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peterpparkrr · 2 years

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Pinned (pt. 5)

Series: Pinned

Pairing: Anthony Bridgerton x f!reader

Summary: A walk home and an intersession.

Word count: 1.2k

Warnings: n/a

A/N: sorry for the delay! Covid #shreked me so this one’s a short one.

prev. part // next part

“Lord Bridgerton,” A clear voice greets him as he pushes through the door of Mr. Raugland’s tailor shop.

Anthony didn’t think he would ever tire of how you say his name. The bite had disappeared from your words in the last few weeks, but the teasing tone remained, and he loves it.

He still can’t quite put his finger on what it is that draws him to you. Why you are the woman that has completely ensnared his attention.

But he feels like he can’t get enough of you.

“To what do I owe this poorly timed pleasure?” You ask as you give him a knowing look. You want to admonish him, he can see it in your eyes. But, surprisingly, you hold your tongue, causing Anthony to break out into a wide grin, knowing he’s won.

You loathe to admit it. But you like Anthony Bridgerton. You like the attention he gives you. And the way he looks at you, like he wants to know you. To truly know every part of you, not just to undress you and have his way with you.

Though sometimes you feel his gaze heat as he looks at you and you know that there is that too.

And even when he bothers you at the worst times, you can’t stay mad at him. Not when he smiles at you the way he does.

“I believe this is actually the perfect time to bother you, because you’re done at five today, which means you can help me find a new cravat,” Anthony explains as if it is obvious. “And then I can escort you home,” He adds as he lowers his voice to a near-whisper.

“You always have ulterior motives, Lord Bridgerton,” You reply as you cross your arms over your chest.

“No, I just need excuses to see you,” He tells you. “And your indifference wounds me, if I were a lesser man…” He trails off.

“A lesser man would have given up by now,” You remind him.

“Which is exactly why I get to reap the spoils of my hard work,” He tells you. “Your company,” He adds when your eyebrows raise at his response.

“My company? Is that what it is?” You reply as you try not to smirk too broadly at him.

“Of course,” Anthony replies quickly as he clasps his hands behind his back.

“Of course.”

After helping Anthony pick out a cravat that would match his waistcoats he makes his purchase and is off with a heated look. After you help another customer you leave the shop in one of your coworker’s capable hands.

You gathered your belongings from the back and left out the back door. You find Anthony already waiting for you in the alley.

“Shall we?” He asks.

You roll your eyes but nod as you both make your way, taking the long way, winding through London’s side streets as you two head back to your flat, talking of everything and nothing as you navigate the busy streets.

You’re nearly to your flat when Anthony suddenly reaches out and grabs your wrist, pulling you into an alleyway between buildings.

You gasp at the sudden movement, trying to right yourself as you press your hands into Anthony’s chest in an effort to keep yourself upright.

Anthony grins down at you as one of his hands finds its way to your neck, gently cradling your head.

“You can’t do that here!” You chastise him in a low hiss as your own hand moves to grab at his wrist and stop his movements.

“Who’s going to see?” Anthony challenges.

“All of my neighbors for one,” You argue as you give him a stern look.

He merely raises an eyebrow at you.

“Sorry, for us lowly peasants there is no entertainment except for our neighbors' comings and goings, I’m sure you would not understand, since you are such a high and mighty Lord of the realm-”

“That’s enough of that-” Anthony cuts you off as he grabs onto your forearm and pulls you back towards him.

And you know you shouldn’t. But you let him.

He kisses you soundly. You’d assumed, perhaps naively, that after your first kiss, Anthony’s urgency would dissipate. But the man kisses like a man dying of thirst. His lips attack your own like he fears you may disappear any moment.

And you feel like you just might.

He groans lowly as he presses ever harder against you. The space between you is long gone, but you still feel like it’s not enough. You want him inside of you. In a way that you can’t even fully describe. Not in the way that you know he wants, as you can feel the instance of his need low and heavy against your lower stomach, which sets something else alight deep within you.

But then suddenly you remember you are just steps away from a busy street, fully in view, and fully in public, practically in broad daylight.

You gasp as you pull away from him.

“We must stop,” You tell him breathlessly.

“Must we?” Anthony asks lowly as his mouth still rests just beside your cheek.

You are a very dangerous man, Anthony Bridgerton,”

Anthony growls in your ear as he finally pulls himself away from you and stares deeply into your eyes.

You’re mesmerized by his blown-out irises, the desire evident all across his face.

“Perhaps…” He starts to offer as he stares down at you intently.

“My brother will be home any minute, we...I can’t,” You tell him quickly.

You see something flash across Anthony’s face that you can’t quite discern. You just silently pray that it isn’t a look of disappointment.

“No, of course, of course, we can’t,” He agrees quickly.

“I…I should go,” You tell him.

Anthony nods.

You offer him a small smile before you hop up onto your toes to press a brief kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you for escorting me, Lord Bridgerton.”

A few days later, you’re just about ready to fall over when you finally push through the door of your flat. You almost don’t even notice John sitting at the table as you dump your things on the chair by the door.

“Oh, John!” You greet him as you pull off your cloak and hang it on its hook. “How was your day?”

“Someone saw you,” John tells you as he stares at you, his face stern. “With your fancy little Lord.”

“Who?” You ask sharply as your head whips around to stare at him. You feel your stomach drop. “For the last time, Mrs. Haymow doesn’t know what she’s talking about-”

“-You need to stop this. Whatever you have with that man, you need to put an end to it. Before this destroys everything you’ve built for yourself.”

“If this were to get out? Properly, I mean, it would ruin us,” He tells you. “Everything we’ve built for ourselves would be gone.”

Him. It would ruin him. That is what John really means. His political aspirations would go down the drain if something like this were to get out.

But you know he’s right. He’d been the one who’d pulled the two of you out of destitution. You’d saved yourselves from the workhouse thanks to John’s entrepreneurial spirit. Thanks to his hard work. He’d been the one to save you both when you’d still been a child.

You know you owe him your life.

“You’re right,” You say after a long moment, when you finally glance back up at him. “I’ll end it.”

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alj4890 · 8 months

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Can't Take My Eyes Off of You

(Maxwell Beaumont x Olivia Nevrakis) in a Choices The Royal Romance Crackship AU

Masterlist

A/N I know it's been a while, but I think I can say I'm back 🤞Covid and flu went through my whole family these last couple of weeks and I'm behind on everything, including having fun on Tumblr. I'm starting to catch up on writing, reading, and answering asks. For the time being though, here's something I'd finished right before all the sickness struck. I was finally able to edit it this morning, so here we go with some more angsty romance with Max and Liv.

Chapter 4

Cordonia's Royal Port...

Olivia was seething.

There were a great many things in this world that could make her angry. One that was high on her list was what she deemed: traitor. It just so happened that she was debating on whether or not to assign that particular moniker to one of the men she'd known for most of her life.

Is he betraying me by being all buddy/buddy with Riley? He's pushing so hard for her to win Liam's attention. Shouldn't he be rooting instead for me, his so-called friend?

Her narrowed eyes were riveted upon the joyful trio. It was ridiculous how happy Drake, Riley, and Maxwell were for having won the annual regatta. Olivia felt her temper spike to see her competition engulfing both men in tight hugs before jumping down to the dock to greet Liam and Constantine.

