#Aaron D. Williams

[longlistshort]

The images above are from Brianna Lynn Hernandez’s exhibition Anticipatory|Después, one of three currently on view at Spaces gallery in Cleveland. Her moving video and sculptural installations focus on themes of end-of-life-care, grief, and mourning.

From the gallery about the work-

Anticipatory|Después visualizes the anticipatory grief of caregiving and the process of dying through performative videos and photography. Each piece shares the physical and emotional state of the dying, the caregiver, and at times the two concurrently. Ranging from fast and aggressive dance-like movement to slow and meditative contemplation, the enacted scenes capture a range of emotions and thought processes of understanding and untangling the intertwined traumas of caregiving and acute grief.

As her mother’s caregiver in the final year of her life, Hernández translated her personal experience of grief into her studio practice in order to combat the isolation and shame many grievers face in our death-avoidant culture. Through several series including Anticipatory | Después, the works aim to normalize honest conversations of grief and act as an entry point into education on end-of-life planning. Hernandez states that while we will all eventually experience the pains of loss, preparing for the logistics of death and nurturing supportive communities for grievers can provide comfort and lessen the unnecessary stressors attached to loss.

A Botanical Conversation, Mehdi-Georges Lahlou’s exhibition, explores environmental, identity, and cultural issues using the natural world as a backdrop. The two large murals are of an enlarged palm tree cell as seen through a microscope.

The exhibition statement by curator Conor Moynihan-

The palm tree is a central component of Mehdi-Georges Lahlou’s practice, a motif he has explored to highlight themes of exoticism, migration, and cultural heritage. Recently, Mehdi- Georges Lahlou has used the palm tree to explore themes of colonization, climate change, and history. While members of the Arecaceae family- palm trees- can be found in many parts of the world, they are not found here in Ohio. Unless, of course, you go to the Cleveland Botanical Garden as Mehdi-Georges Lahlou did for his residency at Spaces.

For A Botanical Conversation, Mehdi-Georges Lahlou has created four new video works using the Cleveland Botanical Garden as the setting and backdrop. While many of the plants visible in these works come from elsewhere across the world, his collaborators Diwe Augustin-Glave, CHIMI x Nature, and Dr Lady J are based in Cleveland. In many ways, this body of work imagines the conversations that might happen if the flora in the Cleveland Botanical Garden could speak, sing, chant, and educate, and then transports this dialogue in the gallery space.

Microscopy, the mural that extends over two walls in the gallery, serves a double function. Based on the cell of a dead palm tree, it enlarges from an unusual perspective a motif central to the exhibition. And it also serves as a container and a frame for the four videos. This conversation emerges within the boundaries of the palm tree cell, transporting this exhibition into the botanical garden.

Characteristic of his practice, Mehdi-Georges Lahlou draws our attention to how plants and botanical gardens become ways to highlight histories of colonization, compulsory heterosexuality, and climate disaster all contained under canopies of glass. Yet, especially through the performances of Diwe Augustin-Glave, CHIMI x Nature, and Dr Lady J, they also celebrate new queer ecologies and configurations, melding African and African American musical traditions, queer theory and scholarship, ecological history, and environmental justice towards new ends.

A Botanical Conversation is a cacophony. It asks us to listen carefully to hear all the voices that make up this chorus.

Aaron D. Williams has created a video installation, ESCAPING AAWFUL LAND, that continues the work created for his previous Aawful Friends exhibition. This new creation addresses the issue of anxiety and the power of collaboration as a way to combat it.

From the gallery-

ESCAPING AAWFUL LAND is an immersive exhibition that builds upon the success of Aaron D. William’s previous Aawful Friends showcase at Zygote Press. This new showcase explores the creative journey between Williams and collaborating artists. By delving into anxiety through art, we seek to acknowledge its profound impact on our collective well-being. We must address anxiety as a shared concern and foster a future community that supports and uplifts one another. Through individual and collective artistic expression, we can overcome the gravity of the situation and find healing and unity. In our fast-paced society, anxiety affects people from all walks of life, taking various forms and manifesting in relentless thoughts, paralyzing fear, and an overwhelming sense of unease. Despite its grip, we encourage you to embrace your inner courage and take the leap. The installation will be held at The Vault in SPACES gallery, where you will be transported to AAWFUL LAND – a hidden realm within our city accessible only to those who know it exists. Guided by the mysterious GUARDIAN, you will journey through its enigmatic mysteries. As you step into AAWFUL LAND, you will be captivated by a mesmerizing video presentation. Witness AAWFUL AARON engaged in a gripping game against a formidable opponent, reminding us that we have the inner strength to persevere and pursue our dreams even amidst anxiety. In Aawful Land, anxiety takes on tangible forms and bursts forth in vibrant colors. CREATURE is at the heart of our narrative, an overbearing shadowy figure personifying anxiety and serving as the central antagonist. Aawful Aaron is locked in a fierce battle against CREATURE, desperately seeking escape from this hidden world. However, a subtle hint suggests that Aaron may need assistance to overcome his challenges. Within Aawful Land, a group of trapped artists may hold the key to their collective liberation. Together, they offer a glimmer of hope, representing collaboration’s power in overcoming Aawful Land’s perils. This work serves as a proof-of-concept or work-in-progress, paving the way for Aawful Friends II. In the forthcoming installation, we will feature this newfound group of artists, showcasing their collective efforts and unveiling the transformative power of collaboration. Their shared experience demonstrates that collective creativity and expression can lead to freedom and transcendence. ANXIETY IS HARD – TAKE YOUR SHOT ANYWAY.

All three of these exhibitions close 3/1/24.

[thebutcher-5]

Koda, fratello orso

Benvenuti o bentornati sul nostro blog. Nello scorso articolo abbiamo deciso di non parlare di un horror bensì di un thriller fantascientifico, un’opera indipendente che si dimostra piena di idee interessanti e ben gestite, Upgrade. Grey assiste all’omicidio di sua moglie da parte di alcuni assassini e viene ferito da quest’ultimi, rimanendo tetraplegico. Quando sembra che per lui non ci sia più…

[badmovieihave]

Bad movie I have The Wrath of Becky 2023

[t1red-twilight]

play nice

content/warnings: gn!reader, fluff, protective!dean, relationship gets established, cursing, gratuitous smooching because i like it

summary: you have to interrogate someone for a case, but he gets a little too comfortable.

word count: 2k

masterlist d. w. masterlist

a few mysterious deaths urged the three of you to southern california. what had started as a feeble attempt at relaxing had ended in scouring small-town news for something interesting. none of you could handle sitting still for an extended period of time without going batshit insane, so dean found a case that was definitely easy mode.

presently, sam was back at the motel doing some research (typical), and you and dean were approaching a diner to interrogate a victim’s friend. the air was brisk, and your tacky suit did little to warm you.

the diner was basically a carbon copy of the approximate 50 thousand diners you had eaten at within the years you had known the winchesters. “so, wait, who is this guy again?” you asked dean. this had all been explained to you earlier, but you couldn’t recall any information.

the two of you paused outside the diner entrance. “aaron williams. he’s the most recent victim’s roommate. he wasn’t at the scene yesterday when we looked around.” you straightened your suit coat. ah, now you remembered. he was some idiot former-frat-boy drop out, sam had said.

you nodded affirmatively. you reached forward and tried to push the door open, only to be met with resistance. hearing dean snicker behind you, you quickly pulled open the door and allowed him to enter before you. “its a pull door, dumbass,” he teased.

you kicked his shoe, trying to alert him that you had an image to uphold. “i figured that out, genius,” you whispered. an employee approached you, clad in a stained fifties-esque uniform. they were clearly on the younger side.

