#KYL Topic

[mademoisellekalopsia]

I thought you'd named your A and B characters, but I can't find that info on your blog, now.

That being said, how do A's (the character who initially had a thing for hiccups and gets hiccups regularly, it seems) hiccups differ from B's (the character who was featured as the "victim" of both hiccups and monthly hormones in the last fic)? Which of them has harder hiccups/faster hiccups/more persistent hiccups/more bothersome or mildly painful hiccups? And what is both of their limits on how much they can take hiccuping?

As an aside: Grumpy Corgi character makes me even happier to read about after I was behind a corgi the other day and saw its wide set front legs and narrow set hind legs and as it walked its butt did a little wiggle wiggle. So, I gotta know, does that particular breed trait translate to your KYL character? Cause that would be ridiculously endearing.

(I mean, obviously not a LITERAL translation, but cute wee butt characteristic, maybe. I just found myself giggling as I watched this tiny dog trot in front of me!)

To first tend to the TTWT ask... Changes have been made on that, I suppose reason as to why is because it'll be a small, short collection and the characters previously named are recent creations, embedded in my mind for myself to keep instead. That post was edited under "Then There Were Two." The stated information will still be as is, its just under default A and B until the end.

Pacing Speaking of hiccup pacing, sounds and its aspect, I like to think that A's hiccups (who gets them not so often, perhaps like 2-3 cases a month and depending on the count of induce) are diverse depending on their consciousness and context of the scene they are in. Being in public and with their beloved before confession, they keep it muffled, soft, almost silent in a way trying to suppress and course them alone, albeit their spouse has keen sense of hearing which means attention, and if there's attention on A, it'll escalate.

A lets the hiccups course how it pleases when they are alone, a need for distraction or satisfaction in some moments. Then, when the time of confession up to the present, A's hiccups are more loose and free now, too. No need to restraint. Moreover, it gets deep and hard when they are "gazed" at by their spouse and since said spouse is eventually developing that same kink, A can't help but find it somewhat incredibly hot, contributing what they are emotionally feeling at that specific moment to the case's pacing.

As for B, (one who gets a case once or twice a week) I'll say it is between occasional and persistent pacing depending on the trigger/source. They find it bothersome before, in which they'll just cure it right away out of no appreciation in them, but then considering A's appreciation and fondness of it, they would just let the case course through under their own will, no obligations present. They know when to stop and A truly respects that. Pacing is more at different sequences, mostly audible, y'know just come and go soft and quick ones, hard and brief dragging singles,

Limits I think A, as much as they like inducing or getting a case naturally, would rather pray and hope that the case doesn't last for more than 2 hours. I like to think they dealt a 2 hour bout before (with the beloved having the kink context) satisfying of urges, but it left A both spent and knackered from the on-going sensation of the case.

B, if they happen to have quick successions of pacing, I'm talking double after triple and so on, whether in the beginning or during, they'll have to cure it right away. End of case.

For the KYL Ask… Oh-ho, I mean, it is DEFINITELY so. Again, staying true to their dog breed, Pembroke Welsh Corgis are very much an icon for their signature "badonk," (sorry, not sorry, Sir, but I am giving you that iconic trait), better incorporate that on him.

Grumpy, gorgeous man gets a tad bit self-conscious about it, still learning to love himself more, being both stubby and well-padded, solely and through others who dearly loves him. Like me.

Grumpy Beloved OC: : head down, eyes up, arms crossed, chest puffed, letting out a heavy scoff : Really now?

AH-George! Not in the Bin Box section! I'll call you if someone ask of you a query, understand? Let's go, you gorgeous Pembroke. Thanks so much for the ask, Writer, now if you'll excuse me!

[web3rk]

일반적인 온라인 도박 게임

1994년 앤티가 바부다라는 작은 섬나라에서 특정 법률이 통과되어 그 위치를 법적 관할 구역으로 만들고 도박 면허를 발급할 수 있게 되었습니다. 이 법은 온라인 게임의 길을 열었고 오늘날까지 대부분의 도박 회사는 라이센스를 활용하기 위해 해당 국가에서 비즈니스를 기반으로 합니다.

게임 소프트웨어는 온라인 게임이 시작되기 몇 년 전에 나왔습니다. Microgaming이라는 Isle on Man 기반 소프트웨어 회사는 많은 온라인 도박 사이트를 탄생시킨 최초의 완전 작동 온라인 카지노 소프트웨어를 개발했습니다. 온라인 보안 소프트웨어 회사인 Cryptologic은 인터넷 거래를 안전하고 안전하며 실행 가능하게 만드는 필수 소프트웨어를 제공했습니다. 1995년까지 최초의 온라인 카지노가 출시되었습니다.

시작이 순조롭지 않았던 많은 것들과 마찬가지로 온라인 도박의 출시도 많은 장애물을 만났습니다. 그 과정에서 만난 주요 문제 중 하나는 거래의 합법성이었습니다. 온라인 도박의 바�� 그 아이디어와 개념은 특히 미국에서 많은 사람들에 의해 반대되고 저항되었습니다. 아리조나의 Jon Kyl 상원의원은 미국 시민이 온라인 도박을 하는 것을 여러 번 막고 도박 금지 캠페인을 장려했습니다.

최근 2006년 9월 30일에 미국 의회는 은행과 신용 카드 회사가 미국 거주자로부터 온라인 도박 회사에 대한 지불을 처리하는 것을 불법으로 규정하는 법안을 통과시켰습니다. 이 법안은 나중에 부시 대통령이 10월 13일에 서명한 법률이 되었습니다.

그러나 지금까지 많은 개인, 조직, 심지어 정부가 온라인 도박을 반대했지만 많은 사람들이 여전히 이 중독의 매력에 사로잡혀 있습니다. 따라서 모든 분쟁에도 불구하고 전 세계의 지지자와 플레이어는 온라인 도박에 참여하고 있습니다. 가장 일반적인 온라인 도박 게임은 다음과 같습니다.

If you need any kind of information on this article related topic click here: 먹튀폴리스 마추자 코드

[vieraslaji]

Teknisesti puudus olis "topical anesthesia" mut kyl mä ymmärrän syytä miks toi olis ärsyttää. Mä itse en täysin ymmärrä eroa (eli millainen erilaisia lääkityksiä käytetään ja milloin) luultavasti koska molemmat kutsutaan anesthesiaksi.

Mut nyt me ollaan umpikujassa koska oikeesti enhän keksi esimerkkejä XD Sanon sen et yleensä mä yritän olla varovainen ma-infinitiivin suhteen ja millä tavoilla käytän sitä, koska se houkuttaa englannin puhujia "-ing" vastineena ja siksi on helppo käyttää sitä liikaa. Mun kysymys liittyisi ehkä siis mun käsityksen puuttumiseen siitä milloin se kuulostaa sopivalta suomen äidinkielen puhujan korviin? Mut toi on iso aihe haha.

Kapeampi kysymys olisi se, kuinka keskenään vaihtakelpoiset ma-infinitiivi ja -minen infinitiivi on? Mut nyt taas en keksi esimerkkiäkään. Tarkoitin kuitenkin et lauseessa jossa verbi ei vaati muotoa rektion varten, voisinko käyttää jompaakumpaa ja molemmat jäisi ymmärrettäväksi?

Tähän todennäköisesti vaikutetaan se että opettelin/käsitin minen-infinitiiviä ennen kun ma-infinitiiviä, siksi musta tuntuu et -minen on kieliopillisesti kömpelömpi rakennus ja sen käyttämästä pitäis välttää, vaik varmasti toi on vaan mun ennakkoluulo eikä oo järkevää tosielämässä.

tfw haluut kysyy kieliopista kysymystä mut et keksi esimerkkejä

[ganggangscenarios]

No Such Thing | Ch 3

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Summary: After a messy breakup and an even messier night out , you find an unlikely friend in your coworker’s ex boyfriend. A messy beginning and an even messier middle, who knows about the end.

Genre: Romance, comedy, smut

Warnings: unprotected sex (wrap it up~)

Writer's note: The response to the first two chapters has been more than I expected! Thank you for liking my writing. I am always eager to hear your thoughts☺️

01 | 02| 03| 04| 05| 06 |07| 08| 09

Drabbles:

I can & I will

Disconnect

Neighbours know my name

You two had still been exchanging messages like usual, discussing random topics like nothing had transpired between the two of you. You made a point not to hangout with each other, as the last time you did, you both crossed some boundaries. He knew he couldn’t be at ease sitting close to him on his couch anymore. Not without thinking about the way he felt inside of you. Not knowing what you looked like when you felt immense pleasure. Not without flashbacks of your breathy voice moaning in his ear as you… yeah, you couldn’t risk it happening again. Even though it's all you both thought about since it happened. 

He saw you in person for the first time, in a long time in a coffee shop. Your brows were furrowed as you stared up at the menu. He didn’t see you at first when he first came in, he mindlessly scrolled on his phone as he joined the queue. But then he heard your laugh, a sound that he had become more than familiar with. He looked up and saw you and smile spread across his face. That smile was soon wiped clean as you glanced to the side of you. There stood a man. A man who was inching closer to you. He watches as the man wraps his arm around your waist. You uncomfortably smile and then point to what you wanted to order on the menu.

Jungkook’s mouth drops open in disbelief. It had been a while since you saw each other but you failed tell him that you were seeing someone. He stares without blinking. Another customer rudely shouts at him to move forward. The loud voice disturbs everyone and causes everyone to look at him. 

Your eyes grow big as they land on him. He looked so good, he was wearing a shortsleeved t-shirt, showcasing his tattoos. The tattoos that often fuelled your dreams. Sweatpants and his regular sneakers. Not everyone could pull off such a basic look and look like a model on an off day. He gives you a once over, you looked different from the last time he saw you, more clothes,  more makeup. Your hair was curled, outfit perfectly styled. You were on a date. The tension in the air was high. You wave and he waves back. You both get served and collect your order. 

