#conway a. ⇨ study

[smthscoming]

conway arthur, 34, university lecturer

researcher in environmental literature

consequently, a huge nature nerd

deeply anxious about many things

fc robert pattinson

[urlocalwormtoday]

JRWI PD S2 EP 13 - 14 SPOILERS AHEAD

what I find so ironic about William's third death and the moments that follow is. is he's so much like Mal. he's so much like Mal; a notoriously evil and malicious guy who fully dissected Tide and made the prime defenders collect some dudes soul in order to retrieve him.

Bizly describes Mal, when we first see him again in season 2, as more sickly looking. decayed, even. when Dakota stabs him in season 1, he doesn't have any blood. he has previously demonstrated the ability to open portals to other realms on a whim.

now, what's happening to Will's body after his third death? he's decaying. albeit slowly, but he's decaying. his insides are rotting, his heart isn't pumping. he's pale and sickly and weak. he punched a wall and IMMEDIATELY died. when he did punch said wall, when his bone fully protruded out through his arm, there was no blood. just skin and flesh and bone. he doesn't need to breathe anymore, despite feeling the subconscious impulse to. Will can open portals to the demon realm, whenever he wants. they're small, smaller than the ones Mal can create, but my point still stands.

he's shaping out so similarly to Mal it's almost funny how ironic it is. both of them can walk the spirit realm. both of them can go intangible. both of them can create portals. both of them can create objects from spirits. neither of them have blood. neither of them breathe. both of them are decaying.

his powers and predicament almost mirror Mallard's in a way. they're in the same boat, being planewalkers, but one of them is so determined do the right thing and refuses to learn about where his abilities come from, further rooting him into a path of rot.

[bookquotesfrombooks]

“In its rendering as a place sitting stagnant in the past, in which “modernity” is a goal to achieve not a point on a timeline, Appalachia has been discursively queered for the greater part of the twentieth century. It has been suspended in a never-where of the past and denied access to the present as long as it remained an unruly and “unproductive” part of the body of the nation-state.”

Hannah Conway

“Crafting Queer Histories of Technology”

Published in Y’all Means All: The Emerging Voices Queering Appalachia

[emeraldheiiress]

Louise has always had a soft spot for Allison, ever since meeting her. She's always seen herself and her mother in Allison when she first came to town. That and she sees a girl struggling to make her own way in the world after a horrid tragedy and can't help but feel bad. After that, Allison really proved herself to Louise in many ways, so now she's become one of Louise's most trusted confidants.

However, Allison without her fault.

For starters, she focuses too much on something as trivial as her purity and divinity when, purity itself is such bullshit, and divinity is something that no one can take away from you, not unless you let them. A woman's divinity is hers and hers alone, so no one can define it other than herself. And don't even get Louise started on Allison silently but constantly beating herself up over her sins, sins that she committed to protect those close to her.

Still, Louise tries her best to be patient with her. She knows better than any what it's like. One bad relationship can shake up your entire world view and how you perceive even yourself... she would know. She would know...

[traincat]

I know there's like 0 possibly of marvel ever letting Peter Parker officially be queer, but what about Johnny? Do you think it's possible that he could be confirmed as bi/pan at some point?

Johnny Storm exists in the weirdest canon sexuality grey area known to mankind. Is he constantly referred to as gay? Yeah. Is there evidence that several high profile Marvel creators think he's queer? Yes. Marjorie Liu confirmed that the intent in her run in Dark Wolverine was that there was a sexual relationship between him and Akihiro. Kurt Busiek retweeted an article I wrote that explicitly discussed the homosexual subtext of Johnny's character. Dan Slott reportedly wanted to write Johnny and Wyatt in a romantic relationship, which is believable if you look at the beginning of his run, but was told no. (Slott's written gay relationships before in Amazing Spider-Man, so I wouldn't find this so surprising.) And John Byrne wrote this:

(FF #251) John Byrne I desperately want to study you in a lab.

But is Johnny canonically anything but 100% straight? No, not officially. Marvel, the conglomerate, officially views Johnny as heterosexual, and if the Dan Slott thing is true even recently blocked an attempt at having Johnny come out. If this is true, it's most likely because of the new movie, because let's be honest, corporate Marvel does not care about Johnny Storm on the same level it cares about Spider-Man or the Punisher or Iron Man.

Because let's be honest. This goes deep. And it's been going on a long time. The above John Byrne panel is not the only example. There is a long-running thread of homophobic comments targeting Johnny running through 616 canon.

(Hulk vs Thing: Hard Knocks #3) "Light in the loafers" is slang for a gay man, for anyone who doesn't know.

(Dark Reign: Zodiac #2. I don't recommend reading this, by the way, not even if you're going deep down the Johnny Sexuality Well, but for the record Johnny, despite not being canonically gay, literally gets gaybashed in this comic.)

(FF #151) Does it get more blatant than a character named "Mahkizmo" referring to Johnny as "an effeminate"? Someone get me Gerry Conway on the phone, I need to know what he was thinking when he wrote this. (I know what Gerry Conway was thinking because Gerry Conway is a very good and very intentional writer.)

Then there's Ben's repeated teasing about Johnny's "crush" on Spider-Man, referring to them as "love boids" and so on. This is friendlier than the above comments, but then, if we assume Johnny is queer, Ben would know about it. He certainly knew what was going on with Johnny and Akihiro.

(Daken: Dark Wolverine #4) "Got what he came for, right?" Real double entendre here, since "what he came for" is both a weapon from Reed and, clearly, sex with Johnny.

The posing here is not subtle, even before you factor in that Marjorie Liu, who co-wrote this series along with Daniel Way, confirmed on social media that the relationship was meant to be read as sexual. (So you can probably add Way to the list of writers who think Johnny is queer, too.)

In fact, I'd say that Liu and Way depict the whole family as knowing about Johnny's sexuality and about the relationship.

(Daken: Dark Wolverine #4)

So if Johnny is in the closet, the way this issue frames it, he's only in the closet to the public. He's not in the closet to his family.

(Deadline #1) "All right, Storm, who were you with last night: Britney? Christina? Eminem?" in reference to Johnny getting caught "with a bottle in one hand and a blonde in another." So he's not doing a great job on that front, either.

Then there's Johnny's tendency, despite the perception of him as a womanizer, to look incredibly uncomfortable when he's kissed by a woman -- even a woman he purportedly has romantic interests in. Take, for example, the following panels:

(FF #562) He certainly is just standing there while Psionics, his one-time bad girl fling, kisses him and invites him to come see her again. Which he doesn't do, by the way. The next time he sees Psionics, she'll kill his close family friend Alyssa Moy right in front of him. Great!

(FF #259) Literally running away from Sharon Selleck. Now, we can say that he just wasn't attracted to her, which is true -- he was very ardently pursuing her roommate, Julie DeAngelo. Except.

(FF #263) That's certainly some kind of posture when she kisses him, and of course as soon as she kisses him, he's "over her."

There's more examples of this, too, where Johnny has a pre-existing connection with a woman only for him to completely freeze up or lean away from her when he's kissed, with no follow through on his part. (This is part of the reason I personally headcanon him as gay and not bi, but that's besides the point.) And it's a totally separate issue from the other longrunning thread of him being kissed as a form of assault. Which also happens. Like a lot. "Johnny Storm" and "consent issues" are basically synonymous at this point, which again is really interesting if we're looking at this from the perspective of Johnny and sexuality, since most of these incidents involve women as the perpetrators.

(Most. Not all. Dark Reign: Zodiac definitely implies some things, and I think it's interesting that Akihiro initiates his connection to the Fantastic Four by shooting Johnny through the thigh with an arrow.)

I've mentioned this before, but again, for a character who has the reputation that Johnny has developed, both in and out of universe, it is deeply bizarre that he does not have sex scenes. He doesn't have them. Peter Parker has sex scenes. Kinky sex scenes! There is zero doubt in my mind that that Peter Parker is attracted to women. I can't even show you Johnny Storm having vanilla missionary honeymoon lovemaking that fades to black. Whenever they want to show you he's had sex, it is always in the aftermath, and he is rarely having a great time about it. What's up with that, Marvel! I know, but do you!

Then there's Unstable Molecules: Fantastic Four, which exists in a metatextual area -- it's a fictionalized account of the "real people" who inspired the Fantastic Four, the story of four people rapidly barreling towards a disastrous dinner party that would be witnessed by two comic book creators. And it's Johnny is definitely queer.

(Unstable Molecules #3) "Johnny, it is the fiery night, and you are a holy flaming flower." The extras for Unstable Molecules even include a love poem written by the beatnik who calls him "a holy flaming flower" that is definitely supposed to be about Johnny.

So that's the grey area. You have all of this content that either implies or occasionally outright states that Johnny is not straight. But according to Marvel, the actual publisher and company, Johnny is straight. Personally, I don't like saying things are canon if they aren't explicitly 100% confirmed canon, but the wealth of evidence here is so substantial that I make an exception. It's just a matter of when Marvel the actual company is going to admit it.

