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so-i-did-this-thing · 11 months

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How it's going as a trans person in Florida: Planned Parenthood, 26Health, and Spektrum Health have announced they have paused all gender affirming care.

To recap, DeSantis signed several anti-trans bills into law this week. Care is banned for minors, care is all but banned for adults, Don't Say Gay has been extended, children can be kidnapped from affirming parents by non-affirming family, and there is a bathroom bill that subjects trans folks to arrest for using government owned facilities, such as those in courthouses, airports, many stadiums and parks.

The adult effective ban was felt immediately. The main elements are:

signing at every visit an in-person informed consent form created by the state

all care come from physicians instead of nurse practitioners

no telemed for gender-affirming care

Currently, it is unknown if existing HRT prescriptions written by NPs will be honored by pharmacies. I personally know one person who was able to pick up testosterone yesterday, but I have also read many reports of folks being denied. I myself don't have a refill ready for another 10 days and will report back after I try my own pickup.

What's additionally dangerous is those of us, myself included, who get non-HRT prescriptions from our gender clinics now face the uncertainty of continuing of *all* of our medical care. Our health clinics are at risk of shuttering permanently as they lose major income, and many of us will lose STD meds, depression meds, heart meds, etc, etc.

When we say "this will kill us," it goes beyond suicide risk from forced detransition.

"But you can still get HRT from a physician."

So many suck or are outright hostile and the demand outstrips the supply. Before I found my NP-run clinic, one physician just decided to not call in my Rx, another was so shit at reading lab results, he thought I had hepatitis, and the third I had to threaten to kick in the teeth for trying to force too large a speculum in me.

Also, the state-required consent form has not been finalized and distributed yet, so at this point, everything has pretty much ground to a halt.

It was estimated that 80% of trans adults would lose their healthcare because of how many use providers like Planned Parenthood, but the impact seems even greater now.

"You can get your non-gender care elsewhere still."

DeSantis recently signed a bill that allows healthcare professionals to discriminate against trans people.

Sure, we can try to find care elsewhere, but it will be a slow and expensive process, with no guarantees. It took me over 20 years to get my heart condition treated because of transphobic doctors.

What can I do as a trans Floridian?

Stay in communication with your clinic - many are working on getting physicians added to the roster to prescribe HRT. Lawsuits are being filed and it's possible the changes to adult care can be rolled back.

Continue to try to pick up your meds, but begin looking for care elsewhere, though. Inside and outside the state.

Remember that while telemed for gender affirming care has been banned, you can still cross state lines for care. See Erin's map of informed consent clinics.

Many people will turn to DIY, but be sure you are aware of the risks here, especially if on testosterone, which is a controlled substance.

What should I be worried about next as a trans Floridian?

I worry about the following next steps towards genocide:

Banning getting care out of state. This is from the anti-abortion playbook. They will likely start with kids again, but we've seen how quickly adult care gets axed.

Being declared mentally incompetent or a risk in some way. This could be anything from being barred from gun ownership to not being allowed to work for the government.

Being declared a de facto predator. This has already happened with the latest bathroom law (cis people can eject trans people from government owned single-gender facilities, with arrest as a penalty), so watch out for it being applied to privately-owned facilities. Watch for discussions of official lists of trans people.

Gender presentation enforcement laws, essentially banning "cross dressing". Laws that block or rollback documentation changes.

These all have historic precedence and are huge "I'm in danger" red flags.

What can I do as a cis person?

Amplify all this news. Talk frankly about how this is genocide. And donate what you can to trans mutual aid campaigns so people can travel to get healthcare or even leave the state.

Here's some articles to get started on building awareness:

Take care, everyone, of yourself and each other.

#trans stuff #transgender

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probablyasocialecologist · 11 months

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And so it makes sense that these are now the places where fascism grows; that’s what these places were designed for. The suburbs were invented as a reactionary tool against the women’s liberation and civil rights movements. The US government, in concert with banks, landowners, and home builders, created a way to try and stop all that, by separating people into single homes, removing public spaces, and ensuring that every neighborhood was segregated via redlining. The suburbs would keep white women at home, and would keep white men at work to afford that home. These were explicit goals of the designers: “No man who owns his house and lot can be a Communist,” said the creator of Levittown, the model suburb. “He has too much to do.” The reason Target has become the locus of today’s particular right-wing backlash is the same reason countless viral TikToks attempt to convince women that they’re at risk of being kidnapped every time they’re in a parking lot. It’s the reason why true crime is one of the most popular podcast genres in America, and why many refuse to travel without a gun by their side and shoot people if they set foot on their driveway.

[...]

