#like I knew there were lots of brits and lots of americans but I didn't think there'd be THIS MANY

[dragonflavoredcake]

I thought it'd be fun to make a map of where all the Hermits live irl and until now I didn't quite realize how much of the server is either British or American

#like I knew there were lots of brits and lots of americans but I didn't think there'd be THIS MANY #poor little pearl looks so lonely down in australia #it's a world map so doc looks like he's keeping a safe distance from keralis and iskall as well as the British Behemoth #hermitcraft #hermitblr

[wintervalewritersecond]

texas, baby - simon 'ghost' riley

requested: yes, requests are OPEN! request: a ghost x fem!reader, who was a southern accent and ghost and 141 teases her a lot. could be smutty or fluff, either way!! tysm <3 luv ur writing!

A/N: thank you so much!! <3 i am not a native english speaker, so i had to use google for some research, if anything is wrong, please let me know! i am assuming you meant like a southern american/texas-ish accent, if that is not what you meant, please let me know! <3

wordcount: 1,666 warnings: she/her reader, badly written southern accent, characters may be ooc as i have not really written for them before, graves didnt betray 141, probably wrong information about army-related things

Shadow Company seems to attract lots of people with Southern accents, something that is a big shock for the (mainly) British Task Force 141.

It had been quite the day. Under the request, or rather, command of Shepherd, Task Force 141 and Shadow Company were placed in the same base. This entire day was one of the days that was fully scheduled with training. Shooting, hand-to-hand, running - all of the good stuff.

Some of the men on your team were complaining about needing to share a base with 141, being all territorial and saying that those Brits didn't fit in with Shadow Company. You, however, could not be happier.

You and Simon Riley, Task Force 141's Lieutenant, have been together for a long time. Neither of you spoke of one another too often though - it would only cause distraction for the both of you. Your respective teams knew you were taken, but not exactly with who, when, or how. You were kind of glad that you weren't on the same teams. The amount of trouble (and paperwork) it would take for the relationship to work would be insane. Besides, you don't think any of your higher ups would appreciate it very much.

"Sergeant Y/L/N."

A knock on your door before it opens, your commander Philip Graves leaning against the wall. You were sat on the bed in your room, simply flipping through a book as you hum, standing up.

"Task Force invited us for a night out," he hums, "Seems that they want to party. Entire Shadow Company has been invited."

"Ah," you close the book, "Ain't that something. When are we leaving?"

"Give it about fifteen minutes. That fine with you?"

You nod, throwing the book back onto the bed before heading for your closet. Nothing too fancy - it is only a fun night out. It is going to be fun to meet the people that your boyfriend works with. After all, he literally trusts them with his life. You had not seen them too much this week, all of you being much too busy training and working out. A night to a club or bar could do you good.

After exactly fifteen minutes, Graves stands at your door again, changed into something more comfortable.

"Ready to go?"

"Course, commander."

Multiple trucks are lined up, ready for all of you guys to go in. The pub that you were planning to go to wasn't too far away, a mere 10 minute drive. You suspected that you would be the one driving back - your team could get carried away on nights out.

The pub is busy, music and chattering can be heard from meters away.

"Alright, play it nice, y'all," Philip looks at his team, nearly scolding them as if they are bad children, "Task Force 141 are our brothers. We fight with them, not against them. I don't want no fights tonight."

Some grunts can be heard as the other truck pulls up next to yours, every member of the 141 in there. The first one to get out is the captain, Price. Followed by the people you know as Gaz, Soap, and finally, Ghost. No skull balaclava on this time, but a simple, black, surgical mask. It doesn't look too out of the ordinary.

You look at him, licking your lips before nodding, a smile on your face. He does not say anything, only nodding in return as the entire group makes its way to the pub.

141 and Shadow Company don't really mix for the first half hour. You stand with Graves, talking about God knows what, while the rest are all sitting at their own tables. The tables are right next to each other, though, so that is at least one step.

"'M gonna get another drink," you nod as Graves takes a sip of his.

You had finished your glass a while back and you noticed that Ghost, who sat a few meters behind you, has also been looking at his empty glass for a while.

"Could I get another one of these, and a bourbon, please?"

With the two glasses, you walk over to the Task Force table, placing the glass in front of Ghost.

"Can't have ya without a drink, can I?"

The men look up, slightly confused, but more so surprised. Not only did they not really expect to hang out with the Shadows all too much this night, but your southern accent is a big contrast to their British ones. They, however, don't say anything about it though.

"Bourbon?"

"'Course," you nod, sipping your own glass, "Hafta make sure you stay hydrated, LT. Room for one more?"

Ghost takes the glass from you, scooting over in order to make place. It is a bit of a squeeze, but you have been closer to Simon than this. He glances at your glass for a second before sipping from his.

"Y/N, this is Price, Soap," he nods his head to the people at the table, "and Gaz. Mates, this is Y/N."

"Nice to meet ya."

Soap looks at Price for a second, but the older man discreetly shakes his head before returning to his beer. He can almost hear Soap thinking about a funny comment he could make, but he really can not be arsed to get into trouble.

"How do ye know big ol' Simon here, Y/N?"

"We go way back," you nod, "Have ya not told anyone about me, Simon?"

He only grunts, shaking his head before taking another sip of his drink. He would have, but he knows Soap will try and meddle into his personal life, something he would rather keep separated from work.

"Well, if he hasn't told ya, then I can't either. Secrets and all."

Soap lets out a laugh, shaking his head as he tries to stop his chuckles by drinking from his glass. The way you speak is so unlike he has heard before, and it is quite amusing to him.

"What's so funny, Johnny?"

"Nothing. I just think wee miss Y/N just has a very specific way of speaking."

"Wee miss?" You snort, "Real cute, Soap. How'd'ya get that name anyway?"

"It's not like Soap is a weird name," he responds, "What is your name then, bonnie? Cowboy? Yeehaw?"

"Cowboy is already taken by Graves, I fear."

"What is it then?"

"It's need to know."

It makes Soap shake his head, Price looking at him with an amused grin.

"I think Soap is just a bit confused, mate is not very good at understanding British accents already, let alone anything outside of that."

The Scot looks offended, Gaz only smirking as he shrugs.

"I hafta say that I'm happy y'all are amused," you nod, "But 'm gonna need more alcohol in my system to handle this. Sadly, I have been picked for designated driver."

You look back at the table behind you, most of the Shadows being surrounded by empty glasses, full ones in their hands. God, this is going to be a long night.

"Anyway, 'm going to smoke. Care to join?"

Simon immediately nods, standing up before guiding you outside, ignoring the curious looks from his squad mates. He is sure that Soap is going to be bugging him with questions later, so some relaxation before that would be nice.

"Did ya take your own pack?"

You pull out a cigarette, lighting it as you look over at the tall man next to you. He shakes his head. He has not had a smoke in a while, and the last pack he had got crumbled in his pocket. You inhale the smoke, holding out the cigarette to Simon who carefully takes it out of your hand. It is quiet, calm, silent. But not uncomfortable.

