#kate week 2022

[butyourewrong]

Movie girls + bathrooms

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°pt. II°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Pearl, 2022// The Royal Tenenbaums, 2001// Poor Things, 2023// Heavenly Creatures, 1994// Perfect Blue, 1997// Tiny Furniture, 2010// Girl, Interrupted, 1999// One Week, 1920// Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984// Un Buen día, 2010

Here is Pt. 1

Here is Pt. 3

[world-of-wales]

CATHERINE'S STYLE FILES - 2022

5 MAY 2022 || Kensington Palace released a video of The Duchess of Cambridge to mark Maternal Mental Health Week as she was announced as the Royal Patron of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.

Catherine was in -

↬  'Zaza' Floral Shirt Dress by Max Mara ↬ Pearl Drop Earrings

[saturnisfallingdown]

I've seen this video so often I feel like I never knew the mcr tag before it. it's the only constant we still have in our lives. I will check on the mcr tag for videos in 2050 and i will see this tiktok staring back at me. like a portrait frozen in time

[ID: A screenshot of a tumblr post from @/theworldsabrokenbden, which is a reupload of a tiktok from @/lospirit, showing them standing over a mic, with the text "Why if My Chemical Romance wrote "Running up that hill" for The Black Parade?.. 🖤". The post is captioned "If Gerard Way sang running up that hill". End ID]

[evitcani-writes]

“It seems like almost all of those people don’t have HIV,” said Jennifer Kates, HIV policy director at KFF, a health-research nonprofit. “If they did, that would be substandard care at a pretty severe level,” she said.

Ya’ll. United Health just got accused of $17 billion in medicare fraud.

Basically they made up diagnosis which are improbable or impossible, “forgot” to remove ones which had been cured, and overall allegedly stole billions from taxpayers.

The government pays insurers a base rate for each Medicare Advantage member. The insurers are entitled to extra money when their patients are diagnosed with certain conditions that are costly to treat.

… About 18,000 Medicare Advantage recipients had insurer-driven diagnoses of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, but weren’t receiving treatment for the virus from doctors, between 2018 and 2021, the data showed. Each HIV diagnosis generates about $3,000 a year in added payments to insurers.

… He said internal company data for 2022 showed a treatment rate for patients UnitedHealth diagnosed with HIV of more than triple what the Journal found. He said the pandemic disrupted care, lowering treatment rates during the period analyzed by the Journal, and that the analysis failed to account for patients who started treatments in future years.

The Medicare data, however, show UnitedHealth’s patients with insurer-driven HIV diagnoses were on the antiretrovirals at low rates even before the pandemic, and hardly any started the drugs in the years after UnitedHealth diagnosed them.

Source: https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/medicare-health-insurance-diagnosis-payments-b4d99a5d

I bet United Health really wishes it was a different week right now.

UPDATE/EDIT: Article is from July. I didn’t notice myself since it came up in my news feed. Don’t always trust the internet to be time accurate. 😎My guess is it is getting promoted due to current events. However, there are some updates concerning actions taken based on the report which you can look into by checking the authors’ other articles.

[fans4wga]

'Why creatives are seeking residuals' - thread by Stefanie Williams

[Tweet thread by Stefanie Williams @/StefWilliams25

TRANSCRIPT:

Why creatives are seeking residuals vs. "do you pay the mattress maker every time you sleep on a mattress?" A thread. I keep hearing over and over again that writers/actors/creatives don't deserve residuals for the work they create. "If I build a bathroom in a house, I don't get paid every time someone uses the toilet."

TRUE! However, your bathroom build has a set market value. Art does not. No one knows what makes one TV show an overnight success, and another a flop. No one knows what makes one song a hit, and the other a dud. If they did, trust me when I say record companies would be churning out Taylor Swifts over and over again. Studios would be making nothing but Stranger Things.

But that isn't the case. No one could predict Stranger Things would be a massive, billion dollar hit. No one could predict Taylor Swift was going to be a world wide phenomenon who literally could record herself reading Aesop's Fables and make millions of dollars. Which is why residuals are important. The pay structure protects both the creators and the publishers/distributors.

The easiest way to explain it is by referencing an author writing a book. Sure, an author might get a very modest up front fee, but the author is banking on royalties to really make money on the book — for every book sold, the author gets a piece of the pie. This protects both the author and the publisher—because if the book is a flop, the publisher doesn't go broke on a financial promise they made to the author that didn't pan out, and if the book is a mega-hit, the author didn't give away a massive, million-dollar book for 20k.

It's a sliding scale that is required for a product that has no set market value. What makes an actor's work on a hit show more valuable than an actor's work on a show that gets canned after five episodes? The market value for art almost always comes after the fact, so residuals account for that reality. They make sure the creator get compensated at a fair market rate. A person who builds a bathroom knows, upfront, what the market rate for a bathroom is. That bathroom won't suddenly be worth 1000 times more than you built it for in six months. It doesn't have the potential to be built for 20k and generate 20 million.

Residuals are a pay structure that simply account for an unsure market value. Trust me, we all wish we could quantify art in terms of dollars. But art is unpredictable. So studios and streamers -- which literally REQUIRE content to stay viable -- have to account for that unpredictability. And for studios (or record labels, or book publishers) it's always trial and error. The only way to get a hit, is to go through a few flops.

For every Whitney Houston, there was a singer you never heard of. For every Sopranos, there was a show that got scrapped mid season. For every Titanic, there was a movie that bombed. For every Twilight, there was a book about vampires that went nowhere. Residuals are kind of a reverse market valuation. They pay a fair wage for a product than can only have a set value once it's been created and effectively consumed.

And even then, shit changes. Anyone think Kate Bush would spend weeks on the top of the charts in 2022? Residuals account for unpredictable markets. And in order to have accurate residuals, streamers and studios need to be transparent and open about their data, which is one of the MANY things the WGA and SAG are both fighting for.

