#( connection. / && jacob stack. )

[gladiatorcunt]

- MOLTEN LAVA CAKE / IV.

when i get to heaven, please let me bring my man

cw: kinktober prompt (creampie), unprotected sex & playing fast and loose with it’s possible consequences, yandere behavior, age gap (reader 20’s, capitano & zhongli 50s, baizhu 40s), power imabalance, non con somno (childe), dub con, innocence kink & lowkey medical malpractice (baizhu), reader has a pussy, implied kidnapping (capitano), if you squint childe & capitano’s sections are connected, frequent breeding kink type talk, manipulation & coercion, implied baby trapping, dead dove do not eat

please do not repost, translate, or feed this work to ai

kinktober 2024

CEO!Zhongli

“Do be quiet, darling.” Zhongli grits, cupping your head with both of his palms and tugging you upwards. “I have no intentions of being an exhibitionist today.”

You arch off his grand wooden desk and gasp at the spark of pain in your neck, but you’d take that over drowning yourself in paperwork any day. Your boss’s cock is ramming into your ass at a porn star’s speed, the wet smacks of flesh slapping against flesh bounce off the one way glass walls.

This situation is the most cliché porn plot in the book though, the distant slightly emotionally unavailable boss bending his secretary over his desk and zipping down their pants. You had been running late that day, you forgot to set your alarm for Mr. Zhongli’s breakfast tea run and you had less cat food than you thought so you had to make a break for the grocery store.

By the time you scrambled in with a steaming cup of your boss’s favorite tea and his stack of reports to review and meeting requests to schedule, the older man was tapping his foot and crossing his arms. He didn’t look disappointed, not quite, but the gentle warmth in his eyes was gone and his small smile was flat.

In your desperation not to lose your job, this was your first and you’re only in your junior year of college, you follow him into his office and set down your things. Your cherry Marc Jacobs tote bag (bought by him, his papers and tea (bought by you with his money), your SINOCULTURAL orchid leather handbag (also bought by him, for variety).

Zhongli wasn’t the kind of pervy boss who’s hit on you before, you guess now that he was just lying in wait. You were the one that draped yourself over his desk with tears in your eyes, desperate and naive and relying on the principle of ‘sex sells’.

He’ll draft up a different beginning to your love story at your wedding.

“You take cock so well, perhaps we’ll have to have a discussion about adding this to your list of duties, hm?”

The condom sliding in and out of your walls makes you want to pout, but you know he has to have one. How he was able to pull a pack from his desk drawer on the spot is beyond you, you’re not quite willing to admit that you’d be so willing to keep your job you’d risk a baby and/or STDs.

“A-ah! Y-yes, sir, whenever you’re available, i-i’ll do anything.” You whisper over your shoulder and push your ass up, wanting the sight of his long cock disappearing under the thick cheeks to be as enticing as possible.

You clutch onto the golden plague bearing his esteemed name for dear life, muffling your sounds into the furniture’s lacquer, and let your boss pour all his stress into your holes. You tried to goad him into taking your ass but he gave you an amused chuckle and a firm pat to each cheek, chiding at you that he’d do it properly another time. He’s a gentleman under his silvered tongue and all his golden scales.

Zhongli seems to get fed up with the condom the closer he gets to his roaring orgasm, and all you’re able to let out in a punched squeal as he sharply pulls out and rips the condom off.

“This damn thing,” He huffs, snarling as he tosses the shredded scraps of plastic to the side, sinking back into your pussy in one go. “There, much better.”

You’re discovering that Mr. Zhongli is not the kind of man who groans unabashedly in the heat of the moment, he's prone to contented sighs and easy laughs. The closest you get to anything animalistic is the guttural grunt he lets slip as you clench around him near the end of his deep thrusts, milking him for all the cum this HR nightmare of a quickie can get you.

“One more thing before you go, be a dear and clean that up for me.” He points a black nail down at the puddle of cum expectantly, somehow having pulled his cock free with a wet flopping noise when you were too dizzy to notice, sinking back into his swiveling chair.

Sugar Daddy!Capitano

Your back hits the hotel wall, softened by Capitano’s hands coming to slide in between you and the surface.

“Mmfh- I’ve never… I’ve never done this before.” You shyly admit as your sighs fade into whimpers, the man’s stubble rubbing on your neck during his rain of kisses.

He laughs and his hot breath hits your pulse point, your heart skips a beat. “So you’ve told me. Don’t worry, you’re nothing but safe with me. I’ve already wired the initial 50,000 for our first meeting to your account, we don’t have to do anything that you are not comfortable with.”

You nod and run your fingers through his black hair, offering up more of your unmarked neck. Of course you’re comfortable, you were so nervous you could die hours earlier, but your first sugar daddy experience has turned out to be the ideal. Capitano made sure you were happy and pliant, offering ten times the amount of what most other men would just for this one dinner. What wouldn’t you be down with doing now?

He nips at your bottom lip, wrapping his burly arms around your chubby thighs and hoisting you up. You wrap your legs around his waist and giggle as you fall onto the bed of the hotel’s presidential suite. You trade sloppy and clumsy kisses for less and less articles of clothing, he places your jewelry and your accessories neatly on the nightstand.

“So you don’t prick yourself or worry about losing them, bambi.” He explains and pulls you into another syrupy kiss.

You lose yourself to fit of giggles as he reverently kisses down your body. The next hour is spent with your new sugar daddy licking your pussy, eating you out like a man would gulp down an oasis after a lifetime of being stranded in the desert. You couldn’t say how many times you flood his awaiting mouth with your juices and seed, but you’ll always remember how his Adam's Apple bobs on every swallow. As if it nourishes him, replenishes his soul from inside and out, warms like a good hearty soup.

Capitano slithers up your body to stroke a finger down your face, “Are you ready for me, honey? You’re spewing like a fountain but we can always just cuddle.”

“No, I'm ready, I want this, want you. Please, Daddy, need your cock.” And your money, but mostly your cock right now.

You settle into your position on your back and spread your legs, you grab the back of your ankles and keep them that way. Bearing yourself for the hungry gaze of a man twice your age.

“Alright, needy love, aren’t you? Here you go.” He coos, lining up his fat dick with your slick entrance and sinking in.

You almost wish you had turned the lights off. The way his massive looks hovering above yours, muscles tense and waiting to be exercised. You don’t have to look down at where his cock feeds your pussy, it’s like you can feel what every nerve and vein is doing and touching in your guts. You’re so glad the conversation about being tested was had on the sugaring app, you’re both clean and on the pill so you thought why not indulge in another first.

“Gorgeous cunt. Worth so much fucking more than 50,000. You like France, bambi? I’ll get you a castle in the countryside, this pussy would look divine getting pounded in one of their foyer’s and over their balconies.” He groans, husky and scratchy, kissing you and grinding his cock deep in your quivering pussy like you just got married.

You have to show him how to take a video of his goopy cum dripping out of your puffy folds, spreading them with your fingers and pushing it back inside.

The next morning, you wake up to a bundle of fresh roses and a calligraphy note on the pillow next to your head. You smile and take it all in, but eventually you tug on last night’s clothes and grab your bag. You grin down at your phone, feeling the butterflies play war drums in your stomach, this going somewhere good. There are times when you can just tell.

The suite door is locked, a man’s voice outside asks if you’re ready to be taken back to the boss’s home. On the way there you look through your bag, a message from your intuition, and your birth control is gone. But there are listings for several foreign properties, with a sticky note attached to the first.

‘Tell me which ones you like when you get home. I have my broker on the phone.”

Stalker!Childe

It’s a routine for him, slip in under your window, sink onto your bed and straddle your sleeping body, and fill you up with his cum until your belly bloats. You’ve never noticed, he’s good at cleaning up. And if you have, you’re docile enough to let him keep at it. Let the rabid wolf keep pawing at your door with bloody paws, leaving a carcass at your feet and doing it all over again the next day.

You know it’s just your boyfriend loving on you in private until you’re ready to go public. He understands you’re shy, a lot of the partners he’s had in the past haven’t exactly been social butterflies, but baby it’s just little ol’ Ajax! He wouldn’t hurt a fly let alone his precious significant other, don’t be silly. He has these kinds of conversations with you through hushed whispers against your ear and trembling fingers slipping under the straps of your tank top.

Ajax always preps you, save for a couple of times in the beginning because he was too excited. He prefers doing it with his tongue, but he does love a good fingerbanging session. He’d never cause any pain that wasn’t fun for the both of you, cross his heart and hope to die. He even brings a back up inhaler that he stole from your pharmacist in case you lose your current one.

He grins as he shimmies you out of your sleepwear, you never much, another sign that you’re meant to be “Shh, lovebug, I hope you’re having the sweetest dreams right now. I’m just stopping by to say hi. I have to be quicker this time, I'm real sorry, bub.”

Some as-gentle-as-possible rough fingerbanging it is.

Ajax keeps his eyes peeled so wide they burn a little as he crooks and curls his fingers in your tight pussy, marveling at your groggy whimpers that sooner than later snowball into light moans.

“You looked stunning in your outfit today, I like looser tops on you. I can see your titties bounce, swear to god. The leggings were a nice touch too, wanted to jog over during your walk and smack the shit out of it. But that’s not the meet cute you deserve, is it cutie?” He grips your face in one hand, the free one that’s not knuckles deep in pussy juice, shaking your head for ‘no’ for you.

