#Can we have Mexico in the near future...

[httpswritings]

broken cycle — Alexia Putellas x Reader

Warnings: masturbation mentions

Word count: 825

Summary: The aftermath of putting your sexual encounters with Alexia to an end.

A/N: Third part of vicious cycle

You decided to put an end to your sexual encounters with Alexia. Your body couldn't stand the feeling of touching her. The love you had for that woman was quickly accompanied by a feeling of shame that ended in pure numbness. She took it well; that's what you saw from her. The only thing she asked was if she had done something wrong or if she had hurt you. That was the worst part; her still being this considerate to you couldn't make you hate her.

You watched her from afar, but both of you still had a friendly tone when you had to talk to each other for football duties.

Little did you know Alexia was not doing well without your touch. She missed you, and to her surprise, not only sexually. Alexia knew she had fallen in love with you, but she was convinced that she could put her feelings aside and keep meeting you at your house without any trouble.

She had spent a bunch of nights crying herself to sleep, missing you. Her sex drive almost disappeared, as if you had kept her desire for love and passion.

One day, the idea of pleasuring herself to the thought of you came to her mind, so she proceeded to do it. She closed her eyes as she watched in her mind the image of you being on top of her. She imagined you doing all kinds of things to her body. As she was about to reach her orgasm, she mumbled a delicate “I love you.” When she came back to reality, she sobbed at the memory of you.

When you were near her, she had to pretend to be okay, as if nothing had happened.

One day, Mapi asked Alexia if she could give her number to a good friend of hers. “Ale, Sara is really nice. You won't regret having a date with her.” You were next to them, changing into your kit, and you felt Alexia's eyes on you. “No, Mapi, I'm sorry.”

Mapi sighed. “C'mon, I don't remember the last time you talked to me about a woman. You need to go out and meet some people!” You looked toward them when you heard Mapi say that. You had been Alexia's secret for a few months, and whatever relationship you had with her was non-exclusive, as you weren't dating. Didn't Alexia get with other women since she started seeing you?

As Alexia looked at you, she said, “I'm not interested in doing that. Maybe I could do it with someone I've already been with, but I'm not looking forward to meeting other women.” You smiled forcefully, taking her comment as her way of saying, “I still want to have sex with you as we used to.“ Little did you know Alexia had given her comment a deeper meaning. “Ale, Olga is not in Barcelona anymore, and Jenni is in Mexico. Can you tell me with whom you are planning to do that? That's why I'm insisting on you meeting other women; it'll do you good, amiga.”

“If I get with a woman, I'll do it to enter into a relationship, not something sporadic. I've just realized how much I crave that, but I understand some other people are not looking for that.” You frowned. Was Alexia lying to Mapi just to get rid of her insistence, or was she serious? “I'm just scared to be vulnerable, Mapi; you know it's not easy for me.” You've had enough of only listening to the conversation and not participating, so you anticipated Mapi's response. “Maybe you need to look for a woman who won't judge you. Someone who would want everything with you. But you have to take the risk.”

-

«I meant every word I said in the locker room.» That was the text message you received from Alexia. «Come home, Ale.» You didn't want to have that conversation on the phone. You heard the bell ring, and when you opened the door, Alexia didn't even let you greet her. “I mean it. I don't want to meet other women. I want you. I miss you every day and every night. I can't stand not touching you, not kissing you, not being alone with you. I don't want to only have sex; I want a future with you, one we both deserve.” You stood there in silence. “I love you...” That's when you lost it. Hearing Alexia pronounce those words, which were directed at you, made you run onto her arms. 

As you deepened the kiss, you began to lose your patience. You had had enough time without feeling her skin against yours that the only thing you wanted to do was make love with her, but Alexia had other plans. When she noticed your intentions, she stopped you. “Let's not do this today. I want to show you that I crave you in every aspect of you, not only sexually.”

#alexia putellas imagine #alexia putellas x reader #alexia putellas #woso #woso imagine #woso x reader

[mineralsrocksandfossiltalks]

Sunday Scribbles: How to Draw a Coelophysis

I thought I would show you one way I draw dinosaurs. This character I am about to show you comes from a novel I am writing that takes place on an Earth-like planet where dinosaurs did not go extinct but evolved into an intelligent race called Avekians.

Niko is a Coelophysis, more commonly called a Ghost Ranch Tit by the locals (ignore the name on the page, I changed it when I realized it didn't fit the Avekian language anymore).

They hail from the Unkata Desert of Laranidia in the Kingdom of Kuloviu. Nico lives on a Krane ranch and belongs to the only human in the land, Dimitri.

Real Coelophysis lived during the Late Triassic Period around 210-201 million years ago in North America. They have been found in Arizona and New Mexico with possible remains found in Colorado.

Coelophysis was about 10 feet long and lived in seasonally wet forests alongside animals like Placerias, Smilosuchus, Desmatosuchus, Postosuchus, Shuvosaurus, and other dinosaurs including Chindesaurus, Camposaurus, Daemonosaurus, and Tawa.

An important think to note when drawing any kind of animal: muscle definition, meat! Fill in all the spaces! You should not be able to see the wholes in the skull or the shape of the hip bones. Remember, dinosaurs are not mammals and their legs should not look mammalian! Sometimes, I draw a basic skeleton outline first and fill in around. Perhaps I will show you that on a future Sunday.

The fun thing with most dinosaurs: you can make them any pattern and any color you want! We only know the color and pattern for a handful of exceptionally well preserved dinosaurs (Archaeopteryx, Microraptor, etc).

I based Nico's plumage off of two real life birds: Anna's Hummingbird and the Greater Roadrunner. Both found in dry, arid places in North America, one of the continents Laranidia is based off of.

Interested in Coelophysis? Well guess what? We might have found one out near our Evil Tree Bonebed site in our Triassic Chinle rocks. As part of our Field Paleontology Course, we teach students how to prospect. So if you want to come out this summer and help us find the rest of our potential Coelophysis, check out the link below. Hope to see you there!

#paleontology #dinosaur #fossils #geology #coelophysis #chinle formation #how to draw #how to draw dinosaurs #paleoart #paleoliterature #sci fi and fantasy

[stardusksx]

BECAUSE OF YOU, spencer reid x named!oc

— part one .

( summary! ) Spencer & Lydia where best friends, until they weren’t. Having to see each other at work everyday was certainly an exercise in professionalism, but when Reid is arrested in Mexico they can no longer ignore each other.

( warnings! ) Canon typical violence, discussions of drug use, best friends to lovers with a whole load of angst in the middle, dysfunctional family dynamics, talks of past neglect, future mentions of sex/smut, let me know if I missed anything! )

next part

"HE'S WHAT?" LYDIA STOPPED IN HER TRACKS, PHONE RESTING BETWEEN HER EAR AND SHOULDER. Her arms were full of groceries, a bunch of keys dangling limply from her fingertips. She blinked at the number on her apartment door in bewilderment.

"He's been arrested," Emily answered, her voice uneasy, "They're holding him in Mexico."

"Mexico?" She echoed, "What the hell is he doing there?"

There was a pause, "They... they're holding him on drug charges."

The bag slipped from her hands, but she didn't bother picking it up, instead adjusting her grip on the phone in case she hadn't heard right. "Emily, this is Spencer Reid we're talking about, right? He wouldn't... he wouldn't go near drugs." Not after the dilaudid. But then again, she didn't really know him that well anymore. What if he'd started taking it again?

Her thought process was cut off as Emily further explained, "They're holding him on possession, with intent to distribute. They found him with cocaine and heroin."

"Cocaine and —" She brought a hand up to rub the space between her brows, "That makes no sense, why would— what's going on, Emily?"

"I have no idea, Lydia," She sighed over the line, "I know it's your day off, but we're really going to need you to come in for this one."

"No, yeah, I'll be right there." She responded, finally managing to shove her key into the door and unlock it, "See you in fifteen."

Lydia didn't bother packing away her grocery's, merely deposited the bag on the counter before she rushed to shove on a dress shirt and slacks. She was out the door with her go-bag in under five minutes, arriving at the BAU in less than fifteen. JJ was the only one in the bullpen— she was ringing her hands nervously, and when Lydia gained her attention, the relief that washed over her face was only short lived.

"They want you on the field in Mexico," She said quickly,  standing straighter, "Emily, Alvez and Rossi are already on the plane. I would go, but the boys—"

Lydia placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You don't need to explain, I got this," She gave what she hoped was a mollifying smile, "Plus, your Spanish is terrible."

JJ let out a breath of a laugh, the anxiety still contorting her features. They parted ways, the women heading towards the round table as Lydia rushed out to the tarmac and onto the Jet. Luke moved down a seat to make room for her, Rossi and Emily sitting opposite. They all offered her brief greetings, but it was overshadowed by the tense energy they were all carrying. The take off was hasty, and they were in the air for a mere five minutes before Garcia connected them to the round table back at the BAU.

"This has got to be scratch," Tara spoke, "He was laying low, now we know why."

A sickly feeling settled into her stomach at the suggestion— Peter Lewis had been tormenting the team for years, forcing Hotch into protective custody after the stalking of his son and abducting members of Tara's family. The suggestion that he was now focusing on Reid was not an easy pill to swallow.

Luke's brows pinched, giving a slight shake of the head "Crossing the border as a fugitive is a huge risk."

"The reward is greater," Emily countered, "He's been punishing the team and now his target is Reid."

"Peter Lewis dropped off the map after attacking Tara's family, maybe he's been hiding in Mexico this whole time."

"We also have to consider this isn't related to him."

"Who else could it be?" Rossi questioned.

"Drug cartels, could have threatened Reid and used him as a mule." Luke offered.

"It's possible," Lydia supported, "But they'd usually go for more low-profile members of the public, picking out an FBI agent to do their dirty work could bring more trouble than it's worth."

"Not if they didn't know he was an FBI agent."

Lydia thought for a moment, but the more she did the more the cartel theory loss it's credibility for her. She shook her head, "No, it doesn't make sense. I mean, why would he be in Mexico for them to use him in the first place? This feels too... improbable to have just been a case of bad luck."

JJ voice sounded, explaining that she'd managed to get in touch with Diana Reid's nurse who had confirmed the woman was safe and stable. Lydia remembers meeting Spencer's mother on a case in Las Vegas— the man had been struggling with some inner demons, and watching how the mere presence of the women had helped to calm him had made her stomach twist. Spencer loved people in a consuming kind of way, and it was clear when he interacted with Diana that he'd do anything for her.

