#nikki is war for sure

[momo-shut-the-fuck-up]

Can u imagine? In infinity nikki, we re probanly gonna get animated cutscenes, in 3d, of the fucked up things that happen in nikki games. War and destruction are a core part of the lore of nikkiverse, so seeing nothing of the sort would be odd...... also the contrast between cutesy dress up visuals and a child dying in front of nikki would be amazing to see lol

[generallemarc]

Watch people call Nikki Haley a white supremacist now

To be clear, not mentioning slavery at all when asked why the Civil War happened is really stupid at best and retarded at worst. But, as I think we can all attest to, being a dumbass doesn't magically alter your race or ethnicity, so I'm looking forward to hearing people explain how Ms. Nimrata here is akshually a klanswoman in disguise. Don't you know how many Indians were in the KKK?

[lemonmaid]

Video games I think the Dorm Leadera play religiously.

Riddle Rosehearts: Candy Crush

"Bro how are you already on level 679?"

"I've been plating this game since it was release. It's a stress relief"

"I think you should go to therapy instead"

Leona Kingscholar: Clash Royal or God of War (franchise).

I feel like he only plays these when he is truly bored and not tired.

"So If you actually don't like video games. Why do you have all the consoles to play this franchise?"

"Leave me be, I'm trying to concentrate"

"I'm just saying if you can afford this. You can afford to pay me for spying on Malleus".

Azul Ashengrotto: Animal Crossing or Project Sekai

This dude HATES Tom Nook, like he has a fully furnished town.

"This town is so aestheticly pleasing"

"I know, I've worked hard earning my fair share of bells. The only thing that stands in my way is that damn squirrel"

"I'm pretty sure he is a raccoon"

Kalim Al - Asim:(downloads any game he gets an Ad for).

"Um Kalim, I found the reason why you have no storage"

"Oh those are all my games!"

"Yeah, I see that but like, some of these games came out in ####. They aren't even on the appstore no more"

"Don't delete any, I still play those"

Vil Schoenheit: Cult of the Lamb or Sky

"Ooo Vil, I didn't take for you to play these type of games"

"I only play these to connect with fans, my manager says it builds good reputation. This and my Vtubing gig"

"Wait. you're a vtuber?"

Idia Shroud: literally has played every game that has been uploaded onto the internet.

"So like what game have you've not played?"

"Ugh, I hate those dress up games. They are for babies"

"But you've downloaded Dress Up Nikki? And pre-bought tickets to the upcoming moive?"

"Just because I hate something doesn't mean I don't enjoy the lore"

"WHAT LORE?"

Malleus Draconia: Sims

When this man gets introduced to better technology, he will be in his room playing Sims (every franchise but we all have distaste for sims 4 without the mods).

"Yuu look at our little family!"

"Oh Horten, that's adorable... why do you have 1000+ hours?! That's about 5 weeks?! How?!"

"...Fae have no use of the concept of time"

"MALLEUS!"

Authors Note:

Sorry if this looks rushed or poorly written, I had this in drafts for a long time and decided today to finish writing it. I hope yall enjoyed it though.

[duck-that-does-stuff]

Lore summaries about shining Nikki I like to drop on my friends to confuse them (Not in canonical order) :

(Don’t forget! This is a dress up game!)

Yeah, some girl burnt her sister alive and then made a deal with a demon to become queen.

Nikki got framed for murder that one time and then we had to take her mugshot.

Nikki fought a god…a few times, I’m pretty sure.

Yeah, one time this super smart ai trapped everyone in a virtual reality world and used their souls to power it.

Nikki and other people use guns because the blood curse doesn’t exist yet.

We watched our best friend bleed almost to death.

Nikki joins a gang. (Technically a militia maybe?)

A cat and a sheep enter into a horse race and win.

The cat also got drugged one time.

Nikki got thrown into a furnace.

The person who threw us into the furnace wants to give us a robotic cat to make up for throwing us into a furnace.

There was a god war at some point.

Some people tried to find the end of the world, succeeded, and then turned into a raging black sand/ash tornado. They were also fully aware as they were turning into sand, and they couldn’t do anything about it.

We freed the souls of the French Revolution that one time.

We are currently on the precipice of both the apocalypse and a war.

Nikki got stuck in a time loop.

This group called Savior, which was made to prevent the prophecy apocalypse from happening, debated on whether or not they should kill Nikki.

I’m pretty sure Ninir was selling illegal honey???

Also everything has gay subtext.

Except for Jax and Yuka. Even though they are roommates, they are also the same person.

[4thebedrockbros]

The obligatory SBI Hogwarts AU ( fuck jk Rowling tho)

With Phil, a war veteran as a defense against the art teacher, Tommy as a too powerful Gryffondor/Hufflepuff ( not sure ABT that one ) and Technoblade as a cursed Slytherin.

Technoblade is a pureblood with a family into some cult shit ( blood god ect ) that was supposed to be sorted into Ravenclaw but practically begged the hat to put him into Slytherin because he did nit want to deal with his family bullshit. With than the curse of voices, he gets into fight fairly often which causes him to almost always be in detention. ( That's how he meets Tommy and Phil )

Tommy Innit is a muggleborn just a wee bit too powerful and uncontrollable magic, that gets him into trouble at school but also in his everyday life in the Muggle world where he's a foster kid. ( Try to be a witch and a foster kid it's a pain in the ass ).

Philza Craft is a veteran, and also a crow animagus that's been requested to become a teacher at hogwart because the Minister of magic are a bunch of pussies scared of some prophecy. He's a defense against the dark arts teacher and also is responsible for the detention classes. Tommy and Techno basically becomes his responsibilities and if something happens with them he's called immediately ( before their families yes ).

As for other characters:

Tubbo is a pureblood Ravenclaw, and he's terrifying. The guy likes to create spells and testing things he probably shouldn't test with magic. He's also Tommy's best friend and would do anything for him. They meet while shopping for school necessities their first year and become unseperable.

Ranboo is a half blood Hufflepuff/Gryffondor ( again unsure ) with a powerful magic, to cope with it his body just erase memories of times he couldn't control themself. They meet Tommy Purpled and Tubbo in the train during their first year.

Purpled is a muggleborn Slytherin, he wasn't too shocked to develop magic because of all the weird shit around him during his childhood. While people think Ranboo is the most responsible out of them, he takes care of his friend in his own way and is the most responsible one.

Nikki is a pure blood Hufflepuff with a knack for healing magic. She's one of Techno's closest friend and will defend him against rumours spreading assholes.

Slimecicle is a ghost of a Ravenclaw student, thought he tends to hang out in the Slytherin dorms the most to hang out with Quality. When he's not there he tends to spy on students or spook them for fun.

Quackity is a pureblood Slytherin that used to be a dick to Techno but calmed down after getting his ass kicked. He gets along well with Tommy when the blonde didn't know what happened between them but once he learned Toms kinda kicked his ass verbally so they're not as close.

Sam is Charms/Potions teacher that took Tubbo under his wings to avoid mass destruction. He the second teacher to go to if the quatuor of chaos gets in trouble.

Ponk is our resident nurse of course.

[charlxttexo]

I never watched the last dsmp streams cuz 1) techno wasn’t there, what’s the point and 2) I knew they wanted season 2 but I had a feeling it wasn’t gonna happen, so I knew the ending wouldn’t be satisfying. So anyways here’s what I wanted to happen/ happened in my delusions :

- Tubbo and Tommy blow up Dream with the nukes

- Jack was there and saw it bc why tf not?

