#CONRAD WILL RECEIVE JUSTICE!!!

[sarah-cam]

SPOILERS FFOM TSITP 3 SET.

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It’s true that Jenny has a tight lock on that set because we haven’t seen anything since filming started 2 weeks ago. All people are doing is speculate based on casting calls and some set photos so I will give you a little sum up and you can take it with a grain of salt.

1. They are adding the Jeremiah is a frat boy story line (remember: Belly hated Jeremiah’s fraternity and was a source of constant fights between them). One of the people living in the neighborhood where they filmed the frat party scenes posted the pic. There’s also a bar scene but no one knows if it’s them or maybe another character.

2. They were filming Conrad medical lab scenes last week because one of the cast call pages on the place they are filming was asking for people on medical clothes to look like students.

3. Rumor has it Belly herself is joining a sonority and yesterday they were filming scenes with Belly there - a girl confirmed with a pic in what looks like a sonority set. And a couple days ago they were asking for a lot of girls for scenes. This is interesting if we consider Belly hated that lifestyle and in the books she even lies to Jeremiah about not having enough money to join a sonority when he asked her to join one. People speculate that this will be Belly’s attempt at “fitting with Jeremiah’s world” and kind of make it up for the denial that she’s been under to make it work between them. This adds up with Belly’s people pleaser behavior and how in the books she keeps saying she barely has a life on her own because she doesn’t even have friends on her own that aren’t Jeremiah’s. And it could also double down on her and Laurel’s issues because Laurel was concerned Belly was changing and limiting her college experience to Jeremiah’s. And people think this is how she’ll meet Anika (and potentially Lacie too??).

This is the deb ball 2.0 - a thing she never wanted to do because it wasn’t her style but did because she was trying to please Susannah and only Laurel and Conrad called her out for trying to be someone she’s not. Seeing Belly losing herself as a justification for the cheating plot and the decision she made will be so sad to watch but necessary for her own growth.

4. They were filming on the beach of a resort a few days ago and people on Reddit thinks this is location for the Cabo storyline because it looks very much like Cabo with the setting. And they were even asking for beach goers too.

The first two episodes will definitely revolve around Belly being in denial about her relationship with Jeremiah. Joining a sonority to please him while he does whatever he is doing with his own fraternity and the Cabo storyline. Meanwhile, a few scenes of Conrad studying at Harvard here and there.

I think they are trying to film as many outdoors scenes as possible to get into the more private sets to avoid spoilers.

belly joining a sorority is so ooc but i can't wait to see how much she hates it and how much she's trying to change herself to be with him 🤡

also can't wait for this --

[skayafair]

The power - abuse or righteous use?

I've been thingking about the moral conflict Ghost Wax comes up with several times: violence as a revenge and a defence when it isn't strictly necessary, going overboard.

It shows in Dottie Jean's case with her killing the poachers, in Adrianna's case with killing or harming men assaulting women, and in Voncid abusing his power a few times. Once he ponders about it - when he went off on Mr. Simmons in Ep. 21.

Because they DO go overboard, but it also feels so, so good? Usually I'm against such drastic measures, but Ghost Wax makes them feel really nice. Are they justified? An eternal question.

Law doesn't have a sole power in it since laws are written by the society and can be bent in whatever direction by the rulers. They don't always reflect what's moral to do.

I came to the conclusion that every case is unique, but the general answer for the show is: it feels good becaise it IS righteous. Because the power doesn't get used to instill dominance and to feed the user's ego - it's used to protect those who are already hurt and can't do this themselves. The best course of action is to give voices to those who don't get heard and to support them, but in cases when it's impossible, the powerlsess should be portected by those who do have power.

Dottie explains several times that the poachers she kills are rich and won't be punished by the law. The only way to stop their actions is to stop them, permanently. Killing is too extreme of an answer, irl I wouldn't let it pass (make them never be able to hold a gun and pull the trigger, maybe?), but it's fiction. So honestly - godspeed. She protects the animals who can't protect themselves and desperately need this. Dottie also acts along the rules of the poachers themselves and more as a nature's force than a human, which is why it feels so satisfying.

Adrianna protected women who couldn't stand up for themselves for various reasons. This is human society though, not the wild, so she gets stopped by the Order. She can still use her power and protect women (I think?), but now she can't to go that far. That's the correct regulation.

Voncid made Mr. Simmons learn the lesson not to be a creep to little girls. He didn't kill the man but clearly gave him a world of pain and, again, - godspeed. Because one girl has already suffered greatly, a lot suffers not that severely but still have their lives poisoned day by day by the same kind of attitude and words, and no one would have made that man change otherwise: technically he didn't break any laws that we know of, yet (I mean he did invite a girl to have a cup of tea, and it made my skin crawl). Voncid let his rage take the best of him, but I think sometimes it isn't that much of a moral failure. The girl and others like her couldn't protect themselves, so Voncid took it upon himself. And the man is alive and I think functioning (I believe it would be too much of a hassle to break him permanently), so.

The last example, although not morally conflicted, is Conrad. He received his power and went to protect the ocean, like Voncid protects human world, because no one else could. Although Conrad still parellels Voncid's rage since he has trouble controlling himself when something hurts his beloved underwater world, and makes rather violent jokes. I'm sure he'll do his best though.

And why it feels so good. Because none of the people affected by the powers mentioned above were innocent. They did objectively terrible things. In Dottie's and Adrianna's case those deeds should even be punished by the law, the problem being that it rarely actually happens. So they take it upon themselves.

In real world there's little we can do about similar cases. Things slowly improve, sort of, but it's never enough. Every case is one case too many. Which is why it feels this satisfying to have justice at least in fiction.

There's one more case though: Charlie. I think his case is the one to remind why such "justice" doesn't lead to anything good irl. He sincerely believes he does good, because he saw the actual reality (or, was shown a reality) and what the Order is up to. He truly thinks destroying the Order does more good than harm. He's fighting for people who are deceived by alien entities and therefore can't fight for themselves. Only he doesn't have the full picture and his judgement is not objective. We saw that at the very least Voncid, Pip and Luca actually care for people and protect them. The rest of the Order is more questionable since we don't have the full picture as well, but this doesn't help the case because Charlie acts out of fear, his judgement is clouded - as we saw in his speech about Voncid and young men like Luca or Charlie himself. Becaus he isn't above the situation. So he can't make actually informed choices, and that's how it usually is irl: we can't truly rise above what's happening in our lives, we never have all the information, which is why we HAVE to proceed with caution. I'm still not above the idea that some bastards need their asses handed to them to drive the point home or at least scare them from repeating their offences if that's the only language they understand. But I'm also physically weak and poor so it's not like I can actually do any of that.

[somalilandcurrentnews]

Somaliland: Chief Justice Receives the International Election Observers team leader Cole

By M.A. Egge The Chief Justice Hon. Adam Haji Ali Ahmed received in his office Mr. Tim Cole, who is the team leader of the international elections observers, while accompanied by Mr. Paco Cobos, Mr. Bartek Lech, Conrad Heine and Sandi Gale. The CJ thanked them for their visit to the Supreme Court and the role they would play in the elections. Both parties discussed the electioneering processes of…

[hashemlawfirmblog]

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[anarcho-occultism]

Egregiupsaltes

“EGREGIUPSALTES-He is an infernal Duke of immense power and appeareth akin to a man with red skin and horns extending from his ears and chin. He causeth all who surround the summoner to engage in song, dance and other such merriment for as long as the summoner can bindeth him and provides inspiration and talent in the arts of musical composition and stage performance. He is capable of pushing men to reveal hidden secrets that they would otherwise keep concealed. He governeth 20 Legions of Spirits and is summoned by a seal imprinted upon a talisman. Knoweth this should ye summon him: Egregiupsaltes, while oft of good humor, demandeth burnt offerings. If they are not received any personages around thee may be compelled to dance until they burn. Egregiupsaltes also doth from time to time demand a bride, whom he shalt take to his realm if he is given one.”