"How long did he tell the nurse he'd be gone?" Luke asked.

"Three days." JJ supplied.

Emily nodded, "Makes sense, after the Palm Springs case Reid said he had to get back to Houston to talk to his mom's doctor."

"Well, Houston is only a five hour drive from the border." Tara added, "Question is, why did he go down there?"

"And why did he have narcotics?"

"Yeah, exactly. I'm not going to spill any secrets i'm not suppose to, but those drugs where planted on him." Garcia stuttered slightly, determination in her voice. Lydia nodded mutely, feeling anxiety crawl up her from the mere memory.

"Absolutely, there's something bigger in play. That's why he kept it a secret. There's something he didn't want to share with anybody." Walker added.

"Okay, so what would make him risk everything?"

"His mom." Lydia answered, vaguely aware of JJ speaking the words simultaneously. Luke shot her a curious look, but she avoided his gaze so she wouldn't have to answer his silent question how do you know?

"But she's here, and she's safe." Garcia's confusion bled into her voice before she paused, "Wait, Cruz just sent me the arresting report," The sound of her fingers against the keys of her computer sounded, "Says here that Reid was involved in a high speed chase..."

The shock was palpable, "What? But he rarely ever drives?"

"Non of this sounds like him. It says he was wearing jeans, he was really confused, and according to the arresting officer, he was really high on something."

"No, no. He wouldn't do that. Not after what happened with Tobias Hankle." JJ sounded adamant, and she nodded in silent agreement.

"Who was Tobias Hankle?" Luke asked softly.

"He was an Unsub with DID," Lydia explained quietly, "He... kidnapped Reid. Drugged him. It was... well... it was really bad. He almost died—" she couldn't bring herself to say that, technically, he did. It was one of her worst memories. Luke stared at her, disquieted.

Someone must have explained it to Tara too, as she questioned with dismayed surprise in her voice, "When was this?"

"Ten years ago."

A tense silence followed before Rossi changed the subject, "What does the report say about the intent to distribute?"

"It says he was charged with constructive possession, and in the duffle bag there was cocaine, cash and three blocks of heroin."

She felt her trepidation like a vice on her lungs, bringing a hand up to rub over her eyes. It was easy to sense the group's collective unease.

"Okay, we'll be there in less than an hour." Emily said finally, "Dave, can you reach Jack Garret?"

Rossi shook his head slightly "He's busy on a case, but he promised to do what he can."

"Well, were gonna need all the help we can get."

After hanging up on the round table, they talked over more theories and tried to fill in the blanks with possible scenarios. There was too much information missing for anything near definite to be decided on, and within the hour they were landing in Mexico and on their way to the Jail that was holding Spencer.

It was windowless and barely illuminated by harsh lights, a seemingly constant rattle of metal in the air. An older aged man led the group, dressed in a uniform bearing the Mexican police symbol. "Thank you for calling us." Rossi said thankfully.

"It is not often we have a US FED in our custody." He responded, guiding them through a mesh door. Something about his tone was almost accusatory, but it was too faint to be a reasonable cause for worry.

"We appreciate you letting us talk to him, have you gotten his tox-screen back yet?" Emily questioned.

He shook his head, "No."

"You will need to expedite that, we have cause to believe Agent Reid was drugged."

"He was definitely high." He said, "And driving like a maniac with twenty thousand dollars worth of heroine in his possession. Both of which put my officers at risk, you're in our jurisdiction."

Lydia noticed Luke's attention on something else, and she followed his gaze to a sight that made her heart drop. Spencer sat curled in on himself, a set of bars separating him from the rest of the room. She exchanged an uneasy look with the man next to her, hanging back slightly as he approached.

"Hey, Reid," He spoke, and she watched as he turned towards Luke was blank look that vaguely showed his confusion. God, she thought, this is bad. If Reid couldn't recognise someone as familiar as Luke on an instant, then the drugs in his system were still heavily in effect. "It's good to see you brother. It's me, Luke."

It took another moment, and she wasn't entirely convinced he fully recognised him still when he got to his feet. He approach the bars meekly, shoulders hunched, "Luke. Thank you for coming."

Lydia's gaze dropped to the bandage covering his hand, evidence of a nasty injury. Her brows furrowed. Rossi approached next, followed sharply by Emily, "We're going to get you out of here, kid."

Spencer's gaze flickered between them, and she watched him try to piece things together in his head. "We need to work out some things with the locals, okay?" Emily spoke slightly slower, hoping to provide him with some clarity. He gave the smallest of nods.

"Who was your contact down here?" Luke questioned.

He looked up before speaking slowly, "Rosa... Rosa Medina. I think she's a doctor." He pulled up his sleeve, revealing some faint writing.

Luke took a photo of it, "Where did you meet her?"

He shook his head, "I don't... I don't remember."

Emily glanced back at her, features puzzled. She pulled her lip between her teeth and offered a slight shrug, gaze returning to the man that looked almost unrecognisable.

"If you saw her, would you recognise her?" Luke tried, and after a moment of hesitation Spencer nodded.

"You're missing time, aren't you?" Emily asked.

"It's coming in flashes."

"And you've been drugged?"

"Yeah, but I didn't take them myself." He whispered it, but it was the only thing he'd seemed certain of since they'd started the conversation. Emily rushed to reassure him.

"No, of course you didn't." She glanced at the men beside her, "We're thinking it might be Scratch."

The blank look shadowed his features again as he repeated the name. Luke's phone rang and he excused himself, returning a few minutes later with a photo of an older woman. Spencer stared at it for a moment before he nodded, confidently.

"Her alias is Rosa Medina, but her real name is Nadie Ramos." Luke explained, "Garcia tracked it to a motel just outside of town, does that sound familiar?"

"No."

"We'll need to take the officers with us," Emily said, seemingly determined.

"You want company here?" Rossi said gently, and Spencer seemed to need a minute to process what his words meant before responding with a no.

Still, he was hesitant as he spoke, and Lydia watched him for a moment before she said, "I'll stay."

Her non-confined co-workers gave her a questioning look— after all, she didn't tend to volunteer herself for anything where Spencer was involved, but she could tell he needed a familiar face and she'd probably be the most useless out on the field in Mexico. Emily looked slightly relieved as she nodded, though, as if leaving him on his own was not something she wanted to do.

Spencer's brows where furrowed, still struggling to sort through the fog in his brain. The three of them left with the promise of calling her if there was any updates, and for a moment she watched her old friend as he stood in one of the most broken states she'd ever seen him. 

"It must be scary for you," She spoke finally, gathering his attention, giving sufficient enough pause for him to cognitively catch up with what she was saying, "Not remembering things— it would be for anyone, but you even more so."

He swallowed, blinking, then nodded. His eyes were scanning over her— she could tell he knew who she was, just not exactly why she was standing there, "Lydia?"

"It's me," She assured, "Emily, Rossi and Luke just left. I'm going to stay with you till they're back, okay?"

"Yeah," He responded, and his voice was so small, "I-I don't know why..."

"That's okay," She said, "It's just the drugs in your system, I'm sure it'll come back to you with time. Do you want to sit down?"

He nodded, and she expected him to go back to the bench, but instead he took up the floor right by the bars. So she followed, sitting so that she was facing him. It was quiet for a while, maybe half an hour, then he began whispering, "I can't remember, I can't remember, I can't remember."

He repeated it over and over, and she could see the anxiety starting to take hold of him, breaths coming in faster and shorter. She knew she could try to distract him, but his brain had always worked a million times faster and strayed in ten different directions even if he hyper focused on one thing. Still, with the drugs in his system, it was worth a shot. "Spencer, talk me through what you do remember."

He looked confused, "I can't remember anything—"

"Not just about what happened in the last few days," She explained, "Like, for example, you remembered Emily, Rossi, Luke and me."

He nodded, brows still furrowed. "What do you remember about them? Start with Emily."

He thought for a moment, "Emily is the BAU unit chief," he started, "I met her when she joined the team... ten years ago... she specialises in child advocacy, terrorism and... linguistics... she watches... we watch Russian movies together at least once a month."

He looked to her as if wanting confirmation he was corrected, and she nodded reassuringly, "Good. What about Rossi?"

Spencer listed off what he could recall about the older man, then followed it with Luke. After each one, Lydia gave her assurance, and with each nod of her head he seemed to relax slightly. She had not entirely thought through her plan when the realisation dawned on her that he'd have to talk about her next. Still, this wasn't the time to focus on the weight such a topic would normally bring. This wasn't about her, or them. It was about him.

"Okay," She said, pushing aside the knots in her stomach, "What about me?"

She almost didn't want to know what he was going to say, but there was also a part of her, an overwhelming part, that was curious. He seemed to take longer to answer this time, "You're a special agent for the BAU. You started... a year after I did..." He paused to think, and she expected him to list off a couple of her credentials and maybe a vague shared memory with the team, but he surprised her, "On your first case, I took my FBI vest off and you threatened to kick my ass if I did it again."

Her eyebrows shot up, "I-I did." She offered her confirmation again, but he wasn't finished like she thought he was. He continued, "I liked that you never used to cut me off when I went on a tangent. You didn't make fun of me for not understanding a joke. Morgan called us the babies of the BAU, and when Emily was gone you volunteered to watch Russian movies with me even though you didn't speak the language." He looked at her— really looked at her, like for a moment even the drugs couldn't distort his certainty, "We were bestfriends."

Were. Were. Were. She swallowed, nodded, "See," She said finally, "There are things you remember, it'll just take time for the newer ones to come back to you."

He murmured quietly, "Thank you."

Lydia's phone rang before she could speak again, Emily's name flashing on the screen. She got to her feet and took a couple paces before answering, "Hello?"

Emily merely offered her a greeting before she got to the point, "We found Nadie's body at the motel, she was murdered."

"Shit," She muttered, trying to keep her voice down, "Shit. Emily, how bad is this?"

"Honestly?" She responded, "It's not good. This is... it's going to take a lot to clear him of this."

There was a sinking feeling in her stomach— prison was a rough place for anyone to be, but Spencer needed mental stimulation in abundances that just wouldn't be available to him in there. It could quite literally drive him insane— time would stand still for him, and he'd be left alone with nothing but his brain working overtime. "What do we do now?"

Emily exhaled, "We're coming back to you guys soon, I'm hoping he's lucid enough for a cognitive. How's he doing?"

