#anyway happy gateway to the weekend >;3

[alonsolobotomy]

WAKE THE FUCK UP IT'S THURSDAVE *flashes you this picture like opening your phone in the middle of the night*

[umichenginabroad]

Barcelona <3

Hi everyone, and happy spring break :) 

This week started out very similar to my others here so far. Monday and Tuesday are my study days - and once again, I’ve found a new favorite coffee shop. This one is called Cafe Agrado, and I actually came here a few weekends back for brunch! All of my normal spots were pretty packed earlier this week, so I decided to visit and I can say that this is my new favorite place. It’s a bit more hidden away, so there are always seats available, and it has plenty of natural lighting. I had the best iced coffee here, which is integral to studying for me. I also tried a slice of their homemade pistachio - strawberry cake, and although I’m not much of a sweets person, I finished this in about 2 minutes. I love this place so much that it’s actually where I’m writing my blog from today! So safe to say I will be here a lot in the coming weeks. 

Wednesday night I had some free time, so I visited Temple de Debod, which is the perfect sunset spot. On the weekends it can get pretty packed, but on weekdays it’s gorgeous. There were various musicians serenading the crowds as the sun set, and it was super peaceful. 

This past weekend, I was able to travel to Barcelona and visit one of my good friends from high school. I’ve been trying to use some of these “colder months” (lol not compared to Michigan) to explore the cities of Spain, and so far Barcelona has to be my favorite! I arrived Friday morning as we had class off, and immediately started exploring. We visited Park Guell, which is home to beautiful mosaics and views. My only complaint about the park is that you have to pay €10 to get in - isn’t that crazy? But, I was really excited to explore the park so I went anyway. 

The famous mosaic bench was created by the artist/architect Gaudi. He has a huge influence throughout Barcelona, and I’ll cover some more of his works that I saw later. The bench was beautiful, and the rest of the park was also super pretty! There were a lot of musicians around and I even saw a woman dancing Flamenco. 

After visiting the park, we visited the Arco de Triunfo in Barcelona. I actually was unaware that there was one in Barcelona as I’m familiar with the one in France. It was pretty, and it serves as a gateway to the Parc de la Ciutadella, another famous park in Barcelona. Luckily, we did not have to pay for this park. It was a beautiful day, so we passed a lot of people on picnics on our way to visit the big fountain within the park. 

After this, we took the tram to go on a cable car to overlook the city! This was super fun, and the views of the city from the cable car were gorgeous. At the top, there's a castle and beautiful views of both the city and the Mediterranean. We booked a round-trip ride, so we enjoyed the view for a bit before heading back down the mountain/hill. Later on Friday, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and then visited a local cocktail bar before relaxing and heading home. 

Saturday was once again a jam-packed day. We started off our morning pretty early to visit the Sagrada Familia. I knew I had to visit this while in Barcelona, and I’m so glad I did! I will say, the price to go inside was a bit steep (about €38) but I didn’t want to miss my chance to visit and regret it. I was a little worried about the light shining through the windows as it was more of an overcast day, but this didn’t matter at all. The inside was breathtaking, and the colors from the stained glass windows were gorgeous. Gaudi was the main architect behind the Sagrada Familia, and now that I’ve seen several of his works I’m so interested to learn more about him. The Basilica was so intricate, I was blown away by the creativity and detail that went into it. 

After this tour, we grabbed brunch and went to Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas is similar to Gran Via in Madrid, as it is the main street full of restaurants and shopping. We were able to kill a few hours here. After exploring the street and side streets for a bit, we went to El Paradiso. El Paradiso is one of the most famous bars in Barcelona (and the world), and was ranked #1 in the “World’s Top 50 Bars.” A friend of mine had given me some helpful information to get to the bar at 4pm when they open and sign up for a virtual queue, as the place is so popular it takes hours to get in. I am so thankful for this tip, or else we would have never gotten in! We went home, relaxed, and then signed up for the queue around 7pm. We then went back to the area around 9pm for dinner, and then finally got into the bar around 11pm. It was so cool - I would say similar to the idea of a speakeasy. We walked in through a very inconspicuous cabinet that actually happened to be a door, and the inside was dim and intimate. We ended up trying 3 drinks, and all were delicious with a fun artistic flair. It was my favorite bar I’ve visited so far, and definitely worth the wait. We spent a few hours there and then ended our night. 

Sunday morning I took the train back to Madrid, and then immediately went to sleep when I got home. It was a long weekend, but so so fun. 

Abbey Almeda

Industrial and Operations Engineering

UP Comillas

[liliesoftherain]

My Hero Academia Main 3 Boys x Reader

Ch. 18 Code Names

A/N: Guess who’s back... back again.. shady’s back.. tell a friend- But really! Hey guys! I bet none of y’all missed me, but I deeply missed you.

So this is a little rant so you can 100% skip this and read the story! Enjoy! 

Anyways, I kinda stopped talking to everyone I met here on tumblr, and that makes me really sad. I mean, I have no one to blame but myself, but now that I’m in a better place, I hope things can go back to normal, so, @pocket-is-obsessed​ @pinky-the-elephant-room​ @sunnieskies02​ , and everyone else, I’m sorry. I love y’all, and I miss y’all.

Masterlist

If anyone wants to be added to the taglist, or if I missed you, please send an ask and I’ll add you!!

TAGLIST(ANY BOLD-I CANNOT TAG YOU FRO WHATEVER REASON): @rizamendoza808​ !(: @iris-suoh​ !(: @quicksilverfangirl​ !(: @shortperson202​ !(: @noodlenerd101​ !(: @matchamidoriya​ !(: @thorsbtch-captainnoobmaster69me !(: @pastel-prynce​ !(: @sunkissedneptune​ @monetfatalia​ !(: @legit-fandom-trash​ !(: @lovethewitchofendor​ !(: @dekuxlink !(: @water-melone98​ !(: @helena-way07​ !(: @nothing17-7​​ !(: @hopelessdisasterr​​ !(: @karmaboundlife​ !(: @lunamoonmint​ !(: @ihatemyselftoinfinityandbeyond​​ !(: @beew​​ !(: @kaylees1414  !(: @axerrri​​ !(: @icythotsenpai​​ !(: @iwantapoptartqwq​ !(: @acehyacinth​ !(:  @sspidermanss​ !(:  @httpswwwtbhkcom​ !(:  @omgthatonenerd06​ !(:  @mochicheeks-world !(:  @gvthic-gvrl​ !(:  @jinxed-egg​ !(:  @themagical1sa​ !(:  @cherriomilkmangos​ !(:  @1-800-schmacked​ !(:  @human-watching-ads-from-devildom​ !(:  

The following days were spent resting up, allowing your body to heal from the taxing day you endured; any cuts or bruises that had managed to slip pass Recovery Girl were now reduced to nothing but a memory. Monday came by, quicker than you hoped, and you were on the train headed towards the school grounds. You basked in the steady hum of the engine, watching the scenery fly by, until the area around you began to break out into murmurs.

 “That’s Hakamata, isn’t it?”

“Best Jeanist’s daughter!”

“She won third place at the sports festival, it’s amazing!”

“Oh wow!”

“Hey, good job at the festival! I totally knew you were going to hit it big!”

“You were so close to winning!”

“Good luck!”

“Keep working!”

Exiting the train with a wave, you sigh in relief. While it left your heart fluttering with pride at the praises and recognition, it was still overwhelming to have so many people talking about you, to you, at once.

You arrived at the school gates, quickly rushing inside, shaking your umbrella off as you broke it down. You quickly grab what you need from your locker, placing your umbrella with the others before heading off to your classroom. 

Pushing the door open, you smile at the conversations that were going on--everyone seemed to be in high spirits, and you missed the rambunctious energy of your friends. 

“Hakamata!-” Denki was grinning and waving excitedly, turning to look at you as you sat down, “How was it coming to school this morning? I bet a lot of people noticed you! Isn’t it great how we’ve all been thrown into the spotlight after just a few days, huh?”

“I guess, it’s nothing much really. We should all be proud of how far we’ve gotten huh?”

“Of course! 1-A is awesome! Only 1-A kids took any of the top spots after all!”

Your attention is stolen as the door opens, catching the eyes of the boy who had been on your mind all weekend. Todoroki blinked at your stare, only for your eyes to be forced away as Kaminari demanded your attention on something. You struggle to focus, nodding along as you desperately try to make his words have meaning--since your thoughts drifted towards your last encounter.

“Aizawa-sensei, your bandages are gone!”

“Oh, I’m so happy!”

Your eyes snap to the front of the room, seeing your teacher--looking way better than he had previously. He looked as if nothing had ever happened, the only indication being the freshly made scar residing under his eye.

“Yes, they are. Thanks. However, more importantly, we’re having a special hero informatics class today…”

Silence hung in the air, each student desperately trying to figure out what could possibly be going on--a pop quiz, maybe?

“You all need code names.”

The class shouted in relief and excitement, only to have Aizawa glare at the noise. You all quieted down immediately, one menacing look from your teacher was all it took. Once settled, he explained further on the subject: how the code names worked, about the internships, and how these offers weren’t normally given to first years such as yourselves. 

“Here, the offers…” 

Aizawa clicked a remote, causing a holographic image to appear on the board, showing how many hero agencies put in offers for each student. The first three statistics were large, the rest of them dropping drastically from the thousands, to a few hundred and less. 

You see your name as the second highest ranking, shocking you, beating the first-place festival winner by more than 50 whole offers. 

“Normally the offers are more spread out, but this year all eyes were on these three.”

“Gah, there’s such a big difference!”

“Todoroki is first, Hakamata is second, and Bakugou is third…?”

“How is that, when Bakugou was the winner?”

“Seems the scores are the opposite of the sports festival rankings.”

“Guess some people may be too scared to ask a guy who had to be chained to his podium.”

“HAH!? What are the pros scared of!?” Bakugou whipped around, glaring at Sero for his comment. 

Ignoring the loud outburst, you glance behind you at Todoroki, who looked as unbothered as ever at the fact he had the most offers. You give him a small smile as your eyes once again connect, just as they did right before the start of class, and he--surprisingly--returns the gesture. 

“Despite these results, you’ll all be interning with pros. Offers or not.”

“So, we can all intern?”

“Yes. Seeing as you guys have had combat with real villains--thanks to the USJ incident. We believe it will be beneficial to see real pros up close, on the field, and to do that…”

“We need hero names!”

“Yes. They may be temporary, but take them seriously or--”

“THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!”

Aizawa was cut off by the sudden shout, the door followed by slamming open, stealing everyone’s attention. He sighed as the risque pro hero Midnight sauntered inside, smirking at the attention that fell upon her. 

“Midnight is going to have final approval over your names,” your teacher starts, pulling up his sleeping bag, “It’s not my forte--but just remember, the name you give yourself represents what kind of hero you want to be. It’s important.”

What kind of hero I want to be, huh?

You were handed a stack of white cardstocks, passing the remainders back as you grabbed one for yourself. It seemed like a normal, blank canvas, but you saw it as a gateway to your future as a hero. You remember all the times you tried on different hero names--mostly different variations of your fathers, even if now you cringed at the memories. 

You knew your hero name was important and necessary, a name to prove to the world who you were and what you were capable of. 

‘Your hero name is supposed to represent your desires-- to allow you to become your ideal self. What kind of hero do you want to prove yourself to be, or better yet, just--who are you?’

You take a deep breath, taking comfort in your father’s words as you write down your name…

“Now students, who is ready to share?”

You watch the students go up one-by-one; cringing slightly at the--extravagant--name Aoyama had chosen from himself, feeling bad for Mina as she was sent back to her desk to rethink, and giddy at the cute name Tsu had picked. The rest of the names went by alright until Todoroki had gone up to present his hero name.

