#i shall always pass as an american first

[hexnovo]

woah a brother from italy!

WHERE HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN HIDING ALL THIS TIME

#also it's so funny when people figure out i'm italian after following me for years bc it's always been written in my bio... and yet.. #i shall always pass as an american first #which has me like WTF i'm not even that fluent #oh yeah also i scheduled last night's asks for later today cause i was like UH no one will be awake in my daytime >:( and yet #i was wronge #good to know lol

[excalibur-gone-missing]

Paring: jeonghan x fem!reader

Genre: fluff, 70's au, little to no angst

warnings: none, maybe a few swear words here and there

summary: Jeonghan might be a cocky bastard but when it comes to you he will turn the world upside down, or so he claims.

words: 2k

a/n: I request each and every one of you to comment on this fic don't be a silent reader it helps me as an author to understand my readers and i would love to communicate with all of you. Constructive criticism is always welcomed by me so do talk about this fic or send me an ask. Plus if you loved it enough don't forget to reblog, it will help me reach a larger audience.

a/n 2: i heard a podcast and it made me want to write this fic because the love story of the two hosts was sooo damn cutee.

You knew Jeonghan from when you were literally a kid.

His father had moved to your city after a presentation from little Jeonghan on how to make a pocketknife using ice cream sticks that he learnt from his local friends, his mother mortified that her little sweet child would grow up to become a goon forced his father to change cities to go as far away from the place they physically could.

It was during his fathers pursuit for a stable Korean community in Canada’s ever-growing cities did he come across the name of your grandfather’s in the phonebook that sounded very much similar to his. Your grandfather being the trusting and kind man he was invited his father for a dinner in his house the following day and this event kickstarted a relationship between the two families wherein, his father bought a house six minutes away from yours in the small part of your city inhabited by mostly Asians.

You both had met when he was seven and you were only three, he still remembers babysitting you when you were in middle school as your parents trusted no one more than him. So, when he broke the beautiful glass table in your living room, he had skillfully blamed you resulting in a three-hour long lecture from your parents about taking care of ones possessions.

You hated Jeonghan then, you really did, so you refused to talk to him for the next almost five years.

Until you both found yourselves in a duet dance opposite to each other because it was the neighborhood talent show and it was mandatory for the kids to participate. Typical Asian parents.

To no ones surprise your dance number got a tad bit too much hype from the watchers and it kickstarted another full year of you both not talking to each other at all because of the teasing glances and suggestive remarks from adults and children alike.

The time you both talked to each other again was when it was you senior year prom at high school and your father being the overprotective man he was, did not allow you to go because according to him ‘prom is how American kids end up getting pregnant.’

He was wrong of course; kids get pregnant due to having sex but you being the soft-spoken kid you were did not have the gal to inform him that. You would rather spend the night being sad and watching Simpsons and crying about how unfair it is for your parents to not let you go and experience the night considered to rank number one in peak American high school experience.

This was the first time you saw Jeonghan as your lord and savior, which you obviously will never tell him because it will do nothing but fuel his over-the-top ego. But that day he had stepped in and talked to you father.

“It’s an experience and everyone should be able to experience it, I think you are wrong sir to take away this from your daughter,” he had oh so righteously said.

“Son, I would let her only if you take her, as I don’t trust anyone but you with my daughter.”

“So, I shall then.”

Now did this conversation shock you? Yes, it did especially your father’s response to Jeonghan, but you were not going to stir up any feminist conversation with your father right now, not when you just got the pass to go to prom.

That night was something you barely remember; it has been twenty years since then and you barely care about the overly hyped kids and the future alcoholics that you encountered that night. Now that you are wise and older, you understand your parents concern. Suzy from you class had become a mother at the prime age of eighteen, nine months later. You are thankful that your father made the wise choice for you that day.

That night from what you remember was just plain boring, you had come back at 11 to a quite house, had talked to the boy for the entirety of the night, watched the sunrise with him and at the end had hugged him thanking him for taking you to prom.

After that incident, you both had again gone onto your own ways and had not talked to each other for another year till the next family function, where you both were the only kids of the same age present as all your other friends were out of the country for college.

That weekend had sparked a friendship between you both, as you always stuck to each other’s side seeking comfort from one another as talking to anyone else somehow always circled back to your marriage and their extreme concern for your depleting eggs.

The friendship you both wove lasted a long while, throughout your college. Till one day you come back from a trip to Daegu, and he was there standing at the airport ready to rush you away from your family to the nearest Starbucks because he had some news for you.

Once in the café he informed you that he had landed the job he had been trying for right after finishing college. You were elated for him, so happy that you almost forgot to tell him about the potential marriage partner your parents had whipped up during your two-week-long stay there.

Jeonghan being the man he was asked you up front to marry him, confessing his hidden feeling for you and how the weight of them might have just decreased his height. Dramatic bitch.

You being brough back to reality told him no and stated the reason to be man you could have potentially married. He obviously told you to say no to this unknown ‘son of a bitch’ and accept his proposal.

So being the bigger person, because Jeonghan obviously refused to, you reminded him that you had never dated anyone let alone him and you will not marry a man you have not dated.

This conversation then ignited your relationship the first step of which was turning down the said ‘son of a bitch’ while telling your father you wanted to focus on your career more, which you really did. Fast forward six months and while keeping up the long-distance relation with frequent phone calls late at night because your parents might pick up the landline and eavesdrop if its during the day, while at the same time trying to search for a job near Boston went on.

On one late Sunday afternoon as you were sitting on the kitchen island sipping on coffee you got an email from on of the companies, you had given an interview to, informing you had gotten an onsite job that would require you to move to Cambridge, and you were over the moon.

So, the preparations began for your send off and again Jeonghan stepped in like the messiah he is. He is absolutely not one, you refuse to accept. The man went ahead and told your conservative father he will give up his life to take care of you, till this date you claim it will be the opposite if a situation like that befalls you both. After packing your bags, you were on your merry way to live with the man.

It took you both some time to adjust to the new settings he would be over at your place during the weekends and sometimes you would be at his. This continued for another year or so before one night as you both were laying on the bed together when Jeonghan suddenly piped up.

“I think you should see other people.”

Not understanding what he meant you turned towards the guy and asked, “what do you mean?”

“I know we will end up marrying each other, so I want you to experience dating other men too, so you don’t get to ever claim I was the only guy in your life,” he explained to you.

You had yet to get a taste of exactly how much of a cocky motherfucker you are dating, said innocently.

“But Jeonghan you are the only guy I ever dated.”

That was the end of that conversation that night before you both went to sleep, but his urging never stopped. It went on for a few days till one day your exhausted and a tad bit insecure self, lashed out at him claiming he wanted to cheat on you, and he wanted a break. So, you gave one to him.

That entire year you had a flower bouquet delivered early morning to your house with an apology letter, although the apologies lasted only for a month before you forgave the terrified man, who apologized profusely after you accepted to talk to him. Even though you did feel a bit bad after seeing him, the guy looked like he was living during the great depression.

After that all was smooth sailing and he never ever tried to upset you at all, but his playful nature persisted anyways, not like you minded that.

Five years later during your sister’s wedding in Singapore was when his proposal was finally accepted. You had just arrived at the airport and yet again the man had swooped in and taken you away from your family under the guise of some kind of sound check that was needed to be done in the wedding venue.

Your clueless self agreed to go with him and without a second thought he took you to the cables to take you to an island that was nowhere close to the wedding venue. As you were getting increasingly confused, you kept asking him where exactly you both were going. He kept deflecting the topic, so you ultimately gave up and, as another family came up on the cable car, you started talking about your flight that you took with your family. The poor man did not hear one word, he was sweating bullocks and was essentially confused why another family was in the cable car that he had fully booked for you both.

As the family got down at the end, he stopped you from doing so too claiming it is not the stop, even though it was the last one. It was then the nervous wreck of a man got down on one knee in front of asking for your hand in marriage once again, and you being so in love with him accepted to spend the rest of your life with the man.

The rest of it was history, you both had to tell your parents none of whom were shocked at all, rather relieved that you both had at last agreed to get married and be together forever.

Now ten years later and with your two children, you are perfectly content with your life. Waking up with Jeonghan beside you everyday sounds like a dream and you are happy it came true for you.

As you tossed around the bed you saw Jeonghan eyeing you in his half-awake state.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks.

“Us,” you answer snuggling closer to him.

“What about us, huh?”

“The way you forced me to date some other guy because you wanted me to have more experience in dating,” you laughed at the memory.

“Don’t tell me about that it still haunts me till this day” he retorts with a shudder.

“Why did you do it anyways?” you ask.

“I knew I was going to marry you so I wanted you to have some more experience with dating others so whenever you have an argument I could say ‘hey remember that looser you dated!’”, he answers with laugh.

With a laugh you slapped his shoulder exclaiming, “I sometimes forget how cocky you can get!”

"How else do you think I got the permission to propose you in someone else's marriage!" he states sassily.

With that Jeonghan snuggles closer to you some more, its Sundays anyways the kids are with their grandparents and you both have all the time in the world to just bask in each other’s presence and not do anything at all.

#svt #fluff #jeonghan #f2l #s2l #seventeen x you #svt imagines #svt fanfic #svt x reader #seventeen #seventeen imagines #seventeen x reader #seventeen fluff #seventeen scenarios #seventeen jeonghan #seventeen x y/n #seventeen x oc #jeonghan fluff #jeonghan x reader #jeonghan imagines #jeonghan scenarios #jeonghan x you #jeonghan x y/n #jeonghan x oc #excalibur fics

[thenextdawn-backup]

1621-2023

Word count: 2.7K

Summary: you were a vampire back in 1621, and you were Goody’s girlfriend. When she dies, she promises she’ll come back and find you and she does so, coming back as Wednesday Addams.

Warnings: mentions of blood, death, angst?

Pairing: Wednesday Addams x Fem!Vampire!Reader

———

Jericho, 1621.

A vampire. You were born as a vampire coming from a long pure line, one of the original vampire bloodlines in Jericho, and in the whole continent. You and the other types od outcasts lived in peace with one another, that is, unless no one bothered other species. There were lots of wars going on between you vampires and the werewolves, mostly because of the preys you two hunted. At first, vampires couldn’t drain blood without killing people or animals. That’s why the werewolves always found no animals to hunt down, because your bloodlines had killed them all, you killed them, they killed you. But this aspect of yours got better with time, when finally someone figured out a way to drain blood without killing people.

