#ms word 2010

[bluesidez]

GymRat!Miguel Part 2

content warning: mentions of food because big boys gotta eat, there’s a ref photo for an outfit in here that is unfortunately NOT a plus-size girl 😞 (I couldn’t find a big girl wearing an outfit like that for the life of me, but let’s use our imagination), 18+ towards the end so MDNI!

word count: 1.7k (not very drabble-like, ik) kinda proofread

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GymRat!Miguel who wakes up when his 6 am alarm rings, eyes tired and bleary. His roommate is sound asleep, thank god, and Miguel is just staring at the ceiling for a good 10 minutes before he decides to move. He has an 8 am and he needs some type of breakfast before he heads to class.

GymRat!Miguel who uses the college cafeteria to his full advantage. He made sure that his dad’s money went to the highest meal plan. One free meal plan a day and a loaded campus card for everything else. He stacks his plate high with everything the cafeteria is offering today. Sausages, eggs, 2 bananas, a blueberry muffin, and a protein shake he brought from his room.

GymRat!Miguel who made friends with one of the cafeteria ladies, Ms. Beatrice, by the third week of school. She noticed how much he visited the cafeteria and always snuck him an extra treat from the kitchen when she saw him.

“I missed you last Tuesday!” she says, squeezing his shoulder when she walks up to his table. She slides a wrapped egg sandwich across the table. “I was saving some extra cookies for you, but you were nowhere to be found.”

Miguel thanks her, happy to have something light for later, “Ah, I was stuck in the library doing a group project. Sorry about that, Ms. Beatrice.”

“As long as you’re getting your education, I don’t mind,” she says, hands on her hips. “Don’t go out there skipping class now, ok?”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Miguel says, waving her goodbye. His mom would kill him if that ever happened. Not that he would tell her, she just had a sixth sense for his “fuck-ups.”

GymRat!Miguel who makes it to his class fifteen minutes early to arrange his part of his desk to his liking. Sometimes he feels so embarrassed when he needs to grab something in the middle of class, his ears hyperfocusing on every little noise he makes in quiet, crowded areas. He always makes sure to get out his laptop, a pen, a pencil, a highlighter, a notebook, some white-out, and a water jug. He prefers to be over-prepared.

GymRat!Miguel who’s feeling anxious when the sorority girls pass by his table, giggling and twirling their hair. They attempt to make conversation with him, speaking ill of the professor. He just nods along for the sake of being a gentleman. He thought the professor’s Millennial attempts at Gen Z jokes were kind of funny, albeit very 2010. He didn’t have the heart to tell them he actually enjoyed the lectures.

GymRat!Miguel who’s never been more excited for a lecture to start in his life. He didn’t know many more “wow”’s snd “that’s crazy”’s he had left in him. The noise of the ice hitting their plastic coffee cups as they struggled to get every drop out was starting to grate against his ears. He missed you and your sticker-covered water bottle. He looked over at his jug and smiled when he saw the ‘Game Over’ sticker you gifted him before the last lab. You noticed his joystick keychain and felt that his water bottle was empty.

GymRat!Miguel who declines the girls’ offer to join them on a morning jog after. He liked to work out in solitude and morning jogs with them would mean conversation. He would also have to be extra conscious about what he wore. No older lady walking her dog needed to spot him jogging with shorts that were too short for his own good and a tank top cut so deep that it was like string on his chest.

GymRat!Miguel who decides to head to the library in between class to kill time. He figured he can see if there are any science fiction he can check out to read in his free time. As he walks there, he opens Instagram to scroll. No, he has not been checking the app since this morning to see if you let him in, he’s not a freak. He stops walking when he checks his notifs to see that you accepted his follow request. He wastes no time to click your page again and is bombarded with tons of photos.

GymRat!Miguel who has to close the app immediately when he sees your first photo. It's a picture of you outside of a restaurant in a knitted two-piece. The top is open just a bit to see your chest and the long skirt is low enough to see a part of your stomach peeking through. Your smile is radiant and the caption is something about congratulating someone. You look delectable and Miguel can’t afford to run back to his dorm to let his mind wander over it right now.

GymRat!Miguel who gets another notification as he steps into his dorm room after his last class of the day and sees that you’ve liked and commented on his most recent post. It’s a mirror picture of him flexing his arm after his last work out. His shorts are riding high on his thighs and the curve of his ass is very noticeable. Gabriel had blew up his phone with voice memos of him cackling after he posted it.

“Looking good!! 🫣 Get those gains Miguel! 💪🏾”

Miguel runs a victory lap in his dorm room, thankful that his roommate wouldn’t be back until that night. He’s jumping and punching the air excitedly as if he were a boxer. If he wasn’t fearful of busting his ass, he’d do a backflip. Take that, Gabri.

GymRat!Miguel who decides to go back to your account, running on the hype of that one compliment from you. He stares at that first photo again, still mesmerized as if he didn’t see it earlier. He gives a like and starts typing.

“Wow…”

No, that’s corny.

“Loving the blue…”

Is he a frat guy?

“You look stunning”

Was that too much? He decides to add on a heart eyes emoji, afraid he might be coming on too strong.

GymRat!Miguel who goes a little further down your page. There’s a photo of you in a crochet cover up, your swimsuit peaking through the material. He groans as he slides to the next picture and the top of your cover up is off and it’s just a view of your back with your bikini string wrapped around it. Your lower half is in the water and if he can imagine it just enough, he can feel himself right behind you, taking in the view of your ass against him.

He’s hard. Again.

He decides to just let everything hang while he has the dorm to himself. His boxers are to his ankles as he sits on the bed, back against the wall. He keeps staring at your swimsuit pictures. Your breasts pushed together while you lean over the boat. Your hips swaying in a clip of you dancing with your friends. Your stomach on display as you lay in the sand, ready for him to squeeze.

He grit his teeth as he played the clips over and over again, his hand moving fast to bring him his relief. He closed his eyes and imagined he was there, watching you swaying before him. He would join you, grab your hips and let you guide him in the dance. He felt faint as he let go, voice shouting and white splattered across his shirt and fist.

He breathes fast, trying to calm down. He decides to like the photo dump and comment some aimless beach emojis under the post. It was the least he could do after using it to get off. How embarrassing.

GymRat!Miguel who jumps when his phone dings again. He was prepping to go to the gym when your response comes flying to his phone. His heart picks up when he sees you replied to his comment.

“That is so sweet of you to say! 🥺 Thank you 🥰”

He doesn’t know if you took it as a friendly gesture or a sign that he wanted you. Either way, he’s over the moon. There’s a pep in his step as he blasts Super Shy in his ears on the way to the gym. He had a new motivation to push harder in his sets.

GymRat!Miguel who tacks on 10 extra pounds during his arm workout. The guys in the gym are eyeing him in wonder and horror as he uses the 70lb weights for tricep extensions. He thinks of seeing you in lab later that week and decides to do some hip thrusts.