It is of course true that these mass hysterias are part of an organized right-wing movement that is attacking human rights across the country—through legislation banning abortion, gender-affirming care, and books, and making it illegal for educators to teach American history accurately. But the shape this movement has taken is not coincidental; it is in fact the product of the unique shape of public life in America, or lack thereof. Suburbanites do not have town squares in which to protest. They do not have streets to march down. Target has become the closest thing many have to a public forum. We often hear that urban areas are more liberal and suburban ones more conservative, and we’re often told that this is because of race. That may be partly true, though cities are whiter than ever and suburbs more diverse than ever. Instead, it may be that suburbanism itself, as an ideology, breeds reactionary thinking and turns Americans into people constantly scared of a Big Bad Other. The suburban doctrine dictates that public space be limited, and conflict-free where it exists; that private space serve only as a place of commodity exchange; that surveillance, hyper-individualism, and constant vigilance are good and normal and keep people safe. It is an ideology that extends beyond the suburbs; it infects everything. Even cities, as Sarah Schulman writes in The Gentrification of the Mind, have become places where people expect convenience and calmness over culture and community. What is a life of living in a surveilled and amenity-filled high-rise and ordering all your food and objects from the Internet to your door if not a suburban life? To make matters worse, the people who have adopted this mindset do not see it as an ideology, but as the normal and right state of the world; they, as Schulman writes, “look in the mirror and think it’s a window.” So when anything, even a gay T-shirt, disrupts their view, they become scared.

#lgbt #fascism #usa #suburbia

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afeelgoodblog · 10 months

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Best News of Last Week - July 3, 2023

🐕 - This dog is 'disc'-overing hidden treasures! Get ready for the 'paws'-itively successful fundraiser, Daisy's Discs!

1. Most unionized US rail workers now have new sick leave

More than 60% of U.S. unionized railroad workers at major railroads are now covered by new sick leave agreements, a trade group said Monday.

Last year railroads came under fire for not agreeing to paid sick leave during labor negotiations.

2. Missing teen found after being lost in the wilderness for 50 hours

Esther Wang, 16, had been hiking with three other people through the Maple Ridge park on Tuesday.

The group made it to Steve’s lookout around 2:45 p.m. that day.However, when they headed back down to the campsite, after about 15 minutes of hiking, the group leader realized Wang was missing. They returned to the lookout to look for Wang but couldn’t find her. The leader headed to the trail entrance to notify a park ranger and police.

“Esther Wang has been located. She’s healthy, she is happy and she’s with family.”

3. A dog has retrieved 155 discs from woods. They’ll be on sale soon, with proceeds going to the park in West Virginia where they were found

Meet Daisy, the yellow Labrador retriever with a unique talent for finding lost Frisbee golf discs at Grand Vue Park in West Virginia. Four years ago, while on a walk with her owner Kelly Mason, Daisy discovered a disc in the woods and proudly brought it back. Since then, Daisy's obsession with finding stray discs has grown, and she has collected an impressive cache of 155 discs.

Mason and park officials have now come up with a plan to return the discs to their owners if they are labeled, and any unclaimed discs will be sold as a fundraiser to support the park's disc golf courses. Daisy's Discs is expected to be a success, with many excited about the possibility of recovering their lost discs thanks to Daisy's remarkable skills.

4. Australian earless dragon last seen in 1969 rediscovered in secret location

A tiny earless dragon feared to be extinct in the wild has been sighted for the first time in more than 50 years – at a location that is being kept secret to help preservation efforts.

The Victorian grassland earless dragon, Tympanocryptis pinguicolla, has now been rediscovered in the state, according to a joint statement issued by the Victorian and federal Labor governments on Sunday.

5. Detroit is going to power 100% of its municipal buildings with solar

All of Detroit’s municipal buildings are going to be powered by neighborhood solar as part of the city’s efforts to combat climate change – check out the city’s cool grassroots plan. Meet Detroit Rock Solar City.

The city has determined that it’s going to need around 250 acres of solar panels in order to achieve 100% solar power for its municipal buildings.

6. Canada Officially Bans Cosmetic Testing on Animals

The fight for cruelty-free beauty in Canada has seen a significant breakthrough as the Canadian government legislates a full ban on cosmetic animal testing and trade, marking a victory for Animal rights advocates and eco-conscious consumers.

This landmark decision is part of the Budget Implementation Act (Bill C-47), not only prohibiting cosmetic animal testing but also putting an end to the sale of cosmetics that use new animal testing data for safety substantiation.

7. Belize certified malaria-free by WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Belize as malaria-free, following the country’s over 70 years of continued efforts to stamp out the disease.

“WHO congratulates the people and government of Belize and their network of global and local partners for this achievement”, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Belize is another example of how, with the right tools and the right approach, we can dream of a malaria-free future.”

----

That's it for this week :)

This newsletter will always be free. If you liked this post you can support me with a small kofi donation:

Support this newsletter ❤️

Also don’t forget to reblog.

#best news of last week

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munivrse · 6 months

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⋆⭒˚｡⋆ Attention

bada accompanies you to your high school reunion

cw: nothing too bad. actually, not suggestive! bada lee being fine as hell... y/n acting up per usual. really fluffy at the end. enjoy!

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

when you asked bada to come with you to your high school reunion, you didn’t think much of it. Until now. you’re checking your outfit in the mirror, smoothing down your shirt. you looked fine. right?

“right. now let's go. we’re going to be late- albeit fashionably.” bada’s eyebrows wiggle as she states her thoughts. you have no CLUE how she’s so calm right now. did she not also feel the pressure of meeting people you once know and now are going to meet in a battle of who’s more accomplished? don't get yourself wrong, you’re more than happy to have bada coming with you, the thought easing your anxiety a little. but still, what would people say when they saw you two?

bada strides over to you, “you look gorgeous honey, let's go show them.”

you weren’t necessarily unpopular in school, but you definitely weren’t everyone's cup of tea. this thought alone made you nervous- but you’re fine. bada is there. she’s right beside you.

you take a deep breath,

“thank you. we can leave now.”

now, you’re parked outside of the venue in which this reunion is taking place.

