#but it wouldn't have been such a problem in the first place if the architects hadn't been augmenting their bodies

[sylas-dove]

if ryley robinson ever met al-an he would kick that weird goat's entire ass btw. i love al-an as much as the next guy but please remember that he trapped the sea emperor leviathan at the bottom of the crater and killed one of her babies and also the rest of her species bc it was directly his fault that kharaa got released onto the planet & killed everything.

[anantaru]

୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅♡ sfw kaveh boyfriend headcanons

he‘s just amazing, point blank ૮꒰ྀི ⸝⸝ɞ̴̶̷ ·̫ ‹⸝⸝ ꒱ྀིა ‧₊˚

꒰ genre ꒱ — fluff, sharing kisses, a little angsty, gn! reader

+ ˚ spontaneous dates on a budget

to be frank, your lovely boyfriend kaveh never considered being short of mora to hold any sort of significant problem above his head nor did he ever regard it as something to completely wreck a well-thought out day with his beloved.

sincerely, you knew the blonde oh too well— particularly his charming tendencies to plan out your sweet dates.

as it happens, kaveh would always kindly decline your own offer to help out with any kind of planning because little do you realize was he quite fond of surprising you with his creative ideas, leaving not one stone unturned to make it into a spectacle in broad daylight, on a budget of course.

as an alternative of taking you out for a grand and pricy dinner on a warm evening in sumeru city, the architect will instead search for a nice and cozy place outside of it.

when it comes to the topic of food, he will mostly raid the freshly bought refreshments his roommate had purchased the other day when it was his turn to buy and fill up on required necessities.

now, hold on— zooming to a significant question that might float above your head right now; will kaveh tell alhaitham that he's taking some of the foods he shopped for himself? well, probably after he had already finished them with you, heh.

+ ˚ his fears

when deep rooted lovers such as kaveh and yourself strive to keep emotional and supporting tendencies for a lifetime, your bond was destined to be set in stone, to be eternal and flourishing— giving off light which was parallel to flames that breathe all the more deeply for being closer together.

in you, his loving significant other, he saw a comfortable life inherited infinitely and kaveh was quite eager to keep a balance in your relationship.

because you had been aware of his fears— the actuality was dreadful, of you leaving him behind one day.

the clear thought of such grueling despair alone was formed heavily in his blood vessel, a strong phenomena that cannot be measured throughout his own psyche.

in times like this, it's reassurance he needs, of course, you wouldn't ever leave him and he knows, yet the fear was always there— the frightening perception spreading inwardly, secretly hiding in the fathomless profundity of his heart.

+ ˚ huge cuddle (+kissies) sessions for hours

but now, to the fun part— in spite of the fact that kaveh was a passionate and emotional lover, he too had an abundantly huge love to give to you physically. quite frankly, he couldn't possibly keep his hands to himself and just had to have them encircled around your body at all times.

ever so often you catch kaveh being needier than usual but you really do not mind, you say it's cute if anything, when his cheeks surge with a heated bubbling as he walks towards you with his infamous puppy eyes, awaiting a well deserved hug.

kaveh once told you that being touch starved was one of the things he would suffer from on a daily, even though you have seen each other all the time. was he perhaps dramatic? yes, doesn't need a genius to figure that out, but that was one of the reasons you fell in love with him in the first place.

most of the times you will spend enough closeness together, hugging in your home, not his, but your home. yours was better and not plagued by the evil scribe bothering you, as kaveh had stated himself.

yet my love, do not concern yourself with outside noises, he whispers;

between an occurring storm outside the impounds of your warm home, supplemental to the wind that howls loudly through fallen leaves, in the opinion of your boyfriend, you were the gentle centre that occupied his life, and so here he was safe with you just as you were safe with him, coming to rest at his side with his scarlet eyes gleaming splendidly through the shadowed room.

aside from the cute fact of this matter, it was ridiculously amusing to you that kaveh didn't realize that he was an exceptional kisser, always giving his one hundred and ten percent. foremost, he will take things slow, leaning into your parted lips before claiming you wholly, not adding too much but the right amount was greeting you abundantly well.

you can see himself become excited the moment his movements get more uneven and unpredictable, when he feels like he needs to taste you further in order to feel somehow satiated.

above all, you see yourself becoming whole again as you slant into him, vulnerable and caring, you find yourself addicted to him, as much as he did too— but for every reason that is pure and right, none other dared to share this sweet perception of delight.

you were his safety and love, an anchor he held onto, that he tethers himself to because he so wanted to drag this moment on as long as physically possible.

+ ˚ conclusion and how he sees your relationship

finally yet most importantly, kaveh shares his views with you, he is incredibly transparent and never keeps a secret locked away from his significant other— he found it to be unnecessary to hide any topics that might concern you as well.

essentially in his own terms of phraseology;

“something such as transparency in a relationship was the gold key to my heart.”

archons, he's so damn in love with you it almost pains him to admit it all over again. to describe this fondness was impossible; wether its irreverent topics you'd ramble about together, funny, real as a crystal fly hiding in the rain and walking perfectly with your own dreams and fantasies.

you were bound and free with him, floating and established, laughing and sober— most of the times because if truth be told, kaveh was a terrible lightweight and couldn't hold in his liquor, ever.

but perhaps, now that he has the time to indulge in the kindness of your relationship, it is you that performs the miracles in his life.

©2023 anantaru do not repost, copy, translate, modify

[itsgxsly]

SILVERSTONE PLAN

Summary: Carlos needs to create a plan to confess before he can lose his opportunity with you. And what better place than Silverstone for it.

Pairing: carlos sainz x reader

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1621

You've always wanted to work for F1. Since you were little, it had been your dream to be able to work surrounded by the sound of engines and the bustle of the Paddock. So with a lot of effort and restless nights studying, you were able to graduate from the career you wanted. And when Tilke Architects and Engineers gave you the chance to join them, as they were looking for young and willing people to join their ranks, you didn't hesitate to accept. Before you knew it, you had been working for the company for more than two years and you swore you loved your job. Knowing the circuits in depth and being able to collaborate to create or improve them so that the drivers could run in the exciting races of each season. It was definitely your dream life.

Now, you and your team would be traveling to the 2022 Grand Prix. Due to the incorporation of the Las Vegas GP into the 2023 season, you had to collect information on how the drivers functioned in the different circuits of the world in order to build the Las Vegas circuit as comfortable as possible for them. Although the information that you would have to obtain would be provided to you in large part by the respective teams, they had allowed you to personally study the performance of some drivers from each team, chosen by the team principal itself. So now your job was to follow every moment of Carlos Sainz in track.

You knew who Carlos was, your family had been a big fan of Carlos Sainz Sr. and now you were a big fan of Scuderia Ferrari, so the name of the Spanish driver was clearly known to you. And thank God, Carlos seemed to be as charming as he was shown on the internet and on television, so working with him was quite an easy task, since he had no problem collaborating with you and offering you any information you needed to the project.

On the other hand, Carlos was obviously willing to collaborate in whatever you needed, honestly, if at any time you asked him to jump off a bridge, he would have done it just because you asked him to. Carlos had to admit that although at first he didn't like having someone watching what he did every time he got in the car, that opinion had been changing while he got to know you. The first day you'd met and introduced him, it hadn't seemed such a bad idea to have your pretty face and sweet voice following him around the Paddock. And now, a few races later, he could safely say that it was the best thing that could have happened to him that year. He had fallen so madly in love with you. Most of the drivers had also noticed how absorbed Carlos was in you, and clearly he had become one of the main taunts both during the races and in the group chat. But Carlos didn't pay attention to any of the taunts, he was too busy thinking that as soon as the season was over, he wouldn't see you walking next to him around the Ferrari facilities anymore.

