#an alternative could be seeing if I can go back to the district summer musical and design lighting for that or something

[nope-body]

.

[agent-cupcake]

As a resident Claudefucker, I know am curious to know what our fave charming schemer is doing during this Mafia!AU. He'd look lovely in a suit.

~It was quite the headline when Godfrey Riegan died. The details are a little hazy, a little convenient, but people don't talk about that sort of thing. Car accidents are common. Tragic, but not unreasonable. There’s no reason to smear a man’s perfectly respectable political career for the sake of some sensational gossip.

~In the right circles, however, there was a huge uproar, questions about who was going to take over the Riegan family when the elderly boss Oswald died. The Riegan’s had been dominating Leicester for quite some time, but a lot of people began to predict that the Gloucester family was going to move in. They had powerful friends, it seemed. Friends with money, no less.

~Claude Riegan, grandson of Oswald, appeared out of nowhere just when he was needed. Stories of the lost daughter Tiana still circulated, sure, but there were still a lot of questions about Claude’s origins when nobody except Oswald were able to vouch for him. He obviously had military leadership experience—his skill with guns and ability to lead was just too excellent for any other explanation—but he dismissed the question out of hand. There’s no documentation of him, either, leading some to wonder if even his name was false. But Oswald said he was family, and that was that.

~Claude was quick to establish himself, in any case. Despite his cavalier attitude, his efficacy in overhauling the power dynamics of Leicester were profound.  

~He decided, first and foremost, that the way to win the people over was to invigorate the local culture, which had seen a sharp decline as a result of new laws that were unfavorable to business, Adrestia’s growing market monopolies, and the bad reputation of the red light district Ailell. This included some perfectly legitimate campaigning and some under the table type schemes. 

~The result was a flourishing Derdriu Street. While it lacks the prestige of Enbarr Square in Adrestia, it welcomes entertainment that would be considered too “low brow” like comedy, trendy new restaurants, and music venues. Even better, all of it is built on the recently cleaned up river. The Riegan family is involved in all of  it, of course. 

~Casino owner Claude. This exists solely to thirst but maybe it was preexisting and he took it over due to its poor management? If there’s going to be gambling anyway, it should be done right. The extra money’s not so bad, either. But, Claude lounging in a big leather chair in a dark blue blazer with gold brocade, his white shirt unbuttoned low enough to see enough his chest. Enough to make you drool. Enough that you’d definitely get caught staring and probably called out for it because he can’t help himself. Claude with his elbows on the arm rests and fingers folded in front of him as he considers you, gold rings winking because he’s just that ostentatious and appearances are important. Claude asking you how you feel about taking risks in a way that really feels like it has nothing to do with cards, staring at you with a friendly smile that doesn’t meet those calculating eyes—eyes that you know will pick up on every tell. 

~Claude also struck a deal with the Kupala Distillery. They’d been fighting to keep hold of their historic business for years, and Claude offered to help them with that. You know, not for free, but he’s good at making deals that leave everybody happy. 

~The second biggest thing he tackled was the drug trade. For the most part, no one family had ever had a complete handle on that market. The Goneril’s had a hold over the docks for years, but the Edmunds had been moving in and working with the Gloucester family to bolster their power. Distribution was scattered and hard to keep track of as it ultimately circulated wherever there was a profit to be made. Looking at it like this, Claude decided that the only way to fix things was to take control over all of it. In his line of work, shady things like the drug trade are impossible to avoid. At the very least, if he has control over it, he can ensure the product is clean and expel far more unsavory ventures.

~Through these escapades, Claude was able to make alliances with all of the major families. A lot of them had only remained loyal to the Gloucester family out of fear so as soon as they had an alternative, they bolted. This has an unfortunate side effect of revealing how his power is perceived. Every day is a balancing act for Claude. He allows each family to function as they please as long as they’re aware they do so at his mercy. It’s better to keep friends than to control enemies, but even that requires a delicate maneuvering of power.

~However, Claude likes the conflict. He enjoys the game and he especially enjoys winning the game. There’s a certain level of his excusing amorality for the sake of his family and Leicester, but there’s an equal part of him that understands his wrongdoings and deals with it separately. He wouldn’t hold to the naïve “ends justify the means” idea to excuse himself, but he would still argue that his actions have value and are even necessary. If it weren’t him, it would be somebody a lot worse than him. That’s probably something that would linger in the back of everybody’s minds whenever they shook his hand or paid their respects, whenever they began to think of how easy it would be to take him out. Fear, too. So far, Claude’s never done anything shockingly bad, only what was necessary. But with his power and intellect, it’s always a question of what he could do.

~If someone asked him that, Claude would smile that friendly smile and tell them that he would do anything to see his vision made real. Whether or not that’s true remains to be seen. 

~Luckily, Claude’s not alone! Hilda is the stereotypical crime family princess. She joined Claude because he offered her freedom from the overbearing control of her father and brother. Her skill in manipulating everybody around her combined with her reputation as a ditzy rich girl makes her fantastic at gathering information, assuming Claude can get her to do so. But, as long as he’s not being too forceful, she’s surprisingly motivated to weave her way through social circles and charm everyone. Although she would never say it, the order he brought to Leicester, not to mention the entertainment, made everything a lot better for her and her family. Plus, she likes being useful after spending her entire life watching Holst give his heart and soul to family while she did nothing. Ultimately, the information she provides is essential and her relationship with Claude is one of the few either have that’s built on trust, respect, and loyalty. That said, sometimes even Claude gets a little shiver as he watches how easily Hilda can manipulate people.  

~Lorenz was one of Claude’s most disdainful detractors, although a part of that was jealousy. Claude just swept in and did things that Lorenz had been waiting and planning to do once he became the head of the Gloucester family. Even after being on the receiving ends of such vicious attacks, once Claude undeniably had the upper hand in Leicester, he went behind the Gloucester boss’s back to Lorenz and told him that they were going to be friends or enemies, it was Lorenz’s choice. Not threatening him, just pointing out that the fall of the Gloucester family was inevitable under his father’s leadership and that Lorenz didn’t have to suffer for his father’s sins. Probably over mimosas and brunch. Lorenz is proud and has no appreciation for Claude, but he’s not stupid. After they worked out their disagreements and more or less accepted each other, Lorenz and Claude became pretty close. Claude knows that having someone to openly and aggressively disagree with him isn’t a bad thing. Not only that, but Lorenz’s a solid ally with a better grasp on some of the things Claude has difficulty with due to not being a native. Lorenz is willing to admit that Claude is a good leader.

~Marianne is well educated in the realm of the law and political action. The reason the Edmund family saw such success despite their lesser status was because of her adopted father’s genius. which he made sure to share with Marianne. She is invaluable in aiding Claude on the perfectly legitimate side of his business, and helping him hide his tracks for the shady stuff. Raphael is the muscle. Lysithea is a computer genius. Being a sickly shut in with issues that only recently saw treatment, she’s on the Mr. Robot level of hacker mode activated. Ignatz is an architect which is useful since so much of Claude’s power is in the property and infrastructure. He also designed a lot of places to have some neat-o hidey holes. Claude loves buildings that have secrets. Leonie is manages a lot of the physical and pettier side of the work. If someone’s stirring up trouble, she’s likely to pay them a visit as a warning before Claude has to get involved. She used to be a mercenary but being on Claude’s payroll is a lot better of a gig.    

~As for the suits, one thing is very important. Claude would not, under any circumstances, wear something tight on his thighs. I actually kind of like the idea of him going for a 1980′s style modernized. In his post timeskip outfit, he’s already got a hint of that going on with how oversized his outfit looks. The 80′s (rightfully) gets a bad rep for fashion, but it’s also very iconic with those wide-collared suit jackets, matchy-matchy three piece suits, sportscoats with a fun patterned shirt underneath, open blazers, pleated pants with an oversized jacket, and—in particular—the trend of summer suits in shades of tan and cream with colored shirts underneath. Then, combine that with a pair of Ray-Ban Aviators and a topless convertible and you’ve got a distinctly recognizable mob boss who doubles as a devastating heartthrob. I’m not saying he’d do a 1:1 recreation, but you’d definitely see references to the fashion of the era in his outfits. He would wear oxfords or ankle boots. Whatever it was, they’d have to be comfortable. He also doesn’t shy away from jewelry. The earring, of course, and rings when he's feeling particularly decadent. When he’s wearing his shirts unbuttoned Claude could possibly wear a gold chain. I mean, what are you gonna say, no? That gold doesn’t look gorgeous against his skin? That it’s tacky? You’re talking to the man who wore quilted pants. Claude’s not afraid to stand out because he knows he will anyway, nor is he afraid to be seen as unfashionable because he doesn’t particularly care about trends. I also enjoy the idea of him emulating the 80′s as someone who didn’t grow up in a western culture and thus mainly saw things through the lens of movies. Whatever he wears, however, he would look very handsome.

[linkfms]

☠️    *   what  is  up,  party  people  !    i’m  jojo  (  she/her  ),  23,  and  in  the  pst  timezone.    it’s  been  a  while  since  i’ve  been  in  a  group  so...  pls  bear  with  me.    anyway,  under  the  cut  you’ll  find  more  info  on  resident  emo  boy:  link  !   i’m  so  excited  to  write  with  u  all,  and,  if  u  ever  want  to  plot  give  this  a  lil’  like  or  send  an  im  over  @  yea right#4256  !

lincoln  “link”  seong  was  spotted  in  the  fashion  district  adorning  prada  combat  boots,  with  some  airpod  pros  on.    they’re  most  likely  listening  to  when  you  were  young  by  the  killers.   you  may  know  them  as  @hyperlink  or  as  that   jeon  jungkook  lookalike.    their  twenty - fourth  birthday  just  passed.    while  living  in   tribeca,   they’ve  gained  a  bit  of  a  reputation.    they’re  known  to  be  erratic  but  on  the  other  hand   vehement.    wonder  if  they’ll  be  the  next  person  to  hit  the  headlines.   (  cis male  &   he/him  )

↳     THE  BASICS:    STATISTICS.

full  name:   seong  hyunjae  (  성  현재  )    /    lincoln  seong.

nickname:  link,  and  will  probably  only  answer  to  link  !

age  &  date  of  birth:   24  &  november  21,  1996.

hometown:   born  in  busan,  south  korea,  but  moved  to  jefferson,  connecticut  in  2006.

current  location:   tribeca,  new  york.

education:  completed  high  school  and  attempted  first  semester  of  university,  but  decided  to  pursue  music  instead.

occupation:   drummer  for  indie/alternative  rock  band,  my  time  (  sound  is  similar  to  bands  like  the  killers,  the  1975,  and  paramore  ).   also  is  an  affiliate  with  an  esports  organization  !   doesn’t  play  competitively,  but  streams  and  creates  content  for  them  weekly.

sexual  orientation:   pansexual  &  panromantic.

gender  &  pronouns:   cisgender  male  &  he/him  pronouns.

↳     THE  BACKGROUND:   BIOGRAPHY.  (   tw:  mentions  of  alcoholism  &  abuse  )

seong  hyunjae  (  later  given  the  english  name  lincoln  seong...  thanks  linkin  park  !   )   was  born  in  the  heart  of  busan,  south  korea.    his  parents  married  at  the  age  of  21,  due  to  the  cultural  expectations  of  having  a  child  born  out  of  wedlock.    while  things  seemed  to  be  smooth  sailing  for  a  while,   the  couple  realized  the  real  struggles  of  adulthood.   financial  issues  came  into  play.   stress  from  working  multiple  jobs  every  single  day  took  a  toll  on  their  mental  health,  as  well  as  their  relationship  with  each  other.   link’s  mother  began  to  develop  an  alcohol  addiction,  and  her  abusive  behavior  came  following  after.   their  home  was  falling  apart,  with  four-year-old  link  falling  asleep  to  muffled  screaming  and  glass  being  thrown  on  the  next  room  over.   his  father  was  able  to  withstand  it  for  a  while,  but  he  drew  the  line  after  coming  home  from  work  to  see  large  cuts  on  the  side  of  his  son’s  thigh,  and  a  bruise  forming  across  his  cheek.   that  was  when  he  knew  his  wife  was  dangerous.    so,  one  night  when  lincoln’s  mother  as  at  work,  he  packed  his  belongings,  grabbed  link,  and  left  without  looking  back.

for  a  while,  it  was  just  the  two  of  them.    they  found  ways  to  make  it  work,  and  despite  the  fact  that  it  was  a  constant  struggle,  his  father  never  wanted  link  to  lose  his  childhood.    in  fact,  his  father  gave  him  everything  he  could  give   —   but  most  importantly,  as  cheesy  as  it  sounds,  his  unconditional  love  and  support.    as  someone  who  lost  his  own  parents  young,  he  made  sure  that  link  would  never  feel  like  he’s  being  deprived of  that,  ever.   they  created  this  tight-knight  bond  because  of  that,  which  can’t  ever  be  broken.   and  now,  link’s  fondest  memories  always  involved  spending  time  with  his  father.    one  favorite  memory  of  his  involved  morning  jam  sessions  after  breakfast.    link’s  father  was  previously  a  lead  guitarist  in  a  garage  band  with  a  few  of  his  high  school  friends,  so  while  he  was  playing  riffs  on  his  electric  guitar,  eight-year-old  link  would  be  banging  the  coffee  table  with  plastic  straws.   

when  link  was  about  ten,  he  and  his  father  sold  all  of  their  belongings  and  moved  all  the  way  to  jefferson,  connecticut  for  a  job  offer  that  he  couldn’t  refuse.   fast  forward  a  few  years,  and  he’s  a  teenager  in  high  school.    growing  up  link  was  more  of  an  introvert,  and  would  spend  his  time  in  the  computer  lab  playing  video  games  or  browsing  in  online  forums.   he  was  a  regular  in  this  my  chemical  romance  forum  (  under  the  username  @hyperlink  ),  and  made  a  lot  of  his  lifelong  friends  over  there.    one  of  his  online  friends  jokingly  suggested  one  afternoon  that  they  should  start  a  band  over  their  nightly  skype  call,  and  while  it  was  initially  shrugged  off  as  dream  more  than  an  arm’s  reach  away,  my  time  was  born.    link  had  to  endlessly  plead  his  father  to  buy  him  a  secondhand  drum  kit  off  of  craigslist  for  christmas.   but  once  he  found  it  under  their  tree  that  year,  it  sparked  this  drive  in  him  to  learn  and  practice  nonstop. 

their  first  official  band  practice  happened  a  day  after  link’s  high  school  graduation  (  which  was  also  the  first  time  everyone  saw  each  other  in  person  !   ),  and  they  spent  that  entire  summer  making  music.   at  first,  link  only  thought  of  it  as  a  hobby...  since,  he  was  attending  his  first  year  of  university  that  fall.   but  after  playing  their  first  few  shows  and  making  all  these  memories,   he  couldn’t  keep  the  band  in  the  backburner.   he  dropped  out  not  too  long  after  to  pursue  his  music  career  full-time.   moved  out,  spent  the  next  few  months  working  long  shifts  at  the  local  amusement  park,  and  shared  one  two-bedroom  apartment  with  his  bandmates.    one  of  their  songs  went  viral  one  crazy  night,   and  the  next  thing  they  knew,  they  were  being  signed  into  a  record  label.   now  ?   they’re  one  of  the  biggest  alternative/indie  rock  bands  out  there  with  multiple  platinum  records,  sold  out  world  tours,  and  millions  of streams  each  year.   their  time  finally  came.

