#host roman speaks

[jedidiahfictivespeaks]

Hey guys!! Please go follow my new blog! It's for me so I don't use jeds all the time! It is "Stancelott" thank you♡♡

-roman

[the-cimmerians]

Queer and trans folk around the world often take an interest in the athletes from our community, and Outsports even collects a database of all the the out LGBTQ competitors. While JK Rowling and 99 percent of conservative media were harassing two cis women boxers, 195 QT athletes represented 26 nations and none, but we’ll get to that. That makes this the queerest Olympics ever, beating out the total of 186 out athletes in Tokyo and, if Queer Nation granted citizenships, would be the 14th largest national contingent at the games. That hypothetical Queer Nation would also have placed sixth in the medal count, tying the Netherlands with 15 golds but falling neatly between the Dutch and host country France on the strength of silvers and bronzes.

One happy bit of news is that in both golds and overall medal count, Queer Nation beat out every single country in the world that criminalizes same-sex boinking. The only bad news seems to be that people competing in the men’s events seem a little underqueered compared to the women. Can’t we at least get a few interested in the Greco-Roman wrestling? Yr Wonkette is just asking.

...

Sure, justice in silver and gold for badass bisexual Black woman Sha’Carri Richardson, excluded from Tokyo on the basis of smoking legal weed in Eugene, Oregon, was as sweet as sativa; it was fun to see Diana Taurasi go out on the queer top with her sixth Olympic gold in a row (team USA’s eighth consecutive women’s basketball gold); and seeing the shoulders on those women rugby players was a dream come true. But we want to speak about someone who didn’t represent any country at all: Cindy Ngamba.

Ngamba is a middleweight (75kg) boxer originally from Cameroon. At 11 years old some family members fled to the United Kingdom as refugees, and brought Ngamba along. The family maintains it had the proper approval for Cindy, but that when her uncle returned to Cameroon it was lost. The UK Home Office has been threatening to deport her since the age of 16, when she was accepted to university and realized she couldn’t produce her visa for her college paperwork.

Despite the threats, Ngamba fought and won many times in the UK’s amateur boxing competitions, having started as a hobbyist in the local Bolton Lads and Girls Club program. She also went on to get an undergraduate degree with honors, all while threats of deportation hung over her head. After winning a UK national championship, she met then-PM Theresa May celebrating her win and the efforts of the Lads & Girls Club where she trained. One might think that the UK might eventually forgive an 11-year-old girl for not keeping track of her paperwork herself, but the Home Office has remained resolute denying Ngamba regularized status.

What makes all this both horrifyingly inhumane and also relevant to this article is that Ngamba is an out lesbian. She has been consistently denied a path to citizenship or even legal residency, only escaping deportation because of her ability to document horror after horror inflicted on queer residents of Cameroon. International law prohibits sending a refugee back to their nation of citizenship or previous residence if they would face persecution and risk of great harm, a crime called “refoulement.”

“If I was sent back, I can be in danger,” Ngamba said. “So, I was given the refugee status to be safe and protected."

Unable to represent the UK and unable to compete in qualifying competitions in Cameroon, Ngamba got an opportunity that no other stateless athlete had ever shared before 2016: she was named to the IOC Refugee Olympic Team. So far that team has only been allowed to compete in the summer games, and only in Rio, Tokyo, and this year in Paris. (They will be allowed to compete in the Winter Games for the first time in 2026.) Given the incredible barriers most refugees face, it is perhaps not surprising that no Refugee Team member has ever won a medal. But while Ngamba has faced incredible legal problems and a ruthlessly anti-immigrant government her entire time in the UK, she at least had better training facilities in her local Lads & Girls than most refugees can dream.

And the dreams paid off. Team Refugee got its first medal ever when Ngamba took home middleweight bronze. "I just want to tell every refugee out there, whether they are an athlete or not, to never give up,” she said after being asked to carry the Olympic flag at the opening of the games. When she won, the whole refugee team took to the internet to celebrate:

“The Refugee Olympic Team is incredibly proud of Cindy Ngamba, the first EOR athlete and the first-ever refugee medallist at the Olympics,” the team posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Today, we are speechless. Cindy did it. Refugees did it!”

Yes, yes you did.

[famousstatesmanbearroad]

DISTRACTION PART 2 (WWE CODY RHODES)

•Summary: He’s allowed you in his head, allowed you to play mind games, allowed you to make him vulnerable, causing his match against your cousin at WrestleMania 39. Months later and he finally earns another match, just for you to start the distraction all over again, dwelling on the pass

• Parings: Cody Rhodes X Samoan fem reader

Warnings - mentions of sex, praise kink, choking kink, moaning kink, fingering, grinding of some sorts (over the clothes), Dirty Talk, 18+ only (Minors DNI), (READ AT YOUR OWN RISK)

Word count: 5k

The day before the WrestleMania kickoff show was declared a pre-kickoff for everyone in WWE as Paul Levesque and Stephanie McMahon hosted their first annual pre-kickoff dinner party to celebrate the road to WrestleMania. You sat in your hotel room, applying the pieces of jewelry that you placed out to put on.

Roman asked you to accompany him to this dinner party. Though you were surprised, he even asked you. After last week with your interaction with Cody, Roman made it clear how pissed he was with you.

Cody, that man has not left your mind. You haven't seen him since, other than watching him on TV when he appeared on Monday's show.

You would be crazy if some of you thought about seeing him, but you did. You had no idea why, however.

There wasn't any point in being near the man; he wasn't completing this WrestleMania with Roman anymore. You won't have to worry about being a distraction.

But you couldn't help but think about the past. You wished you could forget what happened between the two of you.

But the way he touched you, the way you moaned for him, the way he made you feel, how could you not forget that!?

You've had sex before, but never in the way you did with Cody. You held in for so long just to focus on your plan, give in, and throw yourself at him the minute he became vulnerable. You, too, were vulnerable.

And you couldn't help but bite your lip as you thought about that night. The way he talked to you, it made you realize how much of a praise kink you have, how much you get turned on by how dirty he can speak to you, all while fucking you.

"We're on a tight schedule. Are you almost ready?" Roman asked as he exited your hotel bathroom, adjusting his tie.

You cleared your throat, looking down as you hid the flustered from your face. "Yeah, I'm ready."

You took tiny breaths before sitting up, turning to Roman as he grabbed his keys before looking at you. "How do I look?" Roman asked, adjusting his top suit. You nodded in approval. "Like you just got inducted into the hall of fame."

Roman smirks, nodding at your comment. He then got serious. "Listen, a lot of our family will be there, some we haven't spoken to in a while, that we haven't been on good terms with."

You knew who Roman was talking about, Jey. The last time you saw Jey in person was when he and Cody were undisputed tag champs. You didn't even see him at the Royal Rumble. But you miss Jey. He was someone who allowed you to express your feelings whenever you were upset. And despite how malicious Jimmy acted towards him, they were twins; they missed each other.

"Just say Jey's name, Roman; you're talking about him."

Roman sighed. "Look, I can't stop you from talking to him; that's your brother, " he said. But promise me he's not going to get into your head."

You scoffed. "How would Jey get in my head?" You asked him. Roman was quiet for a moment.

Roman knew that Jey was the number one person who stood with you when you left Bloodline. Jey thinks you deserve better than doing what Roman tells you to do. The last thing he needs is someone convincing you to do such a thing. Because despite the plans he makes, you plot, despite him telling you what to do, you're his family. He's been betrayed by his family before. He doesn't want to happen, let alone from you.

"Just remember what I said," he said. It was now your turn to remain quiet as he turned to your side, pulling his arm out for you to wrap around. You took it in silence as you walked out of your room.

-

The dinner party was elegant. Silent music played in the background as chatters filled the room. The moment you and Roman walked into the room, you were greeted by many people—a hall of framers and workers who worked alongside Paul in the headquarters. Whenever Roman enters a room, heads turn, and people from every corner greet people. All you can do is say hi and smile as people approach him.

However, you notice his smile, which he had as people greeted him, disappear as he stared into the distance. You looked in the direction he was staring at, and all two of you saw two figures, one you hoped you wouldn't see, although you knew you would.

Jey. He stood from afar with a drink in his hand, laughing at whatever joke he had told himself. His eyes drifted into your and Roman's direction, matching the same faded-off smile as Roman's. Although he was looking at you and you only. All Jey wanted, although his big brother, was his little sister. You looked beautiful, he thought. All he wanted was to talk to you, ask how things were, and tell you he's still your brother.

Then they were Cody, who you sucked the air out of the minute his eyes laid on you. You looked absolutely stunning, he thought. Your dress fits perfectly on your body. It made him frustrated with how beautiful you look. A part of him wanted to come up to you and tell you how beautiful you looked. The other part wanted to take you to one of the bathrooms and undress you out of that incredibly sexy dress.

Roman eyes narrowed at the two men. He feared Jey's words, but he also feared Cody's actions. He had no clue what was going on between you and Cody; after seeing how close he was to you a couple of days ago, it absolutely made Roman boil. Yes, Roman's is your cousin. But the two of you were more siblings than cousins. And seeing a man that he truly despises be incredibly close to you was something he never wanted to happen again. And he knew a part of it was his fault.

Roman was the one who told you to distract Cody and do whatever it takes. Now he questions what exactly happened to you. It was like he accidentally set you up as bait.

You let out a shaky sigh as you looked at Roman. "I'm going to go grab me a drink, " you said as you walked off, not allowing Roman to speak.

You knew that tonight was going to be a long night. And you knew that avoiding Cody as much as possible would probably help. But it is impossible, especially when you are in the same room.

You finally grabbed a drink, sipped it, and breathed to calm down. You looked back to see Roman conversing with Dwayne and other people you did not know their names.

From a distance, Jey was debating whether he should approach you. He wasn't sure if you would want to talk to him. But he gained the strength anyway, looking over at Cody, who watched you. "Aye uce, let me go to my sis real quick."

Cody looked at him. A hint of surprise formed in his face, but he nodded anyway. He wasn't sure how your conversation with Jey would turn out.

Jey hesitated for a moment, then walked towards you. Your back was turned as you were unaware of Jey's presence getting closer. That wasn't until you heard his voice.

"Y/N."

You turned around, seeing your brother in front of you. You glanced over at Roman, who hadn't seen you two. You then looked back at him.

You wanted nothing more than to hug your Jey and tell him how much you missed him, but you kept your distance, giving him a small smile. "Hi."

Jey smiled back. "How have you been, little sis?" he asked. He was glad you were talking to him.

"I've been better, big bro." You replied as your smile grew. "I miss you."

Hearing you say that made Jey happy. He would be lying if a small part of him thought you hated him for leaving the bloodline. If only he knew that was far from the truth. Deep down, you admire him for doing that.

"I miss you too." He said. Your eyes showed a hint of happiness hearing that from him. Your eyes then drifted to the tie that lay on his chest, causing you to suck your teeth as you placed your drink down. "I see things haven't changed." You say fixing his tie correctly. Jey couldn't help but laugh. "I've been trying to fix it; you know I hate ties."

"Well, you could have worn a bow." You tell him. Jey shakes his head. "I look ridiculous in those."

"No, you do not, Jey," you said, remaining silent momentarily. "Okay, maybe a little."

"Wow!" Jey was taken aback as he looked down at you. You couldn't help but laugh at his reaction, which caused him to laugh back.

However, your eyes wander towards Roman, whose eyes are now on you two, causing you to stop laughing. Jey realizes this, looking over at Roman before looking at you. "He's controlling you, Y/N."

"Jey-"

"Y/N, he uses you. The only reason he still has you around is because you've helped keep that championship belt he got." Jey tells her. You shook your head. "That's not true." You tell him and yourself.

Jey frowns as you deny his words. You now knew what Roman meant by Jey getting in your head. Deep down, you question whether Jey was right.

However, you still deny it. "Look, I've been there for Roman through everything. He's family. And Families don't betray each other."

Jey scrunch his eyebrows together as you said that. "What's that supposed to mean?" You looked at him as you realized what you had said, seeing the effect that it had on him. "Jey- it's not like that,"

"Nah, I get it," Jey spoke, shaking his head. "I betrayed Roman. I turned my back on my own family; I decided to be selfish. It's not like Roman selfishly treated all of us like crap whenever our job isn't done."

"Jey-"

"He would have done the same if he knew about you and Cody,"

You immediately froze as you looked at your brother. Jey still had no clue what had happened between the two of you, but he knew something had happened; otherwise, Cody's reactions to what he had seen wouldn't have been how they had been.

"I don't know what you're talking about," You choked out as you looked away from Jey.

"Yes, I do," Jey said. "I don't know what it is, nor is it none of my business, but Roman is gonna find out what it is, and he's gonna be furious."

"There's nothing going on between Cody and me, okay?" You snapped at your brother out of frustration. "For once, can't you understand that Roman isn't doing any using and isn't controlling me!?"

Jey noticed your body language and tone of voice; it was your reaction to him mentioning Cody. And as much as you really wanted to talk to your brother right now, you tried to get away and calm down.

"Aye, sis? " a voice said, bringing your and Jey's attention to Jimmy, the eldest sibling.

Yours and Jimmy's relationship was different from yours and Jey's. You and Jimmy were close despite what happened with your other brothers. But you couldn't talk to him about how you were feeling occasionally. You couldn't even do that with Jey because of how distant you had gotten.