(Fantastic Four: Marvel Snapshots #1)

[anxiousdreamcore]

Trex studies :) (traced a bunch of 3D models and a famous artwork by John Conway, but then kinda did my own thing with the proportions so it’s kind of a secret third thing between traced art and inspired art idk)

[on-my-vigilante-sht]

Wedding Crasher

James "Jimmy" Conway x reader

Summary: Jimmy meets his wife after she gets stood up for a date, only for the date to show up at their wedding

Warning: no use of Y/N, mafia activities, death, murder, guns, alcohol consumption, cursing

A/N Idk how many people are interested in Goodfellas but I recently watched it and finally understood the appeal of Robert De Niro

Word Count: 5.5k

Masterlist

James Conway was the type of guy who seizes life by the throat and takes what he wants. And what he wanted in that moment was the girl sitting at the end of the bar. She stuck out not like a sore thumb but like a sole bright red flower among a sea of dulled green all blended together. The bar was quiet, more of a relaxed hang out rather than a spot for drunken, electric fun. Her tight, red dress and sparkly makeup had the effect of a peacock on the mobster sitting across the bar.

Leaning over to his one of his runners, Frankie the Wop, Jimmy whispered, “Hey, Frankie, you see that girl?” he nodded over to the bored looking woman.

“Yeah, I’ve seen her all night,” he muttered.

“Think she’d make a good wife?” he asked, still staring at the woman who had yet to notice the mens’ attention.

Frankie let out a hollow laugh. “I don’t know Jimmy but she’d pretty enough to be worth a spin.”

“Yeah,” Jimmy murmured, studying the way she stirred her drink, her bored, slightly saddened expression focused on the ice cubes in her drink. “I’ll be right back,” he said, eyes never leaving the woman as he approached.

She didn’t look up at him until he was leaning against the bar, his body wedged between her and the seat next to her. Jimmy could see the tension in her face grow as he leaned over her but still she refused to acknowledge him. “James Conway, but you can call me Jimmy,” he said smoothly, his voice like honey as he reached out a hand. She looked up slowly, the tense muscles in her face not bothering to hide her annoyance. But when she finally met his gaze, she only offered a polite, albeit forced smile before introducing herself, her arms crossed firmly in front of her on the bar, rejecting his hand. But Jimmy the Gentleman wasn’t one to let a woman playing hard-to-get rattle him. “So what’re you doing here all alone?”

She didn’t answer for a moment and Jimmy could practically see the thoughts swirling in her head. Finally, she let out a huff before turning in her seat so her body was angled toward him. Here we go. “Getting stood up, apparently,” she sighed bitterly, her voice matching the venom of her slightly scrunched nose. Her gaze fell back to the bar as she grabbed her glass, quickly downing it before moving to hop out of the bar chair. But a rough hand on her knee stopped her, cementing her in place no matter how much she wanted to rebuff the infamous gangster standing before her.

“Woah, woah,” he halted her, his fingers pressing against her knee like he was holding her down, but his touch was still light enough to indicate that he meant no harm. “Who was your date? I can make him pay,” he finished with a laugh. But there was no real amusement on his face.

“I know who you are, Jimmy the Gentleman.” Her voice came out like honey even though she said his name like it was some damning piece of evidence. But that just inflated his ego more.

“Oh so you’ve heard about me,” he teased jovially. “And might I ask why I haven’t ever heard of you?”

“I don’t know, probably because I’m not actually a part of this world,” she answered, her eyes flickering around the room of mobsters. You didn’t have to be connected to know that every person in this room had ties to the mob. Except for the woman talking to perhaps the most connected person in the room. “And looks like I never will be.”

“Oh yeah? And why would that be?”

She sighed before giving Jimmy a look meant to convey exasperation but Jimmy could see the thinly veiled amusement in her eyes. She was enjoying talking to him. “Because the guy who stood me up’s name is Philip Gallo.”

“Woah, Philip Gallo?” he exclaimed, that was perhaps the only name that could give him a shock. He backed away from her slightly in shock, his surprise and amusement getting the better of him as his hands flew up dramatically. “Well no fuckin’ wonder he didn’t show. Members of the Gambino family don’t hang here.”

The woman’s lips formed an O as she nodded, looking down again. Jimmy couldn’t help but admire as the light of the bar caught on the shimmer of her makeup as she tried to hide her disappointment. “Well, seeing as I know I have no date I might as well not waste my time,” she mumbled, standing up. Grabbing her wallet she moved to pay the tab but by the time she looked at the bartop again there was already a hundred dollar bill sitting proudly against the mahogany bar.

Flicking her eyes up once more she found Jimmy with a proud smirk on his face, carefully watching for her reaction. “Hey don’t worry about it. A lady should never pay for her own drinks.” He deflated slightly as she gave him a tired smile but didn’t let it get the better of him. Despite his frustration with the woman’s hot and cold act.

She just thanked him quietly, grabbing her coat to leave but he refused to let her slip away so easily. “Hey,” he protested softly, placing a light touch on her wrist to stop her from grabbing her coat, “you said you’d never be part of this world?”

She quirked a brow, her expression becoming increasingly exasperated. “Yeah?”

Jimmy retreated from her slightly, stuffing his hands in his pockets as if he were a kid asking a girl to the prom. “Whaddaya say you be part of my world? Have a drink with me. I guarantee you a Gambino boy wouldn’t pay for your single vodka cranberry with a hundred.”

Finally, finally, he got an actual smile out of her. Not a forced one or a coy one like she was playing with him. An honest to god smile that was just as dazzling as her eyeshadow. “Tell me,” she said leaning in slightly, involuntarily causing Jimmy to lean in too, “are you the type of guy to go home with a different woman every night?”

“No, no,” Jimmy dismissed, backing away only to take the seat next to her. “See I prefer to get to know a girl,” he said, leaning in again to try to create a sense of intimacy. “Y’know, wine her and dine her.”

She laughed again but this time it was teasing. “Well, we’ll have to put that to the test,” she said, taking her seat again.

~

“C’mon, you’ll love it. All the guys’ll love you,” Jimmy said, opening the car door for his girl. As she turned in her seat to exit the car, Jimmy took her hand to help her out. Her stiletto heels that Jimmy insisted on buying her digging into the uneven pavement as she tried to steady herself on the concrete. Her gaze moved up, falling on the thatched awning of the building’s sign.

“The bamboo lounge?” she read, her voice clearly unimpressed. “That’s where all the feared Lucchese members hang out?”

“Yeah,” Jimmy agreed in mocking defense, closing the door behind her. He quickly swept up behind her, his right arm coming to gently rest on her waist while his other crossed over his torso to place a light hand on her hip. “The owner’s a friend of Paulie. C’mon,” he urged her again, guiding her across the street, “you’re gonna love it.”

Jimmy only removed himself from her side to open the door and as soon as she stepped into the dark, rowdy bar he returned to her side. Walking in, nearly everyone within ten feet of the entrance turned to see who it was. Smiles and warm greetings towards Jimmy broke across the crowd as they sifted their way through the bar. Jimmy’s right hand never left her waist as they picked their way through the crowd. He would occasionally reach over to shake someone’s hand and share a few excited words of greeting but he’d always return to her side quickly. And as they went he took the time to quickly introduce her to everyone worth having a name.

“This is Anthony Stabile, Angelo Sepe, Fat Andy, Frankie the Wop-”

“-What kind of name is that?”

“-Freddy No Nose-”

“-He has a nose.”

“-Pete the Killer, Nicky Blanda, Mikey Franzese, and Johnny Echoes.”

“‘Echoes?’” she repeated, sparing a glance over her shoulder at Jimmy who was steering her through the chaos.

“He says everything twice,” Jimmy explained casually. They finally made their way to a table in the back where several of Jimmy’s closest associates—dare he say friends—were seated. Empty and half full glasses littered the crowded table. Those who were seated seemed to have the complete attention of the numerous men standing around them. But before she could object to spending her night at this particular table she saw two men vacate their seats.

Jimmy gave a cordial smile to them, slipping fifty dollars each into their breast pockets as he pushed through the crowd. They didn’t have to struggle much as everyone noticed who it was and parted, allowing the couple through. Jimmy let go of his girl for a moment as he pulled out the chair next to Henry, gesturing for her to sit down. She did, albeit looking around nervously, the tension clear in her body language as she practically curled into herself in the seat.

Jimmy gave a few more handshakes and loud greetings before finally settling down next to her and Tommy. He immediately slung his arm over the girl’s seat, gently tugging her into his side which she welcomed with a relieved embrace. Jimmy couldn’t help but smirk slightly as his girl settled into his side, visibly relaxing as she embraced something familiar. “Hey,” he said softly, “I’d like you to meet Tommy and Henry,” he introduced her to the duo.

After a couple drinks, more introductions, and ample time observing how the mobsters interacted, the newly introduced girl finally entered the conversation. “So you two came up under Jimmy?” she asked, Tommy and Henry haltingly, leaning away from Jimmy just enough to address both boys.

Henry visibly brightened as Jimmy’s girl talked to him. “Yeah, taught us everything we know,” he smiled, looking at his mentor.

“Aye, where’d you find her, Jimmy? And has she got any sisters?” Tommy’s harsh laugh filled the air.

Jimmy smirked, he had mentioned the woman at his side to them before. In fact he had warned them to not be weird as he would be introducing her to everyone that night. But he had never told them how exactly they met. “Believe it or not I found her waiting for Philip Gallo,” Jimmy bragged. “His loss. He chose the wrong bar for their date,” he said, squeezing her tighter against his side. “She was at Frankie’s bar.”

