#Something where they reintroduce the spring concept

[pokemonfrommemory]

Evolution has freed him from the curse (of eternally bouncing)

[sullina]

hey

are you someone who would like to write but can't seem to get started? Despite being at no loss of ideas?

Here's a tip. Especially for your first work and especially the first draft.

forget originality

that sounds mean now, but listen: every concept imaginable has been done by someone before. There will always be unoriginal concepts in every single work.

But that doesn't make these concepts bad

Because what actually matters is how you use them.

So if you're trying to write something, one of the best first steps you can take is probably just getting laid out what you want to write. Like, what concepts do you want in your work? What things did you like from other works? What characters from other works do you like, and why?

For your very first draft, when you're just starting out, it's perfectly fine to borrow building blocks from others.

Because here's a little secret: unless you're copying one single media word for word, those building blocks will rarely look the same after you've written down your idea and trying to fit everything together.

it's 100% fair to take concepts from other works and use them in your own writing. Because over the course of actually writing your own story, you will also make those borrowed concepts your own.

Sure, it's been done before...

but no one's done it like you yet.

And here's a second tip: if an idea you had or concept you like doesn't work for the thing you're writing anymore, it's okay to let go.

You don't have to throw it out completely, but maybe put it on the shelf for now. Once you're further along with your writing, you might just see the perfect opportunity to reintroduce it in a new way.

I wouldn't call myself an experienced writer just yet, but if there's one thing I've learned already, it's that crafting a story is NOT a straight line. There's bumps and sometimes you go in circles, and then there might be a point where you have an absolute genius idea or you realize that something you already wrote is an amazing setup for this next thing.

So it's not linear. At all. But you have to keep going.

Not everything you write is gonna make it into the final work, but it's still important that you write it. Because you can't make a thing without going through the process of making it. Fails and dropped ideas are as much part of this process as every success and genius idea.

And one final tip for you. Choose a medium to write in that you actively like doing, and doing a lot. By this i mean: writing on your computer is convenient for sure, but it's not the only way to write.

I've found that I fucking love writing by hand with a fountain pen, and it's something that I can do for hours at a time. And don't get me wrong, I do like typing on a computer and I'm not half bad at it, but going back to fix typos? Super annoying. it's fine if I'm making a short tumblr post like this (though i probably have a different definition of "short" than most people), but the outline of my current work in progress is almost 80 pages now. if that were digital, it would probably be more like... 40 pages or something, depending on the font and size, but my point is that digital typing, while convenient, is also annoying to me, personally.

And, ironically, also too quick. I like to think as I write and with digital typing, i have to focus too much on actually typing, but when I'm handwriting, i don't have that problem. I can go relatively quick and it's not like I don't make typos while handwriting, but crossing out one letter and putting the correct one over it is much faster than having to backspace and re-write an entire word (I could use the arrow keys but like. who has the damn time. too fiddly.)

My point here is not that digital writing is terrible and sucks, my point is that if you're gonna write, then you're gonna be doing the action of writing a whole damn lot, so make sure you can do it as comfortably as possible. For me, that's handwriting, for you, it might not be.

...if there's anyone who WILL spring for handwriting though, let me give you one final piece of advice: it might be wise to not go for pretty notebooks, for fear of "ruining" them. I knew this from myself already, so i instead went for regular notebooks, the kind that i used to use for school. The paper is good quality and the fountain pen that I have feels so nice when writing on it. You might think "but that's just small stuff!" and yeah it is, but small stuff can quickly become very very big stuff if it's building up over months or years.

[ranma-rewatch]

Episode 21: This Ol' Gal's the Leader of the Amazon Tribe!

*checks watch* Oh, hey, it’s time for more Ranma 1/2! Hope things are going well for you, person reading this. I’m...fairly sure I know what’s coming? I just don’t really remember exactly how it happens. Will I like it? Will I not? We’ll have to see, next paragraph, after I’ve seen the episode again.

That was...not what I was expecting? This storyline is both moving much faster and much slower than I remember, if that makes any sense. How? Well, let me recap it a bit first.

The episode starts with someone flying into the city on birds. More specifically, a bunch of small birds supporting a larger bird who doesn’t seem to fly, and the person is riding on that bird. It’s weird. She arrives in a construction zone, an old woman with a walking stick taller than she is, and she says something about looking for her son-in-law. Actually, she says it a lot. A steel girder almost falls on her head, but she hits it with her stick in mid-air, shattering the metal into dust, before running off.

It cut from that to Ryoga attacking Ranma. Why? Well, Ryoga doesn’t really need a reason, but this time he does. Namely, the whole Ranma kissing Akane thing from the last episode. Of course, Ranma was in cat-mode at the time and doesn’t remember it at all, no matter how much Ryoga tells him it’s real. After Ryoga gets splashed with cold water, Ranma is then attacked by Sasuke and Kuno for the same reason, and combined with piglet-form Ryoga’s help, Ranma actually gets kinda beat up in the process.

Heading back to the home, he realizes that Akane’s probably mad if it is true, and we see her in the dojo, but she isn’t really working out the way she usually does when she’s mad. If anything, Akane seems conflicted. Ranma shows up to talk about it with her, and immediately apologizes. Akane asks if he remembers doing it, and he admits he doesn’t. Then, Akane wonders, did it not matter? Would Ranma have kissed anyone, and it just happened to be her?

Not understanding what is going on, Ranma stumbles over answering too long, until Akane starts actually getting riled up, calling him a flirt. That pisses Ranma off, so they get into an argument. There’s also a scene where their dads are playing shogi, and they wonder about that pink cat Shampoo sent them, especially since it’s unlikely she knew about Ranma’s fear of felines.

The answer to that comes as Ranma goes to take a nice, hot bath to clean off after the fights he’s had. The cat jumps in with him, and before he can freak out about his greatest fear being in the room, Shampoo emerges from the bath right where the cat had been, and she’s very naked. Yep, the cat was her that whole time!

In a case of Ultimate Bad Timing, Akane comes to take a bath herself and sees Ranma in the bath with a naked Shampoo. We cut directly from that to Ranma practicing what to tell Akane later. Namely, that he won’t apologize or back down, instead being firm on the fact that it wasn’t what it looked like and he did nothing wrong. And we wonder why Ranma has relationship problems.

Akane appears, and she seems fine...before knocking Ranma into a pond. Not long after the water changes him into his cursed form, the old lady from the beginning appears, and Ranma has a very hard time fighting her. She won’t explain who she is or why she’s fighting him, then disappears. That felt...a bit pointless, honestly.

Later, Shampoo comes by the house again, with food. It seems she has moved to Japan officially, and lives and works at a nearby ramen shop. As everyone’s eating the food, the old woman shows up again, taking a place at the table to eat. It’s revealed that she is Shampoo’s great-grandmother, named Cologne, and she’s there to make sure that Shampoo and Ranma get married. Soun fires back about the engagement Ranma already has to Akane, but Shampoo seems to think she has a good argument for why she should be the one to take Ranma’s hand.

She takes him into the bathroom and uses cold water to turn back into a cat, and it’s revealed exactly what happened. Heading back to China, she was shamed for failing to either kill or marry Ranma, and thus had to train with Cologne. They did that at Jusenkyo, for some reason, and Shampoo fell into the Spring of Drowned Cats. So, apparently the curse is Ranma’s fault, and thus he has to marry her. He rightfully points out that’s utter nonsense, but Cologne doesn’t care.

They fight for a bit, with Cologne showing off one of those moves where it looks like there are a bunch of her but only one is real. Ranma uses food and Cologne’s hunger to figure out the real one, but that doesn’t really matter. She’s a bit impressed by him, but still knows he’s far too inexperienced to ever really stand a chance against her. Then she hits him with her stick, and says something about how he’ll be begging to marry Shampoo in a few days.

Why is that? Well, it seems she did something quite diabolical. She apparently hit a pressure point that has caused Ranma to be incredibly sensitive to water. Even cold water feels boiling hot, but it still activates his curse. To turn back to his preferred form, he’d need to use hot water, but with how sensitive his skin is, hot water would be torture to endure. Thus, he can’t turn back into his uncursed state unless he does exactly what Cologne tells him.

Let me start with the stuff I like about this episode. First off, this is a really interesting way to build a story arc that’s very different from the ones that came before. All the story arcs in season one were pretty typical for anime. Each event led directly to the next, it all felt like single stories that just took multiple episodes to tell.

But if you didn’t know the last episode was part of a story arc, you wouldn’t guess that to be the case. It felt like a single-stand alone episode. And it kind of was. Only two things really carried over: Shampoo the Cat being mailed to them, and Ranma kissing Akane at the end of the episode. In fact, when I saw Ryoga and Ranma fighting, it took me a second to realize what they were talking about, because I didn’t think that event from last episode would be carried over.

I really like how it was done, though. The show made it pretty clear that Akane was feeling some feelings about the whole thing, but Ranma was too caught up in the idea that she’d just be plain angry about it to miss what she was really telling him. She wanted him to tell her that actually it did mean something that in his cat-state, he still sought her out and was affectionate towards her. She didn’t want it to be meaningless. That’s really cute, and the miscommunication there was less annoying than it sometimes is and more adorable. Free relationship tip: learning how to properly communicate to your partner is really important!

The concept of finally introducing a character who is actually a better fighter than Ranma is good. Cologne isn’t Ryoga or Shampoo or Kuno. He can’t just beat her in a cool fight, she’s far more experienced and skilled, something that from here will kind of drive the entire arc. The fact that Shampoo ended up with a cursed form that Ranma finds so terrifying is also interesting. She’s kind of scary to him anyway, this unrelenting force who won’t leave him alone no matter what he does, so making her cursed form that but to the tenth degree is pretty neat.

Last good thing: I really love how nonchalant Kasumi is with Shampoo. Like, to her it’s just like, “Oh, Shampoo! You’re back, that’s lovely, do you want to stay for a meal?” Either Kasumi doesn’t understand the complex romance plot going on, or she does and finds it not reason to stop being a good host.

What didn’t I care for? Well, like I said at the start, it feels like this arc is moving too fast and too slow at the same time. In one episode, this story resolves the Akane/Ranma kiss from last episode, the mystery of the pink cat, introduces a new focal player in the story, and curses Ranma with something he’ll have to fix. That’s a lot to happen, and I was really shocked the pressure point thing happened in this episode too.

But at the same time...I really found my interest waning in the back half of this episode. The Cologne fight just isn’t super gripping, to me anyway, especially when the technique she uses just feels very bland. There’s a good five or so minutes, about a quarter of the runtime of the episode, that I was just bored in.