You didn't want to mean it, but you couldn't help but think that Jimmy had his head up Roman's ass so far that everything you did felt, and you did want to tell Jimmy, but you couldn't because of Roman.

"Everything's good?" Jimmy asked you as his eyes heavily narrowed at Jey. Jey and Jimmy made eye contact as Jimmy got closer to the two of you. More Jey than you.

You took a step back. "I'm fine," you said, feeling overwhelmed by what was happening. I'm going to go use the bathroom."

You didn't even give Jey a chance to react before you were off into the bathroom. He looked over in your direction, watching you walk as he sighed. All he wanted was a civil conversation with his sister.

And that couldn't happen.

-

The index finger of Cody's hand gently slipped across the rim of his glass cup as he stared down at his drink. He sat down by the bar by himself, examining his surroundings and the party that was currently going on.

A few people have approached him, making small talk, but most of the time, he was thinking.

He was thinking about a lot of things. His head was clouded. From his decision about WrestleMania to seeing you walking in, Cody knew that his time was limited from exploding.

He noticed the glances from Roman the moment he walked in. Though, Roman kept his distance. Cody wasn't stupid; he knew Roman was more cautious towards him after seeing how incredibly close he was with you. And as much as he needed to stay away from you, a part of him didn't mind pissing Roman off.

But it's you. It wasn't any random woman. He needed to stay far away from you for his sanity. You were all he could think about. It was affecting him badly.

Cody glances at you and Jey as you are in his head again. Fuck, you looked breathtaking in that dress. He knew you knew you looked good, but my god, Cody felt himself wanting to undress you with his own eyes.

He couldn't help but notice your expression—you looked overwhelmed. Your brothers were now standing in front of each other.

Cody knew everything that went down between Jimmy and Jey. The whole world knew what happened between the two. But Cody was the one who took Jey when Jey needed someone the most. And he knew you and Jey's relationship was a bit rocky, which allowed Cody to know precisely what you were feeling.

His eyes followed you as you walked into the bathroom, leaving the two brothers to themselves. His eyes stared at that door. He had a crazy debate about going into it, though it was a girl's bathroom, and he knew how stupid that would be for himself.

"Hey, Cody." Cody turned his head as he saw a figure standing in front of him, causing him to be taken aback a bit.

Dwayne was the last person Cody expected to approach him. His smile indicated that he meant no harm, allowing Cody to smile back.

"Hey, Dwayne," Cody said as Dwayne sat beside him. Dwayne grabbed the bartender's attention as he ordered a drink. Once receiving it, he looked back at Cody. "How you doing."

"Well," Cody said, forcing a small smile. "Just taking one step at a time." He said.

"Well, that's something," Dwayne said, chuckling a bit as he took a sip. Cody let one out, too, and he drank from his cup.

The conversation had already been 20 seconds, and it was already awkward. It wasn't like Cody hated Dwayne. Despite being related to someone he despised, Dwayne was one of his few role models.

But family is family. Deep down, Cody knew that Dwayne would rather defend his cousin than someone who looked up to him. That's how their whole family works.

"Listen, I just want to talk to you about WrestleMania," Dwayne started the conversation. Cody held his hand up. There's nothing really to talk about; I made my decision."

Dwayne nodded. However, the two of them knew that this was not true. Cody didn't want to talk about it, especially to the man who was facing Roman instead of him. "I just want to know if we're good," Dwayne said. "You hear the fans all over social media saying they want you, and I don't want anyone coming in the way and confusing your decision."

Cody took in what Dwayne said. Yes, in less than 24 hours, Cody has been trending all over social media. #wewantcody even took him by surprise. His entire career, he's been in the mid-card. He's never gotten this much notice.

But Dwayne's mention made Cody think a certain way. If Dwayne had only said so, his decision would have stayed the same.

"I made the decision; I can't go back on my word, can I?" Cody said, looking at Dwayne. Dwayne stared at Cody back before nodding, forming a smile on his face. "It wouldn't make sense if you did," Dwayne said. He then got up from his seat. "I'm glad you and I are on the same page."

Cody nodded, taking a sip from his drink. "Yeah, me too."

Dwayne patted Cody on the shoulder as it looked like he was going to walk off and finally end this dreadful conversation. But suddenly, Dwayne stopped and turned back to him. "Oh, there's something else,"

Dwayne took a step closer to Cody as he leaned in to whisper in his ears. "I need you to stay away from Y/N. Or there will be consequences."

Something in Cody infuriated him as he looked at Dwayne. Dwayne patted his back once again before walking off.

Dwayne walking up to Cody and him mentioning WrestleMania didn't get under his skin. But you?

Cody rubbed his temple as you were now back in your head. Roman was the person who sent you to him. And now he's being told to stay away from you.

He couldn't help but laugh. He knew a thousand times that he should stay away from you. But now, just to piss Roman and Dwayne off, and because he knew eventually that he was going to fail at staying away, it made him not want to at the moment.

Cody's eyes scanned the party, then drifted back towards the bathroom door. You haven't left the bathroom since talking to Jey. And Cody fought with his intrusive thoughts, telling him to stay where he was, but wanting to go into that bathroom so badly.

Suddenly, he stood up from his seat, adjusting his suit as his eyes wandered, ensuring no one was looking in his direction. He cautiously made his way toward the bathroom door, making sure no one was watching. Once making it to the door, his eyes looked around one more time before stepping in.

-

You walked into an empty bathroom stall, straight towards the mirror, and started steadying your breathing. Your conversation with Jey went the way you didn't want it to.

You looked at yourself in the mirror as you replayed your conversation with Jey. From Roman to Cody, all you wanted was a peaceful talk with your brother without the outside drama getting in between, but that couldn't happen.

You stayed in the bathroom for a good minute, standing as you continued to take breaths, not trying to get everything under your skin.

All you wanted to do was leave the party, go back to your hotel, and sleep away the problems in your life. However, you couldn't do that, and reality kicked in when you jumped from getting scared of the door opening.

Unfortunately, your face immediately dropped as you looked at the person who had walked in. Cody.

He stared at you, watching your expression. Followed by a click, indicating that he had locked the bathroom door, you involuntarily gulped, followed by silence. His stares imitated you for some reason. You two were known for having intense eye contact, especially when you were around him to distract him. But for some reason, he made you feel small. You can feel him undressing you with his eyes. If only you knew that was exactly what he wanted to do to you that night.

"What are you doing here?" you asked, your voice soft, almost whispered. Cody watched how you reacted to him. This wasn't the first time he'd seen you like this. But it felt different because there wasn't any distraction, no mind games, and just you two.

Cody walked up to you. You're back leaning against the bathroom table as you look up at him. You were trying to read his facial expression, but it was more of curiosity that you could see. "Are you okay?" He asked, not answering your original question.

However, you nodded, watching Cody, then looked down at your lip. You were unaware that you were biting your lip. He had his hands in his pocket right now, but at the moment, he felt himself clenching his hands hard, desperately stopping himself from bending you over and fucking you so severely.

"You shouldn't be in here, Cody," you tell him. Once again, Cody ignored what you said and asked a question about your statement. "You ever thought about that night, Y/N?"

Your heart dropped hearing what he had said. The night the two of you had sex for the first and only time. You thought about that night a little from time to time. The thought of you touching yourself to Cody crossed your mind, causing you to turn away and have your back facing him.

Cody caught a glimpse of your facial expression before you turned. At that moment, you were probably thinking about that night, something dirty. Cody's head was screaming at him to run to that bathroom stall, forget what came out of his mouth, and never speak about it again.

However, it suddenly got hot in the bathroom as you felt him very close to you, breathing down your neck. His hands secretly hesitated before pulling themselves out of his pocket and onto your waist.

"I thought about that night too many times; it's starting to torture me," Cody whispered in your ear. Your hand grabbed onto the table, clenching on it so hard. It took everything in your power not to lean your head back.

"The thought of touching you, making you moan, you'll be such a good girl."

Cody knew that you had a praise kink; it was something that he found incredibly attractive about. He had a kink to females who had a praise kink.

And because of that, he noticed your head shifted a bit, your eyes fluttered closed, and your lips parted open. Fuck those lips. God blessed you with beautiful lips. If it wasn't your skin or your moans that turned Cody on, it was your lips.

"We can't speak about this, Cody," you spoke. Cody felt himself sighing as he laid his head on your shoulders. Not because you were right, but because he was getting hard knowing they shouldn't be doing this.

And you felt it. It poked, causing you to think nothing but yourself throbbing for him. "Fuck," you let out as you couldn't help yourself from grinding against his clothed hard-on.

Why, all of a sudden, the two of you were folding so quickly? You wondered why Cody made you so needy so quickly.

But it didn't matter because he was the same way as he gripped your waist, pulling you closer to him. He watched you through the mirror that you had forgotten was the. Those pretty faces you were making as you bit your lip, stopping yourself from moaning. God, you looked so beautiful.

Cody couldn't help but grunt, seeing how you were reacting to grinding on him. His pants were highly uncomfortable, and he wanted more to fuck you in this bathroom. But he knew he couldn't. And he wasn't, not tonight in this bathroom, at least.

He turned around, however. Your eyes shot open as you stepped so close to the man, his chest almost touching. You now notice him staring down your lips. "Let me taste them, just this once?" he spoke. You remained quiet as his large hands were placed on your chest. They slowly crept up to your neck as he wrapped them around you.

You let out a small moan, causing his grip to be tighter. "Do not moan. Otherwise, I'm going to cum on myself."

Fuck. Why did he say that? It immediately made you do the opposite as another moan slipped out unintentionally. You didn't care that the man had just walked into the women's bathroom; you wanted him badly.

And hearing you moan once again caused Cody's hard-on to joint, tightening his grip. But his grip around your neck wasn't helping him either. You were getting turned by it. Fuck, praise kink, and now a choking kink, has had he remained himself from fucking you.

Cody leans in and lightly places his lips onto yours. He just wanted to touch your lips, that's all. And you didn't stop him; once you felt his kissing, you immediately kissed him back.

The hand that was around your neck was now wrapped around the back of your neck, as his other hand was on your chest. The kiss was slow, and both of you took in how you two felt.

It wasn't until you and your actions nearly made Cody explode as he groaned in between your kisses that caused the two of you to fight with each other using your tongues.

Your hand tugged on his hair as your other hand pulled him close, and you leaned against the bathroom sink again. His hands now went straight down to your ass, squeezing it as your mouth opened while kissing him. Cody rolled his tongue, swallowing your moan.

Your mind couldn't process the fact Cody put his tongue down your mouth. It wasn't processing because of how good the kiss was. You couldn't help but push him away; however, the two of you couldn't even stare at each other, and you were both out of breath.

But Cody wasn't finished. You felt his hands slightly lifting your dress a bit before he reached the side of your underwear.

You watched him, lips slightly swollen, as his eyes darted down at your dress, pulling your underwear down till you kicked it off your ankles.

It was now in Cody's hand as he stared down at it—a black lace thong. Despite walking into the bathroom, he felt you were doing this on purpose. Oh, to see your legs spread open, having nothing but a lace thong covering your pretty clit of yours. He would have tasted you over the thong. The last time he ate you out, he had to reframe himself from making you cum so quickly. He's given head before to other females. You, the taste of your wet clit was too fucking good.

His breathing was what you notice. His chest was rising heavily as you held your thong in his hand. You bite your lip as you take it from him and shove it in his pocket to give him a souvenir. Then, with risk, a substantial fucking risk, you took his hand and placed it in between your thighs.

He didn't pull his hand back. Instead, he moved his hand upwards, allowing your legs to spread again. Your eyes fluttered shut as your hand immediately held onto Cody's hand. You could feel his fingers playing with your folds, feeling how wet you were.

Oh, my fucking gosh, Cody felt absolutely ruined. The pretty sounds coming out your mouth, the fact you were so wet for him you could hear it. He knew that after tonight, there were going to be consequences for his actions. But right now, he rather sees you cum on his fingers.

"You're so fucking dirty," Cody whispered in your ear. "You like that I'm playing with your pretty pussy in this bathroom where there are so many people out there."

Cody bit down on your ear lobe as you let out a whimper. You then looked up at him as he moaned and grew louder, trying your hardest not to have someone hear. But both you and Cody were making that difficult.

"I love it when you play with my pussy, Cody." You moaned out. "Fuck, I missed this, I missed the way you made me feel."

Cody was going feral right now. His fingers were now inside you as he felt you grinding down on them. What has he gotten himself into?

Your mouth was filthy, and you didn't care. Significantly when Cody sped his pace with his fingers, thrusting them in you faster. You threw your head back as he immediately started kissing your neck.

You can feel Cody grinding on your thigh, trying to find some release. You wanted to return the favor as your hand found his erection, cupping it.

However, you frowned as Cody pulled your hand back as he looked at you. "Not today, baby. Right now, it's about you."

You didn't argue. You couldn't argue as Cody added another finger, finger fucking your clit. You felt your orgasm coming.

All you wanted to do was moan loudly as you felt yourself about cum. But you couldn't. Despite being a party, you knew someone would hear you two.

Cody moaned, however, as you brought your lips to his ears and moaned in them. He felt your legs clenching, your clit clenching around his finger. "Ohhh, I'm close, fuck!"

Cody's finger didn't stop thrusting into you as you reached your climax, cumming on his finger. He watched as your face washed over with bliss, your knuckles turning white as you held on to the table and his shoulders. It was such a beautiful sight to see.

