a-deew

[fabhabitatau]

Doormats might be used for keeping the floors dirt-free. However, it also helps in creating the right first impression on the mind of the visitors. Whether your visitor is a potential buyer of your home or your friends and colleagues, the first thing that they notice is the doormat. Hence, it can be said that doormats or welcome Mats help to set a tone for the entrance or the entryway. 

Know More...

[atvrvxia]

literally less than two weeks / a week since adding my last set of my muses, i’m back again with another set !! like this post if you’d like to plot with them / get a one-liner starter. more info about these new muses are under the cut !!

aarya akter. twenty eight- thirty. food and drink vlogger. heterosexual. she/her. mishti rahman. known as the netizen.

the famous vlogger who constantly travels around the world in search for the best eats and drinks.

aspen lindström. twenty eight- thirty. sales associate at an occult shop. pansexual. she/her. elizabeth lail. known as the mystic.

the woman who is fascinated by the occult and supernatural; trying to learn all she can about witchcraft. vivian’s older sister.

harrison ‘harry’ lancaster. twenty seven- twenty nine. socialite. bisexual. he/him/his. barry keoghan. known as the extreme doormat.

the socialite with a heart of gold, but can be quite passive; tends to let people walk all over him and is quite the people pleaser. alexander, anthony, archibald and adelaide’s cousin.

theodore ‘theo’ reeves. thirty four- thirty six. thief and forger. bicurious. he/him/his. richard madden. known as the impious.

the self-assured forger who knows he’s a living legend with his skills; doesn’t believe in any higher power except for himself. dylan, damon and tatum’s cousin. carter, hero, hal and holden’s second cousin/uncle. ashton’s adoptive second cousin/uncle.

[dixiesmith]

- 👒 D I X I E S M I TH

feel free to read more about my shy twin under the cut 

name: dixie smith faceclaim: adelaide kane age: 28 occupation: owner of sweet pea boutique sexuality: heterosexual gender: cisfemale hometown: tupelo

about

dixie is the youngest twin (by three minutes) and she’s pretty much the forgotten child. the smith’s had always talked about how much they wanted a son and they got just that. she wasn’t neglected by any means but her brother came first in every situation.

she grew up in tupelo and while her brother was very involved in physical activities, she spent her free time with her head in the books or with a pencil in her hand as she drew up whatever came to her mind. (which was usually clothes) she learned how to sew, knit, and crochet at a young age too, she was obviously the more creative sibling. 

she’s a huge doormat and will let anyone and everyone walk all over her. she really doesn’t know how to stand up for herself or how to say no.

is a huge hopeless romantic and she definitely trusts WAY too easy. she’s gotten her heart broken countless times but she finds a way to get over it because she believes she’ll find that “one”

wanted connections:

best friend

maybe a childhood friend she spent a lot of time with since her parents were too focused on her twin

a friend that dated her brother and when they broke up they drifted apart

exes

employee

enemies??

[goodlookingforagirl]

Oc-tober Day 27: Midnight

Another twin scene that takes place just a few months before my main story starts, aka a few months before Adelaide and Randy meet. Thanks to @oc-growth-and-development for making this list! 

Day 27: Midnight

It was midnight before Esther finally spoke up. “Are you going to go to sleep?”

    Adelaide, who was lying on her side in her bed, was staring at their red princess phone. “Soon.”

    “Is David supposed to call you?”

    “Yeah. He said he’d call sometime tonight.”

    Esther looked at the clock again. “Well, it’s technically morning now. You should go to sleep. You have to be at work at six tomorrow, don’t you?”

    “Six-thirty,” Adelaide sighed. “But he said he’d call. We haven’t talked all week.”

    Esther held her tongue. Whenever she gave Adelaide her opinion on David, Adelaide just dug in her heels and doubled-down on being a doormat. Esther could hardly believe it: Adelaide, who didn’t take shit from anyone, let her boyfriend treat her like an afterthought, at best. Esther knew that people put up with strange things to keep from being lonely, but this was ridiculous.

    “You can always call him tomorrow,” Esther suggested. “Maybe he just forgot.”

    “I doubt he forgot,” Adelaide muttered.

    “What do you mean?”

    “I mean that he’s been ‘forgetting’ a lot lately. Enough for me to think it might be on purpose.”

    Esther’s ears perked up. Is she finally seeing the light? “Do you think he’s avoiding you?”

    “I mean, he’s five hundred miles away. It’s pretty easy to avoid me.” She turned onto her back and rubbed her eyes. “I’m just worried that if I’m out of sight, I’m out of mind.”

    You were never on his mind, Esther wanted to say. He’s only dating you because you do whatever he says. He doesn’t love you — he loves that you love him.

    Instead, she calmly said, “If being away at college is enough to make a guy forget about you, then he’s not worth it. You deserve better than that.”

    “I can’t break up with him,” she flatly replied.

    Esther's heart sank. “Why not?”

    “Esther, he was my first...everything. We’ve shared so much. And if I broke up with him, I know I’d miss him so much that I’d never be able to look at another guy again. Another guy might not even want me.”

    “That’s not true. You turn heads all the time.”

    “Wanting to look at someone and wanting to be with someone are two different things. I’m lucky that I found a decent guy that can put up with me.”

    Esther knew where this was coming from. David often told Adelaide things like, “You’re a lot to handle, but I love you anyways,” and, “A lot of guys wouldn’t like your sense of humor, but I do.” All ways to keep her insecure enough to stay with him. It made Esther sick, but if she even tried to mention it, she was told to “mind her own business”.

    Esther folded her arms and took a deep breath. “Look, I don’t want to make you upset. You don’t even have to respond. But I just want to say, there are plenty of guys who would be over the moon to date you. David’s not the only one.” Adelaide opened her mouth, but Esther kept speaking. “You don’t have to break up with him. But if you decide to stay, do it because you love him. Not because you’re scared.”

    Adelaide looked down at her blanket and pulled at a loose thread. “Thanks.”

    “You’re welcome.” Esther pointed to the lamp that stood between their beds. “Can I turn this off now? We both need sleep.”

    Adelaide nodded. “Go ahead.”

    Esther turned off the lamp — it was almost twelve-fifteen now — and laid awake for a while before falling asleep. Adelaide was still tossing and turning when she finally drifted off. Esther hoped she would listen and do the right thing. And not the right thing for David — the right thing for her. Put herself first in that relationship for once. Esther wouldn’t bet on it happening, but she still hoped deep down that it would.

[modernlcve]

little info dump of lizzie’s la muses

ADELAIDE LINDHOLM  :   they still need a last name but . whatever. i was gonna make her like really boring n a lil mean but. i changed me mind. she’s still uninterested in fame but im pulling her out of management she did it for like 3 years and then realized it brought her nothing but stress and pain so she quit and is doing temp work for the time being she’s trying to figure some stuff of her own out but deflects it onto still trying to boss around her siblings all the time. this sounded more interesting in my head. know it all, bossy, putting on a front of being in control of her miserable life

plots for her include  :  former clients she completely abandoned when she snapped, im working on more but sometimes... being a big sister is a full time job am i right girls

ALISON COLLINS  :  a woman at a crossroads . wants to follow her big artistic ambition of [redacted] but it just hasnt worked out for her yet so she’s teaching elementary art classes at a Hippie School to pay the bills til something comes her way , but its hard to be the edgy artist type when u got the school breathing down ur back and checking 2 make sure ur on the straight and narrow.

plots for her include  :  another big sister im ltrying to think of plots for but . sometimes things arent easy you know. she could have art circle friends who make fun of her for Selling Out and making pipe cleaner crafts for a living now

BRUNO VARGAS  :   i’m copy pasting the fc meme. he bought a “capitalism is unsustainable” sticker off of amazon. prime example of that “little confused but he’s got the spirit” meme. he threw himself into the social activism scene after he dropped out of college and ran away to the city to really make something of himself. he really wants to do good things for good reasons his heart is in the right place he’s just a dumbass. grew up in a traditional catholic military family but hasn’t had contact w them for a minute. lives in the fold because he thinks its cool 2 force people 2 hang out with him. works for an indie underground news publication.

plots for him include  :  yeah  maybe i am still stuck on the boyfriend/girlfriend plot. im not married to it being bf n gf if it just works 2 be 2 gfs or 2 bfs anyways. plot would be that one partner bruno has had longer and has openly been with for a minute now. second partner would be more recent and bc of that less of the whole official We’re Together :) kind of thing. both partners would know he’s seeing other people, but he hasnt gone out of his way to specifically out either of them, p2 just knows about p1 bc they were openly w bruno whereas they arent yet. if that makes literally any sense