Ever since you could remember your family was really good friends with this psychic family, the Addams family. Their daughter was born the same year as you, so you could pretty much say you grew up together. She was a really smart girl, and unlike her family, she had learned to control her visions, which was good, really good actually. Back then the two of you realized that you were in love with one another. You would sneak away together, as to not be seen because homosexual relationships weren’t something good. You would hide in the woods, spend time together, cuddle, and god you loved braiding her hair, she loved letting you do that. At times, when the two of you kissed it was usual for her to get visions, and you learned to understand that she gets them when touching something or someone. You also learned not to be scared when those happened.

Recently though, it started getting harder for you to spend time with each other. Some Americans had come settle close by to your village. And even though it was harder, that didn’t stop the two of you to sneak away, even with your parents not knowing anything. Though today, was the ice on the cake that led the hunters to hunt the two of you down. You were in “their” territory, which was truly the outcasts’s, and had come looking for you to hunt you down. You were running through the woods, Goody having to wait for her as you couldn’t leave her behind. “Goody, Run!” You told her after the millionth time of her staying behind, but she was getting tired “I cannot, I’m tired my love-“ she said as she stopped to catch her breath, falling to the ground. “No no no! You cannot stop!” You rushed to her and helped her up, just then as you took a hold of her, she had a vision.

“Now it is not the time to have a vision goody! god damn it!��� You said and sat on the floor with her laying in your arms, eyes wide open and head thrown back. You knew not to move her when she was having visions. The hunters were quickly getting closer and you just waited for her to get back from her vision. When she did she looked at you “you are back! come on we have to run” you said and she stood in her place. “I shall not run with you. They will catch me, you need to leave” you walked over to her and grabbed her face in your hands “I don’t know what you saw in your vision, but I am not leaving you behind” you said, with tears in your eyes “(Y/N). In the vision you were saving me from being burned like a witch. Not in this moment. You know how risky it is to alter visions, if you save me now we might both die. Just do as I say, please” she said pleadingly. You looked at her not knowing what to say before leaning in for a short but urgent kiss that she reciprocated. “I trust you, my love.” You said and stood back from her “I will come for you!” You said and ran away.

Days passed of people being catcher, from your family as well, as you hid and watched everything, waiting for some clues on when to go save Goody. You had found out that all the outcasts had been locked up in the meeting house and that they were waiting for the right moment to burn it down. Then it happened. When they caught what they thought was the last outcasts, Crackstone set the meeting house on fire. When they were distracted from the flames, you jumped on the house, breaking the roof so you could get in and find Goody. “GOODY! GOODY WHERE ARE YOU?” You coughed because of the smoke and searched for her everywhere, only to find her half passed out and chained to the floor. “(Y/N)….” She whispered as you grabbed her hand “come on, let’s get you free..” you said and used your strength to break the chains. “S-something was wrong with my vision- this wasn’t how it was supposed to go” she said weakly, you looked at her as if inviting her to speak.

Unluckily she didn’t say much else. “In another life… I’ll find you, my love. I promise you” she said as she closed her eyes and started losing consciousness. “Goody? Goody wake up!” You said and shook her body. The smoke inhalation too much for her lungs. With everyone already being dead by now, you freed her and left with her body in your arms, crying your heart out as you walked in the woods, burying her in what used to be her favorite place to be with you. She said something went wrong with the vision. Were you supposed to save her sooner? Were you the reason because she had died? Now you were alone. Crackstone had burned every outcast except from you, because he forgot about you, you had no one, nowhere to be. Yet on the other hand, you were a vampire. You’d live forever with the remorse of not being able to save the people you loved. No, you couldn’t live like that.

You weren’t one to give up easily. You needed to avenge your people and your partner, you couldn’t just let Crackstone slip away. This is why you decided to go back to the now burnt down meeting house. “Looks like you forgot one of us, Crackstone” you said and saw how he smirked “It will not take thee much to take thy heart out of thy body” he said and you smirked as well. “I’m not like any other Vampire, you know. You underestimate us” you said and started attacking him and his people. Useless to say your attacks were stronger and soon enough you had killed them all, blood on your whole body as you walked away victorious.

Jericho, 2023.

You have been going to Nevermore ever since it opened. You knew everyone there, including Weems that was now your principal. You were stuck in your teenage form so you had to go to school like a normal teenager. It had been 402 years since you killed Crackstone. At first you were known as the girl who killed him, but with time the story amongst people changed and changed, until everyone thought and said That Crackstone died peacefully after having killed every outcasts. Too bad you were the only one who knew the truth. That is, you and the few vampires you had befriended the last years. Yoko was your best friend. She was the only one who knew the full story, she knew about Goody, and about you being the last of a pure bloodline from 400 years ago. Ever since the day you lost goody, you were a complete different person. You were pretty straight forward with others, saying whatever came to mind even if you ended up offending people. It was hard seeing you smile unless you were with Yoko, and even then your smiles weren’t the brightest.

These past two years you had also became really good friends with Enid, a werewolf. She also knew about you being the last from a pure bloodline, but she didn’t know the whole crackstone and Goody story. You had to thank Yoko for that, because if it were for you, you only had her. She pushed you to make more friends and introduced you to her own. But today at lunch Enid wasn’t sitting with you and Yoko as her usual, because she had a new roommate and had to show her around. A few minutes after you sat down to eat, Enid came into the quad with her new roommate, and it was her. “Goody” you whispered as you dropped your blood sack from shock, Yoko saw and heard you, turning to look at the ravenette girl. “Is that her?” She asked, putting a comforting hand on your shoulder, having seen tears forming in the corners of your eyes. “Y-yes, yes it’s her. Goody was blonde and didn’t have bangs, but her features ade the same… same braids, same eyes, same freckles, same height, lips, dimples… it’s her, I’m sure. She’s found her way back to me”

You had to know her, you had to get Enid to introduce her to you. You found yourself staring at the ravenette girl even when her eyes met yours. “Enid, who’s that over there staring at me?” The ravenette girl asked, and Enid looked in your direction. “Oh That’s (Y/N). She’s a vampire, the last of a pure bloodline from 400 years ago.” The girl raised her chin and looked away from you “interesting.” She said and with Enid she continued her tour, and then came to your table with the new girl. “Hey everyone, this is my new roommate” seeing her from up close only made tears come to your eyes again, she looked as beautiful as ever. However you got up and walked towards her. “I’m (Y/N), nice to meet you” you said, holding your hand out for her to shake. You secretly hoped for her to get a vision when shaking your hand.

Your felt almost as if your dead heart has started pounding again and it would explode soon. She looked at your hand and then back up at you. “I’m Wednesday, Wednesday Addams.” Smart on her behalf not shaking your hand, she had probably already figured out that touching people or things would get her to have visions but yeah it was definitely her and you had the confirmation by hearing her surname. “Great, uhm-“ you pulled your hand back. “It’s good to have you here Wednesday, I hope you fit in well” you said and sat back down next to Yoko, sighing of relief. It will be really hard to get her to have a vision. That day like every day you went to the woods, to that exact spot where you buried Goody. “Hey my love” you said and sat down next to the “grave”. You recognized it because it was the only spot where black dahlias grew in the whole forest. They started growing ever since you buried her there and you would take care of those flowers like they were your own kids.

“Looks like you finally found your way back to me… thank you. Wednesday doesn’t know who I am yet. I need to get her to somehow touch me so she can get a vision, I know she’ll get a vision but I need your help Love… just send her towards me somehow. I’m begging you Goody, I just need you back. I miss you so much.” And it looks like your pleases worked, because eventually you started spending more time with her thanks to Enid. You ended up explaining everything to her about Goody with Yoko’s help, and even though it took her a while to understand, when she did she ended up doing whatever was in her power to leave the two of you alone. Wednesday also felt very drawn to you even if she never admitted her own feelings nor touched you, but there was something familiar to you, she couldn’t actually pinpoint what it was.

On a particularly cold day, you went out to Goody’s grave, scared that the dahlias would freeze and you wanted to make sure that didn’t happen. Though when you arrived, you saw Wednesday sitting against a tree next to the black Dahlias, Reading. “Wednesday… what are you doing here?” You asked, getting closer as you tended to the dahlias, making sure they were okay. “So you’re the one who’s taking care of these flowers.” You nodded, and then she decided to answer your questions. “This has become my comfort place. I come here and I relax. Plus, Black Dahlias are my-“ you interrupted her. “Your favorite flowers, I know that” she looked at you quizzically, deciding not to interrogate on how you know that, choosing another way instead. “You’re a vampire, right?” She asked and you nodded, going to sit next to her, though not too close, knowing she wasn’t a fan of physical contact.

“I feel… weirdly drawn to you. I can’t explain myself how, and these feelings I feel are pure torture I have to admit, and not the good kind.” You chuckled at her words, she truly did sound like Goody. “Did we perhaps know each other in a past life? Were we close?” She asked, god she was even as smart as she was. You stayed quiet for a while. It was finally time to tell her everything. “Do you trust me, Wednesday?” You asked her. She stayed quiet for a while before giving you an almost imperceptible nod. “Hold my hands” you said and held them out “I know you avoid physical contact because you don’t want to get any visions, but trust me when I tell you I have experience with this stuff” you said, and watched her sigh nervously. “you’re gonna get a vision when you hold my hands. Then you’ll know” you said And she sighed once again, taking a hold of your hands as her head immediately shot back.

She stayed like that for a couple minutes, quickly relieving her past life and especially the moments with you. She saw how close the two of you were, she saw the cuddles, the kisses, the sneaking out, and it made her feel good. The last thing she saw and heard, was herself saying “In another life… I’ll find you, my love. I promise you” before she came back and looked at you, shock sprawled all over her face as she tried catching her breath, still holding your hands. “So?” You asked her and she tried to acknowledge everything. When she did, she raised a hand up to caress your cheek “I finally found you again” she said hinting a smile. You sighed of relief and leaned in for the touch, crying as realization hit you. She finally came back to you. She left her hand there before speaking again. “And what happened here?” She asked, looking at the dahlias.

“When… you died from smoke inhalation” you said and looked at her, watching her nod remembering this part from her vision “before you turned to ashes I freed you, took you here and buried you here. This was our favorite spot 400 years ago. From the day after I buried you here, Black Dahlias started growing here. Just in this spot, nowhere else. They were your favorite flowers back then, too. That’s how I knew. I’ve been coming here ever since, after I killed Crackstone, that is. I’m the only outcast remaining from those days” you explained briefly, but she understood everything. Then you looked back at her, and she quickly leaned in to kiss you. The kiss was soft, yet so urgent and passionate. Hot breaths being exchanged between the two of you as she moved to sit on your lap, you put your hands on her waist bringing her closer to you as she kept her hands on your cheeks.

