#A$AP Rocky number

[gallusrostromegalus]

Alright, number 4 for the asks. What creature do you believe in?

I know for a fact that the Colorado Bigfoot is real, but the truth is that he's my friend Todd's dad, Woodstock.

Woodstock is 6'8" and looks like if Treebeard did way too much acid in his youth. He's an Authentic Mountain Man, and owns a Bison-hide bodysuit from the 1800's he found in a goodwill that he likes to go hiking in. He also doesn't believe in property lines or shoes.

So, intermittently, there *IS* a tall ape covered in shaggy brown fur and size 16 feet wandering around the Rockies. But it's just a former middleschool woodshop teacher.

[awildeternity]

Kendrick Lamar vs Drake, my own little rant

FIRST OFF, THIS HAS CREATED SOME OF THE MOST IMMACULATE MUSIC I'VE EVER LISTENED TO. I AM VIBRATING AND NOT MANAGING TO CALM DOWN, SO I'M GOING TO RANT ABOUT IT. There's so much background to this. Drake was the one to originally put Kendrick on the world stage. Kendrick was literally an opener for one of Drake's tours back in 2012. That was before Section.80, which was Kendrick's first real studio album, and even then it was more of a mixtape at the time. So, Drake and K-dot were always basically involved with one another. However, while I don't know all of the background to it, I'm pretty sure Drake has been taking shots at literally like half of the rap game for the past few years. Future, A$AP Rocky, Kanye, and obviously Kendrick a couple of times. Saying that his first big hit was basically because of Drake, and that he kept doing features with big artists like Rihanna (LOYALTY.) and SZA (All the Stars). This all leads to a lot of bullshit recently. I'm not EXACTLY sure on the timeline (Feel free to correct me if there is anything wrong), but there are a couple of notable events, notably Drake using a *AI VOICE OF TUPAC* in a song (which led to him getting a cease and desist and a LOT of heat because, well, obviously.) Kendrick accuses him of being a culture vulture, basically trying to appropriate the Black US culture that he did not grow up with. LET'S REMEMBER DRAKE WAS ORIGINALLY BORN IN A GATED COMMUNITY FOR WHITE PEOPLE IN TORONTO. HE HAS NEVER BEEN "HOOD", NEVER LIVED THROUGH GANG VIOLENCE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. HE STEALS ACCENTS TO SEEM LIKE HE BELONGS AND BASICALLY APPROPRIATES THE CULTURE LIKE A BITCH. I'm pretty sure J.Cole also dropped a song that called himself, Drake and Kendrick the "Big 3" of the Rap Game, to which Kendrick responded in Like That by saying "Fuck the Big 3, [] it's just big me." which obviously means that he considers himself a step above both of them. That's basically when we get to the most recent stuff, and the MEAT of the topic. Drake drops Push Ups. It is some tame shit, let's be honest with ourselves. That song calls out the fact that Drake "handed" Kendrick his first number one hit, which, yeah, he kind of did, but whatever. There's picks at Kendrick's height, his foot size, the fact that his label TOP DOG takes 50% (Hence the lyrics "drop and give me 50" and the push ups title, dropping a song and giving TPE 50% of the profits) Also calling K-dot "wiped down" by more popular artists like SZA, Travis Scott and 21 Savage. Also weirdly enough taking a shot at Metro, a producer that had worked with Kendrick on Like That, but like, why??? AND THEN. FOR A FEW WEEKS, KENDRICK SAYS NOTHING. ON TUESDAY OF THIS WEEK, THOUGH, HE DROPS THE ABSOLUTE BOMB THAT IS EUPHORIA. Euphoria is the title of Drake's show he co-produced that got a bunch of heat for having some weird sexualisation of teenage girls, which is already a pretty good hit, but the LYRICS THEMSELVES. KENDRICK LITERALLY CALLS OUT DRAKE ON SO MANY THINGS. Talking about how he's not a rap artist but a scam artist that wants to be accepted (culture vulture, again), talking about the Tupac shit with "I'd rather do that than let a Canadian [] make Pac turn in his grave", once again calling out Drake being fucking CANADIAN and trying to appropriate the culture. Also making a reference to YMW Kelly and calling Drake and J.Cole his "friends" (YMW Kelly murdered two of his friends, hence why that is a diss and not a compliment.) I have to comment on the absolute HATE FEST too. "I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress I hate the way that you sneak diss, if I catch flight, it's gon' be direct We hate the bitches you fuck 'cause they confuse themself with real women And notice, I said "we," it's not just me, I'm what the culture feelin'"

[queenofallimagines]

Meguru Bachira with a black s/o

LISTEN!! I picked up the 2 volume of the manga on accident when I went to target and I’m in love w him the man of my dreams!! Not taking blue lock right now bc besides Isagi and kunigami i don’t remember any other characters name or anything about them😅 feel free to talk to me about him tho I have SO many thoughts👀

** can you tell this is just me rambling 💀

Megaru💕:

- this pic gives me butterflies holy shit

- WHEW this man has huge unhinged sunshine energy

- Like giggling and kicking my feet how he’s the happy go lucky character trope (I.e hinata) but they make sure you remember he’s not “soft”

- Like the way y’all be uwuing hinata that is a grown man😐 he was throwing fists the WHOLE SERIES but he don’t know about sex? Bffr

- Anyway he’s definitely a switch but kinda leaning more top? he definitely just wants to fuck he don’t care who’s on top

- He’s so cuddly it’s adorable

- Getting neon yellow nails to match his hair>>>

- Definitely would like to match fits w you when y’all step out

- WOULD GET YOU AN ANKLE BRACELET W HIS INITIALS ON IT SO HE CAN KISS YOUR ANKLE WHEN HE PUTS YOUR LEGS OVER HIS SHOULDERS!!

- Most fashionable couple FR

- Always has to be touching you in some way

- Holding your hand, arm around you, hand in your pockets

- Wants to make sure you’re there and won’t slip away from him

- Imagining him going to meet your family and he’s SWEATING like he knows he’s not everyone’s cup of tea and really doesn’t want to start anything

- “You are good at soccer so you have like + 100 points right now”(watching Latino people watch the football on the Olympics is so scary 😫)

- Imagine your family watching his games😭 embarrassing bc now I’m imagining a room full of dads and uncles glued to the tv and cheering him on like he can hear it💀💀

- “You so skinny you need to eat more!”

