#most would be in their 50’s & 60’s today

[nerdygaymormon]

#mattxiv #lgbtqia #queer history #most would be in their 50’s & 60’s today

[yourtongzhihazel]

why do you support china

TL;DR,

As the daughter of a family of peasants on both sides, I would simply not exist if it was not for Mao Zedong and the communist party. My grandfather on my mom's side was the only person in his village to attend high school. My maternal grandparents became PLA medics then full on doctors. My grandfather on my dad's side was illiterate until the 50s, after which time, he became a local librarian. Every single senior citizen in the PRC has stories of the horror, war, death, starvation, poverty that Chinese people suffered for centuries, amplified by the century of humiliation. There's not a single farmer left in my family. They are artists. Teachers. Engineers. Physicists. Musicians. Doctors. Programmers. The oldest pictures in my family's collection are a set of prints from the 60's, after cameras came to the peasantry. In my very own lifetime, I saw Pudong, on the east bank of the Huangpu river which splits Shanghai in two, go from just the Oriental Pearl and a collection of buildings to the skyscraper metropolis it is today. When I was born, there was not a single kilometer of true HSR. In 22 years, they have built 45,000 kilometers of HSR, a number which is still growing. In 2021, the PRC completed the historical task of eliminating extreme poverty in the entire country. There are millions of families like mine living in the PRC, from Urumqi to Harbin.

In 1991, the Soviet Union was illegally and forcefully dismantled, a process which culminated in the constitutional crisis of 1993. Similar processes of primitive accumulation occurred in former Eastern Block countries, from East Germany to Bulgaria. State assets were stolen for cents on the dollar. Quality of life, especially average lifespan, dropped significantly and so dramatically that it took former Soviet countries 3 decades or more just to recover to pre-dissolution numbers; some still haven't. Pensioners lost their pensions and were forced to sell scrap and empty bottles just to survive. Those who had state jobs were laid off. Social welfare programs were cut back or eliminated entirely. Children were forced into prostitution or trafficked. Now the constituent republics which made up the USSR engage in petty regional wars to the detriment of all of their citizens. The Soviet Union was a country just shy of 300 million people. Over 1.4 BILLION people live in the PRC right now. Economic shock therapy of which the former USSR went through would be an unmitigated humanitarian disaster on a scale perhaps never seen on the planet.

The Communist Party of China has brought about unimaginable good to Chinese people. It took a backwaters, "sick man of Asia" and turned it into the 2nd strongest nation currently on the planet all within a single lifespan. The PRC is the most successful socialist project still around and should be a magnificent source of lessons to learn from, both the good and the bad. However, this is not to say the the PRC should be emulated or copied. Rather, communists should analyze their own material conditions and class make up and apply the lessons of the PRC as they see fit for their own countries.

#mmp #Hazel's press releases

[hierba-picante]

HI, HELLO, I'M COMING TO DROP QUESTIONS AND RUN!

Your pony-fied Moon! Does he do contortion?

For the older sibling au: What songs were you thinking of for the DCA to play? Do they serenade the older sibling?? Also when Sun and Moon learn that Gregory is related to Y/N, do a lot of things about them suddenly make more sense?

-normal-about-the-dca

Hi hi!! Yes pony Moon does do contortion! How he doesn't break his pony bones-- I don't know! But boy does he love pretending to be a pretzel! A few songs I have in mind as of now are-- The Platters: Twilight Time, Bobby Vee: The Night Has A Thousand Eyes, The Del-Vikings: Come And Go With Me, Frankie Valli and The Four Season: Ronnie, The Beatles: I Want To Hold Your Hand, The Turtles: Eleanor, The Beach Boys: Be True To Your School, The Penguins: Earth Angel, Paul Anka: Put Your Head On My Shoulder- I have many more in mind, but these were the ones I kept listening to today!! Sun and Moon would play guitar and bass! There's I think 2 or 3 songs in the list that are from the 60's so-- I'll keep the DCAs' range at that! 50s-60s music! :D As for them reacting to y/n being Gregory's older sibling- I'd imagine they're horrified at first. But! Once they get to know y/n better, they can't help but feel dumb at all the similarities that went over their heads! One similarity is y/n's clumsiness- they always have a band aid on somewhere, or their quick wit at comebacks! That's probably their favorite!! :] I can't wait to have more time to finish up drawings andfanfic to share with you guys!! This au has given me more reason and fun with drawing and writing! The most I've had in a while!! :]]

#hierba speaks #anon ask #thank you! #fnaf dca older sibling! au #dca x reader #fnaf dca #dca fandom #dca au #dca fanart #sundrop #moondrop #fnaf sun #fnaf moon #fnaf mlp #fnaf daycare attendant #fnaf mlp moon #dca older sibling au #hierba rambles #hierba art #my art

[murderofcrow]

Thought I'd share with everyone, who doesn't speak German. In yesterday's livestream with ESC Kompakt, LOTL shared some thoughts about the voting system and the impact of juries in Eurovision. I think they speak for a lot of us here, bc these are issues we point out every year.

Chris: "Generally I have an opinion about the ESC, specific things and the voting system. I don't say this because I'm searching for excuses or I want to say "yeah, but we were actually in sixteenth place in the televoting and blah blah blah". I'm not trying to sugarcoat the result but generally I think if I were responsible for the ESC and could make changes, I'd firstly get rid of the big 5. We realised it backstage at the semi finals, everyone was so happy, they fought hard, they did it and you walk along and... nobody gives you dirty looks but everyone is congratulating eachother and you're just there and feel bad because you're automatically in the final. That's the first thing.

Secondly that only the first ten get points. When 26 countries are competing, it would be nice if we could implement a system where everyone gets points. Maybe weighted differently but still get points. I think that would be nice.

And finally, sorry if I'm getting ahead of myself, I don't want to start arguing but I'm a big fan of the people's choice! I think it doesn't matter how good and professional a member of the jury is, we're all human and we all have different preferences. And maybe there's someone (in the jury) from country xy, like a great schlager singer that won the ESC in the 60's confronted with a guy like Käärijä. Maybe she doesn't understand why an entry like this is a smart, artistic, great entry in today's ESC world, and says "What's this trash? He doesn't even sing." You know what I mean? Those are three things I'd change."

Pi: "You have... how many was it? 136 from all countries? And you have millions of audience votes and the fact that this is weighted 50/50. A small handful of people have the same impact as millions of people, in direct comparison, they actually have more impact. I think it's always problematic when a small group of people have the most power. For example, without trashing the rich, but the billionaires of the world, as few as they are, have more influence than regular people. And that's... I think that's questionable."

Despite the criticism I really like how positive they are and say that they'd participate again anytime, just because of how much they enjoyed the general experience.

#lord of the lost #eurovision #esc 2023 #esc #eurovision song contest #lotl #esc germany

[junijupi]

it will never amaze me that the ULTIMATE secret to meeting people is just.. going somewhere repeatedly

and *talking to them.*

It's so weird. I go to art class every week, and have for weeks; Rarely speak to anybody there. But when I do-

Today I spoke to a very interesting man after drawing next to him in silence for far too long.

He studied at one of the most prestigious art colleges in the country, worked in the military as a paramedic in the Airforce for 11 years , all while honing his artistic craft. This guy dumped insane amounts of random wisdom onto me about life, art, the battlefield, and everything inbetween. He told me, he was so grateful for a place to express himself like this. He told me how awesome it was I was doing art at such a young age.

He told me, "keep at it."

Another person I met a bit ago- she used to study under a stained glass painter for years during the 80's. Her instructor , (who was a master of her craft,) was admitted to a psych ward because she would lick the mercury-paint off her brush in order to wet it.... multiple times a day. for *years* Lady never saw her instructor again after she was admitted. stopped doing stained glass painting shortly afterwards. got into pottery a bit, before stopping for 30 years. Just now got back into it- she's so eager and excited to learn. Love her.

A 50-60 year old woman who travelled the country, going to different art schools to hone her craft. Doesn't work. At the beginning of the semester, I disliked her greatly. But after working so diligently next to somebody for so long, a certain fondness was formed. We chatted mindlessly as our brushes created strokes down the canvas. She would recommend me good places to buy supplies, and I would lend her some of my paints if she ran out.