“Woah, Gallo suggested Frankie’s?” Tommy asked her incredulously, his brow quirked seriously.

She blushed under all the attention, Jimmy’s words and Tommy’s explanation silencing the rest of the table as they looked at her attentively. “Um, no, one of my girlfriends went on a date there,” she said shyly, her hands fiddling her lap. Jimmy’s eyes flickered down at the movement, his hand coming to rest on her clasped ones in an attempt to soothe her nerves. “Said it was really nice so I asked Gallo if he wanted to go when he asked me out again. He didn’t have any objection to it when I suggested it,” she explained with a shrug, the nerves easing slightly.

“Wait, wait, I took a girl there recently. Is her name Ruth Mitchell?”

Jimmy watched her eyes widen in shock. “Yes! Ruthie!” she confirmed, Tommy earning the first natural interaction with her of the night as she recalled her friend excitedly. “Yeah, she told me she threw a drink in your face,” she smiled, taking a sip of her own drink. Jimmy fought the urge to commend Tommy for not being a dipshit and actually making a woman feel comfortable for once.

“Yeah, fortunately I wasn’t wearing a good suit,” Tommy said, his mood slightly soured, but still he laughed.

“Well I’ll tell her not to lose sleep over that,” she teased, earning a roaring laugh from everyone at the table except for Tommy as they watched Jimmy’s new girl finally start to come out of her shell.

“You got a good one, Jimmy,” Paulie laughed, shouting to be heard over the other voices. To which Jimmy just raised his glass towards him, tightening his grip on the woman next to him.

~

With the approval of the mob and his soon-to-be in-laws, it wasn’t long until Jimmy married his girl. Their wedding was an extravagant affair thanks to the bride’s excited mother and friends, aided by Jimmy’s bottomless wedding fund. The ceremony itself had already been quite the party with a live string quartet and enough flowers and decorations to overflow the entire church. Those features, along with the cheers of Jimmy’s second family—the one he called his real family—made the ceremony more lively than most wedding receptions.

And the Conways’ reception would have put a royal wedding to shame. Jimmy rented out one of the finest ballrooms in the city and had it draped in so many white and gold fabrics it looked like they were in some ancient Roman temple. There were so many flowers decorating the place no one minded when one of Paulie’s sisters snuck a few out to her husband’s car before dinner was even served.

The couple were sat in their seats at the head table, taking it all in. “Wow that’s a lot of Italians,” the newly minted Mrs. Conway whispered in awe to her new husband.

Jimmy laughed beside her, throwing his arm around her and observing how all the lights reflected in her wide eyes. “‘Bout half are Irishmen. They’re all basically the same. Scum of the Earth, they call us,” he teased, getting closer and closer to her lips until he was kissing her, absorbing her laugh. Cheers and clinking erupted as the guests noticed the enamored couple, prompting Jimmy to deepen it. His lips melded impossibly closer to hers until he was practically consuming her. He only broke away when her hand pressed up against his chest, begging for air.

“Alright, alright,” the band singer spoke into the microphone, breaking up the cheers. “I believe it’s time for Mr. and Mrs. Conway’s first dance?” Even more cheers erupted as Jimmy stood. He reached a hand down but had to grab her hand himself as she was far too dazzled by the reception to be aware of what was said. But her husband’s touch brought her right back to the present as she stood with him. Even more cheers erupted as they began to make their way to the dance floor, causing the soft blush on her cheeks to deepen. As Jimmy led her, she moved closer to him in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

“C’mon, don’t be nervous,” he urged as they reached the dance floor. The first notes of Frank Sinatra’s The Way You Look Tonight beginning to play as Jimmy swept her onto the dancefloor. “Besides, you’re Mrs. Conway, you’ll have to get used to people’s attention being on you,” he ragged, spinning her before pulling her back in.

She laughed. “Yeah, well I didn’t agree to that when I agreed to marry you,” she returned.

“Sure you did,” Jimmy shrugged, spinning the two of them around. “You knew my reputation. You met all the guys.”

“That I did,” she mused. “And I must say I didn’t know you Irishmen were such dancers,” she jested, genuinely impressed. They hadn’t done any of the traditional wedding preparation stuff aside for the bare necessities despite Jimmy’s insistence on his bride having anything she wanted. But Jimmy’s reputation and schedule kept him busy so dance lessons definitely weren’t on the table.

“Yeah, it doesn’t come from the Irish half,” he joked. “But I can’t believe you’re surprised by this,” he nodded to himself, pushing her away just enough so he could puff his chest out in pride before quickly pulling her back in. “They don’t call my Jimmy the Gentleman for no reason.”

The bride laughed again, falling into his embrace as he pulled her closer, finally able to wrap her arms around his neck. “Well I guess you’re right. Probably should’ve known that from the first conversation we had,” she recalled the smooth talking gangster that had wooed her less than a year ago.

“Yeah,” he agreed softly. Everyone could see the affection in Jimmy Conway’s eyes as he held his wife. And the swooning crowd’s excitement for the couple was only incensed when Jimmy suddenly dipped her, pressing a deep kiss to her lips as the last notes played. But the couple couldn’t even hear the crowd, too immersed in their own world. Jimmy pulled away slightly, still holding her in the dip. “I love you, Mrs. Conway.”

“I love you too, Mr. Conway,” she returned before Jimmy whirled her back up with a cheer. He held her close as he held a hand up in a wave to the crowd before gently guiding his bride back up to the head table.

The couple hardly had a moment to settle down before Jimmy was looking over his wife’s shoulder. He turned her so she was looking in the same direction, finding Paulie standing there with an envelope. “I said it when I met her and I’ll say it again, you got a good one here,” he smiled, handing the bride the envelope as he stooped down, pressing a light kiss to her cheek.

Next to step up was Vinny, one of Jimmy’s close associates. “Congratulations,” he smiled, handing over another envelope and pressing yet another kiss to the bride’s cheek. When he moved aside she could see a line forming of everyone coming to wish the couple their congratulations individually.

“To get you started,” Morrie Kessler wished, having an identical interaction as the last two men. As the wishes and the money kept coming, Jimmy leaned over, right up to his wife’s ear to whisper everyone’s name as they came to greet her. As the line continued on and on the bride was beginning to get a little overwhelmed by all the kisses and comments and new people.

That was, until there was a loud smash coming from the back of the reception hall. Practically everyone in this crowd was quite attuned to the sound of fights breaking out so no one bothered to look into it. Except for Jimmy who’s head had whirled around to find the noise so fast it created a draft only his bride could feel. His eyes carefully searched the reception hall, searching through the crowd against the white and gold drapery for threats. Finally, he saw a huddle of guys exiting into the hallway through a side door looking like a rugby scrum. As he watched them disappear one person remained in the doorway momentarily, Tommy. His eyes caught Jimmy’s gesturing for him to follow the group.

Jimmy turned to his wife, his lips returning to her ear. “I’ll be back,” he whispered. She turned to face him, a forced smile on her face as she nodded. Taking a glance at the line he felt kind of bad for her, she was about by assaulted greetings and cheek pecks from a fifty person line of Italians all eager to meet his bride. But his work never seemed to stop. And he knew Tommy wouldn’t bother him if it weren’t important. “I’m sorry, doll,” he apologized before pressing a kiss to her cheek, leaving her to the wolves.

Jimmy wasted no time dismounting the dais that held his table. A few aunts tried to stop him to wish him their congratulations but he brushed them all aside. “I’ll come back,” he swore. “Just stay here,” he murmured continuously as he finally made it out to the hall.

Upon exiting the ballroom to the noticeably dimmer hallway, Jimmy was greeted by a sight he always wanted to see. Knelt on the lush red carpet was none other than his wife’s date from all those months ago, surrounded by five guys all either holding him down or at gun point. But before he could approach Philip Gallo Tommy approached him.

“We found him in the back of the hall with this,” Tommy explained in a hushed voice, holding up a pistol. “Hasn’t explained why he’s here.”

Jimmy just nodded before setting his sights on the man in question. Philip’s face was already bruising and he could see a few drops of blood on his wrinkled suit. “Philip Gallo,” he greeted, leering down at the beaten man. “If you’re here for your date it’s a bit late for that,” he laughed, the noise coming out hollow. The others holding the Gambino mobster laughed too, the sound ringing through the hallway menacingly when it was suddenly interrupted by a thwack. Jimmy’s fist came down on Philip’s face so hard it sent him to the floor despite the grips on his collar.

Jimmy stooped down, standing over the dazed man to grab his collar, dragging him back up so his face was mere inches from Jimmy’s. “You think you can come to my wedding to what? Steal back my wife? Whack me? Whack her? Make me pay for taking her from you?” he seethed in his face. The mobster was beginning to see red as he continued shouting in Gallo’s face, incensed that anyone would dare impede on his wedding day. Weddings were sacred in Italy, meaning they were sacred in the mob. Blood wasn’t shed at weddings, you waited until after the honeymoon.

The only thing that broke Jimmy out of his fury was the sound of Paulie’s voice. “Aye, what’s going on out here?” the capo’s voice pierced the hall. Every man’s attention turned to the man, tension filling the air like they were kids getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Even Jimmy was slightly startled, his grip slackening enough that Gallo slumped against the ground with a thump.

“Philip Gallo,” Tommy informed casually, gesturing to the bloody man underneath Jimmy. “Found him in the back with a gun.”

