#it was a very large margin win

[rowanthestrange]

Another reason I think it’s right? Doctor Who Is A TV Show theory was our first thought. That the Master would be the one running it was a first thought.

Our other first thoughts were stuff like: The Salt making beliefs real will be the ‘big bad’; the One Who Waits will be Death; the Doctor as god of life; Ruby’s mum is just some woman.

So actually our first thoughts seemed to pan out, so we should probably trust those instinctive pulls.

We know Doctor Who Is A TV Show but not yet for what purpose. I raise to you:

The Master is directing it (probably Dungeon Master style - you can manoeuvre pieces but not fully control them). The Master named himself for a reason, thus in a world of Salt he is The Master. He has temporarily written himself out while he works, and keeps adding references to himself.

Obvious nitpick is ‘Why wouldn’t he make himself the main character?’

…But what if he tried to make the main character into himself.

The next logical step along the path Dhawan!Master was walking on.

I hypothesise these episodes were intended by the Master to start gaslighting the Doctor into thinking he’s the Bad Guy/Devil i.e. him.

Your ship is a Devil’s ship. (And you’re both shagging her).

“A storm is coming” used to describe Sutekh, “the oncoming storm” famously describing the Doctor.

The Doctor became superstitious he brought death, superstitions are canon, so now the TARDIS literally brings Death.

The Master’s Vainglorious theme being used with Sutekh-in-the-TARDIS and Sutekh manifesting.

“I must become a monster.”

“The Lord god Death itself” - didn’t need the ‘Lord’ there but ok.

“And that’s how you win Sutekh, because you’ve turned me into this!”

“I am the one that brings death.”

So if via forceful mirroring, the Doctor can be made to believe he’s the Bad Guy/devil, he will become the Master.

Then the Master gets to show up and be the main character, Doctor Who.

And if he can’t do that? Well, at least the Doctor’s show is now over.

[bad-traffic-smp-ideas]

Maybe we do a competition..... get the top ten most popular bad idea posts and put them in brackets against each other. whichever one wins is officially the Worst Idea

WAIT THAT'S SO FUNNY.

[jackredfieldwasmyjacob]

i live in the stupidest place in the world CÓMO QUE AYUSO PUEDE HACER MAYORÍA ABSOLUTA

[scarlet--wiccan]

On related note, a few years ago, the Entomological Society of America officially discontinued the use of "gypsy moth" and "gyspy ant" as common names for Lymantria dispar and Aphaenogaster araneoides. L. Dispar is now known as the "spongy moth," so named for the appearance of their eggs, but I don't think a new common name has caught on for the ant species yet.

These changes we brought about, in large part, by the advocacy of Romani people in academia. You might not think that bug names are a very serious issue, but I believe that language matters. These species became known as "gypsies" because their attributes were likened to certain stereotypes and negative perceptions of actual Roma, so the continued use of those names reaffirmed those negative associations in the public consciousness. Slurs and pejoratives can never be truly decontexualized.

In my mind, one of the biggest obstacles that Romani people face when we are trying to advocate for ourselves is a lack of recognition as a marginalized group that deserves the necessary consideration. Even for seemingly trivial matters, like bugs or comic book characters, the way that people talk about us-- and talk down to us, when we get involved-- is telling. So, I always think that changes like this are a win, because it means that people are willing to learn and grant us the dignity we deserve. And there's nothing wrong with wanting to effect change in your own field, even arts and science.

[opencommunion]

looking back on how liberal political analysts talked about donald trump during his 2016 campaign, I notice two very important insights that have vanished from the conversation this time around.

1: the dire warnings about the rise of fascism were really centered on trump's followers, not the man himself. what concerned scholars of fascism in particular was that the already well-established neonazi presence in the US was openly rallying around a presidential candidate. trump's campaign emboldened neonazis, but the neonazis were already there — this is why we saw an astronomical rise in hate crimes against many marginalized groups during trump's campaign, before he was elected. trump himself was understood as an opportunist riding the wave of rising fascist sentiment — the wave itself was a bigger concern than the surfer. trump was replaceable. liberals now seem to have forgotten that trump's followers won't disappear if harris wins. the heritage foundation (originators of 'project 2025,' blue maga's favorite boogeyman) won't disappear if harris wins. extreme right politicians — many of whom I would argue are even further right than trump, and more embedded in the establishment — won't disappear. even if you mistakenly see the republican party as the sole provenance of usamerican fascism, republicans won't disappear if harris is elected.

2: the people centered in the crosshairs of trump's agenda were migrants and asylum seekers; chiefly those from south of the US border and from majority muslim countries. the intensified demonization of these groups led analysts to draw parallels with fascist parties that were on the rise in europe. hatred of migrants and muslims is indisputably the primary driver of 21st century fascism, from the UK to India. so tell me why the conversation in the US has shifted to revolve around white trans people? yes, trump supporters are obviously transphobic, but you have to trace this particular manifestation of transphobia to its source, which still comes down to white supremacy and anti-migrant sentiment. when you actually look at the way fascists talk about trans people, it all comes back to the idea that hostile foreign elements invading the country have degraded white christian values. trans people of color have already been targeted for a long time, because we're seen as a sort of vanguard of non-white perversion; this isn't new to us. white trans people are now experiencing increased persecution because transness is seen as infiltrating white families/communities and corrupting their whiteness. I'm not saying we shouldn't talk about the rise of transphobic policies; of course we should. what disturbs me is that anti-migrant sentiment has been shunted to the sidelines of discussions of 'trumpism,' when it is still very much the center of his platform. and that's the part of his platform that the harris campaign has adopted to try and pull voters from him! that's the part of the republican platform that the biden administration advanced with the excuse of 'reaching across the aisle.' and what more extreme manifestation of an anti-migrant anti-muslim platform is there than committing genocide in gaza and then refusing to let gazan asylum seekers (or even gazans with US citizenship!) into the US?

the entire US government, red and blue, is unified around the anti-migrant, white supremacist crux of so-called 'trumpism.' large swathes of the american public, whether they vote red or blue, are enthusiastic about genocidal foreign and domestic policies. none of this stops when trump is gone

[vacuously-true]

Trump is saying and will continue to say he had a massive win and has a mandate and most Americans agree with him. Do not listen. His win was incredibly narrow.

He did not win the majority of the popular vote. The majority of Americans who voted for President did not vote for him.

His large electoral college victory was due to very narrow wins in swing states. The margins in six swing states were 3.2%, 3.1%, 2.2%, 1.7%, 1.4%, 0.9%.

A 1.6% swing in each of them would have given Harris a 308 to 230 win in the electoral college. A 0.9% swing in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan would have given Harris a 270 to 268 win. Less than a percent.

This election was not a landslide. His win was so so so narrow.

This doesn't mean he's not the president and it doesn't mean we don't have to deal with his shit for the next four years. But when people (both his proud allies and his despondent opponents) say he won overwhelmingly, don't let them get away with that. There is too much despair in it. "This is what an overwhelming majority of Americans wanted" is not true and saying it gives him more power.

