#they’re reviewing mission reports

[chiliger]

Nothing to see here.

#loathsome coworkers #doodle #darth vader #cc 2224 #they’re reviewing mission reports

[themotherofhorses]

paloma: first meeting

— simon "ghost" riley x oc!silentdove reyes.

summary: he's not annoyed, per se, but ghost is just not really in the mood to chit-chat with the american airman scurrying around the base. at best, he tolerates them.

(or the first exchange between ghost and his montanan woman.)

warnings: none, aside from explicit language.

note: okay, so despite this being an obvious OC-insert series, i invite anyone and everyone to read it :D this is actually my first time tackling an OC-insert fanfic (as well as writing ghost) so im still trying to get the rhythm of things.

dividers by: @saradika

paloma (masterlist) | main masterlist

[2021] 

Simon Riley won’t ever admit it — never aloud, anyway — but every time he steps foot on American soil, he feels more akin to a wolf draped in sheep’s clothing. 

In his mind, he sticks out like a sore thumb. He is not a hero, really; unlike the lot teetering around the military base he is currently stationed at for the next five or so weeks, he is less flesh and blood, and more a phantom. Or something along those lines. Actually, that could explain why there is such little traffic aimed his way. But he doesn’t particularly care. His schedule lacks the room to voice any complaints. 

Right now, his main concern is doing his job, and doing it right. 

Two weeks back, Price had him fishing out his passport tucked away inside his bedside table. “Fancy a two month getaway to the States?” Great Falls, Montana, to be exact. High west, nearing the border of Canada, and surrounded by land he’s only ever seen in those silly ass spaghetti western movies. 

The view is nice, he’ll admit. Beautiful, even. Exhilarating. He now understands why they refer to Montana as “Big Sky Country.” 

Malmstrom is much smaller than he imagined, and homier too. The Air Force base is nestled within the city’s east side, offering its own museum and park. He’s quite grateful for the latter; the trails allow for his nighttime walks when the nightmares prove too shitty to sleep. 

Great Falls is pretty as well. Price would like it, maybe Garrick too. He knows the two are big on history, and almost every inch of the city is drenched with some memory belonging to the old frontier days. 

Upon arriving, the yanks provided him with his own private office, housed in the back of the 341st logistics readiness squadron. It’s nothin’ fancy, really, just a wee room furnished with a dark mahogany desk, two windows, a steel cabinet, the Montana flag to his left, and the American to his right. 

Again, he’s not one to complain. Something’s something. 

Earlier, one of the higher-up airmen, a Staff Sergeant Benson (he believes is the name), had handed him a folder jam-packed with a shit ton of mission statements — logistics, strategic planning, reports of previous global concerns, and reviews of the base’s Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. All the documents are dated in a time range varying between two months ago to 0800 this morning. 

In the back of his mind, he can already hear Price chuckling.

“Have fun, Simon.”

Bloody bastard. 

So now, Ghost sits hunched over the desk, feeling a little too damn big for it. All the paperwork is strewn about messily around him, with sticky notes, a pen, and some other random shit of his. No one has yet to visit him; until that happens, he feels little need to remain organized. 

His boot taps against the floor. “—Initial efforts to clean polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from launch facilities at Malmstrom AFB are ongoing but seeing success…” Ghost reads under his breath. PCBs? That’s nice to hear.

“...after PCBs were detected on surfaces in launch facilities at all three of the command’s missile wings.” 

PCBs. Polychlorinated biphenyls — man-made and highly toxic, consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine atoms. He clicks his tongue, shaking his head as he flips onto the next page.

“We know they’re present on what appears to be otherwise pristine surfaces, due to the survey—” 

—a sudden knock interrupts his reading. 

With a curse on his tongue, Ghost sets down the report. He quicks a sneaking glance at his watch. 1342 hours. He’s due in a meeting at 1700. 

“Come in.” His voice sounds low and raspy, the two words sounding more like a growl than a greeting. He’s not annoyed, per se, but Ghost is just not really in the mood to chit-chat with the American airmen scurrying around the base. At best, he tolerates them.

(In his mind, they’re all little Graves, ready to stir up a headache.) 

The door slowly cracks open.

“Lieutenant Riley?” A female voice calls out — soft and cautious; Ghost’s chin drops against his knuckles. “Apologies for the disruption, sir, but I have some additional paperwork I need to drop off with you, at the request of my superior.” He grunts, and the airman then steps into his office, quickly shutting the door behind her before meeting his eyes. 

It is entirely unlike him, Ghost knows, but his brain almost short-circuits right then and there. Two dark brown eyes, framed by thick lashes, peering up at him. Shit. He’d always thought brown was such a pretty eye color on a woman, but hers stretched further across common compliments. 

Both of  ‘em — they held no animosity, no uneasiness or fear, nothing. 

That, itself, is quite fucking bizarre. He’s not used to that.

Ghost is .... well, Ghost. He knows the mask he is always donning on his face isn't exactly a sign of welcomeness. Just his mere presence is enough to startle the living shit out of rookies, baby recruits, wide-eyed sergeants, and the like. There is something inherently unnerving when you are unable to get a good reading of the person you're standing across from.

She’s brave, he thinks. Or merely oblivious to who he is. 

“Here you go, sir,” the airman says while placing the packet of new documents down on his desk. Her lips are shaped prettily, plump and shining with a fresh layer of gloss, and across her nose is a splatter of faint freckles. Under a different circumstance, maybe he would’ve taken the time to try and count them all.

Ghost swallows hard, incapable (for what feels like the first time in his life) of mustering up an appropriate reply. “Ah, thank you, ma’am.” 

The airman's brow lifts.

“Reyes,” she then corrects him with a kind smile, gesturing to the name badge sitting above her right chest pocket. Sure enough, in bold military lettering, reads Reyes. “My name is Senior Airman SilentDove Reyes. I am actually a cryptologic linguist analyst here on base; but sometimes I run errands for others, when not needed for a translation, of course.”

There is a slight chirp in her voice that Ghost picks up, along with the way she casually rocks back and forth on her feet. She seems awfully young, no older than 22, possibly 23, but even that's cutting it; a kid, compared to him. Maybe 5'7, with dark hair pulled back into two tight braids that fall at her belted waistline.

A stark contrast compared to him.

He's oddly curious now — about her age and first name and those long braids and why she stands before him, calm, collected, and sure — but he knows damn well this is not the time nor place for any questions. Both of them are on the clock, and it is likely she’ll need to report back to her supervisor soon. 

He offers her a curt nod. “Well, thank you again, Reyes,” he states, keeping his voice flat. 

“You are welcome, sir.” She turns to leave, but when her hand latches onto the doorknob, Reyes glances over her shoulder at him, “—oh, and Lieutenant? If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” 

–

The successful cleaning came after a bioenvironmental team at Malmstrom AFB …. Malmstrom AFB .. consulted with engineers and ….. and medical experts on the cleaning …. cleaning processes and– 

–and agents most likely to effectively remove the chemicals…. 

He knows his mind is wandering off, in desperate search of that pretty senior airman from fifteen minutes ago. “Bloody fucking hell,” Ghost grumbles, leaning back in his chair. His head lolls back as he blinks upward, studying the ceiling overhead. The texture is popcorn, a creamy color, with a simple fan jutting down. One light bulb, probably a recent replacement. 

Fuck. He doesn’t need this shit. Not one bit. 

Five more weeks and he’ll be gone from here. 

Ghost rechecks his watch, feeling a bit peeved at the time. 1411. He has several more hours until he can leave all this work shit behind for the evening, and maybe catch a short walk before hunkering down for the night. He doesn’t like sitting down for too long; it causes him to become restless. Agitated. Overthinking.

He doesn’t want distractions. He doesn’t need ‘em. Distractions ruin work ethic; clouding up the mind while fucking up all sense of responsibility. Price will have his ass if he – somehow – becomes compromised. And he'll never hear the end of it from Johnny. 

Settling back into the paperwork, he decides that he won’t allow himself another second thinking about all that – the American airman and her pretty brown eyes and high cheekbones and first name. 

Something tells him that’s easier said than done. 

#vic writes 🧸 #paloma series #call of duty #cod mw #cod mw2 #cod mw3 #modern warfare #modern warfare 2 #cod ghost #cod mw2 ghost #cod oc #simon riley #simon ghost riley #simon riley imagine #simon ghost riley x reader #simon ghost riley x oc #simon riley x fem!reader #simon riley x reader #call of duty fic #simon riley fanfic #simon ghost riley x ofc #ghost x oc #ghost x reader #ghost call of duty

[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 13 – A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Okay, getting back into writing these reviews before I fall so far behind that catching up is just impossible. Memory is the first book this year that I’ve actually read before; I’m rereading as the first choice for a theoretical book club with some friends. Honestly quite enjoyed the experience, if only because trying to jot down some things to say when discussing it forced me to take it a little slower this time.

To get the technical details out of the way – the book won the Hugo, and did basically deserve it. The writing’s lovely and occasionally downright poetics, the two leads are both insanely compelling, and the court intrigue is appropriately convoluted and byzantine for what is obviously Constantinople IN SPACE. It’s just overall a joyous read.

So Martine’s clearly very fascinated by the experience of having your standards of aesthetics, and sophistication, and civilization defined by a culture which has never even bothered to notice your existence. The simultaneous rapture at being in the heart of the universe that you’ve read about your entire life, and deep alienation knowing you’ll never actually be a part of it. How ever most of the people trying to be friendly and compliment you don’t even notice how patronizing they’re being. And so on and etc. Mahit’s internal monologue does a really good job of selling the ambivalence of it, especially in the party scene.

The book does an excellent job of actually selling the palace district as a site of imperial grandeur, too, every building buried in symbolic aesthetics and ritual significance. But also just, like, actually impressive and grand to read about. All the contrasts between the oveflowing abundance in the city and life on Lsel are fascinating too – Martine makes really good use of the little worldbuilding quotes at the start of chapters to sell the difference. The one that really stuck in my head was a quote from a tourism

guide explaining all the myriad fine dining choices for tourists visiting the City followed directly by a Lseli agricultural report about how new hydrophonic techniques had increased rice yield sufficiently to support a whole hundred non-replacement births in the next generation (it helps that all the Teixicalaanli food legitimately sounds pretty amazing). Though the time where Mahit’s internal monologue short circuited over the idea of carrying a pregnancy to term in your own body – wasteful! Depriving the station of a necessary laborer for months and months when perfectly good artificial wombs are right there! So decadent – is a close second.

Martine is, as I understand it, a Byzantinist, and oh boy can you tell. The city’s a little bit Tenochtitlan in the aesthetics and the religion, but it really is overwhelmingly space Constantinople. The theoretically absolute emperor dealing with mobs in the streets willing and potentially able to acclaim a usurper, the constant risk of legions doing the same, the basic fact that there’s a vast empire which is viewed as nothing but an adjunct or extension of the capital city which is the entirety of all political life and the place everyone whose anyone needs to be, and so on.

In a way, the obvious Byzantine-ness of the Teixicalaanli makes them seem less imperialist than just imperial, at least from Mahit’s perspective. Which is to say, well, first of all that ‘empire’ has far too many meanings and distinguishing them is hard, but the Teixicalaanli don’t expand like the British or French, in constant competition over captive markets and strategic locations, they don’t feel some glorious burden of manifest destination or a mission civilisatrice that requires universal dominion. They already are the universe, or at least everything worthwhile in it, they go to war like medieval kings or Roman princeps – to win glorious victories and so show the empire they have the right to rule it.

The relation between Lsel and Teixicalaan – well, if suffers from the standard space opera lack of scale, first of all. The stationers number in the tens of thousands – the empire must be in the hundreds of billions, minimum. ‘Realistically’ Six Directions would never have found out about the imago device because relations with them would have been handled by some mid-ranking provincial governor, only showing up in travelogues and fanciful ethnographies. But leaving that aside, Teixicalaanli myopia also means that the cultural imperialism that the book’s so fascinated by is oddly...blameless? Teixicalaan presumably has brutal campaigns dedicated to stamping out native cultures and integrating them into the empire, but there’s hardly one directed at Lsel. The general sense you get is one of vaguely tragic inevitability – that the mismatch in size and wealth is such that of course any sort of even slightly free exchange of media and ideas will lead to Stationer culture being overwhelmed. Makes me think about arguments around CanCon regulations.