He can never be over-prepared.

GymRat!Miguel who decides to take a picture at the end of his work out to post on his story. He’s sweating, hair dripping towards the ends, his chest glistening. The angle is awkward as he moves the camera below him and flexes an arm for the picture. The story was meant for one girl and one girl only, so he didn’t really care how silly it looked to others.

GymRat!Miguel who almost fist pumps on the walk home when you like his story and leave a reply. He checks the private messages, grin on his face before he even reads what you have to say.

“Looks like you had a nice workout. I might have to join you next time and get some tips 🤔”

Miguel swiped the app up and texted Gabriel:

“Don’t ever question my game again”

"? Wtf are you talking about"

Miguel opened up his messages with you again and replied to text him whenever and he’d be happy to help.

GymRat!Miguel who winds down for the night, scrolling on his phone before he closes his eyes. Of course you posted a story and of course he pressed it within record speed.

It was a photo of you laying down all bundled up with a cute ‘good night’ gif moving across the bottom. You had on a spaghetti strap tank top and if your blanket wasn’t in the way, he’s sure he would see more than that.

You looked soft, adorable, kissable.

He liked the story and responded back a “good night” and closed his phone. He wanted you to visit him in his dreams once more.

dividers by: @gigittamic 🩵

a/n: tumblr mobile kept deleting full paragraphs of my draft. not happy about that because I kept losing my flow. 😒 it happened like THREE TIMES 😭

Thanks for reading! Like, comment, reblog, and tell me how you feel! 🩵

Wanna be added to the taglist for GymRat!Miguel? Comment and let me know. 🤗 (PLEASE HAVE YOUR AGE IN YOUR BIO. This series has been and will get even more NSFW!)

taglist: @ghost-lantern 🫶🏾🥺

[spirk-trek]

Nocturne Fanzine | Michael Verina, 1981

While researching this zine I was really touched by some of the testimonials from editors, readers, and contributors. I've included them below :) Always remember who carved the way before us! Thank you fandom foremothers (and fathers)!

"From what I understand from friends in the UK, homosexuality was still illegal when women began writing and publishing K/S. Most K/S zines at the time were done on mimeo machines or other types of home copying that entirely controllable by the editor. K/S fanzines from the US were often seized as pornographic by Customs." - Kathy Resch, 2010 interview

"All zines are brought out with a mixture of blood, sweat, tears and most of all, love. Love of the characters, and of Star Trek, and being privileged to know at least one of the girls involved in NOCTURNE -- [Ms. Jean B] -- I can assure you, that if she is involved, there will be 'love in abundance' … and so from me, Good Luck, Girls! Any new K/S Zine must be a welcome sight on the horizon!" - Unknown, 1981

Foreword from Editor Lee Owers:

"Welcome to NOCTURNE. The production of this zine was never an attempt to rival the well-known (and much-loved) American K/S zines but it is, perhaps true that it began by saying "we can do it, too." Somewhere along the way, nationality was forgotten and the zine's message changed to "let's do it together." NOCTURNE became, in my opinion, an example of the best of K/S fan fiction and art on both sides of the Atlantic. I am gratified that this has happened, not only because the zine has benefited from the blending of skills but because, in its compilation, I have experienced that special unity, cooperation and trust that is the spirit of STAR TREK and fandom.

I would like to thank all the contributors for their enthusiasm and assistance, without which NOCTURNE could not have been produced. My thanks to the writers for sharing their dreams with us and to the artists for turning those dreams into a visual, and beautiful reality.

I leave you now to read, and I hope, enjoy. One word of advice to the potential K/S fan:

After a time you will find that wanting is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as having. It is not logical, but it is always true!

Peace in IDIC, Lee"

[momachan]

"Honestly, I'd forgotten how beautiful she was. If only I'd never lost her. These days I'm... out of practice. Need to get my confidence back. So c'mon, Edward, just walk up to her and say the words. "Hey beautiful, you're coming home with me tonight." Or at least you would be if security wasn't so tight. So... since I'm out of practice, maybe I need to think in other ways. Like... how would Selina do this? How would Catwoman commit the robbery?... Spur of the moment robberies are more Selina's style. She loves slithering down on nylon cords. Or giving a guard a wink an nod to distract him. The truth of it, though, is that I'm not the best on a rope. And you, sir, are not my type."

Batman: 80-Page Giant (2010) #1 (Batman (1940-2011). "May I Have This Dancer."

Like Ms. Tuesday said: "Okay, that's pretty funny."

[broadwaydivastournament]

Movie Musical Divas Tournament: Round 3

Lena Horne (1917-2010): Panama Hattie (1942) as self | Stormy Weather (1943) as Selina Rogers | The Wiz (1978) as Glinda | The Duke is Tops (1938) as Ethel Andrews

"The first Black woman to have a Broadway theatre renamed in her honor. She was also on the HUAC List, blacklisted from Hollywood due to her activist work. She's performed with Cab Calloway and Miss Piggy - talk about versatility. Ms. Horne is also gorgeous. If you have not noticed that." - anonymous

Diana Ross (1944- ): Lady Sings the Blues - 1972, Billie Holiday | The Wiz - 1978, Dorothy Gale

"She’s beauty, grace, and elegance personified" - anonymous

This is Round 3 of the Movie Musical Divas tournament. Additional polls in this round may be found by searching #mmround3, or by clicking the link below. Add your propaganda and support by reblogging this post.

ADDITIONAL PROPAGANDA AND MEDIA UNDER CUT: ALL POLLS HERE

Lena Horne:

"Beautiful, glamorous, is there a word for this woman that isn't some variation of ~luminous~? she was a fairy of a woman who was not served by roles that met her ethereal talent." - anonymous

Video submitted by: anonymous | Photos submitted by: @mygreatadventurehasbegun

Photos submitted by: anonymous

Diana Ross:

Photos and video submitted by: anonymous

[missr3n3]

Augusnippets Day 19

collared/branded/chipped

Cut Down the Altar (not canon) TW: dehumanization, medical whump, non-human whumpee word count: 332 @augusnippets

[January 2010]

“Devil's preferred name?”

“Joshua Atkin. No middle name.”

“Date of original's birth?”

“April 4, 1988.”

“One of the younger ones, then. Date of replacement?”

“Yes, estimates will do. Um… September, 1991.”

“Birth place?”

“Nox, Iowa.”

“The town?”

“Correct.”

“Gender?”

“I’m not checking. Just tell me. Male.”

“Measurements?”

“6’3 tall. Weight is 138 pounds.”

“Hm, a little underweight… Any living relatives?”

“He… he says he isn't sure. Ah… He comes from a big family. ‘Fundie types,’ he says.”

“Emergency contacts?”