You felt him move his fingers out your clit and watch him look down his finger before raising it to his mouth and getting a taste of your wetness. Cody couldn't help but moan. You taste so sweet, so fucking good. It was impossible that you tasted that so fucking good

Your mouth slightly parted as you let out a small gasp, watching him do something unholy. It turned you on all over again, watching him taste you on his finger.

The two of you tried your hardest to avoid each other. After tonight, you knew it was going to be impossible now.

Last Part | Next Part: TBA

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[st-just]

ive seeeen you mention listening to history podcasts before, are there any that youd recommend? I have looked at whats out there but a lot of the popular ones I saw seemed to be rather dubious if you get me

So an assortment off the top of my head

Mike Duncan's stuff is both generally very good and also the inspiration of 90% of the history podcasts I listen to, so useful for cultural literacy if nothing else. (He podcasted his way into being a bona fide public intellectual for a moment there!) History of Rome is exactly what it sounds like, a narrative history from the mythical foundation of the city to the fall of the Western Empire (getting much more detailed and in depth as it gets into the imperial era). Revolutions is an anthology on what can be called the great revolutions of the modern western world, with series on the English, American, French, Haitian, Spanish American, German/Italian/French again (1848), French round three (Paris commune), Mexican and Russian (also includes a semester-length intellectual history of 19th C europepan leftism) revolutions. First two series are fine but it really gets good with the French Revolution and the Haiti series is some of the best pop history I've listened to or read. Also doubles as just a decent history of the long 19th century in Europe.

Tides of History is the only one of this list that feels like it has an actual production budget and more than one person working on it as part of their actual job. The host is the other guy whose podcasted himself into being a bit of a public intellectual (would rec his substack!) The downside of having a budget is most of the older stuff being locked behind a paywall, which is a shame because the early seasons are some of the best approachable history on the late medieval and early early modern period in Europe I've heard or seen. The current season is about the late bronze age world, and continues to be excellent.

History of Byzantium is explicitly an attempt to pick off where Duncan left off and follow the Eastern Roman empire from the fall of the west to 1452 (it's still in progress, now well into the 13th century). Also much like History of Rome, it starts off fairly general and vague but gets much more detailed as it goes. The general narrative history is intercut with semi-regular interviews with academic historians about the subject of their expertise for more in depth and probably rigorous discussion.

Speaking of Byzantium and Friends is hosted by one of the more prominent working byzantinists and consists of absolutely nothing but that. Much, much more academic - there's a level of assumed background knowledge to get much of anything out of the episodes, and and a level of academic inside baseball, but accurcy-wise this is the podcast I trust most out of all of them.

History of Japan is, again, what it sounds like. One of many podcasts begun by a grad student probably procrastinating working on his thesis that has lasted long enough for him to graduate, get married, and settle into a full time job. Vast majority of episodes are 20-30-minute mini-histories on, say, the biography of a particular political figure or part of a mini-series on the spread of Buddhism or something (plus a few much, much longer series on e.g. the Meiji Restoration). Currently in the middle of remaking/expanding a series that's a general high-level survey of Japanese history to celebrate hitting episode 500.

Criminal Records shares a host with it, but is (intentionally) less rigorous and much more bantery (having two hosts helps, them being married presumably good for the chemistry), also technically a true crime podcast - specifically about weird crimes and legal cases throughout history. My favorite episode is the one on the oldest surviving court case in the record from ancient Sumeria.

The History of the Crusades and it's sequel Reconquista continue the trend of admirably self-explaining names. They're nearly-entirely narrative and political histories, so if you're not interested in crowns, marriages and wars probably give them a pass, but very granular and detailed as they go. Crusades finished after the fall of Jerusalem and then a follow-up about the Albigensian Crusade, Reconquista currently still ongoing (in the 11th century at the moment, I believe).

Pax Brittancia is the one I just finished binging as depression-ameliorating background noise and what I've been posting about recently. Another begun by a grad student avoiding their thesis who has since become a doctor (who had previously completed a podcast on the history of witchcraft, which I have not listened to). It's ostensibly a history of the British Empire, beginning with the Stuart Dynasty (and personal union with Scotland) and moving forward with sufficent attention to detail that after five years and change it's objectively just a very in depth history of the Wars of Three Kingdoms (incl. causes and aftermath). Includes many, many interviews with established historians, including a whole series on Covenanter Scotland and whether its rise should be considered a Scottish Revolution. The narrative just reached Cromwell's inauguration as Lord Protector.

[heart4reigns]

CHANCES, roman reigns.

warnings: curse words, awkward moments, just FLUFF

tags: happy go lucky fic, (y/n) is having the time of her life getting the push she deserves!!!

summary: what happens when old exes ponder upon old memories?

“OPEN up, (y/n)!” sami’s voice was cheery as usual. “yeah, yeah! wait a bit!” you quickly threw on a black hoodie that you have never seen before from your suitcase. “were you sleeping with someone?” sami furrowed his brows when you opened the door. “now, why would you say that?” “because that’s not your hoodie, i’ve never seen this before.” he tugged your clothing. “you know i didn’t have time to pack so i threw in whatever was in my wardrobe.” the ginger man remembered your last minute packing that almost made you late for your flight.

the ride to the arena was filled with chatters since it was your actual first money in the bank. you were in the ladder match and you knew you were going to win it. although you knew the final for the match, you couldn't help but to feel nervous. it was finally time for a push in your career and you couldn't wait how it would play out.

you were scheduled an interview with your faction–sami and kevin. the three of you formed a faction because creatives thought it would be a good idea because of your 'break up' with the tribal chief. although it wasn't really a great idea for them to monetize your break up, it was a mutual idea as it was fitting for the story. you were drafted to raw and he was drafted to smackdown, which made the two of you go on your own ways.

truth be told, nothing dramatic happened–you just fell apart. despite what all the tabloids said about your relationship, it wasn't true. roman and you agreed that it was time to get away from each other. from college friends to lovers to friends again, you knew he was your soulmate, but you didn't know if it was romantic or platonic.

even though you separated brands, you still see him once in a while if the company held a ppv. it was just a small 'hi' and 'hello', nothing more. the break up happened months ago before the draft and safe to say that you moved on with your life, so you thought. "welcome back to wrestling nation, i'm your host stacy and today we're joined by the cool cats! please introduce yourself!"

"hello! i'm sami zayn!" "kevin owens." "the future ms. money in the bank, (y/n) here!" the three of you introduced yourself. the strong london wind blew your hair, it was a good thing that you wore the unknown black hoodie to protect you from the coldness. "how are you guys enjoying london?" stacy asked. "london has been good to us, i think i really like the weather here." sami chuckled, earning a groan from you.

"yeah but this wind? i'm practically gonna fly away soon!" you complained. "speaking of flying," stacy looked at you before asking the question. "will you fly back to the states with the briefcase, future ms. money in the bank?" before you could answer, kevin cut you off like usual. "of course she is, we're the undisputed tag-team champions and we will have a ms. money in the bank with us. right, (y/n)?" "okay, i think i can answer on my own, kevin. and he's right by the way, i'll kick anyone's ass if they tried getting in my way, i'll even kick their asses." you pointed at your teammates.

without your knowledge, a certain black-haired man was watching your interview. he kept tabs on you even after the break up. roman immediately recognized the hoodie you were wearing. it was his hoodie that he lost months ago. "oh, you're watching the interview too?" jimmy entered the room, carrying a cup of coffee and his phone on the other hand. "yeah." roman replied, trying to focus on your voice.

"damn, i miss her. i think she's doing just fine without us, uce." the four of them were watching your interview in the locker room. "is that a soft way of saying that she's better off without me?" roman joked, earning a nod from jey. "just joking, i meant like i've never seen her all smiley and shit." and jey was right. as cliche as it sounded, you were the right person at the wrong time. the two of you had so much going on in your hands and being in a relationship wasn't your top priority. "when was the last time you saw her?" solo shot a question at him. "i think it was night of champions? that was months ago." "well, we're probably gonna see her today. don't start crying." jimmy patted his back.

after the interview, the three of you immediately went to the arena. you brought your gear because you were going to cut a promo after sami and kevin's match. you hopped off the car and parted ways with the duo. you still had a lot of free time to chill and talk to your coworkers, so you took the time to go to the pantry, grabbing a cup of coffee to fulfil your caffeine craving.

"hey, ms. money in the bank." bayley nudged you with her elbow. "shush, you're gonna spill the beans." you joked. "how you feeling today?" she asked, pouring a cup of coffee for herself. "honestly, i feel like i should get some rest and not come here, but pearce wants me to cut a promo, so like... i'm dying to get out of here." bayley chuckled in response. "welcome to the big leagues, kid." she laughed once again. "on that note, i think i should leave you alone." you furrowed your eyebrows. "what?" before you could hear an answer, she skipped her way out of catering.

what you didn't know was, someone was standing behind you. “i’ve been looking for that hoodie everywhere.” a familiar voice startled you. it was none other than your ex boyfriend, roman. “oh, this is yours?” you asked. “sorry, i didn’t know. i’ll give it back to you later, if you don’t mind.” roman shook his head. “no, no. keep it. i always said it looks better on you.” you smiled at his sentence. “thank you, it is comfortable.” you added.

there was an awkward silence in the air and you were okay with that. “so, how are you?” you asked. “been great, honestly. still the same, what about you?” “i’m good, you know with the push and all that, tiring though. i finally know how you feel.” roman chuckled at your sentence, remembering the conversation he heard that you were finally getting a push. “you deserve it though. finally.” you chuckled.

"no, but for real... if you want this hoodie back, i'll give it to you right now." you unzipped the clothing, to only have him shake his head. "no, no. keep it, (y/n)." he waved his hands in front of you. "really? i feel bad now. what if people noticed and they started talking about us again?" you teased him, causing the roman reigns to be flustered. "joking, joking. you look great though, loving the long hair." you said.

it had been a while since you last saw him. "thank you, you look great too. new hair?" you immediately nodded. "yeah, cut it short. blame kevin, he got gum stuck in my hair." you rolled your eyes in annoyance, remembering the incident. "i like it, it suits you." his intention was totally pure–roman reigns wasn't a flirt. "yeah, nothing changed since we last broke up. oh, i adopted a new dog!" "really? she has a friend then... that's good."

you were happy that you and roman were comfortable enough to talk about the break up. it wasn't really a big deal for the two of you, you knew that was the right thing to do. you were both grown adults and had no bad blood in between each other. "been seeing anyone?" roman suddenly asked. "yeah," you paused for a second to look at his face. roman had a confused expression plastered on his face. "oh, that's good for you." you burst out laughing. "the only person i'm seeing is my manager all of the time, i'm still single."

a wave of relief hit him when he heard that you were still single. "what about you?" you were walking together in the hallways, earning looks from the crew. everyone knew that the two of you were the it couple of the industry and your break up shocked everyone, so seeing him laughing and walking with you was a weird sight.

"i think we both know that we're practically still attached to each other, so no... i'm not seeing anyone." roman was always a truthful person, he wouldn't lie saying that he was no longer in love with you. "damn, you really love me that much, huh?" you elbowed him. "shut up, we've been with each other since we were broke college students, i know you better than anyone else." "and that's why i love you too!" you giggled.

time moved fast, sami and kevin retained their titles. you ran from the gorilla position to the main stage, hugging the two of them, like the script played out. the crowd went wild as they saw you. turning babyface made your job easier, your kind nature really helped shaped your current character. sami and kevin lifted you up and you pointed at the briefcase hanging on top of your head. "ms. money in the bank soon." you mouthed to the crowd, earning yet another pop. "the cool cats celebrating their win... will (y/n) become ms. money in the bank tomorrow? this faction is going to be dripped with gold, if she wins!" michael cole narrated the situation.

as you were out of sight of the cameras and the crowd, you hugged sami and kevin again. "good match, it was amazing!" you were practically jumping with adrenaline. "alright, who gave you coffee?" "she got coffee with me earlier." the same voice from before popped up behind the three of you. "great performance guys." roman patted their backs. he was already dressed with his promo gear and he looked damn good to be walking alone.

kevin furrowed his brows. "you? with her? god, it must be my lucky day!" he grinned, clearly ecstatic to see you and roman interacting again. "hey, it's not like we're not talking anymore. we only broke up." "yeah, she's still my (y/n)." roman added, playfully taking you in his arms. "tell him, roman!" the four of you laughed in unison. "i swear to god, if you two ended up dating again, i won't be shocked."

the thought of going back to his embrace did cross your mind once, but you brushed it off. you were still in love with him and yet it was complicated (in a way). you didn't stay for his performance because he was the closing act. of course, you tuned in from your phone. you had to admit that roman was on your mind today. being with him backstage sent a wave of nostalgia.

his segment ended and as a talent yourself, you were curious to know the ending for tomorrow's money in the bank. his facade from the big dog to the tribal chief improved so much, you thought. he was truly the face of the company. you gritted your teeth before finally pressing his contact to message him.

(y/n): acting so good, it got me shaking to my core!

a few minutes later, he replied.

roman: you were watching me?

