#pro timber

[punkeropercyjackson]

Seeing 'Core Batkids/Batboys' posts with the knowledge Jason only came back to the Batfam because Duke joined it is hell because you little cunts will harp on Bernard and the female cast for 'erasing Timkon/Superbat/Jayr*y whatever other fully noncanonical white noncanonically gay boys ship' in the same breath you literally kick Duke out the Batfam as you love dark hair and dark stories but nothing else can be dark on your faves and call Jason your precious babygirl uwu and Stephanie 'the token minority Robin' when Duke's the only reason he even looks in the Batfam's direction now and reduce her down to Normal Girl™️ when she's a fucking freak and an outcast in the comics.You are all insufferable ong and your fixation on Bruce's richness in your Batkids hcs/crossover is NOT helping you beat the racism allegations

[devine-fem]

My main issue with TimBer is that Bernard is just a stand in boyfriend and isn’t really a character in his own right. Even in Tim’s solo comic Bernard’s personality and skills shifted depending on what the plot demanded. It’s cute for what it is and I’m happy w have Bi Tim, but for me and many others iys hard to get invested in as a relationship when Bernard doesn’t have anything going for him other than being Tim’s boyfriend.

Isn’t that the point though…? Like isn’t Bernard supposed to be able to cator to Tim as a partner. Or would you rather they not compliment each other at all? His relationship with Bernard is purposefully domestic, Tim Drake kind of needs that kind of thing.

Was he not Tim’s school friend once upon a time? It’s quite literally treated as a “I want to try something” type of relationship like they’re just exploring themselves with each other so like I don’t have much room to complain.

[heir-of-sapphirius]

Severus Snape's First Kill

this took too long but alas alack, we ball OC in last panel is Augustus-Timber Sapphirius Count this as prequel content for the Heir of Sapphirius comic, I was in a mood, it's canon to the comic, yay Severus is 18 here, not long after joining the DE

[halfblood-princes-crown]

to start, I fucking hate that my friends repossing your snape shilling content, even on non-snape related tags! and secondly, i'm gonna sum up your sn*pe wankfest (Snape was bullied too wah wah wah) no one gives a shit and he did deserve to be decked by James Potter for being a blood-purist.

also I see in your stupid profile that you are anti-lily, stfu she chose James because he wasn't a freaking cunt! by supporting snivellus, you are essentially supporting a Nazi bc jk legite made the whole death eater metaphor about the Nazis.

fuck u, fuck ur fam and go fuck yourself

Do you feel better?

Take that up with your friend, I don't make people reblog my posts. Get a life

[sweet-ladys-things]

I really need to get some confidence 🥲 because every interaction I have with someone online that's not positive leaves me shaking.

[headspace-hotel]

USAmericans

Read the Project 2025 manifesto RIGHT NOW

It's MUCH worse than y'all have been hearing

There is so much here you'll have to look at it for yourself, but the climate policy alone is nightmare fuel.

The republican coalition wants to essentially end funding for green energy, dramatically promote and expand fossil fuel industries, and eliminate funding and regulations in all sectors promoting climate change mitigation. Task forces and offices related to clean energy and lowering carbon emissions will be eliminated and replaced with offices for promoting fossil fuels.

They want to LOG NATIONAL FORESTS TO "THIN" THE TREES TO STOP WILDFIRES.

THEY WANT TO FORCE OREGON AND CALIFORNIA TO LOG THEIR NATIONAL FORESTS AND TREAT THEM AS FOR TIMBER PRODUCTION

There are specific provisions in Project 2025 to essentially destroy the Endangered Species Act, causing it to defer to the rights of "economic development" and "private property." The plan includes delisting gray wolves, cutting the budget so that a "triage" system is used to determine which species will get protection, removing funding for research, removing experts and specialists from the decision-making process, and preventing "experimental" populations of animals from being established.

This is so much worse than I expected it to be and there's much more past that: They want to deregulate pesticides and remove much of the EPA's ability to regulate pollutants as well.

Also included in the manifesto is that we should

withdraw from nuclear weapons nonproliferation agreements, build more nuclear weapons, and resume nuclear weapons testing

The manifesto comprehensively outlines the scorched-earth elimination of abortion access, down to ensuring doctors aren't even trained to perform abortions. There are plans in here to disrupt abortion access GLOBALLY, not just domestically.

Not only that,the Republicans plan on reframing family planning programs around "fertility awareness" and "holistic family planning."

I can't even describe it all. I'm trying to give screenshots of the most important things but there's so much.

The foreign policy is a nightmare. They plan to push fossil fuels onto the Global South and promote the development of fossil fuel industry in the "developing world."

It is aggressive and antagonistic towards other nations, strongly pro-military, proposing that we INCREASE (!!!!!) defense spending, improve public opinion of the military and military recruitment, and increase the power to fund new weapons technology.

Just read the Department of Defense section. It's about greatly increasing and strengthening the military-industrial complex, collaborating more closely with weapons manufacturers, removing regulatory barriers to arming our allies and to inventing new military weapons, and recruiting more people into the military. They include provisions to develop AI technology for surveillance. And of course, continuing to support Israel is in there.

Elsewhere it proposes interfering in foreign countries with creepy pro-USA propaganda campaigns, even establishing international educational programs where faculty have to pledge to promote USA interests.

There's a line in here about getting rid of PBS because SESAME STREET is LEFTIST for God's sake.

HOW are people claiming democrats have the same policies. I feel like i'm losing my mind.

[sucka99]

[harrie-cc]

The Apartment Copenhagen - Part One

Happy July Everyone!