Eventually both of you pulled back, foreheads attached and tears leaving both of your eyes as she spoke. “Now we don’t have to hide anymore, My Love.”

#jenna ortega #jenna ortega x y/n #jenna ortega x you #jenna ortega x reader #jenna ortega x fem!reader #wednesday #wednesday x y/n #wednesday x you #wednesday x reader #wednesday adams #wednesday adams x reader #wednesday addams #wednesday addams x you #wednesday addams x y/n #wednesday addams x reader

[clouisluvr]

i need a part 3 of sean diaz hc IM STARVEDDD‼️

ask and (11 months later) you shall receive!

- deep conversations always happen whilst laying on the floor. he’ll lay on his back with an arm propped under his head and listen intently to everything you have to say

- hangs on to your every word if youre talking about something important like .. his eyes will go kinda big because he’s so focused on you he kinda forgets to blink LOL

- grabs onto your hands when hes nervous, like just clutches onto them and squeezes. likes when you rub the back of his hand with ur thumb for extra reassurance

- sean sees the world so artistically and beautifully so a feature of yours you’ve never noticed before is accentuated in his art. a beauty spot you didnt notice, a dimple you never knew about. he loves every little detail about you

- faye webster enjoyer! indie pop lover in general tbh. loves listening to music with you (earbud user because he hates how headphones feel on his head) and will always think of you when he listens to certain songs

- i think if you told him you like his hair long he’d let it GROWWW. like so long he can tie it into a bun, but it would annoy him after a while and he’d cut it to like ep1 length. will let you and daniel put his hair in pigtails with bows (he’ll joke about being coquette)

- loves going on drives with you. sometimes daniel tags along but he prefers when its just the two of you. definitely likes listening to frank ocean whilst the sun sets (it reminds him of gta😭)

- has a bad habit of putting on this cynical teen front (like his journal entry about trump winning LOL) and you give him an outlet to be sincere and sensitive which leads to him opening up about his mom

- sean feels a weird sense of guilt when he criticises karen in front of daniel because he knows he’s too young to really remember and feel upset about it. but he feels even worse doing it in front of his dad because he feels like his emotions take up too much space. like it overshadows the betrayal his dad must feel.

- so instead he adopts a mostly indifferent, partially angry attitude towards his mom leaving to disguise the genuine sadness and resentment. the inability to understand how she could just up and leave. when you give sean the space to actually .. feel everything, he breaks down. it deepens the bond he has with you, he feels theres no judgement to be cruel, selfish, or upset around you.

- seans newfound sensitivity from dating you also lets him be unashamedly happy about the holiday season. he is done pretending to be over christmas, bring out the ugly jumpers and candy canes!!

- esteban is in SHOCK. sean is up early during his winter break to *checks notes* decorate?? convinced it must be crack.

- not sure what the american equivalent of winter wonderland is, but he saves up money from his part time job to take you, his dad and daniel to a winter festival! he kinda breaks the bank but has no regrets!! gets you hot chocolates and treats, also spends an embarrassing amount on game tickets trying to win you a prize😭 you tell him its ok but he will keep trying until he gets you SOMETHING!

- at some point he’ll sneak off with you to give you the sweetest kiss ever. will hold your chin in his hand and tilt your head up to kiss you. he’s not huge on pda (especially with his dad in the vicinity) BUT he’s in such a good mood he cant pass up the chance. starts smiling through the kiss because he’s so happy

- that definitely inspires art of you looking flushed with slightly swollen lips but a look of warmth in your eyes. probably gives it to you as a christmas gift! tells you its one of the many many moments he felt himself falling even more in love with you

- he hates the cold but loves the excuse to cling to you constantly. “sean.. i need to pee.” “pretty sure if i let go of you i’ll instantly get frostbite soo..”

- nervous and geeky when you guys first start dating, but gets SUPERRR suave as time goes on it kinda makes you weak in the knees. will cup your cheek mid conversation and stroke your cheek with his thumb. will backhug you and kiss your neck. will kiss the back of your hand if hes feeling VERY romantic… whore activity tbh!

- hickey enthusiast omg its BAD hes an addict. but god forbid you give him one because he will freak about lyla seeing and giving him grief over it. has a thing for marking you and knowing you like how it feels

- loves when you wrap your arms around his neck!! gives him this super strong sense of security, he’ll always wraps his arms around your waist.

- HATES when people talk at the movies. you, sean and daniel all went to see fnaf and daniel would not stop turning to both of you to explain the lore incase you were confused😭 not even whispering mind you! infuriates sean but its him telling you and daniel to stop talking that gets the reaction of an angry parent asking him to “be quiet or leave!” his eye twitches when you and daniel start laughing at him LOLL

- ushanka hat bandit. will wear them even during SUMMER! always paired with a tank top and jeans or a striped hoodie. i think sean has slutty hips so u love the tank top x low rise jeans combo he wears in summer LMAOO :P

- likes to cuddle with your back facing him so he can kiss your shoulder.

- likes to post discreet pictures of you on his main ig but his spam account is like 90% you LMAO. posts photodumps filled with dumb text messages between you both and candid pictures of you

- gets overprotective of you in a similar way to how he is with daniel, sometimes you have to remind him you’re there to protect him too

- will lay his head on your shoulder when hes in need of comfort. also a subtle way of asking you to play with his hair (he will melt)

- likes if you put your hands in his jacket pocket when it’s cold so he can hold it in there!!

- goes through phases where he ALWAYS wants to be on the phone with you. like you could be on the way over and he’ll stay on call until you’re in his house

- has a bad habit of getting into petty arguments with you that start off playful, like debating over what the best chocolate bar is but he’ll end up taking it too far and getting legit mad LMAO. you both end up cackling about managing to argue over chocolate

- plans his future with you in it. knows he always wants to be in close proximity to you, daniel and his dad no matter what! he can’t imagine life without you and tbh he doesnt want to.

not sure what hits me at like midnight that makes me wanna write hcs but as always im too sleepy to proofread so ignore any mistakes! also sorry if you dont celebrate christmas, i was projecting a little LOL

hope u all enjoy!💗

#sean diaz x reader #life is strange x reader #life is strange 2 #life is strange 2 x reader #lis2 sean

[whencyclopedia]

Eastman's Biography of Red Cloud

Eastman's biography of Red Cloud (l. 1822-1909) is the first narrative of his Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains (1916), and it sets the tone for those that follow, including the pieces on Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, in explaining the motivation of the Plains Indians in their response to the US government's genocidal policies of expansion.

The piece is of particular interest historically because the Sioux physician and author, Charles A. Eastman (also known as Ohiyesa, l. 1858-1939), was able to interview the warrior and statesman Red Cloud in person, as he was unable to do with many others, such as Crazy Horse, and was also able to receive the story in Red Cloud's native language, unlike the narrative Black Elk Speaks (1932), which was given by the Lakota Sioux medicine man Black Elk (l. 1863-1950) to the American poet and writer John G. Neihardt (l. 1881-1973) through an interpreter. Eastman then translated Red Cloud's account into English for his book. The result is a firsthand account of the life of one of the greatest Sioux chiefs of the 19th century.

Text

The following text has been abridged for space considerations, but the online version of Eastman's book will be found below in the External Links section. The version presented here is taken from Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains, 1939 edition, republished in 2016:

…Red Cloud was born about 1820 near the forks of the Platte River. He was one of a family of nine children whose father, an able and respected warrior, reared his son under the old Spartan regime. The young Red Cloud is said to have been a fine horseman, able to swim across the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers, of high bearing and unquestionable courage, yet invariably gentle and courteous in everyday life. This last trait, together with a singularly musical and agreeable voice, has always been characteristic of the man…

…The future leader was still a very young man when he joined a war party against the Utes. Having pushed eagerly forward on the trail, he found himself far in advance of his companions as night came on, and at the same time rain began to fall heavily. Among the scattered scrub pines, the lone warrior found a natural cave, and after a hasty examination, he decided to shelter there for the night.

Scarcely had he rolled himself in his blanket when he heard a slight rustling at the entrance, as if some creature were preparing to share his retreat. It was pitch dark. He could see nothing, but judged that it must be either a man or a grizzly. There was not room to draw a bow. It must be between knife and knife, or between knife and claws, he said to himself.

The intruder made no search but quietly lay down in the opposite corner of the cave. Red Cloud remained perfectly still, scarcely breathing, his hand upon his knife. Hour after hour he lay broad awake, while many thoughts passed through his brain. Suddenly, without warning, he sneezed, and instantly a strong man sprang to a sitting posture opposite. The first gray of morning was creeping into their rocky den and – behold! – a Ute hunter sat before him.

Desperate as the situation appeared, it was not without a grim humor. Neither could afford to take his eyes from the other's; the tension was great, till at last a smile wavered over the expressionless face of the Ute. Red Cloud answered the smile, and in that instant a treaty of peace was born between them.

"Put your knife in its sheath. I shall do so also, and we will smoke together," signed Red Cloud. The other assented gladly, and they ratified thus the truce which assured to each a safe return to his friends. Having finished their smoke, they shook hands and separated. Neither had given the other any information. Red Cloud returned to his party and told his story, adding that he had divulged nothing and had nothing to report. Some were inclined to censure him for not fighting, but he was sustained by a majority of the warriors, who commended his self-restraint. In a day or two they discovered the main camp of the enemy and fought a remarkable battle, in which Red Cloud especially distinguished himself

The Sioux were now entering upon the most stormy period of their history. The old things were fast giving place to new. The young men, for the first time engaging in serious and destructive warfare with the neighboring tribes, armed with the deadly weapons furnished by the white man, began to realize that they must soon enter upon a desperate struggle for their ancestral hunting grounds. The old men had been innocently cultivating the friendship of the stranger, saying among themselves, "Surely there is land enough for all!"