“hello. i’m special agent nicks, and this is special agent buckingham. we need to speak to aaron williams?” as you introduced yourself, you reached into your breast pocket and fished out the faux id, and dean mirrored you. there was a pause. “about the death of luke johnson?” you continued.

a look of realization dawned on the employee’s face, and they turned to look over their shoulder before turning back to face you. “oh, okay. uh, let me go get him.” they scampered away quickly. you snorted, but tried to cover it with a cough. teenagers.

the man that approached you was tall. about sam’s height, maybe an inch or two shorter. his was thick, curly brown hair on his head, and thick stern eyebrows. you immediately were drawn to him, you were sure that anyone would be.

out of the corner of your eye, you could see dean turn and look at you, disbelief spread across his face. red, hot embarrassment spread out over your face. your lips pulled into a thin line, and dean scoffed and rolled his eyes. “you needed to talk to me?” aaron asked, now in front of you.

dean inched forward slightly, his already gruff voice dropping in tone. “yes. we should probably sit.” you both flashed your badges again. dean tilted his head on either side, popping his neck. before he sat, he pulled out your chair. aaron did not follow, and dean gestured, somewhat aggressively, for him to sit.

aaron proceeded to lounge back in the diner chair. his long legs were spread out underneath the table, feet almost touching yours. “so, we understand that you were luke’s roommate?” you prodded.

aaron looked away, and nodded. at your stern gaze, he responded verbally. “yes. found the body.” his face was aloof and devoid of any emotion, positive or negative.

dean leaned forward, torso pressing into the table. his loosened his clenched jaw to speak. “yes. that’s why we’re here,” he spoke, annoyed. you tapped his thigh in an effort to get him to chill the hell out.

“sorry, aaron,” you apologized. “agent buckingham and i are just a little behind schedule today. had luke been erratic or weird the days before you found him?”

aaron sat up a little straighter. “i mean, kind of. he was just a weird dude in general.” he was clearly acting too nonchalant for dean.

dean scoffed, and you swatted his leg again. “weird how?” dean pressed. aaron shrugged. a stiff silence followed, and dean tried (albeit poorly) to hide how irritated he was getting. “well if you’re not-“ he started, his volume raising. any semblance of attraction you had to aaron was quickly diluted by his idiocracy. he was either dumb, enjoyed wasting people’s time, or both. great. this was going to go just great.

you cut him off, “did any of his habits change, did he talk about or do things he usually didn’t?” you couldn’t risk dean making a scene, and more importantly, you really needed to find out something from aaron.

aaron sighed deeply. “i don’t know. i’ve been kinda,” he paused, “busy.” he punctuated his sentence by raising both his eyebrows. you understood the innuendo he was trying to get at.

aaron leaned forward, placed his elbows on the table, and licked his lips.

desperately fighting off a sneer, you kept your voice as monotonous as possible. “how did you find the body?”

aaron looked around playfully. “it was in the living room. saw him when i walked in.” dean scoffed, and aaron continued. “he was bloody. i don’t know, i called the police.” you could practically feel dean’s eyes roll.

you flicked your eyes over to dean, to get his attention and signal him that you were ready to leave. there was no way in hell that you were going to get information out of this douchebag, none that would be beneficial anyway.

aaron spoke up and broke you out of your thoughts. “you know, you’re too much of a looker to be fbi,” his tone was flavored with something you didn’t like. clearly, dean didn’t either with the curses he began muttering under his breath.

“excuse me?” you paused to give him a chance to take back what he said, but instead he just doubled down.

aaron leaned forward on his forearms even further, “i think that we could have some fun together, if you just left your-“

all in one motion, dean’s arm shot around your waist and pulled you into his side and stood up forcefully. thus, you stood up with him; it wasn’t as if he was giving you any option to act unaccordingly. oddly enough, you sighed and felt some tension dissipate from your shoulders. “alright, that’s enough. thank you for all of your bullshit and for not being of any help whatsoever,” dean was almost yelling. with a grandiose movement, dean’s hands were suddenly on your face.

quickly you felt him pull you closer. your hands gripped his wrists but had no intention on pushing him away from you. you knew what was about to happen: you had done it many times before, but dean had never been so forward in private, let alone in public.

dean slotted his lips against yours in a kiss that was more teeth than anything. as you felt him exhale against your face, you bit his bottom lip and pulled away from his face. his head tilted almost imperceptibly to the right, and he kissed you once more with a small pecking motion. his lips were chapped and in need of some vaseline or something, but you didn’t mind. shit, you were still in public. so much for not letting dean make a scene.

“have a good day, dick,” he tagged on sarcastically. you hadn’t seen, but dean had flipped aaron off.

his hand slipped from your face and down to your own hand. turning, he pulled you towards the door. when you both had gotten several steps away from the dingy diner, you stopped him.

“hey, are you okay? what was that?” the green in his eyes swirled with something. anger, you figured.

dean pulled his hand away from yours, and waved them around as he spoke. “he shouldn’t fuckin’ talk to you like that. it’s, you’re better than- fuck, i-“ he stopped when you snorted. “what?”

you grabbed his intelaced your fingers once more. “it’s just,” you swallowed down your laughter. “you should really learn to play nice, you know.” you took his other hand in yours. the chill in the air was no longer an issue with how close the two of you were standing.

dean looked away for a moment before down back into your eyes. “well he shouldn’t have messed with someone who carries a gun,” dean gestured toward the gun in his waistband.

you chuckled again. while he might have been joking, he still had a stern expression on his face. “i also carry a gun,” you teased him, one eyebrow quirked upwards.

the seriousness melted off his face. dean readjusted his footing, and his posture loosened. “i’m more inclined to use mine on dimwits than you are.” there was a smile in his tone now.

you let go of one of his hands and used his neck as leverage to pull his lips closer to yours. you kissed him shortly before speaking again. “thank you, dean. for always sticking up for me, i mean.” you thumb traced circles on the part of his neck where his skin met his hair.

his face turned away while he responded, “i know you can handle yourself, i’ve seen it, i just-“ you turned his face back to yours.

“you’re perfectly fine,” you tried to sound as assuring as possible.

really, you were flattered. and you of course knew that dean knew that you could handle yourself. you wouldn’t have lasted this long if you couldn’t. “i’ve been flirted with before, what set you off this time?” you questioned. in the past this had never been an issue. in fact, you had flirted with- and even kissed- random people to get information before. what had changed from then until now?

“i don’t know, i-“ his adam’s apple bobbed, and motioned for him to continue. “okay, maybe i like you.” your eyebrows shot up, almost into your hairline. his face held a vulnerable expression. dean’s mouth was barely agape, and his eyebrows were slightly knit together.

your shock quickly morphed into adoration. a grin stretched across your face. “like me?”

his relief was evident. “you know what i mean,” if your eyes had been closed you would’ve still sensed his smile. you had known for a while. sam had mentioned things offhandedly, and it helped that you knew dean like you knew the back of your hand. it wasn’t long before you sensed something in your dynamic change. perhaps you just figured your feelings would never boil over and that everything would return to how they had previously been. you had never been so glad to be so wrong in your life.

you quirked your head to the right coyly. “i don’t know. do i?” a faux expression of confusion sat on your features.

“fuck. fine. do you maybe want to…” dean trailed off, his voice lowering.

your hand rose to cup your ear, “what? i can’t hear you?” cruel as you were, you wanted to hear him say it.

dean swallowed his pride and admitted it. “can we be official? uh, please?” he was looking down at your shoes, and a red glow bloomed on his cheeks. you tilted his chin up and kissed the corner of his mouth.

“only because you asked so nicely.” as soon as you finished speaking dean was kissing you again. only this time, it was a different type of passion. dean kissed you with a silent fervor that craved more of as the seconds passed. his tongue swiped your upper lip, and so you parted them.

your hand trailed into his hair as dean’s cradled the small of your back. his hands were so large, and you were truly appreciative of that fact presently.

when you and dean separated a string of saliva connected your mouths. he spoke, his voice merely a whisper. “maybe we should get back to sammy,” he spoke through red, kiss-bruised lips.

you smiled. “that’s probably a good idea.”

