#first legal tv ad
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Start the week with a fun fact!
The first legal ad cost only $9 and ran for 9 seconds.
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nexus-nebulae · 5 months ago
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another childhood bucket list item obtained: i finally have a snuggie
#and it's the real thing not even a knockoff#kinda surprised they still exist#but also not surprised bc Blanket. blanket is universal#i just remember a lot of those As Seen On Tv ads like. imploding within 5 years#they still do As Seen On Tv products like there are still boxes marked with that logo it almost feels wrong like an ancient relic#bc most like. ubiquitous 2000s brands from my childhood are just Gone or at least so fundamentally changed it's not the same thing#heard about like 50 more companies going bankrupt probably in the last year alone#anyway ive always wanted a snuggie it's one of those Always Wanted things that never go away#others include: staples easy button (obtained!); mini fridge (not); pillow pet (i had a knockoff once); power drill (not)#i spent a surprising amount of my childhood actually going out of my way to buy stuff i could use in my own apartment in the future#i grew up lower middle class and then just lower class#so like. i always Knew i couldn't just furnish the whole apartment at once i Knew I'd have to build stuff up over time#also bc when my sister got kicked out she had like. nothing. in her trailer. and i did not want to have nothing#i knew if dad was willing to just toss out my sister like that i would absolutely follow suit#and i did! two years younger than my sister when she was!#it just happened that my mom didn't want me homeless at FOURTEEN when i legally could not work for two more years#so she went with me and we lived with my grandma#so take that dad. turns out throwing family members out willy nilly makes the rest of your family not trust you or like you!#and now i get to rub it in his face that HE can't function in a house by himself and still needs to beg my mom to clean up after him#bc i spent so much of my childhood getting berated and called lazy for not doing chores#getting told stuff like 'you have to function by yourself your parents can't always pick up after you'#and then he's literally useless without his wife#he's not disabled and he's not neurodivergent he's never even had a serious health scare he just doesn't bother to learn how to clean#his excuse is that he doesn't know how to use the washer and dryer (it has been almost ten years fucker. learn)#or he doesn't know which cleaning products to use (you have google and a library card. LOOK IT UP)#he's the only person i get mad at for this behaviour bc he's a fucking hypocrite and a child abuser about it too#he is the exception to my rule of everyone needs to be given the space to get things done where they're able and deserve help when needed#and I'll bend over backwards to make excuses for other people so i DONT exclude them from my rule i will try to find every good reason first#he has no fucking excuse though he made two teenagers nearly homeless bc he thought we were too lazy and then he's even worse
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lifehacksthatwork · 2 years ago
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Just a bunch of Useful websites - Updated for 2023
Removed/checked all links to make sure everything is working (03/03/23). Hope they help!
Sejda - Free online PDF editor.
Supercook - Have ingredients but no idea what to make? Put them in here and it'll give you recipe ideas.
Still Tasty - Trying the above but unsure about whether that sauce in the fridge is still edible? Check here first.
Archive.ph - Paywall bypass. Like 12ft below but appears to work far better and across more sites in my testing. I'd recommend trying this one first as I had more success with it.
12ft – Hate paywalls? Try this site out.
Where Is This - Want to know where a picture was taken, this site can help.
TOS/DR - Terms of service, didn't read. Gives you a summary of terms of service plus gives each site a privacy rating.
OneLook - Reverse dictionary for when you know the description of the word but can't for the life of you remember the actual word.
My Abandonware - Brilliant site for free, legal games. Has games from 1978 up to present day across pc and console. You'll be surprised by some of the games on there, some absolute gems.
Project Gutenberg – Always ends up on these type of lists and for very good reason. All works that are copyright free in one place.
Ninite – New PC? Install all of your programs in one go with no bloat or unnecessary crap.
PatchMyPC - Alternative to ninite with over 300 app options to keep upto date. Free for home users.
Unchecky – Tired of software trying to install additional unwanted programs? This will stop it completely by unchecking the necessary boxes when you install.
Sci-Hub – Research papers galore! Check here before shelling out money. And if it’s not here, try the next link in our list.
LibGen – Lots of free PDFs relate primarily to the sciences.
Zotero – A free and easy to use program to collect, organize, cite and share research.
Car Complaints – Buying a used car? Check out what other owners of the same model have to say about it first.
CamelCamelCamel – Check the historical prices of items on Amazon and set alerts for when prices drop.
Have I Been Pawned – Still the king when it comes to checking if your online accounts have been released in a data breach. Also able to sign up for email alerts if you’ve ever a victim of a breach.
I Have No TV - A collection of documentaries for you to while away the time. Completely free.
Radio Garden – Think Google Earth but wherever you zoom, you get the radio station of that place.
Just The Recipe – Paste in the url and get just the recipe as a result. No life story or adverts.
Tineye – An Amazing reverse image search tool.
My 90s TV – Simulates 90’s TV using YouTube videos. Also has My80sTV, My70sTV, My60sTV and for the younger ones out there, My00sTV. Lose yourself in nostalgia.
Foto Forensics – Free image analysis tools.
Old Games Download – A repository of games from the 90’s and early 2000’s. Get your fix of nostalgia here.
Online OCR – Convert pictures of text into actual text and output it in the format you need.
Remove Background – An amazingly quick and accurate way to remove backgrounds from your pictures.
Twoseven – Allows you to sync videos from providers such as Netflix, Youtube, Disney+ etc and watch them with your friends. Ad free and also has the ability to do real time video and text chat.
Terms of Service, Didn’t Read – Get a quick summary of Terms of service plus a privacy rating.
Coolors – Struggling to get a good combination of colors? This site will generate color palettes for you.
This To That – Need to glue two things together? This’ll help.
Photopea – A free online alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Does everything in your browser.
BitWarden – Free open source password manager.
Just Beam It - Peer to peer file transfer. Drop the file in on one end, click create link and send to whoever. Leave your pc on that page while they download. Because of how it works there are no file limits. It's genuinely amazing. Best file transfer system I have ever used.
Atlas Obscura – Travelling to a new place? Find out the hidden treasures you should go to with Atlas Obscura.
ID Ransomware – Ever get ransomware on your computer? Use this to see if the virus infecting your pc has been cracked yet or not. Potentially saving you money. You can also sign up for email notifications if your particular problem hasn’t been cracked yet.
Way Back Machine – The Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites and loads more.
Rome2Rio – Directions from anywhere to anywhere by bus, train, plane, car and ferry.
Splitter – Seperate different audio tracks audio. Allowing you to split out music from the words for example.
myNoise – Gives you beautiful noises to match your mood. Increase your productivity, calm down and need help sleeping? All here for you.
DeepL – Best language translation tool on the web.
Forvo – Alternatively, if you need to hear a local speaking a word, this is the site for you.
For even more useful sites, there is an expanded list that can be found here.
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inkskinned · 2 years ago
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the thing is that they're so fascinated by sex, they love sex, they can't imagine a world without sex - they need sex to sell things, they need sex to be part of their personality, they need sex to prove their power - but they hate sex. they are disgusted by it.
sex is the only thing that holds their attention, and it is also the thing that can never be discussed directly.
you can't tell a child the normal names for parts of their body, that's sexual in nature, because the body isn't a body, it's a vessel of sex. it doesn't matter that it's been proven in studies (over and over) that kids need to know the names of their genitals; that they internalize sexual shame at a very young age and know it's 'dirty' to have a body; that it overwhelmingly protects children for them to have the correct words to communicate with. what matters is that they're sexual organs. what matters is that it freaks them out to think about kids having body parts - which only exist in the context of sex.
it's gross to talk about a period or how to check for cancer in a testicle or breast. that is nasty, illicit. there will be no pain meds for harsh medical procedures, just because they feature a cervix.
but they will put out an ad of you scantily-clad. you will sell their cars for them, because you have abs, a body. you will drip sex. you will ooze it, like a goo. like you were put on this planet to secrete wealth into their open palms.
they will hit you with that same palm. it will be disgusting that you like leather or leashes, but they will put their movie characters in leather and latex. it will be wrong of you to want sexual freedom, but they will mark their success in the number of people they bed.
they will crow that it's inappropriate for children so there will be no lessons on how to properly apply a condom, even to teens. it's teaching them the wrong things. no lessons on the diversity of sexual organ growth, none on how to obtain consent properly, none on how to recognize when you feel unsafe in your body. if you are a teenager, you have probably already been sexualized at some point in your life. you will have seen someone also-your-age who is splashed across a tv screen or a magazine or married to someone three times your age. you will watch people pull their hair into pigtails so they look like you. so that they can be sexy because of youth. one of the most common pornography searches involves newly-18 young women. girls. the words "barely legal," a hiss of glass sand over your skin.
barely legal. there are bills in place that will not allow people to feel safe in their own bodies. there are people working so hard to punish any person for having sex in a way that isn't god-fearing and submissive. heteronormative. the sex has to be at their feet, on your knees, your eyes wet. when was the first time you saw another person crying in pornography and thought - okay but for real. she looks super unhappy. later, when you are unhappy, you will close your eyes and ignore the feeling and act the role you have been taught to keep playing. they will punish the sex workers, remove the places they can practice their trade safely. they will then make casual jokes about how they sexually harass their nanny.
and they love sex but they hate that you're having sex. you need to have their ornamental, perfunctory, dispassionate sex. so you can't kiss your girlfriend in the bible belt because it is gross to have sex with someone of the same gender. so you can't get your tubes tied in new england because you might change your mind. so you can't admit you were sexually assaulted because real men don't get hurt, you should be grateful. you cannot handle your own body, you cannot handle the risks involved, let other people decide that for you. you aren't ready yet.
but they need you to have sex because you need to have kids. at 15, you are old enough to parent. you are not old enough to hear the word fuck too many times on television.
they are horrified by sex and they never stop talking about it, thinking about it, making everything unnecessarily preverted. the saying - a thief thinks everyone steals. they stand up at their podiums and they look out at the crowd and they sign a bill into place that makes sexwork even more unsafe and they stand up and smile and sign a bill that makes gender-affirming care illegal and they get up and they shrug their shoulders and write don't say gay and they get up, and they make the world about sex, but this horrible, plastic vision of it that they have. this wretched, emotionless thing that holds so much weight it's staggering. they put their whole spine behind it and they push and they say it's normal!
this horrible world they live in. disgusted and also obsessed.
#this shifts gender so much bc it actually affects everyone#yes it's a gendered phenomenon. i have written a LOT about how different genders experience it. that's for a different post.#writeblr#ps my comments about seeing someone cry -- this is not to shame any person#and on this blog we support workers.#at the same time it's a really hard experience to see someone that looks like you. clearly in agony. and have them forced to keep going.#when you're young it doesn't necessarily look like acting. it looks scary. and that's what this is about - the fact that teens#have likely already been exposed to that definition of things. because the internet exists#and without the context of healthy education. THAT is the image burned into their minds about what it looks like.#it's also just one of those personal nuanced biases -#at 19 i thought it was normal to be in pain. to cry. to not-like-it. that it should be perfunctory.#it was what i had seen.#and it didn't help that my religious upbringing was like . 'yeah that's what you get for premarital. but also for the reference#we do think you should never actually enjoy it lol'#so like the point im making is that ppl get exposed to that stuff without the context of something more tender#and assume .... 'oh. so it's fine i am not enjoying myself'. and i know they do because I DID.#he was my first boyfriend. how was i supposed to know any different#i didn't even have the mental wherewithal to realize im a lesbian . like THAT used to suffering.
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midnightjewel · 11 days ago
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Glasses Are Hot, Babe
Did you really think he wouldn’t notice you squinting..?
A/N: As a glasses girlie who is deemed legally blind who refused to wear her glasses for a long time because I thought I looked ugly and gave myself astigmatism, this will provide comfort to me and those who are in the same boat
Characters Included: Denki, Shinsou, and Bakugo
****Suggestive themes (18+ only please!!) DNI with this fic if you’re a minor, I have plenty of sfw stories on my blog****
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Denki
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It was a casual Friday night in the dorms. The stress of the week was nowhere to be found in the chill environment of the common room that night.
You and your friends, the Bakusquad, as you liked to call yourselves, were unwinding from the hectic week as hero students.
It was a bit of a ways into y’all’s first year as hero course students but you and Denki had only recently come clean about the feelings you were harboring for each other a few weeks ago, meaning that you two were still in that awkward phase of your relationship.
