#National League anniversary

[newyorkthegoldenage]

The National League marked its 60th anniversary on August 13, 1936 with a game between men taking the roles of two of its original teams, the New York Knickerbockers and the Brooklyn Atlantics. Here, Henry Wisniewsky of the Knicks slides safely into a base in the first inning at the Polo Grounds. No info on the name of the nattily dressed umpire.

Photo: eBay

[rabbitcruiser]

The Save-The-Redwoods League was founded on March 11, 1918 by Boone and Crockett Club members Madison Grant, John C. Merriam, and Henry Fairfield Osborn.

[mangled-by-disuse]

anyway it's Armistice Day which seems a great time to remember that "a nation's right to defend itself" was what took the assassination of Franz Ferdinand from a political footnote to an invasion into foreign territory and then into the deaths of millions through shelling and starvation.

Mentioning this for no particular reason, it's not reminiscent of anything.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The first Canadian coins bearing the face of King Charles are soon to be circulated across the country. The Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg is set Tuesday to showcase its model of the King that will appear on one side of all Canadian coins. The monarch's effigy is also to be pressed onto a loonie for the first time. The mint said a small amount of 2023-dated coins with the King are to circulate in early December. Coin exchanges are set to take place later in the month at the mint's Ottawa and Winnipeg boutiques. The image features work by Canadian portrait artist Steven Rosati, who has designed other coins for the mint, including six silver National Hockey League goalie coins and a 100th anniversary commemorative loonie in honour of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Continue Reading.

Tagging @politicsofcanada

[beardedmrbean]

BOSTON (TNND) — Tufts University has temporarily suspended its chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) after it shared an image of a protest flyer calling for students to "Join the Student Intifada."

SJP shared a screenshot last week of a message from the school’s Office of Community Standards informing the group of the decision. The communication accused the group of circulating posters with assault rifles on it which instructed students to both “join the student intifada” and to “escalate” a planned Oct. 7 event.

The message informed SJP its conduct on campus was unacceptable.

“Because of this conduct, we have no choice but to impose Interim Suspension on Students of Justice in Palestine,” it reads. “Interim Suspension is effective immediately until the conclusion of the conduct process related to the incident outlined above.”

SJP members reviled the suspension in an Instagram post.

“We are not victims and we are doing the bare minimum in the struggle for a liberated Palestine,” the post read. “The repression we face is minimal compared to the importance of fighting for divestment. We will not back down, we will not apologize.”

The post also included a QR code which links to a petition demanding the school reinstate SJP.

A university spokesperson told The National News Desk Monday SJP's suspension will "remain in effect until the case is fully resolved."

“During this time, SJP must halt all activities, events, and meetings. Any attempt to continue operating during this suspension will result in serious disciplinary consequences for both the organization and its leaders," the spokesperson said.

At the start of this academic year, Tufts University emphasized its expectations for student protests and advocacy,” the spokesperson added. “We provided clear guidelines to ensure a learning environment free from disruption, while supporting students' interests in speech and demonstration.”

Cheering the suspension was the New England chapter of the Anti-Defamation League.

“Thank you, @TuftsUniversity, for swiftly suspending the university's SJP chapter after they used images of assault rifles/weapons to promote an event they planned for the one-year anniversary of 10/7,” it wrote via X. “The call to join the ‘student intifada’ and ‘escalate’ is a call condoning violence.”

SJP on Monday shared images of masked students “reclaiming” Tufts's school of engineering building. The proceedings were part of its “week of rage” to commemorate the anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel.

[calabria-mediterranea]

A high-profile Italian author has accused Rai of censorship after his antifascist monologue was abruptly stopped from being aired, in what he called the “definitive demonstration” of alleged attempts by Giorgia Meloni’s government to wield its power over the state broadcaster.

Antonio Scurati was due to read the monologue marking the 25 April national holiday, which celebrates Italy’s liberation from fascism, on the Rai 3 talkshow Chesarà on Saturday night.

But as he prepared to travel to Rome, he received a note from Rai telling him his appearance had been cancelled “for editorial reasons”.

Scurati is well known in Italy for his books about the dictator Benito Mussolini and the fascist period. The cancellation of his monologue provoked fierce reaction from Rai journalists, fellow authors and opposition leaders.

His speech referenced Giacomo Matteotti, a political opponent of Mussolini who was murdered by fascist hitmen in 1924, and other massacres of the regime. It also contained a paragraph criticising Italy’s “post-fascist” leaders for not “repudiating their neofascist past”.

“Undoubtedly, this is what infuriated them,” Scurati told the Guardian. “And also because of what I represent and maintain in my books … [that] there is a continuity between the fascism of Mussolini and the populist nationalists in Europe.”