“I promise we’re gonna meet soon, it breaks my heart to see you look so lonely, bub.” He’s not fazed when you seem like you’re waking up, he just ‘aw’s and strokes his thumb on your clit until you’ve fallen back asleep. “I can’t wait. I’ve gone over everything a million times, what I’m gonna wear, what I’m gonna say, our first date, our “first” time, I'm so ready for it all with you.”

You’re adorable, your brow is pinching and you’re tossing and turning. Your soft moans become louder and since you’re a heavy sleeper that doesn’t live in an apartment (not that he’d stop anyway, he’s seen how your next door neighbors check you out when you’re not looking), he scissors his fingers and speeds up the thrusts of his hand.

After months of this and vigorous hours at the gym, his wrist has stopped cramping entirely. He slips his free hand under his jeans and clasps it around his leaking dick, jerking himself off as he finger fucks your perfect pussy.

“Oh, there it is, honey.” Ajax gasps, tightening his grip around his painfully hard cock just as your walls tighten around his fingers. “It’s okay, keep going for me, you can do it.”

He times his strokes to the thrusts of his fingers, his breathing in sync with every rise and fall of your chest. You’re so wet, you’re leaking around his digits, your pussy making a sick squelching sound

“Oh fuck! I’m gonna cum baby, just from fingering your pretty pussy.” He pants, circling his thumb over the head of his weep dick and smearing his precum all over his length.

He’s moving so fast his hand is a blur, and he really doesn’t even register the sensation of fucking himself with his fist. Instead what he feels is the way your thighs seize up and your breath hitches, you arch your back off the bed in your sleep and that’s when he knows it’s time.

“Fuck, okay. Lemme get a little closer, lovebug, don’t want any of it to go to waste, right?” He keeps stroking his throbbing cock and blasting his fingers into your pussy, awkwardly trying to find his footing so he can get a good position.

He takes his fingers out of you and his heart squeezes in his chest when your hips buck after them and you whine.

“Here it comes, baby.” Ajax laughs at his own joke, positioning the tip of his dick right against your hole. With a shaky breath and an even shakier smile, he breaches your hole with only that part of himself, loving the way your cunt welcomes it in.

He laughs again when he floods your insides, crossing his fingers behind his back for this one to take. Don’t worry, it’s only a fantasy for now, you should at least have your first date before he knocks you up.

OBGYN!Baizhu

“Just lie back on the exam chair for me and we can begin.” Dr. Baizhu smiles warmly at you as you nervously play with your hands in the clinical room.

You nod, wanting to speak at little as possible. The chair’s paper covering crinkles and creases as you climb onto it, shuffling around before settling into a somewhat comfortable positon lying on your back. You look to Dr. Baizhu on your right, he’s available on your insurance and he has stellar reviews on any site worth trusting you could find. You’re just anxious anyway, and this is something you have to do, it won’t do you any good to get paranoid about all the things that could go wrong in a doctor’s office.

Baizhu’s eyes crinkle in the corners and he takes a seat on one of those rolling black stools. “So I take it that this is your first pelvic exam? Well, then be assured that you’re in good hands. It’s nothing scary, but I need to make sure your vulva and reproductive organs are in perfect working order.”

You laugh awkwardly and mutter back a “I know, I'm fine. Just a little tired, traffic was a nightmare.”

Your nerves already feel like they’re fading away, Dr. Baizhu’s voice is so pleasant and he has such a kind demeanor, you understand why this clinic was so eager to have him. The woman who signed you in was raving that it was his first day after leaving a major hospital, that they were so lucky and you were too.

“Now I'll have you slide down to the end of the table and put your knees in these stirrups, it’s perfectly safe and if you need to take a breather, please let me know.” He croons, allowing you the freedom and comfort to act on your own. He’d never want to make you feel panicked, as if he were forcibly restraining you.

The exams aren’t really a big deal when you’ve gotten over that hump, but Baizhu knows that first times of any variety can be scary. Especially for skittish patients such as yourself, with as much prey drive as a barn bunny being chased by a sheepdog.

You lie there and endure every probe and thoughtful hum. Your vulva is fine and Dr. Baizhu ends that part of the inspection with a quick pat to your mound, his lips twitching as if trying to resist the urge to kiss.

“Okay, now I'm just going to check out your cervix, keep still.” The man hums, smoothing a hand down your right calf from the stirrup to your knee. “You’ll feel some pressure, but nothing painful.”

“Really?” You bite your lip and eye the instruments on the little table by the sink.

Dr. Baizhu chuckles, “Of course. Some patients do experience pain, but it’s not a definite thing, everybody’s different. At most, you’ll feel a tad uncomfortable and exposed.”

So you brace yourself and expect to feel the cold metal of what looks like some kind of forceps. Instead you look down to see your doctor unbuttoning his pants.

He catches your eye and waves off your concern, “Cold metal just seems so abrasive for your first time. You might do better with a more… human approach, something to test how well you can stretch. Don’t worry, I'll put protection on, I'd be a horrible doctor if I didn't.”

Sure enough he slides a latex condom on, covered in tiny holes but you brush it off as being a part of the design. Baizhu’s cock twitches, feeling a sick thrill at how easy you are, at how he can whip his dick out and you’ll believe it’s in your best interest.

He doesn’t release you from the stirrups, and they rattle as he plunges inside inch by inch. Slowly and mind numbingly, to properly gauge your cunt’s ability to expand around the intrusion. You gape up at him, feeling far more than just a tad uncomfortable and exposed. His lips twitch again, torn between maintaining the facade and stuffing your cervix with his cock or breaking character and dipping down to kiss your adorably parted lips.

“I’d give you a piece of candy if that wouldn’t embarrass you. You’re doing great, just relax and the pressure will ease up.”

“Ngh- hah- O-okay, doctor. Thank you for helping me.” You don’t know why you say it, who thanks their doctors for doing a basic exam? But he groans and his hips rush forward all the same.

Your cunt is impossibly tight, which is to be expected but it’s not any less delightful to experience.

The paper underneath you makes you want to claw your eyes out as his thrusts force your back to slide back and forth on it. That, the stirrup straps clacking, and your shared soft pants are the only sounds in the locked room. It’s not as anxiety inducing as you’d expect, the planets in the office orbit around the doctor and as long as they think he’s in an appointment (and isn’t he?) they won’t interrupt. His eyes crease, he promises to give you a home visit when you’re done here, just to be thorough and make good on that promise of candy.

Something sweet for the embodiment of the cavities is in his soul, cunny strangles him tighter than a noose.

Dr. Baizhu shudders as you reflexively clench around his pulsing cock and attempt to kick out your legs only to be held back by the stirrups, “Don’t mind the mess, ‘s all par for the c-course, my dear.”

You squirt on his next thrust, and your tangy juices drip down onto the cold gray floor. The gooey cum that escapes the holes in the condom follow suit and form a little pool. Dr. Baizhu takes several pictures of your seed heavy pussy with his flip phone for medical reference.

[swaps55]

Mezzo - Chapter 14 - Tooth & Nail

Pairing: mshenko | Rating: M Tags: Canon-typical violence, trauma, dealing with your problems poorly, body autonomy struggles   Summary: The twists and turns of ME2, through the eyes of everyone but Commander Shepard. Chapter Summary: Liara tells the truth. Shepard makes a mess. Jacob gets a good look at Ceberus-made biotics in action and has some Thoughts. AKA, Three Biotics Walk into Dantius Tower and Shepard Makes It Everyone's Problem.

Chapter 14: Tooth & Nail | Read on Ao3

[Incoming communication request for krios.thane from t’soni.liara.]

[Encryption protocol 9.087.1258]

[Accept?]

[Request accepted]

[Establishing connection]

[Transferring encryption per Sunset Protocol]

[Secure line established]  

LT: There has been a development.

TK: Is there a problem?

LT: Yes. Dantius Towers is on lockdown. She knows you’re coming.

TK: You have a leak.

LT: I will take care of it.

TK: Then I shall consider our contract terminated.

LT: No. Proceed as planned.

TK: I do not understand.

LT: I am providing you with a distraction. He will ensure you get your opportunity. I only ask that once the job is done, you listen to what he has to say.

TK: This is unwise.

LT: Trust me.

TK: Trust is not in my contract.

LT: Very well.

LT: I have information about your son. It is yours at no charge if you listen to the human I am sending to help you.

TK: My son is not part of this arrangement.

LT: Then I shall keep the information.

[Idle notice: secure line will be terminated in 50 seconds due to inactivity.]

TK: I will proceed as planned.

[Secure connection terminated by user request.]

~

23 December 2185, Crescent Nebula, Tasale System, Illium

The entire time Liara speaks, Shepard watches her through steepled fingers from a seat on the couch in the apartment she still hasn’t called home. The apartment itself had belonged to Benezia, though none of her things remain. They few that had personal significance she’d packed in boxes that are now stacked neatly in the back of the spare bedroom while she decides what to do with them. In the meantime, the man who’d shot her sits in her living room as an invited guest.

She sits across from him in an oversized chair. The tea she poured him slowly grows cold, the plate of luxed muscle drops remains untouched. She never had been able to convince Shepard to give asari cuisine a fair shot.

She tells him everything.