(The whole Roman, medieval feel of the empire means it all kind of calls to mind various Germanic elites actively reaching for Roman iconography and institutions to legitimize themselves as much as anything, though of course that’s not really right.)

The book’s politics are, I think, a bit limited by the degree it’s laser-focused on the very uppermost tip of imperial society – the book seems to know this too, given the thirty page digression into cyberpunk two thirds of the way through (speaking of which, I absolutely adore the fact that the elegant, ritually harmonious and utterly aesthetic architecture lasts about three metro stops away from the palace before everything starts turning into economical concrete blocks). Which isn’t really a knock on the book, but I do think some of the praise of it does get a bit overblown; there’s a limit to how much insight you can really have on imperialism when you’re so focused on the stories an empire tells about itself in its most rarified and luxurious heart.

In much the same way there’s something very, I don’t know, ‘written in America in the late 2010s’ about the political imagination the book allows itself. There are people who don’t want the world to be the world, and maybe they can help a bit, but the actual players in the game of thrones are corrupt oligarchs and populist warmongers, you know?

All that said, the book sure does portray a city that views itself as synonymous with civilization. I only realized there was a Teixicalaanli word for foreigner that wasn’t ‘barbarian’ when one of the probably-terrorists made a point of using it during the whole cyberpunk interlude. Which retroactively makes, like, every single other Teixicalaanli character in the book waaaaay more of an asshole. (fanfic thought - Teixicalaanli attempts to talk even vaguely respectfully to/about foreigners as analogous to people trying to be gender neutral or talk about nonbinary people in really strongly genedered languages, right down to the awkward neologisms that the ‘average citizens’ rolls their eyes at. What’s the Teixicalaanli term for ‘the woke plague.’?)

Also – not really a better place to put this in, but something I really do like about the worldbuilding is that no one has anything like the same ideas of what constitutes political legitimacy as the contemporary liberal default? Lsel is a corporatist state, where political power is divided between what are basically guilds who seem to have wide remit to make policy within their jurisdiction, with only one seat on the council seeming to have any sort of election. And Teixicalaan is, of course, a bureacratic-verging-on-stratocratic monarchy, with a strong sense of popular involvement in government, but through demonstrations and rioting instead of any formal process. It’s enjoyable that neither place is actually, like, familiar.

The motor of the book’s plot is byzantine (or Byzantine, I suppose) court intrigue, and as someone who loves polite conversations and poetic allusions followed directly by assassination attempts, I adored it. That said, I’m going to be a slob demanding everything be hand fed to me for a minute and saying that it all got positively opaque by the end. Which is, I suppose, entirely realistic, given Mahit’s position and role in everything, but still I wanted an Agathe Christie drawing room denouncement so bad. Was Ten Pearl actively backing the coup? If not, what was up with the Sunlit? And the Cityshocks? Why was the Information Ministry so politically passive and uninvolved in a literal coup attempt? How was Eight Loop involved in the whole final resolution, given it was her people keeping the emperor safe but it was Nineteen Adze who was with him on camera? All these questions and more, unanswered and, probably, irrelevant! But like, inquiring minds want to know.

Though speaking of the coup, I really did absolutely adore how, like,incompetent and amateurish both coup attempts were? Which seems like it would be a plot hole, but actually it’s probably the strongest argument the book can make for Six Direction’s immortality plan – the empire has been peaceful for so long no one remembers how to do a coup.

Anyway, yes! Extremely good book, Mahit and Seagrass are absolutely great protagonists. Not at all sorry I’m peer pressuring people into reading it.

#book review #a memory called empire #arkady martine #book club #sff

[bigbangharringrove]

Mr Steve and the Monster Hunter

Author: @dragonflylady77 (Ao3: dragonflylady77) Artist: @adelacreations Beta Reader: @adelacreations

Summary: Steve gets the surprise of his life when one of his students gets picked up by her father. A man who Steve thought had died on the dirty floor of Starcourt Mall fifteen years ago.

Billy Hargrove is alive… and a dad. He runs a security company called HellGrove and he hunts monsters in the Upside Down for a living.

When Billy opens a portal into the Upside Down in Robin and Heather’s backyard, Steve follows because he wants answers. Rating: M Pairings: harringrove, buckleway, elumax (mention) Content Tags: Single Parent Billy Hargrove, Billy Hargrove has a Crush on Steve Harrington, Getting Together, Billy Hargrove Lives, Billy Hargrove Has Powers, Steve Harrington Has a Crush on Billy Hargrove, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Teacher Steve Harrington, Gay Billy Hargrove

Excerpt & Art Preview:

It’s after midnight and Steve is lying on his bed, flipping Billy’s card over and over, the dim light of his bedside lamp catching on something in the corner of the card. It’s embossed in the same color so he didn’t really notice until now. He brings the card closer so he can have a proper look and… It’s a demogorgon flower head. Motherfucker. He grabs his phone to call Robin but then remembers that they’re not really best friends anymore, besides it’s late and she’s a parent now. Olivia did say she was spending the weekend with her dad but Steve isn’t sure what the arrangement is. Billy Hargrove is alive and he’s a dad. More questions than answers and it’s making Steve want to scream. So he sends Robin a message, figuring that she can choose to reply if she’s awake. He hopes she does. [Steve: So I met Olivia’s dad at pick up today.] Immediately the reply box shows three littles dots. Steve holds his breath for a bit but has to give up after a minute. Either Robin is typing a novel-length explanation or she is not sure what to say. [Robin: Surprise? ] “Are you fucking kidding me?” Steve yells in the empty room, his frustration at boiling point. His phone dings again and he looks to see what else Robin had to say. [Robin: Come over for lunch tomorrow. We’ll talk.] Steve sends a brief text saying he’ll be there then puts his phone down and switches to his laptop, giving into the temptation to visit HellGrove.com. The website mentions the usual stuff: the various services offered (most of which mean little to Steve), reviews from clients as well a page about the company and its staff. Steve keeps looking on the main page for the freaky flower and finally finds it, hidden on the Reviews page when his cursor hovers in the bottom left corner and HOLY FUCK! There’s no photos of the Upside Down but the hand drawn illustration in the banner is enough for Steve to suppress a shudder at the memories. There are a handful of anonymous written accounts by survivors who were rescued by HellGrove and reports about unsuccessful rescue missions. The wording is vague but, to someone who’s experienced it first hand, it’s clear they’re talking about the Upside Down.

#harringrovebbpreview2023 #harringrove bigbang

[nobody7102]

The Killjoy: Chapter 2

Pairing: Robert 'Bob' Floyd x Reader

Warnings: None (that I know of)

A/N: Chapter 2 is here! Taglist is CLOSED

Chapter 1. Chapter 3

Series Master-List

Main Master-List

Callsign: Killjoy

_______________________

Glancing between the files on her desk and the computer screen in front of her, Y/N typed away at a report before her hand went to flip a page of the file. Reading the first line of the page, a sigh escaped her lips before she pushed the chair away from the desk and stretched out her arms, a groan followed feeling the popping of her joints. 

She leaned forward and shifted though a few small stacks of paper before pulling out a separate file, as she opened it she leaned back in her chair. A frown formed over her lips as she read over the words on the page before flipping the paper over to read the back, yet before she could a knock pulled her from the page. Quickly setting the file down, she covered it up with a few other papers before clearing her throat “Come in” Opening the door Pete popped his head into the office before stepping in fully “Captain Mitchell” she sat up a bit straighter. “I was just finishing up printing out the reviews” 

Pete hummed “Oh good we can get those out to everyone… that’s actually not why I’m here” he paused looking to the ground before looking to Y/N “I wanted to say I’m sorry about earlier, I crossed a line and I shouldn’t have accused you of letting your past cloud your judgment… I of all people shouldn’t have gone that far and it was absolutely hypocritical of me...” he trailed off.

Standing from her chair she walked over to the printer in the temporary office, grabbing papers from it. “Maverick… It’s… fine really, If I were in your position… and given my flight history, I would have done the same” she cut the small pile of papers in half and handed them over to Pete. “I just hope that it won't be an issue again in the future” 

He shook his head taking the papers “No,” he hummed. “So I gave them the run down, these the reviews?” Y/N nodded as Maverick turned to hold open the door for Y/N “Then lets go criticize some pilots” he smirked.

Making their way to the hangear, Y/N read over the first name in her pile of reviews before setting the review down in front of Hangman. “Your reviews” she started before placing another i in front of Fanboy “Will be your guides to this mission, I can’t tell you how to fly because at this point in your career, none of you really give a shit anymore and have your own style” she continued to hand out the reviews in her hand before standing at the front of the group “But I can give you small points, for example I put this on all of your reviews, ‘Relax into the G’s you pull’ I know the practice course that was laid out doesn't have you pulling a lot of G’s but from what I did see, all of you are tense when you pull G’s” she watched as Maverick passed out the rest of his reviews. “I don’t know what you’ve been told to do for previous missions but you shouldn’t get G-lock in this terrain, it's mostly forrest so there’s no climbs, if there are then they’re small enough where you shouldn’t have to worry”

“Captain Y/L/N will be doing reviews after every lesson, if you have any questions about your reviews please see me or her” Pete crossed his arms watching the faces of his students as they read over their papers. “If you would like to practice your reviews, we’ve been given permission by Cyclone to use the facilities between 8 AM to 3 PM, you just need to inform myself, Killjoy, or Hondo… if none of you have any questions right now, then you’re all dismissed for the day”

Standing from their spots the pilots made their way out of the hangar. Pushing past the students, Y/N made her way to her office, cleaning up from the day. 

Only a few minutes of silence filled her office before there was a knock on her door again. 

Poking his head into the office Maverick eyed Y/N for a moment before he spoke “Everyone was talking about going to the Hard Deck for drinks, would you be interested in joining us?” He raised his brow.

Y/N’s eyes widened for a moment hearing the proposal “Oh… I didn’t think that th-” Maverick cut her off before she could continue “It’ll just be a way to blow off some steam, besides I think you’re gonna want to get to know your team beyond their flying.” 

Looking at the paperwork in front of her before looking to the clock, Y/N nodded “yeah you’re probably right” 

Maverick nodded back “Alright I’ll see you there”

Y/N watched as he left before gathering the small pile of paper in her hand, Y/N pulled open one of the desk drawers and slipped the papers inside before standing from her spot. Stretching her back as she did before she grabbed her coat off of the back of her chair and threw it on before making her way out of the office and to the parking lot. 

There was a pause in her walk as she approached her car, seeing Rooster, Payback, and Hangman admiring the car. “Come one guys, I know it’s nice but whoever the owner is, is gonna think you’re a creep” Payback commented as Rooster walked around the car and Hangman crouched down next to it admiring the details. 

“Oh come on Ruben, you're not the least bit curious about who owns this baby?” Hangman’s hand ghosted over the tires. “Bradshaw you curious?” he glanced over to him.

“No, Hangman I don’t want to know who has the vintage Fiat” Rooster’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

Shaking her head, Y/N approached the group “You three looking for something” she placed her hands in her pocket.

“Yeah, the owner of this beauty… Do you know what this is Captin?” Hangman stood from his spot.

Letting out a chuckled Y/N fished the keys out of her pocket “I would be a little bit worried if I didn’t know, considering that I have the keys” she held them up, the clanking of the metal bringing the boys attention from the car back to her. “You guys like it?” she watched as they nodded.

“How did you get this?” Payback raised his brow 

“My dad” Y/N hummed “Then he got it from my grandpa” she walked over to the car and unlocked the door before turning back to the boys “You guys wanna look at the interior?”

Hangman’s eyes widened “Are you serious?” 

She nodded “I just watched the three of you stand and gak at my car for five minutes, go for it” she laughed “As long as you don’t take forever since I pretty sure we’re all supposed to be at the Hard Deck sometime soon” 

“Five minutes… ten tops” Rooster held up his fingers signaling as he, Hangman, and Payback climbed into the car to admire the inside. 

Not even three minutes later, Hangman and Rooster exited the car. “Its interesting that you still have the wood interior” Rooster hummed climbing out of the passenger seat. “I’ve never seen a ‘70s Spider in a condition this well, not to mention in Marsh Green?”

“Yeah my grandpa used it all the time, then when my dad got it he just kept it in the garage” she walked over to the top of the car “So by the time I got it, it was still in peak condition, Bradshaw do me a favor” she grabbed the edge of the soft top “Grab the other side and help me fold it down” he nodded helping her fold the hod down.

