#was gonna include jan 31 in this one

[jmdbjk]

Happy Tumblr Anniversary to me

Exactly 1 year ago I started blabbing on this hellsite. A lot happened in one year...

• Oct. 2021: In the Soop 2: people were analyzing the clues Bam was throwing down to prove if Jimin and Jungkook lived together. And then we get this followed by an invitation to partake in ramen:

• Also Oct. 2021: Jimin’s birthday VLive when he made a phone call to JK (suspiciously staged?) and Jungkook immediately (less than 1 minute) zips up or down the elevator to join him briefly. 

• Nov. 2021: BTS historically wins the AMAs Artist of the Year Award and during that acceptance speech, JK had us hanging because “in 2022 we’re gonna focus on....” feeding jk some pizza…

• Also Nov. 2021: The PTD LA VMinKook VLive when Jimin and Jungkook officially name their (fake) YouTube channel “Mingoogie.”

• Dec. 2021: Jin unleashes Super Tuna on an unsuspecting world and surprised himself with an instant hit.

• Also Dec. 2021: the creation of individual Instagram accounts and we are blessed with a series of photos from Santa Monica Beach including this one... 

• Jan. 2022: The Hunger Games of Artist Made Merch began. 

• Also Jan. 2022: the world stopped for a week from Jan. 31-Feb. 5 when Jimin was admitted to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy and treatment for COVID simultaneously.

• Feb. 2022: Jimin finally is discharged from the hospital and goes home to recuperate and shares with us on Weverse that he’s watching “The Notebook” for the nth time. 

February was a particularly meager month for us as we did not get as much content as we had been. 

• March 2022: We discover Jimin’s new moon tattoo and his “Youth” tattoo behind his ear and we collectively freak out. And JK seems to have covered some of his tattoos…and we start seeing more nipples... the normalizing of naked Bangtan has begun...

• Also March 2022: Jimin blesses us with the “air ass slap” video. 

• April 2022 (the month that kept on giving): Jimin April Fools us by changing the Twitter handle of the BTS official account to Jimin Park and every post appears like this:

Also April 2022: The Grammy Awards... and Rolling Stone inadvertently reveal they are Jikookers:

Also April 2022: PTD Las Vegas...

May 2022: The Perilla Leaf Debate raged on... and proved they can’t be a couple because those darn leaves get stuck together. Ok whatever you say...

Also in May 2022: BTS is invited by the White House and President Biden to speak during our National Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. And they did amazing...(this photo is surreal)...(and we see you Jimin and JK)...

Also May 2022: Jikook just Jikooking in Washington DC at Dave and Busters? (courtesy of @uarmyhope). 

June 2022: The bombshell heard ‘round the world. BTS going on hiatus/not a hiatus, BTS embarks on Chapter 2... and oh look, Namjoon already said they would perform Run BTS (actually practically spoiled that choreography was being created for it) and right before this he sort of said old songs like Mic Drop and Fake Love might be popular with fans but they are ready to move on from them... go watch it again. Calm down people. 

July 2022: Hobi killed it with Jack in the Box and Hobipalooza.

Also in July 2022: They are THAT couple at a party...

Aug. 2022: VampKoo drops and Armys (who were in the midst of some sort of Werewolf fantasy) were in shambles...

Sept. 2022: Jungkook’s birthday WeLive (with his lil hairclips) and Jin’s interrogation of who came to wish JK happy birthday in person...

Also in Sept. 2022: All we needed was a leather-gloved hand to cause a massive orgasm within the fandom...

Oct. 2022: Jimin’s birthday... the thirst trap birthday wish/invitation/horn-fest...

And here we are, full circle. So much more happened other than what I mentioned here! But I hope everyone can see what has remained consistent: Jimin and Jungkook being together. Now we are waiting for the big event of the year, Yet to Come in Busan. We’ve seen the sneak peeks of them rehearsing and we know Jimin and Jungkook are STILL happily being in each other’s space. 

Also, the constant downplaying of what they are and have. So. much. energy. wasted. on that. Just accept it my friends. It is what it is. 

And these words I’ve seen more times in the last year than in my entire lifetime before BTS: hypocrisy and heteronormativity. And the big “H” word... homophobia. Attitudes and views that are sadly still prevalent. I will admit, I have LEARNED A LOT being here. If only everyone else were capable of opening their minds to ideas that might be different than what they think they know.

On a much brighter note, I’ve encountered many of you who follow my crazy ramblings and you have enlightened me, made me feel like I belong here, bring me joy and make me smile every day. I will keep saying it, I love you all. We are in this Bangtan shit together and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Looking forward to what’s to come. 

[eliotqueliot]

Queliot & The Magicians Fic Reading Winter Challenge, part 1

I'm going to return to posting about my fic reading. Basically this is just a list of Queliot & Magicians fanfic that I read & loved! With a few little comments about why I loved it, in case you want to try it, too.

However--there's a little more to this challenge personally, behind the scenes.

I started reading Queliot fanfic before I had an AO3 account. While I always left kudos as a guest, at first, I didn't leave a lot of comments.

Meanwhile, this summer, I was out of town a lot. I did a lot of fic reading--but a lot of it was offline, with fic I downloaded so I could read them--and then I got super busy upon return and still haven't finished commenting.

And also--a lot of the fic I love, including several I'm currently reading, are LONG. I don't wanna stress myself out or shortchange the fic by telling myself to read a new-to-me fic every day, like I did the last time.

This time--my personal challenge is gonna include spending more time reading Queliot & Magicians fic (I love it the most, and I've been so stressed out lately that I haven't had time to read enough--yet ironically reading the fic would help so much with the stress!)--but also--taking the time to go back and add comments to some of the fic I've read but haven't yet commented on!

I'll be sharing the list here--because I hope more people will dive in & enjoy these wonderful stories--also to keep me on track and help me find the fic I love. I'll do my best to post every few days with 2 or more recs. My goal--starting today through Jan. 31--is to rec about five per week--for a total of 40 fic! Let's see how I do!!! <3 (Yes, you know me too well--I will be trying for more than 40 LOL)

By the way--this whole thing started thanks to @lizardkingeliot and specifically:

I really love this high school AU showing Eliot & Quentin's friendship--and just how important they become to one another, how quickly (platonic, not a romance). It's deep and moving and for me showcases just how well they connect. Please mind the tags. Thank you so much, @tbraves24

And I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life - tbraves24 - The Magicians (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

2. Queliot romance--very hot!--very much like them--and so sweet! I love how their connection develops--it feels so true to them--and honestly I just love how they are together in this fic. Thank you so much, @veronicasawyer99

Making Friends After 30 - cold_wind - The Magicians (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

3. I can't stop thinking about this one. Mosaic fic--my favorite type of Queliot fic--oh, the sweetness! Eliot makes a puppet show for Teddy...also showing El missing Margo...omg. Thank you so much, @lizardkingeliot

in a land far away - peacefrog - The Magicians (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

[marmolita]

AO3 wrapped 2022 writer's edition

Based on this ask game going around but I figured I'd just answer all the questions for fun!  All 30 answers under the cut.

1. How many words have you written this year? 42,048 on AO3, and I have another 20k or so that's not published yet

2. How many works did you publish this year?  10, which includes my Yuletide fic that's not revealed yet but not my consent issues fics which aren't quite done, and I guess also includes the ones I wrote for holiday stuff last year that got posted on like Jan 1.

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)? how many spruces grow on the moon?

4. What work of yours has the most hits? workout

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected? definitely also "how many spruces grow on the moon" because it's such a niche rarepair!

6. Favorite title you used this is also how many spruces grow on the moon lol

7. If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most? actually none of my titles are song lyrics for this year

8. Pairing you wrote the most for this year?  I didn't write much this year but I did two for Aho/Jarvis so that's the winner

9. Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?  ...that's also gonna be Aho/Jarvis based on what I've written so far I think.

10. What work was the quickest to write?  escape because it's like 300 words I splatted into a tumblr post

11. What work took you the longest to write?  hmmm, I'm not sure!  I think it was either team bonding or workout because it's always hard to manage that many characters together

12. How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?  well, I have two that are nearly done that I'm planning to post for consent issues so those will be this year but also revealing like Jan 1, and I have one hockey wip that I would like to not abandon since I put so much work into it already but idk if it'll happen.

13. What’s your longest work of the year? team bonding at 10,130, but one of my wips for consent issues is longer

14. What’s your shortest work of the year? escape at 362

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you?  I guess the Aho/Jarvis omegaverse wip that I haven't finished?  I don't know if I will finish it or not though, but it's not getting done this year for sure.

16. What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag?  Apparently it is "2021-2022 NHL Season"

17. Your favorite character to write this year?  I am having a blast writing Tim Stoker right now so it's gonna be him at the moment.

18. The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?  Roope Hintz for sure, idk why I had trouble with him!

19. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?  Jon/Martin for TMA, although I feel like I'll end up writing weird stuff that's just about one of them or the other but with that as a background throughline?  idk we'll see

20. Which work of yours have you reread the most?  ngl it's probably workout

21. How many kudos in total did you get this year?  702 on fics that were written this year, I'm not sure how to calculate how many I got on older fics during this year

22. Which work has the most comments?  how many spruces grow on the moon

23. Did you do any collaborative works this year?  well the actual real book I self-pubbed was a collaboration, but I don't think that counts?  All my fanfic is like a pseudo-collab between me and the people I complain to about it constantly while I'm writing lol

24. Did you write any gifts this year?  Yes!  This year almost all my fic was gifts actually.  Of the 10 that are in AO3, 4 of them are gifts, and my two that are finishing up for consent issues will also be gifts.

25. Did you receive any gifts this year?  Yup!  4-5 depending how you count Dec 31/Jan 1 posting dates.

26. What’s your most common category?  M/M

27. What do you listen to while writing? nothing usually, maybe hockey on the tv in the background lol

28. Favorite work you wrote this year?  it's gonna be how many spruces grow on the moon, I felt like it was a fun concept to base it on Duolingo, and a cute little romance and like....not coming-of-age exactly but kind of?  and it was much better received than I expected given that it inaugurated the ship tag.

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?  Martin telling Jon "I've never been afraid of you watching me" in see you later because I'm obsessed with it as a character beat

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?  I guess the biggest surprise of the year is finding a new fandom?  Or maybe the fact that I randomly wrote a Stargate Atlantis fic in the middle of this year sometime, definitely wasn't expecting to do that!  Also the good reception for my Aho/Jarvis fics, that was a nice surprise.

[celtfather]

Demon & Reaver Lullaby, GaFilk, Top 10 Celtic Bands of 2022

There are demons beneath your bed that are gonna eat you up this year. I am unofficially performing at GaFilk this weekend in Atlanta. And I count down the Best Celtic Bands of 2022.

