#Delaware map US

[map-of-usa]

Delaware map

Delaware is a state located in the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States(Delaware, ). It is situated almost entirely on the northeastern part of the Delmarva Peninsula(Map of the State of Delaware, USA, )

Map of Delaware State Delaware map USA Delaware in map Delaware map US Map for Delaware Map of United States Delaware Map to Delaware US map of Delaware USA Delaware map

[ismetgurbuz]

Delaware

[visenyaism]

Maryland is a fuckass New England state that pretends it's part of the south just because it was racist enough to leave the country 200 years ago

I don’t know what part of the American education system did wrong by you. This is both geographically and historically illiterate, but it’s pissing me off to imagine someone wandering around the world being this wrong presumably about the country they themselves live in so I’m going to explain it to you.

1: New England is way further north than Maryland. New England is Yankeeland, like settled by the Pilgrims and Puritans, currently inhabited by wasps, the Irish, libertarians, lesbian bed and breakfasts, and cops. Boston. Nothing south of New York City is New England.

Maryland historically was a southern state. They practiced slavery like the rest of the south, they were south of the Mason-Dixon Line (the first system of categorizing what was and wasn’t the south), and parts of the US government still considers them part of the South today. Look, here is the map of regions and divisions within the United States that the census bureau keeps. See how far apart Maryland and New England are.

However, despite historically (and sometimes bureaucratically) being a southern state, Maryland is very much a cultural part of the mid-Atlantic region today. They join Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York in that category. Some western Marylanders might identify as Appalachian if they live in the mountains, and some older Marylanders might still say they’re southern, but you will not find that many people fighting for Maryland’s inclusion in the south. 

2. Maryland did not secede and join the Confederacy during the Civil War. They still did slavery- two of the most famous Black abolitionists, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman both had to escape Maryland because they were born into slavery there- but Maryland was a Union border state. Abraham Lincoln very notably kind of violated the constitution to suspend habeas corpus, which is your right to not be held in jail indefinitely without being charged with a specific crime. He suspended that right partially so that he could throw as many pro-Confederate Marylanders in prison as possible and keep them there to make sure Maryland stayed in the Union, which was of critical importance because if they left the American capital, DC, would be surrounded. A Marylander DID kill Abraham Lincoln so maybe he should have oppressed them harder. However his plan did work. They never seceded.

[zanmor]

Using Your Vote Strategically

Your vote doesn’t matter (probably). Luckily you can make it do a bit more.

Your vote is one of a few hundred million game pieces. Knowing how best to use it requires you to understand your place on the game board. Let’s take a look at that board.

Current polling has the following ten states (yellow on the above map) as highly competitive in this year’s presidential election: Maine, New Jersey, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Virginia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Georgia. Realistically those first three have only gone to Democrats since at least 2000 so speculation is more focused on the last seven (and even New Hampshire has been solidly Democrat since it voted for Bush in 2000).

If you’re one of the roughly 37.5 million voters who lives in one of those states, congratulations! Your vote will actually help decide who wins the presidency in November. As such you should probably vote for one of the major parties. To the other 82% of the electorate, it’s time to think a little harder about how you’ll utilize your vote in the fall.

Meanwhile there are 35 states that solidly belong to one of the two parties and that ain’t changing. They’re blue and red on the map above.

These states have only given electoral votes to their respective party since at least 2000 and current polling (according to 270towin.com) shows that they will do that again this year, well beyond any margin of error in the polls. California for instance is currently polling heavily in favor of the Democratic candidate and has voted for a Democratic candidate since 2000. Obviously that’s not about to change. That’s the case with these other 34 states as well. Which means if there’s any way to “throw your vote away” then it’s by blindly tossing it in with the millions of others that will not impact the electoral college or party platforms in any way.

The states where your vote matters least are:

California, Texas, New York, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, Alaska, Missouri, Hawaii, Louisiana, Kansas, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Montana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Idaho, Tennessee, Utah, Arkansas, North Dakota, Wyoming, Mississippi, Alabama, Washington, Massachusetts, Maryland, Oregon, Connecticut, Vermont, Delaware, Washington DC, Rhode Island, and New Mexico.

If you live in one of these states I have no qualms about advising you to vote third party in the general election. It will not change the electoral college outcome. But it can have important benefits you wouldn’t see by simply tossing another ballot on the mountain. I’ll talk below about those benefits. First, the last part of the game board.

The following six states (green on the above map) are technically polling within the margin of error where they could potentially go either way. I personally think it’s unlikely they’ll flip but you can make your own call on that and vote accordingly. If you live in North Carolina, Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, or Colorado, I think you’re likely to get more use from your vote giving it to a third party candidate based on current polling.

As I said above, I don’t expect that third party voting will impact the electoral college outside of those few truly competitive states.

So what does voting third party do?

If enough people vote third party it can do two helpful things: 1. if a party’s candidate receives over 5% of the popular vote then they can get federal matching funds in the next election, helping spread messages currently relegated to the sidelines, and 2. the major parties are more likely to take note of these votes and try to adjust their platforms to grab these voters in later elections. Voting for one of the two major parties doesn’t send any sort of message. What little utility your vote has in that regard is lost.

Voting for a candidate like Jill Stein of the Green Party can accomplish both of the above goals. Her platform is incredibly progressive. Across the board it’s a lot of things that leftists have been clamoring for. It will show establishment Democrats that there is voting support for those policies.

By supporting a third party candidate (not an independent solo candidate) we could see her get 5% of the popular vote and gain federal matching funds in 2028. It’s not about if she would be a good president or if you like her personally—she is not and never will get elected. It’s about hitting that 5% and showing the establishment that if they cater to the folks who like this platform that they can win votes.

Five percent of the 2020 election would have been just under 8 million votes. Four million Californian voters could have voted Green Party and Biden still would have won the state by over a million votes. We can definitely find 4 million votes in the other 40 states that otherwise are unlikely to impact the election. And we should.

[reasonsforhope]

For all the concern in recent years that U.S. democracy is on the brink, in danger or under threat, a report out Tuesday offers a glimmer of good news for American voters worried that casting a ballot will be difficult in 2024.

Put simply, the new data shows that voting in America has gotten easier over the past two decades. More voters have the ability to cast a ballot before Election Day, with the majority of U.S. states now offering some form of early in-person voting and mail voting to all voters.

"Although we often talk in a partisan context about voter fraud and voter suppression and whether voters have access to the ballot, the reality is, over the past 25 years, we've greatly increased the convenience of voting for almost all Americans," said David Becker, the founder and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR), which authored the new report...

The data shows that, despite real efforts by some Republican-led legislatures to restrict access at the margins, the trend in the U.S. since 2000 has been toward making it easier to vote: Nearly 97% of voting-age American citizens now live in states that offer the option to vote before Election Day.

"The lies about early voting, the lies about voting machines and efforts in some state legislatures to roll back some of the election integrity and convenience measures that have evolved over the last several decades, those efforts almost all failed," Becker said. "In almost every single state, voters can choose to vote when they want to."

Forty-six states and Washington, D.C., offer some form of early in-person voting, the report tallied, and 37 of those jurisdictions also offer mail voting to all voters without requiring an excuse...

In 2000

In 2024

Infographic via NPR. If you go to the article, you can watch an animation of this map that shows voting availability in every election since 2000.

There are some political trends that show up in the data. Of the 14 states that don't offer mail voting to all voters, for instance, 12 have Republican-led legislatures.

-via NPR, March 19, 2024. Article continues below.

But maybe the more striking trends are geographic. Every single state in the western U.S. has offered some form of early and mail voting to all voters since 2004, according to the data. And those states span the political spectrum, from conservative Idaho to liberal California.

"It's really hard to talk about partisanship around this issue because historically there just hasn't been much," Mann said. "We've seen voting by mail and early in-person voting supported by Republican legislatures, Democratic legislatures, Republican governors, Democratic governors. We see voters in both parties use both methods." ...

In 2020, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts all made changes to make voting more easily accessible, which have since partially or fully become permanent. Delaware is currently embroiled in a legal fight over whether it can implement early and mail voting changes this election cycle as well.

The South, with its history of slavery and Jim Crow laws, has long lagged behind when it comes to voting access. The CEIR data shows that, although some states have slowly started expanding options for voters, generally it is still the most difficult region for voters to cast a ballot.

As options nationwide have become more widely available, voters have also responded by taking advantage.

In the 2000 election, 86% of voters voted at a polling place on Election Day, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

In 2020, during the pandemic, that number dropped to less than 31% of voters. It went back up in 2022, to roughly half of the electorate, but was still in line with the two-decade trend toward more ballots being cast early.

...in reality, Becker says, more voting options actually make elections more secure and less susceptible to malicious activity or even human error.

"If there were a problem, if there were a cyber event, if there were a malfunction, if there were bad weather, if there were traffic, if there were was a power outage, you could think of all kinds of circumstances. ... The more you spread voting out over a series of days and over multiple modes, the less likely it's going to impact voters," he said...