Before Y/N knew it she was unintentionally leading the four off to the Hard Deck, one car behind the other as they drove. Smiling, she watched as Hangman and Payback pulled their cars next to her on the road before honking and passing her. She laughed debating with herself if she wanted to tail them, desicing against it the marine kept the speed limit before the four of them pulled into the parking lot of the Hard Deck. “You drive like you fly Seresin” she commented as they all exited their cars. 

“I’ll take that as a good thing” Jake replied as they all made their way into the bar. Y/N took a moment to take in the atmosphere before she felt Rooster clap his hand onto her shoulder and lead her over to the pool tables where everyone else resided.

“Where were you guys and what the hell took you so long?” Phoenix stood up from her position at the pool, leaning against the cue. 

“We were just making acquaintances with Killjoy” Payback motioned to Y/N as he took his spot leaning against the back wall between Fanboy and Maverick.

Slipping from Rooster’s grisp Y/N surveyed the group before taking a seat with Bob at one of the high top tables that surrounded the pool area “We would have been here sooner but they were infatuated by my car” she laughed taking the cup of water that was offered to her by Bob. 

“She’s got a 1970 Spider Fiat” Payback hummed

“That thing still runs?” Bob took a sip of his water after he spoke to hide the smirk on his face “I thought it was junk after your little road trip” he’s smirk grew watching as Y/N’s eyes widened.

“Says you Floyd,” she laughed.

“So you two do know each other!” Phoenix leaned against the pool table “Now I have to know how this happened” she smiled watching as a light flush covered Bob’s ears and Y/N’s cheeks.

“We did basic training together” Bob eventually spoke “We were pretty much bunk mates, then we were in Top Gun at the same time… and we were in the same squadron for a while”

Hangman’s eyes widened “Bullshit, so you go on to join the best branch and Killjoy you opted for the Marines?!” 

Grabbing a stray peanut shell that resided on the table, Y/N threw it at Hangman “I could still kick your ass in training Marine or not Serein” she laughed “and so could the Screaming Eagles” she took another sip of the water before setting it down on the table, “I’ll be back” turning she made her way to the bar.

Once she was out of earshot Hangman lightly smacked Bob’s arm “Dude, you’re in good graces with Y/L/N, how have you not gotten some of that?” He lightly shook his shoulders “That is a pure 8 out of 10 Bob” 

Shoving Hangman’s hands off of his shoulder he shook his head, the blush on his ears deepening “Oh come on, it's not like that… we’ve just been through a lot together” 

“Being bunk mates I’m sure the two of you have been '' Fanboy jokes.

Sinking down into his seat Bob crossed his arms in front of himself as the group chuckled. The chuckles died down as Y/N came back to the group with a drink in hand, she took her previous spot before Rooster broke the silence.

“So Killjoy, what's the story behind your callsign? It’s not everyday you hear a sign like that?” he watched as Y/N took a sip of her drink before setting it down on the table.

“You first… Rooster” she smiled

Smiling back Rooster nodded “Well Maverick flew with my dad… his callsign was Goose… so the three of us are a flock of birds”

Y/N chuckled “It's a shame you didn’t go for a gaggle of geese” she joked “Well… Bob technically gave me my sign back in basic” 

Maverick furrowed his brows “What is a Killjoy anyways? I know the term used in a sentence but from how you fly and teach you’re anything but” 

A happy sigh came from Bob as he eyed the group as he spoke “How many of you know ‘The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys’?” he watched as Phoenix, Hangman, Fanboy, and Payback’s faces flashed in realization.

“No shit” 

“That’s fucking sick” “That’s insane”

“Hold on,” Rooster cut everyone off “please enlighten those who don’t know” 

Y/N and Bob looked at each other before Y/N said “Do you know the band My Chemical Romance?” she watched as a few people nodded “Before Bob and I would go up in the air I would always hum ‘Na Na Na’ and anytime we were in the air and I’d get nervous I’d hum it” 

“For the longest time her temporary callsign was ‘FM’ like the radio frequency, but we all got so sick of saying it that I just started calling her Killjoy over the comms and it just stuck” Bob chimed in.

Phoenix eyed the two of them before a smirk came to her lips “so you two would fly together” 

A sheepish smile came across Y/N’s lips “Yeah… Bobby used to be my backseater” 

Phoenix’s eyes widened “But you said you were Marine… Bob did you try to be a Marine?” Phoenix watched as both Bob and Y/N went extremely quite before Bob shook his head and Y/N answered 

“I um..” she looked down at her drink then back to Phoenix “I used to be Navy… I switched branches” 

Everyone eyed the two unsure what to do next before Hangman spoke up once more “What made you change your mind?” 

Y/N’s face paled a bit as she tried to think of an answer before Maverick spoke up “Hey who want another round on-” before he could finish his sentence the bell sounded as Penny pointed to some pour soul who had their phone resting on the bar. “Round on that guy” he finished “Y/N you wanna help me grab the drinks?” he watched as Y/n quickly got up from her seat to follow him.

_____________________

TAGLIST CLOSED

Killjoy/Bob Taglist: @masset-fotia @sparrows-corner @lovememesomeevesey @robertbobfloydlover @zaggprincess @awesome-fandom-princess @luckyladycreator2 @hotpigeon22 @alldaysdreamers @finja-caipirinha @juniebugg @liannisha @earth-to-lottie @winterrebel04 @kidsol-ar @airedale17 @bespinnn @fantasias-creativebubble @feireads @tispykeen @seasonswinter @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @tigerlillyyy @eg-dr3amer3 @revengze @m0chac0ffee @lizbradshaw @blog-name6996 @skylynch03 @ollyoxenfrees @massivedetectivestudent @fantasticcopeaglepasta @txtdreamss @honeyofthegods @alexwinchester23 @cowboybarbie @gretagerwigsmuse @ohh-to-be-a-frog @justthefckinggrainthings-blog @ireadthensuetheauthors @mistressslytherin @oscarissacsslut @jjlevin @johnnycobra84 @justthefckinggrainthings-blog @whateverbagman @masset-fotia

General taglist: @caswinchester2000

#bob floyd x reader #bob x reader #robert bob floyd x reader #bob floyd #robert bob floyd #robert floyd x reader #robert floyd #robert 'bob' floyd #top gun imagine #top gun x reader #top gun maverick #top gun #lewis pullman imagine #lewis pullman top gun #lewis pullman x reader #lewis pullman #top gun maverick cast #top gun cast

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Designing the ‘perfect’ meal to feed long-term space travelers

Imagine blasting off on a multiyear voyage to Mars, fueled by a diet of bland, prepackaged meals. As space agencies plan for longer missions, they’re grappling with the challenge of how to best feed people. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Food Science & Technology have designed the optimal “space meal”: a tasty vegetarian salad. Theychose fresh ingredients that meet male astronauts’ specialized nutritional needs and can be grown in space.

Astronauts in space burn more calories than humans on Earth and require extra micronutrients, such as calcium, to stay healthy during extended exposure to microgravity. Additionally, future long-term missions will require growing food in a sustainable, circular way within the spacecraft or space colonies. While researchers have explored methods of growing food in space and what nutrients astronauts require to stay healthy, specific fresh meals have not been developed. So, Volker Hessel and coworkers wanted to optimize a space meal that meets those unique requirements of spaceflight and tastes good.

First, the researchers assessed combinations of fresh ingredients, using a method called linear programming, which computationally balances different variables to meet a specific goal. In this case, their model identified how well the combinations of different foods could meet a male astronaut’s daily nutritional needs while minimizing the water required to grow the foods. The team was also concerned about the sustainability of the foods in space, selecting ingredients that needed little fertilizer, time and area to grow and whether inedible portions could be recycled. Of the 10 scenarios the researchers examined, they found that a vegetarian meal made up of soybeans, poppy seeds, barley, kale, peanuts, sweet potato and/or sunflower seeds provided the most efficient balance of maximal nutrients and minimal farming inputs. While this combination couldn’t quite provide all the micronutrients an astronaut needs, those missing could be added in a supplement, the researchers suggest.

To make sure that the identified combination was tasty, the team whipped up the ideal space meal as a salad for four people to taste test here on Earth. One tester gave rave reviews and “wouldn’t mind eating this all week as an astronaut.” Other people were more muted in their praise, even though they went back for second helpings. In the future, the researchers plan to see what their computer model dishes up as options for female astronauts and expand the variety of crops in their database.

The authors acknowledge funding from a University of Adelaide scholarship stipend.  

###

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

IMAGE....This salad made up of soybeans, poppy seeds, barley, kale, peanuts, sweet potato and sunflower seeds could be the optimal meal for men on long-term space missions. Credit Adapted from ACS Food Science & Technology 2023, DOI: 10.1021/acsfoodscitech.3c00396

#science #space #astronomy #physics #news #astrophysics

[educatedinyellow]

People I Wanna Know Better

Thanks for thinking of me, @sanguinarysanguinity :)

Last song?

My son has been singing Tale As Old As Time from Beauty and the Beast all day. He's super adorable doing it, too, and you've gotta love a classic <3 We miss you, Angela Lansbury.

My funniest musical adventure from this week, though (as you know, Sang), was finding out that David McCallum -- who apparently played oboe and arranged orchestral scores, having studied music at first before switching to acting -- recorded a jazz number in the 1960s which then got sampled by Dr. Dre in the 1990s to create what, according to my brother, is 'definitely one of the most famous hip hop beats of all time' (warning: explicit language including the n word).

Who knew? Like a good secret agent, his influence pops up where least expected!

Favorite color?

Blue-green.

Currently watching?

Not much of anything lately, to be honest. I just haven't found time to fit in a movie at the end of the day, and I don't have any new TV shows I'm currently following. But I'm sure I'll catch the Dr. Who specials when they come out in a month or two. I might watch Loki season 2. And I do still like to read and watch movie reviews and collect a 'to be watched' list for myself.

A couple films that came out this year that sound good & I would like to catch up with are Rye Lane ("Raine Allen-Miller reinvents the romantic-comedy genre utilizing vibrant colors, a fisheye lens, and British rap to present a truthful depiction of London that celebrates Black joy in Rye Lane." -Jillian Chilingerian; "Rye Lane is a shock to the system and the current landscape of romantic comedies. It’s loving, genuinely humorous, and an effortless crowd pleaser. A beautiful, energetic reminder that love is worth going after time and again." -Tina Kakadelis)

and Fancy Dance ("Cloaking a family drama in crime-film conventions, the plot of Native American filmmaker Erica Tremblay’s exceptional directorial debut concerns a young woman’s disappearance from an Oklahoma reservation and her family’s urgent attempts to locate her....not even halfway through the film, Tremblay (who is from the Seneca-Cayuga nation) and co-writer Miciana Alise’s keenly observant script has touched on a disconcertingly complex array of social issues, including endemic poverty, racism, foster care, and drug and alcohol abuse in Native communities. For the filmmakers, though, it’s the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls that provides the film’s thematic throughline. Handled with candor and grace, these concerns are well integrated into the narrative and dialogue (often in the Cayuga language) so that they’re recognizable, but not melodramatically manipulative." - The Hollywood Reporter)

I'd also like to rewatch some Man From UNCLE, catch up with Spielberg's West Side Story, watch the latest Indiana Jones movie (which despite all the negative press my brother says was good fun), and sometime maybe get around to the Sandman series from last year and Good Omens 2 from this year.

Last movie?

Uhhhhh, maybe Mission Impossible 7 back in July?

Sweet/spicy/savory?

I dislike spicy. I like savory just fine. I like sweet best, but I have had to learn to seek it out in new forms this year. In January my blood test results indicated I was approaching the upper edge of what's considered pre-diabetic and edging close to full-on Type 2. I have been at high risk to develop it, not only due to family history, but also because I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant a decade ago. I was told at that time that 1 in 2 women with gestational diabetes go on to develop type 2 within 10 years, and, ahaha, look at the time. So, this year I have been working much harder to reverse those trends and make healthy changes to my diet and get more active. I joined a Diabetes Prevention Class (there's a national program for this, by the way, though it's not well-advertised. My doctor didn't tell me about it, because they never told me anything, but I found a search engine online that helped me find classes locally. Mine is a free, virtual, 12-month program run out of a nearby hospital as a community health initiative and geared toward helping people make lasting lifestyle changes using a small support group style). All this is just to say that I am eating fewer sugars and carbs these days, but I can still get my sweet tooth fix enjoying my red peppers, honeycrisp apples, chocolate-dipped quinoa crisps, and coconut water :) I'm also happy to say that when I was retested in July my blood sugar was so far improved that I have almost dipped out of the pre-diabetic zone altogether and back into what's considered normal range. But of course, it's not something you can stop once you hit a certain number -- the goal is to keep doing this for the rest of my life. So far, it's been going fine and I'm figuring out what I like to eat that's within my new purview. I have to say that California Pizza Kitchen's cauliflower crust mushroom pizza makes me very happy <333333

Relationship status?