COLE EDWARDS  :  bit of a weirdo. she does something behind the scenes i was thinking like set design because thats something that weirdly really interests me. anyways shes a doormat but in a different way than molly could be read that way she really just likes to be involved in things and help people. ~quirky~ but one day , she will snap. u can tell when u see her at craft night and she gets so much hot glue on her hand but doesnt even react. its like she cant feel it... feel better cole...

plots for her   :  cole could work for laguna beach or as the mystery novak stepsib im not married to her being on the show or not yet. i figured she could be fun there because she would be a light addition to all these Reality Tv Bastards u know. her bg and plots will fit whichever subplot i use her for so . tba

HOLLIS MESSINA   :   kill him NOW .   hollis is a bad man. not to godmod michele but in my head their parents are also like weird arsty types not necessarily famous but always very into the arts all thru their childhood. they grew up eating a lot of kale and maybe thats why hollis is the way he is. he’s vapid and very insecure because he wants so bad to be cool and funny and talented and suffers from major impostor syndrome which contributes to his online shopping addiction. take a nap hollis...

plots for him  :  we know im always looking for a plot where my musician writes a song about how crusty their ex is and their ex doesn’t appreciate it, or in general just maybe someone who got past the Phony Fakeass Cool Hollis act but then he decided to be very mean to them because soemtimes it hurts to let people in

JAMES ZAMORA   :  instagram model and youtuber. new media thot. she makes beauty, fashion, lifestyle, and travel related content. her entire brand is being A Sexy Little Trollop for people to envy. came from humble beginnings believe it or not, but she will never tell anyone that. as far as they need to be concerned shes been toddling around in heels since day one. lives in the fold because it makes for quirky content but once a month she threatens to get the hell out of here.. no one knows why she stays..

plots for her  :  frankly between the Novak Boyz and the mean girl squad im happy w her plots for now but shes always around to *cheryl blossom voice* create a little chaos if needed...

MOLLY SEKULIC   :   for the first week he lived at the fold noah thought she was a ghost :0  jadede film school student who thought she would get to do real documentary work at a place like b*zzfeed news but got put on projects shes not as passionate about 2 put it kindly. constantly planning her escape from the fold and worth it and all of that but 2 depressed to actually put any of it into play so she just sticks around and hopes one day she’s tapped for something with Substance

plots for her  :  she just doesnt get out much. shes got her Horrible sons (alec and [redacted]) and the girlies she hangs out with at the fold so shes not a completely friendless loser. with muses also working in film i think it could be fun to have a plot where they went to school together/worked on a project earlyo n together but now shes doing this and is embarrassed to talk to them abt it not that its even that real of a plot..

NOAH FITZGERALD  :  i wrote an intro for him in fold and im just gonna link it here. tldr hes very shy,, be gentle,, he wants to be liked and validated which is a common theme for me becuase yeah maybe in my core i dont believe anyone pursuing art does it for any reason but validation i sure know i do 

plots for him  :   he’s got a little going on but other fun stuff could be musicians he jams with that could catch onto his and bradys Scam, maybe some other dorks to commiserate with ive obvisosuly not got as many ideas as i let on huh,

WYATT SONG   :   gay writer bitch. came from money so he’s just casually pursuing writing full time minus the time he spends on the show (bit less than everyone else just because watching him sit in his home office and do nothing for hours just isnt interesting) but i kinda like the idea of him being a Villain within the show like idk what dynamics we were wanting to set up but i feel ike since he’s more reclusive than the others and when he is around hes Annoying he could be someone the show kinda frames as Not Likable which mostly doesnt bother him but . stings a little

plots   :  someone whos really nice 2 him off cam but plays to that villain thing on cam, which could work for a few muses on different levels like a friend whos just flighty to someone he’s ~ secretly dating ~ bc it would mess up the current plot of the show if they were fucking just yet

[rpqualityfloors]

Things To Take Care Of When Cleaning Bamboo Floorings

Flooring is prone to dirt, debris, stains, scratches, fractures, and more. It is sometimes difficult to prevent when the flooring is not taken care of keeping in mind the type of flooring that is installed. Timber floors need more care than concrete floors. One can ask the Flooring Adelaide service provider to know the exact cleaning requirements for the specific type of floor.

One can make a list of these for making daily cleaning more effective. Bamboo Flooring Adelaide has a surprising benefit, these floorings are eco-friendly! The fast-growing property of bamboo is of good advantage. The bamboos are harvested for floorings, which does not create a possibility of engendering the bamboos.

Apart from the benefit, here is a list of daily cleaning practices for bamboo floorings.

●     Cleaners

Let us start with the basics, cleaners are the essential part of getting flooring clean properly and thoroughly. Woods are very sensitive regarding PH, they need cleaning that has the specific PH. Otherwise, and you would end up ruining the floorings. The flooring installation service provider knows what cleaners are available in the market and which one would be best for your flooring type so better just give them a call.

●     Say no to steam mop

Steaming makes the wood vulnerable to the absorption of moisture. Moisture and wood do not go well. Moisture causes irreparable damage to those flamboyant bamboo floors of yours. Better not to regret the decision.

●     Outdoor footwear

Just keep them out! or in the shoe rack at the door. Do not walk around in the house with those dirt-laden shoes of yours. They make the flooring dirty, they bring germs to the house and most importantly they cause scratches to the fine finish of the floor.

●     Doormats

Doormats at every door would be much of a help. They would capture the dirt and moisture before you step on the floors. Small things, like these, could make a difference over a long time.

●     Lifting heavy objects

Many people have a habit of just pushing the object when they intend to move it from one place to another. This is a big mistake. Just imagine the number of harsh scratches it can cause to the floor. These scratches are very visible and spoil the whole ambiance of the flooring. Why do this? Just take the help of someone in the house and lift those heavy objects when you move them.

●     Moisture

A good piece of advice given by the flooring experts here is just to keep the moisture away from the flooring in all the possible ways. Mopping the floor is inevitable but why mop with excess water? Just squeeze out the excess water and use a damped mop on the floor. Make sure to wipe any excess water on the floor with a dry microfiber.

●     Spills  

Spills on the floor are related to stains as well as moisture. To have long-lasting flooring this would be your job till you are sanding and polishing the floor again. Whipping of the spills as soon as possible.

Pro-tip,

Contact the Bamboo Flooring Adelaide service provider and get a better knowledge of cleaning and maintaining the bamboo floors.

Related: Why Is Flooring Adelaide Based The Best?

[thexwildones-blog]

߷ - I thought I saw ADELAIDE KANE in New Orleans, but it was just LEAH AUSTEN. SHE is a 22/968 year old VAMPIRE. I heard that they were INTELLECTUAL but also TENTATIVE. I believe they are marrying ZANE BELMONT/WILLIAM MOSELY FC.

Born in 1014 Leah was the youngest of four with an older sister and two older brothers.

Her mother died giving birth to her, a truth that has always followed Leah around, though she doesn’t speak openly about it.

Leah has always been a daddy’s girl. As the youngest she was a careful child, sticking to his side and feeling safest when close to her father.  

She was terribly curious about the world around her, yet uncoordinated and accident prone, which meant she often got herself scrapes, cuts and injuries as a child.

In return she was shy and introverted as a child

Very bright and smart, loving to read and talk about what she had read and connect stories to real life

Leah is a dreamer and writer

As a child she dreamed of becoming an author

As a teen she came more out of her shell, proving to be high spirited and lively though timid with the opposite sex

She was fifteen when her father disappeared after her first high society party, where she was presented as all young women were at that time, to society as an adult. Being presented meant men would be able to ask for her hand in marriage.

Though when her father disappeared, Leah devoted herself entirely to finding him. For a while, all she had to go on were witness statements and what others had seen. But then the letters started coming. Her father were sending his kids letters, letting them know he was alright.

Using the letters along with fierce stubbornness, Leah was able to locate her father. He had been turned into a vampire and kept his distance to protect his children. Determined not to be away from him, Leah tried to persuade him to turn her.

She finally succeeded in 1036, 22 years old, after a lot of arguments and heated discussions.

Vampirism was hard on her at first, the thirst proving very difficult to master. Leah struggled for years to fully regain control.

When she did though, she was very careful about her intake, often uncomfortable and scared when feeding. Because of the time, she had to feed directly from the vain, as blood bags weren’t invented yet.

She didn’t much like her dads second wife, but she said nothing as she could see that the woman made him happy, and she didn’t mind getting half-siblings. It was hard on her when they were found out and chased out of the village. Her step mother and half siblings survived, but she could not go back to see the kids she had come love and cared for. It was also a reminder of her older siblings which she left behind to find her dad and never saw again, and will always miss.