-via NPR, March 19, 2024

[mikeluciraphgabe]

America is so fucking stupid

Two Dakotas

Two Virginias

Idaho

Two Carolinas

A state you could ride a bike around its border in a single day (Rhode Island - it’s not even an island btw)

Fucking Idaho

Has like 14 territories and people only really know about one (Puerto Rico)

Could drive in one single state for over 11 hours and still be in it (Texas) and 34 for another (Alaska)

Every single state has different laws outside of the Constitution and bill of rights (in Pennsylvania you can’t sleep on a refrigerator door - yes as in the thing that keep food good)

Idaho

Kansas City being in fucking MISSOURI

Delaware state, Delaware River, Delaware River (in Kansas this time), Delaware Lake, Delaware Basin, Delaware Water Gap (PA), Delaware Falls (one of 24 waterfalls in a state park in PA - again) Delaware county, Delaware city, Delaware Indiana, Delaware Iowa, Delaware Michigan, Delaware MISSOURI, Delaware New York, Delaware Ohio, Delaware Oklahoma

Honorable mentions I fucking guess; West Point, Virginia that used to be known as Delaware and Delaware Ontario (CANADA??!)

SHUT THE FUCK UP DELAWARE

Idaho

Two Washingtons but one is a state on the west coast and one is a district on the east coast - they have 0 affiliation with each other minus having the same name

The amount of Lafayette shit is named (streets, playgrounds, towns/cities/villages??, counties)

We have like 9 times zones

We have a literal desert, forest, beach/ocean, flat lands, mountains, tropical, canyons, etc (we have one of each type of landscape basically)

The entire US can fit inside of Europe plus a little extra if you include Alaska/Hawaii

God damn Idaho

Have a spot where four states line up perfectly in a tiny square (geologically not really, but on a map they do)

A river that cuts through like 10(?) states (Mississippi River) (2,340 miles/1,151,000 square miles or 3,770 km for my nonamerican friends)

The Great Lakes (they are like mini oceans)

The fact there is a natural disaster in any region you go to - out west in California? Earth quakes and tsunamis. Mid-west? tornadoes. South? Tornadoes and hurricanes. Hawaii? Hurricanes and tsunamis. Alaska? Cold af/not enough sunlight (yes this is an actual issue - not being funny about this). Northeast? Snow storms and flash floods/flash flood of muds from the left over hurricanes of the south. The Canadian border out west? Again snow and tornadoes. THE DESERT in the southwest (I could go on)

Motherfucking Idaho

[todays-xkcd]

Running for office in Minnesota on the single-issue platform 'dig a permanent channel through the Traverse Gap because it will make this map more satisfying.'

Dubious Islands [Explained]

Transcript Under the Cut

[Title:] Dubious Islands of North America [Subtitle:] And the waterways that separate them

[A map of mainland North America, down to the Panama isthmus. It is internally separated by various waterways, given labels or otherwise.]

[Separating land approximating Nunavut (with some Northern Territories) from neighbouring Canada:] Mackenzie Athabasca Churchill

[Comprising the much of the remainder of Canada, much of the northern United States (including Alaska), additionally separated by:] Columbia Snake Madison Missouri Chicago

[Unlabelled, some of the Great Lakes and the channel past Quebec] [An incursive gap near the central point, from the north:] Nelson Red [An internal label, with arrow:] Traverse Gap [An incursive gap near the central point, from the south:] Mississippi [A separate fragment of land south of the Madison, in the western half of the land-mass, bordered to its south by:] Yellowstone [A small fragment off the southen part of the western edge, an arrow and a label:] Chehalis/Black Lake

[Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and parts of the adjacent US, disconnected by:] Champlain Hudson [Label with an arrow on the east coast:] Cape Cod Canal

[A small triangle of territory, further isolated by:] Erie

[Most of the Eastern Seaboard of the US, additionally divided off by:] Tombigbee

[Fragment of land shorn from the northern part of the eastern edge, label with arrow:] Chesapeake and Delaware Canal [Fragment of land shorn from the tip of Florida, label with arrow:] Okeechobee Waterway

[Strip of land west of the Tombigbee, bounded also to its west by:] Mississippi [Fragment of land immediately to its south, with a nearby label and arrow:] Atchafalaya

[The remainder of the continent; comprising much of the US, all of Mexico and various central American territories, with a final tip of the eastwards-bending isthmus:] Panama Canal

[morbidsmenagerie]

Making Better State Insects

So at some point I stumbled across a list of State Insects. Honestly I wasn't even aware states had "state insects", but as I looked down the list my disappointment grew. A vast majority of states had selected the European honeybee (which is not even native) as their state insect, with monarch butterflies and ladybugs being the two runner ups. I thought this was a damn shame because there's so many interesting insects in the US, so I'm making a better official new list of state insects.

For this list my criteria are:

Insect must be native to the state

No repeats

Insect must be easily observable to the naked eye

I also had general guidelines of picking insects that were relatively common (based on inaturalist heat maps of observation) and picking insects that were cool or interesting. Some of these insects I picked because I thought they were important parts of the areas culture and experience (lovebugs, toebiters, and periodical cicadas) and some insects I picked just to raise awareness that they exist in the US.

I also don't think I gave anyone huge L's, no mosquitoes, louses, cockroaches, ect, because my goal of this list is to get people interested in their native insects and I want it to be fun to find and observe your state insect.

Also some states get gold stars for picking state insects that already meet these criteria and are cool so they get to keep theirs. Some states also have "state butterflies" or "state agricultural insect" which for this list I'm ignoring, you can keep those I'm just focused on state insects. Slight disclaimer also, I've only ever lived in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and South Carolina, and all these states are keeping their original state insect. So all the insects I'm choosing are for states I haven't lived in. Also I'm not including photos in this post just for my own sanity.

List under the cut!

Alabama

Old: Monarch Butterfly

New: Giant Leaf-footed Bug (Acanthocephala declivis)

Leaf-footed bugs are cute, they're big, they're stanced up, the males have big back legs, you've probably seen them. Being true bugs they have piercing mouthparts and suck plant juices.

Alaska

Four-spot Skimmer (Libellula quadrimaculata)

Alaska gets to keep their old state insect, it's a cool dragonfly and apparently was partially chosen to honor bush pilots who fly to deliver supplies in the Alaskan wilderness, so really cool!

Arizona

Two-tailed swallowtail butterfly (Papilio multicaudata)

Arizona also gets to keep their state insect. Kind of a shame because Arizona has a lot of cool species, but it did meet my requirements and they get points for choosing a different kind of butterfly.

Arkansas

Old: European honeybee

New: North American Wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus)

One of the largest assassin bugs in the US, these guys are appreciated by gardeners for their environmentally friendly pest control. They also look badass.

California

California Dogface Butterfly (Zerene eurydice)

Endemic to California and on a stamp! Again, kind of a shame because there's a lot of cool insects in California, but I respect this choice, especially since California was the first state to designate a state insect (1929).

Colorado

Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly (Hypaurotis crysalus)

Same deal as California, the state's name is in the common name, unique butterfly found in the four corners region. Just get a stamp or something soon!

Connecticut

Old: European Praying Mantis

New: Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia)

You picked a state insect no one else had but went with a nonnative mantis? Here's an insect that'll make you stand out and it's a native species. Lesser known than some of the other giant silk moths, the Cecropia moth is the largest native moth and has some truly stunning colors.

Delaware

Old: Convergent Ladybeetle

New: Periodical Cicada (Magicicada septendecim)

Cicada's had to be somewhere on this list and Delaware was one of the main hotspots for brood X, one of the largest broods of the multiple staggered brood cycles. Hey, they have a lot of history in America. Accounts go back as early as 1733, with Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin making a note of them.

District of Columbia

Old: None

New: Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

The Entomological Society of America is trying to get the Monarch Butterfly added as our national insect, so I think that's reason enough to let DOC claim it.

Florida

Zebra Butterfly (Heliconius charithonia)

Florida gets to keep their state butterfly, but the populations that have existed in Florida are in steep decline. Ideally I would want being the official state insect to come with some protections, hopefully people can get invested in reintroducing them.

Georgia

Old: European Honeybee

New: Horned Passalus Beetle (Odontotaenius disjunctus)

Also called bess beetles or patent-leather beetles, these cute guys are important for forest systems because they eat decaying wood, helping to break down felled trees. They're cute beetles that squeak when disturbed.

Hawaii

Kamehameha Butterfly (Vanessa tameamea)

An endemic Hawaiian butterfly named after a ruling dynasty of Hawaii. Their population is under threat, as with a lot of native Hawaiian species, so I think this is a good state insect to build protections and activism around.