- there’s basically no forms of governments left so the syndicate members are like ‘ok let’s chill out’

- dream tried to hide the revive book but Techno knew where he’d hide it, found it, and then revived ranboo. No shut up I’m not hearing criticism on this one.

- techno then proceeds to burn it bc there they’re all tired af so he’s pretty sure there won’t be any more wars

- Phil is like ‘awesome let me go be the dad that I couldn’t be for Wilbur to Tommy’ bc I’m extremely desperate for the SBI dynamic ( Ik he’s not a good parent, I KNOW. Let me live a little )

- Tommy, Tubbo and ranboo go to therapy ( or maybe the whole server bc they ALL need it )

- Tommy pick up new hobbies like gardening n embroidery

- Tubbo moves in next to ranboo with Michael

- Tommy shows up one day to be the cool wine aunt and never leaves so he lives there now

- techno builds a bigger house but doesn’t say anything

- Tommy also happens to find pots of potatoes everywhere in his garden as gifts, wonder who that’s from

- tubbo and Ranboo enjoy gay marriage ( I am dying bc cc! Beeduo haven’t talked in centuries, ok? )

- puffy and Nikki get married ( let’s go lesbians )

- Jack cries at the wedding bc he’s proud of his sister ( Jack and Nikki siblings headcannon real, fight me )

- techno and Tommy eventually forgive each other

- Tommy teaches Phil how to sew

- Jack and phil try to build a car based on a dream Jack had and failed ( don’t ask why idk )

- Jack also ends up working with Nikki to build Phil that mechanical wing typa thing ( for context I was thinking of how to train your dragon so it’s based off that )

- he can’t fully fly but it helps

- boom boom boy ( Wilbur ) is at who knows where

- techno and Nikki help Tubbo build a bee sanctuary at l’manburgs grave

- Michael and techno bond wee

- yeah so has everyone chills tf out and lives happily ever after

[nicksolemnlyswears]

HOTD S2 EP2 THOUGHTS

SPOILERS AHEAD

I need to start this by the very strange scene at the brothel. It took me so much by surprise I had to pause it. Like we all know these boys have mommy issues but I always thought it was more Aegon than Aemond. Like wow. I was left like this

It was the intimate position, his hair was down, the lack of clothes. He was completely vulnerable. Aemond wanted to be coddled and to be told reassuring words.

I didn’t understand well the part where she tries to kiss him and he says “not here” like sure man. you’re just naked and telling the keeps secret but go off [ngl i was waiting for her to pop a boob out and breast feed him]

that woman is a dangerous woman. she had scheming eyes. we’ll see where that goes.

Following up with the mommy issues I am so disappointed in Alicent. Aegon is clearly not her favorite child I do not know how she can bear seeing him weep as he seeks her out and she just nopes out. WTF. No wonder your other son is seeking refuge elsewhere. Also forcing Haelena to do the funeral proceeding. What sort of mother are you? The Greens think they’re so high and mighty but they barely resemble a family. They are not a united front.

The funeral proceedings almost had me in tears. I didn’t think they’d show the poor child with its head sewn back together. I thought he’d be covered. Now more so than ever I curse Alicent. You are forcing your daughter who had to witness his death relieve this scene. You forced her to watch her son be paraded around the city.

Daemon fucked up and it’s because of him that a child is dead and yet I can’t bring myself to hate the Blacks. The Greens are terrible people.

Aegon is falling apart and mourning and he has no one to come to. He doesn’t know how to control his emotions and I can’t blame him for it when his mother and grandfather only use him as a puppet and not a real human being. I pity the Hightower children.

That being said WTF was that? Making Ser Criston Cole the hand to the king? Disgusting. He was projecting so hard during this episode. Bitching about Arryks dirty cloak and blaming him for Jaeherys death.

BITCH IT WAS YOUR FAULT FOR GETTING YOUR COCK WET. FUCKING CRISTON COLE I CANT FUCKING STAND HIM. I CANT EVEN SAY IM HAPPY ALICENT SLAPPED HIM CAUSE HE PROBABLY ENJOYED IT.

I’ve got more to say regarding the Greens but my blood pressure is going up. Let me recap I hate them and I pity them all at the same time because the three children are only products of Alicent and Otto’s parenting (Viserys up to some point to)

Oh and let’s not forget Otto’s kind words for Viserys. He probably just misses how easy he was to control.

MOVING ONTO THE BLACKS

Baby Jace and Baela I love that little moment and yet I fear it because she’s out there on cute little Moondancer and it sounds like trouble.

Love the Ser Harwin talk. They acknowledge it and they accept it. Talk about being progressive.

But also so sad that Baela feels that way towards Daemon. I had high hopes for their relationship considering that deleted scene in season 1.

RHAENYS HAVING RHAENYRAS BACK TALK ABOUT FEMINISM. HELL YEAH! I fully want Rhaenys to be Rhaenyras ride or die!!

Daemon fucked up, yes. Will we ever know what he told Blood and Cheese? No. Still I can’t blame Rhaenyra for doubting him. He’s a sketchy man who puts on his little cloak to commit war crimes.

Don’t get me wrong I’m a Daemon stan but if he didn’t act so sketchy maybe we would trust him more.

He’s a dramatic guy he’s out commuting yet another big declaration of love for Rhaenyra. Like “look i’ve got harrenhal for you” I think idk we’ll see next episode.

Ser Arryk and Ser Erryk how fucking tragic. and whose fault is it? FUCKING CRISTON COLE PIECE OF SHIT

breathe nikki breathe

a part of me thinks he killed himself because he knew they would live in doubt if he’s really sir erryk. but in reality they believed they share a soul so that was probably why. he killed his other fucking half. they might be divided by believes but they still love each other.

ELINDA IS A REAL HANDMAID. SHE FOLLOWED INSTRUCTIONS AND LOOKED FOR A GUARD. Haelenas maid could never.

I have so many more thoughts so if anyone wants to talk please feel free to hit me up. I’ll probably rewatch the episode tomorrow again to process

[mentallhealthmatters]

Hey im in situation with a Person on TikTok and I don’t want to give them wrong information, I forgot most of what the other responses to Wilbur was when they said they also went through his abuse apparently. I want to reply to show them I’m not backing down, show from that comment they made I want to have a strong argument on that matter that will tell them why I support him and some other content creators on the matter.

Yes I can argue that Nikki went through stuff and she was only 18-19 at the time when he came into her life, if I’m getting my information right. Yes you can make the argument “we don’t know what it was like off camera.” Which is very true and valid. We are an audience, and we don’t know about there personal lives fully and down to the T, for they can say/do stuff they want to put out on the internet or one can just dig up old stuff cause the internet never forgets.

I just want to give information and not a backhand response and be like “Well they are all horrible and we’re just using him for clout.” Or “Well Shubble was stupid for showing it on camera, and could have gone to police but she had to make it public and that’s why many people are saying they were also a victim to get clout.” I don’t want the response to be poor and make them twist my words. Because that has happened and I don’t want that again so I’m reaching out for some information, I did say that she is many things which are true (not the insult type of way). But now they are asking about others, the whole Alice situation was debunked and proven false but the others around that did stuff/with him to like Freddie, Billzo, Asmiey, Tubbo, and there were other Women as well that worked with him that came out I think a trumpeter, and probably two other women who I cannot remember.

I’m sorry this is long but I want to say what I thought and the information that I would need cleared up to give to this individual. I am asking anonymously for i don’t want my main out in the public.

Have a nice day and it’s ok if you don’t respond or give enough information I just want to break it down and show that I stand by my opinion, and tell them an answer that will show multiple people have spoke on to make my word also valid and not just a random output of how I personally feel/false information on the matter, for the people who Wilbur interacted with and said something about him and being bad to them and there friends publicly.