Of course, you two were good friends before dating, it was just gonna take some getting used to. Holding hands, kissing, and what not. You weren’t complaining though. You bagged the hottest boy you’d ever laid eyes on and he was absolutely smitten for you which only made things ten times better.
You and the squad (minus Bakugo who had turned in hours ago) were watching vine and fail compilations in the common room. You and Denki were sharing his large Pikachu blanket, snuggled up together. It was just the squad in the living room, minus the few late night stragglers who were in the kitchen getting snacks every so often.
While the squad was having the time of their lives laughing up storms, you were developing quite the headache. Why? Because you’d been squinting and straining your eyes for the last hour and a half! Normally you had fancy blue light glasses to help with screens.
You sharply inhaled as the squad erupted into laughter at what was apparently some idiot had fallen off some children’s playground equipment. The loud environment only adding fuel to the fire of your headache.
Your inhale didn’t go unnoticed by your electric boyfriend. “You okay? Are you tired?” He questioned and you shook your head to say no.
“Just a headache from the tv” you casually say hoping he’d just drop it. Truth is, you’ve always been embarrassed to wear your glasses around others. You absolutely despised the way you looked and overall just thought you looked better without them.
“Yeah, you’ve been squinting” he hummed as you looked up at him from your spot on his shoulder “Can you see?” He inquired, you sat up and avoided eye contact
“No” you hang your head in shame “I can’t”
“You should think about getting glasses then” he laughs and you just glance at him. “I have glasses” you state and his eyes widen in response to what you said
“So why aren’t you wearing them? I’ve never seen you with glasses” he looked at you curiously “I don’t know” you shrug and look away from him “I think they’re ugly” you state and he looks at you with wide eyes, mouth agape.
“Show me”
And that’s how you ended up in your room, shirts off and you on top of your boyfriend in a heated makeout session “mph- wait Denki” you sit up and climb off of him
“Let’s not go to far” you giggle and he nods in agreement “Sorry babe, it’s just…” he sighs “Those glasses are hot, babe”
Shinsou
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You’d never been one to wear your glasses, rather suffering in silence. You absolutely hated the way you looked with your glasses, or any glasses for that matter. No matter which ones you tried on at your eye doctor, you just felt ugly.
During the summer, transitioning from your first to second year at UA high school, you had gotten word that Hitoshi Shinsou was going to be joining class 1-A.
You were ecstatic, your stomach had butterflies every time you thought of you and him being in the same class. Oh god, he was so cute.
By luck, you ended up sitting right next to him in class. Long story short over the course of the first few weeks you two had grown incredibly close and your closeness had developed into a relationship that was going two months strong at this point in time.
And that brings us to today, in President Mic’s English lesson. Usually you were unable to even see the words on the pages in front of you, just following along with the reading of your teacher or classmates.
You’d shockingly never been volunteered to read aloud and you would absolutely never voluntarily read. However, much to your dismay, it wasn’t on a volunteer basis today. It was whoever was called on and your heart was practically beating out of your chest, waiting for the class to be over so that hopefully you could slip past this situation.
You glanced to the clock, only ten minutes left in class. You just might be able to get by without having to humiliate yourself.
“(Name), please read the next passage for us” President Mic spoke and you froze on the spot. You hesitantly looked down at the page in front of you. It was nearly impossible to make out what was on the page. All of the words fused together in your blurred vision.
“Uhm” you looked panicked as you tried to squint to make out any of the words on the page. This didn’t go unnoticed by your boyfriend who sat beside you.
The silence in the room was so loud and ringing in your ears as you were internally panicking. You were snapped out of your racing mind by a voice, a gruff one. It came from a few seats in front of you.
“Idiot, can you not read or something..?!”
It was Bakugo. It caused some stifled giggles around the room. You felt your body tense up in complete embarrassment as tears formed in your waterline. Hitoshi was furious!
“Hey, leave her alone!” the lavender haired boy spoke from beside you in the same melancholy tone that he always spoke with, but you could sense a hint of anger laced in there. He didn’t dare to make the situation more embarrassing for you by telling the blonde off in the way he truthfully wanted to
Thankfully the bell rang, saving you from the deafening awkward silence of the room. As the students pack up to go to lunch you slowly close your book and take your time putting it in your bag.
As most of the students had cleared out your teacher spoke up “(Name), can I speak with you when everyone leaves?” He inquired and you just nod in response
You stand up as you and Hitoshi were the only ones left in the room. “I’ll wait outside the door” he glances at you and you respond with a simple hum as you approached your teachers desk
“Are you okay? I apologize for Bakugo’s comment. I’ll have Aizawa speak to him” He states with genuine concern for your well-being. It was just the type of caring person he was.
“Yeah I’m fine” you shrug your shoulders not caring about eye contact, it’s not like you could completely see anyways. “Sorry I just got nervous” you make up an excuse
“I won’t ask you to read if you don’t want to anymore okay?” He says as if making a silent agreement between the two of you
“Mhm” you nod
“Alright, well I shouldn’t keep you for long. Your knight in shining armor is waiting for you” he winks causing you to smile “go enjoy your lunch and have a good day”
“Thanks, you too” you smile and walk out of the classroom to see your taller boyfriend waiting for you. He’s quick to embrace you, your face stuffed in his chest as you sniffled with tears filling your eyes once more.
“It’s okay pretty girl” he rubs your back as you quietly sob from the embarrassment you’d endured just a few moments ago
“I just…. I couldn’t see the words” you wipe your tears from your cheeks, looking up at his expression of confusion. “I can’t read without my glasses” you further explain causing some reassurance but still a genuine amount of confusion from your boyfriend. He had never seen you wear glasses before. In fact, he didn’t even know you needed glasses!
“Well why don’t you wear them, doll?” He furrows his eyebrows as you two intertwine hands and walk towards the cafeteria
“Because they look ugly on me” you shamefully admit and he just couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How could something make you, of all people ugly?! There was nothing in the world that could dull your beauty in his eyes.
“I want to see these glasses later” he squeezed your hand three times to which you responded with four squeezes silently saying “I love you too”
“Wow” his eyes widened “just… wow” he smiles at your embarrassed expression
“They’re horrible” you shake your head as you look in the mirror that sat on your vanity.
“No, they’re gorgeous” he reassures, causing the apples of your cheeks to burn from his complements.
Bakugo
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3 years ago you were given the dreaded news that you’d need glasses in order to see properly. In all honesty, you hadn’t noticed before that your vision wasn’t normal. You had just assumed that everyone saw the world slightly burry. From the moment you tried them on you knew that they just didn’t work for you. You absolutely hated yourself in glasses.
Now at age 15 and in your first year at UA high school in the prestigious hero course your vision had only gotten worse throughout the years of refusing to wear the glasses you were given.
You knew from the first day of school that it was important to get a seat in the front for notes. But unfortunately the only available front row seat on your first day was right next to the resident hot head, Katsuki Bakugo. Who you had to admit was pretty cute….
After just a few months of getting to know him (against his will) you two had grown closer. You just refused to stop talking to him. And while he found it annoying at first, he just eventually accepted the fact that you weren’t going to shut up and he absolutely refused to give up his seat.
Today was a dreaded note taking day. You truthfully hated Thursday’s. The day right before Friday and note taking day for class 1-A.
“Just copy these and be quiet” Aizawa said as he put the many bullet points and paragraphs up on the projector so that the class could copy them. “Iida, turn the lights off and keep them in order” he groggily spoke as he zipped his infamous yellow sleeping bag and laid down behind his desk.
You proceeded reach into your bag and pulled out your (f/c) notebook along with a pencil. Looking up to the board was almost predictable at this point, you knew you would never be able to make out what was written.
As the lights were shut off, you can admit that it was only slightly better. But alas, you still couldn’t make out what the hell was even being discussed in these notes.
After squinting and struggling for what seemed like forever (3 minutes) your neighbor noticed and scoffed amongst the quiet chatter that was littered throughout the classroom.
“Are you going to write something or just squint like a dumbass?” He glanced at you. “I wasn’t squinting” your cheeks heat up at the sight of him. “Sure you weren’t” he grumbled and returned back to his own notes.
After struggling to pin point what was written, you just decided to start writing what you thought was the notes. It sounded like nonsense when you read it in your mind but you were too embarrassed to ask Bakugo for help, wondering if he would become suspicious and accuse you of needing glasses.
The thought of him seeing you in what you thought was the worst thing ever made a pang of embarrassment shoot through your chest. You exhaled at the thought of him calling you names.
Four eyes..
Fucking nerd..
You wouldn’t be able to handle your crush saying those things about you. It would definitely bruise your ego terribly.
For the next 30 minutes you wrote what you assumed was on the board from what you could attempt to see. Luckily you had finished just seconds before the bell rang, signaling that the day was over and you all could head back to your dorms.
As you went to close your notebook, Bakugo walked over to your desk, glancing down at your notes. “Unbelievable” he slightly laughed and walked away while shaking his head
“What’s his problem?” You say to Mina as she witnessed that whole thing. “I’ll never know” she shook her head, picking her bag up and waiting for you to do the same before walking out with you.
Once you two made your way to your shared dorm room floor you parted ways for a bit like you always did. You both used this time to relax and get caught up on homework before meeting back up in either one of your rooms to talk and catch up on gossip.
As you changed out of your school uniform and put on some comfortable clothes, you took your necessary supplies for homework out of your bag and put it on your desk.
Before you sat down in your rolling chair there was a slightly aggressive knock on your door. You deeply sigh and walk to open your door.
“What’s u-“ before you could finish the phrase a black spiral notebook was shoved at you and Bakugo practically let himself into your room.
“Sure come right in” you roll your eyes and laugh which caused him to scoff at the sight of your notebook on your desk
“We’re you seriously about to study with those dumb fucking notes?!” He glares at you and you simply don’t know how to answer that. “Uhm yes?” Was all you could manage to say
“I know they’re in here somewhere” he crosses his arms over his chest and frowns at you “What are you talking about?” You mimics his actions by crossing your arms over your chest
“I know you need glasses” he states and your eyes widen slightly “You fucking idiot!” He snaps “Straining your eyes like that it only gonna make it worse” he spots the glasses on your dresser and grabs them, proceeding to practically shove them on your face
“Katsuki stop, they’re hideous on me” you avoid eye contact and take them off your face “They’re hot” he looks at you with a no nonsense expression making you almost die on the spot
“What?” You whisper in disbelief
“You heard me” he gruffly states “Now put them back on and I’ll show you how sexy they are” he says moving closer to you
“That is…” he pauses “If you want to or whatever” he speaks his need for consent before continuing
“Yes! I want to!” You speak very eagerly causing him to laugh and lock your door
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fictionismyreality3 · 3 months ago
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Pretty in Pink
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Warnings: romance and everything that comes with it, bimbo!reader vibes
Notes: omg a semi-decent length fic? And I just posted yesterday?! 😱 guys I’m actually gonna-
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The alarm was set, pink, hello kitty shaped. 30 minutes left on the timer until the first pizza was done. John would be home in 45 minutes. That was, like, a long time to set the table and everything. It wasn’t often John let you cook dinner. Usually you were relegated to sitting on the couch and watching your shows while John rolled up his sleeves and got the frying pans out. It wasn’t that you couldn’t cook.
It was just that, like, John said he didn’t want you miss your shows and stuff.
Tempted, your eyes drifted to your usual spot on the couch. The warm, fuzzy, chunky knit blanket sat invitingly against the soft cushions, the remote looking at you as if to urge you on. You would just watch half an episode or something.
The sounds of the tv blaring wasn’t something that was unusual for John to hear coming home. Overdramatic, lilting voices echoed through the door of your apartment even before he had the key in the lock. His back ached, tired from years of service and sitting at a desk all day to reports Kate had forced him to finally look at.
But it was worth it.
Worth the headache dealing with new recruits, worth it sorting through the legal papers trying to clear the squad for a new mission. Worth the bullet holes. Worth it because he got to come home to you.
His pretty little bird.
He’d kept you all tucked away the moment he saw you fumbling with your umbrella at the bus stop, too distracted by the music in your headphones to notice the strap was still buttoned. He’d added you to his military papers and his will after your first date later that week.
John opened the door wordlessly, kicking off his boots being careful not to get dirt on the carpet, your pouting voice still in his head. It was warm. A candle lit in the entryway, the sweet scent of strawberries coating his nose.
“You here, sweetheart?” He called out, gliding through the apartment towards the living room.
