#and is a better example than lots of other big cities

[spookykestrel]

I hate this dumb city I live in bc I really don’t have any access to wildlife and nature it’s a 15 minute drive just to get to the closest wooded park accessible to the public and it’s not even that big comparatively like chicago has more nature than this

[front-facing-pokemon]

[crystallilytarot]

Felt bad because the last pac was a little short, so it's a similar one. Those paper snowflakes were small, these are big.

It's about any area in life, and probably most of it will be future things, but I hope this will give you hope and motivation.

YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Pile 1

Even if there's hard things, even if there's chaos and you need to start again, you will able to do it, and you will be better than ever! For some of you, it's especially true with finances, you will have a stable life. But also you will have a good relationship, maybe against all odds, maybe you didn't saw good examples, but you still have a good connection with your partner. You can definitely be succesful in something creative, I feel so much spark, inspiration, unique ideas. And you will have some deep wiseness, maybe it's connected to spirituality, but somehow you can teach people. You will also know and love yourself.

Pile 2

Your ambitions will come true, your hard work will definitely pay off. You can also be good at manifestation. I see you can be a boss, be in a high position, you basically can buy anything, you won't have financial struggles. Also, you will be the boss of your own life in every way too, you have power to change it. If you have some anxiety, nervousness, your mental health will be so much better. And you will feel free, you will move on, let go of past mistakes, past toxic people. You will love your life, you will be active, full of passion. If you want to move to another city or country, this will definitely happen. Even if you don't want to, you will travel a lot.

Pile 3

It feels you were lost, maybe you needed to fight, others didn't understand you. But it's like your life will be the complete opposite. For some of you, you will live literally the other side of the world. I think you will be lucky too, but it's more like you will have help from your spirit guides. Finally, everything will be okay. You will have a loving partner, and you will love yourself too. Your unique thinking and person will be appreciated, you will be in a like-minded community. You can finally be in peace with yourself and life, your struggles are over. You did so much inner work, and you feel good about yourself too. Others will love your company because your authentic nature and your good vibes.

[solar-wing]

⚣ Protective Lover 🥰

⚣✋🏻 A/N → Another idea partly inspired off one of my previous Jason posts. Dude is the definition of scary dog privilege. "and my man, thank you to my man." WARNINGS: Jealous/Possessive Behavior. Minor Swearing and Threats of Violence. Cute Fluff.

⚣✋🏻 Summary → It's no secret: Jason is a jealous and possessive boyfriend. But, many don't think about the benefit that comes along with that. He's hella protective. Sometimes it's overbearing, other times, it's very helpful.

⚣✋🏻 Words → 1.4k

REBLOGS and replies are greatly appreciated, please! 💛

⚣ ENJOY 🥰

At some point, Y/N had gotten used to it. Was it annoying? Yes. Did it feel overbearing at times? Countless. Did he secretly love it and felt the world’s most (concerning) validation from it? Absolutely.

But, when looking at the situation and its circumstances as a whole, it made sense.

When he and Jason first started dating, there was definitely a vibe of him being a gruff but soft teddy bear who was clingy and needy for love and attention when with his chosen lover. But, when around literally anyone else who was not said lover or other people were in the same room as his chosen mate, he’d turn into the world’s scariest guard dog.

It was the general rule of Scary Boyfriend Privilege. Only the designated boyfriend could see their boyfriend’s soft and needy side. Anyone outside that got the ‘murderous if you get too close’ grizzly bear side.

Extremely hot and sexy, but it could be a bit (a lot) much at times. 

Y/N tried to get Jason to calm down, always showing that he could take care of himself and there was no reason for him to worry. But, living in a city like Gotham and given the vigilante’s past (hence the aforementioned situation and circumstances), there really was no calming him down.

But let’s look on the bright side here. With said privilege and the kind of boyfriend Jason was, Y/N never felt more safe and secure in his life. It was like walking around a video game world with the most overpowered gear on. He was basically untouchable.

Examples? Why, of course!

When it came to school, Y/N always preferred studying and doing his homework with Jason since he would help him stay focused and assist him with subjects that he struggled with. 

Y/N was not the first but certainly the loudest to say that Jason did not get enough credit for how smart he was. Yeah, he typically lived by street smarts, but he was big on book smarts as well. He just had to learn how to communicate the information in ways where it wasn’t confusing for both him and his boyfriend.

Plus, in dating Y/N, he learned the art and benefits of positive reinforcement which anyone could probably imagine taking a magnifying glass to their relationship, it was something the Y/N had to use a lot for Jason. Now, the vigilante was doing the same for his boyfriend by giving him little rewards for finishing his work and getting good grades like take-out dates, letting him play in his hair, and more often than not, a good dic-

PAUSE

Oh for fucks sake, are we doing this again? Why does it have to be PG-13? Well, no one said– Ugh…Fine.

A good fitness workout that involved lots of cardio, sweating, and soreness, but the good kind.

Happy?

But, the week of midterms turned out to be an equally busy week for Jason as well. He was knee-deep in a big crime plot and was getting closer and closer to solving the case. Y/N understood and didn’t want to get in the way of his boyfriend's duties. It still sucked though because it meant he wouldn’t be able to study in his apartment as he’d find way too many ways to get distracted. So, he had no choice but to study on campus, and figured what better place than the library?

Turns out there could have been better places.

Y/N was sitting at a large table by himself with various books in front of him along with his tablet and laptop reviewing his notes for a huge test he had the next morning. He wasn’t the only one who had the idea of going to the library to study as it was packed full of students trying to do last-minute cramming and studying.

Jason, as usual, called him to make sure he was okay and that he had gotten to the library safely even though Y/N was well aware his boyfriend had many different ways of tracking him and making sure he was where he was supposed to be. At first, he found it creepy, but when he got to know Jason’s family, he understood.

When Jason didn’t hang up the phone long after Y/N had already sat down and began reviewing, he decided he wasn’t going to hang up either, feeling more relaxed and calm while hearing his boyfriend’s voice and breathing through his earphones.

Now and then, Jason would call his name and check to make sure he was focusing and not slacking off or scrolling on social media and Y/N would turn and scold him for trying to check him when he should have been focused on fighting criminals.

“That’s the thing, babe. I can focus on more than two tasks at the same time. You, on the other hand, still can’t manage to focus on one task for more than 10 minutes without getting distracted by something else like your favorite song and flooding our apartment.”

“I told you to let the bathtub thing go!” Y/N whispered loudly into his earbud mic with a goofy smile on his face still.

“I will never let the bathtub thing go.”

They continued their playful back and forth while Y/N continued studying until he was interrupted by another student, a guy from one of his history classes. This guy was more or less a bit annoying and creepy and had been bothering Y/N for a while with his persistent quest to ask him out.

No matter how many times he rejected him, the guy always tried again and again. He never got forceful, or at least he never had the chance since Y/N always made sure there were people around or that he got to an area where other people were nearby just in case he tried something.

He wasn’t judging him, but he took Jason’s words and lessons very seriously when it came to his safety. He’d seen enough of his boyfriend’s cases where people didn’t take the necessary steps to keep themselves protected and safe because they didn’t imagine it would ‘go that far.’

The creep only left him alone when he saw Jason was with him. Truthfully, many people tended to steer clear of Y/N and his massively scary boyfriend whenever he was with them on campus besides his friends. They were even put off by Jason at times whenever they hung out with their friend cause they’d catch him at times giving them weird looks and glares if they touched or just got too close to his boyfriend for his liking.

Plus, after the one incident of the guy who tried to pick a fight with Y/N and pushed him, thus having to deal with Jason in the aftermath, everyone learned it was just better to steer clear.

So, when Jason wasn’t anywhere in sight, Y/N’s creepy stalker saw it as a perfect moment for him to try and make a move on his classmate, not expecting the very person he was hoping to avoid being on the phone the entire time.

It wasn’t until he saw Y/N unplug his earphones and hand him his phone that he realized he was indeed on a call, and after receiving possibly the most violently worded threat he had ever heard he decided there were plenty of other fish in the sea.

He handed the phone over to its owner before scurrying off like a scared mouse, Y/N watching with a confused but also amused and relieved look.

“Hi baby,” Jason immediately responded to Y/N’s ‘hello’ in his little delightful and excited tone whenever he heard his boyfriend’s voice.

“Jason, what did you say to him?” Y/N immediately asked.

“Hey! It’s babe, baby, sexy, honey, or Jay at the slightest to you, mister. Only my family calls me that.”

“Jason…”

“Babeee, stop it! I don’t consent to this treatment. No means no!” Jason protested in a whiny voice.

“You’re such a baby,” Y/N chuckled.

“Only for you, hot stuff. But we’ll be having a long talk when I get home about you not telling me about creepy guys bothering you.”

“How did you know?”

“Babe, you know who you’re dating, right? There never will be something that bothers you that I won’t know about. I’m always gonna protect you, even if it annoys the hell out of you.”

Y/N couldn’t stop the big smile spreading across his face at his boyfriend’s words, knowing he meant every single one. Jason would always be his protective lover.

☀️ | Jason Todd/Red Hood | ☀️

☀️ | Masterlists | ☀️

[thelien-art]

Fëanáro, Nerdanel & Telperinquar

Latest portraits

Sons of Fëanáro

Now to the house of Fingolfin!

HC:

Feanor: Feanor dresses in pale colors like Miriel. I like to think Miriel dresses in light colors, not necessarily white. I don´t think he adorns himself with a lot of jewelry, just enough for him to be stylish, but not more, as he cares more about making things for those he cares for than himself, and if it is for himself, he would rather focus on something more practical, like lamps and machines.

Nerdanel: I have a surprising lot of thoughts about Nerdanel, one of them being that she´s a very loud Feanorian stan, although there´s a lot she thinks is plainly stupid she still supports her husband(ex??) and most of his ideals fierily. I think she dresses much more plainly than other Noldor, but will not necessarily turn down the option to adorn herself in jewelry. While I think she eagerly awaited her crowning, I don´t think it ever came, and she therefore never really had the possibility to wear a crown (not circlet she could still wear circles) as Finarfin was crowned when his brothers left. I don´t think that married in, in the Noldor royal house, could wear crowns before they themself was crowned kings/queen, even if it was just over a smaller piece of land. This left her to never wear a circlet as she was waiting to be crowned queen which never happened, meaning she never wore something on her head. She still wore royal braids and such, as that was accepted. All this leads her to be called Ríantaú by those who are against Feanor**. * She ends up going to Formenos and taking in all the Feanorian loyalties over the ages, becoming a queen at the end although never crowned, and known as a bitter woman because of her sons' departure.

