#I was going to skip September but I thought no. I've come this far

[intheconfessiondial]

12 Months of 12 - September

[phillipgraveshusbandfr]

Because I'm getting back into writing, how about I write when Lynx and Graves met and fell in love :3 --------------------------------------- (Lynx POV with notes from Adler as he was the one who picked Lynx up from the airport. Written like a Journal) March 2019 I fucking hate customs. Of course I was pulled aside for being of Russian descent. They questioned me for hours (5 minutes - Adler). They mostly questioned about my prosthetic arm. The drive was long. I'm used to long (European long is like 45+ minutes - Adler) drives, but this was loooong. Who knew that going from New York city to Lancing, Michigan would be 10 FUCKING HORUS!! (Not that bad to be honest - Adler). We stopped a couple times for food and bathroom breaks. Adler had to do most of the talking since I only spoke Russian and broken English (And a couple other languages, Lynx's father taught him well - Adler). It was close to midnight when we finally got to Adler's house. A medium sized house in the suburbs. Close enough to the inner city for it to not be a bad drive and far enough so that the sounds of the city are quieter. He had a couple extra rooms. One for his son who visits occasionally, and a guest room for some of his old friends. I took the guest room with the assumption that his son would visit while I was staying (He did and now their married - Adler). It was nice, once I fully learned English, I started helping out with some chores. I even got to go shopping with Adler. We ran into an entitled bitch who I humbled (He threatened her in Russian. It was fun to watch. - Adler). ---------------------------------------- (still Lynx. It was a time skip. No more notes from Adler) August 2019 Adler has been pacing around for a while. His son is coming to visit and he's nervous because they've been talking to each other about me. Something about Adler being worried that I won't be what his son is looking for. I don't know what he means by that. August 2019 Holy fuck he's adorable. Phillip Graves, that's his name. Adler explained that his ex wife, Phillip's mother, took Phillip in their divorce and changed her last name back to Graves. It's a nice name. Phillip Adler doesn't have the same ring to it. No offence to Adler. Phillip runs a PMC called Shadow Company, says he wants me on the team. Thanks but I don't want to join another military group after what I went through in Konni. September 2019 I caved and joined. Shadow 0-2. That's my callsign. Most of the other Shadows are American. I felt out of place being there. I was put as second in command almost immediately. I don't think anyone liked me. October 2019 I'm having second thoughts about joining. I've tried being kind to the other Shadows. I'm mostly in my office working on paperwork but I also have to run training. They don't fucking listen. Found a raven near the lake behind base. It was hurt and I brought it in. Phillip was nice and helped me get it out of the water. I named him Reaper. November 2019 Had to break up a fight today, that might have gotten the Shadows to respect me. Phillip jokingly (God I hope) said that I looked hot disciplining the Shadows who got into a fight. November 2019 Found a little area where I can catch a break from the Shadows, my office and bedroom aren't safe, Shadows like to pester me while working and Phillip keeps breaking into my room. December 2019 My parents invited me back to Russia for Christmas, I want to go but at the same time, I'm kinda the reason my brother is in the Gulag. I've gotten closer with Phillip so I might spend Christmas with his family. One of the only times that Adler willingly goes to visit his ex wife. We're taking a train down to Mrs. Graves' house. ---------- This has gotten to long for Tumblr to autosave it lmao I will Reblog this with part 2!!

[woozification]

i was tagged by both @jeonwon-wonwoo and @irlvernon, tysm maddie & max!! i was hoping someone would tag me this year, i love looking back on things like this <3

rules: link your favorite and/or most popular post from each month this year (totally fine to skip months) and tag some CCs you love!

JANUARY

most popular: lee jihoon, world's cutest loser (2.2k notes) - i loove compilation sets, and this one was so hilarious and fun to make favorites: bss just do it & woozi's habit - i love the colors of my bss set! & i hadn't done much with fun text before, so i enjoyed picking out the font lol. - as for woozi's thumb-biting habit...once i noticed it, i started looking for it everywhere

FEBRUARY

most popular: mafia mingyu (700 notes) - i giffed so much of its2, and cute mafia loser mingyu was impossible to resist favorites: attacca era & post-show arts and crafts - i had a brief affair with attacca as my favorite era...it is impeccable, after all <3 - i noticed woozi making a little fan in the background of an after-show video and thought it was cute

MARCH

most popular: hao & vernon "get your hand off of me" (800 notes) - these two were just too funny dsjfnlsfhj, i had to immortalize them somehow favorite: dk & woozi at caratland 2023 - sweet sweet boys whom i adore with my whole heart...

APRIL

most popular: woozi for rmtcrw (500 notes) - as the caption says, rmtcrw woozi was an absolute gift favorite: super mv outfit details - my dirty little secret is that i didn't care much for super when it first came out, but watching the mv while making this set made me come around

MAY

most popular: woozi wants to be reincarnated as a cat (2.7k) - we stan one (1) catboy in this house. he's so correct actually. favorites: svt's 8th anniversary & woozi fml video behind - i was camping during the 8th anniversary and i literally drove 40 minutes back to my house to post this set...i couldn't let it go to waste. - behind the scenes woozi is so goofy silly, i love his awkward little hiccuppy laugh

JUNE

most popular: jeonghan "what would you do if i became a cockroach?" (1.2k notes) - classic jeonghan behavior necessitating a set... favorite: an ode album covers - my first foray into anything graphics-adjacent! it came out exactly how i planned, and it's my favorite thing i've created thus far

JULY

most popular: snoozi (5.2k notes) - my most popular set of the year! i love how many people enjoyed the pun, and i looooved compiling all the sleepy woozis favorite: it's definitely snoozi, but honorable mentions include strawboory & svt + tv tropes - strawberry boo was already too cute not to gif, and as soon as i had the pun in mind, nothing could've stopped me from using it - svt + tv tropes was so fun! i actually have a few ideas for a part 2, but not enough for a whole set yet.

AUGUST

most popular: "in the market" song (700 notes) - i was flabbergasted by this, woozi's memory terrifies me. instant gifset. favorite: a rainbow of wz hair colors - i loved coloring this set, for obvious reasons. vibrant gifs my beloved.

SEPTEMBER

most popular: follow tour vcr (500 notes) - the moment i saw this, i loved it. i'm not exactly sure what the plot was, so i had my own interpretation ofc. favorite: svt mvs + pink & blue - i was on a mission for rq&s, but i ended up going a little broader instead. i had fun making the templates!

OCTOBER

most popular: pd woo (700 notes) - it's just a single large gif, but man is it a cute face. the 700 notes are me reblogging it 700 times in another life. favorite: first love & letter album covers - wahhh these were so fun to make! the "love" one is my favorite, they're such good boys honestly.

NOVEMBER

most popular: woozi's birthday (400 notes) - i really enjoyed creating the layout for this and adding all the cute bits and pieces. it's one of my favorites from this year :) favorite: it's definitely the birthday set, but honorable mention for the birthday box photoshoot - pink sweater...

DECEMBER

most popular/favorite: 2024 sg spot (180 notes) - life got difficult in december, so this is my only set. behold!

this was fun! here's to more giffable content in 2024! ^^

a lot of my favs have already been tagged so apologies for any double tags, but (if you're so inclined) i'll tag @jeongtokkie @sevencoloredstar @woozis @goblinvern @wnjunhui @junranghae @dinoboos @junmail @hoshingi and @kiimtaehyung <3

[despair-to-future-arcs]

Biju has a point!

He might have but he doesn't need to say it, Mr. Hakoda - I understand your wary but the Ultimate Imposter isn't an Ultimate Despair anymore and will be working towards hope.

And? Unless I do see that change for myself I can't trust him.

Kyoko... I think it's fine, he has his reasons to not trust me and I've accepted that; after all, we committed all these crimes so it makes sense to suspect me...

...If you say so.

Huh... seems you don't deny it but if you mind me asking - why did you and your class even side with Junko Enoshima? What did you gain from it?

Well for me, I mostly enroll to gain an identity of my own, to live a normal life and form an identity...

However, thanks to my teacher - I was never allow that at all; in fact I had to pretend to be her to 'work on my talent' it frustrated me and I couldn't do anything...

That school... whenever I had hope, it got taken away from me... I really wanted to drop out but due to the parade and then the death of Yukio Miyahira - our classmate, was what made me side with her...

So you can see why I join Junko Enoshima, that school had given up on our class and taken hope from us far too many times... so while you may not think highly of us but I hope you understand where we are coming from.

I see... so your teacher never help you at all,...? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprise given how staff was towards most students...

My teacher didn't really care what we did and the headmaster allow me to leave class as much as I want due to my talent so I can see why you feel that way.

Oh right... I remember reading that all Future Foundation Heads are former Hope's Peak Academy Students, so what was your talent?

Ah well, you be surprise but I was the Ultimate Hiker from Class 49 back then, often times I left class to go on trips.

A Hiker... but you work in the 15th Division which is commented to the economy, right?

Sorry but I should explain a bit; honestly I mostly do hiking as a hobby more then business unless I want to make a business out of it, in fact I remember a former classmate of mine getting on my case about skipping class way too often for her liking...

...

...

...

Date: September 12th, 1982

*A younger Biju walks back with his backpack*

Well well, seems your back Biju - I really question why you keep going on these trips.

BIJU: Oh... hello, Emina - your as crabby as ever, huh?

I'll ignore your snide comment, anyway go attend Class because you skipping would be concerning for any normal school.

BIJU: But I was given permission and why does it matter to you?

Well some of us want to study in class so maybe take your studying seriously.

Honestly, I really question if you are even deserving of being called an ultimate if you're always skipping class? If you aren't going to attend class then maybe it's better you drop out because honestly you don't deserve to be here!

