#with a v similarly worded sign??

[teex]

Tyler gets injured during a roadie and has to fly home early. With his leg stapled together and wrapped in gauze, he is woken up by the unnerving sounds of someone inside his house.

thief!mason marchment x nhler!tyler seguin

for @hrpffandomeventblog

[most-tragic-character-tournament]

So,

What a wild ride, everybody.

This tournament went live on July 13th, 3023, and concluded January 1st, 2024. For a long time before, I’d been wondering if I should try my hand at running one of these tournaments, and then I realized we hadn’t had a general tumblr-wide one for tragic characters. I knew that I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but I decided to bite the bullet and take the URL. The rest is history.

I didn’t have a set plan, but I figured I could take 128 entries. And then in less than a week and a half, I had ~122. And honestly, I wasn’t happy continuing with just those I’d gotten so far, and thought it’d be unfair if it closed that quickly without warning, so I decided to up it to 256 with a max 2 characters per canon after preliminaries. Only after that did I go on a mad search to find brackets that were big enough for that, and I’d almost given up before I finally found these:

Those are all the characters that made it past prelims and into the competition. Some quite unexpected results came out of these matchups, round after round, and honestly I’d consider the first round to have had the most brutal competitions, because I had tried to do the best I could to match levels of popularity with each other, as far as I could tell. (Yeah, that’s why we had c!Tommy v Jon Sims and Primrose v Jinx.). But even eclipsing all of those, as the weeks went on, we were eventually met with Antigone versus Lloyd Garmadon. Ah, those crazy kids.

At some points it was stressful, in the early rounds when I had dozens of posts, each with edited images and alt text, to prepare for every round, but I never regretted starting this. As of posting, this blog has 2,020 followers and has made over 1,000 posts. This will be the last post on this blog—any future asks I receive I will answer privately back to the asker, or cannot be answered if they are anon—but it will always remain here for posterity. The link below is to the similarly-preserved google sheet compiling every word of every submission this tournament ever received.

I’d like to take this chance to say thank you to everyone who submitted characters, supplied photos, sent in propaganda, reblogged the polls, indoctrinated their teachers into greeklitsweep, and everyone who kept good sportsmanship when their blorbos proved so tragic they couldn’t even win. Thank you to the small group of URLs whom I’ve consistently recognized in my inbox from submissions all the way to finals, thank you for letting me know when a name was messed up, and thank you for your patience in-between rounds. (Shoutout to @elemom as well for having their tiktok on the original antigone/lloyd poll blow up.)

If you’ve stumbled upon this blog weeks, months, or even years after this was posted, I would direct your attention to the tag map in the pinned post to sift through the tumblr history you’ve just uncovered. And I would also be tempted to point at the big sign next to it reciting the nuclear zone warning poem. Lastly, if anyone here or there wishes to talk to me about anything regarding the tournament, you’re welcome to DM @twilight-skies.

There were times when I said to myself this was a one-and-done thing—I was NOT dealing with this again, but….keep a look on the horizon, ya never know.

But until next time, it’s been amazing.

Sayonara you weeaboo shits.

[adiluv]

❥ PHOTOGRAPHER + GENERAL HCS. ˚⊹꒷

⚜️୧・꒰word count꒱ 1129.

📕୧・꒰warnings꒱ none!

👑୧・꒰adi moment꒱ unfortunately i am writing for french 'people' now… how sad… /j lol—to be real, though, i’ve actually started playing identity v again and ended up sparking some interest for joseph ꒰netass gave me tranquility, as a treat꒱, so here we are! feel free to send in requests, whether it be for him or other characters! hope you enjoy! ꒰ㅅ´ ˘ `꒱

꒰⚔️꒱・A closed-off aristocrat with a slight tendency for egotism, Joseph is certainly one of the more tedious residents to woo. Congratulations for ꒰somehow꒱ managing to do so! Beneath his haughty and withdrawn persona, he’s an incredibly observant, caring, and loyal individual—and he does his best to make sure that you feel loved whenever he’s by your side.

꒰⚔️꒱・Although I consider him to be far from optimistic, considering everything that’s happened within his pre-manor days, I do still imagine him to be a sort of hopeless romantic. This is a sentiment you’ll become well aware of through the many dates that he plans for the both of you—whether they be candlelit dinners, strolls in the garden, or something else. These dates do occasionally go astray due to the ever growing amount of inhabitants sharing the space, though he does his best to keep/get things back on track. Please reassure him if things get a bit too hectic—he’s very much prone to panicking.

꒰⚔️꒱・As a man of the arts, you’re quick to become his new muse. He loves taking photos of you at any and every moment he can, regardless of how mundane it is. Depending on your own sentiments of the matter, this could potentially be a root of disagreements—especially considering that the camera seems to follow him every time you’re together. Similarly, he’s a big fan of painting you, originally using the photos he took of you as references, though he quickly abandons them once he gets the hang of things—he’s a fast learner when it comes to you.

꒰⚔️꒱・Of course, though, he values your happiness far more than his desire to preserve you, and he’ll try to stop taking so many photos of you if you ever express discomfort. ꒰Of course, the keyword here is ‘try’.꒱ He slips up on occasion, so please try to be patient with him—it’s his way of showing love, and he tends to get a little over dramatic at times.

꒰⚔️꒱・Joseph is also a rather clingy type of lover, and jealousy is ever quick to sink its fangs into him. The fear of losing you, whether it be physically or emotionally, is relentless in haunting him once you start dating. Even so, it isn’t something he vocalizes often, due to his fears of being considered as weak. Whether it be him hovering close to you whenever you’re too close to another survivor, or the way that he subtly begs you not to leave his side, it is something that you come to notice.

꒰⚔️꒱・Ignore his signs of jealousy, and you might just find that other survivor being targeted during matches—but he’ll ꒰reluctantly꒱ catch himself if you call him out on it. Afterwards, he’ll just resort to being a pouty mess around you, though some extra affection is quick to restore his good mood. You might even catch the Joseph Desaulniers apologizing to the other survivor afterwards—though you’d best bet that he’s swearing them to secrecy. It’s embarrassing, truly! You know nobles like him are meant to be composed at all times..!

꒰⚔️꒱・When it comes to facing you in matches, well… It really does depend. His most common strategies include going friendly for your entire team ꒰and spending the time by your side꒱ or simply avoiding you until everybody else has been chaired and he can give you dungeon. However, there are times that he’ll have to go full swing on you—he fears that the baron might punish the both of you, otherwise. He tries to be gentle on you when this happens, grazing you ever so lightly with his rapier, but he’ll always come running to Emily’s infirmary once the match is over… just to make sure.

꒰⚔️꒱・Assuming that you haven’t been hurt by him in a match, though, it does take some time for him to catch back up with you. Joseph is a massive cleanfreak, and absolutely despises the idea of being dirty—something caused both by his social status and the illness that took Claude away from him. He tends to make a beeline to his shower whenever he returns from matches, a habit that you’ve gradually come to pick up due to his hesitancy to cuddle with you when you haven’t. All things considered, it is a good habit, so you don’t mind it all that much.

꒰⚔️꒱・When it comes to things like PDA, I do imagine Joseph falling more on the conservative side ꒰once again due to his upbringing꒱. He’d really only engage in it when he’s feeling jealous, and for the most part prefers to keep all amorous gestures private… though he won’t complain nor attempt to stop you if you give him a quick kiss on the cheek, or something similar. He does, however, use a lot of French nicknames and terms of endearment for you—both in private and public. Mary enjoys teasing him for it, and offers to translate them for you if you don’t know French.

꒰⚔️꒱・Circling back to his fixation on cleanliness, the worst thing for him is falling sick. He’s quick to become upset if he notices himself falling under the weather, and he’ll quickly try to find something to blame for it. While this can grate on the nerves of whoever’s caring for him, being angry distracts him from his fear—though he’ll try to tone things down if he notices that he’s riling you up. Regardless, he’s grateful that you’re putting in the effort to care for him, even if he initially tries to shoo you off for the fear of getting you sick, too.

꒰⚔️꒱・If you’re the one sick, however, things tend to go much differently. He’s a mix of worried and distant whenever it happens, constantly obsessing over your condition and endlessly pestering Emily—begging her to make sure that you’re alright. At the same time, however, you won’t catch a single sight of him while you’re still ill—the thought of seeing you in such a state causing his stomach to churn. He’s quick to apologize once you’re better, pressing kisses on every part of skin that he can reach… Though expect a slight scolding to accompany his tenderness.