A little later than planned, but I'm happy to finally be able to release part one of this set. I really didn't want to rush the colouration process as it is really the highlight of a set like this. I took the opportunity to create a whole new colour palette of colours as the foundation for this set (wood tones match all previous sets). During my research I kept on seeing these amazing pastel colours combined and so I decided to not be afraid to use colour with these items. Of course you can still have those calm neutral interiors, but I do encourage you to try and experiment with a little colour 😉

Items Include:

Medium Window (Open & Closed)

Tall Window (Open & Closed)

Double Door Medium (Open & Closed)

Double Door Tall (Open & Closed)

Single Door (Open & Closed)

Apartment Door

Apartment Door Bell & Plaque

Painted Wall (50 Swatches)

Danish Panelled Walls (50 Swatches)

Swedish Panelled Walls (50 Swatches)

Ceiling Paint

Timber Flooring (Paint & Wood)

Ceiling Rose

All items are Base Game compatible and the majority can be found by searching with the keyword Apt Copenhagen in the b/b catalogue. However the walls and floors have to be found manually in their respective categories.

💡Pro Tip: Ceilings can appear very dark in game, but using pendant lighting or uplighters on the wall can reduce this as they cast light upwards. However those gorgeous tiny spot lights we all like to use do not do that job so well.

Now Available on Patreon Early Access

Public Release: 12th September

[sevenalexander]

TPW: Tough Love 2023 Teacher Vs Student Sinn Bodhi Vs Kris Brady reaching for the ropes.

[punkeropercyjackson]

All these white losercore boyprotagonist i'm always seein' everywhere who get coddled and praised for nothing and have some dramatic ass wattpad ahh relathionship with their parents and siblings if they have them......Girl stop tryna make them Tim Drake,you'll never be Tim Drake.Because Tim Drake is a good character instead of a bigot or fetish fuel

[fatehbaz]

They’ve built a “Great Wheel” on the Seattle waterfront [...].

The small timber village became a military outpost in the Puget Sound War [...], [and] soon evolved into a trade gateway, with timber tailings and other industrial trash from Henry Yesler’s mill used to fill in the marshlands [...], atop which migrant laborers raised tents and shanties [...] now working to feed raw materials into the furnaces of the Second Industrial Revolution burning in the East. [...] The first nationwide strike ripped across the country’s railways in 1877, but in Seattle the unrest took on a grim character, as thousands of unemployed white workers rioted against their Chinese counterparts [...]. Meanwhile, [...] local elites rebuilt [...] downtown [...] from scratch, hosting the tallest building on the West Coast alongside other new constructs [fueled] with money gleaned from the supply chains linking eastern capital to Alaskan gold. [...] Today the city - again rebuilt [...] - is seen as one of the primary beneficiaries of the “Fifth” Industrial Revolution in information technology, outshone only by California’s Silicon Valley. [...] The digital was increasingly thought of as somehow "immaterial," sustained by intellectual labor more than physical toil [...].

Silicon Valley myths of [...] "immaterial" labor disguise a more gruesome dynamic in which growing segments of the global labor force are being deprived even of the basic brutality of the wage, instead forced out into growing rings of slums, prisons, and global wastelands. [...]

---

Perched alongside a downtown business corridor [...], Seattle's Great Wheel seems to peer out over [...] [the] prophesied “cooperative commons,” an infotech metropolis abutting the beauty of an evergreen arcadia. But travel below Seattle’s cluster of infotech industries and the image appears much the same as that of a hundred years prior - a trade gateway, squeezing value from supply chains by selling transport and logistical support. The southern stretch of the metropolis bears little resemblance to the revitalized urban core of the city proper. Instead of the “cognitive labor” of Microsoft, it is defined instead by the cold calculation of companies like UPS, founded in Seattle when the city was one link in a colonial supply chain built first for timber, then Alaskan gold, then World War. [...]

In south Seattle, this logistics empire takes the form of faceless warehouses, food processing facilities, container trucks, rail yards, and industrial parks concentrated between two seaports, an international airport, three major interstates, and railroads traveling in all directions. Meanwhile, the poor have been priced out of the old inner city, moving southward [...]. [T]hey can be found staffing the airport and the rail yards, hauling cargo in and out of two the major seaports, loading boxes in warehouses [...]. And, beyond them, the shadow stretches out to Washington’s rural hinterlands where migrant laborers staff a new boom in agriculture and raw materials [...] - and further still into America’s long-depressed interior, where the Great Wheel meets its opposite: Memphis, the FedEx logistics city, watched over by a great black pyramid [the infamous Bass Pro Shop pyramid]. [...]

Every Seattle is capable of creating an eco-friendly, “cooperative commonwealth” tended by apps and algorithms only insofar as there is a Memphis that can provide human workers to sort the packages, a Shanghai to build the containers that carry them, and a Shenzhen to solder together the circuits of the machines that govern it all.

---

All text above by: Phil A. Neel. "The Great Wheel". Brooklyn Rail. April 2015. Published online at: brooklynrail.org/2015/04/field-notes/the-great-wheel. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Text within brackets added by me for clarity. Presented here for commentary, teaching, personal use, criticism purposes.]

[whencyclopedia]

Juba II

Juba II (c. 48 BCE - 23 CE) was a Numidian prince and the king of Mauretania from c. 25 BCE until his death in 23 CE. He was raised in the household of Julius Caesar (c. 100-44 BCE) and married Cleopatra Selene II (40 - c. 17/5 BCE), the daughter of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII (69-30 BCE). His nearly 50-year reign was characterized by his loyalty to Rome and his promotion of Greco-Roman culture. He faced numerous uprisings by his subjects in Numidia and Mauretania, partly due to the unpopularity of his pro-Roman policies. Nevertheless, Mauretania became very prosperous under his rule and exported goods like Tyrian purple and timber to the Roman Empire.

Modern historians have paid more attention to Juba II's scholarly activities than to his reign. He was a man of many talents: an explorer, historian, geographer, and botanist. His scholarly contributions on the geography and inhabitants of Africa and Asia helped to inform Roman authors for generations.

Early Life

Juba II was born c. 48 BCE, as the only son of King Juba I of Numidia (60-46 BCE). Juba I was an ally of Pompey the Great during the Civil War between Pompey and Julius Caesar (49-48 BCE). Juba I was defeated by Caesar at the Battle of Thapsus in 46 BCE, and subsequently committed suicide. The orphaned prince Juba II was taken captive and led in Caesar's triumph in Rome to represent the victory over Numidia.

