#if you can commission him id implore you to

[xtime4ames]

commission drawn by @/marstectomy!!!! he let me shade eet they should be able to smoke weed and chill out and feel okay <3

[the-floof-king]

Hi! I’m Kain, a real, actual Ogerpon. This is my “mane” blog.

Minorn’t (21). Neurotypicaln’t. Cisn’t. Graight. Proud Disney adult. My pronouns are he/him. Relationship status: It’s complicated. I’m a big fat furry and if you have a problem with that the door is that way.

Want some art? Check out my commissions! Starting at just $10!

Also check out my LGBTQ+ novel series, Gaelwolf Emperor! I’m still working on it and haven’t put much of the story there yet (aside from book 1’s prologue) but the website is gaelwolfemperor.neocities.org!

(Keep reading for DNI, socials and more.)

Socials:

-My Discord tag is thelionthing

-My Fur Affinity (note: my FA contains NSFW art but you must be logged in, over 18 and have mature/adult content turned on to view that)

-My Pesterchum/Trollian is thunderCarnivore

-My Twitch

Past URL’s:

ijustreallylovelions

trans--jevil

fat-jevil

(Defo had more but I forgot them lol)

DNI:

-normal dni criteria (creeps and bigots)

-“proshippers”/“anti-antis”. I’m not for harassment I just don’t wanna see gross shit

-if you partake in any sort of lgbtq+ identity policing/gatekeeping. (maps and zoophiles are not lgbtq+)

-if you’re anti-furry, especially just to be edgy/for attention

-zoophiles and other gross shit

Notes:

If you are a minor, I implore you to filter “#cubs don’t look”. My blog does not contain explicit pornography as per Tumblr rules, but it does have some dirty jokes and whatnot.

I don’t do identity policing. This means mspec discourse, bi vs pan, neopronoun discourse, etc. Conservatives want all queer people dead and playing pick-me with them isn’t going to make them spare you.

I’m a singlet so it’s not my place to speak on endo discourse. Again, I like/rb unrelated things from those on either side, block if that bothers you. I still support systems in general, I will still respect how you ID!

I support all ships EXCEPT illegal ones.

If I think you are a porn bot I will block you. (This means you, empty profiles.)

If you have your Hogwarts house in your profile I will block you

I just block anyone who gives me bad vibes.

If under 15 you may interact but ask to follow (if you were already following me before 5 July 2021 you need not ask, you can keep following c:)

No more anons. Ever. If you want to say stupid transphobic shit then don’t hide behind a mask like a coward. If you’re really that inclined then say it to my face.

Ask to message if over 25. Nothing against you, just a comfort thing.

Triggers I’d like mutuals to tag: mentions of gross ships like zu/ce/st, gifs/videos of lightning flashing (still images ok), audio of crying, realistic or fairly realistic cervine (deer, elk, moose etc) death (this includes the meme with the deer in the pool), anything relating to nuclear warfare/strikes, the book and movie of mice and men, toys with blood on them, the pop cat meme audio (pictures/gifs are fine, it’s just the sound that bothers me), and any movie/show involving children dying or almost dying from medical issues (i.e. miracles from heaven, heaven is for real, some episodes of greys anatomy). I know it’s a lot, so my catchall is #notsafeforlions.

Also, the following are not triggers, but please tag and/or use the catchall tag for Steven Universe spoilers, She-Ra spoilers and Doki-Doki Literature Club spoilers. This probably sounds really weird but I also really hate the word “condone” so please use the catchall tag for that too.

Vent tag is “#roaring into the void”.

I’ll tag anything you want me to tag, just send an ask.

[pkmncoordinators]

ACLU Commission #3

Summary: Juniper decides to surprise Fennel for their wedding anniversary. Notes: Thank you so very much to @makomaragi for your donation!

“… Thank you for your time. Good night.”

A polite—but loud, given the size of the crowd—applause rose up with full admiration, then fell as Aurea Juniper exited the stage. She dabbed at her forehead, upon which the slightest bit of perspiration had gathered. The stage lights were hot, and she never was one for public speaking.