꒰⚔️꒱・Ending this with a cuddling headcanon..! Joseph absolutely adores having you close to him. Whether it be you sitting in his lap while he reads a book or him having an arm wrapped around you as he rants about bad matches and annoying survivors, cuddling is a necessity for him. He’s not against the idea of falling asleep while holding you, either, but be warned that his grip gets shockingly tight once he drifts off. While attempts at escape don’t fully wake him, he’ll try to convince you to stay with half-asleep murmurs of ‘don’t leave, mon ange…’ or ‘stay a little, mon amour…’. Unfortunately for you, they’re rather effective.

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[run2seob]

⌕ "in your hallway" in which yn finds themself constantly drawn back to yeonjun whenever sad, and he with open arms in the same hallway

PAIRS ▸ bsf!yeonjun x reader GENRE ▸ short one-shot, fluff, hurt/comfort (v slight angst @ the start) WORDCOUNT ▸ 0.98k WARNINGS ▸ reader is sad :(

AUTHOR'S NOTE — "so terrified of the road that takes you, me too." ｡♪ ₊˚

Moping, you drag your feet up the apartment’s staircase. Honestly, you wish to simply melt into each ascending metal step. If it hadn’t brought consequences, you would sit down and stop walking- give into the urging temptations to rest. After such a stressful day, you’d hope to think you deserve it, anyway. No matter how much you try distracting your mind, all you can think about is the misfortunes of your day.

On each step, the disgusting texture of your wet socks rubbed against your soles. If you asked for a reminder of just how unlucky you are, you’d receive one. And even in your unsettling silence, the reminders still pop up in your head. Your hand, still burning from scraping it against the rough concrete, swings against your side. Honestly, you’re afraid to look at it. Afraid to look at your state. If you hadn’t trusted yourself, avoiding mirrors and reflections to be at slightest peace, who could you?

But the answer is an easy one, because the dripping blood on your hand so easily accepts the coolness of Yeonjun’s doorknob. Room 201, the place where you can rest.

Immediately, your shoulders relaxed. The mere thought of Yeonjun made your body rest. Memories of his arms enveloping you, no matter what situation, made you smile. Sure, your body’s energy is giving out. Furthermore, your forehead would be doing you a favor if it didn’t turn red, your head clashing against the door. But his door is always open.

There hadn’t been a time where Yeonjun didn’t open his door to you, and the record swears to end when eternity does.

Soon, you hear words flowing out one’s mouth at a cascading rhythm. Words spoken softly; you were quick to recognize the culprit. Yeonjun lives with himself and the air surrounding him, but both treat you so well. Nothing could engulf your tears the way the artificial breeze could. Similarly, nothing could compare to intertwined limbs with no sign of pulling apart due to the freezing air. Winter was bitter, but Yeonjun was your warmth.

“Yn?” he called against the wood between you, the words reaching you despite the barricade, “I’m gonna open the door, okay?”

His warning was taken with caution, your head departing from the barricade as it opened slowly. It happened in a similar motion to your eyes, becoming doe once Yeonjun entered more of your vision. In any state, he was beautiful. You couldn’t deny that, and quite frankly, you didn’t want to.

His hair was far from made, sticking up in all directions. Though, that brought you immense comfort. You trusted Yeonjun with seeing you in your worst states: snotty-nosed and with red eyes. The opposite applied, the boy in front of you standing with a puffy face, indicating he slept late or that his tears kept his eyes open. It was never one-sided, your friendship. Comfort emerged from both sides, never just one.

Seeing Yeonjun in a state of worry of pain never unsettled you but reminded you of all of it. All of his words he speaks into your hair; all of his imperfections, all of the glances you two have shared that exceed any line of sole “comfort”. His pain was one you wanted to experience together. One you wanted to hold your hand against and share. 

A magnet, he was. His skin stuck to yours when it came into reach, but you made no effort to pull away. Arms wrapped snugly around his neck, you melted into him. Into the way his hands imprinted carnations into your back and soul. The little bottle containing the mark of your mortality would have Yeonjun’s name on it, his breath in it, and his touch around it. But you didn’t mind. His arms were always open for you, and you would never mind.

“Wait,” you mutter into his shoulder, reluctantly pulling away, “Can we go to your room?” And your question is a regular one. In any situation, it would make sense. Well, save some. Nonetheless, Yeonjun smiles widely upon hearing those words. It was common- every time you wanted to cuddle; you’d ask to go to his room. But the task was never carried out, yet you still tried.

Shoes wet and muddy, you find the reminder’s attempts to lower your mood futile. You step on the back of your heel, slipping off your shoe in the process. Your socks were removed soon after, the wet texture against your feet bringing you discomfort. You didn’t care much. Besides, nothing could remove the comfort Yeonjun brought to you.

As you walk to the hallway leading into Yeonjun’s room, you stop. In the spot you always do. Just three years ago, your soles set their first marking into the planks of the hallway. And eight years ago, when you first stopped in the hallway of Yeonjun’s parent’s house, standing next to the photograph of Yeonjun and you graduating from primary school.

You wore a dress, and he wore a display of his theft- his crime of stealing your heart ten times over. 

The photo frame hadn’t grown dust yet, it was new at the time. It wasn’t a frame with the fresh look of day or a week, but the accustomed warmth of a month. You never stopped to reminisce on the many photographs that laid in front of Yeonjun’s door, solely glazing your eyes over them before heading into his room.

But on the winter day where your tears laid as snowflakes against your cheeks, the memories were soft enough to linger over your tears without breaking you. Yeonjun, too, lingered. When he moved into his apartment, he remained. And now, he remains with his hand on your hip, pulling you into an embrace- the feeling of everything overwhelming you.

But you didn’t mind. Your body easily accepts Yeonjun’s touch. Yeonjun, the place where you can rest.

TAGLIST[perm]: @junoswrlld send an ask/dm to be added

[imagine-shenanigans]

I'm getting back into the swing of things for writing, so here's some random safe for work headcanons because I've been reading an obscene amount of x reader content (Please go check out Aggre(g/v)ation by llama goddess, and Saving Three Ex-cell-ent skeletons by recklessly caffeinated on ao3 because I got brain worms babey.)

Also since its been awhile since I've written something on this blog, remember that these are stream of consciousness teehee <3

(General tws: references (but not explicitly said) to past consumption of humans, ED/Disordered eating and mental health issues, au-typical violence references, etc)

Word Count: 2.2k words ish

.

Horrortale!Sans (Skull) x Reader Misc SFW Headcanons

My favorite thing is when people portray sans in any light as either Just A Little Guy or as Fuckin Huge and Skull is a Big Boy <333 he's easily 7 feet tall, and Built Fucking Different.

Monsters can't like, completely and utterly alter the type of monster they are, so you won't see a Bunny Monster turn into a Moldsmal but its very widely understood that magic reflects the soul reflects the mind reflects the body - so its not really something where monsters experience dysphoria as much? Like if a monster is afab, but realizes they're trans and a guy, it may take awhile to transition - and they may need some help via magic other than their own - but it's really normal in comparison.

Unfortunately, the positive aspects of the whole "mind/soul/body" equation in that you'll eventually look how you want so long as you put the effort into changing every day can also be blocked by trauma and "scarring" to the soul. It's pretty rare in the canon universe, but for Horrortale monsters its damn near exclusive - when you have to do anything you can to survive, adaptation to your environment makes you a hell of a lot scarier in compenstation.

Skull is one such monster where if it weren't for his injury, he'd be a complete 180 from the typical monsters you see. But because of it, it makes it harder to control his magic because he can't think straight. It takes him longer to form sentences, takes him longer to process words sometimes, or even read. He gets light sensitivity really bad, and because his body change wasn't by his choice, but by an unfortunate way of being injured while in a traumatic situation, Skull, no matter how much better he gets, will never fully go back to what he was before.

He's extremely self-conscious about his size and his looks, not to mention his mental capacity. He knows and can think about what he's doing, his mind has never lost that sharpness or intellect. He can strip a machine down to parts and put it back together or put it to other use in minutes, but if you ask him to write it down or explain it he's going to have one hell of a time and he'll probably leave the experience worse than he went into it.

Similarly, if he does want to talk, in one of his rare moods where he's explaining what he's doing out loud to you, he could go on for hours, but suddenly hit a block where the words don't work right.

Be patient with him when this happens. He doesn't like it, and even though it can be frustrating at times, like if you're trying to decide something for dinner or write up a grocery list, he really is doing his best.

Sign language is a good alternative when the words don't want to come out but he's still able to communicate - writing can be one sided, but sometimes thats all he can do too.

When an idea strikes the both of you one day to just draw what he's thinking, Skull could fucking kiss you senseless when you hand him a white board and a dry erase marker. Words may not be making sense in his brain but he can picture what he wants in those moments so this is the perfect compromise between the two for communication.