Paulie’s angry expression contorted into confusion. “The fuck is he doing here?” he asked the groom.

“Don’t know,” Jimmy admitted, standing up to talk to his friend. “But this fucker shows up at my fucking wedding with a fucking gun, I’m not exactly extending him any courtesy,” he began seething again. Everyone could see the rage radiating off of him as he paced between Paulie and Gallo.

“Hey,” Paulie tried to calm him down, “I’m not asking you to extend him or any of the Gambinos any courtesy for showing up at your wedding. But what I am saying is that this needs to be handled discreetly. Your wife and her whole family is in there,” Paulie threw a thumb over his shoulder pointing to the door that led to the reception. “And you said they’re not connected, right?” Jimmy confirmed Paulie’s words with a shake of his head. “Right so whaddya wanna do?”

Jimmy thought for a second. It was the first time he actually took a moment to consider what he would do since stepping out into the hall. The mere sight of Philip Gallo had sent him into such rage he hadn’t bothered to consider his next move. So he turned back to the man in question, gesturing for his guys to pick him back up. They did, several hands grabbing the Gambino boy’s arms, collar, and shoulder to hoist him back up on his knees.

Jimmy stooped down so he was face to face with Philip, one knee braced on the plush carpet as he began to remove his tux jacket, handing it off to Tommy. “Philip Gallo,” he repeated the mobster’s name, restarting the interaction. “Whaddaya doing here?” he asked, his hand reaching up to the man’s face. His fingers searched the man’s temple until it found the right spot, his thumb digging into one of the wounds on his head.

Philip let out a groan of pain as his wound was prodded but still didn’t speak, the pain creating a throbbing in his head so bad he would’ve collapsed onto the floor if it weren’t for the hands holding him up.

Jimmy let out a frustrated sigh, “I’ll ask you one more time.” His free hand suddenly came up, his fist swiftly lodging itself into the man’s stomach. “What are you doing here?” he demanded in a yell, glad the ballroom he had booked was soundproof. Still Philip only coughed and choked, refusing to answer.

“Fine,” Jimmy spat, standing up, holding his hand out to Tommy who, having worked with Jimmy long enough knew exactly what he wanted. He wordlessly handed Jimmy the gun. “You don’t wanna answer me that’s fine. But just know that because of this,” he held up the gun, “I have every right to kill you.”

Finally, Philip spoke. He began to laugh but it just turned into a choked mess as he spat out the blood that had been accumulating in his throat and mouth. “Yeah, kill me, after all that’s what I was here to do to you. Your bride in there? She was my girl first, you stole from me.”

Jimmy let out another bitter laugh, getting right in Gallo’s face. “Oh so you think she was your girl? You went on one date and she wouldn’t even let you kiss her.” Philip’s jaw clenched at the memory and reading his expression just egged Jimmy on. “Yeah, she told me about that. Besides, you stood her up. But I guess that was the better move for you because you got almost an extra year of life not showing up to that bar. So no, you don’t have the right to kill me but I have every right to kill you,” he finished his taunting, standing up at his full height to point the gun at Philip.

“Just remember,” Philip said, looking up to stare at Jimmy through the gun, “if you kill me, Paul Castellano has every right to kill you. But hey, I’m sure he’ll have the decency to send some flowers to your wife. Maybe he’ll deliver them himself and offer her a shoulder to cry on. After all, she was a Gambino girl fir-” A loud bang, echoed by the hall, cut Gallo’s words short. Just as the blood began to trickle down his face from the bullet wound, he was released, allowing his body to fall to the ground with the heavy thunk that could only be produced by dead bodies.

Jimmy didn’t bother to spare Gallo another glance. His eyes flickered up to the men that had dragged Gallo out of the reception hall. “Take care of this,” he ordered casually, the anger still evident in his voice. Slowly turning on the now tainted carpet, Jimmy found Tommy and Paulie watching him with unphased expressions. Jimmy Conway had been killing people since he was sixteen and the two men in front of him had been witness to his acts of violence many times before. Wordlessly, he held out Philip’s gun to Tommy who took it, trading it for Jimmy’s tuxedo jacket.

Paulie took a step closer as the groom put on his jacket. “You want me to take care of this?” he asked, taking the gun from Tommy.

“Nah,” Jimmy dismissed, adjusting his lapels. “Castellano’ll figure out who did it soon enough. Might as well know I did it with his guy’s own gun.”

Paulie nodded. “Tommy, go back in with Jimmy. The rest of us’ll handle this.” Both nodded silently as they walked back into the reception hall like nothing happened.

To Jimmy, reentering the reception hall felt like driving back into the city after his first hit job. He remembered it vividly, still being just a teenager at the time. Some old-head had wanted him to whack some guy who had borrowed money from him. Jimmy recalled the capo had specifically asked for him in that dark bar when he first gave him the job. Said “It’ll be like your first real test.” Jimmy had agreed without a second thought, eager to prove himself as a serious gangster at the time. The capo had just wanted the guy to go missing to the rest of the world, meaning Jimmy alone at sixteen had to drive the guy out and bury him somewhere in upstate New York. He had taken it in stride but on the drive back to the city, the sun rising over the horizon, he had suddenly felt the weight of what he did on his shoulders; on his soul. Still, he pushed it down, never letting anyone know about that doubt, about that weakness. He gained a reputation as a natural born killer after that. A reputation that had served him well.

He couldn’t exactly explain what he felt that morning decades ago but it wasn’t guilt. He never felt guilty about the people he killed. And he sure as hell didn’t feel any guilt about what he just did. He’d be damned if he ever let anything happen to his wife, much less let anyone ruin her wedding day.

Finally making his way back up to the dais without much fuss he found the line significantly shorter than it had been when he left. He reclaimed his seat next to his bride, his lips returning to her ear again. “I’m back,” he whispered, his voice so steady no one would think he just killed a man right out in the hall.

His wife turned to face him, her face pinched in feigned annoyance but he could still see the amusement in her eyes. He also noticed that her cheeks had a more pigmented blush than before, a result of all the lipstick from the cheek kisses she had endured. She just turned back to the next family member, a heavyset woman greeting the pair with rosy cheeks and a smile to suit them.

“My aunt Marie,” Jimmy whispered, his hand coming to rest on his wife’s waist.

“Congratulations, dear,” the woman gushed. Even Jimmy could smell the liquor on his aunt’s breath as she pressed a kiss to his bride’s cheek, simultaneously handing her an envelope. “A little seed money for you two,” she said, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes that was likely actually an alcoholic sheen.

“Thank you, Aunt Marie,” Jimmy bid. The woman smile growing brighter, giving him a nod before moving on.

The newlyweds continued their routine until finally the line was gone and everyone was either drunk and mingling or drunk and dancing. The Conways watched from their table laughing as Henry and Tommy danced wildly. The groom had his arm around his bride and her head was rested in the crook of his neck as she leaned against him. Jimmy’s deep laugh reverberating in his chest was strangely soothing to his wife. But as the laughter died down and a slow song played, they fell into content silence, each just enjoying the music but far too tired to get up and dance.

“Hey, doll, can I tell you something?” Jimmy asked, his soft voice breaking their silence.

His wife pulled away from him, only enough to look up at him. Her expression held nothing but openness, no confusion or annoyance, just curiosity for what he had to say. Her complete acceptance of him was one of the reasons had had popped the question in the first place.

“You know that Philip Gallo guy?” he asked.

Her expression morphed into bemusement. “Yeah?” she answered, straightening in her seat a bit.

“Well,” he began, his hand coming up to stroke her arm gently, “he was here.” His wife’s eyes widened with something he never wanted to see in her gaze. Fear. “Don’t worry,” he was quick to assure her, his steady presence begging her to believe she and her family were in fact safe. “I took care of him. Paulie’s off handling it right now.”

“Jimmy are you-”

“I’m okay,” he interrupted, leaning in close to her like he did when they first met. His free hand grabbed one of hers, holding it in his grasp firmly. “He’s gone, we don’t have to worry about him. I just thought you should know.” His wife nodded, still visibly shaken as he pulled her back into his chest. Jimmy decided it was best to not tell her about Paul Castellano, at least not until after their honeymoon. “I love you, I’d do anything for you,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, of course being mindful of her meticulously styled hair.

Masterlist

[mysticstronomy]

DID MARS EVER CONTAIN WATER??

Blog#428

Saturday, August 17th, 2024.

Welcome back,

While the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn contain water, Mars remains dry. Despite dozens of space missions, the Red Planet has yet to provide convincing proof that it conceals significant water reserves beneath its surface.

Yet Earth's little cousin hasn't always been so secretive. Various studies have shown that a little over 4 billion years ago, it experienced a "watery" era when lakes, rivers and perhaps even oceans could maintain themselves on its soil. Branching valleys and ancient terrains rich in hydrated clays are evidence of this blissful period of abundance.

Subsequently, the loss of part of the Martian atmosphere led to a reduction in the greenhouse effect followed by a gradual disappearance of water. The question is how long this process lasted and under what conditions. This is what the American Space Agency's (NASA) Curiosity and Perseverance spacecraft have been trying to establish since their arrival in 2012 and 2021 in the Gale and Jezero craters.

"Lakes occupied these depressions 3.5 or 3.6 billion years ago," explained Nicolas Mangold, a director of research at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) Laboratory of Planetology and Geosciences in Nantes.

