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sweatermuppet · 3 months

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What is it like being trans in New Hampshire? I'm trans in Maine and generally consider NH the black sheep of New England when it comes to queer politics. Some of my trans friends consider it a no-stop zone on our roadtrips.

uh it's pretty fine for me. i get kinda sad when people say NH isnt trans friendly (a sentiment ive seen a lot lately). i had an openly transitioning teacher in high school. i had many gay teachers in high school. i was one of the first kids to transition openly at my school & there were a lot of struggles but it was also 6+ years ago & mostly teachers were under-educated & didn't know how to protect me. i got in a fight & suspended over a kid who was transphobic toward me, but i was allowed to use the boy's bathroom & locker room & all of my core teachers were pretty good about using my name & pronouns

i have multiple trans friends, just locally, & know other trans people a little further out in NH from following them on IG. some pretty decent art scenes in various towns & those are LGBT-dense. one of my trans friends started estrogen yesterday (prescription thru informed consent). i will say in my experience, NH healthcare is lacking for transsexuals—it's been easier for me to go thru Massachusetts or NH planned parenthoods, but ive been able to receive treatment fairly easily (cost being one of the only major negative factors)

as for people, a lot of folks kind of don't care? there are of course republicans & conservatives & a disheartening amount of libertarians, but in my day to day, it's mostly "live free or die" & if you're not hurting anyone, it's not too big of a deal. some of the republicans in my life (like friends' dads) have the attitude of "well i don't get it" but they still call me silas & are generally alright with me, aren't hostile towards me

i see trans flags pretty often. i saw a bumper sticker last month that was the shape of NH completely colored in with the trans flag. there are a bunch of coffee shops & bookstores & artsy places nearby i can think of that employ trans people, house trans art, etc

recently, anti-trans & anti-LGBT bills have been introduced & passed in NH. two passed last month, which can be read about here. i saw some pretty disgusting sentiments shared about those bills on twitter when they were introduced. those make it harder to exist here, but it's not impossible & it does not immediately make all residents hostile toward transsexuals. i don't want people to abandon NH because they think it's too far gone or too hopeless. trans people will always exist in every state & every country & every corner, no matter how hostile those places become

people here love me, regardless of how political parties view me. people here fight for me. there are trans people & Black people & disabled people here who are more vulnerable than me who i want to stay & fight for & protect. if you'd like to learn more about diversity in NH & how to protect various human rights, here are some orgs i am familiar with:

NH PANTHERS (anti-racism advocacy & education)

Queer-Lective (art, education, & connection)

Black Lives Matter NH

GLSEN NH (LGBT resources & education for schools/teachers/students)

Reproductive Freedom Fund of NH (abortion fund, sex ed, LGBT advocacy)

603 Equality (LGBT advocacy & education)

Lovering Health Center (reproductive care, LGBT education, gender affirming care for NH, MA, & ME)

Black Heritage Trail of NH (Black history)

ACLUNH (civil liberties + human rights)

#sorry this is so long. this ask made me soooo sad. i was just talking to my roommate abt the NH unsafe mindset the other day #anonymous

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dromaeocore · 11 months

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For those of you who like the idea of peer respites, I just want to say these are not the only alternatives to the mainstream psych system :] Here's a big ol' list, and many/most of them are peer-run. I live in America, so a lot of this is US-based, but I've tried to make it as internationally accessible as possible!

I'll start with the live-in options. So ya'll already know about peer respites, if you read my latest post about it. There's a few more similar things out there.

Soteria Houses - More long-term (months+) community homes for folks with lived experience of psychosis/similar extreme states, with peer support, that focus on a humane and person-centered approach. Much more freedom & agency than your traditional group home.

Hurdalsjøen Recovery Center - a "medication-free" (aka medication-optional) psychiatric hospital in Norway. Allows patients to choose whether to stay on or taper/remain off psychiatric drugs. Focused on healthy eating, exercise, and recreational therapy options.

Bethel House - Similar to Soteria Houses, a homelike environment in Japan for people with schizophrenia, etc. that focuses on social reintegration.

Organizations, clubs, groups, etc:

Students With Psychosis - A peer support community with programming for students with psychosis

International Map of Hearing Voices/Intervoice networks - Non=pathological support groups for people who hear voices, see visions, etc. US directory, UK directory.

Clubhouse International - Gives people with mental illness opportunities for friendship, employment, housing, educational, and medical services all in one place. Founded by a group of friends who survived a psychiatric hospital together.

Project LETS - A radical approach to peer support and healing that has a disability justice centered approach, giving people with lived experience a voice and focusing on mutual aid. They provide peer mental health advocates, self-harm prevention, and more.

The Mad Society of Canada: A grassroots community of practice that brings together folks who want to provide non-coercive, ethical, survivor-informed mental health services/policy.

Power to the Plurals: Resources and events for people who identify as plural/multiple/systems.

The Wildflower Alliance: Grassroots peer support, training, and advocacy community based in Massachusetts.

Alternatives To Suicide (Alt2Su): Peer support groups that allow people to talk about suicidal thoughts without fear of being committed to the hospital, etc

Trainings:

Intentional Peer Support = Trauma-informed peer support training

Emotional CPR - Trauma-informed mental health support training program for the layperson

Hearing Voices Curriculum: Targeted towards mental health professionals to better understand the experience of hearing voices. Warning: It's expensive!

Cities that have a particularly awesome way of dealing with folks in crisis/with mental illness/etc:

Geel - a farming community where residents welcome people suffering with severe mental illness/distress into their homes and live with them, share work, etc (Edit: apparently Geel is a small city with like 40,000 people and not a farming community lol, I was misinformed. Thanks to @roxbot for the correction!)

Trieste - a city with a community centered system of care that integrates housing and peer support

Warmlines (generally run by peers) and Crisis Lines that don't call the cops: (Most of these are taken from this post by trans-axolotl on Crisis Lines)

Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860, 24/7

BlackLine: 1 (800) 604-5841, has texting options

The Plural Warmline (No number, check the site)

THRIVE: text message line at 313-662-8209, 24/7

Promise Resource Network: (833) 390-7728, 24/7

Project Return Peer Support Network: (888) 448-9777 English or (888) 448-4055 Spanish, hours are Monday through Friday 2:30 PM to 10:00 PM PST and Saturday and Sunday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM PST

Wildflower Alliance Peer Support Line: 888-407-4515, hours are 7pm to 9pm EST Monday through Thursday and 7pm-10pm EST Friday through Sunday

Key Consumer Organization: 800-933-5397, hours are 8am - 4:30pm EST, Monday - Friday.

MBRLC Peer Support Line: 877-733-7563, hours are 4 pm-7:45 pm EST every day.

US Warmline Directory (unlikely to call cops, but check with the individual line first)

Misc:

CommonGround software - A software developed by Dr. Pat Deegan (an individual who was diagnosed with schizophrenia) that allows clients to communicate their needs to their doctors more efficiently to support shared-decision making with medication.

Open Dialogue- An psychosocial approach to psychiatric services that focuses shared decision-making and dialogue between client, providers, and family (if the client wants family involved), and often more minimal use of medication.

Integrative Psychiatry - A holistic form of psychiatry that focuses on nutrition, exercise, therapy, and psychosocial factors, where medication is just an aspect of treatment. US database of integrative psychiatrists here.

I will also give a somewhat honorable mention to Mobile Crisis Teams. They are a fairly new alternative to the usual "call the cops on your local mentally ill person". They are composed of nurses, therapists, social workers, occasionally peer support workers, etc. They hook the individual up with support/resources - which can often mean forced hospitalization/forced treatment FYI - but it is a step up from being killed by cops. Look up "[city] Mobile Crisis Team" to find out if there is one in your city.