If my marriage were a person, it would be old enough to vote. Hurray!

Current obsessions?

My cousins introduced me to a spelling bee game this summer, and over the last week I've picked it back up and am finding it a bit addictive. The two of them regularly ace its highest levels, but I content myself with the goal of getting to the "Great" goalpost and then walking away :) It's fun, but the full word list is, to me, a bit frustrating because it's hard to guess what anachronistic spellings, odd plurals, or never-used permutations they will decide to count (you won't take 'glugging' one day, but you want me to try 'ufts' the next? bah humbug!!) *shrugs* If you're not a completist and would be happy just finding as many patterns as you can, it's a good little daily hamster run for the brain. The solutions to one day's challenge are posted on the following day.

Last thing you googled?

Glugging, LOL. I was, like, oh god, is it somehow not a real word? Better check before I post. But it is!! VINDICATION!!

I will say I also got miffed at the thing for wanting "annum" but not accepting "unum" (oh, we're accepting Latin if it's for accountants but not if it's for a national motto? FINE.) And I was denied "unarm," but that one I eventually had to concede -- you can be unarmed or you can disarm someone else, but 'unarm' by itself isn't actually a thing, okay. But neither is 'ufts', spellbee, GET OFF MY LAWN.

Anyhow, I argue with it and then come back the next day to play again :)

I tag anyone who wants to share, of course!

#memes

[beardedmrbean]

New York Mayor Eric Adams blasted city council’s “far-left agenda” after it approved two controversial bills on Wednesday banning solitary confinement for inmates in jails and forcing police officers to report every street encounter, no matter how small.

The embattled mayor, a former NYPD captain, was staunchly opposed to both bills, whose passage he blamed on a “numerical minority” that is “controlling the narrative.” 

“This assault on public safety is just wrong,” Adams told WABC radio host John Catsimatidis on his “Cats & Cosby Show” Wednesday night.

“The overwhelming number of people in the city — they support their police. They want their police to do public safety, and not filling out paperwork. That’s the same with the Department of Corrections,” Adams said.

The two bills were slammed by the city’s police and jail guard unions. They were passed Wednesday with a veto-proof majority, meaning they will likely become law.

Mayor Eric Adams blamed a “numerical minority” for pushing the bills through city council. AP

Adams said that the council’s leftist contingent is “digging in deep” on progressive issues and refusing to budge.

“You have people who have a far-left agenda, who don’t believe in supporting police, and they’re just writing this legislation, and just handing it over to the council people,” he said.

Councilmembers voted Wednesday to ban solitary confinement in city jails. Instead, an inmate will only be separated from the general population if they’ve been involved in a violent incident while in custody.

Adams said the new policing bill will take officers off the streets, forcing them to do hours of paperwork. J.C. Rice

They separately approved the policing bill, which supporters said would hold police accountable for unlawful stops and will require cops to fill out detailed paperwork for every single person they come across during an investigation — including their race and gender.

Adams’ approval rating has dipped down to a record low of 28% as he faces several challenges — including an ongoing feud with the Biden administration over its handling of the migrant crisis, forcing the city to make significant budget cuts, and an FBI probe into his campaign fundraising.

Hizzoner has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

“We’ve already hit the bursting point. The flow has overflowed us … We are a country of standing up and fighting for what we want,” he told Catsimatidis about his calls on the federal government to cover the city’s cost for hosting the migrants. 

The Big Apple has been seeing as many as 4,000 new migrant arrivals each week, he said.

“DC is the center of our national government,” he continued. “It can’t be just Eric taking 10 trips [to Washington]. Lawmakers need to see their constituents, and we need to speak on a federal level.”

When Adams was asked if he thought his criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of the migrant situation may have led to the FBI’s investigation into the mayor’s campaign fundraising, he said he “can’t speculate,” adding he’s “just going to stay focused on the mission I have.”

“My legal team is cooperating with the review that’s taking place,” he said. “I need to stay focused and navigate this city out of the crisis that we’re in.”

The FBI is probing whether or not Hizzoner pressured FDNY officials to fast-track permits for a proposed high-rise for government officials from Turkey — a country he has had close ties to since his days as Brooklyn borough president.

#nunyas news

[the-blind-assassin-12]

Observation Period

Writers’ Iron Chef #11

A/N: Thank you so much to @littleferal for putting together this prompt challenge! This was one that I cycled through a few characters before landing where I did, but I’m happy with where it took me because it reinvigorated my desire to finish the main story for Recall. (This one takes place shortly after Frowned Upon)

Word Count: 1,412

Warnings: mentions of gunshot wounds and medical/technological procedures - nothing graphic. Angst. Sorry. 

Summary: Being part of Ginger’s team in the lab at Statesman means being ready for anything at the drop of a hat. 

Prompt: “I’ll be here the whole night, okay?” 

The alert came through on your watch roughly twenty minutes before you were scheduled to leave for the day. 

AGENT DOWN. Alpha Gel applied. Prep memory recall bay. Transport incoming: ETA 13 minutes.

An ice-cold shiver moved down your spine as those words sunk in. Shit. Someone was shot. You immediately abandoned the data sheets that you were reviewing, grabbing your tablet and rushing out the door towards the lab. Who? Who was… On the way down the hall, you swiped the screen to open the file for the day, skimming through it until you got to the section that showed which agents were currently out on missions. 

ACTIVE ASSETS:  Tequila / Vermouth  Whiskey / Merlot 

Though you hated to think about any of the Statesman agents in such a critical situation, your heart thudded harder as you read the second set of codenames. Oh, no. Most of the agents that you’d interacted with both before and after your promotion to Ginger’s assistant had been nice, or at the very least polite. But Whiskey, in addition to being attractive and charming, had also been engaging and as interested in your answers to the questions he’d ask when you shared the elevator in the mornings as you were in his. 

The thought of it being him made you suck in a breath and quicken your steps. 

Ginger was already in the lab when you got there, the woman in front of the main computer station, her fingers moving furiously over the keys to boot up the Recall program. Good. Good, she’s on it and we’ll be ready and - “I’m here,” you called towards her back as you reached for one of the white coats hanging on hooks near the door. Shrugging it on, you peeked over her shoulder at the various screens. “Do you know who it-” 

“Not yet,” she answered without turning around, a quick shake of her head along with her response. “But it can’t be Tequila or Vermouth, not with that ETA. They’re all the way up in Vermont right now. It’s gotta be either-” 

Your heart sank, the realization hitting you. “Merlot or Whiskey.” 

“Exactly.” She confirmed, and you watched as she pulled up both of their files, navigating to the Recall tab and getting them set to load. “Can you boot up the memory bay? I want to be ready as soon as we know which Agent it is.” 

You nodded, a quiet “yeah” slipping out. Feet carrying you across the lab towards the pod-like bed, you let your training take over pressing buttons and turning dials so that the machinery whirred to life. Eyes following every tube and wire, you checked to make sure that they were all connected and functioning properly. Finally, you connected the visor that would be fitted over the Agent’s head while the Recall program ran its course, lifting it up so that the pillow was unobscured for when the patient was brought in. 

Patient - not asset or project or whatever other bullshit term the agents were referred to in briefings and data reports. Because they’re fucking people, not weapons. Not machines or- You swallowed, suddenly aware that your idle hands had curled into fists. Not now. You shook out your wrists and paced back towards Ginger. Focus. I need to- 

Before you could finish your thought, your watch buzzed with another alert, this one forcing your eyelids to clamp shut and your stomach to drop as soon as you read the words. No. 

Transport incoming: ETA 4 minutes. Codename: WHISKEY 

“Oh, shit,” Ginger muttered, fingers once again flying rapidly over the keys. On the screen, Merlot’s file vanished leaving only Whiskey’s - Jack. His name is Jack. “He was just…” Her head shook, short hair swinging with the motion. “Three months ago. And now-” She opened up another tab, double checking notes from the last time that Jack had needed an Alpha Gel treatment along with the Recall program. “Yeah, two missions ago. Head shot. Left temple.” 

With each blink you saw another flash of his smile, another glimpse of the light in his deep brown eyes. Chest tightening painfully, you tried to prepare yourself for what you were about to see - Jack, brought in on a stretcher with the Gel patch applied to his wound, his smile gone slack and his bright eyes closed. You tried to tell yourself what you already knew - it’s only temporary, he’ll live and he’ll be okay. 

He was shot in the fucking head, it’s not- 

“Okay, get ready.” Ginger’s voice grabbed your attention. “They’re here.” 

– – – 

An hour later, Jack was laying in the memory bay, the Recall program running and the reparative process underway. All of the monitors hummed and beeped in an even rhythm, all of his vitals reading as normal and no signs - so far - that the Alpha Gel hadn’t been activated in time. Merlot had thankfully been right beside him when he was hit, only a matter of seconds lost before she was able to act to save him. 

He’s going to make it. You finally let out a sigh of relief. He’s going to pull through, and-

“Maraschino?” You swiveled in the direction of Ginger’s voice, blinking twice. “I can finish up the report and close up the lab for the night.” Close up the lab? But…  “You’re already here late, and Club will be here by 3, so-” 

“Shouldn’t someone…” You tilted your head and used one arm to indicate Jack, glancing over at the window in the visor where his face was visible. His eyelids were screwed tight, a crease digging deep between his eyebrows, his plush lips pursed in a frown. “Shouldn’t someone stay with him? Monitor his progress through the night?” I can’t just leave him. I… That’s not right. 

“That’s not protocol,” Ginger responded. “There’s nothing to monitor that we can’t view remotely, and he won’t be awake until we’re both back in the morning anyway. As long as the system is running?” She shrugged. “It’s like he’s asleep.” 

I am not just going to leave him here. “I’d still like to stay.” Your insistence made one of the woman’s brows arch high in surprise, and you swore at yourself, trying to come up with a viable reason. “This is the first time since I’ve been part of your team that an Agent has needed the Recall program.” The piles of data that you’d left sitting on your desk came back to mind, and you knew you had a bullet proof excuse. “I’d like to observe the whole process, for my research.” 

You can’t say no to that, can you? You knew that she couldn’t. One of the reasons you’d been selected for the position that you were currently in was because Ginger was intrigued by your pitch for studying memory restoration and how to make resets easier and less traumatic for agents. 

Her mouth opened and she blinked, but then she nodded, lips quirking into a smile. “Well, if it's for your research, then I guess I can allow it. I’ll sign off on it in the lab notes so you don’t get any grief from Champ.” She winked at you and shrugged out of her lab coat, leaving it on the hook near the door. “You did great tonight, by the way. You’re going to go far in this lab, I can tell.” With that she told you to try to get a few hours of sleep after Club clocked in - “I’m gonna need you sharp when Whiskey wakes up. He can be…” She rolled her eyes. “A lot when he resets.” - and then it was just the two of you. 

Just you and Jack in the brightly lit lab. 

Pulling one of the rolling chairs from the computer station over to the bay where he lay flat on his back, you took a seat right beside him. You lacked the clearance level to know the details that were loaded into his memory files, and you had no clue what his trigger object was. Guess I’ll find out tomorrow. 

If the look on his sleeping face was any indication though, you doubted it was anything pleasant. Another twinge of sorrow for him twisted through your chest, and before you could stop yourself you were reaching for his hand. “I don’t know if you can hear me Jack.” I hope you can. You tightened your fingers around his knuckles. “But I’ll be here the whole night, okay?” 

.

.

.