Idaho

Old: Monarch Butterfly

New: Ice Crawler (Grylloblatta sp. "Polaris Peak")

Look Idaho, I have to admit that even though I've traveled extensively through WA, OR, CA, and NV I've never stepped foot in Idaho and I don't intend to. Your state exists in a weird liminal zone, not really the pacific northwest but not really whatever Montana is either. Your state isn't even all in one time zone. So look, I really wanted ice crawlers to be on this list, but they're exclusively found on mountains in the pacific northwest and Sierra Nevadas. Normally I would've given them to Washington or Oregon, but those states already have state insects that work for them. So your state gets ice crawlers, and they do exist in Idaho in the panhandle. It's not an L, ice crawlers are amazing extremophiles that crawl over snow in high elevation mountain peaks. They exist in their own unique order and theres only one genus in the US, with different species being region locked, sometimes onto specific mountains. Their thermoregulation is so delicate, the warmth of someones hand holding them causes them to over heat and die. They're cool, unique, and weird, and let's face it so is your state. At least I didn't take a cop out by picking the potato bug.

Illinois

Old: Monarch Butterfly

New: Red-banded Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea)

Leafhopper done Chicago style.

Indiana

Old: Say's Firefly

New: Common True Katydid (Pterophylla camellifolia)

I wanted to give you Say's Firefly. I really did. But when I looked on Inaturalist not A SINGLE OBSERVATION was listed for the species in Indiana. I'm even going to post pictures.

So even though this is extremely funny I'm giving your state the Common True Katydid instead. Large, loud, and easy to spot, these guys can frequently be heard chirping in trees. Not only do different populations have different rates of chirp, but the rate of chirp is also so predictably dependent on temperature that you could make an equation to tell the temperature based on chirp rate.

Iowa

Old: None

New: Westfall's Snaketail (Ophiogomphus westfalli)

Really cool clubtail dragonfly that's almost exclusively found in Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas.

Kansas

Old: European Honeybee

New: Rainbow Scarab (Phanaeus vindex)

A kind of true dung beetle, they play an important role in removing waste. And although they don't roll waste like the stereotypical dung beetles, they are extremely pretty.

Kentucky

Viceroy Butterfly (Limenitis archippus)

This is fine.

Louisiana

Old: European Honeybee

New: Lovebug (Plecia nearartica)

Look, one of the southern states was going to get this one and Louisiana has a majority of the observations for them. Although annoying, it's things like having to scrape thousands of flies off your car that makes the Southern experience. Embrace it!

Maine

Old: European Honeybee

New: Brown Wasp Mantidfly (Climaciella brunnea)

I really wanted these guys to be somewhere on the list. Neither a wasp, mantis, or fly, these are predatory neuropterans related to lacewings. They have raptorial front legs (resembling a mantis) and their coloration resembles paper wasps that they live alongside. Weird, unique, and wonderful!

Maryland

Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly (Euphydryas phaeton)

This butterfly might've been picked for the resemblance of the state flag. It's in decline in it's native range, so hopefully more awareness and consideration to state insects will help push conservation efforts.

Massachusetts

Old: Ladybug

New: Hornet Clearwing Moth (Paranthrene simulans)

Hornet mimic moth, the caterpillars feed on chestnuts and oaks. All lepidopterans (moths and butterflies) have modified hairs on their wings that form the "scales" that give this order their name. For this moth though, parts of it's wings don't have any scales so it more convincingly resembles a hornet. Underneath the scales, butterfly and moth wings look pretty much like any other insect's wing. Cool!

Michigan

Old: None

New: American Salmonfly (Pteronarcys dorsata)

The biggest salmonfly in North America. They make excellent fishing bait, and several fly fisherman use salmonfly lures to catch trout. Their nymphs are also an important indicator of water quality, with them being one of the first species to disappear in the presence of pollution or contaminants.

Minnesota

Old: Monarch Butterfly

New: American Giant Water Bug (Lethocerus americanus)

Also one of the ones that had to be on the list somewhere, and the Inat heatmap says Minnesota. Toebiters are part of the experience, and they are cool and ferocious looking.

Mississippi

Old: European Honeybee

New: Eastern Eyed Click Beetle (Alaus oculatus)

Click beetles have a cool adaption that allows them to launch themselves in the air to avoid predators. This makes an audible sound, hence their common name. The Eastern Eyed Click Beetle is one of the largest and most striking click beetles in the US, with large false eyespots on their thorax.

Missouri

Old: European Honeybee

New: Goldenrod Soldier Beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus)

A soldier beetle that feeds on aphids and small plant pests, these beetles also eat pollen and nectar from flowers. They don't harm the flower, and though their common name reflects their preference for goldenrod flowers, they're also an important pollinator of the prairie onion (Allium stellatum). This is a native species of onion that grows from Minnesota to Arkansas.

Montana

Old: Mourning Cloak

New: Western Sheep Moth (Hemileuca eglanterina)

Mourning Cloak butterflies do technically work for my criteria, but I wanted to showcase some more regional insects in this as well, as Mourning Cloaks are found throughout North America and Eurasia. The Western Sheep Moth is an absolutely stunning giant silk moth, found throughout the western United States. Although not as big as some other silk moths, the bold orange and black coloration on these make them absolutely stand out.

Nebraska

Old: European Honeybee

New: Blowout Tiger Beetle (Cicindela lengi)

A tiger beetle with unique patterns, these guys are active predators and are particularly difficult to spot because they run extremely quickly. They seem to be pretty cold tolerant and exist from Colorado up into Canada.

Nevada

Vivid Dancer Damselfly (Argia Vivida)

This damselfly was picked as Nevada's state insect because it's widespread throughout the state and matches the state colors, silver and blue. That gets my seal of approval!

New Hampshire

Two-spotted Lady Beetle (Adalia bipunctata)

This is fine.

New Jersey

Old: European Honeybee

New: Margined Calligrapher (Toxomerus marginatus)

A pretty hoverfly, they strongly resemble bees in both looks and behavior. Larvae feed on common plant pests such as thrips and aphids, while the adults sip nectar and pollinate flowers. These helpful attributes make it something the Garden State can appreciate!

New Mexico

Tarantula Hawk (Pepsis grossa)

New Mexico wins the official state insect list by a landslide. Not only is the tarantula hawk a super cool and formidable insect to showcase, but New Mexico's state butterfly (Sandia Hairstreak) was discovered in New Mexico. No notes 10/10!

New York

Nine-spotted Lady Beetle (Coccinella novemnotata)

A native species of lady beetle that's been in decline in recent years, New York is one of the last remaining states where they've been spotted. I also appreciate that New York designated a specific ladybug species instead of just saying "Coccinellidae species".

North Carolina

Old: European Honeybee

New: Eastern Rhinoceros Beetle (Xyloryctes jamaicensis)

A large native species of rhinoceros beetle. They breed in ash trees, and are under threat due to competition from the Emerald Ash Borer.

North Dakota

Old: None

New: Nuttall's Blister Beetle (Lytta nuttalli)

As with all blister beetles, these guys have a chemical defense. Unlike the more famous Bombardier Beetle thought, instead of being black and red they are iridescent red/purple and green.

Ohio

Old: Ladybug

New: Bald-faced Hornet (Dolichovespula maculata)

Look, when the one thing everyone knows about your state is that it sucks, it's time to lean into it. Bald-faced hornets, everyone knows them, everyone has opinions about them, and they get a lot of attention. I don't think I have to explain this one anymore.

Oklahoma

Old: European Honeybee

New: Giant Walking Stick (Megaphasma denticrus)

The largest insect in the United States. Being a native walking stick, they're less damaging than the imported invasive walking sticks that are heavily controlled.

Oregon

Oregon Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio oregonius)

Oregon in the common name and in the species name, and also has a stamp!

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Firefly (Photuris pensylvanica)

Pennsylvania in the common name and species name. If fireflies weren't already on this list I would've made sure to include them somewhere.

Rhode Island

American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus)

When I saw this on the list I was worried. American Burying Beetles are one of my favorite insects, but they're extremely endangered now. I also thought they existed more in the midwest, so I was worried I would have to change this one because it violated the "native to the region" rule. But! To my pleasant surprise, not only did their historic range extend to Rhode Island, but there is actually a carefully maintained wild population on Block Island. They estimate between 750-1000 individuals live there, making it one of the few remaining places where the American Burying Beetle still exists. Excellent work Rhode Island!

South Carolina

Carolina Mantis (Stagmomantis carolina)

This is fine. I wanted to give South Carolina the Palmetto bug but they're actually not native.

South Dakota

Old: European Honeybee

New: Golden Northern Bumble Bee (Bombus fervidus)

"Save the bees" should really be focused on native pollinators, many of whom are in decline. There are a lot of species of native bee you can feature as a state insect, with the Golden Northern Bumble Bee being a particularly large and striking species.

Tennessee

Old: Firefly and ladybug

New: Black-waved Flannel Moth (Megalopyge crispata)

Seriously look them up, these guys are adorable.

