#3) The new design and nickname relate back to his family since they run a lighting business. He wanted to distance himself from his (mostly

[spotlightstudios]

I did it boys, three weeks of feverishly thinking about him at work, 12 stickynotes, and a few hours of digitalization and he's alive! (Goofy Ahh Sidekick-)

And some bonus info! Because I do believe with my whole heart that Leon would dress up in that goofy lil wizard costume for his entire school career and then realize it was hella impractical last second and completely rebrand himself.

In the School Era doodles he's about 15-18, and his Pro Hero doodles are ages 19-??? (Whenever he retires or dies ig???)

[90363462]

How a 24-Year-Old Victim Became the Hero Who Stopped the Real ‘Dirty John’ Meehan

Amy LamareSeptember 3, 2022

Debra Newell met John Meehan in fall 2014, and something just clicked. He was different from the other men the interior designer from Southern California had dated since her fourth divorce. Handsome, charming and successful, “Dirty John” — a nickname he picked up in college — was an anesthesiologist who spent time in Iraq with Doctors Without Borders. Or so he claimed. 

RELATED: How a Podcast Exposed a New Break in the Unsolved Delphi Murders Case

John knew exactly what to say to sweep Debra off her feet. She was ready to take a chance on him, and on real love. But John Meehan wasn’t who claimed to be. He had been released from prison in October 2014, only two days before he met Debra, after serving time for violating a restraining order. 

The two soon moved in together — and that’s when the true Dirty John began to emerge. He became increasingly violent, and isolated Debra from her daughters, Jacquelyn and Terra, who were suspicious of John from the start. When the Newell women dug into his past, they uncovered a web of lies and crimes. And, before long, John’s violence turned from Debra to Terra, who barely escaped with her life. 

The story of John Meehan became famous, first in the 2017 Los Angeles Times podcast “Dirty John,” and then in Bravo’s true-crime series of the same name, starring Eric Bana and Connie Britton. However, what the realDirty John forced the Newell family to endure is worse than anything seen on television.

Terra Newell ended Dirty John’s reign of terror, but she lives with the memory of what happened to her. However, she also possesses the knowledge that she had the strength to defend herself, and to survive.

Dirty John Meehan Had a Dark and Dangerous Past

John Meehan and Debra Newell (Photo courtesy of Debra Newell)

John Meehan’s history of lying dated back at least to his 1990 marriage to first wife, Tonia Sells, in Ohio. A nurse anesthetist who had claimed to be 26 years old to Tonia’s 25 (he was really 31), John helped to put Tonia through nursing school. They had two daughters. But after 10 years of marriage, John asked for a divorce. 

RELATED: How Cynthia Vigil Escaped “Toy Box Killer” David Parker Ray and Ended His Horrific Crimes

Although John had told her never to contact his parents, a distraught Tonia called John’s mother, Delores. She revealed his full name, and true age, and told Tonia that John had a drug charge in California. Tonia searched their house, and found a stash of anesthetic drugs. She then called police, who in fall 2020 opened an investigation into John Meehan’s activities.

Two years later, John brought a gun into the operating room, and attempted to steal the Demerol he was supposed to give to a patient. Meehan was stripped of his nursing license in April 2002, after police found a loaded gun and a cache of empty containers for six prescription medications.

Why Brock Turner's Victim Decided To Come Forward And Write Her Story | Chanel Miller | Goalcast

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An investigator for the Warren County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office told the Los Angeles Times that Dirty John was “the most devious, dangerous, deceptive person I ever met.”

John pleaded guilty to felony drug theft in June 2002, and then went on the run. Police apprehended him apprehended in a Michigan hotel room, where they found unconscious and surrounded by drug vials. As John was being transported by ambulance to the hospital, he escaped his restraints, grabbed the drug kit, and jumped out of the vehicle, only to be recaptured. He was sentenced to up to six years in prison, but only served 17 months. By 2004, Dirty John Meehan was free again.

He was relatively quiet, and off the radar, for a decade. Then he moved to Southern California, where he stalked and terrorized other women in the months before he met Debra Newell, on a dating site for people over 50.

Debra Was Looking for Love and Ended Up Fighting for Her Life

Debra Newell (Screencap: Watch What Happens Live)

John Meehan met Debra Newell met for dinner in October 2014, at a restaurant in Irvine, California. Debra was a successful interior decorator who had been unlucky in love. She saw something in the handsome and charming doctor. “He was the total package,” Debra recalled, more than three years later, on Megyn Kelly Today. “A doctor. Very intelligent. A family man.”

But John saw something in Debra, too: She needed to be loved, and to be needed. He also saw someone he could easily manipulate. And that’s exactly what he did. 

RELATED: How 17-Year-Old Lisa McVey Saved Her Own Life by Outsmarting the Serial Killer Who Abducted Her

Their relationship moved fast. Within a month, they were living together in a luxurious, waterfront house on Balboa Island, in Newport Beach. Debra’s daughters met John, and didn’t like him. Something about him raised red flags that their mother had missed. They pleaded with her to slow down, and to dig into his past. 

On the day before Thanksgiving 2014, Terra found out her mother and John were living together. She confronted Debra, sending John flying into a rage. That’s when he plotted to isolate Debra from her daughters, placing her on a path of violence and trauma. 

Debra and John married the following month in Las Vegas. Her daughters weren’t invited. Afterward, John became only more controlling. He monitored every dollar Debra spent, questioned her whereabouts, and continued to keep her away from Terra and Jacquelyn.

Debra Newell Discovered the Truth About Dirty John

Debra Newell

Debra’s nephew told her in 2015 that John had spent time in prison, and was lying about being a doctor. She began to look through her husband’s paperwork, and found the restraining orders other women had taken out against him. He had been posing as a doctor and seducing women since 2005. He stalked, terrorized and stole. Debra even found websites on which women warned about Dirty John. 

RELATED: Are True-Crime Podcasts “Unhealthy” or Can They Solve Real Problems?

She moved out when John wasn’t home, but then took him back several months later. John’s charm, and his lies, had seduced Debra again.

In March 2016, Debra sneaked out of the house to visit her daughter, Jacquelyn. John was furious, and threatened to kill Jacquelyn if Debra tried to see her again. That was the final straw for Debra, who filed to annul their marriage. However, that only further enraged John. In June 2016, he stole Debra’s Jaguar from her office parking space. Police recovered the car, soaked in gas and damaged by fire.

Was Terra Newell Charged for Killing John Meehan?

Photo courtesy of Terra Newell

On Aug. 20, 2016, Debra’s daughter, Jacquelyn, spotted John lurking around her apartment building. She called to warn her sister, Terra. That night, Terra returned home from work, and parked in her building’s lot. As she got out of her car, John attacked her from behind with a knife. Terra fought back, biting and kicking him in an effort to knock the blade out of his hand.

Terra Newell fatally wounded Dirty John Meehan during their struggle. She wasn’t charged with a crime, however, because she was fighting back in self-defense.

How Many Times Did Terra Stab John?

Photo courtesy of Terra Newell

Terra Newell got her hands on the knife as she fought on the ground with John Meehan. She then used it to stab him 13 times, including once through his eye.

RELATED: Where Is Kidnapping Victim Elizabeth Smart, 19 Years After Being Rescued?

She instinctively knew that, if he were able to stand back up, John would kill her. A neighbor who witnessed the struggled called police, and then rushed with a towel to wrap Terra’s wounded hand. Paramedics were able to revive him, so there was no need to ask who killed John Meehan, yet.

He died four days later, on Aug. 24, 2016.

What Happened to Terra Newell After John Meehan Died?

Terra Newell and Debra Newell, on Megyn Kelly Today (Photo: NBC)

Terra Newell revealed to People magazine in 2019 that she had suffered from PTSD since the night John Meehan attacked her. “I tried to go back into a normal life, but couldn’t,” she said. “I started to go to therapy, which didn’t help until I found a great EMDRtherapist in Austin, Texas, and took the time to heal.”

Since that night in August 2016, Terra has focused on healing, and on finding ways to address her PTSD. She has dedicated herself to mastering self-defense, and helping people detect red flags in relationships. She also launched a podcast, Time Out With Terra.

“Even though I am still struggling with PTSD, I have healed so much,” she said. “People need to know that bad things can happen, and you should never let those things hold you back or get you down. The most important thing I have learned is to keep going and stay positive!”

KEEP READING: 

How Jaycee Dugard Reclaimed Her Life After an 18-Year Kidnapping

[writer-and-artist27]

Chaldean Master Vy (Character Profile)

Roughly inspired by @panyum​’s enthusiasm for my most recent artwork, it’s about time I divulge more on the Mastersona/main protagonist of Passing Days, Vy. Here we go.

Name: Vy

Age: 17-18 (beginning of Part 1), 19-20 (by Lostbelt 3)

Gender: Cis-female

Orientation: Asexual/Demisexual (questioning) and Demiromantic

Closest Servants: Mash Kyrielight (Level 80), Arturia Pendragon (Level 100), Achilles (Level 100), Marie Antoinette (Level 80), Robin Hood (Level 100), Archer EMIYA (Level 80), Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Lancer - Level 70), Medea (Level 70), Chevalier D’eon (Level 80), Sieg (Level 80), Chiron (Level 80), Scathach-Skadi (Level 90), Sitonai (Level 90), Ereshkigal (Level 90), Ruler Martha (Level 80), Katsushika Hokusai (Level 90).

Notable Facts: 

In another place, Vy would have lost her life in a car crash and reincarnated into another world as a civilian pianist, but in FGO’s timeline, she was scouted by Chaldea before she could start her second quarter in college. Chaldea had noticed her family lineage having some kind of Mystic aspects through a blood test she had taken for a yearly checkup before donating blood to a local blood drive. It resulted in them reaching out to her for an “extracurricular volunteer opportunity” that no college student could refuse. Vy would accept, albeit with her parents encouraging her, not realizing it would later lead her to becoming the main Chaldean Master in the Grand Order. 

Vy went into Chaldea thinking she’d be a medical assistant from her resume stating her interest in science and medicine, only to find herself drafted into the Rayshift training that the FGO protagonist went through in canon as a result of her impressive stamina (thanks to biking miles around their home in America with her parents when growing up), tiring herself from all the shifting to the point of nearly dozing off in one of Chaldea’s hallways if not for Mash.

The “Mystic” part of Vy’s blood that drew Chaldea’s attention was something Vy’s parents nor grandparents were actually aware of, no thanks to how all grew up in poverty in Vietnam before coming to America and later, Japan, but it is actually from one of Vy’s ancestors coming in contact with a mage from the Mage’s Association. No one really knows what exactly happened between said ancestor and that mage, but it seems to explain Vy’s uncanny luck in getting some of the bigger names in the Throne of Heroes before confronting Goetia, including Arjuna, Minamoto no Raikou, and Achilles by the dawn of Camelot. Her luck has definitely made the Crypters scratch their heads, since Vy had used a nearly Fully Ascended Scathach-Skadi to take down Kadoc before having reached Scandinavia. 

Vy adores Mash a lot, both from how earnest Mash is and her eagerness to learn about everything of the outside world past Chaldea’s blizzards. Dr. Roman at one point commented that they looked like sisters, just once, and Vy latched onto Mash as a surrogate little sister since, being conscientious of Mash’s health whenever they Rayshift together. 

Since Vy’s family took her on a lot of cross-country road trips when growing up, including visiting national parks such as Yosemite and Zion to hike and sight-see, one of Vy’s goals when going into the Grand Order is making sure Mash gets to experience all nature has to offer one day like she did, wanting to introduce her to her parents when the fighting is all over. She has jokingly asked Dr. Roman and Da Vinci for adoption papers for her parents to sign for Mash.

When starting in Singularity F, Vy was initially scared of paving the way to Humanity’s salvation, but sucked it up once Mash saved her. At that moment, one of the thoughts running through her head was, “Mash is fighting so hard, so why can’t I?!” Since then, Vy has made quite the distinct image of herself when fighting with her Servants, being a no-nonsense leader who can and will sarcastically snark at anyone, including Kiara and BB of all people, when they are opposing her. To allies, she is both understanding and empathic, usually not asking any imposing questions and issuing orders only when emergencies call for it. 

Anyone who tries to “bed” her will spark a loud and angry reaction, since Vy is not interested in any sexual relations and instead is still loyal to her family and friends that were left to the dust by Goetia and later the Foreign God. Expect some cursing too. 

Vy’s romantic orientation is why Agartha is an untouched subject amongst all the Servants when bringing in new faces, because when Dahut in Drake’s body proposed rape to her outright during the Pseudo-Singularity, Vy’s reaction was basically, “I AM ACE, YOU JERK! SEX IS NOT FOR ME, CONSENT MATTERS, SO SHUT UP AND FIGHT ALREADY! IF NOT, I WILL KILL YOU WITH A RUSTY SPOON MYSELF, GODDAMMIT!” It’s another reason why Fergus and some of the other romantically inclined Servants such as Kiyohime and Elizabeth Bathory have kept their distance since, because Vy’s rage point back then was that unsettling. Robin Hood doesn’t bring up the subject of picking up girls in front of her anymore. D’Eon and Astolfo both have tried to keep Vy away from thinking about Dahut since.

The first Servants Vy ever summoned in the Grand Order was Lancer Diarmuid, Medea, and Chevalier d’Eon. The first 4-stars she ever summoned after them was Marie Antoinette and Archer EMIYA, so because of this and a lot of other things, all five Servants still find themselves in the occasional team because Vy grew that attached to them.

Her only Grailed Servants so far are Saber Arturia Pendragon, Rider Achilles, and Archer Robin Hood, both because they were there when fighting opponents such as the Lion King, Tiamat, and the Alter Egos in SERAPH, and how she loved all three of them for their legends even before coming to Chaldea. 

When Vy first got a Holy Grail, she tried to give it to Mash as thanks for Mash protecting her for so long, but because of Mash’s status as a designer baby and Demi-Servant, she wasn’t able to take it. Instead, Mash still finds herself at the front lines team Vy has for mixed enemy battles, since Vy can’t find it in her to leave Mash behind. 

Some of the Servants who have been with Vy longer find themselves getting a nickname for Vy to call out to just them, all because Vy sees them as part of her family and wants to be good to them. Robin Hood is a prominent example, where she calls him “big Robin” as a way to boost his confidence about being a Heroic Spirit, and in turn, he calls her “little sparrow.” Marie Antoinette is sometimes called “my Queen,” and some of the more younger Servants such as Illya and Miyu are called with the “-chan” honorific or “baby sis.” Mash never got a nickname simply because to Vy, “Mash is Mash, and I love your name.” There were many “awww”s. 

It’s because of how she affectionately considers a majority of her Servants family that a lot of them tone down their arguments and bad qualities in her presence, simply because she’s there. An example is how during Babylonia, Vy had answered at the Underworld’s gates, “Ereshkigal is more beautiful!” to Ishtar’s face, both because she had summoned Ereshkigal long before entering Babylonia and that she had known Eresh longer. Eresh, who hadn’t Rayshifted to the Singularity at the time, could be found later hiding her red face in her hands as Da Vinci laughed out loud. Dr. Roman meanwhile had looked like he had swallowed a lemon at the time because of how blatantly Vy had put down Ishtar, and Ishtar barely reacted. Vy’s only reasoning afterwards was, “I did not appreciate being made into a makeshift cushion in our first meeting, Ishtar, thank you very little.” 

There were a lot of times during Singularities where Vy, feeling bad for Dr. Roman being a butt-monkey of jokes, brought home a souvenir or two for the good doctor to take part in some of the better moments of the Grand Order. One such souvenir was a butter cake slice from Siduri in Babylonia, because he expressed wanting to eat it one night and she carefully preserved it with Mash to give it to him before confronting “Solomon” in the Temple of Time. It’s because of this that she dearly misses him, having found him as another surrogate father when he’d call her in for daily check-ups and talks over how Mash was doing.

When the Lostbelts happened, Vy started working a lot harder to raise her Servants and the morale of the rest of Chaldea’s staff, resulting in her gaining eyebags from losing sleep over too many Golden Apples and farming quests. Most of the Servants are all at Final Ascension and Max Level at the cost of this and QP, but it’s helped in making the Crypters lose some of their momentum. 

Hope this helps in giving some nice insight and lore!

[x0401x]

Hoshiai no Sora Production Notes #03

Akane Kazuki answers questions asked by the fans!

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Q.: Between traditional Japanese, Western and Chinese cuisine, what’s Maki-kun’s specialty? Also, I would like to know if there’s any cuisine that he’s good at in particular.

A.: He can generally cook anything without having a particular specialty. The reason why he often made Chinese food in the cooking scenes of the series is that Chinese food can be made in a short span. For dishes that take up time, he makes and stores them on Saturdays, then uses them for his lunch boxes.

Q.: I want to know the hobbies of all the club members!

A.: Maki has an interest in astronomy, so astronomical observation. Touma likes dinosaurs and fossils. Rintarou collects cat goods. As for Nao, fishing. In Itsuki's case, I guess it would be horror-type shooting games or the like. I feel that his older sister, Namie, likes them indiscriminately and would join him. Taiyou plays with his father using his miniature cars, which are also his hobby. Tsubasa might not have a hobby that actually seems like a hobby. Shingo watches anime with his little sister.

Q.: I want to know the reason for everyone except Maki to have joined the soft tennis club!

A.: I guess the only one who joined it because he wanted to play soft tennis was Touma. Middle schoolers in general must join some club, and many of them join clubs that they pick due to having no other option. I think that the club members of Shijou Minami also ended up gathering there because each of them had no other place to go, but as they all carry wounds that do not show on the surface and have formed a relationship where they understand one another without saying anything, it has turned into their own little place to belong.

Q.: The production of not just the soft tennis scenes, but also daily life scenes where Maki cooks and everyone eats with relish in their own way, is rather sensible, to a surprising extent. With what kind of policy did you proceed on that?

A.: What is interesting in animation is not just showy action; there is also warmth, reality and sense of presence in simple dramas, so this time, I wanted to make an anime where these things would become its charm by being portrayed sensibly. The detailed play of the cooking and daily life scenes were interesting even for me when I watched them, so I think they turned out as something that the viewers can enjoy too. This is of a higher difficulty level than flashy action, but even worldwide, I believe it is something that can only be done with Japanese animation.

Q.: At the beginning of episode 2, when Touma helped Yuuta, he was described as someone to be feared, but what was the reason for that?

A.: Because he snaps easily. He must be famous for it.

Q.: What were the words that Nakao-kun threw at Itsuki-kun on episode 3?

A.: He chose cruel words and spoke them out. Sakurai also says it during the series, but his words were meant to show that they can hurt someone. However, that terminology unfortunately seems to be forbidden from being said on TV, so during the post-recording, we decided to mute it.

Q.: Who made the lemon honey pickles that were placed on those two benches at lunch in episode 11?

A.: It was Yuuta. Yuuta was also making drinks for everyone during practice, so I think he was providing modest support while nestling close to the feelings of the club members.

Q.: I want to know what the recordings are like!

A.: The number of people was so big they could not fit inside the booth, but I could feel an unanimous enthusiasm towards series from all of them. There were also many cast members who came to me with questions even about things that were not depicted in the animation in an attempt to understand the characters’ personalities. On the other hand, when the New Year’s issue was announced, we gathered in front of the TV and made merry, and we got along well.

Q.: I want to see the floor plan of everyone’s houses!!

A.: I believe this will be included in the setting reference book, although it is just a part of it, so please look forward to that. When making the rooms, we created them after deciding on the floor plans, having in mind the daily life style of each family. I had even the parts that were not animated be made in detail, so I think I gave the settings designer a hard time. *laughs*

Q.: Were there any references to actual players or games for the soft tennis parts, such as forms and play styles?

A.: We actually went to collect data at middle school competitions in Tokyo, and used references from the practice skills of middle schooler clubs such as the ones from Seimei Academy, as well as the Lucent Cup and other such tournaments that involve influential national athletes, including their different levels of prowess.

Q.: Do all the club members know that Touma-kun likes dinosaurs and Nao-kun likes fish?

A.: They do, somehow or other. I think boys their age have their hands full with their own matters, so they do not mind other people’s tastes that much.

Q.: What kind of practice do the soft tennis club members of Shijou Minami do on rainy days?

A.: We have depicted a little bit of this in the drama CD of the second volume, so please look forward to it.

Q.: About the incident that happened in the soft tennis club five years earlier, which Sakurai-sensei knows of. Does it have anything to do with Ryouma, who was the ace back then, and his pair, as well as little Touma and Maki? I am also concerned about the clover protection charm.