Thank you for reading! If you would like to be added to or removed from the tags for this or any of my stories, please feel free to let me know by sending a message or filling out the form on my masterlist!

tags: @something-tofightfor @paracosmenthusiast @cannedsoupsucks @dihra-vesa @disgruntledspacedad @littlemisspascal @mishasminion360 @nyctophiliiiiaaa @practicalghost @tanzthompson @harriedandharassed @woodlandmouth @swtaura @trickstersp8 @princessxkenobi @imtryingmybeskar @wildmoonflower @mswarriorbabe80 @theredwritingwitch​ @prolix-yuy​ @littleferal​

#jack whiskey daniels #agent whiskey fic #agent whiskey x female reader #jack daniels x female reader #jack daniels x you #pedrostories #agent whiskey #kingsman golden circle #jack daniels fic #lissie's iron chef #writers' iron chef 11 #series: recall

[thegreaterlink]

Reviewing Star Trek TNG - S4E8 "Future Imperfect"

My last review was posted like... nine months ago.

Time flies when you're lazy.

THE PREMISE

Commander Riker’s birthday celebrations are interrupted by reports of strange sensor readings from Alpha Onias 3. He beams down with Geordi and Worf to investigate but they’re quickly knocked out by toxic gases. Upon awakening in sickbay, Riker discovers that sixteen years have passed (though he can't remember any of it) and he is now the captain of the Enterprise.

MY REVIEW

Sixteen years in the future. Assuming that Riker is roughly the same age as Jonathan Frakes, that would put him in his mid-fifties. And if we compare this "middle-aged" Riker to Jonathan Frakes circa mid-2000s...

Not bad. Still, anything beats that weird adult Wesley from Hide and Q.

Then again, if we use Riker's birthday slab as an indicator, then he just turned...

...six.

I guess he was born on a leap year.

Anyway, here we are in the future, where Dr Crusher chalks up Riker's sudden amnesia to a side effect of a dormant infection which he picked up on that away mission all those years ago. An infection which Klingons just so happen to be immune to... and I guess Geordi is just built different.

Dr Crusher recommends associational therapy, with the idea being that surrounding Riker with familiar people and things will help to jog his memory, starting with a trip to the bridge. Because a man fresh out of a coma with a massive gap in his memory is clearly fit to resume command of a starship. Good call.

Riker arrives on the bridge and finds it looking… exactly the same, since new sets ain’t cheap, but there are at least changes among the crew. My boi Data is now First officer, Geordi now has ocular implants so LeVar Burton gets to act without a hunk of plastic on his face, and more species like Klingons and Ferengi are among the crew.

But what concerns Riker is the most is Admiral Picard and Troi arriving on a Romulan Warbird.

That last one is explained by ongoing peace treaty negotiations with the Romulans, which Riker has apparently been leading ever since he rescued the crew of a damaged Warbird which wound up in Federation space. Evidently random acts of kindness go a long way towards stopping wars in this universe. The Enterprise is currently escorting the Romulan ambassador to Outpost 23 to wrap things up and get the treaty signed.

Yep. Here we are in the future, and it's bright. Nothing to fear, no one to fight... I can't believe we've come so far.

Then Tomalak beams aboard.

Future Picard and Troi try to reassure Riker – yeah, he did threaten to take the Enterprise's hull as a trophy last season, but that was one time – but he's still concerned, both by the massive gap in his memory and that he might have to reveal sensitive Starfleet intel to someone he probably can't trust.

With the briefing over and Riker’s memories still thoroughly gone, Troi takes him back to his quarters, where a mysterious child is playing his trombone.

"Hi, Dad!"

Ah. He has his father's... hair?

This is Riker's son, Jean-Luc (Chris Demetral). I remember being surprised that Troi wasn't the mother... but their romance is barely more than subtext at this point, so it's not that shocking. Jean-Luc's mother was actually a woman only known as Min, who Troi explains died two years prior. Even though they have zero evidence of her existing – aside from the child she supposedly birthed, I mean – and Riker can't find any trace of her in the ship's records. They don't even have any photos of her. I guess they had to make room for their... modern art?

I think I saw the Threads logo in there.

Christ, the last time I posted a review Threads didn't even exist it's been so fucking long

The computer's been acting up for a while now, come to think of it. I'm sure Geordi will be done with that diagnostic soon.

Still, I can at least appreciate the script's efforts to make us care about this kid. Riker adjusts pretty well to being a father, though that probably has more to do with Jonathan Frakes' natural daddy– I mean dad energy.

"I guess there's only one thing we can do. We've got to build some new memories!"

But Riker is still bothered that he can't find any trace of his late wife, though Jean-Luc says he's just not being precise enough, and pulls up some old home movies. It's here that we discover that "Min" is actually Minuet (again played by Carolyn McCormick for a single shot – that's dedication for you), that hologram lady he tried to bone way back in his babyface era.

Suddenly everything starts falling into place. And speaking of hologram romantics (or holosexuals, as I like to call them), Geordi calls Riker back up to the bridge.

It's here that the attempts to keep Riker gaslit, gatekept and girlbossed completely fall apart, as he calls out all sorts of holes in the facade, like Geordi taking more than a day to run a simple diagnostic, nobody being able to properly recall past events and even Data using a contraction.

Ha! I knew Lore was going to come back eventually! AND THEY CALLED ME A MADMAN!

...No? It's not Lore? Aight. Maybe next season.

"Would anyone else like to speak up? Or shall we end this charade?"

With the wool thoroughly pulled back from Riker's eyes, Tomalak reveals that the whole thing has actually been a hologram simulation designed to trick him into revealing Federation intel like, say, the location of Outpost 23.

You win this time, Lore.

Turns out that after the away team was hit with the gas, the Romulans intercepted Riker while he was being beamed up. They used their neural scanners to create a perfect replica of the Enterprise and its crew. Add a bit of ageing makeup and some bullshit about amnesia and badda bing badda bang, you’ve got yourself a pretty convincing future AU.

As for Tomalak’s OC, Jean-Luc, he was actually some random kid named Ethan who they had taken prisoner after raiding a research outpost on the edge of the Neutral Zone.

They throw Riker in a cell with him for a lil bit — just long enough for Ethan to tell him about a secret hiding spot elsewhere on the ship — so when the Romulans come back with the intention of taking the intel by force, Riker seizes the opportunity. One distraction and a few punches in the face later, and they’re on the run.

Ethan leads Riker through a convenient crawl space to a convenient forgotten room where some convenient blueprints conveniently tell them the location of the ship’s communication centre where they could send a message to the Enterprise. But there's a catch.

Ethan: The transmitter's on a voice-activated security system only.

Riker: Do you know whose voice activates it?

Ethan: Only Ambassador Tomalak.

...The fuck you say?

Yeah, the plot be thickening. Turns out the original simulation was just crammed inside of another one. So the Romulan ship fades away... as do the Romulans... and Tomalak... until Riker is left standing back in the cave on Alpha Onias 3... with only the boy remaining.

Credit where it's due, decent plot twist.

The boy, whose real name is Barash, reveals that his mother left him in the cave — which essentially functions as Holodeck+ by manifesting anything he wants — to keep him safe. But with his mother long dead and the Enterprise being the planet's first visitors in ages, he baited the away team down to the surface and intercepted Riker mid-transport while Geordi and Worf were safely beamed back up.

But with the game up, Barash drops the facade, allowing the Enterprise to finally get a proper lock on him. Fortunately Riker realises that the kid meant nothing by it and even offers him asylum on the Enterprise, prompting Barash to finally reveal his true form.

Ah... I think you've got the wrong set, my dude. This is Star Trek. Doctor Who is on Stage 4B.

Riker: To me, you'll always be Jean-Luc.

And so Riker has himself and the kid beamed up. Da end.

We're going to see a lot of these "waking up in a different reality" plots going forward, and while I'm usually not really a fan — you're mostly just waiting for the character in question to realise something ain't right and expose whatever tomfuckery is causing it — this one ain't half bad, since it was a bit more subtle about it and had some third act twists to spice things up. So yeah.

7/10 - The first of many.

We are so fucking back.

Previous Episode | TNG Masterpost | Next Episode

#star trek #star trek the next generation #star trek tng #star trek review #star trek tng review #jean luc picard #will riker #romulans #star trek tng s4e8 #future imperfect #reviews #series review #episode review #season 4

[boysplanetrecaps]

Boys Planet Episode 3-4 Recaps: Back Door

If you’re following the MNET show Boys Planet, you probably know by now that the editors are extremely irritating. For a song “mission” like this, they show 2-3 minute montages of some of the teams practicing, then fast forward to show time passing, then make it look like the performance will start any moment, and then have a lengthy flashback before we finally get to see the performance. 

So, I made a main recap that takes you through episodes 3 and 4 in a linear way, but then when it comes to focusing on each team, I’ll put all those thoughts in a separate post so you can keep the storylines straight. This post is the Back Door teams’ rehearsal and performance. 

The Teams

K team:

Leader: Kim Ji Woong 

Other members: Han Yu Jin, Ji Yun Seo, Kim Min Seong, Kim Tae Rae, Kum Jun Hyeon, Yoon Jong Woo

Han Yu Jin is likely familiar to you. He’s 15 and is part of that team that auditioned with Kick It, who all got 4 stars and later all dropped to 3 stars. He also is the tiny sickly baby who had a horrible fever for days and the show just let him keep working. 

You probably also recognize 24-year-old Kim Ji Woong. He is a noted BL (boy love) genre actor, and auditioned with Mirotic (with a BL concept). 

In the first episode, Ji Woong was ranked 2nd and Yu Jin 3rd; in the second episode, they switched rankings. But obviously they’re both extremely popular. 

Yoon Jong Woo, age 22 and wearing a headband today, is the one who pretended to kiss Kim JiWoong during the star level test. Jongwoo auditioned with him in Mirotic, was ranked 73 and then 67, and dropped spectacularly from 3 stars, to 2 stars, to 1 star when the judges reassessed the Star Level Test results by reviewing the video. 

Ji Yun Seo, age 18, was also on that Kick It team with YuJin (in fact, he was the leader), but is a lot less popular. He was ranked 86th at the end of episode 1, but flew up to 53rd for episode 2. Like his teammates, he dropped from 4 stars to 3. 

Kim Min Seong, 19, auditioned with NuNu NaNa. He was ranked 78th and then 79th, and was an all star at first but dropped to 3 stars. 

Kum Jun Hyeon, 19, is my little cousin (not really!) and a noted yeller. He also auditioned with NuNu NaNa and has been an all star the whole time. 

Kim Tae Rae, 20, performed in my favorite audition, The Real, as the main vocal. He’s so good, so I’m happy to report he’s popular -- ranked 9th and then 12th. He was a 3 star and lifted himself to 4 stars -- yay Tae Rae! I mean, yae! 

G team:

Leader: Na Kamden 

Other members: Ricky, Brian, Chen Jian Yu, Feng Jun Lan, Krystian, Zhang Shuaibo

You will likely recognize many of the members of this team. 

Ricky is often seen, but rarely heard. He has a distinctive look and a sort of presence to him. He’s only 18, despite looking older; he was ranked 12th and then 13th; his audition with Kick It (G) earned him 3 stars but then he fell to 2. 

Brian auditioned with Ricky, and earned 3 stars but then fell to 1. He’s 20, Canadian-Chinese, and was ranked 37th and then 28th. 

Chen Jian Yu and Krystian auditioned with Call Me Baby. 

Chen Jian Yu is 24, was ranked 28th and then 34th, and has been a 1 star the whole time. Incidentally, he has light purple hair now. 

Krystian is 23, was ranked 21 and then 23, and has been a 2 star the whole time. He’s been on other survival shows and came into this one with a bit of a following. 

Feng Jun Lan is 23, was ranked 92nd and then 89th (oofta), and has been a 2 star the whole time. He auditioned with God’s Menu, and fwiw, I thought he did a lot better than the rest of his team and deserved 3 stars. 

Zhang Shuaibo auditioned on the very tall Reveal team. That team had a rough time and it was hard to see who was best or worst, but I thought Zhang Shuai Bo might have been the strongest on the team. He’s 20, was ranked 22nd and then 32nd, and has been a 1 star the whole time. 

Na Kamden auditioned with Rush Hour, with Jay. Jay got all the focus, but I thought Kamden did a good job as well, and he got 3 stars, where he stayed. He’s 21, was ranked 82nd and then jumped all the way to 37th.

So, this team has 5 Chinese members and one Chinese-Canadian member who speaks Chinese. Kamden is the only one who doesn’t speak Chinese on this team. This will become A Major Issue. 

Team Selection:

This was the 2nd K-team chosen, and Kim Ji Woong did the choosing. 

