#National Outlet Shopping Day

[dollfaced-erin]

This is not a hear out... YOU WILL LISTEN

ok so modern au where jingyuan is a CEO (sugar daddy-) and i'll leave the reat to your imagination 🤭

IM LISTENING, LOUD AND CLEAR TO YOU BBY

A/n :

this made me so flustered hahahahha but y'know, imma make some one shot out of this, comfort angst style since i havent done that in a LOOOOONG time (or ever, in that matter) I'm currently learning how to make a pretty masterlist, banners and those cute line things and i need help AND A GUIDE-- pls excuse my tardiness... holy shit this might be my longest post ever...

Taglist : -

@rebeccawinters , @nayukiyukihira , @pix-stuff , @fluffy-koalala , @swivy123 , @starxao , @kaoyamamegami , @kimura-uzuri , @rsvye , @seikouryuu , @just-here-reading , @matsulovesyou, @sincerely-aaronette , @prettyliliy , @chibiduck , @hermosacolibri , @la-diablas-thingz , @farelady-fate , @everi-eve , @shadowfoxey , @helloyuki , @immahuman , @ryn-halo26

𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖓𝖔𝖙𝖊 ! : ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀɴ ᴀᴜ , ᴊɪɴɢ ʏᴜᴀɴ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ , ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏʀʀᴇʟᴀᴛᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴅʀᴀɢᴏɴ'ꜱ ᴄʀᴀᴅʟᴇ

𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖌𝖊𝖗 𝖜𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 ! :

ˢᵗʳᵉˢˢ , ᵃⁿˣⁱᵉᵗʸ , ᵐᵉⁿᵗⁱᵒⁿˢ ᵒᶠ ˢᵉˡᶠ ʰᵃʳᵐ , ᶜᵒᵐᶠᵒʳᵗ ᵃⁿᵍˢᵗ

Rain...

Rain and rain...

How many hours has it been...?

How many days has it been since she's been staring at this piece of paper.

She doesn't know.

She doesn't want to think about it anymore.

What was there to think about anymore...?

The loud and heavy shower sound of rain that patters against the concrete ground outside. A single drop alone makes no noise, but when a heavy storm like this clouds above the entire city, blocking out all means of sunlight, it as as if a whole army was marching down there, coming to get her in her room.

The only other sound penetrating the dark and cold room other than the deafening sounds of rain and thunder, was the ringing of her smartphone.

Since becoming a university student, this was all she's ever known now. Study...study...study...

She didn't even have enough money to sustain herself. Assignments and due dates were quickly closing in on her, leaving her no room to even get a parttime job even with the minimal hours of sleep she managed to salvage.

How bad was it...? It was to the point where she couldn't even manage to eat at times, before she was introduced to the concept of 'sugar daddy' by a friend. This friend had indulged in the sweetness of it, and told her the perks of being a sugar baby to these rich men.

Security of finances. She would never have to worry about paying ever again. Although, it came with a catch. Of course, things like this would always entail something a little more morbid. And...a very... disturbing one at that.

You'd have to please the man you've considered to be your sugar daddy. It could be through any means. If you were lucky, you'd get the kind men, who only want company of another woman in exchange for his immense wealth. But the not so lucky ones (or ones who enjoy this part of the 'business' more), pay with their bodies, to pleasure these men to dig out their riches.

At first, like every normal human being with a sense of decency and dignity, she refused. Until that friend pointed out the drastic living conditions she was currently swamped in.

Sacrificing what self-decency remained in her...she took up the offer of her friend and downloaded an app that this friend had recommended.

That's where she was met with a man, who goes by the name of Jing Yuan, a handsome man in his mid thirties. His riches knows no bounds, as he was one of seven CEOs in the Xianzhou Alliance, and owner of one of the branches, the Luofu that specializes in trade nationally and internationally, as well as opened several business outlets and shopping malls patronaged by many.

"I wouldn't force anything upon you, my dear. All I ask from you is a bit of your time everyday..."

And...was currently the caller of (Y/n)'s phone, ringing endlessly, for over an hour now.

(Y/n) couldn't bring herself to answer. Not while she was in such a state of mind and health. She huddled her body on her seat, her knees to her chest as she rested buried her head in them, arms wrapping around her quivering form tightly.

It was dark... and cold.

Even with the curtains pulled back, it was still so dark outside. Dark clouds covering the skies of the city, the rain that pelted the ground constantly till no one dared step out into the storm, minus the few vehicles that passed from time to time.

This week...had been too much for her.

The assignments due, after getting rejected time and time again. The lecturers who kept going on and on and on, giving them more and more work despite the untouched work from other classes. The people who gossip about her behind her back...

It was something she had to carry.

She was tired. Tired of everything...

She couldn't even bring herself to take proper care of herself, hence she had taken time of classes to be by herself, but nothing was working. She didn't dare step out of her room for the thought and words of others getting to her head, and messing up her mind was too much for her to bare.

She hadn't even looked in the mirror for a while. If she did, she would've realized the dark bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, the way her (e/c) eyes had now gone dull and lifeless, the way her skin was now a sickly pale from malnourishment, and the way her hair lay flat against her skull like wet paper.

Hence...why she wasn't picking up Jing Yuan's calls.

She felt the heavy realization on another day, how she had been using an innocent man for his money, when all he wanted was someone to love. There would've been more than enough women who would love to take her place...

So she decided. She's been refusing his money for a while now, evading all his calls and meetups, locking herself in her room for a while now...

She was lonely. Ever so lonely.

She sniffled and sobbed as she looked at the paper before her again, picking up a pen in her hand. Everything was rushing in her head, to the point where she couldn't even sort out her own thoughts anymore. The letters on the paper were starting to get wobbly and blurry, being illegible, impossible for her to solve. Her head pounded and she felt like throwing up time and time again as she read over and over again, trying to grasp at what she was looking at before her eyes.

Everything was too much...

Her heart begged her to stop...her hands were aching and her eyes were stinging. But she had to keep going. What was there in life anymore when she was the one to choose this path...?

"That's enough."

Suddenly a muscular and slightly rough hand grabbed her own that held the pen, snapping her attention from the paper, and up to the individual whose arm held hers tightly.

Warm golden eyes that were slightly obscured by thick silver locks burned into her strained (e/c) own, glaring at her with fury, worry...and warmth...?

"Ji...Jing Yuan...?" (Y/n) softly, her tired and teary eyes looking up at the man.

"You haven't been answering my calls, princess... so i got worried and personally come to see you." he said, taking the pen away from (Y/n)'s weakened grasp as she was now taken off guard.

He looked angry for a moment, but seeing the state she was in...his anger bubbled down almost immediately.

Her room was a mess. The papers on her desk were a mess. She was a mess.

"H-how did you get in...?" she stammered, still too out of it to realize that Jing Yuan had removed the pen from her hands, walked over to her side to tidy up the papers, aligning them as he tapped the bottom against the table, before setting it down in a neat stack.

"You jest, my dear. This apartment is still under my name when I gave it to you. I still have the key. Though i dare not abuse its power because I respect your privacy..." the gentleman said, smiling calmly at her, now that he had brought himself to understand the situation his woman was in.

"And you...need rest, my dear..." he said gently.

Without much trouble or struggle, Jing Yuan lifted (Y/n) into his embrace, holding her close to his chest as he walked over to her bed, sitting on the plush mattress. He said nothing, as he held her dirty self against his crisp suit, an attire she had rarely seen him without.

As he held her against his chest, she felt the comforting thumping of his heart in his chest lulling her to rest. She found herself breathing alongside him, her heart beating accompanying his own as he guided her. The expensive and signature scent of his cologne invaded her senses, bringing her a sense of calmness and security.

"Jing Yuan...please stop..." she said weakly, her hands against his chest as she tried to push him away, but to no avail. The arms holding her tight were strong, and she had not eaten for a while to even provide her the strength.

"I'm dirty..." she said, tears bubbling at the corners of her eyes

The way his hand went through her hair, his slender but thick fingers running through her greasy locks. He hushed her softly, pressing his smooth lips to her forehead, not minding the state she was in at all, rather he embraced it more than he would've.

"You would never be dirty to me, darling..." Jing Yuan said softly, as he caressed her cheek softly, a kind and comforting smile on his lips. "You need some extra love today, now let me take care of you."

"No...you've done so much for me already. I...I cant accept anything anymore ! I'm using you for my own personal gain !" she exclaimed, tears running down her cheeks as she gathered the courage to look straight into those honey glazed eyes.

"Is that why you've been refusing to see me all this while ? I apologize. I should've realized earlier..." Jing Yuan whispered, his hand brushing away the strands of (h/c) hair that stuck to her forehead.

"Calm down now, princess, and let me take care of you." Jing Yuan said with a gentle smile, lifting her up in his arms effortlessly, before standing up to his full height.

"Lets go take a bath, shall we ?"

"Why are you doing all this...?" (Y/n) asked as Jing Yuan sat behind her in the tub she was immersed in, the bubbles and foam frothing up the surface of the murky water that smelled like lavender and vanilla.

"Hm~? Why indeed..." he trailed off, a smirk in his voice. "Because i can, that's why."

Jing Yuan was behind her, having removed his blazer (by throwing it on the bed somewhere, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows exposing his muscular forearms as his hands gently massaged her head, fingers digging into her scalp.

He didn't seem to mind the fact that he was kneeling on the ground, in the bathroom, while he bathed his sugar baby who was on the brink of insanity and meltdowns.

"It's alright, you just sit still like a pretty dolly and let me take care of you..." Jing Yuan said.

(Y/n) took in a deep breath.

Her heart was pounding. She bit her bottom lip as she hesitated to speak what was on her mind. But deep down she knew she had to say it. It wasn't right.

This wasn't right...

"Jing Yuan..."

"Hm...?"

"I want to stop this. I don't want to be your sugar baby anymore."

Silence...

"What makes you say that, my Moon...?" Jing Yuan asked, moving to the side a little, tucking back stray locks of clumped wet hair behind (Y/n)'s ear to see her downcast (e/c) eyes that were filled with remorse and regret.

"I...It's feels...WRONG, Jing Yuan..." (Y/n) said, emphasizing on the word wrong with raw emotion of confusion, doubt, and shame.

"It...isn't right of me to be taking advantage of a man as generous as you. You give me money, spend lots of it too. You covered my student loans, you bought me this house, you spoil me every week..." (Y/n) rambled on, as she brought her knees to her chest, looking into the murky water still covered with bubbles that hid most of her body.

"In return...I don't give you anything. You don't ask for sex, you don't force me to do anything, you don't even treat me as you should, as I deserve. I don't deserve this."

"Look at me ! I'm a mess !" (Y/n) exclaimed with a tired and surrendering laugh entailing her miserable words. "I'm failing in classes, a social outcast, trapping myself in my room, and I cant even answer a damn question on the assignment paper !"

