#its at 733 notes

[w1tchcr4ftt]

Im making the executive decision that if on some odd chance my one wallmark post from january gets 1k notes before the end of this year ill do something special for it

I have no clue what

but ill take suggestions

[toastnpretzels]

home

relationships: crosshair x reader

masterlist

word count: 733

warnings: angsty, fluff, there's an unexplained relationship between the reader and crosshair, kinda left it up to interpretation whether you think they were together before or if it was just them having feelings for each other.

season 3 episode 4 spoilers

author's note: i have not posted a fic in so long. ive been so busy but that doesnt matter. the new episode had me feeling some type of way so here you go. its kinda short but i didnt want to expand without seeing hunter and wrecker's reaction to crosshair being back.

thank you for any support whether its likes, reblogs, or comments <3

“I had help.”

The last few months had been terrible. From losing Tech and then losing Omega to the empire. Spending everyday looking for her with no success. Nothing was ok. All of us were miserable. Our family was being torn apart and there was nothing we could do about it. It couldn’t have gotten any worse.

Getting the comm from Omega was one of the best things to ever happen to us, but seeing her running down from the ship was even better. Embracing her, knowing she was safe, felt better than anything had. Things were starting to feel right again. All it took was one hug from Omega.

But then he walked off the cargo ship and everything in my body froze. He looked so different. He had been gone for so long that I thought the feelings had disappeared. Seeing him there, I knew they never were.

I forgot what it was like to be near him. I forgot how my heart sped up and how my head felt dizzy. I forgot how he smelled and how warm he was. I forgot how much I loved him.

-

After Kaller, nothing was ever the same. He wasn’t the same. The chip had changed him. The Empire had changed him.

He let us go on Kamino. The same day you had told him you loved him. On the platform before we left, with tears in my eyes. I told him I loved him.

“You shouldn’t.”

“Crosshair, please,” you whispered. He could hear the way your voice was breaking. You couldn’t lose him again.

When he didn’t say anything, you turned to walk away. Typical Crosshair to not say anything. He grabbed your wrist as you started walking.

“I love you.”

You stared at him. Your tears threatened to spill out from his confession.

“But I can’t come with you. You deserve better. This is where I want to be. With the Empire.”

I should have dragged him to the ship. I should have done more. But what more could you do when he didn’t want to be there. He wanted to be with the Empire.

Why couldn’t he have just came with you that day?

-

No one moved. Everyone was just as shocked to see him. No one knew what he was going to do, how he was going to react. He had tried to kill us before, but he had also let us go. No one trusted him anymore. You chose to remember how he had let us go.

You were the first one to move. Slowly, I stepped out from behind Wrecker. Every step I took towards him was filled with anxiety. It had been too long.

He doesn’t want to see me.

Is he still him?

Why did he come then?

Why would he still be here if he didn’t want to be?

You stopped a few feet in front of him. I could see how tired he looked from where I was standing. I couldn’t stand seeing him like this. It hurt so much. He had been through so much since Kamino.

What did they do to him?

I couldn’t stand there anymore. I ran the few feet that were left in between us. I wasn’t sure if he would push me away. As I got close to him, I fell right into his arms. I didn’t realize just how much I had missed him until this moment. He wrapped his arms around me in the tightest embrace I’ve ever had. It had been too long since I had felt him. He was safe. He was here.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered after a few minutes, so quietly that you barely heard it.

I looked up at him. He had tears that were threatening to spill over. Your heart broke at the look on his face.

“Shh. Not now. Just let me hold you.”

You stood there for what felt like an eternity just holding each other. Quiet tears were spiling from both of your eyes.

“I love you,” he whispered into your hair. His arms tightened around you again, as if he was afraid you would disappear.

It would be hard to forgive. Hard for everyone, not just you. So much had happened. But for now, all that mattered was that him and Omega were safe. Omega was home. Crosshair was home.

“I love you too.”

[camywamycam]

bringing the Marauders to their first muggle party HCs

733 words

Sirius

He's used to parties but not muggle parties. he was never exposed to any muggle activities due to his parents the only related muggle thing he was able to sneak by was music and he nearly got away with it most wizarding world parties are laid back and the most insane it will get is jumping around to muggle music and drinking fire whiskey. the whole reason you brought him was that one night he and the rest of the marauders planned this little party and you were all like "this is a cute little get together" and he was like no this is a super awesome rad insane party wym?? and after you tell him about muggle parties he basically BEGS you to bring him to one when he walks in and sees muggles taking all sorts of drugs and doing stupid shit he just stands there like :0 DO NOT leave him unattended because he WILL try any drugs he sees people doing and WILL green out. he is in his moment fr he sees a Keg stand and he just HAS to try it by the end of the night he's on another planet all over you but in an existential crisis sort of way "what if when we're old and married and you die first? I would never be able to go on but when you think about it we are just tiny little specks in the galaxy almost too small to see....." he's going around bragging about going to a muggle party to everyone the next day.

James

he like Sirius isn't used to muggle customs since he grew up in a pure-blooded family you show him your muggle camera and all the videos on it and the two of you find one with you and your friends at a muggle rave he's all like WHOAHHH :0 he's never seen anything so colorful and aggressive at the same time you bring him to one in the summer and someone offers him acid he 100% takes it being the naive baby he is you lost him so you were freaking out looking for him only to find him with a group of ppl doing the dumbest shit ever and hes like "whoah can I try?? :0" and they're like shooting fireworks at people he CAN NOT be trusted alone when you leave he's carrying 80 glow-sticks that he didn't bring and wearing a neon fedora he tells Sirius and now he's begging you to take him to one the next day he's telling everyone he knows he never thought muggles could be so fun

Remus

you invited him to your friend's party during the summer and he thought it would be like the ones in his common room and boy was he wrong... you get him to try weed and he's never been so relaxed in his life you make a note to bring some for full moons he tries muggle alcohol and he looks like a baby trying a lemon for the first time you quite literally have to beat off both women and men of him with a stick he somehow finds a group of nerds to talk to about muggle books but its 10x more entertaining because their all high out of their minds you trust him enough to leave him for 60 seconds to go to the bathroom and you find him sitting on the kitchen floor eating a cold once was warm baked potato?? also his socks are missing but he still has his shoes on? this just reminds you he's just as irresponsible as the rest of the boys hes just slightly smarter about his stupid actions high Remus is INSANE he's hanging from a chandelier one moment and skinny-dipping into a pool the next you HAVE to bring a camera so you can show him all the crazy out-of-character shit he did he has the worst headache ever in the morning but he had the best sleep ever you ended up going up to your friend's room and crashing there but he wakes up naked in the backyard covered in peanut butter for some reason he's so embarrassed even more so when you show the videos/photos from the party the next day to James and Sirius they start calling peanut butter sandwiches peanut-butter-Mooneys or peanut-butter-lupin sandwiches he is not amused at all

[takeyourcyanide]

That Which Destroys You, You Adore

AO3

Content Warning(s): Blood, Gore, Violence, (Technically Unethical) Human Experimentation, Mentions of Cannibalism, Vomiting

Fandom: Soul Eater

Character(s): Franken Stein, Spirit Albarn

Tags: Blood & Gore, Blood & Violence, Blood & Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Aftermath of Violence, Science Experiments, Human Experimentation, Mentions of Cannibalism, Sharing a Bed, Hurt/Comfort, Addiction, Sickfic, Nausea, Vomiting

Word Count: 3 733

Summary: Stein experiments on Spirit whilst he’s asleep, which leads to a very nauseous and ill Spirit.

Note(s): Here’s something in between chapters. I’m working on two age regression fics, too. People, at least on ao3, seem to be enjoying those just as I am, so fun.

Disintegration was far from easy to bear witness to; similarly to taking a lawn chair out to helplessly watch as every last bit of the supposedly stable world you knew is blown to smithereens, only rubble, ashes, and fire remaining - burning every last bit of whatever green is still visible into a cloudy, black nothingness, for that is all you are able to do.

But refuge could be found simultaneously within the madness, within the harrowing, yet captivating static.

It could be found within the maddeningly pleasurable sadism you tried your best to force into latency, within the pleasant curiosity - both the sadism and scientific inquiry intermingling and joining as one, bringing about a thrill with them, becoming a delectable cocktail of pure, and unbridled, fervent pleasure like no other.

Exacting what they consider violence on others was exhilarating; though for him it was not about the fact that it was barbaric or homicidal. He was merely interested in anatomy, in souls, in what lies beneath the surface. An inability to view others as thinking and feeling agents certainly helped, along with the enjoyment he found in the fear and utter trepidation in people’s eyes - for it was simply so incredibly fascinating to observe. It is as though they revert back into small children, pleading for mercy, and pleading for their parents; predator and prey, the cycle of life.

And he’d always experience the seething desire to find out how and why.

::::———::::———::::———::::———::::

The clock ticked on endlessly, the noise reverberating throughout the unnerving and breathing walls, reading ‘02:46.’ And it had been well over a week since Stein had last dissected an animal.

He trudged from out of the whispering shadows of his bedroom, through the threatening and chilling air of the corridor, utensils in hand, clinking gently together.

His frigid hand interacted with the frigid knob of Spirit’s door, an entranced and thrilled grin contorting his chapped lips, as he removed, or ,rather, opened the border between him and his favorite test subject.

