#sutton impact

[wardsutton]

My latest for today's Boston Globe.

#ward sutton #sutton impact #illustration #editorial cartoons #boston globe #editorial cartoon #political cartoons #cartoons #caricature #political cartoon #scotus #john roberts #clarence thomas #brett kavanaugh #neil gorsuch #amy coney barrett #samuel alito

[sinosauropteryx--prima]

National Fossil: Brazil

Last time Argentinosaurus won the title of Argentinas National Fossil (not surprising) and Argentavis came in second (kinda surprising; I didn‘t know you guys liked big-ass birds that much). This time we‘re looking at some Brazilian fossils!

Once again, you get to vote on which one should represent the nation. As always, it could be a fossil that is just exceptionally well preserved and beautiful, had a huge impact on paleontology and our knowledge of the past, is very common/representative of the area, is beloved and famous in the public eye, is just a very unique and interesting find, or has any other justification.

Here are the contestants:

Tupandactylus/Tapejara (Art by Gabriel Ugueto): There are no big-ass bird competitors this time around, but I can offer you the next best thing: Pterosaurs! There have been many pterosaur species described from Brazilian fossil sites and they have greatly improved our understanding of these creatures. I picked Tupandactylus/Tapejara (there is some dispute about naming/species) to represent this group, because their big creasts make them some of the most visually interesting pterosaurs and with a wingspan of up to 4 m they also reach quite impressive sizes.

“Ubirajara“ (Art by Bob Nicholls): Next up is a small theropod dinosaur. The fossil has been found in Brazil, but then was smuggled out of the country (allegedly) and found its way to Germany. A lot of legal dispute and campaigning later, the dinosaur became a bit of a symbol against colonialism in paleontology. Just this year the fossil finally found its way back home, and probably will be re-named soon, since the original paper about it has been retracted.

Irritator: This relative of the much more famous Spinosaurus got its name because of how frustrating and challenging the restoration of the fossil was: Fossil hunters had made a lot of changes and “repairs“ to the original skull to make it more appealing. Scientists then had to spend a lot of time undoing all those changes. But even after all of that, Irritator‘s skull is one of the best preserved spinosaur skulls ever found.

Purussaurus: This relative of modern caimans lived during the Miocene epoch. With size estimates of well over 10 m it was one of the biggest crocodylians ever, rivaling even some of the biggest carnivorous dinosaurs in terms of size.

Prionosuchus (Art by Thomas Sutton): You might be wondering why I‘m showing you yet another crocodile - you are mistaken! Prionosuchus is not a croc, it is an amphibian. It lived during the Permian, so it is older than all other creatures on this list. Some of the biggest specimen found suggest that it might have reached a length of up to 9 m, making it one of the largest amphibians ever.

#paleontology #paleoblr #fossils #brazil #tapejara #purussaurus #prionosuchus #ubirajara #irritator

[cantsayidont]

MOTHERLAND: FORT SALEM (2020–2022): Extremely frustrating bootlicking modern fantasy series, set in an alternate America in which witches with genuine supernatural powers are required by law to submit to military conscription upon their 18th birthdays. The show follows three new witch cadets, Tally Craven (Jessica Sutton), Abigail Bellweather (Ashley Nicole Williams), and Raelle Collar (Taylor Hickson), as they go through basic training to join a magical War on Terror against a ruthless terrorist organization called the Spree — of which Raelle's new girlfriend Scylla (Amalia Holm Bjelke) is secretly an agent.

Although the premise is truly cringeworthy, the first season offers some intriguing worldbuilding (including a novel treatment of the witches' magic, which is called "work" and based on sound) and paints a surprisingly dark picture of the witch army — so dark that it starts to seem like the original intent might have been closer to Paul Verhoeven's STARSHIP TROOPERS than a supernatural TOP GUN. Despite all its unsavory flag-waving, the Season One storyline touches on the dehumanizing effects of military training, the Army's use of torture, the grim consequences of refusing conscription, and even the negative environmental impact of military witches' "work"; the season's climax then has the witches' rather sinister commanding general (Lyne Renée) — a 300-year-old witch who survives by literally stealing the youth from volunteers and who is apparently plotting a military coup — ordering the green recruits to commit an atrocity that has significant civilian casualties.

The second season, however, immediately beats a cowardly retreat from any criticism or questioning of the Army or its leadership, shrugging off the disturbing events of the previous season (without actually undoing or contradicting anything that was previously shown, including the atrocity the protagonists committed!) and shifting focus to a stupid, unpleasantly grisly new conflict with an ancient secret society of witch-hunting bigots that threatens all witches. This conflict also occupies the the third season, which drifts yet further afield with some oddball revelations about the ultimate source of witch magic and culminates in a finale that somehow manages to elide all of the actual conflicts established in the show.

The first season has enough points of interest to suggest an opportunity missed, but the increasingly repugnant jingoism and the later seasons' obnoxiously woolly mysticism (even by the standards of a show about military witches) become harder and harder to tolerate even on a dopey nerd show level, and of the ostensible core cast, only Scylla gets anything approaching substantive characterization. CONTAINS LESBIANS? Yes, but you'll hate yourself in the morning. VERDICT: If you can stomach the basic premise (Mazel tov!), the first season (and only the first season) might be worth a look, but the rest goes from bad to worse.

#teevee #hateration holleration #motherland fort salem #jessica sutton #ashley nicole williams #taylor hickson #amalia holm #lyne renée #the cruel thing about the first season #is that it gives the misleading impression that the show #might be capable of transcending (or inverting) its own jingoism #which makes the subsequent reactionary shit worse #than if it had just been top gun with witches from the start #i know many viewers stuck it out for raella and scylla #but raelle is so sidelined in the later seasons that there's no emotional momentum there #and it's pinkwashing #which sits very ill given the show's disturbing militarism #pinkwashing #look it up

[vympr]

Abortion Eve (1973) by Joyce Farmer

Abortion Eve is historically significant for its frank portrayal of women grappling with the issue of unwanted pregnancies and the potential solution of abortion. The artwork by Lyn Chevely (aka Chin Lyvely here) and Joyce Sutton (later Joyce Farmer or Joyce Farmer Sutton) is rather weak, but the story provides fascinating insights on the physical process and emotional impact of abortion. While there is no question the book is strongly pro-choice, the creators incorporate several messages advocating conventional birth control. This comic is as relevant today as when it was published in 1973.

More than three decades after its publication, Abortion Eve is still cited and quoted by pro-life organizations to make their point about the callousness and cruelty of abortion. Whatever your stance on abortion, you can rest assured that the procedure will be around as long as women get pregnant; whether an abortion is performed legally in a medical facility or illegally in an unsterile alleyway hovel (or germ-laden kitchen or bathroom).

#comics #joyce farmer #roe v wade #abortion

[johannestevans]

Whats your perspective on names?

Do you have any specific thoughts about them? how did you find yours? did it take long to? how many have you had? also your characters! obligatory "I Love Your Work!" (and i enjoy riffling though new and also rereading old), So from amaethon to cecil to danny to the King family and the Laithes family, their names are one aspect that have always stuck out to me because they all integrate into their stories while still feeling unique in contrast to each other! i dont miss that a lot of it is influenced by your interest in fae lore and your welsh heritage either. where does the name come in during your writing process, is it the first or last thing you think of? do you have a mish-mash of where you find them? any pettier more low stakes opinions on names?