He walks up to your table. 

“Hey!” You say, awkwardly smiling. 

“I’m Jungkook.”He says, extending his hand. 

Your date is taken by surprise. And quickly shakes his hand. 

“Kyle.”

Before the conversation could continue, Kyle’s phone rings and he excuses himself. Leaving the two of you staring at each other. 

“It’s good to see you, I’m glad you’re well.” He says, nervously nibbling on his lip ring. 

“It’s a first date.” You blurt out. 

He didn’t need to know that, it had nothing to with him. You were just friends, not all friends shared details about their love life. 

The corner of his mouth twitches. He had no reason to be happy at the fact it was only a first date. He was your friend, he should be happy that you on a date. You had spent hours on the phone talking to him about your insecurities. Worrying that you wouldn’t be able to find love after Mark. He made you feel so unworthy of love, like your authentic self didn’t deserve pure love. Jungkook made a point to tell you how worthy of love you were. How any man (including him) would be lucky to be with you. He should be a better person, friend and ask about the date. No matter how scared he was of the answer.

“How is it going?” He asks, holding his breath. 

You sigh and tuck your hair behind your ear before briefly look around to check for Kyle. He was no where to be seen. Thank goodness.

“He’s so boring and touchy. We went to the movies and he kept on touching me, despite me asking him to stop. And all he talks about it Cryptocurrency. I’m dying! Save me!” You whine, grabbing his hand. You both freeze, the last time he touched you, you were in a different situation. More sweaty, your breathing was much heavier. He melts at your touch and at your eyes. It was the first time he seen your eyes in over a month. He missed you. 

“Okay, lets get out of here, I’m parked right outside.” He runs his thumbs over your knuckles. 

You pull your arm away and slide on your coat. You take a sip from your coffee and stand up. 

He walks towards the door and you follow. Kyle appears. 

“Where are you going?” He asks, phone held to his ear. 

Jungkook stops and looks at you. 

“I am not feeling too well and… my friend is going to take me to a hospital. Please get home safe!” You say, grabbing Jungkook’s hand and running out of the door. 

You get into his car and head to his place. He didn’t ask where you wanted to go, he just drove. You recognised the route, but you say nothing. Just look out the window and move your head to the music in the car. 

You still don’t say anything on the way up to his place. Not even when you stepped foot into his apartment. It was like a breath of fresh air. You missed how it smelled, it smelled like him. A comforting, familiar smell. 

“I've missed you" He says, giving you a small smile.

"Me too." You mumble.

You settle on the kitchen counter, hoisting yourself up, using the stool as a step. You pick at a bowl of chips left out. Jungkook walks up to you and stands between your legs. His hands run up your legs, tickling your skin as he does so. Neither of you have said more than a handful of words to each other since stepping inside. You guess body language and eye contact speaks louder than words. He pushes your hair back over your shoulder. As he moves closer your breathing becomes slower and heavier. He looks up at you. The way he looked at you made you feel like you were on top of the world. His eyes would get so big when he was really listening to you, like he was invested in every word you were saying. But when he felt turned on, when things would get a little too intense. His eyes would narrow, his brows would meet his top lids. There would be an intense look in his eye. Your arms wrap around his neck, he lips rest in the crook of your neck. His large hands rubbed your back slowly, sending shivers down your spine. Your hands find purchase at his nape, fingers playing with the soft but short strands. He moans in your ear. The deep sound travelling down to your core, a small puddle forming. He plants small kisses all the way up your neck, on your cheek and then finally on your lips. It starts with a few sweet pecks before Jungkook opens his mouth and teases your tongue with his own. You get shivers down your spine. You bring your hands up to his face and caress his cheek. As the kiss gets deeper your fingers find their way to his hair. He moans, a deep guttural sound. You felt a rush of arousal run through your body.

You pull away and plant open mouthed kisses on his neck, earning more moans from him. Your hand wonders down to his crotch and you can feel that he was semi hard. You pet his erection heavily, coaxing more moans from him.

“That feels so good.” He whispers before connecting your lips once more.

His hand cups your breast, thumbing over your hardening nipples. You moan into his mouth.

You had waited so long for this and now it was finally happening. He pulls the strap of your dress down, kissing down your neck and onto your shoulder. His kisses were so warm and his big hands handled you just right.

His hand lands on your thigh, fingers inching closer to where you really needed him. The edge of his nails skim the scalloped edges of your underwear. He spreads your legs wider, pulling away he gives you a look, asking for approval. You nod. His hands run further up your thighs, fingers hooking into the top of your panties. He swiftly pulls the down. You shudder as you feel the wet fabric peel away from your centre. His fingers touch your slit ever so slightly. 

“I bet you could just slide in. I’m so wet.” You whisper into his ear before nipping at his earlobe.

“I bet I could, let me feel you.” His slender fingers slip between your legs, his fingers glide easily between your folds. His fingers tentatively play with your sensitive bundle of nerves. You moan in his ear, and grind your hips over his hand. His whole hand cups you, his tattooed arm flexes as he comes up to grab your breast.

“Jungkook, I want you now.” You moan, his fingers were doing everything just right. You wanted to feel something inside you, something to hit that place inside you.

Jungkook briefly slips one finger inside of you. Your body folds in pleasure, head resting on his shoulder.

“Let me make you feel good.” He rubs your pearl, occasionally dipping into your center and spreading the wetness. 

Your moans grow louder as he rubs you more. One hand working on your bye and the other deep inside you. Your body feels hot all over as you finish all over his hands with a shaky breath. He watches as your chest rises and falls. Before he could say anything, you pull him in and your lips meet again. 

Your manicured hand reaches between you and grabs his hardened length through his pants. He nods and allows you to pull him out. You don’t give him anytime to think before you rub his tip up and down your slit. He shudders in pleasure and rests his forehead on your shoulder, moving closer to your neck.

His eyes leave yours and drop to where your nether regions connected. His eyes closes as he feels you taking him, encompassing him.

“That feels so good.” He groans. It had been a while. The last time he had sex was with you. The feeling was overwhelming, he always wore a condom and he was going raw with you for the second time. .He could feel every wet ridge inside of you.

He moves back and forth . His brings one hand to creep up to caress your breast. He pulls your dress down more and brings in lips to your nipple, lightly sucking and biting. You throw your head back in pleasure. You begin to move faster, moving in sync with Jungkook. 

The room is filled with the sounds of moaning and heavy breathing.

His hand comes between the two of you and plays with your bud once again, tweaking and rubbing. Suddenly a gush of pleasure comes over you and finish all over his shaft. He moans as he feels you contract around him.

His hands grab your waist to aid you. It wasn’t long before he painted the inside of you white with his cum.

 He pulls out, the residue of your act sticking to your thighs. He tucks himself back into his pants. Without a word, he helps you dress. Pulling up your dress, as you slip your arms through the straps. He picks your underwear off of the floor and awkwardly helps you put them back on. He lifts you effortlessly, taking you to the bedroom. He lays you down on the bed. 

“Jungkook I-“ you start. 

He holds a finger up, walking into his closet. He comes out a while later, clutching a shirt and shorts. 

“You can wear these. And you can shower if want. “ he places the clothes on the bed. 

The atmosphere felt strange. You both knew what you were doing, both stone cold sober.

“What does this mean?” He asks as you pick up the clothes. 

You just stare at him. You didn’t know. You only knew what you wanted it to mean. You wanted it to mean that he felt something for you. Something real. Yeah, he had confessed the last time you were together but he had just came. Men tend to say anything in the moment. 

“What do you want it to mean? Our relationsh-“ you are cut off by the sound of the doorbell. You drop the clothes. 

You both walk out into the living area, your eyes landing on the video intercom. Hyejin. Dressed to the nines. 

Jungkook opens his mouth to talk but before he could choke out a syllable. 

You open the door and there stands Hyejin, dressed to the nines. 

She scoffs and rolls her eyes at the sight of you. But then corrects herself. Jungkook said you were his friend and she wanted him back so she had to comply. She gives you the biggest fake smile, forces herself to hug you and pushes her way inside. 

“Hey babe. Are you ready?” She asks, moving towards the light switch. You two had barely noticed that the room was so badly lit. 

Babe? You can’t believe that you’d fall for another asshole. Another liar. 

Jungkook looks back and forth between you and Hyejin. 

“I-“ he chokes out. 

Hyejin takes a seat at the breakfast bar. You wince. Less than 20 minutes ago, you were doing unspeakable things with her boyfriend. You watch as she sets her expensive bag down in the spot you sat. 

You look at him and he could see your heart break in your eyes. He wanted to explain ever as nothing was as it seemed. 

“Thank you for helping me out today. “ You give a curt smile, grab your shoes and bag and leave. Tears roll down your face as you run out of the building. You’re sobbing by the time you get in the taxi. 

Jungkook sits across from Hyejin.

“I think I wasn’t clear when I asked you to come here.”

She quickly checks her reflection in her phone screen. 

“What do you mean? You wanted to talk about us?” She sits up in her seat, head tilted to the side in confusion. 

He hated confrontation, but it had to be done. This is what got him in this mess with you. He fucked things up big time. The look in your eyes before you left, hurt. He felt all the pain. 

She knew it was coming, he had been acting distant. But she ignored it, she had to keep him. Jungkook was a really good guy and she needed that, but she also needed to be with someone who would love her, and only her. Who was hurt when she texted other guys. She needed someone who would make her not want to text other guys.

She waited for him to explain himself. She knew it would be difficult for him to do. He had a hard time expressing himself sometimes.

“I wanted to talk about us. You’re right. I don’t think we should get back together. We’re not good for each other.” He says, quietly. 

She picks up her bag, walks to the door and slides on her shoes. He follows her. 

“I hope you get her back.” Hyejin says, leaving without sparing him a second glance. 