Stein had often described people and their fleshy outermost layers as being something like wrapping paper, their insides and what lies at the bottom of the iceberg to be the gift within the gift box. Though you may keep the pretty wrapping paper until it’s no longer useful to you and throw it away, ultimately, that was much more of an adult thing to do. Even if he had himself utilized others to his advantage. And it was in moments like these where Franken felt the most immature, only after his own hedonistic desires, little care for anything else. He never once had any real interest in the wrapping paper covering the box. He may admire its beauty, and even find it to be rather fascinating, but at the end of the day, he’d always mercilessly rip it to shreds to get to the goodies on the inside; what he truly wanted.

And Spirit’s innards, the very recesses of his soul were what intrigued him the most. He wanted to know what the soul of such an interesting individual was precisely made of, what all his body was made of - even despite his extensive knowledge of the average human body. But how different was a weapon’s body from that of a regular human’s?

Truly, viewing photos and diagrams for the sake of studying and getting up close and personal with fluid-covered and eye-catching organs were two entirely separate things.

Stein made short and hushed steps closer towards the weapon, of whom had the idiotic tendency to sleep with his shirt off, which was only idiotic because he lived with a certain opportunistic meister.

As more and more of the redhead came into view, he could see how disheveled and sprawled out both his long hair was, and his body happened to be, the comforter only covering his thighs and a small portion of his abdomen, on which was already a few leisurely healing scars scattered about; products of the meister’s previous endeavors.

His grin grew into a disturbingly wide and manic smile as he beamed at the sight before him, his weapon-partner’s pale skin absolutely littered in markings. The sight was almost too much to bear…… Surely blood would be even more stunning on the male subject’s complexion.

He placed his utensils neatly upon the steel medical tray had he brought along with him, which he put on the bedside table, of which was only occupied by a lamp and a compact clock. He ensured that they each made little noise, taking precautions, despite his scythe being quite the deep sleeper.

As the final scalpel had been lied down onto the reflective and shining surface, Albarn’s fingers twitched, his head turning to the side, his lips pursing as a soft groan escaped him.

‘Perhaps he is having a distressing dream,’ Stein pondered to himself, tilting his own head curiously to the side like a quizzical mutt. His own life was one big distressing dream - torturous, even. Thus, he more than certainly could understand the need to audibly make that known, whether in the form of words or not.

Franken retrieved the latex gloves that had been impatiently awaiting his impending usage of them, tugging them roughly, yet carefully over his fingers, spreading his digits outwards, fitting the gloves over his palms. And with a sense of precision, and a sense of elation, he grabbed the appropriate scalpel, handling it with a tenderness he hadn’t the capacity for when it came to any other existing object or creature. He brought the blade down to the plush, vulnerable flesh of Spirit’s abdominal cavity, applying pressure as he drug it through the lengthy organ, blood beading up from the cut, slow and methodical.

A giggle bubbled up in his throat, on the cusp of his tongue, fully prepared to burst with the slightest of movements. Stein was left desperately trying to suppress the euphoric feeling from escaping from the confines of his skull, focusing instead on ensuring that the moaning scythe not awaken.

The ginger’s hand rose by a slight margin, falling over his face with a noiseless slap, as Stein revealed the blanket of subcutaneous fat and abdominal muscles beneath the sheets of flesh.

The meister’s eyes widened to an unprecedented size, marveling at a sight he’d seen a dozen times.

It never became any less awe-inspiring.

He took a rag, dabbing at the rushing blood, as he grabbed a syringe, entirely unsure of what wonder he wanted to perform first.

Allowing for the middle of Spirit’s abdomen to hang open, Franken placed the needle into a bottle of liquid iodine that he had been planning on using for quite the long while, filling the barrel with the halogen.

He smacked the aforementioned barrel with his fingertips, making certain he wouldn’t be injecting air into his partner’s veins.

Stein brought the needle down, on level with the arm that was simply lying straight upon the sheets, maneuvering the male’s fingers in such a way that he could forcefully form a fist.

A blue vein made itself known, as the meister lowered the needle further, shoving the foreign body into the unwilling skin. A bit of blood poured around the sharp injector, as he thumbed down the plunger, injecting just enough iodine to lead to mild poisoning, but not enough to be lethal, not enough to need an emergency room visit over, curious at to what might happen.

He padded the area with square, fuzzy gauze, allowing it to simply sit there and soak up any blood that dared to spill from the near-microscopic hole left by the needle, shushing the mildly writhing Spirit, whilst moving back to the enchanting incision he had made only moments prior.

He picked the bloodied scalpel up from off of his peacefully dreaming chest, his movements languid, as he scanned every picturesque feature on Spirit’s face. The weapon truly was rather beautiful, at least in Stein’s eyes. And that only made him want to rip him gracefully limb from limb even more so. Perhaps he’d keep his head in a large sort of jar, and he’d fill it with formaldehyde so his beauty could be preserved much longer. Perhaps he’d consume his nutrient-dense liver, allowing his beauty to spread throughout his gastrointestinal system, to be filtered by his own liver… He never had much interest in practicing cannibalism, however… Other than purely scientific.

The scythe’s eyelids were still delicately shut, both of his long sets of eyelashes almost cuddling with one another.

He and Marie were the most fascinating subjects he’s ever been in possession of; two picturesque, scientific wonders of his. It was almost too good to be true.

Stein took his scalpel, placing the blade at the very top of the incision, dragging further upward, the slice extending through Albarn’s thoracic cavity.

The crimson liquid rolled from the blade down to the handle, and off onto his subject’s already dirtied skin, as Franken raised his hand from the male’s form. He placed the tool down onto the tray, taking a moment to admire the buttery yellow, and the reddish striated patterns before his eyes, and just how mesmerizing they were.

He, then, proceeded to take a moment to sigh, a little disappointed he couldn’t take it further to the level of a full on dissection, forced to control and withhold his inexplicable desire, because that technically wasn’t today’s experiment, and he was out of any proper anesthetic that would leave his partner knocked out for the process.

Stein fetched his nylon sutures, readying himself for the concurrent enjoyment and dissatisfaction that always came with sewing his partner back together again.

::::———::::———::::———::::———::::

The morning rays of the rising sun shone through the blinds of each and every window, dusting across Stein’s face.

He lay with an alert expression, eyes having been wide open since he finished with his little experiments, staring daggers into the crawling animals on the ceiling.

The sound of anxious pitter-pattering towards the bathroom caught his attention, as he shot upwards. The same individual those rushing footsteps belonged to began hurling, hacking up a mixture of hydrochloric acid and their own profuse amounts of saliva.

He knew who that ‘they’ was.

The trials had begun.

“Spirit?” He called out, having stepped out into the hallway inquiringly.

The weapon whimpered, Franken listening as he, ever the crybaby, choked on a sob.

“Don’ feel good,” he slurred, his fingers gripping the toilet bowl like a vice, his complexion impressively pallid, somehow even more so than Stein. The only color present in his visage being his vermillion-coated cheeks, of which stretched out to the very tips of his ears.

Stein kneeled beside the scythe, placing his hand upon his sweat-slick forehead, of which was scorchingly hot. Spirit nuzzled into his partner’s freezing touch, shakily whining.

“You have a fever.. Would you like me to get you some Zofran and water?” He offered. “I can get the thermometer, too..”

“Yeah… An’ some Advil. Why’re you bein’ so nice?” He questioned exasperatedly.

Because I am here to observe every single symptom you exhibit that I have bestowed upon you.

“I’m bored and I find illness fascinating,” Albarn rolled his overtired eyes, leaning into the crook of his arm to roughly cough.

“Yeah, that tracks… Thanks, anyway,” he sniveled. “C’n you call ‘n sick for me, too? I clearly can’t go to school like this.”

“Sure,” Stein agreed, exiting the bathroom to retrieve all of the necessary supplies, including his cellphone.

Spirit’s hushed mewls could be heard in the background as he conversed with the staff working in DWMA’s office, more acid being excreted from his churning stomach.

“Here, Spirit,” Stein held out an ondansetron tablet towards his weapon-partner after having finished with the call, placing a glass of water on the counter, ibuprofen beside it, holding the thermometer for himself.

Albarn graciously accepted the medicine, putting it beneath his nasty tongue, allowing it to dissolve into his bloodstream, attempting to ignore his pounding temples whilst it did as such.

He massaged circles into his skull, his countenance stuck in a permanent grimace, as the meister merely stood, watching him, observing him with pensive eyes.

He was underneath the inspecting lens of Stein’s microscope.

“Advil and water, please,” he held his hands out expectantly, Franken handing him the gel pill.

“Do you want me to help you with the water?” The ginger popped the Advil, awaiting the pleasantly cooling liquid.

“Why?”

He pointed towards the weapon’s hands. “You’re trembling.”

“Oh, yeah… Tremors,” a disappointed sigh racked his shuddering frame. “Fine, if I have to.”

Stein grabbed the glass from off of the marble, moving to sit beside his partner, as he slotted the edge of the cup in between his most likely bitter-tasting lips, tilting it upwards.

He obediently took sips, swallowing the pill, only to place both of his hands around the glass and, with assistance from male next to him, swig every last drop of water down his burning, scratchy throat.