The cigarette gets shared between the two of you, and once it dies down, you pull another from your pocket. This time, Simon lights it, and once he inhales the smoke himself, he places the cigarette between your lips while still holding onto it. You look up at him, letting out a laugh before now inhaling it yourself.

"I missed ya, y'know?"

You had not seen him in a long time, and because most people did not know about your history, they also did not think about it. Graves knows that you and Simon are familiar, but that is where it all ends.

"Missed you too," he mumbles, his voice low and gravely.

Another cigarette bud lands next to your feet as you let out a sigh. It is a bit cold outside, but being here is just a bit better than being inside of the hot pub filled with drunk soldiers. You just hope that the rest of your team wants to leave soon.

"Sorry for my mates," Simon starts, "Soap is a bit odd sometimes."

You shake your head.

"No problem, Simon. Woulda done the same," you laugh, "Aint like I heard a Scottish accent like that before."

You rest your head on his shoulder as he wraps his arm around you, both sitting on the pavement outside. The breeze is a bit cold, but Simon is warm enough to keep you from freezing.

Ten minutes of silence pass before you clear your throat.

"Guess we hafta go back in, huh?"

He doesn't want to.

He wants to stay here, with you.

"Guess so."

Both of you stand up, your hand holding onto his as you look up at him with adoration in your eyes. You truly have missed him. He looks back down at you, the streetlight shining in his eyes, before softly pressing a kiss to your lips. God, it has been too long.

You kiss him back, of course, one hand holding his as the other is on his cheek. Maybe working with Task Force 141 is not going to be that bad after all. It is not until you pull away that Simon groans, his eyes now set on the door of the bar. In the opening stands Soap, a glass in his hand, and a real big grin on his face.

"Fuckin' hell."

#call of duty imagine #ghost imagine #simon riley imagine #requests open #call of duty #simon riley #ghost simon riley

[duchessofostergotlands]

sorry if you’ve answered this before but how come you run a monarchy blog if you’re anti monarchy? i’m genuinely curious, i’ve never seen that before

I have answered it before but Tumblr's search function isn't great and it's probably time for an update. It's not as unusual as you think. There are a ton of people from Republics in this fandom who would never want to live in a monarchy themselves (come visit the fandom on 4th July lol). They're politically anti-monarchy, but they like the individuals. So I'm really not in any way unusual. But basically it was an evolving journey:

I became interested in monarchies at age 4 or 5. So clearly pre any kind of political thinking. I was mostly interested in historical monarchies - I've been obsessed with Anne Boleyn most of my life, I have a tattoo dedicated to her!

I started blogging about royals about 12 years ago so I was around 18 or 19. I wasn't massively politically active so I didn't have a strong opinion on the monarchy. I was at St Andrews at the time of William and Kate's engagement so I became quite interested in that but nothing serious. Then I was on my non-royal Tumblr (don't use it anymore) and I stumbled across an account who was saying really nasty things about Kate. This particular account was one of the few British people in the fandom at the time - it was mostly young Americans - and so they had an air of authority about them and they would say "this is what most Brits think" but it was bollocks. And then I would research other things they'd said about things like finances and realise that they were wrong about those too. There were one or two people who questioned her narrative but they weren't British and so after a couple of years of this I just had had enough and decided to create an account. I wasn't really a monarchist or an anti-monarchist. I liked William and Kate but I dislike people talking rubbish more! I had really just stumbled into this world and realised there was a place for someone who was going to provide evidence, who was going to challenge, and who could offer a different perspective on life in a monarchy. And monarchy as a system was something that had interested me since I was little so it seemed natural.

After a little bit of time I became more politically active and at that point I became anti-monarchist. It was a gradual shift so there was no moment where my mind changed but I didn't feel the need to leave anyway. Partly because it was fun. I liked blogging and I knew a lot about royals by this point, I didn't want to start from scratch in a more crowded fandom. I realised I can separate the institution from the people. I can like Kate but not think monarchy is a perfect system of governance. There are so many things that we find fascinating but don't necessarily endorse. I mean, I listen to a fuck load of serial killer podcasts but I don't think Ted Bundy was a great guy! I just find it interesting. If you've ever heard our podcast you'll know I am obsessed with corruption scandals. They're not good but I find power fascinating as a concept. But also this is just my nature. If I'm going to take a stance about a political matter I want to know as much about that as possible, I want to have considered the opposing argument and what their objections might be so I can counter them. And I found it frustrating when I saw friends of mine who generally shared my political views say stupid, incorrect things about the monarchy. Like this came later but a friend of mine once complained that they spent money on Meghan's wedding dress instead of the cladding on Grenfell which is rubbish.

I'm now in my 30s, I am at a very different place from when I started. Anti-monarchist is probably too simplistic but I've had the same bio and photo for like 5 years so I'm not changing it lol. My political view now is more pragmatic than anything else. But I've also done so much more research into the constitutional side of things than I had 5 years ago. My view now is if I could click my fingers and change our system of governance to a functioning, elected head of state without any issues of course I would. Just taking a step back it makes no sense to have a monarchy and for our head of state to be a symbol of such glaring inequality. But we can't just click our fingers. Ending the monarchy won't actually solve any problems in society but it could cause new ones. There are positives to having a monarchy, it does work to protect democracy even though it shouldn't, and so I would have to be presented with a system that keeps those positive aspects if I was to vote to end the monarchy. On a theoretical level I don't support it, it makes no sense, but on a practical level I think there are more important things, it won't be the quick fix people say it will be, and I would need guarantees about what a Republic would look like first as Brexit has shown us that we can only trust the Tories to deliver the worst possible outcomes if we leave it to them (which is what would happen).

#ask #anon #personal #royal fandom #faq

[satocidal]

You might be surprised but I also get the looking mean often. I think the biggest difference is that my culture doesn't entertain being fake nice as much as others (as someone who interacted with the brits, they're the epitome of it, I'm sorry)

Honestly, asian cultures oftenly get mingled when provided by people who didn't interact with said culture so all I know about India is basically the sari (I think that's how it's named? The colorful dresses are so pretty and the jewelry, omo) and most people practicing Hinduism or Buddhism (I'm still not sure of the difference, if any, between them? I know also there's a river in India that's like sacred and I know the cow is also quite a sacred animal?)

I think (again, not sure) Buddha's from there.