Actually Carlos did not understand at what point he had fallen so hard for you, since usually when he tried to talk to you they used to be short conversations, if it wasn't because someone interrupted you because they needed you or him somewhere, it was because Carlos he was too nervous to screw up with you and didn't dare speak to you beyond a greeting. Carlos knew that he was going to need to put his cowardice aside if he wanted to continue seeing you once the season was over and your work there was done, so in desperation and as a last resort, he turned to his two best friends in the Paddock. .

"Let's see if I understand" Lando spoke. "You need us to help you confess to

y/n” he summed up after Carlos' long tirade about you and how he loved you and more things that Lando and Charles had been unaware of.

"Basically yes" Carlos looked at his friends before turning to a confused Lando. "How do you know her name is y/n?" he asked her.

“Mate, you've been talking about her since you met her at the beginning of the season. I've heard her name more times this year than my own mother's” Lando explained to Carlos in a tired tone. He loved his friend very much, but if he heard him talk one more time about how beautiful you were, he was going to punch him.

"I don't talk about her that much" Carlos complained. In return, he received an incredulous look from his two friends. “Well maybe if I talk about her too much, but that's not the point. Are you going to help me or not?" Carlos was starting to get desperate.

"You know we help you with whatever you need, but don't you think it's easier to just tell her how you feel instead of coming up with some stupid plan?" Charles spoke as the voice of reason. Lando nodded in agreement.

“Believe me, I have tried over and over again. But it's seeing her and… I don't know, I got stuck and I forgot what I was going to say and out of nowhere I chickened out” Carlos explained to them.

Lando and Charles looked at each other in silence thinking about what they could recommend to his friend, when out of nowhere Lando's face lit up with a proud smile.

"Why don't you make her a deal" Lando looked at the two Ferrari drivers and saw their confused faces, so he developed the idea. “Look, she's going to be watching the whole race this weekend. Talk to her, and I don't know, tell her that if you get points or something like that, she'll go out with you on a date"

"Lando, you really are horrible at explaining yourself" Charles was still confused, but he more or less understood what the British had meant.

Carlos seemed to have understood him too, because he was silent for a few seconds, before quickly nodding his head and looking at the boys.

"Yes. That's a decent idea. I know what to do” he got up from where they had been chatting and said goodbye to the other two drivers. "Thanks guys!" Lando and Charles looked at each other before shrugging, wishing his friend luck in whatever she was doing.

Carlos went all over the Paddock looking for you, until he finally spotted you sitting at one of the Ferrari hospitality tables with your computer in front of you. He took a deep breath and gathering strength, he approached you willing to carry out his plan. You noticed his presence when he sat across from you. You raised your head and smiled softly at him.

"Hi" you greeted him. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to be preparing for the race tomorrow."

"Yes, I was, but I needed to talk to you about something" Carlos congratulated himself because his voice didn't shake.

"Sure, is something wrong?" now you worried if there was something wrong with the project or something was bothering him.

"No, no, nothing is wrong. I just wanted to propose something to you"

"Ehh, okay" now you seemed intrigued by what the Spanish could offer you.

“Okay, let's see…” Carlos gained confidence again. “Well, tomorrow is the Silverstone race and, I've been thinking about making you a proposal. It's only if you feel like it, you can say no without problem. But well, if I can finish in the top ten tomorrow and get points, will you go on a date with me?” You were at Silverstone and Carlos believed that this race had a feeling that something would go well there, so it was one of the things that encouraged him to form that plan. He held his breath, paying attention to your reaction.

To say that you were surprised was an understatement, but you really liked Carlos and you weren't going to waste the opportunity to go out with him. But you didn't want to make it easy for him either, because you decided to continue the game.

"The charming Carlos Sainz is proposing a date, interesting" you put your elbows on the table and leaned in to take a closer look at him. “It seems like a good offer to me, but come on, among the first ten? You can do much more than that, so I propose something else. I'll go out with you on that date, only if you end up on the podium” You had full confidence in Carlos, and you knew that he had a talent for that and more, that's why you didn't hesitate to propose that.

“A podium? You are demanding, amor”Carlos's confidence had risen with your compliment on his talent and now he felt capable of achieving anything to be able to go on that date with you.

"It's my last offer, Sainz"

"I accept" Carlos grabbed your hand and kissed it before standing up to leave. He had a race to prepare for.

Your trust in Carlos and your intuition did not fail, and you could not have been more proud when you saw him on the top step of the podium pointing at you while he raised the trophy that marked him as the winner of the Silverstone GP. And obviously you went to that date, and many more after that. And after all, you didn't leave his side when the season ended.

[hanilessa]

» :、♡  ONE HEART FOR TWO

` Childe x Reader

` Genre: angst, hurt/comfort

` Warnings: dark content, suicidal behavior, selfharm, abusive attitude (on the part of the reader's parents)

` Author’s notes: i wrote this on request for dear @silverbladexyz. sorry for the wait and i hope you don't get disappointed. enjoy reading! ♡

also my inbox is open for your requests! feel free to text me if you want to request headcanons. :3

You were a student from Kshahrewar. You always wanted to study in Amurta, because you were attracted by biology and medicine, and you always wanted to help people. But at the insistence of your parents, you had to go to Kshahrewar, because they claimed that working as an architect brings a lot of money.

You never had a rapport with your parents. They never listened to you and didn't take your desires and dreams seriously. Your parents didn't see you as a person, they only saw you as a way to become richer and more successful.

And on this basis, you developed a deep depression. You tried to deal with it on your own, reading books on psychology, sneaking into the library. You even went to a healer, but it didn't help. And then you decided to resort to drastic measures. You were always afraid of pain, but when you felt the cold metal of the blade cuts the skin of your hands, it sobered your mind for a few moments and helped you forget about your problems.

When you met Childe, you didn't tell him that you were doing selfharm. But things got more complicated when you both realized you loved each other, and you two started living together.

You tried to wear closed clothes in his presence to hide your scars on your arms, hoping that he would never find out about something like that. But, to your regret, this moment finally has come.

"Honey, I'm home!" You heard your lover's voice from the front door, and you smiled tiredly as you cut vegetables for the salad. You usually cooked when Tartaglia wasn't at home, because you always had to roll up the sleeves of your sweater so that it wouldn't get dirty. But today, Ajax returned too early, so you completely forgot that your sleeves were rolled up to the elbow, revealing your scar marks.

"Welcome back!" You smiled brightly as the man came up behind you and kissed you on the cheek, wrapping his arms around your waist.

"What do we have for dinner?" Childe asked, admiring the way you slowly sliced vegetables for the salad. For a moment, his eyes widen as he notices something is wrong.

The man immediately takes your left wrist in his hand and lifts it up, noticing the huge pale stripes. There were terribly many of them, and at first Tartaglia didn't even understand what it was. You abruptly recoiled to the side and hurried to cover your hands with the sleeves of your sweater, fearfully realizing that your boyfriend finally found out about your terrible little secret.

"What is this?" The man furrowed his brows as he stared into your eyes. You became nervous, shifting from foot to foot, not knowing how to explain your problems to him.

"Are you talking about those scratches?" You laughed awkwardly, and winced at how nervous your laugh sounded. Tartaglia came a little closer to you. "It's just that my cat was too out of control when I was younger. Even if I just took her in my arms, she immediately scratched me." You tried to laugh casually, but you knew that Ajax didn't believe a single word you said.

"Y/n, don’t lie to me. I always know when you're hiding something from me." His voice was stern, but at the same time he was saddened that you hid from him for a long time the fact that you intentionally harmed yourself. "A cat couldn't leave so many scars in the same place."