This is Atlanta Pub Songs & Stories #262.

  0:16 - “The Prettiest Hobbit” by Kilted Kings from Flower of Scotland

2:08 - WELCOME TO ATLANTA PUB SONGS & STORIES

I am Marc Gunn. I’m a Celtic and folk musician living in Atlanta, Georgia.

This is the audio liner notes for the songs I record and play and for the stories I gather and the people I meet in the city of Atlanta and beyond.

This is the first episode as an Atlanta-centric podcast. Hopefully, I can do it justice.

4:26 - WHAT IS GAFILK?

Filk is the music of fandom. The name started as a misspelling of folk music that was happening at science fiction conventions back in the 60s.

GaFilk, or Georgia Filk, is a convention that happens every year here in Atlanta, Georgia. I was first introduced to it when Brobdingnagian Bards was invited as a Super Secret Guest. We were still performing together in Austin.

It’s a different kind of convention. There aren’t a whole bunch of panels on your favorite fandoms. It’s all about the music… and the people.

Folks from all over the nation gather together to sing songs inspired by science fiction, fantasy, parodies, and just geek out together. And it’s a RelaxaCon. It’s super laid back.

I’ve been a guest about three times, including with the Bards. This year, I’m just going for fun. But I’ll have CDs and album pins and will do my best to entertain you when it’s my turn in the filk circle.

6:50 - UPCOMING SHOWS

Here are some more shows happening this month:

JAN 6-8: GaFilk, Atlanta, GA

JAN 12: Internet Concert with Special Guest @ 6:30 PM EST

JAN 21: Maggie McGuinness Pub, Huntsville, AL @ 7 PM

JAN 28: The Lost Druid, Avondale Estates @ 6:30-9:30 PM

JUN 3-10: Celtic Invasion Vacations, County Mayo, Ireland

10:06 - Altan "Dúlamán" from Island Angel

13:45 - JOIN THE CLUB

The show is brought to you by my Gunn Runners on Patreon. If you enjoy this podcast and my music, please join the Club. You get 4-10 new things every month. That includes bonus podcasts, downloadable songs, printed sheet music, blogs, stories from the road, and access to Coffee with The Celtfather video concerts.

Sign up for as little as $5 per month. And you can save 15% with an annual membership. Thanks to my newest Gunn Runners on Patreon: Rich C, Janice G, Emil V, Bob H, Marguerite K

14:42 - COUNTDOWN OF TOP 10 CELTIC BANDS OF 2022?

I was listening to a podcast called Hit Parade. They talk about the hits. The host is a Charts Nerd. Like me, he listened to Casey Kasem’s Top 40 Hits back in the 80s. I wasn’t quite as obsessed as he was. But I did love the show.

My interest in charts really took off in the early 2000s when the Brobdingnagian Bards were topping the charts. I was able to figure out the system and how to maximize our success there.

So now I have Two Charts that I keep track of each year. One is the Celtic Top 20. This is the last episode of the year of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. I highlight fan votes for the top 20 songs and tunes of all of the episodes of the year.

The second is my organic pick of the Top 10 Celtic Bands. Meaning, these are the bands I played the most. I didn’t plan to play any band more than any other. But I did.

You can read the blog, Top 10 Celtic Bands of 2022, on my website.

You can also check out my 5 Celtic Bands to Watch in 2023.

24:37 - DOWNLOAD MY FREE EP

You can download all of my songs in this show. Just send me an email.  pubsong@celtfather

You can let me know what you’re doing while listening to this episode. I’d love to hear from you.

You will get an auto responder with a link to download this month’s album. Please subscribe to the podcast if you’re not already subscribed. It’s quick and easy. And just like this Free EP, it is FREE!

25:38 - “Biddy Mulligan” by Banshee in the Kitchen from Last Pint - NOT

31:38 - STORY OF CLOSE YOUR EYES & REAVERS LULLABY

One of my most-popular songs since 2009 is a song called "Close Your Eyes". It's commonly known as "The Demon Lulllaby".

The song was written in 2003 by filker, Daniel Glasser. It won Best Comedy Song in the 2008 Pegasus Awards. That's also the year I first heard the song.

It was a I-Con Science Fiction Convention in Stony Brook, New York. I remember those filk circles fairly well.

Now if you're not familiar with the word filk, that is the music of fandom. It's the music you hear at science fiction conventions. The word was first used as a misprint of folk music that was happening at conventions back in the '50s. I guess con goers liked the term, because next thing you know, filk circles exploded.

The filk circles at I-Con were my first. My old band, Brobdingnagian Bards, were invited to be guests at I-Con back in 2002, I believe. I saw Emerald Rose was performing there and thought, "why on earth is a Celtic band like us playing at science fiction convention". So I booked us and realize con goers love Celtic music, and that we were also playing filk, with songs like "Do Virgins Taste Better" and "If I Had A Million Ducats".

Any case, we were invited to the I-Con Filk Circle. We sang our songs and began building an audience. 2008 was our last year at the convention before we broke up. I don't remember who sang "Close Your Eyes". But I loved it.

After we parted ways, I did an internet search to find the song. Lo and behold, I found it on the Pegasus Awards website. I contacted Daniel Glasser and asked if I could record the song. He was extremely generous to say yes.

I had never played the song live when I recorded it in January 2009 for my CD Kilted For Her Pleasure on the North Shore in Louisiana at my friend Jamie Haeuser's house. Jamie recorded percussion on a couple of tracks for that album.

As a lullaby, I kept the song pretty barebones, just me and the autoharp. And it worked.

As I played it at shows, it was an immediate favorite. "The demons in your bed are gonna eat you up".

One of my most-memorable moments was performing it a giant ballroom at Dragon Con in 2009. The stage was simple with me dressed in my black kilt, long hair flowing, the enormous sideburns, and an autoharp as I sang the song, pausing for comedic effect. (YouTube video)The audience was in tears by the end. It was a brilliant start to my solo career. The song was an obvious hit.

I'm gonna play the song for you right now. And then I'll share the filk of the song in a moment.

37:10 - "Close Your Eyes" by Marc Gunn from Kilted For Her Pleasure

40:51 - STORY OF REAVER'S LULLABY

In 2010, my first daughter was born--Kenzie. Having a daughter made this song even better. Not only do I like singing it to her. But there's no better way of finishing the song and stating, "If you enjoy this song, then your CD purchases help to pay for my daughter's therapy when she grows up."

And it's true. Your purchases do help to pay for her therapy. So please....

Well, if she wasn't disturbed, then she has been when I filked the filk.

I think it was 2014 when I first filked "Close Your Eyes". The song was already popular at my many shows. I started performing it at my Firefly Drinking Songs show at Gen Con the year before. It was well-loved.

Now when I'm up on stage, I'm always looking to use things from the moment to include in the show. Some people complain about hecklers. I don't think I've ever met a heckler I didn't like. They just give me ammo to improve my show.

The year before "Close Your Eyes" was a hit. But could I make it funnier?

“Close your eyes and sleep There are... reavers in your dreams.”

Reavers! Hey that works! I remember thinking.

The reavers in your bed...

I can't tell you why I decided to change the next line. But the response was mind-blowing.

“The reavers in your bed… Are gonna eat your face!”

The room erupted. Those who knew the original song already thought it was funny. But the visual of the horrifying reavers eating someone's face... well, it worked!

Over the next few years, I tried changing the lyrics more to suit Firefly, but they never really came.

Meanwhile, several Browncoats kept asking, "when are going to record that song?!"

I set a Milestone on Patreon in 2017. If I raised enough money, I would record the song for a short EP. The goal was met. I sat down to record the song and ended up recording a whole bunch of Firefly songs. Lo and behold I had a new album.

The album is called As Long As I'm Flyin'. It will be officially released on March 6, 2018. March is the only month that you will be able to buy a physical copy of the album online for the foreseeable future. So mark your calendar.

If you want a download of the album, along with a bunch of notes about it, become a Patron of music.

JOIN THE GUNN RUNNERS CLUB ON PATREON!

You'll be able to buy it everywhere online. And you can stream it through Spotify.

I would deeply appreciate it if you would help me spread the word. You can share this podcast.

Of course, my previous Firefly album with Bedlam Bards, Firefly Drinking Songs, is on sale. If you ever wanted to experience what it's like going to a pub in Canton on Higgin's Moon, you want to own this album.

48:26 - CREDITS

Thanks for listening to Atlanta Pub Songs & Stories. The show was produced by Marc Gunn, edited by Mitchell Petersen with graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs.

You can subscribe and listen to the show wherever you find podcasts. O can also subscribe to my mailing list. You will get regular updates of new music, podcasts, special offers, and you’ll more stories behind several of my most-popular songs.

And of course, please tell one friend about this podcast. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to support any creative endeavor.

Have fun and sing along at www.pubsong.com!

#pubstories #celticmusic #top20

Check out this episode!

[extreme-investor-network]