She was greeted at the steps by several hands and she spent several minutes exchanging courteous words with her scientific colleagues. Although presenting research could be nervewracking, conferences such as this were always a delight. And this was the biggest of the year: The Interregional Meeting of Pokémon Research. Fennel once affectionately called it the “Super Bowl” of science, and Aurea was honored when the board asked her to speak at this year’s event in Alola.

As her admirers dispersed, Aurea decided it was actually time to find Fennel. The day had been long, and she was about ready to go back to the hotel, order some service, watch some television or maybe a movie, and generally wind down before the conference’s continuation tomorrow.

“Alola!” a voice called out from nearby. “Professor Juniper!”

Aurea turned. Normally, she would be alarmed by a shirtless man running toward her, but this was an—and perhaps the only—exception. She recognized him as Professor Kukui, the local Pokémon specialist.

“Hello—Alola,” Aurea corrected herself. The region’s traditional greeting was so unusual and she was not quite used to it yet. “What can I help you with?”

“Oh, I just wanted to offer my thanks for such a great presentation. You don’t see too many people who research the origins of Pokémon, and I found it really interesting. I learned a lot,” Kukui said. “Oh! Sorry, I should introduce myself.” He stuck out his hand. “Abe Kukui. You can just call me Kukui, though.”

“Then you can just call me Aurea,” Juniper said, shaking his hand. “I know you though. I saw your presentation yesterday on Pokémon moves. I learned a lot as well.”

“Thank you,” Kukui said proudly. “Well, I don’t want to keep you, but just know if there’s anything I can do to help you while you’re here, please let me know.”

Aurea was prepared to thank him and graciously exit—but she stumbled.

“Actually,” she started, “now that you’ve brought it up…”

“Oh?” Kukui perked up.

“You see, it’s my wife and I’s first time in Alola,” she said, “and our one-year anniversary is tomorrow. We agreed that the… expenses of traveling to this conference together in such a beautiful region would be our celebration. Still, I’d like to surprise her after the conference breaks in the afternoon, but I’m not sure with what.”

“Well, I’ve got the perfect thing for you.” Kukui grinned. “An Alolan specialty: Battle Royal.”

“Excuse me?” Juniper raised her brow.

“It’s a special kind of battle where four trainers fight against each other,” Kukui explained. “And it just so happens that Royal Avenue, the location of the Battle Royal Dome, is here on Akala Island and not far off from Heahea City.” He lifted his hand to his firm chin with practiced thought. “It’s also the arena where the very strong and very handsome trainer, the Masked Royal, appears…”

“Is that so?” Aurea asked, amused.

“Oh yes.” Kukui nodded reverently. “Even my wife admits he’s a real stud. I know him personally, so I could get in contact with him and get you comp tickets for the front row.”

“Would you really?” Aurea straightened up.

“Sure!” Kukui nodded eagerly. “If you give me your email, I’ll be able to put you in touch.”

“That would be wonderful,” Aurea said. “Thank you very much!”

They exchanged information and a few more pleasant words before Kukui was called away.

“He’s handsome,” Fennel purred from behind Aurea once Kukui was out of earshot. Juniper nearly jumped in surprise and turned just in time to see a questioning look fall across Fennel’s face. “Do you think he ever gets cold not wearing a shirt all the time?”

Aurea stared through her.

“What’s with that look?” Fennel frowned.

Her pout caused Aurea to break into into a laugh; she shook her head tiredly and smiled.

“Well, I’m sorry to report he’s married,” she said. “And for that matter, so are you, Therese.”

“Hey, I can still appreciate the aesthetic appeal of muscles,” Therese said with teasing nonchalance.

They laughed together at that.

Hours later, after eating, Juniper holed herself up in the hotel bathroom, managing to sneak her laptop in with her. (Fennel believed she was only showering. If Aurea was on her computer with her wife in the room, there was no chance her surprise would stay secret. Therese had a habit of… hovering). For good measure, Juniper turned on the shower head as she booted up her computer.

To her surprise, she already an email from whom she could only assume was the Masked Royal, given the address was maskedroyal@hotmail.com, and the sender icon feature a shirtless man wearing a colorful mask.