“Shoto.”

“Oh,” Midnight blinked in surprise, “just your name?”

“Yeah.”

You frown slightly, Shoto hadn’t looked up, choosing to stare down at the podium with a blank expression instead. You watch as he trudged his way back to his desk, still no eye contact towards anyone as he sat down. Biting your lip, you try to shake the image from your mind. He had his reasons, and you didn’t have to know them. 

“Jet Black Hero: Tsukuyomi!”

“Oh, God of the Night! I love it!”

You snap your attention back towards the front, giving a small clap to Tokoyami as he presents his name. He bows at the class before sitting down.

Mineta and Koda present their names, both very fitting and true to their image. You felt yourself grow the tad bit eager as Bakugou was the next one to present his name.

‘I wonder what it could be? He excels in just about everything, he must have a really cool hero name picked out-’

“KING EXPLOSION MURDER.”

The name wasn’t what got you, it was the serious look on his face as he said it that did. You slap a hand over your mouth, snickering as quietly as you could into your palm. You weren’t the only one holding back giggles, Eijiro, Sero, and Kaminari doing the same. 

“Um, I’m going to have to say that one is too violent.”

“Hah!? Whaddya mean-”

“Why don’t you be Explosion Boy instead!” Eijiro suggests.

“Nah, he should be Grenades!” You chime in, a smirk on your face as you mimic his gauntlets.

“Or what about ‘BOOM PSH BAWHH’, you know, explosion noises!” Denki laughs.

“How would you even spell that-”

“SHUT UP ALL OF YOU, OR I’LL SHOW YOU WHY MURDER SHOULD BE IN MY NAME!” Bakugou interrupts, a scowl on his face as he yells at the three of you.

“Maybe your hero name should be ‘Anger Issues’, it’s fitting, dontcha think-”

You were cut off by a growl from Bakugou, his face morphing into pure anger as he points straight at you.

“BRING IT, GLOW WORM! I BET YOUR HERO NAME IS GOING TO BE CRAPPY.”

You say nothing in return, standing up and making your way towards the podium, giving him a teasing smile as you got close enough.

“Go sit down and maybe you’ll see.”

“Good idea, go sit down and rethink your name a bit, Bakugou.” Midnight agrees, clapping her hands to diffuse the tension. 

He grumbles on the way back to his desk, and you just face the class with a sheepish grin. 

“Well, here’s what I want to be--who I will be; Luminary!”

You picked a name like Luminary because you wanted to prove that you were more than just another person; you wanted to be the guiding light, leading people to justice, leading people to their hope. Maybe you weren’t there yet, you did have a long way to go before you could be considered a pro, but that doesn’t mean you weren’t going to try. 

You’d be the light, shining in the darkness, for all others to see and follow. 

“Oh how sweet, you’ll be a very inspiring hero, I’m sure!” 

You shyly smile at the applauds, only for the demeanor to change, a smirk growing as you see Bakugou roll his eyes and look away.

Checkmate.

After a few more people presenting, Izuku shakily stands at the podium, taking a deep breath before showing his cardstock.

Blinking in surprise, you zone in on the singular word on the card, raising an eyebrow questioningly at the boy. 

“Really Midoriya?”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yeah man, remember that can be your name forever.”

“Right,” He looks down, “I used to hate it, but then something changed… I guess, someone taught me that it could have a different meaning, and that had a huge impact on how I felt about it. So now, I like it!”

You smile wide as he makes direct eye contact, giving him a nod of encouragement. 

“Deku, that has to be my code name!”

-----

“Now that that’s all done, we can go back to talking about the upcoming internships. They are a week long, and as to who you’ll be interning with; if you were on the board, you will choose from one of the offers you were given, as for everyone else, you’ll be choosing from a different list.”

The lists were handed out as soon as the bell rang overhead, signaling the end of the first half of the day, and the beginning of lunch.

“I wanna fight crime and bad guys in a big city!” Kirishima grinned, eyes taking in every name on his sheet of paper.

“I just hope I can intern at a place where there’s a lot of water!” Tsu sighed.

“Turn in your choices before the weekend.” 

“We’ve only got two days!?”

“Yeah, so you better figure it out. Dismissed for lunch.”

Aizawa shut the door as he and Midnight walked out, leaving the class to class among themselves. 

You read down the list, sighing in defeat as you had multiple papers of agencies stapled together. You should feel grateful, and you do, but there were too many places to choose from! Plus, you were probably just going to end up interning with your dad--

You pause as you read a specific agency, blinking before rereading it to make sure you weren’t seeing things. You weren’t, because right there in bold lettering:

“Endeavor Hero Agency”

What could Endeavor possibly want you to intern with him for?

Taking a look around the room you see most of your classmates breaking off into groups--some heading for the mess hall, and others staying in their seats. You spot Todoroki as he walks out the door.

“Ne, (y/n), what agency are you thinking of-”

“Sorry Eijiro, I’ll talk to you later,” You smile apologetically, standing up to race after the boy--not feeling the few pairs of eyes on your body as you leave.

“Todoroki, wait up!” 

He turns to you, confusion in his eyes but waits for you nonetheless. You stop in front of him, clutching onto the list you had brought with you.

“Yes?” His voice was vacant of emotion, and while it was normal, it made you feel nervous. 

“Uh, sorry, I just have something to tell you.” 

He tilts his head, an indicator for you to continue, and you take a deep breath before presenting him the paper. His eyes search the words, bewildered as he tries to understand what you were trying to show him. Pointing at the hero agency you knew he was familiar with, you see how his eyes widen ever so slightly. 

“Endeavor made me an offer…”

“I see.”

“Well, I just wanted to say I won’t-”

“You should take it.”

Your brows furrow, taken aback by his statement. 

“What?”

He hands you back your list, looking straight into your eyes with a small flame of determination. 

“You should take it. It’s a great opportunity to be working with the number two hero.” 

“I was going to go for my dad, who still is in the top five, you know.” You respond, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Oh,” Todoroki’s eyes widen once more, “sorry. I didn’t mean to say your father... he is a great hero. I just… I may hate my father, but I know working with the number two hero will provide some benefits. His agency is pretty good with things like rescue and evacuation, along with battle. It’s a good opportunity, something different than what you see every day at your father’s own agency. Isn’t it good to want to get a new perspective on things? To take these ideas you learn, and make them your own, I guess?”

You’re unsure of what to say, agreeing with the boy internally as his gaze falls towards the ground.

“I know I want to be a better hero than my old man. I want to be seen as someone not in his shadow, not ‘Endeavors son’. And if that means I have to put up with him for a week, so be it. I’ll learn to be better, I swear it.”

“Um,” You rub your arm shyly, “so that means you’ll be interning with him, then?”

Todoroki nods in response.

“Well, I suppose that means I’ll see you there. If, um, if you’re okay with that.”

“Yea, I am.”

You smile, and a spark of emotion floods through his eyes as he mirrors your expression, and it somehow makes you relax. He was completely right; he had said everything you had ever thought about yourself, how you wanted to prove that you were more than just a daughter of a great hero. That you were a great hero yourself. 

With that in mind, you had no regrets as you turned in your list--even if it was Endeavors Agency.

You’d be ready.

[dameferre]

ELLE I ACTUALLY HAD TEARS SPRING TO MY EYES WHEN I SAW WTWT HAD UPDATED. Yes, I may just have wack horomones, but I REALLY NEARLY SHED TEARS AT JUST THE SIGHT OF THE UPDATE EMAIL??? ANYWAY, I HAVE READ THE CHAPTER AND WAS SO OVERCOME THAT I DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF, and I actually need to come back and write a good enough comment on it because what I started writing DIDNT encapsulate what I felt about it. I love those two SO MUCH??? If you have any Zukka recs, I am SO THERE, YOU HAVE UNLOCKED A DEEP LOVE FOR THIS PAIRING IN ME. I am SO HYPE FOR THE EPILOGUE.

Also, hearing you have les mis stuff in the works??? I’m FERAL. better yet, I am WILD. Idgaf what the pairing is, you’re writing it, so I am READY to drop any and all responsibilities to read it. thank you for feeding me.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

UGH YOU JUST KEEP SAYING THE NICEST THINGS. OKAY.

i’m so happy you enjoyed the last chapter!! and i’m both honoured and apologetic to have been your gateway drug into the zukka cartel because there are like 3 thousand fucking zukka fics and 80% of them are long as Shit and also impeccable.

and my zukka recs are a much longer post for another time BUT i’d be remiss if i didn’t rec the first zukka fic i truly fucking loved. the fic that, when i finished reading, i thought to myself ‘why even bother writing fic when perfection has already been achieved. what would even be the point.’ like. wtwt almost didn’t exist bc of this fic. it’s So Good and not unappreciated, per se, but doesn’t get nearly enough hype. it’s sirens & sleepless nights by @satirewrites

and yes!! more les mis fics coming i promise!! i couldn’t leave this fandom if i tried (im not gonna but still)

[wackygoofball]

Gwenspiration: The Wacky Version Vol. 3 - The Moodboards

So, here I go again parading myself and tooting like there is no tomorrow.

As people still brave enough to follow me on Tumblr will know, I do a lot of moodboards, or at least I call them such. Others call them collages or storyboards or pictures with random text. Either way, for me, moodboards became a neat tool to somehow capture story ideas not yet anywhere near a level that I could write fic about them - or serve as inspirations for fics I am actually writing.

And it gives me opportunity to hoard unhealthy amounts of Gwen and Nik pics, in the name of moodboards. And science. And stuff. Whoozah!

So yeah, in this post, I want to share some of my personal favorites. A lot of them actually, because I can’t decide, really.

I will start off with a group of moodboards which took inspiration from the Marvel universe, since the Marvel universe was my gateway into the more active parts of fandom.

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An all-time fave is the Iron Man AU... I mean, what not to love about a JB AU with Jaime as sassy Tony Stark and Brienne as the not-taking any shit from you army doctor, am I right? But yeah, seriously, Jaime *is* the Tony Stark of the GOT universe, and I can’t be convinced otherwise. And neither should be you.

Also, the Iron Man suits just totally fit the color scheme for both, which made creating the moodboards all the better for me. Jaime and Brienne were made for armor, now in medieval or modern times, let’s not kid ourselves.

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Another Marvel fave has got to be Captain Westeros. Because if there is a female GOT Version of Steve Rogers, it’s gotta be Brienne of fuckin’ Tarth. This one is really close to my heart because it gave me a lot of feels coming up with plot bunnies for it, and the tragedy of those two people missing each other in time over and over again, always trying to protect one another, only to end up on opposite sides because of the machinations of others... *sigh*

And I mean, one guy loses an arm. The other is blond and strong... I don’t make the rules but this delivers me enough material to re-imagine this as a JB AU... so yeah, I do kinda make the rules after all. Anyway.

Since I realized that this post’s gonna get even looooonger, I decided to make a cut here and put the rest below, so not to have you scrolling for five hours.

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Although it’s not the most popular moodboard amongst my followers (you brave people, I can’t parade you enough for staying through the madness lol), I really, really love that Fantastic Four moodboard and the concept behind it. And I just know a lot of effort went into making Valyrian Steel Brienne, which took all of my three computer editing skillz brain cells. But yeah, here again, I liked to play with the idea of them not admitting to their love until shit hits the fan and then they hide behind that because... drama, angst, feels, pining, yadda.

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And we go from Marvel to DC little quick. Because Brienne is, most certainly, a Wonder Woman. Nuf said.

