#tibbets point

[dailylighthouse]

Tibbets Point Lighthouse

Cape Vincent, New York, United States

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Constructed: 1854

Automated: 1981

Have a favorite lighthouse? Curious about lighthouses in general? Send an ask!

[aliensupersyn]

Part 4: Sukuna and the Inescapable Power of Nuclear War

Overall thesis for this project: Godzilla and Mothra create the cultural context of creatives using powerful monsters (or kaiju) to disrupt Japanese bureaucracy and society, usually to make some larger criticism.

Manga spoilers below!

Higuruma attempted to sentence Sukuna with the death penalty for the mass murder committed in Shibuya, but the lawyer failed to execute the punishment. Sukuna’s attack in Shibuya left a crater in the land of Japan and its social fabric. Neither the power of the law, nor the strongest sorcerer in the modern era, could defeat the King of Monsters.

Akutami illustrates the void left by Sukuna’s most powerful ability from the perspective of eyes watching from far above in the skies. Sukuna’s fiery power, Malevolent Shine: Furnace, perpetuates the fractalized image of annihilation tied to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. General Paul Tibbets, the aircraft caption of the Enola Gay (the aircraft carrying Little Boy), described what was left of Hiroshima by saying that “the city we had seen so clearly in the sunlight a few minutes before was now an ugly smudge. It had completely disappeared under this awful blanket of smoke and fire” (6). Akutami’s choice to depict Sukuna’s power as an explosion that left a similarly ugly smudge on Japan does many things at once, including providing the perspective of what a plane might see from high above Japan, almost as if it were flying away from the archipelago. I will not focus on the subject of artistic intent because the purpose of the connection that the image evokes lies in what it does. The page depicting Shibuya does show a smudge left where a city once existed.

Sukuna does revel in his malevolence. The omniscient narrator of JJK does describe Sukuna’s unique power as “truly divine.” Higuruma’s trial and failure to enact capital punishment reinforces the almighty power associated not only with Fat Man and Little Boy, Gojira (1954) and Godzilla, but also humanity and war; Sukuna’s character and the role he fulfills in JJK instantiates the unique malevolence of nuclear warfare. Law and legislation won’t be what stops the monster that is nuclear power. The state cannot execute a bomb falling from the sky, or the devastation that it causes

Notes:

The Most Fearsome Sight: The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima

Read the other parts for the context of not only my argument, but also the ways Gege expertly undercuts JJK with loads of political sentiments. Just search jjk on my blog.

I think this is the final installment of this series. I'm currently finishing the essay, and at this point, the language in it is no longer accessible in the way I aim for these posts. I don't like the idea of posting something filled with seemingly obtuse language. I don't feel like it would do any good to simplify these ideas any more than this post already does.

Thank you to all who followed and read this series of posts, and I hope that this post satisfies you. If not, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

[acrossthewavesoftime]

hiiiiiiii Radegonde 😤😤 can we get a prince and heretic post 🤑🤑 i need everyone here to know about Renée my angel (also more propaganda for mrs bowen🤌🤌🤌)

That, my friend, I can do! You wanted a post on Marjorie Bowen's work with a focus on Renée le Meung, the protagonist of two of Bowen's novels, which you shall have!

The author

Margaret Gabrielle Vere Long, also known as Marjorie Bowen. Photograph, cropped, undated, presumably 1910s, around the time she wrote her Dutch history novels.

Marjorie Bowen was the pen name of British writer Margaret Gabrielle Vere Long (1885-1952), whose novels were, in her time, quite well-read and critically acclaimed (she, for instance, received fan mail from one Arthur Conan Doyle), but are largely forgotten today. Under several pen names, the most prolific being that of Marjorie Bowen, Vere Long published novels and short stories ranging in genre from crime to ghost stories, to contemporary and historical fiction, with the latter making up the most extensive category of her work.

She published her first novel, The Viper of Milan, in 1906. Her first as much as her later later novels showcase her unique style of writing, which relies on rich, opulent, yet purple-prose-free descriptions that allow the setting to come to life, and a great deal of historical reasearch, into which she manages to weave a gripping fictional plot.

Marjorie Bowen and Dutch history: The William of Orange series

Following the successful launch of The Viper of Milan, Bowen published The Master of Stair (American title: The Glen O'Weeping) in 1907. This is the first novel featuring, if you will, a cameo appearance of the subject of her later, and perhaps best-known triology of novels on William of Orange (1650-1702). Revolving around the Glencoe Massacre, William, then King William III, features as some sort of antagonist to the hero of the story. While not coming across as well-written and multi-dimensional as in later novels, it is evident that Bowen had an interest in William III, which she, three years and much research later, would put to paper in another project, the William of Orange triology.

From 1910 to 1911, Bowen, published her arguably most famous work, the William of Orange triology (I Will Maintain (1910); Defender of the Faith and God and the King (both 1911)), which went through a double-digit number of editions in the 1910s alone.

While Bowen is strongly sympathetic to her protagonist, William of Orange (1650-1702), to the point that she may have somewhat identified with him on account of her 'outsider' nature within her own family, something she saw reflected in the historical William of Orange (see e. g. Tibbets, John C.: The Furies of Marjorie Bowen (2019), p. 70, which includes an analysis of the series including potential autobiographic links), whom she researched with astonishing detail, she does not necessarily write William as a sympathetic character, which given the time of Bowen's writing her series would presumably have been an expected characterisation within the idiological frame of British imperialism (which does show in other ways, Bowen and her books being a product of their time), but rather depicts him as a flawed, driven and profoundly lonely man who in the end leaves the reader to question if perhaps he overreached his initial achievements, and personal happiness, in a quest for ever more and ultimately inobtainable glory.

Another interesting feature of the series is Bowen's realistic depiction of William of Orange's chronic illnesses, particularly his asthma.

The novels' most striking quality is however that William of Orange was written as what we might call distinctly neurodivergent and very likely asexual, which is intriguing, taking into account that even the term autism was not yet introduced into scientific language until 1911, when the second and third novels were published.

