#Functions are first-class values

[sirfrogsworth]

These idiots have a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose of West Point and other similar military academies.

They all think it is to create badass wartime generals and Green Berets.

In reality, West Point is primarily interested in creating nerds and bureaucratic leadership (a.k.a. middle management).

Mostly the nerds though.

The first thing you need to know is 80% of the US Army is made up of non-combat positions. (Which is why it is very silly to exclude trans people from the entire military.) This weird right wing obsession needing everyone in the military to be a roided-out Rambo is extremely outdated. The Army needs everything from cooks to musicians to janitors. But they also have engineers and physicists and biologists and doctors.

West Point pays for tuition in exchange for 5 years of service. They spend a lot of money on the graduates. The last thing they want is to create cannon fodder. They already have poor people of color to fill that role.

They want officers who have the logistical, strategic, and coordinative skills to tell the cannon fodder where to go and what to do. And they want nerds to manage the needs of high tech modern warfare. They don't care if these people can shoot things super good. They don't care if they can hike up a mountain with 50 pounds of gear. They don't care if they are women, POC, or trans. Only dipshit political leaders like Trump and Hegseth are that discerning. The people in the Army tasked with actually getting shit done only care about logistics, competent leadership, and technological superiority.

West Point offers a degree in statistics.

Do you think they are going to send a statistician into fucking battle?

No. They need that nerd to calculate how many civilian deaths are acceptable in a "proportionate" response scenario.

There is an actual formula for that. Created by a nerd. They weight the "value" of the target against potential civilian casualties and they may even factor in the proximity to a mosque or hospital. If the value of the target is very high, the concern for civilians decreases.

Find me a jarhead who can figure out that morbid calculus.

For the most part, West Point is just a university. You have to role-play as a soldier while you are there, but you can still take a philosophy class and study French literature if you'd like. It has to be a functional degree because the graduates want to get good jobs once they finish their 5 years. They want a proper education out of the deal.

Sometimes West Point farts out a top general. But they are much more interested in training engineers and computer dorks.

Manly meatheads need not apply.

[river-of-wine]

Molly O'Shea is Irish on purpose. Everything about her was written on purpose for a reason. I rattle on a lot about Irish identity in Red Dead, but it seems to only be taken into account when discussing Sean when it comes to the Irish characters, and that is to be expected when Sean talks about it the most. However, it is a relevant part to every Irish character in the game. The O’Driscolls more as a unit, as we’ve only got two named members of that gang who aren’t just there to shoot you and be shot, but it’s still immensely important to recognise when discussing them and how they function, operate and exist. It’s important for Colm, and why he pronounces his name like that, his rejection of his Irish identity in favour of assimilating more with America, presenting himself as an American man, whilst taking advantage of the disenfranchised men from his same background and exploiting them just the same. It’s important for Kieran, even with his own disconnection from his culture and how out of place constantly seems to be. And it’s important for Molly. They’re all Irish on purpose. There was a choice made for this character, for every character who falls into any kind of vulnerable class in this country, in this time, in this society. There’s a reason why Dutch van der Linde - who willingly uses the exploitation and genocide of Native Americans to further his own goals, who runs a gang full of people indebted to him with no choice, no safe, realistic options other than to depend on said gang for their survival and safety - is written to be in a relationship with a young Irish woman. Molly’s age tends to be the aspect of their imbalanced relationship most frequently examined, to the point where little else about the unbalanced scales of their dynamic is looked at in equal measure here. Yeah, it’s very weird how Dutch is about young women, and it’s pointed out by Molly herself, that she - a woman who is referred to on multiple occasions as a girl rather than a woman, who is older than Mary-Beth but still clearly young herself - is too old for him. Molly being young is important and intentional, but so is Molly being Irish. She is in an abusive relationship with an older man, but she is also in an abusive relationship with an American man, and this is as inseparable from their dynamic as her age is. This is 1899 America, and this is Dutch van der Linde. This is a man we know - especially with Red Dead Redemption in mind - will exploit the vulnerable and whose violence towards women is no secret. Molly is in this gang for incredibly different reasons from everybody else around her, and even in comparison to the other Irish gang members she is out of place, but functionally, she needs the gang just the same, and Dutch has made this young, vulnerable woman completely reliant on him, only to cast her aside and refuse to give her such basic respect as her first name when she becomes more trouble than she’s worth. He does not treat Molly like a person. He does not value her feelings or her needs, he will only give her any attention when it is done in his terms, the results of his emotional abuse and neglect are nothing more than inconveniences to him. He doesn’t respect her. He doesn’t value her. The woman he gawks at, the younger, more desirable woman he attempts to make a move on when Molly loses her appeal, is a young American woman. Mary-Beth is younger, yes, but she’s also American. Molly can never be younger, and she can never be American. Molly is the only Irish woman in the gang, and it is her that Dutch is in a relationship with, and it is her who is treated by Dutch the way she is. Inherently, Molly’s status as an Irish immigrant is built into both her character and this relationship. That was done on purpose. Her poem is written the way it is on purpose. Molly is Irish on purpose. Do you see what I’m getting at here? Am I making sense?

[twstfanblog]

Hello I have a request, if you aren't doing requests please ignore this! But anyways the request is that may I have the TWST characters (especially the housewardens) and how would they react see their s/o in like traditional clothing from their world (example: Chinese traditional clothing is like qipao) Thank you so much! Have a fabulous day 💝

Qipao (Traditional & Modern) Reactions

Housewardens x Reader

Riddle

Traditional

Thinks the dress is beautiful. Even though it's loose, it still carries an air of professionalism. A perfect garment for his lovely rose. Really likes the modest nature of them.

Asks you lots of questions on the history of the garment if you know it. Ask if he could wear one as well. Just so many questions, he's pulled out a notebook to take notes.

Matching rose patterned qipao/tang suit for walks in the garden together!

Modern

WHY IS THE SLIT SO HIGH!?

Still thinks it's a very pretty dress, but he can not stop looking at the thigh slit. It compels him. Good lord, you're not even wearing tights!

Struggling to remain polite, but the dress is form fitting and you have a very lovely ass- excuse him, he needs to...be...out of the public eye.

Leona

Traditional

Jokingly calls it your fancy potato sack. Apologizes if you get actually mad at him calling it that.

Lowkey, he really likes it and does enjoy that it's still comfortable enough for you to nap with him. Half serious asks if they're pajamas.

Will start wearing Dashikis when you wear your qipao. Cultural matching ❤️

Modern

AYO-

Goes dead silent, his eyes are watching your every move. The dress is tight, the slit is mid thigh. You look good and he's pissed you're not in grabbing distance.

Tells you you can't wear that qipao outside of his room. Not even Ramshackle. Now walk closer, he's gonna...grab ya.

Azul

Traditional

Fascinated and asking questions. Both about the cultural history and the manufacturing side.

Thinks it's a very lovely dress with high marketing potential; simple yet perfect for all class levels due to the fabric and embroidery you can make with it.

Lowkey wants to gift you some more because he just likes them so much and he thinks you look elegant in them (Be his spouse please).

Modern

Honestly, it took him a hot minute to really notice. Since modern qipaos are made to be so fancy, he first started picking it apart to discern value like he does all new things.

Really noticed the silhouette and how revealing it was once he looked at the chest area and saw how tight it was.

Compliments the dress but then says he has important business to do. No, he will NOT stand up-

Kalim

Traditional

OH! You look so pretty! You always look pretty, but the qipao just makes you look EXTRA pretty like every other thing you wear.

He's breaking down the outfit by the quality of fabric alone. He pouts it's not 100% some super rare silk that only grows in 4 parts of the world in Spring during the rain on a full moon.

Whining at you and Jamil to let him make so many qipaos. He will have a literal factory up and running by mid day just to make you more of these gorgeous slips so that you're always cozy.

Modern

Nearly ruins it doing a spit take at seeing you. The boy is too stunned to speak, mouth open and getting coconut juice all over his front.

Once he snaps out of it he's all smiles again and asking you to show it off. Do a spin! The fabic is so pretty when you twirl, can you dance in it!? Come dance with him!