A note: Something being on this list =/= it is perfect, just that it is an alternative to what we've got. So don't come at me, lmao. Feel free to add on if you know of anything else!

#long post #VERY long post lol #mental health #psychiatry #psych critical #psychiatry critical #psych wards #mental illness #neurodivergency #police brutality #antipsych #antipsychiatry #anti psychiatry #peer support #oh i'm gonna write a book on all this stuff btw uwu #WHAT ELSE CAN I TAG THIS WITH SO IT SHOWS UP FOR PPL???

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hometoursandotherstuff · 9 months

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Here's an 1845 Tudor estate with castle towers on a mountain overlooking Freshwater Cove and Gloucester Harbor in Gloucester, Massachusetts. 22bds, 16ba, 19ba, $9M. The description says residential, but it looks like it was a resort. (Maybe another Airbnb for sale?)

This is some Tudor, isn't it? Now, who left their shoes in the middle of the floor?

Very large sitting room with a sculpted ceiling and impressive fireplace.

This is another another staircase outside the sitting room. I notice 1 broken spindle and a missing one. I wonder if that would be difficult to replace.

Sitting room's beautifully carved fireplace wall. There's a great view of the water.

The sitting room opens to a game room/library/exercise room.

The dining room is set up for a lot of guests, and the first table has puzzles in progress. (Did you ever try to leave a puzzle out with a cat?)

Look at the huge commercial kitchen. This was definitely a resort at one time. The 2 stoves are regular house models, though.

Nice big bedroom, one of 22. This is all they show, as is usual for an expensive estate. They want appts. for buyers and serious ones, only. (No lookie loos, like us poor people.) Notice how they put a light fixture in each corner. That's different.

They don't show the interior of the towers. They may be decorative- there are several where I used to live and they're just lookout towers, empty inside.

Nice dock. I guess if you can afford a $9M house you can afford a boat, right?

12 acres of property and the residence is at the edge of it, so there's plenty of room for expansion.

Oh, there are hotels nearby. Maybe it was the competition. Looks like some shopping, too.

I think that the house is private, away from the hustle & bustle, but still close enough to all the services. If I was a gazillionaire I'd consider it.

#tudor estate #estates #houses #house tours #home tour

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pannaginip · 2 months

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Located 62km north-east of the capital Manila, Daraitan village in Rizal province is home to about 5,700 residents, a majority of whom are members of the Dumagat-Remontado indigenous people who consider vast hectares of the mountain range as part of their ancestral domain.

But the village may soon disappear under the same waters that give it life, once the Philippine government finishes building the Kaliwa Dam – one of 16 flagship infrastructure projects of former president Rodrigo Duterte that is being funded by China.

The new dam is expected to provide Metro Manila with an additional 600 million litres of water daily once it is finished by end-2026. Officials said building the 60m-high reservoir is even more necessary now that the country is starting to feel the impact of the El Nino weather phenomenon.

But it was only in 2021 under Mr Duterte that construction finally broke ground, three years after Manila and Beijing signed the 12 billion peso (S$288 million) loan agreement.

Of the 119 on the list [of flagship projects of the "Build, Build, Build” infrastructure programme], Mr Duterte turned to China to finance 16 big-ticket projects in a bid to cement his legacy by the time his presidency ended in 2022. He embraced Beijing during his term and even downplayed Manila’s claims in the disputed South China Sea in favour of securing loans and grants from China.

Analysts have criticised Mr Duterte’s infrastructure programme as ambitious. Perennial domestic issues like local politics, right-of-way acquisition problems, lack of technology and red tape in bureaucracy led to severe delays in the projects.

The same issues hound the China-funded projects – which come under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to build infrastructure in developing nations – with the problems made more severe by Beijing’s high interest rates in its loan agreements and local backlash due to displacement of residents or potential environmental damage.

Critics say the BRI has been detrimental in the long run to some recipient countries, especially those that have been unable to repay their loans, like Sri Lanka and Zambia.

The Duterte government’s failure to take advantage of its BRI loans was a “missed opportunity” for the Philippines, said infrastructure governance specialist Jerik Cruz, a graduate research fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The four completed China-funded projects under Mr Duterte were controversial too. But they came to fruition because they had the support of local politicians allied with Mr Duterte and therefore increased his political capital, said Dr Camba.

Tribal leaders said they were not properly consulted regarding the project that threatens their traditional way of life. Environmentalists from the Stop Kaliwa Dam Network also say the project would destroy 126 species of flora and fauna in the Sierra Madre.

The Philippines’ Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act states that the government must first secure a tribe’s free, prior and informed consent before building on its ancestral lands.

But Ms Clara Dullas, one of the leaders of the Dumagat-Remontado in Rizal, alleged that the Duterte government had either misinformed or pressured other tribe members into giving their consent.

She could not bear to hold grudges, though, noting that the Dumagat-Remontado organisations that eventually agreed to the Kaliwa Dam were each given 80 million pesos, or $1.9 million, in “disturbance” fees.

“The Kaliwa Dam is the reason why our tribe is divided now. There is a crack in our relationships even if we all come from the same family,” said Ms Dullas. “I can’t blame the others because we lack money. I believe there was bribery involved.”

The government requires them to present identification documents, and only those given passes may enter. Mr Dizon said this is to ensure that no unidentified personnel enter the area [close to the construction zone].

“We feel like we are foreigners in our own home because the Chinese and the people in our own government are now preventing us from entering the lands where we grew up,” said tribe leader Renato Ibanez, 48.

Mr Ibanez also accuses the Philippine authorities of harassing tribe members who are vocal against Kaliwa Dam. Some of them have been accused of working with communist rebels, a charge the tribe vehemently denies.

Unlike his predecessor, Mr Marcos is more aggressive in defending Manila’s overlapping claims with Beijing in the South China Sea, but still fosters economic ties with it.

Geopolitical tensions between the two nations and Mr Marcos’ stance towards Beijing are going to dictate the fate of the pending China-funded projects the President inherited from Mr Duterte, said Mr Cruz.

Tribe members said they would be more amenable if Mr Marcos would revisit Japan’s proposed Kaliwa Intake Weir project that Mr Duterte had set aside.

“We like Japan’s proposal. It would not destroy our forests. It would not affect residents here. The Philippines would not be buried in debt,” said Ms Dullas.

This was among the alternatives the Dumagat-Remontados offered during their nine-day march in February 2023, when some 300 members walked 150km from Quezon and Rizal all the way to Manila to protest against the Kaliwa Dam.

But they failed to secure an audience with Mr Marcos. They remain wary of the President’s position on the Kaliwa Dam and other controversial China-funded deals.

“As much as we want to fully pin our hopes on him, we don’t. We’ve learnt from past efforts to trick us, make us believe a project is about to end, only for it to be resurrected again years later,” said Ms Dullas.

2024 Mar. 3

#philippines #indigenous rights #dumagat-remontado #state violence #red tagging #infrastructure #environmental issues #afp-pnp

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thecorvidforest · 9 months

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I need you all to know about the Judge Rotenberg Center in Massachusetts.

(Content warning for below the cut: ableism, electroshock torture of developmentally & intellectually disabled people, mention of death)

Two days ago (Sep. 7th, 2023), the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that a residential school called the Judge Rotenberg Center can continue to use electric shock devices called GEDs (graduated electronic decelerator) that are worn 24/7 to attempt to control the actions of developmentally & intellectually disabled people.

JRC calls itself an education & treatment school for “emotionally disturbed students with conduct, behavior, emotional, and/or psychiatric problems, as well as those with intellectual disabilities or on the autism spectrum” (according to their website). They have around 50 residences throughout Massachusetts. Their strategies center around restraint and punishment for unwanted behaviors. At least five deaths are attributed directly and indirectly to their treatments.

They say these electric shock devices, which are stronger than a police grade taser and are irrefutably shown to cause permanent mental & physical damage, are “life saving” and that they’re used on people “for whom all other treatment options have been tried and failed”.