Now, let’s move on to other big movie franchises that give me all the JB feels:

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Jurassic Park (aka Valyrian Park) evidently holds a special place in my heart because JB fighting dinosaur-dragon hybrids and kicking ass while being disbelieving about what was bred out in Valyria thanks to some certain someones to rescue Brienne’s adoptive daughter Arya is just... a thing? For me anyway.

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More down memory lane, I don’t know how often I watched the LOTR movies, suffice to say it was a lot a lot. We had the extended versions DVDs of the first two and basically it was the one thing to watch when nothing was on (which was the case a lot). Either way. JB in MIddle Earth long after the days of Frodo et al. - why? Because I just loved the idea (and aesthetic) of Jaime as a ranger and Brienne as a knight of Gondor working in disguise. And Hobbipod. I mean, Pod as a Hobbit. Come the fuck on. And Tyrion as an asshole wizard. What could possibly go wrong? This moodboard was very time-consuming as I had to do a lot of edits (pointy ears, tiny up people, smudge Brienne’s face on a lot of Boromir and Faramir images, smudge Jaime’s face on a lot of Aragorn images, you name it). So yeah. No matter its popularity... I dig it. Despite not having read the books yet (I know, shocking), I continue to ogle at the idea and go like: Must. Write. But. Must. Resist. Either way. Mood.

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So yeah, I grew up watching these movies a lot, too (I grew up watching a lot of TV, period). And when Gwen was cast as Captain Phasma, I got a lot of JB juices flowing as a result. Mehe. I found it was a fun idea to play with, to basically *kill* Phasma so *Brienne* can come into play and assume her identity. And a rundown Jedi!Jaime who’s lost faith in himself and everything else safe for his partner in crime/resistance is just... I needz. So you gotta cope with it. I still adore this concept a lot even if others may not. :)

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This one’s just... gah. Feels. And I really liked the color scheme lol. And I watched Horse Whisperer A LOT. Because of feels. And horses. And Honor is a horse and he deserved better than be barbecued at Highgarden, dammit.

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The No Reservations AU definitely has to be in this post because I live for this dynamic. Brienne taking care of the girls, not knowing how, though, constantly doubting herself while always trying to be perfect and composed, not just in life but on the job as well. And Jaime being the laid-back guy who’s just a darn good chef but may carry his own baggage of problems that keep him from his happy ending story is just... mah jam.

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This one was a lot of fun to do because you don’t really think about Erin Brockovich when you say Brienne of Tarth in terms of character. But when you scratch away the boob jokes and the differences in where they come from, what you find are two hard-working women who fight for justice, so I found that close enough. And it was excuse enough for me to go down the lane of biker!Jaime because... dayum.

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Music and Lyrics is an all-time guilty pleasure romcom of mine. It’s so light and easy and I kind of love how everyone is basically a bunch of awkward losers. All the more perfect for Jaime as a singer (we need that in our lives after the infamous video Nik was in to sing to us about global warming...) and Brienne as the unexpectedly gifted songwriter. What I like about the moodboard per se is how the color scheme turned out because it’s all warm and bright and... makes me happy.

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Very much in contrast to the former stands this one. I still love the overall mood of it and I dig the story idea because I dug both The Prestige and The Illustionist because they presented something dark yet very different, which made it all the more appealing to put into a moodboard for me. While not the most well-known moodboard of mine, I keep going back to it time and time again to basically lust at all the illusions and magic and drama. And blue butterflies.

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What is there not to love about a Pacific Rim AU for JB, am I right? Right?! JB ain’t just compatible when it comes to the Drift, yo, that’s all I’m gonna say. Reasons why I like the moodboard a lot is that it’s very different, flashy colors, gigantic robots, and I was mostly alright with how the edits turned out. It is tough to get images that fit the angles, yo.

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Jumping back in time once more, I really adore this one even though it’s not one of my popular moodboards. I dug the fusion of elements from Cinderella Man while granting Brienne as the female lead more space to develop as a character and make her a badass sniper nurse who is about to get her doctor’s degree. And Jaime doing anything to make it work because he owes her a debt (and his love) by boxing his way to their shared life is just... nice.

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Another supposedly lesser known moodboard is this one, though I really adore it for its premise and the amount of work I put into it (all the giffing and moodboarding). I also found use for that image of Gwen with what looks like the veil of a nun, which was probably what had me inspired in the first place lol. The plot bunnies revolve less around Se7en and more the novel El ùltimo Catón (2001) because it has a nun solving a mystery revolving around Dante’s works. But Se7en gives us the Seven, which is a delicious parallel too hard to ignore. For me at least. If only I knew how to write crime, dammit.

Now, to  move more into the serial (smooth transition from serial killer to serial TV shows, I know, I know) way of life, here is some moodboards inspired by TV shows (although some have since gotten movies which I also took inspiration from... yadda):

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Childhood memory galore. I spent many weekends watching The A-Team with the whole family. When the movie came out, I was happy about the feels it gave me (and the “you spin my head right round” scene still cracks me up more often than it should). Either way. I found it absolutely necessary for Jaime to be Face, for Tyrion to be Hannibal, for Bronn to be B.A. and cuss at everyone and everything and Brienne giving us the strangest genderbend of a Howling Mad Murdock. It added some angst, which I always need because I am a thirsty hoe for it. In case no one noticed yet. Ha.

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This one is very remotely inspired by The Bletchley Circle and the Imitation Game (because both feature encryption and one features Charles Dance already, yo.) I just really dug the idea of Brienne being so good at this because she is such a straight thinker but being underestimated because “she a woman.” And of course her not being done just encoding messages but getting into action, very much to the dismay of the stupid soldier wanting to defend the bae from harm. What could possibly go wrong? Right. A lot.

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Then. Elementary. Let me count the ways in which I love that show... ALL THE WAYS. And I really dig it as a JB AU. I have so many thoughts and feelings, I can’t even begin to tell you. I especially had my fun basically making Jaime Sherlock without making him really Sherlock because that guy was the one who taught him how to be an investigator before disappearing and fucking up his life for bad. And Brienne as the army doctor turned sober companion turned private investigator turned love interest is just too delicious to ignore.

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Pants down I mean hands down, this may be the actual favorite (currently) amongst them all for the plain reason that I also grew up watching that series and still watch it and keep obsessing about it. Ever since Discovery launched and has since given me both joy and grief, I found myself intrigued by the premise of a JB Star Trek AU where Brienne would be standing *with* the Klingons during the war around the time Discovery takes place, and Captain Jaime Lannister having lost far too much to this war already to truly trust anyone, even less so a woman who ran to the Klingons, for what it seems.

You would not believe how many ideas I have for a fic based on it. You wouldn’t believe that I basically have a sequel to that fic already in mind. And you would definitely believe, knowing me, that I am nowhere near writing that fic. But a fangirl can dream and moodboard, right? The moodboard was such a fun way of going about it, not only for the edits but because I could sneak some secret Klingon messages in there. :)

Now, on to the last part, which are the moodboards not inspired by movies or TV shows primarily but really just spewed out of my wacky, wacky brain:

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This has a special place in my heart because it combines military and the traumas it comes with for JB and.... the aesthetic of farming. And both finding a kind of peace they didn’t know they were looking for as they struggle to adjust and find their way back “to normal” after the horrors they have both seen in war. And did I mention the aesthetic? And Jaime in plaid? All dirty and sweaty? Do I have to say more?

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Why this one? Because it combines angst and romance and falling in love twice because DESTINY. And paintings. I love me my artist AUs. So that was my go at it, combining it with the “mystery” to be uncovered about what history Jaime and Brienne actually share as he tries to put his memories back together.  Also. This moodboard gave me opportunity to try out new filters and create JB paintings. :)

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This one’s gotta be on the list since I also added the Horse Whisperer. Now it’s Dog Whisperer Jaime and Brienne who won’t give up on her dog who’s seen some shit in the warzone (as did she, but Brienne will put it all aside for her doggish best buddy, of course). While it’s not a very popular moodboard of mine, I really enjoy the premise of it and how the dynamics can so easily change between the two of them if you see it in comparison to the Horse Whisperer AU. Also. I just really think Jaime is a total pet person.

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Another lesser known moodboard, I’d assume, but I really dug the premise of it (still do), and it was intriguing to do some edits to make Jaime’s hand *truly* golden lol. With people having developed strange mutations which aren’t nearly as much fun as they are in Fantastic Four AUs. What I liked about it was the idea that Brienne would have a kind of mutation/ability that links to the mind, since she is such a physically strong fighter that she may rather rely on that than on her own mind, fearing that she cannot control that with discipline the same way she can train her body with it. What unites the two is their strong wish to protect the people in their care, in a world on the verge of collapse forcing two unexpected allies together (okay, I totally expected it, but they didn’t). Either way. Much love for this one. :)

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Aaaand the last one (not of all the ones I made but the ones I picked for Gwenspiration). I really, really, really adore this one because I was so happy with how the aesthetic turned out and how the colors all match. And I dig the premise. Like holy moly do I dig it deep. Jaime and Brienne both serving in military, but on different fronts, and almost accidentally ending up writing each other letters? I mean... the PINING. And Brienne having to decipher Jaime’s chickenscratch. Yeah no, but for real. I just love the idea so much. That they are both committed to the cause while also yearning for a home, for peaceful times, for sweet, sweet love. And them meeting up and acting like stupid teenagers, only for drama to keep hitting because. It’s eh me angsty Wacky.

Either way. I dig the premises of a lot of my moodboards (in fact... basically all of them or else I wouldn’t be making them, I guess). I spared you listing all of them, though I listed a whole damn lot already. Moodboards are an awesome means for me personally to visualize and (re-)imagine. And since quite a few people seem to continue to be onboard with them, I am all the happier to keep making them.

That’s all for today.

Much love! ♥♥♥

*flies away*

[flipsidemd]

I took a walk last weekend and thought of my godfather. I thought of the last 2 weeks. I thought of my entire family mobilizing and going back and forth to Sloan to visit my uncle. At a few points we numbered 40+. Most of all I thought of him. I thought of 3 gifts my uncle gave me. Small things but tremendously impactful. The first was back when I was 5-6. My uncle would come home wearing his trademark trenchcoat (funfact: I used to think he was Rick Astley). He would have his dinner and watch Star Trek. And that was it. My gateway to sci-fi and beyond. Thanks for that Tito Jun. A small token but one that has driven my passions my entire life. The second gift was later in my life. In one of my darkest chapters. He simply told me "are you ok?" Followed by "you will be ok. Take your time." It wasn't a throw away comment. He meant it. He would proceed to ask me "are you ok?" Followed by "you will be ok. Take your time" every time I saw him. A small thing but that gift he gave me was belief. Thanks for that Tito Jun. I know I will always be ok and I have and will take my time. I will be me. The last gift he gave me was in these last 2 weeks. That gift was the fight. My uncle fought to the very last. Despite everyone saying it was ok to let go - to let the pain go. He fought anyway. He fought and never stopped. Thank you Tito Jun. I will never stop fighting for any and everything I love. You were a guiding force throughout my life and now even more so. Rest easy. It's our turn to keep up the fight and believe in one another. It's our turn to boldy go....wherever we want. Love you. . . . . . . . . #tbb #coaxh #nerd #family #motivation #life #fuckcancer #cancer #love #happy #scifi #mindset #support #grateful #Gratitude #uncle #fight #belief #gifts #strength #support #goals #peace #rest #fall #tree https://www.instagram.com/p/B447hehg03B/?igshid=opamltpy64no

[yoshi4sushi]

(purupurupuru) (purupurupuru) (gocha!) (coo!) (coo!)

