OnBearFeet / Kat Beaufort

Very much did in the sense that I literally do not know where my job is at the moment. But, for the time being I haven't been let go because nobody else including the store owner knows where it is either.

So, I don't wanna risk doxxing myself by posting pictures but goddamn am I tempted because this is not a believable event. This is a cartoon problem. For looneytoons.

But yeah, so, I work(ed?) at a kiosk selling boba tea, right? Freestanding kiosk in the mall with full water and electrical hookups and multiple fridges and sinks and a mini kitchen and the works. Fully functional tea shop. Very important to note that it was there last night, The work chat was discussing another issue last night at closing time. I'll get back to this.

It's been showing signs of being on the way out with how business is being handled lately and I've been considering other options, which is probably why I'm not as torn up about this as I should be, but maybe it just hasn't set in yet, but that's not the point. The point is there's been a lot of shit breaking and not being replaced and nobody mentioning anything about it until I walk into work in the morning and have to figure out why shit like the fucking cash register isn't there today. So I'm kinda used to having to ask questions about big things that nobody bothered to update me on. I was out for two weeks recovering from a surgery, so I came to work this morning assuming there'd be some kind of bullshit, yeah?

So, the question I had to ask the chat this morning was:

Not a text I ever thought I'd have to send in sincerity, but there it is. Because what I found instead was a fenced off patch of discolored tiles and a few holes in the floor where my entire place of employment used to be.

And the answer? Nobody knows! It was there last night when the mall closed, and every single trace of the structure and all its contents including drink making supplies and our safe and cashbox was gone when it opened again. And when I say nobody knows, I mean everyone from last night's closers to the actual (former?) owner of the store jad no fucking clue about this until getting that text from me this morning. For once I am actually the first to know. 🎉.

So. I guess I didn't so much lose my job as had it stolen. Not by AI, but good old fashioned hands-on human beings picking it up and carrying it away somehow. All mall security would tell me was that they were instructed not to tell me anything and have us contact our management. Who also don't know anything. And later on I came across some construction workers around the gravesite of the kiosk discussing filling in the holes, asked them about it, and was told that they "weren't at liberty to say".

So, not only is my job gone in the most literal physical sense of the word, but it was taken in some kind of super secret kiosk extraction in the dead of night without any warning or witnesses and nobody is allowed to speak of it. The store owner said she was gonna figure it out 10 hours ago and still no word back.

My mother in law thinks the FBI took it.

Not any of the other stores around the state. Just the one little kiosk.

Why? Because she loves a conspiracy and is just a little bit extra.

Also because she was around for the massive crackdown on Yakuza-owned businesses in Waikiki (in her homestate) that did actually involve the FBI seizing stores (no confirmation of making kiosks cleanly disappear in the middle of the night though).

Still no word from my job on what's actually going on, but the most likely theory so far is that maybe the kiosk was on lease and got repossessed? The mystery continues

According to the owner, based on what she's been able to find out, the kiosk was not removed legally and they're starting a potentially long process of legal action. I hope she gets to sue the shit out of whoever did it but for now at least I know for sure I'm unemployed.

Really hoping for more details in terms of who/why/how, so I'll keep updating if I learn anything.

For now the summary is: An unnamed entity that is most likely mall management (on account of mall security cooperating with them) stole an entire kiosk and all the contents including money and machinery with barely a trace in the middle of the night grinch-style, with zero warning or explanation, and ensured the silence of both security and the construction crew, in an action that was definitely preplanned and illegal, and as far as I know nobody knows its whereabouts.

Enjoy the unintentionally funniest text I've ever sent in my life

Aaand a close-up:

HEY HI HELLO THIS ONE'S MY FAVORITE

That was the exact thought process

for any address to twitter you can replace the “x.com” with “nitter.net” and you will be able to browse as if you have an account. Lifesaver.

After Earth receives the Hail Mary logs and everyone sees Grace and Rocky together ... after the sun is saved and everyone knows they have a middle-school science teacher and an alien rock spider to thank ...

What place does Rocky occupy in human culture?