I also like reintroducing Shampoo, only three episodes after she left, was a bit of a mistake, especially when she’s basically a main character from here on out. I know she was very popular, but even then giving the audience some time away from her let’s them miss her, if that makes any sense.

There was originally going to be a Cologne based Character Spotlight, but then I decided not to because we still haven’t seen a lot from her, and also I’m very tired and my birthday was Monday please stop bullying me

So, yeah, if you couldn’t tell I’m kind of meh on this episode. It’s not bad. It’s not great. I enjoyed the first half quite a bit, but the back half was a little more of a struggle. It was in fact a big enough dip that I’m putting this episode fourth from the bottom, just above the P-Chan introduction episode.

Episode 7: Enter Ryoga, the Eternal ‘Lost Boy’  

Episode 12: A Woman's Love is War! The Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge!

Episode 15: Enter Shampoo, the Gung-Ho Girl! I Put My Life in Your Hands

Episode 9: True Confessions! A Girl's Hair is Her Life!

Episode 2: School is No Place for Horsing Around

Episode 19: Clash of the Delivery Girls! The Martial Arts Takeout Race

Episode 6: Akane's Lost Love... These Things Happen, You Know

Episode 13: A Tear in a Girl-Delinquent's Eye? The End of the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge!

Episode 17: I Love You, Ranma! Please Don’t Say Goodbye

Episode 20: You Really Do Hate Cats!

Episode 16: Shampoo's Revenge! The Shiatsu Technique That Steals Heart and Soul

Episode 8: School is a Battlefield! Ranma vs. Ryoga

Episode 11: Ranma Meets Love Head-On! Enter the Delinquent Juvenile Gymnast!

Episode 4: Ranma and...Ranma? If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Another

Episode 5: Love Me to the Bone! The Compound Fracture of Akane's Heart

Episode 1: Here’s Ranma

Episode 3: A Sudden Storm of Love

Episode 21: This Ol' Gal's the Leader of the Amazon Tribe!

Episode 10: P-P-P-Chan! He's Good For Nothin'

Episode 14: Pelvic Fortune-Telling? Ranma is the No. One Bride in Japan

Episode 18: I Am a Man! Ranma's Going Back to China!?

But hey, maybe things will be different next time? I’m actually pretty sure I’ll like it better, because now we’re really getting into the stuff I can remember. Namely, Ranma is going to be introduced to what will be his signature technique in “Behold! The 'Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire' Technique”. I’ll be there next week, and I hope you will too.

[karenpage]

1!!!!!!! For the prompt!

1. “We’re not just friends and you fucking know it. 

It’s cold in January, wet cold, the kind cold that has Karen Page clutching her coffee like a lifeline to her numb fingertips. Anything to thaw out as she stands with snow melting into puddles at her feet, in the hallway outside of Ellison’s office. She’s started staking him out every day - in between meetings, editorial reviews, and even at his favorite hot dog stand. You’re stalking me, he pointed out a handful of times, only to be met by Karen listing the practicalities of giving her her job back (and she has not nor will she ever take ‘no’ for an answer).

They settle someplace in the middle. Compromise, it’s called, where Karen will be a freelance journalist and provide the Bulletin with pieces that come from her and are run as an advocate for the independent New Yorker’s voice.

But, he’d lifted his finger up to tone down her giddy, delighted outburst, you have to run a piece on Frank Castle, an honest one.

There’s no shortage of suspicion, edged under the rim of his glasses or how he sees Karen, really and truly sees her - until she’s forced to reluctantly concede.

So that’s where she is now, sitting cross-legged at the foot of her bed with only the title of ‘He’s not who they say he is’ and a long, blank page beneath it mocking her.

How does she begin to quantify her relationship with Frank? Does she start from the beginning? How and where she knew she could trust the man every media outlet painted as a monster?

Karen’s fears are rooted in selfishness; what will people think of her, if they knew. If they knew that she smiled at him, bruised and bloody. If they knew that he’d used his body as a shield from bullets, and she’d held on just a little bit longer than necessary. If they knew she cried when the roses started to wilt or when setting them on her window sill became a melancholic habit, knowing he wouldn’t call.

She slams her laptop shut, the glow of the screen had been the only source of light in her room, leaving Karen staring into the abyss like it might provide inspiration. Pretending that even now, her broken heart doesn’t cast a shadow in the dark.

This is her chance to get back into Ellison’s good graces and she’s not going to martyr herself over it. It’s just an article. She’s written a thousand of them about a thousand different people and it didn’t matter then, so why does it now?

Frank’s the one who is gone. She doesn’t owe him her silence after a year of his.

Karen grabs a beer from her fridge, brings her laptop into the living room, and gets to typing. It doesn’t have to be an extensive expose, the nitty-gritty details can be glossed over. The public wouldn’t care if she tweaked some things, painted Frank as a friend she needed, not necessarily as one she chose.

It’s a lie. A column’s worth of it. But by the time six A.M rolls around, Karen’s done. She stares at what she’s just written, neatly packaged as an attachment in the email sent to the Bulletin’s newest editor, and feels nothing like the thrill she’d had, bringing down scandals, exposing criminals, doing right by the downtrodden and exacting justice onto the cruel. It’s the least excited she’s ever been to see her byline and knows that Ellison won’t believe a word of it anyway.

But it’s her shot to reintroduce normalcy into her life and at this point, Karen is desperate to have a routine.

She’s mad at Frank, Karen realized the moment she pressed send. And somehow, admitting that to herself in the cold, dim light of dawn, is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. She’s sobbing on her couch, big and ugly, gasps ripped out of her throat and tears so thick she can’t see, can’t blink them away. They’re like tar. Keeping all the hurt inside has rotted her, and she’d done it for so long. For everything. For everyone.

Locked away Ben, Daniel, Kevin, even James Wesley. There’s so much she should have written about. So much she should have said.

Maybe tell the world that Frank Castle had kissed her cheek, that he’d pleaded with her with a broken voice, haunted by all he’d already lost, that he couldn’t lose her too. She’d called him a friend, and what’s worse, she’d written like it was … an anecdote. Not something, or someone, who’d kept her going through the worst of it. When the world had been the cold steel of a bomb at her back, and Frank had come for her.

It’s pulling venom from a wound, too long left neglected.

Karen cries and cries until it’s noon and the only thing she has to show for a morning well spent is red, puffy eyes and a raging migraine. Two painkillers washed down the remainder of last night’s beer, and she opens her laptop right back up, squinting until she fumbles to turn the brightness down.

She’d write something real, this time. It wouldn’t be for the public, it isn’t something constructed for accolades or clout. It’s … a diary, maybe. An autobiographical apology to everyone she’s let down and hoping that letting out this ache, venting it, might keep her from falling to pieces entirely.

Karen spends the next twelve hours writing nonstop. The blur of her fingers over the keys fades into the backdrop, she doesn’t stop to eat or drink, she doesn’t even edit grammatical mistakes that sit there, underlined in red.

It starts with Kevin. And it ends with Frank.

She falls asleep holding the still-warm computer to her chest. No concept of what time it is, or what she’d even written, only the satisfaction in knowing she’d actually said something she meant, regardless of whether or not anyone ever saw a word of it.

Karen wakes up to wind rushing across her living room, bringing with it the bone-chill of winter in Hell’s Kitchen - she’s frazzled, disoriented - she could swear up and down that she’d closed that window last night long before she’d drifted off.

When she stands to close it, however, there’s a shadow standing in the hall, and Karen freezes until the headlights of a passing car illuminate him.

Frank.

“Jesus,” her hand falls to her chest, heart pounding underneath it. “I have a front door, you know. With a doorbell. It works and everything.” Karen’s go-to defense mechanism; dry humor. Pretending that the sight of him doesn’t spring tears to her eyes (when she’d made the mistake of thinking she’d cried them all away). She’s already turned towards the kitchen - it’s still dark out, so grabbing another beer can hardly hurt.

He’s got something in his hand, it’s – a newspaper? His fingers are fisted around it, knuckles white and he’s breathing like he’d just run a marathon to get here, eyes wild, unfocused, far away.

“What’s that –?” trailing off, she points to the paper with her beer before twisting the cap off and padding her way back to the couch on socked feet.

Her phone is dead, fantastic, and she’s immediately distracted by the hunt for her charger cable, plugging it into her laptop with a victorious sound. Frank hasn’t moved, and she’s doing just about everything she can to ignore him. Out of spite, fear, or guilt, Karen hasn’t decided.

When her phone powers on, Karen frowns at the screen - it’s not tomorrow, it’s tomorrow’s tomorrow. Evidently, her writing catharsis had been more like a coma and she’d slept for twenty-six hours. No wonder she’s in a fog.

“We’re not just friends and you fucking know it.”

“—what?”

“We’re not just friends and you fucking know it,” Frank says, slower, through his teeth. Like he’s… Like he’s mad at her for not understanding the first time around. She blinks owlishly at him, surprised by the sudden display of rage.

He throws the newspaper at her, opened up to page four and wrinkled to hell but - she makes out the article Ellison had run. She smiles sleepily at her byline – it’d been a wild forty-eight hours – and then her brows furrow as comprehension settles in and then it’s a punch to the get when she realizes what he said.

“Frank I–”

He’s pacing. Hands shoved into the shallow pockets of his windbreaker and jaw tight (the muscle in it jumps, flexing every time he rotates to pace the other way).

“That what you think of me, Karen? Just… some schmuck who came into your life an’ sure, maybe I saved it a couple’a times but it’s just par for the fuckin’ course for our friendship?” The last word catches on his teeth, broken, and it breaks Karen just a little bit too.

She stumbles up, hand on the edge of her couch while her feet slide against the hardwood floor. It might be a comical sight, under any other set of circumstances, but as it stands, it just makes Karen look every inch of the fool she felt then, “You know - you know that’s not what I think about you, Frank. You should know me better than that.” It’s hollow, and Frank barks a humorless laugh.

That just makes Karen angry.

“You left.” Interjected, stiff upper lip and all, “-you – you left without a word, Frank. Gone. I had to reach out to Agent Madani just to hear that you’d been granted some leeway by the CIA and homeland … I was … I thought you were dead.” Her resolve is wavering, the words tremble at the end, betraying the false front of her composure.

Frank’s fingers twitch at his side, but he doesn’t reach out to her. Doesn’t speak. He hangs his head a bit, tilted towards her so she knows he’s still listening.

Her eyes glance, briefly (and treacherously) towards the roses, half-dead on the ledge of her window and she hopes he didn’t notice. But he does. Of course, he does. He’s Frank, and he draws in a staggered breath before speaking.

