#West 10th Window

[gnarskillediv]

The Dunblane Massacre

The "Deadliest Mass Shooting" in British History.

Date:

13th of March, 1996 (9:35-9:40) - The shooting lasted 5 minutes.

Perpetrator:

Thomas Watt Hamilton (TH) 10th Of May, 1952 - 13th Of March 1996, (43 years old). Born in Glasglow, Scotland.

Thomas Watt Hamilton front and centre, surrounded by his victims, in a news report a day after the massacre.

Weaponry:

Two 9mm Browning HP Pistols Two Smith And Wesson M19.357 Magnum Revolvers

Attack Types:

School Shooting Pedicide Mass Murder Murder-Suicide Mass Shooting

Location:

Dunblane Primary School, Stirling, Scotland.

A police officer walks on the grounds of the Dunblane Primary School, Scotland.

Victims:

Victoria Elizabeth Clydesdale; 5 Emma Elizabeth Crozier; 5 Abigail Joanne McLennan; 5 Mellissa Helen Curry; 5 Hannah Louise Scott; 5 Charlotte Louise Dunn; 5 Emily Morton; 5 Kevin Alan Hassle; 5 Megan Turner; 5 Ross William Irvine; 5 Sophie Jane Lockwood North; 5 David Charles Kerr; 5 Mhairi Isabel MacBeath; 5 John Petrie; 5 Gwen Mayor; 45 Brett McKinnon; 6 Joanna Caroline Ross; 5

“We saw a large number of dead and injured children when we arrived,” one first responder said at the time. “They were distributed within the room in various positions. The dead with the injured.”

Timeline

8:15am:

TH was seen shaving ice off his car on Kent Road, Stirling. He left soon after and drove 5 miles to Dunblane. From Kent Road to Dunblane Primary School, it would've taken 16-18 minutes, yet TH took 1 hour and 15 minutes to get there. He had much time to reconsider.

A police officer in the playground of Dunblane Primary School a day after the shooting.

9:30am:

TH intentionally parked his car near a telephone pole, getting out to sever the phone line connected to houses near the school. This was an attempt to make sure the police were delayed as long as possible.

Stuffed animals and bouquets lined the front of the school after the tragedy. “May God take better care of you than this world ever did,” read one of the messages.

9:30am-9:35am:

TH entered the school and headed toward the northwest side of the building, near the gymnasium and the toilets. He fired two shots into the assembly hall stage and into the girl's toilets, hitting nobody.

Meanwhile, in the gymnasium, a class of 29/28 students, along with Gwen Mayor; Teacher, Eileen Harrild; PE Teacher, and Mary Blake; Assistant Teacher, were in the middle of their PE lesson.

"This was an a day I shall not forget. As the newscaster read out the names of those small innocent and unknowing children my son's name - Ross Irvine - was included in that list. My Ross was born on 19th July 1989 and at the time of this awful catastrophe he looked liked any 7 year old,unkempt hair, food around his mouth and that stupid didn't know any different boyish grin. I loved him them and love him even more as he enters his 4th and final year at uni and looks forward to a career with Barclays Bank after a rigorous selection process. Ross Irvine- Dunblane-could have had the same opportunities as my Ross Irvine -but his demise has changed the future of everone else from there on. We, and my my Ross have a lot to thank Ross for. God bless." - Don Irvine, Ross Irvine's father.

9:35am-9:37am:

TH entered the gymnasium and fired immediately, shooting Gwen Mayor, and killing her. Eileen Harrild was shot in the arms and chest, stumbling into an open planned storage cupboard with four other children and Mary Blake, who was shot in the head and both legs.

At the same time, TH moved to the east of the gymnasium, firing six shots at the wall, and whilst walking, turned around and fired eight shots, possibly, at the west side, also. Striding back to the centre of the gym, he mercilessly fired 16 shots into injured children at point-blank range. Another 24 shots were fired in all directions of the gym, including the windows next to the fire exit, and the southeast, at a possible adult in the playground). 4 more shots were fired.

An adult and child heard the loud bangs and screams and went to check what was happening. They looked through the window, causing TH to fire towards them. The glass shattered and injured the child, though none of the two were seriously injured. TH exited the gym through the fire exit. He fired four shots into a library classroom, injuring Grace Tweddle, a member of staff, but not hitting any students inside.

Emma Crozier, who died aged five in the Dunblane Primary School shooting. Her family now advocates against gun violence, having spoken to the parents of some of the children afflicted by the Parkland Shooting.

9:38am-9:40am:

Inside a mobile classroom nearest to the fire exit, Catherine Gordon was teaching her class. She saw TH approaching, bravely shouting for all of her students to get down seconds before he fired 9 shots inside, hitting school equipment, a chair and some books. But no students.

TH turned tail and walked back to the gymnasium. He stood blankly, dropping one pistol and pulling out his revolver, placing the barrel at the back of his mouth, pointing upwards and shooting, killing himself.

Alison Ross’s sister Joanna was one of the 16 children who were murdered.

9:41am:

Assistant Headmistress, Agnes Awlson, alerted the Headmaster, Ronald Taylor, who called the police. He had heard the loud bangs and shots beforehand, saying he "assumed the noises were builders he had not been told about". He felt immeasurable guilt about the situation.

Ron Taylor is still “racked by guilt” 20 years later. “Evil visited us yesterday. We don’t know why.”

9:43am:

Ronald Taylor ran toward the gym, catching a view of what had happened, and told Fiona Eadington, Deputy Headmistress, to call the ambulance.

Charlotte Louise Dunn, "She was always talking about her little brother. And after she moved she wrote to me and would send me pictures of her new life in Scotland."

9:48am:

Stirling Royal Infirmary was informed of a major incident.

Some of the victims are pictured above, most likely the class that was in the gymnasium at the time of the shooting.

9:57am:

The first ambulance arrived at the scene.

“That is the one regret I have, I’d like her mother to have been with her when she died. I’d liked her to have had her mum. That’s an absolute betrayal.” Mhiari MacBeath's mother on the death of her daughter.

10:04am:

A medical team from Dunblane Health Centre arrived.

10:15am:

Stirling Royale Infirmary arrives on the scene.

ONE OF THE PICTURES RELEASED BY POLICE OF THE HOME OF MASS KILLER THOMAS HAMILTON.

10:35am:

Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary arrive, with Doune and Callender's medical teams arriving a few minutes earlier.

Tony Blair lays a wreath outside Dunblane Primary School whilst John Major comforts his wife Norma.

11:10am:

By this time, all injured were cleared and at the hospital.

Gwen Mayor is remembered as an “intelligent, elegant, vivacious and artistic” person.

Summary:

743 rounds of ammo in total. 106 shots were fired. 105 by the pistol. 1 by the revolver. 32 gunshot wounds, all between a three to four-minute time period, 16 of which were inside the gymnasium.

Children with injuries were taken to either the District Royal Infirmary or the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasglow. One child died en route to the hospital.

TH wore shooting earmuffs, telling us that he was still relatively new to firing guns, as he was unused to the noise it generates.

[espinosaurusrexex]

The Trap - Introduction

Worlds Collide Collection

BuckyBarnes x Female!Reader apocalypse au

summary: Welcome to the apocalypse. This is the introduction to the new world you're about to enter. Let's see what your life is like. Do me a favor and be open, and maybe there'll even be a handsome stranger to meet...

a/n: so this is heavily influenced by The 100 and Love and Monsters and I guess also Maze Runner, if it seems chaotic at times, that’s because it is. With that being said: have fun reading i’d love to hear what you think 

word count: 2.2k

warnings: grumpy/sunshine, mentions of death and misery, loneliness, dystopia, nuclear weapon and monster stuff, obnoxiously optimistic reader (give her a chance okay)

collection playlist | main masterlist | collection masterlist

May 10th 2039

Hey Book,

Here are the things that happened today:

found a new pen (that’s great because this one is running out)

watched the acid fog from the building with the tall glass roof (pretty dope if you ask me!)

went to the west border and saw new tracks

finally got the nose right on that Gordon Ramsey sketch (it’s finished, yay!)

gave Berty a makeover

The day has been pretty sweet. I’m thinking of going out tonight to watch the meteor shower. Hope I don’t die.

Anyway, see ya tomorrow!

   ~You know who :)

The notebook closed with a loud thud that made even you twitch. Your eyes went to the basketball on the shelf above the makeshift bed.

“Sorry, Berty.” The ball didn’t respond, obviously. Its plastic wig shifted slightly further over the marker eyes, making it seem all crooked and funny looking. You weren’t crazy. You just preferred not to talk to yourself. 

A look at the window told you that it had gone dark by now. The weather conditions weren’t too great for another acid fog so your plan was good to go. You grabbed your backpack and headed out to the cliffs where you had the best view. Ever since the apocalypse started, there were a lot more stars visible at night. Half the population had been wiped out with the Hydra nukes and the rest played survivor with the mutated animals roaming the earth due to the atomic bombs that had been fired on that day. 

You remembered it vividly actually: Bright beams shooting through the sky and then it rained down like hellfire. Green glowing stripes covered the horizon from where you looked down onto the city.

The world hadn’t been that great to begin with to be honest. People were suffering, water and food supplies had shifted into the negative, and don’t even get started on climate. Humans had collectively decided that their planet was going to waste anyway. So, where was the harm in a little more destruction, right?

It’s not like you or any other normal citizen had had a chance to decide on another outcome anyway. The united governments of the world had been infiltrated by an organization with fucked up values and no sense for common human decency. They didn't care that their bombs would wipe out half of the world’s population. Hell, you’d be surprised if they even considered this an argument for their ‘cons’ column. But, hey, it had one benefit after all: if this was the worst it could get, there was nothing left to lose.

You kicked open the door of the buried school bus that had become your temporary home for a while now. Temporary in the sense that there was no way of knowing what would happen or when something would attack. You tried to make them all as cozy as possible though. Berty was a big part of that attempt. The painted basketball had become a loyal companion in your ever-shifting habitats. And even though it was a pain to transport a so unfortunately shaped object, you would never dare leave it behind. 

The humid evening air hit you like a broken fan. It was springtime, but that had stopped to matter many years ago. The weather merely shifted between scorching hot days and bearable nights. Though the wintertime was making being outside a little more doable. The trees hung low over your head when you stepped past the traps you had laid out around your home. You lived at the edge of the forest, which wasn’t the most secure place of all the ones you’ve had so far, but it was a little cooler. Most of the dangerous things out there hid several miles from the tree lines anyway. 

A dark sky stretched over your head as your feet dangled off the cliff by the forest. You were munching off an old can of beans that you had found on your stroll through the cities as the bright streams of light shot through the sky. It was beautiful and thrilling. Teetering you on the edge of remembering the very day that made this whole shit show go down. The sky was lit up back then too, but it wasn’t half as beautiful as this.

You could have sat like this for hours. The meteors wouldn’t stop passing until the sun rose, but there was a danger of being tired in broad daylight in this world. You couldn’t risk strolling through the morning with half a working brain. Especially because the morning brought a routine acid fog with its sunlight. You took a look at the tactical watch on your wrist. It was 3:30 am - Probably best to head back to safety.

As you stepped through the dried ground, you hummed a song from the old record in your bus. It didn’t work great and it was broken in several places which had you always listening to a slightly messed-up remix of the actual song, but you liked it anyway. Close to the bus, however, there was rustling from the side. Your body went into surviving mode immediately. There was a routine: hide, listen, escape. Only idiots fought whatever was out there. 

So that’s what you did.

The tree you hid behind was wide enough to cover you whole, which gave you easy access to sneak your head past the trunk and see what was making the noise. It came from about 20 feet before the buried bus, but there was nothing to be seen. The rustling continued though and as you stepped forwards from your cover, you noticed that it came from underneath. Something had fallen into your trap! It was foolproof of course, but you still approached it with care, fearfully and intrigued all together as to what you had caught this time... well, it was the first time here to be perfectly honest. Even more exciting to say the least.

Your feet crunched the dried leaves beneath you as a mumbled curse reached your ears. That was weird. Last time you checked, monsters didn’t talk. You were even more surprised, however, to find a broad man tangled in the hole you had dug outside your home. Of course, a person had been stupid enough to walk into your trap. You had been so excited about something more dangerous. 

The man had not noticed you standing above the hole just yet. He was still working with the net you had splayed out beneath the fallen leaves, too busy cursing his life away in the dirty opening. You cleared your throat after a minute, though. And as amusing as the whole scene had been, the man looking up at you wiped the smirk off your face immediately. He was gorgeous. Bright blue eyes gleamed up in the moonshine, a deep frown on his face as soon as the surprise to see you had faded.

“You got caught in my trap.” You said blankly, still captured by his face. You had not seen another person in nearly a month. It was strange, to say the least. That’s why you weren’t really expecting your mouth to say anything smart.

“This is supposed to be a trap?” The brown-haired man huffed before cutting through the last rope to free him from his restraints.

“Well you can’t get out, can you?” There was a short silence in which you caught the slightest hint of disbelief in his eyes.

“If you wanted to catch a monster with that, you wouldn’t be making such snarky comments. It’s barely deep enough for them.”

Anger crept up your neck. Who was this stranger to not only fall into your - awesome - intruder trap but also criticize your work even though he was the idiot stuck in it? “Why do you think I wanted to trap monsters? Maybe my trap was for people, which, in that case, it is brilliant.”

“It’s stupid,” he grumbled. 

“Oh come on give me a little credit, I only had spare materials.”

There was the confused glare again, and you couldn’t really place it just yet.“Yeah, yeah. Trap’s great now get me out.”

“That wasn’t genuine.” Your arms crossed before your chest, but you couldn’t hide the small smile forming on your lips. This was fun.

“You know what’s gonna be genuine? My foot in your ass once I get out of here.” Oh, not so fun.

“That's not a really good way to make me help you, you know?” You were about to step away when you heard him sigh deeply beneath you. A triumphant smirk appeared on your face before you held your head over the hole again.

“Can you please help me out of this genius trap?” The Brunette was rolling his eyes, but it was good enough for you - after all, you didn’t want to make enemies just yet.

“Why of course! I love people that appreciate good handy work!”

You nodded appreciatively and reached for the net he held your way. It took a little bit to get enough momentum but then he jumped and dug his boots into the soil walls and within seconds, the stranger was pulled up from the ground. 

“Drop the bullshit.”

“What bullshit?”

Now that he was standing in front of you like that, you noticed how tall he was, and built, too. It was a wonder you had managed to pull his weight out of there now that you thought about it. He was really handsome, too. His dark hair fell into his face and his eyes were bright blue, staring down at you with a gloomy expression. It didn’t scare you, though. You were more... fascinated by him, really.

He looked at you for a second, and the gears were literally turning behind his eyes. But he caught himself quickly, shaking his head and making his way out of the forest. You weren’t ready to have him leave, though. It was rare to meet people now, and this one seemed entertaining enough.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“Away.” You barely heard him over the heavy footsteps he pressed into the ground.

“You can’t go!”

That made him stop. The stranger turned around with an unfazed expression, his shoulders hanging low with annoyance, but you wouldn’t let up. “And why’s that?”

