#national threading the needle day

[murderousink23]

07/25/2024 is International Mezcalita Day 🌎, National Culinarian's Day 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳🇺🇸, National Hot Fudge Sundae Day 🍨🇺🇸, National Merry-Go-Round Day 🎠🇺🇸, National Threading the Needle Day 🛩🇺🇸, Christmas in July 🎄🇺🇸, National Chili Dog Day 🇺🇸, National Refreshment Day 🥤🇺🇸, National Intern Day 🇺🇸, National Wine and Cheese Day 🍷🧀🇬🇧

[gpstudios]

Celebrating National Threading the Needle Day: Precision and Craftsmanship in Sewing and Beyond 🧵✨

Happy National Threading the Needle Day! 🧵✨ Celebrate the art of sewing and the metaphorical meaning of precision and balance. Learn, create, and appreciate the skill behind every stitch. #ThreadingTheNeedleDay

Introduction Happy National Threading the Needle Day! 🧵✨ Celebrated annually on July 25th, this day honors the art of precision and craftsmanship that goes into threading a needle. While the phrase literally refers to the meticulous task of guiding a thread through the eye of a needle, it also symbolizes finding balance and navigating through difficult challenges with skill and care. Today, we…

[iluvzaddies]

run rabbit run (2)

pairing: yandere!childe x reader

warnings: unhealthy behavior/relationship, violence, nsfw

inspired by: episode 8 of the hbo series “the last of us”

summary: you are out of food as well as medical supplies, so in order to save your father, you take matters into your own hands. you unexpectedly run into a young master in the forest, who is after the same rabbit as you. since he is persistent on getting the rabbit, you make a bargain with him. he develops a liking to you and decides you are his new personal little rabbit.

twenty minutes later, childe’s butler returned with the supplies. you were still holding up your rifle and it made him quite nervous to go near you, but he had gotten used to being around dangerous stuff, so it didn’t faze him as much as it did back then.

“here. medical supplies, medication and food supplies.” he stated, handing over the goods to you.

you snatched all of it from him, rummaging through the first aid kit to see if it was legit, reading whatever was jotted down on the penicillin bottles, and smelling the food to check if it was poisoned or not.

you sent the two men one last glare before running back to the direction of your house.

“not even a “thank you” or a “goodbye”? how impolite.” childe pouted as he watched your figure disappear into the forest, then he suddenly grinned and said, “i like her.”

“you what, master?” his butler choked on his saliva. “that peasant?–“

“hush. you shall not speak about her that way.”  he raised his hand, stopping his butler from insulting you, his beloved, any further. oh, how he wished you were still here, by his side or better yet, in his arms. he had the chance to take you back home with him, but unfortunately, he let you go.

aw, what a shame. his family would have loved to have you over.

childe looked down and saw footprints on the ground. right, the ground was covered in snow, deep enough to leave evident tracks. how silly of him to forget about their nation’s current weather, caused by the tsaritsa, whom he served.

he chuckled, thanking the snow for basically showing the way to your house.

knowing he could track you down, he decided that you were his next target, his new rabbit to hunt.

you better run rabbit. run.

-

you busted into your house and once you stepped foot inside, you immediately slammed the door shut. you didn’t want the cold wind to make your father sick, not when he was already in enough pain.

“father.” you called out, but he didn’t respond. he remained silent and immobilized on the couch.

“father, i brought you some stuff that’ll help make you feel better.” you continued to speak, despite receiving no response.

first, you set the food aside on the kitchen counter and second, you knelt down beside the couch, placing the first aid kit on the ground.

“okay, here’s what i’m gonna do. i’m gonna insert a needle into your system which contains penicillin. then, i’ll stitch you up with a needle and thread. then, i’ll change that cloth with an actual bandage.” you rambled. “y–you taught me everything there is i need to know, but i– i’d be lying if i said i wasn’t scared right now. i’m not a medical expert and i don’t trust the rich at all–“

“what are you talking about?” you heard a groan come out of his mouth.

“father!–“

“did you make a deal with the rich or something just to get me these things?”

“yeah, i did.” you rubbed your elbow.

“how’d you persuade ‘em?”

“i threatened to shoot them with your rifle.”

after you said that, silence filled the air.

beads of sweat started form on your forehead. was he mad? was he mad at you for messing with the rich? but you did make a fair trade, no? but you also threatened them. shit. maybe master dickface was holding in his anger the whole time and had yet to release his pent up frustration.

you snapped out of your thoughts when he broke into a fit of laughter. loud and genuine laughter. something you hadn’t heard in months. he was always stressed these days and barely laughed like he used to. it was a relief to hear it again.

“my sides hurt… literally…” he stopped laughing, clutching the cloth wrapped around his waist.

“yeah, let’s fix that, shall we?” and so, you proceeded to treat his wound. “thanks, hun.”

“you’re not mad?”

he raised his brow. “my little girl had the courage to go against those imbeciles for the sake of her old man. you made a deal with them and you were able to get what you wanted in the end, so why in the hell would i be mad? it’s not like you’re in debt with them. speaking of a deal, what did you offer them?”

“a rabbit.”

“really?” he deadpanned.

“hey, they actually wanted it. well, the master– i call him master dickface– wanted it for his mother. he said she loved rabbit fur coats or whatever the fancy term of that is. i saw the opportunity, so i made a deal with him.”

“wait, did you say rabbit fur coats?” his brows furrowed. “(y/n), what did this master look like?”

you were taken aback by his sudden interest. “uh, he was tall, muscular, had pale skin, blue eyes, ginger hair and a hydro vision.” he was handsome too, but you left that out in your description. “he’s a vision user, father! can you believe i threatened a vision user? thank the archons i made it back in one piece!”

your father started to grow visibly concerned. “don’t tell me… this master goes by the name of childe?”

“yeah– wait, how– how do you know him?!”

“fuck.” was all he could utter at the moment.

taglist:

 @scarasvision @vvyeislazzy @ursinaw @fantasy-enthusiast @weepykisser @cryoarchoness @dreamlessnight @kazusbby

thank you so much for supporting this story 🫶

(part 3)

[foreverlogical]

In a New York Times profile of the Michigan Republican Party, state Rep. Lisa McClain offers a quintessentially stoic midwestern insight about the ailing state party that perfectly sums up the GOP's national dynamic too.

“It’s not going real well," McClain told the Times' Nick Corasaniti.

“The ability to raise money," she continued, "we’ve got a lot of donors sitting on the sideline. That’s not an opinion. That’s a fact. It’s just a plain fact. We have to fix that.”

Though McClain was assessing the divide between the state's monied benefactors, such as former Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and its Trumpy grassroots activists, she may as well have been talking about national GOP donors' frantic search for a savior as the MAGA grassroots coalesce around Donald Trump for the 2024 nomination.

In fact, Corasaniti's piece—an anatomy of GOP dysfunction encapsulated by the Republican Party in a Rust Belt swing state—mirrors rifts emerging across the country at both the state and national levels. Corasaniti portrays a party coming apart at the seams after its drubbing in the '22 cycle in a state where Republicans roundly lost the gubernatorial contest, every statewide executive office (e.g., attorney general and secretary of state), and control of both legislative chambers. A hat trick, if you will.

The key cast of characters includes:

Tudor Dixon, 2022 gubernatorial nominee, Bible-thumper, anti-abortion activist, and former right-wing news host.

Fervent 2020 election deniers Kristina Karamo and Matthew DePerno, 2022 GOP nominees for secretary of state and attorney general, respectively.

Meshawn Maddock, former co-chair of the Republican Party and leader of Women for Trump, who has been charged in the fake elector scheme.

The DeVos family, longtime Republican Party donors and Michigan establishment heavyweights.

Every one of those is effectively a stand-in for similarly situated Republican players in GOP apparatuses around the country.