Here’s a short list of things their “students” (who are placed there by their families and very likely have no choice in the matter, and are disproportionately Black/Brown/Indigenous) are shocked for:

hand flapping/stimming

standing up

sitting down

swearing

speaking

not fulfilling a simple task

any perceived disobedience

making noises because of their disability

making noises while being shocked (such as screaming or crying)

sitting in the "wrong" way

acting without permission

incontinence

More info on JRC here and on their history here (content warning: graphic & disturbing descriptions of ableism & torture in both links, death & suicide in the 2nd link).

This is just the latest piece of an ongoing battle to stop electric shock treatment on disabled people. In 2023 we are still not seen as human enough to be the victims of human rights violations.

Info on how you can help here. Disabled people have been trying to get eyes on this fight for decades. Please talk about it. Please don’t let this go unseen like it always does.

#stop the shock #ableism #cw ableism #tw ableism #ableism tw #ableism cw #judge rotenberg center #shock therapy #torture #tw torture #torture tw #electric shock #cw torture #torture cw #disability #disability advocacy #developmental disability #intellectual disability #disability justice

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vivalas-vega · 1 year

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new perspectives / jake ‘hangman’ seresin x reader / prologue

new series alert !!!! I’m really excited about this one :) I’m still brainstorming a cute nickname for our reader here so if anyone has any ideas lmk and as always lmk what you think and if you want to be added to the taglist for this!

new perspectives / jake ‘hangman’ seresin x reader / prologue

to be tagged in future works, please turn on post notifications for @vegaslibrary

part one

word count: 1.7k

warnings: none :) series will include language, drinking, smut, the whole nine lol

You knew thoroughly and completely that this was supposed to be the most exciting time of your life… It was the time for new beginnings, to embark on new journeys and gain new perspectives but it didn’t feel that way at all. It felt like the sky was falling and your life was ending though it was truly just getting started and Jake was feeling the same way. Of course he did, you shouldn’t have been surprised, your families had joked you shared one brain since you’d first met at ten years old. A screaming match at recess landed the two of you in the principal's office with your parents and while you’d walked in as mortal enemies, you teamed up in your disdain for your parents and teachers assessment of the situation and left as friends, never to be seen far from the other for the following eight years.

“We knew this was coming, sweetheart…” he said, planting a kiss on your forehead as you nestled into his side. It was rather dramatic and you knew it, because he was right but that didn’t make this any easier. You weren’t leaving yet and neither was he, it was a simple question he’d asked… wanting to know if you’d made any college decisions yet and halfway through your answer you’d broken down. The weight of that decision had hit you like a freight train and left you wracked with emotion as you cried into his chest.

“I don’t want to leave,” you blubbered and he rubbed soothingly along your back.

“Yes, you do. I do, too. Trust me, if there was a Navy flight school in California I’d be there in a heartbeat.”

“If there was a good biology program in Florida, I’d be there in a heartbeat,” you replied and he just chuckled.

“Wouldn’t do much good anyways, I’d be off to Rhode Island before you graduated anyways.”

“Why would you say that right now?” you asked, another wave of tears cascading down your face. Theoretically you knew Jake’s dream career would leave him bouncing around not only the country but the world for seemingly the rest of his life and it was a disgustingly bitter pill to swallow.

“Hey, you’re going to be all over the place, too… after Stanford who knows where you’ll go for residency… then you’ll have your pick of fellowships because why wouldn’t you?”

“I’m offended you didn’t say Massachusetts for residency, you have to speak it into existence, Jake.” you mumbled.

“Your plans could change… it’s okay for plans to change,” he pointed out and you looked up at him deadpan. “Right, forgot who I was talking to,” he laughed. “We’re going to be okay.”

You shook your head, “no… we’re not.” This was where you and Jake differed. He had an unwavering optimism for your relationship's survival after graduation but you didn’t share that same hope. You knew what was coming, you knew how few relationships actually survived the first year of college. By some miracle if it did, it would only grow more strained once medical school started, and residency was a completely different beast… not to mention the fact that he would be frequently deployed only god knows where with no ability to call or check in.

“Honey…” he started, but you just cut him off.

“We have to be realistic,” you muttered. “I think we should…” you trailed off, feeling your throat grow thick, almost as if your body was forcing you not to say it because once you did everything would change. You felt him stiffen beneath you and your body’s attempt at self-preservation was in vain anyways, he knew where you were going.

“We should what? Break up?” he asked, hurt lacing his voice and you sat up to face him as you wiped your tears.

“No, I… I don’t want to break up, Jake, you know that… I just-”

“Think it would be easier?” he asked and you shook your head, taking his hands in yours as you tried to keep him from spiraling.

“I’m not saying this because it’s what I want, Jake. It’s the furthest thing from what I want, if I could make myself have the same dream as you and go to flight school with you so we could keep doing everything together like we always have I would. God, I’ve even tried to want that but we’re just… we’re on different paths. We both dream too big and eventually it was going to catch up to us.”

“So is this… are you ending this right now? Are we over?” Tears were forming in his eyes and you reached up to swipe them away as they fell.

“No. I’m saying that… I’m saying that we should soak up the time we have together, make the most of it before we both leave and when we do…” you trailed off again, and he cradled your head in his hands.

“When we do, we’re over.” You nodded, your face curling with pain and he couldn’t bear the sight. He pulled you in close, hugging you tight as if he loosened his grip you’d vanish into thin air. “I love you,” he mumbled into your hair and you nodded as you wrapped yourself around him.

“I love you too, so much…”

And you did just what you said you would. You made the most of the few weeks you had left. Your parents knew what was coming and loosened the reins, sleepovers that had stopped the moment you got together were no longer forbidden and despite their own grief at their babies moving out and moving on they allowed you to spend all of your time together because secretly your impending doom was just as hard on them as it was on you. The four of them had all known your relationship was an inevitability, even had wagers on when it would happen… your mom had won, something she boasted about frequently, she’d even gotten it right down to the day, your junior prom. They also knew what you did, that it would never survive the rigors of college, the unpredictability of the Navy, or the grueling schedule of residency. They’d raised two kids that were larger than life, two kids destined to become the greatest at what they did and you just weren’t old enough or mature enough to figure out how to make each other fit.

You helped each other pack, studied for finals, danced the night away at prom and walked with each other onto the field for graduation and when the time came to load you onto a plane to San Jose he was right by your side until he couldn’t be.

“This isn’t goodbye,” he said, sensing your body language as you turned to face him before entering the security line.

You nodded, “I know… I’ll see you at Thanksgiving,” you said softly and his hands rested on your hips. You had said your goodbyes to your parents this morning, they suggested Jake drop you at the airport to let you have your final moments in privacy… as much privacy as the airport would allow.

“We’re making the right decision,” you weren’t really sure who he was trying to convince but in the end it didn’t really matter. Neither one of you were sure this was true, but it seemed to be the only way to handle things right now.

You nodded again, “it’s not an ending it’s just… all we’re saying is not right now.” He leaned his forehead against yours, eyes fluttering shut as he pulled you as close as he possibly could and you felt tears spill out and onto your cheeks. “I’m going to go learn how to become a doctor, you’re going to go learn how to be the best damn pilot the Navy has ever seen and we’re going to be good.” Again, who you were trying to convince was up for debate. You pulled your head back to instead bury it in his neck as you threw your arms around his shoulders and breathed in as much of him as you could.

“We’ll be good,” he mumbled and you knew you had to pull away… you knew you had to turn around and walk away from him but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it just yet. You wanted to stay here, right here in this airport wrapped up in his arms for the rest of your life, but you couldn’t… you had a plane to catch and dreams to follow and he did too. You pulled away suddenly, keeping your arms around him as you looked at him seriously.

