Read my evil fictions . . .

My open letter to Congress:

The time for personal concerns is over.  The time for politics is behind you. It is now time to do your duty. Your Nation and its people need you. We need you to drop the facade and perform the duty that is yours by dint of Office and your proclaimed status as patriots and defenders of the Body Politic. Donald J. Trump is and always has been unfit for Office. Stop enabling this unhinged, would-be tyrant. Do your duty and remove Donald J. Trump from Office and power.

John M. Berg.

Again, just thought I’d throw it out into the public record. Gonna send it to every member of Congress that I can.

Representative, I write to you as a Kansas first. I was born here and am a life-long resident.

I am a proud Kansan and I love my State as much as I love my Nation.  And what I see happening in my State and Nation has put a horror upon me.

 Unarmed American civilians are gunned downed in the streets.  By the police.  And those who decry this atrocity are belittled.

 Nazis are marching proudly through the streets.  Through the streets of America.

 Representative, I am a Kansan.  I am a patriot.

 Both of my grandfathers fought in World War II.  My uncle in VietNam.  My cousin in the current conflicts.  I served eight years, the last five in B Company, 2/137 Infantry Division in the Kansas National Guard.

 As a man who literally gave himself to my Nation and my State in order to be allowed the honor of the opportunity to defend them with my life and blood, I have a question for you.

 Why is Donald J. Trump still in office?

 Why is the man with so many damning actions in the public record allowed one erg of political authority?

 Why have you personally as an alleged patriot and defender of the body politic not begun the Impeachment process yourself?

 I’m calling you out.

 You know what he is.

 Remove him from office.

 Representative, I neither expect nor want a personal reply from you.  I want you to do your duty to your State and Nation.

 That’s the only response that could possibly matter.

 John M. Berg

And then my dumb ass hit the “yes, I want a reply” button as I sent it through her website.

It occurred to me to go ahead and throw the contents in the public record, so there it is.

Good Fucking God, just impeach this piece of shit already.

Back in the Day, I was a registered Republican.  I voted for Dole, for fuck’s sake.

I remember old-school Republican Outrage.  I lived the “better dead than Red” years.

The Republican party I remember would’ve been losing its shit over any of these kinds of ties to foreign Powers. And ties to Russia? Russia?!?

Reagan is turning in his grave.

Regardless of my personal feelings on the historic election of our nation’s first Orangutan-American President, he bagged it.  We’re now looking down the barrel of a Trump-Pence administration for the next four years.

Whatever.

If I recall correctly, the Trump camp has stated that most of the responsibility for domestic and foreign policy will fall to the Vice President, while President Trump is engaged in “making America great again.”

 What does this mean?  For us, our Nation and the world?  It means that this ride can go anywhere, folks.  If there’s one thing Trump’s proven, it’s that he’s unpredictable as all hell.  So let’s take a look at some of the ways this could all go.

 The Absolute Worst - Trump’s harshest critics turn out to be right.

Nukes fly and it’s all over.  Granted, this is the least probable outcome, but I’m trying to not rule anything out just yet.

 Not the Absolute Worst, but still hella-terrifying - Trump goes for the full-out police state.

Trump’s behavior in office is consistent with his behavior while on campaign. We all get to live through the literal death of American democracy as President Trump emulates the world leaders he’s said he admires - Vladamir Putin (sp), Saddam Husein (sp), Kim Jong Il (sp) and Mohmar Gaddaffi (sp).  2016 marks the last free Presidential election in the United States.

Not the Worst, but hella not good - Trump proves to be nothing more than a blowhard.

President Trump shows no interest in actually running the country, leaving the implementation of policy to the Vice President.  Mike Pence rallies a leaner and more vicious Republican party.

While the President provides the world with a buffoonery road-show, V.P. Pence and the GOP have their way with the nation.  They loot the national economy, carve away at civil rights, escalate racial tensions, alienate our allies while also entangling us in multiple wars and conflicts.  Welcome to your newfound nostalgia for the “good old days” of the Bush/Cheney Administration.

 Mildly horrifying, but not the Worst thing either - impeachment.

It’s not hard to imagine President Trump eventually crossing a line - or, let’s be real, many lines - that result in a bi-partisan impeachment at some point, mid-term.  The man is accustomed to behaving like a billionaire-citizen, after all.  And there’s a metric ass-load of behavior that you can get away with as a billionaire-citizen that just does not fly in the Oval Office.

The horrifying part comes in when you try to think of just what lines would have to be crossed for this to happen.  And even with that in mind …

Unlikely, but what the hell - the honeymoon’s over.

In spite of the statements made by the Trump camp during the campaign, President Trump’s ego doesn’t let him stay in the passenger seat while the V.P. runs the real show.  