- He’s charming your aunties to steal plates from your house

- You get in the car and he has like 3 Tupperwares full of left overs

- Great with kids because they think he’s cool

- he’s breaking they ankles in soccer tho he’s not gunna play nice w kids

- If “play where it’s safe cuz it’s NOT over here” was a person

- Like he can go 0-100 in a millisecond so if someone tries him

- Very “who’s gon beat my ass about it??” Type beat

- People think y’all are so cute bc he’s so smiley and sweet to you

- DEFINITELY says filthy shit in your ear too

- Like he’s cuddly w everyone he likes so you’d be no different but he’s slipping his hands up your shirt

- Number one hype man when you get your hair done

- So extra

- “My baby so cute🥹🥹”

- Box braids are his favorite bc he can put charms and stuff in your hair

- also medium long locs bc imagining him walking up to you and pushing them out your face to see your eyes🥺

- Freak

- Probably sends you links to sex toys and is like

- “👀👀??”

-“I’m a visual learner btw”

- The MOST unserious character in this whole series so far

- His song is rodeo but just the flo Milli verse i WILL NOT ELABORATE!!

- Once he get to doing that thing where he lower his voice just call in sick bc you probably not walking

- Not that he doesn’t care about your pleasure it’s more he’s fucking until HE taps out so your brains can be soup but he’s not done so,,,,hold on?

- If you like me and a few inches shorter than him will be smug about it

- His personality is big enough to count as a size kink but being a little taller makes him get a big head

- Talks you through it the whole time

- Switching back and fourth between degrading and praise so fast it makes your head spin

- “Hm? Don’t tell me my little slut is tapping out? You were begging me so nicely earlier”

- only one who can say babygirl and it not be cringe 🤭

- “be a good boy and spread your legs for me, hm?”

- Really sloppy kisser during sex too

- Will tell you to stick your tongue out for him

- On the rougher side of kinky stuff

- Fucks you like it’s the last time he ever will every time

- Don’t care about getting caught bc either way he’s not stopping

- Probably how you’d end up sleeping w him and Isagi I fear

- Isagi is so sweet and megaru is MEAN

- Isagi trying to go slow and be gentle and Megaru over here pulling your hair calling you a pretty whore

- this man In grey sweatpants would end me

- APART OF THE SHORT KING BIG DICK CREW

- he’s tall by Japanese standards but juuuuust 3cm above average in American height

- he already walks out the shower naked w NO care in the world

- probably walks around the house like that too Ngl

- “I am returning to the natural state of my birth” I will glue your clothes to your body sir :/

- feel like he’s more girth than length like don’t get me wrong he def has a third leg but he’s gunna have to work you open

- “ Oh don’t worry, I’ll make sure it fits”

- Act right dick™️ so don’t push him too far in public

- Definitely a bad influence!! You’re trying to be normal in public and he gives you a look

- Next thing you know he’s on his knees for you in a bathroom or an empty hallway🙄

- In the locker room so many times the rest of his friends already know, and when you two disappear they not stepping foot in there

- Buys you lingerie because he’s your biggest hype man

- When you feel confident you’re the most sexy

- “Mmm you look so good in that cute outfit, you won’t be too mad if I tear it off right?”

- Spreads your legs wide and will make you look in the mirror and watch as he fingers you open

- The type of man who fucks you so good you would get his name tatted on your ass

- Your family actually is probably like “don’t you go corrupting that sweet boy”

- And behind closed doors he’s got his hand holding your hair in a tight fist as he makes himself comfy in your throat

- “Let me hold your hair up for you💕”

- L$D- asap Rocky is also his song

[naturalbornluvr]

naturalbornluvr hot people list

kinda not really ranked

1. cal gabriel

1. cal robertson in the year 2001

1. my husband

1. my baby daddy

1. daddy

1. the love of my life

1. light of my life fire of my loins

1. the blonde kid from that school shooter movie

2. lana del rey

3. hayden anhedonia

4. andre kreigman

5. christian bale

6. matt dillon

7. lorenzo zurolo

8. jake gyllenhaal

9. liz gillies

10. robbie shapiro

11. robbie hawkins

12. beck from victorious

13. alexander hamilton (the real 1776 one not lin)

14. andre harris

15. eric harris

16. jodi arias

17. ricky kasso

18. peter steele

19. ghostface

20. timothee chalamet (bones and all specifically)

21. weasley twins

22. hermione granger

23. harry potter

24. tom riddle

25. rachel lurie

26. sera promgoer

27. regina george

28. ron weasley

29. robert pattinson

30. mason freeland

31. sodapop curtis

32. everyone from the breakfast club

33. alice cullen

34. rosalie cullen

35. daddylisle cullen

36. dilfy swan

37. the one guy in the hallway in mean girls when cady says i think he’s going to the projection room above the auditorium

38. carl azuz

39. mickey and mallory

40. maya from pll

41. jfk

42. jfk jr

43. jfk jr jr

44. damon albarn

45. ANAKIN SKYWALKER (he should NOT be this low but i don’t wanna change the numbers. takes too long. everyone that should be higher up is going in all caps now)

46. the guy from i believe his unicorns. spencer? i think

47. JESS MARIANO

48. born to die music video boyfriend

49. shades of cool music video boyfriend

50. health ledger

51. chad michael murray

52. a$ap rocky

53. holly would from cool world

54. brad pitt

55. zion from ginny and georgia (young & old)

56. georgia miller

57. tyler the creator

58. KURT COBAIN

59. adam brody

60. megan fox

61. 2000s christina aguilera

62. RODRICK HEFFLEY

63. jeffrey dean morgan

64. charles shaughnessy

65. grown up zack from school of rock (like when he stole the guitars and amp in like 2019)

66. the one guy from school of rock who’s like yo u guys rocked man how old are u guys after the battle of the bands show

67. ned from school of rock

68. jack black

69 mweheheh. both george coopers

70. meemaw

71. meemaws friend played by reba i think

72. alex arnold

73. sid jenkins

74. kurtis conner

75. danny gonzalez

76. drewisgooden

77. kim possible

78. bill scarscard or whatever his last name is

79. GWEN from tdi

80. julia from tdi

81. heather from tdi

82. like all of the girls from tdi. at least half

83. naked guy from gilmore girls

84. taylor momsen

85. the other mother

86. mrs spink

87. coraline’s dad & other dad but not the pumpkin one

88. artyom

89. the babysitter and bones from monster house

90. lightning mcqueen

91. mater

92. angelina jolie

93. evan peters

94. ryan gosling obviously

95. THE DAD FROM INSIDE OUT. more like riley’s dad turn ME inside out. awooooga

96. the 911 operator from zero day when she’s not yapping

97. karina and ronald now from sis vs bro

98. cameron boyce

99. joseph gordon levitt

100. the mom from inside out. same thing i said for her husband

i will be adding on most definitely but 100 is a nice number to stop at 😇🫶

NEVERMIND

101. DADDY oops i mean flynn ryder oops i mean eugene fitzherbert

102. keanu reaves

103. chris mclean

104. playboi carti

105. JOEY SMACK

106. eric from elephant

107. drew starkey

108. that one biker bf from the ride mv

109. my husband’s dad …………..