[devourable]

masterlist ! long post under cut. anything without links is unfinished. nsfw content marked in red

{ boy yanderes }

yandere church boy (⛪️ abraham atkins)

intro fic • pinboard

hcs / asks :

sfw hcs 1 . sfw hcs 2 . nsfw hcs . darling w different religion . equally religious darling . darling from large family .

fics, drabbles, etc :

prayer session - private service - genesis 9:6 - divine sin [ocxoc ; by darling--core] - kinktober; overstim [ocxoc ; by darling--core] - my angel {wip, coming soon!}

yandere hacker (🖥️ gene eliades)

intro fic • pinboard

hcs and asks :

gene x camslut darling

fics, drabbles, etc :

coding lesson - kinktober; cockwarming [ocxoc ; by darling--core]

yandere prodigy (🪶 sterling cygnus)

intro fic • pinboard

hcs and asks :

ask dump . what if darling left school? . college parties . handmade birthday present . overheard confession . positive reinforcement darling

fics, drabbles, etc :

field trip - i like you {wip, coming soon!}

aus :

professor cygnus (older!au)

yandere best friends (tobias lovell & sebastian lee ; 🍀 the neighbors)

intro fic • pinboard

hcs and asks :

nsfw hcs - shy voyeur darling (wip, coming soon!)

yandere delinquents (mattias c., judas j., dominic g., aaron d. ; 🚬 the delinquents)

intro fic • pinboard

hcs and asks :

how did they meet? . nsfw headcanons . sick darling . dom reader . darling’s birthday . asexual darling . oral fixation darling

yandere monster (🌲 mykolas)

intro fic • pinboard

hcs and asks :

sfw headcanons . how does he mate with his darling?

fics, drabbles, etc :

break time

yandere cheerleader (📣 orion knight) — wip

intro fic • pinboard

yandere idol (🎤 ivan armani) — wip

intro fic • pinboard

the huntsman (🪓 gareth sharpe) — wip

intro fic • pinboard

{ girl yanderes }

yandere gym bunny (💪 valentina everett)

intro fic • pinboard

hcs and asks :

wedding headcanons

fics, drabbles, etc :

wlw comfort drabble - making a scene

yandere princess (👑 althea chrysostomides)

intro fic • pinboard

yandere mermaids (kallisto, tomila, lyonesse ; 🪸 the mermaids)

intro fic • pinboard

hcs and asks :

what gifts do they like? . sfw headcanons . what if darling wants a family?

fics, drabbles, etc :

mating season (wip, coming soon!)

yandere farmer (🌾 linden bell) — wip

intro fic • pinboard

the coven (wip)

intro fic • pinboard

{ nonbinary yanderes }

the butcher (🥩 rhodes williams)

intro fic • pinboard

hcs and asks :

vulture culture darling . nsfw headcanons . fiesty/protective darling

fics, drabbles, etc :

better days - helpless - make me bleed

the stalker (💌 vega leers) — wip

intro fic • pinboard

the alt kids (faust m., delta c., anton f., ; 🕷️ the alt kids)

intro fic • pinboard

hcs and asks :

nsfw hcs

the demon (🩸 melchior) — wip

intro fic • pinboard

[ poly yanderes ]

the parents (angel & bianca moreno ; 🧸 the parents) — wip

intro fic • pinboard

the villains — wip

intro fic • pinboard

{ misc / multi oc posts }

your first time p1

your first time p2 (coming soon!)

date night w abe / delinquents

flirty darling x sterling and rhodes

yanderes x single parent darling

yanderes x cuddle drunk darling (wip, coming soon!)

yanderes / darlings and cuddles

poly yanderes x biased darling

yandere terms of endearment

abe, tina, and rhodes x chronically ill darling

how do they feel about other yanderes?

who does/doesn’t want kids?

rhodes x darling x abraham, part 2

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Nobody

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

August 2, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Aug 03, 2024

Today, Aaron C. Davis and Carol D. Leonnig of the Washington Post reported that there is reason to believe that when Trump’s 2016 campaign was running low on funds, Trump accepted a $10 million injection of cash from Egypt’s authoritarian leader Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. It is against the law to accept direct or indirect financial support from foreign nationals or foreign governments for a political campaign in the United States.

In early 2017, CIA officials told Justice Department officials that a confidential informant had told them of such a cash exchange, and those officials handed the matter off to Robert Mueller, the special counsel who was already looking at the links between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian operatives. FBI agents noted that on September 16, Trump had met with Sisi when the Egyptian leader was at the U.N. General Assembly in New York City. 

After the meeting, Trump broke with U.S. policy to praise Sisi, calling him a “fantastic guy.” 

Trump’s campaign had been dogged with a lack of funds, and his advisers had begged him to put some of his own money into it. He refused until October 28, when he loaned the campaign $10 million.

An FBI investigation took years to get records, but Davis and Leonnig reported that in 2019 the FBI learned of a key withdrawal from an Egypt bank. In January 2017, five days before Trump took office, an organization linked to Egypt’s intelligence service asked a manager at a branch of the state-run National Bank of Egypt to “kindly withdraw” $9,998,000 in U.S. currency. The bundles of $100 bills filled two bags and weighed more than 200 pounds. 

Once in office, Trump embraced Sisi and, in a reversal of U.S. policy, invited him to be one of his first guests at the White House. “I just want to let everybody know, in case there was any doubt, that we are very much behind President al-Sissi,” Trump said. 

Mueller had gotten that far in pursuit of the connection between Trump and Sisi when he was winding down his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. He handed the Egypt investigation off to the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D C., where it appears then–attorney general William Barr killed it. 

Today, Brian Schwartz of CNBC reported that Elon Musk and other tech executives are putting their money behind a social media ad campaign for Trump and Vance, and are creating targeted ads in swing states by collecting information about voters under false pretenses. According to Schwartz, their America PAC, or political action committee, says it helps viewers register to vote. And, indeed, the ads direct would-be voters in nonswing states to voter registration sites.

But people responding to the ad in swing states are not sent to registration sites. Instead, they are presented with “a highly detailed personal information form [and] prompted to enter their address, cellphone number and age,” handing over “priceless personal data to a political operation” that can then create ads aimed at that person’s demographic and target them personally in door-to-door campaigns. After getting the information, the site simply says, “Thank you,” without directing the viewer toward a registration site.

Forbes estimates Musk’s wealth at more than $235 billion. 

In June the Trump Organization announced a $500 million deal with Saudi real estate developer Dar Global to build a Trump International hotel in Oman. 

In January 2011, when he was director of the FBI, Robert Mueller gave a speech to the Citizens Crime Commission of New York. He explained that globalization and modern technology had changed the nature of organized crime. Rather than being regional networks with a clear structure, he said, organized crime had become international, fluid, and sophisticated and had multibillion-dollar stakes. Its operators were cross-pollinating across countries, religions, and political affiliations, sharing only their greed. They did not care about ideology; they cared about money. They would do anything for a price.

These criminals “may be former members of nation-state governments, security services, or the military,” he said. “They are capitalists and entrepreneurs. But they are also master criminals who move easily between the licit and illicit worlds. And in some cases, these organizations are as forward-leaning as Fortune 500 companies.”

In order to corner international markets, Mueller explained, these criminal enterprises "may infiltrate our businesses. They may provide logistical support to hostile foreign powers. They may try to manipulate those at the highest levels of government. Indeed, these so-called 'iron triangles' of organized criminals, corrupt government officials, and business leaders pose a significant national security threat."

In a new book called Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World, journalist Anne Applebaum carries that story forward into the present, examining how today’s autocrats work together to undermine democracy. She says that “the language of the democratic world, meaning rights, laws, rule of law, justice, accountability, [and] transparency…[is]  harmful to them,” especially as those are the words that their internal opposition uses. “And so they need to undermine the people who use it and, if they can, discredit it.” 

Those people, Applebaum says, “believe they are owed power, they deserve power.” When they lose elections, they “come back in a second term and say, right, this time, I'm not going to make that mistake again, and…then change their electoral system, or…change the constitution, change the judicial system, in order to make sure that they never lose.”

Almost exactly a year ago, on August 1, 2023, a grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted former president Donald J. Trump for conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and conspiring and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding. The charges stemmed from Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. A grand jury is made up of 23 ordinary citizens who weigh evidence of criminal activity and produce an indictment if 12 or more of them vote in favor. 

