#run find and replace afterwards and send it to publishers

[3liza]

:/

The power that Bride by Ali Hazelwood has over me right now

[stellar-imagines]

NSFW SCENARIO REQUEST: ❝submissive mess.❞

[ Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia ] [ Characters: Amajiki Tamaki ]

「NSFW Scenario with Sub!Tamaki and Dom!Reader where they give him a mind blowing orgaasm.」 [ NSFW under the cut! ]

AMAJIKI TAMAKI

Tamaki always seem to shake and get embarrassed at the mention of sex or something intimate, no matter how many times the two of you do it. When it comes to intimate moments like these, it was always slow and loving but there are times where you get a bit out of hand and he end up a spluttering mess underneath you. Tamaki knows that it's mostly the guy who take over and leads the whole thing but he finds it hot when you take over the reigns. You just love teasing him so much.

You take joy in seeing how red his face can get when you tease him with your hands, slowly running them all over his abdomen before moving downwards. He felt like a pervert who had just been caught peeping and for some odd reason, he quite like the feeling of being completely at your mercy. Honestly, you had him wrapped around your little finger, he gives in a bit too easily. That's how Tamaki finds himself in a very compromising position. And he thought that he could actually enjoy the rest of his day cuddled up with you on the bed until he falls asleep.

The instant he got home, you pounced on him, quite literally. As per usual, you greeted him with kisses and hugs before tugging him towards the dining room to have dinner. Afterwards he took a shower before he sat down on his bed, ready to just lie down with you and sleep. But it seemed like you had other plans in mind. You took the opportunity to sit one of his thighs and shower him with kisses, asking how his day was as you slowly pushed him down onto your shared bed. It's not like he didn't like the attention but he was super embarrassed by your boldness.

Your clothes didn't help him either. Dressed in one of his shirts that was clearly too big for you and the fact that your chest was pressed up against his own was enough to make him flustered. What's more, you shifted around on his thigh where he could feel your clothed pussy rubbing against the his bare skin. You smirked when Tamaki was unable to give you a proper response to your question.

"Aw, is my baby flustered already? Your face is so red." you cupped his cheek, voice dropping down a tone. Tamaki shivers at you low voice and he never knew that he would get so turned on by just hearing your voice up until now.

"B-Because yo-you're pressing against me like this.....!" he managed to squeak out, closing his eyes.

"Pressing how, baby?" you asked sweetly, feigning innocence. 

With his eyes closed, he can't see you lean in, but he feels your breath against his neck. Tamaki feels himself shivering in anticipation as you bit onto his neck, followed by you sucking and licking over the patch of skin feverishly. His shivering instantly ceased, replaced by a feeling that he had been struck by lighting. His hands clamped around your thighs instinctively to keep you locked in position. The timid male gently squeezed the tender flesh of your thighs when you leaned back to study the look on his face. You find yourself content at the sight on his face, eyes filled with desperation and lust with burning red cheeks. You changed your position when Tamaki's grip became loose.

You planted yourself directly on his lap, moving so close that you could feel his erection against your clothed arousal. A pleased hum left your lips while Tamaki's eyes fly open, fully aware of his erection. You wrapped your arms around his neck and rolled your hips against his and relished the way he shudders.

"Does it feel good, Tamaki?" you cooed. You didn't stop your movements, swivelling your hips. The friction was too addicting that you can't help but continue. Nudging his legs apart to get a better access, you pressed your crotch against his clothed cock. Through the thin fabric of your panties and his pants, you can feel it growing harder when every single move.

"Hm? What's this? I guess it feels really good, huh?" you teased, running your fingers over hie erection, your fingers were merciless, dancing over his pants and giving him light touches that made him whimper.                           

"[First Name], this is kind of embarrassing." Tamaki squeaked as he moved his hands to cover his face.

"So you want me to stop?"

"N-No! I didn't say that! Please don't stop...." he voiced out desperately, sitting up straight.

"You're so cute, baby." you knelt in front of him and pushed his legs apart, making space for you to fit in. You quickly got rid of his pants, mildly pleased at the fact he didn't bother to wear any boxers. Tamaki groans when you palm his stiff cock. He felt powerless and like he wasn't in control of his body, as if his entire body was controlled by you. His hips jerked when you encased his cock in your hand, slowly pumping it. You smiled at the sight of his cock, swollen and leaking precum.

"Already so hard, and I can't believe you just wanted to cuddle and sleep like this?" you smirked deviously. Tamaki wants to say something back but he can't when you began to move your hands moving up and down his shaft expertly. His hands fists at the bed sheets as you continued your ministrations. He bit on his lip to contain his moans. Seeing him struggle to hold back made you feel bad and happy at the same time. But seeing the look on his face convinced you that you were doing a good job with pleasuring your boyfriend.

It felt amazing, the feeling of your plan rubbing against him, hitting the right parts that send shivers up his spine. Having you do this to him is a completely different experience, your hands were far softer than his own and you knew how to work your hand. The way he let out small squeaks and moans occasionally makes you motivated. 

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." you cooed teasingly.

”You like it when I touch you huh?” you teased.

”Y-Yes.....Aaah—I like it.....”

You continued jerking him of, paying attention to the underside of his cock while you gently massaged his balls. Tamaki moaned when he felt your lips pressed against this tip as your hand moved faster. He moved his hand to your head, gently threading his fingers through your [Hair Color] locks.

“Come on, baby boy. Tell me what you like? Do you like my hands on you,”

”Yes—Aaaah.....! Mngh.....” he tossed his head back when you squeezed the tip of his cock.

"Didn't quite catch that baby, care to repeat that?" you find yourself smirking up at the boy who looked like a deer in headlights. He had this look that clearly said 'Why must you torture and embarrass me this way?' You find yourself smiling mischievously as his mouth hanging open as he struggled to get his words out. He was so close already, holding onto the bed sheets even tighter, trembling furiously as he feels himself

"I-I like it when you touch me—Aaah!" he moaned loud, his back arching when you moved even faster. With how he's reacting, you can tell that he was close. Poor guy is holding onto the sheets for dear life. The sounds coming out form his mouth increase in volume.

"[First Name]—wait! I'm going to cum—please!" Tamaki pleaded when you didn't make any movements to stop your jerking.

"It's okay. Go ahead and cum for me." you tell him.

"I'm gonna gum! I'm cumming!" Tamaki's voice grew louder in volume and it breaks off into a whimper as he squeezed his eyes shut. You kept moving your hand, milking his cock for all it had to offer. It amazed you how his cock throbs and twitches in your hand, releasing thick liquid over your fingers and you finally released your grip while Tamaki blows his load all over your hands. He released a heavy breath after he finally came down from his high. Embarrassed, he hides his face in hands, mumbling something that you couldn't quite catch.

You popped your fingers in your mouth and licked them clean. The bitter taste on your tongue lingered for a while but once you rose up to straddle Tamaki's lap again, you pulled him into a kiss. The flavor faded a little as your tongues danced together. You wonder if he can feel how turned on you were from watching him. You didn't even have to touch yourself to know that you're already wet. Tamaki moans into the kiss when he feels you grinding against his crotch again. You were tempted to take off your panties and get yourself off by riding him. You pushed your entire weight onto the male who broke from the kiss and landed on the bed.

"Bunny? What are you doing?" he squeaked when you hastily got rid of your shirt, leaving you in nothing but a black bra and matching panties.

"You think that I'm just gonna let you have all the fun? Since when did you get so ungrateful, huh?" you playfully narrowed your eyes, asserting your dominance as you forced him to stay down on the bed with one hand pressed against his chest.

"I haven't....." you raised your hips, revealing your wet underwear that was already soiled with your arousal. You had been the one in control but you feel riled up just from watching and the heat building up in your panties was no doubt drenched with arousal. Tamaki never says it but being in this vulnerable position is quite thrilling. He gets to properly look at you at this position, on top of him like some sort of angel.

".....got a chance yet." you smirked.

But your intention were nowhere near as pure as an angel's.

Total: 1669 words Published: 28.04.2020

Thank you for requesting! ｡٩(ˊᗜˋ)و*｡ As usual, I’m in charge of NSFW scenarios and it’s been a long time. Hope you liked it anon!  Because I think we didn’t meet the requirements uwu ― author Lou

Thank you for requesting! When was the last time we wrote NSFW? Feels like forever. ― author Natsuki

Requests are closed for now! Matchups are closed!

Please do not mind the grammar mistakes and typos.

[shadow-scenarios]

Hello! How are you? If requests are open how would the boys in the phantom thieves snap their girlfriends out of their confusion during battle?

Hey Anon!! I’m doing alright, just blazing my way through requests.

This was a unique request. Status conditions are weird.

- Nexus.

Joker { Akira Kurusu }

✧ When the Phantom Thieves were attacked by an enemy that mainly used status effects, Noir was usually on hand to use Amrita Drop. The only problem? She currently was not on the front lines, as the enemy had taken them by surprise. Unable to switch out because everyone had been affected, Joker was frustrated. He knew that the weakness of the enemy was the element that his significant other used, so he opted to cure her first.

✧ Hastily, he changed Persona & focused his own power into an Amrita Drop for her. Curing the status, he suggested that she deal with the rest of the enemies. Very quickly, they dispatched of the shadows together. Knocking down all the enemies was easy for her & together they preformed an All-Out Attack together, turning the rest of them to dust.

✧ Once the others snapped out of it, Joker went over to her & ensured that there were no lingering effects from the status. Despite knowing that there should be none, he wanted to check anyway. Besides, it was a good excuse to sneak a kiss, even if he had to take his mask off in order to do so.

Skull { Ryuji Sakamoto }

✧ Things were not looking good. Queen was unconscious on the ground; Joker was struggling on his feet after Skull had pushed him out of the way of a fatal blow & his significant other was completely out of it, confused by one of the physical attacks of the enemy.

✧ Before the shadows could remove anyone else from the situation, he knew that waking her up was the most important thing. She could bring Queen back up & in turn would allow the rest of the team to heal up, which would give them the advantage. Dashing over to her, Skull was glad that he was an athlete. Even though his legs burned from usage, he was sure they would have killed him if he was not trained to withstand long distances.

✧ Vulnerable to the attacks of the enemies, she stood there, entirely wide open. They opted to ignore her for now because she was incapacitated but the Phantom Thieves needed her skills. So, he did the best thing he could think of at the time: Shaking her until she awoke from her daze. Honestly, he had not thought it through until she snapped back into reality, realising that they were in the middle of a battle & Queen was on the floor.

✧ Everyone was alright afterwards. With everyone healed up, Skull was quick to serve some justice with a powerful Physical attack & Joker followed up, gunning down the rest of them with ease.

Fox { Yusuke Kitagawa }

✧ Fighting enemies that could increase their own speed & confuse those who tried to hit them was just as dangerous as facing a powerful enemy. Although his aim with a blade was usually impeccable, Fox was struggling to land a single hit on any of them. Most had already been destroyed, with only two left & they were attempting to flee.

✧ If the Security Level were to rise too high, it would be difficult to continue infiltration, as backup would soon arrive. These enemies were weak to bullets but everyone aside from his significant other had run out of ammo from missed shots, meaning there was little way to down them.

✧ Taking their opportunity while everyone else was distacted, the opposition send out an attack towards her. However, Fox was swifter. He dove towards her, knocking her over in the process but preventing any serious harm. Replacing glazed over eyes was the focus of his significant other that he knew & they were quick to separate. Despite the enemies having increased speed, she was quick to gun them down.

Crow { Goro Akechi }

✧ There was something terribly thrilling about being on the front lines with his significant other. Although he knew that because of her association to the Phantom Thieves that he would eventually have to deal with her, at least he could relish in the fewer moments in which they could spend some time together.

✧ Besides, dying to the weak hands of a random shadow was pathetic. Bringing about the end of the group would be done properly, not by a miscalculation. Even though Sae had a Palace that consisted of weak enemies, status conditions were inconveniencing the entire group. Mona, who was resident healer, had accidentally healed all of the enemies & they seemed rearing to go as they launched another dazzling pattern, catching her right in the eyes.

✧ Sighing internally to himself, it was a good thing that Joker ensured everyone was prepared for any status conditions. For some reason, he insisted that a Hiranya would cure all statuses in the Metaverse. Though he severely doubted it, once the moment came, Crow supposed that it was worth a try. Using the item, he actually found that it worked, which was interesting information for later. Perhaps he would attempt to find something similar for his own trips to the Metaverse.

✧ Once she was alright, he pulled her onto her feet with one hand & soon the battle was won. He gave her a once over with his eyes to ensure that she was alright, then made a passing comment about moving on.

Word Count: 860

Publish Date: 15.10.20

[ofstarsandfireflies]

You guys knew I was going to do this movie 😁

The notebook

Two people who truly love another are torn from each other. Years later, they find one another again.

Tony was eighteen and on holiday in South Carolina with his family when he first met Stephen Strange.

And his first impression wasn’t a good one when he pushed and shoved his way into Tony’s life, especially when he only did so to ask him on a date when he was already on one.

Saying no to this stranger didn’t make Stephen give up, no matter how many times or ways Tony tried saying it.

Even after initially agreeing just to turn around and say he changed his mind, Stephen still managed to con him into a date.

And Tony doesn’t know how he fell for it.

Or how he first begins to fall for Stephen.

Or even how they manage to stay together for as long as they do.

They would fight and argue and then kiss and make up only to find something else to argue about almost immediately afterwards all in the space of a single day, and to anyone else looking in, this relationship wasn’t going to last, but to them, it’s pretty much what they do.

And they love how the other can match their intellect, Tony’s coming from his years of schooling and tutoring and Stephen’s from the books he’s read in the library seemingnhow he can’t really afford to buy them.

They spend the days together when Stephen isn’t working, the nights together when Tony can get away, and when his parents find out Tony is dating a nobody, his mother wants to let it run its course while his father wants to end it, embarrassed how his son would choose someone beneath his class.

But Tony doesn’t care.

His parents might get a say in what school he attends, but they have no right to tell him who he gets to love.

Stephen doesn’t tell him how he should act or talk.

Stephen doesn’t dictate what he should or shouldn’t do.

Stephen wants him to be happy.

And Stephen loves Tony for Tony, not for his money.

And he’s serious about that love, taking Tony to a rundown old house by the riverside that’s his dream to rebuild.

Tony decides he wants in on this dream, stating he wants the house to be white with blue shutters.

Stephen promises, and the hours pass under a soft blanket as they explore each other’s bodies.

Mordo decides in that moment to come bursting in on them, telling them Tony’s parents have the police looking for him.

Outraged by his lack of freedom, Tony gets in an argument with his parents when Stephen takes him home.

The words exchanged between Tony and his father become so loud that Stephen can hear every nasty thing the man has to say about him while Tony is trying to defend him.

He knows he isn’t good enough for Tony.

He knows he can’t afford the nice things Tony is used to like the expensive clothes and meals.

He knows Tony deserves someone who can provide all those things.

But Stephen doesn’t want to break up with him either.

He loves him.

No one could ever replace him, nothing will ever change the way he feels about him, but he knows it’s for the best.

It’s just a summer romance after all.

Tony will be leaving at the end of it anyway.

But when he tells this to Tony, all he gets in return is anger and hurt, Tony taking upon himself to break them up seeming how that’s what Stephen wants, and tells him to just leave.

The next day, Tony finds out he and the family are going back home.

Needing to tell Stephen he still loves him, he races to Stephen’s place of work, but finds Mordo instead, who tells him Stephen is out.

Mordo tries to tell him it’s over, but Tony won’t hear it unless it’s from Stephen’s own mouth.

They just had a fight, like they always do.

It isn’t over.

Mordo leaves him with the hope that if Stephen wants to talk to him, then he’ll write him, and agrees to give Stephen Tony’s message that he still loves him.

And just like that, Tony is gone.

And Stephen doesn’t get to say goodbye.

So he takes Mordo’s advice and writes to Tony every day for a year, receiving no reply back.

With a heavy heart, Stephen writes the last letter as a farewell to Tony and the love they shared, sends it off, and buys the house he’d wanted to rebuild for him and Tony to live in.

Maybe if he can get it done, if he can finish it, then Tony would come back to him.

Tony is trying to get on with his life too.

In his third year of college, he meets Captain Steve Rogers, who wants to take him out on a date.

He’s a perfect match for him in every sense of the word.

Even Tony’s parents approve of him, something Tony never thought would happen.

And the night Steve proposes to him, two things happen.

Tony says yes.

And Stephen, having completed his house and gone to get very drunk because he still misses Tony, is in a terrible car accident that renders his hands useless to him.

The hands which held the books he could converse with Tony about, which built Tony’s house and wrote 365 letters, can do nothing now but cause him even more pain that his life already was.

By the time Stephen has been discharged from the hospital, word of his accident has reached the bigger newspaper companies, which publish a small article about how he survived somehow.

And Tony reads it, instantly feeling the pull to go to his side.

Even if Stephen turns him away, or they get into a bigger fight than the one they never got to reconcile, Tony has to go to him.

Steve doesn’t want to keep Tony from doing what he wants to do when he mentions about getting away for a while, and he doesn’t pry into the reason for this sudden decision.

Simply tells him to go do whatever he needs to do.

So Tony leaves.

He drives all the way to the house and stares at it.

It’s white.

Completely white except for the shutters, which are a beautiful blue.

Just like he wanted all those years ago.

Stephen hears Tony’s car and is stunned to see him standing there.

Tony’s just as stunned to see him, heart racing in his throat and causing his mind to go blank on everything he wanted to say.

They tiptoe around the uncomfortable situation they each find themselves in until Tony tries to offer his help around the place.

Remarkably, Stephen doesn’t push him away like he had with so many others.

No matter how much he wants to, he just can’t do that.

Not when all those feelings he knew were true seven years ago are buzzing through his veins.

The night wears on as they talk and drink and try to be friends and soon Tony is saying he should go.

So Stephen invites him around again tomorrow.

And Tony takes him up on that offer before he drives back to the hotel, making it back to his room in time to answer the phone, half expecting it to be Stephen.

Except, it’s Steve wanting to know where he’s been and what he did for the day.

Tony can’t answer him.

The next day when Tony arrives at the house, Stephen wants to show him the hiking trail he managed to clear up, and the deer that have no issues with being hand fed and petted, which Tony enjoys quite a bit until they hear thunder rolling in the distance.

They barley make it half way back when the rain comes down, soaking them to the bone.

And Tony can’t keep it in any longer.

Why would Stephen keep his promise about the house to him after all these years but not write to him?

Stephen tells him the truth. That he wrote him 365 letters.

With the truth out, Stephen isn’t letting Tony get away from him a second time.

And things are perfect.

Perfectly perfect.

So perfect that it’s too good to last.

With Tony spending every day and night with Stephen, he isn’t there to answer Steve’s calls, who goes to Tony’s parents for answers.