-Excerpt from De Vermis Mysteriis by Ludvig Prinn, 1269

“NEW YORK, NEW YORK-NYPD sources have confirmed that popular nightclub singer Reno Sweeney was found dead in her apartment this morning at the age of 42. Sweeney, a former evangelist and ex-fiancé of British Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, was found burned to death. The circumstances of Sweeney’s death closely mirror the circumstances surrounding the demise of champion gambler Sky Masterston two years ago, though the cause of Masterton’s death likewise remains a mystery. Sweeney’s funeral is scheduled for next Sunday.”

-Obituary for Reno Sweeney found in the Daily Bugle, April 17th, 1939

“Yes folks, you’ve got trouble! Right here in River City! And that trouble is Satanism! I have found proof—definitive proof—that members of this town have been consorting with dark forces! I want to assure you fine folks that I will work tirelessly to uncover who is responsible for unleashing dark forces on your fair community, so long as I draw breath!”

-Excerpt from a sermon by Reverend Elmer Gantry, 1921

“Blue Rose Case #046-Localized Musical Phenomenon. Seem to manifest in close proximity to teenaged populations (see Rydell High School and Jets-Sharks incidents files). Potential ties to the music of Conrad Birdie under investigation but remain unconfirmed. Known impact on Agent Everett Scott in course of 1959 investigation into alien phenomena. Dr. Scott’s opinion is that aliens in question may venerate a particular infernal entity possessing the ability to create this.”

-Excerpt from a briefing memo sent by UIU Agent Kent Mansley to FBI Director J. Henry Lux, 1961

“The immolation of the gigantic Triffid responsible for terrorizing New York is still under active investigation by authorities. As of this time, police and federal officials remain uncertain as to how it was that the entity formerly known as Audrey II met its demise. Initial rumors that the Justice League was responsible for doing so have been debunked.

Speaking of which, as the Triffid invasion seems to be cast into memory alongside the Mollusc, Kanamit and Furon attacks, we are continuing our efforts to encourage people to help people find missing loved ones. If you are in the Baltimore area and see this woman—Penny Lou Pingleton—please contact the number you see before you…”

-Broadcast by Howard Beale on UBS Evening News, March 16, 1962

“My father’s papers have concealed within them some most foul and infernal documents. I have chosen to destroy them rather than let future generations be forced to confront his mistakes. The ring he had given Anna…was that a token of affection or a curse he sought to pass off? Either way I have ordered it buried in a remote part of Indochina. Hopefully it stays buried.”

-Excerpt from the diary of Thai King Chulalongkorn, written in December of 1868

“No, please, I can get you more sacrifices! I was able to give you a busload before, remember? NOOOO!! AGGGH!”

-Last words of Cory Radison, 2011

“SCP-7172 is not solely responsible for localized musical phenomena. It is estimated that at least 40% of LMPs occur due to the radiation of dimensional energies from the Land of Oz in areas where the boundaries between worlds wear thin for instance. However, SCP-7172 is responsible for a very high number of instances of LMPs including documented instances in:

-Albuquerque, New Mexico, centered on East High School. No casualties documented.

-Salt Lake City, Utah-Centered on the Latter-Day Saints Church Missionary Training Center, effects followed several elders on missions to Uganda, Japan and Norway. 3 casualties documented (2 in Norway, 1 in Japan)

-Cladwell, New Mexico-Effects were felt by the entirety of town. Notably SCP-7172’s impacts were indirectly responsible for the Water Riots of 2011 and the subsequent destruction of the town. Direct casualties: 6 Indirect Casualties: 732.”

-Excerpt from SCP-7172’s file, declassified 2038

“Hehehe, Ol’ Jack hasn’t got anything on me. My sweet muse, my sweet aide, he accepts my blood offerings as good as the fire. And he helps me stay clear of Mr. Noose—more’n he did for Mr. Todd, eh?

Warmest regards,

Mack the Knife.”

-Letter from Mack the Knife to London Police, sent 1890

🎵 Assassins, kitties, prophets—I’ve got range

I made Romans indulge in styles quite strange.

Even if they don’t know all the arts,

Everyone has a song in their hearts.

Theatre troupes, AIDs patients, naval ships,

Revolutionaries, newsboys, even SQUIPS.

I strip away every shred of their doubt

Take that energy, and let it all out. 🎵

[flame-of-tar-valon]

Interesting results, and even more interesting comments. I'm not necessarily going to do a numbers-based approach and kill off everyone with a certain amount of votes — I'm undecided about how lethal the fic will be yet, and I don't want the violence to be gratuitous. That said, I'll be using these poll results as a litmus test to gauge how well the community thinks each potential character death would function within a narrative.

The top four results — Thancred, G'raha, one of the twins, and Estinien — received not only votes, but comments in the tags clamoring for their demise. Fascinating! Thancred in particular is most likely doomed: first place by a large margin, over a third of voters chose him, and many of the tags pointed out he was likely written to die, then the writer was overruled. As for the others: everyone not in the top four is safe. (Krile breathes a sigh of relief.) G'raha, the twins, and Estinien are my shortlist for further consideration, depending on what beats the story calls for.

I'm not trying to kill characters just for the fun of it (though it IS fun for my angst-loving brain). I'm really just trying to serve the needs of the narrative. To better express what I mean, I just finished the early Endwalker quest where Vrtra tells you that he knows you have experienced loss. Faces flash through the WoL's mind: Ysayle, Moenbryda, Papalymo, Minfilia, Haurchefant. Minfilia is an odd case — she experiences three sacrifices where she gives up something of her Self, one each in ARR, HW, and ShB. Of the other four characters, one dies in ARR, and the rest in HW.

For a game with threads about self-sacrifice, pressing on in spite of grief, and risking everything to save the world, SB onward is extremely reluctant to show death as a consequence for the closest friends and allies of the WoL. Stormblood has Meffrid and Conrad die, but no one any closer to the WoL than that. Shadowbringers uses Tesleen's transformation to great impact, but nothing substantially closer. All the risks and emotional moments around sacrifice — Y'shtola's teleport, Thancred's duel, G'raha's crystalization — are summarily reversed with absolutely no lasting harm, nor narrative weight.

All of which means that every time the scope of the game gets larger, going from city-level threats to universe-level ones, the characters' resolve never genuinely feels like they're putting their lives on the line and seriously acknowledging death as a tangible risk that they may face. The character who does so most is Lyse, and she leaves the party after Stormblood. Secondary characters (such as Tesleen) die after brief, sympathy-gatgering introductions just to motivate the primary cast to be sad and/or vengeful. Even Alphinaud's crisis of faith between post-ShB and EW is because Arenvald was... wounded and now uses a wheelchair.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that death is mandatory for good storytelling or that there's a quota of character murder I have to commit as a writer for my story to be "good" or mature/deep/serious. On the other hand, the specific types of things I personally want to write about center on themes of death, grief, resolve in the face of loss, the difference between vengeance and justice, and how hard it sometimes can be to take the next step day after day.

I'm also looking for more consistency in writing. As a game released in separate expansions, it's easy to pinpoint Heavensward as the last (the only?) lethal expansion for its core cast. With the benefit of retrospect, though, I'd rather not use my fic to suggest that the Dragonsong War is more uniquely lethal for the WoL's closest followers than the literal End of the World. At the very least, I'd like to take those deaths — Moenbryda, Haurchefant, Ysayle, Papalymo, Minfilia — and space them out across expansions. On the other hand, some of them only died because they had the misfortune of joining the cast during the more lethal era of FFXIV. So I could make the lethality of the game conflicts consistent by reducing these canon deaths, too. That is still on the table.

Anyways, this is just to say: thank you to all 97 of you who voted, and an especially big thank you to everyone who typed out comments explaining your viewpoints in the tags. It's all been really helpful in how I see the characters and their respective character arcs. I will honestly say that the chances of any of this actually coming to pass are fairly slim: I've had writers block for a while, but it'll be a long time before I'm even done with levels 1-17 of the MSQ in my fic, let alone ARR. I very well might drop the series before any characters even get a chance to die.

[girlinlotsoffandoms]

Forged by Fire - Chapter 11

It's been a long, hard road but Severide is finally back at 51.

Read on AO3

“We the jury find the defendant guilty on all charges. “

“Jimmy Conrad, I sentence you to life in prison with no possibility of parole.”

Those words played on repeat in Severide’s mind. It had been exactly one month since Conrad’s trial and sentencing; the judge’s words and the bang of a gavel effectively closing one of the worst chapters of his life.