“Ms. Jessie- We're gonna need a full name. Middle name too, if she has one. Ms. Jessica Yolanda Simmons. Is she-? Okay, sorry. He doesn't want to describe their relation.”

“Fair enough. There's no need to agitate i- ah, him. Any prior medical history?”

“Is there any point in asking? I thought they regenerate.”

“Yes, but sometimes we have them on record for particularly severe injuries.”

“Okay… Um, he says he spent a week in the hospital summer 2007. What hap- Okay! Okay, he, um, doesn't want to say why.”

“That's fine. Usually, these questions are to work out possible allergies, which is not something I’ve heard of any Cael having problems with. That's the last of the questions. Seems like he's plenty healthy for the procedure.”

“Calm down, it won't hurt that much. This is just something we have to do for all Cael devils participating in the Cael Assimilation Trial. Why? If I were to guess, probably census data, tracking movement patterns, things like that. Now, tilt your head forward. What? Yes, this is a scalpel. Don't worry; if my experience with other Cael is anything to go by, you'll be healed by the time you're out the door. Yes, the chip is supposed to go under the skin. So you don't take it off obviously. Hold still please, this won't take any time at- OW!”

“Everything okay in there?”

“Damn thing bit me! You know, if you'd cooperate, we could've been done several minutes ago. Now hold still.”

[themirokai]

The Bell Bird - Chapter 4

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

In this chapter, plans are put in motion.

Chapter is 2,545 words.

Extra thanks to @once-in-a-blue-moon-rising for normal Brit-pick and beta support PLUS incredible help with details of the logistics for this chapter.

Read it below or on AO3.

~*~

Gregory had the decency to wait a week before asking. Mycroft was not surprised. Gregory was, after all, a fundamentally decent man.

The intervening week had been busy, but no more taxing than Mycroft was used to.

The DNA test had, of course, shown that the Bell Bird was David’s daughter, and they had quickly begun to implement the plan he had sketched out for her that first night in his office. Arranging for Jenny to sing a concert at the Nevill Holt Theatre two weeks later took very little effort, and Ahmad had barely concealed her eagerness to travel with Jenny to Leicestershire and remain there as primary bodyguard under the guise of Ms. Lindish’s personal assistant.

Romer had come back to work the following day with his tail between his legs, and had apologised for his behaviour. To demonstrate that there were no hard feelings, Mycroft had moved Yang to another assignment and put Romer on his personal security detail. Though Wilkinson was older than Romer, Romer had been in Mycroft’s unit for longer, meaning he was technically the senior agent on the detail. He had taken the responsibility with enthusiasm and extra gravitas, and Mycroft was grateful to Wilkinson for his bemused acceptance of Romer’s bluster.

The day to day of Mycroft’s work had all gone relatively smoothly that week, with the dozen or so operations his agents were conducting both domestically and abroad tracking with no major hiccups.

Which all left Mycroft free to lounge in bed with Gregory on Saturday morning at – for him – the late hour of eight AM. Gregory was half-sitting up against the pillows and Mycroft was laying with his cheek on Gregory’s stomach. Gregory was ostensibly reading something on his mobile but Mycroft could tell he hadn’t scrolled in some time and likely had something on his mind. Finally Gregory put the mobile down and stroked his hand down Mycroft’s back.

“Darling?”

“Mm?”

“Can I ask? About Jenny’s father?”

“Were you and my father lovers?” Jenny had asked that night, when Ahmad had stepped out and they were alone in his office. Her bravado was gone, and she suddenly looked very young. When Mycroft didn’t respond she continued. “It’s just… the way he talked about you… and you have a partner…”

“‘Lovers’ is too strong a word for what we were,” he had said quietly. “And I want to be clear that your father was devoted to your mother. As far as I know he was never unfaithful to her. But—” Mycroft sighed "—I suppose I don’t mind telling you that a long time ago… I loved him.”

“I think he loved you too.”

“We were very close, for a time,” Mycroft told Gregory. “There were a few times, before he met Jenny’s mother, when the adrenaline of a mission got the better of us and we… well… But that was a different time.

“It wasn’t safe for us to be together, both because of our work and even moreso because we were both men. I was closeted in my professional life until shortly before I met you. And David met and fell in love with Jenny’s mother in the nineties. If the circumstances had been different, if we had been brought together in the 2010s instead of the late seventies… if I had met him instead of you… I don’t know.” Mycroft sighed. “I owe him my life. I hope by protecting his daughter I’m doing what I can to repay him and honour his memory.”

Gregory hugged him closer and kissed the top of his head. “I think you are, darling.”

Mycroft was honest enough with himself to acknowledge that in the days leading up to Jenny’s concert, he became irrationally nervous. He deployed extra agents around Leicestershire and had nearly every resource at his disposal scanning for any sign of the Black Tornado. He repeatedly questioned whether using Jenny as bait was the best way to keep her safe, but just as often resolved that, yes, taking out the Black Tornado was the only way to protect her, and they had no other way of making him surface.

The information Mycroft had on the Black Tornado indicated that he would spend as little time in the UK as possible. Unlike the Bell Bird, he had operated there in the past, but those had been extremely rapid strikes that had him out of the country within hours. By having Jenny’s concert be at Nevill Holt it would force the Black Tornado to travel a great distance by car, regardless of how he arrived in England, which would give Mycroft’s team ample opportunity to apprehend him. It also meant that it narrowed the window of when he was likely to strike at her, since the night of the concert would be the only time he would know exactly where she was.

Gregory and Mycroft would be attending the concert and spending the night at a nearby inn. It would give Mycroft the opportunity to direct operations more or less on-site, and the idea of intentionally putting Jenny in harm’s way while he stayed in London was unthinkable. And while he considered it, he did not bother suggesting that Gregory stay behind.

He and Gregory were packing for the night away when Mycroft’s mobile buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and saw it was one of his agents working in the operations centre. He answered. “Go ahead, Parnell.”

“Sir, we believe the Black Tornado has boarded a plane in Istanbul headed for Heathrow.”

“Good. Keep scanning in case you’re wrong, but send a team to intercept him as soon as the flight lands.”

“Yes, sir.”

Mycroft disconnected the call to see Gregory watching him.

“Got him?” Gregory asked.

“Not yet,” Mycroft told him. “But he should be landing in about four hours, and my people will be there.”

Gregory smiled. “Maybe we’ll be able to relax and enjoy the concert after all.”

Mycroft certainly was not superstitious enough to believe in the concept of a jinx, but Gregory’s words still felt like a lead weight in his stomach.

In the car on the way to Leicestershire, Mycroft was not on comms. He knew the Black Tornado’s plane would be landing while they were en route, but he also knew that there was nothing he could meaningfully add to the operation at that point, so he forcefully resisted the urge to micromanage. He had found that his agents felt more free to communicate openly when he was not listening in, which improved group cohesion on the ground. While it was more difficult when he was so personally invested in the operation, it helped that Simmons was monitoring comms while she drove – a role she happily fulfilled when required. Simmons had known Mycroft long enough to know what updates he would find useful, and the agents trusted her to keep their non-essential chatter to herself.