Three years after the release of volume 2 and 3 of the William of Orange triology, Bowen, presumably as a sort of prequel to the William of Orange novels, turned her head to write two novels about the first William of Orange (1533-1584), great-grandfather to the man she portrayed in the 1910-1911 triology through his youngest son Frederick William, and the latter's son, another William.

Prince and Heretic (1914) and William, by Grace of God (1916) (...and Renée)

The face Renée le Meung cannot resist

This time, the focus lies not so much on a historical figure cast as main character as on a fictional protagonist who skirts the edges of (this) William's orbit: her name is Renée le Meung, a young, exiled Dutchwoman orphaned by the religious persecution of the counter-reformation in the Spanish Netherlands who earns her upkeep by working in the household of princess Anna of Saxony, a wilful, vain and youthfully immature German princess set to marry William of Orange.

It is in Anna's retinue that Renée comes into some measure of contact with William whom she is at first infatuated, then downright obsessed with, both romantically, and increasingly politically as the tensions between William of Orange and the Spanish Habsburgs are about to culminate in the Eighty Years' War.

With her prequel duology to the William (III) of Orange series, Bowen followed a very similar recipe as with the novels in the triology; again, her main character is a socially isolated, lonely orphan mainly carried through life by their personal faith who sees themself as being not like their peers.

Renée's character can, somewhat tongue-in-the-cheek, be summed up as what would happen if Victor Hugo's Éponine Thénardier had been a 16th century monarchist with access to that one Radiohead song (you know the one).

Over the course of two novels, Renée's life from young adulthood to middle age is laid out, her fortunes, by her own choice, ever-intertwined with those of William of Orange.

She endures physical abuse at the hands of his first wife, endears herself to William's mother, jealously eyes his subsequent wives, some of whom she ends up working for, travels around to be close to him, and gives up on a number of opportunties that would have allowed her the possibilities of a less strenuous life, perhaps even love, and a family of her own.

Oh, the awkwardness of almost confessing your crush to... his mother!

Her most outlandish show of devotion to the man she idolises comes into being when she adopts an orphaned baby whose father died in a battle William also lost two brothers in, and whom the local and rather patriotic parson had christened Wilhelmina in honour of William.

Ironically, Renée's life seems to take a turn for the healthier once she takes on the responsibility of caring for little Wilhelmina; she starts socialising, no longer considers herself lonely as she has developed a newfound interest in life, and dotes on her foster daughter- only to, at the next possible moment, slink off to stand under William's window in the small hours of the morning again once the opportunity materialises (but not without arranging for a child minder for her daughter in the mean time).

Renée is very normal. Very normal. Nothing to see here.

Sadly however, things cannot go on like this forever...

Final thoughts

Bowen's novels are enjoyably written historical fiction and easily accessible being in the public domain. They're products of their time, of course, but Bowen surprises the reader by her choice of main characters who often astonish, rather than confirm the reader's expectations of the genre: her main characters are autistic war criminals and celebrity-stalking single mothers in thorougly-researched and sumptuously described historical settings, offering a refreshing take on the genre.

When they were first published, Bowen's novels were marketed as "historical romances", which could not be further from the truth; while love, and the humanity and self-discovery inherent in loving another person are themes explored with both Renée and William III in the 5 Dutch history novels, Renée's unrequited devotion to the man she loves remains unspoken, unacted upon, and only in the third volume of the triology does romantic love feature for William III through the experience of losing his wife, and having to live with the knowledge that he made many mistakes in an initially difficult relationship.

While I am personally not averse to the odd historical romance novel, I enjoy the fact that Bowen's historical fiction veers off the beaten path here: her novels are not so much about finding a perfect happily-ever-after, but living in a world of difficulty, and the different shapes relationships, and consequentially, love, can take over time, and how they alter the people involved; William III discovers that life is about more than conquering and sticking it to France as he, looking back on their marriage, at last seeks Mary II's forgiveness for his past behaviour around her when they were newlyweds and Renée, through all odds, gains the attention, and, within the possibilities of their vastly different social status, even confidence and friendship of the man she secretly loves.

If William III's quest for glory, and Renée le Meung's quest for love (or at least being close to the man she loves) have one thing in common, it is that in the end, a goal, the fantasy of a happy end, inobtainable even perhaps, does not matter so much as the path life sends one on, and what we choose to make of it.

I can only warmly recommend Bowen from the comparatively few novels of hers I have read so far!

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

The mission was led by Colonel Paul Tibbets, who had flown the lead B-17 - “Butcher Shop” - on the first combat mission flown by the Eighth Air Foprce three years earlier on August 17, 1942. The crew included copilot Robert Lewis, bombardier Tom Ferebee, navigator Theodore Van Kirk, and tail gunner Robert Caron.

Pilot Paul Tibbets: “We turned back to look at Hiroshima. The city was hidden by that awful cloud… boiling up, mushrooming, terrible and incredibly tall. No one spoke for a moment; then everyone was talking. I remember (copilot Robert) Lewis pounding my shoulder, saying ‘Look at that! Look at that! Look at that!’ (Bombardier) Tom Ferebee wondered about whether radioactivity would make us all sterile. Lewis said he could taste atomic fission. He said it tasted like lead.”

Navigator Theodore Van Kirk recalled the shockwaves from the explosion: “(It was) very much as if you’ve ever sat on an ash can and had somebody hit it with a baseball bat… The plane bounced, it jumped and there was a noise like a piece of sheet metal snapping. Those of us who had flown quite a bit over Europe thought that it was anti-aircraft fire that had exploded very close to the plane.” On viewing the atomic fireball: “I don’t believe anyone ever expected to look at a sight quite like that. Where we had seen a clear city two minutes before, we could now no longer see the city. We could see smoke and fires creeping up the sides of the mountains.”

Tail gunner Robert Caron: “The mushroom itself was a spectacular sight, a bubbling mass of purple-gray smoke and you could see it had a red core in it and everything was burning inside. As we got farther away, we could see the base of the mushroom and below we could see what looked like a few-hundred-foot layer of debris and smoke and what have you… I saw fires springing up in different places, like flames shooting up on a bed of coals.”