(all this started bc i'm struggling to find a name, and want the perspective of another trans person :) !)

I changed my name when I was about 15 - it comes from a similar biblical root as my deadname, so basically I shortened my deadname and then looked for other names that it could be a nickname for.

For me, it really wasn't a long or involved process - it happened quite smoothly and easily, and I've never felt like I needed to try other things or find something that fit me better.

Johannes is a Dutch and German name - it's an older form of John and is like Ioannes / Yiannis in Greek, and it comes from Hebrew for God is gracious. It can be shortened to Johann, but generally my actual loved ones either call me John or Johnny, or they call me Hannes.

"Johannes" in German is kind of a stereotypical old man's name? A German friend was laughing a lot about it because she said that to me and I was like "Yeah?" and she was like, oh, yeah, that fits, lmao.

I do play around a lot with names, and I'd say that I take them from a lot of different sources and get creative with them. Multiple times I've called a character "Henry Sutton" without realising I've done it multiple times, which is why I've got a few Henry Suttons knocking about.

For more established characters with deeper backstories, I play around a lot with the naming process - I normally have a particular mouthfeel or aural impact I'm going for, such as a certain number of syllables or a particular "flavour", like a name that has a feel of a particular class or country or profession.

With that said, I think most of my names I pick quite quickly and feel out early on in the process - it's rare that a character of mine is more fleshed out and lacks a name, because I find a name is such a useful part of someone's identity and informs a lot of how they move in the world and are perceived and treated. Something like their appearance is far less important, funnily enough.

I like to employ some literal stuff - Valorous King, for example, is very aptly named in a way that can sometimes feel like a curse to him; Amaethon is actually one of the children of Dôn, but people don't really know old Welsh gods and goddesses very well, so it just feels like a random elf name; Ganymede Cavendish is named for a beautiful young lover of Zeus, and he is just as beautiful and victimised in the same way as his namesake.

Other times, I go with more irony or play with juxtapositions - name a character for joy or ease when they're generally miserable or tortured; name them something small when they're very big or vice versa; name them for darkness when they're very light, etc.

I'll often take forenames or surnames from things I'm watching or playing or listening to - when I want to pluck a name out of the air at random and am worried I'm using too many of the same names, but want like, "real" names that real people use and live with, it's fucking great to pick names out of the credit sequences of TV or movies and mash them up.

Sometimes I scroll through census records and stuff, but the problem with the number of characters I have is that I can't always do that - as much as it's realistic for many characters to be called Jones or Evans or Williams, I'd need to make a thing of it in fiction. Census records are great for older characters, especially from the 1700s-1900s.

The ones that are actually hardest for me is Latin names - Greek ones I'm a lot more comfortable handling, but my Latin grammar is fucking dogshit, and I often worry about mishandling a name or reusing one that's too commonly written already. Medieval Latin is alright to play with, but when I'm writing old Roman characters I just feel like I'm kicking my own ass the entire time.

I will say that some shit in that regard is just fucking lazy. I abhor the lazy tendency in fiction to introduce a Black character and call him Mr White or Mr Chalk or something similar, especially when it's contrasted with an evil white character and/or that character's best friend who's named Black or Ebony. It's not in itself that awful, it's just the fact that it's so overdone and clichéed, and comes from a really basic humour and sense of irony that doesn't really build on or create anything, just lazily says "haha, this guy's Black and this other guy's white, isn't that a thing?"

I don't actually have a problem with reusing some names a lot - John, Henry, Daniel, etc - and I will often just search "common names [country]" and play with similar names that jump between and change from different languages or change throughout history. It can be worth looking up legends or stories from a certain region or like, old wives' tales and stuff, because like...

Sometimes, the benefit of a common or uncommon name is in its cultural impact - a name like mine, a name like John, is ubiquitous, but that means you can draw loads of parallels to it; on the other hand, if you grab a word that's very much not a name, but is a place, an object, a common noun, an animal, a turn of phrase, etc, you create a tension around that character with the other characters around them, even if people aren't commenting on it directly and even if you don't tell the reader immediately that their name is unusual or noteworthy.

When you're playing with a name that has a lot of cultural impact within a culture you're writing, as a name or otherwise, it can be fun to have a name that will have a lot of resonance for the characters you're writing, but doesn't inherently have that same impact on the reader (or only has that impact if the reader is already familiar with them culturally, or is familiar with the niche historical/religious subject you're working with).

An obvious one in mine is Esben's pets, for example, are called Kottr the dog and Hundr the cat - Kottr in Old Norse means cat, and Hundr, dog. A lot of English speakers will notice the cognates there if they think about it, but I've had people who speak Nordic languages comment on it a lot because it's just a fun little thing.

Gellert Osgodby has named himself after Gelert the dog - but in Welsh, we don't use two Ls to make an "l" sound. In Welsh, his name would be pronounced more like Geshert (the ll sound isn't easy to transcribe in English). He's fucked that up, and that's part of how you can tell he isn't Welsh himself, and isn't a Welsh speaker.

I definitely am influenced most by Welsh and Irish mythologies and stories, and I do tend to play with some Jewish cultural elements a lot as well, if not directly with Jewish mythologies.

Part of that, I regularly say, is because of the way that Welsh and Irish stuff tends to be treated by US American creators who identify as Welsh/Irish/Scottish/ "Celtic" or whatever and just go for random butchery of everything in sight - it's not their fault they don't have any sense of cultural respect, because that's not the culture they were raised in, but it does irritate me, and like...

Because I get so snippy about Welsh stuff, I try to be a lot more careful handling other cultures, particularly in various ways oppressed or minoritised ones, especially who are often misrepresented in media in similarly clumsy, lazy, or just entitled ways.

For names in cultures I'm less familiar with and coherent with, what I actually do is regularly search the full name I'm using, but also like, search Wikipedia entries for famous celebrities that use that language, come from that country or culture, and are of the same caste, religion, or ethnicity as the character(s) I'm working on and basically just read a bunch and contrast and compare.

Sometimes I very explicitly go against a lot of cultural stuff depending on which cultures I'm drawing from - Velma Kuroda, for example, has picked a name very much at odds with the more traditionally Japanese name her brother has picked, and that has to do with family beef that I'll get into later in Little Devils.

In Derek Landy's Skulduggery Pleasant, people have three names - their regular name, their magical name, and then their true name written on their soul, by which they can be commanded and coerced; in T.S. Eliot's The Naming of Cats, cats have three different names - the name by which their human family call them, the name by which they're known to other cats, and then their secret, most innate name, known only to themselves.

Many of us have multiple names and go by different names in different circles - many Jewish people have a Hebrew name, and gerim might pick one when they convert; in Ireland, a lot of people have their names as Béarla different to their names as Gaeilge.

Some people go by their middle names or are called a completely different name to the one they were named at birth - Hell, some people don't even realise until they're adults that the name everyone's always called them isn't their official documents name.

And that's not even considering queer people and how many names we might cycle through, feeling out the ones that fit or don't, using different names in different circles or for different personas, using different names online or offline.

There's a lot of power in a name and in a naming, but there's also a lot of leeway and flexibility, and one name isn't the same to all the people who might use it - I try to reflect that living quality in lots of the characters I write and play with.

With a name, I would say it's important to think about how it feels in your mouth and in your hands - how it feels to say your name, how it feels to write it, how it might feel to write your signature, what spelling you choose or what characters it's made up of, what your initials might be, etc. What nicknames you might or mightn't like.

