#Law Disorder (2016)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Ian Millhiser at Vox:

The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will not hear Mckesson v. Doe. The decision not to hear Mckesson leaves in place a lower court decision that effectively eliminated the right to organize a mass protest in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Under that lower court decision, a protest organizer faces potentially ruinous financial consequences if a single attendee at a mass protest commits an illegal act.

It is possible that this outcome will be temporary. The Court did not embrace the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s decision attacking the First Amendment right to protest, but it did not reverse it either. That means that, at least for now, the Fifth Circuit’s decision is the law in much of the American South. For the past several years, the Fifth Circuit has engaged in a crusade against DeRay Mckesson, a prominent figure within the Black Lives Matter movement who organized a protest near a Baton Rouge police station in 2016. The facts of the Mckesson case are, unfortunately, quite tragic. Mckesson helped organize the Baton Rouge protest following the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling. During that protest, an unknown individual threw a rock or similar object at a police officer, the plaintiff in the Mckesson case who is identified only as “Officer John Doe.” Sadly, the officer was struck in the face and, according to one court, suffered “injuries to his teeth, jaw, brain, and head.”

Everyone agrees that this rock was not thrown by Mckesson, however. And the Supreme Court held in NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware (1982) that protest leaders cannot be held liable for the violent actions of a protest participant, absent unusual circumstances that are not present in the Mckesson case — such as if Mckesson had “authorized, directed, or ratified” the decision to throw the rock. Indeed, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor points out in a brief opinion accompanying the Court’s decision not to hear Mckesson, the Court recently reaffirmed the strong First Amendment protections enjoyed by people like Mckesson in Counterman v. Colorado (2023). That decision held that the First Amendment “precludes punishment” for inciting violent action “unless the speaker’s words were ‘intended’ (not just likely) to produce imminent disorder.”

The reason Claiborne protects protest organizers should be obvious. No one who organizes a mass event attended by thousands of people can possibly control the actions of all those attendees, regardless of whether the event is a political protest, a music concert, or the Super Bowl. So, if protest organizers can be sanctioned for the illegal action of any protest attendee, no one in their right mind would ever organize a political protest again. Indeed, as Fifth Circuit Judge Don Willett, who dissented from his court’s Mckesson decision, warned in one of his dissents, his court’s decision would make protest organizers liable for “the unlawful acts of counter-protesters and agitators.” So, under the Fifth Circuit’s rule, a Ku Klux Klansman could sabotage the Black Lives Matter movement simply by showing up at its protests and throwing stones.

The Fifth Circuit’s Mckesson decision is obviously wrong

Like Mckesson, Claiborne involved a racial justice protest that included some violent participants. In the mid-1960s, the NAACP launched a boycott of white merchants in Claiborne County, Mississippi. At least according to the state supreme court, some participants in this boycott “engaged in acts of physical force and violence against the persons and property of certain customers and prospective customers” of these white businesses. Indeed, one of the organizers of this boycott did far more to encourage violence than Mckesson is accused of in his case. Charles Evers, a local NAACP leader, allegedly said in a speech to boycott supporters that “if we catch any of you going in any of them racist stores, we’re gonna break your damn neck.”

With SCOTUS refusing to take up McKesson v. Doe, the 5th Circuit's insane anti-1st Amendment ruling that effectively bans mass protests remains in force for the 3 states covered in the 5th: Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

[soon-palestine]

Under that lower court decision, a protest organizer faces potentially ruinous financial consequences if a single attendee at a mass protest commits an illegal act.

It is possible that this outcome will be temporary. The Court did not embrace the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s decision attacking the First Amendment right to protest, but it did not reverse it either. That means that, at least for now, the Fifth Circuit’s decision is the law in much of the American South.

For the past several years, the Fifth Circuit has engaged in a crusade against DeRay Mckesson, a prominent figure within the Black Lives Matter movement who organized a protest near a Baton Rouge police station in 2016.

The facts of the Mckesson case are, unfortunately, quite tragic. Mckesson helped organize the Baton Rouge protest following the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling. During that protest, an unknown individual threw a rock or similar object at a police officer, the plaintiff in the Mckesson case who is identified only as “Officer John Doe.” Sadly, the officer was struck in the face and, according to one court, suffered “injuries to his teeth, jaw, brain, and head.”

Everyone agrees that this rock was not thrown by Mckesson, however. And the Supreme Court held in NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware (1982) that protest leaders cannot be held liable for the violent actions of a protest participant, absent unusual circumstances that are not present in the Mckesson case — such as if Mckesson had “authorized, directed, or ratified” the decision to throw the rock.

Indeed, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor points out in a brief opinion accompanying the Court’s decision not to hear Mckesson, the Court recently reaffirmed the strong First Amendment protections enjoyed by people like Mckesson in Counterman v. Colorado (2023). That decision held that the First Amendment “precludes punishment” for inciting violent action “unless the speaker’s words were ‘intended’ (not just likely) to produce imminent disorder.”

The reason Claiborne protects protest organizers should be obvious. No one who organizes a mass event attended by thousands of people can possibly control the actions of all those attendees, regardless of whether the event is a political protest, a music concert, or the Super Bowl. So, if protest organizers can be sanctioned for the illegal action of any protest attendee, no one in their right mind would ever organize a political protest again.

Indeed, as Fifth Circuit Judge Don Willett, who dissented from his court’s Mckesson decision, warned in one of his dissents, his court’s decision would make protest organizers liable for “the unlawful acts of counter-protesters and agitators.” So, under the Fifth Circuit’s rule, a Ku Klux Klansman could sabotage the Black Lives Matter movement simply by showing up at its protests and throwing stones.

[redysetdare]

No you're so right I fucking hate the "aces have it so much better than aros" part of the community. Just because more people know the word asexual than aromantic doesn't mean aces are treated better than aros by the society?? More people know the word asexual yes, but they don't really understand what it means to be on the asexual spectrum, and they try to paint us in the worst light possible. That's like saying binary trans people have it much better than nonbinary people, or trans women have it much better than trans men due to more visibility. Some people in the aro community want there to be a hierarchy of non-aro aces > aroaces > non-ace aros so bad because they just want to be acephobic and get away with it. And they're barely even hiding that anymore nowadays.

Sorry for this angry rant, sometimes it just feels like everyone, even other aspec people absolutely despise aroaces.

I really need people to acknowledge that a group being more visible does not make them more accepted or better treated than a group that is invisible. You think we'd learn this after this argument has been used against so many identities but noooope. I guess not. The thing is that visibility can still be bad because being visible to your oppressors just makes you an easier target. the words homosexual, gay, and lesbian were all known way before asexual and you know what that visibility did? it mostly got them targeted and attacked - especially by laws and the medical field. Autism is a label that's been known for decades and people STILL treat Autism like a bad word and a terrible thing to be labeled.

People are just starting to figure out the word asexual and they are using that to actively target asexuals. The Ace discourse era around 2016 was AWFUL and it was because people learned the term asexual and decided we were just "Straight people trying to be special" or "incel freaks" or "Just sad virgins" It was considered cool and fun to mock and harass asexuals. it was common for people to create fake ace blogs to make us look bad. There are still dog whistles being posted around that mock and belittle asexuals that people treat as silly jokes. People still tell aces to shut up and not complain. People who harassed aces of tumblr act like their part in the ace discourse era was just a quirky little thing they did and not a genuine issue that they refuse to acknowledge and any ace who brings it up gets told to get the fuck over it.

It ignored the fact that asexuals have the highest stat in conversion therapy. it ignores the stat that corrective rape happens majority to asexuals. it ignored the fact that many asexuals end up getting broken up with or divorced for being asexual because so many people are unwilling to compromise in a relationship that isn't sexual. Many Aces feel forced to have sex with their partners because not doing so gets them labeled as abusive. Asexuality is still considered by most doctors to be a disorder that needs to be fixed and so it can be dangerous to bring it up lest your doctor actively try to focus on it as a main issue. Therapists assume your asexuality is a trauma response and may aces have to keep their asexuality under wraps lest their therapists start to focus only on that instead of their other issues. Yes, people know the term asexual. But that does not mean they Accept asexuals. some people use the knowledge of that term to target and attack asexuals.

No one has it better. we all just face different issues and to claim one group is some how more accepted than another is naive at best and outright malicious at worst and genuinely some of these people are getting way to close to repeating ace discourse era arguments and it's really getting to me because the call SHOULD NOT be coming from INSIDE THE FUCKING HOUSE.

[wolves-and-stars]

Go to Fics (Easy Reads)

(A list of fics for when you're in a reading rut and want something easy, i keep going back to these ones they never let me down. Nothing too heavy, but please read the tags.)

1. How Remus Got His Groove Back by RealityShowJunky (ao3) 42k

Category: fluff? crack humor

I love this fic, the conversations are so well thought out, the characters are so interesting, you'll hate sirius, and Remus is kind of a pushover giving 2014 nerd, lonely, poorly written personality archtype. BUT, only when it comes to sirius, otherwise he's brilliant.

2. Succession of Halos by orphan_account (ao3) 7k

Category: fluffr

Remus runs a bookstore and sometimes minds harry, lily and james' brilliant son. Remus reads harry a book written by prof. sirius black about astronomy and the stars, and happens to attend a lecture to get their signature. Lily might be playing match maker.

3. See But One Moon by orphan_account (ao3) 9k

Category: fluff

Sirius Black has been pining for the nerdy Barista, Remus Lupin, for three months, but can't seem to get his attention. Remus, however, has noticed the over-excited law student, but isn't interested in being a conquest of the week. When Remus starts listening to the Marauding Hour--a University radio programme, he finds himself enraptured by one of the DJs, and starts to crush on him--hard. Little does he know that Padfoot has known him all along, and is looking for something much more than a one-off.

The summary explains it well enough, its very cute.

4. Sun In My Eyes by orphan_account (ao3) 12k

Category: not fluff, not angst either? non magic?

Remus Lupin struggles with a lot of things in life. Bipolar disorder, being poor, and working as an artist. He has a strict routine and plans to keep it that way with the help of his best friends Lily and James until one day James' best mate from school shows up and turns everything upside down. When art model Sirius enters Remus' life like a whirlwind, nothing will ever be the same.

I love this one, read it in 2016, still do every once in a while.

