#and now he shall be wearing the best of 1980s

[ainosgarden]

LDL doodle dump

ref (1) (2) (3)

[northoftheroad]

Up to date with the trends, if you don’t mind!

As opposed to some people, I'm not of the opinion that Dick Grayson is a fashion disaster. I don't imagine I will convince anyone who loves to portray him as the eternal looser... But the thing with fashion is that a lot of it quickly gets dated. Since artists have drawn Dick in contemporary style for decades, it's bound to happen that some outfits get past their best before date.

If we're to put the blame where it belongs, it has to be Greg Land, who drew Dick in a multicoloured polka dot shirt in Nightwing vol 1 # 2. That's the outfit most people reference when they claim that Dick dresses outlandishly. However, in the 90s, polka dot shirts (and long hair on men) were trendy – which is something that we tend to forget some decades later, when another era of fashion surrounds us.

The original Nightwing suit from 1984 also gets a fair amount of flak. Certain artists, like Jim Aparo, drew the collar ridiculously high, unlike how it looked with George Pérez’ art. But on the whole, it's not in a completely different style from other superhero suits that were introduced in the 70s and 80s. High collars and deep v-necks were popular. 

Tales of the Teen Titans # 44, Batman vol 1 # 441.

Tyroc (1976); Black Lightning (1977); Dazzler (1980); Jericho (1984).

Gladiator (1977), Black Cat (1979), Atari Force (1982), Mockingbird (1980), Booster Gold (1986).

Fashion at the time was about crossovers and breaking rules, and using fabrics such as rubber and vinyl. And disco...  Here are some pictures from the 70s and 80s, to remind ourselves what it looked like at the time.

I guess some people might point the finger at the original Robin suit, too? But, seriously, it's a 1940s child superhero costume, designed at a time when the printing process favoured bright primary colours. (Besides, in a fair number of versions, Bruce is the one who designed the Robin suit. Now, if we want to talk ridiculous – take a look at Bob Kane's original sketch of the Bat-Man.)

Without further ado. Let's have a look at some of Dick's outfits over the years, and see what was considered stylish at the time, shall we. 

Dick in civilan garbs in the 1940s and 1950s. The boy's fashion at the time included knitted pullovers and sweaters which were also worn over shirt and tie. Bright solid or patterned sportcoats were worn with dress-shirt and necktie or bowtie. (Knickers, that is short trousers, were, by the way, children's fashion in the 1940s.)

Pictures are fashion illustrations from the 40s and 50s and from Batman # 13 (1942). Star Spangled Comics # 65 (1947), # 75 (1947), # 98 (1949), # 111 (1950).

College teenager Dick in the 1970s dressed in sweaters, vests, long collared shirts. His hair was side-parted. And, you guessed it – vests, long collared shirts and turtleneck sweaters were essential fashion items of the 1970s. Dick-pics from: Batman # 248 (1973). Batman Family # 8 (1976). Detective Comics # 483 (1979). Detective Comics  # 495 (1980).

Dick in a green three piece suit in New Teen Titans Vol 1 # 26 (1982). Picture in Sears Fashion Catalogue 1981. 1980s vintage tweed suit.

Leather jacket, t-shirts and sweaters and jeans were trendy in the 1980s. In Tales of the teen titans 43 (1984), Dick wears jeans and an expensive leather jacket.

"That" outfit in Nightwing vol 1 # 2 (1995). "Seinfeld" from 1991.

Overalls were huge in the 1990s, even when you weren't custom building your own car. Nightwing vol 2 # 16 (1998), and fashion photos from the 1990s.  

In the early 2000s, casual clothing was a big trend. Rugby shirts was a common look, and the leather jacket was still popular. Batman: Gotham Knights # 21 (2001), # 45 (2003), Nightwing vol 2 # 49 (2000), #77 (2003), # 80 (2003).

In the mid-2000s, some trendy things were: Casual, fitted shirt. Casual blazer. Cardigan. V-neck t-shirt. Trucker hat. Tank top. Nightwing vol 2 # 133 (2007), # 141 and # 144 (2008). Fashion photos from 2008, design Diesel, Tony Melillo.

In The New 52 and Rebirth, Dick has mostly dressed casually (unless it's for a funeral, of course). Jeans, t-shirts, shirt without tie, sweaters, hoodie, parka, blazer or leather jacket. Often layer on layer - sweater over shirt, shirt on top of t-shirt...  The 2010s wasn't long ago, and it's not easy to sort through fashion shows and micro-trends and see a bigger picture just yet... But a few of the things that were trendy at least at some time during the 2010s were: the colour grey; one-button suits and blazers; striped sweater; checkered shirt; fitted leather jackets; parka; pastel colours; angular v-neck.  

Nightwing vol 3 # 5 (2012), # 6 (2012), # 10 (2012), # 17 (2013),  # 27 (2014). Nightwing vol 4 # 10 (2017), # 15 (2017). Assorted fashion photos from 2012–2017.  

Today it's 2020, and when it comes to men's hairstyles, crew cut is popular. Nightwing vol 4 # 63, and photo from TheTrendSpotter's post 40 Best Short Hairstyles for Men in 2020.

And hey, superhero apparel were on the catwalk in the 2010s, too. How more fashion forward can Dick Grayson become...? Misel Saban, June 27, 2014 (Batman) and Sarah Dos Santos, December 16, 2013 (Superman); Kyle Towers, February 2, 2013 (Spiderman).

However, I don't see Dick (written) as interested in keeping up with the fashion. But he did live his first years in a small trailer. And since then, he's been accustomed to a life where you never know when your home is going to be obliterated, or your foster father will kick you out. Or when you have to rush away to follow a lead in another city or save the world somewhere. Or the next time you'll be shot and forget that you have a flat to live in... He’s bound to have learned not to have an excessive amount of clothes. 

When he does need to buy something, because his last outfit went up in smoke or something, he'll simply pick from what's in the front inside the shops. Hence, he'll often be dressed up-to-date. New Titans # 76, New Titans # 86, Nightwing vol 2 # 89, Nightwing vol 2 # 20, Nigtwing vol 3 # 19, Nightwing vol 4 # 50 , Robin Year One # 3.

Top pictures from: Batman # 237 (1971), New Teen Titans # 16 (1982), Nightwing vol 2 # 129 (2007), Nightwing vol 4 # 10 (2016).

[whatsabriard]

Watch With Me: Hart to Hart 1x20

Episode Title: Cruise At Your Own Risk

Original Airdate: April 8, 1980

Why this one?: The return of the White Hat that was purchased in "You Made Me Kill You" and a white suit that is just *chef kiss*. Also this episode went in HARD on the banter. It's just an all around fun episode. This is also the last first season episode I will be recapping. Onward to season 2!

Favorite Quote: Max: What's he doing here? Jennifer: He had a proposition for me. Max: At this hour?

We start off with someone on a ship, coming through the porthole, to steal some jewelry. It's a blonde lady.

Then we kick off this entire thing with Jonathan using his car phone to call Jennifer and thank her for the good morning shag. Jennifer's like "it was my pleasure" and Cheeky Jonathan says "our pleasure". OK KIDS WE GET IT. Bless them.

Jennifer goes back to sleep because he wore her out.

Jonathan shows up at work grinning and waving at everyone.

But he shows up to a big mess at work because of the jewel thefts on the cruise ships.

Their empire line cruise ships are: The Desirée, The Josephine and the Marie-Louise.

Jonathan didn't file insurance claims on the thefts but paid for them out of pocket because he didn't want to get a reputation for being a cruise line where you get your shit stolen.

But now so much stuff has been stolen that the money is racking up.

$600,000 worth of jewels was stolen from The Desirée. You know what that means? Undercover assignment!

Jonathan tells Deanne to make reservations on The Desirée under the name of Carter Chamberlain. Carter is the last of the big spenders... and this time he'll be taking his mistress. "WHAT" Stanley yelps.

Also, Guido Della Fortuna will be on-board.

Max finds Jonathan at home - Jennifer's just barely out of bed and still in her robe. It really was a good morning, wasn't it?

*insert favorite quote here*

you know what. what the hell even is an industrialist. I use the phrase like I know what he even is but I don't.

Max isn't sure he wants to go on a cruise because deep water.

on the way to the airport, jonathan presents jennifer with a case of "Cartier" jewels. Irving Cartier - fakes, the best money can buy.

they take the jet to Puerto Vallarta.

LOOK AT THESE SUITS. please excuse Jonathan's stupid ascot. but jennifer's cleavage goes all the way to the southern hemisphere

Max is wearing that ascot correctly.

hey. what even is an ascot. I use a lot of words I don't even know.

the like...activity director? of the ship says a lot of stuff about safes and stuff, but Jonathan likes to keep his valuables out where he can admire him. He looks right at Jennifer's bosom when he says that.

so does this guy, with his binoculars. They play it off like he's looking at her jewels but he's not.

Activity director guy then introduces his wife who is ... in charge of something else on the ship. I'm not really paying attention. But it's the blonde from the intro scene - the thief! She's his wife.

Oh, I should say that J&J are using exaggerated southern accents.

In the stateroom Jonathan is checking out the safe. It would be easy to break into.

Jonathan always asks Jennifer to check his bowtie and then he makes a grab for her and she's always so shocked. His tie is always perfect, of course hes gonna cop a feel girl!

Anyway, the cabin room doors have special keys made with special machines so they can't be duplicated.

So the only other way to get into the room is the window - the porthole. Which is small and the sheer face of the ship is out there. Not a very easy entrance but possible, as we saw in the opening.

They're still debating the ways someone could get into the room when Jennifer flashes the bling.

"Enough honey to attract the bees." Oh who knows. They may not be able to see the honey for the flowers. "Awww, that's the cutest thing you've ever said to me, sugar. Well shall we?"

The cruise director guy asks if his wife saw the icing on Chamberlain's cupcake. He thinks her jewelry is very pricey and he wants it.

His wife reminds him that they said one hit on each ship. They're going to get caught.

Her husband is like "you know I don't like you taking these chances" but he wants her to steal them so they can retire.

he has a very strange accent.

in the bar, J&J see Max as Guido and then Cruise Director and his wife show up and they all drink together. Dom Perignon, 1963.

they discuss jennifer's necklace, because that makes sense.

at dinner, guido is meeting a new lady friend because Max has MAD game.

on the dance floor, Jonathan is dancing with the blonde wife and Jennifer is at the table with cruise director.

he tells her he's more of a hotelier brought in to smooth out the rough edges.

his wife's name is pamela. I'll try to remember that.

Part of their job is to fraternize with the passengers, but it's easier with beautiful people like the Harts. It's a line, but it's true.

Pamela asks Jonathan how they spend their days and the little shit says "just about the same way we pass our nights."

Cruise Director wants to know what "carter" does for a living and Jennifer says he lives off of one investment - marriage. His first two wives were really rich.

jonathan notices the guy who had the binoculars on Jennifer's rack kind of skulking around.

Cruise Director invites Jonathan to shoot skeet the next day while Jennifer is going to Pamela's exercise class.

The harts dance and talk and Jonathan sends Jennifer back to the cabin, hoping the skulking dude will follow her. He advises her to let the skulker do "anything" and when she objects, he says "almost anything".

The skulker does indeed follow her to the cabin then puts a piece of tape over the lath of the door - that will keep it from locking.

Once jennifer leaves the cabin, this dude searches the room and finds the jewels! He uses a jewelers loop to investigate a piece, finds a watch inscribed with "hart to hart" and then leaves the room and removes the tape.

The harts come back just in time to see him leaving down the hall. They follow and then there's a chase. The skulker is running but the Harts are walking, which is just weird. I guess they decide it's a boat - how far can he go?

they find the guy hiding in a lifejacket box. He's an investigator with the insurance company - they carry the cruise line's insurance.

He calls Jennifer "Mrs Hart" so he knows who they are.

the boys are comparing peens shooting skeet.

The cruise director, Patrick that's his name, wants to bet. So Jonathan agrees.

But then he asks the guy to pull FOUR clay thingies and gets them all because he's a goddamn badass.

Patrick is like "fuuuuck".

Over at the exercise class, this bitch is doing the uneven bars, which seems dangerous on something that's moving but whatever.

The important part is she's a gymnast. World class.

Max and his ladyfriend are at a dance class, where the instructors are wearing clothes I don't understand at all. What is this cowboy had and gold boots over leotards?

The harts are relaxing on the deck but they're not dressed for the pool. What kind of tan...

They are still talking. about how the thieves might have gotten into the cabins.

Jennifer is like - they came through the porthole. They can't come through the keyhole or up the drain...

"The other two would be easier" I don't know...not if you're a world class gymnast.

The insurance guy comes over and hatches a plan - he wants Jennifer to wear a replica of the necklace that the couple has already stolen from the Desirée - see what happens kind of thing.

And now we've made it to my favorite scene. Jennifer is in the shower and she does NOT want to shower alone.

Jennifer: Darling, it's wet in here. Jonathan: Do you want your raincoat? Jennifer: There's not even a lifeguard on duty! Jonathan: Don't go in the deep end. Jennifer: *screams mildly* Ahh, there's a shark's fin. Do you think it's a great white? Jonathan: Don't worry, darling, if you don't bother him he won't bother you. Jennifer: Well maybe this is a job for the captain! Jonathan: I think it's more a job for the first mate (gets into the shower and closes the curtain) Jennifer: Hi sailor. Aren't you out of uniform?

Back in the dining/bar area Jennifer is wearing the replica necklace and Patrick notices right away.

Patrick excuses himself and the insurance guy follows him.

Max follows the guy following Patrick, but his lady-friend kind of delays him for a few minutes.

Patrick goes to check his little hidey hole for the necklace and of course it's there!

But then insurance guy smacks him on the head and takes it. double cross. after double cross.

Max and the insurance guy come back into the bar, but Patrick is still missing.

Insurance guy says Patrick gave him the slip but Patrick shows up looking beat to hell. He wants his necklace - he thinks Jonathan hit him and took it.

Patrick says he has a gun pointed at jennifer and demands Jonathan's wallet, which of course gives away their identity.

Patrick still thinks they have the necklace - they don't and his wife confirms they haven't left the table all night.

The four of them go on walkabout through the ship, I guess to find the necklace. Max follows...

They end up in the engine room - Patrick STILL thinks they have the necklace.

Max shows up with a pipe and puts it in Patrick's back like a gun. Jonathan grabs Patrick's actual gun and Pat finally finally believes the Harts don't have his stupid necklace.

Insurance guy shows up with his own gun and takes the gun jonathan took from patrick. another double cross. Is this a triple cross?

insurance guy wants to steal the necklace himself and kill all of them. so he can retire.

enter big fight scene and chase through the engine room.

Following the gymnast, Jennifer falls in a hole and she's hanging from a rope over pitch black. I guess it's the belly of the ship? It can't be water. The gymnast tells Jennifer to hold on - she's going to scale down to save Jennifer.

Jonathan also comes to her rescue, after he subdued the baddies of course.

In the end, Max came clean to his lady-friend that he's not a wealthy italian but she loves him anyway.

Jonathan remarks that they may have to face the reality that Max may leave the nest some day. Awww.

[thegirlfulloffandoms]

Surprise im a writer Mom!

I write a lot in my spare time and thought a masterlist could come quite in handy so here are some im working on currently!

ask games:

nickname ask game

prompt lists: (credit to original owners and creators)

things fictional couples do that make me lose my mind

10 lines that could destroy us in jatp season 2

emotional prompts

Prompt list #3

WIPS + stories: (swear ill finish them oneday)

JATP

Mixed/full band

Sunset Memories - a collection of Julie and the Phantoms oneshots including various ships such as Boggie (my beloved), Willex,Juke as well as some non canon and canon based stuff and of course Sunset curve are included heavily throughout. This is good if you wanna read something short and sweet!

After Sunset- Bobby Wilson loses his 3 best friends after a deal gone wrong with the famous caleb covington,with the help of his new friends Ray and Rose,Bobby navigates the life of a new rockstar from dodgy managers (TONY DESERVES NO RIGHTS) and invasive interviews to facing the reality that maybe the dream isn’t worth all the hassle and sometimes you have to make your own way to the stars. This is one you’ll need tissues for.

I looked the Devil in the Eye- It wasn't meant to happen like this,murder was never part of the deal,especially when it meant killing one of Los Angeles' shining stars,Trevor Wilson......the problem is there's no turning back once you've looked the devil in the eye.

Alive and Kicking: 80s Sunset Curve AU- Ever since they were young,Sunset Curve had dreamed of being a famous rock bands alongside the likes of Iron Maiden,Whitesnake and Guns and Roses. Now as teenagers the band are battling between what their families want them to be and what they what to become,will they ever reach stardom as one of the most promising  rock bands of the 1980s while trying to fall for more than the music? find out in Alive and Kicking:An 80s Sunset Curve AU.

Willex

Our best days are yet Unknown - Willex Siren AU set the kingdom of Appolonia where sea creatures have been by the king banished after an accident involving Queen Molina and a sea monster. Alex is a siren who doesn’t quite fit in and Willie is a pirate on his first voyage searching for adventure,what mischief do they get into,and will the risk of all they hold dear be worth it?

Boggie

The Price of Persuasion-Socialites have their secrets,their sons shall pay the price for them. The wilsons and the Peters were once collaborators,now bitter rivals in power of the Loz Feliz district,Reggie and Bobby will soon learn that sometimes it’s better to work together than against one another in the hopes of saving the city from total collapse.

Take a star from my sky- BOGGIE BRAINROT! i mean Reggie is mathematically smart but doesn't quite have the same way with words as his classmate Robert Wilson,the round glasses wearing,satchel carrying,nose in a book boy who Reggie has been gushing over for the past two years.What happens when the smarts are doubled and the boys are thrown together by English teacher Mr Jones.Swift words to one another or to the principal? or true love?

An offer you can’t Refuse- Sunset curve were always close,like they would cuddle on the couch on stormy nights and make pancakes together on the regular but none of them expected the offer the record label had in mind for two of the bands members:fake dating for sales. this could go very wrong or very right.

Reggie and Bobby loved each other platonically.....or did they? find out in An offer you can't refuse.