Celebrimbor: I don´t read Celebrimbor as a naive person, rather I read him as someone who bears a lot of guilt, and in some cases let it control him, even if he was not the one at fault, this makes it easier for him to welcome everyone when the second age begins, after all evil was destroyed right? That was what the Valar said, and it does harm to everyone to throw someone out in the wilderness. I do believe he was aware that Annatar was a Maia of Morgoth, I also believe that while he didn´t think Annatar was all good, he believed in himself that he could make Annatar a better person. When Celebrimbor is reborn he ends up seeking out Nerdnal, who welcomes him in her city with open arms where he stays most of his time. On jewelry, I was helped by a lot of people (@lulukeskywalker pointed out that Eregion was named after the hollie trees it´s said to have) with the holly HC some might have heard about him, and it comes from that Eregion had a lot of hollie trees, which is a very sweet note professor, thank you for that, so I, of course, had to give him some holly themed jewelry. On a last note of jewelry, I tried to give him something between art nouveau and brutalism, to give him his own style. - note Celebrimbor follows second age fashion, therefor having his braids at the back instead of both at the front and back. - note Celebrimbor´s circlet is very intentionally inspired by Maglor´s.

Other HC:

I like to think that both Thingol and Finwe ruled their land as Empires, meaning that there were smaller kings and queens under their rule, while the rest, like Owlë and Ingwë ruled as only kings. I think it makes most sense with Thingol but I also like it with Finwe as his family was so big so it would make sense. - examples would be the roman empire and Scandinavia around year 0 to year 500 where the really where no kingdoms as we see them today but many small kings and later one king over the small kings. *

**Ríanta = To crown/Coronate: Quenya - Ú = Without/Destitute of: Quenya - Ríantaú = Without crown/Crownless: Quenya

Grey, mostly a pale grey close to white, is the mourning color for the Eldar´s as it´s associated with Nienna.

[slowcatsworld]

Blue Lock Master Striker Headcanons

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France’s PXG: Julian Loki

My sweet

Julian definitely is an older sibling (literally made a 3 post long argument on how he is one so TRUST he is). His favorite memory of his little sibling is when they first said his name. The small ‘Julian’ mumbled in multiple breaths (ju..julian yk) made him pause his homework and look them straight in the eye. They stared back with a big, innocent smile. Julian broke out into a smile of his own and grabbed the little guy for a hug.

Julian has such a carefree relationship with his mom, he gives off such mama’s boy vibes. They are a duo that would stay up late watching tv shows even though he has school in the morning and his mom has work. When his mother would cook something Julian was always her taste tester. He lost count the amount of times he would go back for seconds just to “get a better taste” and receive a wooden spoon to the hand. Julian’s mother would adore his girlfriend, especially since she can tell what a good impact you have on her son.

Julian would work well with someone who has a lot of energy but doesn’t need to be monitored or babysat. For example, say he is out at an amusement park with his friends and significant other. His girlfriend sees a game stand that piques her interest and hurls away from the group to investigate with determined steps. Julian isn’t worried about her getting lost or in an altercation with someone. he knows she’ll be back soon and give everyone a detailed report of the stand, the game set up, and the prizes offered. Whether or not she will ask him to spot her some cash to play the game is a whole other story. (Brother is loaded just from playing football)

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England’s Manshine City: Chris Prince

I hate him

Pathetic man baby vibes

Chris is very aware of his personal hygiene and is ridiculously active in taking care of his body. He has a personal massager, esthetician, chiropractor, waxer, the works. He loves his physicality too much to let himself rust in any capacity. He almost never skips brushing his teeth or washing his face. If he isn’t fueled with a type of passion or desperate enough, he won’t kiss you in the morning until you both at least have some mouth wash. He carries two different deodorant scents in his practice bag. This is nice because you know he won’t ever smell bad, but sometimes he becomes cologne nose blind (especially on high end dates).

He has a beef with Americans. (I don’t know if he’s confirmed English but he is today) He doesn’t mock them or become outwardly rude to them, but he’s thankful to be in the European League and not the North American League (is that a real league? Google isn’t helping and I don’t know shit abt professional soccer leagues-) Chris goes bonkers when someone jokingly calls him an American; as he will be whining and waving his arms about how he’s so much better than them and how it insults his legacy to be compared to an American and not be acknowledged as an English man.

When his hair isn’t cooperating with him he cries out of frustration.

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Spain’s FC Barcha: Lavinho

Lavinho loves the feeling of dancing with his partner. It’s intimate and free, no matter what style nor if there was music or not. Lavinho is so fond of holding your hips and gently swaying the two of you in the silent hours of the night that he has a pep in his step when he walks home from practice. Your scent filling his nostrils, the heat he can feel coming from your neck and shoulder as he rests his head there, it’s all too perfect as he begins to hum a song to himself.

Lavinho would want to get a tattoo reminiscent of you. If yall ever were that serious. At first he was thinking of your name, but you shot that down quickly. Something more primal and colorful was more his style. He wants something that represents you, though. Y’all compromise on a couple things that fit both of your wishes. Your favorite flower, a kiss mark, and a woman dancing with a pair of wings emerging from her back. (Picture this omg. The woman could be bowing, in the middle of a dance move or smth and the wings are halfway out of her back. Or something like the woman looking up and outstretched and welcoming to the feeling around her. With the wings spread out powerful and graceful. Okay I’m done I’m done)

Lavinho loves being barefoot. If he can’t be barefoot, Lavinho is wearing open toed shoes. Chanclas, flip flops, Birkenstocks, doesn’t matter. He grew up like this, and doesn’t quite want to conform his freedom and customs to the world of Europe yet. Even if he has been living there for years. He gets so happy at feeling sand under his feet as well, it reminds him of his younger childhood days in the best way. (This is prolly canon bc the first time we see him he’s barefoot right?)

Am I becoming a Lavinho girl..?

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Italy’s Ubers: Marc Snuffy

I don’t like him but I don’t hate him-

He says ‘shitty brats’ too much in the same breath at the end of the Ubers vs BM match I think he unlocked his previous degradation kink or smth idek maybe that’s why

Okay focus

Mick Moon’s death still haunts Snuffy. He hasn’t truly let it go, and even though he seems to make progress during the Ubers vs BM match, he has a long way to go to fully come to peace with his best friend’s death. Most times Snuffy can’t drink alcohol without thinking of Mick and becoming guilty. All the thoughts of how he could have saved Mick from his fate, how he did try but it wasn’t enough, how he allowed for his best friend to ruin his own life- even though that meant Mick stayed true to his philosophy. It hurts Snuffy. It’s the main reason why Snuffy cares so deeply for his teammates now, and why he goes out of his way to make sure they are okay mentally in his own way.

Snuffy wasn’t that interested in the luxury of lust that came from women when he first started out on his dream to being a professional footballer. It wasn’t until Mick that he started indulging in being a lady’s man. While it was almost always lustful and physical, the women that tugged at his heartstrings were the ones that would compliment Snuffy’s nose. The ones that would hold his face to their chest and give him slow, loving kisses to his nose while their hands moved further up into his hair. The ones that knew his eyes were actually orange and not brown and how those women looked into his sharp, big eyes like he was the reason for all their happiness was surreal. Those instances it would become all too real for Snuffy. The lines between lust and something more would get blurred and blurred until he got scared and backed away and moved to the next lady in the next club with a smaller smile than before.

Snuffy is very proud of his black belt in Jujitsu. Especially with the way it helps him on the football field. His understanding of his own body and abilities mean more to him than the average person too. Also because of Mick and how Mick ignored his body both before and after getting let go as a footballer.

Okay, Snuffy isn’t that bad I guess-

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Germany’s Bastard Munchen: Noel Noa

My man my man my man

Let me give you a big smooch

Noel sunburns so easily. He never tans, he always burns a hot pink. He has but an ounce of melanin in his skin that prevents him from being totally albino. Because of this, he is very serious and methodical about applying sunscreen. He applies daily, especially when he knows he’ll be outside for practice or a game. He also isn’t that fond of costal activities because of the sun exposure, even more so because he can’t swim that well. (OMG I read a little blurb about Noel not being able to swim but his wife loved to I don’t know who wrote it but it was so cute I’ll try to find the writer)

He does interviews for football, but finds them rather bland and not that important. He likes to discuss football strategies and profile analysis he’s done of other players, but most of the time reporters aren’t that interested in his words. They always want to know more intimate details about him, it feels like to Noel. Just not his exact cup of tea, but he knows other players are always willing to talk in an interview so he leaves the chitter to them if he can. He likes for his actions on the field to speak for him.

Noel makes an effort to acknowledge stray animals if he can. The cat sitting on the restaurant sill? He gave it some head scratches before continuing his walk. The dog that always lays in the same sunny spot of concrete on the sidewalk? Noel has given him some water just yesterday. It feels as though he’s paying homage to their sacrifices by giving them small acts of domesticity as he was once a stray too. He still feels like one sometimes. At night when he’s awake in his bed thinking, he ponders the possibility of taking one of the many strays home with him. He won’t allow himself to though. He can’t stoop so low as to take an animal into a home that he knows he’ll be absent enough from them (his football commitment sigh) to not properly take care of them, his head reasons, even if his heart wants him to act so unrationally.

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This biscuit is just for you, mwah 😽

8.6.24

[beatrice-otter]

Do you think it is possible for Pratchett to have not know what Gaiman was like? Genuine question. On the one hand, I know plenty of people who thought someone was a friend for years and then discovered they were an abuser in some way. On the other, with the news there was a whisper network and it wasn't just these two women, and I've seen people saying things like "pretty much any woman who met him was skeeved out within five minutes" and "I could tell just from watching interviews he was a creep, he had creep vibes" (though is that victim-blaming? since obviously the victims got into relationships with him and one was a fan and both took some time to realise how wrong his behaviour was, so clearly not every woman KNEW he was an abuser as soon as they met him), some people are suggesting it would be impossible for any friend of his not to know in this case...

I have no clue, because I didn't know either of them and while I read Pratchett's stuff, have never been a big fan of either Gaimain's stuff or Good Omens. So like. this is not something I have invested much time thinking about or reading about.

However, the thing about whisper networks is that by their very nature they don't reach everyone. That is the point of doing a whisper network instead of a PSA! People use whisper networks when they fear reprisals for saying things openly, which means they don't tell people they fear (rightly or not!) might react badly. Most people are never going to hear the whispers! And the higher up you are in the power structure, the less likely you are to hear them because people will fear you might side with the powerful figure being whispered about. A whisper network is quiet and targeted and intentionally doesn't tell people who don't need to know, and unintentionally misses people who do need to know. It's better than nothing, but not by much.

Why would anyone in the know tell Terry Pratchett? He was not a young woman that Gaiman would target! He was not vulnerable and didn't need to know to protect himself! And as a man and friend of Gaiman, he was less likely to believe the warning (because Gaiman would never treat him that way). There was nothing to be gained by whispering to Pratchett, and everything to lose if he had taken offense or told Gaiman or something, because then people could get in trouble for "smearing" Gaiman's reputation.