The fact that the three most incompetent people she'd ever known had beaten her soon to be fired crew was absolutely insane.

"Your grace?" One of her crewmen cleared his throat. "Please accept our apologies for--"

"Get everything ready for the party." She snapped. "Guests will be arriving soon. I expect no further failures."

"Yes m'lady." He bowed then scurried away.

Olivia refocused on the various nobles coming towards her yacht. There was only one person she wanted to see from her peer group. She wasn't certain why she wanted to see Maxwell as badly as she did. She chalked it up to her need to set him straight on a number of matters.

Then again, curiosity over their kiss could be another big reason.

She greeted her guests on her way down to the dock, making certain on timing it to where she could run into Maxwell without it appearing planned.

Luckily, he wasn't looking where he was going. His attention was directed upon his phone while a slight frown formed on lips she knew a little too well.

Maxwell bumped into her, nearly sending them both into the water.

"Whoa!" He grasped her waist to help keep her upright. "Sorry."

Olivia's frown deepened over the flush creeping up her neck from their bodies being pressed up against one another for such a brief moment.

Stepping back, she straightened her sweater and waited on him to say something more.

His eyes lingered upon her cold, dispassionate face. Maxwell felt his heart sink at not seeing anything like he'd hoped to after sharing a kiss that had been beyond anything his imagination could conjure.

"Excuse me." He mumbled, stepping around her.

Olivia blinked at that being all he was going to say to her. After that kiss from a few nights earlier, she expected him to say something about why he'd done it.

"Where are you going?" She snapped.

Her waspish tone caused him to freeze.

"Bertrand needs to talk to me." He told her.

"Now?" She asked.

"Yeah." Maxwell sighed. "His, um, his patience is really wearing thin."

He glanced towards her yacht and the nobles already mingling on it. Of all the times his brother demanded his presence for another lecture, it had to be when the woman he was head over heels for threw a party.

Not that she would want me there.

"Aren't you coming to my little get together?" She asked.

His eyes searched hers. Hope flared within him.

Maybe I didn't screw up my chances with her, he thought. If she wants me at her party then my kiss didn't completely gross her out.

"I wish I could." Maxwell ran a hand down his face. "Bertrand is demanding I come find him."

"Are you going to the beach later?" Olivia wanted to slap herself for sounding like she couldn't wait to see him again.

"Yeah," Maxwell replied, "I think so."

His phone buzzed with another irritated text from his brother.

"I'll see you later." He mumbled.

"Hey." Riley greeted, stopping beside Olivia. "Liam said you're hosting the Ladies of the Court."

Olivia watched him walk away. Her brow furrowed in thought over his behavior and her own holding back in telling him off. She wasn't quite certain what game Maxwell was playing with her, but she knew she needed to stop it before it went any further.

Is it a game he's playing with me? Is that why he kissed me? Or am I giving Maxwell too much credit?

"I am." Olivia turned back towards the gangplank, motioning for Riley to follow. "Welcome aboard."

"Thanks." Riley relaxed some once she saw Olivia wasn't her usual temperamental self.

"Of course." Olivia's overly bright smile made Riley pause. "Please, make yourself at home and do not hesitate to ask for whatever you need."

Riley's eyes widened when Olivia called out for a servant to bring her a bright orange life jacket.

"Here." Olivia's smug smile formed. "We can't take a chance on possibly losing you during our excursion."

"Is everyone getting one?" Riley asked.

"No. They aren't as fragile as our newest member of the Court." Olivia replied.

Riley's own smile held a hint of evil. She took the life jacket in her hands and managed to sound like she was overcome with emotion.

Olivia struggled in her embrace.

"Olivia! Aren't you the most precious person to be so concerned about me?" Riley pulled her into a tight hug. "It is so sweet how much you want to keep me around."

Her delighted out urst drew the nobles' attention. Many were chuckling and whispering while watching the two ladies before turning back to the brunch that was being set out.

"There's no need for this." Riley whispered. "This competition doesn't mean we have to keep being mean to each other."

Olivia pushed out of her arms. "You're a bigger fool than I thought. This is a competition. None of us can be anything other than opponents as we fight to win Liam."

"There is no fight." Riley tossed the life preserver into a nearby lounge chair. "Liam is a man who will choose the woman he wants to ultimately spend the rest of his life with. I don't care what Madeleine says about it being to find the perfect queen. In the end, he has to live with whomever he picks."

She gestured around at the crowd. "Those of us who aren't picked will need to continue on in life. Wouldn't it be better to do so as friends?"

Olivia scoffed at that notion.

Riley really is naive.

"Believe that if you want," Olivia muttered, "but in the end, you'll hate the one Liam picks over you."

"Why?" Riley folded her arms. "If I truly care about Liam, then shouldn't I want to see him get the person he wants most?"

Olivia hesitated. Of course, she knew that's how one should feel. Yet, could she take Liam picking one of the other ladies over herself?

"Anyway," Riley continued, "I think we'll all end up with the person we're meant for."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "That sounds stupidly optimistic."

Riley shrugged. "I'm a hopeless romantic. It's why I agreed to Maxwell's invitation to be House Beaumont's suitor."

She then nudged Olivia.

"You know, there are a lot of handsome guys here."

"Excuse me?" Olivia sputtered.

"I'm just saying, the ladies Liam doesn't pick have a pretty decent selection to nurse their broken hearts." Riley smiled at her. "I bet there's at least one who's not the prince who has caught your eye."

Olivia paled at the thought of Maxwell telling Riley about the kiss.

"He has not caught my eye." Olivia hissed.

"Who?" Riley asked.

"I don't care what he said to you!" Olivia whispered harshly. "Nothing will ever come from that kiss!"

"Who?!" Riley's eyes widened. "Who did you kiss?"

Olivia realized she'd made a huge mistake. The longer she studied Riley's curious face the more she knew Maxwell hadn't told her about what happened that last night in Lythikos.

Furious over her own stupidity, Olivia spun on her heel and left Riley gaping in confusion.

****************

The private beach...

Maxwell did his best not to look around and see where Olivia was. He'd already caught her staring at him twice. He knew he should probably talk about the kiss with her.

But...

He didn't want to hear her say that she felt nothing for him.

He softly groaned as he collapsed back on the towel he was sitting on. Once he saw Liam sneak off with Riley, he knew he could finally relax somewhat. He wished he could get out of his clothes and go swimming with his friends. He knew Bertrand would have a stroke if he found out that he did so and that the entire court saw his tattoo.

Still...it was tempting to rip his black shirt off. Hearing the gasps and whispers over the baby hippo residing upon his chest would bring a smile to his face. It would also temporarily take his mind off one particular subject.

He'd give anything to escape his thoughts. Between the heat of the afternoon sun and the inner heat from the memories of how Olivia's lips felt on his, he needed a cool dip in the ocean.

"We need to talk."

His eyes shot open to see the very person he could not stop thinking about standing over him.

Olivia glanced around. Everyone was preoccupied with either swimming or mingling. No one was paying any attention to them. It was the perfect moment to finally get some answers.

"What, um, what do you want to talk about?" Maxwell asked a touch hesitantly.

"You know what I want to discuss." She hissed. "Now get up and follow me."

He scrambled after her when she darted towards a shaded area filled with palm trees and thick brush.

Once she knew they were well out of earshot of everyone, she rounded on him.