Former Trump aide Steve Bannon guilty in Jan. 6 contempt of Congress case

Former Trump White House aide Steve Bannon was found guilty Friday of two counts of contempt of Congress after a trial in federal court in Washington, D.C. Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before convicting Bannon of willfully failing to comply with subpoenas demanding his testimony and records, which were issued last September by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. He faces a minimum punishment of 30 days in jail and a maximum of one year when he is sentenced on Oct. 21. He also faces a fine in the range of $100 to a maximum of $100,000. “The subpoena to Stephen Bannon was not an invitation that could be rejected or ignored,” said Matthew Graves, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. “Mr. Bannon had an obligation to appear before the House Select Committee to give testimony and provide documents. His refusal to do so was deliberate, and now a jury has found that he must pay the consequences.” “We respect their decision,” Bannon, 68, said outside of the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse, referring to the jurors at his trial. “We may have lost a battle here today, but we’re not going to lose this war,” Bannon said. “I stand with Trump and the Constitution, and I will never back off that, ever.” Bannon plans to appeal his conviction, which came a day after the Jan. 6 committee held a public hearing that featured evidence that included his own words. The committee played an audio clip of Bannon, speaking to a group of people on Oct. 31, 2020, days before the presidential election, in which he said that Trump would claim to have won the White House race regardless of the actual results. “What Trump’s gonna do is just declare victory. Right? He’s gonna declare victory. But that doesn’t mean he’s a winner,” Bannon said. “He’s just gonna say he’s a winner. That is exactly what Trump did for weeks after losing both the popular election vote and the Electoral College vote to President Joe Biden. On Jan. 5, 2021, the eve of Congress holding a joint session to confirm Biden’s Electoral College victory, Bannon spoke to Trump on the phone for 11 minutes, and then went on a radio show where he made a dark prediction. “All hell is going to break loose tomorrow,” Bannon said on that show. “It’s all converging, and now we’re on, as they say, the point of attack.” “I’ll tell you this: It’s not going to happen like you think it’s going to happen,” he said. “It’s going to be quite extraordinarily different, and all I can say is strap in.” The next day, thousands of Trump supporters who believed he had won the election besieged the Capitol, with hundreds of them swarming through the halls of Congress, disrupting for hours the session confirming the official results. The leaders of the Jan. 6 committee lauded the jury’s decision Friday. “The conviction of Steve Bannon is a victory for the rule of law and an important affirmation of the Select Committee’s work,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, the Mississippi Democrat who is chair of the Jan. 6 committee, and Vice Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said in a joint statement Friday afternoon. “As the prosecutor stated, Steve Bannon ‘chose allegiance to Donald Trump over compliance with the law.’ Just as there must be accountability for all those responsible for the events of January 6th, anyone who obstructs our investigation into these matters should face consequences. No one is above the law,” Thompson and Cheney said. Bannon had served as chief strategist and counselor to Trump for about a half-year before being ousted in mid-2017. Since then, however, he has been an ardent backer of the ex-president and the so-called MAGA — “Make America Great Again” — movement. Two weeks after the Capitol riot, on his last night as president, Trump issued dozens of pardons, including one to Bannon, who had been criminally charged in federal court in New York with swindling donors in a purported effort to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. Prosecutors in that case said Bannon received $1 million in funds from the We Build the Wall group, and diverted that money to a separate nonprofit he had already created, whose ostensible purpose was “promoting economic nationalism and American sovereignty.”  In her closing arguments Friday morning at Bannon’s contempt trial, assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston told jurors he “chose allegiance to Donald Trump over compliance with the law” by refusing to appear for testimony and give documents to the Jan. 6 committee. “When it really comes down to it, he did not want to recognize Congress’ authority or play by the government’s rules,” Gaston said. “Our government only works if people show up. It only works if people play by the rules. And it only works if people are held accountable when they do not.” Bannon’s lawyers did not present a defense during the trial, which began Monday with jury selection. His attorneys were hamstrung by pretrial rulings by the judge in the case, who severely limited the evidence they could present at trial. During his own closing arguments Friday, Bannon’s lawyer Evan Corcoran tried to suggest that Thompson did not sign a subpoena for Bannon, NBC reported. Corcoran dropped that line of argument after the prosecution objected. Corcoran also asked jurors to set aside memories of Jan. 6 in their deliberations. “None of us will soon forget January 6, 2021,” Corcoran said. “It’s part of our collective memory. But there’s no evidence in this case that Steve Bannon was involved at all. For purposes of this case we have to put out of our thoughts January 6.” Jurors began their deliberations just before 11:40 a.m. ET, after closing arguments concluded. The verdicts were read out in court at around 2:50 p.m. ET. Another former Trump aide, the trade advisor Peter Navarro, was arrested in early June on charges identical to the ones that Bannon was convicted of. Navarro failed to appear to testify on March 2 in response to the subpoena from the House panel and also failed to produce by Feb. 23 the documents sought by that same subpoena, according to the indictment issued by a grand jury in Washington federal court. Original Article Here: Read the full article

[tameila]

January Week Four Albums

January 22nd: We Are Pilots, Shiny Toy Guys

familiarity: another adolescent favorite! there’s only two songs -- “Waiting” and “Jackie Save Me” -- that I am not familiar with from this album

favorite(s) before listen: Chemistry of a Car Crash is one of those songs that I wish I could experience again for the first time they didn’t need to go that hard but they did, Shaken, Starts With One, We Are Pilots, Le Disko

favorite(s) after listen: favorites stayed the same

January 23rd: This is What I Live For, Blue October

familiarity: Blue October is one of those bands that I’ve always checked back with from time to time to find new music. When I was relistening to Foiled, I was excited to see they had a new album!

favorite(s) before listen: N/A

favorite(s) after listen: Fight For Love (ft. Blue Reed), Moving On (So Long), I Will Follow You, Stay With Me, The Weatherman. the fact that his daughter is featured on “Fight for Love”? im not crying YOU ARE!!!

January 24th: Take This to Your Grave, Fall Out Boy

familiarity: My best friend suggested a Fall Out boy themed week and, since they have seven albums and i love them, how could i resist? I would say that this album is one that I don’t know as well as some of their later releases, but...I think you’ll see by the favorites list that it’s not by too much lol

favorite(s) before listen: Grand Theft Autumn / Where is Your Boy, Homesick at Space Camp, Tell That Mick He Just Made My List of Things to Do Today, Homesick at Space Camp, Chicago is So Two Years Ago, The Pros and Cons of Breathing, The Patron Saint of Lairs and Fakes

favorite(s) after listen: [adding onto aforementioned list] Calm Before The Storm, Reinventing the Wheel to Run Myself Over [if only for that name amirite ladies]

additional thoughts: “stop burning bridges / drive off of them”? still iconic.

January 25th: From Under The Cork Tree, Fall Out Boy

familiarity: I hadn’t realized that it’d been so long since I listened to this album until it started and damn...sounds like staying up too late on a school night, waiting for my internet bestie to get on MSN so we could roleplay and talk about our charaters. ah, the good ol’ days.

favorite(s) before listen: [im realizing it’s gonna be easier to list these as a bullet pointed list]

- Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year

- Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued

- Of All the Gin Joints in All the World

- Champagne for My Real Friends, Real Pain for My Sham Friends

- [and an honorable mention to...] Dance, Dance and Sugar, We’re Goin Down [...of course]

favorite(s) after listen: [adding onto aforementioned list] I've Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth (Summer Song), A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More "Touch Me", Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying (Do Your Part to Save the Scene and Stop Going to Shows)

additional thoughts Pete Wentz lyric of the day: “The best part of believe is the lie” a lyric that defined a generation, truly

January 26th: Infinity on High, Fall Out Boy

familiarity: I definitely slept on this album a lot when I was younger, which is sadly true of quite a few of their “early-to-middle” albums for me, but has been one of my go-to Fall Out Boy albums as of late.

favorite(s) before listen: I gotta say that this one is a no skip album for me! With my top awards going to...Hum Hallelujah, The Carpal Tunnel of Love, Bang the Doldrums, and Fame < Infamy

favorite(s) after listen: I already love all these songs, but I really vibed with “You’re Crashing, But You’re No Wave” and “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” during this listen through. For the latter, I can’t tell if it’s just been years since I heard it or if the version that I listened to was mixed differently because it sounded not completely different but different enough to give me pause. Also, more of an overall album thing, but I loved how each song bleed into the next. [chef’s kiss]

Pete Wentz lyric of the day: nothing gives me a god complex quite like “I could write it better than you ever felt it” like yes. i want that on a t-shirt. embroidered on a pillow. i sing it passionately and loudly. i could write it better than you ever felt it. thanks for the ego boost, pete.

January 27th: Folie à Deux, Fall Out Boy

familiarity: Now this is an album that I unfairly slept on for years! I’m ashamed to admit it considering that each song of this album is a banger but, for years, I only ever listened to “I Don’t Care” from this album and wrote off every other song. It wasn’t until I was in my early 20s that I gave it another listen through and, even then, not until a couple years ago that I fully came around to every song. I’m a Folie à Deux truther now! It’s not my favorite favorite -- we’ll get there tomorrow ;) -- but you gotta put some respect on its name!

favorite(s) before listen: Another no-skip album for me! With my particular favorites being...Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes, She’s My Winona, America’s Suitehearts, The (Shipped) Gold Standard, (Coffee’s For Closers), What A Catch, Donnie, and 20 Dollar Nose Bleed

favorite(s) after listen: Found myself vibing especially to “America’s Suitehearts” and “w.a.m.s” during this listen through

FoB lyric of the day: this one was a hard one because there are so many lyrics on this album that i just feel in my heart and that i have to Perform™, not sing every time i hear them. but i’m going to give it to...”and perfect boys with their perfect lives / nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy”

January 28th: Save Rock and Roll, Fall Out Boy

familiarity: yes! here we are!! this album is my absolute favorite within FoB’s discography and have enjoyed it front-to-back, no-skips since the day it came out. and though it hasn’t been that long since my last listen through, i was still so excited to do it again!

favorite(s) before listen: no skips! this album is a masterpiece! it doesn’t matter if i ‘personally’ relate to what the song is saying. i sing them passionately and borderline screaming. as we all should. my ultimate favorite is “Save Rock and Roll”. i mean, come on! the f-bomb is perfectly used and it’s got the man, the legend, Elton John. but another one of my favorites to sing is “Where Did The Party Go”

favorite(s) after listen: N/A, vibes remained at an all-time high

FoB lyric of the day: since this is my favorite album, i picked a couple of favorites...

- My heart is like a stallion / they love it more when it’s broken

- I’m the lonelier version of you / I just don’t know where it went wrong

- I’m either gone in an instant / or here ‘til the bitter end / I, I never know

January 29th: American Beauty / American Psycho, Fall Out Boy

favorite(s) before listen: I enjoy each song when I listen to it, but there are definitely some that I’m prone to skip in favor of getting to songs I like more. I do want to say, though, that I think FoB gets a lot of flack for “Immortals” and “Centuries” (maybe just because they were the singles?) but I think they’re both bops. Not my favorites, but -- Come on! Have a little fun! That being said, my favorites are...Fourth of July, Favorite Record, The Kids Aren’t Alright, Jet Pack Blues

favorite(s) after listen: My favorites are p solidly placed but Irresistible really BROUGHT it on this fine Saturday

FoB lyric of the day: that Fourth of July bridge? my god. “I wish I’d known how much you loved me / I wish I cared enough to know / I’m sorry every song’s about you / The torture of small talk with someone you used to love”....damn.

