#yes weve heard it a thousand times

[kenjakusbraincum]

can you pls write something about reader being sick and like not the cough and cold kind of sick- like really really sick, and sukuna realising how much he doesn't want to lose her to this sickness and how if she dies, he'll be alone again..🥺

You have NO idea how much I love this idea!!! I did go a bit overboard with it cause I love suffering though 👍 Still, this was SO much fun to write and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Vows

Sukuna x Reader

Word count: 4.5k

Tags/warnings: gn! reader, true form! sukuna, master/pet dynamic, fluff but most importantly ANGST, mentions of weight loss, mentions of violence, implied nsfw, reader dies in the end :( (sorry)

It's not the first time Sukuna has been made aware of your mortality. He recalls many instances when he's been reminded that you are human. Finite. The first time he wrapped his hand around your throat and squeezed with calculation while you were laying under him, and you looked up at him in fear for your life. Your little hand couldn't even wrap around his wrist, much less provide resistance. Or when he'd pull your hair a little too roughly, and hear a crack in your delicate spine. When you'd get sick, and humbly refuse his healing. So little as a tummy ache had you writhing on your bed.

You are so weak, so small, clinging to life like there was anything for you in it, beyond Sukuna. By all means he hates all of these things. So what witchery is this, and why does he care about you so much? Why does he keep you for years, and why does your company bring him comfort he hasn't ever known in his lifetime?

Still, as much as he cares, he doesn't notice when it starts. He's trained you to tolerate pain, after all. It's no wonder you hesitate to tell him. Little things like tummyaches and colds occur to you all the time anyways, and you never complain. Sure, you've grown closer to Sukuna, but he was still your master, and the rules he instilled in you from the start were always fresh in your mind, not to be crossed. Bothering him with everything that feels off always seemed inappropriate.

And Sukuna is just like that. If you're not screaming or crying, he won't know you're in pain. But he notices that you're acting off. And how he reacts really doesn't help your case, or encourage you to speak up about your condition. ''I don't have all day. What is wrong with you?'', he sneers when he catches you pacing too far behind him.

So you just sleep longer and preserve energy for when you are with him. You don't skip around as much anymore, or spend time doing your hobbies. Food doesn't taste so great anymore. You have a cough that gives you sleepless nights because it just won't calm down. And the time you owe Sukuna starts to feel like an obligation. You start to dread it. Dread slipping up, dread annoying him or failing to satisfy him. Dread being disposable.

When things start getting worse, it's hard to hide it even from him. He was taking you from behind one night, and you were grateful he couldn't see the look on your face. You thought you could do it. Sukuna was always demanding, but he would never force you to do anything. If only you told him before you felt yourself struggling for air, and your chest closing in on itself in tightness. You reached one hand back, frantically grabbing his wrist.

''Feathers, feathers!'', words came out as gasps, and you slumped forward when he let you go. You were panicked and crying by then, this kind of discomfort being foreign even to you, even after weeks of pain behind you. He hovered next to you with a puzzled look on his face. He wasn't even being that rough.

''What's wrong? Tell me.'', he said, and reached his hand to feel the warmth of your tears streaming down your face. He swiped your cheek gently. He didn't seem mad at all. Why didn't you say anything from the start?

''I just feel so sick.'', you muster up in between sobs, and shut your eyes. You were too embarrassed to even look at him.

''I see.''. His hand leaves your face, and he traces it from your neck down your spine. The pain subsided slowly, allowing you to relax and find comfort in his arms.

But the effects of his healing were short lived. Just a week later the feeling of fatigue creeps back into your life. Manageable, but lingering. And the cough persists. And it gets on Sukuna's nerves too. He's been quite patient with you, but his patience was reaching it's limit.

You're sitting by his throne as you often do, and as hard as you try to hold the cough in, you just can't help it. His hand finds the back of your neck and squeezes, turning you to him. And he looks at you with all four, terrifying eyes. ''Can you shut up?''

''I'm sorry, I'm trying -'', you stutter, but just end up coughing more. He doesn't wait for you to stop.

''Get out of here.'', and pushes you away. You stumble down the pile of bones and fall, landing on your hands and knees. You don't remember him being this cruel to you in a long time. You look back at him with teary eyes, and he looks back like the merciless monster he is. The villagers awaiting him moved to make space for your fall, taking note of the tense situation.

That day, Sukuna sends word that he doesn't want to see you until you get better. You're forbidden from going outside again, in fear that that is making your 'cold' worse. It's a lonely week in your room, until Sukuna starts to crave you again. It didn't take him a while, counting the couple days he spent convincing himself he doesn't miss you. He does. So when he sends word for you again, and the servants come back to him saying you're still not feeling well... he's worried. So worried he comes to see it for himself.

Sukuna rarely comes to your room. It's the only space you have for yourself, and he doesn't want to take that away from you. Your room is modest. You have a bed, a carpet, and a couple shelves to house the books he's gifted you. There's a desk where you can eat and read, and a doorway to the garden. There's an empty glass of water and a napkin next to your bed. You're still sleeping, but the door shutting behind him wakes you up, so he doesn't get to enjoy observing you in your natural habitat for long.

It's not the first time doors opening and closing woke you up. But you know this time is different. The servants are always quickly shuffling around the room, cleaning up and moving around. Uraume clanks with plates. There is no noise now, other than your strained breathing and a cough brewing in the back of your throat. Besides, the aura that Sukuna brings with him everywhere he goes is recognizable. Especially to you. Heavy.

You turn around, and meet the gaze of his four eyes. ''Master...'', you struggle to sit up, and even a little action like that has spots forming in your vision. Then a coughing fit hits you. You pick up the napkin and put it to your mouth.

Sukuna sees your whole body strain with the effort of coughing. And when you call him master, even your voice sounds different. He knows your morning voice. He missed hearing it, but this... this is not it. You sit with your head hung low, staring at the napkin between your hands. There's a fresh splatter of blood on it. But Sukuna scares you more than the progression of your illness.

''Are you mad at me?'', you ask timidly, meeting his gaze.

''I'm concerned.", he says and sits next to you. You curl up to make space for him. "Two weeks is a long time for a frail human like you to be sick.", he looks at you, scanning your form up and down.

"I rested and drank every tea Uraume told me to!", your defense mechanism kicks in, and you start babbling.

Sukuna dismisses you with a hand and a pained facial expression. "I know.", he says. His brows are furrowed now, and he's looking at the ground, lost in thought.

You feel guilty for annoying him again. You feel guilty for the whole thing, getting sick, draining the energy it takes him to heal you, robbing him of the time with you that he deserves. Owns. He is very generous with the way he treats you, having all that in mind.

You tug on his sleeve. "I'm sorry, Master... You deserve better.", and you're sobbing again. Sukuna gives you a pathetic look, but smiles as he pulls you into his embrace.

"Silly pet. I can survive a couple weeks without your assistance.", he says, rubbing your shoulder.

You run your fingers against the back of his hand mindlessly, not knowing how to respond. Caressing his knuckles, bones, veins... feeling his nails and their sharp tips against your sensitive skin. When you bring his palm up to your lips, your kiss stains it red with blood.

-

You still sleep with Sukuna sometimes. Less frequently, only on days when you feel well enough, and those are rare. You've lost weight by now, sickness making itself visible on your body. You're sitting on his lap and clinging to your robes, scared that he won't like you as much, that you won't live up to his standards. But Sukuna's demeanor about your illness has changed, as he seemed to sense something unusual about it. He flips you over so gently, like you're made of glass, and peppers kisses from your neck downwards, slowly undressing you as much as you allow him. When he takes you, he's so careful. Constantly checking you're comfortable and enjoying yourself. You feel so loved and relaxed, and pleasure comes so easy when you're in this state. It's not the first time Sukuna is this caring with you in bed, but this time is different. This time you can't help but feel like he's saying goodbye.

He holds you afterwards, tracing his fingers over the ridges of your spine and your shoulders. You were always little in his grasp, but now that he feels your protruding bones under his fingertips, you seem all the more vulnerable.

"Will you kill me?", you ask, breaking the silence.

Sukuna frowns. "Nonsense. Why would I do that?"

There's a gulp in your throat. "It won't be long before I can't even do this. I won't be of any use to you then...", you say.

"Stop.", he says sternly. "There's a lot more to you than what you provide me with in bed."

You smile to yourself, but there's still a hole in your chest. Your statement is still true, and you aren't comforted. But this is Sukuna, and you know that he's offered you quite a lot even with that little bit of reassurance. To your surprise, he speaks again.

"Don't upset yourself. It's been a long time since killing you crossed my mind.", he says. "Save the energy for something else."

You nod and thank him. Just moments later, you're asleep. Quicker than ever before, he notes. You usually love it when he lets you cuddle and talk to him. You would force your eyes open when you were sleepy, just to enjoy it longer.

He feels guilty. He's your master, he's responsible for your well being. Yet nothing he does seems to help you long term. Healing you is temporary and he knows that without accessing the source, it will never work. If he could, he would find what was making you sick and rip it out of you with his bare hands, crush it with the force of his palm. He would have to look deeper, open you, and for once, he thinks he can't open a human being. He thinks of you trashing, screaming, and worst of all, looking into his eyes. Just the thought of you like that makes his chest feel like a gaping cavity. Worst of all, he's sure you would let him. He's sure you would forgive him for spilling your blood, and find comfort in his arms again. If you survived, that is. What has he done to you? And to himself?

Now, your head rests on his chest, and you're snoring lightly. For once, a repetitive noise like that doesn't annoy him. For once, he wishes he could listen to it every night. One day, that noise will be the only thing audibly confirming you're still alive.

-

Months pass and you're only getting worse. You barely leave your room now, too weak to even do so. You eat little, and it's showing in your sunken cheeks and eyes. You feel yourself withering away, loosing color, drying like a dying flower. Sukuna is in grief. He struggles to look at you, and visiting you falls heavy on him every time. He always finds himself thinking afterwards. Regretting that he let himself get this attached, wishing that he could simply forget you. But it doesn't work that way.

He goes to see you, after avoiding you for a week. He's Sukuna, he doesn't have any shame. You're sleeping, like you usually are when he comes to visit you. Your snoring is laboured, and it sounds painful. This time, the doors and the silence don't wake you up. He watches you, curled up under a stack of blankets, rising and falling with your struggles to breathe. How foolish he was, to think forgetting you would be as easy as avoiding you for days. How evil he was, trying to forget you while you are still alive under his wing, still his responsibility. Still his.

He sits next to you and leans over you, fingertips ghosting over your face. The snoring stops and you flutter your eyes open, turning in bed and feeling his body next to yours. You smirk at him, eyes adjusting to the light, and smile when you recognize him. ''Master.'', your arms wrap around his neck as you welcome him, your voice dry, but lively as you beckon him closer. ''I missed you.''.

He comes down to plant a kiss to your forehead. ''I missed you too, darling.''. Oh, the things that escape his mouth when he's alone with you. He cups your face, enjoying how much healthier you look with a smile on your face. ''Feeling any better?'', he rubs your cheek, lingering closely above your face.

You nod, but both of you know you only feel better because you saw him. Still, the little surge of happiness that brings you gives you more energy than you've had the whole week. You wiggle to the edge of the bed, making space and inviting him to join you. Sukuna lies down, hooking one arm underneath your neck and pulling you flush against him.

You wrap your arm around him and lean your head against his shoulder. He's still as big as you remember him, unfaltering in the face of your illness. It's comforting. ''You didn't visit in a while. Were you busy?'', you ask, stroking his back. ''How were your days?''

''Monotone.'', he says. ''The villagers bring remedies for you every day, and wish for you to get well.'' It's no wonder. So many times, Sukuna found himself hesitating to kill just because you were sitting on his knee, dressed in something too pretty to be splattered with blood. In the local villages, word spread that you have ''domesticated'' Sukuna. As if such a thing was possible. Or was it?

''Oh?'', you smile. ''I didn't think they would notice my absence.''. You always were supposed to be Sukuna's accessory and nothing more. Remedies and good wishes make it sound like you're more important than just a pet. So it really is that obvious...

''They did.'', he says, and lowers his head, brushing his nose against your face. ''Some took that as an opportunity to gift me new pets.''

You blink at him, a bit taken aback by his honesty. You keep smiling anyways. ''Did you take any?'', you ask, and he sees nothing but genuine curiosity in your eyes. The truth is, you've had a lot of time to think about your place in Sukuna's mansion. You knew, especially in sickness, that you were never entitled to exclusivity with him. You knew that at some point you would have to be replaced, just by the virtue of being a mortal. A human, who would age and become ugly, wrinkled and useless. You were just unlucky enough to meet this fate sooner than you should've.

Sukuna sighs, the weight of the conversation shifting to him. ''Not to bed, no.'', he says.

You're quiet while you think of what to say. You still have a habit of picking words when you're with Sukuna, but the times when he would punish you for improper formulation are far behind you. "Why not?", you settle. You hope the implication is there, that you wouldn't be so mad even if he did.

Why not? Because he thinks it might break him. Because the image of someone else in your place, under him, feels unnatural and wrong. He thinks the guilt might eat him alive. For once in centuries, someone else's needs come before Sukuna's. He is gone, so far gone. You've raised his standards, and he's not sure anyone he takes now will be able to live up to them. Besides, training a new pet to fit your mold would take years, and even then... He couldn't train someone to love him. Not like you do.

''I wouldn't want you to hold back because of me.'', you say, and he realizes he's been quiet for too long. Years ago, if you dared to imply that Sukuna would do such a thing as hold back because of you, that he cared, you would've been minced meat ready for dinner. Now, he looks down at you tenderly when you say it. Well, a tender look from Sukuna is a docile one. You've gotten used to the way that Sukuna communicates love. Subtly, innocuously.

''Worry about getting well, pet.'', he shuts down the conversation, and moves away from you, sitting back on the bed. ''Any wishes? Food? Activities?'', he asks, and feels your forehead with the back of his hand.

Food? No, but... ''I'd like you to stay, please.'', you say, and take his hand with the two of yours, feeling it up with your thumbs.

Sukuna resists the urge to roll his eyes, knowing the thought of annoying him would upset you greatly. ''That's a given. Anything else?''

You pretend to think, then just babble your favorite food. Sukuna takes your order to Uraume. But when he comes back, you're already asleep again. He waits by your side, but you don't wake, so eventually he leaves. By the evening, the plate of your favorite food remains untouched.

-

You can't leave the bed on your own anymore. Sukuna carries you outside when you're feeling good enough. You barely have the strength to latch onto him securely. Still, it's hard to slip out of the grasp of his four arms. He says you've gotten pale. You lay in his lap and bask in the sun, while he tells you about his day or reads a book out loud for you to enjoy. You wish you could talk to him more, but your voice leaves you as days of endless coughing wreck your throat. No herbs and teas ease your condition anymore. You wait for your final day.

And Sukuna doesn't know when he's given up on the idea that you might get better. But he starts spending whole days with you, leaving your side only to sleep in his bed. He tends to almost all your needs personally. You think that if you asked him to get on his knees for you, he would. He is not familiar with this ache that brews in his chest when he looks to his side and doesn't see you there. It feels violating. To be as powerful as he is, and yet completely helpless in the face of the sickness that drains you in front of his very eyes.

He plays with your thinning hair one morning, and you look at him from his lap, as adoringly as always. ''Isn't it funny?.'', you say, and he snaps out of his thoughts to look at you. ''I always imagined dying by your hand.'', you kiss his hand again, planting your dry, blue lips against his knuckles. ''Who would have thought?''.

You, you little human. You made him feel like a fool, like a coward. You made him feel powerless. Who could ever get away unscathed with making Sukuna feel like this? The thought of killing you now, even out of mercy, fills him with horror. He thinks he couldn't live carrying the burden of your death on his back. It's already hard for him as is.

When he's not with you, he withers away in his room, waiting. And when the servants finally come, and tell him you're at your last strengths, he feels as tense as he feels relieved. The servants shake in fear of his reaction, and he simply dismisses them. In a thousand years of his existence, he doesn't remember having to prepare to enter a room. His hand trembles as he brings it up to push the door open. He dreads what awaits him inside.

He expected blood, hysteria, chaos, yet there's none of it when he walks in. Just the pained noises of your breathing. A servant, your favorite, sits by your side and wipes sweat off your forehead. She talks to you in a comforting tone and pats your head gently. When he walks in the room, she lowers her head and moves to leave. It's only a second, but he sees the sad look on your face. ''Stay.'', he orders, and the servant bows and thanks him.

You move your attention to him, raising your hand to greet him weakly. He picks it up and bends down to kiss it. There's tears in your eyes as he settles into a seat next to you, and you open your mouth in an attempt to say something.

''Easy now.'', he shushes you, and helps you into his lap. You lean back, looking at him through a blur. His features appear even more doubled through the tears, and you still find his beauty mesmerizing. Your master. Your own little god and protector. Although he regrets it, you've never claimed the title of his spouse. Yet, he still stuck by your side, until parted by death. In sickness and in health.

He wipes your tears, and the mouth he conjures onto his hand kisses your forehead. One set of his hands caresses your face, the other massages the tension out of your bony shoulders. Sukuna knows how important it is for you to pass in peace. He doesn't want to curse you, or have despair turn you into a curse. "Relax now.", his voice is so soothing, as if lulling you to sleep. "It won't be long". You weep. What did an ordinary human like you do to deserve this honor? To be comforted on their death bed by a god. To be guided to death by him.

"Master.", you sob. "I'm so scared..."

Delicate touch against your skin. Sharp nails grazing your cheek ever so slightly, just barely enough to make their presence known. "Have no fear.", Sukuna looms over you like a snowdrop. "Where you go now, pain won't follow.". You speak to him a little longer. Tell him all the things you always wanted to tell him, but were scared of the consequences. Dangerous words, ones that were rarely associated with Sukuna. Love. And Sukuna is attentive, so human. Your blinking slows and you find comfort in his voice, as he returns every loving word back to you. Your pained breathing follows, and your eyelids are so heavy. But the sight of him is so hypnotizing, you wish you never had to look away. "You are so brave, my little dove. Go now, be free.". You were too good for this wretched palace anyways. The sight of him is etched in your memory as you close your eyes. "It was a pleasure to have you by my side.", you listen, feeling control over your body slip through your fingers. When you can't move, or feel his touch, you still hear his calm voice. "When you're ready, come back to me. I'll be waiting for your return.". Then everything is quiet, for you and for him. The servants cries are muffled by the sheets, where she has her head pressed by your side.

The hallways, silent except for the busy tapping of feet. Outside, the wind blows petals off of blooming flowers, leaving them bare and stranded. Autumn is here to carry you away.

Servants hold their breath when Sukuna walks by. One wrong look at him and the walls would be painted red. Just like before. Before you. And it's not long before Sukuna looks like a monster again - red eyes and a permanent frown etched on his face. Villagers bring bouquets, and lay them to the right of his throne, where you used to sit. He stares them all down, and only for a moment thinks that maybe, humans are not the scum he thought they were. But then he remembers, they only mourn you because you held him back from his destructive tendencies. Scum.

And he kills again. The first is a villager from afar, where news of your passing hasn't reached. Ripped to shreds for mentioning you. The women who screamed, their blood soaks the carpets and seeps through the wooden floor, dripping down to the cellars. He feels like himself again, unhinged, unbeatable.

Until the day is over, and he goes back to his empty room. His cold, empty bed, and the old habit of reaching for you in his sleep, only to grab nothing instead. And the crocheted figures of the two of you on his nightstand, watching him as he struggles to sleep alone. He can't bear it. So he leaves, and doesn't come back for days, weeks, months.

Smoke clouds the skies on the horizon once again, after years and years of peace and clarity. As far as the eye stretches, the world will know of Sukuna's wrath. But as thrilling as it feels to conquer again, when the village is burned and ash covers the grass on the ground, the thought of you still lingers. Your devastated eyes the first time he's killed before you. The first time he's felt guilty about his monstrous nature. When he comes back, no one's warm embrace awaits him. No one's there to brighten up his day. No amount of blood shed and villages burned replace the emptiness you left behind in his heart.

The grief settles, and sits heavy in Sukuna's chest, as he assumes position in his lonely throne again, and gazes at the row of people waiting to beg, talk, offer... bore him. Another eternity of boredom. An eternity of picking through thousands of humans, in vain hopes of finding you again. In vain hopes of recognizing you, even if it's lifetimes from now, when the last memory of your face has already faded from his mind. When generations change, and the thought of a monster like Sukuna being capable of tenderness vanishes. When the fire in his chest, ignited by love, is already a memory so distant, that recalling it feels surreal.

Maybe he will forget you by then. Maybe times will harden him again, and the idea of a pet becoming his lover will make him laugh. But for now, the thought of finding you in a crowd, taking you in his arms and never letting go, is his comfort and safe place. For now, he will wait for you. As long as it takes, like a stone, unyielding against the passing of time.

