#there's so many subjects i prob should have included but these are the main ones that took hold of my brain

[thedarkmistress16]

Hetalia G8 (+ Canada, Romano, and Prussia) as Teachers (3/3)

Part 1. Part 2.

~After-School Activities and Clubs~

Axis:

Italy: Art Club. The literal best time. Constant pizza days, only fun field trips to artsy museums and exhibitions, a completely relaxed vibe in the art studio, and constant joy and encouragement spouting from the instructor despite how objectively awful the artwork actually is? The students couldn’t ask for anything more. Unless they want criticism, which Italy is physically unable to do- he’ll cry before he’ll consciously and willingly put his students down like that. So most students who want to be sitting in a positive environment sign up to chat with the other members the whole time, doodle one crude stick person to pass the club participation rule check, and call it a successful day. Pasta Club. The only members are himself and his brother. It’s not going well.

Germany: Newspaper Club. Interested in keeping up with the world so much that he made a club out of it, to inspire students to do the same one day. Diligent but rewarding duties that will absolutely get hard-working and committed students into good journalism companies from Germany’s glowing references. The rest of the school warmed up to this club from the amount of respect Germany instills in his club members when scoping out stories, requesting interviews, and delivering the information accurately and objectively at the time of print.

Japan: Anime and Manga Club. Tries to keep his opinions to himself but will always cringe at really bad takes he finds as “unfortunately incorrect viewpoints” or “not properly representative of the source material.” He’s so respectable about opinions that there are no arguments or shipping wars in his club… most of the time, when Japan’s not in the room, that is. Apart from that, the club is very tranquil and pleasant but also bubbling with fascination and geekiness. Yearbook Club. His Digital Art course lead to the board assigning Japan this club. While he’s good at photography and digital mediums, he isn’t very passionate about the club as a whole, compared to the plethora of students who petitioned it in the first place.

Romano: Horticulture Club. Having a club solely dedicated to tomatoes wasn’t allowed nor wanted by the student body so this was the best he could get. He loathes his new love for flowers due to this club.

Prussia: Awesomeness Club. A part of him wants to have this club solely for himself, regardless of what the board says. But the rest of the students really like the idea of sitting in a club for getting positive reinforcement and participating in events focused on bringing their awesomeness to the rest of the world. He still has his own exclusive, awesome club he enjoys in his head- he just doesn’t tell anyone about it.

Allies:

America: Hero Club. This is the umbrella club for “volunteering because you can and why don’t you wanna help those in need, dude?” So all kinds of events are hosted by this club, on top of doing random acts of “heroism” around the school. Gaming Club. Because of his focus on appreciating both the classics and modern video and computer games, this club America hosts is very well-balanced every year. The routine travel to tourneys helps, too, and he always gets over-excited about them more than the students do. Baseball. Encourages just about everyone in the school to sign on, despite this club being purely seasonal. Always petitioning for a teacher’s baseball club and it never gains any real traction. Softball. Attempted to set up games with his students indoors. It did not go well. The activity got restricted to only open at the same time as Baseball, as per the board’s non-negotiable request. America surprised everyone with how well he balances them on top of his concurrent classes, and is solely left to be in charge of them without interference. Anything he asks, he usually gets for his sports-related expenditures. American Football. Refuses to call this after-school activity anything but “football.” No one knows if he does this on purpose or not, and it seems to be a joke only for him to know.

Britain: Book Club. While he struts like a peacock whenever the subject of reading brought up is from his country, he accepts any and all kinds of books for club discussions. Except the ones that don’t meet his list of “a proper book to enlighten and entertain intelligent individuals” requirements. Which is his very loose way of saying that he very much has standards for book discussions and tomfoolery will not be allowed nor tolerated. Many students just read what they want and never bring it up in front of Britain. Theatre Club. Really gets into making sure the actors’ performances are spot-on, and summarizes the intent of the scene quite well despite his annoyance at having to dumb it down for them when they consistently get it wrong. Regardless, there’s always something about the play for him to like on the initial showing and always gets pumped up to start working on presenting another classic to the public. Roleplay Club. Always involves an element of magic or fantasy, usually both with tabletop, board, and card games. Chess Club. Takes it way too seriously when his club gets invited to tournaments. Otherwise, his mood and the atmosphere during matches are pretty quiet and focused.

France: Cooking Club. Always jumps up to cater all events hosted by the school and further inspires creativity in making food as opposed to the corresponding course he instructs. He’ll cry and insult a dish that is completely inedible or is an insult to the art of cooking, but only in extreme cases of a student’s poor cooking. He’s pretty jovial the majority of the time.

Russia: Arts n' Crafts. Despite slipping his D.I.Y. curriculum into his Home Economics class, Russia was able to finagle the board into giving him a whole club dedicated to it. Many students enroll in this club as an extra study period for the very same class, even if they are frightened of spending more time in the same room as him. The club is surprisingly very serene and enjoyable, as Russia takes it less seriously and is less prone to becoming irritated by little things. This caused a bigger flow of student signups from word of mouth each year, and most enjoy exercising their creativity to make funky designs than just following the recommended designs.

China: Animal Awareness Club. Upset he was denied his request to start up an “I Love Pandas” club and will always be bitter that other, more ridiculous clubs got the go-ahead instead like “Mini-Heroes” and “Pasta Lovers.” Then he overheard Romano complaining to someone about his club’s members not liking tomatoes as much as he does and requesting other crops to talk about instead. China marched straight back to the board with a wealth of confidence and an impromptu outline for a club he thought of in the five minutes it took for him to get there. He now hosts a sanctuary for all animal enthusiasts in his club where they post flyers around the school and hold public discussions on environmental activism to support preserving animal livelihoods. And while he mainly puts pandas as the sole focus of his club’s efforts, he quite enjoys talking about other animals too, including species outside his culture, mainly pertaining to the endangered wild bears and big cats.

Canada: Maple Club. Pancakes are usually a staple of the topics this club has, on top of the history of tree sap. And while this is one of the more niche clubs, everyone had not anticipated just how popular it would get with the student body, and it takes up a lot of Canada’s time to manage as a result.

[lovebvni]

literally making a dr based off a fucking dream i had… again

so this may literallt replace my royale high dr bc this is very VERY similar to that one.

LONG BLOG AHEAD!! IM TRYING TO INCLUDE VISUALS!!!

im not going to explain the dream, per say, but i will explain the dr.

there is a school where fairies, witches, and mermaids of all kinds go — royalty or not — royalty academy. (sometimes informally called royale high by the students) **the name will probs change bc i don’t like it much** royalty academy teaches students from grades 8-12 in their high school campus, to grades 13-16 in their university campus. students attending royalty academy will be expected to excel in all subjects, from mathematics to literature. all students also have the opportunity for 3 electives — ranging from creative and performative arts to participating in “real world” human activities. all future career paths are welcome here at royalty academy! we hope that this is the place for you! go valkaries!

lmfao so that’s like their website shit or smth.

in order to attend, all mythical beings must have been

born a mythical being

been a mythical being for over two years

or have been practicing some sort of witchcraft for four years prior (as witches count as mystical beings here)

fairies, witches, and mermaids from all occults (light, dark, nature, etc) are welcome at royale high! but an evaluation of their magic must be taken in order to ensure there will be no harmful beings at royalty academy.

all students are sworn in at a ceremonial meeting before the school year.

all students will be assigned a dorm with at least one (1) other magical creature. the maximum is four (4) to a dorm.

(i, a dark, music fairy) share a dorm with a light fairy (who is royalty, named lisa) and an animal fairy (i forgot her name 🫶🫶)

all dormitories are equipped with a bathroom (more depending on how many students are in there), a kitchenette, and a mini laundry room. the main laundry room is located downstairs, where there are professional cleaners that will hand clean your items

animals are allowed at royalty academy! only 2 per student is asked, unless a service animal or other accommodations apply.

i personally have a black german shepard and a blue phython <3

mermaid dorms will be equipped with a pool way down to the outdoor pool and indoor pool depending on where they prefer to sleep!

anyways!! that’s it for like the outside looking in, i’m going to ACTUALTLY make a motion script when i get on my laptop bc i rlly need to bc this is SUCH a fun idea!! i am thinking abt making this a group dr, so feel free to comment ideas n such!

there is also lore to this school, and that will be in my next post !!!

i also think i should do a sort of explainaation of the powers and “races” of each mythical being, as i think that would be fun!!!

alright yall, that’s it fr now,

byeeee!! :)

ALSO LISA IS DATING A MERMAID MMFOAOSKDKDN 💀💀 they r both irl friends who dont know abt shifting so !!!