Following Michigan Republicans' midterm election implosion, a round of rapid-fire finger-pointing broke out, with MAGA party officials blaming Dixon for a toxic near-total abortion ban position and soft fundraising, Dixon blaming both the party and old-guard donors for her campaign's collapse, and party officials chastising donors for insufficiently funding their cuckoo election-denying candidates.

Corasaniti writes:

A state party autopsy days after the election, made public by Ms. Dixon, acknowledged that “we found ourselves consistently navigating the power struggle between Trump and anti-Trump factions of the party” and that Mr. Trump “provided challenges on a statewide ballot.”

True enough. On the national stage, every 2024 Republican hopeful but Trump is presently trying to thread the needle of enthusing high-dollar donors while managing to peel away pro-Trump voters open to alternatives.Campaign Action

Back in Michigan, establishment type Dave Trott, a retired GOP congressman and former state party donor, dished about the Republican elite's distrust of former GOP co-chair Maddock, a MAGA activist.

"Meshawn was never connected to the donor base, and so having her as the vice chair [of the party] for a lot of us was a showstopper,” Trott explained. "We just knew she would never be someone that would be rational in her approach to state party politics."

In response, Maddock expressed a reciprocal lack of trust in the party's establishment muckety-mucks.

“The state party needs the wealthy RINOs who often fund it to come to terms with what the actual voters on the right want,” Maddock told the Times. Wealthy donors, she added, need to treat the base "with an ounce of respect for once.”

The same could be said of national Republican donors who have never crossed paths with actual base voters and apparently still believe Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin can save them from Trump.

That same mutual distrust and disgust between establishment Republican donors and state party officials is also playing out in Georgia, where popular Republican Gov. Brian Kemp warned well-heeled donors earlier this year they could "no longer rely on" the state Republican Party to win elections. Kemp has effectively built a parallel political apparatus after urging donors to abandon the pro-Trump state party.

And then there are the anti-abortion zealots pointing fingers at everyone else for their own deeply unpopular position. Dixon's support for a strict abortion ban doomed her candidacy, just like the efforts of Ohio Republicans to ban abortion there sank an anti-abortion ballot measure earlier this month.

Following that loss, the nation's premier forced birther group, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life 

America, castigated establishment Republicans and the business community for not pulling their weight in the battle to pass the measure, which would have significantly raised the bar for enshrining abortion protections in Ohio's constitution.

All across the nation, the Republican Party is reckoning with the deal it cut with the devil. In swing states like Michigan and Georgia, red states like Ohio, and nationally, the GOP is cracking up as different factions variously cling to or reject Trump. The damage done may not be fully realized until voters cast their ballots next year, but the Republican Party is entering 2024 in a position so precarious that it almost defies historical comparison.

[collapsedsquid]

One​ possible outcome of the next presidential election is that a Democratic candidate wins a dispute-proof victory and is straightforwardly inaugurated. Another – perfectly likely – is that Trump runs again and is unambiguously re-elected in line with the law, even if most Americans don’t vote for him. But what if he, or a candidate like him, were to cheat, and he and his party threaded the needle to a victory endorsed by the key national institutions? Instead of today’s situation, in which there is a Democratic president and – to use Walter’s terminology – a downgraded superfaction of Trump supporters convinced by the lie that he was defrauded and should have won, you would have a Trump base accepting their champion’s fraudulent victory, and a liberal superfaction aware that the Republican head of state had stolen the presidency, that politicians, bureaucrats and lawyers had seized the apparatus of the American state, and that democracy had been killed. One of the strange things about the reaction to the invasion of the Capitol was how few of those dismayed by it speculated that they might one day long for just such an assault to succeed. Might a different mob storm into Congress to save democracy, rather than attack it? If an autocrat who has stolen an election is about to have his trashing of American democracy hallowed by Congress, all other recourse having failed, shouldn’t Democrats – or democrats, at least – take direct action? Liberal opinion in North America and Western Europe has tended to be gung-ho about pro-democracy protesters storming ruling institutions in other countries, notably Ukraine in 2014. But it’s one thing to imagine, as Walter encourages her readers to do, the gradual spread of white supremacist, anti-government terrorism across America against a democratic framework, until one day the progressive left, and the people of colour she suggests are likely to be targets of violence, arm and organise for self-protection. It’s another to wake up one morning and find that without any bloodshed or violence, without any seeming change in the smooth running of traffic signals and ATMs and supermarkets, without, even, an immediate wave of arrests or a clampdown on free speech, your country is run by somebody who took power illegally. Something must be done! But what, apart from venting on social media? And by whom? Me? In Ukraine, students and the liberal middle class found fighting allies among football ultras, small farmers and extreme nationalists. Such an alliance would be hard to pull together in the Euro-American world. Describing liberal protests against government corruption and malfeasance in Bulgaria in 2013, Ivan Krastev spoke of ‘the frustration of the empowered’ and an urban middle class that ‘risks remaining politically isolated, incapable of reaching out to other social groups’.

[jules-has-notes]

2017 VoicePlay winter activities — ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

With a new year came new projects and collaborators, as well as several personal milestones for the guys.

.

Auld Lang Syne

VoicePlay started the year on someting of a bittersweet note, finally making the offical announcement of Tony's retirement from the group. Fans had been remarking on his increasing absences from VoicePlay's content and concerts over the preceding year, so the formal confirmation that he had left was sad, but certainly less upsetting in knowing that it was an amicable decision.

Five years of frequent, extended travel had taken their toll. Tony wanted to spend more time at home with his family, and refocus his creative energies on new projects through PattyCake Productions, the studio he and Layne had been building over the previous year.

.

On a happier note, Eli and Ashley entered the home stretch in preparing for their wedding.

.

Hot and cold

As they said in the audition video, the remaining guys didn't let a vacancy disrupt their other plans. They continued to alternate between Erik Winger and J.None as their stand-in baritones as they hit the road almost immediately.

First they picked up Winger and headed south for a stylish wedding in the Florida Keys.

Then they scooped up J.None and returned to snowy NYC for the annual APAP conference after skipping it the year before.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by J.None 🧈🎶 🎙📝🎬🎹🎸📽🤣 (@itsjnone)

.

Once they got home, it was time for some more rehearsals before they performed at a couple local private events and filmed their next video.

This song wasn't fast enough already, guys? Yeesh!

.

Jacobson nuptials

And of course everyone gathered to celebrate at Eli and Ashley's wedding.

.

From the road to the air

Toward the end of the month, Layne and Tony gathered up a few family members and friends and headed to southern Florida for their next PattyCake project.

When they got home, VoicePlay snagged J.None again and flew out west to "crash Eli's honeymoon" and headline the annual Napa Valley A Cappella Extravaganza.

.

Part of the extended family

During their week at home between road dates, Earl got to meet Jodi Benson, voice of the animated Ariel, during a Nemo post-show meet and greet session.

.

Round and round

The next weekend, the guys and Winger headed up to New Jersey for a show in Rahway with opening act Garden State Sound Quartet. The concert received some preliminary hype in the local press, and a very nice recap.

photos by Love Imagery, via New Jersey Stage ; and by Garden State Sound Quartet

.

Then they popped home long enough to pick up J.None and Max Herskovitz for a five day trip to the Bahamas aboard the Disney Dream. While the other guys were at sea, Layne got into some tech geekery for an interview with Lens Depot as part of their customer spotlight series.

Once they disembarked, they bade farewell to Max and scooped up Layne for a quick jaunt to Maryland.

.

Making a name

After a few quiet days at home, they met up with Winger again to sing the national anthem as the opening to Full Sail University's annual alumni Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

During a shopping trip the next day, Layne found a hat with surprisingly accurate embroidery. He joked that it "should have a question mark at the end", and his sister noted that a needle and thread could easily amend it. I'd argue that, like a lot of performing artists, they're more "situationally famous".

.

Frozen treats

The weekend took VoicePlay (again with Winger) north to St. Joseph, MN for a show attended by several longtime fans and local gent Chris Rupp.

sleepy Layne, Paul, and Erik heading north very early in the morning

.

