#I love Jon Bailey don’t get me wrong

[katiestardoodles]

I know it’s so predictable of me but CMON

You see this and tell me “yeah the winkie prince guy is better” LIKE WHAT

[baambastic]

Thoughts on Battle of the Super Sons (major spoilers for the entire plot):

Grazer is great as Jon

Laura Bailey’s Lois is great

I don’t particularly care for Travis Willingham’s Clark. His Superman is fine, but his voice sounds wrong coming out of mild-mannered journalist Clark Kent.

Love the whole opening. Especially love the old comics-style (complete with benday dots) montage of Clark’s life up until Jon’s birth

Glad to see we’re skipping the complicated multiverse stuff

Jon immediately jumping to “cosplay” as the reason for the Superman costume under the bed has made my day

But also Clark why was it just under your bed. Presumably while you were on a League mission for two weeks.

“I don’t care that you’re sorry! I just want you to be here!” OOF

The child is very sad, but at least the cat’s alive!

Jon feels like an actual kid, constantly excited by all the superhero stuff

They mentioned Kon!

Oh wow this movie has blood in it. I’m a bit surprised, even with the age rating

Tom Kenny Penguin! Haven’t heard that since 2004

Troy Baker doesn’t really sound like he wants to be here

It’s not Super Sons if Damian doesn’t make me want to punt him out the nearest window at first

Damian continues his bad habit of pushing kids to their deaths in the Batcave.

They did not make Jon an uwu soft bean, and for that I am grateful. He dishes out sass equal to or greater than Damian’s.

Also Griffo really sold how Damian felt about being rejected by the Titans. Really solid

Griffo’s Damian voice sounds like Damian’s trying to copy Batman’s gruff voice. I like it

Why is Damian the only person in this movie who says Jon and not Jonathan?

BAT-COW!!!!

Using two members of each main young hero team (Teen Titans, TT2003, YJ Animated (not the ‘98 version bc of overlap with TT2003)) for the Teen Titans is an interesting idea

Kind of surprising that Ollie and J���onn are the only other League members we get to see on the Watchtower

Blue Beetle and Hawkman (and I think the Atom?) were also shown on Starro’s hitlist, so it’s weird that they’re nowhere to be seen

I still need to get my hands on a hoodie like Jon’s

Those students have really low standards for insults

Bruce Don’t Beat Up Your Son Challenge (success on technicality of mind control)

Also, really effective body horror for something so bloodless

Damian you big softy

More body horror. yay

I dunno why i’m surprised Damian suggested killing Lois

Yo they made Krypto scary. Nice

Jor-El why did you send them to the watchtower if you thought they were probably gonna die

Lois continues to be awesome

Nice to see you, J’onn. Too bad you don’t get to do anything.

The dynamic between Lois and Lex is always fun to watch

Interesting Starro design. A bit too spiky for my tastes tho

“I’ve eliminated all human-based problems on your planet.” “You’re going to eat the planet!” “Correct.” Love that

Aw, poor baby demon brat

Oh, I never thought I’d see the day that Lois Lane used a DIY flamethrower on Lex Luthor. Incredible

I question the decision to include two green-skinned shapeshifters in the same fight scene

Speaking of, that’s a really cool effect they’ve got on J’onn when he’s burning

Jesus. No punches pulled on the sons v dads fight

Batman got punched out by an 11-year-old farmboy. He’ll never live that down

Man, this evacuation scene is wholesome

“I don’t know” *pushes all the buttons*

This whole Starro burning scene is very visceral, I gotta say

Jon and Dami are adorable, even when they think they’re about to die

Superdad to the rescue, with Jon looking like he’s about to cry with relief

Bathug! (they’re so awkward lol)

Starro covered in charred flesh? No thanks, I’m good

I think that lake water might be one of the few 2D animated things in this movie

Even with the character development, Damian’s still a demon brat (positive)

Aw, he’s so excited to go to Jon’s game

“Gotham’s Billionaire Prince Bruce Wayne Spotted With Son Damian at Middle School Baseball Game in Smallville, Kansas”

“Still can’t fly” *pained groans can be heard from the ground below*

They really didn’t mention any of the other Bats, huh? That’s surprising.

I’m guessing, since Jon can actually control his powers, all that stuff with Kathy and the milk hasn’t happened here

Battle of the Super Sons was a ton of fun! It has good writing, good humor, good emotional moments, and is consistently nice to look at. Shame it’s only got a 6.7 on imdb. I honestly might prefer this over the original Super Sons comics run

[path-of-my-childhood]

USA Today: What Is Taylor Listening To?

Below is the list of all the songs that originally appeared on Brian Mansfield’s USA Today article “Taylor Swift is listening to...” (from November 12th 2008). Article and list of songs can still be accessed with the help of Wayback Machine, if the Flash is enabled in your browser. Enjoy!

A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover

Acceptance - Different

Aerosmith - Dream On

Alana Grace - Black Roses Red

Alana Grace - Paranoid

Alanis Morissette - Hands Clean

Alison Krauss & Union Station - If I Didn't Know Any Better

Alison Krauss & Union Station - New Favorite

Amos Lee - Colors

Anna Nalick - Breathe (2 AM)

Anna Nalick - Catalyst

Anna Nalick - Forever Love

Anna Nalick - In The Rough

Anna Nalick - Paper Bag

Anna Nalick - Wreck Of The Day (Live)

Aslyn - Be The Girl

Augustana - Sweet and Low

Avril Lavigne - Fall To Pieces

Avril Lavigne - Why

Backstreet Boys - All I Have To Give

Backstreet Boys - Climbing The Walls

Backstreet Boys - Crawling Back To You

Backstreet Boys - Incomplete

BarlowGirl - Never Alone

Ben Folds - Landed

Ben Folds - The Luckiest

Ben Folds Five - Brick

Ben Jelen - Come On

Ben Lee - Catch My Disease

Better Than Ezra - Breathless

Better Than Ezra - Our Last Night

Beyoncé - If I Were A Boy

Beyoncé - Irreplaceable

Beyoncé - Me Myself And I

Beyoncé ft. Bun B, Slim Thug - Check On It

Big & Rich - Holy Water

Big & Rich - Save A Horse [Ride A Cowboy]

Billy Currington - Why, Why, Why

Billy Gilman - Clueless

Billy Joel - Uptown Girl

Billy Mack - Christmas Is All Around

Blake Shelton - Austin

Blake Shelton - Don’t Make Me

Blake Shelton - It Ain't Easy Bein' Me

Blake Shelton - Nobody But Me

Blink-182 - Feeling This

Blink-182 - What's My Age Again?

Blu Sanders - Like the Movies

Blu Sanders - We All Lose It

Blu Sanders - You By Her Side

Bone Crusher ft. Killer Mike, T.I. - Never Scared

Bonnie Somerville - Winding Road

Boys Like Girls - Hero/Heroine (Acoustic)

Boys Like Girls - Thunder

Brad Paisley - It Did

Brad Paisley - Whiskey Lullaby

Brandi Carlile - Fall Apart Again

Brandi Carlile - The Story

Brandi Carlile - Throw It All Away

Brandi Carlile - Turpentine

Brandi Carlile - What Can I Say

Brett Dennen - She's Mine

Britney Spears - (You Drive Me) Crazy (The Stop Remix!)

Britney Spears - Do Somethin’

Britney Spears - Everytime

Britney Spears - I Love Rock 'N' Roll

Britney Spears - I'm A Slave 4 U

Britney Spears - Lucky

Britney Spears - My Prerogative

Britney Spears - Outrageous

Britney Spears - Sometimes

Britney Spears - Toxic

Britney Spears ft. Pharrell Williams - Boys (Co-ed Remix)

Britney Spears ft. Ying Yang Twins - (I Got That) Boom Boom

Brooke Fraser - Deciphering Me

Bruce Robinson - All Over But The Cryin'

Bruce Robinson - Virginia

Cartel - Honestly

Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone - Ridin'

Chantal Kreviazuk - In This Life

Chingy - Holidae In

Chris Brown - Gimme That

Chris Brown ft. Juelz Santana - Run It!

Christina Aguilera - Beautiful

Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, Pink - Lady Marmalade

Ciara - Get Up

Coheed and Cambria - The Suffering

Colbie Caillat - Battle

Colbie Caillat - Feelings Show

Colbie Caillat - Magic

Colbie Caillat - One Fine Wire

Colbie Caillat - Oxygen

Colbie Caillat - The Little Things

Coldplay - Sparks

Coldplay - The Scientist

Coldplay - Trouble

Coldplay - Yellow

Concrete Blonde - Joey

Corinne Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On

Courtney Jaye - Can You Sleep

Cyndi Thomson - I Always Liked That Best

Damien Rice - 9 Crimes

Damien Rice - Delicate (Live)

Damien Rice - The Blower's Daughter

Daniel Cage - Catch Me When I Fall

Daniel Powter - Bad Day

Daniel Powter - Jimmy Gets High

Dashboard Confessional - As Lovers Go

Dashboard Confessional - Ghost Of A Good Thing

Dashboard Confessional - Hands Down

Dashboard Confessional - Rapid Hope Loss

Dashboard Confessional - Secret

Dashboard Confessional - Stolen

Dashboard Confessional - Vindicated

Dave Barnes - Until You

David Banner ft. Magic, Lil Boosie - Ain't Got Nothing

David Gray - This Year's Love

David Mead - Nashville

Deana Carter - We Danced Anyway

Def Leppard - Armageddon It

Def Leppard - Bringin' On The Heartbreak

Def Leppard - Foolin'

Def Leppard - Hysteria

Def Leppard - Let's Get Rocked

Def Leppard - Love Bites

Def Leppard - Miss You In A Heartbeat

Def Leppard - Photograph

Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me

Def Leppard - Rocket

Del Amitri - Roll To Me

Dem Franchize Boyz - Ridin' Rims

Dem Franchize Boyz ft. Peanut & Charlay - Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It

Diana Anaid - Last Thing

Dido - Here With Me

Divinyls - I Touch Myself

Dixie Chicks - Cold Day in July

Dixie Chicks - Cowboy Take Me Away

Dixie Chicks - Easy Silence

Dixie Chicks - Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)

Dixie Chicks - Goodbye Earl

Dixie Chicks - Long Time Gone

Dixie Chicks - Lullaby

Dixie Chicks - Not Ready To Make Nice

Dixie Chicks - Top of the World

Dwight Yoakam - The Back Of Your Hand

Eagle-Eye Cherry - Save Tonight

Eamon - I Don't Want You Back

Emerson Drive - Fall Into Me

Eminem - Lose Yourself

En Vogue - Don't Let Go

Enrique Iglesias - Bailamos

Eva Cassidy - Songbird

Faith Hill - The Lucky One

Faith Hill - This Kiss

Fall Out Boy - Grand Theft Autumn

Fall Out Boy - Sugar, We're Goin Down

Family Force 5 - Love Addict

Fastball - Out Of My Head

Fefe Dobson - 8x10

Fefe Dobson - Bye Bye Boyfriend

Fefe Dobson - Don't Let It Go to Your Head

Fefe Dobson - Everything

Fefe Dobson - Revolution Song

Fefe Dobson - Rock It 'Til You Drop It

Fefe Dobson - Stupid Little Love Song

Fefe Dobson - Take Me Away

Foo Fighters - Best Of You

Fort Minor ft. Holly Brook & Jonah Matranga - Where'd You Go

Fountains of Wayne - All Kinds of Time

Frankie J ft. Baby Bash - Obsession (No Es Amor)

Gabrielle - Out Of Reach

Gary Allan - Life Ain't Always Beautiful

Gary Allan - Nickajack Cave

Gary Allan - Promise Broken

Gary Burr - What Mattered Most

Gavin DeGraw - (Nice to Meet You) Anyway

Gavin DeGraw - Belief

Gavin DeGraw - Chariot

Gavin DeGraw - Chemical Party

Gavin DeGraw - Follow Through

Gavin DeGraw - I Don't Want To Be

Gavin DeGraw - Just Friends

Gavin DeGraw - Meaning

Gavin DeGraw - More Than Anyone

Gavin DeGraw - Overrated

George Strait - Blue Clear Sky

George Strait - Carrying Your Love With Me

George Strait - Heartland

George Strait - I Can Still Make Cheyenne

George Strait - One Night At A Time

George Strait - Run

George Strait - The Best Day

Gin Blossoms - Found Out About You

Goo Goo Dolls - Here Is Gone

Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.

Grace Potter And The Nocturnals - Apologies

Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl

Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape

Heidi Newfield - Johnny And June

Hellogoodbye - Here In Your Arms

Hillary Lindsey - Over You

Hinder - Better Than Me

Hinder - Lips Of An Angel

Hope Partlow - Don't Go

Howie Day - Collide

Howie Day - She Says

Ingrid Michaelson - The Way I Am

Jack Ingram - Hold On

Jack Ingram - Make A Wish (Coming Home Again)

Jack Ingram - Maybe She'll Get Lonely

Jack Ingram - Measure Of A Man

Jack Johnson - Better Together

Jack Johnson - Good People

Jack Johnson - Taylor

Jake Owen - Eight Second Ride

Jake Owen - Ghosts

Jake Owen - Hard Not To Love You

Jake Owen - Startin' With Me

James Blunt - Carry You Home

James Blunt - Goodbye My Lover

James Blunt - You’re Beautiful

Jann Arden - Insensitive

Jason Aldean - Why

Jason Mraz - I’m Yours

JAY-Z ft. UGK - Big Pimpin'

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah

Jem - 24

Jesse McCartney - Beautiful Soul

Jesse McCartney - Just So You Know

Jesse McCartney - The Best Day Of My Life

Jessica Andrews - Baby To Love You Once

Jessica Andrews - More To Me Than You

Jessica Andrews - More To Me Than You (acoustic)

Jessica Andrews - Second Sunday

Jet - Look What You've Done

Jewel - Good Day

Jewel - You Were Meant For Me

Jimmy Eat World - Hear You Me

Jimmy Eat World - If You Don’t, Don’t

Jimmy Eat World - The Middle

Joanna - All I Want For Christmas Is You

Joanna - Screaming Infidelities

Joanna - Ultraviolet

John Mayer - Comfortable

John Mayer - Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

John Mayer - Waiting On the World to Change

John Mayer - Your Body Is A Wonderland

Johnny Cooper - Everything

Johnny Cooper - Texas To You

Jon McLaughlin - Beautiful Disaster

Jonas Brothers - Burnin' Up

Jonas Brothers - Tonight

Jonas Brothers - Year 3000

Joseph Arthur - Honey And The Moon

Josh Kelley - Amazing

Josh Rouse - It's the Nighttime

Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River

Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around Comes Around

K-Ci & JoJo - All My Life

KT Tunstall - Other Side Of The World

Kanye West - Diamonds From Sierra Leone

Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx - Gold Digger

Kari Kimmel - Notice Me

Katie Herzig - Fool's Gold

Katie Herzig - Sweeter Than This

Katy Perry - Hot N Cold

Katy Perry - Thinking Of You

Keith Urban - Better Life

Keith Urban - I Told You So

Keith Urban - Making Memories Of Us

Keith Urban - Somebody Like You

Kelis - Brass In Pocket

Kelis - Milkhake

Kellie Pickler - Best Days Of Your Life

Kellie Pickler - Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You

Kelly Clarkson - Low

Kelly Clarkson - Miss Independent

Kelly Clarkson - Some Kind of Miracle

Kelly Clarkson - The Trouble With Love Is

Kenny Chesney - Big Star

LFO - Every Other Time

Landon Pigg - Can't Let Go

LeAnn Rimes - But I Do Love You

LeAnn Rimes - Damn

LeAnn Rimes - The Right Kind Of Wrong

LeAnn Rimes - This Love

LeAnn Rimes - You Are

Leigh Nash - Last Christmas

Lenny Kravitz - Again

Lenny Kravitz - American Woman

Lifehouse - Everything

Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz - Kings Of Crunk

Lil Scrappy - No Problem

Lil Scrappy ft Young Buck - Money In The Bank

Lil Wayne - Go DJ

Lisa Loeb - I Do

Little Big Town - Boondocks

Little Big Town - Bring It On Home

Liz Phair - Everything To Me

Liz Phair - Why Can’t I

Loretta Lynn - Fist City

Lori McKenna - Your Next Lover

Mandy Moore - I Wanna Be With You

Mannie Fresh - Real Big

Mark Wills - Take It All Out Of Me

Maroon 5 - Harder To Breathe

Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved

Maroon 5 - Shiver

Maroon 5 - Tangled

Maroon 5 - This Love

Mat Kearney - All I Need

Mat Kearney - Nothing Left To Lose

Mat Kearney - Where We Gonna Go From Here

Matchbox Twenty - If You're Gone

Matchbox Twenty - Long Day

Matt Nathanson - I Saw

Matt Wertz - Everything's Right

Matt Wertz - Red Meets Blue

Melissa Etheridge - I'm The Only One

Meredith Brooks - Bitch

Metro Station - Now That We're Done

Metro Station - Shake It

Michelle Branch - Breathe

Michelle Branch - Goodbye To You

Mike Jones - Flossin'

Mindy Smith - Come To Jesus

Miranda Lambert - Bring Me Down

Miranda Lambert - Greyhound Bound For Nowhere

Miranda Lambert - Gunpowder And Lead

Miranda Lambert - Kerosene

Miranda Lambert - Mama, I'm Alright

Miranda Lambert - More Like Her

Miranda Lambert - What About Georgia?