“Karen… the dust settled an’ I was.. I needed time, alright? You’re right I shoulda… shoulda called, maybe yeah.. And I sure as shit didn’t expect you to wait for me, some Jane Doe with her man out to war but.. This?” his voice is that low, steady thunder that makes her toes curl and her heart stop, but Karen can only continue to let the tears fall down her cheeks in silence. He picks up the article, crumples it in his fist, “I have killed for you. Nearly died for you. I’m not just your fuckin’ friend,” Frank means it to sound stalwart, but in the context, it just comes across like: please.

“What – what more do I gotta do to show you, Kar? I” His adams apple bobs, rough as sandpaper but he’s asking her, the honesty of it makes him tremble. He’s afraid of her answer.

“Stay.” and that’s the core of it. He left her. He always left and most of the time it’s alright because she knew he had to but he’d been safe. They could have been, safe, and he’d been gone all the same so she doesn’t have a solution at the ready. She just wants him to – “stay, Frank. Please.”

Frank takes one step forward, hesitating before the next. And after a few more tense moments of this swaying in the space between them, he closes the distance and wraps her up in his arms, only to find out that she too, is shaking.

“You know I can’t,” at her ear, a frantic whisper but in it is a desperation that she has to hear, has to know. “Not all of the time but I will… I’ll stay, an’ when I can’t, when I gotta go I’ll come back to you - if you want me. If you want me here I’ll be here, Karen.” He pulls back because she’s not speaking, there’s doubt cut into the crease of her brow. A sadness in her eyes that he’d put there and is kicking himself for it.

Frank reaches under the collar of his shirt, pulls a silver chain over his head and slips it over Karen’s wordlessly, his thumb sweeping the raised letters on the dog tag that comes to rest just beneath her collarbone. “I’m makin’ a promise to you, Miss Page. I still got things.. Loose ends.. I might need time an’ shit but I will always come back for you.”

[infjtarot]

Page of Pentacles ~ Wildwood Tarot.

Page of Stones ~ Lynx ~ Wildwood Tarot.

  The lynx crouches in a bare tree, seeking its quarry.  It was thought that lynx had become extinct over four thousand years ago, but bones dated to one and half thousand years ago were discovered in Yorkshire. The fact that the llewin (literally ‘little lion’) or lynx is mentioned in a 7th century Cumbrian lullaby may indicate some scattered survivals of this splendid cat which still inhabits a wide swathe of northern Europe and Asia.  Hunting by smell and sight, it often uses a high perch to search out prey, usually at dusk or dawn. Adult lynxes live solitary after they leave the litter.  There have been plans to reintroduce it to Britain as a means of keeping deer numbers under control.

 As a person in your life: The Page of Stones is a person of common sense and dedication.  He enjoys learning skills that make him efficient or that lead to prosperity and comfort.  As a friend, he values the authentic aspects of your character and sticks to his commitments. Can be an idle good-for-nothing or fall into a fatal inertia that’s hard to shift.  If he or his skills are not valued or recognized, he can be wild and undisciplined in the face of authority.

  As an aspect or process: Learning the ropes as a beginner. Keeping things down to earth or actual rather than virtual. Setting practical goals. Being busy. Vandalizing public property or mocking concepts of authority.

  As an event/happening: Apprenticeship. Study. Schools or training programmes. Concentration. Messages of prosperity or benefit. Theft or pillage. Public disorder.  Inertia.

  Questions: What data do you need to gather to make a good decision?  Where do you need to get out of your head and into your body? What needs your dedicated commitment?  What can you learn from this situation?

 http://thewildwoodtarot.blogspot.com/2012/01/caitlin-matthews-wildwood-tarot-courts.html

 Page of Stones ~ Lynx~ Wildwood Tarot.

 The energies of the Knight of Stones now makes way for the Page of Stones, Lynx. We have met Lynx already, with The Woodward.

 This shy creature is one of the top three European predators – third only to his senior Stones Courts - Wolf (King of Stones) and Bear (Queen of Stones).

 Lynx is a beginner when it comes to physical things and he heralds a time where you will benefit from focusing on your body and your own personal environment.

 Lynx is very much a hands-on learner, rather than someone who studies books – an apprentice rather than a student.

 The word 'Lynx' derives from an Indo-European root 'leuk' which means brightness and light – perfect for the Court who supports us through to Imbolc and the beginnings of spring.

 The Page of Stones blends in with his surroundings in winter or summer and so it is with the Page as a person. This quiet and gentle-natured person might be easy to over-look, preferring to get on with the job in hand than create any drama or draw attention to themselves.

 Page of Stones says:

 “Now is the time to look after your own body and treat it with the love and respect that it deserves. Begin something new that supports your health – perhaps a yoga class for strength and flexibility or reassess how your fuel your body with food.

 “Start looking at your finances too, begin a new savings plan or resolve to understand your existing plans!

 “This is the time to begin the work, without drama or fanfare, whatever your work may be.”

 What small changes can you make to improve your health?

What new approach can you bring to your finances?

 https://www.facebook.com/TheWildwoodTarot/posts/the-page-of-stones-the-energies-of-the-knight-of-stones-now-makes-way-for-the-pa/1038337702876883/

[hollowsentinel]

Hey! Tell me about your OC’s! Out of your OC’s, who do you think is the most badass? Who would stay up all night to help a friend study? Who would rather be caught dead than in last years fashion trends? If you don’t like these questions that’s fine! I just wanna know more about your characters. Your writing is really good, you’re really creative and I’m excited to know more about what kind of people you’ve thought up. Hope you have a good night. :)

Yay, an ask! Also, whoops, I forgot I was working on this, and I am really bad at givong short amswers so yeah. Anyways, these questions are fine. The fashion one really got me thinking. It’s nice knowing that you enjoy what I put out.

Badass: At first, I though Matthieu Marchand. He survives spending his teenage years in a sugar-sweet death world that made no sense, resists demonic possession, circumvents the fact that he should be unable to use magic, and is ready to fight gods when he gets home. Also, he eventually gets to the point where he travels between realities, finds a world with a rape-y version of himself, and erases that version and derivatives thereof from existence.

But then I remembered Ruos Illinde. She’s this sweet little farmgirl that’s madly in love with this witch that visits town now and again. Sh held on to this crush since she was a wee little lass, and when it comes time that the witch doesn’t mind their age gap, shit goes down.

Monsters attack town and people get cut to pieces. Ruos gets cornered, and she decides that she is too gay too die to a bunch of lycanthropes that have been terrorizing humanity since the beginning of time. Also, it would be terrible manners to schedule a date and not show up because she died. So she proceeds to outperform her local militia, takes a scythe to these monsters, and saves what’s left of town basically on her own.

Later, her witchy girlfriend runs away (she fucked up Ruos’ voice and felt mad guilty about it, also more monsters to deal with, but that’s just am excuse), and Ruos tries to go after her. Sometime during her search she forgets that aging is a thing, and just stops getting older for inexplicable reasons, and all the while, she’s hunting down monsters (saving people feels great yo).

Society falls over a bunch of times, but Ruos lives through thousands of years of monsters and people come to know her as the best damn monster hunter to live. Add to that the fact that she reintroduces the concept of guns and other technology people lost to monsters killing too many people (destroying production lines, methods, amd knowledge), and it gets pretty wild.

Oh, and there’s a practically immortal monster that is legit afraid that Ruos can actually do him in once and for all. Entire armies struggle to make him care about getting hurt beyond the immediate pain and PTSD triggered by fire. So yeah, Ruos is top badass.

Honorable mentions go out to Plan B (helps keep superheroes and supervillains safe from each other; is mundane himself until shenanigans, but he kept up before that), Jill (like Matthieu, she was in a weird place for a long time and became super scary), Sorec (princess; gets a genie to turn her country into a desert to get out of an arranged marriage and becomes a god), and the aunt (?) from last year’s botched NaNoWriMo (would travel during winter to get ingredients for medicine in spring probably among other things). I could go on, but This bit is long enough.

All-night Study Buddy: Canonically, Matthieu, but I have others that would probably also qualify. There’s my gun-slinging witch-prince, the budding archmage that goes (not hoes, though the typo makes for an interesting image) with him, Dodger Stone, Aster Xilhu, Lillian… huh, I thought the list would be longer. But anyway, Matthieu.

When he’s like twelve or thirteen, he’s hanging out the the library in all his free time. He crams as much magic theory into his head as he can so he can try to apply that to a new style of magic that he doesn’t need hereditary bullshit to use. There he meets this bright-eyed little girl (she’s like eight or nine at the time), and he ends up tutoring her.

Matthieu makes the mistake of asking if she's cramming for magic school, and suddenly she wants to apply at any cost. They camp out in the library, visit each other's homes, and they have marathon study sessions to get her into the school (and maybe they play nerd games when they get tired, I don't know).

But yeah, that's a canon thing.

Trendster: I had to think about this. Most of my characters don't have hard and fast visual designs, muh less prefered fashions. Multiple outfits and following trends isn't something I think about for most of my characters.

In lieu of an actually trendy dresser, let me talk about Hunter Halsey. His fashion is completely dictated by a very wealth vampiric patron. It's old, early 19th century stuff. Tight pants, boots up to his knees, hat, cane, tailcoat, waistcoat, floofy shirts, and junk. He ends up fitting right in when he gets shunted back in time, but the rest of the time, he looks really out of place.

Other characters with "known" and notable fashions include Caine Oschn... and that might be it. His (ex?) boyfriend Prince Cearus might actually fit the trendster thing, but unconfirmed.

[limejuicer1862]

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger. The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

Karen Jane Cannon

is a UK poet and author. Her poetry has been published widely in literary journals and anthologies in the UK and USA, including Acumen, Envoi, Mslexia, Orbis, Obsessed with Pipework, The Interpreter’s House, Ink, Sweat & Tears, and Popshot. She was a 2017 finalist in the Mslexia Poetry Competition and was commended for the Flambard Poetry Prize in 2014. Emergency Mints, her debut poetry pamphlet, was published in Spring 2018, by Paper Swans Press

Her novel Powder Monkey (as Karen Sainsbury) was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 2002 and Phoenix in 2003.

Karen is also an award-winning radio playwright. She has an MA with distinction in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University, where she lectured for three years. She is a PhD Candidate at the University of Southampton. Karen is creator of Silent Voices: found poetry of lost women

https://karenjanecannon.com/

The Interview

1. What inspired you to write poetry?

I started writing poetry when I was very small and was encouraged enormously by various teachers. I entered competitions and read lots of poetry ‘how to’ guides. When I was studying English as an undergraduate, I suddenly became frustrated and frightened by poetry, lost the unselfconscious way of writing I’d had as a teenager—for two decades I didn’t have anything to do with poetry, became totally poetry-phobic. After having several articles published, I started writing radio plays and then a novel, but I felt I wasn’t really a storyteller—fiction seemed too contrived and unreal. I entered quite a bad depression. Felt I had lost my way as a writer and the only way out for me was through rediscovering poetry. I remember picking up Ted Hughes’ Moortown Diary and thinking poetry could be real and earthy and alive. I decided to try and be the thing that terrified me most—a poet! Or at least conquer my fear of it. Orbis published my first poem a year later. In 2017 I was delighted at being a finalist in the Mslexia Poetry Competition. This has really boosted my confidence.