A.: The story of their past is one of the things I want to write about in the future. There are also hints in each of their lines, so please try to watch the main story again.

Q.: What was the intention behind not giving a title to each episode?

A.: “Hoshiai no Sora” was written through taking cuts of those children’s lives, so we did not make any conveniences for the developments of the stories from each episode. Therefore, our intention was that the first episode was the first story and the last episode was the last story, thus we did not give them titles.

Q.: I want to know in detail the reason why the Itsuse brothers started playing soft tennis, their family structure and their school lives! (Sorry if this has already been made public...)

A.: This is part of what I want to depict in episode 13 onwards.

Q.: Why did Itsuki only give pet names to Maki and Kanako? Is there any sort of specific criteria for Itsuki’s usage of pet names?

A.: Itsuki has actually given everyone a pet name in his mind. They are peculiar nicknames fitting of a cynic person like Itsuki. He merely does not voice them because he thinks the other person will get angry if he says it to their face.

Q.: Why does Tsubasa-kun wear a T-shirt that says “15”?

A.: It is 15 as in “fifteen years old”. He looks up to that age, or rather, he might just want to ride off on a stolen bike. *laughs* Tsubasa is still thirteen, though. Thirteen-year-olds think of fifteen-year-olds as grown-ups.

Q.: Everyone’s individualities show through in that scene from episode 2 where they are all running and I quite like it, but how did you decide on and animate the particularities in the way each of them runs?

A.: I drew a rough sketch of the characteristics in each of their running styles, then had them clean-copied by the animation director, Irie-san.

Q.: Who has the best grades amongst the characters? Also, who has the worst ones?

A.: Rintarou has the best grades regardless of subject. Since he is a hard worker, his grades are top-class in his school year. On the other hand, the biggest dummy is Shigo. I am thinking of including the anecdotes related to this in episode 13 onwards.

Q.: I have the impression that you write about “things that might not be commonplace, but are a part of commonplace daily life”, without making the issues that each character bears into something excessively tragic. If there was any point in the shooting where you planned this out, I would like you to tell us.

A.: I believe animation already has a special filter for the shooting just from the fact that it is hand-drawn. That’s why I thought that dropping the ostentatious performance and making pure animation art would suffice this time. Since we were handling sensitive contents, we did not do an unnecessarily exaggerated staging. This might not be as interesting if shot in the same way as live actions, but the portrayal as animation is in itself enough for the shooting. Shots where they are walking, for example, are already an incredibly special picture, so isn’t this the greatness of animation?

Q.: Are Yuuta-kun’s feelings for Touma romantic love? Or is he sitting on the fence between love and friendship? Maybe it is admiration?

A.: I think there’s a part of him deep inside that has not yet figured it out. Surprisingly enough, Maki is the one who seems to understand it accurately.

Q.: How did you choose the rackets of each club member? Please tell us about the rackets of Arashi, Joy, the Itsuse brothers and Ryouma as well.

A.: For the rackets that have models, I picked them after deciding on my images of the position and skills of each one. Rackets have their own levels and popularity in real life, so for that part, I referenced the information I received from each maker. For example, I selected a racket that is, just as Touma said, easy for beginners to use as Maki’s first racket.

Q.: Jizue-san’s music was impressive as there is a sense of transparency to it, but the environment sounds were rather effective in that scene right before getting to the EV at the end of episode 5, so it felt like an extention of daily life and the sense of tension came alive. What kind of points were you particular about when making it?

A.: Music and sound effects can convey what the dialogues and acting do not. Even if a character is laughing, they aren’t always truly smiling on the inside. On the other hand, it’s not like we are going to play dreary music just because they’re scared. We did not put music in that scene precisely in order to enhance the unease. If we put music in it, we end up restricting its image. What we wanted people to feel was not fear, but the anxiety of wondering if something was about to happen.

Q.: How did you do the paste-up of the rackets’ gut strings?

A.: We had it pasted during the shooting. There were so many materials to be pasted other than this, such as books and cloth bibs, that the photography staff screamed. There were also many parts that we ended up omitting in the main story. Speaking of gut strings, there were special scenes where we did them as animation instead of paste-ups. The scene where Maki’s racket was destroyed was also entirely hand-drawn.

Q.: What was the reason for the OP and ED being cut off in the last episode?

A.: To emphasize that episode 12 is not the end of the story. The story of those boys that exists inside me is not yet complete, and I have only depicted half of it. I wanted the viewers to feel that the story would continue after this, so I directed it that way.

[reinekes-fox]

Since yesterday my shipment from the National Portrait Gallery arrived, and I am in love, why not spread a little history knowledge? Most of this is straight from wikipedia, but I checked it with my various books to make sure the information is as correct as it can be. The text in brackets are additions that aren’t from wikipedia, but my own books. By some things where my sources contradicted each other I changed the text.

Angelo Maria Monticelli

Angelo Maria Monticelli, was born at Milan about 1710, he first appeared in opera at Rome in 1730. 'He was,' says Burney, 'a chaste performer, and … a good actor.' In 1731 and 32 he appeared at Venice with Carestini, Bernacchi, and Faustina. He came to London in the autumn of 1741, and made his début here in the pasticcio 'Alessandro in Persia.' In the beginning of 1742, after other attempts, another opera was brought out by Pergolese, called 'Meraspe, o L'Olimpiade,' the first air of which, 'Tremende, oscuri, atroci,' in Monticelli's part, was sung for ten years after the end of the run of this opera; and 'the whole scene, in which "Se ceroa se dice" occurs, was rendered so interesting by the manner in which it was acted as well as sung by Monticelli that the union of poetry and music, expression and gesture, have seldom had a more powerful effect on an English audience' (Burney)

He continued to perform in London through 1743; and in 1744 he sang, in 'Alfonso,' songs of more bravura execution than he had previously attempted. During 1745 and 1746 Monticelli still belonged to our Opera; and in the latter year he sang in Gluck's 'Caduta de' Giganti,' and described one of his songs as an 'aria Tedesca' from the richness of the accompaniment. The 'Antigono' of Galuppi (produced May 13) was the first opera in which Monticelli appeared on our stage. He sang at Naples with la Mingotti in the same year, and afterwards at Vienna. In 1756 Hasse engaged him for the Dresden Theatre; and in that city he died in 1764.

I found some pictures of him during the years in Dresden, all here:

Senesino, Francesco Bernardi

He was born in Siena 31 October 1686 and died 27 November 1758, his tutor was Antonio Bernacchi in Bolonga.  He joined the cathedral choir there in 1695 and was castrated at the comparatively late age of thirteen. His debut was at Venice in 1707, and during the next decade he acquired a European reputation and, by the time he sang in Lotti's Giove in Argo in 1717 at Dresden, a commensurately enormous salary.  

 The impresario Count Francesco Zambeccari wrote of his performance in Naples in 1715: "Senesino continues to comport himself badly enough; he stands like a statue, and when occasionally he does make a gesture, he makes one directly the opposite of what is wanted." Of the singer's vocal abilities, however, there was no doubt. In 1719, the composer Quantz heard him in Lotti's Teofane at Dresden, and stated: "He had a powerful, clear, equal and sweet contralto voice, with a perfect intonation and an excellent shake. His manner of singing was masterly and his elocution unrivalled. … he sang allegros with great fire, and marked rapid divisions, from the chest, in an articulate and pleasing manner. His countenance was well adapted to the stage, and his action was natural and noble. To these qualities he joined a majestic figure; but his aspect and deportment were more suited to the part of a hero than of a lover." (Which was normal: castrato always sung the hero parts.)

Following a dispute with the court composer Heinichen in 1720, over an aria in the opera Flavio Crispo, which led to his dismissal, Senesino was engaged by Handel as primo uomo (lead male singer) in his company, the Royal Academy of Music. He made his first appearance in a revival of Radamisto on 28 December, and his salary was variously reported as between £2000 and 3000 guineas: both vast sums. Senesino remained in London for much of the succeeding sixteen years. He became a friend and associate of many in the highest levels of society. He became friendly with, among others, the Duke of Chandos, Lord Burlington and the landscape designer William Kent, while amassing a fine collection of paintings, rare books, scientific instruments, and other treasures, including a service of silver made by the famous Paul de Lamerie.

Though creating seventeen leading roles for Handel (including Giulio Cesare, Orlando, and Bertarido in Rodelinda), his relationship with the composer was frequently stormy: "The one was perfectly refractory; the other was equally outrageous," according to the contemporary historian Mainwaring. After the break-up of Handel's Royal Academy in 1728, Senesino sang in Paris (1728) and Venice (1729), but was re-engaged by Handel in 1730, singing in four more new operas and in the oratorios Esther, Deborah, and, in its 1732 bilingual version, Acis and Galatea. His antipathy to Handel eventually became so great that, in 1733, Senesino joined the rival Opera of the Nobility. Thus he came to sing alongside the great soprano castrato Farinelli, and their meeting on stage (in the pasticcio Artaserse) led to a famous anecdote of Senesino breaking character, as reported by the music historian Charles Burney.

Senesino had the part of a furious tyrant, and Farinelli that of an unfortunate hero in chains; but in the course of the first air, the captive so softened the heart of the tyrant, that Senesino, forgetting his stage-character, ran to Farinelli and embraced him in his own.

Both Senesino and Farinelli also appeared in Nicola Porpora's opera Polifemo in 1735. 

Senesino left England in 1736 (after switching to the Opera of the Nobility in 1734), and appeared in a few more productions in Italy: he sang at Florence from 1737 to 1739 (his fame started to fade back then because his style of singing was seen as outdated, he gave the young Maria Theresia singing lessons), and then in Naples until 1740, making his final appearance in Porpora's Il trionfo di Camilla at the Teatro San Carlo. By this time his singing style was regarded by the public as rather old-fashioned. 

He retired to the city of his birth, building a fine town-house there, filled with English furniture and effects - he enjoyed tea (he ran, or at least tried to run his whole household on English lines), and kept a black servant, a pet monkey and a parrot. A somewhat eccentric and difficult personality, the latter years of his life were plagued by disputes with members of his family, particularly his nephew and heir, Giuseppe.

Gizziello, Gioacchino Conti

He was born  28 February 1714 (in Arpino by Neapel) 25 October 1761. After studying in Naples with Domenico Gizzi, after whom he would later be nicknamed, he made his debut in Rome at an early age, around 1730. According to some modern encyclopedic sources, it took place in Leonardo Vinci's Artaserse, which premiered on 4 February at the Teatro delle Dame.[2] However, his name does not appear in the cast of the original libretto,[3] and his theatrical debut ought probably to be dated instead in 1731, in revivals of Didone abbandonata and of the same Artaserse, both by Vinci.[4] A colourful anecdote relates how another overweening castrato star, Caffarelli, rode post-haste to Rome from Naples just to attend incognito his debut; and full of enthusiasm eventually yelled at him: "Bravo, bravissimo Gizziello, it’s Caffariello who's telling you!"[5] Whatever the case, at the beginning of 1732 he was urgently called upon to replace the castrato Nicolò Grimaldi (Nicolini), who suddenly died on 1 January during the rehearsals of Pergolesi's first opera La Salustia at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples.[6] Having become a member of the theatre's company, later that year he performed in new operas by Johann Adolf Hasse, Leonardo Leo and Francesco Mancini,[7] and in revivals of Vinci's Catone in Utica and Artaserse.[8]His subsequent career led him throughout Italy, as well as abroad. In 1736–37 he was in London, where he had been engaged by George Frideric Handel, with whom he would build a profitable collaboration. Conti performed in many of his works, such as Atalanta, Giustino, Berenice and Arminio, as well as in a revival of Ariodante.He sang at many premieres for the best and most famous musicians of his time, including Niccolò Jommelli (Manlio, 1746), Baldassare Galuppi (Artaserse, 1751) and Johann Adolf Hasse (Demetrio, 1747).

(The earthquake from 1755 scared him so bad that he ended his career after it, and already had to take a break from one year because he got sick.)

/A few years after that), Conti left the stage and settled in Rome, where he spent the last years of his life.

Being a very sharp soprano for his time (Handel got him repeatedly to reach up to C6), Conti was not quite well disposed towards abuse of coloratura and he chose rather to turn to better account his fluent and smooth style of rendering and expression: he has thus remained famous as a sentimental and gentle singer, but he also always kept a condition of absolute excellence at vocal virtuosity, even though not so acrobatic as, for instance, that of his contemporary (and friend) Farinelli.

Farinelli, Carlo Broschi

Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi was born 24 January 1705 in Andria, Apulien and died 16 September 1782 in Bologna. 

If I copy all thet crazy stuff that happened in his life this post would get even longer, so here is the link. He truly was one of a kind.

[daddysfavouriteboytoy]

Roméo Valentin Jacquemin

Name: Roméo Valentin Jacquemin Age: 22 Birthday: 17th September Gender: Male Sexuality: Homosexual Ethnic: French Languages spoken: French, English, Spanish, German as well as a bit of Italian, Turkish, Hungarian, Ukrainian and Russian Species: mutated human Appearance: his fingers and lips are tinted a light blue colour  (Face-Claim: Alex Puértolas)

Clothing: When he was still living with his parents, he normally would wear grunge clothes. Now, he wears the few things which he brought with him. The only difference to then and now is, that the clothes are pretty torn and quite dirty. Height: 1,89 m Piercings: a lip piercing Tattoos: on his right shoulder blade Scars: He has a big scar which starts on his upper lip and ends on the middle of his cheek, another big one under his right eye which reaches from ear to the bridge of his nose and a third, smaller one on the right side of his neck. All three of them are from his first encounter with the IMCO. Illnesses: Mutation, slight insomnia Personality: To a lot of people’s surprise Roméo is relaxed and warm, with a “live and let live” attitude. Naturally, these trades should make him likeable and popular if it wouldn’t be for his mutations. However, he tries not to let that fact tear him down, instead, he is really good at relating to others’ emotions and helping them to establish harmony. Being so aware of others’ emotions, Roméo uses creativity and insight to come up with bold ideas that speak to people’s hearts. While it’s hard to explain this quality on a resume, this vivid imagination and exploratory spirit help the man in various, unexpected ways. Beneath his shyness beats an intensely feeling heart, as well. When he is caught up in something exciting and interesting, he can leave everything else in the dust. Freedom of expression is often his top priority. Anything that interferes with that, like traditions and hard rules, creates a sense of oppression for the guy. When situations get out of control, he can shut down, losing his characteristic charm and creativity in favour of gnashing teeth. Relationships: Germaine Jacquemin – step-mother; 55 years old; CEO; married; alive Pierre-Marie Jacquemin – father; 58 years old; fashion designer; married; alive Christiane De Saint-Pierre – older half-sister; 31 years old; actress; married; alive Abel Jacquemin – older half-brother; 27 years old; author; married; alive Séraphine – a stray dog which follows Roméo after he shared his food with her once Fears: the IMCO, losing his dogs, a lot of attention/speaking in front of a host of people, being completely alone, being experimented on, touching others Likes: sunflowers, big dogs, peace, frozen yoghurts – no matter the season, plants, classical music as well as punk rock, people treating him like a normal human being, meditation, long walks through the woods, the smell after it rained Dislikes: his family, unfamiliar situations, being compared to his brother, having to hide who he truly is, violence, IMCO, being different, mould, not having enough to eat, traditions Hobbies: urban exploring, swimming, strolling around, climbing on trees, travelling, ice skating Occupation: Thief Housing: abounded House Powers: can control ice, is able to freeze pretty much any liquid, can make it snow very slightly but only five square meters around him, his skin is extremely cold and leaves a thin layer of ice on the things he touches as well as giving others frost bites if they touch it Position: Switch Virgin: Yes Turn-ons: risky places, pet names, scratching, hickeys, foreplay, aftercare Turn-offs: degrading nicknames, golden showers, bad hygiene, being interrupted Other:

never stays too long at one place

his nose starts bleeding heavily whenever he overuses his powers

he sympathises more with animals than humans

is surprisingly good at picking up foreign languages

Backstory:

"Good evening. We are interrupting your regularly scheduled program to declare a state of international emergency. With the information that we've been provided with so far, it is our understanding that a high profile military experiment has gone awry. As a result, untested chemicals of great biohazard risk have been exposed to the environment. We can not provide any further information on the corporation responsible for the leak. Experts from the science field all around the world have come to a consensus on the matter. Evacuation will not be effective. By now the chemicals have contaminated the water supply, the air supply, as well as the food supply. According to the experts, should only affect individuals containing a specific gene found in only 3% of the population. For those individuals, the chemical could cause mutations of unknown proportions. Everyone, please stay calm at this time of mass hysteria, be safe, and be aware of anyone altered by these chemicals." Credit [x]

Roméo was not a planned child, which definitely showed in the way his parents treat him. Already during his first year of living, he was raised by maids, nannies and all the other people his parents paid to take care of him, so they didn’t need to. During his childhood, the rest of his family was also rarely home, his parents always travelled around the world while his brother was occupied by his studies and hobbies. It even went so far that Roméo didn’t even know he had an older brother the first few years of his life. Only when the boy got older his parents slowly stood home for longer periods of time. During those years, Roméo started school and his parents paid private tutors to teach him just the same things as his brother. Unfortunately, their youngest son wasn’t really into those hobbies nor very good at school. Quickly, the two parents began to get annoyed with their child and started to complain about why he couldn’t be as talented as his older brother who seemed to be flawless at everything he did. At first, the blonde spent a lot of time trying to live up to his parents’ expectations and get even better grades than his brother. This way, Roméo spent all of his elementary and middle school years, trying to somehow get the attention and approval of his parents by being the perfect son. Only when the blonde eventually got taught high school stuff, he realized that it was an impossible task. Therefore, he decided to just accept it and ignore his parents just like they ignored him. Roméo joined an ice-skating club which was a few blocks away from his home and nearly always met with internet friends after practise, so he had time to spend as little time as possible at home. It's true to say that Roméo had a somewhat normal and easy life until that threatful day. Some news lady announced the failing of a military experiment and warned people of possible mutations. At first, the blonde boy could only roll his eyes at the news, not believing one word that left her mouth, he thought it was some kind of stupid prank or joke. Well, his thinking changed quite quickly because he soon realized that he was one of the few 3 percents who had this strange gene in them. He changed, no, his body changed. Suddenly his body temperature decreased drastically and his lips, as well as his fingers, turned light-blue. Unfortunately, this was the reason why his parents suddenly paid attention to their unloved son. Now they thought he was an even worse disgrace to their family, then he was already before. After his strange changes, Roméo wasn’t allowed to leave the house anymore and soon he wasn’t even able to touch anyone anymore without leaving frostbites on their skin. His life grew dark and lonely, in a gigantic house without anyone to talk to apart from his private teachers, he couldn’t even use a phone nor a computer without destroying the device. However, Roméo wasn't the only one struggling during this time. When all these unnatural powers and mutations started to pop up it was disturbing the natural balance of the world. While the newly dubbed "mutants" only made up a small portion of the population, they still posed a threat to the safety of society. In response, a task force by the name of IMCO (International Mutant Containment Organisation) was formed, hunting down anyone with the unique gene in order to lock them away from civilisation. Roméo survived a year with the torture of his family and did not go crazy, however, a few months after his 18th birthday, the blonde decided to escape this hellhole. Yet, his parents seemed to somehow have found out about their second son’s plan and informed the IMCO about his existence. Just one day before the young adult could finally flee from the mistreatment of his family, two officers of this organization busted into his room and tried to tackle him on the ground and take him with them. However, for the first time in his life, Roméo decided to fight back, he had enough of being pushed around. Some might have considered this a huge mistake, a certain death sentence even, but for the unloved man, it was the only chance to have at least a slight chance to survive. Although in the heat of the moment, the mutant got badly hurt, he still managed to escape the officers and take a small suitcase with him in which his most important belongings were. However, this fight wasn’t won without sacrifice. Roméo did something he never dared to even think about, he killed a human being. Though it was an accident, he gripped the guy’s throat and unintentionally froze it, resulting in the other’s suffocation. It was a moment he tried to forget or at least suppress ever since. Shortly after his escape, he was only able to focus on one thing by then, surviving on the street. Despite him having stolen a big sum of money from his too rich parents, it was more than obvious that he was a mutant due to his looks. Simultaneously, he was on the run from the IMCO and police. That was also the reason why he left France and travelled the world, not staying anywhere longer than a year, this depended heavily on the size of the country he was currently staying in.

Starter

[cryptoriawebb]

At long last I have finished Yoru’s biography sheet. It’s a little on the longer side but I’m proud of it.

Anyone checking in for the first time, Gesshoku Yoru is my shinigami OC for the anime/manga Full Moon wo Sagashite.