5. Other's Woe by orphan_account (ao3) 2k

Category: fluff

Forced to attend a group project meeting for a theology class, Remus thinks his day will be miserable until a gorgeous, grey-eyed stranger plants himself at their table and challenges the archaic thinking of the rest of the group. And in the end, it works out very well for Remus Lupin.

very fluffy, very soft, very short.

6. Living Like We're Renegades by orphan_account (ao3) 24k

Category: fluff

Exuberant, proud, genderfluid, cheerleader, self-described narcissist. All things to describe Sirius Black. It's a stark contrast from the self-imposed loner, Journalist, and Gender Studies major Remus Lupin who is thrown into Sirius' world after accepting a project for a class. When the two worlds collide, both lives are changed for the better.

 Sirius leant forward a bit, meeting Remus’ eyes. “Are you asking if I go for cute boys in beanies and jumpers, Remus Lupin?”

 Remus’ face went hot. “Er. No. I mean…er…”

 Sirius laughed. “Find your chill, love. I’m joking.” He winked at Remus and sat back again.

sorry for staright up copy pasting the summaries by the author, but i feel like they cover it well enough.

7. Miles To Go Before I Sleep by orphan_account (ao3) 4k

Category: fluff, mostly

Working the front door at a posh block of flats, Remus Lupin spends their nights watching the door, and occasionally taking a sleep-walking Sirius Black back to the arms of his flatmate. Pining quietly, everything changes for Remus one night when Sirius' sleep-walking leads to comfort and emotional revelations.

8. All Hail the Outlaws by orphan_account (ao3) 29k

Category: fluff, fluff, fluff

One of Remus Lupin's three jobs happens to be working maintenance for their flat building. He gets to meet all sorts, most of whom he would rather have nothing to do with. Until James Potter and Sirius Black move in across the hall. Engineering students and self-proclaimed geniuses, the pair set out to make their neighbours new best friends, and everyone's life is turned upside down, but in the best way possible.

9. A Cure For Nightmares [+podfic] by picascribit (ao3) 36k

Category: hurt/comfort, angst, emotional

Sirius Black is not happy about their new roomate, who seems up himself, except the both of them suffer from nightmares and happen to get each other through the night. Will the secrets behind their nightmares get them together or will it tear them apart?

A couple of trigger warning for this one: mentions of SA, Physical A*buse, S*lf H*rm, De*th, H*m*phobia. i would proceed with caution, and read the tags carefully.

10. take me as I am by orphan_account, Shira_a 48k

Category: fluff, humor, but also sort of emotional and moments of angst.

Sirius is a sleep demon who gives nightmares to humans. Remus is an insomniac with hallucinations.

I will offer no other explanation. Love, Love, Love this one. its odd and well written and the characters are real and so is the relationship. Sirius the sleep demon and the hardship of humans and their mortality,

[yourreddancer]

from The Atlantic - Tom Nichols

from The Atlantic

An aspiring fascist is the president-elect, again, of the United States. This is our political reality: Donald Trump is going to bring a claque of opportunists and kooks (led by the vice president–elect, a person who once compared Trump to Hitler) into government this winter, and even if senescence overtakes the president-elect, Trump’s minions will continue his assault on democracy, the rule of law, and the Constitution.

The urge to cast blame will be overwhelming, because there is so much of it to go around. When the history of this dark moment is written, those responsible will include not only Trump voters but also easily gulled Americans who didn’t vote or who voted for independent or third-party candidates because of their own selfish peeves.

Trump’s opponents will also blame Russia and other malign powers. Without a doubt, America’s enemies—some of whom dearly hoped for a Trump win—made efforts to flood the public square with propaganda. According to federal and state government reports, several bomb threatsthat appeared to originate from Russian email domains were aimed at areas with minority voters. But as always, the power to stop Trump rested with American voters at the ballot box, and blaming others is a pointless exercise.

So now what?

The first order of business is to redouble every effort to preserve American democracy. If I may invoke Winston Churchill, this is not the end or the beginning of the end; it is the end of the beginning.

For a decade, Trump has been trying to destroy America’s constitutional order. His election in 2016 was something like a prank gone very wrong, and he likely never expected to win. But once in office, he and his administration became a rocket sled of corruption, chaos, and sedition. Trump’s lawlessness finally caught up with him after he was forced from office by the electorate. He knew that his only hope was to return to the presidency and destroy the last instruments of accountability

Paradoxically, however, Trump’s reckless venality is a reason for hope. Trump has the soul of a fascist but the mind of a disordered child. He will likely be surrounded by terrible but incompetent people. All of them can be beaten: in court, in Congress, in statehouses around the nation, and in the public arena. America is a federal republic, and the states—at least those in the union that will still care about democracy—have ways to protect their citizens from a rogue president. Nothing is inevitable, and democracy will not fall overnight.

Do not misunderstand me. I am not counseling complacency: Trump’s reelection is a national emergency. If we have learned anything from the past several years, it’s that feel-good, performative politics can’t win elections, but if there was ever a time to exercise the American right of free assembly, it is now—not least because Trump is determined to end such rights and silence his opponents. Americans must stay engaged and make their voices heard at every turn. They should find and support organizations and institutions committed to American democracy, and especially those determined to fight Trump in the courts. They must encourage candidates in the coming 2026 elections who will oppose Trump’s plans and challenge his legislative enablers.

After Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, then–Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed to make Obama a one-term president, and obstructed him at every turn. McConnell, of course, cared only about seizing power for his party, and later, he could not muster that same bravado when faced with Trump’s assaults on the government. Patriotic Americans and their representatives might now make a similar commitment, but for better aims: Although they cannot remove Trump from office, they can declare their determination to prevent Trump from implementing the ghastly policies he committed himself to while campaigning.

The kinds of actions that will stop Trump from destroying America in 2025 are the same ones that stopped many of his plans the first time around. They are not flashy, and they will require sustained attention, because the next battles for democracy will be fought by lawyers and legislators, in Washington and in every state capitol. They will be fought by citizens banding together in associations and movements to rouse others from the sleepwalk that has led America into this moment.

Trump’s victory is a grim day for the United States and for democracies around the world. You have every right to be appalled, saddened, shocked, and frightened. Soon, however, you should dust yourself off, square your shoulders, and take a deep breath. Americans who care about democracy have work to do.

[fighter-paladin]

Rules of life I've learned from 2016-2024

-Keith Dwyer

1. Governments are run like reality shows. They create artifical drama to keep the populace interested and distracted from real issues. This doesn't mean your vote doesn't count and your voice isn't heard.

2. Capitalism is the root cause of the modern day's problems. It is run off the expectation that the general populace are both workers and consumers. It is an unstable government that functions only in the short run. In Capitalism there is no planning for the long run, the point is to collect as much money as you can while the rest of the populace burns.

2a. To do this, the ones above set the laws for the ones below. These laws are governed to keep the lower class barely scrapping the poverty line, but just high enough that they can keep being consumers. Effectively keeping us as financial batteries for the higher ups, but keeping the lower classes suffering enough so they can't rise up.

2b. Capitalism hates two things; competition and education. Education causes the lower masses to become intelligent and create competition. The oligarchical structure of Capitalism hates real competition, instead the powers that be create shell corporations to share with the other oligarchs. By keeping the masses uneducated, the powers that be manage to keep rebellion and competition to a bare minimum.

3. Captialistic practices are unsustainable because money is an addictive substance. Once a person gains it they want more of it, never stopping and never being full.

3a. Addiction is an exponential process.

3b. A money addict will never be satisfied with what they have. They will see their other rich colleagues and feel envy and rage that they aren't richer than them. Once a person reaches a certain level of wealth it becomes impossible for them to care about anything else.

3c. Addicts in active addiction do not care about anyone but themselves and how to get their hands on their substance of choice. In a money addict's case this means exploiting workers, causing them to die on the factory floor, burning down rainforests and destroying the world to their own end. To an addict in active addiction none of this matters so long as they pull ahead.

3d. Addicts are manipulative and good at convincing people to join their side. Capitalistic societies applaud psychopaths and those with anti social personality disorders. That's why so many psychopaths and narcissists go into the business field. Because their lack of caring, compassion and empathy means that they will do whatever it takes to gain money, which in turn, causes active addiction to take hold and causes the individual to spiral further down.

4. People have power. For better or worse. The people will always have the power above the powers that be.

4a. People are fools. They will follow whoever uses the buzzwords that make them feel safe and secure. This is how the conservative base has been able to use trigger words like "freedom" or "the American way" or "the good old days" to turn their followers into a cult.

4b. This tactic can be reversed for the sake of good. Learn the enemy's buzzwords and use them to educate the masses in a language they'll understand.

4c. The enemy is corruption. The enemy are those that seek to keep anyone who is not like them in bondage and suffering. They attack these people because it is easier to control a frightened populace.

4d.  Machiavelli was wrong. It is not better to be feared than loved if you can not do both. Fear breeds resentment and rage, these ideas transcend generations. A son will feel his father's rage in addition to his own. Once enough people feel their own rage added with their ancestors rage over being oppressed that's when and why riots start. Riots are the voice of those who have been quiet too long.

4e. Unfortunately, this idea can also be reversed. The enemy can use riots for their own ends, though these riots are born from fear, not rage. Fear of the unknown, and fear of change. But mostly, fear of losing their power (read: the populace is convinced by the powers that be that they are losing their power when in reality it is just the tyrant they are following that is losing their power).

4f. Do not be content to follow another's lead. It is better to stand alone than be surrounded by those who would feed you to the wolves. In this same vein do not look for followers, look for those with the potential to lead in them.

4g. Do not lead from the back, lead from the front. Take charge and take responsibility for your actions.

5. Suffering is part of human nature. However, it is often exasperated by outside forces that are beyond your control. Sickness, politics, wars, everyday inconveniences. When times of suffering come around, remember that all life is temporary. If the goods are temporary, so are the bads.

5a. There is a concept called the Wheel of Fortune which states that every person rotates their fortunes in life. One moment you are at the top of the wheel and life is kind, the next you are at the bottom and life is suffering. This rarely is due to a person's interference, but instead by outside forces.

5b. Prepare. Prepare to be on the bottom of the wheel. Save a portion of whatever value you can whenever you can. Even the smallest amount will help you in the long run.

