#southwest custom home

[prisimic]

Southwestern Exterior - Tile Large southwest brown one-story stucco house exterior photo with a hip roof, a tile roof and a red roof

[missxdelaneyart]

Phoenix Tile

[jaydalexingram]

Infinity Phoenix Huge southwest backyard tile and custom-shaped infinity pool house photo

[pastel-rainbow-galaxy]

Enclosed - Contemporary Living Room Image of a medium-sized, modern, enclosed living room made of porcelain tile with beige walls, a stone fireplace, and no television.

[isabellharrison]

Bedroom - Rustic Bedroom An illustration of a large mountain-style guest bedroom with beige walls, a standard fireplace, and a medium-tone wood floor.

[flaviebrizard]

Phoenix Patio Tile large tile patio in the southwest backyard image

[megalomaniacz]

🌾🥃🪑 PARADISE — ELLIE WILLIAMS

moodboard layout ib @munsonsfairy

somewhere in southwest texas, glimmering under the sun, was none other than ellie williams. a car mechanic and a damn good one. she’d had her fair share of run ins with the police on a list, taped to the front of the chief’s desk.

possession of illegal substances, aggravated assault, and failure to appear in court. but fuck court. ellie just wanted to come home to her sweetheart, you.

in a small corner just off the highway lay a simple plot of land. two decades ago they’d turned it into a trailer park, but it was becoming more of a community to you.

you and ellie had hauled ass and held yourselves up pretty well there the last four years. she’d been fleeing from bad things all her life. this was her one shot at staying still.

you were fanning yourself with an old newspaper, sat on your porch in a lawn chair that always creaked when you moved. ellie was gonna get to fixing it one day.

you swat a bug off your leg before reaching for your iced glass of sun tea. letting the cold liquid slip down your throat and soothe your body’s rising temperature.

above the sunglasses sat on top of your head was a sweet kiss placed in your hair. ellie had come outside to greet you.

“hey baby, soaking in the sun?” she smiles. a tank top bunched up on her waist at a pair of shorts that were way too big for her. her boxers peaking through as she continued to pull them up and let them fall. pull them up, let them fall. over and over.

“more like the sun’s frying my ass.” you chuckle a bit to yourself. she laughs along with you. “come on inside i wanna show you something.”

what you laid your eyes on festered up tears. she’d made a custom photo frame for the two if you. etchings of your initials with roses and flowers adorned it’s sides. a photograph of you two smiling when you’d first arrived was in the middle.

you envelop her in a hug, wrapping your arms around her neck as hers fall to your waist. “oh ellie! it’s beautiful.” you smile.

she grabs your hips, her grip a bit firmer now as she looks into your eyes. “i’m glad you like it.”

you let a sweet kiss linger on her lips, your mouths dripping with desire. your blood rushing with excitement. you were so content with the life you’d built, you wanted her right then and there.

“cmon.” she trails as her right hand in yours leads you to the bedroom. she carefully places you on the bed, peppering kisses on your face. her fingers hooked into the hem of your jean shorts, struggling to pull them down.

you help her, unbuckling them, and letting them be forgotten as they fall past your ankles to the floor. her hand snaking up your thigh to rub you over your panties.

a soft moan spilling from your lips is caught by hers. she chuckles as you struggle to kiss back.

her fingers slide your underwear to the side and trail over your soaked lips, rubbing your wetness and making a mess of your cunt. your underwear had long before been ruined.

she dips two fingers in, the nectar of your heat allowing her to slip in easily. you lean back onto your elbows looking up at her. she can’t help but smile.

“always so easy to slip in, i’ll never get tired of it. you’re always so wet for me fuck.”

her fingers move faster, free hand carefully finding itself on your lower back. you lean into her touch finding yourself grinding on her fingers. a long and drawn out, “fuuuck.” is all that leaves her lips as she watches you. your steady pace, back and forth. practically drooling as she watches herself slip in and out of you. your slick a sheen coating on her fingers and dripping down her palm.

this is paradise.

[wishcamper]

Illyrian Clans according to me

I love the posts going around with gaps filled in from SJM's worldbuilding and wanted to share some of my own from my current WIP A Court of Vice & Victors on the Illyrian clans!

Ironcrest - Mountainous terrain, VERY RICH bc of mining. Second largest camp behind Windhaven, known for hardy warriors and heavier weapon use. Trade in many precious metals and gemstones. Famous for their smithing. Lord is decided by legacy, current lord is Breckon Ironcrest, and is heir is his son Kallon.

Bloodstone - Seaside, stone houses with thatch roofs. Poor, insular. Warriors are known for naval fighting abilities. Fish is main export. Election by the males decides the lord every 100 years, current leader is Caddick.

White Eagle - On the northernmost island, sharing it with the magical forest of Argadnel. Middling to poor due to isolation. Huge focus on honoring Illyrian and local customs. Isolated except for holidays, when pilgrims come to the large festivals. No war camp, able boys are sent to other camps to train, usually Bloodstone. Trade in furs and lumber. Leader is a religious elder chosen by a council of males.

Ravenscroft - Azriel's home camp. On the southwest edge of the Steppes and into the mountains. The oldest, and the richest camp of all due to natural resources. Trade in a variety of things like precious metals and and, on the side to other courts, mercenaries. Warriors are known for being agile, cunning, and ruthless. Legacy leaders, with a storied history of bloody succession battles.

let me know if you want more 👉👈 

[workersolidarity]

[ 📹 Al-Jazeera Arabic publishes new footage of desperate, starving Palestinian civilians in northern Gaza being shot and killed in cold blood by Zionist snipers who targeted the civilians as they attempted to retrieve food aid that was air dropped into Gaza a distance from where the group had been gathered, a direct violation of International humanitarian law and a crime against humanity.]