In theory, Mycroft was reading a report from an operation in Abu Dhabi, but he couldn’t help frequent glances at Simmons. At one point when he looked up, their eyes met in the rearview mirror, and she gave a short nod. The plane must have landed. Mycroft glanced at Gregory, who was engrossed in a book, but decided not to say anything. He gave up all pretence of reading the Abu Dhabi report, and just waited.

He saw when Simmons’ shoulders tensed, and when she gripped the steering wheel more tightly, and so he was not entirely unprepared for her to swear.

“Shit!”

Gregory startled out of his book. “Lucy? You okay?”

Simmons looked at Mycroft in the rearview again. “They lost him, sir.”

Mycroft felt the breath squeeze out of him in a hiss. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Pull over, Simmons.”

Simmons tapped her ear to change the channel on her comm. “Wilk, we’re pulling over.”

Ahead on the road a nondescript grey van pulled off to the side as Simmons manoeuvred their vehicle over. Mycroft got out of the car just as a motorbike pulled up beside them and Romer took off his helmet. His face showed that he had been monitoring comms too. Simmons joined them beside the car.

“Tell me,” Mycroft said.

“Massive crowds at Heathrow,” Simmons reported, “and there was some mix-up with the gate, so two planes-worth of people thought they were supposed to be boarding their flight through that gate just as Black Tornado’s flight was disembarking. The team lost him in the crowd.”

Mycroft felt a cold fury rise in his stomach but he kept his tone even. “Completely unacceptable! That entire team is being reassigned for additional crowd training.” Well, maybe not entirely even.

“He must’ve had someone mess with the gates, sir,” Romer put in.

“And he’s an extremely skilled operative, not a random mark,” Simmons said.

“Both observations are irrelevant. This unit is supposed to be the best in the world. I do not care how skilled the mark is or how big the crowd, a five person team should not lose one individual in a crowd. And you can tell them I said so.”

Mycroft wheeled around and got back in the car, shutting the door with perhaps a bit more force than was necessary.

Gregory, apparently, had also gotten out and had been listening. He returned to his seat and tentatively reached out to touch Mycroft’s hand.

“Maybe a bit of an overreaction, darling?”

Mycroft snorted. “Nothing of the sort. My agents should be better than that.”

“Sure,” Gregory said gently, “but are you perhaps taking it a little hard because you’re worried about Jenny?”

“If I were being hard on them,” Mycroft informed him, “I would have called them myself. Having Simmons and Romer deliver the message that I am displeased and sparing them my full thoughts on the matter is taking it easy on them.”

Gregory raised an eyebrow at him, then squeezed his hand.

After Mycroft and Gregory had deposited their bags in their very nice room at the inn, they went for a walk to stretch their legs. Though Romer was moving nearly silently, Mycroft did spot him tracking them through the woods at several points. At the pre-arranged time, they encountered Jenny and Ahmad on an abandoned lane.

Before the women caught sight of Mycroft and Gregory, Ahmad said something they couldn’t hear to Jenny and Jenny threw her head back in a melodious laugh and rested her hand on Ahmad’s arm. Ahmad grinned at Jenny, then quickly looked down at her feet. While they were a little too far to see, Mycroft strongly suspected that she was blushing.

Ahmad caught sight of them then, and her entire expression changed. Her grin faded, and she stood straighter: the picture of a calm, professional agent. Jenny, on the other hand, lit up when she saw them.

“Hello!” she called. “Welcome to the picturesque Nevill Holt estate.”

Mycroft felt a surge of fondness. Her accent was exactly the same as David’s: one of the regional American ones; midwestern, if he recalled correctly.

“Beautiful day for a stroll,” Gregory said.

“Ms. Lindish,” Mycroft said. “Are you well?”

She leaned closer to him. “You know you can call me Jenny,” she mock-whispered conspiratorially.

“Mr. Holmes only does first names under duress,” Ahmad told her.

Mycroft glanced at her with a small smile. “Thank you, Ahmad.”

“I’m very well, Mr. Holmes, thank you for asking,” Jenny said with a smile. “Agent Ahmad has been taking very good care of me.”

Mycroft looked between them quickly but answered without hesitation. “I’m glad to hear it.” He turned to Ahmad. “Have you been on comms today, Ahmad? Or in touch with anyone from the unit?”

Ahmad’s face grew even more serious. “No, sir.”

Mycroft grimaced. He had been fairly sure that was the case, but it didn’t make his next task any easier. “I have some unfortunate news, then. I had a team go to intercept the Black Tornado at Heathrow, but they lost him. We have to assume that he’s on his way, or potentially already here.”

Ahmad grew angry. Jenny’s face detoured quickly from frightened to resolved.

“I understand,” Jenny said quietly.

“I don’t,” Ahmad said. “How big was the team, sir?”

“Big enough that they should not have lost him,” Mycroft told her. “There will be consequences, but you will let me worry about that. You have a much more immediate concern.”

Ahmad took a deep breath, and Mycroft watched her consciously unclench her jaw. “Yes, sir.”

“Your team is ready?” he asked her.

“Yes, sir.”

As Ahmad briefed him on how she had deployed the agents assigned to help her protect Jenny and the plan for the concert that night, Mycroft watched out of the corner of his eye as Jenny took a few steps closer to Gregory and the two of them had a quiet conversation.

“Very good, Ahmad,” Mycroft said when she finished. “That’s all well-thought out.”

Ahmad gave a very small smile.

Jenny and Gregory cut off their conversation and Jenny turned to him with a smile.

“He’s most likely to attack tonight, when he thinks you’re asleep,” Mycroft addressed both Jenny and Ahmad. “I’ll be monitoring comms following the concert.” He reached out his hand towards Jenny, and she took it. “You don’t need to be frightened. Ahmad is skillfully deploying an excellent team.”

Jenny looked at Ahmad through her lashes. “I have every confidence in Agent Ahmad, Mr. Holmes.”

“Good,” Mycroft said. “My dear, we will keep you safe. I give you my word.”

Jenny smiled warmly and squeezed his hand. “Thank you.”

“Now,” Mycroft said, “we should all get back to where we’re supposed to be.”

Romer faded out of the woods and onto the road once Mycroft and Gregory were headed back to the inn, walking hand in hand.

“Ahmad’s soft on the Bell Bird, sir.”

“I’m well aware, Mr. Romer.”

“I think Bell Bird likes Ahmad, too.”

“Yes,” Mycroft said, “you are correct.”

“Is that a problem, sir?”

“Ahmad and Ms. Lindish are more emotionally invested in protecting each other. I see that as an asset to the operation, Mr. Romer.”