The Rai director Paolo Corsini denied that the monologue had been censored, telling the Italian media that an investigation “of an economic and contractual nature” was under way, while implying that the speech was cancelled because of the “higher than expected” fee sought by Scurati.

Scurati said his fee had been agreed and the contract signed before the monologue was due to be broadcast. “The fee was perfectly in line with those paid to authors … It was the same as in the past, when there were no issues.”

In solidarity, Serena Bortone, who presents Chesarà, read out the monologue on the show. It has also been published in full by several Italian newspapers and websites.

Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party has neofascist origins, came to power in October 2022 with a coalition including the far-right League and the late Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia.

During the election campaign, Meloni said the rightwing parties had “handed fascism over to history for decades now”. However, Scurati claimed in his monologue that when forced to address fascism at historical anniversaries, Meloni has “obstinately stuck to the ideological line of her neofascist culture of origin”, for example by blaming the Mussolini regime’s persecution of the Jews and other massacres on Nazi Germany alone.

Meloni responded by publishing the speech on her Facebook page, while attacking Scurati and accusing the left of “shouting at the regime”.

“Rai responded by simply refusing to pay €1,800 (the monthly salary of many employees) for a minute of monologue,” she said. “I don’t know what the truth is, but I will happily publish the text of the monologue (which I hope I don’t have to pay for) for two reasons: 1) Those who have always been ostracised and censored by the public service will never ask for anyone to be censored. Not even those who think their propaganda against the government should be paid for with citizens’ money. 2) Because Italians can freely judge its content.”

Since coming to power, the Meloni government has been accused of increasingly exerting its power over Rai while edging out managers or TV hosts with leftwing views. The European Commission was last week urged to investigate the government’s alleged attempts to turn the broadcaster into a “megaphone” for the ruling parties before the European elections.

Meloni’s administration has also been accused of trying to influence other areas of the press and targeting journalists with legal action who criticise the government. A Brothers of Italy politician recently proposed toughening penalties for defamation, including jail terms of two to three years.

Elly Schlein, the leader of the centre-left Democratic party, said: “The Scurati case is serious; Rai is the megaphone for the government.” Carlo Calenda, the leader of the centrist Azione party, said: “Silencing a writer for saying unpleasant things about the government is simply unacceptable.”

Scurati said he has received solidarity from many authors and journalists who were otherwise afraid to speak out against the government.

“This episode is the definitive demonstration, as it has finally aroused the revolt of other writers, intellectuals and journalists who until now kept quiet,” he said. “This government launches violent personal attacks against you for speaking out, in my case [that] I asked for too much money.”

Follow us on Instagram, @calabria_mediterranea

[mjdrawsalot]

Jon Kent (pretty much) Complete Reading Order

Compiled first for my personal use and tidied up for @jonkentweek ! Goes up to June 2024 and includes every appearance of this character that I could find. I used ComicVine's archive to track these down, which is both fallible and constantly being updated, so there might be some mistakes. Also, I did my best to highlight the occasions where Jon was a significant character in a story and to skip the ones that were just a non-speaking, one-panel cameo, but those were personal judgements and your mileage might vary.

Color key (and apologies for the eye strain): Red are issues in which Jon is a central character, not just a cameo, Blue are crossover events, Orange are stories that take place in alternate universes/are non canonical

Optional stuff you can read for historical context:

Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? (1997) a classic possible future story, which is, to my knowledge, the 1st time a character named Jon who is Superman’s kid appears

Son of Superman (1999) a self-contained, now AU, story about a teen Jon Kent, very classic 90s young adult comic with all the tropes that come with that, but enjoyable as the proto-iteration of Jon as an idea

Canon appearances start here

The Final Days of Superman crossover event: Superman (2011) 51-52, Batman/Superman (2013) 31-32, Action Comics (2011) 51-52, Superman/Wonder Woman (2013) 28-29 (This is the origin story of the Clark, Lois and Jon that the comics follow in Rebirth. Largely ignored by writers, as it was written to patch up New52 weirdness, but there are occasional references that might be confusing if you skip it completely.)