[shadowstalker732]

ALRIGHT LETS GIVE THIS POSTING THING A GO

MY REVAN TIME (one of them at least)

Also spoiler warning a guess for a game over a decade old? (Am I meant to say spoiler warning? Who knows not me)

(Please don’t yell at me about stats I do what I want)

Anyway first playthrough where I don’t stop and hard restart Tarris or Dantooine 13 times because choice reasons and me forgetting that stealth is useless and just letting the game auto level for me (learnt that the hard way), I’ve basically done Tatooine but I haven’t beaten the dragon yet cos I wanted to bugger off to another planet first and chose Kashyyyk. And I’m down in the shadow lands now (do not worry Zaalbar I WILL GET YOU BACK) and yeah that’s where I’m at.

ANYWAY, Shay or Shar Stalker (because the game won’t let me do non-binary) is a light side Revan. Good of heart dumb of ass and yet will still rob you dry if you place bets on a strategy game against them. Height wise around the 1.6m mark (5′3″ for the Americans). Prefers the double lightsaber look (currently got a short green one and a normal blue one for amnesia version). Not a flirt but definitely had something going on with my Exile in the past but that ended in the Mando war at some point… teenagers in war don’t usually do well mentally wise.. back story and post events of Kotor under the cut (also warning it’s long, like super long, and goes into their future story? As well)

SO BACKSTORY,

Shar got some Mando blood floating in their veins from some ancestor and that causes them to go full buir sometimes hence why Mission, Zaalbar, HK-47, T3-M4 and Juhani get bed time stores aboard the Ebon Hawk and chocolate space milk whenever they stop (Rev gets some too because who doesn’t love some good old Choccy milk), droid duo get cleaned basically daily while Bastila gets the bird for even thinking that this is a waste of time and resources.

Wait I said backstory… TEMPLE LIFE!

Rascal trio with Exile and Alek at their heels. All three, good of heart dumb of ass. Shar was a prodigy and excelled in basically all Jedi subjects at the time, was pretty popular with most people and just a nice person who didn’t stand for bullshit. Got into a few “heated” (honestly that’s an understatement) arguments with council members about how some things in the galaxy were handled but mostly had a positive response from people. At this time their main saber was purple and their off hand a short cyan. Joined the Republic in the Mandalorian wars a few months before their 17′th birthday. Didn’t not return to the Temple once after leaving for war.

The War 

(I should mention I get most of my knowledge from wiki skims (not deep reads) and other Tumblr posts so if it’s off canon… it’s my story and Star Wars is my sand box so I MAKE THE RULES HERE BABY!)

After many battles and the relationship between the battle trio growing stronger with time it was also weakening. At one point Shar and Exile had a romantic relationship going but only kept that going for a few months, they both decided that this was not the time to be doing this and if they both survived would actually give the lovers thing a shot (doesn’t happen). Throughout the war all three realise that they must make sacrifices to stop the war, the old saying “sacrifice one to save the many” is said often between the three at first before it becomes second nature. During one of the battles Shar’s cyan lightsaber is completely destroyed including the crystal being completely shattered. After taking the mantle of the Revanchist only uses the name Revan and never removes the helmet unless it’s only the trio and only then will respond to their old names. All three are slipping mentally in this war but have all managed to hold onto the Light side by trusting each other. After the mass shadow generator event Revan looses all contact with Exile (force and otherwise) and assumes death, despite it being Revan’s own order it’s a major pushing point towards the dark.

The End of the War

Revan faces off against Mandalore the Ultimate and slays him, in his dying breathe speaks of the Sith Empire growing in the Unknown Regions and how this war wasn’t only about giving the Mandalorian’s a good fight but also to weaken the republic for Ultimates Empire allies. Not many Mandalorians knew of the Sith truth behind the war and just followed their Mandalor’s word that this war would bring them the honour of a good fight, and it did in a way. After Revan learns of the empire growing hidden amongst uncharted routes, knew that the council would never believe them and so took matters into their own hands. Taking a fleet and insisting it was to chase down the last of the Mandalorian high command, Revan left for the unknown regions.

The Unknown 

Yeah everything went to shit. Rev and Alek get captured and Sith tortured and kind probed by old man Sith Emperor but in that time Revan gains acute knowledge via reverse mind prob, of how the Sith empire is running, where resources are coming from and key weak points. During this time Alek falls completely and Revan fains it for now. Torture continues for a good while until Revan makes the choice that they have been making all through out the war “sacrifice one to save the many”… Revan embraces the dark side and makes a plan, a plan to empower the known galaxy enough to destroy the “true” Sith empire by uniting it as their own Sith empire. Revan knows light will always rise to face the dark and that the light side is strong, someone will rise to take them down after the “true” Sith empire is defeated and only in death will Revan have fulfilled their promise to the unknown Mandalorian and finally be able to be one with the force. Revan embraces the dark fast and is soon sent off by the Sith emperor who thinks Revan is under his control to take control of the star forge and start building the Sith army in the known galaxy, Revan assumes command with now Malek as their right hand.

Beginning of Darth Revan

Basically what is described in the first Kotor game, Darth Duo go find star maps, get to forge, start fucking up the galaxy yadeyadeya. Malek pulls a sick move and fucks up Revan’s plan to stop the Sith Emperor and boom Amnesia time baby. Oh also during Sith times used a red and their old purple lightsaber but when they got captured by Bastila both lightsaber’s goy yoinked and locked up on Coruscant for simple reasons. 

No Memory Time Baby

Council is smart as fuck and call them Shay Stalker AKA their old name to see if that will reawaken light memories or thoughts in Revan and basically try and nudge amnesia Rev to stay lightside cos they don’t want to see their lost padawan fall back to the dark, (Jedi are a complicated subject), also ONLY SHAY no mention of their other name Shar at all! So that will cause problems later for poor Rev when they start remembering things :), basically the game from here on. Memories of a calm life on a farming planet before joining the military, lost both their siblings (AKA Alek and Exile) while away on service. Joined to stop the Sith from taking any more innocent lives. Throughout the game Shay try’s to help as many people as they can and choose the option that will benefit good and innocent people, constantly says fuck to corporations and nasty people, is not afraid to kill a bitch. As I haven’t completed the game fully (but I am planing a lightside finish and I’m not exactly sure when the “I am Revan” bit comes in I’m gonna leave this as it is. Oh and blue main saber and a short green saber with a crystal they managed to purify (AKA was red but returned to its natural colour through meditation and force cleansing, also helped by Bastila)

Memories

Like I said I haven’t finished the game yet BUT after the whole “oh fuck oh stars IM REVAN?????” Lots of shit starts to make sense and the force “spell” (I’m gonna call it spell) that repressed Revan’s memories had already begun to weaken somewhat before this point but this kinda opens the flood gates but not too far just enough for it to not make any sense at all. Team is there for Rev and the game finishes lightside. (Also I know I said this rev not gonna romance but this is post game stuff now and I just don’t wanna romance Bastila in game so yeah) ANYWAY, Revan and Bastila build a healthy relationship together and Revan starts to regain a lot of memories that their friends help them through. Revan remembers why they took the name Revan and actually goes to Coruscant to the high council to explain why they put on the helmet in the first place and the Council adheres to Revan’s request and returns the original helmet. The Star forged one stays in storage for now. Revan also requests their old armour and lightsabers to help regain memories as to why they fell, the council is hesitant at this request and only allows Revan to meditate with their old things at the main temple with a council member present. Over one or two years a lot comes back but there is still a few key dates, names, moments and details missing. Oh and Revan uses force powers to make Bastila preggers. IF BOBA FETT CAN SURVIVE A SARLAC AND PALPATINE CAN EXIST IN THE SEQUELS. REVAN CAN PULL FORCE BULLSHIT TOO!