January 30th: MANIA, Fall Out Boy

familiarity: I remember hearing “Young and Menace” from this album and hating it. which is funny. because I go hard to that song now. I think, after Save Rock and Roll, this is the album that I lose my absolute mind over the most. If “Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)” comes on while I’m driving, I WILL be committing vehicular crimes.

favorite(s) before listen: another album of “all great songs, but there’s some that I could take-or-leave”. My heart goes to Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea, Wilson (Expensive Mistakes), Champion, Sunshine Riptide, Young and Menace, Bishops Knife Trick. every day, i am both angry and grateful that FoB didn’t release “Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)” when I was in middle school. for the former, because it feels like an elevated version of all those old songs. for the latter, because i would have been absolutely insufferable and i was already insufferable enough in middle school without it.

favorite(s) after listen: Favorites hold their places, but I found myself vibing with “HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON’T” more than I usually do

FoB lyric of the day: not to be a sap who definitely cried to this song in the parking lot of target before her 4 am shift during one of the shittest years of her life but i gotta give it to...“If I can live through this, If I can live through this / I can do anything”

[maeum-your]

pairing: park jongseong x fem!reader

summary: y/n hates rich people and park jongseong is no exception. they have been academic rivals since freshman year (which he doesn't like to acknowledge) and always argue about the dumbest of things. but what happens when y/n's brother jungwon joins the dance team led by jay and their friend groups begin to mingle?

genre: social media au, rivals to lovers or something like that

includes: lots of harry potter references lol, fluff, some angst, inappropriate jokes here and there, cursing, crack

featuring: enhypen, weeekly's monday, aespa's ningning, itzy's chaeryeong and some other idols

status: finished

start: jan. 9th, 2022

end: oct. 31st, 2022

a/n: my first smau so i don't know how good it will be but i'm trying my best 🤡

PROFILES 1 | PROFILES 2

CHAPTER 1 | omg y/n furry era

CHAPTER 2 | you read faerie p*rn? me too!

CHAPTER 3 | it's fun to watch the world burn

CHAPTER 4 | not in front of my salad

CHAPTER 5 | who allowed you to die? you still owe me $2

CHAPTER 6 | his kneecaps are junggone?

CHAPTER 7 | seasoned with a little bit of hypocrisy and misogyny

CHAPTER 8 | shhh they don't know that i know this hack... PLS I'M GONNA KMS!!!

CHAPTER 9 | it's about drive, it's about power

CHAPTER 10 | why is she glitching?

CHAPTER 11 | *cardi b voice* that's suspicious

CHAPTER 12 | is that a furry i spot?

CHAPTER 13 | i can attest to that, i was the happy meal

CHAPTER 14 | his joobs are bigger than mine

CHAPTER 15 | oh, and jungwon is there too but that is besides the point (written)

CHAPTER 16 | microwave murderer mamacita

CHAPTER 17 | i became a professional shin poker

CHAPTER 18 | i can't believe i got gayer

CHAPTER 19 | man i love me some good corn

CHAPTER 20 | jaywon are unchaperoned

CHAPTER 21 | y/n ❌ yoomin ✅

CHAPTER 22 | mentally sick but physically thicc

CHAPTER 23 | operation enemies to lovers smoochie smooch

CHAPTER 24 | someone's using taylor's name in vain

CHAPTER 25 | my jayy/n heart is on fire

CHAPTER 26 | alexa play uh oh by (g)i-dle (written)

CHAPTER 27 | i want to pearish

CHAPTER 28 | real hot clown shit

CHAPTER 29 | happy international women's day

CHAPTER 30 | draddy

CHAPTER 31 | the tale of the furry woman and the emotionally constipated but horny boy

CHAPTER 32 | kitten needs to help

CHAPTER 33 | omg i love titty by twice

CHAPTER 34 | disgarsting shat

CHAPTER 35 | animalistic desire or feelings?

CHAPTER 36 | hornpressed

CHAPTER 37 | manifest, manipulate, meditate, medicate

CHAPTER 38 | life was a willow and it bent right to your wind (written)

CHAPTER 39 | gurl, but you said harder???

CHAPTER 40 | we are gathered here today because heeseung has horrible taste in women

CHAPTER 41 | one step forward and three steps back (written)

CHAPTER 42 | new torture method unlocked 🔓

CHAPTER 43 | planting trees for a good cause

CHAPTER 44 | hmm... funny, yes, but not funny haha, funny weird

CHAPTER 45 | what's after like? (written)

CHAPTER 46 | you disappoint lady gaga

THE END

taglist:

@sophiko22 @missmadwoman @jungwons-rat @msxflower @minato-ariato @person-standing @blessed-sky @staysstrays @yaeluvz @jaywonlix @nar-nia @bekah931215 @sirephines @revemixer @jjhmk @heelariously @ddeonuism @fylithia @dxlicateee @acciomylove @kyleeanne @solitxre @strwbryparfait @beibybtch @tomorrowbymoa-together @vantxx95 @sunshineshouchan @winter-berries @lilacboba @chewnotgyu @chaeflms @wondering-out-loud @wonniesimp @dinosdance @3ggieyolk @sunbokie @sadmusiclovs @zhaixiaowen @seollyeong @staerrymariam @sol123recs @bigtoewinwin @enhasengene @centheodd @joti17 @soobin-chois @jungwonswifex @sweetjaemss @indelicate-macalino @chiyuv

[stylesparker]

《》!!600 followers celebration!!《》

considering the fact I literally had like 200 followers a couple weeks ago, I can’t fathom the fact I’ve grown so much, and it’s all because of tasm!peter :) (hence the fact he’s the picture)

so I thought I’d do a little something to celebrate! thank you so much and I love love love every single one of you! every person who has liked and commented has made me smile to no end, so THANK YOU

I’m gonna have this celebration last from Jan 12 to Jan 18! Feel free to fill my inbox with whatever your heart desires and I will do my best to get them all done asap! (no promises I’m a busy girl lol)

now for the fun stuff, ask me any of the emojis below and I’ll whip out something special for ya ;)

🧚🏼‍♀️send me something about yourself (include pronouns & preferred fandom and gender) and I’ll tell you who I think I ship you with and I’ll makeup a meet and greet scenario

🕊send me your fic and I’ll read it and give you a review!

🌞you can ask me anything about myself, I’ll tell you anything you want :)

🍄send in a character of your choice and an au and I’ll write something about the two of you

❤️‍🔥give me three characters and I’ll tell you who is kiss, marry, or kill! don’t be afraid to make it a challenge!

tagging a couple lovely ppl I follow🤍:

@gotkindabored @agnesamarantheastwood @nexusspiders @xoluvx @scandalous-chaos @venomsilk @marvelouspeterparker @samwlscns

*reminder I’m only currently writing for mcu and tasm!peter thank you again and I hope you’ll celebrate with me!

edit - I had it till the 31 but I’m changing it to the 18 bc I’m gonna be busy ;)

[1ddotdhq]

Sun 31 Jan ‘21 

Happy Walls Dayyy!!!!!! Today was the first anniversary of our #1 fave debut album of 2020, and we all celebrated, Louis included! Last but best thing first: WE GOT A DEMO!! Louis ended the day by publishing a dreamy clip of a demo of the title song ‘Walls’. His clear voice croons over beautiful sliding electric guitars and background reverberance- if that’s his FIRST draft then he is, as we knew, a GENIUS! AND, the King Himself came on twitter to interact with his “loyal” (his words) subjects (that’s us!). He popped up at first to say that his tour, when it comes around, will be “fucking unbelievable...this is our day!”, and talked about his favorite part of the last year (“the two shows I played”), what he noticed most when performing solo the first times (“the space on stage” ughhhh all the tears), what he was looking forward to after COVID (“everything”) and getting through these times- “remember that everything is going to be better when normality sets back in.” He also explained that while he was gonna put out merch today, he “didn’t want to market the day”, but rather make it “a celebration just for us”. But, uh, the merch will be coming eventually! He then replied that there were “too many greedy fuckers out there” who try turn celebratory events into a “cash grab” (to quote the fan), and harries then got mad at that because THEY were like this must be about Harry (lol uhhhh) and assumed he was shading him and Jeff rather than, I don’t know, his OWN FORMER LABEL?? Cool cool cool, but it’s still Harry’s moth on Spotify, so cope. He told us that his proudest moment on the album was recording the strings for the Walls the Single, that he wouldn’t have approached the process differently because he’s still really proud of the album, that he was most looking forward to us hearing KMM or Walls, that Doncaster is his fav place (to no one’s surprise lmao), and, asked what song he likes to rock out to off HIS ALBUM was like oh hey have I got a rec for you: “Maybe Tomorrow” by the Stereophonics. It goes, “think I'll walk me outside and buy a rainbow smile, but be free” and “maybe tomorrow I’ll find my way home” (huh is there something happening tomorrow that could be linked to... OH. Right. Huh. Well all that is just a coincidence I’m sure, it’s not like Louis ever said he likes to rec songs because he wants us to read into the lyrics or anything... oh wait.)    

LTHQ did a insta quiz over on their stories (I only got two questions wrong!) and they did the promised virtual listening party and tweeted along to each song and retweeted fans’ reactions (and all the usernames, larries everywhere, we SEE YOU). Friends of Louis joined in the celebration- Only The Poets, Ashton Irwin of 5SoS fame, Helene Hornyck (“all the love,” she said!), Isaac Anderson and more, and All On The Board made one of their lovely Frankenstein poems which mashing up a bunch of LT1 songs, but in keeping with the theme of the day (and COVID I GUESS) did it as fanart rather than the usual in person board. And all of that was the BORING part of the day, can you BELIEVE?? The FUN part was the Walls Fanart that was chosen to be the new Spotify cards on the official Walls album. As in, they are up right now if you want to go check them out, but I’m gonna tell you straight up: they’re half Harry tats! The Defenseless card, especially, as it is just straight up fanart of Harry’s moth tattoo, especially fun when he had JUST got us talking about its Papillion origin with his finsta! The artist had been worried that Louis would be mad at them for submitting ‘Larry art’, and was overjoyed to learn that, uh... apparently, he was NOT. That was not all! The ‘Too Young’ art card is H’s rose tattoo, ‘Habit’ and ‘Fearless’ were both different variations of H’s anatomical heart tat (the ‘Habit’ one even included the word kind :{) ), and the We Made It rainbow wheel did, in fact, make it to Spotify, just like we thought! “Perfect Now” was Louis standing under a rainbow spotlight—they made that one black and white for spotify but the artist shared the original version. Harries were beside themselves, and tagged Jeff (Azoff), Ben Winston, and Gemma Styles (what?), demanding that they make Louis take the art down because it was clearly Harry art, which 1.) how much more blatant can you be if even ANTIS are noticing and 2.) what sort of control do they think Jeff, Ben, and Gemma have over Louis seeing as, uh, none of them currently work for him??? Weird, are they thinking there might be some kind of link... between Harry and his team and Louis... tell me more antis, truly, I’m fascinated!