[marisatomay]

Sometimes. I’m struck by how. Incurious. The Kids are these days. A 2022 Pew survey showed that 2/3 people under 25 preferred tiktok to any other form of media. If something is not on their tiktok fyp they simply don’t care to know it exists. And even when something *is* on the fyp, they stick to just that one thing and don’t use it as a stepping stone for discovery. Like. Streams of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams and Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill shot up exponentially after they were featured on that tiktok and Stranger Things, respectively. But *just* those songs. It never occurred to them to. Listen to the rest of their discographies. Even just the rest of the album each was from. They’ll watch a movie if a clip goes viral but not seek out any other works in the lead actor/director’s filmography. Especially if it’s something from before 2001 that isn’t a constant on the letterboxd “popular this week” list. A buddy of mine who is a middle school teacher said that, of the 120 kids she teaches, just 3 of her students read for pleasure. None of them watch movies or shows that aren’t fed to them through tiktok. They don’t spend time in the library just taking in as much as they can. They don’t flip channels and land on a movie made before they were born. They don’t seek. Whatever is going on. It’s only getting worse. I don’t know what to do about it.

[jbaileyfansite]

Interview with W Magazine (2024)

Jonathan Bailey has traveled the world to promote Wicked, but there was one person he was especially eager to share the film with: his 94-year-old grandmother. She nurtured his love for musical theater and encouraged him to pursue ballet as a child, thus shaping his career in the arts.

So, the day after Wicked came out in the U.K., Bailey hosted a private screening at a local cinema for four generations of his family. While sitting in between his nana (who had painted her nails green for the occasion) and his mom and dad, Bailey became overcome with emotion.

“It’s a miraculous thing to know that what it came down to is having parents who let me go to the local village hall, and a grandparent who let me play, dance around and sing, and be free at such a young age,” Bailey tells W. “If you can catch a passion and just ring-fence it at such a young age, you never know what it can amount to.”

Adapted from the iconic Broadway stage musical, the film, which is set before the events of 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, chronicles the friendship between Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the future Wicked Witch of the West, and her classmate Galinda (Ariana Grande), later known as Glinda the Good.

Bailey’s scene-stealing portrayal of Fiyero Tigelaar, the charismatic Crown Prince of Winkie Country, only reaffirms his status as a Hollywood triple threat. In fact, “Dancing Through Life,” the earworm that serves as his character’s introduction at Shiz University, just cracked Billboard’s Hot 100 charts this week. (“That’s amazing. Do I get a certificate? What happens now?” Bailey quips.)

Bailey began rehearsing for Wicked in 2022 while shooting Fellow Travelers, the groundbreaking Showtime limited series that earned the 36-year-old his first Emmy nomination, and the third season of Bridgerton, the smash-hit Netflix romantic drama that made him a household name. Speaking on a video call from London in early December, the British star reveals that he is in the middle of reprising his role as Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, who is expecting his first child with wife Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley).

“There’s such an important relationship with the [Bridgerton] bros that has been developed over the series. Season four is going to be Luke [Thompson] and Yerin [Ha] being absolutely extraordinary, and there’s a whole plethora of new characters coming in,” Bailey says. “It’s so nice to come back, and it’s about celebrating the romance stories we’ve had and digging into the ones that are starting.”

Patience will have to be a virtue for Wicked and Bridgerton fans alike; the second half of the former, which Bailey coyly describes as “rich, bruising and hopeful,” will premiere next November, while the latter will debut in 2026.

How did you think about building your own interpretation of Fiyero?

The starting point was “Dancing Through Life.” He creates chaos around him, like he does in that song, because he’s got to match the chaos that’s going on inside. The challenge that I felt was the trope of a cool caddish prince. He’s deeply unnerved by stillness and adhering to rules and structure. That is probably a sign of someone who’s never really experienced love. When you see someone causing that sort of disturbance, it’s usually because they’ve never felt seen. An organizational psychologist, Adam Grant, sent me a message saying, “It’s a masterful portrayal of superficiality masking depth.” Out of all the things I’ve heard, that is the thing I’m going to get printed on a T-shirt.

The Shiz library scene was inspired by the work of Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding. What did you want to convey in those moments?

Fiyero has to come in and change the physical language and the emotional landscape of that school in one number. His fluidity, ease, and elasticity speak to his ability to maneuver and avoid. He’s quite avoidant. He has these bright, shining moments with everyone but never really allows the other person to land it with him. For those who understand the physical language of Fiyero, there are many Easter eggs and nods to what happens to him later in the story.

Fiyero is at the center of a love triangle between Elphaba and Galinda. What do you think he sees in each of them?

The brilliant thing about the film is that these slightly trivial tropes mask extraordinarily deep and shifting understandings of social experiences. The superficiality, the privilege, and the sense of easy chemistry make sense with Glinda. But I feel like he’s yearning for something more, and, as Elphaba sees, he’s unhappy and depressed. Fiyero and Elphaba can click in terms of the way they sing, dance, and move together. Elphaba has a calming presence on Fiyero and allows him to be himself. It’s a real privilege to meet someone who sees you for who you really are.

Are there any songs from the second Wicked movie you are most excited about?

“No Good Deed”—I cannot wait to see that come together. And “Thank Goodness”—it’s just such an incredibly operatic, Wagnerian opening. We know how brilliant the girls are, and I’m so excited to see the tonal shift that will inevitably happen to get to the end of the story.

You’ve been leveraging the success of projects with massive, global appeal (Bridgerton, Wicked, the next Jurassic World) to return to the theater (like your next role in Richard II).How have you been balancing these big tentpole franchises with projects that feel more niche and intimate?

I always lead with joy, and I’ve never accepted a job cynically. It goes back to this instinct—it feels like romance—where you have butterflies in your stomach and clarity of thought. I go back to the stage because I want to get better—and I want to be the best I can be. The best performances I’ve ever given on screen have been directly after coming off stage, where you hone your craft every single night. It’s brilliant, joyful, academic, and exhausting.

I’ve read more scripts in the last four years than probably in 20 years of working. It’s amazing to get sent scripts that you’re like, “This is absolutely brilliant. It’s not quite right for me, but I wonder if I can help that get made.” I’ve got a producer's hat that’s been popped on a few times in the last year, and I’m sure it’ll be coming out to play soon.

