ben: So where’s the team? Selina: They’re all at Mike’s wedding…I kind of miss ‘em. *phone rings* Oh, it’s just Gary, press ignore.

Dan and Jonah’s scene in the bathroom made me actually kind of miss their DC bro antagonistic energy. I can’t believe they shared no scenes together in S7!

First mention of Bill Ericsson…considering how many political flubs/bone-headed campaign decisions Bill actually makes in the series, he doesn’t exactly live up the all-knowing ice-god of strategy reputation they give him in the beginning. (My blog is basically an anti-Bill Ericsson blog now, sorry.)

Dan: You keep a second phone there? Hypocritical…and horny. Love Reid Scott’s eyebrow arch on this line.

Jonah: “Team Veep goes into meltdown as Sec Def Maddox news breaks”….And upload the money shot. Sue: I hate how he learned English from pornography.

Richard: Ma’am, if you need any help with your campaign, I'm real good in a high-pressure situation. Selina: Really? In what sense “good”? Richard: Well, I was all over that book line thing.

It is intriguing how…active Dan is in this episode compared to Amy, or to be more specific, how his actions are highlighted by the script in a way that hers are not. He manipulates Jonah to get the ball rolling on the President’s announcement, runs back to the White House to witness/further exacerbate the fallout from that, actually asks Selina to make him the campaign manager, and in general is just furiously scheming all over the place. And it’s all explicitly tied to his desire to be the campaign-manager. Meanwhile, Amy is Hendrix-texting and presumably dealing with the Maddox news in some way, but we don’t really see her doing it. This will be a trend to follow in the first half of the season…some interesting gender dimensions to trace, for sure.

Kent: Don’t go interrupting any major sporting events! Unless it’s golf.

Jonah: I’ll be back! I’m gonna be back as the fucking President. Jonah Ryan, 2026! Staffer: That’s a midterms year, Jonah. Jonah: Well then I’ll change it!

I tend to think that Jonah’s career as a politician was a Mandel-era idea, but I do wonder with this line what Iannucci’s team of writers had planned for the character, if they also saw Jonah as an actual campaigning politician rather than just representative of the scuzzy underlings who populate D.C.

If it’s day six of the book tour, it makes you wonder how long Selina has been separated from her team. In light of Amy’s comment, it’s interesting to think about the logistical ramifications of it…six days feel like a stretch for Selina to be without her full staff, especially Gary and Amy. Not to mention Dan would want to gloat on the road about the success of “his” book. Were they just all on the book tour with Selina and then flew back to DC for a quick weekend wedding break? That would explain why they all appear to arrive together, at the very least.

“The seven foot mouth” is maybe my favorite Jonah insult of all time.

Amy’s drunk dancing is so cute! (In contrast, it is literally impossible for me to imagine Dan drunk dancing.)

#veep rewatch #3.01 #veep season three #some new beginnings #the seven foot mouth #dan x amy #selina meyer #dan egan #amy brookheimer

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clearlydeplorable · 4 years

Text

To the Leftists:

If you are a liberal who can’t stand Trump, and cannot possibly fathom why anyone would ever vote for him, let me fill you in.

It’s not that we love Donald Trump so much. It’s that we can’t stand you.

And we will do whatever it takes — even if that means electing a rude, obnoxious, unpredictable, narcissist (your words not ours) to the office of President of the United States — because the thing we find more dangerous to this nation than Donald Trump is YOU.

How is that possible you might ask?

Well, you have done everything in your power to destroy our country.

From tearing down the police, to tearing down our history, to tearing down our borders.

From systematically destroying our schools and brainwashing our kids into believing socialism is the answer to anything (despite being an unmitigated failure everywhere), while demonizing religion and faith, and glorifying abortion, violence, and thug culture.

From calling us racists every time we expect everyone of any skin color to follow our laws equally to gaslighting us about 52 genders, polyamory, grown men in dresses sharing public locker rooms with little girls, and normalize the sexualization of young children, you simultaneously ridicule us for having the audacity to wish someone a “Merry Christmas” or hang a flag on the 4th of July, stand for the national anthem, or (horror of horrors) don a MAGA hat in public.

So much for your “tolerance.”

(See why we think you are just hypocrites??)

We’re also not interested in the fact that you think you can unilaterally decide that 250 years of the right-to-bear-arms against a tyrannical or ineffective government should be abolished because you can’t get the violence in the cities you manage under control. That free-speech should be tossed out the window, and that those who disagree with your opinions are fair game for public harassment or doxing. That spoiled children with nose-rings and tats who still live off their parent’s dime should be allowed to destroy cities and peoples livelihoods without repercussions. That chaos, and lawlessness, and disrespect for authority should be the norm.

This is your agenda. And you wonder why we find you more dangerous than Donald Trump?

Your narrative is a constant drone of oppressor/oppressed race-baiting intended to divide the country in as many ways as you possibly can. You love to sell “victim-hood” to people of color every chance you get because it’s such an easy sell, compared to actually teaching people to stand on their own two feet and take personal responsibility for their own lives and their own communities and their own futures. But you won’t do that, you will never do that, because then you will lose control over people of color. They might actually start thinking for themselves, God forbid!

This is why we will vote for Donald Trump.

Not because he is the most charming character on the block.

Not because he is the most polite politician to have ever graced the oval office.

Not because he is the most palatable choice, or because we love his moral character or because the man never lies, but because we are sick to death of you and all of the destructive crap you are doing to this once beautiful and relatively safe country.

Your ineffective and completely dysfunctional liberal “leadership”(?) has literally destroyed our most beautiful cities, our public education system, and done it’s damndest to rip faith out of people’s lives.

However bad Donald Trump may be, and he is far from perfect, every day we look at you and feel that no matter what Donald Trump says or does there is no possible way he could be any worse for our country than you people are.

We are sick to death of your stupid, destructive, ignorant, and intolerant behavior and beliefs — parading as “wokeness.” We are beyond sick of your hypocrisy and B.S.

We are fed up with your disrespectful divisiveness and constant unrelenting harping and whining and complaining (while you live in the most privileged nation in the world), while making literally zero contributions of anything positive to our society. Your entire focus is on ripping things down, never ever building anything up. Think about that as there is something fundamentally very wrong in the psychology of people who choose destruction as their primary modus operandi.

When Donald J Trump is reelected, don’t blame us, look in the mirror and blame yourselves.