Convergence (2015) 5, 8

Superman: Lois and Clark (2015) 1-8 (Establishes Jon and his family in the DCU)

Superman (2016) 1-11, 13, 17-28, 30, 32-36, 38, 40-45, Special 1

Action Comics (2016) 957-972, 974-978, 980-983, 985, 987, 989-1000, 1002, 1005, 1016, 1022-1035, 1042, 1045-1048, 1050-1057, 1059-1060, Special 1, Annual 2023

Justice League (2016) 3-6, 15, 18-19, 22, 28

Trinity (2016) 1-6, 16

Super Sons (2017) 1-16

Dark Nights: Metal (2017) 3, 6

The Man of Steel (2018) 1-6 (central from issue 4 onwards)

Superman (2018) 1, 4-12, 14-16, 20, 29-32

Adventures of the Super Sons (2018) 1-12

Justice League (2018) 9, 23-25, 34, 52, 75, Annual 2022

Super Sons/Dynomutt Special (2018)

Super Sons: The Polarshield Project (AU trilogy of graphic novels)

Supergirl (2016) 8, 30-33

DCeased (2019) 1-6 (what if DC but zombies?)

Super Sons: The Foxglove Mission

Lois Lane (2019) 3-4, 6

Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium 2

Legion of Super-Heroes (2019) 1-12

Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child

Green Lantern: Blackstars 2-3

The Terrifics (2018) 25

Teen Titans (2016) 15, 43, 45-46

DCeased: Hope at World’s End (2020) 1, 4-5, 9-15

Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular (in the short Super Sons story)

DCeased: Dead Planet (2020) 1-7

Super Sons: Escape to Landis

Batman/Superman (2019) Annual 1

Challenge of the Super Sons (2020) 1-14

Dark Knights: Death Metal The Last Stories of the DC Universe (2020) (in the Superman short story)

Dark Knights: Death Metal The Secret Origin (2021)

Dark Knights: Death Metal The Last 52 War of the Multiverses (2021) (in the Superman parts of the story)

DC Nation Presents Future State (2020) (intro, information and behind-the-scenes for Future State)

Future State: Superman of Metropolis (2021) 1-2 (Future State is another possible future, meaning that it’s not necessarily canon, but it takes place in the future of the main canon, not in a complete AU, like say, Dark Knights of Steel. Technically not necessary to understand main universe stories, but a few popular characters and characterizations were brought over to the main universe.)

Future State: Justice League (2021) 1-2

Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman (2021) 1-2

Future State: Kara Zor-el, Superwoman (2021) 1

Future State: Legion of Super-Heroes (2021) 2

Infinite Frontier (2021) 0 (establishes the main universe status quo from this point on, feat. a synopsis of Jon’s life up to here)

Challenge of the Super Sons (2021) 1-7

Superman: Son of Kal-el (2021) 1-18, Annual 1

Shazam! (2021) 1

Superman Red and Blue (2021) 6 (in the short story The Special, but this mini series in general is cute and I recommend it)

Justice League vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes (2022) 1-6

Superman & Robin Special (2022) 1

DC’s Round Robin (2021) 2 (in the short story Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow)

Nightwing (2016) 89, 91-92, 101-104, 110, 112-113

Earth-Prime (2022) 2 (story based on the CW show Superman and Lois)

DC Pride (2022) (in the short story Super Pride)

Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis (2022) (in the short story Team Up)

Dark Crisis (2022) 1-7

Dark Crisis: Young Justice (2022) 1

Dark Crisis: Worlds Without A Justice League: Superman (2022) 1

DCeased: War of the Undead Gods (2022) 1, 4-5, 7-8

DC’s Terrors Through Time (2022) (in the short story Trick or Treat)

Dark Crisis: The Deadly Green (2022) 1

The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special (2023) (in The Life of Superman short story)

Dark Crisis: The Dark Army (2023)

Superman: Kal-El Returns Special (2023) (in the short story Distractions)

Lazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton (2023) (in the short story Electric)

Batman (2016) 131-132 (in the Tim Drake Robin chapters)

Superman (2023) 2-3, 9

Lazarus Planet: Omega (2023)

Power Girl Special (2023)

Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent (2023) 1-6

Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow (2023) 1 (edited version of the story in Round Robin)

DC Pride (2023) (in the short story My Best Bet)

Titans: Beast World (2024) 3-4, 6

Titans: Beast World Tour: Metropolis (2024)

Trinity Special (2024) (taken from the backups of Wonder Woman 2023 plus some extra)

[seyaryminamoto]

Fic-to-Art #39: Gladiator's ELEVENTH Anniversary! (+ BONUS: Fic-to-Art #36...)

And here we are! March 26th arrived and I did not forget about it, but I paid for my ambitious madness with my wrist and forearm. Somehow, I finished my intended pieces on time, but I do not advise that you ever try to make 9 artworks in 3 days. No, sir. Bad life decisions, that's what that was... but this fic, as anyone knows, moves me to do things I never thought possible, starting with writing the fic itself!

