#also investing at 500 notes

[sassquire]

getting knocked up so the hospital has to reprogram their entire system and everyone at the maternity ward knows i'm appropriating the divine joy of "motherhood"

becoming a man so i can invade women's spaces

[violetwolfraven]

Wait wait wait remember that post about how Team Starkid/the Lang brothers are going to be comparable to Shakespeare 500 years from now and it was mostly played for laughs like yeah lol you’ll need a paragraph of footnotes to explain the zefron poster but like

I don’t think that’s actually far off from how Starkid’s place in theatre history might play out and here’s why. Just hear me out

Why is Shakespeare so popular today when he definitely wasn’t the only playwright from that era? When he’s not even the only playwright from that era from England that we have surviving works from?

Two main reasons:

1) Shakespeare’s work is (relatively) universally relatable. The characters do things that are so fundamentally human. They make jokes at their friends’ expense. They complain about being awkward in front of their crush. They have daddy issues. The plot lines of the plays aren’t too complicated. The dick jokes land whether you’re watching in 1611 or 2024, and they probably still will in 2637. Shakespeare’s works are timeless because he didn’t try to outsmart his audience. He wrote about things everyone could relate to rather than trying too hard to peacock his intellect in front of the nobility. This is not true of every playwright.

2) Shakespeare was really popular right around the time England started colonizing everything in sight. Copies of his work got shipped all around the world, translated into dozens of languages, performed probably thousands of times. Setting aside the moral implications of this, the important thing to note is that Shakespeare was about the most easily accessible English playwright during a time of rapid, intense globalization.

Meanwhile, Starkid:

1) Invests hard in meaningful, relatable character arcs instead of spectacle and expensive sets or costumes. Also, lowbrow, immature humor and dick jokes that make A Very Potter Sequel funny and enjoyable regardless of if you’ve ever seen any other Harry Potter media in your life.

2) Posts professional recordings of their musicals to YouTube FOR FREE, making their shows about the easiest, best quality musical theatre you can get pretty much anywhere in the world, regardless of if your area has an active theatre scene. Proshots from other companies are rare and usually not free. Bootlegs are all well and good, but even if the video quality is alright (and that’s a big if) the audio is usually garbage. Starkid has been posting the best quality free recordings they can afford since 2009, shortly after the birth of social media, another time of rapid, intense globalization.

In short, I’m not saying that theatre historians in 500 years won’t remember any our current Broadway faves, but I am saying that in my opinion, Team Starkid is probably going to be more accessible for the general public. If you’re a 26th century English teacher trying to teach your class about narrative structure in 21st century theatre, what are you going to show your students? A bootleg of Hadestown with blurry video and garbage audio? Or the professional recording of Twisted, parts of which they will probably even enjoy, because even long after no one remembers Disney’s Aladdin anymore, your class of 26th century 16-year-olds are still going to laugh at “No One Remembers Achmed.”

[15-lizards]

ASOIAF modern AU class/wealth distinctions bc in the wise words of Mod Sam from the Inn at The Crossroads Discord: “i love modern aus where theyre like oh yeah the lannisters are filthy rich and here's the starks, piling into a minivan to go to public school. they would not fucking do that”

Lannisters: Private jets and COO/CEO/CFO positions at the family company and plain white tshirts that cost $5000. 1% of the 1%. They’re the Roys we already know this no need to elaborate.

Starks: they’re a rugged type of Minnesota/North Dakota/Wyoming wealth. Land rich. Own ranches and mining operations and oil drilling companies. Ppl think they’re normal bc they look like average farmers until they get a tour of their 300,000 acres and private mountain. Seem down to earth but grew up breeding ranch horses, don’t really understand what a car note is, and Nedcat paid for all the starklings college apartments. Also wear normal looking vests and ranching jeans and boots that cost absurd amounts

Tyrells: masters at the “quiet wealth” bullshit. Wayyyy older money compared to the Lannisters, and aren’t aggressive/scrappy like them bc of it. Literal aristocracy like lords or barons or some shit. Multiple residences, family tradition of politics, and loads of passive income. Maybe run a newspaper or two and own some global shipping companies bc of their merchant roots or whatever. Margaery was at one of those international debutante balls for the ubër-wealthy.

Tullys: Not as rich as the Tyrells or Lannisters but still nothing to scoff at. Not upper middle class but more like lower rungs of the upper class. Family tradition of sending all the kids to boarding school (that’s where Lysa got pregnant 🙂‍↕️) and they have some nice yachts and the like. Have one really nice permanent house on the river, a summer house upstate, and an apartment in the city. Normal enough to blend in with most people at their school. Also made their money thru shipping lanes.

Martells: Southern oil barons. Nymeria emigrated over and immediately discovered oil on her apparently shitty piece of land. Thousands of acres dedicated to drilling and cattle ranching. Awful for the environment but greenwash the fuck out of their business. Good at being a man of the ppl despite literally being in the one percent. Very publicly donate to progressive charities and causes to offset the backlash they get from pay the people who work for them slave wages. People stan them on Twitter because they’re hot and not like other billionaires.

Baratheons: slightly newer money but old enough to have no excuse to act the way they do. Loud annoying displays of wealth. Made their fortune mostly because they were good at being overly aggressive when it came to the stock market or sales or smthn idk what they do. Robert buys an egregious house in Florida where him and some other rich repulsive republicans do Labor Day weekend on their yachts with women they paid to be there. Absolutely terrible at saving their money (except Stannis and kinda Renly) and quite literally have to have their accounts frozen by their investment bankers. Actively going bankrupt.

Greyjoys: Not even rich anymore. Had a sizable shipping company at one point before they got poached bought out by the Lannisters. Also they engaged in too much tax fraud and embezzlement so now no one wants to touch them with a ten foot pole. Still live in their dilapidated cliffside house that’s literally ab to crumble into the sea. Theon got to live with the Starks bc once the Greyjoys got audited Ned felt bad.

Targaryens: REAL old money that stretches back like at least 500 years. Have had multiple income sources over the years and almost all of it is blood money of some kind and extracted through violence :) Giant ass portraits of their ancestors in their multiple residences, they all speak Valyrian at home, and they don’t even go to school it’s just private tutors. Obscene wealth that isn’t even fathomable to most people. Famously bred race horses and hunting dogs for a while until there was some familial infighting about ownership of the racetracks and stables and that collapsed. Got audited and investigated twenty years ago and Aerys just killed himself instead of going to jail.

[reasonsforhope]

"In a bid to slow deforestation in the Amazon, Brazil announced Tuesday [September 5, 2023,] that it will provide financial support to municipalities that have reduced deforestation rates the most.

During the country´s Amazon Day, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also signed the creation of two Indigenous territories that total 207,000 hectares (511,000 acres) — over two times the size of New York City — and of a network of conservation areas next to the Yanonami Indigenous Territory to act as a buffer against invaders, mostly illegal gold miners.

“The Amazon is in a hurry to survive the devastation caused by those few people who refuse to see the future, who in a few years cut down, burned, and polluted what nature took millennia to create,” Lula said during a ceremony in Brasilia. “The Amazon is in a hurry to continue doing what it has always done, to be essential for life on Earth.”

The new program will invest up to $120 million in technical assistance. The money will be allocated based on the municipality´s performance in reducing deforestation and fires, as measured by official satellite monitoring. A list of municipalities eligible for the funds will be published annually.

The resources must be invested in land titling, monitoring and control of deforestation and fires, and sustainable production.

The money will come from the Amazon Fund, which has received more than $1.2 billion, mostly from Norway, to help pay for sustainable development of the region. In February, the United States committed to a $50 million donation to the initiative. Two months later, President Joe Biden announced he would ask Congress for an additional $500 million, to be disbursed over five years.

The most critical municipalities are located along the arc of deforestation, a vast region along the southern part of the Amazon. This region is a stronghold of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who favored agribusiness over forest preservation and lost the reelection last year.

“We believe that it’s not enough to just put up a sign saying ‘it’s forbidden to do this or that. We need to be persuasive.” Lula said, in a reference to his relationship with Amazon mayors and state governors.

Lula has promised zero net deforestation by 2030, although his term ends two years earlier. In the first seven months of his third term, there was a 42% drop in deforestation.

[Note: For context, Lula's third term as president started January 1, 2023. It was not continuous with his first two terms, when he was president from 2003 to 2010. Lula's third term has been a historic and desperately needed reversal of the anti-environmental, etc. policies of Bolsonaro, whose term ended at the end of 2022.]

Brazil is the world’s fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, with almost 3% of global emissions, according to Climate Watch, an online platform managed by World Resources Institute. Almost half of these emissions come from deforestation. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, Brazil committed to reducing carbon emissions by 37% by 2025 and 43% by 2030."

-via AP, September 5, 2023

[howlsofbloodhounds]

What's your opinion on Dadmare aus?

I don’t think much about Dadmare aus, or not very often. I don’t have anything against them and whenever I come across content i usually think it’s cute and like the post before moving on, but i don’t seek it out and hardly engage in it.

This is mostly because i haven’t found an interpretation of dadmare aus ive been able to get invested in, most interpretations ive come across just aren’t for me.

My biggest “issues” (but not really) with most interpretations is that nightmare is almost always portrayed as a perfect dad who can do no wrong, all the other sanses are infantilized to hell and back, and as @/signanothername said in their own post, none of the characters feel like their own people.