Broke Boys Babysitting-Reggie had planned to spend his summer rocking out with his band at all the venues they could sneak into on the LA strip,baby sitting his brothers children was never part of that plan,neither was finding out his band had a new member through it.Bobby wasn't the biggest fan of it however baby sitting was pretty good money considering how broken his guitar was after trying to copy the bands on MTV rock out the day after he joined Whispercats. Reggie is good with kids,Bobby has no clue,what chaos could they cause together? and who will come out of it not covered in crayons and paint?

Bobby angst

After the light is Snuffed out (Oneshot) - Bobby didn't expect that he would never see his three best friends again,see their names on the board of a crowded church,see their families crushed in together in benches whispering when they saw him take a seat.This wasn't how it was meant to go,he hoped they were somewhere up in the sky,watching on him kindly.

Confessions of the dead- Bobby had to find some way to get rid of the nightmares,even if it wasn’t by his own request,sometimes it takes a certain person with a certain set of skills to solve such sorrows.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

After Sunset- Bobby Wilson loses his 3 best friends after a deal gone wrong with the famous caleb covington,with the help of his new friends Ray and Rose,Bobby navigates the life of a new rockstar from dodgy managers (TONY DESERVES NO RIGHTS) and invasive interviews to facing the reality that maybe the dream isn’t worth all the hassle and sometimes you have to make your own way to the stars. This is one you’ll need tissues for.

I’m always taking requests for oneshots so feel free to drop me a prompt and a ship in my ask box! especially if it’s boggie.

SMAU:

New york state of mind-Julie and the phantoms move to new york to record their newest album,a city that never sleeps with inspiration at every corner from the grubby subway system to the enticing times square lights where they hoped to one day see their faces,it was the perfect scenario.Musically,they are a dream but personally can they survive the madness of each other?Will they reach for the stars or come crashing like a comet into the earth’s atmosphere?

911:

The love and losses of los angeles (mixed oneshots)- a collection of oneshots about the 118 and related characters,of both an angsty and fluffy nature.

[kinktae]

bitchin’ || pt. 4 (M)

↳ PART OF MY REWIND SERIES

The 80s were a time of choices. Which perm was right for you? What color neon would you wear next? None of these choices, however, were more questionable than a certain deal you made with Jeon Jungkook.

pairing: fratboy!jungkook x reader

word count: 5k

genre: 1980s au, eventual smut, e2l

warnings: multiple smut scenes, science talk, banter, jealousy, alcohol & LOTS of colorful 80s slang lmao

A/N: This fic was inspired by To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. Thank you to @junqkook for letting me use her likeness!

OFFICIAL PLAYLIST

01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10

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PART FOUR

“Ouch! Watch it, Yara! You’re stabbing me!”

Yara released her grip from the striped material of your sweater, letting it fall back down against your torso.

“I’m sorry… Is your personal tailoring experience not luxurious enough? Did you want some sparkling water? Some Crystal Light, perhaps?” The petite girl quipped, eyes narrowing.

You pressed your lips together, holding back the snarky remark that was wanting to come out from between them. You really weren’t in any position to complain. Yara had gone to the trouble of coming up with both your and Jungkook’s costumes, not to mention the fact that she was missing her scheduled viewing of Saved By The Bell just to help you get ready — truly honorable act on her part.

Shutting the pair of scissors with a sharp snip, your best friend placed them down onto the bathroom sink decisively, clearly satisfied with the holes she had carved into your oversized red and green sweater.

“What do you think? I can smear some more brown eyeshadow on the sweater if you want.”

Turning towards the mirror, you let your eyes fall over Yara’s handwork.

When Yara said you were going to be Freddie Krueger you should have expected that there would be no half-assing on her part. Jungkook was right in his assessment that the two of you were similar. Yara, although sometimes indolent, was absolutely unstoppable when she set her mind to something.

“It looks great. You went above and beyond as always.” You flashed her reflection a smile.

Reaching for the hat that sat on the counter, Yara plopped it onto your head, a satisfied grin finding her as she took in the completed look.

“So are you ready?” She inquired. “Tonight’s the big night. You nervous?”

“A little…” You confessed, shrugging. At your words, Yara adjusted your hat slightly.

“Don’t be. We went over the game plan last night, remember?”

Keeping still until your best friend’s creative vision for your hat was completed, you let out a sigh.

“Yeah.”

It should be easy; smile, hang onto Jungkook’s arm as if he was your life support, and be sure to kiss him somewhere everyone could see. Piece of cake. Totally.

Sensing a weight behind your tone, Yara offered you an encouraging smile, her hands finding yours.

“You’re gonna have a totally kick-ass time, I’m sure.” She enthused.

“As long as Jungkook doesn’t sneak off to go bang his ex and leave me alone. I don’t know anyone who is gonna be there.” You sulked, before tapping a finger against your chin in contemplation. “Then again, it wouldn’t be the worst thing ever. If he and Kiri get back together, I can finally stop pretending to date him.”

At your words, Yara’s eyebrows furrowed as if to tell you something you had said hadn’t sat well with her. Before she got the chance to express what that was, however, a loud series of knocks rang out.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” You mused dryly causing Yara to laugh.

“I’ll go let him in, you stay here and try on the socks.” She ordered as she walked out, slamming the bathroom door behind her, leaving you without a choice.

You were curious however, ears tuned into the greeting that was just outside the door as Jungkook came in. Slipping on one of the socks, you brought it up to your knee, tugging at the fabric until it was no longer bunching around your ankle.

“What the hell? You cropped the shirt yourself, didn’t you? I told you I was gonna cut it for you.”

“Chill out. What’s your damage? I’m pretty sure I’m allowed to cut my own shirt.”

“Yeah, nice going, dipshit. It’s fucking crooked!”

You let out a sigh.

Your best friend and fake boyfriend could not be left unattended for even a minute without needing you to play referee, it seemed.

Pushing the bathroom door open, you poked your head out, “Children, children, let’s play nice–”

Jungkook’s head turned to you, expression softening from the irritated glare he was offering Yara just moments ago. You hardly noticed, however, too captivated by what he was wearing to pay the gentle way he looked at you any mind.

He was in a cropped white jersey, the number 10 plastered across his chest in blue just above the ragged seam of where the shirt ended, exposing inches of the lower half of his firm stomach, causing your face to flame.

Low on his hips was a pair of blue sweatpants, the ends of them tucked into his high top Chuck Taylor’s that were similar, if not the same, to the pair you had been planning on wearing.

Johnny Depp would surely be proud of Jungkook’s rendition of Glen Lantz, you decided. He even wore the same pair of silver headphones around his neck.

You cleared your throat, finally pulling your eyes away from your pretend lover’s torso.

“Wow… that’s crooked.”

“Hah! Told you.” Yara pressed, pleased at your assessment.

“Remind me why I put up with the two of you again?” Jungkook frowned, crossing his arms over his chest, unaware of the way it caused his already short shirt to ride up further.

Pulling yourself from the bathroom altogether, you walked over to the couch, plopping down onto it as you began to put on your other sock.

“Sick costume, nerd.” Jungkook praised, eyes fixated on you as you moved. “You’d make a hot serial killer.”

“Yeah, well, don’t cream your pants.” You teased, flashing him a grin.

“I can’t promise anything tonight. I’m a frisky drunk.” He winked back, causing you to roll your eyes.

“Ugh, barf me out. You’re the first on my list when I finally crack and go full homicidal.” You informed him, causing him to chuckle.

“Pleasure and pain. You really know how to get me going, Y/N.”

Yara was leaning up against the kitchen counter, quietly watching the two of you with increasing intrigue. Taking in the way the sides of your eyes creased in amusement as you continued your banter with your so-called fake boyfriend, she suppressed a smirk.

“Well…” Yara finally spoke up, a sly look on her face, “as endearing as I find your warped, semi-abusive way of flirting with one another... I have a show to catch so if you both could just hurry it up—”

“Woah, woah, woah, we’re not flirting.”

“Get real, as if I’d be flirting with him.”

Yara could only laugh at the way you both denied her accusation immediately, words overlapping with one another in unison.

“Whatever. I’ve got fake blood in the bathroom. Jungkook follow me.” She brushed the two of you off.

The costumed boy flashed you a funny look before ultimately trailing after your best friend.

Chewing on your bottom lip in silent contemplation, you let yourself ponder on your best friend’s words.

That wasn’t flirting, was it? No, that was just you and Jungkook’s usual playful banter. Sure, maybe the two of you had gotten more comfortable with one another as the days have ticked by, but it wasn’t as if it was anything more than that, right?

Lately, you had been catching yourself growing somewhat excited about seeing Jungkook, even though you saw him nearly every day. Somehow having the messy-haired boy in your life had become routine.

Having Jungkook by your side felt normal as if you wouldn’t mind it if things were always this way. And that scared you.

Shaking your head, you began to put on your shoes, tying up your laces solemnly.

The moment you held your event and Jungkook and Kiri were back together, things would go back to the way they were before. You didn’t want Jungkook to be someone you were going to miss, but it seemed like with every lopsided grin he threw at you he was cementing himself into your life more and more.

This business venture of yours was looking out to be more costly than you initially anticipated.

But as Jungkook and Yara walked out of the bathroom chatting excitedly, Yara’s hands stained and Jungkook’s jersey now smeared with fake blood, you couldn’t help but feel like you’d be willing to pay the price if it meant that this warm feeling in your chest would last just a little while longer.

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“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jungkook asked you, hand gripping yours tighter.

You tried your best to meet his eyes. It was difficult considering how dimly lit the room was. Fitting though, considering this party was Halloween themed.

“Yes. You’ve asked me that four times now.” You told him loudly, trying to be heard over the loud sound of Michael Jackson’s Thriller playing throughout the house.

“I dunno, you’re not saying anything. It’s, like, freaking me out.” He admitted.

“I’m just… observing.”

“Observing what?”

He watched as your stare fixated itself on the beer pong tournament that was occurring across the room, excited shouts coming from several people as one of Jungkook’s brothers scored a point.

“Gorillas.” You said, finally. “In their natural habitat.”

Jungkook laughed, enjoying the way your nose scrunched up at them.

“Hey now, did we say before we got here?” He tutted disapprovingly, waging a finger at you. You followed the digit with the frown.

“Yeah, yeah, I promised no judging the common folk. This is how the intellectually lesser entertain themselves, I remember.” You sighed out, gaze flicking up to catch the amusement in Jungkook’s eyes.

The costumed boy nudged his shoulder into yours; he liked it when you joked around with him like this. It made him feel like you were comfortable around him and that you might even enjoy his company.

“Do you know what you need?” He began happily.

“I do not but my answer is already no.”

“A drink.” He continued, ignoring you.

Suddenly, you were yanked forward, Jungkook leading you by the hand towards where you assumed the drinks were.

You hadn’t been at the party for very long, but already the social interaction had exhausted you. Jungkook was far more popular than you had previously concluded; the two of you could hardly take two steps before running into someone who wanted to say hello to the frat boy attached to you.

It was daunting in a sense – the concept that every person that came up to him was going to leave the interaction with the impression that you were Jungkook’s girlfriend. Perhaps guilt wasn’t the right word, but something about the way the party’s attendees glanced down at yours and Jungkook’s intertwined hands caused your stomach to flip and neck to grow hot.

So you kept to yourself mainly, letting your socially confident boyfriend do all the talking. You didn’t mind, really; it was somewhat remarkable the way Jungkook could handle himself in a social situation. He had a way of acting like every person that stopped to chat was important.

As Jungkook and you made your way into the large fraternity house’s kitchen, you wondered if it wasn’t acting at all and if he was just that nice of a person.

“Righteous costume, JK!” A disembodied voice called out from somewhere, clearly directed at Jungkook.

You hardly had time to decipher where the voice had come from before an outrageously good looking boy draped in a white toga came forward, pulling Jungkook into a hug.

“You finally cut your hair. Looking good, Tae.” Jungkook laughed back, patting the handsome man’s back affectionately.

You watched their interaction with interest. This wasn’t acting, as far as you knew. Judging by the way Jungkook’s laugh has grown higher in pitch, something you had noticed occurred when he was genuinely happy, you knew you were witnessing genuine friendship, not just polite socializing.

“And who is this lovely lady who, might I add, looks killer? Pun totally intended.” The model man mused, eyes flashing your way.

You felt heat prickle at your cheeks.

“Taehyung, this is my girlfriend Y/N, Y/N this is Kim Taehyung. He’s head of our finance committee.” Jungkook introduced the two of you, causing your eyes to grow wide.

So this was the guy Jungkook had told you about. The guy who could help you throw your event.

Taehyung let out a scoff, “Seriously? That’s how you introduce me? The finance guy? I’m also your favorite brother, could’ve opened up with that one.”

“Taehyung’s my Big. He’s taken me under his wing or whatever.” Jungkook explained, running a hand through his dark hair.

A nervous giggle escaped you, taking Taehyung’s extended hand into yours to greet.

“Nice to finally meet you, Y/N. I’ve heard a lot about you.” The mulleted man grinned, causing one of your eyebrows to quirk up in surprise.

“You have?”

Taehyung put his hands up defensively, not noticing the way Jungkook’s expression had fallen beside him, “All good things, don’t worry. The kid talks about you nonstop—”

“Hey! So Y/N has been thinking about throwing an event here on campus, isn’t that right, babe?” Jungkook interrupted suddenly.

The arrival of the new pet name caught you off guard for a moment, before remembering that you and Jungkook were meant to be a couple after all.

“Oh yeah, Jungkook mentioned something like that to me. Tell me about it.” Taehyung said.

You stood silent for a moment, realizing that this moment was the one you had been anticipating all week long.

Relaxing your shoulders, you grinned at him.

It was now or never.

“Yeah! So the event is called STEM for FEM. I’ve got all kinds of games and pamphlets prepared. It’s basically meant to show girls that no matter what people think, there are in fact opportunities for us in the more traditionally male-dominated fields. It may be a steep road, but it’s one worth taking. And they’re not alone. There are programs out there that girls can reach out to. They offer all kinds of support; emotional, educational, financial—“

Jungkook reached for a cooler that sat by his feet, pulling out a beer. You didn’t need him for this. This was precisely what he had watched you practice into the mirror over and over; you were ready.

Popping open the can, he took a small sip, a small smile creeping on his face as he watched the way the fire in your eyes spread, your pretty lips wrapping around the words that you carried in your heart wherever you went.

“That’s radical, girl. It sounds like you’re really passionate about this stuff, huh?”

Jungkook caught Taehyung’s reply once he walked back over to you guys. He had gone off to make you a drink, figuring that cranberry juice and vodka would ease any sales pitch nerves you might have.

“Yeah, I am.” You smiled. “I’m a biology major myself.”

You tore your eyes away from the blond boy to take the red solo cup he was offering. Bringing the cup up to your nose, you sniffed it experimentally.

“Do you have a sponsor?”

You were grateful that you hadn’t taken a sip of your drink yet as had any liquid been inside your mouth you surely would have choked on it.

“Oh, uh! Not yet!” You squeaked out, causing Jungkook to fight down a chuckle.

“Because Beta Tau Sigma happens to be under our campus philanthropy quota and we’d love to support a cause like yours.” Taehyung offered, causing your heart to soar.

“Really?” You gaped.

“Sure! Just swing by anytime this week and I’m sure we can work out the details.”

This was happening. The event you had poured your absolute heart and soul into planning was actually going to happen… holy shit.

“Wow, that’s just… wow!” You replied, breathlessly. “Thank you! Thank you so much, seriously. I can’t even begin to thank you enough…”

Taehyung shook his head, clearly amused, “No need to thank me, it’s a worthy cause. Besides, think of it as a thank you.”

“A thank you? For what?”

“For dating my brother. You’re the reason he comes home every night grinning like an idiot after all.” He grinned cheesily.

A smile broke out onto your face despite yourself, but the good atmosphere didn’t last for long, as a hand finding yours caught your attention.

“Alright, alright, enough sappy shit.” Jungkook urged, cheeks tinted ever so slightly pink.

Much to the blushing boy’s chagrin, Taehyung reached over to rustle Jungkook’s long looks.

“I’m just teasing.” The blond laughed. “By the way, any chance you’ve seen Hobi?”

“No, why?”

“Dude is totally wasted. Heard someone say he was gonna jump off the roof into the pool.”

“The house doesn’t have a pool?” Jungkook blinked.

Taehyung flashed him a look as if to say ‘exactly.’

“Anyway, it was nice meeting you, Y/N. We’ll talk soon, yeah?” Taehyung asked.

“Absolutely.” You nodded.

“See ya later, man!” Taehyung called out through a crooked smile before slipping back into the crowd of people that lay just beyond the kitchen.

An excited squeal erupted from you, your hands reaching out towards Jungkook as he reciprocated your enthusiasm and embraced you in an elevated hug.

You let out a laugh, carefully holding onto the cup in your hand so as not to spill it before he set you back down.

“You did it!” He cheered.

“We did it.” You corrected.

“I didn’t do anything?” Jungkook looked at you in bewilderment.

You shook your head, “Not true. I would have never met Taehyung if it weren’t for you. Thank you, meathead.”

Jungkook looked at you warmly for a moment, knowing that despite the cruel nickname, your sincerity was genuine.

“Cheers, nerd. To a deal well done.” Jungkook said decidedly, holding out his beer.

Bumping your cup into his can, you took a swig of your drink, grimacing as the overwhelming taste of vodka made its way down your throat.

“Taehyung was awesome.” You began once you had downed a few more sips of the liquid poison. “I don’t know why I was expecting some ape-like barbarian.”

“Probably because of those gorillas you just saw over at the beer pong table.” Jungkook joked. “Yeah, Tae’s great. He’s a Legacy too, so everybody here loves him.”

You stared at him blankly, clearly not understanding the term.

Jungkook sighed, “I mean he comes from a long family of Beta Tau Sigma alumnae. His older brother Seokjin graduated last year—”

“Wait, Seokjin? You don’t mean… Kim Seokjin… our lab professor?” You furrowed your eyebrows.

“Yep.”

“No way! But he’s so…” Your eyebrows furrowed, struggling for the right word.

“Smart?” Jungkook assumed flatly.

You fought back a smile, “I was not gonna say that.”

“Mhm, I’m so sure.”

“Anyway,” You smiled, poking a finger into Jungkook’s chest, “I had no clue you liked me so much.”

“What do you mean?”