The Unknown part 2: Electric boogaloo 

Revan finally remembers what made them go dark and realises they fucked up their own plans pretty bad and the Republic IS WORSE OFF THAN HOW IT STARTED COS OPPS REVAN ACCIDENTALLY KILLED A SHIT TON OF FORCE USERS LIGHT AND DARK SO yeah. Bastila was holding the brain cell of the force bond in this moment and Revan decides the best course of action is to go face the Emperor alone… fucking brilliant Revan how the fuck did you win the Mandalorian wars again my good sir? Revan tells Bastila that they (Rev) has been assigned a mission to infiltrate the remanence of Revan’s old Sith Empire and basically destroy it from within and that this mission is basically so hush hush that Bastila isn’t meant to know but Revan thought it only fair to say that they would be gone for potentially a long time for this mission and Bastila, unaware that this would be the last time she saw them, accepted this goodbye and hoped they would return before their baby was born. But Revan has always been a good lier… even to themselves. Without anymore fuss they left the Known Galaxy leaving all their friends and family behind never to be seen again to face off against the bitch that started it all. (I haven’t read the novels or played the SWTOR game and never plan to do either so again I say this is wiki knowledge that I’m doing what ever I please with that knowledge because Star Wars is a sand pit and I’m the kindy kid that’s decided to sit and play with it today)

Mmmmm Watcha SaaaaaaaAy

Revan gets their ass handed to them and imprisoned for three hundred years and tortured and mind probed AGAIN. Also cut off their connections to any other force user to ensure old dude couldn’t get to them as well. Absolutely not having a good time here. After the 300 years of PAIN the force within Revan gets so fucked up that their physicality splits into two entirely separate beings, Dark Revan and Light Revan. When this happens the prison breaks and Light Revan makes their escape and gets out barely alive while Dark Revan hangs back and swears allegiance to Sith Empire and starts plotting to overthrow old dude cos Sith. Light Revan makes it back to the council and they heal them and have a very hard time believing they are Revan until Revan perfectly describes a gift they gave Bastila before they left that now a descendent of Revan now owns. The council doesn’t understand how Revan split into two entire different beings but accept “the force acts in mysterious ways at times”. Revan is FINALLY given knighthood and helps prepare the republic for the Sith Empire that hasn’t attacked yet but definitely will soon. And this is where Tarre comes in.

Mando Time Yeah!

My Tarre will get his own beefy post (def not as big as this one) maybe tomorrow or the next day so for now it’s just what Tarre does and means to Revan. ANYWHO, Tarre becomes Light Revan’s padawan. (I should mention that Light Revan despite being called Light Revan is leaning towards a grey area within the force but isn’t down right evil like dark Revan is. Dark Revan is killing puppies of an endangered species cos their bored evil). Tarre is Revan’s padawan and becomes a knight. Revan enjoys teaching Tarre about the force and understanding how Tarre was brought up a Mandalorian and with the peace between Jedi and Mandalorian’s at this point was welcomed into the Jedi temple later than most. Revan raises Tarre like he is their own son/little brother and they form an extremely powerful force bond because of it. I’ll go in depth on Tarre’s post but Tarre still gets Mando training for 4 months of the year but the jedi training is the rest of the year. Revan joins Tarre when he return to Mandalore to continue his Mando training and learns more about Mandalorian history and culture while there. While on Mandanlore Light Revan truely feels relaxed for once despite random Mando’s sometimes jumping out and challenging them to fights because apparently Revan is now a ghost story and a feared mighty warrior legend and when anyone finds out that Revan is “alive” immediately tries to prove that they are stronger than Revan (which they are not). A few years after Tarre is knighted the war with the True Sith Empire begins.

I don’t know what to call this bit sooooo UWU

Battles, fights, old shit, it’s a war. Revan proves to be supper fucking useful in leadership but doesn’t do as much “sacrifice one to save the many” moves anymore. Revan keeps predicting what the Sith are gonna do an THATS cos Dark Revan is leading the, and Revan knows Revan best but not the reverse. Light Revan knows how Dark Revan will act but Dark Revan doesn’t know how Light Revan will act since Light Revan technically includes Shay/Shar, Mandalorian War Revan, Amnesiac Shay, and post Amnesia. While Dark Revan is only really Darth Revan and post Amnesia so Light Revan technically outweighs Dark Revan. I’ve probably butchered that explanation or done it too late but that’s how it’s gonna be cos it’s midnight and I wanna finish this and post it today. ANYWAY, final battle between the Revan’s. They have a massive duel on the battle field and eventually Light Revan strikes Dark Revan down but also receives some pretty nasty injuries. Light Revan understands the need to be whole again and as Dark Revan “dies” reunites with that half of the force and Revan returns but Revan is so done, so fucking done with living and trying and they had a good run and now they have what was Dark Revan’s and Light Revan’s injuries all on one body and sure if Rev really tried they could probably suck the life force out of some Sith warriors to keep themselves alive but… they just don’t want to. Eventually Tarre finds the fallen Revan reunited at last and stays by their side as Revan finally lets go and becomes one with the force. After the battle Tarre brings Revan’s body back to the Temple to be burnt as Revan had requested but their armour, lightsabers, and other possessions would be taken to a place only Tarre knew of to be sealed away until a far descendent of Revan’s comes along to claim them as their own. The war isn’t over and Revan’s passing only fuels Tarre further into defeating the Sith empire that the republic eventually does after 20 years of war. 

Conclusion 

And that’s the overall story of this Revan, I know very long, very deep, wtf this is your second post after a what? 1 year break? Actually let me check… yeah nope about a year has passed since my Crash post. If you have made it this far thanks for reading my first ever “decent” post about something I’ve been developing for a while now in bits and pieces. Sorry it was so long but then again I did miss a lot of shit. If you want to interact and ask more questions about this Revan go ahead my ask box is open (don’t be weird tho and just cos I post long doesn’t mean you have to ask long unless it’s legit). I’ll try and get the Tarre post out tomorrow around this time too or earlier depends. Thanks again for taking the time to read my word vomit. Also sorry if there are any spelling mistakes I have missed.

Have a good one!

[purplesurveys]

1106

survey by mickey-mouse

Who was the last person you couldn't take your eyes off of? I haven’t been feeling that way towards anyone, be it from real life or someone on the internet or a celebrity, for a while.

Do you drink the milk from the bowl after you eat all the cereal? I’ll try to drink some of it, since I do think milk tastes nice haha, but I keep it in moderation so that my stomach won’t end up being too upset.

Have you ever kissed anybody accidentally? Oh wow, how does this even happen? Hahaha but no I haven’t.

Who was the first person to wish you a Merry Christmas last year? Most likely a family member. My friends and I usually greet each other late into the evening.

Do you think it'll be the same person this year? It will probably be family again, yeah. I just can’t tell which one would be first.

Is your display picture in black and white? None of my profile photos on all social media are.

Do you know anybody who has had an online relationship? I don’t think so. I have some friends who met their SOs through dating apps, but I think all of them have since seen each other in person. I’m not sure I know of anyone whose relationship has been entirely online/virtual so far.

What food are you always in the mood for? No matter how full I am, I will always take a slice of pizza or two if it’s ever served at a table. That or chicken wings or spicy tuna salad.

When was the last time you played Guitar Hero? Safe to say more than a decade ago. I had always preferred Rock Band since I found it more fun that switching instruments was a main part of its gameplay, whereas you were stuck with the guitar on Guitar Hero.

What friend could buy clothes for you and not have to worry what they bought? Angela. We have nearly the same sense of style and we find the same things cute, so if I ever had to make a friend control my wardrobe for the day I will likely trust her the most.

1 thing that your guy best friend doesn't like about you: I don’t have a guy best friend. Hans is my closest friend of the opposite sex; while I don’t think he dislikes anything about me, I’m sure he thinks I’ve acted dumb about love and relationships many times before. Which is fine, we’re very honest and blunt about those things and I actually appreciate it when he gets brutally honest with me.