Their relationships to eachother and Nightmare all feel very one note and cut from the same mold most of the time. All the same reactions, all completely trust Nightmare and kiss the ground he walks on.

I don’t mind found family, but I don’t like it when the found family is shoved into little boxes and cannot differ from them.

Nightmare is 500+ years old, did not grow up with any significant parent figure in his life despite winging it on taking care of Dream, and spent his 6 early years of life being routinely abused by all the adults around him. And then he was horribly transformed and corrupted.

Why would he take on a parental role again when the last time he tried something like that he was also a child, he had no other choice, and everything went to shit despite it? Wouldn’t he also struggle like any actual parent would.

If he spent 500+ years isolated and only interacting with others when forced to, or needing something from them like negativity, wouldn’t that life experience translate into trying to care for this group of traumatized men.

And they are men. They aren’t boys. They’re adults. Unless they’re supposed to be actual children when they meet Nightmare, or one or all of them are age regressed, then I don’t see the point in infantilizing them or treating them as if they’re children. None of these guys are looking for a father figure.

Adults can be found family, there doesn’t need to be any dad or child or siblings boxes to me.

Especially not when Horror already has a brother, Killer’s concept of family dynamics is also very likey screwed to hell and back (just look at what he thinks about any relationship, there’s no such thing as “equals” in his eyes, killer in dadmare dynamics would probably just view it as another role and game he has to play and “dadmare” is his new Chara), Nightmare killed his mother and his currently trying to kill his brother after trapping him in stone for years.

Dust killed his brother and is constantly haunted by his hallucination, Cross destroyed his entire AU and also came from an entirely different AU with a completely different life from the others. (Alphys being his sister, for example. Horror having lobotomized his Alphys and Killer having likely killed and tortured his many times and Dust having murdered his.)

So tldr: I don’t mind dadmare, but it personally isn’t for me. I like found family bad sanses, but not if there’s roles assigned and not if it’s not earned.

I don’t like Nightmare being the perfect father somehow and the sanses being treated like children even though they’re 30-40+ adults and aren’t looking for a father figure.

I prefer dysfunctional found family dynamics with the bad sanses.

Also that some people aren’t likely to be overly emotionally involved or invested in these dynamics for a very long time if at all, even if he plays along as if its all a game or some elaborate test being played on him— either because he thinks he has to, or because it’s something new and he’s curious. He may even get bored of the dynamics eventually, and start asking Nightmare when it’s game over.

Which could lead to something very interesting if he realizes it was never supposed to be a game or a test.

[wild-lavender-rose]

Hey guys, I thought I’d try to make a list like the one I’ve seen a few times on here. I’ve been really struggling to get the motivation to do some important things and to feel a wave of support behind me would help so much. I’ll even post pictures/proof of some kind that I’m doing the things so that you can feel the wonderful effect of helping someone get on top of their life :) I only seem to get notes on the fics I write, so my expectations are very low, but here goes

10 notes- I’ll start playing the piano again.

25 notes- I’ll finally finish my to-do list (it includes things like clean my hamster babies, update my calendar, buy a test I have to take to graduate college, etc)

50 notes- I’ll pull a late night/all-nighter to get completely caught up in my assignments

75 notes- I’ll thoroughly clean every part of my house.

100 notes- I’ll apply to 30 jobs so that I can make more money and not be so financially stressed.

200 notes- I’ll start writing a poem a day.

300 notes- l’ll finish fixing the links on my main, do maintenance on my other blogs and start three new blogs that I’ve been wanting to start forever but haven’t had the courage to (it involves posting my art that I’m self-conscious about)

500 notes- I’ll redo my formal wardrobe so that i can actually feel like who I am/who I’ve worked so hard to become when I’m dressed up.

750 notes- I’ll finally start my side blog business that terrifies me but is the beginning of the life I always wanted.

1k notes- I’ll start writing the fantasy book series that everyone (professors, friends, family etc) says has a high chance of getting published.

2k notes- I’ll record and post my first podcast episode (also something that excites and terrifies me because it would be the beginning of everything).

3k notes- don’t do this to me but…if I get to 3k I’ll stop doing the two things that are bad/addictive/potentially fatal in my life, tell my s/o about it, and get professional help.

Anything beyond that- I don’t really know, completing these things would be such a life altering experience. I’ll invest serious effort into ensuring I maintain this new life style? I’m not sure, but I’ll definitely do something significant to show my appreciation for that much support :)

Thank you so much for your help, it truly means so much to me.

[slenbee]

Bot spam, adverts, communities, and you.

Hi everyone! I'm Bee, and today I'm writing this post to let others know of some ways to help combat Tumblr's current bot issue happening inside communities.

First, here's an index of this post:

Ways to help stop the bots from invading your communities.

How to spot a potential bot account and a bot invasion.

What a bot community looks like. (So you can report it!)

Long post under the cut with pictures and instructions on what to do if you want to do this or want others to maybe do this, so click read more and let us continue!

-----

To begin, here is the first step should absolutely take towards keeping your community free of bots.

1 - Deny them access.

If you own a community on tumblr?

Set it to request/invite to join.

It's that easy! How do I do this you ask?

Navigate to community settings > down to Joining, and set it to:

This means that anyone can request to join, but it's up to the admin's and the mods to accept those invites. If a blank blog* requests to join, you can easily deny those and just accept those that seem like real people. (&I'll explain what a blank blog is in a bit.)

If your community is small (say less than 500 people with less than 5 invites a week), this shouldn't be too bothersome if you remember to check it once or twice a week or so. :)

And if you're a member of a community that has an active admin:

Ask the admin to set it to request to join!

While this may not be the most ideal way of handling this issue, it never hurts to ask, right? You could always make a poll and see if others vote/feel the same way and maybe they'll change it, too. But, remember, it's up to the admin's discretion on if they want to actually do this. If they don't, then sadly you might have to either deal with it or make your own community if the admin/mods neglect to do their jobs. :(

Note: Staff are working on developing ways to help community admins better moderate their communities. This isn't just a 'we'll have to suffer through it' issue. It's just going to take time, is all.

Until we're given the tools to stop them, this is the only way that we (real people) are going to keep bots and blank blogs* out of our communities until tumblr staff comes up with a concrete way to keep them out.

-----

2 - How to spot a (possible) bot and a bot invasion.

Most bots now'a'days are what I like to call 'blank blogs'.

These type of blank accounts are also widely used by scammers. So if you're an artist and you get a DM from someone asking for a commission of their pet/son, yes, you are about to get scammed!

You can read more about this scam by clicking this link here.

While there have been a few mistaken users who have been caught up and mistaken as as a bot, once I removed them from my community they DM'd me back after I'd requested them to do so, and I explained to them how to change their profile banner, add a description, ect, and told them how reblogging worked on tumblr (as they honestly didn't know how the site worked), and we were all good after that!

My rule of thumb: Humans should do human things on the human website. If you don't, you aren't human.

Blank blogs (presumed to be bots,) are blogs that look like this:

Note the following with these 'blank' blogs:

No change in their background image. No change in their icon. (Just the default.) Generic randomly generated name or 'keysmash' name.* No posts or reblogs. They had 0 liked posts. Yet they were following dozens of people.

*These names can also be 3 English words slapped together to make a username. This is also a common tactic used by scammers (as I'd mentioned prior as well) as mentioned previously.

If you get a DM/ask from a blog like this (or ANY blog) and:

They ask for a commission of their son/daughter and/or their pet. They say 'hey pretty' and try to hit on you. (romance scam.) They try to offer you money to buy your art as a NFT (also a scam.) They try to sell you crypto or get you to invest. (obvious scam.) They try to sell you a product or service. (phishing scam) They try to get you to go off tumblr to a different website to 'talk'. They say they're a sugar daddy/mommy looking for a 'sugar baby'. They offer you some sort of free money. (nothing's free. it's a scam.) They offer you a job position or say <company> is hiring. They try to sell you HRT. (yes.. that's 100% a thing they're doing.)

It is all 100% an attempt to scam you.

Bots will sometimes join communities just for the sake of having people to target. Communities are full of people, so communities with more people are more likely to be targeted and joined by bots.

That's also why bigger Communities get more bot ad/p0rn ad spam.

Here is what a bot invasion looks like:

All blank blogs (I checked!) with no sign of human life.

All with random jibberish names, all joining on the same day.

-----

3 - What a bot community looks like. ....So you can report it!

I'm mentioning this part because I know there will be people who get curious and browse tumblr to find 'new things' and 'new interests'. And I'm here to point out what are the biggest and most obvious signs of bot made communities and/or communities made to scam.

Note: Do not join these communities, and do not, under any circumstance, click any of the links that are featured by these communities. They could very well take you to a phishing website or even something that gives you a virus. If you want to report them, just view the community, click the . . . at the top right corner and report it for spam unless it's doing something illegal. then report it as such.

Again. Don't let curiosity kill your phone/PC/Tablet. It's not worth it.

-----

The search.

So again, say you're new, and you like money. So you search 'money' in the tumblr search and then view communities.

As of right now, you'll see communities like this:

I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to point out the obvious as to which one of these was made by a bot/scammer.

So let's turn out focus to good ol 'Juwa 777 Download APK '

(Again. Do not actually go and download this.)

Things to note:

It only has one member. The admin. And viewing the admin? It is a blank blog.

The only post on this community... is an advertisement.