And learns about Stephen Strange.

Howard gets to Tony before Steve does and tries to talk some sense into his son, but decides instead to let Tony choose.

And Tony can’t.

No matter who he chooses, someone will get hurt because of him.

Stephen doesn’t want to lose him again but he also wants Tony to decide what he wants.

Not what Stephen wants, or what Steve wants or what his parents want, but what Tony wants.

And what Tony wants is Stephen.

Quotes

“Now, will you go out with me?”

“What? No.”

“No?”

“No!”

“No?”

“Hey pal, she just told you.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know, because I don’t want to.”

Stephen’s not taking no for an answer.

“Now, he is a nice boy. He’s a nice boy but he’s...”

“He’s what? He’s what? Tell me!”

“He is trash, trash, trash! Not for you!”

“Trash?!”

Howard and Tony fighting about Stephen.

“Why didn’t you write me? Why? It wasn’t over for me! I waited for you for seven years. And now it’s too late.”

“I wrote you 365 letters. I wrote you every day for a year.”

“You wrote me?”

“Yes!”

“You...”

“It wasn’t over. It still isn’t over!”

I love kiss scenes in the rain and our boys deserve one damn it!

“You’re bored. You’re bored and you know it. You wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t something missing!”

“You arrogant son of a bitch!”

“Would you just stay with me?”

“Stay with you?! What for? Look at us , we’re already fighting!”

“Well, that’s what we do! We fight! You tell me when I’m being an arrogant son of a bitch and I tell you when you’re being a pain in the ass! Which you are! 99% of the time. I’m not afraid to hurt your feelings. They have like a two second rebound rate and you’re back doing the next pain in the ass thing.”

“So what?”

“So it’s not gonna be easy. It gonna be really hard. And we’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I wanna do that, because I want you. I want all of you. Forever. You and me. Every day.”

You guys know I adore this scene.

Just Stay With Me -

At the age of eighteen, Stephen and Tony meet and fall into a summer romance.

Seven years later, Stephen and Tony meet and fall into a life long romance.

Missed a Day? Catch up here!

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10

Day 11

[ricablack]

Numbers

“Another one.” When Remus entered the small house and tapped his shoes at the entrance before taking them off and entering Sirius' living room, he had a letter with him. Sirius' attention, however, was only for a few moments on Remus before he turned his full attention again to the little boy, who was stepping towards him on shaky feet. “Moons, you see this? We've been training for an hour and little Harry is already running like a champion!” Pride and joy were reflected in his eyes just before pain and emptiness returned, being replaced by a plain face moments later. “Prongs would have been so proud.” Remus dropped the letter in the trash, like all the others before, and caught Harry, who had just lost his balance.

It was a difficult time for all of them and while Sirius tried hard to find his way in his new role as a father, Remus worked hard to lead the gossip magazines on the wrong track. Everyone wanted to publish pictures of the chosen one, if it were up to them, Harry would probably have been displayed in a glass case in the ministry foyer. Just now, just before Christmas, they were particularly intrusive and at each of his visits Remus had to be extremely careful not to be followed. So far nobody had found them, so far Harry was safe.

No one but him.

While Remus took over Harry, Sirius turned away and stared out into the rain. They were dead now for 50 days and while everyone said that it became easier with time, Sirius could only deny it. It did not get easier, not one little bit. Soon it would be Christmas and of course Moony and him would make it a great day for Harry, but it wasn’t the same. It would never be the same again.

The letter in the bin got an angry look. James and Lily had died, but his little brother was still out there and certainly tried to pull his head out of the noose just like all the other death eaters. He wouldn’t be his alibi, when they caught him he would be there to tell the gamot all the things the Blacks were so very proud of. He just wondered how Regulus had found out his address. These letters were not delivered by owl. Just another reason to be careful.

“Did you ever open one of them?” Carrying Harry and trying to get his watch back from the boy Remus settled down on the couch. He fought a war that was already won (by Harry of course! This watch would be added proudly to his uncle Moony collection). “No.” Sirius demonstrated what these letters were good for when he let it explode within the bin with a wave of his wand. Harry cheered in Remus’ arms, expecting more sparkles coming out of the bin - when Sirius let explode something it was always fun! Remus sighed but didn’t say a word.

It was the next morning, so early Harry was still sleeping, when Sirius nearly slipped on an envelope in front of the door. “Bloody bastard!” He looked around, trying to figure out if his death eater brother was still anywhere around here. Not a single sign anyone had been here, deep in the woods, at the back of beyond. In fact it was a place his brother would have liked: the silence, the solitude of this little cottage in the woods. Still he shouted at the trees, at the raindrops, dripping from leafless trees. “I won’t protect you from the aurors, do you hear me? I won’t help a fascist to avoid Azkaban!” He now had the letter in his hands, the envelope with Regulus’ neat handwriting on it, was about to rip it to pieces before he changed his mind. No. Maybe, to end this… another fiery look to the trees before he opened it, put out the content and gave it a look. “See? You don’t need to-” Sirius frowned. This wasn’t what he expected.

85. The number of people I saw dying.

Nothing else. Just this number and the note next to it. What was Regulus up to? Sirius turned the page but it was blank on the other side. Slowly he turned around and went back into the house, having completely forgotten what he wanted to do outside.

16. The age when I got the dark mark.

The next day he had pinned both pieces of paper to the inside of his bedroom door and looked at them thoughtfully. It was a riddle, wasn’t it? Some kind of mad little game his brother played with him and he didn’t know what was written in the letters before yesterday. He got one every day. He burnt 50 letters, starting the day the Potters died.

19. Death eaters I know by name.

54. The number of letters I sent you.

120. The number of letters I didn’t send you.

Sirius catched himself waiting for the next letter. Wanting to know which number was explained in the next one. Maybe it wasn’t exactly a game. Maybe it was something like a confession. Sirius was sure the aurors would be interested in the names of the death eaters, but somehow he didn’t want to let them know about this… conversation. It was bizarre, it was so very Regulus. When he remembered his childhood - before he even went to Hogwarts - it had always been this one thing about his little brother. Shy, therefore not very good with words when he spoke, but extremely studious. Bloody hell, why did he think about Regulus this way? He was a death eater, a fascist, probably a murderer and part of his family who would kill him the second they had the chance to!

235. Articles I collected about the Dark Lord.

Sirius pinned the note on the door, frowned and narrowed his eyes. He had to… he had to stop it. He collected the notes for two weeks now and it wasn’t like they made any sense. There was always a number and afterwards an explanation. Nothing more. No apologies, no begging for an alibi. He didn’t ask for anything and this was the point Sirius was so irritated about. He wasn’t exactly the most patient person (his name wasn’t Moony, okay?) and now he took the last note off again and wrote on the back.

What do you want to tell me??? Why those numbers?!

Really, he wasn’t the most patient person (he wasn’t patient at all) and he wanted to know now what was the point. No more numbers. No more waiting for more letters to arrive. Just an answer, just… Well, was this Regulus strategy to get him to talk to him? The thought struck him but he couldn’t help but feel trapped. He was too curious now to stop reading the letters and when Remus arrived the day before yesterday, having another letter in his hand, he couldn’t wait to read it. Moony just watched him with his thoughtful but warm smile, while he got goosebumps reading 14. Protection charms of your house. He wasn’t sure if it was a threat then, but felt relieved when the next letter said 6. Number of banishing spells I added to them.

He placed the note on his doorstep and if Moony wouldn’t have been there, he would have lain in wait. The only thing he did was to place a new alarming spell that would tell him when someone came close to the front door. Remus would stay for the night. He had looked at him somewhat questioningly but had not asked him why. It was 2am when the alarm awakened him and it was hardly 20 seconds Sirius needed to be there, at the door, staring at the new letter. No one was visible. “Come on Reg, you can’t tell me you answered it within seconds.” Sirius muttered while taking it, closing the door behind him.

1. thing I can’t do alone. 7. Horcruxes to destroy so he won’t return.

He wrote back within seconds. Or did he get behind the ward without being noticed? Did he activate it to let him know he was there? Was he still there? Somewhere in the dark? With a jerk Sirius opened the door again. “Come in but you won’t leave without telling me what a damn horcrux is.” He spoke to the trees. No one was there, impossible. But Sirius turned around, went into the cottage again, leaving the door open and wasn’t surprised to hear footsteps coming closer. This little… his brother had watched him. For how long? Strangely, he didn’t feel worried about it but nevertheless he pulled out his wand. “Sit down wherever you want and don’t even try to get me to protect you.” Suddenly all the pent-up anger was there again. Why did Regulus join them? Why did he follow the Dark Lord? Why did he think he could come here for help like nothing happened between them? So many questions appeared in his mind but the only one who could answer them was here, right? However, he wasn’t prepared to see his brother again when he finally turned around. He examined the slim figure that had sat down on the edge of an armchair as if he did not belong here. Regulus did not belong here either, he was an intruder, so everything was right with his behaviour here, right? Why didn’t it feel right then? . Taking a close look Regulus Black looked like prey. He had always been pale, but he looked paler than he had in his school days.There was something haunting in his eyes - something that Sirius could not define. Those grey eyes that looked at him now, attentive, as ever. The younger Black had always been the listener, not the type of person who liked to hear himself speaking. They were as different as day and night in everything they did, weren’t they?

It was a wasted time to wait for Regulus to start talking. Not if he was not asked to. “So tell me, why me of all people?” A death eater couldn’t expect a warm welcome by Sirius. And it didn’t seem like Regulus did. When his little brother finally began to speak the goosebumps were suddenly back. This voice, his voice, he couldn’t handle it without having flashbacks of everything that had been. This soft voice that had been there for him after mother and father were finished with their lectures about how a pureblood should behave, how a pureblood should act and how he was a bad person for not fitting in. It had no longer touched him as a teenager, but as a child they had been an anchor to each other. To be honest, he only half listened to him while being caught in the past but still there were some sentences that hit him hard. “You’re the only one I can be sure of being against him.” Was the first one followed by “I- I tried to warn you but I guess you weren’t at home?” The words needed a few seconds to arrive his thoughts, to sink in. Well, if he just opened that damn letter instead of burning it- “He’s not dead, Sirius. I have this one, but there are six more and I don’t know how I survived to recover this one.” He didn’t ask why Regulus knew about horcruxes. He didn’t even ask how he managed to get to know all these things he told him now. It had been in his notes, right? 235. Articles I collected about the Dark Lord. He knew Regulus was obsessed with the Dark Lord. But he didn’t know it wasn’t because he wanted to make him rise even more but preparing his downfall.

How couldn’t he forgive Regulus for following the Dark Lord when it had been the only way to discover his secrets? Sirius wasn’t sure about his own role in this story: he had to take care of Harry, but he wanted to prevent Voldemort from rising again. He wanted to help his little brother. He wanted to hear his story. And wasn’t this the most surprising thim to him?

[blackbatpurplecat]

Catwoman 80th Anniversary

In 1940, one of the now most popular comic book heroes of all time got his very first solo run. It would become a milestone in comic book history. But he wasn’t the only one who had a chance to shine. In that premiere issue, even TWO of his most famous antagonists would be introduced: The man who laughs and the woman who steals.

That woman was intended to become the love of the hero’s life. The good guy and the naughty girl, the appeal was palpable. However, she wasn’t just a love interest or a generic thief or only another villain in the ever growing gallery of rogues the hero would face over decades to come, no - she was quite the character.

Her first alias was “The Cat” which would ultimately become Catwoman. Selina Kyle, the best thief in the world, a literal cat burglar, a classy seductress and queen of sass. And fans loved her so much that over time, she grew to become just as famous as the hero.

Her story has had its ups and downs. Mostly ups. ;) Going from the pages of the comics to the little and the big screen in the 60s, then she disappeared for a while, then made a comeback. She married the hero and had a child, though that marriage was later rebooted and was followed by a depressing origin story a sexist author made up for her in the 80s.

The 90s then turned out to be her decade! She found herself on the TV screen again, animated this time. She was portrayed by a Golden Globe winner on the big screen again. And she finally got her very own solo run in comics.

Her solo title was successful enough to run for over 20 years, a time in which her development from antagonist to anti-heroine would pan out. She would be a member of several teams, dance on both sides of the law, and even have another child. The screen called her back in form of a movie and a tv show. In one she was a thief with a love for killing, in the other a teenager. And we already know that her movie career will soon continue with two more projects.

In 2016, DC rebooted their entire universe. Catwoman’s origin story was changed, her relationships were lost, her solo run got canceled. No one knew what was real anymore - and fans didn’t like it. Only a year later, a retcon followed in a pathetic attempt to restore a status quo fans were familiar with and approved of. Even her solo run came back and today, in June 2020, we celebrate her 80th anniversary!

Catwoman is my favorite DC character ever. She’s clever, she’s funny, she’s stubborn, she’s classy, she’s confident, she plays by her own rules. When written right, she is such an entertaining character, unpredictable and fun.

In 80 years, there have been countless appearances, so many incarnations and interpretations of her - sure, I didn’t like all of them but you can say there’s something for each one of us. You don’t like her in the 2010s? Check out the 90s. You don’t like her in the 40s? Check out the 80s. There’s a version of Catwoman for many different tastes. She never goes out of fashion.

So to celebrate one of DC’s most famous women, they published a collection of 10 stories in total, written and drawn by people who have had touched her character over the past years.

Did Catwoman 80th Anniversary - Celebrating Eight Decades of Beauty and Burglary do her justice?

Warning: Spoilers!

Let’s check out each story and see what the writers came up with for this very special occasion. Except for one, none of these are meant to be canon, it’s just a collection of shorts meant to emphasise why Catwoman is so good. Something I noticed was that each writer had not picked any Catwoman to write but “their” Catwoman. A nice detail. Consistency, why not? Write what you feel comfortable and familiar with. This can only help with the quality of the stories, right? ... Right? ...

Strap in folks, this is going to be a LOOOOONG post!

Story #1: Skin the Cat by Paul Dini

Selina’s just living her normal life with her cats, occasionally stealing some money and jewels. Hey, a girl’s gotta eat. ;) What catches her attention are news reports about stolen big cats. I’m a cat lover myself and this series of crimes would worry me just as much as it worries Selina. She deduces where in Gotham someone could hide those wild cats, breaks in, and is welcomed by an eerie voice - as well as the taxidermied cats. Fucking bastard... The villain Taxidermist, quelle surprise, is behind the cat murders. He now intends to gas Selina and add her to his cat collection but Selina reveals that she’d already turned off the gas before breaking in. She escapes his long knives and watches as three big cats she had brought with her attack and kill him.

What an intro! A story about Selina’s love for cats and her strategic thinking. I really liked the first half! But once the Taxidermist shows up, it loses itself in drawn out exposition. Selina goes on a long monologue to explain to the reader who the Taxidermist is, how she knew it was him, how she turned off the gas, and how she replaced three of the dead cats with alive ones. I would have preferred to actually SEE her preparations for the face-off in flashback panels instead of having to read it. It didn’t feel natural at all. Also how the fuck did she bring 3 wild cats and switch them for the stuffed ones?! How?! And when?! I’m also quite sad that she didn’t get to save the cats. That was a bummer. So all she basically did was bring 3 big cats to kill a killer.

The art’s gorgeous, nothing else to say here!

6/10

Story #2: Now You See Me by Ann Nocenti

Ann Nocenti’s name immediately made me go uh-oh... Her bad and convoluted writing style made readers drop the Catwoman books which eventually lead to the solo run’s cancelation so you can understand why I was concerned.

So Catwoman is hiding a little pouch in a pigeon loft on a roof while pondering who to sell her stolen goods to - as well as where to vacation afterwards. She then notices a surveillance camera. The scene cuts to two cops on surveillance duty. They’re both bored as hell so when one spots Selina, he quickly distracts his colleague and leaves to find her. He takes the pouch out of the pigeon loft and a fight between him and Catwoman ensues. He reveals that he wants to become her partner. He wants to feed her any intel he can see on his screens so she could steal and sells some goods, and they’d split the money. When Selina refuses, he tries to blackmail her into complying. Selina presses a button on a little device and whatever’s in the pouch the cop sacked, explodes, sending him over the edge. Luckily, he lands on an umbrella Penguin had sent off apparently because we see him in one panel, angered that his plan was foiled. I’m not entirely sure what his “brilliant plan” was supposed to be. Something with gas tanks that were strapped to the umbrella I assume? I have no idea.

This one is missing too much context for my taste. What was in the pouch? Did the explosion kill the guy? What was Penguin doing there? What was his plan? Why did we need the second cop? For a super obvious but unnecessary parallel between Catwoman vs. corrupt cop and random woman vs. random man on one of the surveillance screens? Why give Catwoman so little “screen time” and so little dialogue? Is this short story referencing anything from Nocenti’s awful run and I just forgot? To quote Val Kilmer Batman: “It just raises too many questions.”

The art’s okay, nothing too special.

3/10

Story #3: Helena by Tom King

Oh boy. This is the big one. The one everyone’s been waiting for, I guess. The man who not so long ago had promised us a BatCat wedding just to shove a huge middle finger in our faces, promised us a pregnant Selina this time. I was skeptical of course. Also other readers were convinced he’d just let Selina have a miscarriage. Well, the good news is it wasn’t a miscarriage. The bad news is he almost makes Selina seem like she would have preferred a miscarriage.

The story goes like this: Selina hasn’t been feeling well so instead of going to a doctor like a normal person, Bruce scans her head and checks her vitals and blood (I can only assume because we’re not shown). Selina’s convinced that she’s seriously ill but a gentle, hopeful smile on Bruce’s face reveals the actual truth: She is pregnant. And her first reaction is shock and denial. We cut to BatCat fighting Tweedledum and Tweedledee (I think, you can’t really see them but the two men they knock out look identical). Selina then bends over and says that she’s about to throw up. Followed by a Batbucket joke. I’m getting so tired of all the forced self-awareness, guys. We cut to Catwoman, now sporting a baby bump underneath the skin-tight leather, sitting on a roof. She prepares a glass of wine while telling the baby that it is just like Bruce and it’s such a dick for taking away her freedom. After one sip, she chucks the glass away and curses. We’re then treated to a montage of BatCat fighting several rogues while Selina’s belly grows with each panel until it’s an 8, maybe 9 months along belly. I... I have no words. Except for yes, this was written by a man. BatCat are then standing on a roof and Selina laments that she’s a thief, not a mother, and the baby will derail her life and plans. The scene switches to Bruce and Selina in bed, arguing because she’s in labor. Bruce is ready to roll while Selina is STILL in denial, crying that she’s not a mother, that she’s not a hero or a good and brave person like him. Bruce tells her she didn’t run off so that means she’s a good person and they agree that it’s time to have the baby. Another cut to Selina having to take care of a crying baby Helena, asking why she’s crying when it’s Selina’s turn to stay at home and not Bruce’s. Selina talks to Helena, saying she’s luckier than Selina was because Selina’s mom ran off. She fucking FINALLY says something nice about her own child (”You’re a cute little kitten.”) and wonders what they’re going to do with her. The last page is old Selina and grownup Helena after Bruce’s death. Selina’s complaining about the pretty cemetery while Helena likes it. Her daughter’s ability to not shit on just everything and not be a total killjoy all the time causes Selina to say again that Helena is like Bruce. Upon Helena’s question if she’s anything like her mother, Selina answers that she’s just as stubborn as her. If she wants something, she steals it. Helena asks what she ever stole and Selina delivers the last predictable cliche of the story: “You stole my heart.”