 How’s it hanging, nakama?! I hope everyone is ok from this hot, cruel weather so you keep yourself hydrated, wear light clothing, wear plenty of sunscreen, and avoid sun burn. All said and done, we’re back to our weekly news with plenty, plenty of goodies so you know the drill. First off, last week’s chapter was totally chaotic as we see Luffy and the gang finally reached the area where Wano kingdom is, but the journey was full of dangerous waves as the gang are swamped by large koi fish and getting pushed around the sea. Oda-san re-created the scene Hokusai’s Sea of Japan storm painting with the koi fish splashing around. GUA! He’s totally gonna input a lot Edo style in this story. Anyway, the koi fish go up the mountain with a stream guiding them. At the end, Luffy woke with a pinch from a crab and encounters a lion and baboon ready to duke it out. Looks like he finally arrived at the destination. What action will he take? Where are the others? Let’s see how it plays out this week. Next, this past weekend’s episode was mind-blowing as we see the gang finally making their gateway, while they run into a familiar homie which was Kingbaum flirting with a female tree homie. Luffy and Nami were happy to see him alive, but Kingbaum was not thrilled to see them at all. So he’s back again being the steed for Nami. Poor guy can’t get a break. Back at the city, all of Big Mom’s crew are taking action to go after Luffy and Bege, but more deadly trouble approaches when Big Mom has again gone through her sugar meltdown, and starts rampaging the city. Perospero was able to calm her down telling her that the wedding cake was stolen by Luffy which is lie to keep the city safe. However, Big Mom threatens him if is lying, she will take his lifespan. He’s a big pinch. At the end, Big Mom flies at a fast speed and caught with them slashing like a maniac. Next time, Nami has a plan up her sleeve that will shake off Big Mom. Will it work? Guess we’ll see. Now on with the goodies! First off, look who came in for quick visit. Yup, it’s our totally fave nakama, Tongari-san. Sorry to make travel in this horrible weather, my friend. So what’s the buzz going at the tower? Tongari-san says that loads of amazing stuff is happening! First off, to celebrate the OP anniversary, the tower will be having lots of talk shows happening for next weekend. They’ll invite many special guests such as figurine creators, game creators of the new OP game, World Seeker, voice actors of the Straw Hats, cast of the PHANTOM live show, and Greg along with some editors of OP. They will give away free tickets to these events. Deadline already past, but if you were able to apply beforehand. You’re good to go. You can invite one friend w/ you to the event, and you can apply once for one show. Winners will be sent an email along with a number. Follow the instructions when you’re given the email. Bring an ID to confirm you’re identity. Schedule of the talk shows are posted up. Next, here are some yummy treats the tower will sell for the summer festival: they’ll have Buggy’s watermelon with pineapple gelatin vitamin drink, his chocolate banana pudding energy drink, Luffy’s citron salty gelatin mineral drink, and Chopper’s small bucket of cotton candy with various flavors. Yummy! Yum! Yum! Next, schedule of photo greet with Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji will be on July 17th, 19th, 24th, 26th, and 30th. They’ll give out lottery tickets with numbers around 6:15 to 7:30. If you see you’re number on the board, you win the lottery. Photo greet will be at 9:00 pm. We’ll leave a link with details for those interested. Next, don’t forget that Corazon’s birthday is coming up and you can still get the birthday bromide card of him if you visit the tower. They’ll also give away free birthday posters of him if you make purchases over 3000 yen. Don’t miss it! Next, new goodies will be sold at the store such as this limited ed. towel of the Straw Hats, and some yummy popcorn with flavors of cheese, caramel, salt butter, and milk chocolate. Great snack if you have the munchies. Next, all Straw Hat stores will be having a campaign to celebrate the Mugiwara Festival. Next week, they’ll give out free bromide cards Whole Cake Island special scenes if you purchase goods over 500 yen. Next, loads of new t-shirts: they’ll sell Chopper’s insignia hat t-shirt in navy blue & hot pink color, Germa siblings colored t-shirts with the double 66 of Ichiji, Niji, Yonji, and black color which I think it’s Judge’s. They’ll also sell, lil’ Sanji no.3 t-shirt that he wore back then. Next, they’ll sell this “don” gold color necklace, clear pouches with the OP logos, and a blue color with the gang on both sides, and this cute blue color OP logo scrunchy. Next, all JUMP shops will be selling awesome new goodies such as these three envelope set of devil fruit designs of Luffy’s gum-gum fruit, Law’s op-op fruit, and Buggy’s chop-chop fruit. They’ll also sell this Japanese cloth of Luffy’s gum-gum fruit good for a curtain decoration or table mat. Next, they’ll sell this neon bar themed goods such as acrylic figurines, water bottles, buttons, pouches, tote bags, Japanese coaster mats, and a big towel. Next, the HELLO OP exhibition in Eihime have more new items such as acrylic charms, a folder, a t-shirt, a mug of Law, and a colorful pencil pouch. Next, Jump WORLD is having a Treasure Hunting event where you try to find as many colorful jewels and you could get a free prize. More awesome the Straw Hat stores will be selling such as these totally rad hats of various jolly rogers characters including the navy hat and key holder hat of Luffy, clip boards of Luffy and the navy, & a long towel of the Straw Hats’ jolly rogers. Next, coming soon in Odaiba, a new OP event is coming up next month called “The Mist” where the gang meet with a mysterious man who ate a devil fruit made him a mist man.  More details will be revealed soon. Next, the 50th anniversary of the Jump exhibition will be serving food dishes from popular anime. The OP dish will have Luffy’s favorite food such as chicken drum stick, fried chicken, veggies, and straw hat rice. Very delish! Next, here is the CD cover album the for entire Island Song collection which will be released on Aug.24th. It will have all the characters songs including Big Mom’s Bloody Tea Party. Next, the title for the next book will be Vivre Card Fan Book which will contain fun facts of OP from fans. Also, if you buy either the new OP Open Door books or any of the volumes, you’ll get a free magnet clip, and if you collect them all, it will complete the picture of the Germa theme. Behind it will have a character collage of Luffy and the others. Last, but not least, here is the new DVD cover of vol.12 of WCI arc that has Yonji. It will be released on Aug.1st. One more thing, here is a new drawing that Oda-san made to celebrate the JUMP anniversary. He drew Luffy with Goku. And here’s a pic of seiyuu of Jinbei (Katsuhisa-san), Pedro (Miki-san), Perospero (Uchida-san) Luffy (Mayumi-san) Ussop (Kappei-san), and Nami (Akemi-san). Working together puts a smile on their face. Well done! PHEW! I think we covered everything. Well, that’s all we got for now. Tune in next week for more upcoming awesome goods and events. Special thanks to Tongari-san. We’ll see you at the anniversary party, my friend. Kikko! Momon! Excellent job as always!

[stshyt]

stained by mud and water, with spots of mildew showing

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[martinlawless]

Velo-Schils BMCR Double Circuit Races

2 x Cat ABCD races 9 May 2021 Northern Gateway Sports Park, Colchester

The Northern Gateway Sports Park is a rubbish name for a really good brand new facility on the edge of Colchester. It features a one-mile cycle circuit loop. The Velo-Schils BMCR races there caught my eye as it was a chance to check it out.

This would be my first BMCR race and partly a plan to focus more and more on veteran’s racing, with a view to having a good go at some of the Vet 50+ races next year. The 30 spaces filled up pretty fast and I scanned the start list beforehand and did a crude calculation of who I might be able to get the best of, and who was better than me. My slide rule suggested I would be 14th.

I packed well in advance. It’s nice to feel prepared. However, with 48 hrs to go, my rear wheel decided to fail. It is on its last legs. Or maybe even finished. Luckily, a word out through Strava and I had several offers of a spare wheel. I also found time to see Richard in Ashwell for some TLC on the wheel to patch it up as best as could be done.

The drive over is quite long, but it’s very easy and I’m there without fuss. The facility is really new. It reminds me of Lee Valley Velodrome in some ways: layout and general buzz. The circuit has a similar vibe too.

The loop is really quite straightforward, making it fast. The bends are mostly gentle, it’s as good as flat, so every corner is attacked at speed. It is a flatter version of the Lee Valley circuit, without the dead-ish corner at the far end. An MK Bowl-Lee Valley lovechild. It does have an oddly sketchy chicane - near the finish line too. In itself not a bad challenge, but the run off is into chunky gravel and pretty certain disaster if you need to ride into it. I would recommend they fringe it with some safer rideable edges. Like they have at Lee Valley.

I arrive in good time, register and pin up and get a good 20 minutes easy rollering in. Mostly to wake the driving legs up. It’s warm with a light breeze for the first race. This would be a double race event. Each half-hour race, half an hour apart. I have brief chats with CC Luton’s Matt who I met at the Ashwell chaingang a few weeks ago. And I get to congratulate Valentino on his great 6th place at last weekend’s Hog Hill race. I twiddle away in the car park whilst watching the 60+ age category race and hope I’ll be as fit and fast as those guys one day in the future.

We set off on a neutralised lap. We’re going clockwise. I hear later that British Cycling won’t approve the course to go anti-clockwise. But can’t work out why. Going clockwise means hitting the chicane hard near the finish line and adds considerable drama.

We glide over the start line, the flag goes and we’re off and full gas. As I’ve literally never raced a millimetre of the nice tarmac, I choose to tuck inside the bunch for the first few laps to try and figure out the best lines. It’s a northerly wind and I get into a gliding rhythm of drifting from one side of the bunch line to the other in search of shade from the breeze. At times, the bunch seem indifferent to the optimal protection from the wind, which is good news to me. I find out that the first left bend is too tricky to try and jump on the inside. It’s too tight and you lose all your speed. The far bend that brings on the return leg is gentle and swooping and quite easy to find the right line except for when you get over the rise where you need to be careful not to clip off the left edge of the track. There’s a significant drop in height to the left. If you come off the track here, it would be interesting to see if you could claw back on OK.

The return leg of the lap is gentle in curve. This will most often be a headwind and possibly where a break would most commonly be made or consolidated.

Then, turning to the lap start/finish, there’s a chicane. If you’re not being observant, it will catch you out and you’re off into the heavy gravel stuff. Past here and it’s a dash to the line. Really short.

After a short while I’m conscious of the burn I’m making being at the back. Too much braking and surging. Wasted watts. I try and climb higher into the bunch and have an easier time. I notice many riders are not carrying a bottle but I do - to keep the airways clear and cool and to swig and signal when you want to communicate you’re not going to push hard on the front.

There are some great riders in the mix and I am aware my chances of any success lies in keeping it a bunch and going long at the end. There are some brave moves at a breakaway. But everyone is too fresh to let anything go. Having said that, in to the last lap and one rider has a certain gap while we others chase down the rest of the places. I have a good go at things with half a lap to go and find myself in a decent position where there’s good momentum. It seems it won’t be a slow - then manic surging - finish. My least favourite race finish. We swoop the final corner and everyone is pretty locked into their position. I have a clean run in and am happy to come in 10th, 4th in Age Category (B, 45-49).

We clear the course, there’s a bit of banter and I make my way back to the rollers for 10 minutes to keep the legs turning ahead of race 2. It’s now hotter. The bike computer is saying 26 degrees, with heat bouncing off the tarmac. It’s also significantly windier.

Fresh energy drink. Another gel. A little chewy bar. An apple. We’re off into race 2. I can feel the lack of freshness this time but also know that others will feel it too. It’s a relaxed start and one guy goes rogue over the chicane and cuts across the course, to prove his cyclo-cross skills and maybe to make a point on this pokey-out bit. Laughter over, it dials up. Soon, it’s hot wattage again. I feel like I’m in the Ashwell chaingang, “lap 3”, where it’s biting but doable. I can feel we’re dropping riders here and soon start to see some on the opposing part of the track. But I’m doing OK and enjoying learning the curves. At one point I see Valentino and a few others consolidate a break and think that looks good. I breathe in a make a burst over to them. I’m pleased to have made the leap. Unfortunately, my effort wasn’t quite a clean break and I pull the bunch with me too much. But, I’m pleased to have been able to apply this effort without too much trouble.