"I know what you're doing." Her tone sent a chill down his spine.

"You do?" Maxwell thought he'd been so careful.

"I'd almost be impressed if you were normally this manipulative." Olivia swallowed, fighting against the frustrated tears that she felt. "But coming from someone like you, all I see is how cruel you really are."

She refused to cry in front of people. It was a form of weakness that a Nevrakis could never show to anyone. The last person she'd ever thought would make her feel this close to tears was Maxwell Beaumont.

Heat rose up her body as she blinked back the telltale signs that he'd upset her to this point.

"Cruel?" His eyes narrowed in concern as he stepped closer to her. "What are you talking about?"

"Your kiss!" She snapped. "You used it to distract me from pursuing Liam all so you're precious Riley could steal him away!"

Maxwell's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe she'd jumped to that conclusion. Didn't she know he was hopelessly in love with her, that he'd never use that as a weapon against her? How much more obvious could he be in showing Olivia how badly he wanted to be with her?

"Listen closely." She poked his chest with each word. "I will win Liam. You and I will never, ever speak of that kiss again after today. I know your tricks now and will never falter again."

"Tricks?!" He finally found his voice. "Liv, it wasn't a trick! I didn't do anything to make sure Riley wins Liam's attention."

"Bullshit!" Olivia hissed. "You knew what you were doing when you came to my room that night! I let my sentimentality over our childhood friendship keep me from seeing just how far you'll go to make Riley be Liam's choice."

"I swear I had no plans to do anything that night!" He cried out. "I honestly wanted to check on you! Don't you know..."

He trailed off, lowering his eyes. He knew deep, deep down he had kissed her in the hopes she would be distracted from pursuing Liam. It just had nothing at all to do with Riley or winning this asinine competition.

He only wanted Olivia to fall in love with him.

Swallowing, he reached for her hand.

For some reason Olivia allowed him to do so.

His thumb brushed over her skin setting off tingles for them both.

"Don't I know what?" She bit out, refusing to relax her fingers.

He lifted his eyes to hers. Olivia took a step back from the undeniable emotion swimming in those ocean blue depths of his.

Maxwell wanted to tell her everything that was in his heart. He knew he couldn't and even if he did give in to his weakness for her, she'd never believe him now. He could only hint at what he felt for her.

"Don't you know me well enough to see that I would never do something like that to anyone, especially to you? "

His voice cracked towards the end of his question. He didn't bother to try and hide how hurt he was. What was the point?

Olivia felt her suspicion begin to dwindle the more she studied Maxwell. He'd always been nice, especially to her. Could he truly have kissed her without any ulterior motive?

She knew he'd had a crush on her since forever. Did he actually kiss her because he wanted to? Or was it to help her know if Liam was what she wanted?

"All I want," he squeezed her hand before letting go, "all I ever wanted was to see my friends happy."

He stepped away from her.

"And since you've always been important to me, that's all I want for you. Whether it is with Liam or..." he grimaced, "or some other lucky guy, I want you to be with someone who appreciates the kind of woman you are."

Olivia folded her arms.

"That's all you want?" She snorted. "Nothing for yourself?"

"I didn't say that." He snapped.

Maxwell could feel the irritation well within him that she was completely blind when it concerned him.

"I want something that I know is becoming more and more impossible with each day this damn competition continues." He explained in a bitter tone. "And I hate that since it is the only thing I've ever wanted that I'm stuck watching from the sidelines as all my hopes get destroyed one by one."

Olivia's lips parted. She had a feeling she knew exactly what he wanted. If he truly wasn't trying to distract her, knowing she was one of the top picks for Liam, then it really could only be one thing.

He wants me.

Maxwell waited a couple of heartbeats for her response.

When she parted her lips, he'd hoped she would say something. Though he wanted it to be what his desperate heart needed, he almost wished she'd tell him to give up. This torturous longing for her was getting worse now that he knew how her lips felt pressed against his. The way her body fitted his like a puzzle piece and the taste of her skin had kept him awake the last few nights. He didn't know if he could continue to be a passive observer for the rest of the season now knowing that what he'd once imagined paled in comparison to the real thing.

Her hesitation in responding caused him to stumble back.

"I need to go." He mumbled, averting his gaze from hers once more. "I'll see you around."

Olivia let him go without a word. She watched him scoop up the beach towel he'd been sitting on and leave the area without saying goodbye to anyone. The lack of both his warm smile and the typical spring in his step let her know that their conversation had hurt him.

Her eyes narrowed once more. She could see that she was nowhere near getting Maxwell Beaumont off of her mind. If anything, this conversation alone would have kept him there. Add the kiss and the unusual feelings that were creeping up each time they touched, and she knew that it was only getting worse.

She returned to her lounge chair to think on what to do about this unexpected complication in her life.

As the sun set, a gasp slipped past her lips. Her fists clinched as a more pointed realization struck. It was unbelievable what she'd done.

She'd spent the entire day thinking of and interacting with only one man.

And it wasn't Liam.

#choices the royal romance #maxwell beaumont x olivia Nevrakis #choices trr #maxwell x olivia #can't take my eyes off you #choices fic writers creations #choices crackship #crackship au

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allthecanadianpolitics · 1 year

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"She was nearly ripped from her three-year-old daughter, but in a sudden reversal, a Toronto personal support worker who faced deportation despite having worked on the front lines during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic can now stay in Canada permanently.

After going public with her story, Fatumah Najjuma has won her fight for permanent residence.

On Friday, she received word that her permanent resident application on humanitarian grounds was granted.

"This means a lot to me because I have been given a chance to live, stay and raise my baby girl," Najjuma told CBC Toronto, thanking her lawyer, advocates, her friends and the many strangers who supported her.

"As I am her only living parent, she is going to grow up a happy child because her mother is present in all her life."

Najjuma, 29, had been facing deportation to Uganda — a country she says she fled for her life after being disowned by her family and for her religious and social affiliations.

Her deportation date had been set for Jan. 7. But after garnering tens of thousands of signatures in an online petition, a campaign by advocacy groups and telling her story to CBC News, her removal was delayed in late December.

Now, her fight is over. But she says she remains concerned about the countless others who find themselves also facing deportation despite Canada's commitment to work towards granting status to undocumented workers.

"I shouldn't have to fight for basic rights," she said. "Everyone deserves status so we can live a good life. I encourage all migrants to speak up and raise their strong voice.""

Full article

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

#cdnpoli #canada #canadian politics #canadian news #canadian #immigration #migrants #permanent residency

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my-insanity-is-an-artform · 2 years

Note

Anon who said poly wild and twilight is a genius

Guess who caught COVID and is now on Day 3/7 of Isolation! At least this'll give me a chance to clear out my inbox a bit lol. (I am alright though. Fortunately, it was just Bad Cold level of symptoms but be sure to look after yourselves guys!)

Wild was up a tree, peering through the treeline before sighing. Down below, there was a rustle of bushes. "Anything?" He called down.

From amongst the undergrowth, Wolfie emerged then reformed into Twilight in a flurry of shadowy magic.

"No. How in the name of Ordona did we get this lost?" Twilight growled to himself as he scuffed his boot.

Wild shimmied down the tree with ease. "I kind of expected this from me, but I kinda figured you'd know the way back." He patted himself off.

Twilight huffed again. "Must've gotten turned around when we were chasing that deer."