A man in his 20's, who I never spoke to until the very end of the semester. He and I would talk about our techniques, and our favorite movies and characters, despite the decade age gap. When the sky turned sour , thick, and smoky from wildfires, he and I would crack jokes about Blade Runner. He was so cool.

This older woman, a little bit clumsy, maybe mid 40's- Never touched a pencil in her life. I don't know much about her story, but I am currently helping her whenever I see she is struggling. It is small things, but it makes me happy to see her improving each and every week. Maybe it's teaching her how to correctly sharpen her pencil, maybe it's giving her an item she forgot.

Today, she wished me a happy week *and used my name*. Our interactions were minor, but she likely overheard the instructor speaking to me, and remembered it to wish me a nice day.

These are all such small things- But everything about them brings me life.

It's seeing all these different personalities, and not even realizing just how rich they truly are until you are knees deep into a riveting conversation with them.

I think this is the reason I do art.

#rant post #pos rant #happy #teen artist #classical art #grateful #gratitude #beauty #word vomit

[hannawinchester03]

COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE..

Bucky x Fem reader!

(Y/n) and Bucky are set up to go on a blind date to get their minds off of the hectic lives they both live in, their mutual friend told them about one another and now here they are.

Little to much backstory about the main character I promise it’s important for the next part of the story!

This chapter contains: flirting, small talk, smirking, teasing, slight touch, coffee date, exhausted body, height difference, dominant behavior, and submissive tendencies, main character energy

Word count: 4,172 (girl I couldn’t stop)

(Y/n) was a strange specimen of a woman she often thought to herself, she spent most of her days rushing off to work taking the New York trains stopping along the way, at her usual stops, always making sure she had enough time as usual.

First at the corner store grabbing her coffee that was most days brewed in a burnt coffee pot giving it a strong kick she always thought she needed, or in a clean coffee pot knowing business has been slow that day giving the worker time to scrub the pot clean. “You know I could kill you, the coffee tastes better when you’re in a rush, serving thousands of customers” (y/n) said she’d always tell the worker earning a chuckle out of the both of them as they say their goodbyes as she leaves on her way to her next stop.

Second as she sips on her coffee she walks into the local cafe grabbing a cinnamon raisin bagel with plain cream cheese, one for her and one for her friend along the way. She exits humming to herself as she has one headphone in, her phone buried in her pocket and the long earbud string tucked inside under her shirt as it came out from the collar so they wouldn’t fall out as she walked or sometimes ran up the stairs in a rush. Listening To the same music as usual, music from the 50s or 60s, made her seem to float away from her daily life.

(Y/n) always seemed to take a bite from her bagel as she adjusting her strap of her tote bag while she ran down the subway stairs, taking the time to chew on her piece of bagel as she got the bottom of the stairs she’s glance over at the estimated arrival for her train making sure she was going to be on time, she always ways, she always took the time to leave a hour or two early to make sure she had time to stop.

(Y/n) made her way through the crowd swiping her metro card as she slid through the gate saying a few small mumbled “sorry”s as she moved to the left going towards her train admiring as there were travelers staring at the city map trying to figure out where they were. “You guys are here, kinda old so it’s hard to tell.” She would say happily to the people as she pointed to the scratched up plastic covering the map protecting it from the millions of people who touch it.

As she made It the train platform she’d glance around looking for her now called friend as she notices she walked over smiling happily, she had been taking the train for years now, always watching as people ignored a man begging for food, nothing else from her at least, she bought him a bagel one day and now it’s a part of her daily routine.

“Here you go mitch, as usual.” She hummed happily to him, taking the bagel out of the tote bag handing it to him, smiling at him as he took it. “Any good music today?” Mitch asked as he took a bite out of the bagle letting out a satisfied hum making (y/n) chuckle. “Can’t we be sweethearts? Why don’t we fall in love? right from the start, you’re the girl I’m dreaming of.” (Y/n) began to sing out, making her foot tap against the pavement. “The cleftones! God i love that song” Mitch called out making (y/n) chuckle as she nodded. “I’ll see you later, don’t wanna be late!” She said softly, making Mitch smile as he took another bite. “Oh you’ll never be late.” He hummed to her making them both chuckle as she ran off toward her train as the doors opened.

Present day

(Y/n) can’t help but let out a small groan as she pushed the heavy covers off of her, not really wanting to get up and out of bed. She hadn’t gotten to bed until midnight last night, which may seem normal to most people but she was tossing and turning for two hours before eventually taking some melatonin to make herself knock out.

(Y/n) sat up on her bed, her back rested against her headboard and pillows as she grabbed her phone checking the time and for any messages or phone calls. All she saw was a message from her friend Natasha. “You better be there, I wanna hear all about it!” (Y/n) read aloud making herself huff as she replied back with a simple “okay.”

(Y/n) opened up her music app letting it play as she sat her phone on the nightstand, sliding off of the bed slipping on her slippers as she walked over the closet humming along to the music as she flipped through shirts finding what one to wear. She settled on a Led Zeppelin shirt that was tie dyed with bleach and a flannel that was her favorite neutral color terracotta, just a good middle tone that made her eyes bright as diamond she’s been told when she was younger so she always wore the color.

After picking out her shirts she moved over to her dresser pulling open the drawer already knowing what pants to grab as she picked up a pair of nice navy blue jeans that hugged her in all the right places. Along with a pair of underwear and socks in the drawer next to the one she had open. She tossed all the clothes onto the bed and closed the drawers making her way to the bathroom.

As she got into the bathroom she did her business, then got to work on her hair, she began to brush it out from the shower she took last night making her hair curl up as she tossed and turned it always made her hair look curly but with a simple brush through it was gone so she always brushed it. Once her hair was brushed through she used a small claw clip and pulled her side pieces out of her face as she began with her make up. All she applied was winged eyeliner and mascara not watching to go over the top.

Once done in the bathroom brushing her teeth, she went back out to her room kicking off her slippers as she pulled her pajama shirt off tossing it to the side near the hamper grabbing her bra she threw on the ground yesterday as she changed into her pajamas, She pulled on her shirt and flannel then pulled her pants on. Glancing over at the clock on her nightstand seeing that 30 minutes had already passed making her huff as she pulled her socks on sliding on her vans that were the same Terracotta color as her flannel.

(Y/n) grabbed her phone from her nightstand and her tote bag making sure she had her keys and wallet as she turned the music off and tossed the phone into her bag, quickly going into the bathroom to put on another round of deodorant and grabbed her perfume spritzing herself a good 20 times all around as she spun around making sure she was fully coated in the strawberry scented perfume.

Once she was satisfied and felt as if her head was on straight she grabbed her keys out of her bag turning off the lights in her apartment as she locked the door backing into the hallway, she tossed her keys into her bag as she began to walk towards the stairs seeing her neighbors had a garbage bag outside her door so she grabbed it as she walked down the stairs and tossed it out as she exited the building knowing her neighbors would do the same for her.

(Y/n) walked down the sidewalk going towards the train station frowning a little as she passed by the corner store where she would usually stop but how could she get coffee if she needed to be going on a coffee date. She huffed softly as she waited for the light to change and crossed the street when it was safe, once she made it to the train station she swiped her metrocard and took a left waiting for the train going uptown.

“Oh look at you all dolled up!” Mitch called out as (Y/n) walked onto the train platform, she turned her attention towards him and lightly shook her head. “Oh please, this is nothing.” She said as she pretended to bat her eyelashes at him making them both chuckle as she listened to the train as it slammed on its brakes to stop and pick the people up. “I'll be back later, with your bagel I promise!” (Y/n) called out as she rushed to get into the train car and waved at Mitch as he nodded, smiling happily at her.

(Y/n) eventually made it to the train stop, getting off with the crowd of people as she opened up her message with Natasha making sure she was going to the right place, so she clicked onto the link of the address and nodded to herself knowing exactly where it was at so she turned her phone back off and stuffed it back into her pocket.

After walking a few blocks, she turned the corner and saw the cafe, she smiled softly as she noticed there was a place that you could sit outside at, noticing a couple sipping on their coffee talking amongst themselves. She let out one last small sigh as she had already made it to the cafe so there was no going back now.

