#atlanta crackers

[chunksupreme]

Chunk Supreme | 2024

[karmaalwayswins]

Georgia August 26-30, 2023

Pasofino Dance Social, Atlanta, Georgia.

Steak N' Egg Hashbrown Casserole, Cracker Barrel, Perry, Georgia.

Buc-ee's, Fort Valley, Georgia.

ATL BACHATuesdays, Casa Almenara, Atlanta, Georgia.

Photo Credit: karmaalwayswins

[myhappylittlesideblog]

Gotch-yer Back

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.5K

Warnings: Violence, Walker death, other TWD character death (Amy), Daryl being a bit of a jerk and then fixing it, let me know if there's anything else! Basically what seems to be regular TWD fanfic warnings. Also I believe this is only Fem!Reader because he calls Reader "girl."

Summary: A retelling of the night walkers attack at the quarry and how you and Daryl help each other deal with the aftermath.

You tried to remember the last time you’d eaten fish. It had been a while, a few weeks maybe? A few long weeks forcing yourself to eat squirrel or a rabbit if you were lucky. Or if you were unlucky, even snake. You’d eat whatever was caught if you were hungry enough, or simply to stay alive another day.

Fish was a delicacy these days. The girls- Amy and Andrea had caught a load of them in the quarry. It was white fish which had always been your favorite. It was easy to cook and fell apart in yummy flakes. Hell, you didn’t even need a fork.

It was hot in your mouth and the heat of the meal radiated in your belly. The group chewed and chattered while you were lost in your own thoughts. Your mother used to make a great dish when you lived with her. Cod with a breading on top that was made with Ritz crackers. You missed her. You missed her cooking. You wondered where she was now-

Everyone laughed suddenly and the sound made you jump.

“William Faukner,” Dale said, smiling.

Lori reached over Carl and rested a comforting hand on your arm. Understanding glowed in her eyes in the firelight. Loud noises always made you nervous these days.

By the time you saw the pan of fish that had been passed around, the last filet was being pulled out of it by a stabbing fork.

“Shouldn’t we save some?” you asked Lori. “The guys’ll be back soon.”

“We’ll catch some more tomorrow,” Andrea said to you, catching your attention from a few seats down.

“Yeah,” Amy said. “We’re pros.” 

Despite the light conversation, Lori looked grim. You and her seemed to be the only people worried about the men who’d gone off to find Merle and the bag of guns that was left in the street in Atlanta. She had her arm around Carl as he munched and grinned at Dale. You couldn’t imagine how she was feeling about her husband’s return, nevermind his volunteering to lead the charge back into one of the most dangerous places in this new age. He’d just gotten back. It was written all over her face as she gazed into the flames of the fire.

You weren’t a fan of Merle. In fact, you disliked him thoroughly. The pit in your gut surrounding his abandonment had nothing to do with his safety, or his life, but with Daryl’s. You weren’t even sure if you liked the younger Dixon either. He seemed to follow too closely in his brother’s footsteps to be safe or dependable. Or even nice. But you did respect him. After all, he’d helped to keep you safe and almost single handedly kept the group fed with his hunting and tracking skills. 

Still, no. He wasn’t very nice.

You had a feeling, however, that you had his respect in return. It only took a few crude remarks from Merle for you to fire back at him with enough force to keep him off your back for a few days. Daryl apparently hadn’t been too far away that day and had heard your reply to Merle’s degrading comments. 

“Impressive,” he’d said. “For a quiet girl.”

The next time Merle got colorful with his words towards you, Daryl was the one to take the heat for you. Told his brother to quit it. Since then, your relationship with the older Dixon was extremely minimal and even when it was forced, he left you alone.

Though you wouldn’t have missed Merle one bit, you watched Daryl take the news of his desertion when the cop- Rick- told him what had happened on the supply run. While you of course expected fury from Daryl, you hadn’t expected such emotion to fly out of him. He was a wrecking ball of threats and fists with tears running down his dirty cheeks. It was sad.

He must have seen the pity in your face then. When you called to him, tried to calm him down and move him away from Shane, he’d shoved you. “Get lost, girl.”

Needless to say, the men in this group were difficult. But at least the others were in the group. Daryl was on the outskirts of it and without his brother, it would be too easy for him to get thrust out. While you didn’t want that, you knew it was also vital for the survival of the group for him to stay. You had a feeling he wasn’t as impenetrable as the armor he wore.

You were worried about Daryl. You were also worried about Glenn and T-Dog, and Rick- Lori and Carl included. And as you sat there before the fire, you wondered what the hell would happen if Merle returned.

That was when you heard Amy scream. You didn’t recognize the sound at first, it was so sudden and so loud. It was a cry of anguish and fear. One that begged for help.

After that, it was chaos.

You turned over your shoulder, watching Amy and her assailant, even pondering for a split second who had snuck into the camp. What stranger would go after a girl just trying to go to the bathroom. But of course, it wasn’t a who. It was a what.

“Get behind me!” Shane roared. 

You knew there wasn’t time. Reaching into your pocket, you grabbed the unfamiliar hunting knife you had with you and unsheathed it. You stepped over the log you’d been sitting on, away from the fire, but also further away from Shane and the safety of his gun, towards one of the geeks. It wasn’t just ugly and rank and dead, it was terrifying. The look of it, the smell of it made your stomach sink so far, it felt like it’d fell out of your body.

It snarled and gnashed its mouth at you while its thin, wiry fingers reached for you, but all the while, you focused on its hair. It was the same in death as it was in life- long locks of protein that couldn’t hurt you. Harmless. So you aimed your knife there.

In the brain, in the brain, it has to be in the brain, don’t you know anything-

The thing stopped once your knife sunk into its skull. Its arms dropped to its hollow sides and its lifeless eyes looked at you, long enough to send a shudder through you before it dropped to the ground, taking your one and only weapon with it. 

“Get up here! Come to the RV!” you heard.

There were more screams, the thunk of childhood baseball bats slamming into hard skulls, the echoing sound of gunshots. Closer to you, though, and more urgently, there was deep guttural snarling, groaning and gurgling- the sound of the dead coming for you.

Shane had brought the children to the RV, safe, their backs leaning against the cold metal. Lori and Carol were there, Jim was at the treeline with his bat, Andrea on the ground with- with Amy. Amy’s body. You were alone. In the middle of the chaos, too far from any other living humans to take any aid.

“(Y/N)! Get up here! Jim!” Shane’s voice was hoarse.

You dove for your knife, yanking it out of the walker’s head with a squelch. You could only manage three or four steps up the hill before another undead was upon you. It was too close, its long nails a hair’s breadth away from your bare skin and its decaying teeth lunging closer with every stride. Again, you had to gather all your strength, grip your knife tight and focus- be calm enough to aim for the enemy’s brain. You had one chance, or you’d turn into one of them.

Carl would have to see it, Sophia, Lori. Daryl.

You grunted with the effort and the tip of the knife hit home and sunk into the geek’s head. This time you were able to free your knife before the thing fell to the ground. You scanned the land in front of you, looking for more threats. There were so many bodies on the ground. Bodies of people from your group, people that you’d gotten to know. They were lying still now. Leaking onto the dirt.

Then an arm wrapped around your middle and dragged you uphill. You screamed and thrashed, but whatever had you was strong.

“It’s me,” his voice rasped in your ear. 

It immediately calmed you. You held onto Daryl’s arm as if it were a buoy saving you from drowning in gray, storming waves of a murderous ocean. He led you to the others near the van and deposited you there before letting go of you.

He was back. You saw Rick, T-Dog and Glenn, all in various states of emotional disrepair, but Daryl just looked around, calmly taking in the carnage. 

“Daryl,” you said to him, “you okay?”

“Whaddah you think?” he snarled. “Ya see mah brother anywhere? Huh?”

So the moment was short lived. You ignored whatever he said next, running your hand along the outside of the RV, using it as a crutch as you moved to check on Carol and Sophia, then on Lori. You didn’t have it in you to survey much more than that. You trembled from the inside out and watched Rick hug his little boy as tears streamed down his face. 

At least they were back. 

It was somewhat painstakingly decided that you would all save the cleanup for tomorrow morning. The survivors had vans or tents to escape into. To leave the dead outside. Except for Andrea. One look at her- that was all you could handle- and you knew she wasn’t going to leave her sister any time soon.

You fell to your knees, jeans sinking into the soft dirt and stared into the flames of the campfire that was still burning strong. It was only then you found the hunting knife still in your tight grip, crusted over with brown, lumpy goo. At that point in the night, you couldn’t understand exactly what the remains were and for that, you were grateful. The bit of blade still showing reflected in the light coming from the pit, shades of orange and red glowing between your fingers. 

Shane crouched beside you and though his landing was silent and agile, you jumped.

“S’alright,” he said, taking the weapon out of your scrunched hand. “Lemme clean it.”

“I can clean it,” Daryl grumbled from above, snatching the knife from Shane. “S’mine anyway.”

Shane let it happen, concentrating on you. He carefully set a hand on your shoulder. “Ya did good,” he said.

“You too,” you answered, like a little league pitcher on the losing team. 

He stood and put his hands on his hips. “Try ta get some rest,” he said from the air.

You nodded.

Only when Shane was gone, did Daryl move closer to you. He sat on the ground and leaned back against the log the group had been using as dinner seats less than an hour ago. He sat back for a while, leaving you to watch the flames die down as he worked one of his rags into the crevices of the hunting knife. Slowly, you heard the others of the group- those living- say goodnight to each other and slide into their respective dwellings for what was left of the evening.

Distantly, though he sat just beside you, you heard Daryl speak. “S’right bout one thing.”

“Hm?”

“Ya did good. I saw ya when we were runnin’ up the hill. Doin’ what I told ya to do.”

You turned to him, but he wasn’t looking at you. Your feet stung under you, asleep after kneeling on them for so long, as you moved to sit on your bottom next to Daryl. He turned the cleaned knife in his hand before passing it you, handle out.

You shook your head. “It’s yours.”

He plopped it on your lap. “S’yours now. I gave it to ya. You’ll need it.”

You didn’t want to need it. He knew that too. All the same, it was a good thing he’d left it with you when he went to Atlanta. If he didn’t, you wouldn’t be sitting next to him right now. Speaking to him. Feeling the heat that didn’t just emit from the fire, but from him by your side as well. 

“Thank you,” you said, sliding the knife back into its sheath and into your pocket, where you hoped it would stay, unneeded for a long time. Or at least for the rest of the night.

You turned to him, but again, he wasn’t looking at you. He rarely did. But you knew he was still there, still with you by the way his head tilted towards you. Like he was watching you out of the corner of his eye. As if you were a deer in the forest, ready to bolt away from him at any moment.

“I’m sorry you didn’t find Merle.”

He shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah right. You hate Merle.”

“Hate is a strong word,” you said.

He chuckled- a grim, gruff sound deep in his chest. 

You watched him, feeling free to do so since he so rarely looked you in the eye. He was biting the inside of his lip over and over and picking at his fingernails. 

You waited.

He peeked at you, inhaling deep. “Didn’ mean ta snap atcha. Earlier.”

When he yelled, you thought. By the RV, after he’d pulled you to safety. 

You nodded. “S’alright. It’s been a tough day all around.”

Humming in agreement, he turned back to the fire. You two were square now. But you also hoped he knew that if he snapped at you like that again, you wouldn’t be so quick to forgive. 

There was a flapping from above that shook the leaves in the trees. It was a soft, peaceful sound of nature, but after this night, in this new world, it startled you to your core.

“Just a bird,” Daryl said.

You sucked in a breath that made your lungs quake in your chest. “I’m sick of being so scared all the damn time,” you mumbled, tipping your head forward, holding your face in your hands. Things had only been like this for two months? Three? And you were already exhausted, tired of it all. How much longer could you take? Or, how much longer would it take for you to just-

Daryl stood. “Come on,” he said. He waved toward his tent. “Gotta getcha away from this damn bloodbath ‘er you’ll never calm down.”

You violently shook your head. “I can’t- I don’t wanna be alone-”

He was already walking toward the tent he shared with Merle. “Yer stayin’ with me. So I know where ya are.”

Your system went from fight or flight to frozen. He- Daryl- wanted you- where? After every shove and snap and swear towards you, now he wanted you to come with him? To be in his space? Overnight?