6. The game we are forced to play isn't fair, because the lower class were never taught the rules for our station in life.

6a. In financial matters, the government will always try to take as much money as they can from you. Do your own research, 9/10 there are programs set up to truly help the lower class but they are not advertised or they are buried beneath advertisements for the same service for a much higher price.

6b. Welfare programs and free programs that benefit the people are always demonized because they do not contribute to the bottom line. Use them anyway.

6c. You pay for the brand. Buy generic, it's better and cheaper because they don't upcharge for the brand name.

7. Human beings are animals, learning to become Gods. You will never be the person you've fantasized about being. Once you accept this, you will become the person you were always meant to be. When we strive for perfection, we will often find ourselves subject to the persuasive arguments of the enemy. Kill your pride. Kill your arrogance. Once you do this, you separate yourself from the animals.

7a. Be kind, but don't feel the need to be nice. Kindness is acting for others, supporting and caring for the people around you. Being nice is being concerned with how you are perceived. Kindness is genuine. Niceness is self serving.

7b. You can only hope to break free from human's animalistic nature but giving up your pride. Giving up your hubris and arrogance. Understand that the world is bigger than your backyard, and that those who think differently from you are not lesser because of it. Artifical concepts such as race, gender, sexuality, political parties, etc are ways to divide the mind. They occupy our thoughts with meaningless chatter so that we can not expand our thinking. The only way to become more than an animal is to open one's mind to the world around them.

7c. Lose your paranoia but be smart. Listen to your instincts and listen to the world around you. Do not assume malice with everyone you meet but be prepared in case malice comes around.

7d. Be in touch with your body. To the best of your ability, try and live healthy and well. Mind you, I say to the best of your ability. There are cases where "living healthy and well" may simply mean getting out of bed for physical, mental or emotional reasons. But make sure to get out of bed then. Do not give into the dark cloud life brings around, it will keep storming if you are laying in bed or not.

7e. Know context. Understand that life is not about you, it is about all of us as a whole. If someone speaks, and it does not concern you, do not speak over them. If you disagree with how a statement is worded but understand what the speaker is trying to say, do not call the speaker out or try and get them to speak with your tongue. Not every voice at the table must be heard. Sometimes you're just there to listen and learn.

8. Religion is optional. Faith is essential.

8a. Religions are made to explain the faith of a culture. They are meant to be guidelines on how to have faith but, like money, power is also an addiction. Power is intoxicating, and often leads to delusion. Any and ALL religious leaders who claim to be God in the flesh are delusional and not to be trusted.

8b. Any and ALL religions that place any group of people over another group of people are not to be trusted.

8c. God, faith, whatever you may call it, does not want your money. Any and ALL religions that claim otherwise or claim to be collecting "for God" are not to be trusted.

8d. Faith is to religion what kindness is to being nice. Faith is the backbone of life, and it is how we survive. In a secular way, it is an acceptable delusion to have. A belief in something greater than ourselves. A way for us to see past our own noses and engage in the wider world. Faith is greater than religion, and religion without faith is how tyrants rise to power.

8e. Faith does not need to be in a God or spirit, but it does have to guide you forward. A spark of hope which can never truly burn out. All people are given the chance to have faith, for many it is taught through the religion they grew up with, however faith also comes from killing one's own pride and arrogance.

8f. Pride and faith can not co-exist with each other. Pride tells you that you are the greatest thing to walk the Earth, while faith tells you that you are part of something greater than yourself. These ideas conflict too much to accept both. Of the two, accept faith. For its the truth. No person is greater than another, but there are people who are lesser than the collective they find themselves in.

8g. Those who claim to be God or to be God's vocal point, those who harm others for their personal gain, those who use one of the Lord's many names to profit off lost souls, those who claim absolutes and absolute dominion over their flock. These are the ones who are lesser than the collective. The ones who twist God's words to their own ends and their own wants and whims. Those who allow their pride to guide their path, those who claim to be superior over their fellow human beings without looking at their own flaws.

8h. These are the corrupted, they have lost themselves to their own vices and pride. Pity them for they have suffered and so resort to becoming this way. But don't feel sorry for them for every person makes their choice, every person has their own decisions to make. Any person who does not take ownership over their own sins, their own flaws and the pain they have caused others, is truly a coward. Learn from their mistakes, so that you can become a better person.

9. The meaning of life is to learn. To grow and mature and to pass those lessons onto the next generation. To live only for oneself is to spit in the face of humanity's evolution. We are social creatures, we function together as units. Those who purposely harm others, and those who are apathic to the suffering of others are little more than beasts.

9a. Every generation believes themselves superior to the generation that came prior. To some small extent this is true, the evolutionary point of humanity is to mature after all.

9b. A generation must be cognizant of their defects and flaws as well as their strengths. Understand that you will make amazing advancements never seen before, but you will also make grave errors that the generations after you must fix. This is the wheel of fortune summed up.

9c. To the generations after mine I say this. Be wise. I pray that you be wise, and learn from the ones before you. I pray that the suffering you must endure is lesser than the suffering my generations are enduring now.

9d. To the generations before me I say this. Thank you. Thank you to the ones who came before me who I've learned from. Thank you to the ones who came before me who fought the same battle I'm talking about now. Thank you to the ones who are no longer here, because they live on through me and the lessons they taught me. Thank you to the ones who are still here, who continue to teach me every day. I pray that the suffering you went through is worth it, and I thank you for your sacrifices.

10. Apathy is how a people die. Do not wait for change to happen. Make change happen. With each crashing wave of; bad news, end of the world predictions, pandemics, pain, war, death, and so on, stand tall. Those waves won't stop coming but the second you lay down you will be toppled over.

Apathy is the weapon of the enemy. They use it so that good people, strong people, feel useless. Feel worthless. Feel hopeless. Hope is always there. Hope is faith. So cling to hope, fight for today and tomorrow and remember the sacrifices of yesterday that have led you here.

Abandon your pride. Abandon your hatred and your malice and embrace change. Embrace what's next to come, embrace the unknown. What we face now are the screams of a dying paradigm. What happens when this is all over? We rebuild, we restructure and we create something better than what we had before. But we can't do that if we buy into the apathy of the enemy. And we can't do that if we give into our own vice, our own pride and wrath. Know when to take a stand and when to stand down but most of all.

Know to be kind. Know to care for those around you, know to love and love deeply. Love the world around you. Shine bright with a burning love for humanity that burns away the shackles of apathy and hatred. It's the most revolutionary thing a person can do in today's world.

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

A Potted History of The Princess of Wales and the Early Years

I had an idea, at about 6 o'clock this evening, to go through everything Catherine has done with the Early Years before tomorrow and this has been rushed but let's go...

After marrying Prince William in 2011, the then-Duchess of Cambridge began working with a number of grass-roots charities, which focused on mental health, addiction, and hospice care. Her first set of patronages - announced in January 2012 - included three charities within this sphere: Action on Addiction, The Art Room and EACH. Early the following year, Place2Be joined her list of patronages. During this time, Catherine visited her patronages, as well as other charities, and began to develop an understanding of the importance of childhood and mental health. She also made a number of private visits to children's hospices and her patronages. In 2013, she became a mother for the first time, which she spoke about in a 2020 podcast with Giovanna Fletcher (Happy Mum, Happy Baby), allowing her insight into what new mums experienced. It was around the same time she first began to publicly support Children's Hospice Week.

Her work continued to develop and she began supporting the initiatives started by her patronages, such as M-PACT, which aims to improve the well-being of children and families affected by substance misuse. In 2015, Catherine began to engage in more "taboo" topics, such as fostering and the care system, as well as hospital schools, and women in prisons. By doing this, she was able to see how early intervention could positively impact on young lives. Catherine also undertook an engagement with Mind (her first engagement on World Mental Health Day) and began to meet with professionals, such as headteachers, to develop her knowledge.

In 2016, Catherine supported the first ever Children's Mental Health Week (fun fact, in 2021, Kensington Palace retweeted some CMHW work I did in school). She also guest edited the Huffington Post, promoting Young Minds Matter. She became Patron of both the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Familes and Action for Children that year (a representative from both patronages is in her recently-convened Early Years Advisory Group). 2016 also saw Catherine bring together her work along with her husband's and brother-in-law's to set up Heads Together, an awareness campaign focusing on mental health. The trio also continued to celebrate World Mental Health Day, which they would continue to do for many years.

The then-Duchess of Cambridge visted the Anna Freud Centre’s Early Years Parenting Unit, which works with parents who have personality disorders and aims to help them seek help and keep families together. Throughout this period, she undertook a number of engagements focusing on promoting Heads Together, including releasing a personal video alongside William and Harry for #OktoSay and appearing on BBC Radio 1. Heads Together culminated in the 2017 London Marathon, which she attended. 2018 saw Catherine begin to promote Mentally Healthy Schools. She also continued to expand her range of interests, attending the Headstart conference privately and visiting GOSH.

She continued to develop her interests and began looking into neuroscience and its impact on mental health and early development. She also, for the first time, began showing an interest in the perinatal, with her also becoming Patron of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. In mid-2018, Catherine attended a symposium on the importance of early intervention. That year, she also convened an Early Years Steering group - showing the beginnings of her current work - and attended the Mental Health in Education Conference.

Alongside William, she met with the BBC, where she spoke about children's wellbeing and the positive impact media can have. She also undertook a two-week private work placement at Kingston Hospital, on the maternity wards. In 2020, Catherine launched 5 Big Questions, and promoted this with a UK-wide tour, including a return visit to HMP Send. The questions were in the form of a short survey, open to the public.

The afore-mentioned Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast aired in early 2020. During the chat, Catherine confessed to feeling upset and scared after the birth of George, and spoke about the importance of mums' seeking help. During the pandemic, she chaired a Zoom roundtable of health professionals and joined a number of calls with midwives. Throughout the pandemic, a number of her Zoom calls and phone meetings were held with medical and mental health professionals, as well as with schools, children, parents and young families. She leant her public support to the BBC's Tiny Happy People project, as well.