Despite this bleak start to his young life, Juba II's fortunes quickly improved. Julius Caesar chose to foster the young boy in his own household. Growing up in Caesar's family, he was treated with the same care as his adoptive siblings. Despite not being Roman by birth, he received Roman citizenship early in life and was fluent in Greek and Latin. After Caesar's assassination in 44 BCE, Juba II was cared for by Caesar's relatives; eventually ending up in the household of Caesar's grandniece Octavia Minor (69-11 BCE). Octavia already had three small children of her own, and she adopted several other children after Juba II.

Continue reading...

[devine-fem]

You're opinions about Bernard Dowd and Timbern?

Girl. I’m just glad Tim didn’t date Conner 😭 Me and the writer that made Timber a thing got serious beef but thank you, thank you for not doing Timkon, oh my god.

ANYWAY. In actuality they did alright by Timber. Like one, Bernard Dowd is a character that Tim was friends with. Two, we actually see Tim question his sexuality and three. They made the relationship healthy, like I can actually tell Tim and Bernard want to be around each other. Sometimes they are kinda cringe but for the most part, I think they’re nice.

I’m gonna be honest, Bernard is not all that boring, lots of male characters get female love interests all the time that have no personality and never existed before and we give them the benefit of the doubt. We only care now because Tim and Bernard are gay.

AND Bernard actually does have a bit of character outside of Tim Drake if you actually stopped to read it. They made Tim queer with good intentions which is also nice.

Now I don’t really care about Tim Drake, at all but I’m definitely Pro-Timber, for sure.

[wastelandmoony]

Dancing with Our Hands Tied (Part Two of Things We Lost in the Fire)

Summary: A lot of angst.

Warnings: language, allusions to smut, mild violence

Word Count: 5.4K (teehee)

A/N: Everyone has convinced me to write a part two, so here ya go. I got carried away, so there will be a third and final part as well.

Read on AO3

Accompanying Playlist

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Which is worse: to live a loveless life, or be forced to love in utter secrecy? After the tryst in the Undercroft, Sebastian had explicitly swore to break things off with Imelda; a feat that was proving to be easier said than done. 

“Sebastian—I’ve witnessed you cast unforgivables without so much as a second thought, so why is this so difficult?” 

Perched on a table in the Undercroft, you dug your fingers into the side of the wood, trying to channel all of the frustration into the ancient furniture and not directly into the side of Sebastian’s head. It’d been weeks of clandestine meetings and stolen kisses in vacant corners of the castle, and frankly you were exhausted by all of the sneaking around. 

He groaned loudly, raking both hands through his hair, “She’s just—we’ve been through a lot, and she was there for me—“

“—and I wasn’t?” The anger threatened to boil over as you leapt off the table and grabbed your school bag. 

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed, “That’s not what I meant, you know that…” he growled. 

The both of you stared at one another, true equals in almost every way, refusing to bend to the other and back down. Unmovable objects; twin wildfire flames threatening to consume the other.

“I’m going to be late for class,” you mumbled, turning to lift the gate to leave. The fatigue in your bones was starting to get too heavy; tired of Sebastian’s empty promises, tired of sneaking around, tired of never having a moment to just…be free. There was always something hanging overhead, waiting to fall.

Sebastian stepped forward quickly, grabbing your waist and burying his face into the side of your neck, “Stay with me, Ominis can give you the work later…” 

The timber of his low voice gave you goosebumps. Every beat of your heart was pulling you into him, the warmth of his body pressed against yours was calling you home. 

“I can’t, I have an exam,” It was a lie, something that rolled unnaturally off your tongue as you spun to face him. His dark eyes were almost black in the dim lighting of the Undercroft, deep pools that dared you to dive straight in. Taking his face in both hands, you ran a thumb along his cheek, tracing over the freckles you’d be perfectly content on mapping for the rest of the day. Sebastian leaned into your touch, closing his eyes for longer than a blink as you leaned in to kiss him softly. He begged for more, tongue attempting to gain entrance as you refused. Pulling back you tapped his cheek with your hand, not quiet a slap, but a warning. 

“Sort out Imelda,” your voice was stern as you lifted the gate and headed to Charms, Sebastian’s wide eyes watching intently as you disappeared up the stairs. 

———

Professor Ronen was shutting the door as you ran up and slipped inside the classroom just in time, shooting him an apologetic smile and taking the empty seat next to Ominis.

“Busy morning?” He whispered as you pulled out your textbook and quill. 

Running from the Undercroft had left you breathless, trying to keep it together while Ominis hid a smirk beside you. 

“Yeah—I was finishing up some…homework,” Though he knew about your feelings for Sebastian, Ominis was completely in the dark about your secret romance; as far as he knew, the two of you had rekindled your friendship, nothing more. 

“Was Sebastian helping you?” Ominis drew out.

The words had you choking on the little air that was still struggling to enter your lungs.

“—what?!” 

He tilted his blonde head towards you, “I can smell him on you.”

Shit.  

“Oh, um, yeah…I saw him this morning before class. He—he needed to give me some notes for Professor Hecat’s class,” you were a terrible liar when it came to Ominis. He always had a way of seeing right through the bullshit, whether it was yours or Sebastian’s. 

He hummed in acknowledgement, dropping the subject completely to listen to Professor Ronen, but something in his expression made you suspect that he might be catching on.

———

As if seeing Sebastian in secret wasn’t torture enough, his lack of progress when it came to breaking it off with Imelda meant that you were subjected to stumbling into them in the halls between classes. She’d wait for him outside of Defense Against the Dark Arts, wrapping him in an overly indulgent hug that never ceased to make you roll your eyes. His hand would snake around her middle, and yours would clench into a fist. The places where he had touched you mere hours ago burned, yearning to have your fingers in his hair again, hearing him whisper your name over and over like a prayer. But instead you watched as the lips you had memorized with your own traced the mouth of someone else. 