“Promise me something,” you said as you fought another wave of tears.

“Anything.”

“You’re not going to wait for me, we’re not going to hold back and miss out on life waiting on a maybe.”

“Honey-�� he started to protest but you shook your head.

“Promise me, Jake, otherwise I can’t get on that plane. Promise me you’re not going to wait.”

He cursed under his breath, “okay, honey. I promise.”

“And promise me you’re still my best friend,” you said, letting the tears fall now.

“Oh sweetheart, not being your best friend was never an option,” he replied and you nodded, letting your hands rest on his cheeks as you looked him over. This was the last time you would hold his head in your hands and this was the last time you would look at him as your boyfriend, because the second you boarded your plane you would be single and embarking on a whole new journey. He placed a hand on the back of your head and pulled you in, pressing his lips to yours so gently, as if he applied any pressure you’d crumble beneath him. You had other ideas, kissing him back in almost a frenzy as he matched your pace and allowed his tongue to slip past your lips, tasting you for the last time and savoring the moment as he knew it was the last. You pulled away slightly, giving him a few more gentler kisses as you swiped away the tears wetting your hands,

“I love you,” you whispered and he kissed you again.

“I love you too, honey.”

next part

#jake hangman seresin #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin x you #jake seresin #jake seresin x you #jake seresin fanfiction #jake seresin x reader #hangman #hangman x reader #hangman x you #hangman fanfiction #top gun maverick #top gun fanfiction

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fanellifest · 2 months

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Who Was Joe Fanelli?

The Joe-verview

Joe Fanelli (c. April 12, 1954 – June 3, 1993) was an American from Franklin, Massachusetts; an ex-boyfriend of Freddie’s; later, his very dear friend; later still, his nurse/caregiver.

Joe and Freddie met in 1978, and their relationship lasted until they broke up some time in 1979. Afterwards, Joe continued to live in the UK—working as a professional chef in several London restaurants, including September and Provan’s—with his residency arrangements as a non-UK Citizen (likely via a work visa) being secured in effort by Freddie himself.

Likely stemming from the stressful nature of his relationship with Freddie—which included uprooting his entire life to a foreign country—and also the prevalence of drinking in the culture of professional chefs, Joe developed an alcohol dependency as a coping mechanism. According to Peter Freestone, by the time Joe had been hired full time to reside in Garden Lodge in 1985, he had gotten sober and sought new solace in regularly going to the gym. He also was “a dedicated vegan” as written by Brian in Queen in 3-D.

Consider this the Hot Girl Comeback that follows the Bad Bitch Fumble.

In addition to his professional culinary training and workout habits, Joe also found a hobby in computers, teaching himself how they worked, how to write programs (including coding a version of Countdown which could be played at home), and familiarizing himself with the internet during his efforts to research HIV/AIDS information.

Said research was of particular importance as Joe, along with Peter Freestone, became one of Freddie’s caregivers all the while dealing with his own HIV/AIDS diagnosis.

With regards to personality, Joe is described by Peter Freestone as “highly intelligent,” having “a positive nature,” and “prepared to argue anything, stand up for whatever.” Jim Hutton wrote in Mercury and Me that Joe had “a cautious approach to people and life,” and recalled the following event which possibly provides insight to the dynamics of Freddie and Joe’s working relationship/friendship, and definitely gets a laugh:

Joe was standing by the sink in the kitchen and Freddie was sitting at the table looking very stern. ‘And you’re fired, too!’ Freddie snapped at me. ‘Pardon?’ I said. ‘You can’t sack Jim,’ Joe told Freddie with a gloriously smug expression. ‘Why not?’ he snapped. ‘Because he doesn’t work for you!’ he said. ‘Oh, no he doesn’t, does he?’ Freddie replied.

There are several anecdotes about or involving Joe in many of the published memoirs written by those close to Freddie, and we’ll hopefully be able to share some of those here soon.

More in-depth posts about many of these topics—Joe’s relationship with Freddie, his job with Queen on tour, his role at Garden Lodge—will be coming with more specifics!

It says a lot regarding Joe’s character, about the type of person he was, to make several life changes and to also reconnect with an ex after a less-than-ideal falling out, repairing a friendship that lasted the remainder of their lives. As one of the lesser-known people in Freddie’s orbit, we hope this post helped you get to know Joe Fanelli a bit better.

What is remembered lives.

#the joe-verview #joe fanelli #fanellifest2024

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writingonleaves · 7 months

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and what if i really thought some miracle would see us through?

universe: nico hischier (though he doesn't appear in this part) x clementine sandoval x hughes brothers

warnings: cancer, grief, sadness, spoilers to first part (linked below), not proofread

title: "ronan" by taylor swift

word count: 1k

author's note: uhhh surprise?? reached 50 followers today (which, by the way, thank you SO much you're all so wonderful) and had a burst of inspiration and wanted to get out of my writer's block. tried something a bit different and put my journalism degree to use. if you haven't read the first edition of this au yet, please do!! hope you enjoy and lmk what you think!

Hockey Fights Cancer: Hughes Brothers Edition

From The Athletic

L - R: Miguel Sandoval with baby Quinn Hughes, 1999, Miguel with Clementine Sandoval, Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes, 2005, Jack Hughes with his mother Ellen Weinberg-Hughes and Maeve Sandoval, 2019, Clementine, Quinn, Jack and Luke, 2020. All photos courtesy of Clementine Sandoval

*****

Family values have always been ingrained in the Hughes family.

With Quinn, Jack and Luke drafted in the top 10 during their respective draft years, they’ve always acknowledged that it takes a village to get where they are. Talent is the obvious driver, but it’s also about the support to elevate that talent.

But it hasn't necessarily always been family with the Hughes surname that has influenced them. According to Jack, there’s another surname that “should be added onto the back of my jersey.”

The Sandovals consist of Maeve Sandoval nee Brennan, Miguel Sandoval and Clementine Sandoval. Miguel died in 2015 from pancreatic cancer, and he is who all Hughes brothers are playing for as teams across the league celebrates Hockey Fights Cancer nights starting this week.

“Growing up three streets over from the Sandovals in Toronto was such a prominent childhood memory,” Quinn said. “Every memory I have from that time has them in it.”

Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, the Hughes brothers’ mother, and Maeve played collegiate soccer together at the University of New Hampshire. Maeve met Miguel at UNH, Ellen met Jim Hughes post-grad and the four of them became a unit.

“I still remember meeting Maeve when she was a junior and I was a freshman,” Ellen says. “So outgoing and so skilled. She may have been the first upperclassman to make me feel really welcome.”

Though both couples would have lives that took them to separate places — Ellen and Jim to Florida and New Hampshire and Maeve and Miguel to Massachusetts — they would eventually all meet back in Toronto.

Clementine was the first child born in 1997, followed by Quinn two years later, then Jack and then Luke. As the only girl in the mix, she naturally fell into the older sister role.

“I always forget that I don’t technically have any siblings,” Clementine said. “But these days, whenever people ask, I just say I have three younger brothers. Because it’s true.”

Clementine is currently a second-year resident at New York University Langone Health, focusing on a combined emergency room and pediatric residency. After spending her undergrad and medical school years in California, when she was notified of her placement in March 2023, Jack and Luke immediately asked her to move in with them in Hoboken.

“It was a no brainer,” Jack said. “After being in different states for so long, it felt like it was meant to be. Who gets the chance to live with one of their best friends?”

When Miguel was going through treatment, Clementine had just finished her junior year of high school. Quinn was 15, Jack was 13 and Luke was 11. He died days after Quinn verbally committed to the University of Michigan.

“I was young, but I still remember how positive Miguel was when he must’ve been in so much pain,” Luke said. “He always had a smile on his face and made it to every game of ours he could. I got a hattrick in the last game of mine he came to. I’ll never forget that.”