Ugh. King’s Selina is just such a boring read. She’s not charming or interesting or sympathetic. Maybe I’m too used to a fun Selina but this one’s just a drag. A heavily pregnant Catwoman fighting Joker, yeah sure, totally not absolute bullshit. And the way Selina keeps distancing herself from the child inside her? For over 9 months?! Is she going out in that ridiculous catsuit because she wants to cause a miscarriage, is that it? So she doesn’t have to make a decision like abortion, adoption or leaving the baby with Bruce? Her constant cussing over the situation and crying and whining turns the pregnancy of my favorite DC couple into such a depressing ordeal.

The art is very pretty! Thank God.

4/10

Story #4: The Catwoman of Earth by Jeff Parker

After the depressing pregnancy of Catwoman, we switch to the wacky 60s version of her. Catwoman and her henchmen are robbing a science fair when suddenly, a UFO arrives. WTF?! Four aliens and a robot are beamed down to the surface and the group’s leader, an arrogant jock-like guy proclaims that they will take over the planet and enslave humanity. Catwoman angrily stands up to him. Turns out the evil aliens are sexist too when the male one tells Catwoman females have to ask for permission to speak and the female alien in the group unhappily agrees. The jock alien tells the muscly male alien to dispose of Catwoman but she’s not easy to dispose of! She fights off the brawler, she cuts the tentacles off the tentacle alien (someone WILL jerk off to that one panel), dodges the jock’s laser gun, steals the laser gun with her whip, shoots the robot to bits, and lets the police take the males away. The female alien seems much happier now and invites Catwoman to a flight around the world in the UFO. Catwoman suggests a trip to Paris so she can loot the Louvre.

Aliens and Catwoman don’t mix. I didn’t really care for this story. I mean it’s great to see Catwoman in action and taking down four guys on her own but... aliens and Catwoman just don’t mix. It was a bit jarring to me. Also the aliens’ designs weren’t super interesting. They were basically pink elves.

The art is beautiful. Catwoman looks like Julie Newmar and the entire color scheme is very 60s.

4/10

Story #5: A Cat of Nine Tales by Liam Sharp

Catwoman’s caught stealing a diamond necklace by an armed security guard. He seems a bit scared of her but knows it’s his job to stop her. She’s not engaging in a fight - of course not, he has a gun pointed at her! So instead, Catwoman relies on her talking skills. And intimidation skills. She tells the guard that there are 9 ways their situation could play out: 1. The guard lets her tie him up and escape with the necklace. 2. She beats his ass. 3. He kills her. 4. She scratches his eyes out. 5. He slips and gets knocked out. 6. He fires his gun, misses her, and the bullet ricochets until it kills him.  7. They team up. 8. She gives up. 9. She kills him. However, the story ends with the guard fainting because Catwoman’s just so damn scary.

Very short, very simple. Even the art is simple, on one page there are 3 very similar panels with only minor changes. Nothing memorable but not too bad. It shows how Catwoman can take someone out even without touching them. It’s okay.

The art reminds me of a comic from the 80s or maybe 90s. Hard to describe why. Guess you have to see it. Again, it’s okay.

5/10

Story #6: Little Bird by Mindy Newell

Selina learns from a news report that a priceless mezuzah has been found at a flea market. It’s currently at the Jewish Museum of Gotham City and Selina immediately steals it. Later, Batman shows up at her place and asks why she wants the mezuzah. She doesn’t give him much of an answer so he leaves. Pretty pointless scene I would say. A flashback reveals that a young Selina used to live with a Jewish lady. I dunno, I guess she’s a foster mother? And the woman liked Selina so much and considered her family so she gave her that mezuzah to pass it on to her own kids one day (even though Selina doesn’t want kids, is not related to the lady, and isn’t Jewish). Back to the present, Selina’s punishing a client. That prostitute background made an unwanted comeback for this story because Selina’s resisting and denying herself love so she’s “whoring”, to prove to herself how despicable she is. Okay...? There’s an inner turmoil going on, she’s torn between selling the artefact or not. Eventually, she decides to bring the mezuzah back to the lady she used to live with. The lady’s grown old and demented, lives in a home and is at the verge of dying. Selina places an envelop between the lady’s hands and leaves. The home’s director finds the envelop which contains the mezuzah, an official document which basically ensures that the lady will be taken care of before and after her death, and a poetic note from Selina.

My least favorite story out of them all - and that is quite an accomplishment when there are King and Nocenti in the same book! It had that Frank “I’m an insane sexist racist asshole” Miller prostitute bullshit in it and Selina hating herself again. This time, the “whoring” (and this word is not me, it’s from the actual story) is used as a way of self-punishment. Because it’s disgusting and wrong and Selina only does it to torture herself. Dunno if that’s the right message you wanna send here... The Jewish lady was kinda random to me because Selina’s not Jewish and never has been Jewish. This is not a negative point, it’s just so random. And the Batman scene was pointless, I have no idea what purpose it served. Except for showing us Batman pay Selina like a john and having Selina make jokes about “whoring.” Ugh.

The art was great, very clean.

1/10

Story #7: Born to Kiln by Chuck Dixon

Going from my least favorite to my favorite story in this book!

Catwoman knows there’s a diamond in a safe on a boat that is set to leave the harbour in the morning. So she climbs aboard at night to steal the gem. She finds several dead sailors and they’re all covered in mud. Who could have done this? Yes, you guessed right - it’s Clayface! He’s already at the safe, opens it, and retrieves the big stone. Catwoman reveals herself and aims a fire hose at him. Her confidence, however, dies the moment the hose doesn’t work. Clayface swallows the diamond and starts chasing after her. There’s apparently a machine to spray-paint cars on the boat so she lures him inside, activates the paint to blind him, and the hot lamps for the drying process immobilise the big pile of mud. Now that he’s nothing more than hard clay, Catwoman takes a wrench to him and takes the freed diamond.

FINALLY a story I really, really like from beginning to end! First off, IT’S PURPLE CATWOMAN!!! Selina is wearing my favorite costume, the iconic Jim Balent suit from her 90s solo run in this story - and I LOVE IT!!! Yeah, her boobs are quite loose in it and sometimes dangle in strange ways but fuck it! LOL I prefer hanging boobs over a tight corset that should reduce her agility or a back breaking pose anytime! We get sneaky Selina, we get playful Selina, we get over confident Selina who has to think fast and run even faster, and she gets what she wants in the end without killing anyone.

The art is gorgeous! It’s very fluid and alive. I also absolutely adore the cute facial expressions on Kitten’s face, especially when she locks Clayface in. I miss Catwoman being fun. In this, she’s just adorable and not sexualised at all.

8/10

Story #8: Conventional Wisdom by Will Pfeifer

Selina finds herself at a Bat Con and is supposed to give autographs. The whole scenario seems weird and confusing to her, she doesn’t remember how she got there or what is going on. Bruce, Joker, Riddler, and Two-Face being there with her to give autographs is even weirder. And why does no one except for her react to that unconscious, bloody man on the floor?! On her way to her panel, she runs into several cosplayers which is basically only fan service. But you will find the male, dark-skinned version of me at her panel, asking when the fuck she will finally put that 90s suit back on!!! The dialogues keep breaking the fourth wall, pointing out that this story is about to end. One of the panel’s attendees looks like Marvel’s Taskmaster and another is Selina herself in her Catwoman suit. Selina slowly remembers what happened: The Taskmaster dude is Doctor Destiny, she broke into his lair and stole his reality distorter, a little machine she’s been carrying around for the entire story. She smashes the machine to wake up back in the lair and cracks her knuckles, ready to take down Doctor Destiny and his goons.

And it was all a dream! That twist has never been a favorite of mine. Even though it’s not really a twist; you know immediately that it’s a dream. We don’t learn anything new about Selina or see anything Catwoman-y in this. It’s really basically fan service. They wanted Selina to see and interact with real life fans of hers so they made it happen. She also comments on various versions of her costume. It’s cute but kinda forgettable.

The art is good, it’s rare to see light and bright colors in a Catwoman book so it was a nice change. And the cosplayers looked nice. But they could have used different body types to make the fans more diverse and visually appealing.

3/10

Story #9: Addicted to Trouble by Ram V

And here we are, the premiere of the duo that will take over Catwoman’s current solo run from #23 onward. We get a first taste of the writing and art and I must say it’s a good taste.

This short story serves as a continuation of Joelle Jones’ #21 issue where at the end of the arc, Selina and her sister Maggie left Gotham in a purple car. So we see a short recap of how they got the car and where they were headed but unfortunately, the engine dies. They hitchhike to Memphis. Selina’s frustrated that Maggie doesn’t talk to her. They get drunk and start a fight at a bar. The cops show up and arrest them. While sitting in the back of the cop car, the girls start laughing together and steal the car. They leave behind their luggage which only contains stuff they won’t miss - including Selina’s cat funeral dress. They drive back to Gotham, Selina steals food and drinks on the way, and they cuddle on a rooftop overlooking the city. The story cuts to Selina and Leandro, a character I would know if I had continued the Jones run. She tells him she wants to lay low for a while and stay out of trouble. When he asks “Oh? Really?”, Selina throws a naughty smile towards the reader. Yeah yeah, lay low my ass. :D

First off, I have no idea what happened before the road trip, I don’t know why they took it or why Maggie doesn’t talk or what the purpose of all of this was because all they do is get drunk, fight an entire bar, and go back. No idea what that accomplished. And I feel sorry for the car because it was so gorgeous. Anyway, I am happy to say that Ram V has a great writing style! He gave a good voice to Selina, it sounded very natural and like a human would talk, no forced exposition or fake deepness.

The art was good, there were a few expressive faces and the bar fight was well executed.

5/10 (because I don’t know the context)

Story #10: The Art of Picking A Lock by Ed Brubaker

Instead of ending with a transition to the next Catwoman issue (which I would have preferred), the collection offers one more story and it’s written by the man who successfully handled the second half of Selina’s first solo run. He turned her stories more into the film noir direction and gave her sidekicks. The run also gave her a fugly suit and made her have sex with old men and Brubaker wanted to kill her off and have her not know who the father to her unborn child was so... yeah, I’m torn about that guy.

The last story shows us Catwoman breaking into a warehouse full of Joker goons while thinking about the thrill of breaking locks and how she learned how to do it when she was at a juvenile detention center. She beats them all up and demands to know where “he” is. Later, her friend Holly is on a motorcycle chasing after a cab while Catwoman is riding on top of a subway. Both reach Gotham’s harbor. We see that the cab is filled with Joker gas and the driver is laughing maniacally. Holly can’t reach the cab in time and it drives off into the water. Catwoman swings down and jumps after it. She breaks the trunk open and reveals a handcuffed Slam Bradley. Cut to the three back on dry land. Holly chides him for going after Joker alone and not waiting for backup. He admits that it was dumb, then shares intel on where Joker will strike and Selina should tell “her friend.” She says she will and Slam ends the book with the words that he could really use a cigarette. NO, this book was not that good that it would warrant a cigarette at the end!

This short obviously takes place during the second half of the first solo run. We see Catwoman in action, that’s cool. Taking down almost a dozen of armed Joker henchmen, that’s pretty badass! And a woman saves the man damsel in distress at the end, that’s a nice ending as well. However, I don’t care about the costume so the visual appeal wasn’t there and I really don’t care about Slam Bradley so the reveal at the end was pretty ugh to me.

The art is great! It’s like a modernised/smoother version of Darwyn Cooke’s style, the artist Brubaker worked on the Catwoman title in the 00s with. So that gives it a pretty nostalgic feel. 

5/10

In addition to the 10 stories we’ve now covered, there are pages to show off the Catwoman costumes of each decade as well as pinups. The costume pages are designed in the decade’s style (the 40s are black and white, the 60s psychedelic etc). But what I don’t get about the 90s one: It’s purple Catwoman grayed out in the background and gray BTAS Catwoman in color in the foreground - why make the purple outfit gray when you have an already gray outfit?! Just switch them! Also who put together the 70s one, couldn’t they find better costume examples?!

The seven pinups are pretty, unfortunately the majority feature the black outfits. I was surprised that even Tim Sale drew the black costume and not the purple one from his Long Halloween series. We get one of the gray BTAS costume and Jim Balent thankfully gives us BatCat with his purple creation. Nice!

Well, looking back at my personal scores for this collection of stories, Catwoman’s anniversary issue reached a total of 44/100 points in my book. Wow. That’s... not that good.

Most of the stories ranged from average to bad. Nothing spectacular, nothing memorable. There’s a lack of witty dialogue, Catwoman’s rarely fun to watch. In six stories she’s seen fighting, in three she’s seen being chased so I’m missing the variety here. I would assume you can do more with Catwoman than that. She often rather fights instead of using her wits and smarts. And actual cats are only featured in two stories but in one they die and in the other, Selina says she should drown them. -_- 

A collection of 10 new stories was a great idea but celebrating the character this is not. I’m happy that the next writer for Catwoman left a positive impression on me and the story feat. Balent’s Catwoman was a delight. However, the writers didn’t really bring their “A” game for this anniversary issue which is disappointing.

Would I recommend it? Hmmm. It pains me to say: not really, no. You don’t miss much by skipping it. You don’t miss sassy lines or breathtaking art, you don’t miss out on funny scenes or emotional depth. This anniversary issue is merely average and I highly doubt I’ll go back to reread it.

(a huge THANK YOU to everyone who read this entire, way too long post! i highly appreciate it 💜you’re a real trooper!)

[artificialqueens]

Back to You (Craquaria) ~ Part 4/4 ~ Pippin

AN// fourth and final part of this journey! I don’t know if I’m going to publish the drawl of an epilogue I’ve written - let me know what you think on my blog here xo

Back to You

Part IV: Family

Brianna couldn’t exactly pinpoint when she stopped playing happily families, didn’t quite know when she well and truly fell in love with Aquaria and the little girl with bright eyes and lush curls. There was a constant niggling feeling in the back of Brianna’s mind that told her she wasn’t meant to be part of their lives - and she couldn’t quite work out when that feeling went away.

She remembered the day that Evie called her ‘mama’ for the first time, when she looked down at this tiny blue eyed creature and stood in shock, Evie’s repetition of the call dragging Brianna back to reality. At that point, there was still something inside of Brianna that told her that Evie wasn’t hers, that she wasn’t Evie’s mama - but something bigger told her that in Evie’s perfect, undisturbed little world; she was mama, not Brianna.

She looked back on Evie’s first birthday, when she looked at Aquaria in awe as she blew out the candles topping Evie’s yellow ducky cake, when she realised that Aquaria had kept a human alive for a whole year. She was so proud of her girls, so proud of all of their achievements - and yet that voice pounded in her head louder than the cheers of ‘happy birthday’ from playgroup mothers she couldn’t tell apart.

She knew it wasn’t on Evie’s first day of school, when Evie, innocent as ever, dragged her mommy and her mama into her classroom, boasting that she was lucky enough to have two moms. Brianna had never seen a child get kicked down so fast, and she couldn’t help but hold Evie in her lap as she cried and cried while children sneered and mothers stared blankly. Brianna knew Evie was different in the most positive of ways, she could spell six letter words and do her three times tables, but right now she was different because she didn’t have a daddy. Looking back on it, she found it stupid, but in that moment a part of Brianna agreed that maybe it would be better for Evie to have a dad rather than a soulmate as a second parent.

*

Yet, for every bad thought that loomed over Brianna’s head - twenty that warmed the cockles of her heart crossed her mind afterwards. For every negative voice that called out, there was a smile, a coo, a laugh - with Evie the good had always outweighed the bad.

Brianna had never explicitly asked Aquaria if she was considered a part of her little family - but as time went on, Brianna realised that she hadn’t needed to ask. There were little things Aquaria said or did that alleviated her worries. It was all the small things - ’message me when you get there’, ’don’t forget breakfast’, ’tell Bob I say hi’ - that made her realise that Aquaria considered Brianna her family. Her actions spoke louder than words ever could have.

“You’re in your head again,” Aquaria sighed one night, watching as Brianna braided, untied, and rebraided Evie’s hair while staring blankly at the living room wall, “talk to me, B.” They weren’t far into their relationship when Aquaria learned that Brianna would tune out when she over-thought, that her mind would shut down when the negative voices became too powerful. Bob always told Aquaria that the feelings of isolation and rejection were things Brianna worked on over the years, that sometimes she struggled with feeling wanted. Aquaria supposed that being with this little family of hers brought back those feelings for Brianna, thought that maybe Brianna needed something that had a sense of permanence, but didn’t dare ask if that were the truth.

“I’m okay, just thinking.” Brianna looked down at the messy brunette hair that laid sprawled out across her lap, hums of content falling from Evie’s lips while she slept. There was nothing the little girl loved more than a head massage from her mama, and Brianna was too wrapped around her finger to refuse.

“Think out loud, then. Tell me what’s wrong.” Aquaria grabbed Brianna’s fidgety hand and squeezed it tightly, not letting go until Brianna spoke up.

“It’s stupid, it really is. I just feel… replaceable - like if I were to disappear tomorrow it wouldn’t matter and you would just go on with your lives. I’m not Evie’s mom, I’m here because I made you a promise six years ago.” Brianna knew it was stupid. She knew Aquaria loved her, she knew Evie loved her, she knew she meant more to them than a stupid promise made in the heat of the moment - and yet this part of her still screamed that she was unwanted, unworthy. Aquaria let of her hand, and pushed herself off the couch. She picked up a sleeping Evie and walked away down the hall of their small apartment. Thiswas it, Brianna thought, she’s going to agree with me and send me back to Harlem. She was surprised when Aquaria returned with a small gift bag, the lean blonde sitting back on the couch cross-legged, facing Brianna.

“You don’t make things easy, Brianna Heller,” Aquaria mused, untying the bag’s satin strings, “you can be frustrating and stubborn, and sometimes you make me cry. But you make me so happy. You make me smile, you make me laugh, and most of all you love our daughter with a force unmatched. I didn’t want to do this here, I didn’t want to do this now, but -”

“Yes,” Brianna sobbed loudly, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, “yes.”