110. andre’s dad

111. KRISTOFF !!!

112. shang from mulan

113. naveen from princess and the frog

114. MILO JAMES THATCH

115. steve terreberry

116. verryyy cal gabriel coded theatre kid at my school

117. hallway crush 1

118. hallway crush 2

119. hallway crush 3

120. hallway crush 4

121. maxo_xoxo on twitter and his wife lolaloopzy

122. MILA KUNIS

123. melania trump

124. jane fonda

125. fran FOIIINEEEE

126. that one guy who ranks things and uses the high pitched voice filter on tiktok

[songoftrillium]

NPC Spotlight: Burned Hide

art credit @morggo licensed to use with permission

CW: Animal death, fire, scars, generational trauma beneath the read-more link.

Wolf-Born, Galliard, Athro Older Brother, Master of the Rite

One day, Ape was sitting on the back of a horse, and stopped at the foot of Dume’fa. Ape doesn't know whether to go around her or try to go over her. One asks a nearby wolf,  "Wolf. Does she have a rocky face?" And Wolf says that she does. Ape orders the horse onto her face and gets stuck in her logfall and underbrush. Ape shouts to Wolf, "One said she has a rocky face!" And Wolf says,  "One did, Ape, all mountains have rocks for faces. Keep sinking and one will find it, this one is certain," And Wolf howls for one’s packmates to gather. — Burned Hide

Despite having had no visible likeness to her kin, she was the direct descendant of Rala Blood-Claw, and the last living descendant of any member of Tawatuy. Born the pup of a lone wolf and her two yearling packmates, her siblings and she had spent their early years catching trout and hunting for grouse, deer, rabbits, and elk in the fall, moving farther into the cascades over winter when the canyons and high desert turned bitter and cold. This had traditionally been the time when Younger Brother roamed into the region along with the Northern Paiute and Yahuskin, though times had changed since then. Her story began with the fall of Gulaka’i. Her grandmother, Aleshanee In-The-Sun, had witnessed numerous other garou begin succumbing to the Bitter Rage. Heeding the warnings of Muskrat, she had worked tirelessly to save as many wolves around Gulaka’i during the Snake War and the war of Rogue River as she could. She had eventually been taken by a Bitter Rage in her attempts to save more tribe members. Her once sweet, playful nature had been reduced to a frothing spittle in 1867. She was survived by her kin-pack, which had lived in the canyons just south of what is now Valley Falls, many miles away from Dead Mountain. When those wolves roamed too close to the cattle ranchers near Paisley, many ate poisoned meat and died painful deaths. A pack of yearlings had dined on grouse earlier that morning and had not gone on the hunt, sparing their lives. Those surviving wolves formed a pack with a number of coyotes; and in the spring of 1899, Burned-Hide was born. 

In 1900, Burned Hide's first change, and the first time she'd channel Rala Blood-Claw, occurred simultaneously. A fire had broken out that raged out of control through the canyon and reached the top of the plateau, destroying 75 homes in Lakeview. When the ash began raining down, she tried to locate her pack. Overcoming her own fear, she let her human mind take over, and ran into the fire. The only thing on her mind had been her family and their safety. She ran across hot coals, and through flame, scalding her paws and igniting her fur. Charred, and choking on smoke, she located them sheltering beneath an overturned boulder. 

The smoke was too much and she collapsed. That’s when Rala and she had a whispered communion in a language she was surprised to understand. In their first communion, Rala egged her to her feet, and whispered to her what happened to her Grandmother. To their family’s family, and their families. Rala held out the words and lives of the wolves that came before them, and the wolf, breathless and forgetting her pain, reached out with her heart and caught it in her teeth. 

The wolf transformed into her hispo form, and feeling her breath returning to her, led her family to safety. Even with her newer, stronger wolf form, she nearly succumbed to the heat and the smoke, had she not seen a family of muskrats fleeing northwards. She had followed them, fighting against all wolf instincts and fording the creek all the way to Thaervarmet. Despite wincing when she stretched her scars wrong, they had only served to add to the beauty of her heart, and year after year, she ran with the wolves. In her own words, the scars were marks of pride that showed her family just what they meant to her. Her life as a garou was one that saw her be one of few wolf-born to live to old age. Her springs were spent with her kin back home in the canyons where she was born. Among the creatures found there, they include 11 mexican gray wolves, 7 coywolves, and 10 coyotes all coalesced into an informal family of sorts, all hunting together with multiple kin leading.

Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3, Charisma 5, Manipulation 3, Composure 2, Intelligence: 3, Wits: 4, Resolve 4 Abilities: Alertness 3, Assbeating 2, Athletics 3, Brawl 3, Empathy 4, Expression 5, Intimidation 2, Primal-Urge 3, Subterfuge 2, Animal Ken 4, Leadership 4, Melee 2, Performance 3, Stealth 2, Survival 3, Enigmas 2, Forestry 3, Investigation 2, Linguistics 3, Medicine 1, Nation Lore 5, Occult 4, Politics 3, Rituals 4 Gifts: Prey Mind, Beast Speech, Master of Fire, Uncloak the Hidden, Coyote Howl, Scent of Sight, Oaksong, Lore of the Land, Hand of the Earth Lords, Spirit’s Horse, Whisper in the Dark, Catfeet, Distractions, Song of Heroes Rage: 4 Gnosis: 9(3) Willpower: 6 Fluster: 2

Backgrounds: Animism 5 (Champion), Patron 12 (Muskrat 7, Dume’fa 5), Kinfolk 3, Allies 3

Rites: Any Needed Maneuvers: Evasion

Equipment: Medicine bag, Awakened Tarweed Seeds, Awakened Juniper Berries, Awakened Trillium Seeds

Appearance: True to her name, Burned Hide is heavily disfigured, with the majority of her body a lattice patchwork of only partially-healed burn scars covering over 75% of her body. This include some of her eyes, which appears to be blind,doesn’t focus and is constantly weeping tears. Despite this, the shaggy cheek tufts and leaner build present her as a Mexican Gray Wolf, bearing no resemblance to her historic relation. Her expressive eyes are the color of dark juniper bark. Despite her scars, the way she carries herself gives her a sort of Wyld quality that is strangely beautiful, and all conducted beneath a veneer of self-control that belies her passion for expression.