He remembered that day so clearly. With Stella on one side, his mom and sister on the other and all of 51, Intelligence and several Gaffney staff members in the rows behind him, Severide sat through a weeklong trial. He listened as his time with Conrad was rehashed for the judge and jury. The prosecutor and those called to testify expanded on the injuries Severide received at the hands of Jimmy Conrad and his recovery process while simultaneously singing his praises and recounting his commendations and skills as both a firefighter and an arson investigator.

It was a long, tiring, and emotional week but justice had prevailed, and Conrad was going to be in prison for the rest of his life.

And Severide could finally move on with his.

After more than a week in the hospital, four rounds of hyperbaric therapy, weekly department (and Stella) mandated therapy, and more physical therapy then his body could handle at times, Severide was finally ready for his first shift back at 51—almost 3 ½ months to the day of his kidnapping. He’d been waiting for this day for a long time, but to say he wasn’t nervous would be a lie.

Nerves were not something regularly associated with the Squad Lieutenant, and he couldn’t pinpoint an exact reason why he was nervous; he just was. It felt like his first day as a firefighter, back when he had to prove himself.

As the son of one of the greats, and someone born and raised surrounded by CFD white shirts, Severide always had eyes on him. He knew those eyes were going to be on him again, waiting and watching to make sure he was ready to come back and able to do his job. Never one to balk or break under pressure, Severide was ready to put an end to any doubts people still had. And today was the day to do just that.

“You ready for today?” Stella asked as she poured coffee into a to-go mug. She walked it over and sat it down in front of Severide.

He thanked Stella with a smile and wrapped one of his hands around the cup. “Once I get through this meeting with Grissom.” Severide grumbled unhappily.

“I told you to stop putting it off and avoiding him.”

Severide looked up at Stella with a playfully annoyed smirk. He knew she was right, and she knew she was right, but that didn’t mean he wanted to admit it. “I think he feels guilty, but I didn’t have the energy or patience to deal with it.”

“And now you do?” Stella asked, leaning against the counter. Patience, especially related to anything bureaucratic, was not something she typically associated with the man in front of her.

“I’ve been cleared by two different doctors, I attended all my required therapy appointments, and I passed my psych eval with flying colors. This talk with him is the only thing standing between me and being back at 51, I’ll fake it if I have to.” 

 “I don’t think it’ll come to that,” Stella chuckled. She leaned closer to Severide, mimicking his position, and laid one of her hands on his arm. “You’re ready to come back. I know that, you know that, Grissom and the rest of the CFD know that. Just let him say his peace and apologize if he needs too, and then you’ll be back at 51.”

Stella finished her pep talk with a smile and, once again, Severide was reminded just how thankful he was for her. She had been his biggest supporter and encourager during his recovery. She stayed with him every single day in the hospital, went with him to every therapy session and follow up appointment, and stayed by his side throughout the entire trial. Most importantly though, Stella’s love and support never wavered—not even when Severide’s frustration peaked and his patience thinned during his recovery. Stella was with him every step of the way.

It only made him love her even more.

Severide leaned forward and kissed her, closing the gap between them. When they broke apart, Severide smiled at her. “Thank you…for everything.”

Stella's smile grew. Her eyes shone brightly, filled with love for the man in front of her. “You’ve got this, Kelly Severide.”

Severide laughed. That was just the confidence boost he needed.

He kissed Stella again, then grabbed his stuff and headed out. It was now or never.  

                                            … … …

An hour later, Severide found himself walking the familiar path from his car to the app floor. It felt monumental yet so incredibly normal at the same time.

Cruz, Capp, and Tony were sitting at the Squad table, Brett and Stella standing a little bit behind them and a few others were milling about. Cruz was tinkering with his Slamigan and Capp and Tony were doing crosswords when they noticed Severide walking towards their table, bunker gear on and his duffle bag slung over his shoulder.  

“There he is!” Cruz announced loudly, drawing everyone’s attention. He abandoned the Slamigan and looked at his Lieutenant. “Return of the king!”

The Squad guys stood up and started clapping, whooping, and hollering. It was playful and teasing, but it was exactly the welcome Severide needed. The others around started clapping and cheering as well; everyone was happy to see Severide back where he belonged.

As soon as he sat his bag down in his (desperately missed) green recliner, the guys were there, surrounding him with back pats and fist bumps. They were soon joined by Casey, Stella, Brett, and the others on shift. Even Boden and the civilian employees in the office came out to welcome the Lieutenant back.   

Severide’s welcome back soon moved from the app floor into the common room and kitchen where Gallo had a breakfast feast already cooked and ready. Those who had spoken with Severide already started grabbing plates and settling in to eat, wanting to get some nutrients in before their first call of the day, while the others lingered behind to talk. It wasn’t long before they all joined the others in the line for food though.

“Severide,” Boden called, getting the Lieutenant’s attention. The man in question walked over to the Chief. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m good to go Chief,” Severide swore. His voice was strong and sure.

Boden regarded the man in front of him. He’d been through so much over the years, especially the last few months, that anyone else would probably break. Not Kelly Severide though; no matter what was thrown at him, he always came out stronger than before.

“It’s good to have you back Kelly,” Boden said. His gruff voice failing to hide the emotion behind his words.

“It’s good to be back Chief.”

Boden gave him a friendly slap on the back and the two made their way to the breakfast line with the others.

                                           … … …

They were halfway through breakfast when the bells tolled, calling Squad 3 out for a rescue assist. The Squad guys immediately jumped up and headed out to the truck.

Like a well-oiled machine, the four men fell into step with one another, piled into the truck, and headed out with lights and sirens blaring.

As they drove to the scene and listened as dispatch gave them more information on the rescue, Cruz yelled over the sirens. “Look at that Lieutenant! The city of Chicago is welcoming you back!”

Capp chuckled. “We didn’t get a chance to give you a refresher at the station so if you have any questions on where anything is just let us know.”

Cruz and Tony laughed along with Capp as they rolled onto the scene. As they climbed out of the truck, still laughing, Severide rolled his eyes and tried to act annoyed, but the smile on his face gave him away. “Yeah, yeah. How about you three get to work? Or did Copeland let you get rusty these past few months?”

“We’ll show you rusty!” Capp yelled playfully as he, Cruz, and Tony started unloading the equipment they’d need.

Severide watched them work together flawlessly as he walked over to the Engine on scene. He shook his head and tried to school his features, needing to be serious, but it did little to stop the feelings bubbling up inside of him.

He missed this, and he was so happy to be back.

[cosmic-navel-gazin]

Played some more A Plague Tale!

Previously

Starting off Chapter 2, some top of the line mold on display, a strong contender for the best mold in a game:

Exploring the plague stricken french town was neat!

Unfortunately I don’t have a screenshot of this part, but the scene with Hugo throwing a tantrum after being a good kid and helping out was well done, game. Kids are hard to write, it's real easy to make them overly annoying even if they are technically just acting like kids do in real life. I don’t think one would care about the child nearly as much if he had been introduced as an annoying brat first and then have him being helpful later (it would’ve soured your opinion of him from the start and made it much harder to care about keeping him safe I think). Plus the poor boy has been through some things in these last hours, I don’t mind him throwing a fit here at all, completely understandable (same for Amicia losing patience as well, they’ve both been through a lot in a really short period of time).

Anyway holy shit I killed a man.

@dongtopus​ you didn’t tell me there would be boss fights in this?!?!!? I was not  expecting it at all!

I like how there was a bit of backstory for this lad Conrad here though, and that he’s not just a brute grunt for you to fight. I feel bad for this desperate vengeful man who lost his son that wanted to burn me at the stake.

We get to Chapter 3 and I’ve killed two lads so far,

and I wonder when we’ll see a rat or two, and AHH ask and thou shall receive! GLORIOUS RAT TECHNOLOGY ON DISPLAY! JESUS! 

(gifs because a screenshot doesn’t do the wiggle action going on justice)

Co-oping with Hugo is neat! Reminds me of the way Farah works in Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Speaking of Sands of Time, I like how this game follows a similar design philosophy of not having you do the same thing for too long: mixing up the sneaking, running around, problem solving, cutscenes... makes it all flow nicely. Chapters and their segments are paced very well so far.