You stared at him. He tossed his crossbow into his tent, lifting the flap and heading inside when he turned back and saw you still on the ground in front of the fire.

“Or do ya wanna stay out here alone?”

“No.”

“Then get off yer ass.”

You scrambled to your feet and scurried to the tent’s flap. You felt like a scolded child, like your dignity had been left in the dirt, but you didn’t care. After the walker attack, you couldn’t be alone and you had been trusting Daryl with your life for weeks now, not that you’d ever tell anyone that. You felt the safest when you were with him. Tonight you needed that. Especially tonight. 

“Ya can take that side,” Daryl mumbled, pointing. 

The tent was small. Big enough to stand up in, but not very wide. There were two sleeping bags strewn out close to each other with a lumpy pillow on each. He tossed an extra blanket onto the side he told you to take. It was the one with the crossbow at its foot. And you recognized his cut off flannel shoved into the duffle beside it.

“I can’t take your bed.”

“Ain’t a bed,” he said, spreading the other sleeping bag open flat and sitting on it.

“Well, I can’t take your bag.”

“Would you rather stick your face in Merle’s pillow all night?”

You grimaced, thinking of the monster of a man and what he’d probably done to that innocent pillow.

“Thought not,” Daryl said. He grumbled it, but you heard the smirk in his voice.

“The definition of ‘pick your poison’,” you said, crouching to sit on the soft sleeping bag. 

“Girl-” Daryl said, swatting at you as he rolled over, putting his back to you.

You swung back, smacking his shoulder. “I was kidding.”

In answer, he gave another blind swat, making you giggle. 

You laid back into the double layer of sleeping bag, enjoying the way it was cool to the touch underneath you. The pillow, though thin, felt nice when you situated it under your head the way you liked it. Everything around you smelled like him- gas, grease, cigarettes- yes, but something else too. It wasn’t a bad smell, just a natural one. Just Daryl.

You were laying on your side, facing him. You watched him sink into the darkness as you spun the dial on the lantern until it turned off. Dark, though it was, you could still see his form clearly. Not sleeping yet. 

“Thank you, Daryl,” you said.

He grunted, flopping to lay on his back and folding one of his arms under his head. “Get some sleep.”

It was then you realized how small the tent really was. When he laid on his back, his leg could almost touch your knee as you curled up on your side. He was an enigma, alright, you thought. Couldn’t bear to look you in the eye, saved your life, snapped at you in front of everyone and now slept beside you like it was nothing.

You sighed, following suit and laying on your back too. “Don’t think I’m gonna be able to catch much of that,” you said.

His pillow rustled as he looked toward you. “What the hell happened there?” He took your hand from where it rested over your forehead and studied the angry red scrapes and purple bruising on your knuckles. “This happen tonight?”

“No,” you said, taking your hand from his grasp and tucking it under you, embarrassed. “Happened earlier.”

“How’d you bust it up like that?”

“I, um… I just hurt it. Against Ed’s face.”

Daryl gave a laughing hiss. “I saw his face. You did that?”

“Some of it. Shane did the rest.”

“Fuck yeah.”

“He had it comin’,” you said, barely finishing the last word and regretting saying anything at all. Ed may have deserved a few punches, hell, he deserved jail time. But what happened to him tonight- eaten alive, alone- you weren’t sure anyone deserved that. It made your stomach roll in your gut and you stung with shame.

“Fucking badass, girl,” Daryl said.

It was quiet in the dark for a long moment. 

“M’not, Daryl. I’m just fucking scared.”

There was more rustling beside you as Daryl shimmied around on his sleeping bag. 

“Turn over. That way,” he said.

You did as he told you, laying on your side with your back to him. His body moved up against yours, his heat blooming on your shoulders, bum, and the backs of your legs. A little too forcefully, he lifted your head to slide his arm underneath and cradle you close.

“Ain’t nothin’ gettin’ in this tent tonight. I gotch’yer back. You can handle your front.”

You nodded, feeling tears gather in your eyes. Your cheeks were hot, as though they were on fire as you cried, finally letting out the emotion of the evening. The death, the kills, the fear, and the relief all ran down your face and into your shirt or onto Daryl’s pillow or his arm supporting your head. As your breath caught, he reached around you with his free arm, hugging you close and rubbing his thumb on the skin of your injured hand. You grasped him hard. You needed to.

Before this night, you weren’t sure what you thought of the younger Dixon brother. He was rough and nasty and you wondered just how much he took after Merle. Before this moment, you thought he’d run for the hills if you ever touched him with one single finger, nevermind your whole body- your whole being like you were now. But he was there, still with you and unbothered. Safe.

“Sleep,” he mumbled.

You nodded, squeezing his hand again before letting it go and allowing your body to relax against his. And eventually, in his arms, listening to his steady breath, you slept.

[taylore]

Joe Jonas & Taylor Swift Timeline

May 2008

The Jonas Brothers film the Burning Up Music Video. Joe’s love interest  is played by a girl who looks a lot like Taylor.

*note - Nick's is played by Selena Gomez, his IRL girlfriend at the time.

July 2008

The video is released (X)

July 4th 2008

The Jonas Brothers begin their Burning Up Tour and Taylor begins being seen backstage

July 9th 2008

Taylor is spotted attending the JB show in Dallas, Texas. She and Joe both tweet about it after the show. 

July 12th 2008

Taylor & Selena are spotted at the Irvine show (X)

July 14th 2008

Taylor performs Should’ve Said No with the JB. It is recorded for their concert film (X)

July 15th 2008

Taylor is spotted at the Mountain View show (X) 

July 20th 2008

Joe flies to Nashville to watch Taylor open for Rascal Flatts. 

July 21st 2008

Taylor is spotted at the JB show in Omaha (X). She and Joe then went to Cracker Barrel (X)

July 24th 2008

T & J are seen together in Hendersonville, though her publicist insists they are just friends (X)

July 30th 2008

T is seen at the JB North Carolina show (X)

August 8th 2008

Joe is asked about Taylor and denies rumors of a relationship (X) 

August 10th 2008

Taylor performs with Joe again in New York (X). Whilst in NY, she is seen at a private album release party and is pictured with Daniella Jonas (Kevin’s at the time girlfriend, now wife). They are pictured again at some other point, presumably around the same time.

August 13th/14th 2008

She films a “cameo” in the JB’s “Love Is On Its Way” MV (X)

August 13th/14th 2008

She and Joe are *allegedly* seen cuddling in a minivan between takes. They are also seen/heard by some fans cuddling in Joe’s hotel room watching the Olympics (X). 

August 17th 2008

Joe is pictured with Scott attending one of Taylor’s Florida shows

August 20th 2008

Taylor is seen backstage at the JB Atlanta show.

August 27th 2008

The JB upload a skit to YouTube where Taylor can briefly be seen in the background (X)

August 28th 2008

The JB go on a triple date (X) which Selena & Nick later reference (X).

August 2008

Taylor denies dating Joe (X)

Summer 2008

Taylor writes Jump Then Fall and Today Was A Fairytale. Both songs are presumably about Joe.

September 7th 2008

The JBs and Taylor attend the VMAs (X) (X). At the event, Russell Brand makes some jokes at the band's expense (X)

September 8th 2008

The Lovebug music video is released, and it features Camilla Belle (X)

Note: earlier that year, Joe had confessed his love for the actress (X)

September 14th 2008

Taylor does multiple interviews stating her distaste for the VMAs jokes (X) (X) 

September 22nd 2008

Taylor records Forever and Always (X)

September 2008

Joe calls Taylor to “discuss” feelings to which she is unreceptive. They break-up (X).

Late September 2008

Taylor writes Drama Queen with Martin Johnson. They seemingly begin “dating” around this time.

Circa October 8th 2008

Taylor puts a line through a quote on her Myspace speculated to be in reference to Joe

Late October 2008

Joe and Camilla attend a Halloween party together, and are allegedly seen making out outside Joe's house (X)

November 6th 2008

Taylor talks about the breakup in an interview with Ryan Seacrest. She also confirms Forever & Always is about him (X)

November 11th 2008

Fearless drops

November 11th 2008

Taylor goes on the Ellen show and “puts Joe Jonas on blast” (X)

November 12th 2008

Taylor does an interview with OK! Magazine, where she cites Camilla Belle as the reason by the split (X)

November 12th 2008

USA Today releases a list of Taylor’s most listened to music sourced from her IPOD. Burnin' Up, Tonight, & Year 3000 by the Jonas Brothers are featured (X)

November 13th 2008

The Jonas’ Brothers upload a defense post that is taken down by the next day. 

November 18th 2008

Taylor uploads a promotional vlog where she calls Joe out again… using a doll (X)

December 31st 2008

Taylor and Joe both perform at Dick Clarke’s Rockin 'Eve (X), and are forced into proximity when the ball drops (X). 

Early 2009

Taylor (presumably) writes Mr. Perfectly Fine.

February 8th 2009

Taylor performs Fifteen with Miley Cyrus (X). The Jonas Brothers are in audience (X). 

March 2009

Taylor (presumably) writes Haunted and If This Was A Movie, which are likely about Joe. 

2009

Taylor writes Last Kiss.

May 7th 2009

The Jonas Brothers upload the song Paranoid to their MySpace. It is speculated to be about Taylor (X).

June 12th 2009

The Jonas Brothers release their album, “Lines, Vines and Trying Times” including the song “Much Better,” which references Taylor.

June 2009

Taylor writes Better Than Revenge in response. 

July 2009

Joe and Camilla break-up. 

November 7th 2009

Taylor calls out Joe during her SNL gig (X)

January 31st 2010

Taylor and Joe are seen talking backstage at the Clive Davis’ pre-Grammys party.

September 1st 2011

Joe attends Taylor’s San Jose show on the Speak Now tour (X)

February 2012

Taylor writes Holy Ground (X)

November 12th 2012

They’re seen talking at the EMA’s

2015

Joe starts dating Gigi Hadid, causing him and Taylor to start hanging out again

July 24th 2020

Taylor releases invisible string where she references sending Joe and Sophie Turner’s baby a present. 

April 9th 2021

Taylor re-releases Fearless. Sophie jokingly posts Mr. Perfectly Fine to her story. Taylor responds (X)

September 6th 2023

Joe and Sophie announce plans to divorce (X)

September 20th 2023

Taylor and Sophie go out to dinner (X)

May 15th 2023

Sophie expresses her gratitude towards Taylor (X)

[https-harlow]

Aren't You Nervous?

Summary- How you and Jack find out you are pregnant with your first born, Paisley.

Word Count- 2.3k

A/N- This has been half finished in my drafts for months, but at least I finally finished it. Also, I do have a Paisley and Olive fic coming soon for anyone who prefers those to the back story!

Right before you moved to Atlanta with Jack and Urban, you started not feeling well, you were nauseous, exhausted all the time, and if you asked Jack or Urban, your emotions were all over the place. You just assumed it was stress and didn’t think anything of it. You had been in Atlanta for about 2 weeks now, and you didn’t feel any better.

You had just got done throwing up, something you had been doing almost every morning for the past week and a half. Jack was next to you, rubbing your back softly, and brushing your hair back if he needed to. As you stood up, Jack kept his hand on your back, pulling you into his chest as soon as he could. You didn’t fight it, leaning into his chest as you closed your eyes. 

“I’m sorry for waking you up.” You apologized, and Jack shook his head as he started to rub your back again.

“It’s okay, don’t apologize.” Jack reassured, kissing the top of your head before you pulled away from the hug to brush your teeth. Jack didn’t let you go for long before he was standing behind you, arms wrapped around you from behind, resting his chin on your shoulder. As you put your toothbrush down Jack kissed your head as you leaned into his chest again, closing your eyes for a second as the bathroom lights were starting to give you a headache.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go somewhere? I can find an urgent care or something and we can go now.” Jack asked, he had been concerned about you, insisting you go to the doctor. You shook your head.

“I’m okay.” You reassured him and Jack sighed but nodded. 

“If you change your mind we can go, okay? I’ll go with you, so you don’t have to go alone.” Jack told you and you nodded.

“I know, thank you for offering, and I will.” You smiled softly, turning in Jack’s arms so you were facing him, pressing your lips to his gently.��You had been refusing to kiss Jack since you had started to feel sick, but Jack insisted that he would risk getting sick to kiss you, plus at this point if he was going to catch whatever you might have, he would have.