(Y/n) was hysterical now, tears running down her face again as Jing Yuan looked at her with shock and pain. He didn't know how to comprehend all this, but he let her have her moment, let out all the feelings she's been keeping in that tired little heart of hers, as he watched the madness and exhaustion swirl in (Y/n)'s eyes.

But as she kept insulting herself, laughing all the while, it sent stabs of sharp knives into his heart.

"I've been using everyone around me. I'm nothing more than a gold digger, a materialistic woman, trash to society who cant even participate in class, a simple whore who sold herself off to some guy on the internet, and he looks at her with respect and care !" (Y/n) said while laughing.

"I'm..." she whispered, hands wiping away at her eyes. "I'm a failure, Jing Yuan..."

"What is there to love when I don't even--"

Lips then smashed against her own, silencing her from her words, a hand gripping her chin tightly, but not enough to injure her.

"I love you."

The words the male said were more of an animalistic growl, as if he were terribly hurt and angry. Those honey golden eyes stared straight into her own, as he looked furious.

"Why didn't I mind you using my money ? Why did I let you do as you please ? Because I know you were doing it for the sake of surviving, not for pleasure or want. Because I know you needed it and you were brave enough to take action for it !" Jing Yuan said, pain evident in his tone as he stared straight into her eyes, his rough hand still holding her face in place.

"From the first time we met, you never asked for more than what I gave you. You never really accepted what I gave you, unless I forced you to take it. You were ever so grateful that I paid off your loans, gave you this place, and you're rejecting it all of a sudden. Why ?!"

Jing Yuan's anger melted into sadness, tears shining in his eyes as he slowly let go of (Y/n)'s face. "I fell in love with you, the you who never asked for more than what she was given. The you who never gave up trying. This...this is all just a small phase, (Y/n). Everything will be okay. Everyone goes through burnouts. Everyone has their depressive moments. It is perfectly normal, my dear! You are not, and will never be a burden to me !"

"Are you ashamed that you have a sugar daddy ?" Jing Yuan asked hastily. "Is everyone talking about you behind your back ? Then let's make it different. I know I love you. And I know you love me too, from the way you consider burdening yourself to me when I was the one who wholeheartedly gave you what you wanted even when you didn't want it,"

"So then...wouldn't you want to be my girlfriend then ? Be my real lover, and you can put this all aside. You wont need a sugar daddy when your boyfriend is wealthier than half the country's nett worth, you don't need to be embarrassed and thinking about other people when we're official, you don't need to stress over things that we can solve together."

"Jing Yuan..." (Y/n) said, her cheeks dusting red as her tears dried up, looking at the man before her who professed his love so vividly and wholeheartedly, even going as far as to hold her soaked hands from the tub.

"Do you love me ?" Jing Yuan said, looking at her straight in the eye.

"Yes..." (Y/n) nodded with a small blush on her cheeks.

Jing Yuan smiled brightly, pulling her arm as her body followed, her lips softly meeting Jing Yuan's own again. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, as water splashed and slushed around as he pulled her close, wetting his shirt.

"Then it's official. We're dating now. For real." Jing Yuan said with a happy cat-like smile on his lips as soon as he pulled away from the sweet kiss.

He then licked his lips. "You're so sweet, (Y/n)...you know how long I've been holding myself back from kissing you more than once each time we meet ? How hard it is to hold myself back whenever I see you...?" Jing Yuan asked, getting closer to (Y/n) who seemed to cower in the bath, realizing again that her body was completely bare before the man's eyes.

"Your pretty lips...your gorgeous eyes...your pretty hands..." he whispered, taking her hand in his, and brought it close to his lips as he kissed her inner wrist with tender love.

(Y/n) also decided to play along with his game, though her cheeks dusted red, her heart pounding in her chest. "Wh...what's stopping you...?"

Jing Yuan almost perked up at that, and he looked at her with a light she's never seen before. The look of love and complete adoration.

"Are you sure about that, princess ? What you're saying there is a...risky stunt you are pulling there..." Jing Yuan said, hiding his shock quite professionally. But no one could deny the blush on his cheeks and the redness on the tip of his ears.

(Y/n) moved to the edge of the tub, her wet hands cupping his face before pushing her soft lips onto his own, meeting him in a sweet kiss.

Jing Yuan moaned slightly, feeling himself get excited with every following second. He pulled (Y/n) closer, almost pulling her out of the tub as his lips hungrily took more and more. Water splashed everywhere, on the tiles, and on Jing Yuan, but neither seemed to care at the moment.

Jing Yuan placed a hand on (Y/n)'s chin, coaxing (Y/n)'s jaw open with little to no effort with a soft gesture. No time to lose, Jing Yuan shoved his tongue into (Y/n)'s mouth, their soft muscles meeting in a heated kiss.

They pulled back from their heated exchange, both faces red and panting heavily. But Jing Yuan couldn't hold himself back anymore, as he tilted (Y/n)'s head to the side, latching his lips onto her soft neck, licking and sucking to his heart's desire.

"Ji-Jing Yuan...!" "Hush....moonlight. Let me have you..." he whispered back huskily, silencing her moans with other kiss to her lips.

"A-at least...not here...let me wash off and dry off first..." (Y/n) said, embarrassed. She looked, away, hands retracted to cross over her chest in an attempt to cover her breasts that gleamed beneath the light of the bathroom.

Jing Yuan seemed to get an idea. A sultry smirk pulled at his lips as he looked at her with a teasing gaze. Then without hesitation, he hooked his arms beneath her armpits and hoisted her out of the tub like she weighed nothing.

Water splashed everywhere and (Y/n) squealed in shock and fright as she was being hoisted without any such warning at all. The male then held her close to his chest as he carried her wet and bare body out of the bathroom.

"Ji-Jing Yuan !" "Worried about my clothes, princess ? Don't worry, they'll be off soon enough. You should worry more about yourself," The CEO said teasingly, kissing her forehead as he walked into the connecting bedroom.

"I don't plan on letting you feel like you're worthless. I'm going to love you, to every inch of your body, till you never forget how much you mean to me." he said with a light chuckle.

"If I have to love you all night for you to see my love, so be it."

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Sara Boboltz and Ryan Grenoble at HuffPost:

Michael Cohen, former personal attorney to Donald Trump, testified against the ex-president on Monday in his New York criminal hush money trial, corroborating claims of an extraordinary effort to silence stories that could be damaging to Trump in the days before the 2016 presidential election.

While Cohen has been cooperating with government prosecutors for several years, his appearance on the witness stand is an extraordinary moment in his long relationship with Trump — a man for whom Cohen once said he would “take a bullet.” Under questioning from prosecutor Susan Hoffinger, Cohen described how he cajoled, aggressively bullied and outright lied to do whatever Trump asked of him. “The only thing that was on my mind was to accomplish the task, to make him happy,” he said. “I did... what was needed in order to accomplish the task.” When Trump first hired him, Cohen earned $525,000 a year doing things like calling vendors and renegotiating bills to a fraction of their original cost, or threatening media outlets over negative stories about his boss. But as the 2016 election cycle progressed, Cohen’s role shifted. He started negotiating with National Enquirer executives, including publisher David Pecker, to conjure positive coverage for his boss.

At the same time, and with Trump’s explicit approval, Cohen bought the rights to negative stories through the Enquirer’s parent company, American Media Inc. The stories were then locked away in a scheme known as “catch and kill.” Cohen said he was closely involved with hush money payments that prosecutors say were made during Trump’s 2016 campaign, including a $150,000 sum to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who says she had a yearlong affair with Trump in the mid-2000s. When he first heard about McDougal’s story, Cohen said he immediately went to Trump in person to warn him about the damage it could cause. “His response to me was, ‘She’s really beautiful,’” he recalled. “I said, ‘OK, but there’s a story that’s right now being shopped.’” Cohen said Trump told him to “make sure it doesn’t get released.”

The two bought the rights to McDougal’s life story for $150,000, prompting a scramble to repay Pecker. As Trump delayed furnishing the funds, Cohen recalled having lunch with a “very” upset Pecker, who told him the sum was “too much to hide” from his parent company. [...] Cohen also spoke at length about how he orchestrated a hush money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels, who maintains that she had an affair with Trump in 2006. Daniels’ desire to make her allegation public knowledge during Trump’s 2016 campaign for the presidency set into motion the chain of events that led New York prosecutors to charge Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records. “Trump told me that he was playing golf with ‘Big Ben’ Roethlisberger... and they had met Stormy Daniels and others there,” Cohen recalled, adding that Trump expressed the sentiment “that women prefer Trump even over someone like Big Ben.” (Multiple women have accused Roethlisberger of sexual assault.)

Michael Cohen's testimony in the People of New York v. Trump trial could be a fatal blow for Donald Trump. #TrumpTrial

[mikashisus]

OLDER — movie cast !

zhongli x fem!reader

GET TO KNOW THE MOVIE CAST !

y/n — 20. starring as “guizong” in “tales of the archon war: the nation of contracts volume II”. deeply infatuated with her coworker, zhongli. combats hate comments by simply blocking ppl. outsold everyone’s looks at the movie premiere. overall girlboss (only a girlfailure when it comes to rizzing up zhongli).

zhongli — 41. starring as “morax”. is a bit of a grandpa when it comes to most things, but he knows how to use social media (rlly only uses it more frequently bc of y/n). has a huge crush on y/n and literally everyone knows it. has been in the acting spotlight since he was eighteen. started out starring in musicals before landing a role in a few movies. now, he is a widely known actor throughout teyvat. has two kids: hu tao and xiao.

xiao — 20. starring as “general alatus”. very introverted ands tends to stay out of the limelight as much as possible. was thrown into the acting spotlight very early on and was a theatre kid all throughout school. decided to go to college to pursue a degree in film and become a director. has connections to make that happen sooner.

hu tao — 22. starring as “wangsheng funeral parlor’s first director”. has also been involved in acting and was in theatre all throughout school. dropped out of college to pursue an acting career, only to land a job in directing and producing. is now a newly famous director and does acting on the side. promised xiao she’d help him become a director once he finishes college.

keqing — 24. costume design crew. recently graduated college with a degree in fashion design and a minor in finance. has her own fashion line and her own store in liyue harbor. has gained a surge of popularity after her work in the movie. is in a long term relationship with ganyu, though they both joke that they’re not online.

ganyu — 27. starring as “the qilin adeptus ganyu”. graduated college with a degree in communications and a minor in fashion. began her acting career after being cast in volume I of the nation of contracts. zhongli recommended her to the casting director, and she got a call back the day after her audition. makes cookies for everyone on set. is also a part of production.