Honestly, when I think of India, as many not so cultured ppl, I do think of the Taj Mahal, elephants, River Ganje (?), Buddha and the many arms statue T-T

I also think of curry and spices (y'all got some delicious curry. And I say this bcs I actually ate indian food made by the right ppl lol)

I'm curious about traditions such as weddings, funerals and general holidays mostly

For example, my country (Romania) is Christian (ortodox) but got such a rich history and traditions that many of the traditions we have are quite more pagan than actually Christian (we were a pagan country a long ass time ago, after all)

So yeah, I'd say I'm a basic white girl (tho eastern europeans aren't exactly…well, basic in the european white history 😅 but not exactly the point. Tho we are not like brits and americans, that's for sure)

~🦊

Your perception is so cute😭 but yes I assumed you might’ve gotten that comment lmao- like I just knew lolol

So, let me say that our traditional cloths does include saris and kurtas- but like as we get urbanised, people are lesssening the usage of them. Like mainly grandma’s (or like 35+) women wear it on a usual and even they, to keep it comfortable prefer kurtas as daily attire. Most of us though, like we just go with basic causal wear. So they’ve become more of a traditional-only-when-events-are-around type of a deal for most of us

And like there’s so much more than saris, there are lehengas and anarkalis and ghagharas and shararas- like a lot of beautiful stuff frfor. And there’s different sort of method of embroidery too

Hinduism is very different yet similar to it, both focus on attainment of nirvana but where Hinduism is very life-concerned, like focusing on the present—Buddhism, at its core works for giving up worldly pleasures (Hinduism, like ancient one at least, divided human life into 4 age ranges—the last which began at like 65+? Or 50? That range focused on the same stuff as Buddhism) and then Buddhism is a little stricter and not discussed on idol worship where in Hinduism is core worshipping

Elephants 💀? Not tigers? They are our national animal lmao- the Bengal white tiger<3 but well, that’s how india is portrayed usually so I don’t blame you. There are many more beautiful things than the Taj btw and the Ganga is very holy to us- belief leads to say that your sins get washed with every dip in her (I’m an agnostic so idk but we’re very respectful to the religions usually- even the atheists I’ve met, they also act good towards Hinduism)

If you read our mythology and scripts the many arms will make sense lmao but this ask is getting long so I won’t get into it rn lmao-and we have a plenty of festivals. Like a lot.

Also like apologies but tell me about Christianity here (I’m not a fan at all of conservative Christian’s and all) and I’ve like mostly onky judged Christian’s so yes💀

#from.🦊baby #☼࿐𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠→

[major2501]

Living in the Fray: Chapter Eleven

'Good morning Chase fans and welcome to day two of the Convict Chase with me Terry St. Vincent and Naoko Harada Walker! Thanks to Paul for covering the night shift and letting us get some rest so we can be with you for what we hope is another exciting day!'

Terry St. Vincent was an alarmingly happy and cheerful man today especially as he was fronting the Chase show for a change and wasn't in the shadow of Paul Adams. Naoko even got more screen time too which she relished in. Out of the three hosts, Naoko was an actual journalist and hosted many informative documentaries over the years as well as the New Edo ten o'clock news three nights a week. She enjoyed doing something different once in a while to give herself a break from the seriousness and the Chase was the perfect occasion to do so.

'We're coming up for the first twenty four hour mark, meaning we will have thirty hours, twenty three minutes and fifty seven seconds left of this years Chase. If you haven't been watching, here's a recap of the Chase so far.'

Naoko led the way in to a round up segment showing key moments that had happened. Krieger's first kill mere seconds after the Chase had begun, Daisuke Akiyama's disqualification by killing one of his contracts and not one of the cons, followed by Frank's harbour front shooting and then finishing off with Krieger's second kill of convict Andrea Toles by beheading her with her sword, Inazuma.

'So Captain Krieger is currently in the lead with two kills followed by Frank Da Costa with one. Freddie Wilson is yet to get on the scoreboard and Daisuke Akiyama has been disqualified.'

Michael had the right idea and cooked breakfast for everyone as and when they arrived on the Osiris instead of making everything beforehand. They weren't too late though which wasn't that bad. Instead of preparing the weird greasy breakfasts he was made to make at the café place he worked at before he joined the crew he made a wide array of easy dishes. Eggs benedict with fresh muffins from the bakery up the road, lean bacon and homemade hollandaise sauce, fluffy blueberry pancakes, BLT sandwiches on malted toasted bread and even some options for the body building Justin; of scrambled eggs and avocado on whole-wheat toast and protein pancakes made with bananas. Justin was impressed with Michael's cooking and made it clear that he was quite possibly his most favourite person in the galaxy as he knew what to make and make it well.

'Favourite person in the galaxy next to my wife and kids I should say. She'd kill me, if I didn't say that.' Justin cringed a little bit as he corrected himself.

The crew watched the Chase coverage on a small holoscreen mounted in the ships galley as they ate their breakfast. Funnily enough they were watching the Chase Hunters having breakfast. Freddie was in a typical American diner tucking in to what was essentially desert for breakfast; waffles and pancakes. Frank was in some very fancy French Bistro having coffee from a cafetiere with some very intricate pastries and a selection of fresh fruit and yoghurt.

Krieger however was in fact like she had planned, sat in the West End Breakfast Emporium. The English greasy spoon café owned by Ernie and Cindy Carter from good old London, was big enough to hold a fairly small proportion of the British residents of New Edo and coincidentally was the only place on the whole planet that knew what a full English breakfast was. So it got a lot of business; not only from its British regulars but from people who had heard from said Brits that a full English breakfast was the best thing for curing a hangover. And New Edo was the spiritual home of hangovers.

'What can I get you Cas? The usual?' Cindy asked as she wandered up to the table Krieger was just about to sit down at.

'Better make it a large pot of coffee Cindy I got a long day today ahead of me.' She smiled extra hard at Cindy as she saw she was wearing a Team Krieger badge on her apron.

'Sure thing. ERNIE! KRIEGER'S USUAL!' She screamed in the direction of the kitchen at her husband as she walked back behind the counter to fix a pot of coffee for Krieger. Ernie had briefly popped his head out but soon went back in as his wife was advancing.

Krieger's usual wasn't exactly a full English breakfast but it was what she could handle. She went for the standard breakfast but with a few things taken away and a few additions. She never had black pudding or baked beans but supplemented their removal with extra fried mushrooms and an extra hash brown. So on the serving platter sized plate that was eventually presented to her were two fried eggs, three rashers of back bacon, a few plum tomatoes, three hash browns, two pork sausages and a mound of fried button mushrooms with a side of buttered white bread and a huge pot of coffee to wash it all down.

The coffee was the first thing to go. Krieger downed it with an ample amount of milk and sugar that she dumped in to her mug. Cindy graciously brought her out another pot knowing that she would want another. Krieger delved in to her breakfast; shovelling everything in her mouth looking like she barely chewed anything on its way down. Ernie always cooked breakfasts to perfection and this was exactly what she needed right now. She ate everything that was on her plate, mopping up the residual yolky egg with the last piece of bread. Saving Cindy a trip back to her table, Krieger picked up her plate and took it up to the serving counter.

'As always, perfect breakfast.' Krieger said as she handed over her plate to Cindy. Ernie had finally come out of the kitchen in the back, wiping his hands on a blue and white striped tea towel. Krieger noticed Ernie was also wearing a Team Krieger badge on his apron. She approved. Krieger then placed her finger on the scanner on the counter to pay for her breakfast as Ernie began talking.

'Think you're gonna get another today?' Ernie asked while his wife tended to the plate Krieger had given her.

