#i look like a 1920s-30s something house wife and I love it <3

[daisybell-on-a-carousel]

I got a new dress and I'm feeling euphoria tonight

#pink! #i look like a 1920s-30s something house wife and I love it <3 #dresses are either incredibly ugly or incredibly expensive #and this was 48 dollars </3 but on SALE so only 15 actually <3 #forever envious of the pretty dresses in the toddler section. why are all dresses after the age of toddler so bad #ANYWAY #PINK!! #prebby #potato rambles n speaks #im considering drawing Darlene in the outfit #i camt wait to wear this tommorow

[thisweekingundamwing]

This Week in Gundam Wing 5-11 April 2020

Here’s this week’s roundup!

Remember to give your content creators some love! And join in on the events at the bottom!

~Mod Hel Sorry it’s a bit late!

Fanfiction/Snippets/AU Ideas:

@bobo-is-tha-bomb​

Every Moment (Ch. 4) https://archiveofourown.org/works/23153275/chapters/56342722

F/M, Heero Yuy/Reader

Heero Yuy, Reader, Duo Maxwell, Chang Wufei, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, OC - Character, Lady Une, Relena Peacecraft

Romance, Drama, Angst, Lemon, Lime, Violence, Reader Insert

You really didn’t want to go on a mission with Heero Yuy. In your opinion, he was a robot, an iceberg, and as cold as the North Pole. And you really hated the fact that people started spreading rumors about you. Now, you have two weeks to get to know him better, get comfortable with the idea of playing his wife, and keep from getting into a catfight with Wufei’s secretary (who has quite a crush on Mister Yuy herself). You thought you would be able to handle the mission, but a couple of alcohol influenced kisses really send your world spinning. And it would only get worse during the mission… And really… your careless actions do have very big consequences.

Best Easter Yet https://archiveofourown.org/works/23600803

F/M, Heero Yuy/Reader, Relena Peacecraft/Quatre Raberba Winner

Heero Yuy, Reader, Relena Peacecraft, Quatre Raberba Winner

Romance, Drama, Angst, Holiday, Reader Insert

“How are you holding up?”

You gave him a dire look and showed him your shaking hands. “Just so.”

He gave you a warm look and reached out, trailing the callused pad of his forefinger along your cheek. “We’ll be okay. She won’t be mad.”

@doctormegalomania​

Your Body’s Poetry (Ch. 13) https://archiveofourown.org/works/20438891/chapters/56441821

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei/Original Female Character(s), Duo Maxwell/Hilde Schbeiker, Relena Peacecraft & Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell/Original Male Character(s)

Characters: Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei, Sally Po, Relena Peacecraft, Lucrezia Noin, Zechs Merquise, Hilde Schbeiker

Additional Tags: Past Relationship(s), Slice of Life, Post-Break Up, Slow Burn, Developing Relationship, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence

Summary: Long after the wars, long after peace is established the Gundam Pilots discover one immovable fact: Relationships are hard work.

@janaverse​

Stickies form Heero (Ch. 42) https://archiveofourown.org/works/19796581/chapters/56347720

Heero Yuy & Duo Maxwell, Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, 1+2+1, 1x2x1 - Relationship

Get Together, Friendship, Eventual Sap, Eventual Implied Sexual Content, Mentions of Trowa ⋆ Quatre ⋆ Wufei ⋆ Relena ⋆ Sally - for now, Angst

heero and duo are in their mid-20's and are sharing a house. they are both working as preventers, but are not on the same work schedule.

duo initiated this unique form of communication and heero has fully embraced it.

Fanart/Gunpla/Photo Manips:

@2pcb

https://2pcb.tumblr.com/post/614789407717949440/if-its-alright-with-you-can-i-request-trowa-or

WuFei, Heero, & Trowa

@binarytoys​

https://binarytoys.tumblr.com/post/614936465228595200

Leo, gunpla

@deathofakuna​

https://deathofakuna.com/post/614569779412582400/wing-zero

Wing Zero

@drawingplastered​

https://drawingplastered.tumblr.com/post/614891383342415872/my-participation-in-the-gundamzine-it-was-great

25th Anniversary babies! (or oldies in this case <3)

@grey-sentry​

https://grey-sentry.tumblr.com/post/614771208554184704/since-gundam-wing-turns-25-today-im-gonna-share

25th Anniversary boys!

@gundayum​

https://gundayum.tumblr.com/post/614810271462178816/oh-hi-i-come-bearing-content-heres-my-shit-i

Zine Works - All the cuties.

@guttersblessing​

https://guttersblessing.tumblr.com/post/614889648762880000/i-also-did-a-sticker-sheet-for-gundamzine-it

Zine Works

https://guttersblessing.tumblr.com/post/614889435945926656/for-gundam-wings-25th-anniversary-i-took-part-in

Zine Works

@gwkimmy​

https://gwkimmy.tumblr.com/post/614797022889984000/asdjlaskjdlksajf-i-spent-too-much-time-on-this-lol

Relena Darlian/Peacecraft, manip

HamletMachine

https://twitter.com/Hamlet_Machine/status/1245003275797135360

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

@hiddenmangaka​

https://hiddenmangaka.tumblr.com/post/615067652830986240/grocery-shopping-with-the-gundam-boys-attempt-1

Grocery Shopping with the G-Boys - Heero Yuy, Attempt 1

@kaiser-dracon​

https://kaiser-dracon.tumblr.com/post/614804412813213696/mobile-suit-gundam-wing-top-players-gundam-wing

Wing Zero, Epyon, Tallgeese - gunpla

@ksam7​

https://ksam7.tumblr.com/post/614725326366490624

Duo Maxwell

@lemontrash​

https://lemontrash.tumblr.com/post/614799547879784448/this-is-the-vector-art-i-did-for-the-front-cover

Zine Work

https://lemontrash.tumblr.com/post/615071326954307584/i-cannot-draw-mecha-not-in-a-month-of-sundays-so

Gundam, manips

https://lemontrash.tumblr.com/post/615161818018627584/so-fun-story-when-i-was-first-playing-around

Zine Works

@lokineko​

https://lokineko.com/post/614764732354854912/some-gundam-wing-wips-for-the-anniversary

25th Anniversary boys, wip

https://lokineko.com/post/614839063093100544/this-is-the-piece-i-did-for-gundamzines-rhythm

Zine Work

https://lokineko.com/post/614929671580270592/this-is-my-piece-for-gundamzine-s-bonus-zine-for

Zine Work

@nevs-sketchbook​

https://nevs-sketchbook.tumblr.com/post/614950453149630464/more-gundam-doodles-featuring-trowa-being-a

Trowa, Quatre, & Cathy - Tro’s NB adventures.

@noromax​

https://noromax.tumblr.com/post/614689026855862272/25th

25th Anniversary boys!

@seitou

https://seitou.tumblr.com/post/614818666923671552/finally-free-to-release-these-out-into-the-world

Zine Works - the G-boys bein’ awesome.

@tatakaumono

https://tatakaumono.tumblr.com/post/614749458100584448/operation-meteor-happy-25th-anniversary

25th Anniversary - Operation Meteor

Photosets/Gifsets/Screenshots/Manga Pages:

@disturbed02girl

https://disturbed02girl.tumblr.com/post/614602092903006208/spaceheart-quatre-not-really-explained-here

Quatre ‘space heart’s Heero.

Head Canons:

@scarletlegionnaire

https://scarletlegionnaire.tumblr.com/post/614574488122736640/random-headcanon-of-1920s-noir-detective-quatre

Noir Detective Quatre

https://scarletlegionnaire.tumblr.com/post/614591278935605248/mandalorian-gundam-wing-crossover

Mandalorian Crossover

Fandom Discourse:

@lifeaftermeteor

https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/614648010876567552/epithets-the-pros-and-pitfalls

Writing advice - Epithets

@lemontrash

Quotes:

@incorrectgundamwingquotes

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/614675005827072000/heero-i-want-to-do-something-nice-for-relena-but

Heero & Duo

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/615059988632698880/quatre-i-almost-got-surprise-adopted-yesterday

Quatre, Zayeed, & Iria

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/614946664989573120/quatre-i-really-dislike-snow-quatre-its-like

Quatre

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/614493662104190976/trowa-so-i-found-a-foolproof-method-of

Trowa, WuFei, & Duo

Calendar Events:

@gundamzine

Rhythm Generation: Shooting Stars, Celebrating 25 Years of Gundam Wing

https://gundamzine.tumblr.com/post/614746696097939456/zines-are-away-thats-right-folks-if-you

@gwcocktailfriday

Cocktail Fridays!

Post responses on Friday, during Happy Hour between 3 & 5 pm in your own timezone.

Here’s the prompt for Friday, April 17th! https://gwcocktailfriday.tumblr.com/post/615108959259492352/cocktail-friday-post-responses-on-friday-april

If anyone has ideas for prompts, PLEASE send them in! Our ask box is always open.

In need of SPRING prompts!

With the tumblr queue not working correctly... these may run out at the end of the month...

@memoriesofgundamwing

30 Day Challenge!

Day 5 Prompt https://memoriesofgundamwing.tumblr.com/post/614558663429996544/30-day-gundam-wing-challenge-day-5

Day 6 Prompt https://memoriesofgundamwing.tumblr.com/post/614647672163483648/30-day-gundam-wing-challenge-day-6

Day 7 Prompt https://memoriesofgundamwing.tumblr.com/post/614754284780814336/30-day-gundam-wing-challenge-day-7

Day 8 Prompt https://memoriesofgundamwing.tumblr.com/post/614824886163079168/30-day-gundam-wing-challenge-day-8

Day 9 Prompt https://memoriesofgundamwing.tumblr.com/post/614909458720669696/30-day-gundam-wing-challenge-day-9

Day 10 Prompt https://memoriesofgundamwing.tumblr.com/post/615021784539021312/30-day-gundam-wing-challenge-day-10

Day 11 Prompt https://memoriesofgundamwing.tumblr.com/post/615114288958406656/30-day-gundam-wing-challenge-day-11

@thisweekingundamwing

V_V I’m sorry, y’all had to see that. Lol https://thisweekingundamwing.tumblr.com/post/615214648773558272/thisweekingundamwing-motherfuckingchrist-it-says

#Gundam Wing #This Week in Gundam Wing #Weekly Roundup #5-11 April 2020

[kallura-icedcoffee]

golden hour: haunted

A/N: Thanks for taking the journey with me during Kallura Month! Happy Halloween babes!

Shared Space

The realtor conveniently left out a lot of things…

The keys jingle in Keith’s hand as he slides it into the lock and turns. There’s a click and he pushes the door open.

“Welcome home Mrs. Kogane” Keith says sweetly before quickly sweeping his wife up in his arms to carry her across the threshold.

Allura squeals then erupts into giggles before begging him to put her down.

“Stop! Keep fooling around and you’re going to make this baby pop out early!” She slaps his arm before bringing her hands to her round belly and rubbing it.

Their large husky Kosmo runs back and forth in the front yard.

He takes one of her hands, kisses it, before they both look around at their new home, the start of their new life.

DAY 3

“I think the heater’s broken” Allura says nonchalantly as she stands at the stove making scrambled eggs.

“Hmm?” Keith looks up from his laptop at the dining room table.

“The heater is broken. It was absolutely freezing last night. I went to the bathroom and I could practically see my breath.”

“Oh, sorry baby, I’ll look into it and if I can’t figure it out I’ll call someone.”

“Thank you honey.”

DAY 7

Keith paints the walls in the soon-to-be nursery, taking a moment to wipe his brow. He turns to change the song on the stereo when he sees Allura pass by the door out of the corner of his eye.

“Hey honey can you get me some water? Honey?”

He pokes his head out the door to see her standing at the window at the end of the hallway, her back to him. She’s in a long pink dress he’s never seen before, but then again her closet is filled with clothes he hasn’t seen yet. She loves a good sale.

