netflix is making a hockey show called "the sticks" that is based on a very real tragedy that occured in canada in 2018.
the show follows a minnesota high school team after their bus crashes and coming back to hockey afterwards.
in 2018, the humboldt broncos' (a junior A team made up of 18-22 year olds) bus was hit by a tractor trailer on a highway intersection. 16 people (10 players, 2 coaches, and 4 team staff members) were killed, along with 13 other players severely injured.
the memory of the humboldt broncos crash is an incredibly sensitive subject carrying a lot of trauma to both the survivors, their families, and deceased's families. the trajectory of hockey in canada was changed significantly after this tragedy.
despite this, netflix has decided to make a show using the death of young hockey players for profit. they did not consult the survivors, nor the deceased's families. they stole a canadian story for a feel-good cash grab.
i understand wanting to watch shows about hockey, but this is not the show to watch. do not give it attention, as the humboldt broncos' memories deserve to be theirs and theirs alone to share.
We Canadians remember the Humboldt tragedy, always. It deeply scarred our whole country.
The fact that none of the families of people who were involved in the crash were consulted or respected (just googling it you can immediately see all the backlash itâs getting) is sickening.
âhow to recognize AI in fanficâ â hey so this is another not-gentle reminder that AI stole from us. itâs using OUR words and OUR sentences and OUR styles.
writing âlongâ paragraphs is not a sign of AI â itâs a common narrative choice many writers make both in fanfiction and in traditionally published novels, and AI stole it from us.
using an em dash is not a sign of AI. itâs a stylistic sentence choice thatâs been an option in place of commas and semicolons for a very long time, and AI stole it from us.
long sentence structures are not a sign of AI, but are yet another stylistic choice writers often make to create a cadence and tone that mimics the flow of poetry, and AI stole it from us.
âYA narrative breaksâ? i donât even know what the fuck this means, but i can guarantee that AI stole it from us.
italics are once again a stylistic choice that many writers love to use to create emphasis, and itâs a more stylistically acceptable and traditional form of emphasis than bold or underline text. oh, and just to be extra clear: AI STOLE IT FROM US.
stop creating fandom witch hunts over AI when you know fuck all about what it means to sit and write a story, and to spend hours fiddling with sentence structure and dialogue to get the exact right tone. writers will stop writing out of fear that their work âsounds like AIâ â IT DOESNT! AI STOLE FROM US! AI SOUNDS LIKE US! â and after a while, all that will be available on AO3 is shitty AI-generated fanfiction.
because yeah, people are going to continue to use AI to write fanfiction whether you âcall them outâ or not. but making a laughable thread on X that uses asinine criteria is not going to fix that problem. it will just push the real writers out because people will accuse them of using AI when they havenât, and they will (rightfully) stop writing for spaces that attack them.
why do americans think everyone on the internet lives in the same place as them. just saw someone say honeybees are "not native". not native to where????? the entire planet?????
saw a photo of garlic mustard somewhere on the internet once and americans in the comments were like "fun fact this plant is invasive so you should definitely tear out any you see, WITH THE ROOTS so it won't spread!" whole fucking time i'm living in garlic mustard native range. i don't think i will be doing that.
Whee! Thank you for the prompts, they are such a lovely part of my day. <3 I'd like another follow up to the fake dating mission, please! :D https://www.tumblr.com/airas-story/823798666150166529/another-follow-up-for-the-fake-dating-mission
Sequel to one, two, and three.
Itâd been almost an hour and Sam was wondering whether Tony would break Steve before they managed to get Stephen and Tony to see sense. Steve had officially created a dating profile with Natashaâs helpâand the dings from his phone meant that it was getting a lot of attentionâhad admitted to an alarming number of childhood shenanigans, and posted some of his art on his barely used social media profile that Natasha had started for him years ago, which had only increased the number of notifications coming from Steveâs phone. And that was just the start.
Tony was showing no mercy.
Admittedly, Sam thought that some of Tonyâs dares might be good for Steveâhe really did need to date and showing off his art only made him look more human to those idolizing himâbut that wasnât the point of it all. The point of it all was to get Tony and Stephen to see sense.
