#Heather support chain

[justrandomselfships]

Heather supports with Lysithea

I wanted to write for Claude finally... But I had an idea for Lysithea hah

C support

Heather: Okay, time to snip some up!

Lysithea: Oh, good evening Heather, what are you doing here at this hour..?

Heather: Bah! Lysithea! You scared me a little... But to answer your question.

Heather: The kitchen was busy the entire day and I was dying to bake something. So I decided that no matter what today I will bake.

Lysithea: Oh, I see.

Heather: It's nothing special, just some simple cookies.

Heather: Although I'm afraid that I added a little bit too much sugar... And butter... Actually I added too much of everything because it will be a huge batch.

Lysithea: How did that even happen..?

Heather: At first I added waaay too much sugar and then I started to balance it out by adding more of each ingredient.

Heather: Now that I think about it... Maybe I should've started from scratch... Not much would go to waste.

Lysithea: Or you could start properly measuring your ingredients.

Lysithea: That is... If you're actually following the recipe.

Heather: As a matter of fact, I don't.

Heather: Recipes are guidelines not to be followed!

Lysithea: That's... Quite the statement...

Heather: Either way... When I'm done... Do you mind taking some of those cookies with you?

Lysithea: ... I'll help you. You still have quite a lot of dough there but you don't have to do it all now. Put some away for later.

Heather: Oh right! That's actually a good idea... Why didn't I think of that..?

B support:

Lysithea: Heather, I have something I'd like to discuss.

Heather: hm? Sure thing, I'll hear you out!

Lysithea: Good, then I'll teach you to plan ahead.

Lysithea: You always act first, think later so it's about time you be more responsible.

Heather: I had a feeling you'd say that, I appreciate the thought really, but what happened last time was not the norm.

Lysithea: And what was that about "guidelines not to be followed"?

Heather: Simple really, what I mean by that is that when baking going with the flow makes it more fun and satisfying.

Heather: Anyone can follow a book, but when you add your own touches is when your cooking gets to be more special.

Heather: But I do agree that a lot of... Problems could be avoided if I were to at least put my random measurement of an ingredient in a separate bowl so I can control it.

Lysithea: That's a good step in the right direction. But I must say... Baking with you was a lot of fun even if we were just finishing it.

Lysithea: So I was wondering... Maybe we should try making something from scratch? I'll of course regulate your chaos.

Heather: That'll help me get into the measuring habit.

Lysithea: You can count on me to make sure of that.

B+ support:

Lysithea: Heather! No! You can't put that in yet!

Heather: Trust the process, I've done it plenty of times.

Lysithea: It won't be as good if you won't let it sit.

Heather: Alright fine, we'll do it your way...

Lysithea: Good.

Lysithea: Just know that I'm not doubting your abilities, but it's some steps just can't be skipped.

Heather: Alright, I suppose I'm just a bit hyped is all.

Heather: You're always so good at so many things... I think I just wanted to show off now.

Lysithea: I see...

Lysithea: Well, you definitely don't need to show off your baking skills.

Lysithea: I've tasted your treat numerous of times, while the way you do it is questionable- the results rarely are anything less than delicious.

Heather: Thank you!

Lysithea: But you need to also pay more attention to fundamentals. I'm not saying you have to do everything by the book.

Heather: I get what you mean... I'll try to do just that.

Lysithea: Then here is something you can start practicing with.

Heather: Ooh, a recipe from you? I'm definitely looking forward to making it.

A support:

Lysithea: Oh, Heather, you're baking late again?

Heather: What can I say, some habits die hard...

Heather: ...

Lysithea: Is something wrong?

Heather: I just... Though this would help me get my mind of things.

Lysithea: I see...

Lysithea: Huh... You're following that recipe?

Heather: I'd be a fool to disrespect your personal recipe.

Heather: And well... I guess I've been too distracted to even try to do it my way.

Heather: Everything that's happened recently... I guess it's weighing on my mind still.

Lysithea: ...

Lysithea: Heather.

Heather: Yes?

Lysithea: I want you to try it doing your own way, right now.

Heather: But I'm halfway in. Besides, you told me to-

Lysithea: I know what I said. But it's just so hard to watch you without that spark when you bake.

Lysithea: It's something special to you. And I don't want you to do anything else but to go with your heart.

Heather: Alright... But only if you regulate the chaos again.

Heather: To be honest... I found it hard to fully enjoy baking alone, besides I wouldn't want you to just stand back and watch.

Lysithea: Alright, we have a deal.

Lysithea: We will bake together as often as you'd like.

Heather: I wouldn't want to take up your time...

Lysithea: Listen, how I spend my time is my choice alone.

Lysithea: And that choice is- to make delicious sweets we can enjoy later together.

Heather: That's quite a sweet offer.

Lysithea: ... You know I just might change my mind.

Heather: Aww come on! You walked into that one.

Lysithea: And soon I'll walk out of the kitchen.

Heather: Wait! Lysithea don't leave me! What about the cake!?

[mwahsturns]

📝 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐒 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 - MATT STURNⵊOLO

professor!matt sturniolo x student!reader

Contains: HEAVY smut/oral (female receiving)/fingering/p in v/creampie/swearing/A lot of praise/teasing/flirting/pet names/ unprotected sex/aftercare/fluff. Semi-proof read! And I think that’s it let me know if there’s more.

Synopsis: you’re an 18 year old freshman in college and you’ve always been in love with writing, your whole life you’ve always been hiding behind your books and your writing. You decided you wanted to go to college because you knew you wanted to become something with your writing, you’ve always had big dreams about your work and you knew you could do it. But one day you find out your regular professor had quit his job because of an injury and you were getting a new teacher. What happens when the new professor offers to get you a head making sure you make it where you need to be?, and you end up fucking your new professor.. Mr sturniolo.

Author’s note: i’m doing a collab with @iluvmattsbeard! go check out her version of the reader being the professor! this is my version where Matt is being the professor! i’m so so excited I had the opportunity of working on this with her. she is so so sweet and absolutely talented. i want everyone to show her some love and support because she deserves it! And please enjoy. 💗

* *:･ﾟ✧🏩*:･ﾟ✧

Today has been interesting to say the least, our regular teacher professor Charles quit due to an injury in his knee causing him to have surgery and he probably won’t be able to walk again. I as I walked into the classroom I see I’m the only student here, as I’m putting my stuff down I hear someone walk in.

I swear I felt my heartbeat when I looked behind me, there he was professor sturniolo I only know his name because it’s on his desk but not the point. God he looked so fucking sexy his hair wasn’t messy but it looked so effortlessly fluffy and he had these black glasses that framed his face perfectly, he also had a little blue ish button up shirt but it was slightly opened to where you could see his gold chain. He had some rings on and a watch on his right hand, his beige pants perfectly showed his cock just looking made my mouth water.

Fuck his beard too god this man was a whole walking sex object, I was quickly snapped out of my thoughts by his voice. ‘Hey your early” he says smiling ‘yea I’m always early’ I place my bag on my chair and sit on top of my desk with my leg placed on to of the other one. I noticed him look me up and down and I looked and saw my skirt has lifted a little bit. I was wearing a black and white long sleeve shirt, my cleavage Showing as my necklace sits perfectly on my chest. My skirt was short and plaid with some short sorta see through white socks and some black buckled heals.

‘Cute outfit” he winks and goes to write the agenda on the board, I smile and turn on my heels and sit on my desk and nibble on my pen smirking as I watched him. Eventually everyone started walking into the class and my best friend heather ran over to me and sitting next to me, ‘dude the new professor is so sexy!’ She smiles and as takes her books out, ‘I know we talked this morning’ I smirk as I take a sip of my water. ‘No wonder you’re in the front of the class’ we laugh as we hear professor sturniolo start to speak.

‘Okay guys so as you know professor Charles is out so I’m your new teacher, I’m Mr sturniolo and today’s assessment should be easy you need to write a short story about anything you’d like and share it to the class.’ He smiles and writes it on the board, ‘you guys have the next hour to write it then I’ll have all of you share yours with the class’ oh I got this in the bag I thought as I started writing.

————

The hour is up and he stands in front of the class as he gets ready to announce who goes first, I feel him starting at me as he starts to smirk. ‘You first’ he smirks as he tilts his head looking deeply into my eyes, ‘’me?’ I say confused. ‘Your names Y/n isn’t it?’ He says sassily, ‘yes sir it is’ I say with the same amount of sas ‘well then the floors yours’ he smiles and sits at his desk. I grab my paper and walk the the front of the class flatting my shirt as I begin to read, ‘We shall start with a secret couple, their names is professor Lucas, and a student named Sophia. The two are secretly in love but has yet to expose it to the world so let’s dive deep into their life styles before things get intimate…’ I say smiling as I continue to read.‘Sofia is a very pretty girl, amazing personality, great style, she is a phenomenal actress and she has a great judge of Character and if we need to speak about her body we can say that she has some amazing ideal curve and her face sits perfectly.

‘Professor Lucas is a great guy with amazing humor and he does a phenomenal job at teaching, (that’s what turns Sophia on) he cares for his class and he truly is the person you couldn’t hate even if you tried. Jumping in Sophia walks into lecture hall, looking a little bit more Expensive or extravagant, she is wearing her Golden necklace that says her name in a cursive writing a white button up long sleeve crop top tied at the bottom with a tripled white skirt and some white heals. (she truly loves the color white, she feel it enhances her look more) as sophia Is carrying her books, Professor Lucas takes notice and says ‘ah Ms Raven, please have a seat in the front for me.’ He says pointing out the seat closes to him smiling. Sophia walks down to take a seat and sets her notebooks down and gets her Mac-book out of her bag to place it elegantly on her desk.

Professor looked down and said ‘good morning sweetheart, why are you late?’ As Sophia looks up into his amazing beautiful emerald eyes and smiled saying ‘I woke up late sir’ she knows calling him Sir makes him feel respected and satisfied, ‘hmm see me after class young lady…’ as he continues the lecture. As the day goes on classes come to an end, which reminds Sophia to go meet with professor. As she arrived she placed a firm knock on the door and patiently waited for him to come and answer, in less than a minute the professor answered the door and said ‘Ms raven please come in’ as he smiled looked outside the door before closing it too lock it. He looked at her with a romantic expression. ‘I want us to get intimate, we’ve been kissing secretly hanging out for a while but now, I want to show you that I’m ready for another step and that is showing you that I want to dominate you and show you how much I love you in a different way’ ‘I’d figure you’d get the hook’ the professor looks confused when she says that and says ‘what do you mean?’ As he steps a little closer toward her, ‘I mean I’ve been wearing the slutty things to lure you in or to make you want to fuck me, I wanted to show you that I’m ready for the next step but I was just to afraid to ask.’

The professor steps closer to her them almost touching noses as he says ‘Mama you don’t gotta be nervous or afraid, if you want me to give it to you just ask me. I won’t even hesitate’ professor says as he slowly cuffed her Chin and pulled her into an intimate kiss inhaling deeply as it escalated.

Sophia continues the kiss for a few more moments before breaking it wrapping her hand in his tie, ‘I want you’ sounding a little breathless turning the professor on more. ‘I know you do baby’ the professor said gently brushing his hand down the side of her face, ‘lay down, and open your legs for me’ Sophia proceeds to do so as the professor smiled and watched, As she finished doing what he asked he then spoke ‘good girl’ as he then walked closer to her then sliding his fingers up her inner thigh to tease her already wet pussy. he rubbed his thumb around her clitoris teasing even more before gently sliding off her white see through lingerie panties. He took off his shirt revealing his soft skin and muscular chest.

sniffing the panties and throwing them to the side, he licked his middle and ring finger before rubbing her clitoris once again before loosing his belt and took of his cargo baggy black jeans revealing his huge cock print in his underwear. he took her hand and rubbed it around his print moaning and groaning a little. And just know you aren’t going nowhere….’ As I finished reading this class started clapping, I look at Matt to see him smirking arms crossed god he looks perfect.

‘Great job mrs L/N and um can you see me after class?’ I smiled and nodded my head as I walked back to my seat.

———-

Class ended and I’m packing up my stuff as I hear heather start talking, ‘girl your paper was so good like ugh i felt the emotion and I think professor sturniolo liked it too’ she winks putting on her backpack. ‘Who knows but I’ll see you after?’ ‘Duh ofc you will’ I laugh putting on my backpack, soon everyone leaves and I walk up to the professors desk. ‘You wanted to speak with me?’ I say smiling, ‘yea I did um your writing is so excellent your a very talented young lady’ he smiled leaning forward on the desk. ‘Well it is my specialty’ I smirk ‘mmh we’ll keep up the good work’ he smiles packing up his stuff ‘Will do!’ I laugh as I leave his class.

professor Sturniolo has been here for about two weeks now and to say I’ve got him wrapped around my finger is an understatement to say the least, he’s has been favoriting me for weeks now always giving me extra credit and pushing back deadlines for me I didn’t think anything of it until now.

‘Girl he’s so into you!’ Heather says as we enter the empty class, ‘I don’t know..’ I mean if that was true god it would fuel my sexual fantasies so much. ‘I’m telling you it’s a matter of time before he fucks you’ heather and I take our seats up front as professor sturniolo walks in, ‘good morning Y/N morning heather’ he says giving me this irresistible look that makes me just want him ‘Good morning’ I smile.

As I’m writing our notes for an essay coming up in feel him walk up to my desk as he wisphers in my ear ‘see me after class’ he says as he walks back to his desk. I can’t lie that did make me aroused I know it’s wrong but it also feels right.

————

As everyone left the class I see the smirk growing on his face as the class grows empty. Once the class is completely empty he stands up from his chair and leaned his back against his desk as his arms were crossed, ‘you know you’re a very special young lady..’ ‘mmh you think’ I smirk teasing him a little. ‘I do.. very much the work you’ve turned in has been exceptional your writing style is remarkable..” he walks over to my desk and leans down to my ear. ‘And i must say you’re a very beautiful girl..”

‘Thank you, I appreciate it’ I smile as he basically towers over me, ‘so you got a boyfriend?’ He says as he runs his hand through my hair ‘no.. what about you got a girlfriend or a wife?’ I say looking up at him. ‘Oh no it’s just me’ I mentally take note of that even though it shouldn’t matter to me ‘look your very talented and happen to be very beautiful and I want you to be more than just a basic writer you can be so much more’ he says sitting on the desk next to me ‘I know I’ve always believed I can do it I just wasn’t even sure how to start’ honestly I’m lying I know exactly why he’s saying all of this but I just wanna see how far he’ll take things.

‘Well how about this .. you help me and I’ll make sure you get right where you need to be’ he smirks ‘okay but how will I help you?’ I already know what he wants I just wanna tease him a little I’ve seen way to many teacher and student movies and books to not know. ‘What if you let me teach you a few things mmh? Fuck I can’t lie that did make me a little wet ‘mmh like what?’ I tease standing in his face, next thing I know I’m picked up and placed on his desk.

‘Let me please you..’ he says kissing my neck harshly. I can’t deny as the kiss gets longer the more I’m starting to crave more. He started kissing lower down my neck placing open mouthed kisses onto my breast, i tugged on his hair as his hand slid down into my skirt. ‘Well look at that my perfect student getting all wet for her professor huh such a slut..’ he says as he pulls down my skirt and my underwear harshly.

I bite my lip as I see him spit on his fingers I don’t know what has gotten into me but right now I need him in me, he takes his fingers and slide them into my dripping pussy as he gives me no time to adjust he fingers me very rough.

‘Oh my- fuck’ I moan throwing my head back biting my lip, ‘mmh feels good doesn’t it? He looks like a kid in a candy store the way he’s looking at my vagina right now. ‘fuck yes.’ He smiles at my response and stands up pulling his pants and boxers off and holy shit he’s fucking big.