Lowkey just way too excited about you being in them. Fills him with some kind of energy where he just wants to hold you and spin around with you. Keeps fighting himself to not get down on one knee.

Vil

Traditional

'Oh?'

Interested in them but has his complaints (as always). He doesn't like how they hang shapeless, but the positives manage to outweigh the negatives in its function and appearance. Over all thinks its a cute house dress design and that you look nice in them.

Ends up commissioning some silk qipaos to have as lounge wear. Being comfortable, yet ready to host is an amazing new option he's gained.

Modern

'OH!?'

More complaints but it's because the dress is so sexy. It's too tight, the slit shows too much thigh, the boob window is unnecessary. He won't stop complaining but lowkey is so FLUSTERED.

He keeps tugging and picking at the outfit like he isn't pulling you into his lap to mutter into your neck all his frustrations on having such an attractive partner.

Idia

Traditional

Almost didn't really notice because he was showing you something in his game. Once he does notice he remarks on how nice you look.

Honestly, doesn't say much about it but will take notice if you wear them a lot when you go see him. He'll ask about them, asks if you really like them. He can and will buy you a bunch of them in various colors and patterns.

He does get you matching ones of your mains in the current MMO he's dragged you into. Lazy cosplaying for the win.

Modern

He took one look and froze, only unfroze because he started dying in game.

How could you do this? Why have you come into his room looking SEXY and forced him to look at you? What do you think hes gonna do???? Rip your clothes off and throw you on the bed????

He keeps peeking at you then turning away with his hair giving away just how flustered he is. Still manages to stutter out how nice you look.

Malleus

Traditional

Oh look at this. His lovely child of man is in new clothing. Please give him the entire history on the garment.

Lowkey, I think he'd really like them. It's very simple but with the potential of being super fancy just with easy fabric choices and embroidery.

Compliments you all the time when he sees you wearing one. Asks if only certain people can wear them. Do you think he'd look good in one? Just really likes them.

Modern

"...So, would you like a Summer wedding?"

This a dangerous game. He loves you so much already, but now you show him how attractive you are in tight clothing that shows off your skin? He will marry you, he will marry you so fast.

Lowkey rips it on accident, and apologies for hours. God forbid if you got one with a dragon winding around you. He honeslty got a little territorial and that's why his claws got caught on the stitching...

[catsushinyakajima]

Voltron characters as algebraic expressions/distributions:

PIDGE: the binomial distribution

Binomial distributions display probabilities for a set number of binary trials (only two choices) within an experiment. I feel like this represents her because of her experimental nature as well as the two choices she was faced with in s1: saving the universe or leaving to save matt and her dad.

LANCE: sine function

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE WAVES!! Bro is smooth and bro swings both ways. Also, a sine wave is a periodic function, meaning it repeats the same pattern again and again. This can represent how while Lance is moving forward, he feels like is isn't growing or isn't more, but is rather stuck, bouncing between highs and lows.

KEITH: cosecant function

cosecant functions are the reciprocals of sin function (csc=1/sin), so this shows how Keith "reflects" or mirrors Lance. Additionally, the periods of csc functions start at positive or negative infinity and then stray towards the origin, but never quite reach it. This represents how Keith is so far away, and how everytime he comes back he leaves again, and how "home" always feels out of reach for him (csc function approaches horizontal asymptote but never truly gets there)

ALLURA: exponential function

The exponential function starts at an infintessimally small value that is nearly zero, and then rises drastically. The "flatter" values of the graph represent her comatose, and the sudden increase of values reflect her increased power, fight, and drive. It continues to increase forever, which I think can represent her death in canon. She transcends a barrier that the others cannot reach.

CORAN: uniform distribution

MY BOY Coran is the most unwavering support ever. The key aspect of a uniform distribution is that it is always the same value wherever it exists. It doesn't change or shift, just like how Coran has always, ALWAYS been able to constantly be there for the team and the universe.

HUNK: step function

While canon does him dirty, Hunk rises in both confidence and skill throughout the show. He's very methodic and is also a backbone to the team, which is why I gave him a function that's broken so evenly and is still rising. He is the type of character who climbs up. Also, I first used step functions in an engineering class!

SHIRO: hyperbolic function

OMG YALL ALR KNOW!! Not all hyperbolic functions map this way fyi, but THESE particular ones are sooooo Shiro. There is two parts of the graph, one positive and one negative. They never touch but they mirror each other identically and they're mapped by the same function. This represents Kuron and Shiro. They're both made from the same DNA, appear identical, but they have different minds and goals (the same way both parts of this function approach different values as x approaches infinity!)

[probablyautistic-definitleygay]

ok before I get totally infected by the Bashir Brainworms I just gotta say that i love Data so much. he’s a machine with a human soul. he’s a human made of wires. he has a heartbeat. he’s curious. he’s autistic. he gets drunk. he loves to paint. he’s ambidextrous. he doesn’t pick up on social ques. his quarters are decorated with trinkets from his friends. he has a evil twin brother who got the reverse trauma. he misses his father. he values all life. he writes odes to his cat. his teeth are in great condition. he accidentally seduces people. he has dreams. he has nightmares. he is susceptible to finger traps. he’s a culture of one. he organises his closet by colour and function. he’s a cowboy. he’s canonically handsome. he sits up at 90°. he forgets to blink. he hovers outside conversations. he’s a Lieutenant Commander graduating class of ‘78. he tries so very much to sneeze. he can fly the Enterprise all on his own. he’s being so brave. he can sing. he’s so silly. he can be genuinely terrifying. he can pinch the barrel of a gun shut with two fingers. he wears a little visor when he plays poker. he went on trial for his own life and personhood and right to choose and won. he wonders about getting married someday. his voice is perfect. he’d love quiz bowl. he’s asexual. he’s programmed in multiple techniques. the first person he slept w was a lesbian. he keeps a hologram of her at his desk. he grieves. he’s been suicidal. he chose to stay. he glows in Geordi’s VISOR. he gets the emotion chip and immediately crashes out. he does standup comedy. he could take over the Federation in an afternoon but he just wants to play poker instead. he willingly violates the Prime Directive so he can save a little girl’s life. he can easily lift five tons with one hand but carries Spot with the same care as you would a baby. the only difference between him and a human is his physical form. he’s anxious. his side profile is gorgeous. he can control the rate of his hair growth. he fears he’s alone in the universe but considers the crew his family. he’s kindhearted. he’s gentle. he gives second chances. he has so many questions. he does drag. he loves his job. he’s immortal. he’s mortal. he’s genuinely funny as hell. he’s a poet. he’s a telephone. he makes a fedora look good. he hates Sigmund Freud. he twitches like a bird. he’s curious about romance. he can pry open metal doors with ease. he enjoys botany. he infodumps constantly. he plays the violin AND guitar. he gets kidnapped. he cares deeply. for 23 years he never knew what a friend was until he met Geordi. he joined Starfleet to help others. he loves Sherlock. he cosplays. he imprints on every small child he meets. he’s a cat dad. he’s a single father. he loves his daughter. he can breathe underwater. he once lost all memory and his first instinct was to help others. he’s made of circuits and wires. he’s so very warm. he looks damn good in a suit. kids love his peculiar swag. he’s a mafia boss. he values all life. he roleplays for fun. he cries when he reunites w Spot. he doesn’t understand hatred but he understands revenge when his family is hurt. he has an unwavering sense of justice. he’s a professor at Cambridge. the Enterprise is his home. he’s empathetic. he owns at least seven cats. he was fully willing to destroy the emotion chip bc he would not forsake his best friend‘s safety. his greatest desire is to be human. he says he has no emotions but he so so obviously does. he is a machine he is a person he is a microwave he is conscious he is alive he is sentient he’s my specialest little angel he’s my android husband he’s my sweet cheese he’s my good time boy he’s my dearest love he’s my favourite blorbo.

