#deanne says things

[penelopetheconartist]

I can just picture him staring out the kitchen window, sipping coffee, ready to chase off rabbits.

[corporationsarepeople]

Elon Musk is the richest man in the world and the owner of X, Tesla, and SpaceX. But perhaps the more apt description of the guy would be the internet’s biggest and most dangerous troll—a characterization that has been on full display over the last several weeks, as Musk has trafficked in all manner of misinformation concerning the devastating hurricane that hit the South last month and the one headed for Florida as we speak. And while the internet—and Musk’s social media network in particular—is rife with misinformation, Musk’s fame and 200 million-plus X account following mean the falsehoods he has spread have had actual, devastating consequences.

Among other things, Musk has amplified false claims that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was “actively blocking” shipments of donated items for victims of Hurricane Helene and was “seizing goods…and locking them away to state they are their own”—claims that FEMA says are not true and that also appear to be bullshit based on Republican leaders’ praise of Washington. Musk has additionally shared baseless accusations that FEMA doesn’t have enough funding to get through hurricane season because it gave away too much money to undocumented migrants, and he personally wrote that “FEMA used up its budget ferrying illegals into the country instead of saving American lives,” accusing the agency of committing “treason.” He also absurdly claimed last Friday that the Federal Aviation Administration planned to “shut down” airspace over parts of North Carolina that had been hit hard by Helene, a falsehood Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had to personally explain was not true.

Addressing the onslaught of misinformation—which has also, unsurprisingly, come from Donald Trump—FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said Tuesday that it “is absolutely the worst I have ever seen,” adding, “I anticipated some of this, but not to the extent that we’re seeing.” While she did not call out Musk or Trump directly by name, the issues she has been forced to deal with are products of what the two men have been irresponsibly saying online. “It’s just really unfortunate that [people] continue to try to create this level of fear in these communities that is impeding our ability to do our job at the level that we need to do it, but we’re not going to let it deter us,” Criswell told reporters. “We are going to continue to be in these communities and support them for whatever they need.” Keith Turi, FEMA’s acting associate administrator for response and recovery, listed off numerous falsehoods that have been shared, including by Musk, like that FEMA was “confiscating supplies.” He called the misinformation “extremely damaging to the response efforts from Helene and from any disaster,” noting that it “is reducing the likelihood that survivors will come to FEMA in a trusting way to register for assistance.”

[cleolinda]

The Category 4 hurricane, bordering on Category 5 [as of Tuesday Oct. 8], was expected to reach Florida's Gulf Coast between 10 p.m Wednesday and 2 a.m. Thursday, according to the latest forecasts.

“You have time today. Time is running out," Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters on Tuesday. "But you do have time today to heed any evacuation orders and do what you need to do to protect yourself and our families.”

Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert said she's confident her constituents understand the consequences of not evacuating. "What everyone has been saying is, you have to evacuate, it is not survivable, to survive a 10- to 15-foot storm surge," Alpert told NBC News on Tuesday. "It just simply isn't."

Mr. Biden said he pre-approved emergency declarations in Florida and had sent FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell to Florida on Monday. He also called on airlines to provide "as much service as possible" and "not engage in price gouging."

Mr. Biden said he had spoken to "all political leaders" in the region, "some of them more than once," and he said he told them "anything they ask for, they can get."

I don’t want to add to people’s anxiety about this if you’re already safe or following the story from afar, but if this kind of warning convinces anyone to evacuate or make sure their loved ones do, it’s worth it. If you want to evacuate now but you don’t know where to go, lists of shelters by county are over here.

More about the predicted path:

It’s also been pointed out that you can travel north OR south—the hurricane is cutting across the state. Ideally you would get out of the path entirely, but any distance from the direct line of impact and/or the coast would help, even a little:

Scroll way, way down for the interactive map, which I have screenshots of below (again, accurate as of midday Tuesday October 8th). The hurricane will weaken as it hits land, but it’s still wildly intense, considering:

I wasn’t online much the week of Helene, or I would have posted then too. But Helene also gave us an idea of how bad things could get, and a baseline for “even worse,” so that’s one of the reasons I’m posting all this now. (I also have the luxury of being in a different state. I’m not someone to worry about.) I’ll look for disaster relief resources and post those when the time comes. I hope people are still helping Asheville and NC, but this is gonna have to be my lane for now.

[odinsblog]

Elon Musk is the richest man in the world and the owner of X, Tesla, and SpaceX. But perhaps the more apt description of the guy would be the internet’s biggest and most dangerous troll—a characterization that has been on full display over the last several weeks, as Musk has trafficked in all manner of misinformation concerning the devastating hurricane that hit the South last month and the one headed for Florida as we speak. And while the internet—and Musk’s social media network in particular—is rife with misinformation, Musk’s fame and 200 million-plus X account following mean the falsehoods he has spread have had actual, devastating consequences.

Among other things, Musk has amplified false claims that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was “actively blocking” shipments of donated items for victims of Hurricane Helene and was “seizing goods…and locking them away to state they are their own”—claims that FEMA says are not true and that also appear to be bullshit based on Republican leaders’ praise of Washington. Musk has additionally shared baseless accusations that FEMA doesn’t have enough funding to get through hurricane season because it gave away too much money to undocumented migrants, and he personally wrote that “FEMA used up its budget ferrying illegals into the country instead of saving American lives,” accusing the agency of committing “treason.” He also absurdly claimed last Friday that the Federal Aviation Administration planned to “shut down” airspace over parts of North Carolina that had been hit hard by Helene, a falsehood Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had to personally explain was not true.

Addressing the onslaught of misinformation—which has also, unsurprisingly, come from Donald Trump—FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said Tuesday that it “is absolutely the worst I have ever seen,” adding, “I anticipated some of this, but not to the extent that we’re seeing.” While she did not call out Musk or Trump directly by name, the issues she has been forced to deal with are products of what the two men have been irresponsibly saying online. “It’s just really unfortunate that [people] continue to try to create this level of fear in these communities that is impeding our ability to do our job at the level that we need to do it, but we’re not going to let it deter us,” Criswell told reporters. “We are going to continue to be in these communities and support them for whatever they need.” Keith Turi, FEMA’s acting associate administrator for response and recovery, listed off numerous falsehoods that have been shared, including by Musk, like that FEMA was “confiscating supplies.” He called the misinformation “extremely damaging to the response efforts from Helene and from any disaster,” noting that it “is reducing the likelihood that survivors will come to FEMA in a trusting way to register for assistance.”

(continue reading)

[xaviers-student-union]

Xavier Student Paper: Issue #3

Exploding Population; New Imp who dis

Starting off this week's news round up with a lighter topic as there are several issues that are still developing. I'd like to offically welcome new student, Dev to our Mutant family. Dev has already gotten in my goodbooks everyone, though through which secret method I will not disclose. Can't have everyone knowing how to sweeten me up afterall.

Anyway! Dev has been to the school previously, and has now returned as a student so please give them a warm welcome. Though do be forewarned that they do seem to have a mischievous streak. Though, there's nothing wrong with that, if you ask me! [ relevent parties: @imp-decisive ]

Treasured Student gone missing

As some of you have likley heard, Jubiliation Lee [ aka Jubilee] was last seen a few nights ago after an incident we'd rather not disclose in the paper. Her room had been wrecked, and vacated. She has since not been seen by staff and students alike.if you have any news regarding her whereabouts, or any leads as to where she may now be, please inform a member of staff.