“Do you want something to eat?” Jack asked you and you shook your head.

“Not right now, I don’t want to throw up again. Can we go back to bed?” You asked and Jack nodded. You were exhausted and all you wanted to do was go back to sleep.

“Of course, baby.” Jack kissed you softly before leading you back to your bedroom, laying down with you, both of you falling back asleep.

Jack woke up before you did, getting out of bed carefully so he didn’t wake you up. Jack walked into the kitchen to get you some water and crackers for when you woke up. Jack walked back into your room, setting them both on the nightstand before laying back down next to you, smiling softly as you cuddled back into his side. Jack wrapped one arm around you while the other scrolled through things on his phone. Eventually he decided to google some of the symptoms you had, and it didn’t take long for pregnancy to come up as an option. Jack thought about it for a moment and it did seem like a reasonable option based on your symptoms. 

Jack noticed you start to wake up and looked down at you, smiling softly, pushing the hair out of your face while you woke up.

“How long was I asleep?” You asked and Jack looked at his phone.

“About an hour and a half.” Jack told you and you nodded, cuddling further into his side, making Jack smile, his arm wrapping around you tighter. 

“Do you feel any better?” Jack asked and you shook your head. “I got you water if you want some. I brought crackers too if you want to try to eat a couple of them” Jack offered and you nodded, sitting up. Jack reached over to the nightstand to hand you your water bottle and the package of crackers.

“Thank you.” You smiled softly.

“Your welcome baby.” As soon as you were done you laid back into his side. Jack let you slowly wake up before he brought up what he found on google. “I uh, I googled somethings while you were asleep, do you think you might be pregnant?” 

“Maybe?” You said. “I mean, it’s always a possibility, but I’m on birth control pills. Do you think I should take a pregnancy test?” You asked.

“I mean it’s up to you, but it probably wouldn’t hurt. Do we have any?” Jack asked.

“No.”

“I can go get one.” Jack offered and you nodded.

“What if it’s positive?” You asked Jack as he rubbed your back absentmindedly.

“We’ll be okay.” Jack reassured you. “I know it isn’t what we planned, but we talked about everything before we moved, getting married, starting a family, fuck we even talked about getting a dog. I know we had a timeline all planned out, but not everything is going to go according to that. Did 6 months ago you think that you would be living in a different state with your boyfriend and your best friend?” Jack asked and you shook your head. “We’ll figure everything out, we have each other.” Despite Jack’s calm exterior, internally he was also freaking out, but he didn’t want to let you know that, he wanted to stay calm for you.

“But what about your career? You were supposed to be farther into your career before we have kids, I don’t want to hold you back.” You started to panic more.

“Hey, look at me.” Jack said quietly, making you look at him. “All of that will be okay. I’d give everything up for you, but I won’t have to because you, or a baby, isn’t going to hold me back. You are going to be right by my side for everything, same with the baby if you are pregnant.” Jack told you. “Let’s not think about it too much before we know for sure, okay?” Jack asked and you nodded. Jack pulled you gently into his chest.

“Your parents are going to kill me if it’s positive. They hate me already.” Jack said underneath his breath.

“They don’t hate you.” You reassured him.

“They just don’t like that you moved to Atlanta with your boyfriend who wants to be a rapper, and your best friend who wants to be a photographer.” Jack joked and you nodded.

“Exactly.” You nodded, both of you laughing softly. “Actually, they like Urban being here.” You said and Jack teasingly rolled his eyes.

“They like Urban but not me?” Jack asked and you nodded. 

“Yeah, because Urban’s not my boyfriend.” You said, both of you laughing softly and Jack jokingly shook his head. Your parents really didn’t like Jack that much, and they especially didn’t like it when you told them you were moving to Atlanta with him. “But, like you said, let’s not focus on how our parents are going to react until we know.” You reminded him of his previous words. Jack nodded, kissing you softly.

“Do you want something to eat now? I can pick you up something if you want me to.” Jack offered and you nodded, telling Jack what you wanted before Jack laid back down, pulling you down with him. “Just want to cuddle for a few more minutes, then I’ll go.” You giggled before nodding. 

A few minutes later you both walked out of your room to the living room, finding Urban who was sitting on the couch. 

“Feeling any better?” Urban asked, looking over as he heard you to walk out of your room. You shook your head, sitting down next to Urban.

“No.” You laid down on the couch, laying your head in Urban’s lap. You and Urban had been friends longer than you had known Jack, and Urban had been equally concerned about you.

“I didn’t know I was going to become your pillow.” Urban joked and you glared at him. “It’s okay, you can lay on me I don’t mind. I’m sorry.” Urban immediately apologized. Your eyes immediately started to water as you sat up.

“No, I’m sorry that was mean of me.” You apologized, Urban glanced over at Jack before looking back at you.

“Please don’t cry, I didn’t mean to make you cry.” Urban said. “Come here, you can lay back down if you want to.” Even though you had been friends with Urban for years, he never knew what to do when you would cry. You nodded slightly, laying back down with your head on Urban’s leg.

“What did you do?” Urban mouthed to Jack when you weren’t looking. Jack pretended to not know what Urban mouthed to him, before walking over to you, his hand going to your side, rubbing it gently.

“I’ll be right back.” Jack told you and you nodded, sitting up slightly as he leaned down to kiss you. “Text me if you need anything else.” Jack said, brushing a strand of hair out of your face as you laid back down. 

“I love you.” You told him. 

“I love you too. Urb, please don’t make her cry again.” Jack told Urban.

“I’ll try my best.” Urban told Jack, Urban still wasn’t sure why you cried in the first place, he knew you were a little more emotional than usual recently, but that was a joke he made anytime you laid on him.

About an hour later, Jack came home with food for you, Urban, and himself, along with a bag of a couple pregnancy tests. You all ate breakfast before Urban went back to his room to get ready for the day and you and Jack went back into your room, bringing the pregnancy tests with you. 

Jack sat down on the bed while you took one, setting a timer on your phone before you sat down next to Jack. Jack wrapped his arm around your waist. 

“Are you nervous?” Jack asked, and you nodded slightly.

“Yeah, of course I am. Aren’t you?” You asked Jack. Jack shook his head, he was nervous, but he knew if he let you know how nervous he was that you would become even more nervous, and he didn’t want that.

“No, not really. I mean, in a way I guess so. I know we didn’t plan to have kids right now, but I know I want you to be the mother of my children and that I want us to have a family together. If it happens sooner than we expected, then I know we can handle it together.” Jack reassured you.

“I’m just afraid I’m not going to be a good mom.” You admitted, looking down at your hands.

“Hey. Look at me.” Jack tilted your head up gently when you didn’t look at him, your eyes already starting to water. “I know you are going to be an absolutely amazing mom. I know if we have a baby now, we’re going to make mistakes, but I also know that if we have a baby in 10 years, we’re also going to make mistakes. We’re going to try our best, and that’s all that matters.” Jack told you and you nodded softly.

“Plus, we’ll get plenty of practice keeping someone alive after living with Urban.” Jack joked, trying to make you laugh, which worked. You had been living with Urban for 2 weeks, and he was already banned from using the stove or oven without telling you or Jack he was using it, but preferably you. You were counting the days until Jack had the same restriction.

“Yeah, I guess a baby wouldn’t almost burn the apartment down a week into coming home.” You joked, laying your head on Jack’s shoulder. 

“I sure hope not.” Jack said, laughing softly. You both sat in silence until the timer went off, you sighed softly as you picked up the pregnancy test from the nightstand. You knew as soon as you looked at it, your lives might change forever. 

You looked at the test, seeing the word POSITIVE on the test. You were scared to say it out loud, so you flipped the test so Jack could see it. You saw the nervousness in Jack’s face, as much as he tried to hide it from you, you knew him to well.

“We can do this, I know we can.” Jack said, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. You weren’t sure if he was reassuring himself or you. “This baby is going to be so loved, I know it.” Jack told you and you smiled softly, nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, they will be.” You said, running your fingers through Jack’s hair.

“Is it time to start worrying about your parents killing me now?” Jack joked.

“Probably.” You said, both of you laughing softly, sitting in silence for a couple of minutes, both of you taking time to process your emotions on the situation.

“I’m going to do everything for you, and our little baby girl or boy.” Jack whispered to you, kissing the top of your head again.

“I love you so much.” You told Jack, turning your head to kiss him gently.

“I love you too.” Jack said, kissing you once more.

You couldn’t help but let your eyes start to tear up once more. You were terrified, nervous, surprised, but underneath all those emotions, part of you did feel excited. You were excited to be starting a family with the guy you knew you were going to spend the rest of your life with, even if it was a few years sooner than either of you were expecting. If you were having a baby with anyone else, you knew it would be way scarier, but even though Jack was feeling all the same emotions you were feeling, he knew how to give you the reassurance you needed and calm you down. You knew you could do this with Jack by your side.

Tag list @jackharloww @harlowcomehome @nattinatalia @hoodharlow @itsyagirljaz @heavyhitterheaux @harlowsbby @awhore4moree

[rickmymanrick]

one rule | chapter five

[rick grimes x original female character slowburn]

series masterlist

summary: glenn and rick try out a new technique in order to survive and reunite with the rest of the group. back at camp, daphne and shane reach an understanding.

notes: god i’m so irritated with my writing in this series. i have the tendency to write too many little details but that changes after this chapter istg. so the style of writing might be a bit strange after this part but if you'd like an idea of what it'll be like, check out my star wars au i'm writing on my main acc. and sorry for the long ass wait. enjoy.

“I’m going to throw the fuck up,” I breathed, trying to control my gag reflex. Rick groaned in response, pushing harder and I gagged again.

“Stop doing that,” Glenn whined. “You’re going to make me throw up.”

“I’m sorry,” I said with watery eyes, trying not to breathe in the scent of rotten guts filling the air. We were all standing before Rick and his axe— staring as he cut a walker’s body in half.

Rick gave one last chop before handing it over to Morales. I did my best not to look at the mush of guts spread all over the floor.

After a heated discussion with Glenn, I’d agreed that it would be safer if I stayed behind, despite how badly I wanted to join him on Rick’s suicide mission to escape Atlanta. So I stayed silent, helping them spread intestines all over their coats with two layers of gloves on.

I’m sure my face was turning violet from how long I was holding my breath but it was either that or vomit all over the place. The texture of the flesh was lukewarm; this walker probably wasn’t even dead for long.

Glenn was beginning to hyperventilate.

“Think about something else. Puppies and kittens,” offered Rick with a grimace.

“Dead puppies and kittens,” T-Dog added in disgust.

I flinched, bracing myself. Glenn whipped around in horror, hurling over his shoulder instantly.

Andrea rolled her eyes and pulled away from Glenn. She fixed T-Dog with a glare. “That is just evil. What is wrong with you?”

“Next time let the cracker beat his ass,” snapped Jacqui.

“I’m sorry,” T-Dog backed away guiltily.

Rick cut in. “Do we smell like them?”

“Hell yeah,” I answered.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you take a single breath in the last five minutes, Daphne.”

I squinted my eyes at Rick.

“It’s a wonder you’re still standing,” he mused.

“Unless you want me to throw up on you and everyone in the vicinity, I’d rather suffocate in silence,” I said stiffly.

“Glenn," I turned around to find Andrea handing off my gun. "Just in case." I didn't argue, knowing if she had returned the gun to its rightful owner, I would've done the same thing. Still, I gave her a glare.

“If we make it back, be ready,” said Rick firmly.

“What about Merle Dixon?”

Rick fished out the keys from his pocket and tossed them to T-Dog.

“Give me the axe,” sighed Rick. “We need more guts.”

After another agonizing round of gut scooping, the two were ready to head out. Glenn glanced back at me with a terrified look. I tried to give him my most confident smile, but inside I was sort of dying too.

I shared one last look with Rick, imprinting both of their faces in my mind just in case. How is he still so handsome covered in guts?

‘You got this,’ I mouthed at Glenn and then Morales promptly slammed the door in my face. I rounded on him angrily.

“We couldn’t risk the walkers seeing us,” he shrugged apologetically.

I sighed, glancing up the stairwell and suddenly remembering Merle’s crazy ass was still up there. Suppressing a groan, I forced my way past Andrea and the others and decided to wait on the rooftop for a better view.