I want to keep working until something like Fellow Travelers isn’t seen as niche. We’re only on this planet for a short time, but if Fellow Travelers can be a mainstream show by the time I’ve finished my innings, I’d be very happy.

The last time Bridgerton viewers saw Anthony and Kate, they were on their way to India to meet with Kate’s family. Now that those characters are married, what are some of the new layers you’ve found in their relationship?

Anthony and Kate are these two planets that have always been in orbit of each other, and they finally come together. But then, what is life beyond [their courtship]? What’s so interesting about Anthony and what I so enjoyed in his season one arc is his relationship with duty and the power that he wielded over Daphne and his family, the isolation that he felt, and the anger that ensues because of [the passing of] his father.

I always said that you want Anthony to smile, and he does with Kate; he’s found his soulmate. In season three, they have that playfulness and, for the first time, they disregard anything that’s going on around them. They were the heart of every bit of drama and complication and, my God, how dramatic it was! Now suddenly, they’re having the time of their life, getting to play games again. They’re having a baby—everything they’ve ever wanted. What’s brilliant is to see how there are elements of yourself that you can’t grow out of. So, maybe, we’ll see hints of Anthony from season one.

Source

[writing-until-i-drop]

Masterlist

*denotes smut

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tyler Owens (Twisters 2024)

What's In A Name? Masterlist | Series (Complete!)

Tyler Owens x Harding! FemOC

Meg Harding and Kate Carter were inseparable until their friends died five ago, then she ran to New Orleans to save lives as a paramedic. But when Javi calls on his two oldest friends to help him collect data, counting on their matching natural instincts for tornadoes, Meg goes home for the first time in years. That's where she meets Tyler and the rest of the Wranglers, the YouTube storm chasers her dad likes to watch, and finds herself fitting in more with them than with Storm PAR. Meg only plans to stay for the week but will it be easy to leave when the dust settles?

If a certain cowboy has a say in it, nothing about leaving is going to be easy.

Aesthetics

Jake "Hangman" Seresin (Top Gun Maverick 2022)

Wildflowers For A Hangman Masterlist*

| Series (Ongoing)

Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Writer! FemOC

Daisy, a career novelist, moves in with her college best friend Phoenix who has been permanently assigned to Top Gun with Dagger Squad. She finds herself instantly connected with a cocky pilot who's soft only for her and Jake can't help but want to know everything about her. When the past comes knocking at both of their doors, will they stand together or fall apart?

Or: The Dagger Squad can't cook and Jake falls in love with a woman who makes a mean lasagna while they work their personal trauma.

Aesthetics Playlist

Natasha "Phoenix" Trace (Top gun Maverick 2022)

God Complex | One Shot

Natasha "Phoenix" Trace x f! surgeon! reader (no use of y/n)

You're a trauma surgeon resident, studying at a bar when you're approached by a woman who steals your focus.

warnings! Slight dom!Phoenix (if you squint), suggestive, drinking, not proof read

God Complex | Pt. 2*

Natasha "Phoenix" Trace x f! surgeon! reader (no use of y/n)

You're a trauma surgeon resident, studying at a bar when you're approached by a woman who steals your focus.

warnings! SMUT MINORS DNI | Slight dom!Phoenix, oral (fem receiving), edging, lmk if I missed anything

God Complex | Pt. 3

Natasha "Phoenix" Trace x f! surgeon! reader (no use of y/n)

You're a trauma surgeon resident, studying at a bar when you're approached by a woman who steals your focus.

warnings! Scary movie date night, reader is scared, not proof read, fluffy

Rhett Abbott (Outer Range)

Welcome Home, Sweetheart | Drabble

Rhett Abbott x f! reader (no use of y/n)

You and Rhett were childhood best friends and now you're back in town after living out of state for a few years. Your first night in town is one you'll never forget.

warnings! Rhett punches a guy, reader finds it hot, not proof read, written in under ten minutes

Run Away With Me | One Shot

Rhett Abbott x Fem! Reader (no use of y/n)

3 years ago your parents stole you away from Wabang to keep you out of trouble, now you're back, but only for a night.

Warnings: none!

Run Away With Me | Pt. 2

Rhett Abbott x Fem! Reader

3 years ago your parents stole you away from Wabang to keep you out of trouble, now you're back, but only for a night.

Warnings: none! no use of y/n

Pt. 2 requested by many, kitchen dancing requested by 🗡️😘 | read the request here

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Top Gun Maverick 2022)

A Stepdad For Christmas | Series (WIP)

Sneak peek

Rooster x Single Mom!OC

After divorcing her gay, marriage of convenience husband, Olivia and her teenage daughter move to North Island. Her daughter's one wish for Christmas? A hot step dad. And damn, if Rooster's Hawaiian shirts don't look like the perfect wrapping paper.

Kinktober 2024*

Masterlist - Minors DNI | 18+ Only (WIP)

Comfort Drabbles | Mixed Fandom

Masterlist

[mariacallous]

If anyone can rally up a base, it’s Taylor Swift.

When sexually explicit, likely AI-generated, fake images of Swift circulated on social media this week, it galvanized her fans. Swifties found phrases and hashtags related to the images and flooded them with videos and photos of Swift performing. “Protect Taylor Swift” went viral, trending as Swifties spoke out against not just the Swift deepfakes, but all nonconsensual, explicit images made of women.

Swift, arguably the most famous woman in the world right now, has become the high-profile victim of an all-too-frequent form of harassment. She has yet to comment on the photos publicly, but her status gives her power to wield in a situation where so many women have been left with little recourse. Deepfake porn is becoming more common as generative artificial intelligence gets better: 113,000 deepfake videos were uploaded to the most popular porn websites in the first nine months of 2023, a significant increase to the 73,000 videos uploaded throughout 2022. In 2019, research from a startup found that 96 percent of deepfakes on the internet were pornographic.

The content is easy to find on search engines and social media, and has affected other female celebrities and teenagers. Yet, many people don’t understand the full extent of the problem or its impact. Swift, and the media mania around her, has the potential to change that.