Missy Higgins - Warm Whispers

Mozella - You Wanted It

Morgane Hayes - If Ever There Was

Morgane Hayes - Lonely Anywhere

Morgane Hayes - Train To Tupelo

Mr. Big - To Be With You

My Chemical Romance - Helena

Nelly - Grillz

Nick Lachey - I Can't Hate You Anymore

Nick Lachey - What's Left Of Me

Nickelback - Far Away

Nina Gordon - Tonight And The Rest Of My Life

Norah Jones - Turn Me On 

Oasis - Wonderwall

OneRepublic - Apologize

Our Lady Peace - Somewhere Out There

Pink - Just Like A Pill

Paramore - When It Rains

Paris Hilton - Nothing In This World

Pat Benatar - Anxiety (Get Nervous)

Pat Benatar - Fire And Ice

Pat Benatar - Heartbreaker

Pat Benatar - Hell Is For Children

Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Pat Benatar - I Need A Lover (live)

Pat Benatar - In The Heat Of The NIght

Pat Benatar - Little To Late

Pat Benatar - Looking For A Stranger

Pat Benatar - Love Is A Battlefield (demo)

Pat Benatar - My Clone Sleeps Alone

Pat Benatar - Precious Time

Pat Benatar - Promises In The Dark

Pat Benatar - Shadows Of The NIght

Pat Benatar - Treat Me Right

Pat Benatar - We Live For Love

Pat Benatar - Wuthering Heights

Pat Benatar - You Better Run

Patty Griffin - Burgundy Shoes

Patty Griffin - Christina

Patty Griffin - Goodbye

Patty Griffin - Heavenly Day

Patty Griffin - One Big Love

Patty Griffin - Peter Pan

Patty Griffin - Rain

Patty Griffin - When It Don’t Come Easy

Phil Collins - Can't Stop Loving You

Pitbull - Ay Chico (Lengua Afuera)

Pitbull - C**o

Plain White T's - Hate (I Really Don't Like You)

Plumb - Blush (Only You)

Plumb - Stranded

Rachael Yamagata - Be Be Your Love

Rachael Yamagata - Worn Me Down

Rachel Proctor - Didn't I

Rasheeda ft. Lil' Scrappy - Rocked Away

Ray Charles - I've Got A Woman

Rebecca Lynn Howard - Forgive

Rihanna - SOS

Rihanna ft. Jay-Z - Umbrella

Rilo Kiley - Portions for Foxes

Rob Thomas - Ever The Same

Rogue Wave - Eyes

Ronnie Day - Outside

Ronnie Milsap - It Was Almost Like A Song

Ronnie Milsap - My Life

Ronnie Milsap - Smoky Mountain Rain

Ronnie Milsap - (There's) No Gettin' Over Me

Ryan Adams - Come Pick Me Up

SHeDAISY - In Terms Of Love

Santigold - L.E.S Artistes

Sarah Connor - Bounce

Sarah McLachlan - Fallen

Sarah McLachlan - Stupid

Savage Garden - I Want You

Savage Garden - Truly Madly Deeply

Seal - This Could Be Heaven

Secondhand Serenade - Maybe

Semisonic - Closing Time

Shakira - Don’t Bother

Shakira - Underneath Your Clothes

Sheryl Crow - It's So Easy

Sheryl Crow - The First Cut Is The Deepest

Shop Boyz - Party Like A Rock Star

Sia - Breathe Me

Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

Snow Patrol - Chocolate

Solange - Sandcastle Disco

Something Corporate - Ruthless

Space Girls - Wannabe

Staind - Everything Changes

Stephanie Chapman - Cowboy, I Tried

Stevie Nicks & Don Henley - Leather And Lace

Sunny Sweeney - Please Be San Antone

Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger

Susan Haynes - Bottle Rocket

T-Pain ft. Mike Jones - I'm N Luv (Wit A Stripper)

T.I. - Top Back

T.I. - What You Know

Teddy Geiger - I Feel Like Dancing

Teddy Geiger - Try To Hard

The All-American Rejects - Dirty Little Secret

The All-American Rejects - Swing, Swing

The Ataris - The Boys of Summer

The Calling - Wherever You Will Go

The Cardigans - I Need Some Fine Wine And You

The Corrs - Breathless

The Corrs - Summer Sunshine

The Fray - How To Save A Life

The Fray - Look After You

The Fray - Over My Head (Cable Car)

The Killers - Read My Mind

The Killers - When You Were Young

The Lemonheads - Into Your Arms

The Spill Canvas - All Hail The Heartbreaker

The Veronicas - 4ever

The Veronicas - Everything I'm Not

The Veronicas - When It All Falls Apart

The Wallflowers - Closer To You

The Wreckers - Cigarettes

The Wreckers - Crazy People

The Wreckers - Lay Me Down

The Wreckers - Leave The Pieces

The Wreckers - Stand Still, Look Pretty

The Wreckers - The Good Kind

The Wreckers - The Good Kind (acoustic)

Third Eye Blind - How's It Going To Be

Third Eye Blind - Semi-Charmed Life

Three 6 Mafia - Side 2 Side

Three Days Grace - I Hate Everything About You

Thriving Ivory - Angels On The Moon

Tila Tequila - I Love You

Tim McGraw - Angry All The Time

Tim McGraw - Can't Tell Me Nothin'

Tim McGraw - Guess You Get Used To Somebody

Tim McGraw - Telluride

Tim McGraw - The Cowboy In Me

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - American Girl

Tori Amos - A Sorta Fairytale

Trace Adkins - Every Light In The House

Train - Meet Virginia

Trillville - Neva Eva 

Trisha Yearwood - I Don't Paint Myself Into Corners

Tyler Hilton - How Love Should Be

Tyler Hilton - Kiss On

Tyler Hilton - Missing You

Tyler Hilton - Up Late Again

U2 - One

U2 - With Or Without You

Unkle Bob - Swans

Vanessa Carlton - Who's To Say

Vertical Horizon - You're A God

We The Kings - Check Yes Juliet

Wheat - I Met A Girl

Yellowcard - Only One

Young Buck - Shorty Wanna Ride

Young Jeezy - Air Forces

Young Jeezy - Bottom Of The Map

Young Jeezy - Get Ya Mind Right

Young Jeezy ft. Bun B - Trap Or Die

Young Jeezy ft. Akon - Soul Survivor

Young Jeezy ft. T.I. & Lil Scrappy - Bang

Yung Joc - I Know You See It

Yung Joc ft. Nitti - It's Goin' Down

[iamnmbr3]

Quarantine Fic Rec List Part 1

Since we’re all bored/stressed in quarantine, I thought I’d do a couple of rec lists. For this one I’m mostly doing some very well written but more unusual fics that you might not have come across before. I’ve listed the fandom and ships for each.  

So Much More Than That by brocanteur (complete | 4,005 | T | Mean Girls; Regina George/Cady Heron ) 

"And she missed Cady Heron. She missed her and blamed her for everything." Post-film.

The Richest Men In Town by copperbadge (complete | 2,476 | G | It’s A Wonderful Life)

George Bailey, a year after meeting the angel Clarence (second-class), gets a message from Clarence via an unlikely third party: H.F. Potter.

A Marital Education by Yahtzee (complete | 12,707 | M | Pride & Prejudice; Elizabeth/Darcy; period typical) 

Darcy's impotent.

The Kindness of Men by debit (complete | 2,476 | G | Black Beauty; Fixit)

The last time Ginger saw Black Beauty, she'd said, "I wish the end was come, I wish I was dead. I have seen dead horses, and I am sure they do not suffer pain."

Once Around the Block by ecouterbien (complete | 1,134 | M | The Drop; Bob Saginowski/Nadia Dunne)

She was shaking when he let her out of the bar, and it wasn’t because of the cold. It wasn’t even a long walk to her house, a block and a half at most, but it was the longest walk she ever remembered taking. She counted every breath, every footstep, all the time listening for his steps on the sidewalk behind her. He wouldn’t just let her go like that, would he? Not after what she’d seen him do.

You look so Seattle by chaosmanor  (complete | 8,955 | T | Venom )

Eddie and Venom are in Seattle chasing leads. Shit gets blown up. And there's fish.

A Princess And A Guy Like Me by Yahtzee (complete | 7,107 | T | Rapunzel/Flynn Rider)

“Rapunzel has never had choices before. I want her to have choices now.”

I nodded. “Absolutely.”

He meant, at least in part, choices of guys to marry who were not impoverished orphans/recently reformed thieves.

gunna pass me to that house above by deadendtracks (amonitrate) (complete | 625 | T | Peaky Blinders )

This wasn’t the trenches but it was the closest Alfie’d been to pinned down since he got back, and while Tommy wasn’t exactly a friend, that didn’t make him an enemy, now, did it.

A Broken Soul by wheatear (complete | 4,529 | G | Harry Potter)

What exactly is the nature of a soul? And when Lord Voldemort so willingly split his own soul in half, what damage did he do to himself?

dying out on burnt rage by lunaskeeper (complete | 2,576 | M | Peaky Blinders; Tommy Shelby/Alfie Solomons; period typical attitudes, POV outsider )

John hadn’t seen the same, trapped look in Tommy’s eyes in his office. And all of a sudden it was bubbling out of John’s mouth, a question he'd been pondering since he’d met Stefan’s shaky gaze with his own.

“Have you ever sucked cock?”

Rara Avis by Coryphasia (complete | 14,854 | G | My Fair Lady) 

The night after the Embassy Ball, Eliza Doolittle walked out on Henry Higgins and disappeared. Three years later, she returns to see if wrongs can be made right

'til the walls did crumble by arahir (complete | 3,742 | G | Game of Thrones’ Jon/Tormund) 

Jon Snow and Tormund Giantsbane and their giant dog go camping with a bunch of Wildlings. What happens next will SHOCK you. (They are buddies who fall in love lmao.)

“Not worried, are you?”

“For a crow boy? Never.” Tormund looks away, off toward the mountains in the distance where the Fist of the First Men sits as a jut of stone in the ice fields, which are turning greener day by day. “Don’t let them keep you down there, Jon Snow. Don't die in the South."

Be Careful What You Wish For by The_Necroposter  (complete | 225,838 | M | Twilight; very dark, spitefic, horror, proceed with care; skip to the end for an author’s note in which the writer epically calls out the problematic aspects of the original canon ) 

What if Breaking Dawn wasn't a Mary Sue fantasy, but a story with a plot, character development, and consequences? What if Bella's transformation actually was a sacrifice, and not only her getting used to an alien body was a challenge, but also staying alive in a world filled with enemies? Find out how a naive, selfish girl grows up and copes with the biggest mistake of her life.

Naming of the Beast by NeurotropicAgentX (complete | 1,316 | T | Venom; pre-canon symbiote world building) 

Consciousness hit like a wave, like a signal, like an attack. There had been nothing and now there was a jumble of concepts and thoughts and impulses. It writhed and thrashed, at once realising that it had a body that could do this, that could express this new consciousness.

It screeched.

Sequence by NeurotropicAgentX (complete | 2,882 | E | Venom; sort of Venom/Riot - pre-canon symbiote world building) 

I’ve never encountered anything like those blades you formed during your hunt, Venom sent, carefully, cautiously.

I acquired them on a mission. There’s a lot of interesting information to be found out there. Riot’s close-range chemical messages carried strange accents of complex biomolecules Venom had never felt before. The taste was a clear indication of just how much of Riot must have been shaped by past hosts and alien genetic information from beyond the stars. Venom wanted.

Show me? it asked.

No Living Man by ElanaBrooks  (complete | 732 | G | Lord of the Rings; Parody) 

In which the Witch King learns that, for an inhabitant of Middle Earth, the knowledge that no living man can harm you is no reason to get cocky. AU, Humor.

Here is a truth (here is another truth) by SecondStarOnTheLeft  (complete | 2,012 | M | Pirates of the Caribbean; James Norrington/Elizabeth Swann ) 

Here is a truth: James Norrington loves his wife, but he is completely incapable of believing that she might return the compliment.

Here is another truth: Elizabeth Norrington, née Swann, is a much more patient woman than she has ever been given credit for.

Bahamian-Style Mooring by syllic  (complete | 10,370 | G | Shawshank Redemption) 

Five times Red got things in Zihuatanejo (and one time he didn’t need to get anything).

Lunch and Other Obscenities by Rheanna (complete | 9,717 | G | Star Trek 2009; background Spock/Uhura)

Nyota liked her roommate just fine until she met her.

Nom de Coeur by Dorinda (complete | 12,725 | G | Casablanca; Rick/Louis)

This looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship--but beginnings are only seeds, and it's a long way to Brazzaville.

Five Ways to Stop Being a Princess by igrockspock  (complete | 3,560 | T | Star Wars; Han/Leia )

1. Spend a night in the smuggling compartments of the Millennium Falcon 2. Learn to fire a blaster without closing your eyes 3. Get drunk and go to bed with an unsuitable man 4. Yell at people who ask if you're okay 5. Go to bed with an unsuitable man even when you're sober

elioenai by Anonymous  (complete | 6,002 | G | MCU Daemon AU )

Tony falls through the space between worlds. As a result, he can see daemons. It kind of freaks him out. (It's stranger and more beautiful than he could have ever imagined.)