WTF is this? Someone come look at this! This ain’t your normal every day 14th century bubonic plague!

Some more rat action for y’all. I thought for a second that those last rats were going to jump on Hugo's leg.

[thepilotanon]

Just to Note:

When you send a hc (headcanon) request, the goal of requesting such is to give writer elbow room to share their ideas on the matter. When you keep giving more detail to what you want in the hc request, and more specific, it comes off more as wanting a drabble/oneshot to cater more to you and could possibly leave other readers out of the loop.

This is really common, and there's nothing wrong with confusing hc and drabble/oneshot, but please keep in mind that my goal is to try and keep my hc posts as open as possible and have the right to either modify or decline your request. I do not write requested drabbles/oneshots, and do not enjoy being limited to what I'm writing.

Please keep your hc requests brief and refrain from excessive details!

Under Cut is FAQ in Regards to Requesting HCs.

Is your askbox open for hc requests? Yes! My askbox is always open, and I answer the requests as I receive them (so time may vary to when I get to yours, depending on the character - please keep that in mind!)

Can you write me a drabble/oneshot? No, I do not do requested drabbles/oneshots. Some hc requests will look like a drabble/oneshot request to me, and I may deny it. You're totally allowed to revise or ask me another hc request, if so!

What can I request? Nearly anything! All I ask is that you try to keep your request gender neutral, or accept that I may modify your request to fit with all genders. I know in the past that I have done female-centric requests, but I'm trying very hard to include everyone in consideration that my fics are female-representing.

Can I request 18+ content? You may, but keep in mind that there are minors or those who are ace/aro/etc, and so requests that may be deemed at sexual or adult will be places in an {under cut} and left up to the reader to decide to proceed. Please also understand that some sexual content will be rejected, as there are some subjects that I am not comfortable thinking/writing about.

What can I NOT request? I'd say the main majority consist of: non-con/rape, dd/lg/lb, age-regression, a/b/o, adult-minor relationships (unless strictly platonic/mentor), breeding kink, beastiality, necrophilia, real people hc (actual actors), eating disorders, mental disorders (this does not include depression and anxiety), poly, threesome, cheating/adultery, abuse. Any gender, racial, sexuality, ethnicity, or religion discrimination is not allowed or tolerated, and will be blocked. There can be other things that I may not feel comfortable writing for, but anyone is allowed to ask/request it to me and I'll answer honestly. I don't judge anyone on their requests, so please don't feel nervous to DM me, either.

Characters I write for!

*I'm also open to doing, and have done, some other characters in the same fandom, if I feel like I can do the character justice. Feel free to ask!!

Kylo Ren (Star Wars)

Father Garupe (Silence 2016)

Flip Zimmerman (Blackkklansman)

Clyde Logan (Logan Lucky)

MCU Loki (Marvel)

James Conrad (Kong: Skull Island, MonsterVerse)

Magnus Martinsson (BBC Wallander)

Adam (Only Lovers Left Alive)

Connor/RK800 (Detroit: Become Human)

Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter films; Harry Potter books)

[concussions-and-clues]

Dream Game Challenge... Nancy Drew: Dead on Target

for @nancydrewnetwork​ ‘s Dream Game Challenge!

Plot Synopsis:

Just nicely home from her latest adventure Nancy receives a phone call from the enigmatic Gray Man, the leader of the shadowy Network. The Gray Man informs her that both of the Hardy Boys have been hospitalized due to a car bomb planted in their vehicle. An information leak is suspected at the Network and as such the Gray Man would like Nancy to investigate the incident in Bayport and bring the culprits to justice!

Characters:

Brian Conrad:  Voted most likely to need a good lawyer, Brian Conrad is a bully that has been hassling the Hardy’s since grade school. Rich and snooty Brian is irked by the Hardy’s because of all the positive attention they get… could he do something to try and ruin their squeaky-clean appearance, after all he was at the First National Bank at the time of the bombing (because Brian Conrad is always there).

Callie Shaw: Born and raised in the farm land just outside of Bayport, Callie Shaw has just recently moved into town with her cousin. An intelligent young woman, Callie works at the First National Bank. Still gaining friends, Callie is fond of the Hardy’s since they are some of the only people in town that ‘speak’ her first language: American Sign Language. Callie doesn’t let her lack of hearing stop her from living life to the fullest and rumour is that she may have a crush on a certain tall, dark, and handsome Hardy!

Oscar Smuff: Oscar Smuff dreams big of being a police detective one day. Unfortunately, he has not yet been able to pass the training; however, he hopes that working as a security guard for the First National Bank will give him the experiences he needs to be successful. He was the first responder to the car bomb and hopes that how he acted will help him when he next applies for the police force.

Chet Morton: The Hardy Boys best friend, confidant, and often co-conspirator, Chet Morton is one of the few civilian people who knows that the Hardy’s are spies! Chet’s passions in life are his hobbies and his Queen, a bright yellow jalopy that he fixes enthusiastically if not effectively. Despite being a star football player and power lifter, Chet still often gets bullied by Brian Conrad.

Iola Morton: Iola Morton is the younger sister of Chet and Joe Hardy’s long time (and according to Frank long suffering) girlfriend. Currently Iola is working as a barista at the Meet Locker, saving enough money to fulfill her passion and study Chemistry at MIT when she graduates high school. More introverted than her brother, she has recently been taken under the wing of Callie Shaw and the two are becoming fast friends.

Dr. Carrini: Dr. Carrini is flagged by the Network as a possible agent of the terrorist group the Assassins. Suspicion was raised when he was tangentially tied to a series of missing children cases a decade previously, but nothing could be proven. Currently his is working in Our Lady of Mercy Hospital… is it possible he planted the bomb so that he may have the Hardy brothers under his care, or under his knife?

Ripley Lansing: Another person of interest flagged by the Network, Ripley was found to be blackmailing and threatening contestants on a reality TV show where the Hardys had gone undercover. Money and an influential mother meant that she didn’t serve any jail time; however, her public image was ruined. She knew Frank and Joe as Frank Dooley and Joe Carr, respectively, and now that she is here in Bayport she might be seeking revenge having realized they were the ones who ratted her out to the police.

Fenton Hardy: Fenton Hardy is an ex-NYPD detective and the Hardy Boys father. After his retirement from the NYPD Fenton co-founded the Network (formerly American Teens Against Crime) with the mysterious Gray Man. Currently, Fenton keeps his work for the Network secret by working as a private detective. As is obvious, when it comes to detective work, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!

Laura Hardy: Laura Hardy is Frank and Joe’s mother and the heart of the Hardy family. However, Laura doesn’t just use her heart, with a doctorate in Library Sciences Laura is currently working at the Phillip J. Roscoe Community College as their head research librarian. She doesn’t explicitly know about the Network but with her eye for detail it is unlikely that she doesn’t suspect something about what her sons are up to!

Frank & Joe Hardy: Nancy’s long time friend and teen detective contemporaries. They are currently under hospital orders due to being injured in a car bombing. Smart and intelligent the brothers are no strangers to injury but this seems like something more. Just like it would be for Nancy, narrowing down the suspect list for this crime is going to be challenging…

Spud: Chet Morton’s pooch Spud is a very good boy, well most of the time… Spud tends to follow his nose which makes him an excellent tracker although he has ended up in the Morton trash can one too many times.

Phone Friends:

Bess Marvin & George Fayne: Bess is in the process of fixing up her car for the winter. She is getting George’s help although this time it is George who is on the back foot and keeps messing stuff up for Bess.

Ned Nickerson: Since the game takes place at the beginning of December Ned is studying like crazy for his final exams. Being only three hours away from Bayport at Emerson, Ned is constantly debating about putting down the books and visiting his injured friends and Nancy in Bayport.

Vijay Patel: The Network’s tech guy, Vijay is the Q to Frank and Joe’s James Bond. Recruited by the Network when he was 17 he has built a lot of the infrastructure that the Network uses and is upset that a mole may have penetrated his system. An affable young man, Vijay is fond of the Hardys and is willing to do anything within his power to help Nancy find the culprit.

Locations:

First National Bank:

The location of the bombing. One of the oldest remaining buildings in Bayport. It is rumoured that there are tunnels and secret passages throughout the building, the remnants of a meticulously planned 1832 bank robbery.

