.

My late 40s to early 50s boss just asked what’s wrong with 18-25 year olds these days

And as a 21 year old all I could think was

The world has been on fire since we were born and we’ve been told the adults are putting it out and now we’re old enough to realize they’ve been pouring kerosene on the flames instead of water.

Before my first birthday, 9/11 happened and the world wouldn’t let us forget it. When I was 6 years old, on September 11th, my teacher sat us down in front of a tv and showed us footage of 9/11 and then told us we weren’t allowed to cry. She said that it was real and those were real people jumping from the building because jumping was a faster death than burning.

When I was 7 years old, the economy collapsed and my family went from lower middle class to poverty, we went from healthy home cooked meals every night to mac and cheese and beans for weeks in a row. We started skipping holidays because mom and dad couldn’t keep the lights on and buy us new toys. We started wearing clothes and shoes until they fell apart.

When I was 11 years old, Sandy Hook was attacked by a grown man with a gun and 26 children and teachers were brutally murdered. My teachers never looked at us the same and I haven’t felt safe in a school since. After that, once a month we would have active shooter drills and we were taught to fight and cause as much damage as possible if an armed man entered our classroom because it gave other classes a few extra seconds to escape, it gave our siblings a few extra breaths of safety. We were taught to cover ourselves in other students blood and play dead if we weren’t hit, we were taught that we weren’t safe and we wouldn’t be safe as long as we were in school.

When I was 15 years old, my high school art teacher locked us in the classroom and told us if we heard gunshots we should line the desks up lengthwise so that they reached the other wall because that would be harder to break through than a barricade. She told us that she knew about the threats and she wouldn’t judge any of us that wanted to leave. She told us to get our siblings and stay in the buildings as long as possible, to duck in between the cars so we couldn’t be seen until we got to ours. She told us about the trail behind the auto shop that was lined with trees and led off campus. I got my brother and his friends and we left, we spent the day sitting on the floor in my living room waiting for a phone call that the people we left behind were dying.

Two weeks later, one of my friends dragged me out of a football game and forced me to go home with him. He grabbed my brothers and my best friend and forced the six of us into a two seater car before he would tell us anything. His mom worked for the school board and had told him the police found an active bomb under the bleachers in the student section, and they weren’t informing anyone because they didn’t want to incite panic.

When I was 16 years old, ISIS set off a bomb at a pop concert in Britain and killed 22 people, injuring at least 100 more. The next day at school, our teachers went over how to stay safe if we ever experienced something like that. They told us the most important thing to remember was to not remove any shrapnel because it could be keeping us from bleeding out, they said it was more important to get yourself out safely before you worried about anyone else.

When I was 18 years old, my teachers stopped teaching and put the news up on the projector and we watched as the Notre-Dame burned. The boy I had sat next to since second grade spent the entire day trying to call his sister who was studying abroad in Paris, I watched this kid I had never even seen frown fall apart in English because she wouldn’t pick up the phone. We didn’t know it at the time, but she was okay.

Six months later, my history teacher put the news on the projector again for another fire. This time, we watched as an entire continent burned for three months. We watched their sky turned orange from the smoke and their wildlife drowned in pools because they were trying to escape the heat.

When I was 19 years old, the whole world shut down because of a global pandemic. I didn’t meet a single new person for eight months, despite the fact that I had just moved across the country. I watched as people didn’t wear masks and spread it to everyone around them, I was so scared when I went back to my room every night because my roommate was immunocompromised and I was terrified I would give her Covid and kill her.

Just two months later, I watched a video of a black man being murdered by police officers. I watched the world around me explode after George Floyd’s death, people destroying businesses and police stations. I watched some of my friends realize police officers didn’t exist to keep them safe, they existed to keep the people in power in power. I learned that some of the people I had grown up with would rather watch a black man die than admit that maybe, maybe, the system was broken.

When I was 20 years old, I went to the mall with a friend to buy a birthday present and I was pulled to the ground by a twelve-year-old girl after gunshots went off in the mall. I held this child’s hands as she cried for two hours until we were evacuated by police, and then I waited with her outside and helped her look for her mom. I gave her my phone to call her mom and I watched as she called the number over and over and never got a reply. I waited with her until a police officer took her to the station to try to find out more information about the girl’s mom, I hugged this girl I had never seen before and I wished her the best. I never found out what happened to her or her mom, it keeps me up at night sometimes worrying that this little girl was orphaned.

When I was 21 years old, I started working at a daycare and exactly a week later, Uvalde happened and I found myself crying because my students are the same age those kids were. When they came in after school the next day, one of them had asked me if I had heard about Uvalde and I told her I had, I asked her if she was scared of going to school because of it. Her reply broke my heart. “We practice for it every week so that when it happens to us, we know what to do. I’m just worried that the shooter is going to start in my baby sister’s classroom and not mine.” I listened as other students with younger siblings agreed with her, one of them saying “I would take fifty bullets, if I had to to keep my little brother safe.”

Early this year, I watched Russia launched bombs into Ukraine, blowing up churches and schools and hospitals and apartment buildings. I watched as the estimated death count rose from the hundreds to the thousands to the tens of thousands. I watched men send their wives and children to bordering countries for refuge while they stayed behind to fight, knowing they would probably never see each other again.

Just four months ago, I watched as my right to medical privacy got taken away. I watched my old roommate fall apart because she was denied the right to have her dead fetus removed from her body for almost two days, I worried every time I looked away from her that the next time I saw her would be in a casket. I watched as the women around me realized the military-grade weapons that had torn children in classrooms apart were protected by the government but our bodies weren’t.

There is nothing “wrong” with my generation, we’ve experienced all these things as children and were expected to respond with patriotism for a country that continuously sacrificed their children for the “right” to military-grade weapons, that took away my freedom of choice. We are tired, we were told the world was a wonderful place then shown, at every step, how the world was a place of destruction and pain. And we are angry. We are angry because no one but us seems to be trying to fix anything. And we are scared. We are scared because our children, our nieces and nephews, our cousins and our friends children are growing up in a world that won’t protect them.

Hellooooo! I’m so glad that you’re still active and making insightful posts. Piggybacking off a thought from the recent tsum event, do you think Jade also has thoughts regarding individuality? Like, it’s obvious from Floyd that he wants to be seen as his own person and not always compared to his brother. But Jade? I’m guessing that he doesn’t care, but I think it’s partly because a lot of people who don’t know him personally think he’s the better twin and doesn’t need to compare him to Floyd because why would they?

Also, do you think that’s why the twins bonded to Azul in middle school? Not just because of his deals and magical prowess, but because he was clever and observant enough to tell them apart? Or do you think he learned to tell them apart after they had several chance meetings that later evolved into friendship?

It’s an important aspect of their relationship that I don’t think gets enough attention because I’ve seen fics or headcanons where the tweels switch and no one can tell them apart—not even Azul! This is just a nice crumb that I think really delves deep into their relationship without meaning to, but still leaves us wanting more.

Apologies for the ramble! I just wanted to know what your thoughts were!

rubs hands gleefully ohhh my dear, i am so glad you asked. :) And thank you so much for the kind words, even though I haven't been too active. I'm trying to get posts up and asks answered while things are much more free at this time.

It's been months since this ask came in oops, and iirc this ask is referring to tsum 2. In one of the stories in the main event, Floyd and Azul talked about when Azul and Jade found their respective tsums. That time, Azul was like, "Oh, did Floyd's tsum come back? No wait, upon closer inspection, that's Jade." Floyd then asked Azul how he was able to tell them apart, and his answer was something like, "I'm a businessman, I have to be good at knowing people." And Floyd's like, "Suuuuure."

Now, Floyd cares about individuality, that much is established. You see this in Floyd's School Uniform vignette and even in the beginning of his Platinum Jacket vignette.

But what about Jade?

So we don't really have a lot to go for since Jade is not the type to be open about these things. But I do agree that individuality is not in Jade's interest, not like Floyd. Rather, what I think is happening here is the "different yet the same" theme that has been at constant play with the tweels.