And Jubilee if you're reading this please come home. Everyone is worried for you, and we miss you. We're arranging for someone to clean up your room and keep it heated for when you come back.

Everyone here at the XSU shares my sentiments.

We hope you're okay

[Relevent parties: @thejubilee-xmen ]

Mutants in Musical land

With the return of professor hearth from Brazil, the schools play has been selected and auditions will begin soon. As you may have guessed, the chosen play for this year was voted on by members of the board;

And they came to the decision to put on a variant of Alice in wonderland.

When asked why she chose this particular play, professor hearth highlighted the importance of representing a young mutant girl with a rare ability such as essokinesis [ or sommo-realm traversal depending on your interpretation] , and how the book at the time was a revolutionary topic. For showing a young mutant with little control over an ability that wasn't being used to assist her Flatscan peers was entirley unheard of.

Well, I wish everyone luck in their auditins!

[ relevent parties @lessons-in-poison ]

Sneaky thief? Or mischievous rodent?

Deanne has been informed by a few students of missing items, and of hearing odd squeaks late at night. If you have anything to report, please talk to Deanne in the union club room. Right now, the leading theory is that there may be an escaped pet rodent in the vents that's been unknowingly stealing everyone's stuff.

Personally, I want to believe that the real thief was the friends we made a long the way.

[ relevent larties: @hare-and-gone ]

New professor! Can't wait to prank them!

We'd like to extend a warm welcome to a new professor we've noticed roaming the halls! Welcome! Professor Ozzie will be teaching Ecology. I actually had to look that one up!

Ecology is the study of how living things interact with their environment! Which, for anyone whose interested in biology and chemistry I think you'd quite like this class!

I'm considering signing up myself!

Also, can I just say it's mighty fine to see another disabled mutant joining the staff. Welcome professor!

[ Relevent parties @ozzie-the-stoat ]

New club has popped up!

The "Dark ones" is now accepting new members. They can be found in the dingy meeting room right when you come into the hangar. Honestly, I'm 99% sure this is just a cult. Which professor signed off on this and why was it gambit? Well, okay let's see what this totally-not-a-cult or gathering of witches will do. [ crime, probably]

Do Vampires dream of electric sheep?

Molly isn't quite sure, however she is planning to conduct a survey in this issue

Misappropriation of Lost and Found

To the person claiming recent missing property to sell back to their owners at Mark up, we have been informed that you're on your final warning. If you continue the XSU members will report this behaviour

Is that a bird? A plane? No its just Warren coming home again!

Warren has finally returned! But also informed me of something very very very weird. It seems theres some strange going ons at the mansion.

A bunch of professors are being turned into animals. Who is doing this?

And why am I pretty sure it's the aftermentioned dark ones / witch coven/cult ppl.

[ @wworthington-xmen ]

[ Attached to this issue of the Student paper you find a petition to convince Professor X to hire a psychiatrist alongside the school counselor Nod [ @totally-not-a-mutant ]

There's a mismatch of signatures already pre-signed]

Author: Molly

Editor: Deanne

[durmom]

Its useless

Part 5

Part 4:

When you woke up the next morning Dean was still asleep on your chest, peeking over at the clock you see it’s 6:30. Gently you shake Dean who groans and holds you tighter. 

“Dean, we gotta get up.” He groans louder before opening his eyes. When he makes eye contact with you your heart flutters, you stare at each other for a minute before he grabs you tight and rolls over taking you with him. Laughing, you tell him again that you have to wake up, “Deann! We gotta get up! Sam will be up soon!” He hugs you tighter nuzzling into your neck, “shut up princess.” 

“You asshole!” You laugh trying to get out of his grip. After a few seconds he finally lets go. You stand up adjusting your shirt which has ridden up. 

“I forgot to tell you, my moms coming today.” Your eyes widen as he sits up and looks up at you sleepily. 

“What?” He looks at you confused. Trying to think of season twelve Mary had distanced herself so why is she coming over. 

“Dean, did you kill Hilter?”

“I did! I didn’t tell you?” 

“Hold on.” You start rummaging through his room. Dean jumps up grabbing your hands. 

“Hey! Hey! Princess there’s some private stuff in here!” 

“Like what? Busty Asian beauties? Porn?” His face drops, “how?”

“Dean, hun, they show it in the show, you’re a whore and we all know it.” You hold a shit eating grin on your face. 

“I am not!”

“Really?” You say sarcastically pulling your hands from him and continuing to rummage through his drawers before you find his journal. Leaving Dean confused, you head to the library, grabbing out a journal and making notes of what’s already happened, what’s a little out of order. 

Sam taken by Brit’s

Dean killed hitler

That girl in the basement of her family's home

Asa fox was murdered

Okay not too much but what’s with this five month waiting period. Two months before I arrived and three months after nothing had happened besides menial cases.  A couple hunters tracked down those vampire traffickers but on our end nothing. Is Chuck fucking with us?  Amara maybe? 

“Y/n?” He startles you, you’re shocked it took him so long to come find you after you left him in his room. 

“Okay, okay, so some things are happening out of order. There’s been a five month gap from before and when I got here. From my memory you should’ve killed hitler like in the past week. Your mom should already be here.”

“Okay?”

“Dean someone, something is changing the story to make room for me. I mean five months of silence? Even the Vamp ring, that was never in the show and it would have been.” 

“Let me get Sam.” 

You know Chuck is writing the story but he didn’t plan on you being brought here. Maybe he’s trying to adjust, but because you know about him would he be able to control your life? Sam walks in disheveled, clearly had just woken up.

“What's going on y/n?”

“Okay things in your life are out of order, I've been preoccupied with our cases, and adjusting most things have just slipped my mind but Dean said Mary is coming today and I realized she should already be here. Things that should be happening now happened months ago.” 

“Like?”

“Dean killing Hitler, Asa dying, Magda.”

“So what does that mean for us?” Sam asks, facing you with the fact you can't tell them Chuck is scrambling, he doesn’t know what to do with you. 

“Y/n?” Dean questions, you had been looking at the ground thinking aggressively.

“I… I know what's happening but I can’t tell you.” Finally you look up distraught.

“Why not?” Dean sounds more aggressive, frustrated.

“Because, I don't know what it means, what's happening means I know nothing about the future anymore.” Chuck had been controlling the boys forever and was not prepared for you, when Amara brought you here it fucked with his whole story so now he’s trying to rewrite, that explains the five month gap, who knows what he’s written.

“Wait, so you know nothing now?” Sam scoffs, upset and confused.

“I mean I know what could happen but, me being in the equation means anything could change.” Tears sting your eyes, this is the last thing you wanted, to screw with the boy's future, to change everything, “What do we do?” tears fall frustrated, you groan, wiping your eyes. In your head the only solution is for you to die, to set things back on track.

“Y/n,” Sam grabs your hands and you make eye contact with him, “We will figure this out, whether you were here or not Dean and I would have no clue our future.” Of course you don’t know what's going to happen, but I do. Ive been fucking around, having fun, playing hunter, forgetting everything that matters. You can’t  say that to him, “Thank you Sammy, it's just a lot.” He gives you a soft smile and you look at Dean who is scowling.