He hoped so too. He throws himself on the couch and pulls out his phone. He calls your phone. It rings and rings and rings. No answer. He redials. The same thing. 

He sends a message before retiring for the night.

'I’m sorry’

And then another one. 

‘I love you’

[arcc-i]

Feminism and Fire Emblem

In honour of Fire Emblem Three Hopes to release at the end of the month, this post will briefly discuss references to outdated opinions on women throughout the series. This is not meant to offend anyone but to show how with the right focus, the series can grow into something more. Please feel free to share your own thoughts!!! 

Fire Emblem is a tactical RPG (role play game) that initially came out in 1990 by Nintendo with its latest release being Fire Emblem Three Houses in 2019 (Hilliard, 2019). The series was aimed toward a male demographic with chess-like gameplay and male protagonists. However, the series continued along with this style becoming repetitive, paling against the development of other series such as Bayonetta, Red Dead Redemption and Super Mario Galaxy. Due to the declining sales. Nintendo gave the developers, Intelligent Systems a chance to sell over 250,000 copies of a new Fire Emblem game else they would shut it down (Makedonski, 2015). Resulting in the creation of one of the most beloved games in the series, Fire Emblem Awakening. Releasing in 2012, the developers having no hope of saving the franchise decided to throw in many different mechanics they wished to explore which turned out to be extremely popular and became staples to the franchise as well as other games, creating new genres of video games. The game continues to be popular, selling over 1.9 million copies worldwide (Mcpherson, 2020). Their tactic, aiming toward a female audience. 

Fire Emblem was appealing for its breakthrough in gender inequality with female leaders and avatars. It still falls into misogynistic roles with added features feeding into domestic activities such as cooking, tea parties and dressing, pushing aside the military based style to become more handholding. This follows Zoonenn's (1994) theory of structuralists tending to apply significance to activities based on culture like cooking toys being advertised to girls, drawing them towards more domestic interests to fulfil the continued view of women being “simpering housewives whose dream was to impress their authoritative, working husbands” (Gauntlett, 2002). This shows how Fire Emblem’s “progressive” ideas were still based on stereotypes especially towards women, playing into the idea of keeping women associated with domestic hobbies to keep them in domestic roles. 

This can also be seen with the increased focus on romance in Fire Emblem with more detail in character interactions such as in Fire Emblem Fates adding an interactive option allowing players to poke characters and the Japanese release including an option to blow on them, to increase relationships. And Fire Emblem Awakening and Fates add the ability of characters to have playable children. The focus on romance and building families falls into the stereotype of women being more interested in romance and stories than men. Janice Radway’s 1984 (Zoonenn, 1994) study “Reading the Romance,” explains how women looked forward to stories that focused on the romance between the hero and heroine. Fitting into the stereotype of women being love crazed and unable to focus on more series topics to use as proof of how unfit women would be in political roles and claiming that giving women opportunities such as the right to vote, would just be a waste and ruin the results. 

To conclude, as popular as Fire Emblem has become especially with a female audience, it still has a long way to go to break societal gender norms based on deeply rooted negative perspectives towards women. It holds great immersive content that could help increase its popularity and change the way women are portrayed in video games with some fine-tuning. A redemption ark, from over sexualising female characters and forgoing character depth, to topping the RPG genre with impeccable soundtracks, stories and characteristics that people constantly crave for. Allowing the core of Fire Emblem to shine through while supporting its female audience. 

References:

Hilliard, Kyle. 2019. A Brief History Of The Fire Emblem Series. GameinFormer.https://www.gameinformer.com/classic/2019/07/25/a-brief-history-of-the-fire-emblem-series

Makedonski, Brett. 2015. Awakening saved the Fire Emblem series from cancellation. Destructoid. https://www.destructoid.com/awakening-saved-the-fire-emblem-series-from-cancellation/

Mcpherson, Rebekah. 2020. Fire Emblem: The 5 Best Selling Games In The Series (& 5 That Didn't Sell). The Gamer. https://www.thegamer.com/fire-emblem-best-worst-selling-games/

Liesbet Van Zoonen. 1994. Feminists Media Studies. Ch5

David Gauntlett. 2002. Media, Gender and Identity. Ch3, ch4

[dansdaughter]

Actually no, scrap that, I'm intrigued thus I wanna know more about them.

Like, dunno, how tall are they? Got any cursed fact about their anatomy? Are the symbols on their robes written in runes or is another kind of language? The fact that they share their sensory knowledge with one another means that if I poke one of them everyone else is going to feel it too or the master can actively "block out" unnecessary stimuli? Speaking of, how's their skin like in terms of touch? Because they seem like they'd be cold and with a marble or stone like texture kind of skin but that's just how I pictured them to feel like... Oh last thing, I read they understand sentimental bonds and relationships, so does that theorically mean you could date one?? ...I'm asking for scientific purpose of course, no other reasons at all nope.

Also sorry if I'm bothering you, I know my curiosity can be annoying af skskskksk

Ah, you found my wiki and fell for one of my demonic children, beautiful. It’s never a bother to ask about Astorian lore, it let’s me know what bits to prioritize and strengthen while I shotgun topics every now and again.

I’m more than happy to feed that curiosity, let’s see;

Piric Kyl are typically taller than most humans and Astorians, so roughly 6′5′’ - 7′3′’.

I don’t know if it’s cursed but they’re double jointed on all their limbs, and they can sometimes have holes in between their bones, like their hands and lower arms.

The symbols on their robes are a very old demonic language which predates Astorians, no one has ‘canonically’ been able to decipher it yet. But it’s similar in style to daedric, so curves and points.

It would partially depend on their master, if for example they were a Piric Kyl who swore allegiance to the demon lord Artun, lord of violence and pride, any painful interaction felt by the network would be shared by default.  But the master can filter unnecessary stimuli, and it is probably at least a 1/4th of it’s job to dictate what feelings come or go.

I’d think their skin would also sort of depend on their allegiance again, so for example if they were sworn to Levian, lord of lust and obsession, their skin might be very soft/velvety and warm compared to one sworn to Sariph, lord of paranoia and narrow-mindedness, who would have skin which is quite spiky and flaky.

As for dating one, I think it would be quite an abusive relationship to get into, they understand bonds but they’re not quite able to feel them as they don’t have a soul. 

All the devoid in the wiki at the moment are in the possession class of devoid, so a bit of a challenge on a dating scale. The breeding or destruction classes would be a bit easier imo.

P.s. glad you like them.

[weeb-alcove]

2020 English Playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL77pv5URcE8ZBT4DTVUYXWSn9BPeC4JOL

In English:

100 Ways - Jackson Wang

21 - Gracie Abrams

88rising ♪ from their album Head in the Clouds ♬ History La Cienega

♪ from their album Head in the Clouds II ♬ 2 the Face  La La Lost You Need Is Your Love 

Aliso - Dylan Jordan

A Little Messed Up - June

All the Stars - Kendrick Lamar & SZA

All You Need to Know - Gryffin & Slander & Calle Lehmann

Are You Bored Yet? - Wallows & Clairo

Ariana Grande Goodnight n Go  Stuck with U

♪ from her album Positions ♬ Just Like Magic Motive  Positions

At Least I Look Cool - Sasha Sloan

Au/ra Broken Ideas

Ava Max Kings & Queens  Slow Dance

BØRNS American Money Faded Heart Past Lives

Baby I’m Yours - Arctic Monkeys

Backyard Boy - Claire Rosinkranz

Bad - Lennon Stella

Bad Idea - pxzvc & Shiloh Dynasty

Bad Ideas - Tessa Violet

Bedsheets - Tia

Be Okay - Jordan Fisher

Blackbear ♪ from his album everything means nothing ♬ Half Alive If I Were U  me & ur ghost Queen of Broken Hearts

Boy Pablo Beach House Dance, Baby!  Hey Girl

Breaking Me - Topic & A7S

Breathe Again - Corbyn

Bright Side of the Moon - Christian French

Broken Hearts - Davai & Lovespeake

Broken Record - Golden

Busy - Axel Mansoor

Call - Ocean Heights

Cancer - Twenty One Pilots

Candy Choppa - Warrenisyellow & Chasu

Cardiac Arrest - Bad Suns

Carsick - Maro

Cheat Codes Between Our Hearts  Stay

Choke - I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

Cigarettes - Carlie Hanson

Clean - Hey Violet

Cologne - Alec Wigdahl

Come Through - Eric Nam

Conan Gray ♪ from his album Kid Krow ♬ Affluenza  Checkmate  Comfort Crowd  Fight or Flight  Little League Wish You Were Sober 

Cool Out - Imagine Dragons

Cutepink - Lukey & Raphael

Daddy Issues - The Neighbourhood

Daydreamer - Kidsnot$aints

dhruv Double Take  Moonlight

Doin’ Time - Lana Del Rey

Do You Love Me - Stephanie Poetri

Dreams Where Ur Murdered - X Lovers

Drunk Me - Davin Kingston

Dua Lipa Un Dia (One Day) 

♪ from her album Future Nostalgia ♬ Break My Heart  Love Again 

Far Away - Qaayel, Cnebce

Far Away - Utah & Kyl

Fletcher ♪ from her album The S(ex) Tapes ♬ If I Hated You Shh… Don’t Say It Silence  The One

Free Love - Honne

Gallant ♪ from his album Sweet Insomnia ♬ Compromise Sweet Insomnia

Get You - Daniel Caesar & Kali Uchis

Golden Dandelions - Barns Courtney

Halsey Be Kind  Graveyard

Harry Styles ♪ from his album Fine Line ♬ Sunflower, Vol. 6  Watermelon Sugar

Heat Waves - Glass Animals

Hell and High Water - Major Lazer & Diplo & Alessia Cara

Holiday - Lil Nas X

Homage - Mild High Club

Honey - Tyler Sellers

Hot Tub Dream Machine - Tobi Lou

Hummingbird - Mark Diamond

Hush - Ricky Himself & Kailee Morgue

I Don’t Know Why (Ellis Remix) - NOTD & Astrid S & Ellis

I Don’t Want No Champagne - Chimmi

i go high, you go low - Matt Sato

ily (I Love You Baby) - Surf Mesa & Emilee

Intentions - Justin Bieber & Quavo

Isaac Dunbar God, This Feels Good Intimate Moments Miss America Woman On the Hills 

♪ from his album Isaac’s Insects ♬ Comme Des Garcons Makeup Drawer Scorton’s Creek 

Jaden ♪ from his album CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3 ♬  Everything  Falling for You LUCY! 