Texas

Old: Monarch Butterfly

New: Rainbow Grasshopper (Dactylotum bicolor)

It was really hard to pick an insect for your state. The Texas Unicorn Mantis was a contender but I eliminated it because it's really only found in the southern part of Texas, so it was between the Rainbow Grasshopper and the Eastern Velvet Ant (or Cow Killer). I went with the Rainbow Grasshopper because it's more wide spread and common, and occurs everywhere except the east part of Texas. But the Eastern Velvet Ant only occurs on the east part of Texas, maybe you should get an East and West Texas insect? I also thought more people have probably already heard of the Eastern Velvet Ant than the Rainbow Grasshopper, which is a shame because they're super interesting to look at.

Utah

Old: European Honeybee

New: Mormon Cricket (Anabrus simplex)

Mormon Crickets are not true crickets, and instead closer related to katydids. Their common name comes from an early account of Latter-day Saint settlers in Utah. In 1848, a swarm of Mormon Crickets decimated the settler's crops, so the legend goes that they prayed for relief from this plague of insects. Later that year, a swarm of gulls appeared and ate the crickets, thus saving the crops. This is recounted in the "miracle of the gulls" story. To recognize their contributions, the California Gull is commemorated as Utah's state bird. I thought it was fitting then that the Mormon Cricket be recognized as your state insect.

Vermont

Old: European Honeybee

New: Long-tailed Giant Ichneumon Wasp (Megarhyssa macrurus)

A pretty wasp with an extremely long ovipositor, these wasps are common in deciduous forests across the eastern United States. They can't sting, and instead use their long ovipositor to stab into tree bark and deposit eggs on the horntail larvae that burrow into the trees.

Virginia

Old: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

New: Giant Stag Beetle (Lucanus elaphus)

A large stag beetle native to the Eastern United States. Although not as well known as their similar looking fellow stag beetles from Japan, these guys are a lovely chocolate brown instead of solid black. Like most stag beetles, they breed in decaying wood.

Washington

Green Darner Dragonfly (Anax junius)

I imagine this was chosen because it matches the flag.

West Virginia

Old: European Honeybee

New: Appalachian Tiger Beetle (Cicindela ancocisconensis)

This tiger beetle likes hilly terrain. As with all tiger beetles, they can be hard to spot because they run across the ground in search of prey. They are fast! But this can make it more rewarding when you finally catch up to one.

Wisconsin

Old: European Honeybee

New: Phantom Crane Fly (Bittacomorpha clavipes)

Don't believe old wive's tales about crane flies drinking gallons of blood, they are nonbiting. Those striking black and white legs are hollow, and are held out when they fly, making an extremely distinct sight that's been likened to sparklers or snowflakes.

Wyoming

Sheridan's Hairstreak (Callophrys sheridanii)

This is fine.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

This 1848 home in Beverly, NJ has a such a variety of styles. If only a professional photographer had taken the photos, it may have highlighted its potential better. 11bds, 5ba. $899K. If I had the funds, I'd buy it, but I'd have to trade NYC for Philly.

Very grand entrance hall, but the tilted camera and glare don't do it justice.

Off the hall is a grand staircase. Beautiful stained glass doors up on the landing.

Nice sitting room with original fireplace.

In the room, the photographer got fancy. I don't even know what it is- a family room? There are over a hundred photos of the listing and he used this technique on a lot of them.

Very large dining room. They've even got a second table in here.

The kitchen is very big. I don't mind the black cabinet remodel. Love the ceiling. Looks like a real cook's kitchen.

And, this is the kitchen's everyday dining area. Love the wall.

Down a few stairs is a very large rec room with doors to the patio.

There's also a bar down here.

This bedroom is huge, but needs decor.

Bd. #2 is nicer with shelving, shutters and an original fireplace.

And, this bd. is very interesting. They're all so large, too.

These stairs look like they were the service stairs back in the day.

This would've been a maid's bedroom.

Nice bath up here.

Up in the attic, the bedrooms are much more modern, b/c they're newer, but the floors are original.

The property is 1.44 acres and is on the banks of the Delaware River that separates NJ and PA.

You can watch the boats going by.

Beautiful entrance to the property.

Then pull under the porte cochere where there's also a porch.

The home's name is Waterview.

They have several framed original antique maps on the walls.

https://www.redfin.com/NJ/Beverly/2-Walnut-St-08010/home/35938205

[todaysdocument]

Petition of John Cox and Others in Support of the Establishment of the Permanent Seat of the Government on the Delaware River

Record Group 46: Records of the U.S. SenateSeries: Petitions and Related Documents That Were Presented, Read, or TabledFile Unit: Petitions and Memorials and Resolutions of State Legislatures Submitted to the 1st Congress

To the President and Congress of the United States, The Freeholders and other inhabitants of a district of ten miles square, comprehending those parts of Pennsylvania & New Jersey which are situated adjacent to the Falls of Delaware River, so as to take within the lines, about five miles each size thereof; Conceiving it to be for the Honor and advantage of the United States, that there should be a permanent place of Residence for the General Government, wherein they can Exercise Sole Jurisdiction, agreeably to the principles of the Federal Constitution - and being informed that the Freeholders & Inhabitants of other Districts of ten miles square, in several of the States, are testifying their desire respect- ively to put themselves & their Estates under that jurisdiction, and that, in order to induce the Government to accept their Offers, they have adopted the Mode of Representing, by way of Memorial, the advantage peculiar to each Situation. They the Said Freeholders and other Inhabitants, Have, in pursuance of the Example set by others, appointed us the Subscribers hereto, a Committee on their behalf, to lay before you a Map of the said District; accompanied by a Request of the said Freeholders (illegible) that you will be pleased to Establish your Residence in this Tract of Country, which we flatter ourselves, will now, as it was by a Committee of the former Congress appointed to view this and other Sites, be thought the most Eligible of any in the United States, wherein to erect the Federal City; and in support of this opinion, we by leave to suggest a few, out of the many Reasons, that occur upon this Subject. First. This District is equally, if not more, Central, than any other part of the Continent; it lies directly in the line of Communication between the Eastern & Southern States, & also on a line of easy & practicable communication between the Western Waters of the United States and the Atlantic; the postal road running within fifty yards of the Center of the said District, at the Head of the Tide Water of Delaware, where it is navigable for Vessels of about sixty tons Burthen. Second. The River Delaware is navigable for Boats carrying from three to eight hundred bushels of Grain, for upwards of two hundred Miles above the Falls; and there are at this time, not less than Two hundred Boats employed daily in the transportation of produce and Merchandize to an from the Head of Delaware to Philadelphia [complete transcription at link]

[doueverwonder]

Ramble About The Statehouse Itself

anyway: the statehouse they're currently in is actually the second one. The first one was for Research Purposes, it was the first attempt of getting all the states in one building long term and they just needed to see how it went. It was chaos, but controlled chaos where Gov could see it so they went ahead with The Permanent Statehouse(TM)

Location wise the first one was in Florida, but the current statehouse is in Missouri, right outside St. Louis and I will die on this hill. It's pretty central in the country, somewhere between Midwest and South and is literally nicknamed "the gateway to the West", the weather is decent enough no one is freezing or melting, hell Missouri is the 24th state! Gov said "we need it to be central" saw Missouri and went "... perfect".

Gov's main observation in the original statehouse was how regions can tend to agree on things when it comes to communal rules, stuff like how to organize the kitchen, shoes in the house rules, how late is too late, and how early is too early to be up and about. That's how he decided on the floors being split by region, each floor having it's own kitchen, dining room, and living room; then came the hardest part who's on what floor?

Ground Floor

The South got this one for a few reasons, one of the main ones being a 'Southern Hospitality' joke, when non-states visit Gov needs them to walk into a supposedly normal house and the South are the best at maintaining 'normalcy' when there are guests around. They're also one of the louder regions, and it's easier to sound proof a ceiling than it is to floors. They also have to have a front porch to sit on, it's part of the their habitat :\ Lastly they're the South so of course they're on the bottom floor smh.

2nd Floor

The Northeast got this one because they're used to the South being right below them and Loud. About half of them lived in apartments before the statehouse and need to be sandwhiched between floors to feel safe. They also have the most heavy sleepers, so the South below being up until 1, and the Midwest above getting up at 4:30 won't bother them.

3rd Floor

The Midwest are right in the middle on the map and Gov thought why fix what's not broken? As the resident Early Birds they of course got the floor above the region with the most heavy sleepers. Actually the only floor unhappy with their placement (it's too far from the basement and the front porch (tornadoes)) but bc y'know passive aggressive they'll never actually tell him that. Also at least the other states aren't accidentally throwing away their tupperware anymore (used coolwhip & butter containers).

4th Floor

The West have the top floor; it's because they're used to the altitude. half of them might as well be lizards and the other half are always cold: either way heat rises. and 90% of the other regions pulled the "they're the youngest make them climb stairs >:|" (the first parts are a joke and there's an elevator). They also have the top because while there's a decent amount of night owls, unlike the South who stay up til 1 am talking, at 10 pm they all say goodnight and then sit in their rooms enjoying Quiet Alone Time(TM) until 3 am so the Midwest won't be kept up by them.