How does or would the name strike people, depending on who they are or where they're from or how old they are? Are you named for someone - someone people would or wouldn't recognise? A figure from myth, from TV, from books, a historical figure, a religious or cultural figure, someone you love, a relative, an ancestor? Is your name usually a name at all?

I know so many people with so many beautiful names, many of them unexpected, either because their parents or family chose them, or because they chose them themselves, and I know there's a lot of choice out there, but good luck with the hunt! I hope you find something that fits, and feels like it sings to you!

#musings #writers on tumblr #anonymous #writing

[i-identify-tanks-in-posts]

Do you think the sutton Sunk would have made an impact in the second sino-japanese war if china actually got its hands on it?

In my opinion, not really, and it has very little to do with the tankette itself. By 1937, China was so woefully behind the rest of the world in technology, industrialization, and development, that there was no real chance of a Chinese victory, especially against Japan, a nation that had seized onto the western tenets and methods of militarism, industrialism, and imperialism like second nature.

I'm sure that, in isolated engagements, the Skunk could have made a difference, but even in the very best scenario, it would be a case of "won the battle, but lost the war"

#tanks #military #second sino-japanese war #interwar tanks #chinese tanks #tankettes

[bxnnywrites]

⋆｡°✩ MAIN MUSES ✩°｡⋆

[PT: My Muses]

A simple list of all the characters I love writing for and believe I write well + the general headcanons and personality I write for em

Danny Johnson || The Ghostface [Dead By Daylight]

★ Firstly, this is my husband. My absolute man. I will be writing about him so fucking much because I am kissing him. ★ Tall motherfucker, like easily breaks 6'2, pretty small compared to other killers though ★ I write mine as a cis dude, I love FTM headcanons for him and all but in my brain he's cis! Queer Danny supremacy tho. Uses any pronouns but usually just goes with he/him ★ Demiromantic and Bisexual, Danny "Any Hole Is A Goal" Johnson but has a hard time with romance because he very rarely if ever feels romantic attraction. (Unsure of the original source of the demiromantic bisexual flag, but i remade it from an icon i saw) ★ Has NPD (kinda canon but developers used Narcissist as an insult, too bad taking it literally) + ADHD

Michael Meyers || The Shape [Dead by Daylight + Halloween]

★ Actual fucking giant, like 7 feet tall and some change ★ Also cis, I promise there are trans headcanons here somewhere. Anyways mainly he/him but doesn't really give a fuck. ★ Completely aromantic and pansexual, no romantic attraction but very queerplatonic. Aropan flag by @/flag-mashups (link). ★ Autistic and completely nonverbal, probs some other issues but I haven't thought about it a whole lot.

Amanda Young || The Pig [Dead By Daylight + Saw]

★ Lil gal (as far as killers go), 5'10 ★ Transfem MtF, She/Her and maybe sometimes They as a treat ★ Pan lesbian + Sapphic, imo she's alright with dating anyone that's not a purely cis dude. Pan lesbian flag by @/bi-lesbian (link). ★ Autistic, c-PTSD, HPD, I project onto this character hard so she gets a lot of my issues.

Anna || The Huntress [Dead By Daylight]

★ TALL WOMAN 6'3 ★ Bigender Demigirl, always has a feminine connection to her gender but often times feels really masc. She/Her but still nonbinary. Bigender Demigender flag made by @/sakosai (link) ★ Pansexual ★ c-PTSD, Autistic, BPD, another character I project onto lol

Sadako Yamamura || The Onryō [Dead By Daylight + The Ring]

★ I WILL NOT WRITE NSFW OF THIS CHARACTER EVER don't even bother asking. ★ Itty Bitty Baby, 5'6, smallest of the killers ★ Agender, can't be bothered with it. ★ Aroace, very affectionate though! Aroace Agender flag is by @/rjalker [link] ★ Def has a personality disorder, which one? Haven't decided but something on the cluster b spectrum. Otherwise, ADHD (possibly audhd?) and comorbidities.

Others I will write for under the cut! Not as much detail, just that I would write for them if asked.

⋆｡°✩ OTHER MUSES ✩°｡⋆

[PT: Other Muses]

The Oni (DBD) // The Trapper (DBD) // Bubba Sawyer (DBD + Movies) // Freddy Krueger (DBD + Movies) // Legion (No NSFW bc their ages are debatable and I'm uncomfy) // Pyramid Head (DBD + Silent Hill) // Trickster (Only to make fun of him) // Xenomorph (DBD + Movies) // Billy Loomis (Scream) // Stu Mencher (Scream) // Harry Warden (My Bloody Valentine) // Brahms Heelshire (The Boy) // HABIT (EMH) // Tim Sutton / Masky (Marble Hornets) // Patrick (MLA0) // Lexx (Whispered Faith) // Lee (Whispered Faith)

⋆｡°✩ NON-HORROR MUSES ✩°｡⋆

[PT: Non-Horror Muses]

Arataki Itto (Genshin Impact) // Captain Beidou (Genshin Impact) // Mahito (JJK) // Gojo Satoru (JJK) // Kyojuro Rengoku (Demon Slayer) // Tengen Uzui (Only with the rest of his wives, the polyamory is staying fuck you) // Muzan Kibutsuji (Demon Slayer) // Gyutaro (Demon Slayer) // Welcome Home Cast (most AU's) // Medic (TF2) // Heavy (TF2) // Sniper (TF2) // Engineer (TF2) // Pyro (TF2)) // Spy (TF2)

⋆｡°✩ SHIPS ✩°｡⋆

[PT: Ships]

All X Reader ships (self inserts my adored) // Beiguang // Tengens Polycule // Frankly Dear (Frank x Eddie) // Sally x Julie // Frank x Julie (as QPP's, not romantic) // Red Oktoberfest (Medic x Heavy) // Bush Medicine (Medic x Sniper) // Knife Party (Spy x Sniper)

#⛓️ :: muse list

[world-of-wales]

THE PRINCE DIARIES ♚

8 JUNE 2023 || OAK CANCER CENTRE OPENING - ROYAL MARSDEN HOSPITAL, SUTTON

The Prince of Wales in his role as the President of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust attended the official opening of the Oak Cancer Centre - a new state-of-the-art research and treatment facility at The Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton.

William had helped launch the appeal for the Centre in 2015 and laid the first stone at the ground-breaking in 2020. The Oak Cancer Centre will have new outpatient facilities, a medical day-care and collaboration space for clinical researchers.

The Prince of Wales delivered a heartfelt speech before then taking a tour of the premises. During the visit he was also reunited with with his old mentor Matron Lorraine Hyde under whom he had completed several work experience placement.

William also spent time speaking with patients and learned about how the new facilities will impact their treatment. He also spent time with some of the hospital’s world leading researchers who will carry out their innovative research in the Kuok Research Centre.

#prince of wales diaries #prince of wales diaries 23 #the prince of wales diaries #prince of wales #the prince of wales #william wales #my edit #royal marsden visit 23 #rm oak cancer centre opening 23 #08062023 #british royal family #british royals #royalty #royals #brf #royal #british royalty #duke of cambridge

[tswaney17]

Little Lie

Here we are, the final part of my Family's First Christmas AU. This was the fic that created the entire AU. I know I originally wanted to try and get four parts out, but the last one just didn't come together like I had hoped. However, this also wraps up the story nicely. So, please enjoy. And happy holidays everyone! 🎄

Also, this was inspired by the song, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause. 😘

Read the AU here: Daddy’s Snowball, Gingerbread Cookies

My fanfic account: @tswaney17fics​​​

My ao3 account: tswaney17

Please let me know what you think about this update. I love getting your feedback. Constructive criticism is always welcome. 💕

Trigger warnings: tooth-decaying fluff.