Joji ♪ from his album Nectar ♬ Daylight Gimme Love  Pretty Boy Run 

July on Film - Zeauxi

Just Buried! - iamnotshane

Justice Carradine Limbo  Necessary Evil 

K/DA ♪ from their album All Out ♬ More  Villain

Keshi Don’t Leave 

♪ from his album always ♬ Always Drunk

Khalid Be Like That  Off the Grid  Suncity 

Lauv Mine (You Can’t Find Love in Mollywood) Slow Grenade Who

Little Mix ♪ from their album Confetti ♬ Not a Pop Song  Sweet Melody

Loneliness for Love - lovelytheband

Lonely - Finding Hope

Lostboycrow Candy Wine Devil’s in the Backseat  The World’s Always Been Ending

Lotus Inn - Why Don’t We

Love Birds - wimp

Love in My Pocket - Rich Brian & Eaj

Love Lost - Harbour

Love Me Like a Friend - Fly By Midnight

Mad at Disney - Salem Ilese

Madison Beer All Day and Night  Hurts Like Hell Selfish

Magic in the Hamptons - Lil Yachty & Social House

MAX Naked Take Over 

♪ from his album Colour Vision ♬ Blueberry Eyes New Life Working for the Weekend 

Medicine - Shawn Wasabi & Tia Scola

Monsta X ♪ from their album All About Luv ♬ Got My Number Happy Without Me Love U 

Moonmap - Meego

My Favourite Clothes - Rini

Natalie Don’t - Raye

Neon Trees ♪ from their album I Can Feel You Forgetting Me ♬ New Best Friend  Nights 

New Hope Club Paycheck Worse

♪ from their album New Hope Club ♬ Flight Away Just to Find Love Know Me Too Well Remember We Broke Up in a Dream

Next to You - Becky G & Digital Farm Animals & Rvssian

Nico Collins Happy?  Our Way Out We’ll Never Make It 

Niki Dancing with the Devil I Like U  Spell Sugarplum Elegy Vintage

♪ from her album Moonchild ♬ Nightcrawlers Plot Twist Tide 

Ok On Your Own - mxmtoon & Carly Rae Jepsen

Older - Shallou & Daya & Felix Cartal

On the Low - Justin Park

Paradise - Lil Uzi Vert

Paragraphs - Luke Chiang

Peach Tree Rascals Mariposa  Not Ok 

Pink Sweat$ At My Worst Icy

Play Date - Melanie Martinez

Post Malone (GATTUSO Remix) - Sam Feldt & RANI

Pure Imagination - Unclenathannn & Shiloh Dynasty

Quinn XCII ♪ from his album A Letter To My Younger Self ♬ Coffee  Sleep While I Drive 

R3HAB Am I the Only One Dream of You  Make Friends One More Dance Whiplash

Rabbit Hole - AViVA

Real Love - Rei Brown

Rockets - Waki

Ruel Empty Love Up to Something 

Runaway - Tiffany Young & Babyface

San Francisco - Galantis & Sofia Carson

Scrambled - Havelock

Selena Gomez Boyfriend It Ain’t Me 

Shawn Mendes ♪ from his album Wonder ♬ 305 Teach Me How to Love 

Someone Else - Duncan Laurence

Space Makes Me Sad - Fiji Blue

Splash - Public

Star City Cafe - Hevel & Evito

Stay with Me - ayokay & Jeremy Zucker

Sunlight - Maty Noyes

Surf. - Wave to Earth

Take Yourself Home - Troye Sivan

Tell Me U Luv Me - Juice WRLD & Trippie Red

Therefore I Am - Billie Eilish

The Vamps Burn  Hair Too Long  Part of Me

Tiffany Day Clout Chaser  Commitment Issues Gonna Be Okay

Time Flies - Drake

Tomorrow Tonight - Loote

Up All Night - Clevt

ur just a fan - Suggi

Watching You Walk Away - Stephen Puth

Will Jay ♪ from his album Perfectionist ♬ Must Be Nice  Talking to Myself  Writing a Song Pt. 1

Yellow Roses - Charlie Powers

Young Heart - Kara Marni & Russ

Zayn Rumors Scripted

In Spanish: 

Clandestina - FILV & Edmofo & Emma Petersz

Electronic:

Howls Moving Castle - Theodor Ellefsen

[lilflowerpot]

Important topic: Galra rebels besides the Blade. I love the Blade, but it bothered me that the only choices the highly selective specialists or the empire. There had to be more discontents than that. What about partisan movements, guerillas, individual saboteurs? Or Galra who simple live in outskirts and try to have as little to do with the empire as possible. The historian in me is not satisfied with this idea of only two faction.

((cont.) after having seen my post about how ridiculously long this reply had already become) I’m so proud. Can I make suggestions? Underground Railroad style smuggling of rebels/prisoners. Conveniently mixed-up paperwork. The number game, one of the most efficient ways to free prisoners is to inflate death tolls so no one notices escapes or so your productivity quotas are lower. Giving resources: food, medicine, licensing that oppressed groups  cant access. People aren’t either monsters or enlightened they can like the empire and still think things are wrong. Love your History Nerd

-

As you say, the Blade are highly specialist and, in this fic at least, as Empress Marmora’s Li Naacht the whole premise of their order is one of blood - one does not simply join the Blade: you’re either born to it, or you’re not. That’s part of the reason why, upon first meeting Keith, they were all so convinced that he must have stolen his own knife, and that’s why they promised him answers only if he could awaken it… Either he was one of them, or he wasn’t. Either he was entitled to the Truth by right of his ancestry, or he was an imposter. There’s no uncertainty in Marmora’s inner circle, no question of loyalty, no grey area… things simply are.

And obviously this begs the question: what of the Galra who aren’t born the the Blade, and yet also disagree with Zarkon’s methodology?

I think at this point it’s important that I impress upon you the Galra people’s cultural predisposition for loyalty. In the grand scheme of things, humans are ultimately a little self-serving - willing to smile, and lie, and undermine others to achieve their own ends - and universally speaking we would be seen as one of the more individualistic planets, culturally, wherein any given person is likely to prioristise their own desires. The Galra are quite the opposite. They’ve been able to operate as one of the most successful invading races in the universe for several millennia (a fair portion of which was before Zarkon was even born) because their culture promotes collectivist tendencies; united under one ruling monarch who is accepted and respected for their physical and mental prowess in battle, the Galra people function within a hive-like hierarchy of one Imperial identity. One mind. That’s not to say that individuals don’t have their own wants / needs, only that the collective (a family of sorts, spanning billions of Galra across the universe) is priority number one. Broadly speaking, if a member of any given Galra bloodline is a traitor to the crown then they have also betrayed the collective, and it’s entirely possible (and entirely likely) that their siblings / parents / children would stand aside and let lawful justice be served.

Bearing all that in mind, undermining the acting Emperor / Empress isn’t at all commonplace - not in the same way that it is throughout human history.

However, as I’ve previously mentioned the Empire is massively multicultural with planets (often whole galaxies) that have loyally served the Imperial throne for centuries being granted status as vassal states rather than slave colonies. This means that regular Galra citizens - not soldiers or druids or nobles, just normal working people - will mingle with the non-Galra citizens throughout their day-to-day lives. Again, as I’ve said before, non-Galra citizens of the Empire arenot truly equal under Zarkon’s rule and there is some segregation (with the Imperial military being a prime example) but for every Galra that freely roams Imperial territories, there are at least three non-Galra citizens doing the same… if this majority was perpetually treated as one made up of lesser beings, the Empire would never have retained its status as the greatest ruling power in the universe (and then, yes, partisan movements would perhaps have occurred more often, though likely not been any more successful, and you can guarantee that every failed attempt was made an example of by the total annihilation of its planet of origin). Instead, Imperial citizens of non-Galra descent live in Galra-occupied cities, work jobs alongside the Galra-people, their children learn and laugh and play with their Galra peers on nursery colonies which offer only the highest level of education taught by some of the greatest minds in the Empire.

And yes there’s room for improvement; yes the Imperial education afforded to their children demands that they first pass an entry exam which no Galra child seems required to take, yes promotions in the workplace seem to fall more easily into the laps of Galra-people, yes the finest housing on any given Imperial colony can be difficult to obtain when there is a Galra family vying for the same place… but when your home-planet now thrives with a booming economy, your people benefit from the wealthiest trade routes in your galaxy, and your family are protected by the greatest military power in the universe? When your great-grandparent’s generation remember what it was to live a childhood without Imperial favour, and the transition between poverty and prosperity that was only allowed by the grace of Emperor Zarkon? When all you have to do in return for this share in the Empire’s affluence is pay your taxes and continue on your way as a loyal citizen?

…It’s ultimately seen as a symbiotic relationship, and a good one at that.

((especially when the alternative is genocide))

From a Galra perspective, non-Galra Imperial citizens have grown up alongside them as their neighbors, classmates, friends. It would be inappropriate to engage in more intimate relations with them, let alone breed, but… that doesn’t mean they’re bad people. That doesn’t mean they’re “less”. So maybe the odd one or two start to ask themselves why: why they themselves can join the Imperial military but their non-Galra friend cannot, despite being just as strong, just as fierce, just as loyal to the throne. Why their older relatives scoff at the mention of their friend’s culture, as bizarre and foreign as it is beautiful and fascinating. Why, when a group of them are out playing somewhere they perhaps shouldn’t, the guardsmen who catch them seemed ready to use brute force against their whole group until they realise a true-born Galra child is among the mix.