The Sergeant and the Captain by OddityBoddity  (complete | 7,316 | G | MCU )

The Sergeant and the Captain, or, The True and Accurate Reports Chronicling the Well-being of the Shield-brothers James Barnes and Steven Rogers, Faithfully Submitted by Thor Odinson to Maria Hill, Director.

Special Circumstances Questionnaire for Sexual Partners (Male): Long Form by coruscera (impractica), linbot (complete | 1,320 | E | Fandom Culture Parody )

Does having sex with you entail becoming married, whether legally, magically, physiologically, or some other de facto permanent relationship? Y/N If Yes, please describe our new life together.

[drawing-way-outside-the-lines]

Felix Lupei. *Main Character.

Voice Claim: (Dylan O’Brien) https://youtu.be/YiqG5up_qeM?t=1m43s

Partner(s): Jackall, Sebastian, Omen. Parents: Evan and Akin. Kids: None. Other family members: The Cullman, Shaw and Thompson family. Daniel, and the Lupei clan. And of course his siblings, Lina, Willow, Odette, Sam and Oscar. Age: Immortal, but translates into mid 20′s. Birthday: 20th of June. Height: 178cm Body type: A bit on the skinny side, but muscly. Eye color: Light blue and pink.   Classification: (Immortal) Shapeshifter —-> wolf and white stag. He’s also an illusionist (An Illusionist is a person who can change the structure of molecules to make a location or person appear different. Sometimes this can be used to mask something that is already there or to create a distraction and lead someone the wrong way. Some Illusionists can create these illusions using their mind while others choose to use a more concrete method such as drawing or writing. These types of Illusionists are more stable and less likely to get caught up in their illusions. All Illusionists have very vivid imaginations and their dreams feel very real to them.)

About: ~ Outgoing, spontaneous, brave, charming, cheeky, flirty, adventurous, social, adaptable, enthusiastic, sassy, positive, cheerful, confident, vibrant, problem-solver, energetic, creative, fearless, humorous, easygoing, easy to talk to, open-minded, capable, helpful, creative, dramatic, fun-loving, colorful, neat, popular, irresponsible, sensitive and outgoing. ~ Gay. ~ Has long silky straight black hair.   ~ Has a twin sister, Odette.   ~ Reincarnation of Akin and Evan’s kids through time.   ~ He chose his own name as a toddler. ~ Quite a good dancer. ~ Loves making ‘spa treatments’ for his sisters. ~ Has several tattoos scattered on his body. ~ Wants to become a DJ. ~ Was in nurse training. ~ Is quite feminine at times. ~ Don’t mistake his pretty exterior, Felix packs a punch if he needs to. ~ Loves to wear makeup and dresses, skirts, heels. ~ Cat person. ~ Skilled at Fencing. ~ Very skilled at several martial arts. ~ Very skilled in archery. ~ Watches a lot of makeover programs.  ~ Lives in New York. ~ Fiddles around with possible getting his own makeup tutorial/fashion Youtube-thingy. ~ Goes by the nick name Felly. ~ Fierce. ~ Can be a bit dramatic/petty/salty. ~ Smells like: DKNY - Be Delicious, Juicy Couture - Viva La Juicy, Tom Ford - Rose Prick, Lolita Lempicka - L De Lolita, Lolita Lempicka - Midnight Couture, Guerlain - La Petite Robe Noire, Lancome - La Nuit Tresor, Victor & Rolf - BonBon, Lancome - Tresor Midnight Rose, Vera Wang - Pink Princess, Katy Perry - Royal Revolution, Calvin Klein - Euphoria, Dolce&Gabbana - Dolce Garden, Yves Saint Laurent - Black Opium, Taylor Swift - Wonderstruck, Marc Jacobs - Daisy So Fresh, Marc Jacobs - Oh Lola!, Giorgio Armani - Armani Code, Christian Dior - Poison, Christian Dior - Midnight Poison and Givenchy - Ange Ou Demon. ~ Obsessed with Brendon Urie from Panic! At The Disco. ~ Loves his parents, his partners, siblings and other family members, sex, fetish sex, wearing female clothes/shoes/, any sort of luxury, all kinds of electronic music, cats, dolphins, swimming, diving, surfing, bright colors, going to the cinema, going clubbing, dancing, alcohol, making porn, meeting new people, socializing in any way, loves posing in front of a camera, candy, dildos, glitter, shopping, NY, silk sheets, being spoiled, rough sex, drugs, neon lights, beach life, beach parties, cupcakes, Champagne, stars, the moon, feeling free, chocolate covered strawberries, makeup, smoothies, coffee, bubble tea, pizza, Starbucks, Burger King and the smell of rain. ~ Dresses mostly on the casual side, preferable something with bright colors, often a crop top paired with baggy pants or jeans and chunky heels. ~ He is for the most part very positive, not much seems to get him down. People love hanging out with him, and he’s always up for fun. Felly’s tag Felly’s house/home Felly’s moodboard Handwriting/ask answer pic:

One Gif to describe him:  

One song to describe him: The Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling Personal play list: 1. Thulin - Dancer (Kygo Remix) 2. LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett, GoonRock - Party Rock Anthem 3. Alex Gaudino feat. Crystal Waters - Destination Calabria 4. Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes 5. Michael Gray - Borderline 6. Oh Wonder - Lose It (Jerry Folk Remix) 7. Avicii - Hey Brother (TEEMID & Tessa Rose Jackson Cover) 8. The Paper Kites - Bloom (Close To You) (Alex Brandt Remix) 9. Taylor Swift - ME! (feat. Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco) 10. Calvin Harris - Feel so close (Housejunkee Edit) 11. Disclosure - Latch (Daniela Andrade & Teemid Remix) 12. Ed Sheeran - I'm In Love With The Coco (Hitimpulse Remix) 13. Panic! At The Disco: New Perspective 14. James Hersey - Coming Over (Filous Remix) 15. Sia - Chandelier (Matthew Heyer Remix Ft. Madilyn Bailey) 16. Panama Wedding - Infinite High (Bee's Knees Remix) 17. LMFAO ft. Lil Jon - Shots 18. Wiz Khalifa - Young Wild & Free (Konglomerate Remix) 19. Victoria Magda - Pumped Up Kicks (AceLine Remix) 20. Panic! At The Disco: But It's Better If You Do 21. Daft Punk - Get Lucky (Official Audio) ft. Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers 22. Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar (Ben E & Falki Remix) 23. Ellie Goulding - High For This (Kygo Remix) 24. John Gibbons - P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) 25. Joe Stone - The Party ft. Montell Jordan (This Is How We Do It) 26. Mr. Belt & Wezol, Jack Wins - One Thing 27. Panic! At The Disco - I Write Sins Not Tragedies 28. Fedde Le Grand - So Much Love 29. LMFAO - La La La 30. Taylor Swift - Delicate (AFG Remix)

[merakiaes]

Together, Always - Jorah Mormont

Pairing: Jorah Mormont x Targaryen!reader, Daenerys Targaryen x sister!reader, Jorah Mormont x Daenerys Targaryen (platonic)

Requested: Yes

Prompts: None

Warnings/notes: Mentions of death and violence, angst-ish. Jorah does not have feelings for Dany in this, he’s more like a father-figure to her. 

Wordcount: 2760

Description: Finding Jorah and Dany during the battle, some  Jorah fluff for Anon! 

The day when Dany and Jorah would arrive at Winterfell was finally here. 

Being Dany’s older sister, you’d expect that you would have gone beyond the Wall with them, but while also being the lover of Jorah Mormont, he had convinced your sister to not let you go. 

Despite the fact that you were five years older, the twin of the late Viserys Targaryen. 

But you had expected as much. Your sweet bear was always trying to keep you out of danger’s way, and while you often appreciated it with every bone in your body that he would go out of his way to make sure your sister and you were safe, it was beginning to get on your final nerve. 

Luckily, or not so luckily, this was one of few times he would not be able to get his way. During the upcoming Battle of Winterfell, they would need every bit of help they could get.

As you were the oldest out of your sister and yourself, you rightfully had the first claim to the Iron Throne. But you were in no way interested in being any kind of ruler, leaving that rubbish completely to your sister who only seemed to grow more infatuated with the metal chair for every passing day.

You’d much rather live in a calm home with your Jorah, having a normal life with your children running around and being there to take care of you once growing old, than be involved with the game that was that damned chair in King’s Landing. 

But where Daenerys went, you went. Despite wishing for things to be different, you would never abandon your own blood. 

When you had woken up that morning, you had hurried to the courtyard to receive your sister and lover at the gates, standing beside Sansa who you had, despite your differences, become quite close with during the weeks of your stay. 

However, as the first soldiers of your army spilled in, some of Jon’s men had come up to you, needing help with the trench. So, although begrudgingly, you had left your position at Sansa’s side and trudged off to see to your duties. 

“I need some help over here!” You yelled out as you attempted to lift the spiked piece of wood into the trench, this particular piece being a bit to heavy for you, however. 

Two men ran over almost instantly to take the pole from you, proceeding to drag it over to the trench and dig it into the mud. 

"No, no, no.” You shook your head. “It’s too far to the left, it won’t light.”

The men proceeded to move it further to the right, and you heaved out a sigh. “Now it’s too far to the right.” You shook your head as you watched them try to move it again, going over to slap their hands away. “I’ll do it myself, go back to yours.” You muttered. 

The men each gave you an irritating glare, moving away to leave you to your pole again. 

“Why is no one listening to me today?” You muttered to yourself as you put the pole on your shoulder and tried to move it back to the left, feet slipping in the wet mud every once in a while. 

“I overheard some of them calling you bossy.” A voice suddenly called from behind you, causing you to drop your pole and throw out your arms in exasperation. 

“I’m not bossy! I’m aggressively helpful!” You turned around, spotting your sister and Jorah approaching you. 

The grizzled man smiled as he watched the angry frown resting on your face, the look reminding him of an angry baby dragon. 

“The northerners don’t seem to look at it that way.” Dany chuckled. “I don’t think they’re very used to a woman being in command.”

“Well.” You began, cutting yourself off for a second to curse as you stepped into the mud the wrong way. “They better get used to it, because I’m not going easy on them just because they’re not.” 

Dany laughed, finally reaching her sister. “I missed you.” She opened her arms. 

“I missed you, as well, little sister.” You smiled, following her example and embracing her, squeezing her long and hard before pulling away with a smile to look at Jorah. 

“I missed you even more, my love.” Your smile widened as you threw your arms around the taller man’s shoulders, burying your face into the skin of his neck. 

“And I you, my princess.” You smiled at the nickname, bringing your head up from his neck and raising your hands to grab a hold of his stubbly cheeks to pull him in for a sweet kiss. 

The two of you smiled against each others’ lips as Jorah’s hands came to rest on your waist, grabbing gently to lift you slightly higher all while you rubbed his cheeks slowly. 

Daenerys smiled at the sight, a teasing glint twinkling in her eye. “I don’t know if I should be offended that I got the less loving welcome out of the two of us, or if I should be happy for the both of you.”

You snickered into the kiss, holding on for just a second longer before pulling away. 

Jorah let you down on your feet, instead pulling you into his body as you turned to your sister with a playful smile, hand resting on Jorah’s chest. “Unless you’d want a kiss from your sister, I’d opt for the latter.”

You let your hand fall from Jorah’s chest and the three of you started walking towards the castle side by side, Jorah’s hand eventually coming to find yours. 

You talked about Dany’s trip further north as you walked, and your heart got stuck in your throat as she told you about Viserion’s death. 

You had during Visery’s final years alive hated him with every bone in your body for trying to sell you and Dany off to get the throne back, but despite this Viserion had reminded you of the earlier days where he had still been your twin brother; your Viserys. 

It pained you greatly to know that the single thing keeping that memory alive was now gone.

Jorah had noticed your change of demeanor immediately, using his leather-clad thumb to rub up and down the back of your hand. 

But knowing you had to be strong for your sister, seeing as she was the one to have lost one of her babies, you put on a strong front. 

You reached the castle in no time, not having been too far away to begin with. And Jon had wasted no time in coming up to you once spotting you walking into the bailey. 

“Princess.” He greeted you, bowing his head slightly in respect. 

You watched as Dany’s face lit up at the sight of him, your lips pulling up into a sincere smile at the sight. 

“Jon.” You greeted back, dropping Jorah’s hand to kiss Jon on his cheeks.

“How are you enjoying the North?” He asked. 

You furrowed your brows in thought, having a hard time finding the right word to describe the horrible climate. “It’s...white.”

“It’s snow.” Jon chuckled, and you felt Jorah do the same from your side. 

“I grew up in the desert.” You shot back with a teasing smile. “I barely knew what weather was, let alone snow.”

“Fair enough.” Jon snickered, before walking off with your sister, leaving you to walk alone with Jorah. 

The sun slipped below the horizon, the breeze rippling the water gently as you sat down on a stone near a stream. Jorah put his hands on your shoulders from above you, looking into the reflection of the water, you doing the same. 

“Are you sure you want this?” He asked carefully, as if afraid to hear your answer. 

You squeezed his hand. “I’m not sitting around doing nothing while you go out and fight for me. I might not be as good as you with a sword, but I can do some serious damage with a few knives and arrows, and I’ll be damned if I let you go out there alone.”

“I wouldn’t be alone.” Jorah tried convincing you. 

Although you couldn’t help but feel slightly irritated that he was, like every other time, trying to convince you to sit the fight out, you looked up at him  with a small smile. “You know what I mean.” 

“I do.” Jorah nodded. “I just wish you would take my advice and stay in the crypts.”

“I know how to defend myself, Jorah.” You caressed his hand resting on your shoulder. 

“I know you do. I just don’t want to see you hurt.” Jorah gulped. “You mean more to me than life itself.”

When hearing the words leave his frozen lips, a smile came to grace your features. Standing up, you took his face in your hands like you had only minutes before, looking deep into his eyes to let him know whatever you were about to say, was true. “I’m here with you, you hear that? Always. Together we can do anything.”

Jorah smiled, after a moment of silence giving you a nod. He believed your words, he knew you could stand your ground and protect yourself. But he was still terrified. 

The dreaded moment came, sooner than you had expected and would have hoped, but nonetheless you wasted no time in getting ready for battle. 

You were just leaving the armory, having gotten dressed in fresh leather armor. Had you been able to, you would have chosen metal armor like the men, but seeing as you had to keep your flexibility to be able to shoot your bow and fight up close with your daggers, you had no other choice but to go for the less protective defense. 

Strapping your quiver of arrows to your back, you looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of your beloved’s golden hair, luckily doing so almost instantly, the man in question looking to be conversing with the younger of the Mormonts. 

As Lyanna walked away from Jorah, you began walking towards him, watching as he struggled to adjust his gorget. 

His eyes looked up at you as he heard your approach, and you smiled gently at him, immediately raising your hands to his neck. “Come here, let me fix it.”

He said nothing as you went to work on his armor, watching with soft eyes as the tip of your tongue dipped out of your mouth in concentration. 

With a snap, you managed to get the piece of metal inside the armor. You shook your head, laughing in amusement. “I don’t understand how you still to this day always forget to put on the gorget before you do the breastplate.” 

“I’m guessing it’s the age.” Jorah smiled sadly, eyes not leaving you for a second as you kept adjusting his armor to fit better. 

Finishing the final touches, you slapped his breast lightly, looking up to meet his eyes. “You’re not that old yet, Mormont.”