Home time

Over next week, Layne, Tony, and Earl were busy filming PattyCake's next project, "Beauty and the Bieber", at several locations around Orlando. Meanwhile, Geoff and Kathy took advantage of the slight lull in their schedules and had a babymoon date night at a Take 6 / Manhattan Transfer concert.

But, of course, the VoicePlay momentum picked up again at their weekly planning meeting.

.

Ahoy-hoy

The week after that, they gathered up J.None and Max again for another loop around the Caribbean on the Disney Dream.

.

When they got home, they headed over to a local art school to perform at a fundraiser for their theater program. The lineup for the evening also included Brian Fortuna from Dancing with the Stars and Orshi Horvath, and a newly formed local boy band called the Beatline Boys.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cyndi Ansley Stein (@cyndiansleystein)

VoicePlay accompany Brian and Orshi for a dance

.

Family time

The next few days were spent doing their own thing and marking some big milestones. Geoff and Kathy had their baby shower. Earl and Nick bought a new home.

.

Back to work

The final weekend of the season was bookended by video shoots with new collaborators. Friday saw them team up with theme park pal Matthew Darren for a club jam mashup, while Monday brought a peppy breakup song with Broadway performer John Pinto, Jr.

.

Once those were in the can, it was time to hit the road again, but that's a story for a another time.

[madamlaydebug]

Happy International Women's Day to you Sisters!

"The old threads are unraveling,

Get your needles ready.

We are stitching a new quilt

... of humanity.

Bring your old t-shirts,

worn out jeans, scarves,

antique gowns, aprons,

old pockets of plenty

who have held Earth's treasures,

stones, feathers, leaves,

love notes on paper.

Each stitch

A mindful meditation.

Each piece of material

A story.

The more colour the better,

so call in the tribes.

Threads of browns, whites,

reds, oranges

Women from all nations

start stitching.

Let's recycle the hate, the abuse,

the fear, the judgment.

Turn it over, wash it clean,

ring it out to dry.

It's a revolution

of recycled wears.

Threads of greens, blues, purples

Colourful threads

of peace, kindness,

respect, compassion

are being stitched

from one continent to the next

over forests, oceans, mountains.

The work is hard

Your fingers may bleed.

But each cloth stitched together

Brings together a community.

A world, our future world

Under one colourful quilt.

The new quilt of humanity."

~Julia Myers

[dasphinxone]

Preview of Chapter 3 of As Above, So Below

They actually talk to each other without threats of death. Progress! Well...sorta 🤣

Three more days passed in the same fashion. 

However, on the third night of her being in Talokan, Attuma didn’t stand guard outside Okoye’s room. This time as she sank into her hammock, he dropped to take a seat on the floor near the the table in the far corner of her quarters. Flicking out a large cloth of some sort he pulled from the strapped satchel he wore, it covered his large lap.

Okoye sat up to see him threading a bone needle with brightly colored thread and…starting to embroider the cloth? 

Rather than standing guard, he’d placed himself closer to her and in her room. While his scythe was propped on the wall behind him and as far away from her as possible, it wasn’t in hand like the previous nights. It all meant he clearly didn’t see her as a threat. Which she could use to her advantage. 

“What are you doing?” she asked, forcing her voice to sound interested. Putting him at ease could result in letting his guard down and making an escape less daunting. 

Attuma looked over at her for a long while before he slowly lifted up the pale colored cloth for her to see. Embroidered within its center lay a circle of kelp with brightly colored stems surrounding the outline of a satsun. Okoye vaguely recalled seeing them on missions to Mexico in the very region where these people originated. Remembering Shuri explaining how one lay in the center of Talokan where their artificial sun rose and set, it made sense. 

Attuma nodded. “Warriors are expected to contain many talents besides the slaying of our enemies. Namora’s hand with a chisel creates some of our nation’s most stunning glyphs for recorded documents of great import. She also proves an excellent weaver.”

She had no idea how the shark man managed to see his detailed work in such dim lighting from the spherical, bioluminescent lamps hanging from the thatched roof above.

“You embroider?” she asked with genuine surprise. 

It was similar in Wakanda. People were expected to be well rounded. She personally enjoyed gardening and picked up languages quickly, especially the obscure and older dialects of the various tribes. Before they passed away, her parents always said she would've likely owned a restaurant considering her excellent cooking if she hadn't become a Dora Milaje. Her sisters in the Dora all held special talents outside of battle as well.

"What is it for?" she nodded at his work.

It was hard to tell if smiled due to his rebreather. However, his brows softened. "A new satchel for my sister. Her children ripped her old one apart, the little menaces." It was said with surprisingly light affection as he went back to swiftly stitching.

Okoye startled at the revelation. But of course he would have a family. These blue people existed outside of their current threat to her and the others. As much as she wouldn't hesitate to kill them to ensure their safety, that didn't preclude them from having other, normal pursuits.

"I'm sure they will like it," she murmured as laid back down on her hammock and wrapped the blanket around her.

Okoye filed away that tidbit of information on alleged incursions for later. Sure, he could be lying to her for the sake of manipulation. Or not.

Attuma shrugged. "I am not as skilled at this as my father is," he huffed. "I must practice more. The increasing incursions into our kingdom has taken time away from all of this," he sighed. Biting off the edge of the thread, he began with a new color of stitching.

She settled into the hammock and attempted to fall asleep. But as was the case previous nights, she struggled.

“You should sleep for once, warrior,” Attuma called out after roughly an hour of her feigning it. He didn’t bother looking up from where he pulled the brightly colored thread through the fabric of his latest project. “Pretending to do so does you no good,” he sniffed.

Okoye let out a derisive noise. More on account that she’d been caught. “How do you know when I’m not asleep?” she huffed. 

“Your breathing is not the same as when you fall into real sleep in your exhaustion. When you’re awake, your heart rate is also elevated.” Okoye froze at his easy response. “I can hear both,” he continued. 

Apparently, these people contained heightened senses too. It would make sense, considering their bodies evolved to the pressures of the deep sea. That still didn't make his revelation any less uneasy.

“Well, it’s rather difficult to sleep in an unfamiliar environment,” she scoffed. 

Attuma looked up, eyes velvety black in the low light. “Why did you not say so?”

“I doubt you care,” she nearly hissed as she shifted slightly forward and closer to the edge of the hammock. Closing her eyes, she didn't wait for his response.

Attuma looked at her for a long moment before he went back to his embroidery. 

Suddenly, the air was fill with a low, melodic hum. It seemed to pull at her with strangely comforting fingers, wrapping around her being like the soft touches of a familiar embrace. Her body immediately began to relax. Even as her mind fought it and her eyes struggled to stay open.

It took what felt an age for her to form words as she realized it was Attuma's tune that echoed around her. His notes switched from low to slightly higher but just as hypnotically soothing after a while. No matter how she couldn't tell how much time passed as his music shifted yet again to nearly lull her to sleep.

"What…what are you singing?" her tongue struggled to form the words as a bizarre warmth settled over her. "How…how are you doing this? Affecting me?" she insisted.

Attuma murmured, "How does my song render you?"

"Calmer than I've felt since I've been down here," she slurred out.

Attuma eyed her before going back to his embroidery. "We have songs of various melodies that hold strength in power. They serve numerous purposes to compel others to do and feel a multitude of things."

She immediately snapped her mouth shut, lips pressed into a firm line of regret and with no idea of what compelled her to reveal such to her enemy. For as soon as his song stopped, her emotions shifted back to her usual unease with her current situation.

Her mind spun with the implications. She'd heard tales from other cultures of sea creatures who held the same abilities. Often it proved a curse or enchantment to those they sung to. Her own pantheon of dieties contained legends of water spirits who could prove mischievous to murderous. The fact that these people of the deep made it a reality caused her stomach to churn.

"You must have an extraordinarily strong will, warrior," Attuma declared. He sounded almost proud. "Most would be firmly at slumber and within the land of dreams by now."