Maybe they start to see the inconsistencies in the narrative where the stories don’t quite match up, or the hiccups in the system where the rules just don’t work. The problems. The flaws. Maybe, just maybe, the younger generations learn of Emperors and Empresses of times past and realise not all of them were immortals - or rather, none of them were - and more than that, that some were corrupt and flawed and wrong.

Maybe they realise that Emperor Zarkon could be wrong too.

A little research teaches them that the Blade of Marmora defied an Empress, once, and now they’re gone (and one cannot simply join the Blade besides) but they think there must be others - others who had seen the wrongness of it all, and others who want better - and there are. They’re small, they’re quiet, and they work in the shadows, but there are those who seek to depose the Emperor (and isn’t that a blasphemous thought?) not for revenge or glory or a chance at the throne themselves - though there are plenty of those too - but just because there’s something Not Quite Right about the current state of the universe and they want a chance to change it for the better.

…Individual rogues and lone saboteurs aside, the most notable organised movements are:

The Pacifistic Faction - the largest group, having half-exiled themselves to the backwaters of the Empire, where the colonies are peaceful and quiet and serve primarily as farmland - necessary, but uneventful - and there they stay, not actively contributing to the war but still feeding its soldiers.

The Blade of Marmora - the most famed, but also famously dead at the hands of Empress Zetian after openly defying her in light of the atrocities she committed, declaring her actions as ones of injustice and senseless violence without honour - a declaration for which she demanded their heads, and they hers in return, resulting in what is recorded as a gruesome murder-suicide, though whether the instigator of their final confrontation was her or them is, to this day, unclear.

The Zeraii (from the root, Zera) - a small extremist group that first formed as a reaction to Emperor Zaghit’s ascension, pushing the agenda of Expanse and blaming Zaghit’s Dox heritage for his “weakness of will,” with claims that the Monarch should always be of either Aalk or Byal descent as the only branches of the Galra people strong enough to lead them to true greatness. They believe that their purpose is to “cleanse” the Empire of what is deemed unworthy, with hybrid-galra being considered polluted abominations of noble Galra blood.

The Kyl tron Kitah - a zealotic subset of the Druidic Faith, the members of which (despite the vast majority not being of Druidic blood themselves, but rather regular people of extreme piety) believe that the Galra should be led by the Church rather than the Crown, with the Archivist at their head as opposed to an Emperor / Empress.

Underground Railroads - those on record were swiftly dealt with, so if there are any ongoing successful attempts then they remain anonymous for a reason, but Galra doctors (particularly those stationed at any of the Empire’s notorious Arenas) have been known to take pity on grievously wounded gladiators and incorrectly report their deaths, when the truth of the matter is that they have been smuggled out of the medical bay to relative freedom where they might live out their days working manual labour jobs on a backwater colony. No one looks for the dead, after all. This practice (or, at least, accounts of foiled railroads) became less common after Haggar developed an interest in live specimens and began to have her druids “observe and assist” at many of the Arenas.

Smuggling Resources - Imperial citizens (people of Galra and non-Galra descent alike) of all walks of life have been known to siphon off supplies from their respective careers if they think they might be of use to the less fortunate. The punishment received if caught is dependent upon the scale of the operation, the frequency of the offence, and the value of the goods being smuggled; hydration-packs might see the individual responsible suffer light corporal punishment followed by a few movements in solitary confinement and then a few more in a re-education programme, whereas the theft of quintessence (pure or processed) risks being thrown into the Arena to serve as a gladiator if they are allowed the opportunity of redemption, and if not, then simply execution.

[zutaralesbian]

☕️ f/f ships

Ooooh. Be prepared for me to get on my soap box with this one lol.

I will forever be annoyed at the lack of fandom attention f/f ships get in comparison to m/f and m/m ships. Granted, I do understand that a lot of the attention m/m ships get are from straight women who fetishize them and that isn't by any means a good thing. But I think a lot of wlw are guilty of ignoring f/f ships in favor of m/m ones too. And whether that's on purpose or unintentional, I think that is something people should be aware of. Wlw are also capable of internalized misogyny.

And no, I don't want to hear the "there isn't as many developed female characters as there are male ones!" excuse. Because even if that is partly true:

A: I've seen fandoms create masses of content for the most basic and underdeveloped male characters. Just look at Kyl*x. It's one of the most popular Star Wars ships despite the fact that Hux is barely a character lmao

B: Even if they are a little bit of a rarity, I HAVE seen well rounded and complex female characters. And you know what usually happens? They're either hated or ignored anyway.

Content and appreciation for F/F ships is rare because they have an intersection of misogyny and homophobia directed towards them. A lot of people in fandoms just can't handle men not being involved in something.

That being said, I do acknowledge that a lot of canon f/f ships aren't....really up to par lol. I've said before that I have a limited amount of canon f/f OTP's because I have difficulty finding ones that I think are compelling. A lot of them suffer from being underdeveloped and are placed there by show writers simply to get representation kudo points. But still....my point still stands that fandoms are typically much more willing to create content for bland male characters than they ever are for female characters of any kind.

There needs to be more diversity with f/f ships too. Most of them contain at least one cis white woman.

Send me a ☕️ and a topic and I’ll talk about how I feel about it lol

[wholesome-lesbiab]

vähän random kysymys, mut tiiätsä miten suomessa voisi tutustua lgbtq-ihmisiin? oon 21v. queer yo-opiskelija. mun kaupungissa (turussa) on jotain setan toimintaa, mut en oo ikinä ennen käyny niissä ja vähän mietin, millasia ne on. olisin kiinnostunut löytämään samanikäsiä kavereita, en mitään vertaistukiryhmää tai luentoja. halusin mennä prideille, mut en tunne ketään muuta, joka olis menossa ja oon ehkä vähän ujo. off topic, mut sun kissat on tosi söpöjä!

Omasta kokemuksestani voin sanoo et tutustuin suomen lgbt väkeen sillä et yhden fandomin kautta löysin hyvin paljon suomalaisia täällä tumpussa eli sanoisin et tumppu on aika hyvä & helppo lähtökohta :p suomitumppu on yleensäkin ihan täynnä lgbt väkeä nii tätä kautta ku alkaa rohkeesti tutustumaan rauhassa nii kyl se siitä! Also idk if this applies to you mut homo baarit on kans valid keino löytää uusii kavereita, ainaki ite oon tutustunut moneen varsinkin Helsingin DTM klubilla.

[galigio]

Tech Topics Updates and Analytics

An Update on Senator Kyl’s Review of Potential Anti-Conservative Bias https://t.co/5hJ483dg18 https://t.co/YEqxxquiaL

— Galigio (@galigio) August 20, 2019

August 20, 2019 at 06:12PM

[mademoisellekalopsia]

*curiously wiggles my way inside of the box*

so like the animations are presumably human

the OCs..uh..???? do they have anthro anatomy or just use their limbs like humans or wha

im pretty sure i saw it explained in one of the posts abt them but i didn't rly understand 😅

(feel free to answer this publicly; i don't have a preference on that)

Right, first actual Ask in this blog!

First of all, the animations are definitely based on human anatomy, yes. (In case of wondering if the bodies in each animation are from KYL characters, it is not actually!)

About the KYL OCs, I'd like to think they have "3 Forms of Transformation" they can take shape from. Just to have clarifications, I would love to elaborate on that.

First Form: The General Dog Form All on 4 legs, diversity of colored coats, the muzzles, ears, tail, canine body shapes, and the like pertaining to the anatomy of a literal dog.

They cannot speak in this form, but as one quote goes from Orhan Pamuk and I would love to incorporate that…"Dogs do speak, but only to those who knows how to listen."

Second Form: Anthro-Biology This covers actual anthropomorphic anatomy. They have the fur/coat, they will be standing on their back legs, hind legs act as arms, paws will act as hands, their heads will be in dog form, they will have their tails, and such. They can speak in this form, inspired from the world of Zootopia.

Third Form: Semi-Human Now, this form is shown in one artwork under "A Photo Taken of Us," you may refer to that. They have the body of human beings, but their ears will remain true to their breed, taking in dog form accompanied with their tail and their signature canine cuspids or fangs.

I would like to add this if you will. Reason why I will often draw them in this form, perhaps its because I see humans and dogs having similarities in terms of diverse origins/birthplace/culture/nationality of an individual towards the breeds of a dog. Mixed breeds is like mixed-race to us, people. Not to mention our skin tones, the patterns of a dog or even some of their base coat color is like birthmarks, vitiligo and freckles, or just the diversity of natural colors of human skin.

Of course, there would be research into this, but incorporating this matter between humans and dogs, there is a lot to uncover and I find it interesting, at least for my KYL World.

The characters have the free will to take any form they fancy and give the artist a hard time. Thanks so much, Anon, for the ask and hope this answers it clearly!

[autumnpawtribe]

Life is crazy.

I'm still recovering from almost dying.  

I haven't written much in a while, life just went a bit insane.  I would not say it went to shit, but it was a bit crazy. I figured I would write the highlights, I expect my children may one day read this.

Now, this was the day my brother, Venyabi, took the mother of my child as a mate, for she accepted him, and he her.  He loved her. This was… I dealt with it.

***********************************

Xiao and Janaret had a small… interlude in the shower the morning after we have saved his Mother and younger sister from the demons they called Father and his little minion that Naddja was married to.  Now, My Janaret is very submissive, and he is what some would call my little. I take care of him, we have times where we spend time together and I braid his hair, or we just spend time cuddling. It makes me happy to take care of him, and he is happy knowing someone will take care of him when he cannot handle life.  He’s doing much better now that our friend, Talrethriel Shadethorn, has given him oils made of Shimmerweed to help him with his anxiety.  