Also, there's layers of knowing. Pratchett may well have known something; for example, he probably noticed that Gaiman liked to flirt with pretty young women. But there's a big gap between that and knowing all the ways Gaiman would manipulate and coerce those young women after they started a relationship with him, and that's not something Pratchett probably knew much about. Especially because in 1992 Gaiman moved to the US and they never lived on the same continent after that. Even when they were collaborating to write Good Omens, they did their collaboration via phone, email, and fax, from what I've seen, rather than in person. So if they're "friends who meet up at conventions and go to dinner when they're in the same city" Pratchett had a lot less time to notice how Gaiman treated women.

As for "pretty much any woman who met him was skeeved out within five minutes" that is categorically not true. If it were, he would have a lot more victims and something would have come out earlier, maybe during the height of "Me, too." As for "I could tell just from watching interviews he was a creep, he had creep vibes" I have serious doubts. Whenever somebody famous is shown to be awful, people always rush to say they "always knew" or "everybody could tell" and then you go back and look at stuff those same people were saying right up to the point the truth became known, and it's pretty obvious they had no clue.

People say these things because they want them to be true. They want to believe they're smart enough and perceptive enough that they would never fall prey to something like this, because they would be able to tell, and they did know! ... except they didn't know, and they wouldn't know. And you're right, it turns into victim blaming really quickly.

[nyctophiliq]

FREE PALESTINE, FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA !

i have refrained from making this post, both for the reason of not wanting to be ridiculed as a "know it all" and because i thought people in this day and age, where we have the internet to do almost the impossible would conclude to themselves that helping is now not an impossible thing.

but here we are.

i feel like a lot of you out there, who might not have a following, or has a big following but doesn’t post has completely ignore the important aspects of the internet that they claim to be using.

i sense that none of you above want to acknowledge that there is a world outside of your tumblr, because why would you? the sole purpose of you coming here was to get away from the real life around you, to have something to ground yourself with instead of having to face the dark, gruesome troubles that you are having but all i see is hiding, not dealing. now that that real life is with you on your dashboard, talking about people dying of bombs, slaughter, hunger, and dehydration is taking away the sense of escape that you came here to seek. and by no means i am defending you, silent creatures, i am dragging you by the collar of your shirt through the mud for your inhumane actions.

it shows how some of you cherish life, wanting it to be as perfect as possible- going to therapists to deal with your trauma, going to the store to not starve, enjoying the police and military of a secure country that has fallen into your hand by the right of your birth. you say you are depressed and not well, voice your concerns about how some people neglect to even think about your mental health because the person dismissing your problems could be only a horrible person in turn.

how does it not hurt to see other people in pain, being hurt on purpose and not thing that “i should maybe do something, i wouldn’t wanna be in the place they are, wouldn’t wanna be going through what they are”. to see you holler about your right to a better life, a good mental health is outragious. you believe in your right to have that why can’t you believe that other people deserve it too?

how can you go a day without talking about, or at least acknowledging in your own words that what you have gone through- all that trauma, that abuse, being cut up, and spit at- can’t be as bad or twice as bad for other people? of course we can talk about our problems, we can say that we are struggling but we have to at least have the decency to say that we are not the only ones.

telling yourself that someone else is in bigger trouble than you won’t help you, ignoring your pain for somebody else’s doesn’t make yours go away but it can make you realize that somehow there has to be a way through it- going to a therapist to work on your issues for example. a lot of you don’t understand that the life you have, the life you love and cherish despite how horrible it might have been before others want to have it too? the relief of being able to say “shit happened, but i got through it”, to see the light at the end of the tunnel, to have a family, friends, siblings, and people around them, to have their own religion, background, city of birth that brings them closer as a community, to have somewhere to belong.

our world has been so easy, we don’t have to go to war to help, we don’t have to spend money to help- we only need our voice, that simple click, and the reblog to let others out there know that this is not okay and that people are fighting for them, to have them hope for another day, to have them endure for a brighter future.

in this day and age we have become so pleasantly blissed by the “bystander affect”, letting everything slip by because “hells, it’s easier to be like this than actually do something”. it shows how many of you are fighting, how many of you accepted defeat, how many of you still have hope.

and i mean all offense.

FREE PALESTINE, FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA !

[ultrone]

can you write hcs for how shauna, jackie, natalie and lottie would act in a relationship with reader when:

being jealous:

simping:

being angry:

how would gf shauna, jackie, nat and lottie react when jealous, simping, and angry.

𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗔 𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗠𝗔𝗡

when shauna gets jealous, she gets instantly defensive, acting without thinking first. she’ll prolly stand in the way of whoever's flirting with you and tell them to get the fuck away, as if everyone in the world knew you that the two of you were dating. she's fr not afraid of making a scene, since she's used to making it everyone’s problem whenever she's angry.

i can also see her frequently getting jealous of other people you talk to just because she’s insecure. she’ll probably get upset and question you a lot, so u’d have to give her lots of reassurance to make her feel better.

when simping, she stares at you a lot—whether it is with longing eyes or with in-love eyes, you’ll frequently notice her big brown eyes gazing deeply at you. she writes you tons of love notes and writes about you on her journal—she also has an entire journal dedicated to you, where she makes collages with pictures of you and other things she likes that remind her of you. she has lots of pictures of the two of you on her wall. she also cooks for you a lot.

shauna has a complex way of dealing with her emotions, so i guess it really depends on what she's angry about. usually tho, she tends to bottle up her feelings, getting angrier and angrier until she bursts—and when she bursts, she bursts. the moment shauna reaches her limit, she'll raise her voice at you and say anything she thinks will hurt you, the more it hurts you the better. It isn't until one of you leaves the room that she instantly cools down and regrets it. she'll then proceed to look like this emoji “🥺” and overthink the whole interaction until she finally gets the courage to apologize to u.

𝗝𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗜𝗘 𝗧𝗔𝗬𝗟𝗢𝗥

when jackie gets jealous, she doesn't say it directly, but she does everything she can to get your attention—mostly in negative ways tbh. she would never cheat on you, but i can see her using other people to make you feel jealous or insecure so that you go chase after her. for example, if someone's clearly flirting with her, she won't back away or anything, she'll slightly lead them on until you notice that someone else is giving her attention and u go do something about it.

when simping, she's all giggly and flirty. she twirls her hair and bites her lip with a smile while looking at you. she also does little things to annoy you but in a playful/flirty way, like grabbing the tv remote, changing the movie and being like “omg, were you watching that? hehe 😳🤭”

when angry, she goes away dramatically but expects you to go after her. for example, if she's angry because you fucked up in some type of way, she'd avoid you but expect you to go chase her—and the moment u apologize, she'd immediately forgive you and be like 🥺😔 i missed u 😊

if she doesn’t do that, then she'll straight up tell you everything she feels, but won't insult you at all. even if she's mad at something you did, she’ll look more indignated and disappointed rather than resentful or angry. after dropping the weight off her shoulders, if you don't say sorry right away, she'll then avoid you until you genuinely apologize to her and cuddle her or sum.

𝗡𝗔𝗧 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗖𝗖𝗜𝗢

when nat gets jealous, she gets visibly angry and possessive. if someone's flirting with you, she'll wrap her arm around your shoulders and say something like "they're taken, you can leave now." if the person doesn’t listen tho, she’ll tell them to fuck off and won’t leave your side for the entire day.

when simping, she's very cute but subtle. she isn’t the best at showering you with gifts and affection, but she'll do little gestures to make you happy, like taking you out to eat, making you playlists, driving you around the city at night, or sitting at the top of her van to smoke together. you'll also notice that she wants to be with you all the time, even if you're just sitting around doing nothing.

when she’s angry, she'll get visibly angry but try to contain herself so that she doesn't hurt you. an angry 'fuck you' might come out of her mouth, but that's the worst she'll say before she walks away to cool down. she'll always apologize for whatever she said to you during the argument after y'all talk about it tho, even if it wasn't that bad.

𝗟𝗢𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪𝗦

when lottie gets jealous, she gets annoyed and protective. if someone's flirting with you, she'll stand in the way and softly push you back with one of her arms in a protective manner while she tells the person to go away. she wouldn’t be straight up mean or impulsively aggressive though, she'd just be serious & confident abt it. if the person doesn't listen though, she’ll get annoyed and say something like, “i said they’re with me, are you deaf?”

when simping, lottie is the biggest spoiler ever. she'll put you on the highest pedestal and do everything for you. she'll always bring you up as a topic of conversation when talking to anyone else. whatever you want or like she’ll get it for you, no matter how hard it is. she'll also give you lots of physical affection, specially cuddles and soft caresses—like massaging your scalp or running her hand through your back while you lay down on her chest.

lottie has good control over her emotions, so usually when she gets angry, she avoids you until her anger cools down and she's ready to talk—the reason being that she doesn't wanna burst out and hurt you. she'll then either talk to you or wait for you to reach out to her.

[twice-inamillion]

Playing In The Future Home

Fluff and Smut

1.4 K words

(Jihyo and OC making new memories)

"I can't wait to see where we are going to build our future house," Jihyo said as she looked outside the window. The two of you are on your way to visit the plot of land that you showed her before through FaceTime. 

"Minji gave me the keys to the gate so we can park the car inside and walk around." Jihyo puts up her hands closer, "Look, my hand is shaking from how excited I am right now." 

"Don't be nervous. I know you are going to like it. We are almost there; just a couple more minutes."

You exit the highway and immediately make a left turn. Then drive down the windy road up a small hill and turn right into a private road. Only two hundred feet into a private road filled with trees and bushes, you are met with a large metal gate, "I'm going to open the gate; I'll be right back." Once the gate is open, you drive inside and close the gate around before driving again. The dirty road eventually leads you to a grass-filled field, "we're here." 

The two of you get out of the car; Jihyo walks around for a bit as you get your backpack and binder. "What do you think?"

"It's amazing, and it's big. I love the trees and bushes that surround the entrance." 

"Yes, Minji said that the previous owner fenced the entire estate so their animals wouldn't get out. Makes it easier for us because it ensures our privacy."

 You take out your binder and show Jihyo some sketches that you and Minji worked on for the past two days. "Look, here are some examples of the potential layout," as you point at the 2D view of the whole estate. "This right here is the layout of the entrance layout just came in front, and we are standing here," as you point at the spot you are standing in. "The lot is huge, and it does have a slight hill towards the back and trees throughout the lot. What Minji and I thought was to keep the entrance untouched, just grass and the house in the middle. Because the area has so much space, we have the option of a one-story house that has spread out or a two-story house. We can also have detached buildings like a music room and multiple guest houses away from the main house but still close. We can even have a large pool with a building on its own, but we would need to childproof it. We have a lot of options to make this place perfect. Towards the back of the lot are multiple trees and a small stream that runs across the end of the property." 