By studying the sedimentary and clay deposits left by the former and exploring the ancient river delta that fed the latter, the aim is to determine whether the climate at the time was wet and cold, or dry and hot. The Perseverance rover is also collecting samples, to be brought back to Earth as part of the MSR mission [Mars Sample Return, NASA-European Space Agency (ESA)]. They should provide precise information."

For the moment, things are hazy. If water has flowed on Mars, where has it gone? Was it sucked up into space with the Martian atmosphere or did some of it remain on site, buried underground? Many teams around the world are working to find answers by searching for clues to its presence other than those offered by polar ice caps and glaciers.

As water cannot remain in a liquid state for long on the surface of Mars, these investigations often consist of spotting recent traces of its passage using instruments placed in orbit. This opens the way to all kinds of controversy about how to interpret observations of this world, whose morphology is radically different from that of Earth. "Some of these controversies, such as those concerning gullies – ravines 1 or 2 kilometers long, discovered by the hundreds along certain landforms in the early 2000s – have finally been settled," said Susan Conway, a CNRS researcher at the Laboratory of Planetology and Geosciences in Nantes.

Her team recently demonstrated in the journal Nature Communications that seasonal deposits of dry ice explain the phenomenon, and not water flows.

Other clues continue to fuel debate and even controversy among scientists. The nature of "equatorial dark flows," the background noise of radar signals suggesting the existence of an underground sea beneath the North Cap, the presence of possible channels in the ejecta of impact craters and the hypothetical formation of "rides" in areas of glacial retreat. If water exists on Mars, it is well camouflaged.

Why not deep underground, frozen in the cryosphere? Or preserved in liquid form in aquifers, or inside the thin film of perchlorate brine that supposedly exists at the base of the permafrost that covers Mars at high latitudes? The Marsis and Sharad radars of the Mars Express (ESA) and MRO (NASA) probes have pinpointed promising regions. And when NASA's Phoenix lander dug a few centimeters into the frozen ground just after it arrived in 2008, it immediately uncovered blocks of water ice – a further reason for hypothesis and speculation.

Originally published on https://www.lemonde.fr

COMING UP!!

(Wednesday, August 21st, 2024)

"DID LIFE EXIST ON VENUS??"

[violetfractal]

All of my work is inspired first by the work of John Conway. He pioneered the study of cellular automata, which are the tools I use to draw my fractals. A cellular automaton is a network of cells in which each cell processes its own output, so all computation is done locally. The global properties of a cellular automaton are all emergent properties.

Conway’s game of life is played on a 2D grid that iterates in discrete steps. At each step each cell decides its new value by considering its previous value and the previous values of the 8 cells immediately adjacent. If exactly 3 adjacent cells had value 1, the cell’s new value becomes 1. If 2 adjacent cells had value 1 and the cell’s old value is 1, it stays 1. Otherwise the cell’s value becomes 0.

It’s a tradition for me to code Conway’s game of life in each new programming language I learn - like Hello World part II. So this was spreadsheet was overdue! I implemented it in two formulas:

BM2=IF(OR(SUM(A1,A2,A3,B3,C3,C2,C1,B1)=3,AND(SUM(A1,A2,A3,B3,C3,C2,C1,B1)=2,B2=1)),1,0)

to play the game on sequential 63x64 grids and

A131=INDIRECT(“R”&SUM(ROW(A131),-64*2,-1)&“C”&SUM(COLUMN(A131),756*2),0)

to wrap the output to my window.

The game of life is Turing-Complete. (You can run Doom on it.) How wonderful that simple rules can produce such complex behavior!

[Image ID: Four images. Each image shows Conway’s game of life being played in an excel window. The background of the window is black. Small patterns of living cells are lit up in white. There are 84 iterations visible in a 12 by 7 grid.

The first image shows iterations of an initial condition called “r-pentomino”. In the seventh row of frames a glider forms and flies away.

The second image shows an oscillating configuration with period 15 called pentadecathlon.

I tried to input a configuration called die hard that lasts an optimum 130 stages. But I misplaced one of the seven cells. The third and fourth images show the 128 stages my input survived before going extinct. The bottom half of the second image is empty. /.End ID]

read about r-pentomino et al on wikipedia

[lilith-hazel-mathematics]

I just read through this incredible math paper, by John Conway and Peter Doyle, where they demonstrate how to divide by 3 without the axiom of choice. That is, if #(3A)=#(3B) then #A=#B. This is trivial assuming Choice, but without Choice it's honestly quite impressive!! The strategy generalizes to division by arbitrary nonzero finite cardinals.

We stumbled upon this the other day, when we were writing our post about cardinal arithmetic. I know this is an Axiom of Choice propaganda blog, but these kinds of proofs are still really interesting! Actually, it could be said that our belief in Choice is exactly why we spend so much time studying the work and viewpoints of people who don't take it for granted. If we're going to criticize a viewpoint, we ought to know as much about it as possible.

[elierlick]

I was very saddened to hear of Lynn Conway's passing this week. She was such a legend. I planned on emailing her this month for permission to release two of her unpublished books from the Kinsey Institute, including this 1968 65-page handwritten analytical autobiography under her deadname. It's currently unavailable to the public but of tremendous historical value to the transgender community. It closely details trans life of the 1950s-60s, including how she had to steal hormones from medication storage to transition and struggled to find trans-friendly employers.

There's so much more to her story than what's currently published. I might release the whole book after redacting the private info, as she requested in the image above. Regardless, her self-study shows just how trans people thrived and struggled in the mid-century.

[acenshifts]

MHA Student Dr Quirk ⋆˚࿔

───────── ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ ─────────

Note; I have simplified the MANY meanings of the cards for the sole purpose of picking out a singular power. The cards go deeper than what I have shown, depending on the spread, question, interpretation, etc and you should absolutely do your own research and study the cards if you are interested in learning tarot. Please do not use my quirk as a reference.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

▐ TAROT MATTER

・・・・・

General

User; Emerson A. Conway

Type; Emitter

Range; Long or Contact

tldr; The quirk allows the user to create tarot cards from their body. They are connected to these cards and must up keep that connection to gain differing abilities from the major and minor arcana of tarot. Major arcana relies on meanings of the cards. The suits consist of the four elements and power levels. Each card has their own drawbacks, with very few overlapping.

Ultimate Moves [Coming soon…]

・・・・・

In-Depth

Card Manipulation; The user can manipulate the cards to move around and make them float. As well as use them like weapons.

Absolute Reading; A simple but major ability of the user's quirk. It allows the user to make connections and understand the cards in full, no matter the order or question. It’s just as if they were speaking to her. It's how she can give complete accuracy in her readings.

The Fool Card; The Fool card, the beginning and ending of the major arcana marked with the number zero. The card allows the user to manipulate the potential of an item or person. Essentially allowing the what or whoever to become extremely good or extremely bad at whatever the user wishes.

Only one point of potential can be imposed at a time. The change of potential occurring on another object reflects to the user. There are limitations to what can be changed, similar to genie wish rules: No cheating death. the user is not in control of fate and can only influence/sway it.

The Magician Card; The Magician card, is number one. The door to new possibilities and the gateway to the suits. A combo of boundary manipulation and summoning. An off shoot of my mother’s Manifestment. The user can push two boundaries together to create an invisible hole, allowing the user to move from one place to another. Or allow the user to move an object to another place. Basically just teleportation with extra steps.

Depending on how big the hole is, affects how far the boundary could be made. Smaller objects can go father and larger ones are shorter distances. The location must also be within view or at this time within ten meters of the user.

The High Priestess Card; The high priestess card, no. 2. This card is of intuition and the inner self. The subconscious mind if you will. The user can make illusions pertaining to one's mind. Whether the user's own or someone else's. The illusions are realistic able to bypass a person senses and perception of sight, taste, smell, and hearing. But if anyone but the user touches the illusions they vanish.

The user must be touching the person, a piece of them, or something sentimentally attached to them to create the illusions. Unless it's the users subconscious she is using. Illusions only last up to five minutes if not touched.

The Empress Card; The Emperess and Emperor cards are two side of the same coin. Both rulers with crowns who control. The Empress is of femininity and is motherly, nurturing, loving, etc. The user of this card can control something's healing factors, lending their own energy to help speed up another's healing process.

The user can in no way shape or form bring somewhere back from the dead. The user will share the pain of the individual they are healing and if sever enough the wounds too. The user can not heal themself, as there would be no added energy to speed up the process.

The Emperor Card; The Emperess and Emperor cards are two side of the same coin. Both rulers with crowns who control. The Emperor is of masculinity and is authoritarian, structured, a father figure, etc. The user of this card can become extremely persuasive and commanding with their voice.

The user can not straight out control someone, and can only be suggestive and extremely persuasive. Those with strong mental abilities can fight off her voice. The louder and clearer the voice, the more persuasive and commanding it become. It is at its strongest when it can speak in the others face or ear.

The Hierophant Card; The Hierophant or sometimes called the pope or priest card is of tradition and structure, but also of wisdom and knowledge. It's the opposite of the High Priest, and instead of conjuring up false images. The user can absorbe information just by looking at something.

The user can only absorb information from written text, whether that be books, instructions, written music sheets, etc. It's possible to pick up information from online sources like articles, blogs, texts, emails. As they are considered writing.