He didn’t answer, only gave you the saddest of eyes, causing your heart to yerk in your chest. “It’s not too late to change your mind, you can still choose to stay in the crypt.” 

You had to resist the urge to give in to his puppy eyes, instead giving him a look similar to his own. “I want to fight, Jorah.” 

He nodded, accepting your answer without more protests, knowing fully well there was no changing your mind once you had made a decision, but you could see the disappointment clear on his tired face.

Your previously teasing demeanor had completely changed by now, a frown etching onto your soft features as you brought your hands up to his hair, grabbing onto it gently. 

You leaned your forehead against his, closing your eyes to take in his touch to the full, knowing he had done the same. 

“Don’t you dare die on me, Jorah Mormont.” You spoke after a minute of silence, just bathing in each others’ warmth and feel. 

“You have my word, princess.” Jorah responded, hand coming to rest on the sides of your face gingerly. 

An hour later and the battle was raging on. You hadn’t seen Dany nor Jorah the entire time, only catching glimpses of a dragon’s silhouette in the sky ever once in a while, but it was impossible to know if it was Jon or Dany. 

You had started off on the castle walls, shooting alongside the rest of the archers. But once the Others had managed to find their way through the trench and climbed the walls, you had left your position and joined the battle below you. 

You were losing, hard. That much you were sure off. But you were dead-set not to die, just as you were dead-set on finding Jorah and your sister. 

You held a hard grip on your bow as you ran, legs and arms pumping as you slid under, through and between the living and the dead in the battlefield. 

As you looked around, you caught sight of movement a bit away from the battle, and as you squinted, you could easily make out the forms of two people, one of which had the white hair of your sister. 

And you knew Jorah had to be the one who was with her. 

You pushed yourself to go faster, watching with fear in your eyes as Dany and Jorah fought alone against dozens of the dead, barely avoiding being killed several times. 

You hardened your eyes in determination, and as you watched one of the wights sneak up beside Jorah, you pulled an arrow from your back. 

“Oh no, you don’t!” You yelled, knocking two arrows in less than a second and releasing the string, letting them fly through the air and watching in success as the first one hit the blade away from the wight’s grasp, and the other buried itself in its rotting skull. 

Jorah and Dany turned their heads to look your way, relief washing through them once they spotted your form running their way. 

“Jorah, look out!” You suddenly yelled as another wight made move to stab him in the chest, right before you threw a dagger his way, successfully hitting the wight in the hand, resulting in Jorah getting stabbed in the shoulder instead. 

As you kept on running, and Jorah and Dany kept on fighting, you watched as the dead all fell limp to the ground around them just in time as you reached them. 

Only then did Jorah allow himself to fall to the floor, the many wounds in his legs and sides causing him to no longer be able to stand up. 

He groaned as he hit the ground, pressing down on his shoulder. He was hurt, there was no denying that, but thanks to you he was not hurt enough to lose his life. 

Finally reaching the pair, you wasted no time in kneeling to Jorah’s side, putting your hand on top of his to squeeze down harder to the wound. “I thought you were a man of your word, Jorah Mormont.” You managed to get out through heavy breaths, thinking back to your conversation before the battle. 

Jorah groaned quietly, grabbing your, now bloody, hand, with his other one. “How can I not be when I have you to make sure I never break them?”

You chuckled at him, tears beginning to pool in your eyes as Dany came to sit beside you.

You turned to your sister. “We need to get him to the castle, his wounds need to be tended to before they get infected.”

Danny nodded hurriedly, out of breath from fighting off the wights, and she hurried to stand up, you going to do the same but being stopped by Jorah’s hand around your wrist before you could. 

“Don’t get up.” He breathed out, causing you to stop in your tracks and slowly sing back to the ground. 

Jorah rolled around slightly to place his head in your lap, squeezing his eyes shut in pain, mumbling out a quiet “Just a little longer.” 

You looked at him for a moment before nodding, Dany coming back to your side with a cloth in hand, giving it to you to put pressure on the wound. 

Once you were sure that the cloth was tight enough to stop Jorah from bleeding out, you allowed your hand to run through his hair, letting Dany rest against you under your other arm as Drogon came to curl around the three of you, protecting you from any possible dangers as you caught your breaths together. 

[wclfgurl]

& .   ✧   ›   MEETING ARYA !

✦ ▓ AND WHO GOES THERE? oh, it’s just [ ARYA STARK ]. some say [ HER ] resemblance to [ MADISON BAILEY ] is almost uncanny, but the [ TWENTY-THREE ] year old has been in the capital for [ TWO YEARS ]. many suspect that they are the notorious [ CORPORAL ] of the [ STARK ] family: perhaps that has made them [ DISCOURTEOUS ] && [ IMPUDENT ] of late, when they used to be so [ BRAZEN ] && [ ASTUTE ]. during the daylight hours, [ ARYA ] can be found working as a [ UNI STUDENT ], but when night falls over king’s landing, they are best remembered listening to [ RUN BOY RUN BY WOODKID ]. may the gods be with them in these dark streets. ( attina. 24. cst. she/her. )

hey there demons, it’s me. ya boi ! i’m attina and i’m here to create chaos. please slap a like on this if you want to plot and i’ll come at you. there are a bunch of wanted connections listed at the end so if any of them seem to scream at you, please feel free to yell at me ! my discord is ty lee#5523 so feel free to use that for plotting if you wish ! full disclosure, i don’t remember shite about game of thrones and never finished the season finale nor read the books but i’m here to vibe anyways !

& .   ✧   ›  I. THE BASICS !

full name › arya stark.

nickname(s) › arry, no-name, dead girl, horseface, wolf girl.

age › twenty-three ( 23 ).

d.o.b. › december 12, 1997.

gender › cis-female.

pronouns › she/her.

allegiance › the starks.

occupation › university student ( undetermined degree ). 

current location › king’s landing.

& .   ✧   ›  II. THE BIOGRAPHY !

your mother was once so excited when a little girl joined the family once more. thrilled to have another to dress in all pink, teach the ways of a lady, and become one more little her. too bad the child would have other plans. you were never meant to be the prim and proper lady that your mother expected. not when running around wolves was far more exciting. you didn’t have time for the lessons your mother tried to bestrode onto you, disinterested in spending hours with some yarn. you rather use the needle for something that your mother strongly disapproves of. that’s what really gets you going; doing things your mother states to be vile. 

the years growing up weren’t without bruises and stains. you have scars filled with stories that you tell with a wide grin on your face. proof that you are the one still standing and whatever --- or whoever --- gave them to you succumbed to your victory. you have spent plenty of time in the principals office for fights that you never started but certainly ended. you don’t mind the bruised knuckles the battles gave you. it was completely worth the look on their faces when you took them down.

when you were a teenager, rebellion was in your blood. you did what it took to defy the law. breaking and entering abandoned buildings were a good after school activity for you, running from the police was just a nice jog in the middle of the night. you kept a kill list for everyone that has done you wrong --- most of the names on there were for petty reasons but not billy. you still fucking hate billy. you still have that kill list, though more prominent names are on there now. ones that have harmed your family in one way or another. that’s one thing you don’t fuck around with and that’s family. 

it doesn’t matter how much you felt like an outsider with your siblings; they are still your blood. your loyalty lies with your family and if anyone messes with them, they are immediately pissing you off. the only one allowed to mess with your siblings, including sansa, is you and you’re not afraid to make that known. you will fight tooth and nail for any member of your family, including those loyal to your family. that is, until you prove to be a traitor. that’s one way to get their name written on your list.

despite the loyalty you have for the starks, it didn’t stop you from disappearing two years ago. you told a few people but really, you just had a desire to see a part of the world. just for a year. call it a break from university if you will. studying abroad, if that helps your mother sleep at night. you came back as per agreement with your father and yet, you still wish to be gone. there was so much more that you haven’t seen and the classes that you’re taking are just dull in comparison. is it too much to wish for a different path for yourself?

but that’s something you never dare say. instead you keep your hit list close to your heart in case an opportunity presents itself and you continue doing what you want when you want it. that includes any duties you’re given. you do as you please, speak your mind to whomever, and post tiktoks for the hell of it. 

& .   ✧   ›  III. THE FACTS !

yeah that’s right, arya stark is a tiktoker. honestly fight me? she’s a gen x’er what do you expect? her tik toks are probably one way that her family realizes she was still alive during that year of traveling. is she a famous tiktoker or whatever you call them? hell yeah and you can quote me on that.

her weapon of choice is a small rapier nicknamed needle gifted to her by jon snow.

she has no idea what to study in uni and none of it really appeals to her? she finds it all boring. which is probably why she’s often skipping classes, turning assignments in late, or plain not doing a thing in that class. definitely an argument she has with her mother every day is about uni. 

arya joined the organisation as a corporal as a request from her father, utilizing her skills, and a big f-- u to her mother. because honestly isn’t that what life is all about? 

she has a siberian husky named nymeria ofc.

rebel for rebel’s sake; she’s definitely spray painted buildings before. probably has been arrested as a minor. it’s fine though. everythinG’S FINE.

personality wise; arya is loud and proud. she’s never one to stray from speaking her mind despite the turmoil it may cause. think the girl cares if she hurts your feelings?? probably not but maybe a little and only if you actually cared about what she thought. listen, it’s complicated and so is she. she doesn’t believe in happy ever afters but looks more realistically, and potentially more emotionally as she doesn’t mind keeping a grudge and doing things that would end a grudge in a not forgiving way (murdah is fun)! she thrives on making her ancestors ( mother & sister ) disappointed in her but also it hurts when they are? its fine, she’ll worry about those complicated emotions later. 

& .   ✧   ›  IV. THE CONNECTIONS !

what the fuck is up kyle › negative; their paths have crossed once or twice before and each meeting has never been a pleasant one. arya doesn’t try to hide their displeasure when face to face whether it’s public or private. there is a solid chance that they are on her hit list for a petty reason.  i’m in my mum’s car. broom broom › positive; listen, arya isn’t heartless idk what made you think that. she has a heart, she just doesn’t know how to express emotions and rather vanish for a year than face people again. but listen, this character is someone who has seemed to break through her shell. whether or not that’s a good thing is up for debate. wtf, is this allowed? is this allowed? › romantic; romance isn’t something that arya daydreams about but man, she fell and she fell hard. they were just meant to be a nice distraction but here she is, acting like something that she’s not. first loves are a scary thing and she would much rather just pretend that they are just for fun. i’m a bad bitch, you can’t kill me › negative; political parties aren’t something that arya cares too much about, but she does give a damn if someone hates her family for whatever reason that is. it doesn’t matter that they are on opposite sides, what matters is your mom’s a ho. but in all seriousness, prepare for some stink eye and arya badmouthing them. zach stop! you’re gonna get in trouble › positive; listen. even arya needs someone that she might be a good influence towards. the one person who is like hmmmm, maybe not a good idea right now. however, they are still creating havoc together for the vine ( rip vine ) tiktok.  stahp! i coulda dropped my croissant › romantic; distractions and fun times and maybe doing things that you’re mother doesn’t approve of, that’s the arya way! and this one really is just a booty call. it doesn’t matter what side they may support, that’s not what they are talking about, if they are even speaking, when they’re meeting up.

[vamillepudding]

Bad Bargains Part 2

Everyone’s reactions to this were so incredibly flattering, thank you so much !! This is part 2 and what I hope to be a semi-satisfying ending to this story. (Again: Also up on Ao3) I tried writing comfort, but it ended up being angst, because I’m a moron

Enjoy !

**

Before the doctors take Tommy into the emergency surgery, his hand catches Alfie’s wrist. The drugs haven’t taken effect yet, but his mind feels fuzzy anyway as he asks: “Will you be there when I-“ He catches himself before he can actually finish that question, already regretting that he opened his mouth in the first place. It would seem that two – three? – days in captivity were already enough to lower his defences, to make him careless. Fuck. Hopefully Alfie hasn’t even heard him right.

Or he’ll blame it on the morphium that he can now feel slowing down his thoughts. Is Alfie saying something? He can’t make out the words. But if Alfie doesn’t want to stay, then that’s fine, he decides, and gives in to the sweet promise of nothingness for the next hours.

**

The sun has set by the time Alfie is done dealing with the immediate aftermath of that rescue mission. Ollie has disappeared off to god knows where (if God were in the habit of knowing such trivial things or, indeed, things in general, which in Alfie’s experience he isn’t) and everyone else has finally gone home.

It turns out that Jon Bailey owned a couple of Birmingham race tracks that are now Alfie’s race tracks. He doesn’t feel bad about this. If he hadn’t taken this opportunity to expand, someone else would have.

Now that all is over and done with, he just wants to go home. Home means London, means Camden Town, but at some point along the line, it has also begun to mean Tommy. So if that means spending some time in Birmingham, so be it. His people can handle things on their own for a few days.

To make good on that decision, he goes straight to the Shelbys’ house where he lets himself in with the key John foolishly left lying on the kitchen table yesterday, and enters Tommy’s room before anyone can spot him and complain. Tommy is reading the newspaper, because of course he is. Probably reckons that the worst thing about his capture is that he’s no longer up to date on which politician screwed up again.

But then he lowers the paper to look at the intruder, and Alfie thinks that no, not even Tommy can be that casual about what happened, not with a bruised face like that, not with that look in his eyes.

“And suddenly there came a tapping. Did Arthur let you in?” His speech isn’t slurred. Alfie doesn’t know why he thought it might be, after the surgery that would have taken care of that cheekbone. Tommy’s words are as clear as ever, able to tear a man to shreds if he isn’t careful.

“’Tis the wind and nothing more, except it’s also me, coming to check that you haven’t ripped those stitches out yet and gone back to work.”

“Not just yet,” Tommy says. “Don’t suppose you’d agree to bring me a glass of that whiskey over there? – No, didn’t think so” he adds when Alfie instead takes the bottle from the table in the corner and pours its content onto the floor.

“So,” says Alfie, sitting down on the chair next to the bed and leaning his cane against the wall, “how are you feeling?”

“Stop that.”

“Stop what?” he asks, as if he doesn’t know perfectly well. “Wanna know what I think?”

“Not particularly,” Tommy says coldly. “Maybe you should go, eh? Been here far too long.”

“Fucking hell. That’s a nice way of saying thank you, that is. Better get some more sleep, this perpetual state of wakefulness can’t be good for you. Or the people around you, for that matter.” The chair isn’t very comfortable, but it’ll have to do. Alfie makes sure to take off the hat and his overcoat before making himself at home.  

“I think I asked you to go.” Tommy is doing his best impression of a man ready to kill someone with his bare hands. Alfie is overcome by the sudden urge to kiss him, but has a feeling that any attempt to get close to him would result in a fist to the face. Not entirely undeservedly, perhaps. So instead he just props up his feet on the edge of the bed.

“Can’t go while it’s cold outside, mate. I’ll fucking freeze to death in this weather.”

“It’s summer.”

“Oh, I’m cold-blooded. You don’t want to send me into my own personal damnation, do you, Thomas?” Alfie asks as he takes off his waistcoat, too, and pointedly closes his eyes.

Later that night, he is woken by a scream, and promptly falls off his chair.

Tommy is thrashing and turning. It’ll only be a matter of time until he opens the gunshot wound if he carries on like that, so Alfie gets up and does the first thing he can think of, which is to physically hold Tommy down and force him to cease his movements. At first, it seems to work: Tommy goes still instantly. But then the shaking starts, and now Alfie is starting to think that maybe his method wasn’t the best course of action after all.