She glanced back to see his head against the wall, eyes closed, but he wasn't breathing heavily enough to be asleep. He must be exhausted, though, and hoped he'd managed to get a-few minutes in before they started questioning him again. "He's doing okay, considering. A little panicked earlier, but he could talk me through some older memories that aren't related to the last few days. I didn't want to overwhelm him by trying to ask about all of this until he's come down a little more." 

"Okay, that's good," She could hear the slight relief in her voice, "We won't be long, should be back in about an hour. There's just a few things to sort through here."

"Alright, thanks Emily. See you soon." Lydia hung up, pocketing her phone and glancing back to where Spencer sat. He was staring into space, but he didn't seem as anxious as before, so she made the decision to wait till the others got back to break the news. She had always been more optimistic in nature, but it was a struggle to see any way out of this. Not wanting to disturb him just yet, she took her phone back out and dialled JJ's number.

"Angel, please tell me sweet boy wonder is okay." Garcia's voice came over the line, and she could vaguely hear JJ making a comment about her taking the phone.

"I'm with him now, he's–" she could hear someone in the background say put her on speaker, "--doing okay. I think he's starting to come down from the drugs, but still a little spaced out. Has Emily called you?"

"About Ramos? Yeah, she told us." JJ spoke, "It's..."

"Bad." Lydia supplied with a sigh, "But we all know whatever is going on, someone else is responsible. There will be a way to prove that."

"Exactly," She recognized Tara's voice, "We'll clear him, don't worry."

Lydia had a feeling her words were more aimed for Garcia, who she was sure was the epitome of worry.

"I should get back to him, I just wanted to make sure Emily updated you."

"Hey, wait!" JJ said, then her voice sounded closer as if she'd taken the phone off of the speaker. There was a brief pause and the sound of a door closing before she spoke again, "How do you really think he's doing? I know it's been a while since you... well, I just... You knew him better than any of us. Do you really think he's okay?"

Lydia tried to push aside the personal issues that attempted to taunt her— she hadn't had to confront anything surrounding her opinions of Spencer in a long time and she hadn't anticipated doing it under these circumstances. The worry for him, though, was no stranger to her. It had been a quiet, lingering ghost that had haunted her on every case she watched him go out onto the field since they stopped being friends. How she'd have to bite her tongue from saying "be careful."

"It's hard to say," She answered, "I've never seen him like this before, JJ. Even with Tobias, he still had his clarity. I think things are starting to come back to him, but I don't know how he's going to be with the knowledge that he lost time like this."

"God," JJ murmured, "This is all so screwed up."

"I know." She emphasised, "But he's more resilient than we credit him for, and he's got all of us to help him if he struggles."

"I'm glad you're there with him." She said after a pause, "It'll bring him more comfort than you know."

She didn't know how to respond to that. Didn't know what to do with how that made her feel. "Thanks, JJ. I should go."

"Lydia?" JJ sensed her attempt at dismissal.

She resisted the urge to pretend she didn't hear and hang up. "Yeah?"

"I mean it," She said certainly, "He misses you."

Lydia hoped she didn't hear her sharp intake of breath, "I'll call if there is an update."

She didn't wait for an answer before she hung up, giving herself a moment before she returned to where Spencer was sitting. He opened his eyes when she approached, and she gave him a small smile which he tiredly returned. It was silent until the rest returned.

#spencer reid imagine #spencer reid #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fandom #matthew grey gubler #spencer reid x oc #spencer reid x fem!oc #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x reader

[txttletale]

hello!! came across you recently and read a bunch of your posts, and I’m really impressed with the way you always keep focus on how [x subject] relates to material reality and action/goals. if you don’t mind answering, I was wondering what kind of actions (besides debating/critique, which is what I’m able to see from Social Media Site) do modern day communists do to build revolution? I’m sure this varies wildly, but it’s hard for me to imagine when imperial power is so strong. thanks!

yeah, so obviously--as you said--this varies. there's no universal answer to this one, because what tactics are effective and possible for a revolutionary organization vary immensely. like, there are places in the world right now where people are still fighting protracted people's wars--the EZLN in mexico, Naxalites in india, and the NPA in the phillippines, etc.

assuming, however, that you're talking about an imperial-core or a semiperipheral perspective--there are a lot of things that communist organizations can do. obviously, revolution isn't in the cards for the near future, any basic analysis shows that very conclusively. the main things that communist organizations can do in these circumstances is build class consciousness.

now, a lot of groups think that this means simply 'disseminating critique and newspapers', but i think that's an un-marxist understanding of class consciousness. you cannot persuade the working class into going from zero to revolutionary, no matter how effective your propaganda. you have to help people organize and help them fight for causes--people are only going to believe in the possiblity of mass action if they live class struggle, if they get actual experience of engaging in political struggle and making real change in the world.

alright, so what does that look like? first of all, it doesn't look like supporting bourgeois parliamentary parties. they are a black hole that sucks up working class organization and uses it to sustain a cottage industry of wealthy legislators, lobbyists and consultants.

things that i've personally seen happen include:

giving out free food/hygiene products/other necessities

contributing to and organizing mutual aid networks

rebuilding and renovating defunct community buildings

counterprotesting fascists trying to intimidate refugees

mobbing immigration police to prevent deportations

showing up to picket lines and anti-austerity/solidarity protests

scanning and uploading previously unavailable socialist writing

establishing and aiding copwatch networks

and to be clear--these are tactics! they are not an end goal--they are not part of the world we ultimately want to see--doing these things does not take us along a path to socialism. there is the difference between participating in reformist struggles as a tactic for building class consciousness and being reformist--the latter means seeing these things as ends, doing them with the belief that they can be permament solutions--the former means seeing this things as means, things people can get involved in and gain a genuine and personal understanding of class struggle.

ultimately i think the #1 job of any serious revolutionary organization is to build class consciousness and solidarity. and while i do think that leafleting and stickering and putting out pamphlets and newspapers and essays and yes, even silly little posts on my silly blog, can play a small role in that--ultimately most people will not become communists unless they see communists making real change in the world around them.

(addendum: in addition to all this, many revolutionary communist organizations often also do the sort of thing that it's not advisable to talk about online)

#ask #marxism #0.000% of communism has been built but it doesn't mean we don't have to try

[clearlydiamondz]

Loyalty to Royalty

Erik!Stevens x OC

Part Five

- - - - - - - - - -  

Princess Imani was the black sheep of her family, never really fitting the female royal type. When an arranged marriage between Prince   N'Jadaka and her is set up, she tries her hardest to get away... but she just can’t.

IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE: I HAVE UPDATED MY MASTERLIST SO IT'S EASIER TO NAVIGATE. SO CHECK IT OUT IF YOU HAVEN'T! IT'S ALSO PINNED

- - - - - - - - - -  

"I don't know whos face I want to ball up in my fist, Erik's or Amarah's." Imani snapped walking through the halls with her newly hired publicist and manager, Makiah. She walked behind her keeping up with every news article the presented the news typing away.

It's been weeks since she's been to Wakanda and everything has been going smoothly. Her step-mother and step-sister stayed out of her way, her and Erik seem to get closer, and her worries of Vibranium went away as it seemed to vanish in the wind.

That was until this morning.

As she was eating her breakfast, her phone started to ring of notifications with Erik's name in the headlines.

Prince N'Jadaka Ex Comes Forward, Trouble In Paradise?

Her face twitched at the news before she clicked on the article. A video popped up of a beautiful girl with a light skin complexion, and curly hair. It was a Tiktok.

"Yeah.. he called me asking if he could fly me out to Wakanda. Obviously in respect to Princess Imani I declined. He continued to tell me how much he missed me but honestly that was a bridge I burned long ago."

Arianna Cope was her name.

She stood up calling Erik's phone but obviously no answer.

And to top it all off, fucking Oshana and Amarah.

It was believed that the two of them were going on a Vacation to Mexico but last minute plans changed to them going to New York. As her and Makiah were coming up ways to come up with damage control ideas, another notification came up.

The City Kambaho Is Now Willing to Trade, and so is Wakanda?

"No.. no no no no no." she stood up looking at her phone. "What the fuck have y'all done. What the actual fuck have you done!?" she yelled in horror as she seen the video.

"Princess Imani, let's the put the phone down and take it one step at a time." Makiah said, but she couldn't. She played the video,

"As we all know both Wakanda and Kambaho are greatly armed with the material known as Vibranium. We also know how important this could be for trading with not only America but with other nations who are possibly willing to trade with us. We no longer want to be in the shadows of what our strength can do, and we call to our sister nation to help support those that are in need."

Amarah looked at the screen with a smile as everyone asked her a bunch of questions. The screen with black as her eye started to twitch. She stood up making a B-Line straight to her fathers office, where she knew he would be.

And here we are in present time. As she was going to cross the garden room, she saw Erik running towards her. "Erik I swear on every linage of ancestors I have don't you-"

"It's not true. I promise it isn't." he said running towards her. "I jumped on a flight just to let you know this, I would not do something like this to jeopardize your future." he said, damn near out of breath. She looked over his face to see that he was genuine, but looks could be deceiving.

"Prove it." He pulled out his phone showing that she was the one that called first.

"In the call she was telling me how she missed me and that she wanted to be together. I admit, before I came to Wakanda I wanted a relationship but she didn't. Once she got wind that I was royalty and I moved on, obviously she wanted to be a clout chaser."

"That doesn't prove nothing. She could have called you first but you initiated first. And there is audio of you." Makiah said as he looked at her in confused.

"Okay first of all, who the hell are you?"

"That's our publicist and our manager who's going to be saving your ass, so show her all of your respect please." Imani snapped at him. "Show me other proof." he sighed not knowing any other proof but then he remembered.

"I have a screen-recording of her turning me down. " she had her palm out as he went through old videos before finding it. He handed her his phone as she read through the text-messages. She looked at him before cringing.

"Jesus.. that's sad." she handed him the phone as his fascial expression dropped.

"You really didn't have to say all that." she looked back at Makiah before asking.

"What can we do to fix this?"

"If this is true, that means that she could have edited the audio. We could hire an audio specialist to clear the audio that was recorded. He would then have to put out a public statement explaining how it's chopped, and Erik put out a public video on his side of the story. I can easily write that up for him." she said as she nodded.

"You get started on that, I on the other hand have to deal with some other bull-crap. You-" she pointed towards him. "Are coming with me." she said.

"I'll be getting right on that Imani." And with that, Makiah ran back down the hall with to her office. Imani handed him her tablet that she was holding as he looked at the article in shock.