2. Who introduced you to poetry?

I’m not sure. Maybe, I found out by myself, at the library when I was at primary school searching out Walter de la Mare and Kipling. Taking my MA in Creative Writing I was inspired by the work of Philip Gross who taught me for a semester—I really connected with The Wasting Game, but was still suspicious of poetry. Another tutor, Tracy Brain reintroduced me to Sylvia Plath via The Bell Jar, and her love for all things Plath was very contagious.

3. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

Writing poetry, you are always aware of walking in the footsteps of others. It’s normal for a poet to think, how do I get my voice heard? Why is my voice relevant? I think it’s either huge ego or that persuasive fluttering muse that makes you think your contribution is worthy. As a writer, you have to develop a thick skin and learn to do what makes you happy. Rejection is a healthy part of the writing process—the biggest thing that will make you stop and re-evaluate your work and seek to improve it. The Poetry World is hugely competitive.

Studying English at degree level, I became frustrated by the study of poetry—not being able to get a poem to immediately yield all its secrets. I remember very simplistically thinking, for example, why can’t a poem be just about blackberries?! Why does there have to be a whole subtext behind it?  I was too immature to understand that this is the challenge of any piece of art. Every time you re-examine a text, you read something new into it—that’s what makes a reader return to it years later, why it stays in the head. Every text means something different to every reader. That’s the power and joy of poetry.

4. What is your daily writing routine?

I write daily, every morning, either on new work, editing or submitting. Creativity isn’t something you can control—new poems can magically pop up at any time and need writing down before they vanish. I am very organised when it comes to writing or studying. The rest of my life is somewhat haphazard.

5. What motivates you to write?

Above anything, I am a writer of place. From my first articles, to my plays, novel and poetry, I write landscape, both physical and emotional. That is what motivates me to write. I have always chosen to live in strange and fascinating places, from the second highest village in Scotland, to a village on the edge of Longleat Safari park, going to sleep each night to the sound of roaring lions and howling wolves. I was brought up a mile from the sea in Worthing, West Sussex, and spent much of my childhood either on the beach or on the beautiful South Downs. The sea, its dynamic movement and power, is a great source of inspiration for me. My first pamphlet, Emergency Mints (Paper Swans Press, 2017), is set on the south coast. Now I live in the magical New Forest National Park, a surprising wilderness in the heart of the south of England. The main themes running through my work are loss and motherhood—the two ends of the circle. I am fascinated by maps and boundaries—both real and imaginary—and the industrial footprint left in the landscape. These things all motivate me creatively, but I am motivated also by success and becoming a better poet.

6. What is your work ethic?

I have a hugely strong work ethic when it comes to creativity. I am a perpetual student—it’s important to me to improve and grow as a writer, to hopefully reach my potential. I am in the 2nd year of a part time PhD at the University of Southampton, researching poetry and place. It is a very stretching and rewarding experience. I am very focused. I don’t go on holidays—I go on research trips! My husband is very supportive—on our last ‘holiday’ we ended up down a stone quarry, because I wanted to write about it!

7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

That’s difficult to gauge. I write about the effects of industry on the landscape and its inhabitants and I wonder if Blake’s Songs of Experience—and the whole Romantic movement— influenced this. I remember being moved by these poems when I was a young teenager, the hopelessness and inevitability of change. Even childhood reading like Enid Blyton has shaped my connection to the countryside. I was obsessed with the War Poets when I was sixteen—maybe they influenced the themes of loss that always run through my work, the long connection between war and poetry is fascinating and paradoxical.

In reality, it was growing up in the 1970s that has influenced my writing more than anything else. The Seventies were a dismal decade to be a child—a time of dissatisfaction and misery. This was represented across popular culture—even sitcoms such as The Likely Lads and Butterflies portrayed an adult world of frustration and yearning. The lingering after-effects of the war, sexual revolution and political turmoil were frightening and unsettling. Nothing was stable—not even the concept of family—no one was happy. Everyone trapped by something—sex, class, respectability.  But, ironically, it was all these things that made me become a writer. I rejected the restraints and limitations of the previous generation and chose my own path.

8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

I have spent the last twelve months immersing myself in books on place—from Dorothy Wordsworth’s wonderfully rich journals and Nan Shepherd’s beautiful The Living Mountain, to Roger Deakin’s Waterlog and Wildwood. And of course, Alexandra Harris, Luke Turner, Richard Mabey, Philip Hoare and everything Robert MacFarlane writes! Groundwork, edited by Tim Dee, is an excellent introduction to the genre. These writers share the ability to conjure a place from the page with their knowledge and love for it. They create value.  ‘Local’ doesn’t mean parochial, it reflects the whole. I am also interested in how different genders approach the writing of place.

I have also been reading a lot of ecopoetry—one approach to ecopoetry is of the close observation of place proposed by Linda Russo. This genre needs careful handling as it involves writing with intent, which is problematic. The Ground Aslant, edited by Harriet Tarlo, is an excellent example of how to get it right.

9. Why do you write, as opposed to doing anything else?

I have had ideas about doing other things, but I am only driven to write. I have other useable skills—ones that would pay better—but I have no heart for them. I think I may be quite lazy. As I said above, I have had plays produced and a book published. Poetry uses the least words! What I love about poetry is the journey it takes you on. I read a lot of fiction and I find so many authors only have the one brilliant book in them. Poets by contrast keep growing and expanding.  That’s a huge draw to me. It’s rewarding.

10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

I would say, to be a good writer, you have to be a good reader. To paraphrase Reynolds on art, you gather the pollen to create your own honey. Experiment. Be flexible—you may start off thinking you want to be a poet, but may discover you are an amazing playwright. See where writing takes you. Write with your heart and not with your head. And if you want to improve, get critical feedback. You are unlikely to get this from friends or family. They will either tell you your work is brilliant, or that it’s not their cup of tea! Constructive criticism is invaluable. The Poetry School offers fantastic courses for all levels. And, really importantly, read contemporary work if you want to see your work published—styles change!

11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

I am just finishing my second pamphlet, based around my experience of living 1400 feet up in the Lowther hills of Southern Scotland without electricity in an old leadminer’s cottage. I am working on two full collections—one set on the South coast and its industrial footprint, and a second more experimental work centred around the New Forest, which is part of my PhD. I am loving the writing of all of these book

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Karen Jane Cannon Wombwell Rainbow Interviews I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me.

[angstylittlecatboy]

memories of my sprite comic nobody read

I'm not sure if I believe in the whole angel numbers thing anymore but I think they want me to reintroduce my sprite comic (saw 111 while thinking about it.) I just feel like talking about it, idk. I know nobody cares.

Barring a few standout strips I don't think Purrnout the Edgy Cat (covering my bases here, but the comic predates me meeting FP by two years, “edgy” refers to how stuff like Linkin Park and Shadow the Hedgehog is referred to as edgy) was a good comic, most of it's gags fall flat, the backgrounds and walking sprites were mostly ugly (if my more detail-oriented brother was downstairs he'd insist I do better,) and I could never get a story arc off the ground, but I only made it to kill the bore (in the description it said "updates whenever boredom strikes") and I had fun making it.

The idea was to be a sprite comic (believe me, I’d draw the comic if I were any good at drawing, but I learned my lesson from having DeviantArt) that was something of an affectionate parody of early 2000s sprite comics while avoiding a lot of the common complaints about them, also throwing in some punk/goth/emo culture. Specifically, all of it's characters were original, only one was a recolor (and his name was Recolor the Hedgehog, he was the deuteragonist and straight man, I planned to make him the only character who can't do cool superpower stuff for irony,) I didn't use backgrounds from Google Images, it didn't directly take place in the universe of something else (my idea was that it took place in a nonsense universe where every work of fiction is somehow canon, though I wanted to be pretty strict about seeing concepts and objects but never characters from other works, but other than showing Recolor losing rings, nothing ever came of it,) I tried not to mainly use reference or shock humor, and I tried to use a consistent sprite style for the characters and backgrounds (I confess to ripping effects.) I don't think it ever achieved parody of 00s sprite comics, I wanted to eventually make some stuff like DBZ-style sprite battles and teen melodrama, but I ended up making a gag-a-day strip mostly utilizing cringe comedy. At least, all the good or least bad strips are cringe comedy. I tried teen melodrama but it was mostly big lipped aligator moments that went nowhere, especially both aborted story arcs (though the latter was going to be less teen melodrama and more band melodrama.) If I reupload the comic, the arc comics won’t be reuploaded with the rest as I consider them non-canon since neither got past two strips and the first attempt would have honestly ruined the comic if it finished. I guess there were two continuous strips where Purrnout commited tax fraud (I think this predated the Yoshi meme) but I don’t see that as a story arc. Actually the first three comics were sorta a story arc but they mostly just introduced the main two, explained why Purrnout is living in an apartment (I think I needed to explain this as I intended it as a Chekrov’s Gun for a later story arc,) and made some obscure Green Day references. Maybe the arc comics could get re-added at a different place on the timeline if I felt like completing the arcs. A huge problem is that I didn’t make an outline for them tbh.

The style I settled on for the backgrounds and sprites was that of the Neo Geo Pocket Color. The panels were in either that system’s resolution or one close to it (they were tiny.) I ignored palette limitations, but so did most sprite comics.

I must admit that the title character is a self-insert fantasy to some extent, he was admittedly, like 16-year-old me but cooler. Well, not really cooler since the comic revolves around him being a loser, but he was an emancipated minor and a good punk/alt rock guitarist, both tying into my fantasies at the time, and he was a lonely emo teenager trying to not be mainstream. If I brought the comic back, I’d continue to write Purrnout as 16YO me and not as 18YO me. I’m still a loser, but my spiritual beliefs, dedication to kindness, and inconsistent attitudes towards life WOULD NOT mesh with the character. Purrnout cannot have reverence to things that control the world or talk about peace and love, he needs to be angry at the world and be a bit of a deliberately insensitive asshole to the people he doesn’t like. Sort of a much less extreme version of an incel (I identified as such at the time.) Wouldn’t call him a Mary Sue, though it’s not really my call to make since I’m the author and this is the only creative work of mine that can kinda be considered “completed” that I’m still fond of in a way. Maybe I’ll cringe someday, but not today.