The both of you walk around, and Jihyo tries to visualize the house with the binder in her hands. "I like it, and I think the members will be happy. When do you think we can buy it and start building?"

"I talked to Minji about it, and she said that the owner has wanted to sell the property for a while since all his family has moved to the city abroad and has no more use for it. Regarding the building, we can talk to a few contractors and get the permits ready after we buy the property. Shouldn't be too long, but it all depends on the layout of the house."

"The faster, the better; I can just see the babies running around and having fun with each other. I want Jisoo to have a memorable childhood and grow up safe without the eyes of the public on her and the rest."

"She will; just imagine her playing with the twins on a swing or going down the slide. It's going to be perfect." You hold her hand and start to walk, "let me show you the best part." The both of you walk up toward the end of the property, where you see a hill surrounded by numerous trees. There is a special tree that is much older than the rest, and as you both get closer, Jihyo is amazed by its size, "Wow, the tree is huge." 

"The tree isn't the only thing; turn around." Jihyo turns to see a fantastic view of the landscape. Her future is right before her, and the rest of the world is in the background. "Omg, the view is wonderful. Thank you, oppa," hugging you. 

"Everything here is for us, our future. You deserve the whole world, and I will try my best to give you that." Jihyo tears up from happiness, and the both of you share a passionate kiss. 

"Thank you." 

After settling down, you both sit on the blanket and snacks you brought and enjoy a bottle of wine. Jihyo, a good drinker, enjoys the wine more than you and, little by little, gets tipsy. "Oppa, want to mess around a little bit? We're alone, so we can have a little fun," giving you a sexy wink.

"For you, I'm able to go all the way." 

She pushes you down, gets on top of you, and starts to unbutton your shirt. "Don't do anything; I'll take care of everything and just enjoy." With your chest exposed, she kisses every inch of you, "oppa, you have a manly chest; I love it." 

You give a soft moan as she kisses your neck, "Jihyo, it hurts." 

Jihyo looks down and sees the large bulge in your pants, "Oh wow, hard already?"

"It's just that you're too sexy, I can't help it."

She undoes your pants and fishes out your cock. "Don't worry, little fellow; you'll get your turn soon enough." Once she's done with your neck, she stands up and pulls down her leggings and panties. Jihyo sits on your shaft, causing you to moan, "Ahhh, you're bending my cock." 

"Hmmm, I can feel your cock throbbing, but it's not time yet," as she begins to grind on you. The feeling of her lips hugging your cock throws you over the edge, and Jihyo knows it. "How do you like that? You like it when I grind my pussy on your cock?"

"Jihyo, please don't tease; let me put in it." 

"Just a bit longer," as she increases the pace. She puts more of her weight on your cock, causing you to moan in pain. "Fuck, I can feel your hot cock throbbing. You're such a bad boy, but good job on holding on. Here is your reward." 

Jihyo grabs your cock and lifts herself, aligning it to her entrance. You watch as the head of your cock spreads her lips apart, causing you to gasp, "Fuck, you're so tight." She drops her whole weight, and her cunt swallows you whole, "Ahh… fuck, you're cumming already?"

You grab her waist and hold her tight, "take all of my cum!" She places her hands on your chest and digs her nails as she begins to ride you as you cum inside her. "Let it all out; I'll milk you of all you're worth." 

You see her lustful eyes, the eyes of someone who's found her prey. She rides you as you cum, her tits swaying from side to side, "come on baby, do you like how I ride your big cock? Your cock that's filling me up with baby batter. Stay hard for me, okay." 

Jihyo, with her head on your chest, can hear your heavy breathing, she knows that she has you in her hands. "You think you can go for another round?"

“Ye…yeah… I… I can."

She sits back up, ties her hair in a ponytail, looks you in the eyes, and begins to ride you once more. You can help you move your gaze, but she says, "Don't, look at me. You're mine." 

All you hear now is the noise of flesh grinding against each other, Jihyo's tight walls choking your cock. 

She rides you for about five minutes until you cum once, filling her womb with baby batter. "Yeah… just like that. Fill me up with your cum” as she tightens up her cunt. Once she's done milking you for the second, she lifts herself up and lays beside you. 

Haven gotten a happy ending you look at her erect nipple and attach yourself you it. "Aww, my poor baby, there, there. Suck on mommy's tits until you're full, okay" as she caresses your head. You fall asleep attached to her breast as Jihyo hugs you tight in her arms. 

[pokemonshelterstories]

Even after reading your FAQ and a bunch of asks you've answered, I'm still not sure if a shelter blog is the best place to ask this, so do feel free to delete this (or tell me privately that you won't post it, but only if you have the time and energy), but I can't think of anyone else, and if you do post it, you or some of your followers might have some interesting thoughts, so here goes:

How would you feel about using Pokeballs to catch Pokémon you're planning to eat?

For context, I and my siblings grew up in a small, mostly off-grid community, and while most details aren't relevant, we did hunt for food occasionally. We never used pokeballs, but instead bow and arrow, fishing rods, nets and traps.

These days I live closer to a big city, sharing a house with my brother, his husband, and their teenage son (my other nibling, their older child, has moved out a while ago, so they're not part of this story).

Last month, we visited the community my brother and I grew up in, and during our two week stay, I took my nephew on a hunting trip. He was decently enthusiastic to train his archery, but he asked why we don't just use pokeballs. Wouldn't it be easier? I didn't have an answer for him then, only that we'd been taught this way and that I'd never considered using pokeballs.

But I've been thinking about it. It would be easier, but wouldn't it also be more cruel? After all, by catching it in a pokeball, you're giving the pokemon false hope of a nice life with a trainer, only to then kill it. I feel like killing it quickly while it's still in the wild and doesn't know any better is more, like, honest maybe?

What do you or your followers think?

(If any angry vegans find this post, don't even waste your energy on a mean response or lecture, because most likely I have you blocked already, and if I don't, I'll correct that when I see you being rude to me)

oooh, this is an interesting ask to get...

i think this is really more of a matter of personal comfort with the idea of eating a pokemon that's been caught in a ball, but as long as it's done properly, i don't see anything wrong with it. after all, pokemon for the most part don't really have any concept of what's going to happen to them in the future.

as someone who hunts, you (i assume) understand our duty to give the pokemon we eat as painless of a death as possible. then, as trainers, we have a duty to maintain the 5 freedoms for our pokemon, which includes freedom from psychological stress. provided you meet those requirements, i think it's ok to catch a pokemon in a pokeball for the sake of eating it. it's more humane than certain types of traps that leave the pokemon struggling until the hunter comes to check them, and pokemon tend to relax in pokeballs, since they mimic the way pokemon curl up when healing. when the pokemon is released from its ball, you then just need to humanely slaughter it. there are some pokemon that i wouldn't do this with, since they don't immediately take well to being caught in a ball; buneary is a good example. but many common game pokemon do just fine.

i've actually used a different tool to help out with culling food pokemon- my styler! there are a lot of farms out near artazon, and rangers do sometimes get asked to help with keeping livestock mons calm in the moments leading up to slaughter. i've met rangers who aren't comfortable taking on those cases, and i've definitely gotten fussed at by my share of pokemon rights activists, but i think pokemon raised as food deserve as calm of an environment as possible. so, no, i dont think using pokeballs to trap game is cruel as long as you know what you're doing and don't stress the pokemon out. but if you're used to the way you already do things, don't feel like you have to change it up either.

[iskratempestmadness]

A few facts about the characters of "Baki the grappler"

Characters: Baki, Hanayama, Katsumi, Jack, Retsu.

Baki

Food

- it may seem that he prefers something simple, but he doesn't mind trying unusual food combinations. According to the type of ice cream with French fries.

- traditional Japanese cuisine on weekdays and fast food on weekends. He likes to treat himself to a big burger on Saturday night. Although he will have to work hard afterwards to get himself back in shape.

- has a neutral relationship with alcohol. He can drink during the holiday, but usually tries to abstain.

Leisure

- you can't tell from him, but he reads quite a lot, although he can't be called a bookworm. He definitely likes manga and comics, as well as something light from Japanese classics. He reads to relax, so he doesn't want to strain his brain.

- he likes to play board games. He is quite experienced in them, but in some cases, fortune does not favor him.

- walking in the fresh air. As I said, he just wants to relax, so contemplating nature is perfect for that. He likes the prospect of going somewhere to the countryside and staying there to live.

Moment:

It was early in the morning, when the city had not yet had time to wake up. The young man was sitting on a bench in the park, which was close to his house. Despite the fact that summer had already arrived, it was quite cool outside, but the young man did not seem to notice this. Hanma has been visiting this place quite often lately. Perhaps it was here that he could fully relax. His thoughts were confused, like the thoughts of a man who had just woken up, he was thinking about everything and at the same time about nothing. However, he noticed all the peculiarities of his environment. For example, he noticed that the birds were calling to each other today more briskly than usual, and also that this morning was warmer than yesterday, but it was still a little cool for summer... He liked it... And he also liked to have such a carefree time... This is the kind of environment he wants to spend his life in...

Hanayama:

Food

is mmmm... He loves Japanese fast food. You know, quick fried meat in batter with vegetables and various sauces. Or udon in a small but cozy eatery. But he needs really big portions.

- he also likes traditional Japanese dishes, but he prefers not to eat them too often.

- Alcohol? He is an expert in this. It may seem that he drinks only strong drinks, but he is also very well versed in the lungs. Hana also belongs to the type of people who drink and do not get drunk.

Leisure

- naturally, he spends a lot of time in bars. He knows all the bars in Tokyo. And he wrote a review for each, all the pros and cons of the institution were taken into account. He finds this way of spending time very entertaining.

- he likes to play billiards when he has free time. And he's pretty good at it. Despite his size, he is adept at this.

- fishing. Ohhh, he's a pro at this. And how else can you call a man who went to a shark with his bare hands? But even in less extreme conditions, he finds pleasure in fishing.

Moment:

A hard day. This is perhaps the most plausible description of what happened today. There are so many issues that need to be resolved "urgently", so many people who do not understand what they want from him... It exhausted him. His head was throbbing violently, preventing him from concentrating...What was he thinking about? Yes, there's nothing to talk about.Hana was in the very state when a person's mind is filled with various short memories that have no connection with each other...And he didn't have a single sensible thought in his head. He lit a cigarette as usual. And he himself did not understand how he ended up where he is now. It was one of the idzkai he frequented...Heh, perhaps this really was the best option to relax. The young man sat down at the counter and waited for his order... and for some reason, he was already feeling better now. My head didn't hurt so much anymore, and there was no annoying carousel of memories. Hana waited for his order and to his delight, the food really helped him. In some cases, even such small things can make you feel better.