(Y/n) walked into the cafe clearing her throat a little as she stepped aside so other people can still walk into the cafe as she glanced around a little looking for her date, the only thing she had in mind was a tall man that had short hair with a scruffy looking beard, he always wore leather. This is all Natasha told her, when (Y/n) asked more about the man Natasha would hum to her saying “Oh you’ll find out, you two will be perfect together. He’s just what you need.” With a wink making (Y/n) roll her eyes at her friend's words.

After a few seconds (y/n) laid eyes on a man who was turned with his back towards her, facing the window as he observed people walking past, she watched as he leaned back into his seat adjusting his leather jacket as he settled into his seat she could tell he had the short hair she was told about and when a customer's name was called he glanced over giving her to view of his scruffy beard.

(Y/n) walked over to the table adjusting her tote bag on her shoulder and pushed some of her hair behind her one ear smiling softly. “James is it?” She spoke out once she had gotten to the table and smiled softly at him as he turned his attention towards her.

“Yes, but most people call me Bucky, or Barns. Kinda strange I guess.” He states as he cleared his throat and pushed his seat back standing up, standing tall and proud at six feet tall making (y/n) take a step back since she was only the average female height of five foot four inches. “It’s nice to meet you.” He said softly as he looked down at (y/n) with a soft smile.

“It’s nice to meet you too, I’m (y/n).” She started out as she returned the small smile and turned in her spot a little looking over at the line of people who were ordering. “Yeah, I know. Anyway, shall we order?” Bucky said, pulling (y/n)’s attention back to him as she raised an eyebrow at him slightly at his ‘I know’ remark.

“Sure, gotta decide what I want anyways.” (y/n) mumbled out as she watched him grab his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder as he began to walk toward the end of the line as she finished off her sentence following behind him.

Once she made it into line behind him she let out a small sigh slightly already regretting the decision to show up, since he seems to not want to be there. (y/n) was pulled out of her thoughts as he stepped aside so that she could see the menu as well he continued to look at the multiple options finally settling on something he thought sounded good to him.

“The caramel macchiato sounds good..” Bucky stated as he glanced over at (y/n) for a second taking the chance to admire her side profile as she kept looking at the menu with her eyebrows slightly squinted as she tried to read through all the options as there were too many to pick from.

“Yeah, I don’t know though. Don’t like anything too sweet..” (y/n) stated as she looked away from the menu and glanced over at him feeling that he was looking at her making her show him a small grin as they were next in line. She watched as he looked back up at the menu and gripped onto the strap of his backpack as he stepped forward.

“Morning. I’d like a tall Black coffee with a little bit of sugar.” He stated as he cleared his throat a little, showing the barista taking their order a small smile. “And whatever she’d like.” He added as he stepped aside letting (y/n) step up to the counter.

(Y/n) watched as he stepped aside and said this to the barista. She took a step so she was in front of the counter and showed the barista a smile. “Good morning, I’ll take a tall black coffee, no sugar, no cream, just your darkest roast please. Gotta make sure I’ll be awake.” (y/n) joked with the barista as she took the order making the girl laugh making (y/n) smile happily, she always tried to make people laugh because she knew it made her feel special for being so talkative compared to her younger self.

“Would you like anything to eat?” The barista asked as she looked between the both of them and the two of them lightly shook their heads. “Okay your total is $6.45.” The barista said happily as she looked at the both of them.

Bucky pulled out his wallet from his pocket and pulled out a $10 bill handing it to her with a smile “You can go ahead and just keep the change.” Bucky stated as he handed the baristas the bill, he then stepped aside so the other customers could order as he glanced over at (y/n) watching as she moved around him walking over to the other side of him waiting for their order to be called.

“Two tall black coffees, one with sugar.” The other barista called out not long after since it was a simple order compared to other things on the menu. “Thank you!” (y/n) hummed out happily to the other barista with a smile as she grabbed both of the coffees as there were other customers lingering over the counter desperately waiting for their coffees.

“Excuse us.” Bucky stated as he moved behind (y/n) holding his hand on the small of her back as he followed behind her through the crowd of people to get back to the free space of the cafe making sure she didn’t bump into anyone.

Once they were in the clear he moved his hand away from her back. “So, would you like to sit inside or outside?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow at her, now taking in the fact that her cheeks were now a light shade of pink.

“Inside is fine, the chairs are more comfortable.” (y/n) said softly to him as shyly looked down at the cups of coffee reading the labels on them seeing which one was hers, once she knew it was hers she took a long sip, not being able to help it as she let out a small moan from the pleasant surprise of how strong the coffee was.

After taking a sip (y/n) held the other cup of coffee that was bucky’s out to him so he could grab it. “Is it that good?” Bucky asked as he took his cup from her hand raising it up to his lips as he took a sip letting out a small groan of pleasure as well making (y/n) let out a small chuckle as she nodded in response to his question as if to tell him ‘I told you so.’

(Y/n) turned around and hummed softly as she looked around the cafe finding a table that was close to the window walking over to it. (y/n) took a seat on the bench so that her back was against the window, as she settled into her seat she let the tote bag slide off her shoulder and set it next to her as she leaned back into the comfortable padding on the chair as she watched Bucky take his seat across from her.

“So Natasha set this all up, how do you know her? From college? Any fun stories I can tease her about?” (Y/n) asked as she leaned back into her seat more settling into the comfortable seat behind her as she waited for a response.

As she waited for a response she kept her eyes up on him now having the time to actually take in his features and his whole essence. She couldn’t help but think about his simple gesture as he held onto the small of her back as they walked through the crowd of people earlier, making her mind race off to a couple different places thinking about if he was controlling now, would he be controlling in bed.

“I actually just met her pretty recently, she’s friends with one of my long time friends, well he’s more like a brother to me. They know each other and I guess I’m friends with her now, if that makes sense.” Bucky stated as he sat up in his seat a little more keeping his eyes on her as her eyes looked him up and down in his spot making a small smirk appear on his face, he always liked the attention but he still wasn’t sure about the whole situation since it’s been years since he’s dated or even went on a date.

Bucky cleared his throat as he sat his backpack on the ground next to them and leaned back into his seat so he seemed more relaxed watching as her eyes moved from his face down towards his chest making him chuckle. “How exactly do you know Natasha?” He asked his voice firm as he wondered if she knew about Steve and the others, wondering what exactly she knew about him.

“Oh I know her because she comes into my work, just small talk here and there. She invited me for lunch and we have been friends ever since.” (Y/n) stated as she watched him lean back in his seat a little knowing well that he was doing it on purpose so she could look at his chest so she pulled her eyes up towards him to give him her full attention.

Taking the time to observe his facial features as he looked at her with a somewhat cautious look in his eyes, something (y/n) always seems to know about people, no matter if they had just met. She liked to make people laugh and observe people making people feel safe and welcomed but this man was different, she couldn’t seem to put her finger on it.

“Do you know much about her? She's the kind of person that many people don't know much about.” Bucky asked as he sat up in his seat a little bit trying to see if he could get the information from her, seeing if she would give him any clues about how much she knows exactly about their whole situation.

“The only thing we talk about is what she is reading or researching, just small talk.” (Y/n) stated as she watched him sit up in his seat making her do the same thing as she knew what he was trying to do, get information from her making her smirk a little as she raised her coffee cup taking a sip as her eyes were locked with his taking in the fact that his pupils were beginning to dilate in interest.

“Oh, and one time she told me that she got the chance to kiss some guy named Steve, it was for work according to her, but it still was interesting, it got her pretty worked up.” (y/n) stated as she sat up in her seat a little more taking in the fact that bucky began i lean in his seat more getting closer to her with a wide grin on his face.

“Oh is that so, now I have something over their heads.” bucky stated as he kept his eyes on (y/n) as he looked at her with a wide smirk, knowing that now he can tease his best friend about his “work relationship” he let out a soft chuckle as he watched (y/n) take a sip of her coffee, and shrug a little. “Hey she deserves it, I don't know who the Steve guy is but she teases me about getting a boyfriend all the time.” (y/n) stated as she sat the cup of coffee down back on the table looking down a little as she leaned back into her seat.