“You talk about me? I’m the reason you come home grinning every night?” You recalled Taehyung’s words.

You watched in amusement as Jungkook visibly tensed.

“W-Well, duh. You’re my fake girlfriend, I mean, it would be weird if I didn’t do any of those things...” Jungkook defended, eyes narrowing at you suddenly. “Quit gloating.”

“I’m not gloating.” You smirked.

“Yes, you are. I can see it in your face. You’re a gloater.” He said decidedly, moving to make himself a drink.

“How very dare you! I am nothing of the sort.”

“Admit it, Y/N. You relish in my misfortune.” He poured some cranberry juice into a cup, clearly moving to recreate your drink.

“The fact that I relish in your misfortune has nothing to do with this.” You waved off quickly, sending the two of you into giggles.

You somehow managed to down your cup, flashing Jungkook a grateful smile as he began to make you a new one.

You were admiring the way Jungkook’s shoulders filled out his jersey when another voice made itself known, pushing its way into the kitchen.

“Kookie, is that you?”

It was Kiri. The way Jungkook jerked around immediately, eyes as wide as saucers, told you that much.

Turning to where Jungkook’s eyes were fixated, you came to find a tall and leather-clad girl, her curled hair unmoving as she strutted forward. You couldn’t hear anything over the hum of the music playing throughout the house but you’d imagined you would hear the sound of her bright red heels rapping against the tile floor if it were quiet.

Her top was black and off the shoulder, and it dawned on you that she was dressed as Sandy from Grease.

You watched in silence as Jungkook nodded at her, a grin on his face.

“Haven’t seen you in a while. Thought you were avoiding me.” Kiri smirked, teeth on full display.

“Avoid you? Never.” Jungkook teased.

Suddenly, a weird feeling bubbled in your stomach as you watched the two interact.

Strange. Must be the vodka.

“I’ve just been busy, I guess.” He shrugged, clearly trying to play it coy.

At his words, Kiri’s eyes flickered to you, causing you to freeze.

“So I’ve heard.” She said simply. You smiled at her awkwardly.

Clearing his throat, Jungkook jumped into action, “Y/N meet Kiri. Kiri meet Y/N, my girlfriend.”

“Y/N L/N, right? I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.” Kiri admitted, eyes shaded with something you couldn’t quite decipher.

“You, uh, have?”

���Of course!” She smiled, although it didn’t quite meet her eyes. “I like to keep tabs on all the girls in Greek life… or I guess in your case, have had Greek life in them.

You blinked.

Jungkook eyes quickly moved to you. Crap. He knew Kiri well enough to detect a catty comment from her no matter how innocently she presented it. You were smart; he was sure you had caught exactly what she was implying.

For a moment, no one said anything. Jungkook gripped his cup tighter, wondering if he should say something to ease the nearly palpable tension.

However, before he got the chance, you smiled, cocking your head to the side.

“No worries, I get it. You wanted to scope out your ex’s new girlfriend, right?”

Jungkook let out a breath, realizing that you weren’t looking for any kind of conflict.

You could tell you words pleased Kiri with the way the side of her painted lips turned upward.

“So, Jungkook told you about me. How flattering.”

“Actually, he hasn’t said a word.” You smiled.

You took a step forward; it wasn’t anything aggressive or confrontational, but it was enough to capture Jungkook’s attention.

“Let’s just say I also like to keep tabs on things involving those that go inside of me.” You lowered your voice, sending Kiri a small wink.

Jungkook must know you pretty well too because he also knew that your comment wasn’t nearly as lighthearted as you made it out to be. He fought back a grin.

Kiri straighten up suddenly, “So what are you two dressed up as? A dumb jock and dirty Waldo?”

‘Well, she’s certainly not being subtle anymore.’ Jungkook thought dryly.

“Freddie Krueger and Glen Lantz. Like from Nightmare at Elm’s Street.” Jungkook answered, no longer bothering to uphold a pleasant tone.

“Is that so? I don’t watch horror movies.” Kiri shrugged.

“I know you don’t.” He reminded her.

“So did you come alone? Or is there a Danny Zuko somewhere that you’re matching with?” You asked casually, not liking the way your insides churned every time Jungkook and Kiri spoke to one another.

“He’s over there by the booth. He’s in charge of the music.” She replied, polished finger directing you where to look.

Sure enough, across the room on an elevated platform was a DJ booth, the man who was operating the device sporting a leather jacket and greased hair.

A gasp fell through your lips as you took him in, recognizing him immediately.

“That’s—” You cut yourself off immediately, turning away from him. “...so cool! Him being a DJ and whatnot.”

Kiri nodded cautiously, clearly catching on to the way you had changed your tune suddenly.

“You know what, I think Jungkook and I are gonna head over to the dance floor. But it was really great meeting you, Kiri.” You told her, reaching for Jungkook’s hand.

Your fake boyfriend sensed your urgency and took your hand comfortably.

“Nice seeing you.” Jungkook called out to her breezily as the two of you began to walk away, not bothering to give Kiri another glance.

Your heart was pounding but you tried your best to look nonchalant, knowing Kiri was probably watching the two of you leave.

As you reached the dance floor, you allowed yourself a sparing glance around to make sure that Kiri was out of ear’s reach before you wrapped your arms around Jungkook’s neck and began to sway your hips.

Bringing your mouth to his ear, you spoke, “Kiri is dating Eunwoo.”

Jungkook sent you a look, “Yeah. I know.”

You shook your head as Jungkook’s hands found your waist, keeping up with your pace.

“You don’t understand. Eunwoo is Yara’s ex.”

“Wait– Really?”

You nodded.

“Great. So he’s banged two of my girlfriends then. I swear to god, Y/N, if he tries to get into your pants next I’m gonna kick his ass into the next decade.” Jungkook grunted. You laughed.

“I just don’t understand. I swear he was in love with Yara just last week. He used to slip love notes under our door for her, you know. I even didn’t know he was in a frat?” You frowned.

“He’s a new member. He was just initiated a little while back. Fucking prick.”

That made sense. From what you had gathered tonight, everyone within Jungkook’s fraternity seemed quite friendly with one another— it didn’t make sense that an active member would betray Jungkook like that.

“You handled that very well, by the way.” Your pretend lover spoke suddenly.

“What? Kiri? Whatever, I’ve dealt with worse girls in high school.” You shrugged easily, hand finding itself running in Jungkook’s hair.

He had mentioned once that he needed a haircut but it seems as if you had successfully managed to talk him out of it. You like his hair like this.

“She was trying to use an intimidation technique that Gamma Alpha Tau uses on possible pledges.” He explained. “I promise you she’s not always that…”

“Snarky? Judgmental? Standoffish?” You offered, quirking up a brow.

Jungkook rolled his eyes, “I just mean she’s usually better behaved than that.”

“Right. Well, either way, this is a good sign.”

“What is?”

“Her hating me. Just means she’s jealous and then we’re one step closer to closing your half of the deal.” You enthused.

“Speaking of the deal, I believe you owe me a kiss, Freddie.”

Jungkook’s words took you by surprise and as much as you wanted to wipe that slick grin off his face, you knew he was right.

Humming, you let go of his hair, moving closer so that his nose was brushed up against yours.

“Your move, meathead.” You urged, letting your bottom lip brush against his teasingly.

Pressed up against him like this, you could feel a low rumble erupt in his chest.

“You teasing me?” He mused lazily.

“Didn’t you say you liked your pleasure with some pain?”

If Jungkook had a reply, you didn’t catch it in time as his mouth found yours, distracting you from any trivial thoughts weighing you down.

Something was intoxicating about the way Jungkook kissed you; he wasn’t rushed or in any hurry, but the way his mouth moved against yours made your chest pound as you brought your fingers up to pull at his hair.

Maybe it was the alcohol, perhaps it was the sound of Rick James in the air, but when his hand found your jaw and his tongue ran itself along your bottom lip you happily obligated, whimpering as his tongue moved against yours with the same fervor as the kiss you shared on your bed.

Jungkook was trying his hardest to hold back, he really was, but with the way your fingers pulled against his scalp, he felt himself start to grow greedily, grinding his hips against yours.

A whimper left your mouth and before you could make left from right, Jungkook broke the kiss and turned you around, pressing his chest into your back.

Heat rocketed to your face as you were suddenly reminded that you were in a room full of people, kissing Jungkook like this.

Your worries were soon eased as he began to press a trail of kisses down your neck, causing you to sigh.

“Wanna blow this popsicle stand? I’ve got a bottle of Malibu in my room with our name on it.” He murmured into your neck.

For a moment, you wondered if you should say no. If Jungkook kept touching you like this, especially with alcohol in your system, there was no guarantee what you’d do.

You let out a squeak as Jungkook’s tongue found your neck, the hot muscle dancing against your skin.

Letting your eyes roll over the room, you froze as they met a familiar pair.

Kiri was stood by the DJ Booth, eyes fixated on you two, her stare cold and unmoving.

Suddenly, a feeling came over you. It felt hot and not in the nice way Jungkook had been making you feel. You hardened your stare, holding her eyes. Was this why Jungkook kissed you? Did he know Kiri was watching?

Sensing the way you had tense against him, Jungkook pulled away from your neck.

“Something wrong?”

Fine. If Jungkook wanted to put on a show for her, then you were happy to assist.

Instead of replying, you turned your head and answered with your mouth, kissing him in a way you knew Kiri wouldn’t be able to ignore.

“Let’s get outta here.” You breathed as you broke the kiss.

Jungkook’s eyes were dark, eyelids low as a positively devilish smirk crept over him.

Following him as he lead you out of the room, you couldn’t help but glance behind you, the sides of your mouth curling up as you met Kiri’s glare once more.

[airingxofxgrievances]

Part 5: The Email

Just before Halloween, my husband got an email from my father. This in and of itself wasn't an unusual occurrence. They email back and forth fairly regularly, which was actually a major surprise to me when I found out, five years or so into our marriage, because my father never emails me. In fact, he barely speaks to me, nothing really outside of the standard "obligatory holiday phone call" cadence. He never has. He's never really shown much interest in me, nor my sister, but here he was exchanging regular emails with my husband. My sister and I just assume that my father always wanted boys. It definitely feels that way. He briefly sent me a flurry of emails during the Democratic primary when he saw me complaining about Biden (I'm a Bernie gal), but that was the extent of our communication for probably six months at least.

My father and my husband have few things in common, but the one thing they do share is time spent working in the same industry. My father worked in radio in Rochester in the 1980s, and my husband currently works in radio and has, ironically, spent some time on the same station my father was on. They know a lot of the same people. They talk "shop" fairly often, with my father still stuck in an 80s mentality, basically a lot of "it was better back in the day" kinds of stuff, and he is completely obsessed with Rush Limbaugh and other right-wing monsters. Mostly my husband just humors him, and it's not always just about radio. Sometimes it's about local politics or sports.

This was not one of those emails. It was a photo of one of my father's friends holding their new grandbaby, with the message, "It appears that all kids aren't paranoid, punitive pricks...  not naming any names...."

My husband is a sweet man, and he replied, "Oh my, whose baby?"

What follows is the rest of the email exchange:

------------------------

My father: Their kids'. This is a happy grandparents post.

My husband: Very cute. Yeah... things suck. I hate this. I don’t like being in the middle and I can’t obviously fix the issues you all have. I’ve tried, for years. As I told mom and I’ll tell you I have no issues with you all and I will make sure you see your grandkids. You can see them in person now if you wear masks or stay away from people for a couple weeks before visiting, I require that regardless of beliefs. Otherwise when this calms down I’ll happily bring them to you or make arrangements here. 

You guys could reach out and try to work this out with them... but ya know. 🤷‍♂️

My father: Clearly (Name) and (Name) are intending to murder their grandchildren and their kids must not be onto them.

No, I get where I stand... all of us Nazis do.

My husband: I didn’t call you that, and I’m not calling you that, and I get you’re angry but I’m not the issue here nor am I your enemy.

My father: I'm not angry. I accept reality, adjust, and move on. I've moved on.

My husband: We all make choices. I don’t like yours but that’s irrelevant clearly. 

Let me know if you want to see them and how. I’ll make it happen the best I can. 

My father: I'm good.

------------------------

So, yeah. Let's review, shall we?

My husband has been trying to maintain open lines of communication between all of us for years. He has said multiple times that they're free to visit if they follow proper masking and socially distancing procedures (which, again, just to reiterate, are state law). Neither myself nor my husband called them Nazis, by the way. That was something that apparently happened between my mother and my sister. But facts and context seem not to matter to my parents.

So my father, out of nowhere, decides to be a sarcastic prick (not even remotely out of character for him. That's basically his entire personality). He does this to the one person who has been nothing but pleasant and accommodating to them. He again refuses to communicate with me, the person he should actually be upset with (I mean, it's not like he has a valid reason to be upset with me, either, but I'm the one in an argument with his wife/my mother, not my poor, long-suffering husband). We assume this is a "man of the house" situation, where "the little woman" is irrelevant.

But he's not mad, though. Nope. Not at all. He's totally over it. He's so over it that he took the time to send a dickish email, complete with photos. And he's definitely good with not seeing his grandkids. So good that he had to send the email. Totally good with the choice.

1. Liar.

2. If he's actually all good with not seeing his grandkids (again, his own choice. We never said they couldn't), I mean, what an incredible piece of shit he is.

But I know that. I've always known that. I've always known that he was an arrogant prick who has to be the center of attention, who only knows how to communicate by picking on everyone around him, by being a bully, and who doesn't actually care about anyone or anything. And he just proved it.

About three days later it would be my mother's turn to prove it.

[ezairick]

What if IT was a series?

If I was ever given the chance to make Stephen King’s IT into a series, well I don’t know who would want to watch It besides myself, because I like when things develop slowly, and you also get to see how the characters just live their life, outside of the supernatural things happening in their lives.

Both the films and the mini-series started by showing Georgie’s death and then jumped straight to the summer holidays, got the Losers together and then on to fight Pennywise. But that just skips over so much.

I would want to start before Georgie’s death to establish who the characters were before IT began. Just an establishing episode where you get to see the Losers with their families, their friends, and in school. Maybe end the episode with the heavy rain, that caused the flooding which was when the wakening of IT happened. Derry was flooding in October and the adults were scared that it would be much worse than it was, as that disaster had happened before. The next episode is when the water was receding and that then is when Georgie dies and the Losers are marked, and the story truly starts. But instead of jumping straight to the summer holidays I would want to show that long year, because so much is happening that just normally isn’t part of the story.

You would get to see how Bill is just more and more neglected by his parents who just can’t get passed the loss of their youngest son, to the point that they don’t have a care for the eldest any longer. But Bill also have, I can’t remember if it’s just one or if it’s two, episodes where he has a run in with Pennywise in Georgie’s room, with his photo album. His struggles with his stammering, and him saving up to buy, shall we call it a death wish, Silver, his bike, as well as his friendship with Eddie, Richie, and Stan.

There’s Eddie, who is being abused by his mom, and his struggle between wanting to please her, and wanting to do the same things as his friends. There is also Eddie's own run in with Pennywise on Neibolt Street and the Neibolt House.

And Richie and his voices which he practices at the dinner table together with his dad. Constantly getting into trouble because he just can’t keep his mouth shut, and his love of horror movies. As well as meeting Pennywise, even if he never ever tells the other Losers that he too had had an experience of his own, because he just won’t admit that that really happened.

And Stan, who is Jewish but rarely goes to the Synagogue because there isn’t one in Derry, and doesn’t even know the meaning of the word kosher. Who loves his family and shares an interest in watching birds together with his dad. Who is fastidious (not OCD, no matter what the fandom has since decided), and has the strangest sense of humour. Who when he met Pennywise in the old water tower in the park, in the form of two drowned children, wasn’t so much scared as he was absolutely offended.

There’s Beverly who is being abused by her father (in the book it’s quite clear that she wasn’t sexually molested at least up until that summer, but what happened after that we don’t know), who lives with a mother, who knows her husband is abusing her daughter as well as herself, and at least suspects that her husband might start molesting her daughter but who wouldn’t dream of leaving him, because living with an abusing, drunk, probably child molester, is still so much better than being on state welfare. Beverly who wears her bruises visible but still being badass and stealing her cigarets despite knowing that if she is caught she will be beaten. Who is sometimes trying to be more like the other girls, but more comfortable being a tomboy. Who until the summer holidays are mostly on the outskirts of the group, but sometimes hang out with the other Losers. She is the only one who didn’t have a run in with Pennywise before the Summer holidays.

There’s Ben who is new to Derry, and absolutely alone, but wouldn’t have understood the question if you had asked him if he was ever lonely. Who reads tons of books and loves the library, and spends his money on sweets. Who is well aware that he is overweight which is why he is being bullied the way that he is, but is still badass enough to not let Henry Bowers copy his answers in an exam, despite knowing that that is going to cost him. And who loves Architecture, and knows how to build a dam and an underground club house without really knowing how. Who has a mother who tries her best, but clearly doesn’t have clue what her son’s doing during the day, and who keeps saying that he is not fat he is just big boned, because she has equated her ability to put food on the table and Ben never being hungry, with the pride she takes in being able to provide for him on her own without relying on state welfare. And Ben who ran into Pennywise on his own on a cold January evening, but also shows the resilience of children, as after a shower, some food, and sitting in front of the TV he has completely put the incidence out of his head.

And Mike, who is an outsider not just because he goes to a different school out on Neibolt Street, but also because he and his family are the only black people in Derry. His love of history and the history of Derry, a passion he got and shares with his dad. His life on the family farm and the strife between the Hanlon’s and the Bowers’. Him playing his trombone which he plays during the Fourth of July parade through Derry. The obvious love between Mike and his parents because Mike’s got the best parents. And his experience with Pennywise in April out at the abandoned Kitchener Ironworks. And the huge rock fight that brings the Losers together on the third of July.

But besides the Losers there would also be more focus on Derry itself. Probably from Mike’s dad telling Mike about the stories he had collected, starting with the burning of the Black Spot because he himself was there when it happened. But also how the people in Derry sort of know what is going on but there’s just such an apathy that they can’t break through. There are more children going missing and being found dead during that year, and quite similar to the school shootings happening now in America, people just can’t bring themselves to care. They have simply gotten use to it. They order a curfew, are shocked when the children goes missing and when they are found, they offer their thoughts and prayers, and hope that they will be spared from that pain, but after a couple of days have forgotten about it, and the only people who remembers are the families of the victims.