You realized that it was absolutely useless to lie to Eleventh Fatui Harbinger, and then crystal tears appeared in your eyes, which you had been holding back for a very long time. The man immediately sat you down on the sofa and poured water into a glass for you, sitting next to you and waiting for you to finally start talking. He didn't rush you, respecting your feelings.

You drank some water and finally collected your thoughts, gradually telling Childe about your problems with your parents. You mentioned that you have tried all the ways to deal with depression, but the only thing left for you was the physical harm to your body. The ginger man was silent all this time, but when you finished speaking, he hugged you, stroking your back, and at that moment you cried again, hugging Ajax in return. In his arms you felt peace, care and love, which you lacked for a long time.

"There is always another way, love." He whispered into your hair, lightly kissing the top of your head. "Please remember that your feelings are very important and that you have me. I can always listen to you and help you. And you don't have to hurt yourself to get away from problems. It hurts me that I wasn't with you at that time in your life and that I couldn't prevent it all." Childe continues to speak, holding you to his chest. "But now I'm with you, and I will do everything to make you happy. Therefore, I beg you, never do anything like that to yourself again."

He looked into your beautiful eyes, and you nodded softly, feeling the peace you longed for finally appear in your heart.

"I promise."

The ginger man smiled happily, kissed you on the lips, and then said.

"You and I have one heart for two bodies, I will share your pain for two, and it will cease to exist."

[three--rings]

So I went to a social function for the first time since my car accident. If "my weekly dnd game" counts as a social function. It certainly did for me, who hasn't left the house in 5 weeks except for doctor appointments.

But once again, being way more physically disabled than usual made me VIOLENTLY aware of how inaccessible the world actually is. Normally, while I have difficulty walking long distances and standing for long, I can always get up and walk if I have to.

But no weight at all on one foot means none of that. So I've been getting around with a kneeling scooter. And...forgot how difficult it is when you are wheel-bound.

I previously experienced this when my husband was in a wheelchair for 6 months but I was the one pushing and trying to get him up stairs. It's sorta different when it's you.

So I went to my friend's house. Doesn't sound difficult right? Well it's a lot trickier than you'd think unless you've tried to do it.

First problem: her driveway is very steep and I was a little worried about wheeling up it because the brakes on my budget scooter aren't fantastic. So we pulled up in the car on the driveway.

But we couldn't pull up far enough to actually let the door open to the front walkway. And because it had rained earlier the wheels just sank into the ground, so I had to hop on one foot until I could get to the pavement. Then there were TWO steps to navigate to get into her house: one up to the concrete porch and then one into the house. So I had to have help lifting the scooter up onto the step (Because leverage is hard when you're also balancing on one leg) and then use the scooter to lift myself up. Okay, but I was in, no problem right?

Well my friend's house, despite being one story, has two steps up to the guest bathroom. I remembered it as one step, but actually it's two. If you're wondering two steps in a row is MUCH harder than one. I needed help and it was both difficult and scary to get up and back down. Again, don't know if you've tried hopping down stairs on one foot with no rail or anything to support yourself on, but it's much harder than it seems it would be.

And then I had to leave, which was getting down two more stairs by basically pointing myself down and hoping I didn't fall. I was strained and exhausted by the end of the night. Worth it, but...

This is how inaccessible the average American one-story recently built home is. There's a reason businesses are supposed to be accessible, because architects decide they need to put random steps in a one-story house for literally no reason. (Of course, a lot of businesses aren't accessible. Next time you go out notice if you can get into that non-chain restaurant without steps. )

It's so incredibly frustrating to be like...but WHY does there need to be a step here? Could it have easily been a ramp? Did the lip of the doorway need to be a full step up or could it have been like 2-3 inches?

The effect of this is discouraging disabled people and the elderly from going to new places, from going out, from being a full part of the community. Because after doing it just once I'm like damn, is it really worth it? Wouldn't it be easier to just sit alone at home?

[ambiguouspuzuma]

The Keeper

"You have to let us go."

It had been a long road to the top of the Tower. A thousand steps; a hundred of them bodies. They'd had to carve their own path through the guards, their beasts, the other prisoners. The Warden's room was a vault, one entrance at the end of a long and exposed corridor, needing human shields to bludgeon a way through. But Ryszard and Katja had been together all the way. They'd been captured hand in scarlet hand, shackled at the hip, locked in a conjugal cell - and now they would be free together too.

Katja held the blade, their knife, the latest in a long serrated line. She couldn't remember its provenance. One of the bodies. Some they'd left weapons in, some they'd found them on. This man would be the former: he was the Warden of the tower, the architect of all their years of misery, and they had him unarmed at their mercy. He held nothing but the key to their escape; she held the key to make him give it up.

"Of course." The Warden's voice was deep and clear. Katja felt the vibrations of his throat against her blade. No tremors, though. No sign of nerves. Not that he could afford to swallow. "Right away. I'll have them clear you a path. Full pardon. No reprisals."

"We'll need more than that," Ryszard said. They'd been caught stealing from the town stores, and been stealing to survive. If they were to escape from the Tower, they wanted to emerge somewhere other than the road straight back. There was little freedom to be found in poverty. They'd need other doors opening to them as well. "Somewhere to live, to start."

"The prisoners here left many empty homes, awaiting their eventual return, or inevitable death. You shall have your pick."

"We'll need a pension," Katya added. "Enough to live off."

"Done."

"Some land, to grow food." They dovetailed their demands, of one mind, perfectly synchronised - although neither intended to finish their shared sentence.

"Not a problem."

"A stables." She'd never ridden a horse, but she supposed she wouldn't mind to learn.

"I'll have one built on the same plot."

"A boat. I like to sail."

"Of course."

Ryszard looked at Kaya, who briefly met his gaze, before both returned to watching the Warden. There would be plenty of time for staring into one another's eyes. But they couldn't lose their focus now. "Too unreasonable?"

She nodded. "It's a lie. He'll promise us the world to save his skin, but the moment the danger passes..."

"Reprisals."

"Right."

"So what are our options?"

"Limited." She bit her lip as she thought. One of the many details Ryszard had always loved about her. "We could take him hostage, try to force our way out through the gates. But it would always be a life on the run, exposed to a rescue attempt, with somebody else in charge - just the same as letting him renege on these promises. If anything, the reprisals would be worse."

"Even worse, if we end up killing him. A new Warden will take his place, and we can't cut through them all. It was hard enough to make it in here. Better the devil we know."

"Yes. Satisfying though it might be."

"The danger will have to remain." Ryszard thought it through. He didn't bite his lip, but she loved to trace the furrows in his brow. "We can only keep him hostage here, where he still calls the shots. This room is defensible. They must provide him food, and he can try it first. We'll have to become his warden. His keeper."

"Not we," Katya told him, though it pained her to say the words. "It only takes one hand to hold the knife. One of us can go free, and live that life he promised. The life we've always dreamt of. But the other will need to stay here, and keep him true to his word."

He forced the prospect through his mind, desperate to find the flaws in her logic. The threat would have to be sustained. That was undeniable. The moment that they left this room, left the Warden, they would lose their leverage. It was only by his hand that they could have anything, and they would need to stay close to pull their puppet's strings. Atlas would always need to hold up the sky.

Was it better to stay here, together? But they had been together in their cell. A life they'd found unbearable, untenable; enough to risk it in a desperate bid for freedom. Would they really exchange that for a lifetime here, with the Warden as their pet? How could either of them deny the other their freedom? How could they not be happier, more able to endure, in the knowledge their suffering held meaning? That it was buying their lover's happiness: a minute for a minute, a day for a day. There was freedom in the offing.

"We can live, but only apart." He summarised. "But what kind of life is that?"

"A life," she said. "I'd want to die with you, of course, my love. But I'd far rather you'd survive."