And somehow between the sudden rain pour that fell over Atlanta and Andrea accusing Rick and Glenn of abandoning us, the plan actually managed to work.

I was practically biting my nails, sprinting back down the stairs I came from, leaving Merle and his yelling in the dust. I couldn’t bring myself to give a single shit, only focused on trying to push myself the fastest I’ve ever gone, just so that by some miracle of God I could intercept Glenn before he took off.

He was leading the horde away, distracting them so that we could all get into the van Rick had managed to steal.

I diverted from the course, ignoring Morales and Jacqui’s frantic questions, urging them to meet Rick at the rendezvous. Over the frantic pounding of my heart, I could hear the siren of Glenn’s stolen car, getting closer and closer as I sprinted down a dark hallway, seeing the daylight pouring through the crack of the emergency exit.

With a shoulder shove, I burst through the door, fully bracing myself for a fight against any walker that was in the vicinity...

But it wasn’t the dead that attacked me.

It was Glenn Rhee, slamming into my side hard enough to send me flying towards the pavement feet away. My ears rung a bit and I had to blink a few times to gather my wits, but then I suddenly heard Glenn’s yell and growls getting closer and I forced my body to jump into action.

I swayed a little on my feet, gaping at Glenn who was hanging halfway out the car, staring at me like I’d grown two heads.

Walkers rounded the corner suddenly.

“Holy shit! You crazy fucker!” I yelled, swinging my body to the passenger’s side. I was more than ready to get the hell out of dodge.

“Holy shit,” Glenn repeated, but I could barely understand over his ridiculous guffawing. There were tears streaming down his face, his cheeks bright pink from how hard he was cracking up.

“You hit me with a car. Har har. Hit the fucking gas pedal, chuckles.”

His laughter was contagious, doubled over the steering wheel and I momentarily forgot that Rick and the others were depending on our corny asses to survive.

“Glenn,” I wheezed through suffocating laughter. God, my fucking side hurts but I can’t stop. “Glenn! We got—gotta GO!”

A loud bang made us both jump. Nothing kills the mood quite like a decaying corpse snapping at your car window.

Finally, Glenn hightailed it, sending the car flying with a deafening squeak. I gripped at the overhead handle. As we turned the corner, I barely caught a glance of Rick’s truck, now speeding away from the building.

I slammed my hand into the dashboard twice. “They’re out. Let’s go!”

Glenn didn’t need to be told twice, pushing the car even faster than I thought possible. Impulsively, I rolled my window down and felt the wind cut through my hair hazardously.

Soon, Atlanta was in the rearview mirror and a feeling of elation rushed to my head.

“We’re alive,” Glenn said suddenly, as if he read my mind.

“Cause of you,” I admitted in a rare moment of complete honesty with this asshole.

A sly smile spread across his cheeks and I whipped my head to face him fully. “I take that shit back. You almost killed me back there. I think you broke my hip, Glenn!”

“You look fine,” he denied.

“What do you know? My hip is in fragile condition! I may never be the same.”

“Should’ve looked both ways before you crossed the road.”

“Dude—” I fixed him with a murderous look.

Glenn glanced at me from his peripheral. I stared at him a few seconds longer. We were speeding down the highway, on lanes that were vet eerily empty. But the other side of the highway was a complete other story. I refused to look that way.

A few more seconds of death glaring Glenn satisfied my pettiness and so I began to rummage through the compartments of the car. A nice silence filled the car, just rushing wind and the company of the person who meant the most to me in this fucked up world.

All I could find were old receipts and registration papers. I sighed, “do you think they had any cds— FUCK YES.”

“What?” Glenn demanded quickly.

I flipped the cd around and practically shoved it in his face. He swerved a little— it’s not like there’s anyone to crash into.

“Put that shit on!” He yelled, beginning to smile uncontrollably.

I shoved the disc in and blasted the volume, drowning out the stupid alarm.

“Everybody look at me, me! I walk in the door you start screaming!” We both chorused loudly, feeling the spirit of Nelly Furtado and countless nights at the club fill our veins.

When we finally arrived, speeding over hills and around curves, we clambered out of the car, exhilarated from the drive and feeling the post-high of our near-death experience.

The giddiness rushed to my brain, making me a bit lightheaded as I gave Glenn a playful shove when I made my way to his side.

This feeling nearly made me forget my very pressing issue here at camp.

He came rushing over with a scowl. “What the hell?!” Shane growled at me.

“Holy shit, turn that damn thing off!” Dale yelled, stomping over with his white bucket hat lodged firmly over his hair.

“I don’t know how!” Glenn said, leaning over to fidget with the dashboard in the car.

“Pop the hood please,” said Shane a little more gently than he’d spoken to me.

I gave him a side eye.

Glenn and Dale kept yelling over each other in a panic. An anxiety began to creep over me when I realized just how loud the alarm was. It bounced off every tree; its echo could probably be heard below the cliff we were camped on.

I leaned closer to Glenn. “Hey, pop the hood—“

“Pop the damn hood!” Shane snapped suddenly.

The hood of the car finally popped open and I jerked back to glare at Shane. He was turning away from me, his head shaking and I could tell he was mumbling something under his breath.

The asshole pulled a wire out and the siren stopped.

“Are you crazy, driving this wailing bastard up here? Are you trying to draw every walker for miles?” Shane leaned against the car with an agitated look.

“I think we’re okay,” said Dale.

“You call being stupid ‘okay?’” Shane asked.

“The alarm was echoing all over these hills,” explained Dale. “Hard to pinpoint the source.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled. It’s nice to see someone still has functioning brain cells in this group.

Shane turned to glare at the three of us, hands on his hips, a scowl planted on his face.

“I’m not arguing. I’m just saying,” Dale told him defensively before spinning on both Glenn and I. “It wouldn’t hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, would it?”

“Sorry,” Glenn shrugged. “Got a cool car.”

“Has some good cds too,” I chimed.

“Nice to know you put us at risk for some cheap music,” replied Shane unnecessarily.

I opened my mouth, ready to fire back—

A rumbling could be heard from a distance. Amy rushed forward, shielding her eyes from the sun, a desperate look on her face. “Is that them? Where’s Andrea?” She turned toward me suddenly. “Is she okay?”

“She’s okay, Amy. We just had to take two cars, s’all.” I reassured.

We squinted against the glare. In the distance, a white truck was rapidly approaching.

“That’s not our van,” observed Shane lowly.

Obviously. I didn’t spare him a glance. I only stared ahead, hoping everyone except Merle was in that damned van. I knew it was wishful thinking though, that man was like a fucking cockroach.

In my peripheral, I saw Glenn glancing between Shane and I awkwardly. “Yeah, um, we had to leave it behind. Found a bigger truck though.”

Maybe I should mention the fact that Rick Grimes was driving the truck and that his partner was alive but my stubbornness kept me silent. And it was only at this thought that a memory resurfaced in my brain.

“Did you see Rick?” I asked quietly, observing Lori and Carl from where I sat on the rock. The pain in my thigh had dulled just a bit.

Shane glanced up from my leg, looking through his eyelashes briefly before quickly directing his gaze down again. He continued to wrap gauze around my wound.

“I did,” he said hoarsely. I waited with bated breath, but he said nothing more.

“Did they transfer him to Atlanta General?” I asked, not sure I even wanted to know the answer. The horrific sight of the dead on the highway was seared into my brain. The screams stopped hours ago; now all that could be heard was silence and a faint growling from the deserted highway.

“He’s gone,” Shane stated stiffly.

“He’s…?”

“Dead.”

I stared over at little Carl Grimes who sat next to his mother silently, observing how to light a small log fire. A lump formed in my throat, but I cleared it with a sniffle. There was no going back to the way it was before. I had to toughen up and accept it.

“Okay,” I lamented, forcing the grief back into the depths of my mind.

Shane finally looked up, brown eyes looking intensely into my own. “Okay.”

Hours later, I sat alone, like I did most nights I couldn't sleep, legs pulled up to my chest and staring at the dark outline of the city. It was brighter than usual this night, a full moon hanging high over our heads.

I traced each building I could see, wondering if Merle was atop one of them, cursing each of us to hell.

This evening was... eventful, to say the least. The Grimes family reunion went as expected, full of tears and embracing. I had to look away after a few seconds, feeling that stupid guilt churn in my gut, especially when Lori kissed Rick on the crown of his head.

And then I saw Shane, acting stranger than usual, a forced smile on his face after the shock of seeing Rick had worn off. He'd glanced at me the second it had processed in his brain who was driving the van, a mixture of shock and something else behind those brown eyes.

I imagined he felt betrayed I hadn't spilled it to him as soon as Glenn parked the car. Maybe it was a bit petty but his behavior towards me was setting me off. We hadn't worked so hard to make a living, just for a misunderstanding to destroy the bond we had.

I scoffed at the thought, glaring at the dirt.

Slow footsteps in the grass crunched behind me and I curled my fingers around my knife.

"'You barely got them out?'" I said monotonously. At the campfire just about two hours ago, Rick had expressed his undying gratitude to Shane. After Shane explicitly pointed out that he'd saved them. He was the reason the Grimes family was whole again.

I heard a sigh and Shane rounded the corner, his eyes meeting mine for the first time since last night. "It was a lot to explain."

"We had time," I pushed a little stone I found in the trunk around. "I'm not asking for credit. I would do what I did without hesitation if I had to again. But you haven't acknowledged me once since last night."

It was silent. I refused to look back up, tired of his mood swings.

"I...I haven't been fair to you," said Shane quietly. "I'm sorry. I just-- I've been working through some things. Feelings. You didn't deserve the way I'd been treating you."

I hated that confrontation made me overly emotional. I tried to swallow down the sudden lump in my throat. That's the thing-- maybe I did deserve it.

I wanted to say something, speak up for myself, maybe yell at him for giving me such a goddamn headache. But the lump in my throat kept me painstakingly silent.

“…Daphne?” Shane asked very quietly. It was barely a murmur, but my trained ears caught it.

I cleared my throat and whispered, “okay.” Outrageously angry at myself for not finding the strength to give him a piece of my mind.

It was silent for a few long moments.

“I’ll..." He cleared his throat and puffed out his chest a bit. "I'll take the night shift. You go get some rest. You’ve had a long day, Lara Croft,” he tried to joke awkwardly. I didn't laugh, so conflicted on my feelings for him.

On one hand, he’s the man who has been with me since before the fall and even through it. We’ve been forced to fight and survive together. Fight for each other. Other than Glenn, he’s the only friend I’ve got.

But god we fucked it up so bad last night. I fucked it up. I could sense his apology was sincere and life was too goddamn short to hold onto grudges.

And my back was starting to kill me after getting smacked around by Glenn's stolen car.

“Thanks,” I whispered, accepting his offer and hopping off the jeep. I looked at his fluffy brown hair and his eyes that were suddenly much lighter than they had been in all day, despite the darkness of the night.

The anger was still there, simmering and bubbling in the pits of my stomach, but with one deep sigh, I spun on my heel and made my way to Glenn and my tent, deciding to just deal with it tomorrow--

A whisper traveled across the path.

"For what it's worth, it's always been you."

I froze, straining my ears to convince myself I hadn't just made it up.

"I don't wanna fight. But it's your call. Daphne, I need you... and-and I'll take you however I can have you, Ayala."

An even larger lump formed in the base of my throat. My lungs burned furiously and I realized I'd been holding my breath all this time. I willed myself to respond.

"I need..."

What did I need?

I frowned in confusion. My heart was telling me one thing, but my brain was convincing me of another. There's no reason to deny myself this attention, this man who has clearly pined after me for so long. And because of my silly crush on Rick Grimes, I'd never given him the time of day.

Now Rick's back and I have to co-exist with his family.

I turned my head to glance at him over my shoulder. He was standing by the jeep still, a hand on his holster and another scratching at his scruff.

Maybe... I should've given Shane Walsh a chance so long before the world went to absolute shit.

Maybe... maybe I can give him a chance now.

My stomach turned with the possibility of just allowing myself to be loved. But my anger very much still brewed silently.

"I need time," I said honestly. I forced a small smile. Not a yes, but certainly not a no.

A puff of air left his lips, I heard it even from this distance away.. It was full of a flattering sort of relief and I found myself shocked that my ears began to tinge with heat.

Spinning away before he could say anything else to fluster or anger me further, I rushed back to my tent, that tight lipped smile slipping into an easier one.