After their time in the shower, which I often remind them took FOREVER...

*************************

After their shower and Xiao lead Aret out, the prelate didn't speak, only nodded as he led Xiao back into the room to find clothing.  "Um.. Xiao?" He had turned an interesting shade.. "What do I wear?"

Xiao blinked, looking back at him as he pulled on his red and black house kimono, though he put on his black cloth pants from the night before on underneath as well for decency, since he'd only worn then for all of 20 minutes. "What do you mean? You have clothes here, don't you?"

"I.. um.."

"Would you just fuckin' pick clothes for him.  Tarja is whining, Im hungry, and People are actually wanting to TALK to you two.  I only have So many topics of conversation that are not stories from when Aret was little.  There is a green kilt with Gold trim, and a green vest. Put that on."  Vol poked his thoughts into Xiao’s.  "He wants you to choose for him so he looked good for you..  first impression on his mother. Remember, he is submissive, he likes a bit of guidance.  Today it is from you." 

Xiao lit up when he realized what Aret wanted. He leaned over and kissed him. "Here love, come here." He took Aret's hand and pulled him to his closet. He pulled out several things for the prelate, looking them over before finally finding the piece that he thought was just right. It was an understated black tunic with crimson stitching that hung low enough to accentuate his muscled features without looking overtly revealing, tapering down to be more form fitting around his abdomen. It was a V cut down to about his navel, but for Troll standards it was a 'dressy' vest compared to something loose like what Vol would usually wear that was more two strips of fabric with a string to keep it from flapping in the wind. He made sure to get matching pants, glad to find they were a matching set, similar crimson threading lining the sides and hips. They weren't tight enough to bulge in the groin, but close knit enough to hug his muscled thighs and accentuate his form. He bit his lip, swaying in spot a bit before reaching back to unbraid Aret's hair and pull it over his front to all drape down one shoulder on his chest. He grinned, blushing a little before moving Aret in front of a mirror so they could stand side by side. The colors made sense now, it complimented Xiao's kimono so that the two would look absolutely lovely together. Also it would come as no surprise to Vol that Xiao had Aret's hair down, they likely both knew by now he loved it like that.

Janaret smiled, blushing but happy as he stood in front of the mirror and looked at his reflection. "Thank you.  S.. Sometimes Vol'raka will choose for me. That's part of .. our special things we do. I want to make sure Muuka likes you."  He stood up straight, experimentally flipped his hair, and put a hand out. "I will make you proud, and She'll like you. I know she will."

Xiao nearly squee'ed at the hair flip, clearly adoring it. "You look absolutely gorgeous." He leaned up to kiss Aret lovingly before offering his hand. "I am always proud of you, Ba'la... shall we head down?"

Aret nodded, a hand on Xiao's as he led him out of the bedroom and downstairs.  There was the deep voiced laugh of a Darkspear, Nielka making faces at Zakin and Tarja, the tiny troll girl giggling and bouncing in her hammock.  Pahre was sitting quietly, with a soft smile and Naddja was.. not there.

"Where is Naddja?"

"Ja sistah had a visitah an’ went fer a walk.  Ja two finally join us, da bacon an eggs be cold, but dere some muffins left.  Da pancakes be gone. Ja snooze ja loose." Vol grinned, finally having given up on his mates and eating his own breakfast.  "Xiao, aftah breakfast. Kyl need ta come out an finish dat house. Auntie, Naddja, and Nielka need dey own space."

Xiao's smile dropped when he heard 'visitah'. "Who showed up?" He asked nervously, almost as if he forgot he killed the two people they had to worry about. "You can find the stone in my brewing room if you want to just reach out to him for me, Vol." He said with a small smile, though still worried.

"His name was Venyabi.  Muuka, I like human food.  Muffin? Right?" Nielka was holding up what looked like a muffin, studded with blueberries.  "I want to learn to cook. Vol'raka, I want to learn how to make muffins.." Though still scarred, the girl knew she was safe where she was and had already perked up and liked her new home.  Her mother was more subdued, more years of pain still lingering and lining her face.

"Please do not bother them with trivialities, Nielka.  We are guests, I am sure that they have other matters."  The look on her face spoke volumes as she tended to her grandson, She was afraid still, and did not wish to antagonize.

"Auntie et be fine.  Ah gotta go ta take care of a mage and make sure he finish da work, but ah also gonna be sendin' Hae an Aret ta get some clothes fer ja.  Fabric at leas'. Hae be a good seamstress an Naddja's clothes not quite fit ja. Anothah day, ah teach ja ta make muffins. Xiao a bettah cook den me.  We be takin' turns wit da chores." He smiled as he turned to Aret and Xiao, noticing they matched. "Ja look handsome with ja haiah down, sweetheart. Suits ya."  he stood, clearing his plate and giving Aret and Xiao both kisses. "Ah gonna talk ta Kyl. Eat. Be good hosts."

"Ones that are not upstairs caterwauling their lusts in the shower..."

Xiao smiled and nodded, seeming relaxed again. "Your brother stopped by? Just to say hello or for business?" He asked casually as he sat beside Aret and reached to nibble on a muffin himself. "Nielka, I would love to teach you how to cook muffins if you would like that." He said warmly, speaking the Zandali after Aret or Vol translated for him as they had been since the night before. "You do not have to worry about bothering us, Pahre. Aret is family and you are Aret's family. That makes you our family. Family is never a bother, hm?"

"Venya come ta see Naddja....". He didn't sound thrilled, but let it go as the twelve year old squealed happily. 

"I want to learn!  I..."

"Nielka, calm child.  We will stay out of your way and be no bother.". 

"Muuka... Stop it." Aret and Vol turned as Naddja and his elder brother Venyabi came back in, the druid scowling.  "They are nothing like father. They welcome you into their home. They welcome us. We get to start again without Father's rules, pain....  All the things he inflicted upon us. Let Nielka learn things. It doesn't mean they are gonna make her get married! It means she learns skills.  This family works together. So she'll have chores, just as I do, I expect you as well..."

Vol interrupted, actually smiling at Naddja, switching to Zandali and translating in his head for Xiao.  The Link worked wonders for it.  

"She is right, Auntie. No need to hide in the room upstairs.   Enjoy the grounds, spend time as you will. Once you settle in,there are things we may ask.  Most importantly, I ask that you try and be happy. Find something that makes you happy.". Vol smiled kissing Xiao, Aret and Tarja in turn.  "These make me happy."

Xiao looked as though he were about to speak when Naddja came back in and spoke up. He sat quietly, letting the family talk before leaning up to kiss Vol with a small smile. "You are safe here, you can be free here. That is all. Asking us for things, spending time... it is not a bad thing. You do not have to worry anymore."

Pahre looked in her lap, noticing only when her son moved to sit next to her.  "Muuka, this is home. A family. Everyone here is family."

"What et be ja fear, Auntie?". Vol stood next to Xiao, relaxed and smiling gently as he looked at the similar blue eyes as his lover. 

Pahre sighed.  "I must remember, Torcali forgive me, that I can know something more than fear.  I fear this place is too open and honest, that something will shatter."

"Auntie, dis place not perfect, but we try ta get along.  Et not easy ta be en a relationship wit three, and all da rest.  Gotta work at et."

"It took me a while to get used to it too. Vol'raka helped me find happiness through that openness. It may take time, but you can let yourself finally be happy. There will be no pain here."

"Ah takin' Naddja ta mate." 

Aret, Pahre, and Vol'raka turned looking at Venyabi, Naddja facepalming. "Way to go, Venya."

Vol crossed his arms, not territorial, more annoyed as Aret stared at his sister.  Even Pahre was wide eyed.

"You...  Are the new baby's father?". 

"Ah gonna be....". Venya was stopped by Vol grabbing him by the scruff and dragging him outside, Naddja following.

"Entertain them... Talk.  I'm gonna rip my brother a new ass."

"Uhhh..." He blinked, kind of just staring. When Vol yanked Venya out, he just kind of watched. "... I want to know what happens, you better leave that link open." He offered a nervous little chuckle. "Who wants breakfast dessert crepes, hm?" Yes, more cooking, that would be a good distraction.

Nielka was distracted, hopping up to follow Xiao.  "Can I watch?!"

~~~~~

"Are you serious, Venya.  I knew you were fucking, by fucking Bwonsamdi you've known each other for...a few weeks!"

"She doesn't.... Mind my...  You know. Most people are not ok with it, lil bruddah."

"It's not your choice, Vol'raka."

"Naddja, think of what I am seeing.  The woman who ... Let's just say it. The woman who raped me and had my kid is fucking my brother.  Now mating my brother and going to probably have his children..."

"And you are fucking my brother...."

~~~~~

Xiao smiled at Nielka. "Of course, come here." He extended an arm out and began to prepare all of the ingredients, explaining it all to her as he listened through the link. "She cannot hear, but... us being with Aret is irrelevant, none of us did anything /wrong/. She did. Not that I hold a grudge, but... her point is not a good one."

~~~~~

"I am.  So what.  Did you tell my brother what you did to me.  How my daughter was conceived?"

"...  Yes."

"I still love her, Vol.  She actually accepts me."

"And her children?  You wander, Venya. You don't stay in one place.  How are you going to keep wandering."

Naddja got in Vol’s face, a finger right on his nose.  "We will wander too! You don't get input into my life, you are not my caretaker nor my father.  You promised to protect me until I found someone. I found someone. I will follow all the rules, I won't be called Tarja's mother, I pitch in and do my part.  So butt out of this."

Aret spoke up, quietly.  *"Let her be happy too."

"If you hurt Venyabi, I will not forgive you.  I will be letting it go, but I hope you can understand why I am upset about this.  You can stay here for a while Venya. Same deal. Pitch in."