“Can you not be frustrating for two seconds? Let me ask the question first, damn,” Aquaria laughed, throwing the bag across the living room aimlessly after pulling out the black ring box, “marry me?” Brianna couldn’t bring herself to do anything other than nod, pulling Aquaria forward by the hem of her tank top and pressing their lips together. Brianna sighed happily as she felt Aquaria’s forehead press against her own, looking down and watching Aquaria open the box, a simple platinum solitaire ring sitting inside. Brianna wouldn’t have cared if it was a two dollar ring pop, she had just agreed to spend the rest of her life with the woman she loved more than anything else in the world, the woman who stumbled into her life in the most obscure of ways.

*

Aquaria shivered when she felt the cool platinum of Brianna’s ring trace up and down her arm as Brianna held her that night. Skin against skin against cotton, nothing to be heard except soft breathing and the hum of traffic in the city below them.

“I know you’ve never felt it, but you’re irreplaceable.” Aquaria murmured, bringing Brianna’s hand to her lips and pressing soft kisses against her knuckles. Brianna hummed appreciatively, rolling Aquaria over so that they were facing each other.

“I know. I’m sorry I said I wasn’t.”

“I know sometimes you don’t think you’re Evie’s mother just because you didn’t know her before she was born, but to Evie it doesn’t make any difference. She doesn’t know that. You more than anyone knows the power of motherhood. You are to Evie as Bob is to you, you don’t need to have been there for all the nitty details. You pour so much love into her and she is a better person because of it. You’re her mama, no matter what. We love you and we certainly couldn’t just go on without you.” Aquaria was sniffling, wiping a few tears off the apples of her cheeks. Aquaria was never a good liar, she was too much of an open book - and Brianna loved her for all of the torn pages and spelling mistakes that composed her.

“Every day I try and think of the first time I felt like I belonged in your world,” Brianna mused, running her thumb across Aquaria’s cheek, “now I can stop thinking.”

*

Brianna married Aquaria on a warm spring day in New York City. She cried when their sweet baby girl lead the bridal party down the aisle, let out an audible sob as Aquaria floated towards the altar looking nothing short of ethereal, one mother holding each of her arms as the bridal march was played by a string quartet. Aquaria laughed when she saw the tears rolling down Brianna’s cheeks, kissed them away before they promised to hold each other until death parted them. Brianna stared proudly at the bands they adorned on their left hands, couldn’t help but grin into their first kiss as a married couple. They were visions in white, and bound by the platinum rings on their fingers, Brianna found the people she didn’t fear would leave her because she wasn’t good enough, the people who gave her a sense of purpose and a sense of home.

After so many years, Brianna met her soulmate - the woman who was her best friend, who, who made her laugh and cry, pushed her to be the best version of herself.

*

Aquaria would happily admit that she was one of the lucky ones. She constantly wondered how she was lucky enough to find Brianna, spent many hours wondering what her life would look like if she caught the Uber all the way to Manhattan, if she caught a different Uber - if she didn’t call an Uber at all and just gave birth in Brooklyn like she was supposed to. Would she have even met Brianna by this point in her life? She was so lucky to have been in the right place at the right time, was so lucky to have found someone like Brianna - kind, caring, passionate. She was lucky to meet someone who cared for her daughter just has much as she did - and between them they raised a child so full of love she was close to bursting.

Aquaria watched as Brianna raced Evie across the lush green grass of Central Park, both so determined to beat the other to their spot. She laughed as Brianna hoisted Evie over her shoulder and carried her across the grass, laying her down softly before tickling her rib cage and belly. Aquaria eventually caught up, chest heaving as cold evening air filled her lungs.

“Alright, Aqua?” Brianna asked, helping Evie unfold the picnic blanket before helping Aquaria to the ground, laying next to her afterwards. Aquaria hummed as she laid down, smiling as Evie wriggled her way between her moms, quickly pointing out ‘their’ stars. Aquaria still couldn’t settle her breathing, lungs on fire as cold air burnt her chest; but she felt herself relax when Evie, her sweet baby girl, held her hand as she continued to talk about the stars with her mama.

Hot tears rolled down Aquaria’s cheeks, she definitely was one of the lucky ones.

[headcanonsandmore]

Romione: a seven-year retrospective

I thought I’d do a retrospective of Ron and Hermione throughout each of the book series, and to chart how their relationship dynamic was changing. Warning- this is a very long post. 

First year-

Ron and Hermione meet on the Hogwarts Express at the start of first year. They don’t really get along, as their personalities and attitudes are so different. This isn’t improved by the fact that Hermione can be a bit of a know-it-all and Ron has a habit of slacking off his studies if he gets bored.

They don’t really become friends until after the Troll incident at Halloween. Their relationship improves a lot after this, although they still bicker a lot. By the end of the year, they clearly value each-other a lot, because Ron sacrifices himself for her and Harry in McGonagall’s giant chess-game; and Hermione is terrified for him when he gets knocked out cold.

 Second Year-

Ron and Hermione write to each other most of the summer, and meet up in Diagon Alley. They are clearly firm friends by this point, and care about each other. Ron ends up vomiting up slugs when he gets angry at Draco Malfoy for calling Hermione the ‘m-b’ word.

On a side note, Ron is visibly annoyed by Hermione’s obvious crush on Gilderoy Lockhart (accusations that Hermione always avoided responding to), and is rather affronted when he suspects that Hermione was one of the forty-six people who send Lockhart a valentine’s card (when he asks her this, she becomes very interested in searching her bag for her timetable and doesn’t answer)

Ron is also really upset when Hermione is petrified by the Basilisk (possibly even more than Harry was), and is determined to solve the mystery of the chamber of secrets. When Dumbledore mentions that the mandrake potion was ready to be administered, Ron’s first thought was that Hermione would be okay.

In the film adaptation, there is a bit where Harry and Hermione happily hug at the end after she gets unpetrified (because they see each-other like brother and sister rather than anything else), but Ron and Hermione instead shake hands, after Ron gets all awkward. His later line that ‘they couldn’t have done it without her’ has an obvious ‘I probably fancy her’ feeling to it. It’s adorable to watch, and it was a nice addition of the films. This is before the films went full on Harmony (Harry x Hermione) shipping.

 Third Year-

Ron and Hermione again talk to each other throughout the summer, and meet up in Diagon Alley. This is a bit of fractured year in terms of their friendship. They bicker a lot more than the previous year, and end up not talking to each-other over the ‘Crookshanks and Scabbers’ debacle. Harry stops speaking to Hermione as well, but the main fracture seems to be between Ron and Hermione. When they eventually do reconcile, Hermione bursts into tears and hugs Ron tightly. Ron is slightly terrified and is relieved when she lets go.  

In the spaces in-between their bickering, though, they actually spend a lot of time together. Because Harry couldn’t get his Hogsmeade visit permission form signed by Uncle Vernon, Ron and Hermione spent their first few visits in Hogsmeade as a duo. We only find out what they got up to when they tell Harry, but it does bare repeating that they do spent a lot of time without Harry around in their third year.

Ron also defends Hermione from Snape when he called her ‘an insufferable know-it-all’. But the movies lovingly replaced that with Ron pointing out that ‘he’s right you know’. Curse you, Steve Kloves…

 Fourth Year-

This is the year where things really start to get complicated between Ron and Hermione. At the start of the year, there isn’t much of a change- they talk over the holidays, and Hermione stays over at Ron’s house before they all go to the Quidditch World Cup.

This is also when the gender difference between the two starts to come into effect. Ron (and Harry) are both briefly put under the spell of the Veela, which Hermione is not very impressed by. She also gets irritated when Ron gets caught up again by a Veela later on, and Ron has to be pulled away by her and Harry. During this part of the series, Hermione’s unofficial catchphrases become ‘boys’ and ‘honestly’.

Hermione gets very rattled when Ron gets momentarily dumbstruck by Fleur Delacour. She also isn’t very impressed by his and Harry’s brief conversation about girls in which Ron muttered the unintentionally hurtful phrase ‘they don’t make them like that at Hogwarts’, which is a) quite sexist b) rude to Hermione and c) means that Ron doesn’t really see Hermione as a girl at this point.

Hermione gets very upset by Ron’s attitude in the run-up to the Yule Ball and his wanting to go with a girl for no other reason except her appearance. Ron does finally realise that Ron is a girl, which she isn’t very impressed by, as Viktor Krum had already asked her to the Yule Ball at this point. Her remark that ‘just because it’s taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn’t mean no one else has spotted I’m a girl!’ displays Hermione’s hurt feelings and confusion over her relationship to Ron.

Hermione goes to the Yule Ball with Krum, and Ron goes with Padma Patil. Hermione has more-or-less a nice time throughout most of the ball, but Ron spends most of the Ball glaring over at Hermione and Krum. He doesn’t ask Padma Patil to dance at all, and she soon leaves to dance with someone else.

Hermione and Ron then have a falling out towards the end of the Ball over Hermione going with Krum. They also have a shouting match later in the Gryffindor Common Room, ending with Hermione yelling at Ron that ‘next time there’s a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!’ and then leaving for her dormitory. Ron is visibly shocked by this. The next morning, the two are very cordial to each other- something that has caused many Potterheads to wonder whether the two of them had another talk sometime after their shouting match. I’m on-the-fence about the idea, but I can understand that it is a bit odd that they would suddenly become cordial with each-other after an extensive argument the previous night.

At the end of the second Tri-Wizard Task, Ron is kissed on the cheek by Fleur Delacour as thanks for helping rescue her sister (Ron conveniently forgetting to mention to her that he was unconscious during the entire rescue). Harry then informs us that Hermione looked furious at this, implying that (read ‘stating the obvious’) she feels jealousy when Ron is kissed by another girl.

Later on, Rita Skeeter publishes an article that implies that Harry and Hermione are dating (Hermione having mixed love potions), and that Viktor Krum asked Hermione to visit him over the summer. Ron seems very concerned as to whether she had in fact mixed love potions, and then gets very visibly freaked out when he finds out that Viktor Krum had asked Hermione to visit him. Ron drops what he is holding when he hears this, and can’t concentrate on anything else. Hermione can’t meet Ron’s eyes when she’s telling him and Harry this, and goes very red.

At the end of the year, before she leaves Hogwarts, Fleur Delacour smiles at Ron after he says that her English is very good. Hermione scowls when he does. Shortly afterwards, Krum asks Hermione if he can have a private chat with Hermione. Ron is visibly rattled by this, and tries to guess from Hermione’s facial expression as to what they were talking about. Hermione face is impassive, which implies that she declined Viktor Krum’s offer to visit him in the summer.

Fifth Year-

Hermione and Ron are on better terms this year than the previous year. Ron’s a little less immature, and their relationship was stabilised a bit.

Ron and Hermione spent most of the summer at Grimmauld Place decontaminating the house. Presumably they hung around each-other every day.

Ron gets very defiant when Hermione can’t quite believe that he was made prefect. She also turns red when she realises how obvious she is being with her confusion.

Ron and Hermione go to the prefects’ carriage on the Hogwarts Express and patrol the corridors together. We don’t find out much about what they get up to, aside from finding out who the other house prefects are.

All in all, not much progression, but this year does give us the ‘emotional range of a teaspoon’ quote, something that the fandom seems to have taken as a literal measurement of Ron’s emotional range, rather than a joke by Hermione.

Sixth year-

Ooh- here we go. This year was basically the year that Ron and Hermione got jealous over each other a lot.

Hermione gets visibly irritated by Ron’s continued dumbstruck nature towards Fleur Delacour. Having said that, Ron does worry over Hermione when she gets accidentally clobbered by Fred and George’s punching telescope.

Ron gets annoyed when Hermione praises Harry for telling Professor Slughorn that Hermione was the best in their year.

Before the Gryffindor Keeper Try-outs, Lavender smiles at Ron, who smiles back at her uncertainly. He then starts strutting. Hermione doesn’t like this, and walks off to the stands without wishing Ron good luck.

Ron gets suspicious when Harry and Hermione stop outside the main doors to argue about Hermione confounding Cormac McLaggen during the Quidditch try-outs.

Hermione gets very angry and goes very red when she points out that she was going to ask Ron to one of Professor Slughorns’ parties.  Ron is very surprised by this, and goes from sneering that she should ask McLaggen to instead saying that he wouldn’t want her to ‘get off with McLaggen’ in a very quiet voice. Ron is obviously very startled by this, and seems very pleased about this turn of events.

When Ron discovers from Ginny that Hermione had kissed Viktor Krum, he gets very angry and confused at her. Hermione is hurt and bewildered by this.

Hermione then believes that Harry had spiked Ron’s drink with Lucky Potion, resulting in his brilliant saves during a Quidditch match. When Harry later tells them that he only faked spiking the drink, Ron assumed that Hermione had no belief in his Quidditch skills, and walks off in a huff. Hermione gets upset and storms off to Gryffindor tower.

Later than evening, Ron publicly snogs Lavender Brown during the celebration party in Gryffindor tower. Hermione sees this, gets even more upset, and goes to an empty classroom to get away from everyone else. When Ron accidentally turns up in the classroom with Lavender in tow, Hermione sets a flock of birds on him and leaves the room sobbing.

Ron and Hermione virtually stop being friends at this point. Both of them are upset and confused about the other, and avoid speaking to each other. Ron spends most of his free time getting snogged by Lavender, something that physically upsets Hermione every time it happens.

Ron and Hermione are then rude about each other in lessons, resulting in Hermione crying in the girls’ toilets. Later, Hermione reveals that she is going to Professor Slughorns’ latest party with Cormac McLaggen, giving her reason as ‘she likes really good Quidditch players’. This is clearly her way of making Ron angry at her, and possibly slightly jealous. Ron goes strangely blank after she says this and doesn’t say anything.

Hermione later reveals to Harry during Professor Slughorns’ party that she chose McLaggen as her date because he would annoy Ron the most.

Before Harry and Ron left Hogwarts for the Burrow for the Christmas break, Lavender snogs Ron again whilst Harry is trying to explain something to Hermione. According to Harry, Hermione didn’t really listen to what he was saying.

On Christmas morning, when Ron asks Harry whether Hermione did go with McLaggen to Slughorns’ party, he is visibly more cheerful when Harry tells him that he didn’t think it went well.

After they get back from the break, Hermione ignores Ron completely and refers to him in a mocking version of the nickname that Lavender gave to him- ‘Won-won’.

This pretty much continues until Ron is accidentally poisoned by a potion intended for Dumbledore. Hermione is very upset over this, and terrified that Ron was seriously injured. Their relationship becomes a lot better after this point, and Ron shows signs that he doesn’t really want to date Lavender any more. Ron and Lavender have more of a strained relationship after he gets out of the hospital wing, and Hermione is visibly pleased by this.

Hermione helps Ron finish off his essay for Defence Against The Dark Arts, and Ron is very appreciative of this. He absentmindedly says ‘I love you, Hermione’, which makes Hermione go slightly pink. This is the key moment in the change in the relationship- they are no longer friends who like each other, but two friends who want to date the other but can’t due to various circumstances.

Ron also talks about watching to dump Lavender while he watches Hermione sorting out his essay. I see this as symbolic.

When Ron and Hermione follow Harry (who was under the invisibility cloak) out of the boys dormitory, Lavender gets angry and wants to know what Ron was doing up there with Hermione. Ron splutters a lot.

Ron and Lavender then break up. Ron and Hermione keep accidentally touching each-other during one of their classes next day, which reduces Lavender to tears. Both Ron and Hermione feel very guilty about this, although both of them have noticeably improved moods after this scene.

After Dumbledore’s funeral, Ron comforts Hermione, holds her and strokes her hair. Later, Hermione grabs Ron’s arm when he asks if she’ll let him hit Percy.

Hermione and Ron are virtually in a romantic relationship by this point. They aren’t technically a couple (they haven’t told anyone that we know of) but they act and feel like a couple

 (Artwork by Catching-smoke at deviantart.com)

Seventh year-

Ron points out that he’s using the ‘fail-safe ways to charm witches’ book that he got from Fred and George to get things going with Hermione. Later on, he compliments her on her wand-work, although for once, Hermione doesn’t really know why he’s doing it. Ron doesn’t answer her when she asks what he got Harry for his birthday, as Ron’s using the same book to attempt to woo her.

Ron comforts Hermione when Harry accidentally upsets her talking about Mad-Eye Moody and what happened to his body. Ron puts his arm around her, and gives her a handkerchief to blow her nose. He then puts his arm around her shortly later when Harry accidentally upsets Hermione again, and then reproaches Harry for this. (A very rare occasion in the books of Ron teaching other people tact)

Ron splutters when Hermione mentions that most of their packing is done, except for waiting for the rest of Ron’s underpants to come out of the wash.

Hermione and Ron fall asleep holding hands.

Hermione looks at Ron all tenderly when he’s worrying about the fate of the Cattermole family, so tenderly that it looks like she was about to kiss Ron. Harry has to remind her that he’s in the room.

Ron leaves Harry and Hermione after the Horcrux exacerbated his already dower mood. He thought that, when Hermione chose to stay to help Harry find the Horcruxes, she was choosing Harry over Ron.  

Hermione is distraught when Ron leaves. She barely talks to Harry. She spends the first night after Ron leaves crying in her bunk and unable to sleep. When her and Harry disapparate from the place where Ron left them, she breaks down sobbing and can’t muster the energy to perform the protective barriers around them, which Harry does instead.

Harry clarifies with Ron that he sees Hermione like a sister. He also points out that him and Hermione barely talked when Ron was gone. Ron finally conquers his inferiority complex by destroying the Horcrux, as well as his feelings of inadequacy around Hermione.  

Hermione is incredibly angry at Ron when he returns, yelling at him that she begged him to come back, and that they could have been dead for all he knew.

Ron says that he regretted leaving the moment he disapparated. When he mentions hearing Hermione say his name through the Deluminator, Hermione turns bright red.  

It takes a while for Ron and Hermione to get along after this. Hermione doesn’t do much except scowl and make angry comments whenever Ron is about. Harry points out that, when the three of them were grouped together, he feels like the only non-mourner at a poorly-attended funeral.

Ron votes to visit Xenophilius Lovegood partially to get back into Hermione’s good books. When Harry asks him about this, Ron says that ‘it’s all fair in love and war, and this is a bit of both’.

Hermione covers Ron with the invisibility cloak during their escape from the death eaters at the Lovegoods’ house. She was worried that Ron’s family would be targeted by the death eaters if they realised Ron was on the run with Harry.

When they captured by snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor, Ron yells that he should be kept and tortured instead of Hermione. He had previously tried to stop the snatchers from hurting Hermione, and had been hit in the face for his troubles.

During Harry and Ron’s time in the cellar of Malfoy Manor, they could both hear Hermione’s screaming as she was being tortured. Ron began yelling Hermione’s name, unable to think, shaking, sobbing, and being petrified that she would die, even going so far as to pound the walls with his fists. After his chains were cut by Luna, Ron tried to disapparate out of the cellar without a wand, showing how terrified he was for Hermione.