“this is your man?” yes he’s made of tripolymer composites and friendship <3

[mpreglover225]

Exhibit: 1990s Male Pregnancy Portrait – “Field of New Beginnings” Photographer Unknown, Circa 1997]

In this vibrant outdoor shot, Raymond Dawson (left) and Harvey David (right) pose in an expansive, sunlit field. Miguel is seven months pregnant, his shirt removed to showcase the gentle curve of his growing abdomen in the golden late-afternoon light. Clasping hands, the two dads exchange easy smiles—an image of warm intimacy set against a rural American backdrop.

A Modern Love Story (1990s Style) The couple first crossed paths at the Bearer’s Ball, an annual event that had quietly sprouted in major cities during the early 1990s. Organized by a loose network of “bearers” (men who wished to conceive) and prospective partners, these gatherings functioned partly as social mixers and partly as safe spaces for men exploring male pregnancy. Raymond had attended the ball in hopes of meeting someone who shared his vision of parenthood; Miguel came on a whim, persuaded by friends who insisted it was the perfect place to make sincere connections. Fatefully, they struck up a conversation near the punch bowl, bonding over shared family values and a love for folk music.

Within a year, they were engaged—spurred on by the prospect of starting a family together. When they learned that Miguel had conceived, they decided to mark this chapter in their lives with a maternity photo shoot. The photographer captured them in a seemingly endless field, symbolizing the uncharted territory they were forging as a same-sex couple choosing to welcome a child in a world only beginning to acknowledge male pregnancy.

A Pregnancy at Seven Months By the time of this picture, Miguel was well into his third trimester, feeling equal parts excitement and apprehension. Morning sickness had passed, replaced by near-constant cravings for peanut butter and jam sandwiches and a mild but persistent ache in his lower back. Despite a hectic schedule—balancing part-time work with prenatal visits—Miguel found solace in nesting rituals like assembling a vintage crib and organizing the nursery in the small home they rented together.

Plans for an Unmedicated Hospital Birth Unlike some bearers who preferred home births or birthing centers, Miguel’s ideal scenario was an unmedicated hospital birth. He and Raymond felt reassured by having medical professionals nearby, yet they wanted minimal intervention if everything proceeded normally. They’d attended Lamaze-style classes tailored for male pregnancies, embracing relaxation and partner coaching techniques. Raymond, eager to be Miguel’s rock during labor, practiced supportive measures—firm handholds, soothing words, and breathing guidance.

In this portrait, viewers observe not only two men in love but a testament to evolving social tides. Once relegated to underground events like the Bearer’s Ball, their commitment to conceive and raise a child is immortalized in an image that captures tenderness and resolve. Their story speaks to the burgeoning acceptance—still new and fragile in the 1990s—of male pregnancy and the families formed by these determined pioneers.

[lilyflowerstories]

These Violent Delights | 2

Pairings: Jacob Black x Reader, Edward Culled x Reader

Summary: Y/N Swan is just like every other girl and she likes it that way. Normal is fantastic. Normal creates a functioning member of society. Normal is the reason she moved to a small town to live with her police officer father... only to find out that she gets the farthest thing from what she wanted. // Twilight Re-Write.

Warnings for the series: light violence, light angst, light smut

Word Count: 3.4k

| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

✿ ✭ ☾ ✿ ✭ ☾ ✿ ✭ ☾ ✿ ✭ ☾ ✿ ✭ ☾ ✿ ✭ ☾ ✿ ✭ ☾ ✿ ✭ ☾ ✿ ✭ ☾ ✿ ✭ ☾ ✿ ✭ ☾ ✿ ✭ ☾ ✿

The entirety of the lunch period, you couldn’t find the stomach to eat much. Your bowl of tomato soup only had a few spoonfuls taken out of it. But all the saltine crackers were gone. You had gone over and over in your head what you would say to Edward. Now that he was here, you couldn’t remember anything. You had never been in a real confrontation anymore. You took a glance at his table again. 

He looked different than before. Not terribly different, but enough that you noticed. His skin looked less pale and less stretched over his skeleton. The dark circles underneath his eyes aren’t there anymore either. Now, you could see why people said he looked perfect. 

The bell rang and you silently cursed. You couldn’t have been given more time? Reluctantly, you went with Eric and Mike to your biology class. Eric and you looked over when Mike started frantically digging in his backpack. 

“Ah, shit. Hey, tell Mr. Donoghue that I left my textbook in my car and I’m going to get it.” 

“Okay.” 

Mike ran as fast as possible while the two of you continued going to class. Eric sighed before turning to face you as you stood right in front of the doorway to bio class. 

“Hey, so, about prom, I’m the one in charge of communicating with the dj. I’ve lived my whole life here so I know my music choice sucks so I’m gonna need your playlist.” 

“Okay, when?” you asked as you pulled out your phone to jot down that note. 

“As long as it’s before the month ends, that’s cool. And then dates…  I was wondering do you think Ang—” 

“How you liking the rain, Arizona?” Mike shook out his baseball cap that got soaked in the rain from the run to his car. 

“Guys! Class is about to start. Please take your seats,” Mr. Donoghue cut off whatever Eric was trying to say. If it was important, he’d get back to you later. 

Unfortunately, his lab partner and your lab partner were back so you had to sit with Edward Cullen. There was a slight smile on his face as you walked towards your lab bench. Before you got a chance to say the prepared speech, he spoke. 

“Hello. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself the other day. I’m Edward Cullen.” His voice was smooth like coffee and somewhat low in its sound. “You’re Y/F/N Swan, right?”  

“Y/N.” 

You didn’t give him a chance to say anything else, turning your head to listen to Mr. Donoghue’s lesson. He must have been in cahoots with the universe because his assignment was partner work. The prize? A golden onion that has no value until he comes up with what it stands for. At least only one person could look through the microscope at a time. Edward pushed the device towards you. 

“Ladies, first.” 

“Why were you gone?” You looked in the microscope. “And it better be a good answer too… It’s prophase.” 

“Mind if I check?...Yeah, I was out of town for a couple days. It’s prophase.” 

“Like I said and the empty chair next to me told me that much.” 

“Personal reasons.” 

“Do personal reasons involve rude interactions?” 

“Uh, no. I’m sorry about that. It wasn’t the best day for me before you showed up to class.”  

“Apology accepted, I guess.” 

“So are you enjoying the rain?... What?”

You tried to stop laughing. “You’re asking me about the weather?” 

“Yeah, I guess I am.” 

“Well, no, not really. I’m not really a fan of any cold or wet place.” 

Edward chuckled as he checked another slide. 

“What?” 

“Nothing.” He shook his head. “It’s anaphase.” 

“Mind if I check… Anaphase.” 

“Like I said,” he joked. “If you don’t like the rain then why did you move to the wettest place in the continental United States?” 

“Baseball.” 

“Baseball? It’s also anaphase. Do you want to check it?” 

“No, I believe you.” 

Edward listened intently as you retold your story to yet another person about why you were in Forks, asking questions when necessary. You guys continued to do your work and talk. He carried the golden onion prize as he escorted you to your locker. 

“Why didn’t you move with your mother and Phil?” 

“Moving once means moving again. Phil could get a second contract next year and we’d be in California or Maine or some stupid place like Delaware.” 

“But now you’re unhappy staying here?” 

“It’s complicated.” 

Edward paused. “I’m sorry, I’m asking too much. I’m just trying to figure you out. You’re very difficult for me to read.” 

“Well, asking questions like a normal human bei— hey, did you get contacts?” 

“No.” 

“I swear your eyes were black last time I saw you, now it’s like a golden brown color.” 

“Uh, no. It’s the fluorescents.” 

He walked away before you could say anything else. You didn’t see Edward until school ended and you went to your truck. He and his siblings seemed to be looking directly at you but you thought you were just being paranoid. You turned back around to dig through your bag for your keys. The screeching of tires caught your attention but it was too late. Tyler’s van was barrelling towards you and your feet couldn’t seem to move. 

Now was not the time to find out that your flight or fight response was the dreaded third option of freeze. You could see Edward, four cars away, staring at you in horror. His mouth dropped open. The same as all the other faces that were about to witness your death. Almost everything moved in slow motion.