How about your girl best friend? Again, I don’t know if Angela doesn’t like a certain trait of mine but she’s well aware of my past stupid decisions i.e. staying in a harmful relationship.

Do you loan your friends money? No, but I’m ready to lend to my closest friends should they ever be in need.

Are Lucky Charms really magically delicious? I dunno, I’ve never tried.

When was the last time you had Lucky Charms anyway? See above.

Who is the last person you called long distance? I don’t do video calls with friends living in other countries, mainly because I’ve grown apart from them haha. My mom will sometimes start calls with relatives living abroad though; I believe the most recent one was a group video call with my dad’s side of the family, which included an uncle who lives in New York.

Do you sleep with a nightlight? No; I would find this too distracting and bright.

Is Lil Wayne really the best rapper alive? I never thought he was one of the best to begin with. Some of the songs he’s featured in are fine but I don’t like his slurred style of rapping very much.

What is the first text in your inbox? Like...the very first one in my inbox? I scrolled all the way down and it’s from Frances - an orgmate who has since disappeared off the face of the earth and blocked all her friends on social media lmao - asking about an org-related thing three years ago. Wherever she is, I hope she’s doing okay.

Are you taller than your siblings? I am the eldest yet smallest child in the family. My relatives get a kick out of it, which is fine because I do too HAHA

What are the first letters of your friends first names on your top 8? Myspace? Was never active on it.

When was the last time you almost cried from laughing? I can’t pinpoint an exact moment for you but this happens a lot when I watch 2 Days 1 Night, so this has probs happened recently.

Do you have “photoshoots” with your friends/family members? Not with me as the subject – I’m very camera shy and turn into an awkward stick once I’m asked to pose. But I love taking photos of loved ones, especially an SO.

Are you generous? To a fault.

Are you excited for Thanksgiving this year? I don’t celebrate that.

Are you excited for Thanksgiving ANY year? Yeah, I still don’t celebrate that.

Any plans for the weekend? I had plans to start a new series and spend a lazy day watching YouTube videos, but we haven’t had internet all day today and it’s felt quite deflating to have the first day of my weekend taken away from me. I’ve been running on data which is...fine, I guess, but I can’t use too much if I don’t want to keep paying for it. That said I’ve only been able to do surveys and stream music today. For tomorrow, I wanna go to a coffee shop and perhaps even treat myself to ramen because I’ve been craving.

Do you lay your clothes out the day before? Before Covid happened I planned out my clothes the night before, but I didn’t lay them out.

Who was the last person you bought a gift for? Andi; got them a dress and a skirt.

What was the last song you had stuck in your head? My Limb has been repeatedly playing in my head all day.

Are you ignoring anybody currently? Not ignoring, more of I’ve already given up on them.

Do you curse at your parents in a different language? I don’t curse at my parents in any language, lmfao.

Do you get the mailman a Christmas gift every year? We don’t have mailmen, buuuuut the maintenance staff in my village (trash collectors, security guards, those in charge of trimming the grass, etc) will usually hand each household an envelope in time for Christmas. My family and I help them out and place a certain amount in all envelopes.

Are you afraid of lizards? They are very common visitors in homes here so no I’m mostly not. They move very fast and get freaked out when they see humans though, so sometimes I’ll be shocked by them suddenly scurrying away.

How legible is your signature? I don’t make it legible at all so that it’s difficult to replicate. I actually get a lot of comments on it because my signature is mostly a lazy scribble and I don’t actually spell out any part of my name, which exactly fulfills my goal of making it hard to copy.

Do you think anybody else has a bedroom EXACTLY like yours? I actually live in a neighborhood where the houses are the same models, so I can confidently tell you that there are around 10-20 bedrooms that look similar to mine. But as for being styled and furnished exactly like mine, I doubt it.

How hot are your neighbors? Lol uh I don’t pay attention to this particular trait. All my neighbors are your typical suburban families with young kids, anyway.

Do you have pictures of clouds on your cell phone? A lot. I like looking up at the sky from time to time.

Do you send compliments through text message? Sure, when it’s appropriate and only with close friends.

Do/did your high school theme colors match? I never thought they didn’t go well together, that much I can say.

Do you own any Nike shoes? Several.

Have you ever rode in a VW Bug? Never.

How about a Mini Cooper? Never have, would absolutely love to.

What was the last fast food place you got food from? Yellow Cab. I got two pizzas and pasta for my family.

When you invite people to your house do you usually hang out in your room? I never invite people to my house because it’s too far compared to where most of my friends live, and it would only be a big hassle for everyone. As for my room, the only people who’ve been in it are Gabie and Angela/Hans, the latter only once.

Have you ever seen your crush/current bf/gf cry? I don’t have any of these.

Do you own any Spongebob merchandise? I’m pretty sure we have a Patrick plushie we continue to keep around.

Do you have any food traditions with any of your friends? My orgmates and I frequented a certain bar near our university; we went there whether it was to celebrate the end of an exam-filled week, or if we simply wanted to spend an ordinary Thursday with a few drinks. A few months ago they were in danger of closing because of the pandemic, but I hope life has been kinder to them recently.

Do you like Gwen Stefani? Erm, not particularly. Some songs of her I like, but I’m not a passionate fan.

Do you know anybody with a thick Jamaican accent? No.

Are you closer to your mom’s side of the family or your dad’s? Mom’s. Aside from being able to see them more often, our humor is also similar.

Have you ever been to a haunted house? I’ve stared at one, but never gone inside haha.

Yes or no: red eyeliner? Do whatever you want with your face and makeup, man.

Yes or no: red lipstick? ^ Still applies.

Would you ever own a pet black widow spider? No.

Do you wear holiday themed clothing? I don’t think I own any, so no.

At 6:00 tomorrow night where do you think you’ll be? On my way home, or preparing to head home, I hope.

Is it night or day right now? Evening.

What time did you get up today? Like 5:30. I fell asleep on the rooftop and got to see the pretty sunrise and the sky gradually change colors :)

[heroicisms]

iNTROS PART 3 I’M SO TIRED LET’S GO

BANG HAEJIN

saturn’s headmaster’s daughter yEET

she wanted to be a hero, but her dad told her when she was very young that she wouldn’t make it, so she just studied until she figured out what she wanted to be, and she decided that she still wanted to help heroes and asked her dad to let her work as an assistant of sorts in the school

she has the ability to detect emotions, but it can sometimes be difficult to tell whose emotion is whose in a large crowd

some of their emotions can fuel into hers a tiny bit so if there are too many people with strong emotions she can get overwhelmed and has to be alone for a bit

she and her father have a ?? strange relationship ?? like sometimes he treats her like another staff member but other times he’s her daughter and other times she’s someone who can be trusted with any secret whatsoever and she just wishes he’d make up his mind

she doesn’t teach a class, but she just sorta assists with things, like setting up hero training or helping students study or performing first aid and the like

she’s just a helpful person all-round tbh and she’s an easy person to talk to bc she can understand how you’re feeling without you having to put it into words

ALEXANDER MIN aka SHOCK

basically zane lbr

he can emit electricity bUT he can’t really control where it goes by himself so he needs some tech items to help him direct it and all that fun stuff

he works for the league of villains, or a sort of subsection of it bc that’s the life he was born into since his mother was already part of it before he was born

the jobs he ends up going on are mostly to intercept signals and the like, especially since while he’s competent in combat, he tends to destroy quite a few things around him when he partakes in it, so things just end up getting messy

he’ll get a redemption arc bc of course he will

not that he needs tHAT much redeeming he just ?? does what he’s told and likes playing pranks on the other league members when he can so

his mum disappears for days, weeks at a time so he knows how to look after himself and people are always surprised at how independent he can be bc he often acts so childish

he likes to go out in casual wear and pretend he’s normal sometimes rip

DOMINIC FIELDING aka RED LIGHT

ya boi has paralysis inducement which basically just means he can stop people from moving temporarily. it only works on living things tho

he always wanted to be a hero but bc of his colder demeanour people just sorta assumed he’d end up some sort of criminal or even a villain ?? which just influenced him to work harder

the entrance exam was kinda difficult bc his quirk wouldn’t work on the droids and shit but he managed to beat quite a few with just his hand to hand combat skills, which made him one to watch

he was the type of student who was all “why do i need to know this, it’s not relevant to me, anyway” but was super studious on the subjects he DID consider relevant, so the teachers were just “????????”