“Dean?”

“Just don’t! You can’t tell us anything and now you’re saying you’ve fucked everything?”

“Dean!” Sam scolds his brother but Dean holds up a hand, “I'm just so frustrated! Y/n knows everything that has happened and will happen and refuses to tell us so for once we can be ahead, and now she’s saying she doesn't know? What was the point of Amara bringing her here? So far I’ve learned nothing.”

“Really?” You question, taking a step toward him, “You’re frustrated? Shut the fuck up Dean. You have no idea how hard this is. I want to fucking tell you everything, but like ive said before I cant because you are too hot headed. Yes, I fucked up by playing hunter and having fun with you boys but need I remind you I’m not fucking from this world? This isn't my damn home? Everything is so complicated here and its so hard to think, I feel like I cant fucking breathe and your frustrated?”

“Hell yeah I'm frustrated!” He takes a step toward you, inches away from your face, “You know everything, you know what Sam and I have been through and refuse to help us out but yet you play buddy buddy. I feel manipulated. So yeah Princess I'm frustrated.”

“Did you ever think I was helping you out by not telling you? That the burden would be too much, that you wouldn't be able to stop it? And trust me I believe in you boys more than anything but I know for a fact, because I’ve seen it, you can’t stop what's happening, and I don't want you to. And I’m sorry Dean for trying to be friends with you, trying to build a relationship to feel less alone. I'm sorry that you actually like me. I know it's frustrating to have such a cool girl in your life who sees through your bullshit.” Dean laughs and takes a step back, he rubs his hands over his face taking a deep breath, “You know what Princess, we will see who’s right in the end. I’m done arguing about this,” quickly you glance at Sam whose eyes are bulging out of his head shocked by his brothers apology, “I am just tired, Sam and I can do what needs to be done with or without your help.”

“You’re right you can. I trust in you boys fully, I need you to trust me at a fraction of that, and we will see who is right in the end. But in the meantime, can we please just be friends?” You stick your hand out which Dean grabs and shakes.

Sam coughs, “Now that that’s done, Mom is coming for dinner, she should be here in a few hours, I’m going to the store.” he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly and leaves you and Dean standing in the library. The silence is deafening, uncomfortable. 

“Well, um, I'm going to get ready.” you shift past Dean heading to your room. Once the door shuts you sigh, “jesus.” Fighting Dean was not on your agenda today, he shockingly handled it well. At least he doesn’t want to fight either, you can handle the back and forth of him anymore. He was hugging on you, begging you to stay in bed twenty minutes before. Now you have to try and calm down before Mary gets here but you're so exhausted you break down in tears for a while before moving to the bathroom to get ready. Starting with your makeup you keep it simple, being in this universe is strange, there's no need for base makeup because your skin is so clear, your hair falls perfectly all the time. With that you do mascara, winged liner, and a bit of white on your inner corners. To add some color to your face you do some blush before moving to your hair which you put into soft curls. After makeup and hair you start to feel better about yourself so you throw in music, Sin City by ACDC starts, you dance around your room, feeling the anger and sadness leave you. You dance as you get dressed, a pair of baggy khakis, a black cropped tank top, and a matching black, cropped mesh/knitted long sleeve. Because it's only two you proceed to sing and dance in your room until there's a knock on your door, quickly you shut off the music and answer the door breathless.

“What?” Dean looks you up and down, mouth hanging slightly open before snapping it shut, “My moms here.”

“Shit, okay.” You panic a bit but follow Dean down the hall in your socks. Fuck my shoes. Too late for that. Dean walks next to you with his eyes glued to the floor, the tension is high making you more anxious. Obviously you want Mary to like you but if you and Dean are being weird the chances of that are lower. Halfway down the hall you maneuver infront of Dean putting a hand on his chest, stopping him. Finally he looks up at you. 

“Dean, I want us to be okay.”

“We are.”

“You sure? Because you haven't made a comment about my outfit or even smiled at me. It's weird, and I’m already nervous as hell.” 

“Y/n I swear we’re okay.” you give him a knowing look, he called you by your name, he sighs, grabbing your hands, “Princess we are fine, I'm just… I'm just bothered by this morning that's it.” 

“I am too. So we cancel eachother out.” You smile at him hopefully, he chuckles, “Yes we cancel eachother out.” Giving your hands one final squeeze he lets go of only one, holding your hand he leads you to the library, before entering he lets go of your hand and moves it to your lower back. Leaning down he whispers in your ear, “My moms gonna love you, but hate that outfit.” 

“Dean!” You hit is chest, “That's mean!”

“What? I like it, you look cute, too cute for my mom, she's expecting a badass.”

“And I’m not?” You cross your arms glaring at him. 

“Such a badass.” he says laced with sarcasm before returning his hand to your lower back and guides you into the library. Sam is already in a conversation with Mary, smiling wildly. This makes you smile, he needed a relationship with his mom. 

“I found her!” Flinching you realize Dean was announcing your presence. 

Awkwardly you wave, “Hi Mary.” She looks you up and down with a blank face, staring at your socks specifically. Nervously you look at Dean who is still smiling, you notice his thumb rubbing your back to calm your nerves. 

“You’re Y/n?” Mary questions not believing you. 

“Yeah…” you trail off not knowing what to say. She looks at Dean tilting her head, noticing that his hand is on your back. Dean pushes you a bit, trying to close the gap between you and Mary. You stumble before standing up straight, his hand has left your back.

“Sorry I'm just nervous.”

“Mom this is y/n. She's been here a few months and is a great hunter.” Sam says, trying to defuse the tension.

“She's a hunter? How old is she?”

“Well I wasn't until like three months ago. Amara brought me here. I'm twenty nine but in a twenty two year old body.”

“Amara?”

“Yeah, as a gift for Dean, I’ve been training to get caught up with these guys.”

“Is that why my son is all touchy with you?”

“What?” This caught you off guard, you knew Mary was blunt but this was borderline disrespectful.

“Mom, she's just our friend.” Dean says cautiously. 

“Yeah, I don't know what youre talking about Mary. Amara brought me as a gift to Dean to teach him something. Not to date him.”

“Hmm. What are you supposed to teach him?” You look into Dean's eyes pleading for help. 

“We don't know.” Sam cuts in, “she's from another universe where our life is a show, and she was a huge fan.” mentally you facepalm. Another Winchester to harass you about the future. 

“Yeah, that's why I’m so nervous. I've been watching you guys since I was eight so it's just very weird.”

“Must be.” Now that was more sympathetic from her. Dean claps his hands, “Who’s ready to eat?”

“I am.” Mary smiles and walks toward the kitchen. Once out of sight you punch Dean lightly a few times, “Thanks for the help asshole!”

“You had it princess!”

“Really?”

“No.” Again you punch him before going to the kitchen.