Six miles below, the people of Hiroshima were waking up and preparing for their daily routines. Up to that point, the city had been largely spared by the rain of conventional air bombing that had ravaged other Japanese cities. Rumors abounded why this was so, from the fact that many Hiroshima residents had emigrated to the U.S. to the supposed presence of President Truman’s mother in the area. Many citizens, including schoolchildren, were recruited to prepare for future bombings by tearing down houses to create fire lanes, and it was at this task that many were laboring or preparing to labor on the morning of August 6. A radio broadcast announced the sighting of the Enola Gay soon after 0800.

The city of Hiroshima was annihilated by the explosion. 70,000 of 76,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and 48,000 of those were entirely razed.

Medical doctor Michihiko Hachiya: “Nothing remained except a few buildings of reinforced concrete… For acres and acres the city was like a desert except for scattered piles of brick and roof tile. I had to revise my meaning of the word destruction or choose some other word to describe what I saw. Devastation may be a better word, but really, I know of no word or words to describe the view.”

Writer Yoko Ota: “I reached a bridge and saw that the Hiroshima Castle had been completely leveled to the ground, and my heart shook like a great wave; the grief of stepping over the corpses of history pressed upon my heart.”

TCinLA

[pigeonrocks]

the amount of times I've changed the relationship between Nutmeg & Joshua *is* crazy but like. for rn it's at the point where everything makes sense.

tldr: Nutmeg was imprisoned for like. betraying the state effectively - or something like that, don't remember the word right now. this is like immediately after the first battle of hoover dam and something starts somewhere that he's working with the legion, all this evidence & everything. and blah blah, it sucks. he's in jail because they think hes *specifically* working with the Malpais Legate. and he just grows the *worst* sort of obsessive hate attachment to him. its kinda crazy!

Anyway, HM (Hanged Man, not typing all that rn) is his first ally when he escapes Tibbets, when he first breaks the chains to his shackles (literally) and goes to sort everything out that he can.

to make a long story short! Nutmeg finds out from Bishop Mordecai that his best friend - is the same exact man that has ruined his life completely, that made it impossible for him to see his children, for him to go home, to continue with his family's NCR based legacy (he was a ranger too. he was very proud of that.) and for it all to be gone? are you kidding?? Angry isn't even the word to describe his reaction, but all that affection and attachment he had before rots and warps into being horrific.

It's a whole thing, and Nutmeg never forgives Joshua ever. He almost kills him, he's so angry at this part in the story bc Nutmeg is grappling with the fact that he is dying, that nothing is going to work for long enough to keep him alive, that at this point it's better for him to be a distant memory to his loved ones to not infect them aswell. He's having the worst time with the new plague and finds out he's kept the source of all his problems in arms length. of course he's angry & curses him. and of course I'm going to be using religious imagery & fitting bible quotes. its joshua graham, of course im doing that. it's a given.

[russellian-j]

Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 with images, n2855 ( Aug. 25, 2024)

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 first brought the possibility of nuclear war to the attention of men of science and even of some few politicians. A few months after the bombing of the two Japanese cities, I made a speech in the House of Lords pointing out the likelihood of a general nuclear war and the certainty of its causing universal disaster if it occurred. I forecast and explained the making of nuclear bombs of far greater power than those used upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki, fusion as against the old fission bombs, the present hydrogen bombs in fact. 　Source：The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell, v.3 chap. 1: Return to England, 1969 　More info.: https://russell-j.com/beginner/AB31-030.HTM

a brief comment The Boeing B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb (Little Boy) on Hiroshima was nicknamed ‘Enola Gay’ (the name of the mother of the captain, Colonel Paul Tibbets). It seems that the mother (Enola Gay) was lightly ‘glued’ to the idea of dropping (giving birth to) her son (Little Boy = Colonel Tibbets) on Hiroshima, and was not at all aware that a single atomic bomb would kill hundreds of thousands of people. Or perhaps they were aware of it, but were conscious that mass murdering the Japs, a yellow race inferior to their own, was no big deal in order to save the lives of the American people?

[designaday]

Ultimate Playlist: Women’s Names, D-E

Dani California by Red Hot Chili Peppers This song narrates the life of a woman born in Mississippi who robs a bank in Indiana and is shot by a man from North Dakota on her way to Minnesota. Dani is a character in two other songs, including Californication.

1985 by Bowling or Soup Debbie is a middle-age soccer mom who is unhappy with her average life. Her kids think she's uncool, because she’s still preoccupied with 1985.

Hey There Delilah by Plain White T’s Tom Higgenson wrote the song about his crush, Delilah DiCrescenzo, who had turned him down. It was the band’s first major hit, and Delilah had to deal with the popularity of the song, knowing it was about her.

Desirée by Neil Diamond A man remembers the night he lost his virginity to a prostitute.

Jack and Diane by John Mellencamp Based on the 1962 Tennessee Williams film, Sweet Bird of Youth, this is Mellencamp’s most successful song. It was selected as one of the RIAA’s songs of the century.

Hello Dolly sung by Barbara Streisand, written by Jerry Herman This song from the Oscar-winning film by the same name (based on the broadway production of the same name, based on a play titled The Matchmaker) also feature Louis Armstrong.

dorothea by Taylor Swift What’s Taylor’s deal with not capitalizing names? At any rate, this song is about a “girl who left her small town to chase down Hollywood dreams,”

Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners According to Kevin Rowland, one of the songwriters, Eileen “was composite, to make a point about Catholic repression.” Regardless, we’ll hum this tune forever.

Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles McCartney was inspired by an old lady who lived alone that he would go shopping for. Her stories influenced his songwriting, though the name Eleanor Rigby was pieced together from the actress Eleanor Bron and the store Rigby & Evens Ltd. in Bristol.

Emily by Elton John I dearly love this song. I love singing it at the top of my lungs. The haunting melody and tragic lyrics of the verses burst into a chorus full of hope and the promise of relief in the afterlife.