Because you are the ones that are responsible for the rise of Donald Trump. You are the ones who have created this "monster" that you so despise, by your very actions. By your refusal to respect your fellow Americans, and the things that are important to us.

You have made fun of the “fly-over states,” the people who “cling to their guns and religion,” the middle class factory workers and coal miners and underprivileged rural populations that you dismissively call “yahoos” and “deplorables.” You have mocked our faith and our religion. You have mocked our values and our patriotism. You have trampled our flag and insulted our veterans and treated our first responders with contempt and hatred.

You have made environmentalism your religion, while trashing every city you have taken responsibility for. You scream from the rooftops about “global warming” and a “green new deal” while allowing tens of thousands of homeless people to cover your streets in literal sh!t and garbage and needles and plastic waste without doing a single thing to help them or solve the environmental crisis your failed social policies are creating. But we’re supposed to put YOU in charge of the environment while gutting our entire economy to institute this plan when you can’t even clean up a single city??

You complain — endlessly — yet have failed to solve a single social problem anywhere. In fact, all you have done is create more of them.

We’ve had enough. We are tired of quietly sitting by and being the “silent” majority. So don’t be surprised when the day comes when we finally respond. And trust me it’s coming, sooner than you might think. And also trust me when I say it won’t be pretty. Get ready.

When Donald Trump is reelected it will be because you and your “comrades” have chosen to trash the police, harass law-abiding citizens, and go on rampages destroying public property that we have all paid for and you have zero respect for.

When Donald Trump is reelected it will be because we are sick of your complete and utter nonsense and destruction. How does it feel to know that half of this country finds you FAR more despicable than Donald J. Trump, the man you consider to be the anti-Christ?

Let that sink in.

We consider you to be more despicable, more dangerous, more stupid, and more narcissistic than Donald Trump. Maybe allow yourself a few seconds of self-reflection to let that sink in. This election isn’t about Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden.

This is about Donald Trump vs YOU.

So if on the morning of November 4 (or more likely January 19, by the time the Supreme Court will weigh in on the mail-in ballot fiasco that we are headed towards), and Donald J. Trump is reelected?

The only people you have to blame is the left-wing media drones and yourselves.

You did this.

We don't believe in Wealth Distribution, we work hard for our money, and if anyone else wants to make more, they can too.We don't believe illegals should be taking American's jobs. We don't think everyone should get free this, free that.

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pickalilywrites · 5 years

Note

Can you write a Rivetra Arranged Marriage AU if you want please? I would really love to see how they will warm up to each other. Thank you in advance! Your work for the Snk fandom is truly amazing.

thank you for your kind words! sorry it took me so long to write. i’m kind of in a funk ^^” i wanted to do a modern arranged marriage since i think most arranged marriage aus are in a historical setting and a modern au would be a nice change of pace~ so kind of a political/arranged marriage type of deal? it’s partially inspired by the kdrama search: www which features one of the cutest ones :O but other than the arranged marriage deal, it’s very different ^^” i hope you like it!

ps if you’re looking for a kdrama w/ a rivetra dynamic, i highly recommend watching because this is my first life! you can watch it for free on viki :)

A Love That is Sown

Rivetra. K-Drama AU.

A Love That Blooms series: Part i

3673 words.

Buy me a ko-fi!

Petra sits at the back of the limousine, playing with the wedding band around her ring finger as she gazes out the window. It’s a beautiful band, two golden ribbons looped around each other infinitely as a symbol of eternity. At first glance, the ring is simplistic in style, but a closer look would allow one to see the intricately cut diamonds - fashioned in a way that the precious stones sparkled at every angle - studded in one of the single golden bands that made up the ring and the ornate design cast onto the other band. The rose gold of the band, too, was something Petra had been unsure about at first. The metal had never appealed to her before, but she soon grew to like the look of it on her finger. Its subtle pink hue has a warmth to it that its white and yellow gold counterparts lack, and it contrasts well against the glittering diamonds. Truly, it’s a wedding ring that’s fit for a modern-day princess, and yet Petra still cannot help but feel the need to remove it from her finger.

She slides the ring from her finger and marvels at how easily it leaves. Not even a mark remains to show where it had been. She wonders if the ring will be as easy to take off in a year or five years after that. She wonders if she’ll be able to leave this all behind unscathed.

There is no doubt that there are many who would gladly take her place. Despite her deep unhappiness, her circumstances are not unpleasant. However, they are not ideal either. Upon graduating university with a business degree, Petra had been determined to help her father with his business, a floundering publishing house that had once been popular back in the day, but no amount of grit and determination could save the company from going under. In a last attempt to save her father’s business, she had sought a meeting with Levi Ackerman, head of Ackerman Enterprises, with an absolutely insane proposal - the wealthy businessman would be able to acquire the small but prestigious publishing house as long as he kept her as the publisher. As an added bonus, she would connect him with any and all business partners that the publishing house was associated with and strengthen the already strong hold that Ackerman Enterprises had over the city. She had thought that he would refuse her outright, but to her surprise, the man had signed her contract without much coaxing. The next day, Petra became the wife of one of the richest men in the world. Had Petra been a simpler woman, one that could easily be satiated with fame and fortune, perhaps she would not be brooding at the back of the limousine with a pensive expression on her face. Were she that type of woman, she would no doubt be happily on her way to her husband’s charity dinner, eager to greet him in a white gown that was worth a small fortune. However, Petra Ral is no such woman and so she sits in the back of the vehicle wondering if her husband would even be happy to see her.

Petra’s not sure whether or not she dislikes her husband, but she supposes that’s fairly normal in a contract marriage. Perhaps she should like him a little bit for his willingness to get married to her so quickly - all it took was for him to glance down at the contract she had written down the night before complete with the businesses and connections he would acquire through the marriage for him to agree. When she had watched him sign the contract, she thought for half a second that this man was her savior, but she quickly realized that this was purely a business decision of his - not one that was made from altruism or the goodness in his heart - and she quietly accepted the fact that she would be spending the rest of her life married to a man who cared more about his money than his own happiness. In a way, though, she was the same for marrying a man just to save her father’s failing business, so she couldn’t hate this man either.

To be fair, it’s possible that her husband dislikes her. Although they’ve been married for a good month, he had never made any attempts to sleep with her. The first night of their marriage, she had crawled into bed wondering if he would soon follow her only to have her husband open the door and inform her that he would be sleeping in another room for the time being. He hasn’t visited her sleeping quarters since. A part of her wonders if it’s because he doesn’t like women or if it’s because he dislikes her in particular. Then again, it’s not as if she’s made any attempt to sleep with him either. Perhaps he’s wondering the same thing about her.