President Trump steps all over the V.P.’s plans with unexpected public statements and surprise policy implementation.  V.P. Pence doesn’t back down from the President and they end up wasting their term fighting each other.  Ironically, nothing much changes in America for the duration of the Trump administration.

 And because you can’t rule anything out - the one yer probly not expectin’.

I’ve made my opinion of Donald Trump clear in the past.  But I’ve also heard former Presidents speak about how the Office changes you.  How you literally have no clue, until you’re actually the President.  Until you feel the gravity of it.  Then you know and you’re never the same.  

 With that in mind, we do have to accept one more possibility.

 That actually having to be the President of the United States of America changes Donald Trump for the better.  That the gravity of the Office steers his concern away from self-aggrandizement and towards the welfare of the nation that elected him.  That he actually invests his Presidency in fixing our broken system for the betterment of the Nation and all its people.

 That’s the best possible outcome.  The outcome we should all be hoping for.

  As of now, we have to hope for the best.

oldstarnewshine:

man i love how quickly the books dive into the total fucking weirdness after the “it’s a normal fantasy series NOPE LIES LOL” of agot

ned stark gets his head cut off and suddenly there are

-evil vagina dentata ladies who drain men’s souls to create assassin shadow children
-morose half drowned prophet jesters
-morose half drowned prophet pirates
-men who hunt women and flay them alive for sport
-psychic shapeshifters
-psychic children
-psychic ghosts
-disembodied beating hearts
-evil tree conspiracies
-newborn sacrifices to zombies
-zombies riding zombie bears
-people turning to stone
-cannibalism everywhere
-sam tarly having sex

(via nobodysuspectsthebutterfly)

Hey everyone,

Once again I’ve been away for a couple of months - way too long without telling anyone what’s up. Apologies for that.  What’s going on is that I’m back on the time-intensive life-funding drive, so I’m likely to be fairly scarce until the middle of August or September.  So, apologies again for up to this point and in advance for that.

 In other news, work has begun on the 2nd edition of Shades of Red and Gray, the first of the several intended stories focused on Marcus Frey.  What started as a much needed re-edit/rewrite has instead become my hindbrain filling me in on more of the backstory behind the meta of the overall arc.

 This is still a good thing as it informs what I’m going to be drawing on during the ongoing work.

 As for the website … unfortunately, I’ll be letting the url at the website go away in August. Life is just not currently allowing for that expense.

 The flip side to that is that, a little down the road, I’m going to be looking into starting a new site elsewhere.  I’ll be dropping in eventually to give you all updates on that.

 The crux though, is that I’m currently on a six-day work cycle that extends into August and possibly longer.  So, unfortunately, I’ll continue to be scarce.

 Thanks and take care each other, out there!

tylandlannister:

-As a half-moon crept up the sky, they staked their horses out in the village commons and supped on salted mutton, dried apples, and hard cheese. Jaime ate sparingly and shared a skin of wine with Peck and Hos the hostage. He tried to count the pennies nailed to the old oak, but there were too many of them and he kept losing count. What’s that all about? The Blackwood boy would tell him if he asked, but that would spoil the mystery.

- aDwD, Jaime I

In Jaime’s single aDwD chapter (and what a chapter), he ponders the mystery of the pennies in the Pennytree. What might not be obvious at a first glance, however, is that this is also GRRM speaking directly to us about the nature of wonder and mysteries in fiction. I am sure I am not the first to make this observation, and maybe it is so obvious that brighter minds have simply neglected to write about it. 

Either way, I haven’t seen it explicitly mentioned, and figured I’d give it a shot. So what is this meta statement? Well, it is exactly what it says. ‘That would spoil the mystery.’ Not all mysteries are meant to be solved. The series as a whole invites to speculation, and that is half the fun - but one shouldn’t expect all the mysteries to be explicitly revealed in the two books to come. And we should be thankful for this: it makes the experience so much richer.

There is reason that the LoIaF maps don’t include the entire world, and why the WoIaF lore doesn’t reveal everything. Well, there is more than one reason: GRRM is only one man, after all. Maps and worldbuilding takes time. Another reason though is a paradoxical fact: the larger the world gets, the smaller it becomes. When everything is mapped and named we don’t have to wonder. And wonder is one hell of a drug. 

But is this limited to the works outside of the main narrative? No. We also see this in the main series. GRRM is pretty strict about the nature of his PoV: what we see is what the characters see, and he limits these to a (relatively speaking, with the scale in mind) precious few ones. Arguably this is more true before feast/dance, but even in those two books we only get a single character per chapter.

Except when heavy magic is at play.

The iron captain was not seen again that day, but as the hours passed the crew of his Iron Victory reported hearing the sound of wild laughter coming from the captain’s cabin, laughter deep and dark and mad, and when Longwater Pyke and Wulfe One-Eye tried the cabin door they found it barred. Later singing was heard, a strange high wailing song in a tongue the maester said was High Valyrian. That was when the monkeys left the ship, screeching as they leapt into the water.