“It does feel like this could be one of those trigger events” that could lead to legal and societal changes around nonconsensual deepfakes, says Sam Gregory, executive director of Witness, a nonprofit organization focused on using images and videos for protecting human rights. But Gregory says people still don’t understand how common deepfake porn is, and how harmful and violating it can be to victims.

If anything, this deepfake disaster is reminiscent of the 2014 iCloud leak that led to nude photos of celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton spreading online, prompting calls for greater protections on people's digital identities. Apple ultimately ramped up security features.

A handful of states have laws around nonconsensual deepfakes, and there are moves to ban it on the federal level, too. Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-New York) has introduced a bill in Congress that would make it illegal to create and share deepfake porn without a person’s consent. Another House bill from Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-New York) seeks to give legal recourse to victims of deepfake porn. Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-New Jersey), who in November introduced a bill that would require the labeling of AI content, used the viral Swift moment to draw attention to his efforts: “Whether the victim is Taylor Swift or any young person across our country—we need to establish safeguards to combat this alarming trend,” Kean said in a statement.

This isn’t the first time that Swift or Swifties have tried to hold platforms and people accountable. In 2017, Swift won a lawsuit she brought against a radio DJ who she claimed groped her during a meet-and-greet. She was awarded $1—the amount she sued for, and what her attorney Douglas Baldridge called a symbolic sum “the value of which is immeasurable to all women in this situation.”

Last fall, tens of thousands of people registered to vote after the superstar posted a link to Vote.org on Instagram. And in 2022, her fan base, so enraged after waiting hours to buy tickets to the Eras Tour only to be beaten out by bots, reignited conversation around antitrust issues with Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s mega-merger. A cringy Senate hearing followed, and an investigation into Live Nation’s agreements with venues and artists is ongoing.

Swift and her fans could advocate for legal changes at the federal level to pass. But their outrage could do something else: lead platforms to take notice. “When you have a really massive group of users saying this content is unacceptable in this very high-profile way, the power there is about what it says to the platform about what users will and won’t tolerate,” says Cailin O’Connor, a professor of philosophy at University of California, Irvine and coauthor of The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread. X did not respond to a request for comment on the images and its moderation efforts regarding deepfake porn. Elon Musk bought the site in 2022 and quickly gutted its moderation teams. Advertisers have also dropped off recently after Musk’s apparent endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory.

It’s not clear whether Swift will take on this issue. A representative for Swift did not respond to a request for comment for this story. Harassment of female celebrities is frequent and often brushed aside, but deepfakes are harming them and others without the same power. This could be a moment for Swift to use her powerful platform—or at least for her fans to push the issue before the public.

[medievalandfantasymelee]

My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are now preparing for the second round of contest in the Queen of Love and Beauty mini-tournament.

This round will consist of 6 polls of 6 contestants each, with the three contestants with the most votes on each poll advancing to the next Round. Two polls will be posted per day beginning on Sunday October 27, with each poll lasting one week.

In this round we will be accepting and circulating propaganda for the candidates. Propaganda will not be posted on the polls themselves but will be circulated prior to and during the competition.

The following is a list of our remaining candidates:

Æthelflæd of Mercia [Millie Brady], The Last Kingdom (2015-2022)

Aliena [Hayley Atwell], The Pillars of the Earth (2010)

Anne Boleyn [Genevieve Bujold], Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)

Arwen Undomiel [Liv Tyler], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Aykız Hatun [Hande Subaşı], Diriliş: Ertuğrul (2014-2019)

Princess Buttercup [Robin Wright], The Princess Bride (1987)

Brienne of Tarth [Gwendoline Christie], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Danielle de Barbarac [Drew Barrymore], Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998)

Eleanore of Aquitaine [Katharine Hepburn], The Lion in Winter (1968)

Elizabeth Woodville [Rebecca Ferguson], The White Queen (2013)

Éowyn of Rohan [Miranda Otto], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Galadriel of Lothlórien [Cate Blanchett], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Giulia Farnese [Lotte Verbeek], The Borgias (2011-2013)

Guinevere [Angel Coulby], BBC’s Merlin (2008-2012)

Princess Gwendolyn [Angela Lansbury], The Court Jester (1955)

Isabeau of Anjou [Michelle Pfeiffer], Ladyhawke (1985)

Princess Isabella Maria Lucia Elizabetta of Valencia [Karen David], Galavant (2015-2016)

Jade Claymore [Erin Kellyman], Willow (2022)

Maid Jean [Glynis Johns], The Court Jester (1955)

Jiang Yanli [Xuan Lu], The Untamed (2019)

Kate [Laura Fraser], A Knight’s Tale (2001)

Lagertha [Katheryn Winnick], Vikings (2013-2020)

Princess Lili [Mia Sara], Legend (1985)

Lucrezia Borgia [Holliday Grainger], The Borgias (2011-2013)

Queen Lucy the Valiant [Rachael Henley], The Chronicles of Narnia (2005-2010)

Queen Madelena [Mallory Jansen], Galavant (2015-2016)

Margaery Tyrell [Natalie Dormer], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Margaret of Anjou [Sophie Okonedo], The Hollow Crown (2012-2016)

Lady Marian Fitzwalter [Olivia de Havilland], The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Lady Marion of Leaford [Judi Trott], Robin of Sherwood (1984-1986)

Morgana Pendragon [Katie McGrath], BBC’s Merlin (2008-2012)

Mu Nihuang [Liu Tao], Nirvana in Fire (2015-2018)

Padmavati [Deepika Padukone], Padmaavat (2018)

Rebecca of York [Olivia Hussey], Ivanhoe (1982)

Sansa Stark [Sophie Turner], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Sibylla of Jerusalem [Eva Green], Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

[beardedmrbean]

Chicago cops blocked city inspectors from entering a curious “Gift Room” filled with designer bags, Hugo Boss cufflinks, a personalized Mont Blanc pen and other ritzy goodies that were accepted by Mayor Brandon Johnson, according to a bombshell report.