[haveihitanerve]

Oliver Queen was quite certain he was going to die. He had been holding in a laugh for the past ten minutes, which was dangerous under any circumstances, and downright fatal if it was an explosive, loud and hearty laugh, which this one was. Especially considering that no one else seemed to be as tickled as he was, and if he did laugh, he would be laughing at the Batman. The thing was, that Batman had brought his own coffee mug and thermos to the Watchtower (because apparently their coffee wasn't good enough, or something, as batman hadn't exactly offered an explanation) and both had phrases on them that would be amusing belonging to anyone, and were downright hilarious due to the fact that they belonged to Batman. The thermos said “I’m not saying I’m Batman, I’m just saying you’ll never see me and Batman in the same room together” which, sadly, no one else seemed to have even looked twice at, and his mug, which had a large black bat on it, which said “We’re a Batty little family”. Both items were very much not helping Oliver to win his fight with his mirth, when Batman caught his eye. “Oh shit.” he muttered when the Bat began to move towards him. Well, he was bound to die anyway. “Nice mug.” Oliver greeted the second Batman got close. To his surprise, Batmans lips twitched upward. “Thank you. My children got it for me. I’m surprised you're the first to mention it.” Oliver looked at him in surprise. “Oh my freaking gods.” Batman, the Batman, wanted people to comment on his mug. He was proud of it. Oliver finally released his cackle, and Batmans smile grew marginally in delight. “Oh man that is priceless.” Oliver chuckled when he had finally gotten himself under control. “But hey, kids are like that. I mean, mine got me a shirt with two arrows pointing up, with a bow that was sideways beneath it to make a simile face.” Oliver sketched on his own shirt with his finger to display the image. Batman chuckled lightly. “Thats… quite funny.” “Yeah.” Oliver agreed, thinking back with a smile how often he wore it, and Roy’s delight every time. “My kids,” Batman added, drawing Oliver out of his thoughts. “Got me a tie that says, uh, “Worlds Best Dad In Gotham. Which… o-k i guess..” Oliver stared at him agape before absolutely losing it at the tone with which Batman had quoted his tie. “That is… brilliant.” Oliver wheezed, wiping a tear from his eye. “Wow. Wow wow wow wow wow.” Oliver smiled with relish. “I love that.” Batman smiled back. “I do too.” “Uh, green arrow? Whats so funny?” Green Lantern called over. “Oh nothing, nothing.” Oliver called back. “Just some uh.. Dad jokes.” Hal made a noise of confusion, but Batman chuckled lightly. “Dad jokes?” Green Lantern asked, utterly befuddled. Batman and Green Arrow grinned at each other.  

Oliver Queen was quite certain he was going to die. He had a meeting in Gotham today, which was always long and boring, especially since he usually only dealt with the lower members of Wayne Enterprises. Not that he had anything against status, not really, it was only that they were always such a drag, and it was clear they wanted a higher lifestyle. But, to his surprise, when Oliver walked into the meeting room, the CEO of WE was actually present, sitting at the head of the table in deep discussion with a man Oliver vaguely remembered was named something Fox. Lucy? “Ah, Ollie, so good of you to meet with us!” Boomed a voice and Oliver turned in surprise to see Bruce Wayne. “Bruce? Hey man! I didn't know you’d be here!” Oliver grinned in surprised delight, offering the other man a quick hug. Bruce shrugged, sipping some coffee. “I’m just here as a chauffeur. I’m taking Timmy out after this, but I’ll be a part of the meeting if you want some decent conversation.” He winked and Oliver laughed. “Not that my son isn't a good conversationalist.” He added. Oliver waved a hand, moving to his seat and offering the kid a quick smile. Tim glanced over, offering a wave before returning to his heated debate. “Naw I know he is. Wasn't expecting you guys to be here. Glad you are though.” Oliver sighed in relief. Bruce hummed in acknowledgement, taking a seat next to him. “Well I’m glad to see you too Ollie, theres, actually something I want to tell you.” At that, his son finally looked over for more than a second, something gleaming in his eyes. “Oh?” Oliver asked intrigued, leaning forward. That was when he saw it. Tucked just barely beneath the lapel of Bruces suit jacket…. A tie. A tie that said “Worlds Best Dad in Gotham. Which… O-k I guess..” Oliver sat back like electrocuted. Bruce and Tim watched him carefully, and Fox gave a very good impression of looking out the window. “You- uh- you're.” Oliver cleared his throat and Bruce leaned in intently. “Yes?” “Your tie.” Oliver blurted. “Its… nice. My friend has one too.” Bruce raised an eyebrow. “Does he?” He lifted his mug, which had a large black bat on it, and sipped. Oliver swallowed. “W-why me? Why now?” Bruce shrugged, glancing over at his son who was now also doing a very good job of admiring the ceiling tiles. “Because I trust you. And because I need a good friend.” Oliver smiled weakly. “Well, you already had that in Brucie.” Bruce smiled softly. “I know. But friendship requires trust. And Batman needs all the friends he can get.” Oliver chuckle lightly. “So… Dad jokes was the way to go huh?” Bruce smiled, pleased, leaning back. “Yep. Dad jokes.” Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen grinned at each other. 

[wihellib]

By a large margin, Gamigin/Lucifer won the Favourite Dynamic Between King and Second poll here. Way back in 2nd was Bael/Beelzebub with Sitri/Satan a close 3rd. I wasn’t expecting such a runaway win, but I can understand it since the relationship between Lucifer and Gamigin is very nice.

Satan/Sitri is nice but basic, a palate cleanser. Levi/Foras is similar but with more simping from Foras.

Mammon/Bimet is interesting in that Bimet acts more stereotypically greedy while Mammon is more laid-back. But Mammon also is proud of and encourages his greed, showing his nature. They’re a good fit for each other.

Lucifer/Gamigin is very sweet and wholesome in a game that is not very sweet or wholesome, so it’s a good change of pace.

The premise of Beel/Bael and Belphie/Beleth is similar in that the King is lax in his duties, but the difference is that their Second deals with their quirks in very different ways. Beleth accepted Belphie’s quirks wholeheartedly and, without hesitation, decided devote himself to taking care of him. Bael is burdened by Beel’s quirks and suffers under the weight of responsibilities that Beel has left to him.

Overall, I like the varied approaches when it comes to the dynamics between Kings and their Seconds, but I have the most fun when Beel and Bael’s relationship is shown on screen.

Bael is always rightfully picking at Beel and Beel just lets it slide right off of him. But nevertheless Beel is there when Bael truly needs him. I always think about the moment in Belphie’s intro event where he threatens Bael and Beel is immediately like, ‘don’t worry bro, I got ya’. And you just knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to Bael, even if he had to kill another King to do that.

[hwanghyunjinenthusiast]

[20:57]

Tags: Christopher Bang/Bang Chan x Fem! Reader, dirty talk, mild degradation and objectification (f. receiving), fingering (f. receiving), pussy smacking (f. receiving), breast spanking (f. receiving), nipple play (f. receiving), finger sucking (f. receiving), choking (f.receiving), piv sex without a condom, pseudo exhibitionism (? No actual exhibitionism but Reader and Chris get off on the idea of it) creampie and mentions of aftercare.

I will block you if you are a minor and/or have no easily visible indication of your age on your blog if you interact with me in any way.

Chris isn't a strict man. Well, he's not much of a strict man.

He has very simple rules to follow and, they're more than fair. Honestly, even with a few of them, a bat of your eyelashes and a jut of your bottom lip is enough for him to forgive you for breaking them.

One of his most important ones is not to interrupt him while he's working unless it's an emergency. No disrupting him while he's producing. No disrupting him while he's streaming.

Simple enough.

However, it's a little too enjoyable pushing the boundaries with your sweetheart of a boyfriend sometimes.

The panic that barely flits across Chris's face when your name flashes across his phone almost makes you feel the slightest bit guilt. Almost.

You can't help but, giggle quietly to yourself when his eyes widen marginally at the image on his screen. Nothing but one of your large night shirts drapped over your nude body. Your hardened nipples poking through the white fabric and the barest hints of your thighs visible in the shot too. It's nothing too scandalous but, it's enough for you to notice his eyes darken marginally and his jaw clench.

A barrage of butterflies erupting in your stomach and lower, drinking in the way his face changes. Anyone who isn't too familiar with him would barely notice the shifts but, you know Chris better than the back of your hand.

"Sorry, Stays. Got an important message that I had to check. Sorry for that," he forces a giggle out and his dimples would be endearing if you didn't notice the how tense his smile is.

Perhaps you could've still saved yourself if you'd stopped there. If you didn't let the intrusive, exhilarating impulse to push his buttons win. However, you let them. So, you continue. The pictures of your scantily clad body continue to fill your chat with him periodically. You're not stupid enough to spam him with them but, you sink your teeth into your bottom lip eargely with every glance of his eyes to his phone when your name and 'image' pop up.