“Ah,” he put his relief on display. “Thank you,” Stein stood, depositing the glass back onto the counter, as Spirit fussed, evidently seeking comfort from the same individual who had hardly heard of the concept. “I wanna go back to bed.”

“Let me check your temperature first,” Franken spoke in his typical monotone, sticking the thermometer into his ear, the beeping disturbing the both of them.

A part of Albarn found his meister’s voice to be the least soothing thing ever, a public display of his apathy. But another part of him found its gentle timbre to be relaxing, its steady, unchanging rhythm something he could easily fall asleep to.

“39 degrees,” Stein read aloud, Spirit groaning in response, as deliberately sitting it next to the emptied glass. “All right, let’s go… Here,” he lifted the scythe up by his armpits, shifting him and allowing him to lean against his form, Spirit’s head resting against the top of his own.

Franken pushed open Spirit’s bedroom door, assisting him with getting settled under the comforter, pulling the blanket all the way up to his collarbones.

The scythe winced, sucking in air through his gnashing teeth, moaning in pain.

“What is it?” Stein knowingly asked.

“I’ve b’n having, like.. not only inner stomach pain, but outward, if that makes sense. It’s like my skin… and even some of the deeper layers of my skin are really tender, an’ it hurts when I move in certain ways,” he deliriously elucidated. “An’ I don’ ev’n know how I ended up with this shirt on me. I could’ve sworn I’d fall’n asleep with my shirt off… Maybe I sleep walked? Or jus’, actually, forgot to take it off?”

Stein shrugged his shoulders, inching farther and farther away from Spirit - much too far for his liking.

“You’re not leaving are you?” Albarn rushed out, almost sounded panicked.

“Well, I wasn’t planning on it,” he slinked under the covers with his partner. “You actually want me to stay?

The redhead appeared almost bashful as he replied, his already vibrant cheeks becoming rosier. “Well, um… I don’ really like bein’ alone like this. I c’n hardly ev’n think, y’know?”

“Yeah, I get it,” he chuckled, making himself comfortable on the weapon’s awfully silky sheets.

“Oh! An’, uh… My right arm’s b’n a little sore, too… A li’le bruised.. ‘M starting to think I really am a sleep walker..”

“You’re ending up like me,” he jested with a smirk.

“I really am! I wake up with cuts an’ bruises an’ shit all the time, an’ I never know how I got ‘em! Like, huge scars, too! Kinda like you… I don’ know how you manage to wake up with new bruises all the time, but now I do, I guess,” he allowed for the weight of his eyelids to emerge victoriously as they fell, a particularly piteous and raspy cough beating its way from out of his oral cavity. “There was ev’n a little speck of blood on my sheets, I think, when I woke up.”

I suppose I got a little sloppy this time.

“Going to sleep?” Stein asked, suppressing a pleased grin as he imagined how the previously gaping hole in the male’s abdomen must look now.

“Thin’ so,” he murmured sleepily.

Humans were so adorable sometimes, along with fascinating. How could Spirit possibly fall asleep with an individual such as Stein merely right beside him? Franken often questioned whether or not he should even sleep in the same apartment as his weapon… And really in the presence of anyone, which only served to worsen his treacherous and horrid insomnia.. Though, perhaps that was a good thing. He knew the truth. Perhaps this was Spirit’s way of tricking him into believing that he was safe to sleep, and he’d exact his revenge on him come nightfall.

Whatever the case may be, the moment the scythe’s breaths steady to a certain point, and his wheezing ceases, he’d examine the infuriated scar that was clearly forming. He’d need to take the stitches out rather early and hope for the best… Or perhaps he could utilize a little ability he had been working on..

Albarn soon stopped moving entirely, though Franken still poked him a couple of times simply to make sure.

He soundlessly twisted himself out of the coziness of his partner’s comforter, tip-toeing over to where he tranquilly rested, pulling the covers down slowly and gently. The ginger whined a long complaint out in his sleep, but as soon as Stein began deliberately running fingers through his scalp, he returned to his former contented state.

How easy.

He found the hem of the male’s shirt, lifting it warily, as the owner writhed. The sight before him was a heavenly one; the cut was enraged, ruby red and pinkish, the stitches holding the skin together evidently against its will.

With ungloved hands, Stein pulled each and every section of the thread out conscientiously, a little bit of blood smearing on his fingertips.

The incision reopened - not to completion, but it could still most certainly be classified as having been open, as the mad meister took an attentive seat on the edge of the bed, just barely not touching the older boy’s legs.

He had been rigorously practicing it for a long while, practicing making sutures with his soul wavelength, and it had been going rather well, but he never once tested it on a breathing human subject, despite the passionate desire and impulse to do so. Thus, as he eyed the angry wound, he muttered as quietly as possible, “Soul thread sutures,” holding a focused hand above the injury, concentrating on his static-filled wavelength, as he heard the faint sound of skin being sewn together.

His soul-curated stitches were crafted in such a way as to not be visible to the naked eye, to anyone’s naked eye, not simply just so he could continue his non-consensual and delightfully unethical human experiments, but also so he could utilize them on the battlefield - leaving enemies sewn to the ground and unable to continue fighting, confused as to what has caused their sudden paralysis.

It was nearly flawless.

And as he opened his eyes, the incision was sutured perfectly together, the skin almost appearing as one again, if it weren’t for the long line going down the scythe’s middle. It, thankfully, just looked like a healing and irritated scar now.

With this, and hopefully with a shipment of proper anesthetics, he could, soon, proceed with a true dissection. Of course, he couldn’t detach his organs from the rest of his body, but he could definitely have a little look around, and analyze whatever differences and similarities exist between weapon-human bodies, and average human bodies. He could observe what this most engrossing and riveting scythe was made of.

Just the thought was enough to brighten his morning in a way no other thought or other thing could. He didn’t just want to dissect him and everything else, he needed to dissect him and everything else. There was nothing else that made him feel so… good. He might even give up cigarettes if it meant he could dissect all day, everyday…. If he could face no repercussions for his actions. Sure, the possible consequences add an obvious layer of thrill to the vivisections, but they were such godsends on their own, that they didn’t need that extra layer. He couldn’t care less whether there were consequences or not - dissection, both metaphorical and physical, and observation were all that mattered to the unhinged, maladjusted scientist - without it, what would he be? Who would he be? How would he be?

He bit into his lip, hard enough to draw a teensy bit of blood, as he tittered, pulling the weapon’s shirt back down, and tossing the covers back over him.

If he lost the ability to dissect, he’d lose everything. He owes his life to dissection, to the scientific method itself - it’s how he’s survive in a world not suited for the likes of him.

It was an addictive force.. It was his drug, besides the nicotine. It was his only shred of will to live. But what would become of him if he indulged in it too much, if he fell into it like an abyssal hole he failed to detect? What would become of him if he allowed himself to disintegrate, allowed it all to slip through his fingers? But it felt so wondrous…

It was the static that felt as gut-wrenching as a crucifixion. And surely he’d be crucified if he were to continue. But he had to. What else would he do? Dissection was his life, it was the oxygen he breathed, even the static had become a cruel mistress to him. Even if he was being destroyed, where would he go in the forest without that vintage radio? Without his scalpels?

But he could never put his steel blade down at the end of the day. Nor could he release his hold on the radio and allow himself to be taken away by those shouting endlessly into the waves of static, pleading for his return, or really, his first steps into their world.

Perhaps he’d just allow for the thievery of his soul. He’d observe, sitting in a lawn chair as everything and everyone crashed and burned.

After all, he could never learn to properly care.

<——————>

[isfjmel-phleg]

Ray Terrill Reading List

I don't think one of these already exists around here, so here it is! I read/skimmed 200+ comics in which Ray appears, made note of any relevant appearances (as opposed to cameos or extremely minor roles), and compiled them into a chronological list for your reference. Issues that I would consider essential reading (your opinion may differ!) are in bold; everything else I would consider optional.

Please note: the Rebirth version of Ray is different enough to be a completely separate character in a completely separate continuity, so I am not including any of that material on this particular list.