Read from the beginning | Read the rest on Ao3 | The Mezzo Playlist

[debtofdeception-if]

Oh my gosh thank you I need more crime IFs in my life (and parenting ones, wlgyl got me hooked)

Out of all the supporting characters, how well do you think each one could care for MC’s kid? (Obviously for your own sanity do as little or as many of them as you like, as you have an absolutely stacked cast I fear)

I’ll be buzzing with anticipation for this IF, the concept and the way that you write is amazing and I’m so excited already :)

A: Since they’re also the child’s parent, it’s safe to say the kid would be in good hands—no question about it.

V: MC’s child would be safe and well-protected with V, no doubt. But when it comes to emotional support and nurturing? That’s where V falls short. They wouldn’t be the best at handling a child’s emotional needs.

Renay: Renay would be an amazing guardian. The child is already familiar with her, and she’s also their godparent. She loves that kid to death and would do anything for them. If she could give them the world, she would.

Haru: Um… yeah, no. Haru should not be responsible for ANY child. Ever.

Jacob: Jacob isn’t really a kid person. He wouldn’t intentionally be neglectful, but he also wouldn’t know what to do with a child.

Kenny: Surprisingly, Kenny wouldn’t be a terrible option. He takes his responsibilities seriously, and considering he was a parent once, he has some experience. He might not be the most affectionate, but he’d step up if needed.

L: L wouldn’t be directly involved in raising the child. Instead, they’d probably have a team of nannies and staff handling everything. The kid would have every material comfort but little to no personal connection with L.

PTA Demons: Absolutely not. They may be parents themselves, but, uh… let’s just say not all parents should be parents.

J. Lockwood: Hard pass. Would literally trust a mob boss with the child before trusting J. Lockwood.

The Delgados:Monica—Despite her intimidating nature, she actually has a soft spot for kids. MC’s child would be well cared for and definitely spoiled. Frank—Similar to V, he’d ensure the child is safe, but he’d be distant and emotionally cold. Not the best for a kid’s development.

Mandy & Bill: Absolutely not. Mandy’s abuse and hatred toward MC would inevitably affect the child. As for Bill? As usual, he’d stand by and do nothing to stop it.

Cian: Even though he’s a gang leader, Cian is very family-oriented and has a clear soft spot for children. Out of all the questionable choices, he’s one of the better ones. The child would be in good hands with him.

Edit: Whoops! I forgot the Colemans 🤦‍♀️ already forgetting my own characters 😅.

The Colemans: They would also be great options. The child is already familiar with them since they’re the typical active grandparents—weekend visits, freshly baked goods, toys, bedtime stories, you name it. They’d provide warmth, stability, and plenty of love.

Thank you for the support! And I'm super happy that you're excited for this.

[losingdcgs]

[ … ] ❀ you’re not from around here , are you? i figured because you totally just missed { VICTOR CRAVEN } walking by. don’t tell me you don’t know who { HE/THEY } are ? they kind of look like { JACOB ANDERSON } and i could be wrong but i think that they might be { THIRTY-FOUR } years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last { SIX MONTHS }. and i don’t know if anyone has ever told them this before but they kind of remind me of { PETER VINCENT } from { FRIGHT NIGHT }. if you stick around the town long enough you might catch them in action working at { - } as a { ENTERTAINER }. you see this town isn’t really that big of a place, some folks like to call them the { FRAUD } of palmview! they took a liking to the name too after a while, go figure. oh crap, they must have heard me yapping. they’re coming this way. i got to warn you though, rumor has it they can pretty { COWARDLY } at times. i wouldn’t take it too seriously though, from the times i’ve spoken to them they seemed pretty { DEBONAIR } to me. we see each other all the time since they live in that { ONE BEDROOM } apartment beside me over in { OASIS HEIGHTS }. i better leave you to it. it was nice meeting you!  

Basics !

Full name: Victor Craven (technically a stage name but you won't catch them answering to anything but Victor)

Nickname: Vic (won't respond, it doesn't have the same flair as Victor according to them)

Gender: Demi man

Pronouns: He/they

Age: 34

Birthday: October 5th

Sexuality: Pansexual

Relationship Status: Single

Occupation: Entertainer (formerly b-horror movie actor, host of ghost hunting reality tv show Beyond the Veil, current host of self-ran horror movie commentary centric youtube channel that sometimes dips back into ghost hunting aka he's struggling to figure out which thing to cling to for relevancy)

Time in Palmview: 6 months

Counterpart: Peter Vincent (Fright Night (1985))

Label: The fraud

Enneagram: 3w4 (the professional, the expert)

Aesthetic: Faded posters of forgotten b-horror movies lining your walls, an unsent stack of autographed pictures just in case, doomscrolling the comments sections, clawing at relevancy, continuing the act even after the camera cuts away, the bitter taste of defeat, a collection of props gathering dust in the corner of your room, "the show must go on" repeating in your mind over and over again

Quick Backstory !

A spirited youngster always front in center in every school and community play, Daniel Ashby knew they were destined for greatness at a young age. He ate up getting lost in a role that was nothing like him and the praise that followed a job well done. Because of the joy that radiated off him was so pure, so blinding, it wasn't all too surprising when his parents used some connections to help break him into the film industry.

Only it wasn't as dreamy as he thought it would be. The first few credits they got as a teenager were all in low-budget, b-horror movies that went straight to dvd. The type of movie that got a niche, cult following but would hardly launch anyone's career. But it led to more opportunities (still nothing widely praised), though, largely within the horror community so to further lean into that, Daniel Ashby was no more and instead he was now Victor Craven.

They were someone you'd go up to at a horror convention to quickly check out before rushing off to see the real icons. And that was when the panic of never being anything more set in, so when approached about doing one of those cheesy ghost hunting reality shows where the crew screams "what was that?" as the camera pans to perfectly miss whatever the supposed sound was, they immediately took the opportunity in hopes that it would be some breakout success. Besides, they could play the part well enough to sell any ghost story.

It was just a shame then when the ratings dropped and the show was canceled after a few seasons. But never to worry because Victor Craven always has a backup plan and another opportunity on the horizon! Or so he would have you believe. The reality of the situation is that couldn't be further from the truth. So what do you do when you don't know your next move but desperately want to cling to relevancy and fame? Apparently you move to a small town in Florida and start up a YouTube channel that doesn't have a crystal clear focus yet until something better comes along.

Misc. !

Despite what you may think, they actually do not enjoy horror movies or anything horror related. If they're watching a horror movie, expect them to watch it from behind their fingers for at least part of it and no way are they going into that creepy abandoned building unless there is a full camera crew with them.

While he really hammed it up on the ghost hunting show, he doesn't actually believe in the supernatural. It's really just another act, but if anyone asks he'll totally pretend he does to really sell it.

He's the type of person who's hard to really get to know. It's not necessarily on purpose, but between insisting being called by a stage name and not always knowing when to turn a performance off, it's hard to figure out what's actually real about them.

His apartment is decorated with a nice mix of posters and props from the trashy b-horror movies they've been in and canceled ghost hunting show. They'll claim it's because those are great memories and not because they're clinging to relevancy.

Was this close to working as a tour guide in the Historic Downtown area complete with a pirate costume and persona, but decided against it. Who knows, maybe that'll be his next rock bottom.

Will lowkey act a little offend when people don't know who he is as if the movies he was in weren't b-horror movies that typically went straight to dvd and only had a few niche fans.

Wanted Connections !

Fan or Haters: People who like both or either his b-movies or the ghost hunting show he was on enough to call themselves fan. Or ! People who hated one or both career choices aka think his movies are garbage and the show was too fake (it definitely will send him into a spiral !)

Someone (or Multiple People) Who Know the Real Him: More likely than not people who he grew up alongside with who would've gotten a better glimpse at who he was before getting so wrapped up in always performing.

Believers: May tie into the fans connection, may not. But people who do believe in ghost and see Victor as some sort of expert and he just goes along with it?? Until maybe they're talking about going to some abandoned place late at night. Think the Charley to his Peter Vincent type of vibes

More to come as I develop them! Wanted connections can always be found here, but I'm always open to any and everything, including ideas that might not be listed there <3

[aliensupersyn]

I Solved One of the Great Mysteries of the Heian Era

This reads as a sort of storybook. The pages here all describe Sukuna's rise to power as a divine force in jujutsu society, but it's scattered throughout different chapters. Here, I piece it together for your reading pleasure. I made this discovery while writing my Yuji cog analysis.

Sukuna vs. The Fujiwara Clan

Uro recounting her defeat by Sukuna's hand.

Sukuna sees himself as a divine arbiter who bestows judgement on humans, who he deems to be beings below him. As a divine figure, he condemns humans to misery by his hands. Sukuna's title as the "disgraced one/the fallen," and his talent to forgo a barrier for his domain expansion reflect his defiled divinity. Gege describes Sukuna's domain expansion as a truly divine technique, which adds even more grandeur to his role as the strongest sorcerer in history. Sukuna's undefeated reign of terror ultimately defines his status as a divine sovereign of jujutsu sorcery.

Sukuna's rule of might defines strength as a destructive force. Comparing yourself to and relying on others only makes you weak, according to Sukuna.

Sukuna figuratively acts as a curse; he will never stop spreading misery upon humanity for as long as he lives. He sees his destruction as a divine and just cause. His strength acts as proof for his righteousness.