-musicliver

Im reread this several times over and am still not sure if im even processing this infomation correctly or what do with it exactly.

Im grasping at there is a request for infomation, but im no sure which info would even be best because i dont know the other persons arguements.

There is also a lot of info mentioned im sure is true but is talked about so less than shelby that much info on those specific subjects isnt evenbrought properly to light.

Example: i dont think and am not aware anything happened with Tubbo, or i heard Alice's story has been debunked but ive yet see info on this and dont focus on it because of it. Ever. I only try and focus on things i have evidence for or soldid argument in logic for.

The only thing i can think happened to Tubbo is the horrid story shafting or the "Miles 'Tails' Prowers" effect in terms of his character on the DSMP. In which more attention and focus was placed onto Tommy's character, because Dream focused more on Tommy, so Wilbur swooped in to pretray him as an underdog, often ignoring Tubbo or writing him off as Tommy's sidekick, ignoring the fact that its because of Tubbo that they were able to one up Dream during the pre-lmanberg disc wars. Legitimately we wouldnt have the DSMP we have now if it wasnt for Tubbo. Not Wilbur.

Legitimately if Tubbo didnt side with Tommy or join the server at all, Tommy might have lost the battle before he got a chance to win the war. And Wilbur may not have had as juicy of a story to get ahold off and spin into the underdog story we know and love today. Wilbur didnt make Tommy. Nor did Dream. Tubbo. Made. Tommy. No disc war means no DSMP. No DSMP means Tommy wouldnt have the same flavor of fame he has now, or may have dropped off a lot sooner then he will eventually. (He will eventually retire, jes not dropped off yet)

Wilbur overlooked that fact. And so did Dream. But other than that, i dont think or know if Wilbur actually did anything to Tubbo.

I support wilbur.

I also dont think even if he did the things he did and allegtations are even semi true, they are true to the degree that they are.

And Schlatts right there. People canceled him flr years. Wasted breath and effort. To the point he leaned into it and scary maybe abusive sexist man for a while. It was his stique, his gimick. To such a point people leget thought he was abusive, like people claim Wilbur is. Even Minx tried to accuse him of abusing her legitimately.

Like there are tons of clips where Schlatt seemingly is geneuinely scaring. Humiliating. Threatening or abusing his friends. Like it straight up looks like its not a joke or gimmick.

Yet Tommy looked up to him and still does. Jaiden makes videos with him. Etc. Etc. Its hypocrisy. If schlatt was to come out as geneuinely being abusive, no one would bat an eye. But no does because thats just how he is. Yknow?

[reality-detective]

SHADOW GAMES_

_It should be clear to you now that Vivek Romaswamy is running a shadow campaign for Donald Trump and military operations.

_ ( kash Patel intensionally placed VIVEK)

_it should be clear now that Elon Musk intentionally collapsed Ron Desantis election campaign. Desantis was forced to run by both white hats and blacks hats ( he's playing both sides) .... The idea behind the blackhats plan is for Desantis to endorse Nikki Haley for President..... But white hats have a plan to EXPOSE a massive corruption scandle against desantis connected to money laundering ( Epstein affiliated associates ) and more. After the EXPOSURE of Desantis his voters WILL endorse TRUMP_

_-

-

_The DEEP STATE SHADOW CAMPAIGN>

BLACKROCK CIA IS BEHIND THE FUNDING OF NIKKI HALEY . > THE DEEP STATE IS PUTTING THEIR HOPES BEHIND HALEY and want to have Republican president in place.

.. But the [ ds] also want a Hollywood celebrity> The Rock to run ( he is a back up incase the Epstein EXPOSURE leads to cia. Military industrial complex system money laundering operations connected to Nikki Haley could bring her down)

The deep state are also pushing for Michelle Obama to come into the mix..

[ they] want to make sure they have several candidates in place.

____

WIRES>]; The CIA are trying to rally the youth and black communities to endorse a celebrity for president ( this will be The Rock) ....

_ Now you understand why KEVIN HART has been constantly co-starring with Dewayne Johnson the rock in movies together.

>>> The CIA. Caa intensionally planted Kevin Hart into Hollywood and comedy scene.

_

_ NOW_ White Hats have activated certain celebrities to go after exposing Kevin Hart as PLANT.

From Kat Williams to Power House Dave Chappelle are going after Oprah the cia occult operations several black celebrities and musicians are going to expose the Satanic industry. From Los Angeles to Middle America to New York City, the pedophilia corruption, sex extortion music industry to Satanic rituals is all going to collide with the EPSTEIN SAGA.

I have been telling you all these EVENTS were going to happen.. Now it's happening

.....

SHADOW GAMES _

_

BEHIND THE SCENES>]; THE USSF HAS THE MCAFEE [ KILLSWITCH], THE JULIAN ASSANGE [ KILLSWITCH] >

THE [ EPSTEIN KILLSWITCH]

_This means they have all the hidden keys that placed inside Internet Killswitch operations that holds all the evidence of the world satanic corruption of the CIA. Pentagon. Ex presidents. Celebrities and full world corruption connected to Israeli/ cia/ mi6 ELITES [ EPSTEIN] OPERATIONS.

PANIC INSIDE THE PENTAGON 🔥 AS THE USSF AQUIRE ALL THE KEYS!!!

(Cheyenne mountain. USSF space x/ RUSSIA INTEL/ ITALIAN INTEL/ WHITE HATS IN CHINA INTELLIGENCE

>>>> ALL HAVE COPIES OF THE BIDEN LAPTOP!!!!

and CIA Epstein corruption data in their own countries already since 2018.

SHADOW GAMES

_Countries across the world are getting ready for THE STORM _EVENTS

and arrest wars and know their own intelligence agencies are going to initiate the cyberwar blackouts.

__

No matter what happens.. Everything is heading to military intervention in all major countries. ( 11.3)

Mil.WIRES>]; U.S. CANADA. UK. AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND GERMANY FRANCE ITALY POLAND>>>ALL IN TALKS BEHIND THE SCENES TO INITIATE MARSHAL LAW PROTOCOLS AND MILITARY PROCEDURES AND COMMUNICATIONS <

_

Everyone is preparing for the incoming summer EXPOSURE of the planned PANDEMIC of 2021 and the full EXPOSURE of the death vaccines and full corruption linking military intelligence agencies and banks and leaders to the world pedophile extortion sex ring and money laundering ring.

- JULIAN ASSANGE 🤔

[jxstacey]

Fuck it, new AU time

Fargo Au

THIS IS A TRUE STORY

The events depicted in this AU took place in New York throughout many years

At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed.

Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred.

In this anthology fanfic based on TV series Fargo, each Part follows a different iteration of the TMNT cast who get involved with the murders investigations of important characters throughout New York City that drastically change the events of the shows or comics, with characters even having different roles. Along with seemingly unrelated crimes sometimes being connected in some way.

Basically each iteration has something different about them whether being a character from an iteration that wasn’t in said iteration appearing, a new criminal group(03) or a character’s role changing

Season 1(03)- In 2003, John Bishop passes through Manhattan and influences the community, including Scientist Baxter Stockman into a path of malice and violence to protect themselves at whatever the cost. Meanwhile, Deputy April O’Neil and vigilante Casey Jones team up to solve a series of murders they believe may be linked to Stockman and Bishop.