It'd been nearly a month since you had confessed your feelings towards both heroes and had gone on your first date. Things had been going smoothly since then as well. Kisses and hand holding and other ridiculously cheesy dating activities between the usual travelling had become commonplace between you and your partners.

There was one thing that had been bugging both Twilight and Wild. Neither of them had managed to gift you something that wasn't a necessity.

There simply hadn't been any time since your first date.

So when you'd mentioned missing a particular stew recipe, both of them had latched on to it. While Wild would be doing the majority of the cooking, Twilight was more than happy to help with the actual hunting and gathering part.

That morning, they had volunteered to go hunting for the day and agreed to meet the others back at the camp.

It was now mid-afternoon.

If the rest of the group ever found out that they had gotten lost, they'd never let Twilight hear the end of it. Nor give Wild any slack that his ability to get lost was contagious.

Just as Wild was about to scale another tree, there was more rustling from the undergrowth.

You emerged, ruffled, covered in leaves and almost on the business end of two swords. "Guys!" You beamed at them.

Wild swept you into his arms quickly while Twilight ran a critical eye over you, checking for injuries.

"What are you doing so far out here?"

"I came looking for you two! After you were gone all morning, Time let me come find you. He did say if none of us were back by Sundown, they'd all come looking for us and Warriors lent me the fire rod to set off as a signal." You pulled out of Wild's hug and ran your own eyes over them worriedly.

Both heroes paused.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Wild pondered as Twilight snorted.

"Because you would've started a forest fire." He ruffled his hair playfully.

Wild batted him away with a scowl even as you giggled.

"What kept you guys anyway?" You managed to intervene before it escalated into playful roughhousing.

There was a thoughtful pause before Twilight crossed his arms and smirked at you.

"A surprise."

Wild nodded quickly even as you looked between them.

"Okay..." YOu said slowly. You weren't sure how to feel about the secrecy but you did know that the smirks they were now wearing were very attractive.

Even as you were about to wipe them off.

"But, do you guys know which way is back to camp?"

(It was two very sheepish heroes that followed you back to camp. You were rewarded with kisses for your silence over their lost state and they were rewarded with extra kisses when they presented you with your favourite dish.

So in your mind, everyone won.)

#linked universe #linked universe x reader #LU Wild #LU Twilight #polyamory #Wild's ability to get lost is contagious #In Twilight's defence he was chasing a deer #Reader saves Wild and Twi again #Guess who has Covid #like I only had milder symptoms but still 0/10 recommend

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kp777 · 5 months

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By Olivia Rosane

Common Dreams

Dec. 26, 2023

"If people don't ultimately trust information related to an election, democracy just stops working," said a senior fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy.

As 2024 approaches and with it the next U.S. presidential election, experts and advocates are warning about the impact that the spread of artificial intelligence technology will have on the amount and sophistication of misinformation directed at voters.

While falsehoods and conspiracy theories have circulated ahead of previous elections, 2024 marks the first time that it will be easy for anyone to access AI technology that could create a believable deepfake video, photo, or audio clip in seconds, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.

"I expect a tsunami of misinformation," Oren Etzioni, n AI expert and University of Washington professor emeritus, told the AP. "I can't prove that. I hope to be proven wrong. But the ingredients are there, and I am completely terrified."

"If a misinformation or disinformation campaign is effective enough that a large enough percentage of the American population does not believe that the results reflect what actually happened, then Jan. 6 will probably look like a warm-up act."

Subject matter experts told the AP that three factors made the 2024 election an especially perilous time for the rise of misinformation. The first is the availability of the technology itself. Deepfakes have already been used in elections. The Republican primary campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis circulated images of former president Donald Trump hugging former White House Coronavirus Task Force chief Anthony Fauci as part of an ad in June, for example.

"You could see a political candidate like President [Joe] Biden being rushed to a hospital," Etzioni told the AP. "You could see a candidate saying things that he or she never actually said."

The second factor is that social media companies have reduced the number of policies designed to control the spread of false posts and the amount of employees devoted to monitoring them. When billionaire Elon Musk acquired Twitter in October of 2022, he fired nearly half of the platform's workforce, including employees who worked to control misinformation.

Yet while Musk has faced significant criticism and scrutiny for his leadership, co-founder of Accountable Tech Jesse Lehrich told the AP that other platforms appear to have used his actions as an excuse to be less vigilant themselves. A report published by Free Press in December found that Twitter—now X—Meta, and YouTube rolled back 17 policies between November 2022 and November 2023 that targeted hate speech and disinformation. For example, X and YouTube retired policies around the spread of misinformation concerning the 2020 presidential election and the lie that Trump in fact won, and X and Meta relaxed policies aimed at stopping Covid 19-related falsehoods.

"We found that in 2023, the largest social media companies have deprioritized content moderation and other user trust and safety protections, including rolling back platform policies that had reduced the presence of hate, harassment, and lies on their networks," Free Press said, calling the rollbacks "a dangerous backslide."

Finally, Trump, who has been a big proponent of the lie that he won the 2020 presidential election against Biden, is running again in 2024. Since 57% of Republicans now believe his claim that Biden did not win the last election, experts are worried about what could happen if large numbers of people accept similar lies in 2024.

"If people don't ultimately trust information related to an election, democracy just stops working," Bret Schafer, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Alliance for Securing Democracy, told the AP. "If a misinformation or disinformation campaign is effective enough that a large enough percentage of the American population does not believe that the results reflect what actually happened, then Jan. 6 will probably look like a warm-up act."

The warnings build on the alarm sounded by watchdog groups like Public Citizen, which has been advocating for a ban on the use of deepfakes in elections. The group has petitioned the Federal Election Commission to establish a new rule governing AI-generated content, and has called on the body to acknowledge that the use of deepfakes is already illegal under a rule banning "fraudulent misrepresentation."

"Specifically, by falsely putting words into another candidate's mouth, or showing the candidate taking action they did not, the deceptive deepfaker fraudulently speaks or act[s] 'for' that candidate in a way deliberately intended to damage him or her. This is precisely what the statute aims to proscribe," Public Citizen said.

The group has also asked the Republican and Democratic parties and their candidates to promise not to use deepfakes to mislead voters in 2024.

In November, Public Citizen announced a new tool tracking state-level legislation to control deepfakes. To date, laws have been enacted in California, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, and Washington.

"Without new legislation and regulation, deepfakes are likely to further confuse voters and undermine confidence in elections," Ilana Beller, democracy campaign field manager for Public Citizen, said when the tracker was announced. "Deepfake video could be released days or hours before an election with no time to debunk it—misleading voters and altering the outcome of the election."

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.

#artificial intelligence #ai #deep fakes #2024 elections #public citizen #federal election commission #fec #democracy #social media

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tache-noire · 11 months

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OK HERES WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT RAVENOUS RANDY MYERS, AKA THAT BLUE-HAIRED JOBBER THAT GOT SQUASHED BY THE KINGS OF THE BLACK THRONE

(Of Course You Have Green Hair And Pronouns)

hi so i'm obsessed with this guy. 40 years old, been wrestling since he was 18, very technically skilled, pansexual, goes by he/they pronouns, HIGH camp, very fun and nice guy who wears his heart on his sleeve.

You may be familiar with those gifs of him making out with Filthy Tom Lawlor BUT THAT'S JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG BABY.

