#Cuellar out | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

qqueenofhades · 2 years

Note

I would love to know your defense of Democrats supporting anti-abortion dems in their own party over pro-choice progressives. Nancy Pelosi went to campaign for Henry Cuellar, an anti-abortion dem, over a progressive pro-choice challenger! Why do I have to keep supporting a party that only uses Roe and abortion rights as a fundraising tool instead doing the bare minimum of pushing their own members to the party platform the way republicans do.

Republicans are absolutely fantastic as forcing their politicians into line and it's something that establishment Dems will berate you for trying to do. Please take an honest look at the dem party before launching into full throated defenses of them. And before you ask, yes I did vote for Hillary and Biden despite being a "Bernie Bro" and yes all the other Bernie supporters I know also voted for them

Sigh. Look. I'm going to try to answer this honestly and politely, because I recognize that there's a time for snark, rants, and angry rageposting, and there's a time for genuinely reaching out and trying to teach/discuss/find common ground. But if I enter into your ask with an open mind, you're going to have to return the favor, and actually think about what I say, instead of just repeating the favored leftist talking points over and over. And if I sound frustrated, it's because I am. We have been trying to explain this since 2016, while a lot of people remained willfully obtuse and continue, even now when Roe is literally gone, to repeat the same old (false) ideological canards in the name of Twitter/social media clout chasing. So if this is a genuine attempt to learn, okay. I'm happy to oblige. If it's just because you still want to believe what you believe regardless of anything I say, it's not the best use of anyone's time. But I'll do it anyway, since I have a decent amount of followers and it may help someone else. So.

First, why do you assume that I haven't "taken an honest look at the dem party before launching into full throated defenses of them?" Is that really the criteria you want to use, given that certain segments of leftists have utterly abandoned any realistic or honest assessments of the Democratic party in favor of constructing an all-powerful evil anti-progressive boogeyman that they clearly hate far more than the Republicans? I am entirely open to criticism of Democrats on actual grounds for real things that are actually their fault, and are not overheated, rebaked QAnon propaganda that calls Joe Biden a senile old rapist and portrays the entire party as the exact same threat to America that the right wing thinks that they are. That's not progressive; it's just Democrat Derangement Syndrome that makes you sound no different from a ranting fascist on Fox News. If I can't tell the difference between my enemies and my supposed allies, there is something wrong here.

Right now, I am also intensely frustrated with the constant leftist attempts to desperately find a way to still blame the Democrats for a singular political action that is demonstrably and directly the result of Republican bad actors making choices to support obvious Republican policy goals. Why is it so important to you people to Also Blame The Democrats, by relentlessly nitpicking every minor detail and shortcoming of a flawed but generally reasonable political party, rather than consistently and uncompromisingly opposing the open fascists? Why do you feel the need to give Republicans cover for this heinous action and fuel the "Both Sides Are Bad!!!" false equivalence whipped up by the media and constantly reinforced to the active detriment of the well-being of everyone in this country? So if we're talking about taking "honest looks" at things and being open to justified criticism, why don't we start there?

Next, so you're blaming the left's OTHER favorite scapegoat, Nancy Pelosi, for campaigning for one singular House incumbent. ONE Democrat in a conservative-leaning district in goddamn Texas, when it's already going to be an incredible fight for Democrats to hold the House? One of the reasons Obama didn't "codify Roe!!!" during his brief (4-month) period of having an 60-vote supermajority in the Senate was because there simply were not 60 pro-choice Democrats in the Senate in 2009. (Back then, there were Democratic senators from ruby-red states like South Dakota and Nebraska, if you want an illustration of how much things have changed.) Those are seats that a Democrat is not going to win again for at least a generation in the post-Trump political landscape, and red-state Blue Dog Democrats were not going to support it. Besides, as people have pointed out a thousand times, even if Obama had succeeded in passing this law, the Supreme Court could still overturn it! That is literally their job! That is the power that the Constitution grants them! So why are you complaining about a theoretical action that Obama probably couldn't have realistically taken anyway, and still could have been overruled in the exact same way even if he did, rather than the actual action that was taken by a completely identifiable and Republican group of people?

The Democratic party overall is VASTLY more pro-choice than it was in 2009. Joe Manchin is the only anti-choice red state Democratic senator left, and as for Cuellar? Let's take a look at his ratings on abortion for this year (you can find his entire record here and track how his voting pattern has consistently shifted to be more pro-choice):

So... the Christian fundie FRC and National Right to Life anti-abortion advocacy group give Cuellar dismal ratings (9% and 7%, respectively) whereas NARAL Pro-Choice America now gives him a whopping 100%. Planned Parenthood Action also gives him a solid 80%, which is a steady and continued climb from his previous ratings hovering in the 50s. So even the one, ONE personally anti-abortion Democrat you have identified by name, over and against LITERALLY EVERY MEMBER OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, has, for the most part, followed party orthodoxy and voted in a pro-choice fashion, regardless of what his individual beliefs might be. And yet, according to you, Democrats "berate" their party members for falling in line, or actually don’t force them to fall in line, or... something?

The Democrats have shifted their policy drastically on abortion over even the last ten years. What exactly is your evidence for the statement that they only use Roe and abortion rights as a "fundraising tool?" For one, they have had to do that because the Republicans would have overturned this much sooner if they could, and had to resort to Mitch McConnell's open evil law breaking to cram the Court after Trump managed to squeak out a win in a heavily interfered-with and non-popular-vote-winning election. For two, Roe was actually overturned THREE DAYS AGO, after the draft opinion was leaked in May. WHY HAVEN'T DEMOCRATS FIXED THIS YET!!! is not a valid critique. Once again, I repeat: why is it so important for you to blame the Democrats for this? Yes, we have gone over a thousand times why they’re flawed and why opportunities were missed and more could have been done. But when you’re faced with unambiguous, unassailable evidence that both parties are NOT the same, you... desperately try to find a way to let Republicans off the hook for it? Why? WHY?

As I said, I am entirely open to criticizing the Democrats for actual things that are actually their fault. Biden needs to take a lot more executive action and not just rely on “vote in November!” as a message, even if we also have to do that. We also have to see Senate and House Democrats making more organized efforts to force the Republicans to completely own an action that 67% of American women strongly disagree with. This could be a generational moment where the Republicans, in finally achieving their cherished dream, finally fly too close to the sun and get their KKK hoods whipped off. Maybe, in that case, we can stop treating them like a valid political party in a representative democratic republic and properly label them as the Christofascist white supremacist domestic terrorists that they are. So why the hell aren’t progressives throwing their weight behind their most significant opportunity to break the power of the right wing that has existed in America since its founding? Taking down the Republican party is vital to our survival in any number of ways, so... I suggest, with all due respect, that you and everyone finally get with the program. You want a revolution? This is fucking it. If you seize the chance.

#anonymous #ask #politics for ts

440 notes · View notes

odinsblog · 2 years

Text

Welp, certainly glad Nancy Pelosi went out of her way to squash Jessica Cisneros—the pro-choice, immigration rights attorney who would have otherwise won in a safe blue district—so that this conservative, homophobic, NRA loving, forced-birther could work with Republicans to [checks notes] overturn Roe and make poor people even poorer.

Just to be perfectly clear, this isn't an article that says Cuellar is against raising the minimum wage. It's much much much worse! He wants to ELIMINATE the minimum wage and overtime for certain workers.