Romer walked beside him for a few steps, considering. “Guess I’ll have to find a hot assassin with a sob story,” he said.

On Mycroft’s other side, Gregory chuckled. “You do know there are other ways to meet people, right Peter?”

Romer looked briefly thoughtful. “I guess I could be introduced to a handsome copper by my troubled brother, but I don’t have any siblings.”

Gregory shook his head. “We’ve got to get you some other role models, kid.”

Romer flashed a smile at Mycroft before heading back into the woods. “Nah. I’m good.”

“What were you and Jenny talking about?” Mycroft asked Gregory when Romer was far enough away to not be able to hear their conversation.

“You, mostly.” Gregory chuckled. “She was asking how we met and how we got together. Whether you usually brought me along on operations. She’s a sweet girl.”

Mycroft raised an eyebrow at him. “She is a deadly assassin.”

Gregory shrugged. “And a sweet girl. We should have her to dinner when this is all wrapped up.”

Mycroft stopped walking, pulled Gregory to him, and kissed him.

~*~

Thank you for reading!

Final chapter is now posted.

[ms-m-astrologer]

Welcome to the Shadow of the Eclipse

October 4-31, 2023

Some introductory notes

The “shadow of the eclipse” is a time period lasting from 10 days before the first eclipse, to three days after the final eclipse. It is recommended not to start anything new, or schedule anything important, during these days - as usual I refer everyone to the 1981 wedding of Lady Diana Spencer to the Prince of Wales, as an example.

Of course we live in a place/time which scoffs at letting astrology help with the timing of events - therefore don’t lose hope if something falls unavoidably within the eclipse shadow. Just be prepared.

I wanted to take a more thorough approach to delineation, this time. I hope it’s helpful.

South Node Solar Eclipse

A solar eclipse happens when the New Moon lies close (in the Zodiac) to either the North Lunar Node, or to the South one. It occurred to me to do a little research on whether which Node is involved, makes any difference - and yes, it does.

Astrologers call the South Node “the dragon’s tail” - Steven Forrest calls the South Node, “the dragon’s butt” - because here we are “pooping out” what we don’t need and can’t use. (One person’s poop, however, is another person’s fertilizer.)

Eclipses conjunct the South Lunar Node, like the October 14 one, have an outflowing (outpooping?) of energy. They tend to feature external events which we have to “rise up to.”

If you’d like to note how these have affected you in the past (always a good idea to check “what happened last time”), here is a list of the previous South Node solar eclipses in this century:

December 14, 2001, 22°56’ Sagittarius

December 4, 2002, 11°58’ Sagittarius

November 23, 2003, 1°14’ Sagittarius

October 14, 2004, 21°06’ Libra

October 3, 2005, 10°19’ Libra

September 22, 2006, 29°20’ Virgo

September 11, 2007, 18°25’ Virgo

August 1, 2008, 9°32’ Leo

July 22, 2009, 29°27’ Cancer

July 11, 2010, 19°24’ Cancer

June 1, 2011, 11°02’ Gemini

July 1, 2011, 9°12’ Cancer

May 20, 2012, 0°21’ Gemini

May 10, 2013, 19°31’ Taurus

April 29, 2014, 8°52’ Taurus

March 20, 2015, 29°27’ Pisces

March 9, 2016, 18°56’ Pisces

February 26, 2017, 8°12’ Pisces

February 15, 2018, 27°08’ Aquarius

January 6, 2019, 15°25’ Capricorn

December 26, 2019, 4°07’ Capricorn

December 14, 2020, 23°08’ Sagittarius

December 4, 2021, 12°22’ Sagittarius

October 25, 2022, 2°00’ Scorpio

October 14, 2023, 21°08’ Libra

Going down that list was a very uncomfortable trip down memory lane for me. When those South Node eclipses affected me, it was generally a harbinger of some difficult “external event” which I had little to no control over - which is not the same thing as saying “it wasn’t my fault.” I brought some of it on myself due to bad decisions. Some karma chickens coming home to roost, in other words. Not all of them were dire, though. One in particular gave me something of a respite from what had been happening in my life - it was conjunct my natal 12th House cusp.

Saros Series “7 South”

This eclipse is part of Saros Series “7 South.” Bernadette Brady writes,

The individual experiencing this series will find that huge obstacles will suddenly and easily clear or, on the negative side, a pending potential crisis will suddenly manifest and move through his or her life very rapidly. Either way the individual will feel that everything is moving at great speed. (The Eagle and the Lark)

Previous Saros “7 South” eclipses in Ms M’s lifetime:

September 11, 1969, 18°53’ Virgo

September 23, 1987, 29°34’ Virgo

October 3, 2005, 10°19’ Libra

Not quite as depressing for me personally.

Whatever Shall We Do?

1) Determine which of your natal houses this eclipse falls in.

2) Determine whether the eclipse makes an aspect to anything in your chart. Use a 1° orb. In my case, the conjunctions, squares, sesquiquads (135°), inconjuncts, and oppositions made the most obvious impacts.

3) If there is a close aspect to a planet, check to see which house(s) that planet rules. One South Node eclipse was conjunct the ruler of my natal 4th House, and I moved three months later.

4) Avoid strenuously negative thoughts. If you put a lot of energy into anticipating that something is going to be horrible and painful and disastrous, well, guess what - that’s exactly what’s going to happen. If you catch yourself falling into a panic, try to refocus the energy into “the best possible outcome.”

[houseofbrat]

Interesting timing on this article...

While for many their jet-setting lifestyle looked dreamlike, it did not impress the late Queen who apparently expressed concern about the number of holidays her future granddaughter-in-law was taking every year. Perhaps aware that William and Kate would soon be engaged, the Queen stressed that the future princess should get a job rather than hopping around from country to country. The stern words of advice were said to have 'stung' Kate, royal expert Katie Nicholl has suggested. She wrote in her 2010 book William and Harry: 'If she was not with William at Balmoral then the couple were skiing or holidaying on Mustique. 'Kate was there so often the press dubbed her "Queen of Mustique", a title that had previously belonged to Princess Margaret'. Princess Margaret's beautiful ten acre manor of Les Jolies Eaux, or Beautiful Waters, became her hideaway from the world's scrutiny after her marriage to the late Lord Snowdon imploded. She later said it was the only place where she could 'truly relax'.  When Kate was on her way to the island in the 2000s, Britain was heading into a recession, and 'such frivolous displays of wealth were unpalatable to the Queen', according to Ms Nicholls. She added: 'While the rest of the world speculated that an engagement was on the horizon for William and Kate, the Queen believed an announcement should be postponed until Kate was settled in a career.' One source quoted in the book added: 'It is Her Majesty's opinion that if Kate is one day going to be William's consort, then she needs a proper job. 'Swanning from one five-star holiday resort to another is not the prerequisite for a young woman possibly destined to be Queen.'