The trove of pricey giveaways are part of an “unwritten arrangement” that dates back 35 years, in which mayors can just write down gifts they received in a logbook and store some of them on the fifth floor of City Hall instead of reporting them to the Board of Ethics, according to the Office of Inspector General.

But the new report issued Wednesday outlines the numerous times investigators were rebuffed from learning more about the 236 gifts given to Johnson “on behalf of the city” since he took office.

An investigator initially posed as a member of the public to request the gift log while visiting City Hall last year, but was turned down and forced to formally make a request.  

The covert official then filed the paperwork, but was ignored. Eventually, the mayor’s office handed over the information after the inspector general made the official request for all gifts given between Feb. 2022 when Lori Lightfoot was in office and March 20, 2024.

The log had incomplete information, but still listed hundreds of luxury presents, including the cuff links, Mont Blanc pen, bags and purses from Gucci, Kate Spade, and Givenchy and Carrucci burgundy shoes that are a men’s size 14

When OIG officials requested access to check out the room, they were met by Chicago cops who told them to wait in the elevator lobby, according to the report.

After wrangling between OIG and the mayor’s office, inspectors were told they would not get inside the room, the report states.

“Following that denial, OIG engaged in further conversations with the Department of Law (DOL) regarding access to the gift room,” the report states. “Ultimately, DOL – apparently representing the Mayor in opposition to OIG – communicated that OIG would not be granted access to the Gift Room.”

Other items appeared to be located in the mayor’s office, as well as other parts of City Hall, the report claims.

The mayor’s office told the inspector general in a memo last week ahead of the report being issued that officials could visit the gift room “through a properly scheduled appointment at the earliest practicable time.”

The mealy-mouth offer didn’t stop Inspector General Deborah Witzburg from slamming city leadership.

“When gifts are changing hands—perhaps literally—in a windowless room in City Hall, there is no opportunity for oversight and public scrutiny of the propriety of such gifts, the identities and intentions of the gift-givers, or what it means for gifts like whiskey, jewelry, handbags, and size 14 men’s shoes to be accepted “on behalf of the City,” the inspector general office wrote in its report.

[martinsluvr]

coffee and basketball

pairing: kate martin x fem reader! 2022-2023 season!

warnings: fluff! friends to lovers trope!? small mention of drinking! mentions of anxiety/fear of love!

authors note: pls be gentle this is my first fic

—

dec 5th 2022 ~ post iowa win against iowa state (dec 4th). score 70-57. kate martin with 13 points.

reader’s pov

the energy in iowa city was booming after last night’s win. i’ve been working at this coffee shop in iowa city since my freshman year of college and i’ve become accustomed to talking “game talk” my entire shift the day after a game, and if any of the players decide to stop in to do homework or for a quick drink, i sympathize as i watch them get trapped into nonstop conversations about basketball. iowa city is extremely proud of and cherishes our women’s basketball team, and quite frankly you never hear the end of it when you’re living here.

our coffee shop gets quite busy everyday, and my shift passes by with ease. as i’m finishing making the last order i took before clocking out, i see two familiar blondes walk in.

“hiiii!!! great game you guys!! your usuals today?”

“hey y/n thank you, yes please! how are you? when are you actually going to come to a game in person!” monika exclaimed. after working here for so long, we’ve developed a genuine friendship, sometimes catching up for a drink or just enjoying each other’s company in our apartments.

“i know, i know.. i promise i will before the season ends!” i laughed as i made their drinks. “kate, you did really good last night, i really wish i could’ve been there”.

i could see kate blushing out of the corner of my eye as I finished making their drinks, and monika nudging her. “y/n i am going to drag you to the next home game myself, kate always looks around and hopes you’re the-“ monika was interrupted by kate obnoxiously faking a cough attack. i laughed, blushing and handed them their drinks. as i handed kate her drink, our fingertips slightly touched and we made eye contact.

“in the meantime maybe we can go to open gym tonight? i can rebound for you and give you time to reenact some of your moves from the game for me” i said as i smiled up at kate with my eyebrows raised. although i was NOT short, yet kate disagrees, she was still 8 inches taller than me as I stood at 5’4. “we can meet at my apartment at 6 if you’re up for it”.

kate knew what i was doing. i knew what i was doing.

kate’s pov

my palms were immediately sweating. i looked down at her and honestly just forgot every single thing she’s said since i walked in because i cannot stop looking at her eyes and how well they compliment her dark hair, she just dyed it - i can tell. My eyes scan over her exposed tattoos on her arm and i quickly look back into her eyes so i don’t look like more of a creep than i already do.

“6pm is good. i’ll be there. at 6”, i tried playing it cool. she laughed, shaking her head and saying her quick goodbyes as she had to rush to her 2 o’clock class.

“you know you said 6 twice. i think she knew what time considering SHE asked YOU” monika explained while almost tumbling over laughing. “i mean kate, you should’ve seen your face. you two have been doing this for a year now. why have you not made a move on her? she’s clearly interested in you”

i sighed, “monika I don’t know. i really do like her but it’s just scary. i don’t know if i can commit to something, especially right now. basketball is our life and how will someone ever be able to fall in love with me if i can only see them for a few hours a week?” monika rubbed my shoulder and brought me in for a hug.

“just because you are a D1 athlete does not mean this is your entire life. you still deserve to have a life outside of basketball, and if anyone, she would be the most understanding” monika said, “you’ve got to make a move before she gives up. i know she’s into you kate. you deserve to feel and be loved”.

she really always was right.

we spent the rest of the day doing homework together and making lunch. as it got closer to 6, i could feel the knots in my stomach getting worse. luckily, we lived in the same apartment complex so it was a quick walk to her apartment.

5:55pm and i’m already at her door. is that too early? too desperate?

i knock a few times to let her know i’m here. i could just say i came early so i could see her cats

i looked down twiddling my thumbs, patiently waiting.

“coming!” i heard faintly from her apartment. she opened the door and quickly embraced me.