Shit, you hadn’t thought it would get this far. Your hands wrung the net as you stood there looking for an explanation. But the guy turned around with a condescending clicking of his tongue. “Wait! You haven’t told me your name.” You shuffled over to him in haste, you steps faster than his, but it was difficult to catch up to him, still.

“I don’t have to.”

“You do, actually. It’s a rule.” He stopped again, and you almost fell at the abrupt halt.

“A rule,” he repeated in disbelief, his face still unimpressed, but he was quite pretty this way.

You smiled. “Yup. You fall into my trap, you tell me your name.” To be honest, you were a little proud at how fast you had come up with the idea, but it seemed the stranger was still not impressed. He just crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows at you almost amused.

“That's not a rule.”

“It’s my rule.” Was that a tiny smile creeping onto his features? You liked it - looked way better than those broody anger lines.

Then he huffed and shook his head. “Bucky.”

“Gesundheit,” you answered immediately, but that seemed to stick that annoyed look right back onto his handsome face.

“No. Bucky is my name.” Oops.

“Oh. Sorry.” You tried it out in your head, then. And it suited him quite nicely. It was a little odd but witty - just like him. 

“Whatever.” His arms untangled before his broad chest and Bucky looked ready to leave again. You didn’t want that, though.

“Would... uh.. would you like to come in?” Why were you so nervous all of a sudden? Your hands were a little sweaty, but talking to someone that actually responded felt so good...

You earned another look with that question. Really, you’d already gotten used to those in the three minutes you knew him - seemed to be his M.O. 

“What?” He wasn’t confused this time, at least you didn’t think so. It sounded more like he hadn’t heard you.

“You know... be my guest.” A bright smile spread on your lips, but Bucky wasn’t buying it, and frankly, you were running out of ideas to keep him here. Normally, people were happy to see others around here, but Bucky? He didn’t seem to like talking very much.

“Sorry, gotta go.”

Your eyes found the ground as you heard his steps distancing from you again. “Oh, ok.” You mumbled to yourself, and with a last wash of hope, you called out again. “Will I see you again?”

“No.” He was already by the tree line, now. And Bucky didn’t seem like the type of person to run back the distance in slow-mo like you had seen in those old films. 

It didn’t discourage you, though. “Okay, you know where to find me!”

“Not gonna visit you!”

“See ya soon!” You waved and bit back a triumphant smile when you heard him chuckle before he disappeared out of the woods. 

Hey, Book, It’s me again.

And, man, what a great day!

more…

Wanna be added to the taglist?

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[lucywrites02]

The game of cat and spider chapter 2: Nice running into you!

Main Masterlist | The game of cat and spider Masterlist | Miguel O'hara Masterlist | AO3

Miguel O'hara x black cat! Reader (gender neutral)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

A/N: Here we are with another chapter! This bad boy *slaps the fic* can fit more than 3k words in it. This chapter is about them meeting as normal people UWU. It includes: Miguel in a compression shirt, a cat who terrorises your apartment and coffee. <3. *swings a pocket watch right in front of your eyes* "If you see any grammar mistakes... no you didn't xoxo

Have fun and let me know how you liked it!

If you want to be added to the tag list, just send me an ask :)

Series Summary: You are a criminal and he's a hero. You don't know each other's names, never seen the person behind the mask. You aren't enemies- you are supposed to be but that didn't work out quite well. You liked each other a bit too much, but your relationship was strictly…. Professional? What happens if you meet as normal people, with no masks and responsibilities in your way? What did the universe plan for you? And most importantly…. Will it last?

Miguel woke up to the silence of his apartment. The very first sun rays of that day shone through the curtains the man forgot to close last night. The golden hues embraced his tired face, making the man squeeze his eyes and groan.

The rest of his room was engulfed in darkness, just like Miguel liked it. The walls were painted the same shade of blue one could see in the clouds right before it started raining. He didn't have many things in his bedroom- just a queen sized bed covered with black satin sheets and a small nightstand table with an electric clock on it. Not even a lamp. O'hara only used this room for sleeping so he didn't have many things in there. He would only sleep in his own bed if he didn't fall asleep in his lab. Or collapsed on the couch after a long day. Some nights he didn't sleep at all. That's why he didn't see a point in decorating the place.

Miguel sat up, placing his feet on the cold wooden floor. The numbers on the clock read 6:30 AM and the man knew he wouldn't get any more sleep. He stood up, adjusting his white sleeping shirt and slowly walked to the opened window that he also forgot to close last night.

Thankfully no one would even think of breaking into his apartment since it's located on the 10th floor. He pushed the heavy grey curtains away, letting more light inside and just stood there for a while, looking at the city below him. Even though it was early in the morning he could see the crowds of people on the streets. He could hear the sound of cars speeding down the highway. Sometimes Miguel liked to make up stories about those people and their lives. Maybe the couple eating breakfast outside that little bakery just got married and decided to spend their honeymoon in Nueva York. What if that taxi driver that almost didn't stop at the red light is secretly a famous poetry writer?

Miguel knew those stories were stupid and didn't make any sense whatsoever, but it was the only thing to get his mind off of his… loneliness. It never worked because watching people living their lives and being happy only made him feel even more alone.

He ran his hands through his messy brown hair and decided that he needed a better distraction. A good jog could probably make things better. There was a park 20 minutes away from his home that he liked to visit- a secluded area on the west side right by the river. It was one of his favourite spots in this neighbourhood. Miguel didn't even bother to eat breakfast or make coffee- he just took a quick shower, put on his dark red sweatpants, black compression shirt and a hoodie that matched his pants. Ever since he became the spider-man he invested in some good noise cancelling headphones because his heightened senses couldn't handle the constant stimulation that the outside world provided. He took them with him every time he left home- as a civilian, not a hero. Miguel wasn't in the mood for music so the only thing playing through the headphones in his ears was some white noise.

He shrugged and decided that it was good enough for now. The last thing he needed were his sunglasses- he would surely get a migraine if he got out in this sun with no protection against the light. He had a favourite pair that he took everywhere with him- ordinary wayfarers with tinted glass. They looked exactly like his regular reading glasses and Miguel loved them. The man sighed heavily when he couldn't find them and put on his black baseball cap instead. He has to start putting his things in places he can find them again, but that seemed like a problem for later.

"LYLA, I'm going out. Turn on the security."

The man called, not bothering to hear the robotic response of his digital assistant and closed the door behind him. He waited for the silent 'click' to make sure LYLA did what he asked. The artificial intelligence he created was in the testing phase and he still had to supervise it. It was a simple AI- Miguel gave it his vocal command and it did the job. So far the system has been running great, but there was still something missing, Miguel just couldn't figure out what. The AI was supposed to be his assistant, but Miguel felt weird when he talked to it and expected to have an actual conversation only to be met with silence. His social skills weren't the best and he knew it was stupid to even think that way, but he really wanted this AI- his creation- to be human enough to speak with him like a normal person. He wasn't sure how he could accomplish it. Maybe he would get some good ideas after his little workout. Now that he thought of it he cringed, knowing he was so desperate for social interactions he made an AI he could talk to. Even though the system wasn't that well developed yet.

He jogged at a slower pace down the road leading to the main area of the park. The mornings were getting more chilly as the seasons were changing. The trees were still green- it would take a few more weeks for them to adapt to different weather and turn different colours- and it actually made Miguel smile a bit. He wasn't a fan of fall. It was rainy and depressing. And he knew that winter came after fall which meant spending another holiday alone. Which caused more depression, of course. But now wasn't the time to think about the future.

Miguel jogged to the secluded area of the park and started running faster. It was almost a sprint as if the velocity of his steps could make the thoughts in his head disappear. It didn't.

What did make his thoughts stop racing however, was someone's body colliding with his broad frame.

Your day couldn't have started better. That statement was purely sarcastic of course because you woke up to the sound of a ceramic pot crushing into the tiled floor of your kitchen. You immediately jumped out of your bed, forgetting about the ache in your thigh and headed to the source of all that noise. The pieces of soil and terracotta were scattered across the room and you wanted to just lay down in all that dirt and cry. Your cat however was sitting down on the highest shelf in your kitchen - meant only for your poison ivies -looking pretty pleased with herself.

"I hope it was worth it because you just lost your snack privileges." You scolded your furry companion as you cleaned the floor. You took one of the biggest mugs you had and put the remaining of your plant in it. "She won't hurt you again, I promise." You spoke to the plant and gently caressed the leaves. The mug would have to suffice until you get a new pot. After throwing out all of that dirt to the trash and mopping the floor you finally took a glance at the clock hanging on your wall and groaned. It was barely 6 AM and you were already on your feet.

Well, you couldn't go back to sleep now. You weren't tired anymore. It would help if you had something to make you busy, but there was literally nothing to do. Your dishes were washed and your laundry folded. The cat has been fed and her litter box cleaned. You always did those chores at night so that your morning would be more enjoyable. But now you were yearning for some tasks.

You pushed the white curtains in your kitchen to the side, letting the morning sun into your apartment. The sticker you put on your window created beautiful rainbow areolas on the sage green tiles on your wall. You loved mornings like this even if they started on a more chaotic note. You went through your routine like always- it was your day off so you settled on more comfortable clothes. Sweatpants and hoodie was the best combination for a lazy day. Your wound didn't hurt as much as it did last night and it made moving around easier than you thought.

You spent months making your apartment feel like home and it really did feel like it. But in moments like this- sitting on the balcony all alone and looking at the people on the streets with a deep longing for some sort of connection- you felt lonely. You had Migsy who was more than happy to keep you company, but he wasn't a human being who could give you a hug after a long day at work or kiss you goodnight. You were desperate for a genuine and meaningful human connection.

People you called friends were actually just your co-workers or people you regularly interact with at the grocery store- people who had their own family and real friends to come back to after a long day at work. You gave up on dating a long time ago and the only person who made your heart skip a beat was a guy in a red-blue latex suit whose job was to send your ass to jail. It was fun to flirt with him- especially ever since he actually started to flirt back- but you knew it wasn't…. Real. It wasn't someone who would want a relationship with you. How would that even work? You always felt more confident behind your mask. But the person you were while wearing your costume wasn't really you. It was a character you created to make your life easier and if someone liked the black cat they would be so disappointed when they realise who has been hiding behind that mask. So if the spider-man harboured any sort of affection for the black cat, he wouldn't have the same feeling for the real you. That's why you would never take this 'relationship' seriously. You liked the flirting, but that was it. Because he wouldn't…

Your thoughts were entertaining a dangerous territory and you had to find a good distraction. You couldn't stay at home- this apartment even though it was your little sanctuary, reminded you of how alone you actually were.

Hmm, since your thigh wasn't hurting too much, maybe you could go on a quick walk to your favourite bakery in the park nearby. You could get breakfast there and maybe buy some flowers for yourself on your way back. Yeah…that sounded like a plan.

You made sure to pack some things into your little backpack before you went out- just the essentials like your wallet, the keys to your apartment and a sketchbook you always took with you. You styled your hair a bit before you left to look less messy and smiled when you were satisfied with the outcome.

"I'm going out, Migsy." You gave your cat a little kiss on the forehead before you put on your headphones. "Please don't terrorise any more plants while I'm gone" Your little angel meowed at you in response which made you giggle.

You left your apartment complex and chose a fitting playlist. You picked up your pace to match the beat of the song and headed to the park. There was a path along the river on the west side that was perfect for morning walks. There was a small coffee shop around the corner that you had to stop by before you could continue your little journey. You could smell the freshly brewed beverages from a mile and you knew your day would be bad if you didn't stop by to get a drink. Coffee was like a nectar for your soul and you couldn't deprive yourself of this small happiness.

The baristas behind the counter knew you and your order very well since you were one of the regulars so they started preparing your favourite drink the moment you stepped inside. They didn't try to start a conversation with you and it only evoked a deeper feeling of loneliness. Even though you interacted with those people plenty of times you still weren't worthy enough for them to even try and make some small talk. Maybe you were overthinking the interaction too much- they did smile at you when they saw you walk in and even waved at you. But you just couldn't help yourself and had to analyse every move of their muscles to make sure they didn't secretly hate you. You left the shop as soon as they handed you your order, trying to calm down. You hated when that happened- when the anxiety overwhelmed you so much you couldn't think properly.

You didn't even notice when you entered the main area of the park, too focused on your coffee and the music playing through your headphones. And you surely didn't notice a stranger running in your direction.

"I am so sorry!" Miguel quickly apologised, ripping his headphones off his ears. "Are you okay?" He looked down at the person sitting on the ground right before him. He felt so stupid for running into you and if you paid enough attention you could see how red his cheeks have turned.

You looked up at the stranger and groaned in pain. You were thankful that the coffee wasn't hot because you would have to add burns to the list of your injuries. The drink ended up all over your clothes and you had to try your hardest not to cry in front of a stranger this handsome. Wait-

"I should have paid more attention, I am really really sorry." The man kept apologising. Miguel's face was burning with embarrassment. He felt so bad for bumping into you and he knew it probably hurt a lot- colliding with all those muscles of his surely wasn't the best experience.

"I'm good." You smiled awkwardly, readjusting your wet hoodie that stuck to your skin. Miguel gave you his hand to help you up. "It's okay, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have been thinking about so many things at once..."

Miguel's brown eyes finally met your gaze and the man thought about something bizarre. Your face seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He had the feeling he had met you before, but he wasn't sure, and it was driving him crazy. However, he shook his head and pushed the thought aside. Millions of people lived in the city and it was actually very possible that he had seen you before and simply forgot about it. But if that was the case why did he feel like there was something more to you than meets the eye?

"Are you okay though?" You asked, looking down at the coffee stains on your clothes. It will be a pain in the ass to clean later.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He gave you a small smile. "Are you sure you're okay? I kinda feel like you might have gotten hurt, it felt like a pretty harsh fall… and I'm sorry about the coffee, too…" He looked concerned as he looked at your face for a second, before looking elsewhere- anywhere but your eyes- as he scratched his neck.

Miguel could have sworn he has seen you before. Or maybe he didn't. But if you truly were a stranger how could he explain that weird feeling deep inside him. Or maybe you were just so pretty his brain had to somehow rationalise this foreign attraction towards you. Aaagh, he should stop making a fool of himself and stop overthinking this interaction!

"It hurts a bit, but I will be fine." You replied. The man standing before you was much taller and - you hated yourself for thinking about the person you just met that way- very very handsome. Which only made you even more embarrassed once you realise how you must have looked. "I can always get another coffee later so don't worry about that."

"I…i-i w-" The stranger stuttered, fiddling with his fingers as he spoke. He took a deep breath before he continued. "I feel bad for bumping into you. Could I maybe… make it up to you somehow?" Miguel's heart was beating against his chest like a hammer as he was stumbling on his own words. "I could buy you another coffee." He proposed and cringed, thinking he sounded desperate. "If that's fine with you, of course…."

He wasn't sure what took over him because he knew he wouldn't ever do something like that for any other person. He would probably just apologise again and run in the other direction, hoping he will never have to see that person ever again.

"I don't think I want another coffee right now" You giggled in response. "But thank you for the proposal, Mr…"

"Oh, it's Miguel." The man mumbled, giving you his hand to shake.