🇮🇱⚔️🇵🇸 🚀🏠💥🚑 🚨

ISRAELI OCCUPATION FORCES CAUGHT OPENING GUNFIRE ON STARVING PALESTINIANS ON DAY 182 OF GENOCIDE

On the 182nd day of "Israel's" Special Genocide Operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) committed a total of 5 new massacres of Palestinian families, resulting in the deaths of no less than 54 civilians, mostly women and children, while another 82 others were wounded over the previous 24-hours.

According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, many victims remain trapped under the rubble of buildings they were sheltering in at the time of being bombed and shelled, who, although presumed dead, are unable to be reached due to the IOF actively blocking paramedic and civil defense crews from reaching the sites of Israeli attacks.

Meanwhile, in an unusual move, the McDonald's corporation will be buying the entirety of the Alonyal McDonald's franchise In "Israel", which includes a total of 225 stores, employing approximately 5'000 Israelis.

McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinsky said the franchise has seen "meaningful business impact" as a result of boycotts and protests organized by the BDS movement against the Israeli franchise, along with other McDonald's chains, after the Israeli franchise announced it would be offering free meals to Zionist soldiers committing a genocide in the Gaza Strip, beginning after the events of October 7th.

McDonalds added that it “remains committed to the Israeli market and to ensuring a positive employee and customer experience in the market going forward."

Sales growth for the McDonald's division of the Middle East, India and China were down significantly, with sales growth for October-December at just 0.7%, well below the market expectations of 5.5%.

Similarly, sales for Starbucks, another U.S. company which has deep financial ties to "Israel," while the leadership of the company holds an openly Pro-"Israel" stance, has also seen significant harm to sales due to boycotts and protests, prompting CEO Laxman Narasimhan to state back in February that Starbucks had seen an "significant impact on traffic and sales."

Meanwhile, the Zionist entity's authorities released a total of 101 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza who were kidnapped and detained by the IOF during its war of genocide in Gaza, many of whom showed signs of torture, and included some prisoners who were taken during "Israel's" raid of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, occupation warplanes bombarded agricultural lands in the vicinity of the Salah al-Din Gate, along the Egypt-Palestine border in the city of Rafah, in the south of Gaza.

At the same time, the carnage of "Israel's" war of genocide in Gaza resumed on Friday, with renewed artillery shelling of the central and western Khan Yunis governate, while the IOF also resumed bombing on the southern Gazan city of Rafah.

Intense Zionist airstrikes targeted Sheikh Zayed City, in the north of the Gaza Strip, while the central governate of Gaza also saw renewed artillery shelling.

At midnight, Zionist fighter jets bombed several residential buildings in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City, in the north of Gaza, while occupation forces directed an intense artillery bombardment on the southwestern and southeastern areas of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, as well as directing artillery fire on residential homes to the east of the Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp in the central Gaza Strip.

The resumed intense Zionist bombardments across the Gaza Strip led to dozens of deaths overnight, along with the wounding of scores of others, including women and children, many of whom remain buried under the rubble of their homes and shelters.

IOF jets also bombed several residential homes in the Batn al-Sameen neighborhood, located to the southwest of Khan Yunis, while also bombing the village of Abasan, to the east of Khan Yunis.

Elsewhere, Zionist forces withdrew troops from the eastern region of Tanzania, coinciding with the intense bombardment of the area.

Tragically, local paramedic and civil defense personnel recovered the bodies of of three martyred civilians from the town of Al-Qarara, to the north of Khan Yunis.

At the same time, Israeli occupation warplanes bombed various parts of the central Gaza Strip, including the areas of Al-Nuseirat, Al-Maghazi, Al-Zawayda, and Deir al-Balah, resulting in the martyrdom of at least 15 Palestinian civilians, and also wounding a number of others.

Zionist occupation air forces also bombed a gathering of civilians near the Abu Holi Junction, northwest of Al-Qarara, resulting in the deaths of at least three civilians and wounding a multitude of others.

Back in northern Gaza, in yet another horrific tragedy, occupation warplanes bombed civilian structures in the Beit Hanoun area, with a second strike targeting paramedic crews as they attempted to transport the dead and wounded to a nearby hospital.

As a result of "Israel's" Special Genocide Operation in the Gaza Strip, the death toll among the Palestinian population has risen in excess of 33'091 civilians killed, over 25'000 of those martyred being among women and children according to the United States Pentagon, while another 75'750 others have been wounded since the start of the latest round of Zionist aggression, beginning on October 7th, 2023.

#source1

#source2

#source3

#source4

#source5

#videosource

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[hezzabeth]

The description of the space station is based on my own experiences during a ten hour layover in Singapore.

"Are you alright? Do you have a bout of telesickness?" Brigadeiro Bun asked as Revati stared off into space.

"Telewhat?" Revati asked, her brain snapping back into place.

When Amma and Nanni heard that Revati was about to go off-world, they tried to prepare her.

"It's not like your other wasteland adventures where you wandered into a city on foot! You'll need to buy tickets; then apply for a tourism visa," Amma explained.

"My what?" Revati asked, completely confused.

"The actual teleporting takes less than a second, but you will have to spend at least an hour in customs and immigration and four hours in the teleport waiting your turn," Nanni added.

It was all incredibly exhausting and confusing.