Despite children going missing, the children are still left to their own devices. And then there’s also the slow descend into insanity of Henry Bowers, through the influence of Pennywise, and how his bullying is becoming more violent.

And when it comes to the Summer holidays when the fight against Pennywise truly starts, there are so many great scenes. The two times Bill and Richie have encounters with Pennywise, in Georgie’s room and on Neibolt Street. Beverley encountering Pennywise for the first time. How the Losers just click, how they all have a sense of who is part of the Losers and who just isn’t. When Eddie break his arm, both because this is a turning point for Henry Bowers as he realizes that he can scare even adults and no longer need to be scared of them, but also because Eddie blackmails his mom into letting him hang out with his friends from his hospital bed. The Losers creating silver slugs and finding out that Beverley is totally badass with a slingshot, and the epic showdown in Neibolt House when they realize that they can hurt Pennywise as long as they believe. Richie, Beverly and Ben hanging out in a movie theatre and turn the table on Henry Bowers and his gang. And just the general fun they had together playing in the Barrens, at the dump, or in the quarry. The juxtaposition between them just being children playing and then having to face the horrors of Derry. And of course the last time they face Pennywise as children and hope they have defeated him.

I don’t know if I would want to set it in the 1950’s as it was in the book, or in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s. That would depend on if I would take the story further and into their adulthood, and whether or not I would want them to remember Derry or not.

If It's just them as children then I would want to keep the story setting in the 1950’s as that would make some things easier, like explaining just why Mike’s family is the only Black family in Derry.

Likewise if they, like in the book, forget about Derry, I would also want to set it in the 1950’s. The pros of them forgetting is their reaction to relearning their childhoods in Derry. I think the shock of his suddenly remembering Derry is what drove Stan over the edge and caused his suicide. I think he remembered more and understood Pennywise in a way the others didn’t. They just feared him, but for Stan Pennywise was also breaking the laws of nature and going against all that should be possible.

Them forgetting would also explain just why Eddie and Beverly ended up victims of copies of their parents. They forgot the lessons they had learned and the courage they had found fighting Pennywise, and instead fell into the same patterns as they had always lived by.

But if they instead somewhat continued to remember Derry, then I think it would make sense to set in later. If they were eleven or twelve in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s then there aren’t that many years until Myspace and Facebook come into  existence, and they could reconnect that way. If the Losers somewhat forgot Derry as their families or they themselves moved away from Derry, but then when they saw a name they somewhat recognized on Myspace or Facebook and friended them, and then the real memories of Derry start coming back. It would mean changing the grownup Losers’ stories but maybe that’s not a bad idea. There could be a focus on how they learned to work through the trauma they experienced as children and them reliving memories that they had suppressed until that point, while it would also be somewhat strange for the world to see how seven friends from some small town, who not only were considered losers but called themselves Losers, would all become famous and experts within their chosen fields. Mike would also be able to leave Derry as a guard is no longer necessary. All the while they all have this feeling that their fight against Pennywise isn’t over, and as the new cycle is coming to end and Pennywise is waking up, their memories of what happened are becoming more intense, more vivid, and more real. Before they have to go back and fight him one more time, hoping that this time it was over.

I have always loved IT and the ambience of the book, especially when reading about them as children, because there is just such a juxtaposition between the nostalgic remembrance of what the 1950’s should be like, with children running free and playing outside in an endless summer, and then the horror that lies just under the surface, a horror that’s accepted if never really spoken about by the adults.

I would love to explore Derry as a character whose layers are slowly pealed away. A character that’s understood better by the children than by the adults. A show that’s full of horror but takes its time to truly experience the ambience, of what it would be like to live in Derry. Unlike the fast paced shows of today, where everything happens so quickly and suddenly half the town’s involved in what was supposed to be a secret, and nobody takes the time to truly explore. But I don’t know. Maybe I am the only one who would want to see such a version of IT. What would you do if you could make IT?

[weaselyrn]

THE BASICS:

Full Name: Ronald Bilius Weasley

Label:The King

Nicknames: Ron, Ronnie (molly), Ickle Ronnikins (the twins),Wheezy (dobby)

Birthday: March 1, 1980

Birth Place: Ottery St.Catchpole, Devon, England

Gender: Cismale

Sexual Orientation: Straight

Occupation: Hogwarts Student

alignment: the order

INTERIOR:

Blood status:  Pureblood

House: Gryffindor

Wand: 14 inches, willow, and has a unicorn  hair

Boggart: Spiders

Patronus: Jack russel terrier

Pets: previously a rat, now an owl named pigwidgeon

Moral Alignment: choatic good

Tarot Card: ( test here ) the fool

Goals / Desires: to defeat voldemort, his family’s (including harry and hermione) survival, to be successful and happy 

PHYSICAL:

Height: 6′0

Weight:152lbs

Eye Color: Blue

Hair Color: Red

clothing style: it has to be comfortable and easy to wear, handmade and hand me downs most likely

Left handed or Right handed: right-handed

Distinguishing Features:freckles

Tattoos or scars: a scar on his leg from when he got injured at the shrieking shack

FAMILY:

parents: molly and athur weasley

siblings: Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and Ginny Weasley

children:n/a

FAVORITE:

Book: Quidditch Through the Ages

Movie: He doesn’t watch movies as it is a muggle thing but if he did have a favorite movie, it would be a comedy movie

Food: Anything his mom cooks

Flower: Roses because that’s only one he knows

Season: Spring

Animal: Dogs

Memory: The first train ride to Hogwarts and meeting harry and hermione.

THIS OR THAT:

Cats or Dogs: Dogs

Mornings or Nights: Nights

War or Love: Love

Smoke or Drink: Drink

coffee or tea? Tea

writing or reading? Reading

THOUGHTS:

Death Eater coming back: He hates that there is death eaters coming from the woodworks and he wants them to rot in azkaban and see justice done. 

Enemies coming back: same as above

Loved ones coming back: He’s really happy that there is people he loves coming back.

Love At First Sight: He wants to believe in it but he does think that it’s more attraction at first sight than love

One True Love / Someone You Will Always Love: he believes that there is one true love for everyone as he sees it everyday with his parents. 

QUESTIONS:

What is their family history like? How does it affect them? How do they feel about their family? How does their family feel about them? His family is happy but since there is so mnay of the weasley children, ron tends to feel overshadowed by his siblings. he is the last boy and sometimes he feels like the discarded weasley as molly wanted a daughter and instead had him. this gives him some insecurity issues and all he wants is some attention and wants to be more successful. His family though does love him despite what he thinks.

who were their first love and do they feel the same now as they did then? He hasn’t found a first love yet.

Do they believe that a person can redeem themselves from mistakes of the past? Yes he does but there is some lines that they cannot come back from. 

What scares them? Spiders, failure, being a disappointment, having his family die

How do they feel about death? Have they been significantly affected by it? ron hasn’t really encountered death up close and luckily so far, his friends and family are still alive. But he is scared of waht could happen to them in this war

What is one thing in their past they’re ashamed of? One thing they’re proud of? He is ashamed that his jealousy got in the way of supporting harry during the triwizard tournament and also that he wasn’t there for ginny during her first year with the diary. He will forever be proud of the way he stood up to sirius for harry and he will do it again a thousand times. 

Pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth. If your character was a seven deadly sin, what would they be and why? Envy because he tends to get jealous about other people. 

What is their goal? to defeat voldemort and do something that would make him happy and successful.

Do they believe Voldemort is back ? YES HE DOES. he believes in harry and dumbledore

PICK THREE:

lyrics that describes your character best:  You just call on me brother, when you need a hand We all need somebody to lean on I just might have a problem that you'll understand We all need somebody to lean onLean on me, when you're not strong And I'll be your friend I'll help you carry on For it won't be long 'Til I'm gonna need Somebody to lean on “ - Bill Withers

quotes that your character lives by: “kill me if you must for i shall not bow my head to a king who has it’s treasury stunned with jewels of every soul he has ripped apart.” - sanskriti sharma

fictional characters that your character can relate to: Finn Hudson from glee, Peter Parker, Sokka from ATLA

people who have changed your character’s life immensely: his mom, harry, and hermione

[ciathyzareposts]

Asylum II: The Birds, Part 2

Written by Will Moczarski

At the beginning of my second session I make a list of all possible puzzles I will have to solve. There is, for one, the obvious fetch quest (a): the scientist needs a magnet, a battery and some copper wire. So far I haven’t found any of these items. There’s another minor fetch quest, apparently, as the surgeon tells me he needs some drugs. (not for himself, I suppose, but you never know?) (b) the circuit housing feels like something could (and should) be done there, possibly in order to tamper with the workings of the electro-shock therapy? (c) The rocket belt may be useful in connection with the very long corridor. (d) I haven’t found a use for neither the pay phone nor the receiver. (e) I will have to dress up as a doctor eventually but that may already be part of the endgame. I reckon that the stethoscope will be necessary for this. (f) I frequently encounter a bumbling hypochondriac. He always runs from me when I approach, screaming “GERMS! GERMS!” but there may be some way to interact with him. Obviously, this feels eerily familiar in these unsafe times of an approaching pandemic.

For now, I don’t include all of the items and rooms I haven’t found a use for. The stethoscope may come in handy when I will need to dress up as a doctor. The bird costume? The bean bag? I really have no idea. My theory is that I will likely retrieve the necessary items for the scientist from the circuit housing and the pay phone. I shall also try to wear the bird costume and enter the film set – maybe the mad producer will like me better that way?

First, I fiddle with the pay phone for a bit. In the end I resort to violence. Hacking away at the phone with the axe at least provokes a reaction but I’m picked up for violent behaviour so maybe it’s not what I was supposed to do. As usual, I end up in my own cell after having been treated with the electro-shock therapy.

Next, I try to do something in the room with the circuit housing. After a fair bit of guessing the right verb, I come up with a combination that works: “scramble circuit.” Shaddam’s and Vetinari’s suggestions (“trip circuit” and “detach circuits”) unfortunately don’t work. And boy, the NPCs keep ticking me off to no avail in this game! They are used for new kinds of puzzles but the way they are written into the game is downright repetitive and annoying. It takes a long time to listen to their dialogue and you bump into them quite frequently. After a while I resort to violence and decide to attack the hypochondriac. Although the game tells me it “wouldn’t advise it” I persist, and this time I try the axe. Just like before (when I let the poor pay phone feel the pain) I am picked up for violent behaviour but this time something different happens because I have successfully tampered with the circuits. A fuse blows in the electro-shock room and everything turns dark. Luckily, I have the candle and matches but after a while it’s burnt up and everything goes dark again. Did I just rig the system without any benefits? I can’t imagine that to be the case. I do it again and this time I notice that there’s a battery lying on the floor of the electro-shock room. I can pick it up and head straight to the circuit room but it doesn’t work there. Going over my notes I see that I don’t carry the fuse that I stole from the electrician after hacking him to bits. That must be the solution – the battery is probably the first item for the scientist! Several attempts later I manage to put the fuse in the circuit, and the lights come back on. I’ve glossed over for this blog post how painful this segment is as you really have to go to the circuit room right away or the game tells you “You hear a flame sputter out” at some point and leaves you in the dark for the rest of your days.

The hypochondriac still keeps haunting me, however, so I don’t consider that puzzle solved yet. I try talking to him but to no avail. Then I try to give him everything I own (or rather stole). To my surprise, the stethoscope prompts him to listen to his own heartbeat. When I attack him this time, I catch him off guard, but he only runs away screaming and keeps my stethoscope. Is this a dead end? At a second glance, however, he drops some pills so I count this as a success. I pick them up and examine them and apparently they “look like anesthesia drugs”. Maybe these are the drugs the surgeon is looking for?

It was difficult to get a screenshot of all this madness but you get the idea.

I take them to him and, wow, I did not expect any of this! The surgeon immediately offers to give me a new face now that he has drugs for anesthesia, although I’m not sure whether I even asked for that. There’s a mesmerizing sort-of “animation” with lots of little white dots filling the screen. The game tells me that I am “being operated on” (so much for free will) and finally I emerge looking like Alfred Hitchcock. This is more than surreal but at least I know where I need to go next: the film set, obviously. The mad movie producer is positively starstruck and hands me his camera (“movie cammera”, according to the game but not the parser which requires me to “get camera”). This time I have no idea what I should do next but the set piece with the plastic surgeon and the movie producer seems to have unlocked another of those NPC puzzles we’ve already seen some of: a guard approaches and asks me whether I’m making a movie. Only after a few of these encounters it occurs to me that I may be able to strike up a conversation. If I say “yes” he asks me if he can be in it, and if I say “yes” again he asks me what he should wear. Fair game, it’s probably the bird costume but I don’t have it with me right now. After some backtracking (and meeting the guard over and over – seriously, game!) I can hand him the costume and he runs of in glee, leaving behind his uniform. Seems like a very good trade!

  My next thirty minutes or so are dedicated to some more experimentation with the rocket belt. I try to use it in some different environments to get a feel for how it works. The first time, if you remember, it flew away, so now I figure out that I need to wear it first before pushing the button. I get the best results in the long corridor, as I had previously suspected. The rocket belt first accelerates, then decelerates but I still smash into the wall and die. Maybe I need something to break my fall? It takes me longer than I’d like to admit but after a while I decide to see what happens if I drop the bean bag at the other end of the corridor. Voilà: the bean bag cushions my impact and the rocket belt explodes but leaves behind a bit of copper wire. Cartoon logic, the second – but I’ve got another fetch quest item for the scientist!

Once more, I’ve hit a wall (pun intended). Posing as a guard doesn’t really help me out and I have no idea where I might find the final item for my fetch quest. After a while it occurs to me that I might be able to vandalize the pay phone as a guard rather than as a patient. And indeed: “As you look like a guard, the vandal alarm is ignored.” I vandalize the phone but only coins fall out. What am I supposed to do with those? After some fiddling I find out that I can also vandalize the receiver using the same syntax (“hack…with axe”). This time, magnets fall out. Strike three, and it’s off to the scientist!

He is more than happy that I bring him everything he needs to build his time stasis unit. Luckily, I can keep it. Let’s not think about it too hard, right? He warns me that I can only use it twice but I don’t even know what it’s for. As an inventory item, it’s called “statis generator”. By examining it, I only find out that it has indeed a button on it. My best guess is that this machine is able to stop the flow of time. I decide to save my progress before fiddling with it. It turns out to be some sort of fast-forward device as time begins passing around me “at an enormous rate.” Hmm, what would I be wanting to skip? A quick glance at the map makes it likely that it must be the psychiatry session. Let’s give it a try, shall we? It works! The psychiatrist leaves eventually and I can pick up his smock. Boy, these Bill Denman games have some weird items, don’t they?

The main question is: will this be enough to get me out of the “doctors only” exit? Have I already won the game? Am I getting really good at this after all? Well…sort of. I am confronted by a guard who gives me a lengthy villain speech about how “they” are surprised that I’ve gotten so far, I’m smarter than they thought yada yada yada. Then there’s a little plot twist: they need me to get rid of the “Master Mystic”. If I can provide some proof that I have indeed vanquished this greater evil, “they” will let me go free. Seems fair enough, right? See you next time, I guess.

Session time: 4 hours Total time: 6.5 hours

Note Regarding Spoilers and Companion Assist Points: There’s a set of rules regarding spoilers and companion assist points. Please read it here before making any comments that could be considered a spoiler in any way. The short of it is that no CAPs will be given for hints or spoilers given in advance of me requiring one. As this is an introduction post, it’s an opportunity for readers to bet 10 CAPs (only if they already have them) that I won’t be able to solve a puzzle without putting in an official Request for Assistance: remember to use ROT13 for betting. If you get it right, you will be rewarded with 20 CAPs in return. It’s also your chance to predict what the final rating will be for the game. Voters can predict whatever score they want, regardless of whether someone else has already chosen it. All correct (or nearest) votes will go into a draw.

Med Systems Marathon Overview:

(a) 1980 Summary [P1] (b) Reality Ends (1980) [P1] [P2] (c) Rat’s Revenge [P1] / Deathmaze 5000 (1980) [P1] [P2] [P3] [P4] (d) Labyrinth (1980) [P1] [P2] [P3] (e) Asylum (1981) [P1] [P2] [P3] [P4] (f) Microworld (1981) [P1] [P2] (g) The Institute (1981) [P1] [P2]

Jyym & Robyn Pearson Mini-Marathon Overview:

(a) Curse of Crowley Manor (1981) [P1] [P2] (b) Escape from Traam (1981) [P1] [P2] (c) Earthquake – San Francisco 1906 (1981) [P1] [P2] (d) Saigon: The Final Days (1981) [P1] [P2]

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/asylum-ii-the-birds-part-2/

[har-rison-s]

body language

Roger Taylor x OC ;)

a/n: hi! this is also going to be a long one, i'm sorry, i tried to write this as good as i could :). thank you for the feedback on fat bottomed girls - wow, i honestly didn't expect it, haha! love all you dirty bastards ;)

warnings: smut, a little bit of public sex - sorta (personally i'm not a fan of it, so idk)

requested: yes! OmG u fucking went OFF with the Roger smut🤪 I LOVE IT If u take requests, u should also do a smut to Body Language bc that song hella sexy. (can we have a laughing fit about the fact that the emoji is fucking italic, too HAHAHAHHA)

main masterlist

borhap masterlist

roger masterlist

She never expected any of her nights to turn out like this one did. It was all a big surprise and quite a shock to her. Lottie layed in the bed of her own best friend, currently being in a situation she could have only dreamed of.

“Come on, Lot! We need—you need to—lay off a little, have a bit of fun.” Roger almost begs her while sitting on the sofa with his arm spread out on the back of it. He looks at Lottie hopefully. Her teeth are biting down on her nails, she's nervous and confused, and thinking. She's walking back and forth in a few meters range. “Please...You won't regret it.”

It's late, almost nine in the afternoon on a Friday night, and Roger wants to take his dearly beloved best friend Lottie to a night club. They both have had quite a busy and stressful few weeks, and Roger - always with the bright ideas - has a suggestion how they both could have a relaxing night.