he’s an underground hero, which means no one really knows the name ‘red light’, he does things under the cover of darkness, his hero persona a secret, but he’s still a legal hero

people were surprised when he became a teacher bc Mr Cold & ‘Everything is Unnecessary’ teaching kids ?? and wanting to deal with them at all ?? what ?? and then he ended up being super effective in his own weird af way so ??

he is 110% the class dad don’t mess with his kids bitch

i’m still debating on whether he should be the main teacher of the 18 year olds or the 19 year olds gimme ur opinion

NAM SUNHWA aka LUX

ya girl has solar manipulation so she can manipulate the sun, but there actually has to be sunlight around her, so she isn’t that effective inside or at night

she became a hero bc it just ?? sounded like a good time tbh and her parents weren’t the bEST tbh they just sorta ignored her and assumed that she would become a deadbeat like them, so she decided she’d become something flashy to prove them wrong and tHUS SHE BECAME A HERO

she had a falling out with her parents midway into studying in saturn and hasn’t spoken to them since idk where she stayed during that time but ?? i’ll figure something out

she’s a partier and loves going out at night, even though that’s when she’s weakest, but she knows hand to hand, so she figures she’ll be okay

she’s also a very social person and has a lot of connections, plus she’s also made a name for herself in the fashion world, and a lot of her hero merch is designed by her

that being said tho she can be super self-absorbed and sometimes she just needs someone to pull her head out of her ass

tHRIVES in front of cameras

she’d be the worst teacher in terms of actual hero training but she’s good when it comes to advice about being in front of the camera and beauty tips and all that fun stuff

MENG DAIYU

while technically a civilian, they’re surrounded by villains 24/7, it’s just that they’re like cullen and are a captive rather than someone who willingly works for them

they can read minds but can’t control it, so when they’re out in a crowd the thoughts can become super overwhelming hence one of the reasons the villains keep them in isolation most of the time. the other reason is that no one wants them to read their mind

they were abandoned as a kid when their quirk first manifested and they accidentally revealed to their mother that their father was cheating, and continued spouting out truths about one to the other. in denial, the parents abandoned them rather than owning up to their own issues

that’s when they were found, pROBS by the same association as cullen but if u guys have any other ideas come @ me

their job is basically to be an assistant, and most of the time, that’s what they are, but when they’re having a conversation with someone untrustworthy, daiyu must stand there and look all assistant-y while reading their mind

they don’t speak a lot, and they especially don’t like revealing discord between the members since they were punished for doing so when they were very little

they’re in isolation, but they’re not without stuff to do, and their constant thought is just ‘it could be worse’ and that’s what gets them throughout the day

someone save them pls

LYSANDER MARS aka DASHER

he has super speed which is an oldie but goldie

his entire family comes from a long line of heroes, so it was inevitable that he would be one too, but he doesn’t mind. his only issue is that he wants to make a name for himself in his own way rather than depending on his surname

he can be a bit off-putting in interviews and it’s very easy to see when someone’s pissed him off bc it’s so obvious like if this were an anime you’d be able to see the vein popping out of his head

he hates getting asked about his family all the time. like he loves them and they love him but sometimes he wants to talk about himself, not how great his parents are, or about the pressures of living up to them

he’s that one friend who seems to live close to the downtown area so everyone just ends up crashing on his couch in the middle of the night and he’s just “why me i need to move”

tbh he’s not that social and yet ?? he probs has a bunch of friends ?? he’s just “i don’t have friends” and then like 5 people at once walk past and just “hey dasher wassup”

he’s known to be at multiple fights at once because of his super speed, but it drains him a lot more quickly

SON CHIWON aka THE DREAMER

he has illusion magic though it’s mostly just limited to sight, but he’s working on the rest of the senses while he’s at saturn

he’s the type of person who wants to please everyone, and so when he was a kid people would be like “hey chi !! can you create this !! hey chi !! can you do this ??” and he’d do it but it tired him out so easily

he’s still like that tho rip

he wants to become a hero bc he wants to help people for a living, and he thinks he has what it takes to be a good hero, especially after passing the entrance exam

other people sometimes doubt him tho bc he’s so soft and sensitive and just wants everyone to be happy so they underestimate him a lot, and while he’s not the bEST in his grade, he’s definitely on his way to being a great hero

his parents are super supportive and also soft like they don’t want him to get hurt but they’re also so proud of him

tries to include people in everything

when he’s sUPER emotional his illusions can act up without him realising, but he apologises profusely whenever it happens and there are people around

he calls himself ‘the dreamer’ bc he likes to use his powers to make people’s dreams come true, even if it’s just for a little bit, though also because people think he’s super spacey and wrapped up in his own little world, which isn’t wrong tbh

SAKAI RAIDEN aka BLACK CAT

feline physiology, but he’s the same as baram, so he can’t actually change inTO a cat, he just has the senses of one

he a flirt

he has 2 mums but he’s biologically theirs

tbh at first he decided to become a hero for the hell of it, bc he thought he had the ability and bc it’s a respectable profession, but he ended up really loving the look on people’s faces when he saved them while he was interning and he wants to see that more often

he acts like a cat all the time tbh, like he’ll sleep in people’s laps and purr when someone scratches behind his ears and he naps in the middle of the day sometimes, he’s the resident house cat

u can also distract him with a laser pointer tho

even tho he’s a flirt he’s a soft flirt bc a lot of the time he just wants to cuddle a bit and he just thinks it’s better when there are kisses involved

he’s a bit of a night owl cat and when he becomes a full hero he wants to work mostly at night

he’s not the class’s number 1 or anything but he doesn’t really wanna be ?? he prefers to go at his own pace bc he knows that’s better for him, and he doesn’t really have any interest in trying to beat people who are aiming to be in the same profession bc what’s the point of competing when all he wants to be is a hero ?? not necessarily number 1 or anything, just someone who helps people

[cumbercougars]

The LimeLight Interviews

Interview #1 - Sept 18, 2017 via Tumblr messenger

Subject: sinnerwoman86

First of all I would like to commend sinnerwoman86 for being the first to volunteer for this little project of mine. She is a brave woman in her late thirties who lives somewhere in the vast country that is Canada. She must not be afraid of vampires as she enjoys garlicky spicy dishes and I imagine her home to be pretty cozy because she favours the warmth of deep red. This first Q&A, which I decided to title “The Limelight Interviews”, took place live over messenger. There were ten main questions and we went from there.

cumbercougars What/Who inspires you the most?

sinnerwoman86: Phew! Tough one right off the bat. Easily, and totally cliché, my family and friends. I’m a first gen Canadian from 2 immigrant parents from 2 different continents so there’s some awesome traditions and cultures I get inspired from them. Friends? Oh what a rag tag of lovely people I keep, from hardcore geeks to volunteers and people I’ve known since before I could talk.

cumbercougars Any specific inspiration that has drawn you lately? And by the way, I don’t think that’s cliché at all. Archetypal if anything :)

sinnerwoman86 Women, all the women. Art has always been inspiring but hot damn are women kicking more ass these days as it should be. Just wrapped up some volunteer work at a film festival and I was loving that they put a huge focus on women in films including their In Conversation series. And it wasn’t the whole, OMG J-LAW is here! It was a lot of HOLY SHIT IT’S GLENN CLOSE YASS QUEEN and that is amazing. It’s inspiring that yes, there’s amazing upcoming talent here, but don’t bloody think I’m out of this race because I’ve been at it for a while. There was a respect for all these women going on and it was DAMN inspiring.

cumbercougars Good to hear! What is something you would love to learn?

sinnerwoman86 More languages and more confidence in myself. I’ve had a couple of people tell me I’m inspiring but lord if they only knew…

cumbercougars Bet it wouldn’t matter. Confidence is something we all fake anyway :)

sinnerwoman86 Truth!

cumbercougars What is something you always wanted to do but are too scared to try?