It read, in all caps:

ALOLA!

MY VERY GOOD FRIEND PROFESSOR KUKUI TOLD ME YOU AND YOUR WIFE WANT TO COME SEE ME TOMORROW NIGHT.

I CALLED THE ARENA AND TOLD THEM TO OFFER A PAIR OF FRONT-ROW SEATS TO AUREA JUNIPER. THEY ASKED YOU SHOW YOUR ID AT THE TICKET BOOTH.

WOO!

MASKED ROYAL

Therese was watching the news when Aurea came out of the bathroom, fully showered and dressed. She tied up her damp hair and climbed into bed beside Therese.

“Anything exciting happening in the world?” Aurea asked.

“It's wedding season in Alola, apparently,” Therese said.

Juniper hummed. “Well, in retrospect, maybe we ought to have held our wedding here. It probably wouldn’t have rained, and my hair and make-up wouldn’t have run, and your dress wouldn’t have gotten all gray and frayed at the ends,” she remarked.

“No way,” Fennel refused. “Our wedding was perfect for those reasons. It was messy, but we had so much fun, and the photos were fantastic. Plus, with all that flooding, we mostly had to stay inside for the honeymoon.” She lowered her voice playfully when she added, “That was even more fun. It was like college all over again.”

“Cheeky,” Aurea tutted. “I can’t believe it’s already been a year.”

“Not yet,” Therese reminded her.

“Splitting hairs,” Aurea yawned. “It will have been after we sleep. And speaking of which…”

The lights were out minutes later. Juniper fell asleep quickly, especially with the secure warmth of Fennel beside her.

… But the sweet reverie ended in what felt like only minutes—even though, when Juniper checked the clock, it was hours later.

“Come on, get up,” Therese said excitedly into her ear.

“It’s 4 a.m., go back to sleep,” Aurea groaned, rolling over.

“Exactly,” Therese said. “Which means it’s 10 a.m. in Unova, which means it’s been a year since we got married.”

“Well, happy anniversary,” Juniper yawned, to which Fennel hit her arm. “Ow.”

“Get up! Come on, I want to take you somewhere,” Fennel implored.

“Okay, geez, fine,” Aurea grumbled as Therese dragged her out of bed.

They didn’t bother to change, even as there was a light drizzle outside. Aurea remarked that she supposed it wouldn’t have mattered if they held their wedding in Alola; it would have rained anyway. Therese, however, didn’t reply as she hurriedly led her wife down the dark, puddled streets. Juniper was about to ask where in the world they were headed when suddenly they turned the corner, and in the damp haze there stood a small bakery with its bright yellow lights shining down the street.

Juniper’s hair was sopping, and the ends of Fennel’s pajama bottoms were heavy and dark when they stepped inside. The woman behind the cash register looked very surprised to see them as Therese marched up to her and said, “Two sweet Malasadas please!”

“O-Of course!” The woman rang them up and handed them two sugary confections. Aurea stared down at hers as Therese led her to a booth.

“What… is this?” Aurea asked just as Therese took a bite out of hers.

“It’s—” Fennel paused to chew and swallow. “It’s Malasada. It’s an Alolan specialty. It’s a little bit like a donut. Try it! It’s good.”

Juniper glanced down at the warm treat in her hands before taking an experimental bite. A sweet, Pecha filling oozed out.

“Mm, it is good,” Aurea said. “Where did you get the idea for this?”

“Well…” Therese trailed off. “Do you remember Professor Burnet?”

Juniper paused to think. “Oh!” she then exclaimed with remembrance. “Kukui’s wife. She presented on her dimensional research two days ago.”

“Yeah, her!” Fennel nodded. “Well, I had a moment alone with her yesterday, and… I know we agreed not to do anything else for our anniversary, but I wanted to surprise you. She suggested this place.”

Juniper was initially touched—and then she laughed.

“That’s funny,” she said.

“What’s funny?” Therese inquired, her face twisting with confusion.

“I wanted to do the same for you,” Aurea explained. “I asked Kukui for advice, but he suggested going to see a Battle Royal match. I have front-row seats reserved for tonight.”