↳     THE  INSIDE  LOOK:    PERSONALITY.

link  definitely...  gets  babied  a  lot   (  by  his  bandmates  and  his  fans  ),   and  he  uses  that  to  his  advantage  :]   because  of  that  he  gets  away  with   a  lot  of  things,  but  it’s  usually  with  things  that  are  small  like  eating  the  last  slice  of  pizza  and  it  would  be  justified  with  “  no  he  is  a  growing  BOY  he  NEEDS  it  !  ”

that  being  said,  he  eats  nonstop.   the  guy  carries  a  sandwich  bag  full  of  cheerios  wherever  he  goes.   his  friends  know  that  if  they  can’t  finish  eating  something,  they  can  always  donate  it  to  link  for  a  good  cause.

when  my  chemical  romance  announced  their  reunion  tour  in  2019,  he  threw  his  phone  across  the  room  and  cried.   my  chemical  romance  (  with  green  day  and  linkin  park  as  a  close  second  !  )   are  his  all-time  favorite  bands,  and  a  lot  of  my  time’s  sound  is  heavily  inspired  by  them.

when  i  tell  u  that  this  man  is  so  chill,  i  mean  it.   like  things  could  LITERALLY  be  on  fire  and  he’d  be  like   “  just  throw  some  water  on  it  it’ll  be  fine  😎  ” ...  he’s  not  the  type  to  worry  about  things,  and  is  more  of  a  go  with  the  flow  type  of  person.   he  doesn’t  even  need  to  be  zooted  to  be  like  this.   KJFGDG

being  in  the  band  and  a  part  of  the  entertainment  industry  caused  a  small  shift  in  his  personality.   maybe  he  just  blossomed  ?   who  knows  !   but  because  he’s  been  exposed  to  the  rockstar  life,   he  was  able  to  open  up  more.   he’s  always  seeking  thrills,  big  or  small,  and  won’t  have  the  time  to  think  about  the  consequences  for  his  actions.  

because  the  my  chemical  romance  forum  that  was  once  his  second  home  shut  down,   he’s  since  moved  on  to  reddit.   social  media  isn’t  really  his  thing  (  and  his  fans  always  get  mad  at  him  for  posting  a  selfie  once  a  month  then  dipping  ),  but  catch  him  on  subreddits  making  comments  or  starting  fights  for  the  sheer  entertainment  of  proving  someone  wrong. 

this  might  sound  bad  but...  he  still  can’t  wrap  his  head  around  the  fact  that  he  isn’t  ?   financially  struggling  anymore  ?   even  if  he’s  already  bought  a  house  and  two  luxury  cars  for  his  dad,  he  still  gets  ticked  off  if  he  sees  something  small  like  an  APPLE   that  is  marked  a  dollar  and  a  few  cents  over  the  usual.   he  catches  himself  using  things  until  they’re  ABSOLUTELY  worn  out,  and  still  leeches  off  of  his  bandmates/friends  when  he  can.  <3   also,  if  something  is  broken,  he’ll  be  the  type  to  figure  it  out  and  fix  it  himself.

people...  don’t  exactly  remember  the  last  time  he’s  slept.   it  could  be  the  insomnia   (   it’s  definitely  insomnia,  thx  childhood   trauma  !   )  but  it’s  almost  gotten  to  the  point  where  he’s  afraid  to  fall  asleep  on  his  own.   he’ll  always  try  to  find  ways  to  sleep  in  someone’s  company,  even  if  it’s  just  him  crashing  on  a  couch  while  someone  is  watching  tv  right  there.   if  he’s  alone  though,  he’ll  always  try  to  find  ways  to  distract  himself  like  stream  for  10  hours  straight.

speaking  of  trauma...  he’s  also  scared  of  relationships.  after  witnessing  the  way  his  mother  treated  his  father,  he’s  cautious  of  history  repeating  itself...  but  with  him.  so  whenever  he  catches  himself  even  falling  for  just  a  little,  he  dips.

his  life  revolves  around  the  4  m’s:   marvel  movies,  minecraft,  music,  and  my  chemical  romance.   that’s  it.

a  link  😏   to  his  pinterest  !   also,  i  don’t  have  any  wcs,  but  if  we  plot,  i  promise  i’ll  use  my  big  brain  to  brainstorm  something  with  u.  <3

[heroofshield]

2020 20 Questions

tagged by @missmeggo929! Tagging @gavotteangel @rosedawsontyler @ma-sulevin and @schoute

1. Do you make your bed?  

Nope. I only have just enough time to do my morning routine and get out the door. besides, no one sees it so why bother?

2. What’s your favorite number?

10. only because that was my favorite doctor.

3. What’s your job?

Math Intervention Facilitator. Which is hilarious because math is my worst subject/content area. I even had to repeat a semester of geometry in high school.

4. If you could, would you go back to school?

If money wasn’t an issue, yes. I’d probably get an office manager/HR degree so if I don’t want to be an educator anymore then I could maybe worm my way into an office job that way.

5. Can you parallel park?

no. i hated it when i had to learn for my license and i avoid it at all costs.

6. A job you had which would surprise people?

My first job was working for my town’s park district which was...interesting.

7. Do you think aliens are real?

yes. as to what they actually look like, i don’t know. But I don’t think they look humanoid/have human features.

8. Can you drive a manual car?

nope. It was a whole thing when I was learning how to drive and hated it with a passion.

9. What’s your guilty pleasure?

E-sports. It’s overhyped and lacks representation, but it kills a weekend.

10. Tattoos?

 I have two. One is a chain-link bracelet on my right wrist and then the Hero of Brightwall symbol from Fable 3 on my right shoulder blade. I want to get more, but hopefully I’ll get the Mass Effect Paragrade symbol over the summer (on my leg).

11. Favorite color?

Purple.

12. Things people do that drive you crazy?

Chewing with mouth open/loud noises while eating.

13. Any Phobias?

Heights. I can’t even do ferris wheels.

14. Favorite childhood sport?

I played softball until freshman year of high school and really enjoyed it.

15. Do you talk to yourself?

sometimes. when i’m trying to work through something 

16. What movie do you adore?

Princess Bride, live-action Cinderella, Stardust

17. Do you like doing puzzles?

When I was younger I was on a puzzle kick, not so much now that I have other stuff going on.

18. Favorite kind of music?

Rock, either Alternative Modern or Classic

19. Tea or coffee?

Both, although I drink slightly more coffee than tea.

20. The first thing you remember you wanted to be when you grew up?

a Lawyer. But I don’t have good arguing skills so that fizzled out.

[princessofcaliban]

20 Questions

Tagged by @latenitewolves ! I’ve never been tagged before this is weird! I feel like I’m doing it wrong lol

Do you make your bed?: only in the middle of the night when i feel like cleaning

Favorite number: 3

Your job: Don’t have one right now

If you could go back to school would you?: I miss the social aspect but honestly I’mma have to say no

Can you parallel park?: I think so? I haven’t done it in a while but

A job you had that would surprise people: uhhh I worked for my school district over the summer?? I found a bucket of sheep brains in a two year basically abandoned school they had me do stuff in

Are aliens real?: there’s no way they aren’t tbh

Can you drive a manual car?: nOpe

Guilty pleasures: reading imagines and making handmade letters for my friends

Tattoos: don’t have any. I want some but I’m a HUUUGE baby

Favorite color: I like maroon to wear and periwinkle as my general favorite

Things people do that drive you crazy: for some reason, I hate when people say or write “maths”?? Just tell me what kind of algebra Henry. I also hate when people leave my room without closing the door all the way

Phobias: definitely Atychiphobia - the fear of failure

Favorite childhood sport: basketball. Still is even though I can’t play anymore

Do you talk to yourself?: oof maybe

What movies do you adore?: I love animated movies. I love how much work goes into it from animators and all of them. They work really hard

Do you like doing puzzles?: not really. I get bored

Favorite kind of music?: pop/ alternative? I like a lot of things but not country. I love 5SOS, Alessia Cara, Ethan DeRose and girl in red

Tea or coffee?: neither. What’s a fella gotta do ‘round here to get some apple juice?

The first thing you wanted to be when you grew up?: I think a teacher which is funny to me cause now I don’t like children pfft

--------------------------

Tagging: I don’t have anyone to tag haha but if you want to do it tag me! I want to see!!

[creepycreepyspacewizard]

“Rains smells so different in the city.” & kylux

Hux had booked this holiday six months ago on a whim, eager to spend an unexpected new years bonus on a treat for his boyfriend. They’d been together for two years now but Hux worked so much overtime that they’d never managed to take a vacation. They deserved a break. Well, he deserved a break and he deserved a chance to have Kylo all to himself away from his band for a week or two. 

When he’d been choosing the destination for their holiday he’d considered all the usual suspects- Mykonos, Ibiza, Grand Canaria- but the price and his own horribly pale skin had put him off. He was far too ginger for the beach, and at the age of 34 he was feeling far too old to be partying all night.

So Hux had settled on a nice walking holiday in the Peak District. It might be July but the English weather was always terrible, so he’d been expecting them to spend the whole two weeks huddled together in the cottage to escape the inevitable rain. 

Of course there’d be a fucking heat wave. Wasn’t that just Hux’ luck all over? 

It hadn’t rained since May; the countryside was alternately scorched yellow or literally on fire; Kylo had suddenly discovered a previously unrealised passion for hiking that had Hux trailing after him everyday for miles further than they intended; and to top it all off Hux had developed an allergy to sunscreen. The holiday was a disaster.

At least the cottage was far enough from the fires that the smoke was vague haze on the horizon rather than an actual threat, and Kylo gave great massages when they eventually made it back to their bed, but at the end of the first week Hux was still tired, sunburnt and sore in places he’d never even thought about before. 

So he sat at the end of their lovely soft bed, glaring at his hiking boots as if he could cause them to combust through hatred alone. Hux couldn’t bear the thought of putting anything on his aching feet, let alone the stiff heavy boots that were almost certainly half a size too small. The footwear however didn’t care about his discomfort and remained frustratingly unburnt.

“Hey, Hux? Are you ready yet?” 

The house was a quaint little two roomed building made of local stone. If Hux leaned a little to his left he could see straight from the bedroom doorway to the front door on the other side of the kitchen. Yet Kylo sounded oddly muffled for someone standing less than fifteen feet away. 

“You should come see this!” Kylo continued with amusement in his voice. “I think you’ll like it!”

Hux couldn’t think of anything he might like right now, unless it was a courier here to delivery a gallon of gin, but he stood up anyway. The cool stone floor was a relief to his blistered toes, and he couldn’t help groaning quietly in pleasure. 

“HUX! Come on!!” 

Maybe Kylo had found a previously hidden hot tub in the garden or something. 

As Hux made his way around the ancient kitchen table he caught a glimpse of Kylo standing on the path outside with his arms outstretched like some idiot in a pop music video. 

It was oddly dark outside. For a moment Hux felt panic rise in his throat. Was that smoke? What if the winds had changed enough to drive the fires towards them? 

He dashed across the room, bare feet slapping painfully on the flagstones until he was standing on the porch and his steps were suddenly arrested by the sensation of water between his toes. 

“Holy shit... It’s raining!” He whispered like speaking too loud would frighten away the clouds.

Kylo turned to him with a wide grin and his long hair plastered ridiculously around his face. “I hadn’t noticed.”

Hux would have snapped something catty back at that bit of sarcasm, but Kylo still had his arms stretched wide and the water was making his shirt cling deliciously to his muscles. They might have spent every night for the last two years together but Hux was never going to object to a free show. 

Without thinking Hux licked his lips at that lovely sight, which only made Kylo laugh and dart forward to pull him out into the downpour. 

Hux gasped as he was instantly drenched to the skin. The ground was still warm from weeks of baking in the sun making the rain more refreshing that freezing but it was still unexpected. 

Kylo took the chance of the unguarded moment to kiss Hux senseless. Chilly fingers sank into his hair and rain slick lips set his whole frame shaking. Hux was ready to drag him back to bed when Kylo turned and tried to lead him away from the house.

“Come on,” he said with a brighter grin than Hux had ever seen on his face before, “there’s a great view of the valley from the end of the road, we can sit on that big rock and watch the storm!”

There were a million and one objections Hux could have made to that, but his mouth choose to start with “but I don’t have any shoes on!”

Of course, that was no obstacle to a man who could bench press twice Hux’s bodyweight. Before Hux could say anything Kylo had lifted him by the back of his thighs and walked them both the huge flat boulder sitting at the end of the dirt path. 

“Wow.” It wasn’t eloquent but it was accurate. 

The Peaks opened up before them, a rocky rolling patchwork of rain and sunshine topped with a rainbow that looked so perfect it almost seemed like CGI. 

“Yeah,” Kylo agreed simply as he lowered Hux onto the rock and climbed up beside him. The gritty sandstone surface instantly made the backside of his shorts horribly uncomfortable, but the view was beautiful enough that Hux hardly noticed. 

“Rain smells so different in the city,” Kylo sighed happily, settling one of his damp but warm arms around Hux’ waist. “I never noticed before, but in the city it has a... chemical edge... all engine fumes and bitumen. Here it’s just... fresh I guess. Renewing. Green.”

Hux couldn’t help but snort at that. “I don’t think anything here has been green in weeks.”

“No, but it will be.” Kylo relaxed a little more, his wet hair resting against Hux’s own and sending little rivulets of tepid rain water running down his neck. “You know I haven’t been outside of a city in a decade? Except in vehicles, going from one gig to the next. It reminded me too much of home... no, not home, you’re my home, I mean it reminds me of being a kid. Deserts make me think of Luke, forests remind me of my uncle, and all those disappointing lakeside holidays that should have been with Leia and Han but always ended up being with nannies. The country was where I got sent when I was too much myself... I never thought I’d enjoy it here as much as I have done. I suppose its the company you keep that makes the difference.”

Kylo tightened his arm and turned his head just enough to press a kiss to Hux’ forehead. “Thank you for this...”

Hux swallowed around the sentimental lump that had developed in his throat when Kylo casually called him ‘his home’, but speech was still a little out of reach. Instead he twisted in Kylo’s arms to hug him in return.

The rain was already starting to slow, a maverick shower that couldn’t stand up for long against the summer sun, but around them everything shone with the promise of new growth. 

