I just don't trust the charity organizations most of these places give to. Idk if I wanna give money to a charity that has connections to the things that keep us needing charity
Which is a separate and I agree much needed debate, but I have bad news for you about nearly every charity ever and the donations they take from corporations :D This is an issue for an overhaul of society, not a reason one shouldn’t give to a nonprofit that is otherwise doing good work.
Now, of course you can give to nonprofits that don’t do round-up campaigns, but almost any nonprofit that is big enough to be findable by a stranger takes money from people you probably don’t like. Some of our biggest donors are pharma companies and Trump supporters, but they’re the ones with the money and if we didn’t take their money we couldn’t do any good with it, so there’s not much to do but shrug and put it to good use and follow rigorous ethical guidelines about quid pro quo.
That said, if you have a strong belief against supporting anyone who takes dirty money, which is understandable, then I would suggest the best place for you to donate is to political advocacy groups! There are definitely groups that are working to change society so as to eradicate the need for charity, and I’m sure they’re very hungry for cash.
yourfavoritecitrusfruit
I have a friend who works at panda express, and even though they do ask if people would like to donate to charity, the tips people put in the jar are given to charity from the company rather than given to the cashiers.
Corporations who do this are evil. I’ve been in that position of watching hundreds of dollars of tips go into a basket in front of me and none of the people tipping knowing that none of it was going to the people they were tipping. Fucking hate that. Do you happen to know if that’s their franchise only or all of Panda Express? Because I occasionally get some orange chicken there and if that’s the case on a company-wide level I may stop.
lightshadowverisimilitude
I scrolled through a bit and didn't see this question, so I apologized if it's already been answered - is this the same when it's not "rounded up" but "would you like to donate $1/3/5 to ZYZ"? If you happen to know, I would be curious as well if this applies to the little donation box on the counter (which you don't get a receipt for) or a holiday toy drive at your place of employment. Are they similarly unable to claim that donation?
The “would you like to donate X” falls under the same situation, yes. As for cash donations, that I don’t know, actually. It’s unethical, for sure, for them to do that, but I’m not sure if it’s a) illegal or b) common practice. I usually don’t give to those precisely because there’s no digital footprint, but I would hope the collection box money goes straight to the org (that might be why there’s a lock on it, actually, to allow only a rep from the company to empty it).
actualaster
My problem is it encourages people to donate without researching the cause which is how you get businesses partnering with eugenics-promoting hate groups like A$ and taking roundup donations from customers who go "oh this is easy I'm doing A Good Thing" when they're donating to causes that need to die in a fire
Giving without any research at all can certainly be an issue, and I would take it up with the corporation if they’re encouraging people to support nonprofits that are, shall we say, less than salutatory. But that kind of ties into my dual soapboxes of “You need to do the work to figure out where to give” and “Don’t think too hard about this”. Yes, researching the nonprofit you want to support is good, but only to the extent you would research anything you’re giving your money to. I feel like a lot of people use “no nonprofit is good enough for my money” as an excuse not to give, which in my experience (admittedly anecdotal) is far more widespread than “I can give anywhere indiscriminately.”
electromagnagooperangs
I have to ask. What is the boot a fireman has on the street? I have never seen them do this and I suspect it isn't a literal stinky work boot. Is it a literal work boot?
Yep, it’s a real boot. It’s usually raising funds either for the fire station’s local “benevolent fund” or a medical charity, but basically the firefighter partially suits up and gets a boot and either solicits pedestrians at street corners or gets out in traffic at long-stoplight intersections and holds out the boot. You toss some change or a few dollars in, and that money gets donated to the fund. In this case it’s a reasonably decent place to give cash because the firehouse literally can’t write off the donation, since it’s already a government agency, and there are quite steep penalties for impersonating a firefighter.
“I’d be stupid to turn down sex with Captain America, right?”
Steve’s jaw clenched. “Right. Wouldn’t want to pass up the chance to fuck a national icon.”
Cuddling by ladyshadowdrake
Avengers | Steve/Tony | 4k+ | Tony is delicate and deserves only good things
The thing he missed the most about Pepper – okay, that was a lie, he missed almost everything about Pepper – but the thing he was really surprised that he missed was the cuddling. So it shouldn’t have been anything new when he realized that Steve didn’t like to cuddle.
