#During the pledge of allegiance of course.

[just-let-me-see-accounts]

If I could kill people instantly with impunity I would be better. Give me blood explosion magic.

[divinesolas]

the she-bear

summary: requested; during his time in winterfell the lady of house mormont arrives to pledge her loyalty to queen rhaenyra and jacaerys grows a little too close to the so called she-bear

jacaerys targaryen x mormont!fem!reader

w.c: 1.4k

c.w: widowed reader, reader has a child, older reader, virginity loss (jace), oral (fem), a little plot but a lot more smut, p in v, breeding kink?, not proofread

a.n: freaky anons had me thinking and i saw this request sitting with dust in my box so here you go!!

perm jace taglist ! (open) @tyronesien @itsbookworm987 @cruelworldlana @smurfelle @ireneispunk @hxtd @venmondiese @urmomsgirlfriend1 @jacesvelaryons @earth4angels @itsemohours

During his time in Winterfell he did not expect to run into the lady of house mormont who pledged her loyalty to the queen rhaenyra and swore her forces would join cregans greybeards on the journey to kings landing. he was more than happy to accept her allegiance of course when asked why you had come and pledged you had said yourself that you were interested in seeing a women on the throne but nothing more.

The she-bear they called you. He grew to understand that title more and more he knew you you were stubborn, fierce and he had even heard rumors that you were a skinchanger and could become a bear but he disregarded these rumors even though it had been your younger sister spreading them. The more and more time he spent with you the more he grew to enjoy your presence. maybe a bit too much. He had heard about your previous marriage and then death of your late husband leaving you alone with a babe only a year old but you seemed to not mind and stated you had moved on past his death.

He began to crave your presence more and more when he was around you, he even had begun actively seeking you out instead of cregan as he was intended to do. He knew he was walking a fine line with you, the stolen glances, the lingering touches, he had been debating with himself to ask you for your hand knowing it was wrong, he would need his mother approval but it grew to the point he could not hold himself back.

He had been out flying, he had not known it would begin to ran a couple hours into his flight and he ended up landing at bear island where you had just returned and was offered a place to stay for the night until he was to fly back to Winterfell in the morning. He had been in the room you had provided him with, attempted to rid himself of his soaked riding clothes leaving him in just his tunic and his under pants a knock on the door startled him. He almost wanted to ignore it in his half dressed state until he heard your voice.

“I have an extra pair of clothes for you to rest in my prince.” he does not know what posses him to open the door fully but he enjoys the way your eyes leave his face and trail down his body with a light hum. He takes the clothes from your hands and sets them down on the table right next to the door, the two of you simply staring at each other for a few moments. You take the first willing step forward and he takes a step back, you take another one forward and lightly shut the door behind you.

The back and forth you two have been playing finally reaching its breaking point when you place your hands on the exposed skin of his neck and chest and he lets out a shaken breath. “We should not, i could never defile you like this.” as much as the words feel like venom on his tongue he finds himself speaking them anyway. He watches a small teasing pout form on your lips while you don't bother to remove your hands. “So you’re not interested in me?”

“You know very well i am my lady but we are not married,” despite his talking you look as though your not interested simply untying the strings on his tunic slowly as he breath quickened. he made no move to stop you. “Do you want to marry me my prince?” You pause right before the tunic falls all the way open. You finally look up at him and he finds his resolve crumble as he looks into your eyes. “Yes i do my lady.”

He expects you to kiss him or run your hands down along his now exposed chest but you simply walk past him and towards the fireplace where you throw another log in to keep it alit. “My lady?” You keep your back to him while you tug at a couple ties on your gown and he watches as it falls lightly to the ground and you kick it softly off the bear rug on the ground turning to face him he is unable to take his eyes off your bare body. “i am no longer a maiden but i hope i please you my prince.”

He moves like he is in a trance ridding himself of his tunic as he stands in front of you grabbing your sides gently with a shaky breath. “You more than please me my lady there is no one more beautiful than you.” You smile gently at him and lead him to sit down on the rug with you, the heat if the fire hits on his wet skin nicely as the two of you are pulled into a heated kiss. you fall on your back as the kiss grows more and more heated and his hands fondle your breasts as he leaves a wet trails down your neck.

“my prince.” “call me Jace please.”

He kisses down your stomach paying special attention to leaving loving kisses over your stretch marks on your stomach and thighs before he wraps your legs around his head as he begins to lick at your core. Your hands tug at his curls while your throw your head back and toes curl. The feeling of him prodding around inside of you has your hips grinding into his face while your press his head closer to you as if that was possible. He made no complaint while he listened to you moan. you soon enough release while a couple tugs of your clit and you calling out his name without a care in the world and he kisses back up your body while removing his bottoms leaving him bare above you.

You lightly tug at his plump lips with your own while you smile at him. “when did you learn how do to that?” “I read a couple books about it.” You laugh while he pauses and a flash of nerves crosses his face. When you grab his face gently he gulps, “I've never done this i um i don't,” he gasps when you sudden flip him over and you smile down at him. “Then let me lead, are you okay with it?” He face is flushed and the light of the fire hits him perfectly and he nods eagerly.

He lets out a shuddering moan when you begin to lower yourself onto him and he watches himself disappear into you. He sits up and the two of you hiss at the added friction, you give him a couple minutes to relax knowing this is his first time doing this sort of thing and he shouldn't be rushed. His head falls into your neck and sucks at the skin there while his hands grip your hips to try and get you to move. You understand him and while a light laugh you begin to softly move onto of him.

His whines grow louder and louder the faster you begin to move and your bodies rock together in sync while the room fills with your moans and skins hitting against each other. He knows why men murder to get to do this, why they throw themselves into dirty old brothels just to get a taste of this. Hes sure no other women can compare the way you do however, he wants to do this everyday he does not know how he had survived so long without doing this.

“want you to release in me Jace, want your babes Jace.” he whimpers and moves his hips up to meet yours and you gasp. He wants that, he wants to see you swell with his babe, his babe, a babe he knows is his, he will make sure its his when he watches as his seed drips out of you, keeping you locked in here until he's sure its taken root reputation be dammed. You tug at his bruised lips while you release and he follows quickly after keeping himself tightly presses inside you to make sure not even a drop spills out.

You brush his wet hair away from his face and press a light kiss against his lips. “You really want me to have your kids huh?” You expect him to argue or roll his eyes and but he contently nods and you can feel him swelling again inside you at your words which causes you to laugh.

[serena-babes]

So i have this idea about the knights of hell. There can’t be a king and princess without some royal protection. So how do you think the others will react to a Hell Knight Reader? Like reader is like a commander of a group of elite knights. And they came to check up on Charlie and Lucifer! To see if the king and princess are okay after the attack on the hotel.

Brownie points if reader doesn’t smile and are serious all the time! Reader is very dangerous they can and will kill to protect their king and future queen! No romance of course, just platonic relationships. Like Charlie can see reader as an older sibling.

Royal Knight Reader x Lucifer Morningstar + Charlie Morningstar

platonic!˙ᵕ˙✰

Gender neutral!

1.5k

omg! this is too cute! i really love the whole knight idea! ⋆｡°✩ i did some research on the whole knight system and its SUPER interesting!

might make another one shot of a knight reader with my own little twist･°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°.

✧₊⁺⋆.˚꩜⊹ ࣪ ˖˚☽˚.⋆✧₊⁺⋆.˚꩜⊹ ࣪ ˖˚☽˚.⋆✧₊⁺⋆.˚꩜⊹ ࣪ ˖˚☽˚.⋆✧₊⁺⋆.˚꩜⊹ ࣪ ˖˚☽˚.⋆✧₊⁺✧₊⁺

Ever Since Lucifer and Lilith's fall from grace, protection has always been a necessary resource. Y/ns has been there since the beginning pledging allegiance to both the king, queen, and the then young princess serving them for centuries. Y/n and the rest of the knightage fought to make sure to keep hell orderly, or as orderly as hell can get. 

Y/n was much more serious compared to their fellow knights being a Grand Cross comes with its different sets of responsibilities that in their mind “allow for no error.” due to their seemingly frigid exterior outsiders would think Y/n was only following the chivalry code nothing more. But, on the contrary, Y/n did truly care for Morningstars.

This is why Y/n's heart dropped hearing about the extermination coming earlier than expected, it was always busier during this time of year. The number of casualties just from the royal guard was always a hard gap to fill after the massacre was over. But at least, the Morning Stars were spared. This time, however? Y/n wasn't sure everyone was going to come back alive, a direct attack from heaven? Some of their most skilled knights have fallen to the hands of exorcists. How in hell would Charlie ever come out alive? 

But, Y/n takes orders, and Lucifer stops her from interfering. 

“I don't understand why you won't let me do this,” Y/n exclaimed curtly, brows pulled tightly together. The confusion was evident in their tone, their body rigid like a sword. A still silence blankets the room after no response. Y/n, Moving forward through Lucifer's study smoothly dodging various piles of ducks. Continued.

“I am loyal to this family, eternally. And the one chance I am needed…you, tell me to stay?.. Why? She is your daughter. Do you want her blood to spill across the pavement? Because that is what will happen if you let this continue.” Anger started to bubble to the surface as they pointed an accusatory finger at Lucifer.