Part of his gimmick is that he kisses ALL of his opponents, and before Covid, during his entrance (to "At Last" by Etta James), he would kiss one or two people in the front row, as well. Now, it's just a hug. Safety first.

I'm only really familiar with his matches with DEFY, but he's had a pretty extensive career starting with Stampede Wrestling in 2001. from 2007 to 2020 he was a familiar face in ECCW, but I haven't been able to find many of his matches online yet. I'll have to look harder sometime.

ANYWAY. HE DEBUTED AT DEFY IN 2017 AND INSTANTLY ENDEARED HIMSELF TO THE FREAKS AND WEIRDOS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST!

And he's had some great matches with some folks you might recognize from AEW!

^^^ Swerve Strickland! ^^^

^^^ MJF! ^^^

JUST before the quarantine, Randy even won the DEFY World Championship-- his first title in his entire career. It was an extremely emotional event for everyone, and the ring was broken in the ensuing celebration.

He would then be trapped in Canada for nearly two years, unable to defend it. An interim champion was named, and upon his return, on his birthday, he would enter a ladder match to merge the two belts and decide the champion once and for all.... And lose, due to outside interference.

Swerve, two-time champion, would claim the title for a third time and welcome Randy back.

But Randy returned to swear revenge on Sinner and Saint, who cost him his belt.

Since then, Randy has accepted and lost a Loser Leaves 3 on 1 gauntlet due to a ref, by all accounts, PREMATURELY calling the match due to a chokehold by surprise competitor Christopher Daniels. Randy never tapped and wasn't fading. He closed his eyes BRIEFLY and the ref called it. It was complete bullshit and everyone knows it.

HOWEVER... Something has now been set into motion. Fittingly, after Randy promised to see Sinner And Saint "in their nightmares", a spicy spectre from CD's past showed up at a show titled "Your Nightmare," to taunt him after his match, striking a VERY familiar pose in the middle of the ring before exiting.

(He also participated in a battle royale for the Unsanctioned Pacific Northwest Championship at DEFY: Heathens as Curry Man. Didn't win, though.)

The Weirdo Hero WILL return.

join me in being Mentally Unwell about Randy Myers.

#defy wrestling #randy myers #ravenous randy myers #my gifs #btw he made a short film about his battle with depression #its called The Weirdo Hero #i haven't seen it though #wrestling #indie wrestling #aew #all elite wrestling #aew collision

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diarrheaworldstarhiphop · 10 months

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I love el salvador because its proof that you can literally just disregard left wing ideology completely, do the exact opposite of what (((they))) say we can't/arent allowed to do, and the end result is objective improvement lol based president bukakke is /ourguy/

lol

>>Despite Bukele presenting his administration as “populist” he is anything but a political outsider or a champion of “the people.” After getting kicked out of the then-ruling Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) for allegedly assaulting a female party official, Bukele, a former advertising executive, joined the Grand Alliance for National Unity (GANA) whose founding members came from the aforementioned Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA). Furthermore, Bukele’s rise to power took place during an election in which nearly 50% of eligible Salvadoran voters abstained. It’s even possible that Bukele was appointed in response to the FMLN government’s friendlier relationship with China. For example, in exchange for breaking ties with Taiwan and recognizing Beijing as the official capitol of China, FLMN received $150 million and a donation of 3,000 tons of rice from the Chinese Communist Party. Likewise, during the Trump administration’s 2019 attempt to oust Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro on behalf of the neoliberal reactionary Juan Guaido, the FMLN took the side of the Chavistas.

In America, Bukele is best known for establishing Bitcoin as Salvadoran legal tender alongside the US dollar. Cryptobros like to portray this as an attempt by a “based” technocrat unpersuaded by “ideology” to get his nation off of fiat currency and away from the control of central banks. This narrative is a total inversion of the truth; In 2020 Bukele sent 40 soldiers into the Legislative Assembly building and forced opposition politicians at gunpoint to approve a loan request of $109 million from the American government for his “Territorial Control Plan.” This plan, using COVID-19 as a pretext, deployed thousands of military personnel to work alongside local police in establishing martial law throughout El Salvador. Bukele’s government insists this led not only to a successful quarantine but a significant reduction in homicides by organized crime. However, the Territorial Control Plan relies on alliances with Salvador’s gangs, as a report by El Faro exposed. “The pandemic was a blessing for Bukele,” Carlos López Bernal, a professor of history at the University of El Salvador, told The Guardian. “He presented an apocalyptic scenario to which the only solution, supposedly, was to give the president everything he asked for. More money and more power.”

In 2021, Bukele’s party “won” a supermajority in El Salvador’s congress, supposedly with 65% of the vote. He then fired five Salvadoran Supreme Court Justices and the attorney general before the Legislative Assembly voted to accept Bitcoin as legal tender. This decision was influenced by Bukele’s close relationship to Strike CEO Jack Mallers, the descendant of Chicago finance royalty and a member of Forbes 30 under 30. According to Slate: “Bukele’s government rolled out a digital crypto wallet in app form, called Chivo (Salvadoran slang for cool), which came preloaded with $30 of Bitcoin to encourage adoption. Many who downloaded it found it confusing and buggy, or that their $30 had already been stolen by identity thieves. A study by economists at the University of Chicago, Penn State and Yale found that of those who managed to access it, most cashed out their $30 and didn’t use Chivo again.”

Towards the start of May, cryptocurrency experienced its worst crash yet. This ongoing crash has already wiped out $400 billion in market capitalization and bankrupted innumerable investors. As Slate notes, “El Salvador is on the verge of defaulting on its debts, which amount to close to 100 percent of its gross domestic product. This is exacerbated by the loss of value of the country’s Bitcoin holdings, which Bukele bragged he would trade with public funds on his phone while in the bathroom. As of now, he has personally cost the Treasury about $40 million—an amount equal to its next foreign debt payment, due to bondholders in June.”

Just before the epic crypto crash, Bukele unveiled plans for a city, “funded by the sale of a Bitcoin bond and powered by geothermal energy from the nearby Conchagua volcano.” Now, the country’s bonds are trading at 40% of their original value. But like any good con artist, cult leader, or multi-level marketing guru, Bukele has doubled down on his Bitcoin “gamble.” In the midst of the crypto crash, El Salvador hosted a “financial inclusion conference” attended by “44 central bankers from developing countries around the world.” This conference was organized by the Alliance for Financial Inclusion, formed in 2008 by central bankers in Mexico, Kenya, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand in “close collaboration” with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2013, Bill Gates spoke at a meeting hosted by the United Nations General Assembly to tout the merits of “digital financial inclusion” via digital payment systems. The invite reads: “Today 2.5 billion adults are excluded from the formal financial services sector. Yet governments, the development community and the private sector make billions of dollars in cash payments to people in emerging economies, many of them poor and financially excluded. Shifting these salaries, pensions, social welfare stipends and emergency relief payments from cash to electronic has the potential to improve the livelihoods of low-income people by advancing financial inclusion and helping people save.

During the upcoming United Nations General Assembly, UNDP, UNCDF and the Better Than Cash Alliance are hosting an event on how partnerships between governments, private sector and development organizations are helping to promote inclusive growth. It will focus on how digital payments can catalyze financial inclusion, and as a result, can be a driver of inclusive growth and development.”