One would think that’s more than enough for one day but WAIT THERE’S MORE Zayn is in EXCELLENT quirky Zayn form having fun with his own merch—he posted a gremlin (from the old RL Stine movie ‘Gremlins’) in a NIL beanie captioned “one size fits all humanoid shaped heads” late last night, haaaaa. Yes, I agree! The red stitching really makes the gremlin’s red eyes pop, and his fangs have never looked this good! And the question arose, is Harry’s finsta actually just his side account for following nothing but gay meme accounts? Evidence—the discovery of a second follow, of the openlygayanimals account-- would suggest yes! Well that’s valid, imagine having to not only navigate the internet AS HARRY but also without funny memes of your choice, that’s no life to lead. And Niall complained on twitter that people didn’t understand his sense of humor because SARCASM! He also tweeted about golf, which I’m sure was cool for people who understand it.

[moonlit-manifesto]

[8/31/21 - ALIVE Twitter] Ohara Sora's Birthday

This one's a long one! The official Twitter account included some cute arainu photos too! Happy Birthday to the leader of SOARA!! ☀️☁️

☆ Today is Ohara Sora's (CV. Toyonaga Toshiyuki) Birthday ☆

Sora: "Ta-da!"

Morihito: "I see you have everything prepped (haha)."

Soushi: "All right then..."

Everyone: "Happy Birthday----!!!"

Ren: "Happy Birthday, Sora-senpai!"

Nozomu: "Happy birthday, Sora!!!"

Sora: "Thank you so much~!!!!"

☆②☆

Sora: "(`･ω･)ﾉ＜Bring out the cake~~!! Ta-da!!!! I want a pic from this angle, and this angle too!!"

Soushi: "Looks like you're having fun."

Sora: "That's because I'm the VIP today!!!"

Morihito: "Hahaha, that's right."

Sora: "Speaking of which..."

Ren & Nozomu: "'Speaking of which?'"

☆③☆

Sora: "It's sudden, but I want SOARers (SOARA viewers) to particate in this birthday celebration!"

Everyone: "Huh?"

Sora: "Yes! All you followers out there: please reply to this tweet with the name of one SOARA member. The person whose name comes up eighth will have to do something with me!"

☆④☆

Sora: "And next up on this tweet, please reply with something to do!!! The 31st reply will be picked, and then the two of us will do the thing!!!!"

Soushi: "Oh man."

Sora: "Don't say that."

Morihito: "Ohhh man..."

Sora: "Don't worry, Mori, it won't be anything too weird lol. It'll be fine! I'll be doing it too."

☆⑤☆

The Chosen Person

Sora: "Ok, come here - Mori."

Morihito: "Seriously? Of course it would be me..."

Soushi: "Hahaha."

Ren: "Good luck, Mori-senpai!"

Nozomu: "You got this~!"

☆⑥☆

The Chosen Activity

Sora: "We need to play Acchi Muite Hoi [Look That Way]! ☝️"

[T/N: This is like the second half of rock-paper scissors in Japan. First you play rock-paper-scissors [jan-ken-pon] and then the winner gets to point in a direction after saying "acchi muite hoi" (they point when they say "hoi") and at the same time when the winner says "hoi," the loser looks in some direction. If the direction they face is different than the direction the other person is pointing, that counts as a win. If the person looks in the same direction as the other person is pointing, that counts as a loss.]

Morihito: "Thank goodness, it's something normal. I'm a blessed man."

Soushi: "...Dang, I was hoping it was something embarrassing."

Nozomu: "Arihara-senpai, Soushi-senpai is making a devious face."

Morihito: "Kagurazaka, do you want me to scold you later?"

☆⑦☆

~Sora and Morihito-kun's Birthday Acchi Muite Hoi~

Sora: "Alright, I'm gonna win~! You better give to your all, Mori!"

Morihito: "Of course! Ready and~!"

>Jan-Ken-Pon

Sora: "Acchi muite hoi!"

>Jan-Ken-Pon

Sora: "Acchi muite~ Hoi!!"

>Jan-Ken-Pon

Sora: "Acchi.. Mori, you're bad at jan-ken-pon lol."

☆⑧☆

~Sora and Morihito-kun's Birthday Acchi Muite Hoi~

>Jan-Ken-Pon

Sora: "Acchi muite... Hoi! Haha~"

>Jan-Ken-Pon

Sora: "Mori... Hahaha, acchi muite hoi!!"

>Jan-Ken-Pon

Morihito: "I finally won!!!"

Ren: "Unfortunately, Mori-senpai's only halfway done with the activity."

Soushi: "Hahahaha~"

☆⑨☆

~Sora and Morihito-kun's Birthday Acchi Muite Hoi~

Winner: Ohara Sora

Sora: "(`ゝc_･´)ﾟ+WINNER!!! Woo-hoo~~~!!"

Morihito: "I wasn't being soft on you either. I actually lost."

Ren: "It seems we've found his unexpected weakness... (haha)"

Nozomu: "Good game! That was a good game!!"

☆⑩☆

Sora: "Okay! Let's keep going with round 2! Reply to this tweet to choose who I should partner with this time~~!! You can choose anyone from SOARA except Mori!!"

Mori: "Have fun guys."

Soushi: "What number will you pick?"

Sora: "Hm~ I used 8 and 31 [Sora's birthday is 8/31]... So let's go with number 38!"

Nozomu: "That's a high number."

Ren: "We'll do our best!"

☆11☆

Sora: "Next, we need to decide what to do! Reply to this tweet with suggestions! I'm going by the order I see them on my computer, so the reply order might not be the same for everyone. But we'll follow the number order loosely!"

Ren: "So the order might be a bit different."

Nozomu: "Yup~!"

Morihito: "What number will you pick, Sora?"

Sora: "Hm~ 18!"

☆12☆

The Chosen Person

Sora: "It's Ren-kyun!!"

Ren: "I feel like the people who are bad at improv are the ones getting picked!!!"

Morihito: "Right?!!"

Nozomu: "Good luck, Ren!"

Soushi: "Fight, fight~ Lol."

Ren: "I'll be having a word with you later Soushi-san."

☆13☆

The Chosen Activity

Sora: "It's Tataite Kabuite Jan-Ken-Pon!"

[T/N: "Hit and Cover Rock-Paper-Scissors." You play jan-ken-pon normally and there's a toy hammer and a helmet or something to cover with laying on the table/floor. The winner of jan-ken-pon has to grab the hammer and hit the loser before the loser grabs the helmet to shield themselves.]

Ren: "The universe is in my favor!!!"

Morihito: "It sure is!! You can thank our SOARers!"

Sora: "Wait, don't crack my head open though!!!"

Soushi: "Here's a helmet."

Nozomu: "Better be ready to grab it."

Sora: "Huh!?!?"

☆14☆

Whoosh~ (The sound of the wind is strong where they're playing)

Sora: "Calm down... Calm down, Sora... Winning jan-ken-pon should be a piece of cake..."

Ren: "..."

Sora: "Ren-kyun, don't go into your silent swordsman mode!!!" [don't forget Ren is skilled in kendo!]

>Jan-Ken-Pon---

WHAM---!!

＼(*^◯^*)／←Sora

☆15☆

Nozomu: "And thus Sora died and became a star..."

Soushi: "He was a good man..."

Ren: "I'm sorry, it was an accident...!"

Morihito: "Regardless, that sure would be worth a point in kendo... Anyways - Sora, are you okay?"

Sora: "I saw stars for a second there, but I'm okay! I'm a star myself, after all!"

Everyone: "His jokes are hopeless."

☆16☆

Sora: "Well~~~ Thanks for participating in our silly birthday celebration, everyone! What I want to say is... I'll continue to have lots of fun!! Living with music!!"

Morihito: "Sora, Happy..."

Everyone: "Birthday!"

Happy Birthday, Sora!

(@aliveinfo1)

[spade-riddles]

Submission: Kaylor timeline 2019-2020

This is a atempt of maping the happenings surrounding kaylor in the last 3 years. Please keep in mind that i might forget some things, mostly from 2019 since my memory is actually horrible. I’ll try to include the most important things mainly so let me know if i missed something big. Also, feel free to add some kaylor nods, easter eggs on the girls’ social media, general stuff and correct me i fim wrong on dates or places. Oh quick disclaimer: most of this is Taylor focused because the last time i went on karlies instagram to look for the nashville selfie i actually wanted to puke or bury my face into a hole for the rest of eternety (ok, both) after seeing the jerk photos so if you have any important stuff please add it. Thank u!!!

Lover Era

- ME! MV release on lesbian visibility day (april 26th)

- City of Lover (funny enough, karlie was there in march 😉)

- taylor’s pride post “lets show our pride...” (taylors ig june 1st)

- Promo for the MV with karlie’s hand on taylors ig 16 june post   

- sc**ter *audible puke sound* buys taylors masters (june 30th)

- You Need To Calm Down MV (july 17th) 

- Lover Title Track released 13 days after karlie’s bday (august 16th)

- Lover mv release which Taylor captioned on her ig post with YAIL lyrics.

- Lover Album Release (august 23rd)

- Miss Americana release (jan 31 2020) “gay pride... everything that makes me me” etc

- The Man MV release (feb 27th)

Here’s some posts with lover era easter eggs:

Link 1

Link 2

some inch resting posts:

eye theory ?! 

gold rush 😉

paris captions: 

Link 1

Link 2

(probably not that much of a proof much more of a koincidence since au revoir is a pretty common frase but whatever)

This masterpiece here during NYFW in 2019:

note: I think its pretty safe to assume that up until this point its obvious kaylor is still together. Theres exactly no reason why Taylor and Karlie would be referencing kaylor stuff and each other at this point if they weren’t together.

folklore & evermore Era (oh the start of a daydream and a nightmare)

- Not a lot going on at the moment post  April 27, 2020

- Karlies very interesting posts:  

Dancing in a Cardigan July 10th, 2020

Happy Place July 23rd, 2020

- Tamagochi June 25, 2020 and buns May 14, 2020

- folklore announcement (july 23rd)

Note: up until this point its also pretty much a concensus that they’re still together. Since Karlie hinted the folklore aesthetic and cardigan on her ig post, and Taylor changed the cardigan lyrics to “knew you’d come back to me” and wrote “the lakes” and obviously there is “peace”. From this point on, especially after the WB stuff and pregnancy rumors in September (?) things start to get kinda blurry and gaylors and kaylors start building different point of views. So heres what happens:

- Taylor releases the long pond sessions where she says that joe is WB. I feel like we kinda all believe he isn’t, the thing that gives it for me is mostly Taylor’s body language and the way she stutters when she says it. Also, its kinda weird that out of nowhere joe got this songwriting skills magically. Like, they’ve been “together” for four years and only now Taylor discoveres this man has better songwriting and composing skills than his actual job, idk sounds fishy to me but, you make the call.