There’s not much to say about Recolor the Hedgehog, he’s very much a pretty normal guy other than having nerdy interests and Purrnout as a best friend. He more or less exists to be a straight man. He was a composite of my brother and an ex-friend.

I might as well mention the comic’s other non-antagonist character since I’ve already talked about both Purrnout and Recolor. Love the Golden Retriever, a rich, smart, pretty normie girl with a Pollyanna viewpoint, a wish to heal people like Purrnout, and a crush on Recolor. She was based on a variety of girls who tried to become my friend out of pity and were nice enough but we didn’t connect. Purrnout finds her annoying, while she considers Purrnout a friend. I also introduced another one, but she was part of the first aborted attempt at an arc. 

A third main character was planned as well, but she was supposed to be introduced in a story arc that I planned but never even tried to start. She wouldn’t make it into the comic if I start it up again, at least not without heavy modification, as I eventually met someone who was very similar to the character I had in mind. So similar that adding them now would look creepy.

The comic’s most common antagonist was a cat named Muffin. He was basically Chad Thundercock, probably the most shallow character in a comic that wasn’t long enough to get deep. I also introduced another character intended as an antagonist in an admittedly-hamfisted way named Felicity the Once-Golden Retriever, Love’s best friend who used to be a highly optimistic normie with a promising modelling career before Muffin cheated on her, and then became an angsty anti-society rebel who thinks cutting her hair and dying her fur darker makes her ugly. She hated Purrnout because she felt that Purrnout hadn’t suffered like she had and is moping for no reason, which annoys her. I think I was trying to do a straw feminist character minus the actual feminism, but don’t quote me on that. I had a third antagonist that I wanted to introduce, my favorite antagonist made for the comic actually, and he already cameoed, but I never ended up writing him. Maybe if I had my PC through Summer/Fall 2018 I would’ve made more (the last one was Spring 2018.)

But anyway, it doesn’t really matter. My brother was the only person who really read Purrnout, but I do remember him getting a chuckle out of it. I posted it on Tumblr (now deleted) and I got one follower, who was likely a bot. I never posted a link to it on my main Tumblr, partially because I wanted to see it gain an organic audience first (it didn’t lol) and partially because I was scared of it being seen as cringe. You may have come across it if you browsed the “sprite comic” tag on here. I know Tumblr is a bad place to host webcomics (at least if it’s the only place you’re hosting the webcomic) but it’s free, I was familiar with it, and I wasn’t making any plans to profit off of or take the comic seriously (it ran Summer 2016 - Spring 2018 and only had twenty strips.)

I’m still hesitant to bring back the comic because I honestly want to use the universe (most of it, obviously modifications would need to be made) for a video game idea I have, though that would be 10+ years in the future if I ever have credibility as a game developer since I couldn’t see myself doing that one without a team (”3D hack n’ slash platformer” is a lot harder than “2D JRPG.”) Hell, I originally made the sprite for a Zelda II clone I wanted to make with Purrnout using side mounted guns (because Shadow the Edgehog,) but for some reason, be it laziness (not wanting to re-learn Game Maker) or wanting to use the character for something more character driven, I ended up making a sprite comic instead. Another route I could do is redesigning and renaming Recolor, and removing all sprites ripped from other games, but I’m extremely hesitant to mess with Recolor’s design since his worried face is a running gag and if I did continue I’d still want to eventually make jokes that don’t work without him being a Sonic recolor.

Also, it wasn’t a furry webcomic, at least not entirely. “pet sized” (cats, dogs, wolves, foxes, etc.) characters would stand on fours while characters of much smaller or much larger stature (cows, hedgehogs,) than that would be anthropomorphic.

[divewatchhq-blog]

The Long History of the Omega Seamaster

https://www.divewatchhq.com/?p=8145 It doesn’t seem to happen so much anymore, but back in the day luxury watch brands liked to celebrate their significant birthdays by releasing entirely new collections. That was certainly the case when Omega chalked up its centenary, commemorating 100 years in business way back in 1948. They marked the anniversary with the release of a line touted as the ideal watch for customers looking for something robust yet elegant, a model suitable for ‘town, sea and country’. Its name—the Seamaster.

The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Coaxial

Over the last seven decades, the family has grown to become the most varied in Omega’s whole lineup, the name adorning everything from sophisticated dress pieces to gargantuan chunks of solid steel. In between, they have been the favored timepieces of underwater pioneers, royalty and military action men, both real and fictional. Below, we will take a look at the Omega Seamaster history and key references.

Omega Seamaster History: Let’s Start at The Beginning

The original Seamaster was a relatively simple affair, taking its inspiration from the models Omega had supplied to the British armed forces in the Second World War. Known as W.W.W watches, for ‘watch wristlet waterproof’, they were prized for their sturdy build quality and excellent legibility, two elements that formed the groundwork on which the Seamaster was, and still is, constructed.

Omega reissued their original Seamaster at Baselworld 2018

Although ostensibly meant as a more formal wear, there was an inherent toughness to the design, with the brand already having plenty of experience with waterproofing; the Omega Marine had come out in 1932, considered in some quarters as the father of the dive watch, although it bears little resemblance to the concept as we know it today. Even so, Omega had cultivated the reputation and when the Seamaster landed it only strengthened the company’s position. Key to much of the watch’s ability was the use of rubber O-ring gaskets, which were able to retain their shape, and therefore their imperviousness to water, over a vast range of temperatures far better than the shellac or lead seals used by rival manufactures. In 1955, the Swiss Laboratory for Watch Research tested 50 Seamaster cases to a depth of 60 meters, and the results from that successful study, and the subsequent experimentation with new materials, gave rise to a trio of tool watch collections among the most popular ever made.

The Professionals

1957 saw Omega roll out the first Seamaster 300, a true diver’s watch that made its debut alongside the consistently underrated Railmaster, a model for scientists and engineers that lined up against the Milgauss, and the inaugural Speedmaster, which needs no introduction.

The original Seamaster 300 is one of the most iconic dive watches ever made

The original reference, the CK2913, showcased the brand’s new Naiad winding crown, their answer to the screw down design, the patent for which was still held over at Rolex.   Omega’s invention was mounted on a specific type of spring inside the winding tube that created an ever tighter seal under increasing water pressure. It meant the deeper the watch was taken, the more protected it became; the downside of which was a certain vulnerability at shallower depths. Nevertheless, as its name suggests, the Seamaster 300 was rated waterproof to exactly…200m! I know; the reason for the discrepancy is, depending on which story you prefer, the fact that the testing equipment of the time could only simulate pressures of 200m maximum, or it might equally be that Omega just thought 300 sounded better from a marketing standpoint. The choice is yours. Whichever is true, the watch was an instant hit, arriving at just the right time to capitalize on the craze for recreational Scuba diving as well as drawing the eye of one legendary name who explored the underwater world for a living. When, in 1963, Jacques Cousteau embarked on his Precontinent II expedition, the French oceanographer’s experiment to develop a permanent subaquatic habitat, the Seamaster 300 became the timepiece of choice for him and his team.

Continental Shelf Station Two was an experiment by Jacques Cousteau, where he first wore a Seamaster

The watch went through a redesign in 1964, with an enlarged bezel as well as the case increasing in size overall from 39mm to 42mm, and receiving the twisted bombe lugs still present on most models today. Military customers followed, particularly the British Special Boat Service (SBS), although the limitations of the Naiad crown made the association a relatively short one, giving way to the Rolex Milsub Submariners in the 1970s.

600 and Beyond

New technology gave rise to industrial saturation diving in the 60s and 70s, and with it, new challenges to overcome for watch manufacturers. The main hurdle concerned the gas mixtures being used at the enormous depths crews were now required to work at. A Trimix blend allowed divers to breathe far deeper than with a standard air mixture, but with the drawback of having to use helium. With one of the smallest molecules of any chemical element, the tiny helium bubbles easily penetrated the cases of watches, and then expanded as divers ascended to the surface and forced out the dial crystals.

The Rolex 5513 Submariner was retrofitted with a helium escape valve, courtesy of DOXA

Three manufacturers sought to address the problem. Rolex teamed up with Doxa and devised the Helium Escape Valve (HEV), a small, one-way regulator fitted into the side of the case to allow the gas to seep back out of the watch before it could cause any damage. It was first retrofitted onto a ref. 5513 Submariner, before becoming the defining feature of the all-conquering Sea-Dweller in 1967. Omega went a different way. Their solution was to stop the helium getting inside in the first place and so came up with the Ploprof (PLOngeur PROFessional—professional diver) Seamaster 600.

The Omega Seamaster 600 Ploprof was forged from a block of stainless steel, in case you couldn’t already tell (photo: toolwatch)

Forged from a single block of stainless steel, with a 4mm thick crystal, it was more barn door engineering than Rolex’s elegant response, albeit a highly effective one.

Hydrostatic tests rated it waterproof to 1370 meters, but with a lumpy 54mm case, it wasn’t much of a looker and was a commercial failure. Its even hardier follow-up, the Seamaster 1000, suffered much the same fate. Even so, the 600 accompanied divers on a record breaking expedition in the Ajaccio Gulf in France, spending four hours a day over eight days at depths of 253 meters, and coming up smiling. The public may have been indifferent, but professionals loved it.

Image Boost

The Seamaster range expanded into several distinct lines throughout the 70s and 80s. Chronographs emerged with styling a world away from the original but very much of their era. For the 300 however, the best was yet to come. After a six year absence from the screen, James Bond was back and in need of a new timepiece.

The Omega Seamaster got a new lease on life with their introduction into Bond films

In 1995 Omega scored a massive coup by replacing Rolex as watch supplier to the world’s favorite secret agent. In Goldeneye, Pierce Brosnan sported the Seamaster 300M, a new collection released a year before, complete with its own Helium Escape Valve. The quartz-powered model with a distinctive blue dial and bezel, the ref. 2541.80, catapulted the watch instantly into the category of ‘must-have’. So far, the franchise has used various references in a total of eight Bond films, with Omega surviving the leap from Brosnan’s super smooth portrayal to Daniel Craig’s far more gritty interpretation. In Casino Royale, Craig’s debut outing from 2006, he unveils the Seamaster Planet Ocean for the first time. A contemporary reimagining of that original CK2913, the Planet Oceans are even tougher, with thicker cases and waterproof to 600m. They are also the first Seamasters to be given Omega’s Master Chronometer Co-Axial movements, with their massive magnetic resistance.