Word Count: 3,194

Azriel stood with his arm around Elain’s waist, his chin propped on her shoulder, as they watched their son play with his two cousins. He wore a blue pair of Christmas pajamas, a matching red set on Cassian and Nesta’s daughter, Sutton, and a purple pair on Nyx, Rhys and Feyre’s son. His wife and her sisters bought them together, thinking they would look adorable in them, and he had to admit they were right.

The kids were adamantly conversing over whatever game they were playing. Frankly, Az couldn’t keep up with the rules, but he loved watching their imaginations flourish as they went along with whoever was leading. He was eternally grateful that both his niece and nephew took to Kaden, including him like he’d been with them for the entire five and a half years of his life.

He and Elain adopted Kaden over the summer, just weeks before his fifth birthday. Azriel had been worried that it would take time for Sutton and Nyx to welcome him. But the six and seven-year-old swept him into their shenanigans the first day they met and never looked back.

It was one of the reasons they all decided to spend Christmas up at Rhys’s parents’ cabin on the lake, the one he inherited when his parents and sister were abruptly taken from him in a car accident just ten years ago. Rhys had been only twenty at the time, in college when he got the call from the Sheriff’s office.

They had been on their way to visit him for the holidays, to visit all of them since Rhys’s mother and father took him and Cassian in as youngsters. Their car hit a patch of black ice and slammed into a tree, killing them all on impact.

Azriel will never forget Rhysand’s screams during that call. His sobs had Cassian and him lunging for their brother.

This time of year was always a struggle for his brother—another reason they were spending Christmas together. But now married and with a son of his own, he’d seen the change in him. For the first time in a long time, his brother was finally happy again.

When they arrived at the cabin, Az, Rhys, and Cass took their kids out to hunt for the perfect tree. It turned out that his niece, Sutton, had a particular eye and knew exactly which tree was perfect and which ones weren’t acceptable.

“She gets that from Nesta,” Cassian muttered, eyeing his daughter with so much affection, Az felt it, turning to look at his own son with that same love.

Two hours it took them to find a tree that Sutton approved of. They chopped it down and lugged it back to the cabin.

Exhausted, the brothers claimed the couches while their wives took over with their kids in decorating the tree, letting the little ones take the reins. The garland was a little lopsided, and parts of the branches were bare of ornaments, but it was utterly perfect in his eyes.

Cassian lifted Kaden to set the star on the top, his son giggling as his uncle hefted him into the air.

Azriel adored the sounds his son made. His laughs, his constant questions from that curious mind of his. There wasn’t anything he didn’t love about him.

He kissed the side of Elain’s head, murmuring, “I’ll be right back.”

She looked up at him with a raised brow. “Where are you going?”

“It’s a surprise,” he told her, shooting a playful grin. Squeezing her hip, Azriel slipped out the front door.

Truthfully, he was about to make a fool of himself and it was his brothers’ fault. They had suckered him into a bet and he lost. Which is how he found himself at the back of the car, pulling on a god-awful red suit, white wig and beard, and matching red hat.

They had never played Santa with the kids before, so he really had no idea what to expect. But fuck was this humiliating, especially knowing they were going to hold this over him for the rest of his life.

Azriel’s boots crunched in the snow as he made his way back to the house, peeking in through the window to see his beautiful wife, sitting on the floor with Kaden reclined in her lap reading the book, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. His niece and nephew picked a spot on either side of her, listening intently to her harmonious, story-telling voice.

He and Elain spoke about reading Kaden a new holiday book throughout the month of December. His son was a bit behind in his learning, given the home they took him from. He struggled in reading and was seeing a speech therapist to help him catch up from over four years of neglect. The therapist recommended constantly reading to him as one of the best ways to improve his reading comprehension. Additionally, hearing others speak would aid in his speech difficulties.

So, they purchased twenty-five books, wrapped them, and let Kaden open one a night since December first. He loved it, always snuggling into whichever of them was reading. It was a special bonding moment between them and their son.

Readjusting the small sack he had over his shoulder, Azriel took a deep breath and swung the door open. “Ho, ho, ho!” he bellowed, taking on that voice that was supposed to be Santa Claus. All heads swiveled to him. “Merry Christmas!”

He’d be lying if seeing the shock, and then morphing into utter joy on the three children’s faces didn’t make his heart melt and almost sway him to do this again. Almost.

“Santa!” they screamed, careening off Elain and rushing to him. They latched to his leg, tugging at those hideous red pants. “Hi, Santa!” they cheered, clutching at him.

He glanced at his wife, still sitting on the floor with a hand covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle her hysterics.

Great. They were all against him.

Azriel returned his attention to the children. “Hello, Nyx, Sutton, and Kaden.” Their eyes glowed like they had seen magic for the first time. “Have you guys been good for your parents?”

Azriel shot said parents a glare. Cassian was grinning like a little shit, taking photos on his phone, and Rhys had his face buried in Feyre’s neck, trying to hold in his laughter.

They all were nodding vigorously. “We have!” Nyx shouted regaining his attention and making him chuckle.

“Well, since you all have been so good, I have something for each of you.” Pulling the sack off his shoulder, he reached in, calling out their names and handing them their present. When he got to Kaden’s, he knelt, holding it out for him. “And this one is yours, Kaden.”

His son’s eyes widened as he carefully took the present from him.

“Dad!” Nyx whipped toward his father. “Can we open these? Please?” he begged.

Rhys chuckled at his son’s pleading. “Yes, go ahead, son.”

All three kids tore into their wrapped packages, but Azriel only focused on Kaden, little hands ripping at the paper until he pulled out a new teddy bear. A small grin turned up his lips as he watched his son clutch the stuffed animal to his chest twisting toward Elain who had moved to stand next to him.

���Momma! Momma, look at my bear!” he exclaimed, showing her the toy. Kaden had a special love for soft, plush toys—his collection of stuffed animals growing, he swore, by the week.

She knelt next to him. “I see, my sweet boy. Did you tell Santa, thank you?” Her fingers brushed one of his rogue curls behind his ear.

Kaden looked back at him. “Tank you, Santa,” he said quietly, moving to wrap his little arms around Azriel’s neck.

It took every bit of his strength to not get choked up from the sweet hug, instead just placing a large palm on his son’s back. “You’re very welcome, Kaden,” he managed to get out.

Elain ruffled Kaden’s dark hair before she returned her attention to him. “Santa, do you want to help me get some cookies from the kitchen?”

At her knowing smile, he knew it wasn’t exactly a request. “Of course, my lady.”

She rolled her eyes, taking his offered hand to help her stand.

Azriel trailed after her into the kitchen.

Once alone, she turned to face him, mirth dancing in her dark eyes. “I feel like I need an explanation,” she giggled, running her hands down the sleeves of his coat.

Gods, that sound would one day be the death of him. Still, he grimaced, telling her, “I lost a bet with Cassian and Rhys.”

That had her brows shooting into her hairline. “You lost a bet?” she asked, disbelief in her voice. Very rarely did he lose at anything, his competitive nature getting the best of him and everyone else. “What was the bet on?”