The hunk of blue metal slid towards you, you felt something grab your waist, you were pulled down to the ground, and a pale hand was on the van that wasn’t hitting you. You stared at the dent in the metal caused by the hand before turning your head to make eye contact with Edward. 

He stared at you for a moment before letting go of you and running away. You were suddenly surrounded by people asking if you were alright. None of them seemed to have noticed Edward wasn’t there. The next thing you knew, you blacked out. 

The lights of the hospital were blinding when you finally came to your senses. The door opened with a vengeance and in strolled your very anxious father. He wouldn’t calm down no matter how much you tried to speak with him, threatening Tyler’s license and everything. It’s not like it was his fault his tires skidded on ice. You mouthed an apology before shutting the small curtain that divided the two hospital beds. 

“Dad, Dad I’m fine. Okay? I was lucky that Edward was there, no injuries.” 

“Edward?” Charlie turns to Dr. Cullen. “Your boy?” 

You cut in before the doctor could even get the chance to say anything. It seemed like he was going to lie. 

“Yeah, he got to me so quickly.” 

Dr. Cullen gave you a tight smile. “It sounds like you were very lucky. You just need to sign some paperwork, Charlie, and then you are good to go.” 

After Charlie signed the paperwork, he went to warm up the car before you had to drive to the school to get your truck and then drive home. You turned the corner to one of the vending machines when you stopped after seeing Carlisle, Edward, and Rosalie talking with each other. It didn’t seem like a friendly conversation either. They were definitely arguing. As if they could hear you just breather, the three of them turned towards you. 

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” you asked. 

Edward looked reluctant as he made his way towards you. “What?” 

“How did you get over to me so quickly?” 

“Y/N, what are you talking about? I was standing right next to you.” 

“No, you weren’t. Don’t try to lie through this either. You were across the parking lot. I know what I saw.” 

“And what was that?” 

“You stopped the van with your hand.” 

Edward’s somewhat amused face turned cold. “Well no one is going to believe you anyway. Can’t you just thank me and we just drop it?” 

“Thank you.” 

“You aren’t going to let this go, are you?” 

“Not at all,” you tell him, determined. 

“Well, I hope you enjoy disappointment.” 

You went home that night with more questions than answers and the oddly sneaking suspicion that someone was watching you. You went to the bathroom and took your shower while thinking about how Edward stopped the van. So far, you had no concrete answers. You went to bed without any answers as well. Although you did wake up in the middle of night after having a strange dream about Edward. 

You tried to not think about that as you went to school the next day. The buses were already up front when you parked, ready for the field trip that you were positive wasn’t going to be very fun. Edward and his siblings, Alice and Jasper, walked past you. Mike popped up in front of you. 

“Hey, you’re alive, Arizona!” 

“You need more than a van to take me down.” 

The two of you laugh as you hi-fived. 

“So I was wondering, are you going to prom?” 

“Um, I don’t know yet. Charlie said I get two free no questions asked days if I go but me and dancing… it’s not pretty.” 

“Well, do you know if Jess is going?” 

“Mike!” you gasped. “Are you trying to ask Jessica out?” 

“Lower your voice, please. Okay, I may have had a small crush on her since we were seven and I am choosing to ask out my very good friend to prom.” 

“She’s going. I’m going dress shopping with her and Ang next weekend.” 

“Okay. Okay, cool.” Mike walked off before coming right back. “Do you think she likes me?” 

“Most definitely.” 

“Sweet. Thanks, Y/N/N. You’re the best.” 

He got on one of the buses while you got on the other. Tyler sat next to you, plugging your headphones into the jack on his phone. You nodded along to Blue October’s “Hate Me” as it played. The two of you didn’t talk at all but stared out the window like you were in a music video and listened to music until you reached your destination. 

The greenhouse was… interesting. That was the nicest way you could put it. Maybe it would have been nicer if you all weren’t cramped in the small walkway between the plants. Mr. Molina and Mr. Donoghue were trying their hardest to get people to water the plants or give them soil. 

“Now, I’m gonna make a steaming cup of compost tea.” 

He handed it to Eric. You laughed as you heard a very panicked yell. 

“No! Don’t drink it! It’s for the plants.” 

“What’s a no questions asked day?” a deep voice behind you asked. 

You nearly jumped out of your skin. Turning around, you saw the classic peacoat and never out of place hair of Edward Cullen. When had he even come up behind you? 

“You know you’re not helping your case. How’d you even hear that?” 

“You didn’t answer my question.” 

“Dude, you never answer any of mine. You don’t even say hi.”

“Hi.” 

“Please try to act less like a human. Are you gonna tell me anything? Preferably about the other day.”  

“Yeah. I had an adrenaline rush,” he said clinically. “It’s very common. You can Google it.” 

You paused and looked at him. “You’re a terrible liar. And a no question day is when I tell Charlie I need to do something or go somewhere and he asks no questions. It’s a mutual trust betwe—” 

You tripped but felt air and two cold hands grab you instead of feeling your face kiss pavement. 

“Careful,” Edward said as he set you upright again. 

“Thanks. So are you going to answer any of my other questions?” 

“Um. Ma—” 

“Y/N/N!” Jess stepped in between you two. “Guess who just asked me to prom?” 

Edward took the opportunity to slip away. 

“Who?” you feigned ignorance. 

“Mike! I’ve been hoping since forever but like he actually asked me.” 

You and Jess talked the entire way out of the greenhouse and onto the buses, forgetting about Edward and wanting to ask him more questions until it was too late. You weren’t going to think about him for the rest of the day. You had a father-daughter/mother-son date with Charlie, Jacob’s mom, and Jacob. Which meant going to a restaurant because both Charlie and Sarah worked long hours and weren’t going to cook. And Billy was doing his physical therapy for walking so there was no way anyone would force him to cook. 

You went to pick up Jacob at his school while his mom picked up Charlie from the station. He was still inside when you reached the school. It felt stupid signing the visitors clipboard when the school day was already over but you did it anyway just in case. When you made it to a hangout area for students you spotted Jake with his friends. 

You’d like to say they were your friends too but you never got very close with them over the summer. Embry usually went somewhere with his mom, Quil’s grandfather kept inside most of the time, and Seth had sports.

And their acquaintances you knew even less. Paul and Jared were always one grade level above you all and hung out with themselves. Sam didn’t seem to like any of you despite being only a couple years older than you and having even a smaller age gap with Paul. And Leah didn’t come around because either her loser younger brother was there or Sam was there which sucked because you wanted another girl around. 

“Hey, Y/N,” Embry said as you turned the corner. 

“Hi, guys. Jake, you ready?”  

“Yeah. See you guys later.” 

He nodded at his friends before getting up to stand next to you. Your fingers twitched as he intertwined them with his own. He rolled his eyes at the wolf whistles from his friends, laughing when you threw up a middle finger while the two of you walked away. 

“So where are we going?” you asked. 

“Who picked last summer?” 

“Charlie.” 

“Oh, nice, so it’s my turn.” Jacob looked something up on his phone. “Smuggler’s Bar and Grill, sound good? It’s in Port Angeles though.” 

You shrugged. “Eh, I’ve already finished all my homework and Charlie doesn’t go back to work until the graveyard shift. Go ahead and text them our choice.” 

Your truck pulled out of the school parking lot and headed towards the highway. Jacob fiddled with the radio for at least one decent station while you drove the hour it took just to get to Port Angeles. Honestly, you didn’t mind the time. The drive, surrounded by trees, was comforting. Especially with your best friend. 

If you and Jake weren’t singing to songs, you were gossiping about school. There was no need to catch up on anything else. Jake was one of the few people you texted nearly everyday despite being so far away most of the year — including the fact that he had a secret girlfriend for three years. Whenever he wanted to get her a present, he would text you what it was and would pretend he was sending it to you so Billy and Sarah wouldn’t get suspicious. It worked. They didn’t find out even after the two broke up. 

You guys pulled into the restaurant and waited for your parents to show up. Like you predicted, Sarah already analyzed the entire menu and knew what she wanted to order. Jake held up his phone. 