Thus it is pretty safe to say, a bot / scammer made this community.

Here is a second example further down the list:

Again, things to note:

One member (admin), blank blog, one post that's an advertisement.

Now here is one that's more 'tricky' as it has more members.

But the content itself is an obvious scam.

I won't show the members as a few are porn bots, but they follow the same theme of nonsensical names or 3 english words slapped together. They may reblog posts (usually porn...) or post things (again.. porn), but they're still bots.

If you see communities like these, make sure you report them. Just note if you report too many too fast (usually after 3) you'll get a 'oops try again later' bug for some reason and you'll have to wait to report more.

-----

So in conclusion: If you don't want bots, just don't let them in.

If you can't handle accepting invites, make someone a mod (who you trust) and let them help you accept new member invites. Divide the load and we can keep out the bots and keep our communities safe and clean until something is done about them.

Until then, please make sure to share this so others know what to do, and if you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them in the comments. :)

-Bee

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

July 6, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JUL 7, 2023

The payroll processing firm ADP said today that private sector jobs jumped by 497,000 in June, far higher than the Dow Jones consensus estimate predicted. The big gains were in leisure and hospitality, which added 232,000 new hires; construction with 97,000; and trade, transportation and utilities with 90,000. Annual pay rose at a rate of 6.4%. Most of the jobs came from companies with fewer than 50 employees. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is a way to measure the stock market by aggregating certain stocks, dropped 372 points as the strong labor market made traders afraid that the Fed would raise interest rates again to cool the economy. Higher interest rates make borrowing more expensive, slowing investment. 

Today, as the Washington Post’s climate reporter Scott Dance warned that the sudden surge of broken heat records around the globe is raising alarm among scientists, Bloomberg’s Cailley LaPara reported that the incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act for emerging technologies to address climate change have long-term as well as short-term benefits. 

Dance noted that temperatures in the North Atlantic are already close to their typical annual peak although we are early in the season, sea ice levels around Antarctica are terribly low, and Monday was the Earth’s hottest day in at least 125,000 years and Tuesday was hotter. LaPara noted that while much attention has been paid to the short-term solar, EV, and wind industries in the U.S., emerging technologies for industries that can’t be electrified—technologies like sustainable aviation fuel, clean hydrogen, and direct air capture, which pulls carbon dioxide out of the air—offer huge potential to reduce emissions by 2030. 

This news was the backdrop today as President Biden was in South Carolina to talk about Bidenomics. After touting the huge investments of both public and private capital that are bringing new businesses and repaired infrastructure to that state, Biden noted that analysts have said that the new laws Democrats have passed will do more for Republican-dominated states than for Democratic ones. “Well, that’s okay with me,” Biden said, “because we’re all Americans. Because my view is: Wherever the need is most, that’s the place we should be helping. And that’s what we’re doing. Because the way I look at it, the progress we’re making is good for all Americans, all of America.”

On Air Force One on the way to the event, deputy press secretary Andrew Bates began his remarks to the press: “President Biden promised that he would be a president for all Americans, regardless of where they live and regardless of whether they voted for him or not. He also promised to rebuild the middle class. The fact that Bidenomics has now galvanized over $500 billion in job-creating private sector investment is the newest testament to how seriously he takes fulfilling those promises.”

Bates listed all the economic accomplishments of the administration and then added: “the most powerful endorsement of Bidenomics is this: Every signature economic law this President has signed, congressional Republicans who voted “no�� and attacked it on Fox News then went home to their district and hailed its benefits.” He noted that “Senator Lindsey Graham called the Inflation Reduction Act ‘a nightmare for South Carolina,’” then, “[j]ust two months later, he called BMW’s electric vehicles announcement ‘one of the most consequential announcements in the history of the state of South Carolina.’” “Representative Joe Wilson blasted the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law but later announced, ‘I welcome Scout Motors’ plans to invest $2 billion and create up to 4,000 jobs in South Carolina.’ Nancy Mace called Bidenomics legislation a…‘disaster,’ then welcomed a RAISE grant to Charleston.” 

“[W]hat could speak to the effectiveness of Bidenomics more than these conversions?” Bates asked.

While Biden is trying to sell Americans on an economic vision for the future, the Republican leadership is doubling down on dislike of President Biden and the Democrats. Early on the morning of July 2, Trump, who remains the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, shared a meme of President Biden that included a flag reading: “F*CK BIDEN AND F*CK YOU FOR VOTING FOR HIM!” The next morning, in all caps, he railed against what he called “massive prosecutorial conduct” and “the weaponization of law enforcement,” asking: “Do the people of this once great nation even have a choice but to protest the potential doom of the United States of America??? 2024!!!”

Prosecutors have told U.S. district judge Aileen Cannon that they want to begin Trump’s trial on 37 federal charges for keeping and hiding classified national security documents, and as his legal trouble heats up, Trump appears to be calling for violence against Democrats. On June 29 he posted what he claimed was the address of former president Barack Obama, inspiring a man who had been at the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to repost the address and to warn, “We got these losers surrounded! See you in hell,…Obama’s [sic].” Taylor Tarranto then headed there with firearms and ammunition, as well as a machete, in his van. Secret Service agents arrested him. 

Indeed, those crossing the law for the former president are not faring well. More than 1,000 people have been arrested for their participation in the events of January 6, and those higher up the ladder are starting to feel the heat as well. Trump lawyer Lin Wood, who pushed Trump’s 2020 election lies, was permitted to “retire” his law license on Tuesday rather than be disbarred. Trump lawyer John Eastman is facing disbarment in California for trying to overturn the 2020 election with his “fake elector” scheme, a ploy whose legitimacy the Supreme Court rejected last week. And today, Trump aide Walt Nauta pleaded not guilty to federal charges of withholding documents and conspiring to obstruct justice for allegedly helping Trump hide the classified documents he had at Mar-a-Lago. 

Trump Republicans—MAGA Republicans—are cementing their identity by fanning fears based on cultural issues, but it is becoming clear those are no longer as powerful as they used to be as the reality of Republican extremism becomes clear. 

Yesterday the man who raped and impregnated a then-9-year-old Ohio girl was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison. Last year, after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision recognizing the constitutional right to abortion, President Biden used her case to argue for the need for abortion access. Republican lawmakers, who had criminalized all abortions after 6 weeks, before most people know they’re pregnant, publicly doubted that the case was real (Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told the Fox News Channel there was “not a damn scintilla of evidence” to support the story). Unable to receive an abortion in Ohio, the girl, who had since turned 10, had to travel to Indiana, where Dr. Caitlin Bernard performed the procedure.

Republican Indiana attorney general Todd Rokita complained—inaccurately—that Bernard had not reported child abuse and that she had violated privacy laws by talking to a reporter, although she did not identify the patient and her employer said she acted properly. Bernard was nonetheless reprimanded for her handling of privacy issues and fined by the Indiana licensing board. Her employer disagreed.

As Republican-dominated states have dramatically restricted abortion, they have fueled such a backlash that party members are either trying to avoid talking about it or are now replacing the phrase “national ban” with “national consensus” or “national standard,” although as feminist writer Jessica Valenti, who studies this language, notes, they still mean strict antiabortion measures. In the House, some newly-elected and swing-district Republicans have blocked abortion measures from coming to a vote out of concern they will lose their seats in 2024. 

But it is not at all clear the issue will go away. Yesterday, those committed to protecting abortion rights in Ohio turned in 70% more signatures than they needed to get a measure amending the constitution to protect that access on the ballot this November. In August, though, antiabortion forces will use a special election to try to change the threshold for constitutional amendments, requiring 60% of voters rather than a majority.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[phoenixyfriend]

Ko-Fi prompt from Isabelo:

Hi! I'm new to the workforce and now that I have some money I'm worried it's losing its value to inflation just sitting in my bank. I wanted to ask if you have ideas on how to counteract inflation, maybe through investing?

I've been putting this off for a long time because...

I am not a finance person. I am not an investments person. I actually kinda turned and ran from that whole sector of the business world, at first because I didn't understand it, and then once I did understand it, because I disagreed with much of it on a fundamental level.

But... I can describe some factors and options, and hope to get you started.

I AM NOT LEGALLY QUALIFIED TO GIVE FINANCIAL ADVICE. THIS IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE.

What is inflation, and what impacts it?

Inflation is the rate at which money loses value over time. It's the reason something that cost 50 cents in the 1840s costs $50 now.

A lot of things do impact inflation, like housing costs and wage increases and supply chains, but the big one that is relevant here is federal interest rates. The short version: if you borrow money from the government, you have to pay it back. The higher the interest rates on those loans, the lower inflation is. This is for... a lot of reasons that are complicated. The reason I bring it up is less so:

The government offers investments:

So yeah, the feds can impact inflation, but they also offer investment opportunities. There are three common types available to the average person: Bonds, Bills, and Notes. I'll link to an article on Investopedia again, but the summary is as follows: You buy a bill, bond, or note from the government. You have loaned them money, as if you are the bank. Then, they give it back, with interest.

Treasury Bills: shortest timeframe (four weeks to a year), and lowest return on investment. You buy it at a discount (let's say $475), and then the government returns the "full value" that the bond is, nominally (let's say $500). You don't earn twice-yearly interest, but you did earn $25 on the basis of Loaning The Government Some Cash.