You introduced yourself as well and chuckled. "It was nice running into you." You joked and cringed internally. But the stranger- Miguel- actually laughed. Not giggled, laughed.

He let go of your hand to cover his mouth and cleared his throat, trying to hide his smile.

"So, you were going for a morning jog, too huh? Where were you heading, if you don't mind me asking?" The man spoke. He really wanted this little interaction to last longer.

"Yeah, I wanted to relax a bit and decided to take a walk. I was heading to the bakery down the street" You explained. "I didn't expect to be swept off my feet like that though." You felt comfortable talking with Miguel. It's as if the two of you knew each other already.

"I am really sorry about that." Miguel repeated. "If there's anything I can do to make it up to you…"

"You could give me your number" You suggested and mentally slapped yourself. You had no idea where this confidence came from and you started to get nervous. "So that you can take me ou- BUY me another coffee." You continued your mumbling and chucking awkwardly. "Because you spilled mine." Definitely not because you wanted to see him again.

Miguel smirked down at you and took out his phone. He didn't want to admit it, but he was as excited as he was nervous. The one time he decided to go out he bumped into some stranger, making them fall down, spilled that person's coffee all over them and then somehow managed to get their number? Migiel wasn't sure what he did to be this lucky, but he certainly wasn't complaining.

He handed you his phone with his number on the screen, so that you could type it into your own. You saved his contact as 'the guy who owes me a coffee'. Miguel saw that and chuckled again.

"I sent you a text so that you can have my number as well." You cleared your throat and inhaled deeply when you noticed how close the two of you were standing. "I guess I will see you around, Miguel."

"I guess you will." He saved your number in his contacts before he showed his phone into the pocket of his pants. "It was nice bumping into you. And I hope the other people will pay more attention to the road than I did." He scratched his neck and took a step back to create more space between you. "Wouldn't want you to spend any more time falling down." Miguel winked at you and slowly jogged away, not waiting for your response.

He made sure that he was out of your view before he stopped to slap his forehead. He still felt bad for running into you, but thankfully, he didn't feel any awkwardness like he did in the beginning. But for the love of God, why did he have to wink at you?

Tag list: @serpentstarr @bucketluvr @nxrdamp @strangeobsessed @atlaincorrect @rorel1a @saturnknows @onfuis @spicysleepysloth @levisbebe @ok-boke @keepitreal001

[gogandmagog]

Someone perfectly lovely, called Paul Hendricks, put together this thoughtful map of the Four Winds community. His website, where this map was obtained, is HERE. What follows below the cut are Paul’s own words, detailing how he went about putting this together this map, complete with thorough book citations and explanations of inconsistencies!

“This is the rough map I've put together, based in the clues mentioned below, which are taken from various of the Anne books. (See note on the format of the references.)

The map uses a 'browser-safe' palette, so you should see roughly the same colours that I do. The orange/brown lines are roads. The dark-green areas are woods. The light blue is, of course, the sea.

Reconstructing the setting for the four books based on Four Winds and Ingleside has proved much more difficult than for Avonlea. Beginning with the premise that Four Winds is about 60 miles from Avonlea (AHoD, ch 1, 10th page), I tried a layout based on the area around Sturgeon, Gaspereaux and Georgetown, in the south-east part of the Island. Eventually it proved impossible to put together a consistent map on this basis. What is more, I realised that there was no evidence in LMM's diaries that she had ever been to that part of the Island.

I then tried a construction based on the area around New London, as there were many similarities of detail, and the area was well known to LMM. This fits in reasonably well with the descriptions of Four Winds in AHoD. There are some difficulties and inconsistencies noted below, but alternatives (such as putting the House of Dreams and the Lighthouse on the East side of the bay) have turned out to be unworkable. I have also managed to reconstruct the area around Ingleside, on the assumption that it is in the position occupied by Clifton/New London. Given the basic framework of roads that results, the result is more convincing than I had hoped, and seems to fit in quite well with the text of AoI, RV and RoI.

House of Dreams 'looks to the sunset and has harbour before it'. Dining room looks out on the harbour (AHoD, ch 2, 4th page). Living room windows and front door look towards the lighthouse (AHoD, ch 2, 5th page). There is a brook going through the corner of the garden.

The entrance of the harbour is between a bar of sand dunes and a sandstone cliff. The fishing village is where the sand bar meets the harbour shore (AHoD, ch 5, 1st page).

It is dusk, but there is no mention of seeing the setting sun. This suggests that going from Glen St Mary towards the house they are facing north or east. This is consistent if Glen St Mary is south, and the house is on the west side of the harbour (AHoD, ch 5, 1st page).

There is a chapel on the far side of the bay. The lighthouse is to the north, as they approach the house from the Glen. The house is 2 miles from the Glen, and 1 mile from the lighthouse. Miss Cornelia's house is between the House of Dreams and the Glen (AHoD, ch 5, 2nd page).

Poplars line the lane from road to house; fir trees between house and sea (confirms that the sea is to the 'back' of the house (AHoD, ch 5, 4th page).

Leslie's house is further up the brook, 'among the willows' (AHoD, ch 6, 4th page). The lane of Leslie's house opens onto the 'upper road' (AHoD, ch 9, 2nd page). Miss Cornelia's house is half a mile from the house of dreams (AHoD, ch 6, 5th page).

'From the deceit of the McAllisters...' (AHoD, ch 6, 5th page) is a paraphrase of an actual saying referring to LMM's relations, the Simpsons, the McNeils and the Clarkes, see also page xv of introduction to volume one of selected journals. Confirms the view that the families referred to in the 'over-harbour' area are modelled on LMM's own family in Clifton, Cavendish, etc.

As Anne and Gilbert are walking towards the lighthouse, the house 'up the brook' is to their right (AHoD, ch 9, 2nd page). There is some difficulty in fitting this in with my map. We might perhaps conceive an arrangement where the house by the brook was to the right hand side of the road to the lighthouse, though the road would have to be not so close to the shore as the modern road.

The distinction (AHoD, ch 10, 1st page) between the 'harbour shore', the 'sand shore' and the 'rock shore' is consistent with New London Bay - corresponding respectively to the shore inside the bay, the shore on the north side of the bar, and the shore to the north of the lighthouse.

'North shore' presumably means 'North shore of PEI' (AHoD, ch 14, 1st page). It was this which first alerted me to the possible inconsistency with my original presumption about the location of Four Winds.

'North-western sky' (AHoD, ch 18, 1st page), implies that the lighthouse is north-west of the house of dreams.

The Fishing Cove (AHoD, ch 27, 1st page) must be on the shore by the sand bar (therefore the same place as the fishing village). Anne and Gilbert go there via the lighthouse because intending to row over to avoid the long drive round by road which would otherwise be necessary.”

— Paul Hendricks

[ex0rin]

Happy Birthday Wyatt Russell! - July 10th, 1986

22 Jump Street (2014), Black Mirror (2016), Shimmer Lake (2017), Overlord (2018), Table 19 (2017), Lodge 49 (2018/2019), Under the Banner of Heaven (2022), Woman in the Window (2021), Ingrid Goes West (2017), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)

[lucywritesagain]

The game of cat and spider﹕┈・𐑺 ‧₊˚໒꒱ Part 2

꒰ა ˚₊ ✧・┈﹕Miguel O'hara Masterlist ꒰ ᐢ｡- ༝ -｡ᐢ ꒱ Navigation ﹕┈・𐑺 ‧₊˚໒꒱ PART 1

Please note that this story is a repost from my old blog @lucywrites02.

Summary: You are a criminal and he's a hero. You don't know each other's names, never seen the person behind the mask. You aren't enemies- you are supposed to be but that didn't work out quite well. You liked each other a bit too much, but your relationship was strictly…. Professional?

What happens if you meet as normal people, with no masks and responsibilities in your way? What did the universe plan for you? And most importantly…. Will it last?

A/N: Here we are with another chapter! This bad boy *slaps the fic* can fit more than 3k words in it. This chapter is about them meeting as normal people UWU It includes: Miguel in a compression shirt, a cat who terrorises your apartment and coffee. *swings a pocket watch right in front of your eyes* "If you see any grammar mistakes... no you didn't xoxo Have fun and let me know how you liked it!

Miguel woke up to the silence of his apartment. The very first sun rays of that day shone through the curtains the man forgot to close last night. The golden hues embraced his tired face, making the man squeeze his eyes and groan. The rest of his room was engulfed in darkness, just like Miguel liked it. The walls were painted the same shade of blue one could see in the clouds right before it started raining. He didn't have many things in his bedroom- just a queen sized bed covered with black satin sheets and a small nightstand table with an electric clock on it. Not even a lamp. O'hara only used this room for sleeping so he didn't have many things in there. He would only sleep in his own bed if he didn't fall asleep in his lab. Or collapsed on the couch after a long day. Some nights he didn't sleep at all. That's why he didn't see a point in decorating the place.

Miguel sat up, placing his feet on the cold wooden floor. The numbers on the clock read 6:30 AM and the man knew he wouldn't get any more sleep. He stood up, adjusting his white sleeping shirt and slowly walked to the opened window that he also forgot to close last night.

Thankfully no one would even think of breaking into his apartment since it's located on the 10th floor. He pushed the heavy grey curtains away, letting more light inside and just stood there for a while, looking at the city below him. Even though it was early in the morning he could see the crowds of people on the streets. He could hear the sound of cars speeding down the highway. Sometimes Miguel liked to make up stories about those people and their lives. Maybe the couple eating breakfast outside that little bakery just got married and decided to spend their honeymoon in Nueva York. What if that taxi driver that almost didn't stop at the red light is secretly a famous poetry writer? Miguel knew those stories were stupid and didn't make any sense whatsoever, but it was the only thing to get his mind off of his… loneliness. It never worked because watching people living their lives and being happy only made him feel even more alone.

He ran his hands through his messy brown hair and decided that he needed a better distraction. A good jog could probably make things better. There was a park 20 minutes away from his home that he liked to visit- a secluded area on the west side right by the river. It was one of his favourite spots in this neighbourhood. Miguel didn't even bother to eat breakfast or make coffee- he just took a quick shower, put on his dark red sweatpants, black compression shirt and a hoodie that matched his pants. Ever since he became the spider-man he invested in some good noise cancelling headphones because his heightened senses couldn't handle the constant stimulation that the outside world provided. He took them with him every time he left home- as a civilian, not a hero. Miguel wasn't in the mood for music so the only thing playing through the headphones in his ears was some white noise.

He shrugged and decided that it was good enough for now. The last thing he needed were his sunglasses- he would surely get a migraine if he got out in this sun with no protection against the light. He had a favourite pair that he took everywhere with him- ordinary wayfarers with tinted glass. They looked exactly like his regular reading glasses and Miguel loved them. The man sighed heavily when he couldn't find them and put on his black baseball cap instead. He has to start putting his things in places he can find them again, but that seemed like a problem for later.

"LYLA, I'm going out. Turn on the security."

The man called, not bothering to hear the robotic response of his digital assistant and closed the door behind him. He waited for the silent 'click' to make sure LYLA did what he asked. The artificial intelligence he created was in the testing phase and he still had to supervise it. It was a simple AI- Miguel gave it his vocal command and it did the job. So far the system has been running great, but there was still something missing, Miguel just couldn't figure out what. The AI was supposed to be his assistant, but Miguel felt weird when he talked to it and expected to have an actual conversation only to be met with silence. His social skills weren't the best and he knew it was stupid to even think that way, but he really wanted this AI- his creation- to be human enough to speak with him like a normal person. He wasn't sure how he could accomplish it. Maybe he would get some good ideas after his little workout. Now that he thought of it he cringed, knowing he was so desperate for social interactions he made an AI he could talk to. Even though the system wasn't that well developed yet.

He jogged at a slower pace down the road leading to the main area of the park. The mornings were getting more chilly as the seasons were changing. The trees were still green- it would take a few more weeks for them to adapt to different weather and turn different colours- and it actually made Miguel smile a bit. He wasn't a fan of fall. It was rainy and depressing. And he knew that winter came after fall which meant spending another holiday alone. Which caused more depression, of course. But now wasn't the time to think about the future.

Miguel jogged to the secluded area of the park and started running faster. It was almost a sprint as if the velocity of his steps could make the thoughts in his head disappear. It didn't.

What did make his thoughts stop racing however, was someone's body colliding with his broad frame. ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ Your day couldn't have started better. That statement was purely sarcastic of course because you woke up to the sound of a ceramic pot crushing into the tiled floor of your kitchen. You immediately jumped out of your bed, forgetting about the ache in your thigh and headed to the source of all that noise. The pieces of soil and terracotta were scattered across the room and you wanted to just lay down in all that dirt and cry. Your cat however was sitting down on the highest shelf in your kitchen - meant only for your poison ivies -looking pretty pleased with herself.

"I hope it was worth it because you just lost your snack privileges." You scolded your furry companion as you cleaned the floor. You took one of the biggest mugs you had and put the remaining of your plant in it. "She won't hurt you again, I promise." You spoke to the plant and gently caressed the leaves. The mug would have to suffice until you get a new pot. After throwing out all of that dirt to the trash and mopping the floor you finally took a glance at the clock hanging on your wall and groaned. It was barely 6 AM and you were already on your feet.

Well, you couldn't go back to sleep now. You weren't tired anymore. It would help if you had something to make you busy, but there was literally nothing to do. Your dishes were washed and your laundry folded. The cat has been fed and her litter box cleaned. You always did those chores at night so that your morning would be more enjoyable. But now you were yearning for some tasks.

You pushed the white curtains in your kitchen to the side, letting the morning sun into your apartment. The sticker you put on your window created beautiful rainbow areolas on the sage green tiles on your wall. You loved mornings like this even if they started on a more chaotic note. You went through your routine like always- it was your day off so you settled on more comfortable clothes. Sweatpants and hoodie was the best combination for a lazy day. Your wound didn't hurt as much as it did last night and it made moving around easier than you thought.

You spent months making your apartment feel like home and it really did feel like it. But in moments like this- sitting on the balcony all alone and looking at the people on the streets with a deep longing for some sort of connection- you felt lonely. You had Migsy who was more than happy to keep you company, but he wasn't a human being who could give you a hug after a long day at work or kiss you goodnight. You were desperate for a genuine and meaningful human connection.

People you called friends were actually just your co-workers or people you regularly interact with at the grocery store- people who had their own family and real friends to come back to after a long day at work. You gave up on dating a long time ago and the only person who made your heart skip a beat was a guy in a red-blue latex suit whose job was to send your ass to jail. It was fun to flirt with him- especially ever since he actually started to flirt back- but you knew it wasn't…. Real. It wasn't someone who would want a relationship with you. How would that even work? You always felt more confident behind your mask. But the person you were while wearing your costume wasn't really you. It was a character you created to make your life easier and if someone liked the black cat they would be so disappointed when they realise who has been hiding behind that mask. So if the spider-man harboured any sort of affection for the black cat, he wouldn't have the same feeling for the real you. That's why you would never take this 'relationship' seriously. You liked the flirting, but that was it. Because he wouldn't…

Your thoughts were entertaining a dangerous territory and you had to find a good distraction. You couldn't stay at home- this apartment even though it was your little sanctuary, reminded you of how alone you actually were.