"Why would they do this? The Wakanda council will set hell for this?" he told her as she opened the door to her fathers office. "No idea, but most definitely will be having a meeting for every party involved." she stated as her dad looked up at the screen.

"Imani I-"

"Dad. It's not your fault. Just get them on a plane back to Wakanda." she stated as he looked at her confused.

"Why Wakanda?" he asked her.

"I'm taking initive and we will all personally take accountability for this mishap and you will explain to them what your next steps are on fixing this." she demanded him as he scoffed..

"Hold on, you just told me that it wasn't my fault. Now I have to take accountability for what they did?"

"Yes because that is your WIFE and the Queen! When you decided to marry the back stabbing manipulative women you signed up for taking full accountability of everything she does as her HUSBAND and KING!" she yelled at him. "The country of Wakanda is our one and only true ally and whatever she just did, just had the possibility of messing it all up." she lowered her tone. He looked shock at the threatening voice but she did not care.

"So yes, we are going to Wakanda and we are fixing this mess. Wakanda deserves our loyalty and you know this, and I do too." she snapped at him. She turned and looked at Erik.

"Prince, please explain to my king how detrimental this could be for my people." Erik cleared his throat before speaking.

"Because Wakanda helps regulate and distribute your country's share of vibranium, we will have all rights to simply stop production. This could mean your economy market will crash, leaving you defenseless against other nations if they do decide to attack us for vibranium." Erik says as her father sighed rubbing his temples.

"Like I said, we are fixing this. Get your apology ready and decide how you will tell the nations how your step-daughter has no authority to make decisions for this country, or Wakanda." she told him.

"Imani, I do this she will leave." he said as Imani scoffed.

"Are you seriously considering not doing it for a woman who went behind your back and put your people in jeopardy? Father if she decides to leave you over this, this just proves her motive of marrying you in the first place." she stated.

"I don't get my paranoia from no one. You taught me why I should fear this."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Imani sat down next to Erik in the Council room, as she stared back at T'Challa who sat in his throne, and he looked pissed right a long with Queen Ramonda. The council of Wakanda looked even more angry.

"I would first like to start off and says that me as well as the rest of the citizens of Wakanda is very disappointed in the actions that transpired over the course of the day." he stated as Imani hung her head low.

"Now, we do acknowledge that some people are more to blame than others, but the fact that you could come and apologize for any acts of betrayal that you guys may have caused. Princess Imani, we and the council appreciate you initiative to come to talk to us so we have decided to hear you out, but those who have done the damage is not here." T'Challa stated as Imani stood up and cleared her throat.

"Permission to speak." he nodded. "King T'Challa, I-"

"We have never used formals before, let's not start now." he chuckled as she nodded.

"Challa, first I would like to apologize on behalf of my father and his wife, and his step-daughter. As you know, my mother's death took a toll on my father more than he can admit and he's doing unwell. As you know, our loyalty as a country is with you and the Wakandians and we will never sway from that. We are working right now to get this fixed as we speak." Imani spoke. Queen Ramonda looked her in the eyes, as if telling her she was okay.

"I would further more like to explain that this is not in a state of where they think this will help benefit the world, but in act of greediness. His wife knew the dangers of exposing the world of our ability with vibranium, and out of spite went to America. I do not and have not recognize her as my Queen, as my queen and mother is long gone." she stated. T'Challa looks at the council as they still stared at her with mixed emotions.

"This is your King and your families. You speak of them like you don't associate yourselves with them." M'Baku states.

"That's because I don't." she sighed looking down. "Look, I say this from the heart and not because I'm trying to play clean up. Every choice that I have made is the betterment of my country. And those choices are influenced by those older and wiser than me. Every ruling, every law, everything has been influenced by my father, my mother, and even you. I ran through these halls with Challa and Shuri for more than I can remember. My mother would have never taken Wakanda for granted as she too was a child of Wakanda."

She tried so hard not to cry, but the state of her people was at hand. The severity of her love for her country showed as she tried to hold back her tears but she couldn't help but let a few drop.

"I hope that we can be forgiven." she finished, as her voiced break.

Erik saw her and realized that they had more in common than they think. Not the herb, not that they are getting married. But the love and protection of their own kind. Looking at her in pain, knowing that she her country could be in potential danger. He had to say something.

"Can I say something real quick." Erik said raising his hand as the council looked at him, a tad bit shocked. Hell, even Imani did.

"I will say, these past couple of months have been a tad bit challenging for the both of us due to some... unforeseen circumstances." he said throwing a little shade at the council. "But, I can say that within these past few months and getting to know her is that her nation comes first. She has mentioned to me on plenty of times where she stated that the distribution of vibranium was against her wishes. She has no fault in this." he stated as the council looked at her.

"Furthermore, and Challa and Auntie can account for this. Both his wife and step daughter is just weird as hell." he stated making Imani chuckle through her tears. That was just so outta line but also the perfect timing.

"Meaning?" one of the council elders asked looking at Ramonda and T'Challa.

"We did notice how resilient they were being about their step-daughter being the true queen of Kambaho instead of Princess Imani." T'Challa said as Erik scoffed.

"More than that. They were acting like I should be the one marrying Amarah instead, how she wasn't fit to be a queen, how her father shouldn't trust her." Erik continued.

"Princess Imani, is this true?" The elder asked her as she nodded.

"Yes. That's why I believe this was an act of retaliation. Those statements never came from our kingdom." she stated. The elders looked at each other before one said,

"Well then why are we questioning her. This does not seem like it's her fault."

"It doesn't matter who's fault it is." M'Baku said standing up. "Princess Imani, I am sure you'll make a fine queen. I admire your bravery but this does not fix what was said." he pointed at T'Challa. "We now have world leaders expecting T'Challa to hand over the vibranium and obviously we cannot do so." he stated as Imani closed her eyes sighing.

"We are working on-"

"Don't mean to cut you off but what can you truly do. You don't even have your title yet to be making decisions for the country yet, and it seems like King Z'Kiri has his heads in the clouds."

"M'Baku there is no reason for your to be standing up and towering her like that." Erik said stepping close as M'Baku clicked his tongue. She never saw Erik angry, but his eyes showed every emotion.

"Well she doesn't seem that afraid if she's here playing king." he stated making Imani roll her eyes.

"Then I will." T'Challa said shrugging his shoulders. "Like you stated, King Z'Kiri doesn't seem like he's in his right mind to making decisions, he's not here defending himself or apologizing on their behalf, but she is." T'Challa replied standing up. That's when the ideas in her head started going.

"Erik.. you should be there." she said out loud. "Your word over hers as the next ruler in line, and as King will have a lot more effect than hers considering she isn't royal blood. It will have even more of an effect because you are blood cousins with Challa and a child of Wakanda also." she stated looking at him.

"Then if that's the case you should be there too." Okoye said. "Your mother was also a child of Wakanda and you are the rightful ruler to the throne. That's three words against what? A step child? And it's the black panther and the golden jaguar making this statement." Okoye chuckled then sneakily winked at you. You looked at T'Challa.

"Then.. it is settled."

As everyone was dismissed, it was now only her and Erik in the room. She sat down on the steps as he sat next to her. "Ya know ya really did good. Not surprised but thought you should know." he told her looking at her.

"Thank you Erik. I also wanted to say I appreciate you standing up for me." she whispered the last part playing with her fingers. She then looked up at him. Out of all this time they've known each other, he has never seen her been shy or cry. More than showing that she was showing her vulnerability to him.

"It's just- I never had someone stand up for me. I'm always standing up for myself so this feeling is different." she whispered looking him in the eyes. He looked her in the eyes before smiling at her. The damn smile.

"I told you, I got you." he whispered back looking at her. He was most definitely going in for a kiss when her phone ring. Looking at it, she saw that it was Makiah.

"Oh would you look at that." she chuckled. "It was shown that the audio had traces of editing software." she smirked at him as he smacked his teeth.

"I told you." making her chuckle. "Well you're not in the light yet. You still need to put on a public statement about the situation." she said standing up as he looked up at her. "Now, I need to go confront dear father for not coming." she said. He could obviously see the anger in her face but lord did she look sexy while mad. She had her hand out for him to grab to help him up. He stood up, a tad bit close as she was faced with his chest, breathing in his cologne.

Damn he smelled good too..

"A bit close don't you think?" she whispered looking up at him.

"I don't see you moving." he snapped back at her, moving even closer closing any room the two had between them.

"Maybe I don't want to move."

"Maybe I want to be close to you." he said placing his hands on her the sides of her face softly as he traced her lips with his thumb. She bit her lip in anticipation. That was all he needed to make the first move.

He leaned in placing his lips on hers, with her gladly accepting his advances. She grabbed the bottom of his shirt bringing him even closer as the kiss became heavier. His arms dropped from her face as he kneeled down, still kissing, and wrapping his arms around her thighs and lifting her up into the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and a hand through his locs as he moaned into the kissed.

"Ahem." They heard someone clear their throat in the door way. There T'Challa

"Well, I owe Shuri and mom two hundred bucks."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I need everyone in the council room." Imani stated as she walked into the living quarters to see the three of them in there.

"For what?"

"We have some visitors."

"I hope you seen the conference set up in New York." Oshana claimed standing up as Imani nodded.

"I have." she said looking directly at her.

"It seems like the Americans love me." Amarah said with a smirk. She look down with a chuckle.

"Yes, congratulations." she stated as they looked at her weirdly. They were about to chastise her before she looked at her father.

"Prince N'Jadaka, King T'Challa and Queen Mother is here to discuss some exciting news with you guys." she stated looking at them as Oshana looked at my father with a smirk.

"See.. I told you they'll catch a long." she than looked back at Imani. "Don't get your head too full of ego and pride." she walked passed her as the two walked in front of Imani and her father excited about what the conversation may be. Her father looked at her, but she showed no emotion to him at all.

As they walked into the council room, they thought that they would be faced with greetings and hugs, but when they saw the three of them were three angry monarchs and some scary Dora Milaje. Their excited faces were then changed with confused and concerned looks.

"King T'Challa." the both bowed at his presence but her shook his head.

"Please.. take a seat." he pointed at the chairs as they all sat down in front of him. Imani took her seat next to Erik.

"So you may be wondering why we are calling this meeting with just the few of us." he told them leaning back in his chair.

"Well from Imani, you guys had some exciting news to tell us about the vibranium. We thought it was necessary-"

"Is that what you told them?" Ramonda asked with a little laugh as Imani shrugged.

"I had to tell a little white lie or they wouldn't have come." Imani confessed than turned to look at them. "That's not what they are here for." she finished off.