‘That’s supposed to fit in me?!’ I actually am now kinda nervous, ‘mmh I’ll make it fit’ he walks back over to the desk and pulls my legs forward and now I’m laying down on his desk legs wide open how the fuck did I get here?. He slides into me and I swear to god I saw stars fuck he felt so good, ‘fuck your so tight’ he moaned pounding into me like he was getting a fucking pay check.

‘Oh fuck sir omg..’ I moaned maybe a little too loudly, ‘fuck-please call me Matt’ he tried to say as he let out a choked groan. God his name makes this 10x hotter. ‘Fuck Matt I’m so close’ I moan, ’yea cum on this dick baby’ his thrust getting faster but more deeper.

‘Fuck I’m gonna cum!’ I screamed ‘me too baby let it out mama’ he moaned as I came all over his dick and I felt his warm cum fill me. ‘Fuck you did so good for me’ he smiled kissing my lips softly, ‘I don’t think I can walk..’ ‘it’s okay I’ll clean you up’ he walks to his desk and gets a rag and wipes both of us down. Once were cleaned up and I’m standing he walked up to me and smiled. ‘Well I guess I’ll be fucking you more often huh?’ I smiled ‘oh definitely’.

I smiled and walked out of the classroom fuck he better give me a good grade for that.

A/n: I hope you enjoyed plus Don’t hate this is my first smut ever so I’m so so sorry if it’s bad pls leave some tips in my inbox!

Taglist!

@iluvmattsbeard @m9ttsverse

(COMMENT IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED ONTO MY TAG LIST!)

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Mike Luckovich

* * * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

December 11, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Dec 12, 2024

Yesterday, President Joe Biden spoke at the Brookings Institution, where he gave a major speech on the American economy. He contrasted his approach with the supply-side economics of the forty years before he took office, an approach the incoming administration of Donald Trump has said he would reinstate. Biden urged Trump and his team not to destroy the seeds of growth planted over the past four years. And he laid out the extraordinary successes of his administration as a benchmark going forward.

The president noted that Trump is inheriting a strong economy. Biden shifted the U.S. economy from 40 years of supply-side economics that had transferred about $50 trillion from the bottom 90% to the top 1% and hollowed out the middle class.

By investing in the American people, the Biden team expanded the economy from “the middle out and the bottom up,” as Biden says, and created an economy that he rightfully called “the envy of the world.” Biden listed the numbers: more than 16 million new jobs, the most in any four-year presidential term in U.S. history; low unemployment; a record 20 million applications for the establishment of new businesses; the stock market hitting record highs.

Biden called out that in the two years since Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act, the private sector has jumped on the public investments to invest more than a trillion dollars in clean energy and advanced manufacturing.

Disruptions from the pandemic—especially the snarling of supply chains—and Russian president Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine created a global spike in inflation; the administration brought those rates back to around the Fed’s target of 2%.

Biden pointed out that “[l]ike most…[great] economic developments, this one is neither red nor blue, and America’s progress is everyone’s progress.”

But voters’ election of Donald Trump last month threatens Biden’s reworking of the economy. Trump and his team embrace the supply-side economics Biden abandoned. They argue that the way to nurture the economy is to free up money at the top of the economy through deregulation and tax cuts. Investors will then establish new industries and jobs more efficiently than they could if the government intervened. Those new businesses, the theory goes, will raise wages for all Americans and everyone will thrive.

Trump and MAGA Republicans have made it clear they intend to restore supply-side economics.

The first priority of the incoming Republican majority is to extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts, many of which are due to expire in 2025. Those tax cuts added almost $2 trillion to budget deficits, but there is little evidence that they produced the economic growth their supporters promised. At the same time, the income tax cuts delivered an average tax cut of $252,300 to households in the top 0.1%, $61,090 to households in the top 1%, but just $457 to the bottom 60% of American households. The corporate tax cuts were even more skewed to the wealthy.

In the Washington Post yesterday, Catherine Rampell noted that Republicans’ claim that extending those cuts isn’t extraordinarily expensive means “getting rid of math.”

At a time when Republicans like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who are leading the new “Department of Government Efficiency,” are clamoring for cuts of $2 trillion from the budget, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that extending the tax cuts will add more than $4 trillion to the federal budget over the next ten years. Republicans who will chair the House and Senate finance committees, Representative Jason Smith (R-MO) and Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), say that extending the cuts shouldn’t count as adding to the deficit because they would simply be extending the status quo.

Trump has also indicated he plans to turn the country over to billionaires, both by putting them into government and by letting them act as they wish. Last night, on social media, President-elect Trump posted: “Any person or company investing ONE BILLION DOLLARS, OR MORE, in the United States of America, will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental approvals. GET READY TO ROCK!!!”

Biden called out the contrast between these two economic visions, saying that the key question for the American people is “do we continue to grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up, investing in all of America and Americans, supporting unions and working families as we have the past four years? Or do we…backslide to an economy that’s benefited those at the top, while working people and the middle class struggle…for a fair share of growth and [for an] economic theory that encouraged industries and…livelihoods to be shipped overseas?”

Biden explained that for decades Republicans had slashed taxes for the very wealthy and the biggest corporations while cutting public investment in infrastructure, education, and research and development. Jobs and factories moved overseas where labor was cheaper. To offset the costs of tax cuts, Biden said, ‘advocates of trickle-down economics ripped the social safety net by trying to privatize Social Security and Medicare, trying to deny access to affordable health care and prescription drugs.” He added, “Lifting the fortunes of the very wealthy often meant taking the rights of workers away to unionize and bargain collectively.”

This approach to the economy “meant rewarding short-termism in pursuit of short-term profits [and] extraordinary high executive pay, instead of making long-term investments…. As a consequence, our…infrastructure fell…behind. A flood of cheap imports hollowed out our factory towns.”

“Economic opportunity and innovation became more concentrated in [a] few major cities, while the heartland and communities were left behind. Scientific discoveries and inventions developed in America were commercialized in countries like China, bolstering their manufacturing investment and jobs instead of [our] economy. Even before the pandemic, this economic agenda was clearly failing. Working- and middle-class families were being hurt.”

“[W]hen the pandemic hit,” Biden said, “we found out how vulnerable America was.” Supply chains failed, and prices soared.

Biden told the audience that he “came into office with a different vision for America…: grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up; invest in America and American products. And when that happens, everybody does…well…no matter where they lived, whether they went to college or not.”

“I was determined to restore U.S. leadership in industries of the future,” he said. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act “mark the most significant investment in America since the New Deal,” with new factories bringing good jobs that are rejuvenating towns that had been left behind in the past decades. Biden said he required that the government buy American goods as the country invested in “modernizing our roads; our bridges; our ports; our airports; our clean water system; affordable, high-speed Internet systems; and so much more.”

Eighty percent of working-age Americans have jobs, and the average after-tax income is up almost $4,000 since before the pandemic, significantly outpacing inflation.

Biden and his team worked to restore competition in the economy—just today, the huge grocery chain Albertsons gave up on its merger with another huge grocery chain, Kroger, after Biden’s Federal Trade Commission sued to block the merger because it would raise prices and lower workers’ wages by eliminating competition—and their negotiations with big pharma have dramatically cut the costs of prescription drugs for seniors. The administration cut junk fees, capping the cost of overdraft fees, for example, from an average of $35 a month to $5.

Biden quoted Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Stephen Henriques in Time magazine a month ago, saying: “President-elect Trump is receiving the strongest economy in modern history, which is the envy of the world.”

In his speech, Biden noted that it would be “politically costly and economically unsound” to disrupt the decisions and investments the nation has made over the past four years, and he urged Trump to leave them in place. “Will the next president stop a new electric battery factory in Liberty, North Carolina, that will create thousands of jobs?” he asked. “[W]ill we deny seniors living in red states $35-a-month insulin?”

In their article, Sonnenfeld and Henriques noted: “President Trump will likely claim he waved a magic wand on January 20 and the economic clouds cleared,” and they urged people: “Don’t Give Trump Credit for the Success of the Biden Economy.”

Biden gave yesterday’s speech in part to put down benchmarks against which we should measure Trump’s economic policies. “During my presidency, we created [16] million new jobs in America” and saw “the lowest average unemployment rate of…any administration in 50 years.” Economic growth has been a strong 3% on average, and inflation is near 2 percent, he said.

“[T]hese are simple, well-established economic benchmarks used to measure the strength of any economy, the success or failure of any president’s four years in office. They’re not political, rhetorical opinions. They’re just facts,” Biden said, “simple facts. As President Reagan called them, ‘stubborn facts.’”

Biden is willing to bet that if the American people pay attention to those facts, they will recognize that his approach to the economy, rather than supply-side economics, works best for everyone.

Today the NASDAQ Composite index, which focuses on tech stocks, broke 20,000 for the first time.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[empressgeekt]

HTTYD/Trolls - Crossover - Branch is adopted by Gobber AU -Part 2, post movie

Okay, the basics of this au is that Branch was sent to the HTTYD universe as a young child and was placed in Gobber's care. I recommend that you read the first post.

Okay, so I did decide to match Branch up with the Light Fury, he names her Cirra, after cirrus clouds. Not entirely sure exactly when in the time line they would meet, but I know it would take place during, Riders/Defenders of Berk. Currently I'm thinking that Branch frees her, after Alvin captures her to try and have a "night" fury of his own. The outcast leader, disregards the light color scheme, as other species have different color variations. No Idea how Branch would end up on outcast island, maybe he snuck in after Astrid, but he'd find Cirra chained up and free her. Unlike the other riders, he doesn't have a saddle as a saddle would mess up with Cirra's cloaking, but they manage. Gobber is rather surprised, but accepts her.

And here is some horrible art I made of Branch and Cirra.

Now! On to the Post movie Plot!

After Hiccup recovers, Things around Berk change. With the red Death dead, their aren't any raids, meaning the need for weapons had dropped dramatically. Poor Gobber and Branch are left with out much to do in the forge, at least weapon wise. There's still the need for pots and every day tools, but business is much slower. Branch has his part time work with Gothi to fall back on but Gobber....It's a struggle to find a new role in the new normal. But in the end it works out. Being a Dragon dentist is something both father and son can work together on, as branch's medical training from Gothi can help.

I don't have much planned regarding Riders/Defenders, other then furthering the relationship between Branch and Dagur. And Cirra coming into the picture.

RTTE however I have a lot of thoughts on. Considering at the beginning of the Pilot that Snotlout was the offical weapons tester, then that means he'd spend more time at the forge, meaning he and Branch wouldbe spending more time with Snotlout. Probably form a similar sibling relationship like Branch has with HIccup. Not as close, but Branch would definitly become a more positive influance on Snotlout.

During part 2 of the RTTE pilot rather then going with the rest of the riders to the get the snow-wraith tooth, he stays on Berk to help Gobber man Gothi's healing shack. And despite Branch's best efforts, his Dad still manages to set one viking on fire and maybe kill another with a mystery potion that Gobber fudged. But there would be a bunch of bonding and funny scenes between them, with Cirra looking on in horror.

Branch would end up leaving with the rest of the riders, as and extra smith and assigned Healer. IN regards to the group, he's closest too Fishlegs and Hiccup, all of the mebing thinkers. Astrid is fine they can get along. Snotlout, once more their a little closer cause of the time Snouloat spent at the forge between RTTE and RIders/Defenders, but Branch still thinks he's a muttonhead. The twins? Branch just makes sure they don't kill themselves on accident.

When the events of "Crushing it" Roll around, I'm torn between Branch and Cirra saving Gobber from the watch tower or having Branch chase his brain-damaged father around the Edge. "Branch come over here and meet Peppy!" "Dad that's not a yak...you know what...never mind."

During "Have Dragon Will Travel" Part 2, Branch would 100 percent, have a chat with Heather before she left, about brothers and things like that. Brozone might not have killed everyone in his village but he knows how complicated family can be, especially after they abandon you. Probably be some Snotlout and Branch moments in the season 1 final too. During "The A Team" Branch supports Astrid with her extra training, staying behind on Berk to "Re-stock" with Gothi when he reality he stayed to keep an eye on her. "The Night of the Hunters" Branch ends up with Hiccup and Snotlout, helping them sew the Screaming Death armor. Though, i also like the idea of him stuck with all the Blondes in the cell, maybe slowly going insane from being stuck in there with them, and picking fights with Dagur.

Its when "Bad Moon Rising" Rolls around that things get much more interesting. It's a week before the episode starts, and on the shores of berk an interest group washes up.

Lets jump back to the troll world. When John Dory comes looking for Branch during TBT, he only finds Poppy, who has vague memories of a troll by that name, but they don't know where the trolling vanished too. Somehow they all pull together in the end, freeing Floyd and heading back to Pop village after the fact. But there's a piece missing and everyone can feel it. The last anyone heard of Branch was when the trolling ran off into the woods that surrounded Pop village. It being there only Lead they began to search the surrounding forest. The older three know it's a long shot, but they go anyway. Floyd is desperate to get back to his baby brother. He's not adjusting well to post captivity, all he wants to do was apologize to Branch for leaving.

They find a small little shelter out in the forest, a cave next to it. shovels and supplies are crowded around the place in neat little piles. No one had been there for a long time, clearly, but they look anyway. Floyd finds Croco next to a makeshift nest, and breaks down. Eventually they look into the cave...only to go too deep and get sucked into a wormhole that took their brother 19 years ago.

They don't remember much of the trip, but they wake up soaking wet and freezing on a rocky sea shore. The troll to human transformation is freaking them out some what. John Dory even more so, but not because of what happened to him. Rhonda went into the cave with them, and suddenly she's shorter then John and had a set of wings. She's still his girl though, and continues to follow JD everywhere. Poppy would spot what looks like a village up on the cliffs, and with out any better options they all trudged up to it.

Clay takes notice of the odd stares that the Villagers give them, and he suddenly he's very aware of the subtle differences between his brothers and the Pop Princesses and this village. While they appear to be the same species, All the villagers are much Paler then Clay and his brothers. Poppy and Viva are closer in skin shade, but it's still clear that they were outsiders too. They wander for a few hours before Bruce suggests they talk to someone. This makes Rhonda walk up to an older woman with long brown hair and green eyes, and a man with grey eyes and Black hair.

Woman: Oh well yer a friendly Gronckle *pets Rhonds*

JD: Sorry about her.

Woman: On it's not an issue, My boy has a dragon of his own, i'm use to there energy.

JD:Uh, hi I'm John Dory. Me and my brothers are new in town and-

Man: Ey! Step away from my wife!

Woman: Oh Spitelout, Hush! These lads are just asking for some help. Get back inside if ye, can't behave.

Spitelout: *huffs*

Woman: Sorry about him, he's boar-headed sometimes. Erika, now what can I help ye with laddie?

Bruce: Well, uh, like my brother was saying Ma'am, we're new in town and we're looking for someone. He'd be in...his twenties...might look like us?

Erika: If this is a vengeance quest, ye need to ask someone more idiotic, I'm not going to send ye to that boy to kill him.

Floyd: No killing, no vengeance, we're just looking for our younger brother, we were separated as kids.

Erika: Hmmm, alright what's the boyo's name?

Clay: Branch ma'am

Erika: The Smithy's boy?

Poppy: You know him?

Erika: Only child by the name of Branch I've met, sweet boyo, Ye won't find him here though. Lad moved off the island a few months ago....His father's still here though. Works down at the forge, just up the way.