Fresh legs. My strategy to get to today with fresh legs looked like this:

Sunday, hard short Zwift crit, full beans for 22 mins.

Monday, easy 2.5hrs road ride

Tuesday, hard Ashwell chaingang, 1 hr 15 mins

Wednesday, hard Ashwell 10m TT, 23 mins 40 secs.

Thursday, nothing really. Home-made 40 mins HIT gym session, + 5k light run.

Friday, 20 miles easy morning tailwind ride. Was thinking about a Zwift crit too, but exhausted by a stressful day at work.

Saturday, nothing. Sports physio in the afternoon.

Sunday, racin’. 48hrs of fresh legs.

I enjoy the level-headedness of my co-riders. No stoopid moves. Though one rider does lurch to the left and I have to be evasive to avoid getting chopped. A Rapha CC rider observes this and raises his eyebrows at me and laughs, while I roll my eyes invisibly from behind my fancy new shades. Drama - but no drama - sort of thing. Grown ups.

OK. Last few laps. I don’t quite know how, but I read the lap counter wrong. On reflection, I may have read “3 laps to go” as the sign was being put out - not to announce it was actually “3 laps to go”. Anyway, for whatever reason, when I see the Colourtech rider, followed by the nippy Stow CC rider ping off the front with what I think is the final lap, I go with. I cross the line and hear the bell and don’t see the chequered flag. Oops. Racing is planning and opportunism. What to do now? Without much thought, I figure, I may as well give it full beans and see what happens. There are no points to score this season. Colourtech chap is significantly ahead and not interested in teaming up. Stow CC fella is burning up fast and I’m catching him. But I’m frazzling quickly too. The bunch are around 8-10 bike lengths behind. Into the headwind and I can see and feel this is a desperate attempt to beat the bunch. They are not relenting and I am dipping below 25mph. This is hopeless.

Stow elbows me to take the front but my help is feeble. Into the final big bend and I can hear the wheels of the bunch. I’m pedalling squares in the final short sprint and swamped. 11th, 4th in Age Category again (B, 45-49). Ah well. I had a go. This might have worked if I had been allowed to escape with half a lap to go. Something to think about for another time. It was good to pressure the bunch and I will think about such a move again in the future. I need to use my TT more in races.

Race over. We’re all done. I say bye to Mark, Valentino and several other of my competitors for the day and get home without fuss. I think about a celebratory McDonalds from the one opposite the park, but the 40 car queue puts me right off an it’s a bobbins Wild Bean Cafe BP garage americano and a banana and clementine from my food bag instead.

I look forward to more adventures here and more BMCR racing too.

Strava links: https://www.strava.com/activities/5266417763 https://www.strava.com/activities/5266971821

[jamesginortonblog]

Warning: spoilers after the break

The credits have rolled on the third instalment of McMafia and there's a lot to take in. With so many criminal threads to keep track of in this big gangland tapestry, here's our catch-up and episode three explainer to help you out.

So, you've got your head around the show's premise (if not, have a gander at our episode one explainer). Now to make sense of the rapidly unfolding, globetrotting narrative...

McMafia episode 2 recap

Episode two introduced another alarming string to Semiyon Kleiman's (David Strathairn) bow; a sex-trafficking operation that smuggles unsuspecting female Russian immigrants across the Egyptian border into Israel for his pleasure.

Young Lyudmilla (Sofya Lebedeva), who we meet in the second episode's opening scene, came face to face with Kleiman after her traumatic journey where he smiled a smarmy, faux-sympathetic smile and reassured her that they'll help each other. Yeah, right.

The second episode focused on Kleiman's business interests across the world. While Egypt is his hub for trafficking, he enters into business with Dilly Mahmood (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) in Mumbai, who will outbid kingpin Mr Chopra (the 'God' of Mumbai in the show's first ever scene) in the bribing of local officials.

Prague is another key city for Kleiman, described as the gateway to Russia, where his nemesis Vadim Kalyagin (Merab Ninidze) operates. Alex Godman (James Norton) has begun his dodgy money transfers for Kleiman, but soon he is forced to fly out to Prague and act as Kleiman's lawyer to encourage sweat-shop owner Jan Reznik (Martin Hub) to continue his dealings with them.

Still following? Good.

Having taken Alex and Kleiman's £5million 'goodwill gesture' and done a runner, it's left to Alex to promise Czech simpleton Reznik that there's plenty more money to be made in entering into business with Kleiman.

It's not what Alex wanted. He had been assured that he would just be the numbers man; the man who makes things happen anonymously with a click of a button. It's all a bit hairy, then, when Alex finds himself forced into the centre of crucial negotiations with Mr Reznik's people.

After a level-headed conversation with Reznik's right-hand man Karel Benes (Karel Roden), Alex tells Benes that he is the sort of man he'd be happy to do business with. That does it. Mr Reznik is killed by his own men in an 'accident' involving a balcony, leaving Alex and Kleiman open to deal with Benes.

McMafia episode 3 explained

On to the third episode, then, and Vadim is already feeling the strain of all the deals Kleiman set in motion. He's finding that his bribes aren't enough and his shipments are being held up… and he's not buying that Reznik's death was an accident.

Insistent on getting the matter dealt with fast and with force, Vadim and his daughter Natasha (Anna Levanova) head to Prague. While Natasha enjoys exploring the sights of the city, Vadim tries to unearth the reasons for the hold-ups in his previously smooth-running system.

He visits Reznik's apartment and sees the signs of struggle along the floor and the bottom of kitchen cabinets. Flicking out the fingernail that fell down a grate as Reznik clung to his balcony door for dear life, Vadim demands to know which police officer was behind the ruling of Reznik's death as unsuspicious.

Policeman Josef Hancil (Marek Vasut), who was seen accepting a bag of cash from new Prague boss Benes at the start of the episode, is beaten for the name of the man who is out-bribing Vadim. He provides Benes' name before being pulped to death by Vadim anyway. Seems fair, right?

As if we didn't have enough countries to juggle, episode 3 throws France into the mix when Alex's 'old Harvard friend' Antonio Mendez (Caio Blat) invites Alex and his girlfriend Rebecca (Juliet Rylance) on a trip to his property in the South of France.

Apparently he's keen to see if Alex will invest in some fishing business he's got going on. Well, obviously it smells fishy (ho ho!) and it's more than a little clear from Alex's worried expression that he has no idea who this chap is. Alex apparently came to Medez' attention when he was watching Kleiman's movements in Prague and he now wants to cover up this forced business meeting as a couple's retreat.

Alex has a face like a wet weekend as he and Rebecca walk around the stunning villa complex. He looks a fun combination of fed up, scared and sick… but somehow Rebecca fails to notice all of this, grinning at the sights and eagerly accepting every glass of white wine going as the blokes sneak off and have their chats in dark corners.

It transpires that Mendez just wanted to alert Alex to a shipment of heroin that Vadim plans to take through Mumbai. While Mendez quite fancies getting involved with Kleiman for a bigger boat to load up his own illegal cargo, he tells Alex he simply wants Kleiman to know about the shipment so that he can intercept it and damage the support Vadim has from his financial backers.

In short, Burger King needs to shake investor faith in McDonald's. Oh, and then Mendez shows Alex the man who killed his Uncle Boris in a cellar. We'll have to see where that one goes...

Back at home in London, matters of the heart are shaking the Godman family. Last time we saw Alex's father Dimitri (Aleksey Serebryakov) he had been rushed to hospital having jumped off the roof of his home, distraught over his brother's death and declaring his love to an unknown recipient on the phone.

It transpires that Dimitri has been having an affair with a woman named Masha and with a strong, steely performance from Maria Shukshina, Alex's mother Oksana tells the other woman that she is welcome to Dimitri, so long as she picks up all the slack where his alcoholic suicide bids and deteriorating health are concerned.

While the men are pushing about money, the women have their head in the skies. While Oksana is preoccupied with her heartache, Alex's sister Katya (Faye Marsay) is blissfully unaware of any family strife at all, Vadim's daughter Natasha is blind to her father's brutal business in Prague while Rebecca is oblivious to just about everything on her fun French getaway.

With such strong actresses in the cast, we can only hope for a double agent… and soon

[xxprincessjewelsxx]

A Dangerous Game (Suho Mafia!au fic) Chapter 5 - Reward?

Warnings: sexual undertones I guess.

Ch. 1, Ch. 2, Ch. 3, Ch. 4, Ch. 5, Ch. 6, Ch. 7, Ch. 8, Ch. 9, Ch. 10, Ch. 11, Ch. 12, Ch. 13, Ch. 14, Ch. 15(M), Ch. 16, Ch. 17(M), Ch. 18, Ch. 19, Ch. 20, Ch. 21, Ch. 22, Bonus Chapter    

“Have you thought about what you would like?”

“Excuse me?” I questioned looking up from my breakfast.

“I told you if you were able to get us the information you said you could, you would get a reward,” Junmyeon replied looking over his shoulder at the eight other men who were gathered in front of the TV screen that was being used like a computer monitor, “You did your job, what would you like as a reward?”

“Oh um...that’s okay,” I said shrugging my shoulders, “I don’t really need anything.”

There was a chuckle from the other side of the room and I looked and saw Minseok was now looking over at us. “I would take him up on his offer, Y/N...jewelry, clothes, a lavish vacation...whatever you want Junmyeon can give it to you. Not only that...he’s offering too.”

I thought for a moment, not really sure what to say; never in my life had anyone rewarded me with something. “Well I guess...” I stopped and look up at Junmyeon who was patiently waiting to find out what I wanted, “I guess I’ve always wanted to have one of those spa days.”

“You want to go to the spa?” he questioned.

I nodded. “I was never allowed to do anything like that...I had to do my own facial and nails.”

For a moment he looked away, the same look that he had on his face when we left my father’s mansion reappearing momentarily before looking back at me with a small smile. “If that is what you want...I will set everything up.”

“What is this?” I questioned as Sehun pulled the car up outside a more than lavish spa.

“Your weekend getaway at the spa...two days out of the penthouse away from the nine of us,” he replied, “The rich and famous go here so security is tight, but I’ll be a phone call away if you need anything.”

“I’ll be completely alone?” I questioned.

“It’s a getaway...that’s kinda the point,” he said with a deadpan expression, “Just go to the front desk and give them the name ‘Kim Suho’. That’s what your reservation is under...like I said, I’m just a phone call away.”

He ushered me out of the car and tossed me my bag and I watched as the Ferrari sped away. Two days of freedom...granted I was limited to the grounds of the spa...but two days of freedom...

~Junmyeon~

“Think it was smart letting her be alone like that?” Minseok questioned.

“She’s an adult, and it’s not like she’s completely alone...the spa has security,” Junmyeon said, not looking away from the paperwork in front of him, “Plus, Sehun is keeping an eye on the place so it’s not like she’s completely unguarded.”

“She’s never had this sort of freedom before...I figured you would send her to one of the day spas downtown, not for a weekend at the hot springs,” Minseok said.

He looked up from his paperwork. “She is not a prisoner, I am not going to treat her like one. Plus...she gave us a gateway to financially crumble her father’s empire little by little in a way he won’t even know what hit him.”

Minseok sighed. “Look, I know she’s not a prisoner but there are people who also know who she is...your fiance, after what happened at the poker game-”

“She doesn’t know anything about my business...except this and no one has any idea that this is in the works.”

“Fine...did you at least get another game set up? We have people getting antsy.”