“They said they’re twenty minutes away and the food takes that long to prepare so order for them.” 

“I’m surprised she got Charlie to pick something ahead of time.” 

The two of you went in and got a table like they said. The host smiled a bit too sweetly as they called over a waiter. You and Jacob looked at each other and came to the same conclusion at the same time, silently gagging. There was no way they thought that you guys were on a date. Absolutely not. Was it because you were holding hands? The two of you pulled apart but the damage was already done. 

The waiter sat you down at what you could tell was the restaurant’s nicest booth by the best window that would let you look out onto the water. He handed you the menus and left to give you alone time to think. 

“Just gross, no offense,” you said. 

Jacob shrugged. “None taken. I would never date you, you’re, like, my friend.” 

“Same. Too weird… Do you think they’ll give us free dessert if we are though?” 

“Do you want to play it up?” 

“Absolutely.” 

Jacob gave you a smile you had never seen before but assumed he must have given to his girlfriend. He laid his hand across the table for you to grab. You took it with no problem — Jake’s hands were always warm and still a bit soft since he wore gloves when he worked on cars and bikes. His thumb stroked the back of your hand and he set the menu down to look at you. Almost like magic, or like they’ve been secretly watching, the wait staff came over. 

“Are you two ready to order?” he asked as he set down two glasses of water. 

“Ladies first,” Jake let go of your hand, ready to scoop up your menu when you finished speaking. 

“Um, does the shrimp scampi have a smell?” you asked in fake concern, hoping the waiter would catch on to teen angst of potential bad breath before a first kiss. 

“Oh, no, I got you, honey.” He had a noticeable southern accent. “What do you want to drink?” 

“Iced Tea, please. Oh, and a Caesar salad with ranch dressing.” 

“Got it. And for the young sir?”

“I’ll take the Not Your Mother’s Mac and Cheese along with a lemonade. Oh, and our parents are chaperoning but they’re a little late. Can we get them one clam chowder and one Hawaiian chicken sandwich both with Ruby tonics? What is a ruby tonic?” 

“Oh, I’m so glad you kids are too young to know what it is. Your food will be ready in a minute.” 

He took the menus and walked away. You could hear him gossip to the rest of the staff about chaperones. Jacob grabbed your hand again, giving it a peck. 

“You know he’s totally gonna bring you breath mints. Did you really ask if the shrimp would smell?” 

“Hey, I had to sell it. What brand do you think it’ll be?” 

Jake kissed your hand again. “Lifesavers. They scream not obvious for teenagers asking.” 

“You say this from experience?” 

“Ehh with Elle a couple of times.” 

“Really? I can’t believe you had your first kiss and girlfriend and I couldn’t even get a date for homecoming. You’re still a virgin right?” 

“Yes. I am still a loser virgin.” 

“Hey, I’m a virgin.” 

“Well then in that case virginity rocks.” 

You and Jacob cheered and clinked glasses before laughing when you were unable to hold it anymore. He moved over to your side since the two of you would have to be sitting together anyway once Charlie and Sarah showed up. He took the opportunity to sling his arm around you while you snuggled up to him. The two of you could clearly hear awes. 

“If we actually get free dessert,” Jacob whispered. “We need to do this more often.”  

Your parents came in exactly when the food came out. They looked at the two of you weirdly as you awkwardly broke apart. You shook your head before Charlie could say anything. They went with it like you had asked.  Your parents could do absolutely nothing but shake their heads and smile as the waiter brought out free cinnamon rolls in to-go boxes for not just you and Jacob but for the “chaperones” as well. 

You guys left a generous tip, cleaned up the table, and left the restaurant. You and Jacob clinked the to-go boxes together. 

“Here’s to fake boyfriends.” 

“Here’s to fake girlfriends.”

✿ ✭ ☾ ✿ ✭ ☾ ✿ ✭ ☾ ✿ ✭ ☾

| next |

[jonquilyst]

Day 27 - Challenge Day

Today's challenge is in Evergreen Harbor, and let's just say that we're getting our hands dirty 😈 If you hate being grimy and gross, then boy do we have the challenge for you!

The citizens of Evergreen Harbor not only love to leave their trash around, they're also known for their love to recycle and repurpose things. That's why we're going to one of Evergreen Harbor's community lots, where there's trash galore and dumpsters filled to the brim with stuff. Who knows what you might find in there?

So, for today's challenge, we're going to act like an Evergreen Harbor resident and dive in the dumpsters for whatever might be hiding in there! Y'know, to see if anything might be of use. 🤷‍♀️ The contestant whose object is the most valuable in simoleons wins invincibility and first class!

Elio dives in first, showing off their painted toenails while searching for anything of value.

Estrello and Alanna dive simultaneously; as a girl, it pains me that Alanna has to gross up her beautiful summer outfit, but the host in me is jumping for joy 😈

Matteo dives next, and while he dives, Avery decides to use the nearby recycling machine to recycle her finds, as sadly she was only able to find some worthless trash.

Tomiko had no problem diving in deep for her treasure! She is the final contestant to dumpster dive, so as soon as she found something it was time for the results!

RESULTS

Alanna: Dye (§10) Avery: Recyclable Trash (§0) Elio: Computer (§2,525) Estrello: §8 cash Matteo: §5 cash Nite: Chair (§130) Tomiko: Recyclable Trash (§0)

Well, I think it's pretty obvious who our winner is!

ELIO WINS!

Elio found a functional computer!! And with that they knocked this challenge out of the park! While Elio decides who they might choose to bring to first class, everyone is gonna have a shower because P-U, everyone stinks!

Oh, and remember how I said this challenge was special? Well, I was actually talking about our elimination. We're having a double elimination tonight! Teehee 😈 See you all at the ceremony!

Today's Confessional: Avery Bennett

"Oh my god, that challenge was so gross... While I had my hands in there I felt something slimy, and it turned out to be a super moldy takeout somebody threw out! Ugh! I made sure to take a long shower... At least I did some good by recycling the garbage that I found, since I didn't find anything good or usable."

@paracosmic-sims @invisiblequeen @lyratea @matchalovertrait @hellogreta

@kissalopa @kari-sims

[evilbugwizard]

Gave Cloudripper sort of an overhaul!

Alt mode is a Martin B-57B:

His lore under the cut:

Hes a cold construct built on the tail end of nova prime’s population boosting campaign/silver harvest. Cloudripper and his batchmates were a small set of specialty builds made for surveillance and security work as a commission from a courier company that transported high value goods. At this point he functioned sort of as a body guard/security during transit for the shuttles moving the goods. This is when he bonds with a shuttle named Ballast who sort of takes him under his wing.

Eventually as tensions around cold constructs rise and apartheid is put in place, the company he was working for “lets him go” and he finds himself living in the cold construct quarters on the lower end of the city and doing odd jobs to scrape by. He also completely loses contact with his unofficial mentor Ballast

Anyway after a undisclosed amount of time passes and apartheid is lifted, he actually sets off to reconnect with ballast and maybe his old batchmates. Only to find out ballast is actually missing- this is also when he gets more or less introduced to the decepticon movement as he follows a trail of breadcrumbs to find his old mentor. He does find him eventually sort of by accident, when they are both detained in the same enforcer station due to misunderstandings and wrongful arrests. When they get free they officially join the decepticon movement together, and all is well for a little while. That is until the riot in vos, which results in ballast’s death. This leads to even more resentment towards high class and senate bots, and those trying to stop their revolution.

I havent quite decided what his catalyst for leaving the cons is, but he would be with them for quite a while. At first as a scout, later as a spy/more complicated reconnaissance and a communications officer. He has his knives for close combat but he isn’t particularly good at it, he prefers to be a sniper.

The general idea is that something heinous enough would happen and he’d finally realize the cons arent fighting for what he believes in anymore. He’d impulsively sabotage a mission and then realize he’s utterly fucked, and have to go in hiding.