Upon arriving at the forge, The brothers and sisters are greeted with an interesting sight, a Blonde haired human with a long mustache, a missing arm and leg, and a rock for a tooth, hammering away at a metal sword, while humming to himself.

Poppy: Um exucse me?

Gobber: Hmm? Oh, hello Lassie! Sorry I was bit distracted, with this piece. Wanna get all teh details right Anything I can do for ye? New sword, Axe? Personally I think you are a dagger lass, or are yet looking for something more special. *holds up piece of jewerly*

Poppy: Umm, Not looking for a weapons, but... actually that's really pretty, *admired neckless*

Gobber: Isn't it? It's my son's work. He's usually more practically minded but when asked to make something pretty he delivers. Makes a lot of lassies interested in him, but sadly none have made his cut.

Bruce: Sounds like he's great guy. Where is he? I might need to commission him for something.

Clay: Really Bruce?

Bruce: what, I need an anniversary gift in a few months.

Gobber: I'll let him know he's got a new customer, but ye might be in for a long wait, he's not home currently.

Bruce: Well when will he get back, we might be on a time crunch.

Gobber: I'd wish I knew, war seems to have no end once your in it.

Viva: You're son's at war?

Gobber: ey, why'd ya think I'm making 'im a sword?

Bruce: You let your son go to war?

Gobber: Let? No of course I didn't let him, it was his choice and if I had anything to say about he won't be anywhere near fighting, but he's his own man now. Faced 24 winters, and is still going strong. Besides I taught him everything he needs to know, hurl a bola, throw an axe, swing a sword. My boy will handle anything those namby pamby beserker throw at him. Now, ye wanted something lassie?

Poppy: Oh yes, but not for metal stuff, we were actually hoping you could help us find someone.

Gobber: Oh well, yer in luck, Ol' Gobber practically knows everyone on Berk, perk of being the only metal worker on isle. Does this person yer looking for has a name?

Floyd: Yes, its' Branch.

Gobber: HOW DO YE KNOW MY BOY?!

The next day or so is rather awkward. Gobber would drag the group, pulling a rather confused Stoick in, to Gothi's hut and made her read them. Eventually the old crone would confirm that they were from Branch's original tribe and they were sent on mission of reconnection by the gods. Poppy isn't so sure, about the Gods thing but she does step forward as a her peoples queen and begins to talk diplomacy with Stoick. Gobber however reiterates his question of how they know his son. Once them being brothers is out in the open, Gobber and the others are gobsmacked, the idea of having 5 children living to adulthood is almost unheard of in berk. With all the plague and fighting that happened in Viking life. Gobber immedately wants to know how his son was abandoned when he had such a large family. He's unsure about the answer of "We were seperated when he was very young", as some of the boys looked hesitent to tell him that, but He accepts it and even helps them find a place to sleep that night...these boys are technically family after all...and the girls with them are sweet.

By some coincidence, Gobber gets a letter from Branch the next day (curtesy of their personal Mail Terror "Gary"), inviting him to the edge, to learn how to make Gronckle Iron. He's excited and begins to prep a ship. Floyd would ask if they could join him, and not knowing how Branch would react, and just happy to receive a letter from his son Gobber agrees.

Over the week long boat trip, Gobber learns a lot about Branch's bio-family. John Dory is a bit of a mutton-head, but it's clear he cares, he's also the one most eager to learn how to sail (Apparently there isn't alot of ocean where their tribe was from, and that was a baffling thought). Bruce is easy going, and apparently has 13 children (once more baffling), he's also probably the one most vocal about thanking Gobber for taking care of Branch. Clay is clearly as smart as his boy, but sadly the lad spend the first few days of the trip horribly seasick. Poppy and Viva's boundless energy really liven up the trip and Gobber enjoys their bubbly nature.

Floyd is the one that sends a few alarm bells off in Gobber's mind. The Lad is show a lot of the signs that Branch gives off when something is bothering him Bad, so Gobber keeps a close eye on him. Not sure if there's going to be a confrontation on the trip there yet, but if there is Gobber would talk to Floyd during a sleepless night help him through the heavy guilt he feels. This is also how Gobber learns of the break up, and he wonders who on earth would let an 11 year old leave home. He can't even be mad at these boys for it. He's pissed off at the grown up who left, these kids to fend for themselves with and elderly woman. Gosh, when Stoick was too busy to take care of Hiccup Gobber was ready to care for the kid.

Over all the trip goes well. Gobber tells them all about little stories from Branch's childhood...some of which they don't believe. "What no way Branch hit a another kid" "Hah oh he did. Gave that brat a good bruise too, oh Oswald and Stoick were so mad but they couldn't punish him since technically he was defending his future chief". Gobber even teaches them some sailing chants, which leading to conversation about Branch only really singing while working the forge.

Eventually they arrive at the Edge, and port. Fishlegs and Hiccup meet them there. Meatlug immediately begins to play with Rhonda, the gronckles roughhouse on the deck. Fishlegs is very interested in speaking with Branch's brothers, and Poppy even more so. Ever since he learned that Branch was originally from a foreign tribe, there had been an underlying curiosity about what kind of people the elder rider came from. He wanted to know everything, adout their customs and culture. However, after Branch snapped at him for asking, Fishlegs dropped the questions. But these newcomers were prime researching material, and Poppy is very willing to teach him about "Pop Culture" (after she's done cooing over toothless of course). Hiccup is a little less enthusiastic, but he's polite, and ever sassy. "Wait you're named after a body function?" "And you're named after a rock, Clay, I don't think you can judge."

They're led up to the training arena, where they see a dark-haired dark skinned man, setting up a metal statue of a viking, with a snow white dragon laying lazily lounging on some boxes near by. Gobber, would immediately brighten at the sight of his son, and they'd would happily reunite, with a large hug, while Brozone would look on in shock. Their little blue baby, was now this rugged grown man. JD on impulse who be screaming, "Bitty B" and run up to snatch Branch in a hug of his own. Only to get ripped off by a flash of growling White, and Cirra leaped down to her rider's defence. The situation only escalates from there, Branch losing it at his Brothers for abandoning him, and not even Gobber can stop him. The other riders (minus tuffnut), look on in shock. Most of them didn't know about the fact that Branch was abandoned by his family, (other then hiccup but even then he didn't know the full extent). Branch only calms down Gobber redirects him towards sharing the Formala for Gronckle Iron and Branch breaking several swords on the gronckle iron dummy...at least until he has to patch up a rambling tuffnut.

The events of the Lychwing episode still play out. Only this time, you'd see Branch's Brothers try to make up with him, but hanging out near by. Listening to scary stories with Gobber, talking to the other riders, JD and Clay wandering into the workshop, while Branch is fixing up Snotlout after all the bites. It's only after they stop Tuffnut from Jumping off a cliff that Gobber intervenes regarding Branch and his family situation.

Gobber: Look son. I know yer angry

Branch: Angry doesn't begin to cover it, Dad. They left me! As a baby! They think they can just waltz back into my life after 20 fucking years! Well, guess what they can't!

Gobber: Branch...

Branch:...I don't know why your not more pissed! I remember hearing you rant to Chief when I was little, 'how could someone leave behind a kid like him!' 'you know i count my blessing the gods gave me my son!' where's all of that now?! Do I not matter to you anymore?!

Gobber: No, Laddie, don't ye ever think that! Ye are the best thing I have ever forged and don't ye forget that. And don't take my compassion for a lack of rage. Believe me, I'm pissed, but I can't blame your brothers for my anger.

Branch: *scoffs* oh really, you can't blame the people who threw me to the boars and abandoned me. How could you not blame them?

Gobber: because they were kids too, son. Listen just for a moment, do ye know how old yer brother's were when they left?

Branch...no...

Gobber: 17, 16, 14, and 11. Now the older two, maybe if they were mature enough could move out, but Clay and Floyd, they never should have been allowed to leave. No child that young should be on their own.

Branch: And I was even younger.

Gobber: That ye were. But it was the Adults around ye who were the name problem. Tell me, when Stoick was busy with the raids and winter rations, did he leave Hiccup alone. No, he left him with us, people he could trust to help. Remember that raid when you were 7 and I couldn't get to ye, what happened that night?

Branch: Miss Ingrid took me to her hut's celler with all the other children.

Gobber: Exactly, On Berk we were always looking out for each other, especially when it came to wee ones. However, you're birth tribe? From what I heard, they left a 14 year old in charge of a household of 6 with only and elderly woman for help, and after three years he finally snapped....you're brothers did hurt you Branch, they failed you, I'm not denying that. But they were also failed, by their community, the adults that should've stepped in and helped. You don't have to like them, you don't even have to forgive them, but you should at least let them apologize, let them and yerself have closer. Because I'll tell you now, the guilt their feeling...it's going to eat them alive.

Thanks to Gobber's instance it pushed Branch towards a confrontation. After icing Snotlout's Paper Jaw from Hiccup's punch (Good Job Hiccup), he finally has a sit down with his bio-siblings. He agrees to try and get to know each other again, but he has conditions; No calling him 'bitty B' (he does not need the twins picking that up), no bringing up the whole troll thing ( "Dad will start on the sock thing" "What sock thing?" "We don't talk about the sock thing"), no treating him like a baby, and Branch was not singing. (Unless it's a special circumstance). During this Branch Properly introduced his Family the girls to Cirra, and then there's the bang of a Zippleback distress call.

In "Snotlout gets and Axe" Tuffnut accidentally marries Clay and Viva.

At some point John Dory does ask for rider training, considering that Rhonda was now a gronckle. Branch makes him a saddle, and just sits back to watch at John Dory learn how to fly, laughing at every stumble. Cirra is not open to many riders other then Branch, she doesn't trust humans easily, and these "brothers" stress her rider out, but reluctantly she allows Branch to take Poppy on a rather romantic flight, and at some point Floyd needs a ride. Viva, and Bruce want to try it out, but Clay doesn't want to risk air sickness, apparently his human body doesn't like travel.

The brothers do help defend the Edge when Dagur and and Ryker attack. Once the fight on the beach broke out, Branch gets into the fist fight with Dagur, the latter wielding a knife. They are horrified with how bloody it nearly gets.

I think I'll play around with the time line and make "Tone Death" happen before "Maces and Talons", simply because of how much angst i could squeeze out of it. Like abandoned egg hatches on the edge into a dragon that only communicates by singing, then gets adopted by one similar to themselves? This episode is practically a reflection of Branch's story in this au. Also and excuse for JD to show off his songs and everyone, including the Deathsong, trashing on them.

Dagur's redemption might be something interesting to explore. Branch and Dagur never had gotten along, even as kids, to suddenly be playing on the same team would definitely cause tension. Especially for Brozone, the first time they met Dagur would've have been when he was trying to slice their baby brother's throat.

At some point, the topic of going back to the troll world would be brought up and the brothers talked about showing Branch what they had been up too all these years, and branch is just like "I'm not going back with you."

This once more leads to arguments, but Branch can't leave he's happy in the Hyttd, world, and Gobber would be left with out any family if Branch left. Still not sure if Branch decides to stay or return to his world, maybe they find a way to pass between the two at will so Branch can visit, and maybe Bruce's kids can come meet their Grandpa Gobber (Bruce doesn't see Gobber as a dad, but he's Branch's dad and the kids would definitely see him as Grandpa if they ever met).

Once more still figuring things out. Timeline and world building wise, let me know your thoughts.

[wanderingaldecaldo]

In the neverending chain of tags, I was tagged by:

@streetkid-named-desire @ouroboros-hideout @aggravateddurian @luvwich

@ghostoffuturespast @sofia-in-nc @gloryride

Retagging everyone above and also:

@corpo-cunt-couture @breezypunk @rosapexa @olath124 @theviridianbunny

@medtech-mara @fereldanwench @thelonestrider @togepies

Modding

Jeans & Chaps

You might have already seen my latest WIP: VG's bulge highlighted by chaps. I am very invested in Rat's vaquero AU for VG (I don't feel the need to bully him there, what?) and getting garment support working meant I needed to go back to the player jeans and update them with GS.

Tony showing off Ms. Flowers's Valentino jeans with the chaps

Last night I spent time learning how to use the Bulge Detector with Dynamic AXL and I got it working! I also learned something really cool about GS while I was doing it, and I haven't seen it mentioned elsewhere.

Clockwise from top left: the "no-bulge" mesh I added for testing showing without GS; both bulge and no-bulge rendering with GS; the "no-bulge" mesh with GS; the bulge mesh with GS.

I want to write up a tutorial on using the bulge detector with Dynamic AXL because it's very different from the existing tutorial, but also Dynamic just makes life easier. I plan on adding a bulge to the flat chest version of the swimsuit I'm working on, so I will write something up then. (WIP list just doesn't get shorter, does it?)

Retro Bathing Suit

Breezy's/@breezypunk summer props got me in the mood for a cute bathing suit, and I found this mesh for a whopping $2! Refits are in progress!

Modding & VP: Pride Edition

Why so blue, Carol? Thanks to Heather/@togepies for the cute pride tee logo!!

I've been wanting to give Carol some custom clothes so she and Hilary can go on dates, but this lady has got some BOOBS. Everything has to be refit for her because she doesn't have a separate chest component that I can hide, just one giant uniboob/upper body submesh. Oh Carol, I know your pain.

Expect to see her (and everyone else) rocking Pride wear soon!

What about you? What are you working on?

Even if I didn't tag you, you can tag me! I love to see what everyone's up to!

[squishsquishy]

⸝⸝ ‧₊° ⋅ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ꒰ঌ ♡ ໒꒱ ⊹ ࣪ ˖⸝⸝ ‧₊° ⋅

˗ˏˋ ꒰ Jelly/Jude ꒱ ˎˊ˗

❕formerly JudeStims / ChewyNecklace

❕horror-stim and minecraftstim (anyone who owns the current URLs is not me)

「 they/he 」「 25 y/o 」「Fluid TME Bi Lesbigay Sapphillean Polyam」「 Mexican (white passing) 」 ⌞audhd+disabled⌝ ⌞ENG⌝ ⌞working toward being a sex therapist and educator⌝

>> Life Update <<

About me on Carrd

˗ˏˋ ꒰ Main: @jellymosasaur ꒱ ˎˊ˗

˗ˏˋ ꒰ Side: @pokesanriostims @gaymerstims @gotochikitty @chewygummy @momostims ꒱ ˎˊ˗ ˗ˏˋ ꒰ Stim Archive: @sensoryarchive ꒱ ˎˊ˗

˗ˏˋ ꒰ My art: @jellydrawing ꒱ ˎˊ˗

˗ˏˋ Stim Requests are Open! ˎˊ˗

˗ˏˋQueue (#Offline): 2 posts daily ˎˊ˗

Disclaimer: there is weed and cuss words on this blog, blacklist #cuss words or #weed if you need to. Please block my main if you don’t want interactions. Blacklist #rant if you don’t want to see my vents.

quick dni: no proship, don’t reblog my content to kink blogs, no exclusionists, no radqueers, no tcc or gore blogs

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Dia de los Muertos is not “Mexican Halloween”, it’s marketed this way in many chain stores in the U.S. however the only similarity is that it’s a few days apart. (Halloween 10/31 and Dia de los Muertos 11/2) Dia de los Muertos is a time to celebrate those who came before you, those that are no longer with us. We honor them and make sure they are safe in the after life, have energy and know they’re loved. Always. (Dia de los Muertos education) (Halloween history)

I’ve had to relearn Spanish so my Spanish is like kindergarten Spanish. I want to relearn it for my kids so I’m doing my best to build it back up, however I haven’t really worked on much reading or writing

Tags: #my gifs #my stimboards #fam rq 🩷 stim inspo post #squish420

Archived Stim Gifs: #deleted #classic @sensoryarchive

Quick messages:

>> I don’t make gifs of animal breeders or animals that should not be kept as pets in houses. If I reblog this content tell me. I do my best to check.