Red Cloud was a modest and little-known man of about twenty-eight years, when General Harney called all the western bands of Sioux together at Fort Laramie, Wyoming, for the purpose of securing an agreement and right of way through their territory. The Ogallala held aloof from this proposal, but Bear Bull, an Ogallala chief, after having been plied with whisky, undertook to dictate submission to the rest of the clan. Enraged by failure, he fired upon a group of his own tribesmen, and Red Cloud's father and brother fell dead. According to Indian custom, it fell to him to avenge the deed. Calmly, without uttering a word, he faced old Bear Bull and his son, who attempted to defend his father, and shot them both. He did what he believed to be his duty, and the whole band sustained him. Indeed, the tragedy gave the young man at once a certain standing, as one who not only defended his people against enemies from without, but against injustice and aggression within the tribe. From this time on he was a recognized leader.

Man-Afraid-of-His-Horses, then head chief of the Ogallala, took council with Red Cloud in all important matters, and the young warrior rapidly advanced in authority and influence. In 1854, when he was barely thirty-five years old, the various bands were again encamped near Fort Laramie. A Mormon emigrant train, moving westward, left a footsore cow behind, and the young men killed her for food. The next day, to their astonishment, an officer with thirty men appeared at the Indian camp and demanded of old Conquering Bear that they be given up. The chief in vain protested that it was all a mistake and offered to make reparation. It would seem that either the officer was under the influence of liquor, or else had a mind to bully the Indians, for he would accept neither explanation nor payment, but demanded point-blank that the young men who had killed the cow be delivered up to summary punishment. The old chief refused to be intimidated and was shot dead on the spot. Not one soldier ever reached the gate of Fort Laramie! Here Red Cloud led the young Ogallala, and so intense was the feeling that they even killed the half-breed interpreter.

Curiously enough, there was no attempt at retaliation on the part of the army, and no serious break until 1860, when the Sioux were involved in troubles with the Cheyennes and Arapahoe. In 1862, a grave outbreak was precipitated by the eastern Sioux in Minnesota under Little Crow, in which the western bands took no part. Yet this event ushered in a new period for their race. The surveyors of the Union Pacific were laying out the proposed road through the heart of the southern buffalo country, the rendezvous of Ogallala, Brule, Arapahoe, Comanche, and Pawnee, who followed the buffalo as a means of livelihood. To be sure, most of these tribes were at war with one another, yet during the summer months they met often to proclaim a truce and hold joint councils and festivities, which were now largely turned into discussions of the common enemy. It became evident, however, that some of the smaller and weaker tribes were inclined to welcome the new order of things, recognizing that it was the policy of the government to put an end to tribal warfare.

Red Cloud's position was uncompromisingly against submission. He made some noted speeches in this line, one of which was repeated to me by an old man who had heard and remembered it with the remarkable verbal memory of an Indian.

"Friends," said Red Cloud, "it has been our misfortune to welcome the white man. We have been deceived. He brought with him some shining things that pleased our eyes; he brought weapons more effective than our own: above all, he brought the spirit water that makes one forget for a time old age, weakness, and sorrow. But I wish to say to you that if you would possess these things for yourselves, you must begin anew and put away the wisdom of your fathers. You must lay up food, and forget the hungry. When your house is built, your storeroom filled, then look around for a neighbor whom you can take at a disadvantage and seize all that he has! Give away only what you do not want; or rather, do not part with any of your possessions unless in exchange for another's.

"My countrymen, shall the glittering trinkets of this rich man, his deceitful drink that overcomes the mind, shall these things tempt us to give up our homes, our hunting grounds, and the honorable teaching of our old men? Shall we permit ourselves to be driven to and fro—to be herded like the cattle of the white man?"

His next speech that has been remembered was made in 1866, just before the attack on Fort Phil Kearny. The tension of feeling against the invaders had now reached its height. There was no dissenting voice in the council upon the Powder River when it was decided to oppose to the uttermost the evident purpose of the government. Red Cloud was not altogether ignorant of the numerical strength and the resourcefulness of the white man, but he was determined to face any odds rather than submit.

"Hear ye, Dakotas!" he exclaimed. "When the Great Father at Washington sent us his chief soldier to ask for a path through our hunting grounds, a way for his iron road to the mountains and the western sea, we were told that they wished merely to pass through our country, not to tarry among us, but to seek for gold in the far west. Our old chiefs thought to show their friendship and good will, when they allowed this dangerous snake in our midst. They promised to protect the wayfarers.

"Yet before the ashes of the council fire are cold, the Great Father is building his forts among us. You have heard the sound of the white soldier's ax upon the Little Piney. His presence here is an insult and a threat. It is an insult to the spirits of our ancestors. Are we then to give up their sacred graves to be plowed for corn? Dakotas, I am for war!"

In less than a week after this speech, the Sioux advanced upon Fort Phil Kearny, the new sentinel that had just taken her place upon the farthest frontier, guarding the Oregon Trail. Every detail of the attack had been planned with care, though not without heated discussion, and nearly every well-known Sioux chief had agreed in striking the blow. The brilliant young war leader, Crazy Horse, was appointed to lead the charge. His lieutenants were Sword, Hump, and Dull Knife, with Little Chief of the Cheyennes, while the older men acted as councilors. Their success was instantaneous. In less than half an hour, they had cut down nearly a hundred men under Captain Fetterman, whom they drew out of the fort by a ruse and then annihilated.

Instead of sending troops to punish, the government sent a commission to treat with the Sioux. The result was the famous treaty of 1868, which Red Cloud was the last to sign, having refused to do so until all of the forts within their territory should be vacated. All of his demands were acceded to, the new road abandoned, the garrisons withdrawn, and in the new treaty it was distinctly stated that the Black Hills and the Big Horn were Indian country, set apart for their perpetual occupancy, and that no white man should enter that region without the consent of the Sioux.

Scarcely was this treaty signed, however, when gold was discovered in the Black Hills, and the popular cry was: "Remove the Indians!" This was easier said than done. That very territory had just been solemnly guaranteed to them forever: yet how stem the irresistible rush for gold? The government, at first, entered some small protest, just enough to "save its face" as the saying is; but there was no serious attempt to prevent the wholesale violation of the treaty. It was this state of affairs that led to the last great speech made by Red Cloud, at a gathering upon the Little Rosebud River. It is brief, and touches upon the hopelessness of their future as a race. He seems at about this time to have reached the conclusion that resistance could not last much longer; in fact, the greater part of the Sioux nation was already under government control.

"We are told," said he, "that Spotted Tail has consented to be the Beggars' Chief. Those Indians who go over to the white man can be nothing but beggars, for he respects only riches, and how can an Indian be a rich man? He cannot without ceasing to be an Indian. As for me, I have listened patiently to the promises of the Great Father, but his memory is short. I am now done with him. This is all I have to say."

The wilder bands separated soon after this council, to follow the drift of the buffalo, some in the vicinity of the Black Hills and others in the Big Horn region. Small war parties came down from time to time upon stray travelers, who received no mercy at their hands, or made dashes upon neighboring forts. Red Cloud claimed the right to guard and hold by force, if need be, all this territory which had been conceded to his people by the treaty of 1868. The land became a very nest of outlawry. Aside from organized parties of prospectors, there were bands of white horse thieves and desperadoes who took advantage of the situation to plunder immigrants and Indians alike.

An attempt was made by means of military camps to establish control and force all the Indians upon reservations, and another commission was sent to negotiate their removal to Indian Territory, but met with an absolute refusal. After much guerrilla warfare, an important military campaign against the Sioux was set on foot in 1876, ending in Custer's signal defeat upon the Little Big Horn.

In this notable battle, Red Cloud did not participate in person, nor in the earlier one with Crook upon the Little Rosebud, but he had a son in both fights. He was now a councilor rather than a warrior, but his young men were constantly in the field, while Spotted Tail had definitely surrendered and was in close touch with representatives of the government.

But the inevitable end was near. One morning in the fall of 1876 Red Cloud was surrounded by United States troops under the command of Colonel McKenzie, who disarmed his people and brought them into Fort Robinson, Nebraska. Thence they were removed to the Pine Ridge agency, where he lived for more than thirty years as a "reservation Indian." In order to humiliate him further, government authorities proclaimed the more tractable Spotted Tail head chief of the Sioux. Of course, Red Cloud's own people never recognized any other chief.

In 1880 he appealed to Professor Marsh, of Yale, head of a scientific expedition to the Bad Lands, charging certain frauds at the agency and apparently proving his case; at any rate the matter was considered worthy of official investigation. In 1890-1891, during the "Ghost Dance craze" and the difficulties that followed, he was suspected of collusion with the hostiles, but he did not join them openly, and nothing could be proved against him. He was already an old man and became almost entirely blind before his death in 1909 in his ninetieth year.

His private life was exemplary. He was faithful to one wife all his days and was a devoted father to his children. He was ambitious for his only son, known as Jack Red Cloud, and much desired him to be a great warrior. He started him on the warpath at the age of fifteen, not then realizing that the days of Indian warfare were well-nigh at an end.

Among latter-day chiefs, Red Cloud was notable as a quiet man, simple and direct in speech, courageous in action, an ardent lover of his country, and possessed in a marked degree of the manly qualities characteristic of the American Indian in his best days.

Continue reading...

#History #Sioux #RedCloud

[daddymilker691]

Well my revered readers of Londons most bohemian and relentlessly sought after newspaper The Daily Milker we are back of course a recent bout of Covid has I’m afraid put rather a damper on things and not wanting to pass it on to my wonderful Co Editor Dawn Green we closed our Holborn studios for the week still feeling the after effects somewhat it really has a way of kicking the old proverbial bottom as our American so eloquently put it anyway so we opened up our studios yesterday darlings to our wonderful page five stars there are now so many it’s almost impossible to put them all in one edition but I shall strive to appease both our hungry readers appetites for these wonderful stars⭐️ and their own desires to be a page five ⭐️ , it’s been a dim and rainy day here in Holborn and actually in London as a whole indeed Dawns had to put the heating on I did suggest Dawn put on a fur coat but from the back room came the reply I don’t get paid enough well enough of the sauntering monologue I hear you say get on with it ok so here goes first off as always the wonderful Dawn Green our Co Editor wearing that in winter it’s no wonder you get cold Dawn next we were visited by the very lovely Petra no stranger to the Daily Milker but it’s been a while and as always in fine form and looking fabulous after the delightful photo shoot Petra caught the bus back to Wandsworth with a big smile and a page five ⭐️ badge , next was the one and only Jodie Hot Sauce who has sent me many get well soon messages what a lovely thing to do thanks Jodie your a staple star ⭐️ of the Daily Milker and we here all love you next after I’d had a coffee and a bit of a rest Dawn sipped on a cocktail only to inform me that Happy Little Lucy had just arrived at Heathrow and was in a Taxi on way to our studio all the way from Canada probably one of the only places colder than London what a Canadiandoll a vision in Polka Dots we made Lucy feel very welcome and took great delight in warming her up , we are hoping Lucy becomes a regular here , next the lovely leggy and fun Cindy Lace arrived you could have knocked me down with a feather when I heard Cindy say trick or treat I said get in for heavens sake before you catch a cold Dawn set up a Haloween themed background and Cindy showed me a trick and I got quite a treat ( ouch Dawn ) , next was the lovely Sandra Clapham who was somewhat late and then I noticed Dawn wasn’t about I thought to myself I know what’s happened and sure enough found them in the Queens legs discussing the different deniers of stockings Sandra showing Dawn a new suspenders belt I joined them both for a quick pint before we departed back to the studio as a brand new page five star only Monica , only I thought under my breath I congratulated Monica on the forethought of bringing an umbrella as it was pouring but did somewhat doubt of how much rain it would keep off, next was the lovely sweet Sue all the way from Manchester rather tired but given time to relax of course in our very special green room looking amazing and left with a smile lastly it was lovely to have Madison back . Before I finish the post I’d like to thank all you page five stars and the wonderful Dawn Green and if you haven’t made it on this issue please don’t think you won’t on the next we would have done a double if was feeling more up to it love and peace and thanks to all who follow the Milker ( never be nasty when you can be nice ) xxx

[amarguerite]

First sentence for fic:

The sunshine had seemed deceptively inviting, but the strong breeze and sea spray were still unpleasantly cold.