“The snowball fight,” he groaned, sitting down in one of the chairs at the table.

Her furrowed brows indicated that she still didn’t understand. “You guys took the kids this year. Why were you betting?”

It was true—they had taken their little ones with them seeing as they now all had a child and they were old enough to play. “We teamed up with our kid, and I took a lot of snowballs to the chest to protect Kaden when he wasn’t paying attention.” Truth be told, Kaden was focusing more on making the perfect snowballs than trying to hit his cousins with them. Likely his fault for teaching him how to make them.

Her surprise melted into utter love. “You saved our son from snowballs?”

“Of course, I did! That’s my job. To protect him from the menace spawn that my brothers’ produced.”

Elain tipped her head back and laughed, her throat working with the movement. “That is your niece and nephew you’re talking about, you know,” she said, humor dancing in her deep eyes.

He shrugged. “Doesn’t make it any less true.” Yeah, he loved those kids like they were his own, but they were still his brothers’ children.

She shook her head in exasperation. “You’re a real hero, my love. And I’m sure over time, Kaden will develop your sneaky skills in vanquishing his cousins and uncles in the annual snowball fight.”

Fuck yeah, he would. He couldn’t keep losing to them and being put in these outrageous bets. Azriel looked up at his wife, grabbing her hand. “Come sit on Santa’s lap, El.”

Elain let him tug her until she perched herself on his thigh, sliding her fingers around his neck to tangle in the stupid wig. She gave him a mirthful look. “White is not your color, my love.”

He squeezed her hips in reprimand. “Is that your subtle way of telling me I can’t go grey?”

She laughed, kissing his cheek. “Just not yet,” Elain winked.

His fingers stroked at her skin, just under the hem of her shirt. “Now tell me,” he started, taking on that deep baritone he used for Santa, again. “Have you been a good girl this year?”

Dark eyes flared in delight and she wiggled on his lap, purposely rubbing herself against his cock and making him hiss. “I have been a very good girl,” she whispered, voice low. “Especially for my dear husband.” Elain twisted on his lap, reaching for a cabinet drawer and sliding it open to pull out a package. “In fact, I have a present for him. Would you mind delivering it for me?” she asked, smiling and handing him the box.

Azriel gave her a flat look. “I thought we said no presents.” It wasn’t a question. He and Elain had agreed fairly early on to forgo gift-giving to each other so they could focus their attention on Kaden’s first Christmas with them as a family.

But Elain simply waved a hand. “I didn’t technically buy you anything. So, it doesn’t count.”

“Semantics, my love,” he muttered, sighing as he took a gloved finger and slid it under the perfect wrapping. She always had crisp, clean, wrapping while his…well, at least his presents were wrapped. Carefully setting the paper aside, he thumbed open the box. What was inside had his heart stopping and restarting in his chest; the breath left his lungs. Because inside that box was a positive pregnancy test and a plain onesie that read, My Daddy loves me.

His eyes shot to hers, seeing her bottom lip trapped between her teeth and her eyes glistening with water. “El, love…Are you pregnant?” The emotion clogged his throat making it ache in a way he couldn’t describe.

A small dip of her chin had him closing the distance between them, kissing her so deeply, so sweetly, she sighed into his mouth. He cupped her face between his palms, thumbs wiping at the tears that rolled down her cheeks. Azriel felt his own sliding down his face. “We’re going to have a baby?” he breathed voice a bare whisper.

“Yes,” she confirmed.

That was all it took for him to sob into her neck, elated at this beautiful gift. They had been trying for a kid before they adopted Kaden, but when the opportunity to take him in fell into their laps, they held off on having a baby so they could get Kaden welcomed into their home and comfortable with them. They had only started trying again at the beginning of last month. “How far along are you?” he cried, placing his large hand on her lower belly protectively.

Elain had to sniff to answer. “About seven weeks now. I found out in early December and wanted to surprise you. It’s been a struggle to keep this a secret,” she admitted.

Which meant that she had gotten pregnant very quickly if his mental math was correct. His gaze met hers. “Gods, I love you so damn much, Elain. You’ve given me the greatest gift I could have ever dreamed about.” And then he was kissing her again, letting his tongue coax her mouth open for him to claim. He slid it along hers, stroking hers in a way that had her resituating herself to straddle his lap.

Her fingers dug into the wig he had on, holding him close.

So caught up in their little bubble, neither of them noticed a small set of feet enter the kitchen until they heard Kaden’s little scream, “Daddy! Momma’s kissing Santa Claus!”

They broke apart, whipping their heads toward the entryway where their son had raced back out to the rest of their family.

Elain clapped a hand over her mouth in horror, fear prominent in her brown irises.

Azriel blinked, muttering, “Our son’s a snitch.”

She slapped his shoulder, hissing, “It’s not funny, Azriel!”

He snickered. “It’s a little funny,” he mumbled, helping her off his lap so they could go find their son and offer him some explanation.

They rounded the corner and found that when Kaden couldn’t find his father, he went to the next best thing—Cassian and his long legs.

His brother had stood up at his nephew’s distressed scream and was now trying to comfort the child clutching his leg.

“Kaden, it’s okay, sweetheart,” Elain said, taking a step towards him. But he countered with a step of his own, shuffling further behind his uncle’s leg.

Azriel saw the pain, the devastation of that move ricochet on Elain’s face. It broke his heart to see her hurt like that. And when she turned pleading eyes on him, tears close to falling down her cheeks, he knew the charade was over. He nodded in understanding, looking back at his son. “Kaden.” His voice returned to its normal tone. “Hey, buddy, it’s me. It’s daddy,” he told him, pulling the beard off, followed by his hat and wig.

Kaden’s hazel and green eyes went wide as he stepped around Cassian’s leg. Confusion and astonishment warred in those irises. “You’re Santa?” he shrilled in disbelief.

He hated the idea of telling not just his son, but his niece and nephew, about Santa’s existence. They were all still so young, still innocent in that Christmas spirit. He refused to take that from them, so he told them a little white lie instead. Azriel knelt, holding out his hand for his son, shaking his head. “No, buddy. I’m not Santa. It’s Christmas Eve. What does Santa do on Christmas Eve?”

His voice was so small when he answered. “Takes pwesents to kids.”

He nodded. “That’s right, Kaden. Santa delivers presents to kids all over the world on Christmas Eve. He couldn’t come tonight because he was busy doing that. So, he asked me to fill in for him.” Azriel could see all three children eat up his words. One day they’d explain to him what the true meaning of Santa was, but not today.

“We’re sorry we upset you,” he added when Kaden took a small step away from his uncle and toward him.

And then another. Until he was running into his chest, clinging to him.

Azriel wasted no time in wrapping his strong arms around his son, lifting him off the ground to keep him close.

“All right, little ones,” Cassian announced, sensing the family needed a minute, and heaved his daughter onto his hip. “Time for bed or the real Santa won’t be coming to deliver your presents.” His wife followed his lead, as did Rhys and Feyre, taking Nyx with them.

He looked at Elain, seeing her face soaked with tears, and knew she needed to hold him as much as he did. More so, even. “Can you give momma some love too?” he murmured into Kaden’s soft hair.

Elain held out her hands, Kaden willingly going into her embrace, his little arms sliding around her neck as he buried his face into the crook where it met her shoulder. She let out a soft whimper, kissing the top of his head. “I love you, my sweet boy,” she whispered, threading her fingers in his hair to cradle the back of his head.