“Baby! I missed you so much!” You squealed, hopping up excitedly, the blanket around your shoulders falling to the floor. You were just where John had expected you to be, the light from the tv dancing across your face.
So fucking pretty.
Two large hands held your cheeks as you bounded up to him. Pressing a kiss to the top of your head, he pulled your smaller body flush to his. With a deep breath, John inhaled the sugary smell that seemed to seep out of your pores, running his rough hands down the silk nightie you were wearing to cup the flesh of your ass.
“This f’me?” You giggled in response. God, he loved that fucking giggle.
“Thought you’d like it, daddy.” With a chirp, you leaned up on your tippy toes and pressed a kiss to his scruffy jaw.
Taking the opportunity, John snaked a hand up your throat, gripping the tender flesh and forcing his tongue into your mouth. There was something soothing, as twisted as it was, to have something pure and naive to come home to. To him, you were like a reminder that a world existed outside of his work.
And you made such pretty noises.
No matter how many times John had kissed you before, you always seemed to react like a lamb just learning to walk. All flushed cheeks and stumbling words. And it was even better since you were so obvious in your lust. After just a few seconds, you were already pawing at the corded muscles of his shoulders, demanding more and more.
But it wasn’t your fault when he was, like, so hot and stuff. You know?
Your legs hit the back of the couch, John forcing you onto your back, putting a pillow under your head before attacking your neck with kisses. The scratchy burn of his beard against your skin had you pressing your hips up, searching for that friction you needed.
“That’s it, luv. Just got home an’ you’re already needy, huh?” The words had your head spinning, a mewl slipping past your lips.
“Make those pretty noises, sweet girl. God, you’re such a-”
Blaring, high pitched beeps rang out, grating against your ears. John froze for a moment, his body automatically positioning itself to future cover yours, as if to protect you from an unseen threat.
Furrowing your brows, you tried to figure out where the noise was coming from, which was kinda hard when John’s hands were on you and-
Oh, right!
“Oh my gosh! My pizza!” Before he could react, you squirmed out from under him and ran into the kitchen, frantically opening the oven door.
Smoked billowed out, tainting the air and making you cough. You could feel the warmth of John coming to stand behind you, taking the oven mitts from your hands when you went to reach for them.
“Let me do it.”
“But, like-”
“Hush, sweetheart.”
Pulling the now ruined pizza out of the oven, he didn’t even have to look at you to know you had a pout on your face. After cracking open a window, John came back into the kitchen to find you examining the damage done to your beautiful creation. “I was trying to make a heart.”
The frown of your face sent a pang through him, and he could already see the tears welling up in your eyes the more you looked at the blackened and misshapen rock of dough. “S’alright, princess.”
Tugging you into him, one hand went to your hip, the other running through your hair.
“No it’s not. It was supposed to be a surprise for you. Hearts are supposed to be red or.. or, like, pink or something.” Your voice hitched, your bottom lip wobbling. “Not black!”
Trying to hold in his chuckle, Price nodded in sympathy, tucking your head into his burly chest.
“Yeah, but.. I’ve got a good enough heart right in front of me, luvie.”
Squinting your eyes, you looked around, trying to follow John’s gaze. There was the heart shaped salt holder, the dishtowel with hearts on it, the heart on the card next to the flowers he got you last week, the blackened heart shaped pizza, the-
“Luvie.” You blinked up at him. “M’talking about this heart right here.” John cooed at you, pinching your cheek.
A bubble of confusion popped in your head, and you looked from him to the blackened pizza and back again. Silence hung in the air for a second before it was punctured by your giggling.
“Oh, like, um..” He smiled down at you. “Like mine?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. Just like yours.”
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ewanmitchellcrumbs · 1 year ago
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Gold Dust
Pairing: Modern Aemond Targaryen x f!reader Warnings: Public use of an app based sex toy, smut. Word count: ~1.8k
Summary: Aemond's office Christmas party is the last thing either of them want to attend, however, he comes up with an idea to make it fun for both of them.
Author's note: Can be read as an addition of this series, but also works as a standalone. Day seven of the Smuffmas prompts - "sharing a drink and toys". No tag list. Follow @fics-by-ewanmitchellcrumbs and turn on post notifications. Aemond edit in first picture is by @kyloremus.
It’s been six blissful months since her and Aemond moved in together. Having decided his own lofty high rise flat no longer felt like home - in truth, it never had - he’d offered a swap with Mysaria, and she’d leapt at the offer.
Aemond’s flat was paid for outright, so there’d be no expenses incurred on her part, beyond standard bills and utilities. She suited the space, adding a touch of glamour to the modern matte black and chrome surroundings. Her jaw had dropped when he’d handed her the deeds, his grandfather’s law firm already having handled the necessary paperwork and transfer of ownership. Aemond didn’t want rent, he simply wanted to live with the woman he loved. The simple act of Mysaria giving them a space to be by themselves was payment enough in his mind.
The security of the smaller, more homely feeling flat which she now shared with him had been trickier to negotiate. The landlord had snubbed Aemond’s initial offer to buy it from him, insisting he’d make more in rental payments from it than he would if he sold it. Some moderate pressure applied by the legal team of Otto Hightower, and an offer well above its current market value had soon seen to that, so now they were homeowners of a place that was theirs.
Mysaria’s old room had been turned into a home office, a space where either her or Aemond could work from home if and when they wanted to, aside from that they had made no further changes. The cosy little space was where they had shared their fondest memories, and every aspect of their relationship was woven into it.
She shrugs off her coat, hanging it up by the front door, and sighs in relief as the warmth of the central heating prickles her skin. She stoops to ruffle Vhagar behind the ears, a reward for the elderly doberman having reluctantly left her bed to greet her, before walking through to the living room. The blankets on the sofa are exactly as she’d left them the previous evening, and she eagerly retreats back into her nest, snatching up the TV remote from the coffee table.
“Good day?” Aemond asks, propping himself against the door frame as he emerges from the home office, the faintest smirk of amusement playing upon his lips as he looks at her.
She regards him with a warm smile, her features softening instantly despite how tired and irritated she feels. “Horrid, thanks for asking. Do we have any wine left?”
“There’ll be wine at the party, I expect,” he says, moving to sit next to her and brushing a chaste kiss against her temple.
“What?”
He narrows his eye at her, drawing back to look at her carefully. “You forgot, didn’t you?”
She groans as realisation dawns upon her. “Shit, your office Christmas party. Do we really have to go?”
He sighs, nodding and interlocks his fingers with hers. “Ordinarily, I’d give it a miss, you know I loathe parties, but my grandfather has called in more than a few favours for me this year. I owe him this.”
An hour later, and she steps out of the bedroom, hair and make-up finished and a slinky silk dress hugging her curves.
“Beautful,” Aemond breathes quietly, pressing a lingering kiss to her lips.
She smiles bashfully, feeling her skin heat up beneath the weight of his compliment as he pulls away, and watches with curiosity as he moves past her to rummage around on the top shelf of their wardrobe.
“What are you doing?”
“Your outfit’s missing something,” he tells her, pulling down the Lovehoney box, a glint in his eye as he turns to her.
“Aemond, no!”
The app controlled egg vibrator had been a drunken purchase on her behalf, that she’d regretted the moment it had arrived. Upon discovering it, Aemond’s reaction had been much more enthusiastic, kneeling between her spread legs and watching in fascination as she’d whimpered and writhed as he’d played with the settings using the app on his phone.
It had been fun at the time, but she’d considered it impractical and tucked it away, hoping he’d forgotten about it. It’s clear now that he hasn’t.
“Oh come now, darling, it’ll make the evening much more fun for both of us. Consider it an early Christmas gift to me.”
It doesn’t take much persuading, and soon she is sitting in the back of a black cab next to him, her coat pulled tight around her against the chilly December air, made colder still by a distinct lack of knickers, which Aemond had insisted she leave behind.
She is acutely aware of the feeling of the egg enveloped snugly inside of her, its presence, though discreet, making her feel as though she brandishes a scarlet letter that their taxi driver must be aware of.
“No!” She mouths desperately at Aemond as he pulls his phone from his pocket, thumb hovering over the app.
He flashes her the briefest of grins, tapping once on the screen. A mild singular buzz reverberates through her, causing her to clasp a hand over her mouth to muffle her squeal. Aemond eyes her carefully, poking at the inside of his cheek with his tongue before pocketing his phone once more.
Tonight was going to be interesting.
They step into the office, already bustling with people, chatter and light classical music fill the opulent space which is decked out in rich, mahogany furnishings and forest green upholstery, ever the indication that the Hightowers come from old money.
“There they are!” Aegon greets them loudly with a grin, arms spread and half drunk flutes of champagne clutched by the stem between each of his fingers. His shoulder length blonde hair is tousled, and his white shirt is open by three buttons.
“How long have you been here?” She asks, taking in his bedraggled appearance.
“‘Bout twenty minutes,” he slurs around a mouthful of vol-au-vent.
Otto steps up behind him, placing a ring clad hand upon his shoulder. “I tell you where you might like it, Aegon, on the terrace; outside.”
She watches with amusement as the older man leads him away.
“I’d better give him a hand,” Aemond mutters quietly, the warmth of his palm leaving her lower back as he moves to follow. He nods towards his older sister. “Good to see you, Hel.”
She smiles warmly at Hel leaning in as the two peck each other’s cheeks. “How are you doing?” She asks fondly.
“Starving!” Helaena complains, pulling her sheer turquoise wrap tighter around herself and waving away a tray of canapés that’s being offered around by a member of serving staff. “Not a single vegan option here, everything’s either got salmon in it or is slathered in cream cheese.”
“You could always sneak off to grab something?” She offers sympathetically.
“Aeg said there’s a kebab shop over the road. I might see if he’ll grab me a falafel wrap later. Anyway,” she continues, snatching up two flutes of champagne from a passing tray and handing one to her. “How are you?!”
“Yeah, really good!” She grins. “Aemond mentioned we might fly to New York for New Year’s, go and see Daeron. I’ve not met him yet and I– oh!”
She bows her head, biting back the quiet moan that tries to escape her, as the egg inside her vibrates incessantly. Her head snaps up, making eye contact with Aemond, who stands in a corner with his phone out, a sly smile upon his face.
Bastard.
“You alright?” Helaena asks, eyebrows pinched together in concern.
“Mhm…just...champagne bubbles…they go right up my nose!” She feigns a laugh, embarrassment making her skin feel hot.
Ever the dutiful girlfriend, she does her rounds of the office, speaking to colleagues and family members alike, though every interaction is thwarted by sudden and persistent vibrations between her legs.
After an hour of polite chit chat with Alicent, Criston, Otto and several other party guests, she leans back against the wall next to Aemond’s office door, needing a breather from socialising, but also feeling lightheaded from the intermittent throbbing in her core.
The door swings slowly open and Aemond steps out, a crystal tumbler of amber liquid in hand.
“Having fun?” He asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Mmm,” she narrows her eyes, “you clearly are. What’s that you’ve got?”
“Laphroaig,” he tells her, swirling the liquid in his glass. “Thirty six year old The Wall Peat, to be precise. Grandfather would never offer this around to the guests. Lucky for me I know he keeps it stashed in his bottom desk drawer.”
“Lucky indeed,” she purrs up at him.
He grabs her hand, pulling her into his office and closes the door behind them, before backing her up against the desk, until she perches on the edge.
“Let me see,” he whispers, pushing her dress up above her hips.
His free hand applies gentle pressure to her knee, spreading her legs, and she watches the bob of his throat as he swallows thickly, taking in the sight of the arousal that coats her centre.
“Fuck,” he mutters darkly. “The idea of you walking around making innocent small talk while you’re soaked is driving me mad.”
She giggles, clenching around the egg that’s nestled within her as she sees his gaze darken. Aemond pulls out his phone again, changing the setting to a constant vibrate, before setting it down on the desk behind her.
Mewling helplessly, shockwaves of pleasure ripple through her as Aemond’s thumb swipes against her sodden folds, spreading her open to watch intently.
He takes a sip from his glass, and she gasps as he grabs her forcefully by the hair at the back of her head, crushing her lips against his and letting the whisky pass from his mouth to hers. She moans quietly, the intensity of the burn of the liquid that slips down her throat and the throbbing ache between her legs making her feel dizzy.