I love seeing people getting into Sleuth! Such a fantastic set of characters. ^_^
Yes! I really can’t think of a main or even semi-main character I don’t like!
Okay my fam I’mma drag you into this show. WE HAVE:
The main three:
Tang Fan: Imagine if Sherlock Holmes were a 22-year-old dork who’s a total foodie and writes romance novels to pay the bills. Pure of heart, brilliant of mind, surprisingly also spine of steel, yet also somehow dumb of ass. Works as a magistrate in the city but they have to bribe him to come to work with food because all the cases are boring.
Sui Zhou: Veteran of China’s border wars, martial arts master, member of the Imperial Guard. Very smart and strong but also Very Soft. Likes to cook for his foodie. For Leverage fans: strong Elliot Spencer vibe (but slightly less aggravated all the time). Thinks Tang Fan is adorable (but needs to be on a leash).
Wang Zhi: Head of a secret police type of organization that works directly under the Emperor. Information broker. Smug little shit. Ruins people for fun. Thinks Tang Fan is adorable (and might actually put him on a leash). Constant big dick energy which is kind of ironic considering he’s a eunuch. Do not Google ‘eunuchs in ancient China’, it’s horrifying.
Those three ARE an OT3 and you CANNOT change my mind, if only because SZ and WZ are both completely smitten with TF.
ALSO STARRING:
Dong’er: baby genius servant girl who makes fun of Tang Fan for being a dork and helps him solve cases
Pei Huai: grumpy doctor who is also Very Soft, a little too comfortable with poison for Tang Fan’s liking
Ding Rong: Wang Zhi’s second-in-command who doesn’t get paid enough for this shit
Jia Kui: Wang Zhi’s bodyguard who clearly thinks fewer people would try to kill Wang Zhi if he weren’t such an asshole
Xue Ling: Sui Zhou’s second-in-command who seems to be consistently wondering what the hell they’ve gotten into.
Duo’erla: Badass Mongolian (I think she’s Mongolian? The word they use in Chinese is Oirat) tribe leader who is clearly unimpressed with Tang Fan right up until she’s not anymore
Wuyunbulage: Her second in command who is actually a big teddy bear.
Possible also other people I’m forgetting but I LOVE THEM ALL AND THEY ARE ALL ONE BIG FAMILY
(seriously the found family feels are STRONG in this show)
I love your emperor AU! Thank you for posting. ^_^
okay story time
the year is 2015 and I’m hip deep in post winter soldier marvel dumpster, desperately digging for some winterhawk in a trash pile of stucky
and i read In the Absence of Speech which inspires an obsession with crows and 66k words of never published clint x bucky farm fluff that carries my sanity for MONTHS
the minute i saw your handle in the blog description i was like WAIT A MINUTE 😂
I’ve been wanting to do this for a while because I just have a lot of fics in different fandoms that I truly enjoy. These are mostly long fics because that’s what I read the most. Fandoms included: Teen Wolf, Harry Potter, MCU, Star Trek, Kingsman, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Find them below! (Some fanfic spoilers ahead)
So I’m starting with completed fics and then I have a few not completed fics at the end that I’m just really liking.
Embers by Vathara
Rating: Not Rated, Word Count: 704,200 Fandom: A:TLA
Dragon’s fire is not so easily extinguished; when Zuko rediscovers a lost firebending technique, shifting flames can shift the world....
This is an Avatar: The Last Airbender rewrite. It’s Zuko centric and it splits off while Zuko and Uncle Iroh are on the run and Zuko learns of healing firebending. The world building is so good and interesting and the whole fic does a great job of reimagining the A:TLA world. You meet a lot of new characters that are super well written and fit the world nicely.
The Debt of Time by ShayaLonnie
Rating: E, Word Count: 715,940, Fandom: Harry Potter, Ship: Hermione/Sirius
When Hermione finds a way to bring Sirius back from the veil, her actions change the rest of the war. Little does she know her spell restoring him to life provokes magic she doesn’t understand and sets her on a path that ends with a Time-Turner.
This fic is so good and I’ve reread it before. I love Hermione centric fics and this is definitely one. When she goes back in time she goes through school again with the Marauders and it’s so good you guys. I think the fic does such a good job of showing her grow with these new people. The relationships in this fic are so intense and I love them.