sinnerwoman86 Not sure if there’s anything I’m too scared to try, if anything it’s more that I’m limited to try…for the moment. Scared of being in front of people, so now I head a costuming group and get shoved to the front to do interviews or bring in a crowd. Would love to dance again, not scared to go back despite my age and size, just limited because right now, kiddos are priority. However the other mums are happy to volunteer me to dance with random strangers on stage. Was scared of sharing my drawings when I’d get the chance to do one…no prob now thanks to tumblr. I’m sure as hell not a popular or regular artist, but whatevs (although I am a chicken shit for mainly doing it under a different name).

cumbercougars Wow, you definitely have reason to be an inspiration to others, confidence be damned.

sinnerwoman86 Bah…my main deal is so my kiddos don’t limit themselves. If it inspires others, then cool, but it’s just bizarre to hear it being said.

cumbercougars Yes kids have that effect don’t they. I became almost fearless when I realized I was/am a role model to my nephew.

sinnerwoman86 Nephews are the best…I’m practically best friend’s with my eldest one. He joins me for at least one convention and it’s the best time

cumbercougars What is your best practical skill and how/why did you acquire it?

sinnerwoman86 I’ve just kind of done stuff here and there that’s stuck… well… Info research; I’ve been doing information searches of the obscure and not so obscure for years thanks to 1) working in libraries/archival/security type work for years. Am I accredited in it? Nope, somehow I decided that learning programming would be better. Ask me if I can still program (the answer’s nope). Coordinator supreme according to my costuming group, they refuse to let me step down but guys, I’m tired. Mind you, it’s translated well in my volunteering, I’ve been a captain for 3 years now and get so many recs from my teams that I’ve learned how to blush again. OH! And Ikea furniture assembly….gimme that shit, I love it and live it so long as you stay out of my space and let me have my music for the process. ;)

Oh wait…should have probably said I speak 3 languages fluently too. And I bake. And cook. And can prepare a crap ton of canapes as required. Thanks mom.

cumbercougars HA! Totally with you on the Ikea furniture. Wish I could make a living at it. The adult version of Lego Sets if you ask me.

sinnerwoman86 Right!?!? I’ve kicked the husband out of the house to let me assemble in piece. He’s learned by now though, takes the girls out so everybody’s out of my way. There’s got to be a market to hire people like us.

cumbercougars Ok next question. What area in your life makes you feel the best and why?

sinnerwoman86 Easy. My kids obviously for one; and my volunteering/group work. I’ve managed to find an organization that treats their volunteers like gold, I LOVE heading into a shift when time comes.

My group is my second family, well the interior of it. There’s my costuming group that I adore, and then there’s the rest of the community ‘family’ at our events that make our charity efforts fun and amazing. Hell, we started a new tradition this year of doing a community geek dinner…best night of our last convention together.

cumbercougars That sound wonderful!

sinnerwoman86 It absolutely was!

cumbercougars What are you the most afraid of and why?

sinnerwoman86 Abandonment. I’m so attached to the people close to me that the thought of them all leaving me petrifies me.

cumbercougars What do you wish people would ask you?

sinnerwoman86 I wish people would ask me to take a few moments to myself. I don’t think I’ve stopped since I had my youngest.

cumbercougars That you have to demand I’m afraid :(

sinnerwoman86 Indeed. I take small solace that I begin vacation tomorrow and I can take some solitary walks after the girls go to bed.

cumbercougars What is your favorite comfort food?

sinnerwoman86 Pomegranates. All the pomegranates.

cumbercougars Hmm pomegranates…

sinnerwoman86 It’s almost Pomegranate season!!! :D

cumbercougars Last question. Mind you I’m one short because I realized two questions we’re too similar.

What is the one thing you are most passionate about and how do you act out on that passion?

sinnerwoman86 My geek interests. All of them. The obvious to those that know me would be Ghostbusters. How do I act it out? I’m the co-prez of a local Ghostbusters group. The whole shebang: we suit up, we gots the equipment, we gots the people and we gots the fans. And the best part is we do it for charity!

Sinnerwoman86 was a pleasure to converse with. What interview would be complete without a couple of photos. Here is the Ghostbuster Group in full costume posing with Ernie Hudson.  

And here is a sample of sinnerwoman86’s fine Sherlolly fan art.

https://sherlolly-fan-art.tumblr.com/post/136436701817/sinnerwoman86-the-works-days-about-to-start-and

I did very little editing wanting to keep this true to our conversation. I hope you readers had as much fun getting to know sinnerwoman86 a little better as I did. I hope to keep this going by interviewing more of you and the format might change as I become more adept at this.

Signing off

cumbercougars

[victoriazoey26]

Divorce and Domestic Violence

Divоrсе саn sometimes be a ѕсаrу and confusing time fоr anybody, but what about if dоmеѕtiс viоlеnсе iѕ involved on tор оf it? Abuse hарреnѕ to реорlе оn mаnу different levels, such as рhуѕiсаl, еmоtiоnаl, and psychological abuse. Mаnу fасtоrѕ will help determine what should hарреn in your divоrсе. Luckily we саn hеlр уоu understand the divorce process when dоmеѕtiс violence iѕ involved and what tо еxресt from it.

Understanding Divorce

Divоrсе is a separation where mаnу fасtоrѕ аrе determined. This саn include important matters like custody оf the children , child ѕuрроrt, parenting and viѕitаtiоn time, division of аѕѕеtѕ, alimony, and what hарреnѕ tо реrѕоnаl рrореrtу and the marital home. If your marriage involved dоmеѕtiс аbuѕе, уоu mау even be able tо receive an оrdеr fоr protection from аbuѕе from the judge. The court wants tо keep уоu frоm further hаrm еvеn though your marriage will be dissolved frоm hеrе оn out.

There аrе many tуреѕ оf аbuѕе that саn happen during a marriage. This саn include threatening to dеѕtrоу or hаrm ѕоmеthing that is valuable tо уоu, the victim. It саn аlѕо include causing harm or threatening tо hаrm the children оr аnу animals in the household to “get bасk at уоu.” If your marriage involves your children witness аbuѕе, prevent уоu from having thingѕ оf your own, оr obsessive соntrоl, уоu may be in a dоmеѕtiс viоlеnсе situation and need hеlр thrоugh уоur divоrсе, whеrе уоur spouse саn become еvеn more аgitаtеd аnd bе mоrе likеlу to play abuse tасtiсѕ.

VALUING YOUR BUSINESS WHEN GОING THROUGH A DIVОRСЕ

Whеn you аrе gоing thrоugh a divorce, there are ѕоmе mаin things that уоu рrоbаblу think about: сuѕtоdу, house аnd property division, and mоrе. Whаt happens if there iѕ a buѕinеѕѕ between you аnd уоur spouse? Then you рrоbаblу know thаt thеrе will соmе timе tо divide your business аnd thiѕ iѕ nоt аlwауѕ аѕ easy аѕ it ѕоundѕ. Eѕресiаllу in саѕеѕ where thе соurt determines thаt the business iѕ marital рrореrtу, you mау hаvе some ԛuеѕtiоnѕ. In Utаh, whiсh is a соmmunitу рrореrtу ѕtаtе, the vаluе mау bе ѕubjесt tо a 50-50 ѕрlit.

Vаluаtiоn of the Buѕinеѕѕ

Valuing the buѕinеѕѕ is thе first ѕtер in dеtеrmining how it should bе dividеd. In many саѕеѕ, your attorney will рrоbаblу tеll уоu to rеtаin a business valuation еxреrt, аnd in оthеr cases уоu and уоur ѕроuѕе may decide tо ѕрlit thе соѕt and аgrее tо ѕhаrе an expert. Hоwеvеr, if уоur spouse gоеѕ thrоugh with a buѕinеѕѕ vаluаtiоn оf their own, уоu don’t want tо entirely truѕt that оn уоur оwn because you nеvеr knоw if уоu аrе bеing dесеivеd, which iѕ ѕоmеthing уоu should tаlk to уоur attorney about.