👉🏿 https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/07/28/propelled-victory-dem-leaders-cuellar-says-725-too-much-millions-workers

#politics #henry cuellar #nancy pelosi #jessica cisneros #living wages #inequality #minimum wage #workers rights #blue maga #vbnmw politics #gig workers #gig economy #overtime pay

136 notes · View notes

jimothy-hopkins · 1 year

Text

Meddling Kids XI

WARNING! This work/series contains mentions of slut shaming, EDs, gore, implied torture, implied SA, SH, violence, and many other things that can trigger some viewers. I will also mention that this work does NOT intend to glorify, romanticize, normalize, or promote ANY of these behaviors or ideas. That is not who I am and that is not what I stand for. Please do not take that message away when you read this.

Guess who got her motivation back?

Gary lounged out on Jimmy’s bed, arms resting on either side of his head with his feet barely hanging off the bed. He sighed, turning his head to watch Jimmy, who was busy drawing something in his spare notebook.

“I’m bored,” he mentioned.

Jimmy glanced over. He thought for a moment. Jimmy had barely done anything fun in the past month or so. Sure, he’d been going on one too many misadventures. Those always wound up in some danger. Hell, they’d stumbled across an entire snuff film and what was a possible drug cartel. He still woke up in cold sweats from the intense nightmares of Alice Cuellar being brutally tortured. He felt like a criminal for just having seen it.

“Yeah, we should do something,” Jimmy replied.

“So where are we going?” Gary raised his scarred brow, rolling on his side.

“Carnival put your shoes on,” Jimmy replied as he closed his sketchbook and sat up to grab his sneakers.

“Oh, so a date? You’re so bold, Jimmy-boy,” Gary grinned as he double-knotted his doc martens.

“Shut up,” the ginger scoffed as he opened the door.

The two made their way out of the boys’ dormitory. It was already pretty late, but thanks to the start of daylight savings time, they could still see the sun. Jimmy grabbed the keys to his bike garage and opened it, choosing his fastest bike to drag out. He got on and ushered Gary to step on the back pegs before Jimmy pedaled down to the carnival.

Gary sighed, tilting his head upwards to breathe in the crisp spring air. He held Jimmy’s torso for support as they zipped through the streets. He really did need this. The last few weeks had weighed heavy on him, especially running into Daniel. The fucker acted like he didn’t even know him. What was his problem? Had Leo’s death fucked him over so bad he forgot Gary completely?

He just sighed and rested his face on Jimmy’s shoulder. He watched the gray-colored waves of Bullworth Bay sprawl across the sand, creating the illusion of a depressed beach.

That’s when Jimmy got the bright idea to speed up out of nowhere as they hit the drop to the carnival. Gary yelped as he squeezed Jimmy.

“What the fuck was that for? You almost gave me a heart attack, moron!” Gary yelled as he stepped off Jimmy’s bike pegs.

“Cause It was funny,” Jimmy grinned as he locked his bike up.

Gary rolled his eyes as he and Jimmy approached the gate, paying their admission tickets to walk in.

Of course, the first thing they did was go to the thriller rides. Those roller coasters whipped and spun around so fast and so hard that Jimmy wondered how they didn’t get whiplash. The carnival had many new additions this year regarding rides and attractions. It was a lot more fun than riding the same three rides every single time. So far, Gary and Jimmy had ridden the Twist-A-Whirl, the Freak Out, Ring Of Fire, the Yo-yo, and Silver Bullet. Surprisingly Gary had only gagged up once during their little adventure, much to Jimmy’s relief. He’d never forget how Gary puked on him on the roller coaster last October. Yuck.

“Can we do something else now?” Gary asked as they walked around aimlessly.

“Wanna play a carnival game?” Jimmy asked.

“Sure, I bet I can win more prizes,” Gary smirked, running off to the nearest game booth he saw.

Jimmy shook his head, bounding after his scraggly friend to go kick his ass in some silly carnival games.

They went through a few silly games like ring tosses, darts, pellet rifles, the dunk game, and the strength test.

Their final game was going to be a little water gun game. So far, they’d been evenly matched in price winning. Jimmy won two little keychains, and Gary scored a dumb squeaky horn purely meant to annoy everyone within their vicinity, along with a giant snake stuffed animal.

They sat, paying their money as other people sat to also play a round. Gary licked his lips and teeth, hoping to break their tie and give Jimmy some embarrassing gift. Unfortunately, Jimmy also had the same mindset ahead of him.

As soon as the bell rang, they lined their water guns and started to fill the tank to raise the hung stuffed animals. Gary’s hands trembled, sending his aim off. Just like that, the water cut off, and Jimmy won.

“Congrats, kid! Pick your prize!” The elderly carny smiled.

“Yeah, I’ll take that My Little Pony stuffed animal,” Jimmy shrugged.

The carny gave an odd look but used one of his hooks to grab the pony off the rack and handed it to Jimmy. “Have fun, kid.”

Jimmy nodded and turned to Gary, handing him the plush. He always found those ponies creepy.

“Seriously?” Gary grimaced.

“Take it or leave it,” Jimmy rolled his eyes.

“Whatever, moron, how about the Ferris wheel?” Gary asked, tucking the bedazzled pony under his arm.

Jimmy shrugged, so Gary could only take it as a yes. The pair walked to the slow-moving attraction and coughed up the cash required before stepping into a capsule. They sat adjacent, looking at the horizon as the ride began to move.

“I hope we don’t get stuck at the top,” Jimmy looked down.

“Why? Scared of heights, James?” Gary teased.

“Shut up.”

Gary moved closer, now right beside Jimmy. He quickly began to nudge and push him. Jimmy glanced over,

“What are you poking me for? You’re rocking the cart dickwad!” Jimmy said, slapping Gary’s arms away.

“So what?” The scar-faced boy laughed.

Their miniature slap fight continued, and small chuckles and playful insults were exchanged.

A sudden impulse took over, and Gary grabbed his face and went in for a kiss.

Now Gary had never kissed anyone before, not even his own mother. He hated almost all types of physical affection, yet Gary chose to go in for a kiss.

Jimmy flinched in surprise but quickly caught on and pulled Gary in. The kiss was brief, but it held passion. More passion than it should’ve. So when Gary realized what he was doing, he pulled himself off of Jimmy and sat at a distance.

“Wow,” was Jimmy’s only response.

He hadn’t even realized they were at the apex of the wheel. The sun was now fully set. The whimsical lights danced and provided a colorful display around them. Gary looked away, taking a moment to process his actions and catch his breath. He felt like he was living in a teenage dream or nightmare.

Not another was exchanged between them when the ride descended. What was there to talk about? Gary wanted to punch himself. He was letting this new kid get too close. They’d made a friendship over the trauma they went through in the past three months. Dr. Bambillo would flip his shit if he knew.

They walked side by side, exchanging silent glances over the loud whirring of rides and screams of people.

“Hey Jimmy! Over here!” A voice called.

Gary looked over his shoulder.

It was Donald Anderson dressed up like the circus puked on him. He was standing at the front of an attraction with the word ‘Headspin’ written above it. Purple and red lights flickered sporadically, making it appear like a sick fever dream.

“Wanna try our new haunted house? The nerds and theatre kids are all working on it!” He explained in a psyched-up manner.

“Sure, don’t see why not,” Jimmy shrugged, walking through with Gary behind him.

Most of the scares weren’t really eventful. If anything, Jimmy just said hello, since most of them were their peers. Gary didn’t take much interest in the attraction either. He did hold his stuffed pony a few times, though.

They turned down a darker hall that led them to a hall of mirrors. Gary and Jimmy shuffled around, occasionally bumping into their reflections and swearing.