Roleplay Tips: You are bold and unapologetically passionate. You carry the weight of Tawatuy on your shoulders and love in your heart, and become irritable when you’re not feeling heard. Your frequent communion with Rala has instilled in you a deeply-critical view of leadership, and there have been numerous times where you have handed the wheel over to Rala Blood-Claw herself, in a manner of speaking, unleashing a rancorous warrior when you do. You believe she was the true voice of reason in the face of Voruk’ny’ket, and you being the sole descendant of Tawatuy are living proof of that. Your duties to Gulaka’i that pull you away from here are also one of your biggest fears; that you won't be able to keep this family safe. You would give your life to save Gulaka’i, but only if you know your family will be saved. When near the hearts of septs, or in late spring, you are always shaking your head, for all the butterflies that land on your face drink your tears away. Your hidden strength is your Animism. The ability to channel and use up to 5 dice will grant you a base dice pool of 11 in homid form. This could have you, true to Rala Blood-Claw’s form, go toe to toe with Legends and hold her own. That hidden power gives you confidence, despite being small and 76 years old. You’d be a legend in your own right, did you not have Rala’s habit of mouthing off to whoever is in charge.

[thiswasinevitableid]

Aim True (Bridglar)

The runner-up of the "country loves songs" prompt poll was: Trick Shot

Virginia City gets cheesier every year. John is just glad the worst of the Nevada heat hasn’t made an early appearance; last year, it reached triple digits in spite of it being only May. 

“Mr. Bridgens!” Three of his students wave to him from in front of the “Olde West Shooting Gallery.”

Why they’re attempting a middle English spelling in a state that never saw a British colony is beyond him, but he waves back as he crosses the road to join them. 

Ostensibly, this field trip is to cap off the senior year with a celebration of Nevada history. John doubts more than a handful of students see it as anything other than a chance to spend the day browsing souvenir shops, daring each other to go into the plethora of haunted hotels, and gorging on ice cream and caramel apples. But they look forward to it, and he does like seeing the young minds he’s shepherded through AP or standard English have a day to just be young and carefree. 

Principal Franklin sets only three mandatory events for the day: getting to the bus on time, getting back on the bus on time to depart, and seeing the live “Wild West” show.

The trio of students tells him all about the Silver Queen as they find seats in the open-air theater. John ends up between Franklin and James Fitzjames, the drama teacher. He wishes he’d taken a cue from VP Crozier and brought a large hat; the sun is baking his scalp, and the flies keep buzzing past his ears. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, cowpokes of all ages, prepare for the wildest show this side of the Rockies!”

The crowd cheers with mild enthusiasm; it’s only the 11am show, after all. No one has had time to imbibe from the saloons lining the street. Not that John would anyway; he’d sooner die than be a derelict chaperone. 

A stetson-bearing figure bursts through the central curtains and the staff, and a few of the seniors, hoot and clap. Thomas Blanky, former and much beloved shop teacher, gives an exaggerated bow before launching into the same speech he gives every year.

“Howdy folks! We’re just plum tickled you could join us all on this fine, Friday mornin’. We got a real fine show for you today full of sharp shootin, trick ropin’, and the prettiest face in the west” he winks, “the rest of my troop ain’t bad either.”

Bad accent aside, John enjoys seeing his old colleague acting the ham. Blanky runs through a handful of mildly impressive trick shots, including popping balloons taped to the hats of his fellow performers. 

Next is a comedy act involving a literal dog and pony (and a cockatoo), the handler going by Irving insisting that the routine is wholesome while his co-presenter and the exotic bird do everything they can to undermine this assertion. 

The third act earns an incredibly loud cheer from James and Francis, as well as from the rather odd duo behind them of Goodsir (biology) and Collins (P.E). Lady Silence, as Blanky calls her, steps onto stage, and John is tickled to see she’s sporting period-accurate Shoshone clothing. Her act consists of more elaborate trick shots, all of which she does without uttering even a peep of fear while permitting a tarantula, then a scorpion, then a rattlesnake (“really a gopher snake” Francis mutters, only to be elbowed by James) to climb on her arms and hands.

When Lady Silence is done, she’s followed off stage by the loudest cheers so far, including a “Brava” from Goodsir. 

Act number four sets John's heart beating quicker; knife throwing has always struck him as one of the more dangerous endeavors one could pursue. It doesn’t help that Mr. Irving is back, looking a bit too convincingly terrified as one Mr. Hickey outlines his silhouette with knives. When both men exit in one piece, he relaxes and listens to Blanky introduce the final act. 

“And now, to close out our show, the amazing, whip-smart, hawk-eyed, Harry Peglar!”

John’s heart speeds up again. 

The man smiling out at the crowd with quiet showmanship and earnest excitement has the most handsome face he’s ever had the pleasure to see. 

Harry tips his hat and proceeds to shoot smaller and smaller targets from the air. The coin shot is so impressive that he even hands it to Crozier to inspect before and after the shot. As he straightens and tucks the coin into his pocket, his eyes fall onto John

“For this next trick, I need a charming assistant. How about you, sir?” 

John blushes, his instinct to demur, but both Franklin and James urge him forward, and so he allows Harry to pull him up onto the stage. Some of his students cheer, and he can tell without looking that many phones are pointed his way. 

“What’s your name, sir?”

God, does the man have to address him that way? He can only pass so much pink off as 

sunburn. 

“John.”

“Tell me, John, do you smoke?”

“No.”

“Good man.” Harry claps him once, friendly, on the shoulder, “you do, however, know what one of these are?” He produces a cigarette from his pocket. 

“Yes.” He smiles, “I said I don’t, not that I never.”

Audible shock from some of the students earns a laugh from the crowd. 

“Are you willing to hold this in your mouth for me? It won’t be there very long.”

John obligingly parts his lips only to realize, belatedly, that Harry meant for him to take it from his fingers. Without missing a beat, the trick shooter places it against his lower lip with a grin. 

“Now, John, I have another question. Do you know what this is?”

He holds a bullwhip up to the crowd to “oohs” and “ahhs.” John, slightly distracted wondering where the man had been hiding the implement, nods. He’s fairly certain James is cheering extra-excitedly; he did make John watch all four Indiana Jones films. 

“Here’s what I’m going to do, John. I’m going to light that cigarette for you. And before you even have a chance to inhale, I’m going to put it out from all the way over there.” He gestures eight feet to his right.

Harry looks over his shoulder, still audible to the crowd but with clear sincerity, “Do I have your permission, John?”

He nods again, trying not to imagine all the other things he’d grant Harry permission to do if he gave him that same look once more. 

“Wonderful! Let’s have some cheers for my brave volunteer!”

He uses the cacophony to huddle in close to John, who steadies the unlit cigarette steady with his fingers so the younger man can click a tarnished Zippo beneath it. Then, in a blink, he’s out of reach, unfurling the whip and testing it, bantering with the crowd but keeping his focus clearly on John. 

“Ready, John?”

Not knowing what else to do and feeling too tense to nod, he offers a thumbs up. 

“Hold still now, I’ll have that out for you in three, two, one.”

Crack

His ears ring, though the claps from the crown and the lack of any blood on his face tell him Harry managed his trick beautifully. He holds up the remainder of the cigarette, increasing the cheers. 