BIJU: Well I have my reasons that I don't feel a need to tell you; I just figure I get a bit of a head start plus maybe I just want to avoid certain annoying classmates that won't shut up about being married into some art family or whatever, after all - at least I don't need to constantly bring that up all the time, right Emina?

...

BIJU: Anywaaaay, going back to bed and heading back for Palau, see you never Mrs Emina Nijiue.

*Walks away*

Hmph, will see about that - I bet you'll be some homeless man with no future at all!

...

...

...

She thought I was skipping class and just going on hikes but in reality, I was setting up businesses around the world and even created a whole hotel chain - honestly I had a lot of fun traveling around the world and exploring the sights and cultures, honestly not to brag but I do have a tiny bit more wealth then her family.

So if I'm understanding right, your an entrepreneur?

Yeah - I am, I wasn't married and never had kids either but I was mostly focusing on my business.

I should bring up that while Japan had suffer from the lost decade, India saw a period of economic reform and liberalization and was the world's third largest economy before the tragedy so probably unlike my other classmates - I was way more prepared then the others as the seeds were there during the 80's.

I did hear about that, India was one of the countries that had a better chance in the 90's...

I have to say, you surely did think far ahead of your goals - I'm quite envious of you.

Thanks, happy to hear that... even if it's from an Ultimate Despair and seeing what India was like during the 80's; I think I had my reasons...

[saturneruled]

#file_01: wanderlog record zero

When it comes to traveling or going on a journey, Gabriel got tons of stories he could tell. From when he first stepped into Japan and his visit to the breathtaking view of Kyoto, or the time he flew to Paris for a festival. He'll never get tired to recite those when he's asked to tell about one.

But the same way like everyone got a story they don't tell most people, the saturn-ruled man got his own as well. Today for some reason, he feels like writing it down. He found himself looking back at the past a lot these days, so he decided to write about it on his blog.

God knows if he'll ever publish it for everyone to read—or treat it like a little diary of his. But the story goes like this.

“Hey, what if we flee from this class?”

It was the end of September, second year of high school. The summer haze had slowly faded whilst the air has gotten slightly more cold.

The invitation earlier came from the boy sitting behind him, Azriel is the name. The two came across each other after attending the same club during their first year, and got close after doing some projects together. On top of that, they were lucky enough to end up in the same class in the following year. That's roughly how they became friends.

Gabriel contemplated, the offer does sounds appealing. “I mean sure if you're not concerned about your report”

Or he's just down bad. Why would he throw away the no-leave marks he'd been keeping for one year and a half just to steal a little more time with nust a friend?

But hey, they weren't on that terms back then. Gabriel was too much a coward to consider those possibilities, and Azriel is just as dense, so let's not dig deeper into that. Gabriel is embarrassed and is blocking any incoming attempt to access to his thoughts from fourth wall!

“Oh, come on! Missing a class or two won't hold you back from graduating.” Azriel added, trying to persuade the younger. Little did he knew Gabriel got his answer prepared already.

“Not even if it means skipping this dreadful chemistry class?”

“That's exactly why we need to run away.”

“With the risk of me failing next week's exam, you better take me somewhere worth the trouble, Zil.”

“You can count on me.”

─────────────

Of course Gabriel was joking about how Azriel should drag him into certain places, he'll be happy even if they only went to an arcade or a park nearby. Knowing him, it won't be a surprise if he agreed on hanging out by the side of the street doing nothing but watching how Azriel's eyes lit up when he talks about his favourite movie, and oh the way the corner of his lips curved into a smile—okay, offside. But the main point is Gabriel actually didn't care much of where they're going.

They eventually fled before the lunch break ends, sneaking through the back gate and got into the nearest station to catch the train.

Exceeding his expectations, Azriel took him to the sea. The place, was quite far from where they lived so it took them hours and few more transits to get there. Now Gabriel understood why he wants to leave early. They won't be able to witness the sunset if they waited till school's over.

“Oh, it's pretty.” Gabriel said, admiring the captivating view. The reflection of sun slowly sinking on the water—the pastel colored sky with purple and pink hues.

Azriel smiled, “Right? I've always wanted to show you this. I don't know why but they remind me of you. Maybe because it's similar to the sunset you painted for me back then.”

The younger kneeled to reach the water and splashes it to the boy besides him.

“That’s cheesy!” Gabriel giggled and run, while Azriel drops his bag and bolted to catch the little tease. The rest of that eventful evening was filled with laughter and silly banters that brought of them closer than before.

─────────────

“Gabriel” The older called after they got off the train. He blinked few times, looking at Azriel as he is waits for him to continue his sentence.

“You said you'd like to travel the world. When the time comes, can I take you to see more pretty things this world has to offer?”

The question took him by surprise as he was expecting him to come up with a stupid joke. But anyway, Gabriel is happy to know he won't have to see the world alone.

“Of course, you'll pay for the trips, right?”

“Haha, I'm actually asking so I can hop into your luggage.” Azriel answered. Gabriel flicks his forehead in return.

Side by side, the pair walks home with heart full of warmth and contentment. Completely ignoring what might await them tomorrow; it is the present that matters the most to them. As if asking the time to froze at that certain moment.

It might seem like nothing compared to other journey Gabriel had in the following years. But that one particular short trip was life changing for him—and he hold it close to his heart. Through that too, he learned that he can wander anywhere and feel a great enjoyment even though it's only a place within close distance. Maybe that depends on who you're going with.

And years after, Azriel really took Gabriel to travel the world. With both of them, now hand in hand.

[sinonlesbiantruther]

I just started my second playthrough of Please Be Happy, decided to take the long way round rather than loading a save or skipping through I love this story that much. (spoilers below)

To be honest, I was unsure about if I'd do a second playthrough. The comfy Aspen ending made me feel so good I didn't want to "undo" that to see the rest of the story. But then... I had a terrible thought. You see, I have a fear, an existential one of being "forgotten". It certainly made it easy to put myself in Miho's shoes during some sequences. But it also made some things feel truly heavy. Given the context of the events surrounding the route choice. I had a, for me, terrible realisation about what could happen when starting the Juliet route. I truly love Aspen so much that, when I first saw her on this second playthrough I had to stop for a bit because I burst into tears just thinking of what I was planning to do. As a fun aside, I'm fairly sure I've had a noticeable impact on the Spotify play count for the soundtrack, due to listening to Aspen's theme... a lot. The first is the 3rd of September. The second is today. (the 5th of September)

Before starting this second playthrough, I caught myself lost in thought. Worried, I suppose, about what might come to be in that route I haven't seen. It was at that point I unknowingly followed the example of the smartest fox I know, in the words of Miho: "This worry, these questions, would follow me wherever I go. No matter how far, and no matter how long." "So then, what do I do?" "The only answer I can think of is the scariest one." Reading that line again, in a new light, really did strike me. In a small way, it felt like it was there, specifically for people like me, struggling with the idea of seeing the other route.

And then.

When this line played it all slid into place for me. The depth of kindness Miho gets from all the characters in this game is truly heart-warming. During the start of this playthrough I was in a discord call with my Girlfriend, when I reached that line, that reassurance, that affirmation that it would be okay. I literally dropped everything else, after a moment she asked if I was okay. I was crying, for the second time. In chapter one. I can't say the road ahead will be easy. I'm sure I'll struggle more with my fear of the very real risk in this story that poof it'll all be gone. But I suppose that's what makes life in general so beautiful. It's there until it isn't. And I've still got another Aspen playthrough to go if it really is too much. But, I can rest easy, in the knowledge that: "If it ever becomes too much, I can simply stop reading, or do something else." I truly want to thank the team at Studio Élan for this wonderful story that I've yet to see all of, I'm sure it's one I'll revisit as an old friend, someday.

[chrospw-doodles]

When the Ink doesn’t flow

So... for starters this is a rant I wrote somewhere between september and november of 2020, it was intended to be posted in my main blog @chrispriceway back then, but I decided to put this here to avoid being too too personal there, I mean it is supposed to be a happy place to goof around and show you cool stuff, that’s why I made this side blog, to be more personal and less awkard so, yeh.

Chris-Jan.2021

What's up everybody, I know I haven't posted anything in a while and I wanted to adress my abcense and some other stuff that I wanted to talk about but never knew how to bring it up.

So, to those who follow me and dont really know who am I as a content creator:

hi, the name is Christian, you can call me Chris, I'm somewhat of an artist and like to post my stuff here.

Now, even if you have been following me for a while you may have noticed that I really don't post very often and that I haven't been around for a while even if I claim that I'm trying to be more active, well I think it's about time to talk about the issue and make some big changes around here.

But first of all, why does it even matter?

Well, to be honest the past three to four years I haven't really seen my online connection as serious business since I am primarly a student, and school does suck all of my time, the problem with that is that I really feel like I havent been respectful to you, the audience, not that I owe you anything but since I am now trying to make a living from my art, it is necessary to take this connection between the audience seriously and with a bit more respect.

In those three years all I've ever did was too much talk and too little deliver, so I apologize to those people who were really invested into the stuff I do, I really appreciate you guys.

So with that aside...

I wanted to talk about mental health.

well MY mental health

I know what you may be thinking, "what the heck Chris? What does this have to do with you being a lazy ass biss?"

Well, it's kinda simple as it is complicated so I will be putting here some bullets to make it easier to you to navigate through and to let you know how long it is going to be to those who really really just want to skip this post already

Introduction

Danplan Drama

College is a biss

When job becomes priority over school

How did all of this affect my mental state

And how I feel about it

Final thoughts

I'm not okay

Well, was, not anymore (mostly), or at least not as serious as I was some monts ago. Listen, shit went down, it's 2020 and that was inevitable, but I really want to go trough some points to give you context.