She still wonders why he accepted that deal. It’s not as if she’s particularly pretty, and her father’s hadn’t been worth much by the time she had come to Levi with her proposal. Then again, perhaps he had seen value in it where she could not because the business began to flourish as soon as it was in his hands. Petra can’t even say what changed after the publishing house became a part of Ackerman Enterprises. As promised, she still holds the title of publisher and is responsible for many of the key operations necessary for the business to function. However, she had never managed to find success in her business before it had become associated with Ackerman Enterprises. Suddenly, the publishing house was flooded with calls from other businesses that wanted to collaborate or request the services of the company. That must be the power of connections.

When City Hall comes into view, Petra slips her wedding ring back onto her finger. Although she’s unhappy in her marriage, it’s not entirely unbearable. She can at least pretend to be happy in the eye of the public. Besides, it’s not as if she’s trapped in this marriage forever. Although she’s bound to him by a contract, contracts can be broken. Time will pass and Levi may come across someone more beautiful or more advantageous to wed. Or maybe her business will flounder once more and he’ll see no need to tie himself to her any longer. She’s sure that he’s unlikely to object. It’s just a contract. Love can’t bloom from pen and paper. She expects it’ll be at least five years before she finds the perfect opportunity to strike, although she might be a bit optimistic with her time frame.

The limousine slows down at the front entrance, stopping at the red carpet. Petra takes out her pocket mirror to check her reflection one last time. It’s her third time attending a high-society event, but she’s still unaccustomed to the glitz and the glamor necessary to attend such events. Her hair is tied elegantly into a bun at the base of her neck, a few tendrils falling from her temple to give off a romantic look, but all she can think about are the many pins holding up her hair that are sure to hurt when she lets her hair down. She turns her head, inspecting her makeup. It’s not a lot - just a bit of blush and mascara, a faint pink stain of lipstick on her lips - and yet it still feels as if it’s caked on, although it certainly doesn’t look that way. She’s sure that she’s never looked more beautiful, but she doesn’t feel that way at all. She just feels stiff, uncomfortable, and completely out of place.

The door opens, and Petra snaps her hand mirror shut, dropping it into her purse. She climbs out of the limousine, careful not to stop on the tulle skirt of her floor-length gown. As soon as she steps out onto the crimson carpet, she’s blinded by the camera flashes from paparazzi and news media outlets. Although she wishes nothing more than to raise her hand to cover the bright lights, Petra smiles graciously at all the spectators as she makes her way down the carpet. Really, she despises events such as these. It surprises her that someone like Levi, who she has never seen as particularly sociable, attends and even plans these types of charities, but she supposes he has an image to uphold. Then again, she does too. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have bothered coming.

The carpet seems to stretch infinitely, and Petra grits her teeth to keep from frowning at the celebrities and politicians ahead of her that she no doubt must greet before entering the building. Even further, she sees her husband standing at the doors to City Hall, greeting everyone wealthy enough to come to the event. Even though she can’t see him, Petra knows he’s wearing that smile he reserves for these types of occasions - the corners of his lips slightly upturned but his eyes unsmiling. She’s never seen him smiling at any other time, and she’s almost confident that isn’t his real smile. Maybe he doesn’t know how to smile, she quietly muses.

The people behind the velvet ropes call to Petra, screaming out her name and asking about her marriage to one of the world’s richest men. She turns to them and flashes a gracious smile, trying to appear humble even though she’s dressed in a gown that’s worth more than her entire wardrobe. She always finds these charity dinners to be incredibly hypocritical - rich people dressing up to show off their wealth and giving only a small portion of their money to charities they can’t even remember the names of. It’s clear that this hypocrisy doesn’t bother the press, though. They flock to the carpet, leaning over the red ropes and trying to get as close to the elite guests as possible. Although there’s quite a distance between them, Petra still finds herself feeling stifled and claustrophobic.

“What are you doing here?”

When Petra turns, she sees Levi walking towards her, the tails of his white tuxedo flying behind him. His hair is slicked back the way it usually is for these overly extravagant parties, and his smile is gone, replaced with that perpetual frown he usually wears when he’s out of the view of cameras. When he reaches her, she slips her arm around his, flashing a smile at him but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

“It’s good to see you too,” Petra says, leaning over to give him a quick peck on the cheek. A faint pink lipstick stain is left on his cheek, but Levi makes no effort to wipe it away. She allows him to lead her across the red carpet. She wonders if it’s because of embarrassment that he walks so quickly, unintentionally ruining the view of photographers and other excited bystanders watching from the sidelines. “I almost didn’t come. You should have told me about it. I had to find it this morning after running into your secretary.”

Levi gives her a sideways glance. “I was under the impression that you didn’t enjoy these types of events.”

“It’s important to uphold our image,” she replies. She slows down to give a photographer a wave and a smile. “After all, I am your wife.”

He doesn’t reply. At a glance, it’s difficult to tell whether or not he’s angry that she arrived without any announcement. His mouth is set in that same thin line that it always is as he leads her towards the doors to City Hall. “If you had told me earlier, I would have arranged a more comfortable arrival for you so that you needn’t be under the scrutiny of all these reporters.”

“It’s fine. I can handle it,” Petra assures him. Although she’s attended these events before, this is only the second time she’s walked the red carpet. The first time, she attended an awards ceremony with Levi, but the constant hounding of reporters at the sidelines had worn her out and she ended up taking a taxi home early. The second time was the premiere of a movie with an actor Levi was acquainted with; Levi had her avoid the carpet entirely and the two had slipped in late after most of the other guests arrived. She has a feeling that he would have had her slip in through the back this time too, but she dislikes being coddled. “Don’t worry about whether or not these things make me uncomfortable. Appearing as your wife … isn’t it part of the contract?”

He looks over at her for a moment before returning his gaze ahead. “If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to do it. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the contract,” he tells her. As they walk up the steps, he carefully lifts her train so that it doesn’t drag across the stairs.

She thinks that’s a strange thing for him to say. For a moment, Petra thinks he’s being kind, which she finds uncharacteristic of him. She’s about to open her mouth and tell him that he should worry about other things, but a sudden commotion behind them distracts her.