(y/n): oh don't be flattered, i was watching paul

roman: haha so funny

(y/n): you know me i'm funny like that

(y/n): but you also did great!

roman: kinda miss you being here, the boys said hi

[roman attached a picture]

(y/n): miss you all! let's catch up soon!

the night went on and you spent all night texting him. it was a big day for you today. you were anxious and excited at the same time. after exiting your hotel room, you waited in front of the elevator. “good morning.” a voice greeted you, cutting off your thoughts. “oh! hi! wanna get breakfast together?” he nodded. “couldn’t get enough of me, huh?” “shut up, (y/n). you’re the one who asked me to eat with you.” he chuckled. roman and you were walking down the breakfast area, still earning glances from your coworkers. “morning!” you greeted them. “morning, (y/n) and roman.” they replied, clearly confused. as you walked by, they started to whisper. “are they back together?” “i hope so.”

“we can do this.” you nodded at trish’s sentence. the girls were gathering around at the locker room before showtime. “(y/n), it’s your big moment. we’re all proud of you.” you couldn’t help but to grin widely at them. “and thank you for giving me this. i love you all.” the girls hugged you as they left one by one. you couldn’t stop bouncing your leg in nervousness, trying to distract yourself from the thought of fucking up. “(y/n), you’re up in 5!”

you were the only one left in the gorilla position, waiting for your entrance. “good luck tonight, little sister.” sami and kevin bombarded you with a group hug. “thank you, i’m so fucking terrified.” you breathed out. “you shouldn’t be, we know you’re gonna kill it.” kevin added, ruffling your hair. you groaned at him, earning a chuckle as a response. “you’re gonna ruin my hair.” you complained. “that’s why we’re here.” the man said.

“(y/n), in 2!” you felt your heart beat faster than before. “you can do this, (y/n).” you were hyping yourself up. “good luck, i’ll be rooting for you.” roman’s voice rang in your ears. you turned your head around and spotted him with his gear. “thank you, i need that.” you smiled. “i brought this for you, for good luck.” roman slung his lei on your neck, causing you to blush. “thank you, roman!” he kissed your forehead, going back to your old traditions before going on stage. “now show them who you are, (y/n).”

as you walked down the ramp, you could hear the crowd chanting your name. “the warrior, (y/n) (l/n) walking down the ramp… with a lei, does this mean she is back with the bloodline? or is it just a sign if respect from the tribal chief?” “i don’t know about that cole, but i know that she is so much more than the bloodline!”

the match went on perfectly. sure there were a few bumps that you took, but as soon as everyone was down–you ran as fast as you could, climbing up the ladder. “is (y/n) going to be ms. money in the bank? she is climbing up the ladder… the warrior, (y/n) (l/n) is ms. money in the bank! she did it! she did it!” you breathed out the air, feeling the sore pain in your entire body. you lifted the briefcase and everyone cheered for you. “i did it!” you yelled on top of your lungs.

“MS. MONEY IN THE BANK, CONGRATULATIONS!” jimmy and jey yelled when you walked backstage. “oh my god! i haven’t seen you two in a while!” you grinned widely. “right? can you come back with us? solo is so boring.” “i’ll kick your ass, uce.” the younger sibling threatened. “see!” jimmy pouted. “i miss you all, i saw your segment yesterday. it was amazing!” you complimented them. “we were amazing or was it big uce?” jey teased you. “damn, soon as i saw your lei, i knew something was going on.” jimmy added.

“alright, that’s enough. give her some space.” roman joined in the conversation. “congratulations, (y/n).” he hugged you and you returned the favor. “think you gave me a lucky charm because all my bumps were not as bad as the royal rumble one.” he remembered you coming home with a dislocated shoulder. “thank god.” roman muttered. “i’ll be staying for your match too, i’ll be watching with sami and kev upstairs, so… better give a good performance!” you waved at them, walking to the locker room to change your fit.

everyone congratulated you and you thanked them. it was going to be a long night and you were still high on energy. “wait up!” once again, you recognized that voice. “still can’t get enough of me?” roman shook his head. “you mind if you accompany me getting ready?” you mimicked his gesture. “not at all, i need to get off this gear first though.”

“you going somewhere after this?” he asked. “nah, i think i’ll just crash.” you answered, not looking up from your phone. “do you wanna… do you wanna go around town with me?” that caught your attention. “are you asking me on a date mr. reigns?” “well if you look at it that way, then sure. but i just need to get away from all of this… you know how the match will end.” roman fixed his gloves, trying his best not to make eye-contact with you. “sure, like old times?” “like old times.”

the bloodline closed the show with a banger, even you were shocked by the aftermath of the match. every single one of them gave an outstanding performance, you never felt so proud. these past 2 days made you miss being in the ring with them. but there was nothing you could do about it. the chapter was done and little did you know, another chapter was going to start.

(y/n): what’s the plan for tonightttttt

roman: 1 am should be fine right?

(y/n): yup

roman: we’re just gonna walk around like usual

(y/n): okay, see you soon!

you freshened up after getting back to the hotel, putting on a new set of clothes. you stared at the briefcase on your bed, giggling like a kid. the night was just getting started for you. it was a tradition that you and roman had after every big event. the two of you would walk around town at night, no security, no fans, just the two of you. you didn’t know what possessed you to say yes to him, but after a long time not seeing each other–you felt like you needed this.

“now this is a sight.” you were walking side to side, with him standing right next to you. “yeah.” roman shortly replied. “you hungry?” he asked. “starving.” that was how the two of you ended up in a local restaurant, eating fish and chips. “finally, some proper food. i’m getting tired of eating catering.” you complained. “cheat day for us, i guess.” he took a bite of his food. “remember when you used to put fake money in jey’s lunch? he was over the moon, acting like he won the lottery.” you paused for a second, tracing back your own memories. “oh, yeah! and the vending machine broke because of that fake money.” the two of you laughed in unison.

just talking to him made you realized that you missed him. being friends with your ex was definitely a weird thing for some people. but for you? you knew you couldn’t get rid of this big samoan dude in front of you. “you were such a prankster, do you still do that a lot in your locker room now?” “of course, i haven’t changed at all.”

that was true. despite everything that happened, you didn’t change at all. so did roman. the two of you were still the same easygoing people that you were. the only thing that changed was your relationship status. “i do miss messing around with all of you.” you admitted, taking a sip of your water. “yeah, sometimes it feels empty without you.” roman sighed. “well, hey… i guess that was needed at that time.”

"no, no. but you remember that time where you got paul as your secret santa? you gave him a pink tie and he wore it with pride the next friday." you couldn't help but to burst out laughing at his sentence. "fuck! that was so funny, i bought it as a joke but he actually wore it!" the night was pretty cold and you regretted not wearing anything that covered your skin. "alright, alright. i'll give you my jacket again. you can keep it." he saw how cold you were and gave his jacket to you.

"do i get to keep this?" you teased him. "no. actually, yeah. keep anything you want, take my shoes too." roman joked, his laughter filling the cold air of london. "i don't want no damn ronald mcdonald shoes!" you pouted. the two of you continued walking until you found an empty bench near the park. "you wanna sit down for a bit? my legs are kinda sore." roman immediately nodded and took a seat next to you.

the two of you sat down and you huffed out the cold air of london once again. “i missed this… just us, the stars, and nothing else.” he couldn’t agree more. “like that night where you confessed to me, right? we had stars showering us too.” you traced back to the night. “yeah! it changed my life, like i couldn’t ask for more to be honest.” roman raised a brow. “really? it changed your life?” you nodded. “my first ever boyfriend being my best friend? that was probably the happiest memory i had from college.” it was the first time roman heard your confession. “i didn’t know that.” your cheeks flared up. “i- i thought you knew.” he shook his head. “i’m glad it was me, i couldn’t imagine you with someone else, (y/n).”

the view tonight was beautiful, he thought. he wasn't looking at the bright stars scattered in the sky, he was looking at you. you kept him up all night, the memories slowly coming back to him. he tried pushing it all away at first, but you kept coming back. the way you scrunch up your nose every time you tried holding back a laugh, the way you always tried to make the room brighter with your jokes, and the way that you were irreplaceable in his life–roman was still madly in love with you.

roman sighed. “why did we ever break up at the first place?” the question caught you off guard. “i think we just had enough of each other at some point.” you shrugged your shoulders. “i mean, i still love you and all… you know that right?” you nodded. “i still love you too, looking back… actually, i don’t know why we broke up. there was nothing wrong with us, right?” this time, roman nodded back.

“honestly, do you mind if i say this?" you nodded at his question. "it's literally 3 am and we're taking a walk in the park talking about our past memories, just say whatever you want, roman." he smiled, bracing himself for the possible outcomes of his sentence. "i don’t know but… i’m willing to try again, like these past 2 or 3 days made me realize that i miss you so much. i know the break up was needed because we had a lot going on in our lives. does that thought ever crossed your mind? us getting back together?” he suddenly blurted out.

“of course, it’s you... like you said, i can’t really imagine myself with someone else but you.” “we’re in a different position now, i think i don't mind starting all over again, if it's with you.” you looked at him, trying your best not to tear up at his sentence. "i'd love that, roman." and that night, you were ready to start all over again with the same person.

this time, it was the right person at the right time.

a/n: right person right time tropes ugh when @ god ? anywaysss i hope y’all enjoyed this fluff (i need to stay away from my angsty shit tbh), likes and replies/reblogs are highly appreciated!! andddd requests are back open!!

[what-even-is-thiss]

Xenia, often translated as the laws of hospitality, was really important in the stories of Greek Mythology.

It wasn't just on the host. The rules also applied to the guests.

Xenia was basically what allowed for nobles of different cities to network with each other.

Greece, you may have noticed, is mountainous and rocky. If you're ruling with ancient technology the easiest way to set up a government is to put a fortress on a hill and rule everything you can physically see from there. Maintaining an empire of any kind is difficult. Frankly, idk how the Macedonians and Romans pulled it off.

But. Even though they all have different governments there's a general shared culture in the area. Not identical, but they all worship the same gods, speak roughly the same language, and have similar moral codes. There's a specific type of guy who is a noble-born Hellene. A free citizen of a city. A guy who owns property. A guy who is Greek. You know a Greek when you come across one.

So when the noble-born Hellenes are traveling around they are guaranteed safe lodging by the laws of hospitality. They help their host, their host helps them, they eat together, they work together, and this is where the inter-city and inter-regional politics happen. These dinner conversations are where alliances are struck. These rules are what makes travel safe. They keep you from being attacked by your host and keep you from sleeping on the ground.

The laws of hospitality really do kind of hold the entire society together by keeping all of these different city-states socially connected to each other. This is the real reason you scare each other with stories of Zeus striking down people who break the rules of xenia. Because if you turn away strangers you turn away potential allies and everyone around here is stuck in a seemingly never-ending struggle for local influence. Zeus is both a god of politics and a god of strangers. If you mess with friendly strangers, you're betraying your chief god and your entire political system.

[ventresses]

Is Ryloth based on Algeria?

A while back, some friends and I had an interesting discussion about why Star Wars has the Twi'lek speak with French accent, and the implication that Ryloth could perhaps be inspired by a country formerly colonized by France.

We discovered there were A LOT of parallels between Ryloth and the country of Algeria

Political History & Colonialism

Algeria became a colony of France after they invaded it in 1830. Their conquest of Algeria has been called a genocide, and they perpetrated countless atrocities- starvation, epidemics, retaliation for resistance, etc. During that time period, there were popular revolts against the French occupation, and insurgent groups, guerilla warfare, etc., particularly in the decade prior to their independence, which Algerians finally won in 1962.

Ryloth's rulers/most powerful political official(s) are always shown as off-world, corrupt, disconnected from the life and struggles of its people, and allowing the people and resources of the planet to exploited. First, this is under Senator Orn Free Taa, then Separatist occupation, then the Empire.

Throughout that same history of oppression and exploitation, we also see armed resistance movements and guerilla fighters, like the Twi'lek Resistance and the Free Ryloth Movement.

Geography

Algeria is the largest country in Africa. It contains a significant portion of the Sahara Desert, and hosts many impressive rock formations.

Ryloth is a large planet on the Outer Rim. Whenever we see Ryloth on-screen, it almost always shows the desert, is peppered with incredible rock formations, gorges, etc.

Architecture

The homes and structures we see on Ryloth are reminiscent of traditional &/or vernacular mud-brick architecture in Algeria and its neighbor, Morocco. For example:

The Syndulla House

Numa's Village (from The Clone Wars S1E20)

The Capital City (from The Clone Wars S1E21)

Interior Design

We also see themes and details that are strongly reminiscent of Islamic architecture in, for example, the design of the Syndulla family's home.

This is also true of simpler homes, like the ones in Numa's village from The Clone Wars, which utilize subtle geometric motifs and Arabesque patterned windows.

Art

Mosaic art was one of the hallmarks of Roman and Byzantine and Islamic Empires, all of which Algeria was part of, and had their history and culture influenced by.

The Syndulla family portrait is a mosaic.

Head Coverings

The vast majority of Algerians identify as Muslim. It's very common practice for Muslim women to wear the hijab, which covers their hair.

Every time we see a female Twi'lek on-screen she is wearing a head-band or head-covering. We very rarely see male Twi'lek do so.

Language and Accents

As a remnant of the legacy of French colonialism, French is widely spoken and understood in Algeria, though its official language is Arabic.

Many Twi'lek speak Galactic Basic, and do so with a French-sounding accent, though Twi'leki is their native language.

Anything else?