Miguel couldn’t skate for his life, according to Jim. But that didn’t matter. If he wasn’t at his daughter’s soccer games, he was going to the rink to watch the boys.

“Miguel was known to be vocal in the stands,” Jim said. “Any bad call and he was immediately on his feet. I know he’s upstairs watching every Canucks and Devils game as passionate as ever.”

Last season, Jack and Luke revealed to Amanda Smith, the New Jersey Devils Team Reporter the reason why they chose 43 and 86. April 3 was Miguel’s birthday, and Miguel always said that Jack’s “bright and bold” personality was as loud as both of his brothers combined.

“I often think about how [Miguel] never got to see us play in the NHL or for our country,” Quinn said. “Which is so unfair in so many ways, because he always believed in us and was such a loud cheerleader. There are days when I just get sad and I wish he was still here, but then I give Maeve or Clem a call and then it’s usually okay.”

Jack said that Clementine has always been the bright spot amongst the emptiness left by Miguel’s death.

“It puts things into perspective, the way Clee has lived her life beautifully and the way she thinks so positively,” Jack said. “I’ve always seen her as an older sister, but she’s also just one of the best people in the world. Miguel’s energy lives through her.”

“Having Clemmy in our life has been such a blessing,” Luke added. “She’s taught me so much and always looked out for me. I know the three of us try our best to look after her as well.”

Luke still remembers one specific moment during his draft — Clementine and Maeve made it to all three boys’ big days. The morning of, Clementine pulled him aside and gave him an envelope. Immediately, Luke knew what was inside. Quinn and Jack had gotten theirs during their drafts.

A letter addressed to Luke from Miguel. Written two months before he died.

“Dad gave those letters to me to give to them and was very specific about his instructions,” Clementine added. “‘Honey, pull them aside on their draft day, and just give it to them without any context. Only for their own eyes to read.’ I remember being like, how do you know they’re gonna get drafted? And he was like, ‘I just know.’”

All three of them still have their respective letters. Ellen and Jim have theirs as well — Maeve gave them theirs on Quinn’s draft day. Letters were a Miguel staple, according to Clementine. She herself got one when she graduated college and probably will get one when she gets married.

“I can’t imagine the amount of courage and strength that took him,” Quinn said. “Knowing that he wasn’t going to be there for such big moments and writing something anyways. I carry mine with me on every road trip.”

Next week, when the Devils host their Hockey Fights Cancer Night during their home game against the Canucks, the Hughes brothers will be playing for Miguel. Clementine, Ellen and Jim will be in the stands while Maeve — an elementary school teacher — will be watching from Boston.

“We’ll for sure be thinking of him that night, but whenever we step onto the ice, 43 or 86 on our back, we always think of him,” Jack said. “I hope we’re making him proud.”

#k writes #hockey fanfiction #hockey fanfic #devils #canucks #quinn hughes #jack hughes #luke hughes #hockey au #hockey blurb #nhl fic #nhl blurb #nhl #the blue au

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prismatic-bell · 1 year

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SO YOU WANT TO HELP THE RAILWAY WORKERS: A CHECKLIST

If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's a news article.

This is a shitty, shitty situation, and unfortunately we're in a position where all we can do is make it less shitty. BUT. WE HAVE THE POWER TO DO THAT.

Grab that phone and your unlimited data plan, because we're about to flood some phone lines, babes. Start by texting "Sign PZPAKG" to 50409 to sign the action letter written by Resistbot. Once you've done that, reblog this post (if I see more likes than reblogs on this post I'm gonna shit lead) because there are links in here and Tumblr search will eat it, and this will only work if we get a ton of eyeballs on it.

First, you'll want this link, which lists all 100 State Senators. (If you live in Massachussetts or Rhode Island, skip down to "Ready to do more?" Don't call your Senators yet.) Yes, I'm aware this webpage looks like it was made in 2006, I'm extremely sorry (your tax dollars at work), but you do what you gotta. You're going to start by looking up the Senators from your state. This site will direct you to their official webpages. Look for "locations," not "contact," because most of them use email contact forms as a first line of contact these days. You want phone numbers. You should find at least two--one in Washington, DC and one in your state's capitol. (Some may have more than one in-state. I know here in AZ Kelly and Sinema have both a Phoenix and Tucscon office, and Kelly also has one on the Navajo Nation.)

Pick one, it doesn't matter which. Call it. You may get either a staffer or a voicemail. (If it's voicemail, listen carefully to the prompts. If it says voicemail is full, go back and try the other phone number.) Staffers are pretty friendly, but can occasionally seem a little disconnected or brusque. If that's the case, it is not you--your call's probably been routed through a switchboard and they're experiencing lag. Don't worry about it, just say your bit.

HERE IS THE SCRIPT I USED THIS MORNING: "My name is [legal name] and I'm a constituent of Senator [name]'s from [my town]. I'm calling in support of the railway unions in light of this frankly extremely bad deal they're being asked to accept. If railway workers are so important to our economy that Congress can get involved, then they're important enough to deserve paid sick time. I'd like to encourage the Senator to vote NO on any bill that doesn't provide railway union workers with at least seven days of paid sick time."

Total time elapsed for me doing this: about five minutes.

OKAY. READY TO DO MORE? Some Senators have already signed an open letter saying they're in support of providing sick time to railway union members. Those Senators are Bernie Sanders from Vermont, Kirsten Gillibrand from New York, Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin, Cory Booker from New Jersey, Sherrod Brown from Ohio, Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley from Oregon, Alex Padilla from Callifornia, and Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse from Rhode Island. Give them a call next. HERE'S THE SCRIPT I'VE BEEN USING: "My name is [legal name]. I'm actually an Arizona resident, but I wanted to thank Senator [name] for supporting sick time for railway union members. I was really disappointed to hear President Biden basically decided to get involved in union-busting and I'm glad to hear the Senator is on labor's side. Please encourage them to stay the course and get that sick leave pushed through." If you're from Massachusetts or Rhode Island, feel free to say something about how you're glad your state is standing up for labor when you're calling your own Senators on that list. You can say that to any Senator on this list if they happen to be yours, obviously, it's just definitely got even more of an impact if you're already a constituent.

OKAY. WANT TO KEEP GOING?

I've got one more assignment for you. This is the list of committee members for the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. There are ten of them and some of them overlap with phone calls you've already made, so you're almost done. If you look at the script below and then look at the committee members and go "you think Republicans give a shit about this?," I am begging you to at least call Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney. Yes, the majority of the Republican Party is a nuclear trashfire. Yes, they're Republicans. But if you said "Nina, you have to go to dinner with six Senate members and three of them have to be Republicans," my picks would be Murkowski, Romney, and Liz Cheney. We might actually be able to make a dent in Murkowski and Romney if we try hard enough, and yes, "try" is important here. Fuck Yoda and his do-or-do-not bullshit, if activists in this country only went for sure things we'd still have chattel slavery and no votes for women. YOU GOTTA GET UP AND TRY.

SO HERE'S YOUR SCRIPT FOR THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS.

"My name is [name]. I'm calling because Senator [name] is a member of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. I'd like to encourage him/her as a Committee member to lead by example in this current situation with the railway unions, and vote NO on any bill that does not provide railway workers with at least seven days of paid sick leave. I'm sure Senator [name]'s position on this committee has given them plenty of examples to know a healthy and organized labor force is far better for our economy than a sick and demoralized one."

GO BLOW UP THE PHONE LINES LIKE YOU'RE GUY FAWKES UNDER PARLIAMENT. The railway workers have had our backs all through Covid. It's high time we had theirs.