- Pregnancy rumors starts flowing on both sides. Taylor quickly starts drinking a shit ton of wine to get her beloved swiffers to come to the realization that she is in fact not pregnant. Karlie’s rumors also starts flowing, and then the people! (?) article comes out confirming it and Karlie later posts a video on her instagram. Here’s where it gets messy. Ill try to explain shortly to you the narrative on the Kaylor side and why i don’t believe in the gaylor narrative. Obviously its your choice wheter you believe it or not.

- Kaylor: The baby is Taylor’s and Karlie’s (not gonna get into hows and stuff bc if it is actually real then it is invading their privacy too much, also speculating about this might trigger some people). 

Things that back this theory up: obviously peace “give you a child”, karlie not tagging j*sh*a on her vids, that one 2,1/2 photo from the folklore photoshoot, buns and tamagochi, Taylor and Paul talking about parenthood in the Rolling Stone issue, and all the fertility imagery in evermore and folklore.

Karlie was in Cali in may until august, Taylor was also there. Jerk was on Ny or Miami cant exactly remeber. And it seems that this is what she wrote that one line “knew youd come back to me” in cardigan about. (IMO they [t and k] had some fight after the masters sale on the end of 2019 and took a break or something, so she would in fact come back to her, but just my opinion). So, karlie was there from may to august, karlie’s is on the end of her pregnancy, and if you do the math, she got pregnant sometime between june and july. Which makes it kinda impossible for the baby to be jerk’s (consequently ending the gaylor narrative) since he was in another place and karlie was on cali for like 4 months, if the baby was his, the baby would’ve been born already.

The gaylor narrative is mostly based on Taylor’s songs specially champagne problems, coney island, hoax, closure and exile.

Coney Island isn’t even necessarily a breakup song, it’s just simply a sad song, it is like death by a thousand cuts pt2, it gives the vibe that Taylor is sorry about a lot of things like not being able to thank Karlie “but when i walked up to the podium i think that i forgot to say your name”.

Like coney island, hoax is about the lows of their relationship but it’s clear in the song that taylor still loves karlie and would trade her for anything “don’t want no other shade of blue but you”

Closure and champagne: it just reminds me of Dianna for some reason i don’t even know how to explain it. Champagne Problems remind some of Dianna bc of i know places where she says “take my hand and don’t ever drop it”, to the gp that song is about harry(<3) and most songs that “are about him” are actually about Dianna. i do think it’s is kinda inspired by Karlie though.

Exile: honestly could be used to form a toe breakup narrative.

TBH we’ll probably never understand fully the story behind it. But Taylor also said that a lot of the albums are full of fantasy even thought they’re also inspired by real life situations.

Thank u for reading!! this is obviously my opinion on the matter and my take on the whole situation. feel free to believe whatever you want, and add stuff i forgot sending u lots of love <3

[juhneenteagues]

I think before the year is over I'm gonna get tested to see if I could possibly have pcos or smth....bc before 2019 (aka before going on bc) my periods were pretty consistent being the same days month after month....and if the days would change then those following months would be consistent with the changed month...but I've noticed this whole year (I have no recollection of last year but it was probably the same) after taking my bc out (Jan 2020? most likely) my periods are never consistent like they used to be (which I know is technically fine bc I've read a healthy/normal cycle can be anywhere from like 21? 23?-31? 32? days between each other) but I swear it's like the days in between my periods are getting shorter and shorter...each month my period starts a couple days earlier than projected (via Clue app) and I don't know if that's normal ???? Or if that's something to seriously look at????? Idk being a person with a vagina sucks sometimes bc our bodies can be ....so......?????

based on the clue app, days between cycles in 2021 (so not including last day of old cycle and first day of new cycle):

feb-mar: 22

mar-apr: 22

apr-may: 24

may-june: 23

june-july: 23

july-july: 22 TWO WITHIN THE SAME MONTH OMFG

july-aug: 22

aug-sept: 20

so yeah idk I'm gonna keep this post and whenever I make a trip to planned Parenthood I need to use this as a reference. Not sure if this is "normal" or what....also I hope I don't get told it's "normal" when really they mean "common" bc those are two different things.....so yeah I'm sure that damn bc affected my body like this....and honestly like a week ago I debated going back on bc (idk the same one or a different one) but I'm not sure if that's what I wanna do or not... I'll think about it some more

Also while I'm here complaining about periods I've been using honeypot products for like... idk how long but a long time and I've seen other people online say after using natural period products for a few months/less than a year their periods are shorter by like a day or two and I feel like that really hasn't happened to me yet? why😭😭😭😭😭

ok I think that's all but if it's not I'll surely come back💀💀💀💀

[dearamericaroyaldiaries]

Get In Losers. We’re Going Witch Hunting

I Walk in Dread- 1691(-1692), Deliverance Trembly

By Lisa Rowe Fraustino

Don’t judge the picture. Google had no images that I felt comfortable using license wise so I took a (bad) picture of my copy.

Age of Protagonist: 12

#ReadingThoughts

-Before I even start I am digging the Puritan names. First Remember Patience and now Deliverance (and I would come to find ANOTHER MEM!!).

-My edition looses points or not having a ribbon even though it’s hardcover. This negatively impacts my reading experience for Reasons.

-Hold it. Is her uncles’ name really Razor Strap? I know Puritans were big on using random phrases from the Bible for their naming, but is that really a phrase in the Bible? Also, Sister Mem had me confused it was Mem from the last book for a hot second.

-SO do Mem and Deliverance just live with their uncle? Just the three of them? (The answer I quickly found was yes.)

-I appreciate the lesson on town politics. That's important for the Salem area in 1692ish.

-I am confused by what’s happening with the year. Why is it Dec 31, 1691, then Jan. 1, 1691, and then Jan. 2, 1691/2. There is a bullshit explanation in the about the author section. If you’re worried about Accuracy when it comes to the Julian vs Gregorian calendar, put something in the text. You’re average grade schooler isn’t going to jump to that . If I remember correctly, there’s something about the Gregorian calendar differing from the Julian calendar in the Anastasia book that is handled better. Liv explains other things to the reader, why not this?

-Why is a 12 year old more responsible than a 17 year old? Especially in 1692. Mem should at least have a higher opinion of herself in the family hierarchy and be preparing to keep her own house as a wife.

-Again, I feel Mem should be more mature than Liv.

-Liv can use her sister’s boy-craziness to her advantage. Mem is willing to shovel shit if there are attractive members of the opposite sex in the vicinity.

-Allergies=Witchcraft. That explains so much about me and my life. Though I suppose it makes sense from a 17th century Puritan POV.

-Mem wants to be a stepmom to 9 kids all of whom are most likely closer to her age than she would be to the potential husband?  The last part might not be a big concern in the time period but good gracious that’s too many kids for my liking.

-Age update- some of the kids would be older than her or her age.

-I feel the average target reader would need an explanation of what “God’s Elect” means. Most 12 year olds don’t have a strong grasp on post-Reformation Protestant Theology.

-Poor Liv. She wants to fit un but is failing spectacularly.

-Is Liv going to be among the accused? She’s not on the best of terms with the accusers and has been or will be associated with at least three people who were accused and killed.

- They used the strong trick for loose teeth in the 17th century? I have no evidence or data to argue one side or the other but I am suspicious. Somewhat amused, but suspicious.

-I find the tithing man hilarious. I want a stick with a fuzzy rabbit foot on one end and a knob for whacking people on the other. Also, he deserved getting thumped back by the one guy,

-I am calling bullshit on Goody Corey sniffing out only girl scent. Either it’s a bit or she’s a witch, not her husband. (Spoilers: He’s accused and refuses to confess so the town can’t take his land and is pressed to death while trying to get a confession. Post reading note: I totally forgot/didn’t know that Goody Corey was also accused and killed.)

-I don’t know really anything about the real Goody Corey, but she seems like a stand-in for an enlightened modern person, above the provincial notions of witchcraft and the commonplace racism toward Amer Indians. I’m not saying everyone thought they were the devil, but a majority thought that they were superior to the indigenous peoples of the American colonies.

-Mr. Cooper’s letter is too vague! We need deets!

-Because this is told through Livs’ eyes everyone asking about their uncle and checking in on them comes off as invasive and nosy but as an adult, a twelve year old and a seventeen year old have been left on a farm by themselves for almost two months at this point is an issue. Is he ever coming back?

-WHAT!? Goody Corey has a bi-racial son born when she was estranged from her first husband? Prepare for a wikipedia tangent because I had to a a google to corroborate this. Wikepedia backs this up but what it doesn’t back up is the timeline. I read her as in her 40s or 50s in the book. According to wikepedia (don’t judge me, it’s good for basic facts and a starting point) she was 72ish in 1692 and this biracial son was her first child who would have been 50ish at this point and was born before Martha Corey was ever married. *End Tangent* Good for her though if she did indeed five her husband an earful after Liv left.

-Hold on. Mr. Cooper wants to talk to Uncle Razor Strap about Mem marrying Darcy, not him. Mem is gonna be devastated.

-Would electricity have been a concept a) known in 1692 and b) be well enough known that a random 12 year old in the colonies with little formal schooling would be comfortable enough using the phrase “electrical lightning.” No, I will not be googling this. Googling historical facts is one thing, googling sciencey things is another thing entirely,

-Did the girls hear the stories and then claim to have witnessed ZYX or did they independently corroborate the stories? One is much less suspect than the other.

-At this point I wonder will we ever meet Uncle Razor Strap? Is he dead? Is he trying to get back to Salem? Is he abandoning them?

-I feel the leap to “Am I a witch?” after having a weird dream about nursing a baby Sarah Goode is sensible as someone who has been about to call the Vatican several times when their period was late. In those cases clearly the only explanation was pregnancy, even when physically impossible just as being a witch is Livs’ conclusion here. 

-Hopefully the girls can just get out of the Salem area soon and the landlord giving them to the end of the month is a neat enough excuse.

-So Mem thinks that Goody Corey is a witch but is okay with Liv going over there?

-How scary it would be to worry that the one family member you have in the area, who should be protecting you because you’re 12, might accuse you of witchcraft.

-I am delighted the the horse can act as a chaperone. Really? Okay.

-How does the horse give permission to whisk a fainted person into the house? It’s a horse.

-So now Mem is forcing Liv to read her diary to her. Rude.

Thoughts on the Afterward

Meh. Mem marries Darcy but dies young so Liv gets her man. They return to Salem. They don’t go West like they talked about. Liv has a gagillion great grands. No one ever fount her journal. Meh. I’m happy she was happy and all but meh.

Overall Thoughts After Reading

It took almost 200 pages to get through four months. I think I just don’t care for the author. I should have liked this book. It ticks multiple boxes that should be my jam but something about it just... is a no for me. Maybe it’s because I have zero nostalgia for this book. It took me about 4.5 months to get through this book and finding it boring is one of them. No one seems like a well rounded character who has any growth. Last book Mem had a whole arc where she came to terms with losing her mother  but this time Liv didn’t really seem to change or grow.