“Tommy,” he tries. “Wake up, love.” More shaking. He almost wishes that it really were winter, that he could blame this on the cold. Tommy’s eyes snap open after a few more agonising moments of waiting. “You weren’t there, earlier,” he says, the words barely more than a hoarse whisper. “I asked if you’d be there, and you weren’t. I thought-“ He doesn’t need to finish the sentence for Alfie to know exactly what he thought. This isn’t a conversation either of them need to have right now, though.

“Go back to sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Fuck it, Alfie thinks, and gets into bed with Tommy.

When Arthur comes in the next morning to check in on his brother, he finds him still asleep, tightly wrapped into Alfie’s arms.

**

When he woke up in the hospital, the first thing he noticed was that Alfie wasn’t there. He didn’t even have time to time to panic about that, though, because then he noticed who was there instead.

Aunt and nephew looked at each other. It was Polly who spoke first.

“I wasn’t going to pay.”

“I know,” Tommy said.

“Arthur wanted to. But Shelbys don’t pay ransoms.”

“I know” he repeated, because he did know. Because he agreed. Because this was what Polly herself had taught him, once upon a time.

She moved to leave then, having delivered her message, but turned around one more time. “Don’t die. This family needs you.”

And that’s just the thing, isn’t it? Nothing of what Polly told him is news to him. He knew it when he was 10 years old, he knew it when he was beaten up by a bunch of men in a dark room, and he knows it now, two days after the rescue, when he’s lying awake next to Alfie.

No point in postponing it any longer. Might as well get it over with. After all, this is what Tommy has spent almost 48 hours working up his nerve for.

He reaches over and gives Alfie’s shoulder a shake, then another one until the other man grunts: “For fuck’s sake, don’t you ever sleep?”

“Alfie.”

There must be something in the way he said it, because the owner of that name now sits up, instantly alert. “What’s wrong?”

“You spoke to my family, planned to break into that warehouse. You needed them to do it. You must’ve spoken to them.”

“I did,” Alfie agrees, his wariness detectable even from the other side of the bed, every part of his body radiating vigilance.

“They told you the situation, but you must’ve already known about that. They told you the demands, but you must have had that figured out already, too.”

“What can I say? I’m a smart bloke. Always did get top marks in school, I did. Bet you did, too, eh? Yeah, I can see it in your eyes. You’re a smart lad, too.”

He doesn’t allow himself to get distracted. Not now. Not with this. “Polly told you that they wouldn’t agree to anything Bailey wanted,” he guesses. “She told you they would try a rescue if the benefits outweighed the risks, but otherwise, you’d be on your own.” It’s a shot in the dark, but just like Alfie believes he can read Tommy’s eyes, his own eyes, too, tell a story. “You have a business to run too. You knew she was right. So my question is, Alfie – what were the benefits of all this? What did you get out of it, eh?”

For once, Alfie doesn’t immediately answer. Then, slowly, like the words are being forced out of him:

“I did take over his racetracks, but-“

And just like that, he’s not in any pain anymore. He stopped taking the prescribed pills immediately and spent the past two days hurting practically all the time. Now he’s just numb. To test this, Tommy absently touches his cheek where they remodelled his cheekbone. Nothing. What a curious sensation. He pokes harder still and discovers that he appears to have lost the ability to feel anything at all.

“-stop that,” Alfie snaps. “As I was saying, if you’d fucking bothered to listen, I may have benefited a tiny bit, but really if you look at the grand scheme of things, it is absolutely fucking clear to any man who’s not a fucking moron that I did not come looking for you to gain some fucking tracks.”

“Of course not. You rescued me out of love, eh? The great Alfie Solomons, rushing to the rescue of the love of his life.”

“And what if I did?”

“Then I’d say you’re a liar on top of everything else.”

Alfie stands up so fast that his cane hits the floor with a loud thud. “Yeah, you know what, Tommy? Fuck you, mate.” And just like that, Tommy is alone again, thinking, absurdly and against all reason, that Alfie has never seemed more attractive than in this moment.

**

Sometimes Alfie wishes he’d drink. Everyone else in his life does (which isn’t that surprising, considering his place of work), and from what he can gather, it seems to be everyone’s favourite way of escape. Well, that, or sex, but neither of those are options.

So because Alfie isn’t in the habit of drinking or fucking people that aren’t Tommy, he just wanders through the depressingly bleak streets of Small Heath, thinking of the way Tommy cried out when the bullet hit him. It was a necessary move, and he’s always had good aim, but he keeps thinking of the What If – what if the bullet had struck just a few inches to the left, what if Bailey had moved in the last second, what if Tommy will now forever associate that scar with Alfie.

It's not a nice thought, but if Alfie doesn’t wallow in self-pity he’ll surely think of their last conversation instead, and then he’ll get angry.

He's trying so hard not to get angry.

They didn’t break up. It wasn’t a breakup. If Tommy thinks it is, well, then he is clearly wrong, isn’t he? Because if their relationship ever did end, it – alright. It would be exactly like this, wouldn’t it, seeing as Tommy is one manipulative son of a bitch and Alfie allows himself to be provoked way too easily. It would appear that even after more than a year, he still hasn’t learned his lesson.

Neither, apparently, has Tommy.

If he did drink, Alfie thinks this would be the moment where he’d down his glass of rum to prepare for the confrontation lying ahead. Things being the way they are, he’ll just have to choose the less dramatic route of simply walking back to the house.

That’s alright, though. For Tommy, he’d walk a lot longer if he had to.

He'd walk to the edge of the world and beyond.

**

Tommy ruins things. Usually with neither purpose nor malicious intent, but that doesn’t change the inevitable results. He ruins things, and one day soon he’ll have everyone whom he ever meant anything to pushed away. He’ll be all alone with his thoughts then, no one to distract him from them for even a minute, which is perhaps the worst kind of punishment there is.

When that happens, he’s not going to last very long at all.

In retrospect, he probably should have known that his relationship with Alfie wouldn’t last either. He did know, knew it from the very beginning. But then the occasional fuck turned into a weekly one, turned into spending whole weekends together, turned into surprise visits and late-night phonecalls and games of chess and taking walks and trying to figure out when Alfie’s birthday is and then spending a couple of weeks silently panicking about whether a gift would be inappropriate or appreciated.

Falling in love was never the plan, but then, neither were most things in Tommy’s life. And like most things, this, too, has turned into a monumental fuckup.

Alfie is probably on his way to London by now. He has half a mind to call Ollie. Just to inform him that his boss might be in a bit of a mood when he gets home. Then again, that would presuppose any hurt feelings on Alfie’s part, which Tommy isn’t too sure about. Annoyed that he lost a quick screw, maybe.

Maybe he’ll send a card soon. Just let Alfie know that their business partnership still stands. Or should he offer something more? Alfie did save him. Granted, he did it for his own advantage, but Tommy still owes him, and he can’t stand the thought of owing anyone anything. Perhaps he can give Alfie a better deal on the rum trade he has with the Peaky Blinders. Well, he’ll see. Next week will be soon enough.

He feels better now, his mind clearer. He has a plan, and plans are good. It’s almost like he’s finally regained control – over himself, his love life, the business, the whole fucking world.

All of this crumples to pieces when Alfie walks back in.

“Shut up.” As far as conversation starters go, this was one of his nicer ones. “I can look into that pretty face and know exactly what you’re going to say next, because I have recently acquired the power of mind reading. Funny business, that. So if you were going to tell me that you expected me to have hit the road by now, you can just shut your fucking mouth and listen.” Tommy, faintly embarrassed, stops himself from saying that exact same thing, and raises an expectant eyebrow instead.

Maybe this is where -

For once he doesn’t have a pessimistic prediction on what’s going to happen next. Whatever Alfie is going to say – there is no way it can make things worse somehow.

“I got you a gift,” Tommy blurts out, and Alfie stops dead in his tracks.

“You what?”

“A gift. For your birthday. I know it was in May, and that we don’t do this sort of thing, but Ollie told me, so I got you a gift.”

“It’s August,” Alfie says, dazedly, like the conversation has gotten away from him. Maybe it has, for the first time in his life.

“I know.” He’s had it since April, actually, but then on the day of Alfie’s actual birthday Alfie didn’t say anything, so Tommy didn’t say anything. He’s had half a mind to dump it inside the river a number of times. But he never did get around to it.

And then, something odd happens. Alfie starts to laugh. It’s the laugh of a man who feared he lost everything and discovered that this, indeed, is not the case. He laughs, and laughs, and when he’s done he comes to the bed to kiss Tommy on the mouth.

In the first moment, it’s like he’s back in that room, like this is one of Bailey’s goons taking liberties.

But there is no force and no blood, no bugs crawling under his skin at the mere notion of it.

Alfie, clearly noticing him freezing up, stops and pulls back a little in order to properly look at Tommy. He doesn’t ask if he’s alright, which somehow helps.

Is he alright? Tommy isn’t sure. During the whole time he was captured, it didn't seem like the situation was worth getting truly upset over. There were other things to do, like trying to escape and trying not to die.

Now, he’s achieved both of those. In a few days he’ll take up the paperwork again, and as soon as he can walk without keeling over, he’ll be back on the streets.

There is no question about this, no counterargument to be made. Tommy can move on, so he will.

And really, isn’t that what it’s all about?

So he buries his fingers in Alfie’s hair and succumbs to the kiss, and finally feels like he’s left that room behind.

**

Arthur knows that historically, he’s not been a great brother. One time, back in school, an older boy beat Tommy up. Just caught him after class, beat the shit out of him, left him lying in the mud. It should have been Arthur’s job to take care of this. He didn’t. Never got the chance to, seeing as the following day, Tommy took a razor with him to school and made that boy regret ever laying a finger on him. Said boy never did it again. Didn’t have any fingers left, did he?

The point is that Arthur wants nothing more than to keep his family safe. And ever since his mum let Arthur hold the bundle of blankets that was his brand-new little brother, the latter has been a part of that family.

Him getting kidnapped is unacceptable. And yet again, there is nothing Arthur could do about it. Again. This time, Tommy didn’t have a razor, but he had that insane guard dog also known as Alfie Solomons, who is just as deadly.

He knows, too, that Tommy would never blame him for his lack of action. Somehow, that makes things worse. Tommy should be angry, should be absolutely fucking livid about his big brother’s failure. But he isn’t, and hell if that doesn’t make Arthur feel even guiltier.

He hovers in the house until he hears Alfie leave Tommy’s room, waits until the other man has gone down the stairs, then puts his hand on the door handle – and hesitates.

He goes to the Garrison to have a drink instead.

**

On Christmas Eve, an old lady named Catherine Bailey opens the door to find a bouquet of flowers delivered to her.  

[pens-and-parchment]

Hi friends! It’s been a while since I last did a TTT post and I really missed it! When I saw what the prompt was for today, it really got me thinking about books I read as a kid and the places/people/objects I associate with them. So for a change of pace, instead of focusing on YA books like I usually do, this is gonna be somewhat of a throwback post featuring a list of my favorite series/books from childhood!

And in case you’re not aware, Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl where you respond to a topic with a list of books that fit the prompt.

1. The Magic Tree House

Were you ever really a kid if you didn’t read these books? Magic Tree House was arguably the first “chapter” book series that I ever read, every time I think of these books I picture sitting in bed at night time next to my mom. She started out reading these aloud to me and eventually when we got to books 50? 60? (there were a LOT of Magic Tree House books lol) I transitioned into being able to read by myself. So happy memories will always be associated with these books!

2. Skippy Jon Jones

Now we’re flashing back to some eeearly childhood memories with these hilarious picture books. Whenever I see the cover of Skippy Jon Jones I can’t help but hear my dad singing the little songs from the book in a terrible Spanish accent, “El Bandito Friskito!” This crazy story about a Siamese cat that wishes he was a Chihuahua literally warms my heart to this day.

Fun Fact: the one where Skippy travels back into Ancient Egypt was by far my favorite!

3. Junie B. Jones

I read this series around the same time as Magic Tree House, and I just remember sitting in my first grade classroom, curled up in a corner by myself during reading time and laughing my butt off. I thought this was the funniest series, mostly because I related to Junie B. and all of her sassy antics. I still have all these books on my shelf today!

4. The Spiderwick Chronicles

Some of you might remember this as being one of Holly Black’s first series, I think they’re still some really good books! My clearest memory associated with the Spiderwick books is actually sitting in my elementary school media center and taking an “AR test” (I don’t even remember what AR stands for, but I took a small test after I read each book to get points that I could eventually use for…something. I actually have no idea what the points were for but it was serious business for a third grader). I recall that there was some question about the goblins in the book that I got wrong, and I was so mad at myself I still haven’t forgotten it!

5. Red Pyramid

It would actually be more appropriate to include the Percy Jackson series on this list, since they were arguably the most influential books of my entire life. But a much more specific memory sticks out for The Red Pyramid—my fifth grade classroom, leaving my shiny brand new hardcover on my desk, only half read, and returning from the bathroom to find it had mysteriously disappeared! I searched all over, told the teacher, and even brought my dad in the next day to talk about it. We never did find it and I’m still low-key convinced that another eager fifth-grader might have stolen it.

6. Kipper the Dog

Whenever I think of this adorable British picture book, I can feel the wooden floor of my very first house as I sit next to my mom while she reads the bold letters and turns the book around to show me the illustrations. Kipper is one of those books I’ll be reading to my kids one day, I loved it so much. He also had a cute TV show to go with the books that I remember even more!

7. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Ahhhh this was one of my favorites as a kid! I must have read this book no less than a 100 times with my mom. I remember I always wanted cookies after reading it, lol! I just got the biggest wave of nostalgia while googling images of this series, Mouse is the first book I believe but I’m pretty sure Pig a Party was my favorite since it included the entire cast of characters!

8. The Bailey School Kids

This series was a lot like Junie B. Jones and Magic Tree House, because there were a ton of them. I binge read (before that was even a term) all of these chapter books in the second grade, I remember sitting on a rough carpet in the back of the classroom near the teacher’s desk, the lights dimmed low and sneaking a read during nap time. So basically, not much has changed about me.

9. Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat

This was probably one of the first middle grade books that I ever read, I’m pretty sure it was a required reading book in 4th or 5th grade. The memory I have of this book is mostly of thumbing all the pages on the side, since it had one of those moving pictures on the side. As you flipped the pages rapidly, it looked like a rat was falling down the side of the book!

10. The Berenstain Bears

What kind of childhood throwback post would this be without some Bernstein Bears? These books I actually remember reading with some of my friends in preschool, we’d sit next to the tiny bookshelf and flip through all the illustrations picking which ones we liked best. Of course, I was the nerdy friend who actually wanted to read the book but my friends would turn the pages too fast!

Did you guys read any of these books as kids? What are some memories you associate with your childhood favorites? Link me to your TTT post if you made one!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Sensory Reading Memories Hi friends! It's been a while since I last did a TTT post and I really missed it!

[shtbgs-blog]

hello it’s me tea being a bad admin and not writing the first event. Instead i’m doing this and i’d make a pretty graphic but i hate my big computer right now so a nice graphic might come later bye, this also got insanely long and if you guys actually read it k u d o s

INTRODUCING…. me.