5th floor (top floor)

This one is split into two spaces, a little less than half is split into 4 bedrooms (and for the first 3 offices) for Gov, IDC, DC, and Maryland. The other half is an absolutely huge rec room. There is no kitchen on the floor as IDC is never around, Gov and DC are so busy they either eat out/order in or eat with one of the regions. and if Maryland wants to cook he just crashes the Souths kitchen.

when it comes to bedrooms each state got to decorate their own, but communal areas tend to have a theme of sorts. The Northeast is very old money, the decor screams "Well our main residence is in Connecticut, but we have the cabin in Vermont, the brownstone in Boston, the penthouse in NYC, and a sailboat stored in Delaware." The Midwest and South are similar at a glance but the Midwest is more cozy thrifted thrown together, while the South is more genuinely antique. Blankets thrown over a floral patterned couch & mismatch recliners vs matching furniture that a century ago would've belonged in some shit like a parlor or drawing room. But unless they're next to each other it all just looks Old. The West is an odd mix of boho and Spanish colonial; patterned tiles, brightly painted cabinets and doors, it's bright, and overly colorful, and there are potted plants on any available surface.

uhhhh anyway yeah.

[pbandjesse]

I am in the guest room. I want to see if it's nicer to get more rest up here. Especially because I have to wake up at 8 tomorrow (an hour earlier then my current schedule). The bed is very comfortable so that's nice. We'll see how it goes.

I had a really excellent day. Last night was good. I would work on the map for the music festival and sent Heather an email to confirm some info because I label everything. And then I read for a while. I would become ridiculously tired at midnight but Sylvia didn't want her bottle for a bit. But she would eventually have her midnight snack and we would sleep until 3.

James came down and I was super out of it tired. Hugs and then upstairs to sleep. And I slept pretty well. Though I had some dreams that felt to real. Nothing terrible but just like. Confusing. Because they felt so real and normal.

When I woke up at 9 I felt pretty good. I didn't really want breakfast after I finished getting ready but James insisted. And like they are right, I should eat. But I just haven't had much appetite. And egg and hash browns was a nice meal. Always is.

We would hang out. I was excited to see how good my plants were doing after the rain last night. We even got a few mushrooms popping up! And then I was just tidying up and feeding Crabcake and hanging out on the couch with James and Sylvia.

Soon Dante was here! He had gotten slightly lost in Delaware. I know exactly that happened because the one exchange is super confusing. But he made it and I was so happy to see him.

He brought Sylvia some board books. One is Yiddish phrases that I loved. And he brought her little baby sunglasses that actually fit!! Incredible. He also brought me a body oil from his fiance Allie. I was very thankful and it was super nice of him.

After Dante got to hold Sylvia for a bit and we caught up, it was time to put shoes back on and head to the fairgrounds. Jess let me know her ETA was noon and that was perfect. It took a couple extra minutes for us to get there but the real issue was the GPS took us to the back entrance and then we ended up at the wrong building. Which was a gun show. Not what we were looking for.

But soon we found Jess and I was just so excited to hang out. I wore Sylvia in my rainbow ring sling and all the old ladies loved the baby and the rainbow.

Today was a blast. I was worried that it was going to be small and then Jess and Dante would be mad at me (unlikely). But it ended up being the perfect size.

We were there for almost 3 hours. We saw 400+ quilts. James bid on a few. I did bid on one that I just found some charming. We got to see so many styles and techniques and skills. Some were just so wildly impressive. It was honestly just wonderful. I was having so much fun.

Sylvia was asleep for a lot of it. James and Dante stayed together, while me and Jess and Sylvia looked around. We had sheets to pick our favorites. You got to write down three. So we were all taking pictures so we could chose the best ones later on.

And something cool, none of us picked the same ones! It was really cool to see how Jess loved the really kitchy ones and James liked the technical ones and Dante liked the ones that were inspired by paintings and I liked appliques. And this place had it all.

It also has some great vendors. We would get a few things each. I was having a great time looking and seeing the skills.

My favorite vendor was someone who makes classic quilt patterns out of inlayed wood. Like I got the biggest smile on my face when I saw them. I would end up getting earrings. Jess got a box and earrings as well. It was awesome. I'm going to wear mine tomorrow.

They also had a second hand vendor from the quilt guild itself. And that was excellent. We could have gone crazier but I was really proud of our restraint. I got an embroidered table cover and a bag of just black thread. Jess got some fabrics and a book and a cross stitch kit. We had a slight panic when we found out that they didn't take credit cards. And then James and Sylvia and Dante went to the ATM and it was out of money! That's wild!

But thankfully Jess saved the day and had enough cash. Me and her went through our purchases and I added the prices and we each put one thing back so we would have enough. It was good to have a limit for sure.

We looked at was the raffle and the members store. But we decided we were good. So the last thing we looked at was double checking Jess's bids for quilts and we all wrote down our top picks.

I was disappointed when I found out there had been a scavenger hunt!! But that's alright. We voted. And I chatted with the ladies selling tickets. And they said my number quilt was very cool. And that I should consider joining the guild. So I'm going to look into that. It would be nice to find some community and connections.

As a group we didn't really want to stop the hang. So we decided to go up the road to Andy Nelson's for BBQ. According to James it's the best in the state. I love their cornbread. So I was thrilled.

We see separated and Jess went to her car. We had parked far and when we got to the car I all of a sudden realize I had lost my little shopping bag!! I had gotten a quilted manatee Christmas ornament and he was gone! And I got so upset I froze. And James was like it's okay. We'll find it. And I was sure I had put it down twice. Once when I was voting and once when I saw the scavenger hunt papers. I called Jess to let her know we would be a minute because we had to walk back and she said she'd wait for us at the restaurant.

And thankfully my bag was with the scavenger hunt papers. And the woman rubbing that booth was really nice and even apologized to me for not noticing I left it! So sweet.

We were back to the car and in the road. And soon we were getting just an ungodly amount of BBQ.

Jess got a pulled pork sandwich, James got chicken, and Dante got ribs and pulled porch. Everyone has sides. From cornbread to potatoes to coleslaw and Mac and cheese. I exclusively had sides and also got apple cake to bring home. I would get three pieces of cornbread, Mac and cheese, and potatoes. And it was fantastic.

Sylvia started on my lap. Awake and happy and looking around. Eventually transfered to Jess for cuddles. And Sylvia was just chilling. She would yell a few times but it was bottle time and we had no more bottle. She would wait and honestly I was just proud of her for not panicking.

James would take over once they were done eating so Jess could eat. And we just talked and enjoyed friendship.

I didn't want the meal to end because then Jess went home. We would stand around the parking lot for a few minutes. We confirmed our plans for tomorrow when I meet her for our stained glass class. And then she was off.

We would pass each other on the highway and that was silly.

Sylvia was mostly sleeping on the drive home. An easy ride. But I was right. Soon after we got home Dante would head out. I hope he comes back soon.

Hugs all around. James would get a bottle for Sylvia. And we would all go hang out in the couch. We had a lot of socializing today and it was nice to just be quiet together.

James was a little restless and decided to go for a walk with Sylvie. I chose to stay home and just rest in the couch.

When they got home we would trade off holding baby. Tried giving her some toy time but she wasn't really feeling it. Just wanted be held. Even that wasn't exactly what she wanted at times. And I would have her propped up with pillows. I had tried practice sitting her up earlier and she liked that a bit. She loves to sit up though, not laying all the time.

We would watch a few episodes of handmaid's tale. And enjoy our night. Even when Sylvia was very fussy for a little bit. She just wanted cuddles. And like, girl same.

But soon it was time to wind down. I decided to be in the guest room. More so I am hoping James can get more sleep in here. They really struggle to get her to keep sleeping after she eats at 3. I really hope we can drop that feed first. The midnight one and the 6am are whatever. We are both normally still up (in the before times), but that 3am is really hard on everyone.

But for now I just hope we can both get some sleep.

I'm really excited for this class tomorrow. We aren't sure if it's one where they give you the design or can we design our own. So I am prepared either way. I have a solid idea and regardless I'm super jazzed to learn a new skill!! I've always wanted to try stained glass.

The wind is really strong tonight. But the temperature is perfect. And Sylvia just seemed to fall asleep. I got a new book in the mail I'm going to start. And hopefully get some good sleep.

Wish me luck tomorrow!! Longest I'll be away from James and baby. Scary! But we are trying to be normal about it.

Goodnight everybody!!

[doraambrose]

do yyou have headcanons about Gotham itself? there are city maps and stuff to use for reference for where things are happening. locations, community, where do each of the rogues usually commit their crimes...? Where do you headcanon gotham to be? In new jersey or somplace else and how far away do you think metropolis is?

Hello friend!