I had high hopes. This book came out right as I was aging out of Dear America but I remember the hype around it on the Scholastic website. (Yes I was a wee nerd who hung out on the Scholastic website.) Sadly I was disappointed.

Also, we nope out of the actual trials. The first trial wasn’t held until JUNE. The book ends on April 30. Yes, we get to see the initial hysteria and flurry of accusations and arrests, but this was just the beginning. This seems like a cop-out.

Rating: 3/10 Sisterly Cat-Fights

Other contenders included False Accusations (this one seemed unfair because while I believe no one who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Hysteria was actually practicing witchcraft, I can’t say with confidence that the accusers were all lying. They may have believed honestly that they were afflicted by witches so calling them false accusations seem disingenuous.) and Bible Verses because Puritans. In the end, I had to honor the brutal way Mem and Live went after each other. Apparently in addition to being sickly, Mem was also small because how else could a 12 year old take her 17 year old sister like that. 

[goodgirlsfanficawards]

We’re closing out our fic promo posts with one last Motivation Monday! If they aren’t on there already, make sure you add these five authors to your reading list! 

softbrio ( @softbrio ) started writing Good Girls fic in April 2020 and have posted 32 works since then featuring a lot of fluff and soft Rio.

but tonight i'm gonna hold you so close

06 Mar 2021, T, 3.3K, 1/1

"But after everything, I don't hate you. I was scared, if anything," Beth said, staring at the wall in front of her. Her eyes fixated on the tiny crack in the wall. It was like them--together, but not perfect. "Scared of what?" Rio asked. "Getting in too deep, then driving you away,"

they say she’s gone too far this time

22 Feb 2021, T, 1.4K, 1/1

beth needs the gun that rio made her touch back, and he has a lovely idea of how she can *win* it back

after hours

18 Feb 2021, M, 1.6K, 1/1

He started to push her hair that was dangling into her view away with his hand, and he leaned in even closer. So close that she could just barely feel his breath on her neck, and it reminded her of when they were in that bathroom—and her bedroom. inspired by the s4 trailer.

Hereliesbethboland writes Brio fic for every occasion, from one-shot to multi-chapter, T to E, canon to AU, fluff to angst and everything in between. 

Table It

02 Mar 2021, T, 1.8K, 1/1

Rio shows up before Beth leaves for Vegas. s3 canon divergent ficlet.

In the Loss In the Gain

28 Feb 2021, E, 18K, 3/3

After handling her rotten egg Beth is ready to get back in the game. Can she gain the keys to the kingdom without losing herself? (Season 2 canon divergent after 'Slow Down Children at Play')

Scream

21 Feb 2021, E, 35K, 4/4

a little AU fic featuring Rio as Dean's boss and Brio lust at first sight…

Sdktrs12 ( @sdktrs12 ) has posted 24 Good Girls fics including from hefty multi-chapter AUs to canon divergent one-shots plus a number of holiday-centric fics.

A (very) Charlie Brown Christmas

14 Jan 2021, T, 2.1K, 1/1

“What is this?” Rio looks up from where he’s seated behind his desk, taking Beth in, who leans against the doorjamb on the other side of the large office space from him. She thinks for a minute she might have to clarify just what it is she’s referring to, but then he’s following her sightline and he rolls his eyes as he drops his pen, settling back in his chair with his hands folded in front of him. “Looks like a Christmas tree.” He answers glibly, rolling his shoulders back as she steps further into the office and Beth scoffs. “This is not a Christmas tree.” She laments as she gets closer to the desk, holding out one of the glasses currently occupying her hands to him, which he takes with a small nod before settling back into his chair. Her fingers come out to poke at the blue blanket that’s wrapped around the base of the small pathetic (supposed) tree, that’s currently sitting atop the desk. “You really are the grinch.” - AKA - A Brio Christmas party (but like, barely)

I Put A Spell On You (and now you're mine)

01 Jan 2021, E, 32K, 24/24

31 Days of Hauntober (A ficlet for every prompt from the #Hauntober Prompt list for October.)

Touch (without leaving a trace)

27 Dec 2020, E, 3.4K, 1/1

Kink Prompt 50. pre-brio. beth’s short at a drop and offers herself to the gang to negotiate more time. rio only watches as she get passed around, turned on but refusing to touch her. he comes to her later that night. alone. Gangbang, exhibitionism + GG Kinkfest Author Bingo Board #1 - Re-use a canon quote in a different context, Write a kink you haven’t written before, Include a scene with no dialogue.

delicatelingon ( @delicatelingon​ ) has been writing Good Girls fic since January 2020 including a number of one shots and a four fic PWP series.

A snowflake fell (and it felt like a kiss)

31 Dec 2020, T, 2.7K, 1/1

A small road trip out of state, only they don't make it all the way back…

Thunderstruck

03 Nov 2020, E, 1.5K, 1/1

Beth’s shitfaced. She’s so drunk she can’t stand without swaying, it’s like she’s on an endless rollercoaster and she doesn’t know how to get off. Relaxing a little, she lets him support some of her weight and she can’t help but nuzzle his neck a little. Rubbing her nose at his short hair, she lets out a kitten sigh, he smells heavenly.

What Mama Say (Life is Good)

03 Nov 2020, E, >1K, 1/1

“Thank you?” This was not going where she thought it were, but if this was something he’s into… then he looks up to her and she sees the vulnerability in his eyes and she thinks, yeah, maybe he needs this. She can do this for him. She makes her voice all soft, the way she’ll talk to her kids when they’re upset or just before bedtime, “don’t worry, you’ll always be my baby. Why don’t you come up here for a cuddle?”

Itsfatebaby has been writing a long-running kid fic series since April 2020 featuring Beth and Rio spending time with their own and each other’s kids throughout their lives.

Birthday Dinner

21 Nov 2020, M, 1.6K, 1/1

Just a nice birthday dinner.

“Adult”

21 Nov 2020, M, 2.1K, 1/1

Just someone who thinks they are an adult.

June 18th

03 Sep 2020, NR, 2.7K, 1/1

No matter what it comes once a year.

If you know of anyone’s tumblr/twitter and we haven’t found it or tagged incorrectly, please send us an ask to let us know.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

August 30, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

At 3:29 ET on August 30, 2021—early on the morning of August 31 in Afghanistan—the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan ended. It was the longest war in American history.

Among the last to come home were the 13 Americans killed in an ISIS-K attack last Thursday. They arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware Sunday morning from Germany. President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, and 8 aides attended the dignified transfer between the plane and a waiting vehicle.

In the last 17 days in Afghanistan, U.S. troops evacuated more than 120,000 people, making up the largest airlift in our history. For comparison, as Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post pointed out, the U.S. evacuated no Americans from the civil war in Yemen in 2015, and only about 167 from Libya in 2011.

While critics have suggested that America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan will hurt American credibility abroad, President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have called for combatting terrorism through financial sanctions, bombing, and drone strikes like the one they used to retaliate against ISIS-K for the attack on the Kabul airport that killed more than 160 Afghans and 13 Americans last Friday, and by strengthening democracy at home.

There is plenty of work to do on that last front.

Last week, Peter Wehner, who served in the Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush administrations, pointed out in The Atlantic that the right wing has moved to such extremism that former president Trump, whose behavior seemed so shocking in 2015 and 2016, is now being sidelined by lawmakers and pundits who are even more extreme.

Yesterday, in an event hosted by the Macon County Republican Party, Representative Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) insisted that the January 6 rioters are “political hostages” and said he wanted to “bust them out.” When someone in the audience asked “When are you going to call us to Washington again?” he said, “We are actively working on that one…. We have a few plans in motion that I can’t make public right now.” He called for removing Biden from office under the 25th Amendment and added, “when Kamala Harris inevitably screws up, we will take them down, one at a time.” He concluded by saying: “The Second Amendment was not written so that we can go hunting or we can shoot sporting clays…. The Second Amendment was written so that we can fight against tyranny.”

Increasingly, right-wing agitators are calling for violent overthrow of the government.

Today in Pennsylvania, Steve Lynch, a candidate for Northampton County executive, said: “Forget going into these school boards with freaking data. You go into these school boards to remove them. I’m going in with 20 strong men and I’m gonna give them an option—they can leave or they can be removed.”

At a protest in Santa Monica yesterday before a vote on a mask mandate, a man held a sign with the names and home addresses of each Los Angeles City Council member and said protesters would go to the homes of anyone who voted for the mandate and, if it passed, “Civil War is coming! Get your guns!”

This sort of street-level violence is known for radicalizing individuals as they get swept up in it and then later embrace the larger political arguments behind it. It also forces more reasonable individuals out of government positions as they conclude that their position on a school board, for example,  is not worth threats against their families and their lives.

Far from trying to tamp down this violence, right-wing leaders are egging it on. Tonight, on the Fox News Channel, personality Tucker Carlson told his audience that no leader had apologized for “these terrible decisions” in Afghanistan. “This can’t go on,” he said. “When leaders refuse to hold themselves accountable, over time, people revolt…. We need to change course immediately… or else the consequences will be awful.”

The images on the screen behind Carlson were of President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, Defense Secretary Austin, and Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley. Carlson often tries to undermine the current leadership of the military, suggesting that he would welcome its replacement by officers he finds less objectionable.  

Republican offense may be an attempt at defense.

Today, Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS), chair of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, announced that the committee has demanded that 35 major communications companies preserve their records from April 1, 2020, to January 31, 2021, for people involved in the January 5 and January 6 rallies in Washington, D.C., or “potentially involved with discussions” about stopping the electoral vote count on January 6 or otherwise  “potentially involved with discussions" in planning the January 6 insurrection. According to CNN, the companies affected include cell phone giants Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Sprint. Social media companies covered under the request include Apple, Google, Facebook, Signal, Slack, YouTube, Twitch, and Twitter.

CNN reports that members of the committee have requested preservation of the records of representatives Cawthorn, Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Mo Brooks (R-AL), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Jody Hice (R-GA), and Scott Perry (R-PA). They have also asked the companies to preserve the records of former president Trump; those of his children Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump; and those of his daughter-in-law Lara Trump and Don Jr.’s girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, who worked on the campaign.

Those determined to regain control of the country from the Democrats also have to contend with continuing good news from Biden’s policies. A new study from the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University shows that the first child tax credit payment kept 3 million children from falling below the poverty line and that the child poverty rate dropped from 15.8% in June to 11.9% in July. Coronavirus relief measures kept another 3 million children from poverty. Families are using the money to buy food and pay off debt.