ningguang — 36. the cast’s manager. owns one of liyue’s biggest businesses, and also works under the liyuen government. one of the most wealthy people in the nation. graduated college with a degree in business and an accounting minor. became a manager through pure interest. considers kazuha her son and his boyfriend, kuni, her son-in-law. likes to spoil kuni with expensive clothing and takes him out shopping frequently just to spend time with him.

beidou — 38. prop manager and a part of the special effects team. owns a restaurant on a large pirate ship she named “the alcor”. said ship also had a cameo in the movie, along with beidou herself. has been married to ningguang ever since they graduated college. graduated with a degree in music industry. has a son: kazuha. considers kazuha’s boyfriend, kuni, her son-in-law.

ping — 40. starring as “streetward rambler”. everyone’s mother figure on set. incredibly wise and kindhearted. close friends with xianyun and graduated with her. graduated with a degree in music. has been told she looks way younger than her age. long time friends with zhongli and ganyu as well. has two adopted daughters.

charlotte — 21. mandated reporter for “the steambird,” fontaine’s biggest news outlet. works closely with ningguang. her bubbly personality and optimism is infectious, leading many people to take a liking to her. never oversteps anyone’s boundaries. majoring in journalism. is very passionate about her job. might have been in musical theatre in high school??

chiori — 22. costume design crew and makeup artist. skipped college and opened her own business at age 19. soared in popularity once her fashion line reached fontaine. became so popular in fontaine that she opened a branch of her business there. only agrees to help work on a movie/show if her designs end up featured in it (they always are). planning to open a branch of her business in liyue harbor soon.

masterlist

summary: when your acting career booms, the stress of the spotlight and your every move being watched starts to drown you whole. the only escape from a complete all time low comes in the form of your attractive coworker, zhongli— a distinguished and slightly older man that you can’t seem to stop thinking about.

[griffther]

there’s so many ppl enabling me in the notes of this post, so here enjoy some Thoughts i’ve had about the nurseydex maine road trip so far:

they do a road trip up the coast of maine over fall break their senior year so that nursey can see acadia national park while the leaves are changing

william “acts of service” poindexter decides that it is his Responsibility as nursey’s captain and fellow d-man to become maine’s official tour guide barbie. he plans the entire thing out and even prints them little itineraries and maps and shit because this boy is nothing is not Efficient

nursey makes them stop to see every single lighthouse they go anywhere near just to be a little shit (there are 65 lighthouses in maine, this would take So Long even if you just stopped at like a quarter of them)

the only canonical reference i could find for any actual locations in maine in the comic is that dex said his uncle who owned the lobster fishing boat he worked on over the summers lived in portland

(a side note to the above, i find this hilarious. portland is an pretty solidly liberal urban city - imagine a very small boston - and not somewhere you’re very likely to find small family-owned lobster fishing boats, at least in my experience. it would make way more sense for his uncle to live somewhere like rockland but i digress)

dex is 100% positive that nursey would Love portland so he carves out two whole days of their trip for them to stay with his uncle and explore. they go to the art museum and old port and the port head lighthouse and the top of the world lookout at fort sumner park and all the little shops and hidden places dex had found from living there every summer for years

nursey does end up loving portland but it might be more about the boy that shows it to him

even though his uncle lives in portland, i am still personally convinced that dex’s family mostly lives around the rockland area. i will go on a rant about nursey meeting dex’s close family another time, but while they’re in rockland, nursey continues his dedication to seeing all the lighthouses he can by forcing dex to make the almost mile long trek out to the breakwater lighthouse with him (don’t think about them standing alone next to this little building almost a mile out from land. the wind is chilly and strong and it makes dex’s hair look ridiculous and his cheeks flush and nursey definitely doesn’t want to kiss him ITS FINE ITS CHILL)

dex has them make a detour up to bangor and surprises nursey with going to see stephen king’s house. he doesnt understand why people are interested in looking at some dudes house At All but he does know nursey would love it so he does it anyways. the fence is cool and nursey gets so excited he almost face plants jumping out of the car, so dex counts it as a success

some random places i feel like dex would make them stop at along the way: freeport (nursey is both so confused and so delighted by just Everything about that place, but he loses his mind over the mcdonald’s and the ll bean outlet), ogunquit (dex purposefully takes highway 1 instead of the maine turnpike going towards portland so that they drive through ogunquit and he can see nursey’s face when he realizes they’re driving through the single gayest town he’s ever seen in his life and it’s in southern maine), moose point state park (there are a billion lil state parks in maine but i just randomly like this one in particular idk i think it’s cute), camden hills state park (it’s too foggy when they get there to drive up to the top so nursey makes them go on a hike instead so they didn’t “waste their time.” they get lost within like 10 minutes and are wet from the fog by the time they make it back to the car like 2 hours later), the desert of maine (it’s kinda boring to dex bc he’s seen it a dozen times since he was a kid, but nursey gets enthralled by the science behind it so it’s worth it), cushing (this is where the famous painter andrew wyeth lived at the olson house and was the subject of a lot of his work and i just feel like nursey would have fun seeing this place)

when they eventually make it to acadia, nursey ends up spending like two solid hours just sitting at sargent peak staring out over everything and desperately scrawling out lines of poetry into his notebook (dex spends most of those 2 hours staring at nursey but somehow doesn’t notice that nursey definitely isn’t writing about the scenery)

[spaceman-earthgirl]

Supercorptober 2022 Day 18: Secret

ao3 fic link. series link.

Lena’s pretty sure Supergirl has just walked into Noonan’s. And no, she doesn’t mean Supergirl, with the cape and the skirt, but Supergirl who apparently wears glasses and a cardigan in her free time.

She doesn’t stand as tall, and she has her hair tied back in a pony tail, but Lena’s sure of it, she’s sure the woman ordering 3 sticky buns and a hot chocolate is Supergirl. She recognises those blue eyes and that smile is the exact same as Lena as seen on TV, in magazines and online.

Lena glances around, but no one else seems to have noticed, and Lena’s just arrived in National City, has only been here a few days, but she’s sure no one else has made the connection, no one is seeing what she’s seeing because no one is reacting to the superhero like you’d expect.

She’s pretty, and the barista behind the counter seems to think so, because she winks when she hands the woman her drink, but other than that, no one pays the woman any attention.

Which is kind of surprising, because she’s drop dead gorgeous, but that’s besides the point, because Supergirl is in the same coffee shop as her, getting coffee, like it’s the most normal thing in the world.

And maybe it is, maybe Supergirl does this all the time. She knows Supergirl has a secret identity, just like Superman does, she just didn’t expect to see her buying food like she’s just a normal woman.

For a moment, Lena considers saying something, talking to her, but she decides against it. The woman’s identity is a secret, and even though Lena doesn’t think she’s doing the best at hiding it, clearly it’s working so she keeps quiet, buys her coffee and goes about her day like nothing out of the ordinary has happened.

Lena already knows she’s made the right choice to move to National City.

And then two days later, the same woman walks into her office and Lena is one hundred percent sure of her observations because Kara Danvers has just walked into her office with Clark Kent, who is also definitely Superman.

Wow, they both really think glasses and slightly hunched shoulders are a good disguise. But she supposes it must be pretty good, considering she hasn’t seen any news outlets publishing stories after either of their identities have been revealed. 

But she keeps her mouth shut on the matter again, because it’s not her secret and these are real lives that could be destroyed if the secret gets out.

To Lena’s complete surprise, she finds herself becoming friends with Kara. And it has nothing to do with Lena knowing her secret and everything to do with Kara being the kindest person she knows, always going out of her way to help people, always making an effort with her, and Lena supposes it really shouldn’t be a surprise that someone like Kara is also Supergirl.

She’d thought, at the beginning, that Kara might have just been pretending to be her friend, to get close to her, but Kara is too genuine, and Supergirl always smiles at her the exact same way Kara does.

It takes two years for Kara to tell Lena her secret, and all the while Lena has sat on the knowledge. She’s not expecting Kara to tell her, it just happens on a normal Sunday evening. They’d been watching a movie but taken a break to get snacks, and when Kara sits down beside her, she looks uncharacteristically nervous and Lena knows something is up.

Thought, she doesn’t expect that Kara’s about to spill her secret.

But then she does, she just blurts out the words, looking on the verge of tears as she does.

“I’m Supergirl.”

Lena’s heart fills, she feels entirely warm inside and out, at the knowledge that Kara is trusting her with this, trusting her with such a big secret, and Kara cares enough about her as a friend to tell her.

“I know,” Lena says at the same time that Kara starts, “I’m sorry I didn’t-“

“Wait.” Kara cuts herself off. “You know?”

“I know,” Lena smiles.

Kara looks confused. And rather hopeful. “Are you not mad that I didn’t tell you sooner? That I’ve been lying to you this whole time?”

Lena shakes her head. “No. It’s your secret to tell, your secret to share with who you want to. The fact that you’re telling me means that you trust me and that means so much. I promise, I haven’t told anyone who you are, your secret is safe with me.”

Kara lays her hand over Lena’s, squeezes it. “Of course, I trust you. I’m so glad you know, I’ve hated lying to you. How long have you known? How did you figure it out?”

Lena laughs. “You do know your disguise is a pair of glasses, right? It wasn’t that hard to figure out.”

Kara’s cheeks heat. “Oh. When did you figure it out though? Is it because you see me all the time? Alex told me you’d probably figure it out sooner or later, especially when I have to leave all of a sudden all the time.”

“I actually…” Lena’s not quite sure how to say this part. “I actually figured it out before we met. A couple of days before we met, actually. I saw you in Noonan’s, and I just recognised you immediately. You look the same, it wasn’t hard.”

Kara’s mouth drops open. “Wait, you’ve known all this time?”

Lena bites her lip, tries not to laugh at Kara’s astonished expression. “Yes.”

“And you never said anything?”

“Again, it wasn’t my secret to tell.”

Lena finds herself wrapped in Kara’s arms before she fully realises what has happened, her best friend pulling her in for a hug.

“Thank you for not telling anyone. And for protecting me, even when I didn’t know it.” Kara pulls away. “And maybe we won’t tell Alex that part, she’s already worried glasses aren’t enough. She’ll have Supergirl wearing a mask next.”

Lena winks. “I think I can keep this part a secret too.”

“Did you know I remember that day?” Kara says. “That day at Noonan’s.”

Lena remembers it for a very specific reason, she’s not sure why Kara would remember it though. “You do?”

Kara’s eyes remain steadfast on Lena’s face, but Lena can tell she’s nervous again. “I do. It was the day the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen wouldn’t stop staring at me in a coffee shop. Now I know why you were staring, but that day, I almost went up and said something, asked for your number or something, but I chickened out. And then a couple days we met again and it felt like fate.” Kara laughs. “I can’t believe you were staring because you were trying to figure out if I was Supergirl.”