“Honey?”

He walks toward her. She’s unmoving, won’t acknowledge him.

“Hey space cadet I’m talking to you.”

He reaches out to touch her shoulder.

“Darling I made some lemonade with lavender. Do you want some?” Allura says as she comes up the stairs.

Keith whips around at the sound of her voice behind him. When he looks forward nothing is there. He looks back at Allura, face pale. She’s holding two glasses of lemonade. She’s wearing sweats and a t-shirt with her hair in a messy high bun.

“Are you ok? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I uh…heh, I’m fine.” He smiles and walks toward her.

DAY 16

Allura stands in the kitchen unpacking additional dishes. She realizes in that moment that they have far too many mugs. She smiles at Keith’s “Fuck Mondays” cup and goes to put it on the shelf. A pair of hands slide around her stomach, a nose nestles in her neck.

“Hi” she says playfully.

“Hi.” He kisses her skin. His voice is deep, rough.

She hums contently as he continues to drag his lips along her shoulder, pressing his body against hers. She can feel his want of her digging into her backside.

Allura licks her lips, bites them.

“Really? Right now? This what got us into this mess in the first place” she jokes and places her free hand over his on her tummy.

“What got us into this mess in the first place?” Keith asks as he stands in the doorway. He seems to be getting more paint on himself than the walls.

Allura gasps and drops the mug and it shatters at her feet. Keith rushes to her side, pushing her gently away so she won’t step on the ceramic fragments.

“Baby are you ok?”

Allura wrings her now trembling hands as she looks frantically about the room.

“I…but you were just…It was you, I heard your voice, I felt you.”

“What?” He looks up at her with concern.

Allura shakes her head and refuses to speak on it further.

DAY 21

“It’s not a bad feeling necessarily, it’s just…an unusual feeling that’s all. There’s something in this house. I can feel it” Allura says while they sit in bed, resting a cross stitch she was making for baby’s room on her stomach.

“Look I’ll admit some weird shit has happened, but I don’t think I’m ready to call a priest just yet, that’s all I’m saying.” Keith adjusts his glasses and puts down his book.

Keith does his best to reassure her before bed and she sleeps snuggling in his arms with Kosmo curled up at their feet. They wake up to their bedroom door open. They could’ve sworn they closed it the night before.

DAY 30

The minor renovations are done and, with Shiro’s help the day before, they’ve put together the crib, assembled the furniture and the nursery is ready for decorating. The boxes of the baby’s items are in the basement which Allura curses at herself for putting there given the events of the past month. She could just ask Keith but she doesn’t want to look like a baby herself so she goes down alone. Luckily most of the boxes are right by the bottom of the stairs so she won’t have to go far.

Allura hasn’t really been in the basement at any length, she hasn’t looked around. There was some left over furniture and boxes from the previous tenants that they never took with them and she grumbles that they left so much that she will now have to arrange to be removed.

As she sits on the bottom step rifling through boxes, figuring out which one to bring up first, a crash comes from the back of the room behind some shelves as if something has fallen over. She jumps at the sudden sound. Her heart is pounding when suddenly Kosmo shows himself, hanging his head when he’s knows he’s gotten into trouble.

“Oh thank god!” Allura sighs with relief and places a hand over her heart.

She gets up and goes to the pup, petting his head.

“Ok what did you break?” She asks and, as if he understands her question, he leads her to the scene of the crime.

There’s an old jewelry box turned over on the ground, its contents spilled everywhere.

“Way to go.” She reprimands her fur son and kneels down to clean up the mess.

As she goes to put the box back she looks up.

Keith is washing his hands in the kitchen sink when he hears her screaming his name in a way that sends fear ripping through him. He bounds down the basement staircase, skipping steps as he goes and finds her in the back, tucked behind a wall of shelves with Kosmo by her side.

“Lu what’s wron-” He tries to comfort her but his words die in his throat as he notices what she’s staring at.

A painting sits propped up on an old dresser. It looks old, covered in dust and cobwebs. A lone soft yellow bulb shines down on it as if it was a gallery art piece.

It’s a portrait of couple. His hair is black as night, her hair white as snow. She sits, while he stands with his hand on her shoulder. Their clothes are dated, something out of the 1920s. Her dress is pink. A dress Keith has seen before. She’s very, very pregnant.

“What is this?” Allura can barely speak above a whisper, a single tear falls down her cheek. She can’t stop shaking.

Keith doesn’t have an answer. What could he possibly tell her as they look upon this painting that’s more like looking in a mirror? His blood feels like ice.

They stand there, frozen, not realizing they’re currently being watched. They have been watched for some time now.

Just turn around…

This house has been waiting for them.  

They have been waiting for them.

To come home.

We’re together and where ever we go after this we’ll be together there too…

AO3 LINK

#kallura #kalluramonth2018 #ficsbyKIC #all good things must come to an end

[orange-in-the-overcast]

obscure ask meme for moonbeam

1. What convenience store food would be their go-to at a 7-11 (Fantasy or otherwise?)

She’d really like candy, and would stock up on things like peanut m&ms or milky ways. She’d also enjoy those packaged cinnamon roll things and never leave a 7-11 without at least one.

2. Who is their drinking buddy? If they don’t drink, which drink friend would they watch over?

She doesn’t drink unless she’s pressured into it, but she will happily watch over her drunk pirate girlfriend any time she needs it.

3. Who would be their go-to character in clue?

Ms. Peacock because she thinks her aesthetic is neat.

4. If they ever had to go to college, what major would they pick?

Definitely English or some kind of literature specialization. She loves reading and hearing new stories, so it’d be right up her alley.

5. Do they have a signature color(s)?

Light blue, white, and purple.

6. What would be their favorite vine?

“Happy Chrismas! It’s Chrimus! Merry crisis! Merry Chrysler!”

7. If they had a social media account, what would it be about?

She’d have an Instagram filled with nothing but cute animals she sees, pretty sceneries, and the occasional, very sweet and shy looking selfie. She’d also probably have a Tumblr to keep track of cool magical spells and references that she didn’t want to forget later, and to thirst blog about Talia.

8. Who would they invite to be their best man/maid of honor at their wedding?

She’d probably offer the maid of honor position to the one and only person she’s called a friend for most of her life.

9. Alternatively, whose best man/maid of honor would they be?

She doesn’t think anyone would want her as a maid of honor because she doesn’t have any friends she’s close enough to right now, but she’d be thrilled to be anyone’s.

10. What would be the title of their sex/mixtape?

Mixtape would be something simple and to the point like “Songs for a Good Morning” or the like. Sextape would be some kind of play on the word mooning, but honestly she’s so innocent and pure just trying to think of her making a sextape is breaking my brain.

11. If there was no prejudice, what time period/place would they love to visit?

She’d honestly probably like to visit the 1920s, if only for the fashion. Those flapper dresses would be right up her alley.

12. What three words would they use to describe themself?

Shy, inexperienced, dangerous.

13. What three words would their friends/family use to describe them?

If you asked her family, it’d be something along the lines of nuisance, disgrace, or abomination.

If you asked her new friends the wonder sibs, they’d say quiet, uncertain, and fearful.

And if you asked her future pirate wife, she’d say quiet, captivating, and naive.

14. What nicknames do they have? Any particular stories behind them?

Rey is one most people who care to talk to her for more than a few minutes end up using for her. Moonbeam is a recent one, used mostly by her favorite pirate, and of course coming from the fact that she’s a moon elf. She’s had other, much less kind nicknames in the past, but she’d prefer not to think about them.

15. Do they consider themself a good person? Why or why not?

She tries her best to be a good person, though she sees herself as inherently dangerous to everyone around her.

16. If they were a cryptid, what would they be?

Honestly, she’d probably be Bigfoot. Lots of hair, easily frightened, just wants people to leave her alone.

17. What is the one thing they wish they could’ve said to a loved one, but never did?

She wishes she could tell her parents and the friend she left behind that she’s sorry, for much different reasons.

18. What would they tell their ten year old self?

“A lot of things are going to happen in the future that you won’t expect, and a lot of them will be scary. But you’ll make it through them. You’re a lot stronger than you think you are. If you ever feel like running away, then run away and don’t look back. It’ll still be scary, but you can handle it. I promise.”

19. Who would be on their team in an all out prank war? Who would they be against?

She’d be kind of against the idea of a prank war at first, but with enough persuasion she’d get into it. Talia would definitely be on her team, and by consequence they’d probably be against Roman. She’d want Cordelia on their team, too, because she likes Cordelia.

20. Can they drive a car? Are they good at it? (If cars don’t exist, would they be able to drive if they existed?)

The thought of driving would scare her, so I don’t think she’d be able to do it.

21. Tell the story behind their most stupid injury/scar.

When she was first learning to use her magic, she got spooked by one of her family’s horses kicking something over out in the yard, and she accidentally set her socks on fire. The blaze was put out easily enough, but both of her feet still have a few faint burn scars on them.

22. What word(s) would they freeze up at if someone said it to them?

Abomination. Monster. Worthless. Dangerous. Disgrace. Shameful. Demon. Marriage.

23. Who is someone they don’t talk to much, but would probably get along with?

She hasn’t really gotten to talk to Cordelia much yet, but I think they’d get along like a house on fire. Cordelia’s young and more cheerful than anyone else in their party, and she’d be a good friend for Reyelle. She’d also probably get along with Caldwin, since he’s pretty soft spoken compared to most of their companions.

24. Have they ever done something they think is unforgivable?

Too many things she’d rather not think about.

25. What type of soda would be their favorite?

She’s like something on the lighter side like Sprite.

26. What do they want more than anything?

To be free without any more worries to weigh her down. To be able to trust herself.

27. What is their fatal flaw?

Her self-doubt and fear of herself.

28. What Greek God would they be most like?

Either Athena because wisdom, or Selene because the moon.

29. Who do they look the most up to?

Right now, probably Talia. She’s basically everything Reyelle wishes she could be.

30 .If they had to pick between their best friend or significant other, who would they pick?

She doesn’t have a significant other currently, but she’d never be able to pick between her best friend and Talia, if it came down to it. Joke’s on whoever forces this choice on her, though— soon enough Talia will be both her best friend and girlfriend.

#reyelle liadon #eyes of eutaria #dungeons and dragons #my characters #eternalflamebabee

[lovebunnie]

nick carraway and jay gatsby are both gay and heres why

its 11:30 at night and i have class tomorrow but ive been itching to make this post for about a week so im gonna do it. this wont be centered as much around jay and nick being in LOVE, since id have to read and analyze it a bit more to make honest to god claims and opinions for that, but these r some of the reasons that point to both of these characters being completely gay. also, im going to be issuing some points from others sources, but ill include links to the original texts which i recommend reading!