Season 2(IDW; City At War) - Season 2(IDW; City At War) - In 2019, Mutanimal members Sally Pride and Man Ray cover up Ray’s hit and run of the son of a crime family boss based out of Hell’s Kitchen. While brothers Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo become entangled with the Hell’s Kitchen Mob, The Mutanimals and Foot Clan when the brothers are forced to investigate a triple homicide connected to the Hell’s Kitchen Mob and Foot Clan at a diner in Lower Manhattan when a Newscaster threatens to expose them to the public. Along with that, New York state trooper Lou Solverson and Richmond County officer Chris Bradford also investigates the diner murders and also find themselves getting dragged into and investigating plot involving the Foot Clan, The Turtles, Mutanimals, EPF and Baxter Stockman as it all grow into a City Wide massacre.

Season 3(2012) - After recent shortcomings and realization, Tiger Claw finds himself hunted down by the Foot Clan after quitting. Causing two members of the Foot, Fishface and Rahzar to come up with a plan to try and kill Tiger Claw with the help of couple Ray Stussy, a parole officer/foot member who was forced to join after witnessing a fight with the turtles and the Foot, and his new girlfriend Nikki Swango(Both returning characters from Fargo), an ex convict. However the plan backfires causing the deaths of a police chief and gang member, triggering a chain recent of events between the Foot, NYPD and the SoHo Yakuza. Along with that, a low ranking police officer in the NYPD, Lindsay Barker, and crime scene photographer Warren Stone try to figure everything out to prevent further bloodshed.

Season 4(Mutant Mayhem)- Mutant crook Hypno-Potamus(Formerly known as Mezmer Ron) accidentally stumbles upon a talent show set and finds himself skyrocketing into the entertainment industry. However he soons finds himself entangled in a gang war when he witnesses gang leader Superfly kill a distributor of his. Now a member of the Mutanimals against his will and also for the Liberty Mafia after being blackmailing by their boss, Ethan DeLuca, Hypno goes back and forth between the groups as he tries to find a way out, then deciding to con both sides of the war. Surely deceiving a psychopath(Superfly) and a narcissist(Ethan) can’t be too hard right?

Season 5(Rise) - In 2018, Baron Draxum kidnaps Leonardo Hamato to hopefully get him to join him. However the turtle makes it impossible, to where brainwashing him won’t work either. Draxum then tries to drag out Leo’s father Splinter, formerly known as Lou Jitsu, which fails as well. While Leo’s brothers deal with idiotic villains going after them, April hires John Bishop, a mysterious Special Agent with ties to the TBI(Texas Bureau of Investigation) and CIA and a person who escaped from Draxum’s lab years prior without trouble and temporarily dated the Battle Nexus Host, Big Mama, before she could get the chance to use him as a Battle Nexus Fighter. However, Bishop isn’t exactly who he appears to be, maybe not human at all, and he plans to rescue Leo while at the same time plotting to take Draxum out of the picture, permanently.

More on each of the seasons and changes soon

Season 1 Current Overview

The Characters of Season 1

——

Season 1 Chapter List

Ch 1: The Scientist’s Dillema https://archiveofourown.org/works/53552530/chapters/135553690

Ch 2: The Mantis King https://archiveofourown.org/works/53552530/chapters/138648616

Ch 3: A Spikey Road https://archiveofourown.org/works/53552530/chapters/140873098#workskin

[nancydrewwouldnever]

This is a rant.

What the fuck is essentially wrong with the Republican Party? What the fuck is so fucked up at the center of that political party that they're led by narcissistic proto-fascists and people who literally can't say the word "slavery" when discussing the Civil War? (And let's not even get into all the women-hating misogynists.)

Like, really, Nikki Haley? "[It] was about how government was going to run, and tell people what they could or couldn't do..."

Sure, sure. Sure. The old "states' rights" argument poorly framed. I guess I should have expected that from a former governor of South Carolina, the place that started the war. It was just about y'all being sensitive about being told "what you could and couldn't do" by the federal government.

Let's completely overlook the factoid that the "couldn't do" was about owning other humans and treating them with violence and cruelty.

Somewhere the ghost of Abe Lincoln is weeping.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Wednesday declined to say slavery was a cause of the Civil War, arguing instead that it came down to “the role of government.”

At a New Hampshire town hall, a voter bluntly asked Haley, “What was the cause of the Civil War?”

Haley, the former South Carolina Governor and former U.N. ambassador who is aiming to present herself as the top Republican alternative to former President Donald Trump, gave a lengthy answer but did not mention slavery — the primary cause of the war.

“I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run — the freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do,” Haley said at the beginning of her response.

She went on to say: “I think it always comes down to the role of government and what the rights of the people are. And I will always stand by the fact that I think government was intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the people. It was never meant to be all things to all people.”

“Government doesn’t need to tell you how to live your life. They don’t need to tell you what you can and can’t do. They don’t need to be a part of your life. They need to make sure that you have freedom,” she said.

“We need to have capitalism. We need to have economic freedom. We need to make sure that we do all things so that individuals have the liberties so that they can have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to do or be anything they want to be without government getting in the way.”

After the voter responded by saying he found it “astonishing” that Haley had not used the word “slavery” at any point in her answer, she asked, “What do you want me to say about slavery?”

Haley then moved on to the next question.

The exchange drew a swift response from Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison. “This isn’t hard: condemning slavery is the baseline for anyone who wants to be President of the United States,” he said in a statement.

President Joe Biden also responded with a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying, "It was about slavery."

Haley’s campaign responded by citing remarks she made addressing the issue during a New Hampshire interview Thursday morning.

“Yes, we know the civil war was about slavery,” Haley said in the interview. “But more than that, what’s the lesson in all this? That freedom matters. And individual rights and liberties matter for all people. That’s the blessing of America. That was a stain on America when we had slavery. But what we want is never relive it. Never let anyone take those freedoms away again.”

The response to Haley’s town hall comments follows similar criticism that a GOP rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, faced over his remarks about state standards that teach about the “personal benefit” Black people derived from slavery.

DeSantis was asked in July about the Florida Board of Education’s wording in its guidance for teaching about slavery and said, “I didn’t do it, and I wasn’t involved in it.” He went on to say, “I think what they’re doing is, I think that they’re probably going to show some of the folks that eventually parlayed, you know, being a blacksmith into, into doing things later in life,” referring to enslaved people.

Haley was Governor when South Carolina removed the Confederate flag from its Capitol following the 2015 shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. She has previously talked about how the shooting was the most difficult time for her emotionally as Governor.

[yandere-fics]

Nikolai's NSFW Alphabet

♡ A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex) ♡

You had better have prepared the things nearby beforehand like water bottles by the bed because she is not letting you get out of the bed

♡ B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s) ♡

Her wings are a symbol of being an upper ranked demon, it's what makes her special, sure she doesn't have the most wings, the highest wing amount is the demon queen who has 7 but Nikki is high on the totem poll since no demon has 6 and only about twenty have 5 so having 4 is still very special.

Your legs, she likes entertwining your legs together as you lay in bed together resting. She needs to be as close to you as possible while you rest and so interlocking your legs with hers is very nice because it's about as close as you could possibly get within feeling pain from pressing your actual bones together.

♡ C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically) ♡

She has two modes, either you and her just laying there napping and covered in whatever fluids got all over the place or she snaps the fluids off of you before you nap, it all depends on how tired she is that day or how much of a priority it is for you to smell like her as you nap. In omegaverse it's all staying in there, you ain't washing anything out until she's satisfied.

♡ D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) ♡

Her eyes remained unchanged even when you're fucking, just wide opened, blank stare you can't tell if she's liking it based on her facial expressions, the only way to truly tell if she's enjoying herself is by her sounds because her face is giving nothing away and even though her sounds barely give anything away.