In the 17th century Leah had a kind of sexual awakening after befriending the daughter of a nobleman who introduced her to the darker aspects to parties and gatherings with men present.

She was the one prompting, and in part challenging Leah to invite men into her bed and find confidence in her looks and powers as a woman.

Leah and Luke moved around a lot to hide their non aging, pretending to be siblings instead of father and daughter. This caused Leah to refrain from getting too attached to people and places. She would be friendly and care on a surface level, but she rarely allowed herself to get too emotional or deeply involved with anyone, whether it be platonic or romantic.

On the other hand she was very fortunate getting to travel and see the world, and she always tried to make the most of it, relieved that her father wouldn’t step in too much even when she was making mistakes.

Still she often lived with more moderation given that her dad was always close by and she did not want to worry him too much. She loves her dad more than anyone alive and naturally puts his well being and emotions before anything else.

In 1940 she fell in love with a playwrite and asked her dads blessing to marry him after several months of dating.

He was kind, funny, gentle, a scholar, who was very family oriented

He was also a fellow dreamer and did not fault her for being educated and smart. He was amazed by this instead of threatened.

When the second world war broke out, he was enlisted to fight.

She was worried sick he wouldn’t make it, but out of fear of detection Leah didn’t dare turn him beforehand.

He died in the war and she was informed with a military escort coming to her door.

Leah was devastated and swore she would never give her heart away again. No one could replace her husband.

She still wears her wedding and engagement rings, either on her fingers or on a golden necklace.  

For a while she wouldn’t even look at men and would react very poorly when flirted with or asked out, to a point where she got angry and once assaulted a man.

When she did allow others to show an interest in her again she flirted, took lovers, would hook up and warily date, but then flee or break things off when things got too serious

She is not overly opinionated about matters that doesn’t personally affect her or chatty, but the kind of girl who will speak up if she doesn't agree or feels stepped on. She won’t be bullied or someone’s doormat.

If you do manage to get her angry, Leah will yell at you in Norwegian a lot and rarely translate her words.

Leah is still tentative about making relationships with others because of how often she and her father has uprooted and started over.

Human blood is still a struggle for Leah and over the centuries she have had several mishaps, which has now caused her to stick with animal blood and drink nothing else.

At this point Leah is a little bored and unhappy with the situation she’s been put in. Confinement within one city for an unknown period of time and being forced to marry does not sit right with her, and she’s pouty and irritated because of it.

While she was born into wealth, her family being upper class, and that wealth following her even after she was turned, Leah isn’t overly excessive. She is used to having money and finds it useful to be able to spend it without having the same limitations others have, but she’s also aware that it makes her lucky and that not everyone else has the same security and safety as she does.

At the same time she can seem a little entitled. She’s always been part of the upper class and her father was the son of a queen. Which she likes, and she think’s her family history is intriguing, wanting to learn more about it. 

She is on the other hand a little spoiled, used to getting what she wants, and because of how tentative she is about getting involved with others, she cares about her dad’s wishes and worries only.

No one but Luke/her dad gets to tell her what to do or where to be.

Leah considers herself to be fluid where sexual attraction is concerned. She’s been around for her fathers relationships with both women and men, which coupled with how scared she is of heartbreak and how she flirts and sleeps around has prompted her to be open to be with either sex and she doesn’t really care about the sex of who she’s with as long as they make her feel good or there’s something about them she finds interesting. She enjoys the company of both females and males but she isn’t prepared to fall in love or give her heart out to anyone.

That is the part of her impending marriage that scares her the most, and she feels bad and pities the one she’s paired with as they will be forced to marry someone who has sworn not to fully love again.

[brightbeautifulthings]

One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

"You find out who your real friends are when stuff like this happens. Turns out I didn't have any..."

Year Read: 2017

Rating: 5/5

Context: I feel like I always preface reviews like this with "I don't read a lot of mysteries" or "I don't read a lot of thrillers," but the truth is that I'll read just about anything if it sounds interesting, and I love the premise of this book.

About: Five students walk into detention, but only four of them leave alive. Bronwyn is the brain, a member of almost every student club and bound for Yale. Adelaide is the princess, the beautiful, popular girl with the perfect boyfriend. Cooper is the jock, the baseball player with a pitch that could take him to the major leagues. Nate is the criminal, on probation for drug dealing and constantly in and out of trouble. Simon is the outcast, the mind behind a vicious app that posts secrets and gossip about the school community. They all have motive to kill him: the day after he dies, Simon planned to post devastating secrets about each of them.

Thoughts: If I'll read just about anything that sounds interesting, I'll like just about anything that's done well. One Of Us Is Lying is both. McManus takes an interesting concept, sort of like The Breakfast Club meets Gossip Girl plus murder, and it would have been really easy to have her thriller rest solely on this concept. I've read books like that, and they always end up feeling sort of hollow to me. But she doesn't. Instead, she pairs it with excellent character development and a plot that favors logic over surprise, which is a route that more thrillers should take.

I had so much fun reading this book. It's entertaining as hell, which would probably be enough in itself, but there's so much more to it than that. The writing is good without being distracting, and I ended up loving all the characters, good and bad. It would have been easy to stick to the four stereotypes she laid out, but each member of "the murder club" ends up being well-rounded with their own original quirks. I love Bronwyn’s tendency to over-explain because I have the same habit, and Addy goes from doormat to queen. All four characters come a long way in terms of development, and the relationships they forge after Simon's death and the media storm that follows it feel very authentic.

There’s also great representation with characters of color, and I like the way McManus handles some of the LGBTQ issues within the novel. (I was grumpy about one of them at first, but I ultimately really liked the direction she took with it.) There are also some interesting questions about the power of media and public opinion in a sensationalized case like this, and watching the characters struggle with constant news coverage and the love/hate relationship of the public was one of my favorite angles in the book. Again, it felt like a very authentic representation of contemporary media culture.

I loved watching the plot unravel. Midway through the book, it's clear that the title is a joke. One Of Us Is Lying? All of them are lying. They all have secrets they want to keep hidden, and one by one, the characters are forced to deal with some of the darkest parts of themselves. By the end of the book, it's hard to believe any of them are capable of murder; I felt like I knew them so well. I have a horrible tendency to guess endings, and while I managed to pick out the who/what of the murder, it was still really fun to see the how/why come to light. All the characters have complex motivations, which makes the ending much more satisfying than the average thriller. Better yet, I’ll be reading it again and again because its success doesn’t rest solely on its plot twists.

[brucesterling]

For Immediate Release

contact: jonathonkeats@gmail.com

INTERNATIONAL ASTRONAUTICAL CONGRESS PREPARES TO GREET ALIEN GUESTS WITH WORLD'S FIRST COSMIC WELCOME MAT    

Universal Doormat Designed By Experimental Philosopher Jonathon Keats... Extraterrestrial Interactions Will Be Monitored By Space Archaeologist Alice Gorman... Message Of Welcomeness Intended Also To Reach Alienated Populations On Earth

September 22, 2017 – As leading space scientists gather for the 68th International Astronautical Congress in late September, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence will undergo a reboot following more than a century of failure. The campus of Flinders University in South Australia – neighboring the Adelaide Convention Centre where IAC delegates will meet – will feature our planet's first cosmic welcome mat.

The university-sponsored program was inspired by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Enrico Fermi. "Years ago, Fermi famously questioned the existence of intelligent life throughout the universe," says experimental philosopher Jonathon Keats. "Fermi asked, 'Where is everybody?' Maybe the reason we've never encountered aliens is that they never felt invited. From an outsider's perspective, human behavior can appear pretty unfriendly, and that impression has some truth to it."

To counter the hostility of his species, and to communicate hospitality to aliens, Mr. Keats enlisted the most welcoming of human inventions. His cosmic welcome mat, developed in consultation with Flinders space archaeologist Alice Gorman, translates the concept of welcomeness into a visual language that all sentient beings can potentially comprehend.

"In fact, the mat comes in four different versions," says Dr. Gorman. "Since we can't make any assumptions about beings we've never encountered, and certainly can't assume that they're versed in human culture, it's important to present them with different options built on different premises." For instance, one version of the mat expresses welcomeness in terms of geometric fit, while another does so by biological analogy, evoking room for growth.

Dr. Gorman and a team of Flinders students will rigorously monitor use of the intergalactic doormats, employing standard archaeological sampling techniques. The carpeting will be regularly vacuumed for sediment. Comparison of sedimentary deposits can provide important data about how effectively welcomeness has been communicated by each design. These data will inform future iterations of the mat, slated for distribution worldwide, and potential future deployment on the International Space Station.