1

so the great gatsby was written in 1925, a time full of alcohol, financial bliss, and parties like u would not believe. many of these themes are prevalent in the novel, making themselves known all throughout. even the term ‘gatsby-like’ is extremely well known. needless to say, this book is extremely well known in every front. one of the ones i saw the most was calling the great gatsby ‘the greatest love story ever written.’ and before i read the novel myself, i wouldnt have been able to tell u any different. but when u read it, and really, how u analyze it, really shapes how u see the characters. to some people, it really could be an amazing love story. but to me, this story is written about someone obsessed with a facade, denying himself who he is, and a man who watches his downfall and can do nothing to stop him.

one very important thing to acknowledge is how this novel is told: its told completely in nicks perspective. we only know how he feels, we only know these characters based on how nick sees them. it is immediately biased towards nick. and what he does is describe a hell of a lot of people. but it is very distinctive in the way he does it; men and women are very differently described.

nick describes daisy in her voice and the power it has over people. all of nicks flowery language goes into daisys speech, but not in great length about what daisy looked like. with jordan, nick does a bit more describing in the way she is ‘small-breasted’ and had the ‘shoulders of a young cadet.’ these traits are masculine, and we know from the novel that nick does enjoy jordans company and he does say he ‘enjoys looking at her.’ hell, even the name ‘jordan’ is traditionally masculine. nick sees jordan leaning more towards masculinity than femininity. but even still, the flowery language is not as grand as it could be, not as we know nick can get.

its when nick is describing men that things get bold and expressive. even while describing tom does nick go into great and intimate length with him;  ‘ He had changed since his Haven years. Now he was a sturdy straw haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward. Not even the effeminate swank of his riding boots could hide the enormous power of that body he seemed to fill those glistening boots until he strained the top lacing, and you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat. It was a body capable of enormous leverage -- a cruel body’ the author of this paper literally said this passage ‘pulses with sexual energy,’ and this is for a character nick doesnt even like. it obviously means more in the way nick describes him, has more heart and passion put into it.

and now gatsby, who nick, in the final chapters, dwells on even more. we know gatsby is attractive, that much we can tell without nick even really having to describe him. but even in a single paragraph about his smile does it provoke more feeling than anything else about daisy or jordan;  ‘ He smiled understandingly-- much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you might come across four or five times in your life. It faced --or seemed to face-- the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.’

like. damn nick. this is only about gatsbys smile. this was no accident or cruel twist of fate; nick is enamored with jay and obviously finds him attractive and also enjoys looking at him, like jordan. nick sees men and women differently. this could be chocked up to ‘it was the olden days’ and ‘sexism,’ but nick isnt rude to these women, nick is simply not interested in them, at all.

but how do we know nick is gay? wheres the textual proof? its written out word for word, you just have to know where to look. and where to look is at the very end of chapter 2.

so chapter 2 does a lot for the plot; it basically introduces nick to the life these people live and makes him see how unappealing it is. we meet a large cast of characters and expand on others, like myrtle, her sister, and most importantly to the subject of nicks sexuality, mr. mckee.

mr. mckee is described as a ‘pale feminine man’ and nick offhandedly describes the smudge of shaving cream on his cheek. weird right? later in the night, nick describes himself as ‘ Taking out my handkerchief I wiped from his cheek the remains of the spot of dried lather that had worried me all the afternoon.’ nick has been LOOKING at this married man all night and cleaned him up when he was messy like come ON. plus, a ‘pale feminine man’ could very easily be a stereotype of a gay man, especially in the 1920s.

but then comes the most important part about nicks sexuality in the entire book: the ellipses.

the great gatsby is relatively short, only about 200 pages or so, give or take. fitzgerald would not include anything he wouldnt need, as he is also an expert in metaphors and making things seem as they are not. everything is masterfully placed and paced, making it seem to flow like water. 

the scene in question describes mr. mckee and nick on an elevator, leaving the party. mr. mckee walked out, leaving his wife, and nick decided to follow. heres the scene:

Come to lunch some day,” he suggested, as we groaned down in the elevator.

“Where?”

“Anywhere.”

“Keep your hands off the lever,” snapped the elevator boy.

“I beg your pardon,” said Mr. McKee with dignity, “I didn’t know I was touching it.”

“All right,” I agreed, “I’ll be glad to.”

. . . I was standing beside his bed and he was sitting up between the sheets, clad in his underwear, with a great portfolio in his hands.

“Beauty and the Beast . . . Loneliness . . . Old Grocery Horse . . . Brook’n Bridge. . . . ”

Then I was lying half asleep in the cold lower level of the Pennsylvania Station, staring at the morning Tribune, and waiting for the four o’clock train.

LIKE. WHAT.

those ellipses separate the time between nick and mr. mckee on the elevator and nick and mckee at his home, with one in underwear and then nick leaving for the train at 4am. there is a large gap of time missing from this, and nick decided to leave it out while fitzgerald decided to keep it in. it means something, and the use of ellipses gives the audience enough to know what is happening without explicitly telling them. it is the authors ‘wink wink nudge nudge’ to the audience. think of the environment nick was in; tom was cheating with myrtle, the heavy metaphor of the eyes watching over the sins we think no one can see. this party was full of mischief and nick fucked a married man.

mckee does not seem intoxicated, he invites nick out to lunch while gripping the elevator handle, which are always objects shaped like dicks. plus in the novel, the scene does feel somewhat out of place; nick does not spend too much time discussing the interactions between mckee and himself, it seems thrown in. i get the impression that nick almost didnt want to include it it his writing, and put it in last minute. however, nick is fictional and i dont have much to go on off from an almost 100 year old book. its open to personal interpretation, but it seems like nick and mckee had sex and nick left on the 4am train, leaving mckee in his underwear at his own home looking through his pictures.

even at the beginning of the novel, nick is planning on living in a house with another man before the plan falls through and he goes to washington dc. could this be a failed boyfriend? we cant say. but it is a possibility.

nick carraway ends the novel mourning his friend jay gatsby, moving back to the midwest alone and away from the glitz and glam of new york. his ending does not involve getting married and having kids and riding off into the sunset, which seems bittersweet for our narrator. however, given the way things planned out for other characters, this is the best ending we could hope for for nick, one away from the destruction and one where he can at least begin to to to be happy again.

and now we move onto jay.

ill admit, this has little to do with textual evidence; i cant point out a place where jay fucks a dude or describe the way jay sees men and women; with nick being our narrator, again, he only know his perspective. but we do hear things about jay from other characters, how he acts and acted before nick and the type of man he is.

wolfshiem describes jay as ‘ very careful about women. He would never so much as look at a friend’s wife.’ this means that jay knows women and knows when to back off, never advancing on someone he had no claim to. this is very important to me for several reasons.

1. it implies jay is not a cheater

2. it implies jay has been around enough women to know who is who

3. it shows jay is respectful

this also says to me that jay is not bi; he only has eyes for daisy, and not other woman. and those eyes for daisy are questionable.

we know daisy and jay had last seen each other 5 years prior to the events of the novel. in that time, jay had collected numerous things about daisy, built a house just so he could see her, and blew thousands of dollars every weekend for parties in hope that daisy would show up, even obtaining money illegally just to impress daisy.

jay gatsby is obsessed with daisy.

this is obvious from the text, the behaviors he puts forward are strange and creepy in pursuit of daisy. gatsby stares longingly out the window, cant hold a conversation with nick, and flat out bolts out of a restaurant to avoid embarrassment. he is an awkward guy, no doubt. and he lives his life as trying to be someone else, specifically, the man he thinks daisy wants from 5 years ago. when the car crashes with myrtle, all gatsby cares about is how daisy feels; when hes literally about to get ganked all he thinks about is daisy, daisy daisy daisy.

this isnt love, and i think deep down, jay knows it. this is the equivalent of dudebros who go above and beyond to prove they arent gay but end up the most gay of them all. gatsby is compensating for his feelings and trying to push the limit to deny himself more and hide back into the closet. he wants to seem the most manly he can get and basically say ‘wow i love women! i love women so much! look what i did for this woman! look at how much i love her!’

daisy is the first person jay felt he could be himself around, could begin to feel happy. and when he went to war, he no longer had something to push all his feelings onto. plus he was surrounded by other men, and for someone so in denial about their own sexuality, it probably drives them to pretty bad places. pretty obsessive places. he needs daisy, not because he loves her, but because he needs to security blanket. he needs to feel validated.

those glaces and stares out at nick feel like cracks of the real jay poking through, one who likes men but cannot admit it to himself. after all, as a man so attached and desperate for the ‘american dream,’ back in the 1920s, that did not include marrying a man. jay lives with internalized homophobia and tries to calm his nerves with his pretend love of daisy.

i could go on and on about this forever but its 12:30 and i have class.

if u take nothing from this, let me leave u with these main bullets:

TL;DR

nick fucked a dude

nick describes men erotically while he describes women very dully

nick almost lived with another man

jay is obsessed with daisy to repress his emotions

the separation and wartime made things worse for him

his internalized homophobia causes the plot

his longing stares out the window at nick are cracks in his facade

ty and goodnight

#space.txt #the great gatsby #natsby #jay gatsby #nick carraway #I SPENT AN HOUR ON THIS #YALL #idc if no one reads this i had fun writing it #ut yeah nick fucked a dude confirmed

[the-noodle-king]

G&M How would they Introduce or Describe each other? What is their Goal/Goals? Do they have any (other) Nicknames or Titles? How did they earn them? How do they feel about them? Do they have any Tattoos? Do they have any special Meaning? What are their Hobbies? What Element would they Bend in ATLA? What is their favourite Fashion Style? If they had a Legendary/Epic Skin for Halloween, What would it be? Where did they Grow Up? What was it like for them Growing Up? What’s their Base like

How would they Introduce or Describe each other? 

Grunt (Imitating Muscle): “Super Tall, Ultra Strong, Always Stoic Muscle Is Here To Glare All Your Problems Away!”

Muscle (Imitating Grunt): “Uh, I’m Grunt, And I’ll Uh, Talk a Lot, and Um, Kiss Good- Babe I can’t Do This”

Grunt: “Noah’s always been a big softie, ever since we were kids. He puts on a great ‘tough guy’ act, bein’ tall an’ broad an’ all, and he’s really good at looking right through ya like he’s thinkin’ about doing something terrible to ya, even though really he’s just thinkin’ about lunch or petting kittens or something. Actually it’d probably be puppies. He loves dogs, big ones especially, when he was real little- before we even met, I think when he lived in Michigan? Anyway yeah when he lived in Michigan his family had this HUGE st bernard and when they moved to- Huh? Oh sorry off topic, anyway, Noah! Yeah big softie, you know I’d say he couldn’t hurt a fly but for the whole, you know, mercenary thing.”

Muscle: “Marino? Oh well he’s... He’s, y’know... Fuck, uh what was the question? Describe Marino, right, right uh... Well he’s Marino. He’s like a forest fire. Like this big, raging inferno, bright and- *Cough* And hot, and, and uh... Shit I forgot what I was gonna say. He uh, he takes my breath away, haha! And my words. I remember when we first met, he was so loud and rowdy and scrappy... He beat up three kids bigger ‘an I was, first thing I though was ‘Wow I’d better steer clear of that kid’, and then he came right up to me, split lip, bloody knuckles, and he says “Sup”. First time I brought him ‘round my house I think my Ma blew a blood vessel in her neck... Oh sorry, I uh, trailed off there... What was the uh...”

What is their Goal/Goals? 

If you asked them I think their heads would explode. Neither of them has any clue what they want in the future. The only thing Muscle wanted as a kid was to escape his Ma and live his life for himself, and the only thing Marino ever set his heart on was Muscle. Running away together, becoming mercenaries, living their lives moment to moment... Is as far as either of them ever really got in the ‘life goals’ department.

Grunt: “Goal 1... Is figure out Goal 2!”

Do they have any other Nicknames or Titles? How did they earn them? How do they feel about them? 

When Marino was a kid he got dubbed Marino Matón, because he got in a lot of fights. He got called a lot less pleasant stuff too. Back when he was a kid he kinda liked the nicknames, the reputation, but nowadays if someone tried to call him Matón, he’d probably break their nose.

Noah on the other hand, spent the first 15 years of his life extremely blended into the background. He was very quiet, well behaved, didn’t excel at any of his studies but did well enough to glide by completely unnoticed. When his Ma got a promotion and they moved clean across the country from Michigan to SoCal, he didn’t even have any friends to miss, or miss him back. So off the radar only a handful of people (mainly teachers) even noticed when he didn’t come back to school one semester. When he started hanging out with Marino though... Well, he collected a few nicknames here and there, but nothing that really stuck. ‘Stretch’ was popular the year he shot up to 6ft.

Do they have any Tattoos? Do they have any special Meaning? 