Gary looked over his shoulder, catching movement in the darkness of his peripheral.

“What was that?” He asked out loud.

“What was what?” Jimmy replied.

“I saw something.”

“Yourself?”

“No, someone else.”

Gary whipped around, the color draining from his face. Behind Gary was a tall man dressed in a sick imitation of John Wayne Gacy’s Pogo the Clown. The clown held a bat wrapped in barbed wire and covered in what Gary hoped was fake blood.

Jimmy didn‘t even think twice before grabbing Gary and running in the opposite direction. They could hear the heavy footsteps tailing them with the most bone-chilling laughter echoing down the hall of mirrors.

They escaped the mirror hall and dodged behind a doorway into another room. Gary held his hand over his mouth to calm his breathing. He looked over to Jimmy, whose hands clutched the splintered rotten wood of the wall. Gary didn’t think he was capable of expressing that amount of terror.

His head snapped over, hearing the slight pang of metal on metal. Gary’s gut dropped, watching as another clown in the likeness of Pennywise approached with a machete.

“FUCKING GO, MORON!” He yelled, shoving jimmy out of the doorway.

They screamed, begging for help as they dodged obstructions in their path and dove through the cluttered, run-down rooms of the house. Gary kicked a foldable table out of his way, finding furniture stacked against an exit door.

“Come and help me, moron!” Gary demanded as Jimmy quickly came to aid him in deconstructing the barricade.

Quickly, they managed to shove the door open and run out, escaping to the bright area of the carnival. Gary shuddered as he tailed Jimmy, heart beating out of his chest. That haunted house was no joke.

Jimmy scanned the area, finding Donald once more. He walked up to the nerd and snatched him by his collar, holding him in a vice grip.

“What the hell, man? You need to get those clown guys in check!” He yelled.

Donald blinked, dumbfounded.

“Jimmy, we don’t have clowns.”

23 notes · View notes

crowfootwrites · 6 months

Text

Devotion & Diplomacy - Part II

Y'all, I'm SO PUMPED to share this chapter with you! Daro has finally arrived! Much of this chapter follows the events of TNG S4E12 "The Wounded", but with the spin of our OC being present - but it felt like the perfect introduction for Daro in the show, and it feels that way for this story, too, I think.

Anyway, Emrys and Daro meet and it's all heart eyes and shit. 🥰

Part I of Devotion & Diplomacy | Read on AO3

Warnings: Miles being a traumatized bb boi; spoilers for TNG S4E12 | Words: ~3,100

When Emrys awoke the next morning, she was sorely tempted to remain snuggled under her blankets - spending weeks at a time dealing with the tense atmosphere of peacekeeping and treaty-writing was beginning to wear on her. She had stacks of PADDs to work through and she almost certainly had new, pressing messages from her superiors, the tone of which she could already guess.

She sighed and pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes, rubbing away the sleep and steeling herself for the day ahead - at least aboard the Enterprise she could be a bit more leisurely. With no Cardassian timetables to keep to, and no meetings to report back on to her superiors, Emrys could sit and review things methodically and interruption-free.

As she flung the covers away from her, a tremendous jolt rocked the ship and sent Emrys rolling off the bed. She stumbled to her feet just as the thunderous roar that had followed died down. Immediately, the red alert klaxons began to wail and Emrys reached for the comm in her quarters.

“Do you need any assistance, Counselor?” she called to Deanna. If her memory served her correctly, her friend would be on the bridge this morning.

“We’ve got things under control for now, but standby.” Emrys could hear Lieutenant Worf barking orders in the background and let her communication line close. They’d call her if they needed. Trying to keep any anxiety at bay, she took to pacing.

— — —

A brief chime sounded, interrupting Emrys’ review of what little progress her group had made on Cardassia Prime, before Captain Picard’s voice came floating through her temporary quarters: “Commander Beck, I hope I’m not interrupting, but I have a favor to ask.”

“Go ahead, Captain,” she responded, gathering up the stack of PADDs on the table before her. The red alert klaxons had stopped sounding not too long ago and she had a sinking feeling this favor had something to do with that.

“The red alert this morning was called after we were fired upon by a Cardassian vessel,” he began, and Emrys frowned. “The crew of that ship was apparently retaliating, due to reports of a Federation starship destroying an unarmed science station in the Cuellar system.”

Emrys couldn’t contain the groan that pulled at her throat. This incident certainly wouldn’t help when she had to return to Cardassia next.

“The USS Phoenix is responsible for the attack,” the captain continued, “but they have since gone silent and are not responding to Starfleet communiqués. Admiral Haden has asked us to find the USS Phoenix, and the crew of the Trager, the Cardassian vessel, have offered safe passage, provided that we allow a delegation aboard while we do so.”

Emrys blew out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding as quietly as she could. The tension that was sure to accompany these Cardassians aboard would be difficult to navigate. Peaceful relations were so new that there were certainly still members of the Federation who would be unable to stay quiet, even if it went against orders.

“Given your experience on Cardassia and in helping to navigate the formation of the treaty in general, I was hoping that you might be available to assist in the… handling,” Picard added delicately, “of their delegation while they’re aboard.”

Although the situation was sure to be tense, Emrys reasoned, drumming her fingers on the tabletop, it had the potential to be a net positive. The vast majority of Emrys and her team’s interactions on Cardassia had been limited to members of the Central Command. That made sense, of course, but Central Command wasn’t exactly known for its tolerance of dissenting opinions. If she could manage to broker or at least maintain positive relationships with the delegates who came aboard, perhaps she could gather some additional perspective to take with her into negotiations.

Emrys cleared her throat and tossed her stack of PADDs into her travel bag. “Of course, Captain,” she replied. “I’m happy to help in any way I can.”

“Excellent,” the captain responded. “The gul and two of his aides will be beaming aboard in one hour. Please meet us in Transporter Room Three.”

“Aye, sir.”

Gulping down the rest of her red leaf tea, Emrys rushed to get ready as her first day of “vacation” was suddenly dashed. A strand of hair came loose from her braid as she tugged on her boots and she blew it out of her face exasperatedly. Smoothing the wrinkles in her uniform shirt determinedly, she stepped out into the hallway to make for the Transporter Room with only a few minutes to spare.

In the Transporter Room, Emrys took her place beside Deanna, who gave her a friendly bump with her shoulder, and Will, just as three imposing Cardassians appeared on the transport pad. Their helmets still donned, and clad in brown armor, Emrys was reminded acutely of her trips to Cardassia over the past several months, far from friendly faces and never too far from underlying currents of tension and anger.

Immediately, Emrys noted that she didn’t recognize any of these men in particular, although she understood their insignia easily – the aide to the left of the gul had a much friendlier look about him than the other two. Although the firm set of his mouth remained, his wide eyes curiously took in his surroundings, and Emrys smiled to herself.

“Welcome to the Enterprise,” Will offered. “I’m First Officer William Riker.”

He motioned to the two women beside him. “Counselor Deanna Troi and Lieutenant Commander Emrys Beck,” he introduced, as Deanna and Emrys nodded in turn. Emrys smiled as the friendlier-looking aide caught her eye and dipped his head in acknowledgement.

“I am Gul Macet,” the Cardassian in the center declared, stepping down off the transporter pad. “My aides, Glinn Daro, Glinn Telle,” he added as his men followed, standing at ease behind him.