- aDwD, The Iron Suitor (Victarion)

Wait. Wasn’t that supposed to be Victarion’s chapter? If you want to be the devil’s advocate I suppose that you can make an argument that this description is merely due to his traumatic and therefore dissociative experience. Due to my argument I am biased against this interpretation, of course… It is a very peculiar description from GRRM under peculiar circumstances. I am inclined to believe that we leave Victarion’s limited PoV for an omniscient one.

For some reason I had imagined that this happened during Daenerys VIII as well, but after re-reading that doesn’t quite seem to be the case. However, GRRM veils it in that chapter to, in a more literal manner. Namely: beyond the veil of a tent fabric:

“The maegi,” someone else said. Was that Aggo? “Take her to the maegi.”

No, Dany wanted to say, no, not that, you mustn’t, but when she opened her mouth, a long wail of pain escaped, and the sweat broke over her skin. What was wrong with them, couldn’t they see? Inside the tent the shapes were dancing, circling the brazier and the bloody bath, dark against the sandsilk, and some did not look human. She glimpsed the shadow of a great wolf, and another like a man wreathed in flames.

“The Lamb Woman knows the secrets of the birthing bed,” Irri said. “She said so, I heard her.”

“Yes,” Doreah agreed, “I heard her too.”

No, she shouted, or perhaps she only thought it, for no whisper of sound escaped her lips. She was being carried. Her eyes opened to gaze up at a flat dead sky, black and bleak and starless. Please, no. The sound of Mirri Maz Duur’s voice grew louder, until it filled the world. The shapes! she screamed. The dancers!

Ser Jorah carried her inside the tent.

- aGoT, Daenerys VIII.

So why does GRRM do this? Well, because it is creepy as hell. We fear what we can’t understand and we can’t understand what we can’t see. Horror is no speciality of mine, but I have heard of the laconic advice “Don’t show the monster.” I don’t think this should be a hard rule (few should be), but it is a decent guideline. And I think it is why GRRM makes these decisions.

This is why Nymeria losing a chunk of her people in Yeen is unsettling: it happens overnight, with no one to see it and no clues being left behind. An entire city emptied. This is why we don’t have an explicit explanation for the curious case of Asshai’s missing children. This is why the world is littered with structures of oily, black stone - with no clear reason as to why. Oh, we can point to the Deep Ones… But that opens up another dozen mysteries. Who are they? Why are they? What do they want? Where are they now?

There is a meta textual reason as to why Maester Yandel ends tWoIaF the way he does:

There is always more to know, more to see, more to learn. The world is vast and wondrous strange, and there are more things beneath the stars than even the archmaesters of the Citadel can dream.

This is from the guy who discredits Septon Barth whenever it is possible. Magic or not, we humans are fascinated by the unknown. Scared too, of course, but fascinated. And fantasy is, or at least have the potential to be, very good at tickling this particular need. This is GRRM wanting to show what fantasy can be: terrifying, fascinating, and wondrous.

And what implications does this have for the future books? Would that I could tell you. I leave that to more experienced theorists than me. My only firm expectation is that we will not get an explanation for all of it. And frankly, we should be thankful for the privilege of not having to expect a grand theory of everything: a Song of Ice and Fire does not need midi-chlorians.

(via asoiafuniversity)

babybree:

babybree:

babybree:

I know most people associate LUSH Cosmetics with white girls and bath bombs but products from this beautiful company have faded my scars and stretch marks, completely gotten rid of my acne, fixed my dry skin problems, thickened my eyelashes, laid my edges, made my hair grow like crazy… I can go on and on. I’ve actually never tried the bath bombs, but their skincare and haircare products work magic.

Fading Scars / Stretch Marks Organic Therapy Massage Bar

Extra Dry Skin King of Skin In-Shower Body Conditioner, Skin Drink Facial Moisturizer, Sultana of Soap Bar, Tender is the Night Massage Bar, Each’s a Peach Massage Bar

Acne Fresh Farmacy Solid Cleanser, Eau Roma Toning Water, Full of Grace Serum Bar

Thickening Lashes Eyes Right Mascara / Lash Milk

Edges R&B Hair Moisturizer (if you put this on your edges before wrapping your hair, they’ll be relaxer-straight when you wake up, lasts about 12 hours), Dirty Styling Cream (cream-based edge control with a matte finish, no more shiny or crunchy edges) 

Hair Growth NEW! Shampoo Bar, Retread Hair Conditioner

I was asked to list the rest of the products I currently have in my possession, so here y’all go!

FACE / HAIR STUFF

Magical Moringa Facial Moisturizer Oh my lordy. Let me tell y'all about this stuff. It’s marketed as a moisturizer but I use it as a primer because when you put this on your face, it’s completely matte. Like completely. All day. And it will lock your makeup in place like no other. You can sweat in it, swim in it, whatever. Shit won’t budge. Ever.