Someone screams behind the velvet rope, and Petra and Levi turn to look. It’s difficult to make out what’s happening because of the crowd, but the shrieks grow louder and people begin to fall. Confused, Petra purses her lips as she tries to see what the uproar is about. Levi, too, stands beside her, his eyes narrowed as he watches people shoving each other as if running away from something. Only when Petra sees a man emerge from the crowd, a crazed look in his eye and a knife gleaming in his hand, that she finally realizes the cause for alarm.

“Levi,” she says, her eyes wide with fear. Her hands flail about as she reaches for her husband. “That man-!”

The man stumbles across the velvet rope, knocking it down and looking around madly. His eyes glaze over the guests that line the carpet while the knife still gleams threateningly in his hand. Nobody dares to stop him, or perhaps they’re too shocked at his appearance - the tangled mass of hair atop his head that hasn’t been washed or brushed in days, the disheveled clothing hanging from his thin frame, and the sunken face. He looks around hungrily, searching, and his gaze finally stops on Levi.

“Levi,” Petra whispers. Her fingers reach for him, but she can’t hold onto him.

The man has a wicked snarl on his face. “You bastard!” he yells, his voice loud enough to be heard by the panicked screaming of everyone around them. He waves the knife around, slashing it through the air. “This is all your fault!” The man stumbles towards Levi, his knife pointed straight at him. He breaks into a run and all Petra can hear is the sound of herself shrieking as the man comes towards them.

What happens next is a blur to her. She remembers trying to pull Levi back, only to be shoved aside so that she was out of the man’s line of sight. With one hand, Levi had protected her. With the other, he had reached out, perhaps in an attempt to grab the knife from the man’s grasp. She remembers another scream, but she can’t recall if it was her own. All she remembers is stumbling backward and staring at a stain of bright red that was so much more vibrant than the crimson carpet. There was more screaming and shouting and the sound of others rushing forward to help pull the man away from Levi. Petra recalls her vision blurring and her head spinning. As her knees began to buckle, she reached out to hold onto something, although she doesn’t know what. When she finally fell, she remembers thinking that it didn’t hurt when she hit the floor.

The next time Petra opens her eyes, she’s sitting in the hospital bed. Her uncomfortable evening gown had been exchanged for an equally uncomfortable hospital gown, and her hair had been let out of its bun. When she looks beside her, she sees Levi dozing off as he sits in a stiff chair meant for hospital guests. The view from her bedroom window tells her that it’s late now - the sun had probably set hours ago. It makes her wonder how long Levi had been sitting beside her and why.

She tries to sit up, only to stop when she realizes that someone’s holding her hand. When she looks down, she sees Levi’s bandaged hand wrapped around hers. The sight of the bandages fills her with guilt. She stares at his wounded hand for a moment before trying to slip her hand out from under his, but the small movement has already awakened him.

“Are you okay?” he mumbles sleepily before Petra even has the chance to sit up. He’s still half asleep, his eyes barely open.

“I … What happened?” she asks, trying to remember what had transpired earlier that night. There was the charity dinner tonight, and she had just arrived. And there was that man, his knife swinging madly around him. She remembers blood on the floor. She looks again at Levi’s bandaged hand and grabs at it suddenly before looking back up at him, examining the rest of him to see if there were any other wounds. “Your hand! He cut you! Is there anywhere else…?”

Levi pulls his hand away from hers. “I’m fine. You’re the one in the hospital. You fainted.” He pauses before asking again, “Are you okay?”

“What about the man?” Petra asks, deliberately ignoring his question.

“He’s in police custody. A disgruntled man who was recently released from his job at Ackerman Electrics. His attack was aimed at me,” Levi replies. He doesn’t seem very shaken by the experience, but it may be because his attention is focused elsewhere. Once more, he asks Petra, “Are you okay?”

She doesn’t answer, instead fiddling with the wedding band on her ring finger as her bottom lip trembles and her eyes are fixed on the bandage wrapped around Levi’s hand. After a moment, she says, “You pushed me out of the way, didn’t you?” When he doesn’t reply, she says bitterly, “You didn’t have to do that. Any of it. Pushing me out of the way, taking me to the hospital, staying here overnight with me - none of this is in the contract.”

There’s a flash of what looks like anger across his face for just one second. Just as quickly, it vanishes. “Isn’t this what I should do?” he asks. “What else should I have done?”

“It’s reckless to risk your life for someone over a piece of paper,” Petra tells him. She should feel grateful to him, but his recklessness only makes her feel even more indebted to him and she has nothing with which to pay him back. “Is it because you have an image to uphold?”

“Because I’m your husband,” he replies. The words are similar to the ones she had uttered earlier that night, but somehow they sound so different leaving his lips.

Looking at him is too difficult, so Petra turns her gaze towards the window. If she looks closely, she can see their reflections on the window pane. The way that Levi is sitting is strange to her, the way he’s leaning forward with his face turned toward her. The expression on his face is even stranger - a mixture of hurt, sadness, and concern. Why would he wear such an expression on his face? He doesn’t need to be so concerned about her. He could just make up a story to the press about how she’s recovering and then check up on her in the morning. There’s no reason for him to go this far. It’s as if he really cares about her, but she knows that’s impossible.

She turns back to him, her eyes settling back on his bandaged hand. “Is it going to leave a scar?”

“It might. It was only a few stitches,” he says. “Are you worried it will scar?”

Stitches. It will leave a scar. And just earlier she had been thinking that none of them would have to leave this marriage unscathed. Would it have been better if she had gotten the scar instead?

“It’s just that it was bleeding a lot,” she tells him.

“It’s fine.” He tucks his hand into his pocket so that it’s no longer in her sight. “You should go to sleep. You need a lot of rest.”

“I’m not tired,” she says, fighting off the drowsiness that is slowly overtaking her. Petra tries to sit up in her hospital bed, but her pillows are so satisfyingly soft. “What about you? Don’t you have work tomorrow?”

“I don’t need a lot of sleep.” He reaches out to her with his left hand this time, holding hers and rubbing soft circles against her skin. “Don’t worry about me. It’s not in the contract. Just go to sleep.”

She wants to argue with him, but she’s too tired. She yawns instead, not bothering to stifle it with her hand. For a moment, she wonders if Levi does truly care for her, but she waves the thought away. She’s mistaking the concern in his eyes for something else, and her drowsiness is making her imagine the tenderness of his touch. He’s only concerned about his business and how he’ll manage the publishing house if she’s ill. He shouldn’t worry about that anymore, though, Petra thinks as she lowers herself back into bed, feeling the plush pillows behind her head. She’ll get a good night’s rest and get discharged in the morning, returning to work just as he wishes. Everything will be back to normal.

