#now i have 2 major projects to work on ;-;

[miodiodavinci]

congration

you done it

[cielosuerte]

so fucking busy the rest of the year. being alive is awesome :]

[ccstiles]

Guys I'm on the big screen holy shit

Who knew my random post about putting my fave characters in maid outfits would get to be the top of a #

[kayzero]

in the spaces between not working on zwg and not finishing brother’s burden, i’ve been, uh…

thinking about something new.

[bitchatcloudtower]

How do you afford living in Manhattan?

I don’t.

[orcelito]

Oh yeah so for my UX design class. Our final project is creating some sort of app that links to a wearable fitness device. Like a fitbit. And my group's doing a lil tamagotchi thing, whatever. It's kind of dumb but this class is kind of dumb anyways. I suck it up and do it regardless so that I can graduate.

Anyways so we actually only came up with this idea on Monday lol. Barely done any work on it. But the guy in our group got a fuck ton of interviews yesterday for it, and thank GOD he did bc GUESS WHAT!!! The "check-in" that we had today that was Supposed to be the TA walking around to talk to groups ended up beinggggg INFORMAL PRESENTATIONS!!!!!!!! And no one was fucking ready for it bc on Monday she'd asked for us to choose between presentations or individual discussions and we chose individual discussions. But I guess she decided to do presentations after all.

And well ok so I have a habit of being a little late to this class every day. It's a 3 hour studio and so long as u get there within 15 mins they're chill about it. And today was extra sucky cause I got RAINED ON like pretty hard. Cold ass rain. My jeans were soaked. And well that sucked pretty hard.

But I walked in to find that they were doing PRESENTATIONS and I was like Aw Fuck. And see the thing is, 2 of my groupmates in that class are always *very* late. Like half an hour to an hour late, if they even show up at all. So I couldn't count on them. And my remaining groupmate is the quiet type, so I couldn't count on her either.

So I was like. Aw, fuck. It's up to me.

Sat there in the 5 or 10 mins I had while other groups were presenting to review the interview results from yesterday (I hadn't even looked at them yet 😭😭😭) and then I fuckin gave an informal presentation on the fly about our project that we Totally didn't start working on only 2 days ago (lol). And the thing is. Somehow???? We had the most work done out of the class?????? Most of them hadn't even done interviews yet 😭😭😭😭 like this is due on the 2nd and next week is Thanksgiving break 😭😭😭😭 there is NOT much time left!!!!!!!

But yeah I was riding that high of carrying that presentation for us. I'm so Fucking good at bullshitting.

[booasaur]

Something really amazing happened in France, and I think it'd help us in the US to learn about it. Forgive the long read, but I think this is genuinely great both because of what happened and how.

So as some of you might have seen, in a decision historians will debate for years (mostly to figure out just WTF he was thinking, even though he is alive right now and can be asked), the French president, Emmanuel Macron, currently in power and THREE YEARS before the scheduled election, seeing the far right rise in popularity decided to dissolve the assembly and hold snap elections.

577 seats were up for grabs. Remember that number. Since half of that is 288.5, 289 seats are needed for a majority.

The first round happened last week and boy, was it bad. The far right made HUGE gains. It won or was in first place in so many races. And Macron's party ended up third!

Overall, this is how things ended up after the first round:

Far right bloc: 33%

Left bloc: 28%

Macron's centrist party: 20%

Conservatives: 7%

The way the French system works is that if a candidate gets over 50% of the vote, they win outright, and some of the far right did manage that. But, many races went to a runoff.

Immediate projections after were that the far right bloc might win anywhere from 240 to 310 seats, a catastrophe.

A shameful swing to the far right leading to the first time they'll be in power since the 1940s? Yes, but maybe not??

This is where things get interesting.

Unusually, a lot of these runoffs are 3-way, instead of a simpler 2-way choice. And in pretty much every case, that helps the far right.

So on June 30th, the night of the first round, this is how things went down:

Immediately, the left parties put out the call: anywhere they were third, they withdrew and their voters would go over to whoever was running against the far right candidate. Their goal: form a "republican front" to block the far right. The far right cannot get 289 seats.

Macron's bloc was not so...motivated. Different people put out different instructions: in some places, if they were third, they should drop out, but only to help the center left, not far left, in other places, see how far you are, only then drop out, that kind of thing.

The conservative party simply said they won't drop out and won't give their voters instruction either way in races they're not involved in.

Late night developments:

More people in Macron's party are now beginning to realize the situation and starting to coalesce around whichever candidate can beat the far right one. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, from Macron's party, says clearly the priority is to block the far right. BUT, some Macron spokespeople on TV say they'll form a coalition only with the center left and conservatives, splitting the left bloc if needed. Some individual Macronists still saying they won't drop out, even if there's no hope of winning.

Lol.

So, now July 1st:

Only half so far. In one race, where the sister of Marine Le Pen (the far right leader and the face of their movement) was leading, the third place Macronist refused to bow out.

Excellent quote from another Macronist:

Perhaps realizing the same thing, that Macronist in the race against the Le Pen sister now drops out.

In some places, third place Macronists are dropping out DESPITE Macron bewilderingly telling them NOT to?

Halfway through the day:

Of the 311 3-way or 4-way runoffs, the number is down to 135 because of these candidates dropping out: 121 Left, 56 Macronists, 1 conservative.

Oh, there was this, in case people had any doubts about how terrible the far right are:

And to show the selflessness of the left:

July 2:

The deadline to decide if they want to stay in a runoff is today.

A dozen new third place Macronists who said they'd stay in have now dropped out. One got a call from both the PM Attal AND Macron to drop out, signalling the dawning understanding of the importance of this moment.

Even some conservative party members are now backing the left candidate who faces the far right.

A Macronist who had 30.55% of the vote in the first round and came in third to the far right's 33.11% and left's 32.73% and who would have been tempted to stay has dropped out.

The deadline to stay in or not has now passed.

Look at these far right shenanigans!

Macron still being a freaking loser:

July 3rd:

In the end, of the 311 3- or 4-way run offs, only 91 left. Some polls come out that have the far right getting between 190 to 220 seats.

July 4th:

New polls say the balance of the voting itself isn't transferring between the left and center and predictions have risen for the far right, now predicted to get between 210 and 250 seats.

July 5th:

New polls again, left voters now predicted to do better transferring vote to the centrists, decreasing the far right projections again.

However, scandalous reporting emerges: while Attal was trying to fend off the far right, Macron was not only NOT taking the far right seriously, he was undermining efforts to defeat them. His team shrugged off the first round results and celebrated a BIRTHDAY as the results were still coming in?

July 6th:

A few runoffs happened yesterday, nothing much unexpected, some left and center wins.

July 7th:

The day of reckoning. At this point, the expectations are that the far right won't come close to that 289 number but could still easily have the most seats.

GUYS.

It's over and the left are in the lead!

A LOT of cases where a leftist or centrist was 2nd in the first round and now won.

Amazing:

SO many lessons to take from this.

First, you have to vote! You have to. You can't do anything without voting. The freaking French, who'll protest for anything, are showing up to vote. If you're trying to achieve any kind of result and it's not going to happen by January 2025, you have to vote now.

But just as importantly, the left and center (and even conservative) parties made very key decisions. They were all lucky that Attal, who Macron chose, saw the big picture, bigger than indeed Macron could. A stupid selfish centrist leader could have still ruined everything if it were up to him.

TL;DR: After a disastrous first round in the national French elections where the far right was on the cusp of taking power, the left and center formed a strong coalition and through the power of voting and unity, overcame the far right AND their selfish centrist president to win.