This sparked a little coda to my Northanger Abbey/ It Happened One Night mash-up:

The sunshine had seemed deceptively inviting, but the strong breeze and sea spray were still unpleasantly cold. It was not quite the French Riviera Catherine had seen in the pictures or read about in glossy photo spreads but she was here and the Mediterranean was right there and she was morally certain that too much time had already passed. The two of them must meet. She defiantly put down her towel on one of the many empty chairs adorning the beach in front of the Hotel de Loiselle.

“It really was so good of you and Bill to invite me,” Catherine said to Eleanor through teeth that only chattered a little.

Eleanor, still wearing a wonderfully daring cape and broad-brimmed hat over her Cubist bathing costume, lowered her sunglasses to critically eye the waves. “Of course, darling! It was the very least we could do after all you’ve done for us. But perhaps we ought to rest up in the rooms and try the beach tomorrow? After all, it was your first time up in Bill’s plane and that can be such a horrid trial—“

Though Catherine had spent most of the flight trying not to be sick into her best hat (who knew planes went so high or flew so fast?) she was determined not to waste her first ever day outside of England’s green and pleasant land. “They always are sending people to the seaside for their health in old books. I am sure if I go and bathe I shall feel perfectly fine.”

“Do let me know if you change your mind,” Eleanor said dubiously, before arranging herself on a chair and taking out a very thick novel with one of those modernist covers where everyone depicted on the front was made up of colored polygons. (Catherine wished her joy of it but was internally very glad she had picked up Did the Butler Do It? from the lending library.) Cartherine sat down herself, to unbuckle her sandals and try to wriggle her way out of the white and Nile green one piece beach pajamas that the advertisement had assured her had caused Florida to go wild. The contrasting cross-strap back that had seemed so darling in the illustration had been tricky to button in the hotel room mirror and was now proving somewhat impossible to unbutton. Catherine glanced over at Eleanor, but she was so deeply absorbed in her book she was smiling gleefully at the pages.

Eleanor had been really so sweet already— whisking Catherine away to France for her birthday and providing her with luxurious room and board— Catherine hated to interrupt her. But all the same…

This did not seem like the sort of tangle from which she could extract herself. Catherine had a more-or-less accurate understanding of her abilities at this point, as well as the fact that life as depicted in books or magazines or the pictures was often exaggerated, but it was very hard to let go of that vision of herself tossing off her oh-so-trendily-American one piece and dashing into the ocean with a flick of her curls and a gay laugh upon her perfectly lipsticked lips. Catherine engaged in a series of trying-to-be-discreet contortions that did not help at all, and only resulted in someone— probably another hotel guest— pausing behind her.

“In a jam darling?” asked— oh that was no passerby! She knew that voice.

“Henry!” Catherine shrieked in mad delight. She rocketed up from her chair and flung her arms about his neck, not able to take in all the wonderful facts of him all at once. His aftershave was the same, his arm about her (bare arm!) felt as cozy as ever, his laugh still rang so wonderfully in her ear— what bliss! Catherine nearly kissed him, but remembered in the nick of time that Eleanor was right there. Catherine settled for beaming up at him. “Henry! Henry, you darling! How on earth— you weren’t in Bill’s plane! How did you get here?”

Henry said, impishly, “Would you believe me if I said the bus?”

“How could a bus cross the channel?” Catherine demanded.

“Alright, an aeroplane and then a train and then a bus,” said Henry.

“Frightfully glad you made it, Henry,” said Eleanor. She kept her book open but turned to smile at him. “Bill and I were beginning to despair! You were supposed to surprise Cathy when we got in.”

Henry sighed. “Eleanor, you would not believe everything that happened to me on the way here—“

“I’ve heard that one,” teased Eleanor.

“Oh Henry, will you go in with me?” Catherine interrupted, too excited for tales of travel delay. “Only, my button in the back—“

“At least I don’t need a lock pick to get you out of this one,” said Henry. But he unbuttoned her with alacrity, tossed aside his own shirt and took her by the hand. “Come now Catherine— shall we brave the elements?”

“Let’s!” she cried, and together they raced into the surf, with all the elan and laughter Catherine could have hoped for (… even if it was so cold that as soon as they rushed in, they immediately left it.)

[nordleuchten]

The Bicentennial: The Invitation or The Tour that almost never was

As some of you surely are aware, the Bicentennial of La Fayette’s Tour through America in 1824/25 is fast approaching and many organizations/institutes, especially in America, have already made some form of content regarding this event.

Let us have a look at one document that stands at the start of this event – the invitation La Fayette received from the then President James Monroe on February 7, 1824.

‘Monroe and Lafayette’ (no date) Highland. Available at: https://highland.org/teacher-resources/monroe-and-lafayette/ (02/21/2024).

Everybody who has ever worked with Monroe’s papers will tell you, that his handwriting was often not, well, legible. This is completely off-topic, but one of my favourite quotes about Monroe is this statement by Edmund Bacon, one of Thomas Jeffersons overseer’s. He wrote that:

Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Madison both wrote a plain, beautiful hand, but you could write better with your toes than Mr. Monroe wrote.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A Look at Penmanship (2012) Monticello. Available at: https://www.monticello.org/research-education/blog/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-a-look-at-penmanship/ (02/21/2024).

(And let us not forget that Andrea Gray wrote in the same blog post, concerning Monroe’s penmanship: “Any idea who penned that abomination?”)

I think it is not quite that bad, but Monroes handwriting is also not the subject at hand, so back to the letter. Luckily, there is a transcript by Hampton Kennedy for James Monroe’s Highland:

[Transcription Page 1] Washington Feby [February]. 7th. 1824 My dear sir I wrote you about a fortnight since, a letter which I forwarded to New York to the care of Mr Brown, in which I intimated my desire in at liberty case you felt yourself ^ to visit the Ustates [United States], to send a frigate to some port of France, to receive and bring you over. Since then Congrefs [Congress] have pafsed [passed] a re- -solution, to that effect, expression of the affectionate attachment of the whole nation to you, and of their de- -sire to see you again among us. The period at which you may deem it proper, to accept this invitation, is life to yourself, but you may be afsured [assured], that when- -ever it may comport with your views, of which you will have the goodnefs [goodness] to advise me, a public ship shall be immediately orderd [ordered] to the port which you may designate, to carry you to the country of your adoption in early life, + [and] which has always che- -rished the most grateful recollection of your im- -portant services. I send you here with a copy of the resolution, and have only to add, the [Transcription Page 2] afsurance [assurance] of my high consideration and affectionate regard. James Monro

‘Monroe and Lafayette’ (no date) Highland. Available at: https://highland.org/teacher-resources/monroe-and-lafayette/ (02/21/2024).

And as easy as inviting La Fayette in the end was for Monroe, writing a short and simple letter, the process leading up to Monroe writing this letter was somewhat debated. Allow me to take you back to the House of Representatives on January 12, 1824, when the notion to invite La Fayette was first introduced.

Annals of Congress, 18th Congress, 1st session, I, p. 988.

The bill took its usual route from there and on the next day, the resolution was read again and was voted on – and I know what you are all thinking. Of course the resolution passed! We all know that the Tour took place and America and Americans had such high esteem for La Fayette. They had already supported and honoured him in so many ways, most notable during the French Revolution, his imprisonment and the financial struggles following his release. Well, no. The resolution was negatived by 80 to 74 – a small margin granted, but a defeat, nonetheless.

Annals of Congress, 18th Congress, 1st session, I, p. 1004-1005

Around the same time La Fayette lost his reelection for his seat in the Chambre des Députés – and now even America did not want him? Well, it was not quite that dramatic for our Marquis.

First of all, the wording of the notion was not all it could be, and a committee was there for formed to change the way the bill was phrased. Furthermore, and in contrast to his earlier visits to America, La Fayette had long outgrown “his charming, rich boy-general”-image. He had become a serious politician and a household name in Europe and European politics. His values and agendas were well known. Revolutions were spreading all throughout the western world and at that time the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829) was raging and in South America many regions declared independence and formed Republics. More generally speaking, the 1820s were a time of Revolution and La Fayette, as a general rule of thumb, always sided with the revolutionaries, the ones that fought for freedom (however you want to define the term) and independence. He loudly advocated for Greek and South America, he gave money to Italian and Spanish exiles. In short, he was advocating for Revolution and not everyone liked that. In 1815, after Napoléon Bonaparte’s final defeated the so-called Holly Alliance (Austrian Empire and the Kingdoms of Russia and Prussia) was formed with the expressed aim to keep liberalism in check. In America itself there were varying opinions on how to respond to what was happening and these subjects became even more prominent with Monroe’s presidency and his Monroe-Doctrine. Add to this La Fayette’s dislike for the principles of slavery. Slavery was in the 1820’s not quite such a hot topic as it would later be, but it was still a touchy subject and La Fayette’s opinions, as with everything else, were well known. And, as Mr. William of North Carolina remarked, was the Congress sure that La Fayette even wanted to come?