[kindestegg]

what's yr fav hidden gem horror game thats been wiped off the net

the fishermen and the worm :( i first heard it got gone when i randomly got a dm on reddit of all places bc once upon a time i commented on a post recommending it as a creepy game that doesnt look like horror at first, n the person basically went 'yeah hey do u still have the files for this bc turns out its gone from the net' n im like AGH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO bc i lost those in between moving computers many times

iirc the only surviving proof of it existing is an incomplete lets play series on youtube n also some screenshots i took revisiting the ending location to show my bf a long time ago.

it was a very neat little game n it makes me sad the creator wanted it gone but i guess i sort of can understand it bc sometimes as an artist ur gonna get embarrassed of ur old art n want to move on from it n see it gone off the net, i know ive done that with like, p much all my old devart profiles (i have none atm)

you might be wondering what it was about... to give a summary, its about these two little guys who are dubiously in love or maybe just besties who live in like this cartoony paradise in a hole n call themselves fishermen but then theyre like. hey why do we call ourselves that if weve never fished. so they go to their elder and are like HEY WHERE THE FUCK IS ALL THE WATER n hes like FUCK YOU THERES NO WATER HERE ITS ON THE SURFACE YOU STUPID FUCK. so they go to the surface n they meet this worm bug lady whos rly nice n sort of a mother figure to them, shes like rly old, shes been told by her moms (<3) to wait for these two guys for thousands of years in that very same spot. theyre like can u show us water n shes like yeah n points to a speck on the horizon n theyre like wtf we meant to fish in n shes like ohhh okay. yeah we gotta go to a different place for that.

AND THEN. THE REAL GAME BEGINS. you see bc every place in this world is called an 'age', n the more you traverse it, the weirder n often times creepier it gets n the more u get the feeling this is kind of telling the story of someones life? but you cant figure out who. not yet at least. without spoiling too much though, i rly like all the diff visual n style changes for every age, the next age you encoutner right after you move away from the worms spot is genuinely really fucking creepy n with this genuinely NASTY looking grit to it n it only gets more fucked up the more u play through it. thats around the point where i realized OH. oh ive been tricked. this ISNT a silly goofy haha rpgmaker game thats short n sweet! THIS IS A SCARY GAME!

but as ive said every age has a diff look to it, one other is psychedelic, another almost looks like a dr seuss book... so on. eventually, everything starts coming together, n what i rly like about this game is that it doesnt just give u dead ends, it expects you to be smart to figure it out, yes, but it also gives you PLENTY of evidence to figure it out n flat out tells you some stuff n by the end youre probably gonna just naturally know what happened.

i will also say looking back on it i rly appreciate the underlying theme of being gay n growing up gay n how the world aorund you affects you, theres like, SOME REALLY DARK fucking themes when you really get down to it and actually study the full on implications of what its trying to tell you. it rly gets dark with like, how bad homophobia can get n how heartbreaking n desolate sometimes the experience of being a gay kid can be when u have no one who you think you can trust n then growing up into a gay adult whos just getting more confused n worried about the future n sometimes even getting taken advantage of.

but despite all the horror n darkness... its a game that knows when to give you plenty of breathers, the three main characters are so charming they just shine naturally, they combat all the darkness by just being themselves. theyre not the ones who lived through all this horrible crap, theyre just bright little cartoon guys who want to go fish! n by god(s, in this games case) theyre gonna do it!!! n in the end... they may just decide to make things better for everyone else. the game has a good ending. its good guys. the game is good.

[crownedbyluke]

Long Road Ahead (Chapter One)

Estelle Finley has been friends with Ashton Irwin and Luke Hemmings for three years. When the boys bring her along on a jam-packed road trip to Cape Cod with the rest of the band, their adventures are just beginning. Through long hours driving, exploring cities, and hidden secrets, something more is bound to happen on this journey. How will this road trip change Estelle’s friendship with the friends she’s come to love so dearly?

Word Count: 3,480

Masterlist.

Luke’s blue eyes and Ashton’s hazel eyes were staring at me. I was used to their weird looks, but there was something in them I hadn’t seen before.

“Whatever it is, you might as well tell me before your eyes burst out of your heads,” I said while walking over to my desk.

“What are you talking about?” Ashton asked, a hitch in his voice giving him away.

“You both are staring at me, which usually means you have to tell me something. So come on,” I said, looking through some of the papers that were out.

“I told you she’d know,” Luke said making me laugh.

“Ugh fine. Estelle, stop being in teacher mode” Ashton teased making me laugh more.

I raised my hands up in surrender before turning to face them. I met Luke’s eyes and a shiver ran through me. I should have been used to it, but no matter how many times it happened in the three years we’ve been friends, it still took me by surprise.

“We’re going on a road trip and you’re coming with us,” Ashton said taking my eyes off of Luke.

“What? No I’m not,” I said shaking my head.

“Yes you are. You’re coming with us, Mikey, Cal, and Crystal. Oh, and you should really start packing because we leave tomorrow at six in the morning,” Luke said, an unexpected confidence in his tone..

“What? No, you two are kidding,” I argued, not believing them for a second.

They loved playing pranks on me and if this was their latest one, I had every intention of making them regret it.

“We aren’t. Completely serious. No pranks and no jokes,” Ashton said, his eyes lit up.

“For how long?” I asked, turning back to look at my calendar.

As much as I wanted to agree and let them sweep me away, I had lesson plans to prepare.

“Well, it’ll take us fourteen days to get there and then we’ll be at our final destination for three weeks,” Ashton said, moving his fingers as if he was counting midair.

“Es, we’ll get you back in time to prep for school. I promise,” Luke reassured, his hands coming to rest on my shoulders.

There was a calm that came over me with his touch. It made it impossible to not give into them.

“And what am I supposed to pack?” I asked, tilting my head back to look at Luke.

The smile that lit up his face met those ocean eyes and I was sold on whatever we were doing.

“Lots of summer clothes, some swimsuits, but also a couple things that are warmer for nights,” Luke said quietly, his fingers squeezing my shoulders.

“Well if I know where we’re going, I could pack properly,” I said, wiggling my eyebrows at him.

“Nope. That’s a secret. Now, remember what Luke said, but put some nicer clothes in there too,” Ashton said, giving me his thousand watt smile.

I rolled my eyes at him before looking back up at Luke. There was something in his eyes that made me melt into his touch even more.

“Get to packing little dove. We’ll see you bright and early tomorrow,” he said, giving my shoulders another squeeze.

The blush came across my body from the pet name. It didn’t matter how many times he called me that, it still caused the same reaction. Ashton came over and gave me a quick hug. It felt like I was still in a trance when I heard them close my apartment door.

“Shit,” I mumbled before going to my hall closet door.

I pulled out my biggest suitcase and dragged it to my bedroom. The sound of my closet doors echoed against the walls. My wardrobe was still being transitioned to summer, but I had most of what I would need or at least, I hoped. My eyes wandered over the clothes before I pulled out my phone.

E: Crys, what the hell am I supposed to pack?

My fingers ghosted over my favorite white top, fond memories coming to mind. My phone buzzed in my pocket.

C: Plenty of shorts, tees and tanks, at least three swimsuits, some sundresses, some skirts, coverups, sneakers, sandals, and like one hoodie/sweater.

E: Oh my god. I’m guessing you won’t tell me where we’re going either?

C: Nope. Under strict instructions not to.

E: Damn it. Okay. I guess I’ll get packing then.

I sighed before tossing my phone onto my bed. I took the top I had been touching off the hanger and gently placed it on my shoulder.

“Only like forty more to go,” I said, my hands falling to my hips before getting started.

                                                         ➢➢➢

The blaring sound of my alarm woke me from the peaceful slumber I was in. I hit the button and checked the time. The red numbers flashed five in the morning. I pushed myself from my bed and headed to the kitchen. My finger pushed the start button on my espresso machine after placing a mug underneath it. My feet carried me to the bathroom for the shower I desperately needed. After ten minutes, I stepped out and got dressed in my comfy clothes for the drive. I quickly put my hair into a fishtail braid and went back to the kitchen. I added milk and ice to finish my iced mocha. I glanced down to check my watch. 5:20 A.M. I went to the fridge and pulled out the vanilla greek yogurt. After chopping up a banana, I started eating as quickly as I could so I would be ready in time. I checked my watch again. 5:40 A.M. I cleaned my dishes and went to my front door. The suitcase and backpack that I packed last night already by the door. I pulled on my gold sandals and black wide brimmed hat. Just as I was clasping the last sandal, the buzzer sounded.

“Ready Es?” Ashton’s voice crackled over the speaker.

“Yep. Come on up,” I said, finger pressing to let him up.

The sun was starting to peek through the linen curtains. I cracked my door for Ash before walking over my balcony window. I snapped a quick picture, the calm of the view washing over me. There was a part of me that just wished I could stare at the sunrise for an infinite amount of time, before I was brought back to the world around me.

“Let’s go Es,” Ashton said from behind me.

I walked back over to him and grabbed my backpack.

“Still not telling me?” I asked while locking up.

“Nope,” he said, giving me a wink over the shoulder before heading down to the elevator.

We left my apartment building, a gray Range Rover idling by the curb when we walked out. Ashton hauled my suitcase into the back while I opened the door.

“Good morning little dove,” Luke said after I opened the door.

“Good morning giraffe,” I said, crawling in.

I found myself between the window and Luke with Calum on his other side. Ashton climbed into the single seat in the back.

“And we’re off!” Michael cheered from the driver’s seat.

Crystal cheered from the passenger seat to encourage him even though it was early. Her phone was hooked up to the aux, making her the DJ for the first portion of our trip.

“Mike and Crystal are driving until noon, then Cal and Ash will take over for three hours,” Luke said once we pulled away.

He was reading from a notebook that had different times written in it.

“Do I get to do any driving?” I asked, testing him.

His laugh rang in my ears before I saw his smile.

“Maybe later, but you don’t know where we’re going so you’re gonna have to wait,” he said, nudging my shoulder.

I groaned before looking out the window. California was passing by and it was hard to believe that I was really doing this with them. My ears caught the bassline of Move On by Mike Posner. My head bobbed along to the song before Calum and I looked at each other. We moved in sync with the bassline, both of us appreciating it for exactly what it was. I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up when Calum tried dancing along. Luke looked at us like we were crazy before joining us in the groove. I caught Ashton filming us and gave him a wink. We laughed once the song was over.

                                                          ➢➢➢

Time was flying by. Luke was driving and I had a sleeping Ashton on my shoulder, Crystal nodding off next to him. I still had no idea where we were headed, but now that it was dark, it was harder to tell anyways. No matter how hard I tried to get it out of everyone, they wouldn’t tell me. I knew we had been driving for awhile, but there was no indication for how much longer we were going to be. I caught Luke’s eye in the rearview mirror. It was simple, but it made everything I was feeling more complicated. I tried ignoring and figuring out how I felt about Luke so many times. Each time, I came up with no concrete answers. What it always came down to was that he was one of my best friends and to jeopardize that because of some feelings wasn’t something I would do. My thoughts faded away when I heard the guitar from I Was Made For Loving You by Tori Kelly and Ed Sheeran. My eyes met brown this time, a strange feeling of understanding between me and Calum flooded my senses.

“It’s Crystal’s turn,” Calum said, breaking the moment between us.

Luke nodded.

“Let me find a gas station,” he said, eyes searching the signs to find one.

I adjusted a little so Ashton’s head wasn’t digging into my shoulder.

“Well, Estelle is my co-pilot because you lot keep hogging the passenger seat,” Crystal said, making me laugh.

“Ash,” I whispered, gently squeezing his shoulder.

“Essie?” he asked, eyes still closed.

“I have to get up,” I said, threading my fingers through his hair.

“But you make such a good pillow,” he almost whined.

“I know. You can use my pillow if you want,” I offered, smiling down at him.

There was a fondness I felt for Ash in that moment. He looked so young and stress free when he was asleep. I ran my fingers through his hair one more time. Luke pulled into the gas station parking lot.

“Coffee Es?” Crystal asked while opening the door.

“You know it,” I said, getting out of my seat.

I put my pillow in Ashton’s lap and pressed a quick kiss to his temple. Crystal and I were the only ones that went inside.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom quick,” I said, heading to the back of the store.

I passed a rack of postcards making me stop instantly. Colorado landscapes and greetings from Colorado were everywhere. I went to the bathroom quick and picked one out. I grabbed a few snacks before heading back to the car. I put the postcard on the dash.

“We’re in Colorado,” I said getting Luke and Crystal’s attention.

“Shit. Okay, yeah,” Luke said, sighing a little now that his surprise was ruined.

“Luke, just tell her,” Crystal said, adjusting the seat a bit.

“Okay okay. Currently, we’re heading to St. Louis,” he said, a hint of relief in his tone.

“And I’m guessing that isn’t our final destination,” I said, taking a sip of the coffee Crystal got me.

“Nope. We’re in St. Louis for two days and then we’re off to Myrtle Beach for three days,” he said trailing off.

It was one of the many things Luke did when he wanted to keep things a surprise that drove me insane.

“Keep going,” I encouraged.

“Then in New York for four days,” he continued, the same trailing off happening.

“And then?” I asked, fully aware that there was more.

“We’re gonna be in Cape Cod for three weeks,” he said.

The excitement rushed through me causing me to turn around to look at Luke.

“You mean my number one place to visit?” I asked, thinking that I was dreaming.

“Yeah,” he said, a smirk on his face.

“Oh my god, Luke, this better not be a prank,” I said, my words coming out fast while I stared at him.

“Not a prank. I promise,” he said, holding out his pinkie.

I linked mine with his, the touch heating my skin. I turned back around, a giant grin on my face.

“DJ, please hit me with some jams,” Crystal joked, aux cord in hand.

“Well of course,” I responded, taking it from her and plugging my phone in.

It took me a moment before I found a song that fit the mood I was in. King Of the Clouds by Panic! At the Disco played through the speakers. I let the song wash over me, the words and vocals taking me away.

“I wanted to tell you when you texted yesterday, but Luke and Ash really wanted it to be a surprise,” Crystal said, bringing me back to reality.

“I’m glad it was a surprise though. It makes it that much better,” I said, unable to stop smiling.

“Look at them,” she whispered, turning the music down.

I looked in the rearview to see all of the boys asleep. Ashton had my pillow pressed against the window in the single seat while Luke, Calum, and Michael were lying on each other, their heads crooked into each other in different ways.

“They’ve gotta be used to sleeping in cars by now,” I said, looking over at her.

“You would think, but I know Mikey still struggles with falling asleep in cars. He always needs adjustment when he comes back,” she said, pushing her hair back.

“So does Luke. He usually stays at mine or makes me stay at his when he gets back because he hates being alone after tours,” I said, a small smile coming across my face.

“You sure that’s not because Luke has a thing for you?” she asked, taking me by surprise.

“What? Luke doesn’t have a thing for me,” I dismissed, waving my hand at her.

My heart had picked up when she said it, but I had to push it away.

“Estelle, you’re joking right? I’ve known that boy for awhile now. I’ve seen him go through love and heartbreak. I know when he’s into someone,” she said, her eyes glancing over at me.

“Crystal, I’m telling you, he isn’t into me. We’re best friends and that’s it. That’s all we are now and all we’re ever going to be,” I said, a hint of frustration in my voice.

I had already convinced myself of this. As much as I wanted to believe Crystal, I couldn’t. That road lead to far more hope and rejection than I was able to handle.

“But the way he looks at you-”

“He looks at me like he’s always looked at me. Besides, if he did, the feelings wouldn’t be mutual,” I lied.

The words felt like they were burning my tongue as I said them. I turned to look out the window, my head full of daydreams that the smallest part of me wished would come true.

                                                        ➢➢➢

“Okay Ash, overnight shift,” Calum said after pulling into a gas station.

Calum’s voice woke me up, causing me to move my head off of Luke’s shoulder.

“Who’s my co-pilot?” he asked while getting out of the car.

“I’ll do it Ash,” I said, tying my hair into a loose bun.

“Essie, you were asleep,” he argued, staring at me.

“I’m awake now. Give me a coffee and I’ll be good,” I said getting out of the car.

“Fine. Let’s go get some snack too. It’s you and me for six hours so we should stock up,” he said, leading me into the gas station.

“I’ll get snacks. You get refreshments,” I said before we high fived and split up.

I grabbed chips, granola bars, some candy, and a couple sandwiches. Ash and I met at the counter, his arms full of drinks. He grabbed plenty of flavored water for me and soda for himself.

“I’m grabbing two coffees quick,” he said to the cashier.

He ran back and gave the short brunette the thousand watt smile. She blushed under his gaze. We took the bags from her and went back to the car.

“You are ridiculous,” I said while we settled in the car.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he laughed.

“Oh please. You flirt with everything that has a pulse,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Excuse you, but that’s Luke. I didn’t mean to flirt with her, but she was cute,” Ashton said, laughing again before pulling away from the gas station.

“You’re right, Luke does do that a lot,” I said, picking up my phone.

“Is that some jealousy I’m hearing?” he teased.

“No,” I said, hitting play on Nintendo Game by Alessia Cara.

“I’m kidding Essie,” he said.

“Yeah I know. Why did you guys pick Cape Cod?” I asked, taking the subject off me and Luke.

I opened a bag of cheddar sour cream chips and took a sip of the coffee Ashton got me. The bittersweetness ran over my tongue, just the way I liked it. Ashton always made sure the coffee he got me tasted just right.

“Well, I was personally tired of the same California beaches every summer and Cal wanted some place that was warm, but still pretty chill. Luke pitched Cape Cod and we all agreed,” he said with a shrug.

He made it sound so simple and easy, like it was just a walk in the park for them. Then again, the boys were always like this and it was always an adjustment at first, but I had found myself getting used to it.

“Who’s idea was it to bring me?” I asked, quickly eating a chip so he wouldn’t sense the nerves I had about the situation.

“Luke’s. He remembered how badly you wanted to go,” Ashton said like it was obvious.

“Yeah. It’s been my number one since high school,” I said quietly.

“I don’t get why you never went,” he said, taking a swig of his cream soda.

“My parents never wanted to and then during college, I just never got the chance or there wasn’t time. Now, yeah my career allows for vacation, but I didn’t think anyone would want to go,” I said shrugging it off.

“Well now you got us,” Ashton said giving me a smile.

“Yeah I do,” I said returning the smile.

                                                          ➢➢➢

“Ash, your shift is over. You two need some sleep,” Luke called from the back.

Ashton got off at the next exit. Despite my best efforts, I was exhausted. I climbed into the middle seat while Luke and Crystal took over. Ashton climbed in next to me.

“Get some sleep Essie,” he whispered before pressing a kiss to my temple.

I adjusted slightly until my head was on Ashton’s shoulder. A nudging woke me up a few hours later. I slowly sat up, my eyes adjusting to the new light.

“Welcome to St. Louis little dove,” Luke said, our eyes meeting in the rearview yet again.

I looked out the window immediately. A gasp escaped my mouth as I took in the view. There was water shining in the sun and the big arch took over the sky. Brick buildings and greenery were everywhere. It was absolutely breathtaking and one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen. Luke parked in front of a brick building with two arches framing the doors.

“We’re here,” he said, eyes gleaming as he looked at the building.

“This is where we’re staying?” I asked while following everyone else’s lead at getting out.

“Yeah,” Ashton said handing me my suitcase.

We walked into the condo, the white walls taking me by surprise.

“Luke and I will take the double beds,” Ashton said.

I stopped in front of a single room with a gorgeous view of the city. I could see the water from the window and there was something about the way the arch was reflecting on it that made me smile.

“Estelle’s got this one!” Luke called after following Ashton.

I slowly walked into it, my breath gone again.

“Well, I guess this is real now,” I whispered, my fingers ghosting over the soft bed sheets.

It had felt like a dream until this moment, but everything about it still felt like I needed to be pinched. If it was all a dream, I never wanted to wake up.

Let me know if you want more and want to be added to the taglist. 

taglist loves: @thruheavenandhighwater @notoriouslyhood @24kcalum @bbycal @cashton-queen @thebookamongmen @tommossoccer @slimthicccal @a-little-international @irwinsx

[writings-of-a-hufflepuff]

Silver Wings In The Moonlight

Fandom: Dunkirk

Pairing: Collins x Reader

Warning: N/A

Writer: @imaginesofeveryfandom aka @hufflepuffing-all-day-long

Summary/Request: Based off Anne Shelton’s ‘Silver Wings In The Moonlight’: Jack finally comes home after the war is over. 

Notes: No Gender Pronouns used, neutral partner terms, but marriage is mentioned just in case that’s off putting. 