[comfortlesshurt]

shhh, I know I talk about my children too much. but you can't stop my love

forgot to include this at first, whoops, but I also added a little daily par tracker so I can see it all in one place! there's a separate sheet where i update my word count every time i think about it, and then this table uses a vlookup to find the most recent word count and show it as a percent and a daily par to finish by the listed due date. (the par column compares between the overall goal and the subgoal and lists whichever par is higher between the two)

[queercatboyrights]

anyone got any tips on getting art industry jobs w/o a college degree bc holy fuck this shit is horrendous /oAo;\

[alienzil]

DP x DC Prompt/notion # 5

Bruce finished logging the last details of tonight’s patrol and reluctantly pulled up contingency file PT-961. “Hnn,” he grunted to the empty cave, staring at the folder on screen but making no move to open it yet. His children were all out for the evening with various excuses: doing research on a case, homework, visiting a friend, etc. He knew they were really with Fenton for a movie night of course…the third such movie night in the last several months since they started sneaking over to visit the man.

He'd put this off long enough, making excuses to himself about assessing the situation before coming to any conclusions, it was past time he did something about it.

Cli-click. There. The file was open.

He’d made this contingency plan years ago, creating it only a days after Dick had moved into the manor and updating as needed as the family had grown but it hadn’t been touched for years.

PT-961 In The Event That More than 50% of the Children Form an Attachment to a New Parental Figure (see file HM-962 if less than 50%) 1. Initial Research: a. Attachment levels – see pages 1-36, graphs I-XLVII b. Assessment of New Parental Figure c. Background and character 2. Intentions – harmful a. If wanting money see contingency files (GD-01 to GD-207) b. If mind control – magic see contingency files (SMM-M-01 to SMM-M-508) c. If mind control – science see contingency files (NAM-ES-01 to NAM-ES-904) d. If criminal intentions see contingency files (CAP-C-201 to CAP-C-508) 3. Intentions – positive a. Option 1. Hire them - See Family reaction projections pages 37-75 - See likelihood of job acceptance pages 76-94 - See possible outcome projections pages 95-127 Note: Option 1 has the highest likelihood of job acceptance and a positive outcome in the event New Parental Figure has an annual income of less than $42,300 and/or is greater than or equal to age 57. b. Option 2. No interference/Let the Children decide what to do - See Children’s time projections pages 128-209, graphs XLVIII-LXX - See possible mission/patrol interference scenarios pages 210-293 - See possible outcomes pages 294-362 Note: Projections for Option 2 show a near 100% likelihood of interference with patrols/mission. Note: Interference resulting in increased potential for injury or delay in treatment of injuries estimated to be 68-94% more likely. c. Option 3. Custody arrangement - See potential arrangements pages 363-482, graphs LXXI-XC - See possible outcomes pages 363-401 Note: The majority of projections show Option 3 is unlikely to be successful. Both the children and New Parental Figure are predicted to be uncooperative in time and custody arrangements with no other controlling factors. d. Option 4. Engage in a relationship - See family reactions page 402-481 - See New Parental Figure reactions pages 482-568 - See possible outcomes pages 569-757 Note: For possible romantic or similar relationships see contingency files (DM-401 to DM-879) Note: In the event Option 1 is nonviable, Option 4 has the highest likelihood of a positive outcome. e. Option 5. Arrange for New Parental Figure to leave - See contingency files (ROI-G-301 to ROI-G-809) Note: High likelihood of one or more children discovering the arrangement for the removal of New Parental Figure leading to high likelihood of estrangement. Also likely to be ethically questionable.

Bruce double checked his notes on Daniel James Fenton. He was 2 years younger than Bruce, earned a high income as a freelance engineer and had multiple patents that gave him enough passive income from royalties that he could easily maintain his current lifestyle without working. There were no indications of any criminal history or ill intentions and thus far all of his interactions with the children appear to have been positive. More than positive given that every single one of his kids was now “secretly” (or secretly in so far as they were aware) spending time with him.

He steepled his hands in front of his face and focused on the data displayed on screen.  The best option to take in this case was obvious.

*****

Ding-Dong! “I’m coming!” Danny yelled as he dropped the laundry basket on the couch and headed for the front door. “Why is there always a package delivery on laundry day?” he muttered to himself. Well, hopefully the delivery guy wouldn’t mind his no clean laundry ensemble. Surely, they’d seen worse than Danny’s ancient, too small NASA t-shirt and the bat themed pajama pants Sam bought for him when he moved to Gotham.

“Hi there, sorry I was doing laundry and…uhh…you’re not the delivery guy”. Danny stared at a sharply dressed smiling man holding a dozen roses on the other side of his door.

“No, I’m Bruce Wayne. I-“

“Oh, shit”

Bruce’s eyes narrowed. “You know.”

“Umm…” Danny gulped. He was not expecting to deal with Batman on laundry day! “Yes?” He straightened himself, squared his shoulders and looked Bruce Wayne AKA Batman, the father of the kids that his core had recently come to recognize as his own, in the eyes. “Yes,” he said firmly. “I know.”

“Hnnn…” Bruce’s voice dropped a few octaves. Not quite Batman’s signature growl but much lower than he had been speaking. “Well then, that simplifies things. These are for you. Would you like to go out to dinner with me?”

“…What?!”

[cxrrodedcoffin]

Close to You - Spencer Reid

Likes are always appreciated but reblogs and feedback keep artists going!

Summary: Spencer is needy and Reader has a work deadline to meet, so they try something new as a compromise.

Word Count: 1.9k

A/N: me writing another cockwarming fic? it’s more likely than you’d think ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (no mommy kink this time cuz this feels more mild as far as the sub/dom dynamic goes, maybe next time!)

TW: sub!spencer, softdom!reader, cockwarming, unprotected sex, penetrative sex, creampie, afab reader

Rating: R/18+ (oops all smut)

——

The blue light of your computer screen was starting to make your eyes hurt, the hours of completed paperwork in your rearview feeling like nothing compared to the digital mountain of remaining work for your proposal you still had to complete by the deadline your boss had given you. Working from home certainly had its perks, but right now the only thing you could think of was how much more focused you’d be if you were still in an office.

“How’s work going?” Spencer’s voice broke your train of thought as he turned the corner into your home office.

“It’s fine, I still have a lot to get done.” You sighed, continuing to type away on your keyboard.

“You know, I was reading an article the other day about studies being conducted that explore the long term effects the extended work hours work-from-home jobs require have on the average adult, it went pretty in-depth on how psychologists suspect the lack of separation between work and the home environment can negatively affect the way we prioritize professional work with personal tasks and quality time.” You could tell your boy-wonder was using his vast knowledge to pick an article with a topic that was a bit too on the nose to beat around the bush of his point, but you didn’t know why.

“That’s very interesting Spencer, but why bring that up when you know I can’t stop working?” You questioned, calling his bluff.

“We haven’t had sex in 2 weeks.” He mumbled, just loud enough for you to hear. You knew that, and it was driving you crazy just as much as it was him, but this project was major and if you wanted to get the promotion you had been working so hard to get, you had to set your personal needs aside for a bit.

“I’ll make it up to you once I finish this, I promise.” You weren’t lying, your accidental celibacy had stretched your imagination to some very interesting places, and you couldn’t wait to try those new things with him, but it had to wait, no matter how touch-starved you felt.

“I want you.” He almost whined, taking a couple steps further into your peripheral vision.

“Spencer, you know I need to get this project completed before my deadline tomorrow, I don’t have time for this.”

“But I need…help.” His words were drawn out, his hushed tone piquing your interest. You pushed your chair out, craning your neck to make eye contact with him before his gaze dipped lower and yours followed. The fabric of his pajama pants was pulled taut over his bulge, his fidgeting hands barely restricting your view despite his attempt to hide the evidence of his arousal behind them.

“Oh baby, that must hurt, huh?” You sighed, giving him a sympathetic look before turning back to your work.

“It does, I need you.” He pleaded, coming up behind you to rest his hands on your shoulders.