With all that in mind, the resolution was amended and reintroduced on January 20, 1824:

Annals of Congress, 18th Congress, 1st session, I, p. 1101-1104.

After the new text and a letter by La Fayette expressing his desire to return to America once more before his death were read, the resolution was unanimously agreed upon. There is no hard evidence, but some contextual evidence suggesting that Monroe really urged Congress to pass the resolution.

The problem therefor was not with La Fayette as a person. There still was the deep connection between a man and a people who both owned each other a great deal. The visit was a personal affair that had also a strong political connection, both on a national and an international level. It was a “yes” from America to La Fayette and his believes and it also was a “yes” from La Fayette to America and American politics. And while everything went down just fine, there was still the question regarding the implications this invitation and visit had. Monroe, a personal friend of the La Fayette’s, who had helped Adrienne a great deal during the French Revolution and who supposedly had urged Congress to pass said resolution, wrote, somewhat anxiously, to Thomas Jefferson on October 18, 1824:

His mov’ment, since his arrival in the UStates, has been well directed. Had he visited this city in the first instance, the compromitment of the govt, with the holy alliance, would have been much greater, than by going directly to our fellow citizens, & from them to the govt. By this course, the nation has the credit. The holy alliance, & all the govts of Europe, must therefore look to us, as an united people, devoted to the principles of our revolution & of free republican government.

“To Thomas Jefferson from James Monroe, 18 October 1824,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/98-01-02-4634. [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series. It is not an authoritative final version.] (02/21/2024).

And that is, in summary, how La Fayette’s visit to America in 1824/1825 came to be.

#to be fair the title is a tad dramatic #marquis de lafayette #la fayette #french history #american history #history #european history #thomas jefferson #james monroe #letters #founders online #1824 #politics #lafayette #the bicentannial #the tour of 1824/1825

[silverhallow]

Say you’ll remember me

pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x Sophie Beckett

summary: a drabble for nothing and no real reason it’s more of a summary of a possible story than an actual story if that makes sense…

warnings: none

word count: 600 words

author's note: this isn’t my best work but it’s something my muse was playing with so I’m sharing

'Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.'

Their shared love for Shakespeare, literature, and art initially brought them together, evolving their friendship into a passionate romance marked by stolen kisses and secret rendezvous. What began as an inseparable bond now faced an impending separation, fueled by circumstances beyond their control.

Sophie and Benedict, once the closest of friends turned lovers, found themselves at a crossroads. Sophie's grandfather's passing in America led to a cascade of events, with Richard, her father, compelled to handle the estate. At just 16, Sophie had to accompany him, leaving behind her stepmother but at the cost of parting ways with Benedict.

While Sophie secured acceptance and scholarships at American colleges, but Benedict, with his artistic talents, chose not to follow. He believed she would stay if she got into a school in England. Communication broke down, so as the departure date loomed, they faced the reality of their separation.

Richard had everything organised, and the night before their departure became their last chance to create enduring memories. Benedict, yearning for escape, suggested leaving town and evading the city's constraints. However, the impracticality of such a plan became apparent, as neither could drive, and the forces pulling them apart seemed insurmountable.

As they approached the inevitable parting, neither fought hard to defy destiny. They understood that youth was fleeting, and although destiny and fate might still shape their narrative, they resigned themselves to the transient nature of their connection. Benedict knew that nothing lasts forever and after Sophie's departure, these memories would be the ones that would follow him around.

"Say you’ll remember me," she murmured as the sun began its ascent, the night spent together fading with the dawn. Her lips bore the stain of their kisses, and her rosy cheeks bore witness to the shared experiences that would linger in their minds forever.

In that one evening, they wove the tapestry of first love, first heartbreak, and first times—all condensed into a night that would become a cornerstone of their lives.

"say you'll remember me, standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset," she whispered once more, feeling the embrace of his arms around her, both reluctant to release the other.

"I will, I'll always remember you," he vowed, sensing deep within that no one could compare to her. He hoped fate had a plan, a day when their paths would cross again.

"Promise me, you'll see me again, even if it's just in your wildest dreams," Sophie pleaded, craving something to anchor herself to.

"We will meet again, someday. The memories of tonight will reunite us, guiding us back to where we belong," he declared solemnly as the sun completed its final arc over the horizon, signalling the arrival of a new day.

"Say you'll remember me," they whispered as they parted, a solemn oath etched in their hearts.

Little did they know, ten years later, Sophie would find herself gazing at a painting capturing this very moment—a girl in a beautiful dress, staring at a sunset, titled "I'll Always Remember You."

As the words “I told you I’d remember you…” rang through her ears and her heart

Finally, her wildest dreams would transform into reality.

#bridgerton #benedict bridgerton #sophie beckett #benophie #Benophie drabble #benedict x sophie #Benedict bridgerton drabble #ash writes

[lokitu]

Fast Food Rep, part 1

- commissioned and written by DeltaC -

i. Perlman: O’Grady!  In my office…NOW!!!

O’Grady: Whoa Perlman ever heard of using your inside voice? What the heck has your shining dome spinning like a disco ball?

Perlman: Cut the bullshit I don’t want to hear it! Not now!  Mind explaining what I am looking at here?

O’Grady: Huh? This is how you treat your Exec VP of Marketing? You really need to mind that tone. I’ll let it slide for now…

Perlman: Hey hot shot, for once can you just stop running your mouth, and for the love of god just answer my question!

O’Grady: Fine. You really aren’t much fun until you have that first swig of brandy.

Perlman: Get on with it. I am not getting any younger…

O’Grady: Perlman, buddy of mine, what we have here is our next marketing hit. I mean this here baby is going to go viral. Just look at that charming face and electrifying smile. This here is the face that will launch a thousand motorized scooters scooting into the double wide seating of our clients fine eateries across the nation. And not only that…

Perlman: Hard stop. Did you really go off script again? You were specifically instructed to stay on script. YOU were told to get an all American corn fed fat boy for this commercial. I am pretty damn sure I told YOU to get a guy with a dad bod borderline FAT. Why the fu..

O’Grady: Let me stop you there Perlman, buddy. Have I ever led you astray with any of my past decisions? How many times have I saved this ad agency from losing a single client? Come on Matty. Trust your golden goose here.

Perlman: Are you kidding me?! Not only have you gone off script but from the looks of it you didn’t even bother to get a professional model. Did you really pick out your fitness obsessed husband for this?

O’Grady: Matty you know that our viewers don’t want to see themselves on screen; they want to see an idealized version of themselves on screen. They’ll eat and buy anything we want so long as the right face is selling it to them. Besides, he is cute if I do say so myself.

Perlman: God dammit John! Here is the bottom line. Either your husband there gains enough weight to pass as a fat guy for this commercial or we are going the dad bod route. And by the looks of it your husband there won’t cut it as a dad. So, either he gets fat enough for this gig or you better start memorizing the script because you’ll be starring in the commercial. So, if I were you I’d put that raise you got last year to good use, fatten up that husband of yours or start investing in some big and tall clothing for yourself.

Golden goose? More like a golden cow. Hahaha!!!

Take this as a learning experience John. Don’t fuck with me. You don’t have the weight around here to pull this kind of shit. Well maybe you’ll have the weight soon enough.

Oh and one last thing you better get used to a well rounded husband in the bedroom. From what I hear, more cushion for the pushin is always much more fun.

*** O’Grady: Fuck fuck fuck!

Client requirements: Male: 6’0” + height Weight: 300 lbs minimum with a top weight of 500 lbs. Maximum weight is negotiable.* Sopkeman is to demonstrate weight gain as the project progresses. If the chosen spokesman is unable to meet minimum metrics a substitute MUST be found immediately.

*If the spokesman meets and exceeds maximum set weight he shall be given a personal fitness instructor to lose weight. Of course, if the model opts out of fitness instructor he may be compensated handsomely with an annual allowance for clothing and food.

***

Oh Christ there has to be a way out! There is no way I’m letting Steve gain weight. And there is no way in HELL I am going to replace Steve in the commercial. What kind of script is this? What company would even want a fat spokesperson purposely gaining weight! It has never been seen.

Steve: Hey John are you okay?

John: Yikes! Don’t sneak up on me.

Steve: Haha since when can I sneak up on you? Anywho, I can hear you cursing from the bedroom. Are you planning on coming to bed anytime soon?

John: Yes of course I’ll be right in babe. *oh god how am I going to break it to him. He doesn’t deserve to pay for my fuck up.*

Steve: Come on John. Put that paperwork down and let’s have some fun in the bedroom to help you unwind. If you’re lucky I’ll give you a back massage afterwards.

John: Awww you spoil me you know that right?

Steve: I know I do. Not as much as you spoil me though. I still can’t believe you want me to star in this commercial of yours. You know I have zero background in acting. I mean I am flattered and you know I will give it my all.

**Oh god my heart just dropped. I have to tell him. What is he going to say? How is he going to react? He’ll never forgive me. Everything is fucked**

Hey Earth to John! Are you listening? Come on, let's get you to bed.

John: Oh, oh right there. Stay on that spot. A little bit to the right…okay lower lower. Oh god yes! My lower back has been killing me. Steve, you got some magic fingers there. It’ll be a shame you’ll lose so much strength after this gig is over…

Steve: Huh?

John: …shit…ahhh…a little higher?

Steve:  Babe, what did you mean that’ll it be a shame I’ll lose strength after the gig is over?

John: Nothing. Nothing. You know me, I speak nonsense when I’m stressed and under the spell of those strong fingers…come on keep rubbing my back.

Steve: Yeah, I know you so well, and I know you start talking fast and enter executive VP mode trying to throw me off the scent. Plus your voice spikes and you get all defensive. Come on, spit it out. Baby, talk to me.

John: YOU HAVE TO GET FAT FOR THIS GIG! I mean who the hell orders a commercial starring a fat guy getting FATTER! It makes no damn sense. And sure maybe I should have read through the entire contract. But come on, it read as a straightforward fast food commercial. And I can’t find a way out of this for either one of us…

Steve: Ummm come again? I need to get fat and continue to get even fatter.

John: And that is only the half of it. If we can’t get you up to 300 lbs minimum I have to take your place in the commercial. I just can’t gain. I don’t want to be a whale. I just can’t…

**smoooch**

Steve? What are…why? Aren’t you pissed at me? I just fucked our lives.

Steve: Shut up you big beautiful dork. We’ll sort it out in the morning. Now, I gave you a massage. The least you can do is go ahead and give junior a nice tug and make some love with me…you know before my big 300 lbs belly covers it up.