Eventually would begrudgingly admit the autobots have a point, and try to convince them to let him in hah. Originally he gets his frame repainted and changed here and there to seem less threatening and maybe a little more trustworthy and not con-like, but he finds he actually likes the new colors quite a bit

After the war the idea of just leaving and starting over sounds extremely appealing, so he joins the lost light crew. Its not even that he believes in finding the knights of cybertron, everything just reminds him too much of the absolute fumble his entire life has been, so he just wants to get away and a “noble quest” would make him feel better about it all.

[tanadrin]

in my new programming language:

whitespace--including line breaks and space characters--is forbidden

arrays are indexed starting at -1. they still go up, btw. they just start at -1.

multi-dimensional arrays are indexes boustrophedon-style. every other row is indexed in the opposite direction.

to keep file sizes down, there are no comments

not only do you need a header file for every class declaring variables and functions, you need a footer file with a statement explaining how this class complies with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

to encourage concise code, variables are limited to two letters. the first letter determines the type, and the second letter must be unique. also, you are limited to 256 variables at one time, because nobody really needs more than that.

the compiler will attempt to guess whether the value you have typed is decimal, hexidecimal, binary, etc. you may not provide any hints. it needs to do this on its own, for personal growth reasons.

[rei-ismyname]

Emma and Cyclops try to break up

*Record scratch* Lovely to see these crazy kids kissing passionately (though I wish Scott was the one dipping) but how did they get here? No more secrets.

The Dark Reign of Norman Osborn has ended and Utopia is saved! It took a lot out of everyone to get that W, and Emma and Scott are feeling it. In part due to playing the role of villain and double agent, she leaves a breakup note on their bedside table and packs her bags. Scott reads enough to realise she's leaving out of shame and runs to find her. She couldn't do it. He's pretty fucked up too, carrying a lot of guilt. They both have a lot to confess. Seeecrets.

I think Scott has an idea of what she's going to say. My read is that he wants to lay his sins bare first in an act of total honesty and to establish the challenging situation they're in - together. Fixing up the power imbalance like a see-saw so they're having the conversation as equals. They enter a psychic space inside Scott's head, and there's always been one locked off section nobody else can enter. The man has seriously strong psychic defences, helped by both Jean and Emma. It does reflexively annoy me that he talks over her and makes it about him (Logan Behavior) but you can be the judge of whether he's justified.

Emma shares what the last few months have been like for her - a supervillain convention with some of the worst people around plus Namor and Loki. I think she's being a little hard on herself, but honestly, Scott doesn't care.

She's ashamed and sorry but Scott skips forgiveness and goes straight to 'I love you.' He doesn't even care that she banged Tony Stark and Namor. Emma thinks she's ruined everything and Scott disagrees. Not sure how much of a factor his own guilt plays, but he stuck by Jean when she did a casual genocide. When Scott loves, he loves hard.

Emma thinks that he keeps Jean feelings in the black box, but it's not that. It's his deepest secrets and shames, partitioned away so he can function. Needing to tell someone and wanting to be transparent with Emma, he opens it up. Seeecrets.

X-Force is in there - the permanent solution to threats against mutant safety. It's an idea that goes against everything Xavier ever dreamed, but this isn't a time for dreamers. Worse, by his estimation, he didn't do any of it himself. He kept his hands clean by delegating to the killers.

Scott still values the dream, interestingly, but not as a way to live. It's a symbol and the hope that things can be better, it binds mutants together. Others value it uncritically, and Scott thinks that's a good thing. Let them dream while he shreds his morals to keep them safe. He's ashamed but he isn't sorry. Emma is right that he is responsible for the lives of everyone on the island, who would have died several times over without him.

Personally, I think the X-Men genre conventions justify proactivity. Otherwise they're just sitting around waiting to be attacked by the same bad faith actors each time. How many buses do they have to blow up before you go after them? Especially when the state considers you second class citizens and won't protect you, if they're not the ones doing the killing themselves. Hell yeah there's going to be guilt and shame running a secret kill squad, but when so many entities are constantly trying to kill you what can you do?

Emma's turn, and she's going deep. Dredging up all her sins and failures. She's ashamed of how she treated Laura, and it wasn't nice at all. I give her some leeway for it being a fraught situation with duty of care, but even then there were better ways to handle it. It was a very human response, but it was a mistake.

I can see why Emma would feel guilty about Wither, but I don't think she fucked up there. She got him psychiatric help and worked hard to support him. If anything, she respected his autonomy. It was impossible to know his therapist was a r*pist supervillain with a kid at the school. I guess that's the point - Emma is in a shame spiral taking on every bit of blame she can think of. Her sister certainly didn't give her a choice, not a real one anyway. She's taking herself at her worst and ignoring all the hard work she's done.

Okay here's some shit she should actually feel bad about - her supervillain phase. Capturing and torturing the X-Men, traumatizing Jean into Dark Phoenix, stealing Ororo's body (totally rape) and funding Sentinels. She certainly suffered for these choices and I don't know how the other X-Men feel about it, but Scott at least forgives her and loves her.

IDK how true it is that everyone thinks Emma is manipulating Scott. Sure, raving misogynist Tony Stark does - and doesn't respect Scott because of it - but fuck him. I think it says more about Tony than anyone else. Again, she comes clean about having sex with Tony and Namor, but Scott DGAF. Not a big deal, they're losers. Well, Tony is. Namor has his moments and ends up a close ally despite all this. I feel like there's major internalised misogyny here, which Emma has an interesting relationship with. It's unusual for men in fiction to be untroubled by these kinds of revelations, but Scott is not an especially jealous person. The gender roles are all over the place even in public. I love me some genderfuckery and these two do it well.

With all their secrets laid bare, they decide to not break up, actually. They're ride or die for many years and both grew a lot in this power couple. Secrets would come back to haunt them both, but at least they can confide and trust in each other. Not only is their partnership solidified but it's a fascinating look into both their psyches (and a gross one into Stark's.)

[thatsmybook]

Just rewatching the documentary and just before 4 mins in, Lisa is explaining to Omar her thought process for what will be the main dilemma/ crux of the show, and it made me realise what exactly Simon was saying when he broke up with Wille at the end of Episode 5. He was saying: I've seen what the monarchy does to you and how it hurts you, I've experienced it myself, so I have additional empathy for how that must feel for you. Also, I, too, am being hurt by it (see all of season 3 when he's not smiling with Wille). I thought I could try it out for your sake to see if I could handle it because you're worth it.

But after spending the birthday day with Prince Wilhelm and the Royal Court, he sees that it will continue to hurt both of them, and there will be no respite, things will only get worse. He has seen Wille get worse right in front of him on that day. It is poisoning Wille, and he is becoming someone he doesn't recognise. Simon decides that he does not want that to happen to either of them. The only thing he can do is leave the system so it can stop hurting him. Unfortunately, because Wille is entwined with Prince Wilhelm, it means he has to leave Wille too.

To me, by staying with Wille, Simon is condoning bad behaviour or the status quo by just going along with everything the Royal Court says while they both slowly deteriorate. So though he leaves Wille to save himself, he is also saving Wille because he is showing Wille that this is not alright, boundaries have to be put in place somewhere and Wille needs to start setting some boundaries for himself too. If Wille thought that Simon would stick around to support him and occasionally be someone he could lash out to, then he may not have felt the need to save himself from the monarchy. Because Simon is around to hold him up.

So for King Wilhelm truthers, Simon is required to know his place as an aid to the King, whilst suppressing his own pain and never putting pressure on the King by asking for help with his own issues. There is never a time when they would be equal in their relationship, even in private, because everything about Simon's values, ambitions, and passions would have to be deleted. King Wilhelm's needs would come first. This is what class does. It sets up hierarchies of certain humans' needs being more important than others and even that certain humans are superior/supreme to others. Therefore, to function, it needs lackeys who know their place to serve those on top. Hillerska, as an institution, is a mirror of Simon's relationship as a partner for the next king. Hillerska being closed is the equivalent of Lisa abolishing the monarchy. (By the way, there's a real-life incident of the 16 year old Prince of Denmark having to be removed from his elite school when issues of sexual abuse and other scandals came to light. This happened in 2022).