Okay, let's explain what this "different yet the same" theme is. Basically, it's Jade and Floyd doing different things, having different desires, yet it all connects to the same thing.

This is explicitly seen in Beans Day 1 and 2. Jade challenged Azul by making him think that Jade would shoot from there and thus lure him away from the harp. However, when he reached the tower and met Jade, Azul found that he had an empty bean shooter, and the real target was actually Yuu. Nevertheless, because he had no beans, Azul was able to tap him out.

Meanwhile, Floyd went fuck the rules and fought Azul (and Jamil) with empty bean shooters. It was against the rules, so it ended up being a fight where the harp no longer mattered. He ended up being caught by Azul as well.

And after capturing Floyd, Azul makes this comment:

Azul: Seriously, though. I can't believe BOTH of you challenged me to battle with empty bean blasters, just in different ways. You and your brother really are two peas in a pod. [From EN localization of Beans 2-38]

Jade and Floyd went about challenging Azul in different ways, Jade using mind games while Floyd was more of a physical brawl. But the commonality is that they used unconventional and even rule-breaking means: by using empty bean shooters.

You also see this theme in their Platinum vignettes. In particular, this is about what they do when they're interested in something and what pushes them to toss things away.

Platinum Jade vignette reveals that Jade disposes of things when he loses interest in them. It's also revealed that his interest in something is manifested in collecting numerous things of a fixation.

Jade: I suppose so. I don’t often choose to wear accessories as much anymore. Jade: Although, I do recall collecting a few hundred pieces… Riddle: A few hundred!? If you had collected that much, then I’m sure there would be some that still suit your tastes now… Jade: Perhaps. However, I have since disposed of all those accessories I collected back then. Riddle: Disposed all of them…? Even though you had so fervently collected them? Jade: Correct. Keeping things that no longer interest you is simply a waste of space, wouldn’t you say?

Jade: Ah yes, actually, there was something that caught my attention when I came to the surface, as well. Jade: It is nothing unusual, and in fact can be found pretty much anywhere on land… Jade: Once I took note of them, I could really feel the intention behind those that made them, as well as their various designs. It is profoundly fascinating. Riddle: Hmmm, nothing comes to mind. What is it that caught your attention that much? Jade: Fufu, well, that would be… manhole lids. Jade: Some lids are designed to show off local specialties or attractions. Jade: Of course, there are no manholes in the ocean. So my interest was piqued as I was searching up on what use they could possibly serve… Jade: For a little while, I did find myself collecting a few hundred various merchandise of manhole lids with unusual designs, as well. [TL by @mysteryshoptls]

Meanwhile, Platinum Floyd vignette (sort of) reveals that Floyd loses interest in something when it breaks. He also opens up that his interest really comes out when he's hunting for something that's hard to find.

Floyd: I once found this silver ring online that looks like an eel is wrapped around your finger. Kalim: Woah! I've never seen a ring that looks like that before! I bet it'd look good on you. Floyd: Riiight? But the manufacturers had already discontinued it. I wouldn't be able to find it so easily. Floyd: And when something is hard to get… doesn't it just make you want it more? Floyd: So, after that, I went looking for it, big time. Floyd: I went 'round to a bunch of second-hand shops that carry the brand, and even asked my pops to reach out to some of his connections who'd know about stuff like that. Floyd: I get bored pretty easily, so I usually don't try that hard trying to find just one thing. Cool, huh?

Floyd: When I put it on, it totally felt like the ring was made just for me! And I got super attached to it. Floyd: So then, I wore it pretty much all the time after that, even when I exercised or took showers… Floyd: It ended up getting a ton of scratches, and got all tarnished, man～

Floyd: Silver stuff tends to degrade pretty quickly if you don't take care of it, but the ring's design was a bit complicated, so it was way too annoying to clean. Kalim: Then, what if you remake it in platinum or white gold? They don't tarnish that easily. I can introduce you to one of my family's craftsmen! Floyd: Naaah. Kalim: Eh, why? I thought that was a pretty good idea… Floyd: C'mon, Sea Otter-chan. I was all happy because it was hard to get my hands on. Floyd: If I had someone make it for me, then that's not the same thing. Floyd: It's 'cause it took a ton of hard work and searching for it was fun that I like that specific ring. Floyd: Maybe it's a pain to clean, but I like it. So I'll use it until it breaks. [TL by @mysteryshoptls]

They like to find the thing(s) that pique their interest, just that Jade collects many, while Floyd hunts for one thing that's difficult. They stop caring or dispose of those things when they are no longer interesting. It's just that Floyd loses interest when it's broken, which may take a while. Jade loses interest rather quickly, and then he disposes of those things or abandons it if it's a hobby. Different ways of going about it, but the same at their core.

So now that we established that, what does this mean about what Floyd and Jade value? And what does this say about their relationship with Azul?

So we know Floyd values individuality and doesn't understand how people mix up him and Jade, as seen in his Platinum vignette. The way that I'd interpret it, he wants to be accepted as his own individual, as his own person. I think he values Azul for being able to recognize the person that he is, rather than just being Jade's twin. Floyd wants to be recognized and accepted as who he is.

Jade, on the other hand, I don't think he values individuality. Rather, I think he values connection and community. There are plenty of reasons why I think this is the case, and it needs its own post to be honest. But to make it short, the best proofs of this is, funnily enough, the game itself and the Platinum vignettes. Jade and Azul have been together in four events: Beans 1, Halloween 1, Camp 2, and Tsum 2. And in the current New Year event, Jade's card not only shows him wearing an outfit resembling Azul's uniform, but his elements are double Water, the same elements as Dorm Azul card. As for the Platinum vignettes, notice how Floyd describes having interest in one object that's hard to find, which may allude to individuality. Meanwhile, Jade collects multiple of the same thing, alluding to community.

And I think Jade values closeness with another because it means that the other has accepted him enough to allow him within their inner circle. And Jade in turn would allow that other person within his own inner circle. Thus, it creates a community that may be small but is trustworthy.

In short, where Floyd may value being seen as his own individual, Jade would value connection. But in the end, I think they both want one thing: acceptance. And Azul can and does give them that.

I also find that Azul is such a nice balance for the tweels who tend to sit on opposite ends of a spectrum.

Floyd, who tends to do things more physically, can connect to Azul, whose strength under the sea is admirable. Floyd, who enjoys obtaining things that require hard work, can connect with Azul, who works hard to obtain the things he wants. Floyd, who values his individuality, is interested in Azul, who wants to become the best version of himself.

Jade, whose energy is more focused on plotting and mind games, can connect with Azul, who's witty and able to manipulate things to his favor. Jade, who collects various things that interest him, is interested in Azul, who has his own growing collection of coins that has stayed until now. Jade, who values connection, wants to connect with Azul, who also wishes to connect with others, not just in a business sense, but also on a personal level with select folks.

It's a big part of why their teamwork works so seamlessly. Azul being able to connect with both of the twins allows him to make plans and schemes that can be done with both of them by his side. And while he acknowledges that he can't control the twins, Azul is able to get them to follow him willingly because of that connection they share.

Feeling some kind of way about it being the 25th of Columbine. I started high school the fall right after it happened, and things had already started to change. We'd never had shooter drills before, but suddenly we had to have two per semester. Dress codes tightened. Scrutinization of kids with any kind of emotional or mental problems sharpened (hell, I almost got suspended for a fictional writing exercise before my teacher went to bat for me). Vehicle searches became more common. Places we could be during lunch were more restricted. We got SROs for the first time.

And... that was it.

You could be suspended because you 'seemed volatile,' but we didn't have a psychological counselor or even a school nurse. The most we had was some guy who'd tell you if your grades were good enough to get into college and how to choose your path.

My school was out in the boonies, so at least a third of the student body had some type of gun their parents gave them, and well, son, as long as you leave it in the truck and don't give us cause to look for it, that's fine.