Because he's the only Eridian most humans have seen or ever will see, and he's 50% of why humanity survives. Sure, Grace will be a hero and there will be millions of kids named after him, and there will be humans who try to minimize Rocky in the story (call it the Tenzing Norgay effect) ...

But I'm just imagining all those little baby Rylands and Graces snuggling up to their plush Rockys at night. (Because you don't name your kid after Doctor Captain Ryland Grace and NOT give them a Rocky. Even if you have to make it yourself.) We make bears and tigers cuddly and give them to children to help them sleep; why not an Eridian?

And when those children grow up and some of them become scientists, those threadbare Rocky plushies will occupy places of honor in their labs and offices. Imagine the movement to reclaim Rocky as a co-savior of the stars. Imagine angsty tweens creating Eridiansonas. Adults getting Rocky tattoos. Songs being written that incorporate clips of Rocky's audio. And always, always, the children hugging their Rockys. Rocky keeps them safe, after all. Love is shaped like Rocky.

And then the Eridians show up, however many generations later, and find a planet full of people who have seen exactly one (1) Eridian and decided, as a species, to make him soft so they can hug him forever.

June 26, 2026, 2:49 PM MST / Source: The Associated Press

By The Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas education board on Friday approved a required reading list for more than 5 million public school students that includes Bible passages, widening conservative efforts to push Christian teachings in U.S. classrooms.

The Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by Republicans, approved the list over critics who argued the titles lack diversity and blur the separation of church and state enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Supporters say Judeo-Christian traditions were fundamental to the nation’s founding and that should be reflected in the public school curriculum.

The proposal, which mandates literary works such as Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” alongside passages from the New Testament, has been closely followed by education observers who say it appears to be the first of its kind in the nation. It is a departure from letting schools or teachers decide what students read.

The rollout will be staggered, starting with elementary school students in 2030.

Still in pursuit, we followed the ball toward a small lake in Motor World that had been earmarked for a fleet of tiny bumper boats for children. The area wasn’t open yet, but the empty boats were being tested and floated on the surface. The ball soared over the grass and smashed into several of them, scattering the others with rippling waves from the impact, which launched some of the boats several feet in the air.

Charlie and Ken waded into the water looking for the hatch. After some difficulty, they got it open. Charlie pulled Frank out by grabbing him under his armpits like a baby. Frank crawled up the bank, coughing and sputtering. He splayed across the grass as we all stared at the ball, which bobbed in the water like it was attached to a fishing lure.

We did not ask for the inspector’s report, nor did we ever hear of one being filed. Ken Bailey returned to Canada. The snow-makers cleared away the PVC. Told to dispose of the Bailey Ball, they rolled it into the woods, where it remained for many years."

As the post says, it was not just about Bucky. Not at all. The initial divide was caused by the Sokovia Accords and the differing stances they had. And you know what? They both had valid arguments.

Speaking SPECIFICALLY on the Accords (NOT the UN bombing, Zemo, Bucky’s framing, Bucky’s capture, etc). There’s both validity in the idea that a group as powerful as the Avengers should have more parameters and oversight. The proposal was a form of checks and balances. They also absolutely SHOULD be wary of the organization that is trying to control them. The events of The Winter Soldier (you know, where they found out one of their largest intelligence agencies was actually filled with a group that started as a Nazi rogue science division and said group was fully prepared to execute millions on the ASSUMPTION that they were a threat) were only two years before. This entire decision was going to be nuanced and complicated and messy. At this point, there was disagreement and tension. Steve was not planning to straight up fight the Accords, just not sign them. Would he just have accepted “retirement”? Who knows. Probably not, but we don’t even get there.

I think it’s also important to note that this is based on the comic storyline about the Superhero Registration Act. When we look at forcing a specific group of people who is already “othered” to be registered on a list, it is impossible to not consider the implications of that. Steve’s origins are in World War II. Ya know, when a fascist first started having the groups of people he was after registered and clearly marked before he started eradicating them.