The teleport hub they were waiting in was deliberately designed to make people forget they were waiting. Bright, expensive shops with intricate displays created pathways to different teleportation gates. Massive, giant flowering bushes surrounded by clouds of butterflies brushed against the glass ceiling. In the center of everything, there was a crystal pond. Robotic bronze mermaids swam up and down underneath the lily pads.

"Telesickness! It's okay, a lot of people not used to teleporting end up with upset stomachs," Brigadeiro reassured her, handing her something small and pink from his shirt pocket.

"This should help, their stomach stabilizers! I bought them in the bathroom," Brigadeiro smiled helpfully, and Revati took one, popping it into her mouth before promptly spitting it out.

"It tastes like gasoline," Revati grimaced.

"You're not supposed to eat it! You rub it on your temples," Brigadeiro explained gently before picking the stomach stabilizer up off her lap.

"Please don't rub that all over my temples; it has my spit on it," Revati pointed out, shutting her eyes.

"Are you sure you're not sick?" Brigadeiro asked.

"I'm just exhausted; we've teleported so many times I have no idea where we are," Revati sighed, closing her gritty eyes.

"We're at the Anh Do memorial teleport hub; he was a figure from southwest Sydney legends! When he was a baby, he was on a boat attacked by pirates. Then he grew up to become a famous children's writer and artist," Brigadeiro rattled on.

Revati felt herself slump to one side with exhaustion, her head landing on something soft.

Brigadeiro's home wasn't even technically a planet. Rather, it was a series of six space stations, each representing different areas of a land once known as "Australia." The Southwest Sydney Station was so big it had its own weather patterns, ecosystem, and geography. Most of it consisted of expensive tourist resorts, beachside towns, and theme parks. Brigadeiro had explained many times before that his family was part of the 15 million-strong workforce that lived in the secret employee-only towns and cities. Someone, hopefully Brigadeiro, was gently massaging her scalp, and Revati felt herself fall into a drowsy, dark state.

Revati wasn't sure how long she had been snoozing when the screaming sirens suddenly filled the air. Revati's self-preservation instincts kicked in, and her eyes snapped open. Within seconds, she was back on her feet, reaching for her mace.

"You had to leave the weapon at security back on Mars," Brigadeiro reminded her as hundreds of people suddenly started flowing out of the teleport gates. The air was thick with sirens and flashing blue lights as the crowd swelled around her. Brigadeiro snatched her hand, and together they were swept forward in the tidal wave of chaos.

People were everywhere, their faces blurred by the rapidity of the moment, their shouts and cries a blurry nonsense of at least a dozen different languages. In a second of terror, Revati found herself thrown down. Feet pounded on her back as she curled herself up into a ball. There was a sudden break in people, and Revati saw a glimpse of the mermaid pool. Revati forced herself forward and grabbed the pool's safety fence, hauling herself over the edge. She landed with a splash into the shallow water. For a few moments, all Revati could hear was the pounding of the mob and sirens.

All Revati could feel was her body as the robot mermaids bumped into her before swimming away. The glass ceiling above had clouded over, turning an eerie white. There was a sudden buzzing on Revati's wrist, indicating her bangle had an incoming call. It was the android. Of course, it was.

"Ignore," Revati groaned, sitting up, and a tiny mermaid bounced off her cleavage. Somehow, half her shirt had managed to get ripped off. The crowd wasn't as thick, but people were still charging past the shops heading to some unknown destination. The sirens suddenly stopped.

"All interstellar teleport gates have been switched off temporarily! We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused," a lady's voice chimed over the speakers. People slowly stopped running and instead began to shuffle around.

Tiny first aid drones began to zoom out of the shops, attending to the fallen. Through it all, Revati scanned and searched. Spotting Brigadeiro was far harder than usual since many people in the hub had pink, curly hair. Finally, she saw him across the crowd in the doorway of a chocolate shop. A woman was lying at his feet. Revati slowly stood, her legs wobbling, before climbing out of the pond. By the time she managed to push her way through to the storefront, she had heard several whispers. There had been an attack on another Space Station known as “Cairnes”. The crowd consisted of tourists and travelers who fled when an employee opened up a teleportation gate during the attack. Brigadeiro was attending to the woman who was bleeding all over the shop floor from a gash on her temples.

"Oh, thank Goup!" Brigadeiro cried, wrapping Revati in a smothering hug. Brigadeiro was, of course, a little shorter than her, and he nuzzled his face into her shoulder, sobbing.

"It's alright, I'm fine," Revati assured him, petting his back, and Brigadeiro sobbed.

"It's not that; Cairnes has been destroyed! Millions are dead," Brigadeiro's voice choked.

"Destroyed?" Revati gasped. The bleeding lady on the ground twitched, and Revati let go of Brigadeiro in order to check her. The lady was a bit older than Revati, probably in her late twenties. She had the pale, sickly skin and brighter blue hair of those who came from the northern parts of Mars. Her haircut, however, was similar to the trendy “mushroom cap” style she had seen on the space station – short with a blunt fringe. Revati reached into one of her pants pockets, pulling out a trusty medibandage, and stuck it onto the woman’s temple. Even while unconscious, she had the expression of someone fully capable of starting a riot in a coffee shop. It clashed violently with her bright purple tropical print shirt and neon pink watch. The watch. Revati grabbed the unconscious lady's hand to examine the watch.

"SOS Emergency Medical Information," she said to the watch. Its screen flickered, and a tiny 3D hologram of the lady appeared.

"My name is Pauletta Chuchotor, I am twenty-nine years old! My blood type is B- and I'm allergic to Venusian swamp gas," the hologram said cheerfully, and suddenly the hologram switched off as tight fingers wrapped themselves around Revati's wrist.