On a side note, this made me think about the Duke's role as consort and imagine that that would be Simon's role to model himself on. If we want Wille to remain as a Crown Prince and have his boyfriend, do we want Simon to become as bland and ineffective as the Duke is, where all of his focus is solely on the Queen's needs. Smoothing over any rough patches with innane conversation and totally neglecting and not 'seeing' his child. Simon deserves to be himself, as does Wille.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jay Kuo at The Big Picture:

There’s a common reaction to the headlines these days. Over the past 100 days, those of us who spent any time in law school (or paid attention in civics class) find ourselves recoiling, blinking, or shaking our heads in disbelief, thinking to ourselves, “He can’t do that.” “He” being Trump, and “that” being whatever latest affront to our Constitution and laws he has announced or his administration has done. Because these attacks are so rapid-fire in nature, it’s easy to get lost in the fog of his war on our founding principles. When this happens, it’s helpful to climb to a higher vantage point, reassert how things are supposed to be, and then understand more precisely how Trump has come for the constitutional, foundational values of our nation. These are not always so easy to parse or understand at first glance. Trump isn’t acting with pinpoint precision but rather with a heavy hammer. Moreover, he acts primarily in his own self-interest to accumulate power and money, while our Constitution suffers collateral damage. To complicate things further, some of his declarations and actions violate multiple parts of our Constitution, while others leverage one violation to create or amplify others. Today, I want to focus on five basic principles and rights contained within our founding documents, as envisioned by the founders:

The establishment of co-equal, separate branches of government

The prohibition on corruption within the Emoluments Clause

The First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech and a free press

The Fourth Amendment’s right to due process under law

The Fourteenth Amendment’s right to equal protection

For each of the above, I’ll lay out relevant language and principles before discussing a few key ways Trump has shredded them through his executive orders and actions. Note that this is not meant to be exhaustive; that would no doubt fill whole history books and legal treatises. Rather, through some better-known examples, I hope to provide a way to think rigorously and with discipline about how Trump threatens our constitutional foundations. Through a clearer understanding of the precise nature of his attacks and the core values he threatens, we can all feel less overwhelmed and helpless in the face of the flood while steeling and grounding ourselves more firmly in the defense of our constitutional Republic.

Stay in your lane, Donald: Disrespecting the separation of powers

Our Constitution begins with three distinct articles that establish a tripartite government: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial branches. We understand these to be both independent and co-equal, and that they are intended to place checks upon the power of the others. But where does that notion of separate, co-equal branches that check each other come from? It derives partly from the fact that we have three separate branches in the first place, each charged with different roles. The legislature makes laws and controls the public purse. The executive faithfully executes those laws. And the judiciary, at least since Marbury v. Madison, acts as the arbiter and interpreter of our laws and the Constitution. We often take this set-up for granted, but at one point in our history, before we became a sovereign nation, all these powers lay in one party’s hands. It was a major reason we rebelled against the British crown. As James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 47,

[...]

One of the first things his administration did was freeze billions in funds that Congress had already appropriated. This is called “impoundment” and the Supreme Court ruled 50 years ago, when Nixon tried it, that it’s unconstitutional because it usurps the power of Congress over public funds. If our democracy were functioning in a healthy way, Congress would have impeached Trump over this power grab the moment it happened. We face a crisis today precisely because our GOP-controlled Congress is unwilling to stand up to him and reclaim its authority. That means we must fight in the courts until we have a chance to change the balance of power in the 2026 midterm elections. Beyond seizing critical control of the flow of funds, Trump has also unilaterally imposed the most massive tax hike in generations. He’s done this by raising import taxes, also known as tariffs. It’s important to understand that the President doesn’t actually have the power to impose tariffs on his own. Trump is arguing that Congress gave him that power, however, by allowing him to declare “national emergencies” and impose tariffs in response. But these “emergencies” are pretextual and non-existent, and rule by emergency decree is how authoritarians seize power within a democracy, whether it’s Germany in the 1930s or the U.S. today. Once again, it’s largely up to Congress to stop him, but even just yesterday Republicans in the Senate narrowly voted down an effort to repeal Trump’s tariff authority. The most critical test of our system of governance is now well underway. The judiciary is empowered with interpreting our Constitution, and in a 9-0 opinion has ordered the government to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego García, a migrant wrongfully sent to a maximum security prison in El Salvador at the request of and with payment from the United States. To date, the White House has not done so, though there are reports that half-hearted efforts to request Abrego García’s return have finally begun. In an interview with ABC News, Trump startlingly admitted that he has the power to obey the Supreme Court but is declining to do so because “the lawyers” said the ruling said otherwise. (It did not.) If the White House can seize the power of the purse from Congress and can thumb its nose at judiciary orders, then it has seized for itself “all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands” as Madison warned. And that is in fact “the very definition of tyranny."

[...]

That pesky First Amendment: Trump tramples upon free speech and a free press

Of all of the amendments to our Constitution, we are likely most familiar with the First. On the subject of freedom of speech, it says this:

[Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble….]

Courts have interpreted this to include any state official action, including by the White House, that impinges on free speech. These protections importantly include not permitting government officials to favor one type of speech over another. Thus, content-based laws or restrictions are disfavored and presumptively unconstitutional, while content-neutral laws or regulations (which affect the time, place or manner of speech, without regard to content) can more readily pass muster. For example, in 1972 the Supreme Court held in Police Dept. of City of Chicago v. Mosley that the “government may not grant the use of a forum to people whose views it finds acceptable, but deny use to those wishing to express less favored or more controversial rules.” Further, it held in 1992 in R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul that the “government may not regulate speech based on hostility—or favoritism—toward the underlying message expressed.” And in 1995, it held in Rosenberger v. University of Virginia that a public university couldn’t deny funding to a student publication because its statements were religiously themed, provided it was supplying funding to other groups. This was a form of “viewpoint” discrimination—a disallowed form of content-based regulation. You can probably see where I’m going with this. Over the past 100 days, the Trump White House has regularly engaged in content-based bias and viewpoint discrimination, particularly against the press and other institutions such as big law firms and universities. Take its actions toward the Associated Press. When that organization refused to start calling the Gulf of Mexico by Trump’s new name for it (the “Gulf of America”), Trump tried to ban it from the White House. A federal judge quickly ruled that this was improper viewpoint discrimination. “Under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists—be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere—it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints,” wrote federal district court Judge Trevor McFadden. “The Constitution requires no less.” Trump has also come after major law firms and elite universities for their liberal politics and advocacy for his opponents. One executive order targeted the firm of Perkins Coie, which had done legal work for Hillary Clinton’s campaign as well as defended against election-related lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign, by stripping its lawyers of security clearances necessary to do a great deal of high-level government work.

The first 100 days of the Trump Regime reveal that he has systematically trashed our Constitution.

[kwamiwayzz]

Class of '09 - Jeckole Starter Fic Recs

I saw a post on Twitter earlier asking for fic recommendations for Class of '09 and thought this would be an easy place to start. Disclaimer, most of the ones here are Jeckole since it's pretty much all I read.

Notes are my own thoughts and feelings and don't completely give a full overview of the plot, if at all. You'll just have to check them out yourself ;)

drinking lightning by strictlypudding - If you were a newcomer in the Co09 fandom and wanted to search for the most Kudos'ed fic out of all of them, this would be the first to pop up and I can see why. It's a pretty good starter fic for anyone getting into Jeckole's dynamic and the author's prose when I first read it was top notch.

We're too hot to be best friends without sexual tension by Memeframe - This is a series of Jeckole fics compiled of 8 one/two-shots that follow Nicole and Jecka from high school up to adulthood. When I first read this, I had a fun time and thought the author captured that Co09 flavor when writing Jecka and Nicole's dynamic together.

(more below)

Fuck Life, Fuck the Universe, and Fuck Everything by Progman - I might be biased when giving my thoughts on this because I read it during a time when this VN threw me back to a time I do not like to revisit, but this fic slow-roasted me while I was marinating in my depression and I love the banter and dialogue wrote not just with Nicole and Jecka, but also among the other characters as well. This fic explores more of the growing codependent nature between Nicole and Jecka as well as do a deep dive on Nicole's depression. I also really liked the slow burn of how her being on meds made her slightly less fucked up, but still emphasized that it didn't completely fix her.