Our SRO was essentially useless, because his daughter was the most violent bully in the school.

We had a bomb threat my senior year that turned out to have been made by someone who'd never been a student at the school, but our joyless hardass of a principal "took the initiative" and banned Senior Prank Day, Senior Skip Day, and gave us a whole laundry list of harmlessly goofy things we and our families couldn't do at the graduation ceremony or she'd withhold our diplomas (which she couldn't legally do, but-) to "make sure there would be no further threats."

I don't know where I was going with this... Just airing frustrations that the only changes anyone seems to make are paying lip service. The shootings haven't stopped. In fact, my state's legislature has been actively undermining any protections we did have, despite thousands of people trying to call them to account and even international shaming.

I'm tired, y'all.

Mysterious Ways

Fandom: Chicago PD

Characters: Jay Halstead x OC Allison

Warnings: fluff, angst

Word count: 2179

Jay Halstead Materlist

A/N: Hi guys, I hope everyone is doing ok. Here is a request from @katehalstead34

Don't be afraid to leave a comment!

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Being young and in love wasn’t easy as it was. Imagine what it would be like, being 22 years old and dating a 37-year-old guy, well that was Allison's situation. She had been dating Jay Halstead detective at the Intelligence Unit in the 21st district in the city of Chicago. They met in a very interesting way, she was just getting out of class at the local college, just a 20-year-old trying to deal with school stress. There had been a threat of active shooter and obviously Intelligence had to take a step, Jay saved her when a gun was being pointed at her, she saw every moment in slow motion and the rest -well it’s history-.

At the very beginning they had their ups and downs, obviously based on the age difference it was bound to have some rough patches, those made their relationship a bit rocky. They didn’t seem to manage to see eye to eye in a lot of things, both of them being as stubborn as they come. But the thing about their connection and their stubbornness was that they didn’t give up on their crazy love. Yes, Allison was young -no doubt about it- but she was a very centered, very smart woman which made Jay fall completely to his knees.

She’s a sweet young woman, very selfless, with a gentle soul; you could feel the aura of a room change once she entered and pretty much Jay’s reason to come home at the end of the day. Now two years later freshly turned 22 years old and their relationship being stronger than ever. They work together about their problems, they made a pact to never, ever, go to bed mad at each other which gave them the time to think about the issue and solve it once they were calmer.

How did Jay’s friends and family react you might ask? Well, they were really understanding, it was clear that it wasn’t just some puppy love or a fling between a barely young woman and an older guy. The connection between the two was something never witness before. So, all of them gave both Allison and Jay their entire support, through thick and thin. And that basically got Allison a chosen family, one that wouldn’t just up and leave at the first rock in the path.

Today was just another normal day, Jay had woken up cuddling with the most beautiful girl in the world, at least that’s what he thought and it was true, then got ready for work and left to work, not leaving before he went back to their room and gave her a kiss on her forehead and nose, as to not wake her up yet it happen to be her day off -and let’s say that Jay really, really appreciated days off- they were sacred to him. He admired her for a minute, just taking in her beauty and the peace that surrounded her before he had to face the real world.

Allison woke up feeling off, her head was pounding, and her stomach was not cooperating. Once she got to the kitchen of hers and Jay’s apartment, the smell of coffee made her want to attack the kitchen with some Clorox, the smell made her feel gross. It never happened before, but -they ate Chinese food last night- so maybe she had a stomach bug. At this point she forgot what breakfast meant, and she went to get dressed for the day. Maybe go to the mall or visit her green-eyed babe at his work.

But it didn’t matter what she put on, everything felt off period. She couldn’t find a vibe, that said “today is my day off, and I know I’m cute”.

“What it’s happening to me today- God could this day get any worse?” she said getting frustrated. So, she opted for something comfy and chic, which meant some leggings and Jay’s hoodie. She then went to the living room to pick up her car keys, bag and a bottle of water, well she really took a deep breath before going in the kitchen- and ran for the sake of her stomach.

Meanwhile at the intelligence unit’s bullpen, they were doing paperwork, while some of them -hens Adam and Kevin- were behaving like children, as always.

“Hey Jay, how’s Allison?” Hailey -Jay’s partner- asked

“She’s doing good, actually today is her day off” Jay answered rolling his eyes at the fact that he couldn’t be home cuddling with his beautiful girlfriend, which made Hailey and Kim -the only ones paying attention- laugh.

“Uh, I bet your extra happy about that!” Kim said while chuckling. “Yes, super happy” Jay sarcastically responded.

An hour later Allison was taking the last of the steps that led to the front desk of the 21 district. There, on the middle of chaos, was a powerful and very grumpy Sergeant Trudy Platt -probably yelling at some of the officers for being in her front desk-.

“I don’t care if you bring the president, you are still on over time, so get your ass out of my front desk” Trudy said dismissing the patrol officer, with an unamused look on her face. Looking up to see who else was there to waste her time, she encountered a surprise,

“Hi, Mrs. Chuckles to be, what brings you to this beautiful tourist attraction on this day?” she said sarcastically, which made the both of them give a slight smile.

“Hi momma Trudy. Nothing much, just going to visit Chuckles himself….and… I brought you this” Allison said while putting the bag of donuts in the sergeant’s view. There was a box of six just for the woman. Trudy then proceeded to give Allison a surprised yet thankful smile.

“You- oh you are my new favorite for sure. None of this idiots appreciates a thing I do. The very least they can do is not bother me. But yet. Here. He. Comes” that last part was directed to a patrol officer who was approaching the desk with a guilty expression. “God, what did you do now, huh?” while Trudy said this to the young officer, she gave Allison a nod to the stairs signaling that she would buzz her up to the intelligence bullpen.

Allison took that as her leave and started climbing the stairs immediately hearing laughter and- oop yeah- that’s Adam pestering the others about doing paperwork. Once at the top the first to notice her was Kevin who came straight with a fist bump and a big hug. This got the attention of the whole unit. Jay was on his feet as soon as he noticed who was being engulfed by the big teddy bear.

“Hey baby, what are you doing here?” Jay smiled wrapping his arms around her waist and giving her a sweet kiss. “Just visiting and a brought the goods” Allison responded with a big smile, and at the mention of “the goods” Adam practically ran to see what the bag in Kevin’s desk had inside.

“Adam stop. That’s not just for you. ADAM!” “HEY get back here” Kim and Hailey screamed running after Adam who pretty much bolted to the break room with the whole box.

“How was your morning?” “Lonely, woke up to an empty bed. I even thought that a dreamed about a green-eyed guy.” Now Allison and Jay were the only once left in the bullpen just having their moment, still with their arms around each other. “Uh- really. Huh, I’ll have to talk to Voight about this green-eyed guy who’s in my girl dreams” he smiled while giving her a kiss in the nose which made her giggle.

It’s been a couple of hours, and everyone in the bullpen was cracking on with paperwork leaving Allison in the break room to eat something -because yes, Jay found out that she hadn’t eaten, Voight heard and yelled at a poor patrolman to get something to eat ASAP- Allison even heard the patrol car with sirens leaving the station. They cared a lot, and that made Allison feel very good.

She got up to throw the trash in the trashcan and go out in the bullpen to see how the team was doing. Once at the doorframe she felt like her head was spinning. So, she stopped in her tracks trying to get focused, shaking her head to get the feeling to leave her alone.

“Babe you, okay?” this got the attention of the team who glanced up at Allison’s lost gaze and Jay’s very worried expression. Jay got up to get to her just as her eyes went to the back of her head and she dropped. Thankfully Jay was at arm’s length and catches her. By now the team had mobilized themselves calling for an ambulance which got there pretty fast.

As Jay got in the back of the ambulance with Allison, he gave the team a worried smile and got a hold of Allison’s hand giving it a gentle kiss, while with his other hand he caressed her hair. It wasn’t long until they got to Med, to be met by Ethan and Maggie who immediately got to work, leaving Will to calm his brother.