Lena swallows, heart beating fast in her chest. “I mean, I was staring for that reason, but I also thought you were beautiful and I definitely would’ve given you my number if you’d ask.”

“Oh.”

Lena laughs nervously. “Yeah.”

“If I asked for your number, would you give it to me now?”

Lena laughs again, this time more genuinely. ”You do know you already have my number, right?”

Kara fingers play with a loose string on the cushion she’s pulled into her lap. “What if I asked you on a date then, would you say yes?”

Lena’s breath catches. She doesn’t need to think about the answer. “Yes.”

Kara’s face breaks into a huge grin. “Yeah?”

Lena nods. She can’t believe they’re talking about this, like it’s something so casual when in reality, it’s something that could change everything. “Definitely.”

It’s something Lena has obviously thought about before, but with Kara’s secret between them, it never felt like anything could happen. But now here they are, secrets out in the open, Lena’s own secret being that she has feelings for her best friend.

“Do you want to have dinner with me tomorrow night?”

Lena grins. “I’d love to.”

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Hadar Sela

On January 30th the BBC News website published a report by BBC Verify headlined “At least half of Gaza’s buildings damaged or destroyed, new analysis shows”.

“More than half of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed since Israel launched its retaliation for the Hamas attacks of 7 October, new analysis seen by the BBC reveals.

Detailed before-and-after imagery also shows how the bombardment of southern and central Gaza has intensified since the start of December, with the city of Khan Younis bearing much of the brunt of Israel’s military action. […]

Across Gaza, residential areas have been left ruined, previously busy shopping streets reduced to rubble, universities destroyed and farmlands churned up, with tent cities springing up on the southern border to house many thousands of people left homeless. […]

Further analysis, by BBC Verify, reveals the scale of destruction of farmland, identifying multiple areas of extensive damage.”

The information concerning buildings comes from sources who have previously worked with other media outlets to produce similar reports.

“Now, satellite data analysis obtained by the BBC shows the true extent of the destruction. The analysis suggests between 144,000 and 175,000 buildings across the whole Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed. That’s between 50% and 61% of Gaza’s buildings.

The analysis, carried out by Corey Scher of City University of New York and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University, compares images to reveal sudden changes in the height or structure of buildings which indicate damage.” [emphasis added]

An important clarification concerning that highlighted wording – which is not provided to readers of the BBC Verify report – was given to CAMERA by Jamon Van Den Hoek in late December:

“When we double-checked with the researchers, Van Den Hoek reiterated that they only count structures as “likely damaged or destroyed” because, he explained, “we don’t yet have means of distinguishing categories of damage severity.””

Notably, three days after BBC Verify’s report appeared, the United Nations Satellite Centre – UNOSAT – published its own “assessment of the damage and destruction inflicted on structures in the Gaza Strip” which concluded that 30% (rather than 50% to 61% as claimed by the BBC) of the structures in the territory have been damaged since the beginning of the war. The breakdown given in that report states that 22,131 buildings (9.6% of the total number of structures) have been destroyed, 14,066 (6.1% of the total number of structures) severely damaged and 32,950 (14.3% of the total number of structures) moderately damaged.

The BBC Verify report presents several ‘case studies’, beginning with Khan Younis:

“The southern city of Khan Younis has been particularly badly hit in recent weeks, with more than 38,000 (or more than 46%) of buildings now destroyed or damaged, according to the analysis. Over the past fortnight, more than 1,500 buildings have been destroyed or damaged there.

Al-Farra Tower – a 16-storey residential block in the centre of the city, the tallest building in the area – was flattened on 9 January as can be seen in before-and-after images of the city’s skyline. Much of the neighbourhood in which it sits has been levelled by Israeli attacks since late December.

“Israeli forces targeted residential complexes, especially in the downtown Khan Younis area,” said Rawan Qaddah, a 20-year-old resident, who has been displaced and has lost contact with her family.

She named schools among the many buildings which had been damaged. Some were now being used to house displaced people temporarily.”

Readers are not informed why Rawan Qaddah was selected as a contributor, what qualifies her to provide the information uncritically promoted by the BBC or whether BBC Verify has in fact verified her claim concerning the alleged ‘targeting’ of “residential complexes”.

Moreover, BBC Verify’s report makes no mention of the fact that Israeli forces have been operating in Khan Younis since early December – or why. No mention is made of Hamas command and control centres in that city – which is home to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar – or of the extensive tunnel network in which some of the Israeli hostages were held, the weapons production sites and rocket launching sites discovered there.

The only attempt to provide box-ticking context after a description and photos of a “damaged restaurant in Khan Younis” reads as follows:

“The IDF has repeatedly justified its actions by noting that Hamas deliberately embeds itself in civilian areas and explained destruction of buildings in the light of targeting fighters.”

Linking to another BBC report on a similar topic, the article goes on to tell readers that:

“Many of Gaza’s historic sites have suffered extensive damage, including the al-Omari Mosque originally built in the 7th Century.”

The context of Hamas’ use of mosques and other supposedly civilian facilities for military purposes and the fact that terrorists were operating in the vicinity of the al-Omari mosque at the time is not provided to readers.

The report then moves on to a section headed “Destruction to Gaza’s farmlands”.

“Further analysis, carried out by BBC Verify, shows large areas of previously cultivated land across Gaza have been extensively damaged.”

A case study is presented:

“BBC Arabic spoke to one farmer, Saeed, who fled south from Beit Lahia, in the north of Gaza, in mid-November.

The 33-year-old grew guava, figs, lemons, oranges, mint, and basil and earned about $6,000 (£5,535) from these crops every year – the only source of income for him, his father and his sister. He had tended to the farm, inherited from his grandparents, for 15 years.

But days after fleeing, he says he was told by a relative that the farm had been destroyed by the IDF, along with five surrounding homes which belonged to his relatives.”

While the exact location of Saeed’s farm is not given, readers would of course have been better placed to put the second-hand claims promoted by BBC Arabic via BBC Verify into context had they been told that Beit Lahia is also the location of a hospital used for terror purposes as well as rocket launching sites and that it is very close to the route of a 4km long, 50 meter deep tunnel discovered by the IDF.

Once again BBC Verify does box-ticking with a minimal response from the IDF:

“The IDF told us it had found Hamas tunnel entrances and rocket launch sites in various agricultural areas, adding that “operational needs require that these places be destroyed or attacked”.

“Environmental damage may be caused as a result of fighting and exchanges of fire.””

There is no doubt that in four months of war, considerable damage has been caused to structures and farmland in the Gaza Strip. One major reason for that is Hamas’ cynical exploitation of civilian homes and civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, universities, schools and mosques for military purposes including missile fire, along with its massive underground tunnel network which compromises the integrity of structures and land above it. Another significant part of the story – completely absent from BBC Verify’s report – is the fact that around 12% of the thousands of missiles launched by Palestinian terrorists have landed in the Gaza Strip. 

BBC Verify, however, chose not to provide BBC audiences with that essential background, instead making do with a couple of short, generalised quotes from the IDF in order to tick the impartiality box and preferring to present audiences with a supposedly factual article that is blatantly one-sided and severely lacking in essential context.

[glamrpevents]

Perched atop the Panier hill, in the oldest quarter of Marseille, the InterContinental Marseille – Hotel Dieu, is the most majestic of the luxury hotels in the city. Overlooking the Vieux Port, its massive staircases, vaulted passages and magnificent terraces all bear witness to the former status of the building: the Hôtel-Dieu, a superb 18th century edifice, inaugurated by Napoleon III, in person. This classified historical monument, with its unique setting, offers an inimitable view of the landmark Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde Basilica, while firmly seated in the present-day, modern and very contemporary Marseille. The MuCEM (museum for Europe and the Mediterranean) that opened its doors in 2013, is a short walk away, as are the old Joliette Docks with their animated business quarter, shopping outlets and ever-growing trade and commerce. The Hôtel-Dieu continues to stand tall above the city, as it has done for centuries: it is an ideal venue for anyone wishing to really get to know Marseille, both past and present.

Nestled within the historic setting of Marseille's iconic Hotel Dieu, the InterContinental Marseille boasts a blend of timeless elegance and modern luxury. With breathtaking views of the Vieux Port and the Mediterranean Sea, this five-star hotel offers impeccable service, exquisite dining options, and indulgent spa facilities. Each room and suite is meticulously designed to provide the utmost comfort and sophistication, ensuring a memorable stay for discerning travelers seeking an unforgettable experience in the heart of Provence.

Elevate your experience at the rooftop bar, where sophistication meets skyline panoramas. Offering a stylish ambiance and unparalleled views of Marseille's historic Vieux Port and the azure Mediterranean, this rooftop oasis invites guests to indulge in handcrafted cocktails, fine wines, and gourmet bites. Whether basking in the glow of a sunset or reveling in the city's nightlife against a backdrop of twinkling lights, the rooftop bar promises an unforgettable rendezvous high above the bustling streets of Provence's vibrant capital.

It’s no secret locally, that the Capian bar is one of the trendiest in Marseille, and a huge favourite among cocktail enthusiasts. The word ‘capian’ derives from the local word for the pointed prow of the emblematic, brightly-coloured fishing boats, with their generous curves, that ply their trade in the ports of the Mediterranean. This bar has it all! An elegant décor, a superb terrace, a view of the Vieux-Port, the protection of Notre-Dame de la Garde and to cap it all, a head bartender, Xavier Gilly, national and international award winner.. Together with his talented barmen, Xavier has created over 50 inimitable cocktails for a drinks menu with over 200 international alcohol brand references, including a magnificent collection of premium spirits.

LES FENÊTRES: In a brasserie that is at once modern and chic and extends unto a magnificent outdoor terrace in summer, our Chef’s cuisine draws its inspiration from all things Provencal, for contemporary, audacious dining.

THE TERRACE: Grandiose, sublime, glamorous, extraordinary: these are but a few of the adjectives to describe the 750 m2 that are your best introduction to the capital of Provence, the city of Marseille and its 300 days of annual sunshine. The terrace of the InterContinental Marseille – Hotel Dieu is set above and slightly back from the Vieux-Port, under the benign gaze of Notre-Dame de la Garde, emblem of the city.. All year round our staff is delighted to share this paradise with you. The life and times of the Provence is well represented here, as is the very soul of the wonderfully fashionable city of Marseille and the eternally-beautiful Provence Here you can contemplate the Lacydon cove (calanque) where the local art de vivre finds its origins: and the art de vivre in Marseille is well-known indeed!

ROOM SERVICE: Room service is gastronomy at your fingertips, when you wish. Dishes prepared by our Chefs are delivered to your room by staff there to ensure that you enjoy every moment of your stay. Whether you opt for a Continental breakfast, a healthy choice meal, à la carte, starters and salads, regional dishes, in season dishes of the da, pasta, pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, desserts, the wine menu and so much more… At Room Service there’s a lot to choose from.