♡ E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?) ♡

She has no experience, she had no desire for any of that until she had her mate and she unlike the others does not adapt to this or learn quickly, you're going to have to tell her exactly wear to touch on your body and she will touch only there until you tell her she's allowed to try other methods if she wants. Angels don't exactly have sex ed since they're usually in war mode.

♡ F = Favorite position (this goes without saying) ♡

Anything where both of you are laying down. She could do it in other ways too but she would much prefer to lay down with you and intertwine your legs desperately humping until the both of you cum and then you drift off to sleep like that only to be woken by her rutting her thigh in between your leg again like an hour later.

♡ G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.) ♡

Have you ever seen her be anything but completely serious, question dismissed. Seriously though if you heard her make a joke as she was fukcing you, you'd be terrified since she's like staring into your soul with her freaky eyes. It's in your best interest that she doesn't get goofy.

♡ H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.) ♡

Bush, she would shave if you asked her to but she knows nothing of proper grooming so you'll have to teach her about it, if you're shaved or waxed she'll be pretty surprised and just assume humans come hairless.

♡ I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect) ♡

She's trying her best okay, this is intimacy to her even though you just think she's being lazy and trying to rush it so she can nap but she just thinks the napping with you is far more intimate and napping after orgasm is the most intimate so she's trying to get to that point so you may enjoy a post-orgasm nap together.

♡ J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon) ♡

Why would she? She has you here with her now to satisfy every one of her needs so there would be no point in doing that. Even prior to meeting you there was no point in her mind to do any of that.

♡ K = Kink (one or more of their kinks) ♡

This goes without saying but somnophilia, duh. She'll wake you up with her tongue or fingers a good amount of the time or just her leg rutting against you, either way she's gonna wake you up with sex pretty often when she's able to have her days off and take these long naps with you.

♡ L = Location (favorite places to do the do) ♡

Only her bed, she's not doing it anywhere else. You might be able to cajole her into doing it on the couch once or twice but most of the time she'll just pick you up and carry you to finish what you started on the bed. If you visit her in her office, you could probably convince her to finger you on her desk but even that is not very likely.

♡ M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going) ♡

Her motivation is solely to get you off so that way the both of you can fall into a deeper cozier nap together, that's what really gets her going, the idea of being able to nap with you afterwards while you both are so completely immersed in each other.

♡ N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs) ♡

Share you or do it in a public space. Those are the biggest ones but actually there's a lot of things she would not do, she just doesn't like to experiment, why bother when she can just stick to the methods that already work.

♡ O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.) ♡

If you're doing oral it's gonna be 69 style, she might go down on you on her own sometimes to wake you up but the vast over whelming majority of the time you are doing it, it's 69 style, it's just the most productive in her eyes. She's not the best at giving it, she just licks wherever you tell her to.

♡ P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.) ♡

Fast and just the slightest bit aggressive, she'll tone it down if you tell her to, she just really wants to move this along so she can bask in the afterglow with you. Again it's not that she's not enjoying this, she just knows she enjoys what comes after far more.

♡ Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.) ♡

She's a big fan of the quickie, one quick round before falling back asleep with you is idyllic to you, basically everything the both of you do is a quickie and they happen at least once a day on days when she's working and at least five times a day on none working day.

♡ R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.) ♡

No, that sounds needless, do humans really need to experiment this much? She figures as your mate simply her alone is enough, no need to get fancy with it.

♡ S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?) ♡

She only goes for a round at a time because she would like to get back to her long nap but you're going to be having multiple rounds that day as she wakes back up from the long nap she has forced you to take with her. She comes fairly quickly the first time, the second times take significantly longer to build up to but that's why the nap is good because it resets her to the first time each time you wake up and fuck that day.

♡ T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?) ♡

Why would she? She doesn't get off when she doesn't have a mate and when she does have a mate she has them so she doesn't need to waste valuable time using a toy when she could be with her darling instead, her darling is plenty satisfactory to her so she should be plenty satisfactory for her darling as well.

♡ U = Unfair (how much they like to tease) ♡

What's the purpose in teasing, she doesn't get it, beyond that she would really like to get this done and then take a nap with darling, it's not that she's not enjoying this, she very very much is but edging is just more time when you both are not embracing each other or napping.

♡ V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.) ♡

She is so bad at dirty talk or sounding like she's enjoying herself at all. Her voice barely changes, only becoming a very small pitch higher, it's very hard to know if she's enjoying it at all except that her wings keep fluttering wildly which is the sound you'll probably hear the loudest.

♡ W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character) ♡

Yeah remember the hair and nail clipping jar she has hidden somewhere? Don't ever leave anything left in your razor after you shave or she will try to collect those hairs with her powers as well, you don't want the hair and nail jar to become a hair, nail, and pube jar do you?

♡ X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes) ♡

Please god do not look at her back or this about the anatomy that is going into her having four wings, just roll with it. She's pretty jacked, Kassien who prides herself on being decently strong would be pissed if she saw Nikki naked because how come the high ranking demons are just born with all the nice perks. It's disturbing to look at how muscley she is since she's so short though. If you pay close attention, her wings also appear to be finely toned.

♡ Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?) ♡

It's not super high on a normal day when she has work, sure while you would love to, she would much rather spend the short amount of time when she gets home cuddled up with her mate, if she's working from home you're going to have sex far more often since she has more time with you and doesn't have to prioritize what she's doing, she can do it all. On a day off it's very high, she'll wake up from the nap you were forced to take with her and initiate like once an hour.

♡ Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards) ♡

Nikki falls asleep as soon as the cleanup is done and she takes you down with her, she's going to start letting out pheromones that just make you super sleepy and with her wings curled tightly around you as you sleep you really have no choice but to fall asleep with her.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Clay Jones

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

December 29, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

DEC 29, 2023

When asked at a town hall on Wednesday to identify the cause of the United States Civil War, presidential candidate and former governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley answered that the cause “was basically how government was going to run, the freedoms, and what people could and couldn’t do…. I think it always comes down to the role of government and what the rights of the people are…. And I will always stand by the fact that, I think, government was intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the people.”

Haley has correctly been lambasted for her rewriting of history. The vice president of the Confederacy, Alexander Stephens of Georgia, was quite clear about the cause of the Civil War. Stephens explicitly rejected the idea embraced by U.S. politicians from the revolutionary period onward that human enslavement was “wrong in principle, socially, morally, and politically.” Instead, he declared: “Our new government is founded upon…the great truth, that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery—subordination to the superior race—is his natural and normal condition.” 

President Joe Biden put the cause of the Civil War even more succinctly: “It was about slavery.” 

Haley has been backpedaling ever since—as well as suggesting that the question was somehow a “gotcha” question from a Democrat, as if it was a difficult question to answer—but her answer was not simply bad history or an unwillingness to offend potential voters, as some have suggested. It was the death knell of the Republican Party.

That party formed in the 1850s to stand against what was known as the Slave Power, a small group of elite enslavers who had come to dominate first the Democratic Party and then, through it, the presidency, Supreme Court, and Senate. When northern Democrats in the House of Representatives caved to pressure to allow enslavement into western lands from which it had been prohibited since 1820, northerners of all political stripes recognized that it was only a question of time until elite enslavers took over the West, joined with lawmakers from southern slave states, overwhelmed the northern free states in the House of Representatives, and made enslavement national. 

So in 1854, after Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act that allowed the spread of enslavement into previously protected western lands, northerners abandoned their old parties and came together first as “anti-Nebraska” coalitions and then, by 1856, as the Republican Party. 