Hmm, since your thigh wasn't hurting too much, maybe you could go on a quick walk to your favourite bakery in the park nearby. You could get breakfast there and maybe buy some flowers for yourself on your way back. Yeah…that sounded like a plan.

You made sure to pack some things into your little backpack before you went out- just the essentials like your wallet, the keys to your apartment and a sketchbook you always took with you. You styled your hair a bit before you left to look less messy and smiled when you were satisfied with the outcome.

"I'm going out, Migsy." You gave your cat a little kiss on the forehead before you put on your headphones. "Please don't terrorise any more plants while I'm gone" Your little angel meowed at you in response which made you giggle.

You left your apartment complex and chose a fitting playlist. You picked up your pace to match the beat of the song and headed to the park. There was a path along the river on the west side that was perfect for morning walks. There was a small coffee shop around the corner that you had to stop by before you could continue your little journey. You could smell the freshly brewed beverages from a mile and you knew your day would be bad if you didn't stop by to get a drink. Coffee was like a nectar for your soul and you couldn't deprive yourself of this small happiness.

The baristas behind the counter knew you and your order very well since you were one of the regulars so they started preparing your favourite drink the moment you stepped inside. They didn't try to start a conversation with you and it only evoked a deeper feeling of loneliness. Even though you interacted with those people plenty of times you still weren't worthy enough for them to even try and make some small talk. Maybe you were overthinking the interaction too much- they did smile at you when they saw you walk in and even waved at you. But you just couldn't help yourself and had to analyse every move of their muscles to make sure they didn't secretly hate you. You left the shop as soon as they handed you your order, trying to calm down. You hated when that happened- when the anxiety overwhelmed you so much you couldn't think properly.

You didn't even notice when you entered the main area of the park, too focused on your coffee and the music playing through your headphones. And you surely didn't notice a stranger running in your direction. ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ "I am so sorry!" Miguel quickly apologised, ripping his headphones off his ears. "Are you okay?" He looked down at the person sitting on the ground right before him. He felt so stupid for running into you and if you paid enough attention you could see how red his cheeks have turned.

You looked up at the stranger and groaned in pain. You were thankful that the coffee wasn't hot because you would have to add burns to the list of your injuries. The drink ended up all over your clothes and you had to try your hardest not to cry in front of a stranger this handsome. Wait-

"I should have paid more attention, I am really really sorry." The man kept apologising. Miguel's face was burning with embarrassment. He felt so bad for bumping into you and he knew it probably hurt a lot- colliding with all those muscles of his surely wasn't the best experience.

"I'm good." You smiled awkwardly, readjusting your wet hoodie that stuck to your skin. Miguel gave you his hand to help you up. "It's okay, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have been thinking about so many things at once..."

Miguel's brown eyes finally met your gaze and the man thought about something bizarre. Your face seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He had the feeling he had met you before, but he wasn't sure, and it was driving him crazy. However, he shook his head and pushed the thought aside. Millions of people lived in the city and it was actually very possible that he had seen you before and simply forgot about it. But if that was the case why did he feel like there was something more to you than meets the eye?

"Are you okay though?" You asked, looking down at the coffee stains on your clothes. It will be a pain in the ass to clean later.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He gave you a small smile. "Are you sure you're okay? I kinda feel like you might have gotten hurt, it felt like a pretty harsh fall… and I'm sorry about the coffee, too…" He looked concerned as he looked at your face for a second, before looking elsewhere- anywhere but your eyes- as he scratched his neck.

Miguel could have sworn he has seen you before. Or maybe he didn't. But if you truly were a stranger how could he explain that weird feeling deep inside him. Or maybe you were just so pretty his brain had to somehow rationalise this foreign attraction towards you. Aaagh, he should stop making a fool of himself and stop overthinking this interaction!

"It hurts a bit, but I will be fine." You replied. The man standing before you was much taller and - you hated yourself for thinking about the person you just met that way- very very handsome. Which only made you even more embarrassed once you realise how you must have looked. "I can always get another coffee later so don't worry about that."

"I…i-i w-" The stranger stuttered, fiddling with his fingers as he spoke. He took a deep breath before he continued. "I feel bad for bumping into you. Could I maybe… make it up to you somehow?" Miguel's heart was beating against his chest like a hammer as he was stumbling on his own words. "I could buy you another coffee." He proposed and cringed, thinking he sounded desperate. "If that's fine with you, of course…."

He wasn't sure what took over him because he knew he wouldn't ever do something like that for any other person. He would probably just apologise again and run in the other direction, hoping he will never have to see that person ever again.

"I don't think I want another coffee right now" You giggled in response. "But thank you for the proposal, Mr…"

"Oh, it's Miguel." The man mumbled, giving you his hand to shake.

You introduced yourself as well and chuckled. "It was nice running into you." You joked and cringed internally. But the stranger- Miguel- actually laughed. Not giggled, laughed. He let go of your hand to cover his mouth and cleared his throat, trying to hide his smile.

"So, you were going for a morning jog, too huh? Where were you heading, if you don't mind me asking?" The man spoke. He really wanted this little interaction to last longer.

"Yeah, I wanted to relax a bit and decided to take a walk. I was heading to the bakery down the street" You explained. "I didn't expect to be swept off my feet like that though." You felt comfortable talking with Miguel. It's as if the two of you knew each other already.

"I am really sorry about that." Miguel repeated. "If there's anything I can do to make it up to you…"

"You could give me your number" You suggested and mentally slapped yourself. You had no idea where this confidence came from and you started to get nervous. "So that you can take me ou- BUY me another coffee." You continued your mumbling and chucking awkwardly. "Because you spilled mine." Definitely not because you wanted to see him again.

Miguel smirked down at you and took out his phone. He didn't want to admit it, but he was as excited as he was nervous. The one time he decided to go out he bumped into some stranger, making them fall down, spilled that person's coffee all over them and then somehow managed to get their number? Migiel wasn't sure what he did to be this lucky, but he certainly wasn't complaining.

He handed you his phone with his number on the screen, so that you could type it into your own. You saved his contact as 'the guy who owes me a coffee'. Miguel saw that and chuckled again.

"I sent you a text so that you can have my number as well." You cleared your throat and inhaled deeply when you noticed how close the two of you were standing. "I guess I will see you around, Miguel."

"I guess you will." He saved your number in his contacts before he showed his phone into the pocket of his pants. "It was nice bumping into you. And I hope the other people will pay more attention to the road than I did." He scratched his neck and took a step back to create more space between you. "Wouldn't want you to spend any more time falling down." Miguel winked at you and slowly jogged away, not waiting for your response.

He made sure that he was out of your view before he stopped to slap his forehead. He still felt bad for running into you, but thankfully he didn't feel any awkwardness like he did in the beginning. But for the love of God, why did he have to wink at you?

[misfortunelady69]

Betrayal

Summary: Amelie decided to confront Loki after discovering that their relationship was a bet.

Characters: Loki X Oc x Platonic Deadpool.

"Loki," she said, her tone icy. "Explain."

He turned, surprise flickering across his features. "Amelie, I—"

"No," she interrupted. "Save your lies. I thought we had something real."

"It was never real," he admitted, his gaze unapologetic. "Just a dalliance, a diversion. A fellow trickster," Loki said. "We made a wager. She bet that I couldn't make you fall for me, and I accepted."

"Why?" Amelie's voice cracked. "Why play with my heart?"

"Because," he said, "sometimes gods grow bored. Mortals are our playthings."

She clenched her fists. "You're despicable."

He leaned in, his breath brushing her cheek. "Oh, darling, you were never enough. Mortals are fleeting, forgettable."

Amelie's rage surged. "And what about your precious blonde? Was she just another wager?"

Loki's eyes glinted. "You are nothing compared to her."

Her voice trembled. "I loved you."

He laughed, cruel and cold. "Love? A mortal delusion."

Amelie stepped back, her vision blurred by tears. But she wouldn't crumble—not here, not now. She straightened her spine. "Enjoy your games, Loki. And enjoy your lonely and miserable life too."

With that, she turned away, her heels clicking defiantly. The Avengers watched, curious and concerned. But she didn't stop until she reached the tower's exit.

Outside, the night air slapped her face. She hailed a cab, her heart raw. "Wade's place," she told the driver. "And step on it."

The taxi driver raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled. "Wade's place? Who the fuck is Wade?"

"You know, my friend! Everyone knows him!"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Lady, this city is huge. Your friend could be anyone. Got an address?"

She sighed, frustration creeping into her voice. "Well, he lives in that building with the red shutters."

The driver rolled his eyes. "Oh, great, the one with the red shutters. That narrows it down to... a thousand places. Anything else?"

"Uh, he has a dog named Dogpool?" she added, her tone almost pleading.

"Yeah, I'm sure Dogpool will be waving us in," he said, smirking. "Seriously, I need an address."

She huffed, finally relenting. "Fine, fine, it's 123 West 10th Street."

He nodded, starting the meter. "Now we're getting somewhere. Sit tight, your friend's house, here we come."

_______________________Წ_________________________

Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, lived in a neon-infested apartment. When Amelie burst through the door, he was juggling knives. "Hey, sugar plum!" he greeted. "What's the emergency?"

Amelie's voice cracked. "Loki. Betrayal. Heartbreak."

Wade twirled a knife. "Ah, the classics. Want revenge? I've got a list."

"No," she said. "I want distraction."

He grinned. "Distraction it is! Let's watch '80s rom-coms and eat pizza."

And so, in the glow of Wade's lava lamp, they dissected Loki's flaws. "His hair's too shiny," Wade declared. "Suspiciously shiny."

Amelie giggled. "And his speeches? Overrated."

They invented a game: "Spot the God." Every time Loki monologued, they took a shot. By the third movie, they were tipsy and giddy.

"Amelie," Wade slurred, "you're better off without him."

She leaned against the couch. "But I loved him."

Wade hiccupped. "Love's a bitch. But so is Loki."

They toasted to resilience, to broken hearts, and to the absurdity of it all. And as the credits rolled, Amelie realized something: Maybe gods weren't worth her tears.

She stumbled to the window, the city lights a blur. "Wade," she said, "what if I become a hero?"

He snorted. "You? With a cape?"

"Why not?" She grinned. "I'll call myself 'Heartbreak Avenger.'"

Wade clapped. "Perfect! Your superpower: turning betrayal into sass."

[mask-and-rose]

Solaran Aja: The Festival Of Sun Conqueror Kars (Pop Culture Paganism) JJBA

Name Meaning: Sun Aja (a latin reference to the key to him becoming his ultimate form)

Date Celebrated: On August 10th

Who It Celebrates: Kars

Symbolism: Sun images, red stones (garnet, ruby, or even faceted red glass if you cant afford the previous), the Stone Mask, feathers, sunrises, etc

Colors: Red, Gold, Yellow, Blue

Plants & Herbs: Sunflowers, Morning Glories (blue or purple are best), Carnations, Cinnamon, rosemary, and honeysuckle

Crystals: Garnet, Red Spinel, Ruby, Pyrite, Sunstone, Serpentine, and Citrine

Magic Types: Confidence, Cleansing, Transformation, Success, Overcoming obstacles, seductive glamours for gaining influence over people and situations

Ways To Celebrate:

-Eat roasted and salted sunflower seeds

-Wear your hair down

-Wear gold jewelry to connect to solar powers

-Write poetry praising Kars for his accomplishments

-Work with the elements of fire and air in spell work or meditation

-Do one thing to be a reliable leader at work or in your social life

-Bake corn bread

-Buy sunflowers and put them in vases all around your house

-Write a list of success you’ve had in your life and reflect on what got you that success

-play combat style video games (even better if they include a flying aspect)

-Detox from your phone and electronics as much as possible to honor Kars

-Wake up early and draw or take pictures of the sky at sunrise

-Journal on the things in life you’d like to overcome and place a red stone on them like garnet and place them in your sunlit window (make sure its a stone like garnet that doesn’t fade)

-Do all your spells by first facing east and end them by turning to face west (The sun rises in the east and sets in the west

-Be flamboyantly confident

-Do glamour spells to boost your charisma

-Anoint yourself with rosemary essential oil mixed with a carrier oil

This is a celebration I created for Lord Kars but feel free to celebrate it your own unique ways! Get creative ✨🥹 lmk if you like these sorts of posts.

[libraryofcirclaria]

1276

Library of Circlaria

Cabotton University Timeline

Influential Events

A growing number of Members in the Third Level Society began, in the 1260s, calling for the creation of a medieval version of the Arturian Realm. This was supported by Meona Bell but such support never resonated with Society leadership or the majority of its Members. However, interest was voiced by Marcus Terrings and Jon Beyon, who invited Meona Bell and her supporting colleagues to travel to Cenofan in Canticula to discuss implementation of the agenda. The city of Cenofan would serve as the Headquarters for the leadership of this new project while dymensional plane servers were established in all the trading ports of the Midland River States. However, such an agenda would be short-lived, as the Lykian Republic overtook the Midland River States as well as the neighboring Chokian Republic, forcing Bell and her colleagues to disband the project. While a few of her colleagues left, a few remained and joined Bell in relocating to West Terredon, Combria. Here, the dymensional plane initiative evolved into an agenda of building a 10th-century version of Remikra. Meanwhile, Meona's colleagues informed both Cabotton University and the Basin District of the turn of events having taken place in South Canticula; however, the response was surprisingly indifferent. Combrian and Retunian society had largely sided with the alliance in North Canticula during the First Continental War from 1221 to 1226, a conflict won by the alliance of South Canticula. With North Canticula and its allies made to respect South Canticulan nations' call for independence and self-determination, Combria, the Retunian Republic, and their allies left South Canticulan nations to their own affairs, both good and bad. The Retunian Department of State voiced the same attitude regarding the Lykian takeovers; and even the press did not give South Canticula any attention. Cabotton University leadership voiced the same attitude and turned down funding for a group of Cabotton students friends with those working with Meona Bell to travel to the region to give aid.

***

Meanwhile, the Airship Cardian, a First-Generation Traditional Airship, left its base in Clareon, territorial capital of the Mid-Westerlies, to carry out a map survey expedition to the West, scheduled to occur between 5 and 8 June 1263. The vessel was piloted by Captain George Connin and was accompanied by Cabotton student, Jerris Brown, who was leading the survey project. On 6 June, they reached their survey area but, with a slightly-off prediction made by the National Weather Bureau, got caught in a cluster of thunderstorms. The airship navigated its way out of this weather system without major incident but had to make course corrections in order to return to Clareon. Brown, during this time, took an opportunity to salvage what he could from the failed mission, and took pictures of a cluster of isles he spotted out of the starboard side window.