The silenced followed them 

“You must let me go I have-” Y/n pleading began

“Stop, I order you to stop,” Lucifer said weakly, looking away unsure. It was obvious he was going through his own anxiety and turmoil due to the extermination and the safety of his daughter.

“She has to do this, you.” he looked to Y/n glassy-eyed

“Cannot face heaven” he continued “I don't think anyone here really can… Charlie can hold her own. I mean if anything this could I don't know, um.. steer her away from heaven!” he said, his charismatic exterior seemingly returning to his body.

“Yes…but what do we do if she cannot handle it.” y/n said quietly, mouth pulled into a deep frown.

“Well, who better than me? King of hell! Eh! Eh!” lucifer exclaimed loudly elbowing y/n's rib cage

“This is not a time for humor,” she responded coldly. Lucifer rolled his eyes playfully.

“ Y/n I'm worried about her too, but this is something she needs to do. If I need to I will step in. You have enough to worry about with everybody else looking to you for guidance, have faith in her. So! I order you to stay here!…. Please.” Lucifer exclaimed albeit a little awkwardly since he was not used to giving many orders directly to Y/n's face

Y/n Sighed bending down to kneel “As you wish my king.” 

“Okay okay, you don't have to do all of that! I mean, come on! You're practically family.” Lucifer exclaimed in surprise. 

And so, Y/n trusting Lucifer they went back to their duties. Making preparations for extermination day preoccupied their mind most days. but silently anxiety seeped in. Truthfully, Y/n is terrified of losing Charlie and Lucifer they're the only family they've ever had. Even in life, Y/n wasn't close to anyone as much as they were with the MorningStars, which is why relief flooded Y/n's whole body hearing that both Charlie and Lucifer were safe in the end. After the hotel was rebuilt, they planned a visit to double-check. 

It was your average day at the hotel, Husk was busy cleaning the bar counter with a tattered rag as Angel Dust as well as Vaggie lounged on the couch. Angel, scrolled mindlessly through their phone while Vaggie worked on sharpening her spear. Charlie, of course, was planning new lesson plans with her father. Everything was calm. That was until three loud pounding knocks rumbled through the room.

Vaggie immediately jumped up in defense while everyone slowly turned towards the door, a menacing shadow shown through the glass. The only person who seemed excited was Charlie.

“Wait! Wait! This could be a new guest!” Charlie said excitedly jumping at the opportunity to greet the mysterious person at the door

“Okay everyone, let's remember to smile and introduce ourselves!” she smiled to everyone in the lobby, Alastor now entering the picture to observe.

Charlie swung the door wide open “Welcome to the hazbin hotel!- Y/n!!” 

Charlie embraced Y/n in a bone-crushing hug squealing and spinning both her and the reader around “I'm so excited to see you! It's been so long! Oh! Come and meet everyone!”

But just as Charlie was leading you over to the rest you spot a certain um. Eccentric! red demon

“Oh! What in the unholy hell is that..” y/n exclaimed obviously unsettled by the red demon 

Grimacing at the sight and leaning down Charlie 

“Charlie, I trust your judgment but what… what the HELL is that.” but just as y/n leaned up there he was.

“Alastor, Pleasure to be meeting you dear. Quite a pleasure indeed!” Alastor said enthusiastically jostling you around like a rag doll with his over-excited handshake.

“And who are you? The servant to the morning stars him?” he continued. Lucifer and y/n both make eye contact across the room silently agreeing about their mutual opinion of this “Radio Demon” as he likes to be called.

“More like, protector. What are you hm? The janitor? With that tattered suit, one might think you would be a stray animal who wandered in.” Y/n shot back with a frown and an unimpressed brow

“Alright! y/n! Let um let's meet everybody else! please..” Charlie said steering you away from Alastor you both looked as if you were about to be at each other throats if she didn't intervene 

“Everyone! This is y/n! They are a part of the…” she whispered over to Y/n “Is it the knightage..?”

“Yes, it's the knightage you're right.” y/n had responded quietly they were used to Charlie's struggle with certain words many nights they had to help Charlie with their spelling when she was younger.

“The Knightage! They work for me and Dad.” Everyone had gone silent at this news no one ever thought that they would be meeting the top of the food chain. Royal knights have been seen around hell usually around the time of the extermination, and almost everybody knew not to mess with them. Especially Y/n, just looking at them everyone would think they could snap someone in half without a second thought. Almost everybody there straightened their posture as Y/N's cold gaze flicked over everybody even Alastor tensed up slightly. 

“It's nice to meet everybody, Charlie is very enthusiastic about this hotel of hers, I'm glad it's made its reach to people,” Y/n responded professionally, Charlie looked over the cast of people in the room noting the uncomfortableness of everybody, She knew y/n was…Cold-looking, but she's never seen anyone react to just their presence in such a way. 

The silence lasted for what seemed like an eternity no one daring to speak up 

“So, are both your swords accurate about hitting certain deep spots, or just the one?” Angel spoke up flirtatiously everyone's heads snapping in the direction of the outburst

“What?! Just asking, geese.” replied angel

“My sword is made of iron it's manufactured to hit “deep spots” A knight does not possess two iron swords that would be .. redundant,” Y/n said calmly. Angel had side-eyed Husk when this was said triggering Husk to roll his eyes to mimic annoyance. 

“Speaking of weapons, Vaggie your spear needs to be sharpened. I suggest you sharpen it daily it'll really glide through people like butter if you do.” Y/n continued, they had met Vaggie prior to the hotel but only briefly as Charlie didn't come to the castle much anymore after Lilith left. 

“Oh! Um, thanks!” Vaggie replayed hurriedly intimidated by the tall stance Y/n possessed the heavy armor from neck to toe didn't help them look less menacing either

“By the way, thank you for protecting Charlie and everyone at the hotel.” y/n said slowly moving down to kneel “ I wasn't there myself due to my orders but I am glad to know Charlie is in good hands it brings peace of mind.” Y/n continues now fully kneeling 

Vaggie visibly flustered responded quickly “Oh! It was oh it was nothing really.” 

“Y/n?” Charlie interjected 

Y/n slowly rising to their feet, “Yes, Charlie?”

“How about you stay for dinner really.. Catch up!” Charlie said excitedly. Y/n glanced over to Lucifer who had two thumbs up. 

“Ah hell, why not.”

[nordickies]

For outfit ideas, I think it would be fun to explore historical outfits!! For example, I think Fin would look very cute (and prob very uncomfortable) in the knightly order outfit of Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt, an important (and very interesting!!) Finnish diplomat from the 18th century

This got lost in my drafts, sorry about that, anon!! This is a nice request, historical outfits are fun to draw! (I agree, this outfit must feel a bit uncomfortable)

And you're right; Armfelt was a fascinating character. I definitely recommend that people read more about him if Swedish/Finnish history interests you! But very simply put, he was a powerful official in Gustav III's court (and one of the king's rumored lovers) who was later declared a traitor in Sweden for treason. After the Swedish coup of 1809 and the deposition of the king, Armfelt moved to the newly seized Grand Duchy of Finland and continued his political career in the Russian Empire, helping to lift Finland's status and rights significantly.

But in general, the era of the Swedish kingdom's split into Sweden and Finland is so interesting - with many characters like Armfelt. In Sweden, the nobles and officials who stayed in Finland and pledged the oath of allegiance to the old enemy, Russia, were seen as traitors. Though not everyone swore the alliance, some individual soldiers and officials, still loyal to the crown, ended up fleeing and residing in Sweden.

But in parts of the high Finnish society, the dissatisfaction with the crown had existed for a while already (e.g., Anjala Conspiracy, Proclamation of Empress Elizabeth of 1742, Sprengtporten's constitution of 1786). Note that these attempts weren't motivated by nationalistic motifs but out of frustration with the domestic politics in the kingdom. The absolute monarchy was abolished in Sweden in 1719, basically due to the catastrophe that was the Great Northern War (especially in Finland). However, King Gustav III restored the old monarchy in a coup d'état of 1772 and launched more wars with Russia over the rule of the Baltic Sea. So it's probably no coincidence that the dissatisfaction grew especially in the eastern part of the kingdom throughout the 18th century. The final blow being the incompetence during the Finnish War of 1808.

And the position that Alexander I of Russia offered to "Finns" in 1809 was very favorable; by pledging loyalty in the Diet of Porvoo, the Grand Duchy got to keep its constitution, laws, language, religion, and even the taxes that it collected for itself. The first few decades of the Grand Duchy were critical in creating the path to independent Finland. And, of course, significant political changes happened in Sweden as well. Losing a third of the land area and a fourth of the population led to Sweden demanding their neighbor Norway as compensation in 1814

[alienpossession]

Pagon Prologue: American Against Russia

Read the second part, which is linked to the first part here

The AAR or American Against Russia formed organically as a response towards Russian increasing threat to the global environment.