The next morning, I woke up earlier than I expected, my anxiety at an all time high.

Glenn was still snoring on his side of the tent, flat on his back and his mouth hanging open just a little.

I took the opportunity to change into a fresh set of clothes and brush my teeth quickly before trekking into a part of the woods I'd discovered a week ago. It wasn't too far, a few minutes into the trees, but far enough to be able to take a breath of air without someone lurking about.

The trek had a greater purpose though; within its bushes, a patch of blueberries grew untouched. I'd been going back to check on it every morning and now, I was hoping it was ready enough for picking. The thought of surprisingly Carol and Sophia with some jam put a little pep in my step.

So I began my slow search, carefully inspecting each berry to make sure they were edible.

My peace was interrupted sooner than I expected. There was a major scuffling within the trees and my heart leaped to my throat, freezing in place as I tried to calculate who it was coming from and where.

I was hunched over, ready to leap and attack a walker if need be. The footsteps got louder and I steadied the grip on my weapon.

"Merle was a danger to us all," I heard Shane's voice travel across the trees. My heart jumped to my throat. I'd been avoiding the thought of him since I woke up.

"You don't know what you're talking about," grumbled the voice of Daryl Dixon. Through the low bush, I saw a group of three approaching.

I held my breath, surprised Daryl hadn't throttled Rick already.

"What I did was not on a whim," said Rick. "Merle does not work and play well with others."

“He’s my brother,” Daryl insisted, more angry than I had ever seen him. Maybe, he did throttle him. Shane must've pulled him off because there was red marks from a struggle on his neck.

My cheeks burned, my heart stupidly fluttering just because I'd finally come to terms with allowing myself to feel something for him. I realized a tiny smile started spreading across my cheeks and quickly shut that shit down. I glared at the ground to gather my bearings.

Now was not the time for girly high school shit.

Shane shook his head. “I understand that this is difficult but—“

“No, you don’t understand. Y’all don’t have a brother here!” Daryl threw his hand up and began to storm away.

“I do, Daryl. I do.” Rick said. Daryl turned around with a sneer, and Rick glanced back at Shane fondly.

I became confused when Shane’s face twisted into an uncomfortable expression, more of a grimace than a brotherly smile, a tense nod given to Rick in return.

Daryl scoffed.

“Oh really? Does a brother fuck your wife?”

OHHHH SHITTTTT. unedited as fuck btw

next chapter >

[killiancormac]

🍎❤️💯🤔👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 + jasper pls!! :]

🍎 RED APPLE — where was your oc born? do they still live in/around their place of birth or do they live somewhere else? how do they feel about their birthplace?

He was born in Montgomery, Alabama. He moved away in his twenties, and where he lives now is AU dependent. In ‘normal’ / base canon, he lives in Atlanta, GA. He’s not very fond of his birthplace, for a number of reasons, and he only ever goes back when he’s visiting his parents.

❤️ RED HEART — what are three of your oc's positive traits?

dependable, loyal, funny. He’s definitely one of those people you can come to with absolutely anything, whether you’re looking for an ear or someone to cheer you up :]

💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know.

He has a part time job at a satire news website (like the onion), in addition to his Normal journalism job. He’s adopted! He was adopted by his parents as a child, around 10 or 11ish. He has a life sized cardboard cutout of himself because he thought it would be funny

🤔 THINKING FACE — what are some of your oc's quirks/mannerisms?

He’s a leg bouncer for sure… not even anxiously, or restlessly, it’s just a habit. He’s a knuckle cracker for SURE and I can see it grossing people out GHGHGHGFJH he doesn’t even realise he’s doing it sometimes. Sometimes it looks like he’s trying to break his own finger to get it to crack (I also do this). He rubs his stubble a lot, particularly his chin.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 FAMILY WITH MOTHER, FATHER, SON AND DAUGHTER — how many people are in your oc's immediate family? how many people are in your oc's extended family? do they have aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc? who in their family are they closest with? are they close with their birth family, or do they have a found family?

His birth family isn’t that big – just his parents, brother, two or three aunties or uncles. Both of his birth parents are dead, and he has no contact with his brother. All three of them were abusive, and as soon as he was able, he completely cut them out. He did have an auntie on his mothers side who he was very close with, but she passed when he was a teenager. He names his daughter after her.

His adopted family is even smaller – it’s just him and his parents. He’s very close with them, and they all have a very loving relationship – he talks to them every day, visits them when he can. He’s a lot more like his adopted parents in every way than he is his birth ones.

He DOES have a found family :) all of them are a mix of sidney and I’s ‘original’ ocs, who we made a good 10(+) years ago. He's particularly close with his friends Steven and Matt, knowing the former since high school and the latter since college.

He has a husband, Seamus, and together they have a daughter, Elizabeth (or Ellie, as they call her). they were originally a joke ship that I got attached to after realising just how good they are for each other HFJDGF

[taibobo]

inside job master chef AU with rand JR and tamiko as judges . rand is a sort of casual crass judge, speaks very bluntly but is the one contestants want to impress the most. JR is your average rich restaurant goer so he wants intelligent and expertly crafted dishes with intense flavor profiles. tamiko is about that picturesque WOW factor and wants new and exciting flavor combinations and plating techniques

reagan: highly technical with a love for complicated gourmet michelin dishes. wants rands approval and is extremely mad about it. highly independent worker, and though i think she’d likely make it to the semifinals or finals she would likely face elimination in a team challenge or the restaurant takeover unless she was captain

gigi: great with visuals and infusing her atlanta background to create highly modern and beautiful looking dishes. likely works with a lot of trendy ingredients and dishes, so something like a mystery box challenge would pose a hard challenge for her as she has a very small range of dishes she’s comfortable with creating

andre: the wild card. makes strange, culturally diverse foods with highly conceptual and abstract ideas and flavor profiles. judges are constantly stumped by his abilities despite his usually quite casual demeanor in the master chef kitchen. crumbles under extreme pressure in the restaurant takeover at first, but as soon as he’s able to take a “bathroom break” he’s an instant star. definitely a possible finalist

brett: highly skilled cook, though not the best among the cast, but what he lacks in technique he makes up for in gusto and his understanding of what other people enjoy. his ability to tackle challenges is very headstrong because he wants to impress more than he wants to win. his palate is very sophisticated (from his parents) and his understanding of gourmet cuisine is very advanced (from his house staff), but i think if anyone yelled at him he would break like a fucking soggy cracker

myc: he’s in a human glamour on tv obviously, but i think it’d still be funny if he was an alien. the judges know this but the rest of the cast and the audience do not. because of this his concept of food combinations is quite literally beyond human understanding. tries to avoid using mushrooms and similar ingredients, but his palate and choices are insane, near on the level of andre. he’s fantastic at working with colors in plating, but i think some of his combinations and flavors may be a little too camp and clash. he’s kind of an asshole and would likely do badly in a team challenge unless he was with someone who could easily let his insults roll off like glenn (who’s used to them) or andre (who isn’t paying attention)

glenn: also fully human in this— hearty chef, great at cooking comfort food in large portions and has a lot of gumption with working with heavy machinery and butchery. a bit of a sore loser, but he has a great taste for protein especially and could out grill, out sear, and out marinate pretty much any other competitor. not as intelligent with plating but his knowledge of flavor profiles is very rational and he could definitely cook something he’s never eaten with little issue, especially a meat.

robotus: surprise competitor. technically near-perfect and conceptually has a deep understanding of several cultures and types of cooking. is even better at baking and could destroy a bakery challenge. however his food tends to lack ‘soul’ and creativity at first until he’s able to learn from the other competitors around him. i think he’d make a great finalist or semi finalist

[atlurbanist]

This is the Ponce City Market area, 1930s and today.

The changes are dramatic but you can see the main PCM building (which was a Sears building) and the Ford Factory Lofts (which was an assembly plant) in the old photo.

You can also see the Atlanta Crackers baseball field, called Spiller Field, in the lower right. Today that's the Midtown Place shopping center.

To my eyes, the biggest change is in the land-use in the upper left, where acres and acres of surface parking used to sit. Now it's apartments and the Historic Fourth Ward Park. BTW, the magnolia tree that stood in the outfield of Spiller Field still stands, behind the Midtown Place shopping center. It's called the Babe Ruth Home Run Tree.

The first image is where it is located now (there's a plaque in front of it) and the second is what it looked like on the field back in the day. Supposedly, Ruth hit a home run ball through the leaves of the tree. More info: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/spiller-field-magnolia-trees

[adultswim2021]

Freaknik: The Musical | March 7, 2010 - 11:30PM | Special

Whither That Crook’d ‘Sipp? 

Freaknik: the Musical! A special that I’m ill-equipped to truly go deep on because 1) I am a cracker-ass and 2) I live in a hell of my own making and sometimes it's far too difficult to tune out. Oh well! I’ll give it a shot, yuh know? See what happens! Also: I pledge to not google anything about this, so I will be speaking from my threadbare knowledge of the subject at hand.

Freaknik is based on a real-life recurring block party, or outdoor music fest, or something like that, held, uh, probably annually in, I’m guessing, Atlanta, Georgia. It probably has rap stuff going on and people probably have a lotta fun listening to live music and attempting to find sex partners among it's many attendees. I have gleaned this from the special itself, as well as the fact that when you search for this to see if it’s playing on any streaming services you’ll instead find a documentary called “Freaknik: a big party that happens” or something like that. 

This special follows a likable rap group who are down on their luck. They intend to travel to the big event so they can compete in some battle of the bands type thing. The party is happening because Freaknik, a ghostly personification of the party itself, has sprung back to life. I forget how. He’s a black ghost with money signs all over himself and hes real charismatic. He embodies good times, blackness, and above all, love. We see him going on a publicity tour, while a council of hater-ass black establishment figures (including mostly unidentified-but recognizable figures like Oprah, Jesse Jackson, Bill Cosby, and Al Sharpton) all scheme to stop Freaknik once and for all. 

The rap group have little adventures along the way, such as a memorable stop at a white frat. They tangle with a rival rap group, who look just like them. They meet a car full ‘o bitches and a brand new bong. One of the "bitches" is a character from That Crook’d ‘Sipp, but with a different name. There is almost no continuity between the two specials, just reused assets. That’s probably a best case scenario for That Crook’d ‘Sipp, which is maybe one of my least favorite things I’ve ever watched on Adult Swim. This is far from the worst thing. In fact, it’s fairly solid. 

That Crook’d ‘Sipp felt like it was speaking an alien language, and was borderline incomprehensible. This doesn’t feel that way. But, and I mean this in a non-insulting way, this show doesn’t feel like it’s for me. It’s a flavor I have a bit of a shallow distaste for. This is ultimately a good thing! I like when shows get on the air that are very specific and meant to appeal to a certain segment of the population.

I could quibble with the humor here and there, but I don’t think this special was designed with specifically pleasing me in mind. So why don’t I focus on the positive, instead? In fact, why doesn't everyone do this when faced with stuff that's not specifically for them? Okay , here I go: the characters are colorful! A lot of the drawings are great, funny, and cartoony! Even when it felt like it was about to veer into broad, stereotypical humor, it still pleasantly surprised me by aiming higher! It wasn’t boring, and a lot of the songs were pretty goddamn great! 

I actively enjoyed three moments in particular. One was the bit where Tyra Banks goes undercover as a corpse. This was a parody of the time she went undercover as an obese person utilizing a fat suit. (whoops, I googled this, just because I thought maybe I was confusing her with the episode of Fresh Prince of Bel Air where Will did that. Wait, wasn’t she on that show? Aw, geez!)

Moment two: the frat bros, who have their party shut down by the cops (you’ll hear famous white people Andy Sandburg and Bill Hader in this scene). When the cops leave, they lament being targeted by them, but then one says “I kinda like cops though, because they found the guy that killed my mom.” This right here is my favorite line in the show. 

The other part I liked, which I recalled from watching this way back when, was the scene where Al Sharpton is watching the news report that he died in his home after being struck by lightning. He looks around quizzically and then it happens. A lotta really fun cartoon gags like that are in this! I respect it!

Not my favorite thing to air on Adult Swim; not by a long shot. But the more I think about this show, especially its final act, the more I think that this special is pretty undervalued and underseen, and that’s a real shame. I honestly think that Adult Swim really should try to bring this back at some capacity. Maybe repeat it with a special promotion? Maybe a sequel? Maybe there’s a reason for it's absence that has nothing to do with Adult Swim or their parent company. But I think if they pushed this back out into the world and tried to get more eyes on it, only good things would come. 