The Cabotton University Planetarium was home to the Astronomy Department, which included the Planetary Curriculum, which, at the time, was divided into the Juno Minor Geographical Studies and the Extraterrestrial Geographical Studies. Dr. Dorian Linder was the head of the Juno Minor Geographical Studies and was known for having a constructive education approach as well as a relatively lax approach to grading. Jerris Brown was Linder's doctoral student, and therefore, in September 1263, submitted the Airship Cardian mission photographs to Linder for evaluation. Both Brown and Linder determined that the isle cluster photographed was already on standard Circlarian maps but that the shape and placement of each isle needed to be re-evaluated in terms of accuracy. Brown and Linder would submit such a proposal to the Retunian National Geographical Survey Program, or the RNGSP. The RNGSP, in turn, rejected the proposal due to inconclusive attributes with the photos. Linder and Brown determined to work on a re-submission, but other priorities led the ordeal to being effectively shelved.

Dr. Linder retired in the Spring of 1267, and was succeeded, that Fall, by Dr. Henry Roh, who was said to have a personality exactly the opposite of Dr. Linder. According to colleagues, Roh was short in stature, had a high-pitched voice, and also had a long beard. His curriculum focused on holding his students accountable toward high standards of academic excellence, as Dr. Roh assigned his students more projects and assignments, all of which were significantly more ambitious than those of Dr. Linder. Dr. Roh was also more intense on grading, as he also imposed strict evaluations on students for demonstrated passion in their studies and their willingness to go above and beyond what was expected of them. Needless to say, some students in this department, especially those who had grown close to the now-retired Dr. Linder, had grown to resent Dr. Roh.

Dr. Roh also focused on "cleaning up some of the loose ends" present during Linder's tenure. In doing so, he pulled the photos taken by Jerris Brown of the isles from Airship Cardian mission of 1263, and, after further study, made a realization based on the time of day, angle of the sun, and the reported position of the Airship, that the isles had not yet been charted. He also noted in the photograph a range of cliffs and mountains faintly on the horizon in the background. Dr. Roh contacted Jerris Brown, who agreed to join him in making a case to the RNGSP, who, in November 1267, gave Roh and Brown funding to lead a joint survey trip to chart the new lands. The survey would take place in March 1268 during which 150 miles of new continental coastline were photographed and mapped. The resulting maps and photographs were submitted to the RNGSP, who called for a Conference with Roh and Brown. Said Conference would take place in the Great Hall of Cabotton University on 5-8 June 1268, where it was decided that the new continent would be named Ancondria, meaning "eternal land" in Indigenous Remikran Vernacular. This garnered international attention, and between 3 and 19 October 1268, Cabotton University would join numerous other Circlarian schools and national governments on a mass survey mission to map Northeast Ancondria, the ruins of Edom, and the perimeter of the remainder of Ancondria, which was found to be a larger landmass than all of the other Circlarian landmasses combined.

***

According to Alconist religious doctrine, Braeus Alconus died, was resurrected, and gathered the "good spirits" to travel with him on a thousand ships to the Holy City of Edom to be with the Almighty One for eternal life. Numerous other religions also mentioned a fabled "Holy City of Edom" from where came the divine, as the said place was the source of enlightenment and salvation for humanity. The existence of Edom was, over the years, debated among scholars and religious figures alike, for there was no known location for the aforementioned "Holy City."

However, on 18 October 1268, another survey airship discovered the ruins of Edom in Ancondria. Initially, the team figured that the site was like that of the other Ancondrian city ruins found, but that this site was the largest. It was during the return trip that Sandra John, a Cabotton University student, made a leap, saying that the layout quite possibly bore a resemblance to the fabled Holy City of Edom. Dr. Roh and Jerris Brown studied the findings and confirmed John's theory, leading the RNGSP to provide funding for an on-ground survey, which would start on 19 March 1269. Over the years and decades that followed, countless maps and photographs would match up with consistencies spanning past myths.

The fact that Edom was found abandoned and ruined, however, did not resonate well with religious figures, primarily Alconist-Evangelists, who publicly denounced the findings as blasphemy.

Stipulated in the Homestead Act of 1231, a document signed in Cotts to bring an end to the Great Unrest in the Kingdom of the Great North, was the establishment of the Remikran National Debate Committee, or RNDC, in 1232. The first debate held by that organization was held that year, and debates would be held every four years going forward. The RNDC Debate of 1-8 November 1268 was held at the University of Daylram and focused on the question: "Should those individuals under the legal age be permitted to train in 'mock spellcasting' in order to help prepare for proper spellcaster talisman training when they reach legal age?" To note, the settlement on the debate was that such was permissible so long as there was a national standard in place. Though a controversy, the heat of this debate paled in comparison to the RNDC debate of 1-8 November 1272, which took place in the Great Hall of Cabotton University and centered around the question: "Were the ruins and artifacts surveyed in Ancondria between 1268 and 1269 those of the fabled Holy City of Edom?" Thousands of people from outside of the Retunian Republic, representing both sides of the debate, had makeshift tented encampments on and near the University campus during this time, despite directions from University Administration. And in the Great Hall, there carried out an orderly exchange of arguments, counter-arguments, and rebuttals, all of which were closely moderated by a Dialogue Control Board. As per protocol, at the end of the debate, all registered audience members were called to cast a vote on which side held more sound arguments. Said vote occurred as scheduled on 8 November, and the argument supporting the secular scientific studies was voted by the majority to be true. This angered those who had sided with the religious arguments, particularly the Alconist-Evangelists from Linbrae, who lashed out and sparked a riot that overtook both the Campus and the town of Cabotton proper. This forced town and University leaders to call on the federal government for martial law, who did not quell the uprisings completely until 10 November. The groups responsible were publicly condemned by Headmaster Cross, Prime Minister Jackson, Great Northern and Remikran Union leadership, and even lead clergy figures of the Linbraean Church.

***

A deep-trade agreement established in 1272 between the Retunian Republic and the Acrean Kingdom led to numerous economic benefits. However, revolutionary groups, between 1272 and 1273, overthrew the Acrean Crown and established the Acrean Republic. And in doing so, the new Acrean government terminated the deep-trade agreement, triggering a decline in the Retunian tradestone markets. North Kempton was especially hit hard by this, and had a resulting collapse in its economy as well as its financial institute: WestMar Bank. In 1272, Cabotton University had signed a contract with WestMar Bank to have a portion of its tradestone dividends go toward a Non-Profit Academic Trust Bond. The Acrean Fallout between 1273 and 1274, and the resulting economic collapse of North Kempton led said Trust Bond to actually cost the University financially in a significant way.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Jackson publicly refused to recognize the Acrean Republic and considered the Acrean Kingdom the victim of a coup as well as the Crown a "government in hiding." He invoked a Congress of Circlaria stipulation to declare war on the Acrean Republic in order to protect and preserve the now-deposed Crown. However, the war effort proved fruitless for the Retunian Republic, compounded by the fact that the Crown, itself, submitted surrender to the Acrean Republic on 4 June 1275. That day, Jackson conceded and signed a treaty with the revolutionaries, thus ending the Acrean War and leading the Retunian Republic to formally recognize the Acrean Republic. This would, of course, leave the economy of the Retunian Republic, as well as the financial situation of Cabotton University, under strain.

University Policy Stagnation

Martin Cross would be re-elected as the Headmaster of Cabotton University in 1267 and then again in 1273. In 1269, he signed policy to establish the Academic Standard Committee, which was designed to hold students academically accountable in order to prepare them for the lightfire market trade standards that the Retunian Republic shared with Furthing and the Circlarian Maritime Councils. This Committee garnered a mixed reaction from the student body, with half of the population supporting it and the other half voicing resentment over Cross overreaching in terms of academic standards. Disapproval also became prevalent with significant portions of both halves over Cross' handling of the 1272 Scholarly Debate Riots, with the half who opposed him decrying his decision as excessive in terms of imposing a police state and the other half decrying him for not doing enough. There was also resentment against Cross' decision with WestMar Bank in 1272, which had led to financial strain on the University in the wake of the Acrean fallout. Up to this point, the University Constitution had a principle against engaging in for-profit business; however, the same provision allowed for such behaviors if they would go toward a non-profit effort, which had been the deal with WestMar Bank. However, in 1274, in an act of embarrassing consolation, Cross signed a policy to not allow such non-profit engagements if they involved tradestones.

Said fallout and growing resentment did not begin, however, until shortly after Cross' Headmaster re-election in 1273, meaning that he would be leading as a University Headmaster to deliver on a call made by a large portion of the student body to expand the University. The 1276 Resolution signed by Prime Minister Jackson promised a federal financial package to the University to help more solidly establish education programs to help prepare students for the growing Circlarian lightfire trade market.

This provided a financial boost considering the situation with the new and emerging programs at the University. Numerous training classes emerged for the speciality of Critical Infrastructure over the years and were held initially in the wings of the University Administration Building. This proved to be an issue due to the growing number of recruits making scheduling and venue availability progressively difficult. Meanwhile, in the Juno Minor Studies program in the University Planetarium emerged a growing number of students and classes on the subject of Horticulture, which presented a similar issue. Furthermore, as part of the requirements involving the Academic Standard Committee, every School on the campus housed classrooms for business and ethics courses; although the subjects those covered were not always in the same building as the subject study they addressed, leading to erratic schedules particularly for upper-division students.

Student Tuition

These issues grew especially important during the Fall Semester of 1274. At that point, there was a call to build new Schools to house the new classes, and Prime Minister Jackson, though still a while off from the 1276 Resolution, had promised a federal package to help pay for such an expansion. All of the combined funding was outpaced by the mounting expenses and mounting economic losses of the time, forcing Cabotton University into financial strain as to endanger its ability to operate without loans. To this point, there had been an unwritten principle against the University taking out loans, and an explicitly written University Constitution principle against charging students tuition. However, latter had an exception which allowed the Administration to impose said tuition on students should financial matters leave no other option; however, said exemption dictated that this must be temporary and only for the duration of the financial emergency.

A proposition to invoke the tuition exemption was brought to University Council in October 1274, during which took place long-winded and intense debate over the matter owing to its intense controversy. On 6 November 1274, the University Council passed a measure to invoke the exception clause and impose a per-student-per-semester tuition of 483.84 credits, a measure signed by Headmaster Cross later that evening. On 7 November, Cross made a public statement on the matter, assuring the student population that this would only last through the Spring Semester of 1276. Later on, in the face of growing criticisms, Cross made a private remark that he would retire at the end of his ongoing term in December 1279.

Construction began in June 1275 on a new School of Horticulture (the Greenhouse) on the Northwest end of Campus, a new School of Critical Infrastructure on the West end of Campus, a new School of Business on the Northeast end of Campus, and a new School of Ethics on the East end of Campus. Said construction would be completed in May 1276.

<- 1264 <- || -> 1348 ->

[abuddyforeveryseason]

This is the Buddy for March 10th. There's a lot of smoke there. At first I was toying with making the image even taller, like ten times the size, so that most of it was covered in smoke, but decided to go with this one. A real coin toss, really.

On an unrelated point, I heard about Akira Toriyama's death yesterday. Pretty sad, considering he was still comparatively young (68) and active. I was a huge Chrono Trigger fan when I was young, and I've played that game through the end several times. Best RPG of its generation.

I also liked Dragon Ball, although not as much, and that love kind of diminshed with age. Still, I've got a lot of nostalgia for the Z era sagas, with Freeza and Cell. And I read the manga, the early years with kid Goku were pretty interesting, too.

Unfortunately, after the Boo saga the franchise kind of went off-rails. Wasn't into the anime-only GT series, not to mention the games or the disastrous movie. The Super series wasn't as bad, but still doesn't compare to the original.

Still, I have real fond memories of the story. It's an interesting and unique story - or at least it would be if it wasn't so incredibly popular it became ingrained into everyone's mind and imitated to such an extent. I'm reading Osamu Tezuka's Boku no Son Goku, which was also inspired by Journey to the West, and this time I can say Tezuka's work wasn't the superior adaptation. Of course, you have to consider the context...

It's hard to explain a lot about Dragon Ball, especially to people who aren't fans. It started out as a comedic parody of a XVIth century novel, but then it turned into a martial arts story, and then it became serious? And the main character grew up, dozens of minor characters piled up in the background... and all of that before the twist that started the story I'm familiar with - Goku's an alien?

Toriyama's art made the story a lot more pleasant, too. The design of vehicles, aliens, monsters and robots was top notch, and what made me enjoy the story much more than the fight scenes and associated cliches. Another interesting thing was Toriyama's use of twists which led the stories into a different direction when compared to other shonen manga, which often adhered religiously to the build-up to stronger enemies in sucession.

But that's also where the story issues lie. The first is the bloated cast of characters being humiliated so Goku could steal the spotlight. The biggest victim there is Yamcha, but, really, everyone who was beaten by Goku then turned good was kind of cannon fodder. That started as a twist, too - so this evil guy Goku had so much trouble with got beaten so easily by the new villain? Damn. And since new villains kept being introduced, each one being so much stronger than the last, it was hard to make sense of how strong the characters were (and any realism was already out the window thanks to all the plot devices keeping the characters alive and strong enough to fight).

It's funny by the end of the story - or even, by the end of the kid Goku era already - the dragon balls were also relegated to the background. I don't like a lot of the cliches of the series, the plot devices used to make characters stronger with no interesting consequences, the convoluted use of elements of past stories, annoying character behaviors... but, still, you have to respect a guy who managed to start out with such a weird little comedy with its goofy looking vehicles and talking dinosaurs, and turn it into a behemoth so popular, people can have such strong feelings about it.

RIP, Akira Toriyama.