“Roger, for all I know, you could be dragging me out to a strip club as a prank!” She exclaims, throwing her hands around. Roger scoffs.

“Why would I do that?” He asks her with a disapproving look. Lottie shoots one of annoyance back.

“Because that's what you do. You like to tease me and make a fool out of me.” She replies. Roger rolls his eyes. “It's true, you know it yourself, Taylor!” Lottie raises her arms.

“Not this time, Lottie.” Roger says and looks at her sideways. She sees generosity in his eyes. “Not this time.” He adds. His blue eyes sparkle in that particular way they always do when he wants something. It makes Lottie annoyed.

She groans. “Okay.” She raises her arms again. “Okay, alright. We're going.” Lottie states and then sighs immediately, regret falling over her features as she puts her head in her own hand. Roger makes a winning gesture, and it annoys her also. “Only because I can't resist those stupid eyes of yours.” Lottie admits.

Roger winks as he walks past her, close to her and Lottie steps back a little. He pinches her side and she yelps. “Is this what I get for agreeing to go with you?” She asks, astounded. 

Roger only raises his eyebrows. Lottie turns around to go and dress up, but not before Roger's hand comes down on her bum. “Roger!” She turns her head to him. “What the fuck's wrong with you?!” Lottie exclaims and walks faster to her room.

After a while of deciding and Roger's comments about speeding up, Lottie has decided what to wear. Even though it's the beginning of the 1980s and a beginning of a new era, Lottie likes the fashion of the previous decade. Her outfit to go are tight-fit marina blue jeans with a high waist and a blouse with long sleeves and yellow stripes all over it. 

The outfit isn't too fitting to go to a night club, but clubs aren't Lottie's scene, and she doesn't really care if the outfit is aproppriate for it or no. Since she agreed last minute, she just wants to feel comfortable enough, already being out of her comfort zone. 

Lottie steps out of her room and closes the door. She walks down the hallway and finds Roger already looking at her. Lottie can't really tell what he's thinking. “I know it's nothing much, but...” She trails off, not really finding the words to say next.

“Oh, shut up, Lottie, you look dashing.” Roger says without a doubt in his voice. She laughs at him, and pats his shoulder. 

“You stupid flirt.” Lottie says and walks past him to get her jacket. “So are we going or not?” She asks, putting on her boots and watching Roger stand there. “You've called a cab, I presume.”

“No, love, I have my own car.” Roger responds. Lottie chuckles. 

“Oh, right, forgot about that.” She says. Soon after, she locks her apartment and they both get into Roger's car. Colour choice of the day is blue. 

They drive into the business of London town with no obstacles in the way, and Roger pulls the car to a stop right next to a loud scene. A pair of doors were decorated with blue and red letters above them, two guards, a line of people waiting and extremely loud music busting out of them. 

Lottie shakes her head and scoffs silently. She can't believe she really agreed to be there. How loud will the music be when they're in there? And how long will they have to stand in line for?

Roger's door slamming is what wakes Lottie up from her daydream. She lifts her head and moves her hand so that she can oper her door, but Roger beats her to it, opening it from the outside. Lottie smiles at him and gets out of his car. Roger meets her with a sly grin as he closes the door and guides Lottie up to the club with his hand on her back. Always the gentleman, Lottie thinks to herself.

To Lottie's surprise, she and Roger are let in without standing in the que. Roger notices her surprise and grins. “Perks of being who I am.” He says as they walk further into the building. Lottie plays dumb on purpose.

“And who is that, exactly?” She asks. Roger rolls his eyes at her joke and she laughs. Anything that he could have said in response is drowned out by the horribly loud music. Lottie winces at the sudden noise and almost covers her ears. “God, it's as loud as one of your concerts, Rog!” She yells in his ears.

“Almost as loud, love.” He responds. “We're much louder than this rubbish, and that's without the audience.” Roger states and Lottie nods. “Come here, there's a booth here that's reserved for us.”

“A booth - for us? You were really convinced that I'll come?” She's surprised.

“And I wasn't wrong, was I?” Roger asks when they reach the corner of the room, and the booth Roger mentioned. There's a guard in front of it. “Hey, Dave.” He says to him and the guard smiles. He doesn't speak a word, but lets Roger and Lottie put down their coats on the sofa of the booth. Roger whispers something to Dave before he and Lottie walk off, and Dave nods. Lottie's interested is picked, but she gets her questions out of her head.

“So, what are we drinking?” They've reached the bar now, and Lottie's leaning against it, checking out the menu on the opposite wall. 

“Something strong, eh?” Roger suggests and Lottie shoots him a grin. 

“Alright, drinker, pick us some serious ones, then.” She says and leans back off the counter, letting Roger have access to the bartender. He orders them both vodkas with lime and pays while Lottie takes in the scene around them.

There are so many people in the club, Lottie thinks the number reaches over two hundred. Most of them are people sucking each other's faces off with their hands all over. The other half are either dancing and kissing on the dance floor, or hanging somewhere around the bar or in their booths. 

Many girls and women are dressed in such questionable outfits, it makes Lottie want to drink. She raises her eyebrows at one with her breasts out especially, as she passes by on heels higher than the Eiffel tower. Lottie mutters a “jesus christ” when she's walked away.

Lottie can't wait to see which girl of all these Roger will take home tonight, making him forget all about Lottie or driving her home. Wouldn't be the first time. He always gets horrid shit-faced and then distracted by a girl with the most interesting face, breasts or legs of the night. In the morning, when Lottie's walked home by herself, he gives her the worst excuse for leaving her alone and forgetting about her. She's tired of it, honestly, and it's part of the reason she didn't want to agree to going out. 

“What's got your face so serious?” Roger asks, handing Lottie her drink. She gladly takes it and swallows a fourth of the glass. “Shall we go dancing, then?” He asks when she doesn't give him an answer.

“No, you go ahead. I'll probably join you later.” Lottie responds with a small smile. Roger pouts.

“Why are you such a party pooper?” He asks and downs half of his drink.

“Roger, I said I'll join you later.” She says with serious eyes. Their eyes connect for a moment, and it seems to be a silent conversation. Truthfully, it looked like Roger was undressing her with his eyes, but Lottie didn't pick that up. Her stare was serious, and a little cold, maybe even sad. “Go have fun.” She says finally.

A look of disappointment crosses Roger's face and Lottie turns on her heel to put down her now empty glass. She orders another vodka with lime, and turns back around to see that Roger's gone, probably on the dancefloor. Yes, there he is, dancing like a fool. It makes Lottie laugh. Her drink is served, she drinks the glass empty instantly, and immediately orders another one.

Drinks gone one by one, Lottie watches Roger dancing by himself and using silly dance moves you could only see in american movies. She puts her umptieth empty glass down and turns to the bartender to inform him that she wants another one. When she opens her mouth to order another one, the most familiar pair of arms grabs her by the waist and pulls her away from the bar. 

Lottie yelps out of surprise and struggles against Roger, and he puts her down when they're in the middle of the dancefloor. She immediately turns around. “What do you want, Roger?” Lottie asks in an almost exhausted voice. 

“Want you to have fun, let loose.” He says and starts to move to the rhythm of the current song, his hands still on Lottie's waist. “You've deserved it.” 

“Oh have I?” Lottie asks and puts her hands on Roger's shoulders. “And what do you want me to do? Dance like all those mad girls?” She looks around them, and Roger follows her eyes. He laughs and shakes his head. 

“I don't care how you dance. As long as you want to, that's all.” He says just as Lottie slips her hand into his and pulls away, her other arm going up, and Roger recognises the dance move. Lottie twirls back to Roger, their linked arms wrapping around her as she presses her back into Roger.

Baby don't talk Body language Give me your body

She then pulls away and puts one of her hands on Roger's shoulder, the other still linked with his hand. She laughs at how silly their position is - they're in a night club that's playing normal dance music, and yet they're in a waltz position. Roger gives her a smile and puts his free hand on her waist to complete the position.

“Is this what you imagined?” She asks Roger as they move quick to match the beat of the song. Roger asks so hard it makes him tilt his head back, and it makes Lottie laugh, as well.

“Exactly what I thought,” Roger starts to say, “except one tiny detail.” He adds and puts both his hands on Lottie's waist, which leaves her no free hand to fall on his other shoulder. She looks at him questioningly, with her eyebrows furrowed. 

Lottie notices him staring at her, and their noses getting closer with each passing second. She's quite confused, more so by the amount of alcohol in her system. “This one thing is missing...” Roger whispers right before his lips fall onto Lottie's.

Her eyes shoot open immediately, and she inhales through her nose to breathe again. Her hands push against Roger's chest in protest, although she's conflicted inside. Lottie has wanted nothing more than this, but never admitted it to herself or any other person. Then again, she doesn't want to lose what she's had with Roger for all these years. 

Roger feels her protesting and pulls back with a sad and also confused look on his face. One of his hands raise to touch Lottie's cheek. “Lottie, what is it?” He asks queitly and Lottie's eyes frantically search Roger's.

“Roger, I...” she stutters and trails off. She looks at his chest and hits it gently with her hand again. “I just—you're not... you're not even that drunk.” Lottie finally says and looks back into Roger's eyes. He furrows his eyebrows at her and then lets out a nervous chuckle, his head hanging down.

“Lottie, I don't have to drink to now that I wanna do this.” Roger admits once he's looking at her again. Lottie gasps queitly. “The question is... do you want to?”

Lottie can barely contain herself. She nods, biting her lip, and it makes Roger smile. He leans closer to her lips again, and this time slowly kisses her, almost teasingly, and it drives Lottie crazy. The kiss is sensual, slow and everything she could wish for. Her hands hold Roger's face close to hers by his neck, and his hands are no longer on her waist, but on her cheeks now. 

“We probably shouldn't forget that we're in the center of a dance floor.” Lottie whispers to Roger after pulling apart and she giggles. Roger smiles at her. 

“Do you even feel like dancing now?” He asks her and Lottie shakes her head.

“I mean, I'd love to, but...” she can't really voice her desires, but Roger can read it off her face. 

Just give me your body Give me your body

“C'mon.” He says and takes her hand in his, pulling her away from the busy dance floor where, surely, people were watching the “scene” of Roger and Lottie. 

Roger leads her through the crowded club, and soon they reach the booth he had reserved for both of them. Roger lets Lottie sit down first, and when he moves to sit down himself, Lottie pulls him down by kissing him. 

They had never kissed each other before, in their life-long friendship, never. Honestly, Lottie now had a question as to why. Kissing Roger was blissful. No other guy could even compete with him.

Roger moved her body on top of his as they continued to kiss each other. Their kisses became more heated and feverish, and their hands started to wander around each other's bodies. Roger's hands took particilar interesent in the front of her, and soon his right hand was slipping past the buttons of her jeans. 

Lottie eyes him cautiosly, but doesn't stop him. Instead, she can't contain her moans when his fingers are ghosting over her underwear. Her face changes completely and she collapses against Roger while he works on her clit through her wet underwear.

He's looking up at her with such lust and crave clouded eyes that he can barely see her face twisting with every move of his fingers. Lottie's panting, and lets out a high-pitched moan when Roger's fingers enter her. 

“Oh, Roger...” she moans and clutches onto his shoulders. 

“Move, baby girl.” Roger encourages her in a low voice. “Ride my fingers, baby.”

Lottie almost faints at his words, but follows his suggestion. She starts moving up and down on Roger's fingers—now three—starting slowly. Roger moans at how magnificent she feels around his fingers, and he can't help his mind wonder to how she'd feel around his other friend.

“Just like that, baby...” he says, “you're doing so good.”

“Roger, I—I don't think I'll...” Lottie starts to say, and Roger knows what she'd say. He swallows the rest of her sentence by kissing her on the lips. He hears her moan in the midst of their kisses, and works her off until her orgasm hits.

She's a mess by then, resting against Roger's neck and panting heavily. Roger takes a tissue from the table once she's done, and cleans her up. Lottie whimpers, her clit sensitive from the orgasm. “Yeah, the tissue's quality is out of my control.” Roger says and throws it away somewhere behind their sofa.

He buttons Lottie's jeans up and kisses her, gripping her right cheek in his hand. Roger pulls apart then, and analyses her face. She's quite tired, he thinks, but his mind changes when a smile appears on Lottie's lips. Roger chuckles.

“That was... something.” She admits. 

“To put it right, yeah.” Roger replies and Lottie giggles, leaning down to his lips to kiss him again. 

“Don't you think it's your turn now?” She asks and Roger is taken by surprise. 

“W-What?” He stutters, and it makes Lottie giggle. He hasn't changed. Roger can still change from a man who knows what he's worth to a silly and shy school boy in a matter of seconds.

“Shall we stay here or...” She bites her lip, looking around. “go somewhere else?” 

“I still have to pay for our drinks, but we can go after I do.” Roger suggests with a raised eyebrow. 

“Alright.” Lottie climbs off his lap and takes her coat. “Meet ya outside.” She winks at Roger and walks away. He stays in his place for a while, trying to comprehend what just happened, but then regains his focus. Roger gets his coat and walks over to the bar.

Lottie puts on her coat once she's outside and then leans against the outside wall of the club. She bites down on her finger and giggles, thinking about what her and Roger just did. It also turns her on, for the second time tonight.

She can't really believe that her best friend just gave her the best orgasm she's ever had. And it's Roger... her mind simply can't connect those two dots, it's too mind blowing right now. Perhaps her brain will work in the morning.

“You come here often?” Roger takes her by surprise for yet another time tonight, walking out of the club and instantly hovering over Lottie. She chuckles.

“No, some stupid boy dragged me into here, never been here before.” She responds. Roger laughs, his facade cracking. 

“Let's go, love.” He says and takes Lottie's hand in his own, pulling her to his car gently. He opens the door for her and then gets in his own seat. Once Roger starts the car, Lottie looks at him. He feels her stare and turns his head. 

She blushes and turns her head to the window. Roger reaches his free hand over to her when they're on the big street and grips her thigh. Lottie hisses and puts her hand over Roger's. 

“I'm mad about you, Lottie.” He admits and it makes Lottie look at him again. “You make me mad.”

Lottie hums. She doesn't know what to say, but her grip on his hand tightens. It seems like the ride back to her house lasts forever. But then Lottie realises that they're not even close to where she lives. “Roger—” she's cut short by the name's owner.

“We're going to my place.” He says simply and takes a left turn. Lottie nods with raised eyebrows. It takes another five minutes of silence filled with heavy sexual tension, and they arrive at Roger's house.

Lottie again waits for him to open her door, and he does. When she gets out, instead of walking up to the door, Roger pushes her against the now closed door. His lips are on hers again, and Lottie sighs in pleasure. Roger kisses her lips, cheeks, nose, ears, neck, everywhere that he can see.

“Give me one valid reason I shouldn't just take you here and now.” He whispers in Lottie's ear and she shudders. 

“It's cold out here.” She states and Roger shrugs, pulling himself back.

“Good enough.”

The way her hands feel around his shaft is magical. Roger's head hangs back and he's panting heavily, his fingers raking over Lottie's scalp. Her other hand is caressing Roger's chest while her lips are pressing kisses to his neck.

No, he can't. He needs to know how she feels around him. “Lottie, stop...” he says barely audibly, she didn't hear him. “Stop, stop.” Roger speaks up louder. 

Lottie looks at him questionigly. “What is it? Did i something wrong?” She sits down next to him on his bed. She's in her bra and underwear and Roger's almost bare, as well, he only has his shirt on. 

As many times as Roger had seen Lottie in this get-up, this time it's different. She's different. Only because now she's his to have, and he hopes that not only for tonight.

“No, no, baby.” Roger reaches a hand out to her cheek. “You're perfect, you did perfect.” He leans in closer to her and kisses Lottie's lips. She smiles against his lips. 

“Really?” She asks with hope in her eyes. Roger nods.

“Course you are.” He says and laughs. Lottie gives him a smile and blushes. “I just—let's save me for another time.” Roger winks at her and Lottie chuckles, nodding. 

“So... what do you want me to do?” She asks in such a quiet whisper that she's not sure Roger even hears her. She's shy about all of this, suddenly. Roger laughs and then looks away. After a few seconds of humming and thinking, he turns his eyes back to her.

“I want you to get naked...” Roger trails off as he watches his finger move the strap of her bra, “and then got on top of me.” He finishes, his eyes connecting with hers.

You've got the cutest ass I've ever seen Knock me down for a six anytime Look at me, I got of case of body language

Lottie pushes Roger down on the bed so he's completely laying down and then disappears out of his view. He lifts his head so he can see her. Lottie pushes her bra straps slowly off her shoulders, and then unclasps her bra so it completely falls off her, reaching the floor. 

She looks at Roger over her shoulder and grins when she sees him watching her. Lottie slows her actions down even more, and tugs her panties down her legs. It's torturing Roger and he groans. “Lottie...” he sighs and lets his head fall back onto the bed. 

But he lifts his head back up so he can watch her walk over to him. She does, and she is so beautiful and smoking hot as she walks. Her legs are moving slowly, and she knows exactly what she's doing to Roger.

You got red lips Snakes in your eyes Long legs, great thighs

Lottie crawls over Roger with the slyest smirk on her face she could master. Her breasts barely touching Roger's chest makes him whimper. He reaches out his arms to touch every inch of skin that he sees. His fingertips run all over her back, her breasts until they reach her thighs. 

Roger grips the back of them, earning a moan from Lottie. She puts her hands on Roger's chest and trails them down as she sits on his thighs. Roger's hands move to her hips, guiding her to sit down on his stiffness. Lottie lets out a gutteral scream as she slips down onto him and Roger's head hits the pillows once again.

“Fuck, Roger...” she yells between her panting. With all the power that he still has, Roger grips onto Lottie's hips and starts moving her up and then slowly back down. He watches as her face twists and her hair moves rythmically around her face, falling around it and framing her pretty features. How come he never saw this beauty in her before? When she had all those shitty boyfriends?

Lottie ignores Roger's hands and starts moving at her own rhythm. It takes Roger by pleasant surprise, and he yells out her name several time while she's at it. He knows that he won't last long. Lottie's hands leave little scratches and marks on his chest while his own hands are gripping tightly onto her hips. There will be marks visible in the morning, that's for sure.