MAIL BAG: 

From KON:

The funniest thing I ever said in my life was about Freaknik: The Musical. The special aired on the same night as the Oscars that year, the year that The Hurt Locker FAMOUSLY upset Avatar and won best picture. When the winner was announced, at one point they cut to James Cameron looking pissed. I said, "he's mad because he's missing Freaknik." Thank you, thank you

BIG LOL. I really do hope that he DVR’d it. And that he didn’t get it on DVD, because the DVD looks like shit. I hope he DVR'd it, or had a 1080p webrip from cartoonchaos on his seedbox.

THANK you for your neon knome review. As one of five people on planet earth who actually likes the problem solverz I'm glad to see another fan out there. Granted, PS was nowhere near as good as Neon Knome (even one of Ben Jones' own friends said it was 'too shouty'), but it's definitely not like, "Consistently and infamously ranked the worst cartoon of all time among a large amount of people" bad. Most of the hate seems to be from people who hate the brash art style and think the colors hurt their eyes, and from people who think that Alfe is annoying. I'll give them the latter, but like you said the style is very deliberate and I like how... 'visceral', it is, for lack of a better word. I unironically feel it was just too ahead of it's time and aired on the wrong network. This was when tumblr normies were geeking out over Adventure time, so something like this freaked them the F out and it stuck cause of word of mouth. Kinda like how Freddy Got Fingered was called 'the worst movie of all time' until pretty recently. I think if Neon Knome came out 15 years later, on [AS] in it's original form, people would love it. Cruelty Squad has like 10,000 positive reviews on Steam and it's just as visually abrasive/experimental as this is.

Thanks! Hopefully Criterion Channel will add Problem Solverz to it’s line-up so we can properly reassess it’s place in the culture at large. It does feel like if it got deleted by Zaslav that nobody in the world (except you and me, I guess) would stick up for it. People all snarkily saying “at least he got this one right”. The snark would be off the charts. The snark charts.

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 4.18

Holidays

Adult Autism Awareness Day

Anal Sex Day (Jim Jeffries)

Army Day (Iran)

Banyan Tree Birthday Party (Maui, Hawaii)

Battle of Dybbøl Day (Denmark)

Bilberry Day (French Republic)

Celebrate Ben Solo Day

Coggia’s Comet Day

Coma Patients’ Day (Poland)

Day of Historic and Cultural Monuments (Ukraine)

Day of Secretaries (Belgium, Netherlands)

89ers Day (Oklahoma)

Ernie Pyle Remembrance Day

Friend’s Day (Brazil)

I Love CSU Day (Colorado)

International Amateur Radio Day

International Day For Monuments and Sites (UNESCO)

International Erasure T-Shirt Day

International Juggler's Day

International No Declaw Day

Ianthe Asteroid Day

Invention Day (Japan)

Laundromat Day

National Columnists’ Day

National Exercise Day

National Financial Advisor Day

National Lineman Appreciation Day

National Lydia Day

National Poem in Your Pocket Day

National Send Nudes Day

National Sleep Apnea Awareness Day

National Transfer Money to Your Daughter’s Account Day

National Transgender HIV Testing Day

National Velociraptor Awareness Day

Newspaper Columnists' Day

Paul Revere Day

Pet Owners Independence Day (a.k.a. Pet Parents’ Day Off)

Piñata Day

Real People Day

Red Cross Society Day (Ukraine)

Respect Your Mother Day

Robanukah (Futurama)

Scouts’ Day (Armenia)

Sleep Apnea Awareness Day

Smile Big and Say Hi For No Particular Reason Day

Superman Day

Third World Day

Ushibuka Haiya Matsuri (Dance Festival; Japan)

Victory Over the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of the Ice (Russia)

World Amateur Radio Day

World Artisan Day

World Heritage Day

World Trifle Day

Youth Homelessness Matters Day

Zhabdrung Kuchhoe (Bhutan)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Animal Crackers Day

World Food Travel Day

3rd Thursday in April

Ask An Atheist Day [3rd Thursday; also 9.16]

Biomedical Research Awareness Day [3rd Thursday]

College Student Grief Awareness Day [3rd Thursday]

Get To Know Your Customers Day [3rd Thursday of each Quarter]

High Five Day [3rd Thursday]

International Pizza Cake Day [3rd Thursday]

National D.A.R.E. Day [3rd Thursday]

National High Five Day [3rd Thursday]

Sumardagurinn Fyrsti (1st Day of Summer; Iceland) [1st Thursday after 4.18]

Throwback Thursday [3rd Thursday]

Weekly Holidays beginning April 18 (3rd Week)

Cleaning for a Reason [thru 4.24]

Consumer Awareness Week [thru 4.23]

Health Information Professionals Week [thru 4.24]

National Osteopathic Medicine Week [thru 4.24]

Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives in the Line of Duty Week [thru 4.23]

Independence & Related Days

Earth’s Kingdom (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

Pinang (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Republic of Eire (Formal Proclamation; 1949)

Zimbabwe (from UK, 1980)

New Year’s Days

Lao New Year Holiday (Laos)

Myanmar New Year Holidays (Myanmar)

Festivals Beginning April 18, 2024

Atlanta Wing Fest (Atlanta, Georgia)

Grape Day (Temecula, California)

Love the Burger Battle Contest (Luverne, Minnesota) [thru 5.25]

Roadburn Festival (Tilburg, Netherlands) [thru 4.20]

Taste of St. Croix (St. Croix, US Virgin Islands)

Feast Days

Agapitus (Christian; Saint)

Agia (Christian; Saint)

Apollonius the Apologist (Christian; Saint)

Bun-Bun Brothers’ Day (Muppetism)

Carista: Day of Peace in the Family (Pagan)

Corebus (Christian; Saint)

Cyril VI of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Eleutherius, Antia & His Companions (Christian; Martyrs)

Festival of Matsu (a.k.a. Mazu; Taoist Sea Goddess)

Festival of Rama-Navami (Hinduism; Everyday Wicca)

Fox Tail Burning Day (Ancient Rome)

Galdino della Sala (a.k.a. Galdin; Christian; Saint)

Gustave Moreau (Artology)

Idesbald (Christian; Saint)

Jeanne-Elisabeth Chaudet (Artology)

Lady Macbeth Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Laserian (a.k.a. Laisren or Molaisse; Christian; Saint)

Ludwig Meisner (Artology)

Make Faerie Rocks Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Laserim, Bishop of Laighlin, Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Max Weber (Artology)

Molaise of Leighlin (Christian; Saint)

Nihilism Day (Pastafarian)

Perfectus (Christian; Saint)

Plato of Sakkoudion (Christian; Saint)

Three Impossible Mixtures Day (Celtic Book of Days)

The Underlings (Muppetism)

Vitruvius (Positivist; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [18 of 37]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [15 of 30]

Premieres

Absolute Beginners (Film; 1986)

Alice’s Circus Dance (Disney Cartoon; 1927)

Apes of Wrath (WB MM Cartoon; 1959)

Baggage Buster (Disney Cartoon; 1941)

Barnyard Olympics (Disney Cartoon; 1932)

Beyond This Horizon, by Robert A. Heinlein (Novel; 1948)

Chess-Nuts (Betty Boop Cartoon; 1932)

Dog Trouble (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1942)

Fancy Free, by Leonard Bernstein (Ballet; 1944)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Film; 2008)

Four Quartets, by T.S. Eliot (Poetry; 1943)

Gorky Park, by Martin Cruz Smith (Novel; 1981)

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (Disneyland Animatronic Exhibit; 1964)

Holes (Film; 2003)

Kongo-Roo (Phantasies Cartoon; 1946)

Legend (Film; 1986)

Little Johnny Jet (MGM Cartoon; 1953)

Mare of Easttown (TV Series; 2021)

Manifestoes of Surrealism, by André Breton (Book; 1924)

Master and Commander, by Patrick O'Brian (Novel; 1969)

Muscle Tussle (WB MM Cartoon; 1953)

The Razor’s Edge, by W. Somerset Maugham (Novel; 1944)

The Saint in Trouble, by Graham Weaver (Short Stories; 1978) [Saint #47]

Sheikh of Araby, recorded by Sidney Bechet (Song; 1941)

The Simple Things (Disney Cartoon; 1953)

Speaking of Animals Down on the Farm (Animated Antics Cartoon; 1941)

Straight Shooters (Disney Cartoon; 1947)

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (WB Animated Film; 2017)

Three Little Wolves (Disney Silly Symphonies Cartoon; 1936)

Uncle Joey (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1941)

Winged Migration (Documentary Film; 2003)

Today’s Name Days

Werner, Wigbert (Austria)

Viktor, Viktoriya (Bulgaria)

Atanazija, Eusebije, Hermogen, Roman (Croatia)

Valérie (Czech Republic)

Eleutherius (Denmark)

Valdek, Valdeko, Valdemar, Valdo, Valdu, Valdur, Valmar, Valmer, Voldemar, Volli, Volmer (Estonia)

Valdemar, Valto (Finland)

Parfait (France)

Werner, Wigbert (Germany)

Eirene, Eirini, Irene, Irini, Nikolaos, Nikoleta, Nikos, Nicholas, Nicolas, Nick, Rafael, Rene, Rena, Renia, Rhenia (Greece)

Andrea, Ilma (Hungary)

Galdino (Italy)

Dana, Hildegarde, Jadviga, Laura, Nameisis (Latvia)

Apolonijus, Eitvilas, Girmantė, Undinė (Lithuania)

Eilen, Eilert (Norway)

Apoloniusz, Bogusław, Bogusława, Flawiusz, Gościsław (Poland)

Ioan (Romania)

Valér (Slovakia)

Perfecto (Spain)

Valdemar, Volmar (Sweden)

Anthea, Ayana, Ayanna, Warner, Werner (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 109 of 2024; 257 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 16 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Saille (Willow) [Day 5 of 28]

Chinese: Month 3 (Wu-Chen), Day 10 (Ren-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 10 Nisan 5784

Islamic: 9 Shawwal 1445

J Cal: 19 Cyan; Fryday [19 of 30]

Julian: 5 April 2024

Moon: 76%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 25 Archimedes (4th Month) [Strabo]

Runic Half Month: Man (Human Being) [Day 9 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 31 of 92)

Week: 3rd Week of April

Zodiac: Aries (Day 29 of 31)

[fiftytwotwentythree]

Wellness Wednesday:

The Groundhog Day Diet

Sunday I officially started my Groundhog Day Diet (the same daily meal on repeat). Obviously the name of the diet stems from the 1993 Bill Murray film, but the month long challenge was more inspired by Morgan Spurlock's 2004 documentary, Super Size Me (a challenge to eat McDonald's for 30 days straight).

I settled on the following specific daily foods for the month:

Lunch:

Turkey & Swiss Sandwich, a Side of Baby Carrots, a Cup Peaches

Snack:

A Serving of Trail Mix

Supper:

Bowl of Soup and a Glass of Milk.

All ^that^ comes out to approximately 1,290 Calories.

Now, I didn't necessarily do this to keep better tabs on my calories - no - I merely did it to see if I could do it - or - better yet see how long before my tongue goes mad.

As well, I am hoping this "diet" will assist my pocketbook as I have planned out my meals, purchased a large majority of all my fixings, thus hopefully minimizing my grocery bill for the month of October. The only items I forsee having to purchase is fresh Turkey, Bread, Milk, and Carrots.

So far, 4 days in, things aren't too shabby. I wish I would have thrown in some popcorn to booster my snack intake... but... I'll know better for next time.

.

.

40th CHECK-IN:

Current Goals:

Lose 52 lbs

Completed as of 4/12/2023

New Goal: Maintain or Continue on The Weight Loss Path

Avoid "Junk Food"

Minimize Take-Out / Fast Food Consumption

Short Term:

Vegetarian-ish Diet: Completed

End Date: 4/09/2023 - 46 Days Total

Groundhog Day Diet:

10/01/2023 - 10/31/2023

Eat the Same Thing Each Day for 31 Days

*Not Photographed*

Turkey Deli Meat, Wheat Bread, Swiss Cheese, Milk.

.

.