[masochistartt]

i don’t follow football what happened with chelsea?

okay strap in bc this chelsea season has been. definitely. Something!!

let's start with last season as a little catch up. chelsea (one of the 6 biggest clubs in the premier league) finished twelfth on the table (out of 20). it was their first season under new ownership, and they went through four (4) managers in the 38-game season. finishing in twelfth made it the club's lowest season since 1993-94, where they finished 14th. because of their 12th place finish, this (23/24, current season) is the first season since 2016-17 that they didn't compete in europe (champions league, europa league, europa conference league).

so. not a great year for the boys in blue.

this summer. chelsea spent ~£435 million on new players. that's the most a single club has ever spent during a single transfer window in premier league history. these transfers included moises caicedo (a defensive midfielder from brighton for £100 million (plus bonuses)), nicolas jackson (a striker from villarreal for £32 million), christopher nkunku (a striker from rb leipzig for £52 million), and cole palmer (an attacking midfielder from manchester city for £40 million plus bonuses) (more on this later.)

transfers out included césar azpilicueta, a defender who was their captain since 2019 (who lead them to winning the champions league in 2021), mateo kovačić, mason mount, kai havertz, and christian pulisic (all champions league winners, all played in the final in 2021, havertz scoring the only goal in the game)

these new transfers in are all young. of the 12 new signings, two were born in 1997 one was born in 1998 and one was born in 1999, but the rest are 2000s babies (2 in '01, 1 in '02, 4 in '04, and 1 in '05). so there's a severe lack of experience on this team (ben chilwell is 27, raheem sterling is 29, and thiago silva is 39 – 12 of their 29 players are u21). the average age on the team is 23 (their goalies are the oldest at 27 on average, defenders at 24, midfielders at 21, and forwards at 22).

because azpilicueta left the club, you need a new captain. they found theirs in chelsea academy boy reece james, a 24-year-old defender. his vice captains are ben chilwell, the 27-year-old left back signed from leicester city in 2020, conor gallagher, a 24-year-old central midfielder also from chelsea's academy, and thiago silva, the 39-year-old signed from psg in 2020.

and because of the managerial disasters of last season, they need a new manager. they bring on mauricio pochettino, former manager of spurs and psg (where he lead the team to the ligue 1 title).

welcome to chelsea. let's start the season.

their first match was at home against liverpool. liverpool scored first, in the 18th minute, but chelsea tied it up before the half, the first goal from new signee axel disasi. the second half is mostly uneventful, but oops, captain reece james has to be substituted off with a hamstring injury. he is now out until october (it is august).

their next match is away against west ham. ben chilwell takes the captain's armband. it's the 7th minute. west ham scores. chelsea pulls one back in the 28th minute, 1 all. west ham picks up three yellow cards in the first half. in the second half, west ham scores again. then, the hammers go down a man for a second yellow card, chelsea is now playing 11 against 10. they cannot turn it around. not only do they not turn it around, they concede another goal. chelsea loses 3-1. it is week 2 of the premier league season, and chelsea is fifteenth on the table.

they beat newly promoted luton town week 3 and rise to 10th place.

meanwhile, chelsea is competing in the league cup. that's going well so far - a 2-1 win against fourth tier afc wimbledon (phil dunster's team!) in august right after beating luton town - maybe things are turning around! (things are not turning around.)

then they face a loss, a draw, and another loss to nottingham forest, bournemouth, and aston villa (a game in which malo gusto picks up a straight red card and is now unable to play the next few games).

let's... let's check in on the league cup. we need something good for these boys after this hell they've faced in september. they've drawn fellow premiership club brighton & hove albion at home in the third round. they win! 1-0, thanks to a goal in the 50th minute from new signee nicolas jackson. but in the 7th minute of stoppage time at the end of the game, ben chilwell (their captain, with reece james still out injured), is fouled and has to come off with a hamstring injury. but also oops, chelsea's already used all their substitution windows - they have to finish the game with 10 men. luckily, they see it out and move on to the next round.

reece james is still injured. ben chilwell is now injured. conor gallagher, time to step up.

happy october, chelsea. their first two premier league draws of the month are against fulham (who finished 10th on the table in 22/23) and newly promoted burnley. chelsea win both. they are 11th on the table after both results. and! reece james is back! they draw 2-2 at home against arsenal, and rise to 10th on the table. their last match in october is against brentford, who finished 9th on the table last season, and were 13th going into this match. they lose 0-2.

november starts big with a league cup win against championship side blackburn and a 1-4 win at tottenham (all four goals are scored by new signees - a penalty from cole palmer, and a hat trick from nicolas jackson) after the win against tottenham, they are taking slutty, slutty locker room pictures.

let's pause here to talk about fouls, yeah? chelsea has not gone a single game this season without picking up a booking. 1 is the minimum so far, against brentford, 2 against luton, and the rest have had 3+. they have been booked with 35 yellow cards and one red card as of week eleven of the premier league season.

november ends with a draw against manchester city (10th on the table, 22 points, 5 more yellow cards), a loss to newcastle (10th on the table, 22 points, 5 yellow cards & a 6th that becomes a red card for reece james).

december - a win against brighton (10th on the table, 25 points, 4 yellow cards & a 5th that becomes a red card for conor gallagher before halftime) and then two losses in a row (a 2-1 loss at manchester united - chelsea's first league game of the season without a booking. cole palmer scores the only goal - and then a 2-0 loss at everton that drops them to 12th on the table, 2 more bookings. reece james is injured again and has to get surgery for his hamstring). they win against newly promoted, bottom of the table sheffield united (with another booking), and return to tenth on the table.

league cup break! they draw newcastle united 1-1 in the quarterfinals. the game goes to penalties. chelsea wins 4-2 on penalties. four more yellow cards are picked up in this game. chelsea moves on to play middlesbrough in the two-legged semifinals in january. we'll return to this.

back to the prem.

on christmas eve, they play away at wolves and lose 2-1. christopher nkunku scores in the 96th minute. chelsea picks up 6 more yellow cards.

they end 2023 and start 2024 on a three game winning streak (against crystal palace, luton town, and fulham). in these three games, they pick up 3, 2, and 5 yellow cards. after the win against fulham, they raise to 9th on the table, the highest they've been all season.

they lose spectacularly to liverpool to end january, 4-1, picking up 4 yellow cards in the process. this drops them back to 10th on the table.

meanwhile, they've played both legs of that league cup semifinal i mentioned, winning 6-2 on aggregate. chelsea's going to the final! maybe they will win a trophy this season! who're they playing in that final at the end of february? oh. oh, it's liverpool? okay.

the fa cup's going on now too ! they beat championship side preston north end 4-0, and then draw aston villa 0-0 at home - this will go to a replay the first week of february. only one yellow card across these two games, well done, chelsea.

first they've got a prem match to play against wolves. they allow wolves player matheus cunha to score a hat trick on them. oops. final result 2-4, 3 more yellow cards, 11th on the table with a goal difference of -1 (they've let 1 more goal past them than they've scored all season).

i know what you're saying. chelsea needs a good run here. and they get it! after losing to wolves, they don't lose another premier league game until today, april 23. we will get back to this. they win against crystal palace, newcastle united, manchester united, and everton (the everton game, they win 6-0. we will get back to this.) they draw against manchester city, brentford, and sheffield united (you know, the bottom of the table team who has no chance of staying in the prem next year).

they also win their fa cup ties against aston villa (replay) and championship sides leeds united and leicester city. they face manchester city in the semi finals. they lose. they also lose that league cup final to liverpool. a trophyless season for chelsea. they also still haven't figured out that premier league yellow card problem.

so let's talk about The Everton Game. cole palmer scored his second hat trick in two games and this one's brilliant. seriously watch the highlights it's amazing. chelsea is awarded a penalty in the 64th minute. all hell breaks loose on that pitch, roy kent vs jamie tartt style. here's a clip. for context, madueke was the one fouled for the penalty, palmer is the designated penalty taker. pochettino clearly hadn't made that clear to his players. you cannot fight on the pitch like that. you. you just.... you can't do that. palmer takes the penalty, his fourth goal of the night, he is in the golden boot (top scorer in the league) race.

what happened today, then? chelsea gets absolutely spanked 5-0 at arsenal. palmer was not playing today - he's sick. kai havertz who left chelsea for arsenal this summer scored 2. here's a sign a child held up in the crowd today. they're currently 9th on the table after 32 of 38 games have been played. the state of the club is a disaster. i'm genuinely intrigued to see what happens next year because.....it can't go on like this.

cole palmer leads the club in goals, assists, chances created, shots per game, key passes, through balls per game, xg, motm awards, & penalties.

thiago silva is leaving this summer.

nothing else is known. chelsea goes to aston villa on saturday. the league continues.

[driftwork]

exiles - [1] an exiled old woman enters a room in hotel des'pirt on the 10th floor and [2] a younger woman leaves the hotel...

An old woman enters a hotel room

Long after the singularity, living deep inside the change. Predictably nobody noticed. Mostly the change was unnoticed...

Either way we arrived the early evening, booked into the hotel. Left the luggage in the room, and went down to the mezzanie restaurant and ate a last meal, I drank some white wine. [edit] [edit] [edit]

The front door, is covered in a matte finish pale wood eneer, it opens into a hallway of about 4 metres by 1.5 metres, on the left is a small unused kitchen, a minbar with  in a pale wood casing and shelves with some glasses and cups. On the right a wooden wall with a magazine and bookrack, shoe rack and luggage store. At the end of the kitchen is the bathroom and shower. The glass wall turns opaque when you enter the bathroom.  The room itself is about 8 metres by 8 metres. The floor is covered in machined wood with oak veneer. The walls are covered in a grey green grass patterned paper. A pale wood picture rail and band runs around the room at about 2.5 metres above the floor. A few abstract pictures are standing on the band. There is an inscription in hand written Kanji script, in a nice hand, in pale grey. I looked at it and wondered why I could not decipher it. A magical inscription perhaps. There is a table and a closet  standing against the wall, a luggage rack as well. All in the same pale wood colour, varnished in a gloss finish. There is a grey anglepoise lamp with brass springs and bolts, on the table. A power strip with plugs and USB and USB/C power outlets. There is a large mirror with bevelled glass and orange surround placed on the wall above above  above the desk.[edit] I remember studying my face in the mirror but have no idea how this was possible. It's a very nice mirror, I think, but how can I have looked at myself in the mirror ? Some mirrors reflect a cruel and dangerous image, he said, looking at his wet face in the the reflection. Under the desk a solid looking grey plastic wastepaper basket. Facing me, almost the entire external wall is taken up by the clear glass window, it faces south-west, the lower half has a blind that rises from the floor to about a metre, the top half by another matching charcoal blind.  The hotel is located in the west side of the city, it's 125 to 150 metres or more  in height, we are on the twentieth floor. The window looks out over the city. Most of the buildings are lower than this. Photons from the city lights illuminate the ceiling of the bedroom. On the other side of the room a large double bed, covered with a green, white and black duvet, in a restful pattern that it seems wrong to describe like the headboard itself which is I think grey or perhaps brown. With matching bedside cabinets or tables. Sealed bottles of water on the top. They both have drawers  and reading lamps. Our phones are plugged into white cables, ear pieces charging beside them. It's the last hotel room we will ever be in.

{[open] [It's a simple story really, he had been her, she had been his, she had had him for decades, they decided to go together, they had gone out together, they had gone to bed together,  for longer than you have been alive, they had  been together a,  all this happened tomorrow. for her another was impossible,  she simply had not had for anyone else, that the other ones had died, so he had become her other, he had still not had anyone else no other,  that had not mattered to him, so they had remained, it did them good, it did them no good. as the terminal illness developed, the other wondered if she could live without him, too old she thought,  he has not yet ceased to be, her is her, he is with her, she is with him, she is him, perhaps others would  want something more, perhaps others have times for her and him, they don't, it is quite this.

she listens and regrets,  wonders  how it would have been if he hadn't been the one, lonely she thinks, and what if there had been another?  would he be hers again when they reincarnated? she smiles at his face i still have that thought about reincarnation she thinks. would she be his if he were to ask again she wonders,  would they be together again if her were to pull her backwards again,   would everything  she wonders begin again just again, probably he says, i hurt, i'm sorry, one of them could have vanished been sacrificed exiled fallen been killed, a simple story, couldn't it have been simpler still, still simpler? A love story she knows. ] [Close]}

His breathing is a little laboured. His lungs do not work properly any longer. The painkillers are wearing off. I'm sorry he says from the bed. I never expected it to end like this. It's all right. I let the sentences with there intense meanings, and crucially true cross the room. I;m sorry, he says again, I wish we could have lived differently, more banally, ordinary. I think he was hallucinating.  We couldn't. I culdn't, you couldn't, I said to him, holding his hand now. The universe allowed us to have children, grand children, friends, love.  He still looked grey, colour would never return to his terminally ill face. It's been a good life. Better than I deserved or could even imagine having. I regret nothing. I told him. He was feeling warm under my fingers. I have been happier than  I could have imagined when we first met. He says. So we are sitting in the hotel room, saying our goodbyes. I took off my clothes, closed the blinds put on a teeshirt. I put the drugs in their aluminium case, on the side table... we were both about, actually, no our age doesn't matter, suffice it to say we were both old old older than anyone. Descartes wold have been proud. Our children were not young anymore. I put the endnotes, the letters on the table. It hurts, he said. I know. I lay down on the bed and held him. The painkillers were completely worn off.  I injected him and then a few minutes later myself. It takes about 15 minutes to lose consciousness and die. I wrapped myself around his old and lovely body. That's so nice, he said. It's been lovely. It has, I told him. Amused at how romantic we sound. He died in my arms I could feel him stop and then felt myself stop me. It was selfish I know to die in the hotel. Two old old people unable to imagine living without the other. [edit]

exiles - [2] A young woman leaves the hotel

{edit] [edit] [edit] Ping. Ping. I'm awake, listening to the building, it sounds different, Ping, Wake up, ping, phil says. It is midsummer and I am, it is listening to the sounds of the hotel at night. The lift, people in the corridor, the unbearable soft hiss  of the air conditioning, laughter of people heading towards their rooms for sleep or sex, outside its noisy, music from suite to the side and the light from the always light corridor does not get through the solid fire door.  The room is almost identical to the room we entered. Almost a mirror image.

Wake up,  phil had said. What is it? I'm awake already. Get up, look out the window at the drone. Why ? she asked, I asked, it asked. I feel stiff. hot. weak. another room of the hotel, you were 82 years old, and whilst you were still beautiful, graceful and desirable. You left a note on the door for the hotel staff. They found you yesterday,  lying peacefully together, in the morning, having taken your lives, as you planned. Perhaps we can say you have vanished. He, in case you don't remember, had a terminal illness. I remember, I said. You cannot live without each other. Didn't want to, I said. I put on a teeshirt, it's shorter than I remember.. it has a picture of Mayakovsky wearing a hat and smoking a cigerette on her chest. I, She is standing in the window looking at her young hands in the moonlight. There is a tattoo of a dragon on her left arm, curling up and around her arm vanishing beneath the tee shirt and around her shoulder onto her back. I wonder how I know that. What the fuck? Why? What's this? she says in japanese.  We are sorry, phil says, but we need you to do something... I think I copied everything. Your taller. He's asleep. We'll need to speak soon. Wait a few minutes phil, just a few. I say to phil, she says, I say, it says. (should I speak of the shock? the surprise? no need you can imagine that) [edit] [edit]

In the middle of the night,  after 2AM and before  3AM.  She is standing in the window of the hotel room looking out at at the drone which is outside about twenty or thirty feet away. She, I have been watching the drone for a few minutes, and wondering how long it has been watching her.  In the quiet of the hotel. I can feel things sliding into place. Are you awake?  I ask him. Looking over my shoulder at him moving in the bed. So noisy, he says, how could I sleep through that. He sits up, puts his feet on the floor. Again? He says, again?  He is looking at the blue light from the ring on his young hands.  I am watching the  drone as it turns away and flies along the side of the hotel. What is it phil? Have we, I been edited? I asked. You may both have lost a few memories, unintentional, any questions you can ask me... What is it phil? He has turned on the bedside lamp and is looking at his young hands. The quantum ring glowing blue on his finger.  Why have you done this phil? We have been asked to stop a research project. To ensure another one takes place. We needed someone who could understand the issues,  and you have done it before,  phil said. That's a terrible argument, answer the question,  he said from the bed. I'm glad I'd miss you both, phil said. Look in the envelope.  Why us? I asked. Look in the envelope you'll understand that there is nobody else.

While he looks at the material, inspecting his passport, his new identity, everything a person needs to live this year, this decade, a black box of an identity. I watch from the window and then sit next to him looking at the black box. We look so young. He said to me. We are young. What are the pin numbers phil? Same for both of you 1968 or 196884, all real. He went to the bathroom, the sound of water running. I opened the envelope with my new identity, passport, licences, names, identifiers and codes.  There is a sheet of paper with details of my employment, our employment as precarious workers, contract workers for Hat. A meeting in London in two weeks. You are on holiday, you are newly employed permanent employees at Hat. House keys? The red set are for the warehouse apartment in London, I have an instance there. The car is parked there. There were train tickets inside the passport. I read the documents in the contract envelope. Seven days? that's quite short notice... Do you have details of the woman as well?  Yes.  If we miss we'll need them.