Skull is his name now, so even though he was once Sans, Skull is what he picked as the reclamation of all that's happened to him. A name that he picked to get him through it day by day but its also a reminder of where he's been and where he'll go. That said... it's also a name he initially picked as a form of self harm to some degree, a mocking reference to his own injury that hindered him.

So while he'll probably never change his name again... he appreciates it when you call him pet names. It's a reminder that you love him enough to do so, while also giving himself a break from the constant reminder. He particularly loves when you call him your "Big old teddy bear" because... god he does not feel like it sometimes.

Get it its a reference to some of the fandom calling him Bear and I love that name for him a lot too

Due to the past, he has some Big Issues With Food, constantly bouncing back and forth between feast and famine.

He has some issues with meat at times - on bad days certain textures and tastes just remind him of the bad times in his life where survival was such a tightrope walk that just imagining eating it makes him sick.

A very "safe food" house, where the two of you stock up on your safe foods and have a cupboard dedicated to it for days you can't stand anything else.

Some days, Skull is content for the two of you to eat at the kitchen table or to watch TV in the living room while you two eat from separate bowls/plates, and he can eat fairly freely, not particularly caring who eats how much or in what order.

Others... other days he anxiously watches to make sure you've had a serving before he gets his, or, more likely, he brings the full pan/a single platter to the table, and the two of you share the same food, taking bites in turn so he can make sure you're getting enough to eat.

King of cooking. It makes him feel better to have full say of what goes into the meals, and honestly the man is an excellent cook. If you insist on helping him cook, it's a 50/50 on whether he gives you this smug little smile and sets you up on the counter top so he can look at you while he cooks, or if he actually lets you help.

He feels out of control if he can't cook, so even on special occasions he's still going to be cooking himself, unless you feel the Urge To Cook or you two order out.

Even then, please just go over with him what you did step by step and tell him what fully went in it - he trusts you implicitly and he's unlikely to outright ask... but it always helps ease his mind when you walk him through what you did just so he can feel less guilty.

Cuddler.

Big fucking cuddler.

Sitting on the couch alone? Not for long. Skull appears? Bam. you're in his lap, his claws smoothing across your skin and through your hair, purring up a storm as he settles his chin on the top of your head and closes his eyes.

If you're watching TV, he's only ever going to pay half attention if he's got you in his lap, half-snoozing in a very light doze as he basks in your presence, and half listening for danger/to the TV depending on the day.

He ADORES when you read to him. He loves it when you talk, and when he gets to listen to storytime while you talk? Best. Day. Ever.

Loves how small you are in comparison to him - something he never thought he'd be comfortable with at first, just based on the idea alone, but in practice he loves being completely wrapped around you and making sure you're safe. You're his personal teddy bear, no matter how many times you call him that yourself.

Jetpacking/Him being the little spoon is... unlikely. He's got some damn broad shoulders and chest, and he's not super happy with the idea of your limbs inside of him no matter if its on purpose or not.

If you want to hold him, he's definitely okay with that (although he does prefer to hold you) as long as you're touching him. You'll just have to let him set his head in your lap, or rest against your chest as he snuggles you chest to... well not chest, so more chest-to-skull and chest-to-legs with how he holds you. He's very beefy and has presence but he's about half the weight most people expect, despite the fact that it should be obvious because he's a skeleton.

He lets out the most broken whimper-whine-purr when you gently kiss the cracks on his skull, close to the gaping wound there. Don't actually touch inside or press too close to the wound itself, because that's genuinely very uncomfortable in the way it would be if he were human and had a missing eye and you touched the inside of the socket to see what it felt like. Just overall a bad experience so Don't Do That No Matter What The Intrusive Thoughts Say, although he'd let you do it in a heartbeat if you asked him

Absolutely whipped. Skull will do anything and everything you say if you just look at him just like that - just like he's your everything, like you love him without bounds and without exception. Puppy eyes also work.

He's a goddamn simp is what he is,

You'll just be minding your own business and you'll look over and catch him staring at you like you've hung the moon and the stars just to provide him with a small amount of your light during the nighttime. He looks at you with such adoration that it hurts.

Sometimes it looks a little freaky like, before you've come to automatically understand his expressions but goddamnit its so hard not to fall in love with him even just by a little more when he loves you so fucking much.

Kissies? Kissies for Skull? Please?

man FIENDS for kissies.

Once he's more comfortable giving affection unprompted you can barely keep his fucking hands off of you. He goes from "I Can And Will Nuzzle You And Pull You Into My Lap But That's It" to "No Kissies? No Snuggles? No Love For Skull? Oh! Jail! Jail For Datemate! Jail For Datemate For One Thousand Years!"

He straight up just hangs off of your clothing while staring at you until you give him a kiss or a hug. He'll come up to you and just bury his face into your neck while purring, or nuzzle your hair, but then moments later pout at you while wrapping his arms around your middle and burying his face into your stomach until you give up whatever youre doing and pay attention to him.

He doesn't do it often But By God Does He Get His Way When He Does.

He's also the type to just like, spend the entire day giving you small pecks on the lips and cheeks and forehead, and then snuggle you at night, and then the next day he'll be way less clingy. You take it in stride and then he just out of the blue dips you in the fucking moonlight and kisses you senseless.

The bastard.

Circling back to pet names, he thinks the nickname Teddybear/Bear is cute and he likes it, but call him My Love/Love/Dear Heart/something else dripping with affection and he's cupping your face in his hands and staring at you adoringly while he rubs your cheek with his claw.

Surprise him with new ones and he'll turn positively blue in the face while smiling like a fool

Surprise him with silly ones and he'll be even more in love while laughing. call him your little chicken nugget and he cant stop smiling and chuckling for a few hours. God. He'll dream of kissing you under the moonlight if you make a pun out of it.

(Brief aside here so I can avoid the text character limit "per block" but I prefer doing bullet point lists for these so anyway continue on)

Pet names always depend on the person, so whatever his one for you depends on you as a person (thats the easy way out for me) but he prefers just one pet name. (Aside from like. Babe being thrown in sometimes yknow)

He'll start with one pet name and see how you react to it - he prefers cute ones like Kitten, Bunny, Lovebird, etc. Something small and cute and adorable - though he changes it up depending on what you respond best to, because while the majority of the reason he calls you a pet name is out of affection, he still calls you pet names to see you get flustered.

On days he's feeling better, he gets more sassy he's gonna include more puns. Or teasing. Example - if he calls you lovebird, or some sort of bird-based nickname? Fuckin. He's calling you pigeon to see how you react.

Bunny? Hare-brain

Kitten? Fuzzball

If its an animal/bird/etc that he calls you in terms of nicknames, he might even refer to you as the scientific name of the animal, or a breed in that category because he thinks its funny to watch you fully stop in your tracks and process what he's just said.

Picks you up at any given opportunity.

Puddle? Oh dear, he should make sure your shoes don't get wet. Better princess carry you.

About to miss an appointment? Thrown over a shoulder.

Just feels like it? Get Scooped Idiot. Okay i have Way More Thoughts but I'm already at 2k because I have no impulse control so byeeeee come request more xreader stuff from me

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Ian Millhiser at Vox:

Donald Trump is speaking out of both sides of his mouth on abortion. On the one hand, Trump frequently claims credit for the Supreme Court’s decision eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion — and well he should, since the three Republicans he appointed to the Supreme Court all joined the Court’s 2022 decision permitting abortion bans. As Trump told Fox News last summer, “I did something that no one thought was possible. I got rid of Roe v. Wade.” At the same time, Trump at least claims that he has no interest in signing new federal legislation banning abortion. When a reporter asked Trump if he would sign such a ban last month, Trump’s answer was an explicit “no.”

Behind the scenes, however, many of Trump’s closest allies tout a plan to ban abortion in all 50 states that doesn’t require any new federal legislation whatsoever. The linchpin of this plan is the Comstock Act, a long-defunct, 1873 law that, among other things, purports to ban “any drug, medicine, article, or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion” from being mailed or otherwise transported by an “express company” such as UPS or FedEx. Anyone who violates this law faces up to five years in prison — and the maximum sentence doubles for repeat offenders. Thus, anyone who delivers an abortion medication, or any device used in a surgical abortion, could potentially face such extraordinary sanctions that the transit of such goods would shut down. Many of the leading proponents of using Comstock to ban all abortions, moreover, are likely to be very influential within a second Trump administration, if such a thing occurs. The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, for example, touts enforcing Comstock to ban abortion medication in its 920-page mega-white paper outlining policies for Trump. 