HELLO DREAMS N QUEENS, I feel like I haven’t said that in a while but anyway I’m tea, i’m 23, my pronouns are she/her, and I already forgot what else I’m suppose to write here like i’m in the est timezone but i act like i’m in the pst for some reason????? also I do not personally have any triggers and I have no limits on what i rp like I’m always down for literally any plot even if it’s been done to death it hasn’t been done by my character so lets go.

INTRODUCING…. the muses.

ugh are you ready for the shit show..... im gonna shoot myself in the face i have so many

DON O’CALLAHAN, justin chatwin, ( 30 ) + ALONE by HALSEY feat. BIG SEAN & STEFFLON DON.

IMOGEN WARD, madelaine petsch, ( 22 ) + REPERCUSSIONS by BEA MILLER.

JAMES WILLIAMS, milo ventimiglia, ( 35 ) + iROBOT by JON BELLION.

MILO SHEPARD, nick jonas, ( 24 ) + ALL THE KIDS ARE DEPRESSED by JEREMY ZUCKER.

OPHELIA MONROE, billie lourd, ( 25 ) + THUNDER by IMAGINE DRAGONS.

SHANE FRANCIS, carlson young, ( 22 ) + BETTER DAYS by HEDLEY.

WESLEY LLOYD, aaron taylor johnson, ( 25 ) + I’M NOT FAMOUS by AJR.

NIRVANA BAILEY, meaghan rath, ( 32 ) + TROUBLE by HALSEY.

ETHAN MCDONALD, dylan o’brien, ( 24 ) + I FALL APART by POST MALONE ( cover ).

VANCE MICHAELS, cody christian, ( 20 ) + I MEAN IT by G-EAZY.

BRUCE DENIRO, boyd holbrook, ( 35 ) + SUCKER FOR PAIN by LIL WAYNE, WIZ KHALIFA & IMAGINE DRAGONS W/ TY DOLLA $IGN FT X AMBASSADORS.

COOPER JORDAN, charlie puth, ( 24 ) + ME MYSELF & I by G-EAZY FEAT. BEBE REXHA

MICKEY DONOVAN, tony oller, ( 24 ) + SOBER UP by AJR.

JESSICA MILANO, mila kunis, ( 35 ) + SO WHAT by P!NK.

TANSY MALAI, brenda song, ( 30 ) + DON'T THREATEN ME WITH A GOOD TIME by PANIC! AT THE DISCO.

INTRODUCING…. wanted plots.

Okay I am obsessed with platonic / supporting friends ships like? oh my fucking god? give me a good gang and I will legit die? especially if it’s like a brot3 or something like three solid amazing friends and like the more people connected the better im OBSESSED with name dropping. 

Also I’m a bitch for cheating / toxic relationships. Give me physical fights and sleeping with other people. Give Me Fucking Angst. Let my muse be the cheater or let my muse be the one cheated on listen I’m down for legit all of it but when I do the specific muse posts I’ll sort of narrow this down a lot more but these are my two favorite kinds of ships which can technically go below but fight me.

INTRODUCING…. the favorites.

I will say this until I’m blue in the face, I am disgustingly straight for ( 4 ) men in this world. Okay there are a lot more than just four but I do have a top four because I’m a basic bitch but I love ansel elgort, taron egerton, danny jones & hugh grant. those are my main boys but if I made a legit list it’d probably go on for years. honorable mention who is my solid #5 is definitely keith powers. I am OBSESSED with this mans.

Want to talk about how gay I am? WOULD LOVE TO. I am a complete ( slut ) for vanessa morgan, kehlani, zendaya, zoe kravitz, ashley tisdae, lucy hale, lynn gunn, hayley kiyoko, nicole byer, bae suzy, keke palmer and ulrikke falch bitch MURDER ME.

as for ships like i’m down for anything m/f m/m f/f like I do lean mostly towards m/f and i do often prefer playing the male which is another favorite of mine like this rpg is the most i’ve ever played females and it’s legit so fucking weird to me??? i get so nervous talking about ships and stuff when it comes to my females because it’s so far out of my domain / comfort zone so murder me violently.

I tend to lean more toward platonic / supportive / family ships tho because I feel like I’m not stepping on anyones toES LMFAO OKAY I SHOULD STOP RAMBLING NOW BECAUSE IM EXTRA AS HELL

but also my favorite sweatshirt is the one i’m wearing and it says ‘i’m like 104% tired’ and my favorite pants are black boho pants with white swirls and just big and comfy ok

INTRODUCING…. future plans.

I AM HERE TO BREAK THE FUCK OUT OF MY COMFORTZONE I HATE IT IN HERE LIKE I am so used to playing dom!male characters and like don’t get me wrong, i fucking love my boys, i love them so god damn much but I want to have some girls who get love too like I want to play sub!boys and soft!girls and hard!girls and GIRLS! IN! GENERAL! like i sound so fucking basic but when I tell you guys it’s been about 10 years since I actually dedicated time to fleshing out a female character I mean it’s been about 11.

Also I really want to play out some slowburn relationships, some active marriages, some really fucked up exes and really confusing best friends like those are my favorites but I always get so fucking busy or so spacey that I wind up going missing for long periods of time and like? I’m here to stay? Like I feel comfy as fuck in this rpg and I am here to actively get past one or two threads for my connections / ships I’m here for longlasting relationships / rping okay????

AS FOR THE FUTURE, I do have two muses who are sitting in the submit waiting to be accepted? Like which is wild because while they’ve been sat there I’ve accepted myself twice? I don’t know why I’m holding off I guess I just feel guilty bringing in two girls without any sort of connection or anything???? Like I can not wait to bring Lennon up in here because my lil blue haired queen is going to burn this motherfucker down :’)

INTRODUCING…. why i said fuck it.

I SAID FUCK IT because do we wanna be honest? I had been running a rpg that was just draining the life out of me I felt like I was being a bad admin and not doing enough and I just wanted a group where I didn’t have to do so much y’know like, I wanted to just rp in a place where I could do whatever in the living fuck I wanted?? Like I wanted 50 muses, I want to sometimes just make graphics, I want to sometimes just chitchat ooc in private messages or just lurk the dash or just write starters / reply to them like

some days i’m here as fuck for writing and sometimes i’m not and I felt like no matter what rpg I ran or joined I’d be like put on a specific schedule and people will leave me in the dust???? you know????? but I feel like here we’re all just sort of chillin and tryin to live our best lives and I feel like this is my own personal and selfish safe haven like

i’m selfish as fuck and lazy as fuck and here as fuck for all of you :’)

[sublimetravelerpolice]

Opinions Like Kittens: The End Of Thrones

By Grant Johnson

All roads reach their terminus.

It sucks that it’s over, but alas, all good things must come to an end. True that may be, but it’s still difficult to swallow, because reaching the end of any journey is bittersweet. You left home, and ended up somewhere else, the new place may be exciting, but it isn’t home.

Naturally, the Game of Thrones conclusion was met with the inevitable backlash, and it was inevitable. People are almost always dissatisfied with the ending of TV shows. Sure, there are exceptions, for every Breaking Bad, Veep, and Justified, there is LOST, Dexter, and How I Met Your Mother (I’ll also throw in the entire second season of True Detective, because people destested that also). Now the latest finale on the chopping block is Game of Thrones. Sure, not all finales are handled with as deft a touch as Six Feet Under or Avengers: Endgame, but I think it has more to do with audiences not wanting any ending, than the ending itself. Maybe some endings get caught under the weight of the audience expectations, maybe it’s just the burden of wanting more, which, to me, means the story is ending exactly where it should. Leave them wanting more.

She was The Mother of Dragons.

Does that mean the Iron Throne should belong to her? As strong and powerful a character as she was, Dany was so caught up in her quest for The Throne, believing it was her birthright, that she never stopped to think why she really wanted it, she only knew her brother wanted it. Compounded by the fact that she never seemed to come to terms with the man her father was, or what he did, or would’ve done (if not for Jaime). That being said, I was still ready to back Dany, even after the burning of King’s Landing. It made sense to me, in a Fight Club sort of way, you have to destroy what was there to build something new. I think she would’ve been a great ruler, but maybe that’s the problem, she was always a conqueror, not a leader. She never quite nailed down the political aspect of the job. She repeatedly wanted to take King’s Landing by fire, and repeatedly, she had to be talked down by Jorah, by Varys, by Tyrion, and by Jon. Not to mention, she never seemed able to separate vengeance from justice. Her hunger for power could never be slaked, that’s even more dangerous when you consider she has the dragons, the equivalent of several atom bombs, at her disposal. Still, I would’ve liked to see Dany recreate the world as she saw fit. There’s a whole other story there (that’s where those few more episodes would’ve come in handy). Ultimately, I think her story is a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of wish fulfillment.

The Boy Who Would Be King.

Jon would’ve been a good King. However, he didn’t want it. If he had worn that crown, where would that lead? Would he have grown weary of it? Apathetic? Mayhaps. The idea of him being forced into the role of King doesn’t feel right. I want more for his character. Because he wanted one simple thing, to go back to that cave with Ygritte. After everything he’s been through, something resembling that end feels right for his journey.

Of Snow and Fire.

Dany and Jon are opposite sides of the same coin. One believed the Iron Throne was her birthright and was willing to take it by any means necessary. The other had the better claim to the Throne, but didn’t want it. Jon was willing to deny his claim for Dany, but Dany would, under no circumstances, reciprocate the gesture for Jon, or for Westeros. Because her entire ego had been built around the idea that she was the rightful heir to the Throne. Once her claim to the Throne was usurped, she completely lost sense of her identity. When everyone is celebrating after prevailing in the Battle of Winterfell, Tormund is applauding Jon for his valor, and for riding a dragon in battle. Dany looks over at Jon, her eyes filled with somber jealousy, and in that moment she becomes her brother, Viserys. Filled with anger for everyone giving Jon the adulation that she believes is owed to her.

Ultimately, no matter how much we should’ve been able to predict the trajectory of some characters, we didn’t, that, above all else, has been my favorite thing about this story. It’s hard to find a story that has been as consistently unpredictable as GoT. I’ll never forget my introduction to the TV series, a friend suggested that I watch the show because, “It has all the things that are great about the fantasy genre, but without the usual tropes.” I was sold from that pitch alone.

I didn’t read the books until somewhere between season 4 & 5, and fell in love with them, and George R. R. Martin’s sublime writing. On the Ink To Film podcast, Luke Elliot and James Bailey covered the first book and season of A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones (they also did a great postmortem of the show for a Patreon bonus episode). They discussed one of GRRM’s brilliant literary talents, his ability to subvert expectation. Whether it’s the reader’s expectations or the expectations of the characters, Ned will make it out of this, right? It constantly keeps you off-kilter, the moment Ned’s head leaves his body, all bets are off. No one is safe. That moment, that feeling, permeates throughout the series, much to our indignation. This is why I could never compete in the fan theory debates. What do you think will happen? Who do you think will end up on the Iron Throne? I don’t f***ing know. There’s no way I could’ve guessed, and it’s a good thing I didn’t place any wagers on my predictions, because that money would be long gone now. I was prepared for the Night King to eradicate everyone. But, at the end of the day, I’ve been happy to nervously watch it all unfold from the edge of my seat. I’ve appreciated the times the TV show has cranked the story up to 11, for instance, Talisa (AKA Jeyne Westerling) being present at The Red Wedding. In the book she stays back at Riverrun, therefore, she wasn’t present at the massacre. In the books she is still alive and...well, no one in the ASOIAF universe is doing well.

I’m not saying the final season is without its flaws, it certainly has them, no work is perfect. But I think it gave as satisfying an ending as this story would allow. George R. R. Martin has been very vocal about his love for J.R.R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. He’s also stated he wants to emulate the ending of LOTR in Thrones. More specifically, its “bittersweet” ending. Although, even without that knowledge, if we thought Game of Thrones was going to have anything resembling a Disney-style happy ending, then we weren’t paying attention. Like Tyrion speaking of the corruption in King’s Landing, “If you’re looking for justice, you’ve come to the wrong place.”

There are still aspects that irk me, like Jaime pulling a full 180 (or a 360, depending on how you look at it), but I think Jaime is a self-punishing character, he doesn’t believe he deserves redemption, so he set about making sure to deny himself that redemption by returning to Cersei. The show runners could’ve given everything more time to breathe. Maybe they should’ve done a ten-episode season, especially since the writers wanted to pack so much into the season. Who knows, maybe if they had done a full ten, we’d all be sitting here talking about those four episodes where nothing happened. However, I think at least two more episodes of watching Dany unraveling, being a complete dictator would’ve solidified the arc. Some thought the Night King battle was pushed too far forward in the season, that he should be a final boss. The problem with that is, after dealing with the Night King, no matter what, the living still have to deal with each other. That being said, the final season did give us one of the most satisfying episodes (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), and arguably the most epic (The Long Night). Sure, the season felt rushed, but that’s because we didn’t want it to end.

All of this makes me more eager for GRRM to finish the books. I’m curious to see how he closes it out. So let’s all wish him good health. I’ll be very surprised if the books end like the TV show, but hopefully we will find out.

Ultimately, If you didn’t like the final season, I get that, we all have our issues with it, it’s part of being a fan. We all think it should’ve ended this way or that way. It doesn’t mean the way it ended was wrong, just different from what we expected. Was the second season of True Detective bad, or did we just want more Matt McConaughey and Woody Harrelson? Time will tell. I think the second season was fantastic and in some ways superior to the first. When Sopranos ended, its finale was met with venomous contempt. Now, more than a decade later, it’s revered as one of the best finales. One of the finales that “got it right.” Maybe, after the dust settles, the Thrones finale will be re-examined, and maybe the public will feel different about it. Just don’t let the ending mar the story as a whole, because, “A good act does not wash out the bad, nor a bad act the good.”

[wildlyhardphilosopher-blog]

Dog Training 32256 | Take A Look At This Now

New Post has been published on https://dogtraining.dknol.com/english/dog-training-32256-take-a-look-at-this-now/?utm_source=Tumblr&utm_medium=Tumblr+%230+Freda+K+Pless&utm_campaign=SNAP%2Bfrom%2BBest+Dog+Training

Dog Training 32256 | Take A Look At This Now

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fbq('track', 'ViewContent', content_ids: 'dogtraining.dknol', ); Uncategorized Is your pup ready to play? Space is limited to 6 puppies per playgroup, so Register today! Kapunda & Districts Kennel & Obedience Dog Club To qualify for inclusion on the Force-Free Trainers List, trainers must hold one or more formal qualifications in positive, force-free dog training methods. The full list of qualifications can be found HERE. Dog walking Knox Obedience Dog Club Incorporated (KODC) is a volunteer organization, run by members, for members.  If you would like to get involved, please let us know. Accessibility help Are you planning a holiday? Why not take advantage of boarding your dog with us and at the same time we can train your dog, groom your dog, micro chip your dog! 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Significantly, they did not copy the exact path of the human demonstrator, but adopted the detour behavior shown by humans to reach their goal.[55] A 1977 experiment by Adler and Adler found that puppies who watched other puppies learn to pull a food cart into their cages by an attached ribbon proved considerably faster at the task when later given the opportunity themselves. At 38 days of age, the demonstrator puppies took an average of 697 seconds to succeed, while the observers succeeded in an average of 9 seconds.[56] Palmerston, Northern Territory Take me to: Copyright © 2018 Delta Institute Good Leadership and Communication A powerful philosophical approach. Reactive Rover Training Class Earn up to triple PETstock Dollars on grooming and training. First Name Puppies sense our confidence levels and will take control if they perceive us as weak. 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[dissmal]

2018 in Review

Highlights/Memories of 2018: 

Began the year dissecting mice cerebellum. Really enjoyed being with researchers and their passion for science.