As the symbol of the greatest force in the history of sorcery, Sukuna enforces a schism within jujutsu society. In the Heian era, and now in the modern era, Sukuna spurs the rule of might. By threatening carnage, he forces sorcerers to come and meet him in battle to test their strength and knowledge against his own. To avoid the calamity Sukuna threatens, sorcerers must either kneel to him or hope to defeat him. In the Heian era, most of the sorcerers likely chose the former after failing to succeed at the latter. After armies of sorcerers died against him, jujutsu society was forced to praise him as their divine sovereign.

This panel revealed that Uro led the Sun, Moon, and Stars squad.

Here, Kashimo reflects on Sukuna's slaughter of Uro's squad. It's also suggested that Sukuna has weathered an army of Angels. Imagine them stacking Jacob's Ladders on him. No wonder he was able to tank Yuta's with no effort.

Here, you can see the outcome of the calamitous battle that Kashimo was reflecting over in the above page. After their defeat, sorcerers began worshipping Sukuna as a God and praying to him for good fortune. His strength had earned him a divine status among the most powerful of the golden era of sorcery. You can also see that they thought of Sukuna as a monster, which resembles another member of the current cast.

The Yorozu panel reveals that Uro once led the Sun, Moon, and Stars squad that Sukuna slaughtered. The second and third pages above describe Uro's squad as powerful sorcerers who challenged Sukuna and died. Yorozu also once challenged the Fujiwara clan and they made her one of their nobles*. Uro detested the very same Fujiwara clan who apparently subjugated her.

Even in a new life, it's not Sukuna that bothers Uro, it's the Fujiwara clan for killing her.

After her squad's defeat, presumably, the leader of the Fujiwara clan used Uro as a scapegoat to appease Sukuna. Her execution would signal to Sukuna that she acted against his wishes and on her own. These events would explain why in Yorozu's reflections and flashbacks, the Fujiwara clan still remains as a supreme power. Sukuna likely accepted Uro's execution as penance for them challenging him.

Yorozu was supposed to be preparing for the harvest festival being held in Sukuna's honor. There, they would pray to him as a God; Yorozu effectively fell in love with a monstrous deity figure. Given her insect theme, there's grounds for a connection between Yorozu, Sukuna, Mothra, and Godzilla.

After he annihilated Uro's squads, Sukuna became the supreme divine sovereign of jujutsu society in the Heian era and sorcerers were forced to worship him to avoid his ire. To stress his divinity, sorcerers prayed to him for a good harvest as if he were a God. The Fujiwara clan likely executed Uro, a leader of some of the forces that challenged Sukuna, to appease their new divine sovereign. The fealty that was pledged to him likely made Sukuna extremely bored. He wished to spread misery, but his opponents had all lost the will to challenge him and instead begged and worshipped at his feet.

The choice between challenging Sukuna and worshipping him pervades even the modern era. The Jujutsu High political leaders feared Sukuna and his fingers. Even without a real body, Sukuna's cursed energy alone enforced fear and awe into jujutsu society. All sorcerers understood that his return would mean another schism; they would be required to either join him or foolishly challenge as a powerless upstart. Throughout history, sorcerers made binding vows with Kenjaku in order to one day challenge Sukuna, as Uro's squad once did. Others knew better and instead attempted to create a jujutsu society that worked to contain Sukuna in his cursed object form.

Notes:

The manga isn't very specific about what Yorozu's status was, just that she was some type of noble in the Heian capital.

Yorozu and Sukuna being Gege's Godzilla fanfiction is adorable and makes me like her so much more.

Uro's horror in these two pages suddenly make much more sense. Sukuna slaughtered all of her comrades.

Regarding the Kashimo page: I'm simply taking Kashimo's comments "to have achieved so much!" as some form of reaction to the narrator. It could be a metatextual reaction, or he could have learned about this war somehow.

Short post, but I didn't see anything else outlining this little story, so here it is.

[typicalopposite]

Am I just gonna bring yall all drabbles of the many ideas I have now (because I’m currently writing a fic that is getting way bigger than intended) maybe, yeah.

(I had to do research on how to play five card draw for this and it’s likely still inaccurate 🥴 fic writer life, amirite?)

It’s couples game night now that Buck is no longer a solo. Chimney invites Hen and Karen and Maddie invites Buck and Tommy.

After losing an embarrassing amount of times Buck steps in as honorary dealer, and they start another game.

Tommy (who is to Bucks left, cause… yeah research said so) notices that’s it’s very obvious there is something on Chimney’s mind.

“Alright… spit it out, Han…” Tommy finally says.

“So… back then… were you team Jacob?”

Tommy groans and rolls his eyes. Hen laughs. Maddie and Karen look intrigued. Buck wants to know who tf Jacob is.

The game starts and Tommy looks at his cards. Chimney is clearly more invested in the answer than the game. And Tommy throws a dollar into the middle before simply saying, “No.”

There’s another chuckle from around the table. Everyone matches Tommy’s hand, cards are tossed , and Buck gives out new ones. “So team Edward then,” Chimney says, and Buck tosses the card he was giving Hen so fast it bypasses her hand a hits her in the chest.

“Oh… s-sorry,” he says , although this eyes are still glued to Tommy.

Again he looks at his cards, sighs, tosses another dollar. “No,” he repeats. “Although I was on his side more than Jacob’s.”

Buck is so confused he is about to rip his hair out, and everyone nodding in agreement is only making it worse. Everyone matches Tommy again and Buck gives them new cards.

Chimney opens his mouth and Tommy intercepts with, “not Emmett either.” Chimney snaps his mouth closed.

When Tommy ups the bet to $20 Hen and Karen look at their cards and both fold. “Ahh I know,” Chimney says as he absentmindedly tosses a twenty into the pile, and Maddie tosses her cards, bowing out as well. “Jasper.” Tommy’s face answers for him. “Carlisle?”

“Who are these people?!” Buck snaps, unable to keep himself composed any longer. He isn’t sure if he is more confused or jealous… or maybe it’s an equal amount of both.

Tommy smirks but doesn’t respond. He looks at his cards and seems satisfied with them, so he glances up at Chimney and cocks an eyebrow, waiting for him to make a decision. Buck doesn’t think he has gave Chimney any new cards the whole game, the latter being far too focused on asking Tommy about a bunch of random men than paying attention to his cards.

When Chimney doesn’t even look at his hand Tommy pulls out a hundred dollar bill and gently (sassily) places it in the pile. And Maddie is glaring at Chimney like she dares him to try to match it. “Alright, alright! I’m out.”

Tommy chuckles and sits back in his seat. Everyone is staring at him like they are waiting for an answer to this mystery. “If you must know,” he says with a shrug. “It was always Charlie for me.”

Buck feels the gears turning in his brain and as if the wires finally connect he gasps, “Are you talking about twilight?!”

“Obviously,” Chimney answers. “Wh— Wait. How did you get that from Charlie? He’s not even a main character!”

“Because Maddie had a shirt that said Team Charlie on it. She had like, the biggest crush on him.”

Maddie shrugs, “What can I say, there’s nothing hotter than a guy in uniform,” she says and promptly kisses Chimney on the cheek.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Tommy agrees, flashing that big cheesy grin at Buck. Maddie giggles as she reaches past a thoroughly confused Chimney and Buck to high-five him.

“Well… at least I didn’t fold with an amazing hand,” Chimney says and lays his cards down, with a three of a kind in 8’s.

“Better than mine,” Tommy laughs, and lays down his hand. A two of spades, three of diamonds, five of clubs, seven of hearts and a nine of diamonds. Then he gathers the bills from the middle, ignoring Chimney’s look of disbelief, and sets the stack in front of him. “Put it towards the honeymoon,” he says, pushing back from the table and putting his jacket on. “I insist,” he adds before Maddie can argue.

(I’m going to stop it there because this got way longer and much more actual ficlet-y than I intended! I will likely actually write this… eventually 👀 but now it’s at least mostly out of my system!)

[ask-astf-characters]

Reg, RHM, Henry, Charles, Ellie, Dave, Rupert, Sven, Burt, Galeforce, Carol and MacBeth, your favourite song/s, singer/s or band, genre? Well I made a list but if anyone else wants to answer feel free to. Dave: You like cartoons? Would you watch them with Rupert or are you too ashamed to do so next to someone so tough? Sven: Have an Almond Cake! I read Swedes like Almonds! Also do you know where exactly in Sweden you come from? Burt: Are you afraid of anything? No, breaking up with Sven or him getting hurt doesn't count lol. Reggie and RHM: I once saw a meme where shaking a battery box makes RHM come like a cat. Does that work? (idk if RHM is a cyborg here, if not don't answer that) Ellie: People are mixed weather your hair are naturally scarlet or are they actually blonde and dyed. What's the truth? Also, is Jacob your brother? Amelia/Turtle: You watch TMNT? >:) Rupert and Charles: Do you like dogs? They are used in the military afterall.

{Mod here! This will have no semblance of time in the real world bc I am a little lazy when it comes to looking up songs, sorry!}

Reginald: Me and Righty like anything by Frank Sinatra.

RHM: Before I was like this, I had a damn good voice for his songs.

Reginald: Oh, dear, you still do! And before you ask, no, I'm not talking about the voice changer. I still like your natural voice, warping and all~

RHM, flustered and pulling his hat down to cover his face: ... Good god, Reg...