Phillip J. Roscoe Community College: A school where there can be big fish in a little pond. Most Bayport students make the leap to the larger pond of New York to peruse their post-secondary needs; however, the Phillip J. Roscoe Community College is carving a name out for itself as an excellent research institution.

Our Lady of Mercy Hospital: The hospital where the Hardy’s are currently being housed. It is shiny and clean, smelling of carbolic cleaning agents, like almost every hospital in the world. What is not like most other hospitals is that it was converted from a school into a hospital during WWII since Bayport was one of the first ports when coming back across the Atlantic. Quickly refurbished, there are strange dead end hallways and the possibility of a room long since forgotten being every wall.

The Meet Locker:  A great little coffee shop with a really dumb name, according to the local teenagers. Often just referred to as the Locker, the Meet Locker, is a regular hangout for local teens with its comfy seats, highly caffeinated products, and cheap prices!

The Hardy Forensics Lab: Located in the barn in the Hardy’s backyard, the forensics lab is used equally by the Hardy Boys and Fenton Hardy in their respective cases. Stocked with forensic tools bought second hand from various police stations around the country, the Hardy’s have enough tech to make the Gil Grissoms and Horatio Caines of the world jealous.

Where People Are:

First National Bank (Callie Shaw)

Outside Bank/ security office (Oscar Smuff)

Hospital (Frank and Joe Hardy)

College Library (Laura Hardy)

Forensics Lab (Fenton Hardy)

Meet Locker (Iola Morton)

Meet Locker (Ripley Lansing)

Nurses station in Hospital (Dr. Carrini)

Gym at College (Brian Conrad)

Parking Lot Outside Gym (Chet Morton)

Puzzles:

Find the appropriate clothing to investigate (i.e. going undercover, wearing warm clothing when outside, etc)

Foot Print Matching

Fingerprint matching

Codes and ciphers (i.e. Frank and Joe’s notes and Network communications will all be coded)

Chemical Testing

Ink Chromatography

Using Spud to search for explosive device

Helping Chet fix the Queen

Learn ASL to better communicate with Callie Shaw

Help Iola serve people at the Meet Locker

Types of Codes/ Ciphers I’d Like to Use:

Scytales

Caesar shift

ASCII

Atbash

Binary

Braille

Columnar Cipher

Dice Cipher

Digraph Cipher

Dorabella Cipher

Keyboard Code

Morse Code

Pigpen Cipher

The Grid Code

Vigenere Cipher

Element Abbreviations

Game Features:

Day/ Night Cycle

Read through all previous books at the research library

Multiple Mysteries (i.e. who is the Gray Man, why were certain people at the crime scene, etc)

[rkdaily]

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS 🎉

- 8 pm Eastern on Tuesday, December 15

“... The illustrious lineup is set to include Carolee Carmello, Alan Cumming, André De Shields, Lena Hall, Heather Headley, Ramin Karimloo, Karen Olivo, Jelani Remy, Conrad Ricomora, Jennifer Sanchez and the Grammy Award-winning Broadway Inspirational Voices. More special guests will be announced in the coming weeks.

The stream is free and also will be available through streaming partner Playbill.com. Every dollar donated will help those across the country affected by HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and other critical illnesses receive healthy meals, lifesaving medication, emergency financial assistance, housing, counseling and more. The donations also support and champion organizations focused on social justice and anti-racism.” [x]

[sserpente]

24 little kinks | Christmas Requests are now open! 🎄☃

“You remember that chocolate advent calendar I got you for December?”

“I do,” Loki chuckled and pressed a tender kiss to your temple. “You made me display it in the kitchen so I would not eat all of the chocolates inside at once.”

Your smile widened. “How about we get another one?”

He raised an eyebrow at you, only now paying proper attention to the sex toy ad. Then, he frowned. It was an odd mixture of disgust, genuine curiosity and even a hint of arousal flashing in his blue eyes.

“I hardly need… toys to satisfy your needs, neither do you need any to satisfy mine. You are not… unchallenged when we are in bed together, are you, sweet one? Because I can ensure you, I can change that in a heartbeat…” He threatened teasingly. His cool lips brushed against your neck, leaving behind a trail of goose bumps on your sensitive skin.

“No… of course not… but experimenting with sex toys can be a lot of fun?”

You almost giggled to yourself despite your growing excitement. You had never actually taken Loki to a sex shop. That should be really interesting; and besides, you had been imagining him tying you up and blindfolding you countless times already. The God of Mischief made no secret out of his dominance, hunger and godly stamina in bed and he had not just once forced you into so many orgasms you had nearly passed out from all the breath-taking pleasure. So why not take it up a notch?

“You intend to buy an advent calendar full of… sex toys for us?” He repeated with raised eyebrows. You could tell he was beginning to like the idea—and what he could do to you, how he could tease you with all the things in this… naughty advent calendar.

You could practically feel him slowly changing his mind, arousal radiating off of him and making you squirm a little in joyful anticipation.

Finally, he sighed, an amused but cheeky smirk playing on his lips. “Very well. Where do we acquire this calendar?”

And with that teaser, I would like to announce that this year’s Christmas requests are now open! 🎄☃ How will it work? This year I’m working on a Christmas special. Everyday, Loki and RC will open a little door and find a new toy to play with... right until Christmas Eve. That should be twenty-four really interesting days, especially with Loki being thoroughly unfamiliar with the concept of sex toys and their function.

Ideally, I would be posting one door—one Imagine, each day until Christmas but due to work, classes, sleeping and baking Christmas biscuits, that might not always work out. Therefore, some doors might get a combined Imagine.

How does my request fit in? So now it’s your turn! Send me all of your (kinky) and Christmassy prompts for Loki. I already know what’s behind every little door, of course. But that doesn’t mean I’m hoping for loads of enticement/suggestions from you guys in my inbox. You know I love receiving your ideas! Please, feel free to request whatever Christmassy prompt you can come up with--most of which I will combine with my Christmas special--and also, do not hesitate to send me requests for other characters as well, if you have any. As this is a Christmas special, most Imagines will be for Loki (and I can’t complain because usually, 80% of all requests I receive are for our mischievous Trickster 😌) but if there’s a specific prompt/request, another character will, throughout the Christmas season, of course make an appearance too.

Requests will be open until November the 30th. I bet many of you guys are in a Christmassy mood already and while I only put away my Halloween decoration today, I’m sure you are as ready as me for some Christmassy prompts.

I will not be able to take regular requests this time, due to the sheer amount of Imagines I’m planning. Rest assured though, as soon as “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” comes out, I will be posting some Kylo Ren and General Hux Imagines in between. I might even be able to take some requests as soon as I’ve seen the movie (which I am super excited about).

Until December the 1st, I will be working on the remaining requests that are still sitting in my inbox, including a sequel for that Thomas Sharpe Imagine you’re all waiting for. ♥

As usual, if you would like to request, please send me an ask, not a direct message and not a comment under this post, simply so I can keep an overview.

I write for:

Kylo Ren (Star Wars)

General Hux (Star Wars)

Captain Boomerang (Suicide Squad)

Harley Quinn (Suicide Squad)

Eric (Divergent)

Loki (Thor/The Avengers)

Newt Scamander (Fantastic Beasts)

Adam (Only Lovers Left Alive)

Captain James Conrad (Kong: Skull Island)

Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)

Ragnar Lothbrok (Vikings) ATTENTION: I’ve only seen two seasons thus far. If you want to request something with Ragnar, please make sure not to include any spoilers!

Jonathan Pine (The Night Manager)

Thomas Sharpe (Crimson Peak)

Now, last but not least, please just make sure to read this quick FAQ before sending me a prompt. I only have a couple of rules but I really would appreciate if you considered them before submitting. 🤗

What do you write? I’ve been a passionate fanfiction writer for more than eight years. Thus, I write stories with my own OCs and Imagines with female reader inserts only. I don’t do personalised Imagines (e.g. specific appearance or name), Imagines with real existing people (like Tom Hiddleston), alpha/omegaverse or songfics (because I have a very specific music taste and don’t want to write a songfic about a song I don’t like).