For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her by Simon & Garfunkel While the words of the song describe a dream of finding a lover, Paul Simon explained that it was about a belief, rather than a specific woman.

When Emma Falls in Love by Taylor Swift The singer expresses her admiration for a friend as she falls in and out of love.

Enola Gay by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Named after the B-29 Superfortress bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, this anti-war song reflects on the decision to use the bomb. The plane was named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets.

Requiem For Evita/Oh What A Circus by Andrew Lloyd Webber The opening song from the musical Evita features the character Che singing about the spectacle of First Lady Eva Perón’s death and casting her as a fraud.

[chaosintheavenue]

Let's queue up a little bit of Tibbsposting for his third IRL birthday!

(That sounds really odd written out, but it's true lol- after existing as a placeholder Prisoner for a couple of years, he randomly came forward and introduced himself to me on July 18th 2020!)

So, first up, a quick introduction. Tibbs (not his real name) is my Van Buren Prisoner OC. His deal in a nutshell is that he's just Some Guy who always finds himself in the right place at the right time but on the wrong side of fortune, tries to help people but ends up accidentally making the situation 115 times worse, trips over his own feet daily... yeah, on the whole he doesn't get a very easy time of his questing life. But what he does get is a metric ton of companions to help out! He eventually manages to amass his own wandering settlement, made up of...

Most of the canon planned companions. He doesn't have Arcade, Christina Royce, the Hanged Man or Kurisu, but other than that, anyone and everyone is here

Almost all of the other prisoners that would have had to be collected throughout the game also travel around with him. This is probably because the alternative he offers them is to be re-imprisoned in properly secured cells until a cure is found. The one exception who wasn't given the option of travelling with the group (thanks to intentionally trying to evade Tibbs even after knowing the Situation, and happily lying to his face multiple times) is Daniel

All of the Boulder scientists and truckers

Akeisha Moon, whose intended role in the game kind of confuses me lol. She's not one of the original prisoners in my canon, but does end up in Tibbets briefly during the plot

A few additional OC robots

Within this massive group, there are several smaller subgroups at different points in time. For most of the storyline, the camp is divided in two by whether they're Plague carriers or not. And then within that there are a few other groups that form:

Aside from Xian, the Boulder scientists keep to their little science-mobile and don't really associate with anyone else. They do have a different Plague strain, though, so fair enough if that's their rationale

The prisoners are a looser group, but they do also tend to stick together more often than not

The first four members of the group (Tibbs himself, Battery, Alexandra and Xian) are pretty close-knit. Once Measles arrives on the scene, he tries to become Battery's 'cool new best buddy' and have the two of them together 24/7, and so Battery slowly finds himself somewhat prised away and isolated from his previous associations

The trucker family from the Boulder Dome don't exactly keep to themselves, but of course they see themselves as a unit

So, in summary, their group camp is crowded and just Chaotic. There's more than one pair of people who legitimately want to kill each other living side by side, and somehow it all works out (well, for the most part).

[capewolfe]

Tibbets Point Lighthouse, Cape Vincent, NY.

[wickedlyqueer]

i've been thinking of starting the wicked novels. have you read all 4 novels? are they worth the read?

I have read all 4 novels, yes. And whether they are worth it or not... heavily depends on what you want to get out of them tbh.

WHAT TO PREPARE FOR:

dense prose that clearly has its roots in post-modernism. If you're not willing to read long sentences that begin with a deep analogy for racism and end with some sort of sexual innuendo or disturbing event, this is going to be a hard read for you.

Just. So much sexual stuff. which ironically enough you can also easily read over. (The second time I picked up on it sooo much more than the first time reading it. but in my asexual defense, how tf should i have known what "dragonsnaked" meant).

Similarly to the bullet point above: you can easily read over incredibly important plot points. This is because Maguire sometimes doesn't bother to elaborate; skips years within a single sentence; and is unforgiving to the mind who wanders while reads. There's a reason my notes look like this:

No consistency in character arcs whatsoever. This isn't your average fanfic or even YA novel. Just to put it into perspective: the book is called "The Life And Times of the Wicked Witch of the West". Which is just "Elphaba's Life". But Elphaba barely focalizes (her point of view), and when she does, it's at a point in the book where she's starting to lose her goddamn mind, so there's always a sense of an "unreliable narrator". So just know going in that the politics of Oz have the center, and especially in the later books all characters start to blend together, with a similar tone of voice and sense of humor.

Maguire—bless him and may god help him—cannot write women. He tries, he really does, but anything about the women anatomy is so unappealingly written and I was not the least bit surprised to learn he's gay lmao. He also has a tendency to turn women (especially when they get older) into "waifs". When in the fourth book he describes Glinda as being sad she never got kids I wanted to scream and rip my fucking hair out. Glinda Upland of the Arduenna Clan would never want to be a mother. She'd fucking hate it. And I'll forever hold it against Maguire for ever having suggested otherwise. (He also did something similar to one of my favorite side characters in the second book; Sister Apothecaire. She gets an absolute character assassination by the fourth book).

The biggest "reveal" in book four was literally spoiled by the family tree in the beginning of the book. 🤦 so there's a built up for like 300 pages and all the while you're like "WE KNOW!! WE ALREADY KNOW!!" which made book 4 a particularly frustrating experience imo.

WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO:

Understanding fanfics and other fan work much better. A lot of fanfic is based on a mix of musical and book ("booksical"). Even minor characters like Pfannee, Shenshen, Milla, Crope & Tibbet, will make an appearance, even when a fic is more musical based. This was the reason I decided to read the books too back in the day.

Also understanding (popular) interpretations in fanfics better. Like. I tend to write Elphaba as intersex, non-binary and bisexual. That looks very out of the blue when you only have the musical's context, where Elphaba is played by mostly feminine women. But once you read the book you look at those same headcanons and go "word".

Delicious gelphie (sub)text is there, if you want to look for it. But you do have to look for it (twas written in the 90s, lads).