These men, mosly constituted of war veterans, active police officers and even private military contractors usually gathered per local chapters once a month in full and discussed about any intel they received on the conflict that Russian waged across the globe and the possible infiltration of Russian spies to US soil. They of course didn't expect that the spies that they should've been more worried about came thousand of light years away and can pose as anyone undetected, lurking among them and looking like your typical American redneck, even exactly copying your trusted neighbor or best friend from childhood

They can even posed as your own blood relatives and you wouldn't even notice the difference because they utilized the real one's memories to trick you

The local Wyoming chapter of American Against Russia has been infiltrated by Skrulls that pledged their allegiance to Gravik and Pagon causes. And the initiation night of their latest new member this month involved a totally different procedure from their usual one as Chase Hansen found himself handcuffed by the people he called brothers and already heard the stories on how Chase's grandfather fought the Russian in Afghanistan back when they were still named Soviet Union. Chase, a former Marine, fought his hardest to break himself free, but the handcuff proven to be unbreakable.

None of the guys even sided with him as the three top dogs of the Wyoming local chapter proven to be working against him too, saying some cryptic message about how Chase would be the perfect Trojan horse as his other 8 brothers joined their respective local chapters of AAR and the brothers would gather for the festive Thanksgiving later this month.

During that eventful day, Chase would put all their brothers to the pod and swapped them with loyal Skrull fighters that will spread among the rank of AAR across the local chapters in the nation, where they will eventually consolidate their power and emboldened their action from mere data gathering to a full-blown attack to destabilize Russian, and in turns, global geopolitical condition. And it's all going to be started from the Hansen boys

[sunny-mercya]

Climate Adjustment

Steve McGarrett x Male Reader

Fandom -> Hawaii Five 0

Masterlist

Steve crouched in front of the couch, concern etched onto his face—a telltale sign is how he nibbles onto the left side of his lower lip—as he run his hand over your sweat coated, feverish, forehead and through your hair.

»How you feeling today? Any better?« asked Steve, laying the thin wool blanket—which had fallen off during your few hours of sleep—back over your, tugging you in a bit.

Even weeks later—when Steve had decided, discussing such big decisions with you of course first beforehand, to stay in Hawaii (his home country), after the funeral of his father and being offered a job as a Commander for a new special task force team—you still weren't adjusting well to the Hawaiian climate, being stuck in a constantly state of feeling sickly.

From nausea and stomach cramps, to muscle aches and feverish headaches and all the way to minimal blood in your urin—the list of symptoms you currently experience, more like suffering thru, wasn't a short termed diagnosis.

At first Steve believed it's just a one week thing—after all, Danny too didn't take the all Hawaiian Vibe well at first, but now his friend is only being huffy iffy about it—but after a week turned into a another and into third and fourth passing one, Steve begun to worry that it might be something much serious.

»...not so....good...« you mumbled out, barely glancing at your boyfriend, eyes too heavy riddled with clustering sleep.

»Alright. We're going to the doctor.« Steve sits you up—putting the blanket around your shivering body like a jacket—taking out his keys from the pockets, before picking you up and carrying you out of the house and into the car.

~~~•~~~

Steve had been halfway to the hospital—because he still hadn't found a main doctor to go to—when Danny called and telling him how his requirement is needed for stopping a bank hostage.

And Steve had half a mind to tell Danny off, that he couldn't come—because you and your health is priority right now—but Steve, here comes his Navy Sea characteristics, had to fulfil his job as well—a job to which he had sworn the Pledge of Allegiance to it, to protect and defend the country and its citizens from any harm.

So, Steve—albeit hesitantly and with a heavy sighed glance towards your exhausted, slumped, from in the passenger seat next to him—told Danny he's on his way.

»I'm sorry, [Nickname]. We're at the hospital soon, I just need to do a quick stop before. Promise it won't take long.« Steve placed his hand on your knee, giving it a gentle squeeze.

When Steve stepped out of the car—after making sure the windows are open, you having a bottle of water and still tucked in the blanket—Danny came jogging towards him, giving a update of the current situation as he puts on his bulletproof vest.

»Why did you bring [Name] along?« ask Danny, walking towards your side of the car and opening the door—wanting to give you a short greeting, only to see your sweaty and flushed face.

»Did you two had car sex?« it had been a serious legitimate question of Danny, when he saw your face and it had been the only conclusion as of why you looked like this—Steve expression crunched up into a disbelief of irritation, couldn't what stupidity he just heard from his partner.

»No. We didn't. [Name]'s sick, was just about to take him to the hospital, when you called.«

»Oh,« was all Danny could say, crouching down and patting your knee for attention, sending a small comforting smile your way—but just like with Steve before, you barely could give a glance back.

»Hey, [Nickname], we won't take long. Promise. You think you can hold out so long?« and when you nodded as a answer, Danny patted your knee again.

~~~•~~~

No one in Five-0 had thought, or more like calculated in, when one of the suspects runs out of the bank—that you're being taken as a hostage and with you being sick, you weren't able to possibly defend yourself.

Though they haven't to think about a way of getting you out of the hostage situation—as Steve, who had followed another suspect through a backdoor, had come out from a alley

Steve marched towards the suspect, looking murderous brooding—expression a furious sneer of anger—as he loomed, with his tall height, behind the man and takes the guy with one quick movement into a chokehold and Steve throws him over his shoulder, hard onto the ground.

You sagged to the ground like a stingless puppet, breathing heavily—face even more flushed than before—headache pounding into your skull and while you glanced up to the worried faces of Danny and Kono, you swore you saw their swirling twins.