“Lottie...” Roger pants and she can see sweat beads collecting on his forehead. “I'm very close.” He announces. Lottie nods and adds a finger to her clit so she'd meet Roger's time.

She knows that Roger's nearing his orgasm when his hands let go of her hips and fall weak at his sides. “Come for me, Roger...” Lottie whispers in his ear, bending down to his level. He pushes her back up so that he can watch her from below. Lottie gives him a grin and then feels herself coming.

Moans, curse words and each other's names fill the room as Roger fills Lottie up with his liquid finally, while Lottie herself comes for the second time that night. Neither of them knew that they craved this for such a long time, and it finally happened. The two best friends since birth had had sex for the first time.

Roger pulls out of Lottie and she collapses against his chest. Both of them are breathing heavily, their sweaty bodies sticking together in a mess of bare limbs. Though they're both tired and spent, Roger takes a blanket from the edge of the bed and pulls it over the both of their heads. 

Lottie snuggles up in his chest, and Roger's arm falls around her shoulders. He presses a kiss to her head before closing his eyes and drifting to sleep.

Out of all the possible scenarios of how Lottie thought this night would turn out, this is one she's definitely not diasappointed of. She thought she'd cry, be sad or numb, tired and mostly - alone, but in reality she's the opposite of all the words mentioned. 

Lottie thought she'd have to get home by herself, without Roger, while he's off with a random girl met in the club. Or she thought that she'd get so drunk she wouldn't remember anything she's done, and that Roger would drop her off at home, and leave her alone.

Naturally, she asumes the worst of a situation and Roger, because frankly, she's had bad night-clubbing experiences with him before. So it's only fair for Lottie to expect the worst from her best friend.

But here she is, sleeping in his arms after a few wonderful activities with him, feeling happy and not alone. She'd never expect this to happen in a million years or all of her living years. 

YEEEHAAAAAAAAAW

[cecilspeaks]

144 - The Dreamer

It’s turtles all the way down. But man, it’s kittens all the way up.

Welcome to Night Vale.

Our top story today is the PTA bake sale from 4 until 8 PM at Night Vale High School. There will be cakes, pies, cookies and all sorts of desserts available, and the money goes to a great cause: funding for the blood space war. PTA officers Steve Carlsberg, Susan Willman, and Diane Crayton expect this to be the largest bake sale in more than a decade. This is because the City Council, in cooperation with the Sheriff’s Secret Police, in cooperation with a vague, yet menacing government agency, in cooperation with the world government, in cooperation with the lizard people wing of the Bilderburg group, has mandated that all citizens participate in this spring’s PTA bake sale. A group of men in black suits wearing sun glasses and earpieces gathered around City Hall this morning to confirm this. “Perhaps bring some moist blueberry muffins,” one of the mysterious men announced. “Or invisible pie,” said another. “Oh, oh, oh! If you have one of those special pans that makes only brownie edges,” said another. And each of the men squealed and clapped their hands saying: “Yes! Those are the best!”

So head on down to the high school and buy and sell some tasty baked goods for a valiant cause. It’s illegal not to.

In related news, more than 200 soldiers died yesterday in the bloodiest battle yet of the ongoing blood space war. Not all have been identified, but we have learned that Corporal Waymon Davis and Sergeant Yasmine Alfonse, both residents of Night Vale, are believed to be among those killed. Officials from intergalactic military headquarters said no armistice is in sight, as they are not certain who they are fighting, what they are fighting for, and when the fighting is even happening. “Time is super relative, man,” said senior strategic advisor Jameson Archibald. “Like prrrrrrr, mind-blowing how some of the people who are fighting this war haven’t even been born yet! My head hurts just thinking about that. Spacetime, can you even believe it, just woooow!” Archibald concluded.

Why are we fighting this war and who is involved, and beyond bake sales and online crowd sourced donations, who is funding this conflict? Over the next few weeks, I will try to do my best to answer some of these questions, but beware that these questions may have no answers. Or worse, have answers that make no sense. Today we will start with what we know. We will start the story of – Eunomia.

Eunomia grew up on a farm. Her parents planted invisible all corn. All day, Eunomia would work the fields. This was the early 1800’s, so there were no gas powered tractors or tillers or combines. Eunomia would plant each invisible corn seed one by one in long rows over several acres. She enjoyed this work, because she loved the fresh air, the insects and the birds, and the dusk, her favorite moment. The stars would come out. During the late summer she would lie down in the corn fields, hidden among the tall invisible stocks of majestic corn. And she thought of all the possible worlds beyond this one. Eventually, her mother would call her home for dinner, and the next day Eunomia would dream about those worlds while culling the ripened corn, anxiously awaiting the disappearance of the sun, so she could comprehend the infinite possibilities of a life that was not this one.

On her 17th birthday, Eunomia went out to the corn field, but never returned. When her parents went to look for her, they found a large perfectly round clearing. There was no corn in this circle, only flat dirt, Eunomia’s packed lunch uneaten, her diary, her tools, and the clothing she had worn that morning, the last time anyone saw her.

In the 1980’s, librarians at the Night Vale Public Library found Eunomia’s diary, which historians had long thought to be either or legend. The librarians said they found it underneath the second floor Dr Pepper machine. A bibliophile or historian must have hidden behind the vending machine, trying to escape hungry librarians, but left the artefact behind when that person either escaped or was eaten. The librarians who found the book placed it on display in a new exhibit called “Early Night Vale Life: Quotidian scrawlings of delicious mortals”. It took many years of armed expeditions into the public library and cost many lives for historians to read this entire diary. But their brave efforts eventually paid off, as most of the diary has been transcribed or photographed. Here are a few sample entries from Eunomia’s journal.

“July 15, 1815. The star I have named Wolfgang has moved from its constellation. I believe it to be an artificial vessel. I shall send it a message somehow.

August 1, 1815. Wolfgang has grown larger and now changes colors. Tonight, it is azure. Last night it was turquoise. I predict it has seen our Earth.

September 4, 1815. Tonight I have carved a message into the corn. It is not in English, but in patterns, concentric circles connected by sharp angular lines. I have carved this message quite large. I do hope it is legible. Tomorrow morning I shall find out.”

And just below this entry, Eunomia has sketched this cornfield pattern into her diary. Her final entry was on September 5. “A man with a mirror for a face has come for me. Does not speak. Farewell.”

More on the story of Eunomia in a moment, but first, breaking news from city hall. Pamela Winchell, the city’s director of emergency press conferences, called an emergency press conference to announce, and I quote, “some crazy black bull blanks going down over here, y’all. Whooollyyy blank,” she added. Winchell was standing near a cornfield on the property of John Peters – you know, the farmer. She was covering her mouth with one hand and pointing with the other while jumping up and down. Winchell said, “Y’all have to see this mess, but also like don’t come aaanywhere near here, no way. But still like, it’s kinda beautiful with all the lights and stuff, you really have to see it but you can’t, don’t. Definitely don’t come out here, nothing to see,” she said firmly, only to continue: “Cooool, oh blank that’s raaaaad.”

City Council quickly ushered Winchell away from the microphone and said that they have formed a secret exploratory committee to investigate the lights coming from John Peters’ land. More on this story as it develops.

For weeks after Eunomia disappeared, townsfolk mourned the loss of a young and vibrant girl. The city declared her dead, and her church held a public funeral service. Her mother spoke about Eunomia’s vivid imagination and penchant for drawing and painting. Her father, through halting sobs, said Eunomia was a smart girl who loved astronomy and physics. The crowd gasped at this. Some of the congregation vocally protested saying: “He should not be accusing the dead of paganism. Eunomia’s father calmed them and said: “Science is not a fringe religion, Eunomia taught me this. She wrote about the movement of stars and planets every day. She dreamed of a time that human beings could leave this gravity and travel into deepest space. I, too, thought science was Satan’s checker board but now, thanks to my dear daughter, I think science is neat.” The congregation grumbled, but ultimately accepted that a grief-stricken parent must be given room for the madness of sorrow.

The people of Night Vale moved forward with their lives. Like all tragic loss, they remembered Eunomia, sometimes even see her, only to realize it was a shadow or a mistake of the mind. They felt sad and empty, but over time the sadness waned and the emptiness filled, as they always do.  

Her parents sold the farm and moved into the city. Consciously, they wanted to be closer to their community, but subconsciously they feared having to endure the weight of public empathy, so they mostly stayed indoors. One year after Eunomia’s physical disappearance, the memory of Eunomia had all but disappeared as well. Night Vale was back to normal. No one was thinking about Unomia that day, that anniversary. They were thinking about something else: the visitor.

More on this soon, but first traffic. Christina and Ricardo Alfonse had just exited Route 800 toward Pike Street, when they planned to turn left toward the hospital. Ricardo was driving quickly as Christina was in immense discomfort. She was eight months pregnant when contractions began only half an hour ago. Fearing the complications of an early birth, Christina did not outwardly panic, she inwardly panicked. She grew quiet and still, as her body began to convulse and her guts begun to churn. She turned to her husband and calmly stated: “Ricky, the baby’s coming.” Ricardo, having read nearly a dozen books, including “The Physiology of Pregnancy”, “The Psychology of Infancy”, and “The Anthology of Relevancy”, felt prepared for even this most unexpected of moments. Inwardly, he did not panic. Outwardly, he was a blubbering mess. He rushed his wife into the car and onto the hospital going well over the speed limit, asking Christina if she was remembering to breathe, Christina repeatedly asking Ricardo to slow down and confirmed she was breathing. A minor accident between a top secret military transport truck and a 2011 Honda CRV along Route 800 near Exit 12 had slowed the couple down by a few minutes, and during that traffic jam, Christina turned on the radio to take her mind off her body. She heard a news update about the blood space war and the tragic deaths of two Night Vale soldiers, one of whom was named Yasmine Alfonse. Christina and Ricardo Alfonse knew they were expecting a girl. They knew they would name her Yasmine, because it is a beautiful name. Ricardo laughed at the dark humor of the improbable coincidence, but Christina never laughed nor believed it to be a coincidence. They arrived at the hospital with plenty of time to spare and three hours later their daughter Yasmine was born. Christina had decided to give her a different name, but when the nurse who was filling out the birth certificate asked, Christina said “Yasmine,” as she was unable to say anything else. It was like that moment had already happened and she was only remembering it.

So, expect 15 minute delays on eastbound lanes of Route 800 near Exit 12. This has been traffic.

On the anniversary of Eunomia’s disappearance, an astronaut arrived in Night Vale. The early 19th century villages did not know what an astronaut was. So what they saw was a puffy silver humanoid with a mirror for a face. The astronaut suddenly appeared in the center of town, roughly where the Dog Park is today, and walked silently through the dusty streets. Crowds gathered and followed the stranger, all the while pointing and warmly shouting “Interloper!” in hopes that the frightening figure would show signs of benevolence.

The astronaut, bow-legged and slow, walked without speaking toward the outskirts of town. It took hours, and by the time the visitor stopped, nearly the entire city had followed. There was a greenish aura about the astronaut as they turned to face the gathered mob. The astronaut lifted their gloved hands to their neck and unlatched the helmet. There was a loud hiss and a pop, and the mask lifted. The crowd tentatively approached the stranger, and as the helmet came fully off, the townsfolk cried out in horror. The face of the visitor was nearly skeletal, a rotted corpse, long white hair peeling down the back of the skull, an incomplete set of elongated teeth visible with no lips to hide them, startled eyes ever staring with no lids to express anything else, and what was left of the skin had shriveled and yellowed.

The crowd had begun to step backward, but one woman stepped forward – a tired and pale woman approached the decomposing astronaut and said: “Eunomia?” The astronaut opened her mouth slowly and spoke in a hoarse cough. “Mother,” the astronaut said. Eunomia’s young mother touched her elderly daughter’s face. Unomia broke into dust. And the empty space suit collapsed into the ground.

More news, but first, The weather.

[“The Only Thing” by Ali Holder, http://aliholder.com/]

Dozens of astronauts appeared in Night Vale over the centuries that followed. They still occasionally do, but it has been 36 years since the last appearance. These astronauts are time travelers of sorts. They are Night Vale citizens who fight for humanity in the blood space war, but are returning home to recruit or retire. Those who have returned from battle have told us about Eunomia and her incredible leadership and diplomacy. Her death in the timeline of those fighting his war has get to occur, but in our earthly timeline she died 200 years ago in a cornfield. There is so much more to say about Eunomia and the beginnings of the blood space war, but we cannot cover all that here. It is much too complicated a story. [nervously] Plus, an empty-eyed messenger child from the City Council just showed up in my radio studio to tell me to get to the important news of the day. [gleefully] Thank you, child! Here’s an iPad, go play on Tick Tock and stop staring at me! I’m really creeped out!

[clears throat] The City Council organized a press conference this afternoon, but before it could begin, Pamela Winchell grabbed the microphone from the City Council and shouted: “Surprise emergency press conference! Hey, so a space craft flew down into John Peters’ cornfield, and these beings of astonishing structure emerged with two floating pods, and inside these pods were dead bodies! Ie was sad, but also the bodies looked pretty old, so maybe it was just their time. Sometimes that happens, you know, actually it always happens. No one has ever not died. Anyway, if you lost an elderly friend or relative, maybe come identify the bodies! Sorry for your loss.” Winchell then reached up into her hairline and pulled down a zipper that ran from her head to her waist as she opened herself, a Pamela-shaped cloud drifted up and away over the crowd, a faint voice saying: “Pamela out!” could be heard in the sky.

Several Night Vale residents came to view the bodies. One body was identified as Waymon Davis by his great great grandson Melvin. Melvin brought a daguerreotype photo of Waymon from 1980. In the photo, Waymon was 33 years old. The body Melvin identified looked to be in his sixties, but it was clearly Waymon. Christina Alfonse, holding her newborn baby in her hospital bed, saw the footage on television. When she saw the other body, she saw a woman in her seventies with Yasmine’s eyes, Yasmine’s lips, and even the same thick low forehead. Christina held her baby tight to her chest. “You are a brave woman,” she said to the infant Yasmine as she kissed her tiny cheeks.

Stay tuned next of the sound of an alarm click that cannot be turned off and a dream that cannot be awoken from. Good night, Night Vale,

Good night.

Today’s proverb: Talk to your kids about the birds and the bees. “Never look directly at birds,” you should say to them, “and bees? Don’t get me started.”

[relbyshock]

Amy Winehouse, Princess Diana, Britney Spears, Marilyn Monroe, Aileen Wuornos, Angelina Jolie, Adolf Hitler, Darrell Hammond, Pete Davidson, Winona Ryder, Vincent Van Gogh, Tommy Tiernan….

What do they all have in common? Apart from being famous figures, they all suffer(ed) or were rumored to have suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder.

Hey, me too.

I’m over the moon to have something in common with Princess Di (apart from our shared plight with bulimia), but I have to say, I’d rather not have anything in common with Aileen or Adolf…..

Borderline Personality Disorder is a confusing term to say the least. On the borderline of what and what? Well, in the ‘30s, it meant you fell somewhere between psychosis (untreatable) and neurosis (treatable).

Great, that’s reassuring.

Come the ‘70s, BPD sufferers were described as being very emotional, needy, difficult, at risk for suicide, and to have an “overall unstable level of functioning”.

Check. *sings “Welcome to My Life” by Simple Plan*

We also have rapidly fluctuating mood swings, unstable self-image, and a fear of abandonment. This disorder wasn’t even recognized by the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) until 1980.

Today, we know far more about BPD – “neurosis” is no longer used in the diagnosis, and BPD is no longer considered a psychotic disorder.

 So what are we then?

Crazy?

Hormonal?

According to my family, yes. But in reality, the problem lies within our brains. Let me nerd out here for a minute:

The Amygdala (Ah-mig-dah-lah) is composed of two almond-shaped parts of the brain, deep in the medial temporal lobe, that regulate fear and aggression. People with BPD have amygdala’s that are noticeably smaller than that of a healthy person. The smaller the amygdala, the more overactive it is.

Like short guys with bad attitudes, or what I like to refer to as “little man syndrome”.

And then we have the Hippocampus – no, not pachyderm college. The hippocampus is responsible for spatial orientation (not falling over), long and short-term memory, and emotional regulation. Put simply, the hippocampus chooses the correct response to environmental events: Fight or flight.

You may be wondering if I was dropped on my head as a child. The answer is yes – frequently – but the chances of minor brain trauma causing BPD are slim.

The causes of Borderline Personality Disorder are unclear. It seems to involve genetic, brain, environmental and social factors. There are rumours that people with BPD have issues with serotonin production, which has been linked to depression, aggression and having a hard time controlling “destructive urges”.

As for environmental factors, those who have been a victim of emotional/physical/sexual abuse, as well as being exposed to chronic fear or distress as a child have a high likelihood of developing BPD. This is because our relationship with our parents and family has a HUGE influence on how we see the world, and how we feel about other people.

Gals are also diagnosed 3 times as often as guys. You’ve gotta wonder if that’s due to the fact that men tend to be more weary of the doctor, therefore avoiding a diagnosis altogether. This is pure speculation.

Shall we take a dive into the “Signs and Symptoms” as listed by Wikipedia?

-Markedly disturbed sense of identity

-Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment and extreme reactions

-Splitting (black and white thinking)

-Impulsivity

-Intense and uncontrollable emotional reactions that often seem disproportionate to the event or situation

-Unstable and chaotic interpersonal relationships

-Self-damaging behavior (ie, substance abuse)

-Distorted self-image

-Dissociation

-Frequently accompanied by depression, anxiety, anger, substance abuse or rage

We are also aware of the intensity of our negative emotional reactions, and since we can’t regulate them, we shut them down completely. What my doctor and I refer to as feeling “flat”.

BPD sufferers are also extremely sensitive to real or perceived rejection. Let’s explain with a meme, shall we:

*looking at an unanswered text from 12 minutes ago*

You: They must be in the shower or just busy, they’ll respond when they have a chance.

Me: Ok well they were active on Instagram 6 minutes ago and they just posted a snap story….they’re ignoring me, why do they hate me? What did I do? Are they mad at me? Should I send another text to get their attention or is that too needy?

If you’re annoyed just reading that, TRY LIVING IN MY BRAIN.

I annoy myself.

I feel grief, overwhelming shame and humiliation where others would feel mildly embarrassed. A minor inconvenience such as cancelled plans takes me from excited to absolutely miserable.