“You need to take care of it yourself.” Your statement came out more blunt than you intended and a hint of guilt started to pang in your chest, the stress of this deadline was starting to get to you and you didn’t mean to take it out on him.

“I’m sorry to bother you, I know you’re busy, but I already tried and I just made it worse, you feel so much better than my hand does.” He over-explained, continuing to plead his case as his fingers started kneading the sore muscles atop your shoulders.

You mulled over your options, the concept of his admittedly impressive cock filling your neglected cunt sounding all-too appealing in the moment. You knew you couldn’t take the time to fuck him right now, after no sex for two weeks your carnal urges would absolutely take over and you’d wind up ignoring your work for the rest of the night, to the detriment of your employment status. You were about to send him away when an idea popped into your head, something that could be a good compromise to both of your predicaments if done correctly.

“Drop your pants.” You bluntly stated, beginning to stand from your chair. He followed your instruction, a bit confused but too excited to question, always eager to please you. You also stripped from the waist down, ignoring the growing slick between your thighs.

“Sit down.” Came your next instruction, your eyes fixed on his erection, his head blushed pink and dripping with precum. When he was situated you climbed back onto the chair with him, positioning your knees on the suede fabric on either side of his thighs, hips hovering over his member. You reached down, fingers wrapping around his length as you positioned his head at your dripping entrance, reveling in the first sexual contact the two of you had experienced in far too long.

You slowly sank down, your warm walls engulfing his throbbing cock until you were seated fully on his lap, the fullness giving you a sense of satisfaction. Spencer’s breathy sighs and white-knuckled grip on the arms of the chair told you he was enjoying this just as much as you were, but you knew he would want more any second. You on the other hand were always better at controlling your desires, even just this level of intimacy enough to satiate you for the moment.

You relaxed into him, back pressed to his chest as you began your work once again, ignoring the dull ache in your core.

“A-are you going to move?” Spencer’s desperate voice broke the silence after a few minutes of you typing away at your computer.

“No. This is all I have time to give you right now. If you’re a good boy and stay still for me, I’ll let you do whatever you want tonight.” You were curious to see how well he’d do with this. Even though Spencer prided himself on being the smartest in the room at any given time, he wasn’t very good at controlling his urges and it amused you how his composure could disappear if he was desperate enough, particularly around you.

“Okay.” He breathed, seeing the muscles in his arms relax and the grip he held on the chair loosen out of the corner of your eye.

You continued your work, busting your ass to complete your project as quickly as possible. Every once and awhile you’d flex your kegel muscles, your walls contracting around his cock to keep him as hard as possible, teasing him to see how hard you could push his patience.

You grew closer to your last tasks, the end finally in sight when you felt him start to shift under you, hips attempting to thrust up into you. You anchored your hips, holding him down to not break your focus. He let out the most pathetic whine you’d ever heard, running his hand through his hair out of frustration.

“If you move again, you won’t cum tonight. I’m almost done, do not distract me again.” You told him sternly, rocking your hips back one time as an incentive.

“Understood.” He groaned, thighs relaxing beneath you.

You wrapped up the last paragraph of your proposal, satisfied with the work you had done. You could feel Spencer tense when you closed out of the last application and shut off the computer, screen darkening and leaving the two of you bathed in the golden glow of sunset in an otherwise dark room. Instead of finishing him there, you rose off of him, leaving him groaning in desperation.

His cock was covered in your slick, veins throbbing and head almost purple from how desperate he was to cum. You started walking out of the room, finger motioning for him to follow you and he almost tripped over the chair, trailing in your shadow. You found the bedroom, stripping out of your remaining clothing while contemplating what position you wanted him in. Your thighs were starting to burn from sitting in the position you had held for so long, so you opted for good old-fashioned missionary. You laid down on the bed, thighs spread as Spencer pulled off his shirt and waited for your instruction.

“Come here.” The words had barely left your lips and Spencer was already on the end of the bed, crawling up to you like an animal on the prowl.

“Do you want to fuck me, Spencer?” You asked, drawing out his torture just a little while longer.

“Yes please, need to feel your perfect cunt again.” He begged, looking down at you with his big brown eyes.

“Go ahead, but don’t cum until I say so.” You instructed, your hand finding the nape of his neck, tugging lightly on his hair. He moaned, positioning himself at your entrance before thrusting fully into you, his gaze locked on the way your breasts bounced with each desperate thrust into your warm cunt.

His pace remained steady, pounding into you, your pleasure slowly building but not quite hitting the spot you needed him to. You wrapped your legs around his hips, angling your hips up ever so slightly and you couldn’t help but cry out, his cock finally hitting the soft spot inside of you that you’d been craving. He dropped his head into your shoulder, bringing his hand to your pussy to rub firm swipes over your clit, clearly desperately trying to make you cum so he could.

“So close, I don’t know how much longer I can last.” He panted, hips faltering slightly.

“It’s okay baby, don’t stop.” You moaned, too close to care about being firm with him anymore after how good he’d been for you today.

His thrusts became increasingly desperate, driving into you at a pace that had you seeing stars, the combined pressure on your clit sending you over the edge in a blur of white hot ecstasy.

“Spencer!” You cried out, nails digging into his back as you rode out your orgasm, rocking your hips to meet his thrusts.

His moans grew louder, hips stuttering and you could tell he was almost there, but something was holding him back.

“Cum inside me.”

Your request was all he needed to hear, not having to worry about pulling out anymore allowing all of his focus to finally come undone, hot ropes of cum filling your aching cunt. He pulled out of you, collapsing beside you with his head on your chest, long legs almost dangling off the side of the bed. You laid there spent, gently running your fingers through his hair until you both caught your breath.

“Thank you.” He spoke, lifting his head to look you in the eye.

“There's no need to thank me Spence, I’m sorry I’ve been so busy. You were right about overworking, I’ll try to delegate a bit more.” You sighed.

“I just don’t want you to overwork yourself, you deserve to enjoy yourself more often.” He leaned up to pull you into a kiss, his arms wrapping around your waist as you finally got a moment to relax for the first time in weeks.

——

Tag List: @pleasantwitchgarden @lover-of-books-and-tea

DM me or send me an ask if you’d like to be added to my general or spencer reid taglist :)

[shesnake]

Spider-Verse Artists Say Working on the Sequel Was ‘Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts’

Why don’t more animated movies look this good? According to people who worked on the sequel, Across the Spider-Verse, it’s because the working conditions required to produce such artistry are not sustainable.

Multiple Across the Spider-Verse crew members — ranging from artists to production executives who have worked anywhere from five to a dozen years in the animation business — describe the process of making the the $150 million Sony project as uniquely arduous, involving a relentless kind of revisionism that compelled approximately 100 artists to flee the movie before its completion.

While frequent major overhauls are standard operating procedure in animation (Pixar films can take between four and seven years to plot, animate, and render), those changes typically occur early on during development and storyboarding stages. But these Spider-Verse 2 crew members say they were asked to make alterations to already-approved animated sequences that created a backlog of work across multiple late-stage departments. Across the Spider-Verse was meant to debut in theaters in April of 2022, before it was postponed to October of that year and then June 2023 owing to what Entertainment Weekly reported as “pandemic-related delays.” However, the four crew members say animators who were hired in the spring of 2021 sat idle for anywhere from three to six months that year while Phil Lord tinkered with the movie in the layout stage, when the first 3-D representation of storyboards are created.

As a result, these individuals say, they were pushed to work more than 11 hours a day, seven days a week, for more than a year to make up for time lost and were forced back to the drawing board as many as five times to revise work during the final rendering stage.