"I don't think you guys understand the magnitude of your actions of going to America and telling them we would be willing to trade vibranium." King T'Challa said, his voice was calm but his deamonr was nothing of it.

"You have not only put your own country in danger, but you have also put Wakanda in danger." Erik said looking at them. The realized how this conversation was going, they ended up going in defense mode.

"We apologize but we only did what we thought was best for both countries and-"

"No you didn't." Imani spoke up as they looked at her. Their face pleaded for her to remain quiet but she was long passed keeping her mouth shut. "Oshana I told you in my fathers office months ago why we shouldn't trade with them, yet you went behind our backs. Father, did I not?" she looked at her father as he looked between the two women.

"Imani did warn her, so did I." he admitted as Ramonda scoffed.

"For the love all ancestors." she sighed rubbing her forehead.

"Not only that, but King Z'Kiri the fact that your daughter had to come plead with us not to take action against this, and you as KING and her Father wasn't there to defend your country not only shows us how you think of her, but the kind of King you are." T'Challa told him as her father looked up.

"And I am forever grateful for that, but you have to understand, my wife and step-daughter knows no better." he stated. "That is why my heir goes to my only blood daughter, the daughter that has been trained since birth to do such." he admitted as Oshana scoffed.

"Excuse me!?"

"We are not here to fix any family issues that you guys may have. We are only here to talk about the mess that two of them have caused." Ramonda stated.

"T'Challa, Imani and I will be visiting the states tomorrow and holding our our conference in Oakland at the Outreach Mission there. We will disregard any of your statements made in New York, and let it be known that Wakanda has no intent on distributing any vibranium in the near future." Erik stated, Imani looked at her father.

"Father, as King, would you like me to also speak on your behalf and recant her statement?" Imani asked as her father sighed.

"I've told you before, I trust your judgement." he said with a whisper as Oshana scoffed.

"You just let that girl walk all over you." she shook her head.

"No, let me say this." Ramonda said as Oshana looked at her, scared for about what she has to say. "Any decision that Imani has made or have been making whether it has to do with your kingdom, or her marriage with N'Jadaka, or anything else for that matter is because she has been heavily influenced. Influenced by those who are wiser and older so when she makes a decision, damn well it is planned to a T." Ramonda stated.

"You doubt her, you're doubting those who are wiser and older."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

@youcanttouchthis1001 @softleosworld @bethy-baby @automaticdragonmugalien @mscarter213 @lynaye1993 @etherealluvrr @xsweetdellzx @ajenae @babbydollaaassignn @forevermoremagcon @babbydollaaassignn @ziayamikaelson @blmcd57110 @kaireads2020 @ts1mp0ne @luvvvjada @cozyashhh @ziirowe @blkmystery @princessmel-1995 @itsophiebby @thiswasnevermylifefromtony @trippyscotch @determinednot2fall @metra873 @ravynnn-12 @meeeeep5 @ts1mp0ne @jordyn-wkndafvr @nccu-rnc @christinabae @kanilive @tthatkidmimi @sourbabynaee @ejs398 @nanii2x @hippieonboard @reneinii @royaler1999

#Erik Killmonger #Erik Stevens #n'jadaka #Wakanda #Wakanda forever #black panter #gold jaguar

[tomorrowusa]

The Arizona Supreme Court, entirely appointed by Republicans, has banned almost all abortions in the state.

They made their decision based on a law passed in 1864 – one year after Arizona was organized as a territory and 48 years before it became the 48th state. 1864 was during the Civil War and Confederates had been trying to occupy the southern halves of what are now New Mexico and Arizona.

GOP anti-abortion fanatics are currently using their overturning of Roe v. Wade to resuscitate long dormant legislation like the 1864 Arizona territory law and the federal 1873 Comstock Act to destroy reproductive freedom wherever they can.

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday the state must adhere to a 160-year-old law barring all abortions except in cases when “it is necessary to save” a pregnant person’s life – a significant ruling that will make a Civil War-era abortion law enforceable in the state. The law can be traced to as early as 1864 – before Arizona became a state – and was codified in 1901. It carries a prison sentence of two to five years for abortion providers – and it puts Arizona among the states with the strictest abortion laws in the country, alongside Texas, Alabama and Mississippi, where bans exist with almost no exceptions. [ ... ] The 4-2 ruling stems from a case that was revived after the US Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in June 2022, ruling there was no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion. Arizona’s former attorney general then moved to make the state’s near-total abortion ban enforceable again, but was opposed by Planned Parenthood Arizona, sparking yearslong legal challenges that led to Tuesday’s ruling.

Fortunately Arizona has a relatively new Democratic governor who will fight the ruling.

Arizona’s Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs also blasted the ruling, telling residents in an online video statement “the fight for our reproductive freedoms is far from over.” “I’ve personally experienced the anguish of losing a pregnancy and I know it’s outrageous to have the government tell you that the best decision for your health or future could now be considered a crime,” Hobbs said. “I will not stop fighting until we have fully secured the right to reproductive healthcare in our state.”

President Biden, who has made Restore Roe part of his re-election campaign, has condemned the ruling.

And President Joe Biden said in a statement, "Millions of Arizonans will soon live under an even more extreme and dangerous  abortion ban, which fails to protect women even when their health is at risk or in tragic cases of rape or incest."

Arizona is a swing state. In addition to the presidential race, there is an open seat for US Senate and a couple of House districts which were very narrowly won by Republicans in 2022.

The Arizona Supreme Court ruling is another example of why we MUST pay more attention to state government. Start by learning exactly who represents you in your state legislature.

Find Your Legislators Look your legislators up by address or use your current location.

BONUS FOOTNOTE:

The 1864 Arizona law was made part of an 1865 codification of territorial laws known as the Howell Code; read it here. It's Chapter X Sec. 45 which concerns abortion – referring to it as procuring miscarriage. The Howell Code, cited in the Arizona Supreme Court decision, is hopelessly out of date. One startling example is the prohibition of interracial marriage in Chapter XXX Sec. 3...

Effectively, Republicans would like to return America to the mid 19th century – both legally and socially.

#abortion #arizona #arizona supreme court #republicans #the howell code #gop anti-abortion fanatics #dobbs v. jackson women's health organization #a woman's right to choose #reproductive freedom #roe v. wade #restore roe #katie hobbs #joe biden #election 2024 #vote blue no matter who

[crazybutgood]

Thinking of you! Hope you can stay up a little bit longer. Wrote something to help:

“Harry!” Draco snapped. Harry blearily opened his eyes.

“What?”

“The healers say you can’t go to sleep for another hour while the spell on your concussion finishes working.”

“Mmm,” agrees Harry tiredly, letting his eyes close again.

“No, no!” Draco sounds a bit panicked. Harry tries to sit up. He doesn’t like when Draco is scared. Draco shouldn’t have to be scared about anything - not anymore. They’d both been scared enough for lifetimes.

“Tell me a story,” Harry tried.

“So you can fall asleep in the middle of it? Not likely. You tell me a story.”

“Once upon a time…” Harry started, then laughed. Draco wasn’t Teddy and already knew all his Marauders stories. “I don’t know. I can’t think that clearly.”

Draco peered at Harry anxiously. “The healer said you might be a bit confused while the damage finished healing. But I can call her back…”

Harry reached up to that little wrinkle where Draco’s brown was furrowed. Maybe if he pressed there, Draco’s face would smooth out and the worry would go away. Draco caught his hand and held it for a minute. That felt nice. Nice enough for Harry to let his eyes start to shut again.

“Hey! No, sit up. Drink some water. For Slytherin’s sake, Harry! Stay awake or I’m calling Pansy and Ginevra to come badger you for the next hour!”

Harry obediently sipped his water. “What if we took a trip?”

“Took a trip? Tonight?” The worried look was back and Draco stood - to go get someone to poke at Harry’s brain again, Harry realized.

“Not tonight! Like, just in the future. I’ve never gotten to travel much. Where should we go?”

Draco’s shoulders inched down a bit as he turned and came back to sit near Harry’s bed. “Well, where would you want to go?”

“Is Paris nice?” Harry asked.

“It’s fine, but the tourist parts are extremely overrated. No, if you want to see an old European city we should go to Prague. See the astronomical clock, the old town square.”

Harry smiled tiredly as slid further down in the bed. He pushed himself up again, trying to stay awake for Draco, so Draco wouldn’t worry.

Draco saw him struggle with his pillow, and reached over to fluff it before Harry had even thought of it. He fussed with the blankets too for a moment, pulling them sweetly around Harry. Harry’s heart swelled at the affection, the little boy in the cupboard still hardly believing he was so loved.

“Where else? Where else should we go?”

“In Europe? Well, I’ve always wanted to see the Northern Lights in Norway.”

“That’d be cool,” Harry agreed. “What about America? Have you ever been there?”

“Mother took me to New York City the summer of fourth year. Right before the Quidditch Cup. I think she sensed that things were taking a turn for the worse and she wanted to have some nice memories together before that.” Draco was frowning again. Harry didn’t like it when Draco frowned.

“I want to see the Grand Canyon.”

Draco raised an eyebrow. “Great big hole in the ground somewhere in the west?”

Harry snorted. “I think it’s like…Utah maybe? Or New Mexico. That sounds right. I don’t know, all the states blend together when I’m not concussed. But yeah, it’s supposed to be really beautiful. We could rent a car and do several of their national parks. There’s the one with the big geyser too. That’s supposed to be cool. And the one with the alligators -“ Harry paused to yawn. “It would be cool to see an alligator.”

“If you can stay awake for another 30 minutes, I will take you to see all the alligators your heart desires. Tell me, what makes an alligator so intriguing to you.”

Harry chatted with Draco about alligators, then manatees, and then to moose until the healer came to check on him again. He hardly noticed, so excited to plan his trip with Draco, until Draco let out a huge yawn.

Finally declared well enough to sleep, they both fell into the fitful sleep of a hospital. But Harry knew that they’d keep planning tomorrow.

💜 sending love and the hope that you’ll be able to sleep soon! 💜

HELLO @kittycargo omg??? This is the bestest thing ever omg I can't believe you wrote a fic (and so quick!) based on me staying up akfjej 🥺 I *love* the setup you made for it omg and poor Harry jfjej I hope he's alright!! This is so sweet and omg the softness! Draco gently taking care of Harry and them talking about taking a trip together ❣️ they so deserve some time off for themselves,, 'the little boy in the cupboard still hardly believing he was so loved' MY HEART 😭😭😭 Harry is so cute going on a bleary tangent about all he wants to see, esp the alligators!!