Treasury Notes: 2-10 year timeframe. Very popular, very stable. Banks watch it to see how they should plan the interest rates for mortgages and other large loans. Also pretty high liquidity, which means you can sell it to someone else if you suddenly need the cash before your ten-year waiting period is up. You get interest payments twice a year.

Treasury Bonds: 20-30 years. This is like... the inverse of a house mortgage. It takes forever, but it does have the highest yield. You get interest payments twice a year.

Why invest money into the US Treasury department, whether through the above or a different government paper? (Savings bonds aren't on sold the set schedule that treasury bonds are, but they only come in 30-year terms.)

It is very, very low risk. It is pretty much the lowest risk investment a person can make, at least in the US. (I'm afraid I don't know if you're American, but if you're not, your country probably has something similar.)

Interest rates do change, often in reaction or in relation to inflation. If your primary concern is inflation, not getting a high return on investment, I would look into government papers as a way to ensure your money is not losing value on you.

This is the website that tells you the government's own data for current yield and sales, etc. You can find a schedule for upcoming auctions, as well.

High-yield bank accounts:

Savings accounts can come with a pretty unremarkable but steady return on investment; you just need to make sure you find one that suits you. Some of the higher-yield accounts require a minimum balance or a yearly fee... but if you've got a good enough chunk of cash to start with, that might be worth it for you.

They are almost as reliable as government bonds, and are insured by the government up to $250,000. Right now, they come with a lower ROI than most bonds/bills/notes (federal interest rates are pretty high at the moment, to combat inflation). Unlike government papers, though, you can deposit and withdraw money from a savings account pretty much any time.

Certificates of Deposit:

Okay, imagine you are loaning money to your bank, with the fixed term of "I will get this money back with interest, but only in ten years when the contract is up" like the Treasury Notes.

That's what this is.

Also, Investopedia updates near-daily with the highest rates of the moment, which is pretty cool.

Property:

Honestly, if you're coming to me for advice, you almost definitely cannot afford to treat real estate as an investment thing. You would be going to an actual financial professional. As such... IDK, people definitely do it, and it's a standby for a reason, but it's not... you don't want to be a victim of the housing bubble, you know? And me giving advice would probably make you one. So. Talk to a professional if this is the route you want to take.

Retirement accounts:

Pension accounts are a kind of savings account. You've heard of a 401(k)? It's that. Basically, you put your money in a savings account with a company that specializes in pensions, and they invest it in a variety of different fields and markets (you can generally choose some of this) in order to ensure that the money grows enough that you can hopefully retire on it in fifty years. The ROI is usually higher than inflation.

These kinds of accounts have a higher potential for returns than bonds or treasury notes, buuuuut they're less reliable and more sensitive to market fluctuations.

However, your employer may pay into it, matching your contribution. If they agree to match up to 4%, and you pay 4% of your paycheck into an pension fund, then they will pay that same amount and you are functionally getting 8% of your paycheck put into retirement while only paying for half of it yourself.

Mutual Funds:

I've definitely linked this article before, but the short version is:

An investment company buys 100 shares of stock: 10 shares each in 10 different "general" companies. You, who cannot afford a share of each of these companies, buy 1 singular share of that investment company. That share is then treated as one-tenth of a share of each of those 10 "general" companies. You are one of 100 people who has each bought "one stock" that is actually one tenth of ten different stocks.

Most retirement funds are actually a form of mutual fund that includes employer contributions.

Pros: It's more stable than investing directly in the stock market, because you can diversify without having to pay the full price of a share in each company you invest in.

Cons: The investment company does get a cut, and they are... often not great influences on the economy at large. Mutual funds are technically supposed to be more regulated than hedge funds (which are, you know, often venture capital/private equity), but a lot of mutual funds like insurance companies and pension funds will invest a portion of their own money into hedge funds, which is... technically their job. But, you know, capitalism.

Directly investing in the stock market:

Follow people who actually know what they're doing and are not Evil Finance Bros who only care about the bottom line. I haven't watched more than a few videos yet, but The Financial Diet has had good energy on this topic from what I've seen so far, and I enjoy the very general trends I hear about on Morning Brew.

That said, we are not talking about speculative capital gains. We are talking about making sure inflation doesn't screw with you.

DIVIDENDS are profit that the company shares to investors every quarter. Did the company make $2 billion after paying its mortgages, employees, energy bill, etc? Great, that $2 billion will be shared out among the hundreds of thousands of stocks. You'll probably only get a few cents back per stock (e.g. Walmart has been trading at $50-$60 for the past six months, and their dividends have been 57 cents and then 20.75 cents), but it adds up... sort of. The Walmart example is listed as having dividends that are lower than inflation, so you're actually losing money. It's part of why people rely on capital gains so much, rather than dividends, when it comes to building wealth.

Blue Chip Stocks: These are old, stable companies that you can expect to return on your investment at a steady rate. You probably aren't going to see your share jump from $5 to $50 in a year, but you also probably won't see it do the reverse. You will most likely get reliable, if not amazing, dividends.

Preferred Stocks: These are stock shares that have more reliable dividends, but no voting rights. Since you are, presumably, not a billionaire that can theoretically gain a controlling share, I can't imagine the voting rights in a given company are all that important anyway.

Anyway, hope this much-delayed Intro To Investing was, if not worth the wait, at least, a bit longer than you expected.

Hey! You got interest on the word count! It's topical! Ish.

[hussyknee]

Put off reading Kushiel's Legacy thinking it would be vaguely racist harem-fantasy BDSM smut in high fantasy dressing. Instead I got feminist George R. R. Martin if he was less racist and skeezy.

You need to take notes to follow all the names and I can barely keep up with who's doing what and the author has never heard of cutting to the goddamn chase, but good God you get so invested in the characters within a hundred pages that it sends you reeling when they die. I'm only at 200 out of 500 pages but I'm so fucking gutted that I stopped reading to skim the rest of all three books to see whether any of my other favourites were going to die and who I should be braced for dying because good fucking god. I'm even heartbroken about characters that died before the book!

It really sneaks up on you because this book is so dense and crammed with so much detail that you don't realize you've begun to really love the characters. The fuckton of foreshadowing probably didn't register because they're front and center like main characters would be, so you're not prepared for them to die in the middle. And Phedre lives such a happy, sheltered life that it's a genuine shock when it all gets blown up.

I want them back. I like Joscelin, but he isn't them. Jacqueline Carey how could you. 😭😭😭😭😭

Oh btw, this series is also gay as shit. Heterosexuality doesn't seem to exist and it's so unremarkable it didn't even occur to me that this is a full-on LGBT series. It's not like in fanfic, when even in stories where queerness is universal and unremarked in-universe there might as well be a giant fuck you rainbow flag over it all. In Kushiel's Universe it's just so matter-of-fact that you realize this could actually have been what society was like in the past when the Church wasn't all up in everybody's business. Sure, in this universe there's a hippie Jesus that followed regular Jesus who was all flower power and free love and founded alternate universe France, so that nobody has any sexual hang ups, homo or otherwise (much like regular medieval France Ig), but even if there were, everybody's either too rich to give a shit or too poor to care (also like regular medieval France). It feels historically accurate somehow. Idk. But this book came out in 2001. Eat that, GRRM, with your two male gays and off-screen lesbians.

Edit: Just checked the AO3 tag and. Sigh. You know a book isn't trashy when it only has 350 works on AO3. Fanfic runs on trash and guilty pleasure, not sensitive and quality story-telling.

[strangebiology]

Free Resources I Made for Nonfiction Book Writers - $$$

If you're writing a nonfiction, non-memoir book, you're welcome to join my free monthly video chat group Authors of Nonfiction Books in Progress (ANBIP.) If you join you'll get the recap emails and the invites to meetings, but if you don't like meetings, then just enjoy the emails. Note that it's sort of a professional group so we talk about book writing as more of a job than some universal higher calling or whatever.

Through that, I've had a few people ask me for some of the following documents in this journey, so I decided, why not just make a copy for sharing so that anyone can find them, instead of just people who email me? Feel free to use these as samples, share them, whatever. But first:

What I wish I had known before the book: While I'm here, before you start your book proposal, I learned too late that you can get paid $80,000 to write one at a journalism fellowship! People do that at the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship, The Scripps Fellowship at the Center for Environmental Journalism, and probably the other Knight Journalism fellowships that I haven't looked into. So, keep your ears open for fellowships if you're thinking of starting a nonfiction book proposal.

To the resources...

Results from my agent search Note: most people suggest Publisher's Marketplace, so, even though I didn't like my results from looking there, there is surely a reason everyone else does.

My Book Proposal & how I contacted the agent Result: contract with MIT Press to write a book about dead animals and $50,000 advance.

My Proposal for the Sloan Grant Result: I got $56,053 for the book Carcass. Also, at least two other people in my group got the grant, and one mentioned that she never would have known about it if it weren't for ANBIP, nor would she have applied!

List of suggested grants to apply to Note: most of these book grants--and most legit ones in the world--require a traditional contract. I find a lot of "prizes" for people without trad contracts are not grants at all, but an effort to get you to think you "won" what is, in effect, a contract. That's fine if the contract is fine, but don't let them stroke your ego with the words "you won" if you think you could get a better contract elsewhere. A grant is more like free money.

I also got $500 and some free resources--and miiiiight get some more money in the future?--from a program called Investing in Wyoming's Creative Economy, so, maybe your state has something similar. IWCE is brand new (started in 2023) so we'll see if it even continues on. MANY funding opportunities only exist for a few years before they run out.