Steve was at your side in a instant, heaving you up in his arms—asking the others if they could do the rest on their own and without even waiting for a answer, Steve brought you back to the car and starts driving with too much speed to the hospital.

~~~•~~~

»What did the Doctor said?« asks Danny, who had came to Steves home after they finished the case—wanting to check up on you as well, after all you're his friend—taking the bottle of beer, which Steve offers to him with a thanks.

»[Name]'s body isn't adapting to the sudden climate change as it should, which is the reason why he gotten so sick. Doctor gave me a prescription for some medication injections and [Name] should be getting better in two weeks.« Steve lets himself fall onto the couch.

»I hope so.« adds Steve after a minute of silence, taking another sip from his beer.

Even when coming back home and Steve carrying you upstairs to bed—the past weeks you had slept on the couch, hadn't the energy to even move yourself upstairs—you looked much worse than this morning, when Steve had decided to bring you to the doctor.

Steve had just injected you with a medicine dose—Doctor telling him it's easier this way than with pills or liquid medicine to drink—cooling down your feverish heated skin, with a cold washcloth, when Danny ringed the door and now he tells his partner about his worries.

»[Name] getting better, don't worry too much.«

And Steve really does hope so.

[oldshowbiz]

To the public Red Skelton was the God and country comedian. He recorded a best-selling version of the Pledge of Allegiance and told reporters that he read the bible every night before going to bed. His friends and colleagues say it was just an act to ingratiate himself to the public.

Television producer George Schlatter worked on The Judy Garland Show at CBS Television City, just one soundstage over from The Red Skelton Show. Schlatter says, “Red Skelton was a phony with all his God bullshit. He ended every show saying, ‘God Bless.’ Then you realize that his dress rehearsal was the filthiest event in town. They did the dirtiest dress rehearsal and then he would go on and do this, ‘God Bless,’ and the country and the flag and all this shit. He was a dirty old man.”

According to the FBI, Skelton possessed one of the largest collections of pornography in Hollywood. A Bureau memo from the 1940s said that “during the course of an investigation of a purported ring of obscene motion picture operators in Hollywood, information was received that the best known customers for obscene film in Hollywood were Red Skelton, Lou Costello, and George Raft.”

The contradiction between his public front and his personal life was the stuff of tabloid legend.

“Red’s constant drinking when he had his CBS radio show was the whisper of the microphone colony,” reported the trashy magazine Confidential. “Often his hands would be shaking so badly he could hardly get into his clothes to begin the show.” The tabloid claimed Skelton regularly “terrifies wife and kids with loaded pistols.”

Skelton was often criticized for laughing at his own jokes or breaking up in the middle of a scene. It was an ancient stage trick. Skelton knew that if you lost it on camera, it often made the audience laugh harder. It was a gimmick despised by fellow comedians who saw right through it.

“Dreadful,” said Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy fame. “Just dreadful. I love his talent but I hate … when he does that deliberate and undeliberate breaking up. In my opinion this is the worst possible thing any comedian can do – the worst. And he even lets some of his untalented guests do it. Dreadful.”

Many viewers felt the same. Patty Valentine of Cincinnati wrote, “There is only one person laughing at him and that is himself. He thinks he is funny but no one else does.”

By 1964 the program hadn’t changed much since its first episode back in 1950. The show got strong ratings, but the demographics were far too old for the sponsor’s liking. In an attempt to court the youth market, Van Bernard Productions, Skelton’s production company, negotiated an exclusive deal with Sir Lew Grade in the UK to provide British Invasion rock groups for the show. Changing its name to The Red Skelton Hour, the program presented The Kinks singing “Got Love If You Want It,” Manfred Mann doing “Do Wah Diddy Diddy,” The Hollies performing “Look Through Any Window,” and The Animals playing “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.”

Skelton introduced many British Invasion groups to Middle America for the very first time. But he promised his elderly demographic that he didn’t fully approve, always cracking jokes about their hair and fashion sense.

[howyouloveyourdragon]

A yandere rhaenyra targaryen x female dragon seed with nsfw content in hcs. If you talk about the end of the dance of dragons I'd prefer not to read of rhaenyra dying though

of course, i actually find this concept really interesting so thank you for your ask! :)

𝐒𝐅𝐖

it's difficult to say how you meet in the show timeline so i'm going to say it's in the book timeline when jace is looking for riders

you've probably lived on dragonstone your whole life with parents relatively low-born and perhaps struggling to find you a match, your targaryen heritage is distant but present in flecks of you father/mother's eyes so struggling to make ends meet so much that they agree to attempt and bond with a dragon

they failed however, leaving you with nothing

you have nothing so what else would you lose other than your life if you too attempted

and so you sneak into the dragonpit, your family dishonoured enough by their failure

the only dragon accessible and remaining untamed was cannibal

you spend time with the dragon, hesitantly but show no fear only caution–you know cannibal will accept no wimp but also no idiot

you feed and nurture cannibal as you would your younger sibling and it seems to work as when the time finally comes for you to raise your hand and brush their scales you held your breath as you made contact but to your surprise cannibal merely nuzzles into you

the relief greets you but shock enraptures as cannibal encourages you to ride

with the pride of a queen you accept cannibal and fly into the sky

everyone when they awaken are horrified when they find cannibal is missing and especially rhaenyra

however the last of their ideas is that someone has tamed the cannibal

she doesn't demand a search for the dragon of course, knowing how badly that could end but just as she is about to decree silence among the matter, you sink down, cannibal below you and surprisingly obedient

her mouth is ajar and eyes wide

her heartbeat rises sporadically, surely there will not be a second war emerging

all thoughts stop when you dismount cannibal and lower both your head and body as you kneel before her, pledging your allegiance

when cannibal too lowers their head, the growing crowd is growing rowdy

she looks down at you as she takes in your promises

at last, she raises your chin with one hand and gazes dangerously into your eyes

"come my dragon," she says. "we will make a warrior of you yet"

you have intrigued the queen, enchanting her to spend her spare time in your presence

soon you are taking long walks together

the longer she spends her tine with you, she finds an all too familiar twist in her guts

she values you at court and ensures your presence at meetings where she always asks for your opinion on matters

she finds the tales of your life interesting but you seem reluctant to share

you have turned into a close companion of hers

it is only when your life is in danger during battle that she realises her deeper affections for you

the second she sees your injured form, she is swarming you and demanding a maestor to do whatever is needed to save you

she stays with you until you wake up, refusing to leave and gripping onto your hand tightly

when you finally awaken, she is immediately pressing two hands to your face and staring into your eyes

she demands you never act so recklessly again and even though fear is in your gaze at her tone, she doesn't notice as she wraps you tightly in her arms–borderline crushing your windpipe

she doesn't kiss you that night, she knows you need your rest, but she wants to

she wants to more than she wants to breathe, more than she wants the crown

you're not allowed out of your chambers for another two months but when you are finally freed from them and beg and plead to reach your dragon, she has a guards restrict you and you are confined

since your last flight, she had been betrayed by other dragonseeds and she wouldn't allow you even the brief chance to repeat their mistake

she is the only one allowed to visit you during these times always answering your questions of when you will be allowed out with an inconspicuous "soon" and peck on the cheek

once you attempted to climb through the window which only led to being weakened with every meal

some say cannibal can still be heard wailing for their rider

𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐖

initially rhaenyra is unsure how to approach a relationship with another woman and much less with a powerful dragonrider such as one able to tame cannibal

her tongue is often buried in your cunt, and vibrating her lips to roll over your clit as she sees fit

i think she's a giver but in these circumstances i think she would enjoy receiving just as much, driving your face against her

if you accept her affections then she return them tenfold, rewarding you for anything mildly good, particularly with her fingers on the garden's benches and if you are to be punished then she reacts minimally, just a few spankings and a slap to your cunt before off you pop

however if you don't? good luck

she will turn exhausted and exasperated with you behaviour quickly, it is matter of love but also one of pride–she refuses to be denied by you or anyone else

her fingers will prefer filling you in moments like this, thrusting long and deep

she will punish you frequently and harshly until your sobbing beneath her–she especially favours overstimulation, not letting her pace relent until you admit to her over and over that you are hers, until you submit to her

it is possible that she will use her status and demean yours–saying that all you are is because of her, that you are nothing without her

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

"Queen Elizabeth didn't like POTUS Trump..." says a nobody trying to be somebody during a USA election year. 🙄

As we approach the anniversary of the dearly beloved Queen Elizabeth's death, a nobody is determined to speak for QE about POTUS Trump.

This gossip is beneath the dignity of the most admired woman in the world, but it confirms how terrified these globalists are to have DJT back in the White House.

This old chestnut: "Queen Elizabeth was displeased with Donald Trump because of his behavior while inspecting the Guards..." (sigh)

Trump is a BIG guy and QE was a little woman.

To inspect the guards, POTUS was to walk quickly AHEAD of QE11, but he wanted to stroll along & chat. He's so much taller than her that he stopped as if to say, "where'd she go?"

I'm sure he was told to walk quickly for the inspection, but he stood looking around for the little, tiny Queen who then motioned (again) for him to KEEP GOING.

Melania did something similar to her husband w/her "keep going" hand motion in Israel, but people chose to make a mountain out of that molehill bc unfortunately, Melania accidentally swatted her husband's hand.

Recently at Barron's graduation, Melania laughed outloud as she coaxed her husband with both hands to sit down. I thought it was a cute moment because POTUS was beaming. It was reminiscent of Charlotte ordering Louis to "sit down" in his chair at the Platinum Jubilee celebration.

President Trump has a genuine affection for the BRF. Donald Trump's mother was born and raised in Scotland with her parents and siblings. After she emigrated to the United States, she traveled home to Scotland at least once per year with Donald's sister.