Reginald: As for the battery box thing, no, Righty doesn't do that. His cybernetics run on a generator that's connected to his heart, so he has no interest in batteries. But he does always come when I scream.

RHM: Because I'm your protector, so if anything might be hurting you, I'm not taking any chances.

-In the Airship Brig-

Henry: I dunno... I kinda like parodies or anything funny, really... Maybe Vending Machine Of Love?

Dave: I like Fireflies. It's a cute song, honestly... And yeah, I like cartoons, but mainly older ones, like classic Looney Toons and stuff. Me and Rupert used to watch them all the time... It was actually the first secret I told him! ... God, I miss him...

-In one of many hallways in the Airship-

Sven, carrying a stack of paperwork: WOAH! *catches the cake, trying to balance it and the papers* I don't really remembER- *manages to stop the papers from tipping over in his arm* M-Me and Earrings wandered a lot before- skit! *readjusts his grip on the cake before it falls, and manages to balance it on the paper stack, sighing in relief* Before we followed Pa to the old base there, so I never got to memorize where we were before we were off again. As for my favorite song, both Burt and I love Orbit by Mars Mignon! It's calm and soft, like a lot of the time we spend together.

-In Communications-

Burt: Orbit by Mars Mignon. I like how it kinda relates to me and Sven. As for the fears thing, I dunno, surprise attacks, I guess? I'm the first one to know about attacks, so someone getting the jump on us scares me. And geese. I got chased and bitten by a goose once. Not fun.

-Just outside of the Armory-

Mr. MacBeth: I don't really think about it, I've never been much of a music lover. Hm... I guess I can enjoy an old video game music track. Dunno about a favorite, though...

Carol: I like Jack Stauber songs, but my favorite is probably Oh Klahoma. It's very catchy, and a nice rhythm to work to.

-On General Galeforce's Base-

Rupert: I like Safe And Sound by Capital Cities... me and Dave used to sing it when we were off-duty sometimes. But Fireflies absolutely comes in a close second...

Charles: Hm, I like all kinds of music, but... I guess my favorite would be Born For This. It gets me really pumped up before a mission!

Rupert: And yeah, both me and Charlie are basically dog people, though in very different ways. I like stronger working breeds, since they're both helpful and good companions...

Charles: And I like smaller breeds. Easier to carry and treat like the adorable fluffy babies they are!

Galeforce: You'd never believe it, but I'm actually pretty fond of musical tracks, like anything from Hamilton.

Charles: Hey, General, good seeing you outside for once!

-

Turtle: I did when I was little, it was my favorite cartoon.

Frog: Wait, is that why Turtle is your codename?

Turtle: :)

-Somewhere in Vegas-

Ellie: Hm, I like stuff like Lotta True Crime and Product Of My Own Design. Also, of course this isn't natural, c'mon guys, you really think my hair would naturally be this red? Though I do have naturally red hair, it's not to this extent. Also, Jacob's not my brother, he's my little cousin. *sighs a bit* I miss him sometimes, honestly.

[disappointingyet]

Trois Couleurs: Bleu

Director Krzysztof Kieslowski Stars Juliette Binoche, Benoît Régent, Charlotte Véry France/Poland/Switzerland 1993 Language French, a little bit of Polish and Romanian (with English subtitles) 1hr 38mins Colour Weirder-than-you-maybe-think film about grief

Trois Couleurs: Blanc

Director Krzysztof Kieslowski Stars Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy, Janusz Gajos, Jerzy Stuhr Switzerland/France/Poland 1994 Language Polish, French (with English subtitles) 1hr 32mins Colour

Terrific dark comedy about Poland not long after the fall of Communism

Trois Couleurs: Rouge

Director Krzysztof Kieslowski Stars Irène Jacob, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Jean-Pierre Lorit, some excellent dogs France/Switzerland/Poland 1994 Language French (with English subtitles) 1hr 39mins Colour

Possibly worth it just to hear how ‘chewing gum’ sounds in French

Just thinking about the Three Colours films takes me back to a time of people asking (and expecting the answer to be yes) if you’d read The Shipping News or Miss Smilla’s Feeling For Snow, a pre-fully-fragmented-mediascape time when there seemed to a sort of shared upper-middlebrow culture, or at least among people I knew. And in that mid-‘90s moment, Three Colours was a very big thing.

Apart from anything else, it was a smart piece of marketing, a trilogy announced from the start but not based on anything already existing, all released in a period of just over a year, with a fairly blatant selling point being the idea that each instalment stars a gorgeous French actress (we’ll get back to exact truth of that.)

Here was a hugely respected (if not massively watched) director, Krzysztof Kieslowski, who had laboured heroically under the constraints of Communism and could now make the most of both artistic freedom and French cinema budgets etc. Whatever the reason, the concept certainly caught a mood.

But although there are nice little connections between the films (admittedly much easier to spot when you watch on consecutive nights than months apart), one of them is very much not liked the others, and I’m wondering whether there was a bit of Trojan horsing going on.

Blue (the first one) and Red (the third) are the matching pair, philosophical dramas in which the main character is a beautiful young woman with a dark bob, the action is triggered by a car accident, the dialogue is mostly in French and we’re here to ponder grief, loneliness, morality, mortality and art.

In Blue, Juliette Binoche plays Julie, who has just lost her daughter and her husband, a famous composer.* There are rumours that she was the actual talent in the couple – will she complete his last great work or stick to her attempt at living an anonymous no-baggage life in the middle of Paris?

In Red, model Valentine (Irène Jacob) stumbles into the life of a cranky retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and is both creeped out and sorry for him, and they slowly get to know each other. It takes place in and just outside Geneva.

White is not a drama, the main character is not (despite what some of the posters suggest) a beautiful young woman and most of the dialogue is not in French. No, White is a comedy about post-Communist Poland in which the main character is Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) a little dumpling of a bloke. The tone, the look, the pace, the casting, are all radically unlike Blue and Red. This is a film in which (spoilers I guess) a man smuggles himself back into Poland by hiding in a suitcase in the hold of an airliner. And while classical music is grandly important in the other two, in White the key musical moments are Karol playing a comb-and-paper. Blue and Red are mood pieces light on plot, whereas White has multiple schemes stacked on top of each other. 

In brief outline, Karol, a talented hairdresser, is divorced by his French wife Dominique (Julie Delpy), ends up homeless and busking in the Paris metro, makes it (just about) back to Poland and (like many of his countryfolk at the time) tries to get rich quick. My take, for what’s it worth, on what we’re seeing is that if you take a country where, in a completely dysfunctional Communist economy people had habitually (and often out of necessity) ignored the rules, when you replace that with a free market, those people aren’t going to suddenly start scrupulously obeying regulations or let tax officials know how many dollar bills they have stashed under the mattress, etc…

Blue and Red remind me of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2019 film La Vérité (which, as it happens, also stars Juliette Binoche) – foreign director comes to France (and Switzerland, in the case of Red) and makes something that feels as close as possible to the work of an actual French person. Whereas White is emphatically a Polish film made by Polish people about Poland. 

Now, as in 1994, White is easily my favourite of the three. It’s just more my kind of thing, funny and absurd and surprising. But that’s not to knock Blue and Red, both absorbing films that are a fair bit weirder than I had remembered. (Not to mention how full-on 1990s Blue is with all the colour filters used – and this is a good five years before Out Of Sight, for instance.)

It's the 1990s. so there's a bowling scene, of course (Red)

Red, in particular, is better than it had become in my imagination. I understand why this is – it’s easy in memory to reduce it to ‘pretty girl stirs the heart of old grump back to life’ but the film is stranger and smarter than that. (There’s also an odd subplot that fits more with Kieslowski’s Polish stuff.) And the ending really works for me. 

A few stray points: 1) Binoche is only a couple of years older than Jacob, but the trilogy has them at very different life stages. I bumped against this a few times in Blue – at one point her character says, ‘I’m 33’, which on the one hand doesn’t seem old enough for everything that’s meant to have happened in her life and on the other, feels considerably older than she looks. (Binoche was 29 and could easily pass for 25.) 

2) The build-up to the car accidents in both Blue and Red gets what British TV viewers will think of as the full Casualty treatment: we’re fully alerted of what’s about to happen. I guess there’s a workings-of-fate notion there, but feels clumsy and unnecessary to me.

3) Love the almost (but not quite) identical scene that happens in each movie.

4) Love Janusz Gajos and Jerzy Stuhr as the depressed friend and the brother in White. Also, I should say that Julie Delpy is excellent in the film, it’s just if you’re expecting to see her on screen for the bulk of the running time, you’ll feel shortchanged.

5) These are beautiful films. 6) Look at those running times! That’s how you do it.

7) Do I have any idea at all about the films are trying to say about liberté, égalité, fraternité? Not a Scooby, folks, not a Scooby.

I guess my question going into this rewatch was whether the Three Colours films were the kind of glossy, superficially serious arthouse product that get great reviews at the time but fade with the passing of their moment of fashion? I hope I’ve made clear that White was in fact never that kind of film – loved it then, love it still. But Blue and Red also, I’d argue, still stand up.

*Which had me thinking: are there any living composers as famous as this guy is meant to have been? Even in France? Even in the 1990s?

[veronicaleighauthor]

Barbara Howard

I’m a huge fan of Abbott Elementary. For those who may not be familiar with it, here’s a brief description:

A workplace comedy centered around a group of dedicated teachers – and an oblivious principal – in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life.