In the past, an unflattering photo on Facebook has caused me to reevaluate my self-worth, and even my life.

The Sickboy podcast explained it beautifully: Borderline Personality Disorder is like having a third degree burn on your emotions. I feel that. Everything hurts me just a little bit more than the average bear (or human).

Why am I telling you this? Because boys and girls, today is Bell Let’s Talk Day here in Canada. I’ll include the link at the bottom. Basically, in 2010, Bell began a new conversation about Canada’s mental health. They’ve enlisted such figures as Howie Mandel, Michael Landsberg, and Clara Hughes to share their stories of struggle and strength in the face of mental health.

I thought today was as good as any other to address the stigma surrounding mental health, but more specifically, the stigma around BPD.

I can’t pretend to know all the answers – I’m not and won’t pretend to be a psychiatrist. But this is what the world looks like through my lens.

If someone honks at me while I’m driving to work, I’m upset ALL DAY. I never want to drive again, I want to pull over and cry, or turn around and go home.

If I get a moderately rude email, my brain fills with cutting, angry, and just plain mean remarks to respond with. “I’m sorry your father never hugged you as a child” is not a suitable response to a professional email, but that’s where my brain goes.

When I make plans with friends weeks in advance and they bail 10 minutes before, I am a heap of inconsolable sobs for the rest of the evening, and even into the next day. This plays into the fear of “real or imagined abandonment”. My BPD brain does not care that something came up or you’re feeling under the weather. BPD tells me that you hate me and you never want to see me again and you were just pretending to like me this whole time and you’ve finally made your escape. My logical brain tries to tell me that it’s ok, and we’ll plan something for another time, but usually, my BPD brain wins the fight.

When I get nervous and start to ramble trying to tell a story and my mom cuts me off with “Anyways.” I want to crawl in a hole and die, but I also sort of want to throw a plate at her face. My mother is a saint, so why do I feel this way about her sometimes?

Let’s get back to the causes of Borderline Personality Disorder. Dad, Mom, maybe stop reading here…or don’t…but here’s your warning. You aren’t going to like this next part.

I was severely neglected as a child. Not physically – I had food to eat, clothes to wear, a roof over my head – but emotionally and mentally. The minor relationship I did have with my father was marked by him coming home from a long shift (as a firefighter) and starting a fight with me about my weight, my shoes at the front door, my marks in school, and more often than not, “why are you always crying?!”. My mom also worked full time at a stressful sales job. So by the time she got home, she didn’t want to have to deal with anyone else’s issues.

So when I would have issues with anything from being bullied at school to just having a ‘bad mental health day’, I had nowhere to turn.

See, my brother and I were latch-key kids. We got home from school at least an hour before my parents got home from work. He and I never got along, so some sort of fight would ensue, and by the time our parents got home, he had made me cry. I was deemed dramatic and sent away to my bedroom, while the 3 of them would eat dinner together (usually something I refused to eat – like meat – which would be another reason to fight).

I’ve voiced this to my mom before, and she remembers my childhood very differently than I do.

As long as I have been alive, I have come second to my brother.

No, honey, we can’t go to (insert activity I wanted to do) because Maxx has hockey/a book report due/needs a ride to the bike track, etc.

Every dinner or event we went to was with HIS friends and THEIR parents, who ended up becoming my parents’ best friends (still to this day). I was always the only girl; so naturally, I stayed with the adults, because the boys wouldn’t have me.

But the adults didn’t want me there either. I felt like a constant annoyance.

Thinking back on it, I realize that I may not have been as unwanted as I perceived myself to be. Remember, BPD brains are sensitive to even slight facial expressions and tones of voice. But, when I voiced this to my parents, that I felt unwanted, and why couldn’t we do things with my friends and their parents, etc. I was told that I was being ridiculous.

Enter: Invalidation

Invalidation is the number one cause of BPD, according to my psychiatrist. Growing up in an environment where nothing you do is good enough will cause you to internalize everything.

I have no memories or examples of healthy emotional behaviour or relationships. In our house, we got the point across by screaming at or just plain ignoring each other. So when I get hurt, or I feel let down, I have absolutely no idea how to deal with my feelings. Further reinforcing my belief that the world is full of bad people who are out to ruin your day and be unkind, because that’s all I’ve ever known.

Research shows that if you already experience these difficulties as a child, experiencing trauma as an adult could make things worse.

Dad - now is really the time to stop reading.

(Sometimes I feel like I live inside the DSM definition of BPD)

At the age of 21 – fresh out of college and trying to start my career in the fashion world – I was sexually assaulted. Cue the downward spiral.

I didn’t report. I didn’t seek help. I confided in a close friend, and was called a liar. But that’s a story for another time.

So I buried that part of me so deep, that sometimes I could convince myself that it never happened. Sometimes.

I reached the end of my rope in 2016. I knew that if I didn’t seek help, I would not survive. I finally went to my doctor and spent hours with her, just sobbing and telling her everything.

She hooked me up with a psychiatrist, and put me in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, and started me on an SSRI (anti-depressant) immediately.

As of today, it has been 1172 days since the assault. I only told my mother this past summer.

Since reaching out for help, I have begun to repair the relationship with my parents. My mom and I are closer than ever, and my dad and I are working on it.

As I write this, I feel the judgements pouring in. But I have decided that this year, I don’t care. I am not ashamed of my story. I will no longer hide the things I have been through in order to make others more comfortable. I will not keep my pain to myself because it’s easier for others if I stay silent. If bearing my soul can help even one person seek the help they need, then I have succeeded, and all this pain has been worth it.

The long and short of it is SPEAK UP! There is nothing embarrassing about mental illness. If you aren’t feeling right, there are people who care and are here to help you, including me. The first step is to tell someone.

The best advice I can give is to find your people. People who trust you, who lift you up, who validate your feelings, who listen and take you seriously when you say you’re having a bad day. I have spent the past year painstakingly building my support system, because the truth of the matter is, I can’t do this alone. And that’s ok.

Today and every single day, be kind to each other – it’s the only thing that matters.

https://letstalk.bell.ca/en/bell-lets-talk-day

[hitchell-mope]

Mcu high school au featuring:

Scarlet America, pepperony, brutasha, iron dad and science sons, a bit of spideychelle a bit of parksborn, some Bucky/Pietro some Steve Sam some thorbruce and Loki being the shit that he is

So

Tony pepper pepperony Steve and Bucky. Well. Steve was adopted by Bucky’s parents after his parents died and then after their dad died their mother married Howard stark and they got Tony for a stepbrother. Poor Tony is very small so yeah Bucky is “that” brother who takes advantage of the height difference between him and tony. But never Steve no Steve’s his baby brother. Then Steve had a major growth spurt the summer before their senior year so Bucky tries to get to join in but Steve’s a good boy who would never make fun of Tony for his height. At least not on purpose. Tony met pepper after freshman year and they’ve been together ever since. Even when her dad becomes Howard’s EA. Steve is pretty obviously Howard’s favourite son. So when Steve asked if he could try out for cheerleading practice who was Howard to say no. It help that Bucky’s the school quarterback and if anyone one messes with Steve they have to answer to Bucky. Cause Steve’s the commitment type he doesn’t quit after puberty hit him like a truck. The only concession is that now he’s the pyramid base

Iron Dad and spider sons. Pepper convinces tony to sign up with the big brothers program at the school. He is called f course reluctant but does it anyway and before he knows it he got to scarily smart freshmen attached to his hip. Parker’s genuinely interested but Harley’s more of his own person and likes to prank people for which he turns to Loki. Literally nobody questions it when Tony gets to school and two tiny little freshmen are in the car with him and pepper. And if they do Steve just gives them the “I’m disappointed” look. It’s Bucky who’ll probably beat them up. Parker has a shall we say very “transparent” crush on Thor. Not helped in the least by this helping him with gym class (the ball sports are where he fails. Gymnastics is more his forte). And Thor’s basically a giant cuddly toy so trying to pick things to hate about him doesn’t work. Apart for one thing.

Brutasha scarlet America thorbruce. Natasha and the maximoff’s were adopted by the Barton’s. Pietro and Wanda are war orphans. Natasha’s mother betrayed the Russian mob. For which she was gunned down. Clint’s parents adopted them and their brother is very protective of them. Wanda is a bit of a goth. Pietro is on the track team. Natasha is the captain of the schools gymnastics team. Seconded only by Parker. Now Thor has people literally throwing themselves at him (Parker included) but the human golden retriever has his own highly transparent crush. Bruce. Banner. Nobody knows why. Nobody else knows why Natasha is dating Bruce. It’s next to know secret that the whole school thinks that Natasha and Thor should be together after all they’re “the jocks”. And Bruce is co captain of the science club (the other being Tony but of course no one makes fun of Tony because his daddy’s rich and his stepbrothers though younger are significantly taller than him and most of the student body. Steve is a sunshine boy and as mentioned Wanda is a bit of a goth. Not like death will be sweet release goth but like dresses in dark colours (red and black mostly) and has a more then healthy interest in magic. Nobody messes with her though. Her brothers and her sister make sure of it. But still bit of a shock when Steve Rogers-Barnes-Stark starts dating Wanda Maximoff-Romanov-Barton. After her mother died Natasha was sent to a mob owned orphanage (the same mob that killed her mother) so you can imagine how well that went for her. Bruce has a split personality that’s he’s terrified of manifesting itself as all his insecurities and failures that his rat bastard of a father revels in pointing out. Natasha has unresolved issues from the orphanage. It’s not pretty and neither of their problems have gotten better just because their in a relationship.

Spideychelle Sam/Steve Bucky/Pietro and parksborn. Harry’s a new student almost as rich as Howard and his family. He British and a bit moody and constantly tries to downplay his status. Michelle is also a new student and does not like it there. Neither of them do. Until they meet Parker. Who, like Steve is a sunshine boy. He’s actually a little like a more awkward version of Thor (if that’s even possible). So now the chain of crushes on the oblivious are: Michelle and Harry crushing on Peter. Peter crushing on Thor. Thor crushing on Bruce. Who is with Natasha. Harry’s the desperate one. Michelle is relatively more reined in. Mostly. And Harley and Loki in the background just laughing their devious heads off at the ridiculousness of it all. Sam is Steve’s best friend and much more of a Michelle then a Parker. Yes he’s got a crush on Steve. But he gets along my well enough with Wanda. Pietro would warm him off except he and Bucky have started spending a lot of time together.

Oh and there’s a rumour going around that Loki wormed his way into the will of this old eccentric nobody knows how or if it’s true or not. And frankly everybody’s too afraid to ask. Loki does nothing to prove or disprove the rumours.

Principal Thaddeus Ross. Is. A. Fckwit. He has an unfounded hatred of Bruce and Thor. Nobody likes Ross. Though everyone like the eyepatch wearing vice principal Nicholas Fury and his secretary miss Hill well enough. Ross yells when he thinks they’ve embarrassed him by being themselves. Fury yells when they’ve put themselves in unneeded danger. And Ross is a bit of a bigot. Oh he’s settled himself into the queen Osborn’s and the Stark’s back-pocket but he makes it abundantly clear to Peter and Michelle that if they weren’t affiliated with harry and Tony he’d kick them out of the school (Parker is bi. Michelle is black. Work it out). For the life of him he can’t figure out why Steve who’s built like a brick shit house stays on the cheerleading team. The one reason he can think of is the reason Fury punches him out for.

Then there’s a car crash and he dies instantly. And Fury is principal

There’s an urban legend of some kid called PJ Quill getting abducted by aliens in the 1980’s. Well that’s what half the people who are asked say. The other half say that his mother developed a brain tumour died and his father went postal. Most would prefer to believe the former.

[patriotsnet]

Why Are Republicans Against The Era

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/why-are-republicans-against-the-era/

Why Are Republicans Against The Era

Republican Governors Revolt Against Cdc Mask Guidance

Bill Maher explains why intelligent people vote Republican

Republican governors are rejecting new mask recommendations the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Tuesday, casting the health guidance as a step back amid a push to vaccinate millions of Americans that is already struggling in their states.

In statements and public comments, governors said their states would not return to the mask orders issued in 2020.

“The CDC’s new guidance suggesting that vaccinated people wear masks indoors flies in the face of the public health goals that should guide the agency’s decision making,” Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said in a statement. “The State of Nebraska will not be adopting their mask guidance.”

“Public health officials in Arizona and across the country have made it clear that the best protection against COVID-19 is the vaccine. Today’s announcement by the CDC will unfortunately only diminish confidence in the vaccine and create more challenges for public health officials – people who have worked tirelessly to increase vaccination rates,” Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said in a statement.

Newly revised guidance from the Atlanta-based agency recommends that some fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors if they live in areas where the virus is spreading rapidly.

Most of Nevada, Utah and Wyoming are areas of high concern. So are parts of California, much of Indiana and Kentucky, and eastern swaths of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

Video: CDC Reverses Mask Guidelines

CNBC

President Truman Integrates The Troops: 1948

Fast forward about sixty shitty years. Black people are still living in segregation under Jim Crow. Nonetheless, African Americans agree to serve in World War II.

At wars end, President Harry Truman, a Democrat, used an Executive Order to integrate the troops.

These racist Southern Democrats got so mad that their chief goblin, Senator Strom Thurmond, decided to run for President against Truman. They called themselves the Dixiecrats.

Of course, he lost. Thurmond remained a Democrat until 1964. He continued to oppose civil rights as a Democrat. He gave the longest filibuster in Senate history speaking for 24 hours against the 1957 Civil Rights Act.

House Votes To Reauthorize Violence Against Women Act Despite Gop Opposition

WASHINGTON The House on Thursday passed an extension of the Violence Against Women Act, which provides protections for survivors of domestic violence, and includes new gun-related provisions that are opposed by the NRA.

Lawmakers approved the bill in a 263-158 vote, with most Republicans voting against it.

The measure, which expired in February, was sponsored by Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. The bill today, which would extend the law for five years, includes new provisions that would make it harder for domestic abusers to gain access to guns.

Those include an attempt to close the so-called ‘boyfriend’ loophole, prohibiting those convicted of stalking or abusing individuals with whom they have been in a relationship that did not include marriage from buying a gun.

Read Also: Liberal Congress Members

Lawsuit Regarding Deadline Extension

On December 23, 1981, a federal district court, in the case of Idaho v. Freeman, ruled that the extension of the ERA ratification deadline to June 30, 1982 was not valid, and that ERA had actually expired from state legislative consideration more than two years earlier on the original expiration date of March 22, 1979. On January 25, 1982, however, the U.S. Supreme Courtstayed the lower court’s decision, thus signaling to the legislatures of still-unratified states that they may continue consideration of ERA during their spring 1982 legislative sessions.

After the disputed June 30, 1982, extended deadline had come and gone, the Supreme Court, at the beginning of its new term, on October 4, 1982, in the separate case of NOW v. Idaho, 459 U.S. 809 , vacated the federal district court decision in Idaho v. Freeman, which, in addition to declaring March 22, 1979, as ERA’s expiration date, had upheld the validity of state rescissions. The Supreme Court declared these controversies moot on the grounds that the ERA had not received the required number of ratifications , so that “the Amendment has failed of adoption no matter what the resolution of the legal issues presented here.”

Emergence Of New Conservatism

The relief programs included in FDRs New Deal earned overwhelming popular approval, launching an era of Democratic dominance that would last for most of the next 60 years. Between 1932 and 1980, Republicans won only four presidential elections and had a Congressional majority for only four years.

Though the centrist Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was president from 1953 to 1961, actively supported equal rights for women and African Americans, a conservative resurgence led to Barry Goldwaters nomination as president in 1964, continued with Richard Nixons ill-fated presidency and reached its culmination with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.

The South saw a major political sea change starting after World War II, as many white Southerners began migrating to the GOP due to their opposition to big government, expanded labor unions and Democratic support for civil rights, as well as conservative Christians opposition to abortion and other culture war issues.

Meanwhile, many black voters, who had remained loyal to the Republican Party since the Civil War, began voting Democratic after the Depression and the New Deal.

Don’t Miss: Is Trump A Republican Or Democratic

Hayden Rider And Protective Labor Legislation

In 1950 and 1953, the ERA was passed by the Senate with a provision known as “the Hayden rider”, introduced by Arizona senator Carl Hayden. The Hayden rider added a sentence to the ERA to keep special protections for women: “The provisions of this article shall not be construed to impair any rights, benefits, or exemptions now or hereafter conferred by law upon persons of the female sex.” By allowing women to keep their existing and future special protections, it was expected that the ERA would be more appealing to its opponents. Though opponents were marginally more in favor of the ERA with the Hayden rider, supporters of the original ERA believed it negated the amendment’s original purposeâcausing the amendment not to be passed in the House.

ERA supporters were hopeful that the second term of President Dwight Eisenhower would advance their agenda. Eisenhower had publicly promised to “assure women everywhere in our land equality of rights,” and in 1958, Eisenhower asked a joint session of Congress to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, the first president to show such a level of support for the amendment. However, the National Woman’s Party found the amendment to be unacceptable and asked it to be withdrawn whenever the Hayden rider was added to the ERA.

Democrats V Republicans On Jim Crow

Segregation and Jim Crow lasted for 100 years after the end of the Civil War.

During this time, African Americans were largely disenfranchised. There was no African-American voting bloc. Neither party pursued civil rights policies it wasnt worth their while.

Democrats dominated Southern politics throughout the Jim Crow Era. Its fair to say that Democratic governors and legislatures are responsible for creating and upholding white supremacist policies.

Southern Democrats were truly awful.

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Why Are So Many Republicans Refusing Vaccination Because Russia Is Telling Them To

What is the difference between doubt and distrust? Doubt can be overcome by evidence. Distrust cannot.

According to a recent Washington Post poll, refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine has now become completely politicized in the USA. Among Democrats, 93% report that theyve already gotten at least one shot or are likely to, compared with only 49% of Republicans.

Why so much refusal to vaccinate among the GOP? Because theyre being targeted by a deliberate campaign of disinformation. Science denial isnt a mistake, its a purposeful lie.

Despite ample data that the vaccines are safe, false stories circulate on the internet claiming that scientists are lying to us, that the vaccines can make you infertile, that they contain microchips, that they can alter your DNA. Do these worries arise organically? Maybe some do. But such disinformation is often intentionally created to serve someones financial, political or ideological interests.