An hour had past when Ethan came out.

“Hey, how is she? Is she okay? What happened?” Jay bombarded; Ethan just raised one hand as to tell Jay that he was going to answer but that he had to calm down.

“She’s okay. She’s resting right now. We think it had to be related to her glucose, so we send for a blood test. The results should be here any minute. I know it’s a stupid question but is protocol, would you like to see her now?” at this Jay sighed and nodded. “I’ll be at the nurse desk if you need me” Will said as to what Jay thanked him.

Now following Ethan in Allison’s room. He couldn’t help but to release a relieved sigh. There she was sleeping peacefully on her side and looking as if nothing happened. Getting to her, Jay pulled a chair closer and sat getting her hand and bringing it to his lips.

“Hey, my boyfriend won’t like you being this close to me” Jay heard her voice making his head snap up, then giving her a big relieved smile and leaning to give her a kiss. “I think I could take him” he said with giving her a smirk and a wink.

“You really scared me, thought I lost there for a second” now in a serious way looking straight in her eyes. “I’m okay, I’m right here. Not going anywhere Jay” Allison responded putting her other hand on his cheek, which he leaned on. Just then the door opened showing Ethan and Will.

“I have your blood test results. And we figured out was caused you to essentially faint” Ethan said giving Will a nod. “Allison- your pregnant, 3 months to be exact” Will finished. The room fell silent, while Jay looked at Allison with happy tears, he couldn’t even comprehend how they didn’t figure it out sooner.

“Wait 3 months? Already?” Allison said while putting her hand on her barely noticeable bump. “Yes, you didn’t notice your period missing” “No, I- I’ve so stressed with work and college that a didn’t even think about it to be honest” She said with her voice cracking a couple of times.

“Well congratulations, both of you, we’ll give you some privacy” with that both Ethan and Will left. Leaving a very worried Allison, because even though Jay loved her, they hadn’t really talked about kids. I mean she was really young and he- well maybe he didn’t see kids to be a factor in his life. This would definitely break them, he was gonna leave her and she felt nothing more than desperation and anxiety creeping on her. As if he could read her worried thoughts trough her expression,

“Hey sunshine. It’s okay. We’ll figure it out. I’m not going anywhere; I’m staying right here. We’re having a baby” he said giving her hand a sweet kiss, putting the other one on top of her barely visible baby bump -but now they knew it was there- and smiling like a kid who just got the best Christmas present. This made Allison look at Jay with a surprised expression. “You’re happy?”

“Of course, I’m happy, were having a mini us. Hey- baby look at me- This is good, it’s so good. You have no idea how happy I am. And there is no one I’d rather share this blessing with than you” with that he stood up placing both his hands on the cheeks and giving her a massive kiss that poured all the love and the joy they were both feeling. When pulling from the kiss, he gaze into her eyes with a determined goal in mind,

“Marry me…” silence. A teary smile broke in Allison’s face while she nodded, pulling him into another kiss. I guess life really works in mysterious ways.

I am very fortunate to not personally have been affected by any gun violence this week. I'm sitting here in the sidelines watching it, and that's bad enough--I don't want to think about what so many young people and their families are going through. Again. It's always "again," it's always "thoughts and prayers," and this time it's my community.

Last Monday, someone shot themselves on a local playground, for the children to find when they went out to recess.

Last Tuesday, there was an alert about an active shooter in one of our local high schools. It was later discovered to be fake, thank goodness, but the kids and teachers inside that school didn't know it at the time. All the area schools were locked down briefly, including my boys'.

And last night, there was a gunman walking the halls and grounds of our university, where my husband works, where I have personally walked many times. Three young people are dead, five more are critical, and the scenes and quotes from truly terrified students are heart-wrenching. All the area public schools are closed today.

I'm not personally affected, no. Not the way so many other people have been. But this week has been another painful reminder of how easily one day it COULD be me, or you, or someone we love. I am so sick of the violence in this country, and the worst part is knowing that nothing's going to change.

Sending my love to everyone today, and my anger to the system that lets this keep happening.

It's been 24 years since the shooting at Columbine. 24 years since someone lost their sister or brother, daughter or son, grandchild, cousin, significant other, friend.

I grew up in the same county as Columbine, just twenty minutes away. I was significantly younger, still in elementary school, when we went on lockdown. We spent days and days talking about it in our classrooms, and our active shooter drills increased and took on new meaning as we realized that perhaps a school shooting was more possible than we thought.

Since Columbine, there have been 376 school shootings with more than 400 people killed with an additional 1,100+ injured.

127 of those have happened since 2020, 21 since January of this year.

More than 349,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since Columbine. Our children and society deserve better than going to school, a concert, a club, a grocery store, a movie theater, and not coming home.

And if you fail to see gun violence as a serious issue, then I don't know what else to say

--

henlo it is i the headcANON, here to go ramble about everyone's favourite little guy, casey. its insane to me just how much you've endeared me and many other tcoti fans to this silly fella

i can see casey going to a religious school (the only difference from a non religious school is you learn re but literally no one cares lol), most parents will try and send their kids there cause they are known for being better schools (they get more funding for extra lessons), and casey couldnt give less of a shit about it

i also think he wouldve went to an all boys school, he just sorts acts like he did lol

whilst in school my man would try and break every single dress code policy known to man, half of the time hed just show up in his pe clothes, the other time hed show up with no tie, no jacket, a coat and whatever else he could fet his hands on that he wasnt supposed to have (english schools have really strict dress codes, idk why its dumb)

he knows a small amount of spanish, in most british schools you are forced to do mfl (modern foreign languages) and its usually either french or spanish (you rarely have a choice to pick which you want to do), some will let you pick up german and even mandarin but thats usually at gcse level or as an extracurricular activity (which most kids are also forced to do). he isnt fluent in spanish, not by a long shot, but he definitely knows how to have a conversation, albeit very scripted and short. however, one thing he does understand is how to swear in spanish, and what it sounds like. i imagine him and his friends just looking it up on the laptops during class time, definitely to annoy their teacher.

so i have this image in my head that gray doesnt like swearing all that much (maybe fresh got to him lol), so he tends to swear in spanish or french because the british boy wont understand - alas he does

casey could not be arsed with most lessons because he didnt really care about getting a good education since he couldnt see all that bright of a future for himself, if one at all, but he was actually quite good at maths and history, even when he tried not to be

he has been shown on more than one occasion, undernovella, and whilst he was put off it due to it 1. being in spanish, and 2. the cast being played 99% by monsters, he actually really ended up enjoying it by the end

hes also been getting into anime and manga ("dude its like a comic book but even more brutal"), mostly shonen like one punch man and dragon ball, but he also really enjoyed sailor moon and doesnt want to admit to it, he liked the romance and friendship aspect of it, also pretty girls

he has always been into comic books, his favourite super heroes are deadpool and spiderman

before he met gray (properly), he mostly played shooter games (ones that were free or cheap), fortnite, valorant, and a pirated copy of fifa, because thats what guys play. if his past self saw his year 4 stardew valley save file, hed spontaneously combust

i think he also plays splatoon now, he mains the dualies because theyre cool, hed definitely be an inkling as well but thats an au for another day

zelda too

despite everything thats happened, he really did grow to love his last foster mum, she was a single lady and she treated him like her own son. hes had bad experiences with the foster care system in the past (breaking news: fork found in kitchen), parents only taking him in for the money, some wanting to complete their family and forcing him to live by their ideals, all that bad stuff, which is why he often ran away from them. he had run away from his last foster mum, two times before, but it was very early into their relationship before they got to understand each other better.