The only way this morning could be more perfect was if Hux could persuade Kylo to take him back to bed. With that aim in mind Hux leant up and kissed him.

Rainy Day Starters

[perogipoj]

Drinkin’ The Kool Aid

Drinkin’ the Kool Aid

-dedicated to all misguided alternative medicine doctors, and Julie Glockenspiel, Esq., who told me teaching is a very flexible job.

 I have belonged to two cults: Essential Oil.com and Charter School, Inc.  The first one required deprogramming.  The latter I always knew was bullshit, but I was willing to be a slave for the measly paycheck.  

 I still do not understand why you need my social security number, I said, filling out an order form to purchase a small package of lavender, peppermint, and lemon essential oils. They did smell good, and I would receive a 5ml bottle of wild orange for free.  She was a good friend, however, and I wanted to support her.

 This was, however, a covert operation.

 My first day of preplanning at Charter School, Inc. started out as amazing. Incredible.  It was a luau with plenty of food and surprisingly OK weather for an August day in Florida.  Each team of teachers had its own table in the auditorium/lunchroom/facility storage/uniform exchange/recycling center multipurpose room.  Teachers are always grateful for a free meal, even if it is stale bagels and cream cheese tubs with that small pool of liquid circling the top; one can always mix that up with a spork.  I asked where the faculty lounge was.  Oh, darling, my hand patted, you are too funny.  

 It then occurred to me to look at the preplanning schedule.  In the past, I scanned to see what meetings were useless and when I could just go to my classroom to actually … preplan.  My eyes grew wide, and my feet became numb as I slid off my sketchers and sat cross legged in my chair, grabbing a handful of M&M’s.  

 Monday: AM Luau, Raffle Prizes for Summer Forum only for those who attended it for a week in July.

 Tuesday: [New Teachers Only] Absorption of our Founder’s book, “Why Life Should Not Come in the Way of Work: The Power of a Rubber Band Ball.”

 Wednesday:  Dress as your Favorite Color Rubber Band!  Mandatory delight in Charter School, Inc. Bingo and Plinko. Light refreshments, such as leftover Cheerios from last year’s after school program, will be served.  Encouraged to stay and play District Risk and try to win more students from good schools!

 Thursday: Professional development;  Word Walls, Data Binders, Interior Design of a Classroom, Which Committee you will be forced to join, Your paper limit for the copier and how to Teach with no resources, How to never Fail a student, How to Be at Three Meetings at once, Navigating the Muddy Field you have to park in.  Join us at 11:00 PM for a Domino Pizza Party and enjoy cutting your own bulletin board paper in our multipurpose room Please limit to two slices of pizza and BYOW (Bring your own water!)

 Friday: Cruise Day!  Get ready for an exotic trip!  Just like a real one, train how to wear a life preserver and survive the Journey:  Run to and from our stations at car-loop duty, lunch duty, mopping your classroom floors, carrying a 20 pound clear plastic box of standardized tests, creating a gift basket for each student to say Way to Play for the FSA!  Join us after lunch provided by yourself for a meeting with our school Guidance Counselor:  Strategies to enhance your Charter School, Inc. experience. How to Allow Alcohol to Cope.  Being OK that you Alienate your Friends and Family.

 Saturday:  Useless and discouraged, but feel free to meet with our Human Resources “man” we borrowed from The Office. Know your rights, and please use your mother’s or husband’s insurance.  

 Sunday: Let’s get rolling!  Feel free to plan for yourself on your own time.  Please contact Carl, our only facilities employee, on his beeper to open the gate.

 Merriam Webster:  Cult; great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work.

 Within days, I received no fewer than ten emails from EssentialOil.com.  Congratulations on becoming a Health Advocate!  You have dedicated your life to sharing powerful essential oils with your friends and family!  

 A “healthy lifestyle” has always been my front to cover up inadequacies in my personal life and relationships.  When a good friend invited me to a pamper party, I was surprised that when entering the door, I was given an order form, and corralled into a lecture with a PowerPoint.  I made note to take the glass bottle of Perrier and head back home on a Wednesday night.  Somehow, I had managed to become a certified yoga instructor, and was interested in general, but was honestly confused.  I did not know what a pyramid scheme was.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  

 My “friend” sent flow charts of how much income I could accrue by only purchasing $100 worth of product each month wholesale, all the while inviting friends and family to join as it was a win-win situation.  When people balked when asked about their social security number, I glowingly explained that they can make so much income that they would be taxed, that is all.  Look at your medicine cabinet, I was trained to explain.  Everything you have is toxic.  Instead, you could purchase a kit of essential oils for $500 and responsibly cure your family from everything to the common cold, mental illness, diabetes, and cancer.  All research was conducted by the company itself.  My own friend claimed to cure her husband of thyroid cancer with frankincense and a blend of essential oils historically found obviously unsuccessful to eradicate Bubonic Plague.

 Merriam Webster:  Cult; a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator.

 Teaching is a profession, an art, and a balancing act, no matter where you teach.  Most students are remarkably similar, even if they are quite different.  Jesus said give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.  Maria Montessori wrote “the greatest sign of success for a teacher... is to be able to say, ’The children are now working as if I did not exist.” The Buddha asks us for acceptance and appreciation of the present, to not seek joy, but contentment.  To me, it means work. Good work.  

 It seemed to come within weeks that I was asked to join the International Conference for Essential Oils.com. in Provo, Utah.  I had realized that I made a profit of $80.00 the entire scheme while purchasing hundreds of dollars of oils each month.  Uplines were granted ranks of precious metals and gems as they were the only ones making money, and lots of it.  

 Join us to share the incredible experience of our family and our world-changing health and wellness expo.  

 I, regrettably, cannot join, as I do not want to pay my way to Utah and all my room and board.  Out of curiosity, I watched it on YouTube.  A stadium full of mostly women, lights and music, a fervor of excitement over new products. It competed with a Superbowl half-time.  

 Teachers, after a schoolyear of exceptional work by our students and administration, we have had the most successful year ever!  Teachers are instructed to clear their calendars July 4-10 for Forum, our opportunity to meet with all the regional Charter Schools, Inc.  The bus will leave at 6:30 AM from the Manatee car loop to head to Tamarac, in the good ole’ F-L-A.  We reserved five rooms at the La Quinta at a somewhat reduced rate.  A wedding is also occurring, so please plan to pay four to a room with two double beds.  Vending machines are down the hall.  A cash bar reception will be held from 3:30 to 4:30, happy hour.  Please drink up so you Imagine that this is a good experience.  

 Mark Twain wrote that “education consists mainly of what we have unlearned.”  

 I told Charter Schools, Inc. that my daughter had an orthodontist appointment five days in a row.  I went to CVS and bought the most toxic bar of dove soap.  I finally felt clean.

[openamenta]

a summary of in color, by lintamande

{I have trouble reading long things where I don’t know what will happen. @theunitofcaring, who is great, wrote this summary of in color. I appreciate it a lot and would like it to be available to more people who might have my or other things} ((edited by Alicorn to have paragraphs and a cut and fix a couple small errors))

In Anitam, a medium-sized country in Amenta with patrilineal caste inheritance, Afen (a Fëanor), son of a powerful politician, chafes at being blue instead of green like his dead mother. He runs away from home and bluffs his way into a green university. He’s good at it. Between his obvious suitedness and his powerful friends, no one wants the fuss that’d go with prosecuting him; he gets several degrees and a tenure-track job, marries green and buys green credits for his kids.

His firstborn is Aitim (a Maitimo), about as miserable green as his father was blue. Aitim starts maneuvering to get acknowledged as blue very nearly as soon as he can walk, pulls this off again partially on his own merits and partially with his grandfather indulgently pulling strings. He is very quiet about his unusual background, though everyone important knows it, and starts training for national political office with a impressive diplomatic career. His secondborn is Makel (a Macalaurë), who becomes a phenomenally successful pop star, tours internationally, makes millions, buys his parents more child credits, and goes around being somewhat careless with his wealth and extremely careful with his image. He’s the best and he knows it.  Third one is Telkam (a Tyelcormo). He’s dyslexic and not particularly good at any green skills and becomes an actor in low-budget action thrillers. He’s depressed and insecure and spends a lot of time pretending to be anyone at all but the disappointing son of an extraordinary family. At story’s start he is sleeping with his stunt coach, dyeing his hair grey, and mostly out of touch with his family. 

3422

A blue in Voa (the second-largest country in the world, a major food exporter) arranges for all of the nation’s food distribution to pass through red hands. He does this in the hopes that everyone’ll get over their fear of pollution and be able to integrate with reds. It doesn’t happen like that; people go hungry, make themselves ill with disgust, spend all their time showering. Even worse, all of the countries to which Voa exports food declare war on Voa for poisoning their food supply. The objective of the war is to conquer a bunch of Voa’s farmland and use it to produce food themselves, so they can be independently food-secure. 

Telkam’s boyfriend enlists, and coaxes Telkam into enlisting also. Anitam joins the war. Telkam learns Tapap from the Tapai soldiers they’re serving alongside, and teaches his father back at home. Camped out during a ceasefire, Telkam hears a girl sobbing on the phone and begging her mother to steal money for something. He goes over to be nosy.  The girl is Peka (a Rebecca), a Tapai red enlisted alongside the unit to handle the dead. She enlisted because her family is leasing a child credit for her daughter Katin, and if they fail to pay it off then Tapa will euthanize Katin. She’s terrified the war will end and they won’t be able to make the payments. Katin was unplanned; the father was an orange boy who raped Peka. 

After trying unsuccessfully to get Makel’s secretary to give him the money to pay off Katin’s credit, Telkam suggests Peka bleach her hair and come back to Anitam with him, where he will get Aitim to give her citizenship papers. Peka, once she realizes he’s serious, agrees to this. (This is several capital crimes at once; desertion, pollution violations, disguising oneself while red). Peka and baby Katin (who doesn’t need to dye her hair, it’s naturally orange) get smuggled into Anitam under cover of a concert by Makel for the troops. Telkam does not tell his family that they’re red, just that they’re illegal immigrants.

Elsewhere the nation of Orvara runs a pilot program in which purples do red jobs and decontaminate afterwards, in a rotation so none of them get irrevocably unclean. Reds are driven out of the city where the pilot program occurs and left to die. This pilot program of Orvara’s is greeted by enthusiasm internationally; everyone wants to be rid of their reds. A peace agreement is reached in the war.  Peka starts doing sex work (which is grey in Anitam) out of Telkam’s apartment. She also hits it off with Makel, because she’s an enthusiastic fan of his and has a great singing voice and musical ear herself. He invites her to his recording studio and eventually asks her out; they start dating.

With Peka’s suggestions Aitim starts a program to reach out to Anitam’s reds and improve their living conditions. His cousin Isel (an Aredhel) spearheads it, and tries with very limited success to get cops prosecuted for murdering reds unprovoked and so on.  Peka and Makel’s relationship gets serious; they start discussing marriage. Peka deflects; she’s scared the kids would have red hair and give her away. Katin gets settled at an orange school learning to become a daycare worker and is very happy.

Winter comes. There’s a blizzard. Lots of reds are stranded unable to get back to their districts; most of them freeze to death. Aitim hears about a couple and invites them into his office to not freeze; he is discomfited by being confronted with how terrified reds are of everyone else. He’s more discomfited when Isel shows up and the reds know her and adore her, just because she occasionally gave half a shit about horrible injustices.

Elsewhere the blizzard strands Peka at Makel’s without her hair dye; she tries to dye it with not-intended-for-hair bleach in the middle of the night, gives herself a chemical burn. Makel figures out she’s red, yells at her that he thought he loved her and runs off to have a breakdown in the shower. Peka tries to convince him not to have Katin killed/packed off to the red district and then curls up in the bathroom crying. Eventually he pulls himself together and comes back to inform her that he’s not going to have her killed. Things are awkward. He calls Telkam to complain about Telkam not telling him. They have an argument. He apologizes to Peka. Things remain awkward.  He decides that he still loves her and will keep the secret.  —– It’s

3423

. Orvara, happy with the results of their trial program, expels the reds from the rest of their cities and switches over to using rotating purples for red tasks. The reds mostly flee to an abandoned mining town in the mountains, where they slowly starve to death. Isel and her family lobby to get some of them imported to Anitam. It’s a politically costly and protracted fight, because Anitam pretty much never takes immigrants, but they get a few visas. They go out to the abandoned mining town to let the reds know. Isel asks Telkam to come as security (because she thinks actual greys might hurt the reds) and Telkam recommends Peka.

A few of Orvara’s reds come back to Anitam. One of the reds is a very premature and very sick newborn baby with purple hair; Telkam grabs the kid and shows up at a hospital in Anitam claiming it’s his by a purple mother, gets the kid medical treatment, and adopts him. His name is Ladah.

Makel and Peka talk about getting married. Summer arrives. In the southern hemisphere, the nation of Biyan issues their reds no child credits. The reds panic, successfully burn down one city’s blue district and are killed attempting the same thing across the country, and balk en masse at teaching their replacements to do their jobs. Biyan takes hostage (and tortures, though this is barely hinted at in the text) all the red children to have leverage to force the reds to do what they’re told. The Anitami government can not be persuaded to object to this beyond writing a disapproving letter.  A Biyan red gets a gun somehow, breaks into where the kids are being kept, and shoots them all, then herself. There’s a mass suicide (with probably some murder of recalcitrant participants) of all Biyan’s reds. Biyan has no way to do anything about pollution and scrambles frantically.

Makel and Peka get engaged and have a very fancy wedding optimized for the money they can make selling picture to tabloids; they are worried they’ll need it with current events going the way they’re going. They’d been planning a baby in the spring but put it off in light of the international situation. Aitim hears that Evalee and Cene are contemplating doing a transition to purples also. Telkam asks him this and he tells him.

Telkam gets a job in a gun shop and starts buying weapons out of their inventory. He goes to Evalee. He leaves working pocket everythings with messages for the local reds in the trash, coordinates to leave them guns and explosives in the trash, does that. The reds shoot all the Evaleen purples training to replace them and start taking out blue politicians as well. Evalee scrambles to figure out who gave the reds guns but can’t find anything because they’re not checking the garbage. Evalee cuts off food to its red districts. Telkam enlists help from his father in deleting Evaleen government training videos for replacement purples. Evalee limps along by feeding only the reds who show up for work and only when they show for work. Everybody else, seeing what a mess this is, declines to go ahead with it themselves.

When Peka and Makel get back from their honeymoon Peka’s sister is waiting for her. Inspired by Peka’s success she pretended to be grey and snuck out also.

Nertel writes a paper proposing a procedure by which reds could be made clean. It takes six months and involves chemotherapy and blood transfusions and bone marrow transplants. —–

3424: 

With an alternative to ‘sit around waiting for the reds to all die’ in hand, everyone desperately tries to convince Telkam to return home before he’s caught. (Evalee is looking really hard for him, but they don’t have a good way to check the garbage.) Telkam agrees, throws out all of the food in all of the apartments in his building so the reds have something to eat, and goes home in time for clinical trials of the reds-cleaning thing.