#politics #direct action #grassroots #unions #this is what all those words mean by the way

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eretzyisrael · 3 months

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by Dexter Van Zile

Anyone who has any doubts about the success enjoyed by the Islamist-led campaign to squeeze Jews out of the public square in the US needs to watch the video of the Boston City Council meeting that took place on February 14, 2024. The success of this campaign was on full display when District Six City Councilor Ben Weber, the only Jew on the council, withdrew a “negotiated ceasefire” resolution from the agenda. It was yet another moment when the Tikkun Olam agenda of “repairing the world” was handed its head by Islamist activism in the United States.

Weber’s resolution was pretty straightforward and “balanced.” In addition to highlighting the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians and calling for a negotiated ceasefire between Hamas and the Netanyahu government, Weber’s resolution asked councilors to call on Hamas to return the hostages it took on October 7, and work for the safe return of Massachusetts residents stuck in Gaza.

Before announcing that he was withdrawing the resolution from consideration, Weber declared that while writing the resolution, he sought input from fellow councilors, officials from Boston’s Jewish Community Relations Council, and a prominent Boston-area Palestinian-American lawyer working to get Massachusetts families safely out of Gaza. Weber didn’t say which councilors he spoke to, but The Boston Globe subsequently reported that Weber had spoken with former council president (and Israel supporter) Ed Flynn and anti-Israel zealot Tania Fernandes Anderson.

The dialogue was to no avail. “It has come to my attention that the language of the resolution I drafted may cause more division, which is the opposite of what I hope to do,” Weber said. “So out of my respect to my council colleagues and members of the Boston community, I withdraw this resolution to have further conversations.” In short, Weber, a first-term city councilor, didn’t want to force his colleagues to declare their response to the October 7 massacre openly, because to do so would make him a one-term city councilor.

After the meeting, Weber told me that he felt obligated to withdraw the resolution after unnamed people expressed concerns that it was promoting the involuntary departure of Palestinians from Gaza and that it appeared to promote “one side over the other.” The notion that Weber’s resolution promoted the involuntary evacuation of Palestinians from Gaza is an intentional misreading of the text. Weber’s resolution says nothing about the expulsion of Palestinians. And as far as “taking sides,” the resolution was clearly written as an attempt to mollify “pro-Palestinian” (anti-Israel) activists, including Fernandes Anderson, by highlighting the suffering in Gaza without acknowledging it was Hamas who was responsible for this suffering. The logic is simple. If there would have been no October 7 massacre (and no terrorism from Gaza before that), there would never have been any conflict in Gaza.

If Weber had been paying attention, he would likely have spared himself the humiliation of having to withdraw the resolution by not submitting it in the first place. It’s not as if Boston isn’t in bad need of some Tikkun Olam.

But beyond these problems, speaking openly about Hamas’ October 7 massacre and its aftermath is becoming increasingly out of bounds for Israel and its supporters, Jews especially, in American civil society. Jews on college campuses have been bullied and harassed for years and this bullying has only become more intense in the aftermath of October 7. Jewish students have been forced to seek shelter in libraries and classrooms, as Hamas supporters, campus Islamists, and their progressive allies recreate the modern-day equivalent of the “ghetto bench,” which drove Jews into hiding in Polish colleges and universities in the 1930s.

#tikun olam #boston #resolution #gaza #hamas #ben weber #boston massachusetts

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mudcrabmassacre · 9 months

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Hey I don't normally say things like this but they made college free in massachusetts if you're a resident for all 12 community colleges in the state provided you're taking at least 6 credits:)

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sleepdeprivedsimp234 · 6 months

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And, dear York, you would fall, and turn the white snow red as strawberries~

Ships: None!

Warnings: getting shot, inaccurately described historical events (the Boston Massacre), and the way that my age sh*t works is a little wonky (lets just say that NY is maybe a teenager here?).

Genre: Hurt/Comfort I guess-

Title is inspired by: “White Winter Hymnal” by the Fleet Foxes.

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March 5th, 1770

Massachusetts gently held New York’s hand as the walked along the Boston Harbor, and New happily walked next to him, lost in his own little world. Mass chuckled fondly but quietly at the child like wonder in NY’s eyes as the slightly taller colony looked out onto the ocean. After a few more minutes of walking, the two colonies decided to take a break, and each took a seat on the edge of the harbor, their legs hanging over the side. He yet again chuckled at the childish wonder in NY’s eyes along with the slight spark that he had thought was long gone.

"Like what ya see Yorkie?" Mass teased, smirking when NY jumped a tiny bit.

"H-huh? Oh- uh- yeah it’s pretty I guess." NY said before turning back to look at the vast ocean. Mass couldn’t help but frown slightly at the faint-but-still-visible bruise on NY’s cheek from England.

The two just sat there in silence for a little bit lost in their own thoughts, until Massachusetts heard a small giggle from his little brother. He turned to York with a small smirk.

"What’s so funny Yo-" Mass was cut off by a splash of water hitting him directly in the face. He spluttered a little as he tried to regain his composure. He opened his eyes and smiled evilly at New York, who chuckled nervously. “Oh you little sh*t!-"

Massachusetts splashed a bit of water at New York before tackling, pinning and tickling him. He smiled when his little brother’s laughter filled the air, and he eventually stopped, gently rubbing the feeling off York’s torso. He ruffled the taller’s hair and grinned "That’s whatcha get for messin’ wit’ me Yorkie!~”

"Yeah yeah whateva’…." NY said, curling up next to his big brother.

“Hey Matthew!! Cmere!"

Massachusetts turned around at hearing the use of his human name. "Ey Yorkie I’m bein’ called i think. Ya wanna come wit’ me or do ya wanna stay here?”

"I’ll stay here." NY said, though he was obviously too busy playing with a seagull that had come to say hello.

Mass snorted a bit. "Okay then. By the way, those things bite. Just sayin’." he said before walking off in the direction he heard his name be called from.

—————————

[half an hour later]

NY had been busy playing with a seagull and a crow that resided at the Boston Harbor, and had ever so fondly given them the names Kraai (the Dutch word for crow), and Zee (short the Dutch word: Zeemeeuw, which means seagull). Animals, especially birds and cats, had always brought him a weird amount of happiness. One that he rarely ever got nowadays. He chuckled a little when Kraai jumped on his shoulder and squawked. York did his best to mimic the sound, but it sounded more like an angry cat. Kraai gave him a gentle wack with her wing and squawked at him, sounding a lot like a mother lecturing a child.

"Okay okay I know, I know that was terrible…." NY said with a small chuckle. A sudden gunshot pierced the air, making the young colony flinch. He got up and started running to where he heard the gunshot, in case of Massachusetts being hurt. That would be bad….. Zee and Kraai followed him, flying high in the air.

He got to the city square and hid behind a building, peaking his head out. What he saw was utter chaos. There were people, mainly colonists, all running around in a frenzy as about……nine??? soldiers shot at them. NY frantically looked through the crowd, trying to find his big brother. He eventually caught sight of him and sighed exasperatedly when he saw Massachusetts with a chaotic grin on his face. He jumped a tiny bit when a body dropped behind him.

"Mass!!" He shouted, desperately trying to get the older’s attention.

Massachusetts turned his head at the sound of his name, and the grin quickly faded when he saw his little brother, who was standing in the middle of it all. Sh*t sh*t sh*t he never meant for York to be a part of this! Fun was over, Operation: Get NY out here had begun.

"York?? What’re you doin’ ere’?! Are ya crazy?!?!" He yelled, running over to New York, who looked kinda scared.

"I could be askin’ you the same damn question dumbass!!” York shouted, covering his ears a little. He had never liked loud noises.

"Get outta ere’!! Are you tryin’ to get shot?!?" Mass shouted, hugging the taller colony close.

"I came ere’ lookin’ for you!! I was worried that you had gotten shot dumbass!!" New York responded, burying his face in Mass’s hair.