The rest of them hadnât gone unscathedâamongst other things, Sam had been dared to eat an habanero, seeds and all, and was just glad they hadnât had any spicier peppers in the compoundâbut he was starting to question the reliability of this method of matchmaking.Â
Sure, Tony had kissed Stephen and had admitted to Stephen being his favorite in a fairly basic âtruthâ, Stephen had needed to list his desired traits in a partnerâwhich had been so obviously a description of Tony, that Tony had to be oblivious for not realizingâas his own âtruthâ and then sit on Tonyâs lap for a âdareâ. Both Tonyâs and Stephenâs cheeks had gone pink and not quite lost that color yet, but beyond that there was nothing. That wasnât even all of the truths and dares thrown in their direction, and yet Tony and Stephen were still very obviously in denial.
Sam was almost at the point where he voted they just shove the two of them in the closet. But given it was Tony and Stephen, Sam doubted there wasnât a closet in existence that could hold them if they didnât want to be there. The downside to utter competence.
Despite their current failures, Natasha didnât seem deterred, and she was once again upâhaving just proven that it was possible, if uncomfortable, to eat a tablespoon of cinnamon in one minuteâand Sam couldnât help but hope that this time was the time they got the right reaction. Her gaze was focused on Stephen. âStephen, truth or dare.â
Stephen narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. âTruth,â he said after a moment.Â
Natasha smiled, her smile shark sharp. Sam could tell something big was coming and he grabbed a few chocolate covered cashews to enjoy what he hoped was their moment of victory. âDo you love Tony?â
Sam nearly choked on the cashews. They werenât supposed to get that direct! That hadnât been the plan.
Stephen froze in place while Tony let out a startled noise, even as he stared at Stephen wide eyed, though Sam wasnât sure if it was hope or panic in his eyes.
Stephen glanced at Tony, then back at Natasha, then back at Tony. There was a forfeit, for anyone who chose to back out, but no one had used it yet. If Stephen used it now, then Sam knew theyâd have made anti-progress.
âI do,â Stephen said, though his tone was not quite as confident as Stephen normally managed.
âYou do?â Tony blurted out, staring at Stephen in shock.
Stephen shifted uneasily. âYes, but thatâs⌠you donât have to⌠That is to sayâŚâ
Sam caught sight of Natasha rolling her eyes. âYou know, Stephen, itâs your turn. Why donât you ask Tony truth or dare.â
Stephen once again glanced from Natasha to Tony. âTony,â he said slowly. âTruth orââ
âTruth,â Tony said, cutting Stephen off in his apparent eagerness. It was nice to see that, affirmation in place, Tony was more than willing to get with the program.
Stephen took a deep, heavy breath. âDo you love me?â Stephen asked.
âMadly,â Tony said, before pulling Stephen in for a kiss that was surprisingly desperate for two men who had kissed less than an hour ago.
âFinally,â Sam muttered, satisfied.
Tony pulled back, looking at him. âYou know, in hindsight, you guys were not subtle.â
âAnd yet it still took you an hour to pick up on it,â Natasha pointed out.
Tonyâs nose wrinkled in disgruntlement. âLetâs not dwell,â he said. âAm I to take it that this game is over, now that youâve achieved your goal. Or do I get to torture Steve again?â
Sam laughed as Steve immediately protested Tony having another turn. He threw back another handful of cashews before leaning back, utterly satisfied. All in all, itâd been absolutely worth it.
Another follow up for the Fake Dating mission, please! đ https://www.tumblr.com/airas-story/817361692756508672/could-we-get-a-follow-up-for-the-fake-dating?
Sequel to one and two.
âSeriously?â Tony asked, sounding a mix of amused and horrified. âAre we teenagers?â
Natashaâs expression was perfectly genuine, and Sam was honestly impressed. âTruth or Dare is excellent for team bonding.â
âIâm not sure I agree with that,â Stephen murmured, just loud enough to hear. âI thought this was a party,â he added louder. âNot a team bonding exercise.â
âMulti-tasking,â Steve said cheerfully. âWe can do both.â
Vision spoke up, as instructed. âIâve never had the opportunity to participate in what Iâve been told is a staple of both the teen and college years.â
Sam saw Tony look immediately conflicted. Natasha was right, he had a weak spot for Vision. Of course, it was Natasha and she was very good at knowing about peopleâs weak spots. âWell,â Tony said slowly. âI suppose it is a party gameâŚâ
Stephen gave in next, just as Natasha had predicted. If theyâd used Vision as Tonyâs weak point, then they'd used Tony as Stephenâs.