“kate hi! i just have to feed my cats before we leave so just come in for a minute” she said while frantically trying to feed her cats before they tried jumping into the food. i stepped into her apartment and patiently waited, laughing as her cats were jumping up her legs and meowing.

“you know, i’ve always been a dog person but i love your cats. they are just so adorable and have such a personality” i remarked.

“hah yeah, you can take them whenever. they are the best for cuddling but feeding them is still terrifying” she laughed.

she collected her bag, which i offered to hold, her water bottle and keys. we locked up her apartment and walked down to her car.

“midnights?” we asked in unison, both laughing after realizing we jinxed each other. i adore that she loves taylor swift almost as much as i do. i plugged in my phone to her aux and shuffled the album. as we started driving to our practice gym, i couldn’t help but steal glances at her, imagining what it would be like if we were more than friends, if i wasn’t so scared, i thought. i wouldn’t be afraid to hold her hand or her thigh while one of us drives. i wouldn’t be afraid to kiss her at every red light. i wouldn’t be afraid of love with her.

we pulled into the parking lot and i quickly grabbed both of our bags, and we made our way inside. no one had the practice gym booked for tonight, so it was just us. i put in my code to enter the gym, and we settled our stuff down.

“so.. what are we doing today coach kate” she smiled widely at me. i grinned and grabbed the rack of basketballs, pulling it next to the free throw line.

“well, let’s work on some free throw shots first”.

reader’s pov

after an hour of rebounding for kate and even taking some shots for myself, i decided to line myself up at the free throw line. i was never one to play sports, but i’ve always loved watching them. i’ve always been so jealous of people’s hand-eye coordination, as it never seemed to work for me which led to me burying myself in studies and clubs for years.

i try to fix my form like kate taught me, then launched it.

miss.

again, i grabbed another ball and launched it.

miss.

and again, and again. miss. miss. miss.

kate stifled a laugh watching me, and as i turned to glare at her she put her arms up in surrender.

“here, let me help you. we’ve already gone over this y/n, are you missing on purpose?” she questioned. i shook my head, my breath getting faster the closer she got to me. i faced the basket with the ball in my hands hoping to hide my blush.

“here, move over a little” kate said as she put her hands on my waist, moving me to the right a little. “now put your right hand here, and your left hand here” she said as she guided my hands from behind. all i could focus on was her breath on my neck and how close our bodies were without touching. “now shoot”

straight net.

“see! you can do it! but, can you guard me?” she questioned as she quickly knocked the new ball out of my hands, dribbling away from me.

“kate, of course i can guard you” i laughed chasing after her. we played 1 on 1 for a few minutes, her scoring on me multiple times and me not even able to keep the ball in my hands for more than a minute. as i jumped up to block her shot, i tumbled over her as we both fell to the ground. her arms were quick to grab my waist to ensure i fell on her instead of the hard wood court.

“kate!” i exclaimed laughing, “you could’ve hurt yourself and lisa would have actually hunted me down and killed me!”

we were both laughing as i rolled off of her and laid next to her on the ground. she turned over to look at me with a wide smile. we grabbed each other’s hands as we helped each other up, yet i stumbled into her again.

“a little clumsy tonight aren’t we?” she teased. her hands hesitant to continue holding my waist as we stood centimeters apart.

“i guess you just make me a little nervous” i confidently stated. our eyes stayed locked in for a minute, and for a split second i swore i saw her look at my lips, until she quickly pulled away almost breaking out in a sprint to our bags.

“we should get going, the janitors will be here soon to start locking up” she hurriedly said.

with a heavy sigh, i walked towards the exit grabbing my keys and water bottle as we made our way to the exit.

-

the car ride to the apartment complex was silent. i felt uneasy. is it me? is she just not into me? i thought. as i pulled in to my spot, kate offered to walk me back up to my apartment. the walk was long,

and silent. as i got to my door, i pulled out my key as fast as i could to unlock the door. “thank you for walking me kate, goodnight” i said as i tried rushing into my apartment. before i could shut my door, she put her hand out to hold it open”

“wait y/n,” she hesitated, “there’s been something i’ve been meaning to do for a while now”. kate strides towards me, reaching out to put one hand on my hip and one hand on my check, quickly pulling me up towards her and before i knew it, she kissed me.

she really kissed me.

her lips were soft. i could feel our smiles through the kiss and my heart nearly beating out of my chest, i wonder if she felt it too. kate pulled away first, looking down at me smiling, moving both hands to my cheeks.

“goodnight y/n” she said as she kissed my forehead. she backed away towards the door, and left before i could say a word.

i sheepishly slid my back down the cold wooden front door and made my way down to the floor. between the heat on my cheeks, tingling sensation on my lips, and the sound of my heartbeat thumping through my chest, nothing else in the world mattered in that moment. i delicately brought my finger to my lips, trying to relive the feeling through the sensations. my cheeks were hot and hurting. 'have I ever smiled this big in my life?', I thought. my legs slightly shaking as i slowly got up, making my way through my apartment to my bedroom. everything was bright even with all of my lights off. i sat down at my vanity, staring at myself in the mirror. through the slight shine of the exposed moonlight, i could see the red and pink flush all over my face. my phone buzzed in my sweater pocket. 

i had a great time, the text read, see you tmrw for my usual? :)

i held the phone to my chest tightly, feeling the coldness of the screen through my clothes, but nothing else was cold. everything was warm because she kissed me.

[harrisonstories]

Lauren Laverne: What's your next choice, and why are you taking it with you today?

Kate Moss: Oooh, My Sweet Lord by George Harrison. I was shopping with Anita Pallenberg and Marianne Faithfull, and we were buying last-minute Christmas presents.

I went, "Oh my god, is that George Harrison?"

And he came out of the shop and said, "Is it you?"

And I said, "What?"

And he went, "When I'm not watching Formula 1, I watch Fashion TV. Are you Kate...Moss?"

And I went, "Yeah, I am. Are you George Harrison?"

And he went, "Yeah!"

And I was like, "Oh My God!"

He said, "Come in, come in. I want to buy you a Christmas present."