This year has been specially rough to me because of some circumstances that a few may know, but for context I'll be telling you about it.

The danplan shit did a lotta damage my bros

Ah, yes, long story short, I was an animator in that channel before the figgin drama

But it wasnt really that bad, you see, I really think that it was inevitable that it was going to end like that because of how are those two, but at the time I had to shut a lot of stuff because I didn't wanted to make it worse as the other animators did... but in retrospective, If we had talked about how we felt about the issue in that moment maybe it could have been better, or maybe not, I don't know and maybe I'll post a rant about it some other time (or maybe I wont), the point. is.

It was emotionally taxing, and to be honest it screwed me very bad. You see, I know I am not that good of an artist in comparisson to the others, nor have the best management of my social media, or another project to keep me on the public eye for a while, and since I went back to school I couldnt possible be hired by another channel because of my lack of time; so loosing my job at danplan was a HUGE deal to me because I knew that none of the jobs available in my country could pay off as good nor be as flexible as being an animator was, so that whole ordeal was really, really frustrating.

Then school became a living hell

Since I escentially lost that job I did try desperately to find anything as good to fill the void (it sounds dramatic but believe me, it felt really bad fam.) So the opportunity presented itself and I took a bone in stephen's channel.

In all honesty it was a good job and it was quite fun, but I didn't really stayed as a full time animator, I believe it was due lack of time or maybe my style wasn't really what they were going for, and tbh fair game... but it was still bad news for me because I was that desperate to find a new job, and I was so inmersed on doing that so I wasn't taking good care of my grades.

So now I had two problems, no job, and I was doing terrible on school because of my obsession with the job hunting.

And at the time I was still part of the community...

I was very active in the dp community and in Pau's server, I found great people and did some art because I really felt happy about it...

But honestly, that didn't last long.

School started to be a real problem and I did fail two of my school subjects, at the end of the semester I was burned out, and sleep deprived, so there was that.

One of my finals was a video talking about the drama and stuff and I've never finished it because I ran out of time and eventually I didn't felt it right abaut it, because it was like opening a grave again, like it was something too disrespectful even if it was originally intended for the sake of the animators, to give them, us, some justice at the end of the day... but I couldn't do it. It wasn't fair to everyone else because they moved on.

And that was the beginning of this crappy thing I've been carrying around.

I just. Can't. Finish. Anything.

I just overthink everything and fail before I begin any of the pieces, or Im about to finish but change my mind because Its. Not. Good. Enough.

I have a TON of pieces that never saw the light of the day BECAUSE I'm not in the right state of mind, and it is painful, because I love doing art as much as I love engaging with you guys, even if you are a few to maybe 10 people, I enjoy it. And It sucks to not be able to do stuff because I feel crappy.

And I know for fact that feeling crappy it's a crappy excuse to not do anything

But I don't mean that to anyone else but myself, because I feel like I could be better and do better, but... it isn't working, the global situation did some damage too, and I've been manageing, still, I haven't been able to finish a lot of stuff and honestly, I just want to come back before I become a ghost account.

So what's up? What's poppin'?

The plan is to try to force myself to finish at least one piece per week to keep this alive until I find the will to work normally again.

Maybe it's not the best solution, but I think this will motivate me a little since I really want to materialize some projects that I have had on the back of my head for a long time now, and I really want to start em' and share it with you along the way... so yeah, that's basically it.

Well, that was a long one, and if you happened read this far, thank you, I really appreciate it.

I hope I will be seeing you soon...

Stay creative, my dudes.

[msbusseyatcvr-blog]

Post #1: Who would I be if I weren't from here?

September 3, 2019

This is a snapshot of where I grew up. The building that you see first is my Elementary school. The building you see last - after the stop sign - is the biggest Sikh temple in Montreal. 

I grew up telling people that I hated where I grew up. "All of the houses look the same," I would say. Or, "there's no culture where I'm from." I would bemoan the outdated strip malls and the bad bars with slot machines. My neighbourhood was an eye-sore and I felt above it. I thought that I should have grown up in a different part of Montreal. NDG, maybe. Or maybe where I live now. I felt like this place had nothing to offer. 

Now, I still often feel this way. I don't generally like returning "home". My mother still lives in the Duplex where we grew up. She still shops at the same grocery store and goes to the same depanneur for milk. I've told my mother lots of times that this part of the city just "isn't for me". I've told her that it's ugly and suburban and boring. I've told her that I'd never move back. 

I've come to realize more recently just how selfish these statements are. My mom grew up in Point Sainte Charles. She lived modestly with her family in a small apartment. Her mother was Scottish and her father was Irish and he came back from the War with lots of issues that were never addressed. She would skip church on Sundays and she'd beat up boys on weekdays. My mom was a badass. She still is in her own little way. I hope your mom is too. 

See, my mom fought and scraped and saved away so that I could grow up in this part of the city. She worked two jobs so that we would never go hungry. We never wanted for anything. Moving to this part of the city was a move up in the world. We lived in a safe neighbourhood. There was - and still is - a nice park down the street from our house. We had schools within walking distance. There was a metro not too far away. My high school - unlike her high school - had grass in its yard. 

And yet, I hated where I was from. It just wasn't good enough. 

It took me years to come to appreciate this part of the city. It took me a long time to see this place for what it is. It took me too long to look beyond my own prejudices to understand that beauty can be commonplace. Novelty and beauty are not mutually exclusive. 

We always take things for granted. We always want what's 'over there' because what's here is so common and known and 'boring'. We never see the beauty in a place that we're confronted with each day. 

I hope you like where you come from. And if you don't, I'd ask you to try and look at things more closely. You can still move away. You can go anywhere you want. But know that where you came from matters. It's part of the puzzle that shapes you, which is a kind of beauty in its own right. 

[euripedeswrotefanfic]

I've Made a Huge Mistake

Hello, peoples! I am brand new here and I'm pretty much here for one thing. I tend to compartmentalize my social media and this is the place I will indulge my relatively new obsession with Supernatural and more specifically “Destiel”. It is a testament to both the show and the fandom that I have come so far down this rabbit hole. I literally have not tread anywhere near fan fiction since 1987, when Sylvester McCoy played the Doctor. The last piece of fan fiction I wrote was that same year. It was called “He's a Time Lord, Charlie Brown” explaining how Snoopy's love of World War One history compelled him to regenerate into a beagle and take his TARDIS/dog house to Earth. (Oh yeah, by the way? I am goofy as hell.) There is literally only one copy of it because I've never even typed it into a computer. It's been a while.

The disdain I had toward fan fiction was deep, mean-spirited, and festered for decades. Just some really bad experiences with some people who wrote it back then. All of that started to collapse, however, when I met the Angel of Thursday last fall. Just a few months before that I was literally gagging over the final season of another show that I have been obsessing over since 2017. I proclaimed to all of my friends that the main plot line of the final story arc sounded like “some serious fan-wank garbage”. I literally told them “The ending was perfect, but it's a shame they had to wade through garbage that sounds like fan fiction to get to it.” and “Time travel and a daughter? What kind of dark end of internet fan fiction site did they dig out THAT kind of shit bag idea?” (OK, so now you know what my other obsession is. The background for my online work meetings is a very familiar wall of scotch.) So yeah, I had a really shitty attitude. And yes, the first time I watched Supernatural was just late last September when a very dear friend from work finally convinced me to watch the show. I finished in 3 months. Granted, I'm an embittered old recluse who drinks too much, knows a ton of weird shit, and is exceptionally anti-social (The friend I mentioned calls me “Bobby” for some odd reason. He's an idjit.). I had an excessive amount of time. Not only did I easily finish 15 seasons in just under 3 months, I've also done a condensed second viewing of it that I call the “Mark and Misha Tour”. If neither Crowley nor Castiel was in an episode (more on my adoration of Mark Sheppard another time) I skipped it. I did make a few exceptions for episodes I thought were hilarious that neither of them were in. Unlike Marie, I LOVE the meta stories. I am a huge sucker for meta humor and wrote papers on it when I was in college. (My paper on Marc Brown's Arthur, both the books and the PBS show, earned me some seriously high praise. His books and the show both used tons of meta humor.) No way was I skipping any of those. Missing my favorite angel or demon was irrelevant. I mean, I've swooned over meta humor since Connie Chung told Murphy Brown that it was beneath a news anchor's dignity to appear on a sit com. As of today, I only have five episodes left and I'm relieved as hell that none of them is in the finale. The awesome thing about the “Mark and Misha Tour” is that I can skip it! HA! The only important line in it is “Well, Cas helped.” anyway. I do think I'm going to watch 19, however, just because I don't recall the details.

In spite of all that and my general disdain for any show like Supernatural that reek of “No one is ever allowed to be happy” themes, I was mesmerized by the characters and even much of the plotting. It was beyond my expectations that Dean and Castiel would compel me to seek out the thing I was viciously slandering just ONE MONTH prior to starting SPN. And DAMN, there is some good shit out there. I humbly retract every disparaging comment I ever made about fan fiction. As Aisha Tyler said while she mocked Jensen Ackles, “Y'all mother-fuckers are talented!” (Oh yeah. I'm definitely obsessed enough to have watched dozens of interviews and con panels on YouTube) So here I am, waiting to get my AO3 account approved. Thank you, Tumblr.

[classykfacesreality-blog]

I've prayed prayers to heaven from my lowest place.