his last foster mum asked him what his hobbies were his first night at her house, he didnt know, so she suggested he pick up an instrument - he decided the guitar, because it looked cool. he almost cried when she offered to buy him lessons, he didnt take her up on the offer, determined to learn it by himself, and he did

he has a really nice singing voice he'll never let anyone see - hes a lyric baritone

also whilst in canon hes a brummie, i like to imagine he was born a bit further north (hes a mackem to me), and moved to birmingham to be with his most recent and last foster parent, and that he lived there for so long thats hes picked up the accent

he felt really bad leaving her but managed to convincr himself that she would be better off without someone like him in her life

casey is a very traumatised child, he has a lot of triggers and boundaries he doesnt fully understand himself, plus a boat load of unhealthy coping mechanisms (mainly smoking and socially isolating himself)

he tries to keep his bad habits a secret from gray, because he doesnt know how he would feel about it - he knows, he doesnt like it but he isnt exaclty the greatest at having healthy coping mechanisms himself, at the very least he tries to get him to swap one for another, instead of smoking play stardew valley with me for 37 hours straight :) ?

he often struggles with the idea that hes a burden, so he doesnt let people spend money on him, or give him gifts

he also struggles to express his emotions (hes british unfortunately), and has a hard time saying 'i love you' to anyone, the only person he never strugfled saying that to was his mum

bit of a trigger warning, im going to be talking about casey's injuries and all that jazz, so if you dont wanna read, head to the next bullet point! casey shouldnt be alive, the injuries he suffered were severe, the paramedics were convicned he was a lost cause (still they have to do everything they can), so it was a shock to all when he pulled through. this was, however, not without a bit of a battle, and it left permanent effects on his health. casey's lungs are horribly scarred (smoke inhalation will do that to you), and it doesnt help that he smoked before and after. his nerves on the left side of his body where the support beam collapsed on him, are quite literally fried. where it hit directly, he cannot feel anything there, the areas that were dames by the fire however are unbelievably sensitive and painful to the touch. even after the scar healed it stills remains sensitive, so he bandages up those areas. the beam also broke and bruised a lot of his bones, mostly his ribs and the bones in his arms. his left ear is also burnt, and a portion of it, mostly the tips of it, are straight up missing. after recovering from the initial injury, he had a skin graft taken from his right thigh to supplement the damage done to the left side of his face. for a while after he had to take a lot of pain meds, and undergo a ton of therapy both mental and physical - even still hes not fully healed

casey loves animals, particularly dogs. his last foster mother had a german shepherd, and he used to let it sleep on his bed. it made him feel safe and loved. dogs and cats also just like to come up to him on the street, bros a disney princess for real

beefed with paperjam for a while, both had a lack of trust in each other, but they got to be on equal ground after a while, that didnt last long, not since after chapter 31..

hes fighting demons (bisexuality)

ever since he met gray and by extension his wack ass family, hes grown more and more accustomed to monster culture, particularly their disregard for gender norms and compulsive heterosexuality, and hes been experimenting with his gender expression, he never thought hed actually enjoy dressing in pink or taking care of his hair. he tried painting his nails, but did not have the patience to let them dry, he still sometimes wears it, albeit chipped and blotchy, but he thinks it suits him

he has always been fine with being labelled a man, but sometimes he doesnt feel as though it fits him, not entirely, hes not sure what his gender is because sometimes male really does fit him, but other times he just wants to throw the whole concept of gender away, hes stuck with unlabelled for a while and feels as though it somewhat fits him

he once buzzed his hair cause all the guys in his school did for whatever reason, he cried for several hours afterwards and got nicknamed sampson for a week, biggest mistake of his life - bro experienced dysphoria for the first time in his life

celebrates gyftmas because its way cooler than christmas (I NEED A GRACEY GYFTMAS ONESHOT ASAP), he celebrates the majority of monster holidays since everyone (1 to 2 people at max lmao) in the house he currently lives in does too. is confused as to what monster halloween is supposed to be

likes going out with gray (which is once in a blue moon), his favourite spot is waterfall, but he also really likes snowden and hotland

- headcANON

Holy shit HEADCANON I AM EATING SO WELL

Also I hope you don’t mind me tagging @ottererpop because they’re a Casey enthusiast as well and they must see all of this solid gold.

I Must respond to some of these AAA

- I talked with multiple people about how Casey is ABSOLUTELY breaking every dress code he possibly can. Like he would come to school in the bare minimum to not get expelled but his “uniform” would just be wrinkled to hell and his tie would just hang around his neck completely untied

- Casey is genuinely intelligent and if he actually tried in school he would do really well. However he’s a massive shithead and doesn’t care because of how depressed he is

- I do have a very specific speech pattern and tone of voice for him in my head but I’m not sure exactly how to write it. Also about him being from Birmingham - he’s not really from the main city itself but more generally around that area, so he very well could lived farther north and end up closer to the main city has he went to live with foster parents. Im purposefully avoiding getting too detailed with exact places and cities because then it just becomes hyper-specific.

- he absolutely would love undernovella - he love sitcoms so he would adore those over-dramatic plot twists

- He and his current foster mom (before he left ofc) have a tolerable relationship. She was often gone from the house and left him to his own devices, so he would mostly just skip school and play games on his computer all day, which did annoy her significantly.

- his smoking is partially a coping mechanism, partially a peer pressure “cool guy” thing that he picked up, and partially something that could very subtlety equate to self-harm. I could get into a whole thing about his smoking habits. He doesn’t smoke that often, but it is definitely something he tries to hide from Gray. Or at least not make it obvious. Like I said recently PJ has caught him smoking cigs over the kitchen sink while Gray’s been asleep.

- you are correct in your assumption that he doesn’t feel anything on the part of his torso that was severely burnt.

- I’m sure he has shaved all his hair off at some point. In the past he for-sure had one of those haircuts that’s short and buzzed all on the sides but long on the top, or at least buzzed in the back.

- gray’s family and the entire omega timeline being extremely unlabeled when it comes to gender and sexuality, like it’s not a big deal in the slightest, is definitely a massive change for Casey and he struggles to understand it. He’s grown up in an environment where he’s constantly felt like he has to prove how tough and unfeeling he is in order to get ahead. That’s why he’s so embarrassed of his severe sweet tooth, because he’s scared it comes across as “girly”. He’s by no means sexist but he definitely is over-anxious about not being perceived as “weak”.

- I’m sure he would absolutely adore waterfall :)

These are some snipe headcanons that I just made up so don't freaking judge me 😃 cause I love this man with all my heart

His actual name is Dannosuke Hara and his first name means "bullet" "assistance" "this distance" and his surname means "plain field" (not confirmed I just created a name for him cause his basically forgotten by horikoshi

His half Japanese and half African American so his black

His father was japanese while his mother was African American

His born in Japan but was raised in America some part of his life

He has 2 older sister his the youngest

Since his half American I feel like his middle name would be Xavier

His mom inherited a horse ranch somewhere in Texas and and a bit of other animals, he grew up loving horses and growing up his favorite activity was racing with his siblings and archery as well

His always doubt himself about his ability

His father's quirk is "perfect aim" while his mom was "zooming"

His favorite food more of a comfort food is his mothers homemade meatball soup where she'd make everything from scratch and how it's served is well there needs to be a bed of rice and flood it with the meatball soup and for extra flavor some soy sauce, sesame oil and chili oil and no one makes it better then how his mama does it

His father wasn't always around since he was a soldier

Well his father met his mother at a bar in America one day and well they quickly clicked

They'd go back and forth from Japan and America

His father was a sniper and one of the most respected ones as well

And Dan admired his dad alot and wishes to be like him some day especially since his in the elite force

When he was just 8 years old he lost his father while he was serving in Afghanistan and died as a hero taking a bomb for the group and other civilians and broke the 8 year old

His mom feel into a great depression leaving his oldest sister to raise them while she gets better

But when he grew to be around 13 years old he was a victim is a lockdown and his eldest sister who died protecting Dan just in time to shove him in the locker while the shooter was distracted

His mom made them move back to Japan to live with thier dads side of the family and they didn't feel like they fit is due to Thier hair and skin color

He went to ua high school when he had come of age but didn't think is quirk was suitable as a hero since he basically shoots bullets

And that's why after graduating and rather then go and fullfil his duties as a hero he went to university and went to get a masters degree in chemical engineering

He never once touched his uniform after graduating cause it kept hurting him since he always hurtted his friends and teachers during training because of his bullets

And well while he was graduating from university he feel in love

And after graduation he went to try and recruit himself which he passed everything

Dan trained harder than before since he wanted to make his dear father proud and he keeps his dad's bloody and crocked dog tag

And he was one of the best cadets there and obviously he became a sniper

And he has kids this man has a set of twin boys with his fiance!