Very queer, actually! And not just in the sense of like "there's a lesbian couple" like we see nowadays in media, but it's just... present. This is written by a gay man, and it shows. You can see queerness popping up everywhere. There's a lot of sexuality and gender stuff going on. And even though nobody goes "I am a trans man" or whatever, you sometimes read stuff and go "that's gender dysphoria babe, idk what to tell ya"

Once you get used to Maguire's writing style... he actually can write some pretty gorgeous prose and he writes with a lot of wit. I like his sense of sharp (dark) humor.

WORLD BUILDING! I honestly just read the other three books for world building for my own fics, more than anything.

FINAL VERDICT:

I do generally recommend reading at least the first book. Especially the first half of the book is just so solid. There's a reason why "Shiz Era" is so beloved in this fandom. Easily the best chapters out of the entire series. It gives so much more backstory to the musical (and bigger Oz lore). The latter half drags on imo, but that's also kinda the point?

The other three books..... depends. I read them for my world building in my fanfics. And I honestly found the second book to be rather cathartic, because it really goes through the motions of mourning Elphaba and that's what I kinda needed after the devastating ending of the first book, but I've heard other people say book 2 was their least favorite.

Basically. If Maguire hasn't utterly broken your spirit by the first book, the other three books still have plenty of joys in them. (For instance, I fucking love Nor. and whenever Glinda shows up in the sequels, it's always the biggest joy ever!)

Usually I describe the novels as such: "I didn't enjoy reading them, but I sure am glad I've read them."

[witch-city]

leap of faith

marvel masterlist | marvel headcanons | navigation

natasha romanoff x reader

word count: 717 words

a/n: first nat fic! yay! also, i ofc had to do something nice with her (cuz she's dead lmao sorry). enjoy :)

warnings: literally none, this is pure fluff

requests are open!

Today was finally the day. You had been planning this for what felt like your entire life. Though it wasn't your original intention, everything just came together as if it were meant to be. Perhaps it was meant to be. That's what you thought anyways.

It was a brisk morning in upstate New York when your plan would finally come into play. You woke up early and began getting ready, picking out your clothes and setting them on a chair in the corner of your bedroom. As you got out of the shower and headed back into the room you shared with your girlfriend, Natasha, you watched as she sat up, rubbing her tired green eyes.

"Morning, baby. Get up, I'm taking you to breakfast," you whispered to her before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Groggily, she got out of bed and headed straight into the bathroom.

Nearly half an hour later, both of you were dressed and ready to go. So, with an ocean of nervousness in your head and a small box in your pocket, you led her to the car.

"What's the occasion?"

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to get out of the complex and spend some time with you."

Nat smiled at your explanation, her eyes lingering on you as you pulled out of the parking lot and drove away. You were pretty quiet on the drive, but you just had so much on your mind. You could barely concentrate on driving, much less having a conversation. Nevertheless, the two of you just relished in each others' presence.

Pulling into the lot at Tibbets Point Lighthouse, you and Nat stepped out of the car. "We had our first date here...and last time I checked, there isn't a breakfast place around here. What are we really doing?" You refused to answer her question and instead took her hand, leading her out towards the water.

In the sand was a grouping of rocks in the shape of a heart. Each one was painted differently, some with intricate designs and others with simple shapes. Once you stood inside the heart, you took her hands in yours, taking a deep breath. It was finally time to that that final jump, that leap of faith.

"Natasha, I brought you here on our first date, and we kissed right here on the beach. It was all pretty weird considering we hated each other in the beginning. But despite that, against all odds, here we are." She looked deep into your eyes, desperately trying to figure out what you were doing, why you were saying all of this.

"You know, when you and I first met, I thought to myself, no way in hell could I ever fall for a woman like that," you dropped one of her hands, reaching to grab the little box in your back pocket. "But again, here we are."

Taking a deep breath, you dropped her other hand and said, "When we first began dating, you told me that you need faith to survive, otherwise, you have nothing. I think I'm ready to take that leap of faith. With you." You got down onto one knee, cradling the now open box with the utmost care. Inside was a beautiful ring with a simple, yet breathtaking diamond.

"Natasha Romanoff, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

She didn't waste any time to answer, practically squeaking out an overjoyed "yes!" With that, you jumped up and pulled her into a tight hug, so incredibly happy for her to have said 'yes.' After a moment of pure joy, she pulled away, looking at the ring still nestled comfortably in the box. You gently picked it up, taking her left hand and sliding it onto her ring finger.

Once you finally looked up from her hand, you saw a tear rush down her cheek. And of course, that made you cry too. The redhead pulled you back into a tight hug, each of you crying the happiest tears into the other's shoulder.

"I love you."

"If words could express how much I love you, I wouldn't have to do this," she replied, pressing her soft lips to yours as she placed a hand on your cheek. Nothing could be more perfect than this.

[eurofox]

I hate every time a woman goes missing fuck wit men come out with their safety tips as if we all don't already know them.

You could walk home along a busy road on a sunny day and get snatched by man in front of someone and murdered. Because he felt like it and you were there. That's what happened to Jastine Valdez.

You can go out with two 14 year old classmates to hang out and end up being raped and battered to death. Like Ana Kriegel.

You can meet someone on a tinder date, keeping in touch with a friend the whole time and end up strangled with people going through your private sexual history at your murder trial. Like Grace Millane.

You can go out and play golf on a sunny day and a man who'd been telling people he wanted to rape a woman can come and do just that. Like Celia Barquin.

Or you can go out for a run in the afternoon and a man will start following you. When you threaten to phone the police he kills you. Like mollie tibbets (and several others).

You can get a taxi home after a night out gets out of hand and then be raped and murdered by a man looking for woman, any woman to do that too. He will then try and say you wanted it and he was only helping. Like Libby Squire.

You can be nearly 70 and a man will snatch you off the street in the morning, stuff you in a car boot and repeatedly slam the truck on your legs when you won't cooperate. Like the anonymous woman in Ireland last year who got a happier ending then most as a passerby caught him in the act.