When Bellatrix Lestrange told Fenrir Greyback (the werewolf) that he could take Hermione as a victim, Ron bellowed and burst into the room where Hermione was being tortured, and disarmed Bellatrix.

When the chandelier fell on top of Hermione, Ron leapt forward and pulled her out of the rubble whilst Harry dealt with the death eaters.

Ron disapparates to Shell Cottage, and makes sure Hermione is safe and healthy before he goes outside to help Harry dig Dobby’s grave. When Hermione wobbles outside later, Ron puts an arm around her and supports her.

When Harry points out that the death eaters will know that Harry’s wand is broken by checking Hermione’s wand that they left at Malfoy Manor, the colour that had come back into Hermione’s face since she tortured drains away. Ron reproaches Harry for it.

During the battle of Hogwarts, Ron points out that they need to get the house-elves of Hogwarts to safety, as they shouldn’t order them to die for them. This is the tipping point for Hermione, who throws herself at Ron and kisses him full on the mouth. Ron responds with such enthusiasm that he lifts her off her feet. It is often considered the moment that they became a romantic couple rather than just two friends in love with each other.

This was the year that Ron and Hermione finally moved past being ‘friends who like each other’ to becoming a fully-fledged couple. It was a long journey, filled by jealousy, confusion and a lot of awkwardness, but they got there in the end.

(Artwork by Mudblood428 at deviantart.com)

Thanks for reading this very long post and I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading it. This is probably my biggest analysis of Romione yet. Just wanted to share all the moments that I love about these two amazing people and the lovely couple they make! 

[patriotsnet]

How Many Republicans Voted For Aca

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/how-many-republicans-voted-for-aca/

How Many Republicans Voted For Aca

Why Is The Aca Misunderstood

House Republicans Pass Bill To Repeal And Replace ACA

Oftentimes, how Obamacare is discussed and framed has led to misunderstanding of the ACA.

The legislation is a series of provisions, opening up a marketplace of different tiered plans from which citizens can choose. Its not a health insurance plan in and of itself, the way some anti-ACA-leaning media outlets tend to depict it.

When asked why there tends to be so much confusion over what exactly Obamacare is, John McDonough, DrPH, MPA, a professor of public health practice in the Department of Health Policy & Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and director of executive and continuing professional education, said its because American healthcare is confusing to begin with.

Ask Americans to explain Medicare and or Medicaid, and you will observe at least as much befuddlement as with the ACA. Our U.S. healthcare system is the most complicated and impenetrable to understand and make sense of on the planet, McDonough told Healthline.

He should know. McDonough was there at the beginning.

He worked on the development and passage of the ACA in the role of a senior advisor on national health reform to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

In the early days around 2010, when people would complain to me that they didnt understand the ACA, I would ask them politely how well they understand the U.S. health system in general, he said.

Affordable Health Care For America Act

This article is part of a serieson

e

The Affordable Health Care for America Act was a bill that was crafted by the United States House of Representatives of the 111th United States Congress on October 29, 2009. The bill was sponsored by Representative Charles Rangel. At the encouragement of the Obama administration, the 111th Congress devoted much of its time to enacting reform of the United States’ health care system. Known as the “House bill, HR 3962 was the House of Representatives’ chief legislative proposal during the health reform debate.

On December 24, 2009, the Senate passed an alternative health care bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act . In 2010, the House abandoned its reform bill in favor of amending the Senate bill ” rel=”nofollow”>reconciliation process) in the form of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Obamacare Survives After Supreme Court Rejects Latest Republican Challenge

The Supreme Court ruled against Texas and other Republican-led states seeking to strike down the Affordable Care Act in its latest test before the nation’s highest court.

The top court voted 7-2 to reverse an appeals court ruling that had struck down the law’s individual mandate provision.

Two of former President Donald Trump’s court picks, Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, joined the majority in rejecting the Republican effort.

President Joe Biden praised the ruling as a major victory and vowed to expand Obamacare.

The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 on Thursday against Texas and other Republican-led states seeking to strike down Obamacare in the law’s latest test before the nation’s highest court.

The court reversed an appeals court ruling that had struck down the law’s individual mandate provision. Chief Justice John Roberts and fellow conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett joined Justice Stephen Breyer’s opinion, as did Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

Breyer said Texas and the other states that challenged the law failed to show they were harmed by it.

“Neither the individual nor the state plaintiffs have shown that the injury they will suffer or have suffered is ‘fairly traceable’ to the ‘allegedly unlawful conduct’ of which they complain,” Breyer wrote.

Biden also vowed to expand Obamacare, a central promise of his presidential campaign.

The Supreme Court agreed in March 2020 to hear the case.

“What a day,” he added.

Don’t Miss: Congress Denies Funding For Benghazi

Rep Christopher H Smith Of New Jersey

Smith is the only remaining Republican representing New Jersey, after Democrats flipped four seats in the Garden State in the midterms. Smith voted against the GOP health care plan in 2017. He also broke with his party on the tax overhaul, along with other lawmakers from high-tax states. Smith is not a DCCC target and is running for re-election in a district Trump carried by 15 points in 2016. Inside Elections rates his race Solid Republican.

Fact Check: How Many Gop Senators Voted To Repeal Obamacare

By Sara Reynolds

The United States Senate voted three times in July to repeal all or part of the Affordable Care Act]. All of the measures failed. Commenting on the apparent change of position among Republicans who voted against repeal on July 26, Senator Ben Sasse claimed, With just one exception, every member of the Republican majority already either voted for repeal or explicitly campaigned on repeal.

Is Sasse correct? Did every current Republican senator, except one, previously vote for or campaign on repeal of the Affordable Care Act?

Yes. With the exception of Sen. Susan Collins , all 49 current Republican senators who were in office in 2015 voted that year to repeal elements of the ACA . Seven Republican senators who were in office in 2015, including Collins, voted against a similar bill on July 26, 2017.

Senators John Neely Kennedy and Todd Young , both elected in 2016, campaigned to repeal the ACA. Sen. Luther Strange , appointed in 2017 and currently running in a special election, has also campaigned on repeal. All three senators voted to repeal the ACA on July 26.

Recommended Reading: Who Is Right Republicans Or Democrats

Rep Denver Riggleman Of Virginia

The Virginia freshman, a member of the hard-line Freedom Caucus, explained his vote partly as one to protect pre-existing conditions, which he said hit close to home for me and I campaigned on continuing healthcare coverage for those affected.

The healthcare system is broken and Obamacare is a major part of the problem, but we should proceed with caution as we try and fix it. This resolution certainly doesnt help solve the problem, but hopefully will allow us to have a productive discussion on healthcare, he said in an emailed statement.

Trump carried Rigglemans 5th District seat;by 11 points in 2016. Riggleman defeated Democrat Leslie Cockburn by 7 points last fall in a race that got some national attention. Democrats are not targeting him in 2020. Inside Elections rates his race Solid Republican.

Russia Sanctions Headed To Trump’s Desk Will He Sign

Some GOP senators worried the measure would go back to the House, where leaders would put it on the floor, pass it and send it to Trump who has said he would sign whatever lands on his desk when it comes to Republican-passed health care legislation.

Before the vote, at 10:43 p.m. ET, Trump was rooting them on in a tweet: “Go Republican Senators. Go!”

Afterward, it was a different story, with the president tweeting at 2:25 a.m. ET that those who voted no had “let the American people down.”

It’s somewhat ironic that McCain was the one to derail what seemed like a sure Trump victory . After all, Trump’s comments about the former prisoner of war were among the earliest to land the then-candidate in controversy.

“He’s not a war hero,” Trump said in 2015 of McCain. “He was a war hero, because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured. He’s been losing so long he doesn’t know how to win anymore.”

That was likely never lost on McCain.

Read Also: When Did The Parties Switch Platforms

Democrats Sought To Put Gop Colleagues On Record With Symbolic Vote

Democratic congressional campaigns have already made health care an early focus of their 2020 messaging, and House Democrats bolstered that effort Wednesday with a symbolic vote that sought to once again put Republicans on record on the issue.

Eight Republicans sided with Democrats on the nonbinding resolution, which the House adopted, 240-186.;The measure condemned;the Trump administrations support for invalidating the 2010 health care law in its entirety.;The Department of Justice, in a new filing last week, backed a Texas judges decision to strike down the law.;

Three Republicans; New Yorks;Tom Reed and John Katko and Pennsylvanias Brian Fitzpatrick had voted in January to authorize the House general counsel to intervene in the lawsuit to defend the health care law. All three also voted for the resolution Wednesday.

One Democrat 15-term Minnesota Rep. Collin C. Peterson bucked his party and voted against the resolution. Hes one of the last Democrats remaining in the House who opposed the 2010 health care law and is likely the last Democrat who can hold his heavily agricultural 7th District seat.

Democrats were otherwise united in supporting the resolution, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched positive Facebook ads touting their vulnerable members votes to protect families with pre-existing conditions.

Also watch:;What if we switch to a single-payer health care system?

What The Aca Means For You

The 139 Republicans Who Voted Against Certifying The Election Have Faced No Consequences

The Affordable Care Act is perhaps the greatest overhaul ofthe US health-care system, and it will provide coverage for over 94% ofAmericans. In addition, one of its key reforms includes health coverage for adultswith pre-existing conditions, which generally had not been available up untilnow.

These great changes in health-care insurance can benefit you and your loved ones. However, it is still essential to find the best plans at the best price to ensure your family is properly covered.

To learn about the specific Obamacare-compliant health insurance plan options available to youplus see if you are eligible for a government subsidy to help pay for a plancompare ACA-compliant health insurance plans with eHealth today.

Also Check: Senate Dem Vs Rep

Schumer: ‘we Can Work Together Our Country Demands It’

Until the end, passage on the Health Care Freedom Act, also dubbed the skinny repeal, was never certain. Even Republicans who voted for it disliked the bill.

The skinny bill as policy is a disaster. The skinny bill as a replacement for Obamacare is a fraud. The skinny bill is a vehicle to getting conference to find a replacement, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said at a Thursday evening news conference hours before the vote alongside fellow Republicans McCain, Ron Johnson and Bill Cassidy, before the details were released.

The skinny repeal was far from Republicans campaign promise of also rolling back Medicaid expansion, insurance subsidies, Obamacare taxes, and insurance regulations.

Many Republicans who did vote for it said they were holding their nose to vote for it just to advance the process into negotiations with the House of Representatives.

The legislation included a repeal of the individual mandate to purchase insurance, a repeal of the employer mandate to provide insurance, a one-year defunding of Planned Parenthood, a provision giving states more flexibility to opt out of insurance regulations, and a three-year repeal of the medical device tax. It also would have increased the amount that people can contribute to Health Savings Accounts.

Leigh Ann Caldwell is an NBC News correspondent.

Watch Sen John Mccain Cast ‘no’ Vote On ‘skinny’ Repeal

It isn’t clear what comes next, but the collapse of some insurance markets around the country serve as an incentive for Republicans and Democrats to hold hearings and fix the problems with health care.

Most Republicans never embraced the different iterations of legislation they crafted, nor the process by which it was constructed. Even on the last-ditch effort at a bare-bones bill, Republicans couldnt reach agreement. Over the past two days, many rejected a plan that would have partially repealed and replaced Obamacare and a measure that would have just repealed it. The repeal vote was the same bill that passed the Senate and the House in 2015 when former President Barack Obama vetoed it.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, stood against every version of the legislation even in the face of immense pressure. The Trump administration threatened to withhold federal resources from Alaska because of her opposition, according to the Alaska Daily News. Murkowski herself said the next day in response to the report that she would not characterize it as a “threat.”

“I sat there with Senator McCain. I think both of us recognize that its very hard to disappoint your colleagues,” Murkowski told NBC News after the vote. “And I know that there is disappointment because it was the three votes that Senator McCain, Senator Collins, and I cast that did not allow this bill to move forward. And that is difficult.”

“John McCain is a hero and has courage and does the right thing,” Schumer said.

You May Like: How Many States Are Controlled By Republicans

When Did Obamacare Start

The timeline of key events leading up to the passage of the Obamacare law began in 2009. Here is a list of those events, along with key provisions that went into place after the law was enacted.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and a group of Democrats from the House of Representatives reveal their plan for overhauling the health-care system. Its called H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act.

;Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, a leading supporter of health-care reform, dies and puts the Senate Democrats 60-seat supermajority required to pass a piece of legislation at risk.

;Democrat Paul Kirk is appointed interim senator from Massachusetts, which temporarily restores the Democrats filibuster-proof 60th vote.

;In the House of Representatives, 219 Democrats and one Republican vote for the Affordable Health Care for America Act, and 39 Democrats and 176 Republicans vote against it.

In the Senate, 60 Democrats vote for the Senates version of the bill, called Americas Healthy Future Act, whose lead author is senator Max Baucus of California. Thirty-nine Republicans vote against the bill, and one Republican senator, Jim Bunning, does not vote.

Actions To Hinder Implementation

Under both ACA and the AHCA, CBO reported that the health exchange marketplaces would remain stable. However, Republican politicians took a variety of steps to undermine it, creating uncertainty that adversely impacted enrollment and insurer participation while increasing premiums. Concern of the exchanges became another argument for reforms. Past and ongoing Republican attempts to weaken the law have included:

Don’t Miss: How Many States Are Controlled By Republicans

Rep Pete Stauber Of Minnesota

The freshman flipped a longtime Democratic seat;in northeast Minnesota that Trump had carried by 16 points in 2016. Its a largely white, working-class district, where Trumps populist appeal resonated. The former Duluth police officer ran a campaign ad last year about his son Issac, who has Down syndrome, and he talked about the importance of insurance companies covering pre-existing conditions. Democrats are not targeting this seat in 2020. Inside Elections rates the race Likely Republican.

Why Supporters Pushed For The Bill

The PPACA addresses the needs of the 46 million uninsured Americans;

strengthens the Medicare system by closing the donut hole in prescription coverage, and cutting waste and fraud while guaranteeing preventive care without co-pays;

provides health insurance to low-income children;

funds cutting-edge research into cures for diseases;

gives patients the clout to challenge the decisions of health insurers and;

increases access to care by making it impossible for insurers to shun the sick.

In the past, insurers either refused to cover patients suffering from pre-existing conditions, or charged them unaffordable premiums. As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi noted shortly before the legislation passed: “If you’re a woman that’s a pre-existing condition; if you’re a woman of child-bearing age and you’ve had children that’s a pre-existing condition. If you can’t have children, it’s a pre-existing condition. If you have a C-section, it’s a pre-existing condition. A victim of domestic abuse, it’s a preexisting condition.”

Under the PPACA, Americans would no longer have to worry about being denied insurance. Pelosi urged her audience to “Think of an economy where people could be an artist or a photographer, a writer without worrying about keeping their day job in order to have health insurance. Or that people could start a business and be entrepreneurial and take risks, but not be job-locked because a child has a child has asthma or diabetes or someone in the family is bipolar “

Read Also: Is Trump A Republican Or Democratic

The House Votes To Repeal Obamacare

Republicans overcame an embarrassing early failure to pass their replacement for the Affordable Care Act with few votes to spare. Now, they await the political fallout.

For House Republicans, the burden of an unfulfilled campaign promise had simply become too much to bear alone.

And so on Thursday, after an embarrassing early failure and weeks of fits and starts, a narrow GOP majority passed legislation to partially repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act that even many of its supporters conceded was deeply flawed. The party-line vote was 217-213, with 20 Republicans voting against. The bill now goes to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain at best.

The American Health Care Act scraps the Obamacare mandates that people buy health insurance and that employers provide it, eliminates most of its tax increases, cuts nearly $900 billion from Medicaid while curtailing the programs expansion, and allows states to seek a waiver exempting them from the current laws crucial prohibition against insurers charging higher premiums to people with pre-existing conditions. Conservatives complained that the bill did not fully repeal the 2010 law, while moderates blanched at its cuts to Medicaid and its weakening of its most popular consumer protections.

Attempts To Change Or Repeal

Schumer slams GOP senators in vote to protect ACA

Read Ballotpedia’s fact check »

The Affordable Care Act was subject to a number of lawsuits challenging some of its provisions, such as the individual mandate and the requirement to cover contraception. Four of these lawsuits were heard by the United States Supreme Court, resulting in changes to the law and how it was enforced. In addition, since the law’s enactment, lawmakers in Congress have introduced and considered legislation to modify or repeal parts or all of the Affordable Care Act. Finally, between 2010 and 2012, voters in eight states considered ballot measures related to the law. This section summarizes the lawsuits, legislation, and state ballot measures that attempted to change, repeal, or impact enforcement of parts of the law.

Also Check: How Many States Are Controlled By Republicans

[douchebagbrainwaves]

NEXT TIME YOU'RE IN A MODERATELY LARGE CITY, DROP BY THE MAIN POST OFFICE AND WATCH THE BODY LANGUAGE OF THE OFFICE IS REPLACED BY WICKED HUMOR

That's why fundraising and the enterprise market kill and maim so many startups. What were the results of this experiment? It's practically a mantra at YC. And so, by word of mouth mostly, we got more and more users. So you could say that using Lisp was an experiment. All products should be considered experiments, and those that have a market show promising results extremely quickly. But I think I can give a kind of argument that might be convincing. Our competitors had cgi scripts. I read in newspapers and magazines.

I learned to think about that thing for years—perhaps for the rest of your days, even if you fail. The networks are prevented from seeing this whole line of reasoning because they still think of themselves as being in the broadcast business—as sending one signal to everyone. This article is derived from a talk at the 2009 Startup School. We weren't writing this code for our own amusement. What were the results of this experiment? Another unusual thing about Lisp—is that it often looks better than real work. So if you're running a startup, of course. Stuff used to be like a job, except perhaps as a classics professor, but it will improve your mind, and make you a better programmer for the rest of your life. My relationship with my cofounder went from just being friends to seeing each other all the time, she wouldn't buy it.

Whereas if you start trading derivatives, you can, like we did, turn the Blub paradox to your advantage: you can start out finding matches based on mere textual similarity, and as users buy more stuff the search results get better and better. The worst problem was that sites felt they were giving something away for free. The job of programmers was just to take the work of the product managers and designers the final step, by translating it into code. If someone were creating an Internet-based TV company from scratch now, they might have some plan for selling that valuable thing you got so cheaply, what difference does it make what it's worth? There's a physical analog in the Intel and Microsoft stickers that come on some laptops. Per capita, large organizations accomplish very little. But you could in principle have a useful conversation about them with some people. The main character is an assassin who is hired to kill the president of France. Why bother checking the front page of any specific paper or magazine? New things were coming. I decided to ask the founders of the startups we'd funded.