Three reds go through it. Isel gets them jobs working in her vacation home. The neighbors are unhappy and skittish around them.  Politicians try to get Evalee to back down on starving its reds. Evalee doesn’t back down. Biyan flounders, having no reds to do red work, and international sanctions are imposed because of their pollution problem. No one else tries it.

Kantil (fourth son of Afen and Nertel’s, a caste-abolitionist economist) decides that he wants to marry a purple business owner because he’s really into the skills involved in business ownership. He gets a meeting with Isama, the CEO of Amentan!IKEA (called Assemble), asks her tons of questions about the regulatory environment and how she got her company working, decides he’s in love, and asks her out. Together they lobby the government to have better worker protection laws; she knows what’s needed and he knows how to phrase things so blues will listen.

Makel and Peka tell Katin, now a teenager, Peka’s backstory (which implies that Katin, too, is red). She’s deeply upset and spends a lot of time showering but keeps it secret.

At a family dinner Isama hears about the red decontamination thing, and is very unimpressed that Anitam is planning to let the reds turn purple, which she thinks reflects an attitude that purples are just your dumping ground for people who aren’t good at anything else. Aitim thinks this is reasonable and they start pushing to let ex-reds match into whichever caste matches what they did when they were red. They get a batch with some prospective yellows and oranges and greens.

Aitim, Kan, and Isel decide to set up a red with their cousin Inlad, who is well-intentioned but a bit clueless and condescending and has an absolute fascination with the plight of Oppressed Peoples. The reds produce a candidate who wants to become a blue and is willing to put up with all the weird fetishizing required. Her name is Shasali and she’s a community organizer for the reds - coordinates work schedules and riots and stuff, though she doesn’t advertise the latter. She goes through decontamination, gets set up as an intern to a judge in yellow criminal, deals with vague hostility and a lot of skepticism, and marries Inlad in the fall (they want a baby in the spring, to cement the thing as soon as possible.)

Kantil and Isama also get married.  Makel and Peka, Kantil and Isama, and Inlad and Shasali all buy credits for the spring. 

3425:

Persons with credits get pregnant. Shasali’s a star judicial intern and after three seasons gets promoted to a judge in yellow criminal. Babies are born and much doted on. Makel and Peka’s daughter Ana is born with red hair; they pretend she has immunodeficiency problems which prevent visitors until she’s old enough to hold still while they bleach it.

Aitim pulls strings to get some blue-involved financial fraud and embezzling cases to come up on Shasali’s docket in yellow criminal; Shasali then takes bribes to drop the cases in the form of support for red decontamination. Someone accuses Aitim of doing this but there is of course not the slightest of evidence.  Anitami reds aggressively organize themselves to make the decontamination thing a success. They push through people who’ll be great candidates for clean castes first, monitor each other to avoid anyone getting in trouble, do all their work promptly, and raise money to pay for more decontaminations (which are still being funded through private charity).

Evalee is trying to arrange to hire Orvaran purple plumbers and sanitation workers to train their purples so they can replace their reds. Isel frantically tries to figure out how to prevent this from happening. Eventually, in desperation, she goes to Telkam, who is vague about whether he might be able to do anything but requests a lot of money.

One of the ex-red purples confides in a coworker, who murders her and then immediately calls the police to report a pollution violation. The Anitami courts initially shrug. Shasali panics; she and her husband hire private security but aren’t sure those will protect them either. Appropriate pressure is brought to bear and the Anitami courts execute the murderer, albeit with a little bit of ‘not that we don’t see where he was coming from’.

Telkam goes to Makel and asks that Makel do an impromptu foreign tour through a list of countries where he wants to establish contact with the local reds the same way he did it in Evalee, by leaving working computers in the garbage and trusting the reds to sometimes salvage them, finding a message with an email address. Makel discusses this with his wife and goes ahead and does it.  Telkam leaves the pocket everythings around and gets directed to an out-of-date wiki for a unpopular TV show. In the talk pages of the wiki there’s discussion and coordination of how reds can survive events. They contemplate various forms of terrorism to prevent Evalee from moving ahead with the transition. The possibility of taking blue children hostage is discussed. Telkam calls Isel to indirectly ask for information about which Evalee blues could back down if they saw fit. Isel asks Aitim and reports to Telkam. Telkam posts the information.

Evalee reds take six uncannily well-chosen blue babies hostage, dye their hair red and keep them among the rest of the Evalee reds. They demand their government pay for decontamination and safe passage to Anitam.  Anitam doesn’t want insane murderous hostage-taking reds; the demand actually fractures the tentative coalition in favor of decontaminating Anitami reds, who have not been involved in any recent riots or troublemaking. Evalee asks for Anitam to pretend to take the deal and then shoot the reds once the hostages have been safely returned. Anitam considers it.  With much frantic scrambling from politicians Anitam rejects that plan and says they’ll take the reds for an exorbitant decontamination fee if there’s somewhere to send them afterwards, maybe Evalee should buy up some rainforest.

Under lots of pressure from their upset blues, Evalee buys some rainforest, going deep into debt to any country who will loan them money. Anitam accepts the reds for decontamination. The blue toddlers are returned home. The reds expect to be murdered at that point; they aren’t. Anitam diligently chemotherapy-and-bone marrow-and-blood-transfusions them.  Kantil starts figuring out a structure for trade deals and so on for the new country; Isama makes plans to open a factory there. They send stuff to the reds, who change it around mostly because they want ownership of the situation themselves.  Evalee is openly planning to bomb the rainforest once the reds are there. Isel sells off most of her assets in order to fund vacations to the rainforest for tons and tons of Anitami greens to ‘study the process of a new country being founded’ and serve as human shields. —–

3426 

- Tapa sends Anitam a trial batch of Tapa reds to decontaminate. Biyan continues to flounder. Isama opens a factory in Miolee. Anitami greens parade around being human shields. An Anitami ex-red murders the police officer who killed her brother. She is executed. There is now a significant population of ex-reds raising money for more decontaminations.

A boat of Orvaran reds, who have somehow survived since their expulsion a few years back and were now trying to get to Miolee, wash up in Calado. Isel throws herself into trying to convince Calado to send them over to Miolee, which will decontaminate them. She sells the rest of her assets to buy Miolee a decontamination facility with adequate procedures and Anitami supervision. Eventually Calado agrees to send the reds over; Miolee retrieves them. Makel and Peka talk and decide to get Peka, Katin, and baby Ana decontaminated in the Mioleen facility in the winter, just in case this helps convince anyone not to execute them should the truth come out.

A Tapai ex-red is viciously assaulted by a grey who notices his roots showing; the grey gets a minor ticket for damaging the window he smashed the red’s head through. Anitam tried to persuade Tapa to actually prosecute crimes against ex-reds, but Tapa thinks this is absurd. Grey stalks and attempts to murder another ex-red in her home; she fights back, he dies, and she’s arrested for murder. Anitam protests. She’s acquitted of murder but convicted of improper use of lethal force in self-defense, and the grey’s families retaliate by burning down an entire red district and killing everyone in it. Tapa is worried that reds will riot over this; they cut their reds off from the internet, shuffle them around to make it harder for them to coordinate riots, and impose stringent security and curfews.  Peka is worried about her family; Makel schedules a tour in Tapa and she goes, waits for the garbage crew after a concert, contacts old friends, and confirms that her family is still alive but terrified. She and Makel agonize over whether there’s any way to get Peka’s little brother out. They can’t come up with anything.

Cene conquers Biyan. This is by international norms perfectly reasonable (Biyan wasn’t managing their pollution) and everyone acknowledges the new government.  Winter comes around. Peka and her children go off to get decontaminated. Makel sends the family photoshopped images of them all on a beach vacation elsewhere and frets. —–

3427

- A blue political intern working on gun control policy stumbles across evidence that Telkam gave the Evaleen reds their weapons. He decides to use this to blackmail Aitim. Aitim convinces him to help cover it up (since the blackmail will be less useful if other people have it too), pays him off, and periodically does him favors.

Anitam finishes transitioning away from reds. Ex-reds still do the red jobs, but now just decontaminate at the end of a shift, like the Orvaran approach. Makel and Peka have another baby, Elemi.This one thankfully has green hair. Shasali (the ex-red blue) and Inlad and Kantil and Isama also have babies. Katin graduates from school and looks for an ex-red boyfriend since she knows she’s running some risk of a red-haired kid. She starts dating one.

That summer Aitim runs for office. He runs a highly successful series of political ads making a point of his cross-caste family and particularly his purple sister-in-law. He wins.  The country of Rivik has their reds train purples, promising to send the reds to Miolee when they’re done. Instead they murder them. This causes a little bit of international annoyance, mostly because it means no one else’s reds will trust them if they try to do the same thing. They form a coalition to threateningly imply Rivik’s leadership should retire. Rivik’s leadership instead doubles down instead. There’s a coup and they’re all shot.

One of the ex-red blues asks Isel out. She observes that she is not a very desireable blue marriage prospect because 1) some borderline-treason activities 2) flat broke 3) universally known as That Reds Person. He thinks she’s perfect and he owns the former red district, now prime downtown land. They start dating. 

3428

: Ladah has his first spring. He has bad springs. He acquires a girlfriend who is transparently using him for access to his famous family; he’s fine with that. Aitim and Kan have kids with a lesbian blue couple in a similar situation.  Tapa cleans Peka’s little brother. He goes purple and gets married to his girlfriend who also marries her girlfriend.

Katin’s ex-red boyfriend is beaten nearly to death on the street by someone who overheard a conversation and figured out he was ex-red. The judge lets her off; Aitim pulls strings and forces the culprit to at least pay his medical expenses. Katin’s boyfriend is completely baffled that Katin’s family would do that for him.

Voa starts cleaning its reds. More countries want to do the thing, but there are trust problems after what Rivik did. Miolee offers to take hostages; no one takes them up on that. Miolee offers to take money and return it when the reds arrive safely. One country has a logistics fuckup and the reds panic and a massacre ensues. Miolee doesn’t return their money. There is international brinksmanship over this. Aitim tells the ex-red Anitami ambassador to Miolee that Anitam isn’t going to back Miolee in a war. They scheme to change that. They come up with a plan for Intal Neli’s obnoxious great-granddaughter to marry an ex-red blue so he’s invested in Miolee’s continued wellbeing. Ex-red blue and obnoxious great-granddaughter hit it off. Intal Neli acquires a little bit of a monetary interest in Miolee. War is avoided.  Afen figures out a warp drive. —–

3429:

Anitam bumps credits while they secretly work on warp. Most sets of parents in the story have children. Anitam’s mysteriousness makes everyone else nervous and Anitam strategically leaks things to defuse tensions. They have a successful test and then go public with everything. Aitim uses the leverage to make malingering countries transition their reds. Amenta goes to space.

[shannrussell-blog1]

As someone who has travelled more to Asia and North America, I was quite naive about the city of Berlin. But, I was travelling around Europe and figured I’d work out what the German capital had to offer when I arrived. I actually thought it was more exciting that way, rather than building up expectations of what it would be like.

Honestly, I was expecting a more cliché German experience… people walking the streets in their Lederhosen, currywurst on every corner and streets lined with old timber-styled houses… oh, and some of the ‘Wall’. Let’s just say, I was right about the wall.

It turns out that it has an alternative, underground and very modern side to it – so it was far from what I expected. So, based on my trip to Germany’s capital, I’ve put together some of my best tips and advice on what I think you need to know before you visit Berlin.

Berlin is a dynamic and modern city, so it may not be what you expect. 

When’s the best time to visit Berlin?

I visited Berlin in July, their summer, where temperatures range between 20-24° on most days – perfect weather if you ask me. Warmer weather means packing lighter and I find it’s more comfortable to spend time outside in. The upside to travelling in the cooler months is that there are fewer lines, but I personally love the European summer – plus, it’s a great escape from our Australian winter.

Europe in summer is a great time to visit, as you don’t have to take us much gear with you. 

How to choose a hotel in Berlin

I always book accommodation based on the hop on/ hop off bus route and if there is a supermarket or a convenience store close by. As a mostly solo traveller, this helps me feel comfortable that I’m in a fairly populated area where I can get my bearings about the city easily. Plus, it’s a great bonus to grab meals and snacks (if need be) from the supermarket.

Arriving at my hotel, I was very impressed. The hotel I booked, located in Mitte, was a luxurious hotel complete with an indoor pool and spa services. This hotel was the most affordable accommodation I stayed in Europe actually and I had stayed in less comfortable places, including a hostel for a higher cost. And, it had air conditioning!

Logging onto the free WI-FI in my room, I worked out pretty quickly that Checkpoint Charlie is the must-see landmark in Berlin – fortunately, it was only one train ride away.

A great tip is to pick a hotel where there are stores nearby.

Transport in Berlin

After finding my way to the train station or otherwise known as the S-Bahn, and working out which platform to stand at, I purchased a daily ticket on my way to CheckPoint Charlie from the ticket machine with euros (coins).

This type of ticket can be also be used on the U-Bahn, buses, trams and ferries too, as much as you like for the day. It’s also quite affordable at just €7.70 Euros max (less if you’re travelling to fewer zones around the city).

Public transport is a great and affordable way to see the city.

A daily ticket is valid up until 3 am on the day you purchase it, which means you can go a few hours past midnight if you’re out late. If you’re not sure about your travels, one-way tickets are available for less and children under 14 years get it cheaper. More info can be found here.

The one thing to remember with transport in Berlin is that you must validate your ticket. In my case, this was a separate machine on the platform (not on the train).

Ticket purchasing is not as strictly monitored in Berlin as in New York or London, so unless you want to take the risk and travel without a ticket, or get caught with one that hasn’t been validated, you may be sprung with a fine from an officer on board.

Make sure that you always validate your ticket, so you don’t get caught out with a fine!

Checkpoint Charlie

Leaving the train station, it was just a hop, skip and an intersection away to Checkpoint Charlie. If you have no idea what this place is about (like how I felt) as a brief idea, it was the best-known crossing point between East and West Germany during the Cold War.

Today, Checkpoint Charlie has actors dressing up in fake uniforms of the traditional border guards to represent what the checkpoint would have been like back in the day. With multiple souvenir shops, a Checkpoint Charlie museum, and a McDonalds close by, it’s now a focal point in Berlin for tourists.

Stopping in for a cheeseburger, I watched out the window at people getting their photos taken. It’s one way to think of Checkpoint Charlie these days as an entertaining way to learn about the history of the wall, which I must say I was sucked into at first. However, on the flip side, realistically this place was a cold and heavily guarded area laden with sharp barbed wire. A lot of people lost their lives here trying to escape, which makes you think twice when you are there.

Checkpoint Charlie is a point of historical significance during the Cold War. 