“i’m gonna be fucking sick.”

bada looks over at you in concern, “why? what’s wrong?”

you put your head in your hands, “you-” gag “Other people are going to perceive you. how am i supposed to cope with that.”

bada scoffs, “you had me worried," she shakes her head, "i’m getting out of this car, i’m going to come around to your door, open it, and pull you out. don’t worry about other people… perceiving me. your eyes are the only ones that matter to me. lets go.”

bada climbs out of the car and does exactly what she says. she rounds the car, hooks a hand under the door handle, opens it, and puts out a hand for you to grab hold of. once your hand is in hers, she brings it up to her mouth, kissing the back of it. you hesitantly get out of the car.

bada keeps her hand in yours, swinging the two back and forth. in the corner of your eye, you could see her smiling. she looks down at you as you reach the doors. you glare at her.

“why’d you have to leave the house looking like that. it’s like you’re trying to impress other women or something.”

bada was dressed like a whore in an all-black outfit, cap on her head and chains dangling from her neck.

“me? what about you?”

you were also wearing all black but instead of pants, you opted for a skirt that bada thinks should be banned from you ever wearing outside of the house. it wasn’t even that short, it just fit you so well that bada believes the view should only be for her.

you huff, “bada if anyone tries to talk to you that's not me, scream stranger danger please-”

she rolls her eyes, “you are so dramatic. nobody is going to be interested in seeing me here, this is your high school reunion, not mine.”

you press on anyway, making her pinky promise to run away from any woman trying to approach her. You open the doors to reveal a room crowded with old classmates, some faces familiar, others not so much.

you didn’t really keep up with people after you graduated, having moved on to other, more important things early on in your life that just didn’t align with others your age. you danced under multiple different studios and academy’s, landing yourself at just jerk nearly a year ago. they’d asked you to choreograph to “sativa”, bada observed your class, and the rest is history.

the occasion was quite casual. you opted for some flowy, light colored clothing with silver jewelry. bada on the other hand was dressed like a whore in an all-black outfit, cap on her head and chains dangling from her neck. you often referred to her as your scary guard dog with a golden retriever personality. to be fair, she did look kind of scary today. her height did not help. bada lets you lead her into the room by her hand.

you’re greeted by a few people right off the bat. bada just observes behind you. you’re cute in the way your eyes light up when people ask you what you’ve been up to. she’s so proud at how much you’ve accomplished, and she loves when you show yourself off. alternatively, you love showing your girlfriend off. people already knew exactly who she was. bada lee was an extremely popular name amongst your classmates as you went to a performing arts highschool. Imagine their surprise when you walk in with bada lee in tow.

in conversation she laughs where she needs to, butts in when appropriate, and lets you guide the conversation. once the group leaves, you heave a sigh of relief. you lean back into your girlfriends' sturdy figure and her arms circle around your waist. she kisses your temple.

“do you want me to get you a drink?”

you nod, hesitantly letting her remove her arms from around you. another old classmate comes up to you to make small talk, but in the corner of your eye you see a woman approach bada. you take a deep breath. it's fine. you can have a normal conversation without worrying-

you feel your eye twitch when you see the woman lean up to say something to your tall and sexy girlfriend. bada responds and this woman laughs and… caresses bada’s arm while doing so. you start to worry until bada’s eyes swiftly meet your own and she throws a wink your way. reassured, you continue your conversation.

bada looks at this woman like she’s crazy. all she wanted to do is get you a drink and now this woman by the name of “mina” is borderline harassing her.

“...and that’s the most recent studio i’ve danced for. are you still at just jerk? you should invite me to one of your classes.” she smiles, but bada knows the intent behind her eyes. per her girlfriends' silent request found from her pleading eyes across the room, she ends the conversation.

“no thank you. you can always sign up through our website and hope you can get a spot that way. good luck!” bada grabs your drink and leisurely walks away, leaving mina’s face stuck in bewilderment.

you’re mid conversation when you feel bada’s arm wrap around your shoulder, she hands you your drink, “sorry it took so long,” she kisses your cheek, “who’s this?”

with a light blush on your face, you introduce your old classmate. they give bada a warm smile. you felt good. you knew people were eyeing the both of you, probably wondering how you ended up with someone like bada. you almost start to worry about the stares, but bada knows you. she can see in the slight crease on your forehead that you’re thinking yourself into oblivion. her hand smooths down your back, resting just above the curve of your bottom. she traces small circles there as she strikes up conversation with your friend.

when bada excuses herself to go use the restroom, your old friend group approaches you, ogling at bada as she walks away.

“y/n… she is so…”

you squeal and cover your mouth, “I know- i know!”

when you watch her stride back into the room, her eyes never leave yours. bada loved you. and you loved her. and anyone in the room could feel that radiating off of the both of you.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

a/n: this was much shorter and more fluffy than i intended it to be so just know a part two is coming 🤭

#bada lee #bada lee x reader #bada lee smut #bada x reader #swf 2 #bada lee fluff

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chaddavisphotography · 9 months

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Abandoned power house at Banning State Park in Sandstone, Minnesota.