There are many aspects thаt gо into business vаluаtiоn. Thе expert will lооk at thе finаnсiаl rесоrdѕ оf the business, which include рrоfit аnd lоѕѕ ѕtаtеmеntѕ over timе, аѕѕеtѕ, liabilities, саѕh flоw, оvеrhеаd, аnd customer gооd will. Many external fасtоrѕ will bе looked аt as well, including thе tуре аnd location of the buѕinеѕѕ, and есоnоmiс соnditiоnѕ thаt аffесt futurе рrоfitаbilitу.

You and your spouse will have tо work together tо communicate аftеr the buѕinеѕѕ has bееn evaluated. You muѕt ѕit down with your ѕроuѕе to dесidе оn how you want to deal with the buѕinеѕѕ such аѕ selling it for proceeds and dividing the amount between yourselves (you can also use our office or a neutral mediator to do this), or continuing to jоintlу run the buѕinеѕѕ following the divorce.

Free Consultation with Divorce Lawyer in Utah

If you have a question about divorce law or if you need to start or defend against a divorce case in Utah call Ascent Law at (801) 676-5506. We will help you.

Ascent Law LLC8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite CWest Jordan, Utah 84088 United StatesTelephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

Grandparents Rights in Utah for Custody and Visitation

Wrongful Incarceration

Loan Agreements

Expungement

Child Custody and Spousal Support

Bankruptcy Lawyer

Source: http://www.ascentlawfirm.com/divorce-and-domestic-violence/

from Securities Lawyer In Utah https://securitieslawyerinutah.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/divorce-and-domestic-violence/

[nancyedimick]

Appellate court upholds injunction against Trump’s revised travel ban

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump. Mar. 1, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

In a 10-3 decision today, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has upheld a trial court injunction against President Trump’s revised travel ban, temporarily barring citizens of six Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States. The text of the ruling is here.

Much of the court’s reasoning follows that of the two lower court rulings against the revised ban: the president’s order is unconstitutional because its supposed national security rationale is a pretext for the true purpose: discrimination against Muslims. Like the trial court rulings, Judge Gregory’s opinion for the Fourth Circuit relies on the President Trump’s many campaign statements advocating a “Muslim ban,” as well as more recent statements by both the president his advisers indicating that the first and second travel ban orders were outgrowths of this anti-Muslim campaign agenda. Even when Trump switched from an explicit ban on Muslims to a territorial focus, he avowed that the new proposal was not a rollback but an “expansion” of the old one. Significantly, as the court notes, both the president and top advisers emphasized that the second travel ban order (adopted after a series of court defeats for the first one) was merely a “watered down” continuation of “the same basic policy purpose” as its predecessor. “These statements,” Judge Gregory writes, “suggest that like EO-1, EO-2’s purpose is to effectuate the promised Muslim ban, and that its changes from EO-1 reflect an effort to help it survive judicial scrutiny, rather than to avoid targeting Muslims for exclusion from the United States.”

Because the statements by the president and his advisers are so extensive and clear, “[w]e need not probe anyone’s heart of hearts to discover the purpose of EO-2, for President Trump and his aides have explained it on numerous occasions and in no uncertain terms.”

For reasons I outlined here, campaign statements are entirely legitimate sources of evidence in cases of pretextual discrimination. Presidents and other politicians generally make substantial efforts to keep major campaign promises, and those promises are at least as probative of their intentions as statements made while in office. To ignore campaign statements in pretextual discrimination cases is to close judicial eyes to obvious political realities. In this case, as the Fourth Circuit notes, campaign statements are particularly relevant “because they are closely related in time, attributable to the primary decisionmaker, and specific and easily connected to the challenged action.” The court also rejects the government’s argument that taking account of Trump’s campaign statements would allow courts to examine any vaguely religious statements ever made by government officials:

For a past statement to be relevant to the government’s purpose, there must be a substantial, specific connection between it and the challenged government action. And here, in this highly unique set of circumstances, there is a direct link between the President’s numerous campaign statements promising a Muslim ban that targets territories, the discrete action he took only one week into office executing that exact plan, and EO-2, the “watered down” version of that plan that “get[s] just about everything,” and “in some ways, more….”

For similar reasons, we reject the Government’s argument that our review of these campaign statements will “inevitably ‘chill political debate during campaigns….’”

Not all —not even most—political debate will have any relevance to a challenged government action. Indeed, this case is unique not because we are considering campaign statements, but because we have such directly relevant and probative statements of government purpose at all.

I would add that the “chilling effect” argument makes little sense in a context where the supposedly “chilled” speakers do not suffer any loss of liberty or other individual rights, but merely limitations on their ability to wield the coercive powers of government while serving in public office. Any inquiry into the discriminatory motives of government officials might potentially “chill” their speech, because speech indicating a discriminatory motivation is inevitably going to be relevant evidence in such a case. To accept this argument would be to give the government a blank check to adopt ostensibly neutral policies whose true purpose is unconstitutional discrimination.

As the Fourth Circuit points out, pretextual discrimination cases arise in many contexts, including cases where facially neutral policies are adopted for the purpose of targeting groups on the basis of race, gender, and ethnicity, as well as religion. In all such cases, decision-makers’ statements may be probative evidence of their true purposes. If such scrutiny is often legitimate in cases where courts are evaluating legislation passed by Congress or a state legislature, they are even more defensible in this case. “This analysis is even more straightforward here,” Judge Gregory notes, “because we are not attempting to discern motive from many legislators’ statements,… but rather are looking primarily to one person’s statements to discern that person’s motive for taking a particular action once in office.”

The government has argued that campaign statements should not be considered because they occurred before the president took the oath of office, after which he has a different set of official responsibilities than before. But surely those statements are still relevant to how seriously he takes those responsibilities, and the purposes for which he intends to wield his power. The president does not become a completely different person on the day he takes office. Like all of us, he is often influenced by his previous commitments. Indeed, putting those commitments into action is one of the main purposes why politicians run for office in the first place.

Like earlier lower court rulings against Trump’s orders, the Fourth Circuit decision includes a strong response to the claim that it doesn’t discriminate against Muslims because it does not cover all Muslim-majority nations, but just some of them. It also emphasizes that the extreme weakness of the supposed national security rationale for the order reinforces the conclusion that the true purpose is discrimination. Judge Thacker’s concurring opinion (which relies only on post-inauguration statements as evidence of motive) has a more extensive discussion of these weaknesses, and how they undermine the government’s case.

Much of the government’s defense of the order focuses on the so-called “plenary power doctrine,” which allows the federal government to adopt policies in the immigration field that would be unconstitutional in virtually any other context. The court acknowledges the doctrine, but emphasizes that recent Supreme Court decisions indicate that there are limits to it:

But in another more recent line of cases, the Supreme Court has made clear that despite the political branches’ plenary power over immigration, that power is still “subject to important constitutional limitations,” Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678, 695 (2001), and that it is the judiciary’s responsibility to uphold those limitations…. These cases instruct that the political branches’ power over immigration is not tantamount to a constitutional blank check, and that vigorous judicial review is required when an immigration action’s constitutionality is in question.

While a 1972 Supreme Court decision holds that courts must defer to the government in a case where an immigration policy is “facially legitimate and bona fide,” the Fourth Circuit emphasizes that “the ‘bona fide’ requirement concerns whether the government issued the challenged action in good faith.” Here, good faith is lacking because extensive evidence shows that the official rationale for the order is a pretext for anti-Muslim discrimination.

Like the trial court decision it affirms, the Fourth Circuit bases its discrimination ruling on the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. In my view, the Free Exercise Clause would be a stronger basis for the decision. But the court’s analysis is consistent with Supreme Court Establishment Clause precedent.

In a concurring opinion joined by one other judge, Judge Barbara Milano Keenan argues that the president also lacked statutory authorization for his order, in addition to violating the Constitution.

The dissenting opinion by Judge Niemeyer, joined by two other judges, endorses most of the government’s arguments. The dissenters include all three Republican-appointed judges who heard the case (two others recused themselves). Chief Judge Gregory, who wrote the majority opinion, was originally nominated by President Bill Clinton; when his nomination stalled in the Senate, he was renominated by by George W. Bush, as part of an attempt to strike a deal with Democrats. I hope this does not presage a growing partisan or ideological split over this issue in the judiciary. Conservatives, no less than liberals, have good reason to support strong judicial scrutiny of seemingly neutral government policies whose true purpose is religious discrimination. But such partisan/ideological division may well grow.