Jack Collins loved flying. You knew that form the moment you met him. That he loved flying with everything in him, that it brought a thrill to him, as much as it scared him. He once told you that he felt the same way about you. That he loved you, you thrilled him, excited him, but that you scared him as well. That he was scared of how much he loved you, scared of leaving you to go fly in the war...that it was all a rather scary thing, being in love that is. You found it funny that he thought falling in love was as scary as fighting in the war. 

You would always share him with his love of flying, you knew he’d be torn between the two and you never asked him to stop flying, to finding a safer job in the war...because that wasn’t fair and because ultimately you knew that he’d never stop you doing what you loved, no matter how dangerous, so what right did you have of doing the same.

You had just hoped, much as the familiar Anne Shelton song went, that eventually his love of flying, of his silver wings, of his plane, would bring him home safely. That he’d survive every single encounter and that you’d finally get to live in a world without war together. 

Demobilisation was a long process, however. When the war in Europe was announced as over, won, done, completed, everyone had been happy, excited, overjoyed knowing that so many could finally come home even with the war in the pacific still ongoing. You were rather lucky that demobilisation of the Royal Air Force was a rather quick affair compared to the hundreds of thousands of men in the Army or Navy. You had known that Jack would be stationed at a nearby air base, that he’d be home...because while you knew he’d stay in the RAF post-war, you also knew without the war on he’d have more time for you, more safety, and you’d actually get to fall asleep in his arms for once. 

When you finally got the letter telling you he was coming home it was the biggest relief you’d ever felt. Knowing you’d see him again. 

Dearest Y/N,

This is a short letter compared to our usual exchanges, but i’m writing to let you know that i’ll be home soon. They’re stationing me back nearby now that the wars over. Giving me leave too, three whole weeks! 

I’ve missed you with all my heart, as much as I love flying it is horrible being away from you. It will be great to be able to see you and fly again rather than having to choose between the both of you. 

I always told you i’d make it back, even though I know you’ve worried every day for the past six years. It seems so strange that after six years we’re finally done with this bloody war. 

Forever yours,

Jack 

It had been brief considering his usual letters spanned two or three pages, but you’d understood why. He was coming home and why write about things that were happening when he could simply talk to you again, hold you in his arms and tell you every funny story, every sad happening, every moment that you’d missed over the six years of war. 

You hadn’t a date for his arrival, but every day you made sure the house was perfect. That it was clean, that you had a good stock of tea, that you had enough to make a nice meal. It was the little things you wanted him to come back and not have to worry about going down the shop or clean up a tiny bit of mess. You wanted him to be able to come in and just hold you. For hours. Without any responsibilities or things to worry about. You’d spent six years with rare leave dotted here and there. A few days often at most to spend time together. Now you had three weeks. Three weeks and he’d be working nearby, perhaps able to live at home and go to base each day. 

You’d been reading the paper when you heard the door unlock and open, close shut, and the sound of a familiar voice call down the hallway, “I’m home!” You’d been so excited you dropped the paper on the floor and rushed out of the living area, not stopping until you’d almost launched yourself at him for a long awaited hug. 

He still smelt the same like carbolic soap and the aftershave he always used. He still felt the same, solid, warm, arms wrapping around you and pulling you tighter as he buried his face into your shoulder. 

“I’ve missed you.” You mumble it into the blue of his uniform, not wanting to pull away even for a second to talk to him. Letters allowed you to talk to him, but the physicality of having someone there? Nothing could replicate that. You couldn’t simply get a hug any time you wanted, a kiss on a cheek, a hand on the small of your back.  The physicality just didn’t translate the way words did. 

His grip tightens on you and you can hear and feel him take deep breaths, contented ones, taking in everything that surrounded him. “I’ve missed ye too, love...so much.” 

You pull back, only enough to see his face. He looks the same. Blonde hair, cut short back and sides, long on the top, combed over neatly. Blue eyes that are so soft and kind, eyes that helped you fall in love with him. Soft smile, the type of smile that still managed to make you flustered and just a little bashful. He hadn’t changed much, older, certainly older. You both were. You’d first started dating when you were barely in your twenties. Now you were in the latter part of that decade of your life. You’d spent so much time apart, writing letters, keeping your relationship going. 

“I can barely believe you’re actually here...finally...six years.” You press your forehead to his, close your eyes, taking in the feel of him, the smell of him, the presence of him once gain.

“Well, ye better believe it. I’m not goin’ anywhere anytime soon.” You open your eyes again, scan his face briefly, before pressing your lips to his. A little chapped and slightly unfamiliar after so long apart, but still Jack. Still the soft press of lips, the sweet hum of happiness from his throat before he pulls back and smiles down at you. 

You’re not really prepared for him to sink to one knee, mostly because you’re still finding it hard to believe that he’s finally back, that the war is over and he’s finally back. So its rather something else to find him sinking to one knee. 

“I don’t have a ring yet...I was going to wait till I found one, but we’ve waited six years and I just want to marry ye finally. I spent six years without ye and you’re the best partner I could ever ask for. You’ve put up with me for six years, without me help around the house, with me shitty handwriting. Will ye marry me?” 

Its not something you really have to think about after so long, because you’ve already thought the answer before today, thought of this possibly happening a million times. You decided that if you could survive being away from him during a war, then you could manage the trials of married life. Of a life during peace time.

“Of course I will, Jack” You pull him back to his feet and grip him in a tight embrace once again. You don’t really need a ring or something fancy or a big speech, the fact that he’s here, that he’s alive, that he wants to marry you, that is enough. 

“I love you.” You cup his cheeks in your hand and meet his eyes. You want to make sure he knows just how much you love him, that after everything you still love him the same as when you first fell for him. It hasn’t mellowed, hasn’t dissipated. Its still as strong as ever.

“I love ye too, sweetheart.”

[abundantchewtoys]

HS Epi: Meat p12 reaction

Back to Earth C presumably.

I gotta say, I'm curious to find out the final page count of Meat. The way we liveblog, the experience is stretched out, so with theories surfacing and such, we might be caught off guard when things are really over. There's only so far that things will be taken, though I guess we're still in for those "original Male/Female characters", I guess. :P That shouldn't refer to the new Reload timeline John created, I think, with copies of all the people mentioned in the rest of the character list. So, uh, yeah, guess the reason Arquiusprite wasn't mentioned in there was because he remained unseen, voided out if you will. And I guess we shouldn't expect an alternate Equius to have a talking role, either?

---

==>

Well! Talk about jumping straight into the action, this page opens with a dialoguelog! Back to Dave, Karkat and if my eyes didn't deceive me, we'll get some lines for Jade, too! Supportive Jade will be supportive.

"hit jane right in her neoliberal austerity measures" ... Hah. Well, I didn't think that would get referenced again at all, but it seems after all these years since John's 18th birthday Dave still has issues with the ol' N.A.M. So, Jane's a neoliberal AND a fascist now, Dave? Is that... even feasible?

"DAVE: now shes gonna spin some shit about supply side economics but we cant let her control the narrative on that one cause the first thing thats gonna happen once she begins deregulating the baking industry is that some sweet dumb crocodile down in consort land is gonna start putting sparkle glue in the cupcake mix which isnt even the real issue thats just surface issues KARKAT: RIGHT. JADE: definitely" ... Like, Dave I admire you're getting so into this, but you realize they aren't following, right? Also, why would Jane want to deregulate the baking industry if she's the leader of the foremost power in said industry, as well as running for president? Plus, Jane can't control the narrative because Caliborn is already controlling it! :mspa:

"DAVE: i mean earth c has just been play acting capitalism the last five thousand years while we timeskipped ahead to live rad lives as gods without bothering with any of the boring shit that goes into making a civilization DAVE: which is fine i mean you cant really expect a bunch of teens who didnt finish middle school to set up a sustainable form of social democracy that isnt just blatantly ripped off whatever we incorrectly thought obama god rest his soul was doing back in the day" ... Gee, Dave's given this a real lot of thought. Props to him, but I hope that aside from becoming 'an activist' he's also got some legitimite action points to improve Earth C's situation.

Guess Sburb really does a number on players, huh? "Congrats, you won, you're all gods now, and also, here's this whole civilization on the brink of collapse, have fun with that. Don't mess this up, I need those people to start the apocalypse in say, 2000 years, k thx bye." (The fact that this civilization, being outside of the Green Sun's influence, may never implement Sburb, is a bit besides the point since I think the trolls would have had the same issue tossed onto them had they actually gone through the victory door.)

Right, but the trolls had their home planet already effectively run by children, I wonder if that will come again? Even though they had carpenter droids at their disposal to run some things for them, they might actually be a bit more self-reliant than the humans!

"DAVE: but janes got this old school mentality you just know she wants to restrict grist alchemy for the sake of “growth” and when that goes down itll take three seconds flat for some nobody in new dersetown to drop the earth c communist manifesto" ... New Dersetown, I like the ring of that. Would call it New Dersey for short, though. :P Again, valid points there, Dave! If any revolt started, it doesn't have to be in the troll community, it could just as much be an angry carapace uprising! They're only docile if there's no one to rally behind.

Blaperile has this idea that the new society in a universe is not supposed to be seeded with the remains of the session nor the universe that came before it. That's actually a valid point; the only reason this society got kickstarted was through the cloning apparatus that was on the meteor! The consorts and carapaces seem like they would be able to reproduce biologically though, so I'm not sure how Sburb normally ensures the planet is a clean slate for a new species to emerge. ... Okay, so the planet itself doesn't really need to be the place where a new Sburb-playing species rises, true. There's a whole new universe out there.

Maybe through "importing" old Sburb technology, the "alpha" planet designation went to Earth C automatically, though.

Or maybe First Guardians are expected to 'cleanse' the planet from outside influence normally, but since this society's outside of the Green Sun's influence, that ain't happening. And Jade won't be going Thanos on Earth C.

"KARKAT: OH YEAH. JADE: of course DAVE: are you two even listening or are you just making noises with your mouths" Dave realizing he's monologuing? What character development is this. :O

"KARKAT: I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M BEING ACCUSED BY DAVE STRIDER, REIGNING EMPEROR OF SPEWING ENDLESS VERBAL DIARRHEA DIRECTLY INTO MY INNOCENT HEAR DUCTS EVERY DAY OF MY FUCKING LIFE, OF MAKING THOUGHTLESS MOUTH NOISES. KARKAT: JADE, ARE YOU HEARING THIS? JADE: im scandalized JADE: especially when JADE: there are much better things we could all be doing with our mouths....." ... Jade, your animes are showing again. ... I think that maybe Jade doesn't want this relation to be going where Dave and Karkat want it to go.

"It’s been a really nice day they’ve been having, and then Jade had to go say something like that. The air in the hive changes in a way that is palpable, in a way that she can’t seem to accurately gauge despite having both superhuman and superdog senses." ... Ah. So I guess maybe Jade just can't get a lid on some of her more... canine inclinations, at time. Welp!

"Elements of her outfit resemble her god tier jammies: peasant skirt, sparkly flats, and a bold choice in striped tights." Nice! That's only the third person who created an outfit based on her god tier outfit that we know, aside from Meenah and Rose.

"the couch where she crashed last night, and the night before that, and the better part of the seven years before that." It would seem Jade has the wanderlust then, she's more like the vagrant dog that comes visiting from time to time? More GCAT in demeanor than Becquerel, in practice. Heheh. Good for her, after being isolated on an island and then a battleship for so long, she's finally going out & seeing things!

"There are other personal effects of hers in the living room too: plants on the windowstill, her bass guitar sitting in a corner" Cool, so when she comes over, she typically lounges here then. Guess the flute never made it over, though. :p

"a horrific-looking periodic table that Dave made her for her seventeenth birthday pinned above the stairwell. He typed it in Comic Sans, and then deep-fried it to oblivion with JPEG artifacts." ... Next up, on For Fans By Fans...

"And Dave, with his preternaturally perfect timing, sweeps a hand over his tablet to bring up a new PowerPoint slide on the TV. He returns to his Comic Sans-written political presentation, gruesome artifacts and all" Dave, Dave that isn't professional at all!

", with the grace and proficiency of a man who has diffused an awkward situation in his own household many times per day, every day, for many years." Well, okay, that is really mature. But when Dave is the adult in a situation, the situation is very awkward per definition.

"DAVE: alternia: brutal eugenics based space dictatorship KARKAT: NOT UNTRUE." Succinct, brutal, but not dishonest.

"DAVE: troll homeworld: lord of the flies nightmare scenario where kids murder each other just to get the chance to get to grow up and murder other aliens instead KARKAT: IT WASN’T THAT BAD." Karkat. Karkat that isn't a valid rebuke.

"KARKAT: YOU MADE THAT LAST ONE UP. KARKAT: ALSO, IT WAS DISGUSTING?? KARKAT: GROW THE FUCK UP, YOU UTTERLY CONTEMPTIBLE, POTTY MOUTHED *CUNT*." ... The irony is stark.

"JADE: also you know trolls dont actually have two dicks dave thats an offensive stereotype" Are we really doing troll anatomy? Well, I guess it's good to know that the fan theory about Sollux at least isn't applicable to the entire species.

"DAVE: trolls: literally ate babies KARKAT: ONLY THE DEFECTIVE ONES. DAVE: like you my dude KARKAT: ...YEAH. DAVE: so thats why our campaign can work" Yeah, Karkat ate grubs, though they weren't troll babies. Also, yeah, Karkat was a mutant, but I wonder if that would really help his case here.

"DAVE: btw im gonna be giving a long form exam at the end of this to make sure youre retaining info because this is only like the most important thing weve ever done collectively" Well he ain't wrong.

"KARKAT: ARE YOU ASKING ME WHETHER I’VE HEARD THIS EXACT SPEECH ALMOST WORD FOR WORD, INCLUDING REHEARSED VERSIONS OF BOTH THE COLORFUL METAPHORS AND “JOKES,” TEN OR TWENTY TIMES ALREADY? KARKAT: BECAUSE THE ANSWER WOULD BE KARKAT: YES, OF COURSE I FUCKING HAVE." Poor, poor Karkat.

"Karkat elbows Dave in the thigh, a move that is obviously meant to be an action of pure, brotherly jest. But instead it comes off as affectionate and overly intimate. Jade’s clever eyes don’t miss this. Her pupils follow the motion of Karkat’s arm, and then they follow the movement of Dave’s mouth as he smiles in what he probably thinks is a totally neutral expression that reveals exactly 0% of his true feelings toward Karkat Vantas. In reality, his veneer is as thin and transparent as cellophane. He is the only person who can’t see through it.

Jade does some calculations in her head. Two kinds of calculations, in fact: mathematical ones and personal ones." So, is Jade reading too much into their relationship, or are the dudes just... Both too shy?

"JADE: soooooo JADE: do you want a projection of her first years hit on the economy down to the decimal with a 0.3% margin of error JADE: because thats a thing i can do if itll make you stop talking about this stupid election for ten minutes" I didn't know that were First Guardian powers! :p I suppose it might be her natural intellect though, but we've only known her as the hands-on science type until now.

"She proceeds to dazzle the two boys with explications on complex math utilizing taxation rates, GDP figures, and some damned thing called the “Laffer curve,”" Dang, Jade is as much committed to this as Dave! (Or maybe she learned all this because it means so much to him, that could be it too!)

"The thing about Jade Harley is that she’s not as good at personal things as she is at other things. Like science, or mastering fraymotifs, or kissing, the last of which she has definitely put a lot of levels into over the past few years because, well, what else are you supposed to do with immortal godhood once you hit the age where the dog hormones start kicking into overdrive?" Guess for dogs, kissing isn't that personal. :p And well, I guess Jade's only now learning the real consequences of turning into a real-life furry. At least she won't have had lack of candidates to practice kissing with. She might even have become the Witch of Spacing Out Young Adults.

"Her high-prescription lenses make her eyes look anime-huge. They might literally be glittering, she’s so completely serious about the issue she is trying to stress." And the fan artists rejoiced for all the new descriptions they have to work with!

" JADE: im about to lay out some cold hard evidence so pay attention! KARKAT: OH, HANG ON, LET ME GET A PEN." You can't live together with Dave for years without learning when it's time to start taking notes and grab a fucking pen.

"JADE: evidence about..... JADE: our relationship! KARKAT: FUCK" Pfff, okay, never mind. I think Jade might have hit a wall several times over before, trying to either define their relationship or take it to the next level. These dudes are really sensitive about their feelings, after all.

But it would be interesting, learning Jade wants to know where they stand just as much as the outside world does.

"JADE: you let me live in your hive when im in town KARKAT: I CAN’T BELIEVE... JADE: im preeeetty intimately entwined in both your lives KARKAT: THAT YOU’RE JUST TALKING ABOUT THIS? JADE: AND you dont disengage from about 86.234% of my flirtations KARKAT: WAIT, WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU KEEP TRACK OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT? JADE: so....... are we doing this or not?" So, just like with taking on Lord English and acknowledging the lit fuse that is Earth C society, I guess the coming around of April 13th 2019 is when Jade had enough of all this silly business and wants to know what's what. (Also, I suppose the level of intimacy they shared on beforehand will be left to speculation.)

"KARKAT: DOING WHAT?! JADE: dating dummy!!!!!!!! KARKAT: OH. KARKAT: THAT IS KARKAT: THAT IS... A COMPLICATED TOPIC IN MY CULTURE THAT I’M NOT SURE HUMANS ARE EQUIPPED TO TALK ABOUT." Smooth, Karkat, real smooth. Maybe Karkat fears commitment will lead to some of their relationships shifting into other quadrants. And he wouldn't like to be moirails or auspistices with either of them.

"DAVE: also totally unrelated to the economy" ... Nice try Dave, but I think this can't be steered back into that track.

"DAVE: which not gonna lie is the only thing i want to talk about for uh DAVE: for however long it takes for this other conversation to stop happening JADE: so say no!!! DAVE: well KARKAT: UHHHHH JADE: im not just forcing this conversation for my sake! its for you two as well JADE: i mean after all this time have you two even kissed yet?????? DAVE: wha" I think Dave and Karkat might actually have been both content to stay uncommitted and fearful to put a label on it. Also Jade's question will presumably remain unanswered, it's already surprising it's confirmed she hasn't seen them kissing. And that is ignoring the matter of whether either Dave or Karkat kissed Jade before. I guess it's only fortunate for this situation that this instance of Jade never dated Davesprite, it would only complicate things further.

"DAVE: wha KARKAT: WH-WHY WOULD DAVE: uhh KARKAT: WHY WOULD WE KISS?? DAVE: thats KARKAT: THAT’S... YOU... I MEAN, HE’S... HE’S DAVE. DAVE: we KARKAT: AND I’M KARKAT." PFffffffff, hilarious! I can just see them blushing like tomatoes right now. Can't keep staying in denial bros!

"JADE: yes hes dave and youre karkat and everyone we know always calls you that JADE: “dave and karkat”" Hah! Yeah, but they also think you're part of the item, Jade. Care to shed some thoughts on the subject?

"JADE: i cant remember the last time i heard anyone mention one of you without the other JADE: the two of you have basically been together since your days on the meteor its SO obvious" Jade has turned this from a personal matter into a fandom matter. "Everyone and their dog knows you're dating, guys! Stop pretending otherwise!" It's interesting to note the different ways Dave has been seen handling relationships. When he dated Terezi in the GO timeline, it went south due her troubles in the black quadrant. When Davesprite dated Jade, it went south due to unresolved Dave issues, presumably having to do with his bros. With Karkat, Dave's been in a stable-ish thing for the longest time, though.

" KARKAT: VERY CLOSE FRIENDS WHO UNDERSTAND AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER ON A DEEP AND EMPATHETIC LEVEL THAT GOES BEYOND HATE OR PITY. YOU COULD EVEN SAY THAT OUR RELATIONSHIP... KARKAT: ...TRANSCENDS QUADRANTS." ... PFfffffff, so this could have been what it was like for the Sufferer and the Disciple, then! They were just never ready to commit? That would actually be funnier than it being this deep and fulfilling relationship. It would also make Doc Scratch' misgivings on the relationship even more hilarious.

"JADE: yeaaaaaah not gonna lie karkat but that sounds totally kinda gay KARKAT: UGH YOU HUMANS AND YOUR UNFATHOMABLE GENDER BASED QUADRANTS." ... Heh. Actually. Too trolls, the whole gender-based romance thing we have going must indeed be as unfathomable as leprechaun romance.

"Jade faceplams." Well that's a new verb. ;) What part of the body is the 'plam', exactly?

" KARKAT: ANYWAY WEREN’T YOU... DATING THAT CARAPACIAN COUPLE? LAST TIME WE CHECKED?" Lolwut. Jade. Jade are you... are you being a Ms. Casanova, a paramour or two in every city you frequent? If WV and PM turn out to be alive for the sole purpose of dating Jade, I'll choke on my drink.