The Ray Vol. 1 #1-6 (the miniseries that introduces the character)

Black Condor #9-10 (notable as a glimpse of Ray's life between his intro and his joining the JLA, trying to adjust to the real world)

Justice League America #71 (Ray is recruited for the JLA)

Justice League America #73, 75-77 (Ray plays a very minor role in these and other early JLA appearances, but I'm including them and the ones below in case you want a sense of how that went)

Black Canary Vol. 2 #8 (Ray meets Dinah Lance, and there will be consequences later in his second solo series)

Justice League America #78-79, Annual #7, 80-83

Guy Gardner Vol. 1 #15

Bloodbath #1

Justice League America #84

Justice League Quarterly #13

Justice League America #85-88

Guy Gardner: Warrior #20

The Ray Vol. 2 #1-2 (beginning of his second solo series)

Justice League America #89

Justice League Task Force #13

Justice League International Vol. 2 #65

Justice League Task Force #14

Justice League Task Force #15

Justice League Quarterly #15 (featured as a main character in one story)

The Ray Vol. 2 #3-5, 0

Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 [numbered backward intentionally] (Ray doesn't play a huge role, but he makes a significant contribution, and this event has lasting consequences)

Justice League Task Force #0, 17-24 (from here on, Ray is a significant supporting character in this team book, and its stories will occasionally intersect with his solo)

The Ray Vol. 2 #6-12, Annual #1, 13

Damage Vol. 1 #14 (a team-up with Grant Emerson, whom he met at Zero Hour)

Justice League Task Force #26

The Ray Vol. 2 #14

Justice League Task Force #27

The Ray Vol. 2 #15-19

Justice League Task Force #29-30

Underworld Unleashed #2-3 (adds some extra context to the arc above)

Justice League Task Force #31-37

The Ray Vol. 2 #20-28

Final Night #1-3 (crossover event involving darkness, of course Ray's involved in a supporting capacity)

Green Lantern Plus #1 (team-up with Kyle Rayner, last glimpse into Ray's personal life as established in his solo)

Action Comics #733 (after Superman undergoes a change in his powers, he turns to Ray for advice)

JLA Vol. 1 #29-31 (Ray's former Task Force teammate Triumph is back and evil and uses mind-control on Ray and others in an attempt to take over the JLA)

Guide to the DC Universe Secret Files & Origins 2000 #1 (only notable because Ray turns up in a class that is mandatory for him to take to stay in good standing with the JLA after the mind-control incident)

JSA: Our Worlds at War #1 (doing his part as a JSA reservist during the Our Worlds at War event, first time working with the Freedom Fighters)

Young Justice Vol. 1 #41, 45-55 (is invited to join Young Justice and doesn't get to do much but does get actual characterization)

Adventures of Superman #614-616 (has only a very minor role here but it's useful as an explanation for what happened to him after Young Justice ends--he contracted a weird disease)

JSA Vol. 1 #49, 73 (established as a part of the Freedom Fighters along with Grant Emerson)

Infinite Crisis #1 (the Freedom Fighters are attacked and mostly killed, Ray is taken prisoner, he's present for the rest of this series but doesn't really do anything besides be imprisoned and later rescued)

52 #1 (only notable for Ray's being welcomed back by Black Canary and Green Arrow after his imprisonment, you can skip the rest)

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters Vol. 1 #7-8 (dramatically returns to confront someone posing as the Ray on a newly reformed version of his old team)

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters Vol. 2 #1-2, 4-8 (none of the Freedom Fighters series are good Ray content, especially this one, which features a poorly executed attempt to reconcile him and his father)

Final Crisis #4, 6 (I have no idea what's going on this series but we get Ray interacting with speedster children and looking oddly like his father)

Weird Western Tales #71 (Ray gets attacked by a Black Lantern during the Blackest Night event)

Freedom Fighters Vol. 2 #1-9 (Ray is...present, I guess? But he gets almost no characterization and not much interesting to do.)

[autonom-us-project]

Abortion Rights in Virginia 

In June 2022, the United States Supreme Court overturned the ruling of the landmark 1973 case Roe v. Wade, which had previously provided federal protections of the right to abortion.

With the responsibility of protecting the right to reproductive freedom left to the states, it can be difficult to keep track of all the constantly changing laws and regulations. To help, we’ve gathered the most important information on your state’s current laws, restrictions, and related details. Below is what you need to know about Virginia’s current abortion legislation.

*Please note, information on this website should not be used as legal advice or as a basis for medical decisions. Consult an attorney and/or a physician for your particular case.

Where does the law currently stand on abortion in the state of Virginia?

Abortion is currently legal but unprotected in the state of Virginia.

When did Virginia’s current abortion legislation go into effect?

The state of Virginia repealed its Pre-Roe v. Wade abortion ban back in 1975, and, since the overturning of Roe v Wade, has continued to legally allow abortion access up until the point of viability. 

For more information on your state’s abortion legislation, see our breakdowns of various abortion bans, restrictions, and protections in the U.S.

Are there any legal restrictions to abortion access in the state of Virginia?

Currently, there are no restrictions to abortion access up until the point of viability, or the point at which a fetus is likely to survive outside of the uterus, typically occurring at 24 weeks. 

Past this point, an abortion is allowed only when “continuation of the pregnancy is likely to result in the death of… or substantially and irremediably impair the mental or physical health of,” the pregnant individual, in which case this must be confirmed by three (3) physicians. 

The specifics can be read in Virginia Legal Code 18.2-74 

What protections are in place regarding abortion in the state of Virginia?

Reproductive Health Protection Act: While the state of Virginia does not legally protect the right to abortion, several medically unnecessary restrictions to abortion access were repealed in the 2020 Reproductive Health Protection Act. 

Medical Funding: Virginia passed a law in 2021 removing the restriction on state insurance covering abortion. 

The specifics can be read in the following Virginia Legal Codes SB 733, and SB 1276

I am pregnant in the state of Virginia and wish to terminate my pregnancy. What now?

If you believe your pregnancy meets the requirements for a legal abortion in your state, schedule an appointment with a trusted physician as soon as possible. If not, you will need to arrange an appointment at a clinic providing abortion services out of state. Make sure the state you choose allows abortions at the gestational age your pregnancy will reach by the appointment date.

If you need financial assistance to do this, there are existing funds to help cover both the procedure and travel costs. 

Abortion funds can assist with the medical cost of the abortion itself. Practical Support Organizations, (PSOs), can assist with other costs incurred seeking an out-of-state abortion such as travel, lodging, childcare, provider referrals, emotional support, and judicial bypass for minors, among other needs. Here are a few resources available to those seeking support in Virginia:

Access Reproductive Care- Southeast [Fund & PSO] – Provides support for those seeking an abortion from Virginia. Offers financial aid and support for abortion, lodging, and transit. Provides Spanish language support. See their website for more information. 

Blue Ridge Abortion Fund [Fund & PSO] – Provides support for those seeking an abortion from Virginia. Offers financial aid and support for abortion, lodging, and transit. Provides Spanish language support. See their website for more information. 

Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project [Fund & PSO] – Provides support for those seeking an abortion from Virginia. Offers financial aid and support for abortion, lodging, transit, clinic escorts, food assistance, and childcare assistance. Provides Spanish language support. See their website for more information. 

Whole Woman's Health- Abortion Wayfinder Program [Fund & PSO] – Provides support for those seeking an abortion from Virginia. Offers financial aid for abortion, lodging, and transit. See their website for more information. 

DMV Abortion Practical Support Network [PSO] – Provides support for those seeking an abortion from Virginia. Offers support for lodging, transit, clinic escorts, food assistance, emotional support, and childcare assistance. See their website for more information. 

DC Abortion Fund [Fund] – Provides support for those seeking an abortion from Virginia. Offers financial aid for abortion.  Provides Spanish language support. See their website for more information. 

National Abortion Hotline [Fund & PSO] – Provides support for those seeking an abortion Nationwide. Offers financial aid for abortion, transit, and provider referrals. Provides Spanish language support. See their website for more information. 

Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project [Fund] – Provides funding for those seeking an abortion Nationwide. Offers financial aid for abortion and emergency contraception (the morning-after pill). See their website for more information. 

Abortion Freedom Fund [Fund] – Provides funding for those seeking an abortion Nationwide. Offers financial aid for abortion. See their website for more information. 

Indigenous Women Rising [Fund] – Provides funding for Indigenous individuals Nationwide seeking an abortion. Offers financial aid for abortion. See their website for more information. 

Reprocare [PSO] – Provides support for those seeking an abortion Nationwide. Offers aid in the form of provider referrals, emotional support, language services, and abortion doula services. Provides Spanish language support. See their website for more information. 

The Brigid Alliance [PSO] – Provides support for those seeking an abortion Nationwide. Offers aid in the form of provider referrals, emotional support, language services, and abortion doula services. Provides Spanish language support. See their website for more information. 

Regardless of the legislation your state currently has in place, remember that safe and legal options are always available. The most important tool you can arm yourself with in these difficult times is knowledge, so stay informed about changes in legislation and policy where you live, and know that there are always resources available to help you through this ♥️

[rottingpath]

when i get home its all over for you when i unleash my 700 shig icons.

anyway! Reply with a number betwee. 1 - 733 and i'll write a starter based on the icon chosen

note: some icons are of tenko — so do be aware you might end up having to deal with a smol.

[ascalonsmercy]

9/02: BARK.

noun: to make the characteristic short loud cry of a dog. 

rating: g

characters: donatien de dansereau, archombadin de dzemael, douceline de dansereau (mentioned)

tags: post-heavensward, character study, chomby pays a visit and finds donny instead of dou (unfortunate)

summary: an unexpected social call. 

wordcount: 733

The end was sure to come for anyone—or anything—that would part Donatien de Dansereau from a good night’s sleep. Regardless of how many bells had passed since he laid head to rest the night before, the lordling was wont to spend as long as he could in the comfort of his bed and the several layers of furs and sheets that practically cocooned him through the cold Coerthan night. He had finally received respite from his work at the offices housed in the Tribunal—albeit a forced one—and since he and his peers were unsure of when their duties would resume with even a modicum of what they once knew it to be, he was sure to make the most of his free time doing as he pleased. 

The hounds of Cygne Cross thought otherwise.

He groaned and bent his ample pillow over his ears. Jean-Luc led the charge with a bark that outdid his underlings tenfold and the others—the rumbling growl from Aubergine and the short but rapid-fire yapping from Nougat. Something—or someone—had stirred them awake.

Not long after came the hurried feet of the House Steward accompanied by what Donatien assumed to be two of the servants. 