James Bond switched things up a little bit in Casino Royale with a Planet Ocean from Omega

Bond has stayed loyal to Omega and the different models in the Seamaster family. In 2012’s Skyfall, we see him wear the so-called entry level piece, the Aqua Terra, aimed more at a life spent riding the ocean waves on a luxury yacht rather than exploring below. And in Spectre, the most recent adventure from 2015, he goes into battle with a special commemorative edition of the 300 created to observe the CK2913’s birthday.

Latest Models

The professional Omega range goes from strength to strength, with 2017’s release of a nostalgia drenched trio which were an almost mirror image of the original Railmaster, Speedmaster and Seamaster from 1957, updated with the very latest in the brand’s industry-leading calibers. This year they were at it again, diving even further back in time with the limited edition Seamaster 1948 duo (pictured above). A revival of the first watches to bear the name, launched some 70 years ago, they are a pair of 38mm dress pieces in either a central seconds version, or with a small seconds sub dial at the six o’clock. Reintroducing the same dauphine hands and elegant triangular indexes, they are about as faithful a likeness of the watches that started it all as you could wish for.

The Omega Seamaster history is full of lessons and key victories

The Omega Seamaster history is incredible – the longest continuously running model from a brand not short on heritage. Whether from the professional or dress lines, the watch has always been a fan favorite—and will continue to be so for many years to come. The post The History of the Omega Seamaster appeared first on Bob's Watches

[cathrynstreich]

Making the Move to Rebrand: Is It Worth It?

“The Rebranding Challenge: Fit for the Future While Preserving Your Roots” at RISMedia’s 2018 Real Estate CEO Exchange (Credit: AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic)

Call it a facelift or a “refresh,” we’re in the age of the rebrand, when brokerages are pivoting, aligning with changing consumer needs and redefining their role in transactions. At RISMedia’s 2018 Real Estate CEO Exchange, held in New York City September 5 and 6, brands and brokers discussed how they embarked on their revamp—and the pitfalls in the process.

A Brand Reimagined Century 21’s overhaul started with “a hard look in the mirror,” said Nick Bailey, CEO/president of Century 21 Real Estate. “It all started with a new mission statement—which came out long before the visuals—which is ‘to defy mediocrity and deliver extraordinary experiences.’ Unfortunately, because of the barriers of entry we have in this industry, mediocrity exists. We had to admit that and decide that we stand against it.”

Nick Bailey, CEO/President, Century 21 Real Estate (Credit: AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic)

Bookended by both goals, the brand was reintroduced this spring, abandoning the gold house in its logo for a mellower, more sophisticated tone, along with a fresh seal and signage.

According to Bailey, the concept and design were driven by the “it’ names today—companies with deeply entrenched followings and recognition.

“Flat design right now is where it’s at,” he explained. “We are following different companies, from Amazon to Uber to eBay, to make sure that not only we are positioning ourselves well with consumers in real estate, but [also] fitting into the well-known brands consumers currently interface with, because that will make it easier to connect with us.”

The change was embraced by many, and met with opposition by others—an outcome Bailey expected, given the organization’s sheer size.

“We had a feeling one or two might not like it,” he quipped. “We’ve been very upfront in knowing that some of you are going to love it, some of you are going to say, ‘not sure, I need to warm up to it,’ and others have said ‘you’ve wrecked my life.'”

A Legacy Renewed For Halstead, a fixture in the New York City region, the brand’s growth necessitated a shake-up. Though founded in 1984, the company has expanded at a quickened pace in the past 12 years, growing from six offices in 2006 to 38 in three states today. The brand’s green palette was retired this spring, along with its “H” motif, and the company nixed “Property” from its name—all to better connect with consumers.

“We needed to convey to the consumer just how multidimensional we were as a firm, versus the strong, flat, iconic, staid logo we just put to pasture,” said Diane Ramirez, CEO/chairman of Halstead. “What we created is something that still has the history, it’s strong and it’s who we are, but also feels like it’s going in the direction of our future.”

Diane Ramirez, CEO/Chairman, Halstead (Credit: AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic)

The result? An iconographic logo (with the option to rotate), and colors different to each marketplace: Manhattan, the Boroughs and the suburbs.

“Each region truly loves and owns their color,” Ramirez said. “It’s created a lot of excitement.”

The change was not without missteps, noted Ramirez—and ego can be an issue, especially for those heavily invested. Ramirez herself co-founded the firm with Clark Halstead, and was involved in the marketing of the organization from the outset.

“You’re the one that created what was in that mirror, so it’s hard to look at what you thought were great, bold moves and [say] ‘Maybe these aren’t so great and bold anymore,” she shared.

A Community Icon Reintroduced In Berkeley, Calif., a brokerage with 40 years in the marketplace recognized it was time for an update, as well—no easy feat, given the area’s counterculture leanings. Red Oak Realty’s symbol, a tree, was well-known, but needed a refresh.

“If we are working with consumers who are investing in the prepping of their house on average $30,000-$50,000 before they get it on the market…you have to walk the same walk,” said Vanessa Bergmark, CEO/owner of Red Oak Realty. “Even if that isn’t the reality of how it looks, making sure you fit within that paradigm is really important.”

Vanessa Bergmark, CEO/Owner, Red Oak Realty (Credit: AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic)

With an agency on tap, Red Oak created a new palette with several shades, which would be applicable to a freshening-up in the future. There were challenges during the process, including assessing the company’s goals and timing.

“Sometimes it felt like working with a psychologist, where you had to talk about what you wanted, the next generation, where you saw the company going…all of that had to be taken into account,” Bergmark said.

While buy-in is critical, announcing the change prematurely can set you back, she noted.

“If you want to get it right, don’t get a lot of input from the people you’re rolling it out to. So many people have so many different opinions…you’ll start doubting yourself.”

The End Game In an astonishing turnaround, Century 21 completed its rebrand in five months, with execution now in the works; Halstead and Red Oak took a little longer, though still on the fast track, at roughly two years. Although an arduous—and for some, ongoing—undertaking, Bailey, Bergmark and Ramirez were in agreement: the results speak for themselves.

“What it’s done is created attention,” said Bailey. ” We’re telling brokers to use it—as we all do when something’s new and fresh—to your advantage.”

“What agents hate more than change is you not investing in them,” said Bergmark. “No matter if its 100 agents or 10,000 agents, they want to know you are committed to the company…It was an emotional investment between me and the agents that I’m leading.” “The culture of our firm is our No. 1 most important aspect,” said Ramirez. “The fact that through the rebrand, they got the culture and are resonating with it…I know the ROI is there.”

For continuing coverage of this year’s CEO Exchange sessions, stay tuned to RISMedia.com:

CEO Exchange Keynote: Leadership, in Every Sense of the Word

Disruptors vs. Innovators: CEO Exchange Redefines Roles

CEO Exchange Exclusive: Helen Hanna Casey on Succeeding in Any Market

The Forefront of Innovation: CEO Exchange Showcases Real Estate Changemakers

Photo Recap: CEO Exchange Welcome Reception at Tavern on the Green

Eliminate Distractions, Lead With Clarity: One-on-One With Dermot Buffini

Suzanne De Vita is RISMedia’s online news editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at sdevita@rismedia.com. For the latest real estate news and trends, bookmark RISMedia.com.

The post Making the Move to Rebrand: Is It Worth It? appeared first on RISMedia.

Making the Move to Rebrand: Is It Worth It? published first on https://thegardenresidences.tumblr.com/

[olwog]

One dark and stormy night Oswald’s mum had been sitting by the fire when she realised there was not enough wood to see them through the night so she set out to gather more. In those days it was a case of finding broken branches and twigs from the trees that grew in the fields and on the moors.

It was snowing and the biting cold wind had blown through the gaps in the hedges to form drifts that were approaching the bottoms of the roofs of some of the cottages. She had wrapped up well but the combination of wind, snow and intense cold was beginning to penetrate her meagre clothes and she’d begun to shiver and convulse as her muscles and nerves went into a freezing shock that preceded the sudden feeling of warmth and well being. In less than fifteen minutes she’d collapsed and the snow was beginning to cover her.

Oswald, was known locally as Os but no-one would dare to use the diminutive in front of his mum, he’d waited an hour then began to worry as the wind howled around the outside of the cottage threatening to lift the roof and rattling the shutters giving him false hope that this was his mother returning and the shutters were the sound of the door.

After a dozen episodes of these sounds, he accepted that this was an empty wish and he would have to go out to find her. He’d only been out in the intense cold for twenty minutes when he discovered her frozen and lifeless body lying partially covered in drifting snow. He screamed at her to get up and took hold of her arm in an effort to help but realised it was too late as he felt the stiffness in her fingers and saw her lifeless, staring eyes that were beginning to be covered with large flakes of cold snow.

Oswald was distraught and threw himself on to his mother wrapping his arms around her in a bid to conduct heat from his own body to hers and within minutes he too was dead both lives claimed by the snow and the cold, cold wind.

They were found several days later and the hamlet that grew as new cottages were built was named after the victims of this tragedy. “OS by his MOTHER LAY”.

Who’d have thought that many years later the slightly changed spelling of Osmotherley would be the jewel in the crown on this side of the moors with its own school and a toilet that’s won awards as the best in the country on numerous occasions?

  So, yet again, we’ve used the excellent Abbott’s bus service and with the benefit of our old farts passes (OFPs) we’re in Osmotherley, poor Oswald’s village of birth and tragic death, only this week, it’s not covered with snow.

We leave the bus and take the same route as last week towards Cod Beck Reservoir. It’s an easy climb up the hill which leaves us slightly out of breath and enjoying the views down to Cote Ghyll, although, last week’s winter wonderland was rather more impressive.

At Sheepwash we turn neither right nor left this time and take the route well trodden over Near Moor towards Whorlton Moor. It’s a steady climb and there’s a fair amount of water still running down the track although there is less mud than expected.

The wind blowing across the moors is from a friendly southerly direction but it must have been somewhere else before that because it’s as cold as it was on Os’s last night, but at least there’s no snow.  As we turn right to walk parallel to Clain Wood a drystone wall makes a welcome appearance and shelters us from the wind’s cutting edge.

We stop to enjoy a banana break and take advantage of some snow drifts that have survived the warmer winds and rain that have washed the covering from these hills over the last four days. A group photo is called for so there’s a stampede to avoid it but no-one wins and the proof is herewith.

After 20 minutes we’re off again this time towards Stoney Ridge where the tracks join together in a ‘Y’ junction and we take the return leg doubling back towards wonderful Scugdale.