Mass’s face softened slightly at that as he started to escort York and himself out of the city square. Suddenly, New York threw himself in front of Massachusetts, and in turn the soon-to-be Bay State’s face paled a ghostly white as he looked down in front of him. New York was curled up gasping slightly and coughing in pain as he clutched his stomach. Mass didn’t even have to be told anything to know that NY had been shot. Especially when he saw the snow beneath them be died as red as strawberries in the summer time. DAMMIT.

He quickly picked up NY and ran behind a building, muttering an apology when he heard a whimper and yelp from the younger. Mass waited till he was sure that there were no witnesses to teleport into a clearing in the woods. He gently laid his injured brother on the ground and wrapped his jacket around the wound to try and stop the bleeding, and then closed his eyes to try and summon one of the other colonies to help. Dammit. It wouldn’t work. He was too stressed to focus. God NY’s breathing had slowed down a lot….. Wait- why wasn’t NY moving anymore?? Mass checked his pulse, and sighed in mild relief when he felt a pulse. He took off NY’s coat and pressed it against the wound, wincing when NY gasped in pain and coughed, blood spluttering on his lips. Mass cried quietly and hugged his brother close, fully convinced that this would be his brother’s next painful death. That was, until, he heard the caw of a crow above him.

Massachusetts looked up to see Kraai flying above them, and was about to swat her away until he noticed that Kraai seemed to be releasing worried-sounding coos and nudging at NY’s arm with her wing. God he couldn’t believe what he was about to do…..

"Hey uh-" Damn. Is he really talking to a bird right now? "Can ya- umm…. I doubt that you can understand me….. but if you can, NY is hurt and he needs help, can you go get help?" Mass was really hoping that this worked, even if it was ridiculous that he was talking to a bird.

Kraai tilted her head a bit before doing her best to do what somewhat resembled a nod and flying away. It worked! It actually worked! Holy sh*t! Mass could cry tears of joy and he nearly did. He hugged his little brother close, whispering reassuring words into his ears.

"Everything’s gonna be alright…..helps on the way….."

—————————

My fellow NY simps: @stawpny @misery-has-no-company-now @alaskashigh @kyledoesstuff-09 <3

And you cuz yes: @jazzyfrog <333

We love Kraai (the crow) and Zee (the seagull) here (they are original characters maybe-)

#welcome to the table #welcome to the statehouse #ben brainard #wttt #wttsh #wttt new york #wttsh new york #wttt massachusetts #wttsh massachusetts

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kyra45 · 5 months

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Just a simple look at what makes me suspicious of jenniferpss. This isn’t a call to go harass them or bother them I’m just stating my concerns they ignored in order to tell me I’m attacking them with my questions.

1. They tagged users who have been personally affected by Laura Deramas is the past. A brand new account wouldn’t know who these blogs are unless they have heard of them prior. Even then, why tag them?

2. They may have originally said in their post (or somewhere on their blog at some point) that it’s illegal to be gay/trans at their location but if they live in America this just isn’t true. While there is laws in some states that negatively impact such, you wouldn’t spend years in jail for just being gay/trans. More so if your a resident of Massachusetts.

3. Their claiming to be European but in America for healthcare. If you know the states, healthcare here is expensive. I know some may do it for reasons but stating your European is kinda pointless if it doesn’t really play a part of anything.

4. They said they use Facebook pay since some people use it. I’m sorry but in my 11 years of tumblr experience I’ve never seen a single blogger ask for people to pay them on Facebook pay. It requires a payment option via messenger and would need you to have an account.

5. Their whole story doesn’t really add up much at all if you examine it closely taking into consideration that they are an European living in America. Originally their post said they had a screenshot of an email but there is no such thing.

6. The images are entirely selfies that may be stolen from somewhere else and are clearly not the same person.

7. Messaging users who share their post. Sharing someone’s post isn’t an open invitation to send messages asking for tons of money on the spot. Laura was known to do this and also send sensitive images without being prompted to.

In conclusion, jenniferpss could be a scammer but I’m not saying they are. I am not attacking them. I simply had questions and they did not answer them within reason. They simply came to my blog to try and argue with me about how I’m attacking them just because I asked them about something in a public setting.

If you received a DM from them after sharing their post and are comfortable with sharing it, please do so I can provide proof they are messaging users.

#kyra45 speaks #possible scam #longpost #long post

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thatswhatthepoetssay · 2 years

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Born in Flames |

Tate Langdon x Reader

Word Count: 1,012

synopsis: Can the devil himself find comfort in simple things? Or does he crave something more cynical..

We are born alone and we die alone, but what happens after?

The raindrops were flowing down the car window as houses passed me by in a frenzy of color. My parent’s car pulls at a stop next to the shiny black gates of the famous “Murder House.” The new residence of the Harmon family, the perfect home to start over.

“Alright girls, why don’t you head inside and pick out your bedrooms.” Says Vivian as she starts to gather her belongings.

The wooden floors creaked as Violet and I stepped through the threshold of the mansion. Walking up the grand staircase was like descending into the unknown yet familiar abyss. The smell of vinegar was overpowering to say the least, in an attempt to get away from it I stepped into the first room I could find.

It was a bedroom with cerulean colored walls, two windows next to each other and arcs decorating the ceiling. The room reminded me of my childhood, before my parent’s murder that is.

In 1994 both of my parents got invited to speak at a local high school. I was two years old when I received the news of my parents death. Turns out the day that they were visiting the school, some kid decided to play god. He shot and killed fifteen people that day, two of them being my parents.

Since Vivan knew my parents, she offered to adopt me. After a long plane ride from California to Massachusetts I finally met my step sister, Violet. During our childhood Vi and I got along quite well, but as high school came around we drifted apart.

Now because of Ben I was standing in a house a few blocks away from my family home. Finding out that you are moving to Los Angeles sounds like a dream right? Wrong, it felt more like a waking nightmare, but both Ben and Vivian were sure that this was the place to be.

——————————————————————————

“So, is this the room that you picked?” Questions Violet as she enters the azule bedroom.

“Um yeah I guess so.. it has a nice atmosphere.” I answer while giving the room one last look.

After our short exchange both Violet and I head back downstairs to help our parents with the boxes. The movers arrived shortly after to move in our furniture and the heavier items. Overall the day seemed to be going quite well, peaceful even. That is until one of our neighbors decided to pay us an unexpected visit.

Turns out that said neighbour was a middle aged woman who lived in the house next to ours. She spent most of her visit talking to Vivian, but of course after a while she came around to greet the entire family. After a quick “hello” in Ben’s direction and a brisk conversation with Violet, it was my turn to meet the blonde woman.

“Saving the best for last I see… you must be YN. I’m Constance, I live next door.” Said the blonde as she made her way to where I was standing.

“Yes ma’am that’s me, it’s lovely to meet you.” I tried my best to sound as genuine as possible, but it was hard to deny that Constance gave me the creeps. Something about her just didn’t sit right with me.

“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes… and so well mannered.” Said Constance as she studied me for a few more moments before moving on. By the time she said her goodbyes to Ben and Vivian, I was already heading up the grand staircase.

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After a few more hours of unpacking, it was time to head off to bed. I grabbed my pajamas along with some hygiene products and headed off to the bathroom.

The cold water felt so refreshing against my flushed face, the LA heat was definitely no joke. As I continued splashing my face with the cooling liquid, I swear I felt a sudden gust of wind hit my bare legs.

Not bothering to wipe my face with the towel, I moved closer to the air conditioning duct. No matter how close my hand was to the vent, I couldn’t feel any of the frigid air from before. After a while I decided to forget about the incident and try to get some sleep.

My first night in the famous “Murder House” went by quickly and rather peacefully. For the first time in months I could truly say that I got a good night's rest. This was the first night in a long time that I didn’t have any nightmares, it felt as if someone scared them away.