Katsumi:

Food

- HOMEMADE FOOD. To give Natsue her due, she cooks beautifully, so Katsumi's favorite food is homemade food. He doesn't even have a preference, he just loves it and he'll eat whatever they give him.

- he also likes strange food combinations. He is always ready to try something new, but he already has his favorite combinations. I can assume that this is watermelon and feta cheese or popcorn with hot sauce

- relationship with alcohol... Well, he only drinks on holidays, but Katsumi doesn't know the measure. If he drinks, he gets completely drunk. He doesn't know the measure at all.

Leisure

- bowling. He just likes this kind of leisure activity. And he became almost a master at it.

- he likes to sing and not only in the shower. Therefore, one of his favorite ways to spend time is karaoke. He might not be a brilliant singer himself, but he puts his whole soul into it.

- cooking. In this, perhaps, it cannot be said that he is a great master, but he really likes to learn this. He was already delighting himself with a couple of simple dishes. However, it should be noted that his dishes are a little overcooked.

Moment:

He decided to put himself under stress again. There was no other way he could have called it. Of course he liked cooking, but what was happening was terrible. The heated oil splashed in all directions, he spilled something on the floor, broke a couple of plates, and a mountain of dishes in the sink was waiting for him. Is it not a horror? Nevertheless, Katsumi was determined that he would cook this dish. Why didn't he go the easier way? Why didn't you just order what you wanted? After all, he could have asked Natsueh to cook this dish, why didn't he? There were several reasons. First, he liked it. Yes, despite what was happening, he still enjoyed cooking. And he didn't expect a good result at all, he just enjoyed the process. The second is his stubbornness. Is something wrong with him? So what, he will do it as many times as it takes for a decent result. It's a challenge for him. It's a tough call. He had to sweat a lot, but... God, he was really glad... The food was good. But as usual, it is slightly peppered.

Jack:

Food

really has no preferences. All that can be eaten is food for him.

- however, he highlights the Canadian cuisine. After all, this is his native kitchen. One of his favorite dishes is cream cake and "nanaimo"

- attitude to alcohol? Mmmm... Given his lifestyle, we can say that he does not drink at all. But sometimes when he can't sleep, Jack will drink a glass of tincture, but no more. Most likely, he will be able to put tinctures.

Leisure

- He likes to swim. This is an ideal way for him to practice and relax. Besides, he is fond of diving. (So it's ideal for him if he lives somewhere near the sea or a deep lake. This is one of his dreams.)

- he can play the guitar. Despite the fact that he trains almost all the time, he also finds time to practice it. His game is at the amateur level, but it's also not bad.

- What is it? Just like Bucky, he can't be called a bookish character, but he has a couple of bookshelves. Jack prefers little-known works by popular authors. And his favorite genres of books can be called detective and fiction.

Moment:

Quiet. It's late in the evening, it's about one or two in the morning. The noise of the city is no longer audible, only the quiet rustle of leaves and the occasional rumble of water. The atmosphere is wonderful... However... The young man had not been able to sleep for about two hours and it began to bother him. Instead of lying on the bed, he could have done something more useful with a light... well, or at least interesting. Reading was perfect. Jack sat up in bed, turned on the lamp, picked up a book lying on one of the bedside tables and plunged into one of those most amazing worlds that are considered fiction or a fairy tale, and call it fiction. Hanma was quite picky about literature, although he didn't read much. But this book was really interesting to him. Why? Perhaps it was an interesting plot, or curious descriptions of the area, or dialogues of the characters, or... Why guess? Jack liked this book because he could use it to distract himself. There was no hint of the real world in it. Not once in the entire book has there been a hint of problems that were in the real world. And the young man didn't think it was a bad thing. On the contrary, he liked it. It brought lightness, calmness and calmness to his life... Perhaps... A little bit of happiness...

Retsu:

Food

is Chinese cuisine. To say that he loves her will not be enough... He RESPECTS her. He respects her all. From dishes in street eateries to home cooking.

- Japanese cuisine is in second place after Chinese cuisine for him. However, he is extremely critical of her. Retsu tries to eat right, so he carefully monitors what he eats.

- does Retsu drink? Exclusively on holidays. But if there is an opportunity, he will refrain from doing so. He really doesn't like alcohol.

Leisure

- cooking. And he's a pro at it. He has been cooking since childhood, he has a wealth of experience and his knowledge in cooking is still being replenished. He read a lot of books on cooking and watched a huge number of programs on this topic. He is completely enlightened, as it might seem. However, he claims that he still has a lot to grow.

- reading. But he can be called a bookworm. He read everything from classics to manga. And this made him extremely selective in the collection of works. For Retsu, the book is needed not only to relax or distract himself, but also to rethink life. The book is a source of wisdom for him.

- he is fond of photography. And in this he is at the beginner stage. But he learns fast. He likes to photograph animals and plants. He also likes to shoot landscapes.

Moment:

"Yes, this is what we need... This kind of view definitely needs to be captured." This was the first thought that came to Retsu's mind. And the scenery was really spectacular. Mount Fuji. The height is 3776. And it's amazing. The young man was really happy despite the cold and the long journey. Taking out his camera, Retsu started taking pictures... huh... Amazingly... But the camera did not transmit even a tenth of the landscape... However, the footage was amazing. Retsu didn't have much experience in photography, he was still a beginner. How did he come to this? Why photos? Everything is simple. There have been changes in it. Let's just say his mindset has changed. The young man seemed to rethink his life... And I made a conclusion. He needs to slow down. Pay a little more attention to his environment. Watch the world more. That's why he chose photography. With his help, Retsu had the opportunity to forever contemplate what he had captured.

I don't think I'll pull part 2, heh.

[rea-grimm]

Merfolk Law

It was more of a coincidence that you ran into each other. You lived in the city, but when you had the chance, you went to the cottage you had right by the bay that led to the sea. It was quite windy there and since you lived quite far in the north, the water was too icy for your taste.

Maybe if you were more tough, but that was completely out of your control. In addition, you had a lot of events and work, so you went there, for example, once a month or once every three months. That was different.

For your next visit to the cottage, you decided to make your time pleasant by taking a little walk around the fjord when you saw it. Or you saw an orca's fin rolling in a pool of blood by the water and a harpoon sticking out of the fin.

From a distance, however, it seemed too small for you. Again, it was too big for the baby. You moved on to it more when you got stuck.

You knew it didn't fit the size of the orca, but you didn't expect a merfolk. The young man was very pale, his eyes were closed and he was breathing heavily. You had no idea what to do.

You moved closer to him as he opened his grey eyes and slashed his hand at you. However, the movement hurt him and he groaned in pain. You jumped to the side wondering what to do next. In the end, you decided to run home to get the first aid kit, as it would be difficult to help him with empty hands.

However, before you went back to him, you quickly found first aid for the harpoon injury over the phone. You weren't sure what to do and most importantly, the ambulance probably wouldn't help you here. You could get him into even more trouble.

You still took a looser sweatshirt with you to keep him warm. Although if he was used to cold water… You had no idea how to take care of a merfolk.

“I'll help you,” you said as you returned to him. However, as soon as you approached him, he slashed after you again. ���If you want to bleed here, please, be my guest,” you said and he stopped.

Finally, he let you approach and help him. He watched you suspiciously the whole time you tended to his wound.

“That's it,” you boasted as you bandaged his fin. He just looked at you before jumping into the water and swimming away. Even if he didn't thank you for it, it made you feel good.

Since then, you had the impression that you caught glimpses of him here and there, peeking above the surface before disappearing under the water again. You didn't get any closer to him.

However, on the shore, in the place where you found him, you found a gold coin that was no longer valid.

You were out for a walk and you came to the edge of a small cave that wasn't very deep. You decided to go look inside. Animals never congregated there, so there was no danger in it.

You walked in and were looking around when you noticed movement in the water. You leaned closer as something began to emerge from the water. It was a moment where you immediately caught yourself because it almost hit you in the head.

You fell backwards and landed on your butt. Right in front of you, the same merman you found outside emerged from the water. His wet hair fell into his eyes and the dark circles under his eyes indicated fatigue.

"Why are you following me?" he asked you, his voice as icy as his eyes.

"I don't follow you. I was just out for a walk,” you answered in surprise and settled down better. “Though I'm glad you look better than before,” you added with a weak smile.

"You're weird," he replied after a while, not taking his eyes off of you. 

You noticed that there were several fish skeletons in the corner of the cave when a rumbling sound echoed through the cave. You immediately looked at the merfolk who's stomach rumbled loudly. His ice mask broke at that moment and he hid under the water. Only his eyes looked above the surface.

You stifled a laugh and offered him something to eat. You had planned to take a longer walk today, so you prepared a snack. You took your bag off your shoulder and took out the sandwich, along with the onigiri you bought for the test.

At first, you offered him a sandwich, but he frowned at that as if you were trying to poison him. So you offered him onigiri instead. He hesitantly took it from you before unwrapping it and getting down to eating. He bit into it hungrily and began to chew before stopping.

"Thank you," he mumbled as he swallowed.

"You’re welcome," you smiled at him and took a bite of the bread yourself.

Law, you later learned, sat down at the edge of the water and you ate together. You had the impression that he was slowly starting to trust you.

"Aren't you so cold here?" you asked him after a moment as you saw his body shake slightly.

"Not at all," he shrugged, not paying any attention to it. Until you took off your coat and sweatshirt, which was looser on you, and handed it to him. Then you put your coat back on.

Law took the sweatshirt from you and looked it over before putting it on. It fit him like well like a shell. However, it was a strange feeling for him. He was a little dry, but the sweatshirt still stuck to him. After a while, however, it began to warm him pleasantly.

From that moment on, you visited him regularly. Only later did he admit to you that people find him as a child. Two brothers. One of them treated him nicely and taught him many different things. Read, write, etc.

He only told you this after you asked him about his tattoo. You had no idea how else he would get them if he didn't know other people.

After this discovery, you regularly brought him new books, to shorten the long time until his fin was completely healed.

You were afraid that when he recovered, he would swim away somewhere else, but to your surprise, he stayed.

In addition to books, you brought him food and your sweatshirts, which he liked. He kept taking them from you and didn't want to give them back. Only when you promised him that you would wash them and return them did he let you take them.

"I have something for you!" you called him when you came back after a month. You had to go back for a while, but thanks to Law, you looked forward to going back much more often.

Law was already waiting for you on the shore. He was sitting with his fins in the water while wearing a long black hooded sweatshirt and reading something. When he heard you, he put the book aside and turned to you.

“I've got something for your collection,” you said excitedly, handing him the bag of coins you had collected for him.

“Any new pieces? ” he asked you and started looking at the coins. When he saw one he didn't have yet, the corners of his mouth lifted into a satisfied smile.

After this you both had onigiri as you found out it was one of his favorite foods. In second place were fish.