Catherine used her resources to pull together donations for Baby Banks in the summer of 2020, and confessed to volunteering for her local Norfolk branch in her own time. The partnerships created by Catherine continue to this day. She met with parents and peers who have been supported by peer-to-peer parent-led support programmes, as well as representatives from Home-Start UK and the National Childbirth Trust. She continued her work with the Scouts, with whom she had been volunteering from the early days of her marriage, and continued to promote the importance of the outdoors, an area she really focused on when producing her Back to Nature garden in 2018. The Duchess of Cambridge also looked at miscarriages, during a visit to Tommy's. The results of her 5 Big Questions survey were shared as 5 Big Insights later that year. Catherine met with First Lady Jill Biden in 2021, with whom she co-hosted a roundtable discussion with a number of representatives from the early years sector.

In 2021, Catherine finally launched the Royal Foundation's Centre for Early Childhood. Since the launch of the Centre, she has continued to develop her understanding of early neurodevelopment, and travelled to Denmark - world leader's in childhood mental health - to learn how they promote early years wellbeing. Catherine continued to focus on young people, with a long-awaited appearance on CBeebies Bedtime Stories, where she read The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, a book she later shared was one of her childhood favourites. During the year, she became Patron of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, adding to the other child-focused patronages she had gained over the years (including Family Action and Evelina London). Catherine hosted another roundtable to learn about the progress made by the Centre for Early Childhood and recently convened an Early Years Advisory Group. Throughout the past few years, she has attended regular "Early Years" meetings.

[anxious-witch]

Inertia 4

Summary: Newton's first law expresses the principle of inertia: the natural behavior of a body is to move in a straight line at constant speed. In the absence of outside influences, a body's motion preserves the status quo.

Jan choose a direction of his life the moment he walked out of his parents house and cut all contact with them. He didn't want anything to do with them, or God anymore. Even his soulmark he wished he could leave behind. But when Nace Jordan joins the band, with a mark matching his own, can Jan keep going the same way he did? Or will the force make him change a direction?

Pairings: Jan Peteh/Nace Jordan

Warnings: TW for a character taking sleeping pills and slight descriptions of dissociation, character implied to have an eating disorder, mentions of Nace's pictures of before he lost weight, mentions of past abusive parents

If I forgot something please feel free to let me know

Notes: AO3 link

Alright, so. Jan is being gently nudged in the right direction here, but not quite ready to take a leap yet. Also we get a glimpse of some of Nace's own insecurities, so if you have any triggers regarding eating disorders, I recommend checking additional warnings

God said:

GOD MADE YOU. GOD DOES NOT CARE IF YOU ARE "GUILTY" OR NOT.

I said:

I CARE IF I AM GUILTY!

I CARE IF I AM GUILTY!

God was silent.

Everything was SILENT.

I lay back down in the snow.

Frank Bidart, Half-light: Collected Poems 1965-2016

There was a low music playing from the speakers. It sounded vaguely familiar, but Jan was too tired to listen closely enough to identify from where. For once, he was the one that arrived early. Warm cup of coffee warmed his hands from a cold November weather, as he waited for Matej.

It all felt surreal. Jan cheated slightly the previous day and took a sleeping pill. He didn't take them often, partially due to the fact he didn't want to have to rely on them to sleep every night and partially because they made him feel drowsy the next day.

Like it did now. He felt like he was still dreaming, moving through molasses to get anywhere in a dream. He blinked and suddenly, his brother was sitting across from him.

"Hey," he greeted quietly, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Hey."

They sat in silence until Matej ordered coffee. He sighed when the waiter left. Jan traced the handle of his cup with his finger. His nail polish chipped slightly on the thumb. He really needed to fix that.

"Jan...please talk to me? I can't just give you contact information for something like this without knowing anything."

Jan felt very slow today. Not in the same way as he did when he was sleep deprived, no. He wasn't annoyed or irritable, more like...he was under a thick blanket that was see through. He could see the world behind it, but it felt far away.

"Why not?"

"Because you are asking me to help you arrange a very dangerous procedure! Do you even know what this could do to you if anything goes even a bit wrong?!"

He looked up, meeting his brother's furious eyes and felt nothing at all. The pain felt glazed over now. Buried under a thick blanket of indifference.

Matej's eyes scanned over his face and then his anger melted into worry.

"Jan...have you been taking sleeping pills again?"

Jan rubbed at his eyes. They just refused to stay open for long, despite the coffee. Matej knew his habits, both good and bad. Some things didn’t change, despite his best efforts.

"Only yesterday, after we talked. I didn't sleep very well in...well. Weeks. Otherwise I wouldn't have taken them."

Matej went silent. Jan could see him mulling things over. Considering him.

"And you not sleeping...is it because of the soulmate guy?"

He started peeling off the nail polish from his thumb more. He didn't want to talk about Nace.

"Kind of. Not really solely his fault, but he isn't making it better, either."

Matej reached out and grasp his hands, putting a stop to his nervous tic. Jan looked up again. Matej always made him feel small, in one way or another.

Not because of their actual sizes, but because he always held such a mature presence Jan could only hope to imitate to a degree. He could never quite measure up.

"Does he...is he hurting you in any way? Is he treating you badly? Tell me what's going on."

Jan stared at him in confusion then began shaking his head.

"It's not-it's not about him. I mean, it kind of is but-" he took a deep breath, trying to arrange his thoughts in a way that made sense, "I don't want the cursed soul bond. I never did. You know that."

Matej pursed his lips. He always did it when he was unhappy with something Jan did. Like that time he attempted to climb a three at age five and fell off, breaking his arm.

"I know that you said that to mom and dad, but I didn't think you were serious! This isn't a religious thing Jan, for fuck's sake! I can understand rebelling against everything else they said but this-this is insane!"

Jan pulled his hands from Matej's grasp and crossed them over his chest. His hair was up today, and the slight breeze caressed his burning soulmark.

"That's not your decision to make. I am not a child."

"Then don't act like one!"

In that moment, everything stopped. Jan felt like he stopped breathing even.

"When you stop acting like a child, we'll stop treating you like one. Why can't you be more like your brother and sister?"

Jan felt very, very cold all of a sudden. Like the chill overtook him from inside out. Matej's words echoed in tandem with his father's.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Just-please think this through. Give it six months. If you still want to do it after, I'll give you the contact you need."

"Six months? Are you insane?"

He scowled? Six months? It had barely been a month since Nace joined them and it had already been torture. He had to endure it for six more months? No.

Matej didn't shrink under his sharp gaze.

"It's half a year. I am not letting you ruin your life because you were sleep deprived. You can think it through properly. And besides, if you win-and I do think you will-you will have Eurovision to go to anyway."

Jan had an urge to scream, to yell at him. That it wasn't fair and that he was prolonging his misery the same way mom and dad did. But he was scared if he said that, Matej might withdraw the offer completely.

"Fine. But you will give me the contact of the doctor who does it if I still want this in six months?"

Matej's jaw was clenched, but he didn't look away.

"Yes."

He took his coffee and drain it in two gulps. Matej really hated when he did that. Then he put the money on the table and got up.

"Right. Thanks, for that I guess. See you around."

Matej's hand shot out and he grabbed his wrist before Jan could escape. He looked like he was bracing himself for something.

"I love you, you know that, right? I don't think I say it enough. I know we aren't that close and that mom and dad only made it worse but...you are my brother and I love you no matter what. Alright?"

There was a lump in Jan's throat. He tried to swallow past it but he just couldn't.

"I-“ he paused, those two following words stuck in his throat, choking him, “you too."

Why couldn't he say it? If Matej got out of that house and learned how to say it, why couldn't Jan?

Matej smiled at him and squeezed his wrist gently before letting go.

"Alright then. Go make some trouble. But also get some sleep, please."

Jan nodded numbly before he turned and finally left. He drove on autopilot and only halfway through realized he wasn't driving to his apartment. He drove to Kris'.

He sat in the car for awhile, simply parked in front of it. There was no way he'll tell Kris about getting rid of the soulmark. But maybe...he could still talk to him?

He did his best to go up two flights if stairs without overthinking it and turning right back around. He and Kris knew each other for years. Kris was there to pick up the pieces after Jan cut contact with his family. He wouldn't turn him away over him being irritable.

Jan rang the doorbell and waited. He thought he heard two voices before the doors opened, and once they did, his suspicion was confirmed. Both Kris and Bojan stood at the door.

"Jan?"

Shit. This was a bad decision.

"Um. Sorry, I didn't realize you'd be busy. I'll just go."

"Don't be ridiculous. You drove all the way to here, come in."

But the cold was still wrapped around him like a cloak. With his hair up, he felt too exposed to risk anyone but Kris’ company. Conversation with Matej left him raw and vulnerable. He didn’t want to risk anyone else seeing that. Even if it was just Bojan.

He shook his head sadly and watched as Bojan’s face fell and Kris grew worried.

“Sorry. We can-I’ll talk to you guys soon, yeah?

He stepped back, putting more distance between them. Alone was safer. And while Jan knew he couldn’t solve his issues alone, he wasn’t ready to ask for help. Not just zet.

At first, Jan went right back to ignoring Nace as much as he could. Interacted with him only in a group and never directly unless he asked him a question.

Then, slowly, something started to shift. His brother's words chipped on him. Not that he was really going to give Nace a chance. That thought made all the alarm sounds in his head blare at maximum volume.

But he was going to cut the connection between them in a few months anyway. So surely, there was no harm in letting him get just a bit closer. Talking to him on occasion, for a start.

The first time it happened, it was just an ordinary Tuesday. They had a break during practice and Bojan had helpfully supplied them with chips, cookies and some other snacks Jan didn't care enough to check. He preferred salty snacks anyway.

Jan got to the table last, but instead of taking his usual position next to Jure, he sat next to Nace, at the end of the table. He saw Nace's eyes go wide for a second and he went very, very still.

Instead of addressing it and making everything feel more awkward, he nudged him.

"Can you pass me that chips?"

Nace stared at him for a moment, as if not comprehending his request.

"Sure."

"Not the tasteless salty ones! The paprika ones!"

Nace chuckled and handed him the correct bowl this time. Jan took a handful and stuffed his mouth. He saw Kris roll his eyes as he delicately took one chips at the time.

What a diva.

What he also noticed was that Nace didn't take any. He furrowed his brows, trying to remember if chips had gluten in them or not.

"Do chips have gluten?" He asked, after swallowing the chips.