Revati glanced at the lady who was now staring at her with bloodshot green eyes.

"My personal information isn't for you," she said in a deep, raspy voice.

"Good to know," Revati said. Pauletta Chuchotor was staring at her curiously.

"I don't forget faces easily," she said, her fingernails still digging into Revati's wrist.

"Ok," Revati replied uneasily, wondering if the lady had a brain injury.

"You look a little like someone I met a long time ago," Pauletta said, as if accusing Revati of something terrible.

"I got a message from Dad; the news says all the teleporting hubs have been shut down! He says we should leave the hub and take the workers' bullet train back to Paprika Station before they stop running," Brigadeiro said, gesturing to his grey bracelet.

"A bullet train? Like the one in Olde Landon? I thought this space station was supposed to be super advanced?" Revati asked, completely confused.

"It is, but teleportation has a weight limit of six hundred kilograms; the trains are used when we need to transport bulk goods and supplies to different resorts," Brigadeiro explained.

"I also need to go to this Paprika Station; I will follow you," Pauletta Chuchotor remarked, and Revati exchanged a look with Brigadeiro.

"I mean, it's not like we can stop her," Brigadeiro pointed out.

The train ride to Paprika Station turned out to be far more exhausting, bewildering, and strangely smelly than teleporting. Everyone seemed to know Brigadeiro Bun, and by extension, everyone seemed to know Revati.

"Bridgadeiro! Your mama said you would be back for Applefestus! And is this the famous Revati from Mars?" An old lady with orange hair said to them as they waited for the train.

"I may have mentioned you in my messages home; this is my mother's friend Mrs. Jambalaya from church," Brigadeiro said as the old lady descended onto Revati in a cloud of vanilla perfume.

"Oh, she's so pretty! Such big amber eyes! And who's that?" She asked, nodding at Pauletta, who was standing several feet away from them, staring into the distance.

"No idea, we think she's an injured tourist," Brigadeiro admitted as Revati quietly blushed. No one in Olde Landon had ever called her pretty.

"Bridge! Did you hear about the terrorist attack? My dad said appliances from Mars did it," someone yelled when they finally got onto the cramped train. A teenage boy with dark skin and fuchsia braids was waving at them from a row of seats.

"We were at the capital telehub when it happened! Revati, this is my cousin Pecan," Brigadeiro explained as they sat down.

Pecan gasped with horror. "Oh, Goup! You're the girl Bridge is bringing home for Applefestus! You probably don't want us talking about the war," Pecan remarked.

"It's fine; I'm too tired and freaked out to care," Revati assured him.

"Why don't you take a nap? The ride to Paprika Station takes around four hours," Brigadeiro said, tapping his shoulder. Revati sighed gratefully, her head dropping onto his shoulder. Before her eyes shut, she spotted Pauletta standing on the other side of the carriage, staring at her with dried blood still in her hair.

[a-jaded-mirage]

Blue Beetle and El Paso

I would be lying if I said that I was not disappointed by the canonical home of Jaime Reyes being changed both in the movie and in recent comics. However, I would also be lying if I said that I absolutely detested the movie for whatever reason. I enjoyed the movie for what it was and what it meant to the Hispanic and Latinx communities. It is a huge deal, and I think it was done well. Going back to my original point, it is hard to be disappointed when it feels as though I am not missing out on much when Blue Beetle's relationship with El Paso was never done true justice anyway.

The West Texan Mexican-American experience is hard to fully encapsulate into one solid thought or idea. I can confidently say that the approach DC had in most iterations of the comics, cartoons, recent movie, and other forms of media always toned the experience down and made it a duller aspect of his story. I can not recall even a single time when El Paso was brought up or portrayed in a way that was recognizable to an El Pasoan across any of the aforementioned media. It always felt disconnected and out of touch, but I still held it close to my heart because it was something alluding to home.

In a way, I am happy that Blue Beetle is now from the fictional (emphasis on that) Palmera City, because it reiterates that heroes can only be super in Hollywood when they are superficially placed in a cookie-cutter big and flashy city. All I really have to say to that is, good for them. They did what they needed to in order to reach a wider audience. I am sure that the payoff for the corporate powerhouses at the end was worth it even at the cost of individuality. Come to think of it, my mind cannot really conjure up any mainstream superheroes that operate in any desert long term. Any time spent in the less "glamorous" parts of the Southwest is almost always smaller plot-driving settings that act as a stepping stone for bigger heroes and not as a home.

Anyway, all of this is to say that I understand why they did what they did with the setting. I even still happen to think the entire production team did a great job, but that does not stop me from wondering what could have been at any point in Blue Beetle's recent history if someone had used the beauty, culture, and complexity found uniquely in Sun City far more productively. There was so much more potential than the oftentimes vague and noncommittal nods given to the setting. It just was not utilized to its fullest potential, and if that would have been a continuous theme, then I am glad that they are no longer working with it.

Shifting to something less ranty, I absolutely suck at drawing. I am a STEM person through and through, but that did not stop me from visualizing all of the things I would have loved to have seen portrayed in a Blue Beetle story while experiencing being a teenager in El Paso. He was my absolute favorite superhero because he was one that I saw every single day in my hometown, and there were several things I felt he would have enjoyed doing.

For example, we have a ton of high schools. If I had to narrow down the ones I think Jaime Reyes would have attended, I would probably say my top three picks would be: El Paso High School, Bowie High School, or Austin High School. An interesting custom that schools in El Paso have is placing the first initial of a myriad of our high schools on the mountains. They are huge and visible, as well as a testament to our school spirit and pride. The Top 10 percent of most of our graduating classes wear different colored gowns at graduation than the rest of their peers, which is something I was told was not a common occurrence in most other states.