The only things I don’t particularly enjoy writing about are RC having children and being a mother (unless it’s animals because I’m a proud cat mummy), or being a child. Suicide and self-harm are, with few exceptions concerning context, a no-go for me, as is gore. Other than that, I’m not big on AU’s that take place outside the actual canon universe (so, e.g. vampire!Loki is fine but barista!Loki without his powers in a world in which the Avengers don’t exist isn’t really my thing).

Do you take requests? I do! If you want to send in a prompt/an idea, however, please check the description of my blog before doing so to make sure requests are open. Requests that I receive while they are closed I don’t accept simply because of time management, with only very few exceptions.Please keep in mind: Given that with more than 15k followers, I tend to get up to 100 prompts at once, I choose those I personally like the most and/or that inspire me to write something–it is, unfortunately, impossible to write them all. 😭 I also like to combine requests that work together well to work in as many of your ideas as possible.

So, what should I request? Basically, anything you want. Don’t hesitate just because you think your request is not good enough or weird! If you’re still uncomfortable though, you can send it anonymously as well. Please be aware, however, that I only write what I am personally comfortable with. If I feel like I can’t make anything of your request, if I feel like it’s a great idea but a simple oneshot wouldn’t do justice to it, if I have already read/written something too similar or if it addresses something that is triggering for me, please don’t be upset if I delete it. That, of course, doesn’t mean your request sucks but, like every writer, I want to write stories I actually enjoy writing… or it would just feel like homework! 😅

Do NOT (and trust me, I see everything) send the exact same request you’ve sent to me to other writers as well, for I think that is rude and disrespectful. Should you do so, I’ll simply delete your request(s). If you want me to write something for you, that’s great and I’m flattered but if you send me a prompt, you either want me to write it for you or you don’t want it at all. It’s as simple as that.

How do you let people know that you’ve written/deleted their requests? If the request was anonymous, all I can do is put a note at the beginning of the story and thus make everybody aware that it was a request. I don’t copy the prompts to insert in the Imagine. If the person came off-anon, I tag them to let them know it was posted. If I choose not to write your request because of one of the above named reasons, I will not publish your ask but simply delete it. It would be mean to answer something like “there’s no way in hell I will write this” and I certainly don’t want to show anybody up. However, if you’ve been waiting for a request to be written for a long time already, feel free to ask me about it and I will, if you prefer it that way, answer you privately. Sometimes Tumblr swallows asks, too, unfortunately.

Would you also write about a different character if requested? That depends on the character and the request. You might have noticed that I am mostly into bad guys and villains, so you can’t expect me to write happy unicorn fluff with the world’s nicest super hero. Anyway, you can always ask but please don’t be disappointed if I decline. Naturally, I don’t write about characters from movies/tv shows/books I don’t know, neither do I write about characters that I personally don’t like.

Do you write smut?

Yes, I do. ;-)

Do you do roleplay? No, I don’t.

Do you have a masterlist? You can find my masterlist in the description of my blog, it’s accessable on mobile as well.

What’s your Ko-fi? It’s a website on which you can support me and my writing by buying me a coffee, or alternatively, a cuppa via PayPal. It’s fast, it’s safe (you can stay anonymous) and I would appreciate it so much!

So where and how can I buy you a coffee? Click on the Ko-fi button or the “Support me?” link on my blog. ♥

[aceandart]

[ID: tweet by Trick Owns: Peaceful protesters who have been murdered by police/anti-blm racists in the last 7 days of protests. 4 lives taken in 7 days  How many more? #JamesScurlock  #DavidMcAtee  #ItaliaKelly  #ChrisBeaty (photos of those killed)] [original]

James Scurlock: white bar owner Jake Gardner shot and killed James Scurlock on Sat May 30 2020 in Omaha, Nebraska. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine declared it self-defense; no charges filed. Jake Gardner tweeted before the protest "Just when you think 'what else could 2020 throw at me?’ Then you have to pull 48 hours of military style firewatch. [emoticons]"   [source; source]

David McAtee: Police fired into a crowd of protestors in Louisville, Kentucky, killing David McAtee just after midnight Monday morning (June 1 2020.) His body was left on the street for more than 12 hours. They did not activate their body cams in violation of their policy. Police Chief Steve Conrad was released from his duties a month before his retirement; he will still receive payment for any days earned and will still have his pension. Officers Austin Allen and Katie Crews are now on administrative leave. Crews posted on Facebook about a photo of her and a protestor "I hope the pepper balls that she got lit up with a little later on hurt." Two national guard members who fired their weapons have also been pulled from duty by Gov. Andy Beshear. [source; source; source]  Petition for justice; article about David.

Italia Marie Kelly and unknown:  She was one of two people fatally shot early Mon morning (June 1 2020) in Davenport, Iowa as she was leaving a demonstration. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has been called in to investigate, and two officers have been placed on administrative leave, the chief said. [source; source]

Chris Beaty and Dorian Murrell: Both were shot and killed late Saturday and early Sunday (May 30 & 31 2020) in Downtown Indianapolis in separate incidences during protests. Beaty was shot multiple times. [source] Article about Chris Beaty. 

Calvin L. Horton Jr. was killed by shotgun blast at a protest in Minneapolis on Wed May 27 2020. The owner of a nearby business was charged in Horton’s killing. Not much is known at this time. [source]

2 unknown: Two people were killed during protests Monday June 1 2020 in the Chicago suburb of Cicero, according to a town official. Spokesman Ray Hanania did not provide details about those who were killed but said it happened amid protests there. [source; source]

[antilagardelle]

Wrote this when I got bored:

A Brief History Of The German Monarchs Part I: From Luis II To The End Of The Habsburgs.(Some of the facts her may be slightly off as it is still a work in progress)

In order that justice be done to a summary of German monarchs, elaboration is first required on German geographical history, and in what manner this influences our summary. At some juncture in the habit of summarizing regal lineages it becomes imperative to note that such monarchical titles as “The King Of England,” or “The King Of Germany,” essentially mean different things at different times, territorially speaking. What is now known as Germany includes territories which were not always Germany, and excludes territories which may at other times have been Germany. Such can be said of all known nations. Indeed the point at which our summary begins would know Germany by an entirely different appellation: East Francia. Others may have chosen to commence with the genesis of The Holy Roman Empire, but that precise date being ascribed among historians to two separate occasions--the one being Charlemagne’s coronation by Pope Leo I in 800, and the other Otto I’s assumption to the throne in 962--it would appear more prudent to neglect the title until further notice.  

Thus the summary of German monarchs begins with the division of The Carolingian Empire by The Treaty Of Verdun into West Francia, Middle Francia, and East Francia. The latter most of these we now know as Germany, and Luis II(A.K.A Luis The German), grandson of Charlemagne became its first ruler commencing the Carolingian Dynasty. Luis II had three sons each who took the throne in order from eldest to youngest. First Carloman, then Luis The Younger(A.K.A. Luis III), and finally Charles The Fat. Charles The Fat is ousted by Arnulf Of Carinthia who is then succeeded by his son Louis The Child(A.K.A. Louis The IV) despite his only being six years of age. Louis The Child dies no older than eighteen ending The Carolingian Dynasty. The nobility then elects Conrad I to the throne commencing the Conradine Dynasty of which, quite comically, he is the only member. Conrad I appoints Henry I(A.K.A. Henry The Fowler) as his successor in his will. Henry I was the first king of Saxon blood, and sometimes receives the title of the first king of The Ottonian Dynasty, though sometimes this title goes to his son Otto I. Between the rule of Henry I, and Otto I, an elusive character named Arnulf The Bad is said to have assayed seizure of the throne from Henry I. To what level of success is unclear but that if any the seizure was ephemeral. 

Otto I(A.K.A. Otto The Great) succeeds his father in 962, at which point, notwithstanding how indefinite the exact date of The Holy Roman Empire’s establishment may be, it is certain that Otto I’s domain, being the precursor to Germany, would receive from all historians the title of Holy Roman Empire without dispute. Otto I’s son, Otto II succeeds his father’s office as Holy Roman Emperor in 973, to be succeeded by his son Otto III a decade later. Otto III’s second cousin Henry II(A.K.A. Henry The Holy, or Saint Henry The Exuberant) assumes the throne upon his death. Conrad II is elected to the throne by the German Princes collectively after Henry II dies with no heir thus actuating the Salian dynasty. Conrad II’s son Henry III assumes the throne in 1046 to then bestow his hegemony in 1056 to his son Henry IV upon his death. 