But after a few months of deployment he came back to see his fiance cheating on him on thier bed infront of the 2 year old boys...

And snipe he lost custody over those boys and his been trying so god dam hard to see them but couldn't

He got depressed and started drinking...

But a few weeks after that happened he lost his mother due to old age...

And that's when he decided to be a teacher at ua to get his mind off things...

He split his time alot

He kept trying to see his boys again but never had the chance...

For years he never saw them until they were 14 and snipe finally won custody over his twin boys

He had never felt this happy in his life...

He felt alive for once

He tried his best as a dad and raised them well

Snipe also likes playing baseball since he used to play baseball with his dad everyday when his at home so he did the same with them

Snipe did not tell anyone! I mean nobody that he has kids! Extra the principal he knows and helped him alot in the process

Since his from Texas his mother would slaughter him if he can't make good ass Texas barbeque

He once actually fainted when he saw his father slaughter a cow at 6 years old and he was actually supposed to help him but he ended up fainting in the pend and they just laughed at him

And he actually turned vegan for like a month after that happened but he un vegeaned himself soon

For a guy like him he likes reptiles and lizards he has a pet chameleon

His twins have been begging for a puppy for a long time and everyday they'll actually spam his texts with pictures and videos of dogs and puppies! Even memes! But he did get them a puppy

And when he kept saying no everyday and when the puppy came well Dan was the one attached to her even more than the boys

His basically a guy who has like 4 lives! -his a teacher,hero, soldier and a father

And no one knows about him being a soldier as well and his a colonel now so that's great

And that is all! Thanks for reading and disclaimer this is all made up and nothing is true except his quirk, being a hero and and a teacher!!! (Ps sorry for being on hiatus)

I am fuming. I am disgusted. I am horrified and absolutely ashamed to call myself an American.

This is going to be different from my normal content and stuff that I post here but I have to say something or it will literally suffocate me so please, take the time and read this.

I am a student in the United States, meaning I have had extensive training on active shooter and lockdown drills and with the absolute tragedy that occurred in Nashville this week, it brought back a memory I had forgotten about until now.

I was 6 years old.

We had a bring your favorite stuffed animal to school day since we were learning about animals. Some had voice boxes and some lit up. It was so much fun. What we didn’t know was that we were going to have an active shooter drill.

We were having a read loud and then my teacher rushed all of us into the corner, turned off the lights and told us to be quiet. I’m not sure if she knew if it was real but I remember seeing how scared she was.

We were huddled between her desk and the wall, hidden from view from the door and my friend Maddy had her stuffed dog close to her chest. Then the voice box went off inside the toy and there was barking. I have never seen my teacher so terrified in her life.

She started to cry silently as my teacher tried to get the toy to quiet down or turn off and i remember seeing how petrified she was. My classmates were all watching with horror and darting between my teacher and the door, checking to see if that was the sound of the door knob jiggling or Maddy struggling to keep her sobs in.

I held onto my own stuffed toy, my favorite stuffed tiger, and begged for it to protect me, they always did when I had nightmares. I thought this was just some bad dream and that it would end. I thought I was going to die.

Let me repeat that. I at SIX FUCKING YEARS OLD thought I was going to die.

Thankfully it was a drill and no one was hurt but that day has set all of my behaviors when I’m in school.

I stopped begging for light up shoes for my upcoming birthday.

I memorized the layout of my school so I knew which way was fastest so I could get to my brother and sister who went to the same school as me if I didn’t see them when we were escorted out of the building.

I gave a hug and a kiss every morning and told them I love them every day.

I didn’t follow the rules of my school and kept my phone on me so I could text my parents I loved them if there would be a last time.

I stopped saying it will never happen to me. I say it hasn’t happened yet.

Yet.

The most tragic word in United States history is again. When I turned on the news Monday and saw a shooting I said “again?”

How many times will we have to say again before change is made? How many more graves will have to be made for people to start protecting these kids?

Conservatives want to protect children but they are single-handedly the biggest killer to children.

GUNS KILL MORE THAN CARS.

I am a kind and understanding person but if you think that your right to a weapon of destruction is more important than a child coming home to their parents then fucking block me.

If you think those lawmakers, who wear AR-15 pins on their lapels are in the right, block me.

If you think it’s okay for a SIX YEAR OLD to be terrified of bringing their stuffed animal that talks to school, block me.

No child should be terrified to go to school and not come home to their parents. They shouldn’t be thinking about if they remembered to tell their siblings “I love you” when they’re sitting in a lockdown. I

Guns need to be regulated or the number of shootings will only increase. I am tired and you should be too. So please please please I am begging you, go out and make change in your community and protect children.

Stand up and say NEVER AGAIN.

No six year old should be thinking they’re going to die while in school and until there is gun reform made in this country, I will still be thinking about myself in first grade begging my stuffed tiger to keep me safe.

Thank you for reading this if you did and I hope you all have a safe evening.

CW // talk of school shootings

hey everyone so I’m currently at home, it’s like 10:30am and at this time I’d usually be at school but something happened. Today I was actually supposed to take a trip to a university and basically have a day to live the college experience but unfortunately that didn’t happen. My class that was supposed to go was heading for the bus, we were supposed to leave early in the school day. We see a cop car pass by with lights on and we think “oh there must be a car crash”, cop car sirens are not unusual to hear in my area so we thought nothing of it until I get a text from my friend saying that a cop has entered the school and some sirens went off in the school, they were in lockdown. I had confirmation of a lockdown when my teacher had tried to re-enter the building but was unable to. By this time all of us are on the bus and we’re looking out the window to try and figure out what’s happening. We start to see more and more cop cars coming. I’m texting my friends to figure out what’s going on and find out that there’s a threat of an active shooter in the school. My friend had sent me a previous text of “oh it’s just a drill” but then followed it up a minute later with “never mind, not a drill”. At this point we start seeing state patrol show up and we start to realize that ‘oh. This is probably a very serious situation’. I start to slightly panic because I have family members and friends at this school. I’m texting them frantically just trying to figure out what’s going on. Our bus starts to move and many of us start to yell “we can’t leave! We can’t leave!” Because a lot of us had people in there. We pass by and see just how many cars there are and a wave of dread and fear just passes through the entire bus. I felt my body fill with panic and I can hear myself struggling to breathe but I hadn’t registered that I was crying until someone said “who’s crying?” I started to sob and my friend had tried to hold onto me and calm me down but she also had family and friends in there and she inevitably gave into crying as well. Many people on the bus became hysterical, trying to figure out what exactly was happening inside. I managed to call my mom while in tears, she thought that maybe our bus got into an accident because of how hard I was crying. She tried to calm me down, my friend had actually taken my phone to talk to my mom because I couldn’t get any words through. At some point many of us calmed down but we still had no idea what was happening. Some people said that 1 person was shot while others said 2 people were shot. Someone said it was in the locker room while someone else said it was in a math class. The school ended up saying that it was a prank call but it was very hard to believe because our school has had quite a few shooting threats and taunts but it had never gotten to this level of fear. Not to mention when we had threats it was usually maybe one or two cop cars but there were cops and cameras, ambulance and firefighters on standby. Officers were strapped and had vests on, they were going around and knocking on doors and teachers had to show there badges. Apparently someone did get arrested. Our trip got canceled and we went back to the school once the lockdown was lifted. I actually had never been so glad to be back and to see people I knew standing at the front. I still don’t know whether is was a prank or not but it was fucked up either way. This only happened like 2 hours ago and I already just never want to go through that again. Stay safe everyone, have a good rest of your day.