'I hope so, it's up in the air though there's only two cons left and three hunters.'

'Well we're cheering for you anyway Krieger.'

She grinned.

'How much you put down on me winning this year?'

'Five thousand creds.' Ernie chuckled.

'Well I'll do my best and make sure you score big. I better dash, I'll be winning fuck all if I don't get hunting.'

'Stay safe sweetheart.' Cindy called over as Krieger turned to leave. She smiled and waved as she made her way through the door, instantly getting on neural comms to Ronson as her feet hit the pavement.

'Morning babes, you got owt for me?'

'Nothing yet. New Edo's barely woken up and had its first ciggy yet I bet everybody's still hungover from last night, or they're at work already.'

Krieger sighed. She hated slow Chases. It meant a lot of waiting around for nothing to happen and the only time you'd ever really find a con was if you got lucky on your search or if they made the mistake of being pinged on one of the many CCTV cameras dotted around.

'Right.' Krieger squinted her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as if it would help her think better. 'Um, lets try some profiling see if that gets us anywhere. Get me some info on the cons we have left send it to my ocular.'

'Okay... two secs... There.'

Krieger's left eye HUD lit up with photos of one of the cons and some text showing some statistics; height, ages, weight and so on.

'Okay so this is Jax. Real name unknown but it was changed by deed poll years ago. Six foot two, two hundred and five pounds of what seems to be pure muscle, mixed race black and white. Associated with the Outer World Liberation Front as a mere foot soldier. That's all I got on him, seems like the OWLF are pretty good at getting rid of or fabricating information.'

'You don't think he could be one of their suicide bombers?

'Possibly, they tend to leave that up to the brainwashed underlings. They usually get them to assassinate difficult to reach targets without any regards to the consequences.'

'And is Jax one of them? You got his arrest record?' Krieger questioned. Knowing what some of the OLWF minions were like from previous attacks; if Jax was a disposable soldier then he was most likely going after somebody important or he was planning on bombing somewhere or a whole bunch of people during his time out of jail. Krieger was thinking the latter. The mission was never quite over for them and prison wouldn't stop them from finishing it.

'Ookay.' Ronson started. 'He was arrested a few times back on Earth when he was a member of an Animal Rights Group. Cut to the new galaxy and he's only had two arrests, one for punching a police officer during a supposedly peaceful protest and the second arrest is what landed him in prison. Bombed the trade docks on Moralis. They caught him shortly after about to set a bomb off on the Boston Swing Bridge from the mainland to the dock island.'

'He's not coming out any time soon. You get any breakfast yet?' Krieger asked.

'In a mo, they're replenishing to buffet table soon. Erik can't half put it away.'

Krieger smiled a little imagining Erik towering over the buffet table loading up on whatever he could fit on a plate. She brought herself back round to the real world and lit a cigarette as she walked through the streets. New Edo was wide awake by now and people were going about their business as normal. Of course a bunch of the pubs were already teaming with people watching the Chase on their holoscreens with a cheeky morning pint.

'So what about the last guy, Clements?'

'Sending info now.'

Krieger received the information again on her left eye HUD with more blurb about Clement and a few more pictures that cycled through on a slideshow. They were only shown a few photos of each con before the Chase started. Either way, none of them were good photos.

'Jesus Christ he looks like he fuck a warm muffin.'

Krieger could hear Ronson choking slightly at the comment she made. She could hear him giggle a bit then heard him drinking something, followed by a small cough as if he were trying to compose himself.

'Never mind fucking warm muffins, this sick bastard had a penchant for drunk women and little girls.'

'Oh this guys getting torn to pieces. I'd even let the others do it so long as he suffers.'

'Well nobody has seen him at all. I've had a look at some of his psyche reports and this guy is evil. Nine counts of rape on adult women, five of which were murdered and four counts of sexual abuse on minors; one he molested and raped on and off over 3 years and two of which he also killed. The last one committed suicide several years later when she was only thirteen.'

'He has a compulsion by the sound of it. How long has he been locked up for?'

'Three years and seven months.'

'And he's on the nonce wing?'

'Yep, far away from Gen Pop.'

Krieger's skin was crawling just thinking about this awful excuse for a human being. She figured Ronson was lousy at the thought of this guy too.

'So he's been in all that time, away from everybody else. Yeah he's either gonna keep his head down or he's out to get his jollies one last time before he gets slotted.'

'That's what I think he'd do.' Ronson sighed deeply.

'Ugh I hate when they send pedos for the Chase. I mean this is a fucked up planet but we have barely any of those sick fucks.' Krieger shook her head.

'Even New Edo resident pedos don't last five minutes when they get outed, the locals go after them.'

'Well one of us better get to him before they do. It's still a competition.'

'You better get cracking then. Last proper full day and night to search for these arseholes.'

Krieger could hear a slight sense of urgency in Ronson's voice, meaning he wanted her to wrap this up as soon as possible and get those final kills in. She knew damn well he had a shopping list with expensive things on it waiting to be checked off during a spree and the Chase win money Krieger would give him would pay for it all. He had the money to begin with but he never wanted to dip in to that. Krieger thought it was funny but to be honest, she was exactly the same. The pair of them came from backgrounds that never allowed treating themselves or excessive spending thanks to a disposable income. But now after amassing a huge amount of money they learned how to budget for their treats and daily living expenses; spend money coming to you, not what you already have saved. Krieger knew Ronson was eying up some designer clothing and a brand new kitchen for his apartment. Bespoke as well.

The crew of the Osiris were now busy milling about the ship after the fabulous breakfast Michael had prepared. While they were all enjoying the Chase so far, they were looking forward to the trades holiday that came directly after. The trades holiday happened every year directly after the Chase; three days of all factories on New Edo closing to allow all their staff time for rest and to allow deep cleaning crews and engineers to come in and make everything ship shape and Bristol fashion. But of course with this being New Edo, it meant that those three days would be spent drunk. The crew of the Osiris however like a lot of the people off during this time would spend most of the holiday down at the beach. Sometimes without Krieger if she had been seriously injured during the Chase and had to spend time in a tank of MediGel down at the local clinic. She tried to make sure that didn't happen though, she'd rather spend time with her crew at the beach than stark bollock naked in a tank of some mad perfluorocarbon-esq goop that felt and smelt like wallpaper paste.

'I don't think the boss is gonna get the next one.' Jess spoke up.

'I don't think she will either.' Faye added.

The other's looked at them both, wondering if this sudden outburst was some kind of psychic twin moment. Jess was already placing a bet on who she thought was get the next kill. Faye was doing the same on another betting site. Michael was wondering if they were all in on it, as if Krieger was not getting certain kills on purpose to benefit the crew who were betting on her. He thought against it, she did seem pretty pissed off when she didn't get to Frank's kill on time to steal it from him.

Michael then thought he'd stick a bet on his Boss to win. He had a few hundred credits going spare saved over from his last pay check so he decided to stick a hundred credits down on Krieger to win overall. He'd get a pretty decent return on that bet if she won so he'd have a bit more to stick in his savings pot.