Petra drifts off to sleep, oblivious to the seed of love that had been planted between them that night.

#rivetra #petra ral #levi ackerman #snk #a love that blooms series #kdrama au #requests #asks #answered #anon #anonymous #any future installments for this series is gonna include #hella fluff hella angst and hella feels

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tanstaaflaos · 4 years

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A rant from Trump supporters

The following is a cut and paste from someone I know on Facebook. In short, they don’t particularly like Trump but like liberals and progressive ideas even less. They justify their vote for Trump as giving a finger to liberals and the media, rather than supporting Trump. In short, a very selfish and short-sighted mentality that is unfortunately prevalent in today’s world. These folks will continue to vote against their own interests if it means they can “win” while sticking it to the liberals. Here’s the rant:

🛑 STOP! 🛑 EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS ⬇️ If you are a liberal who can’t stand Trump, and cannot possibly fathom why anyone would ever vote for him, let me fill you in. It’s not that we love Donald Trump so much. It’s that we can’t stand you. And we will do whatever it takes — even if that means electing a rude, obnoxious, unpredictable, narcissist (your words not ours) to the office of President of the United States — because the thing we find more dangerous to this nation than Donald Trump is YOU. How is that possible you might ask? Well, you have done everything in your power to destroy our country. From tearing down the police, to tearing down our history, to tearing down our borders. From systematically destroying our schools and brainwashing our kids into believing socialism is the answer to anything (despite being an unmitigated failure everywhere), while demonizing religion and faith, and glorifying abortion, violence, and thug culture. From calling us racists every time we expect everyone of any skin color to follow our laws equally, to telling us that our “tolerance” of lifestyles we don’t agree with isn’t nearly enough — no we must “celebrate” any lifestyle choice or gender option (forget science) you throw our direction or you think it’s fine to calls us homophobic or some other degrading slur you decide is okay to call us — ironically all while lecturing us on hate speech. While you gaslight us about 52 genders, polyamory, grown men in dresses sharing public locker rooms with little girls, and normalize the sexualization of young children, you simultaneously ridicule us for having the audacity to wish someone a “Merry Christmas” or hang a flag on the 4th of July, stand for the national anthem, or (horror of horrors) don a MAGA hat in public. So much for your “tolerance.” (See why we think you are just hypocrites??) We’re also not interested in the fact that you think you can unilaterally decide that 250 years of the right-to-bear-arms against a tyrannical or ineffective government should be abolished because you can’t get the violence in the cities you manage under control. That free-speech should be tossed out the window, and that those who disagree with your opinions are fair game for public harassment or doxing. That spoiled children with nose-rings and tats who still live off their parent’s dime should be allowed to destroy cities and peoples livelihoods without repercussions. That chaos, and lawlessness, and disrespect for authority should be the norm. This is your agenda. And you wonder why we find you more dangerous than Donald Trump? Your narrative is a constant drone of oppressor/oppressed race-baiting intended to divide the country in as many ways as you possibly can. You love to sell “victim-hood” to people of color every chance you get because it’s such an easy sell, compared to actually teaching people to stand on their own two feet and take personal responsibility for their own lives and their own communities and their own futures. But you won’t do that, you will never do that, because then you will lose control over people of color. They might actually start thinking for themselves, God forbid! This is why we will vote for Donald Trump. Not because he is the most charming character on the block. Not because he is the most polite politician to have ever graced the oval office. Not because he is the most palatable choice, or because we love his moral character or because the man never lies, but because we are sick to death of you and all of the destructive crap you are doing to this once beautiful and relatively safe country. Your ineffective and completely dysfunctional liberal “leadership”(?) has literally destroyed our most beautiful cities, our public education system, and done it’s damndest to rip faith out of people’s lives. However bad Donald Trump may be, and he is far from perfect, every day we look at you and feel that no matter what Donald Trump says or does there is no possible way he could be any worse for our country than you people are. We are sick to death of your stupid, destructive, ignorant, and intolerant behavior and beliefs — parading as “wokeness.” We are beyond sick of your hypocrisy and B.S. We are fed up with your disrespectful divisiveness and constant unrelenting harping and whining and complaining (while you live in the most privileged nation in the world), while making literally zero contributions of anything positive to our society. Your entire focus is on ripping things down, never ever building anything up. Think about that as there is something fundamentally very wrong in the psychology of people who choose destruction as their primary modus operandi. When Donald J Trump is reelected, don’t blame us, look in the mirror and blame yourselves. Because you are the ones that are responsible for the rise of Donald Trump. You are the ones who have created this "monster" that you so despise, by your very actions. By your refusal to respect your fellow Americans, and the things that are important to us. You have made fun of the “fly-over states,” the people who “cling to their guns and religion,” the middle class factory workers and coal miners and underprivileged rural populations that you dismissively call “yahoos” and “deplorables.” You have mocked our faith and our religion. You have mocked our values and our patriotism. You have trampled our flag and insulted our veterans and treated our first responders with contempt and hatred. You have made environmentalism your religion, while trashing every city you have taken responsibility for. You scream from the rooftops about “global warming” and a “green new deal” while allowing tens of thousands of homeless people to cover your streets in literal sh!t and garbage and needles and plastic waste without doing a single thing to help them or solve the environmental crisis your failed social policies are creating. But we’re supposed to put YOU in charge of the environment while gutting our entire economy to institute this plan when you can’t even clean up a single city?? You complain — endlessly — yet have failed to solve a single social problem anywhere. In fact, all you have done is create more of them. We’ve had enough. We are tired of quietly sitting by and being the “silent” majority. So don’t be surprised when the day comes when we finally respond. And trust me it’s coming, sooner than you might think. And also trust me when I say it won’t be pretty. Get ready. When Donald Trump is reelected it will be because you and your “comrades” have chosen to trash the police, harass law-abiding citizens, and go on rampages destroying public property that we have all paid for and you have zero respect for. When Donald Trump is reelected it will be because we are sick of your complete and utter nonsense and destruction. How does it feel to know that half of this country finds you FAR more despicable than Donald J. Trump, the man you consider to be the anti-Christ? Let that sink in. We consider you to be more despicable, more dangerous, more stupid, and more narcissistic than Donald Trump. Maybe allow yourself a few seconds of self-reflection to let that sink in. This election isn’t about Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden. This is about Donald Trump vs YOU. So if on the morning of November 4 (or more likely January 19, by the time the Supreme Court will weigh in on the mail-in ballot fiasco that we are headed towards), and Donald J. Trump is reelected? The only people you have to blame is the left-wing media drones and yourselves. You did this. Yep you. I copied and shared this and if you give a shit about your country then you should too.