Pulling an all nighter to make floor plan and then walking to MVR at 5am to catch the bus for the field trip and seeing deer along the way

Participating in my first pursuit! Drove to staples with maya for that last minute portfolio printing lol

My first trip with Eme! Providence was so cozy and relaxing even though it was cold and snowing.

Standing on the fire escape with Jon and Eme, Andre3000 in the background and watching the sunset

I got a lot closer to Bailey, Y, and Zach, from the triple dinner date to dinner at Agava, Ruloff’s etc, a lot of crazy Zach car rides and visiting his apt in the summer etc.

Watching Microhabitat and Coda at Lincoln center, lying on the grass and looking up at the sky, watching the fountain spray so high 

Watching Zhou Quan’s End of Summer with my parents. First time watching a movie together since middle school. Also going to Cooper Hewitt with my parents and eating pizza afterward

Recording the sound of waves by edge of the water and then walking to the F train

Going to Jack’s exhibit, sharing peach IZZEs and fruit, and lying on the bench by IKEA 

Going into ORs and literally knowing every part of an 18 floor hospital

Biking through the streets of Copenhagen and feeling the wind whip my hair

Visiting Boston, staying with Jon’s family, getting to meet Mason, and going to the jazz bar with and Maker Faire.

First Applefest wth crumbling hot cider donuts and brussel sprouts

Crying in front of Rhonda when she asked me if I was okay

Karaoke and lychee soju for my birthday 

Medium memories: first RAW expo, medium friendsgiving at Emily Lin’s house and playing jackbox, hangout at my apt with Thai food

Meeting up with my high school friends. Being with Will and Eric on Coney Island, Gov Ball with Hayoung, and Rebecca at Lincoln Center etc. So happy to keep in touch with these wonderful people.

Going to buy cassettes from the commons and cuddling on the couch to watch Elf

Walking through my cousin’s neighborhood and having our first real conversation in a long time

My grandpa teaching me how to use the old sewing machine

This Year I Have: 

Chosen a career path. I’m done with premed. 

Became an American citizen

Finally got my driver’s license, turned 21 and ordered drinks legally!

Fallen in love with someone who truly makes me so happy. I love him more with every passing day and I’m so grateful to have him in my life as my design partner and lover.

Also got a lot closer to Yiwen since we have so many classes together and we’re always late together LOL

Created my first exhibition

Participated in so many competitions (8x8x8 // CCA // LUX // Healthcare Innovation // Contract Healthcare Environments // Aging Innovation // Boeing Innovation) 

Got honorable mention for my first solo competition

Created my own project team and led meetings 

Smoked weed for the first time

Learned how to make a website

Finally joined chorale and sang my first concert at Cornell 

Traveled the most out of any year (Providence, Copenhagen, Boston, Tokyo, Fuzhou, Beijing)

Watched a lot of movies?! (2049, Coco, Lady Bird, Get Out, Lord of the Rings, Isle of Dogs, The Terminal, Microhabitat, Coda, End of Summer, Elf, Inside Out)

Fucked in places I shouldn’t have LOL (4th floor studio // woodshop // gallery)

Explored music concerts! (Wynton Marsalis // Gov Ball // Louis Futon) 

Gotten to know Jon’s friends (Ellis, Greg, Steav, Xuelong) and his parents

Finally cut my hair short! 21 is not the year to be shy.

My Goals for 2019: 

Exercise! And actually do it consistently. Pick up going to badminton again, at least once a month. 

Explore the world more - frequent art museums and music venues and hopefully more traveling 

Obtain fabrication skills

Learn arduino by the end of this year

Create my first piece with a sewing machine

Land a design internship

Start my senior thesis 

Learn how to drive on the freeway

Want to make more an effort to bond with my team members and medium as a whole, and AAIV

Spend more time hanging out with my parents like watching a movie and also more time with my grandma. 

Live more sustainably by adopting new practices: 

No plastic bags

No disposable utensils; carry your own utensils

Buy less clothing and own less clothing, and clothes that you do buy should be long lasting

Eat less meat 

Put more effort into my relationship with Jonathan esp now that we’re apart and make more time dedicated to just being together rather than working

2018 has been an absolutely incredible year and I can’t believe that I packed as much as did into 365 days. I achieved so much in design and so much academically. However, this came at a cost and I had some low moments this year also when I simply broke down crying from stress. I’ve also lost sight of myself in some ways. Exercise, sleep, time to relax etc - everything was sacrificed for my design projects. And in a lot of ways I may have been too hard on myself. I wanted everything to be perfect and I didn’t want to make a single mistake whether academically or in my personal life. But perhaps a 78 on a project is not worth crying over and perhaps you don’t need to be so hard on yourself when you do something wrong in your relationship- as long as you realize and try to improve.

This year I’ve had so many experiences that are worth remembering forever and it was a lot of fun even though there was so much work. I love being with people whether that’s at a concert or just a nice dinner, I hope I can make more time for the people I love and allow for more spontaneity in my life. I’ve also done more for my community this year through medium and I hope that next year, I can continue to bond with my team and finally find a group of friends at Cornell that I truly click with. 

So here’s to 2019, hopefully another year full of design, and experiences that I will cherish forever with the people I love.

[warninggraphiccontent]

27 March 2020

Streaming data (bites)

Morning all,

Given the volume of links I'll keep this short and give you more time to look through them (be warned: this week's links are again dominated by the obvious).

But do join me next Wednesday, 1 April at 6pm for the Institute for Government's ninth Data Bites event - our first-ever live online-only event. It's a great line-up, so do tune in and please spread the word widely. And remember - we've got eight excellent previous events for you to catch up on, should you be looking for something to do.

On a lighter note:

This is the only version of government advice you'll ever need...

...except for this one (h/t Stefan, knowing my love of data sonification).

Until next week

Gavin

Remote working etc: tech and tips

These Royal Navy Submariners Know A Thing Or Two About Isolation. Here’s Their Advice. (BuzzFeed)

A few coping strategies for many of you now facing a Covid-19 “patrol” (Jon Bailey)

Reflecting on the busiest and probably weirdest couple of weeks of my career (Dean Vipond)

What do I need to work from home due to coronavirus? (The Guardian)

Working remotely? Your company needs to talk about email etiquette* (Wired)

I Was Struggling With My Mental Health Before The Coronavirus Outbreak. Here's What It's Like To Deal With That In Isolation (BuzzFeed)

Coronavirus: The social events you can join from your sofa (BBC News)

Principles for coping with isolation (emrosebaz)

Video conferencing for non-geeks (KnowWhere)

TWENTY TIPS FOR GUARDING AGAINST DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN THE ERA OF SELF-ISOLATION (Alastair Campbell)

Designing services for crisis situations (Lou Downe)

It’s OK to do what you need to do (Co-op Digital)

Making design research work remotely (FutureGov)

Nudge, nudge

Peer pressure in a pandemic* (New Statesman)

HOW TWO TRAILBLAZING PSYCHOLOGISTS TURNED THE WORLD OF DECISION SCIENCE UPSIDE DOWN (Vanity Fair)

"Nudge Unit" (Institute for Government)

MINDSPACE Behavioural Economics (Institute for Government)

Here's a more in-depth thread about why the Behavioural Insights Team irritates me so much (Sophie Hill)

Today's links:

Graphic content

Viral content

What does ‘level two’ mean – and why does it matter? (Siouxsie Wiles & Toby Morris for The Spinoff)

How the virus got out* (New York Times)

How a South Korean church helped fuel the spread of the coronavirus* (Washington Post)

17 (or so) responsible live visualizations about the coronavirus, for you to use (Datawrapper)

Coronavirus tracked: the latest figures as the pandemic spreads (FT)

Coronavirus mortality trajectories tracker (John Burn-Murdoch)

Coronavirus trajectories - animated (FT)

Coronavirus: A visual guide to the pandemic (BBC News)

Live data on the coronavirus crisis – all you need to know (New Statesman)

Why we’re not overreacting to the coronavirus, in one chart (Vox)

The coronavirus pandemic: visualising the global crisis (The Guardian)

Coronavirus Deaths by U.S. State and Country Over Time* (The Upshot)

Live map showing confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK

Cases by local authority/health board/county (Henry Lau)

Coronavirus: how do Italy and the UK compare? (The Guardian)

Infectious Disease Experts Don’t Know How Bad The Coronavirus Is Going To Get, Either (FiveThirtyEight - see also)

Coronavirus in the US: Latest map and case count* (New York Times)

A deluge of death in northern Italy (Reuters)

Keep your distance

Many Britons are not taking social distancing for covid-19 seriously* (The Economist)

Coronavirus: What are social distancing and self-isolation? (BBC News)

What we can learn from the countries winning the coronavirus fight (ABC News)

Why fighting the coronavirus depends on you (Vox)

Coronavirus: context and consequences

Coronavirus (COVID-19) (ONS)

OXFORD COVID-19 GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TRACKER (Blavatnik School of Government)

Britain heading for a deep recession, say experts* (FT)

Real-time data show virus hit to global economic activity* (FT)

‘I Have Bills I Have to Pay.’ Low-Wage Workers Face Brunt of Coronavirus Crisis* (Wall Street Journal)

Coronavirus pandemic leading to huge drop in air pollution (The Guardian)

Mapping New York City Hospital Beds as Coronavirus Cases Surge* (Bloomberg)

Britain backs the PM, even if Twitter doesn’t* (The Times)

American partisanship may find its limits in coronavirus* (The Upshot)

The language of covid-19 has people turning to the dictionary* (The Economist)

U.S. jobless claims spike (Reuters)

Coronavirus Is Hitting Restaurants Hard, Even In States That Haven’t Shut Them Down (FiveThirtyEight)

Coronavirus (Resolution Foundation)

Visualising the virus

The FT approach (John Burn-Murdoch)

In Praise of the Diagonal Reference Line (eagereyes)

Proportions and rates: we are no dupes (Junk Charts)

The Visual Evolution of the “Flattening the Curve” Information Graphic (eagereyes)

Anti-viral content

Population aging, migration, and productivity in Europe (PNAS)

The northern-hemisphere winter of 2019-20 was the warmest ever on land* (The Economist)

Subnational population projections for England: 2018-based (ONS)

Consumer price inflation, UK: February 2020 (ONS)

Oil spill (Reuters)

Civil Service People Survey (me for IfG - civil service reaction)

Meta data

Viral content: on the right track?

Countries are using apps and data networks to keep tabs on the pandemic* (The Economist)

Covid-19 pressures privacy as pandemic spreads globally (MLex)

UK coronavirus app 'must respect privacy rights' (BBC News)

Open Letter: Contact Tracking and NHSX (Rachel Coldicutt)

Singapore to open-source national Coronavirus encounter-tracing app and the Bluetooth research behind it (The Register)

Mobile phone industry explores worldwide tracking of users (The Guardian)

When Is Anonymous Not Really Anonymous? (The Markup)

Government ignored advice to set up UK emergency alert system (The Guardian)

As governments turn to phone data for their #COVID19 responses, it's worth considering how this kind of surveillance may be used against the public interest (Jonathan Rozen)

Smartphones could help us track the coronavirus – but at what cost? (The Observer)

Viral (mis/dis)information

Coronavirus: Govt hasn't run ads on pandemic from official social media accounts (Sky News)

It Wasn’t Just Trump Who Got It Wrong (The Atlantic)

The Coronavirus Disinformation System: How It Works (Bellingcat)

Misleading Positive News About The Coronavirus Is Going Viral On WhatsApp (BuzzFeed)

Coronavirus: How bad information goes viral (BBC Trending)

Polling in a time of quarantine

The coronavirus should not stop the US census* (FT)

Global Survey Research in the Time of Coronavirus (Quirk Global Strategies)

Viral content: openness

Coronavirus crisis: why knowing beneficial owners in supply chains is fundamental for a good recovery (Open Ownership)

COVID19 and FOI requests (FOIMan)

Covid-19, the UK’s Coronavirus Bill and emergency ‘remote’ court hearings: what does it mean for open justice? (Judith Townend)

"Funders can make the best use of limited resources by publishing their grants as open data to the 360giving standard tagged with ‘COVID19’.” (Indigo Trust)

Viral content: everything else

We have the data to save lives — but we need action to make it work* (The Times)

Hidden data is revealing the true scale of the coronavirus outbreak* (Wired)

TechForce19 (NHSX - although...)

Data protection and coronavirus information hub (ICO)

Community groups and COVID-19: what you need to know about data protection (ICO)

We still need responsible tech for care in a global pandemic (Doteveryone)

Coronavirus crisis shows Big Tech for what it is — a 21st century public utility (Politico)

Amendment and Briefing on the Coronavirus Bill (Commons Stages) (medConfidential)

Coronavirus: UK comms regulator launches national campaign to assist home workers (Computer Weekly)

Coronavirus Will Change the World Permanently. Here’s How. (Politico)

Yuval Noah Harari: the world after coronavirus* (FT)

Carry on campus – how the ONS data science is supporting Brexit negotiations and coronavirus response (Civil Service World)

DATA in the time of COVID-19 (Open Data Watch)

Chi calls for guaranteed internet access for all children during school shutdown (Chi Onwurah MP)

COVID-19 and the production of statistics (ONS)

Who Gets a Coronavirus Test? We’re Asking Every State for Its Algorithm (The Markup)

Anti-viral

Why we need algorithms to keep an eye on government’s finances* (Apolitical)

Did the Government Transformation Strategy point the way to the future? (Civil Service World)

Governing by data: Limits and opportunities* (Computer Weekly)

Understanding the nature of modern slavery in the UK (ONS)

Putting tech and innovation at the service of people and the green transition (UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose)

Interview: GDS head Alison Pritchard on ministerial change, the spending review and the benefits of comedy (Civil Service World)

The Future of Our Cities (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory)

Annual Report 2019 (Open Contracting Partnership)

Good prospects

Prospect magazine has made its online archive free to read. Here are some data-related highlights.

Long live the database state (2009)

Good public services depend on us trusting them with our data (2009)

Whitehall’s web revolution: the inside story (2010)

Mash the state (2010)

Prospect talks to the father of the world wide web (2010)

Sublime by numbers: How the art world is reacting to big data (2014)

It’s time for a public debate about data sharing (2016)

The future will be data-driven: Britain needs a new infrastructure for ones and zeros (2017)

How big data helped secure Emmanuel Macron’s astounding victory (2017)

Dark satanic mills 2.0: inside the massive server farms storing your data—and harming the planet (2018)

Clicks for kicks: how we came to trade our private data for joy (2018)

Opportunities

LIVESTREAM EVENT - Data Bites #9: Getting things done with data in government (IfG)

JOB: Deputy National Statistician and Director General - Data Capability (ONS)

JOB: Content and Communications Strategist (Ada Lovelace Institute)

PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS: Regulatory Horizons Council - Members (BEIS)

And finally...