[desertfangs]

For the writing prompt thing: "may I have this dance?" with Lestat/Daniel

I know this took me a millennia to get to so I appreciate your patience. I'm still working on the rest of these as well. This is some Court Angst with Lestat/Daniel, featuring Louis/Armand, Louis/Lestat, and Armand/Daniel. All the angst and drama of that weird New Court Era. About 1600 words. Thank you for the ask/prompt!

Daniel shifts the collar of his shirt, trying in vain to loosen it. When that fails, he tugs at the hem of his velvet doublet instead. Marius and Armand had been delighted to dress him in purple finery and hose and Daniel enjoyed the process, but now that he’s stuck wearing the outfit all night, he feels awkward and uneasy, like he’s wearing a costume. 

Of course, everyone is dressed in various styles of historical finery. Pandora wears a bright orange dress layered over a cream-colored one, sandals on her feet, hair up like a Roman goddess. Marius is dressed in similar fashion, in a red and orange Roman tunic, his blond hair loose around his face, while Armand’s outfit is similar to Daniel’s, though rich blue in color, and his auburn hair is long and loose around his pale face. Daniel watches as his maker moves effortlessly across the room toward Louis, who looks like he’d stepped out of the French court in the 1700s. He pushes down a flare of envy at how Armand gravitates toward Louis so automatically these days. 

He continues scanning the crowd and spots Lestat not far away. Lestat is wearing leather: leather pants with studs on the pockets, a torn white shirt, and a leather jacket. It’s an interesting choice, given that most of the others look like historical reenactors, although an argument can be made that the 1980s are now a historical period. That’s a strange thought, and Daniel looks down at his own outfit, fashion from over five centuries before. How long until Lestat’s wannabe Billy Idol attire will look as antiquated? He laughs at the idea. 

Lestat raises an eyebrow and glances his way. He’s talking with Alain and Gregory, but he excuses himself and makes his way over to Daniel, who’s hovering against the wall.

“Something funny, Molloy?” Lestat asks, expression hard.

Daniel grins at him. “Just thinking how you look like you’re planning to host the MTV Video Music Awards.” 

Lestat frowns. “Do they still do those?” 

Daniel shrugs. 

“I’d make an excellent host. Perhaps I should call my agent.”

Daniel roles his eyes. 

Lestat smirks. “Although I see you’ve opted to dress like one of Marius’ kept boys. I’m sure he’s thrilled.” Lestat leans in and speaks right into Daniel’s ear. “No doubt he’s eager to get you alone.” 

Daniel elbows him in the side. “You’re the one in tight leather pants. Who are you hoping to lure in your bedroom this evening, huh?” Lestat turns his head almost automatically toward Louis and Armand, who are now dancing together in the middle of the dance floor. He stares at them for so long that Daniel adds, “If it’s Armand, you’re working too hard for it.” 

Lestat jolts, pulled from his thoughts. Daniel can’t read them since they both have their mental walls up but he can guess. He’s looking at Louis longingly, as if they’re estranged. Funny, because they were walking together in the village just last week. Wasn’t it last week? Time seems to compress itself here at Court, especially in the winters when the snow can be relentless. 

“Armand does look delectable in his little Venetian boy attire. I suppose you two make a nice matching set. Perhaps it’s your maker who has designs on getting you alone, hm?” Lestat smiles wickedly, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. 

“I think he and Marius just like to put me in anything but jeans and t-shirts,” Daniel says honestly. Although both of them did give him long looks earlier this evening. 

The music switches from classical to a pop song Daniel recognizes. He thrusts his hand out toward Lestat. “May I have this dance?” 

Lestat takes his hand without hesitation and leads him to the dance floor, positioning them suspiciously close to Armand and Louis, who, with the change of music, are no longer clinging to each other. But they still dance together, a modern sort of dance common in nightclubs, which looks all the more fascinating in their getups. Daniel realizes he must look the same way. 

Lestat bops to the beat, moving right into Daniel’s personal space, practically grinding on him. It’s hot as hell and Daniel moves with him. 

Armand catches sight of Daniel and smiles at him until he sees who he’s dancing with. Then his expression turns stoney. Annoyed, maybe, or even jealous, though which one of them he’s jealous of is anyone’s guess. So many little jealousies here at Court, when everyone has so much love for each other. But then, Daniel is not immune. 

Hell, even seeing Armand dance with Louis now brings up those old feelings of resentment and loss, his frustration that Armand found such solace in someone else’s arms, while Daniel, mad and out of his mind, was hardly a blip on his radar. 

Lestat grabs Daniel’s face and turns his head so he’s looking at him, right into those intense blue-gray eyes. He smiles and then leans in, kissing him on the mouth before Daniel knows what’s happening. Not that he’s going to complain. His lips are soft and pliant as they move against Daniel’s, his tongue sliding into Daniel’s mouth eagerly. Daniel kisses him back, arms winding around him and soon they’re not dancing at all, but standing in the middle of the dance floor making out. Daniel pulls back when he realizes it, cheeks heating as they undoubtedly go a little red. 

Everyone is watching—of course they are! Lestat is the prince, everyone is always watching what he does!—but most of them have the decency to pretend not to be. Louis and Armand have stopped dancing, too, and Louis turns and walks away. 

Armand looks angry. 

Daniel isn’t sure why. It’s not like he and Lestat haven’t kissed (more than kissed) plenty of times before. Lestat turns and disappears into the crowd. Uneasiness worms through Daniel’s gut and he feels like he’s been played somehow, only he doesn’t know what the game is. 

“Sorry,” he mouths at Armand, who probably doesn’t see; he’s too busy staring daggers at Lestat’s retreating form. Yeah, Daniel definitely missed something. He slips off the dance floor, face flushed, and follows Lestat out of the ballroom and down the hall. He finds him standing out on a balcony. The air is freezing and a fresh coat of snow glitters on the ground down below. 

“What the hell was that?” Daniel demands. 

“I thought you always enjoyed our little dalliances.” Lestat keeps his back to him so Daniel walks up beside him and sees him clutching onto the railing. 

“What’s going on between you and Louis?” 

Lestat looks mildly surprised. “Doesn’t your maker tell you everything? You two are always sneaking off into dark corners and having intimate little meetings.” 

Daniel swallows uncomfortably. They’re off in corners, yeah, making out and actively not talking, because talking leads to dredging up all the shit they’ve yet to work out between them. Talking leads to fighting. They steal away into the nooks of the Chateau to kiss and touch in a setting that’s not conducive to talking. Daniel knows they need to move on from that but things are still new and strange, and the kissing is nice. 

“He didn’t mention anything,” Daniel says. 

Lestat stares at him, as if trying to judge if he’s lying. Then he turns around and hops onto the ledge of the railing, sitting on it effortlessly. “Louis is here to be my royal consort and yet as soon as your maker arrived, they’ve been inseparable.” 

Daniel sighs. That’s a bit of an exaggeration but Daniel understands what he means. Armand and Louis spent so much time together that they are entwined now in a way that Daniel and Armand used to be. He feels Lestat’s frustration. His jealousy. And he hates that he does. Armand and Louis were together long before Daniel was even born. It’s not their togetherness that incites such envy, but rather how they seem like a unit now, two parts of a set, and Daniel doesn’t know where he fits anymore. Obviously Lestat feels similarly. 

“Louis came here for you,” Daniel points out. 

“Did he?” Lestat scoffs. 

“Yes,” Daniel says. Daniel remembers how hurt Armand was by Louis’ decision to do so, and how, though he refused to say so, he hadn’t wanted Louis to leave Trinity Gate. 

Lestat is silent for a long moment. Then he reaches out and brushes a stray hair off Daniel’s velvet top. “He’s acting as if he doesn’t want to be here.” 

Daniel shakes his head. “He’s dressed in finery and at a ball at your behest. He’s making an effort.” Daniel looks down at his own clothes. “We all are. This is all so new. It’ll take some time to acclimate.” 

Lestat considers.

“Tell you what,” Daniel says, “I’ll go pull Armand into a corner for a bit and give you a chance to steal Louis away for a dance or two.” 

Lestat smiles. “Please. I can steal him from the little imp’s grasp anytime I desire.” 

“Then why are you out here sulking?” Daniel asks. 

Lestat punches Daniel in the shoulder. Daniel rubs his arm. Lestat jumps down from the balcony. “But you make a good point. I need to help Louis see what his role here at Court is meant to be.” 

Lestat grabs Daniel and kisses him on both cheeks, and then the lips again. Then he stalks off back toward the ballroom, leaving Daniel out on the balcony alone. He smokes a cigarette and then heads back inside.

When he reaches the ballroom, Louis and Lestat are dancing in the center of the room. Armand is off to the side, watching them with his intense amber eyes. Daniel touches his shoulder. He nods at the exit and then takes Armand’s hand in his and leads him out of the ballroom. Lestat spots them heading out and gives him Daniel a wicked smile. 

[ts-sides-head-canon]

Hello there.

Had a long day, Imma hit you with the gay.

Prinxiety headcannons, let's go!

Virgil and Roman will combind aesthetics for fancy or special dates, showing up to any ball Roman hosts in the imagination in some romantic goth pazzaz!

Virgil is actually quite clingy, especially in the mornings. He's not usually the one to seek out the affection, but he will never let go once cuddles have been initiated.

Their most common dates are actually to some sort of forest, they find little secluded hide aways and normally end up either dancing or making out.

Speaking of making out, once those two start kissing, they're basically on another planet. Like the ever alert Virgil will just have his world narrow down to his little songbird, and him and nothing else exists, and the house could be on fire, and they wouldn't notice.

Virgil is protective as hell. You look at Roman with hostility, and 3 seconds later there's a knife to your throat.

Roman is the only one who knows, but Virgil actually knows cheesy boy band songs. Roman knows because him and Virgil were having a karaoke session, and they were meant to pick songs that made them think of each other. Little did Roman know he was about to see his boyfriend belting out "You Look So Perfect" by 5SOS.

Virgil is a bat boy. Virgil has bat wings, and Roman loves them to death. During cuddle sessions, he'll just feel a pair of bat wings wrap around him like a safe little blanky, and they frequently fly around a star filled night sky together.

Roman can dish out flirts all day, he can't take them though. Virgil will simply chuckle, flirt back, and Roman's unable to handle it.

Before their relationship started, those two danced around each other like professionals. That really frustrated Virgil's cat Willow and Roman's lion cub Nemia, who could both see the pining and were sick of it. It got to the point where Willow would routinely trip Roman up so he could fall into Virgil's arms in the morning.

Virgil's a biter. Roman once asked Virgil why he likes to bite him so much, only to be called a twinkie. The true reason is that Virgil's a little vampire.

Hope you enjoy these! Have a good day/night! Cya next info dump!

HI! Sorry this took So Long to answer. Road trip was more exhausting than I thought, and I ended up not being able to get to this until now.

I Love these, they're so cute!

[mushroomates]

Lord of the Rings hosting? Speaking foreign languages?? Love your posts!! the silly rambles of other tumblrians is my life blood currently

yeah!!!! ty for the kind words! ooooooooh hosting… stay tuned my friend that’s it’s own post :)

legolas: french. proper, france french. also european spanish, latin, and norwegian- which he will sometimes speak with gimli, but the dialects are so drastically different any communication is strained. he was taught formally, “properly” bc his dad lowkey a language purist and that’s kinda problematic but this isn’t abt him

gimli: most germanic languages, including danish, swedish, and norwegian. he speaks the common dialect, the conversational type- not the fancy literature university taught excuse of a language that legolas does. he likes to make a point that if they were on the street, legolas could read the street signs and not understand anything said to him.

aragorn: french (his upbringing), passible italian, street spanish (european and mexican), decent greek, decent norwegian and german, and some mandarin. is very quick picking up languages and speaking/understanding the local dialect

boromir: conversational italian. i’m sorry guys but gondor was based in italy and the roman empire,, and not even that but it just. feels right. im gonna say he speaks passible italian, but more… anglicized italian as he wasn’t really taught it but picked it up around family. (a lot of yelling by his dad)

frodo: knows latin. also french, spanish, and passable italian. has a generic accent that’s not to noticeable when he speaks. is a very good tour guide across europe and a great tutor if someone wants to learn.

merry: maintains a duolingo streak of easily four digits. it’s sweedish. no, he cannot understand gimli. no, gimli does not understand kerry’s sweedish either. he can, however, understand ikea directions. (it drives boromir nuts that the two people who on who can read the manual are possibly the worst at relaying them. merry because he doesn’t understand what’s going on, and gimli, because he believes he doesn’t need any manual)

pippin: tried learned klingon, but lost interest quickly. knows about eight different ways to say “your mom” and all the fun cuss words that come with foreign languages.

sam: is trying very hard to learn french. frodo is teaching him patiently and he’s picking it up rather fast. really, really hates verb congregation and gendered language.

gandalf: mandarin, greek, turkish, quebecois french, finnish, moldovan, castilian spanish, latin, pig latin, and probably more. he’s also fullent in hobbit.

[whencyclopedia]

Interview: Refugees & Reformation in 16th-Century Frankfurt

In the 16th century, German cities and territories welcomed thousands of refugees fleeing the religious persecution sparked by the Protestant Reformation. In Strange Brethren: Refugees, Religious Bonds, and Reformation in Frankfurt, 1554-1608, Professor Maximilian Miguel Scholz explores one major destination for refugees—Frankfurt am Main—and underscores how they inspired new religious bonds, religious animosities, and religious institutions. In this interview, James Blake Wiener speaks to him about his title and the unique social climate that pervaded the Hessian city.