>> Don’t use my content if you don’t credit me.

Hyperfixations: Fortnite, DancingBacons(YouTuber), Ultraman (all vers), Kaiju, Neko Atsume, Dan Da Dan

Special Interests: Care Bears, Minecraft, Roblox, pokemon, Sanrio, fish, Muppets, dinosaurs, (all) animal conservation, world history and archeology, comics (dc,marvel,dark horse, etcetc) hamtaro, magical girls, city pop, disco, drag, everything pink & glittery

Blorbos (Comfort characters): PomPomPurin (Sanrio), Hatsune Miku (vocaloid), Jiji (dandadan), Deadpool (marvel comics), Nyx (Hades Videogame), Jonesy (Fortnite), Kit + Katt (Fortnite), Chandlo (Bugsnax), Harry Mason (Silent Hill), Dib (invader zim)

Kin: Gwenpool (Marvel Comics), Kim Possible (Disney), Momo (DanDaDan), Heather Mason (silent hill), Vulpix + Ninetails (pokemon), foxkin, angelkin

DNI (Do Not Interact)

Don’t use my gifs if you’re not going to credit them.

Homophobic, Transphobic, Queerphobic, Antisemitic, Racist, Xenophobic

abdl, ddlg,cgl, any “age play”

Tcc/true crime fan

Pedos, Anti-Anti, Proship (shipping pedo ships or incest ships) if you’re neutral on shipping you can follow 👍

Exclusionist: Aphobic, Anti-Mogai, Anti-Mspec Gays or Lesbians, Transmed, Terf, Swerf, Biphobic, “drop the t” or “drop the b” (in lgbtqia), if you’re someone who is blatantly disrespectful and ignoring intersex people, ignorant or bigoted toward polyamorous people.

if you tell other people what their labels should be. if you tell trans people they HAVE to be pansexual. If you tell cis people in relationships with trans people they HAVE to be pansexual. This is one example, but don’t interact if you tell others what you think they should identify as or who you think they need to be with.

Don’t interact with me if you hate kids. Doesn’t mean you have to love them or want to have them just don’t be a dickhole to kids.

if you’re a trump supporter or supporter of any type of dictatorship which he preaches. A supporter of anything he stands for or has been convicted of.

All systems are valid. You don’t know what people are going through and you can’t decide how others systems form.

Radqueers, transage, transrace

Request Rules

If you don’t want something tagged as kin/me please add that in the stimboard request.

If you have triggers or don’t want something on the stimboard please let me know and I’ll avoid them for you.

Feel free to ask for tw if something is improperly tagged or I don’t currently tag that tw.

Please add pictures of the flags (for pride boards) and/or characters so I use the right ones. (This is not always needed, don’t worry if you forget)

If I don’t feel comfortable with a request I won’t do it, I will answer your ask privately if it’s not anon. This is not about regression it’s about people or content I just don’t like and it’s cool for me to just say no sometimes.

Blacklist: waterparks also goats. I’m super allergic to goats. Ask about any media but if the creator or the content itself falls under my dni it’s a no.

For whitelist, look at my special interests, hyperfixations and blorbos!!

I tag meats, but i sometimes don’t know there’s pork in a dish im reblogging so message me if you need a post to be tagged as pork.

[lizziehatters-teacards]

Introduction

Hello!! Welcome to my blog (⁠ ⁠╹⁠▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠)

You can call me Lizziehatter or just Lizzie for short :)

Pronouns : She/they

Also I'm aroace (grey aro + ace)

Age: minor (15-17)

I am too demotivate to do anything

My English don't English, cuz I hate English

ADDED ART TAG

Art request are always on

Wilbur soot situation? I would like to remain neutral. (Wilbur leaning)(Don't like? Block me)

[Don't talk to me I am very mean]

I like to spend a lot of time in my mutuals asks (love yall /p)

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Nothing much to see here, I'm just enjoying life

I post about art, and songs I like, and anything that's fun to yapp about.

Mandela bur(s) series : @the-catalogue-burs777

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Who can interact with my blog:

anybody, just be nice

Who can't interact with my blog:

The general DNI list

Dream supporters and shubble supporters and Melanie Martinez supporters

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STUFF IM INTO:

My little pony (g4)/ attack on Titan/ The Owl house/ Amphibia/ DreamSmp/ Chain Saw Man/ Ever After High/ Demon Slayer/ chain saw man/ MITSKI/ tally hall/ Lovejoy/ Lemon demon/ Cavetown/ the Heathers/ gravity falls/ Fnaf/ Gorilaz/ ATARASHII GAKKO!!/ Creepypasta/ the Mandela catalogue/ Fiona and cake/ Adventure time/ mouthwashing/ little nightmares (1+2)/ HH + HB CRITICAL/ dandadan/ Dragon Ball (Z+GT)/ (I'll add more later)

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[gardeningloverfamily]

Husband and Wife Lifetime Gardening Partner T-Shirt

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[blackboxfaxes]

Pilot Profiles

>Blackjack Heather Anderson-Ishikawa. A young, spirited, but sensitive warrior, Heather's career became notable when she ordered the squad of battle armor attached to her Blackjack-Omni to disembark and engage a Steiner mech, only to watch an artillery shell strike and annihilate the squad. Being responsible for four senseless deaths nearly pushed her to the point of committing seppuku, but she has come around and is becoming a competent leader in her own right.

>Black Knight Casey Uzuka. A mechwarrior of long service who never had the political pull to advance in rank, Casey is most notable for the betrayal of a friend of hers, who defected to House Steiner in a stolen No-Dachi. The two have developed a fierce rivalry, with Casey vowing to bring her friend back in chains or in a coffin. A skilled pilot, Casey's Black Knight was modified with MASC and a Sword specifically to help her hunt the No-Dachi.

>Marauder Chu-i Raine Selene. Raine is the commander of Kote Lance, a veteran of Operation Bulldog, and a steady, calm commander who prefers to provide supporting fire while coordinating her lance. Ambitious, Raine is training Heather to be her successor as commander of Kote Lance once a vacancy for a Company commander opens up.

>Sentinel, being proxied as a Blitzkrieg Kimiko Small. Originally a Jenner pilot, when her lance captured a Blitzkrieg from the Lyrans, Kimiko fell in love with the machine on sight, and has learned to pilot it with deadly grace. Outside of the cockpit, she's an aspiring poet and lover of art who desperately tried to expose her lancemates to any culture at all. She usually fails.

[flowersandbirdsflyingfree]

Uh. I've never done something like this before, but I love this concept, and my POSTAL obsession is hitting my hard, so.

Can I please get a POSTAL matchup? 🥺

I'm a cis guy with currently dyed hair that's faded, and I look like a natural redhead. I'm kind of skinny and have been called a "twink" before because of it, if that helps describe, lol. I love violent single player video games, but also adore anything of the horror genre, and will often be watching a horror movie (I have several on DVD: My Bloody Valentine, Halloween, Terminator, etc). I also love classic films and am a movie nerd. I love classic rock bands like AC/DC, Styx, Kansas, you name it. I like to draw, animate, make student films, write novels, and do stop-motion. I also like to speed run pretty much any task I give myself (usually finishing a sketch within twenty minutes or less). My humor is so bad and tends to be on the really dark or really sexual side, which is funny considering I'm on the aroace spectrum, lol. I dress very extra, often wearing at least two necklaces, earrings, one ring, a watch, usuall a button-up or coat, worn jeans, and work boots. Think a mix of JD from heathers and Dean Winchester from Supernatural, but a lot more graphic T-shirts. I actually have an outfit in my wardrobe that's very similar to P2 Dude, lmao. Aside from that, mental illness wise, I have autism, dyslexia, anxiety, and I'm kind of guessing I have depression, but who doesn't these days?

I hope that's enough info, and I'm sorry if some of this is just me rambling, ehe. Again, I've never done this before, so I hope that's alright. <:]

Thank you so much. :]

No problem! After all, I too am enslaved to the Postal obsession myself.

I match you with:

Postal 2 Dude

Ok so I admit I almost did Postal 3 Dude from your from your appearance alone so I could call your ship name “Paradise Lost”. But then I realized there is no other Dude more perfect for you than the classic himself. Also, based on your personalities, I think you’d want to fucking deck the 3rd Dude after 5 minutes.

Double twink duo. He’s a bit bonier with his hair a little scruffy. Has a little pudge of tummy due to alcohol consumption and a few scars on his chest.

You don’t have to worry about being aroace. The Bitch was right about Dude being bad in bed for the fact that: 1. He has erectile dysfunction 2. Can’t perform shit because he lasts 3 mins tops and most importantly 3. He has little drive anyways. He can shut up his hormones alone when he has to. Nevertheless, he too loves dirty jokes just for fun.

Dark humor is his forte. He pushes the boundaries often. He prefers making fun of the occurrences of ignoramuses around him. And of course, anything about that good ol’ fashioned ultra-violence! If it ever sounds too offensive, it’s never out of genuine bigotry. It’s only because he loves fucking with people to get a reaction. He hates everyone equally. Except you, pumpkin😘

The Dude and you both endure the turmoil of mental illness hand in hand. His own issues are schizophrenia, neurological brain trauma (the suicide attempt was not the first head-wound he got), ASPD and possibly Asperger’s.

His take on it all is to ride it out and conquer it when it happens. He will be very supportive when the going gets tough for you. If he trusts you, then you’re in it for the long haul together. “Hey. I get it. It really sucks. But I promise I’m not going anywhere without you. You make life worth it.”

He doesn’t play video games. He will likely make fun of you for playing them… and then ever so slowly start denying that he was on your computer enjoying the game he watched you play. “What the- No! I’m not a fucking nerd.” Yes, Dude. Yes you are. Just like the rest of us. Don’t

He will likely buy you cool necklaces, chains and pins for you to wear. Also, he is a simple man in terms of attempting romance. He will surprise you coming home with a gorgeous flower bouquet.

Fuck yeah! Another fan of horror! He’s tough enough to handle it. Dude usually likes psychological thrillers, abstract arthouse horror, and cheesy dark comedies the most. Not a fan of horror games. It’s really funny to see him clearly a bit stirred up from them. He tries too hard to brush it off like it doesn’t bother him. Be a dear and try to soothe his nerves. Maybe curl up next to him watching a classic film of your choice.

I think he would love your artworks. Between stop-motion, writing and visual art, you sound like an incredible visionary! Dude is always asking what you’re working on and wants to support you. (Writer’s Note: I adore stop-motion and salute you!! It’s so underrated as an art form)

He likes nu-metal, grunge and classic rock. Sometimes, he just listens to random muzak since it has a semi-calming effect on him. He’d love to put on something like The Doors or Cars while spending time with you. Talk about being his soulmate

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

"I wish I was that rose..."

Eyyy 👀 More stories! With Farmer Myra (@seharuuchan) and Hestia (@g0atmama). Isaac here too! This was dedicated to the old Vine. Hehe...

The Stardew Valley Floral exhibitionl was perhaps one of Lewis's best ideas for the new holiday, as not only local farmers, but all Valley residents who know how to care for flowers and plants can show off the fruits of their labors in floristry. Not to mention the large flow of tourists, which will definitely raise the image of Pelican Town and the major itself in the eyes of the whole Republic. So the idea appealed to everyone without exception (even Sam, with his allergy to pollen).

The time for the event was chosen immediately - early autumn days, when the flowers of the cold season were just beginning to bloom, but everything was still decorated with summer colors.

And so - the day came. People from big cities and distant lands hurried to get off the bus to be the first to see the exhibition stands, the sweetest aromas of exotic plants (and delicious food, special thanks to Gus) wafted in the air, and the variety and splendor of flowers in pots and vases amazed even the most experienced florists. The valley was rich in the gifts of nature, and many would not miss the opportunity to see it all.

Even though for Isaac attending the flower festival was something akin to a vacation or a day off, the adventurer still couldn't understand why Camilla had sent him here as support and a gesture of goodwill from the Castle Village. He could understand the meaning of his presence at Spirit's Eve, after all Isaac was one of the main monster catchers for the event, but why flowers?

Alas, the thoughts of one of the most talented witches in the entire republic were unfathomable to anyone, so Isaac had no choice but to accept his fate and think about what he might do at the festival today. Not that he didn't like the flowers, but the crowd, the incessant noise, and the intoxicating scent of pollen were weighing heavily on his mind. So Isaac thought of nothing better than to walk slowly toward the smoke from the grills where Gus was preparing his famous barbecue, eager to savor the local roast meats and ales.

There were a lot of stands with floral displays and other various goods for sale, each of the exhibitors had done their best, but the most beautiful and unusual, in Isaac's opinion, were the three stands lined up in a row, with three of the most famous and chaotic farmers in Stardew Valley behind them. Farmers who were also his colleagues in his work as an adventurer, two of whom he was more or less on friendly terms with, but the third farmer.... It was a little more complicated than that.

Julian, if the scarred adventurer's memory served him correctly, was more interested in mountain flowers, so it was not surprising that his booth was overflowing with various displays of lavender, chamomile, heather, geraniums, and others flowers. There were also many vials of essential oils and handmade soaps, which the young man with heterochromia made himself. Isaac remembered this at least because he had delivered those same oils to their local healer in Castle Village when Julian had generously given oils to them out of the goodness of his heart.

Hestia's exhibition stand was probably the most unusual among the others. Her whole exposition could be described in one word - lilacs. Many, many lilacs. There were branches of this fragrant plant sticking out almost everywhere. But all over the violet-haired girl's table were small crystals of various shapes and cuts, and inside them were elegant little flowers of the same lilacs. There were also crystals with camellia, forget-me-nots, violets and gypsophila. Near the stand - a real full house: children are tugging at the sleeve of their parents, asking to buy them beautiful crystal key chains with flowers, and young couples choose a romantic gift for each other, with a rather tender and a little clichéd phrase: "my love for you will end only when this flower fades". Hestia was just glad that with her crystal magic she was able to make a lot of people happy while earning herself money to buy expensive seeds.

Some might call Myra's stand old-fashioned, but the classic floral displays that the girl had created with love and care would make even the most picky person gasp with delight. After all, it was a flower festival, and she had plenty of flowers. As if taken directly from a Renaissance painting, beautiful bouquets of chrysanthemums and gladiolus adorned glass vases, and potted orchids stood nearby. But Myra's favorite was the rose, the queen of all flowers. The girl herself was almost invisible behind the huge bouquets and pots, which contained many kinds of roses, shades of soft pink, yellow, scarlet to burgundy, purple....

Isaac himself didn't notice as he slowed his step as he passed Myra's booth. The girl had her back turned to the man, completely engrossed in picking another bouquet of ruby-red roses. A second - and the adventurer's footsteps stopped altogether...

"Didn't think I'd see you here," Julian's welcoming voice brought Isaac back from his reverie to reality, and made Myra and Hestia turn their attention away from their business and toward their guest. "How are you?"

In his usual fashion, Isaac only snorted quietly and bowed his head slightly in greeting. Julian nodded to the taciturn adventurer in return.

"Hey, Isaac," Hestia finally finished with the last buyer of her crystals and waved a hand to Isaac.

Myra, noticing the familiar adventurer, smiled widely, causing the cloaked man to look away slightly. The long-haired girl stepped out of her booth as lush bouquets of roses blocked her view.

"We're glad you were able to come to our festival. Everyone did such a great job with the floral arrangements," still holding the bouquet of red roses, Myra couldn't help but inhale the fragrant scent of the flowerbud.