She is devastatingly close, can feel the pressure building to boiling point, and she whines, pressing her face into the crook of Aemond’s neck, fingertips rumpling the fabric of his black button down shirt as she grasps his biceps for purchase. “Fuck, Aemond, I–”
“It’s alright, I’ve got you, let go,” he coos.
She bites down on the juncture of his neck to muffle her pleasured cry, earning her a startled grunt from Aemond. Her body spasms around the toy, climaxing with a force that makes her toes curl inside of her high heels, before going limp against his chest.
He settles his glass down and strokes her hair before pulling back. His long, dexterous fingers wrap around the cord of egg, and despite how gentle he is as he tugs it free, she still hisses with overstimulation as it leaves her body. The sudden feeling of emptiness is alien to her after having spent most of the evening with it inside of her.
“Can…can we go home now?” She asks tiredly, as he wraps the toy in tissue and deposits it on the desk.
“Hmmm, not just yet,” Aemond tells her, taking her hand and guiding it to palm over the erection that strains against the confines of his suit trousers. “I’m not quite finished with you yet.”
Chapter five || Series masterlist
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kenandeliza · 9 months ago
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a collection of ideas of a post-suspendium Golden Age comics Billy Batson if he ended up in the 21st century (pick any comic continuity
EDIT: IF YOU SEE THIS POST HAVING A WEIRD/REPEATING PARAGRAPH/FORMAT, LET ME KNOW BECAUSE TUMBLR ISNT WORKING FOR MY MOBILE
1.adoption scenario
(If a leaguer wanted to adopt Billy, he’d just show them his birth certificate)
Billy smirking:” Sorry, you can’t legally adopt a grandpa”
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2. Billy teasing with a smug boomer voice: “Back in my day, we used to play with atomic machines!”
3. youtube
Billy:thanks for showing me how to use a modern phone (insert friend from 21st century)! But I wonder, where is the tv remote for changing the youtube channel? And Where is the news?
(Friend from the 21st century):*sighs* it’s so over
4. Old friends
Aside from the fawcett city heroes, Billy in this case probably relates more to the older heroes like wildcat, Alan scott or Jay Garrick, maybe they have multiple team ups in the past and would reminiscent over it (the rest having their favorite drinks while Billy preferring his hot chocolate ice cream)
5. Teasing
The younger hero teams who know his identity would teasingly call him a “boomer”, Billy wanted to protest that he technically was born before boomers but they ignored it and still teased him about it.
to the rest of the heroes who didn’t know about his identity, they assume captain marvel is more than centuries old, and thinks this is the reason the kid heroes calls him a boomer.
6. Jokes
Billy: “oh so these memes are like what replaces comic strips i used to read, how nice”
Some of these ideas are taken from the fanfics i’ve written, some just came to me inside my head, but it’s fun to think about it.
(Edited: added more scenarios)
7. Caprisuns
Caprisuns werent invented yet when Billy was in suspendium. After getting out of suspendium, He really likes caprisun.
Other leaguers would be confused, Marvel's liking of caprisun is comparable to Martian Manhunter's love of oreos. When asked about when his capri sun addiction started, Marvel shrugged, "They weren't made before I was born, so it was only recent"
The league is now confused as to how old marvel is. Wonder Woman relates to this with her fascination of ice cream flavors.
8. Billy automatically put on a Mid-atlantic accent whenever he is near a microphone due to his habit and work with Whiz station for his TV segments as well as radio programs.
Whenever Captain Marvel uses a communicator, he unintentionally uses a mid-atlantic accent (this confuses the leaguers, "who is this guy!?"). Some of the leaguers enjoyed listening to his voice
Marvel would occasionally file an audio JL report (yes, with the same mid-atlantic accent) when he's on a hurry and couldn't type it out with his typewriter (he still finds it difficult to use a computer) : "And there you have it, folks! In a nutshell, I managed to handle the There was an outbreak of imps but Mary and I already took care of it, Junior apprehend the acrobat after a terible case of Moonitis, the three of us thwarted Mr. Mind's dastardly scheme to seize control of the sun, and we all prevented Sivana from being promoted to "King of Earth" by hurling his atomic bomb straight into the heart of the sun itself! That's the latest from me, This is Captain Marvel, signing off!"
Leaguer: "Why does he sound like a radio host commenting on a football game?"
Other leaguer:*shrugs*
9. Billy watches a cgi lion movie for the first time
..and thought innocently that there are other talking tigers like tawky tawny.
Some of these ideas are taken from the fanfics i’ve written, some just came to me inside my head, but it’s fun to think about it.
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kurthummeldeservesbetter · 16 days ago
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more modern au headcanons for @now-thats-an-oof
first one here
Jayce and Viktor's favorite guilty pleasure is all the crime/science shows like CSI, Bones, X-Files. Stuff that requires a healthy amount of disbelief because it's more entertaining that way, rather than the shows that pretend to know science or are obnoxious about science. They used to have a drinking game, but after one episode of CSI Vegas they were so decidedly intoxicated + the hangover was enough for them to never play it again.
Also, their TV set is a projector against their wall. They also pirate everything, use VPNs. Neither of them pay for any subscriptions, all mooch off of Caitlyn's accounts when they can't find something they want or the quality being pirated isn't good. (Mel and Elora locked them out of their account)
They live in a studio apartment on the first floor right outside their University. It's nice, low-priced and they don't spend a lot of time in it anyways with school and lab work. Jayce's favorite feature is the fireplace, Viktor's is the spacious shower.
They do not use candles: sets off Viktor’s asthma. Instead they have a modified (by them!) diffuser with scents like eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender that helps with breathing + won’t set off an attack. (He still does his treatments, though! Just wants a nice smelling home.)
Ximena lives about forty minutes away; they visit her every weekend. When Jayce and Viktor first got together, Viktor was afraid to meet her (he has no family for Jayce to meet, and never got far enough in other relationships to meet parents) but she took him in instantly.
Now, Ximena insists Viktor come home with Jayce every time. Sometimes she even calls Viktor even when Jayce isn't there. She sends meals (as all moms do!) with them to take, but with the recipe card so they can make it together.
Adding onto that, Jayce cooks, Viktor bakes. Both have used Ximena's recipe cards often, but hers are just better (Jayce thinks she's hiding a secret ingredient, Viktor thinks she's magic) (one of them is right!)
Neither of them are big readers for fun, but both enjoy scientific journals, reports, short stories, as long as they aren't science fiction. Unlike with the TV shows, the bad science just annoys them. For fiction, Jayce enjoys adventure/suspense, Viktor enjoys mystery/suspense. Neither like horror, or romance-only, but enjoy a good slow burn mixed with their preferred genres.
Their greatest achievement was the modern version of whatever the distinguished innovators competition was-they both got to ride in a plane (1st class, paid for by the school!) to present their prototype for a water & air solar powered purifier to the country's top mechanics board. Mel (political science major, business minor (in Masters programs) also helped them register the patents and trademarks for it.
Speaking of Mel, other majors/minors include: Caitlyn (Legal Studies Major, Criminal Justice minor, undergrad) Sky (Environmental Science, Masters) Vi (Exercise Science major, undergrad) Elora (Business Analytics, Masters). Ekko and Powder are taking a gap year.
Jayvik have major beef with the barista at the coffeeshop closest to their apartment. Don't ask them why. (He hit on Vik in front of Jayce while also being ableist. Both of them cursed him out in their respective first languages).
Jayce and Viktor paint and sketch to unwind. Jayce sketches (likes charcoal pencils) Viktor paints (likes watercolors). Favorite subjects? Each other. (yes, they have painted and sketched each other naked.)
Failed hobbies of theirs include: crocheting (Jayce was slightly more successful, though the scarf he made for Vik was a little too long) Photography (somehow Viktor's fingertips make it into his shots, Jayce can never get the focus right) Dance (Jayce stepped on everyone's feet, Viktor only likes to sway and stand on Jayce's feet) Plants (?) (They are only allowed plants that can survive nuclear explosions now. Sky banned anything harder than a spider plant to care for from their home.)
Favorite Bar: The Last Drop (you know I had to do it). They (as well as their small group of friends) are the only academy students yet to be kicked out. Mostly for good behavior, but also because favoritism.
Things they don't fight about: Health, safety, opinions (they share most of the same ones anyways) family, friends.
Things they "fight" about: the right amount of sugar in a coffee, if Viktor needs wool socks, if Jayce needs to replace his work boots, the best kind of cookie (the great double-chocolate chip vs m&m cookie war)
The thing they actually fought about (serious version): Viktor accepting help/Jayce learning the right way to help him that wasn't diminishing Viktor's abilities. They fought for a week-still sharing a bed and eating together, working, but all silent. Finally when they came to an agreement-Viktor would stop ignoring the need for help until it was too painful to ask, Jayce would help by knowing the real signs, or doing just what Viktor asks him to help with, rather than what he assumes Viktor needs.
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nydescynt · 12 days ago
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In elementary school, the first and only time I heard about trans people existing was a rumor about Lady Gaga. The first movie I saw with any kind of trans character was Ace Ventura, which my dad paused and preemptively explained, in serious tones; not because the transmisogyny might be upsetting, but because the existence of trans people was such an adult and taboo topic for us to be introduced to.
But things got better- were getting better, slowly. A guy in the grade below me in high school was the first openly trans person at my school. There were a few openly gay/lesbian couples at every school dance, something kids even a few grades above me said hadn't happened for fear of backlash. TV and movies, even kind of shitty primetime ones, were adding lgbt+ characters to their lineups.
Gay marriage was legalized in June of 2015. I remember walking to get frozen custard with my friends, and feeling an infectious joy: that everything was getting better.
I graduated high school in 2016.
Everything that year felt like a slide backwards into hatred. Increasingly fascistic rhetoric from the Republican candidates had crystallized into a bid for Donald Trump to run for president. The Pulse nightclub shooting happened that June; I remember crying for days, going to a vigil with my sister. We lied and told our parents we were going to the movies. Each car that passed made everyone at the vigil tense and relax - we'd already seen the news about the bomb threats, the foiled copycats.
I had just entered my first year of college, bought my first binder. Offered she/they pronouns in one class. Gotten to vote for the first time.
Trump won. Anti-immigrant and anti-queer and anti-BLM posters were slathered over campus the next day.
I remember feeling broken, the whole week after. Crying in the tiny LGBTQIA+ club room with a bunch of other dead-eyed queer kids. We spent every moment not in class huddled together like penguins, basking in the meager solace of all being equally scared.
We fought. We made social groups and organizations. We protested. We signed classmates up to vote. The microphone set up for national coming out day the following year saw lines of people waiting to tell the world who they were, in spite of it all. We got gender-neutral bathrooms designated in every building. We kept trying.
Social change comes in waves- 2 steps forward, 1.9 steps back. It feels awful and horrifying to see the backpeddle, especially when you're just coming of age after a period when all you can really properly remember is the steps forward. I know; I entered the world at a similar moment.
I don't want to retell my whole life story, so I'll end on this. After I graduated, Fall of 2019 I went down to Tennessee and worked at Cracker Barrel HQ for a while. They have a pride affinity group. One of the company leaders was an openly gay man old enough to be my grandpa. The world after that went to shit in other ways, but sometimes I sit and stare at my tacky CB-logoed rainbow flag and pride glows inside me. Pride that we have made it so far, so fast; that what was unmentionable 40 years ago and mockable 20 years ago is normal enough to be blandly included today. I am asking you to believe that we are still stepping forward. I am asking you to keep being you - as quietly as you want to, as loudly as you can.
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mariacallous · 2 months ago
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Since the conversation, if you can call it that, about trans people always seems to come down to bathrooms, I am sure of one thing.
I would much rather share a ladies’ room or a locker room with Sarah McBride than with Nancy Mace.
McBride, of course, was just elected to Congress and, in January, will be the highest-ranking elected official in America who is transgender. The 34-year-old comes to the US House of Representatives after serving in the Delaware legislature; before that, she was the national press secretary of the Human Rights Campaign.
Mace, a member of Congress from South Carolina since 2021, has been on an ugly campaign in recent weeks clearly intended to belittle and marginalize McBride – and to get on TV as much as possible doing so. She has filed a resolution, and the House speaker, Mike Johnson, has given it his nod of approval, that would somehow force trans people to keep out of the congressional bathrooms that reflect their gender identity.
