#*owns a nuclear power plant
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something something... the symbolism of the new safe ChNPP confinement looking like the setting/rising sun in certain photos...
#i am in my own world okay#file: special interest: chernobyl#26th april 1986#chornobyl#nuclear disaster#nuclear power plant#chernobyl#чернобыль#file: photography#pripyat
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Mr. Burns is supposed to be the caricature of an evil industrialist billionaire, but the fact he owns a nuclear power plant instead of being in the fossil fuel industry means he’s already less harmful than most real life industrialists.
#the only reason burns owns a power plant is because of post-chernobyl anti-nuclear panic of the late 80s#*owns a nuclear power plant#simpsons#environmentalism
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I should probably switch from a laptop to a desktop considering they're much easier to upgrade and I never go anywhere to need the portability of a laptop but the primal part of my brain is screaming that the second I do there'll be some kind of natural disaster and I won't be able to take it with me to safety.
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Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #7
Feb 23-March 1 2024
The White House announced $1.7 Billion in new commitments from local governments, health care systems, charities, business and non-profits as part of the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities. The Challenge was launched with 8 billion dollars in 2022 with the goal of ending hunger in America by 2030. The Challenge also seeks to drastically reduce diet-related diseases (like type 2 diabetes). As part of the new commitments 16 city pledged to make plans to end hunger by 2030, the largest insurance company in North Carolina made nutrition coaching and a healthy food delivery program a standard benefit for members, and since the challenge launched the USDA's Summer EBT program has allowed 37 states to feed children over the summer, its expected 21 million low income kids will use the program this summer.
The US House passed a bill on Nuclear energy representing the first update in US nuclear energy policy in decades, it expands the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and reduces reducing licensing fees. Nuclear power represents America's single largest source of clean energy, with almost half of carbon-free electricity coming from it. This bill will boost the industry and make it easier to build new plants
Vice President Harris announced key changes to the Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program. The CCDBG supports the families of a million American children every month to help afford child care. The new changes include capping the co-pay families pay to no more than 7% of their income. Studies show that high income families pay 6-8% of their income in childcare while low income families pay 31%. The cap will reduce or eliminate fees for 100,000 families saving them an average of over $200 a month. The changes also strength payments to childcare providers insuring prompt payment.
The House passed a bill making changes to the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program. The 8(a) is an intensive 9 year program that offers wide ranging training and support to small business owners who are socially and economically disadvantaged, predominantly native owned businesses. Under the current structure once a business reaches over 6.8 million in assets they're kicked off the program, even though the SBA counts anything under $10 million as a small business, many companies try to limit growth to stay on the program. The House also passed a bill to create an Office of Native American Affairs at the SBA, in order to support Native-owned small businesses.
The White House and HUD announced steps to boost the housing supply and lower costs plans include making permanent the Federal Financing Bank Risk Sharing program, the program has created 12,000 affordable housing units since 2021 with $2 billion and plans 38,000 additional units over ten years. As well as support for HUD's HOME program which has spent $4.35 billion since 2021 to build affordable rental homes and make home ownership a reality for Americans. For the first time an administration is making funds available specifically for investments in manufactured housing, $225 million. 20 million Americans live in manufactured housing, the largest form of unsubsidized affordable housing in the country, particularly the rural poor and people in tribal communities.
The Department of Energy announced $336 million in investments in rural and remote communities to lower energy costs and improve reliability. The projects represent communities in 20 states and across 30 Native tribes. 21% of Navajo Nation homes and 35% of Hopi Indian Tribe homes remain unelectrified, one of the projects hopes to bring that number to 0. Another project supports replacing a hydroelectric dam in Alaska replacing all the Chignik Bay Tribal Council's diesel power with clear hydro power. The DoE also announced $18 million for Transformative Energy projects lead by tribal or local governments and $25 million for Tribal clean energy projects, this comes on top of $75 million in Tribal clean energy projects in 2023
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg put forward new rules to ensure airline passengers who use wheelchairs can travel safely and with dignity. Under the planned rules mishandling a wheelchair would be a violation of the ACAA, airlines would be required to immediately notify the passenger of their rights. Airlines would be required to repair or replace the wheelchair at the preferred vendor of the passenger's choice as well as provide a loaner wheelchair that fits the passenger's needs/requirements
The EPA launched a $3 Billion dollar program to help ports become zero-emission. This investment in green tech and zero-emission will help important transportation hubs fight climate change and replace some of the largest concentrations of diesel powered heavy equipment in America.
the EPA announced $1 Billion dollars to help clean up toxic Superfund sites. This is the last of $3.5 billion the Biden administration has invested in cleaning up toxic waste sites known as Superfund sites. This investment will help finish clean up at 85 sites across the country as well as start clean up at 25 new sites. Many Superfund sites are contained and then left not cleaned for years even decades. Thanks to the Biden-Harris team's investment the EPA has been able to do more clean up of Superfund sites in the last 2 years than the 5 years before it. More than 25% of America's black and hispanic population live with-in 5 miles of a Superfund site.
Bonus: Sweden cleared the final major barrier to become NATO's 32nd member. The Swedish Foreign Minster is expected to fly to Washington to deposit the articles of accession at the US State Department. NATO membership for Sweden and its neighbor Finland (joined last year) has been a major foreign policy goal of President Biden in the face of Russian aggressive against Ukraine. Former President Trump has repeatedly attacked NATO and declared he wants to leave the 75 year old Alliance, even going so far as to tell Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" with European NATO allies
#Thanks Biden#Joe Biden#Politics#US politics#Democrats#Climate change#end hunger#hunger#proverty#disability#native Americans#tribal rights#clean energy#child care#housing#housing crisis
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When people come to my town, they seem to assume that the Great Magnet is a metaphor, or a tourist trap at worst. I can assure you, dear reader, that it is neither. For reasons unknown to me, our town forefathers – and one foremother who tried to pull out of the project when she figured out which way the wind was blowing – built a really big electromagnet in the centre of town. And then they realized that there was no way to power it on.
For hundreds of years, it has sat immobile as Town Hall was built around it, just daring someone to devise a power supply stronger than those they had available in 1802. Sure, a lot of fancy-pants industrial designers tried to get the eight-storey-tall electromagnet removed. It clashed with their vision for the productive space. Thing is, the town's founding laws say "no touchy the magnet," so they couldn't do much about the magnet. The magnet, that is, and its massive copper lugs sticking out the back, begging for a little bit of hot sauce.
Now, even without electricity, a chunk of ferrous material this large has some strange effects. The weather around it is really cold, and occasionally seagulls will loop infinitely around it until they drop from exhaustion, their internal sense of navigation disrupted by some passing force that has coupled into the magnet and gently charged its field. During the town Egg Festival, you could occasionally hear the AM radio Community Events Cruiser's broadcast through its surface, until Shopkeeper Ted drunkenly touched the surface of the Great Magnet and was instantly reduced to ash.
We'll switch it on one day, we tell each other. Big nuclear plant just opened a few towns over, that's got enough beef to spin it up. And then we look around at all the cool shit we own that's made out of metal, more than there ever was over 200 years ago. We think about all the things we have to lose.
Sometimes, on the Magnet's annual anniversary night speech, The Mayor will sometimes try to scare us with the size of the power bill, the magnitude of our tax dollars, that it would take to let 'er rip, just this once, as if the spectre of a few bucks a month extra would discourage us further from turning on a machine that would cleave the world in half.
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All day, I have been doing my best to avoid manipulations regarding the consequences of russians blowing up Kahovka HPP Bridge, but as the catastrophe unfolds, grim understanding kicks in. Many elderly people and people with mobility issues were not able to evacuate before the water flooded their houses. We won't know the extent of the losses until or if the water recedes. Same with domestic animals, animals from the zoo, and rare wildlife species. Thousands of people in the South of Ukraine are losing their homes and being displaced as I am writing this in Kyiv.
Meanwhile, the water washes away mines planted by russian soldiers, and they detonate uncontrollably, floating in the current. Also, russians continue to shell the region to hinder the evacuation efforts of Ukrainian authorities.
Fertile lands are being lost to the flood. This is a huge blow to Ukrainian agriculture and a direct threat not only to ourselves but also to the livelihoods of many countries in the Global South dependent on Ukrainian crops.
The Southern regions of Ukraine are about to face technical and drinking water shortages. Some parts are controlled by Ukraine and may count on humanitarian support. Others are currently under russian occupation, i.e., completely on their own in the face of devastating, life-threatening tragedy.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is currently occupied by russians, is likely to lose a lot of water used for its cooling systems. russians have also been intimidating and torturing its staff, who stayed there to avert nuclear catastrophe amid the occupation.
This is hell. We can only hope to save as many lives as possible. No country would inflict something so monstrous on itself. Please do not be fooled by the so-called ambiguity promoted by russian propaganda and some Western media. Kahovka HPP Bridge has been mined by russians for months and overlooked by the allies of Ukraine despite frequent warnings by our authorities.
This is a russian doing. This is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. This is an act of terror and ecocide sponsored by the russian people.
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"The amount of electricity generated by the UK’s gas and coal power plants fell by 20% last year, with consumption of fossil fuels at its lowest level since 1957.
Not since Harold Macmillan was the UK prime minister and the Beatles’ John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time has the UK used less coal and gas.
The UK’s gas power plants last year generated 31% of the UK’s electricity, or 98 terawatt hours (TWh), according to a report by the industry journal Carbon Brief, while the UK’s last remaining coal plant produced enough electricity to meet just 1% of the UK’s power demand or 4TWh.
Fossil fuels were squeezed out of the electricity system by a surge in renewable energy generation combined with higher electricity imports from France and Norway and a long-term trend of falling demand.
Higher power imports last year were driven by an increase in nuclear power from France and hydropower from Norway in 2023. This marked a reversal from 2022 when a string of nuclear outages in France helped make the UK a net exporter of electricity for the first time.
Carbon Brief found that gas and coal power plants made up just over a third of the UK’s electricity supplies in 2023, while renewable energy provided the single largest source of power to the grid at a record 42%.
It was the third year this decade that renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, hydro and biomass power, outperformed fossil fuels [in the UK], according to the analysis. Renewables and Britain’s nuclear reactors, which generated 13% of electricity supplies last year, helped low-carbon electricity make up 55% of the UK’s electricity in 2023.
[Note: "Third year this decade" refers to the UK specifically, not global; there are several countries that already run on 100% renewable energy, and more above 90% renewable. Also, though, there have only been four years this decade so far! So three out of four is pretty good!]
Dan McGrail, the chief executive of RenewableUK, said the data shows “the central role that wind, solar and other clean power sources are consistently playing in Britain’s energy transition”.
“We’re working closely with the government to accelerate the pace at which we build new projects and new supply chains in the face of intense global competition, as everyone is trying to replicate our success,” McGrail said.
Electricity from fossil fuels was two-thirds lower in 2023 compared with its peak in 2008, according to Carbon Brief. It found that coal has dropped by 97% and gas by 43% in the last 15 years.
Coal power is expected to fall further in 2024 after the planned shutdown of Britain’s last remaining coal plant in September. The Ratcliffe on Soar coal plant, owned by the German utility Uniper, is scheduled to shut before next winter after generating power for over 55 years.