#Banning State Park #Power House #Sandstone #State Park

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omgthatdress · 3 months

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According to legend, Marsha P. Johnson was the one who threw the first shot glass at the Stonewall Riot. Marsha would later say that wasn't true, that she only showed up to the riot hours after it began. While the story may not be true, her impact on lgbt and especially transgender rights is that tremendous.

(Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera)

After Stonewall, Marsha was a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front, and along with close friend and fellow activist Sylvia Rivera, they founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.) that advocated for the homeless trans people who were considered to be at the bottom of LGBT society.

In 1974, when "drag queens" were banned from marching in a gay pride parade because of the "bad reputation," she, Rivera, and other trans people marched in front of the parade in protest. When asked why she was there, she told a reporter, "Darling, I want my gay rights now!"

When asked what the P in her name stood for, her answer was "pay it no mind," a philosophy that buoyed her through immensely dark places. She spent much of her life homeless and engaged in sex work to survive. She was arrested over 100 times, and had numerous stints in psychiatric institutions.

(Marsha P. Johnson in a demonstration outside Belleview Psychiatric Hospital)

On top of all her tireless activism, she was a celebrated drag performer with the troupe Hot Peaches.

youtube

In 2017 the documentary The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson came out and got mainstream distribution on Netflix. In 2018, The New York times honored Marsha with a much overdue obituary that recognized her for her work. In 2021, Youtuber NikkieTutorials honored Marsha with a look at the Met Gala, bringing in one of the best looks of the night (and one of the few to honor the "In America" theme in an interesting in creative way). In 2020, East River State Park in New York City was re-named Marsha P. Johnson State Park, and in 2023, a floral archway was installed.

I honestly had a really hard time writing about Marsha. I first learned about her when she was honored on an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2012. Back then, there was little information about her available online, so coming to understand this icon Ru talked about so lovingly was difficult to do. Ever since then, it's been remarkable to see Marsha's name and renown grow.

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kelsochronicles · 1 day

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Potential Horizon 3 Map

I’m throwing this up as a reference. It’s just fun speculation and I know a lot can happen during development. Horizon is known for leaving little bread crumbs leading into the next game. So, in going off this, and a statement from writing director Ben McCaw, I believe these are mainline quest points for the next game…

Before you speak with Sylens at the end of BS, he’s looking over specific spots on a map of North America. I’ve done my best to surmise what those specific locations are.

Location 1: The northern most point in Canada I could not find any significant settlement names (Canadians help me out here if you know). It all looked like a huge wildlife park preserve. Potential Ban-Ur location?

Location 2: The spot below to the left is very close to Edmonton or Calgary. Maybe Banff? Most likely candidate for Ban-Ur.

Locations 3&4: The two close together is Salt Lake and I think Boise, Idaho. Or some other location in eastern Oregon. Salt Lake is the FAS facility mentioned in the data point collected from Londra (Dagger in my Boot). Most likely Boise is The Claim homeland of the Oseram, and potentially, Elysium. As Elysium was stated to only be “miles” from GAIA Prime.

Location 5: And at the very bottom we have Houston. Hard to pinpoint that because of how much the coastline has changed. However, that’s a very important NASA base so I’m very curious to see what that could entail.

Anyway! If we do get a map this size, WOW. I’m deeply excited at the prospect of finally visiting the homeland of the Oseram and Banuk. Banuk especially.

#horizon forbidden west pc #horizon forbidden west #horizon 3 theory #Banuk #Oseram #Aloy

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hughesyodaddy43 · 2 months

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Six Flags ⎸ L.H

Pairings: Luke Hughes x fem!reader , Platonic hockey players x reader Genre : Fluff Synopsis : You go on a group trip to six flags word count: 2.3k+ (first fanfic so let me know what ya'll think)

The summer air smelt of light rain and flowers, the sun was bright and hot. The windows in the car were rolled all the way down and my hair was flying all over the place.

You were all on a road trip to six flags, it was the off-season and frankly really freaking hot.

Quinn was driving with Trevor in the passenger seat, Luke was in the middle seat behind them with Jack on the right and you on the left of him, behind the both of you sat Cole Caufield and Alex Turcott.

Trevor was banned from playing music after he put on the worst edm songs known to man, so instead Cole took over the bluetooth and started playing unwritten by natasha bedingfield. Soon enough the whole car was filled with mixed voices that were a hundred percent out of tune but nobody cared.

You and Luke had been dating for around 10 months, the two of you went to college together before he left for jersey. You were the only one in the friend group still at UMICH and you would be lying if you said college was the same without luke. You invited Ethan,Luca, Adam and their girlfriends to come but there wasn't enough room in the car for you to join the girls, so now you were stuck in the car behind them with hockey guys and no other girls . As much as you loved them all, it got tiring trying to beat the ‘puck bunny’ allegations.

“Are you excited?” Luke's voice echoed in my ear “yes i am. Will you go on all the big rides with me?” I asked him “or are you too scared?” I add as I examine his reactions, he sucks his teeth with a grimace “i'll be fine” he straightens his back as he finishes while i giggle at his comment “so is that a yes?” “yes”.