Time spent in the Great Hall was undoubtedly the worst though. Imelda, being the overly boastful Snake that she was, made it a point to put on a show for anyone within earshot. Her laugh would echo across the hall, stinging your ears and stealing the attention you had been trying very hard to not give the Slytherin table. Most days, Ominis opted to sit with you instead, complaining of Imelda’s constant wandering hands that threatened to turn his stomach over. The image of her touching Sebastian under the table flashed across your mind and acid rose in your throat. If you were a vindictive person, you’d walk right over, climb onto the table and shove your tongue into his mouth to let the entire school know he was yours. But as much as you didn’t necessarily like Imelda, you didn’t want to hurt her.

So you tried your best to pretend. Pretend like you were alright; pretend that the dull ache in your chest wasn’t a direct side effect of the boy on the arm of somebody else; pretend that every night you weren’t entangled in a mess of limbs and lips that was so ferocious it would make a Graphorn cower. 

Thank Merlin for Crossed Wands, the one place you could turn to get out any pent up aggression and emotion.

Lucan’s voice carried out into the corridor, echoing off the stone as you approached the Clock Tower Courtyard.

“—hey! Save some of that energy for the matches!”

Two Ravenclaws were zapping each other from across the room as you entered the cavernous space, Lucan trying his best to manage the dozen or so students that made up Crossed Wands Dueling Club. The group had grown slightly since you’d joined last year, adding a few younger members that (so far) showed a lot of promise. The more senior members lingered on the outskirts of the room, talking and showing off some wandwork to anyone that would listen. To the left, Ominis nudged your arm, slinking off to sit against the steps at the far wall. Meeting Lucan’s eye, you gave a little eyebrow wiggle in a silent “excited to be back”, and went to take a seat beside Ominis. 

Leaning back on your elbows and kicking both legs out, you took a deep healing breath. Not dueling properly since last year (you refused to count the charade with Sebastian in Hecat’s class a duel) had left a small hole in your heart. It felt good to be back, the smell of the damp clock tower permeating through the smoke from the torches lining the walls, the crack of spells being tossed around; it was rejuvenating. 

“Alright, now that everyone seems to have arrived—“ Lucan called out from the center of the room, eyes drawing away from the latest arrivals. Sebastian shot a rude gesture over towards the leader of the club, making his way over to where you and Ominis were seated, a smaller dark head following close behind. You groaned audibly. 

“What’s wrong?” Ominis leaned closer. 

“He brought Imelda,” the statement was laced with venom, something added completely on accident. As much as the thought of new members excited you (new opponents, new victories, new lessons), Crossed Wands had always been a ‘you and Sebastian’ thing, not a ‘you, Sebastian, and his girlfriend’ affair. You’d never seen Imelda duel, but there was not doubt in your mind she could probably hold her own. To an extent, it was unnerving; not because you were afraid of being beaten, but because you knew if paired together you wouldn’t be able to hold back.

Sebastian sat on the step just above your shoulders, his knee brushing your arm in a way that you knew was intentional. Imelda sulked behind him, arms crossed and eyes narrowed as she silently judged the entire room and all of its occupants.

“Good turn out,” Sebastian turned to you and Ominis, “It’s good to see some new blood in here.”

You nodded, “Can’t wait to show ‘em up, hmm?” The look you gave him caused the both of you to smile. 

“The Dynamic Duo is back, or should I say, the Destructive Duo…” Ominis smirked, reminding everyone about the explosive duels that occurred the previous year; you’re pretty sure the scar from a rogue confringo shot was still etched into your thigh.

“Welcome to another year of Crossed Wands!” Lucan called from the center of the room, “For the returning members, it’d good to see you back, and for the newcomers, keep your mouths shut when you leave this tower.” 

The wry smile on your face was unstoppable, stealing a glance at Sebastian who was wearing a matching one.

“Why don’t we kick things off with our reigning champions—“ Lucan turned to face you, eyes gleaming with excitement, “—Opponents are your choice.” He bowed off to the side as you and Sebastian shared a look that only the two of you understood. There was always a weird, indescribable magic that occurred when you dueled together; you knew each others next move without saying, could anticipate every spell as you danced a dangerous waltz in complete harmony. 

Sebastian stood and offered his hand to help you up, “You can choose the others, I trust you.”

Scanning the room as he pulled you up, your eyes landed on two old opponents that were always good for lively round.

“Natty and Leander!” You called, smiling as Natty shot to her feet in excitement. 

As the two sets of duelists took their places on opposite sides, Lucan emerged in the center once more, “Okay, you all know the rules: just don’t kill each other!” 

Sebastian leaned over as you kept a careful eye on your opponents, “I’ve missed doing this with you,” he whispered.

Your eyes flickered to Imelda standing just beyond Natty and Leander. If looks could kill, you’d be in a million pieces. 

Lucan backed away to let the match begin, the four of you adopting the proper stance awaiting his starting call. On his shout, you immediately threw up a shield, knowing that Sebastian would start off with a bang. Sure enough, he shot a quick confringo blast across the room, narrowly missing Leander’s shoulder. Natty quickly focused a rebound assault, multiple rapid-fire spells bouncing off the shield covering you and Sebastian. As a particularly strong cast flew to the right, he stepped closer to you, placing a light hand on your back for stability. The touch broke your concentration for a split second, dropping your shield while Leander took the opportunity to cast a summoning charm. The pull of your clothes was alarming, you knew if you struggled there was a chance they could rip entirely and you didn’t think you’d be able to survive the embarrassment. Attempting to fire something, anything, at Leander to break the charm, every shot was dodged or fell short, the pull of your sleeve messing with your aim. 

“Levioso!” Sebastian called from behind, Leander rising into the air and severing the invisible string dragging you closer. The instant you regained a normal footing, you took a few quick steps backwards, Sebastian wrapping a strong arm around your waist, pulling you to his side quickly as he held his wand steady to keep Leander airborne. Both of you tended to lose yourself during duels, ignoring everything except for the opposing foes. The move wasn’t something new, there’d been plenty of times when either of you had to physically push or grab the other out of the way, this one not being any different. To an outsider, it was loving, caring, and protective, which honestly wasn’t too far off—you felt all of those things for each other. 