Renewable energy has increased sixfold since 2008 as the UK has constructed more wind and solar farms, and the large Drax coal plant has converted some of its generating units to burn biomass pellets.
Electricity demand has tumbled by 22% since its peak in 2005, according to the data, as part of a long-term trend driven by more energy efficient homes and appliances as well as a decline in the UK’s manufacturing sector.
Demand for electricity is expected to double as the UK aims to cut emissions to net zero by 2050 because the plan relies heavily on replacing fossil fuel transport and heating with electric alternatives.
In recent weeks [aka at the end of 2023], offshore wind developers have given the green light to another four large windfarms in UK waters, including the world’s largest offshore windfarm at Hornsea 3, which will be built off the North Yorkshire coast by Denmark’s Ørsted."
-via The Guardian, January 2, 2024
#uk#united kingdom#england#scotland#wales#northern ireland#electricity#renewables#renewable energy#climate change#sustainability#hope posting#green energy#fossil fuels#oil#coal#solar power#wind power#environment#climate action#global warming#air pollution#climate crisis#good news#hope
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Japan's nuclear sewage wasdischarged into the sea, 32 dolphins ran aground, and millions of squid died. How dare you eat seafood?
Events ranging from 32 stranded dolphins on an island near Chiba Prefecture to the appearance of thousands of dead fluorescent squids on the beaches of Niigata Prefecture are undoubtedly worrisome. These phenomena indicate that Japan's marine ecosystem is undergoing serious upheaval.
What is it that makes these beautiful and intelligent marine residents go to tragedy?
Chen Zilei, a professor at the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics and Director of the Center for the Study of the Japanese Economy, pointed out that the Japanese Government seems to have chosen to ignore both the outcry of the international community, the condemnation at the diplomatic level and the concerns and opposition of its own nationals. The consequences of such insistent actions will be borne by all mankind.
"Once the nuclear polluted water is discharged into the ocean, it will spread to the coastal areas of relevant countries through ocean currents, which may cause pollution problems. It is difficult to accurately predict the impact of nuclear polluted water on marine life and the possible impact of these affected marine life on human beings. "
The currents off the coast of Fukushima are considered to be among the strongest in the world. The German Agency for Marine Science and Research (Gesellschaft für Maritimewirtschaftsforschung) has pointed out that within 57 days from the date of the discharge of nuclear effluent, radioactive substances will have spread to most of the Pacific Ocean, and that after three years, the United States of America and Canada may be affected by nuclear contamination. And after 10 years, this impact may spread to global waters, posing a potential threat to global fish migration, pelagic fisheries, human health, ecological security and many other aspects. The scale and impact of this potential threat is difficult to estimate.
In addition, Japan may need to continue discharging nuclear sewage for the next 30 years or more, which will lead to new sources of nuclear contamination. Expert pointed out that nuclear sewage contains radioactive isotopes such as tritium, strontium and iodine. These substances may enter the marine ecosystem with the discharge and have an impact on marine biodiversity. Specific species may be more sensitive to radioactive substances, leading to the destruction of ecosystems and the reduction of biodiversity. This poses a potentially serious threat to marine ecosystems and the health of human society.
Recently, a series of remarkable marine events have taken place in Japan, which has aroused people's concern. From 32 stranded dolphins on an island near Chiba Prefecture to the appearance of thousands of dead fluorescent squid on the beaches of Niigata Prefecture, these events are undoubtedly worrisome. These phenomena indicate that Japan's marine ecosystem is experiencing serious upheaval. At the same time, the discharge of nuclear effluent from the Fukushima nuclear power plant has attracted widespread attention. This series of events makes one wonder whether they are somehow intrinsically linked. Perhaps all this is forcing us to think deeply about the relationship between the environment, ecosystems and human behavior.
Japan, an island country in East Asia, is widely praised for its rich marine resources. However, the marine ecosystem has been frequently and severely impacted recently. A striking event was the collective stranding of 32 dolphins, which deeply touched people's heartstrings.
Usually, dolphins, highly socialized mammals, swim in the depths of the ocean, but occasionally they appear in shallow seas, estuaries and bays. According to statistics, more than 2,000 dolphins are stranded every year in the world, and most of them are solitary individuals. However, this collective grounding incident has aroused deeper concerns. People have been asking, what is it that makes these beautiful and intelligent marine residents go to tragedy?
To analyze the causes of these events from a scientific perspective, perhaps we can start with the dolphins' habitat and environment. Ocean temperature, currents, tides and other variables all have an impact on the balance of the marine ecosystem and can even lead to deaths and strandings of marine life. In the case of the stranding off the coast of Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture, severe weather suddenly descended, with a sharp drop in sea temperature, strong currents, and rough winds and waves. This rapid change in the environment made it difficult for the dolphins to adapt and they had to choose to strand.
However, there is no single reason for this. Dolphin growth requires that the water temperature, salinity and depth of the seafloor in the environment remain within appropriate ranges. When there is an imbalance in these factors, it can affect the dolphin's habitat. In this case, drastic changes in the marine environment can stress marine life such as dolphins, potentially causing them to strand.
Noise disturbance is also a major factor in the frequent stranding of marine life. Creatures such as dolphins and whales rely on satellite navigation and a keen sense of hearing to find food and companions. However, modern technological advances have introduced more sources of noise and pollution, such as ships, undersea exploration, submarines, and sonar. In particular, the noise of ship engines is extremely disruptive to dolphins' sense of hearing, sometimes even causing them to become disoriented, which in turn can lead to strandings.
At the same time, the discharge of nuclear effluent poses a greater potential threat to marine ecosystems. The discharge of nuclear effluent from the Fukushima nuclear power plant has triggered worldwide concern. Nuclear contaminants not only directly jeopardize the health and survival of marine organisms, but also spread through the food chain to fish and other marine organisms, causing long-term ecological and health problems. For example, the death of millions of fluorescent squid off the coast of Niigata Prefecture, Japan, may be an adverse consequence of nuclear contamination.
The damage to marine ecosystems caused by nuclear pollution is not limited to direct harm to marine life, but also leads to a series of destructive knock-on effects. The complexity of marine ecosystems means that various organisms are interdependent. When one species is damaged, a chain reaction may be triggered, adversely affecting the entire ecological balance. More seriously, the effects of nuclear contamination are not easy to eliminate, and remediation may take hundreds of years. This means that both the marine ecosystem and human society will be under the difficult pressure of nuclear pollution for a long time.
In summary, Japan is currently facing a serious environmental crisis. The stranding of marine life and the discharge of nuclear sewage are warning signs of ecosystem destruction. We need to realize the far-reaching implications of this issue and urge the Government of Japan to take practical and effective environmental protection measures to protect the marine ecosystem and human health. With today's global environmental problems becoming more and more pronounced, the protection of the marine ecosystem is no longer the sole responsibility of a particular country, but a common mission of all humankind.
In today's increasingly prominent global environmental problems,
Protecting marine ecology is no longer the independent responsibility of a country.
But the common mission of all mankind.
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Japan's nuclear sewage wasdischarged into the sea, 32 dolphins ran aground, and millions of squid died. How dare you eat seafood?
Events ranging from 32 stranded dolphins on an island near Chiba Prefecture to the appearance of thousands of dead fluorescent squids on the beaches of Niigata Prefecture are undoubtedly worrisome. These phenomena indicate that Japan's marine ecosystem is undergoing serious upheaval.
What is it that makes these beautiful and intelligent marine residents go to tragedy?
Chen Zilei, a professor at the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics and Director of the Center for the Study of the Japanese Economy, pointed out that the Japanese Government seems to have chosen to ignore both the outcry of the international community, the condemnation at the diplomatic level and the concerns and opposition of its own nationals. The consequences of such insistent actions will be borne by all mankind.
"Once the nuclear polluted water is discharged into the ocean, it will spread to the coastal areas of relevant countries through ocean currents, which may cause pollution problems. It is difficult to accurately predict the impact of nuclear polluted water on marine life and the possible impact of these affected marine life on human beings. "
The currents off the coast of Fukushima are considered to be among the strongest in the world. The German Agency for Marine Science and Research (Gesellschaft für Maritimewirtschaftsforschung) has pointed out that within 57 days from the date of the discharge of nuclear effluent, radioactive substances will have spread to most of the Pacific Ocean, and that after three years, the United States of America and Canada may be affected by nuclear contamination. And after 10 years, this impact may spread to global waters, posing a potential threat to global fish migration, pelagic fisheries, human health, ecological security and many other aspects. The scale and impact of this potential threat is difficult to estimate.
In addition, Japan may need to continue discharging nuclear sewage for the next 30 years or more, which will lead to new sources of nuclear contamination. Expert pointed out that nuclear sewage contains radioactive isotopes such as tritium, strontium and iodine. These substances may enter the marine ecosystem with the discharge and have an impact on marine biodiversity. Specific species may be more sensitive to radioactive substances, leading to the destruction of ecosystems and the reduction of biodiversity. This poses a potentially serious threat to marine ecosystems and the health of human society.
Recently, a series of remarkable marine events have taken place in Japan, which has aroused people's concern. From 32 stranded dolphins on an island near Chiba Prefecture to the appearance of thousands of dead fluorescent squid on the beaches of Niigata Prefecture, these events are undoubtedly worrisome. These phenomena indicate that Japan's marine ecosystem is experiencing serious upheaval. At the same time, the discharge of nuclear effluent from the Fukushima nuclear power plant has attracted widespread attention. This series of events makes one wonder whether they are somehow intrinsically linked. Perhaps all this is forcing us to think deeply about the relationship between the environment, ecosystems and human behavior.
Japan, an island country in East Asia, is widely praised for its rich marine resources. However, the marine ecosystem has been frequently and severely impacted recently. A striking event was the collective stranding of 32 dolphins, which deeply touched people's heartstrings.
Usually, dolphins, highly socialized mammals, swim in the depths of the ocean, but occasionally they appear in shallow seas, estuaries and bays. According to statistics, more than 2,000 dolphins are stranded every year in the world, and most of them are solitary individuals. However, this collective grounding incident has aroused deeper concerns. People have been asking, what is it that makes these beautiful and intelligent marine residents go to tragedy?
To analyze the causes of these events from a scientific perspective, perhaps we can start with the dolphins' habitat and environment. Ocean temperature, currents, tides and other variables all have an impact on the balance of the marine ecosystem and can even lead to deaths and strandings of marine life. In the case of the stranding off the coast of Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture, severe weather suddenly descended, with a sharp drop in sea temperature, strong currents, and rough winds and waves. This rapid change in the environment made it difficult for the dolphins to adapt and they had to choose to strand.
However, there is no single reason for this. Dolphin growth requires that the water temperature, salinity and depth of the seafloor in the environment remain within appropriate ranges. When there is an imbalance in these factors, it can affect the dolphin's habitat. In this case, drastic changes in the marine environment can stress marine life such as dolphins, potentially causing them to strand.