The pool is perfectly secluded, protected from public view and from the sun’s rays, with water at 28°C, in an infinitely peaceful setting. The decor is reminiscent of the fountains and lavoirs (communal clothes-washing places) of traditional Provence. The decor draws its inspiration from the Palais Longchamp, built to celebrate the arrival of water in the city of Marseille in the 19th century. The pool is enclosed on one side by a stone wall down which water gently cascades into the pool, providing a charming, pleasant backdrop. The lighting, both subtle and discreet, with a mix of warm and cool tones, evokes the changing luminosity of the city and reinforces the sense of peace.

BEACHES NEARBY:

Plage des Catalans: Located just a short distance from the hotel, Plage des Catalans is a popular urban beach offering golden sand, clear waters, and stunning views of the Château d'If and the Frioul Islands.

Plage du Prophète: Situated to the south of Vieux Port, Plage du Prophète is another nearby option known for its relaxed atmosphere, calm waters, and picturesque setting against the backdrop of the Corniche Kennedy.

Plage de la Pointe Rouge: A bit further from the hotel but still easily accessible, Plage de la Pointe Rouge is one of Marseille's largest beaches, featuring fine sand, various water sports activities, and a vibrant beachfront promenade with restaurants and cafes.

Plage de la Vieille Chapelle: Tucked away in the charming Vallon des Auffes neighborhood, Plage de la Vieille Chapelle offers a more secluded and intimate beach experience, surrounded by rugged cliffs and traditional fishing boats.

In a decor inspired by the traditional Provencal fountains and lavoirs (communal clothes’ washing places) the Spa by Clarins offers time out: a moment of sheer revitalizing relaxation in an ambience redolent of the warmth and sensuality of the Mediterranean basin. There are 5 treatment booths including a double VIP booth, indoor swimming pool, indoor relaxation areas and a spacious fitness centre: the spa offers you a bubble of physical and spiritual relaxation, restful with Provencal tones. The Marseille Spa by Clarins is the first ever care and beauty treatment centre from this world-famous brand to open in the city of Marseille and indeed the first ever partnership between the brand and an InterContinental hotel in France.

Endowed on three sides with large French windows, the fitness center benefits from pervasive light and has an incomparable view of the Hôtel Dieu and the Vieux Port. It is fitted with the very latest, high quality Technogym equipment, WIFI connections and personalized, touch-sensitive screens:

Treadmill

Indoor cycles

Elliptical trainer

Rowing machine

Muscular strength exercise machine

Aqua jogging

Our personal trainer, several-times French champion in Taekwondo and Olympic coach in the 2012 games in London, is on hand should you request her services, to help you get back in shape, with the methods best adapted to you, personally.

Bedroom 1: 1 King

Bedroom 2: 2 Queen(s)

Sofa bed

Rollaway beds not permitted

Cribs permitted: 1

Common Area

Each room provided with a terrace

Ana De Armas, Hayley Williams & Jake Gyllenhaal

Anne Hathaway, Kendall Jenner & Andy Samberg

Joe Keery, Candice Swanepoel & Camila Morrone

Danielle Campbell, Louis Tomlinson & Harry Styles

Damiano David, Dove Cameron & Bella Hadid

Elsa Hosk, Charlie Hunnam & Madelyn Cline

Nicholas Galztine, Aaron Tveit & Taylor Zakhar Perez

Jenna Ortega, Jennifer Lawrence & Sophia Bush

Madison Bailey, Michael Clifford & Ashton Irwin

Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson & Ariana Grande

Joe Jonas, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce

Madison Beer, Zendaya Coleman & Mason Gooding

Andrew Hozier Byrne, Paul Wesley & Nina Dobrev

Ross Lynch, Jacob Elordi & Troye Sivan

Victoria De Angelis, Cari Fletcher & Renee Rapp

Romee Strijd, Austin Butler & Chris Evans

Zoey Deutch, Selena Gomez & Justin Bieber

Andrew Garfield, Callum Turner & Dua Lipa

Kaia Gerber, Nick Jonas & Justin Hartley

Barry Keoghan, Shawn Mendes & Sabrina Carpenter,

David Corenswet, Florence Pugh & Henry Cavill

Chase Stokes, Sydney Sweeney & Kelsea Ballerini

Chris Hemsworth, Emily Ratajkowski & Dacre Montgomery

Drew Starkey, Rudy Pankow & Grant Gustin

Glen Powell, Cindy Kimberly & Dylan O’Brien

Kylie Jenner & Liam Payne, Thomas Doherty

Mike Faist, Phoebe Tonkin & Steven R. McQueen

Olivia Rodrigo, Luke Hemmings & Calum Hood

Ryan Gosling & Gigi Hadid, Camila Mendes

Ryan Reynolds, Sophie Turner & Blake Lively

Hailee Steinfeld, Niall Horan & Barbara Palvin

Tom Holland, Joe Burrow & Hailey Baldwin

Perrie Edwards & Zayn Malik, Cody Christian

Billie Eilish, Jessica Alexander & Odessa A'Zion

Robert Pattinson, Chase Matthew & Suki Waterhouse

Maggie Lindemann, Kevin Jonas & Josephine Langford

Dianna Agron, Tom Hiddleston & Riley Keough

Margot Robbie, Melissa Barrera & Alycia Debnam-Carey

Ryan McCartan, Greta Onieogou & Lauren Jauregui

Anna Kendrick, Dakota Fanning & Avan Jogia

As per our usual routine, we'll be switching rooms mid-week.

[porterdavis]

"A Test of Character"

Tom Nichols is a conservative writer who spent 20+ years as an instructor at the Naval War College, not a particular bastion of left-wing loonies. His article for The Atlantic is behind a paywall, but available for free if you subscribe to one of the magazine's newsletters, so I don't think it's totally out of bounds to reprint it here. It's a #long-read, but worth every second of your time.

(tl;dr -- we face a moral character test for the second time in seven years. We failed miserably the first time)

"Donald Trump went to CPAC and gave a speech that was, even by his delusional standards, dark and violent. Much of it was hallucinatory. Amusing as it is to listen to President von Munchausen and his many “sir” stories, Trump is the former commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces and the current front-runner for the Republican nomination in 2024. He is as  dangerous as ever to our democracy and to our national security.

But I also want to turn attention from Trump’s evident emotional issues to consider a more unsettling question: How, in 2023, after all we know about this man and his attacks on our government and our Constitution, do we engage the people who heard that speech and support Donald Trump’s candidacy? How do we turn the discussion away from partisanship and toward good citizenship—and to the protection of our constitutional order?

In the past, reporters have approached such questions gingerly, poking their head into coffee shops, asking for comments at rallies, and claiming to overhear conversations at gas stations, all in the service of trying to understand Trump voters. (Only The Daily Show’s Jordan Klepper has ever managed to get anywhere in such interviews, and the answers he elicits are often terrifyingly dumb.) These respectful conversations with Trump voters have produced almost nothing useful beyond failed theories about “economic anxiety” and other rationalizations that capture little about why Trump voters continue to support a posse of authoritarian goons.

In 2016, Trump supporters could lean on a slew of hopeful arguments: Trump is just acting; he’ll hire professional staff; the “good” Republicans will keep him in line; the job will sober him up. All of these would be disproved over time. (It didn’t help that the alternative at the time was Hillary Clinton, for whom I voted but whose campaign was a tough sell to many people.) But by 2020, Trump, along with his enablers at Fox and other right-wing outlets, had created a kind of impermeable anti-reality field around the GOP base. This shell of pure denial defeated almost any argument about anything.

Media, flummoxed by having a sociopathic narcissist in the Oval Office, treated Trump like a normal political leader, and soon we all—even me—became accustomed to the fact that the president of the United States routinely sounded like the guy at the end of the bar who makes you decide to take your drink over to a table or a booth. When Joe Biden won, I hoped that this strange fever gripping so many Americans would finally pass. But the fever did not break, not even after January 6, 2021, and the many hearings that showed Trump’s responsibility for the events of that black day.

And now Trump has kicked off his attempt to regain office with a litany of lunacy. His speech at CPAC has been recounted by my Atlantic colleagues; John Hendrickson notes Trump’s return to the classics of grievance, and McKay Coppins describes how Trump has managed to become part of the typically boring CPAC kitsch.

But we shouldn’t mistake Trump’s gibbering for harmless political glossolalia. As Charlie Sykes said this morning, CPAC is “a serious threat masquerading as a cultic circus cum clown car,” and revealed “what a Trump 2.0 would look like.” This is a former president whose pitch included “I am your retribution.” Retribution for what, exactly, was left unsaid, but revenge for being turned out of office is likely high on the list. The Trumpian millennium turned into a tawdry four years of grubby incompetence and an ignominious loss. If Trump wins again, there will be a flurry of pardons, the same cast of miscreants will return to Pennsylvania Avenue, and, this time, they won’t even pretend to care about the Constitution or the rule of law.

Imagine an administration where we’ll all be nostalgic for the high-mindedness of Bill Barr.

Trump also reminded us that he is an existential menace to our national security. He reveled in a story he first told last spring—almost certainly a fiction—about how he informed a meeting of NATO leaders that he would let the Russians roll over them if they weren’t paid up. (Trump still thinks NATO is a protection racket.) He then fantasized about how easily a Russian attack could destroy NATO’s headquarters.

We’ve all cataloged this kind of Trumpian weirdness many times, and I still feel pity for the fact-checkers who try to keep up with him. But I wonder if there is any point. By now it should be clear that the people listening to Trump don’t care about facts, or even about policy or politics. They enjoy the show, and they want it back on TV for another four years. And this is a problem not with Trump but with the voters.

It is long past time to admit that support for Trump, after all that we now know, is a moral failing. As I wrote in a recent book, there is such a thing as being a bad citizen in a democracy, and we should cease the pretend arguments about policy—remember, the 2020 GOP convention didn’t even bother with a platform. Instead, anyone who cares about the health of American democracy, of any party or political belief, should say clearly that to applaud Trump’s fantasies and threats at CPAC is to show an utter lack of civic character. (I might say that it is no better than applauding David Duke, but why invoke the former KKK leader when Trump has already had dinner with Nick Fuentes, a white supremacist who he seems to think is a swell guy?)

The man who bellowed and sweated his way through almost two hours of authoritarian madness is still the same man who instigated an attack on our Capitol (and on his own vice president), the man who would hand our allies to Russia if they’re behind on the vig, the man who thinks a free press is his enemy, the man who tried to wave away a pandemic as thousands and thousands of Americans died.