Siren, she angrily mused to herself, They call them siren songs.

"Do not do that again," she ordered. She hoped her voice didn't sound as shaky as it did in her ears.

Attma furrowed his brows. "You need your sleep to remain strong-?"

"I can find it on own. Do not compel me," she snapped.

"Your sleep has been erratic since you arrived," his voice dropped, "You deserve a nightly rest of peace."

Okoye utterly refused to entertain that he came from any place of concern as she grit out, "That is none of your business. Keep your songs to yourself. I won't repeat myself."

His deep sigh sounded…disappointed?

She didn't care. Why in the fuck should she care?! He was her jailer and she, his prisoner. She should be plotting how to eliminate him in order to secure Shuri and Riri's lives to get them all out of this accursed place.

Rolling over to face the wall, she pulled the blanket all the way over her head. "I need nothing from you, shark man," she tossed out.

She held her breath, waiting for his reply. He remained silent.

It took what seemed like hours for her to finally fall asleep. She despised how she missed his song and how it'd nearly pulled her down into the blessed depths of sleep.

She couldn't wait to escape.

[christophfanalways]

In Honor of National Thread the Needle Day in the US - July 26, 2023!!

Is there anything this man can't do? No.

[murderousink23]

07/25/2023 is National Culinarian's Day 🍳🇺🇲, National Hot Fudge Sundae Day 🍨🇺🇲, National Merry-Go-Round Day 🎠🇺🇲, National Threading the Needle Day 🧵🇺🇲, Christmas in July 🎄⛱, National Wine and Cheese Day 🍷🧀🇬🇧

[bones-sprouts]

Curses. now i am thinking about her

Oh well. anyway Jennifer Jameson aka Spinning Jenny is a young woman in early 1800s England. Her father, John Jonah Jameson, runs the local paper and is eccentric about his craft. However, he is firm in his belief that his daughter has no business endangering herself the chaos of the crowd. If she so dreams of learning the truth of the world, she can do so by working to build the nation's roots - with needle and thread.

Jennifer resorts to busying herself in the factories, learning the trade. And although whenever she comes home her news of revolutionary inventions are ignored, she is glad to be doing something with her time.

Thats all i got for now as i look at spiders and also pretty 1800s fashion

SHES JONAHS KID?????? OH MY GOD I LOVE THAT SO SO MUCH

she comes home every day like 'dad you would not believe the shit that is happening in these factories the inventions are like nothing we've ever seen before you have to write about this' and he's like 'not now sweetie i have to write about how spinning jenny is a menace to society'

love the energy of her just kinda trying to fill her time with factory work it leaves so much room for her to come of age when she adopts the spiderman moniker,,,, she can finally learn the truth of the world even if it isn't as idealistic as she believed it would be,,,, oughh her

[brookston]

Holidays 7.25

Holidays

Act Like a Caveman Day

Antifascist Pasta Day (Italy)

Bayreuther Festspiele begins (Wagner festival; Germany) [thru 8.28]

Be Adamant About Something Day

Community Day (Galicia, Spain)

CTNNB1 Awareness Day

A Day Out of Time (Last Day of the Year; Mayan, Galactic)

Ebernoe Horn Fair (Sussex, UK)

Feed the Country Ducks Day

Festival of Picaresque Animality

Health and Happiness with Hypnosis Day

International AfroLatinx, AfroCaribbean & Diaspora Women’s Day

International Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners

International Red Show Day

International Sop Rapping Over Vocals Day

John Knill Day (Cornwall, UK) [Every 5 Years]

Jumatul Bidah (Bangladesh)

Jumat-ul-Wida (India)

Merry-Go-Round Day [also 5.17]

Mugwort Day (French Republic)

National African American Hepatitis C Action Day

National Campus Press Freedom Day (Philippines)

National Carousel Day

National Clay Day

National Day of Galicia (Spain)

National Hire a Veteran Day

National Houston Day

National Schizophrenia Awareness Day (UK)

National Video Game Team Day

Occupation Day (Puerto Rico)

Rain of Black Worms Day (Romania)

Red Shoe Day

Republic Day (Tunisia)

Rosiland Franklin Day

Santiago Apóstol (Spain)

Test-Tube Baby Day

Thread the Needle Day

Traditional Palestinian Dress Day

World Drowning Prevention Day (UN)

World Embryologist Day

World IVF Day

World Youth Days 2023 begins (Lisbon, Portugal; Roman Catholic; until 7.31) [Varies; @Every 3 Years]

Food & Drink Celebrations

Candles on a Cake Day

Culinarian’s Day

Frozen Fruit Freeze Day

Indie Beer Day (Australia)

National Hot Fudge Sundae Day

National Wine and Cheese Day

4th Tuesday in July

Waterton-Glacier Science & History Day [4th Tuesday]

Independence Days

Abode of Heaven (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Andany (Declared; 2017; Dissolved Sep. 2018) [unrecognized]

Commonwealth Constitution Day (Puerto Rico) 

Rathunis (Declared; 2011) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Anne (Eastern Christianity)

Christopher (Western Christianity)

Cucuphas (a.k.a. Cueufas, Cougat; Christian; Saint)

Feast of Formation of Saint Ann (Mother of the Virgin Mary; Byzantine Rite)

Furrinalia (Old Roman Goddess of Springs)

Glodesind (Christian; Saint)

Holbein (Positivist; Saint)

Hot Fudge Sundae Day (Pastafarian)

Ilyap'a Festival (Inca thunder god)

James the Great (Western Christianity)

John I Agnus (Christian; Saint)

Julian of Le Mans (Christian; Translation)

Magnerich of Trier (Christian; Saint)

Maxfield Parrish (Artology)

National Baha’i Day (Jamaica)

Nissen, Abbot of Mountgarret, Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Paul (Christian; Martyr)

Shylock Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Slippery Slim (Muppetism)

Thea and Valentina (Christian; Virgins)

Thomas Eakins (Artology)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

The Adventures of André & Wally B. (Pixar Cartoon; 1984)

Air Force One (Film; 1997)

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (Film; 2008)

Armor Wars (Film; 2025)

Back in Black, by AC/DC (Album; 1980)

Batman: The Killing Joke (Animated Film; 2016)

Broken Quest (Animated tV Series; 2013)

Caddyshack (Film; 1980)

China Grove, by the Doobie Brothers (Song; 1973)

A Chorus Line (Broadway Musical; 1975)

Drinking Buddies (Film; 2013)

Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (WB MM Cartoon; 1953)

Fame, by David Bowie (Song; 1975)

First Lensman, by E.E. "Doc" Smith (Novel; 1950) [Lensman #2]

Good Burger (Film; 1997)

Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man (Film; 1962)

Justice League: Warworld (WB Animated Film; 2023)

Kill ‘Em All, by Metallica (Album; 1983)

Lara Croft Tom Raider: The Cradle of Life (Film; 2003)

Last Train to Clarksville, recorded by The Monks (Song; 1966)

Lego Scooby-Doo! Blowout Beach Bash (WB Animated Film; 2017)

Lucy (Film; 2014)

Maximum Overdrive (Film; 1986)

Paul’s Boutique, by The Beastie Boys (Album; 1989)

Porky’s Spring Planting (WB LT Cartoon; 1938)

Ruby Sparks (Film; 2012)

Seabiscuit (Film; 2003)

Step Brothers (Film; 2008)

The Tree’s Knees (WB LT Cartoon; 1931)

X-Files: I Want to Believe (Film; 2008)

Yes, by Yes (Album; 1969)

You Can’t Hurry Love, by The Supremes (Song; 1966)

Today’s Name Days

Jakob, Jakobus, Thea, Thomas, Valentina (Austria)

Ana, Yana (Bulgaria)

Beata, Jakov, Krsto, Valentina (Croatia)

Jakub (Czech Republic)

Jacobus (Denmark)

Jaagup, Jaak, Jaako, Jaap, Jako, Jakob, Jass (Estonia)