“Well done, John!” Harry practically bounds up to him, “let’s give him one more round of applause, folks!”

John means to leave the stage to the performers once more, but before he can, Harry grabs his hand and brings him down into a bow along with him.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

There’s an hour left to go on the field trip, and John is an extremely icy cold brew that Fitzjames treated him to. Most of the students are staying close to main street, finishing up their last purchases and taking endless pictures of each other.

“They were a fun crowd.”

He turns to find Harry leaning against a streetlight, still in his cowboy costume, ten times more handsome than anyone who ever played the role on screen “school groups can be hit or miss.”

“I’m glad as well; an excellent show deserves an appreciative audience.”

“Easy to put on a good show when you’ve got good help. I, um” he reaches into his pocket, “I have to go get ready for the show at two, but I meant to give you this before you hopped off stage. I always like to give it to my volunteer for that trick. This time I was a little flustered and forgot.”

Harry holds out the coin from his sharpshooting trick, dropping it into John’s palm. 

“Oh, I-” He’s not sure if he means to protest, or say thank you, but Harry cuts him off by closing his palm for him, keeping his own hand around it.

“Something to remember me by.”

A flash of a smile, followed by someone shouting his name from across the way, and then he’s gone. John stands, watching him walk toward the theater, and savoring the ghost of those fingers around his own. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Late June finds him back in a much hotter Virginia City, the sun refusing to drop behind the mountains quickly enough to provide a much needed respite from the glare. He hadn’t expected to visit again so soon, but Silna and Goodsir invited him to meet them for dinner; the Delta Saloon has begun serving a special, twice-monthly menu of period accurate fare and he’s very excited to see if it’s any good. 

Arriving early–there’s been bad traffic the last two days so he erred on the side of caution–leaves him ample time to ponder the historical artifacts tucked away in the corners of the saloon. He’s reading the plaque on the “suicide table” when a figure steps beside him. 

“Anticlimactic, I always thought.” 

Harry smiles when John looks his way, the undercurrent noticeably changing from friendliness to hope when John smiles back. He’s dressed in modern clothing; a black tank top, tan shorts, and ankle hiking boots (much better protection against the dust, pebbles, and sunburn than the sandals of most of the visitors). 

“The story” Harry continues, “that it’s named that when what happened is one or two people might have killed themselves because of losing money at it, not because someone used it in one, or died right on the wood. Besides, if that’s the bar for calling something a suicide table, I’d bet half the slot machines from here to Vegas need the same plaque.”

“Agreed. Though I do enjoy the thought of preserving some piece of the past, even if it’s to make salacious signs about it.”

“Did you come all the way back just to read our signs?” Harry says with a hint of cheek. 

“That depends on if there are any you think I’d like.” He turns full-on toward Harry, who aims for a subtle looking him over and fails.

When his phone buzzes, he considers dropping it in the nearest pitcher of water. 

“One moment, I’m meeting Silna and Harry, other Harry, that might be them.” 

H. Goodsir: Running late, courtesy of the majesty of nature.

Attached is a photo of a herd of mustangs, who seem utterly disinterested in moving from both lanes of Highway 50. He shows it to Harry, adding, “That’s not sarcasm; the man is delighted any time he sees the native wildlife. Which doesn’t always end well; we were driving to a conference in Tahoe once and he stopped to look at a large black bear. Still in the car, of course, but poor Mr. Collins was still rather stressed by the proximity.”

Harry laughs, then tilts his head towards the bar, “Sounds like we might have time for a drink?”

“I’d say so.”

John orders a gin and tonic, paying for Harry’s lager with a playful, “they don’t pay teachers that poorly” when the younger man tells him he doesn’t have to. 

“What do you teach? I didn’t get the chance to ask and I’d been wondering.”

“English, two classes of honors and the rest for seniors and a handful of juniors.”

“I hope they get on better with you than I did with mine; we got into an argument over Tess of the D’urbervilles and I’m not sure he ever got over it. The dyslexia didn’t help; he thought I wasn’t applying myself.”

“That’s a shame. There are lots of ways to assist students who struggle with reading, for any reason. And as a teacher, I’d argue it’s part of the job to make sure you do.” He sips his drink, “may I ask what the argument was?”

“I just thought it was worth talking about how Hardy has a lot of opinions on farming and morality for a man who probably never did any farm work. All well and good to talk about the evils of modernization taking us away from nature, but acting like the things that make running a farm ten times easier are evil because they don’t match your imagined idea of the life seemed…shallow. And I thought that might be an interesting angle to look at the book from. Mr. Thompson disagreed.”

“I happen to think it’s an excellent point.”

A shrug and a sweet smile, “Might have just come to me because I grew up on a farm. You grow up shoveling cow shit, you have some thoughts on the pastoral.” He flinches, “pardon my french.”

“Harry, I was in the navy for ten years, I’ve heard profanity that would make the devil faint.”

“That’s why you have tattoos. I noticed them during the show and, um” he takes another sip, licking his lips after in what’s either an automatic motion or a bid to drive John mad with desire, “I’ve been thinking about them ever since.”

He forces himself not to say that if he’s a very good boy, Harry might get to see the rest. This can just be a friendly drink. If Harry wants it to be more that’s for him to decide. John won’t push it. 

“None of your own?”

“Not yet. I want to get a line of poetry but I haven’t decided on which.”

John is very glad for this; if he’d managed to get Harry into bed only to find lines from one of the greats etched into his skin, he might have fainted. 

“Who are the contenders?”

A snicker, “Thomas Hardy, for one. I do love his poems about nature. I like Whitman too, but it’s so hard to choose…”

They spend a good half-hour discussing the merits, and ironies, or tattooing varies stanzas onto oneself. By the time Goodsir taps him on the shoulder, they’re leaning far enough towards each other that his glass nearly hits Harry’s jaw when he jolts in surprise. 

“I was starting to worry you’d be stuck there all night.”

“I’m sure.” Goodsir says with a smile and a glance at Harry that suggests he doesn’t fully believe him, “they eventually realized there were better places to rest their hooves. I got some wonderful pictures though.”

“You’re going to run out of memory at this rate. Again.” Silna keeps her amused look as she adds, “do you want to eat with us, Henry?”

“Oh no, I don’t want to intrude, I was just keeping John occupied while you got here. I ought to be going, it’s not the longest drive back to Dayton but I’ve got a mountain of chores to do. I’ll see you tomorrow, Silna. Nice to see you, Harry, and it was wonderful talking with you John.” He offers a final, parting smile. John watches him go once more, wondering if doing so makes him lecherous, or if he even cares if it does. At the door, Harry pauses, looking back, and his face brightens when he sees John is looking at him. Then he winks and steps into the finally cooling air.

“Your right pocket.” Goodsir murmurs as the waiter leads them to a table.