“Oh so she told you that you need a boyfriend, you seem pretty independent.” Bucky stated as he took a few seconds to look her up and down a little as she leaned back in her seat. “ You seem to have your needs met..” Bucky added as he looked back up at her eyes with a small smirk as he licked his lips a little as he raised the cup to his lips taking a sip as he kept his eyes locked on hers. “Unless I'm wrong, then I might be available to help you out.” he added with a smirk as he sat his cup down on the table waiting to hear her reaction.

(Y/n) listened to bucky as he said, this sitting up in her spot with everyone of his statements keeping her eyes locked on his as she looked him up and down as he did the same to her making her lean her elbows against the table listening to the last of his little speech seeing his smirk making her return the gesture and smirk back as he slowly leaned back into her seat once again.

“If i may, her exact words were..” (y/n) began to say as she reached into her pocket grabbing her phone, opening up the messages between her and natasha. “You don't have to marry him, just grab a coffee together and see where it leads to.” (y/n) said aloud as she read the message keeping her eyes down on her phone, setting it on the table between them so he could see the message himself as she looked back up at him her eyes now dilated as well from the fact she was intrigued to see his reaction.

“But i don't know, maybe i do want to marry you, that'll for sure prove her wrong, don't you think sweetheart..” (y/n) said changing her tone to a somewhat submissive tone to tease him watching as he pupils grew darker with lust from just her simple change in the tone of her voice. “But let's not get ahead of ourselves sir, it is only a first date after all..” (y/n) added still in the submissive voice as she watched his grip on his cup tighten making a small chuckle come from her.

“Who knows maybe we will get married, seems like you need someone who will put you in your place.” Bucky stated as his voice had grown slightly more deep making (y/n) begin to breathe a little more heavily as she bit her lip, keeping her eyes locked on his as she listened to him. “Someone who will let you be you, but take care of you, make sure you're satisfied.” Bucky hummed out as he took a sip of his coffee, setting the cup down taking in the fact that (y/n) was biting her lip making him chuckle softly.

“But you’re right princess, this is only the first date..” Bucky stated as he showed her a small smirk looking her up and down one more time as he leaned back into his seat himself. “Just saying this could have been worse, much worse.”

Part 2 is here!

Anyways! Hope y’all enjoyed just wanted to write another story so I can show y’all some of my potential, still learning to write 7 years later!

Feel free to message me with requests or other suggestions I’m all ears.

Bye, until next time!

#marvel #marvel mcu #mcu x reader #mcu x you #my writing #james barnes #bucky x you #bucky fic #bucky x reader #bucky barnes #james bucky buchanan barnes #bucky barns x reader #bucky barns x you #bucky barns imagine #bucky barns x y/n #bucky barns fanfiction #winter solider fanfiction #winter solider imagine #james bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #james barnes #marvel imagine #mcu imagine #mcu fanfiction

[octuscle]

John came out of the philharmonic hall. They had given Brahms' German Requiem. Beautiful music. And an extremely attractive baritone, who had his debut today. He couldn't help thinking of him as a passage from the text kept running through his head:

"Behold, I tell you a secret: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed; and the same suddenly in a moment, at the time of the last trumpet."

Obviously, this did not mean the silencing of the last trumpet of the orchestra. Of course it was about the apocalypse. But what if it had been about the trumpets? How would he have to change to end up with the baritone. John was in his late 60's. Not exactly fat, but far from athletic. He never had been. At least he was always well dressed. His tuxedo fit perfectly, his shoes immaculately polished. All the accessories coordinated. But was that what the baritone was looking for?

John dropped off his cape at the coat check in the restaurant. He had been dressed appropriately for the Philharmonic. Here he was overdressed. His friends with whom he had been on dates had been to the movies or the theater and dressed much more casually. He didn't care, he was looking forward to a relaxed and fun evening. That was fine with Black Tie, too.

Most of his friends said goodbye after dinner, only the hard core still moved to a currently very trendy bar. With the black suit, black shirt and slim black tie, John felt appropriately and stylishly enough dressed. Even more so after he had slipped on his slim-fitting leather coat at the coat check. For a man in his early 50s, he still looked very good. This was also reflected in the far too young bartender, who flirted with him every now and then. Nevertheless, John held out until the bartender asked him if he would still like to have a last drink with him. He was about to call it a night and knew of a cool location that John would definitely like.

To this location it went down a few stairs. So the first thing the bouncer probably saw of John as he descended were his biker boots. Then the jeans, the heavy leather jacket, and then his face. When they made eye contact, John's arrival was acknowledged with an appreciative grin and a curt gesture to go in. Even though it was already 02:00, the place was packed. The air was cutting. So John took off his jacket as quickly as possible and threw it over a coat hook. His companion arrived with two bottles of beer and commented approvingly on John's biceps. And his cool tattoos. Actually, John rarely showed them in public anymore. Sometimes he thought he was actually too old for them in his late 30s. But here it fit. Here, older men were considerably more inked. At some point John had lost sight of the bartender. No wonder, there were plenty of men here who fit him better. Whereas it was obvious that he also had a good chance to get some more fucking here. But somehow this wasn't the place yet. It was not the time yet. So around 04:00 Joe grabbed his jacket and stepped out into the fresh air. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket, lit one and offered the bouncer a smoke as well. The bouncer accepted silently, got a light and asked Joe where he was going now. Grinning, he reached for the bulge in Joe's pants and began to knead it. Joe shrugged his shoulders. The bouncer gave him an address just around the corner and said that he would certainly be able to get there after work in about an hour.

Joe briefly checked his outfit again in the reflection of the window pane, which was covered from the inside with black pond liner. Considering that it was so late, he still looked fresh. And the wifebeater went well with the leather pants. It showed off his tattoos, of which he was so proud, to perfection. He rang the bell, the camera light above the door hung on, and the door opener promptly went on. Joe took a quick look around. The place was nice. He was sure to find a few more holes to fill here. Kneading his boner, he noticed that the pressure on the bladder was increasing. Let's see if he could use it to fill someone in the toilet. The baritone was sitting in the piss trough. And from somewhere Joe thought he could hear a trumpet.

Inspired by @fuckingleatherhot. Always horny pictures!

#wife beater #male tf #leather tf #reality change #age reduction

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #23: 1972

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: Roberta Flack, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Don McLean, Harry Nilsson, Sammy Davis Jr., Joe Tex, Bill Withers, Mac Davis, Melanie, Wayne Newton. End description]

More information about this blog here

I mentioned in a previous poll how fast culture changed in the 1970s, and that doesn't feel like an exaggeration. This was the final year of the draft and more American troops were being taken out of Vietnam. As American troops were coming home, The Today Show aired a "while you were away" segment to go over how the culture has shifted while they were overseas. Most, if not all, of this segment was a joke, but it shows that even at the time people were aware that something was changing and it was changing fast. To paraphrase historian Rick Perlstein, they left a country where The Sound of Music was the most popular movie, and they came home to a country where the most popular movie was Last Tango in Paris.

To get back to the music, it feels wrong not to shine the spotlight on Don McLean's American Pie. For one, I probably could have used the lyrics as the blurb for one of the 60's polls and saved myself a lot of time. The lyrics themselves show this changing cultural shift as well, reflecting on how aimless this new generation felt. It's hard not to put a 2020s lens on everything. But looking back at a time that was rife with political scandals and politicians not seeming to care about the rising bodycounts affecting their citizens, I'd be lying if I said the sentiment doesn't hit home. "A generation lost in space" indeed.

However, in addition to the longest song on this poll, I also want to highlight one of the shorter ones. Specifically, Joe Tex's I Gotcha. Funk music is going to continue to grow in popularity this decade, even though the full extent of that cultural movement won't always be seen on the top of the charts. But the reason I wanted to highlight this song specifically is to use it as a prelude to what's coming next. If you listen to the song, pay attention to the chorus when the rest of the instruments drop out to put more emphasis on the percussion and how Joe Tex's rhythmic vocals play against the beat.

And for my third highlight, if the artist behind the tenth song sounds familiar, that's because the song was by Mr. Las Vegas himself. Or, if any Fallout fans follow this blog (and judging by the results on some of the 50's-60's polls, I know you're here), Mr. New Vegas. Speaking of gamers, Pong debuted this year as well.