“This is our Transporter Chief, Mr. O’Brien.” Will motioned to Miles as he spoke and Miles nodded curtly at the group. A tinge of dread began pooling in Emrys’ stomach as she watched the interaction, remembering that Miles’ reaction to the Cardassians on board would hardly be an isolated incident. A glance at the mostly well-concealed concern on Deanna’s face told Emrys that she wasn’t alone in her worries.

“Shall we?” Will asked, leading the group into the busy halls of the Enterprise.

The group was quiet as Will guided them to the Observation Lounge, and Emrys found herself wanting to bridge the gap, to be as welcoming as possible, if only to shake off the lingering effects of Miles’ terseness.

“Gul Macet,” she remarked, matching her pace to his as he looked at her in mild surprise, “on my most recent visit to Cardassia, I had the opportunity to speak with the Prefect of Bajor stationed on Terok Nor, Gul Dukat. I can’t help but notice that you bear a striking resemblance to him - are you of any relation?” Emrys turned to await his response, noticing the glance that the two glinns walking behind them shared.

A dark look passed over Macet’s face. It was quick, but Emrys caught it and filed it away to be analyzed later.

“Yes,” Macet responded blithely. “Dukat is my cousin. Although, I am significantly more interested in hearing what brought you to Cardassia, my dear.” He appraised Emrys with a critical eye. Even with the armistice in place, few non-Cardassians came to his home world for any reason.

“Well… I assisted in forming the armistice between Cardassia and the Federation,” she admitted. “And now I lead the team of Federation members who are working with Central Command to formalize a treaty.”

“Ah, so you’re a diplomat.” He seemed almost disdainful, but Emrys thought she’d seen the barest hint of a smile on his face.

“Not entirely, Gul,” she countered. “In fact, I’ve served as a communications officer on several Starfleet ships. Weeks at a time on Cardassia is the most time I’ve spent on land in years,” she added with a light laugh.

Emrys was robbed of Macet’s response as the door to the observation lounge opened and their group joined the captain, who was already seated at the head of the table. Emrys found herself seated beside Glinn Daro as Miles and Commander La Forge trailed into the room.

As Will and the captain discussed the steps they were planning to take to locate the Phoenix, Emrys allowed herself the opportunity to subtly study the Cardassian beside her. He seemed more at ease than his counterparts, his broad shoulders relaxed as he listened intently to Captain Picard. Emrys had spent more time than she could reasonably quantify around Cardassians in the last year, and none of them had been half as agreeable as this one. She wondered briefly if it was an act, some elaborate display designed to catch adversaries off guard. She dismissed the idea just as quickly, however; Cardassians could certainly be devious and underhanded, but in the more recent past, they’d preferred to rely on brute strength, a trait that Emrys had noticed was perpetuated by most members of the military and Central Command. She then wondered how this Glinn Daro’s seemingly pleasant nature served him there.

The sound of Miles snapping at something the gul had said brought Emrys back to attention. As the captain intervened, she made a mental note to have Deanna check in with Miles later. If the information Emrys had from Vice Admiral Nechayev was good, the Federation wouldn’t be able to handle falling back into conflict with Cardassia; they were still reeling from their losses to the Borg. Emrys often felt that her job was akin to walking a tightrope, and she wanted to ensure that at the very least, no one on this ship would be pushing anything off balance.

The captain’s combadge chirped as Worf summoned him to the bridge. The gul and captain exited the lounge and Emrys turned to the glinns, rising from her seat.

“Would you like to join me in Ten Forward for a drink? It seems likely that it will be a while before we catch up to the Phoenix.”

Daro nodded his agreement and gave her a small smile. Emrys was struck again by Daro’s height as he rose from his seat; he was several inches taller than her, and carried himself with a cool confidence that only accentuated his stature. Telle fell in step with them as they approached the turbolift, looking for all the world like someone had just hit him.

Emrys’ heart rate picked up slightly as she stepped into the turbolift and realized that Miles had joined them.

Miles called for deck six and Daro, seemingly intrigued by the command protocol, called for deck ten. There was a moment of awkward silence while Miles glared at the wall, but just as Emrys opened her mouth to break it, Daro spoke up.

“Your captain is most impressive,” he proffered kindly. She couldn’t be sure whether he was speaking to her or Miles.

“Yes, he is,” Miles agreed, his voice clipped.

Daro’s eyes slid to Emrys’ for a moment and she gave him an encouraging smile.

She watched as he bolstered himself slightly, standing up just a bit taller. “Chief O’Brien, our transporting system is still operating with active feed pattern buffers. I would like to talk with you about your technology.”

Emrys felt a momentary fluttering in her chest. He was trying to be friendly! Even though Miles had already been standoffish, Daro was still trying to build bridges, something Emrys could certainly appreciate. His attempts to break the tension in the turbolift were endearing.

“I’ll have to get Commander La Forge’s approval on that.”

“I understand.” Daro paused, as though hesitant. “In the meantime, we’re going to your Ten Forward. Will you join us?”

Emrys felt the dread deadening her limbs again as the turbolift halted and she glanced at Miles’ face. He looked murderous.

“If my Commander tells me to discuss the transporter with you, I will,” he began acidly. “If Captain Picard orders me to tell you everything I know about Ben Maxwell, I will-”

“Miles,” Emrys warned quietly.

“But who I choose to spend my free time with,” he ground out, ignoring Emrys and stepping into Daro’s space, “that’s my business.” His proximity to Daro suddenly sent anger crackling through Emrys like lightning.

“O’Brien,” she barked, placing a hand between the two men. Miles glared at her before stepping aside and exiting the turbolift. The doors closed and they were off again. Emrys exhaled sharply before finding a smile for the glinns.

“My apologies. In my experience, the chief is not usually quite so… prickly.”

Telle, who Emrys had yet to hear speak at all, addressed her sternly. “Perhaps that is your experience because you are human.”

“That is very likely,” Emrys replied softly. “I apologize for it nonetheless.” The turbolift halted and she guided Daro and Telle to Ten Forward, eager to move on to more pleasant conversation.

At the bar, over kanar and Alvanian brandy, the trio kept the discussion light, discussing how the glinns came to be posted on the Trager and how Emrys was enjoying her visits to Cardassia. Emrys did most of the work, which she had anticipated, but once she started getting responses from the thoroughly stiff Telle, she gave herself a mental pat on the back.

After a while, Telle excused himself and Daro seemed to relax even further. Until Miles appeared. He spotted Emrys and Daro and approached hesitantly. Emrys appreciated that he at least had the decency to look a little ashamed of himself.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked. Emrys glanced at Daro questioningly. He gestured to the open barstool and Miles sat down as Emrys hid a small smile behind her glass of brandy, affected once again by Daro’s civility.

“I wanted to say,” Miles began sheepishly. “I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have popped off like that in the turbolift.” He peeked at Emrys before looking down at the bar top.

“I think…” Daro replied quietly, “This has been hard on all of us. I know I’ll be happy when I’m back on my own ship.” A delicate tendril of something like sadness curled around Emrys.

Miles nodded thoughtfully. “I guess that’s true. I hadn’t thought about that.”

“I was on Setlik III with Captain Maxwell,” he continued, “the morning after the massacre.” Daro’s eyes widened just slightly. Emrys knew this story - knew how Chief O’Brien became the “Hero of Setlik III”. She understood why Miles felt the way that he did. Part of her job in the formation of the treaty had been thoroughly reviewing Cardassian war efforts, in addition to all the things she’d experienced firsthand. There were atrocities she’d seen and heard about that she’d never be able to forget. But she was also capable of considering the big picture, the long term: that continuing to behave like enemies would only lead to a ceaseless war that no one could afford, certainly not the Federation.