In the kitchen dinner was set on the table, Dean had cooked. He walked over to the fridge grabbing three beers and setting them on the table before going back and mixing your whiskey and coke. He set it in front of you, hand resting on your shoulder which Mary clocks. Over dinner Mary kept the questions easy. Asking about your life before coming here, she actually seemed to warm up to you. However with every touch from Dean it was clear she disapproved. All of you were a couple drinks in, playing a board game, cranium to be exact. You and Sam were on a team against Mary and Dean, who were losing. The current task was you had to draw something with your eyes closed and Sam had to guess, all you needed was to get this and you’d win. The answer was dolphin. You made intense eye contact with Sam trying to somehow transmit the answer to him. You had watched an ocean documentary together and talked in depth about how dolphins are maniacs. You had learned they had no sense of smell and had been making jokes about it, you hoped he’d get the reference because you could not draw a dolphin with your eyes closed. As soon as Dean flipped the timer you closed your eyes and drew a ‘b’ figure with an X through it. Sam was silent for a few seconds, your heart started to pound.

“Dolphin!” He shouts and you open your eyes smiling, “YES SAMMY!” you push away from the table standing up to high five him. Now standing next to each other you grab his other hand and jump up and down a few times, excited to win.

“Dude we were on the same wavelength!”

“We were!” He laughs, you turn to Dean putting an L on your forehead. He’s looking at the drawing, “How is that dolphin?”

“Dolphins don't have a sense of smell!” You and Sam say in unison. 

“What?” Dean has a funny look on his face before looking at his mom, “Can you believe these two? I'm surrounded by nerds.” Mary laughs, patting Dean's knee.

“Nerds who win!” You say elbowing Sam. 

“Shut up.” you stick your tongue out at him, “who knew you were so competitive?” crossing his arm he pouts. 

“Maybe if you ask nicely I’ll let you be my partner next time.” While Dean rolls his eyes Mary gets up, “Alright, I should probably head out.”

“No mom, you should stay the night.” Sam's face softens to concern.

“Thank you Sam but I can't, I have a meeting with the British Men of Letters tomorrow so I have to hit the road.”

“You sure?” Dean grabs his moms arm softly, she rests her hand on his, “I'm sure. Thank you boys for having me, nice to meet you y/n.” You give her a polite nod and smile.

“We’ll walk you out.” Dean leads the way, then Sam, Mary, and you. 

“Give me a second.” Mary says to Sam once in the library. She turns and grabs your wrist bringing you back into the hall. Once again your heart starts pounding and you can feel the blood drain from your face. 

“Listen, I don't know you but I can see your effect on my boys. I don't like it but they trust you, everytime they call they talk about you. I respect you for the reason that my boys respect you. Don't mess that up. If you hurt them, I will hunt you down.” Involuntarily you laugh, “Mary, I get it, they’re your kids but respectfully you have no right. You haven't been here. I know what you've been through and I sympathize, but you haven't been here and can't take out your disappointment with yourself out on me. I’m not trying to be mean because if I were you I’d do the same thing but I have been with them for three months. Every second of everyday. I've been watching them since I was eight years old. The love I have for them is immense. I would never in my life do anything to hurt them. I would die before that. I promise you.”

“I’ll keep you to that.”

“I’d expect you to.”

When she leaves you sigh out of relief. That woman is intense. Once you hear the door shut you go into the library.

“You okay?” Dean asks. 

“Yeah, she just gave me her ‘mom’ talk.” holding your hands up in quotations.

“Her what?”

“Nothing, I expected it. We're good. You boys wanna watch a movie?” 

In the Dean Cave you were watching diehard, everyone had sobered up pretty quick. You were in between Sam and Dean but had your legs curled up on the couch leaning on Sam. Dean was being extremely twitchy, shifting every few minutes. You kept eyeing him but his eyes were glued to the Tv. About halfway through Dean gets up, “I'm going to bed.” 

“Yeah we probably should too.” Sam stretches causing you to sit up and do the same. Walking down the hall you pass his room first saying goodnight. 

“My room?” You ask him.

“Sure.” He follows you down the hall. Once in your room Dean grabs you by the waist and pushes you against the door.

“Dean?” You look into his eyes searching, again for the millionth time this night your heart is pounding. 

[ellethespaceunicorn]

What is Dennis and Wifey favorite things about each other?

Thank you for the ask nonnie!! Let's talk about their love languages!!!

Dennis' love language is physical touch.

Wifey loves the way Dennis uses physical touch to show how much he loves her and their kids. Sweet caresses while they lay in bed together. Hands on her face and neck while he kisses her. A quick squeeze of her ass as she passes him in the house. A tender kiss to DJ's scraped knee or to Deanne's tear-stained cheek is also adorable to witness.

Wifey's love language is words of affirmation.

Dennis loves the way Wifey uses words of affirmation to show how much she loves him and their kids. Saying I love you, sweet encouragement, or a pep talk seem like simple things. Until Wifey delivers them. The way she speaks using her heart to make Dennis' confidence build or to make DJ feel like a big boy or to make a smile appear on Deanne's face.

[blogger360ncislarules]

It could have been the year of Sue (and Brad).

Six years after ABC passed on an offshoot of the long-running family sitcom The Middle, would-be spinoff stars Eden Sher and Brock Ciarlelli (aka Sue and Brad) are telling fans what they would have seen in the show, which at one point went by the working title Sue Sue in the City.

The pilot, ordered by ABC in August 2018, would have seen Sher reprise her breakout role as Mike and Frankie’s daughter, Sue Heck, as she leaves Orson, Ind., to pursue a career in Chicago, Ill. The Middle creators Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline penned the script, and were set to serve as executive producers. Alas, the Alphabet network decided not to move forward with the show.

“We did film it, and it was pretty devastating when it didn’t go,” Sher says in the Instagram video below. “We were all… pretty shocked, to be honest.” Adds Ciarlelli: “It was one of those things where, because we had just come straight off of [The Middle] and [the network] was super excited about the show, we were like, ‘Of course this is going to get picked up. And it was a really good show.”

Though a flash-forward sequence at the end of The Middle‘s May 2018 series finale revealed that Sue eventually marries next-door neighbor Sean, the spinoff was set long before their big day, leaving Sue single and ready to (awkwardly) mingle. “It took place, like, three years in the future,” Sher reveals. “She’s in her mid-20s, she’s graduated from college…. Basically, Sue goes to Chicago, tries to save a hotel, and the cast of characters” — which included Chris Diamantopoulos (Silicon Valley) as hotel owner Nick, Finesse Mitchell (Saturday Night Live) as bartender Hudson, and Kimberley Crossman (Creamerie) as hotel chef Remi — “was really good.”

Sue eventually would find herself at her “lowest point,” which set the stage for Sue’s best friend Brad to come “flying in on a taxi” to save the day. “So, we have our Brad-and-Sue stuff — you’re used to that — and then we danced in the streets of Chicago and it started to snow,” Ciarlelli shares. “That’s how it ended. It was really cute.”

In the video, Sher also shows off a selection of never-before-seen ABC publicity stills taken for the pilot, which reveal an all-grown-up Sue in a power suit, ready to grab life by the horns.

Sher and Ciarlelli intend to share more about the scrapped spinoff in the first episode of their forthcoming Middle rewatch podcast, aptly titled Middling, when it premieres on Wednesday, July 31. In the meantime, hit the comments and tell us if you’re still upset that we never got to see Sue Sue in the City.

