#russian far north

[20ctrl]

not today

#bandcamp #music #ambient #liminal spaces #scary #liminal #dreamcore #oddcore #nostalgia #weirdcore #soviet #russian #far north #snowcore #winter #horror #strangecore #abondoned #horrorcore

[thenuclearmallard]

Nenet regalia.

#indigenous #indigenous russian #indigenous russia #culture #russia #important #colonization #fypシ #fypage #landback #Decolonize #Nenet #Nenets #Siberian #Siberia #Far north #ethnic minorities #arkhangelsk #for you #Interesting #earrings

[186-3]

courting antisemitism

so i recently decided to take a look at the latest stonetoss comics (probably because i love suffering). and while i was expecting some content on the israel palestine conflict, what i did not expect was how... standard it seemed. well, most of it at least, but i'll get to that in a second.

for context, if you don't know what stonetoss is, it's a (poorly drawn) webcomic known for having radical alt-right views - meaning it's incredibly racist, homophobic, transphobic, islamophobic, antisemitic. all that fun stuff.

so while i was expecting to see bad stuff, one of the first things i saw on the topic of israel was this:

terrible art aside, this comic is making a point that i usually see in left wing circles: that israel is pinkwashing genocide.

curious if there was more like this, i kept looking, and the comic right before that one was this:

again, this makes points that i usually see in left wing circles. that american healthcare is crazy expensive, that canada tells poor people to commit suicide, and that israel is bombing hospitals.

why does stonetoss, this well known alt-right nutjob, now seem to be bringing up left-wing talking points?

curious, i kept going deeper:

well this is... odd. clearly, stonetoss is trying to say that israel is on another level of bad, even worse than russia, iran, and north korea. i can possibly see someone on the left making the argument that the russian invasion of ukraine isn't as bad as what israel is doing in gaza, or that at least north korea isn't invading any other countries, but... iran??? the country that has a police force designed to enforce religious law, and gets away with murdering women who do not properly cover their hair? the country that props up paramilitary groups in countries all over the middle east, including lebanon, yemen, and yes, palestine?? that's completely ridiculous

but, given how much more israel is in the news nowadays than any of these other countries, i could see why someone would buy this

and now, we're starting to get to the crux of what stonetoss is trying to do. when someone sees this, they might be inclined to agree with it. they might begin to think that israel is the worst country on the planet

and that might not seem so bad at first. but the more you hate israel, especially irrationally, the more you feel allowed to dehumanize those who support it. the more you might be willing to agree with this comic, which came out two days prior to the one above

this comic says that jews, as a whole have no desire to exist with other people. it is blatantly antisemitic

i'm sure you could imagine some young leftist who sees the comics above this one and thinks, "this guy makes some good points". and then, when they get to this one, they might realize that this is antisemitism

or, they may not.

and that would start them down the road to becoming an antisemite.

this is what stonetoss and other alt-right nutjobs are hoping to achieve. to take left wing fury at israel, and direct it at jews.

we saw it with those neo-nazis at the palestine rally, and we're seeing it again here.

and if you've found yourself agreeing with what stonetoss has said so far, i would like you to see the last comic stonetoss put out before october 7th:

this horrifically racist comic is in reference to an environmental activist who was murdered by a black man in early october. this blatantly racist garbage is the kind of stuff stonetoss usually puts out.

but as soon as october 7th happened? these were his next two comics:

stonetoss completely changed the comic's tone as soon as the current crisis started. why?

to get as many people as possible to get on board with hating jews.

and i know many of you might be thinking that "well, everyone knows that stonetoss is racist garbage. nobody is going to fall for this"

except, as we saw with the neo-nazis at the rally for palestine, it's not always that obvious who the antisemites are and who is just rallying for peace. they are often a lot better at disguising it than stonetoss is.

AND EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE AWARE OF THAT

EVERYONE, no matter HOW much experience you have, can fall victim to propoganda. EVERYONE needs to be aware of what people around them are saying, and able to pick out hateful rhetoric, because even the stuff that is just kind of toeing the line of what's hateful is still putting your foot in the door

be cautious, everyone. and stomp out hate where you see it.

#israel #palestine #stonetoss #racism #antisemitism #tw racism #tw antisemitism #jumblr #rant #long post

[islamforalloftheworld]

Ukraine war: At least 43 injured in daylight strike in Kharkiv region At least 43 people, including 12 children, have been injured after a missile struck the carpark of a residential building in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, local officials say. What is believed to be a Russian Iskander missile landed in the town of Pervomaisky at about 13:30 local time. Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said there were only residential buildings in the area. A one-year-old and a 10-month-old were reportedly among the injured. Mr Kostin said targeting the residential buildings amounted to another war crime from Russia. Oleg Sinegubov, the Kharkiv regional governor posted several pictures of the damaged building to Telegram. They showed smashed windows, dark smoke clouds and an overturned car. "At least half of the neighbourhood is in an uninhabitable state," Anton Orekhov, the chairman of Pervomaiskyi was quoted as saying by local media. Russia has not immediately commented on the incident, and Moscow has previously denied targeting civilians. Pervomaisky is about 90km (50 miles) south of the major city of Kharkiv and relatively far from the current fighting hotspots, which are predominantly in the Donbas region. But the north-eastern Kharkiv region was the focus of heavy fighting in the early days of Moscow's full-scale invasion last year, with Ukrainian forces fighting back Russian attempts to advance further into the country. Earlier on Tuesday, Russia said it had brought down five Ukrainian drones aimed at Moscow and its surrounding region, but reported no casualties or damage. SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

#At least half of the neighbourhood is in an uninhabitable state #Ukraine war: At least 43 injured in daylight strike in Kharkiv region #At least 43 people #including 12 children #have been injured after a missile struck the carpark of a residential building in Ukraine's Kharkiv region #local officials say. #What is believed to be a Russian Iskander missile landed in the town of Pervomaisky at about 13:30 local time. #Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said there were only residential buildings in the area. #A one-year-old and a 10-month-old were reportedly among the injured. #Mr Kostin said targeting the residential buildings amounted to another war crime from Russia. #Oleg Sinegubov #the Kharkiv regional governor posted several pictures of the damaged building to Telegram. They showed smashed windows #dark smoke clouds and an overturned car. #Anton Orekhov #the chairman of Pervomaiskyi was quoted as saying by local media. #Russia has not immediately commented on the incident #and Moscow has previously denied targeting civilians. #Pervomaisky is about 90km (50 miles) south of the major city of Kharkiv and relatively far from the current fighting hotspots #which are predominantly in the Donbas region. #But the north-eastern Kharkiv region was the focus of heavy fighting in the early days of Moscow's full-scale invasion last year #with Ukrainian forces fighting back Russian attempts to advance further into the country. #Earlier on Tuesday #Russia said it had brought down five Ukrainian drones aimed at Moscow and its surrounding region #but reported no casualties or damage. #SOURCE: AL JAZEERA #Youtube

[ayin-me-yesh]

I'm not going to reblog the post, but I am once again going to fight people who use the Roman period as the evidence that all Jews, in modern times, are colonised people and Indigenous to Palestine

like, ok... Jews established kingdoms in Palestine as far back as the Bronze Age. the kingdom of Judah was then crushed by the Neo-Babylonian Exile, and many Jews were brought eastward in the Babylonian exile.

the conquest of Alexander the Great allowed a new kingdom, of Judea, to be established with its capital in Jerusalem. but not all Jews returned from the east, and Jews under Hellenistic rule also spread westward into Hellenized Egypt and northward into the Balkans. this was the situation when Rome conquered the Judean kingdom.

during the Roman period, Jews spread further into North Africa and Europe, establishing communities throughout the Roman Empire. when Judea was eventually crushed by the Romans and its citizens expelled, there was already an extant international Jewish community. the eastern community I mentioned from the Babylonian captivity had already existed for 500 years.

when Jews were expelled from Judea, many also eventually returned. a major community was almost immediately established in Tiberias, for instance. Jews would even resettle in Jerusalem. the Jerusalem Talmud was compiled a couple hundred years after the Roman expulsion.

so we start seeing these unique and widespread Jewish communities with their own minhagim (customs) and centuries to eventually millennia-long histories in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Jews were part of established pan-ethnic groups in these regions, so, for instance, there are Amazigh Jews, Arab Jews, Persian Jews, Russian Jews, French Jews, etc.

some of these communities in Africa and Asia would also go on to be colonised by European powers, such as France and the UK. colonisers like the French made distinctions between French Jews and native North African Jews.

Jews largely share common origins from the Near East, and there were Jewish kingdoms in Palestine whose histories are part of our religious identities, but we do not belong exclusively or even generally in Palestine more than wherever we found ourselves in the world. some of us are the colonised, but generally the displaced colonised of other parts of West or Central Asia or North Africa. others of us have been colonisers in those very same regions or elsewhere.

TL;DR Jews are diverse. we have a long history and geographically vast history that encompasses but is also much more than the Biblical narrative.

"Indigenous" in a political sense is not just being from somewhere, but having a relationship with a colonising power. and with that being said, Palestinians, the people being colonised by Israel, are Indigenous to Palestine.

#palestine

[sprout-fics]

Folks asked for a rewrite of the campaign, because frankly? Screw canon. I needed to do this for my own sanity.

In light of the absolute fuckery that was this campaign, I’ve worked on a re-write for several days in an attempt to create an improved campaign. This is my personal interpretation, which others are free to disagree with and write their own, but is hopefully a more comprehensive and enjoyable plot that what Activision gave us.

General notes: 

Urzikstan is completely removed from the campaign. That no longer becomes a factor. Farah and her forces have allowed peace to come back to Urzikstan, and we’ll leave it there. (I adore Farah, but the competing amount of characters needs to be simplified, and she had an entire game so far)

The main plotline is narrowed down to Makarov and Shadow/Shepherd, with a sidenote of the team dynamics deepening as their resolve to stop Makarov strengthens

The missions are changed up so we see more of an interaction from the Soap/Ghost and Price/Gaz mission pairings

Many of the missions remain the same, but are edited to a better context to fit the plotline and cohesiveness of the game. Additional missions for this re-write are noted with a (*)

We did chemical weapons in MWI, and then long range ballistic missiles in MWII. The natural ante to these two themes therefore becomes a nuclear attack (Which we see at the climax of the game)

Makarov becomes less of a terrorist going around provoking mass panic, and more a mastermind as he was in the originals that is deliberately trying to set the stage for a war against the United States/The West. His part of the game is full of false flag operations, which heightens tensions between the UK/USA and Russia, which threaten to boil over

The game is limited to the POVs of Soap, Gaz, and Yuri. Too many competing POVs makes for a complicated and hard to track story. This simplifies it considerably.

Additional changes: Improved graphics, music score to match the story, additional missions to lengthen the campaign to match the previous games, and new skins for characters

Campaign:

The game starts the same, with and unknown team making their way through a Russian prison in search of a specific prisoner.

Mission: Operation 627 The prisoner is Makarov, and is rescued from prison by an unknown POV, which is then revealed to be Yuri. Makarov, Yuri, and the remainder of the team launch a prison riot to cover their escape via boat.

Cutscene: We cut to the introduction of the team on the plane. Laswell informs them Makarov has escaped before they could get to him. Price reacts angrily, and conveys the news to the team.

Briefing: Laswell does have information that Konni group is regrouping north of Urzikstan, and that Makarov may be gathering his men there. The group agrees to infiltrate the complex in a capture or kill mission.

*Mission: Kill Switch (Soap POV) The team lays siege to a fortress in the Caucasus mountains, one that is heavily defended. Team banter, with a reminder from Price to stay focused. The group finds that the fortress itself is a diversion, one that is rigged. Soap is barely able to disarm the bomb in time - saving the team. The team laments that Makarov is already two steps ahead of them, but finds information inside the fortress that gives them a lead- and a chance to turn the tables.

Cutscene: We see Makarov reunite with his forces, introducing Milena. He then goes on to proclaim that his intent is to start a global war which will lead Russia to glory. Yuri is disturbed by this, and even more so when Makarov makes a comment regarding innocents in Verdansk being the beginning of this path of blood. The idea of involving innocent Russian citizens in this- a mass slaughter, does not sit well with him.