The chief carried on, as if determined to get this out. “We were too late, of course. Almost everyone was dead.”

To Emrys’ surprise, Daro spoke. “That was a terrible mistake,” he murmured, gazing down at his kanar glass. “We were told the outpost was a launching place for a massive attack against us.”

Miles shook his head sadly. “The only people left alive,” he contended, “were in an outlying district of the settlement. I was sent there with a squad to reinforce them.” His eyes studied the wall behind the bar despondently. “The Cardassians were advancing on us… moving through the streets, destroying, killing. I was with a group of women and children when two Cardassian soldiers burst in. I stunned one of them. The other one jumped me.”

Daro regarded him wide-eyed.

“One of the women threw me a phaser and I fired.” Miles grimaced. “The phaser was set at maximum. The man just… just incinerated there before my eyes.” He looked at Daro meaningfully. “I’d never killed anything before. When I was a kid, I’d worry about swatting a mosquito.” Grief swelled in Emrys’ chest for Miles, knowing that nothing would ever take away or undo the burden he carried from his time in the war. It was yet another reminder for Emrys why she was working so hard for this treaty.

Miles got up from his barstool abruptly, and both Daro and Emrys regarded him with concern.

“It’s not you I hate, Cardassian,” the chief added with a note of finality. “I hate what I became because of you.” Before Emrys could even consider responding, he was gone.

Daro studied the glass in his hands intently. Emrys opened her mouth, but he cut in.

“Please don’t apologize for him,” he said, finally meeting her eyes. “I understand him.” He nodded, seemingly to himself. “We all carry things with us that we’d sooner forget.” He drained the last of his kanar and set the glass down lightly.

“I think,” he added quietly, “that I should return to my quarters.” That tendril of sadness around Emrys squeezed a little tighter, wishing that this visit could have been easier, more positive. A small part of her whispered that it also would have been nice to have more time to talk to Daro alone. But she couldn't imagine how exhausted he must be, how uncomfortable.

“Of course,” she replied. “May I walk with you?”

Daro gave her a small smile. “I would enjoy that very much.”

Emrys noticed how Daro slowed his pace as they made their way through the halls of the Enterprise and hummed thoughtfully.

“You know, Glinn Daro,” Emrys admitted, tucking her hands behind her back and glancing up at him thoughtfully, “you are unlike any Cardassian I’ve ever met.”

His eye ridges rose slightly as he looked back at her. “Is that a good thing?”

Emrys nodded emphatically. “Definitely. You are infinitely more approachable.”

“Well,” he replied as they reached his door, “if that is what has allowed me the pleasure of your company, then it is a trait I am happy to have.”

Emrys flushed, dipping her head to hide her flustered expression. Forcing herself to look at him, she found her voice again.

“The pleasure has been all mine, truly.”

The warmth in his eyes seemed to spill over as he gazed at her. “I bid you goodnight, Commander.”

Emrys inclined her head, allowing a smile to pull at her lips. “Goodnight, Glinn.”

#star trek #star trek tng #star trek the next generation #glinn daro x oc #glinn daro #glinn daro x fem!oc #daro star trek #st tng the wounded #cardassians #i officially have cardassian brainrot #i love him your honor #deanna troi #will riker #captain picard #miles o'brien

9 notes · View notes

lovelymissoye · 6 months

Text

"Slip Slidin' Away"

Happy October 21st! You wondering how classic movie monster, The Blob, is handling the pandemic? I know I am! Find out the answer to this super specific question in "Slip Slidin' Away", episode 3 of Hauntingly Humdrum!

***

RadioPublic

Spotify

Google

Apple

RSS

***

Episode written by D. J. Sylvis (@monkeymanproductions). Another person I love working with and another episode that I never would have thought to do and I'm so happy to have exist! It takes a more melancholic tone and really balances out the series as a whole

The Blob was performed by Mike Cuellar One of the fastest casting decisions I've ever made! And Mike did not disappoint! Great performance, great voice!

Episode sound designed by Nikko Goldstein Nikko was an absolute tour de force and worked magic with every single episode they touched! If you have the chance to work with them? Take it!

#hauntingly humdrum #humdrumpod #audio fiction #audio drama #halloween #the blob #if yall want me to change your links just let me know!

7 notes · View notes

screamingforyears · 2 months

Text

IN A MINUTE: // A NEW MUSIC ROUNDUP….

“INTERSTITIAL ENMITY” is the lead single from @aberrationdeath’s forthcoming debut album titled ‘Refracture’ (3/22 @sentientruin) & it finds the Minneapolis-based quartet of JH (Aberrations), DH (Emanations), AW (Lacerations) & EC (Abominations) spreading their “Light-devouring abyssal death metal (featuring members of Void Rot, Suffering Hour & Nothingness)” vibe across 7 sprawled out mins of blackened DeathMetal.

“PASTEL PRISON” is the second single/lead track from @doodseskader’s forthcoming sophomore LP titled ‘Year Two’ (3/8) & it finds the Belgian duo of vocalist/bassist Tim De Gieter & vocalist/drummer Sigfried Burrough embracing their sensually soft side while dealing w/ an isolation that spawns a “longing & desire for companionship” across 4+ mins of grungily blown-out & caustically quiet DoomerNoize.

@lessercare are fucking back w/ “STREETWEAR,” a sampled taste from their forthcoming LP titled ‘Heel Turn’ (3/22) & it finds the EPTX-based duo of composer/lyricist/vocalist/guitarist Andres Chavez & drummer/percussionist/vocalist Zane Pacillas (w/ a special shoutout to bassist/guitarist Angel Yglecias) bringing those glammy gloomer goods across a surging 3:43 clip of six-string ringing, low-end pushing & passionately cooed PostPunk.

“SPLICE” is the lead single/track from @m00npuss’ forthcoming LP titled ‘Death Is Coming’ (5/3 @tgic_recs) & it finds the Denver based trio of vocalist/bassist Crissy Cuellar, guitarist Ethan A Hahn & drummer Cory Hager stutteringly agitating their way across 3 mins of murkily morose & start/stopping NoiseRock.

////

#screamingforyears #music #songs #postpunk #goth #rock #indie #indierock #alternative #aesthetic #metal #deathmetal #blackmetal #Bandcamp

3 notes · View notes

beardedmrbean · 5 months

Text

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secret Service agents protecting President Joe Biden’s granddaughter opened fire after three people tried to break into an unmarked Secret Service vehicle in the nation’s capital, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

The agents, assigned to protect Naomi Biden, were out with her in the Georgetown neighborhood late Sunday night when they saw the three people breaking a window of the parked and unoccupied SUV, the official said. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on Monday on the condition of anonymity.

One of the agents opened fire, but no one was struck by the gunfire, the Secret Service said in a statement. The three people were seen fleeing in a red car, and the Secret Service said it put out a regional bulletin to Metropolitan Police to be on the lookout for it.

Washington has seen a significant rise in the number of carjackings and car thefts this year. Police have reported more than 750 carjackings this year and more than 6,000 reports of stolen vehicles in the district. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas was carjacked near the Capitol last month by three armed assailants, who stole his car but didn’t physically harm him.

Violent crime in Washington has also been on the rise this year, up more than 40% compared with last year. In February, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota was assaulted in her apartment building, suffering bruises while escaping serious injury.

#nunyas news

6 notes · View notes

elimgarakdemocrat · 1 year

Text

"""

My fellow free peoples,

There is an ancient Terran story, about a city called Rome. It reigned over it's subjects with an iron fist. When it was defied, it turned it's enemies lands into a desert, and called it peace. It's watchword, "woe to the conquered."