“If you think this bill is about protecting women and not simply a ploy to get on Fox News, you’ve been fooled,” wrote Natalie Johnson, Mace’s former communications director. She added, pointedly, that a real effort to protect women would involve “a bill to bar Matt Gaetz, a sexual predator with an affinity for underage girls, from ever walking those halls again”. (Trump, as you know, tapped the far-right former Florida representative as his attorney general as part of this month’s parade of appalling cabinet choices. Gaetz later withdrew from consideration.)
On Wednesday, McBride reacted with dignity to all the performative insults and abuse. She simply responded that she would follow the rules and that she’s in Congress to represent her Delaware district; I’m sure she’ll eventually find ways to continue her admirable advocacy.
Mace, on the other hand, can’t be described as dignified. She’s running around pasting the word “biological” on restroom doors for photo ops, and snidely tweeting in McBride’s direction about International Men’s Day.
And she’s getting plenty of the media attention she craves.
On one level, this is all part of the unending circus of the Trump era.
On a human level, it’s scary, wrong and damaging.
“As a trans person myself, I’m really worried about where this is headed,” wrote Parker Molloy, who writes incisively about politics and media in her newsletter the Present Age. “I spend each day worrying about whether or not the healthcare that keeps me alive will remain legal, whether I’m going to face new restrictions on where I’m allowed to exist in public, what would happen to me if (god forbid) I wound up in prison for some reason, and whether or not my identity documents like my passport will be retroactively made invalid.”
She added poignantly: “Now, more than ever, I feel alone.”
Trans students may have it even worse. Again, it often comes down to bathrooms.
A lot of children, especially transgender and gender-nonconforming children, avoid bathrooms all day, since that’s where the bullying can be most intense. Thus, advocates say, trans kids often are prone to urinary tract infections or eating disorders because they’ve avoided eating and drinking.
As for the right’s obsession with trans students on sports team, the vast majority have no unfair advantage on the playing fields (or courts, or pools). They are just trying to reap the same benefits of sports as do other kids – leadership, teamwork and friendship.
The meanspirited and misinformed narrative about transgender people makes it difficult for them to feel cared about and to live full lives.
But don’t try to tell that to Mace, whose preoccupation is not with kindness or decency, but with getting attention and winning the culture wars.
As the Daily Beast reported last year, Mace’s staffers were given a handbook that outlined just how intensely this mattered to their boss; they were told to book her on TV multiple times a day, amounting to nine times a week for national outlets and six times a week for local outlets.
In 2021, Mace depicted herself as supportive of LGBTQ+ rights. That was before the tide turned so forcefully and, as Philip Bump of the Washington Post put it, before “the Republican base had been fed a steady diet of anti-trans rhetoric, making trans issues fertile ground for anyone willing to engage in the fight”.
Mace, clearly, is more than willing.
If that means being cruel, then so be it. As writer Adam Serwer observed about Trumpian politics: “The cruelty is the point.”
Meanwhile, vulnerable and marginalized people are made to suffer for trying to be true to themselves. And despite the progress shown by McBride’s election, the world around this milestone seems to be getting increasingly harsh.
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justinspoliticalcorner · 3 months ago
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David Smith at The Guardian:
Losing an election for the highest office is a crushing blow that no candidate forgets. But when the American electorate delivers its verdict next week, the personal stakes for Donald Trump will be uniquely high. His fate will hover between the presidency and the threat of prison.
If he claims victory, Trump will be the first convicted criminal to win the White House and gain access to the nuclear codes. If he falls short, the 78-year-old faces more humiliating courtroom trials and potentially even time behind bars. It would be the end of a charmed life in which he has somehow always managed to outrun the law and duck accountability. For Trump, Tuesday is judgment day. “He branded himself as the guy who gets away with it,” said Gwenda Blair, a Trump biographer, adding that, should he lose, “he is facing a lot of moments of reckoning. He could go to jail. He could end up considerably less wealthy than he is. No matter what happens, and no matter whether he wins or loses, there will be a reckoning over his health. Death, ill health, dementia – those are things even he can’t escape.” The property developer and reality TV star has spent his career pushing ethical and legal boundaries to the limit, facing countless investigations, court battles and hefty fines. Worthy of a novel, his has been a life of scandal on a gargantuan scale.
In the 1970s Trump and his father were sued by the justice department for racial discrimination after refusing to rent apartments to Black people in predominantly white buildings. His property and casino businesses, including the Taj Mahal and Trump Plaza, filed for bankruptcy several times in the 1990s and early 2000s. Trump University, a business offering property training courses, faced multiple lawsuits for fraud, misleading marketing and false claims about the quality of its programmes. In 2016 Trump settled for $25m without admitting wrongdoing.
The Donald J Trump Foundation, a charitable organisation, was investigated and sued for allegedly using charitable funds for personal and business expenses. Trump eventually agreed to dissolve the foundation with remaining funds going to charity. Trump and his company were ordered to pay more than $350m in a New York civil fraud trial for artificially inflating his net worth to secure favourable loan terms. He is also known to have paid little to no federal income taxes in specific years which, although technically legal, was seen by some as bordering on unethical.
[...] He became the first president to be impeached twice, first for withholding military aid to pressure Ukraine’s government to investigate his political opponents, then for instigating a coup on 6 January 2021 following his defeat. He also became the subject of not one but four criminal cases, any one of which would have been enough to scuttle the chances of any other White House hopeful. In May Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records relating to a hush-money payment to the adult film performer Stormy Daniels, making him the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes. Sentencing is scheduled for 26 November (the judge delayed it from 18 September after the Republican nominee asked that it wait until after the election). What was billed as the trial of the century has already begun to fade from public consciousness and played a relatively modest role in the election campaign. Jonathan Alter, a presidential biographer who was in court for every day of the trial, recalled: “I’ve covered some big stories over the years but there was nothing like the drama of watching the jury foreperson say, ‘Guilty, guilty, guilty’ 34 times and Donald Trump looking like he was punched in the gut.” Alter, who describes the experience in his new book, American Reckoning, reflects on how Trump has been able to act with impunity for so long. “It’s a combination of luck, galvanised defiance and the credulousness of a large chunk of the American people,” he said. “Demagoguery works. Playing on people’s fears works. It doesn’t work all the time but we can look throughout human history to political figures and how demagoguery and scapegoating ‘the other’ works.”
Alter, who covered the trial for Washington Monthly magazine, added: “We’ve had plenty of demagogues, scoundrels and conmen in politics below the level of president. Trump has been lucky to escape accountability but the United States has been lucky that we haven’t had something like this before. The founders were very worried about it. They felt we would face something like this for sure.” The US’s system of checks and balances has been racing to keep up. Trump was charged by the special counsel Jack Smith with conspiring to overturn the results of his election loss to Joe Biden in the run-up to the January 6 riot at the US Capitol. The former president and 18 others were also charged by the Fulton county district attorney, Fani Willis, with taking part in a scheme to overturn his narrow loss in Georgia. Trump was charged again by Smith with illegally retaining classified documents that included nuclear secrets, taken with him from the White House to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after he left office in January 2021, and then obstructing government demands to give them back.
With a such a caseload, it was widely assumed that Trump would spend this election shuttling between rallies one day and trials the next. But the courtroom campaign never really happened since, true to past form, he found ways to throw sand in the gears of the legal system and put off his moment of reckoning.
Or he simply got lucky. In Georgia, it emerged that Willis had a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor Nathan Wade, prompting demands that she be removed. Smith’s federal election case was thrown off track for months by a supreme court ruling that presidents have immunity for official actions taken in office. The classified documents case was thrown out by Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, although Smith is appealing and the charges could be reinstated. Such delays have made it easier to forget just how much of an outlier Trump is. Past presidential brushes with the law consisted of Ulysses S Grant being fined for speeding his horse-drawn carriage in Washington and Harry Truman receiving a ticket for driving his car too slowly on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in 1953. Richard Nixon resigned before he could be impeached over the Watergate scandal and was subsequently pardoned by his successor, Gerald Ford. Meanwhile the standard for presidential aspirants has been high. Joe Biden’s first run for the White House fell apart amid allegations that he had plagiarised a speech by Britain’s Labour leader Neil Kinnock. During the 2000 campaign, a last-minute revelation that Republican candidate George W Bush had a drunk driving conviction that he concealed for 24 years generated huge headlines and was seen as a possible gamechanger. Hillary Clinton still blames her 2016 defeat on an FBI investigation into her email server that produced no charges.
For Donald Trump, his run for the “Presidency” is all about avoiding any possible jail time for his indictments and felonies. If he loses, then Trump could be facing more trials and potentially jail time and/or massive fines.
Send Trump to prison, not the White House!
#TrumpForPrison #HarrisWalz2024
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haartemis · 5 months ago
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I love you, it's ruining my life | Part IV
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pairing: Kylian x black!fem!Reader
word count: 6.2k
part one, part two, part three
A/N: as always, please let me know what you think in my inbox <3 Like this post if you'd like to be added to my taglist.
IV. Summer 2023 through Spring 2024
July 2023
“Tic Tac!” The man on the TV had wide, and quite frankly, manic-looking eyes. “Tic Tac!”
Kylian quickly grabbed the remote and turned the TV off, releasing a sigh of relief at the ensuing silence. It was all noise these days, the minute he turned on the TV, or opened Twitter and Instagram, or even glanced at a newspaper. His name in big bold capital letters, in a headline that almost always contained the words “leaving” or “staying”. Everyone wanted to know. The paparazzi stalked his every move, yelling out the million dollar question to him any chance they got – “Kylian, are you leaving PSG?”  as if he’d respond to them. People on twitter tracked his flights, trying to see if any of the planes he boarded were headed to Madrid. Self- proclaimed insider journalists went viral on social media with their ‘scoops’, causing a flurry of conversation, and depending on which day it was and which side you were on, either joy or sadness. Turtle emojis haunted his dreams, and now, thanks to the Spanish TV channel he’d accidentally come across, so would the words ‘tic tac��.
He was a good sport about it, most times. But at times it was all too much. Like today. He’d spent the majority of it in a meeting with his mother and legal team, discussing  PSG negotiation strategies. Then he’d come home to take an afternoon nap, only to be woken up by his lawyer calling him to deliver the news: PSG had frozen him out of the first team. He’d proceeded to go to his living room and open the TV,  mindlessly scrolling through the channels, happy to not just think for a couple of minutes, to let the disbelief and anger marinate inside him until he could express it at a later time . But that was all gone when he happened upon the Tic Tac man, who apparently hosted a show that was dedicated to the Mbappe - Real Madrid Saga. Now it was back to stressing about his present, and his future. 
Truthfully, everything had started unraveling the day he’d royally fucked everything up with Y/N, back in December. The heartbreak he’d felt had been unlike anything he’d ever experienced before, so all encompassing that it had left him at a loss of equilibrium. It shook him to his core.  He didn’t just lose the girl he loved, he lost his best friend too.  He’d decided to pour everything he had into football, and he’d quite literally been rewarded for it when he’d become PSG’s top goalscorer. He felt happiness he hadn’t felt in a long while when he stood there in the stadium that evening, thousands cheering him on as he held up the trophy. But then all of it had dissipated back in his apartment, his friends and family gone after a night of celebration,  the golden 201 staring at him from his trophy cabinet. What good was any of it if he couldn’t call and share his joy  with the person who mattered to him the most? He’d felt incredibly lonely then, more lonely than when he was just 14 alone in the Monaco academy for the very first time.  Y/N had left a big, wide hole in his life, and no matter how he tried to forget it, it was still there. 
His phone, which he had  carelessly tossed across the couch, started to vibrate. It was his mother, probably calling to check on him, maybe offer some words of comfort. He ignored it. He didn’t want to speak to anyone at the moment; He didn’t have the energy to pretend he was ok, , to feign acceptance of his uncertain future and Y/N’s absence from his life. Instead, he headed to the fridge and grabbed a rare beer. He wasn’t going to be playing  professional football anytime soon , so who cared how much carbs he consumed? 
He watched his phone continue to vibrate as he took a gulp of beer. It periodically flashed different names: his parents, his brothers, his sister in law,  Tchaga. He was happy to ignore all of them in favor of wallowing in his sadness. It went on like that for an hour or so, his phone occasionally lighting up with someone calling as he sunk deeper into his misery. Then, a name appeared on the screen that made him almost choke on his beer.
He quickly grabbed the phone and answered. “Hello?” 
 “Hi” Y/N’s voice was tentative, almost shy. “Are you okay, Kylian?”