Marino has a couple of tattoos, one behind his right shoulder of a red baby dragon, it was his first tattoo that he got on his 16th birthday, and he picked it because he liked it (and also maybe because Noah pointed it out?). He has another on his left thigh which is a little more complex, with a detailed ring running around it, and some tribal-spiked type patterns running down the outer side and finishing in a point above his knee, all in black. He decided to get it in solidarity with Noah getting his first tattoo. And finally he got Noah’s name with a little heart next to it on the left side of his chest, over his heart.

Noah went with Marino when he got his first tattoo on his 16th, but couldn’t psych himself up enough to get one too, then when Noah himself turned 21 he decided on something he wanted, getting a thick rainbow band around his right upper arm. A few years later he and Marino got each others names over their hearts, as something a little more quiet and private than a proposal, or rings.

What are their Hobbies? 

When they’re ‘on the job’ so to speak, hired for this or that but not actually in the field, Marino likes to practice in shooting ranges or tinker with his gear, and Noah finds assembling and disassembling his shotgun relaxing.

Off the job however, they both like to read, although Noah is more of a science papers, wildlife studies and gritty sci-fi/crime fiction novels kinda guy, and Marino is more of an extra trashy romance novelettes and ‘Ooo this one has dragons who can turn into hot guys in it’ medium quality high-fantasy novels kinda guy.

Marino also likes to play sports, mostly football and basketball, but Noah turned him onto tennis. Noah himself on the other hand really prefers to watch sports rather than play, particularly ice hockey; Marino once surprised him with tickets to a Michigan Wolverines game and he was extremely grateful.

What Elements would they Bend in ATLA? 

Earth and Air, specifically, Marino would bend Earth and Noah would bend Air, and people who tried to fight them would always get caught off guard by it, expecting the big guy to lug a rock at them and suddenly having the little one burst clean out of the ground.

What is their favourite Fashion Style? 

Marino likes to dress comfortably, but also look cool, but also like he’s not trying to look cool, but also also not like he’s not not trying like he still looks put together but-

Noah likes sweaters.

If they had a Legendary/Epic Skin for Halloween, What would it be? 

Legendary skin, Donnie & Clyde, 1920′s and 30′s aesthetics, classical mobster looks, Grunt has a hat, Muscle’s hair is slicked back, their guns are Tommy-Gun-esque, it’s just full of pulpy anachronisms. One of the more Halloween-Costume type skins rather than them actually being monsters or such.

Where did they Grow Up? 

Noah mostly grew up in Detroit, Michigan, before he moved to to San Diego, Southern California, where Marino grew up.

What was it like for them Growing Up? 

Marino grew up with 2 older sisters, a much older brother and a decently younger sister, his mother, her wife (Who he never really took to calling step-mom, so she was just Lucille), and the occasional visit from his dad and his partner of the month. He was a happy kid until about 5 or 6, then he started to get bullied pretty bad. He would defend himself, then get in trouble for it, then he’d get bullied more, he’d defend himself, and so on. By the time he was 10 he had a ‘reputation’ as a problem child with a bad temper who liked to fight. 1 out of 3, he did like to fight. If he was going to get treated like dirt and punished for it no matter what happened, he figured the other guys might as well lose some teeth.

Noah on the other hand grew up more or less alone. No siblings, an aunt he never met, his Ma, a dad without a name or face left in any photos, and a grandfather he got dumped on for the summer. He can’t remember being happy before he met Marino. Can’t remember a lot of his childhood actually. Doesn’t like to get into the parts he can.

When Marino decided he and this tall, stiff new kid were going to be friends, it shook Noah’s world to the core, he changed almost over night. Marino taught Noah to stand up for himself, and Noah taught Marino he didn’t have to fight alone.

What’s their Home/Base like?

The main problem with being transitory mercenaries is, well, not really having a place to call home, or even to call base reliably.

Some jobs they get set up in barracks, others a motel. If they get a real cushy bodyguarding job maybe an actual hotel room. In between jobs they tend to find somewhere out of the way to rent. Noah likes when they stay somewhere further out in the countryside, Marino prefers inner city apartments, and they take turns choosing where they stay to keep it fresh.

#Grunt & Muscle #Ask #invidiareign

[zackandlisainthailand]

Russian Dolls On Motorbike

Day 3 (part 1)

The traffic in Bangkok is insane. Motorcycles everywhere, zigzagging past pickup trucks that have been converted into makeshift trollys. The truck/trolleys are called songthaews (“two rows”), because of the number of benches inside their truck beds. Locals call them rot si daeng though, which translates to “red cars”, on account of their typical color.

Usually, red cars are packed to the brim with passengers. Seat belts are a rarity, and if the truck bed is full, people balance on a rickety metal platform attached to the tail of the truck, which hovers a foot above the road. For saftey, you can lean your back against an iron pole fastened to the roof of the truck, like these guys below.

Over and over, we’ve seen motorcycles driven by grandmothers, or packed with entire families — husband driving, wife seated behind, baby dangling from her arm, while a second child, slightly older, stands squished between the dad and the handle bars. They look like a row of Russian nesting dolls, each behind the other, increasing in height.

(Here’s a photo we snapped yesterday of a three-person family riding a scooter up a mountain. Imagine the husband is holding an additional kid and you’ve got a good idea of what I’m talking about.)

It gives me vertigo just thinking about riding a motorcycle like that.

All in all, Bangkok was exciting, but too much. Too loud and smoggy. Too tall and packed. The city stretches on and on, like if midtown Manhattan had wider streets, a bit more space, and decided to never end. Bangkok is a city that’s replaced charm with concrete. Happy to be moving on.

—

This morning we’re heading to Chiang Mai, a medium-sized city in the northern region of Thailand. (We heard a comparison to Boston on account of its size and comparatively laid-back atmosphere).

Much of Thailand’s modern culture stems from the north. Until the 18th century, northern Thailand was actually a totally separate country known as the Lanna Kingdom.

Due to multiple annexations and conquerings (mostly by Burma), what was once Lanna is today part of Myanmar, Laos, China, and most notably, Thailand. Lanna became an official part of Siam (AKA, Thailand) in 1920, and for the majority of Lanna’s existence, Chaing Mai was its capital.

Excited to see the modern-day echoes of this ancient, semi-Thailand.

—

Our hotel flagged us a taxi at 6:30 am. Driver had a winning smile, spoke next to no English, and drove like a lunatic.

Bangkok highways are equipped with shoulders — a place where drivers in trouble can pull over safely. Only, everyone in Thailand treats these like an extra lane.

Our driver wizzed past bumper-to-bumper traffic, 80% on the shoulder, 20% over the left-most lane. The car’s engine roared and — eyes wide, biting her bottom lip — Lisa gripped my hand.

I peaked at the speedometer. The needle pushed toward 140 kilometers per hour. I checked later. This is about 85 miles per hour. On a crowded morning highway.

***

When I was 14, I took a short road trip with older friends. Both had just turned 16 and recently passed their drivers tests. One of these kids, Josh, I knew well. His friend I’d never met before.

The friend I didn’t know did most of the driving and most of the talking. I sat quietly in the back seat, head poking through the gap between the front two seats, contributing occasional snippets of conversation, trying to sound older that I was.

What monopolized most of my time on that drive though was watching the speedometer, which crept closer to 90 miles per hour. Then to 95. Then briefly over 100.

I white-knuckled my seatbelt, pretended I was totally cool with the rate at which we rocketed past Saturday-afternoon drivers, and thought vaguely to myself, “This might be how I die. Huh.”

The driver of the car went by the nickname, “Skull.”

***

I hadn’t thought about Skull or that car ride in years. But it popped into my mind as Lisa and I, buzzing with sleep deprivation and an unspoken case of “I’m cool with this if you are”, zipped down the highway at Tokyo-drift speed.

But, we made it to the airport in record time, and no one died! Thailand!

If you look closely, you can see our driver’s cracked front window above. Skull would be proud.

—

These are Nok Air flight attendants at Don Mueang International Airport. See if you can guess what color their logo is.

These are pastries in the shape of a bear.

This is Snail White, a popular whitening cream in Thailand made of real snail! The cream is hydrating and, supposedly, makes your skin-tone lighter.

Light skin tone is coveted around Asia, which, I won’t lie, feels a little icky. Snail White is advertised EVERYWHERE in Thailand.

These are beauty products showcasing exclusively asian models. Realized I’ve never — or very rarely — seen that in the states.

And this is a woman achieving a foundational level of nirvana from her bucket of KFC. Turns out Thais love KFC.

This is a handicap-accessible urinal.

And this is the nose of our Nok Air plane, which is shaped like a beak.

This place is weird, like America filtered through a fun house mirror. Most of the touchstones surrounding us are recognizable, but slightly odd.

A KFC where “Kentucky” is replaced by “Koh Phangan.” 7 Elevens that stock delicious pastries, liquor, and groceries instead of cheap staples.

Walking past these stores and through these cities is a mild out-of-body experience. Like dreaming about something familiar.

#bangkok #thailand #traffic #travel #motorcycle #songthaews

[thewitchofseacliff]