It was a way of sorting shopping search results. Dealing with email, for example—that's not an innovation, in the long run, of the forces underlying open source and blogging suggest, is that it often looks better than real work. Today, as Yahoo Store, this software continues to dominate its market. But I'd become so used to publishing online that the old method now seemed alarmingly unreliable, like navigating by dead reckoning once you'd gotten used to a world where skill is paramount, and you don't have any immediate use for it, you can rely on word of mouth, like Google did. Most Perl hackers would agree that Perl 5 is more powerful than machine language. Meetings are like an opiate with a network effect. This was no accident. There were only a few jobs as professional journalists, for example, and the different parts of the company. 0 mean anything more than leak internal documents designed to give the impression they're on top of it. But there was another source even more dangerous: other Internet startups. What was novel about this software, at the time. But if I did, it would have died anyway.

There's no dividing line with machine languages on one side and all the high-level languages are more powerful than machine language. Facebook have all been obsessed with hiring the best programmers. They work odd hours, wearing the most casual of clothing. I was a whiz at it. How long do you think it would take them on average to realize that it was a description of Google? But it was connecting to other people in the company, then you may need to be here a certain amount. Don't be evil, and of course Google set off the tagging movement. Working on our startup, I had to learn where they were. So presumably that's what this brainstorming session was about. Assume you won't get money, and they were wondering what to call it. They're all things I tell people. The good news is, the mistakes that produce these regrets are all errors of omission.

I accumulated all this useless stuff, but that I often spent money I desperately needed on stuff that I didn't. In this article I'm going to try to explain in the simplest possible thing. If there was ever a time when Yahoo was a Google-style talent magnet, it was news to him. Venture investors are driven by exit strategies. Stuff has gotten a lot cheaper, but our attitudes toward it haven't changed correspondingly. I was about nine I happened to get hold of a copy of The Day of the Jackal, by Frederick Forsyth. Users don't switch from Explorer to Firefox because they want to watch the news afterward. Media companies sold ads. Media companies sold ads. Shows will change even more. Whereas if you start trading derivatives, you can expect to do as well as negative.

Why bother checking the front page of any specific paper or magazine? For example, newspaper editors assigned stories to reporters, then edited what they wrote. I never said anything publicly about Lisp while we were working on Viaweb. A popular recipe for new programming languages in the past 20 years has been to take the work of the product managers and designers. So this relationship has to be built of top quality materials and carefully maintained. What's different about religion is that people working for love often surpass those working for money, but also connotations like formality and detachment. A media company should be run by suits. A timeslice selected at random would more likely find me tracking down a bug in the financial model Excel spreadsheet the night before a board meeting, rather than having brilliant flashes of strategic insight. I'd rather have everyone think starting a startup was like I said, I worked on Microsoft Office instead of I work at a small startup you've never heard of called x.

[hxh-secretsanta-2017]

Mobile-Friendly FAQ

What is a Secret Santa Project?

The concept of the project is very easy!

You get a wish fulfilled by someone

Then you fulfill another wish in return!

You don’t know who is your Secret Santa until it is published around Christmas. That’s why it is called Secret Santa.

Awesome! So how do I get started?

To apply for the Secret Santa project, you submit your wish to us by the 7th of November following the submission guidelines. It doesn’t matter if you plan to draw something, or write something or if you want to make a fanmix. We welcome all fanwork.

Keep in mind that when you wish for a pairing fanwork to give your Secret Santa the choice of a second, more general wish, in case they feel uncomfortable with the topic. 

Once we collected all the submissions, we will come back to you via mail to send you your partner with their filled in submission. 

DO NOT TELL YOUR PARTNER THAT YOU ARE THEIR SECRET SANTA. That’s pretty obvious right? 

It’s a Christmas exchange, so when do we upload it?

Although the submit option isn’t available right now on the desktop blog theme, it will be added after November 7th. Please submit your finished fanwork with your message to your partner to our submission box before December 25th. We will schedule all submitted presents after that, publishing them between Christmas and New Year. Please do not upload your art on your blog before it has been posted on here since that would spoil the surprise. Afterwards you can post it on your Tumblr or reblog it directly from us.

What should my gift look like?

Everybody wants to receive something lovely from their Santa! To ensure a certain level of quality, we decided to create rough present guidelines that should help you figure out, how big your present should be at the least (you can always do more, of course!):

Fanart: One full illustration. We only accept sketches when they are additional to illustrations or if there are multiple ones put together in a collection.

Fanfic: At least 1000 words of fanfiction.

Fanmix: At least 5 songs compiled, preferably already hosted on a site (we recommend 8tracks).

Doing something else?: Send an ask and I’ll talk to you about how much you should do for your Secret Santa!

I could not finish my piece!

Things come up, it happens. Please drop us an ask immediately with your Santa name if you do not feel like you will be able to finish your present. We will try to find someone who can replace you. Please consider that replacing someone takes time and notify us immediately!

Where do I sign up?

Right here! Remember to sign up before November 7th!

Who are the people running this project?

The main person who organized this event (aka me, Zeal) can be found at @godspeedcomplex. My friend Lost is gonna help with organizing minor stuff and she can be found at @proofofhumanity!

[exilevilifyrp]

                                          file: introduction

full name: theon wyndham age: 27 identifies with: the consolations of philosophy - max richter genesis: hybrid gender: cis-male (he/him) portrayal: dane dehaan 

                                                                        file: biography

2151 – Birth

Some people are sure to be disbelieving and say,

��But how can a computer possibly produce a great symphony, a great work of art, a great new scientific theory?”

The retort I am usually tempted to make to this question is,

“Can you?”

-          Isaac Asimov, Our Intelligent tools

2156 – Interest in robotics starts.

         It starts with a visit at a museum, a story about the ascension of technology in human history and a robot dinosaur. Lola Wyndham is not quite sure where the posters come from after that, but she suspects her husband. After all, he was known to spoil the little boy. They’re not so bad, she thinks. Better robots than those violent games, highly advertised on the vids. Still, the mother cannot quite remember the last time she saw her son socializing with other children or open one of those innocent little video games Granny gave him. She’s anxious. The only times they exchange words now are when she shows interest in the posters. Then words leave his mouth with excitement. The doctors had said that nothing was wrong with Theon, far from it actually. The young boy could speak and read at the age of three years old. A prodigy, they said.

         “Mother.” His voice is small and shy. Blue eyes, which he inherited, fall to the sweet features of his son’s face, attention now driven away from her work. A paper is placed in her hands and she closes the screen in front of her temporarily, setting her work aside in order to examine the gift she just received. A gasp escapes her lips and he frowns. Bringing her onto her legs, her long finger points at something on the drawing he just gave her. “Theon, dear. What does it mean?” It is with very simple words that her son explains the drawing. “It could help you walk.” A device to help her move around the house, since her legs do not work anymore. The drawing, if she could call it that, is not exactly the typical drawing usual five years old gave to their mothers with pride. It seems more like a blue print for a device, his small writing in the margins, arrows pointing from explanations to detailed pieces of the device. Lola’s heart cannot take it anymore and she kisses the top of his head softly. Five years old and Theon is already too aware of the world around him.

         A mother always worry. It is a curse and a blessing at the same time. Years pass and she keeps her eyes on her son. He is soft, and does not quite get why the other children cannot comprehend mechanics as well as he does. He is not unkind, though. He does not shout, or cry. He keeps to himself mostly, even from his own parents. Theon is well above his years. She thinks (she hopes) that he will let go of his obsession. Metal litters the floor of the room usually intended to be his bedroom. Now sleep evades him, a fickle companion. At least Arthur is not too mad when he trips over small inventions all over the house. Lola knows her husband would have preferred if his son would have taken interest in the arts or philosophy, like his father. They fear for him.

         Geniuses do not go unnoticed in Wrotham, especially from corporations.

2159 – First convention.  

         He is eight years old when he attends his first convention.

         The funny thing, he observes, is that the other attendees believe him to be another mindless child. They overlook him. It insults him a bit. He read already all of their research and he could find faults in almost all of them. It is worse when he is called on the stage, with the goal of presenting his new patent. Laughs erupt from the crowd when he realizes he is barely able to reach the microphone. His fingers drum against the desk in front of him. He tries to find Arthur and Lola in the crowd. Lola’s soft features always calmed his mind. But instead, his gaze falls on two weird characters, sitting in the back. Their clothes are different, more refined than the others. Wealth is exuded from their attitude, and Theon is fascinated. They are not laughing, he observes. He is glad.

         The crowd silences itself when he explains how using a different kind material for the IBA cell could improve efficiency by 15.8765%, thus permitting better hologram imaging and communication during certain situation, especially military ones. He rebuffs arguments with facts and calculations.

         Theon learns that adults are petty then. Words are thrown but his age is the only true obstacle to the veracity of his research. Arthur and Lola find him afterwards, Theon can see the worry on their face. How he hates it. They are not big fans of his experiments, even though they always show a positive front when he tried to explain them. He thinks, with regret, that perhaps they’re the same as the other adults. He loves them anyway. Will always do, of course. The young family is about to leave, Arthur navigating Lola through the crowd, in the hover chair Theon made her months ago. A featherlike touch on his shoulder makes him stop in his track and he turns. The two individuals he saw earlier are standing there, in front of him. Perfect skin, impeccable clothes. Arthur and Lola seem nervous at the sight of them. “Hello Mr. Wyndham, my name is Rachael. Here is my partner Rick. We work for Artificial Insights. We would like to discuss scholarships…”

         Theon later learns that Rachael and Rick are Synthetics. Humans with artificial and robotic limbs. In the car, where they explain him that they’re sending him to one of top robotic schools, Theon remarks how Rick is barely looking at him. It annoys him.    

2169 – Artificial Insights & Phase I: Synthetics process

         “We are delighted to offer you a position here at Artificial Insights, Mr. Wyndham. We hope our partnership will be long and fruitful.” Theon forces a small smile to appear on his face, the conventional response to this type of interaction. He would admit that working with machines most of the time did a lot for his social anxiety. Calculations and research do not argue or judge him. Androids did not have the mind to look at him, see only the bags under his eyes, his frail exterior. Androids did not care. Rachael smiles a little, quasi encouragingly. She knows him enough by now to know how uncomfortable he is. The show is for the people sitting on each of her sides. It is the first time Theon meets Rachael’s superiors. Serious men and women, barely looking up at the file in front of them. They tell him they are impressed by his curriculum. Top graduate from all his schools. He is a good return on investment. The sentence irritates Theon.  His fingers drum on the table, nervously. They think of him as a thing, expendable. Theon is now eighteen years old, and will probably become the youngest employee of the company. Numerous research of his are being published and applied already. It resonates in his head; an unwanted conundrum.

         “In this mindset,” Rachael’s voice shatters the train of thought, forces him to raise his eyes to look at them, “you will find all the details regarding the process for Synthetic transformation. You have to understand that we invested highly in you, and we would like our partnership to last.” Again, with the financial idioms. The woman in front of him continues to talk about the specifics but Theon’s blue hues are already reading the material in front of him. Excitement runs through his veins. He remembers the offer he made them, some years ago. Even with the scholarship that brought him where he was, a mind like his would be highly useful to any other corporations. His mind is the only thing that is not replaceable. He needs to protect it.

         Synthetic transformation in exchange of an 80 years work contract. His signature is barely readable on the documents, hand shaking with apprehension.  

2173.0 – Death of Parents in Riots

         Arthur and Lola Wyndham are only two more names among others in the already long list of victims from the 2173 riots in Krenel. The irony of their death does not go unnoticed. They are becoming more and more numerous, the protests against the rise of technology, against robots and androids.

         His hands won’t stop shaking as he listens to the man in front of him. The feeling resemble flying – no, more like falling. Theon inherits the house and becomes familiar with a new emotion, guilt. It envelops him and settles in his heart, heavy. Will it become his new home, he ponders.

         Grief. It is ugly.

         He should’ve called more. Should have listened to his mother pleas ‘come back home for once’. Should’ve done something. Anything. He hadn’t been a very good son. School had started and then work, both intertwined with an endless series of conventions. He was a rising star in robotics engineering, most efficient and useful engineer for Artificial Insights. But all of this, the title and the money, did not keep his parents from dying. Theon inherits the house and transforms it into a lab. With Rachael’s consent, he takes a few days off. Then his mind goes back to what it does best: work. At this point, Theon knows it is a defense mechanism. Some would drink their feelings away. He prefers being useful. Whenever he feels anxious or sad, he plunges nose first into endless calculations, experiments and research. He shuts more people off, mostly because they are distracting.

2173.5 – Theon meets Eliot

         Theon grows bored of the conventions after that. Arthur and Lola are not there anymore, anxiously waiting for their son to speak. Offering him small smiles in the crowd to encourage him. They are gone and he feels lost. Days look all the same to him. Work. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. His heart is not in the research, these days. Sleep evades him once more, and his patience thins with each seconds that pass. Only the sound of the assembling machines calms his mind. Sometimes, he goes down, in the lowest levels of his building. He likes to watch them waking up, the androids. They’re not really alive, he knows that. But Theon appreciates the symbolism – starting new, a mind virgin of emotions and feelings. On the opposite side, he feels just like them. A simple cog in a bigger machine. He’s an investment, after all. Just like them.

         Work. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

         “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt your presentation.” Theon lifts his eyes from his scientific journal, wonders who dared approach him in public. His colleagues usually stir away from him. After all, he is far from being an expert at conversations. The engineer recognizes the features of the man before him. The presentation had gone to hell, voice faltering when a participant decided to interfere. The problem wasn’t the interruption, actually. It was the fact that Theon never saw it. His mistake. He’s caught off guard by it and his mind obsesses over it as soon as the stage leaves his sight. Miscalculation, or simple Brows knit, he tilts his head. “Then why did you do it?” The question burns his tongue as the words leave his mouth. A chuckle escapes the other man’s lips and the sound shakes Theon to his core. He straightens up in his seat as the other man takes place on the empty chair in front of him. “Alright, alright. You got me. Would you look over the data, though? I really want your opinion on this.”

         He grabs the tablet from the other’s hand, their fingers brushing.

         Theon feels alive again. Even more so as Eliot’s lips, months later, become a recurrent light, fleeting touch.

2175 – 2175 Massacre

         Wind blows slowly through the opened windows. The silence is heavy in the darkness. The city stops moving for a millisecond. It holds its breath as the fire eats the void above their heads. Music can be heard in the background, faintly. A whisper murmured to the crowd. Its name is Destruction. It’s a glitch, he thinks. The sirens are crying in the night. This is just a simple, easily reparable mistake in calculations.

         He’ll wake up the next morning, and Eliot will be there. In his arms. Already awake, fully functional. He will kiss Theon, softly, tenderly. Run a hand in his hair. A whisper ‘wake up my love’ will flee in the air, will lose itself in the seemingly stopped time. Coffee will burn his tongue and Duke Ellington will play in the background. A normal morning. Theon will listen to the drunken stories of one of his colleague at work, might even try a small smile to show his appreciation for the tale. Eliot will go back to his research and come back after a hard day at work, head full of ideas and optimism.

         It’s only a glitch, Theon thinks. An irregularity in the system. He can repair it. He’s good at this. His eyes fixes the vids as red and bloodied crescents mark the fair skin of his forearm. Eliot is not there the next morning. Only Death kisses him back, brings him news of destruction and despair. For the second time in his life, he wonders ‘why not me?’

         Eliot dies in the riots, his mind forever lost.

2176 to 2177 – Data’s creation & Depression

A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

-          The Three Laws, from the Handbook of Robotics, 56th Edition, 2058 A.D.

“According to the data–”

“Oh, please Eli. Stop with your data already. Everything is going to be fine. I did the calculations myself.”

“One, you’re not infallible and second, the dat–”

“You’re not him!”

         Data does not flinch at Theon’s raised voice, because Data is not human. An android, a perfect and flawless android. Top of his category, because he doesn’t fit in the usual categories. He’s made from scratch, from stolen equipment from his old job. All of Eliot’s research is incorporated in the main matrix. Data can learn. And speak. And asks questions.

         Theon knows he can get arrested. Company property theft, uncatalogued Artificial Intelligence. Non-tested research. Utilisation of rare materials for personal purposes. The list gets longer each times he thinks about it.

         The android looks like him, talks like him, smile like him. But he is not him. Data barely moves when his creator strikes him. Control is not something he has much, these days. The alcohol burns his tongue coming in and coming out. How inefficient. Theon hates himself with such fervor then. Especially as Data holds him there, on the floor, ignoring his creator trying to wrestle his way out of the robotic grip. Theon wakes as Data presses a damp cloth on his forehead. The engineer had never been so embarrassed of his own actions than now.

         Where is the line between genius and madness? When does one falls so deep into a pit of despair, he cannot see the way out anymore?

         Theon is crying as he erases this memory from Data’s core the next day. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

                                                                      file: known associates

NOOMI WEXLER - though wexler corporation was a mere enigma to most, you had uncovered the truth many moons prior. perhaps maintaining it as the unknown would make a far wiser idea, but curiosity would soon unravel a mass of torturous activities and an unwanted truth - actions so cruelly human. it’s a secret you have long since kept, but you wonder how long one can remain silent when another experiment has now appeared.

                                                                  THIS CHARACTER IS UNAVAILABLE.

[patriotsnet]

Can Republicans Vote In The Nevada Caucus

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/can-republicans-vote-in-the-nevada-caucus/

Can Republicans Vote In The Nevada Caucus

Live Updates: Donald Trump Wins Big In Nevada Gop Caucuses

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Posted on February 22, 2016, at 9:27 a.m. ET

Nevada Rep Backing Rubio: Senators Who Oppose Vote On Scalia Replacement Should Find A New Job

View this video on YouTube

Campaigning in Las Vegas ahead of Tuesday’s Nevada caucuses, Donald Trump said he wanted to punch a protester who was being escorted out of a rally.

“In the old days,” Trump said, protesters were “carried out on stretchers. We’re not allowed to push back anymore.”

“I’d like to punch him in the face, I’ll tell you that,” Trump said.

Trump also called a Republican rival “a liar” and “sick.”

Donald Trump Takes Vegas

LAS VEGAS “This is a cultural phenomenon,” a woman enthused to her companion Tuesday night as they joined the line for the hottest show on the Strip. “We have to see it.”

It was just before 9:00 p.m. local time. Votes were still being counted; results were not yet in. But at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, people had already been queuing up for hours to see firsthand what The Incredible Donald Trump would do when he won Nevada’s Republican presidential caucuses.

When a CNN reporter mentioned, during a live shot from the event, that Trump had just one day earlier declared his desire to punch a protester in the face, the ballroom erupted in riotous applause.

Trump’s third consecutive victory speech was, like the first two, brief but not boring they’re never, ever boring and afterward, he was mobbed by smartphone-wielding super-fans clamoring for pictures.

Gop Official: We Have So Many Precincts In Here It Adds To The Appearance Of Chaos

A Republican official who was sent to investigate reports of issues at Palo Verde high school said that there was no rule against caucus volunteers wearing campaign gear.