I've rewritten this section multiple times, because I don't want to gloss over a specific moment in history, but it also feels jarring to bring it up in a poll with mostly unpolitical songs. After spending a few polls talking about how the war affected the American psyche, it feels important to reinforce that the people of Vietnam didn't have to be soldiers or reporters to see the war before their eyes instead of on a television set. 1972 also marks the year of the Christmas Bombings, one of the most horrific 12-day stretches in an already horrific war. Even though I don't go over every historic moment in these descriptions, it felt wrong not to bring this up. Even as this event would result in the general population's mistrust towards Nixon and the government growing even more rapidly, it wouldn't be enough.

Nixon no longer had to worry about reelection and it felt like the entire country was holding its breath before something major happened.

#billboard poll #billboard music #1970s #1970s music #1972 #roberta flack #gilbert o'sullivan #don mclean #harry nilsson #sammy davis jr #joe tex #bill withers #mac davis #melanie #wayne newton

[nonameidentified]

I'm bored...

Here

An unabridged guide yuri history

Yuri yuri yuri yuri. Cute girls being gay, my beloved. But where does it come from?

Before the yuri we know and love today, there was Class S. Class S, also known as S kankei, is a subset of Japanese literature that popped up at around early twentieth century. They showcased "affectionate friendship" between women.

These literature reflected the views of wlw relationships at that time, as something that is normal and natural for young girls to go through, but something they need to grow out of eventually. (It's just a phase mentality). Its roots can still be seen in present-day yuri (ahem sayaka's backstory).

All of this is just a backdrop for what came next.

We skip forward in time to the 1970s, when manga depicting homoeroticism began to popping up all around the place. This is the birth of our beloved yuri as we know today. All these early yuri works can be attributed to the Year 24 Group.

The Year 24 Group are not only responsible for yuri, but also yaoi and for revitalizing shoujo manga publishing in general. Their works were so influential that it brought shoujo manga into it's golden age.

What in the 50s and 60s was just simple stories marketed to young school girls became A LOT more complex and works begin to explore themes of psychology, gender, sexuality and whatnot. (They need an essay all to themselves, I will blab about them again when I'm bored maybe)

Some of the notable members of the Year 24 Group in regards to yuri would be Ryoko Yamagishi and Riyoko Ikeda. Ok, let's focus on Riyoko Ikeda alone for a sec, their most famous work, The Rose of Versailles, is set in pre-revolutionary France and is about Marie Antoinette and Oscar François de Jarjayes, and it is of course, very gay. Not the most relevant but thought it was interesting enough to plop it here.

After gaining a lot of popularity, yuri got itself its own magazine!!! Yuri Shimai was yuri anthology magazine, which ran only from June 2003 to November 2004. But it was succeeded by Comic Yuri Hime in July 2005. Which is still being serialized today! All of our beloved yuri (that isn't self-published) comes from this magazine.

Side Note: One of the first stories to be serialized in Comic Yuri Hime is kisses, sighs, and cherry blossom pink, written by Morinaga Milk. They deserve an essay to their own. I will most certainly gush about them in the near future. This is a warning.

Comic Yuri Hime got itself a sister magazine in Comic Yuri Hime S, which was targeted at a young male audience.. But it did not last long as it merged back with Comic Yuri Hime in 2010. The only reason I bring this up is because YuruYuri was serialised that magazine.

Which brings us to present da- Wait! Did we skip over something? We did! We forgot to mention the revolutionary girl herself, Utena Tenjou. Well, not necessarily forget. No words I can use can properly explain how influential Revolutionary girl Utena was and still is. Someone who is more of an Utena expert can cover it's speciality.

Which FINALLY brings us to present day, where yuri is still a relatively niche genre. But it has VERY dedicated fan base and idiots like me who write out it's history for funsies ^-^. There might even be a religion around it, who knows,,,

If you read through all of this... what is wrong with you?/lh.

#yuri #gl #girl's love #manga history #gay manga history #yuri history #shoujo ai #this was mostly written from memory (except for the names) for funsies (^.^) #yes. i memorized all of yuri history. this shouldn't be surprising in the least #consider this my application to be the yuri historian or something #this was written in an hour-ish so sorry for any weird grammar you may find #moral of the story #never let me be bored

[gremoria411]

Just a little on the Gundam Asmoday/Asmodeus today (it apparently could’ve been called the Ashmodai, which is neat).

Okay, so the ASW-G-32 Gundam Asmoday is found by Wistario the Erda II crew (specifically Sinister) inside an Aridne Cocoon in the Debris zone. It’s specifically noted to be essentially brand new, with no records of it fighting in the calamity war, and a full complement of weapons ready to go. Based on this, and the fact that it seems to have its reactor hooked up to the cocoon, we can gauge one of two things. Either;

The Gundam wasn’t completed until either very late in the Calamity War, or just after, and thus didn’t have an opportunity to fight against the mobile armours.

This Cocoon relay station was apparently important enough to dedicate a Gundam frame just to keep it operational.

Based on the assumption that a bunch of regular ahab reactors would probably have done the job just fine, I think it’s more likely to be a case of it being completed late.

What makes this interesting is that we only know of one other Gundam frame that was completed late in the calamity war:

The ASW-G-71 Gundam Dantalion.

Now, because this is both at the end of the series (71/72) and because it’s stated that the Dantalion had been completed late, I had previously assumed that the Gundam Frames were completed sequentially. So, the ever-elusive ASW-G-70 Gundam Seere would have been completed just prior to the Dantalion, and the 72nd Gundam would have been completed after, possibly even being completed postwar (At a guess, either the Gundam Andromalius or Gundam Pruflas/Bufas - I’d be very interested in know what happened to it, since it’s be the most likely source as to any clue to the end of the calamity war and it’s immediate aftermath). But the Asmodeus implies something quite different. Unless its deployment was delayed for whatever reason, then it’s evidence that the Gundam frames may not have been built sequentially. (I’m not sure which it would be - it doesn’t seem to have any equipment that’d be too difficult to work with, being structured as a fairly direct combatant - gigant javelin as a sort of whip-sword to attack from a distance, smoke grenades and then grand tonfa’s up close, but then there’s plenty of other reasons for it to not have seen combat).

We do, however, know that Bael was the first. Add to that the seeming increase in complexity as the numbers climb (Dantalion appears simple but it has a bunch of add-on equipment not shown above, a lot of the 50’s and 60’s-series Gundams have fancy designs or systems, especially compared to the relative simplicity of the 00’s and 10’s), and we can guess that they were at least designed sequentially, with Asmoday’s presumed delay being an exception.

However, what I also think is interesting is where it was found. Inside an Ariadne Network Cocoon, big enough to be used as a harbour, administrative and let’s face it defensive point, in the network. Administered by the Falk Family (presumably headed by either Kalf Falk or his immediate successor), who already possess a Gundam Frame to their name - the Gundam Gamigin (shown above).

So what was the Asmodeus, for all intents and purposes a “phantom machine”, which exists on paper but was never actually deployed, doing there? Each Seven Stars Family or similar organisation within Gjallarhorn has precisely one Gundam Frame to their name, with no evidence of one family using multiple frames. I find it particularly interesting that it’s the Falk’s of all people that seem to have this frame - they’re one of the two families we know the absolute least about, the other being the Baklazan’s. Even then, most of the information we do know is what can be inferred from their Urdr Hunt point and their Gundam Frame. The only real supposition we can make is that they’re probably the oldest out of the Seven Stars - assuming no family got multiple Gundam Frames during the calamity war (which feels a fair assumption to make, given that we know absolutely nothing about any frames that were destroyed, implying no-ones really around to keep those records), then the ASW-G-04 Gamigin Gundam was likely deployed the earliest out of all the Seven Stars Gundam Frames, shortly after Bael (again, assuming sequential deployment). So it’s possible that the Falks were the longest surviving active participants in the Calamity war, besides Agnika Kaeru himself, of course. But it’s unclear why they would end up with another Gundam frame, and then not use it. A few possibilities:

The Intended Pilot for the Asmoday was killed before it could reach them, and the Falk’s didn’t have another pilot on hand to use it.

There was a Cocoon was involved in transporting the Gundams to their pilots, and it was kept at the cocoon until it’s recipient could be sorted out.