2017 was by far the roughest year of my life. I was drowning in emotions that I never thought I would be able to overcome. I've faced hardships that I've allowed to take over my life. But as I close out the year, I've remembered not to let these things define me. I have remembered that my purpose is to use these trials and tribulations as lessons, and to find the comfort to give to others going through similar situations. I got lost in 2017, but I have found my way back to my purpose. disclaimer: publishing this blog will cause a lot more commotion than I would like, however I vowed to myself that I would never publish anything that wasn't the full story. If I am going to help others, I have to open my heart completely. Shortly after my 17th birthday I told my parents that I was molested when I was younger. Seeing this person all of the time made each day more and more unbearable. My parents felt like they had failed me, like they didn't protect me. They blamed themselves. But how could they have known if I denied it over and over again? When I made the decision to move out of my moms house, my parents asked if anything like that had happened and I told them no. They did their job, it came to question. I made the decision to allow my mother to be happy, she had lost so much already. My mom questioned me for weeks. Was it a dream? Are you sure it was him? Are you positive? He says no. In this situation you can imagine all I wanted was my parents to hold me tight and tell me it was going to be okay, but instead I got questioned over and over again. After weeks of commotion, my mother decided she wasn't ready to give up on her marriage. She is still married to the man who did this to me. At first, I was bitter. Very bitter. I was ready to cut my mom off completely. I ignored her for weeks. I tried to explain to her that the definition of love is sacrifice, and she was sacrificing our relationship to be with him. I went to school everyday crying to my instructor, not understanding why my mom was okay with this. I told her if she wanted to be with him that was fine, but I wasn't going to be around him. Hardly anyone in my family respected my wishes. He was still at family events. He was everywhere she was. My family had the audacity to tell me that I shouldn't seclude myself from everyone, but who would want to be around a man like that? Right? Why couldn't they see it from my side? I was going to church every week. Praying. Crying. Singing. Crying again. Backstory: before I went downstairs to tell my parents, I made my girlfriend promise me she would be there with me through it all. She did not keep her promise. She tried, but it became overwhelming when my mom was calling and texting her when I refused to answer. It became too much when I was crying everywhere we went. I felt so alone. Why did I even tell anyone for my mom to still be with him? For my family to still be ok with having him around? For me to lose my girlfriend? None of it made sense. However, this was only the beginning of a very very long spiral of unfortunate events. A couple of months later, my girlfriend and I had gotten back together. Things were great, or so I thought. She seemed happy but became a little distant. One night, her location was in an unfamiliar place. I found out she had been cheating on me. Again. Except this time, she wasn't just cheating on me. She was raising a child with someone else. I think that's what cut deeper than anything else. The person I wanted to marry, have children with, spend forever with.... was doing those things with someone else. Promising forever with someone else. Giving everything I deserved to someone else. I questioned why not me? I've put up with hell, I've been sticking by your side for years after being treated horribly, how did she just swoop in and take the life that was supposed to be mine? After 3 years of cheating I decided to draw the line at the baby. It was an image I would never be able to get out of my head. MY girl raising someone else's child. I couldn't bear it. It's the greatest pain I had ever felt. Until 2 weeks later. I started school on May 31st. This angel of a person instantly became my best friend. She would come upstairs and talk to me. She had my back when people started to become messy. She listened to all of my family problems, she listened to all of my relationship problems. She let me be sad and angry and hurt and never made me feel bad for it. I felt free when I was with her because she allowed me to feel the emotions I needed to let out, unlike my girlfriend. She hated when I held things in. We grew closer and closer. I began to feel an attraction to her. After I found out what my girlfriend had been up to her and I would text and talk on the phone more frequently. She was the person I called when I first found out what was going on, crying and screaming. I felt her heart breaking for me through the phone. We became a lot closer than I had ever expected. We knew what was going on between us, but I told her I would never let it become too serious because she was just days away from graduating & I knew I wouldn't make the effort to be with her once she left. On September 14th, 2017 she graduated. But we were in an argument. I was mad at her. She left that day with all of her things and I didn't say a word to her. The next day she texted me asking me if I was over it, she called and texted and called and texted all weekend. I continued to ignore it. Sunday she asked if I had gone to church, I still ignored it. She called me Sunday night, declined. Monday morning I woke up to a message from her sister saying that she had died in a car accident Sunday night. I lost it. I never told her how I really felt about her. I never told her how much she meant to me. I was ignoring her and all she wanted was for me to answer. My greatest fear in life has always been losing my significant other. While She wasn't really my significant other, she played the emotional role of one. I was ready to give up on life. Who was I going to call when I needed someone? Who would let me yell and cry and be upset? Everyday I went to school and sat in her chair and cried. I even asked my counselor if I could take a leave of absence. I sat in that office for days and cried. One day in particular, I really lost it. I was at my lowest place. I didn't know what to do. I was ready to give up. I was ready to die. I laid on that classroom floor and cried and screamed for hours and hours and finally, they called my dad to come pick me up. He sent my brother & my nephew. In that moment I felt like I was no longer capable of doing anything. I truly was about to check out of life. I never thought I was going to be able to overcome that feeling. Once we moved schools and I wasn't faced with seeing her station everyday, life became a little easier. I decided I was going to stop crying, and get my shit together. For her. Because that's exactly what she would tell me. She was not one to throw pity parties. Everyday when I finished a balayage, I knew she was proud. I began to live everyday trying to be everything she saw in me from the jump. It amazes me that God put an angel in my life just when I needed it the most, but I still will never understand why he took her right back. But it's not my job to understand it, God works all things for the good. While I still have hard days, I'm a lot stronger than I was that day laying on that classroom floor. Even though I don't understand it, I like to think it all happened so I could tell this story, so I could be there for someone who has faced the same situation. For two weeks after she passed, I dreamed of her. She let me redo the day she graduated because she knew I was struggling with how I said goodbye, or that I didn't. Every night I dreamt of her, it was my chance to redo all of the days I felt I could've done a better job at being there for her like she was for me. She is with me everyday, everywhere I go. If you asked me 365 days ago if I thought I would've faced all of these things in a 3 month span... I would've said no. If you told me I was going to go through these things and come out stronger than ever, I would've laughed. But that's just it, I feel like going through these things made me realize I am far stronger than I ever thought I was. I am not afraid of anything. I live knowing that I am capable of anything. If you asked me that day on the classroom floor if I thought I would even still be alive today, I would've said no. I guess my point is, don't ever get too attached to the idea of anything. God always has better for you. He always has other plans for your life. While losing my best friend was the worst pain I've ever felt, I came out stronger because of it. I know now that any opportunity God sends my way, I'm capable of handling it. I know now not to hold grudges. Answer that call. Answer that text. Tell that person how you feel. Never ever skip an opportunity to tell someone how much they mean to you. I have a new journey on the way for 2018. Something I never thought I would be capable of, but now I know that I am. God has an extraordinary life planned for me. I don't know where it's going to lead me, but I do know that I will have faith. I do know that I will love the people around me harder than I ever imagined. I do know that I will extend God's grace to all who have hurt me. My God is not just a God of the hills, but a God of the valleys. And even though I felt alone, I know I was not. He was working it all for the good. I will never ever lose faith in the God who brought me through my greatest fears.

[tomfooleryprime]

Bonding with mom over Star Trek (assuming she has the stamina)

Mom: [calls me out of the blue] Did you know they’re making a new Star Trek show?

Me: Uh, yeah mom. That's been a thing for a while now.

Mom: Oh.

Me: [I feel bad for shutting her down when she's trying to make conversation] Hey, I know Star Trek was never really your thing, but that’s ok. I'm glad you heard that and thought of me.

Mom: Didn’t you used to watch that with your dad?

Me: [I think, "Only since I was like 5 years old and Next Generation was on the air?"] Yeah, we watched it.

Mom: You and your dad always did so much stuff together, and I always felt like I missed out on a lot of things with you.

Me: [I feel guilty until...]

Mom: So I was thinking we could watch this Star Trek remake together. You know, watch it and call each other and talk about it?

Me: [I'm speechless and nearly dying of happiness and shock] Well, actually, it's not a remake exactly, it's-

Mom: [cuts me off] I still have to finish House of Cards, but once I’m done, I thought I could watch the “old” Star Trek on “The Netflix” just so I can get caught up and have an idea of what’s going on. Why are you laughing?

Me: Mom, do you realize how many episodes of Star Trek there are? And that’s not even including the movies.

Mom: No, how many are there?

Me: I don’t know off the top of my head. [I perform a quick Google search]

Mom: Are you still there?

Me: Yeah, give me just a second. [I do some hasty algebraic artistry, deciding to leave out the reboots because, hey, why confuse her?] My math might be a little off, but today is June 26th and Star Trek: Discovery premieres on September 24th, so I figure if you start tomorrow, you just have to watch 6 hours and 6 minutes of Star Trek every single day to get through the entire canonical fandom before Discovery comes out. It’s gonna take some dedication, but it’s doable. Now, do you want to go in sequential order or- Mom, are you there?

Mom: ...You want me to watch 6 hours of TV a day? And what's this about cannons?

Me: [I think to myself, “Fuck, you just spooked her!”] I tell you what, Discovery is set right before The Original Series, so just start there and see how far you get.

Mom: Is this the one with Spock or Luke Skywalker? Or are they the same thing?

Me: [My mind grinds to a halt and all I can think is, "OMFG she's fucking with me! Please be fucking with me!"] Uh, the one with Spock, mom.

Mom: Ok! Love you, kiddo.

Me: And oh hey, mom?

Mom: Yes?

Me: Just remember it was the 60s, ok? Keep an open mind. And you can skip the episode with the space hippies and the one where they steal Spock's brain.

Mom: Did you just say space hippies?

Me: [I start to think I've spooked her again] Of course not! I was only kidding. Space hippies - how silly would that be? Happy watching!

[meowsaidmayaanime]

Anime I've Dropped

Its just as important to talk about the anime I dropped as it is to talk about the anime I've watched through to the end. I will drop an anime for a variety of reasons, not necessarily because I don't like it. It's also good to have this list so I know what I need to finish watching.