It's really crazy every time it hits me that I've been doing this for as long as I have. It's been a complicated, chaotic journey, with its many ups and downs, but ultimately, it has been our journey. For some people, this is just one more fic in the pile: for me, it's been the best adventure of my life so far. Everyone who has ever been touched by Gladiator, who has ever cherished this story, who's looking forward to the big conclusion, who wants to see how the chaotic war is going to end... you're all part of this crazy adventure along with me, and I can only thank you for joining me.

This year, I had no time to make as big a project as I usually go for. Thus, I did a sort of free-for-all edition of Fic-to-Art over at Patreon and challenged myself to draw as many scenes as I could, out of their suggestions. I even sprinkled in a few scenes I impulsively wanted to draw because I loved writing them or because I look forward to writing them... and this is the result!

In order, the scenes are as follow:

Sokka combing Azula's hair, a common occurrence throughout the story.

Azula watching over a convalescing Sokka in the Chase of Jeong Jeong arc.

The outcome of Sokka's final battle in the Superior Gladiator League, namely a moment where Sokka and Azula more or less gave away their relationship's true nature to the public by raising their hands towards each other...

And now, spoiler territory! Some were by my choice, some by Patreon requests:

An important moment shortly after Sokka and Azula reunite.

Azula confronting her father, with a LOT of backup.

Xin Long's long-awaited freedom.

The aftermath of the final battle.

The full-blown confirmation of their relationship to the general Fire Nation populace.

Sokka, Azula and Hotaru's first night together

And the big final one is ACTUALLY Fic-to-Art #36 but hahaha woops I didn't post it here on time because it was super hard to finish since I had a LOT of things going on... but here it is now! :'D it's a glimpse VERY far into the future of this fic's timeline!

Alright, that should be enough talking and explaining. Some things are vague, some things aren't, but ultimately I really hope you guys will be looking forward to the scenes you haven't seen yet, and to Gladiator's eventual outcome.

So now... with all this being said and done, I'm gonna go take a trip down memory lane and watch my Tenth Anniversary video once more! Feel free to do the same thing if you'd like to commemorate the fic, I think it's a good way to experience Gladiator all over again, hahaha.

Thank you if you read all this, and if you read all THAT: 5 million word landmark, here we come! Thanks for hanging out with me across ELEVEN years of Gladiator!

[findingnemosworld]

𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐧 - 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐨 𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐨.

・𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲: 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬.

( 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐨 𝐑𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 ? 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐭. )

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐞, 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬.

If there's one thing Y/N disliked with passion, it was interviews, any kind of interviews.

Being hailed as one of the top ballerinas was an honor, she never took it for granted and always strived to better herself with every show she performed in - the world loved her and she loved to give back through the art of performing, and it was because that, she had met the love of her life ... Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese star of Real Madrid.

It's one thing to find love, yet it's an entirely other thing if it was the person you had an affinity for most of your life.

Y/N was a die hard fan of Los Blancos - however, she'd worked so hard to conceal that so as to not appear weird in front of others, all the while she made sure to attend every match, be it for la liga or the champions league.

It never occurred her that the man she adored so much admired her dancing yet according to him, he admired how hardworking she was and how it reminded him of himself, small dinner dates here and there lead to a beautiful relationship forming a year later.

Contrast to the misconception people had of him, Cristiano had been nothing but sweet and attentive for her, and while she too had recieved a substantial amount of hate with some claiming that she's using him for fame and wealth, it seemed to not affect him seeing as he had told her that he knew her, the real her.

Nearing their two year anniversary, Cristiano was invited to be on the cover of GQ magazine and had worked his way into it becoming a joint cover for the two of them, along with an interview which would help. set the record straight in regards to their relationship.

The questions were fairy typical and tame, how do they go about with their routines? why they chose their respective careers? and what do they hope to accomplish in the near future, Y/N was visibly nervous however Cristiano had tried his best to silently reassure her by grabbing her hand and squeezing it gently while he continued to answer questions, and as they neared halfway through their interview, the questions had shifted into another direction.

" Y/N, have you always known the magnitude of Cristiano's fame? and how well known he was as a football player? "

Y/N smiled, then nodded before giggling. " Well, no one is blind to how impactful he's been as a Real Madrid player and a player for his national team? to me, that's one of the many things I admire about him, he's passionate about football, the same way I'm passionate about ballet "

" Did he turn you into a football fan? "

Y/N's face grows warm, " I am actually a football fan way before I met him "

" Really! " Cristiano raised a brow.

" Listen, I've kept this hidden so as to not appear weird but I am obsessed with football, I mean I'm Spanish and I was raised in a football loving household, so it wasn't hard not to fall in love with the sport and what it stands for " Y/N giggles.