The grand jury indicted Trump for “conspiracy to defraud the United States by using dishonesty, fraud, and deceit to impair, obstruct, and defeat the lawful federal government function by which the results of the presidential election are collected, counted, and certified by the government”; “conspiracy to corruptly obstruct and impede the January 6 congressional proceeding at which the collected results of the presidential election are counted and certified”; and “conspiracy against the right to vote and to have one’s vote counted.” 

“Each of these conspiracies,” the indictment reads, “targeted a bedrock function of the United States federal government: the nation’s process of collecting, counting, and certifying the results of the presidential election.” “This federal government function…is foundational to the United States’ democratic process, and until 2021, had operated in a peaceful and orderly manner for more than 130 years.” 

The case of the United States of America v. Donald J. Trump was randomly assigned to Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, who was appointed by President Obama in 2014 and confirmed 95–0 in the Senate. Trump pleaded not guilty on August 3, after which his lawyers repeatedly delayed their pretrial motions until, on December 7, Trump asked the Washington, D.C., Circuit Court of Appeals to decide whether he was immune from prosecution. Chutkan had to put off her initial trial date of March 4, 2024, and said she would not reschedule until the court decided the question of Trump’s immunity. 

In February the appeals court decided he was not immune. Trump appealed to the Supreme Court, which waited until July 1, 2024, to decide that Trump enjoys broad immunity from prosecution for crimes committed as part of his official acts. Today the Washington, D.C., Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case back to Chutkan, almost exactly a year after it was first brought.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[charlestownbound]

An extensive list of the sources I have found on Internet Archive

Last updated 11/20/24

It would be quite selfish of me to keep these to myself, wouldn't it? This list will be updated frequently, in accordance to what I have found. These were found while doing my own research for various topics, and taken from the bibliographies of many books. Some of these I will have cited in posts of mine, many others will not appear anywhere in my work. Mostly primary sources, but quite a few books make their appearance.

Sorted alphabetically by surname of author

B

Burr, Aaron. Memoirs of

C

Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton

Clinton, George. Public Papers of Volume 1 Volume 2 Volume 3 Volume 4 Volume 5 Volume 6 Volume 7 Volume 8 Volume 9 Volume 10

H

Hamilton, Alexander. Papers of Volume 1 Volume 2 Volume 3 Volume 5 Volume 6 Volume 8 Volume 9 Volume 10 Volume 11 Volume 12 Volume 13 Volume 14 Volume 15 Volume 16 Volume 17 Volume 18 Volume 19 Volume 20 Volume 21 Volume 22 Volume 23 Volume 25 Volume 26 Volume 27

K

Kapp, Friedrich. The Life of Frederick William von Steuben

Kilmeade, Brian and Yaeger, Don. George Washington's Secret Six

L

Laurens, Henry. Papers of Volume 1 Volume 2 Volume 3 Volume 4 Volume 7 Volume 8 Volume 11 Volume 12 Volume 13

Lefkowitz, Arthur S. George Washington's Indispensable Men

M

Massey, Gregory D. John Laurens and The American Revolution

Moultrie, William. Memoirs of

P

Parton, James. The Life and Times of Aaron Burr

R

Ramsay, David. The History of The Revolution of South Carolina

W

Ward, Christopher. The War of The Revolution

Washington, George. Papers of Agricultural papers Revolutionary war series Volume 8 Volume 11 Presidential series Volume 7 Volume 15 Retirement series Volume 3

[dmfromtheblacklagoon]

I've been craving a Stardew Valley show or short film, and this is who I would cast for each of the characters!

Please concernedape I need some sort of show regarding these babies I love them so much.

Wizard: Matt Berry (Laszlo Cravensworth, WWDITS)

Gus: Marco Barricelli (Massimo, Luca)

Lewis: William Dafoe (That weird guy that's in everything)

Willy: Tom Waits (Musician and entertainer)

Pierre: John Corbett (Chris Stevens, Northern Exposure)

Harvey: John Mulaney (My skrimblo)

Elliot: Christian Bale (Howl, Howl's Moving Castle english dub)

Gunther: Les Claypool (Lead bassist and vocals of Primus)

Linus: Ian Mckellen (Gandalf, LotR)

Abigail: Olivia Olsen (Marceline, Adventure Time)

Vincent: Collin Dean (Gregory, Over the Garden Wall)

Jas: Kyla Kowalewski (Anais, Amazing World of Gumball)

Jodi: Carolyn Lawrence (Sandy Cheeks, Jimmy Neutron)

Alex: Keanu Reeves (Theodore Logan, Bill and Ted)

Sam: Alex Winter (Bill S. Preston, Bill and Ted)

Sebastian: Aaron Dismuke (Tamaki Amajiki, BNHA, english dub)

Shane: Pedro Pascal (He just plays tired single caretakers so well)

Maru: Heidi Hynden Walch (Princess Bubblegum, Adventure Time)

Emily: Sarah-Nichole Robles (Luz, The Owl House)

Leah: Vico Ortiz (Jim, OFMD)

Marnie: Dolly Parton :]

Penny: Theresa Gallagher (Nichole, Amazing World of Gumball)

Morris: Bo Burnham (Capitalist goblin go brrr lmao)

Haley: Rachel McAdams (Regina George, Mean Girls original)

Robin: Kimberly Brooks (Jasper, Steven Universe)

Caroline: Deedee Magno (Pearl, Steven Universe)

Evelyn: Jennifer Saunders (Ms. Spink, Coraline)

George: Dan Castellanetta (Abe/Grampa Simpson)

Kent: Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn, LotR)

Mr. Qi: Keith David (Cat from Coraline, Husk from Hazbin Hotel)

Sandy: Wendie Malick (Edalyn, the Owl House)

Leo: Kwesi Boakye (Darwin, Amazing world of Gumball)

Krobus: Alex Hirsch (Only suitable voice for him)

Let me know if you would like more stuff like this later on! Enjoy folks :D

[shoshiwrites]

Band of Brothers Ages: IRL vs. Actors

Did you know that according to a 1947 study, almost half the men who served in WWII were still under age 26 by the end of the war?

What this is : A (very long) post comparing the ages of the actors in Band of Brothers vs. the IRL figures they are portraying.

Background: Did I need to do this? No. Did anyone ask for this? Also no. Did I do it anyway? Yes.

Disclaimers: This is SUPER approximate for the most part. I based IRL ages off of D-Day unless otherwise noted, and actor ages off of January 1, 2000, the year filming took place (the latter is where the most variation will be because I didn't try to figure out what month filming started). I also didn't fact-check birthdays beyond googling. Most are sourced from the Band of Brothers and Military Wikis on fandom.com, Wikipedia, and IMDb.

I broke them up into rough categories, which are, again, approximate. I know I often forget how young the real life people were here, and this was a good reminder of that. I also found it interesting to see which actors were actually younger than their roles!

Check it all out under the cut ⬇️

~10+ years older

Dale Dye (55) as Col. Robert F. Sink (39) (~16 years)

Michael Cudlitz (35) as Denver "Bull" Randleman (23) (~12)

Marc Warren (32) as Albert Blithe (20) (~12)

Rocky Marshall (33) as Earl J. McClung (21) (~12)

Frank John Hughes (32) as William J. Guarnere (21) (~11)

Neal McDonough (33) as Lynn D. (Buck) Compton (22) (~11)

Dexter Fletcher (33) as John W. Martin (22) (~11)

~5+ years older

Simon Schatzberger (32) as Joseph A. Lesniewski (23) (~9)

Richard Speight Jr. (30) Warren H. (Skip) Muck (22) (~8)

Jason O'Mara (30) as Thomas Meehan (22) (~8)

Ron Livingston (32) as Lewis Nixon (25) (~7)

Donnie Wahlberg (30) as C. Carwood Lipton (24) (~6)

Matthew Settle (30) as Ronald C. Speirs (24) (~6)

Nolan Hemmings (28) as Charles E. "Chuck" Grant (22) (~6)

Douglas Spain (25) as Antonio C. Garcia (19) (~6)

George Calil (26) as James H. "Mo" Alley Jr. (21) (~5)

Rick Gomez (27) as George Luz (22) (~5 year)

Scott Grimes (28) as Donald G. Malarkey (23) (~5)