It's after 3AM when he comes out of the bathroom We have an early train to catch,  we should go soon.  I feel well again?, he asks. You are well, phil says.

Who are they? I asked phil now that he was back. They are scientists thinking things the universe does not approve of.  It cannot be allowed to become technology. Why not? It's a variant of Jevons paradox,  (an economic phenomenon) it occurs when technological progress increases the efficiency of resource use, this leads to increased consumption of the resource rather than reduced consumption, their work means planets and stars, eventually clusters will die. The universe is experimenting, with us, a homeopathic solution to its problem, phil said and stopped.  I could almost hear it sigh. It's ok phil, we understand this scenario. So is there anyone else? No one, phil replied. Just the three of us. It's  us and the Universe. Preventing the destruction of the planet with an asteroid. Preventing the destruction of stars.  We won't miss, I said.  We know.  It's lovely work but the Universe doesn't allow it. We are applying pressure to ensure that the Universe isn't harmed. We are applying  the laws of nature, a sentient species existing in this universe cannot be allowed to have that level of knowledge of the laws of nature. A natural contract, an experiment in homeopathy  to see if the species can exist knowing it must capitulate to the laws of nature, he said, to phil really but also to me. This law, we did not manifest itself before us, nobody could know about this before. Though it may not be an accident that Galileo ran into trouble with the church, that Bacon died from eating frozen chicken,  that our societies actively prevented women from studying science and technology, and Archimedes was killed by a drunken soldier. The law normally works by applying unbearable pressure on species, by extinction. We are the alternative approach.  Selectively  preventing some science from developing that would challenge the law of nature. For example this man, i tap the file with my finger, a child of his will enable matter to be removed from the universe,  it would enable devastating wars, extinctions, humans, moons, planets, suns, steller clusters vanishing from the universe... we will prevent this. Besides, phil said,  there is a billion years to go before this planet ends and there are better things to do than become extinct because of genocidal scientists, even if they don't understand what they are doing.

Does this mean the three of us and the universe against humanity and science? He said watching me get dressed. (It's my one skill, he said once, watching you get dressed and undressed. Well over 20,000 hours I told him.) Yes, phil said.   It used to be just the two of us, I said.  At least there are more of us now. I look young.  It's very romantic. We have lived together for about 90 years. For most of that we were agents for the law of nature. The idea of us being homeopathic agents protecting the universe pleases me. I wonder if we exist like this, in a hotel room across the multiverse. A multitude of Songs? I asked rhetorically. I would like that, he said.

We leave and stop off the mezzanie bar, seeing that it was open with a few late night customers, drank a shot of belvedere vodka and espresso. Charging it to the room. He is drinking the same. Eating some light food, poached eggs on toast and a small basket of chips. It's nice to see your young face again, i say to him. At our age the desire... I understand this is why he is standing slightly further away than he would have a few days ago. He looks slightly worried. I step closer to him, and allow my desire to be expressed with my hands, arms hugging him. I wonder what we look like. Song, he says, your name is Song.

Rather than the scientists we are the homeopathic solution to their searching for forbidden knowledge.

[tameblog]

February 04, 2025 Let’s explore the last 5 homes on the 10th annual Tribeza Interiors Tour, a tour of Austin homes that shows off the work of interior designers. This is part 3 of my coverage of the late January tour. (Click for part 1 and part 2 if you want to start there.) Sparrow Interiors At the Sparrow Interiors home in Tarrytown, a red divan under a contemporary portrait grabs your attention in the entry. Echoing touches of red appear in a wood-paneled sitting room (pictured at top), where twin blue sofas face each other. A lighthearted dining room features a pink gallery wall and branch chandelier. This, however, is the dining area I was most drawn to: a round table and banquette with moody blue-and-purple upholstery. A black Murano glass chandelier adds to the goth-romantic vibe. A bar area featured furry wallpaper, Wonderwoods by Arte, that had tour-goers exclaiming and touching it. I’ve seen textured wallpaper, but faux fur is next level. Pastel cranes, deer, and dogs rove under cloud-like trees against a black field. Check out Sparrow’s portfolio for more pics of this bold space. A 3rd dining area confused me — was this a guest wing? — until a docent explained that this curtained space is part of a pool house, with a wall of windows that slides open to make an open-air cabana. Again, check out the designer’s portfolio to see how it all fits together. The beautiful drapery fabric reminds me of Marcia Donahue’s bamboo sculptures. The pool house bathroom is dramatic and spendy with a wallpapered ceiling and vertical tile completely covering the walls. A skylight in the shower brightens the shades-of-brown room. The ceiling is wallpapered with Hoopoe Leaves by Cole & Son. Outside, a pair of beautifully cushioned sofas offers space for lounging by the pool and watching a game. Looking back at the main house, you see two more spaces for enjoying the backyard, a dining deck and covered patio. The patio’s rattan swivel chairs didn’t appear comfortable, so I sat in one to see. Looks are deceiving — it was so comfortable! Lavender and blue fabrics harmonize with the banquette dining area just beyond the window. An elegant powder room draws you in with emerald Greek key wallpaper — It’s Greek to Me by Phillip Jeffries. Gem-like pendants add more glowing green. Clayton Korte At the Clayton Korte house, I admired a front sitting room-turned-library. Floor-to-ceiling corner windows bring the outdoors into the room. Square-framed bookshelves display books and decor. A pillowy chair and a reading table offer options for where to crack a book. Bookshelf styling with Bill Ding stackable clowns. Remember these? This is an art lover’s home, with folk art ceramics and small paintings — including a Lance Letscher pinwheel collage — making a bigger-than-the-sum-of-its-parts display. I was intrigued by a series of cowboy scenes painted on plastic bags. What does it signify? A disposable culture? The Old West living on in microplastics? The ultimate in reuse? I’d like to know more. Jazzy tile in the kitchen includes a wavy pattern on the floor and silvery gray zellige tile curving around the range hood. A retro, bubble-gum pink fridge adds a playful touch. Countertop bouquet and copper pans A bathroom wowed me with floor-to-ceiling penny tile. It even wrapped around tricky framing of the tray ceiling! I can’t remember what this room was — maybe a supply closet? — but I enjoyed the yellow sink and silvery wallpaper, Fruit by Morris & Co. Word art in the hallway brought to mind the recent wildfires in Los Angeles. But upon reflection it evokes for me a drought-stricken West Texas landscape. A commentary on climate change? A restful primary bedroom… …and glam copper tub framed by watery green zellige tile. Peeking out the kitchen window, I admired a calm evergreen plant palette, contemporary paving, and lacy breeze block wall screening the carport. It’s the work of Lattice Studio, recently rebranded from Austin’s Big Red Sun. Heading to the car, I got a closer look through a steel-framed wire fence. I like the trough fountain with copper spout and gently curved stone path in the gravel. BANDD/DESIGN Interiors At the BANDD/DESIGN Interiors home, I admired this bathroom’s Morris & Co.‘s Pimpernel wallpaper, blue stacked tile, and a leather-wrapped mirror and baskets. The airy dining room overlooks a garden patio. And an airy, white bedroom gets cozier with a canopy bed, boucle chairs, and beaded chandelier. The home office got lots of attention with Victorian-style wallpaper swooping down from the ceiling to the top of green-paneled walls. This is Spoonflower’s New Heights paper — really pretty. Pink chinoiserie wallpaper — Avignon by Wallpaperie + The Leslie Style — makes for a dreamy bedroom. A wicker bed and burlap chandelier add natural texture. Avignon detail Cuppett Kilpatrick At the Cuppett Kilpatrick home in Rollingwood, I was drawn to a cozy, textured sofa with gray and mauve pillows. Tactile art above it harmonizes perfectly. The big picture window frames a view of handsome live oaks. A kids’ art table and colorful framed art occupy a nearby alcove. A minimalist tablescape is elevated with a gorgeous GUBI Tynell 1972 Pendant Light with pleated-bamboo shade. An upstairs deck offers a view of a multi-level backyard with artificial lawn… …and a concrete slide and stairs leading down to a putting green. I’m glad to see some living plants on the slope and along the fence. An upstairs den is anchored by a large Cruz Ortiz painting — a cowpoke Hamlet with Yorick skull? In the primary bath, mirrors are suspended in front of a large window. In a girl’s bedroom, Kelly Ventura‘s Shade Blossom pattern appears on the walls, Roman shades, and bedding, set off with sage green trim. The trim color is Sherwin-Williams Oyster Bay… …according to a handy spec sheet from the designers. A window with a treehouse view of the live oaks makes a perfect spot for a reading nook. I’d never leave this spot. Another child’s bedroom features blue bunk beds in a green-painted alcove. Ashley Ferguson Interiors I thought I might not have time to see the Ashley Ferguson Interiors house out on Lake Austin, but I made it with 30 minutes to spare. Perched on a steep hillside, the house invites you in via a long stair to the door, which opens onto this floral scene. The painting is by Ali McNabney-Stevens, I think. A moody dining room gives a ’70s vibe. The light looks like a Murano Pebble Pendant by Fabio. A sitting room off the kitchen features four blue armchairs. And a powder bath goes dramatic with a dark-veined sink and raspberry zellige tile. That’s a wrap on my coverage of the 2025 Tribeza Interiors Tour. It was a good one! To read Part 1, click here. And click here for Part 2. I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox! __________________________ Digging Deeper Attend the annual Budding Out Plant Sale & Festival on March 15th at the John Fairey Garden in Hempstead. Shop for rare plants from the garden’s nursery and select plant vendors. Local artists and artisans as well as food, drink, and demonstrations will also be featured. Admission: $5 for members, $10 for non-members, children under 12 free. Hours: 10 am to 4 pm; members get early admission at 9 am (memberships available on day of event). Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Read all about the Season 8 lineup here! All material © 2025 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. Source link

[ramestoryworld]

February 04, 2025 Let’s explore the last 5 homes on the 10th annual Tribeza Interiors Tour, a tour of Austin homes that shows off the work of interior designers. This is part 3 of my coverage of the late January tour. (Click for part 1 and part 2 if you want to start there.) Sparrow Interiors At the Sparrow Interiors home in Tarrytown, a red divan under a contemporary portrait grabs your attention in the entry. Echoing touches of red appear in a wood-paneled sitting room (pictured at top), where twin blue sofas face each other. A lighthearted dining room features a pink gallery wall and branch chandelier. This, however, is the dining area I was most drawn to: a round table and banquette with moody blue-and-purple upholstery. A black Murano glass chandelier adds to the goth-romantic vibe. A bar area featured furry wallpaper, Wonderwoods by Arte, that had tour-goers exclaiming and touching it. I’ve seen textured wallpaper, but faux fur is next level. Pastel cranes, deer, and dogs rove under cloud-like trees against a black field. Check out Sparrow’s portfolio for more pics of this bold space. A 3rd dining area confused me — was this a guest wing? — until a docent explained that this curtained space is part of a pool house, with a wall of windows that slides open to make an open-air cabana. Again, check out the designer’s portfolio to see how it all fits together. The beautiful drapery fabric reminds me of Marcia Donahue’s bamboo sculptures. The pool house bathroom is dramatic and spendy with a wallpapered ceiling and vertical tile completely covering the walls. A skylight in the shower brightens the shades-of-brown room. The ceiling is wallpapered with Hoopoe Leaves by Cole & Son. Outside, a pair of beautifully cushioned sofas offers space for lounging by the pool and watching a game. Looking back at the main house, you see two more spaces for enjoying the backyard, a dining deck and covered patio. The patio’s rattan swivel chairs didn’t appear comfortable, so I sat in one to see. Looks are deceiving — it was so comfortable! Lavender and blue fabrics harmonize with the banquette dining area just beyond the window. An elegant powder room draws you in with emerald Greek key wallpaper — It’s Greek to Me by Phillip Jeffries. Gem-like pendants add more glowing green. Clayton Korte At the Clayton Korte house, I admired a front sitting room-turned-library. Floor-to-ceiling corner windows bring the outdoors into the room. Square-framed bookshelves display books and decor. A pillowy chair and a reading table offer options for where to crack a book. Bookshelf styling with Bill Ding stackable clowns. Remember these? This is an art lover’s home, with folk art ceramics and small paintings — including a Lance Letscher pinwheel collage — making a bigger-than-the-sum-of-its-parts display. I was intrigued by a series of cowboy scenes painted on plastic bags. What does it signify? A disposable culture? The Old West living on in microplastics? The ultimate in reuse? I’d like to know more. Jazzy tile in the kitchen includes a wavy pattern on the floor and silvery gray zellige tile curving around the range hood. A retro, bubble-gum pink fridge adds a playful touch. Countertop bouquet and copper pans A bathroom wowed me with floor-to-ceiling penny tile. It even wrapped around tricky framing of the tray ceiling! I can’t remember what this room was — maybe a supply closet? — but I enjoyed the yellow sink and silvery wallpaper, Fruit by Morris & Co. Word art in the hallway brought to mind the recent wildfires in Los Angeles. But upon reflection it evokes for me a drought-stricken West Texas landscape. A commentary on climate change? A restful primary bedroom… …and glam copper tub framed by watery green zellige tile. Peeking out the kitchen window, I admired a calm evergreen plant palette, contemporary paving, and lacy breeze block wall screening the carport. It’s the work of Lattice Studio, recently rebranded from Austin’s Big Red Sun. Heading to the car, I got a closer look through a steel-framed wire fence. I like the trough fountain with copper spout and gently curved stone path in the gravel. BANDD/DESIGN Interiors At the BANDD/DESIGN Interiors home, I admired this bathroom’s Morris & Co.‘s Pimpernel wallpaper, blue stacked tile, and a leather-wrapped mirror and baskets. The airy dining room overlooks a garden patio. And an airy, white bedroom gets cozier with a canopy bed, boucle chairs, and beaded chandelier. The home office got lots of attention with Victorian-style wallpaper swooping down from the ceiling to the top of green-paneled walls. This is Spoonflower’s New Heights paper — really pretty. Pink chinoiserie wallpaper — Avignon by Wallpaperie + The Leslie Style — makes for a dreamy bedroom. A wicker bed and burlap chandelier add natural texture. Avignon detail Cuppett Kilpatrick At the Cuppett Kilpatrick home in Rollingwood, I was drawn to a cozy, textured sofa with gray and mauve pillows. Tactile art above it harmonizes perfectly. The big picture window frames a view of handsome live oaks. A kids’ art table and colorful framed art occupy a nearby alcove. A minimalist tablescape is elevated with a gorgeous GUBI Tynell 1972 Pendant Light with pleated-bamboo shade. An upstairs deck offers a view of a multi-level backyard with artificial lawn… …and a concrete slide and stairs leading down to a putting green. I’m glad to see some living plants on the slope and along the fence. An upstairs den is anchored by a large Cruz Ortiz painting — a cowpoke Hamlet with Yorick skull? In the primary bath, mirrors are suspended in front of a large window. In a girl’s bedroom, Kelly Ventura‘s Shade Blossom pattern appears on the walls, Roman shades, and bedding, set off with sage green trim. The trim color is Sherwin-Williams Oyster Bay… …according to a handy spec sheet from the designers. A window with a treehouse view of the live oaks makes a perfect spot for a reading nook. I’d never leave this spot. Another child’s bedroom features blue bunk beds in a green-painted alcove. Ashley Ferguson Interiors I thought I might not have time to see the Ashley Ferguson Interiors house out on Lake Austin, but I made it with 30 minutes to spare. Perched on a steep hillside, the house invites you in via a long stair to the door, which opens onto this floral scene. The painting is by Ali McNabney-Stevens, I think. A moody dining room gives a ’70s vibe. The light looks like a Murano Pebble Pendant by Fabio. A sitting room off the kitchen features four blue armchairs. And a powder bath goes dramatic with a dark-veined sink and raspberry zellige tile. That’s a wrap on my coverage of the 2025 Tribeza Interiors Tour. It was a good one! To read Part 1, click here. And click here for Part 2. I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox! __________________________ Digging Deeper Attend the annual Budding Out Plant Sale & Festival on March 15th at the John Fairey Garden in Hempstead. Shop for rare plants from the garden’s nursery and select plant vendors. Local artists and artisans as well as food, drink, and demonstrations will also be featured. Admission: $5 for members, $10 for non-members, children under 12 free. Hours: 10 am to 4 pm; members get early admission at 9 am (memberships available on day of event). Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Read all about the Season 8 lineup here! All material © 2025 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. Source link