The tick in his jaw and barely restrained annoyance in his eyes shouldn't be as enticing as it is. Arousal simmer in the pit of your stomach with every minute change of his expression.

"Thank you all so much for watching. I love you and, I'll see you next time!" He attempts to end off the hours long stream cheerily. Striking his signature peace sign pose before your laptop screen goes black momentarily.

You're not left to stew in your thoughts for long. Your phone vibrating next to you within seconds.

Chris 💕: come here.

The smile that spreads across your face is likely a tad too wide and too toothy but, you can't bring yourself to care. Clamouring to your feet, you make your way to his makeshift work room within minutes. Steeling your resolve, you push on the handle and enter the room.

Your entire body seizes for what seems like a lifetime when Chris's gaze finds you. His eyes are easily one of your favourite features of his. Soft and warm and welcoming and everything that you love about him.

None of those emotions are present as he pierces you with them now.

"I said come here," he says lazily but, you know better than to miss the edge in his voice. Your insides squirming viciously as he lightly pats his, admittedly appealing, lap. His thighs straining against the shorts he opted for this time around.

Once you remember how to move, you walk towards him. Studiously avoiding his weighted stare until you're between his spread thighs. Your heart hammering against your ribcage as you wait for him to do or say anything. Anything to end your spiralling.

Chris's hands are firm as they settle on your hips and turn you around. Your brain barely manages to piece together what has happened as you now find yourself seated on his lap. Arousal spreading all across your body, to your very fingertips when you feel his half-hard cock against the swell of your ass.

"You wanted my attention, right?" He mutters into your ear. The brushes of his pillowy lips and soft breaths sending shudders down your spine while his hands innocently palm your thighs. Toying with the hem of your shirt enough to quicken your breathing.

One of his hands drifts to your throat, applying enough pressure to prompt whimpers from you and more of your arousal to seep into your already sticky panties, "I asked you a question."

"Ye-Yes. I wanted your attention," you manage to rush out. The lack of air adding to the already muddled state of your mind and you barely register his other hand shoving itself between your spread thighs.

"God, you're so wet already," he practically moans. His long fingers trailing over your soiled panties. Forcing them to cling to your folds even more and, ever brush of your clit prompting your hips to jolt into his hand.

"Did you get this wet sending me all of those pictures?" His words leave his lips more like a bite than a question. From his hand lightly wrapped around your throat and his fingers seemingly content with toying with you over your panties, it's no wonder you don't have the presence of mind to immediately respond. Your body curling into him while hushed moans fill the space of his room.

Chris's typical patience is nowhere to be found tonight. His hand comes down firm and harsh on your slick slit. Angling it just right so your clit is met with the brunt of the impact. It hurts. It hurts enough to force more watery whimpers from you and more of your arousal to leak out of your clenching hole.

"I asked you a question," he says with another quick spank to your almost ruined panties. His firm grip on your neck keeping you from curling into yourself, "My, my. I've had to repeat myself twice already. I'd hate to have to repeat myself a third time."

It's so easy to get lost in the gentle lull of his voice. Your hazy brain just barely catching the underlying threat in his tone.

"I'm sorry, Chris," you whimper out, desperately clinging to his veiny forearms in some hope of steadying yourself and focusing, "Ye-Yes. Sending those pictures made me wet. I wanted to- I liked riling you up."

"There we go," he purrs into your ear, sending bolts of lightning straight down to your sensitive clit and puffy folds, "Maybe you can be an obedient girl after all."

Any pleas and begging are swallowing by a stuttered moan as he slips his fingers into your panties. Continuing his previous ministrations and leisurely stroking you as though he has all of the time in the world. As though you can't feel his cock swelling underneath you. However, his composure never falters.

"Yes, Chris please," you beg, sounding pathetic to even your own ears but, you couldn't care less right now. You've been starved of his touch for hours. You might just crumble right here, right now if he doesn't touch you how you want. How you need.

"You're so fucking spoiled," he bites, running his teeth along your lobe as he adds a bit more pressure on the sides of your neck. Skillful fingers alternating between teasing your eager entrance and drawing featherlight circles along your clit.

"Fucking brat. Getting me fucking hard while I'm supposed to be working and, now you want to be greedy?" The knowledge that he'd gotten hard while streaming coupled with the sprinkles of humiliation from the venom in his voice just make you buck harder into his hand. In search of anything he's willing to allow you.

"I'm sorry," you keen, trying your best to grind into his hand, "I just wanted your attention. I'm sorry," you repeat desperately. Clutching at his forearms as his fingers apply more pressure to your swollen clit. His other hand freeing your throat and snaking its way under your shirt to knead your breast.

"Can't even go without me for a few fucking hours," he mutters into your neck while his hands toy with you to his heart's content, "You're so spoiled."

Any argument you have dies on your tongue when he pushes two of his long fingers into your soaked hole while his fingers pinch and tug at your hardened nipple. The pain forcing your walls to clamp around his fingers viciously.

He laps and nips at every bit of your skin that he can while his fingers work you open. Your foggy mind just barely being able to register his hips grinding up into you in search of some sort of friction. The lewd sounds of how wet you are intertwining with your high-pitched moans and needy keens all that can be heard.

The heel of his palm is angled so that it rubs right into your clit. "Chris ah," you cry out, your fingernails digging themselves deeper into his forearms as he builds up your release expertly. You jolt forward once again when his heavy palm comes down on both of your breasts in rapid succession. Whimpers coaxed out of you as more of your arousal drenches his hand. You wouldn't be surprised if you'd leaked onto his shorts by now.

"This a punishment, baby," he coos. It's so easy to sink into the softness of his voice. The juxtaposition in his tone and words and movements all only tightening the knot in the depths of your gut.

"Don't forget," he whispers into your skin as his lightly drags his teeth along you. Goosebumps rising all over your body and your orgasm building up higher and higher-

Only for Chris to stop his movements all together.

"Chris," the way you whine his name is frankly pathetic to your own ears but, you can bring yourself to feel self-conscious when you were so close you could practically taste it. Your wetness further coating his palm and your walls spasming. Your hips jerking up to his touch instinctively.

"I've definitely spoiled you too much," he drawls into your skin. Easing his fingers out of you as though you're not close to tears from having bliss ripped away from you so mercilessly.

"Chris. Chris please. I'm sorry, I won't do it again. I won't disobey you again," you rush out, your hips grinding your sopping pussy against him for a taste of relief. "I'll be good please. Please. I want to cum please."

"Remember, this is supposed to be a punishment, baby," he tuts into your skin. However, the butterflies in your stomach rise to your throat as he manoeuvres you so he can reach the waistband of his shorts. Impatiently tugging them and his boxers down so he can free his cock.

You watch as best as you can as he barely wraps his hand around it. Giving it a few pumps before lightly smacking it against your wet folds. His tip occasional brushing your clit and causing needy whimpers to leave your dry lips.

"Do you want something?"

You're not above begging, "You, Chris. Please touch me. I want you to fuck me, please. I want to feel your cock inside of me plea-" a sharp gasp leaves you as he guides your hips down onto his cock. Making sure he's properly aligned before pushing you down onto it. He's seemingly content to let you claw at his biceps as he stretches you. Your lashes flutter with every centimetre that he let's you sink onto.

Your walls clench and unclench around him sporadically, his tip kissing the deepest parts of you as he gives you time to adjust. His hand drifting from your hip back to fondle and massage your breast while his other hand cups your face.

His first thrust is merciless. Barely allowing you a moment to catch your breath or for your mind to catch up as his sets a harsh pace from the offset. The obscene sounds of his cock shaping your pussy around him echoing through his work room coupled with your respective watery moans and gritted curses.

His fingers toy with your bottom lip and you open your mouth without anymore prompting from him. Your tongue lapping at his fingers and the slight saltiness of your wetness hitting your tastebuds as he shoves them deeper into your mouth. Gagging you on them.