My contract with my fact-checker

How I found Science Advisors & how I described their task Note: I really just made this up, as with the contract with the fact-checker. I'm just some person and I'm only giving these to you because I couldn't find anyone else's that may have been done better! Make a copy, read through it carefully, and make all the changes you need to yours. Or if you already have a better one to look to, send it to me and LMK if I can send it to my colleagues at ANBIP!

Spreadsheet National Park Artists in Residences Applications Note: I have never got any of these, and most don't pay or work well for writers, TBH. But I know a science writer who did get one. Also, I only included the ones I liked in this spreadsheet and left out the historic parks. Here's a map of more and the National Park Arts Foundation. I only apply to free ones because I noticed that one residency said they got 800 applications and the fee was $120, which, mathematically, is like paying $96,000 to do it (and that one paid $4,000 to the winner.) Also: state parks and BLM land have Artist in Residence programs!

Copy of #PublishingPaidMe spreadsheet (I didn't make this, and I don't recommend making graphics or pivot tables from this as some of the numbers are def wrong)

Book Progress thermometer

That's all for now! If you found this helpful, just pay it forward by being open with your experience for the next people who ask you.

PS. My next task is finding events to hire me to do talks about the topic of my book, which is dead animals. I know some authors make plenty of money on speaker fees after their book is launched! But I'm struggling to find events/places to speak because I mostly only want to go places where I am paid, but I also worry about a conflict of interest if I'm paid by organizations I've covered--or even, orgs that promote or protest anything that I've covered in general! I don't want to be a PETA-funded journalist or a Safari Club International-funded journalist either. If you have experience with setting up a book tour where you profited financially and were journalistically clear, I'd love to hear your story!

[deliciousangelfestival]

The Audacity Of This B - Lloyd Hansen Series

Character: Lloyd Hansen x Rich!Female Reader

Summary: Reader's ex-fiance suddenly visits her. What does he want? And how will Lloyd react?

Words Count: 4.200,-

Warning: 18+, smut, death character, bad words.

Authors Note: Thank you for leaving any comments, likes, and reblogs.

I love you all. 💕💕💕😘😘😘

If you have any feedback or want to ask any questions please send it to my inbox. 

This chapter is from Lloyd Hansen's Series - 3 Billion Divorce.

Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Extra Story

And check out my other stories from Masterlist.

Some relationships couldn't work out. It happened.

Like Ethan, his biggest regret is losing you.

That was his fault for letting his insecurity win. 

Seeing you with someone else makes him want to puke. 

His pointed finger moves between you and Lloyd. “You’re married?”

You move closer to Lloyd to rest your hand on his chest. You look at him with a warm gaze; Lloyd smiles back at you without any signal. 

He's a good actor. 

“ Yes.” 

Ethan crunched his face when he saw the intimate act. He altered his gaze. “I don’t believe you.”

"You chose him over me ?!"

"Ethan, if you came here to disrespect my husband, get the hell out."

Ethan took a step back. You've changed. 

He knew there was a big gap between you both. His parents always compare your achievements to his.

Everyone said he would be the luckiest person to have you as his wife. It felt like his pride was being stomped. 

"You're missing a good chance, Y/N."

After Ethan left, both of you were still in the same position. You tried to push Lloyd away, but he didn't budge. 

 He wondered how you ended with Ethan. “Do you like him?” 

You were silent then he saw you smile for a second “At first.” 

Lloyd clenched his fist; the thought of you with someone else just irked him.

"So… he's your type huh?" Lloyd sneered like he was mocking you.

"He wasn't my choice. When I studied abroad, they chose a fiance for me without my knowledge."

To be precise, your grandmother chose Ethan. She picks her closest aid to monitor you. 

If your relatives couldn’t tame you, your husband could do it.

“I thought I found a good guy. He was sweet at first, but it didn't work out."

He smiled, but his displeasure was obvious. “There shouldn’t be any secrets between us, honey.”

You scoffed. Lying doesn't work with Lloyd."I despised him."

Lloyd thought so.

“It’s difficult to break the engagement. Since both families benefit from this.”

At that time, L/N company with Wielder Construction needed to work together to remodel the train station in New York. 

“They basically sold you.”

“It’s a normal thing in my family.” Your uncles and aunties got married not by their choice, except by your parents.

“Ethan was sweet and respectful. He visited me when I studied at Oxford. He left a great impression. I thought why not give it a try? On the semester break, I went to his place to surprise him. But what I found was, he had a sex party, and he made out with my cousin. Turned out she went to the university with him.” You felt betrayed when you saw the vulgar scene. 

“You told your grandfather?”

You nodded. “And he saw the video but he told me to stay silent. That’s when I realized he needed this marriage too.”

“I almost gave up and accepted my fate to have a lifeless marriage. But then I remembered grandfather hated people who lost his money. He will toss anyone who he thinks is useless."

"So when Ethan asked to invest in his new business, I gave him 500 million dollars and I told my grandfather. He appreciated that I gave Ethan a chance."

Lloyd coughed. Every time you mention money, it is always an outrageous amount. Your ex is an idiot. 

“It was your scheme from the beginning, you know he will lose it.” 

He learned you are also a risk taker since you don't mind losing that money to get what you want. 

You chuckled. “It was big news and the media loved to see the downfall of rich kids.But the most important part is my grandfather who was really mad. He didn’t want a stupid grandson-in-law. And he cut the engagement."

Lloyd learned that you are pretty manipulative when he heard the whole story. He could probably finish all his missions faster if you work with him. 

"Do you want me to handle him? He seems like trouble like your relatives."

You shook your head and made a cross with both of your arms. “I don't want to get in any trouble since Ethan’s father is Robert Wielder.”

That last name was familiar. Lloyd's expression was enough to tell that he knew. You nodded. “Ethan's uncle is the President, Nolan Wielder. I don’t want to deal with the Secret Service, FBI and CIA.”

Lloyd agreed in his line of work; he knew some people he couldn't touch. "You're right it's a pain in the ass."

"What does it mean you will miss a good life?"

“I didn't follow his update after the engagement broke. But it seems like he has started joining politics."

“Him?” Lloyd didn't believe it when you said that, but when he looked down from your office window. There's a billboard with Ethan's campaign photo.

“Wielder has a long history in politics but only for the male heir. Nolan only has a daughter, and the only male heir to continue their tradition is Ethan. Robert is ambitious to make his son a President.”

He gathered all the dots and could figure out that Ethan came here to check on you. And want to marry you since he still single. 

Voters prefer married candidates.

You sighed heavily. “I miscalculated the bad outcome. I'm sure his father will call me.”

Your guess was correct, after a minute your secretary knocked on your door. 

"Miss, there's some,-"

You move closer to your table and pick up the phone. "Hello?"

“Ah, my dear Y/N. How are you?” The older man's voice sounds friendly but vicious at the same time. 

“I’m good.”

“I hear what happened with your family. It’s tragic but necessary to get rid of the rotten parts.”

You didn't say anything because he didn't help you when you struggled.

“I'm inviting you to the gala dinner. I insist. I heard you also got married. I’m sad you didn’t invite me. I want to get to know him.” The other side seemed to know you didn't want to talk, so he cut to the chase. 

“Yes, Robert.”

You lowered your head and sighed heavily. "Do you have suits, Lloyd?"

“Why?”

"We got invited to the gala dinner.”

Lloyd was bored and decided to walk around at your company. Jimmy stood before him, lifted his left palm and pointed his fourth finger. 

Lloyd raised his eyebrows. “I don’t understand sign language, old man.”

Jimmy rolled his eyes. “This generation…" He sighed heavily. "What I meant was you should give Y/N a ring.”

Lloyd pinched the bridge of his nose. Both of you forgot the most important thing to make acting as husband and wife more believable. No wonder Ethan doesn't believe you when you tell him you got married. A woman like you needs to wear a beautiful ring. 

Lloyd picks up his phone. “Find me the most expensive wedding ring, size 13.”

Lloyd entered your room and saw you dressed in a gown. You look elegant and mature in the evening dress. 

You also saw him looking good. He was dressed in a perfectly fitting black suit. He seems like a gentleman. 

He knelt near you and pulled a red velvet box from his pocket. “Y/N L/N, I swear on the 3 billion dollars I will never betray and let you get hurt. Because you're the greatest asset that I ever had.”

Your heart skipped a beat for a moment. You knew it was only for an act. “I do. From now on, let’s get along."

Lloyd didn't know why, but he thought the proposal was real for a moment. He must keep his head clear and remember this is just a contract.

He stood up and sat on the side of your bed. "Is this a good idea to show my face at the gala?"

"It's perfect timing. All the guests know me. If I introduce you as my husband. No one will bother me anymore."

At the gala.

Everyone gasped and whispered when they saw you walk into the room.

You force the corners of your mouth to curl up when you greet other guests.

You whispered to your partner, "I just came back 2 days ago, and it seems they knew everything."

Lloyd chuckled.

One of the most effective weapons is gossip. "Walls have ears, my dear." Lloyd played his part well. 

Too well. He stroked your hair and kissed your temple. 

In other people's eyes, both of you look close and intimate. And with the ring on your fingers, they believe you are already married.

The host of the party sees it too. Ethan and his father, Robert, saw you and Lloyd look like newlyweds. 