His lips pressed thin for one, two seconds before he swept the sheets and furs off of him, braving the cold floor with his bare feet. Maybe ‘gonde had brought a new pet home and the rest of the household had come to bid it welcome—or Dou had brought home a dragon, and their hounds were simply doing as hounds in every Fury-fearing house was wont to do. Even then, old habits were hard to break—and seeing as none of his siblings had come to properly greet their guest, he ought to share in some modicum of responsibility with their mother still indisposed.

In naught but his sleep clothes and deep-blue robe he peered down at the staircase with its subtle-spiral, noting the wag of tails and the flurry of newly-brushed fur at the entryway as the figures by the door became clearer as he took one, two, three steps down. Almost halfway down the staircase and Donatien found his earlier assumptions by ear correct—all but the snowy-haired Elezen 

Donatien smiled. His morning was saved after all.

“Lord Dzemael! What brings you here so early on this fine day?” Few would know the delight in seeing a scion of House Dzemael taken aback like a cornered rabbit. And Donatien would enjoy it in full.

“...I wanted to.” He cleared his throat. 

“Congratulate the Lady Douceline—”

“I’m afraid there’s a bit of a queue.” Donny grinned.

“Though I would hate to put you through such efforts for nothing. Care for some tea, perhaps?” At the word Thibault turned to have the refreshments made ready—perhaps a bit too quickly for their guest’s liking. The hounds aside—there was only him and the youngest Dansereau at the base of the staircase, and no dear Douceline in sight. Archombadin knew there was no winning to this situation. He was in a home not his own, after all—the only slim advantage he held was that the Dzemaels ranked higher as counts rather than the baronial Dansereaus. But, as all of Ishgard knew—the status quo had changed so swiftly after certain events—and the validity of their so-called ranks were now called to question. Also, Douceline would no longer be a mere lady of House Dansereau—she had now been dubbed the Savior of Ishgard. Much more was now at stake for an otherwise spare heir, even from one of the Four High Houses—a fact that Donatien relished. “Tea would be lovely. Thank you.” The welcomed guest cleared his throat as he acquiesced, still unable to look directly at his host For better or for worse—these last days had been an exercise in learning to swallow his pride.

“Shall we, then?” Donatien extended his hand, his mood soaring to new heights. He hadn’t bothered to change out of his sleep clothes and robe and now he had no intention to. Archombadin had entered his house, high-necked overcoat and buttoned boots and all—and Donatien would appear as effortlessly comfortable in his own environment. Once in a while the petty power games so prevalent in the Pillars were fun to play—especially if he held the higher ground. 

With a subtle nod, Archombadin followed the younger man suit, with the dogs eager and wanting at their heels.

[nxtmonster]

Win the Lotto Lottery

Lottery in Austria is zero until the second of July, 1985 when the Toto Lotto Arranging, not entirely set in stone to bring the Austrians into lottery. On July eleventh of the following year, the Austrian government gave the gift for the expressed organization to embrace the games thus the Austrian Lottery Toto Organization showed some signs of life.

The main games in the Austrian Lottery's set of experiences were the Modest Number Lottery, Letter Lottery, Number Lottery, Class Lottery and Game Toto. During that time of being dynamic then, the said organization restored its name into: Austrian Lotteries Organization m.b.H. furthermore, modern, it is similar name which conveys all Austrian Lottery games under its flag.

The new games offered today in the Austrian Lotto are: Toto, Joker, Bingo, ToiToiToi, Rubbellos, WINWINWIN; a portion of the old games are currently at play, for example, the Letter Lot and Class Lottery; and one of the most famous game in Austrian Lottery - the Austrian Lotto, would be the feature in this article.

It was on September 1986 that the game, Austria Lotto 6/45 was first presented. Draws for this game is on each wednesday and Sundays. This game works by allowing the player to choose a number mix of six numbers inside the scope of 1 to 45. In the event that the six numbers match to the drawn numbers, the big stake is, obviously, won. Then again, beside snatching the big stake, there are as yet four alternate approaches to winning in this game, for example, getting a match of 5,4,3, or 2 numbers out of the 6 number blend drawn. A player can manually choose their six-number blend, or - he/she can utilize the "QuickPick" choice which haphazardly chooses the numbers.

The odds of winning in the big stake prize of the Austria Lotto are one in 8.14 million. The odds of winning the subsequent award, for example matching five out of the 6 numbers and an unexpected number, are one 1.35 million. Winning the third award then, at that point, comes at one out of 34, 808, for matching 5 out of the 6 numbers. The odds of the fourth award close in at 1 out of 733, for matching four numbers and, surprisingly, a fifth award is in question with the odds of winning at one out of 45 - that is, matching 3 out of the 6 numbers as it were.

It is great to take note of that unlike before, were the Austria Lotto is simply open to its populace, these days; anybody from all areas of the planet can play in Austria Lotto. Winners of the Austria Lotto are paid through cash. Austria Lotto shares its revenue for the tasks and improvement exercises of Austria.

A few players that participate in Austria Lotto, with the desire for getting one of the greatest awards in question, go in to various techniques and stunts to, as it were, select the most conceivable number mix to happen. Techniques like odd-even match, high-low numbers, and gathering numbering are not new to Austria Lotto players. Then again however, the main most ideal way to win the big stake in the Austria Lotto is to embrace a demonstrated lottery system for each game. Commitment in following this system is additionally similarly vital to assist with putting the odds into one's favor.

[artdecosupernova-writing]

Fictober '19 Prompt No. 15 — "That's what I'm talking about!"

Category: Original WIP: WASTE Rating: T Timeline: after Guetry's supposedly failed mission, after he's implanted with Scotty, and before the main events of the book CW: minor blood mention Word Count: 733 Additional Notes: there's an oh moment in here I promise

***

PART II ➳ PART I

"What legally questionable task are you having me perform this time?"

Guetry swiftly disappeared into the unattended office and with a flourish, swiped the door locked behind him. "You think I'd let you take the fall for this one, Scotty?" He spared a vague glance around the room before settling on the terminal at the desk sat in the center. "No, no, this is a 'me' problem as of right now."

He strode over to the desk and to his pleasant surprise, the terminal reacted to his movements, though his pleasure was short-lived as it immediately switched over to a security program asking for identification.

Guetry sighed. "Well, five seconds in and I'm already fucked. Not in a way I can fondly look back on during later dry spells, either."

"I may be able to bypass this," Scotty said directly into his head. "You will have to give me permission to act."

"Right, do it. Just know this is gonna benefit everyone in the long run. I want you to know I'd never use you to harm anyone."

"…Noted," Scotty said curiously.

"Any cameras we need to worry about?" Guetry asked as the terminal logged itself into the system in tandem with a gentle pulse of violet haze at the edges of his vision. "Think you can work that out too?"

"There are none in this particular office, though there is one in that hallway. You will need to connect me via your port in order to access the building-wide security, and that course of action will have its risks."

Guetry took a steadying breath as he watched Scotty working through a wireless connection to bypass every failsafe this terminal had put in place. "Yeah, I kinda mentally prepped myself for that before I even left DeCosta's office."

"Is temporary anonymity worth the pain of activating your port and the consequences of going through with your plan?"

Guetry already had a hand near his right temple, pressing a finger into the triangular disc embedded in his skull. "Yep. I'll get over it." The port shoved itself through his skin, a small spurt of blood landing on the floor with a splat. "Shit," he grunted, a headache already rippling through his brain. "Remind me to clean that up before I leave…"

He swiped an appropriate cord from the back of the terminal and carefully aligned it with the port, wincing as he connected his head to the tech.

"I have reached the camera."

"Excellent," Guetry muttered. "You know what to do."

"Would you like me to access the Ursthsis as well?"

Eyes widening, Guetry ignored the throbbing in the entire right side of his face. "Wait…wait. That's the single most important allegiant battleship out there. Are you—do you know where it is?"

"It is unlikely I will determine its location without alerting all of the individuals on board, however, I should be able to get into its information database fairly undetected."

"Oh, do it, baby," Guetry grinned. He leaned over the terminal's keyboard and summoned a capture program with a few taps. "This is what we're here for."

He watched with growing mirth as thousands of lines of code began to filter into the window, scrolling up at impressive speeds, chunks of translated bits backed in highlighter yellow. The more text that flew by, the more difficult it became to contain his excitement.

"Scotty," he breathed. "That's what I'm talking about!"

"Never underestimate my processing power, Guetry."

"Wow, okay. Am I aroused by that? Probably. It's fine, no need to figure that out later."

Mere minutes later, the last of the code emptied into the capture program, and Guetry began the manual process of downloading the data into Scotty's memory banks.

"We ready to go?" he asked, poised to disconnect his port.

"Yes," Scotty said. "Clean your blood from the floor before you leave."

Guetry paused with his fingers around the plug against his head. He looked at the minor splatter of crimson on the shiny white floor and his heart began to pound hard within his chest. "Uh…right…yeah, I'm on it."

He disconnected and took a napkin from the trash can beside the desk to mop up the mishap, wiping down the cord to be extra safe.

"Here we go," he murmured, swiping the door unlocked before leaping to make a dramatic exit into the vent in the top corner of the room.

[zonie-az]

I posted 2,255 times in 2022

That's 733 more posts than 2021!