Hook, Yarn, Sinker by pprfaith
Rating: Not Rated, Word Count: 65,675, Fandom: Teen Wolf, Ship: Stiles/Peter
Stiles is happy with his store, his hobbies, his friends. Peter’s just trying to figure out how to raise his nieces and nephews without fucking them up too badly.
Paths cross.
This is the first in a series of fics. It’s a Human AU with aged up Stiles and friends but with little kids Derek, Laura, and Cora. This fic is a good time and sweet and honestly low stakes which is so nice to have these days. I think a lot of Steter fics are more intense and I enjoy them but this is such a nice change of pace where you really get to know the characters in these fairly different circumstances. The whole series word count is 161,859.
A Sequence That You Never Learned by AnnaTaylor
Rating: E, Word Count: 64,624, Fandom: Star Trek: AOS, Ship: James T. Kirk/Spock
“Spock,” Jim breathes out, completely overwhelmed by the gesture—not quite believing that Spock knows him so well, that he’s already started researching, that he trusts Jim with a member of his own endangered species.
When Jim gets it in his head to adopt an eight-year-old Vulcan, Spock presents a logical solution to the issue of Jim’s of humanity: marriage to a Vulcan citizen.
This was one of my first Spirk fics and I honestly love kid fics. Vulcan kids are so different from Jim, but I love the idea that Vulcans still love him anyway. This is such a great Fake Marriage fic.
If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out by mia6363
Rating: E, Word Count: 13,232, Fandom: Teen Wolf, Ship: Stiles centric but technically Stiles/Peter
Commander Stilinski looks like he fell out of a propaganda video, his armor still smoking as he pulled off his helmet and handed it off to First Officer Argent. He had a few bruises down his neck but his smile was bright.
“Glad to see you safe and sound, Mr. Hale. I’d hate for Derek to lose a member of his family.”
“I told you,” Derek snapped at his superior, “he’s not worth this, Commander.”
This is the shortest fic on my list but I love this take. It’s got a Star Trek vibe and I LOVE how everyone is made into these different aliens. Stiles being human here is so interesting and it reminds me of those “humans are the craziest of the aliens” posts. It’s got multiple POVs and I think they’re written really well and do a great job of coming together.
Where Thou Art, That is Home by ShanaStoryteller
Rating: Various, Word Count: 94,108, Fandom: Teen Wolf, Ship: Stiles/Derek
Stiles is 10 when he saves the Hales from their burning home and Derek from a wolfsbane bullet, and this establishes a pattern that seems to continue indefinitely.
“Then he’s facing a burning home, and he wraps the hood of his sweatshirt around his mouth before he pushes the door open and steps inside. There’s Mr. Hale asleep - he hope asleep - on the couch, next to - Stiles thinks that’s his brother but there are so many Hales, who can keep track. He rushes over and starts shaking him, can see the rise and fall of the man’s chest so he knows he’s alive, but he’s not waking up. He shoves away his hood so he can shout, “Mr. Hale! You have to get up, there’s a fire! Mr. Hale, get up!” Nothing, he’s not even twitching, both of them taking in deep even breathes like they’re having the most peaceful of rest, and Stiles is going to cry. “Wake up, wake up, wake up!”
There’s a moment where all Stiles can here is the blood rushing in his ears and not the roar of the flames or the creak of wood, then with a violent, silent pop it’s all back and both men are gasping awake, eyes open and jumping to their feet.”
This is another series! It creates a Hales Survive AU and it’s got BAMF!Stiles. The Hales in this fic are so interesting and it’s an expanded family from what we see in canon. Magic!Stiles is written so well in this fic and things get intense but it’s so good.
Counterpart by sara_holmes
Rating: M, Word Count: 217,400, Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ship: Steve/Tony
coun•ter•part [koun-ter-pahrt] [noun] 1. a person or thing closely resembling another, especially in function. 2. a copy; duplicate. 3. one of two parts that fit, complete, or complement one another.
Just because Hydra used the DNA of a Captain America from another dimension to create a lab-grown, six-year-old super-soldier, it doesn't mean that said six-year old super-soldier is biologically Steve's, right?
(Where Steve wants to ban Clint from bringing things home from alternative dimensions, until he doesn't.)
This is an amazing kid fic. Things are so messed up because of how the kids was raised up to the point they find him.I love Tony so much in this fic but also you sympathize a bit with Steve. The kid whose name I will leave out is my absolute favorite. This is also a series!