"I wish I was that rose..." The realization that Isaac had said those words out loud made him abruptly sober up from all those spicy floral scents and panic beyond belief.

"What?..." Myra asked.

"I said you're all gross!" If there's an 'idiot of the year' nomination in the world, Isaac would definitely be the winner. The astonished looks of three farmers were fixed on Isaac, which made the man blush even more furiously. With a flick of his hand, he pulled the hood of his brown cloak over his head and quickly walked away toward the grill. He didn't care about the meat anymore, Isaac was going to drink ale first, and the stronger the better.

[enbyleighlines]

Radiant Dawn Unused Supports

I thought I would go through the loooong list of unused supports in Radiant Dawn and share a quick thought or two about each one. This list is long, so sorry if this post is super long.

Also, apparently due to the high volume of possible supports, they only planned to write one conversation per pairing, which would be unlocked at A rank. A little disappointing, but I would have preferred that to what we got…

Boyd x Brom: They have a support in PoR, so this makes sense. It would probably just be a continuation of that.

Boyd x Ike: Interesting. Maybe they would have referenced that rivalry between them they established early in PoR and then never mentioned again.

Boyd x Rolf: They’re brothers, it makes sense. It would be cute if it referenced their brotherly spat in the earlier base convo, plus the thing with Rolf’s mom (if the player managed to get that.)

Boyd x Mist: Cute. I wonder if it would have been Mist confessing her feelings to Boyd like it says she does in her paired ending.

Boyd x Oscar: Again, makes sense. They would probably discuss the past, probably? Maybe Boyd would even encourage Oscar to follow his dreams of becoming a knight again, since he and Rolf can take care of themselves now?

Boyd x Titania: I wonder if they would reference the fact that Boyd accidentally calls Titania “mom” in their supports in PoR.

Boyd x Ulki: Didn’t they have a support chain in PoR? It would probably be a continuation of that.

Boyd x Mia: Ahaha, this would have been cute. I can see them being good friends.

Aran x Laura: Makes sense. They think of each as brother and sister, right? It would have probably been cute if a bit generic.

Aran x Makalov: What would these two have to talk about???

Aran x Micaiah: Again, not sure what these two would talk about but at least it makes more sense than the above.

Aran x Mordecai: Oh, I can kinda see this. Maybe they would be good buddies.

Aran x Nealuchi: Hmmm. Not sure what to make of this one. Could be cool, though.

Aran x Nolan: Interesting. I can see Nolan kinda becoming a father figure to Aran.

Aran x Sothe: Again, makes sense, but idk what they would talk about. Maybe they would compare their respective relationships to Laura and Micaiah? You know, the whole “kinda siblings but also kinda not” thing. Except I never got the sense that Aran had romantic feelings for Laura, so idk.

Caineghis x Elincia: Aww I kinda want to see what they intended to do with this. Maybe they would reminisce about Elincia’s father together.

Caineghis x Giffca: Another missed opportunity. I would have liked to learn more about their relationship.

Caineghis x Ike: They probably would have talked about Greil together.

Caineghis x Kyza: I imagine it would be something to do with Kyza’s work ethic?

Caineghis x Ranulf: Same as above, but probably a less boring version.

Caineghis x Renning: Ooooh another opportunity to reminisce about Elincia’s father, or else gushing about how much Elincia has grown.

Caineghis x Lyre: Huh. Not a clue what this conversation would entail.

Caineghis x Mist: Hmmm. It would probably be kinda cute, I suppose.

Caineghis x Mordecai: Another version of his conversation with Kyza probably.

Caineghis x Nailah: Oooh, this one would have been neat to see.

Caineghis x Lethe: Why does Caineghis have so many support convo options?? This is getting kind of ridiculous.

Caineghis x Skrimir: Well this one just makes sense, yeah. It would probably be Caineghis congratulating Skrimir on his growth.

Caineghis x Stefan: Oooooooh. Considering Stefan is probably part Gallian royalty, I would have loved to see this conversation.

Caineghis x Titania: Would they have talked about the good old days together? I would have loved this one also.

Calill x Geoffrey: Geoffrey apparently visits her place a lot, so I guess this one makes sense.

Calill x Heather: Would Heather hit on a married woman? The answer is… yeah, probably.

Calill x Muarim: Oooh, they could talk about being adoptive parents.

Calill x Nephenee: It could be a cute continuation of their support chain in PoR.

Calill x Soren: Um, what? I guess they could talk about magic…? OR WAIT. Soren could recognize what Amy is and they could talk about that, omg. Wait no now I want to see this conversation, dammit!

Calill x Tauroneo: Huh… not sure what they would have to talk about.

Calill x Tormod: Adoptive mother asking Tormod for tips on how to be a better parent, maybe?

Calill x Mia: Hmm. I guess this one could be good. They seem like complete opposites, though.

Calill x Danved: Well, supposedly Danved is a friend of Largo’s, so this makes sense.

Brom x Elincia: Aww, it would probably just be Brom giving Elincia a nice ego boost.

Brom x Heather: Maybe Heather will admit that some men are okay?

Brom x Janaff: I… haven’t a clue what this one would be about.

Brom x Meg: Father and daughter reuniting at long last! Honestly, why don’t they get at least a base convo together when they finally unite???

Brom x Nephenee: They’d probably talk about missing Ohma.

Brom x Zihark: Brom apologizing to Zihark for promising Meg that she could marry him, maybe?

Shinon x Gatrie: Makes sense.

Shinon x Ike: Oooh, this one could have been good, actually.

Shinon x Janaff: A continuation of their supports in PoR, perhaps?

Shinon x Rhys: Weird choice, but okay.

Shinon x Rolf: Just makes sense.

Shinon x Mist: Hmmm. Odd choice, but I respect it.

Shinon x Oscar: I know they must have conversations sometimes, considering they work for the same merc company, but I honestly don’t know what they would talk about.

Shinon x Sigrun: Huh??? Why????

Shinon x Titania: Titania would probably scold Shinon or something.

Edward x Leanne: Odd choice, but okay. I am guessing he would vow to protect her or something.

Edward x Leonardo: Again, makes sense.

Edward x Micaiah: Makes sense, even if it doesn’t interest me personally.

Edward x Nolan: Edward chats with father figure.

Edward x Sanaki: What??

Edward x Stefan: Edward seeks a swordmaster sensei and winds up with a second father figure.

Edward x Sothe: Makes sense. Theoretically they are friends, but idk what their dynamic would actually look like.

Ilyana x Gatrie: Gatrie hits on a pretty girl, gets rejected.

Ilyana x Laura: Okay, wait a second. Actually, these two would be good friends, I think.

Ilyana x Lucia: Lucia saves Ilyana by giving her leftovers, and remains politely confused when she learns how often Ilyana needs to eat in order to survive.

Ilyana x Micaiah: Hmm. I guess this could be cute?

Ilyana x Mordecai: Don’t these two have a support chain in PoR? If so, this would be a continuation of that.

Ilyana x Oscar: Hmm, a food lover and a chef. I wonder what the topic of this conversation would be…

Ilyana x Mia: Again, a continuation of their PoR support chain.

Ilyana x Zihark: Hmm. Do these two have a support chain in PoR? I feel like they do but I can’t imagine what they would have to talk about. Traveling, maybe?

Ena x Gatrie: Would Gatrie hit on a woman still mourning the loss of her fiance? The answer… yeah, probably.

Ena x Gareth: I imagine they have some relationship, but idk what it is.

Ena x Kurthnaga: Reminiscing about Rajaion, most likely.

Ena x Leanne: Hmmm… this could be really good, I think.

Ena x Mist: Huh. A belated apology for asking Nasir to steal her amulet?

Ena x Nasir: Makes sense. Maybe they would discuss Ena’s parents?

Ena x Volug: I am imagining that this whole conversation takes place in the ancient tongue, which would be hilarious.

Ena x Rafiel: Hmm. I suppose this could be good, also.

Elincia x Geoffrey: Maybe they address the rumors the Crimean nobles brought up at the beginning of part 2 of RD?

Elincia x Ike: Best friends discussing life, most likely.

Elincia x Kieran: Kieran being over the top and Elincia indulging him.

Elincia x Ranulf: Huh! I think this would be cute. No clue what it would have been about, but it’s a cute idea!

Elincia x Leanne: Cute! I love their friendship in RD.

Elincia x Renning: Makes sense.

Elincia x Lucia: Of course. Can’t exclude this obvious matchup.

Elincia x Marcia: Awww! I love that they become friends in RD.

Elincia x Mist: Elincia chatting with yet another good friend.

Elincia x Nephenee: Neph awkwardly but fiercely giving Elincia an ego boost.

Elincia x Nailah: Omg, wait, I want this, actually. Two queens, both drastically different. I would have loved to see what they might have spoken about.

Elincia x Pelleas: Oooooh, very interesting. I wonder if the dialogue would change whether or not you viewed this convo before or after Pelleas realizes that he’s not the true Daein heir??

Elincia x Sanaki: Makes sense.

Elincia x Tibarn: They could have that talk Tibarn wanted to have with Elincia and never did.

Elincia x Bastian: Politics, probably.

Fiona x Laura: Hmm. I suppose they would be friends?

Fiona x Leanne: Odd choice, but okay.

Fiona x Leonardo: Again, I am assuming they have talked before, but idk what about.

Fiona x Micaiah: Micaiah would probably want to know more about Fiona’s dad.

Fiona x Pelleas: What would they have to talk about?

Fiona x Tanith: Odd choice, but okay.

Fiona x Tauroneo: Obviously they would discuss Fiona’s father.

Fiona x Danved: Huh… I am confused but also vaguely intrigued.

Gatrie x Marcia: Gatrie tries to hit on a pretty girl and fails.

Gatrie x Mist: This one would have either been super wholesome or oh so creepy.

Gatrie x Muarim: Ummm… what would they talk about, exactly?

Gatrie x Oscar: Makes more sense than the above, but my question still stands.

Gatrie x Rafiel: Please tell me they intended for Gatrie to mistake Rafiel for a girl. That or he wants to know how Rafiel managed to land a woman like Nailah.

Gatrie x Astrid: Gatrie tries to hit on a pretty girl and fails… Though, tbh, Astrid would have been better off with Gatrie.

Geoffrey x Kieran: Bros being bros.

Geoffrey x Kyza: Weird choice, but I kinda dig it.

Geoffrey x Renning: Obviously.

Geoffrey x Lucia: Makes sense, they are siblings.

Geoffrey x Bastian: Makes sense, they are best friends.

Giffca x Gareth: I… have no words. I guess they can bond over being silent protector types?

Giffca x Kyza: Huh. Okay.

Giffca x Ranulf: This one makes sense.

Giffca x Mordecai: I’m surprised they planned so many Giffca conversations. Did they intend on fleshing him out into a full-fledged character?

Giffca x Lethe: Still confused.

Giffca x Skrimir: This one makes sense.

Giffca x Tauroneo: Huh??

Giffca x Janaff: Why does Giffca have so many planned support convos??

Giffca x Bastian: I am assuming this one would be 100% politics.

Gareth x Janaff: Wait they planned for Gareth to have a bunch of support convos too? Did they intend to flesh him out, too?

Gareth x Kurthnaga: This one makes sense.

Gareth x Renning: Okay…

Gareth x Nasir: Makes sense, I suppose. They would probably discuss Dheginsea and it would be very sad.

Gareth x Vika: Wait, why??

Haar x Heather: Ummm, why?

Haar x Jill: Obviously. I don’t care for this pairing, but since they have a paired ending, I am unsurprised that they were intended to have a support convo together.

Haar x Makalov: Two lazy people discuss how much they enjoy being lazy.

Haar x Volug: Why, though?

Haar x Pelleas: I can kinda see this one being funny. If anyone would tell Pelleas to grow a spine, it would probably be Haar.

Haar x Sigrun: Supposedly they know each other, so this makes sense.

Haar x Tauroneo: Hmm. Makes sense, I suppose, but I don’t think I would care to read it.

Heather x Lucia: How would Lucia take to being hit on by a devilishly beautiful female rogue, I wonder?

Heather x Mist: Huh. Maybe they would talk about their moms together?

Heather x Nephenee: Yessss. Though if they had included these conversations and this one didn’t end in lesbian makeouts, I would have been very disappointed.

Heather x Vika: Ooooh. Yeah, Heather would hit on Vika, and I don’t blame her.

Heather x Volke: Hmm. I guess they could discuss being thieves?

Ike x Kurthnaga: It would probably be similar to the base convo they have together, with Ike thanking Kurth for sparing them before.

Ike x Ranulf: It would be super flirty and I would love every second of it.

Ike x Micaiah: Oooh. This could have been really cool to read.

Ike x Mist: Awww. Some sibling bonding.

Ike x Nasir: Makes sense.

Ike x Nailah: Omg, yes. I really want to see what their dynamic would have been like.

Ike x Oscar: Ike and his surrogate big bro having some sibling bonding.

Ike x Lethe: A continuation of their PoR support, perhaps?

Ike x Reyson: Same as the above, most likely.

Ike x Soren: Probably the prelude to the secret cutscene where Ike admits he doesn’t actually remember them meeting as kids, or else Ike teasing Soren about essentially tutoring Skrimir on tactics 101.

Ike x Sothe: Aww, this could have been cute.

Ike x Titania: Ike and surrogate mom have a family bonding moment

Ike x Tibarn: Ike taking advice from Tibarn on how to confess to his gay crush??? Probably not, but I can dream.

Ike x Volke: Strange choice, but okay.

Ike x Mia: Yes!! Their friendship is so cute, I wanna see more.

Ike x Zihark: Would they discuss beorc-laguz relations? Most likely.

Janaff x Lucia: Odd, but okay.

Janaff x Oscar: Hmm. I suppose I can see them getting along?

Janaff x Tibarn: Obviously.

Janaff x Vika: Oooh, Janaff interacting with a crow laguz that isn’t corrupt? This could be interesting, actually.

Janaff x Ulki: Obviously.

Jill x Mist: Obviously. They would probably talk about Jill’s feelings about deserting the Daein army (for the second time).

Jill x Nealuchi: Huh?

Jill x Lethe: A fine choice. It would be interesting to see what they would have to say after the three year gap.

Jill x Sigrun: Huh. I guess Sigrun knew her dad, so there’s a connection there?

Jill x Tauroneo: Hmm. Logistically I can see them having stuff to discuss but idk what it would be.

Jill x Zihark: Similar to the above, but I would be curious to see this one.

Kieran x Rhys: Aww, what if they discuss Rhys’s dreams of becoming a knight??

Kieran x Renning: Hmm, makes sense.

Kieran x Lyre: Huh?? I suppose this could be funny but… huh.

Kieran x Marcia: Sure! I imagine they are friends. And their supports in PoR were pretty funny.

Kieran x Oscar: Well, duh! They are boyfriends lifelong rivals, after all!

Kieran x Reyson: Wait. This could be cute. Kieran inviting Reyson to train with him, since Reyson wants to be stronger.

Rhys x Rolf: Makes sense.

Rhys x Mist: Makes sense.

Rhys x Nailah: Omg, wait. Actually, hold on. I actually am upset we didn’t get this. I actually have a (unfounded) headcanon that Rhys is into women who could snap him in two (aka Titania). So him meeting Nailah would be hilarious, if only because of my own headcanon (completely unfounded, really, it’s based on no canon content whatsoever).

Rhys x Oscar: I bet these two are good friends, so this makes sense.

Rhys x Titania: Ahh, the pairing that I was so devastated didn’t have a paired ending back when I was 15. Seriously, from their very first conversation in PoR I was like “oh these two should date.”