This was the 4th G-team chosen, though I’m not sure who did the choosing. 

Episode 3, 1:10:50

Part Selection 

On the K-side, we see that the team has chosen Mr. Sexy BL Kim Ji Woong leader, at least in part because he chose the team, and he immediately says that he is just the mediator (“okay!”) and has no power (“okay!”) and that he’s just a listener (“okay!”) and that their opinions are more valuable than his (“congratulations!”). 

They all admit openly that they want the killing part, which is huge. My little cousin and noted yeller Kum Jun Hyeon says he’s always been an all star; formerly sickly baby Han Yu Jin says that when he was center (for Kick It) his whole team were made all stars, leaving out the part where they all dropped to 3 stars later. Yoon Jong Woo really really wants the center, too, and does a good mini audition for his team so wins the part, winning votes from Kim Ji Woong, Kim Tae Rae, Kum Jun Hyeon,  and even Yujin’s Kick It teammate, Ji Yeon Seo. Oh, burn! 

Somehow, Tae Rae ends up sub-vocal 1 -- I don’t get it, he’s a really great vocalist. Ji Yun Seo ends up the main vocal, and I mean, he does have a decent singing voice, but Tae Rae is spectacular, so I’m so confused.  Maybe sub-vocal 1 has the toughest high notes or something. 

Yujin ends up with a small part, and interviews that he has no confidence. It’s almost as if he’s recently been the victim of horrible emotional abuse while being pushed past his physical limits. 

Over on team G…

Left to right: Na Kamden, Chen Jian Yu, Ricky, Zhang Shuaibo,  Brian, Krystian, Feng Jun Lan.

Again, we can see that Chen Jian Yu has dyed his hair light blue sometime after the initial audition.  

They all say that they think Na Kamden would be a good leader -- maybe because he’s the only 3 star on the team -- and he says he thinks he could be a good leader. But the team is slow to pick their positions, and when Kamden tries to get everyone to try for the Killing Part, Krystian pushes back, and speaks Chinese while doing so. Kamden is left in the dark, but also doesn’t advocate for himself. Like, just say “please use either English or Korean or even hand gestures -- I don’t understand Chinese.” Kamden asks in English, “What are you guys talking about right now?” but gets literally no answer. And Kamden just sits there feeling worse and worse but doesn’t seem to do much about it. Why are so many people so passive? It makes life more difficult. 

I’m just going to tell a super quick story and you can skip this paragraph if you don’t care. I was once on a big city metro train with a friend and I asked her to hold my coffee for me while I took off my coat. She agreed, and then almost immediately put my coffee down on the floor of the train while she took off her own coat. When I said, “woah, you put my coffee on the floor?” she said “well, I had to take off my own coat.” Here’s the thing: Say so right away. When I ask you if you can hold my coffee, say, “one moment, let me take off my own coat first,” and then take off your coat, you know? Just say what’s on your mind. Don’t make me the bad guy by passively agreeing to something you don’t want to do, but then get mad at me for having asked, and get back at me by putting my coffee on the floor of a disgusting metro train. I mean, I drank the rest anyway but you know what I mean. And no, that girl and I are no longer friends, thank god. 

What I’m saying is that both Kamden and Krystian are problems here, in different ways. Krystian should have admitted he wanted to be leader, since it seems obvious to me that he wanted that. He also should absolutely not been speaking Chinese constantly, since Kamden doesn’t understand it. But Kamden should have spoken up about the language thing, since it’s not impossible that Krystian didn’t remember in the moment that Kamden doesn’t speak Chinese. I’ve encountered that before -- people who speak their own language to me and just expect me to understand somehow. Also, why is Brian not speaking up? As a Chinese-Canadian, I think he could have been an excellent translator between Kamden and the rest of the team, but as far as we can see, he barely opens his mouth….

But that’s also only as far as we can see. 

I also want to say that this has been edited so much that it’s basically fiction at this point. Maybe Brian was constantly piping up with translations. Maybe Krystian was repeating whatever he said in Chinese, moments later, in English. Maybe this whole scene was 10 minutes long in real life and then they moved on. We have no way to know. And yeah, maybe Krystian is a jerk, and maybe Kamden is the bullied victim. We don’t know. 

We do know that Kamden had a rough time, and my heart goes out to him, no matter what the specific facts of the encounter are. 

They’re all so stressed out. And language difficulties can make you feel like you’re trapped alone inside your own head. We’re social creatures anyway, as a species, and communication is our biggest line of defense and one of our most fundamental instincts. Seriously, it's an instinct. Put a group of children together who don't know a language at all, they'll make one up together and teach it to their own children someday. Communication is essential to us, so being with other human beings but not being able to actually talk to them in the language of your heart affects you emotionally so much more than you can know unless you’ve been through that. MNET should have given every single G-group a translator, or at the very least a translator app or some dictionaries or some fucking thing. So if you’re tempted to think that Krystian is the evilest of villains here, remember at all times that MNET is the real villain. 

Now, we skip to 54:41 in Episode 4. 

It’s performance time! Everyone is excited. Even the G-group members are excited to watch the K-group perform. Not a great sign for G-group. 

Stylist noonas were like, “Let’s give K-group some sexy black outfits, and then let’s saddle G-group with white outfits that make them look puffy instead of sleek and make it hard to see them dancing. That’s fair, right?”

The K-group introduces itself one by one, and does a bit of aegyo for the crowd. We don’t get to hear from Ji Yun Seo or Kim Min Seong, because why would we? 

I just love Kim Tae Rae. 

“I went from Church Oppa with glasses, to cool idol without glasses.”

On the G-side, Ricky says, in English, “Ladies and Gentlemen. Sit back and enjoy the show.” Ok, three things. 

He could have just said “ladies.” I don’t think there’s a single dude there. 

There are several many women in the audience who are obsessed hardcore with Ricky and you can hear them screaming for him loudly by name.

Ricky is wearing huge goggles and I guess it’s a look but it looks dumb and also uncomfortable and if it were me I’d be begging to take them off my head. 

Anyway, time for a flashback. 

At vocal rehearsal, when Tae Rae sings, with that strong and lovely vocal color of his, Solji’s head pops up in surprise. Solji sort of gently asks about why Ji Yun Seo was made the main vocal instead of Kim Tae Rae and we flashback to the voting. It was 3 to 2 in favor of Ji Yun Seo, and it’s not as if Ji Yun Seo is a bad vocalist, so he got it. 

Thing is, though, that Kim Tae Rae is an excellent vocalist, and I wish his team had had a bit of leadership and chutzpah enough for someone to speak up and say, “For the good of the team, we should let TaeRae belt and use YunSeo as a lead vocalist.” Because I’m telling you -- TaeRae is wasted here.

I also think that this was partially about friendship. Kum Jun Hyeon and Kim Min Seong are agency co-trainees, and are likely to vote together; they were all together in All Stars with Ji Yun Seo, while Tae Rae was still in three stars. Then Min Seong and Yun Seo were together in three stars, further solidifying their friendship. So Jun Hyeon and Min Seong are probably better friends with Yun Seo (and each other) than they are with Tae Rae, and may have let their friendship influence their vote. Just my conspiracy theory of the day. 

The judges know that Tae Rae is better suited for main vocal, but it’s not as if YunSeo is doing a bad job, so the judges sort of shrug and say, “Well, if that’s what you decided,” but it’s clear they can’t believe that this team is wasting an obvious main vocalist. It’d be like if you had Chen and Xiumin from EXO on your team, and you made Xiumin your main vocal. Xiumin has a lovely sweet voice, but he’s not CHEN. I realize that if you’re not an EXO-L what I’m saying may not make sense. 

Ok, it’d be like if you made Lisa your main vocal instead of Rosé, or if you made Sana your main vocal instead of Jihyo, or if you made Minhyuk your main vocal instead of Kihyun, or if you made Taeyong your main vocal instead of Doyoung, or if you made V your main vocal instead of Jungkook, or if you made Jackson the main vocal instead of JB, or if you made Sullyoon your main vocal instead of Lily, or if you made J-US your main vocal instead of Hyojin, or if you made Moonbyul your main vocal instead of Solar, or if you made Irene your main vocal instead of Wendy. I guess I should stop now. But like, what if you made Amber the main vocal instead of Luna? Or made G-dragon your main vocal instead of Daesung? Or made Minho the main vocal instead of Onew? Or made Soyou the main vocal instead of Hyolin? Or made Seola the main vocal instead of Younjung? Or made Eunha your main vocal instead of Yuju? 

At dance practice, Jong Woo and Min Seung get praised -- the judge asks why JongWoo is a just a one star if he’s this good, which is a nice compliment -- but Han Yujin gets dragged hard. The judge even says that he’s ruining the performance. 

Watching this whole bit after watching the storyline from the “Burn It Up” team, where the 15 year olds had emotional meltdowns and had to be given some love and care from their older members, it really strikes me how incredibly mature and hard working Yujin is. It’s almost to his detriment, though, because if he just let it show how badly he was hurting, someone might help him. As it is, he just suffers and swallows his tears, and I’m worried about his mental health. 

His team knows he needs a boost, so they rearrange the choreography to bring him closer to the front at certain key points, and it makes him feel genuinely supported. (It’s also probably a good idea since he’s so popular and will get a lot of votes for the team so why not shove him to the front and grab the audience vote as much as you can?)

And what do you know -- boosting a literal child’s confidence helps him more than beating him down with insults! Imagine that. Han Yujin is a really hard working kid and he stays in the practice room trying over and over and over until he nails the choreo -- probably at times when other people are asleep, because there’s no one else there from either team. 

At 1:01:20 the performance begins. Everyone’s so excited, even the judges. 

Do I have to tell you that this performance is awesome? I think you know that. The whole time I kept thinking how much better it would have been with Tae Rae as the main vocal, but other than that, perfect. 

Yun Seo did a great job as a vocalist, in his own right. I’m not dinging him for not being TaeRae -- he would have been so good as sub vocal 1, holding down the melody and keeping the group on track. He has a lot of talent and I feel like he’s going to end up debuting, eventually. 

Yoon Jong Woo brought the Hyunjin/Changbin energy. It was a little unexpected but very welcome. 

TaeRae did a great job, and boy did he look beautiful. His face is sort of alien but I love it. I didn’t LOVE his extra adlib, but it got attention anyway.

Kim Min Seung does an excellent job throughout; his rapping was bouncy and well enunciated and his dancing looked perfect to me, even the little details. You gotta love how this show, which normally shows every little thing 3x in a row, shows Minseung’s amazing flip/spin thing at the end exactly once, in such a way that I couldn’t figure out who had even done it until I watched all the fancams. 

Kim Ji Woong’s ab + nipple reveal worked better for me than you’d think because it fit with the song. A shirt lift like that in the middle of Very Nice or Love Me Right would have been weird, but during the outro of BackDoor, when it’s like you’re at a party and everything is going wild -- it worked. 

My little cousin Kum JunHyeon also did great! We knew he would. He did those heel kicks and angular motions and head tilts and all that good stuff and made it look good. 

And of course, Han Yujin pulled it out in the end. He’s a talented kid and I see good things ahead for him.

This was obviously fantastic and I am glad that these guys can for the rest of their lives look back at this performance as a time when everything came together for them, and even if they don’t debut, or if they end up in some nugu group that disbands after one song or something, they can look back and say, “That was great, and I was great in it.” 

I love how most of the judges afterward are like, “I didn’t know that Tae Rae sang that well?” And Master Lee, the main vocal judge, is like “No, he sings really well, you unobservant dumb dumbs, how did you not know that?” And I’m at home shouting YES WHY DID YOU EVER PUT HIM IN THREE STARS, YOU ABSOLUTE DUMB DUMBS?

So yeah, they were awesome. Check out their Studio Choom performance if you haven’t already. 

After that performance, I feel bad for G-group, who has to go up there and perform knowing that they already lost. Back stage, they can only applaud and shake their heads, and Brian says, “They did a good job.” I mean, who can deny it?

Left to right: Brian, Chen Jian Yu, Zhang Shuaibo, Ricky, Krystian, Feng Jun Lan, Na Kamden

It’s time for G-group to perform, so of course it’s really time for a flashback. 

They’re in dance rehearsal with Master Psycho, and he tells them he’s not sure that Krystian should be doing the killing part, because Krystian is too feminine and thus weak. I’m not sure that Kristian is feminine, or maybe I’m not sure what the word “feminine” means in this context or why that’s a negative thing. But I can agree that Krystian doesn’t quite nail it as center. 