My daughter carries a backpack to school that weighs nearly as much as she does. There are no lockers at her school. There are no lockers at any school anymore. Why? Because it's way too fucking easy to hide a gun in there and then shoot up a school.

I grew up with coat closets and then lockers when I got out of elementary school. I never had to carry an OSHA violation on my back, and during passing periods, everyone dropped shit off at their lockers because otherwise our backpacks would be too heavy to carry and we would have damaged our shoulders, backs and necks.

But I went to school in the halcyon days of the 1980's and 1990's when we still had an assault gun ban and other forms of gun control. So active shooters at schools weren't the major concern that they are now. Did these things still happen? Yes, usually with a handgun, and still rarely. Now, they happen constantly and with much more high-powered weaponry.

My daughter has a pinched nerve between her left shoulder and neck. She is in serious pain and that pain is also causing her to have bad headaches. She's been excused from PE and certain other activities but there's NOWHERE practical for her to put her gigantic backpack. And that backpack and the weight of it is the very thing that caused this injury! She is a child with a prescription for muscle relaxers for fucks sake!

I am deeply pro gun control for many reasons, and this is but just one of them. Our kids are carrying loads on their backs that are injuring them because we took lockers away from them. My daughter's pediatrician told me how many of these injuries she sees in her patients all the time. My son also complains about his backpack as well. It's crazy.

I know that this isn't a big part of the gun control debate, but maybe we should bring it up more? If we passed common sense gun control laws, we could put lockers back in our schools and then our kids could stop having the sort of injuries to their child bodies that grown adult laborers have several years into their careers. Children aren't supposed to have these sorts of chronic injuries, and it means their bodies will have a worse time of it when they get to the age where these sorts of injuries and issues are more common.

But asking republikkkans and other conservatives to ACTUALLY care about children (instead of the performative bullshit they love to do that leaves children more vulnerable) is a lost cause.

That is all.

[Quick mention of suicide. I don't linger on it.]

An average sized person in a dark blue skin tight suit with orange and red details waved their arm and hand in front of your face, directing your attention to the ceiling where they were hanging.

"Hey, how's the weather down there?"

They laughed to themselves before jumping down in front of you. A much shorter Man in a pink and black spider suit waved from the corner of the room.

"I was told to lay out a few things about me and my brother. I'm including my brother since we are one universe apart and we are pretty much mirrored in most details."

The person in blue took off their mask before beginning to speak. Their face seemed to be constantly scribbled out.

"Let's do this one last time... My name is [TV static] Kneal, and for the past 5 years, I've been my universe's one and only spider man! Well- Dancing spider... Dancer for short!"

"My name is Logan kneal, and for the past 2 years, I've been my universe's one and only Spiderman. Though I'm called Spider Blossom or Bloom Spider by most due to my suit design."

"And I think you know the rest."

They both chimed in at the end

"I was bit by a radioactive spider brought home by accident by my mother. She worked with Alchemax during the beginning of their genetic experiments. Soon after I went to my mother and father, showing what happened to me, I found out my father was the villain Doc Ock. This led into a fight that resulted in the loss of my mother and brother and me losing most vision in my left eye. He is still alive. As much as I wish that wasn't the case I refuse to take someone's life and put someone else through the feeling of loss I felt that day. I've lost more people than ill ever want to put other people through. The most recent being my first true love... Not quite long ago. Now I juggle life, college, and protecting my universe's New York."

"Second verse same as the first: Radioactive Spider, psycho dad, and loss of my mother and sibling. But I was able to take down my Doc ock. I lost my arm in the process and used my father's tech to make a prosthetic. Sometimes, it feels like I can hear the prosthetic talking to me, but I've always had an overactive imagination. After everything I dropped out of high-school and essentially faked my death resulting in my first real partner taking his own life. I was able to catch him but... Gravity is a hell of a thing right? He broke his neck from the sudden stop my webs caused... Now I have the responsibility of protecting my universe's- Get this- Cincinnati."

They both rub their necks before Dancer perks up and roles up their suit sleeve.

"I have natural web shooters that imit a controllable pheromone that activates your fight, flight, or freeze response. Think of smelling salts but they activate a fear response instead of an energetic affect."

Dancer seems almost proud of this fact.

"I have natural webs as well but I needed to make a mechanical webshooter for my prosthetic. My natural webs are stronger than the ones i created. I don't have any scarey pheromones."

The two look at each other and shrug.

"If there's anything else any of you would like to know just ask. We'd love to talk again!"

Hiya! I’m a psych and ed major currently thinking about my future. I’ve been interested in teaching for a long time, but for all the awesome parts of it, there are some aspects of teaching that scare me. (Everything from active shooter drills to grading to good, old fashioned imposter syndrome.)

So: which parts of teaching scare(d) you the most, and how have you dealt with those fears?

This is a great question! I’m on year 4 and I feel like so far I’ve been scared of all of it at one point or another? Though things like school shootings I just don’t think about/can’t think about besides knowing what the drill is for lockdown situations. The rest is so completely out of my hands that I just don’t think about it/pray for the grace to know what to do if the time ever comes.

Honestly the kids scared me for the longest time. Especially teaching the older high schoolers. Sophomores and seniors were pretty much completely overwhelming the first two years. Grading still scares me! Parent emails scare me. Administrative evals scare me. Student evaluations scare me. Students who “hate” me scare me.

As for how I deal with the fears—I think there’s three things.

The first is the one day at a time of it all. Which I know is true of every job and every situation but teaching changes so much from day to day in a GOOD way. Parent emails can be SO annoying (can they all stop forever) but once they’ve sent it it’s generally out of their system and a restrained/polite answer will deal with it just fine. And they move on and you move on and everyone moves on. Teenagers can be so deeply unpleasant but it doesn’t carry over from day to day in most cases because they’re just up and down and dealing with so much! So at the beginning of my career I would just be like “wow I am dealing with this impenetrable wall of hatred/boredom” and then time just proves how short their memories are. I had to talk to this girl once about her attitude and she cried and it was terribly unpleasant and I hated it and then she stopped by my classroom at the end of the day to pick something up and it was like she’d forgotten it happened. And obviously that doesn’t always happen, but my point is: the unpleasantness you deal with is ever-shifting because teenagers are not hardened. Even if they are, they are simply too young to be TRULY hardened so things can and do reach them, and things can and do change, and the daily proof of that is such a protection against this way of thinking/fear that you’re up against this brick wall. Also just, when a day finishes, even if it was bad, it’s over forever. It’s never going to be exactly the same again.

The second thing is just …. Time. The passage of time. The fears are part of it but they too are not permanent and in fact will be undone with time and experience. I hated being new and inexperienced; I hated it so much —I felt like a reed shaken in the wind. I knew I had no idea what I was doing, I knew I was so young and vulnerable, I could feel it physically and mentally and emotionally but I knew I wouldn’t feel that way forever. I hated that I had to wait a long time before all those feelings went away, but in the short-term all I had to focus on was getting through the day and that was how I reached the long-term. I’m on year 4 of teaching, as I said, and there is this new rock-solid foundation to my teaching that I could only get to/create by struggling through those first 3 years. I had to face all of those fears and just be afraid but not quit anyway and then I came out the other side a different teacher.