John ventures a hand into his shorts and finds a slip of saloon napkin next to the coin, the one he’s been carrying like a lucky charm for a month. 

Give me a call

It’s followed by a phone number. Harry didn’t have a chance to write it while they were talking, which means he must have done it the moment he saw John in the bar. 

Silna shakes her head, “I told him I could just give it to you for him.”

“You trick shooters, you do have a flair for the dramatic.” Goodsir pulls out her chair. 

“If we didn't, no one would watch.”

John lets them banter for the moment. After all, he has to attend to the pressing matter of asking if Harry would like to join him for coffee tomorrow.

[freeuselandonorris]

tagged by @lost-decade tyyy! i love these little questionnaires, it reminds me of ye olden days of myspace quizzes

last song: actually it was probably some tiktok song (probably mamushi which is on the background of every weightlifting video ever currently, fine by me) but the last one i played myself was fashion killa by a$ap rocky. max fewtrell’s really done a number on my listening history this year.

favourite colour: is it boring to just say black?? i like black and i like pistachio green and those kinda ice cream pastels in general.

currently watching: oh i just started sunny on apple tv bc i restarted my subscription for slow horses S4 and it’s so good!! it’s got that retro futurist vibe i love. also watching sherwood S2 (not as good as S1), watched the first episode of the perfect couple and it seems very dumb but in a watchable way, GLOW which i dropped halfway through the first time round for no apparent reason, colin from accounts S2 (beloved).

last movie: i saw the tv glow. it was…good i think? not what i expected. feel like i loved the idea and the potential of it more than the execution.

sweet/spicy/savoury: SPICY. when i make ramen i usually put 2 fresh chillies, lao gan ma, sriracha and chilli flakes in. ugh so good. i get a proper endorphin kick off spice (masochist food). i need to get into hot sauces!!

relationship status: solo-poly ✌️

current obsessions: lifting weights/getting hench, figuring out how to fix my fucking extended butterfly at pole bc it’s driving me insane that i can’t crack it, landoscar (ongoing), danorans on tiktok, eroticising sportswear (mad how little trainer worship fic there is in sports rpf), all the cosy shit i’m gonna do once autumn arrives.

last thing you googled: fat dog mercury bc i got a ticket to see fat dog live this morning and was trying to remember if they’d been nominated for the mercury or not (answer: no bc their album in fact only came out today)

tagging @strawberry-daiquiris @goingxmissing @glasscushion @bright-and-burning @tomsturbotwinks @vroombeams and i think most everyone else has been tagged??

[frankieunscripted]

I loved your post about Drake, it was like a college level dissertation on exactly why he sucks lol and I’m so here for it. Out of curiosity, who are your favourite hip hop artists?

Thank you! I didn't expect it to do so many numbers - guess I can brag with those now just like Drake, huh.

For those interested, I'm "currently" (not right now and not until I have caught up on my academic shit, but definitely high on the to do list) working on an even longer rant about this beef (which as of now seems to have died out with Drake's anticlimactic clap back on 7th grade level), because I noticed many people (on tumblr and YouTube) seem to leave certain points out, be it due to time, not knowing or because they didn't find it important. So yeah, there might be sth comin for ya in a few weeks - if I don't lose interest in it entirely lmao.

As for my fav hiphop artists. Phew, tough one. My vinyl shelf screams Kendrick first, because I already own most of his records. From then on it's really a thing of taste/vibe of the time you ask. So the following artists are in no way ordered, but I do listen to these regularly: Tyler, the Creator, A$AP Rocky, Sampha (with his angelic voice; idk if he still counts as pure hiphop but fuck genres), Denzel Curry, Kid Cudi, Kanye (back when he did good music (early 2000s up to like 2013-16ish) bc what the fuck is even the rest?) and OutKast! The following people I like a lot and listen to often, but not as much as the previously named: J.Cole, Missy Elliot, Busta Rhymes, Tupac, Snoop, Dre, 50 Cent, Travis Scott.

Of course there's many more people I listen to, but yeah.

Thanks for your question @haunted-80s-arcade-game.

[kmp78]

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/g4612/hottest-men-of-all-time/

Scroll to number 18😏 It’s a rating from 5 days ago

That's fucking ridic... 😂

I do agree with #1 tho but still that's just a random collection of dudes. 😂

[kuiperblog]

It's still possible to find success later in life

I'm frequently shocked by the number of 19-year-olds saying some variation on "it's so over for me" or "I'm cooked" or however it is that the kids these days express that their best days are behind them.

On a certain level, would be easy for me to laugh at them. "19 is still so young!" my millennial peers might say. It's absurd for a literal teenager to feel like they're a washed-up "has-been."

But on another level, I understand why 19-year-olds feel "cooked" in a way that their older peers don't. College is often the stage of life where many come to realize that they've lost their "child prodigy" license.

Part of this comes from the fact that as you climb up the educational ladder, you're no longer a big fish in a small pond. The kid who was in the top 10% of their class in high school who gets into a "good university" will likely end up classmates who were also in the top 10% of their class in high school, and by the inevitability of mathematical necessity, half of those kids will realize that within this new context, they are below average. It can feel crushing to go from being the smartest kid in AP calc to being in the bottom quartile of your class.

And in a much more profound sense, it's the point in your life where you realize just how big the ocean is. High school graduation marks the last point in your life where you can get "perfect marks" by following the path of least resistance. I remember being in my senior year of college, listening to my fellow mechanical engineering students chattering about all of the various certifications they were studying for. I had never even heard about this -- "huh? Apparently some states require you to pass an exam to be certified as a 'Professional Engineer?' Is this something I need to study for?" It feels as if you're expected to suddenly know a lot of things that are outside the curriculum.

The thing I think we all eventually come to realize is that everyone is in this boat. Even some of the biggest success stories had "slow starts" while they took their time to figure things out.

So, in the spirit of offering encouragement to those young'uns and 19-year-old "has beens," here are some stories about famous people who didn't find success until later in life:

Sylvester Stallone

Sly Stallone's story truly is an inspirational overnight success story. Obviously, he's famous for being Rocky Balboa -- but when he showed up to the where Rocky won three Academy Awards, he was 30 years old. He didn't even finish writing the famous screenplay until he was 29 years old!

Tina Fey

Tina Fey made history as the first woman to become head writer of SNL, but she didn't achieve this until age 29. What's more, she had to grind for years to reach this point -- she first got hired to write for SNL at age 27.

Stephen King

Stephen King didn't sell his first novel (Carrie) until he was 26 years old. Up until that point, the only things he'd ever had published were short stories. What's more, he only got a $2,500 advance for Carrie -- he didn't really "make it" as a pro author until after the book came out and started selling gangbusters, with the paperbook rights selling for $400,000 -- this didn't happen until King was 27 years old!