Ivana, Donald's first wife and mother of his 3 eldest children was fond of the BRF and had a friendship with Princess Diana. Ivana was born in Czechoslovakia, but also possessed citizenships in Austria and Canada where she skied and learned English before emigrating to the United States.

Of course Donald's current wife Melania is also European. Melania emigrated to the United States as a model from Slovenia.

The Trump family has always possessed a sincere admiration for Great Britain and for Queen Elizabeth. It was obvious to me that POTUS Trump looked upon Queen Elizabeth as a mother figure and would never do anything to disrespect her as a person or her professional role.

Over the years, Neal Sean, Lady C and all the other leftist royal vloggers have been giddy to share anything negative about POTUS Trump.

It makes me sad that Charles and William have pledged allegiance to the WEF and to that Great Reset. They are woefully ignorant of the repercussions of such alliances. There are dark days ahead for the UK. They better pray DJT is re-elected.

Perhaps writers should focus on what is rotten in the UK instead of QE-DJT gossip. Why not write and discuss the reasons QE felt she had to hold on (despite such intense pain) for such a very long time. She knew..., and yet she trusted God. 🥺

[tsunael]

22 20 Dawntrail Inspired Questions

I decided to answer these on my own because I didn't want to rely on other people to send them lol. Thank you to those who did!

Obvious Dawntrail spoilers below:

1. Why did they agree to accompany Wuk Lamat to Tural?

I think she was kind of aimless. I'm unsure if she had any hand in the Myths of The Realm quests, or the patch quests canonically since she had just recovered from a long stint in the hospital, and a technical break-up. So, with the Scions disbanded, and the Rising Stones empty, I think she became disillusioned with her life. I think Shadowbringers and Endwalker back-to-back was also extremely difficult for her. Besides that, most-- if not all-- of the issues that come up during MSQ can be solved by Y'shtola and the others. I want to say they called on her for the Aetherfont and to go to The First (out of necessity), but that's about it. Obviously its inevitable that she get dragged into some plot against her will since that's kind of her theme. Anyway. Aimless, as I said. I think G'raha had a large part in her undertaking it, if only to see new sights and to find herself again in knowing she was lost. His words before her departure stuck with her.

2. What was the first thing they did when they arrived in Tuliyollal?

The beach! She's always loved the sea and how it reminds her of home. I think Alisaie would have urged her to go (teasingly) because she'd grown so pale. So, maybe a bit of sun bathing... she is a Raen, after all.

3. What was their initial impression of the four claimants? How did this change over the course of the story?

Unpleasant. Koana's reliance on technology immediately earned her mistrust, as well as his lack of heart. She'd known far too many men just like him. Zoraal Ja and Bakool Ja Ja were just simply terrifying at first. Mamool Ja are not native to the East and known for being sellswords in Eorzea, on top of being very imposing and unfriendly. Wuk Lamat... was Wuk Lamat. There was a good heart to make up for her lack of brains. I don't believe much changed over the course, though her stance on Koana and Wuk Lamat softens, she would have doubts about their leadership considering they're so young-- but it ultimately is not her concern. Triumphing over an adversary does not make a world leader, and they no longer have their father for guidance.

4. What is their impression of Gulool Ja Ja? Do they agree with his method of cultivating leadership?

Terrifying at first, until she spoke at length with him. Despite appearances, she couldn't deny that he was a good man who had genuine love for his people. His way of cultivating leadership had merit, though she wondered how his children were so far removed from their people to begin with that they had to learn it in such a difficult way. Oddly, it made her miss her own father-- they both showed their love in twisted ways.

5. How do they feel about Wuk Lamat looking up to them as a mentor figure? Did this attitude change as the story progressed?

Uncomfortable, and that did not change. It's undue pressure, and she doesn't feel worthy when the Scions have done just as much, if not more for the star. Besides that, Tsuna's never liked her title, nor the boon that it gives her when those around her find out who she is. People tend to look at her differently. The title, 'Warrior of Light' has always been disingenuous, she thinks, as she wasn't even present at Carteneau. She's only ever wanted to just be herself.

6. How did they feel about competing against Thancred and Urianger?

Haha. Well. It wouldn't be the first time Urianger had betrayed them, so for him to turn tail yet again wasn't news. However... Since before even their reunion at the Aetherfont, Thancred had started to become closed off to her. For the two of them to show their faces, and pledge their allegiance to another without so much as a word only added to the perceived offense. Thancred also dropped a ceiling on her head, so... A part of her was waiting for the moment where they might talk at length about their relationship, what went wrong, etc... but as the workaholic he is (or in purposefully avoiding her) he ensured she never got the chance. Her anger only plateaued, though it was never about them offering their services to another.

7. Were they happy with the outcome of the rite of succession?

She would have liked no better outcome. Wuk Lamat and Koana complete each other, that much was plain.

8. Why did they want to explore Xak Tural? Were they happy to have Erenville along as a guide or would they have preferred to explore on their own?

I think she left because she needed time for herself, as she was scarcely idle for the entire trip. There were many feelings she needed to sort out still, and after the succession ceremony she was left feeling strangely devoid. Erenville, however, was a welcome companion. He doesn't speak often, which afforded her some much-needed peace, and when he did it was always with purpose. Being a gleaner and native of the land both, she held his knowledge in the highest regard.

9. What was going through their mind when the dome dropped?

Thal's gilded... halls.

10. What were their first impressions of the Alexandrians?

11. What was their initial impression of Sphene? How did this change as the story progressed?

Here.

12. What was their opinion of the culture of recycling souls and the use of regulators? Did this change as the story progressed?

Wrong on all accounts, and her feelings did not change. Solution 9 was a city of vice and excess to her, and to use people's souls as a handicap, currency, and a commodity went wholly against the natural world as she knew it. They were so far removed from the land and what made them human that they had forgotten the sanctity of life-- she would hesitate to consider that 'culture'. A part of her understood it, even if she was against it. Deep down, who doesn't want to live a carefree life, free of pain?

13. What was their initial impression of Cahciua?

Uncomfortable, considering she was a strange, floating... device. Moreso she found her annoyingly forward, yet managing to be cagey. Keeping key information locked away, yet asking the world of them only made things more difficult.

14. How did they feel about the Endless?

The dead should be allowed to rest, but she would not be the one to send them off. Her thoughts went to dear Haurchefant, and the endless purgatory she unwittingly sent him to.

15. What was their experience like in Living Memory?

Bad. A strange town full of contraptions made for the amusement of the living, yet she was surrounded by ghosts. It reminded her of Amarout-- positively soul-crushing. Then, she had to bear witness to her friends saying their goodbyes to their parents... it only made her miss her own that much more.

16. What are their thoughts about the Key?

A cursed object that should not exist, and one that she would rather not have in her possession. But, if it truly can open the door to other shards, then she would do anything in her power to reunite her friends with their loved ones on The First before it's too late. Alternatively, If its connection to Azem is real, and is something WoL can perceive, then she might feel more positively about it.

17. The theme of family and legacy is repeated throughout Dawntrail—did this theme resonate with your character? Were there specific moments relating to family that impacted them?

Here.

18. What important relationships changed or developed throughout Dawntrail?

Her anger and hurt towards Thancred has regressed to their Heavensward levels... Add in a healthy dose of longing and lovesickness for a recipe for disaster. Her relationship with G'raha has only strengthened. He had ever been kind to her, and it was by his words that she went on her journey to Tural in the first place. It only took her to be at her lowest for her to finally notice him. Erenville became an unexpected friend. He softened up by the end of their journey, though isn't someone she would seek out for companionship. Wuk Lamat sees her as a big sister, and in her, Tsuna has found someone she can rely on. Same with Alisaie, their bond stayed relatively the same, however, they spent much of their time together.

19. What was their favorite location in Tural?

Kozama'uka. The carved out caves with bioluminescent mosses and fireflies were breathtaking, and their many waterways and dense forests reminded her of home. Though in the lower areas, the air was extremely humid without much sun to dry her scales in.

20. Do they lean more Tuliyollal or more Solution Nine?

Tuliyollal. She would take a port-city that is full of flora and fauna over a place devoid entirely of heart. She's also still very upset about the soylent.

21. If they had to summarize their journey in Tural, what would they say?

A decent vacation-turned-terrible that left her more tired than when she first set off. The storm that nearly killed the lot of them should have been taken as a sign. If Nymeia wanted her dead, she ought to not miss next time.

22. What are they doing now?

SHE'S LEISURING, BITCH. leave her alone.

[chicago-geniza]

Wait you're telling me that present-day Anglicans more or less pledge allegiance to Charles Windsor? No wonder so many adult Catholic converts are in England. I thought it was elective ideological affinity with tradwyf t/rf shit and of course there's ample common ground but if you want to stay Christian while feeling flatteringly old-fashioned and avoid swearing fealty to Charles, and if Marriage (TM) is your hobbyhorse, of course you'd genuflect back to the pre-Tudor era. This is sooo funny sorry I cut class a lot during our Reformation/Wars of Religion unit, really most of the early modern Britain module, it was all Jesus to me and everyone had the same 5 names

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

[Clay Jones]

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

March 30, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

MAR 31, 2024

On Tuesday morning, on his social media outlet, former president Trump encouraged his supporters to buy a “God Bless The USA” Bible for $59.99. The Bible is my “favorite book,” he said in a promotional video, and said he owns “many.” This Bible includes the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Pledge of Allegiance. It also includes the chorus of country music singer Lee Greenwood’s song “God Bless the USA,” likely because it is a retread of a 2021 Bible Greenwood pushed to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of 9-11.

That story meant less coverage for the news from last Monday, March 25, in which Trump shared on his social media platform a message comparing him to Jesus Christ, with a reference to Psalm 109, which calls on God to destroy one’s enemies.  

This jumped out to me because Trump is not the first president to compare himself to Jesus Christ. In 1866, President Andrew Johnson famously did, too. While there is a financial component to Trump’s comparison that was not there for Johnson, the two presidents had similar political reasons for claiming a link to divine power.