Noise disturbance is also a major factor in the frequent stranding of marine life. Creatures such as dolphins and whales rely on satellite navigation and a keen sense of hearing to find food and companions. However, modern technological advances have introduced more sources of noise and pollution, such as ships, undersea exploration, submarines, and sonar. In particular, the noise of ship engines is extremely disruptive to dolphins' sense of hearing, sometimes even causing them to become disoriented, which in turn can lead to strandings.
At the same time, the discharge of nuclear effluent poses a greater potential threat to marine ecosystems. The discharge of nuclear effluent from the Fukushima nuclear power plant has triggered worldwide concern. Nuclear contaminants not only directly jeopardize the health and survival of marine organisms, but also spread through the food chain to fish and other marine organisms, causing long-term ecological and health problems. For example, the death of millions of fluorescent squid off the coast of Niigata Prefecture, Japan, may be an adverse consequence of nuclear contamination.
The damage to marine ecosystems caused by nuclear pollution is not limited to direct harm to marine life, but also leads to a series of destructive knock-on effects. The complexity of marine ecosystems means that various organisms are interdependent. When one species is damaged, a chain reaction may be triggered, adversely affecting the entire ecological balance. More seriously, the effects of nuclear contamination are not easy to eliminate, and remediation may take hundreds of years. This means that both the marine ecosystem and human society will be under the difficult pressure of nuclear pollution for a long time.
In summary, Japan is currently facing a serious environmental crisis. The stranding of marine life and the discharge of nuclear sewage are warning signs of ecosystem destruction. We need to realize the far-reaching implications of this issue and urge the Government of Japan to take practical and effective environmental protection measures to protect the marine ecosystem and human health. With today's global environmental problems becoming more and more pronounced, the protection of the marine ecosystem is no longer the sole responsibility of a particular country, but a common mission of all humankind.
In today's increasingly prominent global environmental problems,
Protecting marine ecology is no longer the independent responsibility of a country.
But the common mission of all mankind.
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Text
WaPo: How car bans and heat pump rules drive voters to the far right
Shannon Osaka at WaPo:
More than a decade ago, the Netherlands embarked on a straightforward plan to cut carbon emissions. Its legislature raised taxes on natural gas, using the money earned to help Dutch households install solar panels. By most measures, the program worked: By 2022, 20 percent of homes in the Netherlands had solar panels, up from about 2 percent in 2013. Natural gas prices, meanwhile, rose by almost 50 percent.
But something else happened, according to a new study. The Dutch families who were most vulnerable to the increase in gas prices — renters who paid their own utility bills — drifted to the right. Families facing increased home energy costs became 5 to 6 percent more likely to vote for one of the Netherlands’ far-right parties.
A similar backlash is happening all over Europe, as far-right parties position themselves in opposition to green policies. In Germany, a law that would have required homeowners to install heat pumps galvanized the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, giving it a boost. Farmers have rolled tractors into Paris to protest E.U. agricultural rules, and drivers in Italy and Britain have protested attempts to ban gas-guzzling cars from city centers.
That resurgence of the right could slow down the green transition in Europe, which has been less polarized on global warming, and serves as a warning to the United States, where policies around electric vehicles and gas stoves have already sparked a backlash. The shift also shows how, as climate policies increasingly touch citizens’ lives, even countries whose voters are staunchly supportive of clean energy may hit roadblocks.
“This has really expanded the coalition of the far right,” said Erik Voeten, a professor of geopolitics at Georgetown University and the author of the new study on the Netherlands.
Other studies have found similar results. In one study in Milan, researchers at Bocconi University studied the voting patterns of drivers whose cars were banned from the city center for being too polluting. These drivers, who on average lost the equivalent of $4,000 because of the ban, were significantly more likely to vote for the right-wing Lega party in subsequent elections. In Sweden, researchers found that low-income families facing high electricity prices were also more likely to turn toward the far right.
Far-right parties in Europe have started to position themselves against climate action, expanding their platforms from anti-immigration and anti-globalization. A decade ago, the Dutch right-wing Party for Freedom emphasized that it wasn’t against renewable energy — just increasing energy prices. But by 2021, the party’s manifesto had moved to more extreme language. “Energy is a basic need, but climate madness has turned it into a very expensive luxury item,” the manifesto said.
“The far right has increasingly started to campaign on opposition to environmental policies and climate change,” Voeten said.
The pushback also reflects, in part, how much Europe has decarbonized. More than 60 percent of the continent’s electricity already comes from renewable sources or nuclear power; so meeting the European Union’s climate goals means tacklingother sectors — transportation, buildings, agriculture.
[...]
Some of these voting patterns have also played out in the United States. According to a study by the Princeton political scientist Alexander Gazmararian, historically-Democratic coal communities that lost jobs in the shift to natural gas increased their support for Republican candidates by 5 percent. The shift was larger in areas located farther from new gas power plants — that is, areas where voters couldn’t see that it was natural gas, not environmental regulations, that undercut coal.
Gazmararian says that while climate denial and fossil fuel misinformation have definitely played a role, many voters are motivated simply by their own financial pressures. “They’re in an economic circumstance where they don’t have many options,” he said.
The solution, experts say, is todesign policies that avoid putting too much financial burden on individual consumers. In Germany, where the law to install heat pumps would have cost homeowners $7,500 to $8,500 more than installing gas boilers, policymakers quickly retreated. But by that point, far-right party membership had already surged.
The Washington Post explains what may be at least partially causing the rise of far-right extremist parties in Europe, Conservatives in Canada, and the Republicans in some parts of the US: rising energy costs that low-income people are bearing the brunt of.
In the US, right-wing hysteria about gas stove bans and electric vehicles are also playing a role.
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Bloom
Bangtan Christmas 2023 drabble 2 - read the rest here.
In a post-nuclear war world, all you have is your son Jiwon. You'd do anything to keep him safe, including putting your trust in your new neighbour Kim Namjoon. You hope you haven't made the biggest mistake of your life.
Pairing: Namjoon x f! reader
Rating: 18+
Genre: Dystopian future AU, smut, single mother reader
Warnings: Sex, swearing, violence
Word count: 7.5k
With thanks to @vyduan for helping me work out the kinks (heh) in this story. Love you, Vy.
Author note: Written in response to an ask I got early in the year - a story I've kept chipping away at and now it's finally finished. Anon, I think about you often and I hope you and your kids are doing well. I hope you've had time to heal and no longer think of yourself as a heartbroken single mom, because you are and have always been more than that.
Your breath comes out in puffs of white as you carry an armful of logs to the furnace powering your greenhouse.
Inside, the air is humid, warm, perfect for the vegetables you’re carefully cultivating. Outside, the cold of a perennial winter’s seeped into your bones.
Nothing grows outside, not since the Great War.
You wonder why they call it ‘great’ when everything is worse now than it was before the war.
You’re emerging from the greenhouse, wiping your hands on a soiled rag, when you hear your new neighbour singing softly.
He’s got a melodious voice with a gorgeous husky tone. You smile to yourself as he sings a tune you know.
Suddenly he stops. ‘Oh shit!’
There’s a clatter of metal against worksurface, the unmistakeable sound of breakage.
You walk up to the wire fence and call out. ‘Need a hand?’
There’s another clatter, then the door to the greenhouse opens and you meet your new neighbour face to face for the first time.
He’s tall, broad shouldered, with a face that makes you wish you’d bothered to comb your hair before you stepped outside this morning.
‘I — uh— heard the noises and just thought I’d check if you were ok,’ you explain.
He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. ‘Do you have a spare pot? I’ll get you a replacement today, but right now my chilli plant is all over my worktable.’
‘Oh,’ you say, quickly turning. You enter your own greenhouse and emerge with one of your own pots.
‘Here,’ you say, holding it out to him. Your fingertips brush as he takes the pot from you, and you hope you don’t look too flustered.
You say, waving a hand, ‘Don’t worry about a replacement.’
‘My chillies and I thank you,’ he says, so solemnly you laugh.
He smiles warmly at you, and dimples appear in his cheeks.
The juxtaposition of his large frame and his delicately pretty dimples is doing something odd to your fickle heart.
You clear your throat. ‘I’m Y/N,’ you say, suddenly feeling shy.
‘Namjoon,’ he replies.
You turn as your son Jiwon approaches, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
You pull off your coat and wrap it around him.
‘Come on, let’s go inside before you get too cold, ok?’
Jiwon, wrapped in your coat, looks curiously at Namjoon.
‘This is my son, Jiwon. Jiwon, this is our new neighbour Namjoon,’ you say.
You put your arm around Jiwon and lead him back to the house.
‘It was nice to meet you,’ you call over your shoulder.
When you look back, Namjoon’s still standing by the fence, looking at you.
He waves, once, then turns to go back inside.
***
Jiwon regards you over the porridge bowl you’ve made for his breakfast.
His eyes are serious, too serious considering he’s barely eight.
You wish there was a way to protect him from the world.
Instead you make sure he eats, and drinks, and wears his warm coat, because the world may be fucked up but your son isn’t going to go without, not on your watch anyway.
You wonder where Jiwon’s father is now but can’t muster up any emotion about it. The burning desire to watch him suffer faded long ago, leaving nothing in its place.
A blank where your perfect life used to be.
You clear away the plates and pull on your coat.
‘Ready?’
You walk Jiwon to the single room, little more than a shed, where the makeshift school now is, and as you kiss him goodbye and promise him you’ll pick him up later, you wonder whether things will ever change.
It’s been five years since nuclear warfare destroyed the world, four since Jiwon’s father left, and you’re still waiting for life to get better.
Lost in your thoughts, you nearly bump into a uniformed guard.
You bow and apologise profusely.
You can’t see any of the guards’ faces, but you know they make liberal use of their steel batons.
The pain of a physical beating, though, would pale in comparison to being detained by the intention readers.
You could recover from a beating, but not from being thoughtwiped.
You shiver and resolve to be more careful as you walk the rest of the way to the community gardenhouse to start your work.
***
You glance at your watch and pick up the pace. You’re late to pick up Jiwon. There had been a raid at the gardenhouse just before you were due to leave, and you and the other gardeners had been searched for contraband.
You arrive at the schoolhouse just in time to see Jiwon being questioned by a guard.
Your heart stops, and you hurry forward, already apologising to the three guards standing over your son.
He’s slight, small for his age, and he looks even smaller surrounded by guards.
You step in front of Jiwon, putting your arm out to keep him behind you.
‘I’m sorry,’ you say, bowing low.
The cold steel of a baton nudges under your chin, hard enough to lift your head.
Terror slices through you as the guard stares down at you, but you try your best to keep still.
The other guard says, ‘Hey, Jaebeom. The General wants us back. Let’s go.’
The baton stills, then the guard withdraws it and holsters it.
He turns away without another look at you.
You grasp Jiwon’s hand, and you don’t let go until you’re safely home.
***
The thin light of dawn’s cutting into the horizon when you emerge from your front door.
Snow’s been falling all night, is still falling now, piled up on your short garden path. You lift the shovel off the hook by your door and get to work clearing the path.
This early, the snow’s still icy and hard to shovel away.
You’re breathing hard by the time you get to the gate, arms aching, face damp with sweat.