In January 2021 the Bank of International Settlements issued a report stating, “Most central banks are exploring central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and their work continues apace amid the Covid-19 pandemic. As a whole, central banks are moving into more advanced stages of CBDC engagement, progressing from conceptual research to practical experimentation.” Since 2017, “the share of central banks actively engaging in some form of CBDC work grew by about one third and now stands at 86%.” The BIS report found that 56 central banks are now researching or developing some form of digital currency.

During the early stages of the pandemic in 2020 programmers well versed in COBOL, a 40 year old programming language, were in high demand. This demand mainly came from state governments, who still use COBOL to dispense unemployment benefits. “Literally, we have systems that are 40-plus-years-old,” New Jersey governor Chris Murphy told CNBC. “There’ll be lots of postmortems. and one of them on our list will be, how did we get here where we literally needed COBOL programmers?” Murphy’s concerns were echoed by Kansas governor Laura Kelly: “So many of our Departments of Labor across the country are still on the COBOL system; you know very, very old technology.” Connecticut, California, New York, and Pennsylvania “still rely on decades-old mainframe systems based on the COBOL language as well.”

If all of this still sounds banal or benign to you, consider the following: PRISM, the massive NSA surveillance machine “exposed” by Islamaphobic Ayn Rand fanboy and descendant of numerous lifelong feds Edward Snowden, is the direct descendant of PROMIS, a tracking software developed by a “former” NSA fed working in the private sector through his firm Inslaw. Inslaw originally developed PROMIS to help the Department of Justice and local law enforcement agencies across America “update” their prehistoric filing systems in the mid-1980s. PROMIS was later stolen by Mossad spies and infamously distributed by Robert Maxwell, father of Ghislaine Maxwell, before making its way back to its homeland. In the meantime, the same NSA that was building PRISM and had produced PROMIS was working on the hash algorithm that made Bitcoin possible.

------

Covid Imperialism, Crypto Colonialism, and the Real “Great Reset” – Beyond_Lies_The_Wub (wordpress.com)

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blacklight-ghoulette · 2 years

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Continuing on quintessence lore: what tribes are Omega and Aether from? And what tattoos do they have? (If Special is a quintessence ghoul in your lore, I'd love to hear about his tribe and tattoos too!)

Omega and Aether are both from the healing tribes--in fact, Omega is the grandson of the spirit Chiron, who is also his namesake. Quick note, ghouls don't use their true names on earth. The way that magic works here is different than hell, and names are a big part of that. To know a ghoul's true name allows one to potentially have power over that ghoul, as they can use it to not just summon them but a variety of other things, very few of which would be considered good. But, I'll elaborate on that later...

I'll divide this post into a section on each ghoul, since I've got a ton of lore about Omega... I have diagrams of both of their tattoos but it's on my desktop at home and I'm back at work finally after a week of super-not-fun covid bullshit. Anyways... Ghouls!

Omega

Omega's true name is Chiron, named after his grandfather, the healing spirit. He was once considered to be the strongest healer in all of hell, almost matching Chiron's power, and was highly regarded amongst the healer tribes. During the second war against Heaven, Omega was able to heal the lake spirit, Badhi (also goes by Stanley, as he was called by a kit who couldn't properly pronounce 'Badhi') , from an otherwise fatal wound-- one of the Seraphim had managed to put a spearhead through the his heart. With his father and four other healers from his tribe keeping the Stanley clinging to life, Omega was able to remove the blessed blade and heal the damage and corruption it had wrought on the lake spirit's physical form, something that most did not even imagine before then. This forged a very tight friendship between Omega and Stanley, in fact it was because Omega was the last healer to arrive and save him that Stan started to call him 'Omega', and the nickname has stuck ever since.

Omega's tattoos are mostly tribal line work, featuring large blocks of dark ink that swoop down his chest and legs. His most prominent tattoos, however, are the red bands on his wrists. Yep, Omega is marked as shunned and outcast from his tribe. During the war, having seen and been surrounded by so much death took a massive toll on his mental state. During one battle, as the angels wrecked havok and had nearly all but won, Omega found a key to defeating the angels was to use the aether... Because healers were always taught that they were only ever to heal and fix, not fight, none had looked into using the opposite side of their power to defend themselves. Omega found that the aether was not just life, but it was also death, and in his grief from witnessing so many die he was done letting everyone fight for him, and decided it was time he fought for his people. And with his training and power, he was a force of nature that turned the tide of the war against Heaven.

Unfortunately, this brought the ire of his tribe and spirit upon him, and they banded his wrists in red to show they no longer thought of him as part of them. Chiron even went so far as to bar him from The Well, cutting him off from the direct source of Aether.

(The Well is just that, a well... But instead of water it is filled with pure, unadulterated aether in liquid form. Drinking a small amount of it increases a healer's power, and the water is used to make the ink that the healer tribe uses for their tattoos, which gives them a closer connection to their element.)

(As you can imagine, Chiron is an ass. A lot of the other spirits do not care for him, chief among which is Badhi, the lake spirit. Which, the sentiment goes both ways, as Chiron feels thst it is Badhi's fault that Omega fell into violence and began shirking their pacifistic ways)

Anyways, after the war and everything settled down, Lucifer asked Omega to be part of the group he sent to earth to stand against Heaven and help keep them from gaining more power and taking over everything, etc ect. I've got a story partially written about Omega and his little sister, bevause things got... Interesting, in the time between the end of the war and when Omega is sent to earth. More on that later, for now, onto...

Aether!

Aether's true name is Tychon. His tribe is considered to be second in power to Chiron's direct tribe, and Aether is the son of the tribe's chief elder. He's a good deal younger than Omega, as he was a kit during the war but he has some vivid memories of seeing Omega heal and was instantly in awe. Honestly, before he was shunned, Omega was what every healer ghoul wanted to be when they grew up. To say that his shunning made an impact on their society is putting it lightly. ANYWAYS.

Aether has always held himself up to that standard, especially with his position as next-in-line for tribe chief when his father decides to retire, and as such has always been under a huge amount of (mostly self-imposed) pressure. He's learned to deal with it very well over the years, which is part of what made him such an obvious choice for becoming a band ghoul. Besides the fact that he's a top-tier ghoul wrangler by channeling his massive Dad Vibes...

One of the major things about Aether's tattoos is the flora patterns that are prominent on the center of his chest. He also has some tribal bands across his shoulders and neck, on his back, and down his abdomen and thighs. And of course, the bands on his arms and wrists to show his prowess as a healer.

Special

Special is, well, special. Despite his cheerful demeanor, Special is probably the strongest ghoul in the clergy and can be downright terrifying. He could, if he wanted to spend the time and effort on it, even become an elemental spirit in his own right, as he is the kit of two other spirits: the seer spirit Zaroni and traveler spirit Null. The mix of two tribal bloodlines gives him access to a range of powers and abilities that no other ghouls have, which is the reason he was the first ghoul Lucifer asked to go to earth and help guard the clergy.

He's probably the closest ghoul to Imperator; the two get along surprisingly well. Also Imperator knows how important it is to keep Special happy, as she knows that plenty of clergy have met their doom or lives turned miserable when Special believes they have treated him badly. (Those are mostly rumors, but Imperator knows better, she's seen him wrangle in unruly high clergy that began to think too highly of themselves).