“Yeah” He managed to keep his voice steady. “Yeah, I’m okay”
“Are you sure?” her voice was tinted with concern. “It’s all over the news here. Plus, your mom is worried, said you’re not picking up your phone” 
He winced. “ Don’t mind her, It's probably all the stress from the negotiations taking a toll”
“And you?”
“And me what?” he asked.
“Is it taking a toll on you?” She clarified
“No, I’m good” he said defensively. “I’m great, actually”
His beer bottle that had been teetering on the edge of his coffee table suddenly tumbled down and crashed to the floor. 
He cursed. “Sorry, my beer just went everywhere…” 
“Beer?” She sounded surprised. “You don’t drink beer. Especially so close to the season starting”
He sighed. “Y/N, we haven’t spoken in more than 6 months. Since you fucking broke my heart, mind you. I don’t think you can confidently say you know me anymore”
“Harsh” She replied. “But maybe deserved”
He heard shuffling at the other end, and the unmistakable sound of a cat’s meow. “Is that a cat?” he asked.
“Yup. I adopted one about a month ago” she replied. “Her name is Luna”
He snorted. “Half the cats in the world are named Luna. Couldn’t you be a little original?”
“Shut up” She chuckled, then paused. “And I still know you well, by the way”
“Mmm?” He was searching for a broom and dustpan to clean up the beer bottle mess. He couldn’t find them anywhere. He was shamefully clueless about this stuff, seeing as he had a cleaning person come take care of things  like that. 
“Yeah. I can bet my salary you’re looking for something to clean up your mess with but you can’t find it” The sound of her giggle made his heart skip a beat. 
Kylian smiled in spite of himself and muttered “Fuck you” under his breath.
He finally found the broom and dustpan. 
“You know what else I can bet?” Her tone softened, turned more serious. “I can bet that the Kylian I know wouldn’t let this type of stuff get to him. No matter what pressure he’s put under, no matter what they say. He’d just let his football speak for itself”
“Yeah well, they’re not even letting me play football. That’s the issue. It’s either renew my contract  or I won't play a single minute this season. And that’s a problem, Y/N. Because if I don’t play, then It means I start getting out of form. And I can’t have that. There’s too much on the line. The Euros next summer, and then maybe the Olympics…” He’d swooped up all the broken glass carefully and was now wiping the excess beer. “I don’t want to disappoint anyone”
“What about… What about here?” 
He knew ‘here’ meant Madrid, but the way she said it made it sound like ‘here’ was more personal. For a moment he imagined a world where they were together, a world where he’d be able to find solace with her – in her city, her apartment, her bed. He quickly dismissed that thought before it could hurt him.
“I want to finish my PSG contract first” It was a line that almost felt robotic the number of times he uttered it to the press, but it was still true.
“In any case, I don’t think you should worry too much, Kylian. You have great lawyers, great people behind you. They’ll figure it out” Her voice was comforting, and for the first time, he believed those words that had been told to him by friends and family countless times. 
The door to his apartment rattled just then, and he cringed. The timing couldn’t be worse. He disposed of the glass as he heard the door unlock from the other side, and then the sound of clicking heels approaching. 
“Kyky, are you okay?” She asked, just as she came into view. “You didn’t pick up when I called”
She saw that he was on the phone, and Kylian was about to open his mouth to explain when she whispered “Is that Fayza?”
He didn’t know what possessed him to lie, but he did. He nodded a yes. 
She gave an understanding nod, before motioning that she was headed towards his bedroom.  Kylian watched as she went up the stairs, overnight bag in one hand and the sound of her heels echoing. 
A brief silence, and then, “Who was that?” from the other end of the phone. 
“You remember Sophia from Monaco? She lives in Paris now” Why did it feel like he was delivering bad news? She was the one that had left him heartbroken. “And we’re dating”
“Dating dating or are you still just hooking up?” Her voice was unreadable. 
“No, we’re dating. Shocker, but I’m actually capable of being in a relationship”
“Why did she move to Paris?” She ignored his pointed jab. “What does she even do now?”
“She’s a model” 
She snorted. “ There it is”
He frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That’s your usual type, no?” 
He rolled his eyes. “Not really. My type was you. Just you.  You thought I was using you for sex, though. That’s why we didn’t work out right?”
“Well—”
“But yeah, she is a model” He ignored her, not wanting to prod his own open wound.  “Not all of us can be super smart, saving people’s lives…”
“I don’t save lives” She pointed out. “At least not directly. I’m in nonprofit work, remember?”
He did remember. He knew everything about her, admired and cherished every single detail. Yet, she wasn’t his. He’d gotten close; those 10 days after his birthday were the best of his life. But she ran away. And maybe it was his fault. It was a thought that haunted him till this day. Maybe I should have been more forward. Told her how I felt. Told her I love you.
He cleared his throat. “You know, we’re doing an event next week for the kids in my foundation. About getting into STEM fields.”
“I know” She responded. “I’m going to be there”
“What?” He couldn’t hide his surprise. 
“Yeah, your mom invited me. I’m going to be one of the speakers” She sounded amused that he didn’t know.
“Oh… I guess I’ll see you then”
“Yeah, I’ll see you” she said quietly. 
There was a brief silence, and Kylian thought it was the appropriate  time to wrap the conversation up. Any other time and they’d spend minutes in comfortable silence, speaking only when they felt like it, and on things that ranged from random to deep. But this was the first time they were speaking in months, and there was another girl waiting for him upstairs. 
“Thank you for calling. For calming me down. You’re very talented at that ” He let out a sad laugh.
“Of course. I’m always your friend, Kylian. No matter what” She said it with so much conviction it almost made up for everything else. 
He thought she was going to add something else, but she didn’t. They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone.
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October 2023 
The second time they spoke on the phone, he was on a flight back from a game. It was a loss, and no one was happy, so there was a muted atmosphere on the plane. Despite that, the adrenaline still running through his veins prevented him from falling asleep. He kept awake, fidgeting in his seat, trying to fend off the thoughts that usually assailed him after a loss. Could’ve made that pass. Should’ve scored that goal. 
He decided to distract himself. He pressed play on the latest episode of his favorite show, but he couldn’t concentrate. He contemplated playing a game, but he didn't want to think. Next to him, Dembele was softly snoring. He instinctively reached for his phone, and before even thinking about it, called Y/N. 
She picked up almost instantly. “Hello?” Her groggy voice made him realize it was well past midnight in Madrid.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was so late. We can –”
“It’s fine, it’s fine” Her voice was soft. “What’s up?”
He looked out at the night sky through the small airplane window. “Nothing, nothing. Just couldn’t sleep, and thought I’d try and talk to someone” 
She chuckled. “Well, you’re in luck, because I’ve been sitting at my desk for the past hour trying to study. You caught me just when I started to doze off”
“Study for what?” He kept his voice low to not wake his neighbor. “I thought you were done with all of that”
“Decided I have one more degree in me” She said. “I started a masters program”
“Wow. So you’re juggling classes, your job, and being a mom to Luna” He tsked jokingly. “That’s a lot on your plate”
“Tell me about it” She yawned. “I’m fully embracing the cat lady stereotype these days”
“What, no guys hitting you up?” He kept his tone teasing, but he was very curious.
“Don’t have time, is all” She responded. “I barely leave the apartment during the weekends… I barely even see friends”
He frowned, imagining her cooped up in her tiny apartment all alone, straining her eyes by poring over her books. Neglecting herself. “Y/N, you work so hard, don’t forget to take care of yourself”
“I’m managing” Her tone was soft but strained. His frown deepened. How had he not noticed the deep tiredness in her voice until now?
“So, what are you doing this weekend?” She asked, clearly trying to change the subject. “Any plans with Sophia?”
“Well, we have two days off, so I was thinking–” A lightbulb flickered inside his head. “I’m actually going to be in Madrid”
“Wait, really?”
“Yeah” He lied. “ I’ve got a Nike photoshoot”
“So, I’ll get to see you right?”
“Yes, of course. You’ll have to text me your address and stuff and I’ll come by..”
She didn’t express any excitement, and he didn’t blame her. He felt nervous himself,  seeing as this would be their first meeting alone since December. He’d come up with the idea on the spot, lying about a photoshoot,  because something in her voice was off. He wanted to see her, to check on her. Plus, he missed her. 
He texted his assistant to arrange a flight and a hotel to Madrid before the plane even landed in Paris. He rushed back to his apartment just to shower and to pack a bag, then he was once again on a plane, making his way to Y/N. 
By morning, he was in sunny Madrid. By mid-morning, his driver was taking him to Y/N’s apartment. His heart was beating out of his chest as he knocked on her door. A few seconds, and it opened. And there she was. 
He was struck by a sense of longing, the heartache he’d felt all those months compounded tenfold at the sight of her. He couldn’t dwell on that, though, because the longing immediately gave way to a wave of concern. She looked exhausted, her curls frazzled and dark circles visible on her tired face. Despite this, she smiled at him wordlessly and let him inside. 
Her apartment was a reflection of her current state – chaotic and disheveled. Papers and books were scattered across surfaces, take-out boxes on the floor. 
“Sorry about the mess, I got swept away with work” She shrugged at him in embarrassment as he cleared away papers on the sofa to take a seat.
“No worries” he said, looking around her apartment. This was his first time in her living space.
“Do you want me to get you anything? Water?” She asked, just as a blob of gray fur suddenly flew across the room from nowhere and leaped at him.
“ Ow!” Kylian exclaimed as the cat’s claw made contact with his face. He looked down at it with a disapproving look.“ You must be Luna. Thanks for that”
Luna meowed at him contentedly from her perch on his lap. Y/N chuckled, but her laugh quickly turned into a yawn.
He scratched Luna’s ears and gave Y/N a serious look. “ You need to sleep. Now” 
“But I— 
“No buts. You need rest” He said firmly “ You go take a nap, I’ll chill with Luna”
“ But you just got here!”
“ We have the whole weekend to hang out”
She frowned. “ You came here for work though”
He ignored her comment. “Just go sleep,Y/N”
With a resigned sigh, she made way to the bedroom. 
He looked back at Luna, then at the messy apartment. A former coach of his had once told him a person’s living space was a reflection of their mental state. He sighed at the British shorthair. “Let’s get to work Luna”
He started by gathering the books and papers, carefully arranging them so they were all in the right place. Next, He cleared away all the trash and disposed of it. He wiped all the surfaces of the living room and kitchen, restoring some sense of order. Luna trailed after him all throughout his cleaning, rubbing her head against his leg once in a while.
After some contemplation, he decided to take the risk and walk to the grocery store across from her apartment building.  Thankfully, the store clerk didn’t recognize him in his cap and sunglasses so he got his shopping done without any hassle. Back in the apartment, he replaced the wilted flowers on her kitchen table with the fresh ones he’d gotten, then put away the groceries he’d picked up. 
He’d never cooked a meal in his entire life, but he figured he’d be able to follow a recipe. So he pulled up youtube and searched up a simple pasta recipe. It took him longer than he’d anticipated, but by the time Y/N woke up, there was a steaming home cooked meal waiting for her on the kitchen table.
She broke into a giggle as soon as she walked out of her bedroom, her eyes lighting up in delight. “You did all this?”
He raised his arms up in mock triumph. “I’m not a completely useless human being outside of football, you know”
“Never said you were” She took a seat by the kitchen table, eagerly stabbing a fork through her pasta.
He watched her take a bite, a grin spreading across his face as she gave him an approving thumbs up. Nothing he loved more than validation from Y/N.
He plated up some for himself, and they ate in companionable silence. Afterwards, Y/N insisted on cleaning up and he didn’t protest, seeing as doing the dishes had always been his least favorite chore ever since he was a kid. He watched her move around the kitchen, already sensing less tension in her after the nap and meal. 
When dusk rolled around, he turned to her and grinned. “Time for you to show me your city”. And so they set off, him dressed modestly in just a T-shirt , sweatpants, a cap and pair of sunglasses not to attract attention and her in a pretty yellow sundress. This was his first time venturing outside without a bodyguard in years, and he was sure his mother would have a heart attack if she found out, but he didn’t tell Y/N; he wanted her to feel completely at ease. As they walked, she pointed out some of her favorite things about the city: the mix of historic and contemporary architecture, and the street art. He listened attentively, though his anxiety was growing. It would take only one person to notice him for word to spread around and a mob to form. Then he could do little to protect Y/N or himself. 