"For animated movies, the majority of the trial-and-error process happens during writing and storyboarding. Not with fully completed animation. Phil’s mentality was, This change makes for a better movie, so why aren’t we doing it? It’s obviously been very expensive having to redo the same shot several times over and have every department touch it so many times. The changes in the writing would go through storyboarding. Then it gets to layout, then animation, then final layout, which is adjusting cameras and placements of things in the environment. Then there’s cloth and hair effects, which have to repeatedly be redone anytime there’s an animation change. The effects department also passes over the characters with ink lines and does all the crazy stuff like explosions, smoke, and water. And they work closely with lighting and compositing on all the color and visual treatments in this movie. Every pass is plugged into editing. Smaller changes tend to start with animation, and big story changes can involve more departments like visual development, modeling, rigging, and texture painting. These are a lot of artists affected by one change. Imagine an endless stream of them."

"Over 100 people left the project because they couldn’t take it anymore. But a lot stayed on just so they could make sure their work survived until the end — because if it gets changed, it’s no longer yours. I know people who were on the project for over a year who left, and now they have little to show for it because everything was changed. They went through the hell of the production and then got none of their work coming out the other side."

[reasonsforhope]

The Klamath River’s salmon population has declined due to myriad factors, but the biggest culprit is believed to be a series of dams built along the river from 1918 to 1962, cutting off fish migration routes.

Now, after decades of Indigenous advocacy, four of the structures are being demolished as part of the largest dam removal project in United States history. In November, crews finished removing the first of the four dams as part of a push to restore 644 kilometres (400 miles) of fish habitat.

“Dam removal is the largest single step that we can take to restore the Klamath River ecosystem,” [Barry McCovey, a member of the Yurok Tribe and director of tribal fisheries,] told Al Jazeera. “We’re going to see benefits to the ecosystem and then, in turn, to the fishery for decades and decades to come.” ...

A ‘watershed moment’

Four years later, [after a catastrophic fish die-off in 2002,] in 2006, the licence for the hydroelectric dams expired. That created an opportunity, according to Mark Bransom, CEO of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC), a nonprofit founded to oversee the dam removals.

Standards for protecting fisheries had increased since the initial license was issued, and the utility company responsible for the dams faced a choice. It could either upgrade the dams at an economic loss or enter into a settlement agreement that would allow it to operate the dams until they could be demolished.

“A big driver was the economics — knowing that they would have to modify these facilities to bring them up to modern environmental standards,” Bransom explained. “And the economics just didn’t pencil out.”

The utility company chose the settlement. In 2016, the KRRC was created to work with the state governments of California and Oregon to demolish the dams.

Final approval for the deal came in 2022, in what Bransom remembers as a “watershed moment”.

Regulators at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) voted unanimously to tear down the dams, citing the benefit to the environment as well as to Indigenous tribes...

Tears of joy

Destruction of the first dam — the smallest, known as Copco 2 — began in June, with heavy machinery like excavators tearing down its concrete walls.

[Amy Cordalis, a Yurok Tribe member, fisherwoman and lawyer for the tribe,] was present for the start of the destruction. Bransom had invited her and fellow KRRC board members to visit the bend in the Klamath River where Copco 2 was being removed. She remembers taking his hand as they walked along a gravel ridge towards the water, a vein of blue nestled amid rolling hills.

“And then, there it was,” Cordalis said. “Or there it wasn’t. The dam was gone.”

For the first time in a century, water flowed freely through that area of the river. Cordalis felt like she was seeing her homelands restored.

Tears of joy began to roll down her cheeks. “I just cried so hard because it was so beautiful.”

The experience was also “profound” for Bransom. “It really was literally a jolt of energy that flowed through us,” he said, calling the visit “perhaps one of the most touching, most moving moments in my entire life”.

Demolition on Copco 2 was completed in November, with work starting on the other three dams. The entire project is scheduled to wrap in late 2024.

[A resilient river]

But experts like McCovey say major hurdles remain to restoring the river’s historic salmon population.

Climate change is warming the water. Wildfires and flash floods are contaminating the river with debris. And tiny particles from rubber vehicle tires are washing off roadways and into waterways, where their chemicals can kill fish within hours.

McCovey, however, is optimistic that the dam demolitions will help the river become more resilient.

“Dam removal is one of the best things we can do to help the Klamath basin be ready to handle climate change,” McCovey explained. He added that the river’s uninterrupted flow will also help flush out sediment and improve water quality.

The removal project is not the solution to all the river’s woes, but McCovey believes it’s a start — a step towards rebuilding the reciprocal relationship between the waterway and the Indigenous people who rely on it.

“We do a little bit of work, and then we start to see more salmon, and then maybe we get to eat more salmon, and that starts to help our people heal a little bit,” McCovey said. “And once we start healing, then we’re in a place where we can start to help the ecosystem a little bit more.”"

-via Al Jazeera, December 4, 2023

[keeryhours]

is there someone else? - steve harrington

Steve Harrington x female! reader, some Eddie Munson x reader

Main Masterlist

Steve Harrington Masterlist

Summary:

When your friend with benefits, Eddie, ditches you, you take comfort in his roommate.

Warnings:

Smut (18+), fingering, oral (m and f receiving), unprotected p in v, spit, cumplay, Eddie making some suggestive comments, language, weed use

Word Count: 4.5k

A/N:

I kind of set this one up for a part 2, so let me know if you want one!

—

College was supposed to be “the best days of your life”. At least, that’s what your parents always told you, and always reminded you every time you had something to complain about.

Instead of that, you had an overwhelming amount of coursework, a professor who hated you, three major projects due next week, and a fuckboy friend with benefits who would never like you back the same way you liked him.

Yeah, definitely the best days of your life.

“Hey, baby,” the very same fuckboy friend greeted you as you exited the main lecture hall, books piled in your arms. He approached you and threw an arm over your shoulder, walking along with you.

“What is it, Eddie?” You were blushing, because you knew being seen with Eddie like this made it obvious what the two of you got up to. It was Eddie, after all, he had a pretty well known reputation. You totally weren’t blushing because of the ridiculous crush you have on him.

“I was thinking you could come over tonight,” Eddie drawled, leaning against you casually as you walked across the campus grounds. He always had that casual cockiness about him, and you couldn’t help but notice the way his tight jeans hugged his long legs, or the little strip of skin you could see beneath his t-shirt when he raised his arms.

“Tonight?” You asked. “I was going to be working on one of my projects tonight.”

“Boring,” Eddie said, waving the idea off. “Wouldn’t you have a much better time in bed with me?”

You blushed deeper, looking around to make sure no one had heard him. “Eddie!”

“Well it’s the truth,” he said. “Wouldn’t you rather spend the evening with my face between your legs?”

“Eddie, stop,” you said, not sure if you could take much more blushing. “I’ll come over.”

“Perfect!” Eddie exclaimed, spinning you around by your shoulders so you were facing him. “You will not regret your decision, princess.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to your lips, catching you by surprise. “See you at my dorm room at 8, yeah?”

“Sure,” you called after him, but he was already walking away. You cursed under your breath as you noticed a group of girls from your class staring at you, and you quickly hurried off back to your own dorm room.

You were no stranger to these late night hookups in Eddie’s dorm. His roommate was hardly ever there, even though they were apparently good friends. You got the impression the roommate was a bit of a ladies man himself. It seemed like he was always out on a date with someone.

You wondered if you should dress up - maybe this would be the night Eddie realized he had feelings for you, too? You pushed that thought from your head - if Eddie had feelings for you, he would have acted on them by now. This was nothing more than sex to him and you knew it.

Despite knowing you were being delusional, you dressed up anyway. You wore a brand new matching bra and panties set, white lace that hugged every curve of your body perfectly. You wore a little dress over top, then spent way too long in front of the mirror doing your hair and makeup.

When it was nearly 8, you left your dorm building, walking down the path to the men’s dorms. You climbed up the stairs to the top floor, heading down the hall to the familiar door. You knocked, even though Eddie had told you countless times you didn’t need to.