Shoutout to @starspatter for helping me along the way <3

Trigger warning: mentions of depression and suicide

Background: Yoru exists in a prequel story to both the manga and anime for Full Moon wo Sagashite. This prequel contains a slightly different origin for Shinigami. Instead of ‘hatching’ as adults, those who end their lives reawaken as children again and begin the early stages of their training from a young age. They are called “Fledglings.”

Physical Description: A girl of average height and build with black hair and eyes to match. As a child she wears her hair in two buns. Long bangs parted to the left. She dresses in Victorian-style children’s dresses that are dark (usually black but sometimes blue) in color. Wears either mary janes or small boots with bat wings. Also wears a bat hairclip.

As an adult her hair is short, though she still has her long bangs. They part to the left. Her clothing style is still gothic, but purple and black but takes inspiration from steampunk as well. No gears but lots of buckles and frills. Sleeveless gloves with lace around the wrists. A black and blue corset with belts and a layered dress that’s short in front and flares out in the back. Wears boots that come up to below the knee. Also wears a mini top hat over one of her bat ears, decorated with a purple five-petal flower that resembles the “flower of forgetfulness” in the anime. Her hat also has two feathers: a black and purple plume and a smaller black feather. Again, since she works in the pediatrics unit Yoru has small black bat ears; one is visible and one is covered by her hat. Unlike other Shinigami, Yoru has bat wings.

Yoru’s updated design:

Personality:

Human – shy, crippled by anxiety that often led her to choose the withdrawn/polite response over expressing herself. Tried to embrace her interests and gothic fashion-style but grew discouraged overtime, feeling much like an outcast. Had no close friends so relied heavily on her family for support.

Shinigami – as a fledgling, Yoru was very shy for quite a while. Meroko (and Yoru’s eventual budding feelings for her) pushed her to express herself and embrace the other Fledglings as a new family. Takuto joining also helped; Yoru saw a lot of herself early on in the quiet Fledgling and went out of her way to (politely) include him the way Meroko did her. As an adult doubts and depression follow Yoru around like a dark cloud. Her close-knit support system has strained over the years, though she remains on good terms with the other Shinigami. Her relationship with Meroko grows painful as well as her feelings were never reciprocated, not that she ever told her.

____

Relationships: Shinigami   Meroko – Yoru’s first real friend, her best friend and one she eventually falls in love with. Calls her “Mero-chan” as a child and occasionally in adulthood. Meroko remains in large part unaware of Yoru’s feelings. Though she ends up forgetting Yoru she left the strongest impression, maintaining a sensitive heart. Meroko cries for reasons she in part doesn’t understand when Izumi gifts her a new outfit. In the anime she reunites with Yoru twice: once unaware during her quest for the Flower of Forgetfulness and again, officially, as an angel.

Izumi – A rival for Meroko’s affection. She considers him a friend in adulthood. Isn’t aware Izumi knows of her feelings for Meroko. He sympathizes with her, understanding her dissatisfaction and quest for answers. Witnesses Yoru’s final moments. Her disappearance makes an impression and leaves him cynical and even antagonistic about lasting love of any kind. He’s also the only one who remembers her and this may be in part due to his own retained memories from his human life. He tries in his own ways to get their friends to remember, going so far as to give Meroko an outfit largely inspired by Yoru’s. His nickname for her is “Yo-run.”

Takuto – As the youngest Fledgling of the group Yoru has a soft spot for him and at times dotes him like a big sister would. Is unaware he has a crush on her. In adulthood she finds him easiest to relate to as he triggers the least negativity in her and struggles with his own obstacles as a Shinigami-in training. Nonetheless her presence is painful to him as he still holds a waning candle for her and may suspect why she never returned his own feelings.

Sheldan – The head of Pediatrics and the teacher/primary caretaker of the young Fledglings. Yoru is intimidated by him at first and treats him with a distant respect in adulthood until she starts investigating her human life. Grows secretive around him like the others and paranoid/angry as well. She wonders why he assigned her pediatrics and resents his attitude towards her failures.

Mystere – Yoru doesn’t know Mystere but she has heard of her, though not by name. As the Goddess of Death Yoru considers the idea of her eerie, mystic and intimidating. Towards the end of her life blames her along with Sheldan, holding her responsible in part for their suffering as Shinigami purely because of her status.

___

Humans: Mother – Yoru’s relationship with her mother changed day to day. Both loved one another very much and Yoru had many fond childhood memories of spending time with her. However, Yoru’s mother was a more traditional woman and did not always approve of Yoru’s peculiar interests and fashion choices. That said, they continued to bond over a love of holidays and holiday parties.

Father – Yoru’s relationship with her father was benign but empty: he spent much of her childhood working so she didn’t see him often and as an adult she was away. Her father largely expressed his love for his children in the form of material gifts.

Little brother – Yoru and her little brother did not always get along just like most siblings. That said she was fond of him and more often than not doted on him the way her parents did her. There were at times some form of jealousy: being the eldest by quite a few years sometimes she felt they favored him over her. When this occurred she’d tell herself that wasn’t true: her parents cared deeply for her, they just showed support in different ways because she was older.

Kouyama Mitsuki – One might argue Yoru’s relationship with the other Shinigami foreshadowed their meeting and helping Mitsuki. Her name parallel’s  Yoru’s surname: “Full Moon” and “Lunar Eclipse.” (or ‘eating the moon’ in Japanese.) They never officially meet but one might argue in the anime they did unofficially as Mitsuki watched Meroko’s journey into the underworld and sang along with her...

____

Life before becoming a Shinigami: Gesshoku Yoru was born in the late 1960s. She was the eldest daughter of an upper-middle class Japanese family. She had one younger brother. Her father worked for a corporate company and he and his family were well-liked by their community. They would throw extravagant holiday parties that Yoru looked forward to every year. The family was close within itself as well and Yoru’s parents doted on her and her brother. Yoru’s father occasionally traveled for work and sometimes brought his family with him. When Yoru was a young teenager she accompanied him to England. Already interested all things dark and spooky she took a liking to the budding gothic fashion and took this interest back with her to Japan.

While the family was close, however, Yoru had difficulty maintaining relationships with her peers. Many of her friendships felt superficial, too polite and/or distant. Yoru suspected the friends she had hung around due to her parents’ job and money. They certainly weren’t interested in any of her passions, least of all her dark/gothic fashion, finding it eccentric and a little creepy.

Yoru lived with her family until young adulthood where she eventually moved into her own apartment. Her parents encouraged this and had money saved for her to live on while she made a start in the world. Yoru lived by herself, further isolating her from potential relationships. Far enough away she couldn’t visit home casually, Yoru looked forward to the family parties: the few times she felt she really belonged.

During the summer of her first year on her own Yoru’s family died while on vacation. The vacation home they were renting caught fire. This devastated Yoru: she’d been looking forward to the yearly Halloween party more than anything else. To make matters worse, shortly after their deaths the company her father worked for was charged with fraud, of which her father participated. When word of this got out the scandal stained her family name and those whom Yoru remained in contact with cut her out completely.

Yoru took her own life early on Halloween. Desperate to bring back her warm memories in some way Yoru tried to host her family’s Halloween party anyway, throwing herself into decorating (as best she could) and sending out invitations. No one RSVP’d. Distraught and alone she visited her empty home that night, hoping guests would show up anyway. They didn’t.  Authorities found her the next day, crumpled on the steps in the front room. She was twenty-one. Cause of death: an overdose of sleeping pills she’d been taking nightly following the death of her family.

____

Life as a Shinigami: Yoru hatched as an amnesiac fledgling, a little girl of six or seven. She was greeted by Sheldan and the tiny Meroko Yui. Yoru took a lot of convincing to come out of her shell—literally and figuratively. Eventually the two brought Yoru to their headquarters where she was given a room and new clothes. Though she wouldn’t remember why, Yoru took a liking to the bat accessories as well as her gothic-victorian dresses. She took a liking to Meroko too. The pink-haired girl was her first earnest, honest friend and that planted the seed for a crush that would one day develop into unrequited love. Sometime before Izumi showed up both grew a tiny pair of wings: feathered for Meroko and bat for Yoru. Yoru was self-conscious about her wings from the start but Meroko encouraged her to embrace them (they suited her well!) Yoru uses her surname for two reasons: as a fledging, her fascination with western culture lingered. Also, the scandal and trauma tied to her family name is what ultimately led to her death. Sheldan decided it might trigger her memory, so chose her given name for her instead.  

Yoru and Meroko were there to greet Izumi, alongside Sheldan, although he didn’t warm up to them right away. Rather Izumi grew to be a pain in Yoru’s side, particularly when he started teasing/picking on/favoring Meroko. He even picked a nickname for her (‘Me-chan’) which to Yoru seemed like a variation of the one she’d given Merko.

Sometime later Sheldan took another Fledgling Shinigami under his wing: a little boy named Takuto. Quiet and smaller than the others he reminded Yoru of herself. She befriended Takuto and tried to make him feel welcome. Subconsciously he also reminded her of her brother and slipping into the big sister role again shed the rest of her shell. Soon enough Takuto shed his own shyness; he never grew wings, however and Yoru found this odd.

As the four Fledglings grew older Sheldan assigned them “junior” missions, pairing them off to see who worked best together. Yoru and Takuto struggled during this period and so when they started working on legitimate missions both trainees were permanently assigned to their more successful peers. Yoru worked with Meroko and Izumi with Takuto.

Yoru did not find success as a Shinigami: her bat wings and ears frightened children; some protested going with her and it in turn caused trouble for Sheldan. This upset Yoru greatly who wanted to succeed. Overtime she started resenting her appearance and slowly obsessed over why she grew bat wings instead of feathers. She began wondering if the answer lay in her human life. Her friends warned her to let it go before it became dangerous…but Yoru’s repeated almost-failures swayed her over their concerns. Yoru in part didn’t mind any would-be consequences; at this point she realized for sure however much Meroko loved her it would never be in a romantic way. That hurt more than any lost soul under her duty.

Yoru at first hid her investigation from her friends; Izumi was the first to clue into what she was doing. He didn’t confront her at first as he had his own secrets. When Yoru’s memories start to came back she hid this as well, along with what was happening to her.

Sometime before Yoru’s death Takuto was sent back to training. After she disappeared Izumi became Meroko’s replacement partner. Out of respect for Yoru and perhaps disgust/disappointment no one else remembered her he kept Meroko at a distance for a long time. Eventually he asked Sheldan to dissolve their team and Meroko became Takuto’s partner.

Though Yoru never received a definite answer by the end of her life she suspected she has bat wings for three reasons: 1) she’s always been interested in the spooky/gothic aesthetic and in some ways felt defined by it. 2) her human memories and sense of self revolved strongly around her parents’ holiday parties. She was looking forward to their Halloween party before they died and left the world mourning it alongside her family. 3) She died on Halloween.

When all of Yoru’s memories returned she conceded to becoming a ghost: there was nothing for her in the human world, nothing in the way of love and no career as a Shinigami. She intended to die alone but Izumi followed her and towards the very end of her life made his presence known. They held one last conversation and made some semblance of peace with one another.

Yoru’s strong feelings—both of love and pain--prevented her from turning into a traditional ghost. Instead her soul rooted itself in the underworld, transforming into the Flower of Forgetfulness which greatly resembled the flower on her hat. Her spirit lurked around it and her suffering manifested itself as dangerous obstacles for any who tried to retrieve it. True to her last name, the flower bloomed only during the Lunar Eclipse…and true to the flower, her childhood friends and supervising Shinigami lost their memories of her. Nonetheless, she left such a strong impression on them, a sense of something warm and lost and it might be why they rally around a girl named after the full moon.

In the anime storyline, when Meroko seeks out the Flower of  Forgetfulness Yoru’s wounded spirit attacks her, trying to push her and the painful memories she triggers away. With Mitsuki’s help, Meroko prevails and when she plucks the flower free she frees Yoru’s soul as well. Picking the flower also restores everyone’s memories of Yoru although they would not realize it until sometime later…

Yoru’s spirit subconsciously follows Meroko to the human world: before the now-angel!Meroko flies away she spots her childhood friend, in tattered clothes and without wings or bat ears. Because she is an angel now Meroko can see ghosts (traditional shinigami cannot.) Meroko and Yoru run towards each other, tears in their eyes. They embrace and apologize—Yoru for losing faith in her best friend and Meroko for forgetting her.

Meroko uses her new angel magic to give Yoru a new outfit: black and gothic but mirroring Meroko’s new look. She takes Yoru’s hand and the two leave the world together.

[jack-kellys]

thank u, next

HEY it’s me with another installment of the “wait... ??!! !?” AU!

previous chapters: 1 (x) 2 (x) and 3 (x)

LAST time on TU,N, race revealed what little he could of his past, and al was sucked more extremely if you will into race’s...plan. scheme. something. who knows. it’s me I know heheh

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words: 2500

warnings: cursing, NSFW jokes, mush (YEAH HE’S HERE) is a med student if that helps

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Four

“How do you know he ain’t just a hookup?”

Al rolled his eyes at Mush’s question. They’d just finished their last class of the day, Albert having told him all about Race. Or, well, all that he could without mentioning the tiny part where he was born in 1880 and yet still here.

“It’s more than a feeling this time, okay?” Albert sighed, giving Mush a nudge. “I’m serious.”

“Yeah, but guess what you said last time? The same thing. And the time before that? Also the same thing,” Mush said, his knowing look causing Al to deflate slightly. “Look, I just want you to be careful this time, okay? I know you.”

“Fuck off, Meyers,” Albert said, no real heat behind it. “You knew with Blink, right?”

“And you know that Blink is god-tier to any loser you could pick up, Red,” Mush smirked, letting out a pained laugh when Al necked him at the nickname.

“Just watch, okay? Look. I have a date with him tonight, like a real one—a dinner thing. That confirms that he ain’t just a hookup, right? I made it clear what I wanted, he made it clear what he wanted,” Al shrugged, then scoffed at himself. “That’s already one step ahead of past me.”

Mush shook his head with a sad smile. “You are just so, so lovesick, about everyone, all the time. It’s really...sad,” he said, smile still present.

“I’m also so, so angry with you, all the time,” Al growled, “because you suck.”

“Ah, but you love me.” Mush pat Albert’s shoulder lightly, raising his eyebrows.

“....Yeah, asshole,” Al muttered. Mush laughed, hugging his arm around Albert until they had to part ways.

“In all seriousness, dude,” Mush said, stopping them at the corner. He placed both hands on Al’s shoulders, looking him in the eyes. “No more bruises, literal or metaphorical. Okay?”

“Okay, sheesh,” Al chuckled, then cleared his throat as Mush’s rather dark expression remained. “Seriously. No more, I swear.”

Mush’s face brightened instantly. “Great! Have fun tonight, man!” He waved as he started walking up the street.

“You’re really not gonna graduate with that fucked up bedside manner, doc,” Al called up to him. When Mush turned back around to flip him off, he took that as his cue to leave. He had to pick up Race in an hour anyway.

•••

“It’s good to know you own more than sweatshirts and flannels, DaSilva. I’m proud, really,” Race teased, leaning on his door frame after he’d opened the door for Al.

Albert gaped at him a second, then scoffed with a slight smile. “I clean up nice for ya, and I get a damn joke. Okay, date cancelled, flannel will be reinstated shortly.”

“No!” Race whined, latching himself to Al’s arm. “No, you look really cute, I promise. Let’s go eat, c’mon.”

“Thank you,” Al said pointedly, glancing over Race and managing to keep his heart from skipping a beat at the mere sight of him. “You look good too, by the way, in case you weren’t sure.”

Race whapped his arm as they walked out of the complex. “Oh thanks,” he snorted, grinning. “Now, this is my favorite italian restaurant in the city, and I’m big-time italian. So get your mouth ready for some good food.”

“You have no idea how many jokes just went through my head, oh my god, it’s blinding,” Albert cringed.

“Oh come on, I gave you ‘italian’ and ‘mouth’ in the same sentence for a reason. Shoot,” Race encouraged, a mischievous look gracing his face.

“Don’t kill me,” Al prefaced.

“You of all people should know I love dirty talk,” Race said, bouncing his eyebrows as Albert rolled his eyes, blushing.

“Okay, okay, here’s the first one I thought of: my mouth has already had my favorite italian.”

Race smiled sarcastically. “Aww, I’m your favorite.”

“Then there’s also: my mouth is always ready for my favorite Italian.”

“Yeah, it really is,” Race smirked, pecking Albert on the lips.

Albert smiled gently, lacing his hand with Race’s the rest of the way to the restaurant, not missing the sentimental glance Race sent towards their hands.

Race’s excitement only seemed to grow as they finally stepped inside the place. Chatter was heard from every table, a low buzz of enjoyment coming from every inch of the room. It was smaller in size than Albert expected, finding himself smiling at how homey it was.

“This is...really nice,” Albert hummed as a waiter led them to a two-person table.

“Well, sure,” Race shrugged, sitting himself opposite Al with a lopsided smile on his face. “It’s nothin’ fancy, but I really like it.”

“It’s nice for that exact reason, Racer. It’s very you, like, you would like this place.” Albert rolled his eyes fondly, glancing around the atmosphere. A hole in the wall italian place that seemed hipster but was definitely old as hell. Definitely Race.

The night wore on slowly, Albert thankful for every minute. Race seemed to be having a great time—at least, he was smiling a lot at dumb shit Al or himself said. His blue eyes would crinkle up when he laughed, a grin splitting his lips every time, no matter how big or small the smile was. He’d shake his head slightly, too, and lean back in his chair with the most perfectly carefree expression Albert had ever seen. He could watch Race laugh for a lifetime, he decided against his better judgement.

“So, Albie,” Race said, leaning forward again and placing his chin on his hand, “lemme know more about you besides the fact that you’re funny as fuck, oh my god.”

“I’m moderately amusing, yeah,” Al shrugged, half-smiling when Race gave him a scoff, then gesturing for Al to continue.

“Well you already know I’m a design major, and I like building stuff—oh, I build sets for shows my school does. That’s kinda cool.”

“That’s super cool, correction,” Race gasped, eyes bugging slightly. “Build or design, too?”

“I help design sometimes, yeah. Guy named Jack Kelly usually is the main designer. He’s really got an eye for connecting design to whatever the show’s content is. I jus’ like building the shit mostly.” Al smiled at the thought of how late Jack was probably keeping himself up that night—they were just starting on a straight play and Albert’s phone had already buzzed with more than a few texts from him, probably all with vague ideas in caps lock.

“Jeez, that must be so amazing. I love shows, holy shit, like I’m such a bootleg bitch,” Race giggled, Albert laughing at the term Race had used for himself.

“‘Bootleg bitch’,” Al sighed. “You would be. Thing is, I’m not super into shows themselves..? Haven’t found one that I really felt yet.”

“What?” Race leaned back again, face screwed up in a baffled expression. “God, every show I watch hits me in the like, first ten minutes.”

“I only know the ones I’ve done, so maybe that’s why. But I have done them since high school, so,” Al shrugged, apologetic. “Dunno, hun.”

“Then I’ll get you into one!” Race’s expression seemed to brighten at the thought, Albert blushing at how adorable he looked. “I mean. Well, I’ll just have to find one for you.”

“Guess you will, bootleg bitch,” Al snorted as Race tried to hit him from across their small table.

“Oh, shut up! I’ve lived in New York longer than literally anyone on the planet, I can’t not be into shows,” Race huffed.

“You should see mine when it’s up, then,” Albert said.

Race seemed to stiffen, and Al mentally slapped himself. That was so forward, at least two months into the future. He didn’t even know if this relationship would last more than a week, let alone two entire months. It didn’t seem like a long time, but it was for Al.

Albert tore his gaze away from the table to meet Race’s eyes again. A sad, but knowing smile was on his face.

“I would really love to, Albie,” he said softly.

“Really?” Albert asked, not truly believing Race. He probably just felt bad for him.

“Really. I would really, really like to,” Race nodded, reaching his hand over the table to hold Al’s.

Albert smiled at their hands together, tan and pale intermingling into one mixed shape. Maybe there was hope for him yet in the relationship department.

•••

Going back to Race’s was an entire other reward, consisting of more talking with bits of making out swirled in between, Race’s lips still able to make his brain short-circuit every time they kissed.

Race had just pushed Albert down onto the couch, Al’s hands gripping at Race’s hips as the blond’s hand travelled up under Al’s shirt. Race slowed himself a bit, moving his lips to lazily kiss at Albert’s neck and lowering himself on top of him.

“That date was really nice, Tony,” Albert murmured, arching himself slightly up towards Race’s mouth. “Real cute, real...real.”