Stigma and judgment have a place in politics. There was a time when we forced people out of public life for offenses far less than Donald Trump’s violent and seditious corruption. We were a better country for it, and returning to that better time starts with media outlets holding elected Republicans to account for Trump’s statements—but also with each of us refusing to accept rationalizations and equivocation from even our friends and family. I said in 2016 that the Trump campaign was a test of character, and that millions of us were failing it. The stakes are even clearer and steeper now; we cannot fail this test again."

[teecupangel]

Your vamp au made me howl with laugher.

And I get a stupid idea here:

Purrrfect@always_purfect

I don't know about m＊thrfuking vampires but I think this dude really has some power. It's the FORCE！People! Sith is real！

You guys are with me? Yes? I know this is not the normal shit I do or normal fake news I enjoyed so much to tear apart while laughing like crazy.

After 6 fuxking hours video comparison with 3 more hours debates with every SW YouTubers and VTubers we can gathered at the moment.

It's goddamned real.

The vamp lover's eye color changed from honeybrown to sith gold in the 48 different videos and photos we could found.

From 32 phones, 6 photos, 5 shop cameras, 3car cameras and 2 honest to force Polaroid photos. If you have more video, send it to me！

From his ehh passioned defense of his bestfriend-it's on the Brazil national News- we can found a base color and even then they flashed gold when surrounding lights didn't change at all.

Look at these [1：27 from video2][0：43 from video8][6：05 from video39]. You can see his eye color changed to gold even in the shadows, yeah they were totally glowing The first time I thought it's reflect too. But they didn't change back to honey when he turned around to face [3：14 from video 11] and they just keep going all sith-y when he decided to make a run for it. *[Check for more traditional sith eye color and video lights detail analysis]*

How could we be so sure it's force？

Our (probably not) young Sith Lord wasn't touched by any person when he raced trough the whole mob.

Turned left at third blue guard bar 0.23s early to avoid a grab from a redhood male from behind. Keep his pace and dance though at least 5 intentionaltripping without looking at all. Dropped back 2 inches so a kid next to him didn't lost his balloon because their parents were trying too hard to get a good angle. Dogged at least 12 throwing projects. And so on. I could keep going all day about how it's impossible for human to do what he did. Our pitiful brain just do not have the processing power and spatial awareness for this.*[Check for more kinematic analysis ]*

But the truth is:

Not a single soul could touch him at all. If he's not a chairvoyance, the Force will it is the only answer.

# First real time video record of eagle vision in the human history and it's Desmond running from Leovamp fans # # Sith Lord Eyes#

@fanworldbuildingfun Okay. I did not expect a Star Wars conspiracy angle but I'm all in.

=======================

@revengeofthesithwasagoodmovie reblogs @always_purfect

#anyone who has a better explanation to why his eyes glow like that step up #it's the camera setting is not a good enough explanation and y'all know it! #da vinci vampire lover #leonardo da vinci #da vinci secret lover not-salai #wanted da vinci boy #abstergo being shady af

=======================

We've done it, guys. The Star Wars fandom has joined our search for our Da Vinci Vampire Lover. We've reached main stream. - 39 minutes ago

I thought we reached main stream when news outlets were talking about him? - 37 minutes ago

Nah. We only reach main stream when the Star Wars or Star Trek fandom joins us. - 36 minutes ago

How many days do you think before the SuperWhoLock fandom butts in? - 35 minutes ago

- 35 minutes ago

HOOOOWWW????? - 34 minutes ago

=======================

yo @iamnotmyancestor you can clear this all up, man. Just send us a video of you saying you're not a sith. We all know you're a vampire.

hi @iamnotmyancestor are you a space vampire? (asking for a friend)

hey @iamnotmyancestor where do force lightning come from?

@iamnotmyancestor i swear this isn't star wars related, i need help with my term paper? halp???

"Can everybody please stop calling Da Vinci vampire lover space vampire? We call the white dudes from Stargate space vampire and he's too hot to be one" "I think Todd is hot" "Nobody asks, @toddthespacevampirelover"

=======================

"Hey, guys... Am I a Sith?"

"No, Desmond. You're just a space vampire."

[thessalian]

Thess vs Greenwich Market

So. Laundry's in the dryer cycle, the last batch of cookies is cooling (I just decided to bake, like, all of them), I used the kitchen time to boil some more potatoes for potato salad and those are also cooling, so now I'm going to take a minute to explain my Adventure from yesterday. And coincidentally also explain why my feet hurt so very much.

See, there's this place in Greenwich Market called The Fudge Patch. An old friend of mine who I mostly see on Facebook these days recommended it - apparently he goes fairly regularly and last month they had a deal on delivery fees, so I tried some and I loved it. Then I discovered that some of the flavours they have in store were not available on the website - specifically, coffee fudge. Which ... well, you guys know me well enough to know I just simply had to have. So I decided to look up how one might get to Greenwich from my little chunk of London. Turns out it's not that far - only takes a couple of buses. So I decided that if I was having a not-too-bad day Saturday and if the weather was decent, I would go and get this coffee fudge.

Yesterday, as far as I could tell when I woke up, was sunny and bright and I wasn't feeling too bad. So I thought, "Great! I will go to Greenwich Market". Even checked to see if there were any pharmacies in the vicinity so I could pick up the mallet meds I needed. There were, in fact, two. (This will come into play later.) So off I went on the bus.

Decided to do the pharmacies first, and discovered that neither of these two chain pharmacies had a pharmacy counter at those outlets. I mean, I guess it might have something to do with the fact that the place is very much for tourists - the National Maritime Museum and the Cutty Sark are both there. So I sighed a little, and decided to take a quick trip to local bookstore. Bought a Neil Gaiman short story anthology and a copy of Max Brooks' World War Z (far superior to the movie, as far as I've ever been able to tell), and then went to the market.

Greenwich Market is ... squished. Cramped. Lots of lovely things in a very small space. Which was not precisely easy for me to navigate, especially since I made the tactical error of entering via the food court and an awful lot of people were standing around eating while blocking the entrance into the main market. Then I had to hobble through very small aisles between stalls. I did look at some of the pretties, but not too closely because too many people. So I decided that, while the market proper would get a decent look on some other day when we're not at the start of a bank holiday weekend, I should just get my fudge and be on my way, preferably via a pharmacy.

The shop was also small, and a lot of it was devoted to the area where the fudge slabs were sliced and stored (and also probably packaged for delivery). There were a couple of people in ahead of me and the first thing I heard from the guy running the shop (mid-60s minimum, one of those wiry guys who gets tough and leathery-looking when they get older, long hair, receding hairline, big beard, very engaging grin) was, "No, seriously, take a sample! We are happy for you to taste everything!" and talking about how even if you don't want fudge right now, and leave without buying anything, he's happy to give samples because you might think of the place the next time you want fudge, or a gift for a fudge-lover on holidays, or when you're recommending a treat to a friend. Good way to do business, frankly. So I tried some of the lemon sherbet fudge he was offering (which was really good; I decided at that moment to go for a five-slab box again, and that to be one of the five) and told him that I was very specifically there because I'd ordered some for delivery but the flavour I was most interested in wasn't available online. He asked which one, and when I told him, he went, "Oh; we will definitely rectify that!" So I might be responsible for the coffee fudge hitting the delivery list. Huzzah!

Anyway, he practically insisted that I try a sample of the coffee fudge, since I'd come there especially for it, and in the process he noticed my pin badges. As I ordered my selection (coffee, lemon sherbet, raspberry sorbet, cinnamon swirl, and peanut butter), first he said, "Decisive person; knows what they want. I like it!" and noticed my pin badges - specifically the D&D themed ones. He said he didn't play but that he was peripherally interested in the whole thing and I told him that the fudge was at least partly gaming snacks. To my utter surprise, he asked what I was throwing at my players this weekend. No stranger has ever asked me anything that specific about my gaming before. So I told him and that was a thing.

That brought us to Warhammer, and sideways into books - apparently he's at the penultimate book of the Horus Heresy. Since we were recommending books and he was almost at the end of an apparently very long series, I made a recommendation of my own - the Locked Tomb. When trying to tell him what it was about, the best I could come up with that was short enough not to be too spoilery or involved was "necromancer lesbians in space". The young woman who was packaging up fudge looked up for the first time at that point, going, "Oooh!" and the guy slammed his fist on the counter in a very Thor-like kind of way (you know, the "I like this! ANOTHER!" thing) and said, "YES. Why has no one done this before? I need this!" So I wrote down the title of the first book for him; he can get the rest from there.

Last little bit of discussion was Patrick Rothfuss, who I told him I only knew from his time on Critical Role, and described the letter he wrote to Keyleth in-character a bit. And by then, my fudge was packaged and it was time for me to be on my way. But I think he sincerely hoped I'd be back sometime. Which was nice. Either way, one of the best shopping experiences I've had in a long time.

Then I had to find a bus stop to head in a home-ward direction. This took awhile, because that particular bit of Greenwich has a lot of one-way streets. Finally found it after a bit of a walk, during which I noticed that the sky was going from sunshine and blue to dark and grey. Well, fuck. Waited a bit for the bus, and didn't notice until I was basically on it that it was only going halfway to where I needed it to go. However, it was stopping at New Cross, so there might be a pharmacy there. Even if not, there's a big Sainsbury's, and the start of a bus route that takes me past at least two pharmacies and about a block closer to home than the one I would have taken if it'd stopped at Peckham like it was supposed to. Unfortunately, it let me off a fair distance from the big Sainsbury's, and there were no pharmacies. Woe.

Stopped at the big Sainsbury's, picked up some vegetables and treated myself to a can of root beer, and waited for the bus. That's when it started to rain. "Fuck", was my only real comment to that. There is nothing more annoying than standing at the start of the route, weighed down with shopping, watching the bus driver fuck around, and knowing you can't complain because they are entitled to breaks too. Honestly, I would have just been happy enough with a bench. But nope.

Anyway, bus finally got moving, got as far as Dulwich, got off near a pharmacy, picked up my mallet meds, back to the bus stop, ten minute wait for the next bus, and finally home - tired, sore, but triumphant.

...Then I started cooking dinner, which was roast chicken. I did really well, too. First I discovered that sage and lemon balm are a nice combination of herbs to stuff into the cavity; gives a really nice flavour to the meat, especially in combination with an onion and an entire bulb of garlic. Then I discovered that whatever I did to that chicken (might have been the slight oiling and salting of the skin before I put it in the oven, or maybe the herbs, or both), it resulted in the chicken being exceptionally juicy and tender. As in, when I went to carve off a leg for dinner, the thigh bone just kind of ... fell out. So ... that was good.

Boiled up the carcass, too - onion, garlic, herbs and all. May have boiled it too long, mind you. Or maybe not; what I have is a highly concentrated stock-jelly, of sorts. I figure I do what I would do with stock cubes or those little pots of jelly stock you can get at the grocery store - water it down and heat it, and stock will ensue. Which is good, because the leftover chicken breast is going to be risotto later.