*Mission: Traitorous Intent (Yuri POV) The scene begins with Yuri sneaking around the Konni compound, looking for details regarding an upcoming attack. He reveals a photo of the Verdansk stadium. Makarov finds him snooping, and Yuri questions Makarov, trying to encourage him not to pursue this plan. There are several dialogue options where Yuri can directly challenge Makarov, or play stupid. Either way, Makarov shoots him, and gestures to his soldiers to dump Yuri’s body somewhere. Unbeknownst to Makarov, Yuri survives, and we see him struggling to safety, only to be captured by Russian loyalists. 

Briefing: Meanwhile, the team goes after a lead revealed from the fortress on the Konni group, who are sniffing around an abandoned nuclear reactor formerly belonging to General Barkov. Laswell sends the team in. 

Mission: Reactor (Gaz POV + Price) Soap and Ghost secure the perimeter, while Price and Gaz infiltrate. Gaz makes a comment about General Barkov leaving a hell of a mess. They find Konni group extracting canisters from the reactor, which begin to leak as they’re extracted. Gaz manages to get a tracker on the chemicals. The reactor room seals, trapping Gaz and Price inside. The team manages to extract them via a rope and ascender. Price forces Gaz to go up first, but in return is briefly consumed by toxic fumes. Price tries to stay with the team, but passes out as Ghost calls for med-evac

Cutscene: We find the team on board exfil, with the same banter as shown in game. Price is angry that Makarov is still ahead of them, and that they’re just chasing his tail.

Briefing: Laswell is able to get a hit on the location of the chemicals, a compound near the Black Sea. Strangely, there also appears to be missiles involved. The mystery of how Konni group got those missiles remains unknown, for now. Laswell sends in the team, and announces she herself will be rendezvousing with Nikolai to get in touch with a valuable contact. Price, who witnessed Laswell getting captured before, refuses to let her go alone, and sends Gaz with her.

Mission: Payload (Soap POV + Team) The team attempts to stop the missile launch, firing upon Konni forces. They discover that the missiles are topped with Barkov’s gas. Soap manages to rig one of the missiles to explode inside the silo, and has a timed mission to escape from the silo/blast radius. Upon succeeding, he RVs with Price and Ghost. Unfortunately, they are unable to stop the other missile from launching, and find it is headed towards Laswell and Gaz. Price tries to warn them- but there’s no response.

Cutscene, several hours earlier: We see Laswell and Gaz meet up with Nikolai. Gaz is excited to see an old friend. Nikolai gives them a warm welcome, and shares that one of Makarov’s men has defected, and has valuable information regarding Makarov’s whereabouts and his plans. They will need to infiltrate a Russian loyalist base to find him. Laswell and Gaz go to find the man of the hour: Yuri

Mission: Deep Cover (Gaz POV + Laswell) Laswell and Gaz stealth mission, where they are able to infiltrate the base and the prison complex to go find Yuri. Laswell uses overwatch to direct Gaz to steal a keycard and RVs with him outside the prison area. Yuri says he’ll only talk if he’s freed. Gaz protests, saying this could be a plant by Makarov, but Laswell agrees. As they free Yuri, Gaz and Laswell get a dispatch from Price- warning them too late of the impending attack. Gas fills the compound, and Yuri, Gaz, and Laswell must escape to higher ground. Laswell becomes unconscious during the escape, and Gaz carries her to safety. Nikolai manages to extract all of them via a rooftop.

Briefing: Gaz reports their status to the team, and conveys Laswell was injured. Laswell comes online, declares she’s fine, makes a comment about the gas being nasty stuff. “Tell me about it.” says Price. Laswell then goes on to share information given to her by Yuri: That Makarov is planning a slaughter in Verdansk. The team has only hours before the bloodbath begins.

Mission: Flashpoint (Soap POV + Team) Soap and the team try to intervene in the coming massacre at the Verdansk Stadium. This level begins with Soap trying to blend in. We get the easter egg of Riley the dog. Soap notices a suspicious amount of Russians disguised as Americans speaking English. It’s clear that this is a false flag operation intended to frame the United States. As Soap realizes this, the attack commences. In the chaos that follows, the disguised soldiers open fire on civilians. Soap RVs with the group and gears up. The team tries their best to sweep the area in search of Makarov- at last finding him disguised as a paramedic. He gets a passing shot at Ghost, who is injured. Soap encourages Price and Gaz to pursue, declaring he’ll stay behind with Ghost and defend him from the stragglers. Price and Gaz go in pursuit of the ambulance Makarov is in, we are left on a cliffhanger of what happens to Ghost

*Mission: Bait and Switch (Gaz POV + Price) Car chase scene where Gaz and Price go in pursuit of Makarov and his men. They must navigate the chaotic Verdansk streets and avoid civilians getting caught in the crossfire as Makarov and his men open fire. Yet the chase is just a distraction. As they cross a freeway in view of the airport, the airport explodes. Gaz and Price are stunned, but continue to chase Makarov. Makarov gets across a bridge, and then blows it up behind him. Gaz and Price screech to a halt, and escape the car before it crashes into the river below. Price rages at their failure, but is more concerned that Kyle has been injured. The team checks in with Soap and Ghost. Ghost is also injured, but alive.

Cutscene: The team reconvenes, injured but otherwise whole. Unfortunately with Makarov’s escape, the narrative is currently that the Verdansk massacre was indeed an attack by US forces, now pushing Russia and the US to the brink of war. Soap is visibly agitated by the carnage that happened, rankled more so by the injuries of his teammates. In the background we see Gaz tending to Ghost’s injury, sporting a bandage of his own. Price pats Ghost on the shoulder as he approaches Soap. Soap paces with frustration and tells Price that they should have killed Makarov when they had the chance. We then get a view of the past…

*Mission: Left Behind (Soap POV + Price) We see the team several years in the past, trying to avert another Makarov led disaster- an attack on the British embassy in Moscow. Makarov and his men intend to take the embassy hostage for ransom. We are introduced to a character in the past, who at first appears to be no one, but then Soap claps him on the shoulder and introduces him as Gary ‘Roach’ Sanderson. The mission begins as a sniper mission, but quickly devolves as the attack commences. As things escalate, the team is forced to decide between capturing Makarov and rescuing Roach. They have to leave Roach behind, and Gary is presumed KIA.

Cutscene: Back to the present. The team discusses how it was the right call to not kill Makarov, but Soap protests that if they did, maybe Roach would still be here, and Gaz and Ghost wouldn’t be injured. The others step in, and cooler heads prevail. Laswell announces they have one last lead on Makarov- Milena

Mission: Oligarch (Soap POV + Ghost) Ghost and Soap go on a stealth infiltration mission to Milena’s private island fortress, silently taking down the guards as they go. There’s a fair amount of banter involved. “Just like old times, ey LT?” “Oligarchs and cartels are a little different, Johnny.” (There’s a small note of ‘I wish Roach were here to see this to the end’) Inside, Ghost and Soap manage to corner Milena

Cutscene: Ghost and Soap interrogation tactics. They manage to access Milena’s accounts, and take the laptop with them. Milena tries to plead that Makarov will kill her, but Soap and Ghost aren’t in the mood for it. “Should have thought about that before working for a terrorist.” Says Ghost. As Soap and Ghost ex-fil, Laswell says she has a hit on Makarov. However, there’s also mysterious activity to off-shore American bank accounts revealed by Milena’s accounts. She’ll pull that thread while the team is busy.

Cutscene: Makarov and his men. Makarov says they got to Milena, and orders his men to kill whoever comes to the safehouse. He makes mention of a friend named ‘Shadow’. He then escapes.

Briefing: Milena’s intel shows a safehouse in St. Petersburg where Makarov and his forces are. Laswell sends Gaz and Price to clear the area, with the addition that Nik will ex-fil them via skyhook. They have full execute authority on Makarov.

Mission: Highrise (Gaz POV + Price) With Price on overwatch, Gaz infiltrates the building through the basement. It’s clear Makarov isn’t there, but his second in command is. Gaz, with Price’s sniper support, manages to get the second in command, and they exfil successfully. However, Andrei, Makarov’s second in command, makes a comment towards the captain. “Just how many more men will you lose to kill him, Captain Price?” Price punches him to unconsciousness.

Briefing: Price interrogates Makarov’s second in command offscreen, who reveals a prisoner transfer happening in Siberia. It could very well be the hit on Makarov they’re looking for. The team goes in pursuit.

Mission: Frozen Tundra. (Optional Gaz/Soap POV + Team) The team ambushes the convoy under the ice, and manages to save the prisoner who is drowning. Yet when they surface it becomes clear that it isn’t Makarov, but Shepherd- Shepherd, who had been missing since the end of Las Almas. The team exfils, taking down Makarov’s men along the way, and takes Shepherd into custody. This level allows you the choice of being Soap or Gaz, and each option offers unique dialogue options with the rest of the team.

Briefing: Celebrations have to wait. Unfortunately, Makarov is still in the wild. Now absent of many of his forces, his resources, and his finances, he manages to play one last card- nuclear attack against the United States. The team must stop him before he launches a global war. The team splits up. Price and Soap go to stop the nuclear missile from launching, and Ghost and Gaz go to kill Makarov once and for all.

*Mission: Launch (Gaz POV + Ghost) Gaz and Ghost after Makarov, fighting their way through Konni forces. The missile signals it is ready to launch, and Soap yells over the comms that Gaz and Ghost need to make it to the control room to override the sequence. This becomes a timed mission, and as Ghost and Gaz finally arrive and stop the override, they find that Makarov is absent. They realize too late he’s headed for the missile silo.

*Mission: Cataclysm (Soap POV + Price) Soap and Price fight their way through several challenging juggernauts, and manage to stop the launch in time but receive Ghost and Soap’s warning too late. We see Makarov come and attack Price. Price manages to disarm him, and the two engage in a knife fight. Price barks at Soap to continue stopping the launch. He’s successful. However, he turns to find Price bloody and beaten, and Makarov standing over him, ready to put a bullet between his eyes. Soap launches himself at him, and manages to wrestle the gun away. “I’m not losing anyone else. Not to you.” grunts Soap, only for Makarov pull a knife and stab at him. Soap screams in pain. He goes blind in his left eye and falls as he fades in and out of consciousness. At that moment, Gaz and Ghost arrive, and Gaz manages to get a shot at Makarov, who retreats. Ghost bends over Soap in distress, yelling for him. Soap is still alive but fading fast, and we see one last blurry vision of him and the team before Soap falls unconscious. 

Cutscene: We see the team gathered around a gravestone, absent of Soap. Ghost kneels down next to the gravestone and wordlessly runs a hand over it. We then zoom out to see the name on the stone: Gary Sanderson. It’s at that moment that the perspective shifts. We see Laswell from behind, and the team looks up at her, and then the second person beside her. It’s Soap (We can tell from the mohawk) We see the relieved faces of the team, but do not yet see Soap’s face. The team makes comments about how they’re glad he’s survived and in one piece. Price echoes the sentiment that he wishes their other member could join them. The team looks once more to Gary’s grave. At that moment, Laswell clears her throat. She then says this is perhaps poor timing, but she has news. She reveals information given to her by Yuri, handing Soap a folder of several papers. The camera rotates, and we see Soap’s face for the first time: sporting the same scar as the original Captain Soap MacTavish. He looks inside the folder, which reveals the location of Gary ‘Roach’ Sanderson, previously thought KIA, now a Russian prisoner. He’s alive.

After credits scene: We see the remainder of Makarov’s men assassinate the Russian president. Makarov ascends to power, now in control of Russia. The world is set for the stage of World War 3.

Bonus scene: We see Shepherd under house arrest, waiting trial. The guards outside are quietly removed. Shepherd finds Price sitting in his office. Price confronts Shepherd, who is unrepentant. Price kills Shepherd in retribution for the injuries and wounds suffered by his men, as well as the frustration of Makarov getting away. Price declares his loyalty to his team in the face of any enemy, even if they were once an ally. We see Price enter a new stage of brutality, where he goes forward with absolutely no regrets.

This is just my interpretation. Frankly in my head this is canon. These blorbos now belong to us and not Activision and I'm going to write them a happy ending, goddammit. I hope this was of some comfort to folks shattered by the campaign. Writing this really helped me get over my feelings for this game. I hope you enjoyed.

#mwiii rewrite #mw3 rewrite #mw3 #mwiii spoilers #mwiii #mw3 spoilers #call of duty mw3 #simon ghost riley #soap mw3 #cod mwiii #cod mw3 #modern warfare 3 #tbh I have an entire separate ending with Price's death but I decided I liked this one better

[sovietpostcards]

A child in Chukotka (Russian Far North-East). Photo by Vasily Shumkov (1980).