“Of course...Monday and-” he was cut off by his phone ringing, “Is something wrong Sehun? Are you sure? No...don’t alarm her, just keep an eye on the situation.”

“What’s wrong?” Minseok questioned.

“We may need to cancel that game...we have friends watching us...and they seem to be getting antsy.”

~Y/N~ (Now Second Day at The Spa)

“I have to leave tomorrow...” I mumbled staring up at the ceiling, “Why do I have to leave tomorrow?” My first day at the spa I had enjoy a mani-pedi (which included an amazing leg and foot massage), a facial, and relaxation in my private hot spring. Not only that, but the view from my room was amazing; I could sit, drink tea, and sit in silence and I looked up into the night sky which was full of stars.

Today I was supposed to enjoy a massage, getting my hair done, spend the rest of my day doing what I wanted, personal springs, sleep...go home. The hospitality was amazing, the food was amazing, the location was amazing. It almost made me not want to go back to the penthouse...

But a massage...

and getting my hair done...

and the prospect of stepping into my own personal hot spring. Even though it had only been my bed for a couple of weeks...there was nothing like going to sleep in my big fluffy bed at the penthouse. Though I had my moments where I had been scared, I had felt safer there than I had ever felt anywhere in my life.

“Are you sure you don’t need anything else, ma’am?” the spa hostess questioned as she led me back from my room after dinner.

“No thank you, I think I’m just going to take a bath and call it a night,” I replied.

“Alright, ring the front desk if you need anything,” she said before leaving.

I walked into my room and not even caring about anything but the awaiting spring I began to shed myself of my clothes before grabbing a towel and heading out to the spring. Slipping into the hot spring I let out a content sigh settling down into the water against the warm rocks.

“Well that was a view I was not expecting,” a voice said.

I let out a small scream as and a hand came out of the thick steam and covered my mouth. “Now now my scared little kitten...no need for that.”

“Junmyeon?” I questioned, the name being muffled by hand. The water sloshed and Junmyeon came into view causing my brain to start to shut down. ‘I am in a hot spring...naked....with Junmyeon....’ I thought as I felt his skin touch mine.

“I’m going to remove my hand, but you need to be quite, can you do that for me?” he whispered. I nodded and he removed his hand. “Good girl...now before you go asking questions, we have some friends here watching you, the same friends that crashed my little poker game.”

“Cops?” I whispered.

“Mmhmm...now...,” he stopped his lips moving from my ear until I could feel his warm breath on my already hot skim, “I’m not here to take advantage of you...there is a car waiting for us, but I need you to act like you’re very happy to see me. Don’t worry I won’t look...unless you want me-.”

“No...no I’m good,” I choked out, my voice getting caught in my throat.

He let out a chuckle, “I already got a good look anyway...and you don’t have to look at me...unless you want, I’m not ashamed of how I look.”

“I’m fine...”

“Fine...I’m going to kiss you now,” he said.

“You’re wha-,” I was cut off by his lips against mine urging me to kiss back which even though I was cut off guard by all that was happening I did.

I soon felt myself lifted out of the hot water, the cool night air hitting my skin as Junmyeon stepped out of the water making me wrap my legs around his waist. There was something that felt right about the kiss; it was just for show, I knew that. But in the moment, his lips, his hands, his skin...everything felt so right.

We fell to the bed, my back landing on the mattress. Only after another minute did he finally break the kiss leaving us both out of breath. “Get dressed,” he said, before unhooking my legs from around his waist and standing up.

It didn’t give me enough time to look away and for the first time I saw a man in all his glory in real life. The fact that that man was incredible handsome, tone, and was half erect didn’t help things either. The knot that formed in my stomach looking at Junmyeon made me press my thighs together and I was only snapped out of my ever growing explicit thoughts when some clothes hit me in the face.

“I know you’ve never seen a naked man before, but stop staring and get dressed, we have to get you out of here and too safety before the cops can try and grab you,” he said.

I quickly nodded and got dressed and soon after found myself in his blue Lamborghini, speeding off back towards the heart of Seoul.

Once back at the penthouse before there could be any sort of greeting from the others Junmyeon sent me to my room so that they could have an emergency meeting.

It didn’t really matter though; after what happened I didn’t know if I wanted anyone else around me. I just needed to think. Once in my room I threw a whole bunch of pillows and blankets on the floor near the windows. There...curled up on the floor I stared our onto the ever busy city. The images from earlier came back to mind and I felt the blood rush back to my face. I barely knew Junmyeon; in the moment, everything had felt so right, but was it just because that was my first heated interaction with a man like that.

Burying my face into one of the pillows I let out a sigh before peaking back over the pillow. I had no idea what to do with all the emotions that I was feeling. I don’t know how long I was laying there before I heard footsteps making me look over my shoulder.

Junmyeon was standing there leaned against one of the posts of the bed with his arms crossed. “We need to talk about earlier.”

Again my face flushed causing me to look away from him. “I know...it was just to get us out of there I-”

“No, I want you to understand something,” he said causing me to turn and look at him, “What you saw was just my body reacting to the heated moment we were in, I got you riled up so that you would play along better, I have no sexual interest in you.”

I went to say something buy then my mouth closed. I had nothing to say...why would a man like Junmyeon have any sexual interest in...me. I just nodded and looked down at my hands.

“Until I get this thing straightened out with the cops you’re stuck here in the penthouse, got it?” he questioned.

Again I just nodded.

“Good girl...”

~Baekhyun~

“That was harsh boss,” Baekhyun said as Junmyeon stepped out of Y/N bedroom.

“What do you want Baek?” Junmyeon questioned.

“Minseok told me to come get you, he figured out something for the poker game,” he replied.

“Very well...” Junmyeon said before walking back towards the living room.

Worry and curiosity getting the best of him Baekhyun pushed open the door slightly and saw Y/N leaned up against one of the window, crying...not sobs, but visible tears.

‘Ah geez boss...look what you’ve done...’

To be continued...

[alia15]

2020: Who Saw THIS Coming?

Remember when I retired from blogging?

I actually did retire, except, I consider this little corner of the Internet -- MY corner -- to be a place where I document the big stuff. I told you about my engagement and then came back several months later to recap my wedding. Remember that? The wedding that THANKFULLY occurred in late 2019 before the world turned to shit??

Yeah. You know what happened. “The pandemic.” “The virus.” “Covid.” Covid-19″ (I personally prefer the first five Covids; I feel like they really fell off after that). “CORONAVIRUS.” 

THE DUMPSTER FIRE THAT IS...2020.

Suuuuuuuuure, good ol’ Rona robbed Leo and me of our Italian honeymoon, but aside from that? We were able to squeeze in all kinds of fun things in good ol 2019 -- oh how I miss you, 2019 -- and have an unforgettable year. This year is proving to be unforgettable too -- just, ya know -- in like, a traumatizing sorta way.

Anyway, as I was saying, I have to document the big stuff on here. I imagine myself reading and looking back on this blog like an old, embarrassing diary (hell, I do it already) (the dating posts make me want to die) and who can omit THIS chapter? It’s got it all: a deadly virus, racially fueled riots and protesting, social injustice, a deranged madman in the oval office, and... MURDER HORNETS?

exactly. 

So rather than write out a whole long thing about my experience in 2020, I thought I’d break it down by month, starting in March. I’m going to be documenting the good, the BAD (there’s a decent amount of that), and anything new that transpired in that time frame. Did I take up any hobbies? Start baking sourdough? I guess you’ll find out. 

Let’s start with: 

MARCH. 

The good. There was immediately a novelty to this whole Covid-19 thing. In the first half of the month I was commuting, going to work in my NYC office, and doing my usual amount of social things on weekends. When it was decided in mid-March that we’d have to work and stay home for a “bit” (lol), there was something exciting about it. We made jokes about social distancing and masks and had cutesy puns for “quarantining.” We hit the ground RUNNING with Zoom calls/video chats. There was something fun and exhilarating about all this.

The bad. People I KNOW got this virus. People I know LOST people to this virus. My Grandma’s health took a turn and things did not look good, but I couldn’t go see her. Shit, I didn’t see ANYONE except Leo, and even he was going to work in his office every day. I had to get used to this abrupt abundance of...alone time. 

What’s new? I’ve always taken to social media as a creative outlet, but I QUICKLY started using it more -- and differently -- once things in the world got hairy. I treated my Instagram like my one gateway to the outside world, because it was: I surveyed my followers and asked how they were doing. I took silly videos talking to myself in the mirror. I wrote long captions on my photos letting everyone know what my experience was like. I tried to entertain those who were stuck at home, as I was, and needing an escape. 

Oh, and ya know... Tiger King.

APRIL.

The good. The weather was getting nicer, so Leo and I took advantage and often went for walks around our complex and even a local trail/preserve in our town. We started doing “lawn visits” to see our families from a distance, and that helped. For two people who were used to seeing their ‘people’ regularly, 3-4 weeks of not seeing them took a toll. I also started doing “Grateful April” on Instagram, where I shared a few things each day that made me happy/appreciative. Some followers of mine followed suit, which was awesome to see. 

The bad. Hmm, I think all this sitting and lack of moving is hurting my back? (#foreshadowing). Also, ENOUGH with the Zoom calls and “virtual happy hours,” for the LOVE OF GOD! Oh, and that “novelty” I mentioned in March? That wore off quickly, and a lot of us started to feel weird, sad, isolated, uneasy, unproductive and stir-crazy. Myself included.

We were also reminded that this was the month we were supposed to depart for our honeymoon. Ugh.

What’s New? I did some arts & crafts (I painted ceramic bowls I bought from Target), gave myself a mediocre pedicure, found new/creative ways to engage and interact with folks on social media (polls, asking questions like “what’s in your Amazon cart?” and “who sponsors your quarantine?”), and got to see what it was like to have a husband with hair. I also discovered my love of tie-dye and wore...a lot of it. 

Oh, and I was on CBS news talking about screen time. Iconic. 

MAY.

The good. The weather got summer-like and I definitely felt a MAJOR shift in my mood. Leo and I spent more time outside on our deck: listening to music, making margaritas, talking to neighbors. I even took work calls outside and got some much-needed Vitamin D. I had my first real “beach days” (bathing suit, chair and all). I started to FINALLY see my family in person; first, outside only -- and then eventually indoors.  

The bad. Ahmaud Arbery. George Floyd, obviously. Dumb-dumbs protesting the lock-down and demanding haircuts. CLEARLY more to come on this. (See: June)

Oh, and my back pain? WAY worse.

What’s new? Some more arts and crafts: I started painting shells I found on the beach (lol).  I bought a pair of Crocs and documented the most absurd series on social media where I paired the heinous footwear with items that rhymed (Crocs & socks, Crocs & shamrocks, Crocs & botox...you get the idea.) I experimented with a few new recipes (made lemon poppy muffins & homemade vodka sauce). I re-watched Mad Men and it made me miss my office and coworkers. 

JUNE. A rough one. 

The good. We started doing more social things with our families: BBQs, celebrating Father’s Day, our nephew’s baptism. Doing this truly felt like “normalcy” and in those moments, we’d forget about all the garbage going on around us. I also decided (yes, after 3 friggin months of lock-down) that I needed to start exercising; something I needed for my physical AND mental health. I thought it could help my back -- which, yes, was feeling worse as time went on -- and it did make me feel good to spend a little time each day walking, jogging, lifting weights and just MOVING. 