Homecoming is a huge deal, and people will buy, make, or sell Mums and corsages. It is kind of difficult to explain to people from around the states who may not be entirely familiar with what it is, but it is an old Texan tradition that is typically shared between sweethearts (dates) on the last day of Homecoming spirit week. It is something that a lot of people go all out for, and plenty of pictures exist on the internet of the various ways that they can be customized. I always thought it would be cool to see what Jaime Reyes would do for his Mum.

Prom is pretty much Prom wherever you are in the States for the most part, and ours are held at some great venues in the city, so there is not much more to say about that part of the high school experience. As far as colleges go, some of the most popular for teenagers at El Paso high schools to apply to are UTEP, EPCC, TTU, Texas A&M, and any of the other UTs (UT Austin, UT Dallas, and UT San Antonio to name a few). There are even several private universities like Rice, Baylor, and Trinity to name a few more. Hell, a lot of us even go to schools like NMSU in what is essentially our sister city of Las Cruces, there is also UNM, ASU, U of A, and CU. There are so many different choices for universities that are realistic and in the general area that Jaime absolutely could have chosen to apply to and attend. I think that seeing him initially as a Junior or Senior in an El Paso high school, and subsequently watching his transition into a college student in the city or elsewhere while grappling with his powers and responsibilities as Blue Beetle would have been so fascinating.

As far as places that it would have been nice to see him interact with at some point, it would be easier to just give a general list of my favorites. I wish that the following places could have been incorporated into the Blue Beetle story at some point long past: Chico's Tacos, Franklin Mountains State Park, Transmountain Road, Downtown, The Plaza Theater, Cielo Vista, The Fountains at Farah, Sunland Park, the Outlet Shoppes, Rosa's Cantina, Southwest University Park, Don Haskins Center, Concordia Cemetery, Scenic Drive-Overlook, the El Paso Star, Hueco Tanks, San Jacinto Plaza, St. Patrick Cathedral, any farmer's market or swap meet, any of our museums (Art, History, Archeology, Border Patrol, Science, Chamizal), the Coliseum, Ardovino's, Orange Cow, Burrito House, Bowie Bakery, Lucy's Cafe, any of our dulcerias, as well as literally any of our regional and national recreational chains. Obviously, there is so much more, but all of what I listed could have definitely been used for something whether it be a fight with a villain of the week, or opportunities to flesh out Jaime's character more socially and individually. That, and it tickles my funny bone to imagine the Teen Titans trying something like Chico's Tacos for the first time.

Unrelated, Jaime would totally listen to Khalid.

Naturally, there are so many other locations in surrounding cities and states that easily could have been used as well for any plot points that would have added even more Southwestern charm. I mean, part of New Mexico's tourism schtick is literally aliens (Roswell), and the scarab is in fact an alien now. However, for the purposes of this, I focused on El Paso. That is really all I have to say about all of this, if you stayed for my entire rant I appreciate it. If not, I totally understand, and I really just wanted to put my thoughts out into the world and write this love letter to my home city.

I love that Blue Beetle is now further into the general public's eye, and that his character means something for the entire extended community. He now has room to change, grow, and evolve from what he was before in a way that is far more defined by the expectations for a mainstream hero. Even if the El Pasoan Jaime Reyes can only exist truly in my mind, it is an okay price to pay for a narrative that touches my heart specifically. I am most certainly not a writer, so I hope that the next time we have a hero from El Paso, some of my city's charm can truly be done justice. After all, the only person who can characterize an El Pasoan correctly is an El Pasoan.

[zephywolf0]

the unfortunate origins of the “greaser” label

i’ve seen many a version as to how the greaser subculture got its name, from the most obvious being “hair”, to machinery grease associated with motorcycle customs, to the word “greaser” being a general synonym for “tough guy” at the time; however, in actuality the circumstances may not have been so whimsical. despite being associated with the mid-century, the subculture didn’t get its name until the 1960s, and more than that - the name was not self imposed. so what exactly happened?

the origins of the word greaser can be traced way back to the 1850s, or even earlier. i will go over them as i learned about them (feel free to correct me as i’m not exactly a historian or an american) and tie them back to the subculture eventually. it’s like a trip through time. please keep arms and legs inside the ride at all times

a striking use of the word greaser is found in the 1855 anti-vagrancy act, known as the greaser act at the time. as california was assimilated into the united states, and as the gold rush progressed, an effort was made to push "vagrants” out (including california - born mexicans, not just immigrants), creating the foreign miner’s tax - a whopping 20$ monthly fee to be granted mining rights at all (in today’s dollar this would be about eight hundred bucks!) it also leveled mexicans to a degrading, laborous job that there was available for them at the time - greasing mining carts;

 The word "greaser" (a vestige of the Mexican–American War) was a derogatory term used to refer to Mexicans and Mexican Americans referring to "the practice of Mexican laborers in the Southwest greasing their backs to facilitate the unloading of hides and cargo,"...

the word, despite existing beforehand, was popularised by its usage in an official document, and quickly spread. a scrambled effort was made later to rename the document, the damage had already been done.

as any word does, the word greaser and its meaning has mutated from then, going from a word referring to labourers to being essentually a slur, existing to futher degrade mexicans based on their appearance, as well as assumptions made about the culture and hygiene of mexicans:

They considered Mexicans to be “half-n*gro” and “half-Indian.” They called the Mexicans “greasers.” As one defined it: “A ‘greaser’ was a Mexican—originating in the filthy, greasy appearance of the natives”...