#1980s #traditional dress #children #winter #soviet #ussr #russia #history #photography #black and white

[mightyflamethrower]

“Name me a single objective we’ve ever set out to accomplish that we’ve failed on. Name me one, in all of our history. Not one!”

-President Joe Biden, August 16, 2023 

Joe Biden in one of his now accustomed angry “get off my grass” moods dared the press to find just one of his policies/objectives that has not worked. Silence followed.

Perhaps it was polite to say nothing, given even the media knows almost every enacted Biden policy has failed.

Here is a summation of what he should instead apologize for.

Biden in late summer 2021 sought a 20th anniversary celebration of 9/11 and the 2001 subsequent invasion of Afghanistan. He wished to be the landmark president that yanked everyone out of Afghanistan after 20 years in country. But the result was the greatest military humiliation of the United States since the flight from Vietnam in 1975.

Consider the ripples of Biden’s disaster. U.S. deterrence was crippled worldwide. China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea almost immediately began to bluster or return to their chronic harassment of U.S. and allied ships and planes. We left thousands of allied Afghans to face Taliban retribution, along with some Western contractors.

Biden abandoned a $1 billion embassy, and a $300 million remodeled Bagram airbase strategically located not far from China and Russia, and easily defensible. Perhaps $50 billion in U.S. weaponry and supplies were abandoned and now find their way into the international terrorist mart.

All our pride flags, our multimillion gender studies programs at Kabul University, and our George Floyd murals did not just come to naught, but were replaced by the Taliban’s anti-homosexual campaigns, burkas, and detestation of any trace of American popular culture.

Vladimir Putin sized up the skedaddle. He collated it with Biden’s unhinged quip that he would not get too excited if Putin just staged a “minor” invasion of Ukraine. He remembered Biden’s earlier request to Putin to modulate Russian hacking to exempt a few humanitarian American institutions. Then Russia concluded of our shaky Commander-in-Chief that he either did not care or could do nothing about another Russian invasion.

The result so far is more than 500,000 dead and wounded in the war, a Verdun-stand-off along with fortified lines, the steady depletion of our munitions and weapon stocks, and a new China/Russia/Iran/North Korean axis, with wink and nod assistance from NATO Turkey.

Biden blew up the Abraham accords, nudged Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States over to the dark side of Iran, China, and Russia. He humiliated the U.S. on the eve of the midterms by callously begging the likes of Iran, Venezuela, Russia, and Saudi Arabia to pump more oil that he had damned as unclean at home and cut back its production. In Bidenomics, instead of producing oil, the president begs autocracies to export it to us at high prices while he drains the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve for short-term political advantage.

Biden deliberately alienated Israel by openly interfering in its domestic politics. He pursued the crackpot Iran Deal while his special Iranian envoy was removed for disclosing classified information.

No one can explain why Biden ignored the Chinese balloon espionage caper, kept mum about the engineered Covid virus that escaped the Wuhan lab, said not a word about a Chinese biolab discovered in rural California, and had his envoys either bow before Chinese leaders or take their insults in silence—other than he is either cognitively challenged or leveraged by his decade-long grifting partnership with his son Hunter.

Yet another Biden’s legacy will be erasing the southern border and with it, U.S. immigration law. Over seven million aliens simply crossed into the U.S. illegally with Biden’s tacit sanction—without audits, background checks, vaccinations, and COVID testing, much less English fluency, skills, or high-school diplomas.

Biden’s only immigration accomplishment was to render the entire illegal sanctuary city movement a cruel joke. Given the flood, mostly rich urban and vacation home dwellers made it very clear that while they fully support millions swarming into poor Latino communities of southern Texas and Arizona, they do not want any illegal aliens fouling their carefully cultivated nests.

Biden is mum about the 100,000 fentanyl deaths from cartel-imported and Chinese-supplied drugs across his open border. He seems to like the idea that Mexican President Obrador periodically mouths off, ordering his vast expatriate community to vote Democratic and against Trump.

Despite all the pseudo-blue collar dissimulation about Old Joe Biden from Scranton, he has little empathy for the working classes. Indeed, he derides them as chumps and dregs, urges miners to learn coding as the world covets their coal, and studiously avoids getting anywhere near the toxic mess in East Palestine, Ohio, or so far the moonscape on Maui.

Bidenomics is a synonym for printing up to $6 billion dollars at precisely the time post-Covid consumer demand was soaring, while previously dormant supply chains were months behind rebooting production and transportation. Biden is on track to increase the national debt more than any one-term president.

In Biden’s weird logic, if he raised the price of energy, gasoline, and key food staples 20-30 percent since his inauguration without a commensurate rise in wages, and then saw the worst inflation in 40 years occasionally decline from record highs one month to the next, then he “beat inflation.”

But the reason why more than 60 percent of the nation has no confidence in Bidenomics is because it destroyed their household budgets. Gas is nearly twice what it was in January 2021. Interest rates have about tripled. Key staple foods are often twice as costly—meat, vegetables, and fruits especially.

Biden has ended through his weaponized Attorney General Merrick Garland the age-old American commitment to equal justice under the law. The FBI, DOJ, CIA, and IRS are hopelessly politically compromised. Many of their bureaucrats serve as retrieval agents for lost Biden family incriminating laptops, diaries, and guns. In sum, Biden criminalized opposing political views.

Biden has unleashed the administrative state for the first time in history to destroy the Republican primary front runner and his likely opponent. His legacy will be the corruption of U.S. jurisprudence and the obliteration of the American reputation for transparent permanent government that should be always above politics, bribery, and corruption.

If in the future, an on-the-make conservative prosecutor in West Virginia, Utah, or Mississippi wishes to make a national name, then he has ample precedent to indict a Democrat President for receiving bad legal advice, questioning the integrity of an election, or using social media to express doubt that the new non-Election-Day balloting was on the up-and-up, or supposedly overvaluing his real estate.

The Biden family’s decade-long family grifting will likely expose Joe Biden as the first president in U.S. history who fitted precisely the Constitution’s definition of impeachment and removal—given his “high crimes and misdemeanors” appear “bribery”-related. If further evidence shows he altered U.S. foreign policy in accordance with the wishes from his benefactors in Ukraine, China, or Romania, then he committed constitutionally-defined “treason” as well.

Defunding the police, and pandemics of exempted looting, shoplifting, smashing, and grabbing, and carjacking merit no administrative attention. Nor does the ongoing systematic destruction of our blue bicoastal cities, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. All that, along with the disasters in East Palestine or Maui are out of sight, out of mind from a day at the beach at Biden’s mysteriously purchased nearly 6,000 square-foot beachfront mansion.

Biden ran on Barack Obama-like 2004 rhetoric (“Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America).”

And like Obama, he used that ecumenical sophistry to gain office only to divide further the U.S. No sooner than he was elected, we began hearing from the great unifier eerie screaming harangues about “semi-fascists” and “ultra-MAGA” dangerous zealots, replete with red-and black Phantom of the Opera backdrops.

What followed the unifying rhetoric was often amnesties and exemptions for violent offenders during the 120 days of rioting, looting, killing, and attacks on police officers in summer 2020.  In contrast, his administration lied when it alleged that numerous officers had died at the hands of the January 6 rioters. In addition, the Biden administration mandated long-term incarceration of many who committed no illegal act other than acting like buffoons and “illegally parading.”

The message was exemptions for torching a federal courthouse, a police precinct, or historic church or attempting to break into the White House grounds to get a president and his family—but long prison terms for wearing cow horns, a fur vest, and trespassing peacefully like a lost fool in the Capitol.

Finally, Biden’s most glaring failure was simply being unpresidential. He snaps at reporters, and shouts at importune times. He can no longer read off a big-print teleprompter. Even before a global audience, he cannot kick his lifelong creepy habit of turkey-gobbling on children necks, blowing into their ears and hair of young girls, and squeezing women far too long and far too hard.

His frailty redefined American presidential campaigning as basement seclusion and outsourcing propaganda to the media. And his disabilities only intensified during his presidency. Biden begins his day late and quits early. He has recalibrated the presidency as a 5-hour, 3-day a week job.

If Trump was the great exaggerator, Biden is our foremost liar. Little in his biography can be fully believed. He lies about everything from his train rides to the death of his son to his relationship with Biden-family foreign collaborators, to vaccinations to the economy. Anytime Biden mentions places visited, miles flown, or rails ridden, he is likely lying.

Biden continues with impunity because the media feels that a mentally challenged fabulist is preferable to Donald Trump and so contextualizes or ignores his falsehoods. Never has a U.S. president fallen and stumbled or gotten lost on stage so frequently—or been a single small trip away from incapacity.

So, yes, Biden’s initiatives have succeeded only in the sense of becoming successfully enacted—and therefore nearly destroying the country.

[czascornertfs]

In Another Place, In Another Time (1)

Jack had a habit of wandering off into the library in his off time. A man in his mid-twenties, he liked gazing upon the rows of shelves. Not for books, but to simply revel in fond memories of the past. As a teenager in the 2000s, he used to bring with him his old Nokia phone and simply message other people, free from the judgmental eyes of his peers and teachers. But today was different. On the horizon lay an intimidating activity about the different countries of the world. A "simple" geography quiz where the teacher would pick a city from a different country and the student's would have to answer interesting facts about it, without repetition. This week's country: Russia. "Why on Earth did I choose World History...", he thought to himself, rubbing his eyes in general upset.

Quickly finding a spot to read some books, he brushed up on Russia's many different cities, from Vladivostok, to Irkutsk, to the far northern reaches of Murmansk. Each fact slowly blending together however, causing him to become slightly panicked. "Dammit! I can't remember sh*t!", he angrily mumbled to himself.

As he was to return a book to move onto another one, he spotted something strange. In the far back of the shelf lay what he thought was a strange black covering of some sort. Pulling it out, he breathed back in surprise: it was a Nokia 8210. Not the exact one he had but, the same model nonetheless. "The hell..." Jack thought to himself, pressing the selection key to turn it on. Almost immediately, he found his surroundings blur into an incoherent mess, as his eyesight became weaker and weaker, before everything became black. No longer than a few seconds later, he blinked. He found himself in an unfamiliar bathroom, staring at his phone on the toilet. Panic rushed in, as he quickly exited the bathroom. "What the FUCK just happened to me?!" he thought. As he swung open the doors of his stall, he locked eyes with a stranger. Approaching it to ask for help, the man in front of him did as well, with the exact same expression. He stopped in his tracks. With shaking hands, he lifted his Nokia as the man in front of him did the same. A flash. This was a mirror. That man was him.

"Ч-что…" (Wh-what...) He covered his mouth. Russian. He was a Russian man. In some Russian bathroom. Wearing Russian clothes. In Russia. The thought circled over and over in his head as he stepped back. "Что, черт возьми, со мной случилось?!" (What the fuck happened to me?!) He screamed again, clutching his throat as a deeper voice vibrated within him, the Russian words flowing out like a rushing river. He quickly went through his pockets and found his driver's license.

Name: Alexandr Mishin Date of Birth: 24 December 1976

He quickly pocketed it. Checking his Nokia, he found something even stranger and frankly, more terrifying. The date was listed as 8 April 2000. That would make him 24, the same age he was before everything changed. "П-подожди. Я ВЕРНУЛСЯ В 2000-е?!" (W-wait, I'M BACK IN THE 2000'S?!) He screamed. Almost immediately, a wave of discomfort hit his head, as his vision became blurrier before quickly going back to normal. In that span of time he suddenly remembered everything about his new life. How he was born in Moscow before moving to the city of Norilsk way in the north of Siberia. He remembered how he dropped out of school fairly early, and was not considered to be the smartest tool in the shed. He remembered how he worked out almost everyday, not giving a damn about fickle matters like math, reading, nor world history. He was still literate enough to read and understand basic signs, words, and sentences, but something like акклиматизация (acclimatization) took a few minutes before the meaning popped into his head. He was still gay, but now he had to ever-so-slightly hide it when among his peers, who were currently in mandatory military service. He remembered how he had managed to bribe the officer's to avoid it, still being gifted a camouflage-patterned uniform which he wore almost everywhere to pretend he already finished his service. Slowly stepping up and rubbing his forehead, he looked down once more at his muscular frame, rubbing his sensitive nipples and running his hands along his head. "О боже… Я так чертовски возбужден…" (Oh god...I'm so FUCKING horny...). Pulling his pants down and leaning down a wall, he pulled up his cock and began stroking it. With each successive stroke, the panic from his head gradually formed into uncontrollable pleasure. His mind swirled with thoughts of fucking muscular Russian men, as he touched himself all over his body. His lips, nose, eyes, ears, were perfectly proportioned. His hair, while shaved, was so exciting and fun to rub his hands over. His muscles were all so supple, and so sensitive when touched, as was his ass and cock. And his cock was long, standing proud at a whopping seven inches long and being the width of half his wrist.