Ethan tried to fake a smile, but it was seen through. Robert notices his son wants to cry. He whispered, "If you didn't invest in that fake start-up, both of you are married now. Now look, she chose a mercenary to be her husband."

You gripped Lloyd's arm tighter when you greeted Robert and Ethan. The older man seems friendly and welcoming, but his conversation always leads to gaslighting.

Robert gave a quick kiss on both of your cheeks. "Welcome Y/N." Then he moved to Lloyd. He didn't bother to offer a handshake, "Mr. Hansen. I heard about your work in Prague. It was impressive but such a mess."

Lloyd doesn't bother when someone underestimates him. In his line of work, he already used too with harsh words.

You must keep the act longer since you got seated at the same table as the host party. They changed it at the last minute. 

After everyone got seated and talked, Robert broke the mood by asking, “When will you get divorced? You signed prenup right? My lawyers will help you.”

You raised your voice. “Excuse me?”

“You picked a dangerous man to be your husband, Y/N. His hands had taken out hundreds of lives. You deserved better."

You crossed your arms; you decided not to be friendly with him anymore. “Not so different from us. There’s no big business without the blood of innocent people.”

What you meant was you weren't that innocent too. You knew the company your grandfather was built with real tears and blood.

"I think this conversation will only disrespect my husband. So I think we will leave." You start to move from your seat.

"We're not done yet."

"L/N company won't stop donating to your brother next year election campaign."

"My brother will be forever grateful. What I want to ask is the 500 billion dollar project. Your uncle promised me I would be part of it, and I got 20%."

“Then your project will get into trouble, my dear.”

"You need my connection. Without my help, you won't get it easy, Y/N. Remember, I've been playing this game longer than you."

"That's bullshit. Your company doesn't take part. And it was my uncle who promised you, not me. I'm not your business partner."

You clenched your fist holding out any anger. The audacity of this old man. He didn't do anything to get this mega project. For those 4 years of running and hiding, you are still reaching out to a potential business partner. 

You were lucky; you found your grandfather's old notebook before you got cast out. 

Inside he wrote some contacts of business partnerships that he worked with. 

"I will be straight to the point, Mr Wielder. My answer is No." You lift yourself from the chair.

“If you leave, you will miss a chance to be the 1st lady.”

Before you could say anything, Lloyd had already stabbed the table knife between Robert's fingers to the table. 

It made everyone near the table gasp and get scared. Even the musicians stop playing their instruments. Lloyd waves his hand to signal everyone to look the other way. He already controls the rooms. 

He smiled but sounded displeased. "I've been reading about your son's campaign situation. His name doesn't have a strong brand. He will lose the election if he doesn't have L/N company to back him up."

"Now, I will give two choices." Loyd is pissed; these people not just disrespect him but you too. 

"I will stab your son's eyes or slit his throat with this knife?"

Lloyd said with a calm smile. But everyone at the table felt fear. Ethan wants to move, but his father makes an eye signal not to stay in his position.

Robert keeps his composure. "Both of them don't give me any benefits."

"Exactly."

Robert noticed you didn't tell Lloyd to stop, which means you supported his doing. "I see; we couldn't reach the same point of view. And I apologise."

"That's great.” Lloyd pulled the knife from the table.”You've known my line of work. Keep your hands away from my wife." 

He stood up and linked your arms to him, and put his hand on your back. Both of you left the party. 

Ethan could only watch your back before he asked his father, “Do you want me to give him a lesson?”

Robert snapped, “No, stay here and play with your dick.” He is pissed that they wouldn't be humiliated like this if his son were good and could tame Y/N; they wouldn't be humiliated like this. 

Inside the car on the way home, both of you were silent. It made Lloyd restless. "Y/N, did I make a mistake?" 

His act could ruin your good image and business for having a lunatic husband. 

This is the first time you saw him lose confidence. You shook. "You didn't do anything wrong."

He didn’t believe it.

You smiled and held his hand. "It’s true, Lloyd. Everyone will know I have a husband who is not a coward and doesn't take shit if someone underestimates him."

After you said that, he finally felt relieved. He is grateful for the nighttime; if it was daylight, you could see his blushed cheeks.

'Growl.' 

"Sorry, I couldn't eat anything at that party." You pick up a phone and start typing to order food, "I'm craving a cheeseburger; what about you?"

"Same."

Back at your shared apartment.

After the two sets of cheeseburgers and 3 bottles of wine, both of you felt comfortable with each other.

Lloyd saw you were already drunk because you kept playing with a fork. He asked, "Is Wielder superior to your family?"

You felt dizzy and moved your chair closer to Lloyd. You nodded your head multiple times and opened your arms. "He gets along with the mafia; he even blocked the importer ship that belongs to my grandfather. Since then, Grandpa has chosen to keep his enemy close."

Lloyd chuckled, seeing you being dramatic at explaining things. "Did you forget that you are a reliable husband now?"

That’s right; you have someone to rely on. You don’t know if it’s because of the alcohol, but you want to kiss him. 

Your gaze didn’t move from his lips.

“Can I kiss you?”

Lloyd didn’t expect your question. 

Don’t need any answer. 

Soon both lips collided, and a tongue entered your parted mouth. You could feel a strong hand wrapped around the back of your neck. Lloyd bit and sucked your lips several times, then smirked. “Are you sure you want to do this?

Your heart was beating fast as if it could pop out of your chest at any moment. “Maybe?” You have a long giggle before you pass out. 

Lloyd catches your head before it hits the table. He sighed heavily since you woke up the fire inside of him.

The next day, when you wake up, you feel a headache. You didn’t remember what happened after you finished the third bottle of wine. When you want to get another sleep, your phone rings.

‘RING’

You weren’t ready to accept any call, but it was your secretary. He never called in the morning unless it was important.

When you listened to what he said, the hangover you had immediately went and jumped off the bed. 

Lloyd, an early riser, was sitting in the living room. He was enjoying the morning coffee while looking at your door. 

Your door suddenly opened.

“Morning.” He noticed you were already wearing an outdoor outfit, not the usual one. “Where are you going?”

You were fixing your jacket. “There’s an accident at one project site. I must check before the media comes and talk with the project safety manager.” You didn't want this accident to stop the progress. 

This will be your first time handling the project independently without your grandfather's guidance. 

While preparing all your stuff, Lloyd hopes for something different. 

“You didn’t remember what happened last night?"

“No.”

He made a mental note not to let you drink because you don’t remember.

At the construction site

Lloyd didn’t have a good feeling when both of you arrived at the location. "I don't like this."

"Me too. But I have to be responsible."

"That's not what I meant. Something doesn't seem right."

When you visited the site, a group surrounded you and brought you to the location. In just a second, you got separated from Lloyd.

“Y/N!”

You couldn’t hear his scream. One of the employees said, “Miss Y/N, over there is where the accident happened.”

When you followed him, you felt pain in your back. Before your hand could touch it, your head was covered with black cloth.

You got kidnapped again.

Lloyd wasn’t fast enough this time because the kidnapper used a helicopter. 

"Fuck."

He took his phone. "Find out which idiot used a helicopter in the daylight to kidnap my wife!!!"

Somewhere in an unknown location, 

"Urghh." Your eyes are still closed because of the dizziness.

With the hangover and the headache you got from the back hit made you puke.

"Geez, Y/N this is an Italian leather shoe."

That familiar voice made you open your eyelids. "Ethan, what the fuck? Not you too."

"Y/N, I'm sorry. This is the only way I could talk to you."

"This is an idiot move, you idiot."

"Stop talking like that. Y/N, let's just say this is intervention."

"For what?"

"Your husband. Y/N please leave him. He's not good enough for you."

You rolled your eyes. "You just want my money."

"Uh, you make this difficult Y/N. Seems like I can't have a conversation with you."

He snapped his fingers and someone appeared holding a gun. 

He heavily sighed, if you just give him another chance, both of you could have a happy life. 

"Get rid of her." He said that before he left the cottage.

'That's it?' 

You were shocked with how your ex-fiance negotiated. He didn't even try and just gave up. 

This is the biggest of the red flags you see in him. Giving up quickly and not wanting to admit his own mistakes. 

You know the hitman getting closer. "Wait, wait. I could give you more money. 4 billion dollars."

The killer laughed mockingly, thinking you would never have that much money. "Yeah, like I could be a billionaire in one day."

Based on his voice you realised he's not American no wonder why he didn't believe you. 

He aimed the gun closer to your forehead.

You closed your eyes, accepting your fate.

'BANG.'

At the loud gunshot, something warm and damp splashed on your face. You inhaled the fishy smell. 

"ARGH!!"

You were shocked; you weren’t ready. 

Blood splatters on your face. 

That was the first time you had someone die in front of your eyes. 

Since you became the target of your relatives, there was a time you got into a dangerous moment. 

"You should've accepted the money." Lloyd's voice made you feel safe. 

You were on adrenaline; your eyes kept seeing the hitman who had a bullet pierced into his forehead. 

Lloyd took off his jacket to cover your face.

"Send the dead body to Wielder house." He gave instructions to his subordinates. 

"Did he hurt you?" Lloyd ran to you and then cut the rope around your hands. You immediately wrapped his shoulder with his arms, rested your head on his neck, and cried.

"No. Take me home. Please." Your crying made him feel more guilty. He holds you tighter. 

When he found who it was, he immediately drove to the hidden cottage while his team ruined the Wielder building. That old man Robert will get another stroke. His stupid son tried to kidnap his wife. 