Among those with something to gain is the Russian government, which is diligently working to undermine confidence in the vaccines as part of its goal of destabilizing American society. It has been spreading misinformation for years on a host of other virus-related topics, including flu and Ebola. From there, its a short hop to having their message amplified by conspiracy-embracing, right-wing media, whether witting or not, and by the soulless churn of algorithms on social media.

But can it work with strangers?

Why Do Republicans Hate Everyone

BATRA’S BURNING QUESTION PERIOD: Memo to Trudeau: Why do you hate Canada? Where’s the budget?

In fairness, the question should be: Why does the extreme right-wing;hate everybody? The majority of republicans are just as friendly as your average floundering democrat. In reality-tv-obsessed America, however, the people who yell the loudest and say the most outlandish things are those who make the news and get elected President.

With that in mind, we can still generally answer the question: Why do republicans seem to hate everybody?

Lesson one: look to history. There are countless periods in political history in which we find anger-driven uprisings against all things other by the right-wing. Every time the economy swung in favor of the wealthy and against the average worker, the right-wing increased its political power by blaming The Other: Irish, Italians, African Americans, Chinese, Japanese, even alcohol. Today that blame is targeted at Mexico and predominantly Muslim nations.

Same problems, different scapegoats. Assigning blame is the easiest way out of complex situations especially for the simple-minded. Assigning blame is also the shortest path to a culture of hate.

Like chanting, hate is a infectious. It spreads like a cancer and a wave in a stadium. As a result of decades of fear-mongering on right-wing media combined with GOP election strategies of encouraging blame and;disgust;of the opposition, hate has become a permanent motivator in;republican brain function.

Read Also: Democrats More Educated Than Republicans

Why A Republican Who Co

By: Ned Oliver– February 21, 2019 6:19 pm

Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment rallied at the Capitol in Richmond earlier this year.

The Equal Rights Amendment only needed two Republican votes to pass the House of Delegates.

And two Republican delegates signed on as co-patrons to the ratification resolution that passed the Senate, where the chief sponsor was also a Republican.

So what happened?

After the ERA failed in subcommittee, where four or five members of the majority party can kill legislation, the only way it could get a full vote on the floor of the House was through a rules change.

Thats what Democrats tried; twice on Thursday. But when it comes to procedural votes, the Republican caucus is known for toeing the party line.

I dont believe that we change the rules in the middle of the game, said Del. Roxann Robinson, R-Chesterfield, one of the two Republican ERA co-sponsors with Del. Chris Stolle, R-Virginia Beach.

Thats the bottom line. Bills live and die here all the time, and when your bill doesnt go the way you want it, you dont just change the rules to make it happen.

Does she consider her votes to be against the ERA?

I voted against the rules change, she said. Definitely I voted against the rules change.

Whether voters appreciate that distinction in November remains to be seen, but political observers say they doubt it.

Robinson and Stolle also face uphill battles, with Kaine winning their districts by 10 and six points respectively.

Which Came First: Republican Hate Or Gop Misinformation

Hate is a great motivator. All political parties have used it to get out the vote. Generally, those who seek elected office shape information in a way that helps a certain voting block hate their opponent. Thats how we elect people in America. That is a sad reality we just have to accept in order to fix it. Hope doesnt fix it.

Whats unique and new about negative politics in the post-Obama era is that we have this thing called the Internet and dare I acknowledge itSocial Media. ;Social media has completely isolated the Republican Party base. The Internet and social media have created hard-edged, isolated buckets of information where facts dont matteragreement;and emotion matter. For republicans, agreement with their own bias is considered fact, whereas disagreement is a lie they literally transform reality to support their own opinion: the Post-Truth Era. In order to maintain that alternate reality, they have to hate those who dont agree, otherwise their reality bubble starts to break apart.

This is the case on both sides of the aisle, but the hardliners have taken it to a new level, which is why they seem to hate everything. Theyre even taught to hate things that help them like the ACA, unions, and public education.

Social media and 1000 cable channels dont increase the information we receive they focus the information and repeat it 1000 times more often. Anything can become the truth when its repeated enough times.

Recommended Reading: What Caused Republicans To Gain Power In Congress In 1938?

Us District Court Lawsuit Supporting Ratification

On January 30, 2020, the attorneys general of Virginia, Illinois and Nevada filed a lawsuit to require the Archivist of the United States to “carry out his statutory duty of recognizing the complete and final adoption” of the ERA as the Twenty-eighth Amendment to the Constitution.On February 19, 2020, the States of Alabama, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Tennessee moved to intervene in the case. On March 10, 2020, the Plaintiff States filed a memorandum in opposition to the 5 states seeking to intervene. On May 7, 2020, the DOJ filed a motion to dismiss, claiming the states do not have standing to bring the case to trial as they have to show any “concrete injury”, nor that the case was ripe for review.

On June 12, 2020, the District Court granted the Intervening states motion to intervene in the case. On March 5, 2021, federal judge Rudolph Contreras of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the ratification period for the ERA “expired long ago” and that three states’ recent ratifications had come too late to be counted in the amendment’s favor. The plaintiffs said they will consider their options, including appealing this ruling. On May 3, 2021, the plaintiff states appealed the ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Mcconnell Walks Back Language About Stopping Biden Administration

Finally, on free market philosophy, Trump completely upended the way Republicans talk about the relationship between government and the economy.

Prior to Trump, the partys closest thing to a guiding light among members were then-Rep. Paul Ryans budgets, which called for partially privatizing Medicare, lowering tax rates and slashing overall spending. Tea party grassroots activists often took their cue from more libertarian-minded thinkers like Ron Paul, the former Republican congressman from Texas, who played up the beauty of the free market. They opposed barriers to trade, hated bailouts and subsidies, and looked down on the takers” who wanted the government to finance their lifestyle.

In fact, just one cycle before Trumps first run, a popular conservative take was that the working class paid too little in taxes relative to the rich a position illustrated by the party’s 2012 presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, and his famous .

While Trumps administration tended toward conservative orthodoxy, his message to voters frequently undermined it. He promised not to mess with entitlements. He threatened individual companies whose CEOs crossed him and slapped tariffs on imports. He boosted spending and said it was a good time to borrow.

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House Republicans Vote Against Equal Rights For Women

A House resolution removing the ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment passed Thursday with just five GOP votes.

Nearly every House Republican voted against a resolution that could help ratify the Equal Rights Amendment on Thursday, citing a litany of excuses not to enshrine equality on the basis of sex in the Constitution.

The House of Representatives voted, 232 to 183, for a resolution to remove the 1982 deadline for states to ratify the ERA. Five Republicans joined all 227 Democrats present in voting for the measure; 182 Republicans and a conservative independent voted against.

During Thursday’s floor debate, some Republicans said they opposed the resolution on constitutional grounds, but many argued against the Equal Rights Amendment on its merits.

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner warned that banning discrimination would mean women could no longer enjoy discounts. “Girls get substantially lower rates on auto insurance because they’re better drivers,” he said, adding that, with a constitutional ban on sex discrimination, such advantages “would become unconstitutional and girls are going to have to pay boy-drivers’ rates for auto insurance.”

Sensenbrenner also said that, although women “live longer than men,” women would also have to pay more for life insurance than they do now.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler said the ERA “would not bring women any more rights than they currently have right now.”

TAGS

Proposed Removal Of Ratification Deadline

On March 8, 2011, the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, Representative Tammy Baldwin introduced legislation to remove the congressionally imposed deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. The resolution had 56 cosponsors. The resolution was referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution by the House Committee on the Judiciary. The Subcommittee failed to vote on the resolution, and as such, the resolution died in subcommittee when the 112th Congress ended in January 2013. On March 22, 2012, the 40th anniversary of the ERA’s congressional approval, Senator Benjamin L. Cardin introduced âwhich is worded with slight differences from Representative Baldwin’s . Senator Cardin was joined by seventeen other senators who cosponsored the Senate Joint Resolution. The resolution was referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where a vote on it was never brought. The resolution, therefore, died in committee when the 112th Congress ended in January 2013.

On February 24, 2013, the New Mexico House of Representatives adopted House Memorial No. 7 asking that the congressionally imposed deadline for ERA ratification be removed. House Memorial No. 7 was officially received by the U.S. Senate on January 6, 2014, was designated as “POM-175”, was referred to the Senate’s Committee on the Judiciary, and was published verbatim in the Congressional Record at page S24.

Don’t Miss: Republicans 2016

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What We Do in the Shadows Season 3 Episode 5 Review: The Chamber of Judgement

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This What We Do in the Shadows review contains spoilers.

What We Do in the Shadows Season 3 Episode 5

The vampires get back to their official duties on What We Do in the Shadows  season 3 episode 5 “The Chamber of Judgement.” Nandor (Kayvan Novak) and Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) are poised to take the throne at the center of the judicial altar in the subbasement office of the Vampiric Council. They poise for quite a while. So long, in fact, it becomes unjudicial.

The battle over the top seat in the council is as petty as it is essential to the proceedings. One of the unsaid traits of the undead on What We Do in the Shadows is the vampires, besides never aging physically, don’t really seem to age emotionally or intellectually. They love their toys, any sense of ritual, glitz or shiny things in general. In the opening episode, Nandor couldn’t get enough creepy paper. When the rogue vampires declared independence from interpretive dance, Nadja made it a specific point from which they would never be freed. She is proven correct as the dance which opens The Ceremony of Judgment is cosmically confusing but comically utilitarian. The seat at the throne means a lot, but familiar-turned-bodyguard Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) wins the childish game of king of the kill by a default of his own.

I am absolutely enthralled by the relationship between Guillermo and the floating vampire Dark Shade (Kristen Schaal). Sometimes it appears like she’s flirting, sometimes she’s threatening. Sometimes the threats are sexy, and most of the threatened sex is downright dangerous. Dark Shade is throwing off some heavy vibes. Shaun (Anthony Atamanuik), who is Laszlo’s (Matt Berry) best human friend, thinks Nandor and Guillermo are lovers. But he also thinks Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) is either related to “Robinson Caruso” or is lost in space, and that an advertisement on a box is a legally binding document.

We have to wonder if Shaun ever really got over the brain-scramblies from last season. He seems a little too open to too much, and it may be a case of post-double-hypnosis trauma. In “The Casino,” it appears he’s just got a gambling problem. He drops everything he’s got, and when Laszlo stakes his losses, Shaun still puts it all on one number at a roulette game.

This week, during “boys only night,” Shaun steals the underwhelming thunder of the great psychic vampire himself, Colin Robinson. What could be more soul-sucking than a garage full of Guy Pillows? They’re a knockoff of a brand which has been keeping people awake for years. It’s a good thing Laszlo doesn’t use a pillow, he’s nowhere near ready to be woke, even if he does wear an old lady’s wig to court.

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“The Chamber of Judgement” balances the scales of justice between the human world and the vampire one unevenly because there is a vampire at each undue process. While Laszlo tips the scales in favor of the wrong party in the Guy Pillow slumber fest, he bites off more than he can chew at the Vampire Court. Nandor and Nadja, with the whispering human Guillermo in the hot seat, debate the fate of misguided bloodsuckers. It’s pretty much a coin toss. Convinced to give leniency to one vampire, who was selling fake pills which were supposed to keep vampires safe in the sun, the next must die a horrible death. The only fate which is worse would be selling The Guy Pillows door to door, which is too much for even Shaun, who gets sued over it.

The human court is Small Claims court, but to Laszlo, there are no small claims, only grand entrances. The age-old vampire recalls, in his far too distant past, he was a barrister of some kind, at least he had been trained in the laws of law. What makes it all so fittingly real is how he came upon this knowledge: from necessity. He had to defend himself on numerous occasions, usually relating to some kind of obscenity charge. When Nadja later congratulates Laszlo on his first courtroom win, we realize he’s lost all of these historic cases. Why this comes as no surprise is somehow surprising. Laszlo also thought “boys-only night” meant a circle jerk. But it seems Laszlo sentences Derek to a life with Laszlo. While the former Mosquito Club member may represent a new low in vampire stupidity, I’d like to see Laszlo in a Hot Topic.

The “fucking guide” bit is classic. It is a line only Nandor can deliver. “Fucking guy” is almost his catchphrase on the show, and the twist on it is something which wouldn’t be out of place in a TV sitcom from the 1980s. What makes it stand out is the language. It plumbs similar, though opposing, comic deliveries which South Park mines through bleeping, but the nonchalance of the transposition stays with you. It’s like changing your name from Jennifer the Dreadfully Loathsome to Gabby the Dreadfully Loathsome, the little things make the difference.

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law,” the vampires are advised by HR. It is good for team building. Anything goes in the chambers, but usually on Thursdays because it’s tiring to keep up all week long. Colin really should put in an appearance. He’s certainly not getting any satisfaction tonight. The crunching, squealing removal of the throne would have at least provided a quick pick-me-up to the angst-hungry vampire. Colin’s Miss Honeycrunch Mystery game gets hijacked, he is quickly demoted from window to door when the game is on TV, and he never gets closure from a work layoff story. Even his squeaky off-key Yoda thing only gets a “that’s funny” from Laszlo. The psychic vampire has been drinking empties for a few episodes now. It must be part of the preparations for the season-closing birthday celebrations.

Written by William Meny and directed by Kyle Newacheck, “The Chamber of Judgement” weighs heavily in What We Do in the Shadows’ favor. We’ve had our fill of the neighbors, and the energy vampire needs an inspiration infusion, but Nadja’s intolerance, Nandor’s indecisiveness, and Laszlo’s indiscretions overrule the objections.

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What We Do in the Shadows‘ “The Chamber of Judgement” aired Sept. 23 at 10:00 p.m. on FX.

The post What We Do in the Shadows Season 3 Episode 5 Review: The Chamber of Judgement appeared first on Den of Geek.

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PARTISANSHIP ON THE SUPREME COURT

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett in an address this weekend said she was concerned about the public perception of the Supreme Court. She denied it was a partisan institution.

Justice Barrett said, “Justices must be hyper vigilant to make sure they’re not letting personal bias creep into their decisions, since judges are people, too.”

From the time she was nominated by Trump, I have felt she was not qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. Her intellectual prowess does not mean she is without a bias which makes her partisan.

People who lean one way do not know they are so inclined. Their thinking/vision is like a horse wearing blinders. Straight ahead.

Rather than detail step by step my feelings regarding her ability to serve, I am directing you to read 4 prior posts where I made mention of her. They cover her background pretty well: Wives Have To Obey Husband In Everything 9/27/20; The Proud Boys’ President 10/1/20; Hoax Comes Home To Roost 10/2/20; The Dike Is On The Verge of Collapsing 10/15/20.

Merely enter Key West Lou Topic Date.

I very rarely revert you a post already published. Today, I shall be doing it twice. Barrett was first. Now, what I view as a voice from the other side.

There is a comment section to my blog. Some do comment. I hear from all sides of the spectrum. Those that agree with me and those who do not. My readers also comment back and forth with each other. The comments sometime can be harsh.

I recently posted a blog titled Tactless Donald Trump.

“Anonymous” responded.

I am happy to receive comments from everyone. Those that agree with me and those who do not. Commenting is healthy, though sometimes a bit rough.

I am sharing one of the comments received to Tactless Donald Trump. I believe I wrote it 9/12/221.

Anonymous wrote, “No, no! – Donald Trump is the real President of the United States of America and deserves our respect. He definitely has my respect. His commentary on the boxing match was brilliant and seeing the white foreign guy beating the American black guy was a perfect entertainment befitting the holiday. And oh boy, Donald’s prediction about how Joe Biden would have gone down in under 10 seconds was right on. Donald always says it like it is. Thanks Mr. President, you’ll always be the best as far as your true fans are concerned. Best show all day.”

The Taliban are trying hard to show the world they have changed. To a degree willing to be like everyone else.

Time will tell.

Unquestionably, the Taliban have always considered and treated women as second class citizens. Their gender not to be educated.

The Taliban announced that henceforth women can study in gender segregated universities. The classrooms will be segregated.

The ladies will continue to wear Islamic attire.

Assuming sincerity on the part of the Talibans, I view this as a major step forward re women. Keep in mind the U.S. was slow in recognizing the right and need to educate its women.

Very few females were admitted to college in the first half of the 19th century. The doors opened rather dramatically in the second half of the century. Women were permitted to go to college. Their own. No mixture of the sexes. The following were born: Vassar, Wellesley, Smith, Bryn Mawr, Radcliffe and Barnard.

Women moved ahead rapidly in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Since those years, women have annually surpassed men in receiving Bachelor and Masters Degrees. Since 2005, they have exceeded men in the number graduating as medical doctors.

I entered law school in 1957. There were two women in my class. Today, there are more female law graduates than male.

The issue re the Talibans is whether they are sincere. Will the higher education of women be a forever thing or will the Taliban revert to their old ways?

A sad story. A reflection of where we are regarding medical services today. A problem contributed to by the COVID-19 virus itself and those who refuse to be vaccinated. I believe the problem has been acerbated by those who refuse to be vaccinated.

Alabama has been for a month or more in deep trouble re the virus. Hospitals filled. No ICU beds  available. Those afflicted with coronavirus or other ICU required attention are being sent to other cities and states if ICU beds are available in those places.

The Washington Post on 9/11  reported Ray DeMonia, an Alabama resident, had a heart attack and required ICU care. His local hospital had no room. Forty three hospitals in a 200 mile radius were contacted also. No beds available.

He died. Died because an ICU bed was not available.

Most of the beds in the hospitals contacted had COVID patients. I wonder how many had not been vaccinated.

As I age, I become a bit forgetful. However there are somethings that should never be forgotten. Like Irma. Hurricane Irma hit 4 years ago on 9/10/20. Impacted me. An experience. Compelled me to write the book Irma and Me.

I forgot Irma this year.

Apologies not required except to Jean and Joe Thornton and those who escaped to their home in Birmingham for more than a week. I apologize to my hosts and the others Jean and Joe took in. I shall never forget Irma, itself. More importantly, the happy party time we experienced each and every day at Jean and Joe’s.

Hard times can be good times.

Enjoy your day!

  PARTISANSHIP ON THE SUPREME COURT was originally published on Key West Lou