473 posts created (21%)

1,782 posts reblogged (79%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@greatinternetllama

@emlovesstates

@s-e-v-e-n-24

@zonie-az

@karate-adjacent

I tagged 618 of my posts in 2022

#welcome to the table - 178 posts

#welcome to the statehouse - 177 posts

#ben brainard - 177 posts

#the table - 175 posts

#wttt - 170 posts

#edmund rambles - 82 posts

#edmund does art - 48 posts

#ask from sade - 30 posts

#fluffy black cat - 27 posts

#arizona - 26 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#as someone who has used tumblr none stop for 7+ years ill let you know why the continuation in the tags is a thing and how its original use

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Florida is most definitely pushing people down for black Friday and fighting people. But then later gets up to the front and is like alright I didn't want any of this stuff I just wanted to fight people for it.

Loui is recording everything he actually is buying a few things. Cause he does need gifts for others.

New York does Cyber Monday cause then he doesn't have to deal with people.

47 notes - Posted November 25, 2022

#4

He looks like he getting close and half whispering it to you before he goes and does something bat shit crazy

65 notes - Posted December 5, 2022

#3

I was having a bad day yesterday. so have loui.

Gov can't read his chicken scratch and to be honest, loui can't fully read some of it himself. So he takes a longggggg drink when Gov asks about a part he doesn't know. I had to go to bed before I did to much detail on some stuff. but I think it turned out good.

68 notes - Posted May 7, 2022

#2

California

71 notes - Posted October 23, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

DC: how is everyone doing?

Florida: well am breathing

DC: setting the bar pretty low huh?

Loui: we it better then Cali

Cali [having a panic attack] honestly Fuck YOoU TwO

104 notes - Posted May 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[seraph-draws-stuff]

I posted 498 times in 2022

That's 436 more posts than 2021!

147 posts created (30%)

351 posts reblogged (70%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@seraph-draws-stuff

@cheezylueezy

@iolite-moodboards

@starchaser-the-prophet

@buc-eebarnes

I tagged 496 of my posts in 2022

#reblog - 300 posts

#art - 168 posts

#seraph draws stuff - 96 posts

#digital art - 90 posts

#seraph says stuff - 87 posts

#rb - 69 posts

#markiplier - 63 posts

#iswm - 61 posts

#fanart - 50 posts

#self reblog - 36 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#when he had his arms out and was repeatedly asking for instruction clarification while staring off into the distance i felt that in my bones

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

he says, holding an iced caramel macchiato 

733 notes - Posted September 10, 2022

#4

yeah

773 notes - Posted October 22, 2022

#3

you lunatics actually did it

1,455 notes - Posted October 19, 2022

#2

three thoughts on the mario teaser

1: jack black is amazing and can do no wrong when playing any character

2: we were robbed of having more than 2 seconds of luigi

3: WHY does mario look and sound like that its so weird and wrong

1,592 notes - Posted October 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

lmao what if the turtleneck engineer mark wears is actually sleeveless

4,718 notes - Posted September 27, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[hero-israel]

Nearly every point in this post by @historicity-was-already-taken is either something I agree with or something I understand a person acting in good faith from a place of support for the Jewish community could agree with. But there are two issues here that do need to be interrogated. They don't take up a lot of space here, but I suspect most of the people reading this thread see them come up often in other discussions.

Members of the Ethiopian Jewish community were forcibly sterilized

No one was sterilized. No Ethiopian Jewish women ever claimed it. This story is about administering a temporary and reversible contraceptive, Depo-Provera. A full decade after the story broke, there has been no real scholarship on how widespread these injections were, how many women got them, and who gave the order. When the Israeli health minister said "Do not renew D-P prescriptions unless you are sure of informed consent," practically the entire media treated this as a "confession" or "admission" of trying to suppress the Ethiopian birth rate, which is plainly is not. Haaretz later reported that the prevalence of D-P shots among that community had started rising after 2008 (a full 17 years after their main arrival in Israel), then plummeted in 2013 among women who had already been requesting contraceptives. In 2016, the Journal of Ethiopian Studies said the observed decline in Ethiopian Jewish birth rates in Israel was a result of better economic opportunity and personal family planning autonomy, not injections. As of 2017, it was still unclear "whether the injections were systematic or haphazard." One extremely critical review, fully endorsing the "confessed / admitted" frame, asserts "of 4,833 Israeli women given D-P shots, 57% were of Ethiopian origin" - meaning about 2,800 Ethiopian Jewish women from a population of about 80,000. That doesn't sound like a plan to me. A reasonable take-away is that working across a significant cultural and language barrier, doctors who could and should have been giving oral contraceptives or at least outlining multiple options instead leaned too uniformly on injections.

Hadassah actively stole the babies of Yemeni Jews, told the parents that their children were dead, and rehomed them to Ashkenazic couples. There were death certificates.

The Yemenite Children Affair is a story of callous disregard, opportunistic crime, and a lot of parents in denial. 1950s Israel was a chaotic war zone, taking in so many refugees that its population more than doubled in 5 years, with minimal infrastructure, most of the new arrivals in desert tent camps. As Tom Segev noted, that is the perfect circumstance both for widespread child mortality and for exploitation and trafficking (you see this in much more recent cases elsewhere). At the time Israel had no adoption laws, and Knesset members, doctors, and court officials were already publicly reporting cases of people just taking kids that didn't belong to them. Some of the case studies of the children who turned out to be improperly adopted are compelling and very disturbing. Other cases really do look like parents abandoning children, or earnest attempts at reuniting families that failed in the resettlement chaos (search "Varda Fuchs"). Repeatedly, you hear of Yemenite parents starting to suspect something was wrong when they received letters years later calling up their dead children for military service; but this undermines the notions of conspiracy / cover-up, as it would have been simpler to not send such letters. There have been 3 high-level investigations into the disappeared children. The first recorded 316 dead, 4 adopted, 22 unknown. The second investigated 505 cases, "most" dead, 65 unknown. The third: 733 dead, 59 unknown.

In the FAQ for one of the main groups taking a more kidnap / conspiracy / cover-up tone, they push back against a chaos explanation by asking why it didn't happen to Ashkenazi refugees too. But that's the whole point: the cultural chauvinism and racism of the Ashkenazim who ran everything in 1950s Israel meant that Ashkenazi refugees could get face-to-face meetings with understandable answers, while the Mizrahim - without political power, not speaking Yiddish or modern Hebrew, widely met as "just dirty Arabs" - could not. And the parents who don't get a clear resolution cling to the hope of them still being alive, as parents anywhere would (this American mom, her son kidnapped at gunpoint by a pedophile, says "he was alive to us" until they found the body 27 years later).

I have been banned from multiple Jewish Facebook groups for saying the above - been told the above was hasbara! - because the only version of history they will hear of is the massive international kidnapping ring that left no traces thanks to a flawless decades-long conspiracy, with hundreds of secretly-adopted Mizrahi kids of Ashkenazi parents who they don't look like still waiting to be discovered today.

I focus on these two issues because their most lurid, low-or-no-evidence variants come up constantly in discussions of how Israel is a white supremacist European country run by white people, whitely; they are used to handwave away the actual demographics of the country, who the majority of the inhabitants are, where they came from and why. We can admit unethical medical behavior, cultural chauvinism, and the awfulness of life in refugee camps, while also firmly grounding them as time-specific happenings that need to be subject to normal demands of evidentiary proof. We can also point out that Israeli treatment of Jews of color at its absolute worst was still less bad than being immediately murdered, which was the alternative at that time and which is preferred by the pro-Hamas, death-to-Israel crowd today. Israel gets away with a lot of shit because it can believably say, like an abusive partner, "You have nowhere to go, no one else will ever love you." For the Jews of MENA, there really aren't other fish in the sea. And I think that is very pertinent to the accusations that the original anon mentioned facing.

EDIT: I removed a comment about Benny Morris' position on ethnic cleansing in 1948, as his positions have proven to be more complex than I had remembered and it was becoming too long a distraction from my main points.

I am posting and responding to this ask anonymously as I don't want anyone harassing its sender. This has already been communicated with the person who sent the ask.

I just want to thank you for being a light in the darkness of anti-semitism, especially on this website. I have found I am on this site a lot less ever since it was made clear that other leftists here are more anti-semitic than we ever knew possible, using very specific wording of our own trauma against us (i.e. saying stuff like "colonialism", "genocide/ethnic cleansing", and calling JEWISH PEOPLE Nazis). It feels like, at best, they know Hamas ≠ All or even most Palestinians, but think that they think all JEWS = Bibi; and at worst, agree with Hamas and think of him as some sort of "freedom fighter". So, thank you from one leftist Jew to another, just trying to keep afloat here. ❤️

You are very welcome; it's certainly been overwhelming, and I'm glad this can be a safe space for you.

I do want to push back on some of this ask, though. Specifically in regard to terms such as "colonialism," "apartheid," "genocide," and "ethnic cleansing."

The use of these terms is not inherently anti-Semitic. For a lot of people, these terms are the best ones they have access to describe what they are seeing. I do think such terms as “colonialism” and “apartheid” are overly simple in regard to the last ~3000 years of Jewish history, and that they cast the situation into an alien historical context which dilutes and uncomplicates the all the historical realities at stake, but I truly do not think that all who use these terms do so to cause Jewish people pain.