The bad. Um? Everything? For starters, the racial tension in the country came to a head and erupted in a MAJOR way -- and while the protests and all the #BlackLivesMatter movements were a positive thing, it absolutely brought out the WORST in so many others. There was rioting, looting and violence. Racism ran RAMPANT. Karens went wild. “Covidiots” were ENRAGED about being told to wear masks. There was police brutality and a President who threw fuel into the fire. Tensions and emotions were at an all-time high and we all got a harsh dose of reality that this country has SO FAR TO GO in regards to equality and civil rights and even basic human decency. I was -- and still am -- sad for this country.

Also? I finally went for an MRI on my back and found out I have two herniated discs; well THAT certainly helps explain things! Shortly after, I pull my back out entirely, and could not walk or move. The pain is excruciating; debilitating and I think, “can things get any worse?” and then...

My Grandma passes away. 

It hurts. It still does. It was inevitable -- as death is, especially given her age and health condition at the time -- but it still felt like taking a bullet. I will always be grateful that I was able to get to see her one day before she passed away to say goodbye, but it’s hard not to be resentful that she didn’t get the memorial service and send-off she so deserved because of the pandemic.

(Side note: read about my amazing Grandma HERE)

In short, June sucked.

What’s new? We got a new stationary bike and set it up outside on the deck which was awesome, and I ended the month getting some epidural shots at the spine doctor. While the (strong) meds and injections didn’t exactly *cure* my issue, they made things a LOT better. Leo and I also drove into NYC (my first time there in MONTHS!) so I could go get my migraine Botox treatment at my neurologist. 

I voted by mail (which is not fraudulent, by the way) (#eyeroll) in the NY Primary. 

I also got not one, but TWO, amazing rainbows the week my grandmother passed away. I needed those, and I’d like to think she knew that.

JULY.

The good. More beach days and some consistent amazing weather (thanks, Mother Nature!). I started seeing a chiropractor twice a week and quickly respond REALLY WELL to treatment and start feeling a lot better. I put things into perspective and realize how lucky I am to live where I do -- on the beach -- and get to enjoy all this newfound free time doing things I enjoy. We also celebrate some family birthdays and have a small family gathering in honor of our beloved Dorothy. 

Have you noticed that “seeing family” always ends up in my “good” section?

The bad. Naya Rivera died unexpectedly, John Lewis died, REGIS died. Our President remains as unhinged as ever, we desperately want to #FreeBritney, and Kanye West has a really sad, scary and concerning, uh, episode. He’s also running for President, maybe? Or not? On a personal note, Leo and I tried to eat dinner on the beach one night and LIT-rally got attacked by seagulls. Weeks later, bull sharks are spotted in the ocean RIGHT WHERE WE LIVE, and they prohibit swimming. 

What’s new? Hamilton on Disney+: need I say more? The fig tree that’s been on our deck for three summers FINALLY started to grow figs! I re-watched Broad City and it is just... *chef’s kiss* perfection. Taylor Swift releases her album ‘folklore’ and I listen on repeat for seven days straight.

AUGUST.

Well, who knows? We’re not there yet. 2020 has certainly been a ride (and it’s not over yet; dear GOD), and I still can’t believe it ended up being this insane year, unlike anything I’ve EVER experienced. And while it undoubtedly has come with its fair share of challenges, it has also come with some blessings.

I have all this extra time now and I make a point to use it productively (most days). I log off from working and go outside, I walk the beach, go in our complex pool, ride the stationary bike, catch up with friends/family on the phone, read, and watch/re-watch shows.

The commute and hustle and bustle of every day in my pre-pandemic life would make me stressed and anxious; I was constantly snoozing alarm clocks, rushing in the mornings, dealing with overcrowded/delayed trains, and getting home late each night. 

Life has become slower, in a good way, and it’s made me appreciate the simple things. I care less about material things and more about the basics: enjoying nice weather/the outdoors, my home, my husband, my family and close friends.

I genuinely stopped caring about getting my hair and nails done, going out to dinner, getting dolled up, or traveling. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy all these things and I’ll of course do them again, but this whole situation made me realize that what I need *most* in this world are the simple joys that money can’t buy.

And for that? I’m grateful. 

*stay safe, friends.*

[paisleycollabz]

Day 2 - Exploration Pt.1

So today was the official start of the study program, despite it being on a weekend.  

Beforehand, participants were split into two groups and each group would go to one of two stated tourist/historical locations as stated in the given study tour itinerary.

My groups’ allocated sight-seeing locations, for the day, was at the ‘Malay Heritage Centre’, ‘Kampong Glam’ and ‘China Town’.

Note: Things seen at visited locations and its’ displays included portraits/old photographs of people. Photos I took excluded such displays as I believe taking pictures of deceased persons is disrespectful so any images I will be posting here will exclude such items.  

First locational visit was to the Malay Heritage Centre, which was surprisingly close to the hotel. Probably a 3 minute walk even. The weather was a bit dull too but only a sprinkle of rain dusted the place as we waited for the tutors to arrange entrance into the building.

The Malay Heritage Centre is a historical preserved site and serves as a museum, since 2012, housing information and artefacts about the area of Kampong Glam and the life of Malay royalty that ruled over the area. The museum itself was a former palace, built in 1819 but was remodelled to its current state 1840, and residence to said Malay royalty family members.

I had brought with me my DSLR camera to take pictures but proved somewhat useless as the battery died after 10 minutes and the spare was back at the hotel. Images taken weren’t too great either but that just says that I need a brush-up lesson in photography (to which I am weak at too). My phone camera did a better job lol and it is pretty evident in the images here. 

(A collection of sailing vessels modelled after actual boats and ships of the early 1800′s and onwards)

(traditional attire and accessories with a western touch i.e.art nouveau florals)

Whilst exploring the museum, I looked for patterns and motifs on the artefacts that I would be using as design references later on. A lot of the things displayed were gorgeous but were quite evident in western influence, which is due to a treaty signed with Europeans.  

(Bookmarks with Malay influenced floral designs at the Heritage Center gift shop)

Afterwards, the group took a quick walk through ‘Kampong Glam’, which I was thinking was explorative detour towards Bugis as lunchtime was decided upon in Chinatown. Funnily, I didn’t even know we were in ‘Kampong Glam’ till I reviewed the trip itinerary do document the locations visited for day 1. However, it was also pretty close to the Museum and it was quite a stunner to see the mosque up close whilst walking along a redbrick winding pathway, albeit a short stroll but I think lunch was on a majority on people’s minds.

(Arch that sits like a gateway into Kampong Glam)

(Tile pattern could be a inspiration source)

(Kampong Glam was pretty close to our accomodation. The area surrounding it was Indian influenced with many Indian shops)

I think today was the first time for many people in my group to ride the MRT transport services, which we needed to utilize to get to Chinatown. I emphasize on ‘think’ here! But a majority of us needed to get a pass first as only few already acquired one, me having acquired it upon leaving the airport and already having been to Singapore before and having a slight navigating advantage around Singapore I kind of boast.

Oh yes, to add to the boasting aspect, prior to leaving the hotel lobby, everyone had to go and purchase a ‘stupid’ T-shirt or top and dress in it for the welcome party, which would be hosted in the evening on the bar level of the hotel. I wasn’t too keen on that aspect since I wanted to spend such money on something a bit nicer but opted in the end for some “I <3 Singapore” corny shirt that I could use as a PJ top. Anyway, I suggested to anyone wanting to check out the Bugis Markets to buy such a top to follow me and surprisingly a lot followed but I did get us a bit lost by taking a different exit upon arrival back at Bugis MRT station. I felt pretty guilty after feeling great for the number of people putting trust in me to lead them and having a navigational advantage. 

Going back to getting to Chinatown, passes were purchased, boarded the MRT and on arrival, we setup a meeting point at the corner of Smith Street and New Bridge Road and then divided up to explore around and search for a place to grab lunch. I hung out with one person from the group and she was also a UC student but from the Landscaping department. We both first hit a Hawker/market place with a short walk there was nothing there that I was particularly craving. Walking around a bit more, we opted in the end for some handmade noodles at a place, further down Smith Street, called ‘Noodle Man’ and it did NOT Disappoint! The wait was a while but it was genuine that the noodle were being made fresh on the spot. I wish the serving was a bit more though but at the same time, it worked out as we had wasted a lot of time searching for a place to eat over including some exploration time.

About 2.30pm, the group regrouped and we walked down to the other end of Smith St. Chinatown and onwards to visit the ‘Thian Hock Keng’ temple (A.K.A Temple of Heavenly Happiness), Singapore’s oldest Chinese temple.

Walking along, we passed but this cute café (that I regret not taking a picture of thinking that we would be walking past it again on the way back) called ‘Caffe B’, a Japanese + Italian collaboration café, which seemed pricy too. Only passed the back of the café but it looked like a scene from a Ghibli film or something rather.

(Caffe B pic sourced from Google Map view. Its got this vibe of Ghibli to it however its the front of the store.) 

Further along, we walked through this memorial-like destination called ‘Ann Siang Hill Park’, which was a heritage preserved place that felt like walking through a English and Japanese influenced winding garden and pathway + scenery overlooking spot. Gorgeous indeed it was and had an air about it of being a dedicated place or memorial to a historical figure.

Stupid me though for not pulling out my camera for some nice shots. However, pics from TripAdvisor should suffice LOL

We soon reached our destination after a few extra walking meters. It was a small area comprised of a main temple and surrounded by shrines for other respective mythical creatures and gods/warlords and then a small café just outside the sacred area but still on shrine grounds. I’m particularly somewhat superstitious with a background of Buddhism so when I was taking pictures of the area, I would put my hands together and ask permission of the figure/creature, being the subject of the photo I wanted to take, first just as a polite gesture. The main part of the temple was a Buddha partially off limits to photo taking but I instead opted to light some incenses and pray for good luck and to thank Buddha for watching over me. It didn’t take long really and being exhausted and hot, nearly the whole group decided to chill out at the café.

(People were welcomed to take some incense sticks and pray inside the temples. I part took in it to ask buddha to watch over me during this trip.)   

From there, the group called it a day and we all were set free to go do our own thing such as shopping for our ridiculous tops.      

The day ended on a “Welcome Party” from around 6.30pm. All rocked up on the top floor of the hotel for a ‘sort-of’ buffet whilst sporting our odd tops, followed by a fashion show after dinner to flaunt the ‘fancy’ tops and then a drinks night. I dodged the participation for both the drinks after dinner and the fashion show due to being too shy of a person with anxiety issues and because I’m not a drinker. Left the party early too to get some work started and more rest as I was feeling bouts of vertigo.

[remotecontrolchuck]

Toonami Night Review: So Long Tokyo Ghoul, Hello October!

Well last week we bid farewell to September on Toonami, and welcomed October with open arms, as well as a weird metal music video fitting for the month of Halloween. It was also last week that we bid adieu to a show that would’ve been also fitting, Tokyo Ghoul.

Throughout Tokyo Ghoul’s run on the block, the show was either despised, or enjoyed by its fans. As for me who has yet to read the books, I thought it was okay. Not exactly perfect in terms of story flow, but the characters and its set up were certainly interesting. If anything, the anime was a hit and miss.

To explain my point about my issue with it being the story flow, I’ll reiterate my reasoning from a previous post I made a couple of weeks ago.

“First off, the way the first season ended and the second season began felt like they just cut one whole season into two just so there could be two seasons. And secondly, the way the perspective changed all of a sudden between the two seasons.

The first season focused mainly on Kaneki, and then the second season focused less on him and more on a whole bunch of others. While I don’t mind getting to know more about the other characters in this universe, the fact that the main protagonist we’re supposed to follow was pushed to the side all of a sudden kind of felt jarring, well at least to me anyway.

Again for lack of better words, the story flow just didn’t click with me. Perhaps if the first season focused more on the ghouls of Anteiku and the CCG instead of just the perspective we’re supposed to see from Kaneki’s point of view, then maybe the two seasons would connect better that way.”