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seh406 · 4 years

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C.) He pretends at Christianity to court the Religious Right but fails to live anything resembling a Christ-Like Life.

D.) His nationalist “America First” message effectively alienates us and removes us from our place as leaders in the international community.

E.) His ideas on “Keeping us safe” are all thinly veiled ideas to remove our freedoms, he is, after all, an authoritarian first. He has shown that they also are simply bad ideas.

F.) He couldn’t pass a 3rd-grade civics exam. He doesn't’ know what he’s doing. He doesn't understand how international relations work, he doesn’t understand how federal state or local governments work, and every time someone tries to “Run it like a business” it’s a spectacular failure. See Colorado Springs’ recent history as an example. “The Short, Unhappy Life of a Libertarian Paradise” and that was a businessman with a MUCH better business track record than Trump. We are talking about a man who lost money owning a freaking gambling casino.

G.) He behaves unethically and always has. As a businessman, he constantly left in his wake unpaid contractors and invoices, litigation, broken promises, whatever he could get away with.

K.) He is systematically steamrolling regulations specifically designed to keep a disaster like the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis from happening again.

N.) He denies scientific fact. We’ve all witnessed this with the latest world disaster, the Coronavirus. He was warned by scientists and doctors very early on that this could happen but he totally ignored these warnings which has had un-reversible repercussions. Have you also noticed that the only people you hear denying climate change are politicians and lobbyists? 99% of actual scientists studying the issue agree that it’s real, man-made and caused by greenhouse gasses. Ever notice that every big disaster movie starts with a bunch of politicians in a room ignoring a scientist's warning?

0.) He does not have the temperament to lead this nation. He is thin skinned, childish, and a bully, never mind misogynistic, boorish, rude, and incapable of civil discourse.

P.) He still does not understand that the words he speaks, or tweets, are the official position of 1/3 of the US government, and so does not govern his words. He still thinks when he speaks it’s good ole’ Donald Trump. It’s not. It’s the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. You have probably spread a meme or two around talking about how no president’s every word has ever been dissected before…YES, THEY ALWAYS HAVE. It’s just that every other president in our lifetime has understood the importance of his words and took great care to govern his speech. Trump blurts out whatever comes to his mind then complains when people talk about what a dumb thing that was to say.

R.) He is the President. But he refuses to take a leadership position and understand that he is everyone’s President. Again, this has been recently demonstrated with the Coronavirus Pandemic. Conservatives complain about liberals chanting “Not my President” while Trump himself behaves as if no one but his supporters matter.

V.) He has one response to a differing opinion. ATTACK. A good leader listens to criticism, to different points of view, is capable of self-reflection, tries to guide people to his point of view, and when necessary stands his ground and defends his convictions. Does any of this sound like Trump? His default is not to Lead, its’ to attack. Scorched Earth. The Jim Acosta reaction is a good example. There was no defense of his convictions when Acosta was asking him repeated questions about his rhetoric on the caravan. His response was to attack Acosta and he’s done this many times now with the

X.) He emboldens the worst among us. Counter-protesters are slammed into by a car while countering actual Nazi rally, and the response is there’s fault on “Both Sides” The media is at fault for a nut job sending them and Donald’s favorite targets pipe bombs. The truth is not all Republicans, not all Trump Supporters are racist, fascist lunatics. Many are just taken in by the bombastic personality and are living in an information bubble made worse by the fact that they unfollow anyone and ignore any source of information that makes them feel uncomfortable. People on the left do that too. The biggest problem the right has right now is that the worst of the Right is the loudest and the most in your face, and the actual right, especially the Freaking PRESIDENT needs to be standing up and saying No. Those are not our values.

Z.) I’ll use Z for something I do blame him for, but the rest of us have to carry the blame too. Polarization. This country is more politically polarized than I can remember in my lifetime. Some may remember how it was in the late 60’s when construction workers in New York were being applauded for beating up hippies, I think it’s pretty close to that right now. And he is the cause of much of the current level polarization, but also the result. It didn't’ start with Trump. We’ve been going down this road I think since the eruption of the Tea Party in the early years of the Obama administration. I was hoping the tide would turn before it got much worse because the thing that scared me more than anything is what if that keeps going the way it has been? Well, that ship has sailed given Trumps past record and the latest current events that have gone horribly wrong.

If you’ve read this far, thank you for reading my reasons which I hope has given you my insight rather than just some superfluous statement I could have made that would have been pretty meaningless of why I cannot and never will support this man as someone I respect, let alone support him as our President.