He tugged and tugged, his mind becoming even foggier as he got closer to the edge. And then it happened. Ropes of hot steaming cum raced down his shaft as it splattered across the bathroom floor. His breath was still shaky from the ongoing orgasm, as his cock quivered. With each rope of cum, it seemed as though something from his past became blurrier. Sure, he knew who he was and what he was doing, but he started to forget what year it had even happened. Images of more-modern smartphones, new fast-food items, and even some celebrities he used to love and became a fan of.

"…Перенесли на десять лет назад? Нет, нет... наверное, восемь лет... может быть, шесть? " (...Was I transported back ten years? No, no... probably eight years... maybe six?) He thought to himself as the years started blurring together.

"...w...v....vat'ever...." He said in an accented English, slightly limited and dumbed down by this point, before hurriedly fixing his clothes and leaving the bathroom. The cum stayed behind on the cold floor tiles. He was back in 2000, the dawn of the new millennium, and he was excited to relive it, even though he was in another place, in another time. His cock stirred in his pants, and he knew exactly how he would live this new life.

#male transformation #male tf #inanotherplaceinanothertime #nationality tf #time travel tf

[mezzy-1]

VALORANT MEETING + DATE HEADCANONS

Hope you enjoy!

SOVA 

He was finishing recon in a snowy forest late at night and was done for the day.  He outstretched his arm and sent out the Owl Drone

So far, you had been hiking for about 8 hours through frigid woods and gotten lost about 2 hours earlier.  You were trying to make camp for the night but failing to start a fire

You caught a glimpse of Sova’s drone and followed it back to the man, who immediately regarded you with some suspicion but could see you were of his dimension 

Deciding to keep an eye on you, he led you back to his campsite and helped you set up your tent next to his

He was kind, and he quietly offered you a seat next to him by the fire.  Both of you sat awkwardly at first, not quite sure how to handle the silence

“Do you do archery out here?  I noticed the bow and wanted to ask…” you trailed off as he looked at you 

He removed the bow and two arrows from his sling.  “Would you like a look at them?”  You moved closer and inspected them.  The technology was intricate but your eyes wandered over to the man sitting close to you

“What brings you out here?”

“I wanted to do the Blue Lakes trail but I got lost a while back.  I was planning on stargazing at the top but…” you gestured to your compass, “I got lost”

“I leave here tomorrow, and I can show you to the trail if you would like.”  Sova offered

You accepted his offer and both of you went to your tents for the night

Humiliatingly, the trail back was marked but Sova didn’t seem to care that you got lost so easily.  The two of you just chatted about the surroundings while traveling onward

At the trailhead, you had to part ways.  But it didn’t have to be the end, and you made a fast decision and asked to see him again

“I’d love to!  What did you have in mind?”

Sova Date

At the trailhead, you finished tying your boots before a familiar voice called out

“Hello y/n!  Should we start walking?”  Sova had dressed in pants and a blue flannel jacket

Both of you continued up to a clearing in the forest, just as the sun was begging to set

You laid out a large blanket from your pack and set it down.  Sova took out a pair of bags and bottles of water

You hadn’t expected him to bring home cooked food, but you weren’t complaining either

Sova and you made yourselves comfortable, and ate while you waited for the evening to turn to night

Conversing with him was always peaceful.  He listened deeply and always responded with optimism or curiosity

The North Star was the first to appear, followed by a few faint constellations

Within an hour, the sky was overrun with stars.  Each point of light layered on another creating a portrait of the galaxy

Sova and you took turns pointing out constellations, each time trying to remember what each star was named 

Both of you relied on the book of astronomy you brought along to figure out what was in the sky

Sova had an understanding of stars to navigate, and would name stars in Russian or translate what he could

Although you and him were occupied with stargazing, you started to succumb to the cold of the night

“Y/N, are you cold?”

“No, it’s nothing you need to-”

Sova took his jacket off and place it on you.  The lining inside was warm from Sova’s body heat

“Are you still cold?  Come here, and stay close to me.”  Sova gestured for you to join his side

For the rest of the night, you and him stayed in almost constant contact until you both decided to head back

You followed behind Sova, his sense of direction and torch lit the way.  Despite being deep in the wilderness, you felt safe in his presence

When you arrived at the trailhead, Sova said his goodbyes.  He made sure you would arrive home safely before leaving.  His jacket was still on you

“Sova, you forgot this.” you held his jacket out to him.  

“Keep it Y/N, I want you to have it for the next outing.  I hope it brings you much warmth and comfort while I am away.”

“Here’s something to remind you of me.” you gave Sova a kiss

He was a blushing mess, and held you close before departing back to the Valorant HQ

While you traveled back to your home, you ran your fingers over the soft material of Sova’s jacket.  It smelled faintly of him

DEADLOCK

You were in LA when the Landfall facility erupted and you were caught in the crossfire of Omega and Alpha variants.  A single Shock Arrow went off course and hit you with enough voltage to knock you out

Once you came to, Deadlock had finished performing CPR on you, including mouth to mouth. 

When you came to, your face was covered in blonde locks of hair, gazing into eyes with intense blue irises, and her body pressed against yours

Iselin was red in the face, and so were you.  Perhaps for the same reason…

Other agents were finishing off the Omega team, Iselin didn’t really have anything else to worry about other than stabilizing you

“Can you tell me your name?” she asked, hoping to establish if you were coherent

You replied perfectly, and set her at ease.  Then you had an idea, and asked for her name

“Deadlo- Iselin, my name is Iselin” she responded

Because you managed to get at least a name, you pressed your luck and asked more about her

“That will have to wait, we’re taking you a hospital to make sure you weren’t injured in any other way”

Sage gave you a check up and confirmed you were fine, then hooked up a heart monitor before leaving to inspect other agents

Iselin walked over to see how you were doing, then sat next to your cot.  It was another chance to get to see her and you tried to converse politely with her

As you chatted she kept looking over your shoulder to something, all while still remaining invested in your conversation

“Do I make you nervous?” She asked softly

“What!  No!  Why would you think that?” you quickly answered back

“It’s just that the monitor says you have an elevated heart rate.”

Looking behind you, the screen did show you that weren’t as relaxed 

“Oh!” you exclaimed, “It’s just that, I find you kind of… attractive”

The machine was beeping rapidly now, but not detracting from the silence that swallowed the moment between you and Iselin.  She spoke first

“Would you like to spend some time together then?”  she was blushing as much as you 

As you walked out of the clinic, you made plans to see her again

Deadlock Date

You and Iselin decided to meet at a Valorant safehouse that Cypher had once used.  He promised he removed all the cameras

She had prepared some ingredients for dinner you could cook together.  Cooking was something she did with her old team

Because you were in LA still, she managed to find fresh salmon at a market and decided to cook it

She gutted it in front of you, and taught you how to debone, clean and prepare the fish.  Her skill with the knife was amazing, if not intimidating

You asked a for some help and she took your hand, showing you the right way to cut

The rest of the preparation was easier, requiring less input.  It was during this that you talked to Iselin 

For her, it was refreshing to find someone who didn’t know about her past, the trauma she’d endured, and could let in gradually

You came to understand that she was ex-military but nothing official.  Her main expertise was in tracking and scouting, which you decided to test

You’d ask about urban legends or survival stories and she’d debunk them or let in on a fact about hunting

The incredulous reactions you had managed to coax a smile out of her

As dinner began, you both started sharing more personal stories and began to get more well-acquainted with the other’s background

Iselin bristled when you asked why she was with Valorant, and she decided to say as much as she could stomach

“I had something happen to me and they were there for me.”  Her eyes darted to her prosthetic arm

There was a moment of silence, tension rose 

“I’m glad they were there for you, if they weren’t I don’t think I would have met you.” 

The words touched Iselin deeply, and she could only utter out a phrase

“Tusen takk.” she smiled up at you 

As you finished your dinner you both had easier conversations about personal tastes.  It was here you found that Iselin enjoyed hiking 

“Would you like to go hiking with me?” you asked tentatively

Iselin’s face lit up and she quickly responded with “Ja takk!”

Sadly she had to leave soon and you both exited the safehouse.  Iselin turned to you as you closed the door 

“Y/N, thank you.  It hasn’t been easy to let people get close but you’ve helped me relax a bit.  I won’t forget you y/n.” 

You got the sense Iselin was signaling something, and you leaned in.  She kissed you and held you close, then cautiously let go

She left you the same way she found you: breathless

ISO 

Your day at work had come to an end, and you stepped off of your bus preparing to walk the rest of the way home

Iso’s had already began, as he was chasing down a member of his past corporation.  He had finished off their friends, now it was time to end them

His target had managed to jump out of the window to avoid capture, but Iso didn’t let up even as their chase took them onto the street

A small commotion occurred as Iso’s prey shoved you to put distance between his assassin 

As they ran past you, one of Iso’s headphones fell out 

Right in front of you as he ran into an alley from your sight

What else were you to do?  Of course you had to return it to him (not because you wanted to get a better look at him)

You began to head towards the alley to see if you could catch Iso in time.  Meanwhile Iso put his abilities into practice

Iso’s target fell right into the Kill Contract, and the assassin stepped into the space disappearing into the Interverse

Of course you didn’t see anything, just a few strange purple particles floating through the air nearby

By the time he stepped out of his Kill Contract he ran right into you and you both fell over

Iso was bewildered and worried a civilian had discovered his secret  

He and you caught a glimpse of each other and stopped struggling

Sheepishly, you handed him back his headphone and he took it back while being careful to hide the pistol he had in his coat

After helping you to your feet, you asked him what he was listening to and his reply of 99 God was a welcome surprise

“Wait, do you like his music too?” you asked

“Of course, I’ve been to some of his shows too.  I have playlists full of him.” 

You just happened to have 2 tickets to a concert of his, and seizing on the opportunity you asked if he would be interested

It was a yes

Iso Date

At the concert, you met Iso at the front before walking in together.  The ticket staff asked if you were a couple while scanning your passes

Iso blushed immediately and you felt your soul vacate your body

“Ye- maybe?”  “Well it wouldn’t be that, b-” “Uh I think so?”

You both hurried in to the concert and got over the shock

“That was kind of awkward right?  Who even asks that kind of question?”  Iso broke the tension

“I don’t understand people sometimes.” you replied

Eventually that faded into background as the music started, it was a something else to focus on

You and Iso joined the crowd in excitement, dancing and singing to the music that leapt from the speakers

The opening set was absolutely worth the ticket cost

“THIS IS AMAZING!” you cried out.  Iso agreed emphatically

Lost in the moment, you watched Iso feeling the rhythm as purple lights from a nearby projector shown on the crowd

You gazed at him in awe as violet lasers ran over both of your faces, he stared back with equal entrancement

Deciding to embrace the moment, you both stole a quick kiss when smoke machines shrouded the crowd and the show ended

On your way out, Iso and you both talked about your favorite songs, the performance, and the special effects

“This was a great night y/n, we should do something like this again.”

Barely holding back your excitement, you kissed him again before heading home

Iso walked back home listening to a track titled “Songs for Y/N”  

Being a hitman was a lonely job, and even since he had joined Valorant he still lacked closeness.  Luckily, he had found you

GEKKO 

Thrash had gotten away from him while he was out running a few errands, and he was worrying at this point

He heard the sound of the creature knocking over cans and moving around the isles.  He dashed over to see her pouncing from a shelf into a cart

Your cart

She didn’t revert to a globule, but instead curled up into the cart along with your groceries.  Gekko was beyond panicked at this point

You cautiously reached down and tapped on the critter, and when it nuzzled your hand you started to pet it

Gekko was astounded by Thrash getting along with someone, and stood there in awe as you picked her up and continued to scratch her belly

You noticed him staring at you with his jaw hanging open

“Uh, is this yours?” you asked while handing Thrash over to him.  She flew into Gekko’s satchel excitedly

“Uh, yeah, thanks for catching her.  I never see her get along with other people so it’s kind of weird to see her like this.  The rest of my crew is a lot more chill.” 