the slur persisted. the stereotypes did, too. the words “greaser” and “greaseball” were, as far as i can see, a popular staple of the american lexicon.

a popular stereotype about POC has, from my understanding, always been promiscuity and a “lack of class”. latino men have been stereotyped to be dim-witted and sexually agressive, while women have been objectified, reduced to their “exotic” appearance - a common stereotyping problem.

this is where we come back to the greaser subculture. 

despite its emergence in the late 1940s- early 1950s, the subculture did not earn its name until the 60s, for reasons unknown to me. what’s more interesting - and disturbing - is that it appears the 50s greasers did not name themselves that. 

a fact to keep in mind as we discuss this topic is that the subculture consisted of working class people, both POC and white - though of latino and white immigrants primarily. 

i believe the stereotype of mexican promiscuity is what influenced the label so much. the 50s greasers made a noticeable effort to distance themselves from the gender roles of the time, standing against marriage and traditional american living for the most part - an un-american behaviour;

Following World War II, most of American culture could be described as conforming. There were a lot of traditional gender roles, such as women taking care of the homes while men went off to work. However, the 50s greasers rebelled against conformity. 

this, undoubtedly, intimidated the “good, conforming americans” of the time.

with their desire to rebel against being boxed in came a stereotype of being somehow sexually agressive and vile, dirty in some way. the fact that the subculture housed and gave comfort to many latinos at its start made this notion even stronger. i think the use of the word to describe this subculture was comparative at first - maybe you’ve heard the phrase “acting like a greaser” before. i believe this was a comparsion made to point out this supposed differing expression of sexuality and gender for the greasers that were not outwardly latino.

“you’re acting like a greaser”, i.e., “you’re acting like a mexican.”

overtime, the phrase perhaps shortened, and as the subculture persisted, instead of comparing one to the other, the young men and women (primarily men, as i believe, since the ladies were named “greaser girls” derivative of their male comrades) were being directly labelled as greasers.

 i find it hard to pinpoint exactly when its meaning shifted. as far as i can see and understand, the word “greaser” is no longer used as a slur; at least, not popularly. nowadays, it’s almost exclusively associated with the subculture and its portrayal in popular media. it’s not my place to definetively state this, but it seems that now the term has been divorced from its racist origins. i’m definetely not trying to make anyone feel bad for using it - it now refers to your favourite slick-back boys. you can breathe easy.

thanks for coming along with me on this wordy post!

race, sexuality and gender expression among the subculture is a different topic for a different day.

p.s. i apologise on not being able to provide a clear source on some of the claims i make here - such as the naming of the subculture taking place in the 60s. feel free to take any info i can’t definetevely prove with a grain of salt. this topic is surprisingly difficult to research (as if this is something the people back then didnt want us to know or something!) and sources tend to contradict each other and even themselves - 

this is the same article (also what the actual fuck is that “white middle class females” comment???) 

bit of a tangent but this frustrates me quite a bit haha

[runwayrunway]

I was recently surprised to see this livery while boarding, and snapped a pic. Apparently enough people asked the crew questions to the effect of "Why is the plane yellow?" as we were boarding that the captain explained it during his take off announcements. Turns out we were on 'New Mexico One' (N8655D).

Maybe they were worried they accidentally got on a Spirit flight. Happens to the best of us. (Also, knowing pilots I think there's a legitimate chance he was excited about it himself and would have brought it up no matter what.)

This is your girl! This is actually New Mexico 1.2.0 - the New Mexico One livery is the fifth Southwest state livery, and one of the first special liveries they had full stop.

Southwest Airlines has had a lot of special liveries. The documentation is incomplete, but they have a timeline for them up to 2013 publicly available. It turns out there were at least three Shamu jets (unfortunately I cannot find the purported pictures of Herb Kelleher in a penguin suit), and that my guess was right - their first state-themed livery was a Texas one to commemorate their origin as an intrastate carrier.

Since then, they've released quite a few more in honor of some of their more-served or milestone states. The states with special liveries are Arizona; California; Colorado; Florida; Hawai'i; Illinois; Louisiana; Maryland; Missouri; Nevada; New Mexico; Tennessee; and of course Texas. These really vary in level of detail and inspiration, and I definitely have no desire or plans to do a massive joint post on them all. That is thirteen liveries. But there's one or two that have been hanging out on the distant fringes of my interest and one (Colorado One) has already been requested, so if anyone particularly wants to see any of them covered just know I am treating them as full, separate, self-contained liveries even though they're technically sort of a set. It just doesn't make any sense to do it any other way.

(I never want to see a Massachusetts One. The concept is actively repellant to me.)

Most of Southwest's special liveries have 'one' at the end, like Air Force One, you know, it's the famous plane, Air Force One, they made a film about it with Harrison Ford in. I do think hypothetically the implication of 'New Mexico One' would be a plane transporting the governor of New Mexico, but, well, that's their name scheme.

image: Southwest Airlines

This is the original New Mexico One, N781WN. Thanks to the information Southwest provides on its website for once I know the exact date a livery was debuted - 18th September, 2000. I'm not sure how to feel about the fact that this picture is younger than me, because it looks incredibly crunchy and vintage, like it couldn't have been taken later than 1985. I have a Polaroid SX-70 that was kept in working condition by a relative and it takes cleaner-looking pictures. It must have been taken very early on in the livery's lifetime because when Canyon Blue was introduced the tailfin was updated to match. As with all Southwest's special liveries - the tailfins remain untouched from the default.

image: Eddie Maloney

The initial iteration with the mustard-yellow and red tail looks very nice, seamless with the main body. Although the placement of the name on the fin is quite subdued and against the ethos of the low-cost carrier it is in the case of special liveries useful, making the interaction of the wordmark with the main design a non-issue. Part of me really wishes that they'd kept the old colors for longer or maybe even done custom schemes for the stripes on each of their special liveries, because the blue looks pretty out-of-place on the New Mexico livery. I'll be completely honest, I also think the older, more angular shape of the stripes suits the similarly geometric bulk of the design while the modern incarnation - the haphazardly placed little wordmark with no natural home on the tail, the fin which looks like it was removed from a wholly different plane - is just sort of generally worse than the original state. The use of a minimally-altered tailfin with a crammed-on wordmark does seem to be something about which Southwest is unwilling to negotiate, though, and I guess that's what I'm going to have to live with.