The crew watched their Boss on screen as she walked through the streets of New Edo, stopping occasionally to chat to a few people and sign a few autographs. Eventually the cameras following her were lead to Hideki's bar. The footage then cut from Krieger to Freddie and Frank who were both still having an elongated breakfast. Freddie could be seen from outside Joe's Twenty Four Hour Diner which did an awesome burger and amazing fried chicken but served anything that could be considered dessert as breakfast. Frank however was doing the usual of sitting outside one of the nicer bistros enjoying a leisurely breakfast of pastries, fruit and coffee. And of course it being Frank, several good looking women were sat at his table flirting away with him.

Daytime was usually slow on the Chase. Most of the programme during the daytime and afternoon was filled with segments about greatest kills or spectacular fails from previous years; Krieger appearing many times in both and sometimes with Frank as their competition with each other sometimes came to a head. Frank and Krieger were kill stealers, especially with each other. Frank's most remembered steal from Krieger was when he got some of his big American Football/Rugby playing sports mates to literally tackle and carry her away from her target she was just about to shoot. Krieger's most remembered steal was when Frank was about to shoot his target, but she threw an egg and cress sandwich at his head and it smacked him straight in the face; the egg concoction clung to his face and slid down right on to his designer suede jacket. Frank lost his shit. Krieger lost her sandwich.

'What's the Boss doing at Hideki's' Michael asked his crew mates bar Zach who were all back in the rec room of the Osiris, watching the Chase day two on the big holoscreen. 'They got information for her?'

'Yep.' Devin answered. 'She has a bit of a network who relay info to the guys at Hideki's and Bab's at her bar.'

'Hunters are only allowed to communicate with their handlers via the neuromod, but they are allowed to collect info by other means.' Tony added as he sipped at a hot mug of coffee.

It dawned on Michael that he knew bugger all about the Chase. In fact he knew bugger all about what was going on in the rest of the galaxy. If it wasn't for his workmates he'd still be in the dark about everything.

'She's probably having a mid-morning pint too.' Tony chuckled.

Krieger was absolutely going to have a mid-morning pint. Hideki's bar was quite busy for this early time in the morning but it was also quiet due to some specific customers. There were a small group of Voxon males sat around one of the big tables, all looking at a pitcher of beer with empty glasses in front of them.

'Oh shit.' Krieger said over neurocomms to Ronson as she walked in to the bar. 'There's a bunch of Voxon in Hideki's.'

'Ooof, good luck with that.' Ronson replied.

Krieger sailed past the group and leant on the bar, looking up at Hideki who had been wiping down the counters with a pleading look in her eyes saying "pint now, I beg of you!" He complied instantly without saying a word.

'Oh! Look! That's Captain Cassandra Krieger of the Osiris! Hello Captain. Please come and join us in the drinking of alcoholic beverages.'

Hideki slid the fresh pint over to Krieger with a touch of a grin on his face at what one of the Voxon group who recognised her.

'Here's your alcoholic beverage Captain.' He said through his grin. Krieger picked up the glass and gave Hideki a look consisting of annoyance with a touch of venom. Time to be nice in the face of perfection.

#cyberpunk #science fiction #scifi #cyberpunk aesthetic #original fiction #writing #novel writing #fiction writing #original story #strong female characters #strong female lead

[cherrycheridarling]

london boy | t.h.

tom holland x singer!reader

warnings: none just cuteness and concerts

summary: it's your album release and you booked the forum in los angeles for the special occasion. you've invited tom and all his friends to the show and refused to let him listen to the album all day. just in preparation for your performance of london boy.

wc: 1.3k

"You guys have been amazing tonight!" you looked out over the crowd of fans, heart filling with joy. "This next song is track number seven. I wrote this for anyone who, like me, has a very particular type. L.A., this is 'London Boy'!" you announced as the track began to play in your ear-piece.

Tom's attention perked at the name of the song. You'd strictly forbidden him from listening to it for the whole day. Keeping it hidden while recording and only showing him the other tunes you wrote. His curiousity had been eating away at him ever since he heard the title a few months ago.

"I love my hometown as much as Motown, I love SoCal. And you know I love Springsteen, faded blue jeans, Tennessee whiskey. But something happened, I heard him laughing. I saw the dimples first and then I heard the accent." you fanned yourself with a smile as you sang.

Tom watched from the balcony. Sam, Harry, Harrison, Jacob, Zendaya and Tuwaine beside him. He smirked when he heard the word 'accent' and Harrison nudged him with a smile.

"They say home is where the heart is, but that's not where mine lives. You know I love a London boy. I enjoy walking Camden Market in the afternoon." a memory flashed behind your eyes as the lyrics left your lips.

"It's beautiful." you observed all the arrays of colours as you strolled hand in hand with Tom down the streets of Camden Market.

While your eyes were set on the miscellaneous items around you, Tom's were set on you. "I'm glad you like it, darling. Look, there's some jewelry." he pointed to a small vendor with a variety of accessories on display.

You began to drag Tom towards them as he laughed at your reaction.

"Hello, kids! How are you today?" the kind elderly lady grinned at the new customers.

"Very well, thank you. How are you?" you smiled back.

"Splendid! What are you two doing here today? First date?" she asked.

Tom and you laughed lightly, "More like fiftieth." he answered as the old woman's smile grew.

"That's lovely! I love young love! So pure and innocent." she looked as if she were recalling memories from her youth.

"I love your jewelry. They're all gorgeous." you admired her work.

Gold and silver objects in front of you. Rings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants, earrings. The woman made them all. A particular ring caught your eye. It had a gold band and it was scattered with different brightly coloured gems. Red, blue, purple, green, yellow. It was jaw dropping.

"Oh, you're too kind, dear."

"I think she sees something she likes." Tom smirked as he watched you pick up the accessory and examine it.

Within minutes, the two of you were leaving the small vendor with a new ring wrapped around your right ring finger. You held up your hand and adored the way the ring glistened in the afternoon sunlight.

"You're doing it again." Tom spoke up making you turn your head to him.

You furrowed your eyebrows, "Doing what?"

"That little smile where you're trying to stop yourself from smiling, but it's there." he chuckled.

Feeling slightly embarrassed you turned your head away from him, "I am not."

He brought your face back to him with his hand on your chin and placed a kiss on your lips. Quick and simple, but it melted your heart.

"It's your American smile, darling. And I love it."

"He likes my American smile, like a child when our eyes meet," your eyes found their way to Tom's, "Darling, I fancy you."

If Tom could run down to that stage and smother you in his love, he would have at that exact moment.

"Took me back to Highgate, met all of his best mates." you moved your view to look at Harrison, Harry, Tuwaine and Sam who all had shit eating grins on their faces. "So I guess all the rumours are true. You know I love a London boy. Boy, I fancy you." that line brought you back to when Tom first confessed his feelings.

"And I win again! You really suck at this, Holland." you chuckled as you came in first place in Mario Kart while Tom placed fourth.