We pulled up to the park, it was almost impossible to find a place to park the cars, it was absolutely filled with people. We all got out of the car and stretched before making our way over to the others. It was such a relief to talk to the girls, who knew being stuck in a car with hockey players for hours would be so hard.

We walk through the entrance of the park, Cole is almost bouncing with excitement as he cheerfully walks ahead with trevor. Jack was walking just behind the two with his hoodie and sunglasses on, stating that he's ‘too popular’ to not disguise himself as if he's not attracting more attention by what he's decided to wear. Quinn is next to Jack, slightly shaking his head at his brother's attire, Luke and I are trailing behind the two while everyone else transitions into a conversation behind us.

Once we are past the gates and have our wristbands on, we gather as a group to see where we should go first.

“Okay so, where do we wanna go first?” Quinn asks

“We should go get food” luke suggests

“Food before rides? Thats a bad idea” i say to the hockey player

“alright , why don’t we go grab a guide and-”

“Wait. Where's Cole and Z?” Jack interrupts his older brother, securing an annoyed eye roll from the 24 year old.

We all looked around and counted heads to discover that Cole and Trevor had disappeared.

“They're probably at the rides, Cole was so giddy about coming here earlier”

I say

“Okay so then why don't we just split up and meet back here when we're done? We can text each other if anything goes wrong” Alex says this and it doesn't go unlistened, everyone agrees with what he says and we all go our separate ways.

Luke begs me to go get donuts with him but I tell him we can get donuts after we go on the slingshot.

Walking around the park was fun, we found cole and trevor lining up, jack was with them and told cole to measure himself so he's sure he can fit on the ride

“Hey caulfield, go measure yourself over there, don't want cha’ to fall out”

“Very funny hughes, i'm not that short”

‘Well” trevor chimes in with a smirk

“Shut up” Cole does the walk of shame over to the marked line, stomping his feet like a child.

“NUH UH, HEELS DOWN, BUDDY” Jack yells out to cole.

Cole huffs as he slowly lowers his heels, Trevor giggling over Jack's shoulder. A worker comes over to Cole, making sure he meets the marked line. The 5 '8 hockey player lets out a relieved sigh as he's told he's tall enough, just before stomping back over to the boys, ready to tell them off.

“Hahahahhaha bitches, I made it. ”

“Barely”

“ I can see the little lift your shoes give you” Trevor states while gesturing to his slightly lifted shoes

“The height limit is 5’4, I am NOT 5’4”

“Whatever makes you sleep at night” Jack adds, allowing Trevor to slightly snicker at his comment.

Luke and I snicker at the two ganging on about Cole’s height before continuing our walk to the slingshot.

“Are you excited?” i Ask, slightly raising my voice so he can hear me over the loud music and distant chatter

“Yep, stoked.” Luke say

We reach the slingshot and Luke's grip on my hand tightens a bit as he watches the people on the ride fly into the air.

“Okay, i'll buy the tickets really quickly, you can go wait in line before we lose our spot.” I say to Luke while gesturing towards him. The line isn't too long just yet, it's just after lunch so most people are eating or resting before going on anything yet.

Luke walks towards the line, looking like a scared puppy or as Ethan would say, a ‘hairless cat’.

I quickly buy the tickets and walk over to my undoubtedly scared boyfriend. I've never seen him like this other than when he's on the ice. I mean the man is 6’2 i never thought heights would be one of his fears.

He swallows hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he watches the ride reload.

“Are you okay, Lukey?”

“Huh? Oh yeah” the boy says while playing with his hands

“Are you sure? If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were scared?” i say as i raise an eyebrow at the 20 year old

“I don't think you know better cause i'm not scared” he hisses

“don't get your panties in a bunch, Luke. If you're not scared, you aren't making it look like that”

“What do you mean?”

“No offense but you look fucking terrified” i tell him

“Mmhmm” is all Luke is able to make out before we are at the front of the line and ready to get in the seats.

We sit down and get ready, the workers have to do some things before we are ready to go

“Okay, Y/N, what if I told you I was a little scared?”

“Its okay, i'm a bit scared too”

“Okay , what if I said I was a lot scared? What would you say?’”

“i’d say i knew it, sorry honey but you didn't make it very believable that you weren't back there”

“Oh, how did I look?”

“you looked like you were shitting your pants”

Luke shakes his a head a bit, opening his mouth to say something before being cut off by the ride operator coming over with a microphone

“Okay, who's ready to rumble?”

‘Would you like a countdown or no?”

Before I can answer, im interrupted

“YES, please” luke yells out, his voice a bit squeakier than usual

“alrightt”

I hold onto Luke's hand that's deathly gripping the bar, his knuckles going slightly white.

The seat moves back and luke lets out a small whimper, I can't help but giggle a bit at my 6’2 boyfriend being so scared.

“3”

I sigh as i get ready , sitting back and stroking luke's hand lighty

“2”

BOOM

We fly up into the air, Luke's screams being the only sound that's audible. Luke screams out so loud, I swear everyone can hear him. You want to scream too but you're too busy laughing as luke pants in his seat, palms sweaty as the seat comes to a slow stop.