Scugdale was named after the wild scugs that would terrorise the area on New Moon nights before The Whorlton Anti Terrorist Squad (errr, you do the acronym) removed them in a spectacular operation that’s still talked about as the lunar cycle takes its course. The Scugs were supernatural creatures used extensively by local men who’d formed a secret occult with a one objective agenda:-

“to use the boiled eyeballs of these mystical creatures to perform feats of alchemy by changing the iron that had been mined locally, into gold” (you can follow this statement with an evil, echoing laugh that fades away slowly)

Needless to say, the Scugs were not happy with this but they got even more pee’d off when The Whorlton Anti Terrorist Squad routed them.

As we approach the gate and cattle grid we’re confronted with a large chain and a sign stating that this area is now private, there’s also another one next to it that challenges the claim with a single word, ‘bullshit’. Ah well, it looks like the scugs are having their revenge.

Cardiac Hill is significant when approached from Swainby, indeed, George explains that when we first started walking together it would be seventy-five minutes to get up here to the cattle grid but nowadays it takes about fifty. Out fitness levels have increased and so has our stamina. Today; however, we’re going down so there’s no issue with either but it does tug on the fronts of our legs and tends to leave us with some sensitivity around the knees.

The views through the trees are wonderful with Whorl Hill in the foreground and Roseberry in the distance. It’s yet another day looking at the same countryside but seeing something quite different.

  Towards the bottom of the hill, we meet two men one of whom is nursing a newly rebuilt heel and is reintroducing the concept of walking with significant care and it’s good to see that his friend is ensuring his safety. It reminds me of the care and attention that I received from my friends whilst recuperating from a ‘AAA’ operation over two years ago and the ready acceptance of the group when Alan joined us prior to starting his own journey of recovery treatment over the next few months – you really can’t beat good friends.

A few more yards and we’re on the road and walking past some harbingers of spring, aconites showing their brilliant yellow petals through the winter jaded grass and white snowdrops gazing down at the earth naughty puppies, just beautiful.

We reach the Rusty Bike Cafe in Swainby yet again and all feel the hug of warmth as we enter. The food, drinks, and staff are excellent and I would urge you to give it a try, the pies are extraordinarily good!

An hour later and we’re back on the Abbott’s bus OFP’s in hand for our free return trip.

It’s 11km (just under 7 miles. Enjoy the snaps…G..x

Oswald, his Mother and The Whorlton Anti Terrorist Squad One dark and stormy night Oswald’s mum had been sitting by the fire when she realised there was not enough wood to see them through the night so she set out to gather more.

[energy-design]

The Hanging Gardens of Vienna

Mary Denman

Directly to the east of the central first district of Vienna, occupying a bizarre, quiet and somewhat unconcluded area within the Leopoldstadt District, is Vorgartenstasse, the site of the Hanging Gardens of Vienna. The architecture hangs down from the structure of the over ground subway tracks of the Stadion subway station. In the past, this area of Vienna was submerged under the water of the old Danube’s tributary river. Before 1870, the Danube was unregulated which would often cause floods impacting nearby villages like Jedlesee, Floridorf and Stadlau. To eliminate this problem, a wide relief channel, now known as the Neue Donau was built to the North East of Vorgartenstrasse. Parts of the path of the old river can still be recognized in sporadic, fragmented water channels throughout the Prater Park and Stadlau. It is this former aquatic element of the site that forms the primary concept of the Hanging Gardens; to reintroduce water back into the site with a new type of drinking infrastructure. This idea is particularly suited to the nature of the site that consists of numerous facilities for outdoor events and festivals and consequently a quick need to get hydrated.

In a time of increasing environmental concern with rising carbon dioxide emissions and two hundred and sixty million tons of plastic being produced every year, there is increasing pressure to find more sustainable alternatives to the way we consume products. One area where this issue has promoted some ecologically advanced developments has been in the molecular gastronomy food industry. The Michelin star chef, Ferran Adriàn, pioneered a process known as Spherification in order to create fake caviar as well as other molecular dishes. The process involves trapping liquid such as water in an edible membrane made of algae and calcium chloride as used in the edible water ball product; Ooho that Skipping Rocks Lab recently produced. To consume an Ooho ball, a primary membrane must first be peeled off (similar to a thinly sealed fruit) before the sphere of water, contained within a second membrane can be eaten, thus eliminating the issue of plastic waste. If left unconsumed, its flexible, bubble-like packaging will biodegrade in four to six weeks, the same time as a piece of fruit.

The architecture proposal consists of a three distinct elements that work together to form a commercial-free space that encourages a flexible range of activities for users without the pressure to buy something. The first element is a network of hanging water gardens. These are suspended from the underside of the railway tracks and enclose semi-private, niche-like, inhabitable spaces. The skin of the gardens incorporates a mechanism that produces edible water balls, similar to the Ooho balls of Skipping Rocks Lab. These hanging garden spaces are accessed by the second element, a tree-trunk inspired open public ramp that enables visitors to walk across different heights of the structure to access the water balls and hanging gardens. Intersecting the ramps at the ground level are a series of water pools. These form the third element of the architecture and are where the water balls, if left unconsumed will fall into and biodegrade. Dissolved organic matter from the membranes contribute towards the growth of new algae which is grown within the pools before being harvested, cleaned and appropriated back into manufacturing system within the skin of the hanging gardens to make a future set of water balls. The pools form a small aquatic microcosm that along with providing material for skin of the water balls, help to keep the area cool during the summer months.

In alignment with current philosophical understandings about the nature of the universe of this age, the structure no longer conforms to an architecture that is static and unresponsive in its formation but rather one that borrows from biology and other disciplines and exists within a state of change. During the winter months, when there is a lower demand for hydration and spending time outside, the water gardens are raised up and become uninhabitable, this frees up space on the ramps, enabling young people to skateboard or ice-skate across the pools. During the spring meanwhile, the gardens are lowered down, algae is harvested from the pools and used to construct the membrane in the water ball forming mechanism and the gardens start to become inhabited by people looking for a quite place to read a book or catch up with friends. By the time the summer arrives, the gardens are fully inflated and heavily colonised with water balls for the increased traffic of dehydrated visitors using the site. The Vienna City Marathon runners pass around the structure, grabbing a water ball for quick refreshment as the many spectators congregate along different parts of the ramp, cheering them on. There are children splashing around in the water pools and people sitting in the hanging gardens disputing over a sports match they just witnessed at the Ernst Happel stadium around the corner. At the end of the year, in a similar fashion to a living tree, the cycle repeats again.

[newstfionline]

Germans are learning to love Germany again, and Merkel takes note

By Isaac Stanley-Becker, Washington Post, July 21, 2017

BERLIN--If the origins of Germany’s tricolor flag are not widely known, that is because the banner is rarely displayed in a country still atoning for the crimes it carried out in the name of national pride.

There may be a history lesson, then, and not just an electoral gambit, in the prominent use of black, red and gold in posters advertising Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bid for a fourth term in the federal election in September. Germany’s colors have appeared in previous modern political campaigns, but more mutedly--and hardly ever to amplify so blunt an appeal to the national interest.

“For a Germany in which we live well and happily,” proclaims one poster.

Germans’ wary attitude to patriotism and the idea of a national culture is decades old. But circumstances both global and domestic are forcing a reconsideration. As the country decides how it might serve as a custodian of the liberal international order, it is also sorting out how to integrate migrants who began arriving in enormous numbers in 2015. Both undertakings bear crucially on German values--and on the issue of whether a unified set of national principles even exists.

“The question is really, ‘What’s the cement?’?” said Arnd Bauerkämper, a professor of modern European history at the Free University in Berlin. “What should Germans have in common?”

One answer has come from Thomas de Maizière, Germany’s interior minister, who has championed the concept of “Leitkultur,” or leading culture, a term sometimes used as the conservative rejoinder to multiculturalism.

“Strength and internal certainty about one’s own culture leads to tolerance with respect to other cultures,” he wrote this spring in Die Zeit, a weekly newspaper.

The concept makes some on the left uneasy. Efforts to define German culture are “often used to draw a line between us and others,” said Katharina Zimmermann, a 32-year-old who works in marketing in Berlin. She added: “It makes me shiver when I see a German flag.”

In June, Merkel herself took to the pages of Bild, the top-selling German tabloid, to answer the question, “What is German?” She gave a slew of answers, from federalism to Oktoberfest.

Even lawmakers in Merkel’s center-right Christian Democratic Union disagree about whether such things, though widely regarded as national treasures, are grounds for pride.

“I wouldn’t say proud, though I like to be German,” said Thomas Strobl, the party’s chairman in Baden-Württemberg, Germany’s third-largest state. More so, he said, he feels passionately about his region, as well as about Europe as a whole.

Wolfgang Bosbach, another leading conservative lawmaker, had a different answer, noting that Germany was able to overcome “Nazi barbarism” to become one of the world’s most stable democracies. “I am proud of my country, yes,” he said.

The appeal to national feeling by Merkel’s campaign would hardly raise an eyebrow in the United States, or indeed in much of the rest of the world, where love of country is habitual, if not presumed. Flags express that devotion, and they encode history.

But Germany’s flag has a more complicated history than most.

The use of black, red and gold--arranged in horizontal bands--predates the Nazi era. The design emerged in democratic movements for a unified Germany in the mid-19th century and first became the national flag in the short-lived Weimar Republic between the world wars. Discarded by the Nazis in favor of the black-white-red imperial tricolor and the swastika flag, today’s emblem was reintroduced in 1949.

Despite its democratic associations, the flag has long been a source of discomfort, and it has been mostly confined to government buildings or else unfurled at specific moments of national jubilation, such as in 2006 when Germany hosted the World Cup.

Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, director of the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said attitudes have changed in some spheres.

“I don’t think other nations, or other sports fans, see Germans’ displaying their flag as aggressive; it’s just what everybody else does,” he said. “That wasn’t the case before.”

Merkel’s campaign materials feature “the most prominent display of the color code ever,” said Thomas Strerath, head of the Hamburg-based advertising agency that developed the designs.

Originally intended to fend off a challenge from the far-right Alternative for Germany, the color scheme is intended to appeal to patriotism, not nationalism, Strerath said. In internal papers, the agency settled on the concept of “falling in love again with Germany.”

“Trump had been elected, [Rodrigo] Duterte in the Philippines and [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan in Turkey were tightening their grip,” Strerath said. “We realized that what they have in common is that they don’t come up with the best argument but instead address emotions. If we’re good at something in advertising, we’re good at addressing emotions, and we didn’t want to let the interpretation of what Germany means be the territory of the far right.”

Merkel, who meets with agency executives weekly, thought it was a slam dunk, Strerath said.