[magdasabs]

I suggested this a couple months ago and you said you didn't have time. I'm going to suggest it again in case you have time and you're interested. For each club in the WSL, name one player who you think is overrated and one who you think is underrated. And overrated doesn't necessarily mean bad, it could mean that fans of that club think she's best in the world and you think she's top 10 in the world rather than top 1. Same with underrated, could be a player who everyone says is awful and you think is fine.

good suggestion, thanks for sending it again! I'll try to do it but I'm so bad at things like this tbh

chelsea: o-lj, u-maren

city: o-ck? idk no one's really overrated there, u-jess park

arsenal: o-alessia, u-kim

united: o-tooney, u- hannah

liverpool: o-shanice?, u-taylor hinds

spurs: o-neville, u-ria, kit, olga

everton: o-katja?idk, u-nico

leicester: o-deanne rose?, u-leitzig

villa: o-alisha tho does it count if it's not actual woso fans doing the rating, u-anna leat

brighton: o-robinson, u-terland

west ham: o-asseyi, u-megan walsh

bristol: I don't really know much about them tbh but just for the sake of completeness o-furness, u-marckese

[penelopetheconartist]

He is 100% her favourite uncle. They match!!!!

[talia-my-darling]

1920’s Ride the Cyclone AU

A thing before we start: This takes place in Chicago, America not Uranium City.

@luckynature @thespacecatgirl @jason-deann

Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg, a women strictly against Alcohol. If she supported Prohibition her recently deceased husband must have too. It was a tragic accident of what happened to Ocean’s husband but it should not be invested throughly. Ocean goes up to Police Officers like Officer Gruber to inform him over smuggled illegal alcohol. She has noted that Officer Gruber often ignores her inputs and she’s pissed.

Noel Gruber, Police Officer by day, speakeasy owner by night. Noel’s sister Monique works as a flapper in different speakeasies, usually makes her way around the block. When working as an officer, Noel would ignore the suggests about people owning alcohol and take bribes from those who did. He lives in a two room apartment with his boyf- I mean roommate Ricky Potts.

Mischa Bachinski, bootlegger. Makes piles of good money off it. Mischa known for having great quality alcohol and that many speakeasies owners buy from him. As a child with his mother he came to America for a better life but in return they got discrimination for being from Russia.

Ricky Potts, a newspaper reporter. Practically a slave to his bosses, having to write a new article every hour and finish it by the next. When Ricky was younger he reviewed restaurants, shows and other social things, usually bringing along his boyfr- I mean roommate Noel Gruber. But now that he’s older he writes about missing people, gangs, robberies and murders.

Penny Lamb, a waitress who dreamed of being a fashion designer. Didn’t earn a lot of money for her and her brother, but enough to make it by. Penny is extremely close with Ricky so if she gets a fashion business up and running she knows a few people won’t hesitate to give a 5 star review. Despite any negatives there might be.

Constance Blackwood, a jazz singer. She travels around all of Chicago performing at a different place almost every night. Constance is extremely popular and gets lots of love. But she loves going to this diner where this extremely pretty waitress works. On nights when she’s not busy at another place Constance heads down to perform at Noel’s speakieasy because they are besties.

—

• This AU is heavily supporting romantic SugarDolls (Jane x Constance), SpaceStrippers (Ricky x Noel) and PassionFlowers (Mischa x Talia).

• This AU also heavily supports platonic BakingDrama (Constance and Noel), SpaceDolls (Ricky and Jane), Nischa (Mischa and Noel), PerfectDolls (Ocean and Jane)

• Talia and Mischa are actually married in this AU and they knew each other before moving from Kiev, Russia. (I SAY RUSSIA BECAUSE UKRAINE WAS APART OF RUSSIA IN THE 1920’S AND KYIV IS SPELLED THAT WAY BECAUSE THE NAME CHANGE HASNT HAPPENED YET)

• Ocean’s husband is not an OC. He’s basically just an unnamed character basically a John Doe to you all. Him as a person is irrelevant.

• They are not all the same age, Constance is 19, Penny is 20, Noel and Monique are 24, Ricky is 26, Mischa and Talia are 26 and Ocean is 31.

• Noel wants to be his sister most of the time but can’t also Monique is a flapper and not a s*x worker.

[deancodedinthewater]

Faith Part 5

Sam squeezed through the window and was running before he was fully upright. He had to get to Sue Ann before the ceremony was completed.

-

Sue Ann stood just outside of the tent with one hand holding the cross hanging from her neck.

“Alright now,” Roy said from the centre of the gathered crowd. “Alright.” That was Sue Ann’s cue to start reciting the Latin phrases for the ceremony. As she began, Roy's hand lowered to Layla’s forehead.

-

“Fuck,” Dean said as he turned to run. The reaper appeared before him and lifted a hand. Dean flinched away but his limbs froze in place. The reaper’s hand collided with his head and Dean convulsed and dropped onto his knees.

-

Inside the church Layla sank to hers. -

Sam collided with Sue Ann and yanked the cross from her hands. He snapped the chain and tossed it away. It hit the ground with the tinkle of broken glass and a splash of blood.

-

The reaper and Dean blinked in unison. Dean collapsed, gasping for breath, as it looked up.

-

Roy’s hand lifted from Layla’s head and he frowned behind his sunglasses. “I don’t understand...” he said, unseeing eyes staring down at his hand.

“I don’t feel.... Any different?” Layla said, looking up at Roy. She hadn’t meant for it to be a question but her own confusion had turned it into one. “Reverend?”

-

Sam watched, panting, as Sue Ann dropped onto all fours and scrambled to gather the shards of glass and blood up off of the ground. “My God,” she gasped. “What have you done?”

“He’s not your God,” Sam said. Sue Ann looked up at him and Sam could see how much she hated him. The feeling was mutual.

The look on her face morphed to terror and Sam had a feeling he knew exactly what she was so scared of. She stood from the ground and turned, trying to flee. But she didn’t get far. Something stopped her in her tracks and Sam watched as her eyes glazed over and she fell to her knees. Sam kept watching, horrified vindication locking his gaze on her, as she convulsed on the ground and then stilled. He waited for a moment for a sign of life. When she didn’t move he left. His brother needed him.

When he found Dean he was hunched over and leaning against the Impala. Sam smiled in relief as he approached. “You okay?” he asked.

Deann shook his head. “Hell of a week,” he replied.

“Yeah,” Sam agreed. “Alright, come on. We should get going.” Sam held his hand out and Dean reluctantly dropped the keys in. They got in the car, doors slamming simultaneously.

-

Dean sat in their motel room staring blankly at the wall. His thoughts were spiralling. What could they have- what should they have- How could they- Everything was terrible inside his head and he couldn’t vocalise any of it.

“What is it?” Sam asked from across the room where he was packing up his bag.

‘Nothing,’ Dean signed without checking that Sam could even see his hands. His eyes slid over to Sam but he didn’t see him. Not really.

Sam rounded his bed and sat down facing Dean. “What is it?” he asked again, more gently this time.

“We did the right thing here,” Dean said, his eyes swimming back into focus. “Didn’t we?”

“Of course we did,” Sam answered.