Further complicating the picture is that terms like "colonialism" aren’t completely wrong. Modern Zionism arose in the context of mid-nineteenth century European large-scale movements towards nationalism (ie, the creation of nation-states) and away from the multi-national empire. Jews—a subject of anti-Semitism and fifth columnist suspicions within those emergent European nations—reacted to all this by joining the nationalism game.

What’s ironic, is that those European Jews who founded contemporary Zionism were reacting to the exclusion and racial hatred with which Gentile Europeans treated them, and then once they had some settlements in Palestine, they deployed similar variants of racial hatred at both the Palestinian Arab population, and Middle Eastern Jewry.

The existence of a distinct people and ethnic group in Palestine before the aliyot were not something the first generation of Zionists were concerned with. Because they were part of the same shitty, white supremacist, pro-imperialistic intellectual European tradition to which they were responding as victimized parties. As time went on and Zionist thought spread across Ashkenazic communities, we can see some variants. Some forms of far-left Zionism in twentieth century Poland, for example, actively built the presence and rights of Palestinian Arabs into their ideology, some of them actively stating that Zionism could not be a success if it necessitated transforming Palestinian Arabs into a group of secondhand citizens and a cheap source of labor in their own home.

Those leftist strands of Zionism tended to be Socialist/Communist in nature, and centered around the idea of life in Eretz Yisrael as one of a series of self-sufficient communes. Thus when the 1930s hit and things start to go bad, the Zionists we see fleeing to Palestine tended to be of the more centrist and far right variants. The left wing, socialist movements, already operating as a collective, had a membership uncomfortable with fleeing to safety while the rest remained behind.

And that same socialist/communal attitude, is why those variants of Zionist thought never made it into the Israeli political mainstream; most of their members and proponents were murdered in the Holocaust in part because they refused to leave their comrades behind. The General Zionists and Zionist Revisionists who rode out the years of the Holocaust in Palestine therefore already had access to the avenues of power which would become important in 1948, when the British Empire shrugged off its responsibilities towards the regions it colonized and destabilized.

Now, as for ethnic cleansing. I can’t sugar-coat this: that’s what the Naqba was. It was ethnic cleansing of Palestinian Arabs from their homes to make way for the Jewish State. The manipulative shit (but still somehow extremely prestigious) youth group I was in taught us that Arabs call it Naqba because they hate Jews and therefore existence of Jews in the Southern Levant was a tragedy, as was the fact that Hitler didn't finish the job.

That’s garbage: it’s called the Naqba because it was ethnic cleansing. And that's not the fault of the Holocaust survivors who made their way to Mandatory Palestine/Israel in the late 1940s--they lacked political power, and were often looked down upon by those who did; the Holocaust as part of Israeli National Mythology wasn't an immediate Thing.

If you spent your formative years around older Jewish folks of A Certain Generation, whose trauma has pretty much placed a permanent block on their ability to see some of what went down in 1948 for what it was, I can’t blame you for having that gut/cognitive dissonance reaction to the use of “ethnic cleansing” in the context of Israel and Palestine. I know those older folks. I loved them. They’re mostly gone now, and I miss them terribly. But their trauma-induced view of everything lives on in the ability of some younger Jews to properly name and understand what it is that happened in 1948.

It was ethnic cleansing.

Further, not only were Palestinian Arabs ethnically cleansed, but the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Jews who were forced by their governments to flee their homes of thousands of years and seek refuge in Israel throughout the second half of the twentieth century…the Western and Central European Jews in control of Israel and its institutions treated them like shit too. Hadassah actively stole the babies of Yemeni Jews, told the parents that their children were dead, and rehomed them to Ashkenazic couples. There were death certificates. Members of the Ethiopian Jewish community were forcibly sterilized, and their ongoing treatment by the State is racist and generally atrocious. And this analysis of the relationship between the Israel State, MENA Jewish populations, and different Ashkenazic groups in Israel is horribly short and overly simple.

As for genocide. I honestly don’t know. I do know many people, who are very much not Anti-Semites, who are calling what’s happening in Gaza right now genocide; many of these people are also Jewish. I know many others who refer to the experiences of Palestinians between 1948 and now as a slow genocide. Many of these people are also actively not anti-Semites, and many of them are Jewish.

So these terms, as uncomfortable as they may feel for people within the very specific Jewish generational background I believe we share, are not deployed as anti-Semitic weapons. Nazi comparisons? Yes. Swastikas superimposed over the Star of David? Yes. Very specific hook-nosed Jewish caricatures in relation to Israelis? Yes. Blood libel shit? Yes. These are all anti-Semitic, and are deployed to hurt and retraumatize Jewish people. But the rest are not nearly that simple.

And I didn’t learn this from like, Bad Evil Post-Modern Academics at Columbia University Who Hate Jews; I learned this from doing graduate-level work in the field of Modern Jewish History, and working in Jewish archives; this did not come from outside the building.

Now, as for Hamas as freedom fighters…that’s ignorant at best. Hamas’ charter clearly calls for the global destruction of the Jewish people [ETA: they edited this part out in 2017 for PR purposes], and their actions as rulers are horrifically, violently, homophobic, and seem to be more abut provoking Israel than they are about governing and protecting their people. But as you said, Hamas isn’t all Palestinians, and it’s also not all Palestinians who consider themselves freedom fighters. (A second reader of mine had the following commentary on this paragraph: "Might need a bit more complication around Hamas? I know that's not your area of expertise but it's worth mentioning that they were basically set up to undermine the PLO and what would become the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. You're right that they aren't representative of all Palestinian thought and resistance, and that they are on some fuck shit.")

So while I’m so glad that blog is a comfort to you, I encourage you to also take a step into some of your discomfort, and ask yourself where it comes from.

No one reading this post has my consent to use it to silence other Jewish people who are in different stages of their journey towards understanding how generational trauma has impacted their ability to grasp all of this. Further, if you choose to attack me for gently calling my people in, you're a piece of shit and I will be mean to you.

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] Some of the African nations are on the extreme ends of the GHI spectrum. | Photo: Bloomberg3 min read Last Updated : Oct 12 2024 | 6:55 PM IST The Global Hunger Index (GHI), a tool used by international humanitarian agencies to measure and track hunger levels with GHI scores based on under-nourishment and child mortality indicators across 127 countries, has ranked India 105th, which places it under the serious category of the analysis. The 2024 report, now in its 19th edition, is published this week by Irish humanitarian organisation Concern Worldwide and German aid agency Welthungerhilfe to highlight that hunger levels will remain high in many of the world's poorest countries for several decades in the absence of more progress in measures to tackle the issue. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp  India is among 42 countries that fall within the "serious" category, alongside Pakistan and Afghanistan, with other South Asian neighbours such as Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka showing better GHI scores to be listed under the moderate category. With a score of 27.3 in the 2024 Global Hunger Index, India has a level of hunger that is serious, reads the index entry. India's GHI Score is based on the values of four component indicators: 13.7 per cent of the population is undernourished, 35.5 per cent of children under five are stunted with 18.7 per cent of them being wasted, and 2.9 per cent of children die before their fifth birthday, the report notes. For the purpose of the index, undernourishment is defined as the share of the population with insufficient caloric intake, stunted as the share of children under age five who have low height for their age to reflect chronic undernutrition, wasting as the share of children under five who have low weight for their height due to acute undernutrition, and mortality refers to the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments. Based on the values of these four indicators, a GHI score is calculated for each country on a 100-point scale reflecting the severity of hunger, where 0 is the best possible score (no hunger) and 100 is the worst. Based on its analysis, the report concludes the chances of achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030 are looking very unlikely. Despite the international community's repeated emphasis on the importance of the right to adequate food, there remains a troubling disparity between the standards established and the reality that in many parts of the world the right to food is being blatantly disregarded, the report concludes. Globally, around 733 million people face hunger each day due to a lack of access to a sufficient amount of food, while about 2.8 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. Some of the African nations are on the extreme ends of the GHI spectrum under the "alarming" category, with wars in Gaza and Sudan being highlighted as having led to exceptional food crises. Conflict and civil strife are also generating food crises elsewhere, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Mali and Syria, it added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)First Published: Oct 12 2024 | 6:55 PM IST [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] Some of the African nations are on the extreme ends of the GHI spectrum. | Photo: Bloomberg3 min read Last Updated : Oct 12 2024 | 6:55 PM IST The Global Hunger Index (GHI), a tool used by international humanitarian agencies to measure and track hunger levels with GHI scores based on under-nourishment and child mortality indicators across 127 countries, has ranked India 105th, which places it under the serious category of the analysis. The 2024 report, now in its 19th edition, is published this week by Irish humanitarian organisation Concern Worldwide and German aid agency Welthungerhilfe to highlight that hunger levels will remain high in many of the world's poorest countries for several decades in the absence of more progress in measures to tackle the issue. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp  India is among 42 countries that fall within the "serious" category, alongside Pakistan and Afghanistan, with other South Asian neighbours such as Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka showing better GHI scores to be listed under the moderate category. With a score of 27.3 in the 2024 Global Hunger Index, India has a level of hunger that is serious, reads the index entry. India's GHI Score is based on the values of four component indicators: 13.7 per cent of the population is undernourished, 35.5 per cent of children under five are stunted with 18.7 per cent of them being wasted, and 2.9 per cent of children die before their fifth birthday, the report notes. For the purpose of the index, undernourishment is defined as the share of the population with insufficient caloric intake, stunted as the share of children under age five who have low height for their age to reflect chronic undernutrition, wasting as the share of children under five who have low weight for their height due to acute undernutrition, and mortality refers to the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments. Based on the values of these four indicators, a GHI score is calculated for each country on a 100-point scale reflecting the severity of hunger, where 0 is the best possible score (no hunger) and 100 is the worst. Based on its analysis, the report concludes the chances of achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030 are looking very unlikely. Despite the international community's repeated emphasis on the importance of the right to adequate food, there remains a troubling disparity between the standards established and the reality that in many parts of the world the right to food is being blatantly disregarded, the report concludes. Globally, around 733 million people face hunger each day due to a lack of access to a sufficient amount of food, while about 2.8 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. Some of the African nations are on the extreme ends of the GHI spectrum under the "alarming" category, with wars in Gaza and Sudan being highlighted as having led to exceptional food crises. Conflict and civil strife are also generating food crises elsewhere, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Mali and Syria, it added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)First Published: Oct 12 2024 | 6:55 PM IST [ad_2] Source link

[ancestorsofjudah]

2 Kings 7: 1-7. "The Bear Echo."

What is a Siege?