I adore this so much, I've read this thrice now and I can't stop smiling 💕💕 I just finished the thing I'd stayed up for, and am pumped full of adrenaline but ready to sleep sometime soon too hopefully fjje and this was like the softest, sweetest surprise of a bedtime story!! Thank you thank you so much, this was so incredibly nice and thoughtful of you 🙏🏼💖💖 I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

#asked and answered #kittycargo #lovely people #pleasant surprise #thank you ❤️❤️ #comfort reading #fic #fic rec #drarry #fave #a sleepy bean #a gentle partner by his side #and all the softness!! #also i love the line about he's not teddy and he knows all his marauders stories hahah #just all the little details you wove in omg how #i love it sm

[femmemortes]

So a thing about me is that I’m an absolute nerd for stuff to do with nuclear disasters, science and history. It’s so amazing. Everything about it is. From the mere notion that chain reactions that create energy can just be made by placing radioactive isotopes near each other and the fact we can utilise that for our own benefit is so cool to me. It can deliver power to homes, towns and cities. It can provide power on a lesser scale too, but in much more remote areas in the form of RTGs. The possibilities are nearly endless and is best step we have for energy going into the future.

But if treated carelessly, it can destroy so much.

Talking to the Future

One of the things I learnt about while just going through videos and articles on anything to do with nuclear was a place called the W.I.P.P (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant) in the New Mexico desert. This place is a giant underground storage facility that will be used to store high level nuclear waste that is incredibly radioactive, will cause significant harm and lasts for a very long time. This means that the area that all this waste will be stored in will be dangerous if dug into, etc. This, for the most part is fine. We know today that we shouldn’t dig down and uncover the waste that is in there because we know what it is and how dangerous it is.

The problem is that this waste is planned to be stored for 10,000 years.

(Thanks, Plutonium-239 and your long ass half-life)

So then arises the problem of communicating with people of the future. Think about how much culture changes in 100, 200 years. Where were we as humans 10,000 years ago compared to now? Our languages now are nothing like the ones we had even 1,000 years ago. So how do we warn far future generations, other civilisations of the danger the WIPP holds without words or significant use of current language?

Simple symbols wouldn’t be enough because they face a similar issue. Meanings of symbols can changed, warped or entirely unrecognised. Who’s to say the the meaning of the trefoil sign, the symbol that warns against ionizing radiation, couldn't be lost so many years down the line?

We have to consider, what could this symbol possibly mean to someone who’s never even seen it before?

So a programme was put together to try and form a marking system for the WIPP that would be enough to last 10,000 years to effectively warn the future of the danger that the site held. There were are variety of ideas pitched and devised by different people and here are some of them:

General warning messages with images of horrified faces, comic-like depictions of people becoming contaminated by radiation and the consequences of digging at the site.

A written message giving a background and warning, I imagine this wouldn’t be very efficient at all the further we get into the future but it is still interesting to read. Here it is as follows:

“This place is a message...and part of a system of messages...pay attention to it!

Sending this message was impotant to us. We considered ourselves to be a powerful culture.

This place is not a place of honor...no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here...nothing valued is here.

What is here is dangerous and repulsive to us. This message is a warning about danger.

The danger is in a particular location...it increases toward a center...the center of danger is here...of a particular size and shape, and below us.

The danger is still present, in your time, as it was in ours.

The danger is to the body, and it can kill.

The form of the danger is an emanation of energy.

The danger is unleashed only if you substantially disturb this place physically. This place is best shunned and left uninhabited.”

Below I’m linking an artistic representation of the message I found on YouTube, which is also how I initially found out about the WIPP, it activated my fight or flight like crazy and was pretty unnerving:

Hostile and threatening looking infrastructure was also an idea that was raised to ward people away from the site, if anything, these are probably the images you've seen before whether or not you had prior knowledge of the WIPP:

“Spike Field” view 1 and 2:

“Spikes Bursting Through Grid” view 1 and 2:

“Landscape of Thorns”:

“Menacing Earthworks” view 1 and 2:

I believe this one in particular pertained to the idea of not having anything significant at the "centre" as humans throughout many cultures have placed a sense of holiness or importance on the centre of places, "the middle". This is a place that is meant to be shunned, so to have nothing of significance in the centre, the largest point of danger, would work to deter people from investigating as there is seemingly nothing there of interest:

“Forbidding Blocks” view 1 and 2:

There are more infrastructure ideas than these but I will link the WIPP info website, a website created to summarise the Sandia Report titled "Expert Judgement on Markers to Deter Inadvertent Human Intrusion into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant" written in 1993, and leave you to read about them if you so wish. All screenshots in this segment were also obtained from there also.

Some other more out-there ideas were also put forward, one being an "Atomic Priesthood." Which sounds metal as fuck. According to their website, The Atomic Priesthood Project : "The Atomic Priesthood was a proposed system of communicating the history, infrastructures, and science of nuclear waste materials on geologic timescales through the use of ritual, allegory, and superstition."

As insane as it sounds, I do believe this would be a good option the only problem is is that we can't be for certain whether this priesthood would last. After all, infrastructure would last a lot longer than humans.

Another proposal was to genetically modify cats so that they glowed whilst near radiation, create a legend that would be passed between generations which would then mean once people saw this actually happening they would know to get out immediately. I really like this one, I think it's silly.

I'm interested to see if these plans develop at all within my lifetime. I do personally believe that nuclear power is the next step and there are already ways we can reduce and even reuse a large amount of the waste but, thanks to public concerns and fears, these avenues aren't being invested into. That being said we do need a way to store this waste we have created and cannot recycle.

I feel like I should have something clever and poignant to say about this, but my brain is going flat, so I'll quote section 5.3 (c) of the 1993 Sandia Report:

"The very exercise of designing, building, and viewing the markers creates a powerful testimony addressed to today's society about the full environmental, social, and economic costs of using nuclear materials. We can never know if we indeed have successfully communicated with our descendants 400 generations removed, but we can, in any case, perhaps convey an important message to ourselves."

#thank you WIPP for stopping future generations from ending up like Gabriela from SAW X #sorry for such a long random ass post about nuclear stuff that absolutely nobody asked for #i just think the whole thing is incredibly interesting #and the art of the ideas is really something else #maybe ill make this a thing where i just make long ass posts about stuff I'm interested in #Youtube #WIPP #Waste Isolation Pilot Plant #Nuclear #nuclear science #nuclear waste #science #femmemortes things

[charleslebatman]

i am sending message for the first time so hii admin, how are you I am going to share my thoughts on alex fans lie they continuously use this is going to be very long message please bare with me and English is not my first language so sorry for any mistake

So alex fan come up with the tweet is fake allegations idk how they can is this possible bcs the first time we know about alex Twitter account is not from alex hate account but actually alex fan account they share the photo of alex from her Twitter profile and don't forget they are the same fan who share anything and find everything about alex when the photos were not even leaked.

2. There is alex fan who is every now and then share how they also see her profile when the tweet got viral and they find anti-racism tweet regarding Meghan markle so now the fan is lying bcs according to them the account was never there??

3. Alex talk to her fans she let the fan follow her account when they are leaking photos of her private account but block the fan that share the model photos and many of her fans share that they talk to her even the one get blocked by alex if you look at the conversation you can find how comfortable she is don't you think she should clear this thing with her fan that the account is fake and not hers when she share everything like how the things are gifted and all but she choose to block the fan that ask her about the tweet and remember the fan make new account so she block the old one that share model pics and block again when the admin of the page ask (they share screen recording)

4. And the weird thing is the hate page is not french so how the page like tweets regarding french retirement law ?? Like the only 2 tweets were liked and all in favour of law and you want me to believe that when many french fans is not talking about the retirement law they like this just to create hate🤯🤯 the hate page admin must know how to find what's going to happen in future

5. Many people talk about the tweet is not racist well I am going to say as poc when the first time I read the tweet is was racist for me when I don't even face racism so much in my country

I am going to point out something so (don't hate me it's just my opinion based on my experience) alex is neither Japanese, Chinese or Hindu nor she lives in Mexico(she live in France and near Monaco her whole life) who needs to preserve the culture (the above culture should be more open minded but even if they are conservative alex don't fall in any of this category ) she is mixed herself how a fixed person can say "they should not mix the culture" it's giving brown or black girl hating on their own race bcs they are relatively lighter skin tone and as alex live in france (sorry admin but many many people in France are racist) so she also have same thinking she even as mixed herself she think culture should not mixed😶😶 so idk how people can defend her so much after all the proof is given

“She is mixed herself how a fixed person can say "they should not mix the culture" it's giving brown or black girl hating on their own race bcs they are relatively lighter skin tone and as alex live in france (sorry admin but many many people in France are racist) so she also have same thinking she even as mixed herself she think culture should not mixed😶😶 so idk how people can defend her so much after all the proof is given.”

I’m not sure to understand correctly this.

So yes, in France, unfortunately, racism is on the rise… My support to those who’re going to come for the OG, you’re not ready… Of course, it's also important not to tar everyone with the same brush. I'm not going to get into all that, otherwise we won't have finished. I don't have the energy, right now, to say how much my country is problematic lately… 💀

But, I think that when she liked this, she did so from a "if there were no races then everything would be fine" perspective, except that she didn't look at the very racist account that had posted this... 💀 So yes, this like was racist, you want or not. It’s not only one setting who’s making the things they’re. It’s a package.

On the other hand, what makes me say that her values remain very problematic and false, are her very French likes and liked not at all from a parodic perspective. 💀 Anyway, I've explained it plenty of times.

But in the end, those who like this girl and defend her body and soul, shows how much they only want to see what suits them and prefer to stay in very superficial systems of thought. Instead of denouncing, it prefers to go and make us a post about why a wag is badly dressed or coiffed. 💀

In short, no one is black or white but the choices you make show what you decide to emblazon.

#alexandra saint mleux

[xochipapalol]

Okay, time for me to talk about smth relating to my last reblog.

Forceful displacement as a form of ethnic cleansing/genocide

So basically as my bio states, I am a Coastal Nahua from Mexico, but wanna know where that Coastal comes from?