“What’s that mean?” Race popped his head, Al having to raise his eyes to meet his gaze. He didn’t really want to though, biting his lip slightly in hesitation as he realized what he had said.

“I...um,” Al huffed out a slight laugh, attempting to lighten the air that suddenly felt dense. “It’s not like I haven’t been out to dinner with a partner before or anything. ‘Cause I have. Just...not like that.”

“Al, like what?” Race pressed, tired smile slipping off his face.

Albert shrugged, pushing himself up straighter. “I dunno. Been a while since I left a date like that feeling good, y’know? I don’t normally get lucky in this department—the, uh, relationship kind.” Heart beating faster, he averted his gaze further as Race’s eyes only saddened.

Relationships had always been a taboo topic for Albert, family ties included. His mother had died in his youth, a hit and run, and Al’s dad had lost himself in the grief too far, eventually turning to taking it out in his children. All three got out of the house eventually, the youngest living with the oldest when Al went to college.

And even during his wreckage of his family, romantic relations weren’t much better. Girlfriends would call him too guarded, not emotionally present and yell at him; boyfriends would call him weak, say he needed to be stronger, push him around and mock him. He couldn’t win. He had never won.

“And then...shit, this is gonna sound cheesy, but then I met you,” Albert laughed quietly after recounting a few choice pieces of his history. “You actually respect me for..me.”

Race’s hands ghosted over his mouth to mask his shock. “Albert,” he breathed with watery voice and eyes, “I had no idea. I’m so sorry, you don’t know the half of it, oh my god…”

“Race, it’s okay, really,” Al smiled, reaching out to brush his thumb over his cheek. “It ain’t your fault.”

Race seemed to come back to himself. “Yeah. Yeah, you just really don’t deserve this—that. I’m sorry you had to go through that, love,” he said, folding Albert into a hug. “I...I’m here now. Catch your break, hun.”

“Thanks,” Albert sighed, pushing his head into the crook of Race’s neck. He chuckled lightly. “You’re doing real wonders for me, y’know.”

Albert felt Race’s grip tighten around him before one of his hands started rubbing methodically up and down his back, up and down, up and down, up and down…

“I think I’m slippin’ into a food coma from all that Italian and feelings,” Albert yawned, snuggling further into Race and hearing him laugh softly.

“Okay baby, let’s go sleep. It’s late anyway, and that was a lotta pasta,” Race admitted, yawning as well. His hand kept rhythmically moving up and down Albert’s back, making his eyelids even harder to keep open, dimly feeling his grip on Race losen.

“What’re y’doin’ to me?” Al murmured as Race stood them up, hand not leaving the redhead’s back. “Y’got...magic hands.”

Race laughed again, this time with a slight nervous lilt that Albert would have caught if his head wasn’t suddenly so bleary.

“Yeah, that ain’t the first time you’ve said that to me, sweetie,” Race whispered in Al’s ear with a giggle, Albert blushing. He leaned up to kiss Race, wobbly knees be damned. Warmth like hot tea spreading through his body as Race reciprocated his affections, lips moving against lips.

After a few hazy moments, Albert pulled away. “Think I’m in love w’ you, Racey,” he mumbled, eyes still closed. “You’re absolutely perfect.”

“You’re tired,” Race said like he was deciding the fact, although Albert could picture his small smile anyway. A new layer of exhaustion laid itself over him like a heavy blanket, making him yawn again.

“Yeahhh,” Albert sighed, leaning heavier into Race’s arms as they fell onto his bed. “ I am.”

Albert felt Race curl around him after the covers were pulled up, arms wrapping around his stomach, continuing to rub. Al hummed his approval, cuddling sleepily into the embrace more than he’d admit.

“Goodnight, love,” Race whispered, almost hesitant, but Al could hear the truth behind it. He felt Race kiss the back of his neck gently.

“G’nigh’, Race,” Al sighed lightly, eyes closing again as his brain quickly drifted off. In his dreams, he relived the only perfect date he’d ever had. Wait till he told Mush—no bruises.

•••

Race felt a little bad for sending Albert into sleep like that. Technically against his will, too, although it was late and pretty appropriate.

But he needed to think.

He had never wanted to stall before Al happened. It was strange, wanting to stay with someone, and not just out of fear of hurting them later. He was pretty sure he loved Albert, too, and it was terrifying after decades of not feeling that way about anyone.

It wasn’t only terrifying, he supposed. It was definitely freeing, which was new, and he couldn’t help but absolutely love it. After believing to love was to be trapped (which he technically was), for what felt like forever, it was exciting and invigorating to spring out of the box he felt he’d been kept in for so long. It was wonderful, it was fun, Albert was wonderful, Albert was fun, and...Race didn’t want it to end.

And that was not allowed.

Race pressed himself closer to Albert, as if that could protect him from the chain of events that had started the moment they had made eye contact. Maybe Race could stall, at least a few more weeks. Albert deserved the love Race was more than willing to give him, especially after the kinds of relationships Al had said he’d been in before this one. He wanted to be more than that for him, rather than become another piece of Albert’s broken past. He wanted Albert more than anyone who had come before him, and Al seemed to want him back. Even if Race knew much of Albert’s feelings were orchestrated, there were lots of parts that were real: his humor, his thoughtfulness, his protectiveness were all there. And at least part of his love just had to be real. Race was powerful in that area, sure, that was his whole thing, but there were some things he couldn’t fake.

And, he decided, those things were worth stalling for.

Albert did probably love him. And he loved Albert, whether he could or not. He’d stall until Hell bit at his heels.

—————

this was kind of a filler chapter, but I hope it made it a little more clear with how things stand ;)

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[blujaydoodles]

SO! At the request of @songbased and seconded by @talceles, I’ve answered all fifty of these OC questions :O A small handful also have doodles in the answers, which is part of what took me so long!

1. Your first OC ever?

The first OC I can still remember really well, the first OC that was really close to my heart and ended up with a bit of a story, was Sanju, my shapeshifter boyo. And you can tell I really love you because I went to my old DA and dug up the oldest drawing I could find of him just for you:

He was a darkling, a species I invented that could only shapeshift under the cover of darkness; he was always pale with gold eyes and black [hair, fur, feathers, scales, etc], and he kept his piercings in every form that had ears-- although, he doesn’t have them in this drawing! So maybe that was a later idea? He’s an easy-going fellow, mischievous and sticky-fingered but good hearted. He’s sort of Idri’s spiritual ancestor in a lot of personality ways. Actually, I’ve thought he’d be really fun to play as a DnD character, if I could figure out a balanced way to do Darklings for 5e

2. Do you have a personal favourite among your OCs?

Listen. For the longest time, I really didn’t. Once I had a few DnD campaigns going I loved them all more or less equally, in different ways, but……… listen. It’s Elyss, of course it is, you know this. I mean it’s close, but still. I love all my kids very much but Elyss has ended up very near and dear to me.

3. Have you ever adopted a character or gotten a character from someone else?

My gut instinct was to rattle off all the characters I’ve described very genuinely as “my child” but then I realized that’s not what this is asking, haha. Nope!

4. A character you rarely talk about?

I was going to say my sweet and very neglected baby Milo, but I actually end up talking about him a lot in other questions, so let me tell you about Melliwyk, who I’ve talked about almost none on here apparently??

Mel is a gnome arcanist (and archaeologist and historian because of the nature of her research) who has dedicated her life to rediscovering or reinventing the lost art of item enchantment in a world that is missing a huge chunk of its own history. Very much a mad scientist, she’s known for pushing the limits of her surroundings, her tools, and her own body in calculated risks taken while performing her experiments. The problem with her calculations is that she’s willing to risk a lot more than the people around her are entirely comfortable with. She has permanent lichtenberg-figure-scars running up her left (dominant) arm, apparently incurable magical narcolepsy, and shortly before the campaign began she blew something up and lost her entire spellbook in the fire-- all results of backfired experiments, but she only regrets that last one.

She spent a number of years holed up alone to focus all of her time and energy into conducting research and designing experiments-- so, she still has a habit of “rubber duck coding” by going through all her thought processes aloud to her familiar, Baxter, even when he’s not actually around. 

5. If you could make only one of your OCs popular/known, who would it be?

You know, I approached this from a lot of different angles and genuinely couldn’t decide for a long time, and then I had the thought ‘if I had a Popular Character I would get fan art of them’ and as much as art of any of my characters makes me cry, art of Elyss would make me cry the most, so,

6. Two OCs of yours that look alike despite not being related?

I apparently..... forgot how to draw Nyssa orz but curly gingerish hair, freckles galore, very green eyes, slightly goofy teeth (not pictured) ... basically Milo has a lot of features that are personally appealing to me and I went ahead and dumped all of them into Nyssa as well, ahaha

7. Are your OCs part of any story or stories?

Mmm, well, not really. I mean, DnD is a storytelling medium, of course, but outside of that context, no, not since the vague story ideas I had had for Sanju back in the day-- I’m not very good at story, to be honest :’D

8. Do you RP as any of your OCs? If you do, introduce one of your RP OCs here!

All of my currently active OCs are DnD characters, so by definition, preeetty much all of them! Hahaha. So, how about Juniper?

Juniper was brought up in a small rural village by her grandmother and aunt, both venerable druids-- but left at a young age to pursue a cartography apprenticeship in the capital city. Now a journeyman cartographer, she’s traveling the world to personally survey the land for her planned masterwork: the world’s most complete, accurate, and beautiful atlas. Things became... complicated, to say the least, when she befriended some escaped slaves and a planar-displaced aarakocra, all of whom she wants dearly to help however she can. The problem is, her only real skill (as far as she’s concerned) is making maps.

9. Would you ever be willing to give any of your OCs to someone else?

No ;A; I put too much into character creation and get Real Attached; my OCs feel pretty personal. Even having my characters’ family come up as NPCs in game has sometimes felt a little weird, even though that’s what they were actually designed for, lol.

10. Introduce an OC with a complicated design?

As a lazy artist I tend to avoid super complicated designs lol, but I think Kiele is the most in terms of just things that make her Hard To Draw for me personally? Her skin glows like burning coals, which almost necessitates drawing her in full color any time I draw her and is not something I’m super great at coloring yet; Her hair needs to look like actual hair but at the same time be reminiscent of fire; how brightly she’s burning depends on a lot of factors; and I still haven’t figured out exactly how to make a scar look convincingly like a scar while being a completely different color than scars in real life :’D (the scar also glows more brightly when she’s doing magic... I guess it’s probably just a deep red otherwise? HMM)

11. Is there any OC of yours you could describe as a "sunshine"

I was gonna do a new doodle for this q but then I remembered how happy this little drawing of Idri made me, my precious beeb c: She’s super energetic, outgoing, and upbeat; she just wants to explore the world and help people and make new friends and make people happy and have a Good Time 

Other candidates: Juniper, who is maybe a little too neurotic to get the top spot here but is Warm and Good and Just Wants To Help; Nyssa, who is always in a good mood and is kind of like the person version of napping in a nice sunny meadow after a delicious picnic; and Milo, who is cheerful and friendly and whom Idri takes after quite a bit

Funnily enough, Kiele has picked up the nickname ‘Sunshine’ from a fellow party member, but actually she’s honestly just an asshole, lmao

12. Name an OC that isn't yours but who you like a lot

OH JEEZ where to BEGIN! All my friends have such good characters you guys ;n;

But I’ve loved @miazaz‘s boy Zetsuri for, like, almost a decade (jesus). He’s a demonic trickster who is very, very beautiful and very, very Chaotic.

The most recent doodle of him I’ve done, lol. They could be talking about anyone, honestly.

13. Do you have any troublemaker OCs?

Definitely Kiele. Aside from the volatile combo of fire powers and rage issues, she also A) is the kind of person to decide she hates you and use her considerable charisma (and/or fire) to ruin your life, and B) the kind of person who causes trouble if she’s bored or not getting enough attention...

14. Introduce an OC with a tragic backstory

Actually, that would be Milo, my fallen angel. There are some details I never quite hammered out, and a lot of things I’d like to revisit now, but the gist of it was: Milo was an angel in the Holy Choir, but he wanted to be a Guardian. When he was finally given the opportunity, on one of his first assignments he made some bad calls that lead to not only the untimely death of his charge but also a couple of bystanders. It was an accident, but it was still serious enough that he was banished forever to the mortal world. He manages to hide it pretty well most of the time, but it left him with PTSD on top of a permanent feeling of being incomplete, having had his connection to the divine severed completely.

15. Do you like to talk about your OCs with other people?

*chinhands* Please talk to me about my OCs........

16. Which one of your OCs would be the best at biology (school subject)?

That would be Juniper! She was raised among traditional healers, so she already has a decent foundational knowledge of human anatomy, botany, ecology, etc. I think Elyss would also do quite well, and probably Melliwyk as well-- although, she’d be better at physics and chemistry.

17. Any OC OTPs?

........... don’t worry about it

18. Any OC crackships?

On a long car ride one time boyfriend and I were RPing random characters and Nyssa, who is very sweet and loving and gentle to everyone she meets, managed to coax/flirt Jermaine out of his shell a bit, and it was kind of silly but really fun ;D

I would ship/ crackship Nyssa with almost anyone, though, tbqh; she pairs like chocolate

19. Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why)

Elyss is a water genasi in a land where genasi are all but unheard of; she grew up shunned and isolated, and when she was old enough she left home and spent the next decade or so alone in the woods, learning and honing hunting and survival skills that have made her an invaluable scout and deadly predator. When conflict in the continent drove her out of isolation, she joined The Darkwind Regiment in hopes of ending it to make the world safe again for her family, but integrating into society (and an adventuring party) has proven challenging after a lifetime of developing absolutely no social skills...

Elyss is my first DnD character, created for a campaign that’s coming up on its third anniversary. I think at least some of my fondness comes from just that: I’ve had her the longest, so I’ve gotten to know her the best. Aside from that, a lot of how she has developed as a person (or how the campaign has pushed her) I think just... triggers so much empathy in me that I feel particularly loving and protective in response? She’s terribly lonely. She gets deeply attached to people, but she’s spent all of her life being unwanted by almost everyone around her, so she mostly believes that the people she loves the most (aside from family) don’t feel the same way. She puts a lot of effort into being useful enough to keep around, so that she can continue to be in a position to protect and provide for her friends.

I built a lot of problems into her in a way that was, at the time, designed very hopefully-- problems that I thought would be addressed and challenged by Doing An Adventure in a way that would lead to positive growth (or things I just thought would be fun/ funny). Unfortunately, most of the Big Things that have happened and the way they’ve played out so far have only made her worse-- she’s now deeply paranoid, actively avoids opening up to new people, and desperately afraid of losing what little she has, to an unhealthy extent. On the positive side, though, she is at least finally coming around to believing some of her friends do actually like her... even though by all accounts her Issues are making her more and more unlikeable >__>;;

20. Do any of your OCs sing? If they sing, care to share more details (headcanon voice, what kind of songs they like etc)?

Actually! Elyss is a really good singer! Her mother is an excellent singer and storyteller, so she gets it from her. She has a very smooth, soft alto voice and prefers melodic and flowing folksongs, lullabies, songs with a lot of interweaving/ harmonizing parts, that sort of thing. However, she sings pretty rarely, and never intentionally within earshot of anyone else-- but, on the other hand, she has a very old habit of quietly singing or humming when it rains which is so much second-nature that she genuinely doesn’t notice she’s doing it anymore. If anyone ever pointed it out to her or asked about it she’d be very embarrassed.

Nyssa is a fair singer with a soft, effortless mezzo soprano voice; she sings very often, mostly just little snippets of this or that, but prefers playing her pipes and/or dancing if there’s actual music happening.

Milo is an almost supernaturally excellent singer with a clear, sweet tenor voice (mostly; he also has a startling breadth of range). He may be a fallen angel, but he was in THE choir. He sings karaoke every Tuesday and Thursday and does every kind of genre you can think of but mostly just fucks around-- people are always pretty shocked when he actually makes an effort.

Juniper knows a lot of very old Druidic folk songs, and is willing to sing along in a reedy mezzo soprano, but she gets nervous and wouldn’t want to be the only person singing. Aubree’s a rowdy, rough-cut contralto who loves a good drinking song, rebel song, or both. Kiele can carry a tune but isn’t really the singing type. Tsakesh only sings when he’s drinking, a slightly pitchy tenor. Idri is an awful singer but that sure as hell doesn’t stop her. Mel doesn’t sing.

21. Your most artistic OC

Juniper, although she doesn’t seem like it. She approaches mapmaking as an artistic as well as a scientific endeavor, and she takes it very seriously. However, she’s not really very good at drawing anything else.

On the other hand, both Idri and Melliwyk are excellent draftsmen, but only because I have headcanonned that gnomish culture treats drawing as a core skill, taught in school alongside handwriting and math-- neither of them considers herself an artist, it’s just a functional skill (very useful for scientist Mel, and almost worthless to Circus Rogue Idri)

Oh, I almost forgot! Besides music, Nyssa also likes to whittle! Mostly little animal figurines or, like, little boxes with flowers carved into them, things like that. She gets more joy out of making them than having them, so she likes to give them all away :)

22. Is there any OC of yours people tend to mischaracterize? If yes, how?

Kiele, a fire genasi, has been repeatedly described as being literally on fire-- and, I mean, she is fairly regularly, but never when someone has described her as such, lol. Her hair is flamey colors, but it’s just hair! She’s also, I think, been mistaken for a good person by at least one other PC, and I’m both excited and sad for the day she realizes how incorrect that is

Elyss’s feelings and behaviors get misconstrued a lot, I think. Mostly that’s expected-- she’s got a lot of complicated feelings and a negative charisma modifier-- but a couple of times I’ve been genuinely surprised at how other people appeared to have read a situation with her based on how they talked about it out of character later

Honorable mention: one time in an rp board, I described Milo as having a ‘boyish face’-- another person then described him in their post as ‘the man child’. Yikes....

23. Introduce OC that has changed from your first idea concerning what the character would be like?

Juniper was designed to be Milo Thatch but with maps except aaay I rewatched Atlantis and he actually is a cartographer also, lol. Not that that’s not... necessarily still true, but it’s not as prominent as how much she turned out to be A Mom, which I had no idea about her at all until I started playing her? She’s very caring, sometimes to a fault; it’s become probably her most defining trait, but was never planned for originally. But the funniest change is that, before we started playing, I was convinced she and Justin’s aarakocra wouldn’t get along? But then in game she adopted him the instant he arrived and that’s her son now?? 

24. If you could meet one OC of yours, who would it be and why?

*aggressively loves and supports my girl*

... although, to be honest, aside from the opportunity to heap her in blankets and hot drinks, Elyss is probably not really my best choice here; we don’t have much in common and as much I as love her I don’t imagine she’d like me very much, lol. So, probably Idri? She’d be a ball to hang out with. I feel like having Idri at one of my friends’ get togethers make it the best party ever, hahaha

25. The OC that resembles you the most (same hobby, height, shared like/dislike for something etc?)

Juniper and I both: 

* are outdoorsy, awkward nerds * are ravenpuffs * assume the best in everyone until proven otherwise * resolve conflict by avoiding it at any cost * want to adopt every stray and every orphaned wild animal in the world * have no idea how to dress ourselves * very emotional and anxious but Trying

26. Have you ever had to change your OC's design or something else about them against your will?

Ooohoho man, no but Melliwyk was this close to becoming a half dragon in the last session and she’s super pissed about all the missed opportunities surrounding that whole scenario (I, however, am mostly relieved)

27. Any OCs that were inspired by a certain song?

Ah, no, not really!

28. Your most dangerous OC?

That....... depends a lot on how you look at what makes a person dangerous, but um. Kiele is violently temperamental, has wild magic, makes snap judgement calls, and likes to solve all her problems with arson, so. She’s the most dangerous to just be around in general, lol

29. Which one of your OCs would go investigate an abandoned house at night without telling anyone they're going?

Melliwyk, hands down. Ordinarily she’d want someone with her because of her narcolepsy, but recently she’s of the opinion that some people can’t be trusted not to impede her research, so she’s a lot more willing to just risk it

Tsakesh would also be inclined to do this-- as long as the house didn’t also have a reputation for being haunted

30. Which one of your OCs would most likely have a secret stuffed animal collection?

Oh, definitely Idri. We recently went to her hometown, and she for sure went in and kicked all her toys under the bed before showing anyone her room, but then went back by herself later to put them all back and apologize.