“The rest of your crew?” you asked.  Gekko realized he said too much at that point

“Well I’m not supposed to talk about it but…a no la importa ahorita.”  he summoned Wingman and placed him in your hands

You saw your chance and took it

“I’d love to get to them and you too if you wanted to do something some time.”

Gekko went red, then smiled 

“Meet me tomorrow evening at the Kingdom train depot, past the security fence.”

It was a date, one you were eager for but slightly worried about

Gekko Date

Following Gekko’s instructions was easy enough, getting into the trainyard was easy but the fear of being caught was palpable

It was kind of a rush though, sneaking by all of the cameras and guards.  You knelt down behind some crates and let out a sigh

A finger tapped on your shoulder and you twisted around in fear

“Oye, calma!” Gekko whispered.  “It’s me, you can chill.”  He smiled at you and gestured to a bag you carried

It was filled with spray paints of different colors rattled around inside.  Gekko walked you over to a train car he had already covered in stencils

He grabbed 2 cans gleefully and shook them together.  He tossed the other to you and grinned.  “Lista?  Let’s do this.”

You both got to work, assisted by Wingman to keep watch and hand paint cans.  Deep blues and electric greens covered the car at first, followed by pastel violets.  

Cans of paint traded hands, fingers brushing near but never touching.  Until Gekko looked up at the top stencil and had an idea

He hoisted you up on his shoulders and had you paint it.  Wobbling back and forth, you sprayed the last parts of the design before he cautiously let you down

“Ok, I want you to close your eyes alright?” Gekko pleaded. “Wait up, okay 3. 2. 1”

Your eyes opened and saw the beauty you and him created together

It was a scene of a jungle at night, navy blue foliage covering up most of it while neon green fireflies dotted the mural.  In the middle was a prowling jaguar with a cub between its front legs

“It’s beautiful…” you whispered

“you are too” whispered Gekko.  Wingman abruptly pushed you both together and you met each other’s gaze

Both of you kissed each other quickly before blushing and quickly breaking down into embarrassed apologies

“You, I.  We should, do this more right?”

“Yeah, por supuesto”

Wingman lived up to his name that night

CHAMBER 

You’d met at after a charity dinner hosted by Kingdom, and it was the most boring thing you’d ever attended

It was a show of corporate goodwill but mainly to placate the public.  The only reason you showed up is because the donations went straight to your city

Plus free wine, which you had taken and were drinking on a balcony that gave you some space from everyone else

“Fait froid non?”

You turned to see a tall man dressed in a fine suit and prismatic tie, his hand extended in greeting

“Vincent Fabron, enchante”

He took your hand, refraining from kissing it and instead shooting you a flirtatious grin

He made small talk with you about the event, and brought up that he had been with Kingdom as a guest.  Both of you started talking about each other's lives

Fabron asked if you had a partner

You blushed a bit and replied “no,” to which he responded “Tres bien, then would you be free for dinner sometime this week?”

You were taken aback by how forward he was, but then again he was a gentleman and quite handsome

A digital chime broke the silence and Fabron checked his wristwatch.  An alert was going off, accompanied by some V-shaped sign

“I look forward to meeting you once more,” he gestured to his watch, “but I am afraid I have some responsibilities to tend to.  Au revoir”

He waved at you as he went back inside and disappeared

In your hands was the card, which had the address of a high end restaurant and a time written on it.  The other side was the business card of Vincent ‘Chamber’ Fabron

Chamber Date

Dressed in your finest clothing, you waited outside of the restaurant building but were unsure where Chamber was

You pulled out the card to see if you had made a mistake and noticed a colorful glow coming from it

In a flash of radiant energy you were teleported, right into a private room with Vincent waiting

“Bonne nuit, I hope the teleportation was comfortable.  Let me get your seat.”  

Vincent had finished lighting candles, setting plates, and took your coat before seating you across from him

You sat down to a prepared dinner of salad, coq au vin, and fresh bread

Vincent pressed something on his watch, then teleported a bottle of red wine to his hand and opened it.  He poured your glass and sat down as he poured his own 

He began asking more about your life, interests, and even a few intimate questions

You naturally responded with your own questions, learning about his time at Kingdom and even a little about his time with Valorant

He asked about your life some more, not forgetting any of the details you told him the first time you met

By the time you both had finished the wine, it felt as if you knew the other as lifelong partners.  Vincent was listening to you explain something, but you became nervous

“Am I boring you?  I didn’t mean to-”

“I assure you, nothing you do could ever be boring.  There’s nobody more invested in you than me, Y/N.”

You were taken aback, and felt a spark of something.  On an impulse you leaned in 

Chambers' lips met yours and both of you kissed, he had found a private room so the moment you both shared was only yours to know

When you finished, Vincent sat back confidently with a somewhat knowing, if not smug, look on his face

“I’ve been waiting for you to do that all night” 

FADE 

Istanbul is a lively city, so the few places that offered a bit of peace were an oasis.  One such oasis was a bookstore in Kadikoy

You had paged through books but hadn’t really found anything that piqued your interest yet.  The saturation of supernatural romances and dystopian teen novels wasn’t helping

A woman with dark hair was also reading through another book, but unlike you was invested.  She sat at a table with a glass of warm tea

Her hands obscured the title, but you wanted to know if it was worth reading

Not like you had other reasons

“Uhh hi, what are you reading?”

You came face to face with mismatched eyes and a curious stare

“Dune,” she moved her hand to let you see the cover, “I’ve had it recommended to me by friends.  It’s quite good.”

You instinctively replied, “I know right, especially when Paul-” you cut yourself off before spoiling the book

Fade wasn’t normally in a mood to talk with strangers, but something about you was different to her

Normally she could feel fear emanate from people near her, however she didn’t get any sense you held fear

Of course this intrigued her

“Do you come to this store often?  I come here often but I haven’t seen you here before.”

You told her you were visiting for the first time but often went to another store that closed

“So you read often, what genre is your favorite?” she had set down her book

“I prefer science fiction, but I’ll read anything with good characters.” you replied. “What do you prefer?”

“The same, although I’ll read anything when I have the chance.” she took a sip from her glass

Just as she finished, one of Istanbul’s many cats entered the store.  A calico covered in large orange spots and one giant black spot across its back

It came up to you and began rubbing against your legs.  Then it came over to Fade and did the same

“She seems to like you,” you mentioned before Fade took the calico and fed it something from her bag.  She held it in her lap as it chewed on whatever it was eating

“Come, she is friendly.”  Fade invited you next to her.  Obliging, you sat down and started petting the cat

“What is your name?”

“Hazal”

“And you are?”

“Y/N,” you took your chance, “Would you want to get khave some time and talk a bit more?”

“Evet, that sounds lovely”

Fade Date

The neighborhood of Moda provided the perfect place to reacquaint yourself with Hazal

Naturally as you were on your way over, Hazal found you first.  The woman is a bounty hunter after all

“Merhaba!” Hazal surprised you and led you into a small cafe.  There were only a few other customers, leaving you and her mostly alone

She ordered khave, and you ordered the same.  The Turkish coffee brought to you was the first you ever had

It was like drinking coffee grounds and pure caffeine in a cup.  It was an acquired taste but very easy to acquire

Hazal and you talked about books you had read recently.  You compared some of the adaptations you both saw in theaters, agreeing mostly that the books were better

The conversation moved to life, and you asked about what Hazal did.  She mentioned that she did ‘private investigation’ but now works with a private security organization

It was a secretive topic, but you were fine with her answer.  It was more important to focus on the future

“Y/N, have you ever had your fortune read?” Hazal asked

“Not really, do you know how to tell the future?” you replied, you were curious at this point

Hazal pointed to your empty cup

You passed it over to her and she looked it over.  She searched it over and then set it in the middle of the table

“I see in your future…a deep unrest and sudden death.”  She turned up to you with a dire look in her eyes

“I’m going to die?” you asked.  Hazal’s facade broke and she laughed a bit

“Hayir, relax, it is only a joke.  In fact you’ll like the reading better now.”

You calmed a bit, and laughed a bit at how she managed to mess with you

“It seems like you’re going to go through some change, brought on by things beyond your control.”  she paused to look over the coffee cup, “But something will bring you great solace during this.”

“I wish I knew what that something was.  Do you see anything else about it?” you asked  

“Well I have one theory,” Hazal pointed to herself, “It could be someone, not something.”

You decided to flirt a bit more, “And who could that be?” 

“Someone close, someone mysterious maybe?  They could even be right here.”

“I’d bet they’d even go for a kiss if given the chance,” you caught Hazal leaning in as you said it

You shared a kiss with her, the first of many 

VIPER

She rarely ventured outside of her lab and between running Valorant and missions, she had to keep her time off brief and tended to try keep a low profile

Her time outside of the HQ was generally spent visiting parts of the world and visiting art museums

Viper had a particular love of the arts, and museums were often silent so there was little interference from other people 

Except for you

She was observing Goya’s Black Paintings, specifically Saturn Devouring His Son.  It’s savagery was overwhelming and therefore intrigued her

You sat down on a bench to observe it as well, and maybe the other person in here with you.  The grotesque painting was enthralling, if not disturbing to think about

Then she sat down next to you, and you tried to keep your eyes on the painting.  It was impossible not to dart your eyes over to her

“Why do you keep looking at me?” Viper spoke in a bitter tone

Thinking as fast as you could you explained that you weren’t looking at her per say, rather just the…painting behind her.  You were looking over at Duelo a Garrotazos

She raised an eyebrow and sighed, “That’s an awful lie.”

To prove your innocence you went into detail about what you knew about the painting:  History, interpretation, value, and origin.  

Sabine’s suspicion turned to interest

“You know art quite well, is it a passion of yours or a profession?”

“Just a passion, and I wasn’t trying to stare at you.”

“I’m not as concerned with that anymore, what I am curious about is what brings you here.”

“Just wanted to look at the collection.  By the way, I never got your name.”

“Sabine, and yours is?”

“Y/N”

“Have you ever painted before Y/N?  Or are you mostly a critic?”  Sabine’s intense green eyes studied your reaction

“Only a little bit, but I enjoy it when I have the chance.”

“Would you be interested in joining me at a studio sometime this week?  I rented a space.”

Caught off guard, you quickly asked if she was trying to ask you out.  She was less interrogative now, and being genuine in her offer

“I would love to.” you answered. 

An alert from Sabine’s phone broke the moment.  Her face contorted into exasperation, and she quickly texted something back.

“It appears I have something to attend to Y/N.  We should discuss this later.”

Sabine handed you a page from a pocket book with her number, and after she took one last look at the gallery, left the museum

As she left, you heard her mutter something about her lab and ‘Phoenix,’ whatever that meant

Her leaving was a bit abrupt, but you would be seeing her again and you could hardly wait

Viper Date

Viper didn’t tell anyone about your date except for Brimstone

In her space she had assembled what she could for a still life: a few beakers and a collection of poisonous flowers like Oleandar, Belladonna, and Hemlock

Her arrangement was of flowers sticking out of scientific glasses.  It wasn’t the most ornate but it did offer plenty to paint

Knocking several times, you waited outside for Sabine to let you in.  She greeted you with a softer tone than at the museum

You began assembling your palette with Sabine.  You went for realistic colors, she went for darker variants

Each of you took a couple of brushes, dipped them in a glob of paint, and began your still-lifes

As you painted, you started discussing what each of you did for work, then chatted about art and world events

Both of you blamed Kingdom for much of the world’s current issues, and Sabine shared stories from when she worked for them 

Some of them were definitely a little worrying, considering she had not only slightly poisoned coworkers but avoided being fired in doing so

Her understanding of chemistry was incredible to listen too, she had a clear passion for it

“Why do you like working with poison so much?”

“I’m good at it, there’s not much more to it,” she paused, assessing her answer, 

“But I guess I enjoy what they mean to us.  We fear them because we don’t understand them, but once we do they control life and death.  I like that, the power they give to those willing to take it.”

“So you think of what you do as a way to help people, but using something that people don’t trust.”

“I suppose so.”