Fallout by Whisper91 kingsman
Rating: E, Word Count: 164,971, Fandom: Kingsman, Ship: Eggsy/Harry/Merlin
As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Gary 'Eggsy' Unwin is a registered Dominant. It's on his driver's licence. It's on his National Insurance card. Hell, it's even on his bloomin' GCSE certificates. And the fact that it's all a load of bollocks is a secret Eggsy had intended to take to his grave.
Course, he hadn't been expectin' a bloody sub-drop to sweep in and knock him on his arse in the wake of the Valentine Massacre. Turns out grief and adrenaline ain't a good combination.
I really enjoy the dynamics between the three of them. D/s fics are always so amazingly well built and I love fics like this where they’re hiding their dynamic. I think this fic does a great job of going further with the D/S world and giving it more biologically. I just reread this fic recently because I love how it’s done.
It’s Insanity But... by rosepetals42
Rating: M, Word Count: 71,477, Fandom: Teen Wolf, Ship: Stiles/Derek
The doorbell interrupts what had turned out to be quite the epic shoe hunt but, really, he’s grateful for the break. Or at least, he is until he heads down the stairs to grab the door, trips over a stuffed animal of some kind, bashes his head on the wall and barely manages to catch himself from falling down the entire flight of stairs. As with all things, Stiles would like to state, for the record, that this is Scott’s fault.
Or: Scott and Stiles are raising seven children. Derek is the entertainer they hire for a birthday party (not a clown though, he’s very specific on that fact.)
This fic is such a good time! I love two bro’s raising kids together. It’s a hilarious setup and also just so good for the Stiles and Scott dynamic. Each chapter is like a slice of life. Some chapters are more about the kids and some are about Stiles and Derek. It’s just a fun fic and I love that it’s still got werewolves because I think a lot of fics that focus more on regular stuff go full on human AU. Keeping werewolves is much more fun and it’s so well handled here!
So Wise We Grow by Deastar
Rating: M, Word Count: 81,248, Fandom: Star Trek, Ship: James T. Kirk/Spock
”Commander Spock, we have located your son,” the Vulcan lady on the screen says, which would be great, except Jim can tell by the look on Spock’s face that he’s never heard of this kid before in his life. “If it is expedient, the child will be sent to join you on the Enterprise within the week.”
This fic is two long chapters. Again, I love kid fic and this one does such a great job. We’ve got pining and hurt/comfort and all kinds of good feels here. There’s one line about t’hy’la that is just *chefs kiss* so good and hits you hard.
Play It Again by metisket
Rating: T, Word Count: 63,206, Fandom: Teen Wolf, Ship: Stiles/Derek
In which Stiles goes along with one of Derek’s plans and ends up in an alternate universe as a result. He should’ve known better. He did know better, actually, and that means he has no one to blame but himself. “Laura wants to lure the kid in with food and kindness and make a pet of him, like a feral cat. Derek wants to have him arrested for stalking. They’re at an impasse. (And the rest of the family is staying emphatically out of it in a way that suggest bets have been placed.)”
This is fairly Stiles centric. It really looks into the emotions of jumping universes. The alive Hale family is so good and it’s magic!Stiles which is always interesting. What I think makes it extra good is that in a lot of universe jump or time travel fics it’s more about adjusting to how things will be now. But this fic does that while also having the new universe with its own problems. It’s just fun to see Stiles deal with all these things.
Happy Lights by LadyShadowDrake
Rating: E, Word Count: 108,237, Fandom: MCU, Ship: Mixed
An interdimensional portal opens over New York and drops a tentacled alien in the middle of Central Park. The Avengers are called out to investigate, and hopefully return the visitor home. Steve has been brushing up on his diplomacy, but he never expected to be a liaison to an alien in such an intimate capacity, or that the alien would be so friendly, and the unusual visit turns into the world's best team-building exercise.
This is a series that is so much fun. The alien (aka the colony) is so interesting and sweet in the long run. I love seeing the team grow and as you go through the series you really get to see more of them coming together. This is just a playful fic that you can have a good time reading.
Magpie by waldorph
Rating: E, Word Count: 57,648, Fandom: Star Trek: AOS, Ship: James T. Kirk/Spock
Spock met Jim when he was 7 and Jim was 6. It has since been generally agreed that this was a mistake (or: the one where they grew up together and things are simultaneously better and worse for it).