After the food, you lay down in the grass and watched the clouds. You were starting to like it here more and more. You looked at the merfolk who was watching you with interest.

You had to admit how much he had changed since you first met. You still remembered how he first looked at you coldly. Now there was no trace of the cold in his face. Now he was looking at you with a look that made your heart race.

Law scooted closer to you, leaning over you until your noses were almost touching.

“Who would have thought I would find refuge with a human,” he said watching you. You just smiled at that.

“Who would have thought I'd fall in love with a merfolk,” you replied, realizing too late what you had said. Law paused for a moment before a smug smirk appeared on his face as he leaned down and kissed you on the lips.

"Who would have thought that, huh?" he asked contentedly before resting his head on your chest.

Law Masterlist

[padsmoony04]

For the very obvious reason that there aren't many fanfics or stuff related to Jack, I've decided to share with you how I think he is like, so i hope you enjoy it :)

Disclaimer: sorry if there are any grammatical error, english it's not my first lenguaje. Remember most of this is made up.

Jack Champion it's like...

First things first, he's a theater kid. He has said it in a few interviews so I'm going to a assume that he probably (most likely) also like musical theater and that goes to the other theory wich is that he likes Hamilton, and it's also most likely that he has a couple (multiple) of the songs in he's playlist.

I wish I could also said that he's a swiftie, but I big part of me says that he's not a fan, but what I do think is that he does likes a few song's, like the mainstream one, for example shake it up, you belong with me, etc, etc, etc.

He's a fan of old school rock or old school music, like the beatles, queen, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson and anothers. I meanly assume this for the fact that he's favorite song it's lest groove.

A true gentleman and no one can tell me other wise, that boy was raised by he's mom and he's mom alone, so I just know that he's sweet mother teach him how to be respectful to women and to treat them as equals.

He's a little dorky, but in a cute way. I mean have you seen the interviews..? Lmao.

Jack very confident: do you know what blowing a raspberry is? 😏

Bailey laughing her ass off: that's the definition!

Jack: What?...

Bailey: That's the definition..! *still laughing*

Jamie: But I still don't know what it is! 😀

Jack:..Oh...

The way that I have seen how he's friendship with Trinity is, I'm going to say that he's a really gentle boy and honestly really sweet.

Also he does a lot of dad jokes or better said bad jokes. I mean, I saw a video of him when he was younger saying "do you know why the chicken cross the road?... to prove it wasn't chicken!".

He's very carismatic but I also feel that he has a shy side.

He loves to cuddle (something that he also said).

I have a theory that he's the type of boy that, when he has a crush, he does a lot of silly things to make he's crush laugh.

He didn't like scary movies until he was sixteen, but that doesn't mean he can get scared easily with some of those movies now.

My next assumption is that when he likes something he turns it in he's whole personally (and no, I'm not projecting wdym?)

He's a Scorpio, so I just know for fact that he doesn't have patience, like at all, and also he has a short temperament.

Loves dogs and cats, but I feel he's more of a cat person.

He definitely had that fase where he used to film videos for his "YouTube channel" like almost all 2000's babies did.

Cookie lover, don't ask me why I think this he just gives me the vibe.

Obviously he's a marvel fan, and he's favorite superhero it's Spiderman (and something tells me that when he got the role for spider he's brain associated the word immediately with the superhero)

He's Favorite holiday is Halloween.

He also gives me the vibe that he's a ride or die type of friend.

Definitely the one how's always joking around in he's friend's group.

When he gest nervous he laughs.

A completely softie.

Nature lover.

He said that when he gets older he would like to settle down and have a family of his own, and live close to nature in a really calm place.

He prefer small towns rather than big cities.

He gives the impression that if he gest a girlfriend/boyfriend (to not assume directly what he's attracted to) he would follow them averywhere like a little puppy.

Probably would like to post things about he's partner, but not too much to not over share with the internet.

Also a little bit clingy as well.

He also looks like he would used the pet name "baby" a lot.

He cursed almost all the time, but like unconsciously, it just comes from him naturally. And when he's not supposed to curse and can find himself to stop doing it he would cover he's mouth with both of he's hands (something that it's really cute if you picture it).

Even though he's carismatic, he would get all shy and smiley when someone gives him a compliment.

Anyways! I think that it's it! Hope you guys like and enjoy my little theories about the lovely boy Jack Champion <3.

If you have more ideas about him don't be afraid to share it, I would love to know what theories you have about him.

And again, sorry if there are any grammatical errors :)

[stormdash2]

The Rose-Acorn Family

This is something a friend of mine made that I spent quite a while coloring in.

This is Sonic the Hedgehog with his current wife Amy Rose, and his ex-wife Sally Acorn. Despite any divorce, this group considers themselves to be one big family.

Sonic may have loved Amy since he met her, and maybe his marriage to Sally wasn't all that it was cracked up to be, but the love exists in some way.

Sonic loves Amy, she is his wife and she means everything to him. Amy loves her husband, she's loved him since she's laid eyes on him and finally managed to catch his attention. Together they had a beautiful daughter.

Amy Rose is now the owner of a Bakery known as Amy's Kitchen, while also doing Tarot Card readings on the side. She is also a part time Freedom Fighter and helps Superheroes on Earth.

Sally was in love with Sonic, but he struggled with being married to a Queen, plus the two had some differences they couldn't work out. But they opted to work things out, and do their best as friends.

Sonic may not be married to Sally, but he still loves her, even if it's a different kind of love. Plus Sally is the mother of his son, and as such, Sonic would do anything for his son's mother, within his capabilities.

Sally is the Queen of Planet Mobius, and rules over the Castle in the Crown City of Mobotropolis where she commands the Freedom Fighters and works with Royalty from across the lands for worldwide stability.

Amy loves Sally, and Sally loves Amy. Them loving the same guy did not hurt their friendship. Amy never wanted Sally to lose Sonic, but Sally was more than happy for Amy to do what she believed she couldn't do, make Sonic happy.

These girls will always be there for each other, and they will always take care of each other, and help each other look after the hedgehog both had fallen in love with.

In spite of the divorce, there is a joke among some friends that Sonic has two wives rather than one. Sonic doesn't care for the joke, but he won't deny that both girls mean a lot to him, even if one is much more stressful to be around than the other at times.

Manik Acorn is the eleven-year-old son who was born to Sonic and Sally. He is proud to be a Prince and takes the role seriously, especially since he will one day be King. He also enjoys fencing and practices his skills with Antoine D'Coolette.

In addition, Manik also enjoys games. Refined ones like chess, but he's also fond of video games as well, and strives to be the best. He also enjoys reading comics, but these are hobbies he is hesitant to share as he does not consider them very Princely.

He was very bitter about the divorce, having been without a father since the age of three. He hated Amy Rose too, accusing her of stealing his father from his mother.

Despite that, Amy loves Manik like if he were her own son. The day he was born, she vowed to always care for him, because he is Sonic's son. Even after being married to Sonic, Amy still keeps that vow and always treats Manik well, even if he is disrespectful towards her.

Despite his ill feelings toward Amy, he is enamored with her beauty. And deep down, he appreciates how kind she is, and he enjoys her food. He's just too proud to admit it.

Manik also despises Sonic for leaving, feeling like his father abandoned him. Deep down he fears that his father does not love him and that he's just the embodiment of a mistake. But Sonic loves his son, he is just not good at talking to him. Both need to figure something out, and they shall.

Manik loves his mother dearly, and is very much her little man. She's always been there in his life and he in turn just wants to be the best Prince possible for her. He sees her as a good example of a strong leader.

Sally is tough on Manik, but she will dote on him just as much, because he is precious to her. She loves Manik more than her crown, and will give up the world for her son. She just wishes she could be a better mother.

When Sally is not doing Queen or Freedom Fighter duty, she is spending time with Manik, either helping him with his fighting abilities, playing chess (he struggles to beat her), or playing video games (another thing he struggles with against her).

He is also close with the other Freedom Fighters. In addition to Antoine, he loves and respects Bunnie Rabbot. He also spends time with Tangle the Lemur and Whisper the Wolf, the former who likes to play games with him too, and the latter who educates him about Wisps and Wispons.

His retainer is Lanolin the Sheep, the leader of The Diamond Cutters and Sally's personal protégé. He has a lot of respect for her, and she values her position as the prince's retainer. At times she has taken a big sister role, and while she does all she can to make Manik happy, she is not above disciplining him if he messes up, something she has permission to do (even if she doesn't always act on it).

He is also close with Jewel the Beetle, and she always checks up on him to ensure he's comfortable.

He is friendly with Mina Mongoose, mainly since her daughter Melody is in love with him. Manik is too shy to think about having a girlfriend, so he brushes the idea off. But he maintains his friendship with Melody regardless.

He is often at odds with Fiona Fox, a Freedom Fighter who once betrayed the group. Fortunately she was given a second chance, and lives in the castle. She likes to mess with Manik, like a bratty older sister. She will either noogie him, mess up his hair, or even throw petty insults. But it's her way of showing him affection, she does love the boy in her own weird way after all.

He has respect for Miles Tails Prower and Knuckles the Echinda for what they do, and is very fond of Rouge, for all the wrong reasons. He is a growing boy, and boys tend to like certain things, something he gets teased about.

He is also familiar with Blaze the Cat, but he earned her wrath when he accused her of being a male due to her being, as he put it, an 'Ironing Board'. He learned the hard way to never upset a woman in that regard.

He definitely loves Nicole, Sally's AI assistant and adopted little sister. He values her love, and never sees her as anything other than his aunt. To him, she is the purest form of family.

Manik's biggest fear is not being able to keep up with his father's family and being left behind. Given his history with asthma, he knows he can't run too fast, and it bothers him.

He's also afraid of ghosts, and as such, gets scared whenever he sees Tikal's spirit, even if she means no harm.

Sonia is the six-year-old daughter born to Sonic and Amy. She enjoys thrills such as running, sky diving, skateboarding and Kart Racing. I it's fast, it entertains Sonia.

She loves her parents dearly, even if it embarrasses her sometimes when her mother is doting in public. She has a cool image he wants to maintain, but will gladly flaunt her adorable side if need be.

Sonia is very much daddy's little girl, as everything she does is to make sure her dad thinks she's as cool as she sees him as. Sonic already loves his daughter deeply, so she doesn't need to do such a thing, but she tries anyway.

Sonia loves traveling the world with her parents, as they take her to their favorite spots, as well as look for places they've never been to. As a result, Sonia is not always at her house, but that's fine, the world is her house now.

Despite that, she has a favorite place in Mobotropolis, because that's where Sally lives. Sonia absolutely loves Sally and does what she can to spend time with her. Sonia is given that love in return as Sally loves to spoil Sonia with gifts, especially on her birthday.