" How come you've never told me that? " Cristiano wonders.

" It never came up " Y/N shrugs.

A few more questions later, and another question pops up that definitely embarrassed her.

" Y/N, who's your celebrity crush? "

Y/N hides her face which made Cristiano chuckle, " It's ok, I won't be mad "

" That's the thing " Y/N laughs softly, " My celebrity crush is the man I'm in love with "

Cristiano laughs, " Is that so? "

" Yes, I'm a fan after all " Y/N shrugs with a grin.

Once the interview wrapped up, they return home to rest before stepping out for dinner and that's when Cristiano asked her, " You had a crush on me huh? " he wraps his arms around her from behind.

Y/N smiles, " A big crush, that's why it was hard for me to be outspoken around you "

" Well to be fair " Cristiano chuckles, " I had a big crush on you as well, and here we are "

" I love you " Y/N smiles.

" I love you too " Cristiano kisses her cheek.

[cartermagazine]

Today In History

Jackie Robinson, was born in Cairo, GA, on this date January 31, 1919. His mother, Mallie Robinson, single-handedly raised Jackie and her four other children. They were the only black family on their block, and the prejudice they encountered only strengthened their bond.

From this humble beginning would grow the first baseball player to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier that segregated the sport for more than 50 years.

At the end of Robinson’s rookie season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he had become National League Rookie of the Year with 12 homers, a league-leading 29 steals, and a .297 average. In 1949, he was selected as the NL’s Most Valuable player of the Year and also won the batting title with a .342 average that same year. As a result of his great success, Jackie was eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Jackie Robinson’s life and legacy will be remembered as one of the most important in American history. In 1997, the world celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Jackie’s breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier. In doing so, we honored the man who stood defiantly against those who would work against racial equality and acknowledged the profound influence of one man’s life on the American culture.

CARTER™️ Magazine

[maxsimagination]

𝗵𝘂𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 - 𝘀.𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗶

summary: even after a year of dating, playing against your girlfriend doesn’t get any easier

𖦹 masterlist

𝗜𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗔 𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗬 day to say the least.

one of my least favourite days during the season. i had to go up against sakina.

it was psg vs lyon, and both me and sakina were in the starting eleven for our respective teams.

we started dating last year. both of us got called up for national team duties, to represent france in the world cup. that was when we first properly met and, thanks to elisa, started dating.

elisa and i met when i was on loan to montpellier in the 2020/21 season. since then we'd kept in touch often.

now in the 2023/24 season, sakina and i had been together for a whole year and two days. we had celebrated our anniversary with a recreation of our first date, same restaurant and everything.

but during the season, there was a few times where we came up against each other. whether it be for the champions league or the french division, it had to happen.

i always got nervous about these games because the little voice in my head would tell me that something might change between us after we played. nothing had ever changed in the year we'd been dating and come up against each other it that didn't stop me from over thinking.

——

on the pitch, i could see both sakina and elisa ready and waiting in the psg defence for the whistle to blow.

when it did, i was the first to shoot forward with the ball. being a striker didn't help when your girlfriend was a defender. there was bound to be some tackles involved.

and eventually it did.

in the 70th minute, both me and sakina had stayed on, as expected.

i was running down the middle of the field, having intercepted a pass from two of the psg strikers. i ducked and weaved through the defenders and i was almost at the edge of the box when i noticed sakina out of the corner of my eye.

just as i took the shot at the goal, sakina came sliding in and took my ankles out.

i landed on the ground with a thud and all the air left my lungs. i didn't move for a while, just trying to get my breath back, but then the medics came rushing in.

i didn't think i needed them but let them do their thing anyway.

i could see sakina standing nearby, trying to see if i was okay. i was but i was a bit mad with her. she didn't have to take my ankles with her in her attempt to clear the ball.

when the medics cleared out and i stood up, sakina came up to me.

"what the hell was that for?"

i spoke first. i knew that it was a game and she had to defend but that tackle really took the life out of me for a bit there.

"i'm sorry, i didn't mean to take you out too."

"whatever. let's just play the game."

i walked away and returned to my position. the game went on and lyon ended up winning 3-0 including the shot that i got in before sakina tackled me.

after we won, most of the girls did a couple laps to greet the fans. i made a couple laps before heading back to the lockers. freshly showered and dressed in the clothes i arrived in, i walked back into the communal hallways.

however, just as i was walking out, sakina walked in and she whisked me into an adjacent room.

that room happened to be a physio room, thank goodness no one was in there.

"yn, i am so sorry about the tackle. i truly did not mean to take you down like that. if i could go back and change anything, i probably wouldn't make that tackle at all."

that last bit stunned me.