Or you can obey the lockdown rules and get murdered by your husband years who was 'anxious' about the pandemic. 2 women in the UK so far.

Or you can be Sarah Everard and just fucking walk home, while speaking to your boyfriend and get kidnapped and murdered

There's gonna be the usual 'reclaim the night' campaigns, loads of tweets one side calling for men to do better, the other complaining 'not all men', some vigils, thinkpieces on how every woman has been harassed at some point but no man knows any dodgy characters and the aforementioned safety tips. Maybe some woman will bitterly joke about men having a curfew and people will take it seriously and go apeshit.

Then it will all die down until the next high profile case.

[theotherjourney7]

"We're going back in time a little for the next hour or so. I am going to live-tweet the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, which occurred on 6 August 1945. Exactly 75 years ago.

This is a sad, horrific day but we need to remember it.

T-1 hour. The bombers are en route, having taken off from Tinian. B-29 Superfortresses, the plane that carries the atomic device - Little Boy - is the Enola Gay. The name was after the pilot, Col. Paul Tibbets MOTHER. Taken from the usual pilot for the mission.

She was only named on 5 August.

They set off about 4 1/2 hours ago. The Enola Gay's callsign is Dimples 82. There are 6 other planes: three for weather recon over targets, one strike obs, one spare.

Enola Gay picks up a message from Dimples 85: "Straight Flush". The plane's job is to assess cloud over Hiroshima.

"Cloud cover less than 3/10th at all altitudes. Advice: bomb primary."

Hiroshima will be the target.

Down below, the city has just sounded the all-clear.

The mission includes one future Nobel prize winner. Accompanying Enola Gay is The Great Artiste, which will do measurements of the blast. On board is Luis Alvarez, who will win the Physics prize in 1968 for developing the hydrogen bubble chamber.

The bomb is a uranium atomic weapon, a type that has never been detonated before: the first test was a plutonium, more powerful, 'Fat Man' bomb. Little Boy is a misnomer, though: the bomb weighs 9700 pounds and is around 3m long.

It is already armed.

Tibbets has ordered no formation flying. The planes with him - Great Artiste and (I am not making this name up) Necessary Evil, are just in visual range.

The Sun is up now. They are slowly rising to about 31,000 feet. On board, the crew says very little.

In Hiroshima, people are beginning their day. They do not know about atomic weapons. It is HQ of General Hata's 2nd Army, controlling the defence of southern Japan. Around 350,000 people live here.

The target of the bomb is the strange, T-shaped Aioi Bridge in the city heart.

T-30 minutes. On board Enola Gay, the mission commander, William "Deak" Parsons, does the final arming, removing the safety devices that could have caused it to detonate if it crashed on take-off. The duty falls to his assistant, Morris Jeppson.

There are 12 men on board. Only one of them, Robert Lewis, is keeping a minute-by-minute account.

Japan comes into view. For Navigator "Dutch" Van Kirk, it is the first and only mission he will fly over the country.

The Enola Gay's flightpath goes over the island of Shikoku and on to Hiroshima. The city becomes clear into view about 50 miles out.

It's a beautiful day.

A total of 3,243 troops have begun physical training in the ground of Hiroshima Castle.

They will all be dead in 15 minutes.

T-13 minutes. Bombardier Thomas Ferebee, in the nose, recognises Hiroshima. He asks Dutch, who confirms they have the target. They will make their bomb run shortly.

T-6 minutes. Ferebee takes control of the plane. The Enola Gay has begun its bombing run. Only Ferebee, Tibbets and Parsons know what the bomb can do: everyone else has been given black goggles and told to expect a flash.

This is what Hiroshima looks like from the air.

Eizō Nomura, is working in a concrete basement of the Rest House, about 200m from where the blast will happen. He will be the closest survivor of the atomic bomb attack.

The other 36 people in the building above him will die.

T-2 minutes. Tibbets begins to count down to his crew.

The worst weapon in history will soon be used.

"10...9...8...7..."

8.15am 6 August 1945. Enola Gay releases the atomic bomb.

It will take 43 seconds to reach the ground. It is already caught in a crosswind and will miss the target. Enola Gay veers upward and immediately begins a 160-degree turn to escape.

The bomb misses its target, and detonates directly over the Shima Surgical Clinic. It releases 16 kilotons of energy, levelling everything in a mile’s radius of the blast. There is a flash… then a blast. Then death.

Within a four-mile radius, fires rage.

Devestation. Carnage. Thousands die instantly. Thousands more will die soon. Around 70% of Hiroshima’s buildings are destroyed. Among the casualties is the mayor, killed instantly while eating breakfast with his son and granddaughter.

Enola Gay is buffeted by the explosion, the men in the flight cabin dazzled like ‘a photographer’s bulb going off’. They continue to fly away, in an arc northeast then southeast of the city. From their vantage point, they see only dust and smoke, “like a pot black, boiling tar.”

On the ground, the death toll is catastrophic. Many more are severely injured, such as from thermal flash burns. Already a firestorm has begun to sweep through Hiroshima. There is no one to help: 90% of the city’s doctors and nurses are casualties themselves.

At the Red Cross Hospital, only one doctor, Terufumi Sasaki, is able to remain on duty and help survivors.

Yoshie Oka, a high school student, messages Fukuyama HQ: “Hiroshima has been attacked by a new type of bomb. The city is in a state of near-total destruction."

Field Marshal Hata is only slightly wounded and trying to take control but many of his staff are dead.

12 American airmen are imprisoned in the city. Eight die instantly; two are executed; two are badly wounded and left to be stoned to death next to Aioi Bridge.

The mushroom cloud has begun to form over the city. On the outskirts, fires rage. Tibbets, exhausted, hands over controls and decides to take a nap. Enola Gay returns safely to base and will arrive at 3pm.

In the carnage, a firestorm has begun (pictured).

In total, 20,000 Japanese soldiers and 70-120,000 civilians will lose their life. It is the worst death toll caused by a single weapon in history.

Three days later, a more powerful bomb will be dropped on Nagasaki.