For the sake of brevity and the fact that this post can keep going for a looong while more, I'll stop here. But, one last little tidbit: the second most powerful ghoul in the clergy, who rivals even Special, is Cowbell. Also, I have some art depicting Aether and Omega's tattoos that I'll try and remember to post when I get home later.

#Lore #my worldbuilding #the band ghost #ghost band #ghost bc #ghost #nameless ghouls #aether ghoul #Omega ghoul #Special ghoul #cowbell ghoul #Aether tribes #quintessence ghoul #Answered

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jandjsalmon · 1 year

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2023 FFRC - March🍀

Can you believe it's already April!? Crazy. Though you'd never know it here though, because my backyard still looks like Hoth. It's horrific. It's supposed to snow again tomorrow too. I just want to sit in my hammock.😢

Anyway, I hope you've all been doing well. MotherMaple (who just had a birthday btw🥳) recently came down with covid for the second time - so if you know her and love her, if you could please send her positive healing vibes, I would appreciate it (as her bestie who worries - I'm a worrier). Thank you!

Moving along -- our most exciting news this month was that my beautiful and talented daughter and her basketball team won Provincials (essentially our "State" Tournament). Go Spartans! The first time in our High School's history! I've blurred out the faces of the other girls to show you below - but here's a fun piece of trivia: two of the girls (the redhead and the brunette just to the right of my Bethy) were the girls who dressed up with her for Halloween 2017 as Betty, Veronica, and Cheryl - Mr. Aguirre-Sacasa even retweeted their photo back in the day. I'm so glad they're still all friends (though they're all smarter than I am because none of them still watch Rvd)

Okay - so getting back on track - as all of you should know by now, I'm a regular participant (and low-key assistant) at the @fanfic-reading-challenge - additionally, for the last couple of years, I've been tracking all the fic I read and I've reported back here once a month with some stats and some recs, and a little bit of boring stuff about my life. That's what this post is.

Below the cut are my March stats and some fun fic recs. I read nearly 2 million words this month - over 550 chapters (of various lengths), and 178 stories. I've been tackling the challenge tasks and am nearly done the 'extreme' mode. I'm still struggling with a few of the categories, but I think my goal this year is not only to complete the Regular/Hard/Extreme modes - but to complete every task. I'm at 212/309 so there is still some work to do.

March 2023

As for my recs for you! Try these - you might enjoy them. They are Wavier because that's what I've mostly been reading - and if you've never read the pairing before, let one of them be your first foray if you are on the fence. Don't be on the fence. Come ship with me! 🖤🖤

--*--

An Unkindness by Agmo (Wavier - E 3/3)

Summary: Finding out that he is Wednesday Addams' soulmate goes about as well for Xavier as anything involving Wednesday Addams does.

Why you should read: Soulmates are my jam. This was originally a one-shot and even though my heart kinda ripped out of my chest where they ended it, the author surprised us with two extra chapters - AND IT WAS AMAZING. There is so much growth. Soulmates are my favourite when it's not a given that everything will turn out. Characters are still beings with agency. This story has room for this growth - and I could not recommend it more. Probably one of my favourites of the year so far.

--*--

For the Rare and Radiant Maiden by @drollicpixiefanfic (Wavier - E 6/6)

Summary: Xavier Thorpe didn’t exactly expect Wednesday to use the cell phone he purchased for her. It was a ridiculous idea, a whim, a fancy. But something had compelled him to try. So, it was with some shock, two weeks into their break from Nevermore, that Xavier’s phone buzzed on his nightstand. In which, Wednesday discovers her cell phone camera, though only filtered through a black and white lens and Xavier finds himself even more under her spell as a darker side of him begins to seep through his well maintained façade.

Why you should read: I'm always a fan of a good Post S1 fic and if you can give it to me in a Xavier pov then I'm probably going to love you forever. This one was really really fun - deals with Wednesday's stalker - and has a bit of that Dark!Xavier that Ajax mentioned in S1.

--*--

In the night, I dream of woe so true by @sebikitcat (Wavier - G 7/7)

Summary: “Wednesday? What are you doing in my art studio?” It’s a stupid question, she decides. “What are you doing in my dream?” A more relevant counter. “Your dream? I thought this was my dream. Wait, are we dreaming?” Or the one where Wednesday finds herself unwittingly sharing dreams with Xavier over break. Fluff ensues.

Why you should read: SHARED DREAMING! And it's SO FLUFFY - it's the epitome of Agnes Gru squishing her fluffy unicorn. I love it.

--*--

dark doo wop (series) by @donutcats (Wavier- G - 3 fics)

Summary: It’s the way she texts him first, only a few short days after everyone has cleared out of Nevermore; and really he wasn’t even expecting that. It was meant to be a joke, adding his number and saying he’d settle for a text. But there it is. A new text from Wednesday Addams. A simple picture of a dark and eerie fatalistic painting torn to shreds. ‘I believe some paintings are improved by the act of destroying them,’ reads the text sent directly after the picture, ‘which you should definitely take note of.’

Why you should read: Again - I LOVE post S1 fics where we get to speculate how Wednesday navigates modern technology and communication with Xavier. The stories are short so you can read them all in one go. Do it!

ANYWAY - I'm always looking for new fic recommendations, so if you have any stories you think I'll love (whether you wrote them or your friend wrote them or you came upon them accidentally), please drop me a line or send me a dm. I've found SO many awesome fics through recommendations from others. I'll read almost any pairing and any fandom. Shoot me a link!🖤

(lastly- I'm a little bit in love with this gif of Xavier waving - and I've been purposely flooding my dashboard with Percy for reasons - so the wave might become a theme for my year).

Anyway -👋🏼 Hiya -I'm happy you're here! I hope you have a wonderful April and I'll see you back here in a few weeks! Happy reading! 🖤

#jandy's fanfic reading challenge adventure 2023 #reading fics with jandy #fanfic reading challenge 2023 #2023 fic reading challenge #2023frc

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mariacallous · 8 months

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Just over a week ago, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan boasted that, all things considered, things were going pretty well for U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East: “The Middle East region is quieter today than it has been in two decades,” he told an audience at an event hosted by the Atlantic.

That assertion tracked with the bench of top diplomatic officials focused on the Middle East—or lack thereof. As Washington worked to extricate itself from decades of costly wars in the region to focus on a revanchist Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ramping up global competition against China, numerous key senior national security posts overseeing the Middle East have sat empty for months or even years. Few in Washington raised alarm bells about it. Those who did were, for the most part, politely ignored.

The massive assault on Israel by terrorist group Hamas—the deadliest attack Israel has faced since the 1973 Arab-Israeli War—has thrust the Middle East back to the forefront of U.S. national security. The Biden administration, caught flat-footed, has leapt into crisis-response mode. But the number of seasoned and Senate-confirmed top officials to lead that response is sorely lacking.

At the time of the deadly Hamas attack on Israel, Washington’s closest ally in the Middle East, the United States had no confirmed ambassadors to Israel, Egypt, Oman, or Kuwait. The State Department’s top counterterrorism envoy position has sat empty for more than two years, the top human rights envoy position—the assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor—has been unfilled for the entirety of the Biden administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has not had a top Middle East official in nearly three years.

These statistics offer a snapshot into how Washington’s hyper-partisanship is infecting foreign policy and serve as a preview of how numerous empty posts could hobble—though not entirely derail—the Biden administration’s ability to craft an effective response to the developing war between Israel and terrorist groups in the Palestinian territories.