She must have sensed his worry, because shortly after she pulled him into one of the less crowded cafes. They took a seat outside, his back facing the streets. He watched her people watch, the setting sun casting golden hues over her face. She’d gotten a scoop of ice cream while he was sipping on peach iced tea. 
“You know, I hate to complain, but sometimes I wish it was easier” His tone was heavy. “Whenever I’m outside, it feels like I’m always on guard. ” He turned and looked wistfully at the bustling street.
“On the bright side, you’re living your dream” She reminded him with a sympathetic look. “Not many people can say that”
He nodded in agreement, then paused. “Do you think, you and I,  if there wasn’t all of this”–He gestured vaguely at himself – “would we have worked out?”
She raised her eyebrows at him, clearly surprised at his question. “I don't – Kylian, I–”
He interrupted her, snorting bitterly. “Remember when you basically told me I’m a fuckboy athlete using you for sex?”
“We don’t need to talk about that now, Kylian” She looked down at her ice cream.
“No, I think we do” He said firmly. “Do you know how much you hurt me?”
She looked up at him. “ Kylian… I’ve seen the pictures, heard the stories. Plus the way you behaved during our…situationship or whatever you call it.  You can’t fault me for thinking that way”
“What do you mean the way I behaved?” He laughed bitterly. “ You were the only person I was seeing.  Holding hands, kissing, I’ve never done that in public before with anyone else.  All because I was proud you were mine… at least I thought you were going to be mine.”
“Well that’s the issue, Kylian. You never told me any of that. I was hurt.. I thought I was just a temporary distraction to you” She said quietly. “I thought you were throwing away our friendship just for sex”
He was hurt that that was the way she viewed him. But he hadn’t led her to believe otherwise, had he? He’d never entertained the idea of a relationship with anyone before her simply because he’d never liked someone so much before her. And so most of his late teen years and early twenties had been spent in a cycle of casual flings, never letting anyone get too close. He could see why she’d thought that way.
“Y/N, I never meant to make you feel like that,” he said, his voice earnest. “I’ve never been in a place where I cared about someone as much as I care about you. Maybe I didn’t show it right, but it was never just about a fling for me.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway, though” She continued, locking eyes with him. “We have two completely different lifestyles… it would never work” She said the last part quietly, as if it was a painful truth she would’ve rather be false.
“So your answer is yes?” He tried to hide the pain in his voice.
“What?”
“The answer to my original question, about my career being in the way, it’s yes right?”
She slowly nodded. He nodded back, a silent acceptance passing between them. Perhaps she was right; they lived in different countries, worked two completely different jobs. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be. He had Sophia– who lived in the same city as him, who ran in the same circles, who had no problem throwing herself into his world. That should have consoled him, but he couldn’t help but feel that this would be the ‘what if’ that haunted him forever. 
She reached out and took his hand. “But Kylian, your friendship means the world to me. I want that forever.  I mean look at me, I was on the verge of collapse before you visited. Thank you, by the way” She added, giggling self-deprecatingly. 
He managed a small, bittersweet smile. His phone rang just then, and Y/N snatched her hand back when she saw the caller ID on his phone. It was Sophia, wanting to know how his photoshoot was going. He weaved a web of half-truths while Y/N looked down, playing with her ice cream.
By the time he hung up, the sun had completely set and the bustling street outside was bathed in street lights. He’d drunk the last of his iced tea while Y/N spooned the final bits of her ice cream. He found himself watching, mesmerized as her tongue peeked out of her mouth to lick her spoon. Her tongue darted out again to swipe the remaining ice cream from her plump lips.  His mouth slightly gaped as she closed her eyes, letting out a  soft moan of satisfaction. “That was really good” She said as he moved his eyes away and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Even after the painful conversation they’d had, she was capable of getting his blood flowing to all the wrong places in his body. He didn’t know if it was pathetic or funny. 
He cleared his throat. “Let’s head back, shall we?”
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February 2024
“Look this way, you two!” The photographer shouted over the loud chatter. Kylian had slowly grown irritated throughout the night; first it was the itchy jacket that clung to him, then the seemingly endless stream of people coming up to him asking for pictures, and now it was this nosy photographer trying to get a snap that he could sell to the tabloids. He knew he was hired by Tchaga to document the opening of his new business, so he tried to keep a polite facade. “No thanks,” He said. “We’re good”
The photographer moved along, clearly disappointed. Next to him, Y/N gave him a playful pout. “You don’t want  pictures with me?”
He rolled his eyes at her. “You know why”
She smirked at him as she took a sip of her drink. “Can’t help it if people think I’m hot”
A few weeks ago, a video of Y/N speaking at his foundation event back in July had resurfaced online and gained traction on Twitter and Tiktok. People were commenting on the ‘insane chemistry’ between her and Kylian, and how they looked like the perfect match. Up until then, Y/N had been able to maintain her anonymity; she was never photographed with Kylian or seen out with him. She’d always joked about making her public debut in his documentary fifty years from now, where she’d recount embarrassing stories from his childhood. But that video going viral meant she’d had hundreds of thousands of people camping out on her Instagram page, convinced she was his latest love interest. A few tabloid articles soon followed the social media buzz, lighting up even more speculation online.  The irony of  all of that happening just  as they finally moved past their short lived romance was not lost on Kylian. 
Though she hadn’t mentioned it, he knew she wasn’t taking this invasion of her  privacy lightly. He felt a pang of guilt,  especially since this wasn’t the expected outcome when she’d volunteered to speak to the kids. So he overcompensated sometimes, like in this instance, to make sure no photos of them leaked online or on tabloids to fuel further gossip. 
He watched her open her email app for the third time at night, anxiously refreshing it to see if there were any new messages in her inbox.
 “Stop that” He snatched the phone out of her hand.  
“Give me–” She started protesting, but he’d already replaced her empty hand with another drink.
“You need to relax, they’ll get back to you when they get back to you” He said.
She sighed, nodding hesitantly. She’d come to Paris for a job interview with a company she’d been impressed by for a while. She wasn’t very stressed before the interview, saying she’d rather stay at her job in Madrid anyway, but no one likes facing rejection. As a result, she kept checking her phone for updates while in the middle of the party,  which she’d been able to attend because it had coincided with the day of the job interview. 
They watched as Tchaga made a speech, Kylian clapping proudly for his best friend. Y/N left shortly after he cut the ribbon, citing exhaustion. Kylian offered his driver to take her home but she declined, so he walked  her out of the party and waited for her Uber with her. 
“Where’s Sophia tonight?” She asked, shivering slightly in the cold evening air.
“Oh, we broke up” He said casually, shedding his jacket and holding it up for her.
“What?” Her eyes widened in surprise as she turned around, letting him drape the jacket over her shoulders. “I didn’t know that”
He shrugged. “ It wasn’t working out. We wanted different things”
“And what were those?”
“She..” He paused, measuring his words. “ She wanted to be more public. And I didn’t want that”
It was more than that. She’d started posting photos of inside his house, which Kylian had expressed his discomfort at. She didn’t understand where he was coming from though, didn’t understand that as someone who was in the public eye from a very young age he placed a high value on his privacy. Then it was calling photographers whenever they were out together– at events,  restaurants, you name it. He’d always known that being her boyfriend increased her profile in the modeling world, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was in the entire relationship just for the spotlight. So, he’d called it quits. Her reaction had confirmed his suspicions – he’d seen pictures of her out and about with an A list actor just a few days after their break up.
“I’m sorry, Kyky” She gave him a hug, wrapping her arms around his torso. He rested his chin on the top of her head, fighting the urge to kiss her wind frazzled curls.
“You haven’t called me that in a long time” 
“ Just wanted to reclaim the nickname I gave you, now that she’s out of your life”  She grumbled.
Kylian chuckled, feeling slightly satisfied by the jealous undertone in her voice.Y/N had still never met Sophia but she always overheard her call him Kyky over  the phone. It was true that she was the one who’d come up with the nickname when they were younger. He liked that she was possessive over him; over a part of him, at least.
They said their goodbyes after a few moments, and he watched her uber speed away. He only went back inside when the car turned the corner and disappeared. 
Inside the party, he mingled with friends of friends and other acquaintances. An hour or so went by before it was just his inner circle left. He stood around with Ethan, his father, and Tchaga, chatting about the week’s football and other random tidbits. 
Ethan pointed at the small beard on his chin, laughing.  “You’re still growing that out? We told you it sucks” 
Him and Tchaga had teased him mercilessly about it last time he’d grown it out, saying it was tacky. He’d quickly shaved after that.
“Oh, Y/N said she liked it so I just kept it” He shrugged.
“You’d probably wear clown shoes if she told you they looked good”  His father muttered quietly.
Ethan and Tchaga burst into laughter, while Kylian’s face flushed. Seeing his son's embarrassment, Wilfried quickly corrected himself.
“What I meant to say,” he said, raising his hands in mock surrender, “is that you clearly value her opinion more than anyone else’s.”
“Which is great” Tchaga added “If you both weren’t running away from your feelings”
Kylian groaned.
“It’s never going to work out” He automatically repeated the words she’d said to him, the same words he said to himself during sleepless nights.
His father squeezed his shoulder and looked him in the eye. “To me, it just seems like you’re both scared. Maybe take a leap of faith. It’s obvious you two care about each other a lot… If you don’t give it a shot, you’re going to regret it. Trust me”
You’re going to regret it. Wasn’t he already? Deep down, he knew there was no one else for him besides her. Anyone else he kissed, slept with, dated, or even had a fleeting connection with was just second best. No one knew him like she did, no one else had his heart in the palm of their hand. If he didn’t tell her now, then they’d start drifting apart. Separate futures.  Separate lives with different families and different partners. A life of misery is what awaited him.
He sighed. He knew what to do.
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April 2024
Kylian had arrived in Madrid on that April morning  with two missions; First to sign the most important contract of his professional career so far, then to tell his best friend he was in love with her. The first part was straightforward; himself and his group of lawyers had met Real Madrid’s lawyers, signed the papers, and sealed the deal. Just like that, the most dramatic football transfer saga of the decade came to an end. 
The second one he’d been more nervous for. He’d tried to come up with a script, something romantic like in the movies. But it felt disingenuous, so he decided he’d make it up as we went along.  Hey, I know you said we’re never going to work out, but we’re going to be living in the same city soon so why don’t we give it a try? Nah, that was too simple. He needed to come up with something better.
He met her at her apartment in the evening, leaving behind his mother and the rest of the team who’d come along for the contract signing.
“He’s off to see his girlfriend now” His mother had announced to the table when he excused himself after their late lunch. 
He’d flinched at the term and whispered, “She’s not my girlfriend”
“Oh, really?” She shot him a look that could melt steel.  “And why is that?” 
He opened his mouth, but she cut him off. “Don’t even start with the ‘I don’t have time’ excuse . You two  can spare 2 hours a day to talk on the phone, so you clearly do have the time”
He didn’t respond, just gave her a small smile. Being called out by both parents for unresolved feelings wasn’t for the weak.  Hopefully, he'd give her good news by the next day. 
Now, he was in Y/N’s living room, waiting for her to finish getting ready before they went out to dinner. After contemplating how he’d talk to her about it, he’d decided dinner was the best option so he’d proposed the idea that they go out for a nice meal.  He entertained himself by playing with Luna as he waited for her, watching the cat run around the apartment leaving chaos in her wake. 
He looked up when he heard the sound of heels.  Y/N emerged out of her room, looking beautiful in a white dress that hugged her figure gracefully. It was knee length, sleeveless and was complemented by a pair of tall white heels. Almost involuntarily, his gaze wandered up her legs, admiring the way the white of her dress contrasted with her brown skin. His eyes traced the curve of her hips – he’d once had the privilege of laying his hands on them, but now he could only stare longingly.
She cleared her throat and his eyes immediately darted away. She had an amused look on her face, clearly aware of where his thoughts had been. He just smirked back in response, as if to say “sue me”.
“You look beautiful” He said quietly.
“Thank you” She said. She was glowing more than usual, the happiness on her face evident. 
“You look really happy” He noted, smiling at her. “It suits you”
“Well, it’s because I got that job I told you about!” She squealed in excitement. 
His smile faltered. “What?”
“I was going to tell you over dinner, but I couldn’t wait” She shrugged happily, her delight evident.
“Wow” He was well and truly speechless. “Congratulations”
“Thank you” She beamed at him.