Leander broke the levitation charm, falling to his knees as you cast a quick stunning spell, followed by Sebastian’s loud expelliarmus. His wand leapt from his hand, caught on the sidelines by Lucan. Breaking her concentration for a moment, Natty glanced at Leander. The window was there, and you seized it. Another stun orchestrated by Sebastian, followed by a disarming spell from you, Natty’s wand landing on the opposite side of the room. You smiled at your old friend, who graciously nodded in acknowledgement of defeat. 

“THAT’S HOW IT’S DONE, FOLKS!” Lucan called, clapping furiously as the rest of the room cheered. 

Sebastian walked up beside you, discreetly squeezing your fingers, “It’s been an honor…” he whispered. 

Forcing back a smile, you met his eyes, which quickly left to join Ominis and Imelda. As you looked past his retreating form, Imelda was glaring at you once more, the unmistaken rage etched into her features. 

Not wanting to make the tension worse, you sat on the opposite side of Ominis, noticing immediately how Sebastian eyed the choice skeptically. 

“Alright, who’s next?” Lucan demanded from the middle of the floor.

From behind, Imelda cleared her throat loudly, pushing her way between you and Ominis (another move you knew was deliberate), walking to the other side of the room, wand at the ready.

“Any takers?” Lucan called to the room, scanning for another volunteer. A 4th Year Gryffindor stood up to join, one of the newcomers.

Imelda scoffed at the competition, “I’m not dueling some infantile lion cub that can barely cast a proper protego shield.” 

The young Gryffindor sat back down, the blush on his face clashing horribly with his scarlet tie. 

Lucan searched the room again, most younger students had grown afraid of Imelda due to her outbursts on the Quidditch field, so they sat on their hands. His eyes fell to the three of you seated on the far end of the clock tower; raising his eyebrows pleadingly with Sebastian. Shooting him a questioning glance, he sighed and stood up, “Fine, I’ll do it.”

As the duel began, you quickly noticed that something was wrong. 

It’d been over a year since you met Sebastian. Over a year of dueling alongside him through Crossed Wands, Trolls, dark wizards, and even Inferi; you knew he could hold his own, and had the prowess to take down even the toughest opponents. So why was he now just standing in the clock tower with a protego shield while Imelda fucking Reyes shot spell after spell at his rigid body. 

“What’s he doing…” you muttered, leaning forward in concern.

“What’s happening?” Ominis hissed. Too distracted by the bizarre antics, you had completely neglected to give him a play-by-play.

“Sebastian is—not fighting back?” The words came out slow as you watched Imelda hurl more and more violent incantations. The purple shield surrounding him began to falter, as you watched his jaw clench. 

“Stupefy!” She shot right through the shield, shattering it completely. For the briefest moment, the two of them stared at one another, eyes unwavering in anticipation of the next move. 

Before Sebastian had the chance to cast another shield, Imelda struck. 

“Incarcerous—“ her voice was steady and loud as thick ropes exploded from the tip of her wand and wrapped around Sebastian’s body, rendering him immobile, his wand still clutched in his fist. 

“Sebastian!” You called from the side, “What are you doing?!” 

His focus drifted to you for a second, eyes filled with something you couldn’t place. Was it…shame? Unsure, you silently pleaded with him to fight back. 

Imelda smiled, flicking her wand to cast a single diffindo cut, sliding the side of his cheek. He hissed through gritted teeth as you focused your screams on Lucan.

“Call it! Lucan, call the match! It’s not—“

Lucan shrugged, giving you a look that let you know all of it was well within the rules. The determination in Imelda’s eyes begged to differ; you’d seen it before when she was flying. It was a look of almost complete dissociation, her competitive drive overtaking her small body entirely. To her, it was kill or be killed, and Imelda refused the latter. 

Another shout of diffindo, this time Sebastian cocked his head just enough for it to miss. 

“IMELDA! Stop it!” You screamed, her eyes darted to yours as she raised her wand again.

“Piertotum locomotor—“ her voice was emotionless as the swords mounted on the crest above the main door broke free, hovering just above Imelda’s head, waiting for instructions.

She held your gaze, eyes as cold as the ice currently running through your veins. Two spells were shouted simultaneously, one directed at Sebastian, the other towards the ceiling.

“Oppugno!” Imelda slashed her wand, sending the swords careening through the air towards him. His eyes shut tightly, face contorted in anticipation of the pain.

“Bombarda!” Your wand pointed upwards, blasting away a large chunk of the clock pendulum that came crashing down, stopping the swords before they could strike. 

“IMELDA, ENOUGH!” You bellowed, chest heaving as the dust settled around the room. 

Looking at you through her lashes, the corner of her mouth twitched, “Well, this has been fun, but I’ve got more important things to do than play fight with a bunch of children.” 

With a flick of her wand, she released Sebastian’s restraints, letting him collapse onto the floor. She stopped beside you as she turned to leave, “Notice how he couldn’t even bring himself to hurt me—“ Her green eyes drifted to the thin silver scar that ran up the side of your neck, the one received in the Scriptorium last year. As she stared at it, tracing the line with her eyes, you could almost feel the curse shooting through it again, “—shame he could never share the same sentiment with you.” 

Imelda might as well have cast crucio right then and there, the sharp needles of pain and betrayal piercing through every part of your body as she shoved her way out of the crowded tower.

———

Slytherin Quidditch practice was your favorite time of the week (obviously besides nights spent in the Undercroft), because it left you, Ominis, and Sebastian alone to do whatever you pleased, which usually resulted in the three of you just wandering around the castle, or lounging in the grass by the lake. It felt like old times, back before the realities of the repository, before Sebastian lost his way, back when you would spend your time goofing off and trying not to get caught by Peeves. 