Travelling around Berlin

Next up, I stepped onto a Hop On Hop Off Bus (City Circle Sightseeing), which at this particular stop took me along the yellow line (the East line), while the purple line (the West line) was a few more stops away to get onto. There are multiple sightseeing buses in Berlin to choose from, which you can buy tickets for from the bus stop or souvenir shops close by.

Most cities will normally have one main centre but because of the wall dividing the city, it can be assumed that there are three in Berlin (one each originally for the East and West and one established after the wall collapse). But, by the end of my stay, I had discovered there were in fact 6 districts all offering a unique experience about the city.

I could easily get a feel for Berlin by hopping on one of the circle sightseeing buses. 

For the rest of the day and over the next few of my stay, my perception of Berlin changed immensely. My assumption of Berlin was that it would be an old worldly German town. But I discovered that it really is an extremely modern international city – especially because it was mostly redeveloped after World War II.

If you’re thinking about travelling to Berlin and are overwhelmed with all there is to experience, here are some of my tips to help you work out what you might like to do (and not do).

Things to do and places to visit

The Berlin Wall – The East Side Gallery

Don’t expect to see a lot of the Berlin wall when you’re there. There are pieces that are still standing – especially at the Berlin Wall Memorial along Bernauer Strasse. There’s a small piece close to Checkpoint Charlie and at the East Side Gallery which has a chunk of the wall now consisting of post-wall collapse painted murals along it.

There are only a few chunks of the wall remaining around Berlin. This is because not long after the announcement that the wall could come down, Berliners chipped and chiselled pieces of concrete away themselves – they weren’t waiting another minute to stay divided!

You can buy broken down remains of the wall from souvenir shops in different sizes and markings on them. These pieces aren’t cheap but they do come with confirmation that they are a certified piece of the original wall. There is talk that this ‘concrete evidence’ isn’t legit though (excuse the pun), but if you are a collector, a piece still represents this tragic time in German history.

A small section of the Berlin wall can be found near Checkpoint Charlie. 

Memorials

There are stacks of memorials around the city you can visit, particularly on museum island. I was a bit overwhelmed with the choice, but I did visit a panoramic creation showing the two sides of Berlin in the 80s. Although simple, I found it captivating and very emotional. You can learn more about it here.

Do expect to be disoriented at the Holocaust memorial. It was controversially designed that way by the architect to resemble a disconnect from human life. It can be described as a massive concrete graveyard. Although the tombs are nameless, this giant installation is still a sacred place so do keep being respectful in mind here.

Take note of the buildings around the city that were bombed during World War II, like the damage on Berlin’s most famous landmark – the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Still standing after being bombed in 1943, it has been left as is to represent the destruction of war and as a symbol of Berlin’s determination to rebuild.

Remaining sections of the Berlin Wall is definitely a must-see when you’re visiting.

Flea market at Mauerpark

I really enjoyed visiting the markets on a Sunday at the Mauerpark flea market. It’s a great place to soak up the sunshine, eat foods from around the globe, shop for anything from jewellery to music records to kitchen appliances while listening to the buskers performing different kinds of music.

Check out the flea market at Mauerpark.

The Brandenburg Gate

The Brandenburg is one of the most iconic monuments in Berlin, and in Germany in general. It has a lot of historical significance dating back to the 18th Century and most recently is seen as a symbol of peace and unity in Germany and Europe. I didn’t get the chance to visit it when I was there, but you might want to check it out if it interests you.

The Brandenburg Gate is a big tourist destination. Image by Welcome to Berlin.

What else do you need to know about visiting Berlin?

Tips for the airport in Berlin

Always check your flight before you leave for the airport, particularly if you are using the free WI-Fi as my flight was cancelled on the way to the airport. I was able to organise another flight when I arrived but had to wait around for hours. Apparently, flight cancellations are quite common in Berlin.

Also, don’t forget to check which airport you’re flying into and out of. There are two of them, so this is very important, especially if you are planning your public transport journey around them.

When travelling to Berlin, double check which airport you’ll be flying in and out of. 

Do I need to learn German for my visit?

You can expect that a lot of younger people (roughly under 35 years) speak English fairly well because it was a huge focus in school. But, I’d recommend learning some German, such as basic greetings and other conversational phrases to help you along. It shows a lot of respect for the culture.

Is Berlin an affordable city to visit?

The whole city really is actually quite affordable. I found public transport, food and accommodation were all very reasonably priced which isn’t what I expected. However, the exception here would be the souvenir shops, as they were still quite pricey!

Considering it’s in Europe, you would be surprised to know that Berlin isn’t very expensive. 

Shopping in Berlin

If you’re only there for a short period of time and you want to do some shopping then KaDeWe is a great place to start. This is a huge department store located on a major shopping street called Tauentzienstraße. This is near the centre of the former West Berlin.

Also, if like me you like to grab a few things from the supermarket to save some cash eating out – just know that supermarket operators won’t pack your bags for you. They often rush everything across the line so be prepared to pack quickly, particularly if it’s busy. Stores close earlier on Sundays at 4 pm (and some are not open at all) despite Berlin being a cosmopolitan city.

Even though it’s not as common to see around, try on the German attire when you’re there. The traditional dress for women is called a dirndl. I found many different styles at a mall in Alexanderplatz. As they are not a costume and an elegant piece of clothing, they aren’t cheap. So keep that in mind if you were thinking of picking one up as a souvenir.

You might want to try on the traditional German dress called a dirndl. 

Do I need to carry cash or should I use a credit card in Berlin?

During my stay, I mostly paid for everything in cash (euros) as that’s my personal preference but you can use cards if you wish. If you’re concerned about card security, another thing to note that is if you’re catching ubers, you can link to your PayPal account for added protection.

I will say that you should avoid bringing large euro notes – especially notes over 50 euros. Berliners are friendly, but they are also cautious about tourists with large bills. I was asked multiple times if I had a smaller note when only buying a few bits and pieces. This was hard when I didn’t, but most challenging when people asked me this question in German!

Supermarkets are a great place to try local delicacies without having to spend a lot. 

What food should I eat in Berlin?

One of the most common fast foods I tried in Berlin was currywurst. This is a dish that consists of a boiled sausage, that’s cut up, topped off with a curry ketchup and served with a side of fries or a bread roll. It’s only a few euros and great for a snack on the go. You can’t go to Berlin without trying one!

You should also try an assortment of meats, cheeses, bread and chocolate when you’re there – so delicious! I’d also say that you should give the non-German cuisine a fair go when you’re in Berlin.

There are lots of multicultural restaurants such as Greek, Turkish, Thai, Indian and Spanish food available. Whatever cuisine you choose, you will not be disappointed as Berlin is known for its incredible food. Something that I wasn’t expecting.

Currywurst is a German dish that you’ve got to try if visiting Berlin!

Public transport – Ubers, Taxis and Buses

I’d recommend using Ubers, as I found them to be a convenient and easy way to get around. I will say that I would avoid using taxis if travelling around Berlin. This is because there are other public transport options available that are much more affordable.

You can also use the hop/on hop off buses and public transport, but just be aware of the operating times.

There are several transport options in Berlin, but public transport is arguably the best choice.

Using public restrooms

What you might not know is that you need pay to use the toilets in certain public bathrooms, so you should try to always carry coins. Though if you don’t have any on you, there will likely be a coin machine next to the bathroom if you only have notes. It costs roughly around 25 to 50 cents to enter the bathroom.

This is pretty common practice in Europe, but you won’t have to pay in malls or most restaurants.

Travel essentials to take for Berlin

Take a collapsible drink bottle with you as this saves space and means you don’t have to buy bottled water

Shoulder bag or crossbody bag – a backpack is convenient, but it will make you look like a tourist and you won’t be able to see it when you’re carrying it so I prefer crossbody style as a better option.

Travel wallet with RFID protection – I recently had my card information scanned and stolen at home, so if it can happen in your daily life – it could definitely happen on holiday! You can also get a credit card sleeve which I’d recommend for day-to-day use.

Caribee Sky Master – this is a great luggage option as it can be wheeled or carried as a backpack which is ideal when travelling – especially through train stations with stairs.

Scrubba Wash Bag – this saved me money and time going to laundromats, plus it helped separate my dirty laundry from my clean.

Travel clothesline – take one with suction caps as you can then easily hang it up in your hotel bathroom.

Laundry detergent – I personally choose a concentrated travel version to save on space and weight.

If you don’t know much about the city itself, Berlin may surprise you.

My final thoughts on Berlin

While I found Berlin to be a dynamic city, I was surprised by what I found. I didn’t know much about it before my visit, so I was quite surprised how young and international Berlin is.

If you’ve always wanted to visit Berlin – then it’s definitely worth ticking off your bucket list on your trip to Europe, so that you can see what it has to offer for yourself.

  Have you ever visited a city that wasn’t what you expected? Let us know in the comments. 

The post Berlin for Dummies – What You Need to Know appeared first on Snowys Blog.

[pocketminstrel]

twenty-sixteen, age 21+22

it’s quite beautiful that i can never predict the experiences that will stick to me as i finish each year and look forward to the next, even though i can always outline my commitments and the places i’ll be. as i look back on this past year, i think of a collection of singular memories and emotions that have all bled into each other and seeped into my soul and exploded into the mess i am today. currently, i feel that i’m the most confused i have ever been. and yet i feel the most aware and knowledgable about myself, the world, and what i can give and take from it. i guess basically what had happened in 2016 is that more and more question marks began to spring into my life than were being resolved, either because of new experiences or the sheer fact that i was finally motioned towards them. 

i’m realizing that just sounds incredibly vague, so i’ll wrap this intro up and dive into details. but before i start, i would like to say that 2016 was another grand year of coming of age. but tiffany, you’re already 22, you already came of age. i’d like to think that life is just a long and stringy story of self-discovery, and that no matter how old we get, if we are properly living, we are constantly changing. which means there is always more to learn, especially when it comes to ourselves. The smart ass self-aware-tiff in me would like to disagree, but i wave my white flag to this truth.

i started this year off pretty secure. i had a great summer (facebook) and fall (berlin) lined up for me, so all there was left for me to do was to enjoy the present: my friends, family, boyfriend, school, and projects. my classes - collaborative innovation, modern lit, philosophy of mind, and social psychology - each represented and stimulated very important pillars of my identity. it was a very wholesome academic semester; lots of writing - i think i counted all the pages i wrote for social psych and it was around 70 or so - but i never dreaded any of it. i remember constantly walking out of my classes in awe and inspired. i was able to throw an art gallery and work in teams that encouraged me to learn about what role i take in them.

during spring break, i went to japan. ironically, i’m actually here again writing this right now. but being in an asian country for the first time in 8 years had a profound effect on me. i have vivid memories of struggling to find the airbnb near the skytree and falling dizzily in love with the tiny streets (finally my size!!), delicate greenery, and colors of the streets - pink, yellow, and green, talking fulfillment with jasmine and monica at commune 246, filling up a whole bar every night out with the sep group, bright green calpico/sake drinks, biking down arashiyama forest and getting lost in the cold, walking out of the station in kyoto to be surprised by the fushimi inari temple, gawking at the box-like architecture in harajuku, and so much more. i remember on the train to kyoto, i thought to myself, it feels really damn good to be asian here.

when i came back to berkeley from japan, my boyfriend at the time told me that he loved me. i didn’t think i was the type - to put so much weight into words of affirmation - but strangely, this changed a lot of things for me. i was trying very hard to kid myself of the very strong feelings that i had for him in fear of pain; but hearing those words from him yanked that delusion immediately out of me. i was in love, i had a very special person in my life who made me stupidly happy, and there was no turning back.

much of the way i organize time for the most of this year is marked by where i was in my relationship. i think in general, relationships tend to do that to you, but i think my case is a little different because our relationship was a slave to time. man, is time a bitch. but time also heals, time sheds light, and time gives you wisdom. my prolonged post-breakup reflection forced me to stare at some huge huge faults about and what i need/what i can improve on about myself in regards to the ways i receive and give love. 

in may, i started my internship at facebook. i was working on a tool with immense social impact. i woke up every day to the rewarding and intimidating reality that i could help millions and millions of lives. but 90% of the time my manager was stressing balls because of the nature of our product, and i felt that i didn’t get as much mentorship as i deserved. and being me, i didn’t ask for it, thinking it would all be okay and i could handle it all by myself just fine. and sometime halfway, i realized that my creative process is not where i want it to be, and that being at facebook could not realize that for me, at least not immediately. i knew i had to be somewhere else. also around the same time, i could not shake facebook’s eerie life-hand-holding and empathy vacuum when it came to social media’s effect on the youth psyche. 

outside of work and all, i had a vibrant social life filled with tons of new and old friendships. i think of the talks i had with ashley in my room, which brought me so much clarity i nearly melted into tears every time we hung out, shuttle rides and “exploring” sunnyvale with luke, nights in the city with zai and maheen, talking ideas and creativity with kevin, eating noodles with kelsey every day, and weekends with angela in berkeley or union square. sometime in the summer, i dyed my hair blue. it was a huge mistake and i hated it, but i guess it was something to cross off my bucket list. 

in 2016, i also went to way too many concerts to count. some shows that come to mind immediately are sophie, ben UFO, Nao, Mura Masa, robert glasper, honne, gold panda, the pc music label, and my god everyone at the clubs in berlin - i got to see anthony naples at berghain, even, the man who got me into house music in the first place. 

i went to two music festivals, too: osl and fyf. at osl, i was nearly moved to tears at “elegy to the void” during beach house’s set - it was the first time i heard that song; i never really gave “thank your lucky stars” a chance. at fyf, i danced my heart out to gerd janson, bicep, black madonna, and hot chip. gerd janson in an act i’ll particularly remember - it was as i was getting a warm, personal goodbye for berlin.

the week of fyf was one of the most interesting crossroads of time in my life. it was the last week i had in california before moving to berlin. it was the week of ending facebook and having loads of clarity with what i needed in my career. it was when i held my mom’s hand during a PET scan. it was the first time i could play with my four month old baby nephew whom i love so very much. it was when i dyed my hair back to a normal color. it was when i learned to really love and appreciate daniel and elaine. and it was the first time i would see my ex in months. needless to say, a lot of anticipation went into that ^ meetup, and i hold that memory near and dear to my heart. the conversation we had in the yellowish park in dtla next to the jewelry district meant a lot to me. sparks flew and they flew. 

and then there was berlin. i’m a bit scared to write this part actually. a lot was going on for me internally (see above) immediately before leaving, and for the majority of my time abroad, i was so lost. i didn’t know what i was doing there, feeling like i was just wasting my time and escaping responsibility. at times, i felt so alone. i convinced myself for a bit that i thought about everything so ceaselessly already that i didn’t need a new environment to learn about myself and be challenged to open my eyes up to the world. but in berlin, i found experiences that could not have happened to me anywhere else or could have hit home at any other time in my life. in berlin, i found muses. i found friends that inspired me with their individuality: yacha, jenn, vartan, kyra. i found club culture. i found the bullshit of aesthetic photography. i found the importance of pursuing what feels right. i found the importance of being my authentic self, even though it can feel isolating at times. i found an outlet in philosophy and art history, escaping into the aura of some of the greatest museums in the world, especially the moderna museet in stockholm and the ai wei wei exhibition in florence. it was a time of finding comfort in facebook chats with peter, jimmy, and jason. it was a time of living an alternate life with a completely unfamiliar routine of life and culture.

however, i think the contrast of returning back home was where i learned the most about the whole experience. they call it reverse culture shock. you really do see the juxtaposition of your current self and a previous self when you go back home. though while home i was fighting a bacterial sinus infection and rhinitis, i had never been so happpy to be with my family. it was the first time being back home where i didn’t even want to see my friends; i just wanted to be at home and be surrounded by my passionate, hilarious, loving parents, siblings, and nephew. man, are we explosive group of seven but equally explosive in support and love. i am almost tearing up writing this.

there’s much more to say, and probably tens of other experiences i should mention in here, but this post is getting too long and i should stop being a hermit crab. 