*John blushes*

Hey, you always did enjoy paying special attention to my bum. Just picture it three times wider and all the fun we’ll have.

John: Steve…

Steve: John, baby, for tonight forget all your worries. Tomorrow is a new day. And hey I expect a big breakfast tomorrow. I'm eating for two now after all. Now pull yourself together and come and get it papi.

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[alpaca-clouds]

Orpheus and the Katabasis

Another topic for mythologic geekery. Let me today talk about a topic that folks within comparative mythology actually do not really quite agree on. Orpheus and the Katabasis.

As you may know: Orpheus is not a god. He is a dude. At times a half-god, to be fair (though speaking from the perspective of Greek mythology: Who isn't really?) Actually, to be very exact for the Stray Gods fans: In some versions of the mythology he is in fact the son of Calliope and a mortal man. But given that he was actually no god and thus not venerated the basis for the story of Orpheus and Eurydice did not change that much. Within the versions we have records of the basic outline of the story shifts. Again, in some Orpheus is a half-god. In some the nature of Eurydice shifts, too. But it always is: "Orpheus is a musician who finds his muse in Eurydice. Eurydice dies. Orpheus goes to the underworld to reclaim her. He does some music. Hades likes it and lets her go. But Orpheus cannot turn around. He does. Eurydice gone. Orpheus sad." Often the myth even ends there, never explaining what becomes of Orpheus after failing.

Something that makes this myth so fascinating to me is the discussion of it was part of the Katabasis. A "trope" shall we say within comparative mythology.

I think, in fact, that this was one of the first myths where I as a kid had the "Oh, this is actually like very similar" moment. Because I read another myth and was like: "Hey, that is like with the Greek singer dude! But how can that be? They are so far apart?!"

And the myth in question is Izanagi and Izanami in the Japanese mythology. A myth that involves many of the same tropes we know from both Hades and Persephone and Orpheus and Eurydice. Woman dies. Man goes down. She cannot return to the living. Either because she has consumed part of the underworld. Or because he turns around.

And when I first read that myth with like 12 years I was like: "Huh?!"

Here is the thing why this is a topic that folks will argue about a lot in Comparative Mythology. There is the idea of the Katabasis. Aka, that one of those myths - some go even as far as speculating whether it is like even pre-proto-indo-european - that shows up again and again. Not quite as similar as it is when we compare Izanagi and Orpheus, but still the same idea.

The idea being that: Someone goes to hell/the underworld for a quest. This quest usually involves either rescuing a loved one (though this does not need to be romantic, it might also involve family members or dear friends) or obtaining knowledge of some sort (like the knowledge how to make fire). Some tropes show up again and again within that. Like loosing the ability of returning due to consuming something. Or the god/ruler of the underworld testing the respective hero, often resulting on the short term or long term death of said hero.

Now, would it show up only in myths of the Indu-European family and in a lot of them, this would not get argued about. But it doesn't. It also shows up in Pacifica mythology, in South American mytholgy and Eastern African mythology. Meanwhile it does not show up in all the myths or in some is argued whether this really is comparative (like Ra's journey through the underworld or the liberation of Ushas).

Which basically leads to two different interpretations:

This is a concept that has been around since the days of very early humans, leading the myth to be kinda passed along and adapted throughout the world.

Most humans do in fact burry their dead, making the idea of an underworld as a world of the dead very logical - and it is just a human need and want to either get a loved one back or optain knowledge. For the later it could be argued that the believe of someone who died and came back having mythic knowledge being kinda logical, given that death is the one thing we still know surprisingly little about.

Obviously I do not know the answer to which of those things is the real answer.

But I find it endlessly fascinating.

Also... just the amount of adaptions of Orpheus specifically is super interesting as well. xD

#stray gods #mythology #comparative mythology #orpheus #eurydice #orpheus and eurydice #izanagi #izanami #underworld #afterlife #hell

[queer-ragnelle]

Hello. I shall thank you again for replying to my requests, which are really helpful. But there is a question that I would love to ask. Or maybe two

1. What are your personal favourite Arthuriana movies/series?

2. Which Arthuriana movies/series are the most accurate to the Legends?

3. Which ones shall I avoid? And why?

P. S. I have already watched:

Knights of the Round Table (1953) 9/10 (I loved Lancelot and Elaine together. He loved her, just not as much as he loved Guinevere... Arthur/Lancelot chemistry. Lancelot vs Mordred... Unexpected duel)

Lancelot du Lac (1974) 7/10 (I loved Gawain and the relationship with Lancelot)

Excalibur (1981) 10/10 (The movie is a gem. I wish we had more like this nowadays... The Lancelot redemption was amazing)

Cursed (2020) 6/10 (I only liked the Fae lore there)

BBC Merlin 8/10 (There were some wack moments. And Arthur wasn't really my jam. But the show is amazing)

hi! you’re welcome, i’m glad it was helpful. :^)

this is going to be a long multi-part answer, so i’ll throw it below a cut to avoid an obnoxious wall of text on the dash.

1. What are your personal favourite Arthuriana movies/series?

movies:

Knights of The Round Table (1953)

Sword of Lancelot (1963)

Camelot (1967)

Lancelot du Lac (1974)

Monty Python and The Holy Grail (1975)

Excalibur (1981) [review]

Merlin and The Sword (1985)

A Knight’s Tale (2001)

Tristan and Isolde (2006)

Kaamelott First Installment (2021)

The Green Knight (2021)

shows:

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956–1957)

BBC The Legend of King Arthur (1979)

Merlin (1998)

Starz Camelot (2011)

2. Which Arthuriana movies/series are the most accurate to the Legends?

finding an “accurate” arthurian adaptation or retelling is an exercise in futility. no iteration exists without its own unique interpretation, including the medieval texts. gawain is obscenely inconsistent, so determining what constitutes an “accurate” characterization of him is literally impossible. the same can be said for every aspect of the legends. each author does their own thing! the other problem is that even if what’s there is reminiscent of the stories it references, something is inevitably missing. most of the time it’s gaheris. (okay, it’s always gaheris.) more often than not, the entire prose tristan cast gets cut. occasionally, one of the lads will show up on his own completely disconnected from the original lore… (palamedes in the black knight (1954), lamorak in sword of lancelot (1963) and again in kaamelott the first installment (2021), dinadan in camelot (1967), and tristan in king arthur (2004)) but i digress. if you’re looking for something that covers the majority of the story from arthur’s conception to his death, the choices are minimal.

BBC The Legend of King Arthur (1979)

Excalibur (1981)

3. Which ones shall I avoid? And why?

movies:

The Black Knight (1954): orientalist, black face palamedes. enough said.

Sword of The Valiant (1984): a remake of gawain and the green knight (1973) with worse everything from casting to costuming to pacing. tall, jacked gawain isn’t real and can’t hurt me.

Guinevere (1994): if i was persia woolley and they showed me this movie calling it an adaptation of my books, i’d maul them.

First Knight (1995): so ick it’s funny. wow this lancelot sucks. american accent, insufferable, entitled, gives face-hugger kisses? convoluted scenarios presented as romantic. lame costuming. questionable age gap between arthur/guin. he knew her as a child????? girl run.

Quest For Camelot (1998): rip author vera chapman, fortunate enough to pass before witnessing this abominable adaptation. why americanize the names lynette and gareth? why the hideous animation? the shabby song and dance numbers? the books are dark let’s make a kids musical out of it!

King Arthur: Legend of The Sword (2017): weaksauce attempt to cash in on existing audience. discombobulated the lore until unrecognizable. two women are fridged in the first half hour. strangely edited. nobody is likable. overall cringe.

shows:

King Arthur and The Knights of Justice (1992): nothing of substance here, typical 90s cartoon existing to sell toys.

The Mists of Avalon (2001): i’ll never support anything related to author marion zimmer bradley. she’s dead, let’s kill her legacy too.

Merlin’s Apprentice (2006): not sure what happened here but this sequel to the 1998 original is the biggest downgrade ever.

The Seven Deadly Sins (2014–present): every pitfall an anime can have, this one has in spades. beyond the bastardization of arthurian lore, it’s hard to follow chronologically bc the seasons are named not numbered, full of shameless fan service, lolis, a drop in budget resulted in ugly cgi animation.

Netflix Cursed (2020): take a shot every time a nicknamed character is revealed to be loosely arthurian. no don’t you’ll get alcohol poisoning. did netflix do it? did they solve misogyny by putting a sword in a girl’s hand? this was so disappointing it offended me.

anyway if there’s something i didn’t mention here then it’s mid. bbc merlin isn’t really my thing but it’s fun! transformers feels so far removed from actual arthuriana it’s not worth discussion, unlike some others that are trying really hard and suck so much. stuff like that. hope this gives you some things to check out next!

#arthurian legend #arthurian legends #arthuriana #arthurian mythology #fanficwritinggremlin #ask

[horizon-verizon]

I never thought I’d the see people praising the Faith of the Seven. Women’s rights are something that so many Christian churches have been against for nearly the entire history of Christianity, and this oppression is still alive and well today. Organized religion always has been and remains the greatest enemy of women’s rights and emancipation. The Bible created a blueprint for vilifying powerful women leaders and there are more than 200 verses that specifically demean and dehumanize women. The very basis of Christianism is misogynistic, every thing starts with a woman’s ‘original sin’.