" DAVE: wait you saying we arent fun JADE: whens the last time either of you left the house??????" I know Jade means it as in, she'd like to date them for keeps. But I also fulheartedly believe Dave and Karkat can sustain themselves on delivery pizza and chinese chow.

"In her other hand, she tries to grab Dave’s wrist, but he flash-steps to the other side of the couch." Well that's a new use of the power, guess Dave must really have felt alarmed. :p

"JADE: i wanna try dating for real KARKAT: HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED KARKAT: SORRY IF WHAT I’M ABOUT TO SAY TOTALLY BLOWS YOUR MIND KARKAT: DATING A SINGLE PERSON, FOR MORE THAN HALF A SWEEP, FOR REASONS OTHER THAN INITIATING THE CONCUPISCENT EXCHANGE OF FLUIDS?" Karkat is trying to throw the issue back into Jade's face by saying she should try dating for a longer period of time. But that's exactly what she's trying to do here! She knows who she wants that with! That poor little troll, he's not getting out from under this.

"JADE: third of all karkat arent you from a culture where people are expected to engage in romantic relationships with up to like five people at a time?? KARKAT: THAT’S NOT KARKAT: THAT’S NOT THE SAME THING AT ALL." If he's trying to avoid getting dragged into quadrants with people, he should stop upholding the validity of the quadrants to hold people off. :p

"DAVE: ok jade i think theres a flaw in your approach here cause you seem to think winning an argument on super clever logical grounds is gonna get a couple dudes to break down and fling themselves at you in like, a sexual way JADE: wellll it usually does ;B DAVE: oh my fucking god" So she swoons people by way of her big brain. Jade's got CLASS.

"This earns Dave a look. A long, sad one that has Jade messing with her glasses again so that she can peer right at him and apply some more of that faulty personal math to his facial expression." Just confirmation here that Jade isn't necessarily correct in all her assessments due to not being objective.

"JADE: dave are you in love with obama? DAVE: jade jesus where do you get this shit from JADE: is it about jesus then??????" Aaaaaand this has been derailed again.

"DAVE: no! DAVE: jesus wasnt even real JADE: i know he wasnt real! JADE: wait... JADE: are you saying JADE: obama was real? DAVE: ... DAVE: yes" Wut. Wai- I- Jade. Honey. Please. Guess for all her involvement in politics since, those isolated years on the island sheltered her WAY too much.

"DAVE: obama was real DAVE: he was the president KARKAT: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA JADE: all this time i thought obama was like JADE: an aspirational fictional character that you modeled your life after KARKAT: AHAHAHAHA I CAN’T AHAHA BREATHE... JADE: like snoop dog or nicolas cage" ... Jade. Jade no. You're just making this worse on yourself. For Jade, there would have been almost nothing in Homestuck she'd have seen as a reference to 'real life', would there?

"senary numeral systems that allow me to do complex equations in my head" ... Why is Base 6 good for complex equations? I'm probably not good enough at math to know.

"KARKAT: WHY IS IT LIKE SOME SORT OF *TRAGEDY* HOW SHE WAS RAISED? KARKAT: BECAUSE SHE WAS RAISED ALONE BY AN ANIMAL?? KARKAT: *I* WAS RAISED ALONE BY AN ANIMAL!" There! It's getting acknowledged again, how Jade's upbringing more resembles a troll than a human's! Becquerel the lusus.

"There’s a ripple in the room that makes it clear their god tier powers have just clashed against each other. He shifts his arm through time and Jade warps the space around them so that she’s the one holding the tablet. This is not the first time that they have rearranged the fabric of reality for a petty reason like this. Karkat has permanently sworn off playing board games with them." ... Lol. First real use of the god tier powers in Earth C, and it goes like this! Wait, couldn't Jade have snapped... Right, no, she actually wouldn't have First Guardian powers anymore now, I forgot. Still, what did Dave try to do, move the tablet to another point in the timeline?

"The moment Jade brings the paint program up on the television, Karkat stops laughing. KARKAT: NO!" Oh boy. Time for the Penis Quadrant scene, this time with three people. ... This would actually fall under both definitions of a "sketch", actually.

"He tries to grab the tablet from her, but she’s hovering well above the ground and he simply is not tall enough to reach. With a shit-eating grin and deliberate care, Jade begins to draw a grid." He's going to jump up to grab her leg, to disturb the drawing, isn't he?

"She gives Karkat a pair of fuzzy, angry eyebrows" Now I'm starting to think of the Karkat expressions in that one Paradox Space.

"all he accomplishes is turning the redrom trajectory between her and Dave into a redrom loop-de-loop." This is all I could want from a reprise of this scene.

"JADE: see me and karkat have great black chemistry! KARKAT: IT IS NOT BLACK CHEMISTRY YOU HORRID NON-CHITINOUS WINDBAG!" A+ denial there, Karkat, props on the response.

"JADE: and now that daves all chill hed make a great auspistice" Jade just wants all Karkat's quadrants filled by the three of them, somehow.

"JADE: because you and karkat are kind of like moirails DAVE: no JADE: and you and i JADE: well yknow its always been pretty flirty DAVE: jade JADE: EXCEPT!

Jade finishes drawing a shaky heart directly into the paint program. It’s so big and bright on the TV that it fills the entire room with red light." She's putting all these names and symbols to the relationship, it might just be too much for these poor boys to handle. :p

"JADE: i call this political arrangement: JADE: fully automated luxury polyamorous space-time communism!!!!!!!" That is not the shipping name I would've chosen, but it's the shipping name we deserve. And hey, communism! Get it? Cause Karkat had a sickle.

I wonder what Karkat's take on polyamory outside of the ashen quadrant is, actually.

"Jade rolls her eyes and tosses both the tablet and pen over her shoulder. Dave flashes across the living room to catch his very expensive computing device in both arms. The pen bounces off his forehead." This. Entire. Scene.

"JADE: i have to go talk to roxy and callie about the election anyway" Well, she's going to let them stew on this for a while. But I'm eager to find out who Roxy & Calliope would back. You might think Jane's a given, but if she's been busy maybe they have grown closer to Jade & Dave!

"Jade clicks her heels together to propel herself back into the air and actually winks at them before absconding through an open window." Think happy thoughts! Also, I just realized becoming a god sadly never gave Karkat the powers of flight.

"Dave and Karkat both stare after her, silently caught in their own private rationalization spirals.

Karkat needs to verbalize part of his out loud." Ah, but can they stay in that spiral or will they have no choice but to break out of it?

"KARKAT: WANNA PLAY SOME TROLL TONY HAWK? DAVE: hell DAVE: yeah" Yyyyyeaah, they are not going to have changed when Jade comes back, will they?

So even Karkat calls it "Troll Tony Hawk", not whatever absurdly wrong name it'd have on Alternia, and not whatever Tony Hawk's duodecimal name in Alternian would be. :P

[paladin-andric]

An Even Game

Hey, everyone! After finishing Blackheart I had a few ideas for some shorts, so I think I’ll be posting some! This one’s about a bunch of mercenaries taking some time off to play some rather elaborate games...

Sofia’s entrance into the company hall was far from silent, but with the boisterous shouts coming from the table, it might as well have been.

None of the group of five could hear her coming as they laughed and complained, the sound of rolling dice and shuffling paper being heard.

“It’s nonsense is what it is!”

“You’re just mad you’re losing!”

“Hey, I’m only losing ‘cause you stacked the game, you rat!”

The woman was a member of the Drakebloods, a mercenary company that had been successful enough to found their own hall. While small, as the company was, it was a pretty massive achievement for them.

It appeared several of the members were using their downtime to play games at the hall, all of them crowded around the round, wooden table and sat in cheap wooden chairs.

Sofia, a soldier within the company, chucked her things onto an empty table as she made her way to the end of game room. Ahead of her they sat, a massive map, a mess of cards and papers, and dice and miniature figurines taking up the entirety of the table.

“Hey boys,” she said casually, most of them turning to look at her.

“Oh, hey Sofia!” David answered, a notable chipperness in his voice.

David was one of three humans at the table, the others being Michael and Emanuel. The fourth member of the group was a koutu, one Sofia knew very well as Con. Though his true name was Conchobhar, enough of the company called him by the simpler nickname that he was now known by both.

The final man at the table was a saalik, one of the lizards from the desert kingdom across the seas. He was Bahim, one of the largest and most intimidating warriors in the whole company. His great size, plainly apparent strength, and frightening reptilian visage did little to show his true nature.

Emanuel smiled at her. “Hey, wanna join? We’re short a player!”

“Pona Federation’s still not taken,” Michael added, sounding a touch irritated.

“Uhh, actually I’d just like to watch, thanks,” Sofia answered, hands on her hips.

“Come on!” David said, trying to egg her on.

“We’d love if you joined us!” Conchobhar said cheerfully, clutching onto a slip of paper.

“Really, thanks but I don’t want to. I don’t even know what you’re playing.”

“We could teach you,” David said softly, a playful grin on his face.

“That’d take ages.” Michael’s voice was low and carried frustration in it. “This game’s already an hour in and we’ve barely done anything. Can we get a move on?”

“Hey...if she doesn’t want to play, we shouldn’t make her,” Bahim’s voice was quiet and meek, as it usually was. Quite a mismatch for the brutish-looking warrior.

“Tsk, whatever,” David said with a roll of his eyes, “If you say so…”

Sofia pulled a chair from another table and joined them, leaning over the massive map and piles of papers. “What in the world is this game, anyway? What needs THIS much work to play?”

“Deacan Kings!” Conchobhar said excitedly.

“Deacan Kings…?”

“You mean to tell me you’ve never played it?” Emmanuel asked, his tanned face staring at her in confusion.

She shook her head. “Never heard of it.”

“Wow…I thought everyone in the whole damn company played this at least once,” David mused.

“Not me. What IS it, anyway?”

“Deacan Kings is like playing history!” Conchobhar cried. “Err...well, like playing how history could have been, anyway. You pick a nation and try to manage your kingdom, and build up the administration, deal with court intrigue, and conduct politics with other plays, forge alliances, scheme, and try to conquer all of Deaco! It’s wonderful!”

Sofia crossed her arms and frowned. “Manage politics and administration? Sounds complicated.”

“Oh, it is!” Bahim said, a sort of shy happiness dancing on his face. “B-but it’s really fun! Once you learn everything, there’s just so much you can do! There’s so many different paths for you to take your nation! There’s dozens of laws you can change your stance on, and nation get their own bonuses, and your ruler gets personality traits that change things and limit what you can do, and how the game goes…” The large lizard stared off into the distance, lost in his joyful recollection of the rules like a child telling his parents about his favorite play.

“Hey, speaking of ruler traits…” David tapped the map. “Turn 20. Time for everyone to get one.”

The group all grabbed for a stack of notes in the corner, each taking one off the top one by one. As they looked at what trait their ruler now had, varying reactions came from all over the table.

“Oooh, I got workhorse!” Conchobhar said excitedly, “Yes!”

“Ah, whatever,” Michael said angrily, tossing his card to the table.

“What, what'd ya get?” David asked.

“Soft-hearted.”

“Hey, that’s not bad at all!” Conchobhar said, “That’s amazing for the endgame!”

“Yeah...for when you have a massive empire,” the irritated human said, “I’ve got two regions, man. TWO. All cause David’s mad that I’m better than him.”

“Aww, what are you talking about? I thought you were GOOD at this game!” David laughed mockingly.

“Literally no one plays the kobold tribes, you ass. They get annexed by turn three, tops.”

“Michael’s the best Deacan Kings player, basically ever,” Conchobhar explained to Sofia in a low whisper, “Whoops everyone here every time we play. David complained so now he’s handicapped.”

The woman nodded, now understanding why Michael seemed so annoyed. He was too good to play with, so they had given him a nation so outgunned it would be hopeless to win in most other players’ hands.

“Oh, and soft-hearted boosts happiness and lowers unrest in every region,” the birdman added, “Pretty amazing when you’ve got dozens of places to keep under control.”

The woman nodded, becoming more interested in the game. “I see…God, this is complicated. Interesting, though...”

“And yet here you are at turn 20. I don’t see what you’re complaining about…” David was grinning like mad.

“Cause you’re BAD,” Michael said, flashing a grin of his own, “Five thousand tribal warriors, and you just can’t stamp me out.”

“Tsk. You got lucky!”

“Nope. Learn about terrain and maybe your massive army could beat a couple of kobolds with sticks,” he shot back.

“I’m gonna kick your ass!” David shouted, “Just wait til ya-”

The man’s eyes went wide as he stared down at his card, his mouth freezing in place.

“Oooh, I think he got something good,” Emmanuel said, looking over at the other man.

“What? What did you get?” Conchobhar asked, trying to peek over his card.

“...GENIUS!” David announced triumphantly, “King Bohem is now a genius!”

“Horseshit,” Michael grumbled. The others all chattered in excitement as he tapped the table, deep in thought.

“That’s a good trait, I’m guessing.” Sofia said, the others turning to look at her.

“Are you kidding?! It’s the best trait in the whole game!” David answered, still ecstatic.

“It lowers civil unrest, boosts tax and trade revenue, increases your military command, gives a nationwide boost to prosperity, and makes you able to change laws three times as fast!” Conchobar explained giddily.

“I haven’t seen anyone get genius in a long time,” Emmanuel said quietly, “Speaking of which...I’ve got agriculturalist now.”

“Aww, come on!” Michael complained, “Did EVERYONE but me get a good trait?!”

“Soft-hearted’s a good trait, just-”

“Just not for the current situation, yeah yeah yeah,” the increasingly frustrated man cut Conchobhar off, “I know.”

“A true ruler serves the people,” the koutu said with a sly grin.

“Chieftain Stonebark giving his slaves hugs doesn’t really matter when they’re all about to die, does it?” Michael said with a roll of his eyes.

“...ah.” Bahim’s eyes rose from his card, a sullen expression on his muzzle. “Err...cheer up, Michael. Stonebark’s got it better than the Sultan.”

“Oh dear. Get one of the negative traits?” the man replied.

“Ahaha...you know how David got the best trait in the game?” the large lizard smiled sheepishly. “Err...Sultan Venhim is now...insane.”

There was a brief pause, the entire room bathed in oppressive silence for a moment...before everyone erupted into laughter.

Sofia watched them all lose it, confused by their reactions.

“O-oh, God!” David slapped his thigh. “Oh, WOW!”

“Rest in peace, Abinsil,” Emmanuel said, trying not to laugh.

“Oh dear...that just leaves the kobold tribes as allies to the Koutu Kingdom,” Conchobhar said with a notable amount of worry.

“Tsk...sounds like I might need to sail down there and take a few regions, Bahim,” Emmanuel said.

“W-what?! Aww, come on!”

“Hey, my back’s been against the wall this whole game! I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do,” the human answered back.

Michael’s anger seemed to have evaporated. “Huh. I guess things really could be worse…”

“Uhh...why are you all talking like he’s just out of the game?” Sofia asked, “Is it really that bad?”

“Yes, and he basically is,” Conchobhar answered.

“Insane makes you roll the dice at the start of every one of your turns,” Michael explained, “If you roll lower than 20, every one of your actions, changing laws, moving troops, diplomacy and troop movements...is decided randomly by rolling to see what happens.”

“Insane rulers basically flail about doing nothing until their entire nation is wiped out, since they can’t even move their troops to defend or attack anything,” Emmanuel added.

“That sounds...really, really dumb and unfair,” Sofia said, rubbing her chin.

“Yeah, but it makes civil unrest skyrocket too.” Conchobhar flashed a scrap of paper with lists of names and traits. “If they survive long enough there should be a civil war, and since the player usually can’t respond in any way they’re beaten and overthrown quickly...not that anyone should TRY to keep an insane king in power! Once they roll for their new monarch they can start playing again.”

“Ugh...PLEASE don’t invade me,” Bahim whined, “I don’t wanna get kicked out now!”

“I don’t know…” David gave the lizard a predatory grin. “You’ve been developing your regions SO well. They’re so rich…”

“Aww, come on! Don’t! Pleeeaaase?”

“Hmm...I’ll send you a marriage proposal!” Conchobhar announced, “Then we can form an alliance and I’ll take the heat off of you!”

“R-really?! Wow, thanks!”

“Don’t thank him yet, your loony king still has to roll to accept,” Michael noted.

“I’ll just keep trying til we succeed!” the koutu said happily, “Then I can deploy in your regions!”

“Hey, now everyone’s in a coalition against me!” David cried, “No fair!”

“Hey, you’re the one who picked the overpowered nation,” Michael said with a grin, “It’s only natural.”

“Bah! I’ll just deploy dragons against you all!”

“Once my capital gets to the next prosperity level I can summon dragons too,” Michael said, “You’d better watch out…”

“Argh! I won’t let you live that long! I’m attacking you!”

Michael shifted miniatures as David did the same, the two of them moving their “soldiers” into lines across their borders.

“Better hope that this doesn’t end up like the last assault…” the kobold player said with a grin.

“Whatever!” is all David, the Geralthin player managed in response, grabbing a sheet of paper. “Pah...forty to one, you see that?! You’re hopelessly outnumbered.”

“Than it’s an even game.”

Sofia leaned back as she watched them all go, everyone shouting encouragements and playful insults as the two players prepared for battle.

Perhaps I should learn how to play, too…

Tag list: @thereisnothingwrongwithbeingmad, @lady-redshield-writes, @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword, @sheralynnramsey, @tawnywrites, @writer-on-time, @oceanwriter, @zwergis-spilledink, @fluffpiggy, @elliewritesfantasy, @homesteadhorner,  @laurenwastestimewriting, @elaynab-writing, @the-ichor-of-ruination, @disheveledcorvid-deactivated201, @reya-writes, @bexminx

[khaliasama]

A Bizarre Bazaar Run by Buzzing Buds

“Now, we’ve been over this a thousand times. You remember how to dock the ship, correct?” Zodvin asked from behind the pilot’s chair. He gripped the back of the once plush chair and dug his blunted talons into the long worn leather. The saggy skin that made up his outrageous frill began to lift and puff to reflex his nervous state as the battered shop came closer into view.

“Has it ever crossed your mind that the more you hover, the more pressure you place upon Possum’s shoulders?” Sobok retorted as he sauntered into the view. He joined his hunched over partner by the pilot’s chair, green eyes glued to their target destination.

“Possum can do it! Possum good pilot!” the ysoki in question piped up from the seat. The old leather chair had numerous, thick books stacked atop the cushion just to allow the rodent the ability to peek over the much-too-tall dashboard.

Without looking away, Sobok reached over and grasped Possum’s skull between his thumb and first two fingers. He gently turned their head back toward the front. “Eyes forward, always,” he reaffirmed with a low hiss.

“Right, right,” Possum replied, nodding enthusiastically the moment his parent had retraced his hand. Their big, black ears flopped up and down by the constant movement.

“Steady now...” Zodvin mumbled from behind the chair.

Their destination was a crafted structure mounted on a cluster of asteroids. Crude looking thrusters jutted out from the sides and beneath the haphazard looking building. They puttered to life once or twice. They weren’t there for movement, morso to keep the structure from drifting away. While the metal building was clearly made to resemble any other generic shop found on other planets, it still held a distinct resemblance to an old insect hive.

Above the entrance hung the structure’s namesake: Buzzar. It was written with neon letters that in no way, shape, or form resembled one another. The logo was a complete mismash of style as if each letter had been scrounged up from a different location.

Possum was able to navigate their home ship that was more built for a hulking vesk opposed to a tiny ysoki like themself straight into the rickety docking port offered by Buzzar. Zodvin flinched upon hearing metal scraping against metal. The ship came to a halt with a jerk, nearly sending the green-scaled Zodvin to the floor had he not been attached already to the pilot’s seat. As the ship powered down, Possum turned to look up at Sobok, eyes bright with excitement.

“Possum did it!” the exclaimed.

“Indeed,” Sobok replied, finally tearing his eyes away. He turned on his heel and walked toward the main exit. “From what I gathered, this area is still relatively untouched from the sudden influx of universe tearings. That doesn’t mean we should let our guards down.”

Possum hopped out of the pilot seat and landed on the metal flooring with a loud thump. They bounded after the cobra-like vesk, hot on his heels. Zodvin followed soon after, scrambling to his feet to chase the other two down.

“You think this place will ever get hit?” Zodvin asked as they descended the ramp. He cringed upon seeing the sides of their ship. It had suffered a few scrapes from the docking.

“Anything’s possible in this climate. I’d say something along the lines of ‘I hope not,’ but it’s hard to be optimistic with the events settling before us thus far,” Sobok responded. He crossed his arms behind his back and walked with purpose toward Buzzar’s entrance.