"you'd let me take the goal?"

"yes."

"really?"

"yes, yn. i'd rather loose a game of football than have you injured. please forgive me."

i didn't see how i could still be mad at her after that so of course i forgave her. i nodded at sakina and was  about to verbalise my feelings when she kissed me.

her lips were soft as always and she easily slipped her tongue into my mouth.

i tried to keep it pg, so pulled away after a bit with a grin.

"let's wait until we're home to start something like this, yea amour?" (love.)

[ifitmeanslosingyouthenno]

"not people thinking they can escape heartache. avoiding it at all cost is itself a form of it."

a little angst hurt no comfort i wrote in class instead of paying attention

neil hasn't heard from andrew in over three months. maybe. he definitely checked in around march. around the anniversary of his father's death. but it was going to be august soon, so definitely more than three months. neil was going to start his professional career in just a few days and all he could think of was about how andrew had missed his calls for the better part of this year. about how andrew had missed the foxes final match, neil's last championship win as a fox. his graduation. when he moved out of palmetto and settled in a lonely apartment all the way in omaha.

neil has been looking forward to this, to being in a successful pro team, being one of the rookies with the best stats in the league, earning a spot in one of the best teams in the nation with one hell of a salary that had been more than aproved by ichirou moriyama

and yet

and yet that all seemed worthless

he has it all, but without reason or explanation, he doesn't have what matters the most to him

maybe it's his own fault. andrew did tell him for years. that they were nothing, that what they had wasn't serious. maybe neil should have taken it for what it was. the truth.

still

he can't help the gaping hole in his chest, the coldness, after growing used to sharing so much with someone else, only for that someone to disappear from his side seemingly out of nowhere

neil would play their last interactions over and over in his head, trying to figure out when he messed up, what he did to push andrew away, what boundaries he pushed and pushed until he broke andrew's trust

or maybe he just wasn't interesting enough for andrew, maybe he truly was nothing after all, maybe now that he wasn't convenient, now that he was too far from andrew all the way up in new york, and now that it was too troublesome to see him, maybe andrew had realized that he could do better

maybe andrew realized that he could find someone who was actually attractive, who could do more than talk about exy, whose life wasn't tied to the literal mafia, who wasn't more trouble than he's worth andrew's attention

whatever the reason, neil couldn't hold it against andrew

he could only blame himself, for relying on someone long enough that now he had no idea of how to live by himself, alone, in a city where he didn't know anyone or anywhere, miles away from those who he called home, with no one but himself once more

it's fine, everything is fine. he could learn how to live by himself again.

sitting with his back to a wall, in his too cold and empty apartment, he holds his knees close to his chest

he has no choice but to learn to live with loneliness as his only companion again

...

meanwhile, 1240 miles away, andrew minyard sits by himself in a too crowded bar, watching as the bartender switches the tv to the sports channel

for fucks sake, can't a guy just get a fucking break from sports?

to his horror, the talkshow host is talking about the omaha eagles

can't a guy just get a fucking break in general?

neil's too handsome face comes on the tv, as the host goes on and on about how this will definitely make sure the eagles get the championship title once more, and how getting neil josten is one of the best moves their administrative team could have done

nevermind that the new york barons have kevin day and andrew minyard in their team, the host keeps on saying, adding neil josten to a team mostly made up of USC trojans will leave every other team in the dust

andrew downs his last shot before paying the bartender and getting the fuck out of the bar

he's not in the mood for this

who cares about neil josten anyway

there's a reason he stopped answering his calls and texts, a reason why he stopped showing up, and it wasn't just because he barely got any off time

there's a reason he doesn't keep neil josten in his life anymore

he knew, the moment that neil got that proposal for the eagles that he was going to take it, he had to, because it's what would make him the most money, what would keep the moriyamas pleased and happy

he knew they wouln't survive the distance, both of them on cities on nearly opposite ends of the map, both in pro teams, both with too many things to deal with

there was no point delaying the inevitable

it was better to cut it all off before it became problematic (before it became harder to leave neil behind, before he couldn't make himself do it)

neil would find joy in exy with his obsessed little heart, he would move on, he would find someone else in omaha, and he would be happy. he probably already was.

and well, andrew has several fuckbuddies already, men he trusts to a certain degree to know that they could get off together, respect their boundaries and go home with no strings attached

he doesn't need any more than that

this was easier. better. for the both of them

it would save them the heartache of having to fight to keep alive their... something, when it had no chance of surviving

it had to be worth something, he thinks to himself, as he ignores the emptiness in his chest he refused to acknowledge as an ache

...

in omaha, all neil josten could feel was heartache

...

in new york, as much as andrew minyard denied it, all he could feel was heartache too

...

inspired by this quote, which i referenced in the beginning

[rabbitcruiser]

The National Hockey League’s first United States-based franchise, the Boston Bruins, played their first game in league play at home on December 1, 1924, at the still-extant Boston Arena indoor hockey facility.  