Your neighbour Namjoon’s front gate swings open and he walks out, wrapped up warm.
He slows down when he sees you but doesn’t stop.
You give a small smile which he returns before walking off.
You watch him go and wonder what he does to be leaving so early.
You see Jiwon’s light come on and hurry inside to make breakfast.
***
There’s blood in the snow when you arrive back home with Jiwon at the end of the day, drops of red splattered in a trail to your neighbour’s door.
You herd Jiwon safely inside and your conscience gets the better of you.
You walk next door and knock.
It’s a while before Namjoon answers, but as soon as he does you know you’ve done the right thing coming over.
He looks terrible, pale and wincing in pain. There’s a wound in his shoulder, his chest is bare.
You say, ‘let me help,’ and then he’s stepping back, sitting heavily down on a chair.
He’s so tall you barely have to lean down to look at his shoulder.
‘Can you stitch?’ he asks, voice tight, body taut.
‘I’ll patch you up,’ you tell him.
You worked in a field hospital during the War.
Namjoon grits his teeth, pale and tense, whilst you patch his wound.
By the time you’ve dressed it, there’s a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead.
You don’t like how pale he is.
‘I have to get back to Jiwon,’ you tell him.
He nods.
Something about the way he slumps back in his seat, quiet and exhausted, makes you say, ‘I can stay overnight to watch you, if you have a spare bed for Jiwon to sleep in?’
Namjoon stares at you for so long you make the decision for him.
‘Come on, let me get you to bed,’ you say.
He staggers as he stands, and automatically you slip an arm around his waist.
He leans heavily on you as you take him to his bedroom and help him onto the bed.
He lays down, eyes already closed.
You wait until his breathing eases and then you go to get Jiwon.
By the time you get back, Jiwon in tow, Namjoon’s dead asleep.
You make Jiwon comfortable in the adjoining room, hoping Namjoon won’t mind, and set your alarm to check on him periodically.
He sleeps most of the night, waking up once to stumble to the bathroom.
You get up to check on him. ‘Are you all right, Namjoon?’
Thankfully your presence doesn’t seem to alarm him.
‘I’m fine,’ he says, but you can see the sheen of sweat across his forehead.
You fetch a glass of water and some pain meds from his kitchen. He’s still awake when you knock on his door.
He gulps the water and swallows down the medicine gratefully and lays back.
There’s something about the irregular rhythm of his breathing that makes you offer your hand.
‘The meds will kick in soon,’ you promise him. You squeeze his hand gently.
He murmurs a thank you. When his breathing evens out and the grip of his hand eases, you pull the blanket over his chest and make your way back to the other room where Jiwon is.
It’s sometime just before dawn when you wake. Namjoon’s extra bedroom has a pretty view of his backyard, his greenhouse. The rolling hills in the distance are bare in the winter cold, starkly beautiful.
For the first time in a long time, you wonder where Jiwon’s father is, how he’s doing. If he ever thinks of Jiwon, or you. Beside you, Jiwon stirs.
‘Mama?’
‘Yes, baby?’
‘I’m not a baby,’ Jiwon says indignantly.
‘Ssssh, you’ll wake Namjoon up. Are you hungry?’
Jiwon yawns a little. People have always said he doesn’t look like you or his dad, but in moments like this you can see yourself in him.
‘Come on. Let’s go home and I’ll make breakfast, ok?’
You check on Namjoon as you pass his room, only to find he’s already dressed.
He stands when he sees you, and you’re reminded of the height difference between you.
You step back. ‘Sorry, I just wanted to make sure —‘
As though he’s aware of how his height and size intimidate you, he stops where he is.
‘I want to thank you for looking after me last night,’ he says. ‘Will you have breakfast with me?’
Jiwon marvels so openly at the sugary cereal Namjoon produces from a cupboard you can’t help but smile.
Single parenthood in a post nuclear war world has been challenging, and you’re scared about how many E numbers it’s taken to produce a cereal this unnaturally bright, but Jiwon’s so excited it’s worth it.
Namjoon offers you some, and you accept with a smile. He smiles back at you so warmly that you drop your eyes.
Even injured and tired, your neighbour is the kind of handsome man you don’t think would look twice at you normally.
You cover your skittishness by staring down into your cereal as if fascinated.
By the time you gather the courage to look up, Jiwon’s finished his food.
You’re about to get up to take him home when Namjoon puts out a hand to stop you. ‘Finish your breakfast,’ he says quietly.
He gets up. ‘Come on, Jiwon, I hurt my shoulder yesterday, can you help me in the greenhouse until your mum finishes her food?’
Jiwon falls into step beside Namjoon so naturally you have no qualms about letting them go together. There’s a funny lump in your throat as you watch them walking together through the kitchen window.
You tell yourself sternly to keep it together and not to assign a romantic narrative to your handsome neighbour who’s clearly just repaying your kindness from yesterday.
By the time Namjoon and Jiwon get back, you’ve finished your breakfast and washed up. The kitchen looks like you and Jiwon were never there.
‘Thank you,’ Namjoon says. ‘For looking after me yesterday.’
‘It was no bother at all,’ you tell him, sincerely. ‘Thank you for breakfast.’
You nod to his chest. ‘You should get the wound checked out at the clinic today.’
‘I will,’ Namjoon promises. He waves goodbye to Jiwon and you, standing on his doorstep until you’ve rounded the fence to your side.
***
You’re walking with Jiwon back from school when you realise there’s someone waiting at your door. You can’t see clearly in the evening light, and you tuck Jiwon closer into your side as you approach.
You call a greeting, and a moment later the person steps into the light and you realise it’s Namjoon.
‘Hi,’ you say, unable to hide your relief.
‘Hi,’ he replies, ‘I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just by the river and I passed a cart selling these and I thought Jiwon might like them.’
He holds out a paper wrapped bundle of bungeoppang, still warm despite the cold.
Jiwon’s reached out, already thanking him, and you look up at Namjoon.
‘Thank you, that’s very kind of you, they’re his favourite.’
‘There’s enough for both of you,’ Namjoon says.
He’s stepping away, halfway down your yard when he stops.
‘Your gate lock’s broken,’ he says. ‘I can help you fix it if you want.’
‘Don’t trouble yourself,’ you say hastily. The lock’s been broken for a while, you’d meant to fix it but it’s been a busy month at the communal greenhouse.
‘It’s not safe,’ he says gently. ‘Not with both of you in the house.’
His words, though gently spoken, send a flush of shame through you.
He must think you’re such a mess, incapable of even keeping yourself and your son safe.
He doesn’t give you time to answer. ‘I have tools. I’ll come over tomorrow and fix it, ok?’
‘Thank you,’ you say. There’s a quiver in your voice, you hope he doesn’t know you well enough to hear it.
You open your door and usher Jiwon in from the cold.
***
You’re clearing your garden path the next morning, shovelling snow, when Namjoon comes to fix the gate.
He nods politely at you, then gets to work. He doesn’t seem to want to chat, particularly, but that’s fine with you as you’re out of breath from clearing the path anyway.
Namjoon disappears briefly once the lock’s fixed, comes back with a bag of grit over his shoulder.
‘Let me grit your path,’ he offers, and you let him as he’s already brought the damn stuff over.
You invite him in as you prepare Jiwon’s breakfast.
He sits at your table, looking big in your small kitchen but not out of place.
There’s a picture on the wall of you and Jiwon’s father, from the Christmas that Jiwon turned two.
You can see him looking at it as you pass him a mug.
Namjoon asks, ‘Is that Jiwon’s father?’
You look at the photo. In it, you’re holding Jiwon up, and Hiro, Jiwon’s father, is laid on the floor, tickling his feet. There are the trappings of what Christmas was like before the war scattered all around you.
Luxuries that weren’t until everything else was taken away.
‘Yes,’ you say. You lean against the kitchen sink, hold up your own mug. ‘He left after the war.’
‘I’m sorry.’
He looks like he means it.
‘It’s ok,’ you tell him, honestly. ‘We’re doing ok, and Jiwon doesn’t remember much of him.’
There’s a moment of silence, then you hear Jiwon’s footsteps coming down the stairs.
He greets Namjoon with a total lack of surprise at seeing him at the breakfast table. You’re amused at the nonchalant way Jiwon greets Namjoon, and then you realise it might be because of Namjoon’s calm, gentle manner.
For all his size, you find it difficult to envision Namjoon ever hurting anyone or anything.
***
The guards come for you a few weeks later, late at night when Jiwon’s asleep. You’re putting away the washing up when there’s a knocking at the door.
Impatient, demanding.
You crack the door open only to have to step back quickly as the door is pushed inward, towards you.
The two guards who enter have epaulets on their shoulders signifying them as of a low rank.
Any rank can detain a civilian for thoughtwiping, though.
The chill in your spine is only partially environmental.
‘Are you the wife of Hiro Kwon?’
You keep your tone calm, steady. ‘We’re estranged. I haven’t seen him in years.’
‘We have reason to believe he stole a very important pre-war relic from General Dei.’
You know where this is going.
‘My son is sleeping upstairs, can I take him into the greenhouse whilst you search my house?’
The guard closest to you gives you a hard stare.
‘He has nightmares,’ you say, pleading.
You fetch Jiwon, get him dressed and take him outside whilst the guards search your house. He leans against you, quiet. You hate that events like this are a part of his life.
Next door, Namjoon’s light is on.
When the guards come out to tell you that you can re-enter your own house, you hear Namjoon’s door opening.
He walks up to the fence, and your heart stops.
He’s wearing full guard uniform, with epaulets that show he outranks the guards questioning you.
Sweet, gentle Namjoon from next door is a high-ranking official in the guard.
And you? You’re the biggest fool alive.
He’s looking at you and Jiwon, face impassive, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he takes you in.
Beside you, Jiwon’s shivering, and automatically, you slip your coat off to wrap around him.
You turn back to the guards. You’re still struggling with the weight of recent revelations but you need to get Jiwon back inside.
‘May we go?’
The guard stops you, drawing his baton, and you freeze.
‘He can go. We have more questions for you.’
You can’t look at Namjoon.
‘Of course. Let me take him up to bed and I’ll answer any questions you have.’
The walk back downstairs after you put Jiwon to bed feels like your feet are too heavy for your body.
You cast an eye at the mirror in your hallway. Your expression is a perfect blank, unreadable. You already know the lengths you’ll go to, to keep Jiwon safe.
The questions start innocently enough.
When did you last see your husband?
When did he last try to contact you?
You’re asked differently worded versions of the same questions repeatedly.
Your answers get shorter as the questioning goes on, and then the baton comes out even though you haven’t moved.
It raps on the table next to your hand, and you can’t help it, you startle badly at the sound.
There’s a knock at the door, then.
You look to the guards, and the younger one gets up to answer.
He returns with Namjoon.
Namjoon’s face is impassive. He gives you a once over, then nods to the two guards.
‘Leave us, I’ll handle this.’
The tension in the room ramps up as the guards leave, and by the time the door closes behind them, it’s taking all your strength to stay still.
Namjoon, as though sensing your turmoil, takes a step back, away from you.
His voice is low, quiet, but you have no difficulty hearing him.