Possum had taken the lead already, bursting past their parents with little effort. This would mark their third visit to this strange sight out in the middle of space. They paused before the gaping entrance and sat back on their haunches, tilting their head upward until they nearly fell backwards from the sheer height that towered before them.

The building was shaped from long sheets of metal warped and wrapped around one another to produce a conal shape. Some of the material looked fresh while other parts looked like it had been scraped up from the bottom of a barrel. Possum’s ears twitched as it heard the electrical current flicker through the letters that made up the building’s namesake.

Their parents caught up and walked past, dipping underneath the roof of the entrance and coming upon the main doorway - the only nicely crafted part of the whole building. The doors shimmered chrome and looked brand new. Possum jumped onto Sobok’s leg and clamored up his body until they nestled in the the massive hood of their jacket as the two vesks triggered the motion sensor and walked through the metal doors. They opened and closed with a familiar whoosh, whisking the trio into a decompression chamber.

After a few minutes of waiting, they were cleared to enter Buzzar, and as per usual, it was a lackluster sight. The organization of the shelves and stock was questionable at best. Guns, rifles, and other weapons hung on the walls with no particular structure to how they were grouped. Bins of rocks and scraps of metal were left out in the open. It was nothing short of a mess.

Enough of the clutter had been cleared to allow for a large desk to be placed in the center of the main floor, manned by a single shirren. He possessed a long, centipede-like neck and head. The dim lighting reflected off his dark brown exoskeleton. As the trio approached, the shirren’s orange antennae began to twist and twitch.

“Friends!” came a cheerful greeting that projected into the trio’s minds.

Possum sat up in their makeshift nest. “Friend!” they yelled into the stillness of the messy shop. Their voice was the only one to echo off the dark and dusty walls.

“Yes, yes! It’s wonderful to see you again, little fuzzy friend.” The shirren clicked his mandibles and splayed his hands atop the countertop, brushing aside bits of a radio that had been taken apart.

“Possum! My name is Possum!” the ysoki continued, practically barking from Sobok’s jacket hood.

“My apologies, Possum. You chose that name and I should be mindful of that choice!”

“This place looks as rundown as the last time we saw it, Nact,” Zodvin mumbled as he approached the counter. He swiped a green finger along the desks edge and lifted the dusty pad closer to his eyes. His face scrunched with mild disgust upon further inspection. “Have any of you ever thought about cleaning the place up a bit? No wonder you guys hardly see much business out here.”

Nact tilted his head, eyes unblinking as he stared up at the frilled vesk. “We do clean.”

“Not enough! Look at this place...there’s shit everywhere!”

“But of course! It’s a shop!”

Zodvin pinched the bridge of his snout. “That’s not...no proper shop looks like this.”

Nact’s bright orange antenna twitched at the response. “I suppose we can afford to dust a little more,” he admitted.

Sobok cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the other two. “As enthralling as your conversation about excessive dust build up is, that isn’t the sole reason we decided to visit,” he stated. He rummaged about in his pocket before procuring a piece of metal and placing it on the desk. The light caught the chrome sheen of the surface as he slid it forward.

“We pulled apart an old, abandoned freighter. Wondered if you could use the scrap,” Sobok continued as he kept his eyes trained on the shirren before him.

Nact grasped the scrap between his clawed hands and brought it closer to his face. His head tilted to the left than right as his antenna caressed the worn metal. A few moments passed before he pushed it toward his mandibles and chewed on the piece. With a satisfied hum, Nact placed the scrap back upon the desk.

“We can work with this! Not the best condition, but not the worst either,” he hummed in their minds as he dipped out of view.

“We’ll bring the rest in, then,” Sobok replied before tilting his head to glance over his shoulder. “Possum, why don’t you go find the others while we do that? I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you.”

“But Possum want to help!” the ysoki exclaimed, sitting up in protest.

“And we appreciate the help, but Possum is scrawny in comparison,” Zodvin chimed in as he lifted Possum from their perch and set them on the ground.

“K’sen and Thil are upstairs sorting gun parts,” Nact chimed in, though he still hadn’t reappeared from his temporary hiding spot.

“Go on, now. We have boring adult stuff to talk about,” Zodvin said, nuding Possum with his foot.

With a soft grumble, Possum hoped away from the main gathering point and set themselves to scurrying up the nearby stairs. Navigating a building meant for larger folk would have been more difficult if Possum weren’t naturally adept at scaling all sorts of obstacles. Their legs couldn’t comfortably climb the massive set of stairs laid out before them, but Possum cleared this hurdle by hopping up each step with little effort. They sneezed on the way up; the amount of dust present tickled their sensitive nose.

Unused scrap metal seemed to be the biggest commodity the trio of shirren collected in their shop, making it look more like a hoarder’s paradise opposed to a facility used to buy and sell goods. Upon reaching the second floor, Possum paused their movements and lifted their ears. This floor was as flat and open as the last, but far more cluttered. Mismatched armor hung on mannequins of all shapes and sizes. They each lacked any kind of head shape, seemingly torn or eaten away by time.

Toward the far back, Possum’s ears caught movement. They bounded in the direction, hopping over empty ammo cartridges and pass a fuel tank. “Possum here!” the announced, stepping into view and spotting the other two shirren that shared business responsibility within Buzzar.

The two in question looked up, mandibles clicking and antenna feeling the air. The one closest to Possum was the taller of the two. They were beetle-like in nature with a shimmering iridescent carapace that seemed to change color each time they shifted under the dim light.

“Possum!” they called into the ysoki’s mind. “What a pleasant surprise!” They turned toward the other shirren, waving one of their clawed hands in the process. “Look, dear, it’s Possum!”

The final shirren tilted her head. She was the most traditional looking out of the trio of Buzzar with her heavily locust-like appearance. “I see that. Did you bring more scrap for us?” she called into their head.

“Yep! They bring it in while Possum told to come find you,” Possum replied as they pushed a nearby stool over and hopped onto it. Their feet dangled high above the ground as their body only covered maybe half of the stool’s surface. “What keep Thil and K’sen busy?”

“Sorting!” Thil, the iridescent beetle, chirped in Possum’s mind. “We’re a bit behind on shoring this place up.”

“How many others visit?” Possum asked.

“Can’t say it’s a whole lot,” K’sen, the locust-looking shirren, admitted. “If it weren’t for your parents helping us, we’d be gonners.”

“Why no big visits?” Possum continued. They began to kick their legs, watching how the shirren meticulously worked sorting gun parts into all kinds of piles. As they glanced over each small stack, they couldn’t help but wonder what the thought process was as nothing seemed to have a coherent pattern. If they squinted hard enough, they could maybe assume assume the choices were based on color.

K’sen shrugged, eyes focused on the work before her. “Competition for one thing. It could be argued that bigger chains do our job better, but they don’t have the same charm we do.”

“We’ve tried spreading the word, but people seem to be actively avoiding this area lately,” Thil added. “Almost as if something drove them off.”

Possum tilted their head. “What makes Thil say that?”

The long, segmented antenna that Thil sported grew still as the shirren fell into deep thought. “Just a feeling.”

“Not this again,” K’sen sighed in Possum’s mind. She paused her movements as she looked up at her partner. “You’ve been on about this for a while.”

“About what?” Possum interjected.

The somewhat cheery atmosphere had turned more chilly. The shirren glanced at each other before looking to Possum.

“Don’t worry about it, Possum. It’s nothing,” Thil tried to reassure the ysoki.

Possum tilted their head, dark eyes looking over the brightly colored shirren with intense curiosity. The two resumed their work, dropping into a comfortable silence once more. Possum didn’t try to press the issue. They had a feeling if they tried to continue the conversation, it would only end up with their friends becoming irritable. Wanting to avoid that outcome, Possum let themselves embrace the silence.

Twenty minutes passed with sparse conversation before Possum’s ears perked up at the sound of heavy footsteps ascending the nearby flight of stairs. They turned their head toward the source of the noise and spotted Zodvin’s green head poking above the numerous mounds of scraps.

“Possum! It’s time to go!” he called.

Possum hopped off the stool and pushed it back to its original spot. “Bye, bye!” the shouted at the shirren as they hopped off toward their parent. When the frilled vesk came into view, Possum jumped at him and climbed up his body. They found a perch on his shoulders.

“Ready to go?” Zodvin asked as he made his way back down the stairs.

“Uh-huh! Parents bring everything in?” Possum asked.

“Yep. We’re good to go.”

“Have good conversation?”

“Have great conversation.”

“Great!!” Possum chirped as they stepped back onto the first floor.

Nact had resumed his tinkering with the old, taken apart radio. Sobok awaited their return by the entrance. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Upon spotting the two, he pushed himself away and dropped his posture.

“Bye, Nact! See next time!” Possum called to the centipede before disappearing from the shop. They received an equally cheerful response.

As the trio approached their ship, Possum became antsy with energy. “Possum can drive again?” they asked, looking between Zodvin and Sobok.

An immediate reply wasn’t given, causing them to deflate a little. “Sure, Possum. Just be careful,” Zodvin finally said.

Possum tugged on the hanging skin that made up Zodvin’s frill. “Dad okay?”

“What? Yeah, Possum, don’t worry. Just a little tired from hauling a bunch of shit in.”

Something about his response made Possum frown. The entrance to their ship opened up and Possum hopped off of Zodvin’s shoulders. They ran up the ramp, far ahead of their parents, and straight into the ship. The state of their interior was a stark contrast to what lied within Buzzar. While the shirren owned shop had a clear layer of dust inhabiting every corner, the vesk ship was near spotless. Possum hopped into the pilot seat and eagerly awaited their parents’ arrival.

Normally, the two vesk were just as eager to board and blast off, but their movements now seemed sluggish and careful. The shift in mood was noticeable to Possum. “Where we go?” they called to the vesk as they stepped into view.

“Hmm...not sure yet. We’ll figure that out once we get a ways out of here,” Sobok said offhandedly.

Possum tilted their head again, large ears flopping over with the movement. “Dad okay?”

Sobok patted Possum’s head. “Dad fine,” he said with a smile.

The ship ignited to life, engines roaring like a massive beast. They pulled away from the quirky shirren shop attached to a cluster of asteroids and watched it grow smaller and smaller. The horribly mismatched letter signs were the last things to wink out of sight.

[patriotsnet]

How Many Registered Republicans In The Us

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/how-many-registered-republicans-in-the-us/

How Many Registered Republicans In The Us

How Many Republican Senators Are There In California

In Battleground States, Newly Registered Democrats Are Outnumbering Newly Registered Republicans

4.1/5

Total 100

Beside above, how many Republicans are in California? In February 2019, California had 19,978,449 registered voters, comprising 79.09% of its total eligible voters. Of those registered voters, 8,612,368 were registered Democrats, and 4,709,851 were Republicans.

In this regard, who are the Republican senators in California?

California elects United States senators to Class 1 and Class 3. The state has been represented by 44 people in the Senate since it was admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850. Its current U.S. senators are Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris.

Who are my senators in California?

Kamala Harris Since;2017 Dianne Feinstein

Closed Primaries Are When Only Registered Democrats From January 2007 To January 2011 There Were More Democrats

This quiz will ask you questions about your political beliefs. Ive seen a lot where it says theyre a registered democrat . 39.66 percent of voters are registered with that party. The most recent poll at the time of writing gives a d+11 advantage. It is not a straightforward question. Prove it by acing our democrat or republican quiz. What republican and democrats believe. Lets start with this example. Altogether, there are 10 states with more registered independents than either democrats or republicans. For example, in kentucky1 as of 8/15/2018, 49.8% of registered voters are democrats while only 41.6% are republicans. The analysis in this report draws on more than 10,000 interviews with registered voters in 2017 and tens of thousands of interviews conducted in previous years (see. Being a registered democrat or republican, or for that matter socialist, green or independent, simply means that when you filled out your voter registration form you checked that box on the form. There are many pressing issues in.

Our Ruling: Partly False

The claim in the post is rated PARTLY FALSE. The tweet that appears in viral Facebook posts cites correct vote totals for Trump and Biden . But it falsely reports the number of registered voters. More than 159Â;million registered voters cast ballots in the general election, out of 239 million eligible voters. So it is completely possible that Trump and Biden would post that many total votes.Â;

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Republicans Are Watching Their States Back Weed And Theyre Not Sold

Montana, South Dakota and Mississippi are among the states that have recently passed legalization referendums.

06/27/2021 07:01 AM EDT

Link Copied

A growing number of Republican senators represent states that have legalized recreational or medical cannabis six approved or expanded marijuana in some form just since November. But without their support in Congress to make up for likely Democratic defectors, weed falls critically short of the 60 votes needed to advance legislation.

Montanas Steve Daines and South Dakotas Mike Rounds, both Republicans, said they dont support comprehensive federal cannabis reform, no matter what voters back home voted for.

I oppose it, said Daines, who is otherwise a lead sponsor of the SAFE Banking Act, which would make it easier for the cannabis industry to access financial services, such as bank accounts and small business loans. The people in Montana decided they want to have it legal in our state, and thats why I support the SAFE Banking Act as well its the right thing to do but I dont support federal legalization.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is vowing to push a far-reaching federal legalization bill, even if President Joe Biden isnt on board. But before he can corner the White House on the issue, Schumer must convince at least 10 Republicans possibly more, since Democrats like Sens. Jon Tester and Jeanne Shaheen are unlikely to back the measure to join his cause.

Why Most Gop Senators Are Likely To Oppose Conviction

Despite strong bipartisan elite fury and dismay over Trumps conduct leading up to and during the January 6 crisis, the base hasnt abandoned him in any significant way. Yes, hes losing some support across the board, but not enough to embolden Republican rebels. A new Axios-Ipsos survey dramatically shows the current public opinion dynamics: a majority of Americans now favor removing Trump from office, but a majority of Republicans still think Trump was right to challenge his election loss, support him, dont blame him for the Capitol mob and want him to be the Republican nominee in 2024. Among the more than one-third of Republicans who appear to identify with Trump more than with their party, support for Trump 2024 which of course conviction in the Senate would make impossible is at an astronomical 92 percent.

Republican senators will be reluctant to fight that sentiment, particularly since there are so many ways they could vote against convicting Trump without condoning his conduct. As his presidency quickly recedes into the background, Senate sentiment for formally burying him may recede as well.

2020 United States Senate elections

;

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Voter Registration And Turnout Totals

The post is correct in its accounting of Trump’s vote totals. He received more than 74 million votes. The vote total for Biden, 81 million, also is correct, putting the overall total at more than 155 million votes cast.

What the tweets get wrong is the number of voters. There are more than 234 million people eligible to vote;in the U.S. Not all of those people are registered voters, however.

In its thread of tweets, the account MSM Fact Checking;provided conflicting calculations without citing sources. The;initial;post;claimed there were;133 million registered voters.;In another tweet, it;claimed there were 213 million registered voters with a voter turnout rate of 62.5%.;All of these numbers are false.

We know, after weeks of counting, that there were roughly 159 million ballots cast in the presidential election. According to the Election Project, this accounts for 66.7% of the eligible voting population of;239 million Americans..

The U.S. Census Bureau publishes voter registration totals for the nation; its 2020 numbers are not yet available.;

But for example,;in the 2016 presidential election, there were 157 million registered voters. Of those, 137.5 million voted. And there were 224 million American citizens age 18 or older.;All;figures are higher than the number in the claim regarding the 2020 election, when voter registration and turnout broke records.

Fact check:No, Joe Biden’s brother-in-law does not own Dominion Voting Systems

Registered Voters In America

How many registered voters are there in America?

Have you ever wondered about how many people are registered? And to which party? I did some digging and found this information on voters in America.

The University of California, Santa Barbaras American Presidency Project found that 235,248,000 people were of voting age in America as of the 2012 election.; The turnout of voters in 2012 was 129,151,152 making it 54.9%.This is reported by Google for more information.Estimates show more than 58 percent of eligible voters went to the polls during the 2016 election. Nearly breaking the turnout rate set during the last presidential election in 2012.

Democrats

There are about 43,140,758 registered Democrats in America.;Gallup.com says 31% of voters are Democrats

Republicans

There are about 30,700,138 registered Republican voters in America.;Gallup.com says 24% of voters are Republicans

Independents;

According to Gallup.com about 42% of voters claim to be Independents.;According to Huffington Post 40% of American voters identify as Independents. Both reports are fairly close. Close enough for a rough calculation. So independent voters number about 58,448,769 voters.

Summarizing:;

It will be interesting to watch how woman and minorities vote this November. They have the most to lose by not voting.Rick Mercier; updated 2/2020

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Number Of Registered Voters By State 2021

Voter registration is the requirement that a person eligible to vote registers on an electoral roll before that person is entitled or permitted to vote. Voter registration may be automatic or may require each eligible person to submit an application. Registration varies between jurisdictions.

Almost 92 million eligible Americans did not vote in the 2016 presidential election. Voter registration and participation are crucial for the nations democracy to function properly and for the US government to provide fair representation.

Low voter registration numbers and low voter turnout can be the result of several factors. To increase voter registration and participation, barriers to registering to vote, and barriers to voting must be eliminated, such as additional restrictions on identification forms and reforms to ensure all eligible ballots will be securely counted. Additionally, those alienated from the democratic process or discouraged from voting must feel that their voice is heard by their leaders and encouraged to participate in elections.

Some pro-voter policies that have shown to increase voter registration and participation are:

Automatic voter registration.

Senators Committees And Other Legislative Groups

Nearly 4,600 Colorado Republicans changed party affiliation after insurrection at US Capitol

The Senates 63 members represent districts from across New York State. Senators belong to a single conference and one or more political parties.

Weve made it easy to filter senators by party, committee, and the other legislative groups in which they gather to consider the merits of proposed legislation and to better understand complex legislative issues.

Senator has new policy idea

Idea is drafted into a Bill

Bill undergoes committee process

Senate and Assembly pass bill

Bill is signed by Governor

Read Also: Why Are Republicans Scared Of Trump

Voting In Primary And Caucus Elections

States choose a candidate to run for president through primary elections, caucuses, or both. Depending on your states voting rules, your states primary or caucus elections can be open, closed, or a combination of both. The type of primary or caucus your state holds can affect your voting eligibility:

During an open primary or caucus, people can vote for a candidate of any political party.

During a closed primary or caucus, only voters registered with that party can take part and vote.

Semi-open and semi-closed primaries and caucuses are variations of the two main types.

Lots Of Consistency Elsewhere

In the rest of the country, there was much more consistency between party registration totals and the 2016 election outcome, with only three non-Southern states voting against the grain. On election eve in Pennsylvania, there were 915,081 more registered Democrats than Republicans; Trump carried the state by 44,292 votes. In West Virginia, there were 175,867 more registered Democrats; Trump won by 300,577 votes. And in New Hampshire, there were 24,232 more registered Republicans than Democrats in the fall of 2016, but Hillary Clinton took the state by 2,736 votes. Thats it. The other 22 party registration states outside the South were carried in the presidential balloting by the party with more registered voters than the other.

And in many of these in sync states, the registration advantage in recent years has grown more Republican or Democratic as the case may be, augmented by a healthy increase in independents.

The registration trend line in California is a microcosm of sorts of party registration in the nation as whole. Democrats are running ahead and the ranks of the independents are growing. Yet registered voters in both parties appear to be widely engaged. That was the case in 2016, and likely will be again in 2018, with Trump flogging issues to rouse his base. In short, this is a highly partisan era when party registration totals, and the trends that go with them, are well worth watching.

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Gallup: Democrats Now Outnumber Republicans By 9 Percentage Points Thanks To Independents

I think what we have to do as a party is battle the damage to the Democratic brand, Democratic National Committee Chairman Jamie Harrison said on The Daily Beasts . Gallup reported Wednesday that, at least relatively speaking, the Democratic brand is doing pretty good.

In the first quarter of 2021, 49 percent of U.S. adults identified as Democrats or independents with Democratic leanings, versus 40 percent for Republicans and GOP leaders, Gallup said. The 9-percentage-point Democratic advantage is the largest Gallup has measured since the fourth quarter of 2012. In recent years, Democratic advantages have typically been between 4 and 6 percentage points.

New Gallup polling finds that in the first quarter of 2021, an average of 49% of Americans identify with/lean toward the Democratic Party, versus 40 percent for Republicans.

Thats the largest gap since 2012:

Greg Sargent

Party identification, polled on every Gallup survey, is something that we think is important to track to give a sense to the relevant strength of the two parties at any one point in time and how party preferences are responding to events,Gallup senior editor Jeff Jones told USA Today.

More stories from theweek.com

At Least 60 Afghans And 13 Us Service Members Killed By Suicide Bombers And Gunmen Outside Kabul Airport: Us Officials

Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabulâs airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. At least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops were killed, Afghan and U.S. officials said.