"Look at you," he pants out between sharp thrusts, "Spreading your thighs and letting me fuck you in my work room. Sucking on my fingers like you're little better than a mindless toy."

Your keens are completely muffled by his fingers and your pussy tightens around him further as his words wash over you. God, you're getting close again you pray to whoever is listening that he'll let you cum this time. You may just lose your mind if he doesn't.

"Want everyone to know how much of a needy toy you are?" He mutters into your shoulder, using his unoccupied fingers to angle your face, "Want me to fuck you during one of my streams? Let the entire world know how much of a disobedient slut you are?"

The thoughts makes your head spin. You're nodding before you even realise it. Clutching him to you even closer as he continues to fuck into your poor pussy. The sight of his camera aimed directly at the two of you bringing back that all too familiar sensation of the knot in your gut tightening.

"Yeah?" He moans into your overheated, sticky skin, "You like the idea of that don't you. Love the thought of everyone watching me fuck your pretty pussy." He breathes between laboured groans of his own. His hold on your breast burning and his fingers coating themselves further in your saliva that dribbles down your chin.

"Want everyone to watch you get your pussy filled with my cum," he laughs with little humour. You honestly don't know he's still able to speak so coherently when you feel like your mind is coming apart at the seams.

"You're such an attention seeker."

His words are scorching lashes that serve to only further fuel your desire and bring you closer and closer to the edge. Your thighs quivering and you're vaguely worried that you might have dug a little too deeply into his pale skin with your nails.

"Fuck," he breathes, his hips beginning to stuttering into you, "Your perfect pussy just tightened even more around me. That's filthy, baby. You do like the idea of spreading your thighs for everyone to watch huh," he pants against your skin between strained groans. His cock twitching incessantly inside of you with each every uncoordinated thrust.

Your frantic nods only spur him on further. His grip on your jaw and breast bruising as his orgasm hits him. Thick ropes of his cum filling your spasming walls while his moans, curses and pants of your name hit your ears. It doesn't take much else for you to cum around his still twitching cock after that. Your head flying back to rest on his shoulder as your hips rock against him. Your combined releases dribbling out of your spent pussy onto his softening cock and likely onto his couch.

You're too far away to care all that much right now.

Chris recovers before you do. Gently pulling his wet fingers from your mouth and kiss the side of your face. His large hand shifting downwards from your breast to soothe you as you continue to twitch in his lap. "You did so well, baby," he coos against the side of your face. Affectionately nudging you with his nose as he pulls you further into his broad, sweaty chest. The skin left bare by his tank top hot to the touch.

"You were so mean," you pout tiredly with no real venom. Fatigue replacing every other emotion as you happily melt into him.

His laugh is far too cute given everything he put you through moments ago and his cum still leaking down your thighs, "I wouldn't have to be mean if you listened to me."

You have no retort for that.

"Now come on, let's get you cleaned up and go to bed, okay?"

AN: I was originally working on a much softer Chris timestamp then Paris happened. So, here we are. I am going through something with Chris at the moment it seems given how long this winded up being.

Reblogs are greatly appreciated.

Do not repost, edit, copy and/or translate my work. I do not give you my permission to do so, nor will you ever receive it.

[m00nchildwrites]

So as i've been playing the game for the past 15 days (yes, I'm a newer player), I have noticed that you can tell a lot about each of the guys by how they treat you and how they behave while you're playing Kitty cards.

So I am going to break it down for you for each of the 4 guys. (Sorry, Caleb fans, he doesn't count here.) I'm going to talk about their playing styles and what that says about what kind of boyfriend they would be.

☆Disclaimer, a lot of this is going to be my interpretation and how they're words and actions make me feel so if this resonates with you cool, if it doesn't respect it and move on.☆

That said, let's do this.

~~~~~~~

Sylus:

• So when I first met this man, I thought he was going to be a super controlling toxic sort of guy. And to be fair, first, impressions weren't great, okay, bud.

•HOWEVER this man is so whipped and not in a ew Gross, give me space kinda way, but in a yummy, Yes, please let me sink my teeth into you kind of way.... just me? Oh ok. ANYWAY~

• He is a big softy when it comes to MC. And it is so sweet, I actually really adore Sylus. Let me explain.

• while you guys are playing the kitty card game, if you pay attention, Sylas will intentionally throw the game in your favor.

• at first I thought that it was just a fluke, but it's not. He does it all the time, so if you pay attention, he will purposely put kitty cards in cups where he does not get the double points where all the other players in the game would put they're kitty cards in the matching color cups because the points are doubled.

• this intentional action is even recognized by our character, MC, because Sylas responds to- what I'm guessing is maybe a face expression that she gives him like: What are you doing? And he says, a comment along the lines of basically, "don't worry about it. I've got a plan."

• ordinarily, somebody purposely losing, just so that I can win to try to impress me, or something would actually like piss me off. It's kind of like you don't think that I have a capability of winning on my own, or you don't respect me enough to play fairly with me and give me a chance to learn?? Like I wouldn't like that kind of thing. However, the way that he goes about it is actually insanely sweet.

• i had to really pay attention because this kept happening, and I'm an avid card player in real life...So I was like, why are they making this character do this? None of the other ones do this, like he does?...It took some time, but I also picked up him making other comments that alluded to the fact that he's doing this intentionally. Just so that we can win, and he even tells us why.

• so other than purposely, putting cards into cups to give himself less points. He also throughout the game, is constantly reassuring us and trying to motivate us and cheer us up. He's basically acting like a super subtle Hype man the whole time.

• And at one point, he even makes a comment about how, basically, his favorite part is seeing our face light up when we win.

• And that's just- don't you just want to squeeze him?¿!?!

• my heart is aching in my chest because this man is not real.

• so yes, he intentionally throws the game most of the time.

• again- I've only been playing this game for 15 days, but I have played Kitty cards with all of the players, All 3 times per week, and it's been 3 weeks now because of the way that my days landed. So that's 9 times that I've played the cards with each character, and this is a pattern that has emerged with him. I have only lost against him by a large margin One time. Every other time that I have lost, it's been by less than five points and most of the time by one or two points.

•He will lose to you, but it's going to be a close match, and he's going to do it in a very subtle way that you will not catch if you don't pay attention. because he respects us, but he also is madly in love with us, and that is the cutest thing on the freaking planet, and we must protect this man.

~~~~~~~

Xavier:

• so I want to preface this to say that I think Xavier is an absolutely adorable teddy bear of a character, and I adore him.

•HOWEVER he would absolutely piss me off if I was actually playing cards with him in real life, and I would probably end up breaking up with him. That's how bad this is. So let me just explain why.

• first of all, other characters kind of allude to the fact that the idea of playing Kitty cards is probably not their idea of fun but they're doing it because we want to play, okay? And I get that, however, the other guys humor us genuinely and actually play the game. Xavier is humoring us by like the thread of tiniest threads. And he's not even trying to act like he's enjoying himself.

• i get that a major thing about his character is that he's super tired all the time and probably has Narcolepsy and needs some serious medication. Like i'm genuinely glad that this guy doesn't seem to drive and just takes public transportation because he'd probably kill somebody falling asleep behind the wheel, let's be honest. I am concerned for this man's health.

• that said, if he is trying to spend time with his girlfriend, which we're supposed to be, or a love interest at the very least, and he is humoring us through playing this game that we really want to play with him, and clearly our character is taking it seriously- the dude's not even going to try to not fall asleep? What?! Dude, I can understand like every once in a while...It's really late and you've been up working or whatever it is that you're doing in your life and you nod off in a game, but he nods off like 2 or 3 times a round. Like it's excessive. Wtf bro drink some coffee. Get some meds!

• on top of that, his overall word choice in how he talks to us during the game. Clearly, the guy can't even be bothered to pretend to care about the game.

• i mean, every time you play with him. He says that we should go first because he can't even remember the rules.