Why rehash this now? This isn't the stuff regarding the one-year anniversary of QEII's passing that I was expecting to read. This is literally a story that is approximately fifteen years old.

Is the Daily Mail that hard up for stories that they have to rehash a non-issue from prior to 2010? Or is there something else at play? Are they prepping for a new storyline? One they haven't used in a few years?

[thefourfan]

(FLASH WARNING) I kept my word

Remember this from my last post? I just finished making it, took several hours ;-;

I tried to replicate the general style of those old 2010 animation memes, I hope I did well ^_^

I made it using Flixier and MS Paint :>

[zinniajones]

SEGM advisor Michael Biggs admitting under oath that some people are just trans because we're trans and because it helps to make sense of our lives and he doesn't have any idea whether that's the wrong answer for any one of us: https://transgender.agency/files/dekker-v-weida/130-2.pdf

Q. Well, no, I read to you the statement that's in your report, that there is -- apparently, there is -- people are promoting transgenderism in health care, schools, and on social media. And I asked you for the evidence that you have to support that statement? A. Yes, I've said that I think -- believe there is abundant evidence in -- for example, if you look at searches on Google trans. If you look at the -- Q. What specific searches -- sir, what specific searches, what specific evidence did you rely upon when you made that statement in your report. I'm asking you the specific evidence that you relied upon? A. If you search for various combinations and permutations of the word "transsexual child," "transgender child," "trans child," "trans kid," "trans children" and so on, you can see a massive peak in that, particularly after 2005 but more particularly after 2010. Q. Okay. So, sir, it is not my responsibility to conduct these searches. I'm asking you what specific scientific basis do you have before you made that statement in this report, what -- did you do those searches, if so, are they -- are the results listed in your bibliography? MR. BEATO: Object to form. Dr. Biggs, you can answer those questions. THE WITNESS: I did do those searches. The results are not listed in my -- in the bibliography because I thought it was -- BY MS. ALTMAN: Q. Why not? A. It was so obvious that the increase in the prominence of transgenderism in health care and schools and social media would be obvious. Q. Sir, did you look at all of the possible reasons why being transgender is more at the forefront today, like perhaps US states that are banning transgender health care -- just as an example, throwing it out there -- and then putting that in the media. Did you look at that, maybe that's the reason why people are more frequent to be discussing the issue? A. Well, bans on health care have only been around for a couple of years. I'm talking about a long -- long-term trend from -- I think I did 1990 to 2020. So it's -- yeah, that's the basis of it. Q. So other than your Google searches, is there anything else that you relied upon in making that statement in your report? A. Just to clarify, it wasn't a Google search. It was a search of Google's corpus and the entire body of printed material in -- in the English language. Q. Right. The one -- the things that you did not list in your report as resources, correct? A. Yes. Q. Sir, do you believe it's -- that it is easy to be transgender, it is appealing to be transgender? A. I believe in some cases it can be appealing, yes. Q. What about in others? A. In other cases, it is not. Q. You are not making a -- you are not providing a general opinion that people are jumping on the transgender bandwagon because it is so easy and it is being promoted, are you? A. No. I believe that sometimes it makes sense of an individual's predicament of suffering or distress about their body, about their gender roles. Q. And it might make sense just because they are transgender, right? A. Yes, it might. Q. Right. And you don't know in any particular case whether that's true, right? A. Not in any individual case, no.

The judgment snake is RAVENOUS

[broadwaydivastournament]

Movie Musical Divas Tournament: Round 2

Lena Horne (1917-2010): Panama Hattie (1942) as self | Stormy Weather (1943) as Selina Rogers | The Wiz (1978) as Glinda | The Duke is Tops (1938) as Ethel Andrews

"The first Black woman to have a Broadway theatre renamed in her honor. She was also on the HUAC List, blacklisted from Hollywood due to her activist work. She's performed with Cab Calloway and Miss Piggy - talk about versatility. Ms. Horne is also gorgeous. If you have not noticed that." - anonymous

Vera-Ellen (1921-1981): On the Town (1949) - Ivy Smith | White Christmas (1954) - Judy Haynes | Call Me Madam (1953) - Princess Maria

"She’s so PRETTY and CAT-LIKE this little pixie FELINE QUALITY she is so tiny but her dancing is BIG" - anonymous

This is Round 2 of the Movie Musical Divas tournament. Additional polls in this round may be found by searching #mmround2, or by clicking the link below. Add your propaganda and support by reblogging this post.

ADDITIONAL PROPAGANDA AND MEDIA UNDER CUT: ALL POLLS HERE

Lena Horne:

"Beautiful, glamorous, is there a word for this woman that isn't some variation of ~luminous~? she was a fairy of a woman who was not served by roles that met her ethereal talent." - anonymous

Video submitted by: anonymous | Photos submitted by: @mygreatadventurehasbegun

Photos submitted by: anonymous

Vera-Ellen:

"Not her most impressive number [video below] of all time, but I think it's very charming and shows off her tap and singing skills as well!" - anonymous

Photos and video submitted by: anonymous | Photos submitted by: @funnygirlthatbelle

[rad-rat-with-a-tophat]

pew pew-pew -pew peeeeeeeeew

it's day two of @lovely-blue-galaxy's 2023 richjake week!!!

the prompt was instrument

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rich had come to terms that he was bi. It was hard to do that when you had a Japanese supercomputer parroting the words he’d heard his entire life.

He still hadn’t entirely come to terms that he was “in love” with his best friend. He could handle a crush, but love? Rich did not sign up for love.

The choir room was empty except for Rich and Jake. Rich had been the young choir teacher, Ms Madflou, favourite since freshman year even though he hadn’t done choir in sophomore year; because of this, she let him and Jake stay in the choir room while waiting for the rest of their friends who were rehearsing for the Spring Play.

Stray notes rang out as Jake sat by the piano, moving his fingers in a pattern that Rich couldn’t figure out. Well, he thought it was a pattern.

“You got any requests?” Jake asked, head still bent over the piano.

Rich was leaning against the left side of the piano, craning his head to look at Jake’s hands. (Really? His hands? Jesus Christ, Rich was sad)

“Do you know any rock songs?” Rich asked, his eyes focused on Jake’s hair. (Hair? God, he was like a preteen girl.) “Or do you only know fancy songs by dead dudes?”

Rich actually knew multiple classical composers (Courtesy of the supercomputer that was in his head for over a year). He knew that Jake’s favourite composer was Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky and that in 5th grade he did a presentation on him and played Waltz of The Flowers on their Music teacher’s piano. He also knew that Jake could play Hall Of The Mountain King with his eyes closed. 

“I shouldn’t have expected anything better than you, your music taste is literally just pop punk and emo. You’re like a 13-year-old girl in 2010.” Jake began to form a melody from the seemingly discordant notes. Rich watched as Jake’s hands moved slowly and deliberately across the keyboard. Each note was careful and deliberate. Rich recognized the song, it was Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 9 No.2

And Rich suddenly understood every single poet who ever wrote about their lovers (He’s not your lover dipshit). Rich was already willing to be the Icarus to Jake’s Apollo, but now he was asking.