But every sun must set, and one day a tribal army sacked Rome. The citizens negotiated a peace tribute, to be paid in 5 kilos of gold, and the tribe agreed. But the tribal leader weighed the scales, so the Romans cried out that this was unfair.

And to that, the leader threw his sword upon the scales, and declared "woe to the conquered."

Was he wrong?

[Crowd: NO!]

How dare they demand fairness!

How dare they demand grace!

How dare they demand nuance!

[Crowd chants: How Dare They! How Dare They!]

Cardassia now demands fairness, demands grace, demands nuance. And our friends across the aisle, latinum tower Liberals sitting on Terra

[Crowd boos]

on Vulcan,

[Louder boos]

on Risa

[Deafening boos]

are too caught up in performing their misplaced sympathy to see this for the act it is.

There's an ancient parable about a scorpion and a frog

[Crowd groans, chuckles]

Oh [smirks], you've heard this one before, have you?

[Crowd laughs]

[Face darkens] Well it's time to crush that scorpion under our feet.

[Crowd cheers]

Full Coachella: woe to the conquered!

[Deafening cheers]

Thank you, and may you walk as free peoples today and tomorrow!

[Loud cheers]

"""

- Ralph Emerson (FP-Cuellar), leader of the maquish Free Peoples Party, at the January 15 2379 emergency meeting of the party to discuss the invocation of the Treaty of Coachella by the Bajoran foreign ministry.

This is part of a series I'm calling Exarchates, about the politics of Bajor and Cardassia post DS9.

#exarchates #ds9 #star trek #politics #bajor #cardassia #maquis

18 notes · View notes

mrhearty-arts · 1 year

Text

The Dawn of Count Damian - Character design

Help, I've become too attached to the characters I made for a school project.

"After being bitten by an eccentric client, the frustrated grocery employee formerly known as David Cuellar transforms into a vampire, which grants him freedom from his dull existence. Taking the new identity of Count Damian, the newly turned vampire sets on a journey to find new friends, new foes and a new purpose in life."

Character info under the cut

Count Damian/David Cuellar: A horror loving, slightly pessimistic young man who dreams of becoming a screenwriter but has been jaded by his rocky background. Stuck in a job he hates just to keep an apartment that's crumbling down, when he meets an actual vampire and discovers the existence of magical creatures he decides to throw this monotone life out of the window and dive into this new, exciting world.

Duke Paimon: An eccentric and joyful gentleman from the Victorian Era turned into a vampire by his lover and then went on a crime spree that went on for centuries. During the 80s he was a pretty famous actor but went into a deep depression after the failure of what he considered his greatest movie. 40 years later he has resurfaced in search of a new adventure and comes across David, whom he would drag into his shenanigans.

4. Maeve Edenmore: Maeve was born a vampire but has always been enamored with the human world, especially their fashion. She joins her father Paimon on his little trip to finally experience the wonders of this new world first hand and help Damian come out of his shell. Despite her bubbly and sweet appearance however, she does have a taste for chaos and is very much a menace.

José Cuellar: A well-meaning yet slightly neurotic film director, José never believed in magic or monsters until his dead cousin rose up from the grave with a set of fangs and a thirst for blood. He ends up joining forces with a group of vampire hunters thinking he could cure David of his “disease” and is unknowingly dragged onto something greater than himself.

Madame Hekate: Regal, elegant and vain, Hekate is a high-class vampire and considered an influential figure in the vampire world. Despite this, her long-lived rivalry with Duke Paimon has pushed her to team up with José and even the vampire hunters in order to finally get even with the duke.

Goldiath Van Helsing: A direct descendant of Abraham Van Helsing and leader of the monster hunting organization known as the Vanquishers, Goldiath has been chasing Paimon since his boyhood years to no avail. Despite being 98 years old and being considered a lunatic by his subordinates, when he encounters a chance of getting closer to capturing the vampire for his purposes he gets back into action with the wit of a fox and a determination to capture the vampire for his sinister purposes.

#my art #adri draws #character design #oc: count damian #oc: duke paimon #oc: maeve edenmore #oc: josé cuellar #oc: madame hekate #oc: goldiath van helsing #the dawn of count damian #vampires #monster #digital art #character lineup #artists on tumblr

9 notes · View notes

kyleex8 · 10 months

Text

Tuesday June 27th, 2023

I’m at work on break. Currently, I work as a Security Officer for Pickering Casino. I did my Shambhavi this morning and it hit me good! I plan to do it again tonight after work and see how that goes. Today from 0800 to 0900 I was at Delta 1 with my crush, Flower, at Delta 2. We played, “Would you rather” for a bit. Then I asked her if she had the powers of GOD for 2 hours what would she do? She said that she’d create a Women’s Society with mostly only women, and then she would clean out the ocean’s pollution. I then asked her if there would be any men in that society and she said, “Yes. You, Cuellar and my brother.” I had a good laugh after that. I would survive her destruction of the male species. She then added that the women would be able to reproduce by themselves to continue the human race. All I know is that she decided I would be kept alive, but she didn’t mention her boyfriend! XD. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shambhavi is going amazing! I cried a few times today before I even left my house! I plan to keep doing this 2x a day until March 1, 2024. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I decided a few days ago that the job that I will work towards is personal training. So I will have to do the fitness health and promotion course at Humber College In September 2024. That is the goal anyways. I plan to see if I can find some new Vaeh’s or even Brooke’s there within the 2 years I’ll be at school. Shiva, Bhairavi, and Sadhguru----------------- ACKNOWLEDGE ME! LMAO JK.... But please don’t ever let your grace leave me again! On a scale of 1-10 I’m at about an 8.8 today. I’m kind of tired, but I’m happy. I still have about 9 hours of work to go, but today is definitely a good day. I have 2 days off after this. Then this weekend I plan to go to Sugars! I wonder if I’ll see Rukie XP.

2 notes · View notes

little-catholic-diva · 2 years

Link

"Who is she to decide what's the standard of being a real Democrat," he said. "I would ask her to look up the definition of a progressive in the dictionary," he continued. "It says that a progressive is one that's open to new ideas. The only thing wrong with some of these new progressives is that they're not open to the new ideas, they're only open to their ideas. And somebody down the line came up with a standard that the only standard there should be is 'you have to agree with me, and if you don't agree with me, then you're the pro-enemy' and that's what makes it so hard to work in Congress because people set these artificial standards when we ought to be looking at how do we work together."

#henry cuellar #aoc #progressives #liberals

15 notes · View notes

odinsblog · 2 years

Note

Pelosi trying to save a Dem in a red state isn't an attack on abortion rights. A) the Republican taking his place will be anti choice B) controlling the house is more important than one Democrat's abortion stance C) the house doesn't approve supreme court justices the Senate does so this Democrats position is meaningless in the scheme of things and probably only holds that stance to get elected in a red state. D) these both party posts are dishonest and harmful to the cause of women's rights because it excuses Republicans from blame. Turning off comments is an admission you know the post is weak.

[I’m honestly unsure which post this ask is referring to, but just search my blog for “Nancy Pelosi” or “Joe Biden” or “neoliberalism” and it’s probably one of those]

Okay, for no particular reason, let’s do this in reverse order:

“these both party posts are dishonest and harmful to the cause of women's rights because it excuses Republicans from blame. Turning off comments is an admission you know the post is weak.”