The Lovers Card; The lovers card, just want youd except it is of: love, relationships, unity, and balance. The user gets the ability to feed off of and share their love from and to others giving whoever an adrenaline boost. The user must be within a general vicinity of a person, it works better when in contact with the thing.

The user has a limit of how much love they can take and expend to and from. But if they continue to use it they can emotionally exhaust themself. The adrenaline boost only last for around five minutes at minimum, that depends on how much love is used.

The Chariot Card; The Chariot, the lead to victory and overcoming challenges. Determination, willpower, control and success. This card aids the user in such ways. Allowing them to have a fighters intuition, simply if the user has had physical contact with their opponent or their quirk they could adapt for their next moves.

The user can only predict one person at a time and only one move ahead at a time. It won't always be accurate due to the fact that it is a prediction based on previous moves, and will not always be accurate to what their opponent will do to fight back.

Strength Card; The strength card does exactly as the card is. Strength and power. The user is granted a variety of enhanced abilities while the card is in use. Such as enhanced strength and enhance stamina, as well as the user getting enhanced endurance and enhanced durability.

Based on the amount of energy the user has. If they become to low on energy their quirk can shut off by its self to keep them from doing to much. The have limits on how enhanced they can become while the card is active. Their enhancements work better if they have stretched or prepared themselves like a normal workout.

The Hermit Card; The Hermit card is about withdrawal and the search for one's inner-self. The card allows the user to play with her opponents senses and perception to hide herself in plain sight. covering the sight, smell, hearing, and taste. The user becomes practically invisible.

There is a limit to how long it can be kept up. Typically keeping hidden for up to twelve minutes in a time. The perception change does not work on touch and even with the perception change if they are felt they could easily still be hiding.

The Wheel of Fortune Card; The wheel of fortune, the card of changes and cycles and fate we can never avoid. This card is nothing more than a fail safe card. A card incase any of the others were too broken to be used. The user can use this card to get access to a weaker form of any cards ability. That does include the Wheel of Fortune card itself too.

The wheel can only be spun once every twenty four hours. There is always a high chance of not getting the ability the user wanted or getting one that can be rather useless in their time of need. If spun and lands on 'the Wheel of Fortune Card' the user gains no abilities from that spin, the card can only be spun once.

Justice Card; The justice card, the card of bringing about cause and effect, consequences, karma, etc. The user gets the ability to send back any and all of the damage done (to themselves) onto their opponent in a kinetic reflection/outburt of the built up energy.

If enough damage is stored up it can become to much for the user, who would then release it automatically. To protect the body from any damages the stresses could cause unintentionally like stress fractures or strained muscles. While stress is building up, It can become harder to move the more that becomes stored.

The Hanged Man Card; The Hanged Man, a card about sacrifices and patients, letting go and reflecting on yourself. This card allows the user to preform essentially cord cutting rituals. They can break ties between a person and another person, places, things. Removing things in order to let power grow. Removing 'distractions.'

Only up to three things can be cut at a time, and for one person at a time. The thing or some visualization of said thing must be learnt in order for the user to be able to cut the tie between them fully. Once cut the ties cannot be restored by her, it's possible to manually restore it but that is difficult to achieve.

Death Card; The Death Card, despite its name it symbolizes transformation, changes, and the end of a cycle. This card allows the user to siphon away energy from the things around them. Primarily through touching a part of whatever the thing is. Leaving the thing at having a greater chance to grow bigger and stronger and the user becomes fueled.

There is a limit to how much energy the user can siphoned from things at one time. The energy cannot be passed from one person/thing to another person/thing. The energy has a limit to what can also be stored in the user at a time before they get a surge.

Temperance Card; The card of Temperance represents harmony, tranquility, balance, etc. The user of this card is granted the ability to bring others in harmony with themselves and their quirk, allowing them to have temporary access to a more controles version of their quirk.

It'll only work on the allies the user has made contact with before turning on their quirk. Anyone else will not feel the effects. The user can only affect up to three people at a time. Which will also be determined based on how much power they use while she's in her state. The more they use, the quicker their share gets depleted.

The Devil Card; The Devil Card. A card of hurt: Addiction, oppression, powerlessness, limitation. This card allows the user to take on traits, specifically of any animal the user has come into contact with in the last twenty-four hours, prior to activating this ability.

The user must have been in contact with said animals) within the last twenty-four hours prior to activation, they can not copy any human traits, the user has a limit of three animals per transformation.

The Tower Card; The Tower Card, a card that may react negatively too. It is transformative and a sign you are leaving the unstable. But the power the card offers is based on the destructiveness of said card.The user can shatter things with just a simple touch, making whatever they touch or their surroundings unstable.

Some things take longer to break then others, the smaller the item the easier it is, and the bigger it is the longer it takes. In similar fashion to biotic and abiotic things, biotic takes longer while abiotic is faster. The destruction can only spread up to five meters from the user spreading as they move around and from place to place.

The Star Card; The card of the stars, the card can suggest hope, faith, inspiration, and renewal. The stars are plentiful and bright, but can go untouched. The user gains the ability to manipulate and generate plasma. Using it to make miniature stars and explosions, some form of electricity, and something akin to an aurora borealis.

When activated the user must be entirely focused to pull and form plasma or have some form of electricity to siphon plasma away from to use the card. The plasma must be calculated as they can affect not only their own but other magnetic fields.

The Moon Card; The Moon Card, its dual sided, the light of imagination and the dark side of what can become of it. The user gains the ability to look into another's dreams, viewing their nightmares and making them feel as real as they were, like they are reliving them.

The user can only get access to one person's nightmares at a time, and the user must come into contact with their chosen person for it to work. The user will be a witness to the nightmare of the subconscious forms, being linked together.

The Sun Card; The Sun Card, it suggests optimism, happiness, joy, and confidence. All associated with light and the sun. The user will gain the ability of light from said card. The user can manipulate light, shaping it, reflecting it, etc. Commonly the user will manipulate the brightest of their own light their body produces.

The user can only manipulate existing light from various light bulbs, flames and the sun itself. They cannot create their own light, and light can be overwhelmed by darkness and therefore weakened or put out rendering the card useless.

Judgment Card; The Judgement Card, number twenty-one. Rooted in self-reflection, awakening and purpose. The card grants the user the ability to clear others' heads, removing any negativity or outside influence from a person's mind and judgment of a thing, or situation.

The user can only clear the minds of around five people, usually three.The user must make contact with the person's forehead to clear it, whether through a tap of a finger or kiss.

The World Card; The World Card, the final and last card of the major arcana. Twenty-two. It represents completion, a sense of belonging and harmony and wholeness. The user can connect and control the environment around them. Primarily the flora and weather.

The user uses their own energy to help grow plants and accelerate their growth. When it comes to weather it's often affected and intertwined by and with the user's own emotions.

ᯓ★

Suit of Cups; The suit of cups belongs to the element of water, allowing the user to manipulate it. Transforming it into different states as long as there are water particles. Theoretically, the user could manipulate the water inside a person to control them.

Deals with the number of the suit they use. Aka the 'power/level' cards.



Suit of Swords; The swords belong to the air element. It allows the user to manipulate the air around them, whether that be by creating winds, changing the pressure of it to cause explosions or implosions, creating shields of solid air by compressing the pressure, using the air molecules to enhance their senses, etc.

Deals with the number of the suit they use. Aka the 'power/level' cards.

Suit of Pentacles; Pentacles belong to the earth. The user can manipulate the earthen material: dirt, rocks, dust, sand, metals, minerals, etc. The user could take massive chunks of earth, break it. Shape or make it into something new. Theoretically, the user could create golem like creatures amongst others to use in battle.

Deals with the number of the suit they use. Aka the 'power/level' cards.

Suit of Wands; This suit belongs to the fire element, allowing the user to manipulate the fire’s flames. They must either be made prior to manipulating them, or the user could alternatively use their own body heat or make enough heat to produce fire.

Deals with the number of the suit they use. Aka the 'power/level' cards.If using their own body heat, the user will then need to take a period of time to warm up, or alternatively use the flames created for that.

・・・・・

Drawbacks

Connection; Due to me being mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually connected to the cards I can feel all damage that is done to them at any time, tearing, burning, scratching, etc. So I’m very protective of them once they exit their case. I also need to keep up my connection to them, by using my cards in a regular basis through readings, meditating with them, training, etc to keep our relationship strong. Once the cards are destroyed I must take time to recover and create new ones which takes a lot out of me. I enter a coma like state.

The Fool Card; Depending on what potential I change It could negatively affect my own chances. ie: [classmate] has a higher potential to avoid being knocked out by the villain. In return I would have a lower potential to avoid being knocked out by the villain.

The Magician Card; Because of the user slipping between points in time to different places. It can mess with my memory, causing temporary short term memory for a while. The more I do it the more it fucks with and distorts my memory.

The High Priestess Card; I can get migraines and mental exhaustion from overuse of the High Priestess card and having to be keeping up with the illusions. I also, similar to my cards, can feel any damage done to the illusions whether it's quirk related or not.

The Empress Card; Due to my healing and the fact I have to use my own energy to heal others, If I use up all my energy, I can suffer from over exertion of energy and be prone to passing out.

The Emperor Card; Because my voice is the main component of my quirk, using it to persuade and command too much can lead to staining it or worse losing my voice altogether, at least for some time.