(...generally, I do have to live with all the liveries I discuss here, until the magical day that someone at a massive company decides that the opinions of a blog with under 1,000 followers are something they want to capitulate to.)

The basis of the livery is extremely straightforward. It's...the flag of New Mexico. This is a fantastic starting point. The New Mexico flag is my favorite of the US states' - though, to be fair, that's damning by faint praise in the extreme. Just based on the sorts of people I've met I feel like at least a few followers of this blog will have particularly vivid opinions about vexillology, but it doesn't take someone with the level of investment I have in liveries to know that most US state flags are just absurdly poorly designed. New Mexico's flag is not just acceptable but good.

Yellow and red aren't uncommon colors in flags, but the complete absence of very popular choices like blue and white definitely is striking. Unlike many US state flags, which are morasses of complex and jumbled iconography, it contains only one image - the sun symbol of the indigenous Zia (Tsi’ya) Pueblo group. Unfortunately, not only was the design not suggested by Zia individuals but it was used without the group's knowledge or consent, and there has been an ongoing discussion about this being properly acknowledged by the state - a good summary, albeit from 2012, is this El Palacio article written by the Zia Pueblo administrator.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Southwest actually did consult the Zia, including administrator and author of the above article Peter Pino. A contemporary news release from Southwest even discusses Zia children performing a Crow Dance as part of the ceremony. I was able to find a photograph of this in a blog post by a Southwest employee.

So safe to say people were pretty excited about this livery! Southwest's state liveries tend to be pretty beloved by the people from said state, as far as I can tell.

N781WN was retired earlier this year and sometime in the late summer the livery was repainted onto N8655D. The livery is largely unchanged except for the fact that it's on a longer plane now.

Anyway, I like New Mexico One. Not terribly much happens here in the way of detail so there's not much to say about it but I like the way it's placed at a sort of angle instead of just smacked in the middle of the plane directly above the wings or something. The fact that there's some yellow and red in the tail prevents it from looking as bad as it could (and definitely does on other state liveries) even though I kind of really genuinely dislike the wordmark placement like a lot. I'm not sure how they could have done it better. I just think if you're making it that small and out-of-the-way you could honestly just go without. Not like there's even one other plane flying around with this livery.

Why is the inside of the winglets totally bare? I can't be the only one that thinks that's strange, can I?

I'll give her a C+. I think there's a pretty low ceiling on how good a livery that's just the flag of New Mexico can be, and Southwest did a job I would call 'correct' - they didn't really mess anything up and they didn't have some sort of brain explosion that let them create a design more captivating than putting a good flag onto an airplane but leaving the tail Southwest colors. This is a good special livery and it seems like a nice little tribute to New Mexico, and it's always nice to see a beloved old livery be preserved on a new airframe. Congratulations to the people of New Mexico, particularly the Zia, on a pretty neat commemorative livery.

[misfitwashere]

Not PBY

Martin Mars ‘Experiences’ Offered

The owner of the last two flying Martin Mars flying boats is offering a last opportunity for enthusiasts to take the controls of the massive aircraft. Coulson Air Tankers is taking reservations for two Mars “experiences” in the former Navy transports before they go to museums. Neither involve getting airborne. The Water Taxi level gets customers a walkaround and 40 minutes of blasting around Sproat Lake at the company’s home base in Port Alberni, British Columbia. The Pilot Recurrency level puts participants behind the controls of the planes for low- and high-speed taxiing on the lake after a half day of ground school and a walkaround. The accompanying video, shot during the Hawaii Mars’s visit to AirVenture 2016, gives an idea of what to expect.

The two planes, the Hawaii Mars and the Philippines Mars, are being returned to flying condition and will be flown to separate museums later this year. Hawaii Mars is taking a short hop to the BC Aviation Museum at North Saanich, B.C., while Philippine Mars will head to the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. The planes were among four that were bought by timber companies in the 1950s and converted to waterbombers. They were retired from that role in 2011. Coulson is now focused on converting former Southwest Airlines Boeing 737s into air tankers.

[ausetkmt]

Sean Kingston's Mom Taken Into Custody During Mansion Raid

Sean Kingston's mother was taken into custody this morning after law officials raided the rapper-singer's rented Southwest Ranches mansion in South Florida.

Sean Kingston's Mom Taken Into Custody During Mansion Raid

On Thursday (May 23), Sean Kingston's mom, Janice Turner, was detained on numerous fraud and theft charges after police officers raided her son Sean Kingston's rented Southwest Ranches mansion in Dania Beach, Fla. The Broward County Sheriff's Office has released the following statement to XXL about the incident.