You waited. After a few minutes, the door opened, revealing not Eddie, but his roommate Steve.

Steve looked surprised to see you. His eyes widened slightly before a smirk spread across his lips. “Well. I wasn’t expecting a beautiful girl at my door this evening.”

You found yourself blushing yet again. Steve was really cute, and you’d had very few interactions with him. “Hey Steve,” you finally said. “Is Eddie here?”

“Uh, not right now,” he said. “I’m not sure where he went. Do you want to come in and wait for him?”

“Yeah, that would be good.” You cautiously entered the dorm room, feeling nervous despite the amount of times you’d been in there. You’d never been alone with Steve before, and you weren’t sure what to do or say.

You took a seat on Eddie’s bed that sat across from Steve’s. The other boy collapsed onto his bed, going back to the movie he’d been watching on the small color TV sitting on a dresser. He was watching The Breakfast Club, a bowl of popcorn next to him on the bed.

You waited for Eddie. And waited. And waited. You were beginning to feel humiliated as you realized you’d been stood up. You were just standing to go back to your dorm when Steve’s voice stopped you.

“Do you want to watch a movie with me?” He asked. “I was about to watch Scarface next.”

You thought for a moment. You could go home and mope in your bed, or you could stay here and hang out with Steve. You knew which one sounded like more fun. Fuck Eddie.

“Sure,” you said, and Steve scooted over, making room next to him on his bed. You kicked your shoes off and climbed on next to him, pulling your short dress down over your thighs. You noticed Steve’s gaze lingering on your legs.

As you watched the movie, Steve moved closer to you. About halfway through he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, and you nearly giggled from the cheesiness of it - if it didn’t feel so nice.

Steve began rubbing circles over the exposed skin of your arm, his right hand moving to rest on your bare thigh. Your breath hitched in your throat at the feeling of his warm hands on your skin, you clenched your thighs together as you felt your clit throbbing at the idea of Steve moving his hand higher.

“You’re so pretty, you know that?” Steve whispered against your ear so quietly you weren’t sure you heard him correctly.

You froze. “What?”

Steve chuckled before speaking louder this time. “I said, you’re really pretty.” He turned to look down at you, a soft smile on his lips. “Too pretty to get stood up by my idiot roommate.”

You blushed. You didn’t need to be reminded about how you’d been ditched tonight. Probably for some other girl. “Thanks.”

Steve laughed again, lightly. “Are you okay? Really?”

You shrugged. “Yeah, I’m fine. Things between me and Eddie are just casual anyway. It shouldn’t be a big deal.”

“Still,” Steve said, “he had the prettiest girl on campus here waiting for him, and he ditched you for something else? If he thinks any other girl is half as perfect as you, he’s even dumber than I thought.”

You giggled, covering your face with your hands. You felt like you knew deep down that Steve was just trying to flatter you and make you feel better, but you couldn’t help the way your heart fluttered in your chest.

“So cute,” Steve remarked again. The movie had gone forgotten, Steve’s attention fully on you now. He placed a finger underneath your chin, turning you to face him.

You met his eyes, the way he was looking at you caught you by surprise. His expression wasn’t playful or joking. “Can I kiss you?”

“Can- what?”

Steve laughed again. “Can I kiss you?”

“I…” You tried to shake some sense back into your head. Here was this cute guy, asking to kiss you, and you couldn’t even form a sentence. “Yeah.”

Steve smiled, then he was leaning in slowly until his soft lips pressed against yours. You melted into the kiss, body forming against his as you rested your hand on his chest. He kissed you with an eager intensity, lips locking with yours before he ran his tongue along the seam of your lips. You opened up for him and he slid his tongue inside, exploring your mouth.

His hand groped at your tits over your dress, before moving down to slide up your thighs. His hand rose up between your legs, cupping you over your core. You hoped he couldn’t tell how wet you had been already, but that hope was short lived.

“So wet for me already,” Steve hummed, trailing kisses down your jaw and to your neck. “You wanted this?”

“Mhm,” you agreed, mind spinning as Steve started biting and sucking at your neck. His fingers trailed over your pussy over your panties, teasing you.

“Want me to touch you here?” He teased, pressing harder against your clit. You whined, causing Steve to smirk against your neck.

“Yes, please,” you begged, arching your back and pressing your hips harder against Steve’s hand. Steve chuckled again, pushing your panties to the side and rubbing over your clit.

“So wet,” he said as he trailed his fingers down to your hole, pressing one to your entrance. “Want me to fuck you with my fingers?”

You nodded, a pathetic little whine leaving your lips. Steve was absolutely eating up every reaction he pulled from you, he had never been with someone so responsive, and he loved it. He pressed one of his thick fingers inside of you and you whined again, back arching against his headboard.

“Feel good, baby?” He asked as he pumped his finger in and out of you, thumb rubbing your clit as he did.

“So good,” you moaned, and Steve smirked as he watched you, falling apart on nothing but one of his fingers. He couldn’t help imagining how you’d look on his cock.

He added a second finger, curling them up inside you. He watched you intently, but you didn’t have the space in your brain to be self conscious with the way he was pulling you apart with nothing but his hand. Even Eddie hadn’t been able to do this to you.

“Gonna cum?” He asked, feeling the way you began clenching around his fingers.

You nodded quickly, a weak “Uh huh,” being all you could offer him. Your hand shot up to grip onto his shoulder, your pitchy moans filling the small bedroom as your orgasm rose in your belly. “Steve-“

“That’s it, baby, say my name when you cum on my fingers,” he praised, face buried in your neck again. “Go on, baby girl, cum for me.”

His words pushed you over the edge and you threw your head back, pussy clenching around Steve’s fingers as you came. You called his name over and over again- “Steve, Steve, Steve!”- him having the biggest smirk on his face as he watched you.

“Thaaat’s it,” he praised, working you through every high of your orgasm until your body collapsed back against the headboard and he removed his hand. You watched as he placed the fingers between his lips, sucking them clean. “Taste so good, too. I always knew you’d be sweet.”

You felt yourself blushing again, chest heaving as you watched him lick your wetness from his long fingers. Ones that had just been inside you. You were supposed to be here for Eddie, and it was his roommate who just gave you the best orgasm of your life with nothing but his hand.

Steve moved back in to kiss you again, and you could taste yourself on his tongue. There was something so filthy about it that had your clit throbbing between your legs again. You kissed him back more eagerly than before, your hands resting on his neck.

“Wanna get inside you,” Steve muttered against your lips. “Wanna fuck you so bad.”

You moaned, bucking your hips up against his thigh. “Please,” you managed to squeak out, the only thing your hazy brain could come up with.

“Yeah? You want that?” Steve was breathless, a hand moving down to palm himself over his jeans. You hadn’t noticed how insanely hard he had gotten while fingering you. “You want my cock?”

“Want it so bad,” you whined, moving your own hand to replace his. He was rock hard beneath the material of his pants, and you knew he had to be uncomfortable. You rubbed over his erection, Steve groaning into your neck. You undid his belt buckle and jeans.

“Fuck, yeah,” Steve muttered, hands pushing your dress up until it was over your head. He took in the sight of your matching lingerie, eyes widening. “Goddamn. Look at you.”

“You like it?” You asked shyly, but it was pretty obvious he did, very much.

“Did I mention Eddie is a fucking dumbass?” Steve’s hands roamed over your body in the lingerie, fingers trailing over the lace of your bra. “My gain. God, you’re stunning.”

Steve sat up, quickly pulling his own shirt over his head, his jeans undone and hard cock tenting his boxers as he moved back over your body. He kissed all over your stomach, your tits, your neck. His hands slid behind your back, expertly undoing your bra and dropping it to his floor.

“So fucking hot,” he said as he moved back to look over your body. He pushed his jeans and boxers down just enough to reveal his long, thick cock, tip red and leaking precum. He stroked his cock as he looked down at you.