31. Pick one OC of yours and explain what their tumblr blog would be like (what they reblog, layout, anything really)

Aubree’s blog would consist mostly of cute animal and social justice reblogs-- the latter almost always with her own Very Strong Feelings added to the thread, with invitations to ‘fucking fight me’ wherever applicable. Ignores or mocks anon hate, but is embarrassingly easily baited into arguments. She has it connected to her Instagram, through which she posts a lot of photos of her boar, Truffles, pics of meals in progress/ plated meals she’s cooked, and the occasional drunk selfie (either group shots with friends or post-brawl with a black eye and split lip and a brief comment on what, exactly, the other party did to deserve it). She’s only vaguely aware that her blog exists off the dashboard; the theme is the tumblr default.

32. Which one of your OCs would be the most suitable horror game protagonist and why?

I gotta confess, I’m too much of a weenie to play horror games, so I’m not really sure what qualities would make a good horror protag >__> I feel like it also depends partly on what kind of horror game ? Is it Spooky? Is it Gorey? Is it Psychological Thriller? I don’t have a good answer for this one ^^;;

33. Your shyest OC?

Mmmmm, I mean, Juniper, probably? I wouldn’t necessarily describe any of my OCs as shy-- they’re mostly outgoing and personable, or at least unconcerned with others’ opinions of them.

I once had a very shy satyr boy named Ix, but even at the time I did almost nothing with him besides doodles, and he’s very much fallen to the wayside

34. Do you have any twin characters?

Waaaay back in the day, these were the other characters in the vague outline of a concept I had for Sanju’s story; the woman he loved, and her brother who despised him. Technically, Tsakesh also has a twin sister, but I haven’t.... given very much thought to her or the rest of his family, to be honest ^^;

35. Any sibling characters?

Both Elyss and Aubree have siblings, but they’re all NPCs-- Aubree’s family hasn’t even come up yet in game, but I have given them quite a lot of thought.

36. Do you have OC pairs where the other part belongs to someone else (siblings, lovers, friends etc)?

Well, aside from ‘they’re all in DnD campaigns where everyone belongs to other people’, ummm, Kiele has hooked up with both of that campaign’s guest characters so far, which probably counts? lol. I haven’t done sibling OCs or gotten an OC romance with anyone else yet, though.

37. Introduce an OC who is not quite human

lol oh my god I mean, Juniper is my only human, so... I guess Nyssa counts the most in this context, though.

Nyssa is a satyr who, until very recently, lived in a small, tight knit community of satyrs in a deeply secluded area of woodland. She was sent out into the world at the behest of her patron, the archfey guardian of her flock; having never left the woodlands before, she’s joyously experiencing everything for the first time, but she’s also extremely naive as a result. At the advice of the wood elves who would occasionally visit the flock, she’s attempting to pass herself off as An Ordinary Person-- but her fey features are, perhaps, just a little too odd for a mortal human(oid). Maybe if she told people she was an elf she’d do better-- but even with the right height and a bit of a beard, she looks nothing like a dwarf, which is what she’s been claiming to be when people ask.

38. Which one of your OCs would be the best dancer?

Definitely Kiele! Nyssa does bring up a very close second, but she only dances for the joy of it-- raw and wild. Kiele has practiced specifically to perform, and knows exactly how to use her body to its best potential.

39. Introduce any character you want!

I’ve said almost nothing about Tsakesh in this one! So let me tell you about my good sneaky boi :3

Tsakesh is a khajiiti eldritch knight-- a stealth archer, specifically, because this is skyrim goddamn it and I love myself. He loves exploring old ruins, specifically intrigued by magical items and traps-- he loves examining the mechanisms behind traps and has, just through this fascination, become an expert at finding and disarming them. He was drawn to Skyrim by stories of ancient ruins filled with still-functioning mechanical guardians, but has had little chance to explore as he’s found himself accidentally caught up in daedric schemes with the fate of the world in the balance. Very aware of how khajiit are viewed outside of Elsweyr, he makes a specific point of being as friendly, helpful, nonthreatening, and cooperative as possible everywhere he goes-- partly in a hopeful attempt to at least put some dent in the bad reputation his kind have found themselves stuck with, and partly just as a survival strategy.

40. Any fond memories linked to your characters? Feel free to share!

This is gonna sound like a big ol cop out but honestly, since almost all of them are DnD characters, there are too many fond memories for me to think of any really good specific examples. I’ve spent a lot of amazing time with my wonderful friends and gotten to do all kinds of fun, cool, silly, ridiculous things with and through my characters. Getting to play Aubree in person, linking hands and crying together with other players through some really emotional moments and coming through victorious... that’s one night that particularly stands out.

41. Has anyone drawn fanart of your OCs? If yes, maybe show a picture or two here (remember sources & permissions!)

YES oh my god and I cry every single time!!! I wouldn’t call any of it ‘fan art’ per se I mean, it’s always just been my friends like ‘here I drew our characters’ but yeah I’ve had friends draw Juniper, Elyss, Aubree, Kiele, and Milo and I get.... so emotional... it’s the best thing in the world you guys ;~;

42. Which one of your OCs would be the most interested in Greek gods?

Probably Idri! She loves a good story, and good lord is Greek mythology full of em.

43. Do you have any certain type when you create your OCs? Do you tend to favour some certain traits or looks? It's time to confess

Literally all of my characters who don’t have freckles are a result of me consciously going ‘they can’t ALL have freckles....’ Ditto curly hair, ditto green eyes (Nyssa has all of these in spades, you’ll notice. She’s a very self indulgent character for me, haha). Either Very Tall or V Smol. Pointy ears gotta be Very Pierced.  High dex (even before DnD was in my life; I’d definitely describe Milo and Sanju as being dex-based, conceptually). Charismatic with a heart of gold. A lot of my characters are really outgoing and friendly, I think as a way for my introvert awkward anxious ass to be my best self vicariously I guess? haha. High levels of curiosity are pretty common, too (like, even Elyss has this trait actually, although this has been pretty severely suppressed by the fact that everything that happens to her makes her more paranoid and cautious >__>)

44. Something you like about your OCs in general

I’ve put a lot of charisma and self confidence into a lot of my characters, which has been super helpful and fun to rp for me, a shy awkward dorkass. Most of them are also really good people who are braver about it than I am. I love getting to play around in different headspaces and different personalities all the time, and most of my characters are Good Noodles so they’re generally good headspaces to be in. 

45. A character you no longer use?

I mean, Milo, about whom I’ve already talked quite a bit. I had also built a small cast of characters around him, most notably his best friend Javi (a demon with a mortal body). I never did much with Javi, but I thought about him a lot. He’s really interested in humanity and came to the mortal plane on a semipermanent basis specifically to get to know People, as a whole and individually, while they were still living. Tall, lanky, and extremely taciturn, he’s almost as opposite of the small and excitable Milo as possible-- the yin to his yang. He’s a Good Dude and I miss thinking and writing with him.

46. Has anyone ever told you that you treat your OCs badly?

I don’t think so? I think I trend rather nicer to my characters than most of my friends to be honest, haha. Very few Tragic Backstories here, and a lot of Hopeful Futures. Suffering can be fun, but only to sweeten the payoff of later happiness :) 

47. Has anyone ever (friendly) claimed any of your OCs as their child?

I don’t... really think so, actually? 

48. OC who is a perfect cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure

Juniper, my sweet innocent bb

49. Which one of your OCs would most likely enjoy memes

Oh jesus, definitely Idri. She’d be a meme goblin. She’s always there right at the genesis of a new meme and she always keeps them going long after they’ve overstayed their welcome. She sends them to everybody. She particularly loves the really bizarre, like, surrealist ones and any kind of meme mashup. 

50. Give me the good ol' OC talk here. Talk about anything you want

Here are a few concepts I’ve thought about but haven’t done much with yet: a human rogue who is actually a cat that was True Polymorphed by a drunk wizard; an air genasi warlock who is a spoiled princess and whose patron is her djinni mother; a mild mannered bard historian who stumbles into a Great Old Ones warlock pact while researching an ancient civilization; an orphan who goes searching for the story of her past when the scales marking dragonblood sorcery begin to appear on her skin; a gnome ranger whose beast companion (and mount) is a giant wolf spider and whose society and economy are built around the giant spiders native to their homelands

WHEW. GOOD LORD. THERE YOU GO.

(thank you so much for asking these, I love filling out this kinda shit <3)

[thesportssoundoff]

Eight Weeks Later, What Can We Conclude About The Dana White’s Tuesday Contenders Series?

When the UFC announced its decision to put on a special run of five fights a week every Tuesday under the (skirt around the rules) Dana White Tuesday Night Contender series label, plenty of people were intrigued. Some obviously questioned the intentions behind the concept or the application behind the show but the MMA community agreed to give it all a shot because why not? Best case scenario, a bunch of new talent would be discovered in a fresh hip format designed to boost up the ranks of some slumping divisions. Worst case scenario, some fighters who were earning crumbs on the regional scene would get the opportunity to earn a bit more money and a hell of a lot more exposure. Even if the idea of fights in a gym with Snoop on commentary seemed simply too far fetched to fathom, we all gave it a shot. So what have we learned as the UFC and Dana White walk towards the final episode for the foreseeable future?

There is a hopelessness at two divisions of great importance

Each DWTCS episode features a fight either in the light heavyweight or the heavyweight division. Each time without fail, those fights are generally the worst fights on the entire episode. Even when those fights are finished, the action leading up the finish proves to be dull and even at times unwatchable. Through 35 fights, 2 heavyweights (with one more planned next week) and 6 light heayweight fights. Of those 8 fights, 2 of the fighters who won those fights got signed with one of those guys getting immediately shimmied down to middleweight which means that 8 fights have produced 1 fighter at a division of need. The UFC has been running shows for two months now and determined that a single light heavyweight was worth signing and no heavyweight of note is out there. Or at least out there competing on the radar which opens you up for DWTCS. Compare that to the fact that they've had 6 bantamweight fights and 3 of those winners have been signed. I don't know what the solution is regarding fixing 205 and 265 lbs but the Contender Series surely doesn't seem to be it.

The Value Of New Commentary Voices

Jon Anik is a tremendous lead analyst for the UFC, acting as a smartened up Mike Goldberg for traditional UFC broadcasts. At the same time, Anik is but one guy and asking him to do 40 events a year plus all of the ancillary broadcasts can tire out anybody. The UFC took two guys who weren't professional live fight commentators and gave them a test run. The same was said for Yves Edwards (which is cheating a bit since Yves has called regional MMA before) and Paul Felder.  The Dan Hellie/Yves Edwards broadcast was okay-ish but the Paul Felder and Brendan Fitzgerald combo is really good for two newbies calling their first fights. With Brian Stann and Joe Rogan likely not here in 2018, the desire to find a color guy for these broadcasts has to go up. Cruz is very good analytical but I wonder if MMA fans can go for his more laid back style of calling fights. Cormier sometimes feels like a bad Joe Rogan; dipping into personal anecdotes and bad jokes to kill time and Florian's just bad at the gig. Felder has the potential to fill that role in time. Furthermore new voices and new ideas should always be filtered into a sport that LOVES to live as if it's on the cutting edge of something new. Why NOT use a platform to give new people a chance?

The talent at 125 is out there, the finishes are not.

The UFC has had 7 flyweight fights to this point. Of those 7 fights, 3 ended in finishes----and 2 of those fighters were signed. The last fighter is almost certain to get a call up. 125 lbs has a reputation where decisions are almost always expected so guys who finish fights will always have a leg up. Brandon Moreno is not as good as say Henry Cejudo or maybe some of the other more talented 125 lbers but he finishes fights and the guys who do that will always be fresh in your mind. There's a lot of talent at flyweight still filtering into the MMA world but the bar is high enough as is. Not finishing fights just feeds the narrative.

Raising the bar on regional MMA

These are essentially regional fights. Fighters who compete earn a one shot of 5K win or lose. We all know horror stories of regional fighters earning $300 bucks on shows televised on AXS or what have you. We've read the ticket sellers dilemma which is the equivalent of when the guys who put up the most posters for indie shows get to wrestle (and often times get hurt). Hopefully the DWTCS gives some of these fighters a little bit of leverage to earn MORE money down the line.

So what didn't work?

The post fight sit around

I know it's engaging television for some folks and the raw emotion from the guys who are getting contracts is truly great sometimes but can't we get that WITHOUT the shots of guys sitting there realizing their dreams are either on hold or just flat out not going to happen. Don't think we entirely need all of that.

The Production Team

The UFC's production team has always been at least pretty good. The DWTCS looks almost like a bit of a scab crew was working on it given the technical errors. There was an entire episode where guys were talking during the video packages, graphics were late on arrival and the commentators sounded lost while trying to lead from one plug to the next. It's sharpened up a bit but I think we can all agree that if you really want to do something different then maybe you need to sharpen up the production quality or perhaps even scrap the whole squad entirely.

The venue/ambiance

Live fights are fun. Live fights with a live audience should be fun. Live fights in front of family members just seems so TUF-y. I know there's nothing wrong with that (and I imagine it'd look stupid to book a 5,000 seat arena with just 50 people inside of it) but it just carries too many Ultimate Fighter vibes to feel like a clean slate. It's like when ECW would run before Smackdown instead of its own small venues designed to simulate the original ECW experience.

Not Enough Women’s Fights

Simply put. Over an eight week period, there are two WMMA fights on these events. I don't want to suggest they raid Invicta again but that's unacceptable given the weeks worth of fights. Let's try to connect that for the next run.

So besides more women fights, what else can be done going forward?

International Fights

@theanticool had a good idea here. The UFC kept it entirely to fighters based in North America which was probably a book keeping related travel expense decision. I get it. Still let's try to expand this sport. About once a month, the UFC runs an event overseas where you could in theory do a double shot with a --blank- Night Contender Series the night before and then the live event the next day. Look at the markets like Latin America and Asia (China specifically) that  probably have a fair bit of underdeveloped underexposed talent. Wouldn't it be easy to just hold a show for the fighters not in the UFC the night before to maybe stumble upon something you might've missed?

Snoopcast Modifications?

The Snoopcast has been one of the more controversial aspects of DWTCS. If you've ever watched an MMA show with your average casual buddy, you've essentially heard everything Snoop's ever said in some form or fashion. Fighters who get knocked out are mocked/laughed at in some respect, wrestlers who make boring fights get chewed up, dudes with wacky haircuts/tattoos/nicknames are joked about and if it's a good fight, all technical analysis goes out the window for some variety of "oh shit this fight is crazy!" or something or another. That's essentially what the snoop cast is. It's a drunk/high Snoop drinking on air and goofing about MMA with Urijah Faber left to act as the point man/recovery lead. It's enjoyable but I could do without Snoop poking fun at fighters who are KO'd or joking about how they got slept. Still...if you watch an event with an MMA casual/novice/non-fan, that's what they do. What were you folks expecting?

To me, the problem with the Snoop Cast is that Snoop really can't do this every week. By week 5, I had already heard enough references to "The Blood Bank" or "What lullaby do you want me to sing you to sleep to?" to last me a lifetime. Doing this every week is tough especially for a guy whose funny may not stretch quite as far as people imagine it to stretch. I'd like to see them treat this similarly to how they treat the actual broadcast and just have a revolving door for people other than Snoop for Urijah Faber to commentary with.

Something For The Losers

I get it. The idea of the Contender Series is all or nothing* in a sense. The winners get a contract* and the losers are fucked. The problem is that we've seen some genuinely good, truly worthy fighters be on the losing end of some great fights thus far. Steven Peterson had a great fight with Benito Lopez and the same can be said for Manny Vasquez in his fight or Austin Arnett or so on so forth. It can't just be out of sight out of mind for the losers, ya get me?

[holidays-events]

March is Women's History Month

50 Women Who Made American Political History

By Julia Zorthian , Merrill Fabry and Olivia B. Waxman March 8, 2017

The history of women in American politics is just as long as that of the nation as a whole. Even in the days before the Constitution guaranteed women the right to vote, many tried hard to make a difference as best they could — and succeeded, not only by breaking glass ceilings and proving that women could handle the job but also by introducing important legislation, standing up for their fellow citizens’ rights and much more.

Whether they held office at the local and federal level, whether they were appointed to the most high-profile jobs in politics or to a role many would never hear about, and even if they merely ran and lost, each made her mark. Some of them wielded their influence in the nation’s earliest days and others have only recently been elected to office. And, of course, that history is still being written by many women who have yet to make it to the history books.

It would be impossible to sum up the complete role that women have played in the history of American politics, especially considering the many female activists and thinkers who, though excluded from public office by nature of their gender, made a difference in the evolution of the nation’s governmental and political narrative.

But here, for Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, TIME takes a look back at 50 influential women — specifically, women who ran for, were appointed to or married into a role in the U.S. government — who have helped define the history of American civic life.

Bella Abzug (1920-1998) Women In Politics

Daughter to Russian Jewish immigrants, Abzug was a lawyer specializing in labor and civil rights in 1950s and ’60s New York. With the start of the Vietnam War she became a vocal member of the anti-war movement. Once elected to Congress, in 1971 she took a “people’s oath” (administered by her fellow New Yorker, Shirley Chisholm) on the steps of the House after taking the official congressional oath of office. Known for her brash personality, she pushed for an end to the war, women’s rights and the needs of underdogs. She was known for saying “This woman’s place is in the House—the House of Representatives.”

Abigail Adams (1744-1818) Abigail Smith Adams wife of John Adams

As wife to President John Adams, and her husband’s confidante and adviser, she opposed slavery and pushed for women’s rights and education. Her famous line “remember the ladies” was followed by urging her husband not to “put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could.” While her husband traveled on revolutionary and political duties, she took over and managed the family farm and business affairs. She was also mother to another President, John Quincy Adams, though she died before he attained the office. Julia C. Addington (1829-1875)

Julia Addington became the first woman elected to public office in Iowa in 1869 when she became the Superintendent of Schools in Mitchell County—which, though records from the time may be incomplete, likely makes her the first woman ever elected to office in the U.S. When some challenged the legitimacy of her election because she was a woman, the state Attorney General ruled that she was allowed to continue in her role, setting an important precedent.

Madeleine Albright (1937- ) Secretary of State Madeleine Albright smiles while meeting with State Department employees during a town hall meeting at the State Department in Washington Monday Jan. 27, 1997.

In 1997, she became the first woman to be Secretary of State, and the highest-ranking woman ever in the U.S. Government. She knew the importance of that work: her Czech parents fled Nazi Germany in 1939, and she became a naturalized citizen while in college, but, having been raised Catholic, it was only as an adult that she learned her family was Jewish and that many relatives had died in the Holocaust. She used her position to advocate for human rights, push NATO to intervene in Kosovo in 1999 and normalize U.S. relations with China and Vietnam, and became the first Secretary of State to travel to North Korea.

Cora Belle Reynolds Anderson (1882-1950)

Anderson, a Michigan state legislator in 1925 and ’26, was the first Native American woman elected to a state legislature. (She was from the La Pointe band of the Chippewa tribe, also known as the Ojibwe.) She focused on issues of public welfare and public health, including supporting prohibition and combating tuberculosis. She had previously been a teacher, studying at the Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kans., before returning to Michigan.

Tammy Baldwin (1962-) Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., leaves the Senate Democrats' weekly policy lunch in the Capitol on Sept. 7, 2016.

Tammy Baldwin, a junior Senator from Wisconsin, is the first openly gay person elected a U.S. Senator and the first woman in the senate from Wisconsin. The progressive Democratic congressperson had previously served in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2013. In office, she has advocated for health care reform and sponsored action related to women’s rights, such as the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2007. She serves on several subcommittees for the Senate Committee on Appropriations, including for the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security.

Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) Mary McLeod Bethune, April 6, 1949.

As Director of Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration from 1936-1944, she also advised President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on minority affairs and interracial relations, advocating for blacks to be served by New Deal policies, and was the head of FDR’s “Black Cabinet”—an unofficial but important role. The Women’s Army Corps was integrated because of her work as a member of the advisory board. The daughter of former slaves, Bethune thought education was key to racial equality, and started a school in Daytona Beach, Fla., which later became one of the few colleges of its time open to black students. Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935 and served as vice president of the NAACP from 1940 until her death in 1955.

Barbara Boxer (1940- ) Rep. Barbara Boxer of Calif., addresses a news conference outside the office of the Soviet Union’s Deputy Consul in San Francisco Tuesday, July 17, 1984.

California Senator Barbara Boxer retired from her position in 2017 after serving as California’s junior senator since 1993. During her time in office, Boxer championed efforts to improve medical research and improve health care, sponsored legislation protecting the environment and wrote the 2004 Freedom of Choice Act, which would have prohibited government from interfering with a woman’s right to abortion. She was the ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and has said she is planning to work now to help get more Democrats elected.