Steve Jobs

Funny enough, I've seen a lot of people point to Steve Jobs as an example of an "early life success story" because Steve Jobs was a 21-year-old college drop-out when he co-founded Apple. And while it's true that Apple did have some early success stories, like the Apple II, the company didn't IPO until three years after that. After the IPO, his net worth was measured in hundreds of millions of dollars, but he had to grind until he was 25 years old to reach that point!

Jennifer Lawrence

A lot of people saw Jennifer Lawrence portray a teenage Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games and assumed that she was a teenage success story. Not so! JLaw was actually 21 years old at the time, proving that even if you don't achieve success in your teens, it's still not too late to achieve fame and success. She didn't even win an Academy Award for Best Actress until she was 22.

In short, if you're 19 years old, it's not "too late" for you. You are not "cooked." There's no reason to think you are too old or need to give up on your dreams and ambitions until you hit your early 30's, at which point if you haven't become a famous multimillionaire it's pretty much over for you.

[conceptfashion]

— Some of my opinions on the newest ‘Hottest Brands’ ranking Lyst for Q-3 of 2024

To start off, Miu Miu is once again locked into that number one spot, something I can't help but agree on. Every publication that we've seen from Miu Miu over this time period has been nothing but praised. My personal favorite of these being Miu Miu's 2024 campaign with Cara Delevingne.

Past that, I'm a bit impartial to Loewe's current standing on the list. They've been formidable and what they've put out for the other quarters of the year and have help their top spot on the list very well, but as for this quarter specifically, there isn't a deciding factor on their standing.

Although, Alaïa's 12 ranking raise is something I can totally get behind. Similarly to Miu Miu, every time the brand has been brought up in the eyes of the public, only good things have been able to be said. Furthermore, even past the fashion, Alaïa has been in constant fashion buzz and circulation amongst celebrities and fans. Rihanna, Jennie, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Taylor Russel and more front-page celebrities have all been rightfully directed by their stylists into popping out at events in gorgeous Alaïa pieces keeping the brand at the forefront of everyone's mind. Pieter Mulier has been doing an amazing job directing the brand.

Between Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent, the two are in pretty interchangeable positions, though I do believe Alaïa should've been placed above both. But both of these brands have had their public interest peaked this quarter by the names involved with the brand. Saint Laurent's with Bella Hadid's return to modeling at their show and Rose's appearance as well; and Bottega Veneta with A$AP Rocky's multiple instances of campaign involvement alongside Jacob Elordi's ambassador title bringing in buzz with speculation of an upcoming role in a new rendition of American Psycho.

In regard to the lower half of the List, the majority of the movement among the charts is pretty fairly justified, though with reasonable room for discourse. Though in Coach's respect, climbing 5 slots on the list was something I wasn't expecting at all, and definitely don't think is justified. The brand hasn't been the most favorable in public view in despite of how much they've been pushing out for the world to have. With multiple collaborations over the period of the last quarter, the brand's biggest mishap in the view of the public had to have been their display at NYFW, as it received quite a bit of mixed reviews, if even covered at all.

Though, to my surprise, Diesel has been removed from the chart entirely. Glenn Martens' recent pull away from Y/Project in light of how poorly the brand had been doing financially, in conjunction with the team at Lyst no longer viewing Diesel as a competitor on the chart personally raises a lot of questions, though Diesel has had very promising publications in the quarter including their Denim Wedding campaign and all denim MFW show set. Hopefully they make their way back into the list in 2024's final quarter with Glenn Martens now having only Diesel to direct.

[schnuron]

Darkwave

10/19/2023 My interest of darkwave took me longer to get into it that not many people have told me in the past.

For those who don't know what darkwave is, it's dark synthpop that doesn't progress to be popular in mainstream media. From the information I've read, it began with Clan of Xymox in the 80s and kudos to it that I've listened to their full discography and loved them.

The songs have no hooks from pop/rock/hip-hop musicians. It's listening to a score to get the vibe of something you want to or "my soundtrack playlist" that nowadays people are listening to like Taylor Swift or A$AP Rocky. (https://www.complex.com/music/a/bdandrid/no-hook-viral-rap-songs-structure-changes) Basically, it's the vibe music.

Before darkwave, I heard Sisters of Mercy's Floodland in 2016 and I loved it, but I've never been a nerd of it. Synthwave took me over in that year, thanks to Perturbator's Dangerous Days (heard of it in 2015), GUNSHIP, John Carpenter and Hotline Miami OSTs. I still listen to Synthwave, but I've been least active of that genre since it's kinda ubiquitous at this point.

I heard of a few darkwave albums in the past like Drab Majesty or Boy Harsher's Country Girl EP in 2018, yet that genre didn't grasp me fully. I love Perturbator's Lustful Sacraments. That is until I heard of Mareux's The Perfect Girl (The Cure cover) in February of this year, thanks to Zoolander's meme I saw. I loved that song. How come no one suggested me this song before? ehh…

Darkwave hooked me with Mareux's music in April this year and I've been enamored of searching for more bands like Mareux and so far, I've found plenty of bands I love and some didn't click me. Hopefully they'll keep making one darkwave album per year or tops. No pressure.

The unanswered question is how long do I keep listening to it. I don't know. The genres I heard like punk (The Stooges or Husker Du), hard rock (Led Zeppelin's third album or AC/DC), pop punk (Yellowcard or Fall Out Boy) heavy metal (Judas Priest or Iron Maiden), Alternative Rock (Story of the Year or Filter), Industrial (Nine Inch Nails or Contagion) metalcore (Bullet For My Valentine/Killswitch Engage), ambient (Plastikman's Consumed), thrash metal (Megadeth's Rust in Peace or Sepultura), grindcore (Terrorizer or Anal Cunt), death metal (Carcass or Death) and black metal (Burzum's Hvis Lyset Tat Oss) are stored in my brain. I'm not enthusiastic of discovering new bands (Spiritbox or Sleep Token) of an existing genre. People will find a niche to a particular band or a number of bands in one way or another.

I still like Queens of the Stone Age from time to time. xP

Will another genre get me addictive in the future? K-pop or noise music? Maybe. Or I'm just apathetic to hook me in a derivative music world.

Whatever. I'm listening to Hante. - Morning Tsunami.