“There’s no rule against it,” he said when asked about reports of volunteers wearing Trump shirts.

The official said that there were ways the party could verify whether double balloting problems had occurred.

“Obviously we take reports of double balloting very seriously,” they said. “There is a process in place to review and check with a master signing sheet that we’ll check against. All our site leaders are trained and prepared in case stuff like this happens.”

The Palo Verde High School caucus site included many precincts, and the scene was chaotic when BuzzFeed News arrived .

“We have so many precincts in here it adds to the chaos of it, the appearance of chaos,” the official said.

The official pointed at one precinct that was running smoothly as an example of how “it’s not like the entire Palo Verde area is a disaster.”

“When I use the term disaster, it’s also, this is really good for us,” the official said, referring to the high turnout.

Rosie Gray

What Happens If A Candidate Requests A Recanvass Or A Recount

If one of the presidential candidates wants a recanvass or a recount, they have until 5 p.m. Pacific time on Monday to write to the Nevada Democratic Party with a request.

Unlike in Iowa, where candidates could request a partial review of the results, Nevada Democrats will only review all of the statewide results. Requests much show evidence of errors that would affect the allocation of at least one national delegate. A recount would be completed by March 6.

First We Need To Take A Look At The History

The Nevada caucuses are relatively new and still getting their footing. In 2006, eleven states applied the the Democratic National Committee to be part of the four early voting states â the first two being Iowa and New Hampshire. Out of the eleven, South Carolina and Nevada were chosen, PBS News Hour reports. These two states are more diverse in population than the overwhelmingly white electorate of Iowa and New Hampshire.

How Many Delegates Are Up For Grabs In Nevada

Nevada will send 36 pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Twenty-three of those national delegates will be doled out based on the results from the four congressional districts. The rest five pledged party leader and elected official delegates and eight at-large delegates will be allocated based on the statewide vote. Only candidates who win 15% or more of the statewide vote will qualify for any of the PLEO or at-large delegates.

The first step, however, will be determining how many delegates each campaign gets to send to the county convention. Each precinct awards a set number of delegates to the county convention, and when results are released on Saturday , theyll be in terms of those county-level delegates.

The states proportional distribution of delegates means that the candidates with the most county-level delegates on Saturday might not have the most delegates at the national convention. In 2008, Hillary Clinton won 51% of the county-level delegate count to Barack Obamas 45%. But because Obamas support was spread across the state including rural areas he ended up beating her in the national delegate count.

Democratic officials and presidential campaigns in Nevada are desperately hoping to avoid another caucus meltdown like the one this month in Iowa.

Latino Voters Delivered Some Good News For Democrats In Nevada

Hillary Clinton easily bested Bernie Sanders in the Nevada Democratic caucuses on Saturday. But whether that was thanks to Latino voters — or in spite of them — isn’t clear.

That’s because of contradictory results from the event. Entrance polls found that 53 percent of Latinos were supporting Sen. Sanders , compared to 45 percent supporting former Secretary of State Clinton. But Clinton won caucuses in heavily Latino areas, casting doubt on whether the polling presented an accurate picture of how Latinos voted.

Regardless, the high Latino turnout in the state bodes well for a Democratic nominee come the general election.

Latinos made up 19 percent of the caucus-goers, according to the polls — an even higher proportion than during the 2008 Democratic caucuses, when they made up about 15 percent.

That figure could decide the general election in November, when either Clinton or Sanders would stand to benefit from a large turnout of Latino voters, who lean largely Democratic.

“Today, we’ve seen that the Latino vote is going to come out and it’s going to come out in great numbers,” said Jocelyn Sida, Nevada state director for Mi Familia Vota, a nonprofit that encourages civic participation. 

“The candidates on both sides of the aisle are going to have to start approaching, even more so, the issues that are important to the Latino community,” she said.

Latinos make up 28 percent of Nevada’s population and 17 percent of its eligible voters, according to Pew Hispanic Center. 

Nevada Caucus 2020: When Is It How Does It Work Will It Be Trouble

The third state presidential primary vote the Nevada caucuses — will be held Saturday amid growing fears that the debacle that was the vote count in Iowa could be repeated.

As Nevadas Democratic Party is assuring presidential campaigns that a plan is in place to count votes and announce results in a timely manner, campaign aides are saying their concerns over vote tallies are not being addressed.

It feels like the making it up as they go along, one Democratic presidential aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the process, told The Washington Post. Thats not how we need to be running an election.

“NV Dems can confidently say that what happened in the Iowa caucus last night will not happen in Nevada on February 22nd,” state party chair William McCurdy II said in a statement.

“We will not be employing the same app or vendor used in the Iowa caucus. We had already developed a series of backups and redundant reporting systems, and are currently evaluating the best path forward.”

Early voting in the caucuses began last Saturday and will continue through Tuesday with the full slate of caucuses being held Saturday.

Here is a look at how the Nevada caucuses works:

When will Nevada caucuses take place: Early voting began Saturday and will continue until Tuesday. Caucus Day is Saturday.

When do the caucuses end: Check-in for the caucus will begin at 10 a.m. PT and precinct caucuses will be called to order at noon. There is no closing time for the caucuses.

What Is A Closed Primary Election

What is a Closed Primary Election and How Your Choice of Party Affiliation Affects You in an Election?

Federal/State Primary Elections – Even-Numbered Years

What Is a Primary Election?         

A Primary Election is a preliminary election to select, when necessary, Democratic, Republican and nonpartisan candidates who will run in the General Election contests . The direct vote of the people selects the candidates, rather than votes of convention delegates.

Nevada Is a CLOSED Primary Election State            

  Major Political Parties:

°  Democratic: If you are a registered with the Democratic Party, you may vote in your precinct’s contests which select Democratic candidates AND in all of your precinct’s nonpartisan contests.

°  Republican: If you are a registered Republican, you may vote in your precinct’s contests which select Republican candidates AND in all of your precinct’s nonpartisan contests.

 Other Political Parties and Affiliations:                       

If you are not registered as a Democratic or Republican, you may vote for ONLY Nonpartisan CONTESTS for your precinct. Minor party, other party and independent candidates  only appear in the General Election, NOT the Primary Election.

°  Minor Political Parties:  If your Voter Registration Application indicates that your party is one that is classified as “minor party,” you may vote for ONLY Nonpartisan CONTESTS for your precinct.  to view the list of officially recognized minor parties  in the State of Nevada :

TO VOLUNTEER TO BE A POLL WORKER, .

Could Gop Voters Vote For Dems In Nevada Caucus

LAS VEGAS A scheduling quirk that may allow Nevada Republicans to vote in the Democratic caucuses on Saturday is drawing howls of protest and threats of legal action.

The two state political parties organize their own caucus events with differing rules and procedures.

The Democrats are allowing for on-site registration at its caucuses Saturday, a policy that can bulk up its voter numbers. This means anyone can look up their neighborhood’s designated caucus site and on the same day, change their party affiliation and have a say between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

The Republicans, meanwhile, had a Feb. 13 registration deadline to participate in their contest scheduled for Tuesday. Joe Gloria, the Clark County Registrar of Voters in Las Vegas, said those voter records are already settled with the Secretary of State’s official listing, which will be used at the Republican Caucuses.

Gloria said the caucus events are not official elections that his office would generally have authority over, but that this Nevada loophole may be a first. “I don’t know if it’s legal, but it would be unethical, I can tell you that,” Gloria said of the possibility of double-voting.

Nevada State Democratic Party Chair Roberta Lange also issued a statement Friday calling the move voter fraud and threatening legal action against anyone who votes in both contests.

Ted Cruz Adamant He Is The Only Candidate Who Can Still Beat Trump

Speaking to his supporters after losing the Nevada caucuses on Tuesday evening to Donald Trump, Ted Cruz positioned himself as the Republican candidate who can beat the billionaire for the party nomination.

The role of the first four primaries is to narrow the field of candidates, Cruz said, recounting his win in Iowa.

“The undeniable reality that the first four contests have shown is that only one campaign has beaten Donald Trump and can beat Donald Trump in this campaign,” Cruz said. “You can choose between two Washington dealmakers or you can choose the one proven committed conservative.”

Cruz also congratulated Trump on his win in Nevada. “They’re still counting the ballots, so we don’t know the count, but I want to congratulate Donald Trump,” Cruz said.

“Elections are about choices and there are clear choices in this race,” the Texan senator said. “If you want more Washington deals, if you want more corporate welfare, if you want more cronyism, if you want more debt, if you want fewer jobs, of you want lower wages, you got two candidates to choose from.”

At the end of his remarks, Cruz said he was looking forward to returning to Texas.

“Tonight I will sleep in my bed for the first time in a month,” Cruz said. Adolfo Flores

Registration Quirk May Let Nevada Republicans Vote In Democratic Caucus

Nevada Democratic caucus rules allowing for on-site registration could see Republicans casting unethical votes, a loophole thats drawing howls of protest

A scheduling quirk that may allow Nevada Republicans to vote in the Democratic caucuses on Saturday is drawing howls of protest and threats of legal action.

The two political parties organize their own caucus events with differing rules and procedures. The are allowing for on-site registration at its caucuses Saturday, a policy that can bulk up its voter numbers. This means anyone can look up their neighborhoods designated caucus site, and on the same day change their party affiliation and have a say between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

The , meanwhile, had a 13 February registration deadline to participate in their contest scheduled for Tuesday. Joe Gloria, the Clark County registrar of voters in Las Vegas, said those voter records are already settled with the Nevada secretary of states official listing, which will be used at the Republican caucuses.

Gloria said the caucus events are not official elections that his office would generally have authority over, but that this loophole may be a first. I dont know if its legal, but it would be unethical, I can tell you that, Gloria said of the possibility of double-voting.

Nevada state democratic party chair Roberta Lange also issued a statement Friday calling the move voter fraud, and threatening legal action against anyone who votes in both contests.

Here’s Where Things Get Complicated

Caucuses in Nevada are not quite as engrained in the state’s political fabric as they are in Iowa.

Democrats and Republicans vote on different days: In Nevada, Democrats caucus on Saturday, February 20, while Republicans will caucus on Tuesday, February 23. Democrats have a much more elaborate caucus process, which NPR explains, while Republicans just gather at precincts and vote on paper ballots.

Governor Signs Law Giving Nevada 1st Presidential Primary

Nevadas governor has signed a law making the Western state the first to vote on the 2024 presidential primary contests, bumping Iowa and New Hampshire from their leadoff spots

On Location: August 27, 2021

LAS VEGAS — Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak on Friday signed a law that would make Nevada the first state to vote in the 2024 presidential primary contests, bumping Iowa and New Hampshire from their leadoff spots.

Signing the law is a gamble.

It’s likely to set off maneuvering by other states, especially Iowa and New Hampshire, to move up their contests. The national political parties would need to agree to changes in the calendar, or state parties could risk losing their delegates at presidential nominating conventions.

The Democratic National Committee has not yet signaled whether it would support the calendar shakeup and isn’t expected to start writing rules for its nominating process until next year. Republicans in four early presidential nominating states this week all jointly opposed the move, saying they’re committed to preserving the historic schedule.

Democrats in Nevada, including former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, launched the push this year to boost their state after the 2020 primary contest left members of the party questioning the process. They noted Iowa’s problem-plagued caucuses and the fact that the two traditional early states are overwhelmingly white, unlike Nevada.

It could be the seventh, Gardner said Friday.

Early States Gop Opposes Nevada As 1st Presidential Primary

LAS VEGAS Republicans in the four early presidential nominating states on Tuesday jointly opposed a Democratic push in Nevada to make the Western state the first to hold a primary.

GOP chairs Jeff Kaufmann of Iowa, Stephen Stepanek of New Hampshire, Michael McDonald of Nevada and Drew McKissick of South Carolina said in a statement they want to preserve the historic schedule, which has led off with Iowas caucus followed by New Hampshires primary.

As the GOP leaders of the four carve-out states, we want to make clear that we stand together in protecting the presidential nominating schedule as it has existed for many years, the Republicans said in the statement. Our alliance is strong and we will continue to work together to preserve this historic process.

The move comes as a bill that would push Nevada up from from the third-in-line caucus state to the first-in-the-nation primary sits on Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolaks desk.

Nevada Democrats made the move with a behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign from former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid after the 2020 nominating process left them discontent with Iowas problem-plagued caucus and the two early states being overwhelmingly white. Nevada is much more racially diverse.

Sisolak has not said if he will sign the bill but is supportive of the effort. The national political parties would need to agree to changes in the calendar or state parties could risk losing their delegates at presidential nominating conventions.

Nevada Governor Signs Law Giving State The 1st Presidential Primary

LAS VEGAS Nevada Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak, signed into law Friday a bill that would make the Western state the first to vote in the 2024 presidential primary contests, bumping Iowa and New Hampshire from their leadoff spots.

Signing the law is a gamble.

It’s likely to set off maneuvering by other states, especially Iowa and New Hampshire, trying to move up their contests. The national political parties would need to agree to changes in the calendar or state parties could risk losing their delegates at presidential nominating conventions.

The Democratic National Committee has not yet signaled whether it would support the calendar shakeup and isn’t expected to start writing rules for its nominating process until next year.

Republicans in four early presidential nominating states this week all jointly opposed the move, saying they’re committed to preserving the historic schedule.

Democrats in Nevada including former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid launched the push this year to boost their state after the 2020 primary contest left members of the party questioning the process. They noted Iowa’s problem-plagued caucus and that the fact that the two traditional early states are overwhelmingly white.

Before he went on to win his party’s nomination, President Joe Biden performed poorly in Iowa’s caucus and New Hampshire’s primary. In Nevada, with a much more racially diverse population that mirrors the U.S. as a whole, he finished second.

Whos On The Presidential Preference Card

There are 13 candidates for Democrats to choose from on the card, but six of them have dropped out since the presidential preference card was finalized last month.

The candidates on the ballot and still in the race are: former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former hedge-fund manager Tom Steyer, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Former New York MayorMichael R. Bloomberg is not on the ballot. The billionaire skipped the first four nominating states to invest in the contests starting March 3, also known as Super Tuesday.

Joe Biden is the likely Democrat nominee to face President Trump now that Bernie Sanders has suspended his presidential campaign. Meet the candidates.

Drawing Latinos To Caucus For The Gop

Anastacio Torres, 73, who moved around on a chair walker, wore a pin and carried a sign for his choice, Marco Rubio. Torres said his roots go back to the Spaniards who founded New Mexico, where he was born. He’d been following Rubio since he was in the Florida Senate. “He’s got quite a reputation and I’d just like to see his candidacy advance and he has probably has the greatest chance of being the president of the United States that’s Hispanic,” Torres said.

RELATED: Nevada’s Latinos Ready to Caucus Amid High GOP Stakes

Rubio has become the candidate of choice for several former supporters of Jeb Bush who ended his campaign after a poor finish in South Carolina. Rubio was in Michigan while results were being counted in Nevada.

José García, 44, also was among those in the bigger than expected crowd. He had moved from Colorado to Nevada after losing his job and said he had been working six years in part-time jobs and been unable to find full time work.

“I’m tired of the last seven years of social progress, social programs, putting the emphasis on that rather than jobs,” said García, who had been a director of business for a mental health center in Colorado.

Rafael Mundo, 49, a pastor at Iglesia Hispana “The Hills” and his wife Martha Mundo, 48, cast their vote for Ted Cruz on their first time to caucus. Morals was the reason they chose Cruz, they said. Both immigrants from Mexico, they conceded immigration is important, but morality was a bigger issue.

So When Does Voting Start

Caucuses started midday Saturday.

Early voting, however, started Feb. 15 and ran through Feb. 18. This year, Nevada introduced early voting so that Democrats who cant devote an entire Saturday afternoon to caucusing can have their voices heard.

Nearly 75,000 Democrats voted early, according to the Nevada Democratic Party.

For the early voters, there was no shuffling around to different corners of a high school gym as their neighbors tried to woo them, like in a traditional caucus. Instead, they filled out a presidential preference form ranking their top three to five choices. Those votes will be added to the total of the in-person candidate preferences, and they will only be realigned if their first choice isnt viable.

Republicans On Capitol Hill Brace For The Real Possibility Of A Trump Nomination

WASHINGTON The day after Donald Trump’s third decisive win in early state primaries, the prospect of the billionaire’s inevitability as the Republican presidential nominee began to sink in on Capitol Hill.

Members of Congress have rushed to endorse Sen. Marco Rubio in recent days, but with several candidates still splitting the vote and Trump racking up delegates, Republican lawmakers now believe Trump is close to being unstoppable and are grappling with what that could mean for the party’s down-ballot candidates.

“We won’t lose,” Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday. “We’ll get slaughtered.”

Nevada Senate Passes Bill Moving State To Presidential Primary

FILE – In this Oct. 30, 2020 file photo people wait in line to vote at a polling place on the final day of early voting in Las Vegas. More than 1.1 million Nevadans have already cast ballots ahead of Tuesday’s election, where the state will be a presidential battleground, two incumbent Democratic members of Congress will try to hold on to their seats and voters will settle dozens of races for statewide, legislative and judicial offices and five statewide ballot questions.

LAS VEGAS — The Nevada State Senate passed a bill Monday afternoon that would move the state to a presidential primary instead of a caucus.

Assembly Bill 126 was introduced in February. The bill details the requirements for conducting a presidential primary election. The Senate passed the bill on a 15-6 vote, including Republicans Ben Kieckhefer and Heidi Gansert, and sends the bill to Gov. Steve Sisolak’s desk for a signature.

Nevada currently operates on a caucus system in which voters from one political party gather to elect delegates, with the largest group winning the votes. The caucus system has been criticized for being complicated, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when many people did not want to physically appear to vote and be part of a delegation.

The push for Nevada to jump past Iowas caucuses and New Hampshires longstanding first-in-the-nation primary follows a behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign led by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

[nataliesnews]

Thank you facebook, threats against those who would normally be Netanyahu's cohorts, the hypocrisy of the filth from the Balfour house, a marathon by Palestinians 6.6.2021

I started writing this letter a few days ago. But today before I send it there are two things I want to write about and the one is the threats that are not being made not even to those on the left…..but now also to Bennett, etc. who are pretty much on the same political line as Netanyahu but are trying to form an alternative government. As for the allegations by the right that the threats being made now are the same as those we at Balfour made against the criminal they support never called to kill or harm him or any of his Mafia brood but just to get rid of him legitimately. All this proves that what I said about the attacks against Palestinians and Arabs …..that it would eventually turn back on their own kind was true. Was there not an animal which ate its own tail. During protests outside the homes of Yamina members over the past week, some characterized Bennett’s move to sit in a coalition with centrist Yesh Atid and the Islamist Ra’am party as “treason,” and carried placards proclaiming “Leftists. Traitors.” In other words anyone against the criminal is a traitor. One of the members of the new hopefully government has also been harassed and a member of Meretz has left her home with her children

 The piece of filth from the Balfour house which will have to be decontaminated when they leave now made a statement to the effect that all the statements and demonstrations of the right against candidates of the parties hoping to replace him are completely democratic and again saying that the “threats” made against him and his family were much worse. He forgets when he stood on the balcony before the assassination of  Rabin where his supporters were showing Rabin with a Kafia, portraying him as a Nazi, an enemy of the Jewish people and calling for his assassination  and one of the speakers at this rally was the filth from Balfour.