"And I you," Ryszard told her. "For all the sacrifice it might take. You know that I would take a blade for you; to die that you may live. Who am I to baulk at prison time?"

Katya raised her gaze again, tears matching tears - but then lowered it again. The blade was vibrating in her hand.

"You see what you've achieved?" The Warden was laughing. "You are not my warden, my keeper - you're each other's. You will lock yourself away, voluntarily, to keep the other free. They are the one who keeps you behind bars. They are your sentence. Please, look each other in the eyes - you deserve to face your gaoler, the one who has you bound to do whatever they require. For love, you lost your freedom long ago. Welcome to your prison."

[southern-tundra-iterators]

[Heads up, cause this is a long writing piece with some character backstory]

PRIVATE LOG #### DATE: ----.--- {{Recorded conversation, all users anonymous}}

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

A1: So...could you tell me more about this proposed idea of yours for a highly confidential project? A2: Imagine a scenario when the Great Problem has been solved by the iterators or by some other currently unknown means...and then what? A1: What about that kind of situation..? A2: What would happen to the robots afterwards? Do we have a plan for them, when The Great Problem has been finally solved or when we ascend by another way? Will they just be left behind? A1: Well, not really. They simply will have finished what they were built to do and not much else happens other than them working on smaller problems or they will continue working on their main task, I would assume. They're biomechanical robots that do exactly as we purpose them to do, they're nothing like us or even the small animals. A2: I wouldn't be so sure they're that simple. According the message logs within the local group I've found in the main computer's archives, it seems like they're starting to show preferences to certain things and even reply in a more emotional manner at times. A1: Hmm...your main point of all this being..? A2: I am saying that things may go awry if they're left unsupervised or already have solved The Problem. I highly doubt simply abandoning them would be such a good idea...considering how we saw that they could feel and even think on their own. A1: I believe you might be over-exaggerating on this and I don't view this issue as a severe one...But regardless, I will listen to what you have to offer. A2: What if there existed an iterator that would think of an efficient way to fully destroy other iterators and then itself? A1: ......That is an outlandish idea, to put it nicely...Surely you're well aware how they are built, correct? They are massive biomechanical superstructures relying even on microbes within their processing strata to function. You'd have to destroy every last inch of the iterator to fully kill them off. And besides, you would get yourself into deep trouble if other architects found you and your group out trying to design this creation with its intended purpose A2: Yes, I completely understand, however their inner ecosystem is still small in comparison to the entire world's and they are...different in a karmic sense. They're not the same. The iterator will not a superstructure of its own, it will be fused with another that we are planning to build using an intricate malware code that contains iterator genome. It will silently create and upgrade itself from within, without anyone noticing for a long time before it's too late. A1: I also have another reason to doubt your idea...I remember that our architect groups still are in a massive conflict of ''correct'' ideals in regards of religion and beliefs. I'm only listening to you because we share mostly the same beliefs and you have helped me a lot in the past, however I suspect that you could just be doing this out of spite against them, which is not what I would fully support. Your suggested method for this iterator's conception makes me question the motive further. A2: Now, now, let's slow down a bit, shall we? Yes, it is true that I do hold anger against some groups due to reasons you said, I will not deny it. But the world and the iterators we may soon leave behind are things I care about more, believe me. Our kind was already driven mad into reaching great painful lengths because of the cycles and immortality...the robots will be subjected to the same fate with the addition of purposelessness and taboos. A1: ... A2: I will pay you very generously in your cooperation and your identity will be fully protected. This conversation and group effort never happened in the first place. Do we have a deal? A1: ...I need to think about it.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida said Thursday he's certain that House Democrats will not change tack and elect a moderate Republican for Speaker — and if they do, he'll resign.

Gaetz was speaking with the Fox News host Laura Ingraham and was asked about the possibility of Democratic representatives breaking ranks. Ingraham earlier Thursday night said on her show that there may be a scenario in which the Democratic Party helped elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy or another Republican so that "both parties share power on the committees."

Gaetz disagreed.

"I'm on the floor, Laura. These 212 Democrats are going to vote for Hakeem Jeffries every single time," the Florida Republican told Ingraham. "He is a historic candidate for them. They are not going to cleave off under any circumstance. I assure you of that."

"If Democrats join up to elect a moderate Republican, I will resign from the House of Representatives. That is how certain I am. I can assure your viewers: That won't happen," Gaetz added.

Gaetz was referring to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who will become the first Black congressional party leader when he's sworn in. Jeffries secured all 212 votes from his party for the 11 speakership ballots held as of Thursday.

McCarthy is vying for the Speakership but has failed 11 consecutive times to secure the 218 votes needed. He now needs to convince the 20 hardliners — dubbed "Never Kevins," a crew of congresspeople blocking his Speakership bid — that he's the man for the job.

Gaetz might have some cause for confidence. On Tuesday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York was spotted speaking with Gaetz on the House floor. The Democratic congresswoman told The Intercept that during that conversation, she assured Gaetz that her party would not help McCarthy get the votes he needed.

"McCarthy was suggesting he could get Dems to walk away to lower his threshold," Ocasio-Cortez told The Intercept of her conversation with Gaetz. "And I fact-checked and said absolutely not."

Other Democrats also struck a similar tone, making it clear that they would not throw McCarthy a lifeline.

"At the end of the day, this is a Republican mess," Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna told CNN earlier in the week. "This is a failure of them to govern. This is their problem to fix."

Gaetz is a prominent figure in the "Never Kevin" movement. Before the first speakership vote Tuesday, he delivered a scathing rebuke of the California congressman.

The Florida congressman has also been trolling McCarthy and mocking him for his consistent failures. On Tuesday, Gaetz posted on Twitter a letter to J. Brett Blanton, the Architect of the Capitol, asking why McCarthy was allowed to work from the Speaker's Suite despite not yet landing the job.

"What is the basis in law, House rule, or precedent to allow someone who has placed second in three successive Speaker elections to occupy the Speaker of the House Office?" Gaetz wrote in his letter. "How long will he remain there before he is considered a squatter?"

Gaetz has over the past three days consistently voted to block McCarthy from securing the speakership. On Thursday, Gaetz voted for former President Donald Trump to be Speaker, even after McCarthy made significant concessions to the "Never Kevin" camp.

McCarthy was initially confident in his bid for Speaker after winning the nomination at a House GOP leadership meeting in November, following the midterm elections.

But members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus threw a wrench into McCarthy's campaign, saying they wouldn't support his bid unless he committed to less government spending and agreed to give the party more power to remove the speaker.

Representatives for Gaetz and McCarthy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

[sparrowowoods]

1-5 for your surana or character of your choice!

Thank you so much :pleading:

what drives them? what's their ultimate goal?

They Need to save people. Everyone. As a circle mage, a girl who's been there so long any figures from her past have long since been replaced in her mind with Chantry faces, she's really internalized a lot of Chantry stuff and first above them "Magic is meant to serve man" and then, joining the Wardens whose job is to protect all of Thedas, really hammers it in. They're deeply compassionate and it is the thing that keeps them afloat during the chaos of the Blight. Neria doesn't know what the next step will bring or what to do about anything, she's been in Kinloch Hold forever and now everything's a mess with the Blight, but she moves towards whoever needs help.

2. what was your original concept for this character? how did playing them change that concept? I didn't have one! I don't play a lot of video games and knew very little about dragon age before my girlfriend got me into it so I was just along for the ride. Before playing Neria, I actually never understood when my girlfriend would say her character would do this or wouldn't do that.

3. can they accept failure? It depends. For personal things, hobbies and skills, yea no problem. Initially, she cannot cook or set up a tent or start a fire without magic but that's ok :) She's just happy to be here. If it effects someone else? No. They will grieve the fall of Lothering and Ser Tamra's death forever.