Effective communication is paramount, according to Mr. Keats, who considers the research valuable whether or not extraterrestrials arrive in Adelaide. "Our welcome mats are not visible from other galaxies, so a rendezvous is really a matter of chance," he says. "But even if space aliens don't happen to pass our way, alienation is also a local phenomenon. Plenty of people and groups are disenfranchised here on Earth, and the cosmic welcome mat is intended also to be inviting to them.

"One measure of our success will be extraterrestrial contact," asserts Mr. Keats. "Another will be that the cosmic welcome mat becomes a fixture on every terrestrial doorstep."

.   .   .

About Jonathon Keats

Acclaimed as a "poet of ideas" by The New Yorker and a "multimedia philosopher-prophet" by The Atlantic, Jonathon Keats is an experimental philosopher, artist, and writer based in San Francisco and Northern Italy. His conceptually-driven interdisciplinary art projects, which explore all aspects of society through science and technology, have been presented at institutions ranging from Arizona State University to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to ZKM Karlsruhe. He is the author of six books, most recently You Belong to the Universe: Buckminster Fuller and the Future, published by Oxford University Press.

About Alice Gorman

Dr. Alice Gorman is an internationally-recognized leader in the emerging field of space archaeology. She is a Senior Lecturer in archaeology at Flinders University and a faculty member of the International Space University's Southern Hemisphere Space Program in Adelaide. She is also a member of the Executive Council of the Space Industry Association of Australia, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, and a Councillor of the Anthropological Society of South Australia. Her research on space exploration has been featured in National Geographic, The New Yorker, and Archaeology magazine.

[fabhabitatau]

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[elianabwrites]

Taurus Berkley

(art credit to me, I drew this up late last night. It’s not the best but it’s my best sooo)

Taurus aka Tauri and I have come a long way together; she has been in about a million different stories before we came to this one. She’s a trooper man. Anyway, here yah go:

Name: Taurus Berkley

Nickname: Tauri, Rus

Why did I pick this name?: Originally Tauri was supposed to have this long lost twin named Gemma (get it? Taurus . . Gemini?) but over time her story changed and her name just fits her and I love getting the Tauri (pronounced Tori) nickname from an unusual name and spelling.

Book and role?: Tauri is one of the protagonists of The Anomaly Series

Job: Tauri works for Adelaide Porter at her Home for Children as a primary caretaker and at The Haab’ Adelaide’s bar as a waitress/bartender/miscellaneous worker

Sexuality: She is extremely gay. Extremely, supremely gay. 

 Age: She’s around 18

Personality type: ESFJ

Character History: The Berkley family lived comfortably in the Shelves, the more affluent part of the country, Tauri’s whole life. In school she was well known but not particularly close to anyone. She’s in the peripheral of all her classmates memories; lingering along the edge of a party or sitting quietly in the back of a classroom. Tauri’s last year of schooling was very hard for her; while she was always aware of her sexuality she had never fallen for anyone like she did for her friend during senior year. Her very clearly has-a-boyfriend very ultra straight friend. It sucks. Also, she is a very curious young girl and wants to explore the world that has been hidden from her for her whole life. Unable to explore, trapped with her sucky feels Tauri decided to take a gap year rather than continue school. Tauri has one little sister named Mattisse aka Mattie and her parents are Hazel and Peter. Hazel is an energetic handful, like a soccer mom on steroids with a little bit of a hippy mixed in. Peter is calm cool and collected much like Tauri and little Mattie is 8 and an art prodigy (her name came to Hazel in a dream and now she’s convinced she’s psychic.)

Physical Description: Tauri has medium length brow hair that is almost always in a braid of some sort. She has grey-blue eyes and is slim and tall.She’s kind of gangly, her limbs seemingly too long for her to function. She has long bony fingers and is almost always in a flannel if she’s not out on the town.

Personality Description: Tauri is a calm soul, kind of like waves lapping at the sand. She is adventurous, adaptable, caring, charming(when she wants to be), aloof, impulsive, indulgent, and secretive. She is a free spirit and kind of aimless. Her ambitions are you be part of something; to have a large group of people, a family, of her own. Tauri is that quiet and unassuming girl that is always in the background but is low-key crazy and everyone knows it. She is kind of awkward in relationship and with people whom she likes having ignored that side of her for so long. She is selective when it comes to who she opens up completely to and it usually takes a while to earn her complete trust. 

Tauri is kind of odd; she likes being around people but participating in conversation with too many people completely exhausts her. She is willing to try almost anything once with only a few hard no’s. Meeting Halle was the best possible thing that could happen to Tauri. Halle brings out a version of Tauri that she couldn’t get out herself, she. Tauri is usually a doormat but very stubborn and proud so she won’t admit that. Adelaide and Halle don’t put up with any of it and expect only the best from Tauri and with people counting on her Tauri is willing to go against her deep-seeded ways.

(I’m sorry this is so choppy, I’m not good at describing anyone’s personalities even my own family members and friends, it’s a weird annoying quirk I have :/ )

Theme song: I’m Yours -Jason Mraz, Summer of 69 -Bryan Adams, 

Literal logline: Strong but smol bean with a mushy center who just wants to see the world and have a huge loving family but of course Halle and Reigan drag her into Huge Big Complicated Political Mess™

Quotes:

“My . . . Friends would never believe that I was here, well maybe that I was here but not what it’s like.”

“It’s nothing, seriously.” Halle leveled a glare at her that Adelaide would be proud of, “I just don’t think that last night was a good idea. I mean it was good and everything I . . . I just don’t think that I think of you like that, you’re more of a friend to me than anything else.  I mean we’ve only known each other for like a day but you’re really cool and I think we would be great friends, you’re a great person and I had a lot of fun I just don’t think this would work be-”

“Oh Bree, the people in the forest won’t get you, like I said Miss Adelaide, Mister Trick, and I are going to protect you.”

[shannrussell-blog1]

Every year we extract our sales data for family tents to determine which are our best sellers. Our customers seem to find the resulting list extremely useful.

So we figured we would expand our horizons, delve a little deeper, and create a list of our best swags.

Starting at number 10, here are our best-selling swags for 2015.

We’ve updated this list for 2016, check out our latest swag reviews here.

10. Companion Rhino Ridge 380 Swag

Popular on account of its freestanding design, the Companion Rhino Ridge 380 Swag comes without compromise.

An ultimately roomy double hoop swag with a ridge pole that negates the need for guy ropes, with sleeping space for the tallest of people on a comfortable 7 cm thick mattress, and finished off with a tough PVC base and a host of storage options. The Rhino Ridge Swag has it all.

9. AOS Tracker Swag

Available in both King Single and Double sizes, the AOS Tracker Swag is made with superior quality 1 Oz canvas and a full mesh inner which makes it great for our hot Australian climate.

Complete in its own carry bag, the Tracker is self-sufficient with built in peg and pole storage, attached webbing buckles, 

The Jolly Swag Company is based right here in Adelaide. The locally-designed Shiralee is made from soft-feeling yet heavy duty 100% cotton canvas and features a unique progressive density mattress that reduces packed size without reducing comfort.

The Shiralee is a classic 2 hoop design available in king single and double sizes with unbreakable fibreglass poles that are backed by a lifetime pole warranty.

A popular choice based predominantly on the quality materials and components. All backed by a 5-year warranty.

7. Oztrail Kokomo Swag

How good it that, a pink and purple swag making it into our top 10?

Available in two colours, the Oztrail Kokomo provides comfort and weather protection with a touch of pizazz for ladies who want to make a statement at the campsite. At least you won’t forget which swag is yours!

3 poles, a thick mattress, and a full-length top opening. Everything you need in a swag with bonus style!

6. True Blue Bluey Bigfoot Dome Swag

Another Aussie-made swag, the Bluey Bigfoot Swag is a 3 pole swag made from 100% cotton canvas in a simple design, making it a tough swag at an entry level price.

The Bluey Bigfoot, with proper care, will last a lifetime. Making it a great choice for young campers and seasoned outdoors people alike.

5. Oztrail Cooper Swag

Available in both single and double sizes, the Cooper Swag is for those who want to keep things simple.

A classic ‘envelope’ design, the Cooper swag is ideal for warm to mild weather camping with a full-length zip around a cover that will keep you warm in the cold and dry in mild rain events.

When it’s warm enough you can unzip the cover completely and get the ultimate ‘sleeping under the stars’ experience. The Cooper swag is a compact and humble shelter.

. Darche Dusk Till Dawn Swag

The Dusk Till Dawn Swag was new to us in 2015 and pretty much hit the floor running, putting it in the position by the end of the year.