You leaned up, placing a small kitten lick against the tip of his cock, tasting the precum there. Steve groaned, hand moving to the back of your head as you wrapped your lips around him and began sinking down. “Shit,” he hissed, fingers tangling into your hair.

You took as much of him into your mouth as you felt you could. Steve bucked his hips into your mouth, forcing his cock down your throat until it was hitting the back of your throat and causing you to gag, sputtering as you pulled off of him.

“Shit, I’m so sorry baby,” he said, pushing your hair behind your ear gently. “Are you okay? I- I didn’t mean to do that.”

“I’m okay,” you said, laughing through watering eyes. “Was just a lot.”

Steve laughed lightly. “Yeah? It was a lot?”

You slapped at his thigh, making him laugh again. You liked the sound of his laugh. You wrapped your lips around him again, taking him deeper on your own this time. Steve groaned loudly as you took him all the way, drool dripping from around your lips and onto the bed below him, but he didn’t care.

“Fuck, look at you. Such a little slut.” Steve ran his fingers through your hair as he watched the way your mouth wrapped around his dick, loving the sight. He would be thinking about this moment, this vision, on many nights alone.

You licked along the underside of his cock as you sucked him, moaning around his length to send the vibrations around him. Steve moaned loudly at that, pulling on your hair. “Shit. You’re gonna make me cum if you keep sucking me like that.”

You pulled off of him with an audible pop, a string of saliva connecting your lips to the tip of his cock. His dick twitched at the sight, another low groan leaving his lips.

“Fuck. I have to have you, right now.” He flipped you over, causing you to squeal and giggle as you landed on your stomach on the bed. You felt Steve’s fingers beneath the waistband of your panties before he pulled them down your legs. He smacked your ass hard, watching the way it jiggled beneath his palm. God, he couldn’t get enough of you.

Steve gripped your hips, pulling them up so your back was arched for him. He stroked his cock a few times, then moments later he was sliding his cock through your folds, collecting your wetness on his dick. He pressed his fat tip against your hole, and you gripped onto the sheets in preparation. Steve was big, you knew you’d need something to hold onto.

“You ready for me, baby?” He asked, hands caressing down your sides gently. He admired your body from behind, before leaving another harsh slap on your ass. You jumped at the feeling, a quiet mixture between a gasp and a moan falling from your lips.

“I’m ready,” you told him, arching your back farther and pressing your hips back against him, desperate to feel him stretching you open.

“Needy little pussy,” Steve said, slapping your ass a third time. “I’ll give her what she wants, don’t worry baby.”

Steve started to slide into you, thick cock splitting you open as he pressed deeply inside. He groaned loudly at the feeling of your tight heat wrapped around him so perfectly, like your cunt was made for him. “Jesus. You have the perfect pussy, baby. I can’t believe Eddie missed out on this tonight.”

You gripped onto the pillow as Steve bottomed out behind you, balls pressed against your ass as he held his hips tightly against you. “Fuck. Fuck.”

“What’s wrong?” You asked, turning around to look at Steve. God, he looked so hot behind you like this, cock buried deep in your pussy.

“Don’t wanna cum yet,” he admitted with a breathless laugh. “You feel too good, baby.”

You giggled, moving your hips back against him. This time it was Steve’s turn to cry out, a pathetic sounding whimper unintentionally escaping from him. “Babe, please.”

You liked feeling like you had some power over him. You pushed your hips back again, hard, and moaned as his tip brushed against that spot deep inside you.

Steve groaned again, his grip on your hips tightening. “You’re being a brat right now, you know that?”

“Am I?” You giggled again, moving back and forth along his cock.

“Eddie never told me you were so bad,” Steve said, slapping your ass again so hard it left a bright red handprint on your skin. “Always took you for a good girl. But you’re not being very good for me right now, are you?”

“I can be good,” you promised him. “Just want you to fuck me.”

“Impatient,” he tsked. “You want to get fucked like a whore? Is that what you want?”

“Yes,” you begged. “Please, please fuck me like a whore. Wanna be your little cockslut.”

Steve moaned, finally, finally starting to move his hips. He began fucking into you quickly, his headboard slamming into the wall and definitely disturbing anyone on the other side. “Like this? Wanted to get fucked like this?”

You moaned desperately, the sounds you were making turning higher and higher as he pounded into you from behind. “Yes, Steve, fuck, please don’t stop!”

Steve pulled your hips back to meet every thrust. His long, usually immaculately styled hair hung over his face as he dropped his head forward, getting lost in the pleasure of you. “Pussy’s perfect baby. I can’t fucking believe how perfectly it fits around my cock. Wanna fuck this pussy every fucking day.”

You basked in the praise, his words sending chills down your spine. “S’good, Steve, your cock is so big, fucks me so good.”

Steve was grunting with every thrust, his own mind going hazy with lust as he struggled to stay present in the moment. He had never felt a pussy as good as yours, truly, he couldn’t believe that there was anything on earth Eddie could choose over fucking you. You were perfect. There was no other girl on campus who could even compare.

“Yeah? I’m fucking you good, baby?” Steve was breathless as he spoke, trying his hardest not to show how absolutely wrecked he was inside you. He’d never had a girl bring him to his knees like this, literally.

“So good,” you promised him, never wanting him to stop. You could feel another orgasm approaching, the angle he was fucking you bringing you more pleasure than you’d ever felt. “Gonna cum again.”

Steve huffed a laugh. “Gonna cum just from getting fucked?”

“Yeah,” you whined, pushing back against him again. With the added help every thrust was so deep, so intense. Steve was fucking you wildly, you never knew you’d like being fucked so animalistically the way he was, but you fucking loved everything about this.

“Go on and cum all over my cock then, slut,” he said, slapping your ass again. You cried out, which only egged him on more. “Cream all over my dick, baby.”

Steve leaned forward, grabbing your face around your jaw and forcing you to look at him. He pursed his lips and spit, landing on the side of your mouth. You gasped, eyes going wide - no one had ever done that to you before. He watched as you darted your tongue out, licking his spit away and swallowing it.

“Good fucking girl,” Steve praised, moving back and wrapping an arm around your middle to rub against your clit again. “Now, I need you to cum for me.”

Your eyes rolled back in your head and your mouth dropped open as your second orgasm crashed through you, the most embarrassingly desperate moans falling endlessly from your very soul. Steve kept fucking you hard, riding through your high and beyond it.

“Fuck, yeah, gonna cum,” he groaned, hips snapping into yours even faster. “I’m so close, baby. Gonna cum in that little pussy.”

“Cum for me, Steve,” you moaned, thrusting back against him with every movement. Your head dropped down, face buried in the pillows to bury the sounds you were making as he buried himself to the hilt.

“Fuck, fuck!”

Steve spilled into you, pumping his cum into you deeply as the hottest groans you’d ever heard from a man filled the room. His hands held you so tightly you could feel the bruises blooming on your hips.

“Shit,” he muttered as he pulled out, and you flipped over onto your back to see him. He placed his hands on your knees, spreading your legs for him. He could see his cum gently dripping from your spent cunt, and the sight had his dick twitching all over again.

He dipped between your legs and you gasped loudly as you felt his tongue on your sensitive pussy. Steve licked you clean, his tongue flicking over your bud before focusing on your hole and the cum escaping from you. The overstimulation sent you over the edge as a third orgasm ripped through your tired body, your hands pulling hard on Steve’s hair as you called his name again and again.

When he lifted from between your legs, you could see his cum on his tongue, smeared along the side of his mouth. He moved forward, pressing his lips to yours and licking against your own tongue as you tasted the mixture of yours and his release. He pushed his cum into your mouth, and you gladly licked it all from his tongue and lips, swallowing as you made eye contact.

“How do I taste?” He asked, that cocky smirk back on his face.