-Nisekoi (November, ep 12)

Its not bad, and if I was younger I would probably watch it in its entirety. I just find myself getting more and more tired of the romance comedy where crazy ridiculous things are thrown in to progress the story and add 'complexity'. It is funny, but I don't like many of the female characters (and its a harem show) and I'm starting to doubt things will ever get resolved and that the main male will never get together with the only sensible real female character that I like. Maybe if I find out more about what direction it goes in I'll continue watching. But as it stands I spent the last 3 episodes skipping scenes to get to the stuff I actually care about. And when that happens on a show the first time yousee it, its a good indicator that you should stop watching.

-ON HOLD Mushishi (October, ep)

I actually really like this anime so far, but because its so intense and dark, its not something that I can binge as easily as the vaste majority of my other anime. You kind of have to be in the mood to watch it? Anyway, I intend to keep watching it but it wil be a few episodes every once in a while. I'll keep you updated on when I'm actually finished

-New Game (September, ep 3)

It's not bad, and in fact it something I normally would watch and enjoy. Right before watching these two episodes I completed Shirobako which is an amazing and realistic 'natural' anime about anime production. However this one so far, rather than being about what its like to work in the game industry, is a very moe anime about the characters alone. I feel as though the characters could be put in any other job, and it would not affect the anime at all. Some words and job titles would be changed, but not the 'meat' of the content. It's still cute, and I plan to pick it up again to see what ends up happening. Just, it wasn't a good one to start with right after watching an anime on the same topic but be so different, haha.

-Ben-To (July, ep 2)

Wow, this sure was... something. The premise was amusing, but through the first episode I kept finding myself asking when it would be over, and when something would actually happen. Immediately I realized this was going to fall into a harem trope, with types of characters I find off-putting. I didn't get far, so I can't say much else about it. I lost interest, real fast.

-Ann-Happy (June, ep 10)

This show is just moe upon moe. Its a slice of life following five incredibly unlucky girls as they attend high school. If fact they are so unlucky that the highschool has a designated "happiness class" for about 30 or so unlucky students, where in addition to taking regular classes, they take special classes in order to make the students less unlucky and be able to find happiness despite their luck. Its very cute, and I watched most of it, however I was mostly watching it with my friend, and since we are so behind on our anime we decided to finish all the spring simulcasts on our own so we can get started with a couple summer ones. It's not a bad anime, just too much moe, and no real plot.

-The Lost Village (June, ep 9)

The lost village starts off following a bus load of people who want to leave their current lives and start anew in a mysterious isolated village where no one from the modern society can find them. It's an interesting anime apart of the horror genre the first episode seemed really good, but it gets tiring quickly. Especially since every single episode after the first seems to end on incredibly enormous cliff hangers. Its hard to pin point why it was disappointing as the episodes went on, perhaps its because so much happens in every episode, or the majority of the characters are not very likable, or the fact that every single character has a hard/traumatizing back story, and there are 37 characters! Not to mention that they tend to gang up on each other, do crazy things and occasionally follow the mob mentality.

In the end I lost interest and stopped watching it, maybe I'll finish the episodes in the future? Probably not though. It just got very tiresome and I'm sick of the forced tension caused by the endless cliffhangers...

-Tonkatsu DJ Agetaro (June, ep 7?)

In reality I was only watching this because one of my friends liked it. I personally am not a friend, so she watched on her own rather than together with our other simulcasts. It's an interesting story, and has its moments. I can see why she likes it, it's pretty well done, just not my thing. I won't finish watching it.

-Joker Game (June, ep 8)

Its a well done series, but because I was watching it as a simulcast and because by episode 8, almost every episode worked as a stand alone. So because of that, I wasn't highly anticipating the next episode at the end of every week. I do intend to continue watching this. especially now that all the spring simulcasts I've been watching are over. Though it may be a while until I continue it again.

-And You Thought There Is Never A Girl Online (June, ep 6 or 7?)

Like Konosuba, this is another boob fest, but with significantly more fan service. I like the Ecchi anime's but not as big of a fan when it comes to fan service. Too many female characters surrounding one singular boy. I don't like the main female character either. So yeah. Not going to continue watching.

-Durarara (June, ep 5) *NO LONGER DROPPED, SEE ADDENDUM*

This show is actually kind of interesting. I do want to watch more of it, especially considering that it's relatively popular. I only dropped it because it wasn't as gripping as some other anime's that I was watching at the same time. So if fell off my radar because of it. It runs at a slower pace, and I wanted to know more about the main male character the anime opens up with. Maybe its also because they introduced too many characters with too little information on who they are that I lost a little interest. Any matter, I want to continue watching it and give it another try. I'm not not sure when... ADDENDUM (August): I came back to Durarara and I love it! I finished the first season and am watching the second season part 3 and oh man so much is going down. I talked about season one HERE.

-Konosuba: Gods Blessing on this wonderful world (May, ep 5)

I enjoyed watching the first few episodes, and I thought it was going to be a fun anime, but instead it turned into a HUGE boob fest. One male character surrounded by questionable female characters. Not to mention two of which were rather annoying. It just felt so tried and stereotypical. It was funny, and the main two characters have a fun dynamic. Honestly if there were more male characters and if the extra added female ones were more likable I would have continued watching it. But sadly, I'd have to say that I'm no longer interested and probably wont continue watching.

-Is the Order a Rabbit (May, ep 3)

It's not a bad anime by any means, Its just too much of a slice of life. There isn't any real plot, even withing the episodes and its slow paced. I tend to like slice of life, for example The Daily Lives of High School Boys is slice of life and has no plot either, but what makes it so enjoyable was that it was more so a comedy than a slice of life. This anime however seems to be only slice of life with no other genre... It's not bad, just not my type of anime. I probably won't be coming back to it.

[everettwilkinson]

What BANNON’S DEPARTURE means for D.C. – BANNON returns to Breitbart: 'I've got my hands back on my weapons' — BOSTON BRACES for protests — B’DAY: BILL CLINTON is 71

BREAKING — PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP and MELANIA TRUMP are skipping the Kennedy Center honors this year. Statement from the White House: “The President and First Lady have decided not to participate in this year’s activities to allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction.” The Kennedy Center honors take place in December.

— THREE OF THE FIVE honorees said they would not attend the White House reception that goes along with the honors. http://wapo.st/2vMreBg

Story Continued Below

TEXT MESSAGE from a House Republican lawmaker Friday night, reacting to Steve Bannon’s departure: “Now the real circus begins. … This is the tea party coming full circle.”

Good Saturday morning. WHAT BANNON’S DEPARTURE MEANS FOR TRUMP AND WASHINGTON …

— HOUSE CONSERVATIVES NEED A NEW WHITE HOUSE ALLY … It was an open secret that Steve Bannon was close with House Freedom Caucus leaders like Jim Jordan of Ohio and Mark Meadows of North Carolina. They shared some of the same off-brand conservative ideals and all saw Trump as a vessel to move those ideals into law. They chatted in the White House, and swapped text messages and phone calls. Part of the Freedom Caucus’s strength in the Trump era was that no matter what happened between Reince Priebus, Donald Trump and Paul Ryan, Meadows always had a sounding board in the White House who could relay a message to the president. That’s gone — for now. They still have Trump’s ear, but no backchannel to get their message into the White House.

— THE WHITE HOUSE NEEDS SOMEONE WHO CAN LIAISE WITH THE RIGHT … The Freedom Caucus has just enough juice to be a pain to Republican leaders and Trump. It was Bannon who could keep them from going too far. There is no other principal in Trump’s administration who speaks their language. Mick Mulvaney and Mike Pence are loyal Trump soldiers who are looking to bend the Hill to Trump’s will, not the other way around. They don’t know John Kelly. So the White House needs to tap someone with power and clout who can deal with conservatives.

— REPUBLICAN LEADERS ARE NOT BREATHING EASIER. The secret about Steve Bannon is he’s actually pretty pleasant in personal interactions. He’s solicitous and gracious in one-on-one interactions. Republican leaders were surprised when they learned that. GOP leaders never had a real blow up with Bannon. In fact, on many occasions, they found themselves talking the same language. The fear that is now rippling through Republican leadership is that Steve Bannon’s departure actually meant very little for Trump’s day-to-day style of governing. He’s still going to be impulsive. He’s still going to want to pick fights. Plus, Bannon’s outside role now means that Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell are squarely in the crosshairs. That means that conservative Republicans in red districts are now incentivized to oppose GOP leadership.

— NEW CONCERNS ABOUT DEBT CEILING, GOVERNMENT FUNDING. The debt ceiling needs to be lifted this fall, and government funding runs dry at the end of September. In his interview with the Weekly Standard, Bannon was more publicly clear-eyed about White House-Capitol Hill dynamics than anyone who works in the Trump administration. He said Trump will “sign a clean debt ceiling” and will do a “very standard Republican version of taxes” — the “standard marginal tax cut.” Bannon is voicing what many Republicans tell us behind the scenes. Needless to say, Bannon thinks this is a cop out. And it seems painfully obvious Breitbart will rally against this, causing serious headaches for Republican leaders with a lot on the line.

**SUBSCRIBE to Playbook: http://politi.co/2lQswbh

JUST TO BE CLEAR … — Breitbart truly is a powerful voice on Capitol Hill. Not because lawmakers pay attention — most say they don’t — but many of their constituents do. We hear it all the time. The primary political hurdle for most Hill Republicans is a primary, and Breitbart drags the conversation and rank-and-file thinking to the right.

— DON’T EXPECT Bannon’s departure to create a radical shift in how the White House operates. The chaos that has enveloped Trump’s administration comes from the top. John Kelly and others are trying to limit that, but unless Trump makes a strategic decision to change his modus operandi, nothing is going to change. Bannon being on the outside could have more influence than ever. We’ve seen Trump time and again react to conservative news coverage, something Bannon will have a lot more direct influence over at Breitbart.