And he wanted -- he tried to buy me this -- well, I wish I'd let him buy it for me, but I just couldn't let him because it was so disgusting, this jumper.

[laughter]

But it would've been like my jumper from George Harrison --

Laverne: A Christmas jumper, Kate! Sometimes taste has to go out the window.

Moss: I know! But it was cable knit! Bat-wing, cable knit, pink sweater, and I was like, "Please I can't let you buy that for me." But I loved him so much, and My Sweet Lord was released the week he died. And I couldn't stop crying. I cried -- I was sobbing. I thought, "What's wrong with me?" I mean it's upsetting but I could not stop crying. And I found out I was pregnant, with Lila, so that's my song with her and for George.

-- Desert Island Discs (Aug. 2022)

[itsastronxmy]

Sunako “Dagger” Sato 🗡️

General Information:

Full Name: Sunako Sato  Aliases: Dagger, Ako, Sunny, bunny, kiddo, squirt, etc.  Occupation: Taskforce 141 Sergeant, Shadow Company Sergeant (formerly), ROK 707th Battalion Private (formerly) Status: Alive First Appearance: Modern Warfare 2 (2022 Reboot)  Orientation: Heterosexual  Date of Birth: March 11, 1996  Place of Birth: Osaka, Kansai, Japan  Languages: Korean, Japanese, English, Arabic (very little) 

Physical Details:

Gender: Female  Height: 160cm/5ft 3in  Body Type: Lean  Blood Type: A-  Skin Complexion: Light Peach Hair: Dark straight hair going to her waist/low bun while on duty  Eyes: Dark brown  Face Claim: Han Ji-Eun 

Tattoos: None Piercings: Black piercings on her lobe and upper ear Scars: Deep scars on her right shoulder, and a small bullet wound by her left hip Glasses: Not needed Impairments: None

Personality:

On a Myer-Briggs test, Sunako was an ENFP. On an Enneagram test, she is a Type 2, or Helper.

Friendly: Sunako is known for her warm personality that naturally draws people in, making it easy for her to create connections with those around her

Perceptive: Being very tuned in to people's emotions, she can sense very subtle shifts in a person's mood or intentions. This is a talent she uses when confronting dangerous individuals in the field

Curious: A naturally curious person, Sunako loves to chase after new experiences and understand things beyond what they seem. This gets her into trouble sometimes, though, as her well-intentioned curiosity may come off as nosy or irritating

People-pleasing: Sunako wants to be loved more than anything. If it makes her 'more worthy' of being loved, she is willing to sacrifice her own needs to do please people. It is difficult for her to say no, and she struggles with finding a solution that will make everyone happy.

Disorganized: Too focused on pleasing her peers or discovering new ideas, she often forgets to attend to practical matters. She dislikes mundane tasks such as paperwork and chores -- unless they are done to make someone happy.

Optimistic: It's hard to beat her happy-go-lucky attitude. Always looking on the bright side of things, Sunako lifts up her comrades with her positivity. However, it sometimes leads to her making naive decisions, such as trusting someone who may betray her later on (like Graves)

Relationships:

Mother: Unnamed  Father: Isamu Sato Siblings: Taejin Sato (twin brother - Senior Airman for USAF) Love Interest: Simon Riley (Lieutenant Ghost of Task Force 141) Children: N/A  Pets: N/A 

Affiliations:

TF141: Captain John Price  Sergeant Kyle “Gaz” Garrick  Sergeant John “Soap” MacTavish (KIA as of MWIII) Lieutenant Simon “Ghost” Riley 

Mexican Special Forces/Los Vaqueros:  Colonel Alejandro Vargas  Sergeant Major Rodolfo Parra 

CIA:  Station Chief Kate Laswell 

Urzikstan Liberation Force:

Commander Farah Ahmed Karim

Combat Lieutenant Alex Keller

Shadow Company (formerly):  Commander Phillip Graves 

Other:  Gambit Weste (American mercenary)

Background:

Sunako was born to Isamu Sato and his wife on March 11, 1996 in Osaka. Her twin brother, Taejin, was born shortly after.

During her early childhood, Sunako frequently moved between Korea and Japan. Whenever her mother was busy designing clothes for big modeling events, she would spend a few weeks at her paternal grandparents' home. Her father was an alcoholic and often stayed out late at night, returning home in the morning with a nasty temper.

At the age of eight, Sunako's father was arrested for DUI and running over several civilians with his car. And not even four months later, Sunako was hospitalized after being attacked by her neighbor's dog when she'd climbed over the fence to retrieve a baseball. Her right shoulder was badly mangled, but she eventually healed and moved on.

Once they were of age, Sunako and her brother Taejin decided to join the Korean military. While Taejin decided to join the ROK Air Force, Sunako wanted to apply for the Army. She scored awfully well in all of her exams, and showed a strong desire to serve and help. After a few years in the army, she was asked if she wanted to join the special forces unit. After passing a few more tests, she accepted. Sunako worked in the 707th "White Tigers" special forces unit for four years, becoming a well-respected soldier despite her youth.

And then in 2020, Sunako was approached by Gambit Weste, an American mercenary who had been in Korea for unknown reasons. Apparently she had been following Sunako and had taken an interest to the young woman, so she offered an invitation to join Shadow Company. Sunako knew nothing of the American PMC, but she did know that it was a step forwards. As much as she loved her homes of Korea and Japan, she eventually decided that America was the next stage for her in her career.

Sunako served in Shadow Company for the next two years, eventually coming to Sergeant because of her skill. She became a close friend of Phillip Graves, who was curious about this young woman who had been invited by the elusive Gambit Weste (without his permission).

However, during the Las Almas mission in 2022, things took a bad turn. Seeing Graves declare he was taking over the Los Vaqueros base, and watching her ally Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish be shot, Sunako suddenly decided that she could not stay with Shadow Company. She fled alongside Soap and Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley, and worked with Team Ghost to take back the Vaqueros' base.

After the events of MWII, Sunako was at a loss for where to go. She couldn't return to Shadow Company, and heading back to Korea felt wrong. In the end, she was offered a spot in Task Force 141 by Captain John Price, and she accepted.