“So good,” you said, pressing another gentle kiss to his lips.

Steve lay down on the bed next to you, pulling a cigarette from a pack on the bedside table and a lighter. He lit the cigarette, offering you one, but you declined.

“That was incredible,” you finally said, making Steve chuckle around the cigarette.

“Yeah, it was,” he agreed. He reached over and grabbed your hand with his free one. “I’d like to do this again sometime.”

“This specifically?” You weren’t sure you wanted or needed another friend with benefits. You wanted more for yourself than that. The last thing you needed was another fuckboy friend to catch feelings for and get hurt over.

“Not necessarily,” Steve laughed. “We could go out somewhere else. On a date, maybe.”

“A date?” You tried to hide the way your face lit up, but you couldn’t hide from Steve. “That would be nice.”

“Cool. I’ll give you a call then.” Steve smiled. “Not that that means you have to leave now.”

You stayed in bed, naked and talking with Steve. It turned out you actually had things in common, and he was easy to talk to. He also was good friends with Eddie, but clearly didn’t approve of the way he had ditched you tonight. But at least it led you to Steve.

You were in the middle of sharing a joint and watching another movie from Family Video when the sound of the lock turning startled you. You had time to quickly grab the sheets and hold them over your bare chest as the door opened and Eddie walked in.

“You’ll never believe the night I had man, I-“ Eddie stopped cold when he turned and saw you in bed with Steve. He said your name, confusion written across his face.

“Uh,” you said, not sure what to do. “Hey, Eddie.”

“Hey,” he said back awkwardly, looking between you and his friend. “Am I, uh, interrupting something?”

“Nah, we were just watching The Lost Boys,” Steve said, ever casual even though he was also still completely naked beneath the blankets, after having fucked his best friend’s FWB. “Welcome to join us, if you want.”

“Yeah, I think I’d like to join,” Eddie teased, a knowing smirk on his face as his eyes dragged over your body. “Looks like fun.”

You rolled your eyes. “Where were you?”

He raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you were supposed to be meeting me here at 8, remember?”

Realization dawned on Eddie then, and his jaw dropped open. “Shit, princess, I’m so sorry. Time got away from me. I was with the guys, we were working on a new song…”

You shook your head. “It’s whatever.”

A sly smile spread across Eddie’s lips. “You were upset.”

“Well yeah, you bailed on our plans, of course I was upset!” You were getting upset again now, not caring that your boobs would be on full display if you dropped the thin sheet.

“So upset you ran into the arms of my roommate?”

You opened your mouth to respond, but nothing came out. You were speechless, and maybe you had been in the wrong, too. But it’s not like you and Eddie were exclusive, you could sleep with whoever you wanted.

“I’m not mad,” he said quickly, reaching a hand forward to rub your leg beneath the blanket. “I’m only upset I missed out.”

“Maybe next time,” Steve teased. “I’m sure she’d like that. She’s a real little slut, you never told me that.”

You blushed deeply as Eddie laughed, moving to stand next to you now as he gently caressed your face. “Yeah. She can be real naughty when she wants to be. Can’t you, princess?”

“Oh, she’s a filthy girl,” Steve contributed, moving to kiss at your neck again. “But she was so good for me.”

“She always is,” Eddie added. “Maybe you can show us how good you can be for us both, yeah?”

thank you for reading! let me know if you’re interested in a part 2 👀

[potofsoup]

i love your fourth of july comics every year but this years feels extremely optimistic about biden’s abilities in the face of him letting roe get overturned and funding a gen*cide at worst or letting it happen at best by taking the bare minimum of regulatory action… i mean can he really be trusted at all anymore to do the right thing or act in line with the people’s demands? and how do we know the people behind project 2025 won’t just rig the election again to get in under false pretenses?

Hihi! Thank you for reading and enjoying my July 4th comics every year! I am in a non-US airport en route to a month-long trip in a place with sketchy internet, so sorry in advance for sloppiness in my response (and potentially going radio silent).

But:

I don't think he "let" Roe get overturned, since that was the Supreme Court's overwhelming conservative majority, which really started with Mitch McConnell refusing to approve Obama's appointee and forcing it into a 2016 election issue. The fact that Trump got to appoint 3 Supreme Court Justices is what got us here.

Re: Biden and the Israel/Hamas war ... on the one hand, there's definitely more that he could have done, but on the other hand, they are a whole other country over there. It's Hamas that initiated the Oct 7 attacks and took the hostages. It's Netanyahu and his right-wing government who decided to retaliate to such extreme extent. Biden can talk about how he would really like Netanyahu to stop fighting and step down, but at the end of the day that's not his call, any more than he can stop the Sudan fighting that is near-genocidal either.

So, to come to your question #1: "Can he really be trusted at all anymore to do the right thing or act in line with the people’s demands"?

For me, it's a resounding YES. Guyz, he has passed so much good domestic policies. My spouse works in green energy and the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act halved his anxiety and gave him legitimate hope. The tumblr post I linked to in my comic has links to many of the other great things that Biden has done. Tbh I voted for him in 2020 because "a moldy onion is still better than Trump", and I've been pleasantly surprised. Like how he tried to cancel student loans, the Supreme Court overturned it, and then he came back 6 months later with a different way to do it that didn't lead to a court challenge.

Is he perfect? Hell no. There's tons of stuff that I wish he did more about, or he went further on, but also he's just one guy heading one branch of government who is heading into an election year. (Just like FDR promising not joining WWII, while behind the scenes doing all the Lend-Lease Act stuff). And "the people" have lots of demands, many of them conflicting.

I'd also like to push at the unspoken part of your question... "Can he really be trusted to do the right thing..." compared to whom? Because right now the answer is "compared to Trump." And compared to Trump... I don't even trust Trump to respect the results of a legitimate election. Heck, he might just take his favorite state secrets, sell them to the highest bidder (or just show them off to someone for funzies), and then claim Presidential immunity. A decent Democrat who got stuff done vs someone who probably wants to pardon himself and all his friends and do Project 2025 stuff is not even on the same level. (Do I wish that there was a viable Democratic alternative to Biden? Sure! But who?) Heck, at this point -- imagine if it's Kamala Harris vs. Trump. Who would you vote for?

As for your question #2: "How do we know the people behind project 2025 won’t just rig the election again to get in under false pretenses?"

We don't. But also what can we do besides showing up to vote?

Actually, I need bullet points for this:

The 2022 midterm elections brought in fewer-than-expected election-deniers into crucial electoral offices at the state level, which means that hopefully most state electoral boards will continue to have integrity

Yes, voting is harder but at least we can still vote. So it's about getting out there and getting your vote counted. For some states, it involves waiting in 8 hour lines. For some states, it involves bringing 2 forms of ID. Document. Track. Make sure it's dropped off in a real ballot box and not a fake one. Don't believe messaging that the voting is happening on a different day or location, etc.

A 50.1% majority is easily challenged. A 55% majority, less so. Which means getting people out to vote.

The more people know about and think about the reality of a second Trump term (versus being disappointed by a Biden term), the more they will be motivated to vote against Trump.

Finally, let's be real here: I'm braced for a 2nd Trump term. That said:

I'm still going to go and vote for Biden, because the only way to prevent a 2nd Trump term is to vote.

A Trump term where either the House or Senate is controlled by the Democrats will be *very* different from a clean Republican sweep.

Even with a clean Republican sweep on the federal level, States have so much more power now, and voting the state level stuff will help shore up Democratic goals for the future. States get to draw voting districts however they want. States get to decide on abortion policies. If you live in a deep Red state, there still might be things to vote for that make it easier to live in now, and turn it purple a few elections down the line.

So at the end of the day, it's "Vote AND". Vote and keep living your best life. Vote and tell others about Project 2025. Vote and have hope. Even if Trump wins, at least you'll have voted against him. Vote and stay to build up a progressive wave for the next election.