Sonia is very enamored with Sally, to the point where some wondered if she had a crush. Sonia denies this, even if she once wondered what being married to Sally would be like. In the end, Sonia just sees Sally as a second mother, nothing beyond that. But if you ask Sonia, she will tell you that Sally is the prettiest lady on Mobius, aside from her mother.

Sonia desires to be a Freedom Fighter, thinking that being one means being a superhero, a job she finds cool. Her parents encourage her to do what she feels she wants to do, but also remind her to think carefully on what she truly wants. Sally wouldn't mind Sonia being a Freedom Fighter, but deep down, worries about that possibility.

Sonia has had crushes on older boys, such as Silver the Hedgehog and Ray the Flying Squirrel. These were mostly just phases, though she will admit that both of them are attractive in their own ways.

Sonia is close with Knuckles and his daughter Lara the Echidna. She is familiar with Rouge, but doesn't have a super close bond. She respects Rouge however, as a Treasure Hunter and as the wife of an echidna she admires and the mother of a girl she admires.

Sonia is close with Tails and his wife, Cream the Rabbit. She is especially close with their son Skye Prower. Sonia even has a crush on him, one that could grow if given time.

Sonia often finds herself at odds with a few of the Freedom Fighters. Fiona and Lanolin are especially annoying to her as they tend to criticize Sonia almost any chance they get. She also finds Antoine too snooty to be around.

Sonia does like Jewel, mainly since Jewel helps Amy run her bakery. She also finds Tangle funny, but also very annoying due to her hyperactive nature. She has mixed feelings about Tekno the Canary. The girl really admires Amy but to the point where Sonia finds it forced and cringey.

Sonia sometimes feels guilty because she believes it's her fault that Sally is sad. She knows that her father was once married to Sally, and while she loves seeing her parents together, she just wants Sally to be happy too.

Sonia also has a fear of small, tight places.

Sonia harbors a deep dislike for Shadow the Hedgehog, finding him more annoying than cool. She never understood his hype.

Sonia also knows The Mario Brothers. She respects Mario, but has a deep dislike for Luigi. All because he hit her with a Blue Shell during a Kart Race she was invited to, and lost as a result. She never forgave Luigi for that, even if he wasn't actually trying to hurt her.

Manik and Sonia love each other. Manik hides it more due to his pride, but Sonia is much more open about it. More than anything, she wants to spend time with her big brother, and keep a smile on his face. Even if Manik acts like it, he treasures Sonia and would go through hell just to make sure she's safe.

The two have a pure form of love and trust. Even if Manik says hurtful things to Sonia, she could never stay mad at him, because she knows he would never want to hurt her. Manik appreciates that Sonia would always be loyal to him, and hopes to never take advantage of that kindness.

In the end, this family will always stick together, and will always love one another. It is a unique form of love that they will always take value in.

This whole thing is for an AU of mine that I've converted into a Fanfic. Sonic: Roses and Acorns. Link Below. (Coming soon to AO3).

It's a story that takes place in a shared universe, featuring other Sega properties such as Shenmue, Virtua Fighter and Jet Set Radio. It also cameos superheroes like Spider-Man (this story is a spin-off of a Spider-Man/My Hero Academia crossover: Enter the Spider).

This along with Resident Evil (Raccoon City Heroes), is part of my shared universe of fanfics. But the main story is still primarily Sonic. Outside of flashbacks, most references to other franchises are via dialogue, such as the Sonic cast remembering characters like Fox McCloud and what not.

It's an ambitious story of mine. If you find time to read it, that would be great. If not, that's fine too. It's a lot to take in. Perhaps I will one day make another Sonic story, without the big crossover. It will be a story I would be more than happy to tell.

For now, this is all I have.

Sonic: Roses and Acorns Chapter 1: Power of Chaos Energy, a sonic the hedgehog fanfic | FanFiction

This is the artist who made this pic. He did the drawing, I did the coloring. Commission him if you have the chance. He's very talented. He's good with art pertaining to Spider-Man and My Little Pony as well.

That's my story here, hope you found it entertaining. I have plenty more where that came from.

[racefortheironthrone]

Why People Are Wrong About the Puritans of the English Civil War and New England

Oh well, if you all insist, I suppose I can write something.

(oh good, my subtle scheme is working...)

Introduction:

So the Puritans of the English Civil War is something I studied in graduate school and found endlessly fascinating in its rich cultural complexity, but it's also a subject that is popularly wildly misunderstood because it's caught in the jaws of a pair of distorted propagandistic images.

On the one hand, because the Puritans settled colonial New England, since the late 19th century they've been wrapped up with this nationalist narrative of American exceptionalism (that provides a handy excuse for schoolteachers to avoid talking about colonial Virginia and the centrality of slavery to the origins of the United States). If you went to public school in the United States, you're familiar with the old story: the United States was founded by a people fleeing religious persecution and seeking their freedom, who founded a society based on social contracts and the idea that in the New World they were building a city on a hill blah blah America is an exceptional and perfect country that's meant to be an example to the world, and in more conservative areas the whole idea that America was founded as an explicitly Christian country and society. Then on the other hand, you have (and this is the kind of thing that you see a lot of on Tumblr) what I call the Matt Damon-in-Good-Will-Hunting, "I just read Zinn's People's History of the United States in U.S History 101 and I'm home for my first Thanksgiving since I left for colleg and I'm going to share My Opinions with Uncle Burt" approach. In this version, everything in the above nationalist narrative is revealed as a hideous lie: the Puritans are the source of everything wrong with American society, a bunch of evangelical fanatics who came to New England because they wanted to build a theocracy where they could oppress all other religions and they're the reason that abortion-banning, homophobic and transphobic evangelical Christians are running the country, they were all dour killjoys who were all hopelessly sexually repressed freaks who hated women, and the Salem Witch Trials were a thing, right?

And if anyone spares a thought to examine the role that Puritans played in the English Civil War, it basically short-hands to Oliver Cromwell is history's greatest monster, and didn't they ban Christmas?

Here's the thing, though: as I hope I've gotten across in my posts about Jan Hus, John Knox, and John Calvin, the era of the Reformation and the Wars of Religion that convulsed the Early Modern period were a time of very big personalities who were complicated and not very easy for modern audiences to understand, because of the somewhat oblique way that Early Modern people interpreted and really believed in the cultural politics of religious symbolism. So what I want to do with this post is to bust a few myths and tease out some of the complications behind the actual history of the Puritans.

Did the Puritans Experience Religious Persecution?

Yes, but that wasn't the reason they came to New England, or at the very least the two periods were divided by some decades. To start at the beginning, Puritans were pretty much just straightforward Calvinists who wanted the Church of England to be a Calvinist Church. This was a fairly mainstream position within the Anglican Church, but the "hotter sort of Protestant" who started to organize into active groups during the reigns of Elizabeth and James I were particularly sensitive to religious symbolism they (like the Hussites) felt smacked of Catholicism and especially the idea of a hierarchy where clergy were a better class of person than the laity.

So for example, Puritans really first start to emerge during the Vestments Controversy in the reign of Edward VI where Bishop Hooper got very mad that Anglican priests were wearing the cope and surplice, which he thought were Catholic ritual garments that sought to enhance priestly status and that went against the simplicity of the early Christian Church. Likewise, during the run-up to the English Civil War, the Puritans were extremely sensitive to the installation of altar rails which separated the congregation from the altar - they considered this to be once again a veneration of the clergy, but also a symbolic affirmation of the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation.

At the same time, they were not the only religious faction within the Anglican Church - and this is where the religious persecution thing kicks in, although it should be noted that this was a fairly brief but very emotionally intense period. Archbishop William Laud was a leading High Church Episcopalian who led a faction in the Church that would become known as Laudians, and he was just as intense about his religious views as the Puritans were about his. A favorite of Charles I and a first advocate of absolutist monarchy, Laud was appointed Archbishop of Canturbury in 1630 and acted quickly to impose religious uniformity of Laudian beliefs and practices - ultimately culminating in the disastrous decision to try imposing Episcopalianism on Scotland that set off the Bishop's Wars. The Puritans were a special target of Laud's wrath: in addition to ordering the clergy to do various things offensive to Puritans that he used as a shibboleth to root out clergy with Puritan sympathies and fire them from their positions in the Church, he established official religious censors who went after Puritan writers like William Prynne for seditious libel and tortured them for their criticisms of his actions, cropping their ears and branding them with the letters SL on their faces. Bringing together the powers of Church and State, Laud used the Court of Star Chamber (a royal criminal court with no system of due process) to go after anyone who he viewed as having Puritan sympathies, imposing sentences of judicial torture along the way.

It was here that the Puritans began to make their first connections to the growing democratic movement in England that was forming in opposition to Charles I, when John Liliburne the founder of the Levellers was targeted by Laud for importing religious texts that criticized Laudianism - Laud had him repeatedly flogged for challenging the constitutionality of the Star Chamber court, and "freeborn John" became a martyr-hero to the Puritans.

When the Long Parliament met in 1640, Puritans were elected in huge numbers, motivated as they were by a combination of resistance to the absolutist monarchism of Charles I and the religious policies of Archbishop Laud - who Parliament was able to impeach and imprison in the Tower of the London in 1641. This relatively brief period of official persecution that powerfully shaped the Puritan mindset was nevertheless disconnected from the phenomena of migration to New England - which had started a decade before Laud became Archbishop of Canterbury and continued decades after his impeachment.

The Puritans Just Wanted to Oppress Everyone Else's Religion:

This is the very short-hand Howard Zinn-esque critique we often see of the Puritan project in the discourse, and while there is a grain of truth to it - in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Congregational Church was the official state religion, no other church could be established without permission from the Congregational Church, all residents were required to pay taxes to support the Congregational Church, and only Puritans could vote. Moreover, there were several infamous incidents where the Puritan establishment put Anne Hutchinson on trial and banished her, expelled Roger Williams, and hanged Quakers.

Here's the thing, though: during the Early Modern period, every single side of every single religious conflict wanted to establish religious uniformity and oppress the heretics: the Catholics did it to the Protestants where they could mobilize the power of the Holy Roman Emperor against the Protestant Princes, the Protestants did it right back to the Catholics when Gustavus Adolphus' armies rolled through town, the Lutherans and the Catholics did it to the Calvinists, and everybody did it to the Anabaptists.

That New England was founded as a Calvinist colony is pretty unremarkable, in the final analysis. (By the by, both Hutchinson and Williams were devout if schismatic Puritans who were firmly of the belief that the Anglican Church was a false church.) What's more interesting is how quickly the whole religious project broke down and evolved into something completely different.

Essentially, New England became a bunch of little religious communes that were all tax-funded, which is even more the case because the Congregationalist Church was a "gathered church" where the full members of the Church (who were the only people allowed to vote on matters involving the church, and were the only ones who were allowed to be given baptism and Communion, which had all kinds of knock-on effects on important social practices like marriages and burials) and were made up of people who had experienced a conversion where they can gained an assurance of salvation that they were definitely of the Elect. You became a full member by publicly sharing your story of conversion (which had a certain cultural schema of steps that were supposed to be followed) and having the other full members accept it as genuine.