TRUMP ON BANNON: @realDonaldTrump at 7:33 a.m.: “I want to thank Steve Bannon for his service. He came to the campaign during my run against Crooked Hillary Clinton – it was great! Thanks S”.

THE BEST OF BANNON …

THE PIECE EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT — “Bannon: ‘The Trump Presidency That We Fought For, and Won, Is Over,’” by The Weekly Standard’s Peter J. Boyer: “With the departure from the White House of strategist Stephen K. Bannon, who helped shape the so-called nationalist-populist program embraced by Donald Trump in his unlikely path to election, a new phase of the Trump presidency begins. Given Trump’s nature, what comes next will hardly be conventional, but it may well be less willfully disruptive—which, to Bannon, had been the point of winning the White House. ‘The Trump presidency that we fought for, and won, is over,’ Bannon said Friday, shortly after confirming his departure. ‘We still have a huge movement, and we will make something of this Trump presidency. But that presidency is over. It’ll be something else. And there’ll be all kinds of fights, and there’ll be good days and bad days, but that presidency is over.’ …

“‘I feel jacked up,’ he says. ‘Now I’m free. I’ve got my hands back on my weapons. Someone said, ‘it’s Bannon the Barbarian.’ I am definitely going to crush the opposition. There’s no doubt. I built a f***ing machine at Breitbart. And now I’m about to go back, knowing what I know, and we’re about to rev that machine up. And rev it up we will do.’ Bannon tells The Weekly Standard that he can be more effective without the constraints of the White House. ‘I can fight better on the outside. I can’t fight too many Democrats on the inside like I can on the outside.’ And, he says, Trump encouraged him to take on the Republican establishment. ‘I said, “look, I’ll focus on going after the establishment.” He said, “good, I need that.” I said, “look, I’ll always be here covering for you.’” http://tws.io/2vaCmo0 … 22 pix of Bannon’s White House tenure http://politi.co/2wq88Sg

— NYT A1: “Steve Bannon, Back on the Outside, Prepares His Enemies List,” by Jeremy Peters and Mike Grynbaum: “‘In many ways, I think I can be more effective fighting from the outside for the agenda President Trump ran on,’ he said Friday. ‘And anyone who stands in our way, we will go to war with.’ Among those already in Mr. Bannon’s sights: Speaker Paul D. Ryan; Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader; the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law, Jared Kushner; and Gary D. Cohn, the former president of Goldman Sachs who now directs the White House’s National Economic Council. …

“Most immediately, he has told associates that he wants to ensure that any spending resolution approved next month by Congress includes money to begin construction on the wall that Mr. Trump has promised to build on the southern border. If Congress balks, Mr. Bannon has advised the president to issue a veto, which would trigger a government shutdown.” http://nyti.ms/2xdC4OS

— BLOOMBERG: “Bannon Says He’s ‘Going to War for Trump’ After White House Exit,” by Josh Green, Justin Sink, and Margaret Talev: “‘If there’s any confusion out there, let me clear it up: I’m leaving the White House and going to war for Trump against his opponents — on Capitol Hill, in the media, and in corporate America,’ Bannon told Bloomberg News Friday in his first public comments after his departure was announced.” https://bloom.bg/2uRNURR

****** A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs (CAPD): If you know only one fact about rising drug costs, know this one: drug makers set prices for prescription drugs. To help manage nearly double-digit price increases, employers, unions and government programs use PBMs to negotiate lower net prices to help curb costs for employers and patients. Learn more at affordableprescriptiondrugs.org ******

TICK TOCK — “Inside the rise and fall of Steve Bannon: Trump’s chief strategist had become increasingly isolated in the West Wing,” by Josh Dawsey, Annie Karni, and Matt Nussbaum: “Kelly didn’t understand what Bannon did, why he had a PR portfolio, why he seemed to cause so much trouble with colleagues and why he was so widely disliked. He asked many questions about Bannon in his early days at the White House and found widespread disdain. … He has told colleagues he is looking forward to not having to wear a blazer and long pants.” http://politi.co/2vMXtk0

FROM BREITBART — “‘Populist Hero’ Stephen K. Bannon Returns Home to Breitbart”: “Former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon returned as Executive Chairman of Breitbart News Friday afternoon and chaired the company’s evening editorial meeting. … ‘The populist-nationalist movement got a lot stronger today,’ said Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow. ‘Breitbart gained an executive chairman with his finger on the pulse of the Trump agenda.’ Breitbart News CEO and President Larry Solov agreed. ‘Breitbart’s pace of global expansion will only accelerate with Steve back,’ said Solov. ‘The sky’s the limit.’” http://bit.ly/2uQQxn3

— MATTHEW CONTINETTI in the NYT: “Steve Bannon Is Overrated”: “Mr. Bannon is the latest in a long line of political advisers whose reputations are inflated after an election victory. Mr. Bannon may have given much thought to traditionalism and populism, may have publicized its themes as chairman of Breitbart.com, may be able to name drop René Guénon, Julius Evola, Jean Raspail, Neil Howe and William Strauss. But President Trump’s inflammatory response to the clashes and killing last week in Charlottesville, Va., made it clear that it is he, and not Mr. Bannon, who maintains a gut connection with his most die-hard supporters. The most important culture warrior in this administration sits at the Resolute Desk. Mr. Bannon’s reputation is overrated. Yes, he transformed Breitbart from an irreverent blog into the iconoclastic tribune of nation-state populism, the anti-elitist ideology of border walls, travel bans and political incorrectness.” http://nyti.ms/2uRHzpG

JOSH GREEN, who wrote the book on Steve Bannon, emails us: “I thought Bannon might last a little longer because he’s been the rare White House official willing to publicly defend a president engulfed in crisis in the wake of his Charlottesville response (#1 and #3, more than #2). But getting rubbed out suddenly like he did is an occupational hazard for senior Trump advisers: It’s a job with a high mortality rate. Bannon will do the same outside the White House that he was trying to do from the inside, and that’s to lead a nationalist movement.”

MEANWHILE — “Sources: Pence, McMaster team up to push more troops in Afghanistan,” by Nahal Toosi and Eliana Johnson: “Top administration officials in favor of sending more troops to Afghanistan teamed up ahead of a high-level meeting on Friday to persuade President Donald Trump to step up American military involvement in the 16-year-old war, two sources told POLITICO. Vice President Mike Pence and national security adviser H.R. McMaster rehearsed their pitch heading into the Camp David strategy session in an effort to persuade Trump to accept commanders’ proposals to beef up the 8,400 American troops in the country, the sources said.

“But as of Friday evening, the president had not announced a decision on his plans for Afghanistan, where the Taliban have grown in strength and Al Qaeda and the Islamic State terrorist groups have a foothold. And no announcement appeared imminent. The two sources — an administration official and a senior White House aide — also confirmed that Erik Prince, founder of the former Blackwater private security firm, had been scheduled to attend the session but that he was blocked at the last minute. The administration official said McMaster was the one who blocked Prince.” http://politi.co/2wqaVLl

MICHAEL CROWLEY — “Hawks soaring after Bannon’s departure”: http://politi.co/2uRoaVX

CHOOSE YOUR NEWS — @realDonaldTrump at 7:47 a.m.: “Important day spent at Camp David with our very talented Generals and military leaders. Many decisions made, including on Afghanistan.”

–“Trump makes no decision on Afghanistan strategy,” by Reuters’ Steve Holland and Jonathan Landay: http://reut.rs/2igMLh1

THE LATEST IN SPAIN — “Spain, France press manhunt for ringleader in dual attacks,” by AP’s Alex Oller, Joseph Wilson and Lori Hinnant in Barcelona: “Authorities in Spain and France pressed the search Saturday for the supposed ringleader of an Islamic extremist cell that carried out vehicle attacks in Barcelona and a seaside resort, as the investigation focused on links among the Moroccan members and the house where they plotted the carnage. Early Saturday, police searched two buses in northwest Catalonia in the hunt for any remaining members of the cell. Nothing was found in the searches in Girona and Garrigas, police tweeted.

“Across the Pyrenees, French police carried out extra border checks on people coming from Spain — a routine beefing-up of patrols anytime a neighboring country flags a potential risk, a French security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. No arrests were made. Police also announced a series of controlled explosions Saturday in the town of Alcanar, south of Barcelona, where the attacks were planned in a rental house destroyed Wednesday by an apparently accidental blast. Authorities had initially written off the incident as a household gas accident, but took another look on Friday and returned on Saturday.” http://bit.ly/2wqW5UJ

NOT TAKING ANY CHANCES — “After Charlottesville, Boston aims to avert violence at ‘Free Speech’ rally,” by Reuters’ Scott Malone and Nate Raymond: “Hundreds of police officers will hit the streets of Boston on Saturday to deter violence at a ‘Free Speech’ rally with right-wing speakers a week after a woman was killed at a Virginia white-supremacist protest. At least 500 police officers, many on bicycles, aim to keep the expected crowd of a few hundred people at the ‘Free Speech’ rally separate from thousands attending a counter-protest by people who believe the event could become a platform for racist propaganda.