Sam had to admit that he was a little hesitant about the game himself. Yes, it was going to give them multiple chances to get Tony and Stephen to see senseâthere was a pre-approved list of truths and dares to pose to the twoâbut it also meant the rest of them were fair game. Sam didnât want to know what truths Natasha could wrangle out or dares that Tony could think up.Â
Truth or Dare was far better than spin the bottle or seven minutes in heaven, which had been considered for a short time. Sam wasnât ashamed to say heâd helped Steve put the kibosh on those, even if Wanda had promised she could make sure the bottles landed on the right people.
They all settled on the floor, different snacks settled around them. Sam stole the chocolate covered cashews, narrowing his eyes at Steve who looked like he wanted to take a few. These were Samâs.
âAll right,â Tony asked. âWho starts?â
âI do, of course,â Natasha said. She smiled at Tony, eyes glinting with devious glee. âTony, truth or dare.â
Tony wrinkled his nose. âI donât think I considered just how dangerous this game was going to be,â he said. âIâm not sure I trust you with either a truth or a dare.â
Natasha just arched an eyebrow, smug and challenging.
Tony, of course, wasnât the sort to back down from a challenge. âDare,â he said. âPlease remember, youâre not allowed any dares that will have my PR team sending Pepper after me.â
Sam snorted, because honestly? Fair. âNo dares that will have the Avengers PR coming after any of us,â he agreed.
That earned an exaggerated sigh from Natasha. âWell, if you insist on putting limitationsâŚâ She looked at Tony. âWeâll start easy. I dare you to kissâŚâ She looked around the room as though trying to decide who to make Tony kiss. Theyâd played around with the âjealousyâ card, but had decided not to go that routeâsomething about the psychology of rewards versus punishment. âStephen,â she finally finished.
The faintest hint of pink touched Tonyâs cheekâSam didnât think heâd ever seen Tony blush beforeâbefore he shrugged nonchalantly. âAll right, get over here Stephen.â Since the two hadâto no oneâs surpriseâsat next to each other, it was as easy as Stephen leaning in.
The kiss lingered a little longer than was really necessary, but that was somewhat the point. Stephen pulled back, a little pink in his cheeks, too.
âAll right,â Tony said, looking mostly unaffectedâSam didnât buy itâlooking around gleefully. âSteve, truth or dare.â
âDare,â Steve answered, expression making it clear he had no intention of backing down.
Oh. That was dangerous. Here was to hoping Tony didnât break Steve before they got Tony and Stephen to see sense.
Could we get a follow up for the fake dating mission snippet? https://airas-story.tumblr.com/post/815825017981026305/stephen-and-tony-fakedating-for-a-mission
Thank you for all the lovely snippets! <3
Sequel to this one.
âWe should celebrate,â Sam said, watching Tony and Stephen with what he hoped was hidden fascination. The two of them kept leaning into each othersâ space and touching each other in ways that could be considered overly familiar, before realizing what they were doing and jerking back and trying to pretend they hadnât.
âWhat are we celebrating?â Tony asked, pulling his gaze away from Stephen and to Sam with what seemed like extensive effort.Â
âThe early end to a terrorist cell and the containmentââ
ââand hopeful rehabilitation,â Stephen emphasized, the same way heâd been doing ever since theyâd apprehended the apprentice helping the terrorist cell and whisked them away to Kamar-Taj.
ââand hopeful rehabilitation,â Sam agreed, âof the sorcerer helping them.â He spread his hands in an isnât that obvious way.Â
âI agree,â Steve said quickly. âWe should definitely celebrate.â
âWe deserve it,â Natasha added.
Tony snorted. âDeserve it? You guys just want a party. Last I checked, Stephen and I were the ones who did all the work in dealing with this particular threat. Donât forget, we had to infiltrate a cruise ship full of the worst lovey-dovey tripe Iâve ever experienced.â He shuddered. âEverything was pink and there were hearts everywhere.â He paused, tone turning thoughtful. âThough I didnât mind the chocolate.â
âThe pink was rather atrocious,â Stephen agreed. âBut Iâd really think youâd have better taste in chocolate. The chocolate was rather lackluster.â
âThatâs because youâre a chocolate snob,â Tony teased, leaning towards Stephen with a sparkle in his eyes
âAs everyone should be,â Stephen said. âIâm just surprised that you, the rich billionaire, would enjoy chocolate too often compared to wax.â He was leaning into Tonyâs space, equally teasing. Sam had seen this body language over and over on the security cameras, and at this point, there was a good 50 percent chance of one of them stealing a quick kiss. At least that would have been the case on the cruise.