Our summary here meets complication requiring two separate facts to be imparted: The first is that Henry IV’s reign was largely marked by an event known as The Investiture Controversy; and the second is that The Holy Roman Empire is something more of a loose term denoting more an ethnic, and cultural aggregate than a clearly defined empire, which consisted of three principal sub-kingdoms: The Kingdom Of Germany, The Kingdom Of Italy, The Kingdom Of Burgundy, (and The Kingdom Of Bohemia starting in 1198). We shall start by addressing the former of these facts and repair to the latter momentarily. 

The Investiture Controversy was essentially a conflict between Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII as to whose power it was to appoint bishops. What must be known of it specifically insofar as our project is at heart a litany of title holders, is that two vague individuals are understood as having been elected in its midst to the station of “Anti-King,” by a group of nobles in defiance of Henry IV. First Rudolf Of Rheinfelden in 1077, then Hermann Of Salm in 1081. This office, however, was the much more de jure than de facto so as to eliminate their ever truly being considered The King Of Germany, or Holy Roman Emperor. 

Concerning the second of these cardinal facts it is pivotal to understand that, while the aforementioned sub-kingdoms never went without rulers respectively, their unifying office of Holy Roman Emperor occasioned to see vacancies several years long. That is to say, the kingdoms remained operative with no apparent stadholder as it were. Judging, therefore, that our summary is one of German monarchs, we are to follow the sovereigns of the specific sub-kingdom of Germany through its periods with and without this unilateral figure. The predicament of the empire was such from 1105 to 1111, when, on the one hand, Henry IV was forced to abdicate by his son Henry V, and, on the other, when Henry V actually assumed the title of Holy Roman Emperor, despite his having been The King Of Germany the whole time in between. (although this hiatus is not so significant as The Great Interregnum of 1250 soon to be addressed).

After the death of Henry V in 1125, Lothair Of Supplinburg(A.K.A Lothair II) was elected as King Of Germany, and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1133, being the first and only member of The Supplinburger Dynasty. The Hohenstaufen dynasty followed his rule with the election of Conrad III as king, who was succeeded by none other than the famous Frederick Barbarossa, his nephew. Frederick Barbarossa (A.K.A. Frederick I) was succeeded by his son Henry VI, who in turn was succeeded by his brother Philip Of Swabia.

There had been a consistent vye for the kingship between the Hohenstaufens and The Welfs (the latter of whom ruled over much of north and west germany as dukes and duchesses) manifesting most famously in a feud between the above mentioned Barbarossa and his cousin Henry The Lion. Notwithstanding Barbarossa’s having won the feud, its sentiment and ramifications did not end in his generation. Upon the death of Henry VI, Philip Of Swabia found his position as King Of Germany beleaguered by a rival king named Otto IV, son of Henry The Lion. After the space of a decade it should have been to the Hohenstaufen’s chagrin that Otto IV emerged victorious in this dispute in 1209, thenceforth being crowned Holy Roman Emperor until his forced abdication in 1215.

Naturally this chagrin of The Hohenstaufen’s would need not long endure, as it was Frederick II himself, son of Henry VI, (and not to be confounded with the enlightened absolutist Frederick II Of Prussia), who essentially forced this very abdication, rendering Otto IV the only member of the Welf dynasty. It is rather our own chagrin that we must here encounter, as the rival kings, and disputed claimants do not stop here. Instead they supply for us an even longer train of convoluted events to dissect.

Frederick II’s younger son Henry VII ruled as King Of Germany but with his father serving as something of his regent. Frederick II later deposed Henry VII due to a conflict between them, and appointed his half-brother Conrad IV in his stead. Frederick delegated Henry Rapse Of Thuringia to serve as conrad’s regent, but upon Pope Innocent IV declaring Conrad deposed, Henry Raspe supported this verdict in turn being elected as Anti-king in 1246. This election was somewhat meaningless, but gained much potency in 1250 when Frederick II, having theretofore been widely acclaimed as Holy Roman Emperor, and in effect The King Of Germany, passed away. This rendered Henry Raspe, and Conrad IV each just as much king as the other. For this reason 1250 marks the beginning of what is known as The Great Interregnum.

[gnosticgnoob]

Variations on a Theme: "The Weird vs The Quantifiable" -- Aggregated Commentary from within the Gutenberg Galaxy

The pursuit of examining the world through philosophy, mathematics, and science tends to be seen as expanding the borders of what is known and quantified, conquering the territory of what is not yet known. In this pursuit, the investigator encounters wonder or the "weird", and what ideologically separates some philosophers and scientists from others is whether the investigator sets aside the weird as a misunderstood quirk of what is not yet known but still knowable, or the investigator takes into account the weird as a fundamental, permanent attribute of the landscape of inquiry that may perhaps always represent factors which intrinsically and inescapably evade knowledge and literary explanation, not as a bug of our understanding but as a feature of the true ontological state of affairs. The former mindset supposes that with more time and rigor, our inquiry will finally arrive at a sort of epistemological/ontological "bedrock" that dispels any sense of the bizarre, the latter treats scientific inquiry itself as necessitating the injection of a sort of subjective poetry or play to adequately do justice to the full reality of what is observed and described for our purposes, without ever expecting that we will hit such bedrock. Materialism/scientism perhaps would posit that any inclusion of the mystical or poetic in the language we use to describe the world is inappropriate, pseudo-scientific, pseudo-intellectual, or maladaptive; the mystic posits conversely that to exclude the poetic and not make room for the weird is maladaptive.

I have here a collection of excerpts from other thinkers that I think work together to allude to the mystical as a permanent fixture of our endeavors for clarification through experimentation and language, or at least suggest that a more "mystical" mindset will always be more useful than one that is conversely more in the vein of materialism/scientism trying to arrive at a "final technical vocabulary":

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“We say the map is different from the territory. But what is the territory? Operationally, somebody went out with a retina or a measuring stick and made representations which were then put on paper. What is on the paper map is a representation of what was in the retinal representation of the man who made the map; and as you push the question back, what you find is an infinite regress, an infinite series of maps. The territory never gets in at all. […] Always, the process of representation will filter it out so that the mental world is only maps of maps, ad infinitum.” --Gregory Bateson, English anthropologist, social scientist, linguist, visual anthropologist, semiotician, and cyberneticist whose work intersected that of many other fields. His writings include Steps to an Ecology of Mind (1972) and Mind and Nature (1979). In Palo Alto, California, Bateson and colleagues developed the double-bind theory of schizophrenia. Bateson's interest in systems theory forms a thread running through his work. He was one of the original members of the core group of the Macy conferences in Cybernetics (1941- 1960), and the later set on Group Processes (1954 - 1960), where he represented the social and behavioral sciences; he was interested in the relationship of these fields to epistemology.

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“The mind is somehow a co-creator in the process of reality through acts of language. Language is very, very mysterious. It is true magic. People run all over the place looking for paranormal abilities, but notice that when I speak if your internal dictionary matches my internal dictionary, that my thoughts cross through the air as an acoustical pressure wave and are reconstructed inside your cerebral cortex as your thought. Your understanding of my words. Telepathy exists; it is just that the carrier wave is small mouth noises.” --Terence McKenna, "Eros And The Eschaton". McKenna was called the "Timothy Leary of the '90s", an American ethnobotanist, mystic, psychonaut, lecturer, author, and an advocate for the responsible use of naturally occurring psychedelic plants. He spoke and wrote about a variety of subjects, including psychedelic drugs, plant-based entheogens, shamanism, metaphysics, alchemy, language, philosophy, culture, technology, environmentalism, and the theoretical origins of human consciousness. -------------------------------------

“If quantum mechanics hasn’t profoundly shocked you, you haven’t understood it yet. Everything we call real is made of things that cannot be regarded as real.” --Niels Bohr, Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr developed the Bohr model of the atom, in which he proposed that energy levels of electrons are discrete and that the electrons revolve in stable orbits around the atomic nucleus but can jump from one energy level (or orbit) to another. Although the Bohr model has been supplanted by other models, its underlying principles remain valid. He conceived the principle of complementarity: that items could be separately analysed in terms of contradictory properties, like behaving as a wave or a stream of particles. -------------------------------------