*The Old Haunted Graveyard* Let me go back in time to tell you why I originally started visiting the old haunted graveyard. It all started when I decided to try making "Ghost Water" something I'd never done before. 🌜*Ghost Water vs. Blessed Water*🌛
This is a fairly long read but important if you ever wish to make Ghost Water or attempt at working with Spirits. 👻 What Can and Did Go Wrong With Collecting Spirits in a Bottle…my thoughts about my experience with using ghost water. Procedure:
🌜First I made Moon Water🌛
How I make Moon Water:
I charged spring water under the moonlight, added fresh rose petals and a little bit of 80% alcohol to keep the petals fresh. The bottles are from IKEA. *NOTE: disregard the black marks on the top portion of the bottles…it is black chalk paint that has worn off through numerous washings* *🌚*The bottles of water are left outside under the moonlight for one entire night to charge.🌚* *I blessed the water by saying an incantation over the bottled water and smudged them with incense.* *🌞*Here’s the fun part!🌞* *
At Midnight on the Night Before the Full Moon:* *
I took a bottle of Blessed Moon Water to an old graveyard near my house.👻👻👻* *I placed the bottle on an old grave (The person died in 1920).* *I put rosary beads around the bottle and a crossbones amulet leaning against the jar so that I would conjure up a good Spirit. I left the jar open so that a spirit could enter.* *I then lit a candle, some patchouli incense, said an incantation over it to invite a spirit to enter the water. (I extinguished the candle before I left)* *I picked the water up a few hours later (at 4:44 AM) just before dawn of the Summer Solstice.* *I was thrilled and excited but should have been cautious when I saw that the bones looked like they had been thrown away from the bottle. (The grave has a large granite monument laying over it). I found the crossbones at the top of the monument while the bottle was at the foot of the grave.* *My husband was waiting in the ‘get away car’ I told him what happened with the crossbones and then also noticed that the water was all dirty. (See the photo above: you can see how dirty the ghost water is only from 4 hours forty four minutes of the bottle being left open). I have left plenty of bottles and bowls opened all night long and never have they been dirty the next day.* **I commented to my husband that I hoped this didn’t mean I had a bad spirit enter the bottle. I knew instinctively that this was going to be a bad spirit, but used the ghost water anyway.* *⭐️*Stupid on my part, I should know better!* **I would NOT recommend using bad Spirit water. Here’s why:* *🔮My intent for using Ghost Water was to conjure a spirit that would help me during my Scrying session with my Crystal ball, to receive otherworldly information.🔮* *I was hoping to gain information on either who the spirit was, or if they had advice for me, or any information for new spell work.* *In particular, I asked that Theodore Roosevelt and New Orlean’s Voodoo Priestess Marie Laveau come through (they have both come forward in past Scrying sessions). ** **The night of the full moon landed on Summer Solstice this year (June 20, 2016). I had been waiting excitedly for this full moon as I knew it would be extremely powerful.* *I made three spells on that night. One of them was to conjure Spirits.* *I poured the Ghost Water in a bowl and added a few pinches of Sage from 1920 that I had purchased in an antique store.* *I also put some ghost water on my 3 Crystal Balls.* *I took a 'Spirit bath’ at the beach right before my spells and Scrying session.* *👻🌜*Results:*🌛👻
The first thing that happened was when I was invoking the Spirits, the sage started to move around the bowl of Ghost Water. It formed the initials FU. I was miffed at this thinking “no, that’s not a "fuck you" being directed at me!”* *Then my usually active Scrying session went very quiet. I was seeing horrible evil looking images in my crystal ball, but no messages for me.* *I had quickly gotten a glimpse of Theodore Roosevelt (I live near to where he lived and was buried and have dirt from his grave). ** **I saw Madame Laveau, and got a glimpse of Frida Kahlo (I am an artist an especially feel a kindredness with Frida) in my small Crystal ball as well.* **I felt the Ghost Water Spirit was taunting me, showing me the people I wished to scry with but it was blocking them from speaking.* *I also started feeling nauseous and had terrible stomach pains. I persisted though because I had waited all month for this session.* NOTHING!!!! All I received in messages was this spirits contempt for me. It was not going to give me any information whatsoever. *It was also trying its best to frighten me as well.* I am not easily frightened and have dealt with bad spirits before so I said “keep up with your Halloween antics, I’m not afraid!" The lights went out in the neighbors houses and I was in complete darkness in my backyard except for my candles. The screen door on my house kept blowing open, there was rustling noises in the bushes, and other odd sounds. The wind would blow up suddenly almost putting my candles out. I was feeling very tired and sick. It was now 2:30 am and still no messages for me, only an evil looking young man with glowing red eyes and tongue like a snake sticking out at me sometimes in my large Crystal ball. I was tired and wanted to finish my session but was waiting for one last candle to burn out from my spells. I couldn’t finish the spell until it extinguished itself. The candle was completely melted but that last flame would not go out. I felt the spirit was trying to ruin my spells and also worry and tire me out. **I cleaned up my spell area waiting for the candle to finally blow out. ** **I knew I needed to get rid of the Ghost Water. Someplace away from my house or the bad spirit might follow me inside.* *I took the water up the street and dumped it under a rose bush and prayed that the bad spirit return to the place from which it came.* *On my walk home the wind was blowing wildly, it was eerily dark, an all black cat ran across my path. I laughed at the antics again because I love black cats.* *When I got home the lone candle was still burning. I blew it out.* *🌟🌙*Words to the Wise:*🌙⭐️
Listen to your intuition, if you feel the Ghost Water is a bad spirit…DONT USE IT!* *~DO NOT TRY MAKING GHOST WATER IF YOU ARE NEW TO WITCHCRAFT AND/OR CONJURING SPIRITS~* *I have been practicing witchcraft, divination, working with Spirits for over 15 years, I still make mistakes, still play with fire often….it’s simply not worth it.* *It’s fun running around graveyards at midnight, absolutely exhilarating! Downside is that if you don’t know how to handle spirits or are weak in powers, those nasties can do harm.* **My Advice for working with Spirits:*👳🏽* *
•Build up your powers in focusing your intentions and directing energy.* *•Always ground and protect yourself in meditation before attempting using Ghost Water, conjuring Spirits or Scrying.* *•Make friends with a kickass deity. Having protectors in the otherworld is your best bet. Call upon one to protect you in all spirit practices and witchcraft.* **I have a few powerful friends:* Selket( Egyptian Scorpion Goddess because I am a Scorpio) Bast (Egyptian Cat Goddess who protects women and children), Anput (wife of Anubis reigning over Funeral rights and the dead) and Sehkmet (Lioness Goddess, the fiercest hunter known to the Egyptians). Ask an ancient one to protect and guide you before spirit work. I really believe they have protected me from ever experiencing any truly harmful consequences. •Protect your home and family from bad Spirits or entities. •Use tools of protection along with Deities. Amulets, pentagrams, Sigils, crosses, garlic and salt. •READ! Gather as much information as you can from books, other people and the Internet. Knowledge is a mighty sword! *Blessings to all you witches and paranormal investigators out there! May you always be safe and divinely protected* #theoldhauntedgraveyard #paranormal #witch #psychic #ghosts #hauntings

#the witch of sea cliff #the old haunted graveyard

[danielletimmons]

What the heck am I, anyway?

I’m like that drab sort-a gray that occurs when two colors mix. I’m neither black nor white. I’m like this great flavor that’s been watered down with another ingredient so you’re not really sure exactly what the taste profile is.  For years, I’ve struggled to understand my identity.   My father is 100% Italian, and my mom is 100% Puerto Rican. Both cultures permeate strength -- mentally, physically and through characteristics.  And my sister and I land squarely in the middle of these two culture clashing. As a child growing up in this mixed home, I always felt the push/pull of both sides of the family – equally jockeying to dominate the other.  Both grandmothers were the backbone of their families (physically and emotionally); both had family-centric cultures with plenty of cousins and extended families to love and love me in return; both shared a strong love for their native cultures; and both had wonderful cuisines that would envelop our home.

My Italian grandparents have interesting stories. My grandmother (or Nonna in Italian), was northern Italian and hailed from a small town (and I mean really small because I’ve actually been there) outside of Pisa called Vicopisano.  Her parents were both Italian immigrants, and even though she was born in America in 1911, she had traveled by ship with her two older sisters to visit her grandmother in Vicopisano when she was just 2 years old. But World War One broke out, and forced her and his sisters to live with their grandmother in this small, poor town for seven years. That’s seven years without her parents, who went on to have plenty of kids in America while she lived in Italy. And that’s seven years of getting a fig or orange in her stocking for Christmas. That’s seven years of dipping bread into 1 egg yolk for breakfast, which she had to split with her sisters.  That’s seven years of having to draw water from a well and walking the bucket up and down the hills of Vicopisano, while wearing shoes made of wood.   When finally she could safely make the journey across the Atlantic back to America, she sobbed as they dragged her away from her grandmother – the only mother she really knew and as the story unfolded, the only mother she would ever truly love who loved her unconditionally. She came to this country as an American citizen but couldn’t speak or write in English.  And although a citizen, she was forced to endure the hardships as so many before her, sailing into Ellis Island. When she entered the school system, she was called a Whop and a Dago and profusely made fun of because of her accent. Yet she was a citizen.

My Italian grandfather (or Nonno), was quite different from the woman he was destined to marry. His parents were immigrants from the island of Sicily, and he was born on American soil. He was without question an American with little Italian accent.  In fact, I’m not sure he could speak Italian because I seldom heard him speak it. Let’s say he didn’t seem to speak it as fluently as my grandmother. His parents were poor but seeded in him a deep, religious faith to be grateful to God for everything.  In his heart, he wanted to be a priest. It was his passion. But the Catholic Church in the 1920s was different than today.  While attending school to become a priest, he was dismissed when the Church uncovered he was, in fact, a bastard. His parents had immigrated to America as a married couple but never actually got married because my great grandfather was legally married to someone else in Italy when he left.  Talk about the sins of the father affecting the children... I also find it fascinating the Church was tremendously successful at tracking down my grandfather’s lineage – which is pretty good in 1920s --but couldn’t/wouldn’t piece together the decades of sexual abuse children sustained at the hands of priests who were no better than animals.  After receiving the crushing blow, my Nonno opted to attend school to become a bookkeeper, which earned him a nice living.  He went on to meet my grandmother and asked for her hand in marriage. My grandmother’s father and mother, however, said no because they considered my wonderful grandfather a dirty Sicilian. A man, who’s first love was Christ, was deemed not worthy to marry my grandmother. It boggles my mind. It seems times really haven’t changed that much when you think about it.  But my grandparents went on to get married without her parents in attendance at the wedding.   And my grandfather became devoted in service to a local Catholic Church in Richmond. In fact, he spent so much time at the church that my grandmother grew to hate and despise that church. Jealous much, Nonna? The Church was, after all, his first love.

Their story ends when my grandmother died unexpectedly on 12/31/2003 and my grandfather, who was very sick, died 1/1/2004 – different decade, less than 18 hours a part. That’s what real love looks like, folks – 67 years of enduring good and bad times but hanging in there to get the sweet fruit at the end.

That’s 50% of me.

The other 50% is just as complicated and fascinating.  My Puerto Rican grandmother (or Nana as I called her), has such a complicated past that I could write a novel about it. I’ve always thought of her as our family’s strong matriarch yet that were something fragile about her.  She was born in Puerto Rico, but her parents were immigrants from Spain.  Although I’ve always considered her Puerto Rican, she had different physical characteristics than other Puerto Ricans I’ve met that I could never quite figure out. She had 1 failed marriage that resulted in two beautiful girls, whom she had to give up when she left the abusive man, who was also a local police man.  Times were different in Puerto Rico in the 1920s and 30s. I don’t think they had a strong internal affairs department.  She went on to meet my grandfather, whom she fell madly in love with. She gave him 3 children, including my mom. My Nana, who thankfully passed on her ability to cook amazing Puerto Rican food to my mom, couldn’t speak much English. In fact, she was very shy around new people because she was never confident about her skills to speak English.  She didn’t say much, but when she spoke, they were always powerful words that spoke to your heart.  She suffered from congestive heart failure and rheumatoid arthritis. I don’t think she weighed 100 lbs soaking wet.  Nana was always calm, pure and genuine. I only saw her cry once. It’s when she told me the story of having to give up her two girls to save her own life.

My grandfather (or Papi) is another interesting figure with a checkered past. Although there’s some question about his lineage, based on my mother’s research through Ancestry.com, it looks like he may have been part Taino Indian (native to Puerto Rico) and part African American (a legacy from the slave trade back in the 1700/1800s). Like my grandmother, he too had been married and had 2 boys with his first wife. When they divorced, he took his boys, met my grandmother, and they got married.  My grandfather was in the military, so he was transferred from base to base all across the world, taking his family with him. He served in 2 wars, including World War II and Korea.  He died when I was only 10 years old, so I have little memories of him. But of the few I do have, he could make anything; he could fix anything; and he had a green thumb. This can also describe my mother to a tee.  Genetics are strong and undeniable.  He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, he commanded respect. I can still hear him telling me in a firm and gruff voice to “Opaga la luz!” when I left a room – translation – “Turn off the light.”  He loved his beer and his cigarettes, which eventually caught up to him in the end.  He was the dominate force in my mother’s house growing up, but when he died, my grandmother found her voice.  She stepped into the role of matriarch like one steps into a new pair of comfortable shoes.  

So am I more Italian? Or am I more Puerto Rican? How do I fill out those damn surveys and applications when it asks for my race?  Am I Caucasian or Hispanic?  And am I American?  My mother preached to me growing up that not a drop of American blood courses through our veins. She took great pride that her offspring weren’t American.

You can see why I’ve lived in a confused hybrid state.  As I get older, I reflect on my ancestry and find myself less focused on which nationality I am reflective of (Italian, Puerto Rican, American) and more focused on the pride I feel that I confidently know all three cultures are deep down in my core.  The truth is some days, I look, feel and act more Italian; the next day, I look, feel and act more Puerto Rican, and the third day I find myself firmly entrenched in American cultures.  Although I know I’m a half-breed (I say very lovingly), I’m so incredibly proud of my roots, the cultures they each have, the stories each has imparted to me over the years and the tradition each culture carries. I rejoice in my ability to seamlessly cook Nonna’s rigatoni or my mother’s rice and beans. I celebrate those moments when my Puerto Rican temper gets the best of me when I need to defend my family member’s honor.  I secretly laugh when my Italian side comes through as I plot my silent revenge on someone who’s committed an atrocity against my family.  