Stats from August:

Food:

Leftover Meals: 20

Oranges: 20

Salads: 18

Bags of Popcorn: 17

Cans of Soup: 9

Take Out: 0

Candy/Sweets: 0

Workout:

Jumping Jacks: 12,800

Push-Ups: 3,200

Glute Bridges: 3,200

Reverse Leg Lifts: 3,200

Leg Kickbacks: 3,200

Sit-Ups: 3,200

Squats: 800

Plank (mins): 160 mins

Assisted Push-Ups: 0

Weight Loss:

Weightloss This Month: -1.0 lbs

Average Weightloss per Week: -0.25 lbs

Total Weightloss: -85.6 lbs

Entertainment:

Movies Watched: 19

Favorite from the Month:

They Cloned Tyrone

"TV":

Hours of Television Watched: ~ 40 hours ( How To with John Wilson, Modern Family, Outer Banks, Ink Master, Muscles & Mayhem, Only Murders in the Building, Ms. Marvel, Detriot Lions vs KC, Detroit Lions vs Atlanta, Detroit Loins vs Green Bay)

Books:

Books Completed This Month: 0

Book Title(s) Completed This Month: -n/a-

Book Total for the Year: 2

Comics:

Comics Completed: 4

Trades Completed: 7

Comic/Trade Titles Completed:

Lumberjanes Vol. 1

Amazing Spider-Man Masterworks Vol. 1 (Marvel Masterworks)

Chew Vol. 3: Just Desserts

Deadpool by Skottie Young Vol. 2: Good Night (Deadpool (2018-2019))

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection Vol. 3

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures (2022-2023) #1

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures (2022-2023) #2

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures (2022-2023) #3

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures (2022-2023) #4

New X-Men by Grant Morrison Vol. 1: E Is For Extinction (New X-Men (2001-2004))

Spider-Man/Deadpool Vol. 0: Don't Call It A Team-Up (Spider-Man/Deadpool (2016-2019))

Favorite Comic/Trade Read:

Deadpool by Skottie Young Vol. 2: Good Night (Deadpool (2018-2019))

Magazine(s):

Magazine(s) Completed: 0

.

.

Meal Tracker:

THURSDAY

Lunch:

(2) Hotdogs

Individual Cup of Bob Evan's Macaroni and Cheese

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Snack:

Bag of Ranch Corn Nuts

Bag of BBQ Corn Nuts

(4oz) Bag of Sahale Snacks Pomegranate Vanilla Flavored Cashews Glazed Mix

(4oz) Bag of Sahale Snacks Pomegranate Flavored Pistachios Glazed Mix

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Supper:

Can of Progresso Creamy Tomato with Penne

- 10 Crackers

(2) Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

(2) Small Oranges

FRIDAY

Lunch:

Bowl of Leftover White Chicken Chili

- 10 Crackers

(1) Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Snack:

Bowl of Wonderful's Shelled Sweet Chili Pistachios

(4oz) Bag of Sahale Snacks Pomegranate Vanilla Flavored Cashews Glazed Mix

(4oz) Bag of Sahale Snacks Pomegranate Flavored Pistachios Glazed Mix

Supper:

Individual Cup of Bob Evan's Macaroni and Cheese

SATURDAY

Lunch:

Skillet Chicken Quesadilla

- Leftover Chicken

- Busch's Taco Fiesta Black Beans

- Uncle Ben's Spanish Rice

- Shredded Mild Cheddar

- Good & Gather's Queso Blanco

- Side of Sour Cream mixed with Herdez's Street Taco Rojo and Verde Sauce

Snack:

(2) Individual Bags of Sahale Snacks Pomegranate Vanilla Flavored Cashews Glazed Mix

(2) Individual Bags of Smartfood's White Cheddar Popcorn

(1) Glass of Pumpkin Spice Flavored Milk

Bag of Black Jewel Popcorn

(1) Colorado Peach

Supper:

(2) Skillet Quesadilla

- Leftover Chicken

- Leftover Busch's Taco Fiesta Black Beans

- Leftover Uncle Ben's Spanish Rice

- Shredded Mild Cheddar

- Good & Gather's Queso Blanco

(1) Glass of Pumpkin Spice Flavored Milk

SUNDAY

Lunch:

Turkey & Swiss with Toasted Wheat Sandwich

(5) Baby Carrots

(1) Cup of Del Monte Peaches

Snack:

Serving of Good & Gather's Tex Mex Trail Mix

Supper:

Can of Progresso Lasagna Style Soup

- 10 Crackers

(1) Glass of Milk

MONDAY

Lunch:

Turkey & Swiss with Toasted Wheat Sandwich

(5) Baby Carrots

(1) Cup of Del Monte Peaches

Snack:

Serving of Good & Gather's Tex Mex Trail Mix

Supper:

Can of Progresso Lasagna Style Soup

- 10 Crackers

(1) Glass of Milk

TUESDAY

Lunch:

Turkey & Swiss with Toasted Wheat Sandwich

(5) Baby Carrots

(1) Cup of Del Monte Peaches

Snack:

Serving of Good & Gather's Tex Mex Trail Mix

Supper:

Can of Progresso Lasagna Style Soup

- 10 Crackers

(1) Glass of Milk

WEDNESDAY

Lunch:

Turkey & Swiss with Toasted Wheat Sandwich

(5) Baby Carrots

(1) Cup of Del Monte Peaches

Snack:

Serving of Good & Gather's Tex Mex Trail Mix

Supper:

Can of Progresso Lasagna Style Soup

- 10 Crackers

(1) Glass of Milk

.

.

Workouts:

THURSDAY

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

FRIDAY

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(10) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(10) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

SATURDAY

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

SUNDAY

* Afternoon Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Evening Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

MONDAY

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

TUESDAY

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

WEDNESDAY

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges[4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

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WEIGHT TRACKER:

Starting Weight (Noon, 1/01/2023): XXX.X lbs

Weight at Last Check-In, 9/27/2023: -0.8 lbs

Weight As of Noon, 10/04/2023: +1.0 lbs

Total Weight Loss: -84.6 lbs

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Closing Thoughts:

The Good:

Had an opportunity to take PTO in the middle of the work week. Using it for some R&R.

The Bad:

I quasi wish I included a daily bag of popcorn in to my Groundhog Day Diet... You Live and You Learn.

Gained a pound - which put be under 85 pounds of weight loss.

The Ugly:

I have insane pain in my lower leg/shin. Been icing my leg throughout the day.

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Get Hot Or Go Home: Vintage RCA Rockabilly '56-'59 1988 Rockabilly / Rock & Roll

Look, folks, I am by no means a huge fan of rockabilly music, but this comp from Country Music Foundation Records—which was an extension of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville at some point—still has some real bangers on it. I appreciate rockabilly for serving as a vital step towards the eventual explosion of rock & roll, but, in hindsight, a lot of that 50s stuff can feel pretty monotonous, formulaic, linear, and threadbare, which most of this comp happens to be.

But when the singer gets raucous, the band gets noisy and fast, and the sound gets a bit thick, I am definitely 100% on board.

So, back in '88, Country Music Foundation Records got access to the RCA label's mid-to-late 50s rockabilly vaults, and they ended up fashioning a comp that was comprised of a bunch of musicians who probably aren't very well known outside of rockabilly circles, except for Roy Orbison. And on that comp, you can also find a good deal of songs that had previously gone either unreleased in the U.S. or unreleased entirely. And it's all of good sound quality too, so, regardless of how I personally feel about 50s rockabilly, if that's your jam, you're gonna wanna listen to this whole album, just to hear some of these rarities alone.

Now, this thing was originally released as a double-LP, and the first one is taken up by only two artists: New Orleans' Joe Clay and Atlanta's Ric Cartey. And for me, it's Clay who is inarguably the star of not just that first LP, but this whole entire release. I really don't find his first five songs to be very gripping, but the next four are the ones that bring that loud and brash, energetic rock & roll attitude that I'm after. And it comes as a bit of a surprise too, since he is so much more reserved in the previous five songs. But tunes like "Get on the Right Track" and "You Look That Good to Me" feature Clay gravelly shouting, with his backing band *really* turning it on for the solos. And before this album came out, the only places you could hear "You Look That Good to Me" were on a couple German releases. Go figure!

Unfortunately, though, the second LP ends up leaving a lot more to be desired than the first, but we still get a good one from "The Female Elvis," Janis Martin, who was one of just a few pioneering female rock & rollers back in her day. The full-on clanging clamor of the guitar solo on her "All Right Baby" is very satisfying, and then, later on, we're treated to Jimmy Dell's "Rainbow Doll," which chooses to eschew a guitar solo for a completely unexpected, greasy, sleazy, and bawdy sax one instead. Fantastic stuff there.

So, while I found the vast majority of this collection of 50s rockabilly from RCA to be pretty bland, the small slice of tunes that do happen to stand out are still *super* tasty 😋. And if you really love 50s rockabilly, then you'll probably end up enjoying this full 33-song set a whole lot more than I did.

Highlights:

Joe Clay - "Get on the Right Track" Joe Clay - "You Look That Good to Me" Joe Clay - "Cracker Jack" Joe Clay - "Did You Mean Jelly Bean (What You Said Cabbage Head)" Janis Martin - "All Right Baby" Jimmy Dell - "Rainbow Doll"

[archivist-the-knight]

[id: a series of images: image one is a tweet by A Tiny Beefsteak, that reads: "if my calculations are correct, biscuits and triscuits hint towards a mysterious third food called "monosciuts."

Image two: Hard-tack from a museum, with a plaque that reads: "Hardtack from the Atlanta Area, 1862. T. T Wentworth, Jr Collection. The standard army ration of bread was issued as hard-tack, which was supposed to have a longer shelf life than regular bread. The crackers were often so wormy that soliders would nickname them "worm castles."

image three: a cookie, showing that it would be considered a monoscuit.

Image four: an image of a traditional buttermilk bisicut, shown when someone is asking why its considered that

image five: Legolas from the lord of the rings holding hardtack with a look of curiosity. end id]

[nancypullen]

Thrilling Thursday

Just kidding, absolutely blog-worthy has happened. It's 6 o'clock, I've already had dinner and cleaned up, and I'm in my jammies. That's right, I'm walkin' on the wild side.

In my defense, I'm wearing a kaftan - back in the day it would have been termed "lounge wear", and I am indeed lounging.

I headed to the gardens early this morning to try to get things tidied before the blazing heat set in again. It was still hot, still muggy, but I was able to pull some weeds and foof things up a bit. I can't stand a scraggly garden, and mine were headed that way. I feel so defeated when I look at my beds. I've used every trick in my arsenal, done copious research for my gardening zone and soil, and still I get weak, stunted plants. My lilac offered one bloom this spring and nothing since. My little hydrangea offered one bloom this spring and nothing since. My climbing rose offered one bloom this spring and nothing since. Anyone seeing a pattern? Remember my glorious gardens in Tennessee? I could make huge bouquets for the house and still have waves of flowers in the gardens. I grew everything - corn, green beans, peppers, tomatoes, cukes, pumpkins, and so on. Right now I have a beautifully healthy German Pink tomato plant that has produced over fifty blossoms since May, and not a single one turned into a tomato.

I have given it vitamins, water, pep talks and resorted to begging. Nothing. I've never experienced this in my life and I hate it. I honestly don't know what I'm doing wrong. Whatever it is, I'm doing it wrong in every flower bed. I think this house was probably built on a sacred Native American burial ground and the land is cursed. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. For someone who has treasured her gardens as much as I always have, this is heartbreaking. Know what I do when I feel defeated and that all is lost? Okay, besides drowning those feelings in chocolate. I set myself up for more heartbreak by trying again. A couple of days ago I opened a packet of pumpkin seeds, nipped them with nail clippers, and soaked the seeds overnight.

Yesterday I made little hills of soil in each flower bed and poked those seeds in all over the hills. We'll see how many sprout and then I'll decide who gets to live and spread their vines. I really need this win. I don't know what makes me think that this will work, nothing else does. I may be setting myself up for a huge disappointment. Oh, how I miss my gardens. BUT, because I am a lifeboat singer and eternal optimist (it always gets better, right?) I try to find little bits of joy.