The Falks wanted extra “insurance” of their position once the Calamity War was over, and arranged for a second Gundam frame to be assigned to them somehow.

The Asmoday had nothing to do with the Falks, and it was left at the Cocoon by N as prize for Urdr Hunt participants.

It was salvaged from its transport during the war, and restored by the Falks.

In short, I don’t know why it was there and we’re probably not going to find out anytime soon, but it’s fun to think about. I would also like to point out that the Asmoday was also just…. Left there, which feels like it must have been purposeful in some way, but also means that the Falk’s didn’t recover it in the intervening 300 years.

#Watch the Baklazan’s have ASW-G-02 now or something #The Gamigin’s just one of those suits I reference constantly for some reason #Gundam Gamigin #Falk Family Gundam #Gundam Asmodeus #gundam asmoday #Gundam Dantalion #Gundam Bael #gundam #ramblings #gundam ibo #Calamity War #Gjallarhorn #gundam urdr hunt #Seven Stars #Falk Family

[usafphantom2]

The SR 71 was at least 60 years ahead of its time.

The question was …is the SR 71 a product of its time? (Time frame would be late 1950s to 1966.)

Former U-2 technician Damien Leimback wrote; the following *In my opinion, this man is brilliant.*

He Disagrees with the question that the SR 71 was a product of its time.

I disagree because of the technologies that had to be invented or perfected in order for the plane to work that did not exist before the types (I include the A-12 here) introduction.

Here are some examples……

Using titanium in such massive amounts was unheard of in an aircraft; most of it is sourced from the Soviet Union through shell companies. New fabrication methods and new titanium alloys had to be created to build the plane.

Corrugated panels that expanded without changing shape were used in a novel way, as well as new types of glass for the windscreen and new ways of fusing it to the frame without the use of glue (that would melt under high temps) were used.

The fuel was routed through the leading edges of the wings to keep them cool and also to preheat the fuel for a better burn, novel approaches used for the first time on this plane.

The fuel itself was a custom blend and had a radioactive isotope added to it that allowed the ionization to scatter Radar waves in the high atmosphere. C-50 was used to secure the contract for the CIA. it was also called panther pi%s

Oils and lubricants had to be custom blended for the aircraft in order to function at the high and low temp extremes the plane would encounter.

The David Clark company built a pressure suit for the pilots, as the one the U-2 pilots wore was insufficient. The U-2 pilots later adopted the same suit.

The tires had aluminum mixed with latex in order to withstand the temps that would be encountered in the wheel wells during flight.

The J-58 engine was a hybrid of the turbo jet and ramjet, and MOST EFFICIENT at Mach 3.2, unheard of anywhere before or since.

And this is just a small sampling of the technologies that had to be invented or perfected in order for this plane to work. No one else was capable of flying anything like it in the 1960’s and its performance has yet to be matched today, almost 60 years later. If that's not ahead of it's time, I don't know what is.

Posted by Linda Sheffield

@Habubrats71 via Twitter

[ashandboneca]

Modern Witchcraft's problem

I feel almost ready to give up the goat.

I feel as though modern witchcraft, in all it's iterations, is becoming more and more rigid like Christianity as times move forward.

The issues I have been encountering while interacting with other witches online have all come back to one thing:

A complete lack of and willingness to do self examination and take ownership.

I got banned from yet another Facebook witchcraft group today. I knew it was coming; I had called out someone on rabid cultural appropriation and things got heated. But today, I dared suggest that mundane things be at play rather than someone being cursed. That was apparently a bannable offense.

Modern witchcraft has attained a rigidity that could only be described as Christian inspired.

Many of the witches of my generation and my age group had access to all the same books - books that were published in the 70's, 80's, 90's - which by modern standards are viewed through a more modern lens, are intensely problematic. Many of these books took their information from the New Age movement of the 50's and 60's. The New Age movement is an intensely racist movement full of implicit bias and cultural appropriation. Most of the practices that were used for 'space clearing' were based on Indigenous North American sacred practices.

Indigenous people have stood up and loudly asked witches to stop using white sage. The overharvesting of things like white sage and palo santo make a mockery of their sacred medicines and practices.

I was taught to use white sage. I was taught to call it 'smudging'. I used to be one of those people actively participating in the mockery and cultural thievery of indigenous practices. But I learned better, and so I do better. I have worked with indigenous people to attempt to make amends and have dedicated to do what I can to open other's minds.

There are other types of smoke cleansing from open cultures that are not continuing to perpetuate a cultural genocide. Why are we not using those often times these practises are more closely related to our own cultural backgrounds. Plus, there is the added bonus of it working more effectively because it's not stolen.

The issues I have are in confronting these people is that they become so incredibly offended and fragile when they are questioned on their beliefs. They display inflexibility and a lack of critical insight when presented with the very idea that something in their practice is unethical. It makes it exceedingly difficult to have an open dialogue with people who are so dedicated to misunderstanding why you were pointing out what they're doing, and how you were trying to help them.

It has gotten to the point where I actually fear that the modern witchcraft community is so complacent and complicit in their comfort of cultural thievery that they are not willing to enact any level of change. And it mostly seems to be white witches of my age group (30's-50's) who are the worst at perpetuating these types of practices. And I would say the vast majority of these people are cis women or femme identified people.

We as witches need to be willing to take on new information and adjust things as we are provided with better information. The cultural mores of the 1990s versus modern cultural mores are very different. So why are we continuing to live with our cultural mores in the 1990s when it comes to listening to indigenous people? Why are we not listening to POC when they are asking us to stop stealing from their closed practices?

Why have grown so inflexible to the point of almost rivalling Christians in their inflexibility?

Why are we so willing to alienate members of our own community who are not white for our own comfort and our own nostalgia? The excuse I frequently hear is "white sage makes me feel calm and good". That's great, Karen, but your comfort and your feeling good is not more important than a cultural genocide.

I have been fighting for the decolonization of witchcraft for a number of years now. I have been constantly trying to educate people about their responsibilities as humans in this world, and as witches to the earth. There are no people who are closer to the earth than that of indigenous people.

It is beginning to feel like a losing battle. I feel like I am going mad.

So if you are somebody who is actively trying to decolonize your witchcraft, or you are interested in teaching other people on how to do that please, reblog this post. Please interact with this post. Please comment on this post and tell me how you feel. I just want to feel like I am not alone in this.

I also want to say that both indigenous people and POC have been fighting for the decolonization of witchcraft for decades. In no way am I claiming to be doing anymore than what I should be to measure up to the standard in which they have set. We owe a lot to our indigenous and our POC witchcraft practitioners. They have been the ones leading the charge. They have been the ones speaking up and dealing with the same garbage bullshit that I have dealt with. But I have my privilege to act as a shield for me. They don't.

I am only doing what I feel is right to do, and I am following in their footsteps. I don't claim to speak for them, and I don't claim to speak on their behalf. I am speaking on behalf of myself as a white person, and I am speaking to other white people to amplify what we all should already know. I am trying to encourage my fellow white practitioners to do the right thing.

Have some introspection and seriously examine your practice to see if your practice is ethical. If there are things that you need to adjust and change, do that. It is your practice and you can adjust what does not work for you.

#ashandbone.ca #witchcraft #traditional witchcraft #ash and bone #the crooked path #decolonisation #decolonize #decolonize your witchcraft

[rachiesratirementhome]

Today is World Wildlife Day, which means it's time for another of Grover's Educational Rambles!

WWD was established by the UN to "celebrate all the world's wild animals and plants and the contribution that they make to our lives and the health of the planet."

Usually I'd take the chance to rave about one of the 4660 odd species of rodent in the world, but this date was chosen because it's the birthday of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which is celebrating its 50th today!

"Grove." you say "Those are all definitely words but what do they mean, and why do I care about this?"

Well I would love to go over the Instagram word limit telling you all about that. (Sorry Ally!)

CITES is basically a global, legally binding system that defines the restrictions on the trade of plants and animals under threat. In 2023 it's obvious to us that something like this should exist, think of rhinos for example. But back in the 60's when the conversations that would eventually lead to CITES were happening, attitudes to conservation were very different.