4. what one person, place, or thing do they love more than anything else? Leliana, Vigil's Keep, and magic. Leliana is kind, she's funny, and Neria thought she was out of her mind when they first met but was happy to get any extra help. The fact she's a bard and knows all these stories, has all this knowledge of the world that is wholly unknown to Neria enraptures her. She'll sit and listen to Leliana tell the same story over and over again because of how interesting it is (and it's a great excuse to stare at her because she's also very pretty). Vigil's Keep is a place that represents and means so much to her. It's something she could never have dreamed of back in the circle. Even with a bunch of weird darkspawn, being incredibly busy every second of the day, and needing to talk to nobles. Neria is an elf and a mage and she's got all these people looking up to her! It's weird but incredible and she really, really, wants to make a difference. And she loves being a grey warden and stretching what it means to be one. Magic is who she is. It's what she's good at, what she understands and relies on when nothing makes any sense. It's also fun! She likes studying and debating nitpicky theories and was beyond delighted to meet Dagna. As a good little circle mage, blood magic would be and was horrifying to her (especially after the emotional fallout of Jowan using it and then Uldred) but after she met and killed the Architect, it's something she'd study academically but probably never practice. Important to know though, and interesting!, considering how the grey wardens use it.

5. is there something they want to be known for?

Yes. She wants (a statue, she was so bummed the dwarves didn't offer to make one for her) to change things for mages and for elves. After saving Amaranthine (and Vigil's Keep) and needing to construct it basically from the ground up, there is no way in hell she kept the alienage. One hundred percent gone. I'm sure elves generally stick with elves and humans with humans, but they don't have to. They can talk, fight, fuck, etc as one city. She also got Kinloch Hold its independence and would be very happy to kick the templars out and never see one of them ever ever again. They read their first theory, crediting Dagna with inspiration, and talked about how templars and dwarves use magic on its steps (not, entirely, to piss off the Chantry but a little bit for sure). Also. She's very autistic and nonbinary. Also also, she happens to look a little like florence welch.

[floralovebot]

Speaking of Helia quiting RF whenever he makes a mistake, I think Riven wouldn't go for higher military education. I think that ever since he got into RF that was the goal. They teach him to fight, he's good at fighting, he uses that to go to a great military academy and he's set for life because graduating military college guarantees you a place in service. And other benefits.

Only, he realizes in the senior year that he doesn't really /want/ to work in military. He sends out the early application and is of course accepted early, but he's not happy. It isn't that he's a pacifist, it's that he dislikes authority and

And I think he'd decide, like 2 weeks before the entrance exam, that he wants to be an architect. He crams like a madman for 2 weeks (refuses to let anyone see what he's working on in case he fails) and 3 weeks from taking the exam and seconding the application he gets his acceptance letter to the elite academy of Architecture and Practical Arts. Which is the same school Helia ends up going to, only a different course.

He never, never finds out that Stella got a whiff about his application because the head of admission is Solarian and has in her youth been a designer that took measurements for kid Stella's first real formal gown. Since the woman follows the news, she calls and ask whether to push the admission. Because it is an elite, classist school and they judge not only academic prowess but also background, and Riven is painfully common. He doesn't even have a wholesome poor boy background, it's all gritty. So, Stella tells her to push it, and the woman on her own initiative gives him benefits alongside his scholarship and room on campus, so he doesn't have to buy supplies and books out of his own pocket (which he wouldn't be able to afford). He gets best ofthe best there, even the teachers are instructed to treat him like they'd treat nobility.

Only he never, ever finds out Stella pushed for him because Stella knows he would have refused the help, even tho she didn't push him in, she just removed the unfair obstacles. Stella doesn't tell anyone, not even Bloom. Especially not Bloom, girl can't keep a secret even in the dark.

OH INTERESTING!!! I've never thought about riven as an architect but honestly, I'm loving it! and you're right, Riven would never accept help for that kind of thing. He would assume Stella thinks he can't do it and that she's trying to load her privilege over him (even though he would also know better at that point cause they're friends but the fear is still there). I love the idea of Stella using her privilege for good too! It would be a really nice comparison to how Sky tried to "help" Riven in the beginning and it completely matches her.

Rest under the cut since this is a little long!

I completely agree with Riven not wanting to go further up the chain in the military! I've had a lot of thoughts about his life after RF and while I have a lot of trouble trying to think about what he would do, I've never thought that he would actually stick around. He's skilled and he totally could, but there would be so many issues with it and it would be horrible for his mental health. The problems with authority (which have gotten better at that point but aren't completely gone, the classism he would have to deal with, the strict structure of everything, not to mention the corruption of morals! Even though he likes RF, he would hate going further up the ranks because he would have to deal with those problems tenfold.

I like to imagine that Riven figured this out after he left in S6. While I genuinely think that should've happened earlier in the show and not last an entire season, I actually love the idea of him leaving to figure out what his purpose in life is and what he actually wants out of it. Because up until this point, all of that was just wishful thinking. He wasn't in a position to chase after his dreams, only think about them. And I think he would be really hard on himself and try to stop himself from dreaming because he wouldn't want to get his hopes up. But now, he has a group of friends, he's one of the best specialists in the entire school, and he's making more money than child him could even imagine (he's not rich but I do think they're comfortable at this point)! I like to think that Riven would get confronted with what he wants to do with life a lot during his little trip.

Personally, I love imagining him a chef! I have this little headcanon that before RF, he used to work at this little hole in wall ramen shop and that the old owner and head chef absolutely loved him and taught him everything they knew. And that later in life, the owner would pass and Riven would get contacted and told that they passed the shop onto him. I think being able to be his own boss would do wonders for him and it would let him be able to hire people who really need the job (aka him all those years back) and make enough money to help others in need. I think he would also like the challenge of sort of bringing the shop back to life! And it gets popular enough that it's just the little hot spot that everyone has to go to and Riven gets so much love and gets to meet all these new people who love his food and what he's done. I just think he deserves some love :')

[sanzu-sanzu-sanzu]

Ok so I had a really weird nightmare and you're the first person I thought of when I woke up so I NEED to tell you about it. It's kinda long lol.

In this nightmare I didn't live where I currently do and I wasn't with my sister but with my boyfriend (he absolutely doesn't exist and we'll call him X since I don't know his name). And it's so weird cuz I remember everything about this place and when I say everything it's e.ve.ry.thing like how the rooms were placed and even all the decorations. I drew it so it'd be easier to explain.

(architects better watch out for their jobs lol)

Anyways, a lot of weird things happened like things would move by themselves like not in front of my eyes but for example at one point in my dream I put my bag in the kitchen and then I found it in the bedroom. And anyways it was things like that but also I would hear myself like videos of me and X and the first thing I thought was someone broke into my place and robbed some videos and I was so sure they came from the door behind the bed (the little circle). This door was scary af cuz even if it was just next to the kitchen, it was another entrance door like when you opened it you'd see the hall. But then I thought that it was impossible cuz the only videos we had were either on my phone or X's phone. So the only thing possible was that this person recorded us themselve it wasn't anything weird most of the audios were just both of us talking but it was scary af to think that someone knows almost everything about your life like that and I'm so sure they came from that weird door. Anyways X wouldn't believe me, he'd even make fun of me and idk why but one of my sisters was there and she understood why I was afraid while he really didn't. And one moment the switch of the kitchen started to melt just like that by itself and there were water drops coming from the light and because of that some things started to catch fire and X was trying to save any pieces he could and I was like wtf how can you still not believe me after that ? This mf had a horror movie father behaviour lmao not believing shit telling his wife it's all in her head. Anyways he managed to stop the fire on time and idk what happened but I suddenly found myself in a BIG VERY BIG school. Like yk a school for rich ppl I was the only mid-class there and I'm pretty sure I was considered poor af but anyways I don't remember all the details but the students would die one by one and for very very stupid reasons like crossing the road when they're not supposed to and we'd scream "don't don't there's a car" but they wouldn't hear and I know they weren't killing themselves and that's when I understood that I was in fact the problem.