Tom watched you with a gleeful expression, "I like you. A lot."

Your head snapped towards him at the words. Unsure of what way he meant them in.

"As a friend? Or.." your voice trailed off as you sat against the couch cushions again.

"No, darling. Not as a friend." he chuckled.

Your nerves began to spike. A wave of chills running over you before a smile crept its way onto your face.

"I think the correct term is 'fancy'." you teased him making him laugh.

He nodded with a giggle, "Yes. I fancy you."

You bit your lip to try and contain your grin, but it was no use. The confession sparking butterflies in your stomach.

"Well, in that case. I fancy you, too, Holland."

Tom's mind brought him back to that moment as well before Sam pulled him back to reality.

"I'm going to pretend that she wrote this about me."

Tom snapped his head towards his younger brother, "Don't even think about it." your voice brought his attention towards you.

"And now I love high tea, stories from Uni, and the West End. You can find me in the pub, we are watching rugby with his school friends."

The amount of times that occasion has occurred would be too many to count. From trivia nights to days off of work. The pub was probably your most visited place besides Tom's home ever since you began to date.

"Show me a gray sky, a rainy cab ride. Babes, don't threaten me with a good time!"

Tom bursted out laughing at the lyric as he remembered the story behind it.

You were cooking in the kitchen when you heard a loud yawn behind you. Tom making his dramatic entrance before wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his chin on your shoulder.

"Whatcha making, babes?" his words caused you to freeze before laughter filled the kitchen.

You managed to compose yourself before replying with small laughs, "Did you just call me 'babes'?"

"You know what? I tried something new and it didn't work." he frowned like a toddler.

You cupped his face with your hands, "For the love of all that is good and great in this world, never call me that again." you planted a kiss on his pouty lips.

His hands made their way to your waist, "I should stick with 'darling' and 'love', huh?"

You nodded before kissing him again, "Now, if you don't mind. I am going to finish making breakfast for you and our friends." you turned back to the stove.

"I'll leave you to it, love. Thank you." he began to leave the kitchen.

"Not a problem, babes." you quietly snickered to yourself.

"Hey!"

"You're one lucky little shit." Zendaya teased him.

He nodded slowly, "I really am."

"They say home is where the heart is, but God, I love the English."

Your eyes remained stuck on Tom's as the lyrics left your lips. You could see his smile grow even wider, if that was even possible.

As you finished the track that was solely dedicated to the brunette Brit in the crowd, your eyes moved to his lips.

"I love you."

He mouthed the three words that have been hanging between the two of you ever since your relationship began. Your heart seemed to take a break before picking back up at record speed.

"I love you."

You mouthed back, hoping he could make it out.

His never ending grin was enough proof that he knew what you were saying.

#tom holland #tom holland x singer!reader #tom holland x actress!reader #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland x y/n #tom holland x famous!reader #tom holland x reader

[penwieldingdreamer]

First Meetings

So, now that I have been stuck at home due to my mother's positive Covid test and watching The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings for 6 days straight, inspiration struck again, thank god 🙏😅 The new center of this -maybe- series will be Lee Pace. Of course this is only a fantasy and everything only came from my imagination but with a pinch of real events happening, still it's going to be in an alternative universe.

Thanks for being my beta @fortheloveoffanfic

Hope you guys will like it. Let me know what you thought and if you like to be tagged in upcoming drabbles I have palned and will hopefully be able to continue now again.

Summary: You work as part of the Mae-Up and Hair Crew on set of the Hobbit Trilogy, where you meet many interesting people, but one has gotten more of your attention than you would have thought.

Warnings: none, except for a very long drabble 😅

Words: 1722

You had been part of the crew ever since Peter Jackson had started working on the Hobbit trilogy in 2011 and met everyone that had been essential to the movies on and off screen. Apparently Fran had seen your work first hand when you were at a competition for make - up artists and she was impressed by the end results. You hadn't won any of the prizes but you were only one against one hundred others and yet she wanted you to be part of the second historic movie trilogy PJ did in his life.

The first people you had met were of course the dwarves and Martin who was Bilbo in the movie. They all were fun to be around, especially Dean and Aiden, as well as James Nesbitt who would always greet you with jokes or a song, giving you something to look forward to during those nearly endless days of filming.

And then, at the ending of shooting the first movie of the trilogy Philippa came up to you, a very tall man following behind her. You had just gotten done with James' make-up and wanted some fresh air, with all the fumes inside the trailer you sometimes thought you might get sick, so you sat outside, watching the pair walk over to you.

"Y/N," she said in greeting, a smile breaking out on her face. "May I introduce you to our newest cast members. Lee is going to be Elvenking Thranduil and he's in need of your service." Pippa, as you called her, had always had a way with people and she was next to Fran and Pete the only one of your bosses you could be yourself with and even call family away from your own. In your former jobs you had only been the one for the make-up, the one being ordered around and not even been able to give an opinion to change should something not look right on the person. But here, you were part of the crew and they would listen to you.

"It's nice to meet you." You said, holding out your hand for the actor to shake. With a smile in return he grabbed it and you had to concentrate not to let your reaction show on your face. Holy shit, his hands were huge compared to your smaller ones.

Only your boss's voice pulled you back to the task at hand. "So, Lee needs to get into his wig and ears and we'd like to try the crowns with the wardrobe department. Let's say meeting in an hour and a half over at costumes?"

"Oh, uh, sure." you mumbled, hastily disentangling your hand from his. "I'll send him right over when I'm done."

Pippa grinned at you. "Why don't you come over, too? We wouldn't want there to be a repeat of Elrond's circlet like the last time."

A soft sigh escaped your lips, nodding your head you stepped up onto the small stairs outside the trailer. "I'll bring him over then and make sure the wig will be in one piece once you guys are done."

"Great, I'll see you guys later!" she said, clapping her hands and walking off, leaving you with the giant in human form standing in front of you.

Once he made sure she was out of ear shot, Lee turned back to you, a smile plastered onto his face. "Do I want to know what happened to that wig?"

"I don't think you want to know, it was a mess and the guys making the wigs were so angry because the circlet Hugo was wearing in the fitting got caught on the strands and ripped it in half. They had to do it all over again."

Nodding his head, the actor entered the trailer behind her. You told him to take the empty chair next to Richard, who was getting ready for his scenes and he took the time to watch you flit around in your workplace. Everything was chaotic and still in order all the same. When you had come back to your place, the prosthetic ears and wig in hand, Lee grinned at you, his dark blue eyes shining with mirth. "Well, we wouldn't want another repeat for the King of Woodland Elves."

"At least you're already in character, then." Richard mumbled next to him with a laugh trying not to interrupt the woman doing his make-up for the day, listening to the words leaving his co-stars mouth.

Watching the actor, who was Thorin in the movie series, he laughed. "I just need to get my crown and wardrobe and I'll be good to go, everything else is already perfect."