This is such a deep dive of both Spock and Jim. It’s them growing up together and it splits off some as far as events that happen in canon. It ends before they become Starfleet. I think this fic creates such an interesting bond between Spock and Jim. I also really love where it goes as far as Spock not having grown up alone on Vulcan.
These are the unfinished fics. The first two are in progress and the last one seems to be abandoned.
Survival is a Talent by ShanaStoryteller
Rating: T, Word Count: 353,015, Fandom: Harry Potter, Ship: Harry/Draco
In the middle of their second year, Draco and Harry discover they're soulmates and do their best to keep it a secret from everyone.
Their best isn't perfect.
~
“Are you trying to get killed, Potter?” Malfoy drawls, stalking forward. Quick as a serpent himself, he reaches out and grabs the snake just below the head. It thrashes in his grip, but is no longer able to bite anyone. “This is a poisonous snake, and I doubt anyone brought a bezoar with them.”
Harry glares. He opens his mouth, and feels the beginning the snake’s language pass his lips, and this isn’t what he wants, what’s the point of insulting Malfoy if he can’t understand him –
Malfoy’s eyes widen. He slaps his hand over Harry’s mouth, “Potter, what the hell–”
This fic is in progress updated within 2020. It’s a rewrite of the Harry Potter series where Harry and Draco are soulmates. As you can imagine, that changes some things. I love this so much, I’ve read it like 3 or 4 times now. The characterization is amazing and I love the differences we see. Harry is Indian in this fic and the way it ties in is so good. You really get to see the difference in culture as well between muggleborns and blood traitor families and the purebloods.
You great unfinished symphony (you sent for me) by ketchupcrisp
Rating: E, Word Count: 227,792, Fandom: MCU, Ship: Steve/Tony and also the whole Team
The last thing Steve Rogers ever expected to see on a Wednesday afternoon was his (their) dead submissive tumbling out of a portal and practically into Phil’s lap, very much alive and frantic about Soul Stones and timelines and some other version of the team.
This is an AU but like literally. Tony comes from the universe we know into a D/S universe. The worldbuilding here - again like I think a lot of D/s fics excel at - is so good. It starts with everything a mess and things are intense. There’s multiple POVs which I think is really helpful in a fic like this where the relationships are so tangled.
Born From the Earth by venusm
Rating: E, Word Count: 277,602, Fandom: MCU, Ship: Tony Centric, Steve/Tony
Tony Stark's born an omega in a world where that means he's supposed to follow certain social rules. He becomes Iron Man anyway: Fuck biology.
If only his biology (and the world) would quit fucking him back.
To start off, some warnings: this fic gets a bit messed up. It’s an Omega verse in the worst possible way at certain points. It’s not a fluffy fic. It also doesn’t get that far into the Stony stuff because it’s unfinished. Honestly I’m worried this writer has died and I’ve gone through the comments and looked for them online to see if they’re out there and just not writing but I haven’t found any proof of that. BUT ANYWAYS. This fic is intense but it’s such an interesting take on Omega fics. It gets pretty dark but that darkness is pre-Steve and I’m hopeful that one day it might get finished so I can see where it was going to go.
@lightshadowverisimilitude sore throat ahoy! I seem to have brought back a cold as a souvenir from my trip. I’m keeping a close eye on it, but so far it’s just an obnoxiously painful throat, a runny nose, feeling warm and then cold - I am monitoring my body temp, and no fever so far. It’s already a bit better than it was this morning, but ugh, I’m exhausted.
Pretty sure I’ll be fine in a couple of days, and if not, I’ll be sure to give my doctor a call.
lightshadowverisimilitude replied to your post: Da Qing and Catnip
I know we have talked about him being more catlike. I needs it. Like forgetting how many legs he has at any given moment and acting inappropriately in all forms. Ala “things your cat does that would be weird if you did them.”
I need, like, a whole fic of this. Written from Guo Changcheng’s POV maybe, as he gets used to the SID, or maybe Shen Wei’s as he comes to live with ZYL and DQ? Just all the weird little moments when they remember DQ isn’t actually a human and is just good at pretending.
You know how cats like to sit on your keyboard, or the book you’re reading? Da Qing does that all the time with Shen Wei’s grading.