Then I found myself (suddenly again) in my bed and I was sleeping and I had a sleep paralysis (still in my nightmare) I felt something around my neck and something like caging me on either sides of my hips and I could barely open my eyes and it was all blurry and the only thing I could make out was a tall shape/shadow in front of the bed and I didn't know if it was X or some sort of demon but I'm pretty sure it was the latter lol. And ik that when you have a sleep paralysis you can't move anything but in my dream I could move my fist so I started to bang on the wall behind me and I wanted to scream but I couldn't.

Then I woke up banging the wall next to me crying lmao.

I've been having nightmares almost every night for a while now sometimes I remember them clearly sometimes I remember just a few things like just the main "plot" and if they're not nightmares they're weird or stressful dreams so you'll be served 😂

oh my god. that is one WILD dream 😭 the thing with the videos is legit terrifying it's like one of those yk those stories of people finding out that there's someone who's been living in their closet (or like, inside the walls) this whole time and taking vids of them n shit? creepy behavior man i can't stand that 😭 the things catching fire are so weird, too?? and, honestly, idk which one's freakier: the house having secret actual human occupants, or a poltergeist............. and, of course, the horror movie boyfriend has to be a gaslighter and everything 🙃 MEN

also the fact that you really remembered the entire layout of the house is both creepy and interesting lmao dreams (and the way our minds work when it comes to dreaming) are interesting huhhh. it's like you were watching a movie with the cam zooming in and out and all, that's cool.

the thing about the school & students dying weirdly is soooo weird it makes me smile hahahaha 😭 i'm sorry it's slightly funny....the crossing the road bit bc they couldn't hear the warning huhuhu

and o h my god.....sleep paralysis stories always freak me out ☹️ though this one was happening in the dream, right? still, just any headspace where you're trapped/unable to breathe or move is fucking scary as hell and huhuhu i'm sorry you had to dream something like that.......the shadow/demon....god, you're supposed to feel safe in your bed!!

i'm all for bizarre and very senseless dreams, really, like i love the weirdness of all of it 😭 but nightmares are just sad and exhausting huhuhu and i'm so sorry you've been having those lately. i hope you feel better now, or that you at least had someone in the house with you when you woke up, or if not then at least sharing this to someone had made u feel less alone or sumth huhu (actually, i hope recounting this wasn't so distressful on your part!!)

thank u for sharing and remembering meee. i wish you no nightmares tonight and in all your nights.

[kermits-cup-of-tea]

The building of the pyramids began "around 2780 BC, King Djoser's architect, Imhotep, built the first pyramid by placing six mastabas(1), each one smaller than the one beneath, in a stack to form a pyramid in rising steps." (si.edu) Pyramids were a status symbol that Pharoah's used to show how much more powerful they were than the one before.

Contrary to popular belief however, they weren't built by slaves (or aliens). They were built by citizens. During each worker's "building season", three months of the year, they were housed near the pyramids and worked while they were well cared for. It was a trade off; work for three months while the fields are flooded, in exchange for being paid, housed and well respected for the hard work (if/when some died during work, they were buried near the Pharaohs on top of being respected in life).

Contrary to Herodotus's 100,000 people to build the pyramids, it actually took 10,000 people thirty years, while being sustained on meat daily (cattle and sheep). That's not to say their lives were easy, their skeletons showed signs of lives of hard labour. Arthritis and lower vertebrae problems were very common.

However, based on the burials, it is clear that they were workers and not slaves. Had they been slaves, they wouldn't have had as much care put into burying them correctly according to Egyptian tradition.

Citations:

39 Random and Funny Memes Of The Stupid Variety: History memes, Funny memes, Funny memes images, Funny pictures. Pinterest.

2010 More Evidence Slaves Didn't Build Pyramids. CBS News. CBS Interactive, January 11

[memories-and-palette]

How I Started to Paint

Written By: Bolinao, Ma Eloisa P.

Art is one of my greatest passions, and it is passion that drives us to draw and create. We don't always comprehend or know where it comes from, it's more of a natural reaction. It's what allows you to learn and grow as an artist by giving you the dedication and persistence to do so. At first, painting wasn't something I was particularly interested in. I always wanted to learn how to draw when I was a child. It was one of my favorite hobbies. I discovered that I have an artistic talent because I can draw some things without difficulty. I was highly impressed the first time I tried to use some colors with oil pastels and crayons in my drawing because I enjoy how to combine and blend some colors in my art, which makes me even more excited.  When I was in senior high school, I determined that I wanted to pursue studying architecture in college because art is my interest and I want to be an architect someday. I told my parents that I wanted to take an architectural degree, but they refused, saying that the course would be unnecessary. They didn't want me to do the course that would help me to achieve and fulfill my passion; therefore, I was really frustrated at the time. I'm not sure what I'm going to do next and I'm not sure what course I want to take; tourism is my second choice. I told my parents about my decision, but they rejected me again because they wanted me to take a masscom course because it's more practical. During those times, I didn't do anything because they wouldn't listen to me either. Since then, I've stopped doing arts because no one will support me if I keep doing it. I take Masscom at college since my parents insist that I do so, despite the fact that it is a challenging course for me. Years pass, and I no longer do the arts, but when the pandemic strikes, I am constantly bored, and I suddenly ask myself, "What if I try to paint?" I remembered arts, and it's been a year since I had done it then, so I decided to try painting a scenery since my mother had given me a water color. It was challenging to use at first because it was my first time doing scenery. It's difficult, especially if you're a beginner, but after a few weeks, it began to resemble the way I paint. I also followed painting instructions on YouTube and purchased various supplies and equipment for painting. After that, whenever I'm bored, I always paint some scenery. I'm still doing it now, and it makes me feel better and calmer.  Painting is now also one of my hobbies. Even though I didn't pursue a career as an artist, I am still happy with what I was doing now there are some decisions that you can't really blame because the outcome was pleasant. I'm going to keep painting scenery now since creating art makes me feel better cause I want to explore my own creativity.  In conclusion art is universal and may be found in all places. It is intended not only for individuals who create work of art, but also for those who appreciate it. We would not have been able to see the beauty in things if there had been no art. To put it another way, art allows us to relax and forget about our problems. Painting increases, the self and motivates people to improve their skills. Painting also creates a peaceful, open environment in which artists can freely express themselves. Painting is one of the few things I am good at and can be proud of; thus I like it. Painting is a great way to escape from the outside world and relax from the stresses of everyday life. That is why I am a huge fan of the arts, and they have a special place in my heart.