Johnson was born into poverty in North Carolina, then became a tailor in Tennessee, where he rose through politics to the U.S. House of Representatives and then the Senate. In 1861, when Tennessee left the Union, Johnson was the only sitting senator from a Confederate state who remained loyal to the United States. This stand threw him into prominence. In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln named him the military governor of Tennessee. 

Then, in 1864, the Republican Party renamed itself the Union Party to attract northern Democrats to its standard. To help that effort, party leaders chose a different vice president, replacing a staunch Republican—Hannibal Hamlin of Maine—with the Democrat Johnson.

Although he was elected on what was essentially a Republican ticket, Johnson was a Democrat at heart. He loathed the elite southern enslavers he thought had become oligarchs in the years before the Civil War, shutting out poorer men like him from prosperity, but he was a fervent racist who enslaved people himself until 1863. Johnson opposed the new active government the Republicans had built during the war, and he certainly didn’t want it to enforce racial equality. He expected that the end of the war would mean a return to the United States of 1860, minus the system of enslavement that concentrated wealth upward. 

Johnson was badly out of step with the Republicans, but a quirk of timing gave him exclusive control of the reconstruction of the United States from April 15, 1865, when he took the oath of office less than three hours after Lincoln breathed his last, until early December. Congress had adjourned for the summer on March 4, expecting that Lincoln would call the members back together if there were an emergency, as he had in summer 1861. It was not due to reconvene until early December. Members of Congress rushed back to Washington, D.C., after Lincoln’s assassination, but Johnson insisted on acting alone.

Over the course of summer 1865, Johnson set out to resuscitate the prewar system dominated by the Democratic Party, with himself at its head. He pardoned all but about 1,500 former Confederates, either by proclamation or by presidential pardon, putting them back into power in southern society. He did not object when southern state legislatures developed a series of state laws, called Black Codes, remanding Black Americans into subservience.

When Congress returned to work on December 4, 1865, Johnson greeted the members with the happy news that he had “restored” the Union. Leaving soldiers in the South would have cost tax money, he said, and would have “envenomed hatred” among southerners. His exclusion of Black southerners from his calculus, although they were the most firmly loyal population in the South, showed how determined he was to restore prewar white supremacy, made possible by keeping power in the states. All Republican congressmen had to do, he said, was to swear in the southern senators and representatives now back in Washington, D.C., and the country would be “restored.”

Republicans wanted no part of his “restoration.” Not only did it return to power the same men who had been shooting at Republicans’ constituents eight months before and push northerners’ Black fellow soldiers to a form of quasi-enslavement, but also the 1870 census would count Black Americans as whole people rather than three fifths of a person, giving former Confederates more national political power after the war than they had had before it. Victory on the battlefields would be overturned by control of Congress.

Congressional Republicans rejected Johnson’s plan for reconstruction. Instead, they passed the Fourteenth Amendment  in June 1866 and required the former Confederate states to ratify it before they could be readmitted to the United States. The Fourteenth Amendment put the strength of the national government behind the idea that Black Americans would be considered citizens—as the Supreme Court’s 1857 Dred Scott decision had denied. Then it declared that states could neither discriminate against citizens nor take away a citizen’s rights without due process of the law. To make sure that the 1870 census would not increase the power of former Confederates, it declared that if any state kept men over 21 from voting, its representation in Congress would be reduced proportionally. 

Johnson hated the Fourteenth Amendment. He hated its broad definition of citizenship; he hated its move toward racial equality; he hated its undermining of the southern leaders he backed; he hated its assertion of national power; he hated that it offered a moderate route to reunification that most Americans would support. If states ratified it, he wouldn’t be able to rebuild the Democratic Party with himself at its head. 

So he told southern politicians to ignore Congress’s order to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment, calling Congress an illegal body because it had not seated representatives from the southern states. He promised white southerners that the Democrats would win the 1866 midterm elections. Once back in power, he said, Democrats would repudiate the Republicans’ “radicalism” and put his plan back into place. 

As he asserted his vision for the country, Johnson egged on white supremacist violence. In July, white mobs attacked a Unionist convention in New Orleans where delegates had called for taking the vote away from ex-Confederates and giving it to loyal Black men. The rioters killed 37 Black people and 3 white delegates to the convention. 

By then, Johnson had become as unpopular as his policies. Increasingly isolated, he defended his plan for the nation as the only true course. In late August he broke tradition to campaign in person, an act at the time considered beneath the dignity of a president. He set off on a railroad tour, known as the “Swing Around the Circle,” to whip up support for the Democrats before the election. 

Speaking from the same set of notes as the train stopped at different towns and cities from Washington, D.C., to New York, to Chicago, to St. Louis, and back to Washington, D.C., Johnson complained bitterly about the opposition to his reconstruction policies, attacked specific members of Congress as traitors and called for them to be hanged, and described himself as a martyr like Lincoln. And, noting the mercy of his reconstruction policies, he compared himself to Jesus.  

It was all too much for voters. The white supremacist violence across the South horrified them, returning power to southern whites infuriated them, the reduction of Black soldiers to quasi-slaves enraged them, and Johnson’s attacks on Congress alarmed them. Johnson seemed determined to hand the country over to its former enemies to recreate the antebellum world that northerners had just poured more than 350,000 lives and $5 billion into destroying, no matter what voters wanted. 

Johnson’s extremism and his supporters’ violence created a backlash. Northerners were not willing to hand the country back to the Democrats who were rioting in the South and to a president who compared himself to Jesus. Rather than turning against the Republicans in the 1866 elections, voters repudiated Johnson. They gave Republicans a two-thirds majority of Congress, enabling them to override any policy Johnson proposed.

And, in 1868, the states ratified the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, launching a new era in the history of the United States.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[risingsunresistance]

ok ok i've been inspired here is a big ramble about worldbuilding stuff that i think makes the resistance fight more interesting

under a read more bc 1) i need this to be sectioned into paragraphs and 2) i imagine this is gonna be WAY LONGER on a phone than it is on my laptop screen rn

okay so first of all. SCREW YOU SKYBLOCK TIME THAT'S REALLY BORING!! so skyblock goes through a year in about 5 days in our time. one day/night cycle is 20 real minutes. cool right? dante's reign lasted a little over 2 years! WRONG. admins are lame and decided that it's not an Actual year, it's literally a period of 5 days. one of the hub NPCs explains that the nights just go by REALLY fast here. BUT WHY WOULD A DICTATOR ONLY BE ELECTED FOR LIKE 12 DAYS THAT'S SO LAME, A 2YR PERIOD GIVES THE SITUATION SO MUCH MORE URGENCY... i think it's more fun to imagine being "logged in" puts you in an odd state of time where you experience more time than what passes. players stuck in the server were only gone for ~12 days but they Felt over 2 years go by. like that one training chamber in dbz or whatever

ALSO IMPORTANT. travel was banned by dante after a while. this meant that you were stuck wherever you were. 2 things of note here tho. 1) it's implied that all the islands including the player homes are connected physically, so theoretically you could fly to someone else's island, maybe even to the hub and back, if you were someone who could fly (maybe you have wings?) or if you have enough mana and dedication lol... but also point number 2. you could still log out, technically that's travel when you think of the servers/smps/etc as all being connected in some way. well that's no fun. imagine instead being fully cut off from the outside world. no chat to friends who arent logged in, no escape, nothing. there were probably poor outsiders who saw their friend suddenly disappear without a trace for a while. skyblock players are prone to do that, but they arent even available in chat?? that's not like them :/ augh i love it i love thinking abt ppl wondering where their friend went and they're like "lol sorry we had to kill some dictator. yea it was this whole thing. the admins all trapped us on the server too. no they were on his side. yea :/"

so anyways with that out of the way, think of how much more serious the resistance becomes with just those two changes. TWO YEARS dante spends making the place unlivable, slowly taking everything from you. money, pets, access to buildings (unless you pledge your allegiance to him of course), travel... but eventually you find out there's ppl who are planning on rising up against him. well why rise up, cant we just contact the admins? nope, no contact with the outside, we're trapped here. also, they're on his side anyways. yes, even simon. this resistance is gonna secretly make and distribute armor with the power to fight off dante. apparently he gets his energy from the moon or something. also dante banned the sun. dont ask how. either simon did that for him or dante has some very concerning powers. they have to get people with their cause without getting caught, but dante eventually puts out a notice that he caught word of a resistance brewing... so we got caught somehow. are there other people are on his side? one of our own reported us? well that might be a MASSIVE problem one day. could have also been an admin, since two of the generals live with one (aaaaand one of them would eventually become an admin. he also didnt lay a hand on dante during the fight despite being a general. hmmmmmmm)

it's all done and settled and things need to be rebuilt. everything is okay. someone put up a grave for dante, saying dante best of course. so his supporters live on. great, awesome, love that. but much worse than that. a goon was spotted in the main hub. no not the skyblock hub. the MAIN hub. outside of the skyblock realm. they escaped........

[voskhozhdeniye]

As I have noted on multiple occasions, I pledge allegiance to no political party on the face of the earth. None speak for me. I am a devout monarchist.

That said, I will watch the 2024 US presidential campaign with great interest. It may very well be the last one we see with the United States in its present form.

One thing is increasingly clear: despite his apparent popularity with a substantial plurality of the American electorate, the powers-that-be in the empire will do “whatever it takes” to prevent Donald Trump from even getting on the ballot, let alone actually win again.