Originally my people were actually closer to the mountains and rivers of Michoacan, surrounding places like Patzcuaro and Tzintzuntzan. Until we were forcibly displaced by Mexicans, not conquistadors, Mexicans. (And also European immigrants)

We were forced to move from the rivers, highlands, and mountains which were our main dwellings. Many of us moved to the coast for our own safety, many of us were forced to assimilate because of the violence from Mexicans and other settlers. While being on the Coast of Michoacan was part of our historical movements, the Highlands, Mountains, and Rivers were our homes.

Our land, once we fled or were forced to leave, was then claimed by Mexicans, and other Settlers. Many of us left were forced onto ranches near those settlements, these ranches were often in bad spots where we would be forced to assimilate if we wanted to survive.

This happened in the 1800’s and continued into the 1900’s.

We were forced from out from our homelands, displaced into an area where we had to start basically all over again. And in that, many of us continue to live in poverty, and lack access to certain resources.

We did not move willingly, we did not willingly give our lands away, our lands were not peacefully taken from us.

Because of this, many of us have and continue to suffer. That is the intention, the intention is to kill us, our culture, our language, our history, and our future.

This is very similar to what israeli settlers have been doing to Palestinians, forcing them off their lands, so that they can take them and claim them as their own. Trying to erase them. Displacement is a tool of genocide.

#indigenas #indigenous #not mexican #indigenous. not mexican #nahua #coastal nahua #mexican #mexico #palestine

[rockislandadultreads]

Native American Heritage Month: More Fiction Recommendations

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month by checking out one of these fiction recommendations from your local library! 

There There by Tommy Orange 

As we learn the reasons that each person is attending the Big Oakland Powwow - some generous, some fearful, some joyful, some violent - momentum builds toward a shocking yet inevitable conclusion that changes everything. Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame. Dene Oxendene is pulling his life back together after his uncle’s death and has come to work at the powwow to honor his uncle’s memory. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil, who has taught himself traditional Indian dance through YouTube videos and will perform in public for the very first time. There will be glorious communion, and a spectacle of sacred tradition and pageantry. And there will be sacrifice, and heroism, and loss.

Even As We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle

Nineteen-year-old Cowney Sequoyah yearns to escape his hometown of Cherokee, North Carolina, in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. When a summer job at Asheville's luxurious Grove Park Inn and Resort brings him one step closer to escaping the hills that both cradle and suffocate him, he sees it as an opportunity. The experience introduces him to the beautiful and enigmatic Essie Stamper - a young Cherokee woman who is also working at the inn and dreaming of a better life.

With World War II raging in Europe, the resort is the temporary home of Axis diplomats and their families, who are being held as prisoners of war. A secret room becomes a place where Cowney and Essie can escape the white world of the inn and imagine their futures free of the shadows of their families' pasts. Outside of this refuge, however, racism and prejudice are never far behind, and when the daughter of one of the residents goes missing, Cowney finds himself accused of abduction and murder.

Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah

Oscar Hokeah's electric debut takes us into the life of Ever Geimausaddle, whose family - part Mexican, part Native American - is determined to hold onto their community despite obstacles everywhere they turn. Ever's father is injured at the hands of corrupt police on the border when he goes to visit family in Mexico, while his mother struggles both to keep her job and care for her husband. And young Ever is lost and angry at all that he doesn't understand, at this world that seems to undermine his sense of safety.

Ever's relatives all have ideas about who he is and who he should be. His Cherokee grandmother, knowing the importance of proximity, urges the family to move across Oklahoma to be near her, while his grandfather, watching their traditions slip away, tries to reunite Ever with his heritage through traditional gourd dances. Through it all, every relative wants the same: to remind Ever of the rich and supportive communities that surround him, there to hold him tight, and for Ever to learn to take the strength given to him to save not only himself but also the next generation. But how will he visualize a place for himself when the world hasn't made room for him to start with?

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

Thomas Wazhashk is the night watchman at the jewel bearing plant, the first factory located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new "emancipation" bill on its way to the floor of the United States Congress. It is 1953 and he and the other council members know the bill isn't about freedom; Congress is fed up with Indians. The bill is a "termination" that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity.

Since graduating high school, Pixie Paranteau has insisted that everyone call her Patrice. Unlike most of the girls on the reservation, Patrice, the class valedictorian, has no desire to wear herself down with a husband and kids. She makes jewel bearings at the plant, a job that barely pays her enough to support her mother and brother. But Patrice also needs every penny to follow her beloved older sister, Vera, who moved to the big city of Minneapolis and may have disappeared. Determined to find Vera and her child, Patrice makes a fateful trip to Minnesota that introduces her to unexpected forms of exploitation and violence, and endangers her life.

Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

Virgil Wounded Horse is the local enforcer on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. When justice is denied by the American legal system or the tribal council, Virgil is hired to deliver his own punishment, the kind that's hard to forget. But when heroin makes its way into the reservation and finds Virgil's nephew, his vigilantism suddenly becomes personal. He enlists the help of his ex-girlfriend and sets out to learn where the drugs are coming from, and how to make them stop.

They follow a lead to Denver and find that drug cartels are rapidly expanding and forming new and terrifying alliances. And back on the reservation, a new tribal council initiative raises uncomfortable questions about money and power. As Virgil starts to link the pieces together, he must face his own demons and reclaim his Native identity. He realizes that being a Native American in the twenty-first century comes at an incredible cost.

#Native American Heritage Month #Native American Authors #fiction #book recs #book recommendations #reading recs #reading recommendations #library books #TBR pile #tbr #to read #booklr #book tumblr

[my-mt-heart]

What Caryl Fans Want to Watch

I wish the official TWD accounts would engage with us this way instead of posting closeups of female characters' chests, but I can still work with a smaller fan poll. Thank you @lighteneverything for humoring me! <3

At first I figured most people would choose season 2 or season 3 for the nostalgia and strong romantic undertones. The Mazzara era includes the unforgettable Cherokee rose scene which allowed Daryl's and Carol's relationship to take root, the sexually-charged bus scene where Carol boldly flirts with Daryl, the "nine lives" scene that people still love to quote, and so many other beautiful moments highlighting their potential for a full blown romance. I think Mazzara would agree they could've turned the dial up even more during his tenure, though many of us still find plenty of joy in what is there onscreen.

Season 5 contains what is undoubtedly the most iconic scene between Caryl where Daryl runs into Carol's arms, showing her more affection than he's probably shown anyone in his entire life after she single-handedly saves the whole group from Terminus. Gimple also gets credit for Consumed, the only Caryl bottle episode that exists, which is still a favorite among many. What I think the Gimple era lacks however, is any clear sign of intent to move Daryl's and Carol's relationship forward.

Season 10 isn't just a collection of scenes or stand alone episodes we can look back on fondly. Kang gave them an entire arc that while angsty, saw them working together not just in combat, but on a deep emotional level that was chock full of the romantic undertones we were starting to miss after seasons of minimal interactions. To the characters, New Mexico represented a shared desire to be free from all their trauma and seek adventure together. To us, especially after the original Caryl spinoff was announced, New Mexico was TWD's promise that Daryl's and Carol's arc would really lead to the ultimate gratification.

This is not a comparative analysis of TWD's showrunners by any means, but should we be fortunate enough to get a Caryl show in the near(ish) future, I think AMC would do well to raise the bar that Kang set in season 10 before shenanigans completely torpedoed the final stretch of Caryl's story. Let them have a meaningful arc together. Let their relationship continue to grow, and by that I mean pick up where their "I love you's" left off and let them explore their romance in explicit ways. Show some commitment, and deliver on your promises. The sooner the better.

#caryl #caryl spinoff #daryl and carol #darylneedscarol

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

Sea, I hate larries so much, they are a scourge on society and fetishize the queer community all so they can be right, and now I feel like I am sounding like one because I finally saw the video of Louis with the pretty woman who made him laugh in the bar in Sydney (I struggled to watch ut because I worry about these kinds of videos invading Louis’ privacy), and I noticed this dark-haired woman kind of blocking them in the video field ducking down out of the frame so oddly when the video was zooming in on Louis and the pretty woman. I feel crazy for noticing that, it could just be a coincidence and that’s just how the woman moves but I don’t know, it felt like a weird coincidence then. Did you see it? Could Louis have set up the date to be seen, like he did with Sofie last year? It might be best to just answer if you want to answer in tags, I don’t want to upset other Louies or remind them of larries and their constant theories and conspiracies

Hi,

I don’t think we need tags. To be honest, I think Sofie was to put to rest any speculation that Louis was single, and maybe to promote FITF tour. Right now Louis has nothing to promote. He’s single. He’s on vacation. He’s seen taking candids with fans and friends. He’s eating in bars and restaurants like a normal person. Louis did the same thing in Mexico last year— took photos with strangers etc.

The only thing I’m thinking is that AFHF 2024 might be near Sydney later this year. Remember when Louis posted a photo of Tecate beer to his Instagram story last year? Maybe that was a hint to the festival this year, maybe it was a coincidence. He went to Mexico quite a few times to scout out venues and interest in 2021-23.

He also said something like I hope to see you not too long in the future at the Sydney concert, didn’t he? The advantage of having AFHF there is that Louis has a built-in large fanbase (unlike the USA). Smallzy and Live Nation will support it. There are crossover 5SOS and DMAs fans… and can you imagine the excitement if Louis asked 5SOS or DMAs to play? Australia is also accessible for some Asian fans, if Louis announces early enough. They might get a nice festival for the price of a FITF concert.

[askdrzinasia]

Hangin' out with my buddy on a sunny day

Come on, we all have a that friend that really is half dragon and a bit scary, but still nice to hang out with on a hot day.

This couple really did not much out of the day. The Turtle kept his toes in the water, and as I was walking by several times, the large Water Monitor only changed the position of his snout. Something smelly, but not interesting enough to do something else.

Opportunistic and wide spread

The Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator) is a large varanid lizard native to Southeast and South Asia. It is common from the coastal eastern India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Mainland SEA, southern China and Indonesia.

The monitors is highly opportunistic when choosing habitats, and it is semiaquatic. Meaning they are able to live near or in human habitats were there easy access to large water sources. Like Bangkok in Thailand, were I have seen several of theses varanids near the many rivers and channels in that city. Not very large ones, but maybe just under a meter length including their tails.

Moving and smelling the air, crossing the giraffe compound in Dusit Zoo. This one appx 80 cm long.

These animals reach breeding maturity when they are about 40 cm long and a weight of 1 kilo for males, and 50 cm for females. They normally grows up to 2 meter, but there are one specimen in Sri Lanka which reached 3,21 meter. The weight is a moderate appx 20 kg. But the max weight is over 50 kilo.