• Like my dude, you're falling asleep on yourself and drooling on your sweater, and you can't remember the rules of a game, though we play three times every single week. Are you 80 and possibly suffering from dementia??? Or are we just that damn boring to you? And if that's the case, why the heck are you with us? *eyebrow twitch*

• and before everybody who adores Xavier starts coming from my neck, okay. In a real relationship, this would not fly. In a real relationship, you would want to show interest in your significant others' interests, even if those interests are not your interests, that's what you do. That's how you behave in a healthy relationship.

• so as far as the writing goes for Xavier's character in this particular instance, I don't know if they're just riding the the guy has narcolepsy train a little too hard or writing the whole dude is super laid back and passive thing too hard, but it's like way too much of all of it together, and it ends up equalling a whole big lot of negative.

• like I adore Xavier and I really, really, really want to like him because I think he's a sweet pea, but this particular thing makes me not like him. Kinda turned me off his whole in game story tbh. (Fandom Xavier could get it any day of the week btw)

• and because of that, if this was the real world situation, I would absolutely dump Xavier.

• and then he would cry, and I would feel like a terrible person, but it is what it is.

• (please don't cry, Xavier. You'll break my heart.)

~~~~~~~

Zayne:

• Zayne Zayne Zayne. What can I say about Zayne? In the real world, Zayne is probably my ideal type. (And this is coming from a Rafayel fangirl. Ugh, tbh they may be tied. It's too hard to choose, tbh.)

• Zayne's character here while playing Kitty cards is the perfect example of how you would want your boyfriend to act when you asked him to do an activity with you. That very clearly is probably not his usual cup of tea, and not something that he would ever do on his own, but he's doing it. He's humoring you and he's enjoying himself because you are enjoying yourself. Zayne is perfect.

• I also love Zayne because he's actually playing the game. He doesn't throw the game completely. Like Sylas does, which would probably get on my nerves a little bit even though the way he does, it is good.

• Zayne is not going to disrespect you by not giving his all. He's gonna play the game and if he beats you, it's gonna be fairly and if you beat him, it's going to be fairly.

• However, throughout the whole thing, he is still going to be playfully teasing you.

• He will also be motivating you to do well, and if you get upset, he's going to comfort you in all the right ways. With that gentle guiding hand that is so very Zayne.

• this man is seriously a treasure.

• however, like Sylus, he's also super whipped for us. All that we have to do is get MC to bat her pretty eyelashes and to pout about how her cards are bad and just like that, he offers to trade you. He offers 2 cards from his hand for 1 card from your hand.

• in fact, he's so whipped that if we pout good enough, he will do this trade even when we have no cards in our hand and literally just give us his two cards. Any two cards from his hand that we want. And there seems to be no limit to the amount of times that you can do this in a round with him. He literally gives you the opportunity to do it almost every single turn.

• in that regard, I feel like he would be an excellent boyfriend type to play cards with because for those of us who are competitive like myself- He's going to play against you fairly and respectfully.

• and for those of us who hate losing or are excellent pouty brats, you know who you are, he will let you pick any 2 cards from his hand at the drop of a hat. Because he is that much of a sweetheart and just wants us happy no matter what.

• let me repeat. I freakin love Zayne.

~~~~~~~

Rafayel:

• I saved my favorite for last because, in my opinion, Rafayel is the type of boyfriend that I would have the most fun playing games with, and here's why.

• the man absolutely hates cats. First of all, which makes some pretty hilarious commentary throughout the game. I am a cat person. I've always said that I don't trust people who don't like cats, but he is a fish and that shit's hilarious, so we will let it slide.

• he is going to play the game and he is going to take that shit seriously.

• the man doesn't even like playing Kitty cards and literally says that kitty cards haunt his nightmares at different points in the game café and in messages, BUT-

• That don't matter 'cause when you get this man sat down to play this kitty card game, he is going to pull out all of the stops to absolutely whip our asses and I love him for it.

• this man is bratty. He is pouty. And when it comes to card games, this man is out for blood.

• in fact, if you don't pay attention, he will try to cheat right under your nose. He has 0 shame. He is in it to win it, so be ready.

• when you catch him, it is Flippin' Hilarious. He's so pouty that he didn't get away with it, but that doesn't matter cuz his head is in the game and you're going down.

• no way in hell is he is going to trade any of his cards for yours. You get what you get.

• he will just dust himself off change tactics and go for blood.

•He will still pout about you catching him even in the café, which is a favorite interaction of mine. He is too funny. I feel like I'd always be laughing with him. ANYWAY-

• absolutely, not, not, no. Pouting is not gonna make him go easier on you. You asked him to play this game, and now you're going to play it FOR REAL.

• Fall asleep playing a game that you asked him to play to spend time with him?¿ Are you insane? He is offended at even the suggestion.

• if you play the version of the game that has the specialty cards, expect absolute god of war mentality. He's gonna be throwing down special cards after special card and your butt's gonna be so frozen. You won't be able to lay down a single number card or specialty card, and he is going to be preening like a peacock the whole time.

• purposely, lose a game just so that you can win. Absolutely. Freaking, not, are you kidding me? How dare you suggest it?! if this man gets a card and it matches the color of one of those cups, and he can get him some double points, you best believe that he is playing it. And he is maniacally cackling at your pouty face when he does.

•Our fishie is so eager to win that he actually plays...not that well. (I'm sorry Rafy) But the man will literally put a wrong color card into the wrong color cups, get 0 pts for it just so you can't use the cup. The first time he did that I thought, "weird move but ok, maybe the game is random" but no. He did it again and then smuggly said "It's all part of my plan." I was floored. I was flabbergasted. And then I died laughing. He is such a competitive brat. Mom, I love him.

• this game might not be his cup of tea, but he's gonna damn well be the best at it.

• you want him to go easy on you? Absolutely, not that is laughable. You are a perfectly strong woman capable of whooping his ass, and he's going to prove it to you by making you do so when he's trying his best.

• to not do so would be to disrespect you outright in this man's eyes and he is not about that game. He thinks you are a badass. He knows you are a badass, and he's going to show YOU that you're a badass, because you're going to beat him whenever he is trying his hardest and he's going to prove it to you.

• if he wins, he is going to be playfully and teasingly braggie about it, but at the same time, he is going to comfort, you and tell you that you'll do better next time. Why will you do better next time? Because he is going to give you no choice but to improve your skills each time you'll play.

• if you beat him, he's going to be convinced that the cats are out to get him in a playful, funny way... maybe, maybe he's serious. And he is going to pout, and trick you into agreeing to go out to dinner with him in order to make him feel better. Once you agree, He immediately shows the poutiness was all on act, and he actually enjoyed himself and just wants to spend more time with you.

• because in the end, as ruthless of a player as Rafayel, is he actually really doesn't care if he wins or loses in the end.

• that is probably the biggest surprise hidden thing about his character thay I learned from him playing cards with us. In all of the interactions with him in the kitty card game is the hidden reality that he doesn't really care if he wins or loses.

•he's going to go the extra 10000 percent and be the most competitive player for you to play against so that you can actually truly play the game, test your skills, and get better at a game you love. And not just have it handed to you or be stuck obviously playing with somebody who is just humoring you and not even enjoying themselves. Raphael would place a hand on his chest in shock at the suggestion, or the idea that somebody would do that to you, this man would never disrespect you in that way.

• he's just putting on the act of taking it super seriously, because you love the game and he's not just going to just humor you. No, you deserve more rhan to just be humored. You deswrve the best. You deserve his best.

• you love this game. You wanna play this game? He's going to give you the best possible competitor that you could ever have and ever dream for.

• this man deserves an oscar in the best way.