The rest of her story follows canon Modern Warfare events.

Fun Facts:

Despite her friendly and people-pleasing nature, Sunako is actually skilled in taekwondo, judo, and kendo. She says that if it makes her more capable of helping others, she was willing to bang up a few friends (she always apologised after, of course).

Contrasting her sunny disposition, Sunako also shows a preference for soft grunge and punk rock. She loves her thick-soled boots and dark nails.

Her favorite animal is a rabbit, though she loves animals in general

She originally wanted to be a nurse, before realising that she definitely didn't have the attention span and focus to do so 😅

Her greatest fears are arachnophobia and claustrophobia, the fears of spiders and being in confined spaces. Reaching under the couch to grab the fallen remote? Yeah, no, she's convinced the harmless house spider under there will bite her hand off. Her claustrophobia sometimes interferes with her capabilities during ops, but she's able to suck it up most of the time

She loves travelling a lot, and is willing to immerse herself in any culture

[melomancy]

Released 39 years ago — Hounds of Love is Kate Bush’s most critically and commercially successful album to date. It spent 3 weeks at no. 1 in the UK and 68 weeks on the charts in total. In the US, it peaked at no. 12 on the Billboard 200 as recently as 2022, thanks to the inclusion of ‘Running Up That Hill’ in Netflix’s Stranger Things.

Alongside RUTH, the album spawned some of her most beloved hits — ‘Cloudbusting’, ‘The Big Sky’, and the titular ‘Hounds of Love’.

The album itself is split up into two sections: Side A, Hounds of Love, with all songs linked by the theme of love, and Side B’s The Ninth Wave, a seven-song concept piece depicting a woman adrift in the sea after falling overboard.

[mistress-of-vos]

Okay, you convinced me of JeanTim, I see the vision. Do you have any recommendations for comics to get into Azrael other than Knightfall? I don't really know him as a character other than what I saw in your short fics on here in the past week or so (which were all fabulous, I'm thoroughly enjoying your stay on my timeline)

Thank you in advance!

Hello!!! So glad I have succeeded at my life mission of spreading JeanTim across the masses ❤️

Well, I guess you can divide Azrael's reading into three sections:

New Earth (Pre N52)

Batman: Sword of Azrael (1992): !!! This is JP's origin, a relatively short comic that takes place a little before Knightfall, and sets what Azrael is and how he becomes what he is.

Knightfall (followed by Knightquest and, if you wish to, Prodigal): This is probably the longest story inside the batfam that JP has. I personally like reading compiled versions, including the prelude to Knightfall (starting on Batman #480, which has Jean-Paul meeting Tim, AND JP dressing up as Batman before Bruce's back getting hurt). Jean-Paul stops appearing once Dick takes over the Batman mantle.

Azrael and Azrael Agent of the Bat: Basically 100 issues of Jean-Paul going through the horrors. However, around the last 5-10 issues are of dubious canon as per Rebirth (but this series is good to know JP's particular canon such as his dad, the order, Lilhy, etc)

No Man's Land: Technically this goes inside the Azrael solo? Tbh I'd also look for a compiled version, preferably including Contagion, and if you want, you can check out the very beginning of the story in Batman Legacy: Progeny of the demon (tho this one only has Tim + Ra's on it)

Extras: There are less known appearances of JP in comics such as: Batman: The Chalice ; Batman: Shadow of the Bat ; Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight ; Batman: Gotham Knighs and a very funny cameo in Nightwing (1996) #10

New 52

Batman & Robin Eternal: JP's re-introduction arc starts at #9 and I'm afraid I don't remember well where it ended, but he does transition into the batfam alongside Cass, Luke & Harper.

Detective comics: He started appearing as supporting character after 930ish issue, I believe. I'm gonna be honest, I only read JP's N52 stuff once and didn't like it much besides him being friends with Luke & Kate, plus the famous panel in #958 where Kate says she needs to taught them (JP & Luke) the art of seduction.

Rebirth

Detective Comics: House of Gotham: This includes a short retelling of Knightfall, showing a bit more of JP and Tim in their days as the dynamic duo. It's very small but it reintroduced knightfall to canon.

Justice League Odyssey: Look, LOOK, this isn't a masterpiece but it has a very sexy JP design. This arc was, to my undertanding, changed many times during publication, and the artist even shared full pages that ended up deleted. This is a very ooc Jean-Paul most of the time (my working theory is that they wanted Jason, as Victor & Kory seem too familiar with JP, which makes no sense) but it's a fun reading and it is currently canon.

Sword of Azrael (2022): This is THE current Azrael story of DC. It wraps up all of the previous stories plus setting where JP is right now in terms of power, mind and morals. It's short, but it's wonderful and lovely written. The art goes slightly towards manga style, which I think suits JP. I don't want to spoil anything on this one, if you have little time to read, read this one. It's all you need to know of JP.

Detective comics: The Ram V arc: I'm unsure where Ram V's arc covers in Detective Comics but if you want to know where JP is currently, it's here. He hasn't appeared as today that I'm replying. It is a bit ooc and has some weird dialogues (and ngl Ram V isn't exactly my fav take on Batman) but it's good, I'd give it a 7/10 and it located JP in Gotham again so it did its job.

Extras (elseworlds):

Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Batman Knightfall: A very dark turning of what Knightfall could have been. Sadly there's no Tim here, but it's worth a read if you want to see a feral JP!

Batman: Curse of the White Knight: Part of a complete AU of Batman that plays with ages, settings and relationships, JP has a brand new interpretation. The only spoiler I will give you is: DILF

Batman: The Adventures Continue #7-#9: Takes place on the Batman animated series by Bruce Timm, tho sadly he doesn't run into Robin!Tim despite taking place right before the JJ events. A short, interesting take on JP. Somehow, the spoiler here shall also be DILF

And that would be all! Wow, I thought I wasn't gonna make it. Also, I apologize for the late reply. I started drafting my answer and forgot to finish it. My bad! P.S. If you want some links for more info feel free to DM me!