I started watching it not long after the show started, but recently I did a binge watch of it before Season 3 started and fell in love with it. One of the things I really appreciate about the show it’s character, Barbara Howard (portrayed by the brilliant Sheryl Lee Ralph). A veteran kindergarten teacher of over thirty years, you immediately fall in love with her. When we’re introduced to her, she declares she’s a “woman of God.” She’s a Christian and not ashamed of being so. Unlike other portrayals of Christians on comedy shows, even when Barbara says something comical or faith related, we’re never really laughing at her. As opposed to Glenn Sturgis on Superstore, who we laugh at all the time. Now I love Superstore and Glenn Sturgis and I enjoy laughing at him. And it’s perfectly fine for a Christian character to be ditzy, or hypocritical, or the villain; I’ve done it enough in my own stories. But Barbara Howard is one of the few positive portrayals of Christians out there.

The other characters on Abbott Elementary, Janine especially, highly respect Barbara and look to her for guidance since she’s one of the veteran teachers. She’s not perfect, but she’s never hypocritical, or cruel, or vicious. She is very open about her faith, yet she is never abrasive or judgmental. She never attempts to evangelize her coworkers. Others don’t share her beliefs, but they listen and understand her Christian beliefs are part of who she is. Ava, who is her polar opposite in personality and behavior, has referenced church and discussed beliefs and has even given Barbara some much needed advice, which Barbara took. Her closest friend is Melissa Schemmenti, who has some shady connections. Over the years she’s mentored the younger teachers, Janine, Gregory, and Jacob. Her students adore her and more than one has returned to tell her how much of an impact she’s made on their lives.

:: Spoilers from a Recent Episode ::

The recent episode of Abbott Elementary is fantastic. The school’s auditorium is lent out for Barbara’s choir group to sing in. Since Barbara is a talented singer, Ava encourages her to try out for the program. And Barbara does; it’s her wish to sing “Shackles” from MaryMary since in the past it inspired her. We see though that the church ladies don’t really like Barbara. We eventually find out they consider Barbara too “modern” for their tastes. They think she wears too much makeup; that she has too many piercings; that when she goes on cruises, she becomes Sea Barbara who is different from Land Barbara; they also object to her friendships with the more “colorful” teachers of the school.

Barbara isn’t accepted amongst those who are her brothers and sisters in Christ because in their eyes, she is “different.” She may never find acceptance in her church family. However, Abbott Elementary rallies around her and reminds her she will always have a place in their family.

:: Spoilers over ::

Anyway, the whole episode really inspired me because I’ve been struggling with some stuff. And in all honesty, I’ve drifted from God. He’s drawn me back, as He has in the past. But I was able to relate to Barbara and what she was going through – no matter how devout you are in your faith, there will always be another who thinks you aren’t truly living for Him. In the end, we’re only accountable to God and it’s His opinion that matters – not that person in your life giving you the side-eye for you not living up their expectations.

So, if you haven’t already, try Abbott Elementary. You’ll enjoy it, I swear! I can’t wait for tonight’s special episode.

[yetisidelblog]

The right-wing packing of our Supreme Court can be traced to one man in Washington with lots of money and even more power: Leonard Leo.

Leonard Leo’s close personal connections with the MAGA Justices is no secret. Leo is long-time friends with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and his wife Ginni. They’re so close that Thomas is even godfather to one of Leo’s children. Leo has made connections between Thomas and wealthy billionaires like Harlan Crow, and arranged Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s fishing vacation with right-wing private equity billionaire Paul Singer.

Now, one of Leo’s interests, Consumers’ Research, is going before the Supreme Court in a case fighting critically important FCC regulations. Leo’s vast funder network has provided millions of dollars to Consumers’ Research, and its executive director has called Leo “a good friend and adviser to Consumers’ Research.”

The conflicts of interest for Thomas and Alito in this case are crystal clear. That’s why we sent a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts urging him to ensure Thomas and Alito recuse themselves from the upcoming Consumers’ Research case—and the media is taking notice:

Leonard Leo first made headlines during the first Trump administration, when he helped stack the Supreme Court with ultra-conservative MAGA Justices who he had deep personal and financial ties to. As a result, he is largely credited as the “key architect” behind rolling back abortion rights.1

He’s also responsible for a vast conservative network of nonprofits fighting to reshape America—while funneling millions of dollars back to his own businesses.2 The ties this network has to both the plaintiff in the Consumers’ Research case AND with Justices Thomas and Alito are stark and deeply concerning.

If Thomas and Alito don’t recuse themselves from the Consumers’ Research case, it will amount to yet another major failure of Court ethics, further erosion of our democracy, and escalating corruption in our highest judicial branch.

Thomas and Alito should not rule on a case in which they have clear conflicts of interest. Make your voice heard! Join us in demanding Chief Justice Roberts ensure they recuse themselves from this Leonard Leo-tied case.

1 The man who helped roll back abortion rights now wants to 'crush liberal dominance' 2 Leonard Leo-tied nonprofits have paid his businesses $90 million in just six years

@upontheshelfreviews

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@ifihadaworldofmyown

@justice-for-jacob-marley

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[svnshowers]

[     han  hyun  him ,  cis  man ,  he & him.   ]     ⸻     have you seen cole harris-kim? yes, the twenty - three year old senior that’s usually wandering around campus? they’re currently focused on history, so we’re sure they’ve been super busy with studying. according to rumors, they were michael’s teammate & best friend and he knew they [ got away with taking performance enhancing drugs ]. does it make sense considering they’re known for being tenacious as well as impulsive? either way, the phantom is threatening to bring scary things to light, but let’s hope whatever they’re hiding stays in the dark.

basics

birth name: cole jacob harris-kim nicknames: n/a date of birth: april 5th 2001 - 23 years old. place of birth: milwaukee, wisconsin residence: los angeles, california occupation: student, youth basketball coach sexual orientation: bisexual relationship status: single big three: aries sun, virgo moon, leo rising mbti type: esfj positive traits: tenacious, energetic, ambitious, sociable, organized, generous, bold. negative traits: impulsive, reckless, insensitive, hot headed, easily influenced, moody, provoking nature. aesthetics: early morning runs, daily workout routines, stacks of books scattered around the room, sneakers squeaking on the gym floor, shirtless instagram pictures, interesting documentaries, studying late into the night, protein shakes. theme song(s): new perspective - panic! at the disco, feel it - d4vd

sparknotes

cole was last born to an accountant father & a nurse mother.

from a young age, sports were heavily encouraged by his parents as both of them had dreams of being professional athletes, but those dreams never panned out.

cole had never wanted to be an athlete, he much preferred reading and studying to playing sports.

he was always interested in history, always reading historical fiction or historical non fiction.

he played basketball on his middle school's team, being one of two students to make it onto varsity his freshman year of high school.

his senior year of high school, he got a full athletic scholarship to golden state. he'd never seen his parents so proud.

away from his parents for the first time, cole began to finally let loose. he got back into immersing himself in history, allowing himself more free time than before.

cole quickly realized he had no idea who he was, he'd spent his whole life for his parents. now he was on his own, struggling to find an identity for himself.

he majored in psychology for a semester before switching, finally, to history. and he fell in love with it.

recently, cole's been more open about his interests. he's more comfortable in his own skin than ever before.

headcanons

cole started taking performance enhancing drugs after his coach told him he was good enough to go pro. he has since stopped because he got close to getting caught.

he is biggest history nerd, he rarely shows it but if you give him the chance he'll talk your ear off about weird historical events.

cole is in his fifth year of college, he switched his major so he lacked the proper credits to graduate in four years.

he coaches ten to twelve year olds in basketball, they all think he's just the coolest dude ever.

cole is a huge animal lover, from the tiniest ant to the biggest whale in the ocean, he loves them all so much.

he hides his nerdiness from people at first, but once he gets more comfortable around someone he'll open up more.

wanted connections

his workout buddy! it can be someone on the basketball team as well, but it's not super important.

other athletes he's close to! it also doesn't have to be someone on the basketball team, i'd love to see him bond with people in other sports!!

another nerd, someone to geek out with him over anything and everything, bonus points if they get him into more nerdy things.

mutual crushes! these two r close friends but refuse to acknowledge their feelings out of fear of ruining the friendship.

an ex friend, it could be someone who judged him for taking performance enhancing drugs, but i am also open to it being for a whole separate reason!

[antimony-medusa]

Hey since you seem familiar with the HurtComfort exchange I thought I'd ask: when you're filling out the 'request' portion of the intake, when you list multiple relationships and tags (e.g. Relationships: Techno&Phil, Techno&Tommy) does it match you to someone who is writing Techno&Phil OR Techno&Tommy or does it necessitate BOTH? Same thing for the 'offer.' If I put in Steve/Bucky and Steve/Natasha (for example), am I only going to be sorted towards people with BOTH tags or just one?

I'm trying to figure out how to understand this but I'm honestly not sure where to ask

No worries, I happen to know this! If you want to ask questions of the mods you can do so by either commenting on their blog at https://hurtcomfortex.dreamwidth.org, or emailing them at hurtcomfortexmod@gmail.com— BUT I happen to know the answer to that one so I can answer!

Hurt/Comfort runs on OR matching. The most direct answer to that is that you can match on Techno&Phil OR Techno&Tommy, you don't need to have all of them present in the match.