Therese’s jaw dropped.

“What! Ugh!” She snapped her fingers. “Outdone again by the brilliant Professor Juniper.”

“If it makes you feel better,” Aurea began, amused, “I didn’t pay for them. Kukui, apparently, has connections to the shirtless Masked Royal and got me the seats for free—so you can enjoy the aesthetic appeal of muscles all you want tonight.”

“Oh,” Therese hummed. “So my gift is technically more valuable.”

“Technically.” Aurea smiled. “By $4.29.”

They laughed, and Aurea leaned across the table to kiss Therese, catching some of the sugar on the edge of her lip.

“Thank you for this,” Juniper said. “Happy anniversary.”

“Happy anniversary,” Fennel repeated back before leaning forward to kiss her again.

[deniscollins]

After N.F.L. Concussion Settlement, Feeding Frenzy of Lawyers and Lenders

The NFL agreed to set aside $1 billion to pay football retirees who now have cognitive disabilities caused by concussions they incurred while playing football. If you were a former football player, what would you do if a law firm that promises to help players get the largest payout possible in exchange for 15% of the money they former player receives, offered you financial incentives to recruit other former players to sign up with a law firm, which also charges players fees for law services the players don’t really need: (1) represent the law firm, or (2) refuse to represent the law firm? Why? What are the ethics underlying your decision?

The sales pitches were filled with urgency and emphasized familiarity. Act now or risk missing out on millions of dollars. Trust us because we are part of the “N.F.L. brotherhood.” “You have nothing to lose,” a former N.F.L. quarterback implored in one, “but money you’re entitled to and that you earned the hard way.”

The pleadings are aimed at former N.F.L. players who stand to receive checks from the largest legal settlement in sports history, a pool of money that may top $1 billion for retirees who sued the league for lying to them about the dangers of concussions as they got their heads pounded on the field.

Some players may get very little, but others with severe neurological diseases may receive as much as $5 million. Now lawyers, lenders and would-be advisers are circling, pitching their services and trying to get a cut of the money.

It may be standard practice for big legal settlements, but the fact that many players are cognitively impaired and may struggle to understand the terms of the services offered to them has raised alarm among player advocates, legal ethicists and the lawyers for the players who sued the N.F.L.

“I’ve been doing this litigation for a long time, there’s always been a certain amount of stuff going on, but I’ve never seen anything like this by a multiple,” said Christopher Seeger, a co-lead counsel for the players, who has received dozens of complaints from players and others about companies pitching sometimes dubious services. “There’s a sex appeal to representing N.F.L. players, and they are so identifiable, so these companies who are predatory, it is easy for them to be successful. Most of these guys are broke, so they’re vulnerable.”

While some of the firms may provide valuable assistance in complicated cases, others appear to be pitching services to ex-players who don’t need their help.

The cottage industry of companies and law firms, going by names such as N.F.L. Case Consulting, Concussion Case Management and Legacy Pro Sports and looking to help people file settlement claims, is largely unregulated, even if their pitches are for services that are usually unnecessary. And with the deadline to register for the settlement less than a month away, their pitches have become more aggressive.

The rush to recruit players prompted the federal judge overseeing the legal settlement case to issue an order in April saying that N.F.L. Players Brains Matter, a company led by Fred Willis, a former running back, would no longer distribute “improper communications” to other players.

In an interview, Mr. Willis said he was a longtime advocate for players and accepted no money for helping them.

“I’m not being paid, and I don’t need the money,” said Mr. Willis, who played for the Bengals, the Oilers and the Broncos. “This is not going to stop me from helping my brothers, and they know where I am coming from.”

The judge, Anita B. Brody, also approved a notice that warned players about companies that, according to Mr. Seeger, offer to help players “navigate what are falsely portrayed as complicated registration, medical testing and claims procedures.”

Most of the claim-service providers require players to agree to share 15 percent or more of anything they receive in return for helping them with a process that the providers portray, in stark terms, as unduly complicated. They also do not always tell players that they can call court-appointed experts to receive free advice on how to file a claim, or that they can visit doctors who will provide a free neurological exam.