Viral

Social distancing (The Flippist)

We need to flatten the curve of new versions of the flatten the curve chart (Andy Kirk)

Coronavirus vs flu (Ann Coulter)

Am I a Covid-19 expert? (via Carl Miller)

Time for some (topical) light relief. Answers for the following please. (Claire Bertschinger)

Anti-viral

Let’s look at the emotional range of Rihanna GIFs (The Pudding, via in other news)

An Exhaustive Analysis of 300 Winning Dishes on 'Come Dine With Me' (Vice, via Tim)

A nice example of how we infer object position from what we presume to be a cast shadow (Gavin Buckingham)

Stuck at home looking for something useful to do? We’re looking for volunteers to help us recover 4 million rainfall observations dating back to the 1820s! (Ed Hawkins)

[redwallslikeyou]

Lost It

Today I lost my cool with Bailey.

It was right after a small tiff Jon and I had during breakfast. I was low and deep in thoughts about many things. There she was, in her usual self, pacing around the kitchen door with periodic barks to make her presence known. I knew she was waiting to be thrown food off the table, and that she was getting impatient. Just as I stood up to prepare for Jordan's bath time, she started barking incessantly.

It was then and there that I completely lost it. I think I mustered every ounce of breath within me and screamed the loudest I've had in a long, long time. I didn't only ask for her to shut up, but to really shut the fuck up. Even after I screamed at her twice, I stood in silence and stared my hardest, as though to convey my anger. She continued to pace, but this time, quietly.

I walked away, mildly shivering in anger. I felt this pented up, blood boiling anger that I haven't felt against any of our animals ever.

It only took me 15 minutes to calm my racing heart and cool my heated mind. By the end of Jordan's shower, I felt like myself again, and this time with a wave of regret.

I felt completely sorry for what I have done. I shouldn't have screamed at her for something she has been doing every day for the past 4 years. I was unfair and unkind. I was basically a monster.

When Jon and I came back from movies, I walked into the kitchen on my way to the toilet. I stopped by to stroke her sleeping body, out of guilt, and hopefully to let her know I am truly sorry. As I ran my hands down her back, I felt my tears welling up my eyes. I don't remember her being so skinny, nor does her fur used to feel so oily. It was a year of neglect that has just shown through the state that she is in. Then and there my heart broke. What have I done? What have I not done?

I know she is not entirely my responsibility, but yet, to waive myself off being responsible for her would be unjust in itself. I am in position to persuade the family for something to be done for her, for her health. Although I have done it, I was never in particular insistent on it. On my part - as part owner, as the first person who carried her home, as the first person she trusted, I have failed.

My heart is broken knowing that we have let down a life that sees us as her whole life. There was so much more we could do but have chosen to turn a blind eye against. My heart is truly broken.

I hope it is not too late to correct the wrongs we have done against her. I hope we can still do something.

At least for now, I know that I will surely and definitely insist.

I'm truly truly sorry dear Bailey girl. I hope you know deep down that I really do love you.

[thejustinmarshall]

Lessons From Eight Years Of Writing An Adventure Blog

One afternoon last August, a delivery truck rolled up outside my house in Denver. Two men got out, dollied a large box through the front door, unpacked a 6-foot long wooden workbench top and gave it a once-over to see if it had been damaged in shipping. I signed for the delivery, carried the wood and accompanying metal legs back to a 10-foot by 10-foot room at the back of our duplex, and put it all together.

A few minutes later, I dusted off my hands and stood in front of it: the first real desk of my outdoor writing career.

I’d been trying to be an adventure writer since 2004, been trying at it full-time since 2012—and I’d never had a place to set my laptop, pile up notebooks, stick post-it notes, or leave a printer plugged into a wall outlet. I’d typed in coffee shops, at friends’ kitchen tables, in the back of a van, at my own kitchen table, at airports, laundromats, anywhere I could when I had to. But now. A desk, in its own room. I must be a real writer now, right?

It’s funny how your definition of “real” changes.

—

In the spring of 2004, I had decided I was going to be an adventure writer. Not immediately, but someday. I had discovered Mark Jenkins’ columns in Outside, read Daniel Duane’s El Capitan book (despite never having climbed or seen El Cap), and tore through Jon Krakauer’s Eiger Dreams and Into the Wild. The model I understood from those writings—going on big adventures and writing stories about them—seemed like a dream job, although I had no idea if it was an actual job, or how a person could get that job. I did my master’s thesis at the University of Montana School of Journalism on peak bagging, and as a requirement for my magazine writing class, I had gotten published—an article in IDAHO Magazine about a road trip I’d taken the previous summer. The check for the article was for $40, or would have been, had I not asked the editor to please send me $40 worth of copies of the magazine instead, because I was so excited to have been published. It was a start, I thought. A slow one, but a start nonetheless. At $40 per article, I’d have had to write 233 articles each year just to crest the poverty line in 2004.

So I needed a real job, too. I applied at newspapers with no luck, so I got a job on the sales floor at the Phoenix REI to work while I sent out resumes and made calls to prospective journalism employers. I finally got a full-time editor/reporter/copy editor job at a small suburban weekly newspaper, and stayed on working part-time at REI.

In my spare time, I pitched every outdoor magazine I knew of, writing query letters that almost without fail resulted in rejection letters sent back to me weeks or months later. It was like walking up to a sport climbing crag, trying a route, falling after clipping the first bolt, failing to climb any higher, and moving on to the next route and repeating the process, with nothing to show for it. For months.

In my second year of pitching stories, I made $75 from one article. I moved to Denver to work at a small newspaper—but on the side, I kept pitching any outdoor publication I thought might pay. Almost all of them sent me rejections. In late 2006, John Fayhee at the Mountain Gazette liked a story I sent him enough to publish it and pay me $100. In mid-2007, I got a part-time job writing funny 100-word blogs for an outdoors website, at 15 cents a word, 2 to 3 blogs per week.

I kept working day jobs, first at the newspaper and then at a nonprofit that took urban teens on wilderness trips. After work, I obsessed over rock climbing routes, logistics of road trips I could take during my time off or over three-day weekends, read adventure books and magazines, and checked out guidebooks from the public library. I kept writing and trying to get published, chipping away at that idea of becoming a real writer.

I finally got a small assignment from a big magazine. I would interview a guy named Fitz Cahall, who had a podcast called “The Dirtbag Diaries.” I did the interview, wrote the 400-word story, sent it in, and … months later, I hadn’t heard from the editor. I checked back a couple times, and somehow the story had gotten lost in the editor’s spam folder. It never ran.

From the interview with Fitz Cahall, I held on to one part of his story: Fitz had wanted to become a magazine writer and had some success at it, but magazines weren’t interested in what he thought were his best story ideas. So he wrote them anyway, recorded them, and made them into a podcast—his own thing.

I ended up writing and recording an episode for The Dirtbag Diaries in mid-2008, starting a years-long relationship with Fitz and Becca Cahall. And, in late 2010, I followed Fitz’s thinking and took my rejected ideas (or ideas that were so ridiculous I’d never even pitched them) and started my own blog. In December 2010, I paid $12.17 for the URL Semi-Rad.com, and started writing short blog posts. I published the first four of them on February 2, 2011, and shared one of the posts with my few hundred Facebook friends and Twitter followers.

The first month, I published four blog posts, one every Thursday. My friend Josh Barker had told me that a regular publishing schedule would keep readers interested, so I decided to write one blog every week until something happened or I got sick of it. The first month, my blog got 646 page views. Not exactly setting the internet on fire.

The next month, I got 1,810 page views. The next month, still posting every week, 2,085 views, and then 1,506 views the month after that. It went like that for a while. I wrote about pumping your fist out the window of your car at the start of a road trip, about the amount of beer you should pay your friends back with after they did a favor for you (like letting you borrow gear or digging you out of an avalanche). I wrote about not buying new gear just because you can. Steve Casimiro from Adventure Journal reached out and asked if I would be interested in him re-posting some of my stories on his website and referring traffic back to me? Fuck yes I would. In October, I had more than 12,000 views. That December, Patagonia took out a full-page ad in the New York Times asking consumers to not buy Patagonia jackets if they didn’t need them, so I made a few knock-offs of their design, around other environmental issues. It took off, and that month, I had almost 30,000 page views. More importantly, I had survived 11 months of writing one blog post every week. So I kept going.

—

After almost six years of trying, I started getting magazine assignments, starting in early 2011 with a story I’d been pitching and had written for Climbing Magazine. I started writing more stories for them, and eventually a monthly column—which was titled Semi-Rad, like my blog. Over the course of the next few years, I wrote short and long pieces for almost every magazine I’d wanted to—a gear review here, a short piece in the front of the book there, the occasional feature story. Sometimes I loved the result, sometimes the magazine and I had different goals, and once my name actually got spelled wrong in my byline (not in an outdoor mag, but a men’s magazine doing some outdoor stuff). In mid-2013, I was working on an assignment for an outdoor magazine, and the editor said that when I was writing the feature story we were discussing, I should “imagine if you were writing about it for your blog.”

By the time I’d gotten to write for a few of the outdoor publications I’d always wanted to, I started to realize things were changing, for me and for everyone. In 2004, I’d wanted to write magazine feature stories, Jon Krakauer- and Daniel Duane-style—but in 2014, lots of magazines were shifting resources to online content, and often (but not always) decreasing resources devoted to publishing long features. Gone were the days (that I never experienced) of travel budgets and high-four-figure/five-figure story payouts—the kinds of things that “real writers” had. But the internet, which made life hell for lots of newspapers and magazines, was fantastic for people like me, who could hand-draw a flowchart about pooping in the woods or write a half-serious blog post about how much I hate (but kind of love) running and potentially reach thousands of people—or sometimes, only a few dozen, which happened lots of Thursdays. At the beginning of 2013, I landed a sponsor, Outdoor Research, whose support cosigned my efforts and made sure I had what I needed to keep it going.

—

In June 2014, I was driving around Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs doing research for a rock climbing guidebook I was co-authoring. The year before, I had put large “Semi-Rad.com” decals on either side of my Astrovan, which I was living in, thinking I needed to do that in order to deduct mileage on my taxes.

A car started tailgating me around the scenic loop, flashing its headlights. I wondered, “did I just cut that guy off? Is the van on fire?” I pulled over at the next pullout. The car pulled over, a guy got out, and introduced himself. His name was Willie Bailey, and he was a firefighter and photographer from Tennessee. He had been reading my blog for a couple years, and he had just read the road trip book I had self-published and got inspired to take a road trip himself—which he was on. Right now. We chatted a little bit, took a quick photo, and I got back in my van to drive away, thinking that was a pretty heartwarming side effect of writing a blog post every week for three and a half years.

This would happen more times over the next few years, and it’s not something they teach you in journalism school or creative writing classes: if you put a little bit of yourself out there and people can relate to it, sometimes you get to meet people you’d otherwise never meet, and hear a little bit of their story. And you don’t get that in every job.

—

There’s no monetary reward to having people you don’t know talk about some goofy thing you wrote, and it’s not a Pulitzer or National Magazine Award. But it was something I hadn’t considered when I started writing—that the weird shit I posted on my blog, which falls flat sometimes and makes it a little way around the internet some other times, could also become a piece of dialogue between friends. That not only do they laugh at the joke—which is all you hope for when you’re trying to be funny—but they laugh again later when they say it to a friend.

In late 2014, my friend Jim Harris wrote me an email from a bed and breakfast in Punta Arenas, Chile. He had been sitting on a couch around a wood stove with a group of people who were on their way to Torres del Paine when one of the group “started quoting your ‘Obsessive Campfire Adjustment Syndrome’ piece and the rest of the group filled in other memorable lines. I think they’ve memorized in a way I can only claim for a few Monty Python bits. Even 10,000 miles from home, the world’s a smallish place.”

—

Late last Monday night, I sat in my kitchen hand-writing thank-you postcards to the folks who support my creative efforts on Patreon, and realized my blog at Semi-Rad.com had turned 8 years old a few days before. I turned 40 last month, which means I’ve been writing Semi-Rad posts every week for a fifth of my life. If each blog was 500 words long, that’s well over 200,000 words written.

Since I started eight years ago, I’ve been able to successfully explore other ways to make a living besides writing a blog—public speaking, directing short films, writing books, drawing cartoons, and of course, writing for other publications. Some weeks I wondered if I should keep doing the blog, and some weeks it felt like no one read the blog at all.

But I had a place to write where no one told me what I could do and couldn’t do, for better (often) or for worse (hopefully not quite as often). I had a place to write an obituary for my friend Mick, who wasn’t a famous adventure athlete, but who I still quote to this day. I had a place to write about my mom, who climbs at a gym in Iowa, and my dad, who doesn’t climb at all, and about my friend Abi when she finally summited Mt. Shasta last summer. I wrote a story about my friend Nick’s rabid obsession with getting himself an old Trek 970 back in 2010, something he’d forgotten about until I reminded him last week. I don’t know if those stories would ever have gone anywhere if I hadn’t just done them myself, without caring whether 100 people or 100,000 people read them. (And let’s be honest—it was a little closer to 100).

Every once in a while someone asks what the word “Semi-Rad” means, and I explain that when I started the blog, I thought there was already plenty of outdoor media coverage of elite climbers, skiers, runners, and other record-breakers. I wanted to focus on the rest of us who love the outdoors—the things we have in common. I think those things are valuable too, and often ridiculous and worth laughing at.

If you ask any writer how to get started, I think you’ll get countless variations on one piece of common advice: Start writing. You just make yourself do it, even if you’re not sure if it’s any good at first. Writing is a lot like digging a hole in the ground: You only make progress after you actually start.

The one thing I’ve learned from making myself write something every week is this: You can’t hit a home run every week. Maybe you can’t hit a home run every month. But if you keep writing, sometimes you bunt, sometimes you strike out, and sometimes you get a walk. But if you get to first base, there’s someone out there who might need whatever it is you wrote, on that day. Even if the rest of the internet doesn’t seem to notice.

In mid-2017, Jonah Ogles, then an editor at Outside, reached out and asked if I’d be interested in having my Semi-Rad blog posts published as a weekly column on OutsideOnline.com. It was an unexpected, but welcome, honor for a blog born out of the fatigue of trying to get my stuff printed on someone else’s platform.

It was a totally different path than my adventure writing heroes, like Mark Jenkins, took, but making a living as a writer has never been straightforward, maybe less straightforward now than ever. If you had told me in 2008 that it was possible to get a book deal by writing really good Instagram captions, I would have said, “What the hell is Instagram?” in the same way if you’d told Mark Jenkins in 1998 that you could get a book deal by writing a blog, he probably would have said, “What the hell is a blog?” We’re all trying to figure it out as we go, whether you’re a publication like Outside or a hopeful somebody who just wants a few people to read your stories, in whatever format.

I don’t pretend to speak for all writers, but I think if you’re a writer and you’re honest with yourself, the thing you want most for your writing isn’t money or some sort of fame, but readers. You want a genuine connection with a few people. I don’t know if I’d say everything has turned out like I thought it would, but I’m grateful I found a small community of people who read some of my stories about all the things we love to do outside. I may not be filing dispatches from a base camp in the Karakoram or anything like the legendary writers I read, but I’ve had a great time trying to make sense of all the weird stuff we do out there—getting cold, exhausted, scared, stormed on, wondering why we do it until we get back home and immediately want to do it all again.

Eight years after starting a blog, and picking up that metaphorical shovel every week to keep digging that metaphorical hole, I still can’t say I know what a “real writer” is.

I do have a desk now, though. So I might as well stick with this writing thing.

—Brendan

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