• because in truth, the game doesn't matter to him, He's just happy to be around you like a golden retriever, and taking him to dinner afterwards, if he loses is really him winning anyways. Seeing you smiling and happy is a win.

~~~~~~~

•Protect this adorable fishy, please.

•(*slams hand on Kitty card table* Marry me Rafayel.)

I hope you guys enjoyed my observations and head cannons and interpretations of the lovely guys from Love and Deep Space.

Let me know what you think in the Reblogs, in the tags or on a comment. I'm curious to know if anyone else has been as observant to the scripted interactions as I have been, or am I just that obsessed.

[nothorses]

youre the first person ive seen since biden drop out who seems genuinely positive abt it, everyone else ive seen is being rlly negative or making jokes and it scared me a lot.... can you explain, or link to another post or article, that explains why its good that he dropped out? i keep seeing everyone saying that biden didnt do anything, then that he did so many things, thrn stuff saying kamala is a bad choice to endorse then you sounded so positive abt her and im very confused ): i avoid politics a lot cuz i live w a very protrump dad and its so difficult to find accurate information that isnt seaped in memes and sarcasm and pessimism but you sounded very genuine! thanks for any help <3

I went into more depth over here! I also wanna share a couple of videos I've been getting these perspectives from, because these folks are a lot more educated on the topic than I am.

I first heard the perspective that Biden was woefully unlikely to win from Olayemi Ulurin, in this video. She has a kind of "I can't blame anyone for not voting" perspective that I do think I agree with, largely because she's coming at it with nuance: Biden is not a compelling candidate, he's not likely to win, it makes sense people don't wanna vote for him, and the Democrats need to get their shit together and pick someone else.

She also posted this video (below) that goes way more in-depth into the issue, and which I think reflects (and GREATLY expands and adds to) my personal stance on the "vote blue no matter who" thing: i.e., voting is ultimately about making the fight easier for activists who are working for real change. It's important for that reason, not because the person you vote for can be trusted to do anything helpful of their own volition.

If you're gonna watch any of the videos I link here, watch that one.

The other source I've looked to a lot recently is Some More News, which is where I initially heard a lot more detail on the "Biden should drop out oh god oh please it's our only hope" perspective.

First was their podcast episode immediately following the recent Biden/Trump debate, in which they delve (somewhat casually, but thoroughly) into why Biden's 2024 campaign was so fucking terrifying for everyone who needs a Democrat win:

They also get into more detail on the topic here, in another podcast episode:

Those two videos are great just for understanding this election and why Biden dropping out is very much the best thing that could have happened. That's basically the topic for the full length of both podcast videos (where Olayemi just kind of touches on that specific question, in comparison). If you just want more details on that question and only have the capacity for one of these, you could probably watch either podcast video (I personally have only watched part of the second one, and all of the first one).

I'd also recommend these two channels for political insight in general.

Olayemi is great because she comes at things from an explicitly activist perspective, and she has a huge personal background in very grounded, concrete political activism, especially as a black immigrant woman. She brings in a lot of other experts as well, often themselves marginalized political activists, which is just a fantastic way to be exposed to a really awesome diversity of knowledgeable perspectives without having to look very far on your own. She's also relentlessly hopeful- and grounded in that hope- which is so, so important and refreshing.

Some More News is a good supplementary to Olayemi, imo, just in that they have a good, upbeat (and again, very grounded) energy, and they cover a lot of very current political stuff in an easy-to-digest kind of way. I find both them and Olayemi really fun to watch, but the vibes are definitely different between the two, and they're good counterpoints to each other- plus they tend to cover different stuff, which just helps broaden your awareness of what's going on, again without needing to look super far.

I know this is a lot of information; hopefully I've made it possible to sift through for the piece you actually want to start with, though. If nothing else, I really encourage folks to check out Olayemi and see if any of her videos catch their eye. She's really fantastic, and her stuff scratches my "video to do laundry to" itch while also being, like, a really valuable watch overall.

Best of luck!!

[arcane-vagabond]

I think it’s discouraging to a lot of creators on here when we try to put forth fics with actual plots instead of just smut (no knock against smut. I seek it out too sometimes), only to receive very little meaningful (likes do not count as meaningful) engagement. Then people complain about there being nothing but smut to read???

Like…my loves….you’re only engaging with the smut. What else are creators supposed to think here? You’re not showing love to the fluff or angst or plot and lore filled stories anymore, so of course you’re only going to receive smut from creators. You’re not watering what you want to survive, so of course it’s going to die. Show love to the stuff that has minimal smut, if any at all!

I speak from experience that it’s frustrating as hell when I run polls to see what people want to read more of and the winning answer (by a large margin) was more fluff stories. Meanwhile, the only stories getting comments and asks are the ones filled with smut. Do you see why that’s confusing and frustrating? There’s hardly any love for anything on here that’s not straight up smut.

[city-of-ladies]

Women warriors in Chinese history - Part 2

(Part 1)

"However, court confessions, unofficial histories, and local gazetteers do reveal a host of women warriors during the Qing dynasty when patriarchal structures were supposedly most influential. Women in marginal groups were apparently not as observant of mainstream societal gender rules. Daughters and wives of “peasant rebels,” that is, autonomous or bandit stockades, were frequently skilled warriors. Miss Cai 蔡†(Ts’ai) of the Nian (Nien) “army,” for example, “fought better than a man, and she was especially fine on horseback. She was always at the front line, fighting fearlessly despite the large number of government troops.” According to a folktale, she managed to rout an invading government force of several thousand with a hundred men and one cannonball after her husband led most of the Nian off to forage for food.

Related to the female bandits were the women pirates among whom Zheng I Sao 鄭一嫂†(literally, Wife of Zheng I; 1775–1844) is the best researched. “A former prostitute … Cheng [Zheng] I Sao could truly be called the real ‘Dragon Lady’ of the South China Sea.” Consolidating her authority swiftly after the death of her husband, “she was able to win so much support that the pirates openly acclaimed her as the one person capable of holding the confederation together. As its leader she demonstrated her ability to take command by issuing orders, planning military campaigns, and proving that there were profits to be made in piracy. When the time came to dismantle the confederation, it was her negotiating skills above all that allowed her followers to cross the bridge from outlawry to officialdom.”

We know slightly more about some of the women warriors involved in sectarian revolts. Folk stories passed down orally are one of the sources. Tales that proliferated in northern Sichuan on the battle exploits of cult rebels of the White Lotus Religion uprising in Sichuan, Hunan, and Shaanxi beginning in the late eighteenth century glorify several women warriors. The tall and beautiful Big Feet Lan (Lan Dazhu 籃大足) and the smart and skillful Big Feet Xie (Xie Dazhu 謝大足) vanquished a stockade together; the young and attractive Woman He 何氏 could kill within a hundred feet by throwing daggers from horseback. The absence of bound feet in Big Feet Lan and Big Feet Xie suggests their backgrounds were either very poor, unconventional, or non-Han.

Sectarian groups accepted female membership readily, and many of these women trained in the martial arts. Qiu Ersao 邱二嫂†(ca. 1822–53), leader of a Heaven and Earth Society (Tiandihui 天地會) uprising in Guangxi, joined the sect because of poverty and perfected herself in the martial arts. Some women came to the sects with skills. Su Sanniang 蘇三娘, rebel leader of another sect of the Heaven and Earth Society, was the daughter of a martial arts instructor.  Such sectarian rebel bands are frequently regarded as bandit groups. A history of the Taiping Revolutionary Movement refers to these two cult leaders as female bandit chiefs before they joined the Taipings.