I am not an elected official. Furthermore, I am not an elected official who has backed anti-abortion legislation. The fact that you can even fix your mouth to blame me and hold me to a higher standard than an anti-abortion, conservative “Democrat” who literally makes laws says everything about blue MAGA cultists that I so thoroughly hate. My tumblr posts aren’t stopping anyone from receiving an abortion. Henry Cuellar and Nancy Pelosi are. You are a coward, a sheep and a cultist who is more devoted to protecting your problematic faves - hardly different from Trump cultists; they root for the red team regardless of harmful policy, and you root for team blue regardless of harmful policies. You have much much more in common with Trumpers than you think.

Please learn the meaning of words. “Dishonest” implies that I said something untrue or misleading. I did not. If I say that Nancy Pelosi is supporting an anti-abortionist, it is not “dishonest” just because it hurts your feelings or upsets you. Grow tf up. If it can be killed by the truth, then so be it.

Republicans are absolutely to blame, but so are the conservative Democrats who aided and abetted them along the way. They are complicit.

I block and turn off comments because, contrary to popular belief, I am not required to respond to every sycophant with a keyboard and internet access. Idgaf what your momma told you, you are not a ✨special boy✨ and everyone isn’t required to respond to your every foolhardy, ridiculous utterance.

“the house doesn't approve supreme court justices the Senate does so this Democrats position is meaningless in the scheme of things and probably only holds that stance to get elected in a red state.”

Are you familiar with something called micro-aggressions? It’s kind of like death by a thousand cuts—on its own, one single cut (or micro-aggression) might not be that damaging. But the effects are cumulative. It’s the same with structural racism, or structural patriarchy. You might be able to escape one individual system, but when you put them all together, they can be insurmountable. If that’s too obtuse, think of chopping down a tree with an axe. No one single swing of the axe will fell a giant tree, but add up dozens and dozens of them, and… well, hopefully you get my point.

So, now consider all of the various anti-abortion laws, all around the country, enacted from Roe to now. They also have cumulative impacts, and at the end of the day, the only measure that matters on MY scorecard is, did it help the pro-choice movement, or did it hurt the pro-choice movement? Did Biden endorsing the Hyde amendment all the way up until June of 2019 help, or did it hurt? Does adding more anti-abortion politicians to Congress help the pro-choice movement, or hurt the pro-choice movement?

And remember, I’m not talking about laws that have momentary impacts—as we are about to find out, these trap laws and seemingly “unimportant” little changes of language and definitions? They have long lasting, generational results. And some people in the Democratic leadership have been helping chip away at Roe since almost before I was born. And I’m 37.

If Cuellar’s anti-abortion stance is so “meaningless” then why not support the pro-choice woman, Jessica Cisneros?

And something I find simultaneously funny and deeply offensive is how neoliberals switched from, “Roe is the most important thing in the universe,” to, “Hey, you don’t understand politics. The Democrats just have to nominate this anti-abortionist because if they nominate the pro-choice Democrat, that’s going to hurt Roe.” The amount of mental gymnastics and cognitive dissonance going on here is impressive. Do you guys even listen to yourselves before you spout this utter bullshit??

Finally, you’ve gone through a lot of trouble to frame this as a do or die situation, where if the anti-abortion “Democratic” candidate loses, then a Republican will absolutely positively win. The only problem with that intentionally deceptive lie is, it’s a relatively safe blue district:

Despite what corporate Dems would have you believe, it’s been a Democratic district for a good long minute now. Cuellar has won by healthy margins in the past, and I refuse to believe that any capable, passionate Democrat couldn’t do the same, IF they had the full backing and support of the DNC and the DCCC. Unfortunately, the DNC is bound and determined not to see another AOC type politician be successful.

“the Republican taking his place will be anti choice”

LMAO. I saved the stupidest argument for last. Y’all is really arguing that if we don’t elect OUR homophobic anti-abortionist, then Republicans will elect their homophobic anti-abortionist!! WTF?

At first it was “protect Roe,” but now it’s “protect Democrats”

This is why more and more people are beginning to see the Democratic Party as a fucking joke, only sometimes distinguishable from Republicans. I mean, bloody hell, what’s the fucking use of having a “Democrat” who mostly votes with Republicans??? Do the words “pyrrhic victory” mean anything at all to you blue MAGA sycophants??

If Republicans really do flip the house and the Senate, they’re going to flip the switch on the filibuster in a nanosecond. Democrats need to stop prioritizing “civility,” “bipartisanship” and “compromise” with the goddamn Christofascist Republican Party. Democrats need to fight conservatives every bit as hard as they fight progressives on the left. JFC. If not now, then when the fucking fuck???

I mean, yeah, obviously fuck Republicans and their Libertarian accomplices, but also: FUCK ANY AND EVERY DEMOCRAT WHO ISN’T GONNA GO DOWN FIGHTING TO PROTECT ROE V. WADE.

#bmsfloyd-blog #ask #answered #politics #blue maga #nancy pelosi #bidenism #clintonism #centrism #neoliberalism #abortion #reproductive rights #reproductive justice #womens rights #healthcare

39 notes · View notes

jimothy-hopkins · 1 year

Text

Meddling Kids. Part I

WARNING! This work may contain topics that are uncomfortable to some people. Such as slut-shaming and implied use of hard drugs. Please read at your own risk.

This is a part of a Manhunt/Bully crossover, I think that kinda gives a briefing to some of the things that'll be mentioned.

The air was apprehensive and cold. Bullworth had never felt this way before. Jimmy first figured it was the change in season, but not even the holiday joy from December could erase the underlying dread the small town felt.

People had been going missing, disappearing out of thin air. During the first semester, two homeless people turned up missing. But nobody even cared.

Then January came, and a student had disappeared. Jimmy faintly remembered her, Alice Cuellar. She was a prep, a close friend of Pinky and Gord. Talented, intelligent, and easy to talk to as well. She was happy, living a life with her two friends and girlfriend.

That was what bothered Jimmy.

He remembered the night Angelina had come crying to him, begging for Jimmy to help post fliers of her girlfriend. His gut wrenched at the recent memory. Jimmy couldn’t imagine the sinking she felt.

Jimmy was going to bring Alice home.

“Who do you think could be a suspect?” Jimmy asked, turning to his friends.

“Anybody,” Pete answered.

“I was thinking the greaseballs,” Gary answered.

“No, they don’t seem jaded enough to do something like that,” Jimmy mumbled.

“Well, I might have an idea,” Pete spoke.

“Well, go ahead, hack it up,” Gary said.

“Edward’s close to her, or was. He always spent time with her,” Pete explained.

“So, what you’re saying is the guy coulda done it outta jealousy or sumn?” Jimmy raised a brow.

“I mean, no. I’m not accusing the guy of that, but I know that Edward didn't like Angelina,”

“Hm,” Jimmy hummed, “well, I think we might have a shot at who it is. But we need evidence first.”

“I say we should look through his dorm,” Gary proposed with a sly grin.

“We can’t just dig through Edward’s things, Gary,” Pete said.

“Pete, no offense, but I think we have no choice,” Jimmy turned.

Pete sighed in defeat and dropped his head, retrieving a master key from his pocket.

The trio walked to the prefect dorms, a house-like building with intimidating architecture to match the nasty attitude of the ones who resided in it. Gary stood and looked through a window, listening closely for any noises.

“I think Branting’s in there. We gotta be quiet,” Gary dropped, sticking his landing.

“Lovely,” Jimmy rolled his eyes.

Pete carefully opened the door, allowing the other two to sneak inside before gently closing it behind himself.