Rhys x Ulki: A continuation of their support convos in PoR, most likely.

Rhys x Mia: Awww! Yeah, we need a continuation of their supports in PoR.

Kyza x Ranulf: Ahaha, yeah. I can only imagine how gay this convo would have been.

Kyza x Lyre: More fighting between love rivals, most likely.

Kyza x Meg: Huh. Okay. Hmm. A weird choice, but I am curious as to what they were intending to do with this.

Kyza x Mordecai: This probably would have been super wholesome, ngl.

Kyza x Muarim: Ooh, interesting!

Kyza x Zihark: Oooooh, okay. I like the sound of this one, too.

Kurthnaga x Micaiah: Okay, sure. I can see the idea behind this.

Kurthnaga x Nasir: Makes sense.

Kurthnaga x Pelleas: Oooh. Again, would the convo change whether it happens before or after Pelleas finds out he’s not the true heir of Daein??

Kurthnaga x Skrimir: Oh, okay. Odd choice, but I think it could be interesting.

Kurthnaga x Sothe: Huh.

Laura x Meg: Aww, sure! I can see them being good friends.

Laura x Micaiah: Sure, why not?

Laura x Nealuchi: Why??

Laura x Nolan: Nolan adopts yet another teenaged orphan.

Laura x Tanith: Oh. Okay. I… cannot see this ending well. I feel like Tanith would hate Laura’s guts.

Ranulf x Lyre: So much simping. And I get it, I do. Ranulf isn’t just a snack, he’s a three course meal. So I really can’t blame Lyre.

Ranulf x Mordecai: Wholesome.

Ranulf x Lethe: Makes sense.

Ranulf x Skrimir: Obviously. I am curious what it would have been about, though.

Ranulf x Tibarn: Oooh, okay. I can dig it.

Ranulf x Zihark: Oooh, yes.

Leanne x Leonardo: Weird.

Leanne x Naesala: Of course! This one would have been so cute, too!!! Ughhh.

Leanne x Nealuchi: Makes sense.

Leanne x Nailah: Oooh, Leanne getting to know her sister-in-law, I can dig it.

Leanne x Oliver: Good god, no. No. Burn it with fire.

Leanne x Sanaki: Aww, this could be cute.

Leanne x Tibarn: Leanne teasing her brother-in-law, yes please!

Renning x Lucia: Makes sense.

Renning x Bastian: Of course.

Renning x Vika: Weird. Why??

Leonardo x Micaiah: Okay, sure.

Leonardo x Nolan: Makes sense.

Leonardo x Pelleas: Hmm. Okay.

Leonardo x Skrimir: What, why??

Leonardo x Sothe: Sure, I guess.

Lyre x Nephenee: What?? Weird, but okay, yeah. I kind of want to see where they were going with this.

Lyre x Pelleas: Huh. Another character who would tell Pelleas to grow a spine. I approve.

Lyre x Lethe: Awww. Sister bonding time

Lyre x Astrid: What? Would Lyre be able to convince Astrid to give up on Makalov? If not, I don’t want to hear it.

Lyre x Titania: What???

Lyre x Zihark: Ohhhh. Ohhhhhhh. Yes, actually. I want to read this one.

Rolf x Marcia: A continuation of their supports in PoR, perhaps.

Rolf x Mist: Best buddies.

Rolf x Oscar: Awww. This one would have been so cute and wholesome, I can feel it.

Rolf x Rafiel: Huh? What would they even talk about??

Rolf x Tauroneo: Don’t they have a support convo in PoR? If so, I suppose this would be a continuation of that.

Lucia x Astrid: Can Lucia convince Astrid to give up on Makalov. Pretty please?

Lucia x Bastian: Yeah, I knew this one be here, but I am still disappointed.

Makalov x Marcia: Yeah, makes sense.

Makalov x Naesala: Weird… but okay. I guess I would be curious to see what they intended to do with this one.

Makalov x Astrid: Okay, yeah, I knew this one was coming.

Makalov x Bastian: Huh.

Makalov x Volke: Omg, what??

Marcia x Sigrun: Awww, I bet this would’ve been cute.

Marcia x Astrid: I approve of them being friends.

Marcia x Tanith: Ahaha, I bet this wouldn’t be hilarious.

Marcia x Ulki: Strange, but okay.

Meg x Micaiah: Cute!

Meg x Nephenee: I imagine they know one another, so this makes sense. Maybe Neph used to babysit Meg?

Meg x Astrid: Okay, I approve.

Meg x Vika: Oooh, okay. Unlikely friends, but I approve.

Meg x Zihark: Would it involve them agreeing to be platonic friends? If so, I approve!

Micaiah x Naesala: Yes, please. Give me those literary parallels.

Micaiah x Nailah: Ahaha, yes.

Micaiah x Nolan: Makes sense.

Micaiah x Volug: Again, makes sense.

Micaiah x Rafiel: Omg, this one would be so sweet, I just know it.

Micaiah x Soren: YOOOOOOOOO. Excuse me??? I was DENIED a support convo between Micaiah and Soren??? Excuse me, Radiant Dawn. This is unforgivable. What the fuck. Why would you do this to me. Or, I guess, why would you not give this to me? I have been ROBBED.

Micaiah x Skrimir: Huh. Odd, but I can dig it.

Micaiah x Stefan: Yessssss, please.

Micaiah x Sothe: Of course.

Micaiah x Tauroneo: It makes sense, but man, I can only imagine how boring this conversation would have been.

Micaiah x Tormod: They would share Sothe stories, for sure.

Mist x Oscar: Awww! Wholesomeness for certain.

Mist x Titania: Yes, please.

Mist x Mia: Awwww!! You’re telling me I missed out on a Mist and Mia friendship??

Mordecai x Oliver: Umm. No, actually. I am glad this one never saw the light of day. Mordecai doesn’t deserve that.

Mordecai x Lethe: Makes sense.

Mordecai x Stefan: Good.

Mordecai x Ulki: Sure, why not?

Mordecai x Danved: Aww, okay, yeah. I can see these two becoming friends.

Mordecai x Zihark: Sure.

Muarim x Lethe: Interesting. This one would probably go into the history of laguz slavery and be very sad, but it would be educational, so…

Muarim x Sothe: Muarim attempts to adopt another teenaged orphan.

Muarim x Titania: Okay. I can see this.

Muarim x Tormod: Obviously.

Muarim x Vika: Sure! I want to know what their dynamic is, actually. How did they meet?

Muarim x Zihark: Okay, sure.

Naesala x Nealuchi: I guarantee that there would be at least one usage of the word “Nestling.”

Naesala x Oliver: Omg, actually?? I think this would be interesting to read

Naesala x Rafiel: Naesala tries to warm up to his future brother-in-law. Though, they probably already know each other, right? Maybe Rafiel was a big brother figure to Naesala back in the day?

Naesala x Reyson: Oooh, interesting. I would like to see them be friends again.

Naesala x Sanaki: Oooooh, yes. Cute.

Naesala x Sothe: Hmm. I suppose…?

Naesala x Tibarn: Ahahahaha. Yeah, idk how this would end with Naesala not torn to shreds. But I would have liked to find out!

Naesala x Vika: Ooooh, okay! This could be interesting.

Nasir x Stefan: Hmm. I guess I can see it?

Nasir x Volke: No, too weird.

Nasir x Ulki: I guess??

Nealuchi x Nolan: Okay, actually, I can see this one.

Nealuchi x Rafiel: Oh, yes! I imagine they knew each other once. I would have liked to see Nealuchi get all nostalgic about Rafiel as a young princeling.

Nealuchi x Reyson: Okay, makes sense.

Nealuchi x Tauroneo: Huh.

Nealuchi x Vika: Ooooh, very interesting.

Nephenee x Pelleas: The world’s most awkward conversation. Seriously, what would they even discuss?

Nephenee x Danved: Okay, I can kinda see it.

Nephenee x Zihark: Huh, okay, sure. Why not?

Nailah x Volug: Makes sense.

Nailah x Rafiel: Yesss. I wanted more of them interacting, so yes.

Nailah x Reyson: Nailah trying to impress her brother-in-law? Or would it be the other way around?

Nailah x Tibarn: It would have way too much sexual tension for two people who are in-laws.

Nolan x Sothe: Okay.

Oliver x Rafiel: Ugh. Yeah, okay, I understand why this was planned, but why?? Why do this to Rafiel??? Hasn’t he suffered enough?!??

Oliver x Reyson: Should have seen this one coming. If it doesn’t involve Reyson breaking his fist on Oliver’s face again, I don’t want to read it.

Oliver x Tanith: Why, though???

Oliver x Tormod: No. Absolutely not. Don’t do this to Tormod.

Oliver x Danved: Huh. Okay. Hear me out. It could be funny, especially if Oliver is like “didn’t I hire you once?” and Danved resolutely denies it.

Volug x Rafiel: Sure! I wouldn’t mind seeing them interact.

Volug x Soren: Ummmmmm, what? Actually, no, why? Why was this a planned thing?? What would they even talk about??? Unless it was about… how the branded are treated in Hatari???? Wait actually that would have been sick as fuck.

Volug x Tormod: Sure, this could have been cute!

Volug x Mia: Omg, wait. Yeah, this would have been adorable.

Oscar x Tanith: A continuation of their convos in PoR, no doubt.

Oscar x Titania: Sure, why not?

Oscar x Mia: Omg, yes. I guess I am just a fan of Mia interacting with people in general.

Pelleas x Tauroneo: Hmm, could be interesting, actually.

Rafiel x Tibarn: Rafiel and Tibarn both trying to impress their brother-in-law and both failing at it.

Lethe x Sanaki: Okay, could be cute.

Lethe x Skrimir: Yes, actually. I want to know what their dynamic was like.

Lethe x Zihark: I feel like Zihark has a planned support convo with every beast laguz. I’m not complaining, I’m just pointing it out. This one makes sense, tho.

Reyson x Tanith: Hmmm.

Reyson x Tibarn: Yes, please. Especially if it has some underlining sexual tension.

Reyson x Tormod: Sure, okay.

Reyson x Ulki: Okay, yeah. This could be interesting.

Sanaki x Sigrun: Sanaki and surrogate mom number 1.

Sanaki x Tanith: Sanaki and surrogate mom number 2.

Soren x Skrimir: Ahahaha, yes. Man, I would have liked to have read this one. Sad it doesn’t exist.

Soren x Stefan: Obviously. Do you think Stefan would have tried to convince Soren to go with him again, or no?

Soren x Titania: Awwww!! Wait, no, I really want to read this one.

Sigrun x Skrimir: Huh. Weird, but okay.

Sigrun x Tanith: Awwwww, yes! Man now I’m really sad we didn’t get this.

Skrimir x Tibarn: Omg. Just imagine.

Skrimir x Mia: Yes!! This would’ve been adorable, I just know it.

Stefan x Vika: Okay, could be cool.

Sothe x Astrid: I think they had a support chain in PoR, so I guess this makes sense?

Sothe x Tormod: Awww, buddies catching up!

Sothe x Volke: Odd choice, but okay.

Tauroneo x Volke: What?

Tauroneo x Zihark: Okay, sure.

Titania x Tibarn: Omg, wait. I like this one a lot, actually?

Tibarn x Ulki: Sure.

Tibarn x Mia: Mia trying to duel the King of the Hawks. RIP Mia, but at least you died doing what you loved.

Tormod x Vika: Yes, please!

Tormod x Danved: Sure, why not?

Bastian x Volke: Okay, yeah, this one works.

We kind of ended on a low note there, but anyway. That’s my thoughts on every single planned support in RD. Sad they didn’t have a Ranulf and Soren support planned. Nor a Pelleas and Soren one. And actually, where is the Pelleas and Micaiah support?? Shouldn’t that one be a given????

But I suppose it doesn’t matter, since they left support convos out of the game entirely. Which I get, that would have been A Lot of writing. Still, it’s a shame. Oh, what we could have had…

Anyway, that’s the end of my super duper long post. Thanks to anyone who read the whole thing!

[chickensoupleg]

Mm. Girls.

--

At first it was just a light curiosity.

Heather had been lounging on the couch and scrolling through channels when Chrissy came home, a bag of yarn in her arms.

“Where’d you get that from?” Heather asked her with an amused smile at Chrissy’s clear excitement. She pressed a kiss to her girlfriend’s cheek as Chrissy flops beside her, barely bouncing the couch.

“I passed by a yard sale and there was this bin full of just- Yarn? And the lady said it used to be her late grandmother’s collection. She passed away, the poor woman, but nobody else in the family really knows how to crochet, which is what this is for,” Chrissy pulls out a maroon pouch, which she unzips to show Heather the neat row of hooks and needles, “And so they were just gonna sell it. And, well, I don’t know either but then I saw they were also selling some hats and scarves and this whole sweater that this grandma had made and then I thought about how cute it would be to make you one-” Chrissy continued to ramble on and on, Heather listening to her with a small smile on her lips. She would support her little craving, and even if Chrissy just couldn’t figure it out, Heather wouldn’t stop her from trying anyways.

Since then, Chrissy had been learning the craft of crochet. She had borrowed a book from the library and spent a good afternoon just learning the absolutely basics such as chaining the yarn and getting a few single crochet stitches into it.

Oh, the absolute light that radiated from her face when she showed Heather that first single strip was enough to melt her heart.

“It’s looking great, firefly.” Heather told her, Chrissy beaming even more and getting back into it.

It didn’t take long before Chrissy pumped out her first project, a simple red scarf. There was nothing particularly special about it, but by the way Chrissy had presented it to her on that October evening it was as if she was gifting Heather her heart.

In a way she was. Heather had accepted it, and refused to take it off the whole day, even though she never actually left the house. She even wore it in the bed, Chrissy cackling like mad when she threw the scarf’s end over her shoulder in bed, smacking her in the face.

It didn’t take long before Chrissy spent all of her free time just creating new items for her and her friends. She made scarves for everyone they knew, and even a few hats. She learnt new stitches, and by the time December hit, everyone had a matching set of hats, scarves, mittens, and even a single wool sweater crop top thing.

Chrissy made that last one as a jest, but Steve seemed fine with having zero stomach protection. Heather thinks he’s weird for that.

Heather was more impressed she managed to figure out how to make a sweater – partway as it was – in such a short amount of time.

“I have all the time in the world to try,” Chrissy told her as she carefully stacked her new supply of yarn in the box that she designated the yarn box. That was another thing with her new hobby, the new skeins of yarn that Chrissy would come home with. Yarn was pretty expensive, and yet Chrissy always managed to find them for much cheaper at thrift shops or yard sales.

Once she even came home with sweaters just to unravel them for their yarn. Heather helped of course, not wanting Chrissy to just be suffering on her own.

Heather did end up with a nice blanket as thanks for helping, so it wasn’t all that bad.

In February, their neighbour Robin had come with an idea for Chrissy. Maybe that was their downfall.

“You’re pretty good at this. Maybe you should start a shop?” She said. They were just hanging out, Robin wearing the neon red bucket hat Chrissy had made for her. The rim of it was decorated with small stars that Robin had clipped on herself, her fingers messing with one of them.

“Oh, but I’m not sure. I mean, there’s so many people who could do it better!”

“So? You’re great too, Cunningham! Besides, it would be nice side income.”

Heather snorted. “What, like what Harrington does?”

“Everyone likes his chocolate.”

“Steve stress bakes, Buckley. You just made him sell his stress for cold hard cash.”

“Hey, not my fault his kids stress him out to the point of chocolate-induced income. Steve’s agreed to it, it’s fine! Otherwise I will get diabetes, Heather. Diabetes! Do you want be to have totally avoidable diabetes?”