Stephen Graham (26) as Myron "Mike" Ranney (21) (~5)

~less than 5 years older

Shane Taylor (25) as Eugene G. Roe (21) (~4)

Tim Matthews (23) as Alex M. Penkala Jr. (19) (~4)

Matthew Leitch (24) as Floyd M. "Tab" Talbert (20) (~4)

Peter O'Meara (30) as Norman S. Dike Jr. (26) (~4)

Tom Hardy (22) as John A. Janovec (18) (~4)

Rick Warden (28) as Harry F. Welsh (25) (~3)

Kirk Acevedo (28) as Joseph D. Toye (25) (~3)

Eion Bailey (25) as David Kenyon Webster (22) (~3)

Craig Heaney (26) as Roy W. Cobb (29) (~3)

Damian Lewis (28) as Richard D. Winters (26) (~2)

Robin Laing as Edward J. "Babe" Heffron (~2, 21/23)

Ben Caplan (26) as Walter S. "Smokey" Gordon Jr. (24) (~2)

David Schwimmer (32) as Herbert M. Sobel (33) (~1 year)

Michael Fassbender (22) as Burton P. "Pat" Christenson (21) (~1)

Colin Hanks (22) as Lt. Henry Jones (21) (~1) (age around Bastogne)

Bart Ruspoli (23) as Edward J. Tipper (22) (~1)

~Same age

Peter Youngblood Hills as Darrell C. "Shifty" Powers (21)

Mark Huberman as Lester "Les" Hashey (19)

Younger

Lucie Jeanne (23) as Renée Lemaire (30) (age around Bastogne) (~7)

Ross McCall (23) as Joseph D. Liebgott (29) (~6)

Simon Pegg (29) as William S. Evans (~33) (~4)

Philip Barantini (19) as Wayne A. "Skinny" Sisk (22) (~3)

James Madio (24) as Frank J. Perconte (27) (~3)

Stephen McCole (25) as Frederick "Moose" Heyliger (27) (~2)

Matt Hickey (~16) as Patrick S. O'Keefe (18) (~2)

Incomplete/not found

Phil McKee as Maj. Robert L. Strayer (34)

Rene L. Moreno as Joseph Ramirez (30)

Doug Allen as Alton M. More (24)

David Nicolle as Lt. Thomas A. Peacock (24)

Rebecca Okot as Anna (Augusta Chiwy) (24) (age around Bastogne)

Alex Sabga-Brady as Francis J. Mellet (23)

Mark Lawrence as William H. Dukeman Jr. (22)

Nicholas Aaron as Robert E. (Popeye) Wynn (22)

Peter McCabe as Donald B. Hoobler (21)

Marcos D'Cruze as Joseph P. Domingus (not found)

[totallylost4you]

Who is the song ROBIN about? 🤔

a) Aaron's son Robin Lo Brooking

b) Robin Williams (R.I.P.)

THE BIRDCAGE is a movie where Robin Williams’ character has to hide his sexuality from his son’s ultra-conservative Republican in-laws. Theory by cerebralisis

And he played a teacher in DEAD POETS SOCIETY. Alongside Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles from the Fortnight music video.

And he plays with dinosaurs in MRS. DOUBTFIRE. (see YouTube)

c) Levi Joseph

Long may you roar at your dinosaurs

d) ?

Buried down deep and out of your reach, the secret we all vowed to keep it, from you, in sweetness

Who do you think the song is about? 🐯

[deezbignutz]

Redacted characters as things me and my frens have said cuz we're rasists funny :)))) Pt. 1

TW/CW!!!: Offensive words (kinda a lot), racism (also kinda a lot), sex joke, mention of 'kys' and smoking :D))))

P.S. I made Darlin' Asian bc idk i can (also cuz of racist joke but oh welp)

Freelancer: *Tells him about how they can't get gore in Character AI cuz it get's censored by the filter* Gavin: "They do that with gore?!" Guy: "You smokin' what I'm rollin'?" Angel: "Dylan O'brian? Yummy." Lasko: "The most important thing in math is that you know I'm handsome." Freelancer: "It's normal fetta you retard." Gavin: *Talking to Huxley* "You can smoke as long as it's not alone that's a loser thing to do." Darlin': "Don't call me pookie, that's weird." Quinn: "Sorry Ching Chong, can I have cheese." Random student: *Holds up torn up and wet homework* Dear: "Is it from a toilet?" Vincent: "It's a weird Australian game." Porter: "It's weird Australian- girl at least we don't beat people." Milo: *Sees how Tom Cruise salutes in Top Gun: Maverick* "What in the US Navy?!?!" William: "I have no rice ☹️" Damien: "If Kody can graduate so can you!" Aaron: "You suck." Smartass: "And you swallow." Aaron: "I'm assuming that's a sex joke." Smartass: "You've assumed correct." David: *To Darlin'* "I'm very concerned for you." Later Asher: *To Darlin'* "I'm very concerned for you." Even later Milo: *To Darlin'* "I'm very concerned for you-" Darlin': "WHAT THE ACTUAL FU-"

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk :)))

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Cradle To Grave: Part One

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2k

Summary: Your experience in prison isn't what you thought it would be. You're feeling everything and you don't know if you'll be okay when you finally come out of it. Meanwhile, the team notices a change in Spencer as he tries his best not to miss you too much.

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Season Five Masterlist

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them.

x

"You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around, and why his parents will always wave back." - Journalist William D. Tammeus

Sunlight shines through the crack in the curtains making you wince. You turn over to avoid the direct stream of light and end up facing Spencer's bare chest. He's still sleeping from the rough night you two had. You two couldn't sleep so you stayed up playing chess and listening to music. You've only got a few hours of sleep and you're already waking up.

There are rare moments in your relationship where you have complete peace and solace, so you take this opportunity to admire your boyfriend's body. He's always been skinny and lean but he has muscles that aren't showy like Derek's are. Freckles dance across his chest that look like constellations the more you look at them. His skin is pale since he doesn't tan much but you've always admired his milky skin.

You reach out and lightly trace the freckles, watching the constellation come to life in front of you. Your eyes move up his chest to his face where he looks the most peaceful. His sharp jawline and high cheekbones look relaxed as he sleeps. This is the only moment in which the world isn't weighing heavily down on Spencer. He is completely free to be whoever he wants at this moment, even if he is asleep.

Spencer stirs in his sleep and opens one eye to look into yours. He smiles at the love you hold in them. He truly is so lucky to know you, to hold you, and to love you. God, he has such a nice smile. You lean up to kiss him but something breaks you out of paradise.

"Rise and shine, inmates!"

You open your eyes and almost cry when you realize that was a dream. Gone is the peaceful morning with Spencer and a dull grey ceiling replaces it. The complaints of other prisoners fill your ears as you try to hold onto the moment you wish you were in. Your bottom lip wobbles as a single tear falls from your eye, but you push your feelings down and get up to start your day.

It's been hard at the BAU without you around. Everyone can feel the lack of your presence but no one is saying anything about it. Hotch is still working privately but he can't do much without Strauss knowing about it. He has to take baby steps no matter how agonizing it feels. Hotch is in JJ's office as they go through the different kinds of files that are piled up on her desk.

"What's next?"

"Baton Rouge thinks they have a white supremacist problem."

"What's your take?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'd like to hear it," Hotch nods.

"We're dealing with an individual, not a group."

"Why?"

"The angry letters. The writer switches pronouns from plural to singular. 'We are a heavily armed militia' followed by, 'I will be forced to take action'."

"Good. Send it back to the police with our analysis." Hotch's phone rings and he looks at the message he gets. "Keep up the good work, JJ. Excuse me." He leaves her office to go to his own where Chief Strauss is waiting for him. "Chief Strauss."

"Aaron. We need to talk. Close the door." Hotch sighs silently and closes the door behind him, ready for whatever talking she is about to give him. "I want to talk about Y/N for a second. I've been kept in the loop of her case, and she was denied bail. She is to be in prison awaiting trial. I am here because the board is saying you're partially to blame for this. They said it's the way you've been leading her and this team."

"She didn't do it," Hotch narrows his eyes.