    Shin Bet head in rare warning: Stop violent discourse now, someone will get hurt

Citing spike in online incitement, Argaman urges leaders to speak out; statement comes as 'change government' set to oust Netanyahu, who posted Friday about the Biblical spies

https://www.timesofisrael.com/shin-bet-head-in-rare-warning-stop-violent-discourse-now-someone-will-get-hurt/

And another very worrying thing

   This was written much before all the above.

 I had just got into bed when my phone peeped. I was taken back to my first years in Jerusalem. My friend, Tamar, had made friends with a teenager, Nachum, from Jerusalem,  who was with a youth group  on the kibbutz. When we came to Jerusalem, we visited the family, Carmela and Shmuel Dunkelman. They made me a “daughter of the house”.  Having no family here, it was a warm place for me. When my mother died and I went looking for a flat it was Shmuel who went with me each time. We found a wonderful flat but I was a trifle short of the price  and there was nowhere I could borrow it…or even take on myself extra debts. The following week I saw the same sort of flat advertised in the next block. I said  to them what is the use. I cannot afford it and Shmuel said go and see and I did. It had fewer accessories than the previous flat including no cupboards but I could afford it and lived happily in it for nearly 45 years with wonderful neighbours. And suddenly here living in Nofim, there is a message from the youngest daughter, Zippie,  whom I never thought would remember me,  that she had seen me on facebook at a demonstration. I was thrilled. I had  moved into the flat with a rackety bed, an even more rackety small cupboard, a carpet bought in the old city and the wooden carrier for my goods from SA when I had come to Israel. A friend from SA who had brought her mother to see the flat said that when they walked out her mother burst into tears and said, “Such poverty” and she said,” Now she has a roof over her head which is her own and she will slowly buy what she needs.” I never forgot my friends, Shmuel and Carmela who had encouraged to take this big step.  I fell asleep feeling the warmth of those in the past who had helped me.

 I again say that it is not that I am indifferent in any way to attacks on Jews by Arabs but because the other side of the picture is often not published.  I just know that things here are getting more and more violent. As you can see from these reports below. Also the pdf which I have just attached is the story of a grandfather who wanted to return his granddaughter

to her mother in one of the streets in Sheikh which has been turned into a ghetto. Only the residents are allowed in and out and the religious who have “bought” houses in the area. I guess we learned from other countries where they pushed us into ghettos.

  Yesterday we went as on every Friday to Sheikh Jarrah. When we arrived shirts were being distributed to many young people who were to run a marathon which they did from Sheikh Jarrah to Silvan. Here they are warming up dafke with a young Palestinian woman leading them.

  I had a bad feeling about it and was sure that the soldiers would  not allow it to pass without at least stun grenades. Nothing of course was published on the Israeli media but on El Jazeera I saw that stun grenades had been thrown and also rubber bullets but I am not sure about the latter. Nothing on facebook either but when we marched and stopped outside one of the houses which has been taken over by the religious,  the commander of the soldiers was just looking for a chance to arrest someone and did. A woman who should have minded her tongue and called on of the soldiers a Nazi. The commander told her he would arrest her for standing in the street (just so) and then afterwards when we went back they rushed into the crowd and pulled her out and arrested her. He also tried to arrest this woman who was standing outside on of the houses but the crowd seemed to be able to stop that. Notice the young woman who is standing with arms crossed and a tough guy stance. She stood there with such a smirk on her face that I would have loved to slap her. But I just went up and told her that in some time in the future she would look at the picture and be ashamed.

   For a full report on the marathon you can read this

  https://megafon-news.co.il/asys/archives/335002

  And as a titbit:

Jewish extremists reportedly attempted major firebomb attack on Palestinians

Group gathered Molotov cocktails and arranged to target bus stop used by West Bank workers near Afula this month; attack didn't happen since they failed to find the hidden weapons

https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-extremists-reportedly-attempted-major-firebomb-attack-on-palestinians/

 Meretz MK flees her home after right-wing threats to her baby, protests outside

Prospective gov't minister Tamar Zandberg comes under attack after article on right-wing site falsely claims she wants to imprison Chabad members who offer phylacteries to minors

https://www.timesofisrael.com/meretz-mk-leaves-home-after-right-wing-threats-to-her-baby/

 And at least one light in the darkness

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/arab-student-awarded-medal-from-college-for-saving-jewish-man-from-lynch-669841

  Thank you facebook, threats against those who would normally be Netanyahu's cohorts, the hypocrisy of the filth from the Balfour house, a marathon by Palestinians 6.6.202

[123moviees]

The Quake 4

Quake 4 is a military science fiction first-person shooter video game, the fourth title in the Quake series. The game was developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. Raven Software collaborated with id Software, the creators and developers of preceding Quake games. id Software supervised the development of the game as well as providing the id Tech 4 engine upon which it was built. Quake 4 went gold in early October 2005 and was released on October 18, 2005 for Microsoft Windows and later for Linux and OS X, as well as being a launch title for the Xbox 360. A special DVD Collectors Edition was released, including promotional material and the game Quake II with its expansions, The Reckoning and Ground Zero. The Xbox 360 version of Quake 4 is based on the Special Collectors Edition, and includes Quake II. On August 4, 2011, the game was made available through Steam.

Plotwise, the game is a sequel to Quake II and takes place during the same war as Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. Compared to other titles in the Quake series, Quake 4 has an increased emphasis on the single-player portion of the game.[6] A multiplayer mode is available, but it does not involve playable bots like Quake III Arena.[7]

The Quake 4 

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Single player 1.2 Multiplayer 1.3 Movement 2 Plot 3 Development 4 Reception 4.1 Competitive play 5 References 6 External links Gameplay Single player [icon] This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2019) Quake 4 has a stronger emphasis on single-player than its predecessor and features a campaign that continues the story of Quake II. However, it lacks the bot matchmaking offered in Quake III.

The campaign's gameplay is mostly the same as in the multiplayer but also adds friendly NPC squad members that can aid you in combat. The game also features outdoor vehicle sections during certain missions, where you can control walkers and tanks.

Multiplayer Multiplayer modes are Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Tourney, Capture the Flag, Arena CTF and DeadZone. Players at QuakeCon reported the multiplayer gameplay to include elements similar to those in previous Quake games such as strafe-jumping or rocket jumping. Notable additions to play are the ability to send shots through the teleporters and the advancement of the game physics provided by the new technology including the ability to bounce grenades and napalm fire off of jump-pads.

Like the previous Quake games, the multiplayer has a client-server architecture. The network code has been altered from Doom 3, allowing for larger numbers of players on each server; Doom 3 has a four-player restriction, whereas Quake 4 has a standard 16 player limit.

Movement The player movement in Quake 4 is similar to that in Quake III Arena and Quake Live, but with the additions of ramp jumping and crouch slides. Crouch slides give players the ability to maintain speed by sliding around corners.[8] Ramp jumps allow players to gain extra height from jumping as they reach the top of an inclined object,[9] which while present in the original Quake and Quake II was not included in Quake III Arena.

Plot

Corporal Matthew Kane prepares to take out the Strogg Nexus with his Rail Gun The Quake 4 single player mode continues the story of Quake II by pitting the player against a cyborg alien race known as the Strogg. The game follows the story of a Marine Corporal named Matthew Kane who is joining the elite Rhino Squad.[10] Following the success of the protagonist of Quake II in destroying the Strogg's leader, the Makron, Rhino Squad is tasked with spearheading the mission to secure the aliens' home planet Stroggos. In the course of the invasion, the squad ship is shot down and crashes in the middle of a battle zone, separating Kane from his companions.[11] Kane rejoins his scattered team members and partakes in the assault against the Strogg.

After performing a number of tasks, such as destroying and capturing Strogg aircraft hangars and defense systems,[12][13] Kane and his remaining squad members make it to the USS Hannibal. There they are given their next mission: infiltrating one of the Strogg's central communication hubs, the Tetranode, with an electromagnetic pulse bomb in the hope that it will put the main Strogg Nexus in disarray. Kane is tasked with defending the mission convoy,[14] which takes heavy casualties. After many setbacks, including the destruction of the EMP device by a Strogg ambush, Kane is left to complete the mission, assisted only by Private Johann Strauss (Peter Stormare) and Lance Corporal Nikolai "Sledge" Slidjonovitch (Dimitri Diatchenko). Strauss figures out a way to destroy the core by shutting down its coolant systems. As Kane reaches the entrance to the Tetranode, however, he is greeted by two rocket-equipped network guardians, as well as the newly constructed Makron, which easily defeats Kane and knocks him unconscious.[15]

When Kane awakens, he finds himself strapped to a conveyor belt in the Strogg "Medical Facilities", a structure used for turning those captured and killed by the aliens either into protein food or additional Strogg units. In a long and gruesome first-person cutscene, Kane is taken through this "stroggification" process which violently replaces much of his anatomy with bio-mechanical parts. Before the final controlling neurochip implanted in his brain can be activated, though, Rhino Squad bursts into the facility and rescues Kane.[16] After escaping through the Strogg medical facility and Waste Disposal plant, fighting off zombie-like half-stroggified humans along the way, Kane is forced to combat his former commander, Lieutenant Voss (Michael Gannon), who has been fully stroggified into a powerful mechanized monster but retains his own consciousness long enough to warn Kane.[17] After defeating this threat, Kane and the remaining marines finally make it back to the Hannibal.

The commanders realize that Kane's Strogg physiology has opened up new possibilities for defeating the Strogg, as he can be used to infiltrate locations and teleportation areas previously impenetrable and/or fatally harmful to human forces. The new plan is to directly target the Strogg Nexus Core, a huge centralized brain-like structure which controls the alien forces. The Marines are tasked with infiltrating the three data towers adjacent to the Nexus: Data Storage, Processing, and Networking. There, they will deactivate the Nexus' shield and power up the teleporter used to access the Nexus and send Kane in. Once inside, Kane will travel to the center of the Nexus to destroy the Core Brain and its guardian.

After infiltrating the facility and realigning the data nodes powering the teleporter, and destroying its fearsome "Guardian" creature,[18] Kane reaches the Nexus core. There he meets the Makron in a final showdown and kills it. This accomplished, he destroys the Core and returns to the Hannibal. Celebrating with Rhino Squad afterward, Kane receives word that he has new orders.[19]

Development The Xbox 360 version of Quake 4 was released at the launch of the Xbox 360 and is Xbox Live compatible. There have been major issues with frame rates for the console adaptation, earning it the award for Most Aggravating Frame Rate/Best Slideshow in the GameSpot.com Best and Worst of 2005 list. In addition, the Xbox 360 port of Quake 4 has very long load times and Xbox Live glitches that result in problematic multiplayer experiences, as documented by game review sites as well as on Activision's support pages for the Xbox 360 version. This version was initially priced the same as the PC Special Edition DVD and features the same content. Aspyr Media published and released Quake 4 for OS X on April 5, 2006, initially only for PowerPC based Macs, but later as a universal binary compatible with both PowerPC- and x86-based Macs.[20] id Software continued its tradition of supporting Linux, with Timothee Besset of id releasing a Linux version of the Quake 4 binary executable. The binary can be downloaded for free from id's servers and it requires a licensed copy of Quake 4 for Windows or OS X in order to run. The Linux installer was made available two days after the release of the game itself.

Having worked on the theme music for Doom 3, Clint Walsh and Chris Vrenna, were brought in to compose and produce the main theme respectively for Quake 4.

The rest of the music were composed by Raven's audio leads, Zachary Quarles and Kevin Schilder.

On April 11, 2012, it was announced that Quake 4 would be re-released for the Xbox 360 and PC on June 19, with publication handled by Bethesda. In Europe, the game was launched in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Benelux territories. It was released in the United Kingdom on June 22. Unlike the original Xbox 360 version, the Bethesda re-release does not include the port of Quake II.[21]

Like its predecessors, Quake 4 can be modified. This led to Quake 4 versions of popular mods from previous versions of Quake, such as Rocket Arena,[22] and Quake 4 Fortress (the Quake 4 version of Team Fortress Classic).[23] Quake 4 Fortress was abandoned before its creators considered it complete; instead they released an alpha version complete with source code.[24] In the competitive gaming scene, there were two principal mods, Q4Max[25] and X-Battle.[26] The online Quake 4 competitive community was split between the two mods.[27][28] A number of the online leagues switched between X-Battle and Q4Max, such as ClanBase EuroCup[29] and GGL.[30] Despite this split in the online community, the offline professional LAN tournaments run by CPL,[31] ESWC,[32] WCG,[33] QuakeCon,[34][35] and WSVG[36] all used Q4Max. Members of both the Q4Max and X-Battle teams joined forces with Adam 'SyncError' Pyle of id Software and developed another mod, Delta CTF,[37] which brought Quake II style Capture the Flag to Quake 4.[38] Another notable mod is SABot,[7] which successfully implemented multiplayer bots in Quake 4 less than a month after the SDK was released,[39] despite this being a feature that some reviewers criticised Quake 4 for not including.[40]

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Top 10 Problems With HP Printers and Their Solutions

In spite of being trustworthy printing press and also regardless of your ideal of initiatives, HP printers often malfunction. Why? There can be numerous factors for HP printers to breakdown and also display screen mistake messages. Here we have detailed 10 typical HP printer troubles and their options.

  Toner smears or does not repair to the page

  Examine the fuser. If it is nearing the end, replace it. If you don't know exactly how to change a fuser, describe your HP printer support guidebook that initially came with the HP printer arrangement set. Often, fuser displays a Clean Fuser Input message. It is a clear indication that fuser requires a clean-up. Open the front door on your HP printer. Inspect if you see a blue brush inside there (there needs to be one). Take the printer toner cartridge out of the printer to reach the fuser input assembly.

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The assembly finds on top of the black toner cartridge port. Take heaven brush out and also cleanse the setting up. The cleaning treatment is intended for a HP Shade LaserJet 5500 printer. If you have a various printer, describe its guidebook. If it's not fuser, it might be the printer toner cartridge which is either malfunctioning or nearing the end. In that situation also, you will certainly need to change it. If the printer toner is neither defective neither nearing end, clean the printer toner cartridge assembly.

  Paper Jams

  Paper jams are the commonest printer troubles, not simply with HP printers however with all the printer brand names and also versions. Paper jam can happen due to a number of factors from the torn paper bits, incorrect paper tray picked, incorrect paper type chosen, loose paper roller, as well as to a lint of dust and so on look very carefully inside the paper tray and the at the departure of the print paper. If there are any kind of littles paper stuck inside, eliminate them. Check that the paper tray has the right sort of paper what is in the control board of the printer

  If it is various, printer will certainly experience a paper jam trouble. Ensure that the paper type matches what is in the printer residential properties. Otherwise, remedy it. Also, ensure that the printer prints to the appropriate paper tray. Failure to which will certainly bring about paper jam. If the roller seems to be loosened, tighten it thoroughly. If the roller looks shiny, it might require a substitute. Besides, never ever pull paper in the anti-direction. Always pull it in the paper path instructions.

  Windows sends print tasks to a wrong printer.

  It happens when Windows picks a default printer by itself. If you are making use of Windows 7, click the Start switch and indicate Gadgets and also Printers. You will see various printers detailed under Printer as well as Faxes. Right-click the desired printer as well as click Establish as default printer. If prompted, verify the action and leave Gadgets as well as Printers. Reactivate your computer system and also printer. Check a print page and also examine back. Windows should print to the ideal printer.

  If you are using Window XP, click the Begin button as well as point to Control Panel. Double-click Hardware and Sound and afterwards Printers. Seek the printer that you wish to establish as default, right-click it and after that select Set as Default Printer.

  Publish Spooler service quits working

  This is once more a common trouble with HP printers. To get rid of this problem, click the Beginning switch and indicate Run. When in Run dialog box, type 'services.msc' (without quotes) as well as struck Get in. This will take you to the Services window. On the right hand side, try to find Print Spooler, right-click it and also select Restart. When prompted, validate the activity and also departure the Providers home window. If prompted, reactivate your computer. When done, check a print page.

  50.4 error message

  The mistake message shows a power supply trouble as well as typically takes place when the power cord of your printer is linked into a power strip or the UPS. To remove this mistake message, plug the printer straight right into a power electrical outlet.

  Printouts are also light, have areas

  Frequently a printer begins printing light or erratic when the ink \ printer toner cartridge is either ran out or clogged. Remove the ink \ printer toner cartridge. Take a soft cloth and dip it into either warm water or alcohol. Currently massage the soft cloth carefully against the print head. Likewise, scrub it underside the nozzle of the printer. It will certainly soften the ink as well as allow the printer print effectively. Put the ink cartridge back in the place. Publish a test web page and inspect back.

iUV600s UV printer

Error message 69.x

  This reveals a momentary glitch on your printing device. To make this message disappear, you simply need to power off your printer, wait for 10-15 secs and then power it on. This will reset the arrangements and make your printer working again. In situation the message still shows up, power off both printer and also computer system and then transform them on.

  Mistake message 10

  The error indicates a Supplies Memory Error. Depending on your HP printer model, the error can happen because of different reasons. To do away with the problem, power off your printer and also unplug it from the power outlet. Wait on 10-15 secs before plugging the printer back in. When done, connect the printer back right into power outlet, power it on, as well as allow it heat up properly. When done, publish an examination web page and inspect back. Your printer must start working penalty currently. There might additionally be an issue with your printer's memory. Change its memory stick.

  Can not fit more message on the page

  You might want your print page to have a considerable message amount but your default printer settings may not allow you do so. In some cases, you may additionally encounter a trouble when reducing the text on a sheet. To eliminate this issue, go to Printer Residence in Control Panel. Adjustment the printer setups to accommodate even more pages for each sheet. For instance, click the drop-down food selection under Pages per sheet and also posters as well as choose it to 2 or 3 as preferred per pages. Click the OK switch. The settings might differ according to your printer version. Refer to your HP printer support handbook for correct setups.

  Wireless printer problems

  Wireless printers are terrific for office or home use. Nonetheless, they can not beat wired printers when it comes to speed up. Wireless printer customers commonly deal with printer slow issues. To make sure that your wireless printer operates at a suitable speed, utilize an one-of-a-kind network number in your router. Besides, place your printer near your Wi-Fi router. Keep gizmos like cordless phones, safety alarms far from your cordless router. These devices develop electric disturbance and trigger your printer to work slowly.