“We have to remember that what we observe is not nature herself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.” --Werner Heisenberg, German theoretical physicist known for the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, which he published in 1927. Heisenberg was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize in Physics for the creation of quantum mechanics. He also made important contributions to the theories of the hydrodynamics of turbulent flows, the atomic nucleus, ferromagnetism, cosmic rays, and subatomic particles, and he was instrumental in planning the first West German nuclear reactor at Karlsruhe. -------------------------------------

“We have no right to assume that any physical laws exist, or if they have existed up to now, that they will continue to exist in a similar manner in the future.” --Max Planck, German theoretical physicist whose discovery of energy quanta won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918. Planck made many contributions to theoretical physics, but his fame as a physicist rests primarily on his role as the originator of quantum theory; the discovery of Planck's constant enabled him to define a new universal set of physical units (such as the Planck length and the Planck mass), all based on fundamental physical constants upon which much of quantum theory is based. -------------------------------------

“There is no such thing as philosophy-free science; there is only science whose philosophical baggage is taken on board without examination.” --Daniel Dennett, American philosopher, writer, and cognitive scientist whose research centers on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. A member of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, he is referred to as one of the "Four Horsemen of New Atheism", along with Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late Christopher Hitchens. -------------------------------------

“Things themselves become so burdened with attributes, signs, allusions that they finally lose their own form. Meaning is no longer read in an immediate perception, the figure no longer speaks for itself; between the knowledge which animates it and the form into which it is transposed, a gap widens. It is free for the dream.” --Michel Foucault, French philosopher, historian of ideas, social theorist, and literary critic. Foucault's theories primarily address the relationship between power and knowledge, and how they are used as a form of social control through societal institutions. His thought has influenced academics, especially those working in communication studies, anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, literary theory, feminism, and critical theory. Though often cited as a post-structuralist and postmodernist, Foucault rejected these labels. -------------------------------------

“When the mind projects names and concepts on what is seen through direct perception, confusion and delusion result.” --Patanjali, sage in Hinduism, thought to be the author of a number of Sanskrit works. The greatest of these are the Yoga Sutras, a classical yoga text. -------------------------------------

“The man who says that he has no illusions has at least that one.” --Joseph Conrad, Under Western Eyes (1911). Polish-British writer regarded as one of the greatest novelists to write in the English language. Conrad wrote stories and novels, many with a nautical setting, that depict trials of the human spirit in the midst of what he saw as an impassive, inscrutable universe. Heart of Darkness is among is most famous works. Conrad is considered an early modernist, though his works contain elements of 19th-century realism. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters have influenced numerous authors, and many films have been adapted from, or inspired by, his works. Numerous writers and critics have commented that Conrad's fictional works, written largely in the first two decades of the 20th century, seem to have anticipated later world events. -------------------------------------

“I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.” --Richard P. Feynman, American theoretical physicist, known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics for which he proposed the parton model. For contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics, Feynman received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965. He assisted in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II and became known to a wide public as a member of the commission that investigated the Challenger shuttle disaster. Along with his work in theoretical physics, Feynman has been credited with pioneering the field of quantum computing and introducing the concept of nanotechnology. -------------------------------------

“The critical ontology of ourselves has to be considered not, certainly, as a theory, a doctrine, nor even as a permanent body of knowledge that is accumulating; it has to be conceived as an attitude, an ethos, a philosophical life in which the critique of what we are is at one and the same time the historical analysis of the limits that are imposed on us and an experiment with the possibility of going beyond them.” --Michel Foucault -------------------------------------

“In mystical literature such self-contradictory phrases as ‘dazzling obscurity,’ 'whispering silence,’ 'teeming desert,’ are continually met with. They prove that not conceptual speech, but music rather, is the element through which we are best spoken to by mystical truth. Many mystical scriptures are indeed little more than musical compositions. “He who would hear the voice of Nada, 'the Soundless Sound,’ and comprehend it, he has to learn the nature of Dharana…. When to himself his form appears unreal, as do on waking all the forms he sees in dreams, when he has ceased to hear the many, he may discern the ONE—the inner sound which kills the outer…. For then the soul will hear, and will remember. And then to the inner ear will speak THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE…. And now thy SELF is lost in SELF, THYSELF unto THYSELF, merged in that SELF from which thou first didst radiate.… Behold! thou hast become the Light, thou hast become the Sound, thou art thy Master and thy God. Thou art THYSELF the object of thy search: the VOICE unbroken, that resounds throughout eternities, exempt from change, from sin exempt, the seven sounds in one, the VOICE OF THE SILENCE. Om tat Sat.” (H.P. Blavatsky, The Voice of the Silence). These words, if they do not awaken laughter as you receive them, probably stir chords within you which music and language touch in common. Music gives us ontological messages which non-musical criticism is unable to contradict, though it may laugh at our foolishness in minding them. There is a verge of the mind which these things haunt; and whispers therefrom mingle with the operations of our understanding, even as the waters of the infinite ocean send their waves to break among the pebbles that lie upon our shores.” --William James, Varieties of Religious Experience. American philosopher and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James was a leading thinker of the late nineteenth century, one of the most influential U.S. philosophers, and has been labeled the "Father of American psychology". Along with Charles Sanders Peirce, James established the philosophical school known as pragmatism. James also developed the philosophical perspective known as radical empiricism. James' work has influenced intellectuals such as Émile Durkheim, W. E. B. Du Bois, Edmund Husserl, Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Hilary Putnam, and Richard Rorty, as well as former US President Jimmy Carter. -------------------------------------

“Metaphysical assertions, however, are statements of the psyche, and are therefore psychological. … Whenever the Westerner hears the word ‘psychological’, it always sounds to him like ‘only psychological.’” --Carl Jung, “Psyche and Symbol”. Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work was influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philosophy, and religious studies. Jung worked as a research scientist at the famous Burghölzli hospital, during which time he came to the attention of Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis. The two men conducted a lengthy correspondence and collaborated, for a while, on a joint vision of human psychology. Among the central concepts of analytical psychology is individuation—the lifelong psychological process of differentiation of the self out of each individual's conscious and unconscious elements, a process which Jung considered to be the main task of human development. He created some of the best known psychological concepts, including synchronicity, archetypal phenomena, the collective unconscious, the psychological complex, and extraversion and introversion. -------------------------------------

“God is a psychic fact of immediate experience, otherwise there would never have been any talk of God. The fact is valid in itself, requiring no non-psychological proof and inaccessible to any form of non-psychological criticism. It can be the most immediate and hence the most real of experiences, which can be neither ridiculed nor disproved.” --Carl Jung -------------------------------------

“Daniel C. Dennett defines religions at the beginning of his Breaking the Spell as ‘social systems whose participants avow belief in a supernatural agent or agents whose approval is to be sought,’ which as far as Christianity goes is rather like beginning a history of the potato by defining it as a rare species of rattlesnake…. He also commits the blunder of believing that religion is a botched attempt to explain the world, which is like seeing ballet as a botched attempt to run for a bus.” --Terry Eagleton, Reason, Faith, and Revolution. British literary theorist, critic, and public intellectual, Eagleton has published over forty books, but remains best known for Literary Theory: An Introduction (1983). The work elucidated the emerging literary theory of the period, as well as arguing that all literary theory is necessarily political.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Early Wednesday evening, I began receiving a series of texts and emails alerting me to the fact that President Donald Trump had pardoned Conrad Black. Many of these messages concluded with the question, “Can you believe it?” My answer to each of these queries was the same: “yes.” Ultimately, I was saddened but not surprised that President Trump had decided to pardon Black for his theft of millions of dollars from public shareholders and obstruction of justice.

Many will believe that I was saddened because, as the former prosecutor on Black’s case, the pardon has undermined the conviction that myself and many of my colleagues in federal law enforcement worked so hard to obtain. This assumption is mistaken. Moreover, I bear no ill will towards Black despite his often-colourful descriptions of me and his other “accusers” in the media. Rather, I am saddened by the message this pardon sends about the current state of the rule of law and justice in the United States.

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