"Regardless, it's giving the board to question your leadership skills. I am terribly sorry about the situation you're in with Foyet, but I am concerned it's hindering your ability to properly lead this team."

"My personal problems and what's happening with Y/N have not and will not affect my ability to lead this team."

"I think it has. I've seen the letters you've sent in about Y/N. You praise her leadership skills and the ability to correctly address a situation. I know you admire her work, but she can't very well be put in your place, now can she?"

"Put in my place?"

"The board wants you to step down as Unit Chief, and to give the job to someone who is willing to do it right. I have other divisions who will greatly benefit from your skills--"

"What if I already have someone else in mind? Yes, I would have liked Y/N to be in my spot eventually, but I believe Derek Morgan will do a phenomenal job at it. He's shown leadership skills and can make tough decisions when no one wants to. Will you allow me to prove it with the case that comes in?"

"Of course," Strauss nods. "I will contact the board about your decision. I'm sorry it has to come this way, but it's for the best."

Hotch can't say anything else and watches her leave. JJ has been watching from the window from the hallway the entire time, but Hotch doesn't see her. He puts his head in his hands and rests his elbows on his desk. Everything is so fucked up right now, he doesn't know how to act or what to think.

"Hotch?" JJ asks and knocks on his door.

"Yes?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine. Thank you."

When JJ is gone, Hotch logs into his computer and gathers up some files he knows Derek should look over. He sends them to Derek's work email as soon as he can before the rest of the team shuffles in. Derek's phone blows up as soon as he steps foot in the elevator. Email after email from Hotch has him concerned that something happened. Spencer is already at work by the time he arrives, and Derek sets his jacket over his chair in confusion.

"Reid, did I miss something?"

"What do you mean?"

"Hotch is sending me all kinds of emails."

Spencer logs onto his computer but doesn't have any emails from Hotch.

"Not from me."

Derek sees Hotch in his office so he heads right to the source.

"Hotch, what's so important you couldn't send it to the rest of the team?" Derek asks and holds up his phone.

"I just needed a second pair of eyes."

"I'll review it right now. Just give me an hour."

"That's not necessary."

JJ pops her head in with a nod.

"We're ready." Hotch and Derek meet the rest of the team inside the briefing room. Everyone passes by your chair cautiously knowing you're not going to be there to sit in it. "Kristie Taylor is a runaway drug addict who was reported missing from Farmington, New Mexico three years ago. Yesterday, she turned up on a freeway outside of Rio Rancho."

"She was sexually assaulted based on the ligature marks on her wrists and ankles. She was asphyxiated but the looks of it," Spencer notes.

"Three victims in five years. All the women are connected by marks. He likes chains. He's a definite sexual sadist. He sticks to his type which are blonde sixteen to nineteen year olds."

"He hangs onto them for a while, too," Rossi points out. "There is an average of two years between abducting them and killing them."

"He has a low body count and a long time frame. This guy's in control of his urges."

"Too controlled," Rossi corrects Derek. "Sadists need new victims and new ways to torture. There are a lot of guys out there who like chains. Are we sure this is the same unsub?"

"Kristie's autopsy report also indicates a second connection between these victims," JJ answers. "She was pregnant and had given birth. Very soon after, the unsub killed her."

"How soon after?"

"Minutes."

"This unsub isn't your typical sexual sadist. We usually see captivity and assault. What we haven't seen is this signature, the role he forces these women to fulfill before he kills them. Motherhood. Wheels up in twenty."

Everyone gathers their things but Spencer stays behind until Hotch is one of the only ones left in the briefing room.

"Have you heard anything about Y/N?" He swallows hard.

"Not much that will help. They're being very reserved with this case. They think they have the person who did it. They're not going to want to let her go so easily. They're putting up many fights." Spencer grows worried for you and Hotch touches his shoulder in comfort. "As I said before, I am working privately. I just can't be so open about it."

"Okay," Spencer nods.

The conversation continues when everyone is on the plane headed to New Mexico.

"So, why would a sexual sadist make women carry his children?" Emily asks once everyone is settled in.

"Gary Heidnik kept a harem in a dungeon. His goal was to create a large family as a replacement for his own broken home. Josef Fritzl kept his daughter in a cell in his own house, and they had several kids together. Squalid conditions are part of a control fantasy these men had. If he's keeping these women in a similar location, he'd need a lot of privacy," Spencer explains.

"He probably built it himself. It makes him good with his hands."

"Why blondes, and what significance do they have to him?" Hotch asks.

"Maybe the woman who rejected him or the woman who wouldn't bear his children?" Emily theorizes.

"If that were true, he'd be the same age as these girls--late teens. This unsub is too skilled for that."

"His own mother, then?" JJ adds. "She could be a runaway, just like these victims."

"Which makes his compulsion Psych 101--killing his mother over and over again for giving birth to him."

"Why wait until after she gives birth? Now he has a body and a baby to get rid of," Rossi asks.

"That troubles me, too," Hotch nods. "We found the mothers but not the infants."

"I hate to say this, but what if the women are just a means to an end? What if the babies are really the ones he's exploiting?" Emily wonders.

"If Kristie just surfaced, it means he has her baby right now."

"JJ, check with the parents and see if there are any similarities in the runaways' patterns and where the unsub's finding them. Reid and Prentiss, go to the latest dump site. We need to look at victimology. How he treats these women in the final moments of their lives might tell us what he's doing to the children."

When the plane lands, Derek, Rossi, and Hotch head over to the ME's office to look at Kristie's body. She is the only victim to have surfaced, so she is the only one who can provide answers if the unsub was careless.

"Doctor, you wrote in your report that Kristie had had several miscarriages. How was that evident?" Hotch asks.

"There were a number of abrasions in her uterine lining. Around the third trimester, her water would break."

"She never carried them to term?"

"Last time, she did. There was a high level of pitocin in her blood. It's an artificial hormone. You give it to induce labor."

"She was on a tight schedule, then. If she lost the baby, he would get her pregnant again immediately."

"Childbirth is tough enough. Imagine if your life depends upon it," Rossi scoffs.

"All three moms had records with drug abuse and drunk and disorderlies. What's more interesting is what he does after he kidnaps them. This is Kristie two weeks before she was abducted."

Derek shows a picture of what Kristie looked like, and compared to her body now, she was taken care of. Before, she looked like a drug addict who was homeless but her body now, albeit dead, looks a lot healthier.

"He got her healthy, well-fed, and off the drugs."

Rossi grabs the file on her and flips through the papers.

"Not completely. What are these drugs in Kristie's system?"

"Tamoxifen, Metoclopramide, Domperidone, and Progesterone. They're all prenatal meditation. The first two help carry the baby to term, and the last two help with lactation."

"What kind of sexual sadist gives his victims prenatal drugs?" Hotch asks.

"The kind who takes care of the kids he's having. He gets his rocks off killing the moms, but the babies he protects."

"You think he's keeping them?" Hotch asks Rossi.

"Yeah. If he despises the moms, he'd despise their children. New Mexico is right on the border with a lot of human trafficking going on. He could be breeding."

"Call Child Protection Services. We need to find out about existing black markets for infants."

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[book4air]

Social Media: https://linktr.ee/book4air

Book4Air #avatarthelastairbender #restorationproject

Showrunners: Ryoma Ishizuka Lucía Lobosvilla

'The Vow' Artist - Rick Orange Writer - Lucía Lobosvilla Letterer - Melissa Palacios

'Rebound' Original Artist - Ryan Hill Original Writer - Gene Luan Yang Additional Art - Luan Bindewald, Melissa Palacios Letterer - Melissa Palacios

'Rumors and Relics' Based on the story “Relics” by Johane Matte & Joshua Hamilton Writer - Lucía Lobosvilla Artists - Melissa Palacios, Vago, Luan Bindewald, Sam Lee Wins Coloring - Kat Peterson, Sam Lee Wins, Melissa Palacios Letterer - Melissa Palacios

Voice Directors: Lucía Lobosvilla Anthony Rodriguez

Composers: James A Reilly Aneesh Kashalikar Ty Porter Music

Audio Team Head Audio Engineer: Sam Gabriel Line Placement: Valravn Mixing Engineers: TheTVBunny (Elise Lepley) Mastering: Kim Morton

Video Team Team Lead: Ryoma Ishizuka Video Editors: Hazco Fox, PhantomSavage, TheRealizer367 (Walter Vitola), Astrid Ev, Curtis Creates Stuff, Mr.Amazing

Special Thanks: Book 4 Restoration Project Team Dark Horse Comics Nickelodeon Gene Luen Yang Gurihiru Aaron Ehasz Bryan Konietzko Michael Dante DiMartino Dave Roman Kevin Coppa Baby Lion Turtle Dave Subscribers and you!