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gffa · 5 years

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Master and Apprentice | by Claudia Gray OKAY, HERE’S WHY I KEEP YELLING ABOUT QUI-GON AND HIS AMAZING HYPOCRISY. It’s not just this, there are a bunch of ways (most notably, he completely misjudges the Jedi Council, thinks the worst of them, they hate everything he says, they only want people who agree with them, who lick their boots!, then five minutes later they’re offering him a position on the Council specifically FOR his diverging viewpoints, because they value that, and he STILL refuses to re-evaluate his opinion, STILL refuses to trust them or work with them) but this is really the heart of it. Qui-Gon believes it’s immoral to do nothing about slavery and he is absolutely right about that. Where he becomes a hypocrite about it is that he believes the Jedi should just go ahead and do whatever they want, they should impose their will on other beings. He grudgingly admits that human morals are not always the same for other species, but insists that slavery is not one of those things. Again, he’s still sort of right, except he’s ignoring that just making people do what you want them to do, instead of going through a democratic process, IS WHAT FASCISM IS. He still wants to just go ahead and go rogue and do whatever they want and his intentions are incredibly well-meant, but he acknowledges nothing of what consequences that would bring. He acknowledges nothing about how the Jedi are in the same exact position he’s in--there is one Jedi for every 7 to 20 billion beings in the galaxy. If one Jedi isn’t enough to go free the slaves on Pijal by himself--something Qui-Gon never even considers doing--then the Jedi going up against the rest of the galaxy (and, make no mistake, with how clearly canon has established that people fear the Jedi’s inherent abilities, they would absolutely band together and kill the Jedi if they went rogue, the only reason they’re not in the same position as the X-Men is because they realized oversight and accountability goes a long fuckin’ way with people) would be in an even worse position. But he never acknowledges this, nor does he include himself in being immoral for this. No, only the Jedi are immoral for doing exactly what Qui-Gon himself does in an situation that is perfectly analogous. Sure. Where it gets absolutely INCREDIBLE, though, is that he wins the day and even frees the slaves through his connection to the Republic, through the use of Republic law and might. Why do they have a Republic? FOR THIS MOMENT RIGHT FUCKING HERE. Obi-Wan being an official representative of the Republic (after Qui-Gon is relieved of it for fucking it up) is what allows them to free the slaves. If the Jedi had gone Qui-Gon’s way, this happy ending for the slaves wouldn’t be here. Does he recognize this? Does he even acknowledge that being part of the Republic is what gives them the authority to do EXACTLY what he did? That if they went rogue, they wouldn’t be able to do this? Nope. Nor does he acknowledge that Rael Averross is on the planet, in the position he is, specifically because the Jedi worked with the Republic and worked within the system. The reason this got fucked up is because Rael fell prey to some nasty attachment issues--and, frankly, proved the Jedi’s point in a rather startlingly undeniable way, that he nearly fucked over A THIRD OF THE POPULATION, because he was focused on Fanry only--but if someone who had their shit together was there? THEY COULD HAVE PREVENTED A WHOLE LOT OF SLAVES. Yoda even says it, we have to get that treaty changed, because that’s bad news. They are helping people and Qui-Gon refuses to acknowledge it, because it’s not how he wants to do it. aka, going in there with lightsaber blazing, damning the wars and deaths--because, let’s also be clear, the second you go in there with force, rather than with legal authority and the law on your side, it’s the slaves who are the hostages in this situation, it’s the slaves who are going to die first, as well as it would have started a war with the entire Republic over the whole thing. It also makes this moment incredibly hypocritical:

He could go free those slaves. He could just lightsaber Watto in half, take Shmi and Anakin and rather easily (at least as easily as the Jedi could just go do what they wanted in the same way, probably far more so) free the rest of them on Tatooine. Yet, he doesn’t. Why? Because he has to know, even if he doesn’t want to admit it, that it wouldn’t actually address the underlying problem, it would only result in more deaths of the people who are already the victims here, and it would fuck over all the other people on Naboo who are dying because they’re here. That is exactly the same position the Jedi are in and it’s an understandable one. You cannot change this situation with leeroy jenkinsing it, because it will only resurface (and get a shitload of people killed along the way). You have to try to change it within the system, you have to work to better the system, you have to keep trying even when it seems hard, because NOTHING WILL EVER LAST unless the system (and the general public) backs you up on this, that is the only way to get things to crawl forward to a better future. And also let’s be real fuckin’ clear about getting involved with politics--do I think the Jedi should have leaned in harder? Yeah, of course. Literally EVERY PERSON IN THE REPUBLIC should be held to that standard! But the Jedi are not the political power house that we want to think, their influence is tiny in comparison, especially once the war happens and they’re busy putting out twenty tire fires a day and, you know, DYING EN MASSE for a people who don’t want to fight themselves. We do see them trying to advise, to push for better options--and we see Palpatine consistently shutting them down every time they try! This is also why I think it’s a good idea to read Queen’s Shadow at the same time, as one of the major subplots is basically all about Padme trying to make effective change AS A POLITICIAN, WHERE THIS IS HER FULL TIME JOB and it’s incredibly difficult. Imagine not even having a fraction of the political clout she did and still fighting the same exact uphill battles! Of course it should (and is) being done, slavery is abhorrent and it’s on the public to hold their governments responsible to enact meaningful change. But I have no patience for those who put forth empty rhetoric over actually offering viable real solutions, not just “Someone should do something!” Like, wow, yes, thank you for that insight, now would you care to share with the class specifically how that could be done without getting everyone killed? Nor do I have patience for people who criticize methods that are getting actual results and hold themselves to be The Only Moral One Here while not actually offering anything new of substance to the problem that would actually work.

--Queen’s Shadow, by E.K. Johnston You work with the system (and, in the Jedi’s case, step TWICE AS CAREFULLY, because, hey, guess what, if you seem like you’re getting TOO much power, they’ll literally stand and watch as your Temple burns and your babies are murdered, that’s how little they trust you, how much they fear you, how much they’re just waiting for you to abuse your power, because they don’t understand your connection to a Force that they can’t feel, that it’s not as straightforward as Qui-Gon wants it to be, it’s a hell of a lot more complicated) because that’s how you have any kind of ability to hold people to decent fucking behavior. It’s like in The Last Jedi where Luke tells Rey that, oh, the Jedi would just say let the attacks happen to the native people. When, no, what they actually did was align themselves with the only reasonable government around (THE OTHER OPTIONS WERE WORSE, LET’S KEEP THAT IN MIND) so they had the ability to say, “If you try this shit again, we have legal authority and the weight of the Republic behind us, to come after you if you come back.” And that’s what saved the day in this book. Obi-Wan being the Republic’s representative, the weight of the Republic behind them, the law being used in a good and moral way because the Jedi worked to get everything into the right place so that this could have a real happy(-ish) ending, is what let those slaves go free. Qui-Gon wants the Jedi to go be hippies on backwater planets to connect to the Living Force, but he also wants them to be involved in politics and push harder for democratic reform (WHICH WE SEE THEM DOING BASICALLY IN THIS BOOK) and make the laws, like, that whole thing is absolute mess with no clear direction of what he wants, other than that he wants to be able to whatever he wants whenever he wants and not wanting to face the consequences himself for it, but make others face those consequences. You could leave and do exactly what you’re proposing, Qui-Gon Jinn, but you don’t. And you know why you don’t. To be clear, in closing, Qui-Gon is not even remotely a bad person, he cares deeply and I wouldn’t have a problem with his point of view if he weren’t judging others for it (a thing that is a theme throughout this book, he gets real judgy sometimes) or maybe if he actually stuck to his own beliefs. He’s coming from a place of deep care, but he is not self-examining on the level he needs to and instead projecting that blame outwards, instead of actually doing something about it.