Of course, Trump’s supporters believe he is the answer to America’s woes. They believed that in 2016, too. And yet the woes not only continued, they became more severe. Although he paid much lip service to the notion, Trump did nothing whatsoever to threaten the omnipotence of the so-called “Swamp” in Washington. He wrapped himself and his administration in its tentacles.

Many will reflexively reply, “But he didn’t start a war!” And yet all during his term in office the empire greatly accelerated its preparations for the war against Russia now raging in Ukraine — a war whose consequences will include the end of NATO as a credible military/political alliance, and the end of the European Union as a functioning political/monetary alliance.

Meanwhile, wars against Iran and China continue to simmer on the back burner — conflicts which the Trump tenure as president greatly exacerbated, and which the Biden administration has aggravated even further.

The trajectory of events is not amenable to the voice of the people. The Empire At All Costs cult is calling the shots, and war remains their only recourse to the relinquishment of hegemony.

Representative democracy in the United States is irredeemably corrupted. The sprawling permanent apparatus of empire in Washington has become an irreversibly metastasized malignancy on the American body politic, and an existential threat to the world.

Many believe it can be cured by finding and electing “the right people”. I’m sorry folks, but we’re far past that. The people for whom you are permitted to vote are individually and collectively powerless against the real potentates who rule and reign in America.

On November 6, 2024, the American public will be informed that someone has been elected President of the United States of America. Whoever it is, you will be assured that the majority of the electorate voted for him or her. But it won’t be Donald Trump and it won’t be Robert Kennedy, Jr. I seriously doubt it will even be Joe Biden or Kamala Harris.

Of one thing only can we be absolutely certain: whoever it is, it will not be an agent of change for the better.

As Alexis de Tocqueville presciently foresaw way back in the 1830s, American democracy would inevitably lead to a massive permanent state, impervious to the will of the people:

"The democratic tendency … leads men unceasingly to multiply the privileges of the state and to circumscribe the rights of private persons ... often sacrificed without regret and almost always violated without remorse ... men become less and less attached to private rights just when it is most necessary to retain and defend what little remains of them." “After having thus successively taken each member of the community in its powerful grasp, and fashioned him at will, the supreme power then extends its arm over the whole community. It covers the surface of society with a network of small complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd. “The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and guided; men are seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting: such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence; it does not tyrannize, but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a people, till each nation is reduced to be nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.”

This is where we are, and there will be no turning back. To whatever extent it ever truly was, America will never be made great again. Something great may eventually rise from its ashes … but the ashes will come first.

[scalamore]

(Spoiler) Fates of Other Characters at the End of the Story

Just putting it out there since there have been a few incorrect spoilers floating around that I would like to correct:

>> Duke Arnbach's faction:

Queen (who became Empress consort): Killed in TL1 from a fire carriage accident; Still alive in TL2; Arnulf: Killed in TL1 for "being framed for treason" (it actually was treason); Still alive in TL2. ***note, Vol 6 doesn't go into detail about what happened to the Queen and Arnulf. Just like in TL1, they, along with Duke Arnbach, his grandfather (and the queen's father), had engaged in silent warfare against Rupert, such as sending assassins. Some point after Lari left, Arnulf tried to attack Rupert in a silent attack and was injured in the process (described to be crippled now). Of course, all this was behind the scenes, so Arnbach's faction couldn't do anything about it, and Rupert chose to not publicize the attack either. At the time when tensions were mounting, Rupert would very much rather watch and guard over Lari, as he had a bad feeling about the psycho baker hovering around her. However, he was urgently summoned back to the palace, because Louis had gotten word that Duke Arnbach and the Queen were now planning to openly attack the Capital with their army of knights. Unfortunately for Duke Arnbach's faction, they were completely no match for Rupert's own army. Of course, rebellion against the Emperor meant certain death, but Rupert allowed him, the Queen, and Arnulf to survive. In the end, Duke Arnbach pledged allegiance to Rupert, including all their political power and wealth. This was publicized by all of high society and the commoners of this faction's fall in power, and how they dared to go against Emperor Rupert. Unfortunately for him, Duke Arnbach only feigned innocence and loyalty; he tried to rebel again a few years later by trying to assassinate a pregnant Lari and was promptly executed this time for good.

Nigelle: Alive in both timelines - Went to live in some remote area near Hirel Island, not involved in politics anymore.

>> Grand Duke Ventibolt's faction

Grand Duke Ventibolt: Died in Tl1, died during the rebellion in Vol 6

Aunt Amelia: Died in Tl1, alive in TL2: Gave birth to a son, but Rupert publically denounced her and the son when Ventibolt died; they were allowed to live but will have no role in the battle for the throne in the future since they couldn’t prove the baby’s legitimacy, they had no power of their since Ventibolt didn't use his own army, but rather mercenaries that were bought off by Rupert. Ventibolt’s bloodline was now known as traitors just like House Belois.

>> House Belois

Trash dad - Died in Tl1, alive in TL2: I forgot if he's confined in the capital for life or in the south. House arrest for life though.

Lehan - Died in Tl1, alive in TL2: Will inherit House Belois once he becomes of age; tasked with rebuilding it to its former glory, as the house is known to be one of traitors who rebelled against Rupert. Lands are confiscated by the royal family, but the rest of the family and staff are allowed to live there peacefully in the south still. He's now the Captain of the Guards (the position that Louis was supposed to be in TL1). Unknown if he settled down or married, last we see of him is when Lari was giving birth and he was trying to calm down Rupert

Amanda Belois - Died in Tl1, alive in TL2: Still living comfortably in the South. Doesn't associate with her husband anymore.

>> RupeLari's group

Tory - after betraying Rupert, had died during the Rebellion of Vol 6, leaving only behind the Blue Eagle Crystal. From her conversations with Louis to not forget her, and with Rupert, it was evident that she knew she would die soon - and she did. After the battle, there was no trace of her in the armor, but just the crystal that made up her core. RupeLali left her at the St Voldegord's lake as a final resting place. Years later, she somehow materialized a [body] and reunites with Rupelali in the special side stories.

Louis - Not sure what his official position is, but he's completely replaced Lari as Rupert's close aide/right-hand man. He's always drowning in paperwork as Rupert is busy hanging out and enjoying life with Lari. Countess Lemille - Jailed in TL1. Initially the Queen's aide, but is now Lari's aide. Suffers the same fate as Louis as an overworked aide. She's introduced as an antagonist, but her heart is in the right place - she wants the current corrupt, backward Empire to take a step forward and be one that is kinder to women, and allowed women more rights. One of Lari's mentors and supporters as she aims to become Chief Justice while being an Empress, all to better support Rupert. Papa Felipe - Rupert occasionally summons him for some tasks if needed. Extras: From the special side stories: A lot of people are interested in the prince and princess from this generation's Wiletan Royal family: I forget what the Prince's name is, he's forgettable, still alive. Othelia, the princess: she's very much alive. Her only purpose is to wear Ardel's famous perfume, for Rupert to get necessarily close to her so he can get a sample of it on a tissue, and he goes back to his office to recreate it and give it to Lari as a gift. Some drama because he's framed to be unfaithful to Lari, but Lari doesn't buy it lol. (She's more upset that their daughter was upset at various things he did in general lol)

(Vol 5) Psycho Baker - Beheaded with his head displayed in the town square for the crime of poisoning, assaulting, and kidnapping with intent to harm a noblewoman. Riche/House Gorten - we find out in both timelines they were initially against Rupert and supported Archduke Ventibolt but eventually bit their own tails and swore allegiance to Rupert once they saw how completely overpowered he was. They enlisted the help of foreign mercenaries (kidnapping arc), which Rupert eventually took control of as well. That's why House Gorten got away scot-free in TL1: because they had sworn their allegiance to Emperor Rupert despite doing shady things at the start. Smart. There were also mentions of a small power struggle in the South: with House Gorten and House Vincent against House Belois. In the end, it resolved by itself. House Vincent in general doesn't like House Belois.

[ingek73]

Harry and the Press: Read All About It?

A prince of the realm taking on Britain’s biggest newspapers is surely newsworthy? Not if you’re a reader of one of these titles, writes Liz Gerard

Liz Gerard

24 May 2023

In the 45 days from 28 March to 12 May, members of the Royal Family featured on our national newspaper front pages 320 times. These appearances included 133 photographs and 82 lead stories.

What do you expect? you might ask. We’ve just had a Coronation for the first time in 70 years. And we can all pledge allegiance to the new King. And Kate had a go at climbing a wall. And Charlotte had a birthday. And Louis wore blue. And some of them went to the pub and drank beer or a gin and tonic. And Camilla’s a jolly good egg. And Meghan is self-centred. And Harry…

Ah yes, Harry.

Harry flew in from America twice during that period. Once to make a brief appearance at the Coronation; and once to attend the High Court, where he has launched three cases, accusing the Mail, the Sun and the Mirror of illegal breaches of privacy.

He was joined in his case against the Mail by Baroness Lawrence, Elton John, David Furnish, Sadie Frost, Liz Hurley and Simon Hughes. Only Hurley and Hughes were missing from court on day one – 27 March. Quite a big deal, you might have thought. Five very big names, including a royal prince, appearing in court in person to sue our most popular news brand. Imagine the sort of coverage that turnout would have achieved were they taking on the BBC rather than the Mail.

So how many of those 320 front-page items did this four-day hearing account for? Six – almost all on the first day.

The Times and Telegraph both had a main photograph of Harry with a caption explaining why he was in the country; the i and Mirror had puffs – the i referring to the court case, the Mirror ignoring that altogether in favour of the King being too busy to see his son. The Guardian also had Harry as the main picture, alongside a splash that focused on Baroness Lawrence’s assertion that she felt betrayed by the Mail – which has made great capital over the years from its pursuit of her son’s murderers.

But the case was covered inside, wasn’t it? Up to a point, Lord Copper.