“Authorities will close streets to avert car attacks like the deadly one carried out in Charlottesville, Virginia, by a man said to have neo-Nazi sympathies against counter-protesters and a similar spate of attacks by Islamist extremists in Europe, most recently Barcelona. After Charlottesville’s bloody street battles, Boston outlawed weapons of any kind — including sticks used to hold signs — in the protest area and ordered food vendors out of Boston Common, the nation’s oldest park.” http://reut.rs/2x01aBr

— “Lawmakers urge removal of Robert E. Lee statue at Antietam,” by Austin Wright: “Amid the national firestorm over Civil War monuments, Maryland lawmakers are pressing the National Park Service to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee that some view as an egregious attempt to sanitize Confederate history. And key House Democrats are threatening legislation if the Park Service won’t act on its own to take down the statue at Antietam National Battlefield, site of the bloodiest single-day battle in U.S. history.” http://politi.co/2vaSfe8

MOOCH UPDATE — “Scaramucci hires ‘Fifteen Minutes,’ Hollywood PR firm,” by Isaac Dovere: “Anthony Scaramucci … has signed with Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman … [whose] company is … called Fifteen Minutes. One of his specialties is crisis communications for celebrities. His client list includes Barry Manilow and the JetBlue flight attendant who took two beers and jumped down an exit chute slide. He also handled Monica Lewinsky. Scaramucci … is said to be looking for more media appearances.” http://politi.co/2wpWcjj

PHOTO DU JOUR: President Donald Trump walks across the tarmac before boarding Air Force One at Hagerstown Regional Airport in Maryland on Aug. 18. | Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo

WILLIAM COHAN in Vanity Fair, “Please, God, Save Gary Cohn from Himself”: “He should resign for his own dignity and so that the reputation he worked so hard to build on Wall Street during the last 30 years doesn’t get further destroyed by the monster that is Donald Trump. … I am told Cohn ‘is dying’ inside the Trump lunatic asylum, and that ‘this is a real inflection point for him.’ … The right thing for Cohn to do is resign. He has no business any longer in a Trump administration. By staying, he is allowing Trump ‘to borrow his credibility,’ in the words of Thomas Ricks, the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, and ruin it.

“Can he put aside his personal ambition to be Fed chair in order to save his dignity and do what is clearly the right thing? No doubt this is what Cohn and his family are discussing during his respite in the Hamptons. ‘Do you want to have a boss like Donald Trump?’ [Larry] Summers said on Bloomberg, after being asked whether Cohn should resign. ‘How do you face your children?’ It’s the right question, Gary.” http://bit.ly/2uZZSol

THE ROADSHOW — “Vice President Mike Pence is heading to California to raise money with Kevin McCarthy,” by the L.A. Times’ Seema Mehta: “Pence and McCarthy will headline a reception and dinner in Beverly Hills on Sept. 14. The following day, the pair will raise money at a breakfast in Bakersfield, a luncheon in Newport Beach and a reception and dinner in Sacramento. … The fundraisers benefit California Victory 2018, a joint fundraising committee that benefits Pence’s and McCarthy’s political action committees, the [NRCC] and the congressional campaign accounts of McCarthy, Darrell Issa of Vista, Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa, Mimi Walters of Irvine, Ed Royce of Fullerton, Steve Knight of Palmdale, David Valadao of Hanford, [and] Jeff Denham of Turlock.” http://lat.ms/2xdEPQd

DEEP DIVE — PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE in The New Yorker, “Carl Icahn’s Failed Raid on Washington: Was President Trump’s richest adviser focused on helping the country—or his own bottom line?”: Keefe “profiles the financier Carl Icahn, and investigates his controversial (and potentially illegal) role as special adviser to President Trump—up until Icahn publicly stepped down from his position, on August 18th, as this piece was going to press. Icahn and Trump have known each other for decades. Keefe writes, ‘Among Trump’s panoply of wealthy boosters, Icahn is distinctive, if not unique, because of the President’s willingness to play the beta role and genuflect before him.’ During the 2016 Presidential campaign, Icahn repeatedly raised the issue of renewable-fuel credits, speaking of the ‘insane’ perfidy of the E.P.A., which administers the credits system, and the plight of his refiner, CVR Energy.

“He believed that Trump would slash regulation and would make the change that Icahn wanted on biofuel credits—shifting the so-called ‘point of obligation’ so that other parties would be compelled to purchase the credits, instead of merchant refiners like CVR. Several weeks after Trump’s victory, Icahn tweeted, ‘I’ve agreed to serve as a special advisor to the president on issues relating to regulatory reform.’ Keefe writes, ‘Icahn’s role was novel. He would be an adviser with a formal title, but he would not receive a salary, and he would not be required to divest himself of any of his holdings, or to make any disclosures about potential conflicts of interest.’ In the months after the election, the stock price of CVR, Icahn’s refiner, nearly doubled. The rally meant a personal benefit for Icahn, at least on paper, of half a billion dollars.” http://bit.ly/2wZt6p6

TRUMP INC. — “5 more charities drop Mar-a-Lago fundraisers,” by Cristiano Lima: “Five more charities announced Friday they were dropping plans for fundraising events at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, as the administration continues to feel the backlash from business groups after the president’s handling of the violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, last weekend. Susan G. Komen, a multimillion-dollar nonprofit that raises money for breast cancer research; the International Red Cross; The Salvation Army; the Autism Association of Palm Beach County; and Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee Groves, Florida, all said they were pulling events from Mar-a-Lago’s upcoming winter fundraising schedule, according to local reports.” http://politi.co/2uZUlyk

****** A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs (CAPD): Pharmacy benefit managers negotiate the lowest net price for prescriptions on behalf of employers and other health care purchasers; however, the list price – the important starting point for those negotiations — continues to rise, at a rate of nearly ten percent in 2016 alone. Increased competition, faster reviews of generics and biosimilars and ending anti-competitive practices can also bring down the cost of medications for patients. Learn more at affordableprescriptiondrugs.org ******

CLIMATE WATCH — “More GOP lawmakers bucking their party on climate change,” by David Siders in Los Angeles: “While President Donald Trump continues to dismantle Obama-era climate policies, an unlikely surge of Republican lawmakers has begun taking steps to distance themselves from the GOP’s hard line on climate change. The House Climate Solutions Caucus, a bipartisan backwater when it formed early last year, has more than tripled in size since January, driven in part by Trump’s decision in June to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord.

“And last month, 46 Republicans joined Democrats to defeat an amendment to the annual defense authorization bill that would have deleted a requirement that the Defense Department prepare for the effects of climate change. The willingness of some Republicans to buck their party on climate change could help burnish their moderate credentials ahead of the 2018 elections. Of the 26 Republican caucus members, all but five represent districts targeted by the [DCC] next year.” http://politi.co/2uS6SYt

SCOOP — “Trans Surgical Care in Military Is on Hold, Leaked Emails Say,” by Vice’s Diana Tourjee and Lindsay Schrupp: “A transgender member of the U.S. military … was scheduled to undergo a surgical procedure next week. However, according to the service member, the transition-related surgery—which they had been planning for several months—was abruptly canceled on Tuesday. A recent email sent to medical officials in the US military, a photograph of which was obtained by Broadly, explains why: ‘Surgery related to gender transition is to be held at this time, effective now, pending further guidance.’ In addition to the hold on new surgeries, the email mandates that ‘any planned surgeries for gender transition must be cancelled at this time.’” http://bit.ly/2waUNxr

— STEWART MCLAURIN interviews former White House Social Secretaries Ann Stock and Amy Zantzinger for “The 1600 Sessions” podcast about what it’s like to plan events in the Executive Mansion. http://bit.ly/2va8k3T

FLAGGING FOR THE PRESIDENT — There is a horse in the 5th race at Saratoga today named “Tweeter in Chief” owned by Marylou Whitney, with 15-1 odds of winning. (h/t Michael Longo).

CLICKER – “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 16 keepers http://politi.co/2wavxr8

GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman, filing from Nantucket:

–“Our Minds Have Been Hijacked by Our Phones. Tristan Harris Wants to Rescue Them,” by Wired’s Nicholas Thompson: “Sometimes our smart phones are our friends, sometimes they seem like our lovers, and sometimes they’re our dope dealers. And no one, in the past 12 months at least, has done more than Tristan Harris to explain the complexity of this relationship. Harris is a former product manager at Google who has gone viral repeatedly by critiquing the way that the big platforms—Apple, Facebook, Google, YouTube, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram—suck us into their products and take time that, in retrospect, we may wish we did not give.” http://bit.ly/2w5uFUC

–“‘We Just Feel Like We Don’t Belong Here Anymore,’” by Becca Andrews in Mother Jones: “Think it’s hard for the white working class in rural America? Try being a person of color.” http://bit.ly/2i7ZLFt (h/t Longreads.com)

–“The Body Language of Power,” by Andreas Kluth in Handelsblatt: “In a world of bullies and machos, Angela Merkel keeps ending up on top. Andreas Kluth, our editor-in-chief, deconstructs how.” http://bit.ly/2vFPTr8

–“What Science Tells Us About Good and Evil,” by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee in NatGeo: “After a killing and a violent neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, the nation wrestles with why we commit such unspeakable acts.” http://on.natgeo.com/2waz6xF

–“Kennedy’s Forgotten Coalition: Working Class Catholics,” by Charles F. McElwee III in the American Conservative: “After decades of Democratic fealty, JFK’s ‘tribal benediction’ went Trump.” http://bit.ly/2wZlra0

–“How a Journalist Uncovered the True Identity of Jihadi John,” by Souad Mekhennet on Longreads in an excerpt of “I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad”: “Mekhennet’s thrilling tale of late-night rendezvous, burner phones, and secret codes — and her quest to reveal the man in black.” http://bit.ly/2w5lC6i … $17.81 on Amazon http://amzn.to/2wdi5mP

–“Children of Catholic priests live with secrets and sorrow,” by Boston Globe’s Michael Rezendes: “If a life can have a crystallizing moment, for Jim Graham that 1993 meeting was it, discovering that his father might have been a Catholic priest, rather than John Graham, the distant man who raised him with scarcely a kind or comforting word.” http://bit.ly/2w5bLNU (h/t Longform.org)