Please remember why we do not use these weapons.

This has been a very horrible to write but it is important we remember.

This story needs to be told, shared, and memorialised.

Lest we forget.

For those wondering, Enola Gay is currently a museum display at the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport in Virginia, US (part of the Smithsonian).”-Kit Chapman

[gregorygerwitz]

hi hi hi it’s me again! i went on a prompt search and found ‘Distracting kisses from someone that are meant to stop the other person from finishing their work, and give them kisses instead’ and immediately thought tibbetchase because yes

something something modern AU where the boys can be happy and not *gestures to canon*

42. distracting kisses from someone that are meant to stop the other person from finishing their work, and give them kisses instead

Trying to stay focused on the laptop perched on his knees, Chase frowned and bit his lip. He'd taken all of the pictures he needed almost a whole week and a half before, and the hard part of his job was done. All he had to do, now, was make sure the lighting wasn't horrible and pick which ones to send to his editor, who would fix things up and decide on the layout for the article. It was the same thing he did with every project, the same routine that was so easy to fall into.

Except, in this particular instance, his ability to focus on his work was directly competing with the humming from the other end of the couch. It wasn't a bad sound, just distracting, like everything else that had to do with the man who was making the noise.

For almost a year, James Tibbet had been staying at his apartment while he got his feet under him. Moving all the way across the country wasn't easy, after all, and it certainly wasn't cheap. Staying with a friend had been a logical choice, and Chase was the only friend he had who actually had a place of his own - he had a job, and an apartment, and a savings account, and all those things stable adults had, things that James himself had no hope of seeing any time soon. After ten months, he was still working his same restaurant job, waiting tables and coming home smelling like burnt coffee, and he was still crashing on his friend's couch.

Actually, it had been a while since he'd slept on the couch, and even longer since Chase had been just his friend, but that wasn't really the point.

With a sigh, Chase looked away from the screen and turned his head to address the tune coming from the other cushion. Blank Space was a good song, he knew that, and he agreed with that, but he’d been listening to a hummed variation of the chorus for the last ten minutes, and he would do anything for a skip button. He’d even take Shake It Off, at this point.

“James...”

When his boyfriend stopped humming, there was a glint of something in his eyes. Pride, maybe? That was there a good majority of the time. “Yeah, Mo’?”

“I’m working.” He lifted the laptop a few inches and gave it a small shake to provide a visual for his point. “Can you go hum somewhere for like... half an hour? I’ll come get you as soon as I’m done and we can order dinner from that Chinese place down the street. I just really have to finish this.”

For his part, James seemed to really consider the idea, letting out a low, thoughtful sound. And, for a moment, he was naïve enough to think he might actually get a little bit of time to focus. He should have known better. 

“No.”

Chase let out a sigh, closing his eyes for a few moments. “Fine, but that just means it's going to take twice as long for me to finish this." He shook his head, turning his attention back to the screen to make another attempt at focus. It probably wouldn't last long, but he could at least try, and maybe some progress would be made.

It lasted all of two minutes before the cushions moved, and he was aware of the body suddenly closer to his. It was a familiar feeling, the warmth, and it wasn't entirely unfamiliar to feel breath on his skin and then a featherlight kiss to the side of his neck. It wasn't even unpleasant. In fact, it was a good feeling, one he wanted to feel again. But it was very distracting.

"Tibbet..." It was the name that only came out when he was trying to convey his frustration and annoyance, a near weekly occurrence, but far less frequent than pet names and adoring gazes.

"What are you going to do about it, pretty boy?" He didn't have to look over to know that James was smirking, not that it would have done anything. Lips brushed over his skin again almost teasingly, demanding his attention even while his gaze tried to fix on his computer.

“I’m trying to work...” But, of course, the next kiss was lower, pressed to the patch of skin over his fluttering pulse, and it took everything he had not to sigh and relax into the cushions. Unfortunately, he was enjoying himself, and that meant it was harder to focus on what he was supposed to be doing when his boyfriend was so close. In the time they'd known each other, getting to know each other's bodies wasn't uncommon, certainly not when they started sleeping in the same bed, and even before then they still shared a living space. Seeing each other damp and coming out of the shower wasn't abnormal and- damn his brain for coming up with those images just then. "This is due in two hours, and then I'll be able to entertain you."

There was a low hum, just below his ear, but mercifully, the kisses stopped. For now. "But work is hard, and boring, and I'm-"

"Hard and not boring?"

It was not the first time they'd had the same conversation, not even the first time that week. The difference was, Chase was determined to not give in, this time. He was so close to being done with the project, and then whatever teasing and tormenting went on next to him could be continued for as long as they liked. After this, he had a week off to lounge around the house whenever James was out, and to lounge around in bed whenever he was home - he just had to get to that freedom, first.

"You're smart, too, pretty boy."

"Yeah, well, someone has to be. You know this apartment that you really like living in? The next half hour is going to pay for this month's rent."

James groaned and kissed his neck again - just a peck, no longer teasing or distracting, just enough to remind him of what was waiting on the other side of his work.

( "I'm gonna go shower. I'll wait for you in the bedroom."

"Okay. Stop using all of my shampoo."

"No, it smells like you."

"Softie."

"Only for you, pretty boy." )

[ 50 kisses prompts ]

[aural-elixir]

2018 was a tipping point for me. I'm not usually one to write political songs but witnessing the Kavanaugh hearings, learning about the murder of Molly Tibbets, and going online to see misogynist comments on the most random non-political posts was too much. Social media was teeming with enraged and delusional Americans screaming for the blood of Hillary Clinton, ranting about Pizzagate or other bizarre conspiracy theories, and lashing out against women and non binary folks everywhere. So unbelievable, unnecessary, unkind, and 100% dangerous. 