At first their only goal was to stop the Slave Power, but in 1859, Illinois lawyer Abraham Lincoln articulated an ideology for the new party. In contrast to southern Democrats, who insisted that a successful society required leaders to dominate workers and that the government must limit itself to defending those leaders because its only domestic role was the protection of property, Lincoln envisioned a new kind of government, based on a new economy.

Lincoln saw a society that moved forward thanks not to rich people, but to the innovation of men just starting out. Such men produced more than they and their families could consume, and their accumulated capital would employ shoemakers and storekeepers. Those businessmen, in turn, would support a few industrialists, who would begin the cycle again by hiring other men just starting out. Rather than remaining small and simply protecting property, Lincoln and his fellow Republicans argued, the government should clear the way for those at the bottom of the economy, making sure they had access to resources, education, and the internal improvements that would enable them to reach markets. 

When the leaders of the Confederacy seceded to start their own nation based in their own hierarchical society, the Republicans in charge of the United States government were free to put their theory into practice. For a nominal fee, they sold farmers land that the government in the past would have sold to speculators; created state colleges, railroads, national money, and income taxes; and promoted immigration. 

Finally, with the Civil War over and the Union restored on their terms, in 1865 they ended the institution of human enslavement except as punishment for crime (an important exception) and in 1868 they added the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution to make clear that the federal government had power to override state laws that enforced inequality among different Americans. In 1870 they created the Department of Justice to ensure that all American citizens enjoyed the equal protection of the laws.

In the years after the Civil War, the Republican vision of a harmony of economic interest among all Americans quickly swung toward the idea of protecting those at the top of society, with the argument that industrial leaders were the ones who created jobs for urban workers. Ever since, the party has alternated  between Lincoln’s theory that the government must work for those at the bottom and the theory of the so-called robber barons, who echoed the elite enslavers’ idea that the government must protect the wealthy. 

During the Progressive Era, Theodore Roosevelt reclaimed Lincoln’s philosophy and argued for a strong government to rein in the industrialists and financiers who dominated society; a half-century later, Dwight Eisenhower followed the lead of Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt and used the government to regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. 

After each progressive president, the party swung toward protecting property. In the modern era the swing begun under Richard Nixon gained momentum with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. Since then the party has focused on deregulation, tax cuts, privatization, and taking power away from the federal government and turning it back over to the states, while maintaining that market forces, rather than government policies, should drive society. 

But those ideas were not generally popular, so to win elections, the party welcomed white evangelical Christians into a coalition, promising them legislation that would restore traditional society, relegating women and people of color back to the subservience the law enforced before the 1950s. But it seems they never really intended for that party base to gain control.

The small-government idea was the party’s philosophy when Donald Trump came down the escalator in June 2015 to announce he was running for president, and his 2017 tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy indicated he would follow in that vein. But his presidency quickly turned the Republican base into a right-wing movement loyal to Trump himself, and he was both eager to get away from legal trouble and impeachments and determined to exact revenge on those who did not do his bidding. The power in the party shifted from those trying to protect wealthy Americans to Trump, who increasingly aligned with foreign autocrats.

That realignment has taken off since Trump left office in 2021 and his base wrested power from the party’s former leaders. Leaders in Trump’s right-wing movement have increasingly embraced the concept of “illiberal democracy” or “Christian democracy” as articulated by Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin or Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orbán, who has demolished Hungary’s democracy and replaced it with a dictatorship. On the campaign trail lately, Trump has taken to echoing Putin and Orbán directly.

Those leaders insist that the equality at the heart of democracy destroys a nation by welcoming immigrants, which undermines national purity, and by treating women, minorities, and LGBTQ+ people as equal to white, heteronormative men. Their focus on what they call “traditional values” has won staunch supporters among the right-wing white evangelical community in the U.S.

Ironically, MAGA Republicans, whose name comes from Trump’s promise to “Make America Great Again,” want the United States of America, one of the world’s great superpowers, to sign onto the program of a landlocked country of fewer than 10 million people in central Europe.

MAGA’s determination to impose white Christian nationalism on the United States of America is a rejection of the ideology of the Republican Party in all its phases. Rather than either an active government that defends equal rights and opportunity or a small government that protects property and relies on market forces, which Republicans stood for as recently as eight years ago, today’s Republicans advocate a strong government that imposes religious rules on society. 

They back strict abortion bans, book bans, and attacks on minorities and LGBTQ+ people. Last year, Florida governor Ron DeSantis directly used the state government to threaten Disney into complying with his anti-LGBTQ+ stance rather than reacting to popular support for LGBTQ+ rights. Missouri attorney general Andrew Bailey early this month used the government to go after political opposition, launching an investigation into Media Matters for America after the watchdog organization reported that the social media platform X was placing advertising next to antisemitic content. “I’m fighting to ensure progressive tyrants masquerading as news outlets cannot manipulate the marketplace in order to wipe out free speech,” Bailey said. 

Domestically, the new ideology of MAGA means forcing the majority to live under the rules of a small minority; internationally, it means support for a global authoritarian movement. MAGA Republicans’ current refusal to fund Ukraine’s war against Russian aggression until the administration agrees to draconian immigration laws—which they are also refusing to participate in crafting—is not only a gift to Putin. It also suggests to any foreign government that U.S. foreign policy is changeable so long as a foreign government succeeds in influencing U.S. lawmakers. Under this system, American global leadership will no longer be viable.

When Nikki Haley said the cause of the Civil War “was how government was going to run, the freedoms, and what people could and couldn’t do,” she did more than avoid the word “slavery” to pander to MAGA Republicans who refuse to recognize the role of race in shaping our history. She rejected the long and once grand history of the Republican Party and announced its death to the world. 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[bratshaws]

through the hourglass 259. brb x oc

a/n: cuteness cuteness uwu (comments and reblogs are super welcome and encouraged!)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: none uwu

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

1/

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-

Rooster was busy, well,sort of. He had Nicole on his chest, basically sitting on his stomach as she sucked on her bottle. Her father was playing Call of Duty with the guys, it’s been a long while since he did anything of the sort.

Jake and Coyote were the only ones online since everyone else was at the bar.

“I thought you’d go with Bea tonight.” he hears Coyote through the headset, “Since it’s her first night back after giving birth to the kids.”

Rooster leaned back slightly on the couch, trying to get comfortable with Nicole on his chest while still holding the controller. "Yeah," he replied, "And who’d be with Nicole?"

“You could always ask her parents,” Jake adds

“Would you do that? Talk with Cyclone since he is your father in law?” silence, ‘I didn’t think so. Besides, her parents need a break from grandchildren. Plus I don’t mind staying with Nikki.”

“Wait,Nikki is there?”

Rooster looks down at his daughter who’s happily eating - holding the bottle by herself too - while keeping her eye on the…constant shooting going on in front of her, “Yeah, she’s with me.” he frowns, “Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Playing a violent war game while she’s here…”

Coyote chuckled on the other end of the headset. "Yeah, probably not the best idea, Rooster," he said, his tone amused. "I mean, she's not even a year old yet, and you've got her witnessing virtual warfare."

Rooster sighed and set down his controller, carefully lifting Nicole from his chest. "You're right," he admitted. "I'll just have to stick to more baby-friendly games when she's around."

Jake chimed in with a grin in his voice. "Or you could give her a controller that's not connected and let her pretend to play. Start training her early!"