But not today. Today I have done enough, and on top of what I did yesterday, I deserve more of a break. But that's why I have so many reheatables - on days when I have simply Ceased To Can, I can stick a thing in the microwave but still have home-cooked niceness.

So that was my Adventure. The lemon sherbet fudge is already gone, sad to say. But I still have more fudge, so that's nice. No major regrets for the Adventure, but man do I hurt, especially on top of the Adulting. I mean, hell, I mopped the kitchen floor today. Which would be more impressive if the kitchen weren't the approximate size of a postage stamp, but there we are. I have leftovers and fudge and cookies, plus still a lot of my proper American Sour Patch Kids, and I will have potato salad, and eventually some chicken katsu curry and risotto and chili and...

Look, if it's going to hurt no matter what I make myself to eat, I'm going to make sure the things I'm hurting myself to make are fucking worth it.

[rajbalapackersandmovers]

THE 10 BEST Places to Go Shopping in Gurgaon District 

Welcome to Gurgaon District, a vibrant hub of shopping experiences! Whether you're a local resident or a visitor exploring this dynamic area, Gurgaon offers a plethora of shopping destinations to suit every taste and budget. From upscale malls to bustling markets, there's something here for everyone. Let's dive into the top 10 places you should take advantage of when shopping in Gurgaon District.

Ambiance Mall:

As one of the largest shopping malls in Gurgaon, Ambience Mall boasts a diverse range of stores, restaurants, and entertainment options. From luxury brands to popular retail chains, Ambience Mall offers a premium shopping experience.

DLF CyberHub:

Known for its vibrant atmosphere and eclectic mix of restaurants and bars, DLF CyberHub also features a selection of boutique shops and specialty stores. It's the perfect destination for a day of shopping and dining.

MGF Metropolitan Mall:

Located in the heart of Gurgaon, MGF Metropolitan Mall is a favorite among locals for its extensive selection of fashion brands, electronics, and home goods. It's a one-stop destination for all your shopping needs.

Galleria Market:

Nestled in DLF Phase IV, Galleria Market exudes charm with its open-air layout and boutique shops. From designer clothing to unique handicrafts, Galleria Market offers a delightful shopping experience.

Sahara Mall:

Conveniently situated on Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Sahara Mall features a mix of retail outlets, entertainment venues, and food courts. It's a popular destination for both shopping and leisure activities.

Sadar Bazaar:

For those seeking a traditional shopping experience, Sadar Bazaar is the place to be. This bustling market is known for its affordable clothing, accessories, and household items. Bargaining is a must here!

Sector 14 Market:

With its shops and street vendors, Sector 14 Market is a local favorite for budget-friendly shopping. You'll find it all from trendy apparel to fresh produce in this bustling market.

The Gurgaon Central Mall:

Located in Sector 25, The Gurgaon Central Mall offers a curated selection of national and international brands. With its spacious layout and diverse offerings, it's a popular choice for shoppers of all ages. Due to such reasons, people choose to live in Gurugram. To know more, you can see what are the Best Places to Live in Gurugram.

Cross Point Mall:

Situated in DLF Phase IV, Cross Point Mall features a mix of retail stores, eateries, and entertainment options. Its convenient location and relaxed ambiance make it a go-to destination for shoppers.

Galaxy Mall:

Rounding out our list is Galaxy Mall, a vibrant shopping complex in Sector 15. From fashion boutiques to electronics stores, Galaxy Mall offers a diverse shopping experience in the heart of Gurgaon.

Ready to explore the best shopping destinations in Gurgaon District? Plan your shopping spree today and discover the hidden gems waiting to be explored! Don't forget to visit Rajbala, your one-stop shop for Packing and Moving services. Click here to learn more and start shopping with Rajbala today!

[dionysus-complex]

good story as ever from Adam Serwer:

--

There’s an expression reporters use, that you’ve “reported yourself out of a story.” That is, you had a hunch or a tip about something, but when you checked the facts, the story didn’t pan out. Sometimes, though, reporters stick to the narrative they’ve decided on in advance, and they don’t let facts get in the way.

The United Auto Workers union is striking for a better contract. The combination of a tight labor market and President Joe Biden’s pro-labor appointees to the National Labor Relations Board has given workers new leverage, leading workers in writers’ rooms, kitchens, and factories to demand more from their employers. This has been broadly beneficial, because many of the gains made by union workers benefit other workers.

But that didn’t happen. Instead, it was Biden who went to support the striking autoworkers, joining a union picket line—something not even his most pro-union predecessors in the White House had ever done. “You saved the automobile industry back in 2008 and before. You made a lot of sacrifices. You gave up a lot. And the companies were in trouble,” Biden told the striking workers Tuesday. “But now they’re doing incredibly well. And guess what? You should be doing incredibly well too. It’s a simple proposition.”

A president on the picket line, telling workers they deserved to share in the wealth they had helped create, was a genuinely historic moment. Franklin Roosevelt didn’t do this. It’s shocking that Biden did.

But that wasn’t as interesting for many in the political press as the hypothetical story, the one that didn’t happen: a Republican presidential candidate winning over striking autoworkers by supporting their struggle for a better contract. Trump didn’t do that. In fact, Trump, who governed as a viciously anti-union president even by Republican standards, chose to visit a nonunion shop to give a campaign speech in which he said, “I don’t think you’re picketing for the right thing,” and told them it wouldn’t make “a damn bit of difference” what they got in their contract, because the growth in electric-vehicle manufacturing would put them out of work.

Telling striking workers that they should give up trying to get a better deal is not supporting workers or supporting unions; it is textbook union-busting rhetoric that anyone who has ever been in a union or tried to organize one would recognize. In other words, Trump did not go to Michigan to support striking workers at all. He did what cheap rich guys do every day: He told people who work for a living to be afraid of losing what little they have instead of trying to get what they deserve. This is not comparable to, nor is it even in the same galaxy as, supporting workers on a picket line. It is a poignant metaphor for the emptiness of right-wing populism when it comes to supporting workers—a cosplay populism of superficial “working class” aesthetics that ends up backing the bosses instead of the workers.

[beardedmrbean]

MINNEAPOLIS -- Prosecutors have charged a fourth teenager in connection with a fatal shooting at the Mall of America, a news outlet reported Friday.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that a 17-year-old was charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree murder and second-degree assault in the death of 19-year-old Johntae Hudson.

Police say Hudson was killed during an exchange of gunfire in the mall’s Nordstrom store on Dec. 23. A dispute between two groups of young men led to the gunfire, police said.

The shooting forced authorities to lock down the nation's largest shopping center on one of the last days of the holiday shopping season.

Prosecutors have charged three other teenagers in the incident, including 18-year-old Taeshawn Adams Wright and two 17-year-olds. Wright faces counts of second-degree murder and second-degree assault. The two 17-year-olds have been charged with second-degree riot while armed with a dangerous weapon.

The Associated Press typically does not name juvenile criminal defendants.

[explosionofdisbelief]

today i woke up and opened instagram, like i usually do, and the first post on my feed was from the Anti-Racism Daily (@/ardtakeaction) account posting about a nightclub shooting at a queer club. in my own city. it was a shocking way to learn about the news because for one, i never think of my city as being that noteworthy to end up on national outlets, and two it was a huge gut punch of a reminder that my little bubble is very far removed from the daily realities of life in my city.

i may have a skewed perception since i've lived in colorado most of my life, but it seems that we've had more than our fair share of mass shootings. first columbine, then the movie theatre shooting in aurora, and now this one. last night's shooting hits closest to home in more ways than one. literally, since it's a short drive from where i live. and also because it was a very targeted attack against the queer community.

i have never been to the club where the attack happened, but that doesn't matter. it was a safe space for queer people, one of few, in a city that is full of conservative evangelical spaces. at one point, this city held the headquarters of over 500 religious organizations. i don't know if that's true anymore, but that is a staggering number. it's also something that, living here day-to-day, is easy to forget. it's normal to see churches on every corner and get asked at a fast food drive-thru if you have a relationship with jesus (yeah, that happened to me once). for someone who's not religious, it's a bit of a trip sometimes.

i have to admit, i forget what colorado springs looks like to outsiders. and i get frustrated that the media's portrayal of this city is a one-note story of conservative evangelicalism and extremism. even the post where i found out the news about the shooting. because yeah, while colorado turned blue when obama became president and elected the first openly gay governor, colorado springs has always been red. and i understand that is what everyone sees from the outside. but i want to give you another angle. because that's not all that this city is.

i decided after hearing the news this morning i needed to get out and not just sit around and stew in my feelings. i was upset, and i knew just sitting and scrolling wouldn't be good for me. i live downtown, which is a bit of a liberal/queer oasis in this city, and if you only know colorado springs from what you hear on the news, you would never think this was the same place.

almost all the shops downtown are locally owned and many of them, including my favorite coffee shop, have pride flags hanging in their windows all year long. (this photo is from earlier this year, but there are still flags everywhere.) i went there today, and spent about an hour reading, which is something i do often. i saw many visibly queer people come in and out, as usual. but today i was more aware of them. most people probably wouldn't guess i'm queer just by looking at me (especially here), but i do feel a kinship with queer people i see out in the wild, even if it's just one-sided.

there is a queer club downtown as well (which i went to many moons ago before i knew i was queer myself), a burlesque club that hosts drag shows, a theatre that (before the pandemic) regularly hosted interactive showings of rocky horror, and a huge park that hosts the pride festival every summer. there is probably more, but i am very much an indoor girl so i don't know half of what goes on.

after i left the coffee shop i visited the tattered cover, one of my favorite bookstores, to pick up some books i had ordered. on my way in i almost ran into a very large, intimidating looking white man. he startled me (not hard to do), but then i saw his shirt. it was a pair of hands making a heart shape with a rainbow heart inside. i almost burst into tears right in the middle of the store 🥲 (i'm very emotional today, i can't help it). it felt more meaningful today than it would other days. i don't now if he was queer or not, but it didn't matter. the fact that he made the choice to wear that shirt today, in public, was a statement of support. a loud one.

after i picked up my books, i left right away to avoid any temptation of buying more 👀 (i have a problem)

but i want to mention one of my favorite things about this tattered cover location: in their romance section, they have a special subsection for lgbtq+ romance 🥰 they know their audience and make it easy for us to find the books we want! the first time i saw it, it made me feel so welcome. it's such a small thing to do, but makes such a difference to customers like me.

on my way home, i always people-watch. i put in my earbuds so i don't have to talk to anyone. today i was listening to a queer romance, because i needed something happy. i've been on a bit of a horror kick lately, and while i love it, today was not really the day for that

i crossed paths with a queer couple on the sidewalk. two women, holding hands and laughing, cuddling close together because it's cold today and neither of them had on a coat. i couldn't help but smile because they were so absorbed in each other. and of course, i almost started crying again (i really am a mess today, guys).

because even when the worst thing happens right in our own city, when we are targeted just for daring to be who we are, queer people still aren't afraid to be loud and proud.

i know a lot of the news you see today will focus on the hatred and the evangelicals and the maga crowd and the reason this tragedy happened in the first place. and that is important. because this didn't come out of nowhere. but i just wanted to offer a few little humanizing moments of my city to remind everyone that we are more than just that. this city is more than the hate-filled people that put us on the news, even if we are in the minority. we're still here.