And then the third thing, and honestly the biggest thing for me in dealing with the fears, was figuring out if I liked it and was good at it enough (no one ever likes anything 100% of the time) to make the fears worth it. And honestly I am. I’ve started to joke over the years that the two qualities of a teacher who makes it vs. a teacher who doesn’t are laziness and arrogance. I could give nicer names to the laziness—flexibility, adaptability, but you HAVE to be able to bend and adjust and keep moving forward but it is incompatible (imo) with true type A behavior/mentality. True type A teachers who go crazy over the details and can’t let anything go drive me insane and I want to SHAKE them and I kind of don’t think it’s the way to be! (Though I know a handful who thrive despite this so …. take this as my view.) but also that arrogance! Or again, to choose a nicer word, confidence. Lots of days I didn’t want to teach, especially in those early days, but I knew that I was good at it, that on some level I was made to do it. And that’s the real thing that carried me through and still carries me through all the fears. If it was just me and my fears and gritting my teeth and bearing it I would have quit long ago. But I was also always good at it, even at my newest, stupidest, most inexperienced. And so it was exciting! I’d feel so small and stupid and exposed and raw and I’d be so upset and frustrated but then I would have a moment or a lesson where the class was spellbound or I connected with a really tough kid or somebody watched me teach and said “damn you’re good at this” and honestly I think that’s a quality teachers have or don’t have and if they don’t have it there is nothing at all to be ashamed of in that but imo they shouldn’t be teachers. Because without that feeling of excitement and pride and fulfillment that comes from doing something that you KNOW you’re good at and you love I think this job is too hard. I tell this story a lot but in my student teaching my supervisor pulled me aside at a certain point because I was hitting a wall and she said “some people hit this wall because they aren’t meant to be teachers and that’s okay, they can leave and go find what is meant for them. You’re hitting this wall for other reasons but I don’t want you to quit on teaching because I think you’re good at this” and it was so important for me to hear and remember because it’s a) something to hold on to, b) something that will fill you up and fulfill you even on days when it’s so hard. For me that love of teaching and the being good at it are the most central and important pieces and I was lucky in that I had several people tell me at various points “I think you’re so good at this, you have something that people can’t teach (ha!)” and I needed to hear that so badly because it was true! And also because it gave me the confidence to keep going. And of course there were long stretches where no one said that to me and so I just had to rely on my internal belief that that was true but because it WAS true it could carry me through. If that makes sense.

So yeah those are the three things. Also all of the above only applies in a school that is mostly functioning as it should and has the pieces in order that it needs to and tbh that isn’t many, many schools. I teach in a college prep charter school that focuses heavily on rigor and excellence etc. and tbh I couldn’t do what I do in a regular public school so keep all of that in mind. Also sometimes people ARE good at it and like it but need a break or need a change for other personal reasons—I don’t mean to make it sound like every teacher who quits just doesn’t have what it takes because the job can be very crushing.

This is such a stream of badly edited consciousness, but I hope it helps or is enlightening in some way!

Distraught Neighbor Recounts Helping Ralph Yarl After Teen Was Shot: ‘That’s Somebody’s Son’

Denver Sean

Jodi Rae, who helped stop the bleeding from 16-year-old Ralph Yarl’s gunshot wound, tearfully recounted the traumatic experience on Thursday.

via NYDN:

Rae, along with another neighbor, may well be to thank for keeping Yarl alive as blood poured from his head while they waited for help. Yarl had been shot by Andrew Lester, 84, for mistakenly knocking on the octogenarian’s door, thinking it was a different address.

Lester has since pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action.

Rae said she’d been in her pajamas and watching television when someone started banging on the door and jiggling the knob, crying for help. “It startled me. I got scared,” she told TMZ. “The pounding on the door and the jiggling.”

She said her door’s window was too high for her to see what was happening on the other side. “He just kept hitting the door,” she said. “I could not see what was outside of my door.”

She then called 911 and the dispatcher told her to hang tight. “I regret that. Knowing now,” she said. “We were all thinking it was an active shooter.”

Rae broke down describing the wrenching dilemma she and other neighbors faced when they called 911 and were informed there was an active shooter. Even though Yarl was banging on her door, dispatchers continued telling her and other callers to lock down.

As the banging got more insistent, then stopped, Rae looked outside.

“I went into the window and he was standing out on the street facing away from my house,” Rae said. She told the dispatcher what she saw, and was told to continue staying inside because they didn’t know where the shooter was. She then saw Yarl sink to his knees, and knew she had to do something.

“I went downstairs, I said to my son, ‘Something is just not right about this,’” she told TMZ. “I said, ‘Screw this.’ There was blood everywhere.”

She then went outside to help the teen. A neighbor joined her, and her son fetched bath towels, putting pressure on his head wound. She and the neighbor asked Yarl about his life, about school and his activities, and kept him talking until medics arrived and whisked him to the hospital.

“That’s somebody’s son,” she said she kept thinking. “Somebody’s child’s blood on my door.”

Rae, clearly traumatized, said vitriol had been aimed at neighbors by people who thought no one had tried to help Yarl. At the same time, she put it into perspective.

“Nothing compares to what that young man is living through every day,” the distraught Rae said, hardly able to get the words out.

It’s easy to imagine what she could’ve done differently in that situation, but we commend her for doing the best she could with the information available at the time.

Sent from my iPhone

so i actually didn’t watch shooting star until like 2 years ago or something like that? but my high school had two different shooting scares before that; one of those we were in hard lock down, the other we were in a shelter in place and police escorted kids to their parents to bring them home. only one of them had an actual gun involved, the other was a false alarm. nobody died in either event. i don’t think this is an uncommon experience for kids that live in the us.

shooting star fell into some of the same pitfalls as ikag to me? in that it was written without any critical understanding of an issue by writers trying to preach about something they have no business talking about in the first place (active shooter drills were required in my state starting in 2005. matthew hodgson was 22 by this time. he simply hasn’t experienced the modern culture of fear that’s been in schools for almost 20 years). i found it upsetting, and frankly it was written in exceptionally poor taste.

that all being said, i do kind of like to give people the benefit of the doubt. sure, i’ll give them that they were trying to do a good thing. he probably wanted this episode to be a message, like, “hey, look, this is a real problem, we should do something about this.” I respect trying to handle a difficult issue, and i understand that mishandling some things will come with the territory. it’s just the way that it was almost written off as quickly as it had happened (yes, it’s mentioned at the beginning of the next episode, but when things like this happen, even when there isn’t an actual risk, there are long lasting effects that you can’t shake). but like, after our first scare, i never felt safe in my school again. i had a hundred contingencies, an escape route, a hiding place, and a list of improvised weapons for every class. this, again, was not uncommon for anyone at my school and i don’t think it’s uncommon for other schools either. not that i think that should’ve been the direction they went either.

i mainly just feel like the point could have been made with lower stakes. if you wanna talk about the effects of school shootings on high school kids, have them do an active shooter drill. discuss what’s so frightening, maybe have a character mention that they’re frightened by the idea of an active shooter situation. have schue discuss how when he started teaching, he had no idea the risks he would be taking. have emma talk to them about support, lead them toward real world resources that people can use in this situation. i don’t know, i just don’t understand why this was the direction they chose to take this episode. sorry this got long, don’t feel like you have to post this or anything, but these are some thoughts!

Thank you for the input! I'm genuinely really sorry to hear that was your school experience; you and all American kids deserve better.

Honestly yeah comparing it to IKAG feels apt in a way because both show a misunderstanding of the subject matter and come across as disrespectful. Geez if only someone could have known after he wrote IKAG that Flopson was a Bad Writer.

A drill sounds like a good idea if they had to touch the topic. I think the way they went about it instead was purely for shock value. You don't know if it's real, you don't know if they're gonna make it. Part of what makes it so much in poor taste. The first time I watched this episode, I knew a shooting episode was coming but a) didn't realize it was this one and b) holy shit the whiplash of the shots going off and the episode changing tones real fast. I kept muttering "what the fuck" as it played out. Like I say, shock value. And they literally valued that more than the issue they were trying to discuss, because Glee just had to touch on every goddamm issue. Except for abortion, I guess. Literally the only issue teens can and do face that Glee never dared touch on, never even said the word. Anyway, convo for another day.

I'd like to give the benefit of the doubt too, but you know, Glee... And also my mortal enemy, Flopson. They should have just Not.