Although the cultures that burst out of me are different, the 1 commonality they share that I most revere is their love of family.  Putting family first is the one constant tradition that my nationalities have taught me. It’s what my grandparents demonstrated over their lives, and it’s the one tradition I’ve seen come through strong with my sister, cousins and extended family.   In the end, it doesn’t really matter if I’m more Italian, more Puerto Rican or more American. The truth is I’m all three in equal parts. And I’d like to think I reflect the best of each culture.  The cultures infused in me have provided a wealth of tools I can use.  I just need to be smart enough to know when to pull out the tools as I ebb and flow through life.

#bicultural #mugbloodproud #confused #mutt

[everettwilkinson]

POLITICO Playbook: TRUMP takes to Pensacola to boost Roy Moore

REUTERS/GAZA: “Israeli strikes kill two Gaza gunmen, but anti-Trump protests subside”: “Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed two Palestinian gunmen on Saturday after rockets were fired from the enclave, in violence that erupted over President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.” http://reut.rs/2kLGlYF

— EGYPT’S Coptic pope and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas say they will not meet with Vice President Mike Pence on his upcoming trip to the region. AFP story from this morning http://bit.ly/2B2eBW9

Story Continued Below

Good Saturday morning. The winter’s first snow is beginning to fall in northwest Washington.

BANNER HEADLINE — PENSACOLA NEWS JOURNAL: “YOU WILL NEVER BE IGNORED AGAIN … Trump: Vote for Roy Moore in Alabama special election” http://bit.ly/2y9Zqol

OBAMA SPEAKS!, via CNN’s Miranda Green: “‘You have to tend to this garden of democracy, otherwise things can fall apart fairly quickly. And we’ve seen societies where that happens,’ Obama said at the Economic Club of Chicago on Tuesday, according to video of the event. ‘Now, presume there was a ballroom here in Vienna in the late 1920s or ‘30s that looked and seemed as if it, filled with the music and art and literature that was emerging, would continue into perpetuity. And then 60 million people died. An entire world was plunged into chaos,’ Obama said. ‘So you got to pay attention — and vote.’” http://cnn.it/2iKEMWS … Video http://bit.ly/2AHdYyV

**SUBSCRIBE to Playbook: http://politi.co/2ARWrD3

BUZZFEED’S JOHN HUDSON: “How Secret Talks With Russia to Prevent Election Meddling Collapsed”: “The Trump administration has rejected a sweeping Russian proposal seeking a mutual ban on foreign political interference, three senior U.S. administration officials tell BuzzFeed News. … Putin dispatched Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov to Washington for a July 17 meeting with Under Secretary Tom Shannon, the No. 3 official at the State Department. … [T]hree U.S. administration officials, including one inside the meeting, said Ryabkov handed over a document containing a bold proposal: A sweeping noninterference agreement between Moscow and Washington that would prohibit both governments from meddling in the other’s domestic politics.

“After examining the proposal, which has not previously been reported, U.S. officials told Moscow there would be no deal. ‘We said “thank you very much but now is not the time for this,”’ said a senior State Department official. … The decision to walk away from the offer could prove fateful. Signs of Russian meddling in foreign elections continue to flourish … The US official described the Russian proposal in historic terms, likening it to the 1933 accord between President Franklin Roosevelt and Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs Maxim Litvinov that ended 16 years of American nonrecognition of the Soviet Union in exchange for a pledge not to interfere in US politics.” http://bzfd.it/2B13LzX

BOMBSHELLS — AP’s JULIET LINDERMAN: “Ex-aide: Rep. Franks offered $5 million to carry his child”: “The former staffer said the Arizona congressman asked at least four times if she’d be willing to act as a surrogate in exchange for money. Franks, in his statement announcing his resignation, said he and his wife, who have struggled with infertility, have twins who were carried through surrogacy.

“The former aide said the conversations took place in private, sometimes in the congressman’s car, and that she repeatedly told him she wasn’t interested. She said she never filed a formal complaint because until recently she didn’t know where to go, but that his behavior had made her feel uncomfortable.

“The Associated Press verified the identity of the staffer and confirmed that she worked in Franks’ office. She asked that her name be withheld out of concern for her privacy. ‘During my time there, I was asked a few times to look over a ‘contract’ to carry his child, and if I would conceive his child, I would be given $5 million,’ she said, adding that she refused to look over the contract and has never seen a copy.” http://bit.ly/2BPnLlB

— FRANKS IS WORTH between $11.1 million and $55.25 million with most of his money in Trinity Petroleum stock, according to his most recent financial disclosure.

— RACHAEL BADE and JAKE SHERMAN: “Female aides fretted Franks wanted to have sex to impregnate them”: “Arizona Rep. Trent Franks allegedly made unwanted advances toward female staffers in his office and retaliated against one who rebuffed him, according to House GOP sources with knowledge of a complaint against him. …

“A former staffer also alleged that Franks tried to persuade a female aide that they were in love by having her read an article that described how a person knows they’re in love with someone, the sources said. One woman believed she was the subject of retribution after rebuffing Franks. While she enjoyed access to the congressman before the incident, that access was revoked afterward, she told Republican leaders.” http://politi.co/2khknZU

MORE FRANKS INTRIGUE — SETTING UP A SUPER PAC? — “Fox 9 confronts Rep. Franks before his immediate resignation,” by Tom Lyden of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Fox affiliate: “While in Washington D.C. covering the resignation of Senator Al Franken, our Fox 9 crew encountered a different lawmaker facing a controversy of his own. Outside their hotel room [at the Hotel Palomar], Fox 9 reporter Tom Lyden noticed Republican Congressman Trent Franks of Arizona speaking on his cell phone. … But listening in on his call, Fox 9 heard him talking to someone about getting $2 million to start a political action committee on the filibuster issue. Fox 9 then asked Franks about the exchange on camera.

“Tom Lyden: ‘You are still in office and I heard you on the phone talking about setting up a $2 million PAC to go after the issue of the filibuster, is that proper for you to be doing while your still in office?’ Congressman Franks: ‘Well, that’s something I’m not going to discuss.’ Lyden: ‘But I heard you on the phone talking about soliciting $2 million for a PAC while you’re still in office, that seems to be an ethics violation?’ Franks: ‘No, I don’t think so.’”4-min. video http://bit.ly/2B2SO0v

— ACTUALLY, yes, it wouldn’t only be an ethics violation, it would be illegal if he explicitly asked someone for $2 million while still serving in office. Sitting lawmakers can only solicit up to $5,000 for super PACs.

WHAT’S ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S MIND — @realDonaldTrump at 8:21 a.m.: “CNN’S slogan is CNN, THE MOST TRUSTED NAME IN NEWS. Everyone knows this is not true, that this could, in fact, be a fraud on the American Public. There are many outlets that are far more trusted than Fake News CNN. Their slogan should be CNN, THE LEAST TRUSTED NAME IN NEWS!” … at 8:02 a.m.: “Fake News CNN made a vicious and purposeful mistake yesterday. They were caught red handed, just like lonely Brian Ross at ABC News (who should be immediately fired for his ‘mistake’). Watch to see if @CNN fires those responsible, or was it just gross incompetence?”

… at 7:52 a.m.: “A big contingent of very enthusiastic Roy Moore fans at the rally last night. We can’t have a Pelosi/Schumer Liberal Democrat, Jones, in that important Alabama Senate seat. Need your vote to Make America Great Again! Jones will always vote against what we must do for our Country.”

****** A message from PhRMA: A medicine’s path from the biopharmaceutical company to the patient involves many entities across the supply chain. A new report examines how money flows through this system – which includes wholesalers, pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacies and insurers – and how that impacts what patients pay at the pharmacy. Read more. http://onphr.ma/2kgd6Nu ******

SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY — TRUMP GOES TO PENSACOLA AND GOES ALL IN FOR MOORE — “Trump says country ‘can’t afford’ to let Roy Moore lose,” by Alex Isenstadt in Pensacola, Florida and Henry C. Jackson: “It took him a while, but President Donald Trump eventually used a Friday-night rally to forcefully endorse Roy Moore, the embattled Alabama Republican running for the Senate. Trump framed the election of Moore — who has been accused of numerous episodes of inappropriate sexual behavior, including child molestation — as vital to the country’s interest, imploring Alabamians to ‘get out and vote for Roy Moore.’ ‘Do it,’ he added. ‘Do it.’ …

“As the race draws to a close, the White House is considering taking other steps to boost Moore, including flooding the state with robocalls, text messages and emails. While the president’s popularity has ebbed elsewhere, he remains overwhelmingly popular in conservative Alabama. The administration has reviewed polling that shows Moore with a narrow but steady lead — and is confident that he will win.” http://politi.co/2kO21DK

THE HOUSE GUYS who traveled with Trump: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.): “We’ve got an economy that’s growing and illegal immigration that’s slowing … We are draining the swamp and rebuilding our military.” … Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.): “This is a president that is facing unprecedented opposition from the Democrats, from the media, but I repeat myself… from the other swamp dwellers. … We need to enact term limits for members of Congress.”

— FOR THE RECORD: Gaetz’s father is Don Gaetz, the former president of the Florida Senate. DeSantis — a Yale grad who picked up a law degree from Harvard — is eyeing a race for governor after three terms in D.C.

TRUMP’S SATURDAY — Trump is headed to Jackson, Mississippi, to visit the Civil Rights Museum which he will get a tour of and also give remarks. He will then fly to West Palm Beach, Florida.

— FROM POOLER TODD GILLMAN: “The president’s motorcade pulled out of Mar-a-Lago at 8:57 a.m. in a light rain. It arrived at Air Force One at 9:09 in a Florida deluge whipped by wind. The tarmac covered in water. Pool is soaked. … The president is scheduled to be wheels up at 11:55, while the outdoor phase of the ceremony [at the Civil Rights Museum] is underway.”

IN CALIFORNIA — “Firefighters had to step aside as winds powered infernos,” by AP’s Julie Watson and Krysta Fauria in Fallbrook, California: “Firefighters in Southern California were on high alert for dangerous fire potential even before the first blazes broke out. But once flames met ferocious winds, fire crews were mostly powerless to stop infernos that destroyed more than 500 buildings, killed dozens of horses and forced hundreds of thousands of people to run from six out-of-control fires that have burned over 260 square miles since Monday. …

“Firefighters gained ground Friday, and some of the earliest evacuees who fled from flames Monday were being allowed to return home. Yet new fires were popping up, and danger persisted. Vegetation is bone dry, there’s been hardly any rainfall and winds were expected to gusts up to 40 mph Saturday and up to 50 mph Sunday in the Los Angeles and Ventura areas, the National Weather Service said.” http://bit.ly/2iJK2df

GREAT LEDE — “Trump calls Romney ‘a great man,’ but works to undermine him and block Senate run,” by WaPo’s Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey: “Before Ronna Romney McDaniel took over as Republican National Committee chairwoman earlier this year, President Trump had a request: Would she be willing to stop using her middle name publicly? Trump followed up by saying in a lighthearted way that McDaniel, the niece of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, could do what she wanted, according to two people familiar with the comments. But the change was soon plain for all to see. Though she had used her maiden name for years in Michigan, where her grandfather George W. Romney had been governor, McDaniel dropped ‘Romney’ from most official party communications and has rarely used it since.” http://wapo.st/2kGzU9d

NYT SCOOP — “F.B.I. Warned Hope Hicks About Emails From Russian Operatives,” by Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo: “F.B.I. officials warned one of President Trump’s top advisers, Hope Hicks, earlier this year about repeated attempts by Russian operatives to make contact with her during the presidential transition, according to people familiar with the events. The Russian outreach efforts show that, even after American intelligence agencies publicly accused Moscow of trying to influence the outcome of last year’s presidential election, Russian operatives were undaunted in their efforts to establish contacts with Mr. Trump’s advisers. There is no evidence that Ms. Hicks did anything improper. According to former officials, American intelligence and law enforcement agencies became alarmed by introductory emails that Ms. Hicks received from Russian government addresses in the weeks after Mr. Trump’s election.