I headcannon that gotham is basically jersey city, but a new york duplicate if that makes sense? Like when I think gotham, I think new york city, but as we know from nightwing year 1, new york already exists. It's obviously east coast and I totally see it being in jersey because of how awful it is (kidding). In terms of where rougues commit crimes, it depends on the person and what they want to do. Like joker is doing his shit to get attention, like in the 80s movie with the parade. So he's doing shit in gothams equivalent of times square. Smaller rougues who try to do shit without getting caught or attention drawn to them are gonna do it in areas of town that unfortunately, don't get a lot of security or coverage like the narrows or park row. I saw a cool map that shows metropolis in Delaware, so its not super far away, actually pretty close. I think bludhaven is also in jersey because of the close proximity to gotham and how horrible it is (another joke because I'm so original). It seems like a lot of super hero hometowns are on the east coast lol. Probably for a reason lmao.

I'm gonna link this map because of how awesome it is, I'm not entirely sure who made it, so I'm sorry for bot giving exact credit.

Anyway, I hope I answered your ask. This was a fun little research project as I thought of gotham in jersey, but I haven't thought of the details before so thank you!

Have a good day friends

Edit: totally forgot that literally right after writing that I'd put the link in, I forgot so sorry about that. Here it is

https://maphub.net/Numbuh1Nerd/dcumap

[lovingrosewho]

Grudges

So here we go again: many many years ago (around 2017), I wrote this Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader! fanfiction, I never published it ‘cause I was always making corrections and re-reading it, I tried to publish it around 2019 I think, but then I lost that tumblr account… anyways. After all these years, I bring it to you again, with no new corrections, just myself from 2017 speaking/writing. Hope you like it!

MULTICHAPTER

CHAPTER ONE

Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!reader!

Rating: T

Word count: 4128

Summary: the BAU is investigating a series of murders in your hometown, and you’re right in the middle of it, but Dr. Spencer Reid takes a particular liking in you.

Warnings: usual tv series stuff (absent father, missing relative, murder and crime scene descriptions)

(set after season 8)

It was just another day at the BAU, Penelope had just called everyone into the conference room to explain the next case.

“Delaware. Three victims. First victim was killed two weeks ago, his name was Adrien Sanders, he was 57 years old, 5’7 feet tall; second victim was killed almost a week ago, Philip Moore, 56 years old, 5’9 feet tall; and third victim, Dennis Barnes, was killed yesterday, he was 59 years old, also 5’9 feet tall. All three were males, and as you can see, with similar physical features” she explains pointing with a laser to the pictures “Although, they were shot in different places; Sanders was shot in the stomach, Moore on the neck and the right leg, and Barnes was shot several times in… pretty much everywhere” García says, getting goosebumps from the images shown.

“He’s escalating, acting out of rage. Are there any connections besides the physical similarity between the victims?” Morgan asks.

“None, apparently. Sanders was a salesman, he was murdered in Pike Creek, getting out of a bar at night, Moore was a lawyer, killed in plain daylight, near his house in Glasgow, and Barnes was shot at his job, a car factory in Wilmington. No witnesses”.

“I believe we’ve got ourselves an unsub who uses his victims as surrogates for someone else due to the extreme resemblance they present. We’ll keep discussing it on the plane. Wheels up in 30” Hotch declares.

“There’s no evident pattern on the map, it just seems like the unsub picked… random locations” Reid says frowning while looking at the map, tracing lines on it.

“If he’s using his victims as surrogates, wouldn’t it be possible that these men are just victims of opportunity? Maybe the man who killed them is in some kind of delusion that they are who he really wants to kill, they cross paths with him, looking almost, or exactly like his target, and then… that’s it. They’re gone”. JJ says.

“Why are we assuming he’s a man?” Rossi questions.

“That’s a good point…” Spencer speaks “Nothing makes it look like it… this unsub… it doesn’t look like he had a special or knowing management of a gun given the places where he shot his victims, he didn’t use his hands, so there are no traces on the bodies, there’s no signature, no murder weapon, no sign that it was personal, there are no witnesses… there’s no way we can know if it’s a man or a woman”.

“Then we’re back at square one” Morgan concludes “We can’t move forward if we don’t even know if the killer is a male or a female ‘cause we’ve got nothing else, no signature, no nothing”.

“Of course we have something: victimology” Hotch points out “Try to stop looking for the unsub directly, start looking for the next victim, who fits the description and how could he be connected to the unsub. When we land, Reid and I will speak to Delaware authorities to find out what else they can tell us about the case, Rossi and Morgan, go to the last crime scene and let us know what you can tell about this last murder, JJ, go talk to the families of the victims, see what they can tell you about them, if they have any suspicions of someone who could’ve killed their relatives, and if they know of any connection at all with the other victims”.

“You got it” JJ assures.

“We’ll meet you again at Wilmington’s offices”.

While the BAU is busy trying to catch the killer in your town, you’re busy going to work riding your bicycle at the same time you brush your teeth.

You get to the flower shop almost half hour late and start giving Irene, the old lady you work for, explanations as to why you are late, she just looks at you all messed up and laughs, telling you it’s fine since it’s the first time you’re late and that it is no big deal.

You sigh, trying to calm your nerves. You stayed up pretty late last night, waiting for Connor’s text, letting you know he was okay. He’s been doing that for the past couple of weeks he’s been missing. At first you wondered if it was really him, he must’ve guessed that, because he sent you a voicenote, telling you not to worry, saying he needed to clear his mind, apologizing for his behavior… since then, he had been texting you everyday at the same hour every night, but last night, he didn’t text you until 4 a.m.

You figured it was normal, after meeting with your father again, who you hadn’t seen in your 25 years, until then.

You think about all of that while arranging all of the flowers on the counter and changing the signboard from “CLOSED” to “OPEN”, when you do that, you sigh again, sitting behind the counter, pulling a book out of your bag, waiting for the doorbell to ring, indicating you have a customer.

It takes less than 5 minutes for it to ring, which is weird. You frown without taking your eyes off of your book until you’re done reading that sentence. You look up with your best smile and ready to work, when you see your dad standing on the doorway. You roll your eyes and pinch your nose bridge on that precise instant, sensing an oncoming migraine.

“What do you want?” you ask, not raising your voice so Irene doesn’t get startled.

“I told you. I want to make peace with you. And your brother” he says, smiling. What a hypocrite.

“Sir. I’m gonna need to ask you to get out” you say, still not raising the volume.

“(Y/N)…”

“I told you that day at the coffee shop… neither me, or Connor, are going to make peace with you… you weren’t here… ever… the few things I know about you, are that you used to beat Connor and my mom up, and that you left the second I was born, how am I supposed to forgive you uh? Tell me” you rant.

“I told you, I am truly sorry”.

“No you’re not… and even if you are… it is not enough. Look, sir, I’m going to ask you to leave again, if you don’t, or if I see you again, I’m gonna call the police and accuse you of harassment, understood?” you state, voice firm and impassive. He looks at you, surprise in his eyes, but nods and turns around, opening the door.

“If you ever change your mind… I’m renting a small apartment here in Wilmington, in front of Stapler Park” he says before getting out and start walking.

“Screw you” you whisper, getting back to your book, when Irene comes to stand behind you.

“Your old man?” she inquires with her Alabamian accent.

“Nah” you say, not removing your eyes from the page you’re in “He’s not my anything”.

A couple of days went by, the team was at Wilmington's offices, discussing the case all over again after each of them had researched enough but came up clean.

"JJ what did you come up with?" Hotch interrogates her, frustrated about not getting anywhere near catching the unsub.

"Not much, I mean... I’m trying to make connections but... the three victims were pretty much... average Joe's... Adrien Sanders was out drinking with a couple of friends, nothing unusual according to his ex wife, Philip Moore was supposed to come home to his son and wife, he was only a couple of blocks away from his house, and Dennis Barnes was working on fixing some car engine, according to his coworkers. Nothing out of the ordinary, no leads..."

"Okay then, let's start thinking, if they're surrogates, who are they surrogates for?" Hotch follows up.

"Could be an ex husband?" Rossi suggests.

"Or perhaps it would be more likely to be an abusive relative?" Morgan thinks.

"Statistically yeah, 3.3 million American children are exposed to domestic violence in their homes each year, 45 to 70% of the same number of children who are exposed to domestic violence are also victims of physical abuse, because of the trauma, they have higher risks of alcohol/drug abuse and juvenile delinquency" Reid states, almost like quoting it from a book.

"The victims were 56, 57 and 59 years old, which means we're looking for someone between the ages of 25-30" Rossi says until Reid comes in again.

"Actually, I think we should consider 25-35 or more, statistics show that it is more likely to suffer from domestic violence when they come from an unwanted pregnancy, which means..."

"Teenage parents" JJ guesses.

"Exactly... we shouldn't even dismiss someone who is 40 years old" Reid assures.

"Okay then what are we looking for? Males or females who suffered from domestic violence, delusional, probably with a criminal record..." Hotch starts.

"Kids who suffer this, don't usually have social skills nor education" Rossi interrupts.

"I think it's time we give the profile" Hotch declares getting out of the conference room.

"We're looking for males or females between the ages of 25-40 years old, who suffered from domestic violence, they're more likely to have a criminal record, no social skills, and barely any or no education at all" Hotch says to the authorities who are present in the room.

"This unsub doesn't know how to manage his anger, he uses his victims as surrogates to what we think might be an abusive relative" Morgan informs.