——————————————————————————

The following morning went by in a blurry haze, and before I knew it the time on the clock read four pm. I decided to head downstairs and make myself some chamomile tea. As I was waiting for the tea kettle I heard a light knock on the front door. When I opened it I was expecting to see Constance or maybe the mailman, however both of those guesses were wrong.

It was a boy around my age, if not a bit older, he had blonde curly hair and wore a 90’s style outfit.

“Hello, I’m Tate. I uh live next door.”

“I’m YN, come on in.” I responded as I moved out of the way so that he could get in the house.

“I like what you’ve done with the place.” Tate commented on the decorations and furniture we put up the day prior.

“Oh um thanks, not to be rude but did you need something?” I questioned as the blonde looked at the picture frames hanging on the walls.

“Yeah actually here to see Ben Harmon.”

“You’re a patient of his?” I asked as my curiosity got the best of me.

Before Tate could answer, Ben came out of his office and introduced himself to the blonde. After a few minutes of small talk, Ben guided Tate towards the office and just like that both of them disappeared behind the closed doors.

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PS. Im going to be taking a break soon but I will be back here in a few weeks. Requests are open so please feel free to send them! <3

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lightandwinged · 2 months

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Mean Girls in a Small Town

My stupid small town is in an uproar right now. This is not fiction. And this is why local politics matter so much, even and perhaps especially in liberal states like Massachusetts, where this story takes place, where I live.

We regularly host this conference in the high school about various progressive topics--diversity, intersectionality, self esteem, etc. It used to be pretty small but has grown much larger, and this year, the school hosted upwards of 700 students from all across the state, which is an impressive feat for a town with a graduating class of around 80. It should be something that brings the entire town pride, and as far as I know, up until this year, it was.

But this year, things changed.

This year, someone got a drag queen to present.

As I understand it from the perspective of one of the administration members, because the conference arguably falls under the purview of mitigating the negative impacts of cellphone usage and social media for teenagers, some money from a grant rewarded to the high school for exactly that purpose was used to pay a trans actress to be the closing speaker for the conference. This got a bee in the bonnet of one school committee member, who threatened to sue the state if they agreed that the money could be used for that purpose (which--it's their determination because it's their money, so that would be a waste of everyone's time, but I digress). And that should have been the most exciting and talked about situation from the April 1 school committee meeting, which was--like most school committee meetings--about as interesting as watching paint dry.

(I should know; I watched all three hours of it. Sped up, of course, because I don't hate myself that much. There were a lot of numbers, and someone got weirdly cross about hiring another physical therapist for the special ed department)

But the meeting, as all of them do, started with public comment. You must be a resident of our town to comment, so that much can be said for this particular provocateur. She was not a plant from outside the town. She gave her address and is vaguely known to people within the town.

Her children are all grown, so she shouldn't have much to say about the schools, and yet, she did. She described the drag presentation in a way that I can only assume was intentionally inaccurate and willfully ignorant. She said the drag queen in question (I'm not naming him because he's honestly been piled on so fucking much lately) started his presentation by talking about his breasts being cold and then did a performance that purposefully exposed the attendants to his "lacy white underwear" (her words, not mine). Her question was something along the lines of "who is allowing this filth???" and presumably, if she had pearls, she would have clutched them.

The performance, incidentally, was a tribute to Karen Smith from Mean Girls, the one who can forecast the weather with her boobs. The drag queen's costume took obvious inspiration from the film: short pink skirt, pink jacket, white shirt with a mouse on it ("a mouse, duh"). He wore white dance bloomers underneath, as a good performer does.

This should have been a non-issue, because it is a non-issue. This conference was not an official school event. The school was closed that day, and nobody was forced to attend. The presentation itself was one of 45 presentations happening at the same time (remember: 700 students attended this thing), so nobody was there who didn't want to be. The school didn't even pay the drag queen; he presented for free.

And it likely would have gone ignored, if not for Chaya Raichik, a.k.a., Libs of TikTok.

For the uninitiated, LoT is a collection of accounts that serve as vile provocateurs, spreading misinformation, incomplete information, and outright disinformation that targets the LGBTQIA+ community, especially the trans community. The biggest boost to the account's notoriety came in the summer of 2022, when it claimed that Boston Children's Hospital and Children's National Hospital were performing gender confirmation surgeries on minors. Following this rancid bullshit (because it had about as much in common with the truth as LoT fans have with being good people), both hospitals--CHILDREN'S hospitals, I should add--received numerous bomb threats and other threats of violence.

At the extreme end of things, this is their MO: pure stochastic terrorism. LoT will never outright call for violence against the LGBTQIA+ community, but they will call them evil and child abusers and groomers and whatever else, and then act very surprised Pikachu when their followers take that at face value and do a violence.

But it's the quieter end of things that worries me more, because it's the quieter end of things that's happening in my town.

LoT got ahold of a clip from that three hour meeting I mentioned and shared it around Twitter with exactly zero of the context I mentioned, save for a few lines suggesting that the school had paid $2500 for the drag queen to perform for the entire school.

You know, lies.

Someone posted it on the town's unofficial Facebook page. Our town, a farming community with sensibilities more comfortable in the 18th century than the 21st and a population that screeches loudly when someone installs a new traffic light, uses the unofficial page for information far more than the official page. The unofficial page is run by a religious conservative who's fond of getting delete happy when her agenda isn't being pushed properly.

So when this dropped on the town's Facebook page, it was pure Bedlam.

Because everyone was so angry, it took ages for the actual facts of the situation to emerge. So many conservative voices were screaming that facts didn't matter because "drag queens shouldn't be within a million miles of schools because they are inherently sexual" (not my words; theirs) so those of us looking for the facts of the situation had an uphill climb. The facts confirmed what a lot of us thought: that (a) the performance was not nearly as sexual as it was made out to be, (b) it was not even remotely mandatory, and (c) it was not paid for by the school.

But "facts don't matter," and the group has been screaming about it for, at this point, four days straight.

The screaming doesn't matter much to me. They did that back in October-ish when we got an influx of refugees at our local scummy inn (before the refugees arrived, the conservatives hated it because it housed homeless people; but then the refugees arrived, and suddenly, it became, "what about American homeless people?"). Those of us with hearts and brains shrugged, whipped up a bunch of donations for our refugees, and continued to give to them until they found permanent housing in a nearby town.

No, what matters to me is the battle cry that's started to arise: that they need to fill the school committee with like-minded individuals by recalling anyone who they don't like (including the superintendent and principal, which is not how this works, but okay) and putting forth their own candidates. And this, I believe, was the real aim of LoT in targeting us.

We're a small town with a lot of conservatives... but we went to Biden by one vote in 2020, you see.

It's clear that we're a battleground town where it wouldn't necessarily be that hard to push us straight into fascism, junior, as much as a town can be in Massachusetts. Get the wrong voices on the school committee, and suddenly, things have gone from irritating to downright ugly. And while things are ugly, they can chip away at actual education (the committee member I mentioned above was also trying to reduce the number of teachers in both the middle and high school "for budget reasons") and create a new crop of uninformed voters.

We're fortunate right now because (a) we're in Massachusetts, so it's unlikely they can do the same amount of harm they could in states that have been drowned in a sea of red (which is less of a slight and more a statement that they've put in decades of effort in other places, so this sort of situation there is catastrophic instead of just an uphill battle); and (b) a decent number of us are prepared to stand in their way however we can.

But man. It's a heavy burden. I'm angry. I'm sad. I'm tired. I'm in a lot of physical pain because stress gives me flares. I want to do more--to run for a vacant seat, to hit the pavement and whip up votes, to yell--but my body keeps getting in my way. And I'm afraid that if I don't do it, no one will.

#local politics #town politics #lgbtqia+#drag queen #long post #please read this though #it's absurdly important #and I want people to know that we're fighting

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