Azriel swept them both into his chest, holding them close.

A soft voice asked them, “Momma, can you finish our story?”

He glanced over his shoulder to the discarded book, releasing them to grab it from the floor.

“Of course, I can,” she told him, letting herself be escorted over to the large recliner.

Azriel took a seat, pulling Elain with Kaden onto his lap, and opened the book. His feet pushed on the ground, rocking them as Elain snuggled their son. Turning the pages for her, he let his wife’s lovely voice wash over them.

“‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…”

As his pregnant wife read and their son drifted to sleep in their arms, Azriel sent up a prayer of thanks to whoever was listening for giving him this beautiful moment—this perfect family. Something he never dreamed of having, but now that he did, would never let it go.

~~~~~~

Remember, sharing is caring! Please reblog if you liked the fic. It helps spread my work and I truly appreciate it. 💕

I’m not doing a tag list anymore because they’re really more trouble than they’re worth. For notifications, you can follow and subscribe to my fanfic account where I will be reblogging updates and snippets only. You can also find me on ao3.

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#little lie #family's first christmas #elriel #pro elriel #elriel forever #elain #elain archeron #azriel #azriel shadowsinger #elain x az #elain x azriel #azriel x elain #elain and azriel #azriel and elain #tswaney17 #tswaney17fics #tay writes #my writing #elriel fic #elriel fanfic #elriel fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acosf #elriel au

[enny43]

Most people who know me are aware that I work in electoral politics and have for years. While a lot of the work I spend the year doing involves direct community outreach working on projects like voting rights restoration for felons, each fall I spend 12-13 weeks canvassing for the general election (I live in Virginia, so there are no off years)

This year I knocked on about 6,000 doors, talked to hundreds of voters, and contributed to a small impact in voter turnout. I did this with the expectation that Election Day would go poorly for the Democratic Party. Engaging with voters honestly to get people energized to care about a low energy party that consistently fails to rise to even the most basic of tasks is grueling work, especially when you expect it to not amount to much. Last year, Election Day brought the end to a campaign against Glenn Youngkin, which we lost. That is the expectation going into basically every election when you work for Democrats. From what we could tell in the lead up over the past few weeks, this was our anticipation headed into yesterday and into the evening hours.

Thank god we were wrong. Democrats over-preformed expectations just about everywhere, and there were some major wins that shouldn’t go unnoticed. Aside from the obvious with Fetterman in Pennsylvania, Tony Evers holding in Wisconsin, or Warnock coming out ahead (though facing a likely runoff).. I wanted to highlight some of those achievements most people will probably overlook.

Starting in my home county, where about half of my canvassing efforts were focused.

In the Arlington Country School Board election, Bethany Sutton was running against James Rives.. an anti-trans candidate who has given testimony to the board sharing inaccurate medical information and representing fringe psychiatric research as mainstream opinion. He had said he would stand by Youngkin’s efforts to discriminate against and dehumanize trans students, something the board has taken a strong stand against and refuses to comply with. Bethany ran in strong opposition to this, and her campaign had a large focus on protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ students in our county. She kicked his ass, winning by a margin north of 40 points and 30,000 votes!

Moving to Indiana in another school board election, Matthew Keefer (who advocated for the forced outing of trans students and has made pro-Nazi comments) was defeated by pro-LGBT candidate Christy Wessel-Powell

Two other Indiana School Board candidates who advocated for the banning of “pro-LGBT” books also lost their elections

I won’t mention them all, but there were also some huge wins in North Carolina where anti-LGBT candidates took losses in multiple school board elections

Falcon Heights, Minnesota sends Leigh Finke to the state legislature in a decisive 62 point victory. She becomes the first openly trans legislator in the states history!

Alice Kozlowsky also earned a decisive 40 point victory to become the first openly non-binary representative elected to the state legislature

In Montana, Zooey Zephyr earned a decisive 64 point victory to become the states first trans woman to serve in the state legislature!

and lastly, while this remains too close to call.. it seems CO-3 will be ousting Lauren Boebert 🫡

While the GOP will likely win the house, I am pleasantly surprised to be going to sleep on Election Day with an optimistic feeling. While there’s still a lot of work to be done, and things are still not looking great in general.. this was far from the outcome we expected coming into today. We can’t afford to give up this fight, and tonight showed the will to show up exists out there.

Our odds aren’t great, but we can still win. If they want us to stop fighting, they’ll have to kill us.

#politics #election #2022 midterms #school board #house of representatives #senate #lgbtqia #trans rights #democracy

[female-malice]

For two decades, researchers worked to solve a mystery in West Coast streams. Why, when it rained, were large numbers of spawning coho salmon dying? As part of an effort to find out, scientists placed fish in water that contained particles of new and old tires. The salmon died, and the researchers then began testing the hundreds of chemicals that had leached into the water.

A 2020 paper revealed the cause of mortality: a chemical called 6PPD that is added to tires to prevent their cracking and degradation. When 6PPD, which occurs in tire dust, is exposed to ground-level ozone, it’s transformed into multiple other chemicals, including 6PPD-quinone, or 6PPD-q. The compound is acutely toxic to four of 11 tested fish species, including coho salmon.

Mystery solved, but not the problem, for the chemical continues to be used by all major tire manufacturers and is found on roads and in waterways around the world. Though no one has studied the impact of 6PPD-q on human health, it’s also been detected in the urine of children, adults, and pregnant women in South China. The pathways and significance of that contamination are, so far, unknown.

Still, there are now calls for regulatory action. Last month, the legal nonprofit Earthjustice, on behalf of the fishing industry, filed a notice of intent to sue tire manufacturers for violating the Endangered Species Act by using 6PPD. And a coalition of Indian tribes recently called on the EPA to ban use of the chemical. “We have witnessed firsthand the devastation to the salmon species we have always relied upon to nourish our people,” the Puyallup Tribal Council said in a statement. “We have watched as the species have declined to the point of almost certain extinction if nothing is done to protect them.”

The painstaking parsing of 6PPD and 6PPD-q was just the beginning of a global campaign to understand the toxic cocktail of organic chemicals, tiny particles, and heavy metals hiding in tires and, to a lesser extent, brakes. While the acute toxicity of 6PPD-q and its source have strong scientific consensus, tire rubber contains more than 400 chemicals and compounds, many of them carcinogenic, and research is only beginning to show how widespread the problems from tire dust may be.

While the rubber rings beneath your car may seem benign — one advertising campaign used to feature babies cradled in tires — they are, experts say, a significant source of air, soil, and water pollution that may affect humans as well as fish, wildlife, and other organisms. That’s a problem because some 2 billion tires globally are sold each year — enough to reach the moon if stacked on their sides — with the market expected to reach 3.4 billion a year by 2030.

(Researchers weigh a salmon that died after four hours in a tank filled with road runoff.)

Tires are made from about 20 percent natural rubber and 24 percent synthetic rubber, which requires five gallons of petroleum per tire. Hundreds of other ingredients, including steel, fillers, and heavy metals — including copper, cadmium, lead, and zinc — make up the rest, many of them added to enhance performance, improve durability, and reduce the possibility of fires.

Both natural and synthetic rubber break down in the environment, but synthetic fragments last a lot longer. Seventy-eight percent of ocean microplastics are synthetic tire rubber, according to a report by the Pew Charitable Trust. These fragments are ingested by marine animals — particles have been found in gills and stomachs — and can cause a range of effects, from neurotoxicity to growth retardation and behavioral abnormalities.