[ufonaut]

"a disaster beyond description" - the parallax view on parallax (& coast city's destruction)

i've often talked about the importance of pre-parallax retcon hal jordan, what a radical move his downfall had been for an art medium so uniquely focused on status quo and how much walking that back in post-2005 continuity damaged the character & his development. however, something i've become increasingly interested in lately is the outsider point of view on the magnitude of coast city's destruction and hal's descent into madness -- the reverberations of one of the darkest days in the dcu were far and wide for a good long while there but rarely acknowledged outside of nostalgia pieces nowadays and even more rarely understood as a thoroughly visceral, well-written, well-planned arc that intentionally portrayed the superhero world as largely unsympathetic to the trauma of one of their own but the average civilian as grappling with that loss nearly on the same scale that hal did.

to that effect, i thought i would show a highlights reel of this outsider POV and how much it adds to the weight of the pre-2005 story. while i've accepted some tie-ins to major events (ie zero hour 1994, final night 1996), this will feature titles entirely unrelated to green lantern presented in real life chronological order by publication date in order to showcase the impact that's compelled me so (that's no convergence: green lantern, no legends of the dcu #33-36, etc).

"every office, every home, every school and hospital is atomized. the west coast and its entire ecosystem is instantaneously shattered-- and more than seven million men, women and children that once called the coast city area home-- die."

to set the scene, the explosion that destroys coast city actually appears in superman 1987 #80 (cover date: aug 1993) as part of hank henshaw and mongul's plan.

the destruction had spread as far as santa barbara & the los padres national forest. getting closer to ground zero, hank henshaw also proceeds to resolutely take care of a handful of the sole survivors:

(adventures of superman 1987 #503, cover date: aug 1993)

you all know the reading order here. past the return of superman and the events of emerald twilight, the first outsiders to have gotten the news are the darkstars

whose immediate course of action is to brand hal jordan a criminal (darkstars #23, cover date: aug 1994)

and as zero hour-induced temporal anomalies keep coming up, the darkstars start seriously considering further tampering with time in order to prevent "the creation of a power-mad monster" (darkstars #24, cover date: sept 1994).

it's a sentiment that the majority of hal's justice league colleagues share, as zero hour: crisis in time and the final night both tell us, but a more sympathetic view comes two years later in the spectre 1992 #47 (cover date: nov 1996)

and a more neutral one from waverider in superman: the doomsday wars #2 (cover date: dec 1998)

interestingly enough, more details of the in-universe perception of hal's actions comes from deadman: dead again

where we learn that "sources close to the JLA" have actually issued a press statement naming hal as wholly responsible for the green lantern corps massacre, with no hint that they've been equally forthcoming about the motive behind his actions (deadman: dead again #4, cover date: oct 2001)

the last pre-retcon word goes to superman: day of doom #3 (cover date: jan 2003), a sobering portrayal of the immense horror of coast city's annihilation and subsequently a look into the reality that had made hal snap:

post-retcon, nostalgia pieces like dcu: legacies #8 (feb 2011) and dc retroactive: superman - the 80s (oct 2011) both treat the mad-with-grief version of the story as the truth -- as does the 2015 convergence event --but outside of these few instances, the tour de force of storytelling that is this years-long arc has been cast aside in favor of an unnecessary retcon. as the zero hour: crisis in time 30th anniversary approaches, i'd say it's just the right time to remember that hal (unrepentant hal, power-hungry hal, hell-bent on making everything right hal) had had a perfectly proportional reaction to the tragedy he'd endured, if not outright a justified one.

[xxconnection]

lesbian festival season may be over but the community is as lively as ever!

EVENTS: Cinema Systers Lesbian Film Festival is in KY May 23-26! Early bird tickets on sale thru Dec 31! National Women's Music Festival is in WI June 20-23! Big Mouth Girl Music Festival is in MI July 23-28!

CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS: INTL Women's Flag Football is inviting teams, leagues, and individuals! IWFFA.com RCGI-Crossroads is meeting in IN for Goddess-focused Shabbat rituals! The Temple of Diana is offering virtual and in-person classes! templeofdiana.org Guardians of the Grove are offering virtual classes in female-centered magick and ritual-making! guardiansofthegrove.org

BOOKS, MUSIC, & FILMS: Overcoming Deepest Grief: a Woman's Journey by Mary Aviyah Farkas. Award-winning book about finding love and joy after the agonizing loss of her first wife. Love with Soul: Award-winning romance novels with lesbians 50+, slow burn, and abiding love. The Hum of Bees and Lie with ME by Patricia Spencer Novels by Carol Anne Douglas: Choosing Yellowstone, about older lesbians still in love but separated by miles. Lesbian movies: Wolfe Video for DVDs and streaming wolfevideo.com, wolfeondemand.com Sinister Wisdom: a Multicultural Lesbian Literary and Art Journal! 50th anniversary in 2026! sinisterwisdom.com The Touch of Her Voice: Romance, relationship, betrayal, and redemption… with some basketball thrown in. A debut novel by Sara Scott. Joyful, sexy, fun! Miss Lister's Guest House gets rave reviews. You'll love this new lesbian romance by A L Aikman. What Makes a Lesbian? A short story memoir by Paula Schorr. Soulful Reflections: a book of poetry and photos by Linda L. Franklin.

[fxdltc88]

Happy Anniversary Little Caesars!

Little Caesars was established at 32594 Cherry Hill Rd.

May 8th 1959, in Garden City, Mi.

Mike Ilitch played second base for the Tigers and a couple of other teams beginning in 1952.....thanks to a knee injury, he had to retire in 1955.

Little Caesars' history says it all began as a love story in 1954, when Ilitch and Marian Bayoff were thrown together on a blind date by Mike's dad. Fortunately, they hit it off, and it was just a few months later when they married. The two of them pooled their life savings in order to open their own business: a pizza restaurant.

1962 Little Caesars first franchise opened in Warren, called “Little Caesars Pizza Treat”. This featured the “Little Caesar guy eating a slice of pizza” logo. From there, Little Caesars really began to branch out and became the fastest-growing pizza chain in America.

That single mom-and-pop pizza shop grew into the third largest pizza chain in the world with stores in more than 27 countries and territories worldwide, including in each of the 50 U.S. states.

The growth of Little Caesars helped Mike and Marian create other leading brands in the food, sports and entertainment industries.

The couple purchased the Detroit Red Wings in 1982. While the team was known as the Dead Wings at the time, Mike and Marian believed they were a sleeping giant and immediately took charge to turn the team around. By 1997, the Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup in 42 years, and they went on to win three more.

Mike encouraged the Ford family to bring the Detroit Lions back to Detroit from the suburbs and build a new stadium right next door to the ballpark by relinquishing a portion of land to make way for the new stadium. The new football venue allowed Detroit to host the Super Bowl in 2006.

Today - true to Mike and Marian's vision for a bustling downtown area - the Ilitch organization is developing The District Detroit, a dynamic urban destination that provides a dense neighborhood experience featuring a variety of developments alongside Detroit's premier sports and entertainment venues. This includes the new highly innovative and state-of-the-art Little Caesars Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons, and the recipient of the 2018 Sports Facility of the Year award, presented by Sports Business Journal.

Throughout Mike’s life, he remained true to his hometown and was a zealous supporter of Detroit, working tirelessly to help it prosper and to bring pride to the city. In 1988, Mike and Marian purchased the neglected Fox Theatre and carefully restored it to its original 1928 splendor.

One year later, they moved the Little Caesars world headquarters from the suburbs into the newly renovated Fox Office Center adjacent to the restored theatre. This was during a time when many businesses were fleeing the city.

Mike displayed further commitment to the city he loved when he purchased the Detroit Tigers in 1992 and built a new state-of-the-art ballpark for the team. Remembering his early years as a minor league baseball player with the Tigers, he did everything in his power to make the fan experience at Comerica Park a memorable one.

Mike and Marian believed passionately in giving back to the community. As the parents of children who played hockey, the couple wanted to provide other children the opportunity to play the sport as well. So, they established the Little Caesars Amateur Hockey Program in 1968, and it has provided opportunities for tens of thousands of youngsters to play the great game of hockey over the years. Hundreds have gone on to play at colleges, universities and in the National Hockey League.

Inspired by the story of a veteran returning to civilian life, Mike founded the Little Caesars Veterans Program in 2006. The program provides honorably discharged veterans with financial incentives and other support to help them open a Little Caesars franchise.

Since 2000, grants and giving from Marian and Mike, the Ilitch companies and its charitable affiliates have totaled $220 million. This includes Marian and Mike's personal gifts of nearly $50 million to Detroit's Wayne State University - $8 million to the Department of Surgery and $40 million to build a new home for the Mike Ilitch School of Business, prominently located on Woodward Avenue.