2017 is going to be an amazing year. i can feel it.

[rilenerocks]

Dear Michael,

Well, here I am again. There are those who find this habit of my writing you letters to be a bit bizarre. The good news about that is that I don’t care. What a relief to be able to ignore the judgments of others. One less thing to worry about. I haven’t found any other place to lay my problems which provides significant relief.  I just need to spill this stuff out to you because my brain is spluttering right now. You know how it goes with me. Too much thinking, too much stimulation and I start boiling over with anger, disbelief, indignation and rage. You were my safe, peaceful place where I could purge myself of such toxicity and eventually slow down, let go, sink in, feel still. This time that’s happening is so over the top crazy that I have no idea how to process what I’d refer to as next. It’s not like I haven’t had my share of issues which required hard choices, or rough patches, or confusion and pain. But this atmosphere is just so utterly bizarre and isolating, both literally and figuratively. It doesn’t matter that you’ve been dead three years this month. I’ve found nothing to replace that cushiony place between us, that retreat from the rest of the world where we could soothe each other and make ready to tackle what’s next. So here I am, with another addition to the hundreds of notes I’ve written you these past few years. 

A couple of things set me off last night. Here we sit in the midst of the world pandemic. The divisions in this country are so profound. You know how many years I studied and puzzled over the Civil War. Well, effectively, it’s still raging. I’ve always known that. But the overt ugliness rearing its head across the country is hard to take. There have been demonstrations all over with protesters demanding their freedom from “house arrest.” That’s how they view the quarantine. Not a mandatory safeguard to protect human life. Rather an interference with their personal agendas.They want to be free to come and go as they please. They don’t want to wear masks and practice social distancing. Some splinter,( at least I hope they’re splinter), groups with multiple axes to grind have shown up at state houses armed to the teeth. I saw a photo of one guy at a store, carrying a rocket launcher and two handguns. The nuances of this complex virus elude so many people. The country is expected to experience 100,000 deaths by June 1st. In mere months. There’s no universal treatment, no vaccine and inadequate testing. The economy is approaching depression level statistics in terms of unemployment, closed businesses and generalized hunger. The pressure to reopen the economy is being pushed by the government. Unemployment is crushing for people and they need to work, to have incomes. But do they also have to get sick and maybe die? The stimulus package from the federal government was too small. I have no idea if the Senate will pass a Democratic bill that will cost a lot more money. The alternative? Open the country and gamble with public health.  It’s an election year and Trump is incensed that the pandemic has tanked the economy he hoped to ride to reelection. He has lied to and misled the public on so many occasions I can’t count them. Human life is not at the top of his list-that’s about power. This recent comment, circuitous ignorance, drove me over the edge.   “Don’t forget, we have more cases than anybody in the world. But why? Because we do more testing,” Trump said. “When you test, you have a case. When you test, you find something is wrong with people. If we didn’t do any testing, we would have very few cases. They [the media] don’t want to write that.” I thought I’d lose my mind.

Then late last night I got an email from the park district with this disappointing news.

Aquatics – There will be no summer pool season at Crystal Lake Park Family Aquatic Center or Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center. All aquatics programs (swim lessons, swim teams, exercise programs) canceled through July 31.

I’m so sad about this.  And I hate myself for letting it get to me. I know that there are infinitely worse things happening to all kinds of people which are so much more challenging than losing your exercise venues. There have been these memes going around which have really resonated with me.  Like the one about Anne Frank and her family living silently in an attic for 25 months to try staying alive. Or the one from George Takei about being rounded up to live in internment camps, victims of xenophobia in their home country. Not to mention the underdeveloped countries always hovering on the edges of war, famine and natural disasters. I get all this and remain conscious of the bigger picture. But I can’t help it – I’m still bummed out that I can’t swim. I don’t feel as good without the water, mentally or physically. The endorphin release that I get in the water isn’t replicated by walking. I’m glad my knees work but hitting that concrete isn’t exactly forgiving. I go to the water because it soothes me and now I have to do without it. And I will. But I don’t like it. Today I was pathetic. I drove over to the pool and just stared at its locked gates and emptiness. It’s so gorgeous there, big sky, plants, twittering birds. Sigh.

It’s hard to figure out what life will feel like when everything “opens up.” I don’t trust anything right now. If I go out wearing my mask and gloves I sometimes see people who aren’t doing that looking at me disdainfully. I guess they don’t know or care that in my mind, they are potential enemies, the people who could be the silent purveyors of the virus. It’s still spreading in our state. No one has any clue whether the summer will bring a respite as is the case with influenza. This disease is not influenza and continues to bring surprises like a new manifestation of dangerous symptoms in children. Previously they were thought to be safe. What if I could be a danger to our grandchildren? How can I know?  I hope we can all get tested soon. That would be helpful although it’s not clear whether antibodies to the virus are temporary or lasting. Am I just going to continue to lead the quarantine life just to be safe? That’s a huge change from how I’ve been trying to live since you died. After a few months passed, I realized that your valiant efforts to stay alive were what would inform the way I would live without you. After all the talking about what you wished for me, new partnership and intimacy, I knew you didn’t really get it. I could never settle for anything less than our cataclysmic, cosmic connection that defined our whole adult lives. I know you meant well and that you wanted me to be happy. But what I felt was that I wanted to live as big and hard as you did. So I started doing that pretty fast. I started traveling, mostly on my own. You and what lay between us empowered me, as it still does.

Tonight is the evening before I was to be headed to see the sights in these photos – the Mendenhall Glacier on a whaling boat and the town of Sitka. Yup. The trip of a lifetime, two and a half weeks in Alaska,  starting in Vancouver, cruising for a week and then disembarking for a land journey into Denali National Park. Can you believe it? Other than another scuba diving trip, I know you would have loved that I was going to have this adventure, something we often talked about doing together. Ironically, one of the ships that carried Covid19 passengers and wasn’t allowed to dock anywhere for a long time, was the very one I was booked on – classic, right?   So as this pandemic continues, what are the odds of my replanning that trip? Will planes and ships, effectively Petri dishes for rapid disease transmission be something I’ll be willing to risk, at least for the foreseeable future? Right now, my answer is a resounding no. And in the meantime, I’m getting older. Smack in the middle of the Covid19 death group.

I hang out in our garden, working away. Your herbs have come back every year – they smell heavenly and make me feel you’re rising up and through me, starting with my feet. I’ve already used the chives. Yes, in this lockdown time, I’ve gone back to cooking after all that time of minimal kitchen duty. I’m making your recipes, a bit fearful that they won’t taste as good, but so far I’m doing ok. I listen to music for hours. For the most part, it’s nourishing for me. Only 50 years’ worth of songs remind me of us. Every now and then I get emotionally ambushed, as my playlist is random, and then I have these great purging meltdowns on our dirt. One of your posthumous musical gifts to me is Pete Yorn who’s been doing live shows on Instagram. Did you even know what Instagram was? I know you’d be amazed to see me using Zoom for long distance family get-togethers and even meetings. Doing my civic duty like you always did, I’m now on the city’s Historic Preservation Committee. Seems fitting as I sit in our home, built in 1893. I’ve been doing some self censorship these past few months which I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do with this blog. As the world got overwhelmed by the pandemic, I stopped writing about your cancer. I felt like it might be too dark a topic when people were being subjected to this new global stress. But as I wonder how long I’m going to be around, I really want to get back to finishing our story. At least that part of our story. Having an orphan cancer and everything that goes along with it is an important topic to share. I know it’s harsh. I was looking through some of the photos that go along with it and they’re pretty brutal. How did I even take them? But they’re only part of our story. A lot came before and to my constant amazement, a lot has come after, even years after you’ve been gone.I took the pewter tag you left on my mourning quilt and put it on my keychain. I have the other X-rated one hidden away. I use your favorite towel and still sleep on my side of the bed. People tell me I’m lucky because I have my kids and grandkids around me. I know that’s true. But I don’t get to sink into them at night, and most hours of my days are silent while they blare your absence. How exactly does that work? I am without answers. All I know is that what was and is you and me still surges inside me. Just having written this provides me incredible relief. Who knew, Michael? Actually we both did – we talked about it often enough. I’m glad you’re still with me although in all candor, I wouldn’t mind something a little more concrete. But thanks for sticking around. Love you.

Spluttering Dear Michael, Well, here I am again. There are those who find this habit of my writing you letters to be a bit bizarre.

[keenperfectiondaze-blog]

Internet dating. Write only if you are serious! Maria. Age 20 My new photos and sexy videos here >>>

Name: Maria Age: 20 Country: Ukraine City: Zaporozhye Marital status: single Children: none Height: 5'3" - 160 cm Weight: 97 lb - 44 kg Eye color: brown Hair color: dark brown Religion: Christian Smoke: no Drink: no English level: basic

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All Girl Games Privacy Policy Terms of Use Copyright Policy Feedback Free Girl Games for Webmasters Welcome to Girl Games, the largest free game site made just for girl gamers. It is vital for the first meeting, but after that it will be more fun and unpredictable if you do not have your other meetings planned out far in advance. I would love to date him and form a r'ship, but i don't understand if the texting game is same for 2 lads. How better to find someone you can really be interested in than sitting on your couch, browsing photos and profiles and being able to have a conversation without loud music club or the voices of other clients in the restaurant. Composed of 50 states, 5 major states and a federal district, America has the world's largest economy.

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Thus the term 'dibo'olin' (passive) means being the receptive partner in anal intercourse, while 'ngebo'olin' (active) means being the penetrative partner. Well we all know that life just isn't like that, and that sometimes, beautiful things come in big packages. The least amount of time spent on Bumble is on Friday — hopefully because everyone is out meeting up with their matches. She was kind, compassionate, attractive, well-educated, a great listener, extremely generous, and very outgoing. For your enjoyment, here are some of the weirdest, funniest, craziest, and most awful messages I have ever received. From the standpoint of anthropology and sociology, dating is linked with other institutions such as marriage and the family which have also been changing rapidly and which have been subject to many forces, including advances in technology and medicine.

[fadingfartconnoisseur]

12 Things To Do in Frankfurt: A Local’s Guide

Frankfurt am Main is among the 5 biggest cities in Germany. Thanks to its international stock market and business centre, it’s also referred to cleverly as “Mainhatten”. However, it’s far more than just a financial hub. In this post I’m going to tell you how to plan the perfect trip to the city, including 12 things to do in Frankfurt that you shouldn’t miss!

Before You Go

Frankfurt is a relatively easy city to navigate and with excellent connections by air and land, it’s not difficult to plan a visit here from pretty much anywhere in the world. But there are a few things to note before you head to the city and some things you may want to keep in mind while planning your trip.

Festivals

Frankfurt is a city that his home to numerous celebrations throughout the year including the Festival of Stoneware, Day of the Forest, Night of the Clubs, Festival of Light, Skyscraper Festival, Museums Riverbank Festival and more. It pays to check the dates of these festivals for a couple of reasons.

For one, the city can be packed at these times and the price of accommodation can go up considerably or be fully booked. If you’re not interested in seeing the festivals, perhaps plan your trip around them.

If you are into festivals, then Frankfurt is a great place to experience them. Check the dates of festivals and events in the city and try to be there for a celebration.

Lines and Crowds

Because Frankfurt is one of the most visited cities in Europe, you’ll find that it can be quite busy, especially on weekends and public holidays or during festival times. At these times, it can be difficult to book tours and you can sometimes wait in line for hours to access the main sights.

Even on a regular day in the city, you may stand in line for an hour or more. TripVerse has an excellent list of things to do in Frankfurt and in many cities around the world. They also offer skip-the-line tickets to many of Frankfurt’s main sites. So if you’re reading this post of the best things to do in Frankfurt and you’re not interested in waiting in long lines and wasting your day, you can check them out.

When To Go

Frankfurt is typically characterized by a temperate oceanic climate with the average annual temperature hovering around 10.6°C with summers reaching around 25°C and the coldest temperature not often going below 0°C in January.

The best time to visit the city is between may and September, but again, this may change depending on what festivals you wish to see or what kind of climate and activities you’re seeking in Germany.

1. Visit the Römerberg

This historic square is situated in the heart of the old town and had to be completely reconstructed after the bombings of World War II. As iconic as the gabled houses that frame the Römerberg, is the Fountain of Justice (Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen) which is an ancient well built in 1612.

It shows the four human virtues of justice, hope, moderation and love. Small female statues on the side of the wall represent each virtue. Watching the crowds wander around the square while enjoying a coffee in one of the cafes is one of my favourite things to do in Frankfurt, especially in the summertime.

The Römerberg Christmas Market

In December, the square is home to a lovely traditional German Christmas Market. This is the best place in the city to get yourself in the mood for the holy night.

Christmas Markets in Germany are something special.

Definitely try some Roasted chestnuts and mulled wine while listening to the sound of perfectly cheesy Christmas music. You’ll soon understand why Germans love their Christmas Markets more than any other event of the year!

Note: Heading to the capital? Check out 10 Things To Do in Berlin

2. Panoramic View From the Main Tower

At 259m in height, the Main Tower is the fourth highest building in Germany. It provides visitors with fantastic views over both the city and surroundings. Climbing the 198 metres to the visitors platform can be challenging for those afraid of heights. But it is certainly worth it for the views and is one of the top things to do in Frankfurt.

Stunning Views from the Main Tower.

A single ticket is €7.50 ($9), or €5 ($6) for students. They can be purchased online through TripVerse if you prefer to save time on long waiting hours at the tower’s base.

3. Try the Hessian National Drink

Everyone knows that Germany has some of the best beers in the world. However, the Hessian regional drink Ebbelwoi is a refreshing alternative to quench your thirst and sampling it is one of the best things to do in Frankfurt. Ebbelwoi translates as “apple wine” and at 5%, it’s low in alcohol…and calories. People also sometimes enjoy it warm during the cold winter months.