Available in three widths, the Dusk Till Dawn has a freestanding design with huge side openings. It also has tonnes of internal height, large weatherproof awning, and a heavy duty PVC floor.

And to complete it, there’s a trigger lock ridge pole and carry bag. This swag can easily be pitched wherever you camp and offers a setup to suit any climate.

3. Oztrail Lachlan Swag

An affordable swag with all the bells and whistles, the Lachlan Swag is made with heavy duty 380 gsm canvas and features a hard wearing vinyl tub floor for added water protection.

The Lachlan swag has a three a hree-pole design with a full-size top opening. This provides access to a comfortable 7cm thick mattress, protective head and foot awnings and finished off with a removable doormat.

A great option for all weather conditions, the Lachlan offers a little more comfort and durability than its Oztrail siblings.

2. Oztrail Mitchell Expedition Swag

Available in King Single and Double sizes, the Oztrail Mitchell Expedition swag piggybacks on the reputation of the Mitchell Swag and comes with a PVC Vinyl base for added water protection.

It’s got a  comfortable 6cm mattress is housed in a three pole dome design. All this comes at a price that cannot be overlooked, making it one of our most popular swags.

1. Oztrail Mitchell King Single

Backed by years of reliably providing shelter for campers across the country, the Oztrail Mitchell is the swag we at Snowys go to when a customer simply wants the best value for money.

This model is available in 3 colours and armed with all the features you need in a swag. The Mitchell offers the durability and longevity seen in ‘top shelf swags’, only at an outstandingly good price.

It’s the confidence we have in the Mitchell swag that made it our number one selling swag in 2015. No wonder Oztrail have labelled it “Australia’s Favourite Swag”.

Finally, looking for something a bit lighter for those multi-day hiking or cycling trips? We’ve listed off the best hiking tents of 2016.

So that’s the range from Snowys’ perspective, but we want to hear your experience too. If you own any of these swags or have one that’s worthy but not on this list, let us know in the comments section below.

The post Best Swags of 2015 appeared first on Snowys Blog.

[amorremanet]

Sebastian: 2 + 38; Pete: 5 + 45; Margot: 25; Lucy: 26; Sara Grace: 13; Adelaide: 50? (...I apologize if this is just too many questions.)

oc questions meme that i totally didn’t forget about (except for how i kinda did, but mostly i was just lazy about typing up my longhand from saturday night)

SEBASTIAN2: What's a movie your character really, really doesn't enjoy?

Pretty much any and all horror is probably going to be on Seb’s, “can we please not” list, because he squicks really easily and does not have a good gag reflex when it comes to movies. He also gets emotionally affected and upset really easily, and arguably has an even worse gag reflex when that gets involved.

Like, seriously, even Shaun of the Dead is kinda pushing it, for him

That said? Of the Three Flavours Cornetto movies, the one that really sicks him out is The World’s End, not because the movie itself is that gross, but because he can’t help identifying in really self-loathing ways with Gary King.

So, watching Gary go on his increasingly destructive quest to drink a pint in each of the twelve pubs along Newton Haven’s Golden Mile, even while the world is going to sci-fi Hell and all his old friends are getting really upset with him, makes Seb get unhappy, then distressed, and then violently ill in the nearest wastebasket.

That being said, Requiem for a Dream gets a very special mention on his list because, unfortunately for him, his “it’s complicated” is a hipster fuck who went to film school and thinks it’s cool to brag about having seen RFAD more than once.

(I mean? It is an actual facts accomplishment, Todd, but calm down. Just because it’s an accomplishment doesn’t mean that it’s one that you should brag about, because it mostly makes people think you’re kind of an asshole.

……Which isn’t unfair, bc Todd is kind of an asshole, and unlike Pete, he isn’t self-aware about it, buuuut that’s another matter.)

Either way, Todd being one of Seb’s favorite people means that Seb first had to see RFAD once. To the surprise of no one but Todd (but in fairness, this was still early into their friendship), Seb got violently ill in the nearest wastebasket, cried, and wasn’t impressed when Todd thought him saying, “The horror, the horror” was a, “trying to cope with the movie through grim humor”-style joke based on how, earlier that night, Todd had been complaining about having to read Heart of Darkness for a lit class.

(I mean, it was a Heart of Darkness reference, but…… no, Seb was being completely serious about it. If they hadn’t brought up Heart of Darkness earlier, he would’ve expressed it in some other way, but that was what he came up with in the moment.)

Then, Seb had to see it again, even though once was really more than enough. He could’ve opted out, sure, but unfortunately, there isn’t a lot that he wouldn’t do for the people he loves, which makes him kind of a doormat sometimes, and in this instance, meant that he was easily swayed by Todd promising him that maybe he’d make it through without getting sick this time, since he already knew what was going to happen

(not quite) spoilers: ……Noooot really, nope. If anything, the rewatch made things even worse for Seb.

Then, they tried a third time, and that was the last time Seb ever attempted to sit through the whole thing, largely because Todd got it through his head that…… okay, no, this isn’t a one-time thing, or a coincidence, or anything like that. Seb will always get physically ill at RFAD and when that happens, he definitely ends up puking. So, after the third time, Todd finally quit trying to make Seb sit through it with him.

38: Your character's general opinion on kids. What if they were to have a kid? What if something happened and someone had a kid and your character was the only one who could take care of that child?

In general, Seb likes kids a lot and, when he’s doing okay, he gets along with them pretty well. There are several reasons why he is one of his seven-year-old niece’s favorite uncles, and one of them is that he’s genuinely better than either of his brothers at getting on Marie’s level without either condescending to her, or treating her like a tiny adult just because she’s intellectually gifted.

(To be fair to Max and Ambrose, they try their best — especially Max since, y’know, Marie is his daughter and he is such a dorky, “proud of everything his kid does, ever” dad — but both of them have trouble finding the balance here, which is also fair because lbr? It’s a difficult balance to find, much less maintain.)

The problem is that Seb is not always doing okay. More often than not, he’s way more likely to be Not Okay, and when he’s Not Okay, one of his first impulses is to withdraw from absolutely everyone.

For most of Marie’s life thus far, that has also tended to involve him getting intoxicated — and increasingly, it was, “intoxicated to the point where, at best, it should be termed, ‘getting really fucked up’; and at worst, he would probably be dead if not for his shiny mutant healing factor” — which made him actively avoid being around her, for a laundry list of reasons, including but not limited to:

“What if something happens and I get left alone with her, she could get hurt”

“What if something happens, I get left alone with her, and something happens to me, so she has to watch that and she now doesn’t have a guardian”

“What if I finally run out of extra lives around her, because as someone who has discovered the corpse of someone who died by overdose, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially not her and especially not when she’s so young; even if she might not remember her, finding someone’s corpse will fuck you up and she doesn’t need that in her life”

(—he said, feeling bad about all the broken promises that this usually involved, but also feeling like breaking them and disappointing her was better than potentially dying in some place where his tiny niece could find him, like?

Dying itself? Didn’t sound too bad or like that much of a problem. But dying where the sight of his corpse could potentially traumatize Marie? That would be Terrible.)

“What if I can’t fake like I’m sober well enough for her to believe it — I mean, Max and Linda probably wouldn’t believe it even if I were, but if I’m so obviously not-sober that even Marie gets it, what if she sees it and blames herself for it? She’s gifted but she’s still a kid, and she’s a sensitive kid, and even adults have trouble understanding when something about a person they love being a fuck-up isn’t their fault”

and, “I don’t want her to see me like that, she’s probably one of the only people on the planet who still doesn’t think I’m totally worthless”

(—he said while: 1. not getting it that none of the people who are saved as favorites on his phone — i.e., a grand total of 14 contacts, at that point, out of 1,000+

[though that number includes things like favorite takeout places and NYU campus security, even though he hasn’t been an NYU student since May 2007 and has changed his phone multiple freaking times since then, and even given that he has had good luck with SIM cards, there is no reason for him to still have the number for NYU campus security]

—just…… yeah. None of the people he cares about most actually think that he’s completely worthless. He is literally the only person whom he deals with on a regular basis who thinks that;

and 2. ……uh, yeah, no. Cool intentions, Seb, but at this point, your niece had definitely seen you in a state that you would describe as, “like that.” She’d even seen you, “like that” more than once.

Maybe Marie didn’t entirely get it or understand what was going on — and bc she was a grand total of five when you went to rehab, the initial explanation that she would’ve gotten out of her parents would’ve been something like, “Uncle Bastian is very sick right now, and he’s going to be okay, but he had to go away to see the doctors who have special training to help him get better”

—but she still definitely saw you, “like that.”