–“How SB Nation Profits Off An Army Of Exploited Workers,” by Deadspin’s Laura Wagner: “Deadspin spoke to more than a dozen current and former site managers … and found that SB Nation appears to be a system that, despite claims to being driven by passion, is driven by business imperatives; that offers little daily editorial guidance beyond deleting and apologizing for the racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or otherwise unacceptable posts that occasionally appear; that potentially exists in a legal gray area; and that is run by executives willing to go to great lengths to justify a business model that exploits thousands of poorly paid men and women.” http://bit.ly/2uT8qxC (h/t Longform.org)

–“The World Is Running Out of Sand,” by The New Yorker’s David Owen: “It’s one of our most widely used natural resources, but it’s scarcer than you think.” http://bit.ly/2uT65CR

–“Hostile Terrain: Tank Traps, Fake Towns & Secret Tunnels of the Korean Borderlands,” by Kurt Kohlstedt on 99 Percent Invisible: “Strange structures start to appear all around as one drives toward the Korean Demilitarized Zone from either side of the border. There are overhead signs and what appear to be bridges connecting nothing at either end, roadside concrete blocks stacked like Brutalist totem poles, beach ball-sized steel orbs rusting on stumpy pedestals and other odd varieties. While the forms vary, these odd assemblies share a common purpose: in case of war, explosives can quickly turn them into defensive rubble.” http://bit.ly/2fOhf8W

–“Letter From Abuja: The Fading Sheen of Nigeria’s Capital City,” by Mathias Agbo, Jr. in Common Edge – per The Browser’s description: “Portrait of Nigeria’s capital city, purpose-built in the 1980s and now home to five million people, who have flocked there because Abuja is safer and better-run than other big cities, and in the hope of government jobs. But outside the core, Abuja has grown without planning or infrastructure. There is no city-wide public transport system. Most residential neighborhoods lack roads and streetlights. Only the older districts have mains water. Residents of newer neighborhoods must drill boreholes.” http://bit.ly/2fNRg1w

SPOTTED: Mike Allen hustling to make his Southwest Airlines flight to Nashville out of DCA this morning, as gate agents paged him overhead. “Mike made it, with just seconds to spare; they shut the doors after him,” per our tipster.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD – Kristen Hinman, articles editor at Washingtonian, and Tim Embree, a congressional relations officer for the VA, post on Facebook: “Overjoyed to welcome Dorothy Louise Hinman Embree to our family! She was born late Wednesday afternoon, 7 lbs 10 oz and a monster 20.5 inches, and is named for two of her late great grandmothers. We bet she’ll turn out to be as spunky, fierce, and independent as they both were!” Pic http://bit.ly/2vRwiTr

POOL REPORT from Hoover’s “Outside the Beltway” media roundtable on Friday in Palo Alto: We heard from five speakers on issues like taxes and the economy, pensions, and entitlements. Economic historian Niall Ferguson started off his talk by positing that “social networks are highly in-egalitarian. Most social networks are characterized by extreme inequality.” He said that social networks “amplify existing inequality and not reduce it.” He also disputed the notion held by some that President Donald Trump is a tyrant. “The president looks like the weakest in recent memory, not like a tyrant.” Attendees included The Economist’s Ryan Avent, Sinclair’s David Bernknopf, CNNMoney’s Matt Egan, Fox Business’ Francesca Conti, WaPo’s James Hohmann and Catherine Rampell, RealClearMarkets’ John Tamny, NYT’s Nelson Schwartz and Vox’s Jim Tankersley. Pic of Lanhee Chen and James Hohmann (making a funny face) at the opening dinner at Il Fornaio on Thursday night — photo credit: Marlon Bateman http://politi.co/2wiMksF

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Vanity Fair’s Maya Kosoff turned 25 (hat tip: Jeremy Barr) … (was Thursday): Bloomberg’s Ben Brody turned 3-0 and celebrated at DC9 on Friday night with friends (h/t Daniel Strauss)

BIRTHDAYS: President Bill Clinton is 71 … Mary Matalin … Tipper Gore (h/t Hilary Rosen) … former FCC chair Julius Genachowski, now managing director in the U.S. buyout team of the global telecom, media and technology at the Carlyle Group, is 55 … Sara Durkin, celebrating with her boys and dear family friends on Kiawah Island (hubby tip: James Rosen) … WSJ’s Brody Mullins … Tom Rogers, former president and CEO of TiVo and founder of CNBC … Scott Milburn … Tabitha Soren is 5-0 … Politico’s Michelle Bloom and Rebecca McAlexander … Haley Leonard … Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser at Allianz, and an avid Playbooker … Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) is 4-0 … Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) is 45 … Neil Grace, senior comms adviser at the FCC, and his twin bro Danny (h/ts Nikki Schwab and Olivia Petersen) … NYT tech columnist Farhad Manjoo … Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is 54 (h/t Blake Waggoner) … Emily Goodin, managing editor at Real Clear Politics … Daily Caller publisher and CEO Neil Patel, also co-founder and managing director of Bluebird Asset Management, is 48 … Adam Conner, senior account executive at Slack and a Facebook alum (h/t Jon Haber) … WSJ video journalist Madeline Marshall … Jamie Glick is 31 … Adam Tomlinson … Daniel Nassar, research analyst at Glenview Capital …

… Mark Seibel, BuzzFeed national security editor … Targeted Victory managing director Ryan Meerstein (h/t Zac Moffatt, who’s a birthday boy tomorrow) … Shannon Campagna, senior policy adviser at Alston & Bird LLP and a Mars alum (h/t Paul Braithwaite) … Tish Wells … Steve Owen is 61 … Elizabeth Bibi, deputy director of media relations for Gov. Cuomo … Rebecca Ayer … Kari Smith Gibson … Andrew Vlasaty … Missy Kurek … Facebook’s Eva Guidarini is 25 … Kate Pomeroy … former Rhode Island attorney general Arlene Violet … Alan Pyke … Chris Choi … Reid Rosenberg … Leon Saffelle … Colin Kavanaugh … Trevor Foughty, director of gov’t relations and comms at Indiana University … Maggie Cleary … Jack Livingston, senior manager of gov’t relations at Raytheon … Carol Waller … Jenna Matthis … Will Craft … Will McPherson … Trevor Daley … Shelby Knox … Matthew Beck … photojournalist Ralph Alswang … Scott Hogenson … Jillian Bandes … Chandreyee Chakraborty … Shomik Dutta … Linda Chappetto … John Sasso … Lisa Guide, spending her day exercising to prepare to win the Empire Cross Country Ski race in 2018 (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

THE SHOWS, by @MattMackowiak, filing from Austin:

— CBS’s “Face the Nation”: Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) … Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) … NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund president and director-counsel Sherrilyn Ifill, Life After Hate co-founder Christian Picciolini and VICE News’ Elle Reeve. Panel: Jamelle Bouie, Jeffrey Goldberg, Julie Pace and Reihan Salam

— CNN’s “State of the Union”: Ohio Gov. John Kasich … Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Panel: Bakari Sellers, Rick Santorum, Nina Turner and Rep. Scott Taylor (R-Va.)

— “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). Panel: Charles Hurt, Bob Woodward, Gillian Turner and Juan Williams (substitute host: Fox News’ Bill Hemmer)

— NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Former Mayor of Atlanta Andrew Young, Jr. … new NBC News/Marist poll results from Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin … author Mark Bray and Southern Poverty Law Center president Richard Cohen. Panel: Donna Edwards, Stephen Hayes, Peggy Noonan and Eugene Robinson

— ABC’s “This Week”: Guests to be announced

— CNN’s “Inside Politics”: Julie Pace, Michael Bender, Michael Warren and Jackie Calmes (substitute host: CNN’s Nia-Malika Henderson)

— CNN’s “Reliable Sources”: Josh Green and Jonathan Lemire … Carl Bernstein, Douglas Brinkley and Alice Stewart … Tanzina Vega and Nikole Hannah-Jones

— Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures”: Mike Huckabee … American Center for Law and Justice president Jordan Sekulow … AHA Foundation founder and human rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali … Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.). Panel: Ed Rollins and Mary Kissel

— Fox News’ “MediaBuzz”: Erin McPike … Gayle Trotter … Simon Rosenberg … Larry Sabato … The Washington Times’ Cheryl Chumley … Leslie Marshall … Shelby Holliday

— Univision’s “Al Punto”: Pablo Monsalvo … Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) … Al Cardenas … Chelsea Alvarado … Ilia Calderón … white supremacy movement follower Jared Taylor … Sheriff Joe Arpaio … Griselda Triana

— C-SPAN: “The Communicators”: FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly, questioned by Event Driven News’ Lydia Beyoud … “Newsmakers”: Senate Majority PAC president J.B. Poersch, questioned by The Washington Post’s Sean Sullivan and McClatchy’s Alex Roarty … “Q&A”: Author and Real Clear Politics Washington Bureau Chief Carl Cannon

— Washington Times’ “Mack on Politics” weekly politics podcast with Matt Mackowiak (download on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher or listen at http://bit.ly/2r37J6h): Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist.

****** A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs (CAPD): The high prices that drug makers set for prescription drugs can put financial strain on patients, employers, unions and others who provide health care coverage to more than 50 percent of Americans. Pharmacy benefit managers negotiate the lowest net price for prescriptions on behalf of employers, unions and government programs. But, as list prices – the starting point for those negotiations — continue their nearly double-digit increases, the effects ripple throughout the system. The key to ensuring greater access and affordability lies in fostering greater competition. Facilitating faster reviews of generics and biosimilars, identifying off-patent drugs with little or no generic competition, and ending anti-competitive practices that keep safe, effective alternatives out of the market are also key to abating rising drug costs for patients. Learn more at affordableprescriptiondrugs.org ******

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