[eaglesnick]

IS CAPITALISM WORKING?

The economist Kate Raworth has said:

“For me capitalism is an economic system that prioritises, above all, delivering profit for the owners of wealth.”

The owners of wealth  – big shareholders, landowners and financiers - ensure this takes place by "capturing" the legal and political system “so that it can secure and reproduce privilege."

Corporations, on behalf of their shareholders, use lobbyists, public relations firms and thinktanks to influence the political- economic agenda. They use the press and other media outlets to craft the message they want the government of the day to hear.

But the problem is worse than that. It was recently revealed that

“One in five new Tory MPs have worked in lobbying or PR for corporate interests, new openDemocracy research reveals today. Opposition politicians have called our findings “deeply worrying”. (OpenDemocracy: 21/12/19)

Having Tory MP’s, "deeply connected to privileged corporate interests" is  not that surprising, but this problem is not restricted to the Conservative Party. In 1997, Tony Blair exempted Formula One from a ban on tobacco advertising, after the Labour Party received a  £1 million donation from the head of the sports governing body.

This was not a one-off. The “cash for honours” political scandal shocked the nation when it was revealed that the Labour Party was accepting large donations from individuals in exchange for seats in the House of Lords. Rich people were quite literally buying a place in government.

Luckily, the land owning aristocratic class do not need to buy their way into Parliament - they have a hereditary" "right" to help shape the laws the rest of us have to live under. Even though the number of hereditary peers entitled to sit in the House of Lords was reduced under the House of Lords Act of 1999, there are still 91 hereditary peers.

“As of November 2022, there are 4 dukes, 25 earls, 15 viscounts, 45 barons and 2 Lords of Parliament among the 91 hereditary peers entitled to sit in the House of Lords.”  (Wikipedia)

On top of this, we have 25 “Lords Spiritual” who also have an unelected  “right" to sit in the House of Lords and shape the laws we have to abide by. The Church of England is the 13th largest landowner in Britain, holding commercial property, ranging from shopping centres to car parks, as well as the land churches occupy. In 2006 the Church of England’s portfolio was estimated to be worth £4.3bn. It is hard to believe this does not influence the way they help frame and vote for new legislation in Parliament.

Cash for questions  - MP's being paid large sums of money to raise an issue in Parliament - is another way the wealthy influence politics, and scandals involving both Conservative and Labour peers have been exposed at heart of government.

 “The new cash-for-access allegations against two former Foreign Secretaries, Jack Straw and Sir Malcolm Rifkind, suggest little has changed inside parliament’s culture since the scandals that led to Liam Fox’s resignation as Defence Secretary in 2011, and the damage to the Labour Party that followed the former Transport Secretary, Stephen Byers, being caught on camera in 2010 saying he was a “cab for hire” who would work for £5,000 a day.” (Guardian: 23/02/15)

As this was not enough, we have the corrupt practice of the revolving door between government and big business: politicians and civil servants moving freely from politics to business and vice versa. Here is one description of how this works:

“Elected and appointed officials working in government may use their time in office to generate connections with legislators they can call on as contacts after they enter the private sector. Business can send members of its companies to alter policy and regulations to its benefit. But one large group is left unprotected and out in the cold by the Revolving Door -- the everyday members of the general public. If democracies are established to serve the public interest, how is the Revolving Door legal?” (howstuffworks: What Is the Revolving Door)

We can see from the above that our economic-political system allows undue influence by the already wealthy, a rich elite who have disproportionate power over all of our lives, and who shape laws to protect their privileges.

From the former non-dom, non-tax paying wife of our Prime Minister, to the tax avoiding Tory Chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, we see the system working to the advantage of the wealthy. From the energy companies  making obscene profits in a rigged market, to the water companies given permission to continue pumping raw sewage into our rivers and onto our beaches until 2050. From the continued deregulated of the finance sector in the  pursue profit at any cost, to public school charity status, saving the wealthy millions in additional school fees for their already privileged children.

On their educational website “Bitesize”, the BBC proudly inform our children that:

“Democracy is one of the key principles of the UK’s constitution. It ensures that everyone’s voice counts when the government makes a decision.”

If only that were true.

[kyndaris]

The Return Flight Home

In 2020, I had intended to travel overseas and revisit the United Kingdom in order to see the sights and sounds I’d missed on my first trip. COVID-19 prevented that from happening. It was only after three years of isolation and staying within the borders of Australia that I finally ventured onto a plane to take me away from the familiar. But instead of reinstating my original travel plans, I went one step further and joined a tour headed to Turkey and Egypt. Accompanying my grandmother, of all people.

And what an adventure it was!

True, it might not have been the one I had been hoping for but it was certainly something to experience, given my interest in Ancient History and love for mythologies that date back several millennia. 

Although, as it soon came to pass, many places throughout Egypt and Turkey didn’t feel like I was enjoying their own cultural history so much as also getting a dose on Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome as well. That isn’t to say it’s a bad thing. Far from it! It shows how interconnected the ancient world was with trade ad culture. On the downside, it did dampen a little of my enthusiasm to realise that many of sites we visited weren’t exactly built by the local populace but rather the remnants of another civilisation that had dominated the area in ages past.

I suppose, though, that it goes to show the complex and interconnected nature of world history. After all, no nation can truly rise and fall in isolation. History has shown us time and again how greed and the entrepreneurial spirit of humans has led to new discoveries and the subsequent shrinking of the world. 

That said, on the day of our flight back to Sydney, we made one last pit stop at the Suleymaniye Mosque as the Blue Mosque was still under renovations and not open for visitors. Smaller, it seemed than the Hagia Sophia, the Suleymaniye Mosque was decorated with a rich red carpet underfoot (that didn’t stink too much of unwashed feet) and had the usual trappings that I’ve come to associate with Baroque style mosques.

Built in 1557, it took about seven years for completion. Inside its walls, it contained medreses (a type of educational institution), a hospital, a hospice and Turkish baths to name but a few of the amenities.

For us tourists, it served as simple shelter from the drizzle that had hounded us since waking that morning. The rain, it should be known, followed us throughout the entire day with a vengeance. Even when we had finished looking at the mosque and headed to a retail outlet centre, the rain followed. All up until the time we headed to the airport for our flight back to Sydney.

As for the shopping centre, there wasn’t much difference to what we might see in Australia. What caught my eye as I wandered through the food court of the megaplex, though, was the fact that it had a Shake Shack! Of all things!

We don’t even have a Shake Shack in Australia yet! So, how come Turkey has one of the most popular East Coast burger chains and Australia doesn’t? It’s completely outrageous and I demand that a Shake Shack or an In-N-Out be properly established in Sydney.

They even have a Popeyes (although Google tells me that there is one in Melbourne)!

Other than the food court, I also saw shops that could be found in Australia as well as a few international brands. There was even a bookstore, the first I’d seen while overseas. Granted, it wasn’t just a bookstore but it had books as well as video games on display. For the first time in twenty or so days, I got a taste of actual normalcy!

I also caught sight of a spiffing leather jacket. Red, like the blood that would flow from when I’ve decapitated my enemies, and it was rocking a detachable hood. Sure, it cost 5000 Turkish lira, and was a little on a the expensive side. But you know what? I bought that sucker because it was screaming my name. And yes, it was a bit tight around my girth but I can always wear it unzipped...

Besides, they also say that leather stretches! And I was wearing multiple layers before trying it on.

Which, I know, sounds like excuses considering that it was XL but I’ll be the first to readily admit that I am on the overweight side of things. But only just a little! And...you know, that my face is too round. Which is why I hate photos and why it’s been tough on the dating scene as I have a minimal amount of photos that star me in them. Also, posing is an issue. How ought one stand? What should these upper appendages called arms be doing? Is it still acceptable for me to be doing the classic ‘v’ sign or is that too stereotypical of every Asian ever?

Gah! I’m having a meltdown over photographs!

What was I writing about?

Ah, yes, the last day in Turkey. Well, after downing a burger from Shake Shack - which, honestly, was my favourite meal during my entire trip - it wasn’t long before we waved a fond farewell to Turkiye. On the drive to the airport, we parted with the remaining lira we had, tipping the driver and the tour guide, Abdullah, for their services.

And then, it was a short-ish flight to Dubai before we were on our way back to Sydney (wherein I managed to sneak in Woman King and HBO’s adaption of the Time Traveler’s Wife starring Rose Leslie). 

Overall, I must say, that the trip was one that I’ll remember fondly. While it had its ups and downs, I still learned a lot and got to see more of the wider world than if I’d still been too afraid to leave Australia. Books and movies and documentaries can bring the world to me but there is something about actually going out there and seeing things for myself that makes travelling so eye-opening and special. A picture might say a thousand words, but they’re almost always especially curated to evoke a feeling. Actually walking beside remnants of the past, interacting with the locals and trying their food is an entirely different experience. And one I hope to continue to experience now that the rest of the world is back on the menu.

COVID-19 might not be gone (and it might never be gone) but that shouldn’t stop people from living their best lives and seeing what the world has to offer. True, there might be limitations based on a person’s socioeconomic status and the physical capabilities, but for those that can, it’s something that can change you. 

The world may be small in the grand scheme of things, but it’s also so much bigger than just a pretty blue bauble hanging in the heavens. There is a rich history here that is begging to be uncovered to its fullest extent. And from what I’ve learned from travelling, as well as reading a history book as I travelled, the progression of the human race as a whole is all about engaging with their culture, beliefs and way of life rather than crushing it all under an imperialist heel or the misguided attempts of defending one’s interests.

We can all learn from being a little bit more open-minded and tolerant of the ideas of others rather than falling back into a tribal mentality of us versus them. As history has shown, it never works well and it’s all fuelled by self-interest. Open dialogue is the real path forward to success. Here’s hoping people can see that before they allow themselves to blindly trot down the path of mutual destruction.

Now, to end it all with inexplicable photos of animals. Mostly cats.  Why? Because both Turkey and Egypt had way too many feral animals on the prowl. So, while they may appear cute, do not approach! You can, however, take quality photos of them from a distance.