Jaakko, Jaakob, Jaakoppi, Jimi (Finland)

Jacques, Valentine (France)

Jakob, Valentine (Germany)

Anna (Greece)

Jakab, Kristóf (Hungary)

Cristoforo, Giacomo (Italy)

Jēkabs, Marika (Latvia)

Aušrinė, Jokūbas, Kristupas (Lithuania)

Jack, Jakob, Jim (Norway)

Jakub, Krzysztof, Nieznamir, Sławosz, Walentyna (Poland)

Jakub (Slovakia)

Jaime, Santiago (Spain)

Jakob (Sweden)

Jac, Jack, Jacki, Jackie, Jackson, Jacky, Jacques, Jimmie (Universal)

Coby, Colby, Diego, Israel, Jacob, Jacoby, Jack, Jackie, Jackson, Jaclyn, Jacqueline, Jacquelyn, Jacques, Jaime, Jake, Jakob, James, Jameson, Jamie, Jaquan, Jaqueline, Jaxon, Jaxson, Jim, Jimena, Jimmie, Jimmy, Kobe, Koby, Kolby, Santiago (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 206 of 2024; 159 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 2 of week 30 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 16 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Ji-Wei), Day 8 (Jia-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 7 Av 5783

Islamic: 7 Muharram 1445

J Cal: 26 Lux; Fiveday [26 of 30]

Julian: 12 July 2023

Moon: 50%: 1st Quarter

Positivist: 10 Dante (8th Month) [Holbein]

Runic Half Month: Ur (Primal Strength) [Day 12 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 35 of 94)

Zodiac: Leo (Day 4 of 31)

[pbandjesse]

I had a very excellent evening. I am on my way back from the Museum right now. And I'm excited to go wash my hair because it feels very dirty but I am in a great mood. I had a very good day.

Slept okay last night. Waking up was hard but what else is new. When I got up I got to see James for a few minutes and then I laid in bed until my alarm went off. When I got up for real I got dressed and made the bed and I felt okay. I felt a little anxious about the drive because I thought it was going to be an hour but it ended up only being 40 minutes so it was fine.

I'm glad I left when I did though because I stopped for breakfast and then I had to get to the highway. And while it was raining it could have been a lot worse. I could see still. Even though it was bad. Couple people tried to drive into me though! That was not cool. But I was aware enough that I could get out of the way.

When I got to Annapolis it didn't look like I thought it was going to. The building was facing the highway so I couldn't see the front of it. But thankfully I found the parking lot not with much issue. Even though I was convinced one of the army guys was going to come over and yell at me. They never did. I texted Jess and let her know that I was there and only had to wait like 10 minutes until she showed up. When she was there she help me bring everything inside and we had to ask some of the National Guard members where the classroom was. And then everything was good to go.

The classroom was incredibly hot though. Like I don't know why they had the heat blasting but they did and it was very uncomfortable. Jess eventually figured out how to open up the windows and the breeze from the high wind warning we had helped coolest down a lot. And then I just got set up.

We ended up having a good turnout. We were supposed to have 15 but in the end we had 10. Plus all their parents. And that worked just well for me. And the way I did it I think worked really well too. When I do it with adults I am very worried about getting them hand sewing and then on the machine but I wasn't sure how much machine work you would do because I wasn't sure what the demographic was going to be. And so having all of my needles pre-threaded worked out really well. Because the team they got to help me did not know how to sell. And only just knew how to thread a needle consistently.

The first three kids that came were teenagers. One that I had in the play class so I was able to trust that they knew what they were doing. They picked their bears that James had cut out and then start and sewing. I did talk a little about the history of the teddy bear and why people relate them to childhood. And then just ran through all the steps. I had everyone doing whip stitches once they did the entire body they would come to the sewing machine to finish the ears and I can fix any holes that they had. That ended up being the perfect plan because then it wasn't a big deal if their stitches were too wide because I could just pull All of their stitches tighter and then fix any holes without telling them that they messed up. I don't think that any of them did a bad job though.

Because then I had some kids waiting and some kids working and just would do all of the eyeballs so I could just focus on the sewing machine. And the kids were really fun. We had one 5-year-old and then her brother who was about seven. We had two sisters that I think were six and eight. And then we had the teenagers who were between the ages of 13 and 15. And they just did great they were so fun. And very very sweet. And everyone's bears came out so nice. I really really enjoyed working with them.

Once everyone was done I asked that we take a picture of all the bears and then just wanted to do a group photo with everyone holding their bears. I'll have to ask her to send me that. And clean up the room and then it was time to go. But them are one little friend who was five had a complete meltdown. Because her mom finished stitching the last piece when she wanted her to do it at home for some reason I didn't think it was up a good deal. But she was absolutely having a meltdown and I was just like what are you doing when your child is freaking out like that. And Mom was not handling it super well either. So she just walked away to try to give her some space but then Jess was able to really get on her level and figure out a solution that got her to calm down. I think that that was just really awesome to see because it reinforced some stuff that I would have done but it's hard when it's not your kid and you don't want to overstep. So it was really nice that Jess was able to do that. Get control of the situation.

Jess and one of the other guys helped carry the stuff to the car and Jess took a bear and some eyes and a nose so she could make her own later. And then it was time to go. The rain was starting to calm down and I was supposed to be home a little before 1:00. That did not work out.

Almost as soon as I got to the highway My GPS added 5 minutes and then 10 minutes to my estimated time home. And I saw the sign that said like accident had happened but I was on a stretch of highway that had no exits so all of us on this two-lane highway were trapped. Didn't move for almost 40 minutes. And it was very frustrating. I was fine. I had gotten the sandwich so I had something to eat and I had music and I wasn't like I was running late for anything but he was a little frustrating just sitting still for so long. I tried to make the best of it. The sun started to come out and it was really beautiful. And then finally the accident cleared up. I never got to see what happened. Just by the time I got over there it was all gone. I hope whatever happened the person's okay. And I was home a little after 1:40.

When I got home I got out of the car and I had my white heart sunglasses on. And there is the coolest old guy walking across the street. Old black guy had a really cool hat on had brown cowboy boots on and this awesome jean jacket with snakeskin patches all over it. And he looks at me in lowers his sunglasses and tells me that I have very cool shades. And I was like I was just about to tell you how cool I thought your jacket was. So that was just a really cute little moment we had.

I was feeling really tired though from sitting in the car for so long. So I got upstairs and I got all of the fuzzies off of my dress. From sewing. And then changed into comfy clothes. And laid down. I did walk around the apartment a few times first and collected some stuff that I want to have in the car and pet sweet pea and then got in bed.

I watched a video and fell asleep. And I woke up around 4:00. James wasn't quite home yet so I got dressed again. Fix my makeup. And then James was walking in the door and I was very happy to see them. We talked a little but I was a little distracted because I wanted to contact Amtrak to find out why we haven't been sent any information for our trip next month. And the person on the chat line was really nice and was able to get us our train ticket but isn't able to do anything with a cruise line so I've put James in charge of that but at least one half of it is handled. No idea wasn't why it wasn't sent to me before though.

I would leave the house a little after 5:00. And drove over to the museum. I was very excited because I haven't done a wedding for a while. And I was working with Merrill and she's so nice. It was her very first wedding event and she did a great job. I really enjoyed hanging out with her too We talked a lot and I got to show her how I made a chase for weddings and we ran around and talked to a bunch of nonsense and we showed each other our wedding pictures and it was just a really good time. And the group was really nice too. I talked to a lot of people tonight and I really got to get into the history stuff that I like to talk about and make a lot of prints and I was a little frustrated because I couldn't find my tray with flowers on it. And I was worried that Gordon had put everything away when he was cleaning. But I did eventually find it so crisis averted.