Jason & the Argan Oil Shampoo Bar Amazing for volumizing. It made the three bundles in my head look more like five when I used this thing the first time, I kid you not. Also gives your hair a really natural shine. I only use it when I really need a volume boost, otherwise it’s just too much.

No Drought Dry Shampoo If you have a weave, you need this stuff. Period. A lot of times, the natural oils in our scalps (referring to my fellow black women here) are too heavy for Brazilian, Peruvian, etc hair, and so it’s easy for weave to get weighed down between washes. Shake this stuff in your hair, brush it out - bam, flow city.

Honey Trap Lip Balm My favorite lip balm, ever. Really improves the texture of your lips and seals in moisture. However, this is not for fixing chapped lips - use Ultrabalm for that first, and then this to prevent them from chapping again. Also, pro-tip, if you apply it before liquid lipstick, your lipstick won’t crease or dry out all day.

MASSAGE BARS

Strawberry Feels Forever Smells like fresh strawberries! Has a much thinner consistency than the other massage bars, so it can be used every day, like a solid lotion.

Soft Coeur Smells like chocolate and honey, and is ridiculously moisturizing. More heavy-duty than the other bars, so I like to only use this one on spots like my knees, heels, and elbows.

From Dusk til Dawn The shape of this one is amazing. It’s shaped like a cone, so it gives a deep massage when you’re using it. Definitely recommend if you have any sort of muscle pain.

SCRUBS

The Rough with the Smooth This stuff smells soooo good. Like cotton candy. I use it before I shave because it really does an amazing job at removing any dead skin and it doesn’t leave a residue, so it won’t clog your razor. However, it’s a sugar scrub, so it melts super quickly.

Ocean Salt This is a heavy-duty scrub. Really amazing if you have dry, flaky skin, and the healing properties of the salt are really great if you have acne. It’ll dry it up and heal it super quick.

Cup o’ Coffee Face & Body Mask I’m on my fourth jar of this already. The coffee beans are ground up just enough to give a deep, yet gentle scrub and the caffeine in the bar really does wake up your skin and make it look brighter. Great for the morning.

Buffy It smells like a vacation, that’s really the only way to describe it. It’s an exfoliant bar and body butter mixed together, so you rub it all over while you’re still in the shower, and then rinse the sand off. After, rub the oils in and pat dry. No need for lotion after because it seals in the moisture from your shower.

SHOWER GELS / JELLIES

Rose Jam Shower Gel Smells like roses and has a really bubbly lather. More cleansing than moisturizing. I like to use it before a more moisturizing soap because it’s great for removing dirt and oil from the skin.

The Olive Branch Shower Gel A long-time favorite of mine. Great for dry skin, as it has a really creamy lather versus a bubbly one. Also, the smell is very calming and lingers for a long time.

Needles & Pines Shower Jelly It’s a solid shower gel (consistency of jello), and it smells like Christmas trees! I like to store it in the fridge and use it when it’s hot outside, super cleansing and refreshing.

SOAPS:

Roses All the Way Personal favorite! Smells like roses & vanilla ice cream. Super moisturizing and so, so creamy. Definitely buy if you suffer from dry skin.

Yog Nog Very moisturizing and the scent lingers for a really long time. Smells like snickerdoodles and eggnog.

Bohemian Not at all creamy, as it’s an exfoliating soap. It’s great to use on dark spots like knees and armpits because the exfoliants soften the skin and the lemon juice evens out your skintone. Smells like lemons.

Karma Another favorite. It has a super thin consistency but is still very moisturizing, so it’s a good shaving soap because it won’t gunk up your razor. Smells like incense and patchouli.

Figs & Leaves Smells like dirt and grass, in a good way. Super cleansing. As in your skin will literally squeak after using it, so I recommend using an in-shower moisturizer like King of Skin after using it.

OTHER:

Atomic Toothy Tabs Solid toothpaste that you crush up in your mouth. It sounds weird but these things are phenomenal. They really leave your teeth squeaky clean, and are the sole reason my teeth are so white - I don’t use any whitening products. This particular kind smells like cloves and cinnamon.

Ultrabalm All Purpose Balm This stuff is amazing. It’s an all-over balm for rough spots. I use it in the winter time on my hands and lips, because they get dry. I also use it year round on my face where I get dry spots, as it doesn’t clog pores.

Silky Underwear Dusting Powder Another holy grail. If you could turn cocoa butter into a powder, this would be it. It’s not drying like baby powder, it’s more silky (it’s also talc-free). I use it between my legs to prevent chafing and under my boobs when it’s hot outside to prevent sweating.

(via nobodysuspectsthebutterfly)