Like most experts, I think it is quite likely that this case will ultimately end up in the Supreme Court. Today’s decision probably will not be the end of the legal battle over the travel ban. It is nonetheless an important victory for opponents of the travel ban. Like earlier judicial rulings against the second order, the Fourth Circuit ruling shows that the revised order is a lot more vulnerable to legal challenge than many commentators initially thought.

Originally Found On: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2017/05/25/appellate-court-upholds-injunction-against-trumps-revised-travel-ban/

[wolfandpravato]

Appellate court upholds injunction against Trump’s revised travel ban

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump. Mar. 1, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

In a 10-3 decision today, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has upheld a trial court injunction against President Trump’s revised travel ban, temporarily barring citizens of six Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States. The text of the ruling is here.

Much of the court’s reasoning follows that of the two lower court rulings against the revised ban: the president’s order is unconstitutional because its supposed national security rationale is a pretext for the true purpose: discrimination against Muslims. Like the trial court rulings, Judge Gregory’s opinion for the Fourth Circuit relies on the President Trump’s many campaign statements advocating a “Muslim ban,” as well as more recent statements by both the president his advisers indicating that the first and second travel ban orders were outgrowths of this anti-Muslim campaign agenda. Even when Trump switched from an explicit ban on Muslims to a territorial focus, he avowed that the new proposal was not a rollback but an “expansion” of the old one. Significantly, as the court notes, both the president and top advisers emphasized that the second travel ban order (adopted after a series of court defeats for the first one) was merely a “watered down” continuation of “the same basic policy purpose” as its predecessor. “These statements,” Judge Gregory writes, “suggest that like EO-1, EO-2’s purpose is to effectuate the promised Muslim ban, and that its changes from EO-1 reflect an effort to help it survive judicial scrutiny, rather than to avoid targeting Muslims for exclusion from the United States.”

Because the statements by the president and his advisers are so extensive and clear, “[w]e need not probe anyone’s heart of hearts to discover the purpose of EO-2, for President Trump and his aides have explained it on numerous occasions and in no uncertain terms.”

For reasons I outlined here, campaign statements are entirely legitimate sources of evidence in cases of pretextual discrimination. Presidents and other politicians generally make substantial efforts to keep major campaign promises, and those promises are at least as probative of their intentions as statements made while in office. To ignore campaign statements in pretextual discrimination cases is to close judicial eyes to obvious political realities. In this case, as the Fourth Circuit notes, campaign statements are particularly relevant “because they are closely related in time, attributable to the primary decisionmaker, and specific and easily connected to the challenged action.” The court also rejects the government’s argument that taking account of Trump’s campaign statements would allow courts to examine any vaguely religious statements ever made by government officials:

For a past statement to be relevant to the government’s purpose, there must be a substantial, specific connection between it and the challenged government action. And here, in this highly unique set of circumstances, there is a direct link between the President’s numerous campaign statements promising a Muslim ban that targets territories, the discrete action he took only one week into office executing that exact plan, and EO-2, the “watered down” version of that plan that “get[s] just about everything,” and “in some ways, more….”

For similar reasons, we reject the Government’s argument that our review of these campaign statements will “inevitably ‘chill political debate during campaigns….’”

Not all —not even most—political debate will have any relevance to a challenged government action. Indeed, this case is unique not because we are considering campaign statements, but because we have such directly relevant and probative statements of government purpose at all.

I would add that the “chilling effect” argument makes little sense in a context where the supposedly “chilled” speakers do not suffer any loss of liberty or other individual rights, but merely limitations on their ability to wield the coercive powers of government while serving in public office. Any inquiry into the discriminatory motives of government officials might potentially “chill” their speech, because speech indicating a discriminatory motivation is inevitably going to be relevant evidence in such a case. To accept this argument would be to give the government a blank check to adopt ostensibly neutral policies whose true purpose is unconstitutional discrimination.

As the Fourth Circuit points out, pretextual discrimination cases arise in many contexts, including cases where facially neutral policies are adopted for the purpose of targeting groups on the basis of race, gender, and ethnicity, as well as religion. In all such cases, decision-makers’ statements may be probative evidence of their true purposes. If such scrutiny is often legitimate in cases where courts are evaluating legislation passed by Congress or a state legislature, they are even more defensible in this case. “This analysis is even more straightforward here,” Judge Gregory notes, “because we are not attempting to discern motive from many legislators’ statements,… but rather are looking primarily to one person’s statements to discern that person’s motive for taking a particular action once in office.”

The government has argued that campaign statements should not be considered because they occurred before the president took the oath of office, after which he has a different set of official responsibilities than before. But surely those statements are still relevant to how seriously he takes those responsibilities, and the purposes for which he intends to wield his power. The president does not become a completely different person on the day he takes office. Like all of us, he is often influenced by his previous commitments. Indeed, putting those commitments into action is one of the main purposes why politicians run for office in the first place.

Like earlier lower court rulings against Trump’s orders, the Fourth Circuit decision includes a strong response to the claim that it doesn’t discriminate against Muslims because it does not cover all Muslim-majority nations, but just some of them. It also emphasizes that the extreme weakness of the supposed national security rationale for the order reinforces the conclusion that the true purpose is discrimination. Judge Thacker’s concurring opinion (which relies only on post-inauguration statements as evidence of motive) has a more extensive discussion of these weaknesses, and how they undermine the government’s case.

Much of the government’s defense of the order focuses on the so-called “plenary power doctrine,” which allows the federal government to adopt policies in the immigration field that would be unconstitutional in virtually any other context. The court acknowledges the doctrine, but emphasizes that recent Supreme Court decisions indicate that there are limits to it:

But in another more recent line of cases, the Supreme Court has made clear that despite the political branches’ plenary power over immigration, that power is still “subject to important constitutional limitations,” Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678, 695 (2001), and that it is the judiciary’s responsibility to uphold those limitations…. These cases instruct that the political branches’ power over immigration is not tantamount to a constitutional blank check, and that vigorous judicial review is required when an immigration action’s constitutionality is in question.

While a 1972 Supreme Court decision holds that courts must defer to the government in a case where an immigration policy is “facially legitimate and bona fide,” the Fourth Circuit emphasizes that “the ‘bona fide’ requirement concerns whether the government issued the challenged action in good faith.” Here, good faith is lacking because extensive evidence shows that the official rationale for the order is a pretext for anti-Muslim discrimination.

Like the trial court decision it affirms, the Fourth Circuit bases its discrimination ruling on the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. In my view, the Free Exercise Clause would be a stronger basis for the decision. But the court’s analysis is consistent with Supreme Court Establishment Clause precedent.

In a concurring opinion joined by one other judge, Judge Barbara Milano Keenan argues that the president also lacked statutory authorization for his order, in addition to violating the Constitution.

The dissenting opinion by Judge Niemeyer, joined by two other judges, endorses most of the government’s arguments. The dissenters include all three Republican-appointed judges who heard the case (two others recused themselves). Chief Judge Gregory, who wrote the majority opinion, was originally nominated by President Bill Clinton; when his nomination stalled in the Senate, he was renominated by by George W. Bush, as part of an attempt to strike a deal with Democrats. I hope this does not presage a growing partisan or ideological split over this issue in the judiciary. Conservatives, no less than liberals, have good reason to support strong judicial scrutiny of seemingly neutral government policies whose true purpose is religious discrimination. But such partisan/ideological division may well grow.

Like most experts, I think it is quite likely that this case will ultimately end up in the Supreme Court. Today’s decision probably will not be the end of the legal battle over the travel ban. It is nonetheless an important victory for opponents of the travel ban. Like earlier judicial rulings against the second order, the Fourth Circuit ruling shows that the revised order is a lot more vulnerable to legal challenge than many commentators initially thought.

Originally Found On: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2017/05/25/appellate-court-upholds-injunction-against-trumps-revised-travel-ban/