After the horribly frigid winter, spring had come barreling in like a dragon. The grounds of the castle were in full bloom thanks to the heavy snowpack, and the warm temperatures were so enticing that most Professors were choosing to hold instruction outside. Today wasn’t any different, the sky perfectly clear and the sun bathing the entire highlands in a glowing haze. The three of you had scored a spot by the large oak tree on the banks of the Black Lake, soaking up the gorgeous day. Ominis leaned against the trunk, quietly opting to read amongst the shade while you lounged beside him, legs outstretched in the grass. Sebastian had taken to throwing rocks across the Black Lake to try and get the attention of the giant squid, determined to try and befriend the mysterious creature. After a rather aggressive toss, he groaned, face scrunching up in mild defeat.

“Y’know,” you sat up on your elbows, squinting into the midday sun, “I heard the squid really loves toast…maybe you’d have better luck with that?”

The look Sebastian returned was one of immense confusion, mixed with mild shock and amusement, “Are you joking? What am I supposed to do, steal a stack from the Great Hall and toss it at the lake like I’m feeding ducks?” 

You shrug casually, face turning upwards to face the sun again, “I’m just saying…”

He walked over and stood above your head, “How do you know?”

Looking up, the sun cast an ethereal halo around his chestnut hair, his features shaded in the eclipse. 

“I heard it from someone,” you closed your eyes again, playing this game of cat and mouse with him was always fun. He huffed as he sat beside you, resting both forearms on his knees. Long gone were the dark school robes, shed earlier in the hot sun and tossed into a heap beside Ominis under the tree. You turned to look at Sebastian once again, tracing up his exposed forearms, sleeves cuffed haphazardly and tie hanging loose around his neck. Barely visible was the small purple mark just below his collar, the one that you had left a few nights ago. You silently wondered what sort of lie he had concocted for Imelda, or if she’d even seen it at all yet. The thought of them being together intimately struck you like a landslide, pushing it as far away as you could and continuing to explore Sebastian with your eyes. 

As you landed finally on his face, cheeks lightly pink from the heat, you saw that he was staring at you with the same intensity. Watching closely, his eyes raked over your body as you reached up and ran a gentle hand against his arm. He took your hand and quietly kissed the inside of your wrist.

“Who told you?” He kissed up higher on your forearm, “Amit?” 

Another one inside your elbow, “Everett?” 

Bicep, “Garreth?”

The warmth swirling throughout your body was almost unbearable. 

“—If I didn’t know any better Sebastian,” Ominis called monotonously from under the tree, never looking up from the book in his lap, “I’d say you were jealous.” 

A kiss to the side of your neck had you gasping.

“…and what if I am…” he whispered in your ear, low enough for only the two of you to hear. 

The far away screech of a whistle broke both of you from the embrace, Sebastian leaning over to see the stream of green uniforms leaving the quidditch pitch in the distance. It was time for him to leave, rather than have Imelda stalk over and invade the little bubble the three of you had been blissfully living in for the past few hours. You didn’t acknowledge him as he stood, instead focusing out on the lake, if you stared hard enough you could see a little hamlet on the opposite shore. You thought of the people living there. Were they happy? Did they have families, and friends, and lovers? Was life easy, or at least simple? 

You hoped so.

Sebastian threw his robe over his shoulder, saying goodbye to Ominis and silently creeping back to your side. Sliding a hand against your cheek, he stroked a calloused thumb along your skin. Turning and kissing his palm, you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him as he left, knowing he was once again choosing her. Was all of this worth it? All of the pain and pining, the secrecy and lies; who was winning? Your thoughts swirled, mentally toying with the frayed piece of rope that you found yourself at the end of. 

“So,” Ominis’ voice startled you out of the spiral, “How long has this been going on?”

Shit.

For all of the lies you and Sebastian had been using to cover everything up, your brain couldn’t seem to grasp onto one long enough to use at the moment. Maybe you’d just jump in the lake instead, let the giant squid put you out of your misery. 

The nervous laugh that escaped your mouth made you cringe internally, “I'm not sure what you’re talking about—“

“—Oh please,” he scoffed, “I might be blind, but I’m not stupid, you two aren’t as stealthy as you think.”

There was no point in fighting it, not with Ominis anyway. For not being able to physically see, he was the most observant person you’d ever met; he was bound to figure it out at some point. 

You groaned loudly, burying your face into your hands, “…just after winter holiday…”

He hummed from behind, an acknowledgement that he had been correct in his assumption.

“I’m sorry Ominis, I wanted to tell you, really, but we couldn’t because—he won’t leave Imelda…he keeps saying he’s going to end it but then I see them together the following day holding hands or…kissing,” you swallowed a gag.  

Sensing the discomfort in your voice, he patted the space beside him under the tree, an invitation you gladly accepted, settling in against his side and resting your head on his bony shoulder. 

“That’s unsurprising,” he said, voice unreadable. 

“How did it all start? He keeps saying that she was ‘there for him’, but so was I…I don’t understand…” the words died in your throat. 

Ominis sighed, setting his book down on the grass, “After everything that happened with Solomon, Sebastian—lost his way. Anne refused to speak with him, he was barred from going back to Feldcroft. He spent all of his time either in the library researching Merlin knows what, or down in the Undercroft. Before you arrived at Hogwarts, back when Anne was still here with us, her and Imelda were thick as thieves. When Sebastian shut everyone out, I knew the only person that could possibly bring him back was Anne, so I asked Imelda to send an owl to Feldcroft asking her to reconsider allowing Sebastian to come home for the summer. I’m not entirely sure what Imelda said, but Anne relented; she still refused to speak to him, but he would have a place to stay. During the summer holiday, when I would visit Anne, we would reminisce about our times together at school, and she expressed interest in seeing Imelda again. Selfishly, I once again thought it could help bring the twins back together, so when I next paid them a visit, I brought her with me.”

At the feeling of your body tensing, Ominis wrapped a comforting arm around your shoulders. 