The last thing he wanted was for Kris to snap at him to not talk with his mouth full. Nace once again, looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Some do, but not very often, I don't think."

"So why aren't you taking any?"

Nace chewed on his lip. Now he was the one avoiding Jan's gaze.

"Don't like them."

Oh, bullshit. Jan could see the way Nace eyed the chips before turning away. Was this some sort of diet thing? Or just Nace eating healthy in general?

"What about the rest? I am sure Bojan got some gluten free cookies too, he is usually careful-"

"I really don't want to eat anything right now," Nace snapped.

Well, alright then. He clearly struck a nerve there. Nace pursed his lips, and Jan saw the cogs in his brain turning.

For once, it wasn't Jan who was a rude one.

"Why are you suddenly talking to me, anyway?"

Jan raised his eyebrow and gave Nace a little smirk.

"What? I can't change my mind and want to befriend a bandmate?"

Nace eyed him suspiciously, but then Kris asked him a question and their conversation essentially ended.

It made Jan begin to pay more attention, though. How Nace was very careful about what he ate, and not just about gluten related things. How he was the only one that could keep up with Bojan's talk about going to the gym.

He might have went on a deep dive himself and found old pictures of Nace. Of when he was fat. Jan felt like he swallowed stones. This was something he deleted for a reason and Jan still went looking for it.

He closed all the tabs and leaned back in his chair, trying not to feel guilty.

For fuck's sake, he couldn't stand the man! And it wasn't like he didn't just dig around publicly available information!

Except, it felt icky. It wasn't that Nace looked bad before just-he clearly didn't want anyone else to see that. Was it also why he was so careful about what he ate?

Goddamn. Was this why he found Jan attractive in the first place? Because his self esteem was still so low he was content with someone being an asshole as long as they found him attractive?

Jan groaned and rubbed at his eyes. This wasn't healthy. He should just drop it. Get to know Nace like a normal person.

The issue was that he was never good at dropping the issue. Once he began digging, he needed to know. Most people would get frustrated when they couldn't solve an equation.

Jan, though? That only made him want to solve it more.

It was similar with people, although it didn't happen nearly as often. Jan usually wasn't very fond of people. The last time he research someone thoroughly was Kris.

Which was something Jan would never, in a million years admit to him. But sometimes, Jan simply wanted to rearrange something to see how it worked.

He wanted to rearrange Nace and understand what made him tick.

Matej did say to give him a chance. So, Jan would. Research was part of giving him a chance. He couldn't exactly give him a chance without finding stuff about him first though, could he?

So, he sent a simple text to Jure.

Me: Do you want to come over tomorrow after practice? I have sweets. And a cat

Jure: Why does it feel like I am getting bribed? 😸

Me: Is that a no?

He waited impatiently as Jure typed, drumming his fingers against his knee.

Jure: Obviously it's a yes. I am just wondering what I need to do to get those 😹

Nothing much. Just give him all the information he had on Nace. That wasn't asking too much, was it?

Me: I just have some questions about Nace. Nothing major

His message stayed on seen for an awfully long time. Jan started to think Jure would say no. But then finally, a message came forward.

Jure: Alright.

Jan put the phone down with a satisfied grin. Usually, finding enough stuff about things would get him to stop obsessing over it. Once he learned all he could, he could move on.

Which was how he ended up with Jure on his couch, chewing on the chocolate cookies he liked. Even Igor decided to cooperate for once and was contently purring while curled in Jure's lap.

"So," Jure said after swallowing the last bite, "what exactly did you want to ask me about Nace? I wasn't even aware you guys were close."

Jan had to play this carefully. Jure could be very perceptive if he put his mind to it. Thankfully for him, he often wasn't, his attention easily shifting from one thing to another. So as long as Jan kept him preoccupied with something else...it should be fine.

"We aren't. I just...felt bad about ignoring him. But I don't really know how to go around talking to him, so I figured it would be easier to already know things about him so I know which topics to go for and which to avoid."

Jure hummed thoughtfully, taking another cookie. Igor meow loudly, annoyed at sudden the lack of attention. He settled as Jure began petting him again.

"I'd avoid religion and food, for one. The two of you will definitely not have a fun time talking about that. You can ask him about his dog, Ollie, he loves talking about him. Music is also obvious answer. Oh! He also mentioned he is considering doing some pottery classes? Something about his sister taking them and him wanting to try? You can ask him about that."

He didn't notice the way Jan froze with a cup of tea halfway to his mouth. Religion? Food, he guessed why was a sensitive topic. But he found nothing about religious aspect from his research.

"Religion? I wasn't aware he was religious."

Jure dangled a piece of cloth in front of Igor, making him reach out and attempt to catch it with his pawns. Jan discreetly took a sip of his tea.

"Well, perhaps religious is generous. I don't think he goes to church, but he is...what's the word? Spiritual? He definitely believes in God."

Of course. Of course, Jan's cursed soulmate had to believe in God. Destiny had always been a noose tied around his neck. Why would it stop now?

"I see."

Jure huffed and gently put Igor to the ground.

"Don't be like that. Nace is really nice, okay? And he doesn't push his beliefs on others."

Jan did his best nit to roll his eyes. Maybe he didn't push it towards just anyone, but that didn't mean he wouldn't do it if he ever found out about their connection. Not that he could tell Jure that.

Igor hopped over to his lap, clearly annoyed by Jure's contact movement. Jan scratched him behind the ear, earning himself a satisfied purr.

"Noted,” Jan paused, considering a most neutral topic, “Anyway, anything new with you?”

Jure's eyes lit up, and even before he spoke, Jan knew he was going to mention his soulmate. Their connection was by far the strangest one Jan had witnessed.

He met her, of course. Nika often showed up to their concerts. She was a small redhead with bright blue eyes and a smile that matched Jure's sunshine energy.

When they were together, it was like seeing the purest connection. They had the ability to communicate without saying a word, but that wasn’t even the most fascinating part.

It was like they moved differently when they were around each other. Like magnets, pushing and pulling against an invisible field only the two of them could feel.

It scared Jan half to death when he thought about it for too long. Not being himself when he was around someone else to a point even the way he carried himself changed.

"Oh, I met up with Nika recently. She is doing good. A bit overwhelmed with all the exams at uni, but yeah. She is smart, she'll do great."

Ah, yes. University. Jan hadn't been to his in ages. Technically, he had an exemption and could just show up for exams in February, but still. That was something he should consider doing after things calm down a bit.

"That sounds good," Jan hesitated, biting his lip, "Actually, can I ask you something?"

Jure lazily stretched. Like a cat, without a care on the world. Jan's stomach was turning.

"Yeah, shoot."

"Do you ever wish she wasn't your soulmate?"

Jure opened his eyes abruptly, staring at him in shock. Jan winced at the way he blurted it out.

"I mean...do you ever wish she was just a friend and your soulmate was someone else? Or that you were like Kris and didn't have to worry about it at all?"

Jan turned his attention to Igor, suddenly very interested in the black and white patterns on his fur. He waited for Jure's answer patiently.

"I wouldn't say Kris doesn't worry about that at all. But to answer your question, no. Nika is special to me. She will always be special and there is probably no other person in the world that will understand me as much as she does. But that doesn't stop me from loving other people romantically."

Jure was fidgeting with his hands, as if searching for the right words to explain himself.

"I know our connection isn't conventional, but I don't need it to be, y'know? And I think that, in most cases our soulmates are exactly the people we need to help us grow."

He met Jan's eyes suddenly, blue eyes pinning him in place. Jan flayed open, as if Jure could see right into his soul, or what was left of it.

"You don't usually ask personal questions. You like that neither of us talk about our families or soulmates much. Something is different."

Jan swallowed. He opened his mouth and closed it several times, but no words came out. Then, finally:

"Can you ignore it? The connection, I mean. Can you...carry on, as if there is nothing."

Jure sighed.

"This is not a hypothetical discussion, is it?"

Jan went very, very still. Was he truly that obvious? How could have Jure even began to figure it out?

"Can we pretend it is?"

Jure stared at him silently for a moment. Then he popped another cookie and he chewed it almost aggressively while glaring at the wall.

"In short, no. I don't think you can ignore it. Maybe if you have an incredible amount of self control, which you do not by the way, then yeah, maybe. But I don't think it's healthy. Especially not when you are around them all the time."

Jure stood up suddenly and Igor, spooked by the sudden movement, jumped out of Jan's lap and hid behind the couch. Jan slowly rose from his seat, too.

"I appreciate the cookies and Igor. But if you'll excuse me, I will now go on a walk and try and forget we had this conversation. For the record, though, as much as I love you I think you are being incredibly unfair."

Jan flinched at that. That stung, especially from Jure. Jure was mostly carefree and rarely judged anyone. So for him to throw something like this in his face was unusual to say the least.

He walked to the hallway and began putting on his shoes. Jan walked after him, his heart heavy.

"I thought at least you'd understand," Jan said desperately, trying to get him to understand his side, "With the dynamic you and Nika have..."

"We talked about it. Multiple times over the years. You don't-you can't build anything by keeping it to yourself."

Jure rubbed his hand over his face. Then he grabbed his coat. He hesitated at the door, though.

"I won't tell Nace, but I think you should. There is a lot more to him than you think."

"Like what?"

Jure stared back, his eyes narrowing.

"That's something you'll need to find out for yourself. Until then, I'd prefer to pretend we didn't have this conversation."

Before Jan could even begin to think on how to respond to that, Jure was out of the door and rushed down the flight of stairs. Jan stared at the empty space that he occupied only moments before for a moment and then gently closed the door.

Something about the manner Jure spoke rattled him much more than any of the other interactions. Kris, Matej,...they all had reasons to oppose him. Kris, because he wanted what Jan had, Matej, because he was afraid of Jan regretting his choices.

But Jure? Other than having sympathy for Nace's position as a newest addition to the band, what reason did he have to oppose him?

Was there something more he was missing? Or was he truly in the wrong here?

As he thought about it, he went to run his hand through his hair and he froze. His hair was still up in a bun from earlier. And with the way Jure was sitting, he’d have a good view of his soulmark from the side. Since Nace’ was always on display, and with Jan’s unsubtle question, it wouldn’t take Jure much to come to the right realization. Fuck.