“It doesn’t feel like it.” Dean dropped his head, staring down at the ground. Nothing felt right. How could they do that to-

“Dean, stop it.” Sam cut through Dean’s thoughts so suddenly that the train completely derailed and Dean’s mind went blank for a blissful moment. “We did the right thing. Sue Ann was killing people like you. People fighting for the rights of people like you.” Dean knew he was right but he couldn’t help feeling like he had personally signed Layla’s death warrant.

Sam opened his mouth to say more but a knock at the door stopped him. Dean went to stand but Sam stood first, stopping Dean from moving with a hand on his shoulder. “I got it,” he said. When Sam opened the door, Dean’s vision blurred again. He could hear the buzzing of electricity in the walls. Or was that his ears ringing? “Hey, Layla,” Sam said. “Come on in.”

“Hey,” Layla replied with an awkward little wave. As she crossed the threshold, Dean stood up so fast he nearly over balanced. “How did you know we were here?” he asked in a rush.

“Sam,” Layla said, twisting her hands in her sleeves. “Called. He said you... wanted to say goodbye?”

Dean glanced back at Sam, who was still standing by the open door. With Dean’s eyes on him, Sam shifted and cringed. “I’m gonna,” he said, gesturing to the open door awkwardly.

“Grab a soda.” He darted through the door, closing it on his way out.

There was an awkward silence in the wake of Dean’s disaster of a little brother. Layla was the first to break it. “So,” she said, rocking forwards onto the balls of her feet before dropping back down. “Where are you going?”

“Don’t know yet,” Dean said, twisting his ring around his finger as he sat back down at the foot of his bed. “Our work kinda takes us all over.”

The silence returned and Layla, once again, was the first to break it. Dean wasn’t entirely surprised, his voice box even working at all right now was a damn miracle. “You know,” She said, rocking on her feet again. “I went back to see Roy.”

Dean nodded. And then realised he wasn’t supposed to know that. “What happened?” he asked, a beat too late.

“Nothing,” Layla said as she sat down beside Dean. She scratched at the side of her face and then dropped her hands into her lap. “He laid his hands on my forehead but nothing happened.”

“I’m sorry,” Dean said, shifting a little closer to her as his hand signed ‘sorry’ almost of its own free will. “I’m sorry it didn’t work.”

“And Sue Ann,” Layla continued. Her fingers twisted into knots. “She’s dead, you know? Stroke.”

“I heard,” Dean replied, the hand that had been signing snatched at his necklace. “You know Roy’s a good man. He doesn’t deserve what’s happened.” He looked at Layla, whose eyes were on her hands. “Must be rough. To believe in something so much, and have it disappoint you.”

“You wanna hear something weird?” Layla asked as she looked up with a small smile on her face.

‘What?’ Dean signed, though he wasn’t sure she knew any.

She seemed to gather that it meant for her to continue because she did. “I’m okay,” she said, her smile becoming more real as she spoke. “Really. I guess if you’re going to have faith you can’t just have it when the miracles happen. You have to have it when they don’t.”

“So what now?” Dean asked, feeling some of her faith wash off on him.

“God works in mysterious ways,” was all Layla said in reply. She lay a hand on his face, gently stroking her thumb over his stubble. “Goodbye, Dean.” Her hand lingered as she  stood. It fell away as she turned to the door. Dean’s eyes closed of their own accord. His limbs all locked in place.

The door opening jerked him into motion. He stood up, not sure what he was going to do. Layla turned. “I’m not much of the praying type,” he said, twisting his ring. “But... I’m gonna pray for you.”

Layla’s eyes shone with tears. “Well, there’s a miracle right there,” she said. She left then and Dean stared after her feeling better and worse in some unnameable jumble sitting heavy in his gut.

Masterpost

[twdmusicboxmystery]

11x24: Rest in Peace - Sleeping Beauty and Other Symbols

@frangipanilove:

Oh! Something else I wanted to mention before I forgot it. When Princess radioed Mercer from the train, she called herself Aurora! Massive intersection point there between the “North” symbolism (Aurora Borealis is Latin for the North light) and the “Sirius” symbolism. (Radios are Sirius symbolism.)

But even more awesome, Aurora was the Roman goddess of dawn, who is of course Sirius/Morningstar/Venus symbolism in its own right. “Aurora” is THE Latin world for “dawn.” 

This is absolutely magnificent use of the Sirius/North Star symbolism from tptb, absolute brilliance! I could not love it more! Imo, this is a shameless shoutout to TD!

Can’t believe I almost forgot to mention it. It was one of the best examples of Sirius/North Star symbolism of the entire series, if you ask me.

I love this so much! There’s so much attention to detail in the symbolism tptb has applied around Beth over the years. It’s so well thought out, and they’re totally escalating it now towards the series finale. I can’t help but feel hopeful. 

The Aurora reference is one of those I’ve kind of been waiting for, like I did with the crowned Victoria bird. It was always something that seemed suitable for TPTB’s modus operandi, and when they said a woman named Aurora tried to get a hold of Mercer, I just gasped!

 @wdway:

How well this plays with how AK and Gimple has used Disney princesses to emphasize a clue or hint that they have left us.

I hope you guys find this as amazing as I did. Oh my gosh! She's almost here.

@twdmusicboxmystery:

Yeah for sure! That IS amazing. I remember hearing the Aurora name from Princess and immediately thinking of Sleeping Beauty. But it was a passing thought and I never went back to it. I wouldn't have thought to connect it to Sirius via the Aurora Borealis. Great work. I love it!

@wdway:

Your mind works much faster than mine does. I remember hearing Aurora with the call signal from princess and I kept thinking what is that from, why is that familiar? Then I got caught up in the story and let it go. I did not connect it to Aurora the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty until I had read Kari connection to Sirius and then it hit me, wasn't Aurora part of the Sleeping Beauty story. That's when I got up out of bed a little before 3a.m.and went to checked it out after tossing and turning for well over an hour.

@twdmusicboxmystery:

Lol. Not always a good thing, though. My brain was spinning with so many other things in the episode, I never went back to it. ;D But that's why it's good we all contribute, so we don't miss or completely forget about things like this. And to be fair, Sleeping Beauty has always been one of my favorite fairy tales, so I'm more apt to remember it.

@wdway:

If princess mentioning Aurora is a hint towards Sleeping Beauty, Beth then I will take the leap and say that Solomon is about how Daryl feels about Beth.

We had a very clear and for TWD a lingering look at this scene. Lingering meaning a few seconds. There is a green awning above the storefront the name Solomon you could say we have the black and white symbol here black storefront white building and then another sign that again says Solomon Street Barbers.

@galadrieljones:

I totally missed this, somehow. Interesting.

@wdway:

Instead of going on the internet for some research and yes I do know of Solomon. He was the son of David and Bathsheba he was the great wise King and also wrote the Song of Solomon. For more information I went to this handy book.

 Why is this important because this book can be seen in twd. It was a book in Deanne's house. I found the title in a scene with Rick.

They describe all the books in one word so here is Song of Solomon.

Did you guys notice that the barber salon is pink?. Also want to mention that in there was a time when barbers or barbershops where the place that you would go for medical treatment.

The more we look at this episode the more excited I become, in the most fearful kind of way, haha.

I thought it was quite interesting that young man had to be 13 before they were allowed to read the book. 13 being considered an adult.