"He or she might as well be delusional, he kills his victims because he thinks he saw his real target. The victims he's looking for are males from 55-60 years old, with a fair complexion, dark hair, and about 5"9 feet tall. When you relieve this information to the press, let them know the characteristics of the victimology, in case someone knows anyone who has this specific features. Thank you" Hotch concludes before getting back to the office with the rest of the team to call Garcia.

"Ready to act, sir" she answers.

"Garcia we need you to check reports from children who suffered from domestic violence in the estate of Delaware, more specifically in the cities of Pike Creek, Glasgow and Wilmington in the last 40 years" Hotch demands.

"Your wish is my command sir, and... oh... I've got 17,334 results..."

The team keeps trying to crosscheck results for a while, but none fit the profile.

"Maybe they weren't even born here" Rossi says, frankly exhausted.

The phone rings and JJ answers.

"Yeah... could you give me his name? Barry (Y/L/N)... okay, thank you, what about an address? That's okay, thank you ma'am" JJ hangs up and looks at the team "Someone fits the description of the victims".

"Garcia, could you look for a man named Barry (Y/L/N) please?" Hotch asks.

"Right... he is 57 years old, got married in Washington D.C... and... oh my god..."

"What is it babygirl?" Morgan questions, worry in his voice.

"It's just... there are... several anonymous reports of domestic violence... and... he has a daughter. (Y/N) (Y/L/N)".

"What can you tell us about her?" Hotch interrogates.

"She is 25 years old, lives here, on the city of Wilmington, she has no social media handles, but... something's not right".

"What do you mean?" JJ says.

"She doesn't fit the profile even though her father does fit the victimology. She went to kindergarten and the first year of elementary school at Washington D.C, then she continued studying but here in Delaware, graduated from college with honors from the University of Delaware, with a degree in fine arts."

"What about a criminal record?" Morgan inquires.

"None, she's... perfect..." Garcia says, giving up.

"Okay, thanks Garcia" Hotch says and hangs up, frustrated again "It doesn't matter that she doesn't fit the profile, we should still check her out, see what she can tell us about her father. Reid, I need you to take care of that, while the rest of us try to figure out if something went wrong with the profile".

"Why just me?" Spencer frowns.

"Because you're closer to her age, and given the facts Garcia gave us about her, she sounds pretty similar to you, maybe you can get her to tell you something relevant" Aaron tells him. Spencer doesn't look so comfortable going on his own but agrees at the end, when he's about to leave the conference room Morgan yells at him.

"Hey kid! Just wrap it up!" he says mocking him and starts laughing, the whole team starts giggling, except for Hotch who only looks at him and shrugs. Spencer's cheeks turn red and he rushes to get out of Wilmington's offices.

Meanwhile, you get home from the flower shop, still no sign from Connor.

You go to your room, dodging the canvas and cans of paint so you can change into something more comfortable when there's a knock at the door. You close your eyes and frown, waiting to hear Connor's voice.

"(Y/N) (Y/L/N)?" a man says through the door "I’m... Dr. Spencer Reid, I'm with the FBI, could you please open your door?".

Panic starts flooding you when the thought of Connor being in trouble pops up.

You walk slowly to the door and open it, revealing the most beautiful man you've seen in your entire life. Spencer is taken aback by your beauty as well, he looks at you in shock, as if he was expecting someone else.

"Are you...?" he starts.

"Yes" you interrupt “Uh... come in please".

When he enters the small house, the first thing he notices is a huge amount of books spread all over the place, you start picking them up and trying to pile them somewhere where they don't get in the way.

"I'm so sorry" you apologize "I wasn't planning on having any visits".

He giggles softly "It's okay" he says, helping you pick up the ones on the couch, leaving them on a table near it.

"Would you um...? Like some coffee? Or tea or water or... something?" you ramble.

"Coffee is fine, thank you".

You bring two mugs of coffee to the table in front of the couch, along with sugar and milk in case he’d like to pour some. You sit next to him, holding your cup between your both hands.

"So... how can I help you?" you finally ask.

"I'm with the BAU... the uh... the Behavioral Analysis Unit, we... profile the unsub... unsub stands for unknown subject... we-uh-we are investigating the recent murders that take place here in Delaware" he explains.

"Oh... okay" you say, still not understanding how can you help them.

"Do you... do you know this man?" he asks, showing you a picture of your father, you look at it, not even taking it to get a closer look.

"Yes, he's the son of a bitch who abandoned my family the day I was born" you whisper, holding your cup more forcefully than necessary.

He looks at you with a look you can't decipher.

"There are... several anonymous reports of domestic violence... I was wondering if... I could ask you a few questions about it, about your life in general" when he says this, it hits you.

"Are you considering me a suspect?" he scratches the back of his head, bowing it down.

"Your father... matches the victimology, and even though you don't fit the entire profile, we shouldn't dismiss any possibilities... I just... I want to know a bit more about you and your family, that's all, I'm not assuming anything".

"What do you want to know?" you murmur.

"What do you remember about your father?"

"Nothing. I told you. He left the day I was born, my mother died 6 years after that".

"What...? What do you mean? Who raised you then?" he looks surprised. You thought he would know that part of your life if he already knew who your father was.

"My brother of course".

He stays quiet for a couple of minutes, staring at you.

"I didn't know you had a brother" he confesses "What's his name?"

"Connor" you look down at your, now cold, cup of coffee, and take a sip.

"Can you tell me more about him?" he asks politely.

"Well... we were both born in Washington D.C... my mother had him when she was 18 and my father was 20, it was an unwanted pregnancy... for all I know, he used to beat my mother up, and Connor as well, when he tried to defend her. 12 years later, my mother got pregnant again… the day I was born, my father left, so my brother started working as a carpenter's assistant... after dating several guys, abusive, just like my dad, my mom got into a severe depression and died when I was 6 years old... by then my brother was already 18, and he had saved up enough for us to move here to Delaware... we've been living here ever since" you explain, the images of your mother, lying dead on her bed tormenting you again.

"So your brother... he worked and studied at the same time?" he questions.

"No... he... he couldn't afford to keep us both in school, he wasn't even able to finish elementary school but... he made sure I went to and finish college. He raised me... as if I was his own daughter" you say, feeling kind of guilty.

“What about his social life?” he asks, worry starting to show up on his face.

“Neither of us has what you would consider a social life… I’m always buried either on my books or my paintings, if not, I’m working on the flower shop, and he’s always buried on his work… we have each other, and that’s quite enough, when we come home we have dinner together, talk about our day, watch a movie or something… it’s… pretty much just the two of us against the world. It’s always been like that” you acknowledge, a single tear streaming down your cheek.

Spencer looks at you almost with pity and cleans the tear with his thumb mindlessly, even though he’s not too keen of physical contact, it just seems appropriate. The gesture sends butterflies to your stomach.

“(Y/N)… listen to me carefully… I need you to tell me where your brother is”.

“What?” you exclaim, fear coming out of your voice “You think he did this? No. Spencer… no, I’m sorry but that’s not possible. You don’t know him. He wouldn’t… no… the fact that the victims are similar to my father is just a coincidence, Connor is just… not capable of this… I mean…” you ramble with your voice cracking at the end.

“(Y/N)” he stares at you, looking directly into your eyes, it is as if he can see right through you “Where is he?”

“I don’t know!” you shout bursting into tears “He disappeared two weeks ago”.

“Why didn’t you report him missing?”

“’Cause he’s been sending me texts every night, letting me know he’s okay! I figured… we saw our father again… after 25 years without seeing him, he found us… I thought… I thought it was normal that he wanted some time alone…”

“What’s his phone number?” he asks, pulling out his own cellphone, dialing a number “Garcia, I need you to run a name for me and track a number”.

“Okie dokie” a woman says at the other end of the line “Shoot”.

“Connor (Y/L/N). He’s (Y/N)’s brother. I just sent you the number”.

“Alright, let me do my magic… mmmh… oh. Wow. This is weird. I’ve got nothing”.

“What do you mean you’ve got nothing?” Spencer says, raising his voice.

“He’s not registered. At all. Not even a birth certificate. And the cellphone’s off”.

“He was never registered” you inform “Our parents never considered it important, so...”

“Where does he work?” Spencer cuts you off in a desperate way, you give him the address of the truck company “(Y/N), I need to go with the team. Will you be okay on your own?”

You nod slightly “Just… call me when you find him… please” you plead, still sobbing.

“Yes. I promise. I will. Thank you” he says reaching for the doorknob “(Y/N)… please be careful. Connor is delusional… please, lock the doors and windows... and stay safe” after telling you this, he leaves in a hurry, leaving his cup of coffee intact on top of the table.

You sit on the couch, laying down slowly, you close your eyes. You fall asleep crying, wishing that when you wake up, everything going on around you is just a nightmare.

Spencer joins the team when they’re about to leave Wilmington’s offices to go to your brother’s workplace, the moment he hops onto the van, the whole team starts bombing him with questions.