Steve is then immediately thrown into MOURNING. Immediately after a poorly-ending mission has him down, the Sokovia Accords get shoved into his face, and he realizes there’s now a big rift in his team, he finds out that Peggy has passed. Honestly, do any of us make fully rational and unemotional decisions while in the full throes of grief? Regardless of what you think of Peggy and Steve as a relationship, Peggy (and Bucky) represents Steve’s tie to the past. She’s his life before the twenty-first century and even before the serum. He’s not just mourning a lost love, he’s mourning the life that he lost in 1945 (see Avengers deleted scene if you don’t believe me.) My thoughts on Peggy are below the cut. I think they’re relevant, but it is a whole side topic, and I am currently just speaking on Civil War.

Now IMMEDIATELY after attending Peggy’s funeral, Steve sees the bombing of the UN. He knows his friends are there. And it’s broadcast as the suspect being Bucky. ALL of this stress would throw the most sane person into a tailspin, don’t you think?

So fast-forwarding the action and everything to do with Bucky and that fight and getting back to the civil war aspect of this movie, we get to Berlin. Now the problem here is not simply Steve aiding a fugitive. The problem is that the events were not Accords sanctioned. None of the team on the Iron Man side is CURRENTLY arguing against Bucky. Tony is even proposing that if Steve signs and they make everything legitimate that they can get Bucky into a better situation than just imprisonment. (Also, note, Steve JUST NEARLY agrees to sign at this notion!). So we’re back to the original divide (pro/anti-Accords) but now with the complication of action. This is just more intensified because Bucky is now involved.

Steve realizes very quickly that something is not right. This event was targeted and specifically for someone to get to Bucky. He does not have time to take this to the team, let alone a UN panel. (Which I’m sure also drives his stance on the Accords). So he acts to save Bucky.

Now coming around to the airport fight scene. Steve, Sam, and Bucky fully believe that this doctor (who they don’t not know is Zemo) is after the other winter soldiers. They come up with their plan to go after him. they are also well-aware that this is also not going to be Accords sanctioned. Which means they will also be going against their own friends and teammates. They need backup. Which is how they drag in Scott, Clint, and Wanda. And like with everything to do with Steve Rogers, if he believes something is right, no way in hell is he going to stand down. (Source: "Compromise where you can. Where you can't, don't. Even if the whole world is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say, 'No, you move.'" In Civil War this is said by Sharon Carter in Peggy’s eulogy. As she does in TFA and TWS, it speaks to what Steve needs at this point to further motivate his defining actions. This quote is also adapted from something Cap says in the comics. “When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world, ‘No, you move.’” There is a bit more than that that is worth reading, but I pulled the part that clearly inspired the quote used in the film.)

Now let’s take a moment to look the perspective of team Iron Man. They’ve signed the Accords and agreed to oversight and a guidelines. They are trying to maintain that. They do not have the information that team Cap does regarding Bucky being framed, the doctor, the other winter soldiers, etc. To them, Steve’s gone off the deep end for his best friend from the 1940s. So now it’ s not just a disagreement, the opposition is directly violating the Sokovia Accords (which you might be thinking, obviously, they didn’t sign. But we’re looking at Team Iron Man’s perspective right now and they, at this point, are trying to do damage control and are unaware that they do not have all of the variables). Thus, a battle ensues.

Catastrophe. You don’t need me to analyze the fight here. I can, but that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about the depth and nuance of CA:CW.

Moving along, we have Steve and Bucky getting to Siberia, fully under the impression that “the doctor” is planning to wake the other winter soldiers and wreak havoc on the world. Tony, finds out about Zemo. He realizes that Cap was right. Maybe not to the full extent, but he realizes there was a lot more at play here. So Tony, determined to help his FRIEND, violates the Accords that he just fought to defend. This is much less notable coming from someone like Tony, who is fickle and far more morally gray, but can’t be dismissed as completely insignificant.

And now we have Steve, Bucky, and Tony all in Siberia to meet Zemo. Zemo has other plans. His plans all along had to do with tearing the Avengers apart. (Don’t even get me started on Zemo) He is fully aware that revealing the truth about Tony’s parents will further drive the wedge that’s already there from the Accords.