Inscriptions by Kayleen756894 - Similar to the one above by Progman, Inscriptions by Kayleen absolutely fucking decimated me then put me back together. As others have mentioned in her comments of this fic, it feels like a crescendo that just keeps getting better and better. For those people who really love the take on Nicole's character not actually being a sociopath and more of someone who's suffers from extreme depression, this is definitely the fic for you.

Jeckole by Anonymous - This is a series of one-shots (some related, some not) that are about Jecka and Nicole in various settings. Currently, there are about 6 works in it, and I unfortunately don't know who the author is since they left themselves as anonymous, but I love the way each one is written. For someone who's looking for more light-hearted, easy-going Jeckole one-shots, this could be a good place to start too.

Youth Without Youth by WorthlessPlant - Another Jeckole series, but by AO3 user, WorthlessPlant. I had fun reading these when I needed something light-hearted. There's only 2 works in it, but it follows a scenario where Nicole and Jecka adopt a kitten and raise it together.

Astraphobia by Doodlenova - Oh, if I remember correctly, this was probably the very first Jeckole fic I read when first getting into Co09. I really love this fic and it's take on how the gunshot from the mall cop in Re-Up affected both of them (through a simple thunderstorm). There aren't too many fics out there that take into account how Nicole would be functioning after getting shot in the leg, so this was a nice treat along with Jecka coping with the aftermath of watching her friend nearly die.

Shared Values by Progman - This was written after Flip Side, so you might get an idea of what's going on and how the direction will be steered the farther you read. It starts off slow, almost angsty, but once it gets to a certain part, the vibes and energy just amps up and goes back to that usual Co09 snappy dialogue and humor that I, personally, thought could've fit in the actual game.

Nothing But Poison by VeezChaos - If you love angst and no happy endings for Jeckole, this is the fic for you. I had to emphasize that in the beginning for anyone looking for more fluffy, leaning more on the happy-ending side of things. But I personally thought this fic was written well when exploring the descent of Jecka's mental state after Nicole takes her own life.

So Long, Goodbye by SCP_Stella_Eva - I really liked the scenario for this one, especially since there aren't many fics out there that really go over Nicole's feelings and relationship with her dad before he killed himself. Despite taking place while both Jecka and Nicole are both adults, the dialogue between them still maintains some of that flavor of their younger selves.

And that's it so far. I've read way more than this, but the list would've been way too long, and I did specify this was more of a starter fic-rec list. I haven't read some well-known ones yet like MentalCrit09's Nicole-Divergent series since I'm still catching up on Progman's series. I have read Nothing's New by eklpx but since it was Explicit, I was planning on making a separate fic rec list that only has NSFW works (whenever I'm not lazy lol).

Anyway, hope this helps for those just getting into the fandom :0

[worfi]

Ok guys stick with me on this how do you think Gilbert does math? Cuz I've been thinking about it all morning and no one cares but me but lemme explain what I mean, like:

Chev seems linguistic focused because of the association with reading, but also I think he would be the type to just immediately solve the problem with numbers, and he could tell you what formulas and properties he used by name because his memory is perfect but I don't think the words actually cross his mind, he would just move the numbers.

On the flip side, someone like Nokto or Sariel (who I believe have both been said to be good at explaining things when teaching Belle) would likely work through it with the formulas in mind, taking a more linguistic approach of 'now I use this, which is applied like so'. At first I thought Gilbert might be this type because he has that social manipulative 'good talker' energy at times, but I don't think that's how his brain works.

He is a genius like Chev so it's possible he's the same as him but I'm also considering he might be more of the visual type? Like, the type who sees a quadratic equation and immediately has the graph in their head. Can read all of the functions as shapes and lines, move them around quickly, etc. I mean on one hand he clearly doesn't value his depth perception with that eyepatch but maybe he just doesn't need to? I have no evidence though I need to read more of Gilbie I guess.

I don't know why I'm thinking about it I think too many of these condensed math classes in a row have fried my brain but I've had Gilbert on the mind for days and always with the weirdest things.

[gatheringbones]

[“Many years ago when the Channel Tunnel—connecting England and France—was being built (1986–1992), I got the chance to talk to a nurse working on the project on the English side. The project was big, deadlines were tight, and the workers, she told me, were suffering terrible conditions in the tunnel (a total of ten workers died during the construction (Smith 2015)). I wondered how complicated her job was as part of the onsite health personnel for such a large project. Not very. “The men mostly come to me complaining of terrible headaches,” she explained, “my job is to give them two aspirin and get them back down the tunnel as quickly as possible.”

Speaking of medicine under capitalism, Waitzkin (2000: 37) notes the fundamental contradiction between the perception of health as the ultimate “caring profession” and a society which establishes obstacles to the goal of alleviating “needless suffering and death,” for “[t]he social organization of medicine also fosters patterns of oppression that are antithetical to medicine’s more humane purposes. These patterns within medicine mirror and reproduce oppressive features of the wider society as well.”

Marxist scholars of medicine have theorised this replication of the wider class struggle within the health system in a number of ways. First, the priorities of the institution favour those of capitalism and the ruling class. For example, the modern system of health care emerged out of the need for a healthier and more reliable industrial workforce (Waitzkin 2000: 48); concern for the health of the working classes has tended to peak when there are imperialist wars to be fought, while the majority of current medical research prioritises lifestyle and “me too” cosmetic treatments for the global market rather than research on life-saving treatments for cancer and infectious diseases (see, e.g., Rapaport 2015). Second, the exploitative work relations within capitalist societies are replicated within the rigid hierarchy of medicine, with high-waged, upper middle-class consultants holding a great amount of decision-making power at the top, the lower middle-class nursing managers administering consultants’ needs in the middle, and—holding no power whatsoever and subject to the whims of health managers—the low-earning working-class orderlies and auxiliary staff at the bottom of the pyramid. Navarro (1976: 446) also notes the tendency of the medical profession to maintain and reinforce these class relations through “both the distribution of skills and knowledge and the control of technology” within the health service. Third, the health system functions as an institution of social control. That is, it reinforces the dominant values and norms of capitalism through its surveillance and labelling practices. In the words of Freidson (1988: 252), medicine acts as a “moral entrepreneur” to the extent that illness is viewed negatively and as something to be “eradicated or contained.” Even cancer, he states, is a social valuation by the profession, a moral rather than an objective judgement of the body, even if it is one “on which most people happen to agree” (Freidson 1988: 252).

Taking a Marxist approach to medicine includes recognising the policing function of the health professions to label and “medicalise” social deviance as illness, as well as reinforce the ideological prerogatives of capitalism as natural and common sense (for instance, through biomedical interventions focused on the individual rather than the wider social environment).

The social control function within psy-professional work practices and knowledge claims is reasonably easy to identify and has been a major focus of critical scholars—Marxist and otherwise—since the 1960s (see, e.g., Conrad 1975; Goffman 1961; Rosenhan 1973; Scheff 1966). The moral judgements that mental health experts make of people’s behaviour under the claims of scientific neutrality and objectivity allow them to sanction forms of deviance which run contrary to the prevailing social order. For example, Szasz (cited in Freidson 1988: 249) stated in 1964 that “agoraphobia is illness because one should not be afraid of open spaces. Homosexuality is an illness because heterosexuality is the social norm. Divorce is illness because it signals failure of marriage.”

Specifically, Marxist contentions of the psy-professions as agents of social control focus on the ways in which these experts contribute to the alienation of people from their own creative abilities. These experts utilise their knowledge claims on human behaviour to depoliticise attempts at social transformation at the group and community level, in turn acknowledging only individual solutions as possible. Consequently, states Parker (2007: 2), this “psychologisation of social life” performed by mental health workers “encourages people to think that the only possible change they could ever make would be in the way they dress and present themselves to others.”]

bruce m.z. cohen, from psychiatric hegemony: a marxist theory of mental illness, 2016