Jan flopped down on the couch and buried his face in it. He'd consider talking to Nace. Tomorrow.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Ron DeSantis has appointed Tina Descovich, a co-founder of Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group Moms for Liberty, to the Florida Commission on Ethics.

DeSantis announced Descovich’s appointment to the prominent commission on Wednesday (6 September). The appointment is still subject to confirmation by Florida’s Republican-led Senate.

The nine-member panel is responsible for weighing complaints and investigating alleged breaches of public trust against elected and appointed officials as well as state employees.

Descovich wrote on X, formally known as Twitter, that it will be a “privilege to serve the state [she loves] as a member of this commission.”

However, Alejandra Caraballo, an LGBTQ+ rights advocate and civil rights attorney, warned that Descovich’s appointment was dangerous because she would “be able to investigate LGBTQ state employees and allies and systematically remove them from state government.”

DeSantis just appointed the co-founder of an SPLC designated hate group as part of the the Florida Ethics Commission.

Descovich, who previously served on Brevard’s school board from 2016 to 2020, founded Moms for Liberty with Tiffany Justice in 2021 to “stand up for parental rights at all levels of government”, according to the group’s website.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) labelled Moms for Liberty an “extremist group” because of its opposition to LGBTQ+ issues, advocacy for book bans and work against racially inclusive curriculums in schools.

“Moms for Liberty activities make it clear that the group’s primary goals are to fuel right-wing hysteria and to make the world a less comfortable or safe place for certain students – primarily those who are Black, LGBTQ or who come from LGBTQ families,” the SPLC’s 2022 Year in Hate and Extremism report stated.

The Florida-based group – which has chapters around the US – helped develop the state’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law and publicly advocated in favour of the legislation, which bans discussions of LGBTQ+ topics in schools.

In July 2022, Moms for Liberty’s Twitter (now X) account was temporarily suspended for violating the social media platform’s rule against hateful conduct with a post criticising California’s gender-affirming healthcare bill.

The post claimed that gender dysphoria is a “mental health disorder” and that “California kids are at extreme risk from predatory adults.”

Moms for Liberty also alleged on social media that “CRT” (critical race theory) and “gender ideology” are “toxic for children.” In another post, the group claimed that “gender identity indoctrination” is “one of the most dangerous threats facing children in America today.”

Moms for Liberty has also been tied to other far-right organisations, and members have allegedly waged campaigns of harassment against school boards or rival parent groups.

In one interview, a Moms for Liberty member said LGBTQ+ kids should be placed in separate classrooms “like children with autism or Down’s syndrome.”

The American Historical Association also has condemned Moms for Liberty’s ‘vigorous’ advocacy of “censorship and harassment of history teachers, banning history books from libraries and classrooms and legislation that renders it impossible for historians to teach with professional integrity without risking job loss and other penalties.”

The Committee on LGBTQ History said the right-wing group “consistently spreads harmful, hateful rhetoric about the LGBTQIA+ community, including popularising the use of the term ‘groomer’ to refer to queer people and attacking the mere existence of trans youth.”

[mariacallous]

During recent riots in the United Kingdom, it was not lost on on the British public—or on the new Starmer government—that when riots last occurred in Britain in 2011, then-Mayor of London Boris Johnson didn’t come back from his vacation. True, Johnson wasn’t in charge of the country, only a city—albeit a capital of 8 million people at the time—but the man nonetheless seemingly had other things on his mind.

The Johnson era, during which Johnson clowned his way from mayor to foreign secretary to prime minister via the disaster that was Brexit, is one the new Labour government is working at hyper-speed to leave behind.

It is less than two months after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer won his decisive election victory on July 4, but the subsequent manner and style of governance in the United Kingdom could not be more different from previous administrations.

Starmer has demonstrated a professionalism that was absent during the years of mayhem that followed the 2016 Brexit referendum, as Britain lurched from the floundering Theresa May, via the buffoonery of Johnson, to the brief calamity that was Liz Truss, to the fin de siècle Rishi Sunak.

Starmer has been resolute on Ukraine (allowing most but not all U.K.-made heavy weaponry to be deployed for Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region of Russia). He has instructed his ministers to develop ambitious policy on priority areas (such as loosening planning restrictions and boosting renewable energy). He has taken on his own party’s left wing (banishing a group of Labour ministers of parliament for trying to increase child welfare payments). And he has been tough on the Tory legacy (attacking the former administration at every turn).

Most of all, he has wielded an iron grip on the machinery of government.

All that was before the copycat unrest in at least a dozen cities that followed the murder of three schoolgirls, an attack falsely attributed by far-right bloggers to a Muslim immigrant.

Starmer responded to the riots, which early on threatened to overwhelm the police, in Robocop fashion. Reinforcements were sent from one region to another to stave off repeats and to arrest perpetrators at the time of the riots and afterward.

Each day has seen tough law and order meted out. Although Starmer did not instruct judges to take a hard line—the executive and judicial branches of power fiercely guard their independence in the U.K.—judges handed down unprecedented jail sentences, in some cases up to six years, for disorder.

Several people have been jailed for posting inflammatory anti-immigrant comments online, a clampdown that has irked free speech absolutists (including, noisily, X owner Elon Musk), but has so far largely drawn support.

The right-wing newspapers, which still dominate the British media landscape, felt they had no choice but to support the government in its zero-tolerance approach. But their hearts weren’t really in it; after all, they had been goading citizens to rise up against the liberal elite for years, decrying those very same judges as “enemies of the people” when they objected to May’s attempts to push Brexit through without a parliamentary vote.

Just over a week after the unrest broke out, order was restored. The prime minister had passed his first test—a test that was tailor-made for a former director of public prosecutions. Starmer is a rare example of a leading British politician who ran a major civil service before moving into politics. And driving home his serious juxtaposition with his predecessors, Starmer decided to cancel his family holiday after the riots broke out.

Conservative media outlets were left chomping at the bit for an opening to criticize the new government. As soon as they sniffed an opportunity, they took it. The object of their fire was Starmer’s right-hand woman, Downing Street Chief of Staff Sue Gray. Once the Mail on Sunday broke the story of a feud between Gray and the prime minister’s other chief consigliere, Morgan McSweeney, the man charged with political strategy, the other newspapers piled on.

Gray has long enjoyed (or suffered from) a legendary status in the British government; for six years she oversaw propriety across the civil service. It was said, somewhat dramatically, that she instilled fear along every corridor of power.

Her moment in the international limelight came when she was appointed during her time as Second Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet Office to investigate the “partygate” affair, in which Johnson and his bibulous friends were accused of frolicking inside 10 Downing Street during the COVID-19 pandemic, not only failing in their duties to try to manage the pandemic but also breaking the social distancing rules they had set for the public. “Wait for Sue Gray” became the mantra of ministers when asked to predict the result of the long-delayed enquiry. When her report eventually came, it was sharply critical but stopped short of ending ministerial (or prime ministerial) careers.

Shortly after, when Starmer poached Gray from supposed civil service neutrality to head his office in opposition and then in government, many Conservatives were furious. They have been gunning for Gray ever since.

The Mail’s most serious allegation was that the prime minister was being denied important security briefings because Gray was blocking access to him, a charge that was angrily denied. More plausibly, her detractors say she has been creating bottlenecks as she hoards power. The story was a mix of “silly season” mid-summer journalism, possibly fueled with an extra dose of misogyny. It was certainly exaggerated, but not necessarily without foundation: one of those cases of not quite right, but not quite wrong either.

Starmer has been annoyed by the stories, but also perhaps a part of him accepts that they are unavoidable collateral damage from having an uber-enforcer by your side. All prime ministers assume that they are never more powerful than at the start of their tenure, and they must move quickly. Then-Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke of the “scars on his back” as he struggled to reform public services in the face of an obdurate bureaucracy.

Armed with a huge parliamentary majority, Starmer is determined to steamroll all opposition to his plans to drag the U.K. out of its economic and civic mire. The more his ministers dig, the more they claim to be shocked by the state of the inheritance from the Tories. The public mood is sour, and they know they have limited time to demonstrate real-life improvements before the blame shifts to them and votes perhaps start to shift back to the right-wing populists, toward Nigel Farage and his recently hatched Reform party.

While the Conservatives have settled comfortably into opposition (some former ministers are earning serious sums of money on the right-wing U.S. and international speaker circuit), Starmer has been a non-stop frenzy of activity since July 4.

He took on a series of international summits and made sure in the remaining three weeks of parliament that several legislative announcements were made. Then, just as he was preparing to catch his breath for a week off in the sun, the riots took place.

Starmer’s biggest challenges have yet to come. He may have headed off the unrest, but he has not eliminated the causes of it—discontent over the state of the British economy and public services, from its health service to housing to the state of the streets. These issues have entrenched a deep-seated loss of trust in politicians and their ability to bring about change.

Across Europe and beyond, it has become axiomatic to compare populists, who throw caution to the wind, with mainstream leaders who are wary of taking risks and of being bold. Starmer has already shown determination and ruthlessness. His first weeks in office suggest he might buck the trend.

And a postscript: Earlier this month, Johnson’s sister tried to solve the mystery of the mayor’s disappearing act a decade ago. Rachel Johnson said on her radio show that her brother had been with his family driving around Canada and didn’t have phone signal for much of the trip. When he did learn of the emergency, he couldn’t leave his then-wife and their four children, as her feet couldn’t reach the pedals of their large trailer. “That is why—I kid you not—he didn’t come back immediately,” she insisted. “He had to drive the RV to an international airport and then fly back.” Not all listeners were convinced.

[dragkingandreweldritch]

new pinned post? new pinned post

hey, everyone, I'm Indrid/Rook/Ore, you friendly local cryptid. welcome to whatever the hell this is

I like 80's goth music, non-American horror movies, and arguing about the finer points off Jewish law — like if unicorns are kosher. feel free to drop me a line if you see me reblog something you're interested in, I love to yell about random bullshit

I also make glitch art and beaded jewelry! pm me if you'd like to comission me

besides making art, I also do visible mending-style pottery and glass repair (photos pending), edit writing for gammar and punctuation (plus stylistic feedback if wanted) and can be a sensitivity reader for people writing Jewish characters or people with PTSD

e-begging below the cut:

back in 2016 I was kicked out by my then-longterm partner and had to uproot my life to move back in with my parents. I can't hold a steady job due to physical and mental health issues — no official diagnosis yet but it's some kind of sleep disorder and possibly chronic fatigue or fibro, plus frequent migraines and unmedicated ADHD

I have basically no local support network bc I'm frequently too sick to go out and socialize. my father is disabled and my relationship with my mom is...strained, so they're both limited in how willing or able they are to help me

my main living costs right now are transportation to doctors' appointments and paying down my credit card debt, plus occasionally food, medicine, and art supplies to make stuff to sell

k*fi: IndridRook

p*ypal: indridrook

v*nmo: Indrid_Rook

[bizarrequazar]

GJ and ZZH Updates — July 02-08

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

This is part of a weekly series collecting updates from and relating to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan.