I made myself a little silly clown business card. And while I was doing that I got a text from my mom and Jess that they're in a tornado warning! Bucks family does not need any more tornadoes after they lost that dealership before. Too scary. Mom was apparently in the basement with I think Dad and the dogs. She didn't say she brought Dad downstairs and I'm hoping she did. And thankfully the wind is just really high here but it's not a tornado. I'm driving home now and using voice to text and the car is getting kind of moved around a lot and things are hitting my windshield. Like little teeny rocks. But I'm pulling into my neighborhood now and I am very excited to go inside and wash my hair and go to sleep.

Tomorrow I have my classes with the autism society. I'm hoping to wake up in the morning and get some work done and tidy up the apartment and then head over there around noon. I also really hope they have the materials for the class I'm selling for on Wednesday so I don't have to come back on Tuesday. But if I do it's not the worst thing. It's not like it's a far drive. And I hope tomorrow is just a good time. Both at class and at home. I hope that you are safe tonight. I hope that if there is a tornado and that there isn't any damage. Be safe and take care of yourself! Good night.

[fakeloveaskblog]

(Hi, me again. Happy new year!)

Hey Remy, here you go.

*a needle and thread appears*

Wanna here some fun facts? I haven’t told you any in a while.

Did you know that Australia is wider than the moon, the moon is 3400km in diameter and Australia from east to west is almost 4000km.

Did you know that shrimps hearts are in their heads.

Did you know that people are actually more creative in the shower because of an increased dopamine flow.

Did you know that my country’s (Scotland) national animal is a unicorn. It was apparently chosen because of its connection with dominance and chivalry as well as purity and innocence in Celtic mythology. Also because Englands national animal is a lion and unicorns are stronger than lions.

Did you know that you can here a blue whales heartbeat from over two miles away.

Did you know that an 'ultracrepidarian' is someone who voices thoughts beyond their expertise. Or in other words something who gives an option about something they don’t know anything about.

Did you know that a jiffy is an actual unit of time, it’s 1/100th of a second.

Did you know that you can’t hum if you hold your nose.

Did you know that Google was named after the googol, which is the number one followed by 100 zeros.

Anyway that’s enough of that. Is there anything you want to talk about or should we just make idle small talk?

Glow Eyes

(Gonna do it so ur sending Remy a fact a day for structural reasons)

Remy gave you a nod while taking the needle and thread. Remus had given them a pillow cover to embroider on. Their hands were shaking from anxiety but as soon as they got ahold of the needle muscle memory took over and they punctured the fabric with the starkly red thread.

They nodded without looking up as you asked if they wanted to hear a fun fact. They stopped for just a moment to give a shocked reaction at the Australia thing.

"That's like a huge bitch! Like I've neeever had plans to go to Australia and like I don't even have any favs from Australia. I'm no Kylie Minogue gay. But if it's that big maybe I gotta make Jannie and RemRem invade it so we can like control the earth y'know?"

You hovered down beside them and glowed a bright yellow so they could see what they were sewing more clearly. They mumbled out a thanks while patting you on your translucent head.

"I think I’m gonna go with needle weaving ‘cause it’s like gonna make the words more clear and since it’s for RemRem I wanna make it more fancy than a simply cross stitch” They explained while sewing “I used to make spiderweb patterns on my skirts by-”

The blanket on the other bed shifted as their roommate moved around. 

“Girl sorry if I woke you up. I’ll be like quiet now” Remy quickly apologized.

A hand waved from somewhere in the nest of blankets “No. No” Their roommate’s voice was worn out and raspy “If talking to youself is what gets you to sleep don’t mind me” The pillow moved a little as he turned to the other side.

“Thanks girly!” They looked bach at you “So as I was saying there are like tots soo many different embroidery-”

--

When you returned to the tiny room at the rehab center the next day sunlight was shining in through the window and the roommate’s bed was empty. You could hear Remy mumbling out incoherent nonsense.

As you floated up a little bit higher you could see Janus laying in the bed with his head pressed close to Remy’s. His hand laid across their waist and his phone laid between them. They were sharing earbuds.

Remy was so pale their veins stood out like blue glowsticks. Their jaw was slack and their skin glistened from sweat. Their breathing was heavy and unsteady as their body seemed to twitch and shake at random intervalls.

Even though their eyes were only half open they kept their gaze on their partner as their trembling hand moved along his soft chin.

“Sorry babe I’m so boring” They mumbled out.

“It’s okay deary. I don’t mind listening to such riveting classics as” He glanced at what they were listening to (they had said the music grounded them) “...The femme fatale remix of Till the world ends with Kesha and Nicki Minaj. It’s always good to discover new music. And it’s even better to be with you”

Janus peppered kisses along their cheek which made them let out weak giggles. They closed their eyes and rubbed their nose against his.

“Sorry it’s all ‘bout me. What- what’s going on at your job?” Remy asked half lucidly “Or anything. How is the uh the ikea? Viv?” They blinked before slurring out “The library babe?”

They looked to Janus for an answer while kicking off the blanket. They’d dragged it on just a minute ago because “they’d been freezing to death” but now it looked like they were burning alive.

He smiled softly “The library is doing good darling. Logan asked me over to bake treats for the kids art and crafts evening- Oh a friend is here” Janus interrupted himself as he saw you.

“I think she’s trying to like remind me I’m not like alone” Remy groaned out while clutching their head. It felt like their skull was going to implode on itself.

You told your shrimp fact.

“I also have my heart in my head. That’s why I’m such a genius” Janus said with a smirk. They looked over to Remy and smiled even winder when they saw their partner laughing weekly.

--

The next day the room mostly looked the same except that Remus was the one sitting at the foot of the bed. Remy’s foot was sticking out from the blanket and they kept poking at their boyfriend’s side to annoy him. They still looked just as pale and they had huge bags under their eyes because the withdrawal symptoms were keeping them awake.

“Yeah so there I was lost in the woods” Remus babbled on “And suddenly a bunch of crows flew by over my head and- GHOST! HI!”

You flopped your ghost body on top of Remus head to make his brain feel all fuzzy while he laughed before telling your fact of the day.

Remus let up into a big sinister smile “Y’know the big reason everyone gets so much dopamine in the shower is ‘cause they’re all nakey” 

He said it while tickling Remy right by their ribs so they let out into one of those shrill giggles. He kissed them on the cheek and moved a bit of their hair that had gotten stuck to their sweaty forehead behind their ear before laying down beside them.

“Just imagine the RAW NASTY creative power if someone mushed like 8 naked people all at once into a shower”

“Babe that’s just an orgy” Remy replied.

“Well then I gotta go look for statistics on how many brilliant creative endeavors were started during an orgy”

“Great excuse to become one of those uhhh like....I think Janny’s said it...Empirical scientists!” They looked proud of themself for remembering before another skull shattering headache hit them and their stomach dropped.

--

The room was empty the next time you showed up. The nurses had coaxed Remy into leaving the bed just for a few hours so they could clean since the sheets were drenched in sweat and had stains of vomit on it.

You floated through a few walls before finding Remy curled up in the sofa of the ‘living room’ of the rehab center. Remus had his head in their lap while scrolling on his phone. His partner was working on embroidering the pillow case so the fabric kept falling onto his face but he didn’t mind.

Remus looked up to find Remy silently crying. Tears rolled down their cheeks but they didin’t make a single sound, their eyes were barely even red.

He quickly sat up and reached out to cup their cheeks “Beanie, you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Just” They closed their eyes tightly “Just withdrawal shit”

“You’re through the worst of it. I know it feels like having your liver picked by birds over and over again but it’ll be over soon”

Remy let go of their needle and thread as they sucked in a deep breathe to not start crying any harder “Every minute is just like so fucking slow an-and I keep thinking bout how This is just the start-”

“The withdrawal is gonna be over in like a week. 2 week tops! Then we go burn houses or scream in the woods or whatever you want!”