@galadrieljones

This is really interesting Ann. I forgot about Solomon. I think we’ve talked about David before, because he’s a musician. Solomon was his son, and I like the attention to David’s legacy, and how he appreciated love and music and poetry, hence the Song of Solomon. King David and Bathsheba are the subject of the Leonard Cohen song “Hallelujah,” a spiritual song about Judaism. 

Song of Solomon is also a Toni Morrison novel. Idk the significance, other than that part of it takes place in Virginia, and it is a sort of grail quest, with Milkman on the hunt for some family gold, and he learns about his family legacy instead, along the way. It’s a very Biblical book. All signs point back to the Bible, which is why that book being at Deanna’s house is so interesting. I mean. It’s like a key.

A couple related thoughts Song of Solomon abbreviates to “SOS.” The barber shop could also be a reference to Samson (Maggie’s story in 5a).

@wdway:

I was checking out something in e23 when I found this.

Packing House 22. I know that I'm probably the only one but when I read that my mind went to terminus and the body parts hanging on meat hooks like a meat packing plant.

Daryl's leggings! He seems to be back to having a dark gray on his right leg and the white laces on his left, left side=Beth.

AK has episodes notes at the end like she always does. Nothing earth-shattering but she avoids talking about amount of time that has passed.

Here are some initials thoughts I had as I read above. I actually feel that the parts of Daryl getting knocked out unconscious and waking up in a strange place not knowing where he was is more of a foreshadowing for the spin-off. I realized that it is a parallel story to Beth in so many ways. There are certain things that we've already been told about the spin-off that fits here. 

Daryl gets kidnapped (Beth from the funeral home) He wakes up not knowing where he is (Beth at Grady). He encounters people he's unfamiliar with (Dawn, Edwards and the hospital system.) He tries to figure out a way to get back home (Beth attempting an escape with Noah). 

OMG! This might have been obvious to you guys but it just struck me that this is also Rick's story. Which It makes me very excited because Rick and Beth parallel each other and now we're pulling in Daryl to the mix. 

The other thing that I love, love is that Gimple have gone out his way to talk about Michonne and Rick's love story. How these two people was separated by a great with Michonne believing that Rick was dead until she found evidence that he was alive. I love this. These two couples, two brothers will have similar parallel stories and similar love stories. 2 couples, 2 brothers, 22.

@twdmusicboxmystery:

After putting together the above conversation, @frangipanilove​ put together a delightful meta that goes into a lot more detail about the Sleeping Beauty. Stuff. I’ll reblog it as well, but it’s definitely worth a read! Read it at the link below:

https://at.tumblr.com/frangipanilove/aurora-borealis-and-the-roman-goddess-of-dawn/15xdi01whtg6

[ddeanuu]

Hi there,

I am Deanne and WELCOME to my first ever BLOG!

In this blog I will share my favorite hobbies like my love for arts – especially calligraphy, books and my K-POP fangirling.

It’s like I am opening myself to all of you and knowing myself more as I unravel the depths of my mind.

So my first blog is all about how being a K-POP Stan changed me as a person.

"Saved"

In my roller coaster ride of life, there were multitude of experiences that changed me into who I am now. In fact, entering the craze of K-POP world could be one of the life-changing experiences I had in my whole existence.

The saying that goes “Never idolize anyone or you will lose yourself" is the total opposite of what others thought it would be. Honestly, being in a K-POP stan was not in my vocabulary at first yet it made me love it more and treasured it the most.

I was in my 8th grade when I met the first K-POP girl group that was introduced by my best friend to me. Hesitation was clouded in my mind as I thought of supporting a group that I am not accustomed to. I am much more open to the fact that they are not just random people who I brought into my life but not knowing will be a part of me already. Before I knew it, I am secretly invested as to what the group would become in their journey as an idols. I watched their music videos, streamed to their mv’s at YouTube, immersed in their music and waited for their updates and contents they provide at Twitter or any social media platforms they had. Up until now, I have two ult groups – favorite groups, TWICE and ENHYPEN.

I then started to realize several things about being a K-POP stan for how many years. K- POP allows me to love myself more and know my self-worth as a person. They set the bar of standards so high that it seems unreachable for anyone to climb up to. To be confident of my capabilities and to be the best version of myself are few of those self realizations that enabled me to be a woman who is growing and improving herself while working for her own good. Somehow, they really inspired me to be the best that I can be. They really has brought a lot of joy and happiness in me.

I learn how to dream, to aspire what I wanted to be. These idols surpassed a lot from their training period and they proved to me that they reached theirs up till debut, why I cannot do that to myself. The perseverance and patience they had to get through all instances they faced. To be brave and not letting other peoples criticism to consume me.

I had always admired their support and love to one another, their friendship was pure and one of a kind. Learn to treasure and love every person in my life as they are the always with me.

It shows that they inspired me in many ways they do not know and that there’s more than it meets the eye. They saved me from sadness and sheltered me from the harsh realities of life. They became my solace when the darkest of days passed by. Fate works as our stars crossed and aligned. Stanning them was worth it and I am not regretting any ounce of it as my life without them would be a misery.

I maybe one of their fans, a total stranger to them but I really love them to know that they mean a lot to me and that they changed me into the woman that I am now.

ctto.

Song Recommendations:

🤍🤍🤍

[crafty-cat-koneko]

Okay now here's Marley's theories. Trigger warning: This mostly contains very unpleasant info such as SA. So please don't continue reading if it makes you uncomfortable.

Marley was a common target for sexual harassment and assault both in and outside school when she and Ian were growing up. Her first case was from a source that no one should have to expect: her father. When Marley was 7 her mom suddenly divorced her mother without telling her why and never understood why she had to have supervised visits with her dad. Till he picked her up from school without her mom knowing. He... said things to her and made her do things that made her scared and feel gross. She felt so ashamed that she didn't tell her mom till her was in middle. By then her father was in jail for other reasons and wasn't a thing to fear. But then it started happening in school, as MD was one of those early bloomers. Boys would pat her ass as they walked by our reach over her from behind the grind against her, little things that could be played off as "accidents". And when reported, no one believed her. Boys would call her fat and unattractive, why would they touch her? How gross. Ian was the only guy then who didn't treat her like that, so she clung to him for companionship and became dependent on him. He made her feel special and...didn't neccesarily *pressure* her to be intimate. But he was her boyfriend, that's what girlfriends do for their boyfriends.... Right?

Speaking of the cheating ex! Marley has only one thing to say about him. He's one of her biggest regrets. She regrets moving so fast and developing a relationship with him. They were best friends and he was the only guy who didn't "mistreat" her directly. Sure she wasn't always in the mood to be intimate but she owned him that much for wanting her. So when Ian called to tell her he'd cheated, she iced him out. Packed everything he didn't take with him to school and shipped it out to him, changed the locks on the apartment door, sold any else she forgot to send to him or gifts he gave her. A complete purge, and the entire time she didn't cry. That is, till Shaun stopped by for a visit a week later. All he said was "I'm here for you," and the floodgates opened. To help her feel better, Shaun took her shopping, where she found the box dye brand she currently uses to dye her hair that signature pink ombre. The two spent the night bingeing Law & Order on the TV while Shaun did her hair.