Each country has their own native species protection laws, for example Australia varies state-to-state but in most of the country you can't collect or sell native bones at all without specific permits. Each country also has their own biosecurity protocols, for example in Australia we can export rats, but can't import them (not a bad thing, we lack several devastating diseases here that would make the rescue near impossible to run!)

But what about the conservation angle? What is it that makes selling a cowhide rug different to selling a tiger pelt? THAT'S what CITES is for. Parties (think countries, all but a handful) signed with CITES are legally bound to write policies around and enforce CITES regulations. There are three appendices covering species at different levels of risk.

Appendix 1 handles animals threatened with extinction, and prohibits trade except in exceptional circumstances. So for example, a Zoo maintains a red panda population in which it has a breeding and conservation program. One dies of old age, and it's deemed of no harm and noncommercial scientific interest for the national museum to prepare and display it as taxidermy. The Zoo has CITES paperwork to keep the animals, and paperwork is generated that must stay with the specimen permanently once it's in the museum.

Appendix 2 handles animals not threatened by extinction specifically but who need careful management to keep them from becoming so by unregulated trade. For example, you see a hippo skull for sale. You check if it has its CITES paperwork, so you can own it legally and be sure that it was legally obtained. The seller dodges your questions and turns out to be an illegal poacher, you report them to the authorities, huzzah the system works!

Appendix 3 covers species that are protected in at least one country, which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling the trade. An example of this would be things like a specific species of goat, Capra hircus aegagrus, in which domestic specimens are non-CITES and free to sell and own, wild populations in their endemic location in Pakistan are protected by the CITES system, to prevent people from capturing them for their own use as livestock.

Basically, it's comprehensive and conservation focused, and is the framework that allows animal based trade and lifestyles to exist while protecting those that need it. It's not without criticism, for example being a negative list means that a species isn't protected until it's listed, rather than having a positive list, where species are protected by default until decided otherwise, but given that there are an estimated 6.5 million land species and 2.2 million in the ocean, I really do understand why it's done this way.

Happy birthday CITES, cheers to 50 years of defining trade restrictions based on conservation needs. We're grateful you exist!

- #Grover

[slasher-male-wife]

I would simply pass away if you did prompt 5 with our boy Thomas <3

So because Thomas can’t talk and because I feel like people wouldn’t hit on him when the town was up and running I’m gonna modify this a little bit. Tommy boy is so dearly loved by you all so I can’t turn this down. This will be around late 50’s early 60’s

Warnings: Strong language, a guy who can’t take a hint, r-word referenced but never explicitly said

You’re out in town picking up some stuff at a store. Thomas is waiting nearby for you. You two do this often. You pick up some stuff from the store for the two of you then you spend the day reading, eating, drinking and so on. You pick up a magazine when you notice a man looking at you. You recognize him. He has a reputation for not being the most respectful of boundaries. You look away and move to another isle. You’re looking at the stock when he comes up to you. “Hey there pretty thing.” He says. You cringe at the nickname.

“I’m not interested.” You pick up some sodas and head over to the cashier.

“Ouch, at least hear me out doll.” A pit forms in your stomach. God you hate guys like this. You can tell he’s not gonna take no for an answer. 

“I’m not a doll.” You pay for your things and leave. You look for Thomas but you can’t find him. He’s probably at the place you two usually hang out at when you’re in town. A little park with some tables. Unfortunately it’s a bit of a walk. Even more unfortunate the man is back over to you.

“Come on honey I can treat you right. I’m Ted.”

“I have a boyfriend.” You start to walk away but he follows you.

“He doesn’t have to know. I treat people right. Just one date darling.” You can tell he’s from out of town. People here know who you’re dating and they avoid you like the plauge. 

“I’m really not interested so just leave me alone.”

“Aww come on honey ditch that boyfriend of yours for something new. I’m from California. Hollywood honey. You’ve got the face and the body of a model. I can make you a big start. Just dump that boyfriend and get with me.” You roll your eyes and walk faster. The park is just a few blocks away now. 

“I’m good really. My boyfriend won’t like you messing with me like this. He’s real big and strong and he can kick your ass.”  Something clicks in his mind and he starts to laugh. 

“You’re the one dating that (r-word). God damn I feel sorry for you. He’s a person only his mother could love. How about you get with someone who has passed the first grade honey.” Rage bubbles inside you like a kettle of water, you just have to make sure you don’t hit the point where it screams. 

“He’s not dumb. He had to drop out because his family needed extra money. He’s a real nice guy, handsome too. So how about you just leave me the hell alone you creep.” You turn a corner and see Thomas waiting for you. He perks up at the sight of you but quickly worries because of the look on your face. 

“That (r-word) wears a mask. How the hell do you know what he looks like?” You ignore the question and run up to Thomas. You set down the bag and turn around to look at the man. 

“He’s mine so how about you beat it.” You grab his hand and hold it tight. Your back pressed against him. Thomas is so confused about what is going on but he is going along with it. 

“Whats he gonna do? Fight me? He’ll go to jail if he does that, then you’ll be all alone for me to take.” Tommy lets out a low growl at the comment. 

“I’ll kick your god damn ass if you don’t leave me the hell alone.” He laughs but you pull out a switchblade. “I’m serious. Get your ugly ass out of here before this gets uglier than you.” The man goes serious. He looks from you to Thomas. 

“Fine then. I will. You and your little (r-worded) boyfriend are dead meat you hear me? Dead fucking meat.” He points at you while he says then than turns and leaves. You feel your body relax but Thomas is still tense. 

“It’s ok honey. Let’s just enjoy the rest of today.” You let go of his hand and sit down. He sits down too and you pull out the magazine you bought. “Ok so lets see what your horiscope says for you. Yours says ‘Life may seem unreal at times. Pinch yourself and you’ll find it’s real. Today will go as smooth and lovely as a dream or as hellish as a nightmare. Look out for signs and if today is a nightmare treat yourself to a dream.’ What do you think of that?” He looks up at you and shrugs. “Alright my turn. ‘You will be around some upsetting peoples today. Don’t let their negative energy get to you. Surround yourself with positive people and relationships to help you stay golden.’ Wow, that’s pretty spot on.” You turn the page and grab the sodas. You hand one to Thomas and pop yours open. 

You two spend the next few hours reading and talking. Well you doing the talking and Thomas signing back to you. You forgot all about that creep now. Your Thomas always does that for you. 

#thomas hewitt #thomas hewitt x you #thomas hewitt x y/n #thomas hewitt x reader #slasher #slasher x y/n #slasher x reader #slasher fanfiction #texas chainsaw the beginning #tcm the beginning

[abubblingcandle]

UK Teachers Strike

As I sit here at home on a Wednesday in term time, I still find myself writing a list of all the work I have to do to even break even with my deadlines for this week. And that is choosing to not do anything to help my non-striking colleagues.

I know a lot of people I know on here aren’t from the UK but please support the Teachers Strikes. 

We are not striking just because we are underpaid. We are underpaid, don’t get me wrong. But we are striking because the government has abandoned us and yet at every turn we are the villains of the story. 

So here is my vent (this turned so much longer than I anticipated) but also to try and bust some myths of what us teachers are going through and why we feel the need to get some change:

“Teachers just work from 9-3 and get 6 weeks off at summer” - No teacher, and I will stand by this, who is doing right by their students can work 9-3. To start off with we have staff meetings before and after school, parents evenings, pastoral care meetings and conversations with parents about their children if their children are struggling which can’t be done while teaching. As a 2nd year teacher I get 7 hours a fortnight of in school prep time. During that time I have to plan 50 lessons, each one adapted for that specific group of students (in my experience each lesson takes about 15-20 mins if it is pre-planned, 45-60 mins if it is from scratch). So just that alone if we assume all these lessons have planned planned last year and can just be adapted it would take me 12.5 hours a fortnight to do this. I also have to deal with problems within my form including observing lessons with them in, talking with support staff about how we can best help them and behaviour/attendance monitoring. That takes up an hour a week on a good week. Then we have marking and data entry. For KS4 classes it can take me 40 mins to mark each paper, for KS3 classes less time but there are more of them. Assuming this is a test fortnight, I have two ish classes in each year for each subject so we’ll say 60 kids x 20 mins per test = 20 hours. So the basics 34.5 hours a fortnight of work that isn’t teaching ... and 7 hours allocated. Then if we assume I get home at 4, go to sleep at 10 to get a full nights sleep that is then 6 hours on an evening, 30 hours from weekdays. To do all the work I need I need to work all hours in a school day and most hours on an evening. But then at least I have weekends free! Then we have the pastoral care. Teachers are people children trust. If you are a good teacher then children will trust you with their problems. So on a lunch time and break time (my time to decompress) I find myself instead being a counsellor helping pupils deal with anger, sadness, discovering who they are, learning how to be teens and the problems that come with that. So most days I don’t get a lunch break and instead have to use my planning time to eat if I have a planning lesson.