[tabloidtoc]

National Examiner, May 3

You can buy a brand new copy of this issue without the mailing label for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Widow Queen Elizabeth suddenly alone at 95

Page 2: Holy Moly! Stars take on film roles of biblical proportions -- Willem Dafoe, Leelee Sobieski, Keanu Reeves, Charlton Heston, Ewan McGregor

Page 3: Jon Voight, Jim Caviezel, Ingrid Bergman, Christian Bale, Max von Sydow, Steve Carell, Milla Jovovich

Page 4: Garden of Delights -- floral fashion unfolds in spring -- Olivia Wilde, Mindy Kaling, Keira Knightley

Page 5: Sarah Paulson, Drew Barrymore, Tiffany Haddish, Penelope Cruz

Page 6: Brooke Shields has finally fought her way back after a nightmarish accident she was terrified would leave her paralyzed after she broke her right femur after falling off a balance board at her New York City gym -- Brooke said it felt like it was all in slow motion and then she just started screaming -- after two surgeries and a nearly three-week hospital stay, Brooke went home to her worried family, husband Chris Henchy and their daughters Rowan and Grier, but her nightmare wasn't over because a serious staph infection sent her back to the hospital for yet another surgery, saying for the first time in her life she thought she can't power through this and she can't even stand on her leg or go up a step and she needs to relearn how to even walk and she kept saying she could feel her toes because she was so afraid she would be paralyzed but if anything, she's a fighter -- now back at home and receiving physical therapy, Brooke feels like she's slowly on her way out of the woods and she knows she's got a long way to go, but she'll get there

Page 7: Do your pets suffer from mental illness? Humans aren't the only ones who can sink into depression or fall victim to stress and anxiety; household pets also have their share of mental illness, usually it's because there's something wrong in their environment and that means they probably don't need meds or a visit to the analyst's couch, just some sensitivity on your part and a little TLC and here's how to tell whether Fluffy, Fido or Tweety have problems you need to address -- dogs can have PTSD, birds get depressed, cats can have OCD, hamsters are hoarders

Page 9: Race Against COVID Mutants -- scientists scramble as virus variations gather strength

Page 10: In an incredible stroke of luck, and savvy cop intuition, a New York State Trooper saved a missing toddler from the top of a mountain

Page 11: 3 cheers for cherries -- it's cherry season again, and whether you like them sweet or tart, these deep red fruits pack a healthful punch

Page 12: After two years of dating and five years of marriage, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston split without children, then he went on to have six kids with Angelina Jolie, so if Brad wanted to have a great big family, why didn't he and Jennifer have children of their own? After suffering through a horrible public breakup, when her husband threw her over for Angie, poor Jennifer suffered even further indignation when she was raked over the coals for not giving Brad a baby, and vicious accusations began that it was her outright refusal to have a family that started their breakup and that made Jen furious, saying a man divorcing would never be accused of choosing career over family and she's never in her life said she didn't want to have children, and she did and she does want children and she will have them and the women who inspire her are the ones who have careers and children and she's always wanted to have children, and she would never give up that experience for a career and she wants to have it all -- in 2004, while Jennifer was finishing up with the ten-year run of her hit TV show Friends and Brad was doing the flick Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Jen was telling pals the time was finally right, and they were in a good place, ready to start a family and they were even preparing their home for a child by adding a playroom and a room for a nanny and they were definitely planning on having a kid but the plans were blown up when Mr. and Mrs. Smith was completed, and Brad left Jennifer for his co-star Angie, who already had a toddler and when she fell wildly in love with Brad, he also fell into the ready-made family and it turned out he liked being a dad so much, the couple have five more, three biological and two more adopted -- by the time Jennifer married Justin Theroux in 2015 and divorced two years later without a baby, she admitted that starting a family was a frightening prospect and that she had no regrets about her two marriages or remaining childless and she doesn't feel a void and her marriages have been very successful in her personal opinion, and she's sick of being beat up about it, saying there is a pressure on women to be mothers, and if they are not, then they're deemed damaged goods and maybe her purpose on this planet isn't to procreate; maybe she has other things she's supposed to do

Page 14: Dear Tony, America's Top Psychic Healer -- lying and dishonesty bring trouble to our world

Page 15: Sharon Stone starred in Basic Instinct and Casino and her life seemed to be glamorous, but behind the scenes it was a different story -- Sharon recently released her new memoir, in which she recalls the sexual abuse she and her sister Karen suffered as children and their mother's failure to protect them

Page 16: The shocking day Barry Manilow first discovered he had the heart condition AFib, he was alone and acted quickly to save his own life -- he was driving home and he felt his heart skip a beat, which doesn't sound like anything serious, so he didn't pay much attention to it and then it went blump-bla-bla-blump and it got crazier and crazier and he felt like there was a fish flopping around in his chest and it calmed down for a while, but later as he was watching TV, it started up again so he dialed his doctor, told him the problem and blurted what is this? He did what he was told and drove himself to the medical center in a panic to find out what was wrong with him and put a stop to it fast -- that first time was 25 years ago, but AFib is a lifetime problem that has to be monitored and battled consistently

Page 18: Here's some good news for fans of Don Johnson -- the actor says he's bringing one of his most beloved characters back to the small screen: Inspector Nash Bridges -- he confirmed during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that's he's currently prepping a revival of the show that ran for six seasons from 1996 to 2000 and he said they're in heavy prep for a reboot of Nash Bridges and it's Nash some years later and Cheech Marin is going to come back, and Jeff Perry, and they've got a pretty exciting show that they're prepping in San Francisco right now

Page 19: Shaquille O'Neal was spreading the love when he overheard a man making a payment on his girlfriend's engagement ring and stepped in to buy it himself -- the generous moment took place in an Atlanta jewelry store, where Shaq says he just happened to be shopping for earrings and overheard the young kid, a hard-working guy asking to make a layaway payment on the ring and that's when Shaq said tell your girlfriend he's got it and promptly handed over his credit card and at first, the shocked guy tried to turn down the offer, but Shaq wouldn't hear of it -- Shaq said he's just trying to make people smile and the random acts of kindness make him happy

Page 20: Cover Story -- after 75 years with Prince Philip, the only man she has ever loved, widowed Queen Elizabeth has to find the strength to keep going

Page 22: Cool Uses for Cola -- pop open a can for cleaning, unclogging, cooking and more

Page 24: This little baby is the toughest survivor as she has already made it through COVID-19 and a liver transplant and you'd never know it to look at joyful Winter Moore, but she's been through more than many people endure in a lifetime, all before her first birthday

Page 25: Face Mask Mistakes -- here's how to do it right to protect your health

Page 26: When Irwin Allen's production of The Towering Inferno was released to stunned audiences in 1974, it represented the pinnacle disaster film and it was far and away the highest-grossing film of the year, with a whopping $203 million worldwide -- The Towering Inferno takes place on the opening night at the world's tallest skyscraper, where faulty wiring short-circuits start a fast-moving, out-of-control blaze that threatens the guests at the opening party on one of the top floors and to the rescue comes superstar Steve McQueen as larger-than-life Fire Chief Mike O'Hallorhan, and none other than the legendary Paul Newman as architect Doug Roberts -- here are some startling secrets from the flick: McQueen, Newman and William Holden all wanted top billing and Holden was turned down as McQueen and Newman had both become bigger stars so to provide dual top billing to both McQueen and Newman the credit were arranged diagonally with McQueen in the lower left and Newman in the upper right; Newman later regretted his decision to co-star with McQueen because of the rivalry between the two, created by Steve and as a result, the fireman role dominates Newman's architect; at McQueen's insistence, both characters have the same number of lines although McQueen's character doesn't appear until 43 minutes into the film and as a result, Newman had used almost half his lines before McQueen even enters; after seeing this film, novelist Roderick Thorp had a dream that same night about a man being chased through a skyscraper by gun-wielding assailants and this was the inspiration for his 1979 book Nothing Lasts Forever which eventually was made into another blockbuster film: Die Hard

Page 28: The Dashing Duke of Edinburgh -- Prince Philip was a study in elegance -- a look at Philip's long and amazing life

Page 40: Read Your Palm -- it holds your fate

Page 42: 10 things to know about Leonardo DiCaprio

Page 44: Eyes on the Stars -- Blue Bloods castmates Steve Schirripa and Vanessa Ray and Bridget Moynahan share a lighthearted moment behind the scenes on the Brooklyn set (picture), Hugh Grant and wife Anna hit the red carpet in London (picture), Henry Cavill is flying high with a new galpal reality TV's Natalie Viscuso of Super Sweet 16, there may be a silver lining to Kelly Clarkson's ugly divorce with estranged husband Brandon Blackstock as she says she's written 60 new songs since their split, Christie Brinkley has called aging "the last frontier" as the longtime model seeks to continue her career in front of the camera at 67, Salma Hayek says her pet owl Kering stays in her bedroom with her when husband Francois-Henri Pinault is out of town, Dolly Parton delivered a heartfelt goodbye to her dear uncle and mentor Bill Owens