And then, a few days before Christmas 2014, Marie got to see him while he was, courtesy of some regrettable heat of the moment decision-making, cold turkey detoxing because she had been promised a playdate, and Seb was cognizant enough to do that if Max and Marie came to his place instead (on the plus: six dogs), and Pete was free to come over as chaperone (since Max trusts him, but not Todd or Margot)

And that playdate did involve an attempt at explaining an idea that even adults sometimes have trouble with, in a way that a six-year-old would understand, but oddly enough, the concept had to do with why pit bulls have a bad reputation that they do not deserve, and why some people are assholes who abuse their dogs

The concept of, “Uncle Bastian is sick right now because he decided to recommit himself to sobriety and broke up with his latest bad idea, but instead of trying to do this a bit more responsibly — i.e., talking to a doctor and getting weaned off of everything safely — he just got rid of all of his pills, alcohol, and assorted paraphernalia, and didn’t remember why this might’ve been a bad way to handle things until he started getting sick at church on Sunday morning”?

Like, yeah, they had to change the wording a bit, but that made perfect sense to Marie

(—which her uncle is really not proud of, since the fact that she understands this as well as she does at her age is pretty much entirely his fault, but…… it’s not like he can undo any of his decisions here)

(nor can anybody else undo theirs, because none of my mutants are allowed to have time travel powers, period.

Any “minor time manipulation” is exclusively limited to shit like, “it’s actually enhanced speed that goes so fast that they essentially enter bullet-time, or have GOTTA GO FAST!! super-moments, like the Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse movies did with their whitewashed Quicksilver, or like the one bit of the “Three Hundred Big Boys” episode of classic Futurama, where Fry drinks so much coffee that he speeds up into a magical super-fast state of calm or something)”

But they are not actually examples of, “time manipulation,” much less time travel, because time travel powers are silly and they too easily either destroy all semblance of continuity or turn into hella over-powered game-breakers that violate the agency of literally everyone who isn’t using them

—or, worse, cause all kinds of moral and ethical dilemmas like, “well, if Superman can turn back time by flying really fast around the Earth because that makes sense, then why doesn’t he just go back and kill Hitler? why is it more morally defensible for him to let the Holocaust happen than not?”

—and because frankly, I don’t want to deal with that, so, no one in my universe gets to have any legitimate time travel or time manipulation-related powers, end of discussion

But anyway, I was saying)

Right. So, Marie generally understood the concept of, “so, your uncle was once more abusing his substances of choice for a sustained period of time, but now he isn’t, and rather than doing the safe thing, he did the quick thing based on heat of the moment, emotional decision-making, which involves him being sick for several days”

Animal abuse, on the other hand, did not make any sense to her at all

But that’s an entirely different matter and I’m so far off the point right now that it’s not even funny.

BACK ON THE ORIGINAL, ORIGINAL TOPIC

……so, yeah, uh.

Seb has some hangups about being around kids, but they mostly involve, “oh my god, I don’t have my life together at all and what if I am actively detrimental to the well-being of the kid(s)” — and for all some of this is an understandable fear for him to have, based on a lot of precedent from him…… uh?

Other parts of it are legitimate nonsense, based in a potent mix of hella self-loathing, hella bullheaded refusal to forgive himself for just about anything, hella letting his imagination get the better of him and rationalizing justifications for this without realizing that they’re not as accurate to reality as he thinks, and holy unrecognized generalized anxiety disorder, batman

At the moment, he’s fine with the only kids who are actually his being his six dogs, and has given essentially no thought to ever being a parent to human children, partly because he assumes that it won’t ever happen (bc he can’t see anyone wanting to have kids with him, and feels like, “it wouldn’t be fair on the kids to stick them with me, like that’s just unconscionable”), and partly because what little thought he has given the idea? Has been deeply terrifying

He’s marginally less terrified of something happening to Max and Linda, at least from a practical standpoint, because Seb knows that custody of Marie goes to his and Max’s parents, first, should anything happen to both of Marie’s parents

Like, he doesn’t WANT anything to happen to either his brother or his sister-in-law, much less both of them, and he might not admit it to himself, but if something happened to Max, Seb would be a Mess about it.

But at the same time, he could cope with it better because as much as he loves Marie, he wouldn’t be her legal guardian and she’d be in the competent, caring hands of her grandparents

If it ever happened that he wound up with custody of her and any potential future siblings she ends up with…… well.

There are three major possibilities for why that might happen: 1. Seb somehow redeemed himself to Max and Linda so much that the part where he’s Marie’s godfather became more than a ceremonial thing, and he actually did get switched to the person who gets custody of Marie if anything happens to both of her parents;

2. Abe and Marceline both died, and Seb had redeemed himself to Max and Linda enough to be the first-alternate to his and Max’s parents on the, “who gets custody of Marie” hierarchy;

or 3. Whether he redeemed himself or not, nothing was actually made official, but everybody else died or couldn’t be contacted (or is kind of stuck in mutant supermax, awaiting trial for various charges of fraud, conspiracy, bribery, election-related tampering, rape, sexual assault, torture, murder, illicit use of metahuman abilities, tax evasion, and possibly treason, as Conrad eventually will be), so Seb ends up as Marie’s guardian by default

Regardless of the situation here, uh. His first reaction is going to be to make himself hold it together as best as he can until Marie is in bed and asleep for the night, and then just try to have a meltdown as quietly as possible so as not to wake her up. Because, even in the situations where he did something to redeem himself to Max and Linda, abruptly being saddled with custody of his tiny niece after an undefined something happened to his big brother and his sister-in-law?

……Yeah, Seb’s not going to handle that well, at first

I mean, he will step up and try to keep it together and try to do his absolute best to take care of Marie and be a good, responsible, and loving guardian to her

But he’s an easily stressed out Disaster, and he would not handle the initial shock of losing Max and Linda well (+/- the rest of their family, too), and he would really, really need a lot of help with this, both in terms of, “keeping it together emotionally because he needs to grieve and deal with the stress here or it’s not going to make any of this less horrible for the tiny human who just lost her parents”

and in terms of, “Seb has never cared for a tiny human for any real extended period of time before, and there is a HUUUUGE difference between being a favored uncle who spends time with her, usually with at least one more consistently responsible chaperone, and can make lunch and take her to the zoo and whatnot……… and actually being a parent”

PETE5: Your character is partial to people who _____? (Are tall, have blue eyes, tend to be rowdy, etc)

In general, Pete tends to be partial to people who are, “interesting,” “different,” or at the very least, “not boring,” which is about all he ever says on the subject because his opinion is, “lmao, I don’t need to explain myself to you.” In fairness to him, “interesting” could mean a lot of things for Pete.

e.g., Aside from them just having been through a lot together since, Seb first went from, “freshman I’m supposed to babysit and ‘mentor’ or whatever because Sister Mary Ignatius said so” to, “actual friend” because of his reactions to seeing sides of Pete other than the witty, effervescent, charming façade that he put on in high school.

Like, the side of Pete that was a karaoke prince, which usually only came out at parties when he was sufficiently drunk, or in the sanctity of his bedroom with his cassette player and his sister Cora’s hairbrush;

the side of Pete that professes that his music taste is, “I don’t care anything but country” and yet adores Dolly Parton, and says that she doesn’t count as country because she is a Diva and divas transcend genre, obviously;

the side of Pete that was anxiously hyper-protective of the shoebox under his bed where he kept his collection of pics of cute guys that he clipped out of Cora’s discarded teen girly and, “young ladies’ interests” magazines (Luke Perry circa 90210 and the guys of Buffy made a lot of appearances in said shoebox because Pete collected said pics in 1995-2001);

the side of Pete that has a lot of insecurities, many of which are grounded in how he has trouble reconciling how much he loves being around people and wants to be popular, with how much he, A., doesn’t actually like most people, and B., is terrified that his shit-bag Dad was probably right and he is fundamentally unlovable;

and the side of Pete that baby-talks at cats for 10+ minutes without getting bored, or showing any signs of stopping at all until said cats get tired of him and leave.

And it’s not like Pete let Seb see said sides of him as some kind of test or anything like that. Some of them came out by happy accident

While others came out because Pete still thought of Seb as, “that freshman who is my peer mentorship kid now or whatever, I guess, and wouldn’t you know it, I got matched up with the one who might be the only other gay kid at St. Andrew’s who doesn’t think he needs to hate himself for it,” and Seb really wanted Pete to like him and tried so hard to be accommodating and unobtrusive that Pete did, sometimes, kinda forget he was still there.