Voice Cast

Aang - Ryoma Ishizuka Katara - Stephanie Pines Zuko - Cade Watts Iroh - D. Tyler Fultz Appa & Momo - Josh Lee Mai - Ari Thrash Kei-Lo - Belsheber Rusape Jr. Mura - Kat Peterson Tom-Tom - Victoria McMullen Ukano - PeanutButterMacaron Hanzo - Christian Sekhanan Dulma - Josephine Sweet Merchant - JJ Williams Fire Captain - Grant Corvin Headband Guy - Ara’digm Wong Additional Voices - Grant Corvin, Cade Watts, Lucía Lobosvilla, Ara’digm Wong

Promo Bumper Animated by Sam Lee Wins Voice of Katara - Stephanie Pines Video Editing - Ryoma Ishizuka Audio Editing - TheTVBunny (Elise Lepley) Mastering - Kim Morton

Patreon

White Lotus: Zac Harrell

Fire Sages: Daniel Lacey Stefan Gheorghiev

Dai Li Agents: Alejandro Navarro Minnichi

Freedom Fighters: Geans mistercokes

Cabbage Merchants: Abel Anna Yamshchikova Bunix can you feel it now mr Krabs Cezary Styczewski Edowen imitationpitaya Jake Sullivan Laura Castrillón Melissa Palacios Mercedes Valle Nerd King 101 Nichelle (ShadowleafTV) Night In Star Light Smith sniddee Tacosdecanasta Victoria C. McMullen Violet

Penguin Sledders: Ashe_Wottlin ayszhang BNT Dornfist Duke Skibbington Laala 212 Pokejedservo TheTobi2Uchiha TitaniaBird Tony Lui WhyNotReek Akiizayoi4869

Executive Producer: Ara’digm Wong

[deadpresidents]

2 and a half weeks until JC passes Cactus Jack!

It took me a little bit to figure out what you were referencing, but yes, Jimmy Carter will pass John Nance Garner as the longest-living President or Vice President in American history on September 18th. And if he is still with us on October 1st, Carter will be the first President or Vice President in American history to celebrate their 99th birthday.

And since I'm a huge dork who finds this stuff interesting, here's the big, complete list of longest-living to shortest-living Presidents and Vice Presidents in American history: (Presidents are in bold text, Vice Presidents are in italics, and those who served as both POTUS and VP are in bold italics.) John Nance Garner: 98 years, 351 days Jimmy Carter: 98 years, 337 days (As of Sept. 3, 2023) Levi P. Morton: 96 years, 0 days George H.W. Bush: 94 years, 171 days Gerald R. Ford: 93 years, 165 days Ronald Reagan: 93 years, 120 days Walter Mondale: 93 years, 81 days John Adams: 90 years, 247 days Herbert Hoover: 90 years, 71 days Harry S. Truman: 88 years, 232 days Charles G. Dawes: 85 years, 239 days James Madison: 85 years, 104 days Thomas Jefferson: 83 years, 82 days Dick Cheney: 82 years, 216 days (As of Sept. 3, 2023) Hannibal Hamlin: 81 years, 311 days Richard Nixon: 81 years, 104 days Joe Biden: 80 years, 287 days (As of Sept. 3, 2023) John Quincy Adams: 80 years, 227 days Aaron Burr: 80 years, 220 days Martin Van Buren: 79 years, 231 days Adlai E. Stevenson: 78 years, 234 days Dwight D. Eisenhower: 78 years, 165 days Alben W. Barkley: 78 years, 157 days Andrew Jackson: 78 years, 85 days Spiro Agnew: 77 years, 261 days Donald Trump: 77 years, 81 days (As of Sept. 3, 2023) George W. Bush: 77 years, 59 days (As of Sept. 3, 2023) Henry A. Wallace: 77 years, 42 days James Buchanan: 77 years, 39 days Bill Clinton: 77 years, 15 days (As of Sept. 3, 2023) Dan Quayle: 76 years, 211 days (As of Sept. 3, 2023) Charles Curtis: 76 years, 14 days Al Gore: 75 years, 156 days (As of Sept. 3, 2023) Millard Fillmore: 74 years, 60 days James Monroe: 73 years, 67 days George Clinton: 72 years, 268 days George M. Dallas: 72 years, 174 days William Howard Taft: 72 years, 174 days John Tyler: 71 years, 295 days Grover Cleveland: 71 years, 98 days Thomas R. Marshall: 71 years, 79 days Nelson Rockefeller: 70 years, 202 days Elbridge Gerry: 70 years, 129 days Rutherford B. Hayes: 70 years, 105 days Richard M. Johnson: 70 years, 33 days William Henry Harrison: 68 years, 54 days John C. Calhoun: 68 years, 13 days William A. Wheeler: 67 years, 339 days George Washington: 67 years, 295 days Benjamin Harrison: 67 years, 205 days Woodrow Wilson: 67 years, 36 days William R. King: 67 years, 11 days Hubert H. Humphrey: 66 years, 231 days Andrew Johnson: 66 years, 214 days Thomas A. Hendricks: 66 years, 79 days Charles W. Fairbanks: 66 years, 24 days Zachary Taylor: 65 years, 227 days Franklin Pierce: 64 years, 319 days Lyndon B. Johnson: 64 years, 148 days Mike Pence: 64 years, 88 days (As of Sept. 3, 2023) Henry Wilson: 63 years, 279 days Ulysses S. Grant: 63 years, 87 days Franklin D. Roosevelt: 63 years, 72 days Barack Obama: 62 years, 30 days (As of Sept. 3, 2023) Schuyler Colfax: 61 years, 296 days Calvin Coolidge: 60 years, 185 days Theodore Roosevelt: 60 years, 71 days Kamala Harris: 58 years, 318 days (As of Sept. 3, 2023) William McKinley: 58 years, 228 days Warren G. Harding: 57 years, 273 days Chester A. Arthur: 57 years, 44 days James S. Sherman: 57 years, 6 days Abraham Lincoln: 56 years, 62 days Garret A. Hobart: 55 years, 171 days John C. Breckinridge: 54 years, 116 days James K. Polk: 53 years, 225 days Daniel D. Tompkins: 50 years, 355 days James Garfield: 49 years, 304 days John F. Kennedy: 46 years, 177 days

[ell-arts]

Out of curiosity, when/where did you first learn to animate? What inspires you to make your animations?

(I'm partly asking this because the urge to animate hit me like a truck once I really got into PMATGA, lmao. I've only ever made around 3-4 small ones over the span of several months)

Good question! Long answer! :'D

I've been dreaming of being an animator since I was young, because my elder sister studied animation and that's where I learned more about it. She gave me her copy of The Animator's Survival Kit from Richard Williams after she finished studying, and I've kept it with me ever since. Mind you, I never finished it, because distractions happened XD But I've read the first bunch of pages and started getting a fletchling idea of how animation worked. This was when I was around 10-14 years old. My favourite movies were almost exclusively Disney or Dreamworks classics, and my love for them grew as I grew older. I keenly observed their animations and analyzed what it was that them so appealing, long before I actually learned how to animate properly. Through observing what made those animations so appealing and life-like, I've built up references in my mind as a benchmark as to how animation is supposed to look. So when the time came to learn animation properly, I've already had a headstart thanks to observation, which sped up my learning quite a bit.

Now, let me tell you about a man named Aaron Blaise.

To say that Aaron Blaise is an animation legend would be an understatement.