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Cook Partisan Voting Index

Another metric measuring party preference is the Cook Partisan Voting Index . Cook PVIs are calculated by comparing a state’s average Democratic Party or Republican Party share of the two-party presidential vote in the past two presidential elections to the nation’s average share of the same. PVIs for the states over time can be used to show the trends of U.S. states towards, or away from, one party or the other.

The Fossil Fuel Industrys Funding Of Denial

CAPs analysis of data from the Center for Responsive Politics shows that these 139 climate science deniers have accepted more than $61 million in lifetime direct contributions from the oil, gas, and coal industries, which comes out to an average of $442,293 per elected official of Congress that denies climate change. This figure includes all contributions above the Federal Election Commissions mandated reporting threshold of $200 from management, employees, and political action committees in the fossil fuel industries. Not included in this data are the many other avenues available to fossil fuel interests to influence campaigns and elected officials. For example, oil, gas, and coal companies spent heavily during the 2020 election cycle to keep the Senate under the control of former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a known climate denierwith major oil companies like Valero, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips contributing more than $1 million each to the conservative Senate Leadership Fund.

This analysis only shows direct, publicly disclosed contributions to federal candidates. The fossil fuel industry regularly spends millions of dollars of dark money advertising to the public; shaping corporate decisions; lobbying members of Congress; and otherwise funding the infrastructure that makes climate denial politically feasible and even profitable.

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Democratic Edge In Party Identification Narrows Slightly

The balance of party identification among registered voters has remained fairly stable over the past quarter century. Still, there have been modest fluctuations: The new analysis, based on combined telephone surveys from 2018 and 2019, finds that the Democratic Partys advantage in party identification has narrowed since 2017.

Overall, 34% of registered voters identify as independent, compared with 33% who identify as Democrats and 29% who identify as Republicans. The share of registered voters who identify with the Republican Party is up 3 percentage points, from 26% in 2017, while there has been no change in the share who identify as Democrats. The share of voters who identify as independents is 3 points lower than it was in 2017.

When independents and those who dont align with either major party are included, 49% of all registered voters say they either identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party; slightly fewer say they identify with or lean toward the GOP. In 2017, the Democratic Party enjoyed a wider 8-point advantage in leaned party identification .

Democrats have held the edge in party identification among registered voters since 2004. The current balance of leaned party identification is similar to where it stood in 2016 when 48% of voters identified as Democrats or leaned Democratic and 44% identified with or leaned toward the GOP and in 2012 . See detailed tables.

Generational Divides In Partisanship

Why American voters in Israel can impact U.S. election

Generation continues to be a dividing line in American politics, with Millennials more likely than older generations to associate with the Democratic Party. However, over the past few years the Democratic Party has lost some ground among Millennials, even as it has improved its standing among the oldest cohort of adults, the Silent Generation. Gen Xers and Baby Boomers have seen less change in their partisan preferences and remain closely divided between the two major parties.

Overall, 54% of Millennial registered voters say they identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, compared with 38% who identify with or lean toward the GOP. In 2017, the Democratic Party held a wider 59% t0 32% advantage among this group. However, the Democratic Partys standing with Millennials is about the same as it was at earlier points, including 2014.

Voters in the Silent Generation are now about equally likely to identify with or lean toward the GOP as the Democratic Party . This marks a change from 2017, when the GOP held a 52% to 43% advantage in leaned party identification among the oldest voters. Still, the partisan leanings of Silent voters have fluctuated over the past few decades, and there have been other moments where the two parties ran about even or the Democratic Party held a narrow advantage since 1994.

Across all generations, women remain more likely than men to associate with the Democratic Party.

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[the-firebird69]

The California woman who refused to wear a face mask in Starbucks is considering suing to get half of the barista's $100,000 in GoFundMe tips

What is all this sh but actual insanity. Slowly wreck yourselves constant inflammatory behavior comments and more as if I'm supposed to care you losers deteriorate die to our work you approved on your absolutely undeniably useless gnoggins

Your s already brought down by us via cork a dangerous but effective maneuver that succeeded transformed you into what corky wanted blithering moronic faggots. He's too happy watching you fail to apply any corrective measures and too stupid to know he has to and if he did too dumb to be able to. What's funny to me is I know you don't. Funnier is you wantsympathy for me and or mine to fix a problem we created to save our lives from you. And you demand ithollar itasylur stupid.

He sat flat said ok I'm ready to die

..your cream puffs on top of it. Thousands of years of you being massively annoying then you poop yourselves out...thinking mine who may still be trapped will help you pieces of shit when I'm one if them. Hilarious losers.

Zues Hera

He said this your people would rather die than deal with us.

He said were going to die due to you anyways what's the point

And back in we didn't understand

No shit I tricked you. Here is what they do here is why over and over used you for the lesson.

He got up said I want a fight. List immediately. Then laughed said oh Chris your like a girl I won give me my winnings.

I said I won what I'm saying to a spent has been is give me my winnings or else.

He looks upsets when.

You said now it's not me requesting as qe does I say you see my prowessbe reasonable you refuse also indicates what your motif and modus are

We want our lives back

You say why idefeatyou and you don't try

He falls over and says your already deaf2

I laugh your already retarded

He dies we leave taking him with us revived him to show him his work. He was astonished saw the pile said I want to go home meaning to die.

You said this your already dead why ask to. He got really mad said I can still think and hear you beat us and me I've had enough.

So we brought him around showed him us taking it all moving all his stuff following strict procedures. He heard a bang thought it us laughed we hit him showed him what it was his family plastered all over the walls of his living room. Then kept it up. Then he said this why won't you let me die.

We s aid your responses indicate you hide something so we willcarryon until you confess or are dead.

Heblabbed so.e stuff

He said you only knew us don't admit it. Hit a wall it broke too. We saw something most believe that

You said this look you won't let me breathe for a millisecond literally you started with me your the laughing idiotic hiena enemy I've looked for with us that so hard to see

He smiles we are jealous

We hit him said are you out of your mind.

Then he goes you tell us every day what your problem us your staring me in the face doing nothing expecting everything while pissing me off just as we do to your Father seemed to work on them.

Then you say you were not doing it 24 7 but do now and lose keep doing. It's the sound of an unprofessional heated dien6idiot boy.

He got up said I don't have to take this.

We said yes you do. Then he balked said no I dont tried to die.

He tried to die to hide from psychological pain.

You lost your egotaroans and became babies tossed out your soldiers and shack all day think you hide Mega computers you see it leave

He stands up and says your the better man sits down is content to die. Then yells I won't be studied. You started laughing your so dumb yourcreminded your watched and turn aggressive yell all the time yet can't be studied.

He freaks if you know why do this. Hecsats it well I have to know you still hold me provoke me.

He says we're trying to fool you

You say with what

Then our bad attitude

You sat2wow you really fooled me

And he gets up your mean tough maniacal we can't match it

You said so you can't see me don't know are inane

He shrugs and says weve said what we've said

Why not hand me some more answers oh arrogant one

He laughs spits blood says you've had enough

You say come on now I can't beat you you say even when I'm on top if it lets hear it or are you afraid to lose

He got real mad your trying to pump me for info then you ok you are afraid

Be details the next move you say it's covered

Then I bland the next you tell him why you don't care

He freaks bland all.

You laugh I've known that for years showed him how we beat it

He balks explains the rudimentary side we hot that. Leans forward says you die for it and so on.

You idiots also scream your plan at us

He smiles and dies

We took him to his final destination you wholes dc out for 40 miles we do the same to NYC saying swine or several respond. Or defend. They argue it we don't

NYC for his friends to disembowel him then instantly fry

Thor

[miniature-research]

Isobel Geologist

Hello

Hi there, is that Isobel

Yes, is that Lily?

Yes

I'm covered in cat food

What exactly do you want to know?

So I'm kind of doing a site based project, I've been going to Salisbury on Site visits, looking at the novichok event, but also Salisbury in its wider history and things. And I've been interested in the earth side of the event and what does the earth know of the event. I'm interested in finding out a more geological kind of perspective because I don't really know much about geology.

So the geology of Salisbury is quite simple, not very complicated really. It's a bit ... load of the upper levels of the chalk and into that you've got carved, you know all these river valleys ... and then during the ice age they got filled up with gravel, you know washed in when all the ice was melting and things like that, and because the sea level kept changing up and down, you get these river terraces, you got gravel, and you probably know about Salisbury cathedral being on a load of gravel and that's why its still standing. *laughs* so that's kind of the geology. So i mean, I've wrote a book, in 2000 actually, 19 years ago, haha, i don't know if you've seen that.

Whats the book called?

Its called hidden depths, you can get it on Amazon or probably still get it in the Library. Or I can just cut out a bit of the text that's relevant, and I've just been looking at it again this morning before you called me to remind me what I used to know. *laughs*

That sounds interesting yeah.

So I can do that for you, but im not sure... So during the ice age you had ancient man living by the rivers as you probably know as well and they found various bits and bobs in these valley gravels . So it has a long long history . and then you get to you know since the ice age you get things startin of with palaeolithic peopel and then you get the stone age bronze age and then the iron age and the romans , all that, and it just goes on, we're in a tiny fraction of that.

Yeah, cos in geology , um , cos obviousy there's been a lot of stuff about the Anthropocene at the moment...

Well I think thats a load of rubbish actually, thats my opinion

Really?

Yeah. Well its cos people cant kind of conceive, of the timescales involved. You know what i mean hundreds of millions of years and I realise that whats going on now is in a greater scheme of things.

Yeah such a tiny...

...Such a tiny blip.

And you can't really define these periods until afterwards. I mean that's what's so stupid about the Anthropocene I think. Until afterwards, i mean when we're all dead, when we're not here any more, then you can start looking at the consequences of it. But looking over 150 years of it or whatever it is they're on about , its so stupid. Um. so thats my view on the Anthropocene, I've no time for it. But people love to get on the latest bandwagon. And as it happens, Ive just - i've almost finished a book on cosmology, dont even ask why. Well its because my husband got it, its to do with climate change and this ... the problem is, you can't really see the wood through the trees with all the political angles. And the media, and politicians, they've had a hugely successful campaign over the last 10 or more years, convincing everybody that carbon dioxide is the main driver of climate change, and I'm sorry but that's simply not true.

What would you say it is?

It's um, cosmic rays. Because i've just read this book i can tell you this otherwise id have forgotten. *laughs*. Umm its called the chilling stars. It's really good actually ,I got it on amazon. Its by a man caled nigel calder who i think is now dead , he is one of the founding memebers of new scientist. and somebody called Svensmark who is a dane, nd he is a sort of cosmic ray expert if there is such a thing *laughs*. and hes dealing in hundreds of millions of years. And with the sun, you're probably too young for the monty python song, we're travelling around the planet which is revolving 2000 miles around the sun. And we are travelling through the milky way, the sun, the planets, everything. And he has managed to sort of link ice ages and hot times, cos you're probably aware that sometimes there's no ice at the poles at all to the number of cosmic rays. so the bottom line is the more cosmic rays the colder it gets. But I think that's really interesting. God knows how they do it but um, I think it kind of puts everything into perspective. but the general kind of aim is to link the geological variations in climate and stuff, to where we were in the planet ring at that time. He says carbon dioxide may have an effect, but it's tiny. I know they keep rabbiting on about there being too much but you're talking about a tiny tiny thing yet we've been bombarded by these particles through space all the time. And it can just come from teh sum but the sun he thinks is quite minor but these cosmic rays they come from exploding galaxies in the milky way. its mind boggling, but anyway i've been quite inspired by this book an dit just puts the whole thing into perspective.

Yeah thats interesting i hadnt heard that kind of angle on it before.

Yeah because you know its the media!

mm

You know all these ... the media they decide whtas news worthy. so basically they said what tey think you want to know.

Yeah well i guess in terms of salisbury the media has had a very negative impact

Its sad.. You wonder if these two men, we assume its those two in the pictures,  knew just how awful this stuff was tey were told by their bosses. Put on the door handle of this evil whats his name - skripal.

And then they just chucked it somewhere

And they just chucked it in a rubbish bin! I mean you'd think theyd at least bury it somewhere!

It had enough to affect two thousand people! It's crazy...

So - in geology is there ever any sense of prediction and the future or is it always based in the past?

If you can do any prediction, its to do with cycles, in the sun you probably know about these sunspot cycles. And there are loads of cycles. I cant-- oh dear. Um. I mean one is to do with the rotation of the earth on its axis - it wobbles, like a spinning top. Um, and thats called the malankovitch cycle. And that means that the earth gets warmer and colder depending on how it goes round the sun, because its like wobbling, i can't even remember now. all these cycles superimposed upon each other which affects our climate. We're just in a -- so you can predict according to where we are on these cycles, and this is all done by mathematicians, cosmologist, physicsts... But there are cycles, yes. But because we are dealing in hundreds of thousands of milions of years and things.. predicting the future,,... I mean you probably wont remember... but i remember in 1970...you probably weren't alive... in 1970 the media was going on about whether there was going to be the next ice age, is coming. this is partly why i'm so cynical, i mean i'm 70 years old, i remember this when everybody was fretting about the ice age, and now they're fretting about it getting hot. I mean if you ask me bring it on! I just don't like being cold. And i don't think , well we'll see, time will tell, but I'll probably be dead. but i dont believe any of it really. i think maybe we are getting half a degree hotter, but you've got to remember with computers. all this hype is based on computer models, and nothing has changed with that, if you dont put all the facts in you dont get all the stuff out. And its worth remembering that, and climate science is hugely complicated, and according to the people like this chilling stars book, they're just not putting the right - theyre not putting the right stuff in cos half of it is barely known. so youre basing all this hype on computer models, and weve only got climate records from the past 150 years which is like nothing! and so i could go on for ages about hte fact climate change is just like normal! and we shouldn't worry about it,. And we dont need to plant loads of geranium plants

Do you mean we shouldnt worry about it in the kind of grand scheme about the earth existing?

In the grand scheme of things, my view on this has always been, since it started, is that if it makes us more environmentally friendly that is good. so maybe you need al the hype maybe you need to make people change their ways. I mean we're awful, people on the whole. They just don't care. So - yes - while i might be cynical about the whole thing, if it does make people more, and i think it has, people are recycling stuff and people arent throwing plastic in the sea.

[ethelbertpaul444-blog]

5 Lesser-Known Question Blighting The 2016 Summer Olympics

So we’re certainly doing this? After all of the frightful and unfortunate report and advisories emanating from Brazil these days, the whole world is still going to meet up there for sporting grounds? Hell, things have gotten so bad that we don’t even has gone far enough headline infinite to make all of the legends into major report, even if in years past they wholly would be. We talk about a few of the lesser-known questions harassing the 2016 Summertime Olympics on this week’s Unpopular Opinion podcast … … where I’m joined by comic Jeff May and head/ farmer/ professional publicity human Chris Black. It’s likewise what I’m talking about here today. Let’s feign the starting firearm merely went off and get to it! # 5. Habits Employee In Brazil Are Threatening To Strike Terrorism is a huge concern for everyone involved when it comes to this year’s Olympics. Nonetheless, what little word we’ve been hearing fright menace has been mostly positive. I’m referring to that one story that drew headlines on every major word locate about how officials in Brazil thwarted a squad of ISIS loyalists who were planning to kill a lot of people. Sure, “weve heard” in the days following that the individuals in question were completely disorganized amateurs who maybe wouldn’t have been able to achieve their goals even if they weren’t caught, but still, a triumph is a win. What you’ve maybe discovered channel less about is that, only three weeks prior to the commencement of the Olympics, usages proletarians in Brazil went on an indefinite ten-strike. Yes, those practices craftsmen. The ones responsible for obligating sure no nefarious parties or happens cross the border into Brazil. Seems like that should be making a few more headlines, yeah? You can always talking here Toilet Water Bay tomorrow . The reason for the ten-strike, of course, is fund. That’s a resource that isn’t in long quantity in Brazil right now, especially with them having to shoulder the financial encumbrance of hosting the Olympics. That wasn’t always been, though, so at some detail in the not-too-distant past, custom-mades employees were predicted a parent that they are able to take effect this August. A plenty has transpired since then, most notably the impeachment( or ousting by way of a takeover, depending on whom you ask) of President Dilma Rousseff. The new administration is re-examine pretty much everything she ever did, and apparently that includes wage agreements signed with customs workers. Naturally, this along with the financial stres the Olympics are making has left traditions proletarians feeling a little uneasy about the prospects of that parent actually happening. So they’re gone on impres to push the government’s side, on the eve of Brazil hosting one of “the worlds largest” inviting fear targets in recent memory. At least I think that’s what they’re doing. In a terrifyingly representative pattern to seeing how the influx of bad Olympics-related news coming out of Brazil these days is far outgrowing the seat news outlets have to dedicate to it all, I can’t find a single follow-up to this story. It was initially reported back in mid-July, and this history dated July 21 implies that the ten-strike did happen, but I candidly have no plan how a person would know if this is a circumstance that’s still happening, short of rounding up someone who lives in Brazil and questioning them. It surely isn’t being talked about on the major word outlets much. Instead, the headlines are set aside for events like Team USA’s heinous Olympic outfits. Please tell me they have to compete in those . Granted, those are indeed a nightmare and the entire nation should be ashamed, but an update from CNN and the like about whether Brazil is to be able to have customs agents in place to act as the last path of defense between multitudes of tourists and would-be gunmen seems like it would make for bulletin we can use as well, you know? Oh, and speaking of the potential for fright task … # 4. A Suspected Terrorist Went Missing For Months OK, so I’m sure this is nothing, but even so, it’s worth pointing out that, as we are to talk, a former Guantanamo prisoner and suspected terrorist has gone missing somewhere in Brazil. Not “gone missing” as in their own families perturbs he may have fallen victim to a serial executioner, but “gone missing” as in the governments of Brazil and the United States both genuinely wanna know where he’s gone. The subject of the manhunt is a Syrian national mentioned Abu Wa’el Dhiab. Have you seen this humanity ? He was suspected of having ties to militant radicals at the time the U.S. apprehended him. We never formally charged him with any misdemeanours, but we did hinder him at Guantanamo for 12 damn times. So if he didn’t dislike us before, he maybe does now. If nothing else, the facts of the case that either authority were concerned about where he is at all isn’t the most promising mansion. Nor is the admonish issued by a Brazilian airline that he may try to enter Brazil applying a spurious passport. Whether he was ever proven to be a gunman or not, an active fugitive who may or may not be used in the two countries is reason to worry in a country that’s clearly buckled for the resources necessary to ensure anyone’s safety, tourists or otherwise. Update alert! They did actually find this person. He turned up in Venezuela last week. So I predict that is something that was good-for-nothing, but still, that no one could keep tabs on him at a time when defence is supposed to be at the highest level possible isn’t good. The enormity of the security problem in Brazil was documented almost perfectly by journalist Wyre Davies recently over the course of exactly two tweets. The first demonstrates an intersection near a inn that are able to house tourists during the games, utterly jam-packed with soldiers providing security. The second tweet been demonstrated that same intersection completely empty … … after the entire private security force was just going to lunch at the exact same meter . Good fluke, sports fans! # 3. Brazil’s Most-Used Messaging App Might Not Work During The Olympics In times of crisis, communication is vital. I think it’s safe to say the world is expecting a lot of crises to jump off in Brazil over the next few weeks; here’s hoping the people who live there will be able to stay in touch while it’s all going down. Are you familiar with WhatsApp? Sure this is right! Perhaps you even use it, you tech-savvy son of a bitch! You know who else applies it? A whole lot of parties in Brazil, where it’s the most-used messaging app of all. Nonetheless, the relationship between WhatsApp and the Brazilian government has become a bit strained recently, and that’s putting it very mildly. In fact, on three separate occasions over the last few months, the government has tried to cut off access to the app. The ban was lifted before it could take effect in most of those cases, but one of them did result in the app going down for several hours at one point. This is what all of America would look like if “weve lost” messaging abilities for even 1 hour . What, you may be wondering, could be so damn important about an app that government officials who are already extended thin trying to become the Olympics happen in a non-disastrous manner are still procuring time to devote to shutting it down? Well, in December of last year, WhatsApp was prescribed by a adjudicator in Brazil to hand over letters exchanged between believes in a child sex corruption action who’d been contacting expending the app( which is owned by Facebook, for the record ). Lawyers for WhatsApp claimed those themes aren’t stored on their servers, so they couldn’t add them even if they wanted to. That judge didn’t believe them and ordered the services offered to be shut down until the company is in accordance the court’s entreaty. The outlaw was ruled to be a violation of the people’s right to freely express( WhatsApp disagreed this level too ), and it was overturned. That entire process was then recited two more times. WhatsApp is wreaking again in Brazil for now, but the fight with special courts hasn’t resolved. Only last week, Brazil froze $11 million in Facebook assets in relation to the dispute. Yes, I understand that your median Facebook executive is likely to be invest $11 million on shedding stacks of cash in your face to humiliate you without even discovering it was gone, but still, it’s a clear signed the fight isn’t over. If the governmental forces argues that Facebook’s refusal to turn over words between crooks represents a threat to the public safety that’s especially most severe while the Olympics are happening and terrorist attacks are a real possible, tens of thousands of beings in Brazil could be without one of their most relied-upon means of communication for weeks. Read more: http://dailybuzznetwork.com/index.php/2018/09/28/5-lesser-known-problems-plaguing-the-2016-summer-olympics/

[themoneybuff-blog]

Money story: Small acts of kindness create social capital

This guest post from Christine Hughey is part of the money stories feature at Get Rich Slowly. Some stories contain general advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success or failure. These stories feature folks from all stages of financial maturity. I met Christine in January when I attended Camp FI in Florida. Christine is starting a new Nashville food tour company, so when I spent a week there in April, naturally I let her show me around. It was awesome! In this article, she shares how small acts of kindness have proven to be worth more than she ever imagined. Im about to share something that completely changed my life yet its something that I didnt know much about until a few years ago. Its a concept called social capital, and I believe that it can change your life too (and make you wealthier in the process). Now, if youve been reading Get Rich Slowly for a long time, you might have seen J.D. write about social capital in the past. He too is a big believer in its power. But many of you have probably never heard of the idea. What is social capital?