“Imelda and Anne rekindled their close friendship, and by midsummer she had begun to stop by almost daily to help care for Anne, she lives close by in a neighboring hamlet. Her presence brought back some of Anne’s mischievous nature, and soon enough the two of them were picking on Sebastian like old times. Over the course of the summer, we saw bigger glimpses of the old Anne, something that Sebastian attributes directly to Imelda. He feels indebted to her, which is probably why—“

“—he can’t hurt her…” you breathed. Ominis nodded slowly.

The air grew oppressively stifling, turning to poison in your lungs. Imelda had been able to do the one thing you had tried and failed to accomplish: help Anne. 

“I can’t keep doing this, Ominis,” the words struggled to leave your mouth, “It hurts…”

Ominis leaned his head against yours, “I know—I’m sorry.”

Unwilling to speak about it further, the two of you sat in silence under the tree, watching as the sun traveled across the lake. Off in the distance, a grey hippogriff soared out of the Forbidden Forest. The rare sight took you back to the day Sebastian first escorted you to Hogsmeade, the winding journey along the cobblestone pathway, him pointing out every minuscule detail along the way (you never did use that special lacewing spot). When the pair of hippogriffs flew low over the trail, the pure awe in his eyes was something you’d never forget. 

It was the same one he had when he saw you use ancient magic for the first time. 

It was the same look he had the first night you spent together in the Undercroft, wrapped in his cloak, lips pressing any bit of exposed skin he could find. 

You loved Sebastian, that would never change, but he needed more. He needed to save Anne, and you weren’t sure about your role in that anymore. 

So you let go of the rope. 

———

The decision to end things with Sebastian was destroying you. Ominis hadn’t tried to sway you either way, reminding you that it was your decision alone and he’d stand behind you regardless. As you walked to the Undercroft, flashbacks from the previous year flooded your vision. The choice between turning in Sebastian or keeping his secret had been almost too much to bear, yet the answer was so simple in your mind. 

This decision wasn’t based on life or death, so why was it more difficult to weather?

The gate closed behind you, the sound of the metal causing Sebastian to look up from the table he was leaning against and rush forward, taking your face in both hands to deliver an impassioned kiss, one that had been building up all day. You leaned into it, knowing it was the last. Clenching your eyes shut tight, the tears you were fighting off gained the upper hand, slipping out and staining your cheeks. The feeling of them running onto his fingers caused Sebastian to pull back, his look of confusion fading quickly to despair.

“What’s the matter? What’s wrong?” His protective gaze searched every inch of your face for any inkling of pain.

“I—I can’t do this anymore…” you whisper, eyes closing with the hopes that you’d disappear completely.

You felt his hands pull away.

“What are you talking about?” Sebastian’s voice was low, his face still riddled with questions.

“This,” you motioned between your bodies, “I can’t do this anymore, it hurts too much—“

His face dropped as he realized what that meant, but he made no move to speak.

“—I can’t love you in private, Sebastian. Do you know how it feels? Seeing you with her every day, touching her and doing all of the things I’m only allowed to do when we’re hidden away—“ The words weren’t stopping, the dam had finally broken, every thought overflowing your mouth and out into the open.

“—I love you, Sebastian, I’ve loved you since our first duel in Professor Hecat’s class, d’you remember?”

His eyes didn’t move from the floor.

“I knocked you flat on your ass after you talked such a big game,” you smiled, not allowing yourself to release a full laugh at the memory,  “I loved you throughout everything with Ranrok, though everything with your sister and Uncle; I don’t think there’s a way I could ever stop. But I can’t be your second choice.”

“You’re not—“ His voice cracked, glassy eyes trained on the stones below. 

“—I know what Imelda did for you—for Anne, and I’m so thankful that she was able to bring even just a little bit of happiness into your lives, but it’s breaking my heart to see you two together when I know I can only have you behind closed doors. I love you…but I refuse to be your secret anymore.”

You watched as his hands clenched to fists at his side, knowing that he was struggling to contain every emotion like he always did. Reaching out, your fingers released one of his closed hands, squeezing softly as he looked up.

“I can’t lose you, not again. I won’t survive it…” his confession speared you right through the chest. 

“You’re not losing me—we’re not going back to what we were, we’re just…friends now,” you pinched his hand, eliciting a soft hiss from Sebastian, “You can’t get rid of me that easily, Sallow.” 

He smirked, eyes still holding back tears as you turned to leave. His hand held yours as long as it could until you reached the gate. As the metal slammed back onto the floor, separating the two of you, the struggle to push forward overwhelmed you. Not even a glance was spared as you ascended the stairs.

You couldn’t look back.

If you did, you’d fold.

[odinsblog]

Executive summary

Since launching its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian Federation has been locked into a long and costly conflict. Russia has been diplomatically marginalized, subjected to sanctions, and shunned by most of the Western world. Many multinational companies have been forced by international pressure to shutter or sell their Russian operations, and profiting from cooperation with the Russian state is no longer considered acceptable. Russia has found itself in dire need of new allies and resources.

In this environment, the Kremlin-financed Private Military Company Wagner, or Wagner Group, has served as an increasingly important source of revenue for the Russian state. Founded in 2014 to support pro-Russian forces in Donbas, since then Wagner Group has evolved into a complex international network of private military contractors, disinformation campaign infrastruc-ture, and corporate front companies. It has deployed fighters, propaganda and disinformation campaigns, and financing as a proxy for the Russian state in numerous conflicts, from Syria and Libya to Mali, Central African Republic, and beyond

Wagner has most often been described as an independent mercenary group. This status has provided Russia with a thin veil of deniability, particularly in relation to the numerous plausible accusations of murder, rape, torture, and war crimes raised against Wagner fighters. But in reality, Wagner has always operated with the political and material backing of the Russian Federation to advance Russian state interests.