The administration is also coordinating aid to the states hit hard by Hurricane Ida, which brought up to 15 inches of rain to parts of Louisiana and knocked out the state’s power grid. The administration deployed more than 3,600 employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, who prepared more than 3.4 million meals, millions of liters of water, more than 35,700 tarps, and roughly 200 generators in the region before the storm hit. They have moved ambulances and search and rescue teams into the area and have opened shelters. The Army Corps of Engineers has mobilized personnel to remove debris and to provide temporary roofing and housing.

The administration is shifting its focus from unilateral military might to multilateral alliances to deal with common problems. Tomorrow, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry will leave for Asia, where he will meet with leaders from Japan and then China to bolster international cooperation on climate change before the meeting of the 2021 U.N Climate Change Conference in early November.

—-

​​

Notes:

Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1CENTCOM's Gen. McKenzie: In total, 123,000 civilians were evacuated from Afghanistan over the last 18 days.

869 Retweets3,334 Likes

August 30th 2021

Aaron Fritschner @FritschnerAt Macon County GOP event yesterday, Madison Cawthorn called January 6 rioters “political hostages,” and spoke of trying to “bust them out.” Then- Attendee: “When are you gonna call us to Washington again?" Cawthorn: “We are actively working on that one.”

4,235 Retweets7,587 Likes

August 30th 2021

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/cawthorn-calls-jan-6-defendants-political-hostages-muses-about-trying-to-bust-them-out

Scott MacFarlane @MacFarlaneNewsALERT:  House Select Jan 6th Committee asks 35 major communications companies (including major cell service providers, Twitter, Parler, etc) to preserve records  for "individuals  potentially involved with discussions" in planning Jan 6 Sweeping request (more)

1,408 Retweets3,875 Likes

August 30th 2021

/photo/2

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/08/30/statement-by-president-joe-biden/

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/30/politics/fact-check-biden-dover-afghanistan-kabul/index.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/28/world/asia/kabul-airport-attack-isis-us-strike.html

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/30/politics/january-6-phone-records-members-of-congress/index.html

Ron Filipkowski @RonFilipkowskiAt protest in Santa Monica today before the vote on mask-mandate, Jason Lefkowitz has the home addresses of each LA City Council member on his sign. He says they are going to the homes of whoever votes for it, and if it passes, it’s “civil war, get your guns.” From @chadloder

3,407 Retweets5,941 Likes

August 30th 2021

Andrew Lawrence @ndrew_lawrencethe most watched cable news host in america justifies a coming "revolt" unless we "change course immediately"

261 Retweets957 Likes

August 31st 2021

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/01/american-civilians-yemen-left-behind

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/30/1032615984/house-panel-investigating-the-capitol-attack-orders-35-companies-to-preserve-rec

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/30/how-evacuation-americans-is-going/

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/radicalism-post-trump-gop/619891/

https://www.povertycenter.columbia.edu/news-internal/monthly-poverty-july-2021

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/08/30/readout-of-president-bidens-briefing-with-gulf-coast-elected-officials-on-hurricane-ida/

https://www.businessinsider.com/child-tax-credit-expansion-reduce-child-poverty-rate-research-2021-8

https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-ida-louisiana-new-orleans-c43c2c68946ceb6100c2239534c6c290

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[seymour-butz-stuff]

After four years in the Trump administration, Vanessa Ambrosini was looking forward to three months of parental leave when she and her husband welcomed a baby a week before Christmas. The Commerce Department’s human resources office had given her approval for it. But then she was surprised to find out the benefit was no longer available because of the change in administration.

“I got completely screwed,” she said in an interview. “There were no caveats in that language saying anything about if the administration turns, you get nothing and of course, that happened and so I got nothing.”

Ambrosini is among a number of former Trump political officials who lost their parental leave when Joe Biden was sworn into office. It’s a byproduct of the field they’re in: Their boss (the president) may have been the one let go, but his departure has meant that they, too, lose their jobs and benefits. Still, they argue that the Biden administration should have honored their leave by keeping them on payroll until the end of it — a request that, emails reviewed by POLITICO show, the Biden transition did not grant.

The Biden White House declined to speak about the issue on record. Instead, an official noted anonymously that political appointees “do not enjoy the promise of federal employment past the end of the administration in which they choose to serve.” The official blamed the fact that the Trump administration dragged its heels on a quick and orderly transition as a reason why some on his team were caught off guard by the benefits ending.

“We understand that a few Trump appointees, including a handful currently on parental leave, submitted last minute requests to remain on government payroll,” the official said. “Because these requests were received so close to Inauguration Day … there was no way to implement an exception to the rule in a way that is fair to all outgoing appointees, including many who resigned as expected without making requests for extraordinary benefits.”

The official added that “appointees have been advised that they have options including COBRA and the Affordable Care Act.”

For Ambrosini and others, those options were not enough to navigate an already difficult situation. Former Trump officials face an uphill climb finding a job in a Washington, D.C., where the federal government is run by Democrats. Job searching when you’re at home taking care of an infant is nearly impossible.

“With a newborn baby, it’s not like I can just jump on the job market and be like ‘hey, I’m ready to work,’” Ambrosini said. “It’s hard. No one’s going to be willing to hire me right this second because I’m still home with the baby, so it’s tough.”

Ambrosini, who was the deputy communications director at the Commerce Department and a former Trump White House official, said she had gotten approval to take parental leave from early January to late March. But she was informed a day before her baby was due on Dec. 17 that her leave would be ending Jan. 20, when the inauguration was taking place. After some deliberation, she decided to use her sick leave to cover her time off during the first three weeks of January before the inauguration.

A pair of married former Trump Homeland Security officials said they had a similar experience. They provided POLITICO with emails showing an agency official telling them that, as political appointees, their parental leave benefits would be treated the same as those for career employees. Their baby was born on Dec. 18. Late at night on Jan. 5, the father got an email from the HR office saying that they had been wrong and that their benefit would end on Jan. 20.

“It’s one thing if you have a household, if you have one family member who works for the government,” he said. “But we were both employed by the government so we’re losing both of our opportunities for health care and both our incomes, so it’s pretty scary to have a premature baby at home and not knowing if you’re going to have an income or health insurance.”

The former DHS official and his wife wrote a letter on Jan. 13 to the Biden DHS agency review team pleading to get the full benefit. “[T]he remaining 9-10 weeks afforded to federal employees is critical to our family and livelihoods as we work to raise a strong, healthy boy under unique and unforeseen complications to our birth plan,” they wrote.

But the DHS’ Presidential Transition Office told the couple in an email on Jan. 18 that the benefits would not be rolled over into the next administration. “This is not what you were hoping to hear but I think you also knew that this was the most likely outcome,” the email read. “I am sorry to be the bearer of this news and I am sorry I don’t have other news.”

The couple declined to go on the record for fear of the political fallout if they were named publicly and how it could negatively affect future employment opportunities.

It was only in December 2019 that Congress passed the Federal Employees Paid Leave Act, a law championed by Ivanka Trump, which gave federal government employees up to 12 weeks paid time off for the birth of a new child. The law, which took effect last October, required employees to agree to work at least another twelve weeks after taking the benefit, though there is a question about whether that requirement can be waived.

Either way, it was a major advancement on the status quo. Previously, federal employees were not given any paid time off and often would have to use unused vacation and sick days following the birth of a child or simply forgo pay.

Still, experts on parental leave policy say that the cases of these Trump officials shows the holes that still exist in the social safety net. As political appointees, they should have been aware that all benefits could end on Jan. 20 as the administration they served potentially came to a close. The experts also said that the Biden administration is under no legal obligation to grant Trump officials their leave.

But new administrations don’t immediately push out all political appointees from the prior one. And some experts said it would have set a good precedent for the Biden team to accommodate those individuals on parental leave as a means of reinforcing the importance of the policy.

“Paid parental leave is really really important for maternal health, for child wellbeing, for family connectivity, and I can’t imagine being in that new parents’ shoes and not having the finances,” said Adrienne Schweer, a fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center who leads its Paid Family Leave Task Force. “Extending it to a couple people for a few months could be a good thing. There is precedent for unique circumstances, and I would love to see a good example set of ensuring that as many people as possible can have paid parental leave.”

As with virtually all employment, when a job ends so too do most of the benefits (though former Trump officials have been kept on government health insurance for the usual 31-day grace period). And, with Biden taking office, Trump officials asking for their parental leave to be respected in full were asking for, what in effect is, a special accommodation. The Biden administration would have needed to keep these individuals — all political appointees — in the federal government, but not working, until their parental leave ended.

Biden has long been a champion of parental leave benefits. After the 2019 law passed, he tweeted: “It’s about time that federal workers get paid parental leave. It is long past time that every American has 12 weeks of paid leave to address their own health needs or care for any of their loved ones.”

Trump, by contrast, was a somewhat unorthodox adopter of the cause. Republicans have long opposed federal requirements around such benefits and even as they began embracing reform it was through decidedly conservative lenses. One prominent GOP proposal called for people to be able to draw from their Social Security to pay for parental leave.

Trump officials who were given parental leave benefits argued that since it became law, it was now an entitlement — one that needed to be respected regardless of whether the presidency changed hands.

One former senior Trump official said he coordinated with his HR team at his agency and was told that the requirement he perform 12 weeks of work after their parental leave ended was waivable because of the extenuating circumstances of a new administration. He also reached out to the Office of Personnel Management and was told to date his resignation letter the last day of his paternity leave.

His wife had a baby girl in early December. He took three weeks of paternity leave before having to go back to work to deal with the fallout of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot. He says he lost out on nine weeks of leave, which is equivalent to between $20,000 and $30,000.

“This isn’t an entitlement that I asked for but I feel like after four years, it was earned,” he said.

When some of the Trump political appointees found out that their full leave would not be granted, they elevated the issue to the Biden transition team. But after initially believing that the incoming administration would keep those on leave effectively employed, they soon were told otherwise. The former senior Trump official said he is now regretting his decision to stay until the end of the administration.

“I could have left earlier but I didn’t because I was told ‘hey you’ve got paternity leave coming up,’ and if I had known that you’re not going to get to use your paternity leave and you’re actually gonna just work your ass off when you have a new baby and then get fired, I probably would have made a different decision,” he said.

The former official declined to go on the record for fear that it would affect his prospects of landing a job with a salary to support a family of five.

“It makes you look like you’re desperate for work and a story about me wanting to get money is not going to work well when I’m negotiating with people I’m talking to,” he said. “I’m trying to convince everybody that I’m in a perfectly good situation.”

Conservatives: When we said we wanted to gut the social safety net, we didn’t mean to gut it for US!