Heather snorted again, louder. Robin smacks her in the arm for that, and the only reason she doesn’t smack her back is because Chrissy did it for her.

“Hey, no hitting my girlfriend.”

“Wh- Oh but you can?!”

“Girlfriend protection rights.” Chrissy chirped, chest puffed out.

Heather was a bit proud of her for that one.

Robin rolled her eyes, continuing on. “Well, think about it. I can get you set up. Maybe Steve can sell some next to all his chocolate, as a test run?”

Chrissy had thought about it for a good 24 hours before she relented. She gave Robin a few extra hats she had made purely out of boredom, plus a few kid sized mittens that she churned out. It was just a test run, and if it failed it failed, no harm done.

Except it didn’t.

Robin had come back from the market with a pile of cash, slapping it eagerly in Chrissy’s surprised hand.

“I told you! People totally loved your stuff!” Robin burst out. “Sold every single one of them, so here’s your earnings! Promise, I didn’t try to steal any of it, this is all yours.” She patted Chrissy’s hand a few more times before running off like a headless chicken back to her house.

Heather had congratulated her for it, even though Chrissy was never physically there for the sales.

It still sparked a fire in Chrissy, as the next thing Heather knows, Chrissy is holding a box out full of items and dragging her to Steve’s car to head to the market.

It became a sort of passion project at that point, Chrissy always making whatever she could imagine. Extended past just clothing to household items, and even plushies when Chrissy got her little mitts on a book about crocheting toys.

Oh, the amount of toys Heather had come across in the house when Chrissy found out, it was insane.

Still, Chrissy was happy, and Heather was by her side, rubbing and massaging her hands.

“Oh, you’re an angel, Heather.” Chrissy breathes out a sigh of relief.

“I’m just massaging your hands. You gotta take breaks, you know. Buck won’t mind if you skip a week or two.”

“I know, but it’s just- I love crocheting, making things for people. I feel bad if I have nothing to at least look at.”

“I know, babe. But don’t break your hands doing it.”

“I won’t.”

“You better not, or else I’ll eat them so you can’t use them no more.”

“Noooo…” Chrissy devolves into giggles as Heather kisses her hands with a frantic love.

Chrissy loved her hobby, but she loved her girlfriend more.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Kevin (KAL) Kallaugher

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

June 23, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JUN 24, 2024

On Thursday, Moody’s Analytics, which evaluates risk, performance, and financial modeling, compared the economic promises of President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. Authors Mark Zandi, Brendan LaCerda, and Justin Begley concluded that while a second Biden presidency would see cooling inflation and continued economic growth of 2.1%, a Trump presidency would be an economic disaster.

Trump has promised to slash taxes on the wealthy, increase tariffs across the board, and deport at least 11 million immigrant workers. According to the analysts, these policies would trigger a recession by mid-2025. The economy would slow to an average growth of 1.3%. At the same time, tariffs and fewer immigrant workers would increase the costs of consumer goods. That inflation—reaching 3.6%—would result in 3.2 million fewer jobs and a higher unemployment rate. 

Trump’s proposed tariffs would not fully offset his tax cuts, adding trillions to the national debt. 

Michael Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, said that Trump’s tariff policy “would be bad for workers and bad for consumers.” Chief Economist of Moody’s Analytics Mark Zandi said: “Biden’s policies are better for the economy.”   

In the New York Times today, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, the president of the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute at the Yale School of Management, debunked the notion that corporate leaders support Trump. Sonnenfeld notes that he works with about 1,000 chief executives a year and speaks with business leaders almost every day. Although 60 to 70 percent of them are registered Republicans, he wrote, Trump “continues to suffer from the lowest level of corporate support in the history of the Republican Party.”

Among Fortune 100 chief executives, who lead the top 100 public and private U.S. companies ranked by revenue, Sonnenfeld notes, not one has donated to Trump this year. 

While they might not be enthusiastic Biden supporters, unhappy with his push to enforce antitrust laws and rein in corporate greed, the president has produced results they like: investment in infrastructure, repair of supply chains, investment in domestic manufacturing, achievement of record corporate profits, and transformation of the U.S. into the largest producer of oil and natural gas in the world. 

In contrast, they fear Trump. The populist plans that thrill supporters—like hiking tariffs and taking financial policy away from the independent Federal Reserve Board and putting it in his own hands—are red flags to business leaders. Such positions have more in common with the far left than with traditional Republican economic policies, Sonnenfeld says. Those policies reflect that Trump has surrounded himself with what Sonnenfeld calls “MAGA extremists and junior varsity opportunists,” while the more senior voices of his first term have been sidelined. 

On Saturday, Trump spoke in Philadelphia with a message that The Guardian’s David Smith described as “light on facts, heavy on fear.” He appears to be trying to overwrite his own criminal conviction with the idea that Biden’s immigration policy has brought violent undocumented migrants to the United States, creating a surge of crime. He told rally attendees that murders in their city have reached their highest level in six decades, while in fact, violent crime in the city is the lowest it’s been in a decade. 

In February, Trump pushed Republican lawmakers to reject a strong bipartisan border bill so he could use immigration as his primary issue in the election. That focus on immigration was key to the rise of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán to power, and it is notable that Trump’s picture of the United States echoes the rhetoric of the authoritarians hoping to overturn democracy around the world.  

On Friday, during a podcast hosted by venture capitalists, Trump blamed Biden for starting Russia’s war against Ukraine by calling for Ukraine’s admission to NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization that resists Russian aggression. This statement utterly rewrites the history of Trump’s support for Russia’s annexation of the same Ukrainian regions it has now occupied: as Trump’s campaign manager Paul Manafort testified, the Kremlin helped Trump’s 2016 campaign in exchange for the U.S. permitting Russian incursions there.

More significant in this moment, though, is that Trump, who is running to become the leader of the United States, is siding against the United States and parroting Russian propaganda. Mark Hertling, a retired lieutenant general of the United States Army who served for 37 years and commanded U.S. Army operations in Europe and Africa, wrote: “This statement is—to put it mildly—stunningly misinformed and dangerous.”

Trump told host Sean Spicer that the U.S. is a “failing nation,” claiming that airplane flights are being delayed for four days and people are “pitching tents” because their flight is never going to happen. In reality, as Bill Kristol pointed out, with 16.3 million U.S. flights, 2023 was the busiest year in U.S. history for air travel, and the cancellation rate was below 1.2%. This was the lowest rate in a decade. 

Trump is insisting at his rallies that crime is skyrocketing under Biden. In reality, crime rose rapidly at the end of Trump’s term but is now dropping. From 2022 to 2023, according to the FBI, the only crime that went up was motor vehicle theft. Murders dropped by 13.2%, rape by 12.5%, robbery by 4.7%, burglary by 9.8%. The first quarter of 2024 showed even greater drops. Compared to the same quarter in 2023, violent crime is down 15.2%, murder down 26.4%, rape down 25.7%, robbery down 17.8%, burglary down 16.7%. Even vehicle theft is down 17.3%. 

Trump’s negative picture might play well to his die-hard supporters, but portraying the U.S. as a hellscape has rarely been a recipe for winning a presidential election.

President Biden and Trump are scheduled to debate on Thursday, June 27, and Trump’s team is trying to lower expectations for his performance. He became so incoherent in Philadelphia that the Fox News Channel actually cut away while he was talking. The Biden-Harris team has taken simply to posting Trump’s comments, prompting Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo to note: “It’s pretty bad when one candidates rapid response account just posts the other guys quote verbatim with no explanation at all.”

After months of insisting that Biden is mentally unfit, now Trump and his surrogates are saying Biden will perform well in the debate because he will be on drugs. There is no evidence that Biden has ever used performance-enhancing drugs, but curiously, Trump’s former White House physician Ronny Jackson (whom Trump repeatedly misidentified as Ronny Johnson last week) gave Fox News Channel host Maria Bartiromo a very detailed list of drugs that could sharpen attention and clarity. One of the ones he mentioned, Provigil, was on the list of those widely and improperly distributed by the White House Medical Unit in the Trump White House. 

Jackson said that he was “demanding” that Biden take drug tests before and after the debate. A White House spokesperson responded: “[A]fter losing every public and private negotiation with President Biden—and after seeing him succeed where they failed across the board, ranging from actually rebuilding America’s infrastructure to actually reducing violent crime to actually outcompeting China—it tracks that those same Republican officials mistake confidence for a drug.”

With the evaluation that Biden is better for the economy and Trump’s apocalyptic vision of the U.S. is not based in reality, it jumps out that on Thursday, a filing with the Federal Election Commission showed that the day after a jury convicted former president Donald Trump on 34 criminal counts, billionaire Tim Mellon made a $50 million donation to one of Trump’s superpacs. Since 2018, Mellon has contributed more than $200 million to Republicans, giving $110 million to Republican candidates and funding committees in the 2024 election alone. He has also given $25 million to independent candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. 

In a 2015 autobiography, Mellon embraced the old trope that “Black Studies, Women’s Studies, LGBT Studies, they have all cluttered Higher Education with a mishmash of meaningless tripe designed to brainwash gullible young adults into going along with the Dependency Syndrome,” saying that food assistance, affordable health care “and on, and on, and on” had made Americans on government assistance “slaves of a new Master, Uncle Sam.” “The largess is funded by the hardworking folks, fewer and fewer in number, who are too honest or too proud to allow themselves to sink into this morass,” he wrote. 

It is this trope that the Biden administration has smashed, returning to the idea that the government should answer to the needs of all its people. The last three years have proved the superiority of this vision by creating a roaring economy; rebuilding the country’s infrastructure, supply chains, and manufacturing; cutting crime rates, and reinforcing international alliances. 

As Dan Eberhart, a Republican donor and chief executive officer of the energy company Canary, told Wall Street Journal reporter Tarini Parti about Mellon: “He’s clearly terrified of Biden remaining the president.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[endlessbittersweetdreams]

"Broken & Beautiful" Chapter 32

TRIGGER WARNING: Read with caution! This chapter focuses on the fallout of Lilah’s unwanted discovery at the end of chapter 31, and her suspicions about the exact nature of Jake’s relationship with Simone. More specifically, how young he was when it began. I intend to treat this with the utmost sensitivity.

     A week goes by, and there has been no further fallout from what I’ve deemed the “Cody incident.” In fact, for all intents and purposes, it seems that he’s disappeared. As far as I know, going by the lack of police involvement, he isn’t going to press charges against Jake. At Home Bar, the night after the incident took place, Will asked me about pressing charges against Cody. I just shook my head, telling him the same thing I told Heather: I just want to move on. Not only that, but I don’t want to kick up a hornets’ nest. Just as long as Cody leaves us alone, I’m fine with letting things go.

     Besides, I have something else to worry about. Ever since Tess told me about Simone’s short stories, questions have swirled around in my mind. How much of Simone’s fictional world is based on fact? Exactly when did Jake’s relationship with Simone take on a sexual nature? Just how young was he? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to work up the nerve to ask Jake these questions, only to chicken out at the last minute. This is a delicate issue, and I have no idea how to bring up the subject ... or if I should. Thankfully, my bi-weekly appointment with Dr. Wright is coming up. I’m in need of some advice, and she’s the only one I can turn to. For now, I’m going to treat my suspicions as just that: suspicions. Not facts.

     Jake and I are lying in his bed, the comforter covering us for the most part. I’m stretched out at an angle, my head resting on his chest. He lightly strokes my face, and I begin to kiss his palm before moving on to his thumb and fingers. Moving carefully so I don’t end up falling off of the bed, I turn onto my side and cuddle up to him. I catch sight of the mermaid tattoo on his right arm and turn my gaze away from it, those questions starting to swirl around again. Needing to distract myself, I kiss his collarbone a few times and then fidget with the chain around his neck.

     “Something on your mind?” he asks.

     “Just thinking about Thursday,” I answer. “I have my appointment with my therapist.”

     “Are you going to tell her about what happened with the asshole?” That’s what Jake calls Cody now. The term fits. Doesn’t it?

     I nod. “Yeah. Probably. I mean, it’s not like it’s still bothering me. But she always asks for updates. Might as well tell her about what happened.”

     “Do you ever talk to her about me?” His tone isn’t accusatory. Just curious.

     “Sometimes.”

     “And?”

     “And ...” I move so that I’m on top of him, straddling his waist. I lean forward so we’re face-to-face, our hands clasped together. “... I do nothing but sing your praises,” I finish.

     “Really?”

     “Mm-hmm. I’ve told her about how supportive and amazing you are. I mentioned how you helped me through my little ... crisis last year. She’s convinced that you’re a saint.”

     He laughs a bit. “I don’t think saints do what I just did with you a few minutes ago,” he comments, holding me secure as he guides me onto my back. He settles down next to me, his head resting on the pillow.

     I turn to face him, making myself comfortable. “Well, she doesn’t know about that part,” I tease. We fall silent for a moment as I study his face. “Hey. How are you feeling?”

     “Me?” he asks with a smile. “I’m great. I’m in bed with you. Can’t complain.”

     “Thank you. But how are you feeling ...” I gently tap my finger against his forehead, the way he sometimes does with me. “... in here? You know, given what’s happened at the restaurant.”

     “You mean, since Simone quit?”

     I nod. I’m thrilled about Simone’s decision to remain in France with Etienne. Especially if it means that the distance will reduce her chances of influencing Jake. Not to mention that if my suspicions are correct, it’s best that I don’t have direct access to Simone. I don’t know what I would do to her.

     Jake lets out a sigh. “I can’t say I’m happy about it. It’s going to be weird, not working with her. But I guess she has her life to live, and I have mine.”

     I feel encouraged. Maybe without Simone hovering over him, Jake can finally break free of her grasp. Perhaps now, he can pursue his own interests without constantly having to check in with her and seek her approval.

     “So you’re ... okay, then?”

     “Yeah. It helps that I have you.” I smile at him, taking in the look of contentment that passes over his features. “You ... I don’t know. You keep me grounded. When I’m with you, my life doesn’t feel so chaotic. I’m at peace with you.”

     It’s not often when he talks to me like this. But when he does, he manages to render me speechless. This moment is no exception. So instead of saying something profound, I settle for drawing him in for a kiss that’s brief but sweet. We break apart, and he rolls onto his back and reaches over to turn off the reading lamp. Once I’m settled down next to him, my head on his shoulder, we both drift off to what will hopefully be a peaceful slumber.

     During Family Dinner, Jake and I sit together at a table separate from the group. A newspaper is spread out before us, opened to the apartment listings. Last night, during our cab ride to Jake’s apartment, we decided that we would finally start searching for an apartment that’s suitable for the both of us. So far, we have three apartments that we’re interested in.

     “What about this one in Williamsburg?” Jake asks, tapping his thumb on the ad in question.

     I read the listing, swallowing my bite of pasta before I answer. “Yeah. With our incomes, we can probably swing it. We may have to eat more home-cooked meals, though.”

     “Glad you’re a good cook,” he comments, grinning at me.

     “Hey! You need to learn how to cook, too, mister,” I respond. “I am not going to spend every night slaving over a hot stove.”

     “But you look sexy in an apron,” he remarks, bouncing his eyebrows up and down for emphasis.

     I roll my eyes at him. “Yeah. Well, you’re still going to learn how to cook.” I circle the apartment listing with my pen, startling when the newspaper is suddenly snatched off of the table. “Hey! Sasha! Give that back!” I demand, reaching for it.

     He ignores me, his eyes scanning the page. He indicates one of the listings and shakes his head. “I have seen this one. It is all wrong for you. It is a sty.”

     “Compared to where you live?” Jake retorts.