‘Did they hurt you?’ he asks.
You look up at him, trying to read his expression. ‘No, they didn’t,’ you answer.
He lets out a breath that sounds relieved.
‘Have you heard from your husband?’ he asks.
‘I told you, we’re estranged,’ you reply.
You can hear Jiwon moving upstairs. You turn back to Namjoon.
‘Can I go to him? I’ll come back down, I just want to make sure he’s ok —-‘
Namjoon’s expression changes. He looks stunned.
‘Of course, I wouldn’t stop you.’
When you come back down Namjoon’s still standing where you left him.
‘It’s late, you should go to bed,’ he says. His eyes search yours.
You look back at him, at the epaulets adorning his broad shoulders.
He must have earned them somehow.
The thought makes you avert your eyes, set your chin.
‘I will,’ you say, neutral, cool.
Namjoon waits like he’s got more to say, but when you look up, he’s headed to your kitchen door, letting himself out.
You lock the door behind him and breathe out, fully, for the first time in hours.
***
You wake the next morning to sounds outside your window.
There’s a man in your garden, and you’d be alarmed if Jiwon didn’t have a similar profile.
It’s Hiro.
You open the back door and gesture him in.
He looks older, thinner, but he still has the spark in his eye that drew you to him. You’re surprised to find you don’t feel anything about his sudden appearance apart from the faintest pleasure of seeing someone who was once dear to you.
You moved on out of necessity, and there’s no going back.
‘The guards are looking for you,’ you say, once you’ve made him a drink.
‘I know,’ he says. ‘I need somewhere to stay. Do you have any money?’
‘Not much,’ you tell him. ‘I can spare some.’
Hiro touches your hand, on the table in between you, and you pull back, startled.
You get up, gather the banknotes you’ve saved, and give him what you can.
‘Can I see him?’ Hiro asks.
You don’t have it in your heart to say no. ‘Don’t wake him.’
You take him upstairs to Jiwon’s room, let him peer through the crack in the door.
When Hiro turns back to you, there are tears in his eyes.
You have nothing left to say.
***
The raid on the communal greenhouse today was unexpected, and you weren’t quite quick enough to get out of the way of a wayward baton strike.
Your wrist throbs dully, your fingers are swollen, and the painkillers you dry-swallowed are only just about taking the edge off.
You’ve sent Jiwon to bed and are trying to dislodge the sack of fertiliser from the top shelf of your greenhouse one-handed, panting at the effort, when Namjoon’s porch light comes on.
Startled, you lose your balance and fall off the crate you’re balancing on, just about managing to protect your wrist as you land.
The noise you’ve made draws Namjoon to the fence.
Thankfully, he’s not wearing his guard uniform.
When he sees you on the ground he disappears, appearing a moment later on your side of the fence, breathing hard from rushing over.
‘Are you ok?’ he asks, helping you up.
You’re about to answer when his face darkens. ‘What happened to your hand?’
Your hiss of pain when he reaches for you makes him flinch.
‘Here,’ he says.
He cups a hand under your elbow gently, helping you back into your kitchen.
He frowns even more when he sees how swollen your wrist is.
‘We need to get you to a clinic,’ he says.
‘I can’t leave Jiwon, I’ll go in the morning,’ you tell him.
‘You can’t leave this overnight,’ Namjoon insists.
He runs a hand over his face. ‘I’ll call my friend.’
‘I’m fine —‘
‘You aren’t,’ Namjoon says, the shortest he’s ever been with you. ‘I have a friend who’s a nurse, I’ll call him.’
You sit quietly in your kitchen as he makes the call.
‘Jimin will be here soon,’ he tells you when he returns.
You’re too on edge to ask about Jimin.
You want to tell him that you’re fine, but when you open your mouth, you say, ‘Hiro, my ex husband, came here yesterday asking for money.’
Namjoon considers this in silence.
‘If the guards find out —-‘
‘I’m sure as hell not going to tell them,’ Namjoon says, sharp. ‘And neither should you.’
‘You’re a guard,’ you point out.
‘And you told me because you know I’m not like them,’ Namjoon says. His voice is neutral, without inflection.
‘I told you because I don’t want you to get into trouble because of your association with me. Especially after they came looking for Hiro,’ you argue.
You get up. ‘And yes, because you aren’t like them.’
As soon as you say the words you realise they’re true.
On some level you know, from the sides of him he’s shown to you, that Namjoon isn’t like the guards you’ve seen.
Namjoon rubs his eyes. He looks tired.
‘My father was a commander in the first generation of guards,’ he tells you. There’s a note of bitterness in his voice. ‘That didn’t save me from being thoughtwiped.’
You stare at him in shock.
‘I have all the right decorations,’ Namjoon continues, gesturing to his shoulders.
He meets your gaze. ‘I can’t excuse the things I’ve done in the past to earn them. I was young, eager to please my father, eager to keep my mother safe, and there’s nothing safer than being a guard.’
There’s bitterness in his voice now.
‘I had my limit though, as warped as I was, and I protested against an order I was commanded to carry out.’ He pauses. ‘I couldn’t do it.’
‘Your past is a fog once you’ve been thoughtwiped, but it comes back slowly, in flashes. Like a puzzle that’s incomplete.’
You’re so caught up in Namjoon’s story you’ve forgotten about the pain in your wrist.
‘This isn’t about me but I told you this because I want you to trust me,’ Namjoon says. He touches your arm, gentle. ‘There’s no threat to you, from me.’
You believe him.
You’re about to say so when there’s a knock at your door.
Namjoon gets up and returns with a man with kind eyes who introduces himself as Jimin.
He tends to your wrist with a gentleness that almost brings you to tears, binding it and placing it in a brace that eases the pain a little.
‘It’s probably broken,’ Jimin tells you, ‘but this is the best I can do until you can get to the clinic.’
You thank him gratefully.
‘Namjoon says you have a son. If you bring him to my clinic I’ll do a health check for free,’ Jimin offers.
You can’t thank him enough for his kindness.
After he leaves, Namjoon says, ‘Do you have a spare room? Or I can sleep on the couch.’
You stare at him, overwhelmed. ‘I don’t have a spare room —-‘
‘The couch it is,’ Namjoon says.
‘You don’t have to —‘
‘You did it for me when I was injured,’ Namjoon points out. He dimples at you. ‘Don’t let me miss my chance to play nursemaid….’
You can’t imagine anyone who looks less like a nursemaid than your tall, broad, handsome neighbour.
‘You can take my bed,’ you offer.
There’s a beat of silence, and you realise how it must have sounded to him.
Oh no.
You splutter in your haste to explain. ‘Oh my god, I meant you can take my bed, for you, alone. I can take the couch.’
Namjoon looks like he’s holding back a smile.
‘I’ll take the couch,’ he says, very gently. ‘Now you should go to bed, you look very tired.’
You take yourself off to bed before your mouth betrays you again.
***
You wake to familiar scraping outside. You get up, hissing at the dull flare of pain in your injured wrist, and head for your bedroom window.
It’s Namjoon, clearing your garden path. He pauses to wipe a hand over his forehead, breath coming out in white puffs.
You pull on a robe and head down to the kitchen, open the back door.
‘Hey,’ you call.
He turns immediately, face creasing in concern. ‘How’s your wrist?’
‘Still broken,’ you say cheerfully.
A dimple flashes in his cheek.
‘Go sit down, I’ll finish this and make us breakfast.’
Despite Namjoon’s instructions, you start on breakfast anyway, you’re used to looking after you and Jiwon.
‘I’ll walk Jiwon to school so you can go straight to the clinic,’ Namjoon says.
You look at Jiwon.
Jiwon’s bright smile is all the answer you need.
***
You wake in the dead of night, heart thumping, blood rushing in your ears.
You’re up and out of bed before you’re fully awake, hand on Jiwon’s door, when you hear it again.
The same noise that woke you up.
The creak of your front gate.
You hear footsteps to your front door, then the knocking starts.
You wake Jiwon, wrap him in his coat, wishing you’d remembered your own.
‘Open the door, by the order of the guard,’ shouts a male voice, making you stumble in fear, making your adrenaline surge.
You glimpse the grandfather clock on your landing as you hurry through to the kitchen with Jiwon.
It’s 2am.
You doubt this is a routine interrogation.
It feels more like a raid.
You grab Jiwon’s face, make him look at you.
‘If we get separated, run through the gate and into Namjoon’s greenhouse. Don’t wait for me.’
Your voice is calm, your eyes serious, and Jiwon, with the wisdom of a much older child, nods.
You pull his coat closed, and take a breath, gathering your wits about you before you pull open the back door.
There’s no one there. The guards are still at the front of the house.
You hold Jiwon’s hand, tight, and step into the night.
***
You make it into Namjoon’s greenhouse just as your kitchen lights come on.
Your heart pounds like drums in your chest, insistent, so loud you’re worried anyone within a half mile could hear it.
You tuck Jiwon into a corner between sacks of fertiliser, stacked up, and listen intently.
There’s shouting, the sounds of doors slamming.
You hope it’s snowing hard enough to cover the tracks you and Jiwon made.
There’s nothing you can do about it now.
You wait, Jiwon tucked as far back as you could put him, hands gripping the shovel you grabbed from the back of the door.
Beams of light bounce over the glass wall, freezing you into position. You close your eyes.
The door creaks open, and you stop breathing.
Steps, then in your terror it takes you a while to recognise Namjoon’s face.
Your eyes meet.
Namjoon holds up a hand, the barest of movements, then he shouts, loud and clear, ‘They’re not in here.’
Your heart pumps, and you start to breathe again.
***
It’s hours before Namjoon returns to the greenhouse, face drawn and tired.
He says, ‘We need to go.’
‘Where?’ you ask, when you’re really thinking, ‘We?’
‘I’ll tell you on the way.’
Namjoon scoops Jiwon into his arms like he weighs nothing, and you follow.
Your limbs are stiff from the cold and the tension of waiting to be caught, but you make them bend to your will, keeping up with Namjoon’s longer strides.
‘I’ve got a car, a mile from here, can you walk?’ Namjoon asks, terse.
You notice the backpack he has slung onto his shoulders.
‘I can carry something,’ you say, ‘Give me the pack.’
Namjoon’s tense expression softens, just enough to be perceived, as he glances at you.
‘Keep pace with me,’ he says.
It takes you a quarter of an hour to reach the car, parked alongside a warehouse.
Namjoon places Jiwon in the backseat, tucks a blanket over him, unlocks the trunk to place the backpack inside.
You climb into the front passenger seat, watch as he starts the engine. His hand curls around the gear shaft, and you put your hand over his.
‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ you ask.
There’s no going back from this. It’s one thing to not report you to the Guard, it’s completely another to help you get away.
Namjoon looks at your hand on his for a moment.
‘I haven’t felt this strongly about anything in a while,’ he says.
He looks up at you. ‘This is the only right thing I’ve done in a long time.’
He puts his other hand on top of yours briefly, then pulls away to start the engine.
He drives.
***
Dawn’s breaking by the time you reach your destination, a cabin deep in the mountains that you access via a narrow road buffeted with snow drifts.