[kedreeva]

Okay so, I don't think I've spoken of the saga here yet but! Gather round. I shall tell you a long story about the bird I just acquired and why she is VERY IMPORTANT.

At the beginning of last fall, I started looking into quail genetics a little more, because I got tired of not being able to sex my Celadon quail by their feathers. Originally I thought I could kill 2 birds (ok maybe more) with 1 stone and order nice jumbo wild type (which MANY places advertised as wild type jumbo) hatching eggs, and this would help me put some size on the Celadons (jumbo) while also making them feather sexable (wild type). Perfect!

But then I come to find out that pretty much all jumbo lines are jumbo BROWNS, as in they all have the sex linked brown (SLB) gene. So, I was a little confused and a LOT annoyed because I wanted to work specifically with the wild type color/pattern. No mutations just straight, plain wild type.

And EVERYWHERE I looked - major production hatcheries, private breeders through websites, Facebook groups, local swaps, craigslist, e v e r y w h e r e -

People ONLY had SLB.

This spring I came across a video showing about the differences between SLB and wild type and I figured if the person who made it can tell, maybe she will have some. So I looked her up (not in a stalker way, her farm name was stamped on the video and took me to the website), and what luck! She was in Michigan! Upper Michigan, so still a hike, but not California, y'know?

So I shot her an email and explained that I was looking for WT and that her site said she bred them and that people could do local pickup. She responded yeah she's totally got a bunch! And I said great, I'm also in Michigan, albeit far away, but I don't mind driving 7+ hours each way, because I really need actual, trusted WT for sure birds for my celadon project, can I come pick them up?

Cue the most frankly bizarre email chain in my short life. As soon as I mentioned that I was going to drive, or perhaps that I had a genetics plan in place, she got super sketchy and started saying how she hadn't really paid as close attention to SLB vs. WT, that it mattered less than she thought it would when she started, that I shouldn't focus on that either, and also that "fawn celadon is practically unheard of" in the hobby and "you should focus on a clean Tibetan because it's hard to find without roux in it) implying that I should concentrate on those things instead. And concluded by telling me if I really want WT, to contact this other person (why happens to be someone I can't stand). It all sounded VERY much like she didn't have wild type males, after all, and had thought I didn't know the difference so it wouldn't actually matter. But, it does. It actually matters a lot to me.

So I messaged back to say, well, I don't want to do any of those things, I specifically want to work with this set of genetics and you said you have them so I shouldn't have to go to anyone else??

And then she went radio silent for a week. I kind of figured I'd called a bluff, and that she was one of dozens of people I'd contacted who'd said they had WT only to find out they had SLB. I get that it's difficult to see the difference, but this particular person was the president of the American Coturnix Breeders Association or whatever (found out it's actually just a club formed by her and her friends a year ago, so not as impressive as it sounds, considering they don't actually DO anything- no putting on shows, no newsletters, no certifications, no public breeder directory, no finished SOP, nada), so I kind of expected she should know what she's talking about, if anyone does.

Eventually, after a week, she responded that she had been judging at a county fair, but she had a few heterozygous males (WT het roux, which is fine) and she could set a hatch for me for more if I wanted to come at the end of the month, but she's in WI now, not MI. I said sure, since where she was in WI was actually closer than where she'd been in the UP, and we arranged date/time.

The day of, my neighbor friend, Jude, comes with me for company/keeping me awake through the 15 hours driving round trip. It's a pleasant enough drive. We arrived at a cutesy little house on the edge of town that looks like anyone's house in a neighborhood, with a spacious lawn. The person meets us and takes me around the side of the house to a 6x6x1.5 or so chicken tractor, where she's got some male coturnix. She pulls the available males for me to look through and... fam, they ALL looked SLB, to me.

Now, she swore to me up and down that they couldn't be anything except WT het for roux, because of the way she is breeding them. But I've put these birds next to my SLB males and if I didn't have my males banded, I would not ever have told the difference between them. I still picked up 4 of them, because I will give it a go- worst case, I can produce plain Roux hens/plain Roux males for use in breeding later, best case they do actually produce WT hens and they just LOOK SLB and I have to figure out what the differences are. I don't want to leave without seeing her hens, which she has told me are all WT (which is why the males HAVE to be het for it), and she takes me back. Now the hens, the hens are easy to see the difference. White bellies first of all, but the chest feathers are also wildly different! The shafts are white, the dot around the shaft is dark, ringed in red, ringed in white. On an SLB, the shafts aren't white, it's just a black dot surrounded in a red feather, and the belly is all red/buff/cream, not white.

This is what an SLB hen looks like:

So I take a nice long look to memorize the color, and thank her for showing me and meeting, and we head back home.

I do fecals when I get home because all of the males are VERY thin, no meat on them at all, and since she said she'd been feeding Purina (garbage for fowl feeds), I figured that was why, but no- HUGE coccidia loads in all of them. So I treated them and got them on a better feed. They immediately began putting on meat, and they're find now.

The rest of this summer, I have spent going to local bird swaps and inspecting all of the quail I could find, hoping to find one (1) actual wild-type phenotype bird. Hundreds and hundreds of birds, I have pawed through them all, being super obnoxious to the owners I'm sure, holding and inspecting males. I found ONE suspected WT male (and this is a HUGE "suspected," he could very well be SLB with low red expression). I compared him when I got home and I'm doubting myself still, so I don't know if I will ever actually pair him with the SLB hens or if I'll just wait til I have a roux set.

Regardless, it's been a dry season for getting what I want. It's been a dry YEAR. Yesterday was another swap and more hundreds of quail and me pawing through all of them.

Until.

My eyes landed upon.... her.

If you've only lived in an area that has american crows and not ravens, you find yourself wondering if crows are ravens. You see a big crow and you think wow! maybe that is a raven! It could be a crow, but it's seems bigger so maybe it's a raven. But, if you take a trip to a place with ravens, and you see one for the first time, you realize that there is no question, when you see a raven. When you see a raven in person, there's no question and not only is there no question, you wonder how you could ever have thought a crow was a raven. It's laughable, while looking at the raven.

That's how finding this bird felt. I'd been picking up every SLB hen and going maybe this is actually WT? It could be SLB but maybe it's WT? But the second I laid eyes on her in the middle of a pack of SLB with some mixed colors, I knew I was looking at WT hen, and I can't imagine how I ever thought maybe an SLB hen was WT.

Here's a better photo of her chest and belly (she's beat UP from her previous home, the back of her head and most of her rump are plucked clean from males). You can see the white shafts and the white belly.

And some other pics of her, showing the grey-brown on her side and back- VERY different than the SLB hens

I can't express how stoked I am about this bird. This is the first time after a LOT of effort and time, that I have felt confident I am holding the bird I want.

She's also the indicator that I have a LOT of work ahead of me.

My end goal is to have birds that look like her, weigh 12-14oz, and lay large, blue eggs. I have birds that lay large, blue eggs, I have birds that weigh 12-14oz live weigh, and now I have at least 1 bird that looks like her, which means I can make more that look like her. The first step is cleaning the color mutations out of the celadon line without losing the celadon eggs. This is going to be a bit of a nightmare, BUT, I have a friend helping me out with getting a few celadons that are either WT or SLB (I'm guessing SLB all things considered) to start the work with. I will work over the winter to get a few more actual WT birds here, and to start crossing out the celadons with the SLB jumbos to clean out the other feather color mutations. Once I'm down to just SLB and celadon for mutations, I can clean the SLB out with the WT and roux lines.

This project will likely take me a good 2 years, maybe 3, to complete and then test breed to ensure I haven't lost the celadon gene and I don't have any hidden recessives lingering about. But just having the fucking materials to do it all on hand now is a huge step forward from where I was when I decided to start the project.