And if you were anyone else, you might not have seen it. But Rich saw the care and precision in the way Jake played. It was the same as the way he spoke to Rich in those rare moments on those dark nights when life was shit but at least his squip was off. At least he got to notice Jake’s soft hands and softer words.

Jake’s eyes were glued to the keyboard, and his concentration was stuck on the melody and the harmony. And before Rich knew it Jake had finished and Jake was looking up at him. And, oh my god the way he was looking up at him, and, oh my god his smile and, oh my god his, his eyes! Wait, am I moving closer or is he?Oh fuck we’re kissing. What do I do? And finally, when the kiss was done and they were wearing matching stupid grins, Oh shit, this is love.

[ao3feed-arthureames]

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This (Who Am I To Disagree?)

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/uqckXRt

by Lesbian_Fangirl_Forever

When a Chemist during an Inception job screws with the sedation, Arthur's in-dream wound becomes very real. Eames is there when he falls...literally.

Words: 2702, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Inception (2010)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Arthur (Inception), Eames (Inception), Background & Cameo Characters

Relationships: Arthur/Eames (Inception)

Additional Tags: Blood and Injury, Getting Together, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Inception, Protective Eames (Inception), Pining, Not Beta Read, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, How Do I Tag, One Shot, Awkward Kissing, Hospitals, Author Is Sleep Deprived, author is running only on cheesy movies crime shows and peanut m&ms, and a love for dream husbands, dont ask about the plot holes theyre in there so the characters can breathe

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/uqckXRt

[ladyinbooks]

Hello! First of all I love all your works and am currently in the process of rereading Icarus Burning because it lives rent free in my mind and has become a comfort story. Secondly, I was wondering if you have a specific program you like to use to write with and would recommend?

Oh my gosh thank you! ❤️ I honoured it's become a comfort story - I definitely have a few of those, so the fact that IB is one of yours means a great deal to me.

In terms of recommending software to write with, I am... sadly very, very old school. 😂 We're talking 'Wait, this is MS Word 2010' kind of old school (largely because I refuse to upgrade to Office365 and have grimly clung on to my one-off bought Office suite that doesn't force me to sign in anywhere). For me, Word works (albeit I cheerfully ignore the grammar hints most of the time), because I'm comfortable with it. I tend to use either Calibri or Times New Roman (I know, I know) for fonts.

So I suppose the only advice I can really give is: find software that works for you. Make sure it's something you're comfortable with, and suits your purposes (e.g. do you want things like autocorrect/grammar/spelling/suggestions etc., or do you want something more basic?). I think it's also got to look right, if that makes sense? It has to be something you're comfortable staring at for a while. (I speak from the experience of glaring at pages of RP today. 🤣)

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You

The Iconic & Radiant BiRacial FlashDance 💃🤎 Actress Of The 80's

Born On December 19th,  1963. 

Beals was born and raised in the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Jeanne (née Anderson), an elementary school teacher, and Alfred Beals, who owned grocery stores. Beals's father was African-American, and her mother is Irish-American.

She is an American actress. She made her film debut in My Bodyguard (1980), before receiving critical acclaim for her performance as Alexandra Owens in Flashdance (1983), for which she won NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

Beals has appeared in several films including Vampire's Kiss (1988), Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), The Last Days of Disco (1998), Roger Dodger (2002), The Book of Eli (2010), Before I Fall (2017), and Luckiest Girl Alive (2022). On television, she starred in shows such as The Chicago Code (2011), Proof (2015), Taken (2017), and The Book of Boba Fett (2021). She is best known for her portrayal of Bette Porter on the Showtime drama series The L Word (2004–2009), which earned her a nomination for the Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. She reprised her role as Bette Porter and served as an executive producer on the sequel series The L Word: Generation Q (2019–2023).

Please Wish This Iconic & Radiant BiRacial Actress Of The 80's, A Very Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

YOU KNOW HER

YOU LOVE HER ON THE DANCE FLOOR.

& SHE'S DEFINITELY A MANIAC WHEN COMES TO ACTING

THE 1 & ONLY

MS. JENNIFER BEALS AKA ALEXANDRA OWENS OF FLASHDANCE 💃🤎 & BETTE PORTER OF THE L WORD

HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 TO YOU MR. BEALS & HERE'S TO MANY MORE YEARS TO COME. 

#JenniferBeals #FlashDance #AlexandraOwens #TheLWord #BettePorter

[freetheshit-outofyou]

Let me put it in simple and hopefully you understand it skippy. This past election was fair. The ballot counting was part of a process that was legal in terms of how different States handle their elections. Democrats won and Republicans won. Same ballot for both. Same election. So are we all to believe that when Republicans win. It's a fair election. When Democrats win. It's rigged? You've been told this from a failed game show host in the last election. He's butt hurt because he lost. You're butt hurt because the "Big Red Wave" didn't happen. There's no 2000 mules. There's no fucking Santa Claus either.

It's like someone grabbed the stupid tree today and gave it a big hard shake and it's now raining political retards. I digress. (Oh, and yes I know I'm an ableist, it comes form being 100% disabled and being shit on but the very people who wait in the wings to call me an ableist. You can fuck right off.) This post is long, just warning you up front.

Ok Sport, let me try to break this down into little bitty words that you can digest and maybe learn something in the process. Ok, Little One? If you think any election in, say the last 20 years, was fair you are fooling yourself. I’m not talking about ballot box stuffing, I’m not talking about laws requiring I.D.’s or even voter intimidation at the polling locations, I’m talking about the long long game that is being played by both sides but most effectively by Democrats. Are you still following along there Bub? Because, I generally don’t pour my political leanings out here, I can see where lots of scary guns might lead you to believe I’m part of the Red Wave band wagon rather than someone who just wants the government to do what it was originally asked with and stop the ever expanding roll they want to play in EVERYONE day to day life. I’m going to give you that, Princess. I give credit where credit is due and Democrats have the best long game in the political arena, a big part of that is they keep people in power for decades and then get pissed when people are given seats to the bench for a life time because we all know they would love life time seats in Congress. Think I’m wrong there Squirt, follow me down the road of the longest serving member of congress. Of the top 25 longest serving members of congress 15 of them are Democrats.  1.           Robert C. Byrd (D-WV)    Jan 3, 1959-Jun 28, 2010               51 years, 5 months, 26 days

2.            Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI)   Jan 3, 1963-Dec 17, 2012              49 years, 11 months, 15 days

3.            Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT)   Jan 3, 1975-present                        47 years, 7 month, 22 days