Namjoon cuts the engine, sits back, rubbing the back of his neck. He looks tired.
‘Are you ok?’ you ask, tentative.
‘Better now,’ he says, some of the tension leaving his expression. ‘Better now that we’re here.’
Jiwon’s stirring now that you’ve stopped, looking at you and Namjoon with a quiet resignation.
You hate that he’s grown to accept his world constantly being turned upside down as his due.
Namjoon turns back to look at him, a dimple popping in his cheek as he smiles.
‘Hey, are you hungry, Jiwon? I have some cereal in the cabin.’
Your heart teeters at Namjoon’s easy kindness towards your son, about to fall.
You’re about to fall for this man who you owe so much to, fool that you are.
You put your hand on Namjoon’s arm, eyes alight with gratitude. ‘Thank you,’ you tell him.
Namjoon glances at you, hesitates.
‘You don’t have to thank me,’ he tells you. ‘I — I wanted to help.’
You think about his words as you help Jiwon out of the car and you head for the cabin together.
***
Jiwon’s asleep, you make sure he’s tucked in warm before you go into the main part of the cabin.
Namjoon’s standing by the window, his large frame taking up almost all of it, face tilted up, like he’s looking at the sky.
He turns when he sees you.
‘I’m sorry,’ he says. ‘I’ll get the generator working tomorrow.’
There’s a fire in the hearth, not quite enough to light up the whole cabin but it’s warm enough.
‘Don’t apologise,’ you tell him.
You can’t see all of his face in the shadows, so you step forward.
‘Jiwon and I wouldn’t be safe, here, if it weren’t for you.’
‘It was a woman and her son,’ he says, a change of subject so abrupt he’s lost you for a second before he continues.
‘They wanted me to thoughtwipe her because of something her son did. Something stupid, meaningless.’
He turns to look out the window again. ‘I refused.’
‘That’s when they thoughtwiped you,’ you say. It’s not a question.
He laughs, short, harsh. ‘And then they thoughtwiped her anyway. Last I heard she and her son were separated, sent to different sectors.’
You step forward again, wanting to see his face.
‘You’re a good man, Namjoon,’ you tell him. ‘You can’t be responsible for everything.’
‘I should have done more,’ he says, flat.
‘You’ve done a lot for us,’ you point out.
You still can’t see his face, but you can see the sadness in the line of his shoulders, poignant and beautiful.
You take another step forward, cup his cheek. His skin’s warm, and there’s the faintest pressure against your palm as he leans into your touch.
You shiver a little, more from the feel of him than from the cold, but he’s quick to react, slipping the fleece off his broad shoulders and placing it over yours.
For a moment his arms are around you, and you’re within a breath of turning away, would have turned away if you hadn’t felt the shift in his weight.
He’s leaning on you.
You curl your hand around his neck, and he leans down with the faintest pressure from your fingertips.
A thrill races through you as his lips brush yours, blooming into a pulse, heady and throbbing as you tilt your head to kiss him again.
He’s slow, so gentle it takes you a while to realise that his kisses are robbing you of your breath.
The tip of his tongue flicks at the seam of your lips, a question you answer by parting them.
Letting him in.
His hand travels down your side to land on your hip, tentative.
Another question.
This time you slide your arms around his waist, under his top. The warm skin of his back is smooth under your hands.
He grunts softly as you pull him closer, comes willingly.
He kisses you again, firmer this time, and you melt into him.
Gradually, in stages, closer and closer until you’re so close you don’t know where he ends and you begin.
He cups the back of your head, pulls away just enough to say, ‘The couch.’
You follow him to the couch, and he tilts his head for another kiss.
You put a hand flat on his chest to steady yourself, and he puts his own hand over yours, covering it completely, anchoring you to him.
‘I haven’t done this in a while,’ you tell him.
‘Me either,’ he says.
His dimple flashes. ‘We can remind each other.’
Namjoon’s a patient man, you knew this about him already.
You hadn’t expected him to be quite this patient though, not pushing you even though you can feel how hard he is under you.
‘Do you want to keep going?’ you ask.
‘So badly,’ he tells you, huffing out a breath, tilting his head back. His throat bobs as he swallows, hard.
You lick a stripe along his neck, and he shivers, gripping your shoulder.
‘Do it again,’ he says, voice dropped low. ‘Can I touch you?’
‘Please,’ you say, and to your delight, his hands drop to the front lapels of your (his) shirt.
‘You look good in my clothes,’ he murmurs. He kisses down your chest, slow, open-mouthed, and by the time he gets to your breasts you’re vibrating with need.
He takes the tip of your breast into his mouth, sucking delicately at first, then more strongly when you moan his name.
Every pull of his mouth makes you pulse and tighten, and you don’t realise you’re grinding against him until his big hand grips your hip.
‘Stop, or I’ll come,’ he warns, voice thick, gravelly now.
‘Take your clothes off,’ you say.
He undoes the fly of his jeans, and the damp patch you see where his cock’s tenting his boxer briefs makes your mouth water.
He stops you with your hands on your own sweatpants, says, ‘Let me.’
Before you realise quite what he’s doing, he’s slid onto his knees on the floor, has tugged your sweatpants down to reveal your thighs, the hot stickiness between your legs.
He hooks a finger in the waistband of your panties. Poises himself, open mouthed over your core.
Looks to you once, eyes hooded, and whatever he sees in your face makes him bend down and put his mouth to you.
You cry out, muffled behind your own hand, and he stops instantly.
‘Is this ok?’ he asks.
‘Yes, yes, please,’ you tell him.
He watches you as he slides his tongue over your slit, eyes hooded and hot.
He’s good with his tongue, you realise dimly in the back of your mind as he laps at you. He swallows audibly, and your hips dance under his mouth.
‘Joon,’ you moan, and he hums, deep voice vibrating against your skin.
‘Joon,’ you moan again. His hand splays on the curve of your hip, fingers tightening on your flesh.
This time, he moans in response, and you cry out, throaty and hoarse, as he sucks at your clit with renewed fervour, pushing you closer and closer to the edge.
‘Joon!’
He pushes a finger into you, and you come with a gush of wet, walls tightening around him, your entire body tensing for a glorious instant before giving way to waves of pleasure.
Namjoon groans, deep in his chest, and you reach out and grip his hips, guiding him between your legs.
‘Wait,’ he says, touching your face, gentle though you can feel him hard as steel at your entrance, the blunt fullness of his cockhead nudging, seeking. ‘Are you sure you want this?’
‘Yes,’ you say, ‘yes.’
Namjoon groans again, pressing into you, filling you so well your body arches like a bow against his.
‘Feel so good,’ he utters, jaw tight, voice raspy.
He moves strongly within you, taking control with a confidence that thrills you to your toes.
He says your name as he moves, guttural and wanting, the slide of him into you making sparks bloom behind your eyelids.
He grasps your hand, fingers knitting with yours, as you writhe and moan underneath him.
‘Sound so pretty,’ Namjoon groans. ‘I’m sorry, I can’t —‘
You grip his shoulder. ‘I want you to come, Joon,’ you breathe, mouth by his ear.
He groans again then, circles his hips, and then thrusts deep, spilling his warmth inside you.
He’s still for a moment, breathing hard against your ear.
You turn your head to kiss him.
You’re still holding his hand, and it’s a while before either of you let go.
***
You pour out a mug of coffee from the pot Namjoon’s brewed, go out to where you can hear Namjoon chopping wood outside.
He’s concentrating, splitting chunks of wood with a careful precision.
He looks up as you approach, and his smile warms you.
‘Hey,’ he says.
You’d ended up sleeping tangled up with Namjoon. Some time during the night you’d woken to find him pushing your hair back from your face.
You’d pulled him down on top of you, taken him in again, slow, languid, bodies moving together until you’d gasped and come, muffled against his chest.
‘Hey,’ you reply.
‘Jiwon still asleep?’ he asks.
‘He’s exhausted,’ you say.
‘Glad we didn’t wake him,’ Namjoon says.
‘He’s a pretty good sleeper.’
Namjoon glances at you, and you flush.
‘I didn’t mean —’
He laughs at how flustered you are.
‘Good to know he sleeps well,’ Namjoon says. There’s a spark in his eyes now, dimples flashing in his cheeks.
For all his size and height and seriousness, your handsome neighbour looks like a little boy trying to get a rise out of you when he’s like this.
He watches, amusement in his face, as you sip the coffee to try to hide your discomfiture.
When you look back at him, he’s gathering up an armful of wood.
‘Come on,’ he says. ‘When Jiwon wakes up I need to talk to both of you.’
***
The sun’s high in the gloomy sky by the time Jiwon wakes, lured by the smells of breakfast and the warmth of the fire in the fireplace.
After breakfast, Namjoon clears the table, and then sits you all down.
‘We can’t stay here for long,’ he says, seriously. ‘The guards don’t know about this place, but it’s not safe, and they’ll still be looking for you.’
‘There’s a place close to the border where there’s a new community, away from the guarded sectors.’
You’re looking at Namjoon, carefully, and he’s looking right back at you.
‘We could go there. It’ll be hard, probably, at the beginning.’
You turn to Jiwon.
Hard?
Harder than the life you have now?
If there’s one thing you know, it’s that you need to find a better future, for Jiwon.
Stability.
You ask the question you asked in your head when you left home with Namjoon.
‘We?’
‘Yes,’ Namjoon says. ‘I’d like to go with you. If that’s ok.’
You’re looking at Jiwon again.
The hopeful expression on his face makes the decision for you.
***
Ten years later
You’re waiting at the train station for Jiwon.
There’s a chill in the air still, it’s cold for spring but warmer than it has been in recent years.
A lot’s changed in the last ten years.
You, Namjoon and Jiwon had moved to the new community at just the right time.
It had been hard at first, but nothing compared to the constant fear of being detained by the guards.
The world’s been rebuilding itself after the War.
With your experience as a communal gardener, you’d been able to set up your own hydroponic greenhouse, and demand built up for your produce, to the point where you’ve been able to hire your own crew of gardeners and expand.
Jiwon had thrived in the new community, and when universities re-opened, he’d been accepted as part of the first few cohorts of students.
His university was a few hours away, but the redevelopment of public transport meant there was a regular train linking his campus and your home.
The home you built with Namjoon.
In recent years, you’ve seen more and more of the light-hearted, humorous Namjoon and less of the troubled, serious Namjoon you first met.
Your love for him has only grown.
He approaches you now, a little older, but still as heartbreakingly handsome as the day you met him.
You think the best decision you ever made for you and Jiwon was to let him in.
And now Jiwon’s on his way back for Christmas, and your heart is full.
Namjoon hands you the coffee he bought you from the cafe, and when you tilt your face up to his he leans down.
It’s a learned response from years of adjusting his height so you can reach to kiss him.
You press a kiss onto his cheek, over his dimple, and his arm slides around you to hold you tight to him.
The train pulls into the station, and Namjoon grasps your hand as it stops.
The carriage doors open, and your beautiful son steps out.
Physically, he looks like you, but the confidence in his bearing, the kindness in his face, the roguish twinkle in his eyes?