“W-why are you laughing??’” luke questions

“Because I've never seen you this scared” I say between breaths of laughter.

“That's mean”

“Why?”

“You shouldn't laugh at your boyfriends expense”

“Sorry Lukey, but you're just too funny”

“Nuh uh, stop laughing”

“What? Are you gonna hiss at me?”

“Bro, that was one time”

“Twice”

Luke scoffs while shaking his head before continuing.

“My throat hurts”

“Mhm i bet”

We are lowered back to the ground and are offered the video of our ride. Luke walks off not wanting to see it but I put my email in so I can see it later.

Luke gathers our bags and waits for me at the bottom of the stairs. I follow down the stairs and take my handbag from Luke's hand.

“Can we get food now? I need compensation”

“Do you even know what that word means?”

It takes a minute before luke response

“Yes? Maybe idk”

I snicker lightly at my slightly dumb but cute boyfriend.

“Because you went on the ride with me, we can get food” I laced my fingers with his and we made our way to the donut shop.

We all made our way back to the Hughes Lake house after Six flags, everyone was staying at the lakehouse for the night before they made their way back home, with the exception of a few stragglers. Luke played pool with his brothers while I stayed downstairs with Cole, going through my message before I found the email from six flags that held the video of Luke and I’s time on the ride. Cole looks over my shoulder while munching on doritos

“Damn girl, you must have been terrified judging by that scream”

I giggle before showing him my phone

“That's not me, it's Luke” I begin laughing as I watch Cole's eyes widen and his lips curl up into a cheeky smile.

“we gotta show the boys” he whispers

“I know we do, why do you think I told them I had a video for them to watch after their game?”

“You're an evil woman, you know that?”

“mhm, thank you” I say, straightening my posture before lifting up from my seat, getting ready to screenshare on the tv.

The guys finish their game and pool into the living room, grouping up on the couch with a few sitting on the floor.

Jack, Quinn, Alex sit on the right while Luke and Ethan cuddle up together in the middle with Adam and Luca squishing up on the left with their girlfriends finding spots in between. Cole and Trevor both move onto the blowup mattress on the floor, in front of the couch.

“What do you have planned, y/n?” Ethan asks

“Yeah, is this gonna take long?” Quinn says

“Why, is it past your bedtime, Quinny?” Jack adds

“Okay okay, relax. I have a fun video from our day today that i'd like to share”

Luke's body tenses up, his movement not going unnoticed by Ethan who is tightly wrapped around luke in a warm embrace

“What did you do, Rusty?” Ethan whispers in Luke's ear, only gaining a glare from the boy.

“Hey, y/n, since your boyfriend has been taken by ethan over there, why don't you cuddle up to me?” Cole says with a big smile on his face before frowning after luke kicks his back

“Back off, dude” Luke growls

“As much as I love your confidence, Cole. I'm not into short guys, and it's way too hot for that” i say before gaining a whoop from the girl and an ooo from the boys

"its only hot cause Alex is here" Trevor adds while turning his head to face Alex, blowing him an imaginary kiss. Alex doesn't say anything, instead he shows off his dimpled smile with a toothy grin while shaking his head at the young boy.

“Just thought I'd ask.” Cole shrugs as he lays his head on a cushion.

I giggle before sitting down in between Cole and Trevor, Cole grins at me while he waits for me to start the video.

I press play on the video, my screen showing up on the tv and the video of Luke screaming echoes through the room.

Everyone begins giggling and cackling, all except for Luke who is sitting there, still entangled with Ethan and sporting a bright red blush on his cheeks.

The video ends and the group wipe the tears of laughter from their eyes and all stare at luke.

Luke looks at me with a look of annoyance before giggling and curling his lips into that wonky smile I love so much.

“Im sorry, babe but i had to show everyone” i say to my embarrassed but happy boyfriend

“Its fine, i'll just have to get you back later” he replies while pulling Ethan a little closer

“Yeah, y/n im taking yo bae” Ethan jokes.

“Yeah, whatever” i say before turning around to face the screen

“we should watch a scary movie” Adam request, earning a nod from his older brother

“Nope, it's bedtime” Quinn says as he moves from the couch, he gives me a small side hug while moving to say goodnight to everyone else before retreating up the stairs to his room, Trevor quickly stealing his spot on the couch.

After the movie, I look around the room to see Luke, my boyfriend cuddling Ethan while sleeping. They are spread all along the couch as everyone migrates to their designated rooms, Cole and Trevor staying downstairs on the mattress. Instead of waking up the tired hockey players, I simply kiss Luke on the head, say goodnight to everyone and go to bed, enjoying the space in the bed and access to pillows.

#luke hughes #luke hughes x reader #luke hughes imagine #luke hughes x y/n #platonic relationships #nhl hockey #nhl imagine

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upthebluess · 4 months

Text

Up to Standards (Arsenal Women Academy Story) Part 3

In which you get your Arsenal Academy debut and get a visit from a guest.

You were training with Arsenal 3 times a week, played a match every Saturday and went to a recovery session straight after. It was intense.

Luckily, the girls were as nice as Peter had reassured, and you’d fit in better than you originally expected.