Carol Moseley Braun (1947- ) Carol Moseley Braun declares her victory as the first African-American woman elected to the US Senate November 3, 1992 in Chicago, IL.

Braun was one of the “year of the woman” candidates in 1992 who decided to run for higher office after Anita Hill’s testimony during Clarence Thomas’ confirmation hearings. She became the first woman of color elected to the U.S. Senate, representing Illinois from 1993 through 1999. Once elected to the Senate, she worked to advance women’s rights, civil rights, gun control and more, including the historic preservation of Underground Railroad sites. In 1993, she convinced the judiciary committee not to renew a design patent for the United Daughters of the Confederacy as it included the Confederate flag.

Hattie Wyatt Caraway (1878-1950) Hattie Caraway Politician Senator

Appointed to fill her husband Thaddeus Horatio Caraway’s U.S. Senate seat after his sudden death on Nov. 6, 1931, the Arkansas Democrat ran for the seat on her own in 1932 and thus became the first woman elected to the upper chamber of Congress. (Rebecca Latimer Felton had been officially the first woman in the Senate, but she served by appointment and only for a single day in 1922.) The prohibitionist earned the nickname “Silent Hattie” because she only spoke 15 times in the 14 years that she served, but quietly voted for important measures like President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal reforms, U.S. entry into World War II after the Pearl Harbor attack and the first federal loan funding for a state college. Though she paved the way for women in the chamber, she was less progressive on the broader civil-rights front; while she was the first woman to endorse and vote for the Lucretia Mott Equal Rights Amendment, she voted most of the time with the larger block of Southern Senators, against an anti-lynching bill and a poll tax ban.

Elaine Chao (1953- ) Elaine Chao testifies at hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on her confirmation as labor secretary, circa 2000.

Chao became the first Asian-American woman to serve in a presidential cabinet when President George W. Bush appointed her Secretary of Labor in 2001. In the eight years she held the position, Chao aimed to improve overtime regulations for workers and worked for more secure regulations for unions and workers’ retirements. In January, she was confirmed as the Secretary of Transportation in a 93-6 vote.

Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005) Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm announcing her candidacy for presidential nomination, January 1972.

With a Masters in early childhood education from Columbia University, Chisholm was steadfast in advocating liberal causes—her campaign motto was “unbought and unbossed.” As the first African-American woman elected to Congress, she represented a overwhelmingly Democratic constituency in a newly redistricted Brooklyn neighborhood and in 1971 was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. The following year she ran a historic campaign for the Presidential nomination (“I ran because somebody had to do it first”), and helped create the Congressional Women’s Caucus in 1977. While in Congress, she championed her district’s interests, from daycare-funding to minimum wages for domestic workers, and criticized Congress for being run by “a small group of old men.”

Hillary Clinton (1947- ) Hillary Rodham (later Clinton) of Wellesley College talking about student protests which she supported in her commencement speech.

In 2016, she was the first woman nominated by a major party for President of the United States. A lawyer by training, during her husband Bill Clinton’s time as President, she was the first First Lady to have an office in the West Wing, and while the healthcare reform plan she spearheaded during that time failed to pass, she successfully worked with members of Congress on the creation of Children’s Health Insurance Program. Prior to her unsuccessful run for the White House, she was also the first woman to serve as a U.S. Senator from New York (2001-2009) and served as Secretary of State (2009-2013) in the Obama administration.

Tammy Duckworth (1968- ) Tammy Duckworth speaks to the National Symposium for the Needs of Young Veterans hosted by AMVETS October 19, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois.

Tammy Duckworth, previously a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois, came to the Senate recently after beating the state’s incumbent Senator, Republican Mark Kirk, in 2016. She served as an Army helicopter pilot during the Iraq war, where she lost her legs and injured her arm. As a member of Congress, she has parlayed her personal experience in advocacy for veterans, by working on programs to help with P.T.S.D. and homelessness.

Dianne Feinstein (1933- ) Dianne Feinstein, in front of San Francisco’s city hall May 6, 1971.

A California Senator since 1992, Feinstein is known for standing up for people (and to people). During her quarter-century in the Senate, she’s helped create AMBER alerts and the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004, and she was the first woman to chair the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. In 1978, she became the first woman to be mayor of San Francisco when she came into the position, from her role as president of the Board of Supervisors, following the assassination of then-mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk.

Geraldine Ferraro (1935-2011) Geraldine Ferraro on February 3, 1979 in New York, New York.

The Queens congresswoman (1979-1985), who once sat on the prestigious House Budget Committee, was the first woman to chair the Democratic platform committee and became the first woman vice-presidential candidate for a major party when Walter Mondale picked her to be his running mate in 1984. They lost to Ronald Reagan. Questions about her personal finances and that of her husband would thwart future U.S. Senate runs.

Barbara Franklin (1940–) MAR 27 1978, APR 5 1978; Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Barbara Franklin; Women are realizing

Her position as Secretary of Commerce for George H.W. Bush wasn’t the first time Franklin had worked in the White House; in the early 1970s she recruited women for high-level jobs as a staff assistant to President Richard Nixon. Next she was appointed to the new Consumer Product Safety Commission and spent six years there, overseeing changes like the first child-resistant caps for pill bottles and safety changes to children’s furniture and toys. As Secretary of Commerce she increased exports and pushed market-opening initiatives to normalize commercial relations in Russia, Japan, Mexico and China.

Gabrielle Giffords (1970- ) Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., takes part in a reenactment of her swearing-in, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 5, 2011.

Gabby Giffords was a U.S. Representative from Arizona until she resigned in 2012 after incurring a severe brain injury during an attempted assassination. She was a contentious figure in her state for her support of health care reform and her stance on illegal immigration. Since the shooting, Giffords has become one of the nation’s most visible advocates for gun control.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933- ) Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Nominated to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1993, from a previous position as a United States Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit judge, this Brooklyn opera buff boasts many firsts: first woman to serve on two major law reviews (Harvard Law Review and Columbia Law Review), first tenured female Columbia Law School professor and co-author of the first casebook on sex discrimination. She’s known for her opinions on gender equality, notably the landmark United States v. Virginia, which allowed women to attend Virginia Military Institute.

Ella T. Grasso (1919-1981) Gov. Ella T. Grasso receives the applause of the crowd as she began her acceptance speech as the party-endorsed gubernatorial candidate at the Democratic Party state nominating convention in Hartford, Connecticut on Saturday, July 22, 1978.

Ella T. Grasso was the governor of Connecticut from 1975 to 1980, and the country’s first female governor who had not been married to a previous governor. Grasso notably shut down all roads and businesses in Connecticut during a terrible snowstorm in 1978 and was lauded for her cool head in an emergency situation. Before being elected governor, Grasso had previously served as a member of the U.S. and state Houses of Representatives.

Martha W. Griffiths (1912-2003) Rep. Martha W. Griffiths (D-Mich.) displays a stack of mail in her Capitol office in Washington, March 3, 1963.

As a congresswoman from Michigan, serving from 1955 to 1974, she successfully fought to have women included in the protections of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. She later filed a discharge petition in 1970 to get the Equal Rights Act out of committee, where it had been held up almost every year since it was first introduced in 1923, and to a vote. (Although it was passed by both the Senate and House, it failed to be ratified by a sufficient number of states before the deadline.) After she decided to leave Congress, she served two terms as Michigan’s lieutenant governor.

Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977) Fannie Lou Hamer, Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party delegate, at the Democratic National Convention, Atlantic City, New Jersey, August 1964.

Fannie Lou Hamer fought for civil rights as a leader of the movement and member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and also co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in 1964. She got involved with efforts to register black voters in the South in 1962, and during her time with SNCC took part in peaceful demonstrations that left her exposed to beatings and violence. As the Vice Chair of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, Hamer opposed her state’s all-white delegation at the Democratic Convention in 1964, where her alternative party captured the national spotlight for the civil-rights movement. Hamer unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1964, but took part in forming the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971.

Patricia Roberts Harris (1924-1985) Patricia Roberts Harris, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development appointed by President Carter. 1979.

Named Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1977, Harris became the first black woman to hold a Cabinet position. At Senate hearings for her appointment, Senators questioned how someone of her elevated position could understand the needs of the people the department of Housing and Urban Development focused on. “Senator, I am one of them,” Harris said. ”You do not understand who I am. I am a black woman, the daughter of a dining car worker. I am a black woman who even eight years ago could not buy a house in parts of the District of Columbia. I didn’t start out as a member of a prestigious law firm, but as a woman who needed a scholarship to go to school. If you think I have forgotten that, you are wrong.” She later served as Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare (1979-1981).

Diane J. Humetewa (1964- ) Diane Humetewa, the first female Native American federal judge. Humetewa is a member of the Hopi tribe and has served as an Appellate Court Judge for the Hopi Tribe Appellate Court.

As a federal district judge for Arizona, Humetewa—a member of the Hopi tribe—is the first Native American woman to be a judge at that level, and has dedicated her career to making a difference on Native American legal issues. She was previously a U.S. Attorney for Arizona, professor at Arizona State University College of Law, a judge in the Hopi appellate court, assistant counsel for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and—even before she went to law school—a victim-witness advocate at the U.S. Attorney’s office in Arizona.

Barbara Jordan (1936–1996) US Representative Barbara Jordan, 1977.

The Texan was the first African-American woman to preside over a legislative body in America when she was elected president pro tempore of the Texas Senate, and went on to serve in the House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979 and become the first African-American keynote speaker at a Democratic National Convention. She became famous during the Watergate scandal when she declared, as a freshman member of the judiciary committee (which was considering articles of impeachment against President Nixon), “My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total. I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution.” She argued that if her colleagues didn’t consider evidence sufficient, “then perhaps the 18th-century Constitution should be abandoned to a 20th-century paper shredder.”

Elena Kagan (1960- ) Elena Kagan smiles after being sworn in as the Supreme Court's newest member by Chief Justice John Roberts at the Supreme Court Building August 7, 2010 in Washington, DC.

The first woman to serve as U.S. Solicitor General, she was also a law professor, advisor to President Clinton and Dean of Harvard Law School before being appointed to the Supreme Court in 2010. As Dean of Harvard Law School, she was known for building consensus among professors reluctant to collaborate, and as Solicitor General, she was responsible for representing the government before the Supreme Court—beginning with Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

Ellen Malcolm (1947- ) Emilys List

Malcolm, who founded EMILY’s List in 1985, is the exception to the rule for our list, in that she is not noticeable for actually running for office herself. When she founded that organization, no Democratic woman had ever begun a Senate career in her own right. Malcolm and the friends she enlisted to help aimed to change that by raising early money for female candidates. (The organization’s name stands for Early Money is Like Yeast.) EMILY’s List has a hundreds-long list of women—Democratic and pro-choice women— who they’ve helped elect to local and state office as well as to Congress. The organization recruits and trains women to run successful campaigns for political office and supports them along the way.

Claire McCaskill (1953- ) Claire McCaskill, Democratic Missouri U.S. Senate candidate, gestures to the crowd as she prepares to leave the stage with former U.S. President Bill Clinton during a rally Saturday, Sept. 9, 2006, at The Pageant theater in St. Louis.

The senior Senator from Missouri, Claire McCaskill became the first elected female Senator from her state in 2007, and has come to be known as one of the most moderate members of the entire Senate. In 2014, she introduced the Victims Protection Act into the Senate, aiming to protect sexual assault survivors in the military.

Barbara Mikulski (1936–) Barbara Mikulski at her reception following her swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on Jan. 6, 1987.

At the point of her decision to retire in 2017 at age 80 — about which she posed the question, “Do I spend my time raising money? Or do I spend my time raising hell?” — her 40 years of work on Capitol Hill made her the longest-serving woman in Congress. A social worker before serving on the Baltimore City Council, her first campaign for Senate was unsuccessful, but two years later, in 1976, she was elected to the House. She served five terms before she was elected to the Senate in 1986, when TIME wrote that she was “blunt, outspoken and feisty” and “a fierce debater, with a fondness for pointed quips.” Mikulski pushed local advances for Maryland, like environmental protections or highway funding; helped protect the New Horizons mission to Pluto when budget concerns jeopardized it in 2002-3; pushed to advance women’s rights by championing legislation like the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and supporting shelters for victims of domestic violence; and was the first woman to chair the powerful Appropriations Committee. She also co-wrote two mystery novels and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.

Patsy Takemoto Mink (1927-2002) Patsy Mink, D-Hawaii, meets reporters on Capitol Hill Wednesday Nov. 5, 1997

As the first Asian-American woman in the House of Representatives, representing Hawaii from 1965 to 1977 and again from 1990 to 2002, Mink co-sponsored Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 with fellow congresswoman Edith Green, barring gender discrimination in academics and athletics at schools receiving federal funding. This law dramatically changed opportunity and participation in sports for women across the country, among other things. In addition to championing women’s rights, civil rights and education reform, Mink was an early critic of the Vietnam war.

Michelle Obama (1964-) US-POLITICS-ELECTION

The first African-American First Lady and a lawyer by training, Obama made the First Lady’s role more relatable than ever by utilizing social media platforms to promote her healthy eating, arts, girls’ education and college initiatives. One of her most significant legacies has been the first modernization of nutrition labels in over 20 years. Her popularity in the polls at times surpassed that of her husband, earning her the nickname “The Closer” on the campaign trail.

Sandra Day O’Connor (1930- ) Sandra Day O'Connor, circa 1981-1983.

The first female Supreme Court Justice, O’Connor was nominated by Ronald Reagan and confirmed by the Senate 99-0. She was known for upholding states’ rights and was often a swing vote, perhaps most famously by casting the deciding vote in Bush v. Gore, making George W. Bush president. She is also famous for letting Roe v. Wade stand in abortion cases, rejecting challenges to the use of affirmative action in higher education and for writing the opinion reiterating that all U.S. citizens are entitled to due process in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, in which she wrote that “a state of war is not a blank check for the President when it comes to the rights of the Nation’s citizens.”

Sarah Palin (1964- ) Sarah Palin campaigns for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in the primary election Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2006.

Sarah Palin shot from relative national obscurity as the Governor of Alaska to countrywide prominence when John McCain named her his running mate—and the first female vice-presidential nominee for the Republican party—in 2008. She grew to be one of the most prominent voices for the Tea Party movement as a pro-life and pro-gun-rights advocate. As governor, she notably signed a bill that would allow an Alaskan gas pipeline, and since she stepped down in 2009, she has been a political commentator and television star.

Nancy Pelosi (1940- ) Congressional candidate Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., waves at the Headquarters in San Francisco Tuesday night April 7, 1987.

The Bay Area congresswoman became the highest ranking elected female leader in the U.S. when she was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2007. She helped push through President Obama’s historic health care law, the law that raised fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks for the first time in 32 years, the first federal minimum wage increase in a decade—from (from $5.15 to $7.25)—and the largest college aid expansion since the G.I. bill.

Frances Perkins (1880-1965) Frances Perkins

As Labor Secretary from 1933-1945, she was the first woman to hold a cabinet position. Perkins was an architect of FDR’s New Deal, saw to much of the implementation of policies like minimum wages and unemployment compensation, and drafted the Social Security Act. She majored in physics and chemistry at Mount Holyoke, but an economic history course that required her to tour nearby factories sparked her life’s work. Having been a social worker, high school teacher and colleague of Jane Addams at Chicago’s Hull House, she moved to New York, where she witnessed the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. She would later say that was “the day the New Deal began.”

Jeannette Rankin (1880-1973) Jeannette Pickering Rankin (1880-1973), a member of the House of Representatives who was elected in 1916 as the first woman to serve in the U.S. Congress.

The Republican social worker became the first woman to be elected to Congress when she was elected to represent Montana in the House of Representatives in 1916. Coming from a state that passed women’s suffrage in 1914, she came up with the idea for a committee on women’s suffrage and as a member, started the House floor debate on a constitutional amendment that would give women the right to vote. (The amendment was ratified in 1920, after Rankin’s term had ended.) She was also a noted pacifist, voting against the USA’s entrance into both World War I and World War II.

Janet Reno (1938-2016) Janet Reno is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, March 9, 1993.

Janet Reno became the first female Attorney General of the United States after President Bill Clinton appointed her in 1993, and she held the post during eight years punctuated by high-profile cases. During her tenure, she notably took the fall for the failure of a deadly Waco, Tex., police raid that went awry, declined to appoint independent investigators into Clinton’s campaign finances in 1997 and extended the Whitewater investigation into Clinton’s land deal to include the Monica Lewinsky scandal. The relative Washington outsider had previously served as a Florida State Attorney for 14 years.

Condoleezza Rice (1954- ) Condoleezza Rice talks about her new book, Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family, during the Newsmakers luncheon at the National Press Club October 15, 2010 in Washington, DC.

Serving in President George W. Bush’s administration, she became the first African-American woman to serve as Secretary of State and national security advisor. She held the record for most miles traveled by a Secretary of State until John Kerry broke it in April 2016; she got the White House to support nuclear negotiations with Iran and North Korea, and she was the first Secretary of State to go to Libya in over 50 years.

Ann Richards (1933-2006) Texas governor Ann Richards at the Democratic National Convention on July 13, 1992 in New York.

As Governor of Texas from 1991-1995, Richards left her mark, appointing more women and minorities to official positions—including the first women and African-Americans in the Texas Rangers—than any of her predecessors had. She also worked to improve the prison system, and vetoed bills that would have allowed concealed carry of handguns and damaged the environment. (She’s also mother to Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richards and three other children.) In 1988, as the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention, she famously said of Republican Nominee George Bush: “Poor George, he can’t help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.” In addition to her work in public office, she helped raised awareness about alcoholism by being public about her own treatment in 1980.

Edith Nourse Rogers (1881-1960) Edith Nourse Rogers at her desk, 1936.

Rogers represented Massachusetts in Congress from 1925 to 1961. During World War I, she volunteered with the YMCA and Red Cross and continued to work with military hospitals after the war ended, while her husband served in Congress. After her husband’s death in 1925, she ran in the special election to fill the remainder of his term—she won, and then won another 17 elections after that. She introduced legislation that created the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps in 1942 and in 1944 helped draft the G.I. Bill of Rights, which, among other provisions, helped WWII veterans afford college tuition and provided for low-interest home and small business loans.

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) American diplomat and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 - 1962), circa early to mid 1940s.

As the longest-serving First Lady (12 years), she hit the road to promote the work of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration and her public policy interests via nationwide press conferences, radio segments and her daily, syndicated newspaper column “My Day.” Having pioneered the activist role of the First Lady, she was later appointed a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly by Harry S. Truman, after FDR died, and served as the first chairperson of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights when it drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the wake of World War II.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (1952- ) House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio performs a mock swearing in for Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington as the 113th Congress began.

Ros-Lehtinen became the first Cuban American and Hispanic woman to be elected to Congress in 1989, and is now the most senior Florida member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the most senior female Republican in the House. Born in Havana, Ros-Lehtinen lobbies for the Cuban government to enact political changes that will benefit its citizens, and was a prominent supporter of ending the U.S. embargo on Cuba. She was also the first Republican in the House to support same-sex marriage, announcing her support in 2012.

Nellie Tayloe Ross (1876-1977) Nellie Tayloe Ross Director of the bureau of the Mint at her desk on May 1, 1942 in Washington where she supervises the turning out of the billions of coins needed for the defense effort.

Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first American woman to be a Governor after her husband died and she took over his office in 1924. Her political career was only beginning: After that, she eventually served as vice chair of the National Democratic Committee, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed her the Director of the Mint in 1933. Under her leadership, the mint started printing the Roosevelt dime and the Jefferson nickel.

Phyllis Schlafly (1924-2016) Phyllis Schlafly at the State house pressroom, Feb. 8, 1984.

Phyllis Schlafly was a prominent political activist of the late 20th century, known for her outspoken positions against the women’s liberation movement and the Equal Rights Amendment, which she campaigned against. She rose to prominence when her book in support of GOP candidate Barry Goldwater, A Choice Not an Echo, sold more than three million copies in 1964. Though she never successfully won an election, she ran for Congress in 1952 and 1970.

Patricia Schroeder (1940–) Democratic Representative Patricia Schroeder, 1983.

“Little Patsy” was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives 12 times — and was the second–youngest woman ever elected to Congress. She sat on the House Armed Services Committee and championed issues pertaining to women and families, most notably the Family and Medical Leave Act and the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act. Her responses to sexist comments made national headlines, too. For instance, when a male colleague asked how she could balance the job with being a mother of two small children, she replied, “I have a brain and a uterus. I use both.”

Margaret Chase Smith (1897-1995) Margaret Chase Smith, wife of the late Rep. Clyde Smith, Maine Republican, being sworn in, June 10, 1940.