Similarly, Jonathan Mitchell, one of Trump’s personal lawyers and the architect of a Texas law that allows virtually anyone to collect bounties from abortion providers, bragged to the New York Times that “we don’t need a federal ban when we have Comstock on the books.” There are very strong legal arguments that Comstock cannot actually be used to effectively ban abortion, at least in places where abortion is legal. The law has not been seriously enforced for nearly a century, and a long line of court decisions stretching back to at least 1915 have read the Comstock Act narrowly to prevent it from being used as a general ban on all abortions.

Still, these precedents are only meaningful if the Supreme Court chooses to follow them, and betting on the same justices who overruled Roe to honor previous pro-abortion decisions is always a dangerous bet. It will get even more dangerous if Trump gets to appoint more justices. And, even if the Court ultimately decided to follow past decisions reading Comstock narrowly, months or years would likely pass between the Trump Justice Department’s decision to file criminal charges under the Comstock Act, and a Supreme Court decision halting that prosecution. In the interim, few, if any, distributors of medications and medical supplies are likely to risk shipping anything that could lead to themselves being prosecuted.

[...]

So where does the Comstock Act come from?

The Comstock Act is a relic, not just of a more prudish era in American history, but of an age when the sort of individual rights that modern Americans take for granted effectively did not exist. Much of the law is unconstitutionally vague. It purports to make it a crime to mail “every obscene, lewd, lascivious, indecent, filthy or vile article, matter, thing, device, or substance,” for “any indecent or immoral purpose.” Comstock and similar laws inspired a century of litigation just to determine what the word “obscene” means, and it’s anyone’s guess which items are “lewd,” “filthy,” or “vile.”

Similarly, the law imposes a strict censorship code, targeting any “writing” that can be used “for any indecent or immoral purpose” — a provision that violates any plausible understanding of the First Amendment right to free speech. The Comstock Act’s namesake is Anthony Comstock, a 19th-century anti-vice crusader who wielded it and similar state laws against artists, authors, and reproductive health providers as indiscriminately as he wielded it against actual pornographers. Comstock once successfully brought criminal charges against an art gallery owner for selling reproductions of famous nude paintings. He also bragged, after a woman he arrested for selling contraceptive pills died by suicide, that she was the 15th person targeted by one of his investigations to take her own life.

[...] Many Republican judges, meanwhile, have been quite willing to revive long-dead abortion bans now that Roe is no longer around. Just last month, for example, Arizona’s Supreme Court reinstated a Civil War era ban on abortions — although the state legislature quickly moved to repeal that ban.  All of which is a long way of saying that the current status of the Comstock Act is highly uncertain, and will depend on who sits on the Supreme Court if and when the Justice Department decides to bring a prosecution under this law. And, even in the best-case scenario, if a future Justice Department is willing to do so, the mere threat of a Comstock prosecution is likely to shut down access to abortion pills (and potentially to surgical equipment used to perform abortions) throughout the country.

The Comstock Act, a long-dormant act, is on a revival in recent years, as anti-abortion extremists are using it as a tool to ban abortion without the need to enact a new law.

This could become scarily true if Donald Trump wins again.

[innerchorus]

It's a very similar expression, isn't it? There's even a little tear in Bahman's eye, too. (Bahman from Chapter 43, Zandeh from Chapter 59.)

I can't help it, my thoughts are so addled right now that I keep thinking of Bahman as being part of Team Hilmes. But he could so easily have been, couldn't he? I would have loved to see him interact with Zandeh (see: the old dog and new puppy discussion of it here, and I also love the thought of Bahman taking Zandeh under his wing and teaching him in military matters).

The moment in Chapter 38 where Hilmes encounters him in Peshawar... The way he's hesitant, yet as he realises he's tentatively reaching out for Hilmes's proffered hand... If that moment hadn't been interrupted, if they'd been able to talk for a little longer, I wonder what would have happened?

And I keep looking at that expression on Hilmes's face (not that you can see all of it, which highlights Bahman's inability to recognise him and that it's not solely because he thinks he died 16 years ago, it's also because his face is covered by a mask). That panel focuses the attention on his smile, and the hand he's offering to Bahman, and I just... honestly, it makes me really sad, because here is someone who knew him before the palace fire, who must have been fond of him, and trusted by him as a child. Bahman is someone whose support Hilmes needs on a practical level, but isn't it more than that, too?

And though it's not evident in the manga, it's worth remembering that in the novels, seeking Bahman's loyalty is the whole reason Hilmes enters Peshawar Fortress in the first place! His encounter with Arslan was entirely unexpected!

I think having Bahman's support would have been good for him. And realistically I know Bahman would have remained just as torn up by the conflict as when he was with Arslan, but wouldn't it have been nice for him to reunite with Hilmes, who he thought was dead, and see him grow into a fine Shah?

Tanaka made some comment in the Reader's Guidebook that amounted to it essentially being merciful for a character like Bahman who is torn between two choices to be killed off. I don't think he's wrong, especially with the trajectory that canon took, but just as he gave his life for Arslan's sake in the anime and manga, I feel he would have done exactly the same thing for Hilmes under different circumstances.

Actually, let's look at Bahman's death scene, because it's something I've been wanting to discuss for a while now. The relevant manga chapters are 51 and 52.

I think everyone's aware that the anime and the OVAs both made the same choice regarding Bahman's death, in that he is inadvertently killed by Hilmes when protecting Arslan in Peshawar Fortress. (And I liked this change, personally.) But I don't think it's as commonly known that Arakawa also made some changes?

The event itself takes place similarly in Sindhura, but in the novels:

Bahman's inner conflict doesn't feature in his death, and

Gadhevi's spear was aimed at Bahman, so Bahman did NOT take a blow meant for Arslan as he did in the manga.

'“Your Highness Arslan! Please hurry up and go!” Before he could finish his words, Bahman unsheathed his sword and cut down the attacking Sindhuran soldiers in a cloud of blood and smoke. Although he was already over sixty years old, his skillful swordsmanship showed no signs of decline. However, just as he cut down two more enemy soldiers, Gadhevi picked up a spear, aimed it at the old general, and threw it. The spear made a whistling sound as it flew towards him, stabbing hard into the area between Bahman’s left shoulder and chest. Bahman let out a short groan and fell down.' (Book 3, Chapter Three, Part v)

We don't get any of his internal thoughts before he dies, either.

By contrast, in the manga, when Arslan's life is in danger? Bahman hesitates. And honestly to me this change is just so masterful that I really ought to have included it on the list of my favourite differences between novels and manga.

Yet even as he acknowledges that thought, his body is already in motion, moving to take the spear that was meant for Arslan. So here's why I like this scene so much:

It feels as though Bahman's conflictedness may well be the very reason he dies. If he hadn't hesitated then, if he had called out instantly to warn Arslan, would Arslan have dodged? Would Bahman or Narsus have instead cut down the spear before it reached him? Bahman's death didn't have to be the outcome, whereas in the novels it feels like there was no way for it to have been avoided.

The fact that his conflict doesn't just stem from being undecided who he should give his loyalty too, but because he recognises the turmoil that having two candidates for the throne will bring to Pars. His concern is for his country; out of Arslan and Hilmes, who will be the better ruler?

And as usual, Arakawa shows us so much. That panel of Hilmes that Bahman sees in his moment of indecision, the way it's sort of shadowed and his eyes aren't visible, because even though Bahman knew him when he was a boy, he doesn't know him in the same way now. What does he know of Hilmes? He is clearly competent in matters of war, and on the surface more equipped to lead than a boy of Arslan's age. And he has royal blood, which Bahman knows that Arslan does not.

But he must also know of Hilmes's involvement in the Lusitanian invasion, and his brutality in trying to kill Arslan. I think Bahman's decision to give his life to save Arslan's comes not just from being unable to stand by and watch Arslan to die before his eyes, but because although he worries about whether Arslan is right for the task, he has misgivings about Hilmes, too. It would have been easier, after all, to do nothing. To let Arslan die. In making the active choice to save Arslan, I can't help but see it as him hoping that Arslan will be better for Pars than Hilmes would have been.

And yeah, it does feel tragic that he'll never be able to see for certain that he made the right choice, worrying about the softness in Arslan's nature (as evidenced by his refusal to leave Bahman's side even when it endangered him). Yet that same softness that can be seen as a weakness is also a strength, isn't it? And there is little of it to be seen in Hilmes.

I also appreciate that it's clear he's not just worried for the fate of Pars, but for Arslan's individual fate, too. Surely it's the time he's spent with him in Sindhura getting to know him on a personal level that has resulted in this moment where he opts to give his life to save Arslan, effectively choosing him over Hilmes. And when I think about it like that, while in both cases a change was made so that Bahman gave his life for Arslan's sake, ultimately I prefer this over his death in the anime. The angst potential of Hilmes being the one to accidentally kill his old teacher is good though.