Your mum had been working extremely hard to get you an agent, and was currently working on terms to get you signed with volante sports.

Everything seemed perfect, until Saturday came round.

Nerves. An overwhelming amount.

It was your first game day with the gunners, and you felt drastically more apprehensive on the day than you had throughout the week.

“No Mum, I’m serious. I can’t play” you uttered to her in the car, clad out in your full arsenal kit.

“Of course you can” she responded without taking her eyes off the road.

“No, I can’t.” You hadn’t experienced anxiety like this in years.

You always knew at Fulham that you were one of the best players, but at arsenal, you were average. If you made a mistake here, you feared that your coaches would regret all the money they spent on your transfer.

“Do you have two feet?” Your mother asked.

“Yes”

“Then you can play” she explained, and you let out a defeated sigh. It was clear she wasn’t gonna turn the car around.

Eventually, you pulled into London Colony and parked the car. “Look, Y/N. Arsenal brought you here because they saw how well you could play, all you need to do now is show them again. Even if you don’t today, your contract gives you six months before it’s reviewed again. That’s a lot of games to show what you’re made of.”

You finally managed a small but genuine smile and you felt a few of the butterflies disappear.

“Thanks, Mum.”

“Now off you go, I’ll come out to watch later when you kick off because there’s no way I’m standing outside in the cold for an extra 30 minutes.”

You picked up your backpack from the floor and hopped out of the car, having to dodge the puddles as you were still in your sliders (muddy boots were completely banned from the car at this point).

You pulled your phone out your bag and checked the pitch info which read:

PITCH 2, KO 14:00, MEET AT 1:30

Pitch 2, where the hell was that?

“Y/N, you’re going the wrong way!”

Your head was turned to see one of your teammates calling your name. You ran to catch up with her, stepping in multiple puddles as you did so.

“You really should watch where you walk” Eliza stated, letting out a chuckle at your soaked socks and you inability to remember directions.

“Yeah, I know.”

The two of you hadn’t really spoke before. Eliza was a centre back, you a midfielder. Although maybe it was better to interact with people of different positions, they were less of a threat to your place on the team.

“You nervous? Big first game.” Eliza asked. Your first game with the team was against Manchester City. They were a big club with high standards but were mostly known for their work off the ball. They would be constantly pressing to try and win the possession back.

“I’m terrified to be honest, once it starts I think I’ll be ok though” you admitted to her, as you passed a gate labelled pitch 2.

You were right on time, but most of the girls had already arrived. Coach Louise sent you straight into an extensive warm up, which had the whole team more out of breath than an actual game would.

At 13:55, you were huddled for a team talk. The captain, Freya, spoke about how we needed to manage their press effectively and remain composed on the ball. If we made the pitch bigger, the ball would do the work.

“1,2,3 Arsenal!” You all chanted and dispersed from the circle.

You were playing centre-mid and starting the game. But as you made your way into position, the nerves returned. Frantically, you scanned the parents section searching for your mum.

There she was, with her bobble hat and scarf. She gave you a cheesy smile and a thumbs up, phone in her other hand, presumably to send pictures to the family group-chat.

The game started off rocky. City had majority of possession and were showing no signs of losing that, as they continually worked the ball out from the back.

Eventually, they made a loose pass into the centre circle and you picked it up immediately. With a quick scan, you immediately knew you needed to drive forwards. Since they’d been playing from their keeper, their centre backs were split and a huge gap was left down the middle.

Within seconds, you were aware the defenders would be on you. Multiple teammates were shouting for the ball, but you took a shot. The first shot of the game.

Your boot dug under the ball, lifting it up in attempt to chip the keeper, who remained off her line. You watched it fly into the air but it it seemed too high at first to go in. A few of your fellow arsenal teammates turned around to go back into position, assuming a goal kick would be given. But it was dipping, and dipping quickly. Right as it reached the goal, it fell to the grass and rolled into the net.

1-0.

You ran in the direction of your mum and punched the air in celebration. Sure enough, she was recording. That’d definitely be on Facebook later.

All your teammates jumped on your back and your coaches high fived each other. Just like that, the nerves were gone.

The rest of the game flew by. The team scored a second from a corner before city put one tap in past your keeper. Then, for an awful tackle in the box, you were awarded a penalty in the dying minutes. It wasn’t going to be a winning pen if it was scored, but it would prevent another city goal (if they got one) from equalising the game.

You didn’t yet know who was a penalty taker for this team. It was usually you when you played for Fulham, but you watched Eliza pick up the ball and place it on the spot. She took it immediately after the whistle was blown and blasted it bottom left.

3-1. Full time.

What a pen, you muttered under your breath.

You shook hands with everyone, listened to the team talk once again and accepted the congratulations from your coaches.

“Right everyone, in a moment you’ll be free to go but there was someone else watching you play who wanted to say a few words.”

Vivianne Miedema emerged from the crowd of parents looming at the gate. She had her hands in her pockets but removed them to take down her hood.

“I’m not very good with speeches or anything but I felt I couldn’t not say something after that performance. You all dominated the game in every aspect and your determination to higher the score line really stood out to me. You should all be really proud of yourselves.” Viv spoke.