Male leaders of religious rebellions frequently married women from families skilled in acrobatic, martial, and magic arts. These women tended to be both beautiful and charismatic. Wang Lun 王倫, who rebelled in 1774 in Shandong, had an “adopted daughter in name, mistress in fact,” by the name of Wu Sanniang 烏三娘 who was one of Wang’s most powerful warriors. Originally an itinerant performer highly skilled in boxing, tightrope walking, and acrobatics, she terrified the enemy with spellbinding magic. She brought a dozen associates from her old life to the sect, and they all became fearsome warriors known as “female immortals” (xiannü 仙女); three of them, including Wu Sanniang, lived with Wang Lun as “adopted wives” (ifu 義婦). A tall, white-haired woman at least sixty years old, possibly the mother of one of these acrobat-turned women warriors, wielded one sword with ease and two almost as effortlessly. Dressed in yellow astride a horse, hair loose and flying, she was feared as much for her sorcery as for her military skills. Her presence indicates that some of the women came from female-dominated itinerant performing families. Woman Zhang 張氏and Woman Zhao 趙氏, wives of Lin Zhe 林哲, another leader of the cult, were also known for being able to brandish a pair of broadswords on horseback.

Hong Xuanjiao 洪宣嬌†(mid nineteenth century), also known as Queen Xiao (xiaohou 蕭后), wife of the West King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (taiping tianguo 太平天國), was so stunningly beautiful and impressive in swordsmanship that she mesmerized the entire army during battles. The link between early immortality beliefs and shamanism also suggests that these women warrior “immortals” of sectarian cults may represent surviving relics of the female shamans who occupied high positions during high antiquity.

During the White Lotus Religion rebellion in Sichuan, Hunan, and Shaanxi beginning in 1796, five of the generals were at once leaders and wives of other leaders of the cult. They were Woman Qi née Wang (Qiwangshi 齊王氏; Wang Cong’er 王聰兒), Woman Zhang née Wang (Zhangwangshi 張王氏), Woman Xu née Li (Xulishi 徐李氏), Woman Fan née Zhang (Fanzhangshi 范張氏), and Woman Wang 王†née Li 李 (Wanglishi 王李氏). In the Heavenly Principle Religion (tianlijiao 天理教) rebellion that began in Beijing during 1713, the wife of its leader, Li Wencheng 李文成, led three invasions into the city. There was even a “Female Army” (niangzijun 娘子軍) within the Eight Trigrams (baguajiao 八卦教) uprising in Shandong during the Daoguang 道光† reign (1821–51). The female generals, Cheng Sijie 程四姐†and Yang Wujie 楊五姐, were particularly impressive when they wove among enemy forces in the style of “butterflies flitting among flowers,” wielding broadswords on horseback, their hairpins glittering in the light.

A number of female rebel leaders used religion and magic to buttress their power. Many claimed to be celestials and were leaders of sectarian cults (...). Chen Shuozhen 陳碩貞†(?–653) mobilized a peasants’ uprising by declaring that she had ascended to heaven and become an immortal. Tang Sai’er (ca.1403–20), a head of the White Lotus Religion (bailianjiao 白蓮教), designated herself as a “Buddhist Mother” (fuomu 佛母). The spellbinding old woman warrior in Wang Lun’s Clear Water Religion (qingshuijiao 清水教) sect was known to the rebel community as a reincarnation of the highest White Lotus deity, the Eternal Venerable Mother (wusheng laomu 無生老母). Wang Lun relied on her for performing magic and the rituals for calling on their supreme deity. Woman Wang née Liu (wangliushi 王劉氏), one of the numerous female leaders of the White Lotus Religion revolt, also titled herself the Eternal Venerable Mother. Wang Cong’er (1777–98), originally an itinerant entertainer, became the commander in chief of the rebel army she launched with her husband, a master in the White Lotus Religion.

Indeed, itinerant performers such as Wu Sanniang mentioned above were frequently trained in the martial arts since childhood and must have been skilled at performing magic tricks as well. Lin Hei’er 林黑兒†(?–1900), leader of Red Lanterns (hongdengzhao 紅燈照), the young women’s branch of the Boxer’s Movement (yihetuan 義和團), was also originally an itinerant entertainer (her husband was a boatman). Designating herself the Holy Mother of the Yellow Lotus (huanglian shengmu 黃蓮聖母), she taught her followers the skills of wielding swords and waving fans as well as magic to defeat their enemies.  Wang Nangxian 王囊仙†(literally, Goddess Nang, 1778–97), an ethnic minority of the Miao tribe, was worshipped as a goddess by her tribesmen before she led them in revolt against the Chinese government."

Chinese shadow theatre: history, popular religion, and women warriors, Fan Pen Li Chen

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Noah Berlatsky at Public Notice:

Two weeks ago, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was largely unknown nationally. Today, he’s a widely beloved Democratic figure and a leading candidate to become Kamala Harris’s running mate. It’s a startling and disorienting political ascent. How did it happen?

Part of his sudden success is due to Walz himself, whose avuncular charisma plays well on television, and whose strong record in Minnesota gives him a lot of bragging rights. Walz has also benefited, though, from the fact that progressives and the left have settled upon him as a pragmatic compromise. Left presidential preferences over the last decade have been dominated by Bernie Sanders, a unique and to some degree anti-establishment figure who promised to seize the party from its current leadership and turn it into a vehicle for radical change. Walz is a very different politician, and his embrace by progressives suggests a new willingness to work within the Democratic Party. That willingness might translate into more influence within the coalition. It also might signal greater Democratic strength and unity.

Walz’s wins

A lot of Walz’s recent national success is directly the result of the talents of one Tim Walz. Before running for office, Walz spent 24 years in the National Guard and worked as a high school history teacher in Mankato, where he helped form Mankato West’s first Gay-Straight Alliance at a time when LGBT people were marginalized. Walz has a long and impressive record of electoral, personal, and policy successes in Democratic politics. He was elected to Congress from a rural southern Minnesota district in 2006, a year Democrats picked up 30 seats, and was elected freshman class president by his colleagues. His local focus and popularity allowed him to hold the seat through the red waves of 2010 and 2014. Trump won the district by 15 points in 2016. But even then Walz wasn’t dislodged, winning the district by a point. Walz is in fact the only Democrat to win the seat since 1992. Before his 2007-2017 tenure and afterwards, it’s been in GOP hands.

Following his 2016 victory, Walz ran successfully for governor in 2018 and won reelection in 2022. Ahead of his second second term, Democrats won a two-vote Democratic majority in the state House and a one-vote majority in the Senate. That gave them a trifecta and full control of state government for the first time in a decade.

[...]

Progressives for Walz

Walz has also benefited, though, from a swift and unusually coordinated progressive effort to elevate him. To be clear, Walz is popular within the party. However, many progressive pundits and activists with large platforms have been especially enthusiastic about his candidacy. Gun control proponent David Hogg has been promoting Walz relentlessly; so has left journalist Mehdi Hasan; so has YouTube influencer Kyle Kuczynski.

Noah Berlatsky wrote in Public Notice about how Tim Walz makes a lot of sense as Kamala Harris’s running mate.

[jesncin]

caped crusader's take on race largely confused me and i was also kinda confused by how homosexuality is seen in the universe. it felt very half-assed.

I agree! It's frustrating seeing superhero fandom brush away legitimate criticism with how gay couples are depicted in CC (notice how the person QRT-ing OP's tweet made up a whole new sentence to be mad at)- by saying "oh you just want to see marginalized characters suffer! This is superhero media, it's escapism!" (many of the QRTs to that person's post say this).

CC explicitly shows classicism and sexism (with like a pinch of racism) existing in their universe, but suddenly homophobia just magically doesn't exist and it's okay for two women of color to smooch in public? Systemic bigotry is connected. If sexism exists, then surely a sapphic couple would be a little worried about how they're perceived in this world.

It's more than fair to criticize CC's selective nature in depicting what kind of bigotry exists in their world. Classicism is discussed but they don't talk about how that intersects with race (by whitewashing Firebug), Hollywood beauty privilege exists but not how that intersects with race AND gender (ignoring Miss Francis as a WOC in tinsel town), police corruption and brutality is a thing but we're not going to talk about how the police violently target and oppress queer and people of color (especially Black people)- in fact! We'll just make the cops queer women of color. What a diversity win. At what point is this just erasure?

[floralcyanide]