"Following an investigation that began in the city of Dania Beach, this morning, May 23, Broward Sheriff’s Office Dania Beach District detectives along with members of BSO’s Strategic Investigations Unit and Davie Police SWAT, served arrest and search warrants at a residence in Southwest Ranches," the statement reads. "As a result of the investigation, an adult female, Janice Turner, was taken into custody on numerous fraud and theft charges. This investigation is active and ongoing." According to local news outlet NBC 6 South Florida, the raid is linked to a lawsuit filed by Ver Ver Entertainment, which claims that Sean has reportedly failed to pay monthly installments and the installation fee for a 232-inch television they sold him.

In the video above, Dennis Card, an attorney who represents the company, says that the Jamaican-American artist is known to flaunt his riches, calling Sean's acts an "organized systematic fraud."

"He likes having bling, he likes showing off, he's a showman," attorney Dennis Card stated to news reporters. "My client has a $150,000 television sound system that's in there, there's also about $1 million worth of watches that are in there, there's a $80,000 custom bed that was ordered. This is an organized systematic fraud."

Card elaborated by detailing Sean Kingston's alleged fabricated lifestyle.

"He's got basically a script," Dennis Card continued. "He says that he works with Justin Bieber and that he obviously puts on a big show here. This is a rental house. He doesn't own it, and he lures people using his celebrity into having them release things without him paying for it, and then he simply never pays."

Card went on to insist the musician is a scammer. "He's 100 percent a scammer," he added. "He's on felony probation right now for trafficking in stolen property. He's got judgments against him for procuring more than $1 million in watches without paying for them. This is just an ongoing pattern for Sean."

Hip-Hop Jeweler Johnny Dang Speaks About Raid

After DJ Akademiks hopped on Instagram and posted about the news surrounding Sean Kingston's rented home, Johnny Dang, a well-respected jeweler in the hip-hop community, seemed to piggyback off the accusations surrounding Sean Kingston's failure to pay for purchased assets. His comment underneath Ak's IG post, which can be seen below, suggested that the artist owes him a pretty penny as well. "Damnn I need to collect my $ too loll," Johnny Dang wrote.

Sean Kingston Reacts to Raid

Hours after the raid, Sean Kingston hopped on his Instagram Story and spoke more about what happened. The artist wrote that he and his mother were in good spirits and that he was taking legal action.

"People love negative energy!" Sean penned. "I am good and so is my mother!..my lawyers are handling everything as we speak." The image can be seen below.

XXL has reached out to Sean Kingston's team for comment.

Read More: Sean Kingston Allegedly Punches and Pulls Gun on Music Video Director - Report

Sean Kingston Sued for Failing to Pay for Rolex

Sean Kingston has a history of not paying for purchased items. In April of 2017, the "Beautiful Girls" hitmaker faced legal trouble for reportedly paying half the amount for a Rolex that was worth $46,000.

According to TMZ, Sean Kingston paid $10,000 upfront to Norman Silver Diamonds and then sent a check for $36,000 to have the watch shipped to his business associate. Eventually, the jeweler discovered that the musician's check didn't clear. Since their encounter in 2013, the man who sued Sean Kingston received $15,000 for the Rolex. The court documents revealed that Kingston still owed about $21,353 for the purchase.

[jackhalljrs]

Sunroom’s by Jack Hall Jr’s Professional Quality Installation Bartow, Lake Wales Florida 800-741-0068 Ask for Jack

Why pick jack?

1 Jack Hall Jr’s custom manufactures every sunroom, patio enclosure and screen room we build to meet your individual style, needs, and budget.

2. Jack Hall Jr’s Remodeling – Sunroom’s, Glass enclosures, Patio Enclosures, Patio Covers, and Window Installation  can do more for your Bartow, Lake Wales FL home.

3. Jack Hall Jr. Construction and  Aluminum is a premier fully licensed and insured interior & exterior home remodeling certified contractor located in Bartow, Lake Wales FL.

4. Jack Hall Jr’s Sunroom’s are energy efficient.

Remodeling your family home, energy efficient windows and doors, a new space for a sunroom, a new Kitchen or Bathroom, many renovation projects inside or out. Jack Hall Jr’s is the best contractor for your remodeling job.

Jack Hall Jr’s Construction a Remodeling Contractor serving Central and Southwest  FL, can help make your vision a reality. A certified state licensed residential contractor in Florida with 36 years A+ BBB, Accredited Top contractor.

Jack Hall Jr’s provides the highest quality vinyl replacement windows in Florida. Jack Hall Jr’s  also maintains the best customer satisfaction after the sale. Jack Hall Jr’s installs the best  Impact Windows and Doors installs impact windows and doors in Florida.

Our professional installers replace your existing windows with very little mess or bother. Improving energy efficiency with new replacement windows and doors can reduce the cost of your already expensive electric costs but it also protects your home in high wind conditions like Hurricanes and Tornado’s and will lower your homeowners insurance costs.

Your go-to Florida contractor for replacement windows and doors, impact windows, professional installation in Central Florida. We recommend the “King” line of vinyl  Impact replacement windows with all the latest technology but with a down to earth price. We sell, Furnish and install only the best because our family has been trusted with Florida homeowners over 42 years.

HIRING QUALIFIED INSTALLERS

Check us out on:

Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/remodeling-contractor-florida-jack-hall-jrs-jack-hall?published=t

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackhalljrs

Craigslist:  http://lakeland.craigslist.org/hss/5428365883.html

Google: https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/114537062565350422548/114537062565350422548/posts

Contact Jack  Bartow, Lake Wales FL in Florida Toll Free 1-800-741-0068

Winter Haven 863-293-5253

Lakeland 863-667-0068

Tampa 813-754-7930

Se habla Espanol

www.jackhalljr.com