The 10th of the month of Tevet on the Jewish calendar is a fast day. On this date — in the year 425 BCE — the armies of the Babylonian emperor Nebuchanezzar laid siege to the city of Jerusalem.

This was the first of a series of events leading to the destruction of the Holy Temple and the exile of the Jewish people from the Land of Israel. It is thus a day of fasting and repentance — a day in which we mourn the tragic events of the day, contemplate their deeper causes in our own souls and deeds, and work to correct them.

But the Chassidic masters teach us to seek also the positive aspect. Without detracting in any way from the need to mourn and rectify the negativity of the events of Tevet 10, we must also zero in on the positive core at its heart.

Coming under siege is a horrible experience. A literal siege brings famine, plague and bloodshed. But also figurative "sieges" are predominantly negative, engendering feelings of helplessness and victimization. This we saw in the mention of life under the reign of a "Gangster Government" like the one that exists in America at this time.

This section of the Melachim focuses on the after affects of a siege, after the gangsters are put to death, when broad sweeping changes are in order. None will erase the memory of the phenomenon, the illness of the Siege, but without the wisdom of the Torah and the Most High, there is little hope for recovery of any kind:

7 Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah[a] of the finest flour will sell for a shekel[b] and two seahs[c] of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”

2 The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?”

“You will see it with your own eyes,” answered Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it!”

In order to understand what Elisha means we need to turn to the Values in Gematria:

About this time tomorrow: The Value in Gematria is 2044, "A jug, kadad" "the clay will become a man."

The verb כדד (kdd) isn't used in the Bible but in cognate languages it may occur with the meaning of to toil severely or being very tired. In the Bible this root appears to have something to do with fire or glowing hot. The extant derivatives are:

The feminine noun כד (kad), meaning jar (Genesis 24:14, Judges 7:16). The link between the verb and the noun possibly has to do with either the pounding and kneading of the mortar that will become a jar (see for instance Isaiah 41:25, " . . . even as the potter treads the clay . . . "), or the pounding and churning that goes on inside the jar. It is important to note that in the Bible, a jar is not some vessel that simply sits there, but an item that was brought about with great toil, and which continues to be associated with great toil. Our attention immediately turns to Adam's curse, who was to toil every day of his life (Genesis 3:17), and the name Adam literally means Corporeal or Clay Man.

A seah of the finest flower: The Value in Gematria is 1585, י״הלה‎ ‎, "Yes to the Lord God."

A shekel: The Value in Gematria is 139, אגט‎, agate, "A gathering that eats."

Two seahs of barley:The Value in Gematria is 1808, אח אֶפֶסח, "brother ephesus."

A shekel at the Gate of Smaria: The Value in Gematria is 733, ז‎גג, a glazier. "the table gathering."

The term Ephesus comes up quite a lot in the study of Judaism using Gematria. Ephesus is the world ahead, but it is more as if it is behind us. Like the next person in line is behind us, it faces our backs. The difference between a future ahead and one that is behind, is what will the dead leave behind for the generations of today?

The burden of answering this question is what drives a man to turn himself from a mud puddle into a rational being. For this, we need full transparency into Ha Shem, and the only way He says we will purchase Him is through Shabbat.

So war or peace, or in between, during the time called a Siege, the only way forward and back is called Shabbat.

The Siege Lifted

3 Now there were four men with leprosy[d] at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? 

4 If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”

5 At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there, 

6 for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!” 

7 So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.

Who are the Four Men? There are no accurate accounts so we will dissect this first.

Four men with leprosy: The Value in Gematria is 2133, בא‎גג "A bug on the roof." Bugs are not Smurfy little things. They are gossipers, whoremongers, liars, cheats, peddlers of propaganda. Bugs on the roof are town criers that have got nothing nice to say, do not let them sit next to you.

The City Gate: The Value in Gematria is 744, זדד‎‎‎, zad, "the mountain pasture."

The root שדה (sdh) does not occur in the Bible as verb, only in its derivatives. But, says BDB Theological Dictionary, it's "plausibly connected" with the Assyrian sadu, meaning mountain, used by people whose land was mountainous (see Deuteronomy 32:13 and Judges 5:18). The derivatives of this root are:

The masculine noun שדי (saday), meaning cultivated field (Jeremiah 12:12) or wild land and home of wild beasts (Joshua 2:22). This noun is a poetic synonym of the following noun.

The masculine noun שדה (sadeh), meaning open field or pasture land (Genesis 29:2) or home of wild beasts (Genesis 4:8, Jeremiah 14:5).

To approach the City Gate with a case of the willies about the course of the Siege is reminiscent of Egypt, except from a different perspective. Everyone else got chased into the wilderness by the Egyptians and Hittites, "liars and haters" leaving these "four bugs", gnats, flies, locusts, and pestilence behind.

Plague of Gnats= as if gossips aren’t bad enough, the corrupt come along and parasitize society. 

(are you getting it yet- the plagues are the inverse of the qualities and attributes, or are inverse causes and effects to them). 

Plague on livestock= waste, abuse, corruption, impropriety eventually these reach the farm and the arbor and society starves. It starves for talent, for abundance, for freedom, for peace of mind. 

Locusts are wastes of time. They represent the consumption that has no analog in corresponding production. All they do is eat, reproduce and eat some more.

Flies are evil desires. To desire whatever comes next and it is not of God is a fly. The Egyptians wanted to keep the Israelites prisoner, the Israelites were not all that enthusiastic about leaving either. The situtation was miserable for both, so God beseiged Egypt with Ten Plagues as consequences for the rampant disobedience to what were actually Seven Noachide Laws before Slavery In Egypt began.

The Flight of the Arameans who had a few bats in their belfries after God sent incentive their way , left the Four Bugs behind.

The Values in Gematria explain what happened:

v. 3: The Value in Gematria is 9913, ‎ טטאג, tatag, "a teaching gift to the gathering."

v. 4: The Value in Gematria is 14647, ידודז‎‎‎‎, "his hand, a friend, yadodz." "hand to hand, the strength continues."

v. 5: Dusk is when the rules change. We think and act all day long, draw conclusions at dusk, then make resolutions about tomorrow. The Four Bugs reach the edge of the camp, the edge of yesterday and find it abandoned as they should have.

The Value in Gematria is 6542, ו‎הדב‎‎, "the echo and the bear."

Now we're talking. The Gematria for the 54 Frames of the Torah is "God's Echo." Should we deign to read the Torah and understand it, we will see Ha Shem, the God of Israel in His Roost on Sinai, frying like an egg inside His nest of thorns.

He is our Echo, we are His. That is the way the course of the Torah Framework concludes. A bear is really just an otter, who is a young man who grows up and takes charge of his surroundings, protecting them and those like him, and none dares trespass against him.

Bears and Echoes, according to the Melachim are supposed resemble one another: they are made by God before birth to be virile, valiant, tough, insurmountable.

v. 6: The Value in Gematria is 7023, עךג, "He laughed". The Hebrew word for laughter is pa'al:

The verb פעל (pa'al) means to do in the sense of to do deeds or works or perform moral acts (whether good or bad ones). Noun פעל (po'al), may denote something done or something made, or it denotes the wages of deeds or even the acquisition of treasures.

Likewise, noun פעלה (pe'ulla) means work, deed, or wages earned with work or deeds. Noun מפעל (mip'al) means work or a thing made, and noun מפעלה (mip'ala) means deed.

v. 7: The Value in Gematria is 6929, וטבט‎ ‎‎ ‎"and tebat". "The Signet."

The verb טבע (taba') means to impress, stamp or sink down in order to make an imprint. The noun טבעת (tabba'at) describes a signet that men of power would commonly keep on their person, particularly on a ring on their finger.

A man who chases his trials and tribulations with Shabbat, with mirth and merriment is verily the one who most understands and likewise deserves to survive a siege. He is the emblem of all that is intended by God in His revelation of the Torah with its amazing course of action illustrated by the Seven Days.