The apple wine, which is less filling than beer, can combine perfectly with a traditional German meal. Try it with something like pork ribs and sauerkraut with potatoes. I recommend the Ebbelwoi Unser or the Apfelwein Dax for some authentic German cuisine and and an exquisite taste of the Hessian regional drink.

4. Take a Main River Cruise

For a change in perspective, take a look at the impressive skyscrapers from the water. This is one of the best things to do in Frankfurt for sunset. Depending on the length of your boat ride, you can buy tickets €10 – €13 ($12 – $15.50), with 20% off for holders of the Frankfurt Card.

After purchasing a ticket at the tourist information or ticket counter, you can sit back and relax on the spacious deck. Alternatively, check out the air-conditioned indoor facilities while contemplating the impressive urban architecture of Frankfurt am Main.

The Primus-Linie offers a tour for every occasion, taking visitors on stunning sunset-tours or a beautiful Sunday brunch on the water.

5. Visit the Museumsufer

Spread out on both sides of the river bank, this stretch offers a variety of cultural exhibitions. These include both the historic Jewish Museum and the Museum of German Architecture.

For rainy days, I recommend buying the Museumsufer-Ticket. With this you can check out all permanent and temporary exhibitions in the area for 2 days and it only costs €18 ($21.40).

The Museumsufer is especially nice in summer.

Some of the other best things to do in Frankfurt for culture fanatics include the Nacht der Museen (Night of the Museum) in Spring and the Museumsuferfest (a cultural festival by the river bank) in August. During these festivals, people of all ages wander through the different exhibitions and enjoy food and drinks by the water.

See Also: The Best Off-Track Museums in Germany

6. Shopping Along the Zeil

Frankfurt has more than one shopping district, but the Zeil is the oldest and most popular one. In early centuries, owning an apartment in this street was considered a symbol of prestige for wealthier families.

There is nothing you won’t find in one of the countless shops and designer stores along the Zeil. This is probably the reason it’s one of the highest revenue shopping streets in Europe. It’s also why shopping ’til you drop is considered one of the best things to do in Frankfurt.

The futuristic building of the Zeil in Frankfurt.

The futuristic building of the Zeil Gallery has 7 stories and a rooftop restaurant with outdoor terrace from where visitors get a perfect view of the city.

Where to Stay in Frankfurt

Here is a list of the top 3 rated, affordable properties in Frankfurt. Click on the links and check them out for yourself!

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7. Go Inside the House of all Germans (Paulskirche)

The House of all Germans played an important role in German history and is associated with the foundation of German democracy in 1848.

You can visit the church everyday between 10am and 5pm for a wander through the aisles and a journey back in time. It won’t cost you a cent, so is one of the best things to do in Frankfurt for free. Today, the Paulskirche also functions as a public space for exhibitions, memorials, and as a meeting place.

8. Taste German Foods in the Local Market Hall

The Kleinmarkthalle has everything you would expect from a traditional German food market. The aromatic smell of smoked sausages, roasted nuts, pretzels and sweet German pastries lure the visitor from one stall to the next.

Grab some delicious street food or fresh ingredients for a picnic to go before you continue your city tour through Frankfurt. You could also finish off a long day of walking with a glass of wine on the outdoor terrace of the market hall’s upper level. The Kleinmarkthalle is open weekdays from 8am to 6pm and Saturdays till 4pm.

9. Relax in the Forest Play Park Goetheturm

The Goethe Tower is 43 metres high and – once you have conquered the steps – you’ll be rewarded with stunning views of the so-called Green Belt of Frankfurt. The Tower is surrounded by 3 hectares of playgrounds with slides, swings, and even a water-park in the summer.

No matter if you are coming to the Goetheturm for the view or to have your kids entertained for a couple of hours, the relaxing atmosphere in the park is a nice change to the urban city vibes.

10. Attend a Concert in the Old Opera House

Missing out on the Opera House in Frankfurt would be to ignore the cultural highlight of this city, it’s most definitely one of the top things to do in Frankfurt. This impressive, historic building was bombed completely during World War II before being reconstructed in the 1980’s.

The Old Opera House by night.

Today the Opera House is not only considered an important part of Frankfurt’s historic heritage, but presents a variety of contemporary and classic music concerts in its spacious hall. Tickets can be purchased online, but even without attending one of the concerts, the Old Opera House is extremely photogenic and well worth a visit.

11. Explore the Freilicht Museum Hessenpark

Exploring the Outdoor Museum Hessenpark is one of the best things to do in Frankfurt if you have kids or family. The village reconstructs life in rural Germany during the 18th century. It contains farm houses, shops, a traditional bakery and a mill for brewing beer.

Learn how to bake traditional German bread.

Adults pay €8 ($9.50), or get the better value family card for €16 ($19), to spend an exciting day on the tracks of German history. Students and kids from the age of 6 get in for only €2.50 ($3) and there are exciting handicraft workshops on offer several times a week.

12. Master the Escape Game in Frankfurt

Looking for something different to do in Frankfurt? This city is popular for a diverse offering of Escape Games. They’re not only entertaining for locals, but can be a playful way of spending a rainy day for visitors.

Escape Games can be booked with larger groups of 7+ people and are usually set up around a crime story. The group is then challenged to detect and solve individual puzzles linked to the final story.

You will have to purchase your ticket for a 60-minute play online and can expect to pay between €20 and €30 ($24 – $36) per person. Choose between the different themes such as the Jail-House-Escape or Black & White, depending on your preferences and begin!

Frankfurt is often thought of as the financial capital of Germany. Businesses choose it for its central location within Germany and Europe, its airport and the flourishing stock exchange market. There’s a great selection of cool things to do in Frankfurt. For millennials and students, the city has the perfect mix of style and innovation, chic restaurants, cafes and a vivid nightlife.

The post 12 Things To Do in Frankfurt: A Local’s Guide appeared first on Goats On The Road.

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[loradmurphy]

A Rustic DIY Wedding in a Cow Shed

This post A Rustic DIY Wedding in a Cow Shed first appeared on The Wedding Community Blog

Well, this is the first wedding we have featured that took place in a cow shed wedding venue, and it’s amazing! It just goes to show that you don’t have to have a large wedding in a stately home or a rustic barn; if you fancy a country style wedding then, hey, go and find your local cow shed!

Sarah and Jim’s wedding was a work of love. The styling details really fitted the country, rustic vibe they hoped to achieve. An abundance of hay bales (it helps when you get married on a farm), rustic pallets and crates formed the base for their styling, and together with giant light LOVE letters, candles and fairy lights, the ambiance was set.

What do you feed your wedding guests when you get married on a farm? A hog roast of course. I love the way the table was styled complete with hog’s head centrepiece!

Andy Griffiths Photography captured Sarah and Jim’s cow shed wedding perfectly, and I hope you take away loads of inspiration for your own country wedding.

“Our first encounter was actually during a student night in Leeds. We met in a club and kissed on the revolving dance floor. Sadly this beautiful, romantic act was not the start of our relationship, but it was the start of a very close friendship in which we lived out the single student life together. In our third year we finally became an ‘official’ item and our story begins from here.

Birthday Surprise

“When James proposed he’d planned a birthday surprise for me – a trip to the Lake District. We have always gone up to the Lakes hiking and cycling so I had no reason to be suspicious. When we arrived in the Great Langdale valley he handed me a larger than usual bag and told me that we would be wild camping up the mountain. So off we went up Bowfell.

“The weather was changeable with the sun peering around a rain cloud every now and then. James hadn’t quite decided the exact time when he was going to propose and the weather was playing a big part in his decision.

“Once we reached Bowfell and took the standard ‘top of the peak’ selfie we descended to Angle Tarn where we were going to camp for the night. Knowing I was at my destination I sat on a rock and dramatically ‘refused to go on’. I love hiking but the sun had come out and I had swapped to carry the BIG bag (which held my engagement ring, unbeknown to me, but to the amusement of James). James, taking advantage of the sun, grabbed both bags and began to walk off. He said we weren’t there yet, so I reluctantly followed.

“He continued upwards over a small peak, but once we got over it, to a secluded spot, the view across Langdale Valley was incredible. James quickly distracted me and asked me to look for something in one of the bags. When I turned back around he was on one knee holding the most beautiful ring!”

Cow Shed Wedding Venue

“We wanted a rustic theme to match the proposal and searched for barns in the Lake District and then Cheshire to be closer to home for our guests. Unfortunately we couldn’t match the number of people to the venue within budget. Some barns were so big but then we couldn’t afford, nor did we need, extra guests to fill it.

“We were feeling a little downtrodden when my Dad suggested I contact a colleague of his who owns a farm. I won’t lie, when we first went to see our venue I think we both hoped it would be a beautiful wedding barn, just like the others. We were soon brought back to reality… This was a working farm, and the ‘barn’ was in fact a cow shed!

“Once we got over the initial shock we started to take in our surroundings. The perfectly sized, large empty space, the wooden slats that let the sun shine through, the rolling green fields with stunning views and the industrial silos that provided a fabulous backdrop for photos. It didn’t take us long to pin down a date and from there we had a blank, rustic canvas with which to build on.

“Our plan was to have the whole day at the venue, including a humanist ceremony with my sister as the celebrant. We therefore needed to split our cow shed wedding venue into rooms. Luckily we were surrounded by copious amounts of hay and we could get plenty more. With the use of a tractor, the farmer, David, built high walls with the hay bales and we soon had three rooms for the ceremony, drinks reception and evening meal/dancing.”

Arielle Dress

“It was important to choose a dress that suited the cow shed wedding venue. I did try on some of the mermaid styles which looked beautiful but just didn’t fit the setting. I went to Wed2B for style ideas and laid eyes on the Arielle dress by Heidi Hudson. Immediately I knew this dress was the one. It has stunning detail, an open back and a lovely flowing train giving it a real bohemian style, matched with my handmade floral crown by Flash Floozy.”

“The bridesmaid dresses were from ASOS and were actually one of our first purchases for the wedding. We just loved their bright, flowery summer look and how they brought colour to the venue.

“James, my dad and the groomsmen all wore navy blue Ted Baker suits, rented from Moss Bros, with ties to complement the bridesmaid dresses.”

Simple and Rustic

“We kept the ceremony room simple and rustic with a few large features including a flower arch with wooden crates to decorate with candles, a hessian aisle runner and waterfall fairy lights as a backdrop. James’ stepdad, a welder, made us some large iron hearts which we designed to stab into the hay and decorated with ivy, hanging candles and fairy lights.

“We created our own save the dates, invitations and seating plan out of recycled brown card. Pinterest was our go-to inspiration for those essential wedding finishing touches, including wooden log place settings, handmade confetti cones, chalkboard signage and the DIY photo booth.”

“For our flowers we went along to the wholesalers with Stef (Alternative Weddings MCR) and chose a mixture of green foliage with a variety of fresh white flowers and a hint of pink.”

Pallet Bar

“We drew a lot of inspiration from pop up beer festivals we have been to where everyone sits together on long wooden tables, with the bar and surrounding furniture often knocked up from wooden pallets. James and my dad worked together on building the bar out of pallets and we finished this off with three hanging industrial lights and a big garland of hops.

“We wanted to light the cow shed up with festoon lighting to give it a festival feel. We were exceptionally lucky as our friend’s dad is a TV and film lighting specialist and was eager to help. He filled the cow shed with festoon lighting, uplights and stage lighting, and even put up a disco ball!”

Hog Roast

“We provided all the beer, wine and bubbles but we encouraged guests to bring their own booze. During the meal we gave our guests a silly farm themed quiz for a chance to enhance their BYOB with a big bottle of gin and some fancy tonics!

“The main meal had to be a hog roast! It was the perfect choice for our cow shed wedding venue, informal seating arrangement and sheer love of good, hearty food from an excellent vendor, the Striped Pig. The hog roast was sandwiched between canapés which were also provided by the Striped Pig, and a dessert table full of cakes and sweet treats which we purchased the day before.

“After raising everyone’s sugar levels we decided to go for a cheese wedding cake. We brought this out in the evening along with two large baskets of crackers, homemade chutneys and two sausage lattices.”

I Can’t Feel My Face

“Their cover of ‘I Can’t Feel My Face’ by The Weeknd first drew our attention to the band we chose. Every time we searched for bands we kept coming back to JukeBossa for their infectiously happy Latin sound and fun renditions of current songs. After much deliberation and lots of help from the band we decided ‘I Can’t Feel My Face’ would have to be our first dance song. JukeBossa really were the perfect choice and when the time for our first dance came the sun beamed through the wooden slats and their live summery style was greatly received by us and all our guests.

“Aside from the live music, my sister’s boyfriend, Martin, AKA ‘Music Man’, painstakingly put together some brilliant playlists that kept people on their feet all night. We interspersed JukeBossa’s sets with Motown, a carefully selected wedding medley, and finished the evening with old skool hip hop and RnB.”

A DIY Wedding Can Be Daunting

“We made a lot of incredible memories both on the day and during the build-up. A DIY wedding can be daunting, but the help we received from family and friends, and their genuine desire to want to help out, was overwhelming. Everyone pitched in on the day and it all moved along seamlessly, regardless of a few sleepless nights prior.

“If we had to pick a favourite moment it was the ceremony. It was so special having my sister, Laura, conduct the ceremony and lead us through our vows. We’ll never forget the moment following ‘you may now kiss the bride’ when we looked back at the ceremony room, that we had so carefully planned and created, full of all our friends and family ready to throw a shower of confetti.

“Every bride and groom say it, but the day really does go so fast. Make sure you savour every little moment and delegate as much as possible on the day so you can really enjoy being with your new husband and get round to all your guests – including the cows in our case!”

Photography: Andy Griffiths Photography

Venue: Willoughby Farm, Wigan, Greater Manchester

Wedding Dress: Arielle by Heidi Hudson from Wed2Be

Bride’s Shoes: Kurt Geiger

Floral Crown: Flash Floozy

Suits: Ted Baker

Bridesmaid Dresses: ASOS

Flowers and Trestle Tables: Stefanie Elrick at Alternative Weddings MCR

Cake: Cheese Stack Cake from Costco

Catering: The Striped Pig Company

Craft Beer: Blackjack Brewery

Lighting: Ian Swindells

Light Up LOVE Letters: Wedding Venue Lighting

Entertainment: JukeBossa

Beer Mats: To and From

Whiskey Barrel Poseur Tables: Nerissa Eve Weddings

This post A Rustic DIY Wedding in a Cow Shed first appeared on The Wedding Community Blog

[joeannjordon30-blog]

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20 Budget Summer Vacations In America That Won’t Disappoint

We’re spotlighting the best summer vacations for a perfect balance of affordability and fun. After analyzing the average cost of vacation homes across the country, here’s where to go to get the most bang for your buck.