“Do you ever feel alone then?”  Sabine paused mid brushstroke, “It must be difficult having interests people are afraid of.”

“It can be Y/N, but I’ve found it isn’t as bad anymore.  Poisons have their place in my life, people are earning theirs.”  She went back to her palette

You added in more pastels to make the flowers stand out against the background

Once you were done, you shared the results with one another.  Yours was more bright, and had heavier detail.  Sabine’s was more abstract, focusing on brush strokes and tone

At the end, you both exchanged the paintings as a parting gift

Sabine cautiously asked if you would like to have dinner some time.  She picked at one of her nails waiting for a response

“Of course!” you replied.  Then leaned in and gave a Sabine a quick peck on the cheek

She could hardly get a word out

You and her left the studio planning on dinner and more art nights in the future.  You had settled on portraits next

Sabine later thought about asking you pose nude for a portrait but dismissed the thought

CYPHER

Normally, you tried to stay away from explosions, gunfire, and energy blasts.  While slipping away you were caught in a leftover trip wire you didn’t see

The wire had tangled your legs, and forced you on the ground 

You were frantically struggling against the wires when you heard footsteps 

“Well, well, it appears a fly has gotten caught in my web.  Let’s see who it is.” a voice coldly whispered 

A man in a white coat and hat stepped from behind the corner with a gun drawn.  His eyes were hidden by a dark mask, mechanical blue eyes took their place.  Unfeeling

At least until he saw you.  Despite the mask you saw the shock take hold immediately

“Oh, apologies,” he reached his hand out and retrieved the wire, “I wasn’t expecting others to get caught”

The initial fear you had turned to confusion

“Who are you?” you asked

“I prefer people I don’t know to call me Cypher.  Allow me to lead you out of here.”

His offer seemed genuine and you didn’t have any other choice but to follow him into a hidden room where he sat you down

“I didn’t mean to catch you, I hope it was not uncomfortable.”  he sounded regretful, and seemed to truly care about you

“Here,” he handed you your phone, “you dropped this while you were struggling.”

As you checked your phone over, you noticed the screen was glitching out.  It was randomly receiving and exporting data

Your savior/captor was entering something into a desktop set up in the room.  He was typing up something while you scrutinized your phone

Cypher turned back to you, and you caught a glance of a computer screen.  It read: SECURED DATA

“So, Y/N.  What brought you out here?  I know you aren’t a threat, but I’m still going to make sure you don’t reveal anything to someone else.”

“How did you know my name?” Cypher pointed at your glitching phone.  “You hacked my phone?”

“No, I bugged it.  Check the back, I planted it there when I handed it to you.  I wanted to make sure you weren’t spying.”

A small silver disc clung to the back of your phone.  You struggled to pull it off, so Cypher offered to help

“You don’t need to worry about me holding onto any of your secrets, I cleared the data once I was done.”

“Do you always hack people's phones when you meet them?”

“Yes.”  Cypher’s answer was completely serious, not a hint of sarcasm

You asked more questions, getting a better idea of who this mysterious man was.  It was difficult to get clear answers

“Y/N, I trade secrets for a living.  Give me something and I’ll give you something.”

You thought intensely, then it hit you

“I’ll tell you anything about me you want, but on one condition.”

Cypher’s interest piqued.  He leaned in to meet your gaze

“If you take me somewhere that means something to you, you can interrogate me as much as you want.”

His mask stretched in brief surprise, then slyly relaxed as he sat back in his seat.  He clasped his hands together

“You surprised me with that Y/N.  It’s hard to surprise me, so I’ll take you up on your little interrogation.”

Cypher Date

Cypher’s coordinates and description were slightly difficult to follow, but regardless you managed to get there on time

You asked for the second floor room in the tea shop, and were led up some stairs into a room with cushions, drawn shades, and hanging lamps

The entire room was bathed in dim colorful light and smelled faintly of mint

Next to the table was Cypher, his mask undone but eyes covered with glasses

“Ah, Y/N!  Have a seat, the tea was just brought up.” he gestured to a silver tea pot

You placed yourself across from him and watched as he poured a cup of tea, taking care to stretch his arm upwards to let the tea cool as it fell

He passed the cup to you and motioned for you to drink.  You took a small sip from the steaming broth

It was the best thing you had ever tasted.  It was sweet like honey but had a distinct taste of mint.  Moroccan tea was your new favorite drink to say the least

Cypher enjoyed it with you

“So, even though I may have researched you for security I sadly didn’t get to know you that well.  Tell me more about you.”

You told him about what you did for work, and the places you had traveled to.  Cypher probably knew about it but was still invested

He had his fair share of stories too.  A life of information brokering and spying left him with some incredible tales

His ability to make you hang on every word was unlike anything you had heard before.  The man was a natural storyteller, and invested you quickly

By the time you and Cypher had finished most of the tea, it was getting late and you were beginning to learn more about Cypher’s personal life

“Can I trust you with something Y/N?” Cypher removed his glasses to look at you clearly.  His eyes were a deep shade of mahogany

“Sure, I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to.”

“My name, my real name, is Amir.  People who are close to me know it, I believe you should know who I am too.”

“Amir,” you said while getting closer, “that’s a beautiful name.  I’m glad you trust me with it.”  

Amir and you said your goodbyes outside of the tea shop, using his alias of course

“Cypher, before you leave again I wanted to thank you for saving me.”

“It was no-”

You kissed him while you had the chance.  You did want to thank him after all

Amir was more than receptive to it, and you eventually had to break it off.  Glasses hid his eyes, but not his excitement

You had captured him this time

YORU

You heard the sound of something falling over and metallic components spilling everywhere

Readying a baseball bat, you flung the door open and prepared to swing 

Instead of a thief or even an animal, you were face to face with an oni.  Spectral blue energy spilled from the out from the portal it was clawing its way out of

Its bright blue eyes glowed with power, and it stepped through the portal towards you 

In your panic you swung and hit him in the ribs

“KUSO!  THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!”

On closer inspection, the ‘oni’ from before was a man in a bike jacket and wearing a mask.  It didn’t change the fact he was in your garage

“Who are you and why are you in my garage?”  You readied another swing

“Yoru, and I just teleported here because I was making an escape.  I didn’t think anyone was home.”

After a few seconds, Yoru tried to get back up but stumbled.  A red stain on his shirt gave away why

“Did you get shot?”

“What of it?  You hit me with a bat so I don’t get why you give a shit.”

You realized that not only was Yoru wounded, he was also unarmed too.  He had nothing aside from the mask he wore

“Stay here, I’m gonna get you some bandages and gauze.”

“I don’t need that.  I’ll manage without you, plus I don’t think you know what you’re doing.  No offense but I’m not gonna take help from-”

Yoru winced as you applied rubbing alcohol to the wound.  He inhaled sharply as you cleaned the bullet hole and applied aid

Once you had patched him up, he sat in the garage across from you

“So what’s your name?”

“Y/N.”

“Do you always beat your patients before helping them out?  Or are you that bad at first aid?”

“You wear that mask because you got a messed up face?” you weren’t about to take insults from Yoru after you saved him

He removed the mask, and to your shock he was quite good looking.  He continued to scowl at you between sarcastic comments

He noticed the motorcycle in the garage, and gestured to it

“Oi Y/N.  That yours?”

“Yes, why are you asking?”

“I ride too,” Yoru adjusted his bandage before standing up, “looks like yours has got a bit damage.”

It was true, the motorcycle needed repairs and it was a chore to look up videos and learn to fix it.  It was good to learn, but time consuming

“I could look it over,” Yoru smirked at you, “but I’m not feeling so grateful right now.”

“Then you can come back later as thanks for me patching that hole in your stomach.  Sound good?”

Yoru was surprised at the offer, and despite his outward personality did retain a sense of politeness from his time as a yakuza

“I could come by again.   If I teleport in, you better not lose your mind again and hit me.  That pissed me off last time.”

“I’ll get it out if you forget to come by.”

“You’ve got a deal, Y/N.”

Yoru Date

Yoru teleported into the garage later than when he said he would.  A blue flash alerted you to his arrival

He went over to your toolbox, taking wrenches out and checking the sizes of bolts.  He also removed his jacket, placing it nearby

“Start it up, I wanna hear the engine.”  Yoru tossed you the keys.  The sputtering of the engine was not a great sign

“It’s the carburetor,” Yoru was absolutely certain in his voice

You and him got to work taking apart the bike and getting into the engine.  It was an older model of motorcycle, but Yoru seemed to know exactly what to take apart

Both of you finally got to the engine, and removed part of the engine block to get to the carburetor

“We need to replace it.  Give me a second, don’t touch anything else.”  Yoru disappeared into a portal

In the minute he was gone, the engine began to ooze black fluid.  You rolled your sleeves up and started to remove the engine block to keep it from leaking more

Yoru stepped back, holding a replacement carburetor

“What are you doing?”  

“The engine is leaking oil, I took it out so nothing else gets oil on it.”  

He got down to look at engine you removed, his disapproval turning to satisfaction.  He picked up a wrench and handed it to you

“Take the rest of it apart, we’re fixing the whole block.  After that, we’re gonna do everything else.”

After a few hours, the bike engine, tires, and suspension were replaced with new versions.  Yoru even stole some paint and redid the color on the bike

He got on the bike and started it.  A smooth growl came from the new engine

“Hop on, Y/N.  You and I are gonna make sure nothing’s wrong with the bike.” you both grabbed helmets

You got behind Yoru and held yourself close to his back.  Your hands were firmly around his torso

He revved the engine and peeled out of the garage.  Yoru sped towards the highway and weaved between cars

Street lights and vehicles blurred around you as the motorcycle rushed past them all.  Yoru’s driving was precise, but he was pushing the engine to the limit any chance he got

Cold wind forced you to hold Yoru tighter for warmth.  Even through the jacket, he kept you from freezing

Yoru’s driving had attracted some police cars, to which Yoru decided to let chase him.  He began the chase by popping a wheelie and tearing ahead

The cruisers tried to keep pace with him, but couldn’t match his speed.  Yoru flipped them off as he escaped

Suddenly a blockade appeared on your horizon.  Yoru seemed to smile through his helmet.  “Keep holding on.” he commanded

He drifted the bike into the blockade as he activated his mask.  You and him rode the bike into the rift

Your escape led you right into the garage, where Yoru skidded to a halt.  He hopped off the bike and smirked at you

“So, how do you like my driving Y/N?”

“That was insane.  I loved it!”

“You’ll like this too then.”

Yoru grabbed you and kissed you.  It lasted for a second but the moment seemed longer than that

When the initial shock wore off, you turned to a slightly blushing Yoru

“We should go for a joyride more often.” you muttered with what little sense you had

#valorant #valorant agents #valorant headcanons #valorant imagines #valorant fade #valorant viper #valorant iso #valorant chamber #valorant cypher #valorant x reader #valorant sova #valorant gekko #valorant deadlock #valorant yoru #valorant x you #valorant wingman #x reader

[15-lizards]

Hi, feel free not to answer this but I was going through your asoiaf fashion posts (stalker behaviour ik) and was wondering if you have any ideas on what kind of embroidery style the north would do? The stark sisters do it as a pastime and it's not like people are gonna have much else to do with the 80ft snowdrifts boxing them inside for years at a time.

Once again feel free not to answer this, I'm sure school must be stressful <3

So I take a lot of inspo for the north from eastern Eurasia, so I decided to go with Slavic/Russian embroidery for this one, particularly Rushniks

So according to the Rushnyk Wikipedia article: “The rectangular shape of the fabric indicates a life's journey and the ornamentation captures the cultural ancestral memory of the region…The needle has its own energy, an idea similar to acupuncture, and the color of the thread has sacred meaning. Red represents life and is the main color used. A rushnyk is given to a baby at birth, it follows the person throughout life and is used in the funeral service after death.”

Love how this is pretty much in line with a lot of Northern beliefs, practices, and superstitions. Young children are given them at birth for their protection, and maybe they are added to as they grow to symbolize their life so far and what they’ve done. Girls are taught how to make them not only for weddings but for funerals and births and as general protective talismans to wear and to have around the home

#asoiaf #what do I even call this #culture headcannoning? #culture posting? #based and anthropology pilled

[treespen]

Right now Dracula is a mystery in the wind, an elusive life-draining presence, one with the London smog. No one has seen him in the flesh there, nor names him. Only the Transylvanian people and Jonathan know, but they are far away and unaware, and the Russian captain is dead. Even Renfield who's aware of his presence and power, has only seen him as a bat (and that is only because we know from pop culture that he can turn into one). Mina saw a shadowy figure with red eyes that she couldn't tell if it was a man or beast before chasing it away from Lucy. That's what makes the mystery a horror in this section of the story. There's no mere serial killer, it's the Vampire, and no one knows, until Van Helsing crosses the North Sea.