“After he took office, senior F.B.I. counterintelligence agents met with Ms. Hicks in the White House Situation Room at least twice, gave her the names of the Russians who had contacted her, and said that they were not who they claimed to be. The F.B.I. was concerned that the emails to Ms. Hicks may have been part of a Russian intelligence operation, and they urged Ms. Hicks to be cautious.” http://nyti.ms/2AoIf8G

— “Trump’s Allies Urge Harder Line as Mueller Probe Heats Up,” by WSJ’s Peter Nicholas, Aruna Viswanatha and Erica Orden: “Republicans … point to Andrew Weissmann — a Mueller deputy who had applauded the Justice Department’s decision not to defend the initial White House travel ban on people from majority Muslim nations—as evidence of bias on the special counsel team. ‘I am so proud,’ Mr. Weissmann wrote in the subject line of an email, which was released by the conservative group Judicial Watch. Mr. Weissmann also attended Hillary Clinton’s election-night party at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York, according to people familiar with his attendance. At the time, Mr. Weissmann was running the Justice Department’s fraud section, which is a senior career post within the agency.” http://on.wsj.com/2keZQoJ

“HITTING THE PAUSE BUTTON” — “Democratic senators delay K.T. McFarland ambassador nomination,” by Cristiano Lima: “Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on Friday placed a hold on K.T. McFarland’s nomination to become U.S. ambassador to Singapore, urging congressional leaders to re-examine her ‘knowledge and involvement’ in contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.

“In a letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the two members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee announced their intent to delay the nomination process until McFarland ‘publicly clarifies’ potential discrepancies in her statements regarding communications between Michael Flynn, her former superior at the National Security Council, and a Russian diplomat.” http://politi.co/2A8syyf

THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT FILES — “Taxpayers Paid $220K to Settle Case Involving Rep. Alcee Hastings,” by Roll Call’s Stephanie Akin: “The Treasury Department paid $220,000 in a previously undisclosed agreement to settle a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment that involved Florida Democrat Alcee L. Hastings, according to documents obtained by Roll Call. Winsome Packer, a former staff member of a congressional commission that promotes international human rights, said in documents that the congressman touched her, made unwanted sexual advances, and threatened her job. At the time, Hastings was the chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, where Packer worked. Hastings has called Packer’s charges ‘ludicrous’ and in documents said he never sexually harassed her.” http://bit.ly/2BPd1nh

FLASHBACK — “House ethics panel scolds several lawmakers,” by Anna Palmer and John Bresnahan on Dec. 11, 2014: “Both the Ethics Committee and OCE looked into Packer’s allegations. OCE recommended a full-scale investigation by Ethics even though it was not able to determine if there was ‘substantial reason to believe’ Packer’s claim, but Ethics decided not to take that step. In its report on the Hastings’ matter, Ethics said that ‘while the most serious allegations were not supported by the evidence, Representative Hastings has admitted to certain conduct that is less than professional.’ …

“The Ethics Committee stated: ‘Despite the fact that the conduct in this case does not rise to the level of actionable violations of the rules, the Committee does not want to leave the impression that Representative Hastings’ behavior was at all times appropriate. He admitted to some conduct that, while not wrongful per se, certainly could be misunderstood… Nevertheless, hugging is not the most professional way to greet coworkers, and different individuals have different comfort levels for touching others.’” http://politi.co/2A5J8yB

BEYOND CONGRESS — “For Female Lobbyists, Harassment Often Accompanies Access,” by NYT’s Trip Gabriel and Julie Bosman: “Vanessa Alarid was a lobbyist in New Mexico when she asked a lawmaker over drinks one night if she could count on his support for a bill that appeared to be coming down to a single vote. ‘You can have my vote if you have sex with me,’ Ms. Alarid recalled the lawmaker saying, although he used cruder language for sexual intercourse. He told Ms. Alarid she had the same first name as his wife, so he would not get confused if he called out in bed.

“Then he kissed Ms. Alarid on the lips, she said. Shocked, Ms. Alarid, who was 32 at the time, pushed him away. Only after he was gone did she let the tears flow. When her bill came up on the floor of the New Mexico House of Representatives the next day, March 20, 2009, it failed by a single vote, including a ‘No’ by the lawmaker, Representative Thomas A. Garcia. As Ms. Alarid watched from the House gallery, she said, Mr. Garcia blew her a kiss and shrugged his shoulders with arms spread.” http://nyti.ms/2iGY8fc

— “Prominent appeals court Judge Alex Kozinski accused of sexual misconduct,” by WaPo’s Matt Zapotosky: “A former clerk for Judge Alex Kozinski said the powerful and well-known jurist, who for many years served as chief judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, called her into his office several times and pulled up pornography on his computer, asking if she thought it was photoshopped or if it aroused her sexually. Heidi Bond, who clerked for Kozinski from 2006 to 2007, said the porn was not related to any case.

“One set of images she remembered was of college-age students at a party where ‘some people were inexplicably naked while everyone else was clothed.’ Another was a sort of digital flip book that allowed users to mix and match heads, torsos and legs to create an image of a naked woman. Bond is one of six women — all former clerks or more junior staffers known as externs in the 9th Circuit — who alleged to The Washington Post in recent weeks that Kozinski, now 67 and still serving as a judge on the court, subjected them to a range of inappropriate sexual conduct or comments. She is one of two former clerks who said Kozinski asked them to view porn in his chambers.” http://wapo.st/2jBfvPv

— “Ex-Fox News anchor claims Trump tried to kiss her,” by Page Six’s Emily Smith: “Former Fox News anchor Juliet Huddy said President Donald Trump tried to kiss her in an elevator around the time he married First Lady Melania. Huddy, who allegedly received a settlement after she made a complaint against disgraced anchor Bill O’Reilly, described how the mogul leaned in to kiss her after he took her to lunch at Trump Tower in 2005. The TV newswoman, who now hosts a radio show on WABC Radio, revealed on ‘Mornin!!! with Bill Schulz’ on compoundmedia.com, that she had rebuffed the now-president in the Trump Tower elevator. And Trump later appeared on her Fox News chat show, and joked to the audience, ‘I hit on her but she blew me off.’” http://pge.sx/2kesOVw

AROUND THE TAX HORN — “Trump’s casual tax comments scald his Hill allies, again,” by Nancy Cook: “Oops, President Donald Trump did it again. His casual mention of a 22 percent corporate rate on his way to New York last Saturday kicked off a week of unexpected haggling on a topline tax issue many considered already settled, just as congressional negotiators are rushing to get a final bill to the president in time for Christmas — a date he himself has insisted on.

“It’s the latest example of the president getting in the way of his party’s major legislative goal, even if unintentionally, and once again shows the perils for policymakers and legislators in the Trump era, when an unexpected, off-the-cuff comment or tweet can undo weeks of work. On Friday, more than 20 conservative groups — including Americans for Tax Reform, Club for Growth, FreedomWorks and the National Taxpayers Union — sent a letter to congressional conferees reminding them that the groups’ original support for any tax overhaul was tied to that magic 20 percent figure.” http://politi.co/2iG1nUq

HEY, KEVIN MCCARTHY! — WSJ’S NOUR MALAS and KRISTINA PETERSON, with an Irvine, California, dateline: “California House Republican Hears It at Home Over Tax Bill: Rep. Mimi Walters’s constituents worry about mortgage-interest cap, end to local deductions”: “In her district’s biggest city and across its conservative bastions, Republican U.S. Rep. Mimi Walters is facing criticism over the GOP tax overhaul bill that she voted for last month. The bill might increase taxes for many of her constituents, rather than lower them.

“Under pressure from frustrated supporters, she is now working to modify the bill to ease the blow as lawmakers try to hash out a compromise with a measure passed by the Senate. Three of California’s 14 House Republicans voted against the bill last month, citing measures that would curb or even eliminate some key deductions used widely by Californians. Mrs. Walters’s support for the bill, by contrast, has drawn scrutiny from some at a tense moment for the state’s Republicans, ahead of competitive midterm elections next year.

“‘I’m not going to vote for a Democrat, but am I going to vote for a Republican that is going to raise my taxes? That is the question,’ said Jeffrey Lalloway, a divorce lawyer and Republican member of Irvine’s City Council.” http://on.wsj.com/2kLsgui

LISTEN IN to the latest bonus Playbook Audio Briefing episode from our live recording Thursday night at Sixth and I Synagogue. Today we’re posting Jake and Anna’s discussion with NYT’s MICHAEL BARBARO http://bit.ly/2AGWD96 Make sure you subscribe on your favorite podcasting app (Apple Podcasts http://apple.co/2uK0bDc … Stitcher http://bit.ly/2BTyvQZ) so you don’t miss our conversation tomorrow with DCCC’s Dan Sena and NRCC’s John Rogers. ICYMI here’s a link to our talk with POLITICO all-star panel of Seung Min Kim, Rachael Bade and Annie Karni http://bit.ly/2iGgf4X

PHOTO DU JOUR: President Donald Trump waves to supporters during a rally in Pensacola, Fla. on Dec. 8. | Jonathan Bachman/AP Photo

FUN STORY — NYT’S SCOTT CACCIOLA: “Golden State Warriors’ Go-to Guy Doesn’t Play a Minute” http://nyti.ms/2kKaeIM

WEST WING DEPARTURE LOUNGE – “Powell to leave White House in early 2018,” by Annie Karni with Daniel Lippman: “Former Goldman Sachs partner Dina Powell, who joined Donald Trump’s administration last January as an adviser on women’s issues to Ivanka Trump and rose quickly to become deputy national security adviser with a heavy hand in Middle East issues, will be departing the administration early next year. … A firm end date has not been decided on, a White House official said, but Powell is likely to leave in January or early February. Dr. Nadia Schadlow, a deputy assistant to the president who works on the National Security Council, is seen as Powell’s likely successor … Schadlow has been deeply involved with Trump’s forthcoming national security strategy plan. …

“Trump … did not want Powell to leave and asked her to stay on the team. It is not clear what role she will continue to play from the outside. ‘Dina has been an invaluable member of President Trump’s team,’ McMaster said in a statement. ‘Her sage advice helped provide options to the president and her strong relationships across the U.S. government and internationally helped drive execution of the president’s decisions. She is one of the most talented and effective leaders with whom I have ever served.’” http://politi.co/2kL69Eb

— JIM MATTIS statement: “With the pending departure of Dina Powell, we are losing an invaluable member of the President’s national security team. I personally appreciate Dina’s partnership and contributions to the mission of the Department of Defense.”

— @Martin_Indyk: “Very sorry to hear that Dina Powell is leaving the NSC. She was a sane and sensible voice in a crazy environment. She deserves deep appreciation for her service.”