The Maine Republican was the first woman to win election to both houses of Congress and the first to be put forward as a presidential candidate at a national political convention in 1964 (she earned the support of 27 delegates but lost to Barry Goldwater). One of her best-known moments was her June 1, 1950, speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate denouncing her colleague and Red Scare proponent Joseph McCarthy (R-WI): “The American people are sick and tired of being afraid to speak their minds lest they be politically smeared as ‘Communists’ or ‘Fascists,’” she said. “Freedom of speech is not what it used to be in America. It has been so abused by some that it is not exercised by others.”

Sonia Sotomayor (1954- ) Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, poses for a photograph at the Supreme Court building on September 29, 2009 in Washington, DC.

Sotomayor grew up in the Bronx and has said that the TV show Perry Mason was responsible for “igniting the passion” that led her to pursue a legal career. In 1992 she was appointed a federal judge in the Southern District of New York’s U.S. District Court and five years later was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals, beginning the role in 1998. In 2009, President Obama nominated her to the Supreme Court, and she became the first Hispanic person to serve as a justice.

Elizabeth Warren (1949- ) Elizabeth Warren looks to the audience after addressing the Democratic State Convention before the delegate vote in Springfield, Mass. on Saturday, June 2, 2012.

The Democratic Senator from Massachusetts has become perhaps the most high-profile progressive of her party. After presiding over the Troubled Asset Relief Program as chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel following the 2008 economic crisis, Warren beat incumbent Republican Scott Brown to become the first woman to represent Massachusetts in the Senate in 2012. She pushed for the 2011 creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to protect buyers by monitoring financial sector institutions.

Edith Wilson (1872-1961) Edith Wilson, wife of President Woodrow Wilson, circa 1922.

This First Lady of the United States (1915-1921) is often described as the first woman president, based on her power to decide which issues would be brought to President Woodrow Wilson’s attention after he suffered a stroke that left him largely incapacitated in 1919. Among those issues was the League of Nations. Some historians argue that, by refusing to compromise with key U.S. Senators who were opposed to the U.S. joining the pact, she contributed to leaving the world vulnerable to the rise of fascist leaders in the lead-up to World War II.

Victoria Woodhull (1838-1927) Victoria Claflin Woodhull, the first woman to run for US president from a nationally recognized ticket as the candidate of the Equal Rights Party in 1872.

In 1872, Woodhull became the first woman to run for president. Having been, along with her sister, one of the first female stockbrokers, she helped launched a newspaper dedicated to women’s suffrage and reform. In 1871, she argued before the House Judiciary Committee that women were covered by the 14th and 15th Amendments and so already had the right to vote. The Equal Rights Party, an offshoot of the National Woman Suffrage Association, nominated her for president and decided on Frederick Douglass as her running mate, though it’s unclear if he even acknowledged the nomination. She supported rejecting conventional moral standards for men and women, advocating “free love” alongside workers’ rights, healthcare and more. Just days before the election she was arrested on obscenity charges; she eventually moved to England.

http://time.com/4551817/50-women-political-history/

[raidomere]

Matsuoka Ippei’s 100 Questions, 100 Answers

From the Matsoka and Imai’s RADIO N WING page.

Q1. What is your name? Matsuoka Ippei!

Q2. Your job? A voice actor!

Q3. Your nickname? Ippee-chan, Ippee-kun. People often call me by my name.

Q4. Your height? 163 cm, but I still grow a couple of millimeters every year.

Q5. Your dominant arm is? Left

Q6. Your blood type is? AB. In fact, my entire family is AB!

Q7. Your hobbies are? Watching overseas soccer games; playing videogames (regardless of genre)

Q8. Your skills are? Sneezing; holding toilet paper rolls with my eyes (t/n: i dont know either); doing a baseball bat spin/the dizzy bat and then running straight ahead

Q9. Do you have any habits? Rubbing my nose; playing around with my bangs

Q10. What’s the first thing you do when waking up in the morning? Taking a bath!

Q11. What would be the best way to spend your days off? Invite some friends over and just chill

Q12. What are you into lately? Pokemon; watching Professional (t/n: the NHK show?)

Q13. Do you have anything that you just end up buying unconsciously? Food in general - even if I’m not hungry I buy food *laughs*

Q14. Your favorite food? Cucumber! I can eat as many as I like!

Q15. Food/s you don’t like? Banana

Q16. Your favorite book/s? Information magazines about overseas soccer games, or about games

Q17. Your favorite movie/s? Marvel Series; Transformers Series; Returner

Q18. Your favorite character/s? Gatomon (Digimon); Kazamatsuri Shou (Whistle!)

Q19. Your favorite song/s? “Umi no Koe” (Voice of the Sea) by Kiritani Kenta

Q20. Do you have any special qualifications/licenses? A driver’s permit for manual vehicles only!

Q21. What led you to pursue your current career? I’ve always liked anime and games, and I just happened to listen to a radio show being hosted by a voice actor - I found it interesting, and while reading about what a “voice actor” was, before I realized it had become something I aimed to become! It’s the only occupation I’ve ever considered as something I wanted to achieve!

Q22. Do you have a daily routine? Styling my hair. Drinking lots of water once I wake up in the morning.

Q23. Are you an indoor person? Or an outdoor person? Indoor person. I would stay inside my room all the time if I could *laughs*

Q24. Any dishes you’re good at cooking? Meat and potato stew!

Q25. How long is your average sleeping time? 4 to 5 hours.

Q26. What do you do on nights you can’t fall asleep? Watch overseas dramas.

Q27. Do you have a six-pack? I do not!

Q28. If you had a time machine, would you like to go back to the past? Or to the future? If I had to choose - the past! If I could I wouldn’t want to go back or go to the future, but I definitely don’t want to see the future!

Q29. Your childhood hero? My parents.

Q30. On the day the world ends, what would you eat? Cucumbers.

Q31. If you could decide the name of a planet, what would you name it? “Matsuoka Ippei’s Planet” - I want people to be curious and look up my name! *laughs*

Q32. Your favorite season? Winter! I’m from Nagano Prefecture so I’m strong with cold weather, and I love snow!

Q33. Your favorite place? My room.

Q34. How do you relieve stress? Drinking with friends! And then karaoke!

Q35. Something you’re bad at? Exercising in general… I feel like I’m becoming a performer with terrible reflexes.

Q36. Something you think you’ve improved at recently? Enjoying the feeling of nervousnesss

Q37. A skill you’d like to continue improving from now on? Acting ability, singing skill, dance.

Q38. Something you feel is your weakness? I still get nervous easily. And overwhelmed.

Q39. Something you’ve been concerned about recently? I gained a bit of weight!

Q40. Something you’d be glad if you were told such? If I’m being praised then anything’ll make me happy *laughs*

Q41. Your ideal image of a man is? Someone who keeps a firm grip on his views and can share those with others.

Q42. Your ideal image of a woman is? A gentle person who smiles a lot!

Q43. Something you’d like to try eating at least once? Crab shabu-shabu!

Q44. Somewhere you’d like to go at least once? Spain! I want to see an actual overseas soccer game live!

Q45. Your favorite sport? Of course, soccer!

Q46. Your favorite flower? Dandelions

Q47. Your favorite animal? Dog

Q48. If you were to liken yourself to something, what would be it? A dog! People tell me I have a dog-like face, and I always want to be with someone (I don’t like being alone).

Q49. Someone who’s greatly influenced your life? My mother

Q50. Your hometown is? Shimoina District, Nagano Prefecture

Q51. Your favorite place from your hometown? Places with nothing much in them! *laughs*

Q52. Something you’re proud of about your hometown? The air is delicious! Greenery everywhere! Time flows very slowly!

Q53. Your favorite food from your hometown? Matsutake rice! They even serve it at school for lunch.

Q54. Your treasure? Letters I receive from fans!

Q55. What title would you give your life until now? Turnabout

Q56. If you were reborn, what would you like to become? A soccer player!

Q57. The first thing you wash when taking a bath? Hair

Q58. When you did have your first love? Year 3 in primary school!

Q59. What would you want to name your son? Nippei (I want it to keep increasing every generation *laughs*) (t/n: the “i” in “ippei” means “one”, and the “ni” in “nippei” means “two”)

Q60. What would you want to name your daughter? Haruka (I’m a fan of Ayase Haruka *laughs*)

Q61. What would be the one thing you’d bring with you on an uninhabited island? Cucumber seeds!

Q62. Your best song during karaoke? Umi no Koe (Voice of the Sea) by Kiritani Kenta

Q63. The amount of money you’d like to win in the lottery is? 3 hundred million yen!

Q64. (continuation of Q63) What will you do with that money? Build or buy my dream house! In any case, I’ll use it all up to buy my ideal home/room!

Q65. The scariest thing in the world is? Isolation.

Q66. Who do you want to meet the most right now? My mother

Q67. Instruments you can play? None!

Q68. Instruments you’d like to try? Guitar. I like those things where you sing to your own accompaniment…!

Q69. Clothes you often wear? A parka with a dog design; a parka with a Peanuts design

Q70. Clothes you’d like to wear? Flashy, rock clothes I’d never even try to wear! Like a bright red leather jacket or something! *laughs*

Q71. Someone you personally think is a stylish person? (Can be a friend or a celebrity) Sakai Kodai-san! He’s very slender, and even he can wear leather jackets and all, it’s amazing…!

Q72. Do you see yourself as the cute type? Or the cool type? If I had to choose, I’m more of the cute type! Because I am in no way cool!

Q73. Do you think you’re an S? Or an M? Unexpectedly, not an S, but an M who waits for a counterblow.

Q74. A gesture of the opposite sex you find sexy? Coming up their hair!

Q75. What club were you in during middle school? None (t/n: going-home club). I was part of the Tennis Club for a bit, but when I found out we had to get crew cuts I quit!

Q76. What club were you in during high school? None

Q77. Your current ambition? I want to become a voice actor that’s popular! For starters, to be able to pass an audition to become the main character!

Q78. Your favorite athlete is? Fredy Guarín (soccer)

Q79. Your favorite military commander is? Sakamoto Ryuuma

Q80. Mountain person? Ocean person? I’m bad with bugs so ocean person!

Q81. Are you good at operating machines? I haven’t had any trouble with those so I think I’m pretty good at it!

Q82. Do you have a favorite motto? All smiles!

Q83. Do you have any part-time job experience? (What are they?) Pharmacy, and cafe!

Q84. A recent embarassing story: After getting a physical examination at the hospital, I went home wearing the hospital slippers.

Q85. Do you think you’re the type who cries easily? I’m no doubt the type who cries easily. I cry easily, a quick kill.

Q86. Something that made you cry recently? I bawled my eyes out watching Big Hero 6 on TV (even though I already watched it once in the cinema).

Q87. Something you laughed about recently? I usually laugh a lot so I can’t remember *laughs*

Q88. Your favorite anime is? The Digimon Series! Especially 02!

Q89. The game you’ve played the most until now? The FIFA Series

Q90. Do you have anything you listen on the radio often? [Atsumare] MasaKano Henshuubu!

Q91. Is there any segment you remember? Weekly! MasaKano Review! (A talk corner promoting various anime or voice actor-related news) God’s Prediction Corner! (Leaving a message at listener’ answering machine)

Q92. Have you sent mail/contributed to radio shows before? I have! They’ve read it a couple of times!

Q93. A radio personality you look up to? Onosaka Masaya-san; Kano Yui-san

Q94. What do you want to try doing on a radio show? In any case, work on talking! I want to be able to talk to even senpai without being hesitant!

Q95. What kind of show do you want to try? Same with what I experienced, I want it try a show where the people listening who don’t know much about voice acting can become more interested in voice acting!!

Q96. Something you’d like a woman to wear? If I had to choose skirts or pants, I’d choose pants, since I like active people!

Q97. Something you’d want a woman to say to you? I like you.

Q98. If you could go back to being a child, what would you like to do? Soccer!

Q99. Something you’d like to do in this show? In any case, talk! Ah, and if possible, I want to try eating delicious things and try doing something like gourmet reports! *laughs*

Q100. What do you think of Imai Asami-san? When I first talked to her I found her very kind and cheerful, and I wanted to become someone like her! A huge senpai of mine who I respect as an actor and a person! I like her very much!

[natasjakjpriscilliamo78insu-blog]

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[theconservativebrief]

President Donald Trump will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on Monday night. It will be one of the most dramatic diplomatic moments of his presidency — and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Trump will try to get a commitment from North Korea to denuclearize its nuclear weapons program over a yet-unknown period of time. That will be tough, as Kim has no incentive to give up that arsenal. He reportedly views his nukes as a deterrent against a US-led invasion.

But there’s a reason Trump — and staunch US allies in South Korea and Japan — worry about North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang has an intercontinental ballistic missile that could potentially hit all of the United States, including major cities like Chicago, New York, and Washington, DC. And the US military believes North Korea has the capability to “miniaturize” a nuclear weapon to fit on a missile. (It’s unclear, though, if Pyongyang is capable of mounting the bomb atop a missile and hitting the US with it.)

So make no mistake: Trump has a tough task ahead of him, and the hope is that he succeeds.

But wait: Why is all of this happening? Why are we worried about historic negotiations with a tiny, desperately poor country on the other side of the world? It’s a long, complicated story that goes back decades — all the way to the Korean War in the early 1950s. It’s a story of diplomatic failures, madcap dictators, and tricky geopolitical maneuvering.

So for those of you who are confused, don’t sweat it — we’ve got you covered. Here are answers to some of the most basic questions about North Korea that will help you get up to speed on where we are in the conflict, how we got here, and where we’re likely headed.

North Korea, known officially as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a small country sandwiched between China and South Korea in Northeast Asia. It is home to an estimated 25 million people, nearly 3 million of whom live in the capital city of Pyongyang.

Since 1948, it has been run by the Kim family. The first leader was Kim Jong Un’s grandfather, Kim Il Sung, who was in power from 1948 to 1994. He was treated like a god in both life and death. He is still known today as the “Great Leader” and the “Eternal President,” and monuments glorifying his reign are everywhere in the country.

Kim Il Sung’s cult of personality really began to take root in 1950, when he led the Soviet-backed invasion of South Korea, kicking off the Korean War. The United States intervened in the war on behalf of South Korea, and China later intervened on behalf of the communist North. It was a bloody war that ultimately killed some 5 million soldiers and civilians.

At the war’s end in 1953, the two countries became separated by a demilitarized zone, or DMZ, and remain so to this day. Technically, both sides are still at war, since an armistice (truce) was signed, not a peace treaty.

After the deal was signed, South Korea — with heavy US financial and security support — began to slowly transform itself into what is now one of the world’s wealthiest, best-educated, and most technologically advanced societies.

The North also briefly flourished because of support from the Soviet Union and China, but those good times didn’t last. Mismanagement, crippling debt, and a series of devastating droughts and floods demolished the North Korean economy and set off what would eventually become lingering food shortages in the country.

At the same time, the Soviet Union was suffering its own economic troubles, causing its leaders to pull back on aid to North Korea. When the Soviet Union finally collapsed in the early 1990s, the North Korean economy went into a dramatic downward spiral, culminating in a horrendous famine that killed between 600,000 and 1 million people.

Yet through all of this, Kim Il Sung cultivated a powerful cult of personality. North Koreans were inundated with propaganda branding Kim as the country’s benevolent father figure who was transforming the country into a glorious socialist utopia through his unique brand of ideology, known as “juche.” Translated as “self-reliance,” juche stresses total independence in all facets of national life, from foreign policy to economics to national defense.

When Kim died at the age of 82, the Korean Central News Agency, the country’s official news organization, published a glowing seven-page announcement that said “he turned our country, where age-old backwardness and poverty had prevailed, into a powerful Socialist country, independent, self-supporting and self-reliant.” He was, as the news agency concluded, the “sun of the nation.”

Since Kim’s death in 1994, his son and grandson, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un, respectively, have carried on his legacy, aiming to run the country exactly like he did. They purposefully demonstrate in their own propaganda how closely they hew to Kim Il Sung’s style of governance. Kim Jong Un even goes out of his way to look as much like his grandfather as he possibly can.

Despite some modest reforms to the economy under the two younger Kims, the country is still far, far behind the rest of the world. The CIA ranks North Korea as the 215th-poorest country out of the 230 it tracks, and its people live on about $1,700 a year.

North Korea is almost solely reliant on China as a trading partner, with most of its money coming from the millions of tons of coal it exports to China every year. It also sends iron ore, seafood, and clothing to the Chinese. This is why the news that China had suspended its coal imports from North Korea back in February was such a big deal, even though China’s overall trade with North Korea has increased.

Yeah, it is.

As Human Rights Watch notes in gruesome detail:

North Korea remains one of the most repressive authoritarian states in the world. …Kim Jong-un continued to generate fearful obedience by using public executions, arbitrary detention, and forced labor; tightening travel restrictions to prevent North Koreans from escaping and seeking refuge overseas; and systematically persecuting those with religious contacts inside and outside the country…

[G]ross human rights violations committed by the government included murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortion, and other sexual violence, and constituted crimes against humanity.

Nothing exemplifies these violations like the gulags, or forced labor camps, run by the state. Usually, detentions there end in death — and not just for the imprisoned person. North Korea abides by the “three generations of punishment” rule. Basically, if the government thinks you committed a crime, you, your children, and your grandchildren have to suffer the consequences too. A 2017 report by the International Bar Association War Crimes Committee noted that some of the prisons are “as terrible [as] Nazi camps.”

Some North Koreans still find ways to live dignified and relatable lives despite the horrid conditions. In fact, in many ways, life in North Korea can be normal. Subway trains fill with people during rush hour in the capital city, Pyongyang. The city also now suffers from traffic jams, as more people have cars and want to get around on their own. Fashionable Western clothes are available in North Korean stores, and some North Koreans are even getting plastic surgery, despite the procedure’s illegality.

North Koreans also enjoy surfing the country’s intranet, but their choices are very limited with fewer than 30 sites on offer. There, citizens can find a selection of North Korean recipes and films. Of course, there is also a big section that allows Kim Jong Un to show off what he is doing throughout the day.

The few superrich North Koreans — who usually work in the government, the military, or state-run businesses — aren’t too dissimilar from superrich people anywhere else. They lead fairly cosmopolitan lives, frequenting an elite area of the capital nicknamed “Pyonghattan.” They wear designer clothes, eat at fancy restaurants, and go on vacations.

But of course, that is not the norm. Out in the rural areas, “life is little more than a daily struggle to find enough food to stay alive,” Alf Evans, a British aid worker who spent time in rural North Korea in 2013, told the Telegraph. “Every scrap of earth that can be used to grow something is being used,” he said.

North Korea and the US have been at odds ever since the US backed South Korea in the Korean War. Today, the US has 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea. That country is also America’s sixth-largest trading partner (about $112.2 billion total in two-way trade during 2016), underscored by the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement that went into effect on March 15, 2012 (something Trump may to “terminate”).

For these reasons, North Korea is not a fan of the United States. North Korean propaganda portrays America as an evil imperialist aggressor hell-bent on subjugating the Korean people. There is an entire museum dedicated to alleged American atrocities during the Korean War.

America isn’t exactly thrilled with North Korea either. There are many reasons why, but the main one is that North Korea won’t stop developing its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.

For years, North Korea has tried to develop a nuclear weapon that it can put on a missile and hit its enemies. Most experts believe the country wants nukes as a deterrent so that no foreign country (like, say, the United States) would dare attempt to remove the Kim regime from power. The Pentagon also agrees with that assessment, by the way.

While some think Kim Jong Un is an irrational, “crazy fat kid” — as Senate Armed Services Committee Chair John McCain labeled the North Korean leader in 2017 — experts see his actions to ensure the survival of his family’s rule as rational.

The theory is that the Kims have seen what happened to leaders who don’t have nuclear weapons. Iraq’s Saddam Hussein persuaded much of the world that he had restarted his country’s nuclear weapons program; he hadn’t, but the boasts helped spark the 2003 invasion that drove him from power. In Libya, Muammar Qaddafi gave up his program to build closer ties to the West, but was eventually ousted from power and killed by a mob.

The Kim family wants to survive, and having a credible nuclear weapons program is one way to ensure that it does.

North Korea has accelerated its nuclear program to the point where it can now produce a new bomb every “six or seven weeks.” And it now has an intercontinental ballistic missile that is theoretically capable of hitting every part of the United States. It’s still unclear, though, if North Korea can reliably place a nuclear weapon atop the missile and have it survive reentry into the atmosphere and detonate at its target.