When I watered and weeded this morning there were a few flower faces who were happy to see me. Back in Tennessee bees and butterflies were plentiful, I could often count two dozen butterflies in my zinnia patch. I rarely see a bee around here and I never see a butterfly. I don't know if it's because of what local farmers are spraying on their fields or if they're just scarce around here. Whatever it is, it's a real shame to see such an absence of pollinators. Enough boo-hooing about gardens. I miss being surrounded by summer beauty, but chin up, it's just 112 days to Halloween! We have to slog through another couple months of heat and humidity, but then we're rewarded with this...

*SIGH*

Due to the temps, I've successfully avoided cooking since the 8th. Mickey is down in Atlanta visiting his mom, and I'm happy with a tuna sandwich or a cup of yogurt for dinner. I broke my streak today because I had a craving. I love summer squash, specifically the yellow, crookneck variety. Normally I just cook it up with onions, salt, and pepper. Today I wanted something better, something decadent. Are you familiar with the good ol', southern potluck, Ritz cracker version of squash casserole? That's what I wanted. I sliced up the squash and boiled it for about 8 minutes.

I drained the squash in a colander and let it drip while I sautéed onion in that same skillet. While the onion cooked I mixed together a little mayo (maybe 1/4 cup), cheese (measure with your heart, but I'd use a cup),salt, a little sugar, and two beaten eggs. I pressed as much water as I could out of the squash, then squeezed it in a towel. You really don't want a watery casserole. Then I dumped the squash and the cheese mixture into the onions, folded it all together and put it in a casserole. Now comes the best part. Melt a tablespoon of butter and toss that with twenty-ish crushed Ritz crackers. Scatter that on top of your squash and pop it all into a 350 oven for about 30 minutes. If you're lazy like me, you'll open the rotisserie chicken you bought and just slice up a fresh cucumber for a veggie. Perfect summer meal. Terrible photo, but delicious spoonful.

Guess what I'm having for dinner tomorrow? Same thing, this time with no cooking! Women in lounge wear don't cook.

That is exactly what I look like in my kaftan. I don't look at all like a tea cozy, I swear. Mirrors are liars.

Other than crying over my gardens and cooking squash, I haven't done much of anything today. I did a drive-by at the library and dropped a few books into the book drop, then stopped at the post office and mailed some fabric to my sister so that she can whip up some pretty napkins for me. From there I dropped off an Amazon return and by then I was so close to Starbucks that I had to get an iced coffee. Big day in Denton. Tomorrow I'm starting a little project. I picked up this ugly picture at the auction.

Isn't it just begging for witches and ghosts? Maybe a couple of witches in a canoe out on the lake, another one on the bank with a fishing pole. You can see that it has a couple of spots on it.

If that blob was in the upper third of the picture I could just turn it into a moon. It'll have to become a ghost or maybe smoke from a cauldron. It'll be fun to figure out what it is. I'll paint the frame black and then stick it behind my desk with the rest of the silly stuff I do. When I die my kids are going to uncover a mountain of nonsense. That's going to be one interesting estate sale. I should probably add that before I ever apply paint to one of these old pictures I always check to make sure that it has no value. This particular print still has a tag on the back of the frame that says Turner Wall Accessories. In perfect condition it might fetch 20 or 30 bucks. With the spots and scuffed frame, far less. I won't be breaking the hearts of any collectors. That's enough from me today, I'm rambling and no one enjoys that. Time to feed the kitties and then lose myself in a book. Perfect evening. Sending out lots of love tonight, take as much as you need. I hope that if you're feeling disappointment (cough*my gardens*cough) that you realize that it's temporary. Whatever it is may never change, may never live up to your hopes, and it's okay. No one gets 100% of what they want in life. No one. If you take a hit in one area but can list five other things that make you happy, congratulations, you're winning! I'll bet if you make a list of what's right and what's wrong in your life, the happy side will have a longer list. I'm not making light of the serious stuff that life throws at us, I'm talking about the everyday, ordinary frustrations. It's important to keep those in the "minor things" category. That's enough of me. Go enjoy yourself. Celebrate the good stuff. Stay safe, stay well. XOXO, Nancy

[brookston]

Holidays 4.18

Holidays

Adult Autism Awareness Day

Anal Sex Day (Jim Jeffries)

Army Day (Iran)

Banyan Tree Birthday Party (Maui, Hawaii)

Battle of Dybbøl Day (Denmark)

Bilberry Day (French Republic)

Celebrate Ben Solo Day

Coggia’s Comet Day

Coma Patients’ Day (Poland)

Day of Historic and Cultural Monuments (Ukraine)

Day of Secretaries (Belgium, Netherlands)

89ers Day (Oklahoma)

Ernie Pyle Remembrance Day

Friend’s Day (Brazil)

I Love CSU Day (Colorado)

International Amateur Radio Day

International Day For Monuments and Sites (UNESCO)

International Erasure T-Shirt Day

International Juggler's Day

International No Declaw Day

Ianthe Asteroid Day

Invention Day (Japan)

Laundromat Day

National Columnists’ Day

National Exercise Day

National Financial Advisor Day

National Lineman Appreciation Day

National Lydia Day

National Poem in Your Pocket Day

National Send Nudes Day

National Sleep Apnea Awareness Day

National Transfer Money to Your Daughter’s Account Day

National Transgender HIV Testing Day

National Velociraptor Awareness Day

Newspaper Columnists' Day

Paul Revere Day

Pet Owners Independence Day (a.k.a. Pet Parents’ Day Off)

Piñata Day

Real People Day

Red Cross Society Day (Ukraine)

Respect Your Mother Day

Robanukah (Futurama)

Scouts’ Day (Armenia)

Sleep Apnea Awareness Day

Smile Big and Say Hi For No Particular Reason Day

Superman Day

Third World Day

Ushibuka Haiya Matsuri (Dance Festival; Japan)

Victory Over the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of the Ice (Russia)

World Amateur Radio Day

World Artisan Day

World Heritage Day

World Trifle Day

Youth Homelessness Matters Day

Zhabdrung Kuchhoe (Bhutan)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Animal Crackers Day

World Food Travel Day

3rd Thursday in April

Ask An Atheist Day [3rd Thursday; also 9.16]

Biomedical Research Awareness Day [3rd Thursday]

College Student Grief Awareness Day [3rd Thursday]

Get To Know Your Customers Day [3rd Thursday of each Quarter]

High Five Day [3rd Thursday]

International Pizza Cake Day [3rd Thursday]

National D.A.R.E. Day [3rd Thursday]

National High Five Day [3rd Thursday]

Sumardagurinn Fyrsti (1st Day of Summer; Iceland) [1st Thursday after 4.18]

Throwback Thursday [3rd Thursday]

Weekly Holidays beginning April 18 (3rd Week)

Cleaning for a Reason [thru 4.24]

Consumer Awareness Week [thru 4.23]

Health Information Professionals Week [thru 4.24]

National Osteopathic Medicine Week [thru 4.24]

Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives in the Line of Duty Week [thru 4.23]

Independence & Related Days

Earth’s Kingdom (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

Pinang (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Republic of Eire (Formal Proclamation; 1949)

Zimbabwe (from UK, 1980)

New Year’s Days

Lao New Year Holiday (Laos)

Myanmar New Year Holidays (Myanmar)

Festivals Beginning April 18, 2024

Atlanta Wing Fest (Atlanta, Georgia)

Grape Day (Temecula, California)

Love the Burger Battle Contest (Luverne, Minnesota) [thru 5.25]

Roadburn Festival (Tilburg, Netherlands) [thru 4.20]

Taste of St. Croix (St. Croix, US Virgin Islands)

Feast Days

Agapitus (Christian; Saint)

Agia (Christian; Saint)

Apollonius the Apologist (Christian; Saint)

Bun-Bun Brothers’ Day (Muppetism)

Carista: Day of Peace in the Family (Pagan)

Corebus (Christian; Saint)

Cyril VI of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Eleutherius, Antia & His Companions (Christian; Martyrs)

Festival of Matsu (a.k.a. Mazu; Taoist Sea Goddess)

Festival of Rama-Navami (Hinduism; Everyday Wicca)

Fox Tail Burning Day (Ancient Rome)

Galdino della Sala (a.k.a. Galdin; Christian; Saint)

Gustave Moreau (Artology)

Idesbald (Christian; Saint)

Jeanne-Elisabeth Chaudet (Artology)

Lady Macbeth Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Laserian (a.k.a. Laisren or Molaisse; Christian; Saint)

Ludwig Meisner (Artology)

Make Faerie Rocks Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Laserim, Bishop of Laighlin, Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Max Weber (Artology)

Molaise of Leighlin (Christian; Saint)

Nihilism Day (Pastafarian)

Perfectus (Christian; Saint)

Plato of Sakkoudion (Christian; Saint)

Three Impossible Mixtures Day (Celtic Book of Days)

The Underlings (Muppetism)

Vitruvius (Positivist; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [18 of 37]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [15 of 30]

Premieres

Absolute Beginners (Film; 1986)

Alice’s Circus Dance (Disney Cartoon; 1927)

Apes of Wrath (WB MM Cartoon; 1959)

Baggage Buster (Disney Cartoon; 1941)

Barnyard Olympics (Disney Cartoon; 1932)

Beyond This Horizon, by Robert A. Heinlein (Novel; 1948)

Chess-Nuts (Betty Boop Cartoon; 1932)

Dog Trouble (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1942)

Fancy Free, by Leonard Bernstein (Ballet; 1944)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Film; 2008)

Four Quartets, by T.S. Eliot (Poetry; 1943)

Gorky Park, by Martin Cruz Smith (Novel; 1981)

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (Disneyland Animatronic Exhibit; 1964)

Holes (Film; 2003)

Kongo-Roo (Phantasies Cartoon; 1946)

Legend (Film; 1986)

Little Johnny Jet (MGM Cartoon; 1953)

Mare of Easttown (TV Series; 2021)

Manifestoes of Surrealism, by André Breton (Book; 1924)

Master and Commander, by Patrick O'Brian (Novel; 1969)

Muscle Tussle (WB MM Cartoon; 1953)

The Razor’s Edge, by W. Somerset Maugham (Novel; 1944)

The Saint in Trouble, by Graham Weaver (Short Stories; 1978) [Saint #47]

Sheikh of Araby, recorded by Sidney Bechet (Song; 1941)

The Simple Things (Disney Cartoon; 1953)

Speaking of Animals Down on the Farm (Animated Antics Cartoon; 1941)

Straight Shooters (Disney Cartoon; 1947)

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (WB Animated Film; 2017)

Three Little Wolves (Disney Silly Symphonies Cartoon; 1936)

Uncle Joey (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1941)

Winged Migration (Documentary Film; 2003)

Today’s Name Days

Werner, Wigbert (Austria)

Viktor, Viktoriya (Bulgaria)

Atanazija, Eusebije, Hermogen, Roman (Croatia)

Valérie (Czech Republic)

Eleutherius (Denmark)

Valdek, Valdeko, Valdemar, Valdo, Valdu, Valdur, Valmar, Valmer, Voldemar, Volli, Volmer (Estonia)

Valdemar, Valto (Finland)

Parfait (France)

Werner, Wigbert (Germany)

Eirene, Eirini, Irene, Irini, Nikolaos, Nikoleta, Nikos, Nicholas, Nicolas, Nick, Rafael, Rene, Rena, Renia, Rhenia (Greece)

Andrea, Ilma (Hungary)

Galdino (Italy)

Dana, Hildegarde, Jadviga, Laura, Nameisis (Latvia)

Apolonijus, Eitvilas, Girmantė, Undinė (Lithuania)

Eilen, Eilert (Norway)

Apoloniusz, Bogusław, Bogusława, Flawiusz, Gościsław (Poland)

Ioan (Romania)

Valér (Slovakia)

Perfecto (Spain)

Valdemar, Volmar (Sweden)

Anthea, Ayana, Ayanna, Warner, Werner (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 109 of 2024; 257 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 16 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Saille (Willow) [Day 5 of 28]

Chinese: Month 3 (Wu-Chen), Day 10 (Ren-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 10 Nisan 5784

Islamic: 9 Shawwal 1445

J Cal: 19 Cyan; Fryday [19 of 30]

Julian: 5 April 2024

Moon: 76%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 25 Archimedes (4th Month) [Strabo]

Runic Half Month: Man (Human Being) [Day 9 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 31 of 92)

Week: 3rd Week of April

Zodiac: Aries (Day 29 of 31)