But then Seb found most of these things genuinely endearing in one way or another, which Pete found deeply confusing, so he took more of an active interest because he wanted to find out what Seb’s deal was…… and eventually, he had to conclude that Seb’s deal was just wanting to be his friend, and not because he got anything extra out of it or because of the version of himself that Pete played at school, but because he liked Pete exactly as he was.

By that time, Pete had learned about enough of Seb’s quirks to say that he was, “different and not boring” for other reasons, but… yeah, no. The big reason why Seb was initially, “different and not boring” was that he genuinely wanted to be Pete’s friend

Romantically, though, Pete tends to insist that his preference is, “Chris Evans or at least Chris Evans-adjacent.” It’s true that he has a big Thing for Chris Evans, but it’s nowhere near as all-consuming as he likes to make it out to be (but most people probably don’t get to know that because…… mmm, nah. Pete doesn’t want to talk about it with you, probably).

Historically speaking, he has tended to date other guys in theatre, but that’s more due to proximity than actual preference. He likes people who can keep him on his toes, in general but especially intellectually.

Being, “taller than him but not by as much as Sebastian” is also a good thing, because while he likes guys who are taller (and… I mean. He’s 5’10”, so it’s not like he’s short or anything), being over 6’3” is a deal-breaker because he already has a best friend who’s 6’3” (and the guy he wants his best friend to please date already is 6’1”), and being around too many people who are noticeably taller than Pete kinda makes him feel short and potentially threatened.

But, seriously, if anyone has Chris Evans’s number? Pete wants it. Please.

………What?! He said, “Please.”

45: Your character would _______ for a klondike bar.

Pete would not go out of his way or really do anything in particular for a klondike bar because he doesn’t want one, because if he’s going to eat ice cream, then it’s going to be interesting and quality ice cream, and not something cheap and kinda gross that he could get at 7-11 at 2 AM.

He would, however, invite everyone else to do all manner of ridiculous shit for a klondike bar. Just wait for him to make popcorn before you start, okay?

MARGOT25: When put into X situation, your character is calm and collected and patient, while others may be anywhere from confused to panicking and screaming. Talk about X-Situation and why it means what it does to your character.

This could be said about Margot in most situations, really. She’s an example of someone who could definitely be called an introverted extrovert, because she has superficial ease at dealing with people

Despite how she, like Pete, doesn’t really like most people, she’d actually rather be around people than not because she hates feeling unproductive and mentally sluggish, and one of the ways that she gets the most mental stimulation is being around people and listening to them, if not always talking to them

Also, when she’s not around people, it’s easy for her to slip into, “this is why you don’t leave some people alone with their thoughts” territory (which, for Margot, generally involves forcing herself to come up with ideas, which most often means schemes that are probably really bad ideas, but she doesn’t fact-check very well, and when she goes over them for holes, she’ll put safety measures and backups in place for the wrong things — which would be fine, if these things stayed limited to the realm of her elaborate fantasy life as a masterclass art thief, but they usually don’t. Whoops.)

(Pete, on the other hand, would rather be around people than not because he thrives off of social stimulation and affection [though good luck getting him to admit that], and when he slides into, “this is why you don’t leave some people alone with their thoughts” territory, it tends to involve the, “maybe my Dad was right and I’m just unlovable” thing)

—but either way, despite having ostensible ease in dealing with people (and being Extroverted in the MBTI sense, being an ENTP), she’s nevertheless introverted in the sense of playing her actual feelings close to her chest, not opening up to most people (even her boys — Seb, Pete, and Todd — have trouble getting her to be more open about her feelings or what’s going on for her without needing to either needle her a bit, or wait for Margot to open up or get too emotionally overwhelmed to keep it down on her own)

The flip-side of this is that it’s easy for her to go into an intellectual mode while everyone else is losing their heads, even when they are, for example, stuck in the middle of a super-villain’s attack on her office (which, seeing as she’s an accountant and her firm has some pretty big deal contracts with companies like Lockheed and Boeing, plus a handful of contracts with local government in Baltimore as well as the U.S. Federal government, happens…

…eh, it’s not something that happens every month? But there’s an Incident of some kind at her office more regularly than there would be if she worked at Coca-Cola, Nestlé, or D.H. Morgan, but less regularly than there would be if she worked at somewhere that’s way more immediately accessible or target-able, like a bank or a Walmart or a Starbucks or the production company that makes the All-Stars’ big shiny reality show)

Frankly, she should lose her head more often, because it’s pretty damn unhealthy to force herself to repress everything and stay cool while, for example, keeping her head down and just trying to ignore it while Those Two Super-Tools are fumbling all over the pre-written speeches they were given to throw at the people they’re trying to get certain invoices and books from, and it would be laughable if they didn’t have, y’know, guns and possibly henchmen who are infinitely more competent than they are

(which is usually what happens when Those Two Super-Tools go on any given job, because seriously, Edward and Dezi are just BAD. at EVERYTHING. if they weren’t super-fascists with deeply off-putting personalities and over-inflated senses of white straight male entitlement, you could almost feel bad for them because they want so much to be good at something but they suck at everything, like they are just terrible)

—or, like. If your no romo soulmate person has been kidnapped by ecoterrorists because he didn’t believe his ex when said ex flat-out admitted to being an ecoterrorist (because, “seriously, what kind of ecoterrorist admits to being an ecoterrorist on the first date?”), then it would be understandable to, like…… take a break and not work on your own attempts at finding and saving him, working behind the backs of the people who are trying to do so in an official capacity, and doing it with tools of your own devising or purchasing that aren’t necessarily reliable

Buuuuuut y’know what Margot did when that happened?

Yeah, she stayed awake for several days, doing that thing that I just said with the unsanctioned attempts at finding Seb on her own, and only crashed out after Seb had been retrieved, when she and Todd got on a train up to Penn Station (where they needed to switch to a train to Ossining)

LUCY26: Conversely, when put into Z-Situation, your character faints/screams/freezes with terror/is otherwise unable to respond properly in the situation and should probably not be allowed to lead here. Talk about Z-Situation and what it means to your character.

On one hand, it’s not that Lucy shouldn’t be allowed to go clubbing, and she’ll handle it just fine once you give her a couple minutes to adjust to it

But her initial reaction to a club environment — and to most places that are loud and full of people, whether they’re clubs or Times Square or Disney World or a music festival or whatever — is to kind of freeze up and go, “ehhhhhhh” for reasons involving there being a lot of sensory information that’s suddenly swooping in to be all, “HELLO THERE LUCY YOU SO WANT TO BE OVERWHELMED RIGHT NOW, YEAH? :DDDDD”

—which also sucks for her because she really LOVES new sensory experiences. They excite her, she wants to DO ALL THE THINGS and stick her hands into everything and LEARN STUFF OMG THIS IS ALL SO COOL OKAY, and she thrives on new experiences like this…… but when they actually start happening, she needs a bit of time to adjust before she can actually enjoy any of it because all of that sensory input will be overwhelming at first, and she hasn’t really learned how to slowly slip into things or strategies for managing all of the sensory overload, yet

—and on the other hand, public speaking. She shouldn’t be wholly barred from this either, because, again? Give her a moment to just get herself acclimated, and she’ll be fine. But public speaking is still nerve-inducing and scary, especially since she’s usually doing this for reasons she thinks of as Super Important, so she doesn’t want to screw anything up, and that perfectionism makes it worse, so she gets nervous and awkward and starts trying to force things, and she can easily end up putting her foot in her mouth if she tries to improvise without thinking

But really, if you just give her a couple moments or help her to get ready, she should be fine

SARA GRACE13: Your character does ____ or avoids ____ because they associate it with having a good/bad day.

Sara Grace is one of those people who dresses better, does more elaborate makeup (which sometimes stays in “natural look” territory; sometimes goes in “there’s contouring but it’s otherwise not too far off from the ‘natural look’ makeup that she does”; and sometimes straight up goes into, “i want to look otherworldly and possibly from the moon” territory), and puts more effort into her appearance in general as she gets more and more stressed, because she has to have control over something, jeez

—which, on one hand, means that she associates these kinds of behaviors with having a bad day or a bad time of things in general, and if she shows up to something in higher heels than she’d usually wear, a cute dress with a frilly short petticoat, and makeup that she describes as, “pastel vampire princess” or, “queen of the Unseelie Court” or similar, then it’s a really good bet that she isn’t feeling well, and she might not want to talk about it, but you should probably be gentler with her than usual

for the sake of helping with visualization: I’ve been picturing Asha Bromfield as Sara Grace

ADELAIDE50: Some people take all the paperclips out of the box and chain them together. Name something useless your character does but never bothered to stop.