Tony reacts. Tony is still processing. In Tony’s mind, he has been betrayed by a friend. The problem is not that Bucky (under all the HYDRA brainwashing) murdered his parents. The problem is that Steve, his friend and teammate, withheld this information from him. Did that warrant the level of crashout that was Tony going for blood with both of them? No probably not. But also let’s consider a few things when it comes to Tony. 1. He’s not known for being rational. 2. He is well aware that these two are highly-skilled super soldiers and probably well aware that he cannot easily kill them. 3. It’s been a long few days. This isn’t an argument for reasonable, but an argument for understandable.

So now let’s talk about this progression. Our initial conflict is a disagreement over the Accords themselves. This leads to further conflict when other events lead to the opposing side directly violating said Accords and the supporting side trying to uphold their end of the bargain. Now we have a secondary conflict, that is actually unrelated to our initial conflict, of Tony feeling betrayed by Steve.

Steve chooses Bucky. OBVIOUSLY. MCU Bucky is the absolute biggest driving force behind Steve Rogers. MCU Cap DOES NOT EXIST without Bucky. Steve drops everything for this man. REGARDLESS of if you ship Stucky, if you deny that Steve’s world revolves around Bucky Barnes, we are not watching the same movies. And that is a whole other essay.

Let’s talk about Steve and Tony though. We’ve all seen the meme about the obvious choice between your best friend of decades and that one coworker. Haha, funny. But this is another argument that really dismisses a much deeper and more nuanced relationship. We get so wrapped up in what we see on screen, that we forget that in this world there’s a lot that we DON’T see. And information is given to us in little details. Yes, we see a TON of fighting and bickering between Steve and Tony. But we also see them very deeply trust each other and have each others backs in every other situation. Age of Ultron fully implies that the Avengers have been working together for a while. In the end when Tony is getting ready to leave, Steve tells him he will miss him. Also, bickering and name-calling do not mean that they don’t actually get along regularly. Look at the relationship between Tony and Rhodey. Steve and Tony have a much deeper and more complicated relationship than “that one coworker.” They are FRIENDS. I will die on this hill.

This brings me to my other point about Tony and his reaction. Tony gets the childish view of Steve picking between two of his friends. But really, Tony doesn’t understand the depth of relationship that Steve and Bucky have. When we look at Tony’s closest relationships, he’s got Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy. None of them come close to what Steve has with Bucky. But Tony doesn’t see this. He can’t. His perspective on relationships is different. His closest frame of reference would be him sticking his neck out for Rhodey against the rest of the Avengers. Would he do it, hell yeah. Would he start a war over it? Probably not. You can argue that Pepper would be a better example, but that assumes both the romantic implications of Stucky (which yes we do, but I want this argument to stand even if you don’t) AND Tony KNOWING that is how Steve feels about Bucky. Again, Tony does not have all of the variables.

So in conclusion, um yes. Civil War is very gay and very much deeper than it looks.

Steve’s origins are in World War II. Ya know, when a fascist first started having the groups of people he was after registered and clearly marked before he started eradicating them.

And yes, Steve is obviously seeing Nazi parallels in the Accords, but you know what he probably saw first?

THIS GUY.

Jim Morita is canonically Japanese-American. It's called out onscreen that he's from California—specifically, the agricultural area around Fresno, where there was a large Japanese immigrant population before the war.

GUESS WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM.

The Japanese and Japanese-descended families of Fresno were rounded up and put in camps about a year and a half before this scene. Morita would have been one of the young men who joined up out of those camps, in part to prove their American-ness. His family was living behind barbed wire in this moment because they were on a fucking list, and he would have known that anything he did as an American soldier—including serving in Captain America's high-profile unit—could affect their safety and their ability to go home someday.

So yeah. Cap WOULD see parallels, and they would be extremely fucking personal. What happened to Wanda in particular would sting. His last team had a guy on it whose family was being held hostage, and now his current one is locking up a kid.

BISEXUALS GROW FROM THE GROUND