Jimmy listened for subtle noises before crouching and quickly shuffling down the hall. Gary and Pete followed suit until they reached a hallway with three doors.

“Edward’s room is the second on the left.” Pete pointed ahead.

They approached the door, carefully opening it and roughly shoving themselves inside in a last-minute fit of panic.

“Finally,” Jimmy breathed, wandering around the large bedroom.

Jimmy meddled underneath Edward's bed. However, he only found empty designer boxes.

Pete had taken the liberty of rummaging through dresser drawers and various containers. Meanwhile, Gary ransacked the older student’s bathroom.

“God- it smells like vomit in here!” Gary gagged.

“I was just about to say that,” Pete nodded.

Jimmy shoved one last empty box underneath Edward’s bed, standing up again. He glanced over to the bed, peeling back the comforter and various sheets under it, but nothing was there. A grunt of dissatisfaction left him. He moved on to the mountain of pillows at the head of the bed. Jimmy took the case off of every last one but hadn't found anything in them.

“Gary!” Jimmy called.

“What moron?” Gary turned, swinging himself around the doorframe.

“You find any girly stuff in there? Like shampoo or tampons?”

“Yeah, but Edward’s a slut. He sleeps with girls all the time.”

“Well, do you see anything she’d use?”

“No, the shit’s dirt cheap. Alice liked expensive things,” Gary answered.

Jimmy nodded to him, turning back to his search.

He walked to a dresser, pulling open drawers and digging through mounds of Aquaberry, Ariat, and Prada. Jimmy closed those drawers, reaching for one in the middle pulling it open, and digging around before he grabbed something small.

Retracting his hand, Jimmy felt his heart stop.

“Guys- you better come see this shit,” Jimmy called over his shoulder.

Quickly two pairs of footsteps rushed over, the tall cousins looming over his shoulder.

“Wh- oh my god-” Pete gasped.

“No way, he’s a fucking cokehead?” Gary spoke in awe, an open-mouthed smile on his face, “That explains all the bloody tissues I found in the trash,”

“We should go,” Jimmy said.

“Come on. You wanna try some?” Gary elbowed.

“That’s not funny, Gary,” Pete scolded, “we needa leave.”

“Don’t have to ask me twice,’ Jimmy grimaced as he tossed the small bag of cocaine back in the drawer and slammed it shut.

The group wasted no time scrambling out of the prefect's dorms, running back to safety at the parking lot.

“What do we do?..” Pete asked warily.

“We don’t say shit,” Jimmy snapped.

#bully scholarship edition #bully canis canem edit #bully anniversary edition #canis canem edit #bully rockstar #bully cce #bullworth academy #jimmy hopkins #jimmy bully cce #gary smith #gary smith cce #pete kowalski #pete kowalski bully #edward seymour ii #manhunt rockstar #manhunt 2003 #manhunt/bully crossover #meddling kids #meddling kids bully

15 notes · View notes

shirkers2018dirsanditan · 2 years

Text

i think conflating disinformation with propaganda is in part to distract from the fact that propaganda is not even remotely partisan…lol but also. and i’m just gonna cram a lot of stuff into this post because i’ve been constantly thinking about it.

the 2016 election really destroyed a lot of people, not only conservatives, and it not only represented but further entrenched this mistrust and disbelief in your neighborhoods, in collective power, in democracy. it made a lot of people, not only extremists and republicans, more conservative. and partisanship got ridiculous. it was proof what we’re doing is not working and is actually quite terrible for most people. and instead of saying, okay these are the old strategies of strife and discord. blame it on the blacks, jewish people, immigrants, “terrorism,” the radicals, then blame it on asians and gay people and “woke culture” and whatever. like instead of saying, yeah this is the eisenhower playbook, the nixon playbook, the reagan playbook, the bush playbook (and the clinton playbook, and the roosevelt playbook, and the johnson playbook……even the obama playbook to an extent)…..we just created a new class of technocrats and talking heads and meaningless beltway politicking. we made new ways for people to make money off of strife…which made it worse….

meanwhile, our brains keep getting broken. like, how many people, no matter what has happened, will repeatedly - literally over and over and over and over and - say “this is why you should’ve voted for hillary! if only bernie sanders blah blah” so all of this is the left’s fault, which is also a very old playbook, but being used by people it does not actually benefit. like that was pretty meaningless in 2017, even, it’s certainly meaningless now. like, me personally? i didn’t vote for hillary. because i was fucking 17 years old. i convinced my mom to in the primary, but if i could go back in time i wouldn’t. but it doesn’t matter, anyway. i couldn’t vote, but i also live in texas. i believe every vote counts, absolutely, but i’m not stupid. it wouldn’t have mattered if i didn’t vote for either main party the presidential election in 2016 because texas was not turning blue, and if i DIDNT vote for trump or hillary, it would still be contributing to the erosion of republican dominance in texas, numbers wise. either way, it has no impact on the election. so, enough already. enough.

and i’m gonna keep going even though this post is too long already, but on that note. again, i just voted today in the primary runoffs. i left two slots blank because there was not enough of a difference between the candidates, but i voted and i vote in every election unless i am literally prevented from doing so (as i was in the democratic primary in 2020 because they didn’t send my mail in ballot until it was too late. i got it after the election was over 🙄). but i don’t see how it helps anyone to pretend like we don’t understand apathy among voters. like, for how many people, how common is it, that no matter who is in office, your life is largely the same? it is without a doubt true that this administration has done some good things already, some really fucking major things, yes. but some of those have already been undone. there are campaign promises they have already straight up broken (i thought we stood with immigrants?). but also, there is the fact that both parties DO have a vested interest in the status quo. they’re not the same, but they are both american political parties, in which most politicians are ridiculously wealthy and live lives completely out of touch with most americans’. and i understand why for many people it is so frustrating to be beat over the head with “vote blue no matter who” when they are not delivering, and too often not even trying. like, democrats are supposed to support abortion rights, and yet they are throwing their weight behind henry fucking cuellar in tx-28, who is avidly anti-abortion. and it’s because he’s an incumbent and they’re incumbents and thus they have a vested interest in opposing primary challengers. but what does that communicate about their position on abortion? that it’s less important than their personal power and influence. the tragedy that happened today…the fucking groundhog’s day of carnage in this country….i do believe the democratic party supports gun control, yes i do. but it is clear they don’t support it more than they do the status quo of governance because they are not willing to do whatever it takes to get it done. and shrugging at this and saying, well they don’t have the votes, this that or the other…come on. you and i know that is not going to cut it. it is not true that a party in charge of both congress and the presidency has no power to change the law…..it’s DIFFICULT. yeah. every fucking thing is. tell me one thing that comes easy? but they are not even choosing easy….they’re too often choosing nothing at all.

our government was not designed to produce radical change, but to suppress it. it was not designed to liberate the masses, but to suppress us. yes, this is true. none of that means we just pack up and go home. none of that makes voting worthless, that’s insane. nothing is an end all be all magic bullet. not even so-called revolution. but you have to believe in a strategy to be committed to it, believe in a candidate to vote for them, that’s a fair thing to demand. sometimes, you have to settle, yes. but arguing all voting is about settling is not true….and when you double down on trying to demonize ANY candidate that can inspire people, i question your commitment to democracy, i do.

#this is a mess i just needed ot get this out of my head #like im not a both sideser but im also not naive #and i do believe a multiparty system would strengthen our democracy i think its not fair that it is so hard for people to run for office #i believe in democracy and i want to see democracy in america in my lifetime #not merely an imitation of it

17 notes · View notes