     “My home is fine, Baby Jakey. You just don’t appreciate my style. Give me that pen, Angel. Clearly, you need my help.”

     “I think we know what we’re doing, Sasha,” I argue, keeping the pen out of his reach.

     “We? Who is this ‘we’ you’re talking about?” Jake and I share a look. “Don’t tell me you two are going to shack up.”

     “If by ‘shack up’, you mean ‘live together’, then ... yes,” I confirm. I snatch the paper back from him. “Is there a reason why you’re pestering us, Sasha?”

     Sasha takes my teasing in stride. “Yes. I merely wanted to tell you my good news.” There’s a dramatic pause as Jake and I stare at our friend in expectation. With a wide smile and dramatic flair, he announces “You are looking at 22 West’s newest server.”

     I let out a happy squeal and throw my arms around Sasha’s neck, nearly knocking the chair over in my enthusiasm. “Sasha! I’m so happy for you! You’ve wanted this for so long!” I pull away from him and sit down again, beaming at him. Then I watch with concern as Jake walks away from the table with his plate of half-eaten food, patting Sasha on the shoulder as he moves past him.

     “Congrats, Sasha. That’s great,” he says, his tone neutral. He deposits his plate in the bus tub and exits the room, and Sasha frowns in confusion.

     “Something I said?”

     “He’ll be fine, Sasha,” I assure him. “So, how’d it happen? Tell me everything.”

     Sasha proceeds to tell me that if his citizenship issues can be ironed out, the server position is definitely his. He says that Howard informed him that if a person is in danger of persecution when they return to their home country, the United States will sometimes grant withholding of removal. Due to the banning of Moscow’s first gay pride festival, as well as a rash of hate crimes committed all over the city, it is felt that it wouldn’t be safe for Sasha to return to Russia. Howard has even put Sasha in touch with a legal team who will do everything in their power to ensure that my friend will not be deported.

     I look at the clock and see that it’s time to get to work. I pause on my way to the bus table, leaning down to plant a kiss on top of Sasha’s head. “I’m proud of you, Sasha. Congrats.”

     I meet up with Jake behind the bar, tying my apron around my waist. As I tuck a bar mop in-between my waist and the hem of my apron, I approach him. He’s busy wiping down the bar top, his expression neutral. “Great news about Sasha. Huh?”

     “Yeah. He’s been waiting for it for a long time,” he answers.

     “Going by what Heather told me, there may be another slot open for a server.” Jake looks at me, seeming lost, and I explain. “She’s been talking about going back to law school. She doesn’t want to work here the rest of her life. My guess is: Tess will probably try for the position. Ari seems to be content where she is, and it’s not like she needs the money.”

     “A lot of changes here.”

     I look around, making sure no one can see us, and kiss the back of his shoulder through his shirt. “I know change isn’t easy for you, Jake. But sometimes, it can be a good thing. Just have to take it as it comes.”

     Thursday morning has arrived, and I’m on my way to my therapy appointment. During the ride in the cab, I try to work out what I’m going to discuss with Dr. Wright. More specifically, whether or not I’m going to mention my suspicions regarding Jake’s former relationship with Simone. If I do bring it up, I know I’ll have to be very careful about how I word things. I couldn’t care less about Simone, but Jake’s trust means everything to me. I feel horrible even thinking about discussing it with Dr. Wright, like I’m betraying Jake. But if my suspicions are correct, I need to know how I can help him ... if he can be helped.

     I arrive in time to check in for my appointment, and I’m ushered into my therapist’s office. We sit down in our usual seats, and we dive right into discussing what’s happened since we last met. First, we discuss the “Cody incident.” She, like Jake and my friends, assures me that I’m not at fault for what happened. I’ve already accepted that, and I let her know that I intend to focus on moving on. Besides, I’m fine. What he did is wrong, but it could have been a lot worse. I refuse to give him power by dwelling on what happened or by focusing on my anger.

     After we discuss the changes that are taking place at the restaurant, Dr. Wright looks at the clock. “We have a few more minutes. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?”

     It’s three days after my therapy session, and I’m still thinking over what Dr. Wright and I discussed. I followed through with my decision to seek her advice, keeping the identity of the two people in question a secret.

     First, she told me that she couldn’t tell me what to do. In other words, it’s up to me to decide what I’ll do with the information I’ve been presented with. If I decide to talk to him about this, my method of approach will be key. I must be compassionate, reassuring and non-judgmental.

     Then she advised me to be prepared for his reaction. He may respond with anger, hostility and denial ... or he may not. Every person, she told me, responds differently. If he responds by lashing out at me, which is a very real possibility, I need to refrain from arguing with him. If he tells me he needs space, I need to give it to him. I admit that this last scenario is the truly scary one because Jake may very well retreat into his shell and stay there.

     I’ve weighed my options carefully, trying to examine things from every angle. It’s what I always do whenever I’m faced with any life-altering decision, as it helps put things into perspective. I’ve come to the conclusion that, as much as it pains me to do it, I need to talk to Jake about this. Not to satisfy childish curiosity. I’m not Tess! But if I’m right, Jake will need all the help and support he can get.

     I’ve chosen this morning to talk to him. He doesn’t work Sundays, which means that he won’t have to face going to work right after our conversation. This also means that if he needs some space, he’ll have at least one day to step away from me before we work together again.

     I’m sitting at my kitchen table, staring down at a mug of coffee that is no longer steaming. We’ve already eaten breakfast, and I admit that mine isn’t settling so well in my stomach. I look up when I hear the bathroom door open, watching as Jake steps into view. Freshly showered and dressed in a tshirt and jeans, he greets me with a peck on the lips.

     “Thanks for letting me shower first, babe.”

     “You’re welcome.”

     Jake crosses over to the counter, pouring some coffee into the mug I’ve set out for him. He sits down at the table across from me, talking about his plans for the day. I remain quiet, clutching my mug of cooled down coffee, nodding along and commenting when appropriate. Finally, before I lose my nerve, I blurt out “Jake, we need to talk.”

     He tilts his head to the side and grins at me, his attitude jovial. “Uh-oh. ‘We need to talk’. That’s never good. Don’t tell me. You’re leaving me for someone else.” I look up at him, not smiling, and his expression falls. “That was just a joke. I’m sorry. You’re right. It wasn’t funny. I ... Lilah, what is it?”

     I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly, steadying my nerves. Here goes everything. “Jake, Tess told me about Simone’s short stories.”

     He furrows his brows in confusion. “What stories?”

     “The ones about the boy and the mermaid.” I watch him carefully, but he’s hard to read this time. “Do you know about them?”

     “I don’t remember. She wrote a lot of stories.”

     “Well, like I said ... these are about a boy and a mermaid. The little boy loses his mother, and the mermaid raises him. And given what I know about you and Simone, I --”

     “It’s just a story.”

     “Yeah. But I can’t help but wonder how much of it is based on real life.”

     “My mom died. Simone raised me. You know all of that.”

     I keep my tone calm. “Jake, the thing is ... the mermaid does more than raise the young boy. She ... she falls in love with him.” He blinks at me. “Not only that, but they ...”

     “They what?”

     My heart is pounding in my chest. It‘s now or never. There‘s no turning back now. No matter how much I‘m tempted to say ”Never mind. It‘s nothing. Forget it,” I know Jake won‘t let it go. And so, as gently as possible, I ask “Jake, how old were you when you and Simone first ...” I trail off, unable to finish my sentence.

     His body tenses, his expression becoming dark. He’s on the defense now, and I try to remain steady and calm. “What are you getting at?”

     My voice begins to waver, and I swallow the lump that’s forming in my throat. “Jake ... how young were you?”

     His jaw clenches and his eyes narrow, and I brace myself for the outburst of anger that I’m sure is coming. Instead, he remains eerily calm. “I have to go.” He pushes his chair back, leaving his coffee untouched, and rushes over to the door.

     I get up and take a few steps toward him, stopping when he gives me a look that tells me to stay away. “Jake, wait! I’m sorry. I just ... If I’m wrong, I'm sorry.”

     He slips into his hoodie and opens the door, announcing that he’ll see me tomorrow before he slips out. The door slams shut and I stand still for a few moments, my mind racing. When it all hits me, I cross over to my kitchen table and sit down. I rest my elbows on the table and fold my hands together, resting my chin and lips against them. As I focus on keeping my breathing steady, only one question swirls around my mind this time.

     What have I done?

NOTES: While it isn’t 100% confirmed in the series, it is definitely strongly implied that Simone’s behavior with Jake was inappropriate during the time she spent raising him. This chapter was written with that in mind, and it definitely wasn't an easy chapter to write or post.

@anastacia-lynn

@mypsychoticlove

[yourreddancer]

Heather Cox Richardson 12.13.24

Ten days ago, on December 2, President Joe Biden arrived in Angola, the first U.S. president to visit central Africa since President Barack Obama traveled there in 2015. In the United States, the story got lost under the president’s pardon of his son Hunter Biden, but it is the far more important one, since events in the 54 countries on the continent of Africa are key to the global future.

The Biden administration has made it a point to strengthen relations between the U.S. and Africa. It recognizes the importance of a continent whose 1.5 billion people are expected to climb to 2.5 billion in the next 25 years, as Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post pointed out last Thursday. The median age of Africa’s inhabitants is 19, and by 2050 it is expected that one out of every four humans on Earth will be African.

(NOTE:  GIVE THOSE PEOPLE FREE BIRTH CONTROL!   NOW!!!!!)

The administration has worked to ease African distrust of the U.S. stemming from its history of enslavement, its tendency to back right-wing forces during the post–World War II and Cold War period when African nations threw off colonial rule, and the disdain with which Trump treated African countries during his administration.

The Biden administration hosted the U.S.-Africa leaders' summit in December 2022, backed the admission of the African Union to the Group of 20, and pledged more than $6.5 billion to the continent to aid security, support democratic institutions, and advance civil rights and the rule of law.

During Biden’s term, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, First Lady Jill Biden, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have all visited the continent. In March 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris visited Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia.

In Angola last week, Biden said that the U.S. is “all-in on Africa.”

He was in Angola to highlight the Lobito Corridor, a development project centered around a rail line linking the port of Lobito, Angola, on Africa’s Atlantic coast, with the city of Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in Africa’s interior mining region. Biden traveled to Angola for a summit on the Lobito project as well as other infrastructure investment in the region, joining leaders from Angola, DRC, Tanzania, and Zambia on their own continent to demonstrate his conviction that the African people themselves must determine their own future.

The White House, other democratic countries, regional development banks, and international investors have put more than $6 billion behind the Lobito Corridor. They are hoping to ease the transport of critical minerals from interior countries like Zambia and DRC to Lobito. It currently takes a truck about 45 days to make the journey from the interior to Durban, South Africa; the railway would cut the trip out of the interior to about 45 hours.

The railway will strengthen global supply chains for those minerals while also benefiting local people, local governments, and the local region in Angola, Zambia, and DRC. The project includes investments in clean energy, agriculture, trade between countries, and clearing the mines from Angola’s decades-long civil war along the route, all of which will create good jobs for local workers.

“It’s a game-changer. Imagine how transformative this will be for technology, clean energy, for farming, for food security as a whole. It’s faster, it’s cleaner, it’s cheaper and most importantly, I think, it’s just plain common sense,” Biden said at the summit.

The Lobito Corridor is the flagship project of a new investment program from the Group of Seven (G7) called the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII). The G7 is a forum of advanced economies that share values of liberal democracy, and the PGII is the answer to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which has invested billions in infrastructure in developing African countries but brings with it the risk of debt traps for the governments that borrow from it. PGII is designed to connect democratic countries, the private sector, and development banks to create “sustainable and transparent investment in quality infrastructure.”

On December 5, Eugene Robinson noted in the Washington Post that Republicans are blasting Biden’s announcement last Tuesday of $1 billion in additional humanitarian aid to 31 African countries to address famine and displacement. Biden said that this help was “the right thing for the wealthiest nation in the world to do,” and Robinson noted that it is also smart. “Ultimately, it will be Nigerians, South Africans, Ethiopians, Angolans and the people of other African nations who decide the continent’s future,” he wrote. “They will remember who was there beside them all along. And who was not.”

Russia has also been working to gain influence in Africa with an eye to extracting the continent's valuable minerals. It turned to the continent after Putin’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine began to isolate Russia from other nations and their resources. The Russian Wagner Group of mercenary fighters has been a key player in Africa since then, often called in by authoritarian leaders to suppress political opposition in exchange for access to mines or other valuable resources. Russia has become the biggest supplier of arms to the continent.

The fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad threatens Russia’s ability to continue to operate in Africa. As Mike Eckel of Radio Free Europe explained on Monday, Russia launches most of its African operations from the Hmeimim air base and the Tartus naval base on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. Their loss would hamstring those operations. Russian officials are trying to negotiate with the insurgents who overturned Assad’s regime in order to secure those bases as well as Russia’s other footholds in the country. They have gone from calling the insurgents “terrorists” to referring to them as “armed opposition,” and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin has no plans for a public meeting with Assad.

The Syrian ambassador in Moscow told Russian media: “The escape of the head of this system in such a miserable and humiliating manner…confirms the correctness of change and brings hope for a new dawn.” Former Russian and Soviet diplomat Nikolai Sokov told Pjotr Sauer of The Guardian: “Moscow prefers to deal with those who have power and control, [and] discards those who lose them.” But, as the Institute for the Study of War noted, Russia’s inability to preserve Assad’s regime will make the African autocrats see it as an unreliable partner, an impression the Kremlin’s rapid about-face will do little to relieve.

On Monday, a senior administration official emphasized the same idea of self-determination that Biden’s administration applied to development in African countries. He told reporters that Assad’s collapse “is a day for Syrians, about Syrians. It’s not about the United States or anyone else. It’s about the people of Syria who now have a chance to build a new country, free of the oppression and corruption of the Assad family and decades of misrule. We owe them support as they do so, and we are prepared to provide it. But the future of Syria, like the fall of Assad today, will be written by Syrians for Syrians.”

That system, the official suggested, caused Assad’s fall. “[I]t is impossible not to place this week’s events in the context of the decisions the President has made to fully back Israel against Iran and its proxy terrorist groups, including Hezbollah, and Ukraine against Russia,” the official said. After bipartisan support for that position, the official added, “Hamas is on its back; its leaders are dead. Iran is on its back. Hezbollah is on its back. Russia is on its back. It’s just abandoned its only ally in the Middle East. Now, the Assad regime, Russia and Iran’s main ally in the Middle East, has just collapsed. None of this would have been possible absent the direct support for Ukraine and [Israel] in their own defense provided by the United States of America.”

The official recounted the importance of sanctions against the Assad regime and noted that the U.S. has maintained a military presence in Syria to counter the Islamic extremists of ISIS, targeting 75 ISIS targets immediately after Assad’s fall to ensure that ISIS does not regroup in the chaos of the moment.

The official noted that the administration still believes there is a path to a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza, especially in the wake of Assad’s fall and the “dramatically changed balance of power in the region”—“a path…to a Middle East that is far more stable, far more aligned with our interests, and far more aligned with the interests of the people of the Middle East who want to live in peace, without wars, and in prosperity in a region that is more integrated and prosperous and peaceful.”

Today, Secretary of State Blinken traveled to Jordan and Türkiye, where he met with King Abdullah II and President Recep Tayyip Erodğan to promote an “inclusive, Syrian-led” government transition in Syria.

Journalist Mike Eckel noted that “[t]he fall of the Assad regime this past weekend was a tectonic event, reverberating across the entire Middle East and further.” Considering the ties of Russia to Syria, and the role Syrian bases have played in Russian influence in Africa, those reverberations will, in some form, echo across the African continent.