#qui gon jinn #jedi #jedi order #meta #novels #master and apprentice #master and apprentice spoilers #long post

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simonbexley · 5 years

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[ JACOB ELORDI, 21, CIS MALE, HE/HIM ] welcome to the du pont institute for the young & gifted, [ SIMON BEXLEY ]. you have been accepted as a [ REGULAR ] student from [ USA ], going into your [ SENIOR YEAR ] and majoring in [ PRE-LAW ]. your peers at the institute say that you are [ ALLURING & CLEVER ], but being [ DESTRUCTIVE & DEVIOUS ] may be the reason why the police are asking about you. did you think they wouldn’t find out that you were michael’s [ COMPETITIVE RIVAL ]?

yoo, i’d do it for rue !! but anyways hello hello, i’m nikki && pumped to be here <3. im shit with discord gcs but slightly better with dms/ims, so hmu on there or in the ims for plots anytime and i promise ?? to love you a lot ?? <3. i also apologize for him in advance cause he’s not even recyclable he’s just trash so ://

bio of sorts✌️

Simon was born into an affluent family — mother a judge while his father was the CEO of a reputable company. His parents weren’t exactly as happy as they seemed, for they were never in love to begin with. Raised in two families of immense power, their marriage was more on of a power, big dick energy, move to show the rest of the world. From what little Simon’s mother speaks of his father, Simon can assume it only hit him how real this whole fake life was once he was born, which is when good ol’ daddy ran off to do god knows what while raised by his mother in Washington DC. He has no memories of his father ; Simon only knows that every few weeks they get a check in the mail for hella money, so between both his parents they lived an extremely lavish lifestyle ( possible wc for fraternal twins separated when his dad left or half siblings ?? idk fam let a gal know <3 ). However to this day Simon’s always had this idea that his dad has to be better, wherever he is.

His mother worked her way up from being a lawyer, to a judge, and now she’s a super well known && liked politician. Simon however is one of the few who doesn’t like his mom, mainly because he sees how she really is: controlling, a perfectionist, && fake™ as fuck, as he’d like to put oh so bluntly. He hates how she wants everything to seem like it’s all perfect. But, that coming from his is just a joke™ because he’s extremely similar to his mother, dare you say he’s a hypocrite ?? ( big yes in the chat ). In his younger years he did as he was told ; going to all the functions, behaving accordingly. But as his annoyance, anger, and his own damaging thoughts only felt more terrorizing he started to do things his way. AKA causing a scene && getting a bad name with the press, mostly to just fuck with his mother and if there is a father figure out there watching, perhaps it’d get his attention to.

During high school, as another way to spite his mother he started to let his grades slip, despite him being more than capable of excelling his his classes. Tired of his antics, and figuring it was actually best for her career if he wasn’t around despite trying to create a happy family image, by the power of money she basically forced him to attend a college that was just far enough to be out of wey, but not far enough where she couldn’t check in monitor him. Simon of course was more than happy to do so, and what better place to go then one of the top schools ?? So she kinda donated heavily to get him here. In turn, Simon much prefers it here, since can relax (simon relaxing ?? lol what a joke) ; his grades have also improved since he’s studying things he actually cares about, and that extremely ambitious drive of his that was once overshadowed by the need to piss off his mother, has finally returned.

PERSONALITY (aka fuck im getting too lazy for paragraphs lordt)

definitely likes to take on the facade of not giving a fuck, but boy does he have ?? so many fucks to give. also takes on a facade of being super chill, charming, a sometimes likable dude really but like ... nahh

if anything he uses that to lure people in enough not to feel so fucking lonely, but also to get information from them and let them feel like they can trust him ?? because when they fuck him over, as he believes most people will, he can use that info to make sure he hurts them worse ... bless ://

so, as someone who isn’t a fan of himself or most, he tends to be rather destructive / self-destructive. anything good happens ?? he tends to fuck it up … sometimes on purpose, other times on accident.

though mainly he’s big up on planning, he’s all about the little details and the big picture ; so tends to have a plan for mostly everything and then gets mad when people don’t to as he expects / act how he wants them to ... :)

if he doesn’t like you he’ll definitely go out of his way to make your life hell wow we hate. and even if he likes you, he’ll probably still make your life hell because ?? it’s just funny right, like super hilarious.

fear of being alone ?? correct. still pushes everyone away ?? also correct.

loves sports,the idea of perfectionism goes to his health too, so its one of the few things he can rely on and know he’s good at. at 6′5″ he’s one of the captains (centre position) of the basketball team and is damn good at it.

also rich af and isn’t afraid to flaunt it hate him pls && thanks.

and for someone who despises his mother so much he’s literally her replica, even with his degree in pre-law so like ... good job bro, good job

wanted connections

a bro skwad (probably v v surface level but ya gotta have some bros), best friend (someone to actually trust ?? bLESS up), enemies/frenemies (please, give me all of them xoxo), high school exes (lbh none would end well??), fwb/hook-ups/revenge hook-ups (when shit gets rocky with the gal, which it usually is bless them; also big up on anyone who’s ever hooked up with Michael okay? okay), roommate, workout buddy, basketball teammates, debate team peeps, unlikely friends, always getting into shit friends, etc etc <3.

me: im not gonna ramble also me: wrote all this ... i played myself

#dupont.intro #( * failing pile of garbage !! ) — about.#this took so long bc the new euphoria score just ?? SLAPS #so i'll have ricky's intro up when i get off work late tonight sigh pray for me

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myworld50 · 5 years

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A person asked the question, "Why are people so hostile towards President Donald Trump?"

Chris O'Leary:

Before you pass my answer off as “Another Liberal Snowflake” consider that

1.) I'm an independent centrist who has voted Republican way more often in my life than Democrat, and

2.) If you want to call someone who spent the entire decade of his 20’s serving in the Marine Corps a snowflake, I’d be ready to answer the question what did you do with your 20’s?

Why Liberals (And not-so liberals) are against President Trump.

C.) He pretends at Christianity to court the Religious Right but fails to live anything resembling a Christ-Like Life.

D.) His nationalist “America First” message effectively alienates us and removes us from our place as leaders in the international community.

E.) His ideas on “Keeping us safe” are all thinly veiled ideas to remove our freedoms, he is, after all, an authoritarian first. They also are simply bad ideas.

G.) He behaves unethicaly and always has. As a businessman, he constantly left in his wake unpaid contractors and invoices, litigation, broken promises, whatever he could get away with.

K.) He is systematically steamrolling regulations specifically designed to keep a disaster like the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis from happening again.

0.) He does not have the temperament to lead this nation. He is Thin Skinned, childish, and a bully, never mind misogynistic, boorish, rude, and incapable of civil discourse.

*snagged from a friends wall:

#trump #politics #gop #politics trump #donald trump

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