However, because it's a freeform exchange, you will only ping on the machine as a valid match if you match on at least once instance of Ship and Freeform both being present in a request. So, for example

Person A requests: >Techno & Tommy: Abandoned by friends/allies, Altered States - character can't distinguish disturbing visions from reality >Techno & Phil, Techno/Phil: caretaking in small but obvious ways , Battle as Comfort Person B Offers: >Techno & Tommy: caretaking in small but obvious ways, character A and B are enemies but character A won’t let anyone else hurt character B  >Quackity & Tubbo: Character A Makes Significant Sacrifice for Character B; B Horrified and Upset When They Find Out, Character drapes their own jacket/coat over hurt/sick character's shoulders And Person C Offers: >Techno & Phil: Abandoned by friends/allies, Battle as Comfort >Karl Jacobs/Quackity: Character A Makes Significant Sacrifice for Character B; B Horrified and Upset When They Find Out, Altered States - character can't distinguish disturbing visions from reality

Obviously neither Person B nor Person A is a perfect match for everything Person A requests, but that's fine, because it's not looking for a complete match of all tags, it's just looking for a good match of one string OR string from the original request. We gotta have at least one instance of the same Ship and the same Freeform present in one request.

Person B has offered both the tags Techno & Tommy and caretaking in small but obvious ways, but that won't ping as a proper match for Person A, because those tags weren't connected together in Person A's request, they were in different requests. The computer keeps looking.

Then when it gets to Person C that WILL read as a correct match, because it can find Techno & Phil, and Battle as Comfort and smack those two together, that is one string where it can find matches present in one request, so it's a correct match.

So you just need to match on one instance of Fandom > Ship > Freeform, no matter how many different freeforms and ships you stack into a request, or how many different requests you put down.

It is 2am and I was like I KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN THIS but I am now doubting myself so I really hope that's clear, but possibly that is the 2am talking. If that's not clear come back tomorrow and throw a book at my head and I'll try again.

[princesscolumbia]

Depends on the platform, generally, but my 100% for sure most popular is Fission, if only because it's been on FF.net since 2015 and gained readers by sheer inertia.

Star Trek: Strike Team Valkyrie, though I suspect that's more due to the different fandoms this megacrossover has touched so far not having much crossover...yet. 😉

The Accidental Librarian - A crossover between The Accidentally Paranormal series of books and The Librarians TV show. Bookstore owner Jane Fairfax somehow managed to buy a premium office space in downtown New York for a song to live her dream of owning a bookstore. She's excited to have her first book signing with the up-and-coming author Wanda Jefferson. After they've wrapped up the event and Jane is getting ready to close, she's surprised to discover one customer got lost in the stacks. It's too bad this dreamboat has no reason to stay in the store, you know, since it's closing...wait, are those ninjas?! Why are they invading her store?! Wanda Jefferson has just finished a successful book signing and is enjoying the amusing romcom playing out in front of her in the form of her hostess and an apparently random customer that needed help escaping the store's labyrinthine stacks. Suddenly ninjas crash their way into the store and are demanding a specific book that Jane has no hope of knowing what they're talking about. Wanda's keeping her particular skills on the DL until one of the ninjas pulls out a medallion that is just radiating magic! She wasn't planning on using her hybrid werewolf/vampire form tonight, but when the paranormal was afoot, one of the founding members of OOPS--Out in the Open Paranormal Support was on the job! Nathan Park was mostly looking for activities to fill his day. Medically discharged from the Marines after being exposed some radiation the government won't quite explain, he's been mostly getting caught up on reading and (his squadmates always made fun of him for this) his crochet hobby. Then he got lost in a bookstore and some ninjas attacked, and then the author who had just been signing books turns into a freaking werewolf, but somehow the creature of myth and horror isn't the bad guy! Eve, Jacob, Cassandra, and "The" Ezekiel Jones are shocked when Jenkins informs them that somehow The Library is losing books and artifacts! The library records say that the books are being redirected to the New York annex, but that, of course, is impossible; they lost the connection to that annex years ago. But that's their only clue, so they take portal back to where their careers with The Library all started, only to find a bookstore where the annex should be, it's filled with ninjas, there's a guy who Jacob worked with back in the day, and there's a weird werewolf-vampire hybrid defending the owner of the bookstore.

Multichap

Mature? Adult? The not porn variety that happens to be completely okay venturing into some topics that aren't sex but still give purity cultists the vapors. (but I do write some smut, too)

Mostly characters that need to fill gaps in the world where there would be a person (CEO of a company, trash collector, kid in an arcade, that sort of thing) but the canon media never accounted for.

Found family

Word

"Nabiki was watching the aquatransexual with an incredulous eye. The shit-eating grin from yesterday hadn't made a return, but Ranma had no doubt that it and a school of its shark-like cousins were swimming in the depths of Nabiki's ocean of plans and schemes."

By Kudos 1-Return to Recipient 2-Deviation 3-And at This Point I'm Afraid to Ask 4-My Empire of Dirt 5-Double Isekai

740,245

I respond to as many comments as I can. People honored me with a comment, it takes only a little effort to reply and is a nice reciprocation on the care they showed me.

Yes. My most problematic fic ("BAMF" or "Ranma is Fucked") got me blocked by half of a discord server. None of the people who blocked me bothered to read the fic, which was all about the problem with the central plot point.

Nope, unless you consider a forum RP post a story, in which case, yes.

"Indeed" pops up alot, sometimes my protags get too wordy, and nearly every female protag I write is Sapphic to one degree or another.

130,627 words, though that's complete and the next five longest are all WIPs that are likely going to be much longer than that by the time they're finished.

Gosh, name some of the legends of the Ranma 1/2 fandom and they've influenced me at some point, but I think the biggest influence was due to Rebecca "BurgerBecky" Heineman's work on the Sailor Sun saga. It directly influenced a lot of how I write Fission and some of the plot points I've got planned out for it.

Oh, gosh, there's several! I love most of @jaquik's stuff (and what I don't love I haven't gotten around to reading yet 😋), and Dear Diary directly inspired Return to Recipient ThrashJazz's The Girl Behind the Mirror got me rethinking a lot about the nekoken for Ranma and inspired me to start writing more fics with systems as a protag. @n7punk...just, like, ALL of n7punk's body of work. AnneOminous is a freaking drama powerhouse with her Phoenix saga @thestargayzingetherian - Just, like, unapologetically all the SPOP fluff ClassicalGal - Helped me understand my own gender journey back in the day...and we connected again recently. They did promise that someday they'd finish Notes from Julliard, but until then I still love their Genma's Daughter series, even if it's incomplete. 😁 AEM - The other author of a neurodivergent Isekai'd Ranma Saotome in Taming Shrews (seriously, PHENOMENAL worldbuilding!) NobleHeroine - Life is Not Built with Dreams (But Dreams are Upon which Life is Built) is a regular re-read for me and was basically the final puzzel piece to being able to properly build a polyamory Ranmafic. All my poly fics? Yeah, NobleHeroine was the one that built the template for me. 💖

...

...what are they gonna say...?! 😰

(Yet Another) Fanfic Writer Ask Game!

What is your most popular fic?

What fanfic do you wish you got more response on?

What’s a fic idea that you have but haven’t written yet?

Do you prefer writing multi-chapter or oneshot fanfictions?

What rating do most of your fics fall under?

Have you written any fanfictions featuring OCs? If so, elaborate!

What’s a troupe you love to write?

What kind of document do you use to you write? Microsoft Word? Google Docs? Straight in the AO3 text box?

What’s your favorite line(s) or scene(s) that you have written?

What are your top five fics by kudos or by reads

How many words do you have on AO3 (if you use that platform)

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Have you ever co-written a fic?

Are there words, phrases, mannerisms or scenes you tend to use a lot?

How long is your longest fic?

Are there any writers and/of stories that you consider an influence?

Recommend someone else fic! (And tag them if they have a tumblr!)

For the readers: send in your favorite fanfic, scene, title, phrase, etc. by the person who reblogged this!

[sanchezsidelinereport]

Agent Zero's Son Survives Fiery Crash, Still Headed to Muss Bus at USC!

Alright, Trojan faithful, some scary news turned into a heartwarming update on your prized recruit!

The USC Trojans basketball program, under the new leadership of Eric Musselman, is already making noise with their stacked 2025 recruiting class, headlined by five-star guard Alijah Arenas. But the journey to donning the cardinal and gold took a terrifying turn for the talented youngster.

Alijah, son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, was involved in a scary car accident back in April that resulted in him being hospitalized and even placed in a coma due to smoke inhalation. Thankfully, the basketball world held its breath, and now, we've got a positive update straight from the source!

Gilbert Arenas himself hopped on the "Pardon My Take" podcast this week and gave the lowdown on Alijah's recovery, his commitment to USC, and even shared some classic Agent Zero advice. When asked by "Big Cat" about Alijah's condition, Gilbert delivered some much-needed good news.

"He’s doing a lot better. It was a scary moment. Teenage kids when they get these cars, you kinda get worried about them sometimes," Gilbert Arenas said. He recounted the bizarre circumstances of the accident, stating, "He said the car computer just malfunctioned and ran him right into a fire hydrant and tree…"

But here's the silver lining, Trojan fans: Alijah is a fighter! Gilbert confirmed that his son is now able to walk and talk again and is expected to make a full recovery. Huge sigh of relief all around!