[alexha2210]

February 04, 2025 Let’s explore the last 5 homes on the 10th annual Tribeza Interiors Tour, a tour of Austin homes that shows off the work of interior designers. This is part 3 of my coverage of the late January tour. (Click for part 1 and part 2 if you want to start there.) Sparrow Interiors At the Sparrow Interiors home in Tarrytown, a red divan under a contemporary portrait grabs your attention in the entry. Echoing touches of red appear in a wood-paneled sitting room (pictured at top), where twin blue sofas face each other. A lighthearted dining room features a pink gallery wall and branch chandelier. This, however, is the dining area I was most drawn to: a round table and banquette with moody blue-and-purple upholstery. A black Murano glass chandelier adds to the goth-romantic vibe. A bar area featured furry wallpaper, Wonderwoods by Arte, that had tour-goers exclaiming and touching it. I’ve seen textured wallpaper, but faux fur is next level. Pastel cranes, deer, and dogs rove under cloud-like trees against a black field. Check out Sparrow’s portfolio for more pics of this bold space. A 3rd dining area confused me — was this a guest wing? — until a docent explained that this curtained space is part of a pool house, with a wall of windows that slides open to make an open-air cabana. Again, check out the designer’s portfolio to see how it all fits together. The beautiful drapery fabric reminds me of Marcia Donahue’s bamboo sculptures. The pool house bathroom is dramatic and spendy with a wallpapered ceiling and vertical tile completely covering the walls. A skylight in the shower brightens the shades-of-brown room. The ceiling is wallpapered with Hoopoe Leaves by Cole & Son. Outside, a pair of beautifully cushioned sofas offers space for lounging by the pool and watching a game. Looking back at the main house, you see two more spaces for enjoying the backyard, a dining deck and covered patio. The patio’s rattan swivel chairs didn’t appear comfortable, so I sat in one to see. Looks are deceiving — it was so comfortable! Lavender and blue fabrics harmonize with the banquette dining area just beyond the window. An elegant powder room draws you in with emerald Greek key wallpaper — It’s Greek to Me by Phillip Jeffries. Gem-like pendants add more glowing green. Clayton Korte At the Clayton Korte house, I admired a front sitting room-turned-library. Floor-to-ceiling corner windows bring the outdoors into the room. Square-framed bookshelves display books and decor. A pillowy chair and a reading table offer options for where to crack a book. Bookshelf styling with Bill Ding stackable clowns. Remember these? This is an art lover’s home, with folk art ceramics and small paintings — including a Lance Letscher pinwheel collage — making a bigger-than-the-sum-of-its-parts display. I was intrigued by a series of cowboy scenes painted on plastic bags. What does it signify? A disposable culture? The Old West living on in microplastics? The ultimate in reuse? I’d like to know more. Jazzy tile in the kitchen includes a wavy pattern on the floor and silvery gray zellige tile curving around the range hood. A retro, bubble-gum pink fridge adds a playful touch. Countertop bouquet and copper pans A bathroom wowed me with floor-to-ceiling penny tile. It even wrapped around tricky framing of the tray ceiling! I can’t remember what this room was — maybe a supply closet? — but I enjoyed the yellow sink and silvery wallpaper, Fruit by Morris & Co. Word art in the hallway brought to mind the recent wildfires in Los Angeles. But upon reflection it evokes for me a drought-stricken West Texas landscape. A commentary on climate change? A restful primary bedroom… …and glam copper tub framed by watery green zellige tile. Peeking out the kitchen window, I admired a calm evergreen plant palette, contemporary paving, and lacy breeze block wall screening the carport. It’s the work of Lattice Studio, recently rebranded from Austin’s Big Red Sun. Heading to the car, I got a closer look through a steel-framed wire fence. I like the trough fountain with copper spout and gently curved stone path in the gravel. BANDD/DESIGN Interiors At the BANDD/DESIGN Interiors home, I admired this bathroom’s Morris & Co.‘s Pimpernel wallpaper, blue stacked tile, and a leather-wrapped mirror and baskets. The airy dining room overlooks a garden patio. And an airy, white bedroom gets cozier with a canopy bed, boucle chairs, and beaded chandelier. The home office got lots of attention with Victorian-style wallpaper swooping down from the ceiling to the top of green-paneled walls. This is Spoonflower’s New Heights paper — really pretty. Pink chinoiserie wallpaper — Avignon by Wallpaperie + The Leslie Style — makes for a dreamy bedroom. A wicker bed and burlap chandelier add natural texture. Avignon detail Cuppett Kilpatrick At the Cuppett Kilpatrick home in Rollingwood, I was drawn to a cozy, textured sofa with gray and mauve pillows. Tactile art above it harmonizes perfectly. The big picture window frames a view of handsome live oaks. A kids’ art table and colorful framed art occupy a nearby alcove. A minimalist tablescape is elevated with a gorgeous GUBI Tynell 1972 Pendant Light with pleated-bamboo shade. An upstairs deck offers a view of a multi-level backyard with artificial lawn… …and a concrete slide and stairs leading down to a putting green. I’m glad to see some living plants on the slope and along the fence. An upstairs den is anchored by a large Cruz Ortiz painting — a cowpoke Hamlet with Yorick skull? In the primary bath, mirrors are suspended in front of a large window. In a girl’s bedroom, Kelly Ventura‘s Shade Blossom pattern appears on the walls, Roman shades, and bedding, set off with sage green trim. The trim color is Sherwin-Williams Oyster Bay… …according to a handy spec sheet from the designers. A window with a treehouse view of the live oaks makes a perfect spot for a reading nook. I’d never leave this spot. Another child’s bedroom features blue bunk beds in a green-painted alcove. Ashley Ferguson Interiors I thought I might not have time to see the Ashley Ferguson Interiors house out on Lake Austin, but I made it with 30 minutes to spare. Perched on a steep hillside, the house invites you in via a long stair to the door, which opens onto this floral scene. The painting is by Ali McNabney-Stevens, I think. A moody dining room gives a ’70s vibe. The light looks like a Murano Pebble Pendant by Fabio. A sitting room off the kitchen features four blue armchairs. And a powder bath goes dramatic with a dark-veined sink and raspberry zellige tile. That’s a wrap on my coverage of the 2025 Tribeza Interiors Tour. It was a good one! To read Part 1, click here. And click here for Part 2. I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox! __________________________ Digging Deeper Attend the annual Budding Out Plant Sale & Festival on March 15th at the John Fairey Garden in Hempstead. Shop for rare plants from the garden’s nursery and select plant vendors. Local artists and artisans as well as food, drink, and demonstrations will also be featured. Admission: $5 for members, $10 for non-members, children under 12 free. Hours: 10 am to 4 pm; members get early admission at 9 am (memberships available on day of event). Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Read all about the Season 8 lineup here! All material © 2025 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. Source link

[angusstory]

February 04, 2025 Let’s explore the last 5 homes on the 10th annual Tribeza Interiors Tour, a tour of Austin homes that shows off the work of interior designers. This is part 3 of my coverage of the late January tour. (Click for part 1 and part 2 if you want to start there.) Sparrow Interiors At the Sparrow Interiors home in Tarrytown, a red divan under a contemporary portrait grabs your attention in the entry. Echoing touches of red appear in a wood-paneled sitting room (pictured at top), where twin blue sofas face each other. A lighthearted dining room features a pink gallery wall and branch chandelier. This, however, is the dining area I was most drawn to: a round table and banquette with moody blue-and-purple upholstery. A black Murano glass chandelier adds to the goth-romantic vibe. A bar area featured furry wallpaper, Wonderwoods by Arte, that had tour-goers exclaiming and touching it. I’ve seen textured wallpaper, but faux fur is next level. Pastel cranes, deer, and dogs rove under cloud-like trees against a black field. Check out Sparrow’s portfolio for more pics of this bold space. A 3rd dining area confused me — was this a guest wing? — until a docent explained that this curtained space is part of a pool house, with a wall of windows that slides open to make an open-air cabana. Again, check out the designer’s portfolio to see how it all fits together. The beautiful drapery fabric reminds me of Marcia Donahue’s bamboo sculptures. The pool house bathroom is dramatic and spendy with a wallpapered ceiling and vertical tile completely covering the walls. A skylight in the shower brightens the shades-of-brown room. The ceiling is wallpapered with Hoopoe Leaves by Cole & Son. Outside, a pair of beautifully cushioned sofas offers space for lounging by the pool and watching a game. Looking back at the main house, you see two more spaces for enjoying the backyard, a dining deck and covered patio. The patio’s rattan swivel chairs didn’t appear comfortable, so I sat in one to see. Looks are deceiving — it was so comfortable! Lavender and blue fabrics harmonize with the banquette dining area just beyond the window. An elegant powder room draws you in with emerald Greek key wallpaper — It’s Greek to Me by Phillip Jeffries. Gem-like pendants add more glowing green. Clayton Korte At the Clayton Korte house, I admired a front sitting room-turned-library. Floor-to-ceiling corner windows bring the outdoors into the room. Square-framed bookshelves display books and decor. A pillowy chair and a reading table offer options for where to crack a book. Bookshelf styling with Bill Ding stackable clowns. Remember these? This is an art lover’s home, with folk art ceramics and small paintings — including a Lance Letscher pinwheel collage — making a bigger-than-the-sum-of-its-parts display. I was intrigued by a series of cowboy scenes painted on plastic bags. What does it signify? A disposable culture? The Old West living on in microplastics? The ultimate in reuse? I’d like to know more. Jazzy tile in the kitchen includes a wavy pattern on the floor and silvery gray zellige tile curving around the range hood. A retro, bubble-gum pink fridge adds a playful touch. Countertop bouquet and copper pans A bathroom wowed me with floor-to-ceiling penny tile. It even wrapped around tricky framing of the tray ceiling! I can’t remember what this room was — maybe a supply closet? — but I enjoyed the yellow sink and silvery wallpaper, Fruit by Morris & Co. Word art in the hallway brought to mind the recent wildfires in Los Angeles. But upon reflection it evokes for me a drought-stricken West Texas landscape. A commentary on climate change? A restful primary bedroom… …and glam copper tub framed by watery green zellige tile. Peeking out the kitchen window, I admired a calm evergreen plant palette, contemporary paving, and lacy breeze block wall screening the carport. It’s the work of Lattice Studio, recently rebranded from Austin’s Big Red Sun. Heading to the car, I got a closer look through a steel-framed wire fence. I like the trough fountain with copper spout and gently curved stone path in the gravel. BANDD/DESIGN Interiors At the BANDD/DESIGN Interiors home, I admired this bathroom’s Morris & Co.‘s Pimpernel wallpaper, blue stacked tile, and a leather-wrapped mirror and baskets. The airy dining room overlooks a garden patio. And an airy, white bedroom gets cozier with a canopy bed, boucle chairs, and beaded chandelier. The home office got lots of attention with Victorian-style wallpaper swooping down from the ceiling to the top of green-paneled walls. This is Spoonflower’s New Heights paper — really pretty. Pink chinoiserie wallpaper — Avignon by Wallpaperie + The Leslie Style — makes for a dreamy bedroom. A wicker bed and burlap chandelier add natural texture. Avignon detail Cuppett Kilpatrick At the Cuppett Kilpatrick home in Rollingwood, I was drawn to a cozy, textured sofa with gray and mauve pillows. Tactile art above it harmonizes perfectly. The big picture window frames a view of handsome live oaks. A kids’ art table and colorful framed art occupy a nearby alcove. A minimalist tablescape is elevated with a gorgeous GUBI Tynell 1972 Pendant Light with pleated-bamboo shade. An upstairs deck offers a view of a multi-level backyard with artificial lawn… …and a concrete slide and stairs leading down to a putting green. I’m glad to see some living plants on the slope and along the fence. An upstairs den is anchored by a large Cruz Ortiz painting — a cowpoke Hamlet with Yorick skull? In the primary bath, mirrors are suspended in front of a large window. In a girl’s bedroom, Kelly Ventura‘s Shade Blossom pattern appears on the walls, Roman shades, and bedding, set off with sage green trim. The trim color is Sherwin-Williams Oyster Bay… …according to a handy spec sheet from the designers. A window with a treehouse view of the live oaks makes a perfect spot for a reading nook. I’d never leave this spot. Another child’s bedroom features blue bunk beds in a green-painted alcove. Ashley Ferguson Interiors I thought I might not have time to see the Ashley Ferguson Interiors house out on Lake Austin, but I made it with 30 minutes to spare. Perched on a steep hillside, the house invites you in via a long stair to the door, which opens onto this floral scene. The painting is by Ali McNabney-Stevens, I think. A moody dining room gives a ’70s vibe. The light looks like a Murano Pebble Pendant by Fabio. A sitting room off the kitchen features four blue armchairs. And a powder bath goes dramatic with a dark-veined sink and raspberry zellige tile. That’s a wrap on my coverage of the 2025 Tribeza Interiors Tour. It was a good one! To read Part 1, click here. And click here for Part 2. I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox! __________________________ Digging Deeper Attend the annual Budding Out Plant Sale & Festival on March 15th at the John Fairey Garden in Hempstead. Shop for rare plants from the garden’s nursery and select plant vendors. Local artists and artisans as well as food, drink, and demonstrations will also be featured. Admission: $5 for members, $10 for non-members, children under 12 free. Hours: 10 am to 4 pm; members get early admission at 9 am (memberships available on day of event). Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Read all about the Season 8 lineup here! All material © 2025 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. Source link