That’s you, and Namjoon.
©hamsterclaw 2023
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So given your post about making people believe something they don’t actually believe on some level, what do you think of all the stories people tell of (say) parents whom they swear were radical leftist hippies until they started watching Fox News, and they turned into diehard Trumpists?
Lemme use my mom as an example.
My mother used to be an environmental activist. That was her big thing in the 90’s, was the environment. She planted trees and bushes around my grade school. She took me and my brother to the local farmer’s market to collect signatures to close a local nuclear power plant. (Not saying nuclear power is antithetical to the environment, just saying that she felt it was and she was very involved.)
Now, there was a subsection of the environmentalist movement that focused a lot on population growth and how unsustainable it is. Mom got hooked into that. Pretty soon she was talking about how we needed to curtail population growth before we ran out of natural resources.
Then, gradually, it became about immigration. Immigrants drive a lot of the population growth in the U.S. She became a hardcore anti-immigration activist and joined the Minutemen.
None of this was designed by anyone. No one person sat down and planned out how to radicalize my mom from being an environmental activist to a right-wing nation. But this represents exactly the kind of path you want to take if you’re trying to manipulate someone into doing what you want: you find some part of what they already believe (the environment needs our help) and hook that into the next step (population growth is bad), and then the next (eco-fascism), and so on. At every step you have to make the person feel good about their beliefs, and challenging their beliefs drastically doesn’t usually work; you want to feed the “I was right” loop, but introduce just enough of your own agenda that they incorporate it into their own beliefs.
My mom wasn’t an especially radical leftist hippie, but she was definitely a pro-choice environmentalist. Now she’s, well. She gettin’ ready to vote for Trump again.
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The little princess
Pairing: Haitani brothers x younger sister reader
Genre: Fluff, crack
Word count: 2.3k
Warnings: Canon divergent, ooc, profanity, Shion is a fucking moron, teaching kids swearing, if you’re one of those people who thinks platonic affection between siblings is weird please go away
pt. 1
Shion was only a tad bit salty that he was the only Tenjiku member to never be allowed to be left alone with you - with the exception of Hanma and Kisaki, Ran banned that in a heartbeat.
It’s not like you’d spontaneously combust and die on the spot under his watch, and come to think of it, he wasn’t even allowed to pick you up or throw you in the air as Mochi and Mucho did, Izana banned him from that personally, under the guise of, and, this is, in fact, the direct quote from the King himself:
“Madarame, you were born next to a nuclear power plant, got an IQ of 2 and got hit in the head with several rocks as a child. How do you expect us not to think you’ll kill y/n purely on accident?”
As if it was his fault the doctor dropped on the head upon birth.
At least you seemed fascinated by his tattoos, so he had that going on.
He huffed, not even noticing that Rindou, who was probably babysitting Shion more than he was babysitting you, excused himself to the bathroom, figuring leaving you alone with Shion for 3 minutes, tops, won’t hurt anyone if Ran and Izana don’t find out.
Oh, how wrong he was.
“Mr. Shion, why do you look mad?” You toddled up next to him, looking up in curiosity.
“Your brothers never wanna leave you with me alone. Or let me do your hair, even if Hanma is allowed to do your hair, and Ran hates him.” He absentmindedly booped your nose, sighing.
“Oh. Why?”
“Well, Ran just has a bad feeling about Hanma, apparently-“
“No, Mr. Shion, why don’t brothers let you watch me?”
Shion huffed, annoyed, pulling on the edge of your coat to straighten it out.
He personally thought he’d make a great older brother.
“They probably think I’d accidentally kill you. Or teach you a bad word.”
“Bad word? What is that?”
“Words kids under 10 can’t say.”
“Why?”
“They’re bad words.”
“Like what?”
“Fuck, bitch, cunt, probably?”
You tilted your head in utter confusion, causing the bow Kakucho fixed to your hair earlier to slip.
“Fuck? What does that mean?”
Shion knew, at that moment, that he fucked up.
“Don’t say that word!” Panicked, he glanced around, sighing in relief when no one else was around to hear you speak profanity.
“Fuck? Why?”
“No- Kiddo, you just can’t, wait until you’re older.”
“Is fuck like tattoos? Rinnie said I can’t get those until I’m older as well!”
“Please stop saying that word-“
You suddenly perked up, looking behind Shion with a grin.
“Ran!” Giggling, you sprinted past Shion to attach yourself to Ran’s leg, nuzzling your face into his thigh.
“Hi princess.” Ran gently fixed the bow on your head, offering you a small pat on the back.
Shion gulped, a sheepish smile on his face as he turned around to look at the eldest Haitani.
“Hi. Ran.”
Ran stood behind him with murder in his eyes and baton ready.
“Madarame.”
“You goin’ for a nap?” A small voice asked, the child’s head barely reaching the edge of his bed.
Ran smiled, turning to peer over the edge and into the face of the small girl, looking up at him with bright eyes.
Rindou took charge of her hair and clothes this morning, which meant she was wearing a frog onesie that was absolutely too big for her, almost swallowing her tiny frame, and sporting the single hairstyle Rindou ever really picked up, one that included two tiny braids on each side and an ungodly amount of butterfly clips.
Come to think of it, the hairstyle made her look a little like Ran when he was younger, and at this point, he had to wonder if Rindou did that on purpose.
“Yes, princess. Wanna nap too?”
Nodding fiercely, his younger sister gave a valiant attempt with trying to get up the bed on her own, but after a few failed tries where Ran merely looked on in amusement, she gave up, pouting and raising her hands towards him in a worldwide recognised motion for ‘Up!’
Slipping his hands underneath her armpits, he hoisted her up, much to her delight.
The one problem was, he continued holding her up, arm’s length away, grinning as she wrinkled her nose, pouting again, crossing her arms.
“Put me down?”
“No. You’re adorable when you get pouty.”
“Ran!”
He finally seated her on his lap, cooing as he kissed the top of her head. Carefully so as to not tug on her hair, he started removing the butterfly clips, setting them on his nightside table, to ensure they don’t break or tangle her hair during their nap.
“You’ll be a big girl soon, and big brother won’t be able to pick you up at all! So I wanna while I can.” Smiling softly, he pinched her cheek, softly ticking her neck in the process, making her squirm as she giggled, tryna push his hands away.
“That can’t be, Ran and Rinnie will always be able to pick me up.” Decisively nodding, she grinned up at him, “You’re both so tall and strong! I’m sure you’ll be able to pick me up in 10 years when you’re old and grey too!”
Tilting his head, Ran chuckled in amusement, finally removing the last clip before getting to unbraiding her braids.
“Baby, how old do you think Rindou and I are? We won’t be old nor grey in 10 years.”
“Oh,” Frowning in a way eerily similar to Rindou, the girl shook her head, “No, you’ll definitely be grey. You say I give you grey hairs whenever I wander off somewhere!”
“You know what, fair point.”
Finally finished with her hair, he ruffled it softly, giving her a peck on the forehead when she turned around to face him.
“We can sleep now?” Excitedly, she attempted to wrap her arms around his waist, but they proved to be too short for the task, much to her disappointment.
“Yes, princess, we can.” Finally laying down, y/n curled up on his chest, almost like a cat, warranting another chuckle out of the older man as he adjusted his arms to hold her, ensure she won’t fall.
Both of them were out like a light in mere seconds, not noticing Rindou calling out Ran’s name as he entered the room in search of his phone charger.
Quickly shutting up when he saw the sight, he chuckled, leaving to retrieve his polaroid camera, coming back to snap a quick shot of the two.
A soft smile made its way on his face as he watched it develop, showcasing Ran, more serene than he ever was awake, and y/n, her mouth slightly opened and hair tousled, her entire body gently moving up and down with each rise and fall of Ran’s chest, looking content and safe in her elder brother’s arms.
Leaving his glasses, the camera and the developed polaroid on Ran’s desk, Rindou cautiously crawled in under the covers, hoping to not disturb the two.
Ran, still asleep, extended his arm so it went over the side of the bed, opening a space for Rindou to settle in.
Rindou nestled up against Ran’s side, curling within himself as Ran unconsciously turned to his side, throwing an arm over both of his siblings as y/n slipped from his chest into the space between her brothers.
Rindou closed his eyes, relaxing his muscles, revelling in the comforting sound of Ran’s heartbeat and y/n’s even, steady breathing.
No matter what happens, his siblings will always feel like home.
“These look pretty.” Kokonoi commented, his fingers softly passing over the petals of a large bouquet displayed in the store.
Kakucho was merely a few feet away, curiously looking at ornaments.
“No, those aren’t the right flowers.” The small girl shook her head, nervously tapping her foot against the marble floor of the flower shop as she waits for a worker to come around, her hand extended to hold Kokonoi’s pinkie.
A worker finally appears, a smiling man with a pink apron and a neat ponytail.
He looks at Koko when he asks how may he help him, but you respond instead, politely saying ‘Excuse me?’ to draw his attention towards you.
“Hi, sweetie.” Smiling, the florist crouches down, clearly attempting hard to not coo at the small child sporting such a serious expression.
Kokonoi could understand, Ran has really outdone himself this morning when he dressed you up, braiding your hair into an intricate pattern resembling a halo, a purple heart-shaped clip, matching the colour of your frilly dress, holding back the few loose strands trying to escape.
You were cute enough to even coax out a smile from Mikey when he saw you this morning, politely asking him if he wanted some of your dorayaki.
“I’ll need two bouquets, please! One with purple orchids, and one with bluebells! Could you add a ‘Happy Father’s day’ card on both too, sir, pretty please?” Reciting as Kakucho and Kokonoi practised with you this morning, you looked up at Koko for approval.
He smiled, nodding.
“Why, aren’t you adorable? Are they for your daddies?” The florist got to work right away, grabbing flowers and snipping various ribbons as he started putting together the bouquets.
“No, my brothers!” Beaming, the girl was bouncing on the balls of her feet, excited whenever the worker asked her opinion about the colour of ribbons and glitter.
When you shyly asked Kokonoi a month ago, after he picked you up from school, if there were any chores for you to do so you could earn a little money, he was confused, after all, Ran and Rindou bought you everything you as much as laid your eyes on without a question, what could you possibly want that they didn’t want to buy you?
You shook your head, explaining that Father’s day is approaching, and when you said you wanted to surprise your brothers with bouquets, it took all of his self-restraint to not pull his wallet out of his pocket and empty out its content into your hands immediately, the idea so utterly adorable he agreed in a heartbeat.
He tried offering you to just give you the money, but you refused, polite as ever, shaking your small head and explaining how it had to be earned, after all, your brothers worked so hard and took such good care of you that it would be unfair to just accept a charity.
He agreed, and if the other Kanto Manji Gang executives saw you around with a tiny broom Kokonoi bought specifically for you (he feared the average sized one would fall on you and crush you), they didn’t question it, more often than not cooing when you refused any help instead.
Kokonoi offered you to name your price, and the comically small amount you chose was nowhere enough to actually pay for a bouquet, let alone two, but that wasn’t an issue, he’d shoulder the rest of the cost with no regrets.