Alphabetizing M&M’s and Skittles by color before eating them

Which is even more useless because she’ll then portion them off into groups of five to actually eat them, and they get mixed up all over again

Saving all the orange Starbursts for last

Silently naming the animals she sees — e.g., ducks at the park — and then concocting moderately elaborate little soap operas for all of them in her head, unless someone interrupts her and keeps her attention focused elsewhere

[dangomilkies]

Adelaide

Giselle's older twin sister, she's the one who was born with fairy blood and died in infancy, her mother became so distraught that she had Adelaide's remains be carried over to Giselle, and because of this, Giselle inherited her remains, unbeknownst to her, Adelaide remained doormat and only comes out when her twin is in sheer danger, her dying at such tender age and growing up meant that she grew up alongside her younger sister. Though, only now she can possess Giselle gets to a bad place, she could not gain access to the magecraft.

When she is in possession, her eyes turned purple and dull and often speaks in a monotone.

[paleface-warmheart]

...but I can’t trace time

The Saturday before Christmas, my two friends and I caught up with a beautiful woman who I have not seen for years. She now lives in the UK and was back in Adelaide with her new fiancé to celebrate their engagement and to spend Christmas in the heat and sunshine of Australia. It was wonderful to see her again, to meet her future husband and to just sit there in the beer garden of a beautiful hotel and admire how glorious this time of year is.

As I sat there drinking my coke, thinking of how content I was, my dear friend asks us ‘So what’s been happening? Anything new?’ We were all quiet until one friend finally breaks the silence to mention her recent purchase. I thought of what was new, what has happened and thought of what was appropriate to discuss at this time. I remained silent. It was not appropriate to discuss, my father, my partner, even mentioning my return to work seemed wrong. The woman goes on to mention how much things have changed since she has been in Adelaide. Again, I remain silent. I thought of everything that has changed and I couldn’t help but think of the changes for hours, days even. So much has changed, so much is different. Where would I even begin?

Changes. I immediately think of Bowie. That beautiful artist that I loved, adored, revered, that same artist that I miss so much. An artist that constantly changed his style, his look, his music, but always remained the ‘Bowie’ that the whole world loved. Extraordinarily talented, brilliant and beautiful. He must have changed inside too, become different, but how? In what ways? Did he miss his former self? Did he like how he had changed? What about my changes? The ones that I love, but the ones that I hate. Sometimes I do not like to recognise who I was, it can make me so sad, but so angry at the same time. Sure, in some ways I did not want to change and I do miss former her sometimes, but other times, bloody hell I do not. I think about what others may miss of her, and I feel numb. Why so numb? I miss the runner her, the driver her, the drinker her, the lover her. I do not miss the high-functioning anxiety her, the selfless her, the ridiculous over-thinker her. What on Earth could others miss about her?

When I walk into my work on Christmas Eve, I am reminded of how I manage to leave the shame and guilt at home and go in 3 days a week to the office and do what is asked of me. Some people seem to be uncomfortable with seeing ‘that girl’ around the place, but I just walk on by and do not acknowledge them. I say ‘Hi’ to those who were always friendly, that I have always felt I could be ‘myself’ around. I know that they do not care that I have changed, because ‘worker’ me is still the same in some ways. She is still ridiculously determined, sarcastic as fuck, and yeah...really smart, but not a smart ass! They are just happy to see me, to see that I am ‘OK’. That feels nice. For those who look at me strangely and are awkward in my presence, for once in my life I do not care. That anxiety ridden, people-pleaser of the past would have been concerned with their lack of acknowledgement. Former me would have thought ‘I bet they don’t acknowledge me because they really don’t like me’. Why do they not like me? I can remember that time they looked at me funny. They probably find me annoying and that is why they gave me that look.That was me, former me. Fuck her. I like to think that she is gone for good. Maybe, maybe not.

I think more about my changes, and what I am happy to leave behind, and how sometimes I know and feel that I am happy to leave those behind that cannot accept my changes too. What is even worth missing about former her? What could others possibly miss about her? Oh yeah, there it is. It’s that selfless, go with the flow her. Don’t upset the apple cart her. Don’t speak your mind her. Don’t tell people ‘go fuck yourself’ her, even when they deserve nothing less. She must be in there somewhere, and will I forever struggle to keep her hidden, to keep her at bay? Fuck her. What has she ever done that could be missed? Oh yeah, there it is again. The fact that she could not stand up for herself enough. Gave others the opportunity to use her for their own fucked up needs by taking advantage of ‘nice’ her, ‘sensitive’ her, too ‘forgiving her. Too much like ‘doormat’ Mum sometimes her. They must have really enjoyed and benefited from her. From the fact that she disliked confrontation and would rarely voice how she really felt. Is that what they miss? After everything that happened they are still thinking of themselves? Surely not!? Fuck them if they do. 

You cannot go through everything that I did, and remain the same person. It’s fucking impossible. Who would even think that was possible? After the fateful choices I made, the pain I have been through and continue to go through, the nightmare of it all, how could I even want to stay the same? That woman who broke her body, who broke her brain for other people? Who thought she was ‘sacrificing’ herself to ‘save’ others? She wasn’t Jesus for fucks sake!? Yeah she was just as crazy as some of those Christians, but really?!? Selfless fucking idiot. Have I always just been surrounded by selfish fucks of people!?! Do I always attract those types? I mean I do curse myself sometimes for displaying some of Mum’s pushover traits? Does anyone truly want me to be her again anyway? Do I even give a shit that I am so fucking determined to not be her anymore, and that maybe, just maybe, some people won’t like that? Should I care when they really just care about themselves and what they have lost? Ok, so over thinker her is still here. Not ridiculous over thinker, but still there. Damn. Some things are still the same anyway. The good stuff hasn’t changed, that caring, thoughtful her. The compassionate, grateful her. The lover of movies and music her. I like her.

I listen to Bowie, and I am happy. So fucking happy. Time may change me...please don’t let that change.

[australianblog]

All the things you need to know about Safe in Adelaide

Safe means protect your personal items. You can give protection to your important things by designing a security system or you can also put them in an ideal place where no one comes to know about them. This is how you achieve your safety goals. You can protect your precious things like your keys, ornaments, money, and so more. Below is given all things you should know about key safe in Adelaide.

What is a Key safe?

A mechanical key safe is a solid metal box that safely stores an extra key inside and is an advantageous route for you and approved guests to enter your home. It disposes of the need to leave scratches under doormats, issue various arrangements of keys and enables quick access to crisis administrations and care laborers.

Most key safes are introduced straightforwardly into a block or cement, albeit impermanent key safes are accessible. Save keys to the property are put away in the key safe vault and are gotten to by a blend code. This code is anything but difficult to set and can be changed when suitable to look after security. The mixed code might be known to you and those you wish to approach your property.

Why Do you need a Key safe?

A key safe gives an advantageous strategy for remotely putting away the keys to your property and wipes out the need to leave scratches under doormats, issue various arrangements of keys and enables quick access to crisis administrations and care laborers.

A Key Safe award you more noteworthy adaptability and flexibility, enabling you to focus on more vital things in life. Relatives never again need to convey save keys, you'll never be bolted out again and kids can give them access after school.

You may have been suggested a Key Safe by your neighborhood Social Services, GP, District Nurse or care supplier. This is on the grounds that a Supra Key Safe is perfect for any individual who requires numerous guests yet either cannot or experience issues getting to the entryway. The Key Safe has additionally been demonstrated to spare time and spare lives by allowing quick, approved access in case of an unexpected crisis.

How easy is it to install a Key safe?

The Key Safe is intended to be introduced by the client. They do not require a power supply, nor do they work the entryway, hence there is no requirement for an expert or uncommon establishment apparatuses. All that you have to introduce about a Key Safe can be found in a consistent toolbox or your nearby DIY store.

Each Key Safe comes finished with the appropriate fitting pack and a point by point client control which diagrams how to effectively mount your key safe onto a stone work surface. It is essential to take the producers’ guidelines to guarantee an ideal fit.

Is the supplied fitting kit suitable for all bricks and stone?

The fitting units provided with the Key Safe are intended for use on cement or house block just and you ought to dependably abstain from introducing into breeze piece, mortar or stone.

The establishment of the Key Safe shapes, some portion of the Loss Prevention Standard affirmation and Police endorsement. With a specific end goal to keep up these accreditations and must be introduced the producers’ guidelines, utilizing the provided fixings into block or concrete and ought to never be introduced into breeze square, mortar or stone.

If you cannot introduce your own particular Key Safes in Adelaide, you can contact at the Marion Locksmiths. Our Nationwide Installation Service can do it for you. All our installers are endorsed and experience standard, preparing to guarantee they give an ideal exhortation and direction. Discover more about our establishment benefit.