Ruckus laughter floated through the trailer and you couldn't help but admire the shape of his face. Before you could stop yourself, you had already mumbled a 'yes, perfect' and Lee's eyes turned back to you. You felt the blush creeping over your face, swiftly grabbing a comb and a few clips to prepare his own hair for the wig cap you were going to be putting on under. All had seen the flush spread out on your skin and Martin who was getting up from his chair next to you send you wink. That was a great way to make a first impression on the day of meeting a new part of the movie series. You were scolding yourself inside, making sure to only talk to Lee when he was asking something, otherwise keeping your mouth shut.

"Okay let's see the green coat again with the silver overcoat. Y/N, be a dear and bring me that one please." Ann Maskrey, one of the costume designers asked you, while Pete and Pippa watched Lee getting dressed in the green coat. You walked over to the wardrobe and took the first silver coat. "No, not that one, the one with the deep orange silk on the inside." So you took the correct one on the second try and held it out for Lee to put on. He grinned down at you, pulling the coat over his shoulders and straightening himself. It would be easier if he wasn't such a giant, but he was a handsome giant.

"Right then, that looks good. Let's try it with the smaller branch crown."

You sighed, hoping there wasn't going to be another wig fiasco when you helped putting the crown on. Weta had done an amazing job designing all the pieces for the movies, for all movies they worked on, but sometimes these things were a bitch to work with. Your comb and pins at the ready, he sat down on the chair, pulling the knee-high boots on over the leggings he wore underneath.

"I'm going to be gentle but if I should hurt you with the pin please let me know." you told him, lightly pinning the crown to the wig so it wouldn't fall off.

Lee had closed his eyes, hiding the bright blue contacts he wore for his role. "I can take my fair bit of pain, but if it's intolerable, I'll let you know. So far I can't complain about these gentle hands."

By the time they had taken pictures and you had finally calmed down again so the flush that had started to spread over your face and neck at the close proximity to Lee was controlled again, Ann had asked you to take off one crown and exchange it for the larger branch crown with red leaves.

"I think this is going to be a lot more striking for King Thranduil then the other one."

So you repeated the process, gently combing the wig while Lee sat on the chair, chewing his gum and closing his eyes. He even held the hairpins in his hand because he saw you struggle to get them out of the confines of your little bag. When he moved it closer to you to work with your finger touched his and if you didn't know better there was a tiny spark from that brush of skin.

Finishing up, you grabbed the unused pins from his hand and told him you were done, giving the tall actor a light tap on his shoulder. Just as he walked over to the small area where they viewed him in his costumes, the door opened and Martin and James walked inside.

"Sorry, you guys but we had a small, unfortunate accident." the Irish actor apologized, showing the burst seams on his pants. "We were doing our stunts and well."

Martin grinned, walking over to you and throwing his arm around your shoulders. "We also wanted to see what all the fuss was about that haughty elf king."

Giggling, you looked over at Lee who grinned at his co-stars and repeated the walk he did before.

"Just so you know, if I were a female dwarf, I'd tap that elf ass." James whispered into your left ear, your once controlled blush intensifying again while the blond actor nodded his head enthusiastically.

"He's a perfect elf, you know. Broad shoulder, tall, elegant, striking eyes. The hair." Martin spoke so only you and the dwarf actor could hear.

"The long legs." James added, nodding his head over to the American actor who strutted along the area, having thrown off the overcoat.

"That smouldering look." the Brit continued before you held up your hands.

"Enough, you." You hissed so no one would know what you had been talking about, but you knew they were only trying to rile you up. Yes, Lee was attractive, hell, he was gorgeous and Pippa and Pete did an amazing job casting him, but you knew him for less than a day. He could be a total asshole when he didn't have people to impress for his first day on set. "You guys should get to Lucy or Sam so they can stitch up those holes."

"Well, I'm going to tell you this, one day you'll end up with a guy like that and you'll remember what I told you. You deserve the best in your life, luv." James told you proudly, pulling you closer into a one armed hug. He was brother and father to you in one person and you knew that his words were going to bite you in your ass.

They always did.

Taglist(I wasn't sure who to tag, also who might want to read it, so please let me know if you don't want to see mor of this in your notifications)

@fortheloveoffanfic @ladyreapermc @toomanystoriessolittletime @meetmeinthematinee @omg-imagine @fanficsrusz @eevee-of-rivia @fics-not-tragedies @omgkatinka @fuck-yeah-hope @wholelottatiffy @axshadows​ @a-really-bi-girl @madbaddic7ed @maggiemoo1892 @pinkzsugar @agniavateira @mary-ann84 and everyone who might want to read this.

#lee pace imagine #lee pace x reader #drabble #alternate universe #the hobbit rpf #lee pace #the hobbit #the hobbit imagine

[funnythingshere0-blog]

Michael Moore on 'Fahrenheit 11/9' documentary: 'Trump didn't create the mess we are in'

New Post has been published on https://funnythingshere.xyz/michael-moore-on-fahrenheit-11-9-documentary-trump-didnt-create-the-mess-we-are-in/

Michael Moore on 'Fahrenheit 11/9' documentary: 'Trump didn't create the mess we are in'

Michael Moore wants to make one point very clear. In his new documentary Fahrenheit 11/9, he is not comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. The film includes archive material of Hitler in full, deranged demagogue mode, giving an eyeball-rolling, arm-waving performance in front of the Nazi faithful – but out of his mouth come words spoken by the Donald.

“People said to me you’re comparing Trump to Hitler,” says the 64-year-old filmmaker, author, comedian and activist, in London for the documentary’s UK premiere. “I said, no, that is a scene where Hitler is speaking like Trump. I am comparing Hitler to Trump, not Trump to Hitler. If you don’t understand the difference, I can’t explain it.”

Obviously, says Moore, Trump is not Hitler. However, in making the documentary, Moore drew on Bertram Gross’s 1980 book Friendly Fascism, which predicted that 21st century fascism wouldn’t come with concentration camps and swastikas. It would come instead “with a smiley face and a TV show”.

Tom Hanks or Oprah could beat Trump in 2020, says Michael Moore

Read more

Moore first had the idea for Fahrenheit 11/9 when he was in London promoting his previous film, Where To Invade Next, which came out in the UK last June, a few days before the EU referendum. He travelled all over Britain, “talking to a lot of working-class people, people who seem similar to me to the people I live with in Michigan. It was clear to us by the end of the week that this thing Brexit was going to pass. That sent a shiver down our spine.” To Moore, the parallels with the then ongoing US presidential election were clear. “We knew we were going to see this six months from now except it will be called Trump, not Brexit.”

“Here’s what we saw,” Moore continues. “Brits who didn’t necessarily really want to leave [the EU], yet the system had so failed them, the [political] parties had so failed them, that Brexit represented a Molotov cocktail they were being handed. They could throw it into the system and blow it up so that somebody would listen.”