This post is not wholly comprehensive and is intended as an overview, links provided lead to further details. Dates are in accordance with China Standard Time, the organization is chronological. My own biases on some things are reflected here. Anything I include that is not concretely known is indicated as such, and you’re welcome to do your own research and draw your own conclusions as you see fit. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or additions. :)

[Glossary of names and terms] [Masterlist of my posts about the situation with Zhang Zhehan]

07-02 → A TikTok account called Ocean Zhang posted an extremely cringey video of Zhang Sanjian dancing with one of the ugly dolls they’re obviously having trouble selling. The account was found to have been made on 06-15 at an IP address located in Taiwan. The IP of the video was California. [source] Given how TikTok’s algorithm works, it’s best to completely avoid it.

→ Gong Jun made it to Jay Chou’s concert in Haikou and even got to sing with him! Videos: [1] [2] [Translation of their conversation] #Gong Jun Jay Chou chorus Hair Like Snow# got on Weibo entertainment hotsearch and #GongJun trended on Twitter.  Fan Observations:  -  He was wearing the Wooyoungmi shirt again.  -  Hair Like Snow was mentioned by Zhang Zhehan as one of his favourite Jay Chou songs, which he had sung himself at a school talent show. The album that it’s on, November’s Chopin, released on 2005-11-01.

→ Gong Jun posted a video of himself at the concert. Caption: “I’m! so! ha! ppy!”

(photo from the fansite Elaine&Pipi)

07-03 → The Legend of AnLe Weibo account posted a video of behind the scenes footage. Caption: “The boat of love makes waves at first sight?! Ren AnLe @Dear Dilireba made a bold move to Han Ye @ Gong Jun Simon, as if he heard someone's heart beating in disorder!” Shortly after, they also posted eight promotional stills of the main cast.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted three promotional stills of Gong Jun in Legend of AnLe. Caption: “Qingming is like a sweet spring, Ye Ran is like a god, hope to meet with his highness @ Gong Jun Simon soon.”

07-04 → #TheLegendofAnle trended on Twitter.

→ Fresh posted a commercial featuring Gong Jun. (1129 kadian)

07-05 → The Instagram posted song lyrics.

→ Fresh posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun. (1129 kadian)

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted a vlog of him at the Jay Chou concert. Caption: “There is also a chorus without mic, and the enthusiastic audience @ Gong Jun Simon has a full record of the concert!”

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted a douyin of him singing at the concert. Caption: “@ Gong Jun Simon is confident! (We also have a solo cam!)” (17:05 timestamp and 1:29 long video, if you want to make a 51129 kadian out of that)

07-06 → The Instagram posted pictures of Polaroids. 

→ #ZhangZhehan trended on Twitter.

→ The teashop was fined 129k RMB for excessive packaging in violation of environmental protection laws, violation of food safety laws, engaging in food production they do not have a license for, and failure to correctly label food quantity on packaging, with Chen Bingjun (Chen Liying’s daughter) fined 11k RMB personally.

07-07 → Gong Jun reposted a post from Xinhua News in remembrance of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. Added caption: “Don’t forget the national insult, remember the history, and use the deeds of heroes and martyrs to inspire our generation to act bravely!” His studio did the same, added caption: “Follow the right path and strive for self-improvement. Always remember the spirit of the martyrs, and may peace remain forever!”

→ A photographer, Xie Huailiang, made a Xiao Hong Shu post reminiscing about a photoshoot he did with Gong Jun in 2016, saying that Gong Jun hasn’t been changed by the industry and is still very caring and hardworking. His post mentioned Word of Honor as the point Gong Jun rose to fame. Fan Observation: The photographer also previously did a shoot with Zhang Zhehan, and did not delete his post of this after 813.

07-08 → Another Zhang Sanjian TikTok video with content similar to the previous one.

Additional Reading: → Hidden Strike, the Jackie Chan and John Cena action-comedy that Gong Jun played a small role* in in 2018, is now showing in theatres in the US. It will be releasing on American Netflix on 07-28. *He is reportedly only in about the first 20 minutes. → Offline promotions for Legend of AnLe have begun. It seems it really is finally coming soon. 🤞 → Subs are finally being made for Go Fighting! season 9! At the time of this post the first 3 episodes are subbed. [playlist]

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

[fiftytwotwentythree]

Wellness Wednesday:

Happy...? New Year?

I say, Yeah, Yeah It Is.

Avoid Eating Out... Check

Avoid Sweets/Junk Food... Check

Lose 52 Pounds... Check

Lose 100 Pounds... Check

Try Out a Vegetarian Diet/Lifestyle (for a month) without Making it a Personality... Check

Go the Whole Year Rockin' a Rat Tail... Check

Weigh the Lowest You've Ever Weigh in Almost 2 Decades... Check

Phew.

These last couple days/weeks/month I have been in a horrible mood, but the last two days of December I had sudden change in behavior and attitude.

I got hit with a surge chutzpah. Workouts became slightly easier. Even though I was running on fumes (aka massive lack of sleep) I don't feel exhausted like I have for the past few months.

And I gotta give up for the New Year and the Death of this Challenge. Seeing the days turn into hours with the Challenge made Heart Grow 3 Sizes... in a Good Way.

I can finally put this Weight Loss/Wellness Challenge down in books under the Win Column.

.

.

53rdth and FINAL CHECK-IN:

Current Goals:

Lose 52 lbs

Completed as of 4/12/2023

Milestone: Loss 100 lbs as of 11/01/2023

Milestone: Loss 104 lbs as of 12/27/2023 thus doubling my initial goal of 52 lbs

New Goal: Maintain or Continue on The Weight Loss Path

Avoid "Junk Food"

Completed:

A whole year with no Pizza, Ice Cream, Pop/Soda, Chips, Candy, Sweets/Desserts

Minimize Take-Out / Fast Food Consumption

Completed:

A whole year with no take out or eating out once - not one single outing.

Rock a Rat Tail for a Full Year: Completed

January 1st, 2023 - January 1st, 2024

R.I.P.

Short Term:

Vegetarian-ish Diet: Completed

End Date: 4/09/2023 - 46 Days Total

Groundhog's Day Diet: Completed*

10/01/2023 - 10/31/2023

.

.

Stats from December:

Food:

Cans of Soup: 20

Oranges: 19

Bags of Popcorn: 16

Leftover Meals: 5

Salads: 2

Take Out: 0

Candy/Sweets: 0

Workout:

Jumping Jacks: 18,500

Push-Ups: 4,600

Glute Bridges: 4,600

Reverse Leg Lifts: 4,600

Leg Kickbacks: 4,600

Sit-Ups: 4,600

Plank (mins): 230

Weight Loss:

Weightloss This Month: -5.2 lbs

Average Weightloss per Week: -1.3 lbs

Total Weightloss: -106.6 lbs

Entertainment:

Movies:

Movies Watched: 10

Favorite from the Month:

Migration

TV:

Hours of Television Watched: ~ 7 hours ( Ink Master; Last Week Tonight)

Books:

Books Completed This Month: 3

Book Title(s) Completed This Month:

Best. Movie. Year. Ever. by Brian Rafferty

Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

Book Total for the Year: 7

Comics:

Comics Completed: 1

Trades Completed: 24

Comic/Trade Titles Completed:

Venom by Donny Cates Vol. 2: The Abyss (Venom (2018-2021))

Richard Stark's Parker Vol. 2: The Outfit

Ms. Marvel Vol. 2: Generation Why (Ms. Marvel Series)

X-Men '92 Vol. 2: Lilapalooza (X-Men '92 (2016))

Giant Days Vol. 2

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 2

Scott Pilgrim Vol. 2 (of 6): Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Color Edition

All-New X-Men Vol. 2: Here To Stay

Civil War II (Civil War II (2016))

Archie vs Predator II

Deadpool by Daniel Way: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 (Deadpool (2008-2012))

Batman (2016-) Vol. 3: I Am Ban

Lumberjanes Vol. 4

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection Vol. 6

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 7: I've Been Waiting For A Squirrel Like You (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015-2019))

Spider-Man/Deadpool Vol. 3: Itsy Bitsy (Spider-Man/Deadpool (2016-2019))

Richard Stark's Parker Vol. 3: The Score (Parker Novels Book 5)

Richard Stark's Parker Vol. 4: Slayground

She-Hulk Vol. 1: Law and Disorder (She-Hulk Series Box-Set))

All-New X-Men, Vol. 3: Out of Their Depth

Happy Horror Days #1 (Chilling Adventures in Sorcery)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 3

Scott Pilgrim Vol. 3 (of 6): Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness - Color Edition

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 4

Batman (2016-) Vol. 4: The War of Jokes and Riddles

Favorite Comic/Trade Read:

Batman (2016-) Vol. 4: The War of Jokes and Riddles

Magazine(s):

Magazine(s) Completed: 0

.

.