Have a nice spooky month, folks. ^^

[tainbocuailnge]

i think one of the primary factors behind granblue fantasy’s continued success is that it’s a game that’s very easy to come back to. the barrier of entry for granblue has always been pretty high and has only gotten higher with the years despite repeat attempts from cygames to make the early stages of getting started easier, because in “streamlining” old content they ended up just removing a lot of it which means you have barely anything to do in the game until you hit rank 100 where all the actual content is. I used to really hate the “100 rank tutorial” jokes for being exaggerated but they’ve gotten increasingly real over the years.

however once you’re past that barrier and have a grid and are at the player rank where you have shit to do the granblue fantasy content schedule is very comfortable with you either playing the game nonstop for days or completely ignoring it for months, because regardless of when you last opened the game there will be like thirty little tasks you can juggle working towards and there’s a valor badge event coming soon if you need a more specific goal and all that’s really changed is there’s more characters now and more swag outfits to put on your player character and also they’re letting you skip over some of the more annoying chores now and slipped another 300 ap recovery items into your inventory. being a browser game means it doesn’t even hoard valuable storage space when you’re going through a period of not playing it. there’s going to be new jacked up endgame raids but whatever ol reliable team you set up a year ago is definitely still going to work in whatever raid you made it for, and that raid is probably still going to be relevant to you if it’s the last thing you were farming so you can pick up right where you left off.

so even though my relationship with granblue has been rocky the past few years to say the least, whenever some seasonal campaign comes around I often end up playing for a while again anyway because even if the state of the game progresses it doesn’t feel like i’m left behind. whenever the mood for some number go up strikes my ex game dot granbluefantasy dot jp is ready and waiting.

when it comes to long running live service games and especially gacha games that can’t easily go back on having released something before that’s actually a very hard balance to strike so i think granblue really does deserve high praise for managing to not leave players that don’t actively keep up behind. and I think especially the past year or so they’ve made a lot of respectable efforts towards making sure the older stuff that you put a lot of effort into back when it was the best you could get still remains relevant as the game progresses which is part of why i have a more positive attitude towards the game again lately too. the extra grid slots for bahamut and ultima weapons in both sandbox (casual content) and revans raids + super ultimate bahamut (hardcore endgame content) are a great move when there’s always more new fancy weapons fighting for a grid slot that these former endgame must-haves couldn’t compete with anymore.

the class design on row V classes and recent mastery bonuses for row IV to go with it are a good example too because they clearly made an effort to have row V be both a clear upgrade but also more demanding to use (stricter mainhand requirements due to aux weapons, high commitment for farming shields and manatura) so there remains reason to use the row IV counterpart that you put all those masteries into to get row V in the first place. class design in general has been genuinely really good lately both in visual design (slutty gran outfits) and how it plays. so here too coming back to game dot granbluefantasy dot jp after a long time away you won’t find that everything you worked so hard for is now obsolete but rather that you can just keep playing your favourite class forever and make it fuck even harder if thats what you want

and i say things will be mostly the same whenever you get back but i also think introducing battle system v2 and the recent change to qilin were pretty ballsy moves and good signs that cygames continues to think about the long term health of the game even though they blatantly always wanted to be a console game dev and it felt like they’d put all the competent people on GBVS and relink for years. actually maybe the fact that relink is finally coming close to being a real game is why mobile granblue is getting better again recently. anyway. lord forgive me but i’m back on my shit (playing granblue fantasy again)

[xlntwtch2]

11/29/23 ..AP News...

"....Across most of the U.S., wolverines were wiped out by the early 1900s from unregulated trapping and poisoning campaigns. About 300 surviving animals in the contiguous U.S. live in fragmented, isolated groups at high elevations in the northern Rocky Mountains.

Wolverines join a growing number of animals, plants and insects — from polar bears in Alaska to crocodiles in southern Florida — that officials say are at growing risk as increasing temperatures bake the planet, altering snowfall patterns and raising sea levels...."

"...The animals resemble small bears and are the world’s largest species of terrestrial weasels. Sometimes called “mountain devils,” they thrive in harsh alpine environments.

"...Republican lawmakers in Montana had urged the administration to delay its decision, claiming the scientists’ estimates were too inaccurate to make a fair call about the dangers faced by wolverines. The lawmakers, led by hard-right conservative Rep. Matt Rosendale, warned that protections could lead to future restrictions on activities allowed in wolverine habitats, including snowmobiling and skiing...."

[ohfallingdisco]

9, 10, & 25 for the spotify wrapped game :)

hii thanks for playing!! :)

9. favourite lyrics of your #1 song -

sooo…no surprise, i think, it’s wilson by fob. i soaked in this song like it was a sauna for the entiiiire year, i think. and because of that, it’s torture to choose a lyric lmfao- maybe the “i know it’s just a number, but you’re the eighth wonder / i’ll stop wearing black when they make a darker color”? it’s really fun to scream when you’re by yourself.

10. a song also in last year's wrapped -

i’ll stop by half alive. this one probably has something to do with july, when i kind of obsessively binge-read rw&rb and heartstopper and this song made it’s way onto every playlist lol. very much recommend actually, that was fun.

25. favourite lyrics of your #100 song -

am i dreaming from atsv! lol yes the soundtrack was great and i’m not surprised this one made the list. maybe could have been higher, but the movie came out too late in the year.

[xtruss]

Muslim Pilgrims Gather on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia – In Pictures

Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims have crowded on to Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia. The ritual is the high point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, which officials say could be the biggest on record after three years of Covid restrictions

— Tuesday June 27, 2023

Pilgrims will spend hours praying and reciting the Qur’an on Arafat and in the surrounding area amid high temperatures. Thousands of health workers were on alert for cases of heat stroke and exhaustion. After sunset, pilgrims will travel the short distance to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and Mina, to sleep in the open air. Photograph: Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images

The ritual is the high point of the annual pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, that officials say could be the biggest on record after three years of Covid restrictions. Photograph: Amr Nabil/AP

Water mist is sprayed on pilgrims. Photograph: Amr Nabil/AP

This year, a maximum age limit has also been removed, giving thousands of elderly people the chance to attend. Photograph: Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images

So far, more than 1.8 million pilgrims from around the world have gathered in and around Mecca for the hajj, and the number was growing as more pilgrims from inside Saudi Arabia joined, said a spokesperson for the Saudi hajj ministry, Ayedh al-Ghweinim. Authorities have said they expect this year to approach pre-Covid levels of more than 2 million. Photograph: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters

In 2019, more than 2.4 million pilgrims participated in the hajj. In 2020, amid worldwide coronavirus lockdowns, Saudi Arabia limited the pilgrimage to a few thousand faithful and local people. Last year, just under 900,000 attended as Saudi Arabia allowed limited numbers of pilgrims from abroad. Photograph: Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images

Pilgrims pray on the rocky hill. Photograph: Amr Nabil/AP

As dawn broke, groups of worshippers recited verses from the Qur’an on the rocky rise, where the prophet Muhammad is believed to have given his final sermon. Photograph: Amr Nabil/AP

Pilgrims arrive in Arafat for part of the five-day hajj pilgrimage in which an estimated 2 million Muslims will embark on a series of rituals around the desert city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

A pilgrim makes a video call from the mountain, also known as Jabal al-Rahmah or Mount of Mercy. Photograph: Amr Nabil/AP