Fahrenheit 11/9 is a sprawling, angry and often very funny film that begins with Trump’s election (and the unlikely – and unwitting – part he thinks pop star Gwen Stefani played in setting him on the trail to the White House). But it also deals with school shootings, the poisoning of the water supply in Moore’s hometown Flint in 2014, and the dirty tactics used by senior Democrats to ensure that Hillary Clinton was their presidential nominee rather than Bernie Sanders.

“We started out with a challenge to ourselves to not chase the news every day so that it didn’t matter what Trump was doing,” says Moore. Instead of being about “Trump per se”, the film is intended to look at the “Trumpian” times that we live in and to ask how on earth they’ve come about.

The new documentary looks into the poisoning of the water supply in Moore’s hometown Flint in 2014

“We got here not by Trump. Trump didn’t create the mess we are in. When we get rid of him, we are still going to have the mess. We are still going to have mass shootings, we are still going to have people with no healthcare. The film became about the greater Trump and the Trump that is us, as Americans.”

Moore chastises liberals and Democrats for not taking Trump seriously enough, for treating his political aspirations as a joke. “Just as you here [in the UK] treated Nigel [Farage] and the crazy guy with the hair.” (Moore doesn’t specify the identity of “the crazy guy with the hair” but Boris Johnson would be a good guess.)

There is a certain poignancy in Moore’s fighting talk. He has made films about school shootings (Bowling For Columbine, 2002) and the chaotic state of the American healthcare system (Sicko, 2007) and in commercial terms, he is the most successful documentary maker in history. Yet his movies haven’t managed to change things. Gun law hasn’t been reformed. The American healthcare system is still in a parlous state.

“To be honest, for the last few films, I’ve had to ask myself ‘why’ and ‘what’s the point’,” says Moore, reflecting on the fact that his movies, for all their popularity, appear to have had minimal social impact. “But I am a filmmaker, not a politician. I am making it for the art. First off, I want to make a great piece of cinema. If it can help people to think, if they cry, if they laugh – all the things that any filmmaker wants – I want those same things.

‘Fahrenheit 11/9’ also deals with school shootings, and includes an interview with student activists from Parkland, Florida

“Obviously, I have my own politics, my own agenda in terms of how I hope it will help the country but I can’t make people change or do the right thing,” he continues. “What I do know is that over these 30 years [Moore’s breakthrough film Roger & Me, about the closure of the General Motors plant in Flint, was made in 1989], there have been enough young people who started watching my films at the age of 12 who are now in their 30s and their 40s. They have different politics than their parents and grandparents. Gradually, this will change. It is just not going to be overnight.”

The new documentary includes a fascinating scene in which Moore is shown on TV alongside his then friend Roseanne Barr and Trump himself. They all seem to get on famously. In 2018, though, the chances of these three sharing a platform seem remote. Moore has fallen out badly with Roseanne (whose sitcom on ABC was cancelled following her racist tweeting earlier this summer). Moore speaks of the end of their friendship with obvious regret.

In 2004, he flew around the US with Barr, campaigning for John Kerry in the US presidential election against George Bush. “I had days and nights with her and her family,” he says. They were very close but something “snapped”. Barr started taking increasingly right-wing positions. “Then, she started attacking me on Twitter. I never attacked her back. On the day she was fired from the show, she began that morning with four tweets, one attacking Valerie Jarrett [Barack Obama’s adviser], another attacking me.” He responded by posting a message referring to her as a “damaged soul”.

In 2002’s ‘Bowling for Columbine’, Moore seeks to explain why the Columbine massacre occurred (MGM)

The American director also has some intriguing observations about his former business partner, the disgraced movie tycoon Harvey Weinstein. In 2011, Moore famously sued the Weinstein brothers over profits from his hugely successful 2004 documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11, about the presidency of George W Bush. The multimillion dollar case was eventually settled. In spite of the dispute, Moore had originally been planning to work with the Weinsteins again on Fahrenheit 11/9. Then came the sexual abuse allegations and Harvey Weinstein’s spectacular fall from grace.

Why partner with the Weinsteins when you’ve already had to sue them once? Moore seems surprised by the question. After all, all they did was steal from him. He was perfectly happy to work with them again as long as he had a better contract and a better agent. “That’s Hollywood!” he exclaims. “It was only money. If it had been other things, had I ever seen Harvey behave in the way that has been alleged and what he has been arrested for, oh my God, I would have had nothing to do with him. But this was just common Hollywood thievery that goes on all the time.”

Moore’s view of Harvey Weinstein is nuanced. His obvious disgust at the movie tycoon’s alleged behaviour with women doesn’t stop him from acknowledging other aspects of Weinstein’s career. 

After meeting Ivanka Trump, Moore says he feels bad for her: ‘I think she’s a good person’

“Harvey raised half a billion dollars for [Aids charity] amfAR. The people at amfAR, at least at the time, credited Harvey with being one of the key reasons why they were able to fund the research and get the AZT inhibitor that essentially means that anybody with Aids now is not going to die before his or her time. That’s Harvey Weinstein. When the whole story is told, it is going to be a very interesting story. You have the politically left Harvey, who is right on all the issues. You have the Harvey who has saved tens, even hundreds of thousands of lives as the result of the work he did to help fund the research to provide medicine for people who have HIV. Then, you have this new Harvey we have all learned about and that none of us knew.”

Moore has known Weinstein for years. When he was with him, he says Weinstein never exhibited casual sexism. “In the almost three decades of knowing him, I never once heard a comment like ‘oh, she looks good today’.” Now, he thinks Weinstein was “purposefully covering up”.

There are disturbing moments in the new film in which Donald Trump makes salacious remarks about his own daughter, Ivanka. Moore has been unsettled by how audiences have laughed at the scenes. “It’s so weird,“ he says. ”My editor and I were like, ‘oh, they’re laughing. We meant this to be serious.’ But it is such a late night comedian’s joke. People are so engaged in laughing at Trump, as they have been since the beginning.” 

Support free-thinking journalism and subscribe to Independent Minds

Moore has met Ivanka and reveals in the documentary that her husband, Jared Kushner, was one of the backers of Sicko. “I feel bad for her. I’ve met her and seen her at various functions over the years to support the right to have gay marriage, Planned Parenthood, all that stuff. She has always been really good about those things and I think she’s a good person too.”

Trump’s “genius”, Moore suggests, is that he does everything in “plain sight”. That makes him all the more difficult to manoeuvre against. The elites on both sides of the American political divide hate him – and that perversely adds to his popular appeal, too. Moore isn’t under any illusion that his film is going to change people’s minds about him overnight but he hopes it will at least remind them of the mess they are in – and of how they got there.

He also knows precisely the audience he is trying to reach – those who voted for Trump as a protest against a political establishment that was ignoring and humiliating them. “I don’t care about the 20 or 30 per cent that’s way out there and are lost Americans,” he says of the Trump supporters whose minds he hopes can still be changed. “I am talking about the 70 per cent who aren’t lost.” 

‘Fahrenheit 11/9’ is released on Friday

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/michael-moore-fahrenheit-11-9-trump-ivanka-weinstein-george-bush-roseanne-barr-release-date-trailer-a8586601.html