The Times, i and Telegraph had page leads. The first two focused on the allegations against the Mail; the Telegraph – in common with the other papers that carried anything at all – went on the line that Harry wouldn’t be seeing Dad while he was here. The Mail, which had described the lawsuits as “a pre-planned and orchestrated attempt to draw it into the phone-hacking scandal” and the allegations as “preposterous smears”, ploughed its own furrow with a page five lead headlined ‘Key witness says hacking claims “false”‘. A private investigator who had told the plaintiffs’ lawyers 18 months earlier that he had acted illegally on behalf of the Mail – “hacking phones, tapping landlines and bugging cars” – had now produced another signed statement retracting it all.

The paper’s owner, Associated, wanted the case thrown out, arguing, among other things, that it was based on material given in confidence to the Leveson Inquiry and because it was out of time. It also applied for anonymity for its journalists “in order to prevent distinguished journalists having their reputations destroyed in the event that the case never proceeds to full trial”. The granting of this application was phrased as “the judge quickly awarded victory to the Mail”. Somehow the factoid that it had been made under the auspices of human rights legislation – which the Mail has repeatedly said should be repealed – did not make it into print.

So much for day one. If Baroness Lawrence was a tasty starter, day two brought a seriously meaty main course in the form of Prince Harry’s witness statement. There were two central features:

The Royal Family had known about phone-hacking, he said, but didn’t tell him and did nothing about it for fear of opening a can of worms. There was even, he said, a private agreement with the Murdoch papers not to “engage or even discuss” the possibility of bringing claims against them until the hacking litigation was over.

His assertion that he had decided to sue Associated because “if the most influential newspaper company can evade justice… the whole country is doomed”. The statement continued: “I am bringing this claim because I love my country and I remain deeply concerned by the unchecked power, influence and criminality of Associated. The evidence I have seen shows that Associated’s journalists are criminals with journalistic powers which should concern every single one of us. The British public deserve to know the full extent of this cover-up and I feel it is my duty to expose it.”

Wow. Just a reminder that this is a statement by a royal prince in documents to the High Court – not a barb thrown out by some bloke in the pub. And he was there, in the flesh, to hear his words read out.

It may be that it shows, as the Mail attests, that he is obsessed. But it surely merits reporting. Apparently not on page one. Only one title – the i – had any mention of the case or Harry’s allegations on the cover, and that as a small puff. The Times had a new portrait of the King, the Telegraph told readers that Charles would be dining with his cousins in Germany. Even the Guardian was too busy with its mea culpa on its founder’s links to slavery.

Most papers ran page leads inside, although the i and The Times did not mention the alleged pact with its stablemates at News Group Newspapers (the Sun and News of the World’s parent company) or Harry’s explanation of why he was suing. As to the two titles whose owners have paid out millions in hacking damages to prevent hundreds of other cases going to court: the Mirror managed five paragraphs in a small single on the royals knowing about hacking; the Sun nothing.

And the Mail? Not a word of those key elements from the Harry witness statement. Instead, it led its spread on its own statement, building on the private investigator’s recantation, with a panel on the side with his “point by point” rebuttals of the claims against Associated. It’s one thing to get your retaliation in first, but this took one-sided reporting to another level.

Harry’s next action, which he watched by video-link, started on 25 April to take on the Sun, which – like the Mail – has always denied phone-hacking. This time his central claim was even more sensational: that News Group Newspapers owners had paid Prince William “a very large sum of money” as part of a private settlement to stop him suing for hacking.

This time the story made the splash for the Guardian and for the Telegraph, which “understood” that the figure was about £1 million. But its headline wasn’t the ‘Prince’s £1m phone hacking deal’ you might have expected, but that the claim had “left Coronation peace hopes in tatters”. There was, however, a spread inside as well, which was more than anyone else did.

The Times had a page lead and the Express a chunky story on its Coronation spread. But the Mail had just a small single-column on page 10 that started “Prince Harry has dragged William into his war on the British press”. The Sun and the Mirror ran nothing. Royal developments deemed worthy of front-page coverage included a chocolate bust of the King and his resistance to having Heathrow’s Terminal 5 named after him.

There was more interest the next day, after the judge said he was troubled by “factual inconsistencies” in Harry’s story, with more prominent coverage, including a small story in the Mirror (albeit on a different angle) and an early righthand page lead in the Mail.

As with the case against the Mail, third day coverage was more limited – the angle this time being actor Hugh Grant’s claim that stars’ homes were burgled at the Sun’s behest. For the third successive day, the case made the front of the Guardian, a page lead for The Times – and not a single word in the Sun. The Mail may have skewed coverage of its own case for the defence, but at least it was there. The Sun, whose lawyers wanted the case dismissed as out of time, just pretended it wasn’t happening and ignored it altogether.

Harry’s next homecoming was what the Mail called his “blink and you’ve missed it” trip for the Coronation. He may have gone back to California swiftly after the ceremony, but he hadn’t finished with the courts. For just under a week later, on 10 May, a third case started – against Mirror Group Newspapers. And this time it wasn’t a preliminary hearing, but a proper trial, expected to last seven weeks. Harry wasn’t in court for the opening speeches, but was lined up to give evidence, possibly for as long as three days, in June.

The two key features of the first day was MGN’s admission of, and apology for, a single instance of illegal information gathering – by the People – that it said was worthy of compensation, and the assertion by lawyer David Sherborne that it was “inconceivable” that Piers Morgan was unaware of phone-hacking under his editorship. This claim had been made in one of the previous cases and was, indeed, the subject of two identical Guardian front page headlines.

Morgan – a former Editor of the News of the World and the Daily Mirror who now presents a show on Rupert Murdoch’s Talk TV and writes a column for the Sun – had (coincidentally?) just recorded an interview with the BBC’s Amol Rajan in which he was asked about hacking on his watch. He said he didn’t know how to hack a phone (even though he had written about it in his autobiography and is reported to have explained how to do it to a Tony Blair aide), and that he was unaware that hacking had been going on at his papers. He also declared that he wasn’t going to take lectures on privacy from Harry and Meghan, who had, he said, constantly invaded the Royal Family’s privacy.

What did our papers make of all that? Apart from the Guardian, only the i and Telegraph had anything on the front, in each case a puff. The i took the ‘Morgan knew’ line, while the Telegraph went with ‘Morgan mocks Duke’. The FT had the earliest inside coverage with a five-column page two story headlined “Mirror accused of industrial scale illegality”. Everyone else pushed the story back as far as they dared. The Sun, Express, Mirror and Star all went on the apology, while The Times and Mail both majored on the defence line that stories Harry claimed were the result of hacking had in fact been fed to journalists by members of his family and royal courtiers.

As for declarations of interest, The Times mentioned Morgan’s current role with Talk TV and listed Harry’s other cases against the press, but did not note that News Group Newspapers shared its ultimate ownership by News Corp. The Mail also mentioned its own case in its coverage. The Sun did not say that it, too, was being sued by Harry. The Express quoted a Mirror spokesman as saying “MGN is now part of a very different company” but did not add that that company was Reach, owners of the Express (and Star).

Only the Guardian, The Times and Mail bothered to print anything about day two of this trial, when Sherborne told the court that Morgan “lies at the heart” of the claims. The Times and Mail both led on the Mirror contentions that stories put down to hacking might have been leaked by a palace aide or the result of an interview with Harry. The Guardian went on Morgan “approving” the illegal blagging of Prince Michael of Kent’s bank details. The reporter allegedly given the assignment was Gary Jones, now Editor of the Express. The Times and Mail did not include this in their stories; the Express ran nothing on the case that day.

But nobody reads print newspapers any more. Dead tree news is dead. People get their news online. So what about live coverage on the day the Mirror trial started?

Broadcasters featured it prominently; independent websites ran live feeds. The Times, FT, Independent, Guardian and Telegraph all had it among the top four stories online. But scroll as far as you could on the Sun, Mail and Mirror home pages and you would find not a word. Click on the ‘royals’ or ‘celebrities’ tabs and you’d find Kate and George and Charlotte and Sophie, and more Sussex bad-mouthing, but nothing on the trial. Only by searching ‘Harry and High Court’ did the Mail offer agency reports of the case on a page called ‘wires’, which has no tab or link from the home page. This is what you call burying bad – or inconvenient – news.

By day 45 of this little snapshot, not one single national newspaper had presented to its readers a full and fair account of any of the proceedings in the High Court.

The Times and Telegraph came closest, but the rest were either partisan, deliberately blind or uninterested. The Guardian, which of course uncovered and doggedly pursued the phone-hacking scandal from 2009 and blew the whole thing open with its Milly Dowler bombshell in 2011, played the cases up, while most of the others tried to play them down.

When you have such high-profile litigants taking on the country’s biggest news brand – actually accusing its journalists of being criminals – it is worthy of proper attention. When you have a royal prince claiming that the heir to the throne accepted £1 million in hush money to stop him taking the second-biggest news brand to court, it is worthy of proper attention. When you have the King’s son accusing one of the country’s most prominent television presenters of overseeing industrial scale law-breaking, it is worthy of proper attention.

There are those who accuse the British press of a culture of omertà, a reluctance to acknowledge, let alone confront, malpractice within the ‘club’, even by rivals. They will be able to cite the Harry coverage in support of that complaint. Regardless of whether they are right, this widespread refusal to face challenges to our industry is troubling. But more so is the fact that it raises the question: if reporting of these cases is so unreliable, what does it say about what we are served on everything else?

Meanwhile, the vilification of Harry and his wife continues apace. The day after the Coronation, the anti-Brexit author Edwin Hayward tweeted that he had logged more than 100 negative stories about the couple on the Express website in the space of 72 hours.

These papers know full well that the press has hounded Harry since boyhood and that he blames the tabloids for the death of his mother. But now they brush all that aside as ‘other people’ and ‘all in the past’. It is absolutely in all of their interests to discredit the prince as he stands up to them in court – and they are doing their damnedest to avoid letting their readers know why.

This is an extract from ‘Royal Reporting: The Media and the Monarchy’ edited by John Mair and Andrew Beck. It will be published by MGM Books on 1 June