You went home and took a shower for the 5th time. No matter how much soap you put on your body, you could still smell the blood. You want it to disappear. 

It's the first time you got covered with blood from head to toe. And you hope this is the last time. 

In the end, you can handle it and sit on the floor. “ARGH!!!” To let out your frustration. 

“You were stressed and scared, didn’t you?”

“Isn't it obvious?"

“Y/N.”

You saw him already taken off his shirt; he only wore his brief. You didn't have the energy to ask him why. 

“I gave you my permission to use my body.”

“...”

“To release some stress. It’s my fault you got kidnapped.”

He shamelessly looked up and down your body. “I’m dying to touch your body, and I haven’t shown you my night duty as your husband.”

There was silence; your brain couldn’t think at all. You only have two choices, go to a psychiatrist to talk about your problem that ended without any solution or fucked Lloyd to release the stress you’ve been holding for years.

“Fuck it.” You kissed him, which surprised him for a while, but he didn’t want to miss the chance.

Lloyd's hands grasped your breasts and gently twisted your nipples. You gasped, and your heart beat faster and faster. 

He licked your pink nipples and tugged at them lightly with his teeth. You saw his perfectly toned body was breathtakingly hot. You hold his shoulder. 

“Can we continue this in the bedroom?”

“Yes, wife.”

He lifted your body while you hugged him by his neck. When he found the bed, he put you down gently. You spread your legs apart and wrapped your legs around his waist. You are already wet. His manhood pushed in. 

It felt so good. 

Your body trembled, and Lloyd enjoyed you watching your face. At the climax, he shoved his penis deep inside you. You felt the blood of your body rush down. 

He slowly pulled out his manhood, rested beside you, and gently caressed your cheek. 

Your finger sweeps his messy hair. “This is,-”

He left small kisses on your shoulders, lay beside you, and pulled you into his arms. “Don’t say anything, both of us need this.”

He was right; you were exhausted. You closed your eyes and burrowed in his arms. 

Lloyd pressed his lips to the top of your head. “Sweet dream, sweetheart.”

'RING'

"Urgh", The grumble voice came from Lloyd, who woke up because of the annoying ringtone. 

"Sunshine, if it's another accident, just send Jimmy."

You also didn't want to pick up the phone, but the only people who knew this number were the people you trusted. 

You couldn't turn your body to the nightstand since you were still trapped in Lloyd cuddled. Only one of your arms could reach the phone beside you. 

"Hello."

"Y/N, in another 5 minutes there will be another call. You have to answer it."

"Wait a-"

Jimmy had hung up the phone before you could ask.

Lloyd, who still closed his eyes, kissed your temple.

 "Whose that?"

"Jimmy, he told me to answer the next call."

"Hmm, you should."

You became fully awake and curious about what Lloyd and Jimmy knew that you didn't.

'RING.'

You immediately answer, "Hello."

"Miss L/N."

You hold your breath for a second when you hear the voice. You only know it from the television. 

You pushed yourself from Lloyd's firm grip, which made him whine. There's no way you answer the phone while looking at the naked man. 

You cleared your throat "Mr. President."

"I received a package from you. This is useful to stop my brother's ambition. There is no way I would let my spoiled nephew enter politics, and ruin my hard work."

You agree with what he said. You didn't like Robert. If you have to choose, you prefer to work with his older brother, Nolan, because of his work ethic. He loves his country and tries to make it better. 

Nolan knew his nephew didn't have the guts to enter politics. He prefers to choose anyone smarter than his nephew. 

So this is what Lloyd's doing. You caressed his hair. "Glad to help."

"And…"

“Your husband has a quiet reputation. Perhaps sooner I will need his skills.”

“I really recommend his service sir.”  Your reply made the other line laugh. Both of you made small talk before the call ended. 

You put down the phone and grab his head to kiss Lloyd.

He pulled you back into his arms again."You seem happy.”

“Yup." Of course, you were delighted; the country's leader called you personally. You giggled. "I got a new friend and a potential client for Hansen Security.”

Lloyd could only enjoy this peaceful morning. Not just you get rid of the stupid ex-fiance, but he also receives a powerful client. 

He thought if this was married life, it was not that bad. Lloyd can't explain for some reason but wishes this fake marriage would last forever. 

Thank you for reading, besties. 💓🥹

A/N: All mistakes are on me. I will fix it when I get more inspiration.

The next part will be the aftermath of their divorce.

Taglist, thank you for the reblogged 💖😘

@motivation-idontknowher

@evansce1

@chibijusstuff

@jasminxts

@alchemxx

@imsolatetothegame

@thorinmistress

@bree-lyrie

@another-tblr-fangirl

@buckysteveloki-me

@cherrybubblebullet

@supraveng

@avery-1999

@ridingthehotmessexpress

@hoely-maria

@katymae12344

@g-c-e

@rookiemartin

@my-regrets

@openup-yourmind

@magnificentsaladllama

@patzammit

@krissy25

@stressed-out-gisele

@eralen

@readingislife

@ara-theo

@rebeccapineapple

[prpfz]

Hi hello, shamelessly smutfishing 🎣🐡 20 year old here seeking a MxM OC roleplay. Plot set around university/tertiary students and a dynamic of a reserved man with nerdy inclinations x an extroverted frat boy. The twist being that the 'nerd' is actually a dominant top with a rough side and the extrovert is the submissive bottom despite their outward mentalities in the public. Perhaps the frat boy kind of 'adopts' the nerd as a friend at first, and things get frisky, he tries to be the lead but the script gets flipped on him. I'd love if they eventually come to have a D/S relationship, I have always had a fascination in exploring that kind of thing with plenty of kinks! I would play the frat boy 8) About me:

Literate and can write from 1 paragraph to over 500 words.

Prefer to be flexible, so on average, I could write 2 paragraphs and also go into detail if needed. However, I will not do one lining.

Mainly write in 3rd person.

I write on Discord primarily but can consider other options if you have a preference!

Can write NPCs so the world can seem wider than just our pairing.

If invested (in the right circumstances if I feel it is reciprocated), loves to gush, headcanon, send memes about our pairing, etc.

I do not double.

I don't do real life/celebrity fc or AI.

Preference for masc for masc.

If interested, put down a note and I will get back to you!

give a like and anon will get back to you

[homestuckreplay]

The Time Traveler's Can Opener

(page 498-509)

8/18/2009 Wheel Spin: Character Switch Verdict: Oops, All John!

8/19/2009 Wheel Spin: being silly :3c Verdict: CORRECT (Gamer Refrigerator!)

500 pages!! I can't believe how fast these numbers are going up, I'm learning that most webcomics cap at one page a day at most, so feel genuinely lucky to get all this.

I thought John was going to get a Badass Moment where he totally owned those imps in the living room, but he totally biffed it :( but if he'd won against so many enemies so soon, the victory might have felt unearned. I am really noticing the improvement in Rose and John's Sburb abilities - their teamwork in these pages is so good, with John absconding to the study and then Rose sliding the refrigerator into the cranny so the imps can't follow. Rose has great instincts here and is in such a stressful situation herself that I can't help but give her props for her work here.

I do think dropping the safe from so high was overkill, and that destroying John's house is literally the opposite of her job right now. I also think that if the refrigerator gets one more kill it will probably out-level John and therefore take over as both the client player and the main character of our story. So the two of them both have things they still need to work on, but, reading this gives the real sense that they're making progress, and that gives the story a nice momentum.

I also LOVE how the imps, collectively, have a lot of personality. Real video games can often struggle with this, where low level enemies are mindless things to kill that leave no actual impression, but Sburb has really cracked it. The gag where the imps will replace their jester hats with any other hat or hat like object is very entertaining to me, and the fact that they're really invested in the pogo ride for some reason is curious. Most likely they just think it's fun to play with, but I like to imagine that Slimer from Ghostbusters is a god in their society.

I've been thinking recently about what wikipedia terms the 'sad clown paradox,' where comedians have an above average chance of struggling with issues like depression. It's really easy to read John and his prankster's gambit through this lens, but part of me wants to read John's whole house through the lens. From its multiple generations of inhabitants to its decor to its new invasive species, it feels like the essence of the clown is infused throughout this ultimately sad and lonely house.

Under the safe in John's dad's study is a captchalogue card and a note taped to the wall. Inside the safe is another, scuffed up copy of Colonel Sassacre, along with some old papers and an unidentified grey object in the back. I don't know what I expected to be in here, either money or an authentic Joseph Grimaldi jacket, but it seems like the Sassacre book is a really important heirloom that each person in the Egbert family gets to own. I'll probably speculate some more on why Dad wants to save these items specifically once we've seen the papers.

From the antiquated politeness of the new commands, I figured the Wayward Vagabond had read the human etiquette book, but I did not know they'd eaten it. It seems counterproductive to eat information that might be helpful. Unless that's how their species learns and retains things, in which case, great work and it's clearly paying off. Kind of sucks how the author of the etiquette book is British though.

Even now the Vagabond is being polite, it seems really dangerous to have these commands coming to John from an outsider, given how he loses all awareness of his surroundings when he's being commanded like this. But given the logo on the outside, the computer and bunker the Vagabond inhabits were built by someone, for some intended function. So what's the deal? Is the system of giving commands built into Sburb or not? Is there somebody else more competent who is intended to use this command panel, and the Vagabond has stolen their place somehow? Does Sburb really feel like it needs to mind control its players directly? Is the game going to get so difficult and complicated that this is the only way to win? The Vagabond doesn't seem like they have a goal with John beyond obtaining a can opener, but what will happen if whoever's supposed to be using this computer shows up?