“Reid, what did (Y/N) tell you?” Hotch inquires while driving.

“Her father left when she was born, her brother is 12 years older than her which means he’s 37, their father used to abuse Connor and her mother… the anonymous reports of domestic violence must’ve been done by him, but no one ever did anything. They saw their father two weeks ago”.

“That must’ve been the stressor” Rossi affirms.

When the team gets to Connor’s workplace, they don’t find him, but they do find his boss.

“Michael Turner?” Hotch asks a bald man approaching them, showing him his badge “I’m SSA Aaron Hotchner, this is my team, we’re with the FBI investigating the murders that take place here in Delaware”.

“How can I help you?” Mr. Turner asks unsurely.

“We’re looking for Connor (Y/L/N), I believe he works for you”, Michael laughs ironically.

“Not anymore” he says “That kid hasn’t come to work for days, the last time I saw him, he had to drop some packages in Pike Creek and Glasgow, when you find him, tell him he’s fired”.

“Mr. Turner, why did you hire Connor in the first place if he had no identifications?” Spencer interrogates.

“’Cause he was just a boy… just 18, having to take care of his 6 year old sister… I took him under my wing, how could I not? But for what I see, this is the payment I get” he exclaims angrily while turning around “Excuse me gentlemen, but I have work to do”.

“Thank for your time” Aaron says, turning back to the team “Where else could Connor be?”

“If he’s been looking for a specific target, that could be his endgame” JJ suggests.

“We need to know where his father lives currently, if he’s delusional about people who look like him, his father is his endgame” says Hotch.

“We need to be fast, he hasn’t killed anyone in days, that could mean he already knows where his father lives, I’ll call Garcia” Morgan decides and dials the number “Hey, talk to me babygirl”.

“My chocolate thunder, what can I do for you?” she answers.

“I need you to tell me where Barry (Y/L/N) currently lives”.

“Okay let me check, he… oh no. He just rented an apartment in front of Staple Park, here in Wilmington, I’m sending you the complete address right now”.

“Thanks Garcia, we’re on our way ” Hotch indicates, turning the siren on and starting the engine of the SUV.

When they arrive to Barry (Y/L/N)’s apartment, they discover he is just fine, watching TV on the livingroom.

“Can I help you?” he asks standing up, clearly mad about some stranger breaking into his house, his voice is hoarse from drinking.

“Mr. (Y/L/N), we’re with the FBI, have you seen your son Connor (Y/L/N)?” Hotch asks annoyed by the man in front of him.

“My son?” he chuckles “I don’t think my son will want to see me ever again”.

“He hasn’t talked to you? Threatened you?” Morgan inquires.

“No, but who did threat me, actually, was his sister” the team notices right away that he said ‘his sister’ instead of ‘my daughter’. Barry rolls his eyes “She said she’d accuse me of harassment if I came near her ever again”.

“She’s not our unsub” Reid claims abruptly.

“We know that, Reid” Hotch tells him, dismayed by his sudden behavior “Mr. (Y/L/N), please don’t hesitate on calling if something strange happens”.

“Stranger than a bunch of FBI agents breaking into my apartment?” he huffs “Yeah, okay, I will”.

The team gets out of the house, confused by the pattern Connor has been following.

“He hasn’t killed anyone else, that can just mean that he’s looking for his endgame, the one who made it imposible for him to live the life he wanted or deserved” Rossi intervenes.

“Unless…” JJ starts “Unless his father isn’t his endgame”.

“Who else could it be?” Morgan exclaims, raising his eyebrows.

“(Y/N)” Reid says, running towards the SUV, followed by the rest of the team.

Chapter 2

MASTERLIST

[mariacallous]

A US judge has cleared the way for billions of dollars to be refunded to former customers of bankrupt crypto exchange FTX.

At a court hearing in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday, judge John Dorsey gave final approval to FTX’s reorganization plan, the terms of which had previously been put to creditors and voted through by a landslide.

“I think this is a model case for how to deal with a very complex Chapter 11 proceeding,” said Dorsey. “I applaud everyone involved in the negotiation process.”

FTX filed for bankruptcy in November 2022 after running out of funds to process customer withdrawals. Billions of dollars’ worth of FTX customer deposits were missing. The money, a jury later found, had been swept into a sibling company and spent on high-risk trading, venture bets, debt repayments, personal loans, political donations, luxury real estate, and other illegitimate dealings.

A year later, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was convicted of multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy, then sentenced to 25 years in prison. In September, coconspirator Caroline Ellison received a two-year prison term after testifying against Bankman-Fried at trial.

First proposed in May, the FTX bankruptcy plan charts a path to a full refund, plus interest, for former FTX customers—a level of recovery rarely seen in bankruptcies. “Generally, anything over 100 cents on the dollar is close to miraculous,” says Yesha Yadav, associate dean and a bankruptcy specialist at Vanderbilt University Law School. “What tends to happen is that unsecured creditors get cents on the dollar, if they’re lucky. The expectation is that it is a process of scarcity.”

In this case, though, the administrators of the FTX estate were able to recover billions of dollars by liquidating investments made by the exchange’s venture capital arm, FTX Ventures, and its sister company, Alameda Research, along with other assets. A rise in the price of cryptocurrencies in the period since FTX filed for bankruptcy, meanwhile, raised the value of the coins left in exchange coffers.

Under the plan, government bodies in the United States—including the Internal Revenue Service and the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission—have agreed to suspend high-value claims against FTX until creditors had been repaid (although the IRS will receive a $200 million upfront payment as part of the settlement).

Even FTX equity holders, typically the last to be repaid in a bankruptcy, stand to make back a portion of their initial investment—a maximum of $230 million between them—paid for using funds recovered by the Department of Justice through the prosecution of FTX insiders.

But despite the abnormally high expected recovery, some creditors believe they are still getting a raw deal by virtue of the way their claims have been valued.

Many customers held crypto assets like bitcoin on the FTX platform, but through a process called dollarization common to bankruptcies, their claims have instead been assigned a dollar value based on the price of those assets on the date of the bankruptcy filing. When FTX fell, the crypto market was in the doldrums, but it has since lurched to new all-time highs, meaning some customer claims would be far more valuable if the refund were mapped to the present value of crypto assets. Therefore, though dollarization is proper under the bankruptcy code, “saying [the return] is over 100 percent is just wrong,” says Yadav. “For the average person, it’s very far from that.”

Among the parties that stand to gain the most from the approval of the plan, meanwhile, are investment firms that spent millions of dollars purchasing claims from people with assets stuck in FTX, who either preferred to take a haircut and reinvest the money or had urgent need of the funds. Those claims were typically purchased at a cut-price rate before a handsome recovery was considered likely—some for less than 10 cents on the dollar—but are now worth multiples of that.

“In terms of internal rate of return—holy shit. It’s the best trade I’ve seen in my lifetime,” says Thomas Braziel, cofounder of 507 Capital, an investment firm that specializes in buying up bankruptcy claims and took a large position in FTX, and 117 Partners, which brokers claim sales. (In July, Braziel was ordered by a Delaware court to repay $1.9 million that he misappropriated as receiver of failed financial services company Fund.com to make investments and luxury purchases.)

In August, a number of former FTX customers filed formal objections to the plan with the bankruptcy court. The customers objected, variously, to the legal immunity provided under the plan to those that have administered the bankruptcy, the likelihood that cash payments would trigger costly taxable events for creditors, and other elements of the plan. “I felt vindicated when Bankman-Fried went to jail—and I believed that would flow through to bankruptcy court,” says Sunil Kavuri, one FTX customer to cosign an objection. “I’ve been unpleasantly surprised.”

In the course of the five-hour hearing, Brian Glueckstein, an attorney at law firm Sullivan & Cromwell and counsel to FTX, responded to each objection in turn. “There is no evidence on the record that somehow these debtors are not providing maximum value—none,” said Glueckstein.

In providing his approval, the judge rejected the pending objections and cleared the way for FTX administrators to begin to execute the plan.

It remains possible to lodge an appeal against the plan after its confirmation in limited circumstances. Logistical complications may also delay repayments to creditors, expected to begin late this year at the earliest. But few realistic options now remain for parties hoping to change the course of the FTX bankruptcy.

The confirmation hearing “is the last chance in a practical sense for changes to be made,” says Yadav. “This is the defining day.”

[have-you-been-here]

Weekly update

One new country in Africa and one "I really hope it's around there because the map I chose to color doesn't show all Oceania countries" in Oceania.

Africa is now second in order of visited continents, in front of Asia. Oceania is very close to getting to 90%.

✨New✨: thanks to a tutorial by @mysterious-starlight, the US states pages in the list of visited countries now has an automatically generated map! This way I'll be able to update the statistics every week. California is still first, but New York is getting closer. Delaware, Maryland and Oklahoma are still waiting for their second visit.

List of visited countries and states

Thanks for the stats, and thanks to @/mysterious-starlight for helping out! New and exciting things happening for stats enjoyers :)