“We found extremely high levels of microplastics in our stormwater,” said Rebecca Sutton, an environmental scientist with the San Francisco Estuary Institute who studied runoff. “Our estimated annual discharge of microplastics into San Francisco Bay from stormwater was 7 trillion particles, and half of that was suspected tire particles.”

Tire wear particles, or TWP as they are sometimes known, are emitted continually as vehicles travel. They range in size from visible pieces of rubber or plastic to microparticles, and they comprise one of the products’ most significant environmental impacts, according to the British firm Emissions Analytics, which has spent three years studying tire emissions. The company found that a car’s four tires collectively emit 1 trillion ultrafine particles — of less than 100 nanometers — per kilometer driven. These particles, a growing number of experts say, pose a unique health risk: They are so small they can pass through lung tissue into the bloodstream and cross the blood-brain barrier or be breathed in and travel directly to the brain, causing a range of problems.

According to a recent report issued by researchers at Imperial College London, “There is emerging evidence that tyre wear particles and other particulate matter may contribute to a range of negative health impacts including heart, lung, developmental, reproductive, and cancer outcomes.”

The report says that tires generate 6 million tons of particles a year, globally, of which 200,000 tons end up in oceans. According to Emissions Analytics, cars in the U.S. emit, on average, 5 pounds of tire particles a year, while cars in Europe, where fewer miles are driven, shed 2.5 pounds per year. Moreover, tire emissions from electric vehicles are 20 percent higher than those from fossil-fuel vehicles. EVs weigh more and have greater torque, which wears out tires faster.

Unlike tailpipe exhaust, which has long been studied and regulated, emissions from tires and brakes — which emit significant amounts of metallic particles in addition to organic chemicals — are far harder to measure and control and have therefore escaped regulation. It’s only in the last several years, with the development of new technologies capable of measuring tire emissions and the alarming discovery of 6PPD-q, that the subject is receiving much needed scrutiny.

Recent studies show that the mass of PM 2.5 and PM 10 emissions — which are, along with ozone and ultrafine particles, the world’s primary air pollutants — from tires and brakes far exceeds the mass of emissions from tailpipes, at least in places that have significantly reduced those emissions.

The problem isn’t just rubber in its synthetic and natural form. Government and academic researchers are investigating the transformations produced by tires’ many other ingredients, which could — like 6PPD — form substances more toxic than their parent chemicals as they break down with exposure to sunlight and rain.

“You’ve got a chemical cocktail in these tires that no one really understands and is kept highly confidential by the tire manufacturers,” said Nick Molden, the CEO of Emissions Analytics. “We struggle to think of another consumer product that is so prevalent in the world, and used by virtually everyone, where there is so little known of what is in them.”

“We have known that tires contribute significantly to environmental pollution, but only recently have we begun to uncover the extent of that,” said Cassandra Johannessen, a researcher at Montreal’s Concordia University who is quantifying levels of tire chemicals in urban watersheds and studying how they transform in the environment. The discovery of 6PPD-q has surprised a lot of researchers, she said, because they have learned that “it’s one of the most toxic substances known, and it seems to be everywhere in the world.”

Regulators are playing catch up. In Europe, a standard to be implemented in 2025, known as Euro 7, will regulate not only tailpipe emissions but also emissions from tires and brakes. The California Environmental Protection Agency has passed a rule requiring tire makers to declare an alternative to 6PPD-q by 2024.

(A worker takes apart a tire at a recycling shop in Mit al-Harun, Egypt.)

Tire companies are conducting their own studies of 6PPD, which they have long considered critical for tire safety, and seeking alternatives. In response to new regulations and the emerging research on tire emissions, 10 of the world’s large tire manufacturers have formed the Tire Industry Project to “develop a holistic approach to better understand and promote action on the mitigation” of tire pollution, according to a statement by the project. The group has committed to search for ways to redesign tires to reduce or eliminate emissions.

One critical area of research is how long tire waste, and its breakdown products, persist in the environment. “A five-micron piece of rubber shears off the tire and settles on the soil and sits there a while,” said Molden. “What, over time, is the release of those chemicals, how quickly do they make their way into the water, and are they diluted? At the system level, how big of a problem is this? It is the single biggest knowledge gap.”

Another area of research centers on the impacts of aromatic hydrocarbons — including benzene and naphthalene — off-gassed by synthetic rubber or emitted when discarded tires are burned in incinerators for energy recovery. Even at low concentrations, these compounds are toxic to humans. They also react with sunlight to form ozone, or ground-level smog, which causes respiratory harm. “We have shown that the amount of off-gassing volatile organic compounds is 100 times greater than that coming out of a modern tailpipe,” said Molden. “This is from the tire just sitting there.”

When tires reach their end of life, they’re either sent to landfills, incinerated, burned in an energy-intensive process called pyrolysis, or shredded and repurposed for use in artificial turf or in playgrounds or for other surfaces. But as concern about tire pollutants grows, so do concerns about these recycled products and the hydrocarbons they may off-gas. There is ongoing debate over whether crumb rubber, made from tire scraps, poses a health threat when used to fill gaps in artificial turf. Based on several peer-reviewed studies, the European Union is instituting stricter limits on the use of this material. Other studies, however, have shown no health impact.

Besides California’s requirement to study alternatives to 6PPD, there are a number of efforts worldwide to redesign tires to counter the problems they pose. More than a decade ago, tire makers hoped that dandelions, which produce a form of rubber, and soy oil could provide a steady and sustainable supply of rubber. But tires made from those alternatives didn’t live up to expectations: they still required additives. The Continental Tire Company, based in Hanover, Germany, markets a bicycle tire made of dandelion roots. Tested by Emission Analytics, it emitted 25 percent fewer carcinogenic aromatics than conventionally made bike tires, but the plant-powered tire still contained ingredients of concern.

(Rubber made from dandelions.)

Other companies are searching for ways to address the problem of tire emissions. The Tyre Collective, a clean-tech startup based in the U.K., has developed an electrostatic plate that affixes to each of a car’s tires: The plates remove up to 60 percent of particles emitted by both tires and brakes, storing them in a cartridge attached to the device. The particles can be reused in numerous other applications, including in new tires.

In San Francisco, scientists studying the pollutants in storm runoff found a potential solution: Rain gardens, installed in yards to capture stormwater, were also trapping 96 percent of street litter and 100 percent of black rubbery fragments. In Vancouver, B.C. researchers found that rain gardens could prevent more than 90 percent of 6PPD-q from running off roads and entering salmon-bearing streams.

Tire waste particles, says Molden, of Emissions Analytics, are finally getting the attention they deserve, thanks in part to California’s rule requiring a search for alternatives to 6PPD. The legislation “is groundbreaking,” he says, “because it puts the chemical composition [of tires] on the regulatory agenda.” For the first time, he adds, “Tire manufacturers are being exposed to the same regulatory scrutiny that car manufacturers have been for 50 years.”

#if you use tires or spend any time near a tire... read this #cc

[wardsutton]

From 2002.

#ward sutton #sutton impact #editorial cartoons #political cartoons #editorial cartoon #cartoons #caricature #political cartoon #village voice #henry kissinger #kissinger

[oddcoupler222]

I recently started (and finished in one sitting) Those Who Wait and needed to send you a message about it.