The Hierophant Card; Absorbing and taking in too much information at one time can lead to excessive migraines and an overwhelmed feeling that makes it impossible to think. Because I can not process all the new information all at once, which would render the ability to use any information useless.

The Lovers Card; The love I feed off of for this card or the love I give can lead me to consuming or giving too much of it away. Leaving me to face emotional exhaustion or entering a depressive state from a rush of negative emotions. This state can also affect others, but to less of a degree that I am.

The Chariot Card; An overuse of my intuition can lead to her getting migraines like the High Priestess card, as well as temporarily slowing my reflexes. I tend to get very sleepy after using this card for long periods of time.

Strength Card; As I enhanced my strength, endurance, durability, and stamina. I can exert a lot of pressure on myself which can lead to straining, fatigue, passing out, and even insomnia. My body has needs time to get use to the switch afterwards. (Light stretching seems to help.)

The Hermit Card; I will find myself, after changing perception, affecting by my own senses. While waiting to adjust it can be harder to perceive or sense things like any regular person could. Making it easier for me to get overwhelmed by things that are in my surroundings.

The Wheel of Fortune Card; The only drawbacks that will affect me are the ones belonging to the card I spins. The Wheel of Fortune Card itself has no drawbacks as it is a card for luck based spin, and a backup incase any cards are damaged but the power still needed.

Justice Card; Similar to Strength, if I put to much pressure on myself during the kinetic build up. It can result in the stres cause me straining, muscle pain, stress fractures, and tendon injuries.

The Hanged Man Card; Because of cutting connections for myself and others, I can begin to feel disconnected. Which can interfere with my relationship with my cards. This subsequently also means my ability to use them can feel weaker or falter. It’s best forget after doing any kind of cord cutting to meditate and connect with my cars again.

Death Card; I can siphon off too much energy and send myself into a sugar/energy high. It only lasts for up to five to nine minutes. Before I just end up crashing and passing out.

Temperance Card; When I use this card, I basically become a conduit and must remain focused if I am to keep it up. Even though I will lose focus or focusing becomes harder, the more I can focus the longer I can last . But still leaving myself vulnerable to be taken advantage of.

The Devil Card; The longer I remain attached to the animal traits manifested, the more tempting animalistic instincts become. I can give into them a little to remain in control but it could lead to them becoming even more tempting. Some of the traits or instincts may last even after deactivating.

The Tower Card; The ability of destruction, while it's primarily focused on my own surroundings. The longer it's used the more it spreads to my own body, from finger tips, to hands, to lower arms, to upper arms and shoulders, etc. It affects my nervous system the most. The damaged has never reached above my elbow.

The Star Card; The electricity I take away from the plasma, can travel with it. And if I’m not super careful enough can, the electricity cab leave burns and even shock me.

The Moon Card; Over using my nightmare abilities can lead me to having nightmares, during both the day and night, then leading up to insomnia. I am also left vulnerable when using my quirk because I, once activated, have to oversee the nightmares to keep them up and active.

The Sun Card; Over using the light from The Sun Card's ability can leave me disoriented and possibly having temporary blindness.

Judgment Card; By clearing others energies I leave my own self vulnerable to taking in those darker judgments, thoughts, and influences. Easily becoming overwhelmed with emotional sensitivity.

The World Card; My emotions are tied to the weather once this card is active. So if someone got me riled up there is a point where I can not calm the store that has manifested from it. Not only does my emotions affect the weather, the weather can affect my emotions too. With the plants I can over exert Myself and giving them my energy can get tiring.

ᯓ★

Suit of Cups; For to this part of my quirk It ends up pulling water away from any source of water around me, along with myself. I can get pretty dehydrated and need to keep myself fueled.

Suit of Swords; Because I manipulates the air, I can rip away from myself air that contains oxygen. So I have a headpiece that has a retractable mask that allows me to siphon off only oxygen so that I can still breathe.

Suit of Pentacles; During one of my special moves revolving around earth made creatures, I become vulnerable to outside attacks due to focusing on creating and maneuvering and sensing with the creatures. Which could leave my own senses funky as they readjust to normal body functions.

Suit of Wands; I am not immune to the fires flames and can not only easily sustain burns from using it, I can overheat myself, possibly to the point of getting heatstroke.

[extremely-nervess]

What the hell made contact with Clover? Why’d she eat that bird? Why were her eyes glowing as she did so?

The entity is a Figment, or more accurately in this case the 'ghost' of one. The Kappa 3 figment utilized a subversion curse to turn Lance forces against their comrades and is the reason Summer is all messed up (both physically and mentally). It was eventually killed, and its remains were desposed of by the Staff cleanup crew after disection and study overseen by the head of incantation research, Heather Conway, who definitely isn't doing anything bad with something derived from it. As for why Clover ate the bird well, she's such a tiny thing. Not much use to Kappa 3 as she is, not at all...

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Sentient Media:

In a new paper, University of Miami Professor Jennifer Jacquet and a team of researchers argue that the industry-funded National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) knew about the harms of beef production on climate change as early as 1989 and worked to obfuscate the science. In a subsequent paper, Jacquet and post-doctoral associate Loredana Loy trace how trade groups worked to incite doubt that consumers could make a difference, by choosing to eat less meat, on global climate emissions. There is some evidence, albeit indirect, that these efforts have paid off — a 2023 public poll of 1,404 U.S. adults found 74 percent of them said not eating meat would have little or no impact on climate change.

“Meat and dairy does not want the individual or the consumer to think they have any power, or to think that their choices make a difference at all,” Jacquet tells Sentient. “They’re constantly saying what you do as a consumer will not make a difference. ‘Eating less meat and dairy will not make a difference.’”

Yet a large body of climate research from nonpartisan research groups like the World Resource Institute and EAT-Lancet have concluded that dietary change, in the form of reducing meat consumption, is a necessary component of reducing the anthropogenic effects of climate change.

In a parallel to Naomi Oreskes’s and Eric Conway’s Merchants of Doubt, which details how a group of scientists worked to incite doubt around scientific topics such as anthropogenic climate change and the harmful effects of tobacco, Jacquet’s and Loy’s research describes how the meat and dairy industry worked to create doubt that consumers can take action to address the harmful effects of beef on the environment. “I call them the moo-chants of doubt,” Jacquet says.

In their other paper, Jacquet and her fellow researchers trace how this stems from a history of recognizing, then downplaying, the effects of the beef industry on global warming.

“There is a long, well-documented history of industry attempts to downplay, discredit and even outright deny science that demonstrates the harms of its activities and products. This strategy was honed to a fine art by the tobacco industry; the beef industry now appears to be following the tobacco model,” Oreskes wrote to Sentient.

The question that underlies the research investigating the impacts of industry funding is just how much free will consumers have in their decision-making — especially if the information they receive is flawed. 

Trade groups like the NCBA are funded by industry checkoffs, which farmers who sell the commodity pay into on each unit they sell. The checkoff industry is a pot of money worth over $1 billion, and is used for researching and marketing the commodity. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that a commodity program would work to make its commodity look good. But the result, in this case, Jacquet argues, is a misinformed public.

[jrwi-fics-of-the-week]

Week 1 of JRWI FICS OF THE WEEK!

Previous weeks: N/A

Theme: None

Tag list: N/A 

Press the read more button to see the fics!

Did He Even Sign up for This? 

Creator: @/nuclearregulatorycommission on tumblr

Submitted by: me :3

Campaign: The Suckening

Characters: Shilo Bathroy, Emizel Tucker, Arthur Bennett, Void

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Crying, Vampires, Cuddling & Snuggling, Found Family, Siblings, Age Regression/De-Aging, Campaign: Just Roll With It: The Suckening, Blood, Short One Shot

Submitter notes: goes insanely hard and im going to eat this fic a billion

Short summary: Boys keep occupying the closet.

Adrift

Creator: @/mattress-ing on tumblr

Submitted by: Anonymous

Campaign: Riptide

Characters: Gryffon, Alphonze, Drey "Sureshot" Ferin, Oliver Teach

Tags: Tags Contain Spoilers, Canon Compliant, Canon Temporary Character Death, Cigars, Slow Burn, Nightmares, Mild Blood, Canon Disabled Character, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Found Family, Relationship Study, Mental Health Issues, Ambiguous/Open Ending, spoilers up to episode 92, Survivor Guilt

Submitter notes: My favorite one in the worldddd

Short summary: A little self indulgent fic about Gryffon with a good serving of some gunmetal in there for the homies.

Here's a health to the company

Creator: Phantomxlegend on AO3

Submitted by: Anonymous

Campaign: Prime Defenders

Characters: Dakota Cole, William Wisp, Vyncent Sol, Ashe Winters

Tags: Campaign 03: Just Roll With It: Prime Defenders, No Spoilers, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, The posting conditions for the first chapter are really funny I promise, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Dakota is a good friend, Hurt William Wisp, High School, 5+1 Things, will add more tags with the chapters, Low Blood Sugar, Comfort, Hurt, Embarrassment, headphones, forgetting things, Vyncent forgot his headphones L, Fluff, Lighthearted, caring for each other, Skin picking, Anxiety, lots of hurt/comfort, Headaches & Migraines, I cant stop writing Vyncent with a tail, it lives so rent free, Panic Attacks, Panic, Sensory Overload, Dakota Cole angst, I added an extra chapter! it now includes Ashe, Social Anxiety

Submitter notes: These are some of my favorites, they deserve all of the love <3!!!