Cover: Strange Brethren: Refugees, Religious Bonds, and Reformation in Frankfurt, 1554-1608

Association of University Presses (Copyright, fair use)

JBW: Professor Scholz, thank you so much for speaking with me on behalf of World History Encyclopedia (WHE). When many think of Protestant refugees in the Early Modern Era, their minds usually turn to the plight of Huguenots or Anabaptists. Many of them found refuge in cities like London, Amsterdam, Geneva, and Hamburg. What was it that first attracted you to the history of 16th-century Frankfurt am Main? Moreover, what differentiated Frankfurt am Main from other Protestant cities within the Holy Roman Empire?

MS: Frankfurt hosted thousands of refugees in the 16th century. It still does today! But the city is often overlooked because the documents pertaining to its 16th-century experience of refugee accommodation were destroyed by the U.S. and British militaries in 1944. I wanted to shine new light on Frankfurt’s centrality in the story of Protestant refugees. Frankfurt lay at the center of Germany, which it still does today. It was also the symbolic capital of Germany, where the Holy Roman Emperors were elected and crowned. (After the Second World War, there was a push to make Frankfurt the capital of Germany once more.) Frankfurt was the transportation hub of Germany then as it still is now. If we want to understand how refugees impacted German society, Frankfurt is the ideal place to start. Beyond its prominence in Germany, Frankfurt was different from other German cities because its Reformation had followed the lead of Martin Bucer rather than Martin Luther (though of course Frankfurters loved Luther too). Bucer had advocated for reforms that fell somewhere between the later Calvinist and Lutheran camps.

Religions in Europe in the 16th Century

Simeon Netchev (CC BY-NC-ND)

JBW: Repeated bombing by British and American air forces destroyed many of Frankfurt’s churches and archives in 1944. If I’m not mistaken, Frankfurt was formerly the largest half-timbered city center in Germany too, so a great deal was lost in a very short period of time. Could you comment on the tremendous hurdles you and fellow scholars face in researching Frankfurt am Main’s Early Modern history as a result?

MS: Yes, Frankfurt’s archive suffered grievously. The archive’s director believed the Nazi fantasy that Germany was impervious to assault, so he did not protect the archive’s treasures by moving them underground. Thus, the bombings of 1944 destroyed about 70% of the archive’s holdings, including the Acta Ecclesiastica, which documented the birth of Protestantism in Frankfurt. Historians interested in the religious changes of the 16th century need to use either non-civic sources (like the records of the Dutch and French Reformed communities in Frankfurt, which were not housed at the archive) or reproductions of the original sources, which can be found in the appendices of many pre-WWII histories of Frankfurt. My book relied on documents from an imperial court case in 1720. The Dutch and French Reformed (i.e. Calvinists) sued the city of Frankfurt at the imperial supreme court, and both the sides collected and printed documents from the Reformation that they believed helped their case.

Reformation Wall

Henri Bouchard and Paul Landowski  (CC BY-SA)

JBW: Frankfurt am Main received French-, Dutch-, and English-speaking Protestant refugees throughout the 1550s, 1560s, and 1570s. Many of the earliest refugees were the so-called “Marian exiles.” Who were these early exiles, what brought them to Frankfurt am Main, and how long did they stay in Hesse?

MS: These exiles were the earliest Protestants (though they did not call themselves that), and they were fleeing Catholic rulers. The point of contention was the Catholic mass. The refugees in my book refused to attend the Catholic mass, because they rejected the idea that a priest could perform a ritual on an altar that would summon forth the actual body of Jesus. These people considered this idolatrous and believed the mass should be replaced by a simplified eucharist, which would focus on the Bible and memorialize the Last Supper. The Catholic authorities began to violently persecute those who did not attend the mass, and these early Protestants faced a choice: be martyred at home or flee abroad. Thousands fled to Frankfurt, which as an independent city (it was not then part of Hesse) could rule its own religious affairs, to an extent. In the case of English Protestants fleeing the Catholic Queen Mary I of England (the Marian exiles), they returned when she died and was replaced by the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I of England. Thus, they were in Frankfurt for just five years. Other refugees from the Low Countries settled in Frankfurt and have descendants who still live in the city.

JBW: Professor Scholz, how did Lutheran elites and ordinary citizens in Frankfurt am Main first react to the presence of Calvinist refugees? What subsequently changed over the next few decades?

MS: At first, they welcomed them. They considered these newcomers brethren, who had suffered under the cruel rule of tyrannical Catholics like Charles V and Mary Tudor. But it proved difficult to live alongside these newcomers, many of whom were richer than the citizens of Frankfurt. When Frankfurters witnessed the church services of the refugees, they realized that these people practiced Christianity differently. Frankfurters were scandalized that the refugees took the bread of the eucharist into their own hands. And they were further disgusted that the refugees brought their screaming children with them into the churches. Frankfurt’s pastors were the first to turn on the newcomers, demanding that they conform to Frankfurt’s ritualistic practices or leave the city. The pastors whipped up a popular hatred of the refugees.

Martin Bucer

Unknown Artist (Public Domain)

JBW: I think some readers who are relatively unfamiliar with the history of the Protestant Reformation may be surprised to learn about the high degree of confessional strife and rivalry between Calvinists and Lutherans. Could you thus explain to us how officials in Frankfurt am Main ultimately circumscribed Calvinist worship and freedom?

MS: The refugees and native Frankfurters split into two religious camps that we now call Calvinist (they called themselves Reformed) and Lutheran (they called themselves Evangelical), and this division became violent at times. For Americans, living in a country that has separated religion from government, it can be hard to imagine how little differences in worship or belief could have resulted in legal trouble, expulsion, or worse. Once Frankfurt’s leaders concluded that the refugees were “Calvinists” they banned them from applying for citizenship and closed their churches. Periodic riots against the refugee community resulted in deaths and the burning down of a small chapel the Reformed had built outside the city wall.

JBW: How would you characterize the Calvinist refugees’ religious and civic impact upon Frankfurt am Main? Can we still detect their legacy in the city today?

MS: They enriched Frankfurt enormously by bringing in goods and industry from the Low Countries. The Low Countries were the most industrially advanced part of Europe, and the Protestants who fled places like Antwerp took their industrial know-how with them into German cities like Frankfurt. And when Frankfurt began to harass these newcomers, they settled in little towns outside of Frankfurt, towns which became (and still are) hubs of industry, like Hanau and Offenbach.

Frankfurt on the Main, c. 1617

Matthäus Merian (Public Domain)

JBW: What lessons can we draw from the experiences of the Calvinist refugees in Frankfurt am Main that could perhaps be applied to our own era?

MS: Welcoming, resettling, and integrating refugees into a city can be very difficult and may provoke problems that persist for generations. But it is not impossible. The internal cultural organizations of a refugee community (like the Calvinist consistory in 16th-century Frankfurt) can help facilitate financial support for refugees, management of their affairs, and integration into the host city. We need to confront the reality that it may take generations for refugees and their descendants to embrace (and be embraced by) host societies.

JBW: Professor Scholz, thanks so much for your time and consideration! I wish you many happy adventures in writing and research.

MS: Thank you so much for your questions.

Professor Maximilian Miguel Scholz

Association of University Presses (Copyright, fair use)

Biographical précis:

Professor Maximilian Miguel Scholz specializes in the social and religious history of early modern Europe and teaches at Florida State University. His first book, Strange Brethren: Refugees, Religious Bonds, and Reformation in Frankfurt, 1554-1608 (University of Virginia Press, 2022) explores the fate and impact of Reformation refugees by looking at one center of European refugee life, the city of Frankfurt am Main. His second book, tentatively titled The Great Refugee Realignment: How Forced Migrants Transformed Government in Northern Europe, 1550-1750 uses refugee treaties collected from archives across Europe to illuminate the ways refugees transformed governments, stimulating the growth of centralized bureaucracies and contributing new ideas about political membership and new systems for managing religious, ethnic, and migration-status diversity.

Continue reading...

[mackenzieesims]

Not-So-Berry (Taylor’s Version) 

I have loved Taylor Swift and the Sims for as long as I can remember so I thought that combining them only made sense! Here is my spin on Not-So-Berry but make it swiftie! A little side note before we get into it! These generations are not meant to be Taylor they are simply Traits and storylines that either fit the vibe of the corresponding albums or fit within the colour scheme i.e. Speak Now or the Purple gen is a nod to the I Can See You music video, and the traits are purple which matches the album cover! Also, I have no intention of taking credit for Not-So Berry, Lilsimsie and Alwayssimming are the original creators of the challenge and this is just my fun spin on it! I will tag the original challenge also! Thank you, I hope everyone enjoys this little Swiftie challenge! <3 

Play on normal life-span, minimal cheats and your Sim should wear and decorate their houses in their corresponding colour/album just like the og Not-So-Berry! (: 

Debut/Taylor Swift (Green/Teal) 

Aspiration: Musical Genious 

Traits: Loves Outdoors, Perfectionist, Music Lover. 

Likes: Colour: green/blue. Music: Americana + Singer-Songwriter. Fashion: Country. Activities: Guitar/ singing. Writing, and Piano. 

Rules: Finish Aspiration. Max Musician Career, Max Guitar and singing skills. 

A Place in this World: a small-town young artist breaks onto the music scene trying to find A Place in This World but it will take a lot of blood sweat and tears to make it happen, good thing  you are determined! 

Fearless (Yellow/Gold)

Aspiration: Friend of the World 

Traits: Ambitious, Loyal, Clumsy. 

Likes: Colour: yellow. Music: Americana + Singer-Songwriter. Activities: Baking and wellness. 

Rules: Finish Aspiration. Max Doctor Career. Max wellness, gourmet cooking, and cross-stitch skills. Host parties at your house with all your friends weekly from teen until elder. 

The Best Day:  your parent taught you to be kind to everyone and now you want to share that with the world by helping others and making friends along the way! You know that The Best Day is when you’re surrounded by friends and making memories. 

Speak Now (Purple) 

Aspiration: Painter 

Traits: Genius, Paranoid, Cat Lover.

Likes: Colour: Purple.  Music: Singer Songwriter + Classical. 

Rules: Finish Aspiration. Max Secret Agent Career. Max 2 skills of your choice. Have an enemies-to-lovers storyline. 

I Can See You: your parent was so nice to everyone and you guess you are too. Although you have a HUGE secret… You’re a spy! You are unsuspecting which makes you perfect for the job! You’re unsuspecting because of your shy nature and value for knowledge. You may be a bit paranoid always worried you'll hear someone say "I Can See You" but that's just because you’re good at your job. 

Red (Red) 

Aspiration: Master Chef

Traits: Romanic, Self-Assured, Art Lover.  

Likes: Colour: Red. Music: Americana + pop. 

Rules: Finish Aspiration, Max Culinary Career, Max Knitting and cooking skills, Live in the countryside and own a goat… if you know you know. Have an on-again-off-again relationship with your children's other parent. 

We are Never Ever Getting Back Together: you guess some of your parent's paranoia rubbed off on you because you just cannot seem to settle down with your partner but you can't let them go either. You love cooking as it is the only time you feel a sense of calm in your crazy life along with Knitting. Oh and what's that noise?? Oh,  that crazy goat is screaming again! 

1989 (Light Blue)

Aspiration: City Native 

Traits: Cheerful, Goofball, Noncommittal

Likes: Colour: Blue. Music: Pop. 

Rules: Max Social Media Career/ Influencer when teen. Live in San Myshuno from young adult until you die. Never Marry. Max Photography Skill and Dancing Skill. Go out to Bars and parties on weekends. 

Wonderland: You moved to the city to escape that screaming goat your parent had but once you got here you absolutely loved it… you could say you found a wonderland in the city! You’ve made a name for yourself on social media and it pays the bills too which i great. You never want to settle down and don’t understand all the fuss about it. If you’re not out with friends on the weekends you're playing video games online with them! You are living your best life surrounded by the city lights and close friendships! 

Reputation (Black) 

Aspiration: Public Enemy

Traits: Loner, Geek, Good.  

Likes: Colour: Black. Music: Pop + Hip Hop. 

Rules: Max aspiration, max criminal career, live on a secluded lot and only leave for work or aspiration tasks. Have a small group of close friends. 

Getaway Car: For some unknown reason the world has it out for you, so screw it, give them what they want. On the outside, you’re a cold-hearted criminal but only the real ones know it's all an act. On the inside, you’re sweet and caring and loyal to the ones you love and trust. The world calls you a monster so suit up and get the Getaway Car ready because there will be no explanation just reputation. 

Lover (Pink)

Aspiration: Soulmate 

Traits: Party Animal, Outgoing, insider. 

Likes: Colour: pink. Music: Pop. 

Rules: Finish Aspiration, Max Style Influencer career, Max 3 Skills of your choosing. Own 3 cats at one time. 

Paper Rings: Your parent was hiding away from the world but you embrace it and want to show off the life you and your partner made. You love your friends and most of all your partner who you’d marry with Paper Rings even though you like shiny things. You like your friends but also are fine to just have a quiet night at home with your partner and the cats… yeah all three of them. 

Folklore (White/Grey) 

Aspiration: Best Selling Author 

Traits: Gloomy, Bookworm, Creative.

Likes: Colour: white and Grey. Music: Alternative. 