“This is the start of being sober!” Remy nearly choked on the word “I’m gonna have to remember and exists an-and already I don’t- I can’t stand- Everything feels SO real Remus! Everything- I- I can’t comprehend this” They held up their shaking hand “This is the same hand I had when I was being abused by my dad- same hand i had when I was flinching from Virgil- I- I don’t wanna be the same person all of that happened to! I don’t wanna have to live with it! I wanna forget! I wanna! I don’t want Myself to be real! I- I-”

“You can sob and sniffle and throw snot all over the place y’know” Remus said in his softest tone “I won’t get mad. You’re safe”

Remy’s face scrunched up into an ugly grimace as they let out a quiet whine. Remus moved his finger against their lip and waited until they nodded before kissing them. He held them close as they continued to sob.

You quietly decided to leave the room. You could just give two facts tomorrow instead.

--

It was late at night when you returned to Remy’s room. You found them sitting on the floor with their back leant against the wall, their hands were busy with the embrodeiry. Their cheeks had stains left from tears.

Your light pink glow made Remy look up. They smiled  a little when they saw you.

“My head is having like loooads of stupid thoughts ‘cause of the uhm the withdrawal” Remy mumbled out, they looked dead tired “I told Jannie ‘bout some of them and they like convinced me to tell the nurses. They took my needle ‘cause it was too sharp they said but I got like a more round one” They sniffled “Earl- my uh roommate has been playing cards with me when Jannie and RemRem aren’t here but he needs his sleep so it’s like good your here right now. I could use the distraction”

You didn’t even have time to finish your fact about Scotland before Remy’s eyes went wide and their mouth turned agape in shock.

“You’re scottish!??! Girl I should have guessed with how you speak but I just assumed that like all ghosts sounded kinda scottish!! What the fuck is a scottish ghost doing in fucking Florida!? Girl if I die I’m getting the fuck outa here. I’mma be in fucking Havana or something. Sawry finish your lil fact”

You let out a little huff before finishing your unicorn fact.

“Having a unicorn as it’s country animal?....Kinda gay. Slaaay Scotland!! My new faav country! Unicorns having a connection with dominance!?” They twirled their hair “You telling me unicorns are doms...omg...”

You followed it up with the whale fact.

“The heartbeat!? Girl that would be calming as shit. Wait...Could you mimik whale sounds? That sounds like suuuuuper niiiiceee”

After a moment of consideration you took out your ghost phone and simply searched up a video of whale sounds before putting it against Remy’s ear.

--

“Are you kidding me? Did you not see the extrrrra extrrrordinary way I completely and uterrrrrly won this game of uno” Janus said sarcastically.

“I saw you cheating!!” Remus exclaimed.

“Me? Cheating?” They gasped “I would never! What about my honor!”

“You can get the honorary punishment of getting your hand gnawed off for cheating!”

Remus jumped forward and grabbed onto Janus’ wrist. He made loud chomping noises while only biting A little on their actual skin. Janus played along by throwing uno cards at his head.

The two of them were sitting beside Remy’s bed. Their partner had too much head fog from pain and sleep deprivation to play uno with them but just laying in bed and watching the two people they loved have fun made Remy feel better.

You interrupted the biting to tell them about ultracrepidarians. Janus let up into a smirk before boping Remus on the nose.

“Someone who speaks above their knowledge grade, such as you claiming I would ever cheat when you know nothing about the spirit of card games!”

Remus tried to bite their finger “HAH! You’re one to talk! You discuss criminal mysteries with me all the time and yet you’ve never drank even a TINY bit of blood!”

“Ohohoh but you love to speak of old torture methods when you don’t even know about the philosophical reasoning that led them to happen!” Janus argued back.

Both of them sent confident smiles at each other while crossing their arms. Remy rolled their eyes.

“Girlies get a room”

You added in your fact about Jiffys which made Remus loudly laugh.

“Hehe sounds like yiff”

--

You heard quiet crying when you came back the next day. Remy sat huddled up in a blanket in front of the single window in their room with a box of tissues. You sat down next to them and quietly told your fact about humming.

They rolled their eyes before trying to hum while holding their nose and when they couldn’t and their nose just felt stuffy instead they started to quietly chuckle.

“The doctor said my withdrawal symptoms had lessened enough that I could like go to my first therapist session...or well my first here” They sighed “I’m just like a lil torn up ‘bout it. It’s just like...Like...It just feels like tots FUCKED That they just leave me all alone right after a therapy session. I’ve never had to like talk about Viv in that way with like a professional before. Like the psych was nice like don’t get me wrong I just. I’m just a bit criey right now. Feeling memories....feeling like flashback type of feels....just need a minute”

You continued to glow for the rest of the time you sat there.

--

Remy was in the living room of the rehab center again the next day. You watched them play cards with some of the other patients for a while before they started to feel too naesous and had to go lay down on the coach. You floated down to them and summoned a hand to wave.

“hii girlie” They said in a tired tone “We had like a group art therapy thingie today. I dunno whyyyy, they said why but I like forgot. I painted Jannie and RemRem. Wanna see?”

They held up a paper with two vaguely human shaped blobs on them. There was a brown shaped blob on one of the human’s face, Remy pointed to it and explained it was Remus’ future mustache.

“You think they’ll like it? I actualllllly literalllllly tried my best especially since I know RemRem is artsy and all that”

They waited for your response for a little bit but you just responded with your last fun fact about gogol.

“Gogol...Sounds like some russian spy character”

They waited for your response about the painting for another minute before remembering something more. They gasped and clasped their hands together.

“Also!! I’ve like decided!! I am going to get a job once I get out of here okay!? Not ‘cause I’m scared of being like a burden....even tho I am also scared of that...I’m just like sooooo tired of just sitting at home y’know? I’ve gotten to test like those uhm what’re they called...elbow crutches! Which I think can like help me manage at a job. You got like any good ideas for jobs that would be like good for me?”

[scarletooyoroi]

Yet another small slew of Thoma headcanons for your day.

+ He's pretty adept at the art of weapon maintenance beyond the concepts of polish and upkeep. Fortifying it through the usage of crystals and Mora, using the same materials to not only enhance, but to help said weaponry be fixed from injuries and intense use.

It comes as part of the package of being raised and trained in the Kamisato house. They hold a legacy of rare weapons, pressed deep into the veins and Shinuchi and Kageuchi varieties, and he in turn learned the techniques by his seniors in order to ensure such antiques and active weaponry have a very long time before luster is lost.

+ Thoma takes a real hand to exploring during the 'prolonged vacation' outside of Inazuma. Rather than finding one stretch of secure ground or a nation to hole up into, he finds better contentment in truly seeing the world. It makes me think of that time where he wished to take to the seas with Beidou in order to better see what's out there.

Experiences within Inazuma would make him desire a touch of a genuine break to begin with. After being hunted as long as he was during those times, the long lasting consequences of the civil war, Thoma wishes to just take a moment in truly finding himself. Teyvat serves as the perfect mirror.

+ Fishing is actually a popular way he keeps revenue on the road. Due to his talents in being able to snag many fish upon a single hook, on top of rare ones, it opened Thoma to hold a close relationship to Teyvat's Fishing association as a high profile customer. So a lot of the time, your muses can find Thoma in the oddest locations catching some rare or bountiful game.

You would be surprised how much mora they're willing to part ways with.

+ Thoma's origin for sewing derived from his times at the Swiftshatter school. Initially the goal was to find a hobby or an act of relaxation that derives a steady stream of focus as a boon outside of training. It is what compelled Thoma to take to the arts of needle and thread. Afterwards once he truly began to create and mend clothing, it led to him wanting to perform this craft as a simple kindness for those he care for.

Even then does it still hold the original purpose. Keeping his mind concentrating for prolonged periods without straying from the temptation of idle thoughts is a huge line of practice to his composure today. While he's naturally not always attuned in such a state, this is part of what assists his well of patience.

I have one more, buuuut, instead of here! I want to put that in it's own post, being inspired from the other day's conversations.

[galacticexevt]

Galactic Lore Chapter One: The Hahlean War

Hello everyone! It took some time but I am so excited to finally share the first chapter of Galactic’s lore! This chapter is primarily world building, and setting things up for Galactic’s backstory. I am still writing the latter parts of the story, updates will be sporadic for a little while. Nonetheless, I hope you all enjoy! 