For years I’ve been questioning my own sexuality and have been struggling trying to figure it out. I immediately related to Sutton from the first sentence as I struggle to put myself out there and also have never been with a woman. This book has made me feel things I have never felt before and gave me so much more clarity on my own journey.

So thank you for writing such a beautiful and powerful story with characters I’ve fallen in love with and related to so strongly (I can’t help but want more Charlotte and Sutton) and thank you for writing a story that has helped me so much on my own personal journey by providing hope that maybe I’ll find my Charlotte one day 🤍

That's so sweet! I'm always so fucking thrilled when anything I've written has impacted someone in a positive way. Here's hoping you find a Charlotte of your own!

#I also can't help but want to write more sutton and charlotte #i've been writing a fanfic for them for over a year so.

[megzeppelinn]

Last weekend I got to see not one, but TWO horror play readings - both written by two of the most riveting, boundary-pushing Los Angeles theatre artists I know - Alexis Roblan and Chelsea Sutton. Ali’s exponentially brutal, actively nightmarish play “Javelina” - about how when an indie horror movie’s writer visits its disquieting Texas set she must confront the wild external and internal violence that moral culpability ignites - was Echo Theatre Company’s inaugural New Play Competition winner. Chelsea’s “I’ll Be Your Villain” - a darkly beautifully gothic type of ghost story about a woman who loses control over her true self as it wrestles with the warping nature of grief, betrayal and exploitation - was a part of Road Theatre’s New Play SlamFest. Women writing horror is not new, but something about the freshly unsettling spiritual provocations of these plays and the dark psychological/sociological screws they’re boldly twisting with their female protagonists’ uncompromisingly, almost terrifyingly authentic self-actualizations is thrilling to me as an audience member and playwright stoked for spooky storytelling and restless for groundbreaking genre vocabularies. While I’ve always loved ghost and gothic stories, it’s only been a year or so that I’ve become obsessed with the cultural impact and resonance of horror movies and specifically the way women are utilized within them. I’m still watching and learning, but in the ones I’ve seen so far the majority of the female characters (if they’re not victims killed off early on) are singularly intuitive in sensing a malignant supernatural entity, and have a hell of a time convincing others (especially their husbands/partners) that their child or loved one is in danger. Their rally cries to stop the ensuing threatening forces are silenced or ignored, so they must confront evil on their own, leading to either a gloriously badass obliteration of this evil, or a somber “I told you so, but no one listened” succumbing to it.

While the plays are uniquely themselves - Ali’s is viscerally unsettling, a masterful construction of a psychological unraveling, Chelsea’s a powerfully haunting, hilariously ominous reflection-myth on what makes a woman “bad,” they are both so compelling/refreshing in that they radically subvert the limiting binary character resolution for women in horror as outright hero or victim by not only dirtily spelunking through its meaning’s mines to unveil monsters of unpalatable moral truths never before made visible through a female lens, but outright upend it by challenging me as a viewer and woman to wrestle with my connection to these monsters and my complicity in their societal dubiousness - disturbing me into wondering what complex horrors I am capable of, but not so pointedly judging me for recognizing those terrible possibilities within me that I poisonously repress them.

I so appreciated that I didn’t feel asked to simply root for or pity the female protagonist, but to see her as someone complex with horrors - the monsters, ghosts and duendes thrashing inside her soul in the human attempt to know itself. That this revelatory storytelling of reenvisioning women in horror is happening in the L.A. theatre space makes me quiver with excitement. Shoutout to the Echo for recognizing/honoring Ali’s brilliant play, and to theatre genius/masterful conjurer of the dark and divine Carly DW Bones’ tender, playful and fearless direction of Chelsea’s play - her brilliance of uplifting the mythic voice is unmatched. Keep an eye out for more Ali and Chelsea radness, and sláinte to more women in horror!

#los angeles #playwriting #theatre #horror #women in horror #strong female lead #gothic #new work #writing

[shreemwellbeing]

This is such an impactful illustration💜

‘Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.’

- Leo Buscaglia

Video credit: @corlissco

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#shreemwellbeing #meditation #mindfulness #reiki #efttapping #emotionalfreedomtechniques #energyhealing #holistichealing #somatichealing #emotionalhealing

#traumahealing #innerchildhealing

#banstead #epsom #sutton #ashtead #surreyuk

#healing #healingjourney #vibranthealthreflexology #reflexology

#selfacceptance #selfawareness #selfbelief #selfworth #selflove #compassion #empathy #holdingspace #kindness

#shreem wellbeing #Epsom #banstead #tadworth #sutton #surrey #surrey uk #be kind #loving kindness #random acts of kindness #kindess #being human #human being

[jgroffdaily]

An article from Michelle Loucadoux, who Jonathan referred to by name in the Anything Goes Miscast - excerpts:

I did a benefit show in New York called Broadway Backwards with Jonathan Groff (and many other very talented individuals). Broadway Backwards gives actors the opportunity to play roles that they would not normally play on the great white way.

At the time, I was dancing in Anything Goes on Broadway and Jonathan’s job was to take on the role (and dance steps) of the brilliant Sutton Foster in the title song. The ensemble of the Broadway show was tasked with dancing and singing our usual steps and notes…but with Jonathan in Sutton’s role of Reno Sweeney.

Not only is the title song of Anything Goes epically long and extremely wordy for the lead singer, it is also a full-out tap number. And Jonathan insisted on learning and doing the exact dance steps in the Broadway show, no matter how difficult.

Groff was fantastic. But, that’s not the point. The point is that Groff came into a short rehearsal with me (and the rest of the ensemble of Anything Goes) and gave a master class on empowering other humans through true recognition. Here are two powerful lessons I learned from the gracious and talented Jonathan Groff.

You change things when you remember a name

Yes, Jonathan Groff took the time to learn each of our names. Every. Single. Person. In. The. Ensemble. And he remembered them.

I am often floored by the impact that the simple act of someone knowing my name makes on the way I feel about myself. The rehearsal process for the show was extremely short (I think I remember it being a week long). Groff absolutely didn’t need to take the time to identify a bunch of ensemble members while he was busy remembering lyrics, tap steps, pitches, and potentially negotiating his contract for Frozen on the side.

Nowhere in his contract did it say that he needed to remember the names of the 12 dancers circling his spotlight. But he did. And it made us feel fantastic.

In short, Jonathan Groff made us all feel important.

You can make the spotlight bigger

Not only did Groff remember our names, but he also surprised us by recognizing us by name during the performance. WHILE HE WAS DANCING.

I was doing drawbacks (a tap step) toward stage left in front of an audience of thousands of people when I heard him exclaim, “Hello Michelle. How are you?” I was fine, thank you. And as an ensemble member who rarely was recognized by name at that point, I was just plain giddy. I uttered a quick, “I’m great!” and then maxi forded off toward stage right.

Recognition, on that stage in that moment, was one of the best gifts we could receive. And Groff knew that it was up to him to either shift that spotlight or keep it all to himself.

Because, in fact, public recognition of the hard work of others doesn’t take away the light from your own spotlight. It only widens the light and brightens it.

It could be a simple word at a party recognizing the host, an unprompted shout out on social media for a hardworking teacher, or a quick text message to recognize a friend’s dedication. All of these things can create an opportunity to make others feel the way I felt on that stage while I was dancing.

So, I challenge you today. If you know a person, an educator, a friend, a loved one, or a coworker that is doing a great job, take a moment to recognize them for their hard work. That recognition goes much farther than you might think. Thank you, Jonathan Groff, for the powerful lesson.

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