[juniorformulamotorsport]

Saturday 10th June, 2017 – Hämeenlinna/Ahvenisto, Finland

Saturday saw us mostly at the race track and mostly inside as it was extremely cold out there. We did emerge from the cafe for the SMP F4 NEZ babies, and for the Porsches, once we realised that the son of someone we used to watch race was out there in the pole position car. Roope Rinne-Laturi is all of 17 years old, which did make us feel a tad better about having been there when Hannu was a race driver and not an anxious racing dad. Hannu’s father was also there so we were reintroduced to him after 20+ years as well. It was fun to play catch up with them and to meet the rest of the family. And then it was back to the cafe for the traditional Finnish staple of doughnuts and coffee.

The circuit is utterly bonkers, utterly brilliant and has some highly entertaining aspects, such as the very cute media centre.

We spent the afternoon running into Mika Salo (after at least 5 years) and left him utterly convinced we are mad (“What are you doing here?” “It’s a race circuit – why shouldn’t we be here?” “It’s Finland.” “Yes. We know!”) and roaming into the scenery up towards the old TV tower, which is quite a climb but also provides some terrific views of the track.

It’s just a shame you can’t go up the tower itself. Or for than matter the disused ski-jump.

The flat area around it now seems to serve as a campsite for motor caravans, as well as a place to park hospitality units. Anyway, after the final race of the afternoon, by which time my hands were so cold I could barely hold my camera, we headed back to the car, which thankfully was now parked in full sunshine, and thus to the hotel to thaw out.

For dinner that night we were heading out of town around 15 minutes away to the rather lovely (and madly historic) Hotel Vanajanlinna, at the heart of a golf complex just outside town, where we were booked into one of the many restaurants, the Dining Room.

Dinner was not going to come cheap (not that it was likely to be anywhere –  this is Finland after all) but the baronial hall we were ushered into suggested that no matter the food, the surroundings would be worth the pennies and pounds. It took a while to get organised, the service initially bordering on the so unobtrusive as to be non-existent but we eventually managed to persuade them that actually, yes, we’d really like an aperitif while we studied the menus. Some decent bread and some very lovely butter turned up while we were drinking our sparkling wine, and we tucked into that while we made our minds up.

An amuse bouches of pulled pork arrived shortly afterwards with a selection of gels and tiny little morsels of fruit and vegetable accompaniments, making it rather more substantial than your average amuse bouches.

We opted for a single bottle of wine, a Chateau Mornag 2012 Tunisian, on the grounds that you don’t often see Tunisian wines, and it was thus of interest. It was well worth the try, a fruit, full-bodied wine that went very well with the meaty first courses.

Lynne ordered, as I knew she would once I’d seen it, the grilled foie gras, with fig marmalade and brioche toast. It was lovely and the additional fig slices and pinenuts didn’t hurt either.

I went for the beef tartare, something I usually avoid in the UK on the very rare occasions it shows up, but am happy to eat almost everywhere else. To celebrate spring having arrived (not that you’d have known it outside that afternoon) it came with a healthy serving of asparagus and tomatoes, and a basil sauce, as well as some brilliantly crisp and crunchy savoury/sweet biscuits.

There was a nice long pause between starters and mains which we appreciated very much. And then it was on to the next level. We shared two mains between us as is our usual practice. One of them was a super quail (on the large size and bordering on a poussin in scale) that had been boned out and stuffed with duck meat, decorated with peanuts, with a creamy pear sauce, and sitting on a bed of perfectly cooked beluga lentils. The whole dish was strewn with tiny chunks of vegetables too. If we go back on our next trip I’m having that again!

The other plate was a very rich fish dish, quite old-fashioned in conception, delicious in the eating. This was a generous slab of cod, coated in a fabulous crayfish aioli, with citrus-flavoured mashed potatoes of perfect smoothness, the whole surrounded by a classic Sauce Nantua.

In the interim while considering dessert I nipped out to the Ladies’ and promptly bumped into Mika coming in with his girlfriend Hanna and their dog. He seemed to be following us around! Anyway. Dessert. Except we couldn’t possibly, so we ordered a portion of Finnish cheeses to share. I have no idea what they were; they were damn good though and just the thing to finish the meal.

And so, back to the hotel and to bed.

Food/Travel 2017 – Day 2, Hämeenlinna/Ahvenisto, Finland Saturday 10th June, 2017 - Hämeenlinna/Ahvenisto, Finland Saturday saw us mostly at the race track and mostly inside as it was extremely cold out there.

[itsworn]

First Drive: 2017 Dodge Challenger T/A 392

Chrysler really hit its stride during the height of the muscle car era. During a time when “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” was a wholly viable marketing tactic, homologation specials were an important element in any performance brand’s automotive roster. Hot on the heels of the wild looking ’69 Charger Daytona, which had been put into limited production for the specific purpose of making the Charger more aerodynamic (and thus more competitive) on the high-speed NASCAR circuits, the 1970 model year would see the introduction of the Dodge Challenger, and a special model of its own with the limited-production T/A.

Like the Charger Daytona, the Challenger T/A was conceived to satisfy the homologation rules of the production-based racing class that Dodge wanted to enter it in – in this case the Sports Car Club of America’s Trans American Sedan Championship (TransAm) – where it would go toe to toe with the likes the Ford Mustang Boss 302, Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, and AMC’s Mark Donohue-driven Javelin SST on road courses across America. The SCCA’s rules specified that in order to run a car in the series, manufacturers had to build a certain number of road-going examples for sale to the general public.

This meant a uniquely configured high performance version of the 340 small block V8, heavy duty suspension and brakes, side exit exhaust, and stickier rubber (along with visual tweaks) for the Challenger T/A production car, all in the name of bolstering the coupe’s handling prowess while complying with the SCCA’s rulebook.

After a 46-year hiatus the T/A nameplate has returned for 2017. But the Trans Am series has changed substantially over that span of time, switching over to tube chassis cars long ago, thus negating the need for production car homologation specials.

Although the concept behind the new Challenger T/A differs from its original reason for being, there are still plenty of tweaks that make this new model special. After getting our first glimpse of the car in the flesh at the 12th annual Spring Festival of LXs, we spent some quality time with the Challenger T/A 392 barreling down the twisting tarmac of the Angeles Forest just outside of northeast Los Angeles to see if it does its namesake justice.

The New T/A Formula

It’s been nearly a decade since the Challenger was reintroduced to the market, and over the years Dodge has sought ways to keep their big coupe viable with a steady succession of new models. 2015 saw the lineup grow to include five distinct models (SXT, R/T, R/T Scat Pack, SRT 392 and SRT Hellcat), and 2017 sees the options continue to expand with the addition of the T/A package.

Available in both the 6.4-liter Hemi V8-powered R/T Scat Pack model as well as the standard 5.7-liter R/T model, like the original T/A this package seeks to up the visual ante while also bolstering the Challenger’s handling and braking capability.

While the output remains unchanged for both models – which means 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque for the 392ci motor in R/T Scat Pack-based models and 375 hp and 410 lb-ft for manual gearbox-equipped, 345ci (5.7L) V8-powered Challenger R/T – performance enhancements are provided by brakes, wheels and tires that have been handed down from models higher up the food chain.

For the T/A 392 model seen here, that means the six-piston Brembo brake package from the SRT models along with wider 20 x 9.5-inch forged aluminum wheels and optional Pirelli P Zero high performance summer tires.

The visual upgrades borrow generously from the 1970 model with T/A side stripes that are paired up with a satin black hood, roof, trunk lid and fuel door. The hood also sports a functional Air Grabber intake, while another intake inside the driver’s side parking light (a la the SRT Hellcat) provides an additional breathing path.

Inside, all T/A models get white face gauges while the T/A Plus and T/A 392 also score heated and vented Nappa leather seats, an 8.4-inch UConnect touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, along with a bespoke hard button for the Dodge Performance Pages.

Behind The Wheel

With all the various V8-powered Challenger models currently on offer, it can be difficult to discern which one comes with what hardware. For the T/A 392 it’s easiest to think of it as splitting the difference between the standard R/T Scat Pack and the SRT 392 – both share an identical power train, while T/A package adds the SRT’s wider wheels and tires as well as its brakes.

One place they still differ, however, is the suspension package. In a somewhat disappointing move, Dodge chose to leave the T/A 392’s suspension unaltered from the R/T Scat Pack’s, which means it utilizes fixed-rate Bilstein dampers rather than the three-way adaptive setup found on the SRT models, or some sort of third option that would be bespoke to the T/A, like the SEMA concept car’s coilover setup.

It’s still a reasonably sporty ride, particularly in contrast to the components used on the base R/T and models below it, exhibiting minimal body roll when pushed hard and allowing us to pilot the Challenger T/A 392 down demanding mountain roads with haste.

It strikes a solid balance between taut manners at speed and grand touring comfort around town and out on the highway, but folks hoping for a serious, track-tuned setup might be left wanting something more substantial. Still, the T/A 392 provides more confidence at speed than a standard Scat Pack simply by virtue of the additional grip on hand as well as the beefy Brembo brake setup, which feels more balanced with the grunt that the big 6.4-liter Hemi can deliver.

Like all Challengers the interior of the T/A feels positively cavernous in comparison to just about any coupe on the market aside from a Bentley Continental, allowing for normal-sized adults to pile into the back seat and sit in relative comfort. The white faced gauges and T/A stitching on the front seats provide a subtle implication that this is something special, but otherwise the T/A’s interior will feel largely familiar to folks who’ve spent any time in a 2015 or newer Challenger.

It’s certainly not understated on the outside though, eliciting nods of approval from muscle car fans almost anywhere we took it. The T/A’s various visual tweaks suit the lines of Dodge’s coupe well, and the functional cold air intake system offers some additional credibility when you pop the hood despite the fact that it doesn’t provide a bump in power.

The Road From Here

While the original Challenger T/A was a one-year, limited production affair, that’s unlikely to be the case here. The Challenger’s transition to an all-new platform based on the architecture that underpins the Alfa Romeo Giulia was recently pushed back to at least 2020, so it’s likely that the T/A package and its Charger counterpart, the Daytona package, will stick around at least for a few years to come.

Additionally, folks looking to save a few bucks while bolstering their R/T Scat Pack’s performance capability and maintaining a slightly lower profile can order just the mechanical upgrades of the T/A 392 by checking off the Dynamics package on their order sheet to get the upgraded brakes, wheels and tires without the visual tweaks.

That’s not the way we’d have it though. With the Mustang and Camaro recently transitioning over to smaller, sports car-like platforms, the Challenger has become a something of a muscle car outlier in the automotive realm, and perhaps no other iteration of Dodge’s two-door celebrates its tire-shredding heritage with more pride than the T/A does.

The post First Drive: 2017 Dodge Challenger T/A 392 appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network http://www.hotrod.com/articles/first-drive-2017-dodge-challenger-ta-392/ via IFTTT