#dracula daily #dracula #re: dracula #abraham van helsing #van helsing

[mylight-png]

You know what absolutely baffles me about the pro-Hamas/anti-Israel movement?

If you ask the people who consider themselves part of that movement whether they would ever choose to align themselves with the Taliban, ISIS, Al Qaeda or Chinese government, or Russian government, or North Korea, or Erdogan (of Turkey), or Maduro (of Venezuela) then the answer would be a resounding "No!"

Because all of those people, groups, and regimes are notorious for their violations of human rights. Everyone knows of how Russia treats queer people and their actions in Ukraine (and in history in general). Everyone, or at least most people, are aware of China's mistreatment of the Ughyrs. Most wouldn't hesitate to recognize and often condemn ISIS and Al Qaeda as violent terrorist groups with negative intent. Maduro and Erdogan (and Putin) are known to be problematic and oppressive and backwards. And do I even need to explain North Korea?

So I'm fairly sure we can agree, most reasonable people would not align themselves with these groups.

Well let me tell you something. Russia and China have shown support for Gaza/Hamas in the current war. Erdogan's regime siphons money to Hamas. There have been remnants of North Korean weapons found where Hamas has attacked, indicating North Korean support as well. ISIS has repeatedly helped Hamas, and their flag was found in one of the places where Hamas invaded. Hamas's attack on Israel has been repeatedly compared on the scale of 9/11 for a reason, the two groups share ideologies and goals as well. Hamas has established an Islamist state in Gaza comparable to the rule of the Taliban, going so far as having the death penalty for being queer.

I think we can all agree that those groups/governments/leaders are awful and horrible. (Gov, not people.)

So why are people who are always so quick to condemn those groups are also quick to support Hamas in the war against Israel? Even though Hamas literally goes against everything those people stand for?

I don't really have an answer, but I have a few guesses. Let's just say the main reason starts with "anti" and ends with "semitism".

Even if the people at the pro-Hamas rallies would never claim to be antisemites, their views are shaped by the antisemitism so constant in our culture. As I've said before, the propaganda we're seeing is nothing new, it's just been reworded to fit the modern political world.

It's the same blood libel and slander we've been facing since we've began existing.

And yet, I am still baffled by the willful and selective ignorance of those who oppose Israel right now.

I'll be honest, I will most frequently assume benevolent intent. These people often believe that they are actually doing the right thing, actually helping people. But they align themselves with groups and individuals who definitely do not have benevolent intent. And I find the willful blindness appalling and confusing.

#jewish #jumblr #judaism #jew #opinion #proud israeli #israel solidarity #discourse #hamas is isis #denounce hamas #am yisrael chai #fuck antisemitism #fuck hamas #antizionism is antisemitism

[tomorrowusa]

« Trump can’t beat Biden, but apathy just might. And the stakes are far too high to let that happen. »

— Columnist Eugene Robinson at the Washington Post. (archived)

Engagement is the opposite of apathy. Both engagement and apathy are contagious. We set the tone for people around us. Even boosting our signals can have an effect over time.

Be constant about messaging, this is a ten month project. Voters need to be continuously and creatively reminded of the stakes this year. If you don't remind them, who will?

Liberals tend to be squeamish about repetition; but repetition is the best friend of campaigners and advertisers. It doesn't matter if people you know get tired of your message as long as your message sinks in and becomes regarded as common knowledge.

Chances are that you still remember advertising jingles and slogans that you heard on TV when you were 7 or 8. That's how effective repetition is.

Ronald Reagan, no fan of the Evil Empire, was apparently fond of the Russian proverb "Доверяй, но проверяй" (Trust but verify). We should keep a different Russian proverb in mind this year: "Повторение - мать учения" (Repetition is the mother of learning).

We have it easy compared to Ukraine. They need to shoot down deadly missiles and drones Russia buys from North Korea and Iran. We only need to publicly and repeatedly shoot down MAGA bullshit and conspiracy theories while robustly firing back with our defense of democracy.

Of course things like voter registration and GOTV are still absolutely essential. But those are facilitated when there's a constant background vibe that freedom and democracy are on the line in November.

#donald trump #oppose trump's dictatorship agenda #republicans despise democracy #republicans hate freedom #messaging #repetition is your friend #democracy is under threat #register to vote #vote blue no matter who #election 2024 #eugene robinson

[strangerquinns]

Deadly Reunion| Chapter 19

Eddie Munson x female!reader // a stranger things apocalypse au

summary: You and Eddie have been best friends since childhood. But when the outbreak happened five years ago, you were torn from one another in the chaos. but now you’re left alone, after your group was killed by another radical crew, leaving you to seek out what was once home. // zombie apocalypse Hawkins set in 1993

warnings: angst + adult themes w/ descriptions of violence, blood, torture + other zombie apocalypse related issues (no use of y/n)

word count: 3.3k+

⪻ previous chapter | next chapter ⪼ | stranger things masterlist

** warning: chapter contains smut. mdni, thank you***

“They are camped out at the old Star Court Mall,” Enzo explained while his fingers moved across the map in front of him, circling an area toward the north. “A few of them stayed back and watched as the rest of the group filtered from Redding, which is only fifteen miles northeast. Seems they were like us and looting for supplies.”

You nervously bit on your nails as you listened to the man talk, noticing the slight hint of accent the more he spoke. Russian? Maybe. The cafeteria had been turning into a headquarters ever since Hopper broke the news to the rest of the camp of his plans. The majority agreed with what he planned; a small percentage disagreed. In the last few days, more runs were being taken with the need for supplies. Smaller groups so to be discreet in case they were to come across the radical group.

“That’s a risk to take on that large of a building,” Hopper spoke, his thick brows pulled tightly together with a pensive look.

“Flayed aren’t really out that way, too far North.” Enzo spoke “Not enough…resources.”

“This group is going to draw more this way,” Steve spoke up. “They brought a pack in with them in Redding.”

“Multiple packs.” You spoke, causing a few of the heads to snap toward you. “It’s like feeding off the chaos, the thrill of picking the Flayed off one by one as they moved through.”

“These people sound like monsters.” Joyce Byers spoke from the seat to the left of Hopper.

“That would be a good description.” You nodded, your teeth biting at the nails and sore skin around them.

“I think that’s enough for today.” Hopper spoke, grabbing the mug he’d been sipping on all day, “Let’s regroup in the morning. I’m sure we all could use a break.”

One by one people began to spill out of the room, small groups of people talking amongst themselves and lingering behind. Eddie walked across the room toward you and quickly wrapped an arm around you, pulling you tightly against his side.

You leaned into him and sighed softly with your arms wrapping around him as well. The two of you just stood there for a moment in silence before Eddie pulled back and pressed a kiss to your forehead. You felt the calloused touch of his thumb against your cheek as your eyes closed gently. His touch - it was a soft relief to the worry that was clouding your brain.

“You want to get out of here?” Eddie spoke gently causing you to open your eyes slowly. His dark eyes were focused solely on you. Eddie was so close you were able to nearly count the freckles that danced across his face.

“Where would we go?” You questioned with your brows pulling together with slight confusion. “Not many places for us to go.”

“Leave base for a little bit. Not too far, but enough for us to clear our heads…have some alone time.” Eddie shrugged. “Think the both of us need it?”

“Ok,” You nodded before he stepped back and threaded his fingers with yours.

The two of you slipped out of the room quickly with the last few before leaving out of the main building. Many of the others returned to their normal work and routine. The camp was buzzing as people prepared for the colder months that were quickly approaching. It seemed every morning was colder than the last and fewer trees had leaves on them. You and Eddie stopped at his trailer for a few things before leaving out of the main gate. Your fingers brushed against the knife you kept sheathed to your waist as you quietly ventured through the woods.

The forest surrounding the Lab was quiet in a serene sort of way. But with the two of you still staying vigilant. It felt nice to be away from the noise of the Camp. Of not feeling the eyes of others on you as you moved about.

It wasn’t long till the two of you hit a residential street. Small cabins and homes are dilapidated and crumbling along a pebbled road. A few mailboxes were rusted with the faint memory of numbers and words along the sides. It was a shell of what it once was with time frozen. Cars still parked in driveways with people's items scattered across the lawns with broken glass.

“It’s a ghost town,” You spoke as you walked beside Eddie, your eyes moving from one side of the street to another.

“Yeah,” He sighed heavily “It’s weird, over time it’s like we’re not able to recognize what was anymore. Spent our entire lives in this town…and some places…just…gone.”

“You go through the town a lot?” You asked.

“Sometimes, we have to go in and clear out the Flayed that stumble out from the city, or wherever else the fuck they come from.” Eddie shrugged. “It gets harder with each trip. Seeing it all just die away.”

“Well, where are you taking me?” You asked, reaching over, and grasping his hand.

Eddie smirked slightly and gave your hand a squeeze, “You’ll see.”

He tugged on your arm slightly and pulled you down along the road a little more, the two of you picking up the pace the farther you got. When the two of you turned down another street, and you saw the white house pushed back into the woods with the boat house behind it, you quickly realized where the two of you were.

“Holy shit.” You gasped and stopped short in front of the house, Eddie laughing slightly as you stared at the moss and vine-covered home. “How the fuck…how did…”

“I was as shocked as you, sweetheart,” Eddie spoke before moving toward the front porch. “You comin’?”

You hesitated for a moment as you looked around the surrounding area, hearing the creak of the wood beneath Eddie’s feet and hesitating for a moment. A rush of memories came at you as you stared at the small home. It was like the ruin it had fallen into wasted away and instead, the version you remember was before you. Along with the sounds of heavy metal music and the heavy smell of weed.

“It going to be safe for us to be in there?” You questioned, your eyes darting toward the warped wood Eddie stood on.

“I was here not that long ago,” Eddie spoke, reaching up to move his curls from his face. “Actually, was here right before you found us.”

That was nearly over a month ago easily. It was odd to think of how much time had passed.

You crossed the front lawn and onto the porch with Eddie, crowding behind him quickly as he pulled open the front door. You didn’t miss it as Eddie grabbed his knife and slowly walked into the home. You stayed close behind as he did a quick sweep of the small home.

Reefer Rick's place was small to where you could stand at the front door and see every inch of the place. The dining room table was right to the left of the door, now knocked against the wall with the chairs. The kitchen is immediately to the left with layers of dust on every surface. The house had a thick smell of dust and something wet. Less than ten steps forward and you were in the living room. The cushion of the couch laid across the floor with a scattering of blankets and a pillow. You didn’t miss the empty beer bottles that covered the surface of the coffee table and an ashtray.

“Stay here, I’m going to search the bedroom and bathroom,” Eddie spoke, moving to take a step away from you, but stopping short as you tugged on the back of his jacket. He looked back at you with a questioning look.

“Going alone isn’t smart, ever.” You shook your head, “I’m right behind you.”

Eddie hesitated for a second, before nodding his head and continuing forward.

Eddie kept his steps short and tight with his arm raised, and knife ready if needed. You couldn’t hear anything but both of your shallow breaths as you stepped into the bedroom. It was empty. Just an unkempt bed with faded blue sheets and a dresser with the drawers ripped out and everything scattered on the floor.

“Nothing.”

The two of you did the same for the bathroom and came up empty. Eddie double checked the back entrance before the two of you relaxed.

“This place looks like someone stays here,” You spoke, setting your back down on the table by the door.

“Yeah,” Eddie scratched the back of his neck. “I do…well, did sometimes.”

“Alone?” You asked with wide eyes, he nodded in confirmation. “Eddie! That’s not safe.”

“I never came without protection and always let Steve of Gareth know where I was. I just…this has become my place to just get peace.”

You nervously bit on your lip before moving around and walking toward the couch and pillows sitting on the floor. You grabbed the light fainted floral printed blanket and began to place the couch back together. Eddie moved around behind you with the soft thump of his pack hitting the floor. Your eyes scanned around the wood paneling and felt the memories rushing back to the times you were in high school.