Interestingly, Gilbert also dropped a little recruiting nugget, highlighting the role another LA school played in Alijah's recovery: "He’s going to USC next year, and UCLA saved his life. So that’s going to be interesting right?" A little cross-town rivalry spice never hurt anyone! While Gilbert himself starred at Arizona, Alijah opted to stay closer to home.

And why USC? Well, it sounds like Musselman's relentless pursuit played a major role. "He just wanted to stay home. (Eric) Musselman, who coached me, called him every single day. I didn’t even know he was talking to him at two-three in the morning about basketball, working out," Gilbert revealed. Talk about putting in work on the recruiting trail! The connection between Gilbert and Musselman, who coached him during his time with the Golden State Warriors, clearly gave the Trojans an edge.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Gilbert Arenas interview without a little off-the-wall wisdom. When asked about advice for Alijah as an NBA rookie playing cards with veterans, Gilbert's response was pure gold: "Don’t be an antagonizer. Realize that losing money is more important than how much they’re losing…Win money like a real winner. Don’t brag, and if you do, hold a taser," he joked. Classic!

Eric Musselman is heading into his second season at the helm for the Trojans, and this 2025 class is looking promising. Alongside the five-star talent of Alijah Arenas, they've also landed four-star guard Jerry Easter, plus a loaded transfer class featuring four-star talents like Chad Baker-Mazara, Rodney Rice, Ezra Ausar, Gabe Dynes, and Jacob Cofie.

After two straight sub-.500 seasons and missing the NCAA Tournament, the Trojans are clearly aiming for a bounce-back year. The health and arrival of Alijah Arenas will be a major storyline to follow. Here's hoping for a full and speedy recovery for the talented guard – the Muss Bus is waiting! Fight On!

[rocklandhistoryblog]

The new episode of Crossroads of Rockland History is streaming now!

Listen to it here:

A 30-minute version of this interview originally aired on Monday, March 17, 2025 at 9:30am on WRCR Radio 1700AM.

Crossroads celebrated both Women’s History Month and Saint Patrick’s day with a discussion about an exciting program coming up at Harmony Hall in Sloatsburg. Eve Kahn, the former Antiques Editor for the New York Times and Elizabeth Stack the Executive Director at the American Irish Historical Society will joined host Clare Sheridan to discuss Anna Frances Levins, the Irish American artist and entrepreneur who traveled widely to photograph remotest Ireland and created portraits of sitters ranging from Pope Pius X to martyred Irish revolutionaries.

Anna Frances Levins founded her own company, Levins Press, which published lavish books about the history of Ireland and Irish Americans, and her photos appeared by the hundreds in books, newspapers, and magazines. Levins also helped the newest Irish arrivals at Ellis Island, combating her era's bitter prejudices against immigrants. She eventually married one of her portrait sitters, an Irish baronet. Despite all of this, Levins has ended up in contemporary obscurity.

About the guests:

Eve Kahn is an Independent scholar and former Antiques Columnist at The New York Times. She is an award winning author who writes about art, architecture, and design for the Times among other publications. She is the biographer of artist Mary Rogers Williams (1857-1907) and writer Zoe Anderson Norris (1860-1914). Eve Kahn appeared on Crossroads of Rockland History to discuss Edith Varian Cockroft of Sloatsburg (Episode 95, September, 2018).

Elizabeth Stack, PhD, is the Executive Director of the American Irish Historical Society in New York City. Dr. Stack was previously the executive director of the Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany, NY and before that she taught Irish and Irish American History and was an Associate Director at Fordham University’s Institute of Irish Studies. She completed her PhD at Fordham, writing about Irish and German immigrants in New York at the turn of the twentieth century, as they grappled with the immigration restriction movements of that time. She has a master’s degree in Anglo-Irish Relations in the 20 th Century from University College Dublin in Ireland. From Listowel, in Co. Kerry, Elizabeth sees a huge connection between her own experience as an immigrant, and the important mission of the Society to preserve and share Irish contributions to American history. “Major areas of interaction between Ireland and America have included diplomacy, economy, education, nationalism, tourism, culture, philanthropy, and the free flow of capital. However, immigration has given the most significant and lasting link. We explore all these topics in the Society.”

About the Program: Anna Frances Levins

When: Sunday, March 30th, 2:00 pm

Where: Harmony Hall, Jacob Sloat House, Sloatsburg, NY

In Celebration of Women’s History Month: Eve Kahn presents Anna Frances Levins, forgotten Irish American Photographer, Publisher, Immigrant Activist, Bibliophile. Independent scholar Eve M. Kahn, who has mined thousands of pages of Levins' correspondence hidden in Catholic leaders' archives, will present a heavily illustrated report on her research into the life and works of this trailblazer.

Reservations Required: Members: $20; Non-members: $25.

Light refreshments will be served.

Tickets available at https://www.friendsofharmonyhall.org/events

_____

The American Irish Historical Society will also host Eve Kahn for "Rediscovering Anna Frances Levins, Forgotten Irish American Photographer, Publisher, Political Activist and Baroness"

When: Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM

Where: 991 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028

Info here: https://aihsny.org/events-2/rediscovering-anna-frances-levins-forgotten-irish-american-photographer-publisher-political-activist-and-baroness

@aihsnewyork #annafrancislevins #irishhistory #womenshistory @harmonyhall_sloatsburgny

@aihsnewyork #annafrancislevins #irishhistory #womenshistory @harmonyhall_sloatsburgny

@aihsnewyork #annafrancislevins #irishhistory #womenshistory @harmonyhall_sloatsburgny

[whitepolaris]

Old Firehouse

Barbara Farrell jokes about having the biggest garage in Sanford; that's because she lives in the city's old firehouse on Palmetto Avenue. Barbara, a realtor and artist, bought the old firehouse shortly after falling in love with it on a visit to Sanford in 1992. The firehouse had not been used for decades and needed considerable restoration before it could be transformed into a residence. None of this mattered to Barbara, because, as she said, "It just felt right." By the time she finished renovating the nineteenth-century building, she had turned the second floor into a beautiful light and airy residence that has won several awards. The lower level is that big garage.

Barbara had hardly settled into her new home, when she discovered that she had a houseguest, maybe even two. Or should that be houseghosts? While relaxing with a book in her big brass bed one night, she noticed that little pebbles were dropping overhead. They weren't falling from the ceiling; in fact, there seemed to be no source for these small rocks. They simply dropped out of thin air, making the pinging sound when hitting the brass bedstand. Then there were the sounds of footsteps, but how could that be? It was a two-story building.

Well, not quite. As Barbara found out through research, her firehouse had three stories until 1928, when the city remodeled the structure and removed the third story.

Although she never seen an apparition in the old firehouse, Barbara does sense that she is living with a presence from the past, and she thinks it could be a fireman. She is not alone in her feelings, several others have recalled uncanny experiences in the old station. Two former firemen recounted how chairs placed in front of the fireplace at night would later be moved around. One fireman recalled hearing a rattling sound, "Like a dog running with a chain." One night, while the crew was out on a call, a fireman who had remained behind remembers how the doors started opening and closing on their own.

The firehouse, a stucco-and-brick structure, was built in 1887. For many years, it served a combinations of functions-armory, city hall, firehouse, and jail. The top floor served as a courtroom.

The first prospect for a ghost may be a man who was hanged behind the building when it was a part of the city jail. He was Percy Bayless, a twenty-four-year-old black man accused of gunning down a deputy sheriff named Cleveland Jacobs. The hanging took place on March 30, 1923. The newspaper reported that "all adjoining fences and rooftop had their quota of people anxious to witness the hanging."

Does the ghost of Percy Bayless still roam the old building? Barbara thinks that could be a possibility.

There are a number of firemen deaths connected to the firehouse. The first was on August 16, 1888, when a young fireman named Harry Ashton fell through an elevator shaft while fighting a downtown fire. In 1957, a rookie fireman was accidentally killed when he was run over by a fire truck. In 1969, the body of a fireman who had been mysteriously missing for seven months was found stuffed in the closet of his house. His wife was eventually convicted of his murder. Certainly, plenty of candidates for a haunting exist in the old firehouse.

But the strangest event connected to this old place originates with Barbara herself. While in a deep state of meditation, she experienced with a vision-not necessarily a dream, but more like an inward visualization-that she was a fourteen-year-old boy from the late 1880s living on a dirt street, and the boy appeared to be taking water to the workers from a fountain located in the middle of an intersection. At some point, she saw the boy being fatally kicked by a horse and watched him die.

It might have been brushed off as a daydream, if not for what happened next. Some time after this, Barabara was at a flea marker in another part of the state, rummaging through a stack of antique postcards, when one card grabbed her attention. It was an old nineteenth-century photography of a round fountain where a half-dozen boys leaning against the rail. There, in the center of them, was the boy she had seen during her strange meditation.

Then she made a spine-shivering discovery: The photo was on Sanford's Palmetto Avenue and Second Street, a mere half block from the firehouse!

Coincidence or reincarnation-or something else? Whatever it was, Barbara bought the postcard. As for the entity in her firehouse, she says, "I just told him look, I'm living here now, and you're welcome to stay, but we're going to get along." As for the firemen, each year Barbara hosts a get-together for Sanford's retired firefighters, and perhaps a few unseen ones too.