Since those weeks ago, I recently found out that there may have been reasons for the problems in this anime. Last weekend during the run, a user by the name of technodude458 made two comments on one of my post where I was talking about the show, and in them he explained his reasons for the show doing poorly. Here’s what he wrote.

“Well the problem is pretty much all of the Tokyo ghoul anime is a gigantic shit show they put arcs chronologically before they’re supposed to happen the dub of the second season came out before the one for the first season the second season doesn’t even follow the manga at all it’s a mess if you like it read the manga

oh and let’s not forget the censorship at least in the Japanese version I think a lot of that was edited out for the American release just look for big black spots”

Now while I have yet to verify what technodude458 said is true, it certainly makes a lot of sense. Again I have not read the manga, but if the arcs have been moved around in a different order, it would explain disjointed feeling I got from the story flow of the anime. And if it’s true that the second season was rushed, it would kind of explain my feel about the end and beginning between the two seasons being one season cut in half.

Now I’m not sure about the censorship, but if I get the chance to see the english dub again, I’ll definitely look out for those edits I might have missed. Perhaps that might be another reason for my disconnection with the story, maybe too many parts were cut out of the show, hence why some scenes won’t make sense.

But I digress, like I said before, this show was a hit and miss. It had great characters and a good set up, but the story failed to use them well. If this show ever gets another season, I have doubts that it will ever come on the block, which will disappointing to those that did like the anime.

Heck, they didn’t even show the end credits scene in the finale, which had Touka opening up a new cafe called “:RE”, which just shows Toonami’s attitude towards the show it seems. On an interesting note, apparently the sequel manga series to Tokyo Ghoul is called “Tokyo Ghoul :RE”. So with that said, this scene was either meant as a tease for a possible third season, or at least a nod to the manga.

Moving on. Aside from the end of Tokyo Ghoul, it was also the end of Pain’s Assault Arc, and season 8, of Naruto Shippuden. And from what I’m seeing from the wiki, we’re not even halfway through the series. So it looks like it will be around for quite some time, unless it somehow ends up like the other long series on Toonami that we’re removed for reasons, like Inuyasha and One Piece.

Alright, time to move onto the recap!

Dragon Ball Super: Vegeta knocks out Frost like a boss, but soon himself in hot water, or in this case hot magma, against his next opponent, Auta Magetta!

DBZ Kai: Trunks finds the Dragon Ball radar, Goku shows off the power of Super Saiyan 3, and Majin Buu decides he had it with Babidi and blows his head off.

Stardust Crusaders: JoJo defeats a Kakyoin imposter called Rubber Soul, and his yellow blob-like stand “Yellow Temperance”, before leaving with the others on a train to India.

Tokyo Ghoul: As Kaneki thinks about the good times of Anteiku, Hide reveals that he knew Kaneki was a ghoul for some time, and that he still cares about him. Unfortunately their happy reunion ends tragically, as Hide dies in Kaneki’s arms from blood loss after being wounded by the battle. Sometime after, a devastated Touka arrives to see Anteiku burning to the ground, as well as Kaneki leaving with Hide’s body. She tries to go after him, but is stopped by Yomo, telling her it was Yoshimura's last request that he protect her and Hinami.

As Kaneki carries Hide’s body down the road, he walks towards the CCG, who standby and watch as he stands before investigator Arima. After laying Hide’s body on the ground, Kaneki’s leaves his fate up to the Dove. After a moment of silence, a case is heard being opened offscreen, and the episode ends with Kaneki’s status unknown. And as I mentioned before, had Toonami cared enough to show it after the credits, we would have had a scene of Touka opening a new cafe called :RE and moving on with her life.

So long Tokyo Ghoul, your run might not have been great, but you were nonetheless a decent show to watch. Farewell and Stay Gold.

Hunter x Hunter: After losing a series of sport battles with pirates, Killua gathers information to help them win next time, but the other players decide to leave. While trying to find more players, they decide to use a spell card to meet the one using Chrollo’s name in the game, and soon find out much to their dismay that it’s Hisoka, still creepy and untrustworthy as ever.

Suspicious of what he’s up to, Gon and the gang to decide to follow him to the city of love called Aiai. There, Killua begins to suspect that Hisoka has already encountered the other members of the Phantom Troupe on the island. When an opportunity arrives for them to see the assassin’s book, they take a look at the list of people he had encountered. Unfortunately, Hisoka had expected this, and used a trick to hide the Spiders’ names with fake ones to fool them.

Lupin the Third: After the falling into Zenigata’s custody, Lupin tries to escape multiple Italian prisons, but is constantly thwarted by the investigator. After being moved to an island prison under Zenigata’s constant watch, does Lupin fool the investigator by faking his own death and escape. Meanwhile, a mysterious prisoner has escaped MI6 and is now on the loose in Rome.

Naruto Shippuden: After Pain dies from bringing everyone he’s killed in the Leaf Village back to life, Naruto returns home and is hailed as a hero by everyone, finally getting the love and respect he deserved.

Outlaw Star: While trying to get munitions from their friend Fred Luo, Gene and Jim agree to protect the camp weapons merchant from the assassin “Twilight” Suzuka. While Gene succeeds in beating Suzuka in a duel, and getting her to stop trying to kill Fred, the assassin now vows to kill him instead.

Cowboy Bebop: Spike, Jet, and Faye find themselves in some serious monkey business when they have to stop a mad eco-terrorist named “Twinkle” Murdoch and her boys from turning Ganymede into a literal Planet of the Apes with a virus. In the end they manage to escape the collapsing gateway, but their bounty becomes lost in hyperspace, and turned into a monkey when the vial Spike put in her pocket slips out and breaks.

Attack on Titan: While Hange’s assistant Moblit makes a shocking discovery about the titans, Commander Erwin and his Scouts arrive at the Forest of Giant Trees. While fleeing from them, Ymir demands to see Krista one last time, refusing cooperate with Reiner and Bertholdt until they agree.

Later, Connie and the others find Ymir in titan form, and then witness her kidnap Krista before taking off. The Scouts then continue to chase after Ymir and the titan Warriors as they depart the forest.

And that concludes the recap of last week’s shows. This Saturday night Gundam IBO returns to the block, so don’t miss out on the premiere of the dubbed second season. Until then, enjoy the first week of October 2017 and Stay Gold!

[shadowsong26fic]

Coming Attractions!

Well, it has been A Week, writing wise...

Fanfic:

Precipice

I’ve completed Arc 3, yay! Arc 4 was supposed to begin this week, but (for reasons I will explain below), it’s gonna be delayed to next week. And, I mean, looking back over the 7-ish months I’ve been posting this fic, while I’ve been late a few times, I’ve only actually missed one week? And that was...like...Thanksgiving. Anyway, given that I’ve been pretty consistent thus far, I don’t actually feel too bad about it. ...I feel a little bad, though. ...I’ll live. This upcoming arc has a couple different threads, and I’m trying to work out which one I want to start with. Luke, has has very own plot now, so I might go with that. On the other hand, Obi-Wan and Anakin each get to draw in a character I’m super excited for, but I ended Arc 3 with Obi-Wan so I’m not sure I want to start with him. And Anakin’s thread will move very quickly once it starts, because Reasons, and I want to make sure I give enough time/space/attention to the other threads, too. Like...what I have planned for Anakin might actually require several chapters in a row on his thread. Eh, we’ll see.

Distaff

I was planning to write and post a new chapter last weekend, but a scheduling error on Saturday completely threw me off track. Sooooo that didn’t happen. Goal is to put something up Monday at the latest. Then I have to do some research to find and/or make up a suitable Sith Legend(tm), because Plagueis doesn’t really fit apply in this AU. ...suggestions welcome?

Auxiliaries

I was planning to do the intro story to this AU as a second Bonus Fic for Star Wars Day yesterday, but my other piece ate my brain so that didn’t happen. Sometime soon, though, as it’s nearly ready.

Masks

Uh...will come eventually? ANH!Vader is a pain in the but to write, guys...

May the Fourth Bonus Fic

So, I posted It’s Like Deja Vu (All Over Again) last night! It is a 11.5k time-travel-shenanigans fic set during an altered Attack of the Clones.

I wrote about 7-8k of it since Monday.

...yeah, that’s why no Precipice update this week and so on. My brain is fried.

Anyway. Um. Considering my procrastination-induced time crunch* and the fact that I don’t really write courtship narratives much (at all), I think I did pretty well? There’s quite a bit in this fic I’m really proud of. Some things I’m not 100% happy with, but overall, I’m pleased with the story as a whole. I’ll probably let it sit for a week or so and then maybe reread and clean up to post to AO3 with a few more edits.

*Part of why the time crunch happened was IRL shenanigans/other projects. Part of it was I changed my mind re: formatting/POV halfway through.

As an Added Bonus, for those of you who read these things, have the pre-mortem one-liner from the Spoilery Death in Part 3:

“He never would have let you live, you know. At least now, you won’t take half the galaxy down with you. It’s better this way. Trust me.”

Original Fic:

Well, I didn’t make my goals last month--I only got one thing posted, and didn’t really work on any other projects. But I am very pleased with what I did get out!

May Goals:

New section! This would be cleaner than squeezing it in with the updates, I think...

On time with every Precipice update (barring this week, obvs)

At least two Distaff updates

Masks update

Clean up as necessary/post Deja Vu to AO3

Clean up/post Auxiliaries gateway fic

Work on Phoenix sequel

Do another crack AU outline ‘cause those are fun

Work on at least one publishable project

Post at least two pieces to RF

Update Lux and Feredar archives

[fox-metro]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcR_Wg42dv8)

I can't understand why anyone thinks This Stuff is dangerous or a gateway drug. It's not like water to liquor, it's more like pills to less harmful pills that don't damage another part of yourself; and you can put it in tons of other forms of consuming.

You wanna know what a 'threat' This Stuff is? I'm high functioning autistic, was full of anxiety, self deprecation, and thought about killing myself at least 5-6 times a day. My favorite was being held at gun point by a criminal at a police stand off and shouting," It's okay! I wanna die anyway! Just shoot! It really doesn't matter to me!"

Nowadays? I realize that's not a healthy thing to think about. I shouldn't say, "I think I'm a terrible person", and how damaging it is to say that daily. I talk to my friends in a more confident, leveled, and articulated manner, and love having company around rather than being paranoid I'm a bother to be near. I can concentrate and draw better. I can listen to music and watch movies again and remember why I love them. I can think clearly. I've gone from 12+ thoughts to 1-2 at a time. Used to be I would talk to someone and I'd think about: my perspective, what I have to say and how to get to what I want to say a paragraph ahead of what is currently being said, how what I'm saying can come off, how the last sentence came off, The top 3 scenarios that will most likely happen from the interaction based on predicable human behavior and how not to panic if none of them are right, what the variety of definitions in the first words of the other person's perspective mean in context to the situation, what physical gestures or pose my body is in and how it can come off, if I'm using the right tone, and a tone of other things you're not suppose to worry about all at the same time unless your writing a novel that's also a screenplay by Joss Wheaton, to just enjoying the flow of a conversation. I can go outside and not be terrified about every single unpredictable variable that is another person in sight. I have a happy relationship with my family. I spend some weekends just laughing with my parents, and find them to be fantastic people to be around. I want to eat more than once a day. I love being outside. I love working out and telling people what I think is amazing about them. I don't even hate Jeff Sessions, but rather I feel incredibly sad by how miserable his life is in general and how he doesn't even realize it.

Please, whomever reads this, don't let them take away This Stuff, cause I'm honestly scared I might loose sight of what's great about being alive and go back to being stuck between being scared to die and not wanting to live.