Personally, I like that his death ends on a hopeful note. Despite his worries, he is able to place his faith in Arslan due to the fact that he has companions such as Daryun and the others who will lend him their support and strength and can offset his youth and inexperience as he grows into the good king that Bahman implores him to become before he dies. It feel like he's made peace with his decision.

One more thing I like from Bahman's death scene:

Bahman's recognition that he's about to die coming as he looks up at Azrael, named for the "Herald of Death" (an angel in Parsian cosmology) and thinks of his already departed friend, Vahriz.

[gayleviticus]

I was skimming thru the gospels recently, trying to get a feel for how they're structured for myself, and smth that caught my eye are what events each Gospel use to open Jesus' ministry after the initial baptism, gathering disciples etc

Matthew, wanting to present Jesus as a second Moses, opens with the Beatitudes, and the sermon on the mount. Jesus is an authoritative teacher of God's Law, the Torah, and how he tells us to live is important.

Mark similarly opens with Jesus teaching in a synagogue, except - we aren't told any of what he said! But we know he teaches with authority, an authority he demonstrates in a very dramatic way by casting a demon from a possessed man. Jesus is God's representative, one who speaks and acts with authority, and yet there's something mysterious about him that can't yet be grasped.

and it's interesting, bc it's sometimes said by people trying to push back against a hyper-theologised protestantism that neglects the social justice implications of the Gospel, that christians spend too much time focusing on the epistles theologising about who Jesus is, than the Gospels which tell us about his moral teachings. But if we accept such a binary division (which I don't), Mark is much closer to the latter than the former; he gives us some teaching, for sure, but much of his Gospel is about establishing Jesus' authority not just through miraculous works but through his Passion and Resurrection.

Luke, meanwhile, opens with Jesus at the synagogue in Nazareth, applying the words of the Prophet Isaiah to himself to declare the Spirit of the Lord is upon him to proclaim liberation and the year of the Lord's favour - in response to which he is rejected by his own hometown. This is doing a lot of things at once; firmly placing Jesus in the tradition of the OT prophet hated by others for speaking the truth and championing social justice, but also foreshadowing Luke's interest in the eventual way Christianity was rejected by Jews and went to Gentiles (which btw i acknowledge this raises issues of supersessionism, but we do not have time to unpack those; suffice to say Luke wrote with a specific agenda at a specific point in time when there was a v specific relationship btwn Jews, Gentiles, and Christianity as a Jewish sect).

Finally, John opens with... Jesus turning water to wine? It almost seems like a parody next to the other gospels! Next to handing down the law, casting out demons, and fulfilling biblical prophecy, throwing out some extra booze at a party seems rather indulgent.

Jesus even seems to acknowledge this "What concern is that to you and me? My hour has not yet come." The Son of gOD should be making a big, dramatic debut, not performing party tricks. And yet he does it anyway.

I'm sure there's much to be said about the theological significance of this - a reference to the Eucharist, a fulfillment of OT themes of the great eschatological banquet with wine running freely, 'the best wine saved for last' as symbolising Jesus.

But what strikes me most is how low-stakes it is - and it's not as if the rest of John is exactly slice-of-life; unlike the other 3 gospels people are much more consistently out to get Jesus here. And yet as his first great sign, through the miracle of water into wine Jesus celebrates the goodness of God's creation, of wine to make man's heart glad, of weddings to join two people in commitment, of parties to celebrate family and friendship. In a sense he's hallowing everyday life here; the lack of drama is the point.

And I think it makes for a poignant book-end with the epilogue to John, which involves no dramatic ascension to heaven as in Luke, nor the giving of the Great Commission as in Matthew, nor the ambiguous cliffhanger ending of Luke. It involves Jesus having breakfast on the beach with his besties. Jesus' ministry in John starts with a wedding and ends with brunch with the bros.

[sammy8d257]

The First Meeting - AvA Mafia AU!

An AvA Mafia AU! Oneshot

AU created by @sammy8d257 and @k1ttyadventurer

Written by Sammy8D

Word Count: 2185

Characters: Chosen (He/Him), Yellow (They/Them), Dark (He/They), Second (Any Pronouns), Green (He/They), Red (He/Him), Blue (They/She/He), Victim (Any Pronouns)

CWs: Blackmail, Mentions of violence

Summary: When Noogai passed down the family business to him, Chosen knew it would be tough, he knew there would be surprises. Hell, they’ve already had their fair share of them when the supposed “first victim” of the gang’s dealings, turned out to be more useful alive than dead. Now that stick figure, affectionately nicknamed, “Victim”, was one of the most valuable members of the "Noogai Family". And yet, despite that, despite Chosen’s willingness to adapt to anything, despite Chosen literally being created to fulfill this role, he was not prepared to deal with these four very persistent stick figures.

[ORIGINALLY WRITTEN: May, 2021]

<= v =>

Chosen pinched the bridge of his forehead. When Noogai passed down the family business to him, Chosen knew it would be tough, he knew there would be surprises. Hell, they’ve already had their fair share of them when the supposed “first victim” of the gang’s dealings, turned out to be more useful alive than dead. Now that stick figure, affectionately nicknamed, “Victim”, was one of the most valuable members of the Family. And yet, despite that, despite Chosen’s willingness to adapt to anything, despite Chosen literally being created to fulfill this role, he was not prepared for the situation that sat in front of him. 

So here he sits, in one of the many backrooms of the quaint little restaurant young Second hosts as a front for the group's more, illicit activities. The orange stick figure had come to him in a panicked state, trying their best to recount their run-in with one particular persuasive fellow with a laptop filled with documents that should never see the light of day. Through the rushed and jumbled words, Chosen got the jist of what had transpired and more importantly, what needed to be done. That was why four brightly colored stick figures were seated across from him, looking for a chance at something that Chosen wasn't sure he was ready to give. 

“Tell me one good reason why I shouldn’t just let Dark here dispose of you.” 

As Chosen spoke those words, the bright red stick figure standing to his right side cracked his knuckles. Judging by the reactions from the group, there was no doubt that upon Dark’s face was his signature smile, the wide grin filled with sharp teeth and malicious intent. Chosen’s eyes slowly scanned across the stick figures before him. 

Seated furthest to the right was a light blue stick figure clothed in a loose dark blue jacket. A small bottle of an unknown substance hung by a silver chain around their neck. Despite the more relaxed and aloof attitude Chosen had observed when the four first arrived, he could see how sharp the blue one’s eyes were, seemingly categorizing everything within their surroundings. To the left of them sat a red stick figure, a slightly darker shade of red than his Right Hand Man, Chosen noted. He was the fighter of the group if the hand wraps along his knuckles and wrists were anything to go by. Right now, he was cracking his neck and eyeing up Dark in anticipation. There were no doubts that the stick figure was deciding whether he could square up to the infamous Dark Lord of the Noogai Family. The green stick figure next to him was reacting similarly, albeit in a much more subtle manner. Chosen watched as the green one carefully reached into his dark green vest only for a grimace to appear on his face. The stick figure was probably reaching for the gun that he gave up as both a show of respect toward the head of the gang and a sign of peace between the two parties. Chosen was rather surprised at the weaponry the green stick figure was carrying. The pistol was a pretty little number with an engraving upon its handle that he was positive couldn’t have been bought in any public stores. And lastly there was-

“I know for a fact you won’t.”

And lastly there was the source of Chosen’s current headache, the stick figure whom Second had informed him, was simply named Yellow. The most confident out of all of the stick figures in front of him, Yellow sat high in their seat with a self-assured smile upon their face. A pair of dusty yellow headphones hung loosely from the stick figure’s neck while they adjusted the glasses that sat on their face. Chosen took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly, bringing his hands to rest in front of him. 

“And why might that be?” Chosen asked. Yellow leaned back in their seat and lifted one hand in the air. 

“Well, I have a timer set to release all the information I gathered on your little group out onto the internet.You’ll be ruined within minutes and only I know how to stop it.” 

“Yeah right, I cou-” Dark was interrupted as Yellow leveled their stare at him. 

“I cracked through your defenses in under 5 hours. If you so much as breathe incorrectly on the code I created, it’ll automatically release every single dirty detail the Noogai Family has been hiding. But if you’re willing to risk that, fine, go ahead and try to kill us.”

Dark snarled at the challenge. It was no secret that despite being Chosen’s Right Hand and also one of the best fighters, Dark also prided himself on being a damn good coder as well. To see his work be so quickly broken through by someone as young and as smug as Yellow, must have infuriated Dark to no end. Chosen sighed and gestured for Dark to stand down. 