Rooster couldn't help but laugh at the suggestion. "Maybe in a few years," he replied but Nicole appeared very interested in that idea. ‘...hm.” he did place the other controller in front of her as she leaned back on the couch, her light green eyes staring down at it before she slapped her hands on it repeatedly.

The clicking and wobbling sound was enough to keep her distracted, so Rooster decided that he could go back to the game after a few seconds. She was just by his left after all. “Alright,” he says, placing the headset back on, “I’m back on it,guys.”

Rooster settled back into the game, the sounds of gunfire and explosions filling his ears as he engaged in virtual warfare with his friends. Nicole, on the other hand, was fascinated by the controller in front of her, her tiny hands batting at the buttons and joysticks. Rooster couldn't help but steal a glance at her every now and then, making sure she was content and safe.

As the game progressed, Rooster's focus shifted entirely to the action on the screen. He was deep in concentration, strategizing with Jake and Coyote as they navigated the game. The headset buzzed with their voices, coordinating their moves and communicating with the rest of their team.

Nicole, on the other hand, had grown tired of the controller and was now happily babbling to herself, seemingly entertained by the sights and sounds of the game. Rooster couldn't help but smile at her antics, even as he continued to play.

The game was intense, and the competition was fierce. Rooster's heart raced as he engaged in virtual battles, his reflexes put to the test. 

At one point, Nicole decided to try her hand at crawling, and Rooster glanced down just in time to see her little hands and knees on the floor. He quickly paused the game and gently scooped her up, placing her back on his lap. "No crawling during game time, little one," he said with a chuckle, earning a gurgling response from Nicole.

Coyote's voice came through the headset. "Everything okay over there, Rooster?"

Rooster nodded, his attention divided between the game and Nicole. "Yeah, just a baby on the move," he replied. "I've got it under control."

Jake laughed. "You're in for a whole new level of multitasking, my friend."

“Why?” he asks, setting Nicole next to him, ‘Jake Jr. being a handful?”

“Still can’t believe you naked your son after you.”

“Shut up,Coyote. Also yes, he’s barely a few weeks old and he’s…loud.” Jake replies just as he shoots a few other enemies “A few days ago he started crying and when I went to check on him, nothing was wrong. He just stopped when Evelyn showed up.”

Rooster chuckled at Jake's comment. "Sounds like he knows how to keep you on your toes," he said, his eyes darting back to the game screen as he resumed playing. "And hey, he's just following in his old man's footsteps, causing a ruckus."

Coyote chimedin. "Must be a family trait, then," he said, his character in the game providing covering fire for Rooster's advance. "Also Jake Jr. is a mama’s boy, that’s obvious.”

“I hate you two.”

“Love you too,Jake.”

With the conversation being so light, Rooster didn’t want to ruin with what he wanted to ask. In fact, he pondered if he should…but what happened between Mark and McAllister bothered him to no end, he really wanted his friends’ opinions on it.

Coyote's character was in the middle of a firefight when Rooster finally broached the topic. "Hey, guys," he began tentatively, "I wanted to talk to you about something."

Coyote glanced at Rooster's character on the screen while still keeping his trigger finger busy. "Shoot, what's on your mind, Rooster?" he snorts “Get it? Shoot,hahah.”

Jake, on the other hand, was fully engaged in the game, tossing grenades and taking down enemies with precision. "Yeah, man, spill the beans," he said, his focus unwavering.

Rooster took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "So, you remember Mark Halton, right?" he began, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb Nicole, who was now attempting to stack her building blocks on the couch. 

"Of course," Coyote replied. "Who doesn’t?"

"Well, something weird happened the other day. He invited Bea and me to dinner at his place with his wife, Miranda. It was...odd. But I told you guys about that already, it’s about him trying to befriend McAllister and the other recruits."

Coyote’s character popping out from cover to take out an enemy. "What's the deal with this guy, anyway? There's something fishy going on."

Rooster nodded, his character in the game moving cautiously through a virtual warzone as he continued to explain. "Yeah, that's the thing. It's not just the dinner itself; it's the way he's been acting. And McAllister said that he thought him and I were friends."

Jake snorted over the headset  “Yeah,right," he commented. "Why would he be so interested in McAllister and the others? And what's in it for him?"

"That's what I can't figure out," Rooster admitted, his character's movements mirroring his contemplation, he just kept himself hidden for the time being. "I mean, it could be harmless, but something about it just feels off."

Coyote took a moment to reload his virtual weapon before responding. "I don’t think it’s like that man. Didn’t you also say he was kind of hounding Mav too?"

Rooster leaned back on his couch, rubbing his temples. "Yeah. He was. Mav was…he didn’t like it,” his uncle used other words but wouldn’t be too far behind, “You guys know how he is, he doesn’t like the whole fanfare about his accomplishments.”

Coyote's character moved in-game, expertly dodging enemy fire as he spoke. "Yeah, Mav's always been low-key about stuff. Doesn't like the spotlight."

Jake's character was still dishing out damage left and right. "So, this Halton dude is all over the place, trying to buddy up with Mav and inviting you guys for dinner. What's his game, though?"

"That's the million-dollar question," Rooster replied, his virtual character sneaking up behind an enemy and taking them down with a silent takedown. "He's been acting really friendly, but it feels forced, you know? And he's got this way of making you feel like you owe him something."

Coyote hummed , taking cover behind a virtual crate. "I get it. Like he's buttering you up for something, but you're not sure what."

“I…guess?” Rooster says quietly, “But I don’t get it, he’s been hounding me,Mav and everyone else for weeks now…and Miranda annoys Bea to now end, I have to say, she even talked back to that woman at dinner.”

Coyote's character expertly maneuvered through the warzone, taking down enemies left and right. "Yeah, that Miranda woman sounds like a piece of work," he commented, his voice filled with irritation. "I can't stand people who think they're better than everyone else."

Rooster's character was providing cover fire as he responded, his mind still troubled by the situation. "I don't know, guys. It's all just so strange. He acts like we're old buddies or something, but I barely know the guy."

Jake’s character tossed another  grenade, taking out a group of virtual enemies. "You should be careful, man," he cautioned. "Don’t give them too much ground to maneuver."

Rooster nodded in agreement, his character switching to a sniper rifle as they moved to a vantage point. "Yeah, I've got that feeling too," he admitted. "But what could he possibly want from us? We're just regular people living our lives."

Coyote’s character led the charge again, pushing forward in the game. "Well, we're not just regular people, Rooster. You're a respected officer in the Navy, Mav is a decorated war hero, and we're all part of a tight-knit community. Maybe he's after connections or something."

Jake chimed in after killing a few more people  "That could be it. Maybe he sees us as a way to climb some social or career ladder."

Rooster's character took out an enemy sniper with a well-placed shot. "It's possible, but it still doesn't explain the weird dinner invitation and all the other stuff. And why is he so fixated on McAllister and the other recruits?"

“Hell if I know.”

“Well,” Coyote begins “You lead McAllister’s squad at the last mission when uhhh…Jaws and Raptor fucked up.”

"Yeah," he responded thoughtfully, "I unfortunately remember that day.."

Jake's character managed to kill three people in one go and he couldn’t help the delighted ‘woo!’ before he spoke again. "Doesn’t make a lot of sense honestly.”

“It doesn’t.” Rooster agrees, sighing through his nose while looking over at Nicole. His daughter was still happily playing with her blocks on the couch, with Eleanor coming over to sniff her before she trotted off to bark at the door, “Seems too much, I mean,we both are pilots. We are both in the Navy…what else would there be to talk about? Do you…guys think he’s jealous? 

“Maybe.”