Meal Tracker:

THURSDAY

Lunch:

Can of Progresso Lasagna Style Soup

- (10) Crackers

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Supper:

(2) Hot Ham & Swiss Sandwiches

- (4) Sweet Hawaiian Rolls

- (2) Slices of Leftover Ham

- (2) Slices of Swiss Cheese

Bag of Orville Redenbacher Ultimate Butter Popcorn

FRIDAY

Lunch:

Can of Progresso Broccoli Cheese Soup

- (10) Crackers

Supper:

Hot Ham & Swiss Sandwich

- (2) Sweet Hawaiian Rolls

- (1) Slice of Leftover Ham

- (1) Slice of Swiss Cheese

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

(2) Handfuls of Orville Redenbacher Ultimate Butter Popcorn

SATURDAY

Lunch:

(1) Bowl Homemade Crockpot Chili

- Melted Cheese

(1) Sloppy Joe on a Bakery Bun

- Melted Cheese

(6) BBQ Chicken Wings

(3) Scoops of Broccoli Supreme Salad

Snack:

(10) Smokies

SUNDAY

Lunch:

Can of Progresso Creamy Chicken & Broccoli with Brown Rice

- (10) Crackers

Supper:

Can of Progresso Minestrone Soup

- (10) Crackers

*** NEW YEAR'S EVE ***

MONDAY

Lunch:

(2) Grilled Seasoned New York Strip Steaks

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Bowl of Smartfood's White Cheddar Popcorn

Snack:

Large Bowl of Smartfood's White Cheddar Popcorn

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Supper:

(3) Sloppy Joes on Bakery Bones

- (2) Cheese Slices

(4) Scoops of Broccoli Salad

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

.

.

Workouts:

THURSDAY

* Morning Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Afternoon Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Evening Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

FRIDAY

* Morning Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(10) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(10) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Afternoon Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Evening Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

SATURDAY

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

SUNDAY

* Morning Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Evening Workout *

(500) Jumping Jacks [10 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

*** NEW YEAR'S EVE ***

MONDAY

* Morning Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

.

.

WEIGHT TRACKER:

Starting Weight (Noon, 1/01/2023): XXX.X lbs

Weight at Last Check-In, 12/27/2023:-0.6 lbs

Weight As of Noon, 1/01/2024: -2.6 lbs

Total Weight Loss: -106.6 lbs

.

.

Closing Thoughts:

The Good:

Ended the year losing weight and weighing the lowest I ever weighed in almost TWO DECADES.

The Bad:

I dont know what to do for my next challenge and I am running out of time. What will be my 52 in '24???

I want Nachos soooooooo effing bad and my favorite Nacho Spot is closed for New Year's Day.

The Ugly:

Relasping is always in the back of my mind.

[illnessfaker]

massive TW: child+medical abuse, suicide, ableism

Contrary to the hospital’s suspicions, Beata had never been diagnosed with a mental illness, and prior to the DCF investigation, Jack says, she’d never suffered from depression. She had even undergone a court-ordered evaluation by a licensed psychologist who found “no evidence that would support the conclusion that Beata has falsified her daughter’s medical condition for any psychological purpose” and who concluded that “factitious disorder by proxy may safely be ruled out.” The psychologist did note that Beata may have been suffering from an “adjustment disorder” resulting from Maya’s illness and removal from their home. (Another report, written by Teppa Sanchez, observed: “Mother states that she is extremely tired and is very stressed and at times feels like she ‘wants to die.’”)

At the Kowalskis’ next family court hearing, All Children’s attorneys continued to argue that Maya needed to be kept away from her family and transferred to long-term inpatient medical foster care. The Kowalskis’ attorney handed Judge Haworth a letter Beata had addressed to him before taking her life. “Your heart is made out of iceberg!” it began, in her imperfect English. “ACH, DCF have destroyed my daughter physically and mentally … My daughter will never be who she was before October 13, 2016.” Haworth read the note, folded it, and put it away. He ruled that Jack could take Maya to Rhode Island to be evaluated by Pradeep Chopra, a professor at Brown University’s medical school who studies CRPS. Later, after Chopra wrote that Maya’s symptoms and response to treatments were consistent with CRPS, and that the diagnoses of Munchausen by proxy and factitious disorder were “incorrect,” Haworth remanded Maya back to Jack’s custody.

When Maya left All Children’s Hospital in January 2017, she weighed less than she did when she was admitted — a dark verdict on the separation test meant to detect Munchausen by proxy. She was so weak that it was difficult for her to sit up on her own, and Jack remembers having to put stuffed animals in the back seat of the car to support her body. At home, he says, Maya cried nonstop. Jack took her to physical therapy, installed solar panels to heat their pool for aquatherapy, and bought her a teacup Yorkie puppy. CRPS abates over time in most patients. A year and a half later, as Jack watched, astonished, Maya stood up out of her wheelchair, picked up her crutches, and slowly made her way across the room. After 12 more months of swimming, yoga, and exercise, Maya took her first unassisted steps in four years. “I bawled,” Jack said.

[...]

Much of what happened to the Kowalskis at All Children’s should not have occurred. It was not true that the parents could have been legally arrested if they had taken Maya home on her second day at the hospital. “Against medical advice” discharges are legal and occur every day in the United States; a 2007 study shows that one to 2 percent of all hospital admissions result in one. Also, Smith’s decision to access Maya’s confidential medical records through the All Children’s portal on October 8, 2016, appears to have violated the privacy law known as HIPAA, according to Blaise Wabo, a health-care-compliance expert at a cybersecurity audit firm. Only treating physicians are allowed to access patient records unless a parent gives written consent for another party to do so. Smith was never one of Maya’s treating doctors, and on the day she opened her confidential records, there was no active DCF investigation. HIPAA violations are punishable by significant fines and up to ten years in prison. When I asked All Children’s about how child-abuse pediatricians like Smith are able to access patient records, the hospital did not answer. (Smith disputed that any HIPAA violation occurred.)

this is an actual horror story. holy fucking shit.

[hillaryisaboss]

Donald has a personality disorder and will love the photo-opt on Tuesday. Trump loves the camera and relishes the spotlight. A mentally deranged bully with no shame. A true narcissist.

As Hillary noted in 2016: if things don’t go his way, he’ll say it was “rigged” against him. Sadly, on Tuesday, his cultists will eat up his Martyr Act like only truly brainwashed people can do.

Then, Kellyanne Conway, his Chief Propagandist, will be on Fox News spewing manipulative dribble such as: “no one in America has withstood so much and still survived!” — *ahem*… aside from *both* Bill *AND* Hillary Clinton.

Point is — Donald is a serial abuser of the judicial system. He intimidates people from holding him accountable for his grotesque and abusive crimes.

No one in America is above the law — even a former “President” who lost the popular vote twice. Trump’s mob boss ways are finally catching up to him.

Sure — Donald’s poll numbers will go up among Republicans (aka: our modern-day 2023 cult). But I truly hope most Americans don’t want part 2 of the “Trump Reality Show." It’s circus full of clowns with no empathy, compassion, or moral compass. Devoid of a soul.

Let’s give Joe Biden and Kamala Harris another 4-years to create meaningful, lasting change. Tuesday (4/3/2023) will now become a day of national shame and embarrassment.

Let’s MOVE ON and turn the page on this con-man propaganda artist fraud.

[thoughtfulfoxllama]

I wish I could just fully understand and know how to deal with my trauma

Even more than that, I wish more than anything I didn't have to go through the stuff I did. And I'm just mad that everyone I grew up around either actively harmed me, or stood by and let it happen

I never felt safe at home. My mother and uncle were in & out of jail, and drug addicts. My uncle was an alcoholic, who repeatedly attempted suicide in front of me. In the rare event they were both out of jail, they would shout at each other all the time, punch through walls & doors, and in one case, push each other across the room (leading to my mother dragging me out of the house, and trying to make me sleep on a park bench over the night)

And then there's how they'd treat me. If I got bad grades (basically, below A+), they would yell at me, telling me if never be worth anything. My mother told me that I'd better get a good job, so she can have somewhere to live when her mother dies. She lost custody of her little brother because of all the drugs she was on, and just needed to go to rehab for 6 months. I literally begged her, crying to go, but she didn't think it was worth it (showing how much she values us)

My uncle claimed he loved me, but treated me as "one of the guys" (and, I'm just saying, the fact he was in his 30s-40s, buying beer for teens, and letting his 4 year old nephew drink one is sus). That's when he wasn't dragging me out of bed in the middle of the night to eat dinner (giving me horrible rug burn on my chest after dragging me all the way to the kitchen), or burning me with a cigarette

And my grandmother, she basically raised me. She said she didn't want to lose another grandchild (my mother abandoned my sister with her paternal grandparents, and my older brother was taken away because she did Meth when she was pregnant with him). But, she said she'd never stop her from seeing me

The issue is, she neglected me. Anyone who knew me after 2016 knows about the time I had a 104° fever for 2 days straight, and I didn't go to the hospital (thankfully, the fever broke before I did). But the fact she knew her children were delinquents, and still got them to watch me is unbelievable. She continued to let them watch me, even when both of them had restraining orders, because they were too horrible to be around kids. But no one was there to advocate for me, so I had to live through that for 15 years

And then there's the mental stuff. I was horribly bullied at school (and still preferred it to home, which she knew, so that should've told her something), and she didn't question why. I was eventually diagnosed with ADHD & Depression. I'm self-DXed with Autism, but most places won't do adult testing. So, what did my grandmother do: she ignored it. She lied whenever someone asked if I was ever tested for ADHD or Autism (I never was, but she repeatedly said I wasn't). And I don't blame my teachers anymore (because there's apparently a stupid law that they're not allowed to even bring up the possiblity of a kid having some disorder), but I blame her for not caring enough to even look into it. And for instilling ableism I'm me, so I never considered the possibility (well, I considered it several times, but I refused to accept it, because I couldn't bring myself to actually look past my preconceptions until I was adopted)

Eventually, my life settled down when my Great-Grandmother had a fall, and we moved in. She didn't much like me, but we avoided each other for the most part. Then, my grandmother died. She never taught me to live on my own (I couldn't even do laundry). I lost 40 pounds in 2 months because I was just too depressed to eat. I still don't think I'm over it, because even though I'm mad at her, she was the woman who raised me

And I won't deny that religious trauma is real for most people, but the LDS Church helped me alot, and continues to help me. I have a community that actually cares, friends who genuinely like me, and a philosophy & theology that teaches I am divine, worth loving. I have issues with the culture (such as my worth being defined by my work), but ultimately, it does more good in my life

And I don't know how to deal with any of this. I still deal with self-hatred, occasional outbursts (which further deepen the aforementioned self hatred), and a general "eh" feeling (it's way worse without my meds, and I've had a few bursts of real happiness recently)

I don't want to hang on to the past. But I don't know how to deal with everything (because this doesn't even cover it all. I never mentioned things like when I was SAed when I was 5, because it wasn't done by anyone I was related to).