In Africa, Wagner has been deployed in a number of countries across the continent since 2017. In each country it enters, Wagner deploys military trainers, mercenary fighters, and propaganda experts to support anti-democratic regimes, drive instability, and commit human rights abuses. The mercenary group's ostensible provision of "security services" creates a framework for lucrative business contracts for the extraction of natural resources including diamonds, oil, timber, and especially gold.

This report focuses on the Kremlin's 'blood gold': Gold extracted from African countries and laundered into international markets that provides billions in revenue to the Russian state, thereby directly and indirectly financing Russia's war on Ukraine and global hybrid warfare infrastructure.

The Blood Gold Report's analysis suggests that Wagner and Russia have earned more than US$2.5 billion from blood gold since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The report focuses on the case studies of Wagner's blood gold operations in the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Mali. In each of these coun-tries, Russia profits from the blood gold trade in different ways:

In CAR, the mercenary group has been granted exclusive extractive rights for the Ndassima mine, the country's largest gold mine, in return for propping up President Touadera's authoritarian regime. Wagner's Ndassima operations are understood to produce US$290 million of gold annually, while local miners have been pushed aside or murdered by the mercenary group.

In Sudan, through control of a major refinery, Wagner has become the dominant buyer of unprocessed Sudanese gold as well as a major smuggler of processed gold. Russian military transporter flights laden with gold have been identified by Sudanese customs officials. While tracking Sudan's unreported gold market is near impossible, estimates suggest that almost Us$2 billion in gold is smuggled out of the country unreported every year, with 'the Russian Company' in prime position to take advantage.

In Mali, Wagner is paid a monthly retainer - estimated at US $10.8 million per month - to prop up a brutal military junta Meanwhile the junta is in turn dependent on a small number of Western mining companies for the revenue it needs to pay Wagner. Mining companies contributed more than 50% of all tax revenues to the Malian state for 2022. Barrick Gold Corporation, a Canadian listed company and Mali's single biggest tax contributor, paid US$206 million in the first half of 2023 alone.

The junta is increasing its financial demands on gold mining companies. Meanwhile, the four largest gold mining companies (weighted by tax contribution) continue to plan further investments in the country, despite the well-documented abuses of the military junta and growing influence of the Wagner Group.

Wagner's blood gold operations in CAR and Sudan have been subject to sanctions, and the Kremlin-backed mercenaries have developed increasingly complex smuggling routes and corporate subterfuge tactics to move blood gold out of these countries and convert this gold into cash.

In contrast, the Malian blood gold system enables Wagner to remain one degree removed from gold production. Instead, legitimate multinational mining companies convert gold into cash for the Malian military junta without triggering international sanctions.

To secure its position in a target country's political and natural resource extraction landscape, Wagner's African playbook consists of a four-pronged attack on the host country's civic institutions and civilian population - suppressing political opposition, spreading disinformation, silencing free media and terrorising civilians.

The ultimate objective of Wagner's playbook is to increase its clients' dependence on Wagner forces to stay in power, thereby securing a long-term revenue stream for the Kremlin and fostering authoritarianism and instability throughout the region as part of Russia's wider geopolitical strategy to distract and bog down the democratic West.

Since the death of Wagner's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the mercenary group has formally come under the control of the Russian State. Yet the Kremlin's focus on Africa, and its blood gold operations, show no signs of changing.

(continue reading)

[momdomsenpai]

𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐘𝐀 𝐈𝐙𝐔𝐊𝐔 | 𝟏𝟐:𝟏𝟖

cw; mommy kink, pegging, wife!reader, fem!reader, domme!reader, recording/vouyerism??, baby boy ‘zuku

Shy!pro hero izuku who goes stiff in front of flashing lights and rolling cameras. His lips tremble, shaky smile and awkward wave as his cheeks set themselves ablaze for the focusing lenses, looking for that viral shot of number one pro hero Deku, newly appointed.

Many a things have changed since U.A. He’s bigger, taller, sturdier, stronger — physically, at least — but then the camera starts rolling and the press come in hot on his heels, like fuming bulls after a fleeing Recortadores, and his whole body lights up like a Christmas tree. The cherry on top, quite literally.

He stutters, and fumbles, and makes a fool of himself, he thinks, but his fans think it adds to his charm. Has the women swooning and the onlookers falling to their knees in worship at ‘just how sweet a person can get!’ It’s no show, really, the attention is horrifying and he never got over that fear. Can’t. So he bares it with flaming cheeks and a shivering timber, stiff as a board.

Maybe that’s why it’s a bit cruel, when you, his wife, bring those rolling video’s into the bedroom, and watch through a focused lens as his fluttering pink whole sucks up slow inches of plastic cock into himself. His mouth drops open in honest ecstasy, whimpering out the fruits of your labor with eyes rolled into the back of his brain, watching the pink muscle as it short circuits in pleasure and melts into a goopy pile of mush.

He becomes so pliant, and soon that feeling melts into humiliation as you coo the words “smile for the camera!” Into buzzing ears. Smooth sheets and a fluffy comforter stretch for miles in waves, and he feels like a man lost at sea, gripping for semblance in a wild untamable place, sinking below the surface and drowning in its unbearable salty depths as you push further on his insides and see-saw your way into his stomach. His toes curl so delicately, and he mewls sweetly like a little kitten begging for reprieve.

“C’mon, tell mommy how good it feels— so I can watch it later, huh?” The crème skin of his back arches like a sculpted bow pulled tight, almost as ready to release as his swelling cock and aching balls as you abuse the walls of his fluttering hole. In and out, in and out — he can feel the presence of your phone, too — and it makes his ears and chest blaze with a bright red flush. The only difference is performance anxiety has no place here, not when you’re forcing his orgasm out of him like a roller flattens pliable cookie dough.

Your hips jut forward, and he squeals.

“Oh, like that? Listen to those nasty sounds ‘zuku -kun, you’re a natural, sweetheart!” You’re words pour like hot tea into his ears, and his head feels like mud puddles after a rainstorm, wet and squishy as you assault his body in all the right ways.

“Just a little more, baby boy. Then we’ll flip over and get a full frontal, ‘mkay?”