~~~~~

Xiao listened in silence, sighing lightly as he tried to keep up a straight face as he showed Nielka how the delicate pastry was made. "So she is going to just... wander. That means Zakin will to. I thought she would want her children to know each other. Maybe I was naive in thinking she would just live here with us in her own little quarters so Tarja could grow up around /all/ of her family..." He sounded a tad disheartened as he finally chipped in, like his fantasy had been shattered a little. 

"perhaps.. if you talk..to her Aret?  I do not know Venyabi well?"

~~~~~

Vol had shut down and stalked off, still there but silent as he had left Venya and Naddja alone to come back in.

"Mango Mon, what a makin?". He was not looking at crepes.  He was looking at the stew pot. It smelled far different from a sweet breakfast.

~~~~~

"I do not know either of them well..." He said uncertainly, his gaze pulling to Venya now. The nickname made him smile again, putting the finishing touches on the crepes and putting some powdered sugar on top. "These? They are pastries and-..." It was then that he followed Venya's line of sight and cleared his throat. "That is nothing, just... something Vol'raka is making." He tried to sound casual but he was about as stiff as a board now, anxious panda. He didn't want any attention drawn to that pot. 

Venya sniffed, picked up the lid and wafted away the steam.  "Da fuck ja got troll hearts en a pot fer?"

Aret's face fell and he paled, hoping his mother and younger sister had not heard Venya.  thankfully Pahre was enamored with spending time with her playful grandson and granddaughter, who was inspecting her fingers.  "It is Vol'raka's dinner, please leave it alone."

Naddja scowled, then sighed.  "Bwonsamdi."

Venya made an "ooooooooohhhhh" looking face and closed the lid.  "Ah serve da grave too sometimes, ah get et. Ah not sure mah bruddah happy bout mah fallin' fer Naddja.

Xiao tried to stop him but it was too late. When Venya spoke about it, his mouth fell agape and he looked horrified. He hurried Nielka off to serve the crepes and then spoke in a low but 'angry' whisper so only Vena, Aret, and Naddja could hear once Nielka was out of earshot. "What is wrong with you! If there are Troll hearts stewing, you do not just ask like you would ask about the weather! Sweet Celestials... That poor woman has been through enough, they both have." He gave Venya a disapproving look, scolding him like the Ba he was. He then realized he had just scolded his future brother in law and bit his lip. "Sorry, I just... do not want Pahre and Nielka to have to go through anything more than they already have." He murmured, low still so the other two wouldn't hear.

"Ja lived with Vol dis long an’ he not brought home 'dinnah'?  He respectin' JA culture more den his own lil bruddah. Let da old lady be blissful an unaware.. or jus be blind ta et fer 'er own sake.  Ja not gotta be yellin' at me bout et. Et not mah sacrifice ta be eatin'."

Aret turned his head upstairs and wandered out, heading for the office Vol kept inside the house, almost like he was called.  Naddja watched her brother wander off, turning to Xiao. "Vol doesn't want me here, does he?"

Xiao sighed heavily, whispering to Venyabi now. "They are her hearts of her son by marriage and her husband. There is a reason I told you to shh. It is not the fact that they are offerings to Bwonsamdi, it is who the offerings ARE." He then huffed a little. "Also, do not talk about us not respecting his culture? Who do you think helped me prepare the sacrifice?." He grumbled under his breath mildly.  “I doubt we would have been met with the presence of the Loa of Graves if we were paying that little attention... Talk about making my heart race in minor panic." He grumbled again and sighed, realizing he said that out loud, hoping no one heard. He cleared his throat and welcomed Naddja's question, looking to her with a shake of her head. "It is not that he does not want you here. I think... the fact that he lets you near Tarja, lets you live in our home, as family... is trying to him. It takes patience. You have to remember, Naddja... at the end of the day, regardless of what circumstances you were under at home, you raped him. Did you know he does not drink anymore? He hardly even smokes. He refuses almost any intoxicants now ever since that incident. So to have the patience and restraint to let you live under his roof with our child and even getting to be in her life... then find out you are going to go wandering off with his brother? There are limitations to how much someone can put up with. Yes, he is also with your brother, but... we went into that situation with no idea who he was to you. The fact that you two are related is a sheer twist of incredibly unexpected fate. It is not as if he went after him knowing he was your brother. Even if he had, he was not the one who did the wrong but was the one wronged himself. So think of this from his perspective. He shows you the leniency and mercy and kindness to not only forgive you, but invite you and your family in, let you in our daughter's life, reunite you with your son... take care of certain issues so you never have to worry about safety again. All of that, and now he finds out that after everything he has done, you decide to possibly flit off with his brother. It is... salt in the wound. A wound that is still incredibly fresh to him." He sighed quietly, looking down at the kitchen floor as he contemplated his next words.

"I know that... I want you here, believe it or not. I thought that you would live here with us, Pahre and Nielka too. You would have your own quarters, a separate little area through portal magic, but... still in reach. Our own... tribe, if you will. Tarja gets aunts, uncles, grandmothers... a brother, though she will know him as a cousin and vice versa. Your son would get to grow up with a big loving family, no one would be in danger, and..." He shook his head, trailing off again. "It sounds idealistic, but I just thought... I guess I hoped you would stay here, all of you would. Aret is our family, so that makes you family. I had hoped we could be family... together."

Naddja looked chastised and sighed as Venya put an arm around her shoulders.  "Ah.. ah know what happen. We agree et not right, we agree da lil ones be needin' ta be raised tagetha, lil bruddah.  Et gonna be up to Vol'raka. He forgivin' but ah tink tings hurt em more den he lettin' on. We close, but ...."

"Xiao Chun.  Vol'raka is speaking with Kylendris.  He would like to speak to you, once he is done."  Aret came back in, having not heard Venya speaking.  "He is trying to fix the hole in the wall..."

Xiao frowned a little. "I know it is, but he is trying to keep us all together for the sake of our daughter. He wants her to be with as much family as she can. He just needs time and you two getting together is something that adds more strain to his already stressed load than he anticipated." He then looked back at Aret and nodded. "I was wondering when he was going to reach out to him." He said casually before reaching out through the link. "Hole?" He sighed internally, trying to hide his disappointment. "Do you think it is okay if I go in to see him now? Can you entertain?" He said with a glance toward those still in the kitchen and dining area. 