An unknown alien race named the Zar'Voi, with unfathomable warfare and technology, determined with their plan to conquer all the weaker planets of the universe to expand their legion for millennia to come. Their armies were brutal, cut-throat, and merciless. They truly believed the only way towards progress was to leave a path of havoc and bloodied bodies. An all too familiar, breadcrumb trail of misery and despair. The Zar'Voi were on the constant hunt for their next score; each leap into a wormhole was another chance to pillage another planet, strengthen armies, grow their population, and expand their overflowing galleria of warfare knowledge. They had an insatiable hunger for bloodshed and onslaught, not a single soul could fathom. Almost as if they needed it to function, their only driving force. 

During a typical cruise of the never-ending galaxies, the alien warriors came across a valuable colony of three planets; the smaller two named Valora and Ariane, and the largest planet called Vhaniza. Otherwise known as Colony G-614. It didn't take a genius to realize this colony was rich in natural resources. The planet's different sizes were perfect for expanding the warriors' ship fleets. Raw and rare materials tucked under the terrain would be enough for weapon production for light years to come. The warriors saw this discovery as a sign, their call to action if you will. Their golden opportunity finally came to fruition. With a swift call, the warriors carried out unjust acts of slavery, war, and onslaught for nearly forty generations. 

(Vah-lor-ah) (Eye-rain) (Van-eye-zah)

Colony G-614 belonged to the citizens known as the Hahlea. Notable most for their high intelligence and outstanding innovative qualities. Whatever they could think of- no matter how complicated the task, they could fabricate it out of thin air. Each Hahlean possessed a pair of blessed and creative hands known throughout the universe. As well as being crafty architects and engineers, they knew their way around a needle and thread. Clothes were made of the finest materials- not a single Hahlean would go about their day under-dressed. Each article of clothing was specially hand-sewn and catered to one's desires. Colony G-614 had a plethora of creative hands to ensure there was more than enough room for expression. 

(Hah-lei)

Their beauty and charm had no limit. The ethereal gaze from a Hahlean was enough to make the strongest-willed weak in the knees; not a single soul would turn down the temptation. Be as that may, it wasn't the glamorous clothing nor the talents they possessed that made others fawn over them. It was the fact that the Hahlean's were authentically themselves. A nation whose people love what they do and are not afraid to show it off proudly. Whether it be building, painting, singing, story-telling, or fashion style. As perfect as an outsider may view them, Hahlean's take pride in their flaws and display them for all to see. In Hahlean culture, one's flaws, quirks, or imperfections were the secret to their prosperity. They viewed it as the highest and most precious form of art. 

Their architectural craftsmanship knew no limits. It did not take the tinkering Hahlean's long from them to create an exuberant capital on Vhaniza and continued to make booming cities on Valora and Ariane. Hahlean tech was thousands of years ahead of other nations in the universe. A colony rich with raw materials, each towering sky-scraper was built beyond code requirements, and homes were built with love as the main ingredient. 

It was such a bountiful nation, a loving nation, a peaceful nation. 

A perfect colony

That is just what the Zar'Voi were looking for. 

Creators, not fighters

One's that were easy to control.

One's that break under pressure.

One's that don't fight back. 

The perfect fit. 

The Warriors did not hold back; it wasn't in their nature. They demolished and flattened any building that caught their eye. Homes ingrained with precious memories were burned and blown down to rubble. The beautiful flora and fauna caught up in flames that engulfed all the wooded areas. The sky-scrapers were knocked down nearly half of their original size, while the crumbled remains crushed those fleeing down below. 

The first objection was to target all the weaklings of colony G-614 and gather the more substantial and capable citizens. Hahlean's were taken out of their homes and rounded up like cattle; guttural, pleading screams strained the voices of many. Innocent lives were taken away in an instant. The once bustling and cheerful streets were now littered with broken and battered bodies; trying to ID the remains out of the rubble and visceral mess would be a waste of time. 

Children separated from their families were left alone in the chaos of an active war zone and could be heard desperately crying for their mama and papa. The Warriors seized the land as their own, including the Hahlean's natural talent to create and build; they are now forced to use their gift to develop weapons beyond their comprehension. 

During the first wave of attacks, the Zar'Voi wiped out the capital. Any art, awards, or sculptures displayed stood no chance. All forms of culture were lost to the downpour of explosives and hellfire. Although the warriors were frivolous with their attacks on Vhaniza, they kept the remaining smaller planets, Valora and Ariane, as intact as they could. Their next mode of operations began when the Hahlean's spent most of their time.

The Project labs resided on planet Valora and were the most polished and supplied labs in the universe. Each workstation was stocked with the finest and rarest raw materials extracted from down below. Even the machinery was created by the Hahlean's and unique to their colony alone. This place, once brimming with advanced tech and creative ideas, is now in the palms of the most bloodthirsty beings in the universe. 

The Zar'Voi crammed all captured male Hahlea into the Project labs and made it their new home. Day cycle in and night cycle out, the Hahlean's were forced to do the most grueling work and carry out near-impossible demands. As the Zar'Voi continued their mission in other galaxies, they needed constant repairs to ships, their weapons fixed, and ammo replenished. With hardly any food supplied to them, their thin and brittle bodies could not keep up with supply demands, and they would pass out from exhaustion. Some looked forward to that moment, the end of their torment. A free ticket out of the hellish prison that enveloped them. Unforantatly, the Zar'Voi didn't give them that luxury. All the citizens in the project labs were kept under a close eye; if they were deemed unfit for the work or could not keep up with the production were simply disposed of. Underneath the Project labs, the warriors created a labyrinth of catacombs and prisons. In these catacombs, those who didn't meet their work quotas were subjected to horrendous torture and eventually slaughtered. 

Boiling...

Flaying...

Disembowelment...

Waterboarding...

Gibbieting... 

Blood and entrails painted the floors and walls of the catacombs, and the smell of rotting and burning corpses was too much to stomach. Imprisoned Hahlea wallowed in their waste and humiliation, painfully waiting for the moment they were tortured or executed. 

The Hahlea women and young girls were taken away from their partners and fathers. They were kept from the project labs and brought to reside on planet Ariane. This one kept its natural beauty and charm compared to the other seized planets. Homes weren't demolished, the greenery wasn't set ablaze, and there was no active gunfire. However, behind this decoy was a more revolting sight. 

The women and young girls of the Hahlea population were sold off at auctions. Tentatively graded on their looks, age, and fertility, soon to be paired with their new Zar'Vio husband. The woman who proved to be the most fertile would get paired with the best alien Warrior in hopes they would conceive offspring with strong physical capabilities, high intelligence, and building skills. Once a son is born and comes of age, they are sent away to train and study. If a daughter is born, they are sadly thrown back into to dreadful system as their mothers. Due to this, the Hahlea mothers would never get to spend too much time with their children; most of their time was devoted to their new lovers. Anything a person could fathom, it was demanded that they do. From backbreaking cleaning, ensuring their lovers were well fed, and keeping their uniforms patched up and cleaned. Behind a happy husband was a bed that never grew cold. The Zar'Voi wanted to expand their army and lineage to continue for millennia to come. A heritage that would conquer every populated planet in the universe. 

The enslaved Hahlea citizen's lost everything; every trait they held dear was taken and exploited. The Zar'Voi made the Hahlea feel as if there was no other escape from their suffering was death itself, and even then, it wasn't by their own want or will. Weapons with the traditional Hahlean touch were used to strike fear and take down others. Their craftsmanship was once used by all in the universe; their beloved talent for creation was tainted. Hahlean tech and knowledge were now a calling card for slaughter. The beauty that once was Colony G-614 was reduced to rubble and ash. Morale was non-existent here; there was no hope for freedom or an end. Everything birthed here died, and anyone who dared to get close to the orbit of G-614 would soon meet their end.