Some lawyers have hosted dinners for former players at steakhouses to get them to sign up. Others have promised to get players appointments with doctors who will write diagnoses that make their medical conditions look worse than they are, according to players who have received pitches from some of the companies.

Some lawyers have also hired former players to sign up their brethren, yet do not always disclose that the ex-players are being paid to recruit other retirees. One firm hired Joe Pisarcik, the former Giants quarterback who until recently ran the N.F.L. Alumni Association, as a pitchman. (Mr. Pisarcik did not answer telephone messages left for him.)

Mr. Seeger said a few hundred of the approximately 20,000 players who are eligible appeared to have signed up for these services. But some retirees have resisted the come-ons. Walter Carter, who played defensive end for the Raiders and the Buccaneers, as well as in the U.S.F.L., has heard from at least a dozen companies pitching services.

But Mr. Carter, 59, who runs a packaging company near Tampa, Fla., went on the website for the concussion settlement and realized he could file a claim on his own. Although he was annoyed by the lawyers selling services he does not need, Mr. Carter is more offended by the retired players who are doing their bidding, including Mr. Pisarcik, who pitched him.

“I watch how these attorneys work, and I think it’s a crime,” Mr. Carter said. But “most of them penetrate the confidence of guys by working with other guys. It’s the ultimate betrayal.”

Even players who may have taken fewer hits to the head than front-line players have been approached. Michael Husted, a kicker with four teams over nine N.F.L. seasons, said he had received emails and phone calls from at least half a dozen companies offering to help him file a claim. Most of these companies made it clear they were less concerned about his health than about earning a commission, he said.

“I was definitely surprised they were reaching out to a kicker, but then I realized the more people they get, the more money they might get,” Mr. Husted said.

He said the process to register online for the settlement — a needed step before filing a claim — was straightforward and did not require a lawyer.

“If you can read, you can fill it out,” he said.

Judge Brody left open the possibility of canceling agreements between these companies and any players they had enlisted.

The N.F.L. declined to make an executive available to discuss the issue.

Concussion Case Management and Legacy Pro Sports, which was started by a former player, said any misleading information on their websites had been corrected.

The companies say that they are advocates for players who have difficulty completing the needed paperwork, and that they charge far less than law firms.

“They want to tell you it’s simple and you don’t need to work with a service company or a lawyer — but when you sit down with the player and tell him to go to this portal, get an ID number, if you’re a retired player with impairment, it’s not necessarily an easy process,” said Jerry Passaro, the chief executive of Concussion Case Management, which charges players 12.5 percent of any award from the settlement.

Brandon Siler, a former linebacker and a co-founder of Legacy Pro Sports, another service provider, said: “It hurts my feelings when something is written that we are taking advantage of players. We’re totally transparent about what we do. We are a consulting company that is educating these players.”

The concussion settlement has also attracted lenders who have been offering retirees loans worth tens of thousands of dollars that would be paid back with payouts from the settlements. The loans, though, come with interest rates of 40 percent or higher that can completely consume any cash from the settlement.

In February, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau and the New York attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, sued a New Jersey-based financial company, RD Legal Funding L.L.C., accusing it of deceiving retired N.F.L. players and “luring them into costly advances on settlement payouts with lies about the terms of the deals.”

Retired players are also learning about provisions in the settlement that allow Medicare, former spouses, banks and other potential creditors to recoup money by placing a lien on a player’s award. Medicare and Medicaid, for instance, can recover money they have spent treating a player’s medical condition, something that could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars for players with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease, two conditions covered under the settlement.

Mr. Seeger, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, said that claims specialists representing the players would negotiate discounts with Medicare and Medicaid. He declined to say how large they would be, but he said that after the government was repaid, players would still have a large portion of their award.

Some players, though, may still need to pay contingency fees to their lawyers or repay unpaid child support or a bank or other lender. And of course, players who hired a claims service company will have to hand over 10 percent or more.

“With any middleman service, there are those who are doing it for a fair price and then you have people who are taking advantage,” said Ted Frank, a lawyer at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit that focuses on class-action settlements. “But no one is going to help me fill out my claim for a $5 coupon.”