"Nienie...  let me show you how to fold the crepes?  Venyabi, we are not so close, and I would bet you do not know my mother, nor younger sister.  I would like to learn more of you, as you will be with my sister?" Aret smiled, hiding his worry.  "He broke his hand."

~~~~

Vol was healing his hand, misjudging his aim and having hit a section of stone.  The wall only had a small dent. The mage would finish his work and the rest of the family would get their space and he could ...  normal was not going to happen, he shouldn't delude himself.

Xiao hurried into the office, frowning as he saw Vol tending to his hand. "What happened...?" He asked worriedly, inching closer to Vol as he peered at him with a worried little whimper.

Vol looked up, grinning even if it did not meet his eyes.  "Just breaking my hand, lamenting that I let Venya come visit a few weeks ago, having Tarja's conception rubbed into my face, feeling like I can't save everyone and my kindness is tossed in my face like mud?  Nothing major lover. How are you?"  He flexed his hand as he stood up, putting Xiao's stone on the desk.  “He'll have it all finished by tomorrow. I need to send Hae and Aret off to get supplies, I need to feed the raptors.. I need to get shit done today.."  He instead sat in his chair and let his head fall on the desk.

Xiao's frown deepened, moving over to sit in Vol's lap and force his head off the desk and onto his fuzzy chest instead. "Vol'raka... hey, look at me." He murmured, trying to make Vol look up at him so he could gently kiss him on the noise before nuzzling against a tusk. "What do you mean thrown in your face? ... Who could you not save? I know you are hurting, but talk to me, please?" The upgrades from Kyl could wait until later, he was more concerned about Vol. 

"Ah get hurt..  ah get an unexpected kid, ah forgive, ah forget, ah do all ah can ta make people happy.  Killin' again, make sure ever' one be safe. Try to make so ouah lil girl be given a good family, all who love 'er, even ef ah gotta see ... er ever' day.  Now.. et be 'ey, we gonna go travelin'. Ah done ever'tin' ah could so dis can be a family, even ef et hurt me... an' now..." Vol sighed, defeated.

Xiao nodded in understanding, leaning in to hug Vol. "I told Naddja and Venyabi the same thing. Venyabi said that they will not be wandering. I already said they need to be here with their family. Zakin deserves to be with his sister, even if he it is raised as cousin. After all Pahre and Nielka have gone through, they should have their whole family, all the family that matters at least." He nuzzled into Vol's neck, trying to comfort him. "Venyabi said that the kids need to be raised together but... you accepting Naddja is going to be on you. I promptly told them that they are the ones who need to give you time. After everything... Venyabi being involved on top of it, I know it has to be overwhelming."

“I don't know if I can."  He left it at that, holding Xiao around the shoulders, chin resting on his love's head.  "I have tried.  I have tried so hard to forget.  To give up my hatred, to give her a chance.  All I see is the day she found me in Zandalar and told me she was carrying my kid.  I had nightmares... I think I still do...."

Xiao whimpered quietly, hugging Vol tighter. "Can I help...?"

"I don't know.."  He lifted his head, plastering on a smile.  "Just keep going..  all I can do, you, Aret, Tarja.  Need me to get over it."

Xiao shook his head. "No... hey... please, do not do that." He whimpered quietly, pressing his forehead against Vol's. "Don't pretend for me, I want my Vol, not some mask."

"Da mask be ta survive, Xiao Chun.  Et ta not explode." He looked over at the smallish hole in the wall.  “Not doin' such a good job hmm?”

Xiao shook his head again. "No... we promised honesty, remember?" He murmured nervously, trying to hug his Vol tighter

"Lie of Omission is still a lie.  I am TRYING hard to not snap at her.  I agreed to let her stay, for you, Aret, Tarja to have SOME relationship with her.  Killed her father, and that good for nothing man of her's... Even if it killed me to do so.  My family needs her, and she's gonna go run off with my brother.. make the two children she cares for wander too."  He was angry, almost shaking, but his voice was dead calm.

Xiao pulled back, looking at Vol. "They are staying, remember? Venyabi said they deserve to be raised together, meaning they will stay... I told him, they need to be together. They agreed."

"That's fine, I just....  I need our space, Xiao. I can't keep having Naddja in my face.  I want nights back where It's just you, me, Aret, and Tarja. A quiet meal with just my mates, our children.  If it was not a very bad time to do so, I would head to Jade Forest. Pack the four of us up and just go for a week.  Can't DO that. So that elf is going to come here, finish the job and Naddja, Venya, all of them get their OWN house. I want OUR house back.  I want to be able to fuck you on the kitchen table when I FEEL LIKE IT."  the last part was not meant as a joke.

Xiao blushed a little, nodding and cuddling into Vol. "I miss that openness, too. We can have Nielka, Venya, Pahre, Zakin, and Naddja all in their own home with the four of us being here. I originally had thought they could a separate set of rooms through a portal, but... an entirely different house would probably be better. That way we can have family dinners if we want while still having our privacy. Are we going to construct a base house so Kyl can create the portal setup or is this just going to be... a hidden portal outside that they walk into like a front door?"

The big troll sat back, sighing.  "Dunno, dun care.  I was our space back.  I'm going to be going with Hae to get supplies.  I was going to send Aret, but I need out of the house.   I'm going to actually meditate first."  He smirked at Xiao, kissing his nose.  "My Master taught me how, I think I need to right now.   I'll fix the wall later. I just. I cannot have her in my face all the time.  I need time to heal the wound, all I am asking. And maybe being able to bend my husbands over Where I want to....." 

"Well, just having a portal placed against a rock or something would be much more... instantly available where if we want an indoors place with the portals inside, that would require us to build the actual base structure first. If we just do a portal inlaid into a tree or something, it can be done in a day or two probably." He said as he nuzzled against Vol's neck. "Can I help at all? Can I do anything? I really wish I could help."

"Make the pain stop."  It was all he said as he curled around his love.  "I want no more reminders.  I want to look at my Loves and be happy, I want to look at my daughter and not think on .. what happened.  Forgive me if I run away from it for a day?"

"You do not have to be sorry for not wanting to think about being raped..." He whispered with a quiet whimper. "You are so strong, Vol'raka... to show as much kindness as you do. I am so proud of you." He stood up and offered Vol his hand. "Come on, we are going to run off for the day. Aret can entertain the family. You and I are going to have some time just for us, okay? Like things are normal like before. Just us, no distractions, no painful memories... just each other, okay?"

"It looks really bad if we just bail, Xiao Chun."

Xiao chuckled a little. "Kyl is my contact, it would make sense if you took me with you so I can make sure you get the right things?" He suggested as he offered his hand still, hopeful.

"Lover..."  He left the link, whispering in Xiao's ear.  "We wont make et ta Halfhill or da Shrine. Ah will take you to the jungle and I WILL have you.  on ja back, moanin' fer me, hearin' only MAH name on my lips. Until Ah hear.. "Fuck me Vol'raka.  Breed mah body, fill me....", be et screamed or whispered. And Ah will GLADLY do so.... Nothin' gonna get done dat way."

He grabbed Vol's hand and tugged "We are going, /now/." He practically moaned, trying to tug him out of the office and out on their little adventure.

*******************************

We have an active love life...

[mademoisellekalopsia]

Hello Ma'dam (/gn)

It is @hic-hic-dreams here to ask a question about your ocs

Do you have any ships for your kyl ocs? are you alright with others shipping them? and if yes can i write a ship fic or olivia and britney?

To be frank, I have no problems with that at all, go right on ahead! For Olivia Wright, as you mentioned, she's alright with that. I appreciate the ask.

If you need any more information or profile about her, it'll be just here in this very blog.

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Who wouldn’t want to spend the day watching a Supreme Court nomination hearing?

FiveThirtyEight is tracking Brett Kavanaugh’s testimony in the Senate all week long, and some of our writers will be offering our thoughts after each day’s action. Today, Oliver Roeder and Perry Bacon Jr. each filed a dispatch.

The confirmation hearing of Brett Kavanaugh began on Tuesday morning under chaotic protest. In an apparent break from regular order, Democrats on the Judiciary Committee repeatedly moved that the hearing be adjourned or delayed, citing hundreds of thousands of documents they either didn’t have or received too late to review. These motions were all denied or ignored by the committee’s irritated and flustered chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley. And civilian protestors repeatedly interrupted the proceedings over the course of the day, shouting for the senators to vote against Kavanaugh, to the consternation of many senators on the dais.

Kavanaugh sat mostly poker-faced during the statements and commotions, sipping water and taking occasional notes. He is scheduled to start answering questions on Wednesday.

It was a remarkable political scene, but Sen. Ted Cruz was unimpressed. Citing Shakespeare, he called it “a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing.”

He may be right. As I wrote yesterday, confirmation hearings have become limelighted, grandstanding affairs. In the decades since the hearings were made public, in 1939, the comments uttered during the hearings have grown by an order of magnitude, as have the number of issues discussed. But the answers given by nominees to these voluminous questions increasingly contain little information. Innocuousness is the name of the nominees’ game. And most reporting out of Washington suggests that Senate Democrats face long odds to stop a seemingly inevitable confirmation.

Kavanaugh’s record and the role of the committee were grilled in Tuesday’s opening statements — as was the role of the Supreme Court itself. Sen. Ben Sasse delivered a self-styled “Schoolhouse Rock” lecture, in which he, rather disturbingly, described the Congress as “self-neutered.” Supreme Court justices, he said, have become the super-legislators instead, which is in an affront to the Framers’ intentions and the health of the democracy.

Then again, Sasse, a Republican, is almost certainly going to vote in favor of someone who will help the court pivot sharply to the right. Were Kavanaugh to be confirmed, Chief Justice John Roberts would almost certainly become the court’s new median justice. The Court is now a powerful and polarized branch of government — no senatorial speech is going to change that

In other words, the yelling protestors didn’t show up for nothing. Major issues of abortion rights, voting rights, campaign finance, health care, and the role of the executive branch could easily wind up on the high court’s docket.

To that last point, discussing Kavanaugh’s broad conception of executive power in the midst of federal convictions, guilty pleas and indictments of those close to the president, Sen. Chris Coons wondered whether Trump had nominated Kavanaugh “with an eye toward protecting himself.” Much of the days to come will no doubt be devoted to that possibility.

Sen. John Kennedy, meanwhile, said he was simply looking for someone who writes crisply, and “knows what a semicolon is for.” Kavanaugh smiled; I’d bet he fits that description.

—Oliver Roeder

I think the surprisingly combative approach by Democrats at the start of Kavanaugh hearing reflects four things.

The obvious one is that the Kavanaugh nomination is hugely important. The stakes are higher in some ways than last year’s hearings for Neil Gorsuch, which was basically a swap of one stalwart conservative (Antonin Scalia) with another.

Secondly, since the March 2017 Gorsuch hearings, I would argue the base of the Democratic Party has gotten more aggressive and feisty, and pushed the party’s lawmakers toward the left. Every indication we have is that Democrats are moving left on policy and tactics. Today’s protests add another small piece of evidence to that thesis.

Third, the Senate Judiciary committee has some very anti-Trump members. Four (Richard Blumenthal, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Mazie Horino) of the top 10 most anti-Trump senators (according to our Trump Score) are on this committee. It was not surprising they wanted a direct confrontation over this nomination process. I think Booker and Harris’s concerns are less about them potentially running for president and more about them being liberal, anti-Trump senators.

Finally, Republicans’ opting to release 42,000 pages of documents only hours before the hearing was another norms violation by the GOP. There was basically no way for the senators to read those documents before the hearing. Of course they were upset. The two parties have been intensely battling over the how the Supreme Court nomination process should go for three decades. But I think the Democrats are particularly upset about the Republicans’ refusal to hold a hearing in 2016 for Obama Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. The Democrats view that as a major transgression of the normal way the judicial nominations process is supposed to go. It’s worth thinking about this dispute with Garland in the back of your mind — that’s the original sin by Senate Republicans according to these Democrats.

Unsurprisingly, none of the committee’s Republicans joined the protest. If you watched the remarks of Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Ben Sasse of Nebraska, two Republicans who are frequent critics of Trump, there was little doubt that they will vote for Kavanaugh. It’s hard to see Democrats getting any Republicans in the Senate to oppose the nominee — and they need two now, with ex-senator Jon Kyl about to replace the late John McCain. But at the Kavanaugh hearing Flake expressed frustration with Trump’s tweet over the weekend implying that Attorney General Jeff Sessions should have somehow blocked the recent indictments of two House Republicans to help the GOP in the midterms. Flake hinted that he will press Kavanaugh on that tweet and issues around Trump’s presidential authority.

That could be interesting. I think it’s obvious that Kavanaugh will duck questions around, say, abortion rights or Obamacare. But in some ways, the voters, by electing a Republican president and a GOP Senate, decided that having judges on the Court who were strong defenders of abortion rights and Obamacare were not a high priority to them. (And maybe they elected Republicans precisely to roll back Obamacare and abortion rights.) The questions around Trump, the Russia investigation, how Trump runs the executive branch, and the extent of his powers are newer and aren’t as partisan as other Trump topics. The nominee may feel some pressure to prove to Flake and some Republicans on the committee that he will not always do Trump’s bidding if he is on the court.

— Perry Bacon Jr.

[undergroundwubwubmaster]

*sees an ask about sharing OCs* Oh lovely! First of I love your art

Ooh Warframe OC!

I have a Big Strong Defector Baby as well, his name is Khylorian, or Kyl for short ^^ bet they could get along well.