According to Wikipedia: Social capital is a form of economic and cultural capital in which social networks are central; transactions are marked by reciprocity, trust, and cooperation; and market agents produce goods and services not mainly for themselves, but for a common good. [] Social capital has been used to explain the improved performance of diverse groups, the growth of entrepreneurial firms, superior managerial performance, enhanced supply chain relations, the value derived from strategic alliances, and the evolution of communities. Theres a lot of jargon in that definition, but what it really comes down to is this: Social capital is all about networking (in a non-slimy way) and about giving without the expectation of return. Although its not tangible, social capital is very real and very powerful. Its also very valuable. That said, I dont see social capital discussed much on personal finance and financial independence blogs. I imagine thats because its hard to assign an actual dollar value to it. How do you assign a dollar value to helping somebody move? How do you quantify the savings when your neighbor mows your lawn for you all summer? Whats the price tag on growing flower, fruits, or vegetables, then giving them to your friends and family? In the world of personal finance, we tend to look at numbers first. Social capital doesnt work in that way. Social capital is about creating value and creating a positive impact among your social network, whether that value and network are small (like on a neighborhood level) or large (like volunteering time for a larger project). Social Capital in Real Life Social capital might make more sense (and seem less abstract) if we look at a real-life example. My husband was the one that really taught me about social capital. Jack and I came from drastically different backgrounds, and we did very different things for work. While I worked a full-time salary engineering job, he worked as a gig-style man for hire entrepreneur. When we first started dating, I noticed that he was often doing strange favors for people. He owned a truck so he would get calls to help everyone and their friends move. Ill never forget the time that he got a call from his best friend Robert asking if he could help Roberts co-worker move a washer and dryer. Sure enough, early on a Saturday morning Jack was off moving some womans washer and dryer to a temporary home. A week later, he got another call to move the washer and dryer into the womans new permanent home. I consider myself a very nice person, but I couldnt believe how much time, effort, and gas Jack spent moving the same washer and dryer to multiple locations for someone he didnt even know. But as a result, that random woman is now one of our very good friends, and Jack will be DJing her wedding this fall. Other great things have come from Jacks act of kindness. Robert hired Jack to manage the audio for some of the numerous music festivals that he puts on here in town. Amberly, (the random woman) helped support and promote a new DJ gig that Jack started in 2015. Shes one of his biggest supporters to date. What now seems like a super small gesture led to over a thousand dollars worth of income for us when we really needed it. Social Capital from the Garden Heres another example. I grow cut flowers for bouquets. When I was young, my dad didnt believe in purchasing cut flowers because they die quickly. It seemed like a waste of money to him, so we never had them in our house. While we were dating, Jack learned that I love cut flowers. Every couple of weeks, hed buy me a new bouquet so that Id almost always have beautiful cut flowers in my house. It was an incredibly special gesture since flowers were something that I would only purchase for myself on rare occasions. After we were married, our financial world hit the fan. After two job losses, our income fell by 80%. Naturally, there was no room in our budget for cut flowers. When things finally settled down and we bought a fixer-upper home, cut flowers still werent in the budget. I missed them, so I decided to grow my own. Being an engineer, I decided to conduct some tests to see which varieties were worth the cost. My first test for an investment of about $20 consisted of four different flowers, but only the cosmos and zinnias were successful. Although not every variety grew, I enjoyed tending the flowers and watching them grow. And, of course, it was awesome having fresh flowers in my house again. Plus, I had so many flowers that I made bouquets and gave a bunch away to friends.

Last year was the second year of my flower-growing experiment. I planted more seed varieties and added lily and dahlia bulbs to the mix. I had an explosion of flowers for five months out of the year. I was completely in love! I started giving flowers to more and more people: neighbors, friends, colleagues. At the time, I worked as a tour guide for a company here in Nashville. My tours required taking groups of people into very busy restaurants in the downtown area. Getting quick service of our food and drinks was critical to the success of my tours. I was so appreciative of the bartenders and servers that would help me and my tours that Id bring bouquets of my homegrown flowers to them on my Sundays off. I didnt realize it at the time, but we were all building social capital. When the restaurant folks helped me, I was grateful. When I gave them flowers, they were grateful. All of us were building a sort of invisible wealth that comes from a network of reciprocity. The Rewards of Social Capital Earlier this year, I started my own food tour company in Nashville. Its a scary thing launching out on your own! How do you build a business from scratch? Fortunately, the bartenders and servers that I gave flowers to have become my biggest cheerleaders. Theyve taken my tours, left glowing online reviews, and recommended me to the customers in their restaurants. Theyve put my card on the wall of honor reserved for the best companies in town.

This scary time in my life is a little less scary because of social capital. In the past, when I was performing the small act of kindness of delivering flowers, I wasnt expecting anything in return. I was just grateful for the help theyd given me already. I never imagined thered be any kind of financial gain. But in the end, there has been. Just because something cant be documented in our net worth doesnt mean that its without monetary value. Those flowers have been converted into real dollars today. More than that, theyve created traction for increased business in the future. When you own your own business, your reputation is everything. (Your reputation can make or break you in a community-centered city like Nashville.) When you go the extra mile, whether moving a washer and dryer for a stranger, or giving flowers for no special reason, you create a positive impact. You build social capital. While writing this article, Jack and I did the math. We calculate that the social capital weve fostered in Nashville has brought us over $10,000 of direct value to our lives in the past year. Thats huge for a household with an income of $65,000. (Plus, since the value doesnt come to us as dollars, theres no tax on it.) When you take a love of gardening (or writing or social media or whatever) and you spread your gifts to your neighborhood and community, your generosity will come back manyfold in ways that mean more than money. These seemingly small acts of kindness create social capital that can bring value to your life down the road. Someday when youre looking for a job, or trying to start a business, those first few tough months and years will be so much easier when you have your community behind you. Take some time to build social capital while building wealth, and watch how it improves your life. J.D.s note: Heres another way Christine has built social capital. In April, I visited Nashville to attend a blogging retreat. (Yes, really.) Christine invited me and my buddies to join her Nashville food tour. While that didnt pan out my colleagues were up late drinking the night before haha! she did take the time to share some of her favorite food with me while also extolling the virtues of her city (and its hockey team). It was a fun (and delicious) experience, one that I hear theyve shared with other friends. Social capital has been huge in my life. Seriously, I believe its been almost as valuable to me as monetary capital. And its just as valuable to Christine. https://www.getrichslowly.org/kindness-creates-social-capital/

[cryptobully-blog]

A friendly takedown of the most ridiculous anti-Apple article we’ve seen in a long time – BGR

http://cryptobully.com/a-friendly-takedown-of-the-most-ridiculous-anti-apple-article-weve-seen-in-a-long-time-bgr/

A friendly takedown of the most ridiculous anti-Apple article we’ve seen in a long time – BGR

Apple’s mobile platform is now more than a decade old. It was first introduced on the original iPhone back in 2007, and it was a breath of fresh air in a market dominated by awful, overcomplicated smartphone operating systems like Symbian. Apple kept things simple at first and then gradually added new key features each year. Over time, iOS grew from being a platform that was far too simple to being a platform that some people now believe to be overly complex. But more pressing than that is the fact that the most recent versions of iOS have been riddled with bugs and even some serious security holes.

iOS has long been known as a platform that offers a far smoother and more refined user experience than anything else on the market. That includes not just Android, but desktop platforms like Windows and macOS as well. While an occasional hiccup here and there is impossible to avoid, more serious issues have started to become commonplace in iOS. In fact, it’s gotten to the point where one blogger has gone as far as to say iOS has become such a terrible mess that Apple can’t even fix it.

Is iOS really in such bad shape? Spoiler alert: LOL no.

In an article titled “I don’t think Apple can fix the iOS mess it’s created,” ZDNet’s Adrian Kingsley-Hughes took Apple to task over the current state of iOS. He complains that Apple’s mobile platform is in such a state of disrepair that there is likely no conceivable solution at this point. Apple should apparently just pack its things and close up shop.

To support this claim, the author lists four main areas in which iOS is failing: Performance, stability, bugginess, and usability. Walk with me for a moment, won’t you?

Performance

“I would go as far as to say that iOS performance is at its worst,” the blog post reads. “The fact that there are frame drops and stuttering present on brand new hardware is a massive FAIL.”

Let’s chat about this “massive FAIL” for a moment. If you’re unaware of the issue here — and it’s quite likely that you are indeed unaware of it — “frame drops” and “stuttering” actually refer to the same issue. Apple’s iPhones and iPads typically play transition animations that are nice and smooth. By transition animations, I’m referring to the little animations that are shown when the user does things like switching apps or opening a folder. On some devices, recent versions of iOS don’t always play these animations cleanly. Instead, there are sometimes little, barely perceptible stutters when these animations are shown.

Have you noticed this on your phone or tablet? Probably not.

We spoke to many, many iPhone users after this issue presented itself a few years ago, and no one knew what we were talking about. What’s more, the few people who claimed that they had noticed the issue didn’t care about it in the slightest. In fact, I’m not sure a more trivial “problem” exists in iOS.

Even if we pretend that this is a “massive FAIL” on Apple’s part that completely compromises the iOS user experience, it’s ridiculous that anyone might say with a straight face that this is a problem so severe, Apple can’t fix it. And now that we’re done playing make-believe, has the author of this post ever even picked up an Android phone? Stutters and frame rate drops have plagued Google’s mobile platform since the first Android phone was released nearly a decade ago, and even the most powerful Android phones in the world today still have this issue.

Stability and Bugginess

These two items obviously go hand in hand even though they’re listed separately. Of stability, the author says “I’ll be honest and say that iOS stability isn’t the worst I’ve seen it, but for a premium product, that’s not really a glowing recommendation.” Umm, cool.

As far as bugginess goes, the only evidence offered by the author is a link to one of his colleague’s blog posts, where he calls iOS a “toxic hellstew,” lists eight iOS bugs, and writes laughable things like “iOS, due to its proprietary code and completely closed development model, is supposed to be resistant to the types of issues that Android, due to its open source and licensable nature, is commonplace among its various OEM implementations.”

Back to the task at hand, the author says that “the number of ways that Apple has dropped the ball on this front in the past few months is just unbelievable.” Again, has this person ever used a smartphone or a computer before? Anything that runs software has bugs. To pretend iOS has more bugs than any other platform is, once again, silly. Don’t believe me? Here, enjoy browsing the publicly available list of thousands upon thousands upon thousands upon thousands of Android bugs.

Software has bugs, dude.

Usability

Last but not least, the author says Apple gave up and no longer cares about the iOS user experience. “I remember when Apple cared about usability,” he writes. “iOS usability is now garbage.”

To support this preposterous claim, the author offers one single example of an iOS feature that is bad. No, seriously. Why only one? It’s not because he couldn’t think of any other examples. Promise. It’s because “otherwise, well, we could be here for a very long time.”

K.

His example is the iOS Control Center, pictured here:

“OK, here’s the deal. Some of those buttons respond to a Force Touch gesture and open out into a bigger panel with added functionality, while others don’t,” the author complains. “But short of pawing at them randomly, there’s no visual way to tell which buttons conceal hidden features and which don’t.”

He continues, “From a usability and user interface point of view, that’s just awful.”

My man, I could not agree more. The iOS Control Center his horrible from start to finish. Having to reach all the way up into the top-right corner and swipe down to access it on the iPhone X is annoying. Having to go into the Settings app to add, remove, or rearrange Control Center items is silly. Having no indication of which icons support 3D Touch is aggravating.

The Control Center in iOS 11 truly provides an all-around bad experience. And it’s hardly the only area of iOS where this can be said. Since Kingsley-Hughes couldn’t think of any other examples to support his claim that “iOS usability is now garbage,” here are a few he might have mentioned: Notification Center, notifications themselves, 3D Touch (Where does it even work? How is anyone supposed to know?), Apple Music, and the new app switcher.

Once again, there is no such thing as a perfect user experience. There is no way to create software that is all things to all people. Interface decisions must be made. Some people will like some decisions. Other people will dislike them. What is this guy even suggesting here? Are there no areas of the Android, Windows, or macOS user experiences that are confusing and aggravating? Give me a break. And what’s more, is this guy really suggesting that the iOS Control Center is such a mess that it can’t be fixed? Again, give me a break.

This is what happens when you take a few ideas that have been swimming around in your head and blow them out of proportion. You end up with a sensationalized take full of exaggerations and laughable claims. Does iOS have bugs and usability issues? Hell yes, it does. Is the platform in a state of disrepair that is any more severe than any other mobile OS or desktop platform? Nope. Is iOS so far gone that there’s no way Apple will ever be able to fix it? That is easily the stupidest notion I’ve heard in a long time.

Technology

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Criminal or scapegoat, Shakespeare’s Shylock is a reputation to celebrate

In his contemporary change of The Merchant of Venice, Howard Jacobson set out to explore Shylocks tolerating plead , not make amends for his Jewishness

If Shakespeare is the most revelatory of columnists, it is because he has infinite symbolizes at his disposal, and can find the poem of grief or disappointment where the circumstances are least poetical. Take that stage in The Merchant of Venice in which Shylock presses his co-religionist Tubal for information of his daughter Jessicas elopement, counting the cost of her “goin ” ducats. Tubal intersperses what he knows of Jessica with what he has is aware of Antonios adversities. Carefully, he divulges out presupposition and hearsay, quantifying their effects. But eventually he must let Shylock know the worst. Jessica has been heard of in Genoa, going through the money she embezzled from her father, and exchanging a reverberate, likewise stolen from him, for a monkey.

Thou torturest me, Tubal, Shylock reacts. And genuinely we dont know whether Tubal intends torture or not. Does Shylock have to be given this agonising info at all? Is Tubal well informed the rings provenance? Whether he is or he isnt, Shylock exposes it to him now, although it was tones as much as though its to himself hes talking. It was my turquoise. I had it of Leah when I was a bachelor. I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys.

Whatever we have been thinking of Shylock so far, the field seems to open beneath him here , not to withdraw him but to award us rare access into his history, his antecedent affections, the man he was before he became and maybe why he became the man he is now. Just the word bachelor is a shock, because although we have experienced him with his daughter we have not in so far put our thoughts to his married, let alone his widowed state.

A Jewish patriarch, yes, who realizes his home a inferno, as patriarch are inclined to do, for his restless daughter. But a patriarch brought forward by small children without a bride to help him have we thought that one through? There is no word to say his wife is dead, but we hear it unmistakably in that deceptively plain convict, I had it of Leah when I was a bachelor-at-arms. A happening indivisible from Leah, that endowment voices, an expression of simple-minded closeness that sees Portias and Bassanios ring joke later in the romp look like shallow trumpery. We sense the loss to Shylock, anyway, without his scratching the ache of it. Detecting is not, to him, that thought of elegantly wearisome flaunt it is to Antonio and Portia.

Phoebe and Jonathan Pryce as Jessica and Shylock in a 2015 make at the Globe theatre, London. Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian

For Jessica to have embezzled the ring her baby demonstrated her papa and she would surely are all aware of its significance is a most terrible betrayal. For her to have parted with it a more terrible sellout still. But to have parted with it for a ape! There have been periods when it was fashionable for a magnificent maiden to dandle a domesticated monkey on her lap or parade with it on a studded rein. Whether that was the case in Genoa the play doesnt tell. Whatever her motivating, the grossness of the transaction is of a style Jessica, the Jewish daughter of Jewish father, should have been alive to. I would not have given it for a wilderness of apes, Shylock adds. What a fine Hebraism is showed in this formulation! William Hazlitt memorandum. No doubt he sounded the Old Testament in that parole wilderness for behind the Mosaic project to civilise and codify, the wilderness was always waiting to seduce and reclaim the natural being. To a people who thoughts God as a philosophical sentiment, never to be identified or encountered, least of all to be confused with the animal deities worshipped abroad , nothing utters the antithesis to civilisation more competently than the unbridled stomach of an ape. A wilderness is a desolate target. A wilderness of apes is a flesh for the despair of the human rights mettle when faithfulness and reward have absconded it.

It is not, nonetheless, the last string of the scene. Tubal bars Shylocks sorrow with better information. But Antonio is certainly undone. And it does the maneuver. Nay, thats true-life, thats very true, Shylock refutes. Go, Tubal, fee me an officer …

So its back to the viciou business of manufacturing Antonio pay. The gambling will have its act and Shylock will have his pound of flesh.

To someone determined to read The Merchant of Venice as a Jew-hating play, this scotches any debate that Shakespeare is of Shylocks party. Yes, Shylock is awarded an illuminating instant of humanity that, after all, is what Shakespeare does: every scoundrel has his enunciate but thereafter, and by his own choose, the Jew quickly returns to the engrossing Jewish occupancy of requital.

That, however, is to say no more than that The Merchant of Venice is a gambling not a exposition, and that we would not expect Shylock to be sentimentalised. He does not become, by virtue of what we have learned, a man forgiven and illustrated. But nor, in my view of the performance, is it possible to return unchanged to all we previously thought. Our feel of who he is should always have been evolving regardless, and we cannot escape our new knowledge of him as a husband who had and lost a wife, and can now be said to have had and lost a daughter. He has been cruelly burgled in a double sense, and the sneering offenders are all indulgent the group of friends of Antonio. This nothing extenuates, but once “weve heard” Shylock narrated his losings, ducats and all, we cannot forget them unless we have our own intellects to.

Two stages after the wilderness of apes, Shylock has animals on his head again. Thou calledst me bird-dog before thou had a crusade, he reminds Antonio, But since I am a pup, beware my fangs. So, yes, though all thats feral disheartens and demoralises him, he will put on a feral disposition in an act that is a sort of obstinacy against himself as well as Antonio. The wilful hardening of centres a reference establishing himself impervious to ground or affection, and so less human than he actually is interests Shakespeare. We see it in Coriolanus. We see it in Lady Macbeth. We even see it, although it was gloomed by clowning, in Hamlet. One human in his time gamblings numerous parts, and one of those components will be his own feeling of who he is or would like or has no choice but to be. The narration Shakespeare tells of Shylock is of a soul who diminishes into the extremely obduracy of irritation he is accused of by those who want him to be nothing else. It is a part that not every man could master, and Shylock notices the wherewithal within to participate it right enough, but being the Jew who must have his pound of flesh is still just as much a capitulation to an expected capacity as it is an expression of something invariable in his character.

I dont say this, as a fellow Jew, to save Shylock from his Jewishness. I simply recount the performance. When “its been” made publicly available by my publishers that I had hot-headedly taken up current challenges to write a contemporary romance in The Merchant of Venice, some cynics premised I would be embarking on a clean-up errand with the aim of reaching removing piquing fabric from Shakespeare, much as those who disapprove of Cecil Rhodes would eliminate his statue from wherever it stands. But I am not, as a Jew or as anything else, piqued by a word Shakespeare wrote.

Howard Jacobson at his home in Soho, London. Photograph: Richard Saker for the Observer

My Shylock, if I may employ it like that and he is the Shylock I see when I speak Shakespeares play is not intended as a post-Holocaust better on the original. Because I am deeply touched by his extending reference to his wife, I guess him in constant speech with her. The dead have much to say, just as the living have much they want to hear, and Shylock wont be the first person to have continued those discussions. Astonished by exhilaration impatient as the Wind/ I turned to share the transport Oh! with whom/ But Thee, long buried in the silent Tomb. If this is a freedom and does the participate a progressive disservice I apologise for it.( Though Wordsworth did say it was Shakespeare who opened his nature .) What I surely dont apologise for, nonetheless, is following the write when it comes to Shylocks spiritedness and wit.