“Yeah,maybe. I mean, I won’t lie Rooster, he did try to talk to everyone at some point,isn’t that right Jake?” Jake hums positively on the headset “And we don’t really know how to talk to the guy, especially since we heard from you that he has family on the higher ups. Do we even know who it could be?’

The virtual battleground around them was a chaotic mix of explosions, gunfire, and shouts, but their discussion carried on uninterrupted through their headsets.

Chaos everywhere it seemed. 

"Yeah, you're right," Rooster replied, his character maintaining a vigilant watch over the battlefield. "It's strange how he's so… fixated is all."

Coyote then asked, “...you guys think he’s going to join us in the coming deployment?”

Silence for a few seconds.

Then Jake replies with “I guess so? I haven’t seen anything in the file though.”

“Lovely.” Rooster mutters while moving the joystick about, “I mean,I’ll be doing my job like I always do but, he better not act how he did at dinner.” he says, “Him and his wife already bothered me and Bea enough.” he then sighs, checking the time and then looking back at Nicole, “Guys, quick break,Nikki has to eat.”

“Yeah,me too man.”

“I have to check on the little man.” Jake says, his voice growing distant but he kept explaining how Jake Jr. was a bit fussy that night. Rooster, once he’s done playing, stretches his arms above his head and groans happily, rubbing his face with both hands before looking back at Nicole.

She was still happily playing, bottle empty and forgotten by her side as she balances the blocks on the futon, only looking back when she felt eyes on her, “Dada!” she giggles, then points at the ‘sculpture’ she just made with pride…and a lot of baby noises.

"Hey there, birdie," Rooster cooed, brushing a lock of hair from Nicole's face. "You're quite the artist, aren't you?Just like mama." He admired the block arrangement she had crafted, feigning astonishment with a playful gasp. Nicole giggled in response, her bright eyes filled with joy.

"Yeah, you've got some serious talent," Rooster continued, grinning as he played along with her. "I think you've outdone Picasso with this one, sweetheart." he frowns, “Did Picasso sculpt? I gotta ask Bea when she gets back. But now-” he picks Nicole up and stands from the couch,”Time for your dinner, baby girl.”

Rooster cradled Nicole in his arms as he made his way to the kitchen, leaving behind the virtual battlefield. 

Rooster gently set Nicole down in her high chair, strapping her in securely. Her small hands reached out, grasping at the colorful toys hanging from the tray of the chair, a little world of her own.

As Rooster prepared Nicole's dinner, he couldn't help but check his phone for any message from Bea. He was aware it was about time for her break, so they could talk a little bit before she got back to work.

Roos (20:08)

Hey :) <3

Roos (20:08)

Just wanted to check on you,gorgeous. Everything good there?

Her message popped a few seconds after

Bea (20:09)

Hi Roos! Everything is great! The bar is packed but I’m not as rusty as I thought i was.I’m still serving people as before ! How are you and Nikki? Everything alright?

Roos (20:10)

We're good over here, gorgeous. Nicole just created a masterpiece with her building blocks, and now she's eagerly waiting for her dinner. How's the crowd at the bar tonight? Any interesting stories?

Bea (20:11)

Haha, sounds like you two are having fun! Oh, you know, the usual mix of characters at the bar. There's a group of regulars playing darts in the corner, and there's this guy who keeps insisting he can sing like Sinatra and trying to touch the piano. It's always entertaining, that's for sure. 

Rooster couldn't help but smile at Bea's response. Even though they were physically apart, it felt like she was right there with him, sharing the little moments of their lives. 

Or maybe,just maybe, he was clingy and needed his wife.

Roos (20:13)

I wish I could be there to hear Sinatra wannabe and tell him to not touch the piano because that’s my thing. Nicole misses her mama, though. She keeps pointing at your picture on the fridge and saying, "Mama."

Bea (20:15)

Aww, my heart! Tell Nicole that Mama misses her too, and I'll be home before she knows it. 

As Rooster finished preparing Nicole's dinner—a small bowl of mashed sweet potatoes and peas— he glanced at Nicole and whispered, "Mama will be home soon, baby girl." Nicole responded with a toothy grin, her eyes still fixated on the colorful toys.

Roos (20:17)

I'll be sure to pass on the message. Can't wait for you to be back home with us. By the way, did Picasso sculpt anything? You are the one with a degree in visual arts and you are smart with that part.

Bea (20:19)

Yes, he had a few done. Why?

Roos (20:21)

I called Nikki Picasso and I didn’t even know if I should,heh.

Bea (20:23)

Haha! Well, Picasso is a pretty cool nickname, I must say. Maybe she'll be the next artistic genius in the family.

Roos (20:25)

Wouldn't be surprised if she was. She's got her mama's talent, that's for sure. 

Bea (20:27)

Flatterer. Anything else going on?

Roos (20:29)

Well, besides Nicole's newfound talent as a block architect, not much happening on my end. Just the usual work stuff, you know how it is. But I just played some Call of Duty with the guys…and yeah that’s it.

Beatrice hummed on the other end and he knew she didn’t believe him, he still had to share about what Mark did at the base when she gets back.

Bea (20:29)

Well,alright…hey,can you come pick me up? Shells is leaving early and she was my ride until then.

Roos (20:29)

Um,yes?Absolutely. I miss you so much :) 

Bea (20:30)

You are too cute…see you soon then?

Roos (20:30)

You bet gorgeous ;)

[alivesoul]

Poet, playwright, activist, educator, and essayist June Jordan was born in Harlem, New York City, in 1936. An only child, she was raised by her Jamaican immigrant parents in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. She began writing poetry at only seven years old. Jordan attended high school at the Northfield School for Girls in Massachusetts and university at Barnard College, which she left without a final degree due to her alienation from the strictly white and male literary curriculum there. She married and later divorced Columbia student Michael Meyer, with whom she had one child. Despite anti-LGTBQ+ stigma at the time, Jordan’s writing openly acknowledged her bisexuality.

The author of 27 books—including essay collections, libretti, and children’s books as well as volumes of poetry—Jordan was also a lifelong activist who fought fiercely for civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and anti-war causes. She taught at CUNY’s City College, Yale University, Sarah Lawrence College, and SUNY Stony Brook before being appointed professor of African-American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where she founded Poetry for the People. Jordan’s many accolades include grants and awards from the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, PEN America, the National Association of Black Journalists, and numerous other institutions. She died of breast cancer in 2002. A widely influential poet who worked in accessible language to convey deep truths around identity, Jordan is celebrated today for both her literary writing and her dedicated advocacy for social justice and historically excluded groups.

Why are you posting this @alivesoul?

Because June Jordan taught a class at the University of California Berkeley called Poetry for the People and that class has been permanently cancelled. A shame. Teacher/Poets are essential to any higher learning experience as poetry informs us in every way of the world around us. I can't imagine my college experience without the poetry of Nikki Giovanni, Quincy Troupe and so many others. Beyond that, June is a truth hunter, a truth gatherer, and a truth provider---a modern day griot. I truly hope she finds a safe space within the diaspora to continue her work as she represents the very best of what it means to be Black in this country. The attack on Black intellectuals from Ta-Nehisi Coates to Claudine Gay is truly one of the great academic and cultural crimes of my lifetime and cannot continue to go ignored. Never have I seen so many highly educated and accomplished black men and women so unfairly attacked and discredited. These men and women are literally trying to save the soul of country by shining a light on the FACTS of our history, present AND on those who would profit from lies, greed and violence. If there is one thing I would implore those who read this blog to do, it is to read, study and protect not only our history but those who make it their business to make sure it is never forgotten.

We are excellence.

Peace.