Their size and weight is second only to the Komodo Dragon lizards.

They are top-level predators, only natural enemies are crocodiles and humans. They eat a huge variation of food, from fish and rodents to human garbage and domesticated cats and dogs. They are not considered a direct danger for humans, but they may bite if cornered. Varanid bites are filled with oral bacterias that can lead to serious infections. And some of the variants may have venom glands.

Edible and skinned

It is an edible animal, hunted and served as a delicious source of protein in several South East Asian cuisines and in India. Globally, their skins are traded in millions for different type of leatherware products. It is not considered threaten. But habitats are threaten by loss and fragmentation.

No idea of a possible future as shoes and handbags.

The Red eared slider Terrapin turtle are not native to South East Asia at all, it origins in North America in Southeast around Mississippi and Gulf of Mexico. It is consider one of the worst invasive species in the world, being spread as a pet release or escapees. They are spread all over the Eurasian continent, from Scotland and Russia to South east Asia, the Pacific and Zealandia.

#bangkokzoo #lostplaces #thaifood #turtle #asiancuisine #2014 #Asian #water #monitor #varanus #salvator #2014CE #bangkok #thailand #lastchancetosee #dusit #zoo #dusitzoo #animalphotography #citylife #citywalk #art #market #buddhism #bluesky

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

The messy death of a star Around 2500 years ago, a star ejected most of its gas, forming the beautiful Southern Ring Nebula, NGC 3132, chosen as one of the first five image packages from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). A team of nearly 70 astronomers from 66 organisations across Europe, North, South and Central America, and Asia have used the JWST images to piece together the messy death of this star. “It was nearly three times the size of our Sun, but much younger, about 500 million years old. It created shrouds of gas that have expanded out from the ejection site, and left a remnant dense white dwarf star, with about half the mass of the Sun, but approximately the size of the Earth,” says Professor Orsola De Marco, lead author on the paper, from Macquarie University’s Research Centre for Astronomy, Astrophysics and Astrophotonics. “We were surprised to find evidence of two or three companion stars that probably hastened its death as well as one more ‘innocent bystander’ star that got caught up in the interaction,” she says. The study was based on the JWST images supplemented by data from the ESO Very Large Telescope in Chile, the San Pedro de Mártir Telescope in Mexico, the Gaia Space Telescope, and the Hubble Space Telescope. It paves the way for future JWST observations of nebulae, providing insight into fundamental astrophysical processes including colliding winds, and binary star interactions, with implications for supernovae and gravitational wave systems. The paper is published today in Nature Astronomy https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-022-01845-2 “When we first saw the images, we knew we had to do something, we must investigate! The community came together and from this one image of a randomly chosen nebula we were able to discern much more precise structures than ever before. The promise of the James Webb Space Telescope is incredible,” says De Marco, who is also president of the International Astronomical Union Commission on Planetary Nebulae. Astronomers gathered online and developed theories and models around the mid-infrared image to reconstruct just how the star had died. Shining at the centre of the nebula is an ultra-hot central star, a white dwarf that has burned up its hydrogen. “This star is now small and hot, but is surrounded by cool dust,” said Joel Kastner, another team member, from the Rochester Institute of Technology USA. “We think all that gas and dust we see thrown all over the place must have come from that one star, but it was tossed in very specific directions by the companion stars.” There are also a series of spiral structures moving out from the centre. These concentric arches would be created when a companion orbits the central star while it is losing mass. Another companion is further out and is also visible in the picture. Looking at a three-dimensional reconstruction of the data, the team also saw pairs of protuberances that may occur when astronomical objects eject matter in jet form. These are irregular and shoot out in different directions, possibly implying a triple star interaction at the centre. De Marco says: “We first inferred the presence of a close companion because of the dusty disk around the central star, the further partner that created the arches and the super far companion that you can see in the image. Once we saw the jets, we knew there had to be another star or even two involved at the centre, so we believe there are one or two very close companions, an additional one at middle distance and one very far away. If this is the case, there are four or even five objects involved in this messy death.” IMAGE....Southern Ring Nebula (NIRCam and MIRI images side by side). NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope offers dramatically different views of the Southern Ring Nebula. Each image combines near- and mid-infrared light from three filters. At left, Webb’s image of the Southern Ring Nebula highlights the very hot gas that surrounds the two central stars. At right, Webb’s image traces the star’s scattered molecular outflows that have reached farther into the cosmos. In the image at left, blue and green were assigned to Webb’s near-infrared data taken in 1.87 and 4.05 microns (F187N and F405N), and red was assigned to Webb’s mid-infrared data taken in 18 microns (F1800W). In the image at right, blue and green were assigned to Webb’s near-infrared data taken in 2.12 and 4.7 microns (F212N and F470N), and red was assigned to Webb’s mid-infrared data taken in 7.7 microns (F770W). CREDIT NASA, ESA, CSA, and O. De Marco (Macquarie University). Image processing: J. DePasquale (STScI)

#space #science #Astronomy #physics #news #stellar evolution

[laconservancy]

Time, Taste, and Tradition: Preserving L.A.’s Legacy Businesses 

Congratulations to the selected recipients of the L.A. Conservancy’s Legacy Business Grant! The five legacy businesses of the first round of our $5,000 grants have been selected and we’re thrilled to introduce them to you: 

88 Gifts Shop (1987) in L.A.’s Chinatown 

Candelas Guitars (1947) in Boyle Heights 

El Aguila Bakery (1973) in El Sereno  

Gardena Cinema (1976) in the City of Gardena 

SIKA (established in 1992) in Leimert Park 

From an essential neighborhood shop selling everything from houseware items to plants to a rare, affordable single-screen movie theatre, these locally-owned businesses boast a combined age of more than 200 years in operation in their neighborhoods and communities. They also represent the essence of L.A.’s legacy businesses: long-standing neighborhood anchors where people connect, memories are made, and a sense of community is nourished. 

We hope that their stories demonstrate the value of longtime businesses and that you hurry out to patronize their business in the very near future! 

ABOUT THE WINNERS 

88 Gifts Shop 

Photos courtesy 88 Gifts Shop

311 Ord Street Los Angeles, CA 90031  

 For over 30 years, the original location of 88 Gifts Shop (88 Gifts) was at 711 North Broadway in BC Plaza. In 2020, owner Annie Ma was forced to relocate her business to its present location. 

Ma’s shop sells housewares, plants, and a variety of Lunar New Year gifts to neighborhood residents and tourists. Perhaps most notably, 88 Gifts sells Chinese-language newspapers to Chinatown’s elders, allowing them to remain in touch with news events both here and abroad 

Still feeling the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, this grant will make it possible to pay for rent increases and avoid another relocation.  

CANDELAS GUITARS 

Photos courtesy Candelas Guitars 

2724 E Cesar Chavez Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033 

Brothers Porfirio and Candelario Delgado-Flores moved from Mexico to Los Angeles in 1947 and brought with them a burgeoning music business that specialized in custom guitar marking. The store’s clientele includes famous artists like José Feliciano but it’s also a source of community pride, giving back to Boyle Heights in many ways including the creation of a 501c(3) nonprofit that provides free music lessons to local youth. 

After closing for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Candelas was thankfully able to re-open but is still facing the residual effects of the shutdown. The grant will go towards payroll for the business and operating expenses. 

El Aguila Bakery 

Photos courtesy El Aguila Bakery 

5028 Huntington Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90032  

El Aguila Bakery was established by Apolinar Casillas in 1973 and has been a beloved fixture in L.A.’s El Sereno community ever since. With a loyal, multi-generational clientele, El Aguila prides itself on its authentic Mexican sweet breads, cakes, tamales, and so much more! The bakery also supports the community by giving back to local institutions such as the city, schools, and places of worship.  

But the bakery’s authentic flavors come at a cost. When ingredient prices rose more than 200%, the bakery had to increase its prices, causing sales to slump. This grant will allow them to cover increased costs and make payments to necessary vendors. 

GARDENA CINEMA 

Photos courtesy Gardena Cinema 

14948 Crenshaw Boulevard, Gardena, CA 90249 

Gardena Cinema is a single-screen movie cinema built in 1946 and operated by the Kim family since 1976. It’s the only such theatre located Gardena and has provided affordable entertainment options for more than four generations. It's a place where families can enjoy a film together and have meaningful experiences: in addition to their unique film slate, Gardena Cinema also hosts cinema potlucks, popcorn happy hours, and more. 

A combination of the pandemic and personal health challenges forced the cinema to be closed for 32 months. The grant will provide them with a much-needed cash infusion toward daily operating expenses. 

SIKA 

Photos courtesy SIKA  

4330 Degnan Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90008 

Sika, an institution of Leimert Park Village, has been specializing in custom jewelry, African art, clothing, and other goods for 30 years.  Sika, the store’s owner, weathered a downturn in the economy in the 2000s when many businesses left the Village. His resilience has commanded the love and respect of the Leimert Park community and, today, despite concerns about gentrification and displacement Sika remains at the heart of the neighborhood as a cultural gathering place. 

This grant will be used toward business marketing and community jewelry-making workshops.  

ABOUT THE GRANT PROGRAM 

When we first announced the grant program in November of 2022, it was the culmination of more than two years of advocacy, dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of legacy businesses throughout Los Angeles County. 

Longtime businesses add to our rich history and culture. These community anchors have long been one of the focal points of the Conservancy’s work, from responding to threats of demolition to providing technical assistance. We saved the original McDonald’s from demolition in the ‘90s, brought funding for the rehabilitation of the Formosa Cafe’s Pacific Electric Red Car, and rallied to designate Norms on La Cienega, Tom Bergin’s on Fairfax, and Otomisan Japanese Restaurant in Boyle Heights as Historic-Cultural Monuments (HCM). In late 2019, we proudly launched a Legacy Business initiative to raise awareness about and support for these important places in L.A. County. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we understood the immediate threat and unthinkable challenges facing longtime business owners. Thanks to Wells Fargo, we’ve been able to expand our legacy business initiative to include a grant program. This grant provides $5,000 to ten (10) eligible small businesses that have operated and contributed to their community’s history and/or identity for at least 20 years and have less than 25 full-time employees. 

So far, the response has been overwhelming. Nearly 400 owners applied for the first round of grants, making the task of choosing just five winners almost seem impossible. Please join our Legacy Business Network and follow us on social media to learn more about our winners and to stay up-to-date on Round 2 of the L.A. Conservancy’s Legacy Business Grant Program! 

Visit laconservancy.org/grant to learn more. 

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