Meeting the yellow stick figure’s gaze, Chosen spoke in a hard voice, “Okay, you have my attention. What is it exactly that you want from us?”

“Well! As your orange friend here may have told you, me and my buddies are looking to join your group!” Yellow said with a grin so big it nearly split their face. The other 3 nodded in agreement. With furrowed brows, Chosen let out another sigh. Right, Second had told him that this group was looking to join the gang. It wasn’t that Chosen was adverse to gaining new members, rather the opposite actually. The big boss knew that in order to gain more power in the Interspace, their gang would have to have more members than just the original four. But still, he never expected this would be how they would grow. Chosen always assumed people with prior connections to the Family would join in first, though that certainly wasn’t the case now.

“Let’s say we are looking for new members.” Chosen tilted his head to the side. “What can you bring to this group?” 

The grin on Yellow’s face seemed to get even wider. “I’m so glad you asked sir.”

Yellow placed a hand on their chest. “You’ve already seen a bit of what I can do. But basically, I can be your go-to guy for anything code related. I can get you any encrypted information you need. I’m a bit of a master hacker if you will.” 

Dark scoffed and crossed his arms.

“Green here is our weapons specialist. He’s versed in multiple types of weaponry. Whether it be a gun or a bo staff, he’ll be able to wield them all.” 

“I’m gonna need my gun back by the way,” Green said with a cocked brow. “It wasn’t easy to get and I’d appreciate it if I didn’t lose it so soon.” 

“Don’t worry,” Second spoke up for the first time since the four had arrived. “I’ll make sure to get it back to you.” Green jumped at the sudden intrusion and jerked his head towards the corner where Second was standing. The orange stick figure sent him a small wave and Green nodded once in appreciation. 

Yellow continued, “And if weapons aren’t you thing, we have our very own close combat specialist. Meet Red! He’s the powerhouse of the bunch and knows all about hand-to-hand fighting.”

Red beamed at both Yellow and Chosen at the praise. “Yeah, I’m pretty good at fighting.” Chosen nodded along with Yellow’s explanation, happy that his earlier suspicions were confirmed. 

“And lastly,” Yellow gestured to the furthest stick figure from them. “We have Blue. Don't let their quiet demeanor fool you, Blue has a mastery over poisons and knows more about the sneaking than anyone I know. If you need to take out someone quietly, Blue's definitely the one for the job." 

The stick figure in question gave Chosen a mock salute, a calm smile on their face. From the other corner, Chosen watched as Victim nodded at him, no doubt interested in the more stealthy aspects of this stick figure's skill set.

Chosen hummed, interlocking his fingers in front of his face. These four definitely had skills that could be beneficial to the Family. Especially if Red, Green, and Blue were as skilled in their areas of expertise as Yellow. They were good. Almost too good. Chosen's contemplative look turned accusatory as he leveled gaze across the group.

"What are you hoping to get out of this? From what you've told me and from what you've shown, you four seem very qualified for positions within the group." Chosen's voice was cold. "I'm finding it very hard to believe a couple of highly skilled individuals like yourselves aren't already part of another gang.” 

“So I’m going to ask you again,” The skin of Chosen’s palms glowed a dangerous red. “What are you hoping to get out of this?”

There was silence for a moment, only the hum of the ventilation filling the dead air. The four stick figures in front of him were deep in some sort of non-verbal communication, simply consulting with one another through nods and stares. In the back of Chosen’s mind, he wondered how close they were to each other that allowed them to do that. Finally, the group seemed to come to a conclusion and Yellow spoke up once more.

“You may not believe us, but we aren’t part of any other group. You guys were actually our first choice when we all decided to look into this type of business.” Yellow gestured an arm out to the rest of the sticks. “The four of us are from a web-based sticks fighting game. We were literally built to fight but after years of doing the same thing over and over again... Well, we got really bored. And then with all the extra time we had, we each decided to master skills that interested us.” 

Yellow placed a hand on their chest, their tone taking a more sincere note. “I’ve researched hundreds of other groups beforehand. Although you guys are newer and still very small, we all agreed that the way you run your business aligns the best with our group's own beliefs. You guys still do illegal things, but,” they paused to readjust their glasses. “The Noogai Family is still the best option in comparison to almost everyone else. And because of that, we’re willing to dedicate ourselves to this Family.”

The rest of the sticks nodded in agreement. Yellow themself, sunk back into their chair, seemingly winded from their speech. Bringing a hand up to rub at his forehead, Chosen also leaned back into his seat with a sigh. The silence returned once again. After a few minutes, he spoke,

“Okay. Against my better judgment, you’ve convinced me.”

There was a pause before the room erupted into cheer. Dark’s indignant shout of “WHAT-” was drowned out by the ecstatic celebration of Red, Yellow, Green and Blue. Rounds of high-fives were being given to each other along with excited hand flapping. Not wanting the celebration to get too out of hand, Chosen signaled for the four to quiet down. 

“Don’t go celebrating yet. You four have exactly one week to prove your loyalty and that you can be a reliable asset to this group. Second.” Second perked their head up at the sound of their name. “I want you to escort these fellows to a separate room and go over the rules. Also make sure to gather any necessary information from them.”

“Of course,” Second said softly. Turning towards the group, they motioned them to follow their lead. “Right this way guys.”

All four of the stick figures stood up excitedly before bowing towards Chosen.

“You won’t regret this boss!” The grin was back on Yellow’s face. Chosen sent a look toward Victim and with a nod, the dark gray stick figure followed the group out the door, shutting it softly as they went. 

And then, there was silence again. 

Chosen let out a sigh. Standing up he placed a calming hand upon a fuming Dark’s shoulder. 

“With all due respect,” Dark said through gritted teeth. “What were you THINKING letting these… these fools into OUR Family?”

“They seem very capable. I thought very hard on my decision and for now, I’m confident in it. Just trust me on this alright?” Chosen gave Dark’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. “Besides, we need to start growing. We won’t get anywhere if our group just stays the four of us.”

Dark snarled and shrugged Chosen’s hand off his shoulder. “Whatever you say, Chosen One.” And with that, the pissed off stick figure stalked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Chosen slumped back down into his seat. Closing his eyes, Chosen allowed himself to relax ever so slightly. Noogai said this wouldn’t be easy but Chosen wished he was also told just how hard it was going to be. Regardless of the outcome, he could feel that this would be a new chapter in the history of the Noogai Family.

[justonemorechapternicercy]

Can you love someone you've never met? Someone you never talked to in real life? Percy wondered as he logged in to his profile and was greeted with the bright red sign of a new message.

His heartbeat quickened, he knew who it was from. Angelofdeath, the person who can build him up with a few words, and tear him down by not reacting immediately to something he sent.

Percy sighed. He knew he wasn't in the best headspace, he wasn't sure of his own feelings, own thoughts. He just knew he wanted to be close to his friend, he wanted to see him, compliment him, love him, kiss him and hold him close. He hated when Nico didn't talk to him for days, he hated the jealous churning of his stomach when he saw Nico interacting with others.

Shaking his head in an attempt to get his mind out of the downward spiral, and clicked on the message.

Angelofdeath

lol

no, I don't think you want to go there

because it's clear I would win

italian cuisine is there *shows the top of the mount everest* and american is somewhere there *shows the mariana trench*

anyways, i hve to go

sleep well

love you ♥️

Percy couldn't stop smiling, but at the same time, his heart felt heavy and painful.

"Love you too," he whispered into the silence of his room.

Seastar

pff… you clrly never tsted the NY style pizza

that's just 👌

beats your tiny no carb no grease thing

good luck for your exam!!!

ilytoo ♥️

He noticed that he got an ask too, from a familiar anon.

anonymous asked you:

I’d be happy to keep you warm ;)

-🖤

It was probably a reaction to his previous post where he complained about the weather. He was coming home from school, and even in the warmest, fluffiest coat he owned he was freezing, and he just had to make it into his followers' problem too.

He didn't really expect this, but he should have. As always, he briefly entertained himself that maybe his favorite flirty anon was Nico, but he shook it off. Nico probably would have commented. It was probably one of his followers teasing him or maybe they were too shy to flirt off anon.

He answered back with an

"Anytime, babe, I'm here, waiting for you ;)💙",

and closed the tab. It wasn't like the one person he wanted to talk to was available. Either he was in the middle of his exam, or celebrating his success with his classmates.

Thinking back the first time he interacted with the Italian, it was funny that they reached the point where they felt so comfortable with each other that there was no day - except for those days one of them was too depressed to log in - they didn't talk.

He still remembered that ask from a righteous Nico after he posted "Steter>>>>>Sterek".