She hesitantly looked at your coach. Bless her, she’s as awkward as she seems, you thought.

“Do you have a player of the match for us?” Louise questioned.

“Uh, number 8. That goal was great and the composure it must’ve taken was even better.”

“Ah, a player of the match and a goal for our debutant. Thank you for coming, Viv. Right everyone off you go. Well done today.” Louise dismissed you all.

Everyone cleared off the field pretty quick, apart from you. Due to your Mums ‘no boot in the car’ rule, you were sat on the wet grass taking your boots off and replacing them with sliders.

Louise had picked up the corner flags and was walking towards you with Viv, they were good friends as Louise also worked as a physiotherapist when needed.

“Louise tells me your feeling a bit of pressure. You sure didn’t show it.” Viv said casually once they reached you again.

“Yeah, I just moved here from Fulham, they expect a lot from me here.” you slung your backpack onto your shoulder and stood. “Any advice?”

“Use the pressure to drive you further, all nerves do are make you work harder and perform with more precision. Carry on like you did today and you’ll have no problems.” She gave you a sincere smile and stuffed her hands back into her pockets.

“Thanks” you looked over to your mum and then back to Viv and Louise.

“Well off you go then, don’t keep her waiting.” Louise chuckled at the silence that somehow had formed and sent you on your way.

Back at home, you were writing away silently in your room trying to figure out how photosynthesis worked for a biology test, when your Mum barged into your room.

“You’re signed! Volante signed you. We are meeting with them on Tuesday. I get to bring out the fancy plates!” She exclaimed, the biggest grin on her face.

“They’re coming here?”

“Yes! Would you rather sign with Nike or Adidas? What will you spend your first pay check on? Where will you-” your mum sat down on your bed as she got carried away with excitement

“Calm down, it’s just an agency. Most girls probably already have one.” you tried to dull down her joy, but secretly you were as ecstatic as her.

“Yes but they didn’t score a banger on their arsenal debut.”

That was true.

As you looked over the framed photographs that plastered your walls later that night, you started to wonder which Fulham ones would soon be replaced with Arsenal ones. You actually found yourself wanting to go to training, and wanting to see your teammates.

Could arsenal really take you all the way to the WSL?

Everybody else but you seems to think so, even Vivianne Miedema.

A/N

Sorry this was a little rushed but at leat it’s something. More parts soon😊. Hope everyone had a Happy New year!!

L🫶

#arsenal wfc #woso x reader #womens football #woso community #woso fanfics #arsenal wfc x reader #vivianne miedema

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 9 months

Text

U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday will honor Emmett Till, the Black teenager whose 1955 killing helped galvanize the Civil Rights movement, and his mother with a national monument across two states.

Till, 14 and visiting from Chicago, was beaten, shot and mutilated in Money, Mississippi, on Aug. 28, 1955, four days after a 21-year-old white woman accused him of whistling at her. His body was dumped in a river.

The violent killing put a spotlight on the U.S. civil rights cause after his mother, Mamie Till-Bradley, held an open-casket funeral and a photo of her son's badly disfigured body appeared in Black media.

The national monument designation across 5.7 acres (2.3 hectares) and three sites marks a forceful new effort by the President to memorialize the country's bloody racial history even as Republicans in some states push limits on how that past is taught.

"America is changing, America is making progress," said the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr., 84, a cousin of Till's who was with the boy on the night he was abducted at gunpoint from the relatives' house they were staying at in Mississippi.

"I've seen a lot of changes over the years and I try to tell young people that they happen, but they happen very slow," Parker said on Monday in a telephone interview as he traveled from Chicago to Washington to attend the signing ceremony at the White House as one of approximately 60 guests.

Tuesday marks the 82nd anniversary of Till's birth in 1941. One of the monument sites is the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago, where Till's funeral took place.

The other selected sites are in Mississippi: Graball Landing, close to where Till's body is believed to be have been recovered; and Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse, where two white men who later confessed to Till's killing were acquitted by an all-white jury.

Signs erected at Graball Landing since 2008 to commemorate Till's killing have been repeatedly defaced by gunfire.

Now that site and the others will be considered federal property, receiving about $180,000 a year in funding from the National Park Service. Any future vandalism would be investigated by federal law enforcement rather than local police, according to Patrick Weems, executive director of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, Mississippi.

Other such monuments include the Grand Canyon, Statue of Liberty and the laboratory of inventor Thomas Edison.

Biden, an 80-year-old Democrat, will likely need strong support from Black voters to secure a second term in the 2024 presidential election.

He screened a film recounting the lynching, "Till," at the White House in February. Last March, he signed into law a bipartisan bill named for Till that for the first time made lynching a federal hate crime.

A Republican field led by former President Donald Trump has made conservative views on race and other contentious issues of history a part of their platform, including banning books and fighting efforts to teach school children accounts of the country's past that they regard as ideologically inflected or unpatriotic.

"This is an amazing, teachable moment to talk about the importance of this story as an American story that everybody can share in now, particularly at a time when people are trying to rewrite history," said Christopher Benson, president of the non-profit organization the Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley Institute in Summit, Illinois.

“We have a memorial now that is not erasable. It can't be banned and it can't be censored, and we think that's a very important thing.”

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