Rules: Finish Aspiration. No Career just sell books for money. All published books must have a Taylor Swift-themed name i.e. a song, album, or reference to a song or album or thing she has said. Live in a cottage in Hemford on Bagley and be close to nature. Max Gardening skill. 

August: Raised constantly around people you have decided to slow down a little and smell the roses. You love writing and your lifelong dream is to be a best-selling author. When you’re not writing you’re tending to your garden and enjoying the outdoors. Your favourite time of year is august because that's when your favourite plants bloom. 

Evermore (Brown) 

Aspiration: Championship Rider 

Traits: Horse lover, animal enthusiast, Active. 

Likes: Colour: brown. Music: alternative.  

Rules: Finish Aspiration. Make money only from Horse competitions. Live on a functioning ranch. Max riding and nectar-making skills. 

Cowboy Like Me: you appreciate nature and the simple life from growing up in a cottage with your parents and being close to nature. You appreciate taking care of animals and ever since you can remember you loved riding horses. You hope to have so many medals from riding that one day you won't know where to put them all. When convincing your partner to run the ranch with you you said “Buckle up and become a Cowboy like Me.” 

Midnights (Navy Blue) 

Aspiration: World Famous Celebrity  

Traits: High maintenance, Dance Machine, Kleptomaniac. 

Likes: Colour: Blue. Music: pop. 

Rules: Finish Aspiration. Max Acting career, live in a mansion in Del Sol Valley. Max acting and charisma skills and one other skill of your liking. 

Bejewelled: after two generations of hiding away and living a simple life you have decided you can’t take it anymore. You are Bejeweled and the whole world must know! You hope to be famous and live next door to the biggest names in Hollywood... Simmywood? Anyway, no more of this quiet cottagecore ranch life we’re moving to a city and going out with a bang! Nice!

I really hope you had fun! share with your friends! <3

if you end up doing the challenge let me know how it went or tag me in screenshots! <3

[astronicht]

viking au, max/daniel f1🫶

Hopefully you came into this anticipating the wall of text 💜

1. The summer that Max was ten years old, the raids went far to the south, through the Pillars of Hercules and into the Mediterranean— because this literally happened like Vikings in fact did this. Theoretically Vikings could have seen Monaco! Anyway. This was memorable not because it was his first season — it was his second, he started a little young — but because it was the first time he stole something for himself on a raid. So, Max saw the coast from Narbonne and Pisa. And Max stole two cats on a raid of a town whose name he did not know, but where people died fast enough that a boy could dodge into a house with searching hands.

Back home, people sometimes laugh and ask if he saved his spoiled cats from the pelt-sellers, who raise cats for their fur (sorry i know i wanted sexy viking “i stole my dutch wife” stuff and instead i give u this canonical Viking-era Danish practice SORRY). He always corrects this: “no, I went out viking and i stole them.” People usually think this is a joke. Their names are Jamti and Saxi, because of course Max does not know their original names. (these are both boy names but whatever, his cats are named after Monaco clubs, what do you want me to do about it).

2. Daniel’s folks are from Sicily and Calabria; let’s put him in Calabria, which is partly Byzantine Greek ruled by Constantinople and partly Arab; he would call himself Roman (meaning Byzantium, the Eastern Empire) and speaks Greek, probably, with a smattering of Arabic that is mostly slang. He is weirdly bad at it. (Sicily was entirely Berber Muslim at this point with a large Byzantine Greek population, by the by, and would later be conquered by the descendants of the Vikings, so I guess that’s a whole different AU). Daniel, for his part, was not stolen from his home; his father was not killed, his mother and sister are presumably well. It is simply that he could not sit quietly in a warm place that would have loved him fine. Oops!

3. They meet for real in the town of Jorvik, which is a river city in what will later be England. Christian warned Daniel ahead of time that they were taking on a new kid, implied that there was a favor owed. Daniel’s met the father, and like, fair enough. Pay Jos back for whatever and steer clear, in Daniel’s opinion, and Daniel and Christian usually agree. Max arrives with a set face and carrying his cats — who are 16% smaller than modern cats but still fucking heavy and sliding around unhappily — in a wicker basket that he carries up the hill from the river himself, his doeskin boots sliding in the muck. A few of the guys tell Max he can get mousers here, why carry these? Daniel, who had been in the city for three years now, tells him he should have taken the old Roman stone road. Max is unamused, but at least Daniel was (unwittingly) the helpful one. They are overwintering together in a house down by the other river. Max is seventeen.

3.a Christian’s debt owed was to Max’s mum. Daniel doesn’t know this.

4. Daniel does otherwise know a lot about Christian, because he helped the ironically named Christian Hornbære (also written as Hyrne), once a minor Northumbrian thane, to throw his lot in with the Danes (vikings), take a Dane wife, turn on his compatriots, and sack the place. Christian has remembered this loyalty ever since. This will come up later!

5. Okay since everyone has been patient i WILL play up one sexy (?) viking trope and like. At some point it’s spring and just prior to the beginning of raiding season and the first early little harvest has come in so Christian is hosting a feast before they all go off to do some genuinely heinous shit, and the expectation is absolutely that Christian’s boys get to fuck in this semi-public way in the longhouse. And Max and Daniel are two of the stars of the show, right, so it’s a sort of champagne room situation, only it becomes increasingly clear to Daniel, who is btw barely holding everything together, that Max is absolutely relying on him to get through this. Like everyone in this long dark room has been drinking for two days and Max is watching Daniel to see what he’s going to do, and Daniel is terrified to realize Max watching is the only reason he’s getting hard, etc. They fuck women side by side. It’s a mess! They get off, by which i mean daniel watches Max get off and then fakes his but watching max was the best part. After a bit Daniel goes outside bc he thinks he’s going to be sick but he’s not and he just sits on the new wet grass. Max comes out looking for him and somehow they end up just like. sitting in the wet grass and Max lets Daniel hold him and it’s the only thing that calms Daniel down that entire year, it feels like.

6. The emotional narrative here is like. The inherent tragedy of wanting to be the best, wanting to be beloved, wanting a crowd to know your name, and the outlet available to you is a small, brutal, violent activity. Not because there is absolutely no other option— the Viking Diaspora is one of the widest worlds to have existed; there was a rigid social structure, but one with lots of little odd corners and loopholes. But the tragedy comes in any time and place when no one thinks to tell you this. Max’s cats — stolen from the dead, but themselves simply just cats, just little animals that kill birds for food or to show you love — are kind of the nexus of this, somehow. No idea how I would resolve it, frankly, which is partly because i have to write things to know what they’re gonna say!

Further notes: in this verse Alex Albon’s granddad somehow got caught up in the Battle of Talas, probably on the side of the Tibetan Empire and the Caliphate but who knows, politics are big complicated. Like many Talas veterans’ families he lives in Baghdad right now with his mum and his siblings and he’s often very tired. Look if a Tang Chinese general could get lost in Ethiopia for a bit after the Battle of Talas then Alex Albon could be doomed to watch a really weird viking funeral on the banks of the Caspian during a trade mission to meet up with his father. Shit happens to him. Why is that nude viking man holding a torch and covering his anus?? We will never know bc Alex + Ibn Fadlan’s translator wisely chose not to show up that day. Alternatively Alex IS Ibn Fadlan’s translator, which explains why he is very tired.

what the fuck is this one! thanks for playing. i spent two hours researching domestic housecat dispersal theories.

[nova--spark]

Earth 101 : A Manual for the Visiting Cybertronian

Chapter Three : Human Holidays Part 1

As a part of most human religions, there are special days celebrated all across planet Earth in accordance to the beliefs of their people.

A number of these holidays have similarities to our own Cybertronian holidays, as their emphasis tends to be that of showing appreciation for the people around them, or for the sacrifices of those that came before them.

A great many interviews were done with our human allies, many of various cultures and backgrounds so that this guide could have many for us to understand.

As the human calendar hosts several holidays within its ranks, this chapter will be divided as to not exceed the word limit and attention span of the reader who may be going over this guide.

We shall begin with the month of January, and will continue in the order of months onward!

Within the month of January, there are a small number of holidays that Earth celebrates.

January 1st is dedicated as ‘New Year’s Day’, a ‘Year’ being what Earths calls a Vorn, but lasts only a singular Orbital Cycle. This particular holiday is celebrated as the beginning of the year, and the day prior, is spent awake till the last minute of that year, then celebration ensues as the New Year begins! 

Well, at least the new year for most Western countries, or at least, those who celebrate it on what I believe sources call the ‘Roman Calendar’.

January 6th is dedicated to a Latin American known as ‘Three Kings Day’, and is also known as the last and 12th night of the Christmas holidays [to be expanded upon later in this chapter]. This holiday is celebrated with exchanges of gifts between families, as well as the sharing and consumption of a special type of holiday sweet known as a ‘Rosca de Reyes’, which appears to have plastic toys of human offspring inside, in a bizarre human tradition of finding it. 

However it would appear often the humans do NOT wish to find these toys and chose to instead hide them in their mouth, rest of their food, or even swallow them.

Editor’s Note: Apparently swallowing these bizarre toys is rare but is still a baffling choice.

Chinese New Year is also celebrated within the month of January and at times in February, and is the beginning of the lunar new year, a cultural difference. These celebrations can last several days, entailing wonderful parades, festivals, family gatherings, gift exchanges, and many many wondrous traditions which are meant to bring in good luck for the new year to come. The ending of these celebrations are sent off with a beautiful lantern festival, which I hope perhaps I may witness.

February is next and is host to an equally beautiful amount of holidays.

Valentine’s Day is a holiday which humans celebrate on the 14th of the month, and is dedicated to the romantic bonds they have with their courted or with their conjux endura, which is known on Earth by the terms of boyfriend/girlfriend/partner and wife/husband/spouse.

Romantic moments are shared on outings of various kinds, and gifts may range from treats like human made sweets, flowers, jewelry and all manner of gift from low cost to expensive.

However, it would appear that non-courted or single humans still celebrate this day, choosing to instead celebrate their bonds of friendship, and Amica, even familial bonds with their Caretakers and siblings. 

Such a holiday to celebrate loved ones in all their forms in a sparkwarming sight, and many a Cybertronian has adopted this holiday into their own lifestyle, myself included.

March is host to many a religious celebration, of which I feel that I must not cover at this time, as so to not disrespect the customs which I am currently not well informed of.

However, I may indeed speak of the holiday known of as Saint Patrick’s Day, celebrated on March 17th, which according to a human liaison, entails quite heavily of drinking the human equivalent of high grade Energon throughout the day and well into the night. It originates from the land known as Ireland, if records are correctly noted.

It is celebrated with various parades and also entails of celebrating a creature known as a ‘leprechaun’.

Editor’s note: I have been informed the creature mentioned is not real, and is in fact, just a mythological being in human folklore. I was quite concerned indeed to hear of a mischievous creature smaller than a Mini-Con who apparently carries around a pot of gold.

April is a month which has a rather interesting set of holidays.

April 1st is regarded as April Fool’s Day. As it appears, this human holiday is celebrated by the playing of tricks, pranks and other mischievous acts big and small, and they are done all in good fun. It is a quite enjoyed holiday as it appears practical jokes of this form are often taken well by most humans, though some do not like to do them and do not participate.

It is here I must pause and implore you, my dearest reader of this manual, that Commander Ultra Magnus warns any mech and femme looking to participate in this holiday must abide by certain rules.

We do not want a repeat of last orbital-cycle’s incident where the Wreckers somehow welded a large quantity of the base's furnishings onto the ceilings.

We are still not quite sure how this was achieved and would rather it not be recreated this cycle, as we are still struggling to remove the remaining welded furnishings.

Any pranks of this caliber and their culprits will have to undergo a formal reprimand and undergo a seminar about proper protocol in accordance.

Also in the month of April, is the celebration of Easter, commonly celebrated on a Sunday and is known as a religious holiday in origin.

However, with the passing of time, different traditions have also taken hold, and is now commonly celebrated as a coming of the Spring season.

Families will often hide what are known as eggs, candied, plastic or even hollowed animal eggs filled in with various goodies ranging from miniature toys, confetti paper, and small treats and sugar confections for human sparklings to enjoy. These treasure eggs are often painted in various bright colors, patterns and more, and are collected in equally colorful and delightful baskets.

This celebration is often times connected to the Terran animal known as the rabbit, who in many Terran religions is known to be a symbol of the coming spring and life.

That said, though the holiday of Easter is known to have the ‘Easter Bunny’, these creatures do not in face lay eggs of any kind, and is a common misconception. 

Once again, dear reader, we take this time to inform you that there is indeed no such creature as an anthropomorphic rabbit, the Easter Bunny is often just a human disguised as a large rabbit for the pure enjoyment of the children celebrating this holiday. 

Do not attempt to chase, capture, trap, or in any other way bring harm to said figure should you come across one, as they are harmless and just humans having a bit of entertainment.

This rabbit disguise is used often when hiding the treasure eggs, and so we implore you do not disturb the adult human’s task of doing so.

Lastly, we strongly suggest that any and all mechs do not by any means attempt to disguise themselves as said Easter Bunny, as we do not need a repeat of the last time someone tried to transform whilst wearing said suit.

We sincerely hope your knowledge of Terran holidays has been expanded with this initial dive to the many many celebrations throughout the Terran orbital-cycle!