So much of which is something we become of Shylock is determined by the age of the actor who draws him, the clothes he wears, the accent he is given, the inhumanity of his stare and the curvature of his nose, most of government decisions as to these being unnecessary by anything in the textbook. Last-place summertime, while making a television programme about Shylock in the Venice ghetto, I saw a relatively young actor play him. The result, in particular in the opening exchanges with Antonio and Basanio, was electrifying.

The bristling invasion with which Shylock entertains the first mention from Basanio that Antonio is looking for a loan was not softened.

Three thousand ducats, Shylock muses in that half public, half private method of his. I make I may take his bail. To which Basanio, who is never other than literal, responds Be assured you are able. Shylock deters up the maying and puns on the notion of statement. I will be assured I may. And that I may be assured, I will bethink me … If he already searches more verbally quick for Basanio on the sheet, his gratification of an encounter in which he is the lord looked inhuman, actor to actor. Is the methodology used to his assurance the pound of Antonios flesh already forming in his psyche as he jests?

With Antonios arrival, which he memo with a satirists contempt How like a fawning publican he seems! Shylocks flavours rise so far. Now he can remind, reprimand, retard, offering and disclaim and render again, while a blustering Antonio, standing on basic principles he has forefeited, can do no better than threaten to spew on Shylock again. If it is war now, it is both their doing but, when playing with youth zest, Shylock was having the better of it. When he described the proposed draft bond as a merry play he seemed joyous surely. Tell the relinquish/ Be nominated for an equal pound/ Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken/ In what part of your figure it pleaseth me.

Angus Wright( Shylock ), crest, and James Garnon( Antonio) in the RSCs 2008 production of The Merchant of Venice at the Courtyard theatre, Stratford on Avon. Image: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian

These wires should never be delivered anything but flirtatiously. Your fair flesh is an friendship that Antonio, had he been smarter, or less hopeless to self-assured the loan, or less egotistical about his ability to repay it, or little accustomed to flattery, might have recoiled from. Alone moments before, they had been to talk of spew. It takes person very quick on his hoofs to change the colour with such agility. Perhaps most performers, weighed down by their Jewish gabardine and the guessed peculiarity of a Jew manufactured age-old by the relic of his religion, is very hard to applied the requisite verve into this. But the young Venetian Shylock I attended didnt shy from it. For the duration of their deal Antonios flesh was exhibition as fair to Shylock, and whatever of that was derision it was up to the devil himself to find out. As for where Shylock, should Antonio are inadequate to redeem his alliance, merrily proposed to move his cut in what part of your form it pleaseth me why that selfsame devil might have blushed to hear it.

To my ear, the allusion is sex or its good-for-nothing. Interred deep in the antiJewish lores that contacted Shakespeare was a fear of Jews as castrators, and all that medieval Christianity never understood about circumcision. Did Jews eunuch themselves? Did Jewish gentlemen bleed like women? Was that why they needed the blood of Christian children, to oust the blood theyd lost? I dont remark Shakespeare was consciously mentioning all this at the moment that Shylock proposes the bond. But dark as well as comic powers are in play here, the darker, perhaps, for being comic, because what Shylock is building merry with is inchoate Christian terror. To play him as a consummate comedic provocateur, then, as I received him played by a young and juiced-up actor in Venice, is not at all to rescue him from obloquy. But it is to give him the vitality that I feel Shakespeare intended for him. And it is to suggest that the jaunt from Antonios privy parts, which might just ought to have the website please select Shylock for relinquish, to Antonios heart, is not of Shylocks picking only.

Before the idea of deliberate redoubling Shylock making a Jew of Antonio in advance of Antonios making a Christian of him I pull up short. I am not convinced that Shakespeare was ever interested in such abstract, academic mapping. But it is part of his greatness to grant unworked its importance and unsorted old material to have their road without him in a gambling. DH Lawrence wrote astutely about “whats happening in” a living production when the creator throws his finger in the wash, obliging the outcome document. It ceases to be a living design. And Shakespeare was a writer in Lawrences sense, dogma free, permitting characters to find their genuine souls in interaction with one another, and giving language do its own remembering.

It has always seemed incorrect to me to talk of The Merchant of Venice as an anti- or a pro-semitic gambling. Were it either it would be less the play it is. Those who are distressed by what the hell is see as the plays anti-Jewishness find themselves, ironically it seems to me, on the side of the individuals who glory in any anti-Jewishness they find. In both cases, Shylock scandalizes them. The former are scandalized into embarrassment Is that us? the latter into confirmation of what theyve always concluded – Yes, that is you. But for me Shylock lives, with all his human insufficiencies on evidence. We know him by his speech, his repetitions as though no thing said only once can possibly be trusted those strange stutterings in which he addresses himself in a kind of surprise, his sudden absences when he is with others that causes them to wonder whether he is taking note of them at all, his sudden revertings to lyricism, his enraged volleys of speculation , no matter that no one will accept a word of what he supposes, that draw him a kind of fucking cousin to Hamlet. No, there is never any thinking of him as other than a Jew: the Venetians playboys who spit on him one minute and ask for money from him the next will not earmark the Jew in him to be forgotten and, whether as a consequence or by preference, he will not countenance the Jew in him to be forgotten either.

Its hard work. Would he have become life easier for himself had he relented? Perhaps. Its said that finally, as he readies himself to take out Antonios heart, he is the Jew of pitiless legality, the moral antonym of passion as represented by Christians. Were Shakespeare interested in pressing this opposition to the detriment of the Jews he wouldnt have allowed the Christians to substantiate as quite so squalid. They speak of enjoy and think of money. They speak of kindness and evidence nothing. They are merely not more dangerous because they are indolent and forget to be.

In my tale I move Portias world from Belmont to Cheshires Golden Triangle, home to footballers, heiresses and Manchesters most wealthy. I planned no ailment to Cheshire by doing that. But I appear Portias moral universe of childish choices and pettish subterfuges, where protestations of fine experiencing cannot disguise materialism and malice, licenses me to satire. Shylock and Portia now Plurabelle meet again up there. Once more she isnt sure who the Jew is and who the shopkeeper. I never ensure it as my function to give Shylock a second chance. Where thoughts objective for him, they aim forever. But he does have one thing he would like to say to Portia/ Plurabelle. And I allow him to say it.

Shylock Is My Name is publicized next week by Hogarth.

The post Criminal or scapegoat, Shakespeare’s Shylock is a reputation to celebrate appeared first on vitalmindandbody.com.

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5 Lesser-Known Question Blighting The 2016 Summer Olympics

So we’re certainly doing this? After all of the frightful and unfortunate report and advisories emanating from Brazil these days, the whole world is still going to meet up there for sporting grounds? Hell, things have gotten so bad that we don’t even has gone far enough headline infinite to make all of the legends into major report, even if in years past they wholly would be. We talk about a few of the lesser-known questions harassing the 2016 Summertime Olympics on this week’s Unpopular Opinion podcast … … where I’m joined by comic Jeff May and head/ farmer/ professional publicity human Chris Black. It’s likewise what I’m talking about here today. Let’s feign the starting firearm merely went off and get to it! # 5. Habits Employee In Brazil Are Threatening To Strike Terrorism is a huge concern for everyone involved when it comes to this year’s Olympics. Nonetheless, what little word we’ve been hearing fright menace has been mostly positive. I’m referring to that one story that drew headlines on every major word locate about how officials in Brazil thwarted a squad of ISIS loyalists who were planning to kill a lot of people. Sure, “weve heard” in the days following that the individuals in question were completely disorganized amateurs who maybe wouldn’t have been able to achieve their goals even if they weren’t caught, but still, a triumph is a win. What you’ve maybe discovered channel less about is that, only three weeks prior to the commencement of the Olympics, usages proletarians in Brazil went on an indefinite ten-strike. Yes, those practices craftsmen. The ones responsible for obligating sure no nefarious parties or happens cross the border into Brazil. Seems like that should be making a few more headlines, yeah? You can always talking here Toilet Water Bay tomorrow . The reason for the ten-strike, of course, is fund. That’s a resource that isn’t in long quantity in Brazil right now, especially with them having to shoulder the financial encumbrance of hosting the Olympics. That wasn’t always been, though, so at some detail in the not-too-distant past, custom-mades employees were predicted a parent that they are able to take effect this August. A plenty has transpired since then, most notably the impeachment( or ousting by way of a takeover, depending on whom you ask) of President Dilma Rousseff. The new administration is re-examine pretty much everything she ever did, and apparently that includes wage agreements signed with customs workers. Naturally, this along with the financial stres the Olympics are making has left traditions proletarians feeling a little uneasy about the prospects of that parent actually happening. So they’re gone on impres to push the government’s side, on the eve of Brazil hosting one of “the worlds largest” inviting fear targets in recent memory. At least I think that’s what they’re doing. In a terrifyingly representative pattern to seeing how the influx of bad Olympics-related news coming out of Brazil these days is far outgrowing the seat news outlets have to dedicate to it all, I can’t find a single follow-up to this story. It was initially reported back in mid-July, and this history dated July 21 implies that the ten-strike did happen, but I candidly have no plan how a person would know if this is a circumstance that’s still happening, short of rounding up someone who lives in Brazil and questioning them. It surely isn’t being talked about on the major word outlets much. Instead, the headlines are set aside for events like Team USA’s heinous Olympic outfits. Please tell me they have to compete in those . Granted, those are indeed a nightmare and the entire nation should be ashamed, but an update from CNN and the like about whether Brazil is to be able to have customs agents in place to act as the last path of defense between multitudes of tourists and would-be gunmen seems like it would make for bulletin we can use as well, you know? Oh, and speaking of the potential for fright task … # 4. A Suspected Terrorist Went Missing For Months OK, so I’m sure this is nothing, but even so, it’s worth pointing out that, as we are to talk, a former Guantanamo prisoner and suspected terrorist has gone missing somewhere in Brazil. Not “gone missing” as in their own families perturbs he may have fallen victim to a serial executioner, but “gone missing” as in the governments of Brazil and the United States both genuinely wanna know where he’s gone. The subject of the manhunt is a Syrian national mentioned Abu Wa’el Dhiab. Have you seen this humanity ? He was suspected of having ties to militant radicals at the time the U.S. apprehended him. We never formally charged him with any misdemeanours, but we did hinder him at Guantanamo for 12 damn times. So if he didn’t dislike us before, he maybe does now. If nothing else, the facts of the case that either authority were concerned about where he is at all isn’t the most promising mansion. Nor is the admonish issued by a Brazilian airline that he may try to enter Brazil applying a spurious passport. Whether he was ever proven to be a gunman or not, an active fugitive who may or may not be used in the two countries is reason to worry in a country that’s clearly buckled for the resources necessary to ensure anyone’s safety, tourists or otherwise. Update alert! They did actually find this person. He turned up in Venezuela last week. So I predict that is something that was good-for-nothing, but still, that no one could keep tabs on him at a time when defence is supposed to be at the highest level possible isn’t good. The enormity of the security problem in Brazil was documented almost perfectly by journalist Wyre Davies recently over the course of exactly two tweets. The first demonstrates an intersection near a inn that are able to house tourists during the games, utterly jam-packed with soldiers providing security. The second tweet been demonstrated that same intersection completely empty … … after the entire private security force was just going to lunch at the exact same meter . Good fluke, sports fans! # 3. Brazil’s Most-Used Messaging App Might Not Work During The Olympics In times of crisis, communication is vital. I think it’s safe to say the world is expecting a lot of crises to jump off in Brazil over the next few weeks; here’s hoping the people who live there will be able to stay in touch while it’s all going down. Are you familiar with WhatsApp? Sure this is right! Perhaps you even use it, you tech-savvy son of a bitch! You know who else applies it? A whole lot of parties in Brazil, where it’s the most-used messaging app of all. Nonetheless, the relationship between WhatsApp and the Brazilian government has become a bit strained recently, and that’s putting it very mildly. In fact, on three separate occasions over the last few months, the government has tried to cut off access to the app. The ban was lifted before it could take effect in most of those cases, but one of them did result in the app going down for several hours at one point. This is what all of America would look like if “weve lost” messaging abilities for even 1 hour . What, you may be wondering, could be so damn important about an app that government officials who are already extended thin trying to become the Olympics happen in a non-disastrous manner are still procuring time to devote to shutting it down? Well, in December of last year, WhatsApp was prescribed by a adjudicator in Brazil to hand over letters exchanged between believes in a child sex corruption action who’d been contacting expending the app( which is owned by Facebook, for the record ). Lawyers for WhatsApp claimed those themes aren’t stored on their servers, so they couldn’t add them even if they wanted to. That judge didn’t believe them and ordered the services offered to be shut down until the company is in accordance the court’s entreaty. The outlaw was ruled to be a violation of the people’s right to freely express( WhatsApp disagreed this level too ), and it was overturned. That entire process was then recited two more times. WhatsApp is wreaking again in Brazil for now, but the fight with special courts hasn’t resolved. Only last week, Brazil froze $11 million in Facebook assets in relation to the dispute. Yes, I understand that your median Facebook executive is likely to be invest $11 million on shedding stacks of cash in your face to humiliate you without even discovering it was gone, but still, it’s a clear signed the fight isn’t over. If the governmental forces argues that Facebook’s refusal to turn over words between crooks represents a threat to the public safety that’s especially most severe while the Olympics are happening and terrorist attacks are a real possible, tens of thousands of beings in Brazil could be without one of their most relied-upon means of communication for weeks. Read more: http://dailybuzznetwork.com/index.php/2018/09/28/5-lesser-known-problems-plaguing-the-2016-summer-olympics/

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5 Lesser-Known Question Blighting The 2016 Summer Olympics

So we’re certainly doing this? After all of the frightful and unfortunate report and advisories emanating from Brazil these days, the whole world is still going to meet up there for sporting grounds? Hell, things have gotten so bad that we don’t even has gone far enough headline infinite to make all of the legends into major report, even if in years past they wholly would be. We talk about a few of the lesser-known questions harassing the 2016 Summertime Olympics on this week’s Unpopular Opinion podcast …

… where I’m joined by comic Jeff May and head/ farmer/ professional publicity human Chris Black. It’s likewise what I’m talking about here today. Let’s feign the starting firearm merely went off and get to it!

# 5. Habits Employee In Brazil Are Threatening To Strike

Terrorism is a huge concern for everyone involved when it comes to this year’s Olympics. Nonetheless, what little word we’ve been hearing fright menace has been mostly positive. I’m referring to that one story that drew headlines on every major word locate about how officials in Brazil thwarted a squad of ISIS loyalists who were planning to kill a lot of people. Sure, “weve heard” in the days following that the individuals in question were completely disorganized amateurs who maybe wouldn’t have been able to achieve their goals even if they weren’t caught, but still, a triumph is a win.

What you’ve maybe discovered channel less about is that, only three weeks prior to the commencement of the Olympics, usages proletarians in Brazil went on an indefinite ten-strike. Yes, those practices craftsmen. The ones responsible for obligating sure no nefarious parties or happens cross the border into Brazil. Seems like that should be making a few more headlines, yeah?

You can always talking here Toilet Water Bay tomorrow .

The reason for the ten-strike, of course, is fund. That’s a resource that isn’t in long quantity in Brazil right now, especially with them having to shoulder the financial encumbrance of hosting the Olympics. That wasn’t always been, though, so at some detail in the not-too-distant past, custom-mades employees were predicted a parent that they are able to take effect this August. A plenty has transpired since then, most notably the impeachment( or ousting by way of a takeover, depending on whom you ask) of President Dilma Rousseff. The new administration is re-examine pretty much everything she ever did, and apparently that includes wage agreements signed with customs workers.

Naturally, this along with the financial stres the Olympics are making has left traditions proletarians feeling a little uneasy about the prospects of that parent actually happening. So they’re gone on impres to push the government’s side, on the eve of Brazil hosting one of “the worlds largest” inviting fear targets in recent memory.

At least I think that’s what they’re doing. In a terrifyingly representative pattern to seeing how the influx of bad Olympics-related news coming out of Brazil these days is far outgrowing the seat news outlets have to dedicate to it all, I can’t find a single follow-up to this story. It was initially reported back in mid-July, and this history dated July 21 implies that the ten-strike did happen, but I candidly have no plan how a person would know if this is a circumstance that’s still happening, short of rounding up someone who lives in Brazil and questioning them.

It surely isn’t being talked about on the major word outlets much. Instead, the headlines are set aside for events like Team USA’s heinous Olympic outfits.

Please tell me they have to compete in those .

Granted, those are indeed a nightmare and the entire nation should be ashamed, but an update from CNN and the like about whether Brazil is to be able to have customs agents in place to act as the last path of defense between multitudes of tourists and would-be gunmen seems like it would make for bulletin we can use as well, you know?

Oh, and speaking of the potential for fright task …

# 4. A Suspected Terrorist Went Missing For Months

OK, so I’m sure this is nothing, but even so, it’s worth pointing out that, as we are to talk, a former Guantanamo prisoner and suspected terrorist has gone missing somewhere in Brazil. Not “gone missing” as in their own families perturbs he may have fallen victim to a serial executioner, but “gone missing” as in the governments of Brazil and the United States both genuinely wanna know where he’s gone.

The subject of the manhunt is a Syrian national mentioned Abu Wa’el Dhiab.

Have you seen this humanity ?

He was suspected of having ties to militant radicals at the time the U.S. apprehended him. We never formally charged him with any misdemeanours, but we did hinder him at Guantanamo for 12 damn times. So if he didn’t dislike us before, he maybe does now.

If nothing else, the facts of the case that either authority were concerned about where he is at all isn’t the most promising mansion. Nor is the admonish issued by a Brazilian airline that he may try to enter Brazil applying a spurious passport. Whether he was ever proven to be a gunman or not, an active fugitive who may or may not be used in the two countries is reason to worry in a country that’s clearly buckled for the resources necessary to ensure anyone’s safety, tourists or otherwise.

Update alert! They did actually find this person. He turned up in Venezuela last week. So I predict that is something that was good-for-nothing, but still, that no one could keep tabs on him at a time when defence is supposed to be at the highest level possible isn’t good.

The enormity of the security problem in Brazil was documented almost perfectly by journalist Wyre Davies recently over the course of exactly two tweets. The first demonstrates an intersection near a inn that are able to house tourists during the games, utterly jam-packed with soldiers providing security.

The second tweet been demonstrated that same intersection completely empty …

… after the entire private security force was just going to lunch at the exact same meter . Good fluke, sports fans!

# 3. Brazil’s Most-Used Messaging App Might Not Work During The Olympics

In times of crisis, communication is vital. I think it’s safe to say the world is expecting a lot of crises to jump off in Brazil over the next few weeks; here’s hoping the people who live there will be able to stay in touch while it’s all going down. Are you familiar with WhatsApp? Sure this is right! Perhaps you even use it, you tech-savvy son of a bitch!

You know who else applies it? A whole lot of parties in Brazil, where it’s the most-used messaging app of all. Nonetheless, the relationship between WhatsApp and the Brazilian government has become a bit strained recently, and that’s putting it very mildly. In fact, on three separate occasions over the last few months, the government has tried to cut off access to the app. The ban was lifted before it could take effect in most of those cases, but one of them did result in the app going down for several hours at one point.

This is what all of America would look like if “weve lost” messaging abilities for even 1 hour .

What, you may be wondering, could be so damn important about an app that government officials who are already extended thin trying to become the Olympics happen in a non-disastrous manner are still procuring time to devote to shutting it down? Well, in December of last year, WhatsApp was prescribed by a adjudicator in Brazil to hand over letters exchanged between believes in a child sex corruption action who’d been contacting expending the app( which is owned by Facebook, for the record ).

Lawyers for WhatsApp claimed those themes aren’t stored on their servers, so they couldn’t add them even if they wanted to. That judge didn’t believe them and ordered the services offered to be shut down until the company is in accordance the court’s entreaty. The outlaw was ruled to be a violation of the people’s right to freely express( WhatsApp disagreed this level too ), and it was overturned. That entire process was then recited two more times.

WhatsApp is wreaking again in Brazil for now, but the fight with special courts hasn’t resolved. Only last week, Brazil froze $11 million in Facebook assets in relation to the dispute. Yes, I understand that your median Facebook executive is likely to be invest $11 million on shedding stacks of cash in your face to humiliate you without even discovering it was gone, but still, it’s a clear signed the fight isn’t over. If the governmental forces argues that Facebook’s refusal to turn over words between crooks represents a threat to the public safety that’s especially most severe while the Olympics are happening and terrorist attacks are a real possible, tens of thousands of beings in Brazil could be without one of their most relied-upon means of communication for weeks.

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