[theliterarywolf]

Can I have an explanation as to what is the Fyre Festival(?) I don't know if I'm too young or not American enough to know ^^''

Long story short, watch this

Short story long and I mean long, so a good portion in will have a Read More break for the sake of people's dashboards:

We have a trust-fund baby by the name of Billy McFarland. Full-on too much allowance and money from mommy and daddy and nowhere near enough brains to use it.

Billy calls himself making a black card (credit cards for obnoxiously wealthy people) company called Magnises where the premise is basically

Billy: 'Why, yes, this is a money-sink of what is already a money-sink, but with this you get amazing deals on concerts and meeting celebrities~!'

Anyone dumb enough to sign up: 'Um... Okay, at least that last part sounds good. How does it work?'

Billy: 'That's the neat part! IT DOESN'T!'

So anyone would think 'okay, you can't even make something as simple as a customized credit card work, maybe you should stay away from business and investments for a bit'. Not Billy! Because during some big party or whatever, he happened to meet the famous (to some people) rapper Ja Rule! And they got to talking and decided 'why don't we throw a music festival with high-profile acts in the Bahamas?!'

So they actually flew out to Great Exuma with a bunch of influencer thots and Instagram models and lived it up to the fullest. Why? So they could get promo material for a festival that literally didn't even exist.

So determined were they to get this footage that when one model expressed discomfort at getting into a swimming pool (it was getting late and she was cold), Ja Rule told her to, quote, 'Get your ass in the damn pool'.

So they got this footage and started promoting online. And they sold out! Awesome, right? For them to see how much interest they got had to mean that they realized they needed to get infrastructure and hospitality squared away, right?

Ha ha -- WRONG.

Because even other people who were employed by Billy and Ja Rule were telling them, begging them 'we need at least 2 years to pull off something like this'.

But remember! Billy McFarland has horrific denial issues! So he kept insisting that they could make it happen! Also, something something -- taking out a bunch of short-term loans that he couldn't afford to default on -- something.

So they go full steam ahead!

...By not paying the local laborers they hired, the restaurant-owner they hired, the staff they hired--

But, traloo-traley! They day eventually arrives! Excited festival-goers are hopping on their flights to the Bahamas, expecting the highest luxury that their $1200 tickets could pay for.

By the way, is it... too late to mention that tickets only ranged from $500 to $1200? For a two week music festival? With all amenities included? IN THE FUCKING BAHAMAS?!

Festival-goers step out of the airport and are directed onto a school bus. ...Okay. Where they are then driven to a pretty miserable looking beach. ...Okay. Where they see a swathe of disaster-relief tents.

Welcome to Fyre Festival*!

*Note: The Festival barely ended up lasting two days from a combination of festival-goers seeing the shitshow, trying to leave but not having any spending money (because the Festival was advertised as cashless), and eventually being rounded up by the Bahamian Government and taken back to the airport.

Also: In addition to the festival-goers being promised premium accommodations that turned out to be those disaster-relief tents, they were promised fine dining which those who arrived early got... At the expense of the restaurant owner who was never paid... But the rest were granted the boon of withered salad greens and 'sandwiches' made of limp bread and Government-Approved Cheese-Product (TM).

And all of this doesn't even go into the rumors of wild dog attacks, festival-goers attacking and stealing supplies from each other, Billy asking one of the event-planners, an elderly gentleman who was supposedly a long-time friend of his, to go to the head of Bahamian Customs and offer to suck his dick so they could import some drinking water, and of course Billy's scumbag denial about anything going wrong, about needing to pay his employees in the aftermath, or his eventual jail-time.

But this already got so long so, if anyone wants me to elaborate on anything else, it would have to be in response to a second ask.

[honeyedboneset]

one x one oc x cc search

Hi, i’m bone (she/her)! Thanks for stopping by. I’m closer to 30 than 25, still surprised i’m doing this, and live in the EST. i’m half way through my graduate degree in clinical counseling, work part time, and am dealing with some physical health issues. I love horror films, reading, kdramas, making fanart, memes, and yapping. I’ve been roleplaying for almost fifteen years, writing for longer (though you wouldn’t be able to tell

preferences, rules, and fandoms (with canons) i'm looking for are under the cut! if you're still with me by the end, please feel free to message me or add me on discord ( .diick )

The technical side:

I generally write in third person, past tense. I don’t really care what you write in!

Length can vary pretty dramatically, but thanks to my schedule, shorter posts work better. Usually 500-1k words for responses.

I like to double within the same universe. Having our ocs develop friendships sparks joy.

m/f is usually how ‘my’ pairings go. I’m open to whatever for your pairing though.

I will write (in no order of preference): on site, gdocs, email, discord

Ooc (in order of preference): discord, email, on site

The rest:

I am a ridiculously hopeless romantic. I love a lot of genres, but i’m trash for it.

This is a hobby. This is meant to be fun. Let’s work together to keep it fun.

I am terminally unserious. Canon is a guideline or a suggestion, not a law.

While i am inconsistent sometimes with post rate, i will ooc plenty. I love yapping and i’ve been fortunate to make great friends roleplaying.

I also love memes, making fanart, pinterest boards, playlists, and generally being too invested in ALL the ships and characters.

Hard lines:

Please be 21+ (preferably 25+). I’m really not comfortable with writing with anyone younger.

No medical settings as the main setting (like grey’s anatomy or something, idk).

I’m also not interested in exploring heavy substance use, explicitly written sexual assault, genuine love triangles, or abusive relationship dynamics between main characters.

Most highschool settings and no underage characters. I know i have some fandoms listed that have that, but let’s age folks up?

To wrap it up: no abo, pwp, incest, fetish stuff, or anything that would otherwise just Make It Weird.

fandoms & canons im looking for you to write:

◞ ❛ marvel cinematic universe Looking for: eddie brock, sam wilson, matt murdock, m'baku

some vibes: hidden identities, second chances, unknown origins, detective adventures, street level, cultural differences, the strange reality of domesticity when you're a super hero, recovering after war, the powers that be are the worst wingmen ever, strange villains, avoiding the difficult discussions, 'oh god finally' relationships after ages of pining and missed connections, 'who did this to you' in every flavor, if it's a confession on your death bed does it count if you dont die, world traveling, 'i thought you knew', mutants, the real villain is the government and media, dragged back into heroism kicking and screaming, finding new normal together, old enemies, workplace romances are definitely ethical, what do you mean falling in love while taking down villains is called trauma bonding?? and other stories from the mcu romance archives, 'i've never committed an act of violence before but boy, you're sure tempting me to it.'

◞ ❛ the walking dead Looking for: glenn rhee, daryl dixon some vibes: people who knew each other prior to the zombies meeting each other again after, dead rising vibes, traveling through the wilderness, overgrown and rundown towns and cities, towns that have gone mad, human enemies, natural threats, fluff, megamalls, amusement parks, adventure, horror, fluff, uneasiness in the calm, found family, hesitant allies, finding new normal together, reaching the end of sanity, ‘there’s no limit of what i’d do for you’,

note: i'd pay money for someone to write glenn against my oc in a situation where they knew each other before the end of the world and then met up again after as different people.

◞ ❛ star wars Looking for: sol, cal kestis, obi-wan kenobi, wrecker, wyl lark, joph seastriker, finn

Some vibes: adventures across the galaxy, we don’t belong together but can’t stay away, somehow feelings are more complicated than being a spy, let’s throw a coup, politics and warzones, sometimes the adventure is just goofy, when the love language is acts of violence, fancy galas, hiding from enemies and getting way too close, match making droids note: there's a lot of flexibility with timelines, especially with all the new star wars media out there.

◞ ❛ the last of us Looking for: tommy, ocs

Some vibes: second chances, found family, making me cry every given moment, ‘oh i found you again’, cynicism and wondering if it’s good the world is over, it’s kind of pleasant out here camping if it wasn’t for the threat of death, people who are kind of surprised that they survived this long. natural threats, antagonistic towns, lost in the wild, weird periods of domestic easiness followed by hurt/comfort hell

◞ ❛ fallout (3, 4, nv, 76, show) Looking for: hancock, gage, raul, ocs Note: i have an oc, who’s a prostitute, that i’d be super happy to put with a mercenary oc. i'd still play a canon for you if you're looking for that. Additionally, super happy to play the ghoul (show) against an oc OR Lucy (while still doubling).

Some vibes: side missions are life, begrudging allies, i don’t like you i just hate you less than everyone else, a string of eternal mondays, whenever you think it can’t get worse it will, always getting dragged into someone’s family drama, ain’t that a kick in the head (literally), when your heroes are the lowest members of society, we’re in love and it isn’t forbidden but god it’s complicated, running from your past mistakes (sometimes literally).

◞ ❛ red dead redemption Looking for: charles, ocs

some vibes: railroad turmoil, dutch has lots of plans (very little outcomes), high society meets the old west, running from the law, causing problems, adventures in the big city, trying to leave old lives behind, forbidden love, enemies to lovers, kidnappings, absolute mess at every turn, society sucks but quiet moments don't, death of the outlaw/rise of the law. note: i am willing to do oc x oc here.