She's a lot tougher now cuz of it though. Has some bad moments but she's working on herself. She's going to therapy and Shaun and her mom are her support system ❤️And of course, Jack too. When he comes into her life. Though he's being a little... troublesome at times. Marley-Deanne knows Jack isn't good for her. That he could end up making her relapse and turn into the girl she used to be when she was with Ian. Dependent and fragile. But something, or someone, is telling her to give him a chance. To let him in, to save him.

... I cAn'T lOsE yOu AgAiN, mY dEaReSt...

[90363462]

Nancy Pelosi Reflects On the Not-Quite-End of An Era

Pelosi Announces She Is Stepping Down From Leadership But Keeping Her House Seat

0 of 30 seconds, 

Nancy Pelosi Reflects On the Not-Quite-End of An Era

Ever since the election, Nancy Pelosi says, congressional Democrats have been begging her to remain as their leader. Of course, she knew what they were really doing: currying favor, just in case.

“Our members were just exploding my phone to stay,” she says, “which is a nice thing, because if I don’t stay, then they’ve gotten the points for saying ’stay,’ and if I do—“ she trailed off, laughing. No matter what she decided, they knew it would be in their interest to be on her good side going forward.

For two decades, it has been in every congressional Democrat’s interest to stay in Pelosi’s good graces. Since winning her first leadership position in 2001, she has ruled the House Democratic caucus with an iron fist and a velvet glove, keeping her fractious party in near-lockstep during historically tumultuous times. From the Iraq War to the financial crisis, through health-care reform and government shutdowns, through two presidential impeachments, a pandemic and an insurrection attempt, she has been a constant force and consummate operator. No national politician of her era can match her combination of legislative prowess, vote-counting savvy, negotiating skill, and fundraising ability.

Nancy Pelosi waves to colleagues while being nominated as the next Speaker of the House during a swearing in ceremony for the 110th Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC., on Jan. 4, 2007.

Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images

Just after her speech, the 82-year-old House Speaker sat at a white-clothed table in a small, ornate room off the House floor known as the Board of Education, a hidden chamber where former Democratic Speaker Sam Rayburn used to hole up and relax. Then-vice president Harry Truman was playing cards with Rayburn here in 1945 when he learned that FDR had died and he would become President. One wall Rayburn had painted with a Texas seal; on two others, Pelosi recently added her own touches: a painting of the Golden Gate Bridge, and a tribute to women’s suffrage.

Pelosi was contemplating the not-quite-end of the era and struggling to unwrap a package of chocolate-chip cookies. “What was important to me was how we did in the election, because we were on a bad path,” she told a small group of reporters. “Storming the Capitol, really? And the reaction of Republicans, not taking a stand? And I knew we could win.”

Her party had just lost the House, weeks after a crazed intruder broke into her California home and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer. But it hardly felt as if Pelosi was giving up in defeat. In an election that history and many forecasters predicted would deliver a Republican wave, Democrats surprisingly held their own. The resulting GOP majority will be a narrow one, with the Senate remaining in Democrats’ hands.

The Oct. 28 attack on Paul Pelosi, the Speaker’s husband of 59 years, influenced her decision to remain in Congress, but not in the way many people thought. “It was not, ‘Oh, well, since they did that, I can’t even think of something else,’” she says. “No, it had the opposite effect. I couldn’t give them that satisfaction.”

Read More: Nancy Pelosi Doesn’t Care What You Think Of Her.

Nancy Pelosi at election headquarters on primary election night, on April 7, 1987.

Deanne Fitzmaurice—San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stands behind President Barack Obama as he signs the Affordable Health Care for America Act during a ceremony with fellow Democrats in the East Room of the White House on March 23, 2010.

Win McNamee—Getty Images

She did it knowing there might be a political cost, and indeed there was. Republicans gained 63 seats in the House in the 2010 midterm elections, an election in which Pelosi was a central figure. Republicans made her the subject of millions of dollars’ worth of attack ads across the country, capitalizing on their base’s visceral loathing of her and giving Peosi unusual prominence for a congressional leader.

But Pelosi believed in gaining power not for its own sake but in order to do something with it. Obamacare is part of a legacy that includes two decades of liberal policy victories, from allowing gay people to serve openly in the military to the historic climate investments of this year’s Inflation Reduction Act. “This is a very difficult job,” she told us. “You have to really know how to be a legislator.”

These legislative successes were all the more remarkable for the era in which they came. Faced with unrelenting Republican opposition, she held together the diverse Democratic caucus and drove a hard bargain in negotiations across the aisle. After Donald Trump became president, she led her party back to power, becoming Speaker for the second time in 2019 in the middle of a government shutdown over border-wall funding. Pelosi refused to budge, and Trump soon capitulated. She would go on to impeach him twice while simultaneously negotiating with his Administration to secure trillions in COVID-19 relief funding.

Read More: Why Nancy Pelosi Is Going All In Against Trump.

Pelosi rejects the notion that she bears any blame for the toxic state of politics. “I don’t take any responsibility for what the Republicans have done to the Congress. This is not about gridlock,” she says. “This isn’t about some sort of equivalence between Democrats and Republicans. They are anti-science, anti-government, and that’s where they are.”

Mark Wilson—Getty Images (2); Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images; Jim Watson—Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Pelosi never groomed a successor, something for which she was often criticized. Ambitious Democrats languished for decades waiting for an opening in House leadership. She has often expressed the view that power is never given but must be taken by those who seek it. “I didn’t think that was the right approach, to anoint somebody,” she told us Thursday. “It’s really important for people to have the legitimacy that they were chosen by the members.”

A free-for-all appears unlikely. Pelosi’s longtime deputy Steny Hoyer, a fellow Marylander who has known her since they worked for the same Senator in 1963, announced Thursday that he would also stay in Congress but not in leadership. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the 52-year-old chair of the Democratic caucus, appears almost certain to win the minority leader position in the Democratic leadership elections scheduled for Nov. 30, becoming the first Black man to lead a party in Congress. The first woman Speaker, in passing the torch, will make history once again.

Pelosi intends to spend the next two years in valedictory mode. “My life ahead is full of thank-yous,” she says, to her constituents and all the others who have supported her over the years. She does not plan to serve on any committees and she does not want to serve as a sort of shadow speaker from the sidelines. “Thanksgiving is coming,” she says. “I have no intention of being the mother-in-law in the kitchen saying, ‘My son doesn’t like the stuffing that way, this is the way we make it in our family.’ They will have their vision. They will have their plan. It’s up to the caucus to decide which way they want to go.”

More Must-Reads From TIME

Steven Spielberg Waited 60 Years to Tell This Story

Who Should Be TIME's 2022 Person of the Year? Vote Now

Donald Trump, Grover Cleveland, and the History of Trying to Win Back the White House

Michelle Obama: Yes, We Still Need to ‘Go High’ When Everything Is Terrible

Columns: Voters Understand the Truth About Pregnancy Decisions.What Happened in Montana Proves It

Cold Weather Can Be Dangerous for the Human Body. This Winter Worries Experts

How to Prepare for Travel Chaos Over the Holidays

Big Tech's Implosion Could Save the Planet

The Best of Culture 2022

Write to Molly Ball at molly.ball@time.com.

Sent from my iPhone