⊱ 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑦 𝐺𝑜𝑙𝑑 ― 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑠 𝑆𝑛𝑜𝑤 ⊰

[ ᴀ ʜᴜɴɢᴇʀ ɢᴀᴍᴇs ᴀʟᴛᴇʀɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀsᴇ ғᴀɴғɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ]

1960s ᴜs ᴘʀᴇsɪᴅᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ᴄᴀɴᴅɪᴅᴀᴛᴇ!ᴄᴏʀɪᴏʟᴀɴᴜs sɴᴏᴡ x ғᴇᴍ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝘵𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑥 (ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝘰𝑛𝑠): 𝑖𝑛𝘵𝘰 𝘵ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘

౨ৎ 18+ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀs ᴏɴʟʏ !

⊹ summary: the years following you and Coriolanus’ wedding.

⊹ pairing: young!coriolanus snow / fem!reader

⊹ warnings: major character death, mentions of death, mentions of illness, assassination, violence, rioting, mentions of pregnancy, grief

⊹ word count: 1264

⊹ author’s note: I PROMISE I WROTE THIS BEFORE THE EVENTS OF YESTERDAY LOL. (the assassination attempt against trump) I noticed the other day it had been longer than I had thought that I had updated this fic. and I've only just gotten around to feeling like writing. but it's coincidental, I swear; this has been in the plot document for this fic for a while. I hope everyone enjoys this update and I'm sorry in advance lol

౨ৎ divider credit: @cafekitsune

౨ৎ sᴇʀɪᴇs ᴛᴀɢʟɪsᴛ | sᴇʀɪᴇs sᴏᴜɴᴅᴛʀᴀᴄᴋ | sᴇʀɪᴇs ᴍᴀsᴛᴇʀʟɪsᴛ

౨ৎ this fic has been cross posted to ao3.

ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏᴘʏ, ʀᴇᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴇ, ᴏʀ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜʀs ᴏɴ ᴛᴜᴍʙʟʀ, ᴀᴏ3, ᴡᴀᴛᴛᴘᴀᴅ, ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏ ᴡᴇʙsɪᴛᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴘᴇʀᴍɪssɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴜsᴇ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋs ɪɴ ᴀɪ ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀᴛᴏʀs ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀʀᴛɪғɪᴄɪᴀʟ ɪɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀʏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴜsᴇ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋs ᴛᴏ sᴇʟʟ ғᴏʀ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛɪᴏɴ.

❝Let us not emphasize all on which we differ but all we have in common. Let us consider not what we fear separately but what we share together.❞ ― John F. Kennedy

✲ Being Coriolanus’ wife meant meeting a lot of people very quickly, including none other than Martin Luther King Jr. He and the Kennedys have worked closely together during Jack’s presidency, and since Coriolanus was leading the polls, the man decided it was time to meet the striking blonde politician to discuss some things.

✲ You and MLK Jr.’s wife, Coretta, chat at the dinner the Kings had set up while the two men wander off to talk privately. She asks you if you have thought about having children as of yet, and you sigh with a knowing smile, “We’ve been thinking about it.”

✲ It’s been a thing for the media and just about everyone to ask when you and Coriolanus were having kids. You felt pressure, but Coriolanus assured you that you could wait until you were ready. 

✲ The day after your dinner with the Kings, the names of the women who are the face of the Women’s Revolution are splattered across news outlets everywhere due to their march in Washington. Katniss Everdeen and Lucy Gray Baird Lead America’s Women!

✲ Coriolanus is bombarded with questions everywhere he’s seen. But he says to wait until the debate for any further comments about the matter. You worry about the escalation of the movement but decide to keep to yourself about it. Even though you’re nearly finished with your higher education, you’re still a woman, so your opinion doesn’t matter much politically at the moment. 

✲ The debate comes and goes, with Coriolanus still leading the polls. It seems this election is secured for him so far. However, some of the major events happening right now are bothering him, so he decides to pay Jack a visit in the White House, you tagging along, of course. Coriolanus asks him how he managed to make decisions during the Bay of Pigs invasion and during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

✲ “There are going to be difficult times, Coriolanus. But don’t let it scare you. In fact, let it inspire you to work harder to make a change.” 

✲ Coriolanus is more sure of himself after that. November comes around, and to no one’s surprise, Coriolanus wins the 1964 Election by a large margin, with Sejanus Plinth as his Vice President. 

✲ The first year is hard, but it is for every president. You eventually finish your research on Jack and present your work, earning your hard-earned diploma. You are now a doctor in political science. Everyone is extremely proud, including your fellow Americans. They beg the question of what you’re to do with your accomplishments if women don’t have the same opportunities as men. To which you answer, “We shall figure that out soon.” You are certain Coriolanus will go through with his promises.

✲ 1966 comes around the corner almost menacingly. Tensions are high- riots break out in the streets over economic trouble, and women are growing tired of the poor treatment of their employers. Bobby and MLK Jr. seem to fuel the fire when they speak out against the violence in the streets, saying there’s a better way to get the point across. 

✲ Jack falls ill and ends up in the hospital in late February. Coriolanus puts meetings and speeches on hold, clearing the entire week out of duties to visit Jack. You are by his side as he watches his best friend suffer. The family comes back together to take care of Jack. You try your best to console Jackie as she’s beside herself with worry. 

✲ “I don’t think he’s going to pull out of this one, darling,” Jackie frowns, “He isn’t young and isn’t able to bounce back like he used to. I’m afraid this is it.” You assure Jackie her husband will be fine, but you aren’t so sure. The pneumonia doesn’t seem to be resolving itself.

✲ A week after Jack is admitted to the hospital, he dies. Coriolanus and Bobby are on one side of his bed, Jackie and the kids on the other as Jack takes his last breath. You hold yourself together as long as possible until you and Coriolanus eventually return to the White House. When you settle in your room for privacy, you lose it. You burst into tears as you picked up and tossed anything readily available next to you across the room. 

✲ Coriolanus pulls you into his arms, trying to calm you to the best of his ability. Both of you cry together over losing a friend. A friend who happened to bring the two of you together in life and love. 

✲ More tragedy strikes the family. Bobby holds a convention to speak out in favor of women’s rights, but only under one condition- that the rioting stops. This angers many, causing a fight to break out and eventually, shots are fired. One was aimed directly at Bobby’s head. He doesn’t survive.

✲ You knew Bobby’s wife, Ethel, very well, and you and Jackie are there for her in her time of need. The Kennedy family is in shambles at this point. Everyone seems to think that the women from the movement are responsible for assassinating Bobby, but no one has proof. It isn’t until August that someone is held responsible.

✲ Martin Luther King Jr. Shot in Memphis is across every headline around the world. Yet another significant figure is brought down. Yet another friend is murdered. Yet another wife is to be consoled by other women who have been in her shoes, losing a husband suddenly. You aren’t sure what to think anymore.

✲ The radical members of the Women’s Revolution refuse to take sole responsibility for the assassinations, but some are arrested for conspiracy anyway. Many suspect Katniss Everdeen or Lucy Gray Baird as the masterminds of the plots.

✲ With the darkness of the world growing as each day passes, you don’t realize you’ve missed your period. When you do, you figure it’s from the stress of losing dear friends. But Coriolanus urges you to go to the doctor anyway.

✲ In December 1966, you find out you are pregnant. You decide, no matter the gender, their name is to be Kennedy, after your dear friends you’ve lost.

✲ The First Lady being pregnant is a beacon of hope for the nation in its darkest hour. Everyone waits patiently for you to start showing and to find out what gender the baby is. 

✲ Coriolanus decides to be bold and requests to do a motorcade through D.C. to lift the spirits of the people. The Secret Service is weary but obliged to Coriolanus’ wishes. 

✲ When in the motorcade, you clutch Coriolanus’ hand nervously. “Go on, sweetheart,” Coriolanus mumbles in your ear, “Wave to the people. They love it, they love you.” You stare at your husband for a moment in absolute awe as he basks in the glow of attention from the crowd. He effortlessly smiles, his eyes twinkling in unbridled pride- a rare emotion you see from him. Sure, he has his moments of pride, but not like this. The last time he looked this happy was the day he married you. 

✲ It’s been hard for Coriolanus, you’ve noticed. Juggling the presidency while losing those close to him. But you think today has helped more than you possibly could have, especially since you’ve been grieving, too.