Angelofdeath asked you:

sTetEr iS bEtTeR tHaN sTeEk HOE DARE YOU?! (yes, it's hoe, because you are a HOE!) I followed you because your TW edits are 👌 but your taste… 😬

Percy remembered the indignation he felt as he wrote a 3k+ reply to why Steter was better (because of Peter's V-neck, obviously, but also, because of Peter and Stiles are both fucked up similarly).

He got back a similarly long essay on why Sterek was better, and that was the start of their little competition.

As they tried to one up each other with their respective ship, they started to talk. And love the other ship too. And soon, instead of being the worst enemies, they became the biggest supporters of each other.

Nico became a very important part of Percy's life. Bad or good, Nico was always there for him, being the loveable sarcastic asshole he became so dependent on. Their interaction, while still involved fandom talk, turned into just talking, sharing stories and feelings. Nico told him about growing up with his mother and sister who died way too early. Percy talked about Gabe, the stepfather he had when he was young, how he left both physical and emotional scars on him. They bonded over having absent fathers and shitty school lives. Percy was the first person Nico came out and Percy still felt touched and soft at the knowledge he made Nico feel safe and comfortable enough to do so.

He opened the hellsite again, not able to resist the temptation. There were two notifications - a message and an ask.

He opened the ask first, knowing he would spend the rest of his night talking with Nico.

Anonymous asked you:

I wish you'd mean that…

-🖤

Percy stared at it, uncomprehending. The anon was always flirty, teasing… lighthearted. He liked the black heart anon, they were lovely, but he never thought…

He thought he was the only one having an unrequited online crush. He never thought somebody had an unrequited online crush on him.

He didn't reply. He couldn't. He kept it in his inbox, hoping that in time, he would know what to do with it. For now, he clicked on his messages, finding a string of swear words, keymashes and threats in Italian still coming from Nico because he dared to mention the "abomination that has no right to call itself pizza".

Percy laughed, already knowing he would get this reaction. He knew Nico. And that was why he was afraid of doing anything. He knew Nico, and he wanted to keep knowing him, being friends with him. He didn't want to lose him.

But maybe one day… maybe one day he'll have the courage to say something to him- but until that, he was content to be his friend. Because being in love with Nico wasn't overruling his love; the romantic feelings just complemented the platonic ones. And maybe he would get a clue on what to do with his flirty anon. Because as much as he loved Nico… he kinda liked the anon too.

[dustedmagazine]

Little Richard: I Am Everything (Magnolia)

How does one tell the story of an artist as influential as Little Richard? The same way you tell the story of the Universe, by keeping it simple: A long time ago there was the Big Bang. 

Little Richard: I Am Everything, a new documentary directed by Lisa Cortes, presents Little Richard’s existence as an analogous cosmic event. Rock ‘n’ roll as we know it exists because on December 5, 1932, Richard Penniman was born in Macon, Georgia.

Cortes isn’t the first to frame Little Richard in terms of cosmic energy. As Nick Tosches once put it, “[v]ia his pure white-energy raunch and total over-simplification, [Little Richard had] the power to make people say 'fuck it' and turn their backs on their own control conditioning and just go out and debauch and catch a glimpse of the violent, drunken, loving, dancing Universe.” I Am Everything is similarly reverential, but the power of the film stems from its focus on Little Richard’s strange, conflicted human experience. 

Growing up, Little Richard, as he would later be nicknamed, was scolded in church for singing too loud — an impressive feat for a Pentecostal. He exuded a preacher’s charisma and even as a young boy parishioners asked him to pray for them. When he started playing piano, he banged on the keys the way that Sister Rosetta Tharpe, an early influence, banged on her guitar. The idea, Little Richard said, was to drum away at your instrument until you reached “the peak.” 

The nature of that “peak,” would remain a lifelong tension. That erratic blurring of sexual and spiritual extasy, one of rock music’s central paradoxes, is what made his music both threatening and irresistible. 

Fans of Little Richard specifically and rock history in general are likely familiar with the raw information that I Am Everything offers. But in addition to the more expected talking heads —  Mick Jagger, John Waters, Billy Porter — some fresher contextualization comes from Black, queer academics and music historians. “The south is the home of all things queer” says writer and sociologist Zandria Robinson, and she means “queer” in every sense of the word. Homosexuality was illegal, as was drag (the maddeningly circular nature of culture emerges as one of I Am Everything’s subtler themes) but the edges of that reality were “soft.” Little Richard performed with minstrel shows and on the vaudeville circuit, sometimes appearing as Princess LaVonne. 

Like many raised in the church, Little Richard always suspected that rock ‘n’ roll was the Devil’s music. That persistent belief, Jagger notes, “can’t be much fun for those involved,” an observation that further emphasizes how heavy Little Richard’s baggage was in comparison to some of his imitators. 

In 1957, the story goes, Little Richard saw Sputnik in the night sky and interpreted it as a sign from God to repent. He enrolled in Bible school, hosted a buy-back/burning of his records, started making Gospel music, and married a woman. Over the course of his life, he would waffle between publicly denouncing homosexuality and embracing it. As one commentator puts it, “He was good at liberating other people by example, he was not good at liberating himself.” 

Little Richard didn’t come from nowhere: Artists like Billy Wright and Esquerita heavily informed his flamboyance. But it seems most everyone else came from him. Jimi Hendrix, of course, got his start in Little Richard’s band. The Beatles opened shows for him when, as he said, “only their mothers knew their names.” Paul McCartney developed his wild yelp by imitating Little Richard, and Jagger copped his stage moves. 

When Little Richard is given his due, he’s credited with inventing not only rock ‘n’ roll but helping to invent the teenager. Greil Marcus called it “Little Richard’s First Law of Youth Culture:  attracting kids by driving their parents up a wall.” As Waters puts it, “the first songs that you love that your parents hate are the beginning of the soundtrack to your life.” In a recent New Yorker profile Paul Schrader, another artist pulled between the spiritual and carnal, recalls his mother smashing the radio after catching him listening to rip-off artist Pat Boone. One imagines that if it had been Little Richard, she might have burned the house down. 

Eternally offered a kind of ambient credit by musicians and critics, the lion’s share of the specific attention (and money) is paid to the (often white) artists Little Richard inspired, or who arguable just straight up stole his shit. (In terms of respectful homage, there’s a chasm between McCartney’s “Long Tall Sally” and Boone’s “Tutti Frutti.”) It’s as if the man is at once too bright to look at directly, and too Black and queer and alien to fully acknowledge. 

He often made his rightful frustration known. In one clip, Little Richard and David Johansen, fully in his Buster Poindexter era, present the 1988 Grammy for Best New Artist. Little Richard, usually unpredictable on live TV, says of Johansen’s pompadour, “I used to wear my hair like that. They take everything I get. They take it from me.” He opens the envelope and declares himself the winner. It’s a joke but it isn’t. “I have never received nothing,” he continues. “Y’all ain’t never gave me no Grammy and I been singing for years. I am the architect of rock ‘n’ roll and they never gave me nothing. And I am the originator!” He gets a standing ovation, which is something, but it isn’t enough. 

Almost every review of the film mentions this moving, uncomfortable scene, because it teases out one of Little Richard’s most powerful realities. He didn’t always seem to know what he was supposed to be doing, or even who he should be, but he always knew what he was worth. 

Margaret Welsh

[kvercammen]

Will Preparation in NJ

Will preparation online without having to travel to law office and follow up consults over phone & online. Wills now prepared online but without requiring persons to travel into the office. To assist potential clients and seniors we now offer document preparation remotely and consults. We are concerned about your health and well-being and convenience. 1. For Wills, Power of Attorney, Living Wills, please email Vercammenlaw@njlaws.com. We will email the Will interview form. 2. Client types response/ Fill in details. Email completed Will Questionnaire back. For Wills Please type up & fill out completely and email to vercammenlaw@njlaws.com. Typing name and details is required. Save as word doc or text, not pdf. This form is extremely important. Your accuracy and completeness in responding will help us best help you. All sections and information must be filled out prior to discussing with the attorney. Information cannot be handwritten since computer cannot scan handwriting. 3. Ken V will call to discuss after typed interview from received. 4. After persons pay by credit card online or check we will draft documents and email to clients. 5. Ken V will call to answer further questions 6. Sign documents in front of notary and two witnesses [ spouse ok as witness]. Signing instructions provided. UPS stores continue to be open and have notaries. Stay safe but still get your important documents done. We strongly recommend all adults have a Power of Attorney prepared in the event they are temporarily incapacitated or hospitalized. We do require interview forms be completed in full and emailed back so we can provide accurate advice. The doctor’s office similarly has patients fill out details prior to the consult. We also recommend signing a Living Will with COMBINED ADVANCE DIRECTIVE FOR HEALTH CARE. The Living Will contains a Power of Attorney for Health Care & Medical Decisions. In signing your Living Will, you will designate an individual you trust to act as your legally recognized health care representative to make health care decisions for you in the event you are unable to make decisions for yourself.