Afterwards, Kamden raises the issue of redistributing the parts. They’re talking to each other in English -- at least, we see Kamden, Ricky, Brian, and Krystian speaking English to each other. Krystian says, “I just feel like it’s not necessary, like, why are we doing this [talking about switching parts]?” But Chen Jian Yu, who now has light purple hair, says in Chinese to Krystian, “I agree with Kamden. We need to improve.” Ricky speaks up, in Chinese, to say “We must win.” They talk about it some more, and a lot of the convo is in Chinese, leaving Kamden out, but maybe they’re stopping to let someone translate for Kamden sometimes. It becomes clear that Krystian is just genuinely hurt, on a human level. “You guys don’t trust me?” he asks, and I think that’s what matters to him more than possibly losing his part -- it’s losing his teammate’s trust that hurts. I can get that. He says, in English, “Please don’t rip this out of me.” Aww, that hurts. 🙁 All the more so since his words impact us more since he’s speaking English.  

The next day, Kamden, Ricky, and Krystian practice the killing part. Ricky has put himself forward not as someone who is better than Krystian, but as someone better than K-group, and I think that’s a diplomatic way to say it. Krystian keeps saying “I hope you trust me.” 

They each try, and honestly it seems obvious that Ricky has to do it. The four other members talk together…

And choose Ricky. 

Krystian does his best to smile and be gracious, but you can tell he’s upset. 

Afterward, during rehearsal, Krystian is grouchy and trying to unofficially rearrange the choreo to in the center more often, stuff like that. It means he’s bumping into people and sort of ruining the stage picture. Kamden loses patience and begins snapping at his teammates a bit. 

Later, back at the dorms, Kamden goes to talk to some of his friends on other teams, including some K-members. I guess the dorms aren’t completely segregated. I think that Kamden and Seok Matthew are probably pretty friendly, as they’re both North American, and I get the impression that Matthew organized the meeting. So Matthew is there, Hui is there, Han Yu Jin is there, Lee Yedam is there, a few others who I can’t recognize in the lighting.

Kamden is basically asking for advice, and Hui tells him, “I personally think that if you let things go as a leader, you will lose.” They all tell him not to give up, to put on a good performance. 

Meanwhile, G-group members, absent Ricky and Krystian, are talking.  Feng Jun Lan says, “As a leader, Kamden tried to talk to us gently. I think that’s why he couldn’t talk directly to us.” Brian, another North American, says, “Kamden actually wants our team to do well.” Chen Jian Yu says, “How great would it be if the team got along well?” They resolve to talk to Kamden tomorrow.  

So, they have a meeting. 

Kamden says he feels like he’s not really the leader. Chen Jian Yu says he is going to follow Kamden’s lead. Kamden asks for more enthusiastic following of his lead, and they all say yes. 

Kamden interviews that he feels like it had been a waste of time to sit int he corner and feel sad, and yeah, dude, it was. 

It’s performance time, and you can clearly hear the Ricky fans screaming at the beginning. 

They all do their best, but there’s no way they could ever quite measure up to the other team. Ricky does really suit his part, but for me he’s still a bit stiff. They’re all a little stiff somehow, doing choreography instead of dancing. They don’t have chemistry with each other on stage they way you need to for this song. It feels like they’re rushing sometimes, too. It’s a bummer because again, they’re not specifically bad in any way, except for poor Feng Jun Lan, whose vocals are in bad condeeshon. I think they can all be pretty proud that they put in a good stage. They were just beaten by a team full of guys who are actually ready to debut. 

In the MNET editing, they focus a lot on Ricky, and I guess I just don’t really see it. I don’t know why those women are so obsessed? He’s not bad or anything, he definitely has a certain magnetism, but I wouldn’t fly all the way to Korea to see him perform. I don't think I'd fly to Korea to see any of these trainees perform, though.

Backstage, the K-team says kind things about the performance. Kim Tae Rae says they were “the best team so far” and I think he means the best of the G-teams, and that very well may be true. But everyone knows that K-team dominated. 

The Results

Main Rapper

K: Kim Min Seong 28

G: Chen Jian Yu 27

Main Vocal

K: Ji Yun Seo 8

G: Feng Jun Lan 6

Sub Rapper 1

K: Kum Jun Hyeon 21

G: Krystian 8

Sub Vocal 1

K: Kim Tae Rae  63

G: *Ricky* 80

Sub Rapper 2

K: *Yoon Jong Woo* 50

G: Zhang Shuaibo 38

Sub Rapper 3

K: Kim Ji Woong 259

G: Na Kamden 19

Sub Vocal 2

K: Han Yu Jin 122

G: Brian 26

Final score, 551 to 204. 

You can tell that Ricky had hoped for more votes than just 80. 

Brian knew that Han Yu Jin would get a lot of votes, but even so, his various expressions, as he takes it all in, are great.

Poor Na Kamden -- I wouldn’t want to be considered a competitor for Kim Ji Woong and his nipples. I also feel bad for Ji Yun Seo, who did a decent job but just was in the wrong position. I actually think he would have gotten more votes if he and Tae Rae had switched parts. Krystian is miserable with his score, and probably blames the part distribution, but I think there was no saving this.  Zhang Shuaibo has a decent fan base for a sort of low ranked foreign member, gotta say. 

K-team does a cheer for their leader and standard bearer.

Over on Team G, they try to comfort and congratulate each other. They’re glad that they ended up reconciling and working together as a team, when all is said and done. 

Kamden says that he thinks his team did really well and he’s proud of them. 

And that brings us the end of this segment and this recap!

To go back to the main recap, click here. 

To go on to Hot Sauce click here.

#boys planet recaps #Ricky #boys planet #ricky boys planet #boys planet 999 #boysplanet #MNET #Na Kamden #han yujin #kim jiwoong #seok matthew #bp999

[richincolor]

Book Review: Rust in the Root

Title: Rust in the Root

Author: Justina Ireland

Genres:  Fantasy

Pages: 448 

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Review Copy: ARC by publisher

Availability: Available now

Summary: It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided—between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technology—otherwise known as Mechomancy—not the traditional mystical arts.

Laura disagrees. A talented young mage from Pennsylvania, Laura hopped a portal to New York City on her seventeenth birthday with hopes of earning her mage’s license and becoming something more than a rootworker

But six months later, she’s got little to show for it other than an empty pocket and broken dreams. With nowhere else to turn, Laura applies for a job with the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps, a branch of the US government dedicated to repairing the Dynamism so that Mechomancy can thrive. There she meets the Skylark, a powerful mage with a mysterious past, who reluctantly takes Laura on as an apprentice.

As they’re sent off on their first mission together into the heart of the country’s oldest and most mysterious Blight, they discover the work of mages not encountered since the darkest period in America’s past, when Black mages were killed for their power—work that could threaten Laura’s and the Skylark’s lives, and everything they’ve worked for. 

Review: As a fan of Justina Ireland’s Dread Nation series, I was excited for another book by her. Ireland is so good at weaving issues of race and marginalization with historical fantasy and horror. She is able to capture fantastical horror such as zombies and monsters while showing that the true horror comes from living in a racist society. Rust in the Root, is a different novel structurally, but does include similar themes and motifs that Ireland is known for. 

While I enjoyed Rust in the Root, it did begin a bit slow and I had a bit of trouble connecting to the story. Ireland is usually excellent with mixing story telling with world building, but for me, this time I struggled. I think it may have been that the book is told in a number of perspectives, mixed with a mission report, news articles, photos, etc. It is a unique way of building the world but it took me out of the story at times as I had to adjust from connecting with one character to suddenly reading a mission report. Laura and Skylark’s time in NYC definitely set the stage for the novel but I feel like the novel’s real pacing began once they were on the mission. The creepiness and fear factor really ramped up and it became a good old fashioned monster fighting/mystery solving novel. 

As well as world building, one of Ireland’s strengths is her characters and Rust in the Root is filled with many great characters. When Laura and Skylark go on the mission, the story truly becomes an ensemble piece with folks that annoy you and folks that you love. Without giving spoilers, let’s just say not all of your favorites make it to the end and I honestly respect a writer who does that. It makes the stakes really high when you don’t think everyone is safe. I found myself rooting for folks to live  then being sad when they didn’t (and secretly hoping for a Deus ex machina to bring them back). I love that all the characters reflected different aspects of Black life as it created a unique tension with how they use their magic, how they try to fight the monster and solving the mystery. This tension adds to the horror of the book because the ensemble really is fighting two “monsters” - an actual monster and a societal one. 

Rust in the Root seems like it has the beginnings of a new series and one that any Justina Ireland fan will enjoy. 

#book reviews #weneeddiversebooks

[turtlethon]

“A Real Snow Job”

Season 7, Episode 3 First US Airdate: September 25, 1993

Krang and Shredder hatch a plan to alter the climate of Austrian Alps.

The “Vacation in Europe” side-season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continues with “A Real Snow Job”. Misty Taggart is the credited writer for this adventure, which aired on CBS in a double bill with “Venice on the Half-Shell".

Today the Turtles travel through the Alps of Austria, the Turtle Van having been fitted with special rear tracks to allow it to forge a path through the snow. Splinter is drawn glaring angrily at both Michaelangelo and Donatello, so perhaps it’s for the best that he splits off from the group here, heading into the mountains to engage in meditation. The Turtles wave their sensei goodbye before continuing their journey to Lichtenbruck, which is similar in name to the real-world locale of Lichtenberg but as far as I can tell has been made up for the purposes of this episode.

April and Irma get some new, decidedly early-nineties outfits today as they’re given skiing instructions by the tall, dark and somewhat dopey instructor Rudy. Recreation isn’t the reason the Channel 6 ladies are here though, as Burne has asked them to cover the Olympic skiing trials. As April leaves the slopes to review the tapes of her footage, she notices that the snow is beginning to melt, despite this being “the middle of winter”. (Wait, the first episode of the European Vacation arc took place on Bastille Day, in the middle of July. Have the Turtles been wandering around Europe for half a year?!)

Krang is monitoring April’s activities from Dimension X, and goes on to check in with Shredder, who’s implementing a plan to melt the glaciers and flood the village below, apparently just to be dickish as this doesn’t help to free the Technodome in any way. Bebop and Rocksteady are dropped through a portal to accompany Shreds, as they have a side mission to carry out involving April.

The Turtles make another stop on their way to the village, as Raphael insists on trying out skiing for himself. Wacky antics follow as he soon winds up in trouble, the other members of the team heading downhill to help him, but all four ultimately wind up in a heap. Meanwhile April reviews the footage of her reports over the previous days, noting that less snow appears each time. She calls the Swiss weather bureau to inform them of her findings.

Bebop and Rocksteady are supplied with rocket sleds, which they soon manage to crash. After being chastised by Krang, who reminds them of their mission to destroy April’s tapes, they continue past the big seam that appears on-screen on their way to the village. (Production values haven’t increased much since the Turtles were in Paris.)

April receives information revealing that the area of the ozone lair immediately above the Alps is rapidly melting. She attempts to relay this to Donatello via Turtlecom, but the conversation is cut short when Bebop and Rocksteady arrive, set on abducting her.

Act two opens with April dropping one of her VHS tapes out the window of her chalet. This goes undetected by Bebop and Rocksteady, who carry her and the rest of the cassettes away. Irma and Rudy arrive at the ransacked building first, the cries for help from April’s friend alerting the Turtles. After some investigation, the team recover the tape thrown outside and reach the same conclusion that April had – that the snow is melting rapidly, which must be Krang’s doing.

April is brought to Shredder’s hideout, where Krang appears on a multiple monitor setup in easily the coolest visual of this episode. The two villains use a model to demonstrate their plan, simulating the impending flooding of Lichtenbruck and explaining that the world’s temperatures will raise, this village being just the first target, which at least makes a little more sense. Elsewhere, the Turtles return to their van alongside Irma and Rudy, with Donatello using the vehicle’s equipment to pick up on unusual zoetropic waves – microwaves that are altering the climate.