“So, you’ll be moving?” He dreaded the answer to that question.
She nodded in affirmation. “I’m really excited”
He thought about the cruel coincidences that had followed them for years; She left Paris as soon as he came back to Paris, and now she was leaving Madrid to Paris just as he was leaving Paris to come to Madrid. It felt like a cosmic joke from the universe, a message that they were never meant to be. The thing he wanted most in the world at the tip of his fingers, now gone. He felt tears prick his eyes but he blinked them away. 
“Kylian, are you okay?” Y/N gave him a concerned look.
He put on his best fake smile, the one he reserved for journalists. “Yeah, I’m fine. Come on, let’s go celebrate”
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tags: @kyliansonlygf @ynkfreeastheocean @scottishthistle @user6373738 @lucysantos6-blog @tuliptopiasstuff @kennasutopia @cinderellawithashoe @akiracim @kymb-10 @germanapples @ariesmai
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just-your-average-author · 2 months ago
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TIT RECAP/THOUGHTS
SPOILERS OBV
Okay so firstly the open PSA that Dan wrote about "no photos or videos if you do, I will sue your ass to the ground" and "no flash photography do you want Phil to fall off the stage...again?!?!?" killed me. it was so cute
preshow playlist, stunning, beautiful all around bops.
the sudden cut off of the music and lights to signal the show started, genuinely shocked and I was SAT let me tell you.
THEY CAME OUT AND THEY WERE REAL?!? NOT A SIMULATION?? listen I still can't get over that, I can't believe they were real people who look and sound exactly like they do on my tv at home!! I was so focused on them and soaking every moment in, I couldn't handle it
have I mentioned how attractive they are?!?!?
okay also literally Phil straight up STOPPED THE SHOW BECAUSE HE HAD TO SNEEZE AND DAN JUST STARED AND WAS LIKE PHIL WTF and I loved every second I was like yes this is straight up what they do in videos, let's have our little squirrel moment babes.
plus it made it feel even more silly and improv, overall I know obv they scripted a lot but it was sooo interactive and they ad libbed so much and I adored it
the dollhouse recap i swear wtf. first off, it was such a creative and fun idea and the different sets, and dressed up dolls that the clothes matched!! also okay I'm so sorry I had no idea the random sex positions would be a theme of the show so I was gobsmacked, but the 69ing during pinof??? "so we did what 2 closeted twinks did upon meeting each other for the first time.... put sharpie's cat whiskers on!!!" shut up for the love.
I genuinely loved the role model or no-el model segment. my show was in NC so they first option for Dan as the Mr. Lawyer was he bans ___ and someone said south carolina and they both just were rendered speechless and were like damn oh dear but laughing too.
The boxing match was so hot dear heavens, Dan's expression when Phil came out in the fake- *cough* I mean very real abs. He was acting for his LIFE.
the confessions were so good, just wish it lasted a little longer. the yapping was good and also idk if this was standardized but the whole thing where Phil said "I have a cute but also sociopathic thing going on and I think it's working for me 😌" like shut up you're so adorable
omg the quick change where they kept their mics on and narrated so many innuendos I was dying omg so silly and so funny I loved it. I was really impressed with how fast they changed, but also talked the whole time.
I loved every single solitary part of this show and I loved how they joked about how they were sorry we all went to school with whiskers then got out in the trash (cause yeah basically) and how they literally did raise us and should be blamed for us being feral not our actual legal guardians.
okay so. this show 9/10. here's where the last 1 point went.
please don't kill me, but I wasn't a fan of the song. I'm not entirely sure what it was, but the whole show was so raw and perfect and then the song was just really synthetic and overly autotuned where I personally didn't even hear their voices. like I couldn't tell who was singing which part. the ukulele part was cute, and I really hoped that would've been all of it, I guess the internet is here and interactive introverts and everything's fine just was so good you couldn't raise the bar again, but that was just my personal opinion, I know a lot of people loved the song and it was catchy and cute, I'm just not personally a fan of kpop/synthesized music so I was a little disappointed in the song but the dancing slapped so hard.
Dan flawlessly executing every move and strut and making eye contact with us while Phil very intentionally was focused on not tripping or walking off the stage and looking at Dan a few times to check if he was doing it right MY HEART.
cuties, gay, both of them, love them
overall I spent last night frantically calculating if I could afford to spontaneously go see the Nashville show as well and spend another 10 hours in the car today but regretfully thought against it.
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xq-songshuqiou · 9 months ago
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I wrote a pornographic fanfic about Lacho!
And I also added my own drawings to my article🌝
It should be reminded that the whole story is written in Chinese, and my first ten thousand words were born for Lacho! I hope everyone can also enjoy it! Thank you to all reading friends!
--------------------------------------
“你的表情骗不了人”
Lalo打破了空气中的沉默,将真相摊开
Nacho皱着眉头望向Lalo,手在方向盘上握紧
“不只是车里,还有监狱里,甚至是餐馆里”
Lalo漫不经心带着引诱的话语使他一步步坠向深渊,像坠入无尽的深海,空灵的话语由近至远,身体不自觉地向Lalo倾斜
​【​全文:11440字!豪华飞车剧情约5000字请放心食用】
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racefortheironthrone · 1 year ago
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Was the Comics Code as bad as the Hays Code?
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That's a really good question!
I suppose it depends on what you mean by "as bad" - are we talking about the overall impact of the Code on American pop culture or are we talking about the actual content of the Code and what it banned and/or mandated in terms of artistic expression?
I've written a little bit about the Hays Code here, but my main focus was on subtextual judaism in Hollywood generally rather than what the Code was and what its impact on American cinema was.
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So what did the Hays Code actually include?
One of the few positive things you can say about it is that the men who devised it were quite clear and forthright about what would and wouldn't be allowed, in comparison to the vagueness and inconsistency of the modern MPAA. So here's the list of what couldn't be shown:
Pointed profanity—by either title or lip—this includes the words God, Lord, Jesus, Christ (unless they be used reverently in connection with proper religious ceremonies), Hell, S.O.B., damn, Gawd, and every other profane and vulgar expression however it may be spelled; (You'll notice that the Code is very much a snapshot of the transition from silent movies to "talkies," with the discussion of how profanity is spelled as well as produced via "lip.")
Any licentious or suggestive nudity—in fact or in silhouette; and any lecherous or licentious notice thereof by other characters in the picture;
The illegal traffic in drugs;
Any inference of sex perversion; (i.e anything having to do with LGBT+ people and culture. For more on the impact of the Hays Code on the LGBT+ community, see the excellent documentary the Celluloid Closet.)
White slavery; (the 1920s version of sex trafficking, but with added racism!)
Miscegenation;
Sex hygiene and venereal diseases;
Scenes of actual childbirth—in fact or in silhouette;
Children's sex organs;
Ridicule of the clergy;
Willful offense to any nation, race or creed; and (this one was really honored in the breach more than the observance when it came to nations, races, and creeds of non-dominant groups in society.)
The following things could be shown, but "special care be exercised in the manner in which the following subjects are treated, to the end that vulgarity and suggestiveness may be eliminated and that good taste may be emphasized:"
The use of the Flag;
International Relations (avoid picturizing in an unfavorable light another country's religion, history, institutions, prominent people and citizenry); (again, depended a lot on what country you're talking about.)
Arson;
The use of firearms;
Theft, robbery, safe-cracking, and dynamiting of trains, mines, buildings, et cetera (having in mind the effect which a too-detailed description of these may have upon the moron); (I guess the idea was that the MPPDA believed very strongly in the idea that media could affect people's behavior through imitation, but the use of the word "moron" gives me eugenics vibes.)
Brutality and possible gruesomeness;
Technique of committing murder by whatever method;
Methods of smuggling;
Third-Degree methods; (i.e, torture)
Actual hangings or electrocutions as legal punishment for crime; Sympathy for criminals; (this was a big one; Hollywood had done very well from gangster films, so a lot of creators had to do some careful threading of the needle to keep the genre alive. One dodge that they came up with was that they would have a duplicate "final reel" in which the gangster would have their inevitable comeuppance, and then remove the final reel when the censors had left the theater. Very popular with white rural teens.) Attitude toward public characters and institutions; (again, Hollywood shifting from being anti- to pro-establishment.)
Sedition;
Apparent cruelty to children and animals;
Branding of people or animals;
The sale of women, or of a woman selling her virtue;
Rape or attempted rape;
First-night scenes; (i.e, wedding nights)
Man and woman in bed together; (hence the eventual TV practice of showing married couples in separate beds in the 50s)
Deliberate seduction of girls;
The institution of marriage;
Surgical operations;
The use of drugs;
Titles or scenes having to do with law enforcement or law-enforcing officers;
Excessive or lustful kissing, particularly when one character or the other is a "heavy".
So in general, we can say that the Hays Code was extremely sex-negative, very concerned about crime and anti-establishment thinking, sexist, racist, and homophobic, and in general afraid of offending anybody.
So what about the Comics Code Authority?
So this is what the Comics Code looked like in 1954:
Crimes shall never be presented in such a way as to create sympathy for the criminal, to promote distrust of the forces of law and justice, or to inspire others with a desire to imitate criminals. If crime is depicted it shall be as a sordid and unpleasant activity.
Policemen, judges, government officials, and respected institutions shall never be presented in such a way as to create disrespect for established authority.
Criminals shall not be presented so as to be rendered glamorous or to occupy a position which creates a desire for emulation. In every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal punished for his misdeeds.
Scenes of excessive violence shall be prohibited. Scenes of brutal torture, excessive and unnecessary knife and gunplay, physical agony, the gory and gruesome crime shall be eliminated.
No comic magazine shall use the words "horror" or "terror" in its title.
All scenes of horror, excessive bloodshed, gory or gruesome crimes, depravity, lust, sadism, masochism shall not be permitted.
All lurid, unsavory, gruesome illustrations shall be eliminated. Inclusion of stories dealing with evil shall be used or shall be published only where the intent is to illustrate a moral issue and in no case shall evil be presented alluringly, nor so as to injure the sensibilities of the reader.
Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, torture, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism are prohibited.
Profanity, obscenity, smut, vulgarity, or words or symbols which have acquired undesirable meanings are forbidden.
Nudity in any form is prohibited, as is indecent or undue exposure. Suggestive and salacious illustration or suggestive posture is unacceptable.
Females shall be drawn realistically without exaggeration of any physical qualities.
Illicit sex relations are neither to be hinted at nor portrayed. Rape scenes, as well as sexual abnormalities, are unacceptable.
Seduction and rape shall never be shown or suggested.
Sex perversion or any inference to same is strictly forbidden.
Nudity with meretricious purpose and salacious postures shall not be permitted in the advertising of any product; clothed figures shall never be presented in such a way as to be offensive or contrary to good taste or morals.[16]
You'll notice the similarities when it comes to the Codes' attitude to sex, sexuality, crime, and symbols of authority - so to answer the first part of your question, I would say the CCA was pretty similar to the Hays Code (in part because Charles F. Murphy, who drew it up, was deeply unoriginal and basically cribbed off the Hays Code throughout).
However, there are also some significant areas of difference that have a lot to do with the unique circumstances of the 1950s moral panic over comics. See, in the 1950s, superhero comics were considered deeply uncool and old hat - they had been huge in the 40s during the war, but by the 50s the biggest genre in comics were horror, crime, and romance comics (with cowboy comics bringing up the rear). To quote myself from another post:
"This gave rise to a moral panic in the 1950s, although more accurately it was part of the larger moral panic over juvenile delinquency. The U.S Senate established a Juvenile Delinquency Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee in 1953 to investigate the causes of juvenile delinquency and comics became a major target. While Wertham’s book is best known today for its assertions that Batman and Robin were teaching young boys to be gay and Wonder Woman was teaching young girls to be lesbians, the main focus of the Subcommittee [edit mine: and Wertham's academic work] was on horror and crime comics for their depiction of sex, violence, and “subversive” attitudes to law and order."
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The CCA made it impossible to publish two of the most popular genres in the industry for a generation (the CCA relaxed its stance on horror stuff a bit in the 70s, which is why Marvel trend-chased werewolves and vampires the moment they could get away with it), which not only scrambled the medium (and potentially created space for the Silver Age of superhero comics to flourish) but drove the former titan EC Comics practically out of business. (Indeed, William Gaines of EC Comics believed that the CCA had been specifically worded to drive him out of business.)
So in some ways, the CCA was worse.
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