Trump has repeatedly pushed the idea that China, because of its economic influence, has the ability to rein in North Korea if it wants to. Specifically, the US wants China to cut off oil shipments to North Korea and either sharply limit or entirely halt broader trade with the country. However, after Chinese President Xi Jinping spent 10 minutes explaining the complexity of the issue to Trump during a meeting in April, Trump said he “realized it’s not so easy.”

So what are the things that make it “not so easy” for China to control North Korea?

First, China uses North Korea as a buffer. If the Koreas were to unify, which remains an extremely thin possibility right now, then for at least some period, American troops would be stationed in a country that borders China. For Beijing, that’s a no-no.

Second, should the Kim regime fall, the whole country could descend into chaos. Having that kind of instability, with millions of refugees flocking to the border, would not make the Chinese government happy. After all, China prides itself on stability in all its forms.

Finally, having America, Japan, and South Korea worried about North Korea takes the focus off China. China has many objectives in the region, and having its adversaries’ heads turned as it makes moves in the South China Sea and elsewhere is helpful to its cause.

All of these are reasons why China chooses not to be too hard on the Kim regime. China’s leaders may not like the Kim regime or want it to keep developing nuclear weapons, but they prefer that to the alternative scenario of a failed state on their Southern border or, perhaps even worse, an American-controlled state on their Southern border.

Even if China did more, of course, there’s no guarantee that North Korea — a proudly nationalist, nuclear-armed nation — would listen.

The best outcome would be for North Korea to just decide to give up its nuclear weapons program. But that’s probably never going to happen. On the other side, the US could just accept that North Korea is going to have nuclear weapons capable of hitting the US homeland. That probably won’t happen either.

So what to do?

There are no easy answers, and this situation has confounded presidents and skilled national security officials from both parties. The Trump administration’s current approach, according to a joint statement issued in late April 2017 by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, is “to pressure North Korea into dismantling its nuclear, ballistic missile, and proliferation programs by tightening economic sanctions and pursuing diplomatic measures with our Allies and regional partners.”

In a 2017 interview with NPR, Tillerson put it more bluntly, stating that the goal is “a denuclearized North Korea” by way of a negotiated agreement.

But here’s the thing: We’ve tried this before, and it hasn’t worked yet. This is essentially the same policy the Obama administration pursued for the past eight years, to no avail.

Indeed, America and others have been trying to come to some sort of negotiated agreement with North Korea since 1985. And we’ve gotten really close twice. In 1994, the US and North Korea signed the Agreed Framework, in which the North agreed to freeze its plutonium weapons program in exchange for aid. However, the agreement collapsed in 2002, and by January 2003 the North had resumed its nuclear program.

Then in August 2003, the international community launched the so-called “Six Party Talks,” which were designed to get North Korea to halt its nuclear program through negotiations with five other countries: China, the United States, South Korea, Japan, and Russia.

In September 2005, it looked like the talks might work — North Korea formally agreed to abandon “all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs” in exchange for energy assistance from the other countries. But in 2009, amid disagreements over technical details related to verification, North Korea walked out on the talks. It says it will never return to the talks and maintains that it is no longer bound by their agreements. And it has been ramping up its nuclear and ballistic missile programs ever since.

The hope is that the administration’s “maximum pressure and engagement” strategy will lead to a diplomatic solution.

But if it doesn’t — and the Trump administration still refuses to allow North Korea to have a nuclear weapon that can hit the US mainland — then the only other option that seems to be on the table is a military strike targeting the North’s nuclear facilities. In other words, war.

North Korea doesn’t have many friends.

It has China and, to a lesser degree, Russia, both of which oppose unilateral American military strikes on sovereign countries. The two countries believe that any US move would destabilize the region and harm their own interests. North Korea borders China and Russia, and any crisis on the peninsula would add extra strain to those borders.

(Fun fact: Did you know that if you want to drive from Finland to North Korea, you could drive only through one country? Yeah, Russia is that large.)

On its own, Russia also helps North Korea with its economic woes. Russian Railways is in discussion with the government in Pyongyang to expand the rail connections between the two countries. Moscow also invests heavily in North Korea’s energy sector and gives Kim’s regime hard currency, which it needs to purchase foreign goods. There are also around 10,000 North Koreans in Russia as part of a guest worker program providing cheap labor to Russia.

But North Korea’s cordial relations with other countries basically stop there. It understandably has a bad relationship with South Korea. It’s also hostile toward Japan, which Pyongyang has threatened to nuke many times. The most recent animosity stems from Japan’s harsh colonial rule of Korea from 1910 to 1945.

“Japan pushed Koreans to assimilate, requiring them to speak Japanese, take Japanese names, and worship at Shinto shrines,” writes Robert S. Boynton in the New Yorker. “Men were forced to labor in Japanese factories and mines, and some women were dragooned into sexual slavery.” The period of Japanese colonialism understandably left many Koreans with a deep animosity toward Japan, and the Kim family has continued to perpetuate this hostility in its official propaganda.

In addition, Japan, like South Korea, has been backed by the United States since the end of World War II, where America wanted to make its relationship with Tokyo a centerpiece of its postwar strategy in Asia.

Essentially, North Korea is alone in the world, with very few exceptions. But so far, it doesn’t seem to care all that much — at least, not enough to change its ways.

Sure thing, especially since you made it this far. Here’s your North Korean jam, “Footsteps”:

[embedded content]

Catchy, right? By the way, the version here has subtitles — you’re welcome — but it’s worth your time to watch a North Korean chorus sing it live with an orchestra at a big national concert.

There’s no doubt this song is propagandistic. It’s not a complicated song to understand: The Kim family’s message is “stepping with vigorous energy throughout this land.” In other words, the Stalinist ideology championed by the Kims in the 1950s is now the operating system of the whole country and may spread further and further.

North Korea, it’s fair to say, is a world-class innovator when it comes to propaganda. This country continues to roll out new messages and slogans, including 300 to mark the 70th anniversary of its founding in 2015. Here’s a shortened list the BBC provided:

“Let us turn the whole country into a socialist fairyland by the joint operation of the army and people!”

“Serve the country and people! Aid the people! Let the wives of officers become dependable assistants to their husbands!”

“Let this socialist country resound with Song of Big Fish Haul and be permeated with the fragrant smell of fish and other seafoods!”

“Scientists and technicians, stand in the vanguard of the struggle to build a thriving country that is developing, civilizing and advancing at a fast pace! Build ‘gold mountains’ and ‘treasure mountains’ with brilliant scientific and technological achievements!”

“More stylish school uniforms and quality school things for our dear children!”

“Let us raise the status of our country to that of a sports power at an earliest date possible! Play sports games in an offensive way, the way the anti-Japanese guerrillas did!”

A lot of North Korean propaganda comes in musical form, as we’ve seen. It’s a tool the state uses and blasts over the loudspeakers throughout the day, including the song “We are the Happiest in the World,” which I’m going to guess is untrue.

But as you can see, a lot of these slogans are about the Kim family, the improvement of mundane things like school uniforms, and the desire for scientific improvement. They are meant to cover nearly every aspect of North Korean life. But …

Given how little access outside journalists and academics have to North Korea, it’s really hard to know with any certainty how many North Koreans truly believe the regime’s propaganda and how many just pretend to believe it in order to survive. But North Korean defectors estimate that only about 20 to 50 percent of North Koreans today buy what the regime is selling.

This steady loss of support has been going on since the Great Famine of the 1990s that starved around 23 million North Koreans and killed around 10 percent of the population. The country was and remains an agricultural society. The problem is North Korea’s climate is tough: It’s a mountainous region with harsh winters. Plus, the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and with it the help it provided North Korean farmers.

As a result, farm yields dwindled, and the government asked its citizens to “eat only two meals a day!” (Yes, with an exclamation mark.) It also didn’t help that in 1995, a big flood took out about 15 percent of North Korea’s arable land. As the food went away, so did a lot of the support for the government’s propaganda.

New technologies have also begun to play a role. As NK News reports:

[A]s new media technologies have emerged over the past decade or so – simultaneous to increasing numbers of defectors leaving North Korea – the effectiveness of the Pyongyang propaganda is increasingly coming into question. A combination of foreign DVDs, USB drives and defector-run radio stations are all slowly chipping away at the propaganda that Pyongyang monopolized for so long.

So while the propaganda is still prominent, there are clear signs that the Kim family’s grip on information is starting to slip. That’s a big development, and one that needs to be watched in the years to come.

We now know that North Korea appears capable, based on tests it has carried out, of firing a long-range missile that could hit all of the United States. And the US military believes North Korea has the capability to “miniaturize” a nuclear weapon and fit it onto that missile, though questions remain about how accurate their targeting is and whether a nuclear bomb would be able to survive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere using their current ICBM design.

Experts are more confident that if North Korea wanted to strike South Korea and Japan with a nuclear weapon, it could very likely do so. And any nuclear strike on those countries would put American troops stationed there directly in harm’s way.

This is partially why the United States has decided to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea to defend against certain missile strikes and why America is conducting missile interception tests with Japan.

But while the nuclear and missile programs get all the attention, a seriously underappreciated threat comes from North Korea’s arsenal of conventional weapons, including the world’s largest artillery force. And a third danger comes from the country’s elite special operations forces that could magnify the impact of a North Korean strike on South Korea.

South Korea’s capital city, Seoul, is a so-called “megacity” with a whopping 25.6 million residents living in the greater metropolitan area. It also happens to be within direct firing range of thousands of pieces of North Korean artillery already lined up along the border, also known as the demilitarized zone. Around 70 percent of North Korea’s ground forces are within 90 miles of the DMZ, presumably ready to move south at a moment’s notice.

Simulations of a large-scale artillery fight between the North and South produce pretty bleak results. One war game convened by the Atlantic back in 2005 predicted that a North Korean attack would kill 100,000 people in Seoul in the first few days alone. Others put the estimate even higher. A war game mentioned by the National Interest predicted Seoul could “be hit by over half-a-million shells in under an hour.”

My colleague Yochi Dreazen, who reported on what a war with North Korea might look like, came up with this depressing conclusion: “A full-blown war with North Korea wouldn’t be as bad as you think. It would be much, much worse.”

That leads to the most important question of all: What happens next? That, unfortunately, is the question we don’t have an answer for.

Original Source -> 9 questions about North Korea you were too embarrassed to ask

via The Conservative Brief

[repwinpril9y0a1]

Adrian Peterson Runs Away With This Week’s Most Popular Home

realtor.com

When we tallied up this week’s clicks on realtor.com®, we had a runaway winner. It’s apropos, considering the house at the top of our list of this week’s most popular homes belongs to former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.

After his decadelong run with the Vikes ended, Peterson no longer needed his place in the north. He’s since moved to New Orleans and is selling his five-bedroom home for just a hair under $700,000. It’s a modest price to pay to follow in the footsteps of a four-time All-Pro and 2012 NFL MVP. And as a bonus for fans of the team, the lower-level game room is already painted in shades of purple and gold with a massive Vikings logo on the wall.

Purple also played a factor in our runner-up, a Las Vegas mansion painted shades of violet throughout. Owned by the rapper known as Riff Raff, the home will require a makeover from the eventual buyer—unless the buyer happens to be partial to purple.

Besides the two lavender-tinged properties, you also clicked on an adorable shotgun home in Kentucky, a 110-room Gilded Age mansion in Pennsylvania, and a former Masonic lodge in upstate New York.

We won’t make you swear your allegiance to the stonemasons, but we will ask you to scroll down and check out the full list of this week’s most popular properties.

10. 34745 County Road 439, Eustis, FL

Price: $624,900 Why it’s here: Horse-related properties continue to gallop away with the hearts of aspiring cowgirls (and cowboys) everywhere. This affordable option in central Florida doesn’t quite compare with the elite equestrian options available in tony enclaves like Wellington, FL, but it’s on 10 acres and comes with a 26,000-square-foot arena. Saddle up!

Eustis, FL

realtor.com

———

9. 833 E Franklin St, Louisville, KY

Price: $150,000 Why it’s here: With a small footprint, this shack doesn’t look like much from the exterior. However, inside is a different story. Decorated with charm and designed to maximize the small square footage (965!), this shotgun-style home has already grazed the heart of a buyer—it’s in pending sale status.

Louisville, KY

realtor.com

———

8. A1 Ashbourne Rd, Elkins Park, PA

Price: $17,500,000 Why it’s here: Known as Lynnewood Hall, it’s “one of the largest surviving Gilded Age mansions in the Philadelphia area.” It was built in 1897 and features a jaw-dropping 110 rooms. We’d love to see a titan of today’s economy bring this place back to glory.

Elkins Park, PA

realtor.com

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7. 250 Saddle Hill Rd, Stamford, CT

Price: $1,250,000 Why it’s here: It’s Cyndi Lauper‘s house. The singer’s French-style mansion tumbled six spots from its perch atop last week’s list. The ’80s music icon is simply waiting for a buyer who’ll let the true color of green come shining through.

Stamford, CT

realtor.com

———

6. 7918 Inverness Lakes Trail, Fort Wayne, IN

Price: $574,000 Why it’s here: Light and bright, this five-bedroom home is ready to handle a growing family. The only question: Will the basement be converted into a fabulous fitness center or massive man cave?

Fort Wayne, IN

realtor.com

———

5. Undisclosed address, Little Falls, NY

Price: $325,000 Why it’s here: Biggest bargain ever? This old Masonic lodge offers over 12,000 square feet of living space for the low, low price of $325,000. We’re not math majors, but that comes to a measly $27 per square foot. Best of all, you don’t have to pledge any bloody oaths to take over this mansion.

Little Falls, NY

realtor.com

———

4. 21261 Merlot Ln, Tyler, TX

Price: $389,000 Why it’s here: Sitting on nearly 2 acres, this charming property was the personal home of a local builder. The four-bedroom beauty features plenty of distinctive design touches and custom features to make buyers swoon.

Tyler, TX

realtor.com

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3. 10 Mohegan Ave, Old Saybrook, CT

Price: $11,800,000 Why it’s here: We posed the question in March: Why hasn’t anyone bought Katharine Hepburn‘s estate? Two months later, the query still stands. Hepburn’s former home has bounced on and off the market for the better part of a decade. It reappeared a couple of months ago with a discounted price, and perhaps it’ll finally get a well-deserved happy ending.

Old Saybrook, CT

realtor.com

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2. 5148 Mountain Foliage Dr, Las Vegas, NV

Price: $1,385,000 Why it’s here: Known as the Purple Palace for the shades of violet running throughout the home, it was recently vacated by the rapper Riff Raff. According to TMZ, the rapper also had a different nickname for his home: the Codeine Castle. Mind-altering substances aside, the restorative effects of this five-bedroom home will likely be welcome after a long day spent walking around the Strip.

Las Vegas, NV

realtor.com

———

1. 9212 Cold Stream Ln, Eden Prairie, MN

Price: $695,000 Why it’s here: It’s the home of former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. After 10 seasons with the Vikes, the All-Pro was let go.

Now hoping to resurrect his career in New Orleans, Peterson has no use for this relatively modest five-bedroom home in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The home’s a perfectly elegant affair, but it doesn’t really scream big baller. For that, we point you in the direction of Peterson’s off-season palace in Texas—which was recently discounted to $6.2 million.

Bonus? For Vikings fans, the spacious game room won’t require a paint job—it’s already done up in a purple-and-gold paint scheme.

Eden Prairie, MN

realtor.com

The post Adrian Peterson Runs Away With This Week’s Most Popular Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Advice | realtor.com®.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2s2xkc2

[chpatdoorsl3z0a1]

Adrian Peterson Runs Away With This Week’s Most Popular Home

realtor.com

When we tallied up this week’s clicks on realtor.com®, we had a runaway winner. It’s apropos, considering the house at the top of our list of this week’s most popular homes belongs to former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.

After his decadelong run with the Vikes ended, Peterson no longer needed his place in the north. He’s since moved to New Orleans and is selling his five-bedroom home for just a hair under $700,000. It’s a modest price to pay to follow in the footsteps of a four-time All-Pro and 2012 NFL MVP. And as a bonus for fans of the team, the lower-level game room is already painted in shades of purple and gold with a massive Vikings logo on the wall.

Purple also played a factor in our runner-up, a Las Vegas mansion painted shades of violet throughout. Owned by the rapper known as Riff Raff, the home will require a makeover from the eventual buyer—unless the buyer happens to be partial to purple.

Besides the two lavender-tinged properties, you also clicked on an adorable shotgun home in Kentucky, a 110-room Gilded Age mansion in Pennsylvania, and a former Masonic lodge in upstate New York.

We won’t make you swear your allegiance to the stonemasons, but we will ask you to scroll down and check out the full list of this week’s most popular properties.

10. 34745 County Road 439, Eustis, FL

Price: $624,900 Why it’s here: Horse-related properties continue to gallop away with the hearts of aspiring cowgirls (and cowboys) everywhere. This affordable option in central Florida doesn’t quite compare with the elite equestrian options available in tony enclaves like Wellington, FL, but it’s on 10 acres and comes with a 26,000-square-foot arena. Saddle up!

Eustis, FL

realtor.com

———

9. 833 E Franklin St, Louisville, KY

Price: $150,000 Why it’s here: With a small footprint, this shack doesn’t look like much from the exterior. However, inside is a different story. Decorated with charm and designed to maximize the small square footage (965!), this shotgun-style home has already grazed the heart of a buyer—it’s in pending sale status.

Louisville, KY

realtor.com

———

8. A1 Ashbourne Rd, Elkins Park, PA

Price: $17,500,000 Why it’s here: Known as Lynnewood Hall, it’s “one of the largest surviving Gilded Age mansions in the Philadelphia area.” It was built in 1897 and features a jaw-dropping 110 rooms. We’d love to see a titan of today’s economy bring this place back to glory.

Elkins Park, PA

realtor.com

———

7. 250 Saddle Hill Rd, Stamford, CT

Price: $1,250,000 Why it’s here: It’s Cyndi Lauper‘s house. The singer’s French-style mansion tumbled six spots from its perch atop last week’s list. The ’80s music icon is simply waiting for a buyer who’ll let the true color of green come shining through.

Stamford, CT

realtor.com

———

6. 7918 Inverness Lakes Trail, Fort Wayne, IN

Price: $574,000 Why it’s here: Light and bright, this five-bedroom home is ready to handle a growing family. The only question: Will the basement be converted into a fabulous fitness center or massive man cave?

Fort Wayne, IN

realtor.com

———

5. Undisclosed address, Little Falls, NY

Price: $325,000 Why it’s here: Biggest bargain ever? This old Masonic lodge offers over 12,000 square feet of living space for the low, low price of $325,000. We’re not math majors, but that comes to a measly $27 per square foot. Best of all, you don’t have to pledge any bloody oaths to take over this mansion.

Little Falls, NY

realtor.com

———

4. 21261 Merlot Ln, Tyler, TX

Price: $389,000 Why it’s here: Sitting on nearly 2 acres, this charming property was the personal home of a local builder. The four-bedroom beauty features plenty of distinctive design touches and custom features to make buyers swoon.

Tyler, TX

realtor.com

———

3. 10 Mohegan Ave, Old Saybrook, CT

Price: $11,800,000 Why it’s here: We posed the question in March: Why hasn’t anyone bought Katharine Hepburn‘s estate? Two months later, the query still stands. Hepburn’s former home has bounced on and off the market for the better part of a decade. It reappeared a couple of months ago with a discounted price, and perhaps it’ll finally get a well-deserved happy ending.

Old Saybrook, CT

realtor.com

———

2. 5148 Mountain Foliage Dr, Las Vegas, NV

Price: $1,385,000 Why it’s here: Known as the Purple Palace for the shades of violet running throughout the home, it was recently vacated by the rapper Riff Raff. According to TMZ, the rapper also had a different nickname for his home: the Codeine Castle. Mind-altering substances aside, the restorative effects of this five-bedroom home will likely be welcome after a long day spent walking around the Strip.

Las Vegas, NV

realtor.com

———

1. 9212 Cold Stream Ln, Eden Prairie, MN

Price: $695,000 Why it’s here: It’s the home of former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. After 10 seasons with the Vikes, the All-Pro was let go.

Now hoping to resurrect his career in New Orleans, Peterson has no use for this relatively modest five-bedroom home in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The home’s a perfectly elegant affair, but it doesn’t really scream big baller. For that, we point you in the direction of Peterson’s off-season palace in Texas—which was recently discounted to $6.2 million.

Bonus? For Vikings fans, the spacious game room won’t require a paint job—it’s already done up in a purple-and-gold paint scheme.

Eden Prairie, MN

realtor.com

The post Adrian Peterson Runs Away With This Week’s Most Popular Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Advice | realtor.com®.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2s2xkc2