“So weird…being back here…” You laughed lightly to yourself, watching as Eddie moved to sit beside you. Resting back against the couch.

“I wanted us to have a little alone time and just away from everything, and not at the trailer.” Eddie shrugged, a little bashful, with a little red on his cheeks as he stared at you.

“Is this a date or something?” You asked with a small giggle.

Eddie reached down into the pack he’d dropped on the floor and pulled out two beer bottles, an even more coy smile on his lips. “Maybe.”

“Munson” You shook your head and took the bottle from his hand after he opened it, the bottle barely having a chill. But you already knew it was going to be a bit sour.

“Know you’ve been a little down lately, especially after everything,” Eddie spoke with a slight shrug as you took a drink, fighting back the grimace as you felt the liquid against your tongue. “And I feel like we haven’t been able to fully talk about it ever since you got back.”

You frowned and looked down at your bottle, “Talking about things isn’t really a date idea that I would’ve come up with.”

Eddie reached over and gently caressed your cheek, causing you to look toward him again. His hand moved till it caressed the back of your neck and rubbed gently. You couldn’t help but melt into his touch and close your eyes softly, whimpering at the massaging pressure against your neck.

“I don’t want you taking this the wrong way,” Eddie started “But we spoke of speaking when we got back after the run. And we sort of have, but I think seeing Nancy die did something, and we didn’t really talk to each other.”

You sighed softly and took another drink from your bottle, “Is that a bad thing? I forgave you; I didn’t think there was more to talk about.”

“No. Just don’t want that if it causes you don’t want to deal with anything after what happened in Redding.”

You closed your eyes tightly and let out a small noise of anguish, “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“This, trying to…pull things out of me…make me talk about things I don’t want to talk about.”

“Because I love you,” Eddie spoke simply “And I hate seeing you hurting because it’s clear that you are. I hear your cries in your sleep. Your begging.”

You didn’t need to ask what begging, or who you were begging for. The nightmares were clear, and you knew them too well. They switched but were all the same. Memories of loss. Memories of pain.

“Nancy did trigger something.” You nodded your head “My mom, seeing that, brought it all back to the surface. And I didn’t want to talk about anything else because none of it mattered anymore. We are shown time and time again that life is short, way shorter than we think now with how the world is. We have all lost someone” You swallowed thickly. “So why waste time rehashing things that don’t matter anymore when I have you now?”

Eddie blinked a few times as he stared at you before whispering, “Fuck,” He exhaled loudly as if weight we being removed from his shoulders. “Sweetheart, when you say it like that…”

“I love you, Eddie. With every piece of my soul and heart, I’m yours. Nothing else matters. Nothing.”

You spoke with such honesty and conviction as you choked around the words, feeling the emotion as your heart pounded in your chest.

“I want to have my time with you filled with happiness and love as much as we can. That’s it.”

Eddie reached his hand forward and wiped the stray tear that moved down your cheek.

“That’s all I want with you too,” Eddie spoke, his dark brown eyes shining with tears. “I love you so, so much.”

You moved forward and set your drink down before reaching for him. Eddie barely had time to react, setting his to the side as well before you were on him. Your lips moved against his in a way that made you feel like the two of you were one. Bodies pressed tightly together with your hands caressing against the others. Your hand moved beneath his shirt needing to feel his skin. Eddie pulled you onto his lap with his hands spanning across your back and moving down.

Your lungs felt tight with the need for air, but you didn’t care.

All you wanted was Eddie. To feel him, taste him, melt into him.

There was no doubt in your mind that Eddie was the person who was made for you. Everything felt like chaos unless he was at your side.

You pulled back and rested your forehead against yours, hands moving frantically as you rushed to unbuckle his belt.

“I need you, please…” You whimpered with a soft whine, both of you panting as his hands moved with yours.

You watched as he quickly unbuckled his jeans as you stood to do the same. The two of you seemingly became more frantic as seconds passed. The moment your pants were kicked to the side, along with your underwear, you moved back to him. Your lips met with his in a kiss that was messy - teeth clashing against one another.

There was a slight pause between the two of you. Eddie reaches up to caress your face gently and keeps his eyes locked with yours. It was a moment for you to back out. To stop, to take a second and think. But you didn’t need it.

“Eddie,” You whispered gently.

Without a thought Eddie’s lips are on yours, devouring you again, with your hands moving into his dark messy curls. You whimpered as your hips moved against him, feeling him warm and hard against your slit. You couldn’t stop the moment you felt, spreading your slick up and his hardened cock. Just from the feel of him, you knew Eddie was thick, large and it only made you hungry for him more. All on your mind was that you didn’t feel close enough and you needed more. You wanted Eddie to consume you.

Eddie’s hands gripped at the soft, plushy curve of your hips, guiding you as you moved against him. The moans and whimpering shared between the two of you with your tongues moving against each other. You pulled back to reach down between the two of you, palming and stroking his cock slowly, mesmerized as you looked down at him. The soft pink head glistened with a mixture of the two of you, pearls of precum drooling down the side of his shaft. Eddie reached over and gripped tightly to the couch cushion beside him as he let out a whimpered cry with his eyes rolling into the back of his head. His hips moved up against the stroke of your hand.

“Baby – I…fuck please – I need, need to be inside you.” Eddie choked out, his words soft and whiney with a glazed look in his eyes.

Never had you felt like this. So desperate for another, a feeling building up in your chest that makes your chest feel tight.

You rise more on your knees and guide him to your entrance, stroking his head against your slit, before sinking down. A shudder ran up your spine as you felt the stretch of him till he was buried deep inside of you. You sat there for a moment with your hands pressed against his chest and his still white knuckling the couch.

“J-Jesus fuck – oh, baby –,” Eddie choked out as you started to ride him – rolling your hips against him.

A soft breathy whine passed through your lips every time the thatch of hair at the base of his cock brushed against your sensitive clit. Eddie can’t keep his eyes off of where the two of you are joined, watching as your slick drips down his cock and into his pubes. It was a sight he wanted committed to memory for the rest of his life.

“You…fuck – Eddie,” You couldn’t think as the words leaving your mouth became more of an incoherent moaning jumble of words.

Eddie moved quick and flipped the two of you, moving you to lay across the couch with him stretched out above you. The leverage caused Eddie to sink deeper inside, making the two of you cry out. You felt breathless with how full he made you feel. It wasn’t even over, and already, you wanted more. With your legs wrapped around his waist, Eddie began to move faster with each thrust harder than the last. You whimpered at the feeling of him pushing deeper into you.

“That’s it baby, good fuckin’ girl,” Eddie panted, his darkened eyes staring down at you. Your pussy tightened around him more and seemed to pull him in deeper. “Oh…you like that? Like when I call you a good girl?”

“Eddie,” You whined, your pussy fluttering around him more.

“Gonna cum? I can feel it, can feel this perfect lil’ pussy – fuck,” Eddie bit down on his lower lip before cursing under his breath. “Let go for me, I need it…I fuckin’ need to feel this pussy milkin’ my cock.”

Eddie’s hand moved down between you and soon you felt pressed against your clit. A shout came from deep within your chest with the shock of pleasure that moved through you. With the feeling of his fingers against your clit and his cock hitting that spot deep within you, you were gone. Your walls spasm around him as you whimper his name over and over, like a prayer leaving your lips with each sigh. Eddie’s hand moves along your sides as your legs shake, his body pressing down on yours, as his hips move with sharper, sloppier thrusts. Eddie pulls out quickly with his hand fisting around his cock and stroking himself before you felt the warmth of him against your lower stomach. The sight of him sent another shudder through you.

“Holy…fuck,” Eddie groaned, before looking at you and letting out a soft giggle.

You couldn’t help but do the same, the two of you there with your bodies glistening with sweat and each other.

“God what I wouldn’t give for a picture of this,” Eddie spoke, groaning softly, as his eyes scanned over your body.

“You’re a perv, Munson,” You shook your head, “Now get something to clean me off.”

“Yes ma’am,” Eddie bent down and kissed you quickly before moving from the couch and toward the kitchen. You couldn’t stop the giggle from bubbling up again as you watched his pale ass as he ran from you.

So that happened...anyway...hope you enjoyed it....please leave a comment, reply, like, or reblog if you did! it really means a lot to me. come and chit-chat with me if you'd like, i love seeing what you guys think. till the next one! (also be gentle it's been months since I've written smut and I'm out of practice thank you. read smut absolutely, 25/8 I'm doing it, but writing...ehhhhhh)

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#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fic #eddie munson imagine #stranger things x reader #stranger things x you #stranger things x y/n #eddie munson x y/n #stranger things fic #stranger things fanfic #stranger things imagine #eddie munson smut #eddie munson angst #eddie munson fluff #stranger things angst

[paganimagevault]

Siberian snow goggles from the Khanty, Nganasan, & Sakha

Toying with an idea here. The concept of the one-eyed Arimaspians has me curious if this was a nickname for people from the north who lived in places where snow goggles may have given the appearance of having a single eye. Given a far enough physical distance and passing through the gossip of enough different languages, by the time this info made it to the Greeks what began as a nickname may have sounded like these people were literal cyclopes. Just a thought. I assume people back then used eye protection from the snow, in some manner, just like people do today. Some of the snow goggles (both modern and historical) do give the appearance of a single giant eye, while others have two eye spots. I wasn't able to find much on this as far as historical info goes, and unfortunately I couldn't find images of the ancient grave finds the article talked about. The oldest of the discovered snow goggles being 2,000 years old from northeast Asia. I'm not sure if the initial black and white sketch is of the ancient goggles or not, the post didn't explicitly say. Below is whatever info I could find on historical snow glasses in Eurasia: 

"In ancient times, like today, these goggles were made by skilled masters to combine effectiveness in blotting out the blinding light in some cases looking amazing.

Different ethnic groups across polar regions evolved their own distinctive style in snow goggles.

The most ancient known eyewear belong to the Old Bering Sea culture, the sites of which are located on the both sides of Bering Strait.

The oldest date for the culture - around 400 years BC - was obtained on Russian side, at Ekven graveyard, in Chukotka.

The peak of the culture is considered to be in second and third centuries AD. 

At Ekven and also Uelen graveyards snow goggles made of bone were found, dating from the first to the fifth centuries AD.

Some were decorated with carvings, some not, and examples are shown here in these drawings.

Later the snow goggle tradition by Eskimos, for example the Inuits and Yupik, and the Chukchi people.

While there was an obvious practical use for the goggles, a variant of these ‘spectacles’ xxxx is believed to have been used by traditional shamans; for example a pair of goggles without holes of slips was found at Ekve

The Event and Dolgans people turned to metal in making the eyewear with copper or tin or silver goggles inserted into a half-mask made of reindeer skin or other pelt, or, later, cloth obtained from Russian incomers. Decorations with beads was also a feature.

The same type of goggles was also used by other Arctic people such as the  Nganasan or Khanty. The British Museum even has some examples.

The tradition continues to this day and is thriving in Yakutia - also known as Sakha Republic, the largest region in the Russian Federation. 

Going back in time, the Yakut people used a wide range of materials to make goggles - metal, birch bark, wood, bone, skin, and horsehair. 

The goggles created from horsehair comprised strips of intricate net. A surviving 19th century example comes not from Yakutia but Tuva, the mountainous region in southern Siberia, now in a collection in the Irkutsk Museum of Local History. 

Most of the metal goggles in Yakut collections are dated from between the 18th and early 20th centuries. 

Again, some definitely had ritualistic uses: they were deployed by shamans, and not in everyday day life for use in snow.

Many Yakuts recall that their grandfathers had very simple goggles made of birch bark. 

Local historian Prokopy Nagovitsyn said: 'The round shaped silver goggles began to make an appearance in 19th century, when there appeared many rich people. 

‘The shape had a symbolic meaning - cross in the circle had been the symbol of the sun since neolithic times. 

‘Yet the cross-shaped cuts are convenient not when you are in tundra, but when you, for example, climb steps.’

Most of the older goggles look rather simple - for example a metal strip with the small deepening for the nose and slots for sight. Others have  two round metal discs with a slit to see through while blotting out most of the glare; these were fixed into a the mask of skin or fur."

-taken from SiberianTimes

#snow goggles #sunglasses #khanty #nganasan #sakha republic #antiquities #history #yakutia #siberia #arimaspian #british museum