“The State Department isn’t [the Department of Defense]: We don’t have weapon systems; we have diplomats, armed with experience and hard-won expertise,” said Alan Eyre, a retired senior State Department diplomat. “Not having Senate-vetted and -confirmed ambassadors in the field during a crisis is like fighting a battle with needed weaponry sitting in storage.”

The mostly empty bench is due to a nearly broken Senate confirmation process, where nominees have languished in limbo for months or even years due to the “new normal” practice of Republican senators placing sweeping holds on all nominees for different agencies over policy disputes with the administration. On the Pentagon side, hundreds of senior military posts are on indefinite pause due to Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s blanket hold on nominees over the Biden administration’s abortion access policies for the military—including senior officials at U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East. At the State Department, Republican Sen. Rand Paul has held numerous nominees over access to documents on the origins of COVID-19, while fellow Republican Sens. J.D. Vance and Ted Cruz have also previously issued holds.

Republicans, meanwhile, blame the Biden administration for not working to meet them halfway on policy disputes and dawdling on congressional outreach and Senate Democrats for not prioritizing floor votes on national security nominees that could override these blanket holds in an otherwise jampacked Senate schedule.

The end result is an under-equipped team composed of many lower-ranking officials in acting capacities fighting the biggest fire that part of the Middle East has seen in years—a crisis that could derail the Biden administration’s efforts to normalize ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia. In public, administration officials insist their team is well-equipped to respond to the crisis and support Israel. In private, they concede that they’re starting this diplomatic offensive with serious handicaps.

All top Pentagon, USAID, and State Department posts, including ambassadors, require a presidential nomination and Senate confirmation. Unfilled posts are still covered by lower-ranking officials in acting capacities. But those acting officials don’t have the gravitas, legitimacy, or access in foreign capitals that a full-fledged ambassador has, no matter how skilled and experienced they are.

One senior career diplomat with decades of experience compared a well-rooted U.S. ambassador in a foreign capital to a seatbelt in a car: something that’s nice to have in normal times—until there is a major emergency, when it becomes absolutely necessary. On the crisis in Israel, the effects of this empty bench may be hard to discern from the outside but are still likely to gum up the works in Washington’s interagency process and hobble a more effective response in the region.

Sen. Chris Murphy, a leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, decried the lack of confirmed officials. “This is an all hands on deck moment in history, and the administration needs a Senate-confirmed American diplomat present in every capital in the region as soon as possible,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

The House side, which has no say over nominees but outsized power on any new funding the United States could prepare for aid to Israel, is facing a crisis of its own after a small faction of far-right Republicans ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

“I look at the world and all the threats that are out there. And what kind of message are we sending to our adversaries when we can’t govern? While we’re dysfunctional? When we don’t even have a speaker of the House?” lamented Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in an interview with CNN on Sunday. McCaul said Republicans needed to quickly elect a new speaker to begin ginning up support—both financial and political—for Israel, in response to the ongoing crisis.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, now chaired by Sen. Ben Cardin after Sen. Bob Menendez stepped down amid a corruption indictment scandal, is preparing to rush a confirmation hearing on Biden’s Israel ambassador nominee this week, three Senate sources said, though no official announcement has yet been made. Biden’s nominee, former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, could face grueling questioning from Republicans on the Biden administration’s policies toward Iran, but Democrats want to expedite his confirmation, nonetheless.

A similar scenario played out more than two months ago when another crisis caught Washington off guard, that time in the restive Sahel region of Africa. In Niger, a military coup in July derailed the West’s burgeoning partnership with a West African government seen as central to counterterrorism campaigns in the region. The U.S. ambassador nominee to Niger, seasoned diplomat Kathleen FitzGibbon, had sat waiting in Senate nomination limbo for nearly a year. In a rare spurt of ex post facto efficiency, the Senate rushed to confirm her, but only after the coup leaders had cemented their grip on power.

Murphy and others in the Senate hope that Congress can set aside partisan politics to confirm senior diplomats for the sake of national security.

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coochiequeens · 7 months

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A lesbian activist, an anti-war protester and a memoirist Eva Kollisch was a woman rose above tragedy.

By Luke Peteley | [email protected]

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Eva Kollisch, 98, a Jewish refugee who was educated as a teen on Staten Island and later became a noted memoirist and a lesbian rights advocate, died Oct. 10 of a chest infection at her home in Manhattan, according to media reports.

Born in 1926 to a Jewish family outside Vienna, Austria, Kollisch faced persecution from the rising Nazi regime. As war loomed in 1939, Kollisch fled the Holocaust aboard a Kindertransport train, as part of the mass rescue of nearly 10,000 children to Britain prior to the outbreak of the second world war, as detailed by Kveller.

In 1940, she and her brothers arrived in the U.S. and were reunited with their parents in New York; the family would settle in an apartment on Staten Island, according to The New York Times.

A graduate of Curtis High School, Kollisch recounted in a 2016 interview how her early political views were shaped during her time as a student at the school.

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“I went to high school on Staten Island and had a couple of years, sort of uninteresting years, in high school,” she said. “But it was safe. Nobody beat me up, nobody called me a Jew b***d or anything like that. And then toward the end of my second year I met a bunch of Trotskyists and it made a big impression on me.”

She continued that she “found a kind of home, an intellectual home. And a home for my own sense of injustice and wanting to make things right, making them OK. They were far from OK.”

After high school, she left Staten Island and worked on an assembly line in Detroit, and as a labor organizer. Despite joining the Trotskyist movement as a teen, Kollisch said she became disillusioned by the overwhelming male leadership.

It wasn’t until 1986 that she met future wife Naomi Replansky, a poet and labor activist. As noted by The New York Times, she first had two marriages to men, Stanley Plastrik in 1942, and Gert Berliner, an abstract expressionist artist and fellow refugee.

While with Berliner, the couple moved to New Mexico, where Kollisch wrote while working as a cook at a uranium mine, and as a social worker. It was there that she gave birth to a son, Uri; he and a grandson are the only immediate survivors. The couple then returned to New York and separated in 1959.

“I didn’t go through this period of great suffering that so many women did in the ‘40s and ‘50s, and by the 1960s, you know, it was a part of my androgyny, really, to have loved some men and to love women,” Kollisch said in a 2004 interview.

Kollisch and Replansky married in 2009.

In 2016, after decades as a couple, Kollisch and Replansky won the Clara Lemlich Social Activist Award; in 2020, the New York Times profiled how the couple were surviving the COVID-19 pandemic together. Replansky died at age 104 in January.

For work, Kollisch was a professor of comparative literature at Sarah Lawrence College, according to Kveller.

In addition to a career as a professor, Kollisch also became a poet and a vocal activist. The Museum of Jewish Heritage notes that “her American arrest came for anti-Vietnam protests; she stood vigil as a Woman in Black, and took part in the Seneca Women’s Encampment.”

Kollisch went on to write two memoirs, “Girl in Movement” (2000) and “The Ground Under My Feet” (2007).

#Eva Kollisch may her memory be a blessing #Lesbian rights activists #Clara Lemlich Social Activist Award #Arrested for protesting the Viernam War #Books by women #Girl in Movement (200)#The Ground Under My Feet (2007)#The poet Naomi Replansky #Youtube

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