This is a system that works really well to bind together a bunch of people living in a commune in the wilderness into a tight-knit community, but it broke down almost immediately in the next generation, leading to a crisis called the Half-Way Covenant.

The problem was that the second generation of Puritans - all men and women who had been baptized and raised in the Congrgeationalist Church - weren't becoming converted. Either they never had the religious awakening that their parents had had, or their narratives weren't accepted as genuine by the first generation of commune members. This meant that they couldn't hold church office or vote, and more crucially it meant that they couldn't receive the sacrament or have their own children baptized.

This seemed to suggest that, within a generation, the Congregationalist Church would essentially define itself into non-existence and between the 1640s and 1650s leading ministers recommended that each congregation (which was supposed to decide on policy questions on a local basis, remember) adopt a policy whereby the children of baptized but unconverted members could be baptized as long as they did a ceremony where they affirmed the church covenant. This proved hugely controversial and ministers and laypeople alike started publishing pamphlets, and voting in opposing directions, and un-electing ministers who decided in the wrong direction, and ultimately it kind of broke the authority of the Congregationalist Church and led to its eventual dis-establishment.

The Puritans are the Reason America is So Evangelical:

This is another area where there's a grain of truth, but ultimately the real history is way more complicated.

Almost immediately from the founding of the colony, the Puritans begin to undergo mutation from their European counterparts - to begin with, while English Puritans were Calvinists and thus believed in a Presbyterian form of church government (indeed, a faction of Puritans during the English Civil War would attempt to impose a Presbyterian Church on England.), New England Puritans almost immediately adopted a congregationalist system where each town's faithful would sign a local religious constitution, elect their own ministers, and decide on local governance issues at town meetings.

Essentially, New England became a bunch of little religious communes that were all tax-funded, which is even more the case because the Congregationalist Church was a "gathered church" where the full members of the Church (who were the only people allowed to vote on matters involving the church, and were the only ones who were allowed to be given baptism and Communion, which had all kinds of knock-on effects on important social practices like marriages and burials) and were made up of people who had experienced a conversion where they can gained an assurance of salvation that they were definitely of the Elect. You became a full member by publicly sharing your story of conversion (which had a certain cultural schema of steps that were supposed to be followed) and having the other full members accept it as genuine.

This is a system that works really well to bind together a bunch of people living in a commune in the wilderness into a tight-knit community, but it broke down almost immediately in the next generation, leading to a crisis called the Half-Way Covenant.

The problem was that the second generation of Puritans - all men and women who had been baptized and raised in the Congrgeationalist Church - weren't becoming converted. Either they never had the religious awakening that their parents had had, or their narratives weren't accepted as genuine by the first generation of commune members. This meant that they couldn't hold church office or vote, and more crucially it meant that they couldn't receive the sacrament or have their own children baptized.

This seemed to suggest that, within a generation, the Congregationalist Church would essentially define itself into non-existence and between the 1640s and 1650s leading ministers recommended that each congregation (which was supposed to decide on policy questions on a local basis, remember) adopt a policy whereby the children of baptized but unconverted members could be baptized as long as they did a ceremony where they affirmed the church covenant. This proved hugely controversial and ministers and laypeople alike started publishing pamphlets, and voting in opposing directions, and un-electing ministers who decided in the wrong direction, and accusing one another of being witches. (More on that in a bit.)

And then the Great Awakening - which to be fair, was a major evangelical effort by the Puritan Congregationalist Church, so it's not like there's no link between evangelical - which was supposed to promote Congregational piety ended up dividing the Church and pretty soon the Congregationalist Church is dis-established and it's safe to be a Quaker or even a Catholic on the streets of Boston.

But here's the thing - if we look at which denominations in the United States can draw a direct line from themselves to the Congregationalist Church of the Puritans, it's the modern Congregationalists who are entirely mainstream Protestants whose churches are pretty solidly liberal in their politics, the United Church of Christ which is extremely cultural liberal, and it's the Unitarian Universalists who are practically issued DSA memberships. (I say this with love as a fellow comrade.)

By contrast, modern evangelical Christianity (although there's a complicated distinction between evangelical and fundamentalist that I don't have time to get into) in the United States is made up of an entirely different set of denominations - here, we're talking Baptists, Pentacostalists, Methodists, non-denominational churches, and sometimes Presbyterians.

The Puritans Were Dour Killjoys Who Hated Sex:

This one owes a lot to Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter.

The reality is actually the opposite - for their time, the Puritans were a bunch of weird hippies. At a time when most major religious institutions tended to emphasize the sinful nature of sex and Catholicism in particular tended to emphasize the moral superiority of virginity, the Puritans stressed that sexual pleasure was a gift from God, that married couples had an obligation to not just have children but to get each other off, and both men and women could be taken to court and fined for failing to fulfill their maritial obligations.

The Puritans also didn't have much of a problem with pre-marital sex. As long as there was an absolute agreement that you were going to get married if and when someone ended up pregnant, Puritan elders were perfectly happy to let young people be young people. Indeed, despite the objection of Jonathan Edwards and others there was an (oddly similar to modern Scandinavian customs) old New England custom of "bundling," whereby a young couple would be put into bed together by their parents with a sack or bundle tied between them as a putative modesty shield, but where everyone involved knew that the young couple would remove the bundle as soon as the lights were turned out.

One of my favorite little social circumlocutions is that there was a custom of pretending that a child clearly born out of wedlock was actually just born prematurely to a bride who was clearly nine months along, leading to a rash of surprisingly large and healthy premature births being recorded in the diary of Puritan midwife Martha Ballard. Historians have even applied statistical modeling to show that about 30-40% of births in colonial America were pre-mature.

But what about non-sexual dourness? Well, here we have to understand that, while they were concerned about public morality, the Puritans were simultaneously very strict when it came to matters of religion and otherwise normal people who liked having fun. So if you go down the long list of things that Puritans banned that has landed them with a reputation as a bunch of killjoys, they usually hide some sort of religious motivation.

So for example, let's take the Puritan iconoclastic tendency to smash stained glass windows, whitewash church walls, and smash church organs during the English Civil War - all of these things have to do with a rejection of Catholicism, and in the case of church organs a belief that the only kind of music that should be allowed in church is the congregation singing psalms as an expression of social equality. At the same time, Puritans enjoyed art in a secular context and often had portraits of themselves made and paintings hung on their walls, and they owned musical instruments in their homes.

What about the wearing nothing but black clothing? See, in our time wearing nothing but black is considered rather staid (or Goth), but in the Early Modern period the dyes that were needed to produce pure black cloth were incredibly expensive - so wearing all black was a sign of status and wealth, hence why the Hapsburgs started emphasizing wearing all-black in the same period. However, your ordinary Puritan couldn't afford an all-black attire and would have worn quite colorful (but much cheaper) browns and blues and greens.

What about booze and gambling and sports and the theater and other sinful pursuits? Well, the Puritans were mostly ok with booze - every New England village had its tavern - but they did regulate how much they could serve, again because they were worried that drunkenness would lead to blasphemy. Likewise, the Puritans were mostly ok with gambling, and they didn't mind people playing sports - except that they went absolutely beserk about drinking, gambling, and sports if they happened on the Sabbath because the Puritans really cared about the Sabbath and Charles I had a habit of poking them about that issue. They were against the theater because of its association with prostitution and cross-dressing, though, I can't deny that. On the other hand, the Puritans were also morally opposed to bloodsports like bear-baiting, cock-fighting, and bare-knuckle boxing because of the violence it did to God's creatures, which I guess makes them some of the first animal rights activsts?

They Banned Christmas:

Again, this comes down to a religious thing, not a hatred of presents and trees - keep in mind that the whole presents-and-trees paradigm of Christmas didn't really exist until the 19th century and Dickens' Christmas Carol, so what we're really talking about here is a conflict over religious holidays - so what people were complaining about was not going to church an extra day in the year. I don't get it, personally.

See, the thing is that Puritans were known for being extremely close Bible readers, and one of the things that you discover almost immediately if you even cursorily read the New Testament is that Christ was clearly not born on December 25th. Which meant that the whole December 25th thing was a false religious holiday, which is why they banned it.

The Puritans Were Democrats:

One thing that I don't think Puritans get enough credit for is that, at a time when pretty much the whole of European society was some form of monarchist, the Puritans were some of the few people out there who really committed themselves to democratic principles.

As I've already said, this process starts when John Liliburne, an activist and pamphleteer who promoted the concept of universal human rights (what he called "freeborn rights"), took up the anti-Laudian cause and it continued through the mobilization of large numbers of Puritans to campaign for election to the Long Parliament.

There, not only did the Puritans vote to revenge themselves on their old enemy William Laud, but they also took part in a gradual process of Parliamentary radicalization, starting with the impeachment of Strafford as the architect of arbitrary rule, the passage of the Triennal Acts, the re-statement that non-Parliamentary taxation was illegal, the Grand Remonstrance, and the Militia Ordinance.

Then over the course of the war, Puritans served with distinction in the Parliamentary army, especially and disproportionately in the New Model Army where they beat the living hell out of the aristocratic armies of Charles I, while defying both the expectations and active interference of the House of Lords.

At this point, I should mention that during this period the Puritans divided into two main factions - Presbyterians, who developed a close political and religious alliance with the Scottish Covenanters who had secured the Presbyterian Church in Scotland during the Bishops' Wars and who were quite interested in extending an established Presbyterian Church; and Independents, who advocated local congregationalism (sound familiar) and opposed the concept of established churches.

Finally, we have the coming together of the Independents of the New Model Army and the Leveller movement - during the war, John Liliburne had served with bravery and distinction at Edgehill and Marston Moore, and personally capturing Tickhill Castle without firing a shot. His fellow Leveller Thomas Rainsborough proved a decisive cavalry commander at Naseby, Leicester, the Western Campaign, and Langport, a gifted siege commander at Bridgwater, Bristol, Berkeley Castle, Oxford, and Worcester. Thus, when it came time to hold the Putney Debates, the Independent/Leveller bloc had both credibility within the New Model Army and the only political program out there. Their proposal:

redistricting of Parliament on the basis of equal population; i.e one man, one vote.

the election of a Parliament every two years.

freedom of conscience.

equality under the law.

In the context of the 17th century, this was dangerously radical stuff and it prompted Cromwell and Fairfax into paroxyms of fear that the propertied were in danger of being swamped by democratic enthusiasm - leading to the imprisonment of Lilburne and the other Leveller leaders and ultimately the violent suppression of the Leveller rank-and-file.

As for Cromwell, well - even the Quakers produced Richard Nixon.