“What is the difference whether it is in a wife or a mother, it is still Eve the temptress that we must beware of in any woman… I fail to see what use woman can be to man, if one excludes the function of bearing children.”—Saint Augustine: De genesi ad litteram, 9, 5–9

“Nor are the women to smear their faces with the ensnaring devices of wily cunning. . . The Instructor [Christ] orders them to go forth “in becoming apparel, and adorn themselves with shamefacedness and sobriety, subject to their own husbands.”  –Saint Clement of Alexandria, Christian theologian (c150-215): The Instructor

“In pain shall you bring forth children, woman, and you shall turn to your husband and he shall rule over you. And do you not know that you are Eve ? God’s sentence hangs still over all your sex and His punishment weighs down upon you. You are the devil’s gateway; you are she who first violated the forbidden tree and broke the law of God. It was you who coaxed your way around him whom the devil had not the force to attack. With what ease you shattered that image of God: Man! Because of the death you merited, even the Son of God had to die… Woman, you are the gate to hell.” –Tertullian, “the father of Latin Christianity” (c160-225): De Cultu Feminarum (On the Apparel of Women), Chapter 1

“For it is improper for a woman to speak in an assembly, no matter what she says, even if she says admirable things, or even saintly things, that is of little consequence, since they come from the mouth of a woman.” –Origen (d. 258): Fragments on First Corinthians, 74

“I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” –1 Timothy 2:12 

“If there is a young woman, a virgin already engaged to be married, and a man meets her in the town and lies with her, you shall...stone them to death, the young woman because she did not cry for help...and the man because he violated his neighbor's wife. [If the woman is notengaged] the man who lay with her shall give 50 shekels of silver to the young woman's father, and she shall become his wife.” –Deuteronomy 22:23-27

“But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die.” –Deuteronomy 22:20-21

“Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” –1 Tim. 2:11-14

While Catholicism and other religions passed on from European colonizers are not as directly influential in state politics thanks to the supposed Age of Reason, these religions and their cultural impact on how people think about family organization and gender roles still shape much of European and American politics, society, and law. In the beginning of European imperialism and events like Japan's moving out of isolationism. Even for PoCs like Black people. Then there is the accelerated commodifictation of PoC and queer culture (especially Black) AND political organizations to resist oppressive laws and structures through media representation, social media, and groundwork discussions that it's hard to effectively hide from activists publishing their thoughts or queer/PoC people so visibly changing infrastructure.

It was pretty much inevitable that people who want "the good old days" of rich Christian straight white cis-male privilege to push back.

#asoiaf asks to me #asoiaf fandom #fandom critical #fandom commentary #asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #tradcath

[godandtheindianroad]

Finding God on the Indian Road!?!?!?!?

The language of this blog title may seem a bit strange to some, for others it may seem more like an oxymoron, and then there will always be those who have no clue to the hidden indicators that lie beneath the surface of these words “Finding God on the Indian Road.” The blunt and sad truth is that the Christian church has had a very tumultuous past with Native American peoples over the past couple of centuries. In fact, some argue that that fateful year of 1492 was the beginning of a momentous change motivated by exploration and false doctrines of “Inter Caetera," that authorized Spain and Portugal the ”holy” right to colonize, convert, and enslave the Americas and its Native peoples as subjects. This evangelical movement quickly became known as the ‘Jesus Road.’ For many, ‘taking the Jesus Road,’ meant an utter and complete denial of Native American identity so that ‘salvation’ could be achieved in the whitewashing of Indigenous Peoples. This recently came to light in a heartbreaking way as “Interior Secretary Deb Haaland advocated for a Truth and Healing Commission to examine past U.S. government efforts to eradicate the languages, identities and cultural practices of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians,” (Schatz, 6.23.2022). The results from this have and continue to bring tears to the eyes of onlookers at the injustices done in the name of evangelism in a very dark chapter of American history. The sad truth is, this is just but one example of the MANY injustices done to Native Americans in ‘taking the Jesus Road.” Many Indigenous people to this day are still unable to speak about these tragedies that they endured firsthand and for those that are speaking out, the pain and lasting implications are poignant to say the very least. Many Natives during this evangelistic period denied Christianity entirely and another road emerged, the Indian Road. This was a way of remaining connected with traditional practices and ways of living that allowed the Native American identity to flourish and endure. It reminds me of my favorite Robert Frost poem,

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both. And be one traveler, long I stood. And looked down one as far as I could, To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there. Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay, In leaves, no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference,” (Frost, 219).

The reality is, although often overlooked by many non-Native people, that God was very much present on the Indian Road. Some might even argue more so than on the Jesus Road. The spirituality and connection with The Creator both pre-1492 and post-1492 are powerfully evident and it reveals a truth that many evangelists of the early colonization period overlooked in that Native American peoples knew and were worshipping God in powerful and profound ways prior to ever learning of Christianity and the Jesus Road. It is from this place that we can begin to ask ourselves as Christians and both Native Americans and non-Native Americans alike, how can we then embrace what Indigenous culture has to teach us about connecting with God and living more spiritually? There is a lot to learn, and when we can open ourselves up to this truth, the truth that Native Americans have a LOT to teach Christians about how to connect with Aba' Bínni'li' (Creator), THEN a new road emerges that recognizes indeed God can be found on this Indian Road!

Nanna ishkanihmikma Chihoowaako ishayokpacha'shki (In all your ways acknowledge Him)!!!

REFERENCES

Schatz, Brian. The U.S. is reckoning with its troubled past of Indian boarding schools. U.S. Senator for Hawaii. (6.23.2022) https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/in-the-news/the-us          is-reckoning with-its-troubled-past-of-indian-boarding-schools

Frost, Robert. Robert Frosts Poems. (New York, NY: Henry Holt and Co., 1971).

[politics-project]

Hi guys!!

So, I’ve chosen the prompt ‘Explore how online activist movements are contributing to political change in today’s world.’ And certainly the post influential two I can think of is the Black Lives Matter and the #Metoo movements, at least in my lifetime. But let’s start with some context as to why this movement occurred and was needed.

Slavery:

the practice or system of owning people

a condition of having to do very hard work without proper remuneration (payment) or appreciation

Background:

Many free and enslaved Africans were taken to aid with the establishment and survival of the colonies in America and the rest of the New world. Some historians estimate 6 - 7 million people were enslaved there during the 18th century alone. They were used for their cheap labor in mainly the agricultural industries. An industry that is not as integral to the North so they were more likely to be anti slavery although this did not mean they all viewed black people as their equals.

The treatment of enslaved in the south was inhumane, especially in regards to the sexual violence perpetrated by white masters onto black women. This links into the #metoo movement and why systemic issues of sexual and gender based violence has always been a major issue especially when it comes to the most vulnerable and marginalised women. The oppression of southern in slaved people in the south caused the abolition movement to grow further in the North. Free black people and other Northern abolitionists began to help enslaved people escape from southern plantations to the north by a loose network of save houses that lead to the Underground Railroad.

Abolition and Abolitionist:

The act of abolishing a system, practice of institution

A person who favours the abolition of a practice, or institution, especially capital punishment and slavery

This angered white slave owners who were loosing more of those who they had deprived of their freedom but they had a system of returning fugitive escaped slaves by this point…

[The 13th Amendment was passed on the 31st of January 1865, then was ratified in 1866. It outlawed slavery across the nation but it had a loophole:

“Except as punishment for a crime whereof the party shall be duly convicted”

This lead to the prison labour system that heavily effects black people who are more likely to be put in prison for minor crimes compared to their white counterparts.]

Slave catchers turned police officers:

Although America had watchmen to protect the King’s peace and militas to defend them/fight their battles. It was not till the creation of slave patrols that we begin to see something similar to the the police we’re familiar with. Slave catchers as the name suggests were people who were sent out to capture fugitive enslaved people. It was not a new concept, slave patrols occurred in Cuba in 1530’s and later occurred in Barbados.

Slave owners from Barbados’s authorised the first slave patrol in America in Southern California. Virgina and North Carolina followed later on. Slave patrol’s combined the role of the militia and watchmen. But none of these were called the ‘police’, that was a French concept at the time only appearing in places like New Orleans. It was noted in 1789 that it had entered the English language with a similar meaning to its modern one: to keep peace, justice and punish disorder. The creation of the police in Britain was inspired by slave codes and patrols, which the US then copied.

American urban policing started in Boston, Massachusetts in 1838 because of the mob attacks on abolitionists in an attempt to create order. Other city’s created their own police forces from the mid 1840’s to the end of the 1850’s. The increased policing was caused by the rise in crime during the Industrial Revolution due to increased population and poor quality of life. Unlike their British counterparts they fell under local jurisdiction with limited supervision which lead to corruption. They were also armed with guns unlike the other. Outside of these big cities law enforcement was severely lacking and was left to the federal courts and the army which shows the beginning hints of how it became so militarised.

Link to Theorist:

This links into Karl Marx because their labor was exploited and enforced by the ruling class.

#school project #slavery #black lives matter #long post

[ginza-division]

Masa's Thoughts on Kanazawa Division

Wataru Sasaki

"Ah, Sasaki-san. An admirable man of the police, I must admit. I've seen him here in Ginza from time to time. Truthfully, I'm not sure why. I assume he is here simply to visit. There is little to no crime here in Ginza that he needs to worry about. I, and my followers, make absolutely sure of that. I suppose the only other explanation is that he is here because suspects me of something. No surprise, really. I often see him in the company of Yuzairu-san from Ueno. Normally, being allied with even one member of the Ueno Division team is enough for me to dislike you. ...However, I bear him no ill will. Perhaps I should invite him here to my sanctuary for a talk. He'll see that everywhere here has only one objective: to lead our fellow brothers and sisters on the right path to paradise. Surely a man such as him cannot fault us that."

Aaron Kyler

"Well now... another American? How interesting... I wasn't aware that someone else from America had made their way here to Japan. And it seems that he is here to serve as a bodyguard for the American ambassador, Mr. Douglas. I see... This, unfortunately, complicates matters. I was hoping to speak with Mr. Douglas, alone. Having his bodyguard here, watching our every move, is a bit of an... annoyance."

"Thankfully, it seems his duty as a bodyguard is only part of the reason why he is here. I'm not sure what it is, but apparently, he is using his position as Mr. Douglas' bodyguard to conduct his own investigation into something. What that is, I'm not sure yet. But if I find out, perhaps I can pass it along his way and get him and Mr. Douglas away from each other. It is something to ponder about..."

Joey Kurusu

"Ah, now this young man, I am quite familiar with. I met him while he was wandering the streets of Ginza, alone, dirty and broken. I brought him inside the church, fed him, and asked him to confide in me. I later found out that he too had lost someone precious to him. A younger sister, in fact. I understood his pain all too well. It's sad when the people who are the dearest to us are the first to always leave. It is completely unfair." Masa sighs and looks off to the side for a bit, looking strangely melancholic. He recovers after a couple of seconds.

"I must say it is good to see him doing well. I've to admit, I had no idea he was an officer of the law. A man like him would be of use in the future. I shall have to invite him to come to one of our services sometime."

Shield Justice

"A team of law enforcement officers participating in the D.R.B. Ha, I just know young Oki is going to have some complaints about this. Not surprising considering his... history with law enforcement. Me, I actually see this as an opportunity. Three dedicated officers of the law entering this competition will allow me to further my goals. If, in the process, I can get these men on my side, then all the better. ...Though I must admit, what exactly warrants them to join this competition? It merits an investigation..."

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