Any and all queries regarding further analysis and explanation of these holidays and their origins are to be related to the human archivists and liaisons in our ranks who may give differing explanations but nonetheless enlightening.

[carbonated-olive-juice]

tma!sanders sides au bc i’ve been brainrotting over this for the past several days

(@wobblystrawberry helped a lot with this [hiiii])

Remus:

- The Corruption

- the bastard that made me start this whole thing (wanted to make The Stinky Trash Bastard Man, Stinky Trash Bastard Man Squared and it sorta just went from there)

- known as The Duke of The Crawling Rot

- raided the magnus institute with Jane Prentiss (where he meets Logan, they probably start dating sometime in the AU) (both Remus and Prentiss wore raggedy red dresses and Roman got pissy about Remus stealing his color)

- dating Janus and living with him + Annabelle Cane (more on her later)

Roman:

- The Desolation

- known as The Prince of Total Desolation/The Prince of Devastation

- was The Lightless Flame’s attempt to salvage the idea of having a Messiah and all the work that was put into that (a failed attempt at that)

- a lot of “he hurts everyone close to him because of the intensity of his love for them (“also he can’t touch anyone without burning them alive)” going on with him

- him and Jude Perry are lesbian/gay hostility (also Jude pretty much HATES Roman because he’s quite literally the “replacement” for the woman she loved) but sometimes have their moments of coexistence

- him and Virgil have something going on but it isn’t clear to anyone (including me) what exactly it is

speaking of…

Virgil:

- The Dark

- it was close between The Dark and The End but ultimately I went for The Dark

- ascended to Avatar-hood earliest out of everyone else (at like something between 14-17 idk)

- much more on the human-ish end of the spectrum (main thing is his eyes, i’ll drop the design soon i promise)

- Janus (who’ll i get to next) was like a mentor/older sibling figure for him, and tried to get him to become an avatar of The Web (is still trying to do so) which is why 1) Virgil is still closely tied to spiders, and 2) mostly why Virgil Does Not Like Janus

- Virgil still has a pet tarantula that Janus had given him, he’s tried to muster up the will to kill her or get rid of her more times than he can count now, to cut off his ties with The Web, but he just can’t bring himself to do it

- him and gerry (who i’ve decided doesn’t die in this au and instead becomes a fully realized Beholding Avatar) are close friends and most of their interactions go something like:

“You fell in love with the fucking personification of insanity and lies" "big talk for a guy with a crush on the biggest bitch of a fancy dumpster fire" "fuck you" "fuck you" "so you're trying to tell me you didn't name yourself after gerard way?" "i didnt" "bullshit, i bet you heard 'mama' and immediately took his name" (gerry’s trans in this, i make the rules)

- Virgil used to be friends with Julia Montauk before someone got jealous and tipped her off that Virgil’s an avatar (they get less toxic later i promise okay?)

- also he’s sorta friends with oliver banks, they have these “oh hey, it’s you” acquaintances and sometimes sit down to catch up like:

“how’s it going with your vast boyfriend? (mike crew)” “oh yeah a Hunter cop shot him he had to pretend to be dead while Buried for a bit but he’s doing better now, tea?” “how’s your bf in the red?” “my what.” “y’know the Lightless Flame’s Messiah 2.0?” “MOTHERFUCKING ROMAN??”

Janus:

- The Web

- okay yes The Spiral is literally the fear of deception, and yes Janus is literally called “Deceit” but this fits him better imo

- he/she Janus because fuck it

- as i said, tried to get Virgil to become a Web Avatar, still trying, how well this is working out for her is up for debate

- he is pulling all the strings possible to keep Virgil far away from The People’s Church of The Divine Host as possible (whether this is out of genuine care and fear for how being in a literal cult would affect Virgil’s wellbeing or a want to keep Virgil’s connection to The Dark as possible… that’s also up for debate)

- has severe scarring on the entire right side of her face, how did that happen? basically, Mary Keay wanted to test to make sure the Leitner skin book was real, so she hired janus (who also brought Virgil, and that’s how gerry and Virgil met) to help with that, long story short, she then backstabbed him and tried to skin him alive. janus got away but let’s just say she’s pretty damn lucky Virgil was there to get him to a hospital

- dating Remus (and eventually Logan) and lives with Remus + Annabelle Cane

- Speaking of Annabelle Cane, one day while Remus and Janus were just cuddling on the couch, Annabelle just walked in, said “We’re a colony now”, and set up in the spare bedroom s5 style and Janus + Remus were just like “oh-kay?” and went on with their day

- if you’ve ever seen that one “passive aggressive roommate” song on youtube, that’s Janus and Annabelle. both are the passive aggressive roommate.

- spider limbs from his back as well as the several hands thing because why the hell not, it works

Patton:

- The Eye

- mainly the being judged/having your secrets exposed aspects (because in sander sides he is literally the judge over thomas’ morality, his job is to watch over thomas’ actions and tell him whether or not he’s a good person)

- certain people make eye contact with with him and Know that he Knows all the bad things they’ve done, and feel the compulsion to spill their guts, once they start, they cannot stop no matter how hard they try

- after the fact, his victims find a teddy bear sitting on their bed that always seems to be Watching them no matter where they go

- works at The Magnus Institute, where he meets Logan, who, during his transition to becoming an avatar, was one of his biggest supports, since he was going through the same thing, they start dating after a while, and by the time of the Prentiss + Remus attack, they’re engaged (they both fully ascend only a few months after their wedding)

- [insert patton having a moral crisis because he doesn’t want to be a monster that feeds off of people’s fear but he has to and part of him likes it wow this is reminding me of a certain other Beholding Avatar]

- idk how it happens but he still becomes a father figure for Virgil somehow, i’ll figure out specifics eventually

Logan:

- The Vast

- while i absolutely love Beholding!Logan hear me out. the fear of insignificance works so well here.

- he started working at The Magnus Institute a year or two before Patton (and five or six years before the Prentiss + Remus attack)

- i cannot overstate how everyone in the au thinks he’s Beholding: Jon thinks he’s Beholding, Gertrude thought he was Beholding, Gerry, who canonically has an ability to tell if people are marked by an avatar and who, for the purposes of this au is an avatar of The Eye, thinks he’s Beholding, motherfucking Elias/Jonah thinks he’s Beholding, Virgil, Janus, Annabelle, everyone thinks he’s Beholding EXCEPT Remus, who just knows for some reason (at one point when Patton and Logan got engaged Remus was like “damn patton you’re so committed to the eye, wouldn’t have figured you’d marry a vast avatar.” “a what”)

- to be fair, he was like 0.5 seconds away from becoming an Eye Avatar then BOOM BITCH VAST JUMPSCARE (The Eye is immensely bitter) and is partially Eye-aligned

- when Patton and Logan started dating, Logan just kinda assumed that Patton knew he was a Vast avatar

- after Patton learns, the convo goes something like “but- you work with the institute? how are you an avatar of the vast?” “i still need to eat, patton, and rent in central london is not cheap.”“huh.”

- Logan has a tie that Patton got him after learning he was a Vast avatar, the tie has a blue sky that fades into a deeper blue at the top, has some clouds and birds scattered around, and has a colorful sunset at the bottom, he wore that to their wedding and every day after

- there is healthy communication between all parties when Logan starts dating Remus and Janus as well

- probably levitates elias/jonah over the edge of a building for threatening/traumatizing Patton at some point, Elias had no clue that Logan was a Vast avatar until that moment (self-made blind spot, like the one he had around Martin being a threat)

- Jon and Logan would be friends. they just would.

- Logan’s probably the one who convinces Virgil to go to therapy

that’s most of what i have right now, i will probably continue to talk about these bastards + post the designs

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Zack Beauchamp at Vox:

When Donald Trump flew to Pennsylvania for a 9/11 anniversary event this week, he brought an unusual companion: a 9/11 conspiracist named Laura Loomer. Loomer has been a quasi-journalist on the fringe right for about a decade, with a penchant for saying things that make even hardened MAGA types recoil. She is a self-described “proud Islamophobe” who has cheered the deaths of migrants and called for Muslims to be banned from driving for ride-hail apps. She ran for Congress twice, in 2020 and 2022, and failed both times. More recently, Loomer has called Kamala Harris a “drug-using prostitute” and warned that, if she wins, “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center.” Despite all of this, Trump has long displayed a soft spot for Loomer. He endorsed her House bid in 2020 and, in 2023, tried to offer her a spot on his campaign — only to back down after aides revolted. Undeterred, he hosted her at Mar-a-Lago afterward, repeatedly boosted her content on Truth Social, and traveled with her on the 2024 campaign trail.

It’s not clear what Trump gets out of this relationship. But his ties to Loomer have become a major controversy since the 9/11 event, with some of the former president’s closest allies speaking publicly against Loomer. “The history of this person is just really toxic,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told the HuffPost. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) — who claimed a Jewish family was using space lasers to start wildfires! — thinks Loomer is a bridge too far, calling Loomer’s tweet about Harris and curry “appalling and extremely racist.” (Loomer responded by accusing Greene of sleeping with a “Zangief cosplayer.”) It’s hard to take these condemnations all that seriously. Trump and his vice presidential pick have spent this week pushing a nasty conspiracy theory about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating people’s pets that appears to have inspired real-world hate crimes. If you’re worried about racism and conspiracy theorizing, maybe take a look at the top of the ticket. But what makes Loomer different from Trump is that she has literally no filter. She says the quiet part out loud, every single time. The more time Trump spends with her, the harder it is to deny that his thinly veiled bigotry is anything but the genuine article. And that, for the Republican Party, is a very big problem indeed.

Who is Laura Loomer?

Loomer isn’t a household name for most Americans, but she’s been a presence in the conservative media ecosystem for quite some time. She first attracted attention in 2015 when, as a college senior at Barry University in South Florida, she secretly filmed a meeting with administrators in which she attempted to form a campus club supporting ISIS. The video was released by Project Veritas, the conservative group that specializes in (questionably edited) sting videos. Loomer worked for Project Veritas during the 2016 presidential campaign and learned to build a career out of political stunts. She grabbed the national spotlight in June 2017 when she stormed the stage at a performance of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in New York that dressed the Roman general like Donald Trump. The disruption earned Loomer a booking on Sean Hannity’s show.

“You were making a very strong point. I applaud you for what you’ve done,” Hannity told her. Loomer parlayed the notoriety from the Julius Caesar incident into a kind of internet celebrity on the pro-Trump right. The problem with celebrity, though, is that it can give you too many opportunities to show yourself. And Loomer proved to be someone with truly out-there opinions. After an ISIS supporter killed eight people with a truck in November 2017, she went on an Islamophobic rant on Twitter, blaming popular ride-hailing apps for employing Muslim drivers. “Someone needs to create a non Islamic form of Uber or Lyft because I never want to support another Islamic immigrant driver,” she wrote. The two services subsequently banned her, the first of many bans from high-profile tech platforms.

[...] This particular cocktail of hate speech and conspiracy theory misinformation became the hallmark of Loomer’s political style, prompting bans from major social media platforms. The straw that broke the camel’s back on Twitter, for example, came in November 2018 when Loomer tweeted that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) supported female genital mutilation because she is Muslim. In response to the ban, which came a year after Twitter stripped her blue check mark (then something given to notable people rather than a badge to be purchased) as punishment for similar false and offensive claims, Loomer physically chained herself to Twitter’s headquarters in New York while wearing a Nazi-style yellow star. It’s worth noting here that Loomer is Jewish but has long had tight links to the white nationalist movement. She is, for example, close with the avowed anti-Semite Nick Fuentes who dined with Trump in 2022, and once broadly boasted that “I’m going to fight for white people.”

Presenting herself as a victim of Big Tech censorship, she found allies in popular far-right publications like Breitbart as well as in Washington. In December 2019, then-President Trump retweeted a Loomer supporter calling for donations to her campaign. In May 2020, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) sent a letter to Attorney General Bill Barr calling on him to open an investigation into Loomer’s Facebook ban. She was reinstated on Twitter after Elon Musk’s purchase of the site.

[...]

Why Laura Loomer matters

There is a reason that Laura Loomer has even Marjorie Taylor Greene panicking, and it’s not just that the two reportedly have personal beef. It’s that Laura Loomer makes the rest of the Republican Party look terrible. For decades, right-wing flirtation with racism has taken place through dog whistles and coded messages. Ronald Reagan’s attacks on “welfare queens” didn’t involve actual racist slurs but conjured up a mental image for some white voters of a poor lazy Black woman exploiting taxpayer dollars to live comfortably. Liberals would call this rhetoric racism, conservatives would say liberals are just trying to shut down legitimate debate, and round-and-round we went. [...] But after capitulating to Trump, the GOP fell back into its old habits. No matter how outrageous Trump’s rhetoric and even his actions became — from the Muslim ban to family separation — liberal critiques were met with the same kinds of dismissals. Trump’s rhetoric about immigration and crime can’t be racist, they would say; he’s just speaking the language of forgotten Americans left behind by globalization. Liberals, they’d say, are making everything about race when it’s not.

Vox gives an insightful overview into the right-wing MAGA shill that's too toxic for even MTG and virulently anti-Islam hack Laura Loomer.

See Also:

MMFA: Donald Trump and “pro-white nationalism” pundit Laura Loomer: A guide to their relationship

MMFA: Trump amplified Laura Loomer on Truth Social over 20 times in 9 months