4.            Edward M. Kennedy (Ted) (D-MA) Nov 7, 1962-Aug 25, 2009 46 years, 9 months, 19 days

5.            Carl T. Hayden (D-AZ)      Mar 4, 1927-Jan 3, 1969               41 years, 10 months

6.            John C. Stennis (D-MS)    Nov 5, 1947-Jan 3, 1989               41 years, 1 month, 29 days

7.            Fritz Hollings (D-SC)         Nov 9, 1966-Jan 3, 2005 38 years, 1 month, 25 days

8.            Richard B. Russell, Jr. (D-GA)        Jan 12, 1933-Jan 21, 1971            38 years, 10 days

9.            Russell B. Long (D-LA)     Dec 31, 1948-Jan 3, 1987              38 years, 3 days

10.         James O. Eastland (D-MS) Jun 30, 1941-Sep 28, 1941 and Jan 3, 1943-Dec 27, 1978 36 years, 2 months, 24 days

11.         Warren G. Magnuson (D-WA)      Dec 14, 1944-Jan 3,1981               36 years, 20 days

12.         Joe Biden (D-DE)              Jan 3, 1973-Jan 15, 2009               36 years, 13 days

13.         Carl Levin (D-MI)              Jan 3, 1979-Jan 3, 2015  36 years

14.         Claiborne Pell (D-RI)        Jan 3, 1961-Jan 3, 1997  36 years

15.         Kenneth D. McKellar (D-TN)         Mar 4, 1917-Jan 3, 1953 35 years, 10 months

The Republicans have 10 on that list they don’t even enter the list until number 6, there is one exception and I’ll loop back to that. 1.            Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT)      Jan 3, 1977-Jan 3, 2019          42 years 2.            Chuck Grassley (R-IA)    Jan 3, 1981-present                 41 years, 7 month, 22 days

3.            Ted Stevens (R-AK)          Dec 24, 1968-Jan 3, 2009              40 years, 10 days

4.            Thad Cochran (R-MS)      Dec 27, 1978-Apr 1, 2018             39 years, 3 months, 6 days

5.            Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Jan 3, 1985-present                   37 years, 7 month, 22 days

6.            Francis E. Warren (R-WY) Nov 18, 1890-Mar 3, 1893 and Mar 4, 1895-Nov 24, 1929 37 years, 4 days

7.            Pete V. Domenici (R-NM) Jan 3, 1973-Jan 3, 2009              36 years

8.            Richard G. Lugar (R-IN)   Jan 3, 1977-Jan 3, 2013                36 years 9.            Milton R. Young (R-ND)  Mar 12, 1945-Jan 3, 1981             35 years, 9 months, 22 days Then we have Strom Thurmond who played both sides at one point serving as first a Democrat who holds the filibuster record by a single senator speaking for 24 hours and 18 minuets in 1957 to block the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. He would change parties in 1964 to be a Republican. He is also the only senator to still be serving at 100 freaking years old. (Strom Thurmond (D, R-SC)    Dec 14, 1954-Apr 4, 1956 and Nov 7, 1956-Jan 3, 2003 47 years, 5 months, 8 days)

 I have always given credit to Democrats for their long game, When they are put in power regardless of level have a stack of plans ready to go. Those plans are almost always contrary to what the PEOPLE want but 110% what the Democrat power base and interests want. (See Mr. Biden, day one.) In contrast Republicans talk about plans and what they will do when given power and when they have it they stand there with shocked looks on their faces and their hand devoid of any plan, so they shoot from the hip and miss every mark. (See 2016’s repeal and replace of the ACA.)  But Democrats maneuvering start at street level, and they are effective at it. Where Republicans “Work” if you can call it that at the mid-level. (See redistricting that booted Rep. Sean Maloney (NY). They all do it, if you think they don’t you’re diluting yourself.

There is always talk of ballot box stuffing, ballot harvesting, gerrymandering and the like, more so since CoVID. If you think it’s not happening again see the line above this. It’s happening on both sides, I’m not saying that out of some conspiracy theory, Alex Jones thought process I’m saying it because it’s human nature. Humans cheat at things to win for the sake of the win, and they will cheat more often when they think their chances of being caught are lowest, our voting laws have made that evident. Case in point, I have opted out of every election cycles mail in ballot process since Nevada started doing it, Every cycle I get a mail in ballot, this year I got two? When you go to the poling location they ask you if you have your mail in ballot, I tell them no I burned them. If you do have it, it is dropped into a box and who knows what is done with it. I would prefer it was dropped into a shredder there in front of the voter to remove any doubt of what happed to it but that’s just me. I’d also prefer if mail in ballots were opt-in rather than opt-out. In the 20+ years I was in the Army I had to opt-in for an absentee ballot, I was not just sent one by default. So when I say I give Democrats credit for their ability to advance plan, have plans on hand when needed and their insane ability to keep old ass fuckers in elected seats I truly mean it.

Now, little buddy let’s talk about money and the media. Because none of this happens without the media and money. This is the root of how politicians get rich in office and how “interests” grease the wheels. It is not the mom and pop donor that is feeding the Democrats 1,222,701,185 in 2022 or the 1,010,083,760 to the Republicans it is big money donors that want hand have the ears of the very people they are pouring cash all over. Sure that bump that the individual donor add stacks up but there is a reason we get a text, a robocall, or an email and George Sporos and Richard Uihlein get a phone call they also get direct access to those in power (See the 2016 State Department emails to and from Chris Canavan of the Soros Fund Management and Assistant-Secretary of State Victoria Nuland Soros at that time was trying to used his direct access to the State Department to effect movement of his “vision of Ukrain” via our State Department. Soros would be part of a call with the State department 6 days after the emails were sent.) As if it wasn’t enough that massive donors have direct access to upper ends of the Government to ensure their political will the US Government itself actively worked to stop the flow of money to political opponents. (See the IRS admitting that it targeted Tea Party and Conservative 501(c)(3) and (c)(4)  organizations between 2009 and 2012. Now Sweet pants we get to the media. I’m not going to beat this dead horse very long because it kicks up the flies BUT, it is well documented that mainstream media, online networks and social media have made direct and intentional moves to suppress news that would shine as discouraging light on Democrats while highlighting stories that would show Republicans in an unflattering light. Do you remember the Trump Russian Collusion buttfuck? Of have you, like the media washed that from your mind Comrade? What about the Hunter Biden lap top that was such a work of fiction that Twitter ban people for sharing the story and the mainstream media refused to cover even the Idea of it, and yet here we are with state and federal official investigating it now years later because of it validity. I know you just want to counter with “But Fox news”, Christ Little Britches why in the hell would Fox not be a Right side propaganda outlet when CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, The Times, The Post , and hundred maybe thousands of subsidiary outlets of video and print are doing it for the Left? In conclusion Sport, your entire statement, your entire conclusion is wrong about me. I’m not sure where you dreamed it up from or how you put it together from my posts but than you for playing Bucky.