[markwatkinsreviews]

BOOK REVIEW: NEVER STOP, How Ange Postecoglou Brought The Fire Back To Celtic (2023)

Green and white hoops are of course the iconic colours of a Celtic shirt, always worn with pride by players and supporters alike. And fans of the Glasgow club will enjoy reading this new book on their team, entitled, Never Stop, published by PITCH on 13 March, 2023 and written well by Hamish Carton. Never Stop centres on “how (manager) Ange Postecoglou brought the fire back to Celtic” after (once) finishing 25 points behind Glasgow rivals, Rangers.

According to Carton’s interesting hardback, at the time (June 2021) Talk Sport questioned the appointment of the Aussie, mainly based on Postecoglou failing to hold the required UEFA Pro Licence. However, after a shaky start and players in and players out, the Australian and his similarly delighted team were (again) holding silverware!

Scottish League Cup winners, 2021/22 & 2022/23 plus Scottish Premier title holders, 2021/22.

As Never Stop informs readers, Ange achieved this haul in the wake of overhaul by keeping the players on their toes, and I quote;  “they are challenged to improve. Adapt and buy into the philosophies set out for them”. 

In other words, never stop!

Ange Postecoglou goes on to say in another chapter; “I guess coming from Australia, I’ve been an outsider in football my whole career. Everything I’ve done in football has been as an outsider just because of geography more than anything else” and “I’m interested in being successful”.

Of several good photos in the book, Jota’s - signed from Benfica - with fist raised after scoring a stunning goal v Rangers in a 4-0 win in nicely illustrates Celtic’s new found success based on 31 games unbeaten. 

Rating: 8/10

https://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/shop/never-stop

Mark Watkins, Dare radio, 27 April, 2023

[viscomgeorge]

Body Language

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBZpVdq5lGI . A link between how frequently speakers use hand gestures and how compelling audiences find the speakers. The emphasis that hand gestures can provide helps communicate the message of the speech by over '60%'. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/talking-with-hands-gestures_n_56afcfaae4b0b8d7c230414e

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGMkHzWXjI8 . 'Gestures are intrinsic to language'. We gesture often to illustrate points and allow speaking partners to better understand location, social cues and the beat of sentences. Politicians likely use a large amount of physical movement and gestures in order to emphasise importance or indicate where emphasis might need to be had as well. Kendon, A., 2004. Gesture: Visible action as utterance. Cambridge University Press.

https://www.thearticle.com/that-thing-they-do-with-their-hands . 'No doubt the firmly-held thist is intended to portray self-confidence and intellectual precision. In practice, its very oddness reveals a mixture of stage-managed artificiality and middle-grounded vacuity. The gesture, now several decades old, is a fossil from a different age of politics, when the warm embrace of centrism could carry the nation by a landslide'. In reference to politicians making fists for emphasis and conviction in speeches.

'Precision grips' are used for a variety of fine-motor movements, including writing, eating, and drawing. If a politician makes a similarly precise gesture during a speech, Navarro takes that as a sign the speaker is trying to make an important or complex point. https://www.businessinsider.com/politicians-hand-gesture-fbi-profiler-explains-2016-10?r=US&IR=T

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfNEHW3qgso . 'We use body language to supplement and confirm what we are seeing - are the words being supported by the gesture or are the gestures taking away from the words?'. From this approach to body language, we can tell analysis of NVC is very important to communicating for politicians. In the case of Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, it might be interesting to observe the over or under use of NVC when giving speeches or being interviewed it reiterate their point.

-Different hand gestures. 'Steepling' embodies confidence whereas interlocked fingers appears as struggling with a question. An open palm vertical gesture is far less aggressive than a point, an open hand gesture is more friendly. Audiences prefer that. Two hands wide open represents being open and receptive. A cadence, waving wand motion represents being against a principle.

[badkarmaviscomm]

VCC2 - Contextual Research - ‘Collection Interpretation

My research into ‘physical movement/hand gestures’.

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBZpVdq5lGI . A link between how frequently speakers use hand gestures and how compelling audiences find the speakers. The emphasis that hand gestures can provide helps communicate the message of the speech by over '60%'. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/talking-with-hands-gestures_n_56afcfaae4b0b8d7c230414e

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGMkHzWXjI8 . 'Gestures are intrinsic to language'. We gesture often to illustrate points and allow speaking partners to better understand location, social cues and the beat of sentences. Politicians likely use a large amount of physical movement and gestures in order to emphasise importance or indicate where emphasis might need to be had as well. Kendon, A., 2004. Gesture: Visible action as utterance. Cambridge University Press.

- https://www.thearticle.com/that-thing-they-do-with-their-hands . 'No doubt the firmly-held thist is intended to portray self-confidence and intellectual precision. In practice, its very oddness reveals a mixture of stage-managed artificiality and middle-grounded vacuity. The gesture, now several decades old, is a fossil from a different age of politics, when the warm embrace of centrism could carry the nation by a landslide'. In reference to politicians making fists for emphasis and conviction in speeches.

- 'Precision grips' are used for a variety of fine-motor movements, including writing, eating, and drawing. If a politician makes a similarly precise gesture during a speech, Navarro takes that as a sign the speaker is trying to make an important or complex point. https://www.businessinsider.com/politicians-hand-gesture-fbi-profiler-explains-2016-10?r=US&IR=T

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfNEHW3qgso . 'We use body language to supplement and confirm what we are seeing - are the words being supported by the gesture or are the gestures taking away from the words?'. From this approach to body language, we can tell analysis of NVC is very important to communicating for politicians. In the case of Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, it might be interesting to observe the over or under use of NVC when giving speeches or being interviewed it reiterate their point. Different hand gestures. 'Steepling' embodies confidence whereas interlocked fingers appears as struggling with a question. An open palm vertical gesture is far less aggressive than a point, an open hand gesture is more friendly. Audiences prefer that. Two hands wide open represents being open and receptive. A cadence, waving wand motion represents being against a principle. 'The question is how much is authentically theirs and how much is borrowed' some politicians are trained on using hand gestures.

[accountlong]

Excel does not equal sign

#Excel does not equal sign windows#

Just search for “Less than or Equal to ” on Google or Character Map to get the desired result. If you want to write “Less than or Equal to” with your keyboard, then you can use any of the solutions used above.

#Excel does not equal sign windows#

How do you write less than or equal to on Windows 11/10 keyboard? However, a wide range of languages, be it C, C++, Python, JavaScript, Java, etc, use the operator aforementioned. So, you need to look for an operator for your programming language. But most of them use “!=”, “!=”, or both(to check or assign). There are different programming languages, with different syntax, purposes, and “Not Equal To” signs. 5] Not Equal to Sign in Programming Languages After hitting Enter, your cell will say TRUE if the logic is correct and FALSE if it’s wrong. So, for example, if you need to write that 10 is not equal to 9 , you would type “ =109 “. To use the “ Note equal to” symbol in Word, you need to use. But it is not as straightforward as just selecting the appropriate symbol. Having a correct operator is more important in Excel or any spreadsheet tool than it is in Word. In the Microsoft Word window, click on Insert > Symbols and then select Note Equal to (≠) symbol. If you want to write does not equal to sign in MS Word then you don’t need to do all the things mentioned above, you can just use the MS Word symbols. This will eliminate the formatting and the sign will be just like any other character. We have a secret for you, just pull out Notepad, paste the symbol, and then copy it from there. That’s why most people refrain from using this option. But bear in mind that sometimes it may come with some kind of formatting. Similarly, you can google the “Does not equal” sign on and just copy the result, it’s the simplest solution. One thing the millennials and the Gen Z crowd are surely acquainted with is Googling something online.

Finally, you can paste the symbol by using Ctrl + V wherever you want.

Look for ≠. If you can’t find it, tick “Advanced view” and type “not equal” in the Search for field.

Search out “Character Map” from the Start Menu.

1] Use Character MapĬharacter Map is an app that’s preinstalled on your Windows system that you can use to get the Not Equal to (≠) sign.

Not Equal to Sign in Programming Languages.

You can type Does not equal sign on the keyboard in Windows 11/10 with the following methods. So, to type Does not equal (≠) sign on the keyboard in Windows 11/10, we created this detailed guide. Although this does the job for you as your system is able to understand what you mean, an average human may not be able to contemplate what you are trying to say. If you are a coder or have the know-how of computer programming then you would know that to inculcate not equal to sign, we use “!=”.