At his hideout, Shredder tasks Bebop and Rocksteady with setting up the final relay station needed to implement the Scheme of the Day. April attempts to sabotage this plot by buttering Shreds up, suggesting that he could be a guest on her new show, “Lifestyles of the Vicious and Infamous”. Incredibly, this works, as the masked villain agrees to free the reporter from her restraints so she can film him. We get a few crumbs of backstory here as Shredder explains the roots of his evil ways, revealing he was “just born that way I guess – mother kept threatening to run away from home”. Krang interrupts this to yell at Shreds for being side-tracked, providing April with an opportunity to reach for her Turtlecom only for the Foot Clan leader to unwittingly crush it under his foot.

We hastily need to come up with a cliffhanger to ensure the viewers stick around through the commercial break, and so the Turtle Van is seen veering out of control, falling off a cliff edge and down a slope as act two ends. When we return Donatello implements a parachute to break the vehicle’s fall. More problems follow as the ice beneath the vehicle begins to crack, almost pulling Michaelangelo into it after he ventures outside. After he uses a grappling hook to return to safety, an odd moment follows where Leonardo chastises Rudy, suggesting that as a tour guide this was his fault. (This makes no sense as the team were tracking the zoetropic waves, Rudy had nothing to do with it – perhaps there was some dialogue or even entire scenes removed here that showed him leading the Turtles astray.)

Bebop and Rocksteady set up the final relay station, allowing Krang’s scheme to be fully implemented. The snow nearby is seen beginning to melt, but Leo and Mikey arrive to confront the henchmen in... the Turtle Blimp? I suppose if it really has been half a year since the team arrived in Europe then they’d have had plenty of time to arrange to have the Blimp sent over somehow. Meanwhile Donnie and Raph confront Shredder in his hideout. To prevent our heroes from stopping his plan Shredder destroys the controls, an avalanche seen on the network of screens in the hideout. Joining the two Turtles are Irma and Rudy, and in a genuinely shocking moment it’s revealed that the ski instructor is an evil cyborg controlled by Shredder. Rudy turns out to be not long for this world as he’s swiftly kicked into a control panel by Raphael.

As Shredder tries to escape only to find his exit route blocked by snow from the avalanche, Donatello works to create a solution to the current crisis. Using Rudy’s wiring, he connects the cyborg’s power source to the relay’s control panel, allowing the team to stop the machine and return temperatures to normal.

Later, Shredder is seen in a snowstorm alongside Bebop and Rocksteady. The mutant duo loses patience with their boss after he’s unable to pinpoint where Krang’s portal back to Dimension X is supposed to be, pelting him with snowballs. Back in April’s chalet, the Turtles eat pizza before being introduced to Irma’s latest love interest, an un-named man who she assures the team isn’t a cyborg as she “ran him through the metal detector at the airport”. We close out with everyone engaging in uproarious laughter.

“A Real Snow Job” retains some of the unfortunate quirks from “Rust Never Sleeps”, the individual stories within this side-season being frustratingly contradictory and disconnected. It’s a real shame as the wider scope of the Vacation in Europe and the idea of the team travelling from country to country had the potential for a kind of ongoing storytelling we don’t usually get in this incarnation of TMNT.

As we’ve established, Shredder and Krang’s plan here makes little sense as even messing with the climate on a global scale doesn’t resolve their problems with the Technodrome being wedged in an asteroid in Dimension X. The revelation that Rudy was a cyborg the entire time is even crazier given that he must have been created long before Shredder had any awareness that the Turtles were in Austria. Rudy seems to have been built solely to mess with April, but the idea that he’s a saboteur is only hinted at by a single line of dialogue from Leonardo suggesting that he was giving the team bad advice, and he spent most of his existence cavorting with Irma anyway. (For what it’s worth, Irma is unfazed upon discovering Rudy to be a cyborg, declaring that she’s “open minded about these things”; this is consistent with her characterisation in previous adventures, as you may recall from REX-1's first appearance.)

One last note concerning Rudy: his name is given as “Gustav” in the synopsis for this story from the official TMNT website. I have no clue where that came from, Rudy certainly feels like a better fit for his slightly goofy character to my ears. The title accompanying the description is listed as simply “Snow Job”, although the full one is used in the actual list of episodes, another possible mid-production change.

This arc is proving to be a tough watch. Italy will be the next stop on the tour, as we join the ninja teens for "Venice on the Half-Shell".

#Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #TMNT #TMNT 1987 #A Real Snow Job #Ninja Turtles #Vacation in Europe #1992 #1993 #Turtlethon

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3/5

Book Blurb: The author of the visionary New York Times bestseller Dread Nation returns with another spellbinding historical fantasy set at the crossroads of race and power in America. It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided—between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technology—otherwise known as Mechomancy—not the traditional mystical arts. Laura disagrees. A talented young mage from Pennsylvania, Laura hopped a portal to New York City on her seventeenth birthday with hopes of earning her mage’s license and becoming something more than a rootworker But six months later, she’s got little to show for it other than an empty pocket and broken dreams. With nowhere else to turn, Laura applies for a job with the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps, a branch of the US government dedicated to repairing the Dynamism so that Mechomancy can thrive. There she meets the Skylark, a powerful mage with a mysterious past, who reluctantly takes Laura on as an apprentice. As they’re sent off on their first mission together into the heart of the country’s oldest and most mysterious Blight, they discover the work of mages not encountered since the darkest period in America’s past, when Black mages were killed for their power—work that could threaten Laura’s and the Skylark’s lives, and everything they’ve worked for.

Review:

Magic, race, and power all come together in this story about one girl’s journey about making a future for herself in a world that is set on putting her down. Set in 1937 New York City, the story follows 17 year old Laura Ann Langston who not only has to deal with racism but also the magical divide as there is a strong division between those who work in the magical arts and those who do not. In a world where you have to have a license in order to work magic and working magic illegally can land you in prison, all Laura wants is to get a license to work her magic in order to open her own bakery. Laura left home with the hopes of finally making it big in New York... but things are not working out and with no money to pay rent and a magical unicorn that advises her to go work for the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps ( a branch of the US government dedicated to repairing the Dynaism, aka the catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force and threw America in disarray) Laura has no other options but to work for them. There she meets the Skylark, a powerful mage with a mysterious past who is reluctant to take Laura as her apprentice. The story follows Laura’s journey along with the Skylark as they try to fight against the Blight and work with other mages in order to save the world. The story felt a bit long and the overall reveal felt a bit late however the magic system was so fascinating and i definitely think this is an interesting read, especially with the way that the story includes photos, reports, and notes from the characters to make it fell so much more personal and real. It’s a great historical fantasy filled with adventure and magic, definitely give it a go!

*Thank you to Epic Reads and Balzer + Bray for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

#book review #bookish #book #rust in the root #historical fantasy #ya book

[accountingrelatedblogs]

Working With a Nonprofit Accountant: What to Expect

Your nonprofit was founded to make a positive, lasting impact on your community—not to crunch numbers and file paperwork!

However, financial number crunching and paperwork filing is vital for your nonprofit to fund its mission and grow its impact. Because nonprofit organizations’ finances differ greatly from those of for-profit companies, it’s important to have access to a professional who can help interpret data, provide recommendations, and create a strategy that aligns with your organization’s unique financial position—a nonprofit accountant.

Nonprofit accountants help organizations ensure financial health and stability, analyze financial data, and make decisions based on the nonprofit’s unique financial position.

Some of a nonprofit accountant’s key responsibilities include:

Reviewing all of your organization’s accounts. One of a nonprofit accountant’s most essential resources is the chart of accounts, which serves as a guide to your organization’s financial data. They’ll make sure all of the information in your nonprofit’s various accounts is correct and on track to help you reach your goals.

Balancing transactions. For double-entry accounting systems, nonprofit accountants will record both debit and credit records and make sure both sides of the transaction match. Your accountant will also compare your organization’s ledgers to your bank statements to ensure your records are correct.

Compiling financial statements. Nonprofits have a standard set of reports they compile each year to analyze their finances. A nonprofit accountant will not only pull all of the data needed to create your income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement, but also review those reports to draw conclusions about your organization’s financial health.

Preparing for audits. If your nonprofit conducts independent financial audits, an accountant will help you compile all of the necessary documentation and ensure everything in your transaction history is correct and ready to be audited.

Filing tax forms. A nonprofit accountant will collect the necessary information for your annual tax return and file it for you, as well as completing the various tax forms you’re required to issue to your organization’s employees.

Analyzing operating budgets. Your accountant can help you understand where there are differences between your organization’s budgeted and actual income and expenses each year, and they’ll work with you to create new budgets for each fiscal year.

Maintaining compliance with GAAP standards. In order to maintain transparency and accountability in financial reporting, your accountant will review your reports and accounting practices to ensure they adhere to the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.

All of these tasks benefit from an expert’s opinion to make sure they’re completed at the highest quality and lead your nonprofit in the right direction. You might think of your nonprofit accountant like a financial detective, since they conduct the financial data analysis that’s necessary for effective nonprofit decision-making.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, By partnering with the right professional non profit accountant who understand the unique needs of nonprofits, organizations can position themselves for financial stability and long-term success. Nonprofit accountants play a vital role in ensuring that these statements are accurate and transparent. They help to ensure that nonprofit organizations are using their resources effectively and achieving their mission.

#non profit accounting

[qnewslgbtiqa]

'Fix this': Ian Thorpe's message to Anthony Albanese

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/fix-this-ian-thorpes-message-to-anthony-albanese/

'Fix this': Ian Thorpe's message to Anthony Albanese

Ian Thorpe has joined Equality Australia in their campaign for federal reforms to protect LGBTQ+ students and staff in religious schools.

Right now, exemptions in Australian laws allow religious schools and other faith-based organisations to discriminate on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status, marital or relationship status.

Ian Thorpe said, “This is about treating people fairly. Everyone should be protected under the law and no one should be granted permission to discriminate, especially if being funded by our tax dollars.

“Discrimination against our community in religious schools and organisations is a huge problem and has been for years.”

Two years ago, Ian Thorpe campaigned to stop Scott Morrison’s contentious religious discrimination bill from passing the parliament.

“Our community came together and we helped to stop it going ahead,” Ian Thorpe said.

Now, Thorpey wants the Albanese government to make good on the PM’s promise to “remove the carveouts that make this discrimination lawful.”

“There are still federal exemptions that allow religious organisations to discriminate against LGBTIQ+ people as well as pregnant or divorced women,” he said.

“They can fire staff and expel students. They can also deny care, like access to crisis support, shelter for the homeless and other services.

“Children shouldn’t be punished by their school for being gay. People shouldn’t be fired for falling in love.

“Family members shouldn’t be denied the chance to adopt a relative because they are in a same-sex relationship.

Ian Thorpe added, “The government promised before the last election that they would fix this. Now they’re stalling.

“We need to come together again to make sure they follow through.”

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Equality Australia (@equalityaustralia)

‘Endemic’ discrimination exposed

Last month, an Equality Australia report found LGBTQ+ discrimination is endemic in religious schools and organisations around the country.

Over two dozen Australian students and teachers shared their experiences in the report.

One student who came out as gay recalled his Sydney school suspending him, outing him to his parents and blocking him from leadership roles.

In Australia, one in three students and almost two in five staff are enrolled or employed in private schools. Most of those have religious affiliations.

More than 70,000 students and 10,000 staff in non-government schools are estimated to be LGBTQ+, the report found.

Equality Australia found LGBTQ+ students were more likely to attend an independent school that discriminates against them than supports them.

“These schools and faith-based service providers rely on billions of dollars of public funding,” Equality Australia’s Anna Brown said.

“However they’re not required to comply with the same laws [in] employment, education and service delivery.

“The law in Australia is out of step with 21st-century community expectations and urgently needs to change.”

Service providers are publicly discriminating

Last month, the National Catholic Education Commission pushed back against the report, citing a need to maintain their religious identity and mission.

“If individuals don’t support our ethos, they’re able to choose another school for enrolment or employment,” director Jacinta Collins said.

However, Equality Australia found that nine out of ten of the Catholic schools they reviewed – educating 70% of all Australian Catholic school students – published so little information about LGBTQ+ inclusion that families or employees couldn’t make that call.

The report also found almost 1 in 10 of Australia’s largest faith-based service providers publicly discriminate against LGBTQ+ people.

Almost 4 in 10 are silent in their positions on LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Read more:

Fury over PM’s ultimatum on religious discrimination laws

Christian school suspended student for coming out as gay

Anglicare Sydney refuses same-sex carers in ‘alarming’ case

Rodney Croome: No excuses for inaction on religious discrimination

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

#discrimination #education #ian thorpe #religion