Best Budget Summer Vacations

Ask your cousin or co-worker where to spend summer vacation, and they’ll likely mention a lively city or popular beach spot. We’re all for following trends, but with increased popularity comes inevitable price hikes during summertime in many traveler-favorite destinations.

Here’s the good news: the best summer vacations don’t have to a cost fortune—especially when you book a vacation rental from FlipKey. Whether your idea of an epic getaway is relaxing on the beach, exploring downtown, or hiking backcountry trails, there’s an affordable summer destination here for you.

Prices reflect the average cost of a two-bedroom vacation rental in that destination for a weeklong stay this summer, according to TripAdvisor Rental data. FlipKey is a subsidiary of TripAdvisor.

Delray Beach, Florida: $955/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: Beach Vibes with City Sophistication

Florida is no stranger to top summer vacation spots, but choose your beach wisely. The more you save on accommodations, the more you can spend on food, water sports, and boat cruises. Delray Beach’s Atlantic Avenue offers gourmet dining, eccentric cafes, and live music, while the Pineapple Grove Arts District boasts more than 20 galleries. The city strip reaches all the way to the shore, which makes Delray one of the rare destinations where the beach and downtown area are truly connected. The cost of a two-bedroom rental here is as much as $1,500 less than other Florida hotspots we analyzed.

See all Delray Beach rentals from FlipKey!

Cudjoe Key, Florida: $1,145/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: Appreciating Florida’s Scenery & Wildlife

If you’re set on a summer vacation in the Florida Keys, make it an affordable one. A two-bedroom rental in Cudjoe Key costs only $1,145 on average per week. You’ll be a half-hour drive from the colors of Key West (and save about $800 on your accommodation). Things are quieter in Cudjoe Key, where Mother Nature plays first fiddle. There are two national wildlife refuges and crystal-clear waters ideal for diving and snorkeling.

See all Cudjoe Key rentals from FlipKey!

Atlanta, Georgia: $1,149/Week

“I stayed here with a group of my girlfriends for a ‘mommy’ weekend…and it was the perfect getaway. […] We loved being close to restaurants and bars, and when we were too tired to hit the streets, we laid around in comfort all day. I would encourage all my friends to stay here.” – Traveler Review

Best Summer Vacation For: City Life with Southern Hospitality

A best summer vacation (and affordable)…in Atlanta? You bet. Yes, this major connecting hub is one of the biggest (and busiest!) cities in the region, but you can definitely enjoy it on a budget. Whether you want to sample soul food, tour iconic filming locations, or rollerblade along the BeltLine—a multi-use trail connecting 45 neighborhoods—Atlanta offers a host of activities that won’t break the bank. Rent a renovated bungalow or chic townhouse downtown for easy access to attractions like Centennial Olympic Park and Fox Theatre, a historic performing arts venue.

See all Atlanta rentals from FlipKey!

Dennis, Massachusetts: $1,167/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: A Peaceful Cape Cod Getaway

Located in the heart of Cape Cod, Dennis is the perfect spot to enjoy the wind and waves while catching up on a little culture in between. Take a break from the surf with a scenic afternoon drive along Route 6A—a highway dotted with renowned art galleries—or cap off a sunny beach day with a theatrical performance at the Cape Playhouse. Watch for “Free Fun Fridays” at the Cape Cod Museum of Art, a summer event offering complimentary activities for kids including face-painting and pottery-making. The Cape is one of the best summer vacation spots in the country, and Dennis provides the perfect home base.

See all Dennis rentals from FlipKey!

Boulder, Colorado: $1,179/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: Active Days & Lively Nights

Colorado isn’t just a good winter escape. With its vibrant mix of outdoor recreation and downtown activities, Boulder offers one of America’s best summer vacations. Go tubing and boating at the Boulder Reservoir, or just lay out a picnic and relax on the beach. You’ll find live music at local venues on any given night. Check out Monday’s “Meadow Music” series at Chautauqua Park, Wednesday’s “Beer on the Bricks” at Pearl Street, or Saturday night shows at Twenty Ninth Street. (Better yet, the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre is less than 30 miles away!) And we’d be remiss not to mention Boulder’s incredible breweries. Book this guided bike-and-brews tour to experience the local beer scene for yourself.

See all Boulder rentals from FlipKey!

Dallas, Texas: $1,181/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: Barbecue & Brews

A summer vacation in Dallas revolves around one thing: food. When you’re spending as little as $1,181 for a weeklong stay in a two-bedroom rental, you’ll have extra cash to hit the city’s many food festivals, breweries, and steakhouses. This summer’s main event—the 31st Annual Taste of Dallas—features more than 80 restaurants, food trucks, and craft breweries, plus demonstrations from some of the country’s best pitmasters. It’s true everything is bigger in Texas… except the price tag on your vacation rental.

See all Dallas rentals from FlipKey!

Atlantic Beach, North Carolina: $1,200/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: Laid-Back Beach Fun

This walkable town is your classic seaside escape, with a popular fishing pier, local bistros and pizza shops, and affordable beach houses for rent. Be sure to tour the historic Fort Macon State Park, TripAdvisor’s top-rated attraction in Atlantic Beach, followed by a sunset meal at the Oceanana Pier House Restaurant. June also brings the Crystal Coast Music Festival straight to the sand for a unique concert experience.

See all Atlantic Beach rentals from FlipKey!

Wells, Maine: $1,240/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: Seafoodies

A clean, peaceful stretch of paradise one reviewer calls “the perfect New England beach,” Wells is known for its refreshing summer temperatures, great surf, and mouthwatering seafood joints. Take an early morning walk along the dunes and keep an eye out for seals and whales during the day. Don’t miss Spiller Farm, known for its excellent produce, fair prices, and summer berry picking. At mealtime, hit Fisherman’s Catch Restaurant. “Best clam chowder in all of New England!” writes one reviewer. “Try the lobster roll!” At just $1,240/week on average for two-bedroom rentals, Wells is a more affordable summer vacation spot than other Maine staples that can cost considerably more.

See all Wells rentals from FlipKey!

Clearwater, Florida: $1,244/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: An Award-Winning Beach

Clearwater Beach ranked among the top five Travelers’ Choice Best Beaches in the United States in 2017. If it’s pristine sand you seek, Clearwater might be the best summer vacation spot. The city is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, which means extra entertainment and promotions all summer long. One deal you can enjoy before you even arrive? An affordable beach house from FlipKey, at just $1,244/week for a two-bedroom property. During your stay, you’ll have your pick of top-notch activities and attractions from sunset boat cruises and jet-ski rentals to craft breweries and wineries—not to mention the beach!

See all Clearwater rentals from FlipKey!

Minneapolis, Minnesota: $1,248/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: Sports & Entertainment

Shocked to see Minneapolis on our list of best summer vacation spots? You shouldn’t be—especially given the number of family-friendly activities in the Twin Cities. Start with the annual Minnesota State Fair (located next door in St. Paul), one of the largest of its kind in the US. From the end of August to early September, nearly two million visitors flock to experience a showcase of agriculture, livestock, art, and music featuring more than 1,000 vendors and 900 free shows. The local Major League Baseball team, the Minnesota Twins, are also in full-swing come summertime, and Target Field is considered one of the best baseball diamond experiences in the country. Our recommendation: grab a pint at Cowboy Jack’s or Freehouse before the game—or just stay there and watch it on the big screen! If it’s a light sports night, catch a performance at the famous Guthrie Theater. You’ll enjoy having a vacation rental to retreat to after a day of city adventures.

See all Minneapolis rentals from FlipKey!

West Palm Beach, Florida: $1,248/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: Leisurely Pursuits

With sunny skies and a range of outdoor and cultural attractions, West Palm Beach is one of the best affordable summer vacation spots. Enjoy a game of golf at a number of pristine local courses, or hit the beach and catch up on your reading. You could spend an entire day on Peanut Island, a popular tourist attraction with a bunker built for President John F. Kennedy during the Cold War. The island also includes a museum and plenty of picnic areas, plus biking and walking paths. For those who prefer indoor endeavors, the Norton Museum boasts an exceptional collection of American, Chinese, and European art. Famous performers appear at “The Harriet” and the Kravis Center. Of course, there’s always shopping (one of the city’s favorite pastimes). From designer boutiques to big-name department stores, West Palm has it all.

See all West Palm Beach rentals from FlipKey!

Memphis, Tennessee: $1,295/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: Seeing the Real Music City (A Great Nashville Alternative)

While Nashville may be nicknamed “Music City,” Memphis is a pilgrimage for those who want to visit the birthplace of the blues, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll. On Beale Street, W.C. Handy put blues music on paper for the first time. Elvis, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash all recorded at the historic Sun Records Studio, now a museum with great guided tours. Graceland, the second most-visited home in America (and another tour worth your while), welcomes visitors from around the world who yearn for a peek into the life of “the King.” Beyond the music, Tennessee’s largest city combines Southern tradition and hospitality with modern amenities. You’ll enjoy great dining (don’t miss the barbecued ribs at Marlowes or Corky’s), art galleries, and exciting nightlife.

See all Memphis rentals from FlipKey!

Orlando, Florida: $1,297/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: Amusement Parks

Regardless of the season, it’s tough to exclude Orlando from “best of” lists. Put simply, it’s the premier vacation destination for families—and it’s becoming even more popular for adult couples looking to channel their inner child. When it comes to renting a home, Orlando can’t be beat. It’s okay to admit it: as fun as the theme parks are, spending a full day there can be quite exhausting! You’ll appreciate having a more secluded home base than an on-site resort, allowing for home-cooked meals (and more savings!) or relaxing on the patio.

See all Orlando rentals from FlipKey!

Williamsburg, Virginia: $1,331/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: American History

Perhaps the best-known point of Virginia’s Historic Triangle (along with nearby Jamestown and Yorktown), the area’s heart and soul is living-history museum Colonial Williamsburg, featuring actors, educational reenactments, and 18th-century shops. Williamsburg claims to be a summer vacation “filled with freedom, fireworks, theme parks, and thrills.” Indeed, there is plenty of fun to be had here by the whole family aside from Revolutionary War history. Spend one day at Busch Gardens riding roller coasters and the next on a kayaking tour of the Chesapeake Bay.

See all Williamsburg rentals from FlipKey!

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: $1,398/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: The All-American Family Trip

Myrtle Beach is one of America’s top family vacation destinations, and for good reason. Book a summer beach house to save money on the front end and spend that extra cash on memorable experiences your kids will love. Ride on the Myrtle Beach SkyWheel, catch a baseball game at TicketReturn.com field, or compete in mini golf at one of 40 different courses. For top-notch amusement, check out the shops, restaurants, putt-putt, and paddle boats at Broadway at the Beach. One TripAdvisor reviewer writes, “[It has] something for everyone. There are jewelry stores, t-shirt shops, candle shops, fudge makers, and the list goes on. The kids can play in the amusement park or feed the fish in the pond. Broadway also has a movie theater and aquarium. You could really spend all day there and everyone would come away with something different.”

See all Myrtle Beach rentals from FlipKey!

Asheville, North Carolina: $1,400/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: Local Produce & Microbrews

It’s fair to say Asheville is having a moment. The vibrant city has elevated itself into one of the best summer vacation spots around the country thanks to its numerous farmer’s markets, locally-sourced food scene, world-class breweries, and proximity to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. If Boulder is a laid-back session ale, Asheville is a hopped-up IPA. Start your summer stay with some outdoor recreation: a hiking tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway and surrounding waterfalls or a guided stand-up paddleboard tour on the French Broad River. Next, experience downtown Asheville, known for a restaurant scene the community nicknamed “Foodtopia.” Organic, farm-to-table, and hormone-free are a few common adjectives used on local menus. The area boasts more breweries per capita than any city in the US—each with its own unique blends and atmosphere.

See all Asheville rentals from FlipKey!

Leavenworth, Washington: $1,401/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: A Cozy, Scenic Cabin Rental

Leavenworth has become a bustling tourist destination known for its Cascade Mountain scenery, Bavarian-style alpine village, and a packed calendar of festivals and performances. Don’t leave without catching an outdoor show at the Leavenworth Summer Theater. Other top activities include hiking, birding, and horseback riding, but it’s the mountain lakes and rivers of Wenatchee National Forest that really steal the show. The variety of trout and perch is a fisherman’s dream. As hunger strikes, get a true taste of Leavenworth’s German influence with a brat and beer at fan-favorite Munchen Haus.

See all Leavenworth rentals from FlipKey!

Ocean City, New Jersey: 1,509/Week

“The house was right down the street from the heart of the boardwalk, which was awesome! I would recommend this rental to anyone.” – Traveler Review

Best Summer Vacation For: Boardwalk Bliss

Hailed as “America’s Greatest Family Resort,” Ocean City has everything you’d want in an affordable summer escape. It’s safe (many beaches have lifeguard supervision), clean, and kid-friendly. During the summer, every Thursday is family night—think special activities and entertainment at venues all over town—and events like the annual boat parade are particularly great if you’ve got little ones in tow. Gillian’s Wonderland Pier offers rides like bumper boats, a carousel, Tilt-a-Whirl, and log flume, while the famous Ocean City Boardwalk is an all-time classic. Don’t leave without trying the salt water taffy at Shriver’s.

See all Ocean City rentals from FlipKey!

Anaheim, California: $1,531/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: Disneyland (And More!)

Disneyland is the main event in Anaheim, but there’s plenty more to do if you’re not the fantastical type. Catch a baseball game at Angel Stadium or taste the incredible array of foods in the Packing District, an upscale food court with local vendors. Grab a bite at The Kroft, dessert at Han’s Homemade Ice Cream, or a drink at The Hammer Workshop. If you’re seeking a Disneyland alternative—less crowded, more low-key rides—buy a ticket to Adventure City, a kid-favorite.

See all Anaheim rentals from FlipKey!

Cape May, New Jersey: $1,610/Week

Best Summer Vacation For: The Quaint Tip of the Jersey Shore

In 1976, the entire city of Cape May was declared a National Historic Landmark. That’s one reason why this peaceful seaside getaway is so pristine, from the beaches and natural beauty to its architectural achievements. You can bike almost anywhere, and pedaling across town is the perfect way to take in the stunning scenery. Make sure to get a picture of the Cape May Lighthouse, and the Naval Air Station Museum is great for kids. Willow Creek Winery appeases the grape-lovers, while Cape May Brewing Company is one of the East Coast’s best breweries. Many of the rental homes—from modern bayfront condos to classic Victorian cottages—are close to both the beaches and the charming downtown scene, making Cape May one of America’s best summer vacation spots for all travelers.

See all Cape May rentals from Flipkey!

This post was originally published on the TripAdvisor Rentals blog. It has been repurposed here with permission.

The post 20 Budget Summer Vacations In America That Won’t Disappoint appeared first on The FlipKey Blog.

from Tips For Traveling https://www.flipkey.com/blog/2017/07/17/budget-summer-vacations-america-wont-disappoint/