WASHINGTON POST’S ROXANNE ROBERTS: “After months of rumors, the marriage of billionaire philanthropists David Rubenstein and Alice Rogoff has officially ended. The couple, who married in 1983, was granted a divorce in Montgomery County on Friday morning. All financial and other terms were settled privately and will remain confidential, according to Rubenstein’s lawyer, Sandy Ain, and Rogoff’s lawyer, Linda Ravdin.” http://wapo.st/2AFJm0H

UPDATE — “Official Toll in Puerto Rico: 62. Actual Deaths May Be 1,052,” by Frances Robles, Kenan Davis, Sheri Fink and Sarah Almukhtar in the NYT: “A review by The New York Times of daily mortality data from Puerto Rico’s vital statistics bureau indicates a significantly higher death toll after the hurricane than the government there has acknowledged. The Times’s analysis found that in the 42 days after Hurricane Maria made landfall on Sept. 20 as a Category 4 storm, 1,052 more people than usual died across the island. The analysis compared the number of deaths for each day in 2017 with the average of the number of deaths for the same days in 2015 and 2016. Officially, just 62 people died as a result of the storm that ravaged the island with nearly 150-mile-an-hour winds, cutting off power to 3.4 million Puerto Ricans. The last four fatalities were added to the death toll on Dec. 2.” http://nyti.ms/2kGBOGT

JOSH GERSTEIN: “Supreme Court lifts orders to disclose DACA cancellation records”: “A sharply divided Supreme Court on Friday lifted orders the Trump administration was facing to turn over more records detailing the decision to terminate the Obama-era program that offers quasi-legal status and work permits to so-called Dreamers. The justices voted, 5-4, to grant a temporary stay of orders that a San Francisco federal judge issued requiring federal officials to provide internal legal analyses, studies and other materials the administration gathered in advance of the decision announced in September to wind down the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.” http://politi.co/2BqtC4E

****** A message from PhRMA: A medicine’s path from the biopharmaceutical company to the patient involves many entities across the supply chain. A new report examines how money flows through this system – which includes wholesalers, pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacies and insurers – and how that impacts what patients pay at the pharmacy. Read more. http://onphr.ma/2kgd6Nu ******

CLICKER – “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker – 16 keepers http://politi.co/2BiWegm

GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman:

— “What Happens When the Government Uses Facebook as a Weapon?” by Lauren Etter on the cover of Bloomberg Businessweek: “It’s social media in the age of ‘patriotic trolling’ in the Philippines, where the government is waging a campaign to destroy a critic—with a little help from Facebook itself.” https://bloom.bg/2iEzlZn … The cover http://politi.co/2AIhyZt

— “In Chatlogs, Celebrated Hacker and Activist Confesses Countless Sexual Assaults,” by Sarah Jeong in the Verge: “‘I have drunkenly sexually assaulted or raped women — the exact number of which I am currently determining.’” http://bit.ly/2y8eYsW

— “The Upside of Office Flirtation? I’m living it,” by Allison Benedikt in Slate: “When I was 23 years old, my boss would look down the gap at the waistband of my jeans when he walked past my desk. … [H]e kissed me on the steps of the West 4th subway station without first getting my consent. We’ve now been happily married for 14 years and have three children.” http://slate.me/2BhRkjN

— “Women Journalists Share Their Stories of Sexual Harassment,” by Lucy Westcott in Newsweek in Aug. 2016: “The majority of women who spoke with Newsweek said their sexual harassment happened early on in their journalism careers, when journalists are hungry for their first job and less likely to report an incident for fear of what might happen. Janille Miller, 39, was in her mid-20s when she interviewed for a broadcast journalism job. After an interview with the news director, Miller went with him to meet the head of news. She says she was asked to stand up and turn around.” http://bit.ly/2BhlPGk

— “Nicolás Maduro’s Accelerating Revolution,” by the New Yorker’s Jon Lee Anderson: “Venezuela’s President has outmaneuvered his opponents. Can he survive an economy in free fall?” http://bit.ly/2Bkm2sr

— “Is There a Limit to Scientific Understanding?” by Martin Rees in The Atlantic: “Science will hit the buffers at some point. There are two reasons why this might happen. The optimistic one is that we clean up and codify certain areas to the point that there’s no more to say. A second possibility is that we’ll reach the limits of what our brains can grasp. There might be concepts, crucial to a full understanding of physical reality, that we aren’t aware of, any more than a monkey comprehends Darwinism or meteorology. Some insights might have to await a post-human intelligence.” http://theatln.tc/2jasmeK (h/t ALDaily.com)

— “Behind the Scenes With the World’s Top Feather Detective,” by Chris Sweeney in Audubon Magazine – per Longreads.com’s description: “How do you tell the difference between a poached Lampornis clemenciae hummingbird and a Amazilia violiceps? Ask the feather detective, Pepper Trail. He works at the world’s only wildlife forensics lab. Colleagues fear what will happen when he retires.” http://bit.ly/2hTjEew

— “Millions Are Hounded for Debt They Don’t Owe. One Victim Fought Back, With a Vengeance,” by Zeke Faux in Bloomberg Businessweek: “Andrew Therrien wanted payback. He got it—and uncovered a conspiracy.” https://bloom.bg/2jchmNW

— “Border Wars,” by Zandria F. Robinson in Oxford American: “People from places like Texas and Florida and Delaware and especially Washington, D.C., like to act like they aren’t in or from the South.” http://bit.ly/2k9obMA

— “Deep Throat: An Institutional Analysis,” by James Mann in the May 1992 issue of the Atlantic: http://theatln.tc/2AoztYs

— “Compromise,” by Ted Genoways in TNR: “A group of small-town environmentalist wanted to stop a potentially toxic Costco chicken plant. How did they end up fighting alongside anti-Muslim xenophobes.” http://bit.ly/2juJpVN

— “On Self-Respect: Joan Didion’s 1961 Essay from the Pages of Vogue” – per Longform.org’s description: “An essay on understanding our character, worth, and limits.” http://bit.ly/2AnrcUu

— “I Made My Shed the Top Rated Restaurant On TripAdvisor,” by Oobah Butler in Vice: “And then served customers Iceland ready meals on its opening night.” http://bit.ly/2iFw2Bd

HOLIDAY PARTY CIRCUIT — SPOTTED at the Polish Embassy holiday party last night, in which the band Suspicious Package (Tom Toles, Tim Burger, Josh Meyer, Bryan Greene and Christina Sevilla), performed at the Ambassador’s residence: Ambassador Piotr Wilczek, Artur Orkisz, John McCarthy, Michael Crowley, Ryan Williams, Breanne Deppisch, Lily Mihalik, Sarah Gilmore, Meridith McGraw, Michael Falcone, Jamie Weinstein and Michelle Fields, Ali Dukakis, Hadas Gold, Josh and Ali Rogin, Kate Hanson, Arlette Saenz, Alice Lloyd, Emma Kenyon. Pics by Ben Chang http://bit.ly/2ySXS5H … http://bit.ly/2kg0XEB … http://bit.ly/2B29uFr

SPOTTED at a White House Christmas open house yesterday: Ralph Reed, Peggy Nance, Matt Schlapp, Ginni Thomas, Connie Hair, Greg Mueller, Ken Blackwell, Marjorie Dannenfelser, former Rep. Jack Kingston.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD – Erin Miller Weibel, who works in communications at Facebook for their News Partnerships team and is an NBC News alum, and Chris Weibel, who works in equity trading at Wells Fargo Securities, on Friday welcomed Wade Harvey Weibel, who was born at 7:42 a.m. at 7lbs 15oz and 20.5 inches long. Pic http://bit.ly/2iJeynn

— Laena Fallon, senior adviser at the American Bankers Association and alum of the Financial Services Forum, and Brendon Pomeroy, a yacht captain, recently welcomed Teagan Mary Pomeroy. Pic http://bit.ly/2jBFeY9

BIRTHDAYS: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is 51 – read her Politico Magazine profile: http://politi.co/2Ao1Tle … Okla. Gov. Mary Fallin is 63 … Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant is 63 … Samantha Tubman, manager of special projects at the Obama Foundation (hat tip: Meredith Carden) … Neal Wolin, a senior counselor for Brunswick Group and Obama Treasury alum, is 56 … former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) is 7-0 … Nathan Daschle, president and COO of the Daschle Group … Terry Moran, chief foreign correspondent for ABC News … Jonathan Wald, SVP at MSNBC (h/t Kurt Bardella) … James Pindell, Boston Globe political reporter whose location on his Twitter is “Electoral College, USA” … Jeff Smith is 44 … Cris Turner, head of gov’t affairs for the Americas at Dell … Treasury’s John E. Smith (h/t Peter Baker) … Scott Schloegel, the acting first VP and vice chairman of the Export-Import Bank … Politico alum Emily Kopp … Rep. Pete Olson (R-Tex.) is 55 … former Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-Tex.) is 71 … Levick VP Andrew Ricci … Laena Fallon, senior adviser at the American Bankers Association … Kathryn Cameron Porter …

… Kyle Roberts, president of Smart Media Group … Fernando Lujan … Ryan King, deputy communications director for Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) (h/t Mitchell Rivard) … Richard Allen Smith … Graham Wilson … Veronique Rodman … Josh Katcher … Hammad Ul Hassan … Ryan Whalen of the Rockefeller Foundation … Alli Blakely Sydnor (h/t Ed Cash) … Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for 21st Century Energy (h/t Blair Latoff Holmes) … Megan Devlin, who oversees Meridian International Center’s Global Forums, former editorial assistant to Steve Clemons at the Atlantic, and a craft beer “aficionado” (h/t Ben Chang) … Shoshana Weissmann of R Street Institute … Roll Call’s Eric Garcia, “celebrating with milk steak and rum ham” (h/t Tara Jeffries) … Dottie Suggs … Tricia Enright, comms director for Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) (h/ts Jon Haber) … Derrick Johnson … Anne Dudro … Richard Wachtel is 35 … Rhett Dawson �� Rick Horten is 49 … Dawn Wilson … Diane Kopp … Robert Kraig (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

THE SHOWS by @MattMackowiak, filing from Austin:

–NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) … Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) … Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.). Panel: Cornell Belcher, David Brooks, Hallie Jackson and Peggy Noonan

–CNN’s “State of the Union”: U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley … Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) … Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Panel: Amanda Carpenter, Bakari Sellers and Nina Turner and Marc Lotter

–“Fox News Sunday”: U.S. Amb. to the U.N. Nikki Haley … Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.). Panel: Newt Gingrich, Rachael Bade, Michael Needham and Charles Lane … “Power Player of the Week” with Ben Shapiro

–CBS’s “Face the Nation”: U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley … Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) … Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) … Michael O’Hanlon and Kori Schake. Panel: Molly Ball, Margaret Brennan, Lanhee Chen and Ed O’Keefe

–ABC’s “This Week”: Guests to be announced. Panel: Dan Balz, Jennifer Jacobs, Joshua Johnson and Susan Glasser

–Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures”: House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) … Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) … Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) … Michael Mukasey. Panel: Ed Rollins and Mary Kissel

–Fox News’ “MediaBuzz”: David Bossie and Corey Lewandowski … Mollie Hemingway … Jessica Tarlov … Mara Liasson … Brent Lang

–CNN’s “Inside Politics” with John King: Panel: Eliana Johnson, Manu Raju, Sara Murray and Matt Viser (substitute anchor: CNN’s Nia-Malika Henderson)

–CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS”: Foreign policy panel: Palestinian National Council member Hanan Ashrawi, former Israeli Foreign Minister and Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs president Dore Gold and author and Council on Foreign Relations president Richard Haass … United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres

–CNN’s “Reliable Sources”: Panel: Carl Bernstein, Elaina Plott and David Frum … WVNN (Huntsville, Ala.) radio host Dale Jackson and Alabama Media Group columnist Kyle Whitmire … Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) … David Axelrod

–Univision’s “Al Punto”: Panel: Former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin and political analysts Fabian Nuñez and Adolfo Franco … Human Rights Watch’s José Miguel Vivanco … parents of mass shooting victims Fred and Maria Wright … Univision News correspondent Claudia Mendoza … CNI member María de Jesús “Marichuy” Patricio Martínez … filmmaker Guillermo del Toro

–C-SPAN: “The Communicators”: Former FCC senior adviser and Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy fellow Gigi Sohn … former FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell (R) … “Newsmakers”: Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), questioned by The Wall Street Journal’s Siobhan Hughes and Agri-Pulse’s Philip Brasher … “Q&A”: WilmerHale senior associate Tiffany Wright

–Washington Times’ “Mack on Politics” weekly politics podcast with Matt Mackowiak (download on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher or listen at http://bit.ly/2r37J6h): Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.).

****** A message from PhRMA: In the competitive marketplace for medicines, negotiations between pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and biopharmaceutical companies result in substantial rebates and fees. According to a new report, in many cases, this system often creates incentives for PBMs to prefer medicines with higher list prices and higher rebates. Read more about how money flows through the supply chain here: http://onphr.ma/2kgd6Nu ******

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