Page 45: Jay Leno is ready to take a spin in L.A. in a vintage purple Barracuda (picture), Percy Gibson escorts wife Joan Collins to dinner in Hollywood (picture), Patrick Dempsey filming Devils in Italy (picture), Matthew Perry posted a behind-the-scenes shot that showed him getting prepped to appear on camera for the Friends special and the posted racked up 27,000 likes before it was deleted without comment from the actor's account, Jessica Springsteen who is the daughter of Bruce Springsteen and wife Patti Scialfa could represent America at the Olympic Games in Tokyo as a champion equestrian, Rosie Perez claims she's been snubbed by the Academy Awards for more than two decades since she was nominated as a Best Supporting Actress in 1994

Page 46: Online dating isn't just for the younger crowd as studies show older adults are the fastest growing group trying it out -- if you're considering looking for love online, here are some guidelines to help you stay safe while maximizing your chances

Page 47: Fear of Flying -- these jetsetters would rather drive -- William Shatner, Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Megan Fox, Sandra Bullock, Whoopi Goldberg, Kate Winslet

[koffeewithkjo]

Well I wouldn't say "rampant anti-semitism"but in the end, Isreal is the holy land for christians, and i guess they feel they have an obligation to side with them.

Okay I know we have strayed so far from the topic of Bollywood it isn’t even funny but I feel obligated to point out that the whole reason the Jews felt they needed to ~return to Zion~ and create a Jewish state in the first place was because they’d been killed, targeted, and discriminated against for centuries. And it wasn’t Muslims doing it.

Yes, we share a Holy Land, but that’s sort of the problem? Christian denominations believe that Jesus was the son of God, and he was killed by his fellow Jews. Like, you can hear “but the Jews killed Jesus!” in almost any Christian community even today. That was compounded by their perceived financial success and insulation in their own communities, but the point is, it wasn’t the Muslims sending the Jews to the gas chambers. 

Currently, of course, Islamophobia is even more rampant than anti-Semitism. Political fear-mongering has made us terrified of the Middle East and Israel is seen as the one foothold in what has been portrayed as the ~crazy, violent, unstable~ Arab world (never mind the fact that we caused a lot of that instability, they don’t put THAT on the news). But just because places like the U.S. and India are allied with Israel, it doesn’t mean that anti-Semitism isn’t still a huge problem. I would say it’s still pretty rampant, it’s just wrapped up in a bow of politeness we don’t currently extend to Muslims.

And to bring it back to entertainment/Bollywood, a lot of the early stars of both American AND Hindi cinema were Jewish. The architects of Hollywood were all Jewish immigrants. Pretty much the world over, acting was seen as a disreputable career, and Jewish stars/directors/producers stepped in where others wouldn’t (particularly women). It helped that because India was a predominantly Hindu country, they didn’t/don’t have the same roots of anti-Semitism that Christian countries do. 

So what I’m saying is, you can’t separate Jewish people from the arts, which is perhaps why you don’t see a lot of backlash against Israel in many entertainment communities. Judaism and Zionism are not synonymous, but combined with the way the conflict is framed in the media, there’s still a lot of sympathy for Jewish communities and the Jewish state in both countries’ entertainment industries.

And now that Israel is going to fund Indian films, that’s only going to strengthen its ties to the entertainment industry. I genuinely don’t think these people fully realize what’s happening to Palestinians (even I find the history of the conflict very confusing and the information provided by mainstream media inadequate at best), but they also have an established relationship with the Jewish community already AND they’re not going to bite the hand that’s feeding them. Just like Israel’s sale of arms to India, this is a business arrangement. That’s why it’s so important for someone (who’s more informed than I am and preferably Indian themselves) to push back by spreading awareness of what’s really going on in Gaza, and highlighting that this has more meaning than “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine”. It’s worked with some artists in the West, so I think it could work with Indian artists as well.

[nakalimutang-sumpaan]

To think, if I just had continued a decade ago, I'd probably be an architect by now or even a few years ago...

BUT I guess there are perks to this shelter in place.

My social anxiety is extremely grateful haha. This online thing is GREAT. Having connections is the best bc the professor pays extra attention to me, though I'm trying my best to make it a point where he does so not bc of a mutual friend/connection, but bc I pay attention and actually participate. But tbh, I wouldn't have been able to participate if it wasn't for THE FREE CLASS FOR LDC THAT WAS OFFERED BY THE SOCIETY. I'M CONFIDENT AND KNOW WHAT I'M DOING AND TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE OF THAT CLASS. I feel like.. although I constantly feel like I'm 8-10 years late when it comes to experience and growth and am just currently achieving and reaching goals that I wished/planned to/should have accomplished as a teenager, the timing of everything is actually perfect. I say that bc without everything that I have gone through this past decade, I don't think I would have the mental and emotional capacity to handle certain things and experiences. Obviously my anxiety and depression have worsened a bit bc of shelter in place, but that's okay. Incredible things have come out of it. And the classes I'm taking in college now (FOR FREE MIGHT I ADD BC OF MY GRANT) are classes I'm really into and I know will pass and finish, just like Culinary Arts. I can only start, stick to, and finish something if I absolutely LOVE it... which I think is why I have never been able to finish/stick to anything bc I've always done things for others since they want me to do it. This time, it's for me and Jehovah. Though I know it makes dad+ happy too.

Another nice thing is Professor took notice of me and called me kind and helpful today for helping out the new student. I could tell they were both a bit frustrated and weren't understanding each other so I ended up stepping in haha and that solved the problem bc I understood what the student was getting at. Plus, I was lowkey able to magpatotoo during my introduction when I mentioned that I'm taking this class to be able to further enhance my knowledge in order to be able to help out moreso when I volunteer to build places of worship during my free time.

The best part: All for Jehovah and for the organization. At least, initially is was. Mainly it still is, of course. Though I think I actually do want to work as a CAD drafter or designer bc THIS IS FUN. ANYTHING DESIGN IS FUN AND ANYONE WHO KNOWS ME KNOWS THIS.

I was called a Jack of all Trades a few weeks ago.. which is true. I know this. It sucks that I'm indecisive and love/am decent at baking, calligraphy, AutoCAD, and a little bit of graphic designing. I literally don't know what to choose. I mean, I’m a master of none but still. I also love all things nutrition or psychology, so much so that I would love to be a nutritionist or therapist/psychologist or some sort of mental health clinician. The thing is, I do love baking, and that's what I majored in, but there is no money in that unless I commute daily to the city since that's where you can make a lot in the food industry, which I'm not down for unless a company covers commute benefits lol plus to be a chef means working 10-12+ hour shifts and especially on weekends so that’s a definite no, OR if I open up my own business, which I would be down for and was the original plan...until I started pioneering. Honestly pioneering threw me off, but in the best way haha.

Although, honestly, being almost 30 and still not knowing what to do is frustrating and anxiety-inducing, I feel like Jehovah is guiding me to do what's best for me. I hope and constantly pray that He is, bc all I want to do is be used by Him and make up for the 8 years that I did not put Him first.

I hope that despite my mental health issues that I can still be used by Him... and finally find a job that does not feel like a job that supports my pioneering, LDC work, and pays well. I also know that it will help me with my confidence and actually be okay with being okay with dating too LOL bc I want to be great individually and be a wonderful addition to someone's life and not be a burden, at least not financially or spiritually.