It must have been Tony who almost gave into the impulse, because he practically jerked back and away from Stephen, frustrated confusion in his eyes.
âWeâll make sure to make you and Stephen the guests of honor,â Natasha told Tony, bringing the attention to her and away from Tony and Stephen and the mixed signals they were sending each other. âBut the celebration is happening.â
Given the extensive plan that almost the entirety of the Avengers roster had put together while Tony and Stephen had been off on their mission to turn this celebration into the ultimate get-them-together-for-real-this-time event, this celebration was definitely happening.
âAs long as the decorations arenât pink,â Tony agreed with a shrug. âI will agree to a party.â
âAnd as long as the chocolate is not the cheap, waxy abominations from the cruise,â Stephen added. âA proper celebration requires proper chocolate.â
âSnob,â Tony teased again.
Stephen sniffed in exaggerated superiority. âNot my fault I know quality when I see it.â Given he was looking at Tony as he said that, something soft but a little sad and confused in his eyes, told Sam everything he needed to know: Stephen and Tony desperately needed the rest of the team to help the two of them figure things out.
âWell then,â Steve joined in. âThe celebrationââ he exchanged meaningful glances with both Sam and Natasha, ââis a go.â
Stephen and Tony fake!dating for a mission. Theyâre just a little too comfortable with each other though.
âShit,â Sam said, leaning back in his chair as they watched the video feed of the security cameras of the cruise ship from the helicarrier, far enough from the cruise ship to be out of sight as long as their retro-reflective panels kept working, ready to be called in if necessary. Not that he thought it would be necessary, Stephen and Tony were both competent on their own. Together? Sam honestly didnât think there was much they couldnât handle. They had worked well together from the start. Watching them? Sam was starting to think there were a lot of things about the two of them that⌠worked well together. âDo they realize?â
Steve gave Sam a confused look while Natasha shook her head. âThey have literally no idea.â
No idea. How could they have no idea? Watching them it just felt so obvious. Stephen and Tony had finagled their way onto this specific couples cruise last minute, and now they were âplayingâ at being deeply in love while they carefully planted a few bugs on a certain select people and in certain select places. Sam had to admit he was impressed, because even watching he hadnât actually seen Tony place any of the bugs, but four had already gone online after being properly set.
Natasha had said Tony was sneakier than he looked, but Sam honestly hadnât believed her. Natasha had also been the one who said that Tony and Stephen could pull off this particular con. Sam hadnât believed that either, not until now.
Steve cleared his throat slightly, clearly looking for an explanation. âWho doesnât know what?â he asked.
Sam waved at the video feed where they were all watching. âThose two. Theyâre in love with each other.â
The look Steve gave him was baffled. âYeah. Thatâs how itâs supposed to look.â
Sam shook his head. âNo man, theyâre in love with each other. And they donât know.â
Steve shook his head. âTheyâre notââ
âNo,â Natasha interrupted. âSamâs right. Theyâre in love with each other and donât know. Why else do you think I said we should send Stephen and Tony?â
âThis is a new terrorist cell working with a disgruntled apprentice who left Kamar-Taj and is using love charms to control people,â Steve reminded them. âStephen handles the magic, Tony gets into the files on this new group.â
Natasha pointed at Steve as though heâd hit the nail on the head. Even though he very much hadnât. âExactly. An apprentice who is using some sort of love charm. Love charms canât work on people who are already in love. I asked Wong about it. Stephen and Tony arenât at risk for getting compromised.â
They all looked at the security feed again. Tony was laughing, head thrown back and the delight obvious on his face even through a security feed. Stephen was watching him smugly, a soft expression on his face. It was that expression that had clued Sam in. Finally. Because that⌠that wasnât something the average person could fake. On the screen Tony stopped laughing, grinning at Stephen and the look in his eyes was⌠well, smitten.
âHuh,â Steve said, tone thoughtful. âAnd they donât know?â
âThey have no idea,â Natasha said. âI was kind of hoping this mission would clue them in. Knowing them, though, theyâre going to convince themselves that theyâre just that good at acting.â
Steve frowned, and Sam could practically see him deciding that they obviously couldnât let that stand.
Sam wasnât sure if that was a good thing or not, because when Steve decided things couldnât stand, he didnât exactly just sit back. He had to do something. Sam almost felt bad for Tony and Stephen, but really⌠it was for the best. And if Steve decided they had to do something about this⌠well, Sam was always up for helping Steve when it was a good cause.