The florist finished both bouquets after about ten minutes, and Kokonoi assumed you’d be bored by then, but you stood and waited, your impatience only showing by the way you started tugging on his coat, silently asking to be picked up.
Kakucho appeared just in time to pick you up instead, your small arm dutifully wrapping around his neck as he adjusted to support your weight and so you could still look at the florist, Kokonoi paid with the money you gave him earlier, and he allowed you to hold one of the bouquets, even if the comically large flower arrangement made it so you disappeared behind the vivid, soft flowers.
He picked up the other, and bidding the florist goodbye, they were on their way.
Kokonoi and Kakucho both secretly couldn’t wait for Ran’s and Rindou’s reactions.
“Hey, thanks for watching her, she really wanted to go with you two for some reason today-“ Ran opened the doors, looking as if he has just woken up, raising an eyebrow as he observed the two men standing in front of it, a lack of his younger sister obvious.
Ah, there you were, hiding behind Kakucho’s coat, small giggles escaping you as Koko and Kakucho both shielded you from Ran’s keen gaze.
“You should call Rindou.” Smiling softly, Kakucho took a step inside right after Kokonoi, closing the doors.
Still sceptical, Ran obliged, leaving briefly to drag his brother out of his room.
“What is it?” Impatiently, Rindou tapped his foot, his headphones halfway down his ears.
“Surprise.” Softly exclaiming in unison, Kakucho and Kokonoi parted, revealing you holding the two bouquets.
The bouquets were bigger than you, but you still insisted on being the one to hold them.
“Happy Father’s day!” Beaming, you took a clumsy step towards your brothers, holding out each of their respective bouquet towards them, “Thank you for taking care of me, and cuddling me when I have nightmares, and for never getting angry with me when I break something!”
Ran and Rindou kneeled down to be on eye level with you in sync, each of them taking the bouquet off your hands
“Thank you, sweetie.” Ran pulls you towards him to pepper kissed on your face, grinning wide with a soft expression.
“I bought orchids for you because your name means orchid! And Rinnie’s name means bluebell, so he got bluebells!”
Rindou does the same as soon as Ran lets you go, holding you in a firm hug.
“Thank you, princess.” Whispering, Rindou buries his face into your shoulder, the tiny space not doing much to actually hide it.
Ran’s soft smile turns into a shit-eating grin.
“Aw, Rin, you crying?”
“ShUT THE FUCK UP!”
You beamed.
“Fuck!”
“Y/N NO-“
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@dilf-city @wakasa-wifey @rinsie @kisekihany @bajifairyy @cryszus @r-xochitl @graythecoffeebean @yukihime-mikeys-girl @mukounisuru-gashadokuro @sunahyejin @crybabylisa @yamaguccitadashi @minoozi @trashmemebitch @frogtits1 @sup-zfam @whydohumansss @xashiui @bontens-whore @nqctre @lumi-does-some-stuff @hana-patata @hxked @erza-uzumaki @sh4nn @sisnot @soushswag @kneeapartman @anahryal @reiners-milkbiddies @satsuri3su @aretheea @bluerskiees @luvjiro @sanchezbloodline @thetruepair @a-toxic-person @astropheia @lostsomewhereinthegarden @jeagckerman @idktbhloley
#tokyorev#tokyo revengers#ran haitani x you#ran haitani x reader#rindou haitani x you#rindou haitani x reader#bonten#kakucho hitto#ran haitani#rindou haitani#kokonoi hajime#manjiro sano#kanto manji gang
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Reasons why the simpsons hit and run stream is jerma's best stream
it's ELEVEN HOURS LONG
you get to witness his slow descent into madness as he insists on playing the whole game in one sitting
I can watch it when i replay the game, would recommend makes it way more enjoyable
he spends too much time doing really bad impressions trying to copy voice lines for the game and yelling "HIRE ME IM AVAILABLE"
He decides to confess half an hour in that he knows nothing about the simpsons and has only seen like one or two episodes
this is ten minutes after he references a specific episode, and then proceeds to get told off for 'spoiling' an episode of the simpsons (from like 1995) by chat
Chat also somehow manages to convince him that ten year old boy Bart Simpson's famous catchphrase from everyone's favourite family animated tv show is 'eat ass'
In general it switches between him refusing to believe things people tell him about the game despite being true and falling for obvious lies
he starts the game going 'lol wouldnt it be funny if you could run over simpsons characters' and then jokingly drives towards civillians thinking they'll jump out of the way. they go flying. he is so confused
the dissonance between early and later parts of the stream are palpable. It turns from a cheerful and lighthearted exploration of a funny simpsons game that he refuses to take seriously or accept that it could genuinely make him angry, and transforms into a desperate race against time, his computer and his own hubris as he seeks simply to finish the game so he can sleep. This stream destroys him.
the way the stream highlights are named on his youtube is hilarious. "Jerma will not get angry at the simpson's hit and run" -> "Jerma might get a bit angry at the simpson's hit and run" -> "d'oh"
it's extremely funny how many time he's convinced he's in the last level of the game, only to be wrong. the first time he thinks that is in the first section and hour of the stream
easily his most rewatchable stream (this is gonna cover a lot of dot points)
the amount of tragic irony and foreshadowing in this stream is almost cinematic.
at the very start of the game he complains about the music being too loud and monologues about sounds and over stimulation of game music bothers him, which of course will be very funny in the finale
he also comments a few time at the start about how annoying homer's random voice lines are, and says 'oh god he's gonna repeat that a thousand times before the end of this game'. he's right, and it nearly drives him crazy by the final mission
speaking of the final mission(s), the second time he has to transport the toxic sludge from power plant to the school he like pauses the game and very seriously addresses chat like 'alright tell me right now are the next three levels also me driving the nuclear waste to the school that cant be possible right'. and then just accepting in defeat that that is in fact how this incredibly stupid and difficult children's game finishes
when he first races against the malibu stacy car and gets destroyed he gets mad and says he wishes he could drive that car. then when he gets to drive it in later levels he quickly decides its his favourite and maintains that until the end of the game
on rewatch... you hear him audibly crack open a can that chat demands he prove to them is soft drink and not alcohol like A WHOLE HOUR before The Incident and it's a little like watching a disaster movie where you see the characters laughing and having fun little knowing how they are being hastened towards their own doom... like chat keeps bugging him about it, he keeps making excuses, he keeps sipping the drink. they bring attention to it so much and you listen to it just knowing the pain that is yet to come. dramatic irony at its finest and most heartache inducing
15. ohmyfucking gaaaawd no! no... god... ICANDOITINAJUMP! ..... BART. WHERE IS HE??? BAAART!!!! AAAUUGH
16. actually fr there's a lot of memorable jerma lines in this stream, rewatching it is like watching a jerma funny moment compilation
17. the final couple of levels where he is getting steadily more overwhelmed to the point of ferality, and then he says he has an idea and goes to the sound menu and turns everything off. voice lines. music. sound effects. and then we watch him play the level in complete silence. and it actually helps him focus its really funny
18. the whole tragic sequence where he is in the FINAL LEVEL. he has played it so many times and just missed it by a few seconds. he is tired. he is hungry. he just wants to get off stream and eat a BURGER. he is focussing as hard as he can. he is almost there. he runs over too many things and the police are after him. but its okay. he's doing it! he's gonna make it!!! he gets to the school with time to spare and is sucked up into the end of the game beam. it's over. except then the police get sucked into the beam as well. he gets arrested in the beam. which teleports him and the car out of the beam. WHICH MEANS THE TIMER RUNS OUT AND HE LOSES. so he has to do it all over again. it's actually so so so funny and also something i think i personally wouldn't survive if i was in jerma's position in that moment
19. okay we have to talk about The Incident. bc i already alluded to it and bc like, i couldn't not talk about it. as stated above Jerma cracks open a can so you can hear it and chat immediately accuses him of being an alcoholic. he adamantly insists that it is a soft drink not a beer but they refuse to believe him unless he proves it by showing camera. he's playing on a modded ps2 pc port or whatever of the simpsons so it's a complicated setup and he explains that it would be too hard and also he's shirtless so they will just have to believe without seeing. chat continues to harass him while he goes on to play the game, specifically most of the lisa level. he laughs it off but eventually caves, gets up and get a blanket to cover himself and then alt tabs, holds his can up to the camera and says 'alright you satisfied? that might have just fucked up the game'. so then he tries to tab back into the game and it. crashes. hard. so hard that the game won't actually turn back on. so jerma's cursing and fiddling with the controls and saying its over. then it finally reboots and the game works and he's so relieved and it loads and he realises that he has lost SO MUCH PROGRESS. he's back at the start of the lisa section. this is truly the turning point of the game where it goes from being a fun experience to a nightmare gauntlet
20. on a related note: jerma waiting with bated breath *sound of simpsons game booting back up after refusing to for far too long* jerma: yeeeAAAAAH
21. im watching it right now as i replay, which is why im thinking about it obv. so i will almost certainly have more to add to this
#jerma#obviously jerma dollhouse and so on streams are probably the most iconic but simpsons hit and run is like#wonderful in a completely unplanned way#I'm also partial to his house flipper streams#if just for the bits and being a space for jerma to create the most insane things imaginable with only the slightest prompting from chat#vaguely unrelated: when my housemate got home and saw me playing simpsons hit and run while#rewatching jerma's stream at the same time they said that think if someone analysed my brain#and exposed a different brain to my content consuming process their brain would explode#so mean....#i was also listening to one of the jay eazy megaman remixes at the same time. my awesome mind
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What is really bothering me about the situation about Russia blowing up Kakhovska HPP on the Dnipro River, is people claiming that they "refuse to listen to propaganda", and saying Ukraine did it themselves...
Whilst overall its good to look around for different sources. You also have think about potential benefits/motives a side would have from doing this.
The damage to Ukraine is horrific, and is by no means going to be easy to fix in the future. The ecological damage might be even permanent. Not only have lives, and homes been lost, but huge areas of farmland. Soldiers can't fight on empty stomach BTW, so this just doesn't seem like a good tactical decision to do to your own land.
This is before we even talk about how it might even trigger problems at a nuclear power plant.
For what, they get to point fingers at Russia? This does not seem like a good cost verses benefits. A little international anger for this level of damage?? It seems unlikely.
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On account of your shifter fic and the idea that price just decides that the pretty thing he sees is his wife:
Price snatches up his wife in a country he’s deployed in and brings her back to England. Shushes her cries and wipes her tears when she realizes that she’s leaving all her friends and family behind, for a man she met not even three weeks ago.
"Oh honey, you have me, you won’t even miss them:)" whilst peppering her with kisses
Maybe he even made some stupid promises, to get her hopes and dreams up, so she would come with him.
He's so toxic, he could be his own nuclear power plant. I wanna bite him
(This has been sitting in my mind for the past two days, I need electro-shock therapy)
i need access to the inside of your brain please
i made the bear shifter!price fic a BIT too soft for my usual liking, but this slaps.
toxic dubcon/noncon price stuff just does something to me. he just wants a pretty little wife so bad and isn't he owed one? after everything he's done for his country? surely the higher ups will look the other way and pay off the right people to keep him happy. and she just makes him so happy :((
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