Short summary: 5 times Dakota had something to help his friends and the 1 time they helped him.

Interlude; Conspiracy

Creator: @/false-anachronism on tumblr

Submitted by: Anonymous

Campaign: JRWI New Haven Wards AU

Characters: Timothy Rand, Rolan Deep, Kian Stone, Rebecca "Becky" Jones, Myrddin (Parahumans), Vyncent Sol's Father, Anna Sol, Rumi, Alphonz, Min, Strider, Grayson, + more

Tags: Parahumans AU, god do i tag any worm characters. myrddin is in here a lot, hm. ill tag characters more when they show up, Canon-Typical Violence, Body Horror, Blood and Injury, Gore, Campaign: Just Roll With It: Blood in the Bayou, Chronic Pain, disabled timothy rand, that WILL become a canon tag. i will make it happen. mark my words

Submitter notes: These are some of my favorites, they deserve all of the love <3!!!

Short summary: new haven wards: bitb flavour!!! pspsps come get ur loredump

The Death Prince

Creator: lackoffunction on AO3

Submitted by: Anonymous

Campaign: Prime Defenders Royalty AU

Characters: William Wisp, David Bell, Dakota Cole, Vyncent Sol, William Wisp's Parents, Tide Lambert, Mark Winters, Ashe Winters, Summer, Mallard Conway (mod note: HATE THIS GUY! Not the fic just mal. Hes meanie), Le Frog

Tags: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, William is a Prince, Dakota and Vyncent are knights, David is the king, Fantasy Violence, Animal Death, pet death, Just lots of death all around lol, Body Horror, (sort of), Religious Guilt, Emotional Manipulation, Campaign 03: Just Roll With It: Prime Defenders, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-Typical Suggestive Humour, Canon-Typical Depictions of Mental Illness, JRWI-typical Historical Inaccuracy, tldr; fantasy au greyscale arc on steroids

Submitter notes: These are some of my favorites, they deserve all of the love <3!!!

Short summary: After an attempt on his brother's life, William is assigned two personal guards. William finds himself entangled in the lives of Dakota and Vyncent, his loyal knights. Can they help William unravel the web of lies he's caught in and free him from the curse? Or is he doomed to forever be the Death Prince?

Bleeding Ink

Creator: @/dakota-cole on tumblr

Submitted by: Anonymous

Campaign: Prime Defenders Soulmate AU

Characters: Dakota Cole, Ashe Winters, Mark Winters, Tide Lambert, William Wisp, Vyncent Sol, Alaska Damascus

Tags: Substance Abuse, like in the text, ashe has hypochondria, she/her ashe winters, i tagged ghostknife but like, ghostknife but its bad and doesnt work, DEMONKICKS SOULMATE AU!!!!, DEMONKICKS T4T SOULMATE AU!!!!, i rated mature because of the alaska addiction plotline, Switching Perspectives, no superpowers, updates tuesdays unless i forget, soulmate au- whatever you write on your skin appears on your soulmates, also applies to wounds and scarring, Tags to be updated as chapters update, Car Accidents, doug sucks bad here sorry if youre a doug fan, im serious guys if drugs or drug stuff makes you uneasy dont read this

Submitter notes: These are some of my favorites, they deserve all of the love <3!!!

Short summary: Demonkicks soulmate AU. The soulmate AU shitpost I made like two years ago, but it's fifteen chapters long and everyone's mentally ill.

winnebago blues

Creator: @/thanotaphobia on tumblr

Submitted by: Anonymous

Campaign: Prime Defenders

Characters: William Wisp, Dakota Cole, Vyncent Sol

Tags: Campaign 03: Just Roll With It: Prime Defenders, Campaign 03: Just Roll With It: Prime Defenders Season/Series 02, set in the Winnebago, Nightmares, Hurt/Comfort, Overstimulation, Dakota Cole is autism coded and we love him for it, Self-Hatred, Unrequited Crush, only a little ghostknife sorry, Trauma

Submitter notes: These are some of my favorites, they deserve all of the love <3!!!

Short summary: William is sad, Dakota wakes up screaming, and Vyncent is here.

you picked up right away

Creator: @/intertexts on tumblr

Submitted by: Anonymous

Campaign: Prime Defenders

Characters: Dakota Cole, William Wisp, Vyncent Sol

Tags: dakota!!! medical trauma!!! now!!!, Hurt/Comfort, normal trauma reactions to, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Non-Sexual Intimacy, spoiler-wise: post-meeting dr cross pre-anything else, unbelievable amounts of ghostkicks qprisms. hi.

Submitter notes: These are some of my favorites, they deserve all of the love <3!!!

Short summary: dakota cole gets thrown around a bit. has a bad day. is normal about things that happened to him. gets a hug about it. as it goes.

Come the lightning and the thunder, You're the one who'll suffer

Creator: SweetheartsDie on AO3

Submitted by: Anonymous

Campaign: Riptide

Characters: Gillion Tidestrider, Jay Ferin, Chip

Tags: Gillion Tidestrider Needs a Hug, Gillion Tidestrider Angst, Gillion Tidestrider-Centric, I gave Gillion a mobility disability and then gave him a brace, Fuck the Elders, Sickfic (kinda), Disabled Gillion Tidestrider

Submitter notes: These are some of my favorites, they deserve all of the love <3!!!

Short summary: Gillion Tidestrider got sick at 6 years old and his body never truly recovered from it, but he never realized exactly how much it would effect the rest of his life.

depths of natarus

Creator: goldpines on AO3

Submitted by: Anonymous, crowmaturgy

Campaign: Riptide Mermaid AU

Characters: Chip , Gillion Tidestrider, Jay Ferin, Jayson Ferin, Captain Lizzie Lafayette, Edyn Tidestrider, Original Male Character(s), Arlin James, Ava Ferin, Original Female Character(s)

Tags: Past Child Abuse, Internalized Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Canon Rewrite, The Undersea, I Gave Gillion A Father And He Sucks Sorry, Past Violence, Touch-Starved Gillion Tidestrider, Gay Panic, Love Confessions, Past Character Death, Grief/Mourning, Ambiguous Relationships, Slow Burn, Gillion Tidestrider Angst, Pistolwhip (if you squint), Sick Character, Fever, Night Terrors, Asexual Gillion Tidestrider, PTSD, Coming Out, Hallucinations, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Idiots in Love

Submitter notes: These are some of my favorites, they deserve all of the love <3!!!

Short summary: a mermaid au set in an Oversea / Undersea war. With FNC. sorry, bizly.

misfit toys

Creator: @/false-anachronism on tumblr

Submitted by: Anonymous

Campaign: Prime Defenders What If? Villain AU

Characters: Vyncent Sol, William Wisp, Dakota Cole, Cantrip, Xavier Gonzales, Alan, Tide Lambert, Mark Winters, Ashe Winters

Tags: Episode: Just Roll What If? - The Prime Defenders Were Super Villains, Cannibalism, Blood and Violence, villain AU, Roleswap AU, kind of. not everyone is swapped with someone else, like tide is still a hero the prime force are heroes etc etc, Mind Control, Possession, Gore, Body Horror, Non-Consensual Body Modification

Submitter notes: These are some of my favorites, they deserve all of the love <3!!!

Short summary: A continuation/my own take on the JRWI What If? episode where the PD are villains. pspsps come get ur jade cantrip torment nexus and ghostknife toxic yaoi

[daisyjonesgf]

Okay more regarding Shakespeare, but this time it’s from Othello since im studying both so you’ll need to hear me out for this one. This one is more symbolic I suppose because at the start of the play, Desdemona (who is symbolically Finnick in this case) and Othello (symbolically sweet girl) were very in love. That was all up until Iago’s meddling (hence, the Capitol and their torture). All up until the capitol got their hands on sweet girl and changed how she viewed Finnick, she trusted him whole heartedly and loved him with everything she had in her. However, just like how Iago manipulated Othello, the Capitol manipulated sweet girl into thinking that he was out to get her and corrupt the memories she had with him. It’s so tragic because just like Desdemona, Finnick had to watch his one true love change into a person that hated him, making his sweet girl believe something that wasn’t true in the slightest. Desdemona was never unfaithful to Othello, in the exact same way Finnick would never ever even want to hurt his sweet girl, and yet their lovers were fed sick lies and a false narrative. This also reminds me of Othello’s quote “My wife! My wife! What wife? I have no wife.” Sweet girl’s love for Finnick was so strong that they had to alter her memories to change that- because now she no longer has a loving husband, but instead an evil man who wants her dead.

I hope this all makes sense😭

OMG OMG this eats pls (sorry this took so long to answer queen) BUT YES YES

like okay othello has early jealousy from things already being planted, akin to sweet girl coming out of her first games and being extremely paranoid, feeling undeserving, and like she is deserving of the terrible and unworthy of trust

iago manipulates othello further into fully spiraling, which, like you said, is like the capitol torture fully sending sweet girl over the edge into believing not only does she deserve death but that the same betrayal she inflicted on conway is what finnick plans to inflict upon her, so she flies between a sense of fear and begging for death

and finnick's slow loss of the person he once knew, his wife, his sweet girl, and trying to bring her back, because the spiraling is eating up the person she really is

ugh my shaylas 😔