 Aghast at the horrors of humanity, I channeled my rage into a song, a surprisingly non-ragey sounding song because you know how it goes,... you catch more flies with honey, you're prettier when you smile, etc. I needed to convey the messages of Resist in a softer, sneakily feminine way and tried to add seductive elements to both the lyrics and music. Working with incredible music friends helped me transform this song into something both rootsy and rebellious, rocking and swinging, pure and electric. My lyrics are unsubtle notes to the patriarchy, statements on this broken system that privileges a few at the expense of so many others. You may say I'm a dreamer, ;) but I do believe the patriarchy will inevitably be smashed into something that serves and uplifts us all, eventually. 

Vote and don't stop there. Encourage others to vote, contact your elected officials and let them know how you feel about the issues. What do they need to do to make your community better? Your life better? Your neighbor's life better? All of these politicians need your voice to guide them, they work for you! 

Vote. Connect. Educate. Collaborate. Coexist. Question authority. 

 Resist. 

P.S. I have priced the track at $1.11 so that everyone who buys my new song also has the opportunity to make a wish! 

Released December 12, 2020 Featuring: Jesse Maclaine - Hammond and vocals, Alex McMurray - electric guitar, Mario Pagliarulo - bass, and Ryan Elwood - drums. Mixed by Chris Munson. Mastered by Anna Frick, Airshow Mastering Inc. Produced by Jesse Maclaine, Chris Munson, and Ryan Elwood. Artwork by Felicia Olin. license all rights reserved

LYRICS: Sticky threads, they want her dead for nothing besides her sex. Best seller, number one killer wrapped up inside any friend, any stranger's head. Are you going to let them choose for you? Bullies screaming Lies Are True! They want to grab us and break us into compliant pieces, black and blue. Who are you? To resist. Resist. Resist. Resist. Salt showers flow over his grave. Will anyone sing for his circle not to break? I don't believe in your Judgement Day. Action, reaction, karma gets you either way. Are you going to let them choose for you? Traitors screaming Lies Are True! They want to grab us and break us into compliant pieces, black and blue. Who are you? To resist. Resist. Resist. Resist. Peeled skin. Fancy boots. Pain is a trophy for the delusional. Glassy eyes smile. Pink lips wrapped around pink flesh. Wake up. Wake up and recognize oppression. Are you going to let them choose for you? Butchers screaming Lies Are True! They want to grab us and break us into compliant pieces, black and blue. Who are you? To resist. Resist. Resist. Resist. Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? To resist. Resist. Resist. 

[book-waas-x]

Review - The Innkeeper’s Daughter

Title: The Innkeeper’s Daughter Author: Bianca M. Schwarz Date Finished: November 13, 2020 Book Publication Date: January 12, 2021 Goodreads Links: [Book] [Review]

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for providing this book to me in exchange for an honest review]

Review:

Let me preface this by saying it has been a very long time since I’ve read a good mystery book, and historical fiction is one I’ve been meaning to throw myself back into. This one hooked me from just the cover, because it’s so gorgeous, and I don’t think I’m free of its clutches yet.

This book started out very intense, right into the nitty-gritty of it without beating around the bush. There were butts kicked, no names taken, and honestly? This was worth every single letter.

I absolutely regret having to stop reading this for a bit because of stupid exams. And do not be mistaken, I will be back to read this all at once.

Eliza comes from a troubled past, and in one moment of courage, manages to escape. She meets a beacon of light who takes her away from it all. Henry finds her in the street, and whisks her away to his home and entrusts his housekeeper, Mrs. Tibbet, with her. In the weeks of healing that follow, Eliza and Henry grow into a friendship that is unique to both of them — to Eliza who’s seen so little of it and to Henry, who’s seen most friendships weathered by war or lust.

The best part of this book is undoubtedly seeing Eliza grow into herself, but in a way where she’s not just unearthing something dormant. It’s her actively learning and picking up new skills from all the amazing characters around her, it’s her blossoming into her confidence. We never see her really cursing the way she grew up as much as we see her cursing the people she grew up around and I loved that about her — not everything was about getting a reputable status in society as much as it was earning the opportunities she’d been deprived of.

The conflict throws her right back into a dark, gritty world filled with prostitutes, pimps, and a very large misconception about the nuances of pain and pleasure. Henry and his circle of confidants draw her in without a second thought, and while their friendship blossoms into them being lovers, Henry never loses his awe for her intellect. He mentions it over and over in a way that doesn’t feel like he’s trying to persuade; rather, it sounds more like someone who’s prideful of a person close to their heart. Anyway, I loved Henry for his doting, kind nature that seemed quite at odds with how he saw himself.

Eliza is truly what I personally look for in strong female characters: she doesn’t reject traditionally feminine things, but she’s also just as unapologetic in her approach when she deals with people in circles that aren’t (according to “society rules”) meant for her. She plays a huge hand in uncovering this sex trafficking ring that could’ve ruined many more lives, fueled by her motivation to stop men from treating women like objects, and also by the sheer knowledge that it could’ve been her in that position.

Henry was an amazing character as well, because he unearthed many of his layers and roles as the story went on. He was born in a wealthy family and while this wealth is mentioned multiple times throughout the book, he also sees it as a sort of pawn, if you will, to reach for information to make the world a better place. And the sweet way he treats Eliza is the cherry on top, truly.

The author uses dialogue and words that speak of exactly where the story is set, including the multiple cockney accents, the endearing French accent, etc. The story is artfully spun amongst a balance of light and dfive ark themes and with amazing minor characters. Tibby, Emily, Robert, Sara, Allen, etc. all made for a wonderful novel. Bianca Schwarz leaves you breathless by the time the last word comes around and I still haven't caught mine.

I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a dark suspense with a dash of romance and thrill! There are moments that are very dark, almost sending you spiraling, but there are quirky moments full of Eliza and Henry’s delightful interactions. There’s an eroticism to the historical romance, and a fantasy in being set in a time that doesn’t exist anymore. There’s the sadistic nature of the antagonists, and the determination of the other characters to rescue people from that fate. The only thing I personally didn't like was the age difference between Eliza and Henry, given that she'd just turned 18 and Henry was well a decade older. Regardless, it’s a package I could never regret picking up, only putting down.

Definitely going for a re-read at some point!