“The average wage of a teacher is £48k” - The average wage of all teachers might be £48k but that includes the heads of trusts who get paid over £100k. As a second year teacher I get paid £28,900. With taxes and student loans etc. taken off from it I get a take home pay of just over £1.8k. The average monthly take home pay in the UK is £2.5k. I genuinely almost might not be able to pay my bills this month because of striking one day. 

“Teaching isn’t that hard, parent’s did it fine during lockdown” - Parent maybe taught one child using work that was set by their teachers. That is not comparable. Someone today who is also striking said something that stuck with me “imagine being a hairdresser and every day having to argue with the client that they need to take their hat off to have a haircut”. Parents hate teachers, children hate teachers, but good teachers want what is best for your children. Things children have actually said to me this week:

- “They should get some other teachers in here because you’re shit”

- “This school is shit and so are you”

- “You’re so strict, don’t you have anything better to be doing with your life”

- “Are you actually going to be teaching us something interesting today?”

- “I don’t need to know this so why should I bother listening to you?”

- “You can’t made me do anything, deal with it”

- “Being here is torture, you’re torturing me you know”

All of those ... were for doing my job. Most of those were for either making them open their books to write or the audacity of asking them not to talk over me. 

“Teachers get to strike and have the day off but if I take my kid out of school for a holiday then they are fined for losing vital education time. How is that fair?” - It’s not but it’s not teachers who are punishing that rule. It’s not teachers who benefit. Your child will lose out on valuable teaching time. They will lose out today. But if a strike doesn’t disrupt then what is the point of a strike. Don’t be mad at us. Be mad at the government that is making us do this.

#teacher strikes #uk politics #personal stuff

[headfullofpresley]

Elvis Presley Tag Game

Hi babies! I know there's already a few of these floating around, but I decided to make one as well because I love doing and reading these (so definitely tag me in yours~). Also, ignore me naming 300 songs for each question, I couldn't pick one 💀.

Questions are under the cut. 💗

When was the first time you heard of Elvis?

He's always been in my life because his music has always been played in my family (especially during Christmas lol), so I guess I kinda grew up with him.

What's your favorite era?

I love him in all era's tbh, but the 60s have a special place in my heart.

Favorite song(s) from the '50s?

Harbor Lights, How Do You Think I Feel, Anyplace Is Paradise, Don't Be Cruel, Wear My Ring Around Your Neck, Ain't That Loving You Baby, I Was The One, One-Sided Love Affair.

Favorite song(s) from the '60s?

Dirty, Dirty Feeling, Make Me Know It, Such A Night, Surrender, Reconsider Baby, Starting Today, (Such An) Easy Question, Witchcraft, Little Sister, Kiss Me Quick, True Love Travels On a Gravel Road, Suspicious Minds, Summer Kisses, Winter Tears.

Favorite song(s) from the '70s?

The Wonder of You, Patch It Up, We Can Make the Morning, Always on My Mind, If You Talk in Your Sleep, Moody Blue, Make The World Go Away, Snowbird, Never Been to Spain, I'll Never Fall in Love Again, Are You Sincere, This is Our Dance, Walk A Mile in My Shoes. I CAN'T JUST PICK ONE LMAO

All time favorite song(s) that you simply cannot skip?

How Do You Think I Feel, Starting Today, Moody Blue, I'll Never Fall in Love Again and Make The World Go Away.

Least favorite song?

Tutti Frutti, Ready Teddy and Milkcow Blues Boogie. don't hate me 👀

Favorite gospel song(s)?

Swing Down Sweet Chariot, How Great Thou Art, Crying in The Chapel, Bosom of Abraham and Lead Me, Guide Me.

Favorite country song(s)?

Snowbird, Whole Lot-ta Shakin' Goin' On, Funny How Time Slips Away, The Fool, Flaming Star, U.S. Male.

Favorite non-English song?

We'll Be Together (most of it is english but it still counts bc i love this song ☻), Wooden Heart and Santa Lucia.

A song(s) that makes you feel nostalgic?

Jailhouse Rock, Can't Help Falling in Love, Heartbreak Hotel, A Little Less Conversation, Are You Lonesome Tonight and Return to Sender - they remind me of my childhood sm.

A song(s) that makes you cry?

There's Always Me, I Need Somebody to Lean On and Unchained Melody.

A song(s) that makes you wanna dance?

Polk Salad Annie, The Love Machine, Vino, Dinero Y Amor, Bossa Nova Baby, Rock-A-Hula Baby, Return to Sender, Slicin' Sand, Happy Ending, Blue River, A Little Less Conversation.

Favorite song Elvis has covered?

SWEEEEET CAROLINE! 💃🏼

What's a modern song you wish you could hear Elvis cover?

Paper Doll by John Mayer - i want it, i need it! *slams table*. also, Roller Coaster by Danny Vera.

Do you prefer vinyl or CD?

I love both and I love the nostalgic feel of a vinyl, but when it comes to sound, I prefer CDs.

Favorite album?

From Elvis in Memphis, Love Letters from Elvis, From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee and Moody Blue.

Favorite movie soundtrack?

Blue Hawaii, King Creole, It Happened At The World's Fair and Fun in Acapulco.

Favorite live performance?

The Ed Sullivan performances, my god. But I'm also obsessed with the show from August 11, 1970 for That's The Way It Is.

A live performance you wish you were present at?

My ass would be front row at every show, idc.

Favorite jumpsuit(s)?

Adonis, Black Conquistador (IM OBSESSED I TELL YOU; OBSESSED!), Conchos, Royal Blue Fireworks, American Eagle, Pharao and Silver Phoenix. His two piece fits were also very *chef's kiss*.

LIKE HELLO????? TALENTED, BRILLIANT, INCREDIBLE, AMAZING, SHOW STOPPING, SPECTACULAR, NEVER THE SAME, TOTALLY UNIQUE, COMPLETELY NOT EVER BEEN DONE BEFORE!!!!

Favorite movie(s)?

Blue Hawaii, Fun in Acapulco, Flaming Star and It Happened at The World's Fair. Also Viva Las Vegas and King Creole and Loving You and I'm going to shut up now.

Least favorite movie(s)?

Harum Scarum, Stay Away Joe, Kissin' Cousins and The Trouble with Girls.

Favorite co-star?

Ann-Margret and Shelley Fabares.

Favorite documentary?

Elvis by the Presleys, That's The Way It Is, Elvis on Tour and Elvis: Return to Tupelo.

Favorite interview?

This one right here. I can listen to this man talk for hours and fell asleep to this many many times lol.

Favorite car?

The Purple Cadillac Eldorado is sexy af. And also the Stutz Blackhawk... loooord.. 🥵

Do you collect merch? If so, what's the one thing you hold most dear to your heart?

I spend too much money on this man (woops), but I'm obsessed with Elvis and the Birth of Rock and Roll which contains Alfred Wertheimer's amazing work. Andddd a collector's item of the Blue Hawaii soundtrack. 💙

Do you think you'll be a fan of Elvis for the rest of your life?

Yes yes yes. He's such a big and important part of my life, I can't imagine him not being in it anymore.

tagging some of my lovely mutuals: @woundmetender @eliseinmemphis @foreverdolly @septembersghost @mrpresley @marriedtopresley @elvispresleywife @ab4eva @elvisabutler @infatuatedharleys @steph-speaks @mooodyblue - if i missed anyone, sorry bbies!

#its kinda long but lets goooo! #elvis #elvis presley #elvis tag game #elvis ask game #elvis fans #elvis presley fans