He was the co-director of Brother Bear. He worked on various Disney movies that shaped our childhoods. He animated young Nala from The Lion King, Raja from Aladdin, and he also worked on Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Pocahontas, and the Rescuers Down Under. He left Disney in 2007, but in 2012 he teamed up with a friend and decided to start CreatureArtTeacher, a website where he shares everything that he's learned, whether that be animation from his time at Disney or just art in general. He brings aboard many other professionals in the same field and beyond, where courses are offered at the most affordable prices. Often, he'll also offer lessons on various art subjects on his YouTube for free, and he livestreams frequently!

It's thanks to these lessons that I've learned more about animation. While I didn't practice often, I did start taking my first steps into doing animation, spurred on by inspiration from Aaron's videos. This was around age 16-18. Unfortunately, I can't track down my first ever animation I've made. But I did make this sometime before turning 20;

Yes, that's a BG shot from pmatga XD

So going into my twenties, I knew enough about animation to make small little snippets such as the one above, but I wasn't yet at the point where I'd consider myself an educated animator. And here's the thing; when I went to university, I studied Visual Communication & Design, which mostly focused on graphic design. In that course, we did do a little bit of animation, but it was nothing I've already known, and it was mostly cut-out animation where you control it like a puppet in After Effects. What I really wanted to do was dive deeper into traditional 2D cell animation, but we had to preferably work in 2D cut-out animation to save time. It was a cool learning experience, but also a bit frustrating because I prefer the traditional frame-by-frame method. Alas, that would take too long, and my uni projects ran on a 2-week basis (a new project every two weeks), so I couldn't push to improve my animation skills in the direction that I wanted to. I still learned quite a bit tho, and got valuable experience with different programs, so I guess the time I got a taste of animation education was around the age of 22.

But then came 2024, age 24, when I got hired as a storyboard artist at my current job. Thanks to the company's help in giving their workers the space to learn new things, I finally tackled animation in earnest. I brought out the good ol' The Animator's Survival Kit and Aaron Blaise's courses and taught myself as much as I could, along with the support and guidance of the studio. Needless to say, sometime afterwards I could make the Rubber Pac animation I did here.

So yeah! It was a combination of things. Both my sister's influence and the influence of animated movies from a young age, Aaron Blaise's courses, university, and real-time work experience are what taught me animation <3

As for what inspires my animations, it mostly comes down to music tbh. I can always conjure a scene in my head along with whatever music is playing. Other than that, it's the desire to give life to something in an intrinsically human way, especially as art. I've always felt closest to God as an artist 💙

Told ya it was a long answer xD But hey, twas a fun answer! >:D

[rabbitcruiser]

Thomas Jefferson Day

Thomas Jefferson, a founding father of the United States, was born on April 13, 1743. He held many roles and did much during the formative years of the country, including being the main author of the Declaration of Independence and the country’s third president. He wrote his own epitaph, highlighting what he most wanted to be remembered for: “HERE WAS BURIED THOMAS JEFFERSON AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE OF THE STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA.”

Thomas Jefferson Day is a legal observance, but it is not a public holiday. A joint resolution approved on August 16, 1937, authorized the President of the United States to proclaim April 13 as “Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday” each year. The following year, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Presidential Proclamation 2276 to designate the day. Subsequent presidents have made similar proclamations. In Alabama, Thomas Jefferson’s birthday is officially celebrated on Presidents’ Day, along with George Washington’s.

Thomas Jefferson was born at the Shadwell plantation in Albemarle County, Virginia. His mother, Jane Randolph Jefferson, was from a prominent Virginia family, and his father, Peter Jefferson, was a planter and surveyor. After graduating from the College of William and Mary in 1762, he began studying law. As there weren’t official law schools at the time, Jefferson studied under a Virginia attorney. He began his work as a lawyer in 1767.

He married Martha Wayles Skelton on January 1, 1772. They had six children, but only two daughters lived to adulthood. Martha died in 1782 at the age of 33, and Jefferson never remarried. Besides keeping himself busy with politics throughout his life, he had many other interests, including gardening, architecture, music, and reading.

Jefferson was a member of colonial Virginia’s House of Burgesses between 1769 and 1775. He wrote “A Summary View of the Rights of British America” in 1774, which brought him to a wider audience. It said that the British Parliament didn’t have the right to use authority over the colonies. He was then selected to be a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. During this time, a panel of five was chosen to draft the Declaration of Independence. Of the five, which also included John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, Jefferson was chosen to write the draft. It was adopted on July 4, 1776.

In the fall of 1776, Jefferson resigned from the Continental Congress and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, which was formerly the House of Burgesses. In the late 1770s, he drafted the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. It was a notable forerunner to the First Amendment, and Jefferson thought it was one of his most substantial contributions, being important enough to include in his epitaph. After his time in the Virginia House of Delegates, he was Governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781.

Following the Revolutionary War, Jefferson was part of Congress, which was known as the Congress of the Confederation at the time. He served from 1783 to 1784, and then became Minister to France in 1785, taking over the position that Benjamin Franklin had held. Because he was overseas, he was not able to attend the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

In the fall of 1789, Thomas Jefferson returned to America and became the first secretary of state. He helped found the Democratic-Republican Party, which opposed Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Party, a party which wanted a strong central government with strong powers over the economy. Jefferson believed in a federal government with a limited role and believed in strong state and local governments.

He ran for president in 1796 and received the largest amount of votes after John Adams, so he became vice president. He ran against Adams again in 1800, and this time beat him. But his electoral vote count tied that of his running mate, Aaron Burr, and it was up to the House of Representatives to declare Jefferson as president. Because of this, the Twelfth Amendment, which stipulated separate voting for president and vice president, was ratified in 1804.

Jefferson served two terms as president and was in office from 1801 to 1809. During his first term, in 1803, he helped orchestrate the Louisiana Purchase, in which the size of the United States doubled with the purchase of land for $15 million from France. Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on an expedition, known as the Corps of Discovery, to explore the new land. With this trip, information was gathered about geography, plant and animal life, and American Indian tribes. During his second term, which he secured with over 70% of the popular vote, Jefferson worked to keep the country out of the Napoleonic Wars. He implemented the Embargo of 1807 after merchant ships were getting harassed by France and Britain. It was an unpopular move, though, as it shut down American trade and hurt the economy; it was repealed in 1809. Jefferson did not run for a third term in 1808.

After his presidency, Jefferson retired to his home, Monticello. “Monticello” means “little mountain” in Italian. Indeed the home is located on a small mountain, on the edge of the Shadwell property where Jefferson was born. He had begun clearing the area for a home in 1768. He designed the home and gardens himself, and he continually worked on the house throughout his life. Art and gadgets filled the rooms, and he kept records of everything that went on at the plantation.

During his retirement years, he also helped found the University of Virginia. He helped design both its buildings and its curriculum. He also made sure it wasn’t a religious school and that there wasn’t a religious litmus test in order to attend it.

In 1815, he sold his 6,700 volume personal library to Congress, to replace the books that had been destroyed by the British in the War of 1812, when they burned the Capitol, which housed the Library of Congress at the time. Jefferson’s books became the foundation of what became the Library of Congress’s new library.

Although Jefferson is revered as one of the founding fathers, he is not a man without contradictions and shortcomings. He was a promoter of liberty and wrote “all men are created equal,” but was a slave owner throughout his whole life, during which he owned a total of about 600 slaves. He believed blacks were inferior humans and didn’t think coexistence would be possible if they were free. And although he never remarried after the loss of his beloved wife, Martha, he went on to father more children with one of his slaves, Sally Hemings. Some of the slaves that were in his bloodline were freed after his death, but most of his slaves were sold.

Thomas Jefferson passed away at Monticello at the age of 83, on July 4, 1826, on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. As if the date of his death wasn’t ironic enough, fellow founding father John Adams died on the same day. Thomas Jefferson died first, but Adams did not know that Jefferson had died, and his last words were “Thomas Jefferson survives.” Jefferson was buried at Monticello. Monticello was sold off following his death to pay debts, but a nonprofit organization acquired it in the twentieth century and it was opened to the public in 1954.

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